Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 : Kerala health authorities will now be assisted by the state police to identify people arriving from China and other areas where the presence of coronavirus has been reported, and bring them for medical checkups. The coronavirus outbreak has now been declared as a state calamity and authorities have now realised that it would be better to involve the police also in their work to contain the spread as prescribed under WHO guidelines. According to the health authorities the total number of people who are under observation has crossed 2,500 in various parts of the state. Of the 190 samples that have been sent tor testing, results of 90 are awaited. The condition of three who tested positive is stable and in the past 24 hours there has been no new positive case reported. On Wednesday, Kerala Police chief Loknath Behera informed that the police will now help the health authorities in identifying all people who have arrived from China and such countries where coronavirus has turned positive. This new guideline has come after reports surfaced that two people who arrived from China and were under observation, slipped out of the country without informing health authorities and flew to Saudi Arabia. In a related development, according to the State Disaster Management Authority officials, Chinese universities where a good number of Kerala students are studying have started issuing notices to the students who are now on vacation to return for classes. "We will take up this issue with the government," said an official. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) As schools close, Tuan drove 100 kilometers through the night to fetch his mother, who helps look after his children while hes at work. "Our family's helper quit before the Lunar New Year break, so we have no one looking after the kids," Tuan said, explaining why he had to drive to northern Hai Duong Province on Sunday night to pick up his mom. The father of two complained Hanoi education department decision was issued too late, giving many families no time to prepare. At the residential building where Tuan lives, numerous parents were struggling to make suitable arrangements for their kids during the next seven days. Ho Phuong, Tuan's neighbor, also resorted to her parents. However, instead of picking up her "saviors", Phuong had to take her children to her hometown in northern Ha Nam Province on Monday morning. She agrees with the authorities' decision to protect children's health, adding the late notice did, however, put her into a spin. A student at a secondary school in Hanoi's Nam Tu Liem District only learnt of the closure Monday morning. Photo by VnExpress/Hai Hien. At 8 p.m. on Sunday, Hanoi's Department of Education and Training issued a notice, granting a week off starting Monday to 2 million students to keep them from being exposed to the coronavirus. Besides Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City as well as many other cities and provinces across the country have announced plans to extend the Tet break for students by at least two days, including northern Vinh Phuc Province, alongside central Thanh Hoa and Khanh Hoa provinces, which have confirmed cases of infection. Not many parents were as lucky as Tuan and Phuong to find suitable care givers. Hai Minh, from Hanoi's Nam Tu Liem District, asked her pregnant sister for help, who agreed to look after her 7-year-old nephew and another child. "My sister is taking care of her own child. I cannot ask her to take responsibility for two other kids too." In Hai Ba Trung District, following the announcement last night, residents decided via a private group chat to hire a carer for all their children, hosted in the largest apartment in the building. 60-year-old To Lan, a retired teacher living nearby, did not miss the chance to offer her help. Seeing her neighbors in a difficult spot, she decided to work as a carer from 8 a.m to 6 p.m daily at the rate of VND180,000 ($8). Many families searched for professional services, which would cost them up to VND400,000 ($17) per session, according to Nga, who wanted to assist her neighbors and earn some money. In many households, the situation is so "serious" parents have to take time off work to stay home. Children play chess in a carer's house in Hanoi's Nam Tu Liem District. Photo by VnExpress/Toan Ha. Tuan Linh in Hanoi's Dong Da District and his wife decided the one who earned least would stay home with their children. His neighbors take turns to look after their 8-year-old. Several companies have shown their support by allowing employees to bring their children to work. At a media firm on Cau Giay Street, many youngsters followed their parents to the office on the first working day of February, playing under the watchful eyes of two carers. "We told them to be quiet and not bother anyone," said Linh, a human resource officer. She added that this way parents do not have to worry about their kids back at home. Other corporations have allowed employees to work from home to spend time with their minors. To Thao, employed at a tourism firm, this is supposed to be the busiest time of the year, but the nCoV outbreak has prevented many from traveling, giving her more time with her children. "My boss is sympathetic since I have two young kids, and I am allowed to work remotely. Looking after them and working at the same time is challenging, but everything is for their benefit," she said. Thao hopes the epidemic will be over soon, and that things could return to their normal orbit. Another IT firm in Hanois Thanh Xuan District said on Monday morning that women staff in the content team could work remotely. It has also told them to keep the company regularly updated on their health status. People with fever or cough will be checked by the firms medical team. In Ho Chi Minh City too, many companies are allowing women employees who have children to look after to work remotely this week. Vietnam's government declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic on Saturday. As of Wednesday morning, the country confirmed 10 infection cases. Three have been discharged from hospital. The death toll from the epidemic has reached 492, with 490 dying in mainland China, one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. Greg Gutfeld outside Fox News headquarters in New York in November. (Bryan Anselm for The Post) The caustic comic has gone from irreverent cable news oddity to a ratings champ who seems right at home on the network. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Logicalis US, an international IT solution and managed services provider has today announced a significant evolution to its brand positioning. The refreshed positioning is the latest development in Logicalis' ongoing transformation of evolving beyond an IT integrator to a strategic consultative partner, accelerating its customers' progress, keeping them relevant in the digital economy and directly contributing to their success. Architects of Change was developed through a collaborative process, with input from internal and external stakeholders from across the business, to understand and re-define Logicalis' purpose, proposition, behaviors and personality. Renata Randi, Chief Marketing and Alliances Officer for Logicalis Group noted, "With this new brand in place, Logicalis will also be carrying out a visual identity refresh as well as an ongoing engagement program, built upon a rich history of providing differentiated and high-quality solutions to its customers." Logicalis' customer Bryan Ackermann, CIO, Korn Ferry International said: "For Korn Ferry, Logicalis is a partner that started with a very transactional kind of relationship and has become one of our strategic partners with a very important global delivery capability. We've been intrigued and appreciative at watching Logicalis evolve and their willingness to be transparent with us as they develop." Nick Holden, Vice President of Cisco's Global Strategic Partner Organization commented on the rebrand and added: "It means that Logicalis can evolve to become something much nimbler and more valuable for customers. We already think of them as a strategic consultative partner and are looking forward to continue working with them to deliver unrivalled customer experiences together." Vince DeLuca, CEO of Logicalis US, also noted: "As Architects of Change, we strengthen our purpose to design, support and help customers achieve digital transformation by converging their vision with our technological expertise and knowledge of the industry regionally and globally. Logicalis US has a unique ability to leverage our global services approach to provide the best solutions for our customers. The brand refresh emphasizes how all the pieces of Logicalis come together as part of our vision for growth." About Logicalis Logicalis is an international solutions provider of digital services currently accelerating the digital transformation of its 10,000 customers around the world. Through a globally connected network of specialist hubs, sector-leading experts (in education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, retail and telecommunications) and strategic partnerships (including Cisco, Microsoft, HPE, IBM, NetApp, Oracle, ServiceNow, and VMware), Logicalis has more than 6,500 employees focused on understanding customer priorities and enhancing their experience. As Architects of Change, Logicalis' focus is to design, support, and execute customers' digital transformation by bringing together their vision with its technological expertise and industry insights. The company, through its deep knowledge in key IT industry drivers such as Security, Cloud, Data Management and IoT, can address customer priorities such as revenue and business growth, operational efficiency, innovation, risk and compliance, data governance and sustainability. The Logicalis Group has annualised revenues of $1.7 billion, from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4.3 billion. For more information, visit https://www.logicalis.com/ Cisco and the Cisco logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. SOURCE Logicalis Related Links https://www.logicalis.com When you think of "camouflage," there's a good chance the first image that comes to mind is the woodland pattern on the Battle Dress Uniform. From 1981 until the early 2000s, this was the one uniform that firmly identified a member of the U.S. military. It didn't matter in which branch they served, that woodland camouflage commanded respect. All of the most famous advertisements for joining the armed forces featured this uniform. Despite being in service for so long, the uniform went mostly unchanged for 20-plus years. The Pentagon eventually issued summer-weight versions; the button waist adjusters gave way to an easier sliding tab; and the lapels on the BDU blouse were shortened. The 470th Military Intelligence Brigade in Panama during Operation Just Cause (U.S. Army) It seemed like the perfect working uniform -- until commanders started demanding improvements. They began with demanding trouser-like creases in the pant legs. Then came creases in the arm sleeve. These all eventually became regulations. American troops then did what they do best: trying to outdo one another in the quest to look as "sharp" as possible. By the end of its time in service, between 2005 and 2012, depending on the service branch, the BDU had suffered a stream of adjustments that would either make troops' lives easier or so much harder, depending on what they tried. These adjustments were by no means universal, but they happened. A lot. We got a little carried away. 5. Intense Levels of Starch Two sets of my BDUs were the same ones issued to me in basic training, a stunning tribute to the durability of the uniform. When preparing them for an inspection day or some other event where people would care how sharp my creases were, I unloaded an entire can of starch into them. Twelve years later, these uniforms are still so crisp, they literally stand up on their own. If anyone took their BDUs to the base laundry or an on-base dry cleaner, they would likely receive the same treatment. There were entire businesses dedicated to this practice, right outside most gates. You can't get "laser creases" into this nylon-cotton blend without the use of performance-enhancing substances. After treating them with starch, they needed only a simple iron now and then to renew the creases, which kept my effort minimal, along with my washes. These babies are razor thin, even after a decade of being in a bin somewhere. Just like god intended. I wasn't going to "break starch" (put on a new uniform) for no reason. And when I touched up, my BDUs glowed with the flash that only superheated starch on cotton BDUs could bring. 4. Sewing Creases into Arms and Legs Maybe you needed laser creases but didn't want to put the effort into your everyday wear. Maybe you wanted to avoid "summer creases" (summer here, summer there, creases everywhere). Either way, starch wasn't your thing. The simple solution was to go to that same off-base dry cleaner and see whether they had an alterations service to put a seam right where the regulations said that crease should be. They usually did. Because, again, they were near the base for a reason. And they knew every word of whatever regulation governed your branch's uniform wear. Some airmen would put plastic fishing line in the crease of their BDU sleeves and iron over it to melt the line into the crease, creating an instant, permanent crease. Either way, you could easily walk into work every day, looking like you at least tried to touch up those creases, even if you just rolled out of bed. 3. Gluing Down Pocket Flaps With BDUs, it wasn't only hands that didn't belong in your pockets. Using any of the pockets on the BDU blouse was a faux pas that would cause any onlooking officer to metaphorically clutch their pearls. While it was perfectly acceptable to use the waist pockets on the BDU pants (for any purpose except keeping your hands warm), using the side leg pockets would cause equal amounts of confusion and alarm, as they poofed out with use. The solution American troops found to this issue was to literally glue or sew those pockets flaps shut and either sew the inner pockets down or remove them entirely. You can't use pockets you don't actually have. If you needed those pockets for combat, you probably weren't deploying with that uniform anyway. 2. Using Weights Inside Pant Legs Not only did those pants need to be creased and clean, if you were going to take them to the next level, they needed to be straight-legged too. There's no better way to keep pants looking like they've never been worn even when you're currently wearing them than installing heavy rubber weights in the area you also just bloused. Grown adults would blouse their BDU pants as usual, but instead of allowing the material to naturally flow over the tops of their expertly-shined combat boots, they would control how they looked -- by force. Very large, very heavy rubber cuffs were placed at the bottom of the bloused pant area so the wearer could smooth the fabric flowing over his or her boots over and around the heavy rubber cuff. The end result made it look like the wearers' pants weren't bloused work pants, but instead were doggedly-starched camouflage pattern dress pants. 1. Cutting Off Sleeves It gets super hot in many of the places American troops are based or deployed. In those instances, BDU-wearing soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines would be allowed to roll their sleeves to a predetermined area on their arm. The Navy and Marine Corps wore their rolled BDU sleeves with the lighter-colored material facing out, while the Army and Air Force wore rolled sleeved mostly rolled this way, but with the outer cuff facing outwardly. As if anyone else wore rolled sleeves like that anywhere, ever. Rolling our sleeves the way literally no one else would. (U.S. Air Force photo) If stationed somewhere that gets continually hot and required rolled sleeves day-after-day, some airmen and soldiers would simplify the rolling process. Normally, they would have to keep the roll perfectly flat and get the outer cuff on top, then have to restarch and iron the sleeves once they came down. Or they could just cut off most of the sleeve and sew the cuff to the predetermined place on the short sleeve, to make a perfect short-sleeved BDU blouse, one they'd have to change immediately if a VIP showed up. No problem, though. A regular pressed, heavy-starched replacement was probably somewhere close at hand. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 20:36:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- America's punitive immigration policy is a source of fear for some immigrants from Latin America who prefer to remain undocumented even if they have a chance to obtain legal status in the United States, a Stanford newsletter said Tuesday. Stanford University sociologist Asad L. Asad, who interviewed dozens of undocumented and documented immigrants living in the Dallas metropolitan area between 2013 and 2015, conducted an extensive study on how those immigrants perceive and respond to threats of deportation from the country, according to Stanford Report, a newsletter delivering news about the university community via email. For some LatAm immigrants, obtaining the right to permanent residency, such as a green card, in the United States would subject them to greater fears of deportation because they are known to immigration authorities, Asad found in his study published in the recent edition of Law & Society Review. Some immigrants considered it more advantageous for them to ensure their long-term presence in the United States if they keep themselves undetectable to U.S. immigration law-enforcing agents, the research showed. With such fears, the immigrants chose to live in the United States "off the radar" even if eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy approved by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012 that allowed undocumented immigrants without a criminal record to obtain a work permit in the United States. Asad said DACA holders had no sense of security either, because even a traffic ticket that failed to be paid up could have them arrested, thus easily leading to their deportation because they ended up "tagged in the system." Documentation is hardly a shield from deportation fears, which hailed from decades of immigration reform that placed deportation at the center of its policy, Asad found. As deportation conditions have expanded dramatically since the 1980s, the number of deportations has skyrocketed over the past 40 years, according to the study. Such a punitive immigration policy, which forces undocumented immigrants to give up "rare opportunities for legal status," would undermine the long-term well-being of their children born in the Untied States and who naturally acquired U.S. citizenship, Asad concluded. Industry Update Appointment 5 February 2020 Stefan Giesemann Joined Cushman & Wakefield in Munich, Germany as Partner & Head of Hospitality Germany & Austria Giesemann joins as a Partner and Head of Hospitality within the regional service line, reporting to Jonathan Hubbard, Head of Hospitality EMEA. He joins from JLL's Hotels & Hospitality team in Munich, where for the past eight years he has led a highly successful and market leading team focused on hospitality investment transactions. Cushman & Wakefield Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with approximately 53,000 employees in 400 offices and 60 countries. more information Recent Appointments at Cushman & Wakefield Dennis Leib - Head of Hotel Transactions for the Benelux region 18 October 2021 Leib, who will be based in Amsterdam, brings considerable specialist experience and connections to the firm's EMEA Hospitality team. He was previously Acquisitions Director for Amsterdam-based Sircle Collection (owner of the Sir, Max Brown and Park Centraal brands), for whom he secured deals for new hotels domestically within The Netherlands and in markets as diverse as Barcelona, Vienna, Lisbon, Milan and Ibiza. read more Cameron Ahrens - Asia Pacific Head of Integrated Facilities Management 10 May 2019 Based in Singapore, Cameron will be responsible for driving Cushman & Wakefield's Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) vision and industry leading differentiated model. He will work in partnership with the firm's IFM leaders on a country and global basis to lead the strategic planning process as a part of Cushman & Wakefield's Global Occupier Services in Asia Pacific. read more Daniele Matteucci ventures into the world of publishing with a practical guide that offers pragmatic tools and frameworks to help incoming/beginning managers as they take on their new role. In My first time in charge (published by AuthorHouse UK), the debuting author discusses the rational and emotional areas of being a manager, the inevitable stress that they will meet, and the ways to reduce their worries. Here, readers are offered easy to adopt tools and logics that the author personally applies daily in his own job. Matteucci believes that by benchmarking their current practices with his suggestions, new managers will be able to deliver better, faster and higher performance. Being a good manager is very important for the manager, but more importantly for companies. Matteucci states. Most people, like me, struggle when becoming first time manager. I have been eventually successful. I want to share to others my learnings to help them stop worrying and start performing. The publication of My first time in charge is geared towards those who want to understand the intricate details of taking on a managerial role. To purchase a copy, visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/786572-my-first-time-in-charge. My first time in charge By Daniele Matteucci Softcover | 6 x 9in | 190 pages | ISBN 9781546299349 E-Book | 190 pages | ISBN 9781546299332 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Daniele Matteucci is a business manager who is passionate about management. He is a goal-driven manager who believes in managing by metrics and high performing teams. He is currently working as head of Japan for Kering Eyewear based in Tokyo. From 2013 to 2017, he was a country manager for Luxottica in Thailand and then Indonesia. Matteucci has been studying passionately about business and management. He studied business controlling and business planning, took a masters degree in strategy (SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy) and graduated in business administration (LUISS Guido Carli, Rome, Italy). In his job, Matteucci experiments everyday on what managers can do to make their teams and organizations better. During my first field assignment as country manager, he had huge cultural and job issues. However, he found his own way to success. He wishes to share his experience and lessons learned within the pages of his book, My first time in charge. AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0800 047 8203. A North Carolina man is in custody, accused of dousing a woman with a flammable liquid and setting her on fire Monday morning. JACKSONVILLE, N.C. A North Carolina man is in custody, accused of dousing a woman with a flammable liquid and setting her on fire Monday morning. Venice Taylor, 41, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, was taken into custody Monday evening, according to a statement from the Kinston Police Department. Khloe McNeal, 24, of Kinston, North Carolina, was in her stopped car at an intersectionMonday morning when an unknown person approached her and doused her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire. McNeal was later found with severe burns on the side of the street by a passerby, who then flagged down an officer for aid. McNeal was taken to UNC Lenoir Medical Center, and then flown to University of North Carolina's Jaycee Burn Center, per the statement. Her condition was unclear Tuesday. Taylor is being processed at the Lenoir County Jail, and release provisions have yet to be set, according to the press release. The investigation is still in its preliminary stages. It is unclear whether Taylor and McNeal knew one another. Kinston officers have charged Taylor with attempted murder, malicious maiming, resisting public officials, driving with a revoked license, and failure to stop for a blue light and siren. Contributing: Joshua Bote, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: North Carolina man accused of setting woman on fire at traffic stop Susan Collins had her answer on Tuesday for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff after his plea for "just one" Republican senator to vote to convict Donald Trump: No. The Maine politician, who voted with Democrats on whether to allow witnesses in Mr Trump's impeachment trial, announced in a floor speech that she intends to vote to acquit the president on two House-approved charges of misconduct. Her announcement came 24 hours before the Senate is expected to vote to clear the president and about 24 hours after Mr Schiff, House Democrats' lead impeachment manager, delivered an impassioned floor speech as he closed his side's case. "Every single vote, even a single vote by a single member, can change the course of history," Mr Schiff said, almost begging a single GOP senator to buck the brash Republican president who remains uber-popular with conservative Americans. "It is said that a single man or woman of courage makes a majority," Mr Schiff said. "Is there one among you, who will say, 'Enough?'" Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Show all 26 1 /26 Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Donald Trump Accused of abusing his office by pressing the Ukrainian president in a July phone call to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden, who may be his Democratic rival in the 2020 election. He also believes that Hillary Clintons deleted emails - a key factor in the 2016 election - may be in Ukraine, although it is not clear why. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Whistleblower Believed to be a CIA agent who spent time at the White House, his complaint was largely based on second and third-hand accounts from worried White House staff. Although this is not unusual for such complaints, Trump and his supporters have seized on it to imply that his information is not reliable. Expected to give evidence to Congress voluntarily and in secret. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Second Whistleblower The lawyer for the first intelligence whistleblower is also representing a second whistleblower regarding the President's actions. Attorney Mark Zaid said that he and other lawyers on his team are now representing the second person, who is said to work in the intelligence community and has first-hand knowledge that supports claims made by the first whistleblower and has spoken to the intelligence community's inspector general. The second whistleblower has not yet filed their own complaint, but does not need to to be considered an official whistleblower. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rudy Giuliani Former mayor of New York, whose management of the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001 won him worldwide praise. As Trumps personal attorney he has been trying to find compromising material about the presidents enemies in Ukraine in what some have termed a shadow foreign policy. In a series of eccentric TV appearances he has claimed that the US state department asked him to get involved. Giuliani insists that he is fighting corruption on Trumps behalf and has called himself a hero. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Volodymyr Zelensky The newly elected Ukrainian president - a former comic actor best known for playing a man who becomes president by accident - is seen frantically agreeing with Trump in the partial transcript of their July phone call released by the White House. With a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of his country, and the Crimea region seized by Vladimir Putin in 2014, Zelensky will have been eager to please his American counterpart, who had suspended vital military aid before their phone conversation. He says there was no pressure on him from Trump to do him the favour he was asked for. Zelensky appeared at an awkward press conference with Trump in New York during the United Nations general assembly, looking particularly uncomfortable when the American suggested he take part in talks with Putin. AFP/Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pence The vice-president was not on the controversial July call to the Ukrainian president but did get a read-out later. However, Trump announced that Pence had had one or two phone conversations of a similar nature, dragging him into the crisis. Pence himself denies any knowledge of any wrongdoing and has insisted that there is no issue with Trumps actions. It has been speculated that Trump involved Pence as an insurance policy - if both are removed from power the presidency would go to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, something no Republican would allow. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rick Perry Trump reportedly told a meeting of Republicans that he made the controversial call to the Ukrainian president at the urging of his own energy secretary, Rick Perry, and that he didnt even want to. The president apparently said that Perry wanted him to talk about liquefied natural gas - although there is no mention of it in the partial transcript of the phone call released by the White House. It is thought that Perry will step down from his role at the end of the year. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Joe Biden The former vice-president is one of the frontrunners to win the Democratic nomination, which would make him Trumps opponent in the 2020 election. Trump says that Biden pressured Ukraine to sack a prosecutor who was investigating an energy company that Bidens son Hunter was on the board of, refusing to release US aid until this was done. However, pressure to fire the prosecutor came on a wide front from western countries. It is also believed that the investigation into the company, Burisma, had long been dormant. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Hunter Biden Joe Bidens son has been accused of corruption by the president because of his business dealings in Ukraine and China. However, Trump has yet to produce any evidence of corruption and Bidens lawyer insists he has done nothing wrong. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Barr The attorney-general, who proved his loyalty to Trump with his handling of the Mueller report, was mentioned in the Ukraine call as someone president Volodymyr Zelensky should talk to about following up Trumps preoccupations with the Bidens and the Clinton emails. Nancy Pelosi has accused Barr of being part of a cover-up of a cover-up. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pompeo The secretary of state initially implied he knew little about the Ukraine phone call - but it later emerged that he was listening in at the time. He has since suggested that asking foreign leaders for favours is simply how international politics works. Gordon Sondland testified that Pompeo was "in the loop" and knew what was happening in Ukraine. Pompeo has been criticised for not standing up for diplomats under his command when they were publicly criticised by the president. AFP via Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Nancy Pelosi The Democratic Speaker of the House had long resisted calls from within her own party to back a formal impeachment process against the president, apparently fearing a backlash from voters. On September 24, amid reports of the Ukraine call and the day before the White House released a partial transcript of it, she relented and announced an inquiry, saying: The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Adam Schiff Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, one of the three committees leading the inquiry. He was criticized by Republicans for giving what he called a parody of the Ukraine phone call during a hearing, with Trump and others saying he had been pretending that his damning characterisation was a verbatim reading of the phone call. He has also been criticised for claiming that his committee had had no contact with the whistleblower, only for it to emerge that the intelligence agent had contacted a staff member on the committee for guidance before filing the complaint. The Washington Post awarded Schiff a four Pinocchios rating, its worst rating for a dishonest statement. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Florida-based businessmen and Republican donors Lev Parnas (pictured with Rudy Giuliani) and Igor Fruman were arrested on suspicion of campaign finance violations at Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on 9 October. Separately the Associated Press has reported that they were both involved in efforts to replace the management of Ukraine's gas company, Naftogaz, with new bosses who would steer lucrative contracts towards companies controlled by Trump allies. There is no suggestion of any criminal activity in these efforts. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Taylor The most senior US diplomat in Ukraine and the former ambassador there. As one of the first two witnesses in the public impeachment hearings, Taylor dropped an early bombshell by revealing that one of his staff later identified as diplomat David Holmes overheard a phone conversation in which Donald Trump could be heard asking about investigations the very day after asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political enemies. Taylor expressed his concern at reported plans to withhold US aid in return for political smears against Trumps opponents, saying: It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House. It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance -- security assistance to a country at war, dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support." Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal George Kent A state department official who appeared alongside William Taylor wearing a bow tie that was later mocked by the president. He accused Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps personal lawyer, of leading a campaign of lies against Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her job as US ambassador to Ukraine for apparently standing in the way of efforts to smear Democrats. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Marie Yovanovitch One of the most striking witnesses to give evidence at the public hearings, the former US ambassador to Ukraine received a rare round of applause as she left the committee room after testifying. Canadian-born Yovanovitch was attacked on Twitter by Donald Trump while she was actually testifying, giving Democrats the chance to ask her to respond. She said she found the attack very intimidating. Trump had already threatened her in his 25 July phone call to the Ukrainian president saying: Shes going to go through some things. Yovanovitch said she was shocked, appalled and devastated by the threat and by the way she was forced out of her job without explanation. REUTERS Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Alexander Vindman A decorated Iraq War veteran and an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Lt Col Vindman began his evidence with an eye-catching statement about the freedoms America afforded him and his family to speak truth to power without fear of punishment. One of the few witnesses to have actually listened to Trumps 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, he said he found the conversation so inappropriate that he was compelled to report it to the White House counsel. Trump later mocked him for wearing his military uniform and insisting on being addressed by his rank. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Jennifer Williams A state department official acting as a Russia expert for vice-president Mike Pence, Ms Williams also listened in on the 25 July phone call. She testified that she found it unusual because it focused on domestic politics in terms of Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Kurt Volker The former special envoy to Ukraine was one of the few people giving evidence who was on the Republican witness list although what he had to say may not have been too helpful to their cause. He dismissed the idea that Joe Biden had done anything corrupt, a theory spun without evidence by the president and his allies. He said that he thought the US should be supporting Ukraines reforms and that the scheme to find dirt on Democrats did not serve the national interest. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Tim Morrison An expert on the National Security Council and another witness on the Republican list. He testified that he did not think the president had done anything illegal but admitted that he feared it would create a political storm if it became public. He said he believed the moving the record of the controversial 25 July phone call to a top security server had been an innocent mistake. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Gordon Sondland In explosive testimony, one of the men at the centre of the scandal got right to the point in his opening testimony: Was there a quid pro quo? Yes, said the US ambassador to the EU who was a prime mover in efforts in Ukraine to link the release of military aid with investigations into the presidents political opponents. He said that everyone knew what was going on, implicating vice-president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The effect of his evidence is perhaps best illustrated by the reaction of Mr Trump who went from calling Sondland a great American a few weeks earlier to claiming that he barely knew him. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Laura Cooper A Pentagon official, Cooper said Ukrainian officials knew that US aid was being withheld before it became public knowledge in August undermining a Republican argument that there cant have been a quid pro quo between aid and investigations if the Ukrainians didnt know that aid was being withheld. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Hale The third most senior official at the state department. Hale testified about the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch and the smear campaign that culminated in her being recalled from her posting as US ambassador to Ukraine. He said: I believe that she should have been able to stay at post and continue to do the outstanding work. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Fiona Hill Arguably the most confident and self-possessed of the witnesses in the public hearings phase, the Durham-born former NSC Russia expert began by warning Republicans not to keep repeating Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories. In a distinctive northeastern English accent, Dr Hill went on to describe how she had argued with Gordon Sondland about his interference in Ukraine matters until she realised that while she and her colleagues were focused on national security, Sondland was being involved in a domestic political errand. She said: I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, this is going to blow up. And here we are. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Holmes The Ukraine-based diplomat described being in a restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland while the latter phoned Donald Trump. Holmes said he could hear the president on the other end of the line because his voice was so loud and distinctive and because Sondland had to hold the phone away from his ear asking about the investigations and whether the Ukrainian president would cooperate. REUTERS It was not enough to pull Ms Collins, who is expected to have a close re-election fight this autumn, to the Democrats' side. "Impeachment of a president should be reserved," she said, to instances that call for such an "extreme step" of convicting and removing a sitting chief executive. Like other Republicans who will vote to acquit Mr Trump, Ms Collins said his actions toward Ukraine were "improper" but failed to clear the "high bar" of removing him over the first article, that he abused the power of his office. Susan Collins had voted with Democrats on calling witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial (Getty) On the second article, that he unjustly stonewalled Congress, she said House Democrats failed to conduct their investigation into the Ukraine affair by opting against issuing subpoenas for the testimony of some current and former Trump administration officials. (Republicans late last week blocked the Senate from doing so to compel testimony from former White House national security adviser John Bolton and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.) The Maine senator paints herself as one of the chamber's few remaining moderates, sometimes voting with Democrats on procedural matters while siding with her own party on definitive policy or nomination votes. She will do just that once again on Wednesday when the Senate will vote on two articles of impeachment against Mr Trump. Her announcement came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laid out his reasons for acquitting the president. "House Democrats gave in to a temptation that every previous House has resisted. They impeached a president without even alleging a crime known to our laws," he said during his session-opening remarks. "I do not subscribe to the legal theory that impeachment requires a violation of a criminal statute. But there are powerful reasons why, for 230 years, every presidential impeachment did allege a criminal violation. "The House Managers argued that the president could not have been acting in the national interest because he acted inconsistently with their own conception of the national interest, a conception shared by some of the president's subordinates," the Kentucky Republican said. "This does not even approach a case for the first presidential removal in American history." Ms Collins spoke about five hours before Mr Trump is scheduled to deliver his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. But don't expect him to use the i-word. "I read the speech, and the word 'impeachment' is not in it," Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told Fox News. The Congress fielded its top guns, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, for campaigning in Delhi, with the former party president saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could "sell the Taj Mahal", the way he was selling the PSUs. While the former Congress president addressed two poll rallies in Jangpura and Sangam Vihar, his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi joined him in his second rally where they launched scathing attacks on Modi and the BJP, besides Arvind Kejriwal and AAP, for "spreading hatred" and doing nothing to provide jobs. This is the first time in the Delhi poll campaign that top Congress leadership came out to campaign for their candidates. On Monday, only Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh addressed election rallies. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh said it was a "matter of shame" that despite being educated, youths had to run around for jobs and asserted that "solid steps" would be taken to deal with unemployment if the Congress came to power in Delhi. Addressing Congress supporters at a poll meeting in Tilak Nagar, he said, "I don't want to condemn any party on this occasion." "I want to highlight some of the issues which are bothering the youth today. Even after eduction, and spending so much money on it, they have to run around for jobs. It is a matter of shame," he said. Singh, a noted economist, also said that unemployment rate in Delhi in the last four months was 15 per cent, much higher than elsewhere. "The Congress is committed to the people and solid steps will be taken to deal with the unemployment issue if the Congress comes to power. Our major thrust will be on employment," he said. Accusing the BJP and the AAP of spreading hatred in society, Rahul Gandhi said Modi and Kejriwal were not interested in providing jobs to youngsters, but were keen on making one Indian fight another for staying in power. Addressing his first rally ahead of the polls, he said the current environment in the country, the hatred, the violence and the attacks on women were harming India and people were not benefitting from it. He hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not addressing the economic slowdown and the issue of unemployment, but instead, encouraging violence. "They (BJP) talk about the Hindu dharma, they talk about Islam, they talk of Sikhism. They have no knowledge of religions. In Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism where is it written that attack other people, suppress them," he asked. What kind of "Hindu dharma" is of Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) because Hinduism talked about taking everyone along, Rahul Gandhi said at the rally organised to garner support for the Congress candidate from Jangpura, Tarwinder Marwah. "The person who makes 'deshbhakts' (patriots) fight among each other, can he be a deshbhakt," Gandhi asked the crowd. Referring to coronavirus, he said the countries manufacturing in China were looking at India for taking on the mantle of a leading manufacturer. "The whole world, except China, wants to invest in India. But when they look at India now, they see hatred, violence, rapes, goondaism, killings. Wherever you see in the last five years, one Indian talks to another Indian with hatred. This is not our history. This is a country of love," Rahul Gandhi said. He accused the government of selling state enterprises such as Indian Oil, Air India, Hindustan Petroleum and the railways as well as the Red Fort. "He (Modi) may even sell the Taj Mahal," the former Congress chief said. Training his guns on Kejriwal, he alleged that Modi and Kejriwal could only think about power and said, "They can announce anything in two minutes to stay in power." Priyanka Gandhi attacked the prime minister over the issue of job losses and took a dig at his "sanyog-prayog" remarks on Shaheen Bagh, asking whether the rise in unemployment was a coincidence or his experiment. "When PM comes to give a speech in front of you, he does not even make a mention of it. Can he tell us whether the job losses was 'sanyog or prayog'. Can he tell us that in 35 years, the unemployment rate is the highest, 'ye kya sanyog tha, ya prayog tha unka'? (Was it coincidence, or his experiment)," she said at a joint rally with Rahul. Attacking Modi, Priyanka Gandhi said the prime minister says that the opposition does not allow him to work, but he is still working at a fast pace. "This is true that state firms are being sold at a fast pace. They sold LIC, BPCL, Air India, BSNL and our even planning to sell railways. Really, his pace is really fast," the Congress leader alleged. She also attacked Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that he has said, "We (the BJP) will make Delhi like UP." "I am the Congress general secretary of UP, let me tell you what he has made of UP. It was a state that had the most potential. What is the state of affairs now? The BJP government has harassed people," she alleged. Priyanka Gandhi also slammed AAP, alleging that it is claiming credit for the work done by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi invests Rs 5,200 crore in publicity, Arvind Kejriwal is not far behind and has spent Rs 611 crore for Delhi polls," she claimed. "What is the need for publicity if work is doing the talking for them," Priyanka Gandhi said, adding they are doing so because they have done less work. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Wed, February 5, 2020 12:02 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062a9c91 2 World #China,#USA,coronavirus,wuhan,evacuation Free The United States evacuated more than 300 more people on two new flights out of Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the fast-spreading new coronavirus, the State Department said Tuesday. The two flights left Wuhan on Tuesday US time after the passengers were screened, a State Department official said. The official said that the United States has now brought home more than 500 passengers on three fights. A first flight, with 195 Americans on board, left Wuhan last week and landed in California. The United States is preparing one or two additional planes to evacuate Americans on Thursday, after which it does not intend further flights, the official said. The United States has been placing passengers under mandatory quarantine, the first time that the federal government has taken such a major step since the 1960s. As stated in a travel advisory issued last week, "US citizens currently in China should attempt to depart by commercial means," the official said. The United States has offered seats on the government planes as they becomes available, with the US citizens asked to reimburse the government. Washington declared a public health emergency over the pathogen and has banned the entry of foreign nationals who have travelled to China, where 490 people have died. Eleven cases of infection have been confirmed in the United States. Over the years, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has emerged as one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the region for both holidaymakers and thrillseekers who want to go on long rides. But, Bhutan is one of those few countries around the world that puts the environment first and are dead serious about preserving nature. Bhutan is the only carbon negative country in the world and values its resources on Gross National Happiness (GNH) and not GDP. So it should not come as a surprise that Bhutan is concerned about the rising number of Indians visiting the country every year. Some uncalled for actions by Indians like what happened in October 2019 when an Indian biker was detained after he was seen climbing a holy site to take a photo caused outrage in the country too have added to Bhutan becoming concerned about the rising footfall of Indians there. Abhijit Ratan Hajare from Maharashtra, who was part of a 15 bike convoy was seen climbing on a Chorten, a sacred stupa in Buddhism, which symbolizes the presence of Buddha and was detained by the authorities for hurting religious sentiments. Since then there was rising demand in the country to restrict the number of Indian tourists allowed to visit Bhutan. Soon, Bhutan will introduce a "sustainable development fee" for regional tourists following a spike in Indian visitors there. According to the legislation passed by Bhutan's lower house of parliament, a sustainable development fee of $ 16.85 (Rs 1,200) per day will be charged from regional tourists starting from July. This is in addition to the nearly $250 per day in high season, that tourists spent on meals, transport, and accommodation in Bhutan. This fee will be applicable for visitors from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, which makes up the majority of visitors to the country. In 2018, Bhutan received 200,000 visitors from countries in the region, up nearly 10 percent from 2017, sparking fears that it was becoming just another mass tourism destination. However, not everyone in the country is in favour of the new fees. Sonam Wangchuk, the chairman of Bhutan's hotel and restaurants association, voiced fears that newly built budget hotels accommodating the surge in Indian visitors would now go bust. "We have shared our concerns and sentiments to the government. But despite that they still went ahead with the decision," Wangchuk told AFP. Tandi Dorji, Bhutan's foreign minister and Tourism Council head, said that the government would consider fiscal incentives if the new fee affected the hotel sector. Over the weekend, Young recovered the white lace dress that she said she saved after the incident. It may be tested by authorities in California, where Weinstein also faces rape charges, for any presence of DNA. She recently came across it after it had been packed away during a cross-country move. Jurors were also shown photos of the dress. WomenShelter of Long Beach will have new leader in new year Sudesh Amman was automatically released halfway through his sentence despite his violent threats in prison causing such alarm that he was put under intense surveillance as soon as he was back on the streets, according to security sources. Not only did the 20-year-old extremist show no signs of remorse or reform, but his aggressive behaviour was also escalating to the extent that it was decided that he may carry out brutal attacks at any time. No evidence has yet emerged that Amman who stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, before being shot dead by police on Sunday was part of a wider conspiracy, and security agencies are not looking for anyone else at present. But they were aware he was a lone wolf capable of carrying out acts of extreme violence. Lucknow, Feb 5 : The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said on Wednesday that the Sunni Waqf Board, which will get five acres of land in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, is not the representative of the entire Muslim community. The AIMPLB further said that if the Waqf Board accepts the Centre's offer, it should not be considered as a decision of all the Muslims of the country. "The Sunni Waqf Board is not the representative of the entire Muslim community. If it takes land, it should not be considered the decision of all Muslims of the country," said Maulana Yasin Usmani, senior executive member of AIMPLB. He said AIMPLB and those associated with it have already decided that they will not take any land in Ayodhya in lieu of the Babri mosque. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided in a cabinet meeting to allot five acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque in Raunahi, some 20 km from Ayodhya. The decision is in keeping with the Supreme Court verdict, delivered on November 9 last year, which stated that five acres of land be given to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. The land in question is in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya, located on the Lucknow highway. "The state government had sent three alternatives for land to the Centre. This one was accepted by the Centre and the state cabinet has approved its allotment. There is good transportation facility to reach there and communal amity and law and order are also good," Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma told reporters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day about the formation of a trust to construct a Ram Temple in Ayodhya as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in November. Modi said, "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed; it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra." SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sept. 20, 2019, People's Daily Online West USA released a documentary about the first Cold War-era store in the United States that sold Chinese products. Looking back over the past 40 years between China and USA, the story behind the bookstore is fascinating. In an interview, Nicolette Noyes told People's Daily Online, "What we wanted to do was to present China as China saw itself in an honest way." Nicolette Noyes with "China Books" Why was China Books founded? The family of Nicolette Noyes has an excellent affinity with China. Henry Halsey Noyes, the father of Nicolette Noyes, was born in Guangzhou. In 1966, China and the United States had no diplomatic relations. Henry, who was living in the United States, obtained the first license for US-China trade after immense efforts, and founded China Books, the only general agent for Chinese books in the US. To promote Chinese books, Henry traveled all over the US using a $99 Greyhound bus ticket. His bookstore was the only one in the US where the government and the public could buy Chinese books unrestricted, a unique bookstore founded in a particular era. It is also the only bookstore established by an American during the Cold War to import Chinese books. Henry obtained the first license for China-US trade, two years ahead of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The Pentagon ordered books from them, and Henry also set a record by selling one million copies of Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong in the US. Because of this bookstore, "China Books" had its funds frozen by the bank, and payment for goods was not received until the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US. However, Henry said, "I am very pleased that China Books played an important role during the China-US trade blockade." Wei Deng Phone: 669.900.2566 Email: [email protected] Related Images nicolette-noyes.jpg Nicolette Noyes Nicolette Noyes with "China Books" Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr3cwnTcW2Y SOURCE People's Daily Online West USA Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more A digital forensic analysis conducted by Anthony Ferrante of business advisory firm FTI Consulting concludes with medium to high confidence that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos smartphone was hacked through a malicious file sent from the WhatsApp account of Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The malware was in an MP4 file attached to a WhatsApp message. FTI Consulting forwarded its findings to United Nations special rapporteurs who released technical elements of the report. Rapporteurs investigate the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, among other things. FTI Consulting declined our request to comment for our story, stating that all client work is confidential. Saudi Arabias embassy in the United States has denied the allegations. Element of Uncertainty The reason FTI qualified its conclusion likely is because computer forensics isnt always an exact science, and the experts might be limited by the data and evidence they have in hand, said Tim Erlin, VP of product management and strategy at Tripwire. There may also be unanswered questions or alternatives to consider, he told TechNewsWorld. FTIs conclusion suggests they have a sequence of events that makes it likely that the video attachment carried malware, but they either didnt prove causality or cant be sure the crown prince created the hack as opposed to his just forwarding a compromised email, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. It rarely gets stronger than this unless the alleged perpetrator confesses, or the intelligence organization gets access to the entire chain of evidence, he told TechNewsWorld. The malware appears to have had a self-destruct built in, making it impossible to have 100 percent concrete proof, noted Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research. A D V E R T I S E M E N T FTIs investigators did not find even remnants of the malware code on the device, but did find a file with an encrypted downloader that had been delivered with the video, she told TechNewsWorld. WhatsApp, which hosted the downloader, has end-to-end encryption, which prevents investigators from accessing the downloaders contents or code, Miller pointed out. Chain of Events The prince initiated a WhatsApp messaging conversation with Bezos on April 28, 2018, after they met at a dinner in Hollywood. On May 1 Bezos received a message with a video attachment from the princes WhatsApp account. Within hours, the volume of data transmitted from Bezos phone skyrocketed by 30,000 percent, FTI found. Data spiking continued over several months, at rate as much as 106 million percent higher than before the video was received. How did it take months for this to be noticed? wondered Constellations Miller. FTI found that on two later occasions the prince sent messages to Bezos that suggested he had knowledge of his private communications: One, on November 8, 2018, included a photo of a woman strongly resembling Lauren Sanchez, whom Bezos was dating; The other was sent February 16, 2019, two days after Bezos had participated in phone conversations about the Saudis alleged online campaign against him. The UN special rapporteurs have linked the hack of Bezos smartphone to stories in his newspaper, The Washington Post, about the role of the Saudi prince and the Saudi government in the murder of Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Pegasus Threat I cant remember how many times in the past decade Ive read something about a critical security flaw in WhatsApp that allows access to users phones, remarked Oliver Mnchow, founder of security awareness and training company Lucy Security. Im surprised no one told Jeff not to use it after its history of epic security fails, he told TechNewsWorld. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The malware used was most likely mobile spyware such as NSO Groups Pegasus, or, less likely, Hacking Teams Galileo, FTIs analysis suggests. The Saudi Royal Guard acquired Pegasus-3 spyware from NSO Group, an Israel-based firm, FTI found. The spyware also was used against Saudi dissidents. Pegasus spreads through malicious links often sent through chat apps like WhatsApp and Messenger, said Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech. Once on a device, the malware jailbreaks iPhones so that it can track phone calls, texts, keystrokes and location, and access the phones microphone and camera. It also affects Android phones, he told TechNewsWorld. Consumers must maintain a healthy sense of paranoia when it comes to links and attachments, said Rosa Smothers, senior VP of cyber operations at KnowBe4. Think before you click on any links or attachments sent to you, she told TechNewsWorld. Were you expecting the email or attachment? If your spidey sense tingles, call the sender and confirm they sent it. That said, security always ranks high on surveys of the things consumers want, but no one is ever willing to pay for it, remarked Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. As a result, its never a priority. Security also is challenging because of the rapid pace of technology, he told TechNewsWorld. Artificial intelligence should eventually improve security, but nothing will ever be 100 percent secure. Aftermath of the Hack The UN rapporteurs have called for an investigation into the hack and said the use of WhatsApp as a platform to enable installation of Pegasus onto devices has been well documented. Meanwhile, Facebook and WhatsApp have filed suit against NSO Group Technologies in a U.S. federal court, and a court in Israel has begun hearings to determine whether the NSO Group should have its export license revoked. NSO has denied allegations against it. If someone with Bezos power and position is a target, it doesnt bode well for anyone who doesnt have that level of protection, Enderle observed. It makes you wonder how many other U.S. citizens are being spied on like this by a hostile state. A female police officer has been hospitalised after she was being attacked by a gang of machete-wielding men at Kotei in the Oforikrom Municipality in the Ashanti Region. The officer who was in mufti was returning from work on Monday evening when she was attacked at a secluded area. Police in the Ashanti Region has confirmed the incident and about 20 individuals have been rounded up so far to aid in the investigations. Assembly member for the area, Justice Atobrah said the victim is currently responding to treatment. Three days ago, about 7 pm, a Lance Corporal by name Clemencia was attacked by a gang. They stabbed her on her ribs and neck. She was rushed to Komfo Anokye Hospital and she is responding to treatment. The attack on police officers is currently on the ascendency. Two months ago, a police officer was confirmed dead after a bullion van he was escorting was attacked by some armed men. According to police communication, the deceased, Sargent Emmanuel Chikudoh was part of a team escorting an ADB bullion van to Essam in the Western Region when the incident occurred. The police said they received a call from the Acting Manager of the ADB bank at Sefwi Wiawso that their van, with registration number GT 9436-17 Nissan, had come under attack at the outskirt of 290 community near Asempaneye. ---citinewsroom Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Jeremy Clarkson has told the Duchess of Sussex to get a grip and suggested the former Hollywood actress should toughen up. The 59-year-old said people needed to reintroduce such phrases into everyday life and added that even Meghan Markle should take on his advice. It comes just weeks after the Duke and Duchess announced they would step back from Royal duties and split their time between the UK and Canada. Months before, the Duchess had emotionally told an ITV documentary that no one had really asked her if she was ok amid reports of a rift with William and Kate. Clarkson currently resides on a 1,000-acre estate in Oxfordshire and now spends most of his time working on the farm. Jeremy Clarkson (left with Lisa Hogan) said Meghan Markle (right) needs to 'get a grip' Meghan has previously said that no one had asked her if she was ok, she is pictured above with Prince Harry Speaking to GQ after winning the GQ Car Awards Lifetime Achievement award, he hinted that it was ok to be emotional but championed the stiff British upper lip. Asked if he cries often he responded: Everybody cries. Everybody cried when Princess Diana was buried. But I mean, as a general rule, youve got to get a grip. I think the expression "get a grip" needs to come back into the lexicon as soon as possible. Everybody needs to get a grip. Meghan Markle... just get a grip. At the beginning of the year it was announced that Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, along with their son Archie would split their time between north America and Canada. The comments from Clarkson may come as surprise to many as the former Top Gear star had previously defended the couple, claiming the public shouldnt blame them for wanting to walk away from their duties. He previously said people were allowed to resign from jobs they didnt like, and that royal life may have come to a shock to Meghan, who had become accustomed to a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle. During the GQ interview, Clarkson was asked if he had a grip on turning 60 this year. Opening up, he said he found it quite depressing. He said his father had died when he was just 60-years-old and that he felt he had been cheated out of life. He also added that he didnt have any regrets, but highlighted that everyone makes mistakes. Clarkson's comments come after Scotland Yard officers guarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they are treated 'like skivvies' and forced to do 'menial tasks' like picking up takeaways and groceries, it has been claimed. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security staff have also been seen buying food from an organic delicatessen near their secluded Canadian bolthole. Pictured is Harry and Meghan visiting Canada House in London last month Highly-trained protection staff have also allegedly been seen buying food from an organic delicatessen, a favourite of Meghan's, and picking up coffees from fast food outlet Tim Hortons. A team of 15 guards has been flown to guard the couple and their nine-month-old son Archie at their secluded Canadian bolthole, after they stood back from royal duties. The Duke and Duchess's security is estimated to cost taxpayers in Canada and the UK between 3 million and 6 million a year, as staff work round the clock two weeks at a time. CAIRO Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the U.N.-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor. Both sides in Libyas civil war receive equipment and backing from foreign countries. But Turkey, which has long trained and funded opposition fighters in Syria and relaxed its borders so foreign fighters joined IS, has in recent months been airlifting hundreds of them over to a new theater of war in Libya. The U.N.-supported government controls only a shrinking area of western Libya, including the capital, Tripoli. Its facing a months-long offensive by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter who is allied with a rival government based in Libyas east. The United Nations recognizes the government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, as Libyas legitimate government because it was born out of U.N.-mediated talks in 2015. Sarraj is backed by Turkey, and to a lesser degree, Qatar and Italy. Hifter receives backing from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world, and many of these countries are apparently jockeying for influence in order to control Libyas resources. Libyan militia leaders in Tripoli told The Associated Press that Turkey has brought more than 4,000 foreign fighters into Tripoli, and that dozens of them are extremist-affiliated. The two commanders spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. The commanders also highlighted differing opinions within the Libyan militias about accepting Syrian extremists into their ranks. One said the fighters backgrounds arent important, as long as theyve come to help defend the capital. The other said some commanders fear the fighters will tarnish the image of the Tripoli-based government. Turkey-backed militias in northern Syria have been known to include fighters that previously fought with al-Qaida, IS and other militant groups, and have committed atrocities against Syrian Kurdish groups and civilians. The U.N. has repeatedly condemned the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into Libya. But the organization has not directly responded to reports and accusations by Hifters side that Sarrajs government and Turkey are apparently using IS- and al-Qaida-linked extremists as mercenaries. Turkey has not confirmed or denied reports of Syrian fighters being sent to Libya to support Sarraj, and the Turkish military did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a televised interview last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: As a combat force, we will have a different team there. They wont be from within our soldiers. Those different teams and the combat forces will work together. But our high-ranking soldiers will coordinate. He did not elaborate. Rumors of Turkey-backed Syrian fighters in Libya have swirled for weeks. Foreign leaders and commentators have pointed to videos circulated online that appear to show Syrians in Tripoli. In one video, a man with a Syrian accent films the dormitories where he and other fighters are living, saying Thank God, we arrived safely in Libya. Another clip shows a plane full of fighters, some wearing fatigues and speaking with Syrian accents. Turkeys Libyan allies and Syrian opposition leaders have denied any organized efforts to send combatants to Libya. But in January, Sarraj told the BBC that his government would not hesitate to cooperate with any party to defeat this aggression by Hifters forces. Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AP that his war-monitoring network has determined there are at least 130 former Islamic State or al-Qaida fighters among the approximately 4,700 Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries sent to fight for Sarraj. He said the IS militants had joined the so-called Syrian National Army, a patchwork alliance formed by Turkey from different factions who battled the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Most of the groups are loyal to Turkey, and the SNA was used as shock troops last year in Turkeys offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria. In theory, a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey remains in place around Tripoli but Libyas warring sides have traded accusations of violations, and the shaky truce is threatened by clashes. Representatives from Sarraj and Hifter began meetings in Geneva on Tuesday to work toward a more permanent cease-fire. The Observatory also quoted a Syrian fighter from Idlib province who applied to go to Libya as saying he was motivated by the financial benefits offered by Turkey. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute who closely follows Syrias armed groups, said the promise of payment, Turkish citizenship or the prospect of fleeing to Europe were the main motives of Syrian fighters sent to Libya. None of them are committed to the fight in Libya due to personal conviction or ideology, she said. A Libyan official at the prime ministers office said Syrian fighters have been in Libya since early August. At first, he said they were only facilitating the work of Turkish military experts. But as the fighting escalated in mid-December, the number of Syrian fighters arriving in Libya increased. These fighters now immediately deploy to the front lines, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to talk to reporters on the subject. The Tripoli authorities and U.S. officials have also accused Hifter of relying on hundreds of Russian mercenaries. Sudanese armed groups from the Darfur region recently joined the fighting on both sides, according to a report by U.N. experts. The influx of Syrian, Russian and Sudanese mercenaries has threatened to prolong the war and cripple international efforts to establish a long-term cease-fire. Last month, a summit in Berlin brought together the major international stakeholders in Libya, but with few concrete results. Nicholas Heras, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said Turkey is focusing on Libya to establish a sphere of influence in the Mediterranean. However, the Turks do not want to risk significant casualties to their own forces when the Turkish military has built a proxy force of Syrian fighters that can reinforce the Libyan fighters, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. SINN Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald will not be sacking the Norths Finance Minister Conor Murphy in the wake of his claim that murdered 21-year-old Paul Quinn was involved in criminality. Meanwhile, she refused to say if former leader Gerry Adams should apologise for similar comments he made about Mr Quinns horrific murder. The Monaghan man was beaten to death in a 2007 attack that broke every bone in his body. Its suspected that an IRA gang carried out the brutal attack. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin today said he believes that the Provisional IRA were responsible for the murder. And Fine Gael Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan called on Mr Murphy to make a full statement to the Gardai about Mr Quinns killing, referring to the MLAs previous claim that he had spoken to IRA members about the attack. Mr Quinns mother Breege has been seeking a televised apology from Mr Murphy for his criminality remarks about her son for 13 years. She also said he should step down from his role as the Northern Ireland Finance Minister. Mr Murphy claimed on the BBC in November 2007 that Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality and I think everyone accepts that. Ms McDonald confirmed that Mr Murphy will finally make an apology and withdraw his comments today. Expand Close Stephen and Breege Quinn hold a picture of their murdered son Paul / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen and Breege Quinn hold a picture of their murdered son Paul But she said he wont be stepping down. She said: Look were only after getting the power-sharing government back up and running. We have to make a success of this. I believe everybody is determined to do so. So Conor wont be stepping down. He has made an apology. Its sincerely made and I hope and I trust that the Quinn family will get some measure of comfort from that. Read More She brushed aside a question on whether Mr Adams should apologise for similar remarks he made in 2007 when he claimed Mr Quinns murder is linked to fuel smuggling and to criminal activity. She said: The family have been clear that it was remarks specifically made by Conor, not intended to cause the hurt that they clearly caused, that they wished to have apologised for and retracted. Breege Quinn said today on RTE Radio's Today with Sean O'Rourke that she wants Mr Murphy to go to the Gardai and the PSNI and give the names of the IRA men that he spoke to. Ms McDonald was asked if Mr Murphy will be making a statement to the Gardai but offered no commitment that he would do so. She said: Conor met with the PSNI and the Garda Siochana at the time and let me repeat that anybody with any information needs to bring that information about those who did carry out. Elsewhere, Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin has said he believes the Provisional IRA were responsible for Mr Quinns murder. He called for a cleansing of the omerta around the brutal killing of the 21-year-old. I think a lot of people know a lot about it and I think it's time for people to reflect on what they know and to go to the PSNI and go to the gardai and tell them what you know, he said. This type of savagery should never be protected or sheltered, he added. Mr Martin said it was extraordinary that it had taken Sinn Fein 13 years to apologise for sullying Mr Quinns name. He said the accusations that the young man was involved in criminality were being spread to distract from those who were responsible for his murder. I believe the IRA were responsible for his murder, he added. And justice minister Mr Flanagan called on Mr Murphy to make a statement to the Gardai. He called the murder one of the most despicable crimes of recent decades and praised Breege Quin for tirelessly and courageously campaigning for justice for her son. He said: After Pauls death, Conor Murphy claimed he had spoken to IRA members about the torture and death of Paul Quinn and had been told they werent involved. However, both the Quinn family and the Independent Monitoring Commission believe that Paul Quinn was murdered by local IRA members in South Armagh. Conor Murphy must come forward to An Garda Siochana and make a comprehensive and honest statement about everything he knows about the killing of Paul Quinn, Mr Flanagan said. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said Sinn Feins Conor Murphy should resign as Northern Irelands Finance Minister amid growing controversy over his remarks about Paul Quinn. Mr Eastwood, who is the MP for Foyle, told Independent.ie: If I was Conor Murphy I would resign. The way this has been handled is astonishing, the callousness of Sinn Fein is astonishing If it was the SDLP he would be gone. There are major, major questions here about how the republic movement operate. I find it astonishing, given the how long this has been going on and the public nature of it, that Mary Lou McDonald couldn't remember that Conor Murphy had said this. This is nothing new. He said Mr Murphy needed to apologise and give what information he has about the case to the PSNIi and An Garda Siohana. While the call is likely to ramp up pressure on Sinn Fein and Mr Murphy sources in the SDLP and the DUP, which has also called for Mr Murphy to apologise, said it was unlikely this matter would be escalated to a stand-off between the parties given the Northern Assembly and Executive were only recently established after three years in abeyance. Mr Eastwood is due to campaign with Fianna Fail politicians in Dublin and Donegal in the final days of the election. More than 1.2billion was wiped off the value of Lambert & Butler cigarette maker Imperial Brands as a ban on flavoured vaping products by US regulators takes its toll. The FTSE 100 firm, which owns the Blu brand of vape products, said earnings this year will be slightly lower than last year while revenues are expected to be flat. Imperial blamed regulatory uncertainty and bad publicity for weak demand for e-cigarettes across the US and Europe, with net revenues for vaping predicted to be down significantly on the previous year. The ban on flavoured vapes by the US Food & Drug Administration, which comes into force today, will result in a 45million hit to profits. The ban on flavoured vapes by the US Food & Drug Administration, which comes into force today, will result in a 45m hit to profits at Imperial Brands The regulator has said there were epidemic levels of e-cigarette use among American youngsters, which it attributed to the availability of fruit and mint-flavoured products. Shares dropped 6.7 per cent, or 131.6p, to 1821.6p. The FTSE 100 rose 42.66 points, to 7482.48, while the FTSE 250 climbed 80.07 points to 21,520. Elsewhere in the blue-chips, Irish packaging maker Smurfit Kappa jumped 6.75 per cent, or 182p, to 2900p after acquisitions and a capital spending splurge helped it swing to a full-year profit. It made a pre-tax profit of 571million compared with a loss of 341million a year earlier, and raised its final dividend 12 per cent to 8p per share. Stock Watch - Frontier Developments A rally in the value of the pound late last year hit revenue at video game maker Frontier Developments in the pre-Christmas trading period. The group makes most of its sales in dollars, and brings in less when the pound is stronger. The Planet Zoo maker still expects full-year revenue of 65million to 73million. But in the six months to November 30, sales more than halved to 32million and profits sank 75 per cent to 4.3million compared to 2018. Shares fell 8.7 per cent, or 126p, to 1318p. Mid-cap oiler Tullow was buoyant, rising 4.7 per cent, or 2.3p, to 51.12p after reports emerged that it is planning to cut a third of its staff in an effort to save around 15.4million amid a string of production downgrades across its portfolio of African projects. The job losses will leave Tullow with a workforce of 650. Dominos Pizza looked tasty, rising 4.3 per cent, or 12.8p, to 310p after a fourth-quarter trading update showed strong growth in the UK and Ireland offsetting declines in its international businesses, which it is looking to sell. Homeware retailer Dunelm climbed 1.5 per cent, or 18p, to 1206p after City broker Numis reinitiated coverage on the stock with an add rating and 1300p price target, saying the firm was uniquely positioned to dominate online and offline as its market share growth accelerated. Car dealership Lookers motored 3.5 per cent, or 1.9p, to 56.5p as it appointed former finance boss Mark Raban to be its chief executive and Cameron Wade, a former director in its Audi division, as chief operating officer. Mobile computing specialist Touchstar was a bright spot after an upbeat update said its 2019 results will be better than anticipated, sending the shares up 19.3 per cent, or 8.5p, to 52.5p. Fire Angel also flew 9.1 per cent, or 1.25p, to 15p after securing a European patent for a data analytics technology to prevent domestic fires. In the FTSE 250, defence group Babcock descended as news that long-serving boss Archie Bethel is to retire saw stock fall 2.9 per cent, or 17.4p, to 585.2p.Social video firm Brave Bison was also hit by a boardroom departure, dipping 2.1 per cent, or 0.02p, to 1.15p after finance boss Paul Campbell-White abruptly left. Shares in the AA suffered, dropping 6.2 per cent, or 2.9p, to 44p as analysts at Berenberg cut their target price to 30p from 50p, warning that its debts and an investigation into insurance market pricing by regulators meant it faced a difficult 2020. Fertiliser specialist Plant Healthcare surged after regulators in California approved the use of its Employ pesticide on almonds, grapes and walnuts. The company said the approval was a significant milestone and shares rose 13 per cent, or 1.5p, to 13p. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has never been especially popular among Latinos in his hometown, but now he is gunning for Latino support in upcoming Democratic presidential primaries in New York and other states. In his three mayoral campaigns, he never won a majorityof the Latino vote, ranging from 30% in 2005 to 47% in 2001. During his three terms in office, despite New York Citys large Puerto Rican population and strong ties to the island, he never took a firm stance on Puerto Ricos future relationship to the United States. But now that he has a national policy platform, he has a position: last Monday, in an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel, the ex-mayor announced his support for making Puerto Rico a state, arguing that it would help the federal government alleviate challenges the island faces including poverty and lack of access to healthcare. The presidential hopeful said that as president he would work to pass legislation that would make the island territory a state, though the decision would ultimately be left up to Puerto Ricans. A cynic might wonder if Bloombergs support of statehood is just another way for him to get into the good graces of Latino voters, a key constituency in Democratic primaries in states such as California, Texas and Florida as well as New York. Bloombergs support for aggressive policing and its impact on communities of color is the largest sticking point in his mayoral record for many Latinos. During his tenure, the NYPD ramped up stop-and-frisk policing and low-level marijuana arrests, both of which disproportionately affected black and Latino communities. About 87% of those arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana while Bloomberg was in office were black or Latino. In 2009, The New York Times reported that black and Latino New Yorkers were nine times more likely to be stopped by the police than white residents. As mayor of New York City, Bloomberg used stop and frisk to unlawfully stop and harass black and Latino people, Raphael Agosto-Miranda from New York Boricua Resistance, a group that advocates for Puerto Rican independence, told City & State in an email. The most affected Latin group were Puerto Ricans as they are the largest Latin American group in the city. Bloomberg has never voiced concern for the island of Puerto Rico or the politics on the island. On Nov. 17, 2019 Bloomberg apologized for his record on stop-and-frisk, despite publicly supporting the practice 10 months prior. While Bloombergs support from Latinos was far from overwhelming, he did notably better among Latinos than among African Americans and arguably fairly well for a Republican. Stop and frisk obviously was a big issue, former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was a council member during Bloombergs second and third mayoral terms, recounted to City & State. I was very strongly against that. I challenged the administration and had a public hearing about it when I was a council member. He (Bloomberg) was very dismissive of it, not wanting to listen. The district that I represented at the time had one of the precincts with the highest rates of stop and frisk in the city of New York. So this was a real particular issue for communities of color, Latino communities and the community in the district that I represented, had a large number of Puerto Ricans. But Bloombergs latest overture to Latinos may actually be motivated by a desire to appeal to groups such as Mexican-Americans more than to Puerto Ricans. Charles Vargas Ramos, director for public policy at Hunter Colleges Center for Puerto Rican Studies, suggests that the former mayors support of Puerto Rican statehood is likely an attempt to attract non-Puerto Rican Latino voters. More than targeting Puerto Ricans and he (Bloomberg) is targeting some Puerto Ricans with this announcement I think what he's trying to do is signal to and send a message to all Latinos, non-Puerto Rican Latinos, that he is willing to treat Puerto Ricans like equals and afford them the opportunities, Vargas Ramos told City & State. On Wednesday evening, Bloomberg unveiled his new Latino outreach policy plans in El Paso, Texas 40% of Texas population is Latino. The plan, which was introduced to reporters on a conference call by El Paso Rep. Cesar Blanco, aims to close the wealth gap between Latinos and non-Hispanic whites, provide Latinos with better healthcare, make education more affordable for low-income Latinos and boost Latino-owned businesses. Bloomberg has yet to deliver a comprehensive immigration plan. Although he is broadly considered a social liberal and his website touts his record of making city government more accessible to non-English speakers, he has opposed sanctuary cities that avoid cooperating with federal immigration authorities. In 2017 he said on MSNBC, You should obey the law and if you don't like the law, get your legislative body to change the law, but society breaks down if we can all decide what's right and what's wrong." On Jan. 10, it was announced that Bloomberg hired U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris senior campaign adviser, Courtni Pugh, who specializes in the paid media targeting of black and Latino voters. On Jan. 9, he aired his first campaign ads in Spanish. Hes spent a majority of his time campaigning in Florida, Arizona, California and Texas. And hes already received endorsements from Latino politicians such as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Pedro Pierluisi, a former Puerto Rican congressman, and Blanco. Its projected that Latinos will be the largest group of minority voters for the first time in 2020, and it has been argued that they will decide the outcome of this presidential election. At the very least, theyll have an important and potentially decisive vote. Its also worth noting that a large facet of Bloombergs unorthodox campaign strategy is skipping the early primaries and the hopes of gathering momentum from them. Instead, he is hoping to pick up as many delegates as he can in heavily populated, and often heavily Latino, states. Bloomberg acknowledged in his op-ed that hes interested in collecting votes from Puerto Ricos delegates. But my fellow presidential candidates, who have been campaigning for a year, havent invested any substantial time or resources there, even though Puerto Rico will award more delegates in the Democratic primary than either Iowa or New Hampshire, Bloomberg wrote. Statehood, while the most popular option among Puerto Ricans, is not actually supported by a majority on the island. And, in Puerto Rico, statehood is not associated with liberals or progressives which wont do Bloomberg any favors as a Democratic candidate. According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post in 2018, 48% of Puerto Ricans polled want the island to become a state, 26% would prefer it stay a territory, 10% want full independence and 16% were undecided. On the other hand, Bloomberg notes in his oped that two-thirds of Americans support statehood for Puerto Rico. The other glaring issue with Bloombergs support of statehood is that the islands statehood supporters are associated with conservatism. Former Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, a member of the islands pro-statehood New Progressive Party known for its conservative politics was ousted from his position for corruption in July, 2019, won his 2016 gubernatorial race on a strong statehood platform. Rossellos successor Gov. Wanda Velazquez, who is now facing her own uprising, is also a statehood supporter, as is Pierluisi, who plans to primary Velazquz at the end of her term. On Monday, Pierluisi endorsed Bloomberg for president. The Bloomberg campaign declined to comment. Super Tuesday is fast approaching, so Bloomberg will likely continue to campaign in communities, while pushing Latino-friendly policies. If his strategy works and his new initiatives appeal to Latino voters, he may do surprisingly well in the primaries. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Storyful Birds swarmed over a Texas parking lot on January 8, perching on the cars in a scene worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.The unnerving sight was captured by Kenna Mitchell outside the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco.The footage shows birds perched atop parked cars, while others circle above in the foggy evening sky.We went to Stonebriar Mall just after dusk and the entrance by the Cheesecake Factory was overrun with thousands of birds, she told Storyful.These grackles were perched on cars, in the trees, and swarms were everywhere you looked. Other people in the lot were just amazed at the sheer number of birds, Mitchell said.Very loud and very gross, but still quite a site to see! Definitely in need of a car wash now! she added. Credit: Kenna Mitchell via Storyful I published this article in the Provo Daily Herald back at the end of January 1999: When the typical American thinks of Christianity, he or she usually visualizes a religion of western Europe and the New World. If we consider the issue for a moment, however, we must realize that Christianity is actually a Near Eastern religion. Its spread into Europe and especially into the New World came relatively late. Indeed, Christian missionaries were preaching in Africa, India, and even China when the English were still mostly pagans. Christianity took root in Africa long before it dominated Europe. In apostolic times, Philip converted an Ethiopian eunuch who was the treasurer of Candace (Acts 8:26-40). (Candace is not a name but a title given to the queens of the African monarchy of Meroe, in Nubia, in the modern Sudan.) Presumably, he returned thereafter to his assignment at court, perhaps founding a small Christian community in the Sudan in the first century AD. African tradition maintains that this eunuchwhom it knows as Qinaqispreached in Ethiopia as well. In the following centuries, Christian teachers and merchants slowly entered Africa along the trade routes of the Nile valley, the Red Sea, and north Africa, which became home to both Tertullian and Augustine, two of the greatest early Latin Church Fathers. In the early fourth century, a Christian merchant named Frumentius was captured by pirates in the Red Sea and sold into slavery to Ezana, the pagan king of Ethiopia. As a slave at court, Frumentius demonstrated great skill, eventually (like the biblical Joseph) becoming an important minister of the king, who converted to Christianity around 347 AD. Frumentius was then consecrated as the first bishop of Ethiopia. Thus, only a few decades after the Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, Ethiopia had become a Christian kingdom. Although full conversion took centuries, Christianity has remained fundamental to Ethiopian identity ever since. But Ethiopian traditions link their country to biblical history at an even earlier period. The Queen of Sheba and King Solomon are said to have had a son, David Menelik. Upon the apostasy of Israel after the death of Solomon, say the legends, Menelik was commanded by an angel to take the Ark of the Covenant and a group of faithful Israelite priests and flee to a new promised land, Ethiopia. Ethiopia thus became the true Israel. Through David Menelik, medieval Christian Ethiopian kings claimed descent from Solomon, preserving their Solomonic dynasty until the twentieth century. The Ark of the Covenant, which David Menelik brought to Ethiopia, is said still to exist in a church there, from which it is carried in procession once a year, guarded by a beautiful canopy from the gaze and touch of the profane. Although the links have sometimes been tenuous, Ethiopians have maintained ties with the Coptic Church of Egypt for centuries. Nonetheless, Ethiopian Christianity has remained independent in many ways. Like the Egyptian Copts, Ethiopians accept a monophysite Christology that was condemned as heretical by the forerunners of the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholics in the fifth century. Ethiopian independence is most clearly manifest in their canon of scripture. In addition to the traditional books of the Bible, Ethiopian scripture includes the book of Enoch. Although fragments have been found in Aramaic in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the book of Enoch has been preserved in its entirety only in Ethiopic manuscripts. Christian influence in Ethiopia manifests itself at all levels of society. The great churches at Lalibela, for exampledating to the twelfth and thirteenth centuriesrepresent a unique form of Christian architecturechurches entirely carved from rock. Christian themes infuse Ethiopian art in the fine metalwork of religious implements as well as in painting and manuscript illumination. Biblical figures are often depicted as Ethiopians, with black African features and traditional garments, just as medieval and Renaissance Europeans painted Christ and his apostles as northern Europeans dressed in then-contemporary clothing. Today there are some thirty million Ethiopian Christians throughout the world. In Jerusalem, Ethiopian monks, priests and pilgrims are a common sight. Tall and ruggedly handsome in their white pilgrim robes, they can be heard singing psalms in Ethiopic and shouting hallelujah in a city where they have maintained a small independent Christian community for over a millennium and a half. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.s RCL shares climbed more than 5% following fourth-quarter 2019 results, wherein earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, after missing the same in the third quarter. Adjusted earnings of $1.42 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.41 by 0.7%. However, the figure declined 7.2% year over year, owing to negative impact of the cancellation of sailings to Cuba and disruption generated by Hurricane Dorian. Total revenues were $2,517.4 million, missing the consensus mark of $2,532 million by 0.9% but improving 7.9% from the year-ago quarter. This year-over-year upside can be attributed to higher passenger ticket, and onboard and other revenues. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Quote Quarterly Highlights Passenger ticket revenues improved 8% to $1,784.5 million, and onboard and other revenues increased 7.7% from the prior-year quarter to $733 million. On a constant-currency basis, net yields rose 6.8% year over year, which was within the companys guidance. Net cruise costs (NCC), excluding fuel per APCD, increased 15.9% on a constant-currency basis. Higher marine costs and employee-related expenses led to the increase. Total cruise operating expenses of $1,481.5 million increased 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. The companys operating expenses increased at the Payroll and related, Onboard and other, Commissions, transportation and other, and Food segments. However, fuel expenses declined during the quarter under review. 2019 Highlights Adjusted earnings came in at $9.54 per share, reflecting an increase of 7.7% from the 2018 level. Revenues advanced 15.3% from a year ago to $11 billion. This upside was achieved despite a series of disruptions that include the dry-dock incident in the Grand Bahama shipyard, cancellation of cruises to Cuba and an unusual hurricane season, all of which negatively impacted the company's results for the year. Net Yields were up 8% on a constant-currency basis. 20> 25 by 2025 Program The company introduced the 20> 25 by 2025 program. With the help of this program, it expects to achieve $20.00 adjusted earnings per share; reduce carbon footprint by 25%; deliver strong returns on invested capital; and continue to improve on record guest satisfaction and employee engagement metrics. Q1 Guidance For first-quarter 2020, Royal Caribbean expects adjusted earnings per share within 80-85 cents. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is currently pegged at $1.11 per share. Constant-currency net yields are projected to decrease 0.5% from the year-ago quarter. NCC, excluding fuel, is likely to improve 3% on a constant-currency basis. Although demand for core products and onboard experiences remains strong, the company stated that the unprecedented bushfires in Australia, and recent activities in Hong Kong and the Middle East will have a negative impact on the first quarter. Moreover, the first quarter is negatively impacted by other structural elements such as the discontinuation of Cuba sailings that equals a revenue headwind of approximately 120 basis points and a tough year-over-year comparable. 2020 Guidance Royal Caribbean projects adjusted earnings within $10.40-$10.70 per share. The company has cancelled eight cruises out of China ending Mar 4 and also modified certain itineraries in the region, which are estimated to have an overall impact of 25 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings is pegged at $10.50 per share. The company expects net yields to increase 2.25-4.25% on a constant-currency basis. NCC, excluding fuel, is expected to be up 1.75-2.25% on a constant-currency basis. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Royal Caribbean, which shares space with Carnival Corporation & Plc CCL, currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the Leisure space include Ctrip.com International, Ltd. TCOM and WW International, Inc. WW, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Ctrip.com and WW Internationals 2020 earnings are expected to witness robust growth of 21% and 16.7%, respectively. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers Most Likely for Early Price Pops. Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See 7 handpicked stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Carnival Corporation (CCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (TCOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report WW International, Inc. (WW) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research OTTAWACaught off guard by the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, Ottawa has been scrambling to get Canadian citizens out of the Chinese city of Wuhan, ground zero of the global health emergency. A clearer picture has now emerged of how events unfolded over the past 10 days as the Trudeau government worked to overcome diplomatic obstacles and charter the Portuguese airplane thats expected to bring some 250 Canadians home on Thursday. Heres a timeline of Ottawas effort to respond: Mid- to late January: Reports emerge of a new infectious disease. On Jan. 24, the medical journal The Lancet publishes a report about patients in China who first presented with symptoms in December. Weekend of Jan. 25-26: China had days earlier started to impose a quarantine on the megacity of Wuhan, an expanding lockdown that would grow in the coming days to affect tens of millions of people as the fear spread through the region, along with an escalating number of infections and deaths. The first inkling of a coming evacuation comes when the French Foreign Ministry says it is looking at eventual options to get its citizens out of Wuhan. Sunday, Jan. 26: Global Affairs Canada stands up an emergency response team to handle possible requests from Canadians in China in the face of the virus outbreak, but the extent of the Canadian need is not yet clear. Canada has no consulate office in the province of Hubei, where only 38 Canadians are registered as residents. Monday, Jan. 27. There are stirrings that Canadian citizens in the region want Ottawas help. Xi Huang, a Toronto student trapped in Wuhan with her 10-month-old son, tells the Star, Everyone wants to leave. If it was you, you would want to leave as well. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convenes his incident response group to discuss the coronavirus outbreak for the first time. A public record of the meeting makes no mention of an evacuation. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne notes only eight Canadians have requested consular assistance and later clarifies only two asked for help to leave China. While Champagne doesnt rule out an eventual evacuation, the government is exploring options that includes hitching rides with other countries out of the quarantine zone. Tuesday, Jan. 28. Twenty four hours later, Ottawa faces a sobering realization and a turning point in Canadas response. The number of Canadians requesting repatriation skyrockets to more than 120. A senior official, speaking on background, acknowledges thats when the Trudeau government realized there was no way it could piggyback on any allied partners plane for assistance. Heather Jeffrey, assistant deputy minister at foreign affairs, tells a Commons committee that the full extent of the Canadian presence in Hubei province was not immediately evident. We dont have a consulate in that province. Publicly, Champagne tells reporters that Canada is still exploring all options including hiring a plane to bring Canadians out of Wuhan. Behind the scenes, according to one senior official, the government starts looking to charter a plane and prepare for a Canadian airlift. Wednesday, Jan. 29 There is a lot to sort out. The first step is to secure a plane, a development that Champagne announces outside the House of Commons. But the governments rented 250-seat plane cant fly into China without the green light from officials overseeing the coronavirus quarantine there and Ottawa still needs to navigate a web of logistical details. One senior government official describes the evacuation as a hugely complex effort spanning the entire government, with officials from the health and global affairs departments as well as the national security adviser and Privy Council Office working long hours to come up with a plan as fast as possible. Officials need to identify and communicate with Canadians on a list that grew larger almost by the hour, eventually surpassing 300 people. For each, government officials need to determine their citizenship status and, in the case of dual citizens, whether they travelled using their Canadian passports. China says it will not allow dual citizens to leave the country unless they had travelled there on a Canadian passport or travel documents. Officials also need to determine whether Canadians have family members with them who arent citizens, whether they are accompanied by children or elderly dependants, and whether they are showing any symptoms related to the coronavirus. In Ottawa, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, are tasked with providing regular updates on measures to prevent the virus from spreading in Canada. A senior government official says that, similar to the plan after the Iran plane disaster, the government aims to update the public about the virus and repatriation plans as soon as new information is confirmed. The official adds that having Tam involved on the front line of communications, providing near-daily updates to the media about infections and precautions, is important to keep fears in check and guard against the spread of stigma and racism directed at Chinese-Canadians. It is understandable that our fears increase during times like this. However, we need to remember that cohesion in our collective efforts is important, Tam writes on social media. Racism, discrimination and stigmatizing language are unacceptable and very hurtful. Thursday, Jan. 30. The World Health Organization declares the outbreak a global health emergency. Hajdu says it changes nothing in Canadas view because Ottawa has already put in place all the protocols to respond to an infectious disease outbreak like this, having learned lessons in 2003 after the SARS outbreak. She says it will mainly help stronger countries assist countries with weaker public health systems. She tells Canadians the risk of transmission of the virus in Canada remains low. That night, Champagne speaks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who responds positively to Canadas demand for help organizing an evacuation from Wuhan. Sunday, Feb. 2: The evacuation plan starts to emerge. Canada announces it will stage its flight from Hanoi, where the chartered plane will wait for final clearance to enter Chinese airspace. Upon its anticipated return to Canada, its passengers would be quarantined for 14 days a precautionary measure, as Tam later puts it. But before that can happen, there are more details to sort out. China requires departing passengers to have letters from the Canadian government indicating that they are interested in leaving. The letters must be shown at checkpoints in the city and airport as they head to meet the flight. In a city under lockdown, they are expected to arrange their own rides to the airport, and must submit their vehicles model, licence plate number, the name of their driver and planned route to the airport. The Canadian government tells them to arrive at the airport no later than Wednesday at 11 p.m. local time. Monday, Feb. 3: The Canadian government is closing in on a final timeline for the mission. Conservatives and New Democrats have criticized the governments response as too slow, but Champagne dismisses any suggestion that Canadas troubled relationship with China has presented obstacles. We required visas from the Chinese government. We required overflight clearances from a number of countries, some of which have closed their airspace in recent days. All those challenges have been met and overcome were not that far away from removing the first tranche of Canadians, said Jeffrey, the assistant deputy minister at foreign affairs. Tuesday, Feb. 4: The first plane is en route to China via Hanoi, to pick up about 250 citizens. Preparations are also being made for a possible second flight. A total of 308 Canadians, out of 565 who have now registered in Hubei province, say they want to leave. Canadian officials say none of the passengers approved to depart from China report any symptoms of the novel coronavirus. Nevertheless, National Defence medical staff will be on board the Canadian charter to assess passengers before, during and after the flight. Hajdu tells reporters there was a run through at CFB Trenton base Monday to ensure everything is lined up to receive the passengers for quarantine. Family members may be kept together but all will be isolated from one another. Final preparations are being made at the military base to receive them. We are ready for whenever the plane arrives, she says. Ten days after the government started making preparations, it remains unknown when the Canadians will arrive home. Canadian and Ontario medical authorities say they are ready. Ontario now has 34 patients awaiting test results from nasal and throat swabs for the new coronavirus, with another 12 that are presumed to be negative and awaiting confirmation from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, the ministry of health says. There are no new confirmed cases beyond the three revealed previously in Ontario. To date, 90 tests have been confirmed negative. However, a second coronavirus case is reported by B.C. public health authorities, bringing Canadas total to five. Correction - February 4, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagnes name. With a file from Rob Ferguson McKamey Animal Center had a record breaking year in 2019 as 4,300 animals were saved, rehabilitated, and placed in homes. Over the past year, MAC created critical neonate (newborn), community cat, and canine behavior programs that increased the live release rate to 90 percent for cats and 84 percent for dogs. MACs average length of stay is 28 days but for the most ill, injured and those in need of rehabilitation a length of stay is often much longer and comes with a high cost. MAC is anticipating another extraordinary kitten and puppy season and is in need of community support. Recently launched, MACs GEM program invites donors to give every month providing a continuous stream of income to ensure abused, neglected, and homeless animals have their needs met whenever they arrive at MACs doors. Last summer MAC exceeded spending an additional $50,000 caring for more than 600 kittens in their growing neonate program, 484 more kittens than 2018. At its peak, there were 800 animals in MACs care and while the expense is great, the programs have proven critical in allowing MAC to follow its mission of saving animals and helping people, said officials. Through the community cat program, MAC trapped, spayed/ neutered and released 700 cats with 378 females in the mix. Each female could have had three litters in a year, giving birth to three to five kittens each litter. Spaying 378 females reduced the possibility of over 5,600 additional homeless kittens in the area. Overall, the clinic team spayed/neutered 6,668 animals, up from 4,214 in 2018. Its not enough to provide a safe, clean shelter, said Jamie McAloon, executive director. We must be actively reducing the vast number of unwanted animals that fill our city shelters daily. We have to increase spay and neuter efforts as that is the key to reducing overpopulation, we must do more. These successes would not be possible if not for the community that provides support and time to help MAC follow its mission, said officials. According to Mindy Kolin, director of development There is a misconception that funds for the Center are provided by the city of Chattanooga. With more than a $3.3 million budget, city contracts provide just over 50 percent of the funds and are allocated for animal enforcement services. Funding for those critical care programs come solely from donor contributions and grants. MAC is anticipating another extraordinary kitten and puppy season and is in need of community support. Recently launched, MACs GEM program invites donors to give every month providing a continuous stream of income to ensure abused, neglected, and homeless animals have their needs met whenever they arrive at MACs doors. For monthly giving and other ways to give and get involved visit mckameyanimalcenter.org/donate. In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the area under the "critical" category, its top official said on Wednesday, while asserting that confidence-building measures are being undertaken to reassure voters. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh, said the area is under "tight vigil" and "their is no obstruction" in areas where poll activities will be conducted, and so voters would face no problems. Singh accompanied by the district election officer and nodal police officers had visited Shaheen Bagh area on Friday to assess the situation and preparedness ahead of the assembly elections on February 8. "In view of the ongoing protests in Shaheen Bagh, we have declared all five polling stations in the area as critical polling stations. There are about 40 booths encompassing those five stations. All these booths are therefore under critical category," Singh told reporters on Wednesday. Besides police security, polling stations falling in the "critical category" get paramilitary cover. Activities will be monitored through webcasting, he said. He said police forces and the election machinery are on "extra vigil" and assessing the situation all the time across the national capital. Shaheen Bagh falls in the Okhla assembly constituency. The area has become the epicentre of anti-CAA protests in the national capital and the agitation has been thrusted by political parties into a poll issue. Polls for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi are due on February 8 with counting of votes on February 11. The anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, on a stretch of a main road on the Kalindi Kunj side, have been going on for over 50 days in south Delhi. The protesters have been demanding repeal of the CAA. Singh said security personnel carry out marches and patrolling in the area to boost confidence of voters and "I see no reason to worry". "During my visit on Friday, the pulse I got from the local people was that there is no fear in their mind and the ongoing issue and the protests have not affected their psyche. We are quite hopeful that voters in the area will come out and exercise their franchise without any fear," he said. The Delhi CEO also said that no complaint has been received from local people of Shaheen Bagh about any safety issue they feel would be on the polling day. Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) and the National Register of Citizens. There are 13,750 polling booths, besides one auxiliary booth, located at 2,689 locations across Delhi. Singh said there are total 1,47,86,382 people who are eligible to vote in the Delhi polls, including 2,32,815 in age group of 18 to 19 years. "As afar as critical polling stations are concerned, there are 516 locations and 3704 booths in that category," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) - The BBI forums across the country are spearheaded by pro-handshake MPs - Kenya's second president Daniel Moi died on Tuesday, February 4 - President Uhuru Kenyatta said the nation will observe a period of mourning until Moi is buried The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rally which was set to take place at Wote, Makueni county on Saturday, February 8, has been postponed until further notice following the death of Kenya's second president Daniel Moi. The announcement was made by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior according to a report by Citizen TV. READ ALSO: Daniel Moi's little known daughters who stayed away from limelight Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo has said the BBI rally which was set for Saturday, February 8, has been postponed until further notice after Daniel Moi's death. Photo: Mutula Kilonzo. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Africa Inland Church: The church that shaped former president Daniel Moi's life The BBI forums across the country are spearheaded by close allies of former prime minister Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta as the country seeks to change its 2010 Constitution to allow for more inclusivity at the top power structure of the country. So far, the rallies have been held at Kisii, Mombasa, Kakamega and Kitui in a validation process aimed at sensitising Kenyans on the document. Pro-handshake MPs are on a countrywide BBI sensitisation rallies. Photo: Mutula Kilonzo. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Daniel Moi: Misemo ya utabiri ya marehemu rais mstaafu The complimentary meetings which were also set to be led by Tanga Tanga leaders have also been rescheduled. "Following the passing on of Daniel T. Arap Moi, all BBI rallies have been postponed. Consequently the Nakuru rally which was planned for Saturday, February 8, has been rescheduled to a future date to be communicated in due course," Senator Murkomen tweeted. Mzee Moi died in the morning of Tuesday, February 4, after a long illness. His death was announced by Uhuru Kenyatta via a presidential proclamation. Daniel Moi ruled Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He died on Tuesday, February 4. Source: Getty Images "It is with profound sadness and sorrow that I announce the passing of a great African statesman HE Daniel Arap Moi, the second president of the Republic of Kenya. The former head of state passed on at the Nairobi Hospital in presence of his family," Uhuru said. The president said the nation will observe a period of mourning until Moi was buried. Kenya's longest serving leader will be accorded a state funeral befitting his status. In his honour, Uhuru ordered the national flag to be flown at half-mast at high commissions, embassies, diplomatic offices and Kenyan consulates abroad. Moi was born in 1924, at Kabarak village, Sacho division, Baringo county. The ex-president attended Kapsabet High School and later joined Tambach Teachers Training College in the Keiyo District where he trained as a teacher and served in the profession from 1946 to 1955. In 1955, he entered politics and was elected Member of the Legislative Council for Rift Valley. Moi was re-elected in the Legco in 1957. He became the Minister of Education in the pre-independence government of 19601961. Moi was appointed vice president in 1967 and held the position until 1978 when Kenya's founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died. After Kenyatta's death, he was sworn is as the country's second leader in September 1978 and led the country until 2002 when he retired. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My mother's prayers changed my life - Joseph Abwao | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Few are credited with spearheading a single design movement; Michael Graves, well known throughout the world for design excellence, led three. The Henry Ford and Michael Graves Design (MGD) announced today that the institution has acquired MGDs extensive product design archive as part of its permanent collection. The Henry Ford plans to create permanent and temporary exhibitions with the Michael Graves Archive, and in celebration of the acquisition, a selection of 21 artifacts is now on display inside Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. In its entirety, the Michael Graves Design product archive tells a 39-year history of art, culture, and commerce, along with countless stories about the power of design, said Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO, The Henry Ford. We are honored that the team chose The Henry Ford as the location to house this collection that shows that everyday products can be designed with both purpose and playfulness. The Michael Graves Archive, consisting of finished products, models, prototypes and production samples spans the influential career of Michael Graves and the history of MGD. The 2,500+ object archive represents partnerships with Alessi, Target, Stryker, Disney, Steuben, Swid Powell, Sunar, Lenox, Dansk, Duravit, and Dornbracht, among others. Michael Graves Design sought to find an influential cultural institution interested in becoming the permanent home of its comprehensive product archive. We wanted to find a partner that would enable current and future generations to discover the positive impact design has on society and to celebrate the contribution to design history made by Michael Graves and our firm, said Rob Van Varick, Principal, MGD. Donald Strum, Principal, MGD met Marc Greuther, Vice President, Historical Resources and Chief Curator of The Henry Ford at the IDEA awards jury, which convenes annually at the Museum in Dearborn. During the judging, Marc was a tremendous host. I sincerely enjoyed our discussions, and I became enamored with the Henry Ford, said Strum. During every break from judging, I explored their innumerable automobiles and artifacts, appreciating the diversity and importance of the collections. In addition to many high-end client relationships, Michael Graves Designs revolutionary approach to common home products, known as Art of the Everyday Object solidified it as pioneers in the contemporary design industry. Debuted at Target in 1999, Michael Graves Design brought to market more than 2,000 products across 20 categories including kitchen electrics, gadgets, cleaning supplies, home decor, storage & organization, and more. The groundbreaking 15-year partnership with the retailer transformed mass merchandising strategy, elevated consumers expectations for design, made Target a design destination, and elevated design to the center of corporate strategy. I cant imagine a better home for our Archive than The Henry Ford, said Ben Wintner, Managing Principal, MGD. From our timeless, iconic product designs with Alessi to our Design for All program with Target, Michael Graves products uniquely exemplify The Henry Fords mission. Were thrilled to have this partnership. Michael Graves and his designers performed a kind of design alchemy, transforming often humble thingsthousands of theminto objects of delight, humor, and elegance, said Marc Greuther, Vice President, Historical Resources and Chief Curator at The Henry Ford. He showed that seeming near-opposites such as practicality, whimsy, affordability, decoration, and modernity could actually coexistand move swiftly off the shelves of everyday retailers. While The Henry Ford preserves its history, MGD looks to the future, with its recent appointment of Earthbound, a leading brand growth company, to expand the brand across categories and new retailers. MGD is excited to announce its new partnership with HDS Trading, which will debut on March 14 at the International Home + Housewares show in Chicago, bringing classic MGD designs and new items to retail once again. About The Henry Ford Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally-recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thehenryford.org, its national television programs, The Henry Fords Innovation Nation and Did I Mention Invention? and other resources, The Henry Ford helps individuals of all kinds to unlock their potential and help shape a better future. The Henry Ford advanced its role as a catalyst for change in education with the acquisition of Invention Convention Worldwide, a growing affiliation of organizations dedicated to fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in students, K-12. With this merger, The Henry Ford is now home to the Michigan Invention Convention and the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, during which thousands of students from across the United States participate. About Michael Graves Design Founded in 1964 by legendary designer Michael Graves, MGD is a leading multidisciplinary design practice rooted in the values of humanism. Over the past 55 years, MGD has created iconic works of design and architecture, including the Alessi teakettle, the Michael Graves Design housewares collection for Target, and the Disney Dolphin and Swan hotels. Today, the MGD team has expanded its creative influence to include helping companies develop strategies for entering new markets, utilizing design to transform workplace culture, designing the largest statue in the world and even working to change the conversation on aging. This breadth of expertise enables a holistic, collaborative approach that leads to transformative results for clients and consumers. MGD is a widely recognized design leader including being listed by Fast Company as one of The worlds top 10 most innovative companies in design. For more information, visit http://www.michaelgraves.com. Specialised homicide detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department are investigating after the bodies of a young couple were discovered near Big Bear Lake on 3 February, 2020: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department A police investigation is under way after a couple was found dead in the forest near Big Bear Lake, California. The bodies of Ria Williams and her boyfriend, Paul Stockwell, were found by local deputies with the help of a K9 unit. A resident of Santa Ana, Ms Williams was reported missing by a coworker on Friday, 31 January, when she did not show up for work. Mr Stockwell, who lived locally in Big Bear, was reported missing by his father. Ms Williams vehicle, a black Hyundai Veloster, was found in the parking area of the Cougar Crest Trail in the early hours of Monday morning. After a search, their bodies were discovered just after 1.30pm on Monday. The couple, both in their late twenties, had last been seen at a candle shop on Pine Knot Road in Big Bear Lake on Wednesday, 29 January, according to missing persons flier posted to Facebook. San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said in a statement that neither of the missing person reports indicated any suspicious circumstances or reason to suspect foul play. However, due to the circumstances, specialised homicide detectives are conducting the investigation. Autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death for each victim. Read more Eleven-year-old Colorado boy still missing Woman airlifted to safety as four hikers fall near Hollywood sign Three mountain lions killed after feeding on human remains Massive redwood tree falls and kills hiker in California park The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammad Adamu, appeared before the Senate in plenary on Wednesday over increasing insecurity in Nigeria. His appearance was in response to a summon by the Senate last week. Mr Adamu arrived in plenary at 11:08 a.m. in the company of other security officers after which the meeting continued behind closed doors. The Senate had invited the police IG to discuss national insecurity, the need to restructure the security architecture in the country as well as the concept and modalities of community policing. The lawmakers dedicated the whole of last Tuesday to discuss the said issue. While the Minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign as president, the Senate asked him to dismiss the service chiefs and appoint new ones. The Senate also set up an ad-hoc committee to engage security agencies and find ways to end the menace. The discussions After the closed-door meeting which lasted about four hours, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the committee of the whole was briefed by the police IG on the security challenges in the country on the concept and practical implementation and modalities of community policing policy. Thereafter, he answered questions bordering on national security challenges, assaults on major roads across the country, illegal circulation of firearms and encouraging synergy between the federal and state governments from senators. He said the debate resolved to support the Nigerian police through legislative interventions and the police force was further encouraged to be more proactive operationally to protect the lives and properties of citizens. Concept of community policing Addressing journalists, the police IG said the meeting was on the concept of community policing. The concept, he said, is to give policing back to the community let the community take the initiative in identifying the problems that are there that can lead to the commission of crimes while the police work with the community to solve the crime. We believe that everybody comes from a community and the community is a community you know who and who is there. Taking policing back to the community will help in reducing crime to the barest minimum. So I have explained the concept of community policing to the Senate, which involves partnership with communities and there are various communities. You can have traditional institutions as a community. You can have the National Union of Road Transport Workers as a community. You can have the media as a community and various communities that you can have partnership with, he said. This means that the police will scan the community to find out the indices that can lead to the commission of crimes or a crime that has been committed already, analyse the problems and then we look for solutions and the responses that are available, Mr Adamu explained. Then we deploy resources to deal with the problems and then subsequently we re-evaluate all our responses to see how we can adjust to solve the problem. And in doing this, we need to capacitate our officers so as to key into the process. This is essentially what I explained to the Senate. If implemented, Mr Adamu said, community policing will bring stability in crime situation. This is even as he called for the inclusion of other arms of government. What we are saying especially with the concept of community policing is that fighting crime should not be left to law enforcement agencies alone. It should not be left to security personnel alone. Everybody should be involved. What are the things that lead to the commission of crime? Are all issues to be dealt with by security agencies alone? No. There are other arms of government that need to deal with state governors, local government chairmen should take up their responsibilities. People that are committing these crimes, there are reasons that make them to commit these crimes. If it is lack of employment, if it is lack of education or those issues that will require intervention by the government, the state governor should take responsibility. Local government chairmen should take responsibility. Not that everything will be left to security agencies alone. Both the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, met with the president afterwards to relay the resolutions of the lawmakers. Mr Gbajabiamila later said the president is as worried as any other person about insecurity in the country. Prior to this period, community policing has been a major point of security discourse with many Nigerians calling for it on the assumption that it is the long-awaited solution to stem the tide of insecurity. Even the police IG had emphasised the need to strengthen community policing. He had said the advantages of community policing outweigh the idea of state police, and that the disadvantages of state policing are more than the perceived advantages. LIG Nex1's booth at DEFEXPO 2020 in India. / Courtesy of LIG Nex1 By Kang Seung-woo Local defense company LIG Nex1 is displaying precision-guided munitions at DEFEXPO 2020 in the Indian city of Lucknow, the firm said Wednesday. The South Asian country is the second-largest buyer of Korean weapons. The biennial event, which runs for five days, is one of Asia's largest defense expos, inviting 165 companies from over 150 countries, including the United States, France, Russia, Israel and Korea. The company is exhibiting its latest products a land-based short-range surface-to-air missile; a shipborne vertical launch short-range surface-to-air missile; a 70-milimeter guided rocket, and a medium-range anti-ship missile. It also is introducing a multi-band, multi-role, software-defined radio, which ensures seamless voice and data communication. "We look forward to introducing LIG Nex1's defense systems optimized for future battlefields through DEFEXPO 2020," its CEO Kim Ji-chan said. Meanwhile, Korea and India have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh held talks in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Tuesday, and finalized a roadmap for defense industry cooperation, under which the two countries will boost their partnership in research and development of various weapons. India will ease regulations on Korean arms manufacturers doing business there, in accordance with its "Make in India" policy an initiative aimed at encouraging global companies to produce their products in the country as part of its efforts to create jobs. They will set up a working-level committee in charge of the agreement's implementation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the roadmap to President Moon Jae-in during their summit last year. "Minister Singh expects this roadmap to open a new chapter for bilateral cooperation in arms industries and pledged to actively support Korean firms in India," the Korean defense ministry said. Just as most New Mexicans began to recover from a busy holiday season, the state Legislature embarked in early January on the process of crafting the next years state budget. And just as we can expect to endure many cold and sunny days ahead, we sadly can also expect within the walls of the Roundhouse a secretive process in which a select group of legislators puts the final touches on the budget. New Mexicos budgeting process is cumbersome at best. Legislators sit in hearing after hearing, for weeks on end, listening to ever-growing demands by state agencies for more money and new programs. The budget process involves a mountain of paper covered with numbers that quickly become nearly incomprehensible. As confusing as this process seems, we should be proud the creation of the state budget is usually conducted in the open and broadcast live over the web. By seeing how the process works, people can gain a better understanding of the difficult challenges legislators face in addressing the needs of both urban and rural New Mexico, as well as deciding how much money should go toward education, health care and other important parts of the budget. This is the way the budget process should work. We must commit ourselves to ensuring this openness is never diminished, while also demanding it should be expanded whenever possible. Unfortunately, as we see year after year, the legislative committee tasked with putting the budget together will deviate from this public debate when the time comes to put the finishing touches to its budget document. Instead of continuing to meet in public, the chair and a group of hand-picked committee members will retreat to a closed-door conference room in the Roundhouse Annex to decide how to spend millions of dollars on various projects that have never been sufficiently publicly vetted. These meetings are so secretive, many of the remaining committee members are often not aware these meetings are being held. This year, the amount of money earmarked for so-called member requests was slightly more than $5 million for House members and another $10 million for the Senate. However, over the past 10 years, the amount of money spent in these secret meetings has exceeded $100 million. Imagine having the power to spend millions of dollars on lawmakers pet projects the public has never heard about, projects which have never received any public scrutiny, projects which receive no committee oversight, and projects being funded simply because the legislator asking for it holds an important legislative position. Granted, a list of these secretly decided projects is ultimately approved by the budget-writing committee, but there is no disclosure as to which legislator requested the money or why some projects were selected while others were not. Plus, approval of this project list is decided so quickly that there is rarely time for an opportunity to ask questions to understand what the project really does. Why are these secret meetings allowed to spend taxpayer money? There are many reasons given by those who benefit from the current system. But whatever the reason, it is clear this secretive process is what helps breed a continued lack of trust in state government. The people of New Mexico send us to Santa Fe to work for them and our communities, not to find ways to keep the levers of government hidden behind closed doors. The House Republican Caucus has made government transparency a key issue this session. Therefore, we will continue to shine light on the dirty little secrets of the legislative process that seem only to benefit the connected and powerful. We will also demand changes to the legislative process. One legislative leader recently said transparency is the biggest buzzword out there. I disagree. Transparency is what separates western democracies from Third World dictatorships. Key points: Age, location and health status could be used to help maximise each child's response to vaccines. Research co-led by the Institute with international partners worked towards identifying the factors underpinning a productive immune response to vaccines in children for effective protection against disease. A child's age and location have the strongest influence on immune system composition and vaccine response. The immune systems of African children develop faster than those of Dutch children. Children's immune profiles varied between Tanzania and Mozambique, which influenced responsiveness to a malaria vaccine RTS,S. Anaemia leads to an altered immune system composition which may reduce its response to vaccines. In an effort to boost vaccination efficiency in children at most risk of infectious disease, a global team of researchers has performed an in-depth analysis of the developing immune system in children from sub-Saharan Africa. The team, which brought together researchers from Cambridge, UK, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia, Tanzania and Mozambique, discovered that the development of the immune system is most affected by age and location. These findings suggest that how ready a child's immune system is to respond to a vaccine will vary by age, where they live and health factors such as anaemia. This study's in-depth look into the immune systems of African children will be a valuable resource to support vaccination programmes and the development of new vaccines for these at-risk populations. The findings are published today (Wednesday 5 February) in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The early years of life are a pivotal time in the development of the human immune system; the individual's immune system starts to power up, maternally-derived protection is lost and a host of environmental factors and exposures collectively act together to shape the developing immune system. This period of development creates a period of vulnerability too: the maximum function of the immune system has not yet been reached, explaining why the very young are often at most risk from infectious disease. Children in low- and middle-income countries experience a high incidence of infectious disease in their first years of life. Vaccinations have the power to reduce this disease burden but vaccines that are effective in high-income countries often show reduced efficacy in these populations. The team of researchers set out to investigate how the immune system development differs between populations around the world to identify opportunities where interventions may lead to more effective vaccine outcomes. "An effective vaccine is urgently needed to reduce the 219 million illnesses and 435000 deaths from malaria each year." explains lead researcher Dr Danika Hill, a research fellow in the Linterman group at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK. "In addition, as the prevalence of anaemia in preschool-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa is over 65%, it represents a major public health problem due to its association with increased risk of death and impaired cognitive development. Analysing the factors involved in ensuring an effective vaccination response in the individual is going to be key to meeting these challenges." The researchers used blood samples taken from large numbers of young children (under 5 years old) over a 32 month period. The African participants in Tanzania and Mozambique were part of a phase III study of the malaria vaccine RTS,S (Mosquirix), which has now been licensed for use in children. The study also analysed published data from a study involving Dutch children of the same age range. The samples and data were analysed to identify which factors influence the make-up of the immune system. The researchers found that there were dynamic changes to the immune system during the first five years of life. With increasing age and as the immune system matured, the response to the RTS,S vaccine improved. Children with a more 'activated' immune system, suggesting that their immune system is responding to an immune trigger, at the time of vaccination showed improved responsiveness to the malaria vaccine, in terms of vaccine-specific antibodies produced. "This finding is important," said Dr Michelle Linterman, a group leader in the Immunology programme at the Babraham Institute. "Better vaccine responses were seen in populations with a more activated immune system. This measure could be used to predict who will respond well to vaccination in future studies." Children with anaemia showed an altered composition of the immune system, suggesting that co-occurring disorders and nutrition affects the development of the immune system, ultimately impacting immune responsiveness. The team went on to show in laboratory experiments that low iron reduced the ability of B cells to make antibodies. The immune systems of children from sub-Saharan Africa showed many differences when compared to their Dutch counterparts and within this group, the geographical location within Africa had a strong influence on the composition of the immune system and vaccine responsiveness. "By comparing the immune systems of Dutch and Tanzanian children we have shown that the immune system does not develop the same way in children born on different continents, with Tanzanian children shows faster immune development." summarised Dr Michelle Linterman. "In addition, our study has identified a link between anaemia and immune function, which could explain why anaemic children and iron deficient adults have poorer responses to vaccines. Follow on intervention studies could assess whether iron supplementation or alternative strategies to facilitate iron uptake by immune cells can improve immune function in anaemic children." "In 2019, the World Health Organisation commenced rolling out the RTS,S vaccine to children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, and thus our study has clear implications for the ongoing evaluation of this vaccine, and for the development of other vaccines required for these at-risk populations." says Dr Danika Hill. ### A raffle drawing will award meat to the winners, Puntney said. Two quarters of beef, sponsored by Turner Family Farms near Baraboo, and two halves of hogs, sponsored by her familys farm, Puntney Show Pigs in Lodi, will be raffled off. For reference, Puntney said any one of those prizes would be enough to fill a freezer. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Raffle tickets will be available Saturday at $20 for five tickets or $5 each. Wieczorek said the FFA alumni group donates raffle proceeds to the Baraboo FFA to help students attend the national convention and other conferences. Farmer Angel Network Roecker said he was happy Baraboo students were educating non-farmers about agriculture and that they chose to benefit the Farmer Angel Network, a collaboration of the Sauk County Health Department, the countys University of Wisconsin-Extension, local farmers and other groups. He knows what its like to feel isolated, bearing the pressures of bad weather, crushing debt and milk prices that are too low to even allow producers to break even. After putting millions of dollars into expanding his family farm more than a decade ago, the Great Recession hit and everything went downhill from there, he said, leading him to become severely depressed. US President Donald Trump was acquitted on Wednesday in his US Senate impeachment trial and will remain in office. He was saved by fellow Republicans who rallied to protect him nine months before he asks voters in a deeply divided America to give him a second White House term. The businessman-turned-politician, 73, survived only the third presidential impeachment trial in US history - just like the two other impeached presidents - in his turbulent presidency's darkest chapter. Trump now plunges into an election season that promises to further polarize the country. Trump was acquitted largely along party lines on two articles of impeachment approved by the Democratic-led House of Representatives on December 18, with the votes falling far short of the two-thirds majority required in the 100-seat Senate to remove him under the US Constitution. Expand Close Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) leads fellow impeachment managers including Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) into the Senate Chamber ahead of expected final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) leads fellow impeachment managers including Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) into the Senate Chamber ahead of expected final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden, a contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 3 election. Republican Senator Mitt Romney joined the Democrats in voting to convict. No Democrat voted to acquit. The Senate then voted 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress by blocking witnesses and documents sought by the House. A conviction on either count would have elevated Vice President Mike Pence, another Republican, into the presidency. Romney joined the rest of the Republican senators in voting to acquit on the obstruction charge. No Democrat voted to acquit. Read More On each of the two charges, the senators voted one by one on the Senate floor with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. President Trump has been totally vindicated and it's now time to get back to the business of the American people," Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a statement. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans engineered a stripped-down trial with no witnesses or new evidence. Democrats called the trial a sham and a cover-up. Trump called the impeachment an attempted coup and a Democratic attempt to annul his 2016 election victory. Throughout the impeachment drama, Trump and his Republican allies kept up their attacks on Biden's integrity. It remains to be seen how much political damage that inflicted. In the first of the state-by-state contests to determine the Democratic challenger to Trump, Biden placed a disappointing fourth in Iowa, according to incomplete results from Monday's voting. Biden has accused Trump of "lies, smears, distortions and name-calling." Trump faces no serious challengers for his party's presidential nomination. He is poised to claim the nomination at the party's convention in August and previewed in his State of the Union address on Tuesday campaign themes such as American renewal, economic vitality and hardline immigration policies. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse-of-power charge. Romney called the president's actions in pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden "grievously wrong" and said Trump was "guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust." "What he did was not 'perfect,'" Romney said on the Senate floor, as Trump has described his call with Ukraine's president that was at the heart of the scandal. "No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep one's self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." Romney, a moderate and elder statesman in his party, paused during his speech as he became choked with emotion after mentioning the importance of his religious faith. Expand Close U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow arrives at the U.S. Capitol ahead of an expected vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow arrives at the U.S. Capitol ahead of an expected vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Republican Senator Lindsey Graham lashed out at Democrats, saying: "What you have done is unleash the partisan forces of hell." Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said Trump's acquittal in an unfair trial was worth nothing. "No doubt, the president will boast he received total exoneration. But we know better. We know this wasn't a trial by any stretch of the definition." In his speech, McConnell said: "The architects of this impeachment claimed they were defending norms and traditions. In reality, it was an assault on both." Democrats expressed concern that an acquittal would further embolden a president who already challenges political norms. They have painted him as threat to US democracy and a demagogue who has acted lawlessly and exhibited a contempt for the powers of Congress and other institutions. They also have voiced concern over Russia interfering in another American election. Trump's legal team offered a vision of nearly unlimited presidential powers, a view Democrats said placed any president above the law. The acquittal handed Trump his biggest victory yet over his Democratic adversaries in Congress. Democrats vowed to press ahead with investigations - they are fighting in court for access to his financial records - and voiced hope that the facts unearthed during the impeachment process about his conduct would help persuade voters to make him a one-term president. Trump's job approval ratings have remained fairly consistent throughout his presidency and the impeachment process as his core conservative supporters - especially white men, rural Americans, evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics - stick with him. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, showed 42pc of American adults approved of his performance, while 54pc disapproved. That is nearly the same as when the House launched its impeachment inquiry in September, when his approval stood at 43pc and disapproval at 53pc. The trial formally began on January 16. The Senate voted 51-49 last Friday to defeat the Democrats' bid to call witnesses such as Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, with only two Republicans joining them. In the previous presidential impeachment trials, Andrew Johnson was acquitted in 1868 in the aftermath of the American Civil War and Bill Clinton was acquitted in 1999 of charges stemming from a sex scandal. In the hours before the vote, numerous senators gave speeches on the Senate floor explaining their vote. Trump, now seeking a second four-year term, has been under the shadow of some sort of investigation for most of his presidency. The acquittal marked the second time in 10 months that he withstood an existential threat to his presidency. In March 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller found insufficient evidence that Trump engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia in its interference on his behalf in the 2016 election. Mueller did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice in seeking to impede the investigation but stopped short of concluding the president acted unlawfully. Trump declared full vindication. Last July 25, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a phone call to "do us a favor" and open an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter Biden and into a discredited theory beneficial to Russia that Ukraine colluded with Democrats to meddle in the 2016 election to harm Trump. Hunter Biden had joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was U.S. vice president. Trump accused the Bidens of corruption without offering substantiation. The Bidens denied wrongdoing. Democrats said Trump further abused his power by withholding $391 million in security aid approved by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russia-backed separatists and by dangling a coveted White House meeting as leverage to pressure Zelenskiy to announce the investigations. Under the Constitution, impeachment is the mechanism for removing a president or certain other federal officials for "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Supplier News 5 February 2020 NEW YORK - TravelClick, an Amadeus company, today announces that Radisson Hotel Group, one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel companies, has endorsed the use of TravelClick's powerful Demand360 to be progressively rolled out across its hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). With Radisson Hotel Group joining the Demand360 program, there are more than 30,000 properties worldwide contributing their future and historical data. Demand360 is the only competitive market intelligence product available to the hospitality industry that provides forward-looking reservation metrics and competitive share by segment and channel, allowing hotels to plan an effective revenue strategy and stay ahead of the competition. Radisson Hotel Group and TravelClick will work together to increase the adoption and implementation of Demand360 throughout the hotel group's portfolio across EMEA. "Redefining and optimizing our pricing strategy in a competitive hospitality landscape is a key element of the Group's five-year operating plan, and we believe that the Demand360 program will help us become even more competitive and relevant in the market," explained Gianni Di Fede, EMEA Vice President, Total Revenue Optimization, Radisson Hotel Group. "We are excited about our partnership with Radisson Hotel Group as the Demand360 network continues to grow exponentially," added Greg Sheppard, Senior Vice President, Business Intelligence, TravelClick. "Delivering historical and forward-looking competitive data is the best way for hoteliers to establish their strongest strategy for success. We're pleased to continue to be the leading provider of valuable market insight enabling hoteliers to maximize both their revenue and profitability." About Radisson Hotel Group Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups with seven distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development around the world. Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. Radisson Rewards is our global rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers exceptional loyalty benefits for our guests, meeting planners, travel agents and business partners. Radisson Meetings places its guests and their needs at the heart of its offer and treats every meeting or event as more than just a date on the calendar. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and our signature Yes I Can! service spirit and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral. More than 95,000 global team members work for Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems. For more information, visit: www.radissonhotels.com/corporate Or connect with us on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/radisson-hotel-group/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radissonhotels/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/radissonhotels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radissonhotels YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/radissonhotelgroup About TravelClick, an Amadeus Company If you are 16, the state of Wyoming considers you too immature to decide who should serve on the local town council. In the eyes of the law, youre not yet old enough to drink a beer, smoke a cigarette or buy a lottery ticket. And yet, Wyoming allows 16 year olds children to get married. That inconsistency is troubling. After all, there are valid reasons why we as a society have decided that people must be 18 to vote, to buy a beer or to smoke namely that children arent yet mature enough to participate in voting or choose what substances to consume or not. Still, we allow children to decide whether theyre ready to participate in one of our most important institutions: marriage. This is problematic for several reason. Marriage is something that requires maturity. It involves adult matters of love, sex, money, children, inheritance and health. If a child isnt mature enough to buy a $2 lottery ticket from the gas station, surely she is not prepared to grapple with matters so weighty. Plus, there is plenty of science to suggest that marrying young can have worse outcomes. One long-term federal study showed couples who get married young tend to divorce at higher rates than average. They also are more likely to achieve less education while facing greater rates of poverty. More troubling still is evidence that shows girls are disproportionately the ones to be married young and are often pressured into the commitment by a manipulative partner or by religious or social customs. Last year, Sen. Charley Pelkey, D-Laramie, authored a bill that would have raised Wyomings minimum marriage age to 18. It failed in the House by a mere five votes. Pelkey is making another attempt this year. His bill faces an uphill climb, in part because its a non-budget bill in a budget session. But we hope lawmakers give it strong consideration, and ultimately, their support. The arguments for allowing children to marry are specious at best. They center on the idea of personal freedoms. While we are generally sympathetic to such arguments, in this case, the logic falls apart. State lawmakers have already decided that 16 year old arent mature enough to vote, to drink, to smoke, to gamble, or make a handful of other life choices. So why is marriage the one place where they are suddenly concerned about the personal liberties of teenagers? We also question whose liberty is at stake. The studies say girls who marry before they become adults are often pressured into the relationship. If thats the case, they arent making a decision based on personal liberty; its one of societal pressures. Lawmakers should end this practice in Wyoming. Sixteen-year-olds are better off spending their time studying, preparing for college, learning about the world, learning about themselves, playing a sport or participating in the arts. We should protect these kids and give them the time typically needed to mature so they can make responsible decisions. They have the rest of their lives to find a partner and get married if that is what they want. But for now, why not let the kids be kids? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Johnstown Estate is continuing its expansive transformation with the launch of a specially designed spa-suite combination - with 'girly getaways' the top of its agenda. Since undertaking a 12.5m refurbishment plan beginning in 2018, the Co Meath property has lofty ambitions, honouring its mid-18th century roots with an emphasis on contemporary service. And while Ireland might have a large amount of spas and hotels per capita, the market is ever-growing between the continuing influx of tourists and the regeneration of spending around Ireland, in particular around the booming wedding industry. Part of their commitment to that strategy is the newly launched 'Mulberry Suite', which accommodates up to six people and designed with Irish brides in mind. The suite features two adjoining rooms with the property's usual amenities like Dyson hairdryers and king-size beds, with access to the simultaneously launched Gloss at the Spa, the so-called 'sister spa' to its award-winning anchor spa centre. The Gloss focuses on grooming and quicker treatments like manicures and facials averaging at 30 minutes. Expand Close The 'Mulberry Suite' at Johnstown Estate / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The 'Mulberry Suite' at Johnstown Estate Ventura Designs ensured feminine touches feature throughout, with four specially designed hair and makeup stations for guests. It was launched especially based on demand by brides looking for an upscale hen party alternative and pre-wedding accommodation for their bridal party and family. "The idea came from the number of brides who wanted to get married from the hotel. We wanted to develop a space where they could build memories with their I do crew while getting ready," Anthony Smiddy, General Manager at The Johnstown Estate said. The three adjoining rooms are centered by a lounge area which includes a wine fridge, Nespresso machine and wide screen television, with a butter-soft velvet couch in berry hued tones. The Gloss and Mulberry mark the first of Johnstown's 2020 refurbishment, which includes redesigning and expanding The Spa; which are continuing now. The suite charges 1,500 per night between six people, which includes an overnight stay (including breakfast), Moet & Chandon champagne, two thirty minute spa treatments, a four course dinner at Fire & Salt and late check-out. The primary suspect in the 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was detained on Wednesday as police served search warrants for four locations related to the cold case. One of those locations was a home in a residential neighborhood in San Pedro where Paul Flores has lived since 2010, according to public records. Sheriff's spokesman Tony Cipolla said Flores was detained during the service of that search warrant, The Tribune reported. He was later released. Authorities simultaneously served a warrant at the home of Flores' mother Susan Flores in Arroyo Grande. Flores, who has never been arrested or charged in connection with the case, was the last known person to see Smart. The 19-year-old disappeared as she returned to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo after attending an off-campus party on May 25, 1996. Scroll down for video Paul Flores, the primary suspect in Kristen Smart's 1996 disappearance was detained on Wednesday as cops served a search warrant at a home in San Pedro, California Smart (left) disappeared as she returned to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo after attending an off-campus party on May 25, 1996. Flores (right in a 1996 mug shot) was the last known person to see her alive Aerial footage showed FBI agents and Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies outside a home in a residential neighborhood in San Pedro where Flores has reportedly lived since 2010 A man who several news outlets identified as Flores (second left in blue) was seen being questioned outside the home. The man was detained and then released A man believed to be Paul Flores (in blue) released by @LASDHQ deputies, after being detained likely in connection with disappearance of Kristin D. Smart. He was the last person to see her, when she vanished 24 years ago, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/Xv65ZsCMRu Craig Fiegener (@CraigNews3LV) February 5, 2020 Authorities also searched Flores' mother's home in Arroyo Grande (pictured) The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced the new warrants in a press release Wednesday morning. Aerial footage from KTLA showed FBI agents and Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies surrounding a home in the 900 block of West Upland Avenue in San Pedro that is believed to belong to Flores. KNX1070 reporter Craig Fiegener shared a video of police questioning a man outside the house. Investigators were also seen putting tape around Susan Flores' home in San Luis Obispo County. Another warrant was issued for a different location in San Luis Obispo County, as well as one in Washington state. Officials said they were disclosing the development to the public 'due to the high-profile nature of the investigation into the disappearance and whereabouts of Kristin Smart and to avoid the dissemination of misinformation'. No details about the specific evidence sought were disclosed as the warrants are sealed by the court. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies are seen removing evidence from the San Pedro home A deputy checks the trunk of a vintage car parked outside the home Authorities are seen taping the perimeter of Susan Flores' home in Arroyo Grande Last week the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced that investigators seized two trucks that belonged to Flores' family. They also revealed that 37 pieces of evidence from the early days of the investigation had been submitted for modern DNA testing. Since 2011, investigators have recovered 140 new items of evidence, carried out 18 search warrants and conducted 91 interviews - racking up a bill of $62,000 in expenses related to the Smart case, the sheriff's office said. Officials explained that they took the unusual step of releasing the case update following the large number of public inquiries related to Smart's disappearance. The case was recently catapulted back into the public eye due to a local podcast about the mystery. Smart's mother also revealed last month that she had been contacted by a former FBI agent who warned her to be ready for news related to her daughter's case. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said they had submitted 37 pieces of evidence from the early days of the investigation for modern DNA testing in relation to Smart's disappearance Smart was last seen in the early hours of May 15, 1996 when she returned to her dorm (pictured above) after a party near the California Polytechnic State University campus Authorities also revealed they have recovered 140 new items of evidence, carried out 18 search warrants and conducted 91 interviews since 2011 Smart was last seen in the early hours of May 15, 1996 when she returned to her dorm after a party near the Cal Poly campus. Flores was the last person to see her alive, according to investigators. He told police at the time that he walked Smart back from the party but parted ways with her about a block from her dorm. She was reported missing two days later by a friend but a search didn't begin until days later due to a miscommunication between authorities. During the investigation, four different search dogs trained to pick up the smell of human remains led police to Flores' dorm room. By the time investigators searched the room on June 5, he had moved all of his belongings out and no evidence was found there. Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 but her body has never been found. Various search efforts have been carried out over the years, including the excavation of three different hillside locations near the campus in 2016. At the time, an investigator said a lead strongly suggested her remains might be buried near a large concrete letter 'P' that is the school's landmark. The search ended with no trace of Smart's remains. Smart's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Flores in 2005, but the case has remained stagnant pending the conclusion of the criminal investigation. In response to the suit, Flores has denied every allegation raised against him and invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination before a grand jury and a civil deposition. He also filed an emotional distress lawsuit against Smart's family. Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 but her body has never been found. Her parents and siblings are pictured above after she vanished Update (February 10, 2020): 135 passengers on the Diamond Princess ship have now been diagnosed with coronavirus. Japanese news service NHK reported on Monday that those infected with the virus will be hospitalized, however the ship will remained quarantined until Feb. 19. Although a government spokesperson noted it will be difficult to test everyone on board, they ensured, "We will prioritize people with symptoms, such as high fever. Older people will also be given priority." The ship carrying approximately 3,700 people is still docked at the Yokohama port. Update (February 7, 2020): A total of 61 passengers have been diagnosed with confirmed cases of coronavirus on a cruise ship quarantined in the Japanese city of Yokohama, according to reports. That is up from the 20 people who authorities reported last week had tested positive for the virus and comes as the number of cases in China has risen to more than 31,000 with at least 636 deaths, The New York Times reported. Of the 41 new cases on the cruise ship, 21 of them are Japanese and none are in serious condition as of Friday, the Timesnoted, citing information from Japans Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. -- Update (February 5, 2020): At least 10 passengers, who are all over 50 years old, tested positive for the coronavirus, the BBC reported. The individuals were taken to a nearby hospital on the mainland and are being kept in isolation. They include two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kong citizens, one American, and one Filipino, according to NBC News. -- Thousands of people on board a cruise ship in Japan are being quarantined and screened for the coronavirus, after a recent passenger from Hong Kong was diagnosed with the contagious virus, Reuters reported. The 80-year-old man, who tested positive for the virus, had flown to Japan and boarded the ship on Jan. 20 before disembarking in Hong Kong on Jan. 25, according to the wire service. The precautions come as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to more than 20,000, with 429 deaths recorded as of Tuesday morning, according to CNBC. Story continues The Diamond Princess ship, run by Carnival Japan Inc., was held in the Japanese port of Yokohama on Tuesday, Reuters reported. About 3,700 passengers and crew members (2,666 guests and 1,045 employees) had to be screened for the virus, which originated earlier this year in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Guests were also asked to fill out a questionnaire, have their temperatures taken, and remain in their cabins while they waited to be screened, Reuters reported. Later in the day, the news service stated that 70 percent of the people on the ship had been checked and many amenities stayed open. According to the wire service, other cruises from the company that were scheduled to leave from Yokohama on Tuesday and the port of Kobe on Thursday would be canceled due to delays from the coronavirus checks. While experts are still learning about the coronavirus, Dr. Rebecca Katz, a professor and director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, told Travel + Leisure that its important to know the symptoms, which are similar to the flu in many ways, as well as take precautions like washing your hands and carrying a mask. And according to Cruise Critic, washing your hands is the number-one way to avoid getting sick. They also added that you should do it more than you ordinarily would. While being quarantined on a ship may not sound like a fun experience, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Early detection, prevention, and control of influenza are important, not only to protect the health of travelers on cruise ships, but also to avoid spread of disease into home communities by disembarking sick passengers and crew members. The agency also says that passengers who become sick while on the ship should remain isolated in their cabins or quarters (with the exception of clinic visits, if needed) until at least 24 hours after resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. The precautionary testing in Japan comes as the U.S. has implemented travel restrictions on foreign nationals who have visited China 14 days before their arrival in the U.S. In addition, the U.S. has started rerouting American citizens who have traveled to China in the last two weeks to designated airports for enhanced screening. Additionally, the Cruise Lines International Association, whose members include many international cruise lines, said in a statement last week that its members have suspended crew movements from mainland China and will deny boarding to any individual, whether guest or crew, who has traveled from or through mainland China within the previous 14 days. Desai, 26, pleaded guilty to the criminal charges against him in December, and agreed to cooperate with the governments investigation. His agreement with the SEC will remain in place regardless of proceedings in the criminal case, according to the court documents filed Tuesday. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has written to the National Peace Council to request for further deliberations on the final roadmap on ending vigilantesm in the country. The party also apologised to the Council for the party's failure to notify the Council of its concerns ahead of the final vigilantism dialogue . During the meeting with the Peace Council on Tuesday, the NDC refused to sign the final roadmap to ending political vigilantism saying it was not exhaustive enough. The NDC described the signing ceremony as premature saying that not all the issues concerning political violence had been addressed. Speaking to Citi News, one of the representatives of the NDC at the dialogue, Alex Segbefia, said the party reiterated its concerns with the document in its letter. In the letter, we also mentioned an area which we felt was not covered properly in the document and that has to do with the recruitment of people into the security agencies as we felt came out within the Ayawaso West Wuogon Commission of Enquiry. We've apologised to them for not giving any sufficient notice of our position. However, we can definitely move forward with this. We just need to meet [on it], Alex Segbefia said. Why the NDC refused to sign The NDCs main concern was that only four out of the 22 recommendations in the roadmap concerned political parties. It called on other stakeholders like the Electoral Commission and the National Commission on Civic Education to be a signatory to the document to ensure accountability. We cannot be seen to be signing a document for which other parties who are playing a part do not sign because then we cannot effectively monitor it we think that the content is good but we do not have a way of making sure that it becomes effective, Alex Segbefia explained earlier during the ceremony. The National Peace Council , however, gave the NDC another opportunity to reconsider its position on the matter. Why the dialogue? The dialogue was instituted by the National Peace Council following the incidents of police brutality at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election. The dialogue brought together representatives of the NPP, NDC, the Ghana Police Service, Institute for Democratic Governance and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center among others. citinewsroom Three cases of suspected coronavirus were reported in Amritsar and Patiala on Wednesday, with the patients in question having flown to India via China recently. A woman and her daughter, who flew back to India from New Zealand via China, were admitted to the isolation ward of the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Amritsar. Civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said, The woman and her daughter were fine at the time of their screening at the international airport in New Delhi. But they complained of throat infection when they took further flight to Amritsar and arrived at the Shri Guru Ram Das Jee international airport. We have sent their samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for testing and their reports are expected to arrive on Thursday, said Dr Johal. She further added, We are keeping these patients under observation. Also, we are keeping close watch on those who arrive at the Amritsar airport from other countries. In a second suspected case of coronavirus in Patiala, a 36-year-old resident of Fatehgarh Sahib district was admitted to the Government Medical College on Wednesday. He was put under observation at hospital and an isolation ward was set up for him. GMC medical superintendent Dr Paras Pandav said the patient was referred from Fatehgarh Sahib after he was diagnosed with high fever after his visit to China. We have collected the blood samples and sent these for testing at Pune. We came to know that he traveled to China, Thailand and Singapore in January, he said. We have asked the health department officials to sanitise the patients surroundings to ensure that no other person gets infected by the suspected virus. Since high fever is one of the key symptoms, we are taking every precautionary measure. We have restricted the entry of outsiders to the ward, except doctors and paramedics, Dr Pandav added. British telecom giant revealed on Wednesday that it would cost about 200 million ($221 million) over five years to remove controversial Chinese group Huaweis equipment from core European activities. We have now decided, as a result of the EU (recommendations) and the UK governments decision, to take out equipment from the core, CEO Nick Read said in a third quarter conference call to reporters. It will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million, he added, stressing that the cost would mostly apply to its European activities outside of Britain.The UK government decided last month to exclude from core parts of the network and also to cap its share of the market at 35 percent, insisting that high risk vendors would be excluded from sensitive activities.Londons decision came shortly after Brussels said it also would allow only a limited role in the European Union.Read added on Wednesday that had a very limited amount of Huawei technology in core European infrastructure but warned it would take time to remove and swap equipment without disrupting customers.The London-listed company had already decided last year to pause Huawei usage in core systems in Europe.On 5G network security and supply chain resilience, I am pleased that the UK process was conducted on the basis of facts and evidence and informed by advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, Read said.Vodafone UK is already largely compliant with these measures and so we have very limited financial exposure, following our decision last year to pause Huawei in the core of our networks in Europe. British peer BT said on Thursday that it would take a 500-million ($650-million, 590-million) hit over five years after London limited Huaweis 5G role.Washington has banned Huawei from the roll-out of the fifth-generation mobile network because of concerns that the firm could ultimately be under the control of Beijing, an allegation it strongly denies.US officials have indicated that the possibility of China using its commercial presence to spy on Britain or even shut down the network could force Washington to stop sharing intelligence with London. A total ban would require huge amounts of infrastructure to be ripped out at great expense.Vodafone CEO Read also warned that a market cap on 5G infrastructure vendors could potentially impact network quality, delay rollouts by up to five years and push up prices for consumers.The one element that we would say we do not think is optimal is putting caps in... because I really feel it hugely impacts customers and the quality of the network if we are forced to do an accelerated swap. So, though, this isnt an issue in the UK, I wouldnt want this for Europe. Secondly, given the industrys financial constraints, any restrictive cap is ultimately going to divert resources to a swap that we would have done by 5G roll-out.So you are essentially going to delay 5G rollout by anywhere between two and five years, depending on which country decides if it wants to do some sort of cap and it could lead to price increases in that market. The broader telecoms industry feels that any market caps were unnecessary and preferred to have a diverse network supply chain, according to Read. By Na Jeong-ju Whenever a new virus or disease spreads, it carries with it a degree of racism and xenophobia. This is simply human nature. As the death toll from the new coronavirus surges in China's central Hubei Province amid fears of a global pandemic, the problem looks to be slightly more serious. Contempt and mockery toward Chinese nationals and by extension Asian communities have become common around the world over the past weeks. In this part of the world, such racist sentiment is being more driven by a deep-rooted bias toward China and its people, and in some cases, we can find serious political connotations. Conservative parties and some conservative dailies continue to call the disease "Wuhan Pneumonia," referring to the capital city of Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak of the virus, despite the government's guidance that such a name is not appropriate to be used in public because it causes bias toward a certain city and contains misinformation. The government instead recommended using "new coronavirus" as the World Health Organization calls it. In accordance with this guidance, most media outlets except for some conservative dailies dropped the name "Wuhan Pneumonia," and now call it "new coronavirus," or "new virus." Strangely, Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition and largest conservative Liberty Korea Party, has criticized the government over this. He said in a party meeting that the government is spending a significant amount of time dealing with such a "trivial" matter as changing the name when it should be focusing more on how to curb the spread of the virus. One conservative daily even interpreted the government's guidance on the virus name as "kowtowing" to China, citing that there has been no such a guidance for the media regarding reports of "African swine flu" or "Japanese encephalitis." In fact, these names have been commonly used by government agencies and the media. So it seems quite natural to ask: "Why using Wuhan Pneumonia is not okay while using African swine flu is okay. What is the difference?" The conservatives point out lack of consistency in labelling the diseases. They are partly right. But if we take a closer look, how we call the virus is a lot more complicated than one may be led to believe. While the government has cautioned against excessive public fear driven by fake news and the rising anti-China sentiment, there has been a continuous production of stories based on a bias toward Chinese nationals. One economic daily even published a story of the "unsanitary" environment in a China town in Daerim-dong, Seoul, highlighting "men spitting everywhere on the street" and "street stores selling unsanitary food" there. In many news stories, herds of Chinese visitors buying bulks of masks in stores were contrasted with Koreans having difficulty buying masks, suggesting that Chinese tourists were "harmful" to Koreans. Intended or not, these stories create nasty narratives about China among Koreans. After Seoul announced an entry ban for foreigners who had visited Hubei Province in the past two weeks, Sunday, conservative parties and dailies claimed the measure was belated and not enough, urging the government to ban entry to all foreigners from other parts of China, as the United States, Japan and other countries have done. They have blamed an "inadequate" initial response by the government for the cases discovered in Korea and the viral spread here. It is easy to blame. In a way, it is not strange to say that what they are fighting against is not the virus, but China and their own government. But in my view, the government has been doing quite well in containing the virus. It is true that the administration has been taking a cautious stance on China regarding the virus in light of bilateral economic ties, which appear to be at the end of a long dark tunnel, and the growing damage on Korean companies dependent on Chinese demand. So a more pragmatic and realistic approach is needed more than ever regarding China. But some political attempts capitalizing on public fear of the virus and anti-Chinese bias are irresponsible and horrible to see, even considering that a crucial general election is only a few months away. ) is a former politics editor and now an editorial writer of The Korea Times. The author ( jj@koreatimes.co.kr Virginia Tech scientists have discovered that incredibly small particles of an unusual and highly toxic titanium oxide found in coal smog and ash can cause lung damage in mice after a single exposure, with long-term damage occurring in just six weeks. The tests were headed by Irving Coy Allen, a professor with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, with collaborators from across Virginia Tech and researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, and East China Normal University in Shanghai. The findings were recently published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology. Watch video: https://video.vt.edu/media/Nanoparticles+produced+from+burning+coal+may+be+toxic+to+humans/1_z4706e5b They follow 2017 findings by Virginia Tech geoscientist Michael Hochella that burning coal -- when smoke is not captured by high-end filters currently found in U.S. power plants -- emits tiny particulates known as titanium suboxide nanoparticles into the atmosphere. Such nanoparticles were found by Hochella's team of scientists in ash collected from the city streets, sidewalks, and in ponds and bays near U.S. and Chinese cities. Using mouse models in a lab setting, these tiniest of nanoparticles -- as small as 100 millionths of a meter -- entered the lungs after being inhaled. Once inside the lungs, the nanoparticles encountered macrophages, the lungs' defensive cells that trap and remove foreign materials. Typically, these cells protect the lungs from pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. But against these nanoparticles, the macrophages falter. "They can't break the titanium nanoparticles down, so the cells begin to die, and this process recruits more macrophages. These processes begin a feedback loop with each round of dying cells concentrating around the nanoparticles," said Allen, a member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. "The dying, nanoparticle-containing cells then begin making deposits in the lungs and these deposits cause problems. We begin seeing negative impacts on lung function, and basically the lungs fail to continue to work correctly." In what Allen calls a "striking find," his team discovered negative effects after only one exposure to the toxic nanoparticles. Long-term damage from the deposits can appear in as little as six weeks, raising concerns for highly polluted cities. "We realized if someone is living near a power plant, or near one of these coal burning sources, they wouldn't be exposed to a single dose, they'd be exposed to this daily," he said. "We also did not see lung clearance after a week, so when these things are in your lungs they are staying there, and they are staying there for an extended period of time." More so, damaged lungs can lead to higher susceptibility to virus or bacterial infection, and could worsen symptoms associated with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the exact effects of these toxic nanoparticles on humans, other animals, vegetation, and water systems are not known and demand further study by international researchers, Allen said. "Mouse and human lungs are functionally similar, but anatomically different in a variety of subtle ways," Allen added. "While the studies done in this paper are commonly utilized to model airway disorders in people, more direct clinical data are necessary to fully understand the human impact of exposure to these nanoparticles." The titanium suboxide nanoparticles -- called Magneli phases by researchers -- were once thought rare, found on Earth in some meteorites, from a small area of certain rocks in western Greenland, and occasionally in moon rocks. However, Hochella, working with other researchers in 2017, found that these nanoparticles are in fact widespread globally from the burning of coal. According to the earlier study, published in Nature Communications, nearly all coal contains small amounts of the minerals rutile or anatase, both "normal," naturally occurring, and relatively inert titanium oxides. But when burnt, these minerals convert to titanium suboxide. The nanoparticles then become airborne if the power plant is not equipped with high-tech particle traps, such as those in the United States. For countries without strict regulations, the nanoparticles can float away in air currents locally, regionally, and even globally, Hochella said. (He added that the United States first started using electrostatic precipitators on coal stacks in the 1920s.) Early biotoxicity studies by Hochella's group with zebra fish embryos showed signs of negative biological impact from the nanoparticles, suggesting potential harm to humans. Now, with this study, the odds of toxicity to humans are much greater. "The problem with these nanoparticles is that there is no easy or practical way to prevent their formation during coal burning," said Hochella, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geosciences with the Virginia Tech College of Science, upon the earlier study's release two years ago. Hochella and his team came across the titanium suboxide nanoparticles quite by accident while studying the downstream movement of a 2014 coal ash spill in the Dan River of North Carolina. The group later produced the same titanium suboxide nanoparticles when burning coal in lab simulations. This potential health hazard builds on established findings from the World Health Organization: More than 3.3 million premature deaths occurring worldwide per year due to polluted air, and in China alone, 1.6 million premature deaths are estimated annually due to cardiovascular and respiratory injury from air pollution. This raises multiple questions: Are the nanoparticles absorbed through the body by other means, such as contact with eyes or skin? Can they find their way into vegetation - including food - though soil? If so, what are the implications on the gastrointestinal tract? Are they present in drinking water? If a mouse experiences long-term damage at six weeks, what does that pose for humans who breathe the air? Allen urges that testing move to human-focused studies. "We've identified a unique pollutant in the environment, and we've shown there's a potential health concern for humans, so that gives us a biomarker that we can monitor more closely," he said. "We should begin looking at these particulates more closely as we become more aware of the hazards these nanoparticles pose. These are questions that need to be asked." That path, while obvious, may not be so simple, ethically or politically. Scientists can't expose human test subjects to coal smog or ash and the toxic nanoparticles. Therefore, a likely scenario: scientists could study these particles in human lung tissue from lung biopsies and clinical specimens. However, many clinicians have been reluctant to take part in this effort in many of the countries at the most risk. Allen said one reason may be the sensitivity that these countries hold toward air-quality issues. ### Additional research team members include faculty and graduate students from Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS); the translational biology, medicine, and health graduate program; the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering; and the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Funding for the study came from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, ICTAS, the Virginia Tech National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology Infrastructure, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and several U.S. agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institutes of Health. Volkswagen India has plans to launch heavily localized products in 2021. But before that, they will continue launching cars from their global portfolio. After a prolonged period of inactivity, Volkswagen India is finally set to introduce an all-new model in the coming months. Bookings for the VW T-ROC compact crossover have commenced, suggesting that the vehicle will hit the showrooms across the country sooner than later. An April 2020 launch seems likely. The T-ROC made its international debut in 2017 with Europe as its primary market. With premium crossover segment heating up in India, the German automaker has finally decided to give it a shot. With a length of 4.23 meter and a wheelbase of 2.59 meter, the VW T-ROC lands squarely in the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos territory. With an understated yet elegant styling and a proven MQB platform, the T-ROC brings to the table a potent package that is hard to ignore. VW India will pack its compact crossover up to the brim with premium features, indicating that the positioning will be slightly above that of Seltos which itself caters to the premium end of the segment. VW has confirmed that the India-bound T-ROC SUV will be equipped with LED headlamps (complete with DRL), 6 airbags, Vienna leather upholstery, alloy wheels, ABS, ESC, ASR (Anti-Skid Regulation), Electronic differential lock, TPMS, reverse parking camera, sunroof, touchscreen infotainment system with App Connect, automatic climate control, keyless entry and so on. Going by the elaborate equipment list, it looks like T-ROC will aim to cover the Kia Seltos as well as the more upmarket Jeep Compass. As of now, only one powertrain option will be available in India. The 1.5-liter TSI turbocharged petrol engine will be mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. The manual gearbox is not likely to be offered, at least not initially. The motor is rated at 150 hp and 250 Nm of torque, and is capable of propelling the crossover from rest to on in just 8.4 seconds before hitting a top-speed of 205 kmph. It looks like the VW T-ROC will be imported into India in the form of CKD kits as the automaker is still in the early stages of localizing the MQB platform in the country. This would mean, the pricing may not be as competitive as its intended rivals which are being manufactured locally. That said, with an attractive design, powerful engine and top-of-the-line equipment, the T-ROC would still emerge as a product to watch out for in this burgeoning segment. The incident occurred about 9:45 a.m. at an Exxon station at Third and Kennedy streets in the Brightwood Park neighborhood. A police spokesman said a woman had stopped there to pump gas. He said the woman briefly walked away from the vehicle, and the men got inside. The venom from a cute but endangered primate has given Queensland researchers an unexpected insight into why so many people are allergic to cats. A research team from University of Queenslands Venom Evolution Lab led by Professor Bryan Fry has been studying slow lorises in Indonesia. The big-eyed, furry creatures are the only primate to produce venom, something which Dr Fry and his team wanted to study more closely. Research has found the venom released by the slow loris is very similar to proteins in cat saliva. Credit:Shutterstock Despite being well known [among scientists] to be venomous, the lorises have been remarkably unstudied, he said. In view of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak in China, the government on Wednesday issued an updated travel advisory saying the existing visas (including e-visa already issued) are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China. In the travel advisory, the Health Ministry again asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. The coronavirus outbreak had claimed 491 lives in China till Tuesday, while the total number of those affected by the deadly virus stood at 24,324, according to Chinese health officials. On February 2, India temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Wednesday's advisory said anyone with travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "Intending visitors may contact Embassy in Beijing (visa.beijing@mea.gov.in) or the Consulates in Shanghai (Ccons.shanghai@mea.gov.in) and Guangzhou (Visa.guangzhou@mea.gov.in) to apply afresh for an Indian visa. "The Indian Embassy in China continues to remain contactable 24x7 on two hotline numbers +8618610952903 & +8618612083629 and the dedicated email - helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in. Indian nationals in need of any assistance may get in touch with the Embassy on these hotlines and email," the advisory said. For any queries related to nCoV, people can call on the 24x7 helpline number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com, it said. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Secretary held a high-level meeting to review the actions taken for the management of nCoV and preparedness of states. The meeting was attended by secretaries of Health, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Pharma, Dept of Health Research, Member Secretary of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and other officials from Home, Commerce, Defence ministries and Army. Health Ministry officials said a total of 741 samples were screened for nCoV, out of which 738 tested negative and three were found positive. Besides, testing of 342 samples is under process, they said, adding that 5,123 people across the country are under home surveillance. All three confirmed cases of nCoV in India have been reported from Kerala, where nearly 2,000 people are under observation in hospitals and homes. The three persons, all natives of Kerala and medical students of Wuhan University, had recently returned to India. On Tuesday, five people with suspected symptoms of nCoV were admitted to the isolation ward of RML Hospital here, sources said. Currently, there are 12 patients who have been admitted to the hospital with nCoV-like symptoms and their test reports are awaited, the hospital sources said. On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Group of Ministers (GoM) has been formed to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness to contain the deadly nCoV infection in the country. The GoM had held its first meeting on Monday. The Health Ministry has said that various precautionary measures have been undertaken in close coordination with the ministries concerned at the central level. Five people of the 248 who were shifted to the Army's Base hospital after they showed symptoms of cough and cold have tested negative for coronavirus. Also, five out of the 406 people evacuated from nCoV-affected Wuhan, who are admitted at the Safdarjung Hospital, have tested negative. As many as 401 people have been quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility in Delhi's Chhawla area since last week after they were brought in two batches from Wuhan onboard separate Air India flights. All those admitted to quarantine centres of the Army and the ITBP in and around the national capital are medically examined on a daily basis, though none of them has tested positive for coronavirus, health ministry officials said. As part of India's preparedness, passengers arriving from Thailand and Singapore, besides China and Hong Kong, are being screened for possible exposure to nCoV at all the 21 airports. Screening is also being conducted at international seaports and border crossings. So far, coronavirus has spread to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia, Finland, Spain, UAE and Sweden. Gov. Kristi Noem drafts bill limiting 'action civics' This legislation prohibits colleges and schools from directing, requiring or compelling students to protest or lobby as part of a grade or a class. Nineteen-year-old Colin Garrett and 26-year-old Sam Hunt, NASCAR's youngest team, decided to do things a little bit differently by heading into the expensive venture with a nonprofit car. They did it by crowdfunding every dime, to the tune of more than $200,000. They didn't use a Kickstarter or GoFundMe page to raise the money. Instead, they started an online effort called "Our American Dream Team," proposing to shun corporate sponsorship and instead feature veteran- and military spouse-owned businesses on their number 26 Toyota Supra. Amazingly, they didn't just raise enough money to race in the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 on Feb. 15. They also had enough left over to pay for a veteran's stem cell treatment, a two-shot procedure that rebuilds damaged parts of the body. Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series -- or any NASCAR race -- is an expensive venture, according to staff with Hendrick Motorsports. Each tire can cost up to $450. When a team needs 16 tires per race, that adds up fast. And costs don't end there. The special engine needed can cost upward of $45,000. The body of the car is also a unique item, with no comfort features, no tail lights and missing other features we're used to seeing on a vehicle. These cars can run a team about $70,000. And all this is before anyone gets paid. That's why most teams are loaded with corporate sponsors. Garrett, the driver, and Hunt, the owner, decided to try something different. Along with nonprofit partners Racing For Heroes, The Rosie Network and the Veteran Business Project, the team is tackling veterans' issues in its own way. Racing For Heroes' core mission is combating suicide, especially among active-duty troops, by providing resources for physical and mental wellness, motorsports and employment opportunites. The joint NASCAR effort is dedicated to promoting those services. Racing For Heroes takes what founder and former special operations warrant officer Mike Evock calls an "unconventional approach" to PTSD and TBI treatment. "We have stem-cell therapy, hyperbaric chambers, IR light therapy and vitamin programs for traumatic brain injury," he said in a video celebrating the crowdfunding milestone. "We've made a huge effort to do this for the first time ever. It's big." The racing duo paid for the veteran's stem-cell treatment through the group. The crowdfunding campaign was created by The Rosie Network, a nonprofit founded by military spouse Stephanie Brown. The Rosie Network works to train veteran entrepreneurs and military spouses to build and develop their own businesses for free. Vet-owned businesses that wanted to help sponsor Garrett and Hunt were able to donate as little as $10 to the effort. Anyone who donated got a special badge to market their business as a "Veteran Business Advocate of Our American Dream Team." Everyone involved in the effort has a personal stake in supporting military members, veterans and their families. Garrett, the team's driver, has two brothers in the Army. One of them is currently stationed in South Korea. (Colin Garrett) "Since both of my brothers are active duty, the people we're helping are just like them. Being able to help pay for a veteran's stem cell treatment is an honor," he said. "When I first started racing, my Dad said he wanted me to find a way to make it mean more than racing. Just five years later, now I know what he meant and it's really cool... I'm thankful for that opportunity." -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. This story was updated on Feb. 4 to reflect the correct team affiliation. Want to Know More About Post-Military Careers? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Dorsey Rd., 1400 block, 5 p.m. Jan. 24. A 25-year-old man argued with another male over where the male parked his vehicle. The man became agitated, grabbed the males phone and threw it to the ground, causing damage, then threatened the male with a folding knife. The male escaped and called for help. The 25-year-old Baltimore man was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault, and malicious destruction of property. The City Council and School Committee review the status of this year's budget and projections for next year. Pittsfield Officials See Budget Overview Finance Director Matthew Kerwood provides a snapshot of the city's finances on Tuesday. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The City Council and School Committee were given a snapshot of the status of this year's budget on Tuesday and a glimpse at the fiscal 2021 budget. "I am going to give a quick snapshot overview of where we are in fiscal year 2020 then move into a conversation about the financial forecast on the revenue side for fiscal year 2021," Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood said. Kerwoood outlined the budget process that will kick off in May and went over some metrics that will inform the fiscal 2021 budget. He said the governor has put forth a 2.9 million increase in Chapter 70 school funding and that the city is estimating a total of $169,745,984 in estimated revenues. This is an increase of $4,111,874 over this year and breaks down to $61,869,547 in state aid, $12,545,725 in local receipts, $750,000 from free cash, other amounts adding up to $621,217, and a tax levy of $93,959,495. Kerwood said a more conservative 2 percent increase in total valuation is being used for this tax levy. He said although valuations are growing, to the tune of 2.9 percent over fiscal 2019, the city will still be hindered by its levy ceiling for the foreseeable future. "We have seen steady growth over the last four years but it does not get us out from under the levy ceiling," he said. "I would like to say that it does but I don't see us coming out from under the levy ceiling in the near future." He said currently the total valuation is $3,684,686,062 The council did ask about the $750,000 in free cash Kerwood plans to use in the budget, which he said he still wants to use sparingly to allow the city to divert more free cash into the stabilization account. He said he would rather see two or three more years of solid growth in stabilization before tapping more free cash. Councilor at Large Earl Persip III agreed. "I am on the same side as you are ... it is still not where I think we should be," he said. "I think we should be higher, god forbid a doomsday situation ... Things are good now and this is the time to save." Kerwood went over some of the budgetary items the city has to grapple with including the more than 2,000 employees and health insurance costs. He said although he expects insurance increases to be closer to 3.7 percent, he is building the budget with a more conservative 5 percent. He said the city also must consider pension obligations, collective bargaining with union groups, debt payment, as well as typical operational costs All departmental budgets should be in by Feb 15 and a five-year capital improvement plan will be submitted to the council in April. Mayor Linda Tyer will transmit her budget to the city May 12. From there, the council will hold budget hearings that should conclude in the passing of a budget in June. As for fiscal 2020, Kerwood gave a second quarter update and said the city has expended $83,914,840.07 of its $170.6 million budget as of the end of December. He said this is $707,786.60 more than last fiscal year. On the revenue side, he said the city has collected $76,306,526.67. This is $1,359,419.06 more than last year. The fiscal 2020 total project revenue is $158,953,452.60. On the school side, $76,306,526.67 of the $158,953,452.60 budget has been spent, which is $1,359,419.06 more than what it was this time last year. Auditor Thomas Scanlon said the city's finances are in a good place. He said there were no difficulties performing the audit or disagreements with management. He said the city's financial reporting is also solid and the city has good controls over key and significant accounts. "So the audit began in November and we had no difficulties performing the audit," he said. "We had access to all accounts, anything we asked for we had access too." He said the city's stabilization and free cash in total is around $10.1 million. This is about 6.7 percent of the city's budget and although he recommends that this amount be between 6 and 10 percent of the total budget, the city is heading in the right direction. Scanlon was happy that the city decided to deposit 50 percent of its marijuana revenue into stabilization. "You have a plan in place with your stabilization fund especially with the marijuana revenue," he said. "You are starting to creep up to that 7 or 8 percent." He said the higher this percentage, the better position the city will be in to use free cash to reduce the tax rate if need be. Thomas Scanlon of Scanlon & Associates, the city's auditor, tells the council that the city's financial reporting is solid. Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi referred to the controversial vote last year to use $1.75 million in free cash to reduce the tax rate and asked Scanlon if other communities do the same. Scanlon said many communities tap free cash and that although the city is in a good place with free cash and stabilization, he will always advocate for communities to budget more conservatively. "It is common across the commonwealth," he said. "I am an auditor so I am conservative ... I am just trying to steer you in the right direction." He added that other communities use more free cash and some when they probably should not. Some more highlights: Scanlon said the city's tax collection rate is 97 percent, certified free cash has increased by $765,000 and the city is working toward funding its pension and OPEB obligations. Persip asked if Scanlon thought the city should undergo a more detailed audit but he said a forensic audit really is not the right application. "I am not sure what a more detailed audit is," he said. "If you are referring to a forensic audit that is probably the most overused term in accounting today. From a technical standpoint, there is no such thing." Scanlon said a forensic audit would take a closer look at very specific areas and focus more on details. He said the audit the city underwent and a forensic audit have different objectives. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang (pictured) was racially abused at work The coronavirus outbreak is fueling racism against Asian-Australians, according to doctors. The deadly disease reached Australia last month and has since infected 13 people in the country. Doctors testing patients for the virus say they have witnessed racism against Australians of Asian heritage because it originated in Wuhan, China where it has killed around 500 people. They say people have come to hospital with concerns they will catch the virus after having a Chinese takeaway or sitting next to an Asian person on the bus. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang posted a tweet last week saying she was racially abused by a patient. She wrote: 'Today a patient made jokes about not shaking my hand because of coronavirus. In front of my team. 'I have not left Australia. This is not sensible public health precautions. This is racism.' Responding to her tweet, other doctors shared their experiences of racism. Adelaide head and neck surgeon Guy Rees wrote: 'Patients [are] asking if they could get 'corona' by seeing a Chinese person or having a Chinese takeaway.' Hundreds of people rushed to support Dr Rhea. 'I am horrified by your experience,' wrote one. 'Oh Rhea I'm so sorry,' said another. Dr Rhea, who grew up in Auckland before moving to the Gold Coast, told Daily Mail Australia she was 'surprised and gratified by the largely supportive response'. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang posted a tweet (above) last week saying she was racially abused by a patient Dr Simon Judkins, of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, said he too has witnessed racism against Chinese Australians. 'We've seen people turn up saying they are worried they may have coronavirus because they sat on a bus next to someone of Asia appearance,' he told ABC program The World Today. 'We've having reports of staff being asked by patients whether they've been home lately even though they were born and raised in Australia.' Dr Lai Heng Foong, an emergency doctor in Sydney, said one mother feared her child may catch the disease simply because he goes to school with Asian children. He told the program: 'The mother brought in her child who was about six. She said "my child goes to school with a lot of Asian people I just want to check to make sure that he doesn't have coronavirus".' 'He didn't even have any cough or fever, just happened to be [on his] first day back at school'. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam (pictured) have refused to accept Chinese customers French Asians are using a hashtag 'I am not a virus' in an effort to counter racist abuse It is not only doctors who have reported witnessing racism. Sydney resident Angela Prendergast told Guardian Australia she saw a young Asian mother with a baby in a pram being abused on a train by a middle-aged white woman who told her to stand in the corner of the carriage. She said: 'I heard her yelling "You need to cough over there. You need to stop coughing. That's how viruses get spread".' Chin Tan, Race Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, said the Chinese community is 'really suffering' from racism due to the coronavirus. 'The Chinese community is really suffering because of victimisation and conduct that seems to profile the Chinese community. It's not fair and it's not helpful,' he told The World Today. Chinese citizens have faced a racist backlash across the world following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have refused to accept Chinese customers. Indonesians marched near a hotel and called on Chinese guests there to leave. Chinese and other Asians in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific complained of racism. French Asians have taken to social media to vent their anger, with the hashtag 'JeNeSuisPasUnVirus' ('IAmNotAVirus') trending last week. Passengers wear protective face masks as they arrive in Hong Kong after getting the train from Shenzhen For Ibrahim Baycora, Patersons newest police chief, his professional life has been a series of coin tosses. It was a coin-toss decision in 1983 that led him to a three-year stint as a supervisor at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia. A coin-toss decision that brought him back to New Jersey to work at the DEP. And 32 years ago, it was a coin toss decision that led him to accept an offer to join the city police department. On Tuesday, in a ceremony at City Hall, Baycora, 60, was sworn in as the citys first Muslim police chief by Andre Sayegh, the citys first Arab-American mayor, making history and starting a new chapter for a a department beset by corruption and fighting rampant gun crime for years. But to Baycora, whose family immigrated to Paterson from Turkey when he was an infant, his background serves him better than his creed in one of the states most diverse cities. I dont think my religion makes the difference, said Baycora on Wednesday morning. But my background does, being a first generation immigrant. People often tend to relax and they feel like theyll be treated fairly. Especially if they feel like theyre from a marginalized group." Sayegh believes that Baycora may also be the first Turkish-American police chief of any city in the country. Mayor Andre Sayegh (left) shakes hands with newly-appointed Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim "Mike" Baycora. Baycora is the city's first Muslim police chief. Baycora is the citys 17th police chief and takes over the departments reins at a time when eight Paterson police officers have been arrested by the FBI on charges that include shaking down motorists for money. He succeeds Troy Oswald as the city police chief. Oswald retired effective the first day of February. Baycora will earn a salary of $218,000, said Sayegh. During a tenuous period for the police department, appointing Baycora was common sense, said Sayegh, and would hopefully lend a sense of security and incorruptibility. It was my decision and it was based on his integrity, said Sayegh. His intelligence. His stellar reputation. His unassailable integrity. When Baycora was an infant, his family immigrated from Eskisehir, Turkey, settling down in Paterson, he said. He went through the citys public school system and graduated from Eastside High School. After going through one year at Boston University, Baycora transferred to Rutgers University, where he graduated with a bachelors degree in business and chemical engineering, he said. It was a run-in with Paterson Police that would ultimately steer Baycora away from fledgling careers and into the same police department hed end up leading years later. After he was involved in a fight, Baycora was irked by the way he was treated by police officers. I was the type of guy that never had run-ins with the police, said Baycora. I never hung around the streets. I maintained good grades. I went to school." Rather than letting the experience turn him away from law enforcement, Baycora used it to drive his pursuit to join the departments ranks. I didnt think they treated me well and that sparked my interest, he said. I said Let me become a police officer. After passing the test, Baycora got a call from then-Mayor Frank X. Graves Jr., who asked him if hed take the job, he said. After Baycora asked for more time to make his decision, Graves told him he had to choose right then and there. Once again, Baycora made a coin-toss decision and accepted. More than 30 years later, Baycora hopes to correct the course of the police department by using technology and holding the departments supervisors accountable, he said. Last month, the city announced 150 police officers would be receiving body cameras. Recently, high-ranking officers attended a training on comparative statistics, which can be used to compare law enforcement statistics based on sectors in a police department, said Sayegh. More staff has been added to the departments internal affairs division, said Baycora. And at roll call, Baycora plans to continue reiterating what he expects from his department and what will not be tolerated. I know that Mike is a thinker, said Jerry Speziale, the citys public safety director. A guy that has ideas and who values others opinions. He has broad experience and is an extremely intelligent individual. Well all work together to make a safer Paterson. The job for Baycora is one he said hes trained for by living in the city. At his swearing-in ceremony, Baycora was surprised by the turnout. He expected scores of empty chairs in City Hall. It was packed. He supposed it was because he had a good reputation with the friends hed made in the city he was raised in. Im not Joan of Arc or anything, Baycora joked. Id like to think of myself as a decent person. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Fielden (Pictured at Luton Crown Court) spied on a 15-year-old girl while she was in the shower One of Britain's most senior NHS doctors has been struck off after secretly spying on a 15-year-old girl through a hole as she took a shower. Dr Jonathan Fielden, 56, was arrested by police after he spied on a teenager through a hole in a ceiling. Last year the Medical Director of University College London Hospitals whose previous 224,999 salary once made him one of the highest paid doctors in the UK avoided jail after blaming work 'pressures' for his behaviour. The anaesthetics and intensive care consultant was referred to the General Medical Council for investigation about his future career. Today it emerged that the father of four had been erased from the medical register last month after a disciplinary panel rejected his pleas to be let off with a temporary suspension. In an unusual move the entire three day hearing was held behind closed doors last month after lawyers cited humans rights privacy laws to bar the press and public from attending for fear it would lead to the victim's identity being made public. Instead heavily redacted documents were published about the crimes of the disgraced medic who had been due to take a new role as National Director of Specialised Commissioning and Deputy National Medical Director of NHS England. The victim was referred to throughout the hearing as Person A. The incident occurred in 2016 after Fielden crept into an attic area above the shower room and watched the teenager through a hole next to a light fitting at a private address in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. Last year the Medical Director of University College London Hospitals (pictured) whose previous 224,999 salary once made him one of the highest paid doctors in the UK avoided jail after blaming work 'pressures' He was able to look down on a dislodged ventilation pipe for around '15 to 20 seconds' before the girl realised she was being watched. The girl was so traumatised she could not bring herself to take showers and eventually told a school counsellor about the incident. Fielden was later arrested in December 2016 and resigned from NHS England. His mobile phone was examined and it was found it had been used to trawl websites featuring underage girls and child sex abuse images. At Luton Crown Court in June 2019, Fielden, of Biddenham near Bedford, admitted voyeurism and was sentenced to five months imprisonment suspended for a year and was ordered to complete 150 hours' unpaid work. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for seven years. He divorced from his wife last year. Fielden (pictured) spied on a 15-year-old girl while she was taking a shower after creeping into the attic and looking through a hole in the ceiling At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, in Manchester Simon Bond, chairman of a fitness to practise panel said: 'The Tribunal accepted that Dr Fielden was under considerable pressure at work at the time of the incident. However it noted that in his evidence he asserted he was working within his limitations at that time. 'Dr Fielden described the event as a matter of 'poor' or 'very poor judgement'. Whilst the Tribunal concluded that he had a reasonable level of insight into the impact of the conviction on himself and career, his insight into the wider impact of the events was limited. 'It noted his expressions of shame, remorse and acknowledgment of the grave consequences for Person A - however the Tribunal considered that Dr Fielden had not fully addressed or reflected upon impact of the offence on Person A. 'His description of his offence as being one of 'poor judgement' displayed a lack of insight as to the gravity of the offence and sought to minimise its impact. 'In cross-examination Dr Fielden was asked on two occasions if he classified his offence as a matter of poor judgement to which he replied 'it's clearly not something I should have done '. 'Dr Fielden failed to demonstrate that he fully acknowledged the burden on Person A of the offence. Further he lacked insight as regard to the impact of the offence on the NHS, the profession as a whole and his colleagues. 'He held a very senior position in NHS England and was expected to provide leadership and direction. Whilst Dr Fielden acknowledged the impact of the loss of his career upon himself the Tribunal considered that he had failed to demonstrate sufficient insight into the impact upon his profession as a whole and those for whom he had responsibility.' Earlier Fielden produced a number of character references to support his case from a string of medical colleagues including senior figures from the Royal College of Nursing and the London School of Medicine. His lawyer Alexandra Felix told the MPTS: 'The incident that resulted in Dr Fielden's conviction was isolated and momentary incident. 'It could not be said that the pipe through which he looked at Person A had been deliberately dislodged. He looked through the hole in the pipe momentarily and witnessed Person A and he did not avert his eyes quickly enough. He accepts the only explanation for continuing to look through the pipe at Person A was for sexual gratification.' Miss Felix said Fielden posed a 'low risk' of reoffending and added: 'The event took place over a matter of a few seconds and not 15 to 20 seconds as originally stated. It was an opportunistic event without any element of pre-planning and the significant work pressures faced by Dr Fielden at the time of the incident may have contributed to his behaviour. 'He has demonstrated insight and acknowledged the impact of his actions and expressed remorse for them. An informed member of the public who had heard all of the facts and the surrounding circumstances would conclude that suspension was an appropriate sanction. Dr Fielden is able to provide considerable future service to society and the medical profession.' Fielden had been privately-educated at Bedford School before going to Bristol University. He had been Chairman between 2006 and 2009 of the Central Consultants and Specialists Committee of the British Medical Association. He led the Care Quality Commission team which inspected Hinchingbrooke Hospital in 2014 and was appointed director of specialised commissioning at NHS England in October 2015. He was hailed by the Health Service Journal to be the 49th most influential person in the English NHS in 2015. At his crown court trial Judge Richard Foster told him: 'It's tragic to see you, a man of such brilliance in your career - a hardworking man at the pinnacle of your career, responsible for a substantial part of the NHS budget - to fall from grace in the way you have because of what you stupidly did.' Predictably, there were deep partisan divisions over who was behaving poorly to whom. Democrats were focused on Mr. Trumps handshake snub, which Ms. Pelosi later spotlighted on Twitter, along with a photograph of the president turning his back. Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople, she wrote, using the partys campaign slogan. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU During the address, as Mr. Trump read from the teleprompter, Ms. Pelosi, dressed in white the color of the suffragists, worn by many of the Democratic women in the chamber could be seen behind him, paging through his speech. Practiced at maintaining a stone face (she served as House speaker alongside another Republican president, George W. Bush), she kept her lips pursed and her eyes down, mostly remaining seated as Republicans rose to give Mr. Trump one standing ovation after another. But when Mr. Trump made mention of the First Step Act, the bipartisan legislation that overhauled criminal justice reforms, Ms. Pelosi clapped and rose to her feet. The relationship between Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Trump has long been one of the most closely watched in Washington and it began going downhill even before Ms. Pelosi became House speaker. Mr. Trump tried to undercut her during an Oval Office meeting shortly after Democrats swept to the majority in 2018. Ms. Pelosi would have none of it. Mr. President, she shot back, please dont characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory. When the meeting was over, images of Ms. Pelosi leaving the White House in a swingy red coat quickly went viral. From there, their interactions seemed defined by a series of memes and public spats. Ms. Pelosi called off last years State of the Union address because of the government shutdown, enraging Mr. Trump and prompting him to cancel a flight she had scheduled overseas. When his speech was rescheduled, Ms. Pelosi was captured smirking and clapping at the president. When they met in October, a White House photographer snapped an image of the speaker standing up and wagging her finger at the seated president while she lectured him. In an era of seismic political and economic change, he rose to the worlds most visible seat of power. He roused the passions of those who felt ignored by political elites. He claimed to be the unwavering defender of religious faith, called for war on liberalism and secularism, boasted of his infallibility and battered the other branches of government. A political novice at first, he transformed his office, sparking the reverence of supporters and revulsion of critics. If this description sounds eerily familiar, it should. Opponents of Donald Trump might apply it to an American president they believe would be king. In the middle of the 19th Century, as biographer David Kertzer argues, it described a pope who would be king: Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti, better known as Pope Pius IX. Times and temperaments differ, but there are parallels in the rules of Pio Nono and Donald Trump. These similarities warrant reflection during a year when one of the most defining doctrines of contemporary Catholicism turns 150 years old. In 1870, the First Vatican Council came to an end. It utterly reshaped the power of the papacy. Convened in late 1869 by Pius, the council assembled nearly 800 cardinals and bishops under the vast dome of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. Piuss motivations were not a mystery. Shaken by the tremors of social and political unrest across Europe, the pope moved to galvanize the forces of reaction. In 1864, he had already posted his manifesto in his famous Syllabus of Errors. Posing as the heroic foe to the godless ideologies spawned by modernity, Pius denounced individualism and socialism, free speech and free thought. As the last of the 80 errors made clear, the enemy was greater than the sum of these ills and ideologies: Pius was opposed to modern civilization itself. In order to win his war of the past against the present, Pius created what we might call the imperial papacy. If faith was to overcome the forces of revolution, the pope had to force the church to revolutionize his office. Pius pressed his prelates to proclaim the dogma of papal infallibility. While much ink has been spilled on the implications of this doctrine, its intent is clear: It affirms that the pope, when he speaks on matters of faith and morals, cannot be wrong. As this pope made clear, he would not be deterred from his goal of becoming infallible. Though the institution constituted by the cardinals, the Sacred College, was as unpopular then as the U.S. Congress is now, it represented a brake on the popes power. For this reason, he bullied and abused recalcitrant cardinals by turns, labeling one evil, another a madman, and yet a third an incorrigible, schismatic snake. Terrified of running afoul of Pius, the cardinals backed the doctrine and broke their institution. In the lead-up to his impeachment trial, U.S. President Donald Trump, who excels at terrifying his own followers, has also shown himself equal to Piuss claims of power. Last July, he declared that Article II of the Constitution gave him the right to do whatever I want as president. During the impeachment trial, his lawyers have made similar claims. Most notably, Alan Dershowitz asserted that if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Dershowitz has since scrambled to explain his remark, but it perfectly distills the ethos of the president and his enablers. Pius failed to stem the tide of change. When he died eight years later, the anti-clerical government of a unified Italy had made Rome its capital, confining Pius to the hundred acres of the Vatican. Yet the juridical powers he had assumed remained in force, frightening not just other European states, but even many devout Catholics. Among them was the English Catholic politician and historian Lord John Acton. Sitting in the spectators gallery to the First Council, Acton was filled with horror at Piuss pretensions. Several years later, Acton he explained his reaction to a fellow historian, writing that he could never accept that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Acton then coined the line for which we remember him: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Often omitted, though, are Actons concluding words: There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. As the Senate prepares to vote on the presidents fate, we should recall these lines as well as the corollary: The holder of the office can just as easily desecrate it. Advertisement Ivanka Trump has been mocked for a State of the Union promotional video that Twitter users described as 'nightmarish' and 'unsettling' Tuesday night before she stepped out wearing a $2,240 black dress from Givenchy to contrast the Democratic women's Suffragette white for In the first daughter's 24-second message shared to social media she tells viewers that the country is thriving, adding that lots has been accomplished over the past three years, but many compared the clip - recorded with a pitch-black background and at times cutting off her lower face - to The Blair Witch Project and The Ring horror movies. 'This remake of the tent scene in Blair Witch is unsettling,' former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub wrote. Jeremy Newberger posted: 'Blair Witch meet Bland Rich.' Ivanka spoke to followers as she took a car to watch her father promote his 'Great American Comeback'. Ivanka Trump (left) joined her husband Jared Kushner (center left), Lara Trump (center right) and Tiffany Trump (right) in the First Lady's box for the 2020 State of the Union Many called the recording 'unsettling', nightmarish', while others said is was 'Bland Rich' as opposed to Blair Witch, or 'Bohemian Nepotism' rather than Bohemian Rhapsody She told viewers that President Donald Trump would lay out a 'bold and exciting vision for the future' as she asked them to tune in at 9pm but Twitter users were clearly distracted. 'There is something genuinely nightmarish about this. As if you heard a noise in your bedroom in the dead of night and crept over to the closet door and opened it AND THIS WAS INSIDE, TALKING AND TALKING AND TALKING,' Michael Marshall Smith wrote. 'Did I just watch The Ring? Am I gonna die in seven days?' Dustin Miller added. For some Ivanka's appearance evoked scenes from 1992 film Candyman. 'Did someone say Ivanka five times slowly?' Steve Marmo posted. In a comparison to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody music video, one tweeter posted: 'Bohemian Nepotism.' Ivanka Trump's State of the Union promo video left people feeling 'scared' and one person called it 'nightmarish' on Tuesday 'Did I just watch The Ring? Am I gonna die in seven days?' Dustin Miller posted about Ivanka's video For some Ivanka's appearance evoked scenes from 1992 film Candyman: 'Did someone say Ivanka five times slowly?' Others called the very dark clip filmed on the way to the State of the Union address 'horrific' and 'unsettling' Due to the dimly-lit video, viewers had to wait until 9pm for Ivanka - who is Senior Adviser to President Trump - to reveal her button-trimmed satin-trimmed wool-crepe midi dress. She paired it with bright red heels to match the dress's Republican red collar as she joined her husband Jared Kushner in the first lady's box situated above the House chamber. This is the second year in a row that the first daughter has worn black in contrast to the 'suffragette white' worn by Democratic Congresswomen. Ivanka (center) wore a $2,240 black dress from Givenchy for the 2020 State of the Union Ivanka Trump paired the Givenchy dress pictured above with red heels and a sleek bob Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (right) greet radio personality Rush Limbaugh (left) at the 2020 State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives before Limbaugh received the Presidential Medal of Honor In 2019, Ivanka also went for a sleek all-black outfit wearing a black skirt-suit with a shiny belt at the waist with black pumps, while in 2018 she went for a short-sleeved, black-and-red plaid dress from Oscar de la Renta. The 2018 ensemble also cost a cool $2,690. While Ivanka's color scheme has remained the same over President Trump's four-year term, she shifted her hairstyle for 2020 to a sleek, straight bob with a middle parting as opposed to the Hollywood curls she wore in 2019. Trump's eldest children Eric and Lara Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos also joined Melania in the first lady's box. Ivanka Trump listened to the State of the Union in the First Lady's box alongside the rest of Trump's eldest children Tony Rankins (pictured center) who lost his job after serving in the U.S. Army is applauded as he stands next to White House senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (right) during U.S. President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union This Oscar de la Renta dress worn by Ivanka Trump in 2018 cost a cool $2,690 and was more pricey than her 2020 dress Ivanka Trump wore a pink dress in 2017 (left) but has worn black the other three years The First Family pictured before President Trump's State of the Union address Eric Trump's wife Lara wore a sold out $259.90 suit from high street store Zara while Melania Trump wore a custom-made black Dolce & Gabana suit. In 2019, the first lady donned a black, military-style coat for the president's speech. Her outfit, first glimpsed when she steps in her box on the upper level of the House chamber, has caused controversy in the past over her choice. In 2018, she stunned in a white suit. But the choice led fashion critics to question if she was paying homage to the suffragettes, for which white has become a symbol for, or, even more, was she mimicking Hillary Clinton, who famously wore pantsuits when she campaigned against Donald Trump. Melania Trump's white was notable that year because Democratic female members of Congress were wearing black in solidarity with the #metoo movement. This year - as they did last year - those lawmakers are wearing white in a nod to the suffragettes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) led the way for Democratic congresswomen in white Democratic Congresswomen wore 'suffragette white' to the State of the Union Lara Trump (pictured left with Tiffany Trump) wore a $259.90 pant suit from Zara The Zara pantsuit worn by Lara Trump to the State of the Union is already sold out Nancy Pelosi led the way for Democratic Congresswomen wearing a 'suffragette white' suit with a gold brooch. The House Speaker was snubbed by Trump as she reached to shake his hand when he approached her just before starting the address. Pelosi continued to rip up the President's speech once he had finished. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib., D-Mich. were among the congresswomen who wore white but incorporated more color with traditional elements of dress. Lara Trump was the only female member of the first family to wear a pantsuit, pairing the double-breasted camel toned suit with brown heels. The look was far removed from the long graphic-pattern dress she wore in 2019. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib., D-Mich., standing right, along with Rep. Pramila Jayapal, center, arrive before President Trump delivers his State of the Union address Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered the Democratic response in a black dress Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and former Fox host Kimberly Guilfoyle wore a bright red dress, while first daughter Tiffany Trump donned a lilac two-piece. Tiffany matched lilac and white shoes with the pastel combo which was cinched at the waist with a belt. The Democratic response to his State of the Union was this year delivered by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer who wore a black dress and an American flag pin. "I will definitely go to Delhi when I need to", Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said when asked why he has not visited the capital after taking over the reins of Maharashtra in November last year. "There is no such compulsion. I don't have any anger or ill will. I will definitely go to Delhi when I need to," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana. Shiv Sena chief made this statement while replying to a question about him not visiting the capital to pay a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister and the President, after being sworn-in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. When asked if he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi among others, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said: "Why not? I will definitely meet Modi, Sonia, Advani and other people." On December 6, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune while receiving him at the airport. The Prime Minister had come to Pune to attend the conference of Director Generals and Inspector of Police on December 7 and 8. It was the first meeting between them after Thackeray's ascension to the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Thackeray became the chief minister after Shiv Sena broke ties with its long-term ally BJP to join hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This years remembrance of Germanys eternal responsibility By Marita Sparrer-Dolidze James Angelos interviewees in his May 2019 New York Times article were Jewish family members living in Germany. The interview he conducted was then published and was a true story, telling how new forms of old hatreds are stocking new fear among some 200,000 Jews living in Germany. Why do Jews not choose Germany as their country of destination while the modern German political agenda is pushing for as much political correctness as possible, remains a topic of heated discussions. Can one be a Jew and feel safe in, what many claim to be, a very tolerant country? Angelos interviewee says: The moment you say it, things will become very awkward.Nevertheless, many high-level political figures showed up on 27 January, International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem. Among others, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke at a Jerusalem memorial event, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Steinmeier, together with some 40 world leaders, including President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, pledged to combat anti-Semitism. I stand here laden with the heavy, historical burden of guilt, Steinmeier said. My heart is filled with gratitude for the hands of the survivors stretched out to us. Germanys responsibility does not expire. We want to live up to our responsibility. By this, dear friends, you should measure us. In their coverage of the event, German Tagesspiegel noticed that the name of the anti-system party AfD did not come up once in Steinmeier's speech and assumed that the principle of neutrality must have forbidden it for the Federal President. Yet, he did openly speak about Germans not having learned from history once and for all and admitted that hatred is further spreading. The most recent example was last October when a gunman who denounced Jews killed two people outside a German synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year while live-streaming his attack online. After the attack, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced that according to the federal prosecutor, there were sufficient indicators to assume the attacker was a right-wing extremist. A meaningful gesture of Steinmeier is noteworthy: he chose to address the World Holocaust Forum in English to make sure he did not upset any of the Holocaust survivors in the audience, Steinmeiers office said.The Yad Vashem Forum was not the only big event on this years Remembrance Day: The United Nations(UN) Department of Global Communications organized several events on January 27 to observe the 2020 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. This year the events were held under the theme 75 years after Auschwitz - Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice, that seeks to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere. According to the UNs Note to Correspondents, the main idea behind the events was to reflect the continued importance of collective action against antisemitism and other forms of bias.Controversies arise as we fail to find Germanys name in the main headline as the event was dedicated to remembering 75 years to the day since the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, in operation from 1940 until 1945.Then again, as a way of balancing the idea of remaining non-bias with regard to the matter, the UN ceremony speakers included Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Israel Danny Danon and Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Vasily A. Nebenzia. Among other things, the UN General Assembly resolution 60/7 in 2005 established the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program's multifaced program, together with the annual worldwide observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, encompasses online and print educational resources, exhibitions, a film series, seminars, etc.Bearing in mind the current number of the Jewish population in Germany and the rise of right extremism, politicians together with international organizations and media have a responsibility to always divulge wicked plans of organizations like AfD and educate the population on the recent history, even more so in Germany. Maybe then will people in Germany have a response, not so awkward, when they find out their next-door neighbor is not a vegan Berliner enjoying all-natural clothing but rather a Jew, dressed in a tallit, on their way to a morning service. Historic documents released by the National Archives in London have revealed that the British government was sceptical about Bertie Ahern becoming taoiseach after the 1997 general election. Other files released also show worry among British officials about the 1994 IRA ceasefire, with senior figures concerned that the terrorist group benefited from the ceasefire. The documents, reported in The Irish Times, exposed the concern among senior British officials that the then opposition Fianna Fail leader was responsible for potentially dangerous actions to undermine the Irish governments policy on Northern Ireland. Expand Close John Bruton / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Bruton Then Prime Minister John Major and the governing Fine Gaels John Bruton had enjoyed a warm relationship, with officials at the time hoping that in our interest he should remain in position. The 1997 Irish General Election saw Mr Aherns Fianna Fail gaining seats, before entering into coalition government with the Progressive Democrats. Within the files released on Wednesday was a review penned in 1995 by the British ambassador to Ireland, Veronica Sutherland. In it she wrote that Mr Aherns leadership of Fianna Fail had been weak and added that in her view there is little to fear from the Opposition. Berties Aherns leadership of Fianna Fail has been lacklustre, and his attempts to undermine the Irish governments policy on Northern Ireland potentially dangerous, she added. Elsewhere the a memo from John Majors private secretary Roderic Lyne, details a January 1996 meeting he had with senior military commander Roger Wheeler, in which the commander concluded that the IRA were primed to return to full-scale violence during the period. Expand Close John Major PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Major He added: In some ways, their military effectiveness had benefited from the ceasefire. They had improved their intelligence, targeting and recruiting. The drug murders had kept some of the units in practice and had shown that they were still very effective. Ambassador Sutherlands notes also reveal there was recognition within the political sphere at the time about the declining influence of senior Sinn Fein figures over the IRA. Following the London Docklands bombing in February 1996 the files revealed a discussion between Mr Ahern and the ambassador, in which the man advised he would be doing some tough talking to Gerry Adams. Expand Close Gerry Adams (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gerry Adams (Niall Carson/PA) Ms Sutherland added that Mr Ahern seemed unsure whether this would have any effect adding that in his view, Adams no longer had any influence over the IRA. Despite the cooperation between the two governments leading to the 1997 Good Friday Agreement, the files reveal tensions that existed at the time under the surface between key officials. In general the Irish attitude to us remains ambivalent and volatile. They are suspicious of our motives, and quick to blame us for set-backs, wrote Ms Sutherland. Southcross Energy Dallas pipeline operator Southcross Energy is moving to Houston and is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy focused on the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas. In a Monday statement, Southcross said it is emerging from bankruptcy in a net cash-positive position and a restructured balance sheet that provides financial flexibility. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov will participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of Turkic Council countries, which will be held in Baku on February 6, Trend reports with reference to Uzbekistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Uzbek delegation headed by Kamilov will hold bilateral meetings with representatives of other countries in Baku. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Its goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. Farmers risk losing an "absolute fortune" by paying over the odds for calves this spring, the ICSA has warned. ICSA beef chairman Edmund Graham said there was "no sense" in beef farmers buying calves at current prices unless they have "a contract for a viable price" from the beef factories for 2022. Mr Graham's comments come as mart managers report a very strong trade for older continental and Friesian bull calves. Farmer buyers have paid up to 380 for four- to six-week-old continental bulls. Older Friesian bulls are making from 100/hd to 150/hd depending on quality. However, Mr Graham said farmers could lose heavily on expensive calves bought over the last few weeks, unless factory prices go "well above 4/kg". "Unless you have a contract for a viable price in 2022, then there is no sense in buying calves at current prices," he said. Mr Graham pointed to Teagasc 2019 research which suggested that at a base price of 3.60/kg, the value of a Friesian calf that graded O-3+ was minus 58 if the objective is a profit of 200 for rearing that animal for over two years. "At current beef prices, farmers are buying calves to make absolutely nothing on them," he said. "Any farmer buying calves today needs to work out exactly what it costs to rear them and finish them, and then work out what price is needed to deliver a margin." Mr Graham said farmers who were buying calves without a factory price guarantee were "gambling". However, ICMSA president, Pat McCormack, said that the recent improvement in beef prices should "work it way backwards to calves" and be reflected in a stronger trade in the marts this spring as a consequence. Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced in Parliament a trust to manage the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the state cabinet gave its approval to the proposal for allotment of five-acre land to UP Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque as ordered by the Supreme Court in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case on November 9 last year. Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said five-acre land had been allotted to Sunni Central Waqf Board in Dhannipur village located in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya district. The land is located 18 km away from the district headquarter Faizabad, 200 metre away from the highway and has easy access. Its the best spot for maintaining communal harmony as well as law and order, he said. A spokesperson of the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board said a meeting of the board would be held on February 24 for a decision on the governments offer. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulema-I- Hind, which represented the Muslim litigants in the court, had rejected the offer to allot five-acre land to Muslims for the mosque. Also Watch: PM Modi announces formation of Ram temple trust in Lok Sabha Addressing a press conference after the state cabinet meeting, Sharma said the land had been allotted to the Waqf Board in compliance with the Supreme Court order. The court in its order had given three months time for the allotment of land for the construction of the mosque, he said. The state government had selected three spots near the highways passing Ayodhya for the mosque. All the three alternatives were forwarded to the central government that approved the land located in Dhannipur village on Lucknow-Gorakhpur highway. The land is behind Raunahi police station and well connected with the highway, Sharma said. A state government officer, who did not wish to be named, said the sadhus, saints and the mahants had demanded that the land for the mosque should be allotted outside the panchkosi parikarma -- the 15 km route that devotees take to pay their obeisance to Lord Ramin Ayodhya. Dhannipur is located 18 km from the district headquarter Faizabad. From Ayodhya, its distance is around 25 km, the officer said. Members of the Muslim and Hindu communities will not face any problem during festivities. There is a large chunk of vacant area near the five-acre land that can be used for religious congregation. The tehsil office and police station are also located near the spot, he said. On December 9, the state government had decided to expand the municipal limits of Ayodhya by including 41 villages. The state cabinet in its meeting had given its approval for the inclusion of the villages in Ayodhya municipal limit. A state government officer said extra land was required for the construction of the basic infrastructure facilities in the temple town as the influx of pilgrims and tourists will increase after the construction of the Ram temple. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The sister and brother-in-law of two of the three undertrials, who escaped from the high-security Amritsar central prison on February 1 night, were arrested by police on Wednesday for sheltering the duo in their house after the jailbreak. The police said the couple had also helped the two Gurpreet Singh (34) and his brother Jarnail Singh (25) of Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran district in escaping from the prison. The third escapee is Vishal Kumar of Amritsar who is facing trial for allegedly for raping a minor girl. The two brothers are accused of robbery and snatching. The arrested couple Sukhwinder Singh, alias Kala, and his wife Paramjit Kaur of Vainpuin village in Tarn Taran has disclosed that the three plotted the jailbreak nearly two-and-a-half months ago. The trio had escaped by removing bricks of their barrack and then scaling the inner and outer walls of the complex. Amritsar police commissioner Sukhchain Singh said during investigation it came to the fore that Kala and his wife met Gurpreet and Jarnail in the jail recently. Soon after the jailbreak, our team conducted a raid at Kalas house in Veinpuin, but they had already changed their address. This made us suspicious. Then we discovered that the couple is now been living in Chohla Sahib village. Our teams reached there and it came to light that the escapee brothers took shelter in their house. The two brothers had fled before police reached the spot, the police commissioner said. Another senior police official privy to the probe said, The couple was living at Chohla Sahib on rent. We came to know from the neighbours that two men stayed there on Sunday night. When we questioned Kala and his wife, they confessed to have provided shelter to the accused. Paramjit Kaur told us that she and her husband went to meet her brothers in the jail on November 21. Gurpreet and Jarnail informed her about their planned jailbreak that day. It was at the behest of the undertrial brothers that the couple changed their address to Chohla Sahib so that the police could not trace them, he added. Other family members of the two have also changed their addresses and raids ae being conducted to trace them. After the jailbreak, the two brothers went to Chohla Sahib while the third escapee remained in Amritsar, he said. On Monday, the police had arrested two wardens and a home guards jawan deployed in of the prison in connection with the jailbreak. BEIJING, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 4PX recently stepped up to help with the fight against 2019-nCoV. Since January 25th, CaiNiao, in association with China domestic and overseas logistics companies, officially built two types of donation channels: domestic channels and global channels, to ship emergency protection and rescue materials to Wuhan from all over the world with no charge. As one of the important members of the channel, 4PX is mobilizing and appealing to the overseas Chinese population and institutions to donate and transport the donated materials to China through its global logistics channels. With these logistics, the packages will receive priority clearance and transportation resources. Many domestic and foreign employees of 4PX also voluntarily gave up their time to accompany their family members and devoted themselves to this charity action. Hundreds of employees from branches in Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Belgium initiated various public welfare programs and activities in local areas. These employees tried their best to maximize the efficiency of transporting these urgent materials to China within the shortest amount of time. 4PX's information dissemination and calls to action also received responses from donors and organizations around the world. After learning about the domestic epidemic situation, Spain's Qingtian /Rui'an Association, Valencia Overseas Chinese Trade of Spain, Hubei Association of Australia, Wuhan University Overseas Alumni Association, and many other overseas Chinese organizations and individuals contacted 4PX as soon as possible and offered their support by providing materials. As of February 1st, 4PX has received donated materials from Japan, Australia, United States, Spain, France, and other countries for 1,720,200 surgical masks, 50,400 N95 masks, 2,600 protective clothing, 1,776 medical gloves, and 1,122 goggles. These resources have been shipped to Wuhan Union Hospital, Wuhan University People's Hospital, and other hospitals in Hubei Province. They will also be delivered to hospitals in Fujian, Jiangxi, Gansu, Chongqing and other provinces. At this moment, 4PX has become the bridge of love and a deeper sustenance between the global Chinese population and the country of China. 4PX will continue to build this bridge of love to support both Wuhan and China, remain true to our proficiency in the-border logistics services, help cross-border sellers overcome difficulties, and assist China to overcome this disease. SOURCE 4PX Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Democrats had failed in a push for the former national security adviser to testify in the Senate trial. Democrats in the US House of Representatives are likely to subpoena Donald Trumps former National Security Advisor John Bolton and continue their investigation into the Republican president, the head of the House Judiciary panel said on Wednesday. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, speaking to CNN, said I think its likely, yes that their inquiries would continue and that a subpoena for Bolton was also likely. After a 12-day Senate trial, senators are set to vote on convicting or acquitting the president on the two articles of impeachment passed by the House in December. As a supermajority of 67 votes is needed to remove the president from office, and with Republicans currently holding 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, the presidents acquittal is considered all but certain. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. House investigators, who launched the impeachment inquiry on September 24, allege the president abused his power by withholding congressionally approved military aid and a White House visit from Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign seeking investigations into political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. They then say the president obstructed Congress by blocking requested documents and witness testimony from his administration as the House Intelligence Committee conducted their investigation. The president has dismissed the charges as a hoax. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens. The House investigators had previously sent a request for Bolton to testify during their inquiry but did not subpoena him when he failed to comply, in an attempt to avoid a lengthy legal battle that could delay the impeachment proceedings for months. Bolton, who was forced out in September, later said he would testify if subpoenaed in the Senate trial. Experts say the statement would make it difficult for Bolton to resist a subpoena from the House. Democrats had pushed to allow new evidence in the Senate proceedings, which could have included subpoenaing witnesses and documents, but their efforts were blocked by a 51-49 vote on Friday. Only two Republicans broke from party ranks and voted in favour of allowing new evidence. Revelations during the trial Reported revelations in a draft manuscript of Boltons upcoming book, which emerged during the Senate trial, further fuelled the Democratic push for his testimony. Bolton wrote, according to the New York Times, that Trump had instructed him in May of 2018 to call the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to ensure that he would meet with the presidents personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who was leading the push for the politically motivated investigations. The directive came during a meeting in which Giuliani, White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and White House lawyer Pat Cipollone were in attendance. Bolton, according to the newspaper, had also recounted an August exchange in which Trump told him to continue to withhold the aid to Ukraine until officials in the country agreed to the desired investigations into the Bidens. The report undercut what had been Trumps legal teams main defence that withholding the aid was unrelated to a push for the investigations. The White House has since said Boltons book, which he submitted for required review, contained classified information and could not be published without revisions. Israel's military and other security services undergo largest rearmament in years Spain PM calls for a debate to consider COVID-19 endemic disease Flyone Armenia and Pegasus receive permission for Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights Pope condemns "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19 US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22 Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms Internet cut off in Kazakhstan Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights Armenia, Russia defense ministers discuss Kazakhstan Turkey defense minister meets with their envoy in process of normalization of Armenia relations Iranian Foreign Ministry reports progress in Vienna negotiations Dollar continues going up in Armenia New attempt by migrants in Belarus to storm Poland border Skat Airlines resumes Yerevan-Aktau and Aktau-Yerevan flights New Covid-related restrictions to be introduced in Armenia Karabakh police: Firefighters also targeted by Azerbaijan shooting (PHOTOS) Artsakh Defense Army has not fired on Azerbaijan positions Azerbaijani military are protesting amid military awards deprivation Azerbaijanis open fire in Nagorno-Karabakh Karabakh MFA: Events in Kazakhstan are result of actions planned by Turkey Armenia army General Staff has new deputy chief Australia to buy US $ 2.5 billion of armored vehicles Artsakh emergency service: Search for soldiers remains continued during holidays Kazakh Colonel Nazanov dies after heart attack Australia begins to vaccinate children aged 5-11 with COVID-19 vaccine Putin: Peacekeeping contingent to stay in Kazakhstan for a limited period Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan v. premier Pashinyan lawsuit court session is closed Azerbaijan commandos conduct military exercises Part of the Great Wall of China collapsed due to earthquake Armenia MP: Turkey, Azerbaijans regional calculations have mixed up Copper prices decline Armenia ex-President Kocharyan v. PM Pashinyan lawsuit trial resumes Gold is getting cheaper EU is ready to support in addressing Karabakh crisis 126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Fire in residential building in New York leaves 19 people killed National Center for Infectious Diseases Yerevan branch employees protesting outside center Karabakh President: Radical Pan-Turkic circles are actively involved in process in Kazakhstan Oil is getting more expensive Mars helicopter Ingenuity preparing for difficult 19th flight Interior ministry: About 8,000 people detained in Kazakhstan Earthquake hits Armenia-Azerbaijan border zone Researchers create substitute for egg whites from fungus Kazakhstan official information channel removes message about 164 casualties EC says construction of new nuclear power plants in Europe will require 500 billion in investment Ghost ship that sank 343 years ago discovered in US Post-COVID-19 antibodies may attack healthy cells, scientists say Pope says he was praying for Kazakhstan Media: 164 people die in Kazakhstan during riots Peskov: CSTO session does not plan to sign documents yet Criminal cases launched after bomb threat in Armenian, Belarus embassies in Moscow Norwegian military surrender panties before demobilization Iranian MFA says Tehran is ready for talks on downed plane of UIA Ukraine Russian defense minister says information war is on all fronts Several strategic objects in Kazakhstan transferred to CSTO contingent under protection David Minasyan elected head of Armenia's Parakar community Bloomberg: US is considering issue of limiting supply of high-tech products to Russia Armenia reports 142 COVID-19 new cases Council of Elders meeting continues in Armenia's Parakar White House speaks on Blinken statement on Russian peacekeeping troops Armed people detained at border in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan talks stabilization of situation in all regions of country Azerbaijanis demand Armenian soldier change his faith by taking away his cross, Ombudsman says Armenian painter Mher Mansurian dies in France At least 17 killed in Egypt road accident NATO chief announces Russia forces continued buildup in Ukraine Armenian militarys transfer to Kazakhstan is completed Azerbaijan opens fire on military positions near Armenia village Unidentified persons report threat of explosion at Armenia, Belarus embassies in Moscow Putin confers with Pashinyan, Lukashenko on situation in Kazakhstan Zakharova: OSCE has not provided real assistance to reporters who were attacked in Kazakhstan Lukashenko, Putin discuss situation in CSTO member countries Russia's Putin has telephonic conversation with Kazakhstan's Tokayev Quake hits waters off Chile President Tokayev declares national mourning in Kazakhstan on January 10 US diplomats do not leave Kazakhstans Almaty yet 1 more person dies of coronavirus in Karabakh Artsakh resident, 91 found dead near village Russia MFA reacts to Blinken's words about Russian military in Kazakhstan 195 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Kazakhstan security committee ex-chief detained Kazakhstan interior ministry: There are foreigners among those detained in Almaty region Russia continues transporting its peacekeepers to Kazakhstan Kazakhstan launches investigation into 180 retailers of liquefied petroleum gas BMW introduces concept vehicle that can change colors Shootings continue in Kazakhstans Almaty - Angel Daniel Obinim is said to have come up with an anointing oil to fight Coronavirus - He reportedly launched the product in his church during a service - The oil costs GHC200 and is applied as a repellant - The product, Obinim said, has been approved by the heaven department of the FDA Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Controversial Ghanaian Angel Bishop Daniel Obinim has reportedly launched an anointing oil brand to fight Coronavirus. The leader of the International Gods Way Church is said to have launched the product during the last Sunday service he held at his church. According to him, the outbreak of the Coronavirus is China is a worry for him, and for fear that the disease might land in Ghana, he decided to come up with the oil. READ ALSO: Stonebwoy puts his luxurious hall on display in new video for the first time He said the oil could be applied as a repellent to defend one both physically and spiritually. The oil costs GHS200, and has been approved by the heaven department of the FDA, Obinim detailed. READ ALSO: Leaked message shows how Medikal begged Sister Deborah many times after their breakup Meanwhile, the outbreak of the virus keeps spreading, according to the latest information from China. While the Chinese government is working hard at finding a cure for the virus, other countries including Australian scientists have developed the coronavirus in a bid to develop a vaccine. READ ALSO: Ahuofe Patri causes confusion with improved thick body in new photo Mathew Anim Cudjoe showered with money after Hearts - Kotoko game in Accra | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: DJ Switch sacked from event as she charges GHC3,000 for 1-hour performance Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Alberta musher Jason Campeau pulled the plug on his Yukon Quest run on Tuesday but not before overcoming a personal hurdle on the trail. Two years ago, Campeau, who's based in Rocky Mountain House, Alta., was forced out of the 1,600-kilometre sled dog race after suffering a concussion in a mishap on the trail. It happened before he'd reached the halfway point. In a Facebook post before this year's race began, Campeau described it as a "major" concussion that took him "a very long time to recover from." This year, he was back and his goal was to at least get through that troublesome section of trail. "You know, obviously that was pretty traumatic, two years ago on that trail. And you know, I wanted to do it and just get that over with and face that fear," he said on Wednesday. "I got through all the hard part and did overcome it." There was more trouble ahead though his team later hit a slippery part of trail, the dogs lost their footing, and a couple of them "got banged up," Campeau said. Nothing serious, he said, but enough to warrant dropping out of the race at the next checkpoint. "I decided that if I was to go on, it would have been about me and my ego not about what was best for my team," he said. "I've always stated that you've got to put the dogs first." Campeau's other goal in this Yukon Quest was to use it a practice run for Alaska's Iditarod, next month. His dog handler, Pat Noddin, has also been running a team in the Quest this year and was still on the trail on Wednesday. "I've got a really good team and you know, I think they can do real well," Campeau said. The departures of Campeau, along with Quebec musher Denis Tremblay, from the race on Tuesday left just 13 mushers still on the trail. Philippe Morin/CBC That's a much smaller contingent than in recent years last year, 30 teams started the race and 27 of them reached the finish line. The remaining mushers still led by Yukoner Michelle Phillips and last year's champ, Brent Sass are now headed for the race's halfway point at Dawson City. They're expected to reach Dawson sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday. Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Public relations companies long have been known for reshaping perceptions to favor their clients. Taking that practice to an extreme, some now engage in black PR that is, the calculated spread of disinformation and misinformation online, according to a Buzzfeed report published Monday. For example, Taiwan-based entrepreneur Peng Kuan Chins Content Farm Automatic Collection System harvests online articles and posts written in Chinese, reshapes them, and posts them on websites under its control. Thousands of fake social media accounts owned by his company, Bravo-Idea, then spread this manipulated content across the Internet. We see a lot of these black PR firms, remarked Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research. A lot of them work today in local politics with big developers, lobbyists fighting individual activists and so on, he told the E-Commerce Times. The Evil That Black PR Does Nearly 70 percent of 6,100-plus Americans who participated in a Pew Research Center poll last year said that fake news greatly affected their confidence in government institutions. Fifty-four percent said it hurt their confidence in other people. About 60 percent blamed political figures and their staff, and 53 percent blamed activists. Seventy-nine percent believed steps should be taken to restrict fake news. Black PR is manipulation at scale for money without any concerns for the damage to the planet, country, or even individual safety, observed Rob Enderle, principal at the Enderle Group. The danger is not only the damage this does, but given people dont like to be made fools of, the repercussions when they find out they were played, he told the E-Commerce Times. Recall what happened with Gawker and Peter Thiel, Enderle said. Where Black PR Is Going Black PR per se is not new. For example, Hill & Knowlton famously orchestrated fake testimony about Iraqi troop atrocities in Kuwait that helped push the U.S. to launch the Gulf War. The Internet has made it easier, and much cheaper, to publish and disseminate misinformation and disinformation, however. Last year, 19 online information operations were attributed partially or wholly to PR or marketing firms, according to a Buzzfeed review . Since 2011, there have been 27 such operations. The black PR market is growing, and likely will expand through the 2020 U.S. election year, said Mike Jude, research director at IDC. Fighting Black PR Closing down accounts of people or organizations disseminating misinformation isnt enough, because they just pivot to a new account, Enderle said. Eventually, well use artificial intelligence for this, but the corrective tools are lagging at the moment. Tech companies are fighting back. Twitter last month announced the removal of more than 5,000 accounts involved in a state-backed information operation. Facebook has taken a series of actions: Last month, it took down hundreds of accounts, pages and groups in two unconnected networks conducting operations on Facebook and Instagram; Last spring, it banned Israeli black PR firm Archimedes Group for creating hundreds of fake social media accounts to influence elections in various countries; and Early last year, it banned Philippine digital marketing company Twinmark Media Enterprises and its subsidiaries from its platform for coordinated inauthentic behavior. Facebook, Google and Twitter last year teamed up with the BBC and publishers to fight fake news. The Dangers Black PR Poses No market expands forever, IDCs Jude told the E-Commerce Times. To the extent that black PR begins to do serious damage to individuals, expect governments to step in. Germany, Malaysia, France, Russia, Singapore and China have made it a crime to create and distribute misinformation. The EU in 2018 introduced a voluntary code of practice to battle online disinformation. Facebook and other tech companies have signed on. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Australia has pressured tech companies to fight fake news. Actively censoring the news feeds to protect people from their own ignorance seems a bit extreme, Jude suggested. Turn the trial lawyers loose on this space and establish a few landmark cases, and I think the problem will be greatly diminished. The Possibility of Self-Policing Meanwhile, the PR industry is trying to police itself. ICCO, the International Communications Consultancy Organization an umbrella group representing PR trade groups around the world has established the Helsinki Declaration, 10 principles it urges member groups to support. ICCO also has a page on ethics in digital communication on its website. In 2017, the UKs Public Relations and Communications Association expelled London-based PR firm Bell Pottinger for stoking racial tensions in South Africa for a billionaire client. The answer isnt more centralization, Constellations Wang said. Its more decentralization that allows individuals to report fakes to others who will also apply techniques and algorithms to be vigilant. Blameless pensioners are fighting back against shock demands for thousands of pounds they were paid by mistake. Money Mail revealed pension errors that have had a devastating impact on retirees, with schemes slashing incomes and demanding money be returned when mistakes are discovered often years later. Last week we reported how prison officers retired with mental health problems were suddenly told to repay more than 100,000 in miscalculations going back several years. Retirement ruined: Royal Navy veteran Arthur Mullett in 1983. He was asked to repay around 20,000 and his pension was cut because of a mistake made ten years earlier But some pensioners, such as Royal Navy veteran Arthur Mullett and former Royal Mail delivery driver Chris Slaytor, have refused to accept the huge bills. Retired submariner Arthur, 69, was asked to repay around 20,000 and his pension was cut because of a mistake made ten years earlier. Months before the bill arrived, his pension pay had been used to settle a divorce and secure a 500-a-month mortgage on his two-bedroom semi-detached home in Bradford. After receiving the letter in April 2015, his military pension was slashed from 691 to 370 a month. The grandfather-of-five says: 'If I'd had a heart problem, the shock would have been enough to kill me. They were talking about 20,000 like it was 50. I was devastated.' Arthur served in the Royal Navy from 15 to 34 spending months at sea in submarines with minimum contact with his family. How YOU could keep cash too The law says that if you are paid too much pension in error, you are not entitled to that income in the future. But the Pensions Ombudsman has the power to rule that overpaid money cannot be recouped, and can award compensation for distress or inconvenience caused. If the overpayment should have been obvious to you, you will be expected to pay it back. You will also have to return it if it has been spent on something that has not changed your financial position like paying off a loan or buying an asset that can be sold. You might not have to repay all or some of it if you have irreversibly changed your financial position as a result of the overpayments. For example, if you gave it away, used it to go on holiday, or it was spent gradually over time. You can also not expect to return money overpaid due to errors dating back more than six years again providing the mistake was not obvious. His career took him to the Far East as well as being based in Portsmouth and Gare Loch near Glasgow. After receiving the repayment bill, he spoke to the Pension Advisory Service which wrote to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Armed Forces pension scheme administrators Equiniti on his behalf. The MoD wrote back to say the 20,000 had been 'waived in full' after a review. It acknowledged Arthur could not have known about the error, and the mistake had been made ten years before. The letter adds: 'The decision is made without prejudice and may not be used as a precedent for future cases.' But Arthur says the cut to his pension income means he can no longer afford the lifestyle he was told he could afford. He says: 'I was happy when they wrote the 20,000 off, but their incompetence has ruined my retirement. 'I made two irreversible financial decisions based on wrong information given to me. If I was aware, I would never have taken the mortgage because I wouldn't have been able to afford it.' Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann says it is wrong that retirees are being asked to pay for other people's mistakes Arthur says he spoke to a solicitor about taking his case to court, but realised this could cost him thousands of pounds. He adds: 'Justice is only available in this country if you can afford to pay for it.' The Royal Mail pension scheme even hired a private investigator to trace former delivery driver Chris Slaytor and pay him extra pension money. But after five years, the married grandfather, 68, received a letter in 2016 to say he'd been paid too much and now owed 17,000. Chris, who worked for Royal Mail for eight years in the 1990s and now lives in Devon, wrote back to appeal and exchanged a series of letters until 2018. He says: 'Eventually I told them: 'I have now had enough of all this persecution. What you better do is take me to court and let a judge decide'.' The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for the scheme, wrote back to say the case was closed and Chris would not have to pay the 17,000. Chris says: 'When I got that letter I could have cried.' But he adds: 'If they are making these mistakes to this extent they should be made to pay. 'It is worth fighting. The more people who fight, the more likely it is that the Government will do something about it.' Margaret Snowdon, president of the Pensions Administration Standards Association, says: 'If a member refuses to return overpayments, trustees can only take him to court. But if the cost is prohibitive, in some cases, the scheme may just let it go.' Baroness (Ros) Altmann, former pensions minister, says it is wrong that retirees are being asked to pay for other people's mistakes, especially when many schemes have professional indemnity insurance. She says: 'It is like a contract. Someone led you to believe you were going to receive this money for the rest of your life and they made a mistake.' But she says perhaps only a class action legal case would work against a pension scheme, adding: 'Each individual has so much less power than the administrators that made the mistakes in the first place.' An MoD spokesman says of Arthur's case: 'We manage public money and make payments in accordance with legislation. 'If it is found not to be the case we adjust payments accordingly. This case was reviewed and a decision taken to waive overpayment in full.' Referring to Chris's Royal Mail pension bill, a Cabinet Office spokesman says: 'We apologise for this error and the inconvenience caused. Our duty to taxpayers means we are obliged to recover any overpayment.' b.wilkinson@dailymail.co.uk By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 05, 2020 | 12:30 PM | CARBONDALE Board Chairman Phil Gilbert and Vice Chairman Ed Hightower say in a press release that they have been in discussion with SIU Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook, SIU Carbondale Chancellor John M. Dunn and incoming SIU System President Dan Mahony regarding the importance of holding down costs of tuition and fees for students who are considering an institution in the SIU System for 2020. "Governor Pritzker's priority for funding higher education is making this decision easier. The SIU System is committed to affordable tuition and fees for Illinois students. The recommendation to the full SIU Board of Trustees will include a tuition freeze for all undergraduate and graduate programs, including those in the systems four professional schools of dental, law, medicine and pharmacy," said Chairman Gilbert. Mahony, whose appointment as system president begins March 1, said both institutions are focused on recruitment and affordability. "I am pleased to see so many positive steps occurring on both the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses toward enrollment and making college affordable for our students and their families," he said. At the boards December meeting, both campuses reported a potential for more students this fall. SIU Carbondale is reporting applications for first-time freshmen are up more than 27 percent over last year and the number of admitted students is up 21 percent. SIU Edwardsville freshmen applications are up 21 percent and admittance is up 20 percent. The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees is expected to act on a recommendation to freeze student tuition and fees at its February 13 meeting. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that both of them teach patriotism to people which is not needed because "every citizen of the country is a patriot". "Narendra Modi ji and Kejriwal ji teach patriotism to people. It is not needed as every citizen of the country is a patriot. This (to portray some people as anti- etc) is just a way to divide people," Gandhi said while addressing a gathering in Kondli here. The Congress leader further alleged that in the last five years the communal harmony of India has deteriorated. "In the last five years, the environment of India has deteriorated, have you noticed? The peace and brotherhood which prevailed earlier is not there. If a 10-year-old girl (sitting in the crowd) can understand that then I am sure others will also understand," he said. He further hit out at two leaders over the issue of corruption alleging that while both Modi and Kejriwal had promised to eradicate corruption, but the corruption has instead gone up. "Kejriwal talked of eradicating corruption. Narendra Modi talked of eradicating corruption. Both of them talked about eradicating corruption. Has it been eradicated? The country knows that corruption has rather increased instead of getting eradicated," he said. The voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 8 while the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer today said it is not possible to watch every extremist on UK streets because there are too many - as he backed plans to keep terrorists locked up for longer. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the sheer scale of the challenge meant that officers needed the public's help to stop future terror attacks. He told the Evening Standard that he hoped bystanders would raise the alarm about suspicious conduct and remain vigilant at all times - adding that the threat of terrorism in the UK is 'not diminishing' following a third attack in three months. Mr Basu also hailed the 'courage' of the officers involved in stopping attacker and convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman - and said he backed the governments plans to keep extremists locked up for longer. In an article for the Evening Standard he said: 'With 3,000 or so subjects of interest currently on our radar and many convicted terrorists soon due to be released from prison, we simply cannot watch all of them all the time.' He said he was 'supportive' of government plans to introduce emergency legislation to ensure existing terrorist prisoners are not freed automatically after serving up to a third of their sentence. Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu (pictured) said the sheer scale of the challenge meant that officers needed the public's help to stop future terror attacks Mr Basu said: 'Part of the solution must be ensuring those who pose the greatest threat to our society are removed from it, and so my colleagues and I are supportive of the Government's plans to strengthen our ability to keep the most dangerous terrorists locked up for longer. 'But all parts of the system are responsible and, crucially, that includes communities themselves. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police on Streatham High Road on Sunday 'We need your help to stop vulnerable people from being drawn down the path that leads to the awful violence we saw on Sunday.' Mr Basu's comments are his first since armed police shot dead Amman, a freed terrorist convict, as he began stabbing passers-by in Streatham High Road. He had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his term less than a fortnight ago. Two people including nursery teacher Monika Luftner were stabbed in the attack. A team of about 20 officers had been following him round the clock since his release from Belmarsh Prison a week earlier. The attack was the second in London by a freed terrorist prisoner in just over two months, after Usman Khan stabbed two people to death at Fishmongers' Hall in November. Mr Basu said Sunday's attack was a 'vicious' incident. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee today (pictured) that paramedics could get specialist training for terror scenes Armed police shot dead terrorist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and a female nursery teacher and another man He added: 'I am in no doubt the quick reactions of our covert officers prevented many more people from being injured, and they exemplified the courage and sense of duty our officers have shown time and time again to protect the public from the terrorist threat. 'We need people to trust their instincts and trust us with that information, and not just signs of suspicious activity or behaviour. 'That means vigilance wherever you go. Sunday's incident is proof that attacks can happen anywhere, and at any time. Meanwhile Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick defended her officers' response after paramedics were delayed from getting to the scene for their own safety. The first London Ambulance Service medic arrived within four minutes, but they were held at a 'rendezvous point' until police confirmed it was safe to approach. Miss Dick added that Amman managed to stab two people while under surveillance because the operations are not 'man-to-man marking'. She told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that a time delay in responding would be 'inevitable' if someone did something 'totally unexpectedly'. Amman, from Harrow, North West London, was put under 24-hour police surveillance on his release, and sources have said he was an 'extremely concerning individual'. Dame Cressida gave evidence to the assembly today about general tactics used by counter-terror police. She said: 'They are conducting covert surveillance, so they are not of course providing man-to-man marking. 'They are there covertly and that is a deliberate thing. It is inevitable that there could be a time delay before somebody totally unexpectedly does something.' Up to 20 officers would have been involved in watching Amman. Dame Cressida added: 'I wish I could assure the public that everybody who poses a risk on the streets could be subject to some sort of thing that would stop them being able to stab anybody ever, but it is clearly not possible.' A team of 75 officers is working to gather evidence for the coroner about Amman's rampage. Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is also investigating how he came to be fatally shot, as is standard when any police operation ends in a death. The Government is pressing ahead with plans for emergency laws to keep terrorists behind bars for longer, by ending automatic release halfway through a sentence. There are 224 terrorists in prison in Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September. As many as 50 terrorists could be freed from jail this year, figures suggest. On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said emergency legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release, at which point their case would be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists at the Parole Board. Asked about the proposals, Dame Cressida said: 'If there are to be changes to the sentencing regime, the one thing we would be asking for, I think, is that people should still be released as they are under the current regime under strong conditions, licence conditions.' The Daily Beast Fox News White House correspondent and perpetual nemesis of Jen Psaki thought he had Joe Bidens press secretary cornered on Monday when he asked her why the president is still referring to COVID-19 as a pandemic of the unvaccinated when so many people are getting breakthrough infections. He was wrong.I understand that the science says that vaccines prevent death, Doocy began, before undercutting that basic truth. But Im triple-vaxxed, still got COVID. Youre triple-vaxxed, still got COVI The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday allotted five acres of land in Ayodhya district to the Sunni Central Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court. The land is in village Dhannipur in tehsil Sohawal in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters, state government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told reporters. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board said the Sunni Waqf Board is not the representative of the entire Muslim community and if it accepts the Centre's offer it should not be considered a decision of all Muslims of the country. "Sunni Waqf board is not representative of entire Muslim community. If it takes land, it should not be considered decision of Muslims of the country," senior executive member of AIMPLB Maulana Yasin Usmani said. He said AIMPLB and those associated with it have decided that they "will not take any land in Ayodhya". The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board said that had the 5 acres of land allotted for the Sunni Central Waqf Board been given to them, they would have constructed a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Had the Shia Waqf board got the land, it would have constructed another Ram temple there," chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi said here. Rizvi stated that the government has fulfilled its responsibility and the Hindu community will get a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Meer Baqi, who was a Shia, had constructed the structure (mosque) but the land went to the Sunnis. It is the fault of Shias who had never raised their voice," he claimed. Baqi was a commander during the first Mughal emperor Babur's reign. The Babri Masjid was demolished at the site on December 6, 1992. "When we raised our voice in the Supreme Court, there was a 71 year delay due to which five acres land, which should have been given to Shias went to the Sunnis," he said and hailed the Narendra Modi government for paving the way for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. While delivering the judgement on November 9, the apex court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site. San Ysidro High School Students Tour UC San Diego with Winward Academy and the YMCA of San Diego This program ensures they get the exposure and support they need to make informed decisions about post-high school pathways. - Gaby Millan, Executive Director for the Border View Family YMCA The Border View Family YMCA and Winward Academy recently expanded their college readiness program beyond the classroom and onto local college campuses. As part of the program to improve college access and college readiness for Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, students at San Ysidro High School, they organized a campus crawl of local colleges including University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of San Diego (USD) and San Diego State University (SDSU). Being ready for college certainly requires strong study skills and core competence in academics, said Winward Academy Founder and CEO Dr. Jennifer Winward. But above and beyond those areas, students must also know what questions to ask - what resources exist to support them, what challenges current students overcame and how, and how to find a community in a new home on a college campus. This campus crawl was designed to deliver exactly that exposure for San Ysidro youth. To ensure students achieved a more meaningful experience, the campus crawl was designed to be more than a tour it was about asking questions of current students, attending a professors lecture and interacting with current students at the library, gym and common areas. Jesse Magana, a fourth-year student at USD, led a Q&A with the San Ysidro high school students. Being able to share my journey as a first-generation student with the San Ysidro students allowed me to fulfill a promise I made to myself as I navigated higher education: to create space for younger generations to understand that they - as much as anyone else - deserve the space they occupy within the context of higher education. Central to our efforts to reach more adolescents and promote healthy youth development, the YMCA supports local schools that serve underrepresented youth by giving them access to resources and experiences that build skills and confidence for life, said Gaby Millan, Executive Director for the Border View Family YMCA. Seeing the high school students participate in a college class, ask questions of college students and explore the college bookstores for t-shirts and notebooks reinforced the importance of this program. The YMCA College Readiness Program is made possible through generous donations from City of San Diego Councilmember Vivian Morenos office, San Diego Gas & Electric, South Bay Community Services and Winward Academy. The ultimate goal is to help AVID students embrace great study habits, build confidence and succeed in college and beyond. In many cases, AVID students will be first in their families to attend college, added Millan. This program ensures they get the exposure and support they need to make informed decisions about post-high school pathways. To support the YMCA College Readiness Program, please contact Gaby Millan at (619) 428-9622. About the YMCA of San Diego County The YMCA of San Diego County is the second largest Y Association in the nation serving nearly 500,000 San Diego County residents and employing more than 5,500 people. Through a variety of programs and services focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y unites men, women and children - regardless of age, income or background - to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nations health and well-being and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. The YMCA of San Diego County is dedicated to improving the quality of human life and to helping all people realize their fullest potential as children of God through the development of the spirit, mind and body. Visit http://www.ymcasd.org to find your local YMCA or call (858) 292-YMCA (9622). About Winward Academy Test success, college success, and life success they all begin at Winward Academy, a research-based, student-centered learning platform for the ACT, SAT, math class, and college applications. Winward Academy applies a scientific approach to customize learning for each student, enabling growth for students of all levels and learning styles. Winward Academy is a team of passionate adolescent learning researchers committed to thoughtfully developing curriculum that improves learning, retention, and test performance building confidence for life. Winward Academy curriculum is used by students at home, by teachers in the classroom, and by charities in after-school and summer programs. For more information on Winward Academy, see winwardacademy.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Polish airline LOT is to take over Germanys Condor, which was part of the Thomas Cook tourist company until that companys collapse in September 2019 and focused chiefly on flights to popular holiday destinations. Both companies confirmed the deal at a press conference in Frankfurt on January 24. Under LOTs ownership, Condor will receive up to 20 new long-distance flight routes and serve as a carrier to popular tourist destinations for holidaymakers from Eastern and central Europe. Condor has been able to continue operations since the failure of Thomas Cook thanks to loans from the German federal government and the state of Hesse. No details on the purchase price paid by LOT were made public. However, according to the industry news site Airliner, the Polish Aviation Group, which owns LOT, agreed to pay 250 million to buy the airline, as well as to repay the 380 million in loans extended to Condor. The loans must be repaid by April 15. To finance this initiative while at the same time boosting profit margins, the exploitation of the airlines workers is to be intensified. Prior to the announced takeover, Condor management and the trade unions agreed to impose job and pay cuts. A total of 170 administrative jobs will be cut, together with a similar number of cabin crew. These attacks on jobs and working conditions are also being supported by the Independent Cabin Crew Organisation trade union (UFO). The union applauded LOTs takeover of Condor as very good news. UFO also revealed on January 15 that it had accepted the cost-cutting programme, even though this will mean the elimination of 150 fulltime cabin crew jobs. UFOs agreement to the cost reductions was a crucial precondition for LOTs takeover and confirms everything that the WSWS has said about the union. Like other profession-specific unions, such as Cockpit (pilots), GDL (train drivers), and Marburger Association (doctors), UFO offers no alternative to the larger unions organised in the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB). Founded as a result of widespread outrage among workers over the straitjacket imposed upon them by the Verdi trade union, which represents public sector workers as well as employees of private sector services, UFO has proven itself, no less than Verdi, to be committed to its role as a co-manager for the enforcement of attacks on workers rights and jobs. UFOs statement from January 15 underscores how consciously the union has chosen this path. In it, the union announced its support for the collective agreement to restructure the airline, just nine days prior to the takeover. UFO explicitly states, We would like to state very clearly here that we feel this is the wrong path to take. Nonetheless, they agreed to the plan, to, in their own words, secure Condors continued existence. As UFO is forced to admit, the cutting of 150 fulltime cabin crew positions will affect a much larger number of employees, since many cabin crew work for Condor on part-time contracts. The planned expansion of the airlines fleet will also undoubtedly result in a substantial increase in workloads. Trying to justify its sleight of hand, UFO noted that Condor management had already reached a deal with Verdi and published it. In reality, as a union representing only a minority of the workforce at Condor, Verdi does not have the authority to conclude such agreements. In December, UFO was still claiming, Even if a contract were agreed with Verdi, it could not simply be applied to all workers, because Verdi is not the majority trade union at Condor. Shortly after the Thomas Cook bankruptcy, UFO promised employees at Condor, We reassure you that we see no reason to negotiate away rights achieved in previous contracts. The fact that UFO was simply paying lip service to the concerns of its members was shown in November and December, when the union called on UFO members at Lufthansa to strike. UFO refused to include the Condor employees, who faced the acute danger of losing their jobs, in the struggle, thereby ensuring that they remained divided from their colleagues at Lufthansa. During this period, UFO was undoubtedly actively involved in negotiations behind the scenes with Condor management, and possibly even Verdi, to draft the cost-cutting plan. Then, in January, UFO presented cabin crew with a fait accompli. They appealed for voluntary layoffs so as to keep the official job cut numbers as low as possible. In its statement from January 15, UFO called for workers to express the real Condor spirit. In other words, flight attendants should agree to voluntary redundancies to boost company profits and prevent a larger number of job cuts. UFO added that it did everything in its power to improve the conditions for redundancy payments, extra time off, and many other things so that lay-offs will hopefully not be necessary. They make an urgent appeal to cabin crew to consider who can take additional part-time hours or unpaid holidays to ensure that everyone who wants to can stay on board. This is a requirement of solidarity. Among the 4,900 Condor employees, there are approximately 2,400 cabin crew, after around 50 jobs were cut over recent months. UFO boasted that it managed to get these 50 job cuts included in the total of 150 layoffs being demanded. The union writes, If all cabin crew would reduce their working hours by a few percentage points, the reduction of 100 fulltime positions would be achieved and there would not need to be any additional departures. UFO is of course well aware that this is a recipe to further accelerate the downward spiral of wages and working conditions, while shareholder profits boom. This is a particularly disastrous message to send to the new owner, the Polish Aviation Group, which is sure to use lower pay rates in Poland as the benchmark for all employees. The air travel expert for German public broadcaster ARD, Michael Immen, made clear the direct connection between the attacks on the workers and increased profits on the stock markets when he commented on Condor on the day of LOTs takeover, This business is running profitably... Theyve managed to cut costs within four months. Cooperating with employee representatives, theyve reduced personnel costs by a quarter. Theyve dressed up the bride and save around 23 million. That creates perspectives. The latest experiences with UFO show that Condor cabin crew, like all workers, require a new strategy. This must directly reject the subordination to capital and the nation state practiced by the trade unions. To defend their rights and workplace benefits, cabin crew, pilots, and ground staff must build independent action committees opposed to the trade unions and turn to a socialist and internationalist perspective. This applies all the more forcefully as governments and companies around the world prepare for trade war and actual wars, and offload the costs for this ever more directly onto the backs of working people. Princeton University says only one student who recently traveled to China is still being assessed for coronavirus among the more than 100 who were required to self-quarantine over the weekend. A university spokesman told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday that all students evaluated so far are considered low risk and do not require self-isolation. He added that no one is sick and no one is displaying any symptoms. The university told students, faculty and staff members who recently traveled to China to self-quarantine. More than 100 undergraduate and graduate students had done so as of Sunday. The number had fallen to less than 20 by Monday evening. Princeton said New Jersey health officials issued a new guidance Sunday that students who had visited China should be assessed based on risk, leading to the reduced totals. Princeton earlier barred students, faculty and staff from traveling to China on university business or as part of university-sponsored programs. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Tripoli (AFP) - Libya has lost almost one billion dollars in revenues since a blockade of its most vital oil export facilities led to a slump in production, the National Oil Company said Wednesday. Groups allied to military strongman Khalifa Haftar launched their blockade of eastern Libya's main oil terminals on January 18. Production has since declined from "more than 1.2 million to 187,000 barrels a day", a fall of more than 80 percent, according to the NOC website. The blockade started the day before an international summit in Berlin that called for an end to foreign interference in Libya's conflict and a resumption of peace efforts. The ensuing cuts in production due to storage capacity problems has caused "losses estimated at $931 million", the NOC said. Exports were suspended at the ports of Brega, Ras Lanouf, Al-Sidra, Al-Hariga and Zweitina in the country's "oil crescent", the conduit for the majority of Libya's crude exports. The NOC had previously condemned the closure of valves at a pumping station in the southwest that shut down production at the major fields of Al-Sharara and Al-Fil. The blockade of the country's main source of revenues was decided in protest at Turkey's despatch of troops to shore up Haftar's rivals. Turkey has backed the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, while Haftar has support from Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival administrations and militias vying for power. The conflict deepened last April when Haftar, whose forces control much of Libya's south and east, launched an assault to seize Tripoli. The embassies of the US and Britain as well as the EU delegation in Libya called for a resumption of NOC operations, warning of the risks of exacerbating the humanitarian hardships facing the country. Stand-in skipper Tom Latham says building partnership and holding their nerves in the crucial moments helped New Zealand cross the finish line in the high-scoring first ODI against India. New Zealand recorded their highest-ever run chase of 348 runs, riding on Ross Taylor's unbeaten 84-ball-109 and Latham's attacking half-century. "Great performance from the guys. It was nice to keep our composure at the end and get across the line," Latham said at the post-match presentation. "For us it was about building partnerships. The total was a little more than what we would have liked to chase. But we managed to get off to a good start and keep wickets in hand. "We saw how hard it was to defend with the left-right combination. It's nice to make winning contributions. The way Ross played was fantastic." India posted a huge 347 for 4 and Latham said his team will look to find their "perfect" game in the second ODI. "We weren't quite where we wanted to be with the ball. So we got to improve and hopefully we will play the perfect game at Eden Park." Taylor, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for anchoring the chase, said the right-left combination and short boundaries helped New Zealand chased overhaul the total. "It has been an interesting summer, so as to speak, good to get across the line. To restrict them under 350, gave us a chance. We were fortunate with the right-left combination and we targeted the short boundary. Tom came in and released the pressure of me," he said. "It's been a happy hunting ground for me. Hopefully we can put up a good performance in the next game. It was nice to be there at the end after I got out thrice towards the end in the T20 series." India will take on New Zealand in the second ODI on Saturday in Auckland. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A total of 340 Japanese companies and 11,000 Japanese brands are registered in the UAE, it was revealed at a business meeting organised by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) with a Japanese trade delegation. The meeting aimed to brief the 12 Japanese companies present at the meeting about investment opportunities in Abu Dhabis business sector, reported state news agency Wam. Helal Mohammed Al Hamli, deputy director-general of the Chamber, said: Japan is one of the UAEs key global trading partners, with their total non-oil foreign trade in 2018 being valued at some $14.77 billion. Japanese investments and advanced technologies also play a key role in supporting the UAEs development process. There are more than 88 Japanese companies registered at the Ministry of Economy, along with 209 agencies and over 11,000 registered brands while the number of valid memberships registered at the chamber is about 44 companies. Masami Ando, managing director of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) which is based in the UAE, said that the relations between the UAE and Japan have recently witnessed many high-level bilateral visits, which have helped consolidate their economic ties, especially through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between their ministries that aim to expand their mutual trade and attract investments from Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises to the UAE. There are currently over 340 Japanese companies operating in the UAE and more than 4,000 Japanese work and reside in the country, he added, noting that Japanese exports to the UAE in 2018 grew by six percent, reaching $8 billion while Emirati imports to Japan reached a value of $27.5 billion, an increase of 33 percent compared to 2017. President Donald Trump singled out a San Antonio landmark during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The reference, to the famous 1836 Battle of the Alamo and the shrine that still stands on the site, came as Trump reeled off a series of figures and events from American history. "As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes," the president said. "This is a place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life. " Trump noted that the nation is the home of people like Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and Harriet Tubman. Then he paid homage to the mission that lends the Alamo City its nickname. READ ALSO: We asked tourists to describe the Battle of the Alamo in 30 seconds. Here's how it went. "This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley," Trump said. "This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo the beautiful, beautiful Alamo." Social media immediately reacted to the line. One Twitter user called the Alamo "a beaten up little shell of a building next to a shopping mall." Another user admitted he got a little choked up when the president called the landmark beautiful. Click through the gallery above to see what social media had to say about Trump referencing the Alamo. Mark Dunphy is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read him on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Peekaboo Beans Inc. (CSE: BEAN) (OTCQB: PBBSF) ("Peekaboo Beans" or the "Company") announces quarterly sales of $592,014, an increase of 229% from Q4 2019 and an increase of 21% over the same period last year. Other highlights in the quarter include: Total orders of 6,746 were up 36% over Q4 F2019 www.peekaboobeans.com had 105,885 visitors in Q4, showing an increase of 84% over Q4 2019 Sales from the United States were up 5% for first quarter. In comparison, in 2018 1.3% of total orders were in USD and in 2019 1.45 % of total orders was in USD Returning customer rate was 38%. This is higher than the average returning customer rate of 20-25% industry bench The Company had 125% Growth in first time customers; accounting for 2083 new customers for the quarter up from 925. "We are excited about the steady growth in sales, which we believe is driven, in part, by our recent investment in digital ad spend," According to Traci Costa, CEO. We are seeing a return of 10:1 on our ad spend, which is far greater than the industry average of 4:1. After trying various sales models in the past, we believe we have finally found the optimal model to drive sales and take our unique children's clothing brand to the next level." About Peekaboo Beans Inc. Peekaboo Beans is a children's apparel brand with a focus on environmentally responsible clothes that are intentionally designed to inspire play. Through an omni-channel approach, Peekaboo Beans engages sellers through social platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, as well as online retailers, to maximize revenue and build brand loyalty. The Company works to promote a playful lifestyle for children by designing comfortable clothes that are built to last. To learn more about Peekaboo Beans, visit: www.peekaboobeans.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Peekaboo Beans Inc. Ms. Traci Costa, President and CEO (604) 279-2326 For more information, please contact the Company at: IR@peekaboobeans.com 1-604-279-2326 Reader Advisory This news release may include forward-looking information that is subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52119 New Delhi, Feb 4 (UNI) Days before crucial Delhi assembly polls, the BJP stepped up its attack against AAP linking its 'worker' Kapil to Shaheen Bagh shootout and said the episode has only exposed Arvind Kejriwal and his party. "Desh aur Delhi ney aaj AAP ka ganda chehra dekha (People of this country and Delhi today saw the ugly face of AAP)," Mr Nadda tweeted minutes after news went viral on television news channels and social media that Shaheen Bagh shooter Kapil and his father had joined AAP earlier this year. There were also snaps of Kapil with key AAP leaders. Meanwhile, Samir Dwivedi, son of Congress veteran Janardhan Dwivedi who joined BJP on Tuesday, said - "Those who are encouraging the protest at Shaheen Bagh are the same people who were praising China in 1962. If we do not come forward to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi now, we will not be able to control the fire". Samir Dwivedi is a former army officer and had taken retirement in 2008. In a series of tweets, Mr Nadda said, "This nation will not forgive those who play with its security. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply". "For political gains, Arvind Kejriwal and his people have sold out country's safety and security too," he wrote in Hindi adding, "Earlier Mr Kejriwal had insulted Indian army and had tried to take up the cause of terrorists, but today nexus has come out on those who indulge in terror acts". "It is this Kejriwal and his party that has saved the Tukde-gang....this gang had given a statement that disintegrates the country, but AAP has shielded them. They also threw political dices in favour of Sharjeel Imam. But Sharjeel has been caught by the Delhi Police and their plans failed. Now an AAP worker has opened fire," Mr Nadda wrote. The BJP chief, who told a party meeting on Tuesday that as many as 240 party MPs will be campaigning in the city in next 2-3 days for February 8 polls, also said, "AAP leader Imam Hussain has been seen in a snap with a radical and fundamentalist leaders of PFI. This organisation (PFI) has hurt India's interest and honour. I wonder why Kejriwal is standing with them". Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his election rally on Monday, said the Shaheen Bagh protest was like a 'prayog (an experiment and not merely a coincidence)'. UNI DEVN 2127 On the upside, James Potok now has something to rap about. Yo, check it out / I was flying WestJet to Montego Bay / Going to catch me some honey and rays / When I got twinkle up in my iris / And faked the Coronavirus. What is it about aspiring rapper that lends itself to bad life decisions? Why is there less dangerous folly in other vocations? You never read about an aspiring plumber getting into a shootout with faucet wholesalers to boost his street cred on HomeStars. Just once, I want to hear about an aspiring botanist hot-wiring a Lexus and leading cops on a wild chase while recording a front-seat video about why hes a menace to rhododendrons. Anyway, back to James Potok, the aspiring rapper who got himself into trouble this week while flying to Jamaica. As the Star reported: Potok, who lives in Vaughan, was one of 243 passengers who were headed to Montego Bay from Toronto when he stood up and made the unfounded claim about having been to China recently and contracting the Coronavirus, police said. The flight crew decided to return to Pearson Airport. This may be the most idiotic entry in the aspiring rapper crime annals. If Potok ever makes it as a musician, his first tour should be called Stupid Is as Stupid Does. The 28-year-old, who also goes by the stage name Potok Philippe no idea if the Phillippe is a reference to the luxury watch or Reese Witherspoons ex-husband tried to explain himself in an interview with CityNews. He said he didnt mean any harm and had no clue lying about recently visiting China and pretending to not feel good was possibly illegal. As he told CityNews: Im aware not to get up on a plane and mention the word b-o-w b-o-m-b Im aware that Im not allowed to make threats. Leaving aside the fact he needed two attempts to spell bomb, how could he not know hinting at Coronavirus might set off a panic at 30,000 feet? What did he expect? Free mini bottles of vodka? Or that the passengers and crew would crack up laughing and his ultimate goal to go viral would instantly result in a major label deal? That bloke with Coronavirus? Guys, I think he could be the next Drake! Now, you could argue his publicity stunt worked, since hes all over the news, including here. But if 100,000 people suddenly know your name and 100,000 are convinced you are an imbecile, loser, jackass or total moron read the comments on his Facebook page Id respectfully argue not all publicity is good publicity. Some publicity is just proof youre a total moron. You know what else is weird? With the world on edge over the possibility of a lethal pandemic, how is suggesting you might be infected good for a music career? I love Lana Del Ray. But if I think theres any chance she has Ebola, Im skipping the concert. What, Im going to be singing along to High by the Beach and then 48 hours later my internal organs start to liquefy? I dont think so. Of all the fake things Potok could have announced on that flight, why hint at contagion? Its as if Potok was an aspiring sculptor in the 14th century and, in the middle of a crowded market, suddenly yelled: Everyone! I may have bubonic plague! Now who wants to look at this bust of Henry VII I carved in my hovel? Hey, unhand me! Get thee away, swine! Then hed get tackled and burned alive. So in some ways, Potok is getting off easy this week with charges of mischief and breach of recognizance. Hes lucky stupid isnt a crime in Canada. Or hed now be facing a life sentence with no chance of parole and mandatory IQ rehab. Incredibly, according to what he told CityNews, he allegedly graduated top of his class at Wilfrid Laurier, though I suspect the university will not be mentioning his name in any recruitment marketing. I often feel sorry for young people today. Im so glad I came of age before the internet and social media. This poor fool is trying to break into the music biz and he is convinced going viral is the key to the front door. Much like Chair Girl, he has wrongly equated infamy with fame. But I wouldnt be surprised if Potok leans into this and changes his name to Virus Boy. You know? Then he shoots another video that is brimming with cheap production values, so-so looking chicks, sensible sedans and bling that may have been purchased at Toys R Us. Then he does local shows in a mask, which actually might not be a bad muffling idea given his rhyming skills. Or maybe hell hold a press conference to say he has rabies. All I know is Virus Boy should be a lesson to all aspiring rappers out there: Yo, check it out / I got up in the cabin and started to huff / Then I got myself in cuffs / Yall need to know I was just playing / Now my legal bills be slaying / I tried to become a household name / Now all I got is shame. Read more about: A Fijian homestay student who filmed his female host in the shower on more than 40 occasions and also downloaded a video of the Christchurch mosque massacre has been jailed. Police seized the cellphone of Josevata Hamilton Turagakula Raikoti, 23, and handed it to the electronic crime laboratory who gathered evidence of the offending, the Dunedin District Court heard on Tuesday. The offender had been staying at the woman's Dunedin house for the last four years with the victim going 'out of her way to make [him] feel like part of her family,' the court heard, reports the NZ Herald. A Fijian student filmed his accommodation host in the shower on more than 40 occasions (stock image) In early 2019, Raikoti imported several covert cameras from an unknown website which he used to film the woman in the shower. Raikoti taped the cameras inside a bucket which he then hid in a cupboard and pointed at the shower. The camera recorded for an hour after which he would retrieve it and download the footage to his phone. He claimed the first incident was an 'accident' which Judge Phillips did not accept but he did agree with the defendant that it turned into 'an addiction'. Raikoti admitted to police he had repeated this method on more than 40 occasions. Between February and May 2019, Raikoti also stole at least five pairs of the woman's underwear. The victim told the court in a statement that she felt 'absolute betrayal and disgust' and that she was concerned the footage had been put online or that her children had been filmed. Forensic investigation of the phone showed this was not the case. Josevata Hamilton Turagakula Raikoti, 23, ordered the secret cameras from a website (stock image) The investigation of the phone did reveal, however, that Raikoti had downloaded footage of the Christchurch mosque massacre. The March 15 2019 massacre resulted in the deaths of 51 men, women and children after a gunman opened fire during Friday prayers. The alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant is in custody over the shootings. Raikoti said to detectives that the footage had downloaded by accident when he clicked on a link and that he had 'only watched it two or three times'. Raikoti was jailed for 15 months and ordered to pay $200 for the soiled underwear. He is also subject to a deportation order and would be transported to Fiji straight away or after his sentence. 05.02.2020 LISTEN The Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council is urging government to discontinue plans of extending the current closed season period for artisanal fisher-folks to two months. They argue that staying out of business for the proposed two months will negatively affect their finances and livelihood hence their opposition to such an idea. The concerns follow a statement by the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye indicating government's intention to extend the closed fishing season to two months. Speaking to Citi News, Executive Member of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council, Nana Jojo Solomon said the extension could be considered in the future when enough measures have been put in place. The fishermen live from hand to mouth, predominantly, so if you ask them to stay at home for one full month, I think that is enough punishment for our own deeds but two months I think that will be a little bit on the high side, he noted. Last year , the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture declared a nationwide closed season for fishing from May 15 to June 15, 2019. This was aimed at allowing the depleting fish stock to replenish. Despite the announcement, many stakeholders in the fisheries sector opposed the ban because of what they said was the failure of the Ministry to inform them ahead of time. However, on May 3rd, 2019, with a few days to the start of the nationwide closed fishing season, some fishermen demanded the date be changed from May to July. They said that though they acknowledge that the closure of the fishing season is crucial, the date announced by the Ministry is useless because it is not backed by scientific research. ---citinewsroom New York, Feb 5 : Researchers have revealed that fireflies are facing extinction due to habitat loss, exposure to pesticides and artificial lights. Fireflies belong to a widespread and economically important insect group, with more than 2,000 different species spread out across the globe, said the study, published in the journal Bioscience. To better understand what threats are faced by fireflies, the research team surveyed firefly experts around the world to size up the most prominent threats to survival for their local species. "Lots of wildlife species are declining because their habitat is shrinking, so it wasn't a huge surprise that habitat loss was considered the biggest threat. Some fireflies get hit especially hard when their habitat disappears because they need special conditions to complete their life cycle," said the study's lead author Sara Lewis, Professor at Tufts University in the US. According to survey respondents, habitat loss is the most most critical threat to firefly survival in most geographic regions, followed by light pollution and pesticide use. One surprising result that emerged from the survey was that, globally, light pollution was regarded as the second most serious threat to fireflies. Artificial light at night has grown exponentially during the last century. "In addition to disrupting natural biorhythms - including our own - light pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals," said the study's co-author Avalon Owens. Many fireflies rely on bioluminescence to find and attract their mates, and previous work has shown that too much artificial light can interfere with these courtship exchanges. Firefly experts viewed the widespread agricultural use of pesticides as another key threat to firefly survival. Most insecticide exposure occurs during larval stages, because juvenile fireflies spend up to two years living below ground or under water. Insecticides such as organophosphates and neonicotinoids are designed to kill pests, yet they also have off-target effects on beneficial insects. While more research is needed, the evidence shows that many commonly used insecticides are harmful to fireflies. A few studies have quantified firefly population declines, such as those seen in the tourist-attracting synchronous fireflies of Malaysia, and the glowworm Lampyris noctiluca in England. And numerous anecdotal reports suggest that many other firefly species across a wide range of habitats have also suffered recent declines. By illuminating threats and evaluating the conservation status of firefly species around the world, researchers aim to preserve the magical lights of fireflies for future generations to enjoy. WASHINGTON Themed the Great American Comeback, President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night, less than 24 hours before the Senate will vote to acquit him of impeachment charges. Although some Democrats chose to boycott the event, every member of the Connecticut congressional delegation was in attendance when Trump kicked off his speech at 9 p.m. in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny, Trump said. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Trump in the chamber many Democrats did not clap while Republican members of the chamber broke into a rousing chant of four more years. Trump did not shake Pelosis hand. After his address, Pelosi stood and ripped up a copy of his address. The president did not comment on his impeachment in any way. In his speech, Trump set a 2020 agenda focused on working families, health care and immigration, among other issues. Democrats rebutted his address with their own televised speeches delivered by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, in English and Spanish, respectively. Declaring years of economic decay over, Trump praised a strong U.S. economy and the international trade agreements brokered by his administration in 2019. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) only to do so and then absolutely nothing happened, Trump said. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. We did our job. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed a brand new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law. He said his administration has reduced unemployment, raised wages and helped low-income workers, declaring a blue collar boom. Trump called on Congress to work together to reduce health care costs, highlighting in particular prescription drug costs and surprise medical bills. Trump said Congress should send him a bill to lower drug costs and he will sign it, prompting many Democrats to stand, holding up three fingers and chant H.R. 3, the name of their health care bill that has died in the Senate. Trump said hed like to pass legislation to ban late-term abortion. He also advocated for more funding for neo-natal research. The president attacked Democrats who want to eliminate private health insurance. One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans, Trump said. To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care. Trump applauded his work addressing immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. He attacked sanctuary cities as a threat to public safety and asked Congress to pass legislation allowing people to sue sanctuary cities when their loved one dies as a result of these deadly policies. In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed, Trump said. The Center for Immigration Studies identifies Connecticut as a sanctuary state, and Hartford and New Haven as sanctuary cities. These jurisdictions all have various policies limiting state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Bridgeport has not embraced the sanctuary city label, but has declared itself a welcoming city for immigrants. The president also discussed American military and diplomatic efforts around the world. Trump said his administration has invested a a record-breaking $2.2 trillion dollars in the U.S. military. He highlighted his creation of a new military branch, the Space Force. Trump won bipartisan applause when he brought up his administrations killing of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, known for his brutality. Trump also highlighted his January strike assassinating a top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, a controversial move that some worried would lead America and Iran into war. Trump said Iran must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and can choose whether to work with the U.S. to improve its economy or continue to suffer. Trumps goal is to end Americas ongoing wars in the Middle East, he added. He said hed like to bring troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, but did not set a timeline for concerted withdrawal. In one of the emotional moments of the address, Trump reunited Amy Williams and her two children with her husband, who was deployed in Afghanistan and surprised the family in the House gallery. On education, Trump advocated for more school choice policies. He said he would like to create vocational and technical programs in every American high school. Trump also highlighted his support for paid family leave and affordable child care. A major defense bill signed into law in 2019 awarded 12 weeks of paid leave to all of federal employees. Trump backed a bipartisan proposal to allow new parents to borrow money from a child tax credit to pay for child care or leave. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, a long-time champion for paid family and medical leave, has dismissed the proposal as inadequate and supports her own bill to establish an unemployment-style benefit for paid leave funded by a payroll tax, similar to the law passed by Connecticut. In the speech, Trump spotlighted Opportunity Zones, federally designated areas where the government incentivizes public and private investment to rebuild American cities. Connecticut has 72 opportunity zones in 27 municipalities, according to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. Two of the guests Trump invited to the State of the Union live or work in Opportunity Zones. Trump also invited several children this year, including son of a soldier killed in Iraq, a girl born at 21 weeks and six days old and a fourth grade student from Pennsylvania, with their parents. Among others, Trump selected a U.S. border patrol agent and a man whose brother was killed by an undocumented immigrant in California, a sanctuary state, the White House said. Notably, Trump invited Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan opposition leader reviving his bid to challenge that countrys president Nicolas Maduro, as well as a former police chief from Venezuela who was imprisoned there and fled to the U.S. Trump called Guaido the true and legitimate president of Venezuela, Tuesday night. Trump also invited radio host Rush Limbaugh, whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. First lady Melania Trump placed the medal around Limbaughs neck during the speech. Limbaugh recently revealed he is fighting cancer. Each member of Congress was also permitted to bring a guest. The guests from Connecticut included the uncle of a veteran who committed suicide, an advocate against gun violence, a woman with a cancer foundation, a diabetic who has struggled to afford insulin, the leader of a non-profit targeting addiction and the president of a workforce training organization in eastern Connecticut. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5, DeLauro, and other House Democratic women wore white to the address to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. After Trumps speech, Whitmer framed Democrats as the defenders of American health care in her televised rebuttal. She said she campaigned fix the damn roads so Americans afford their groceries, bills and child care instead of paying for car repairs. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market, she said. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. Democrats who chose not to attend the State of the Union included Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Maxine Waters of California, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Hank Johnson of Georgia, Frederica Wilson of Florida and Bobby Rush of Illinois, the Hill reported. Some Democrats have skipped the address in past years, as well. On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote to acquit Trump, ending his impeachment trial that started two weeks ago. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The state has created all conditions for entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association Farhad Garashov told Trend. Azerbaijan's entrepreneurs are provided with soft loans and other necessary support, Garashov added. Stressing that a lot of work has been done to improve the business environment in the country, Garashov noted that Azerbaijani's list of export destinations is expanding and Azerbaijani trade houses are opening abroad, which creates a solid foundation for sustainable development of entrepreneurship. "The close attention of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the economy, in particular, the development of the agricultural sector, the measures taken under his leadership such as the orders signed by him, regional meetings, reforms etc, contribute to the rapid development of Azerbaijan in all aspects. These initiatives are highly appreciated and supported by entrepreneurs. The creation of the Council of Agricultural Subsidies made a great contribution to the increase in payments provided to the spheres of fruit cultivation and crop production. I would like to note that Azerbaijan ranks first in the world in terms of the amount of subsidies provided to agriculture," Garashov said. Garashov emphasized that entrepreneurs should correctly use the opportunities provided by the state, avoid the shadow economy and not evade paying taxes. "Given tax exemptions for entrepreneurs, particularly those involved in agriculture, I would advise them to avoid the shadow economy. The conclusion of labor contracts with both wage workers and regular workers and the prevention of violations of the law will lead to additional funds coming into the budget, thus allowing the state to increase benefits and create even more favorable conditions for entrepreneurs," said the chairman. "The main goal should be to ensure the conformity of the manufactured products to international standards, to supply high-quality fruits and vegetables under the Made in Azerbaijan brand to foreign markets. The instructions of the head of state given to banks in connection with financial exemptions for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector are important for farmers," Garashov added. The Centre on Wednesday said the disinvestment process of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) will be done in a transparent manner and surplus land of such units would be sold at commercial rates to states or any private party. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told Rajya Sabha during Question Hour that the surplus land issue of CPSEs will be "dealt with separately" during the disinvestment process. The government has given in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment of 28 CPSEs including Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). Responding to a query if huge land given by state governments on lease to CPSEs, that will be divested, will be returned to them or not, the minister said, "The land was not given to respective PSUs as a charity." The land was given as part of the deal and financial compensation for the same was also given to the respective state or individual, he said. Pradhan said the government has two principles for dealing with land related issues in the disinvestment process. There is a provision in the law. "Where the total business proposition needs a package of land for expansion for existing business, the land will remain with the entity. The surplus land will be delinked from the business proposition, it will be dealt with separately," he said. The surplus land can be handed over to the market or respective state government on a financial transaction, he added. "The surplus land will be dealt with after due diligence. If a party or respective state comes (to buy), we are open to negotiate on a commercial deal," Pradhan noted. In 2016-17, the government had consciously taken a decision that if in a proposal one portion of land is surplus then it will not be given to the new company as it is. It will be dealt with separately and commercially, he added. Responding to another query on apprehension that CPSEs will be divested at a cheaper rate, the minister said, "Nothing will be in the dark. Nothing will be under cover. Everything will be black and white, and transparent. The process is on." On divestment of CPSEs, the minister said it is being done as the government has "no business to be in business" and gradually it has to withdraw itself from such businesses and focus more on welfare of people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today we'll take a closer look at Concurrent Technologies Plc (LON:CNC) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. While Concurrent Technologies's 2.4% dividend yield is not the highest, we think its lengthy payment history is quite interesting. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding Concurrent Technologies for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis AIM:CNC Historical Dividend Yield, February 5th 2020 Payout ratios Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. Looking at the data, we can see that 41% of Concurrent Technologies's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is a medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. Besides, if reinvestment opportunities dry up, the company has room to increase the dividend. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. Concurrent Technologies's cash payout ratio in the last year was 44%, which suggests dividends were well covered by cash generated by the business. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. With a strong net cash balance, Concurrent Technologies investors may not have much to worry about in the near term from a dividend perspective. Story continues We update our data on Concurrent Technologies every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Concurrent Technologies has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. The dividend has been stable over the past 10 years, which is great. We think this could suggest some resilience to the business and its dividends. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was UK0.013 in 2010, compared to UK0.023 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.9% a year over that time. Businesses that can grow their dividends at a decent rate and maintain a stable payout can generate substantial wealth for shareholders over the long term. Dividend Growth Potential Dividend payments have been consistent over the past few years, but we should always check if earnings per share (EPS) are growing, as this will help maintain the purchasing power of the dividend. It's good to see Concurrent Technologies has been growing its earnings per share at 42% a year over the past five years. With high earnings per share growth in recent times and a modest payout ratio, we think this is an attractive combination if earnings can be reinvested to generate further growth. Conclusion Dividend investors should always want to know if a) a company's dividends are affordable, b) if there is a track record of consistent payments, and c) if the dividend is capable of growing. First, we like that the company's dividend payments appear well covered, although the retained capital also needs to be effectively reinvested. That said, we were glad to see it growing earnings and paying a fairly consistent dividend. All these things considered, we think this organisation has a lot going for it from a dividend perspective. Now, if you want to look closer, it would be worth checking out our free research on Concurrent Technologies management tenure, salary, and performance. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The fourteenth case of the deadly coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia. The Chinese-national, 37, from Wuhan - the epicentre of the virus - is a member of a group of nine Chinese tourists who are in quarantine on the Gold Coast. He was travelling with a 44-year-old man, 42-year-old woman and an eight-year-old boy who have also been diagnosed with the virus in Queensland. The group flew to Queensland from Melbourne on January 27, and have spent the last week in isolation in the Gold Coast University Hospital. Australia's 14th case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Queensland on Wednesday night The 37-year-old man who contracted the virus is a member of a group of nine Chinese tourists who are in quarantine at Gold Coast University Hospital (pictured) Queensland Health on Wednesday night said all four people are in a stable condition. Five others who were a part of their tour group also remain in isolation at the same hospital. It's the state's fourth confirmed case of the virus, while there are four each in NSW and Victoria, and two cases in South Australia Of those, three people have recovered and been released. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 24,000 in mainland China. Two Australians on a cruise ship off Japan also contracted coronavirus after being exposed by a previous passenger. The pair were among 10 people including three each from Japan and Hong Kong, one from the US and one Filipino crew member who tested positive aboard the Diamond Princess. Two Australians on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan also contracted coronavirus after being exposed by a previous passenger Japan has quarantined the vessel carrying 223 Australians among 2666 guests and 1045 crew at Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Diamond Princess was due to depart Yokohama on an eight-day round trip but the vessel will remain in quarantine for two weeks while Japanese authorities attempt to contain further spread of the virus. The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. If Xis strategy is to avoid being associated with the response to coronavirus outbreak, it is likely to backfire on him, Dickson said. Leaders can gain a lot of good will by showing sympathy and concern during a crisis, even if they cant resolve it. A tenant shot a maintenance worker he thought was breaking in to his apartment after he was sent to the wrong unit for a job. Gregory Sims, 28, shot Byron Castillo, 48, around 8:30 am Thursday morning at an apartment complex in High Point, North Carolina, when Castillo tried to enter the property. Castillo, a painter, was contracted by the Chatham Woods apartment complex to carry out repairs on a unit but was sent to the wrong address. High Point police said Castillo identified himself as maintenance, knocked on the door and tried to unlock it using a key he had been given that did not work. Gregory Sims, 28, shot Byron Castillo, 48, around 8:30 am Thursday morning at the Chatham Woods apartment complex (above) in High Point, North Carolina. Castillo was contracted by the Chatham Woods apartment complex to carry out repairs on a unit but was sent to the wrong address Sims, the occupant of the apartment, feared for his safety so he opened the door and shot Castillo once in the chest, according to a statement by Kenneth Shultz, Chief of Police at the High Point Police Department. Shultz said: 'Sims perceived that someone was attempting to break into his apartment and retrieved his firearm. 'Mr. Sims could see Mr. Castillo pulling on the door handle and that he had something in his other hand manipulating the deadbolt.' The High Point Police Department confirmed Tuesday that no charges will be brought against Sims for the shooting. 'The Violent Crimes Unit consulted and presented the case to the Guilford County District Attorney's Office and prosecution has been declined. Through unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Castillo attempted to gain entry mistakenly into the wrong apartment and Mr. Sims perceived that as a threat and fired his weapon,' police said. In 911 calls made after the incident, conflicting claims are made about the events. Authorities released the calls on Thursday afternoon, reported WXII 12. In a call made from the leasing office, the caller said the man who had been shot was there. The 911 operator asked: 'Is he still breathing and everything?' The caller responded: 'Yes. He is speaking, 'Help. Help. Help.' The caller then said the man who fired the gunshot was at the front door of the leasing office trying to get in. A few minutes later another 911 call was made where a man said he had shot Castillo through the door. Kenneth Shultz, Chief of Police at the High Point Police Department (above) said Sims feared for his safety so he opened the door and shot Castillo once in the chest. Police confirmed that no charges will be brought against Sims 'Yeah, someone was nudging against my door,' he told the operator in the recording released by authorities. 'I have anxiety right now and they were trying to get into my house, and I fired a shot, and I'm not sure if it hit him or anything.' When the operator asked if 'he was trying to get in and you shot through the door', the voice replied 'yes'. However, authorities found 'no bullet holes in the door', reported WXII 12. Castillo was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem where he underwent surgery. Castillo remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Description GIS 05 February, 2020: The Anse-La-Raie Youth Centre will be converted into a quarantine facility since the Souillac hospital can only accommodate 50 patients. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, made this announcement, yesterday evening, during a meeting with the inhabitants of the Souillac locality held at Swami Vivekananda State Secondary School. Dr Jagutpal recalled that according to the new protocol put in place by the Health authorities, all passengers arriving from China are placed in quarantine at the Souillac hospital. Thirty-one passengers from Hong Kong have been put under observation on 4 February 2020 and the number of people admitted will decrease since flights from China to Mauritius have stopped. According to the Health Minister, if previously only those who had stayed in Wuhan or who presented fever symptoms were admitted at Souillac hospital, the new protocol put in place targets the whole of China, given that the coronavirus has spread in the whole of the country. Any person of any nationality who has stayed in China and is coming to Mauritius will be placed in quarantine, observed Dr Jagutpal. As regards the normal health services offered at Souillac hospital, they have been temporarily stopped. Only the Outpatient department is operational and all those patients requiring admission are sent to Rose Belle hospital. An ambulance is on stand-by to transport these patients. Joanne Grogan said she may quit the creche industry after having three children because she cannot afford childcare for her own family. As she nears the end of her maternity leave next month, she is not sure how she will cope financially. Her children are all aged under five. "There's no financial benefit for me to go to work with the way wages are in the childcare sector," said Ms Grogan (32), who works at Ballyheane Buttercups near Castlebar, Co Mayo. "What I would be left with wouldn't even cover the diesel to get there." She said she loves her job and spent more than 12,000 studying for a degree over four years. "I can't afford childcare," she said. "Well, you could, but you don't have anything to live on after that. It's driving people who want to have a family out of the sector." She said she knows a lot of workers who are full-time but cannot afford to get a mortgage on their wages. The childcare worker manages Buttercups, which is a community-run service which caters for around 120 children. "It's a fabulous service," she said. "We'd have a lot of parents working in the local hospital who might have moved for work so have no family in the area and the only support unit is the creche. "Parents are paying the fees but don't realise how much expense there is. A lot of providers have left the sector because it's just not financially viable and the staff are not there. There are heating and food bills every week." She said there are no relief staff to step in when workers are absent, so managers end up having to do unpaid paperwork out of hours. Pay rates of 12 an hour are seen as good in the sector, she said, and those earning that would be in charge of areas such as 'wobbler rooms' for toddlers who have begun to walk. She earns around 15 an hour while her fiance works full-time in transportation, but reckons she'd only have about 20 a week left if she paid for childcare. The childcare worker said she hopes the incoming government will back the roll-out of a sectoral employment order for workers. This could set minimum pay rates as well as other benefits such as pensions and holiday pay. She said the sector also needs more State investment. "Workers feel fed up and driven out," she said. "I'm coming to the end of maternity leave and the question is what do you do. "I've spent years on upskilling and training and doing additional courses, especially advocating for those with special needs and their families. "But if I'm at a loss to do it, it doesn't make any sense. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do." T he lawyer representing Jeffrey Epstein's victims and Harry Dunn's family have joined forces to pressure the UK and US governments over Prince Andrew and Anne Sacoolas. Lisa Bloom, a lawyer acting on behalf of six women in the Epstein scandal, urged Ms Sacoolas to return to the UK and for the Duke of York to face questioning from the FBI in the US. Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy. The US has refused to extradite her despite her being charged by the CPS. Speaking during a press conference in New York with Radd Seiger, spokesman for the family of Harry, Ms Bloom said the parallels between the two cases are eerie and involved everyday teenagers who were victimised. She said: Today we stand with the family of Harry Dunn and they stand with us. Teenager Harry Dunn / PA "Both Mrs Sacoolas and Prince Andrew must cooperate with law enforcement. I call upon my government, the US, to return Mrs Sacoolas to the UK to face justice there. She will of course have the right to an attorney and she is presumed innocent. "I call upon the Crown in the UK to require Prince Andrew to come to US to answer law enforcement questions about Jeffrey Epstein and his owner behaviour. He too has the right to fairness and presumption of innocence." She said Andrew needs to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein and his own behaviour, adding: In both countries everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. Prince Andrew, Duke of York / Getty Images Asked by a reporter if the pair are proposing a swap, Mr Seiger said: It can never be a swap but at the heart of extradition treaties is reciprocity. If you want me as a nation to send people you want to prosecute you have to agree to do the same thing. It can never be a straight swap but be careful what you wish for. If you want people from the UK like Prince Andrew, Julian Assange you have to think about making sure that treaty is followed to the letter He said the US governments decision to refuse to extradite Mrs Sacoolas was legally indefensible and effectively ripping up the treaty. Mr Seiger said he reached out to Ms Bloom after realising that there was a common thread running between these cases. He said: Its about evasion of justice. These are the two greatest allies in the world and they follow a rules-based system. No-one, no matter who you are is above the law. We all break the rules from time to time but we dont get to walk away and hide. Mr Seiger added it was "terrible advice" for Mrs Sacoolas and the Duke of York if they are being advised "it's all going to go away" and they should just "wait it out". He said after meeting Kiki, an alleged victim of Epstein also present at the press conference, "what you see every day is a strengthening and stiffening of resolve". If I will die, let it ... Partial results from Monday nights Iowa caucuses, released late Tuesday afternoon, show Pete Buttigieg leading in state delegates and Sen. Bernie Sanders leading in overall votes, with 62% of precincts reporting. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was third in delegates and former Vice President Joe Biden, who still leads in national polling, was fourth, well behind the top candidates. While those results arent final and the candidates have already moved on to New Hampshire the chaotic Iowa caucuses offer a few lessons for those focused on health care: 1. A boost for Buttigieg and Sanders. Before the results were released, The Washington Posts Paige Winfield Cunningham noted that entrance polling indicated that health care was the No. 1 issue for Iowa Democrats and that Sanders and Buttigieg topped the field with health care voters: Forty-two percent of caucus-goers last night said health-care is their top issue, according to entrance polling conducted by The Post and Edison Media Research. Of those voters, a quarter said they support Sanders while another quarter were Buttigieg fans. 2. A win for Medicare for All? The entrance polling also found that 57% of voters support replacing all private health insurance with a single government plan while 38% oppose the idea. The conservative wing of the Democratic Party has been telling us voters wont swallow Medicare-for-all once they learn they will lose their insurance, Matt Bruenig, founder of Peoples Policy Project, a social Democratic think tank, told the Posts Jeff Stein. But these results show voters are ready for Medicare-for-all. What more is there to say? Among those who oppose a single-payer plan, Buttigieg was the top candidate, followed by Joe Biden. 3. An opening for GOP critics of Democratic health care plans. The delay in reporting caucus results, and technical and user issues with the app developed to deliver those numbers, led President Trump and others to question Democrats ability to govern. Trump tweeted that the Democratic caucuses were an unmitigated disaster and brought up the troubled launch of the Obamacare website. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale piled on. It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process, he said. And these are the people who want to run our entire health care system? Conservative Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen echoed that point: If you liked the Iowa caucuses, youll love government-run health care. The same party that could not manage calculating the votes of about 200,000 Iowa caucus-goers wants you to trust them with managing one-tenth of the U.S. economy. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. Thecondition of the 25-year-old woman lecturer who was set on fire in Maharashtra's Wardha district was "critical but stable", hospital authorities said on Wednesday. Navi Mumbai-based National Burns Centre director Sunil Keswani, who was flown to Nagpur to supervise the treatment on Tuesday, examined the woman and had detailed discussion with the team of doctors taking care of her, they said. Victim Ankita Pisudde (25), resident of Hinganghat town in Wardha, is undergoing treatment at the Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. A medical bulletin issued by the hospital on Wednesday said she"remains critical but her vitals are stable". She also underwent "second debridement and dressing" on Wednesday, it said. Debridement is a medical procedure to remove dead, damaged or infected tissue. Keswani examined the woman, reviewed the case files and had a detailed discussion with doctors about her ongoing line of treatment. He told reporters here on Tuesday that the initial seven days are very critical for the victim, and appreciated the timely care provided by hospital. "The woman was fully conscious and responding, but not in a position to talk now. The condition of her lungs will be known after three or four days...All efforts are being made to save her," he said. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who visited the hospital on Tuesday evening, announced that the trial of the accused would be fast-tracked, and well-known lawyer Ujjwal Nikam would be appointed as special prosecutor as per the request of the woman's relatives. Vikesh Nagrale (27), an acquaintance who was harassing her for quite some time, allegedly set Pisudde ablaze at Hinganghat on Monday morning while she was on her way to college. She suffered 40 per cent burns. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray earlier asked the police to ensure that the accused was convicted. Thackeray took a serious note of the incident, a statement from his office said on Tuesday, adding that expenses of the woman's treatment would be borne from the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund. Meanwhile, Wardha Police on Wednesday transferred probe in the case to a special team led by Pulgaon town's deputy superintendent of police (DySP). "Considering seriousness of the crime and since it is related to atrocity against a woman, the investigation in the case has been handed over to DySP Trupti Jadhav," Wardha Superintendent of Police Basavraj Teli said. A special team led by Jadhav will probe the case and collect all related evidence to file a charge sheet, he said. "As per state government's orders, we are moving an application seeking trial in a fast track court. We are also forwarding a proposal to get a special public prosecutor to represent the victim," he said. After the incident on Monday morning, the accused tried to escape but he was nabbed at Butibori industrial suburb in Nagpur within four hours, he said. The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc) and sent in police custody till Friday, he added. Police were now recording statements of various people, including eye-witnesses, and parents of the victim and the accused, another official said. According to the police, Nagrale, who was arrested soon after the incident, and the woman were friends till two years ago when she severed ties with him due to his "irrational behaviour". "Nagrale is a married man and has a seven-month-old son. He works in a firm in Balharshah. He used to stalk the woman. He had even tried to commit suicide last year," a police official said. The victim's cousin Shubham Pisudde told PTI that Nagrale had been harassing her for the last many years despite repeated warnings. "Her marriage (engagement) was broken last year due to Nagrale," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Mark and Jerri Jorgensen (pictured) have revealed that they are trapped on a cruise ship near Tokyo, Japan, that is undergoing a 14-day quarantine after 10 people tested positive for coronavirus Four American tourists have revealed that they are trapped on a cruise ship near Tokyo, Japan, that is undergoing a 14-day quarantine after 10 people tested positive for coronavirus. Mark and Jerri Jorgensen along with Karey Maniscalco and her husband, all from Utah, are on one of two ships in Asia that are under mandatory quarantines. Between both ships there are more than 5,000 passengers and of those, 428 are American. The Jorgensens and Maniscalcos are among the 3,700 passengers on the Diamond Princess who are stranded in the sea off Japan. 'When we got into Japan, they were not letting us off the ship,' Jorgensen told KUTV. Passengers on the ship were informed Tuesday morning that at least 10 people on board were infected with the virus, Jorgensen said. The 10 people - two Australians, one American, three guests from Hong Kong, two from Japan and one Filipino crew member - were taken ashore by the Japanese coast guard and sent to nearby hospitals. Initially, there was only one guest who exhibited coronavirus symptoms, but once the individual tested positive for the virus, that prompted health officials to test all of the passengers on the ship. David Abel, a British cruise ship passenger stuck on board the Diamond Princess, voiced fears over how his thousands of shipmates will cope with a two-week lockdown. Passengers are facing another 13 days stuck at sea to prevent the virus from spreading. Abel described how luxury dinners had been replaced with rationed food delivered by staff in face masks. Other passengers have shared pictures of their food including bread rolls with cheese and meat, plates of chicken with rice, and a chocolate dessert - while one cabin had a sign on its door with a request for English Breakfast teabags. Abel, a diabetic, had earlier voiced the fear that he would fall into a coma if he did not get enough food, but later described himself as a 'happy bunny' after supplies were brought to the ship. Scroll down for video Karey Maniscalco and her husband (left) along with the Jorgensens (right) are among the 3,700 passengers on the Diamond Princess who are stranded in the sea off Japan Initially, there was only one guest who exhibited coronavirus symptoms, but once the individual tested positive for the virus, that prompted health officials to test all of the passengers on the ship. A patient is seen being transferred from the ship for treatment on the mainland in Japan on Wednesday Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger who tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port today Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday after 10 tested positive for coronavirus. Passengers on the ship are facing a two-week virus lockdown Crew members wearing face masks have gone cabin-to-cabin to deliver food with a strict quarantine now in place. 'All the passengers on board this ship, we remain confined to our cabins. We can't even walk down the corridor,' Abel said. 'For many passengers it's going to be absolute boredom. We are quite fortunate that we've got a cabin with a balcony. The people I feel really sorry for are those with inside cabins who've got no natural light, no fresh air.' Smoking has been totally banned on board, even for passengers with a balcony, he said. 'We are definitely no longer on a luxury cruise, where we had the superb benefit of eating from a dining room and a choice from the menu those days are over,' he said. 'I am so grateful that the ship are taking care of us, its just such a contrast to the first few weeks of a cruise on the Diamond Princess. 'For the first time ever we've seen the crew wearing face masks, they haven't been wearing them until serving breakfast and lunch today. 'They knock on the door, they hand over the tray of food and when they are ready to collect the trays they come and knock on the door. It's very brief. 'It has changed beyond recognition but this is not the fault of Princess cruise line, they are complying with the Japanese health authority.' David Abel (pictured) and his fellow passengers have been ordered to stay in their cabins aboard the Diamond Princess amid the lockdown Other passengers have shared pictures of their food, including bread rolls with cheese and meat and plates of chicken with rice, as staff in face masks delivered supplies on board the ship Passengers were given rations including yogurt, fruit and bread as well as juice and hot drinks for breakfast Wednesday morning One cabin aboard the Diamond Princess had a note posted on the door with a request for English Breakfast teabags Health workers in protective gear are seen carrying suitcases from the Diamond Princess on Wednesday People are transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess to a patrol ship on Wednesday, after 10 confirmed cases Health workers in protective suits put up hoardings today as passengers who were diagnosed with the virus are moved Pictures on board the Diamond Princess showed masked health workers in blue plastic gowns walking down as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Cruise operator Princess Cruises said the next two trips which were due to depart Yokohama on February 4 and February 12 had been cancelled. A spokesman said food and other supplies would be brought on board from other ships when the vessel returns to Yokohama. 'The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard,' the spokesman said. 'Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable. 'Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.' An ambulance departs the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama after bringing virus patients from the Diamond Princess Ambulance workers in protective gear drive an ambulance which is believed to carry a person who was transferred from cruise ship Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus. The only people in sight are personnel going from room-to-room to test the passengers for the virus, or to clean the ship's public areas. One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Another shows the ship's huge casino standing empty. Corridors and a huge atrium are left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks. The usually-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess is now empty and unmanned. Meanwhile, a second ship is also undergoing quarantine. More than 30 crew members on board the World Dream ship in Hong Kong are showing symptoms of coronavirus, officials said. All 3,600 passengers have been put in quarantine. The World Dream docked in Hong Kong after three former passengers were found to have had the virus. The ship was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday and is now being held in quarantine while everyone on board is tested. Port health official Leung Yiu Hong said the infected crew members had symptoms such as fever, coughing or a sore throat. Pictures showed one man being moved off the ship and transferred to an ambulance by health workers in blue protective suits. Hong Kong has today tightened its quarantine measures, saying all arrivals from mainland China will face a mandatory two-week lockdown. An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan The once-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess stands empty and unmanned Medical personnel are pictured going room-by-room as they check up on the passengers. According to a statement from Japan's health ministry, the guests' temperatures and overall conditions are being monitored Images show corridors and a huge atrium left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks Medical personnel pictured on the eighth deck of the cruise ship as they carry out tests on the passengers on board, who have been instructed to remain in their rooms A man in protective clothing walks on the sixth deck of the Diamond Princess today where quarantine specialists are carrying out tests First reported in China in December 2019, the strain, known as 2019-nCov, is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, a city 700 miles south of the capital of Beijing. The fast-spreading outbreak has killed 491 people in China, while two deaths have been reported outside of the mainland. More than 24,000 people have been infected across 25 countries. US health officials have reported 11 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States so far, including two person-to-person transmissions, and have declared a health emergency with mandatory two-week quarantines for travelers from China's affected province. The Trump administration declared a public health emergency on January 31, and announced the extraordinary measures of barring the entry of foreign nationals who have recently visited China. The State Department issued a 'Do Not Travel' to China advisory to US citizens, advising them to return on commercial flights if possible, though some commercial airlines have suspended flights to or from major Chinese cities. US officials have also restricted flights from China to 11 designated airports deemed capable of carrying out enhanced screening. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BICSI, the association advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, is pleased to announce the release of the new 14th edition of the Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual (TDMM), the global definitive resource for telecommunications and ICT infrastructure design for the past 35 years. Significant changes have been made to the 14th edition, which reflect the newest trends in ICT technologies to ensure a project is designed based on the latest standards and best practices. These include a completely new chapter on special design considerations; new sections on disaster recovery, risk management and OM5 multimode fiber; and expanded information on Power over Ethernet (PoE), health care, wireless systems, electronic safety and security, and building automation. Spanning 2,000 pages, the two-volume TDMM contains vital information on these aspects and more concerning digital infrastructure project design. As BICSI's flagship manual, The TDMM is a valued reference for all ICT professionals designing digital infrastructure. It also acts as the basis for BICSI's Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD), the gold-standard industry certification for ICT designers. Since its inception, the TDMM has helped to certify thousands of RCDDs. More information and pricing for the TDMM can be found at bicsi.org/tdmm. About BICSI BICSI is a professional association supporting the advancement of the information and communications technology (ICT) community and currently serves more than 26,000 memberships and credentials. BICSI is the preeminent global resource for ICT credentials, standards, knowledge transfer and career development. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries. SOURCE BICSI Related Links http://www.bicsi.org BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 Trend: The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, in accordance with its mandate, plans to conduct the next ceasefire monitoring exercise on the line of contact of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, in the territory of Azerbaijan's Terter district on Feb. 6, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk, his field assistants Mihail Olaru and Martin Schuster will carry out the monitoring exercise from the territory of Azerbaijan. The Personal Representative's field assistants Ognjen Jivic, Ghenadie Petrica and Simon Tiller will carry out the monitoring exercise on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied and controlled by the armed forces of Armenia. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Jim Scruggs didnt want a home warranty, and he certainly didnt want any more robocalls trying to sell him one. He told the telemarketer who rang his cellphone last year to never call him again, according to court documents. But when the calls didnt stop, Scruggs decided to chat up the telemarketers and find out who was behind the eight sales pitches he ultimately received. And then he called an attorney. Doing what most people would only dream, Scruggs filed a lawsuit last month against two New Jersey companies he blames for the robocalls. It seeks $24,000 in damages, plus attorney fees. I had to take a stand, Scruggs, 61, of Chesapeake, Va., said in an interview. If folks dont take a stand against telemarketers, then we are never going to get away from it. Robocalls like the ones received by Scruggs are a growing problem, with one company estimating 58.5 billion such calls were made last year alone. YouMail, which analyzes data collected by its robocall blocking service, said that equates to about 178.3 calls per person. Many of the people who received those calls are on the Federal Trade Commissions National Do Not Call Registry, which currently contains more than 239 million numbers. But only about 3.6 million people called the FTC last year to complain about robocalls. Another 1.4 million people called to complain theyd been contacted by live callers while on the Do Not Call list. The FTC is trying to stem the tide. Since 2003, the commission has pursued 148 cases involving large-scale Do Not Call list and robocall violations. Included in those is a recent victory against Dish Network that is currently on appeal. In all, the FTC has secured judgments totaling $435.6 million in civil penalties, officials said. Only $52.3 million of that has actually been collected, though. Scruggs said he received the calls at the heart of the lawsuit in January 2019. He said he told the callers each time he wanted them to stop calling him and they kept calling. From there, he reached out to the state attorney generals office, but after deciding his complaint was gaining no traction there, he tracked down his attorney, Kevin Dillon. Most people dont think to involve an attorney when they get a call from a telemarketer. They dont think anything can be done or that they cant afford to file a lawsuit. Dillon said thats not true, though. He noted a key section in state and federal laws that were passed decades ago to protect people from unwanted telemarketing calls: fee shifting. If Scruggs wins his case in court, Dillon said, the companies CHW Group Inc. and Home Warranty Administrators, Inc. will have to pay his fees. We really work to use those laws to our clients advantage, said Dillon, explaining how the statutorily mandated fee shifting makes it financially feasible for attorneys like himself to research and file such lawsuits. The mandated damages also make such cases profitable, he said. Each unwanted call is a violation of both a state and federal law, Dillon explained. And each violation carries a minimum $500 civil penalty. If proven to have been done willfully, it is $1,500 per call. If the same telemarketer is behind 300 unwanted calls, Dillon said, you are looking at a good chunk of change there." Scruggs said he believed the current damages outlined in the law are actually inadequate, though. He referred to it as decimal dust. Thats just the cost of doing business for these companies, he said, arguing for state and federal lawmakers to hike up the penalties for do-not-call violations. It needs to be truly punitive. CHW Group did not respond to requests for comment. No one answered at Home Warranty Administrators, and the companys voicemail box was full. Consumer advocates stressed people should do some legwork before calling a lawyer. First, it is best if a person is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Second, a person should try to determine who is behind the calls before calling a lawyer. The easiest way to do that, Dillon said, is to ask the telemarketer who called for the name of their company. A phone number might work, but many companies now use special technology to spoof a local number and make it appear the call is coming from nearby. You will usually need more than a number, Dillon said, explaining that one of the most difficult aspects of wining such a lawsuit is determining whom to sue. You have to have an actual defendant, not just a ghost entity. Scruggs said the telemarketers who called him were actually up front, openly identifying their companies. Each law firm is different, but most will also want a prospective client to provide detailed phone records to prove when the calls were received and how long they lasted. Attorneys also like to see contemporaneous notes indicating what was said during each call. Dillon said he wants to know if there was a delay or click before the telemarketer started speaking. He said that usually indicates the call was placed by an autodialer, something companies arent allowed to use without a persons express consent. Even if a person can locate all of that information, it can still be difficult for a person to really win such a lawsuit. Dillon said it is hard to collect when the company behind the calls is based in a foreign country. Still, he said, its a clear violation of federal law whenever someone on the do-not-call list receives a robocall solicitation. And even a single call could lead to a potentially good lawsuit, he said. Dillon and the FTC urged the public to try to collect information about the telemarketers who call them and report them to the authorities. The more data we have, the better we can target our law enforcement activities, said Ian Barlow, FTCs Do Not Call Program Coordinator. Dillon said lawsuits are also a viable way to get companies to change their ways. In order to put a stop to it, we need more consumers to try, he said. Scott Daugherty of The Virginian-Pilot wrote this story. 2020 The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) Visit The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) at pilotonline.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. New Delhi, Feb 5 : As the Auto Expo 2020 kicks in, Hero Cycles is all set to showcase a range of its upcoming products including electric bi-cycles. "As it works to fulfil its vision of capturing a 10 per cent share in global electric bicycle manufacturing, Hero Cycles will display a series of upcoming products that highlight a new dimension in the field of the Indian bicycle industry," said a company statement. Among the major highlights of the bicycle major at the expo will be the soon-to-be-launched concept bicycles, electric folding bike and an electric fat bike. Hero Cycles will also display e-bikes from the stable of the recently acquired German firm HNF Nicolai which will soon make inroads in the Indian market. Its existing portfolio in the urban e-bike segment under the brand Lectro with products like Townmaster, Glide and E Zephyr, will also be displayed. "At Hero Group, we have taken a big leap towards capturing a major share of the global e-bike market over the next few years. Our vision is to capture 10 per cent share in global electric bicycle manufacturing by 2022," said Pankaj M. Munjal, Chairman Aand Managing Director, HMC, a Hero Motors Company. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Palestinian leadership has publicly responded to President Trumps so-called peace proposal with a thousand nos. So far, so predictable. But if President Mahmoud Abbas has any hope of limiting the damage from the Trump planwhich gives Israel license to annex large parts of the West bank and leaves the Palestinians at best trapped in an unworkable Bantustanhe needs to craft a more serious rejoinder. U.S. officials have invited the Palestinians to come up with a counteroffer; Arab and European governments would welcome one that validates their opposition to the Trump plan and continued commitment to the two-state framework. Abbas has said he will present a proposal in the next couple of weeks, likely at the United Nations. The momentum is on his side. The Europeans have rejected the plan, pointing out that it is utterly at odds with international law, existing agreements and understandings. There was some initial ambivalence from the Arabs: Seeking closer ties to Israel in their confrontation with Iran, some Arab countries had hoped to embrace the proposal. Ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain were present at the launch ceremony. But an Arab League summit unanimously rejected the proposal as unjust, and warned Israel not to proceed with its annexation plans. The Arab position was reiterated by the 57-state member Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Trump plan poses the greatest threat to potential Palestinian independence in decades, yet it has also strengthened Abbas authority at home by uniting the political factions, including Hamas, in opposition to it and, perforce, around his national leadership. The stage is perfectly set for Abbas to present a bold new Palestinian vision for peace with Israel. The easy, and wrong, thing to doand going by his track record, what he is most likely to dowould be to simply frame the Palestinian position as a vague, two-state formula based on UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. This was exactly the position he took at the UN last year, but times have changed dramatically. Story continues A reprise of that speech might be politically popular with Palestinians, where Abbas would be seen as sticking to their national talking points. But it would achieve nothing for them: the Trump plan has already altered the political landscape, and it may not be long before Israeli annexation irreversibly changes facts on the ground too. To undermine the Trump initiative, Abbas will need to show political courage and leadershipand flexibility. His own plan should embrace significant compromises on key final-status issues. If he cant produce a detailed conceptual map of proposed borders for the Palestinian statethose details would require negotiating with Israel--Abbas can at least identify some of the Jewish settlements that Palestinians are willing to trade for equal areas of unpopulated land in Israel, and a transit corridor to Gaza. He can concede that most Palestinian refugees will have to make do with compensation and citizenship in a Palestinian state rather than a return to what is now Israel. (He can cite himself as an example of this, as he has in the past.) He can commit to reasonable security arrangements and a non-militarized state along Costa Rican lineswith police and security forces but no standing military, and committed to staying out of all conflictsbut not one controlled or surrounded by Israel. And he can affirm that Jerusalem would serve as the capital for both Israel and Palestine. But Abbas should also insist that the Palestinian state be fully sovereign and in control its borders, airspace and electromagnetic spectrum and coastline. Finally, he should agree that such an understanding would be an end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to all claims against each other. All this would be entirely consistent with the positions the Palestinian leadership has presented at the negotiating table for decades, but has never honestly explained to its own public. As a result, such a plan would be controversial among Palestinians, but Abbas should point out that the Trump proposal is a national emergency, requiring the breaking of some political taboos. At the UN, Abbas should also hold up a copy of the signature page of 1993 Declaration of Principles, signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Israel and the U.S., and note that it is formal and binding. He can easily demonstrate that his vision is entirely consistent with its provisions while the Trump proposal is not. All negotiations, he should insist, must be based on this signed and agreed-upon framework, and not some new diktat from the White House. If Palestinians respond with such a serious counteroffer, they will reinforce Arab and European opposition to the Trump proposal, and make any Israeli annexation effort far more difficult and costly. They will also greatly strengthen the hands of those in Washington who are committed to restoring sanity and viability to U.S. policy on Israel and Palestine. To contact the author of this story: Hussein Ibish at hussein.ibish@gmail.com To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. One person was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a shooting on the West Side, but police say he isn't cooperating with them to help make an arrest. Just after 2 a.m., San Antonio police responded to reports of a shooting in progress near the 1880 block of Horal Drive. When they arrived, they found a man in his 30s suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Representatives of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine have met with a delegation from Japan on February 5 to determine the key directions of international military cooperation between Ukraine and Japan. Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Bessarab said that it is necessary to continue military cooperation between Ukraine and Japan and expressed the hope that it would be extended during international exercises, the ministry's press service reported. "He said that participation of Japan Self-Defense Forces in the Sea Breeze 2020 exercise should become an important factor in this process," reads the statement. The sides also determined the key directions of international military cooperation between Ukraine and Japan and agreed to continue mutually beneficial cooperation in this field. They also discussed the issue of countering hybrid threats. The Ukrainian side stressed the importance of sharing experience taking into account the general character of the existing challenges and threats. "During the meeting, the Japanese delegation was informed about the militarization of the Crimean peninsula, which was occupied by Russia, and its [Russia's] destabilizing activities in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea," the ministry said. Defense Minister of Ukraine Andriy Zahorodniuk thanked Japan for its sustainable support and aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also stressed the necessity to continue the military and political dialogue between the countries, which has been intensified in recent years. With wind speeds exceeding 30 mph, Ryan Parsons knew Tuesday would be the perfect time to attempt a kitesurfing stunt he would never forget. Amid strong wind warnings throughout Brisbane, Australia, Parsons saw the opportunity to complete one of his biggest bucket lists items: jumping over the Woody Point Jetty. Nienke Verhoef, a photographer and fellow kitesurfer, was so excited for the feat that she left her classes early to meet with Parsons to capture the moment. "Ryan always comes up with crazy ideas for me to capture. He has jumped on and over obstacles before," Verhoef told AccuWeather via email. Despite being a very open area, Woody Point Jetty is known as one of the worst kitesurfing spots in the region due to the active shark presence. But according to Verhoef, that's exactly why people in the kitesurfing community were not surprised to hear of Parsons' venture. Parsons has been kitesurfing for over five years, since he was 13 years old. Despite his experience, Parsons still had difficulties prior to the jump. Parsons clearing his jump over the Woody Point Jetty in Brisbane, QLD, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Storyful/Nienke Verhoef) "The wind had a few dead spots around the jetty, so it made it very difficult for Ryan to control his kite and find the right momentum," Verhoef said. Parsons had been wanting to jump the jetty for years, so Verhoef knew just taking a photo wouldn't be good enough to capture this unique moment. Verhoef set up multiple video cameras to film the event from various different angles, but even that was a challenge in itself. "It was really windy, so it was hard to keep the camera still and the salty air kept fogging up the lens," Verhoef said. But the harsh conditions weren't enough to stop Verhoef from capturing the dream feat. With light rain and strong winds associated with a storm going into Brisbane, gusts were strong and consistent enough for the jump to be attempted. The perfect setup paid off as Parsons flew through the air, successfully clearing the Woody Point Jetty. Story continues Verhoef said that Parsons is considered a local legend in the local kitesurfing community, even before he made his jump over the jetty. In the past, Parsons has jumped a rock wall in Redcliffe multiple times and done tricks on the back of the ute of his car while it was parked close to the water. "Everyone is very excited for him and cheering him on," Verhoef said. "Even though local authorities might not necessarily be happy with the dangerous stunt, it also puts the area in the spotlight. Which is good promotion, because the area is beautiful." - Tanasha used to be a business lady before crossing paths with her lover Diamond Platnumz - The mother of one ran a venture that saw her sell wigs and weaves at cheaper prices - Netizens believe she is better off returning to the business as she cannot thrive in the music industry - To them, Tanasha has no talent and cannot sing even if her life depended on it After having to battle against naysayers who came for her voice, Tanasha now has to deal with people who think she should stop singing and venture into business. The mother of one unveiled her new album on January 31, 2019, and the reception was not as she expected. READ ALSO: Emmy Kosgei encourages fans to be selfish sometimes: "Cut off toxic people" READ ALSO: Mzee Moi alikuwa na kisiagi kijijini Timboiywo A lot of Kenyans were disgusted by her performance and they all felt short-changed as they expected an electrifying presentation. Now, after complaining and venting, social media users have asked Tanasha to give music the boot and try selling wigs or beauty products. READ ALSO: Kind customer saves cashier's job after returning extra change she got at supermarket They argued her beauty is one for the books and can easily be used to her advantage. Before meeting her Tanzanian bae, Tanasha ran a business that saw her sell high-end hair at an affordable price. Many netizens felt maybe she should revive her venture and try thriving in using her face to rack up millions instead of lying to herself. According to netizens, Tanasha overhyped her EP release only to deliver dissatisfaction and confusion. Some guys claimed she failed at dancing or even getting her crowd to cheer genuinely. While some chose to be diplomatic and say she was just a newcomer, daring Kenyans claimed it was about time Diamond Platnumz told his lady she was not cut out for the music industry. Her music was termed as bland and hard to consume as it bothered many peoples spirit. What people did not understand was why the new mum made it seem like she had fire content in store. For months, Diamonds newest baby mama claimed her haters would shut up once they got to listen to her evolutional songs. But all she got was more flak from people who expected her to fall on her face and fail. On top of that, her baby daddy failed to stay at her event further propelling rumours he did not want to be associated with her music. As soon as he was done supporting her for a few minutes, Diamond flew back to Tanzania to celebrate his sisters birthday. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Husband from heaven: I stuck with my wife until her last breath - Erastus Ofula |Tuko Talks |Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Two prominent lawyers from Mumbai have been arrested in connection with unlawful assembly at the Gateway of India here last month to protest against the JNU violence, police said on Wednesday. Lawyers Mihir Desai and Lara Jesani, who were named in the FIR registered on January 7 at Colaba police station in south Mumbai, were arrested on Tuesday and later released on personal bonds, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Sangramsingh Nishandar said. The statements of both the lawyers, who are known for taking up cases pertaining to civil rights, were recorded earlier by the police, another official said. Mumbai Police last month registered an FIR against more than 60 people, including Desai, Jesani and Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) former student leader Umar Khalid, he said. Over 2,000 people, mostly college students, gathered at the iconic Gateway of India in the first week of January to protest against the JNU violence and to voice their opposition against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens. After the gathering at the Gateway of India caused road blockade and posed problems for local people and tourists, the protesters were shifted to Azad Maidan where they ended their agitation. Later, the police registered two FIRs, one against the protesters and another against Mumbai resident against Mehak Mirza, who was seen holding the controversial 'Free Kashmir' placard during the agitation, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahrain's Tatweer Petroleum and Italian oil and gas company Eni have signed an agreement to explore new areas for collaboration. The agreement was signed by Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil and Chairman of Tatweer Petroleum, and Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of Eni, during a high-level visit to Italy led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister. The agreement will facilitate joint assessments as well as the launch of new initiatives in areas of mutual interest, including renewable energy and the supply and exploration of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a Bahrain News Agency report said. Shaikh Mohamed recognised the delegations visit as a platform to further expand investment opportunities in the energy sector, and underlined the benefits of further increasing the exchange of expertise as a means to advance the kingdoms oil and gas sector. He highlighted the close ties between Eni and the National Oil & Gas Authority (Noga), noting their collaborative efforts have helped develop Bahrains petroleum industry. Descalzi, commented: This agreement clearly demonstrates Enis commitment to expanding its presence in Bahrain while pursuing Enis overall decarbonisation strategy, and forms part of the companys transition towards green energy and the circular economy that has been underway since 2014. Eni aims to support the increase of low carbon energy sources in countries where it operates. In order to ensure long-term sustainability, Eni promotes the development of renewable energy and conducts scientific and technological research. Fairfield University / Contributed photo The Rev. William Clark, S.J., will delve into challenges facing local Catholic parishes in the 2020 Bellarmine Lecture, Going to Church: Can Catholic Parishes Rise Again?, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 19, at Fairfield University. The local parish church an institution that has long been the heart of Catholic practice in the United States is severely challenged today by scandal, shifting demographics, shortages of resources and leadership, and changing cultural norms, according to a news release. Washington, Feb 5 : US President Donald Trump tended his hand to Iran and said during his State of the Union address that the relationship between the two countries depends only on Tehran. Trump said on Tuesday that US sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy and that his country could prevent this, adding that relieving the pressure on Tehran "depended on them." The US President added that Iran had to abandon its nuclear program, 'stop expanding terror' and work for the good of its own people. He also boasted of having killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and called him "the world's greatest terrorist." The leader also mentioned the death of slain Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, assuring the extremist group had been '100 per cent destroyed', Efe news reported. However, he added his government is working to end wars in the Middle East, promoting his newly announced Israel and Palestine peace plan. Trump also spoke of his project to protect the US border with Mexico, saying more than 800 kms would be built to separate the two. He said about 165 kms had already been built to combat the entry of undocumented immigrants through the US southern border. The US President also boasted of having reduced the flow of immigrants from Mexico, which he said had decreased by 75 per cent since May, as a result of his administration's efforts. The Washington Post newspaper January 13 that Trump plans to divert another $7.2 billion from the Pentagon budget for the construction of the wall with Mexico. The funds would allow the Executive to build some 1,400 kms of wall along the border, which stretches 3,170 kms. He said illegal migrants would be quickly deported and that his government had worked with those of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to address a situation he called a "humanitarian crisis." In May alone, 132,859 immigrants were arrested, a figure not seen since March 2006. Trump also praised Venezuela's opposition leader Juan GuaidA, who attended the Tuesday speech and whom he recognizes as the country's interim president. He told Guaido that Americans were united with the Venezuelan people and that he would challenge Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro, calling him a socialist dictator. From among the guests of the White House, Guaido stood up after hearing Trump and greeted the President and people in the room. Trump's tribute to Guaido was received with an ovation by both senators and congressmen, and with the applause of the president of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On September 14 last year, Pushpenders family became richer by Rs 1.3 crore. Barely three months later, he hanged himself to death. Pushpender, survived by his wife and a two-year-old son, belonged to a family of farmers in Uttar Pradeshs Rohi village. His father had received the lump sum amount as compensation from the UP government in lieu of their land for the much-awaited Jewar airport. The patriarch divided the fortune among his three sons. Pushpenders share amounted to Rs 24.5 lakh. Unable to make it to the Indian Army, the 25-year-old became a private taxi driver and used to make close to Rs 20,000 a month. The sudden swell in bank balance was soon followed by an increased dependency on alcohol. Brawls with family members became an everyday affair. On the evening of December 16, after an argument with his wife over his worsening addiction, he killed himself. For more immersives like this subscribe to our newsletter. He was drunk most of the time. He had stopped going on trips. He wasted most of his money on alcohol. After his death, we found that he had spent close to Rs 1.5 lakh on liquor alone, says his younger brother, Bharat. Pushpender is not the only one. Two more men have killed themselves in the same village ever since they became millionaires. Their families did not want to be identified. However, locals and friends of the deceased said they too had taken to heavy doses of alcohol ever since coming into sudden wealth. Sun sets on paddy fields in Rohi, now owned by the government, to be used for construction of Jewar International Airport. (Photo: Author) Just like Pushpender, almost all of Jewar has been struggling to figure out what to do with Rs 2,335 crore that has been disbursed as compensation to 4,360 landowners in Ranhera, Rohi, Parohi, Kishorpur, Banwaribas and Dayanatpur villages. The entire village looks different now, says Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Rohi for the last 55 years. Roughly 80 km from Delhi, the village is set among lush paddy fields. Harvest season has just ended. However, every farm has motorbikes parked with men sitting in the fields, inebriated. Local liquor shops have long queues in front of them since morning. Young boys who were earlier scared of being caught drinking are now doing it in the open. Come evening, the fields are filled with men consuming alcohol, adds Kumar who is among the few to have wisely spent their money to buy plots of agricultural land close to Jewar. The liquor store just outside the village has long queues every evening ever since farmers have received their compensation. (Photo: Author) Officers in the nearest police station said cases of scuffles and drunk-driving have spiked in the last six months. Complaints from farmers about men leaving empty liquor bottles in farms also pour in daily. The new-found wealth has been particularly hard on women whose own lives havent gotten any better despite their husbands and sons becoming millionaires. My husband used to drink earlier as well, but now he comes home drunk almost every night. My 20-year-old son has also taken to heavy drinking. Both of them have completely stopped helping with household matters and have become slaves to their addiction. The same story repeats itself every evening, says a 40-year-old woman in the village, wishing to remain anonymous. Booze-fuelled days arent the only social status identifier in Rohi. Every other household in the village now has a gleaming white Mahindra Scorpio parked outside. Harender, 33, another resident of the village, received Rs 4.3 crore as compensation for his land. He spent Rs 25 lakh in buying two Mahindra Scorpios and is yet to invest the remaining money in buying new land. His family earlier used to make close to Rs 2 lakh a year. We used to survive only on income from our farms. Now that we have the money, why not have a better living standard. My father always wanted to own a car but could never buy one. Now we have two. One is meant exclusively for him, says Harender. Every house in the village now has a new car, mostly Mahindra Scorpio. (Photo: Author) The cars have been used for trips to Pari Chowk in Greater Noida where men in the family meet to celebrate the new-found financial prosperity, while women continue with their daily chores. Harender plans to use the money to buy a new house as well, somewhere near Mathura. After moving, he will be using the remaining money to buy a patch of agricultural land. However, cars were the top priority. He accepts that villagers have mostly not been using the money wisely. I have a plan for spending the compensation. Most people are wasting it by being spendthrift. Immediately after the first car was bought in the village, everybody turned it into a competition. Within two months, the entire village was filled with expensive four-wheelers. The car has also earned Harender respect among his relatives. I visit my family members in other villages in a car now. Everybody comes out to receive me and to look at my new four-wheeler. Elders consider me successful because I could buy a car, he says. The village also has a new background score in the form of the tappet noise made by Royal Enfield motorcycles. Almost every young boy in the village now either owns a new Bullet or has a friend who does. Whether it be trips to college or to the local grocery store, Rohi now thumps its way on a Royal Enfield. Locals said the automobile company had setup a make-shift showroom in the village and sold 90 motorbikes in a month costing close to Rs 2 lakh each. Young boys in Jewar's Rohi clicking photographs with their newly bought Royal Enfield. (Photo: Author) Meeting friends or going to college, everything happens on the bike now. Most of my friends now own a motorbike. My father did not object at all in giving me money to buy the motorbike, says 20-year-old Yogesh, a resident of Rohi. His father received Rs 5.3 crore as compensation from the government. Meanwhile, automobile dealers in Jewar have seen multi-fold growth in sales. While the exact number of cars and bikes sold could not be concluded, several dealers informed that there has been close to 70 per cent rise in monthly sales. The change in the villages spending pattern is similar to one witnessed in Haryanas Gurgaon in the early 2000s when farmers were compensated for their land. Theres also an official name for the kind of psychological turmoil that overnight wealth of this sort brings -- sudden wealth syndrome. Children in the village playing with empty boxes of alcohol bottles. (Photo: Author) However, there is also a group of farmers who are not happy. The government has bought only a patch of our land. Once the airport construction begins, the state will shift us from here. What happens to our land? How will we till the land if we do not stay here, says 53-year-old Ramesh. The district administration in its rehabilitation and resettlement report identified Jewar-Tappal road for rehabilitation of farm owners. Ramesh added that he received compensation only for the patch of land that the government has taken, but will need to let go of his entire land if he were to move to Tappal. Nobody will privately buy land from me because of the airport, he adds. He, along with a group of other farmers, is also unsatisfied with the compensation amount. They are upset about the categorisation of their region as urban. This classification makes them eligible for a compensation of two times the circle rate, instead of four times which is applicable on agricultural land under the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The administration has offered Rs 2,300-Rs 2,500 per sq metre, while they are demanding Rs 3,600 per sq metre, four times the circle rate. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at a news conference Wednesday, as teachers, staff, parents and students demand quicker action on asbestos inside Philadelphia schools. The group stood outside Hopkinson Elementary in Juniata, the eighth Philadelphia School District building forced to close because of asbestos this school year. Read more Hundreds of reports of damaged asbestos inside city schools languish unresolved, despite Philadelphia School District promises that it would take quicker action to address environmental hazards in its aging buildings, union officials said Wednesday, unveiling a plan they say could help address the backlog. The union representatives rolled out their proposal as their national leader joined the chorus highlighting concerns about the citys schools. Many districts with old buildings must cope with asbestos, but the Philadelphia issue is particularly egregious, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said. What more evidence do we need that we have a public health crisis that needs to be solved in the City of Brotherly Love? said Weingarten, standing with teachers, parents, and students outside Hopkinson Elementary in Juniata, the latest Philadelphia school closed because of damaged asbestos. READ MORE: Read more: VP Mike Pence pushes school choice during West Philadelphia visit The union officials proposed solutions for the district include adding an experienced rapid-response team that would expand the districts capacity to quickly address reports of damaged asbestos. The workers would come from the Laborers District Council of Philadelphia, but it was unclear how they would be paid. Jordan cited examples of the hundreds of reports backed up in the districts system suspected damaged asbestos running through the kindergarten wing, with one large area next to childrens cubbies at Fitzpatrick Elementary in the Northeast; asbestos split open in a first-floor classroom at Barton Elementary in Feltonville; a deep hole in a classroom wall at Olney Elementary, covered with a thin sheet of paper. At a separate news conference later Wednesday, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. did not dispute the districts backlog of asbestos reports. He said the school system has more complaints than its own staff can handle, that it prioritizes the most serious reports, and that he was eager to discuss the PFTs solution as soon as Thursday. "That would be something we would welcome, Hite said of the rapid-response team. The superintendent seemed frustrated with the unions public blasting of the asbestos backlog but said he would continue to work with the PFT, the city, and outside authorities to manage the asbestos crisis. When adults are fighting, children are harmed, Hite said. We have to come to agreement. If we come to agreement on this, we can resolve these problems a lot faster. The district is currently working at five schools where asbestos damage is deemed an imminent hazard, said Jim Creedon, the districts interim facilities chief. Four remain open with work areas sealed off. Years before damaged asbestos inside city schools became a hot-button issue, the district acknowledged it had identified $4.5 billion worth of needed repairs for its aging buildings, a fact that Hite underscored Thursday. We have lots of old buildings, lots of old schools that need a lot of attention, he said. The school board recently voted to spend millions more on asbestos removal in the coming years, and Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed spending $1 billion to fix asbestos and other environmental hazards across Pennsylvania. Hite said the district has already spent $19 million more than it budgeted this year for asbestos removal and that budget was $40 million more than it spent on asbestos removal the prior year. Hopkinson students reported to school Wednesday for the first time since last Friday. The school building remained closed, but students will spread among three other buildings until officials deem the main building safe for re-occupancy. READ MORE: Read more: Did workers spread asbestos at a Philly school? The district is investigating. The Philadelphia School District is investigating whether workers spread asbestos there when replacing drop ceiling tiles last summer. Hite has called the possible asbestos damage a serious matter." Those areas of concern at Hopkinson were not flagged by the district but by a Hopkinson teacher who alerted the PFT and district. The staffer reported massive amounts of dust and debris, which teachers unknowingly swept up. Jordan said the Hopkinson incident was a horrifying breach of environmental safety. Brenda DeLeon, the mother of three Hopkinson students, said her children deserve better. We just want them to be safe, said DeLeon. At the news conference, Weingarten said it would take federal, state, and local resources to address environmental issues inside Philadelphia schools, and was incredulous that federal officials were in Philadelphia discussing education issues Wednesday and failed to mention the districts environmental crisis. How dare Vice President Pence and [Education Secretary] Betsy DeVos be in this town today and not deal with the asbestos in these buildings, she said. Staff writer Wendy Ruderman contributed to this article. LONDON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The world is facing a severe crisis that is predicted to change the way we live for good. Climate change and its effects are never far from the headlines, with debates about what we can do to avert an environmental catastrophe continuing to rage with many perspectives and opinions in full display. The general public is being asked to change its lifestyle to offset climate change in ways that are as varied as they are numerous while governments and industries alike are being criticised for their negative effect on the world and their lack of commitment to significant change that could make a real difference. However, while increasingly radicalised protestors and activists are blaming whole industries for climate change, there are groups within many sectors around the world that are engaging in positive and sustainable action. TBD Media is pleased to announce the launch of our 50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders campaign. In collaboration with prominent media outlets, this campaign will offer a platform for industry groups and corporations engaged in measures, strategies and actions designed to offset climate change to display their efforts and progress. We hope that such a display of commitment to positive action will serve to show the wider industrial and societal spheres that it is possible for sustainability to be a key concern in economically viable strategies going forward, and that there are groups currently leading their respective sectors in such endeavours. Our campaign, with original video content and engaging articles for such clients as Mitsubishi, BP, Upfield, Siemens and Estee Lauder Companies will be available on our online hub and through other digital media platforms. While it is easy to look at the current situation and lay blame at the feet of faceless groups and corporations, we believe in the importance of displaying the significance and benefits of change and positive action through quality content. It is critical that positive actions are highlighted and that the groups making them are given a platform to prove to their wider industries that effective change is possible in this climate and can be used to do real and sustainable good. To follow updates from the 50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders campaign, visit the website here: https://www.50climateleaders.com/ Superstar on Wednesday threw his weight behind the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and asserted that the legislation did not pose any threat to Muslims. In his first reaction after the amendment to the and nation wide protests against it, the top actor wondered as to how Muslims, who chose to stay back in India following partition will be sent out of the country. "CAA is no threat to Muslims, if they face trouble I will be the first person to raise voice for them," he told reporters here. Besides, the central government has assured that Indian people will have no issues in view of the Citizenship Amendment Act, he noted. Alleging that some political parties were instigating people against CAA for their selfish interests, he also blamed religious leaders for supporting protests against the law and dubbed it "very wrong." Backing the Population Register exercise, he said the drive is "very, very essential," and added that the Congress-led government had done it in the past. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LIMERICK will play centre stage to a world exclusive, brand-new electronic arts festival, with new dates and line-ups just having been announced. LEAF is now set to take place from September 10 to 13, and will see leaders of the technological world join forces with pioneers of electronic music to entertain the masses. With such a diverse line-up of world-renowned talent which encompasses music and experts at the top of their game, moving the festival to September has given LEAF the scope to expand and firmly put Limerick on the map for this international festival. Read also: Limerick man in sight of Sean O Riada Gold Medal Modeselektor, with their trademark adventures of sound, bass and beats, are one of the most sought-after international acts and were announced as LEAF 2020 headliners in December. They will be joined at the Cleeves Factory courtyard by one of the godfathers of Electronic Music, the baron of Techno, Dave Clarke. LEAF was conceived by trail blazing mid-west-based production company CWB and is supported by Limerick City and County Council, Failte Ireland, IMRO, LIT and The University of Limerick. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.ie and leaf061.com. For more information and full line-up of events and acts, please see www.leaf061.com Netflix is holding an open casting call in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The Harder They Fall is the streaming giants latest production taking place in New Mexico. It stars Idris Elba and is produced by Jay-Z. Production is expected to begin in March. The film is a Western that follows the story of an outlaw, played by Jonathan Majors, who discovers that the man who killed his parents two decades ago is being released from prison. Elba plays the prisoner. The outlaw reunites with his gang to track down the enemy and get revenge. Preproduction and casting for extras have begun. The project will film in and around Santa Fe County as well as Diablo Canyon and ranches in the area. The film is directed by Jeymes Samuel. The casting call will take place from 5-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church, 1901 Pennsylvania NE, in Albuquerque. Then from 5-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, it will be held at Hotel Santa Fe & Spa, Kiva B, 1501 Paseo de Peralta, in Santa Fe. According to the casting call, the production is looking for everyday people to fill various roles as extras. All ethnicities are welcome and horseback riding is a plus. If available, bring at least one photo of yourself. If not, be prepared to have your photo taken by casting. For more information, contact: Tuffy Questell at 323-834-8068 or 1umbrellaisus@gmail.com. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. Netflixs latest movie hosts casting call in ABQ, Santa Fe . . , ... A person brought into Beaumonts Baptist Hospital has been tested after potential exposure to coronavirus, spokesperson Mary Poole said Wednesday. It is not known at this time if the patient visited Hunan Province or any of the affected areas. In a written statement, the Beaumont Health Department said they are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services, along with other partners in monitoring this developing situation. There currently is no risk to the community, the statement says. Sherry Ulmer, Beaumont Public Health Director, said a specimen sample has been sent to the CDC for testing, and the department would receive further guidance on how to respond once the results were available. We would take our lead from the state on how to act if there was any need for response, but those plans are already in place, Ulmer said. We have been on conference calls twice a day for the last few weeks to talk about that. Beaumont Public Health is in charge of planning for the greater health needs of the area, but the patient still is in the care of Baptist Hospital of Southeast Texas. Baptist has previously reported that it has procedures for isolating potentially-infectious patients while providing care. As of Wednesday, 293 people in the U.S. had been tested for coronavirus, according to information from the CDC. Of those, 11 were positive. No positive results, however, have been detected in Texas. Globally, 20,630 confirmed cases have been reported, the World Health Organization reports, resulting in more than 400 deaths. The respiratory illness first reported in Wuhan, China carries symptoms similar to the flu fever, shortness of breath, and cough and can appear within 2 to 14 days of exposure. Coronavirus is the latest international outbreak scare following the likes of the Zika virus in 2015 and West Africa Ebola virus in 2014. Ulmer said the response and preparations for coronavirus are similar to when the department faced a potential impact from H1N1, or the Swine Flu in 2009. She said her department has been taking direction from higher health authorities to prepare for the latest potential public health risk while also dealing with the recurring diseases it faces every season. This is our business every day, Ulmer said. We are more concerned with flu right now than coronavirus, but weve had a plan since this has become current on the world scene. At least 19 million people have contracted the flu this season, the CDC reports, resulting in 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths. Students involved in the recent Brandon University exam called compromised by the university were able to figure out what test would be used based on questions asked in class, the president of the students union told the Sun on Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us The Brandon University Health Studies Complex. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) Students involved in the recent Brandon University exam called "compromised" by the university were able to figure out what test would be used based on questions asked in class, the president of the students union told the Sun on Tuesday. Brandon University Students Union president Olusola Akintola said that it came out in meetings between the students union, faculty and students involved in the class that some students had been able to determine where the professor was getting questions based on sample questions asked in class. "The students had some tests from the lecturer before the examination," Akintola said. "In the test, they discovered that some of the questions he used to test them in the class actually came from a list of questions. There were 700 questions in all." They were then able to find which test bank contained those questions. The final exam ended up drawing 55 questions from this list. Akintola specifically said that students in the class said this during these meetings. However, he added that the website students purchased the questions from did not indicate that buying these test banks was illegal or improper. Sources told the Sun last month that the website used to purchase the questions from is called testbankworld.org. Attempts have been made to get in contact with the owner of the website, but emails have not been returned. Looking up the domain name using a WHOIS search reveals that the owner of the website has hired a service to set up the website for them by proxy and thereby block any of their own information from being revealed during such searches. All students in last semesters Nursing Foundations II class were forced to re-write their final exam with the maximum possible grade reduced to 70 per cent in early January after the university said that it had been determined that the exam had been compromised. Last Friday, BU released a statement saying that it had been determined that students had figured out what test bank the professor was using but did not provide specifics. Akintola sent out a prepared statement on Tuesday about the situation, saying that discussions about the situation between themselves and the university were continuing but that the blanket punishment handed out to all students was "was wrong and against natural justice." "Were still working on that," Akintola told the Sun after the statement was released. "If students who compromised the exam can be identified, well then we dont believe all the students did (cheat)." He further said that the students union believes that punishment being handed down before the investigation was "premature," but seemed to accept the universitys reasoning that they needed to act swiftly so that affected students could move on to this semesters classes. Furthermore, Akintola added that "the technology available today makes it no longer appropriate for any faculty to depend totally on publishers to set academic exam questions." Akintola would not say if the university agreed with the students union on that particular matter. He did say that he believed that changes resulting from this incident would be starting almost immediately at the university. To ask about the ethics surrounding this situation, the Sun spoke with Sarah Eaton, an assistant professor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Eaton, who studies and writes about the topic of academic integrity, has been following the news surrounding this exam and has even mentioned it in a recent academic paper. Eaton was asked if the students figuring out what test would be used and then finding the answers was unethical. "I would say yes, and the reason I would say yes is that the reason that we have tests is for students to demonstrate their knowledge," she said. "And so if you just go and buy the answers, it doesnt necessarily mean that youve learned the material. "My guess would be that in that program, there will never be another professor that uses a pre-done test bank because there are better ways for professors to write tests. ... I would guess that the public-facing statement that Brandon (University) released was about the students, but my guess is that there were also closed-door conversations with the professor." She agrees with BUSUs call for instructors at the university to move away from provided exam questions, saying "Thats just good teaching practice. I would agree with that." As for the fairness of the blanket punishment, Eaton said it was likely the best that BU could have done under the circumstances, saying most universities dont have rules in place to deal with situations like this. Her advice to students is to not buy materials from places that sell test bank questions. She added that websites that sell these materials are often run offshore and typically set up to prevent people from learning about who runs them. "Theres an expectation that when I engage with a university, say Brandon University, that theyre going to give me access to the materials I need to do my learning," she said. "If you have to go outside of that system, then thats cause for concern on a number of levels. It might mean that theres not enough supports for the students within the university, that kind of thing. "My guess is those students will never forget this experience, that prof will never forget this experience, the university will try and forget this experience. But things like this become embedded in individual and collective memory and theyll make a lasting impression." When asked for comment on Akintolas statement, BU spokesperson Grant Hamilton released the following response on behalf of the university: "We reviewed it and see no need to add any further comment. We are focused on supporting students at this time." The Sun sent a followup question asking if the university would confirm what Akintola said about how the exam was compromised was true, but did not receive a direct answer. "We stand by our earlier statement: The exam was compromised," Hamilton replied. "The publishers test bank was purchased online and circulated among the class ahead of the exam." cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Explained: How Kerala is tackling Coronavirus from the experience drawn from fighting Nipah in 2018 India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 05: After three people from Kerala tested positive for coronavirus, the state Government had declared the lethal disease caused by the novel coronavirus as a 'state disaster'. The novel coronavirus infection that first broke out in Wuhan, China, has spread to 25 countries so far. At least 490 deaths and 24,500 cases of the virus have been reported globally. However, in India, Kerala would deal with novel Coronavirus (nCoV) with the situation the way it dealt with the Nipah outbreak two years. The state's handling the Nipah outbreak offers lessons for other states in the areas of coordination among responders, proper communication of risk and ensuring timely interventions. Facing the challenges posed by the novel Coronavirus (nCoV), the state government's initiatives and swift action successfully contained the outbreak. In 2019, another case of Nipah virus was reported but it didn't spread. Activating its officials, doctors and field staff to face the challenge much before the state's first Coronavirus case was reported from Thrissur last week, the state health department has put all persons who have returned from nCoV-hit China under its surveillance since January 15. "If you are a person with travel history to China and returned from that country after January 15, you will be put under the radar of the district surveillance team," Dr S Sreedevi, additional DMO Ernakulam and district surveillance officer, told PTI. According to her, those who returned from the coronavirus-hit regions are given instructions through phone on the need to remain in home quarantine for 28 days for the safety of his/her family members. Details of the people who have travel history to China are taken from the airports. Information about the home quarantined persons are updated to the district health officials by the field staff. "If that person is found not following the guidelines for coronavirus, he will get a call from the top district medical officers urging him not to mingle with anyone," the medical officer said. According to her, in most cases, the people obey the instructions of the health officials as they are aware of the threat posed by the disease. "Our experience in tackling the Nipah virus in 2018 and 2019 help us in dealing with the nCoV cases," the medical officer said. In line with the steps taken to tackle the Nipah virus outbreak, a state control room in Thiruvananthapuram and district control rooms at all district headquarters were set up much before the first coronavirus case was reported. A meeting of top health officials and doctors, chaired by Principal Secretary, Health, is held everyday to coordinate action to prevent the spread of the virus. All important meetings are attended by the health minister. Monitoring of those who are home quarantined is done by the primary health centres with the help of local bodies. Out-Patient wings for attending to coronavirus cases have been made operational in all government general hospitals and medical colleges in the state. Isolation wards have also been set up in such hospitals and supply of necessary medical equipment needed for health workers also ensured. All these steps were taken drawing on the experience of battling the Nipah virus outbreak in the state in May 2018, which was reported in North Kerala districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram. As many as 2,000 people were quarantined and kept under observation during the period of the outbreak which had claimed 16 lives, officials recalled. The government declared it contained on June 10, 2018. But when the Nipah case was reported in the state last year, the government was very well prepared to tackle it, by keeping its surveillance high and taking precautions, officials said. The second spell of Nipah outbreak was in Ernakulam last year and it was contained successfully. The state's lone patient, a 23-year-old student affected with the virus, was discharged after 53 days of seclusion, close monitoring and treatment at a private hospital in July last year. Improved healthcare facilities and awareness among the people in the state enabled the government to contain the disease, they added. The government is using the mainstream media and social media to spread awareness among the people about the threat posed by the coronavirus in the thickly populated state. In a Facebook post, Shailaja on Tuesday urged those who have come from coronavirus-hit regions to contact health officials immediately. "Some who have come from the affected regions are still hiding their travel history and not informing the health officials. This is dangerous," the minister said. She urged people who had travelled to China in recent days to immediately contact health officials so that they could be home quarantined for a month to prevent the spread of the virus. Kate Hudson has admitted she'll never be the perfect mother to her three children in a candid new interview. The actress, 40 - who shares Ryder, 16, with Chris Robinson, Bingham, eight, with Matt Bellamy and Rani, 16 months, with current beau Danny Fujikawa - confessed that while she believes she a 'f***ing supermom', she makes 'mistakes all the time'. In the March 2020 issue of Women's Health, the screen star explained she's 'doing the best I can' with parenthood as she discussed maintaining a healthy work-life balance and losing her pregnancy weight after giving birth to her daughter. 'Some days I think I'm a f*****g supermom': Kate Hudson has admitted she'll never be the perfect mother to her three children in the March issue of Women's Health The thespian, who has dominated the TV and film industry for over two decades, touched on juggling her successful career with attending to her young kids. 'I make mistakes all the time, Ive yelled at my kids too much, and Ive also cursed in front of them, and I also havent shown up for things because I was out of town', Kate shared. The Marshall star went on to reveal she's had conflicting thoughts about her role as a mother as she elaborated: 'But at the same time, I have days where Im like, "Im a f***ing supermom". 'Im cooking, cleaning, doing homework, changing diapers, I worked out. What Ive learned and what Im learning is that Im doing the best I can.' Candid: The actress, 40, confessed that while she believes she a 'f***ing supermom', she makes 'mistakes all the time' Doting mother: The TV and film star shares Ryder, 16, with Chris Robinson, Bingham, eight, with Matt Bellamy (pictured with current beau Danny Fujikawa and her two sons in October) Busy bee: The media personality welcomed daughter Rani with musician Danny, 33, in October last year (pictured in January) Juggling act: The screen star explained she's 'doing the best I can' with parenthood as she discussed maintaining a healthy work-life balance and losing pregnancy weight On mastering balance in her life, both personal and work wise, the blonde added: 'If I come in nine-to-five, do all my work and shut off my phone, I can have a balanced life. 'I try not to let work spill into time with the kids, dinnertime and in bed. Happiness comes from feeling liberated, Ive always felt my best when I felt liberated from things that were holding me back. 'Why am I going to endorse something if I can build a business thats more mindful and more sustainable? Thats kind of where my head is building business.' The media personality welcomed her first daughter in October 2018 with her partner of three years, musician Danny, 33. 'I've yelled at my kids too much': The thespian, who has dominated the TV and film industry for over two decades, touched on juggling her successful career with attending to her young kids Impressive: As she showcases her toned figure in clingy sportswear for the photoshoot, the Mother's Day star admitted she remained 'disciplined' in a bid to shed her pregnancy weight 'I love how flexible I get': The owner of fitness brand Fabletics shared the impact of exercise on her day-to-day life As she showcases her toned figure in clingy sportswear for the photoshoot, the Mother's Day star admitted she remained 'disciplined' in a bid to shed her pregnancy weight just over a year on from giving birth. Kate said her weight loss journey this time round was different to when she had her two sons as she said: 'Unlike with the other two, I didnt really have time to work out. It took a different kind of discipline.' On sale now: The full interview appears in the March issue of Womens Health On the impact of exercise on her day-to-day life, the owner of fitness brand Fabletics shared: 'I love how flexible I get and what it does to the shape of my body. I know I am at my strongest when I am doing Pilates.' The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days actress also stressed the importance of tending to yourself from the inside out as she shed light on her 'self-care regime'. She explained: 'I do check out. I go away with them [her kids], usually to our ranch in Colorado. I sit and look out at the mountains. 'My doctor says I should be going away on my own, but Ill do that when my kids are a little bit older. I let myself feel like s**t. I try to be open about where Im at and go through it instead of avoiding it. Life is going to unfold the way its going to unfold.' The full interview appears in the March issue of Womens Health, on sale now. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Russian oil major Rosneft inked a pact with India's largest fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Wednesday for importing 2 million tonnes of Urals grade crude oil during the year 2020. This is the first-ever term contract reached between a Russian oil supplier and an Indian state-owned oil company. The pact was signed in the presence of Indian Petroleum Minister minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rosneft CEO and Chairman Igor Sechin. The supply arrangement between IOC and Rosneft is expected to be followed by similar crude oil supply arrangement being worked out by other government-owned companies, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). The two have already indicated this earlier. The signing ceremony was followed by bilateral meeting Sechin and Pradhan where a host of issues including sale of BPCL was discussed. The Rosneft CEO expressed his company's interest in acquiring BPCL, a news report said. Rosneft has already gained a foothold in the Indian market with the $12.9 acquisition of Essar Oil (now Nayara Energy) in August 2017. BPCL may fit into its scheme of things as it would help it grab a larger share of the fuel retail market in India and significantly improve its financial performance. The Petroleum Ministry has held roadshows for BPCL disinvestment late last year but has not received very encouraging response from investors so far. It is looking at big global oil companies to pick up its entire 53 per cent equity in the company and in this regard, some initial talks has also taken place with world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco. At current prices, the government's stake in BPCL is worth Rs 60,000 crore. "An important subject of talks between Sechin and Pradhan was the issue of providing Indian consumers with quality crude and petroleum-based products, including the increase in Russian oil supplies to India. During the meeting, the parties discussed the ongoing joint projects of Rosneft and Indian companies, including Sakhalin-1, Taas-Yuryakh, the Vankor cluster (a consortium of Indian companies owns 49 per cent in the Vankor cluster field), Far East LNG, and Nayara Energy," Rosneft said in a statement. Sourcing of Russian crude oil through long term contracts is a part of India's strategy for diversifying the country's crude oil supplies from non-OPEC countries, and a part of the five-year roadmap for bilateral cooperation in the hydrocarbons sector that was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vladivostok last September. The addition of Russia as a new source for crude oil imports by India's largest refiner will go a long way in mitigating the risks arising out of geo-political disruptions. The new arrangement would also usher in price stability and energy security for India, which is witnessing robust growth in demand for petroleum products. A government statement after the event said that both sides agreed to take forward mutually aligned priorities, including preparing a roadmap for Indian investments in the Eastern Cluster projects of Russia. It was noted that the four Indian oil and gas Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have already submitted the Expression of Interest to Rosneft to participate in the project. In order to negotiate the terms of Indian companies entering Vostok Oil in the shortest time possible, it was agreed to create a working group of representatives of Russian and Indian companies. During the meeting, both leaders also reviewed the ongoing investments between Indian oil and gas PSUs and Rosneft, and discussed further enhancing energy cooperation and strengthening hydrocarbons engagement, both on investment front as well as sourcing natural gas and crude oil. The crude oil, being sourced under the contract, will be loaded in Suezmax vessels at Novorossiysk port of Russia and will come to India, bypassing Straits of Hormuz. Despite recent rumors that the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise would be a reboot, producer Kathleen Kennedy confirmed Harrison Ford will be back. While Kennedy, 66, was walking the BAFTA red carpet, before receiving the BAFTA Fellowship, she confirmed Indiana Jones 5 would not be a reboot. 'Harrison Ford will be involved Its not a reboot. Its a continuation,' Kennedy added about the project. Harrison returns: Despite recent rumors that the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise would be a reboot, producer Kathleen Kennedy confirmed Harrison Ford will be back 'Were working away, getting the script where we want it to be and then well be ready to go,' she added. When Kennedy was asked if the 77-year-old Ford is, 'up for it,' Kennedy added, 'Oh yeah, he cant wait.' Steven Spielberg is slated to return as the director, having directed the first four movies in the franchise, with Disney setting a July 9, 2021 release date. Up for it: When Kennedy was asked if the 77-year-old Ford is, 'up for it,' Kennedy added, 'Oh yeah, he cant wait' Working away: 'Were working away, getting the script where we want it to be and then well be ready to go,' she added A fifth Indiana Jones film has been discussed and bandied about after the release of 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There had been rumors that Shia LaBeouf, who played the young Mutt Williams in Crystal Skull, would take over for Ford's Indiana Jones, but those rumors were debunked. Disney purchased LucasFilm, George Lucas' company where he developed both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, in 2012, giving Disney the franchise rights, and they picked up the distribution rights from Paramount in 2013. Indiana Jones: A fifth Indiana Jones film has been discussed and bandied about after the release of 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Rumors: There had been rumors that Shia LaBeouf, who played the young Mutt Williams in Crystal Skull, would take over for Ford's Indiana Jones, but those rumors were debunked Disney has been developing the sequel for quite some time, announcing in 2016 that Indiana Jones 5 would hit theaters on July 19, with Ford starring and Spielberg directing from a script by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, among others). The project was pushed up and delayed several times, with Jonathan Kasdan (Rogue One) replacing Koepp as the writer in July 2018. Disney pushed the release to its current date on July 9, 2021 shortly after Kasdan came aboard, but he was later replaced by Dan Fogelman (This Is Us), while Koepp later confirmed he was working on the project again too. Sequel: Disney has been developing the sequel for quite some time, announcing in 2016 that Indiana Jones 5 would hit theaters on July 19, with Ford starring and Spielberg directing from a script by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, among others) Delayed: The project was pushed up and delayed several times, with Jonathan Kasdan (Rogue One) replacing Koepp as the writer in July 2018 The Indiana Jones franchise kicked off with 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, which took in a whopping $390.1 million worldwide from just a $18 million budget. The 1984 sequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ($331.1 million worldwide, $28 million budget) followed, as did 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ($474.3 million worldwide, $48 million budget). After nearly a 20 year hiatus, 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull took in $790.6 million worldwide from a $185 million budget. At the time when the masked goons had highjacked JNU campus, Delhi Police were busy filing an FIR against JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, who, hours before, had her head split in the attack, and was later treated with 16 stitches. Exactly a month ago, on 5 January 2020, masked mobs ran amok in the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi assaulting students and faculty for hours, in which JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and professor Sucharita Sen suffered severe head injuries. Students and faculty members have filed over 40 complaints with Delhi Police, but they are yet to make an arrest. This correspondent examined some of the complaints to understand the chronology of the events. On Sunday, 5 January, at 4 pm, the Teachers Association (TA) had called for a peaceful gathering of students and teachers at the Sabarmati Tea Point inside the campus. The university had been tense due to the agitation around the fee hike. TA called for the gathering to address that. At around 4.20 pm, when Shukla Sawant, a professor was on her way to the peace meeting, she saw an armed mob of 10-15 from her car at the Mother Dairy booth, near the West Gate entrance. They were not wearing a mask. In her complaint, she has written that it would not be difficult to identify them from the CCTV cameras installed at that entrance. About two hours later, some of the panic-stricken students approached the faculty members in the gathering and told them that an armed mob is hiding behind the Periyar Hostel, which is about 300 metres from Sabarmati Tea Point. One of the faculty members immediately called the police but received no reassurance. At 6.47 pm, Sawant sent a message to JNU chief security officer Naveen Yadav, informing him about the armed group hovering outside Periyar hostel. Kindly take immediate steps to ensure no violence takes place, she concluded. In the meantime, another professor, Amit Thorat, who had a bicycle, said he would go ahead and check what exactly is happening. When he reached the spot, he saw a mob of 70-80 youngsters standing outside the Periyar hostel, wearing jeans, sweaters and covering their faces with white handkerchiefs. I froze when I saw that, he said. It was chilling to see that in the middle of JNU, an armed group was calmly getting ready to attack. Thorat made the mistake of being spotted by the mob when he tried to click a photograph. The mob soon encircled him and forced him to delete the picture. They manhandled him, but he managed to escape. He got back to his colleagues and conveyed the gravity of the situation. Soon after that, anxious students and teachers decided to form a human chain. Women professors offered to be at the front, hoping the mob would not attack them. But that did not work. The mob started pelting stones and bricks and one of them hit Sen in the head. At 7.18 pm, Sawant again messaged Yadav stating that many faculty members standing at T-Point have been hit by sticks and bricks, including me. There is no semblance of support from any security service, she said. To which, Yadav replied, Madam, please call the police. Its available on the campus and at the gates. This is a law and order situation. The eyewitnesses and testimonies have called it a predetermined attack that would not have been possible without the complicity of insiders, JNU administration and police. The masked mob leaving the campus without any impediments further corroborates that allegation. The screenshots from a WhatsApp group planning the attack had also gone viral on the day of the attack. The numbers in the group had several members from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), students wing of the RSS. Dhananjay Singh, the chief proctor, responsible for law and order in the campus, was also part of that group. Days later, India Today did a sting operation proving ABVPs link to the attack by identifying some of the masked goons from the footage. The police have still not been able to nab the culprits. Instead, in its press conference on 10 January, DCP (Crime) Joy Tirkey named seven students associated with Left-affiliated bodies and only two ABVP members. Alt News, in its investigation, revealed that the photographs released by Tirkey were the ones that were earlier circulated by ABVP members. It is important to note that Delhi Police reports to Home Minister Amit Shah. The role of the police in the entire episode has appeared dubious. The first reports of violence from Periyar hostel emerged at 3.45 pm. A professor with the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament of the university, Santana Khanikar's testimony to the police suggests police complicity. Her residence is near the Sabarmati hostel, another venue of violence. At 7 pm, three girls and five boys terrified and scared sought shelter at her residence, for they were being chased by the violent mob, according to her testimony. Three of those told her that a Delhi Police inspector, Ritu Raj, with his team, stood in front of the Periyar hostel and did not intervene while people were being beaten up inside in the afternoon. However, speaking to Hindustan Times, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) Devender Arya said, Some 40-50 unidentified people, some of them covering their faces with mufflers and cloth and carrying sticks, were vandalising property in the hostel and were assaulting students. The rioters fled after seeing the police. The police personnel brought the situation under control. The frantic calls began again in the evening, but the police only entered the gates at around 8 pm, later saying they waited for the permission from the administration to enter the campus, which is strange because days before that, the police had barged into Jamia university without the administrations approval. Further, retired IPS and former UP DGP Vikram Singh told Hindustan Times that the police need not have waited for JNU administrations approval, for the police are empowered to act under CrPC in the case of law and order situation. Students and critics have demanded resignation from Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar for the delay in police permission, and his incompetence to protect students on his campus. He is said to be close to the ruling BJP government at the Centre. Even today, graffiti disparaging Kumar are seen on the JNU campus. However, when the police entered, eyewitnesses wondered if they had walked in to catch the violent mob or to help them. By then several students and faculty members had been injured and terrorised, their cars vandalised. At least, two professors saw the police walking alongside the mob. Mohinder Singh and Shambhavi Prakash, both professors, have mentioned that they saw a police contingent walking into the campus from the North Gate. Behind them was a mob of around 20 in casual clothes carrying sticks. In the meantime, Ameet Parameswaran, another professor, had been trying to get the bleeding Sen some medical attention. A student on his bike offered to take them to the gate. A group of people at the North Gate stopped them. One of the group members pulled the student by his arm and asked who they were. It happened in the presence of the police and JNU security, according to his testimony. The three of them could not get through. They turned around for the health centre where Sen received basic help, and the ambulance was called. At the North Gate, the ambulance was stopped again, was compelled to turn around and exit the campus from another gate, which was a longer route. At the time when the masked goons had highjacked JNU campus, Delhi Police were busy filing an FIR against JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, who, hours before, had her head split in the attack, and was later treated with 16 stitches. Ghosh, along with 19 others, were charged with vandalism on the campus on 3 and 4 January. The university had been tense for days prior to the attack. Students, by and large, had decided to boycott registration, which is basically an enrolment into the next semester. They had been protesting the fee hike, and they had refused to appear for exams as well. They wanted the administration to resolve their issues before moving on to registrations, and that led to a few altercations among students. However, while prompt at filing a case against Ghosh, the police are yet to act on Satish Yadavs complaint. He is a second-year PhD student at JNU, who was beaten up on 4 January. In his complaint, he has named Aswini Mohapatra, Dean, School of International Studies at JNU, as one of the people to have beaten him up. The day after the 5 January violence, Mohapatra blamed it on the notorious tuke-tukde brigade Violence on JNU Campus is the result of coercive action & deep frustration on the part of the notorious tukde-tukde brigade, which held the countrys centre of learning & excellence to ransom for over two months. Aswini Mohapatra (@AswiniJNU) January 6, 2020 He is part of the recently formed JNU Teachers Federation (TF), which is said to be close to the JNU administration, as opposed to the TA. Ghosh had accused Mohapatra of assaulting protesting students the week before, an allegation he denied. In his complaint, Yadav has narrated the account in detail, naming several names, none of which has been noted by the police to file an FIR. The teachers that have filed their complaints to the police recently sent them an email, reminding that they have done nothing, and the attack is about to be a month old. The teachers have received no response; neither did this reporter who tried to contact them for this story. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney will defy his fellow Republicans and vote to convict and remove President Donald Trump from office over withholding military aide from Ukraine as part of a scheme to force an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who sat on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Romney announced on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, just hours ahead of the final vote on impeachment, that he would vote to convict Trump on the charge he abused the power of his office for his own personal gain. The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust, an emotional Romney said. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault of our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Romneys vote against Trump will be historic, as it will become the first time in American history a senator has voted to remove a president from the same political party in a Senate impeachment trial. Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee and Romneys niece, said in a statement she disagreed with her uncles decision and that President Trump did nothing wrong. Donald Trump Jr., the presidents oldest son, declared Romney a member of the resistance on Twitter and called on Republicans to expel him from the party. The final vote in what has been by historic standards a swift impeachment trial is expected to take place Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. Senators spent the bulk of the last few days delivering speeches highlighting their individual decisions, with nearly all falling along party lines whether to acquit the president or convict and remove him from office. Three moderate Democrats Doug Jones of Alabama, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia all announced on Wednesday they would vote to convict the president and remove him from office. The final vote will come just a few days after Democrats failed to pass a motion to subpoena witnesses with first-hand knowledge of Trumps actions, such as former national security adviser John Bolton. In that vote, just two Republicans Romney and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine voted with Democrats. Heres what we know about what is expected to be the final day of Trumps impeachment trial: What time will the final impeachment vote take place? The Senate trial is officially in recess until Wednesday at 4 p.m., when senators are expected to cast their final votes on the two articles of impeachment. Prior to that, senators will continue to give speeches on the Senate floor explaining their positions and how they intend to vote, something members of both parties pushed for and have been doing since Monday afternoon. Each senator has up to 10 minutes to talk. READ MORE: Trump impeachment trial closing arguments aim at voters, history What is Trump charged with? Trump was formally charged by the House with two counts: Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump is accused to using the office of the presidency for personal political gain by withholding military aide from Ukraine as part of a scheme to force an investigation into the Bidens. The obstruction of Congress charge stems from what Democrats described as his stonewalling of Congress by blocking access to witnesses and relevant documents. You cant trust this president to do the right thing. Not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country," Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said during his closing arguments on Monday. "He will not change and you know it. Trumps defense team argued that the Democrats have been out to remove Trump from office since the start of his presidency, and that the impeachment trial was their latest attempt to undo the 2016 election and prevent him from being re-elected in 2020. Leave it to the voters to choose, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said in his closing arguments. READ MORE: The articles of impeachment against Trump, explained How many votes would it take to remove Trump from office? A two-thirds super majority of the Senate (67 votes) is required to convict Trump and remove him from office. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, so Democrats would need at least 20 Republicans to cross party lines. READ MORE: Impeachment is a long process. A legal expert breaks it down. | Opinion How are Pennsylvanias senators expected to vote? Pennsylvanias two senators Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Pat Toomey are expected to vote along party lines when the final votes are cast Wednesday afternoon. Casey said he would vote to convict Trump on both counts in a statement issued Tuesday: There is no doubt that President Trump withheld military aid and a vital White House meeting from Ukraine, in order to coerce its President into announcing a sham investigation of a political rival and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election. It has also been established that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and then further abused his power by covering it up and obstructing Congress well-predicated investigation. Toomey explained his decision in an op-ed for the Inquirer: The presidents actions were not perfect. Some were inappropriate. But the question before the Senate is not whether his actions were perfect. It is whether they constitute impeachable offenses that justify removing a sitting president from office for the first time and forbidding him from seeking office again. READ MORE: Trump impeachment as education: How Philly-area teachers and students handled the hearings What channels will offer live coverage of the impeachment vote? C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and WHYY-TV will all offer live coverage of Wednesdays impeachment proceedings, but its unclear which broadcast networks will break into their normal coverage to cover the final vote. Regardless of their broadcast plans, ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News will all stream live coverage of the impeachment trial on their respective digital platforms. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Three suspensions and a disciplinary revocation taken to the next level comprise South Floridas representation on the Florida Bars monthly report of attorneys disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court. In alphabetical order: Colleen Dunne, Key West Colleen Dunne was an assistant state attorney in the Monroe County State Attorneys Office. She gave up that position at the end of December and will give up being an attorney during a suspension that will run until Feb. 15, 2021. According to her guilty plea in her discipline case: While prosecuting William Skinner in an attempted murder and burglary case in 2010, Dunne and an intern listened to Skinners phone calls on the recorded jail line. Among the calls were three conversations between Skinner and his son that refuted many aspects of the defendants purported insanity defense as documented in the defense experts reports. That Dunne listened in wasnt the problem. That the calls were downloaded to a DVD by the intern wasnt the problem. But Dunne didnt come across with the jail house calls when the defense made a discovery request for Skinners statements. She denied being in possession of any additional statements to law enforcement when asked directly by Skinners attorney, Cara Higgins, at the deposition of a defense expert. Thats a problem. After Dunne sent Higgins the phone calls and Higgins filed a motion to exclude them, Dunne told the court she hadnt been in possession of the calls at the time of the deposition and I didnt have them literally downloaded on a disk. That wasnt the case. It wasnt an immediate problem as the court ruled the violation had happened far enough before the trial that any damage could be undone. Skinner was convicted. It held up on appeal. But a series of public records requests revealed the deception in 2013. Skinner is still doing life in prison. His attorneys are trying to argue for a conviction reversal and new trial. Jonathan Gunn, Fort Lauderdale Story continues With a Bar case pending alleging misuse of a clients trust funds from a personal injury case, Fort Lauderdale attorney Jonathan Gunn asked for disciplinary revocation with leave to apply for reinstatement in five years in November 2018. That made the professional beef disappear. In exchange, Gunn is effectively disbarred for at least five years. That means Gunn shouldnt use his trust account, which he did. A check drawn on that account bounced. Gunns disciplinary revocation is now permanent. Roger Rathbun, Plantation The referee in Roger Rathbuns case recommended a one-year suspension. Rathbun would take a one-year suspension after the state Supreme Court tossed out the referees recommendation and raised the punitive time to three years. Rathbun has filed a motion for rehearing. According to the referees report and copies of emails attached to the complaint, Rathbuns opposing counsel in a case, Davie attorney Jay Farrow, filed an appeal for his client. The client filed a Pro Se Motion to Dismiss. Rathbun emailed Farrow, It appears you did not have her consent to file the Appeal. I believe this may have ethical implications. But, I will let the Appellate or State Court to decide on that. My client would like to be able to resolve this without having to bring this to the courts attention or the Florida Bar. My client has spent a few hours on this appeal and would be agreeable not to seek sanctions against you. But, most likely, you will think you can get away with this. When Farrow asked How would your client like to handle, Rathbun replied, Ask my buddy, [disbarred attorney] Mark P. Stopa. How, after dealing with me, worked out for him. Farrow asked, Roger, what is it going to take? and Rathbun said, What is your Bar license worth to you? Mr. Klein (a misspelled reference to Jonathan Kline, opposing counsel for another party in the case). You next. The referee said Rathbuns answers bringing up the Florida Bar threatened Farrow and Kline in order to gain an advantage in a civil case. Thats a violation and Farrow filed a grievance with the Bar. On June 25, 2018, the Bar asked Rathbun to respond to Farrows grievance by July 9, 2018. Rathbun responded to Farrows grievance by responding to Farrow. Roger Rathbun Rathbun began firing off a fusillade of emails including Farrows arrest mugshot from a 2015 arrest in Broward (DUI reduced to reckless driving, probation); a 2013 arrest in Miami-Dade (disorderly intoxication, pre-trial intervention); 2016 litigation by a bank over Farrows home mortgage; and a 1998 arrest in Alachua County (dropped for insufficient evidence). You started this with the police report and subsequent Bar complaint, Rathbun emailed. I was just trying to resolve the appeal without further litigation and without further fees. Now, you get what you get. That email was sent on July 16, 2018, a week after Rathbuns response to the Bar was due. Hes asked for additional time on July 12, 2018, and was given until July 27, 2018. On July 18, 2018, he sent an email to Kline that said, So, this is a Guy you are co-counsel with. So Rape is ok with you and your clients. you got kids. Any girls. Maybe let them hang out with your co counsel. Rathbun finally responded to the Bar Aug. 13, 2018. Said delay was either [Rathbuns] attempt to dissuade Farrow from pursuing his Bar grievance or otherwise retaliate for filing the grievance, or both, neither of which is permissible, the referee wrote. Rathbun argues for shortening his suspension because he sent the emails while he was under undue stress because his home is currently in foreclosure; hes in counseling to deal with substance abuse issues; and the court should consider the financial hardship this would have on his family and his children if a year suspension was imposed. Alka Sharma, West Palm Beach Alka Sharma starts an 18-month suspension Feb. 15 and will enter into a contract with Florida Lawyers Assistance, which helps lawyers dealing with substance abuse, mental health problems or other disorders. Denise and Reginald Rock paid Sharma to file a complaint against Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Sharma didnt file it, but told the couple he had. For approximately three years, [Sharma] gave the Rocks false updates regarding their case, including information regarding motions and depositions, Sharmas guilty plea said. The Rocks couldnt find any documentation that their lawsuit was moving forward, but after the Rocks continued to make inquiries, [Sharma] informed the Rocks that a judgment had been entered in their favor and showed them a final judgment purportedly entered in their case against Liberty Mutual. Then, Sharma tried to close the loop on the lie by saying she was meeting with a company that was willing to buy their judgment for a reduced rate which would allow them to avoid the appellate process. The Rocks learned the final judgment had been forged. Advertisement They have been touring the country holding auditions for the next season of Britain's Got Talent. And Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon continued their style parade as they marked their first day of auditions in Manchester, hitting the red carpet alongside fellow judges Simon Cowell and David Walliams, as well as hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. Amanda, 48, looked sensational as she stepped out in a vibrant jewel hued gown gown that sheathed her lithe figure, while Alesha, 41, oozed sartorial chic in a complementary loose blue suit. Sensational: Amanda Holden, 48,(left in green) and Alesha Dixon, 41, continued their style parade in vibrant looks as they marked their first day of Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester The eye-catching garment featured a high neckline adorned with ruffles, and cinched in at her tiny waist to highlight her hourglass physique. Flaring out into a calf length skirt with a peplum hem, the gown offered a glimpse at her tanned and toned pins, which had been boosted with a pair of patent white heels. Amanda completed the look by donning pair of oversized square rimmed sunglasses, whilst her glossy golden locks were swept back into a chic high ponytail. Statement: Amanda, 48, donned a bright green dress (left), while Alesha oozed sartorial chic in a loose-fitting cornflower blue suit with paperbag trousers and a tribal printed top (right) Chic: The popular judges looked sensational as they posed up a storm outside The Lowry Amazing: The star looked sensational as she stepped out in a vibrant aquamarine gown that sheathed her lithe figure as she posed in front of a 225,000 Aston Martin Grand entrance: No stranger to a wild ride, Amanda drove herself and Alesha to the theatre to kick off filming for the auditions in the city, after already seeing some of Britain's biggest talents in London Glamorous: Amanda and Alesha were spotted exiting their hotel together in their contrasting coloured looks as they stepped out for another day of filming Strike a pose: Amanda looked impossibly glamorous as she struck a sultry pose on a car bonnet Playful: The gorgeous co-hosts looked stunning as they larked about on the red carpet Meanwhile Alesha oozed sartorial chic in a loose-fitting cornflower blue suit with paperbag trousers and a tribal printed top, and added a 70s twist with small oval sunglasses. Ever the daredevil, Amanda gave her co-judge a ride to the theatre in a 225,000 Aston Martin, and jumped behind the wheel as they sped through the city. This marked the first day the BGT auditions headed to Manchester, with further rounds set to take place on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with the final auditions set to take place on Monday 10th February. The Manchester round of auditions follow the London dates at the Palladium, which took place from January 18 to 23. The show will return to screens after BGT: The Champions aired in the autumn, which saw contestants from international versions of the show compete to be crowned the ultimate winner. Look at you! Amanda also took to Instagram to share a snap of her amazing look with the stunning city backdrop, as she prepared to reunite with her judges for the auditions Exciting: This marked the first day the BGT auditions headed to Manchester, with further rounds set to take place on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with the final auditions set to take place on Monday 10th February Transformed: Simon Cowell, 60, continued to display his weight loss, as he joined David Walliams on the red carpet for the auditions Grand entrance: The music mogul was spotted arriving for the auditions in a car-boat after sailing in from the river Here he is! Never one to shy away from making an entrance, Simon arrived on the red carpet in the classic car-boat emblazoned with the Union Jack Line-up: The judges and hosts joined forces for a glamorous snap on the red carpet at the auditions Oh dear: Ant looked slightly seasick as the boat pulled into shore and headed to the auditions Centre of attention: Ant and Dec took in the scenic views as they whizzed along the water while a cameraman filmed After finishing runner-up on the show in 2010, dance duo Twist and Pulse were crowned the winners, while Greek father-son dancers Stavros Flatley finished as runners-up, after last competing on the show in 2009. Last years British series saw war veteran Colin Thackeray crowned winner after stunning viewers with his amazing vocals. Joining Amanda and Alesha for filming was music mogul Simon Cowell, who continued to display the results of his impressive 20lb weight loss with David Walliams. Never one to shy away from making an entrance, Simon arrived on the red carpet in a classic car-boat emblazoned with the Union Jack, ready to join fellow judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon for the filming. Simon and David were spotted arriving on the vehicle which emerged from the river before driving up to the entrance for the venue where the auditions would be taking place. Bond in the making: Simon and David were spotted arriving on the vehicle which emerged from the river Fun: The new series of Britain's Got Talent is expected to air sometime in April Jovial: Simon was in high spirits as he was spotted leaving the Gotham Hotel ready for another day of filming, after recently revealing the secrets to his 20lb weight loss It comes after Simon revealed the secret to his 20lb weight loss is cutting out red meat and drinking light beer instead of regular beer. The music mogul told The Sun: 'You can drink this light beer but youve got to be sensible about quantities. I have loads more energy and feel great. 'All I do is avoid just red meat - white meat is fine - and I eat loads of vegetables, salads and drink this great beer. 'The most dramatic period was the first month where most of the weight comes off and you look at yourself and think wow. I used to be 36 inch waist and now Ive lost four inches. Im really happy now.' Dynamic duo: BGT hosts Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin looked in good spirits as they arrived on the red carpet to present another day of auditions Boys about town: The pair headed into filming, after confirming their series Saturday Night Takeaway will finally return later this month BGT hosts Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin looked in good spirits as they arrived on the red carpet to present another day of auditions. Earlier, Dec cut a casual figure as he left his hotel, flashing a grin and waving as he made his way towards The Lowry where the auditions took place. The TV host, 44, donned a dark green jacket which he paired with navy jeans and brown shoes. Relaxed: Earlier, Dec cut a casual figure as he left his hotel, flashing a grin and waving as he made his way towards The Lowry, while Ant sported a navy bomber jacket with a matching shirt and trousers as he left the hotel Beaming: The Newcastle-born presenter was in high spirits as he exited the hotel Time for a rest? Ahead of the auditions, Amanda once again took to Instagram to hint that her long hours as a BGT judge and Heart Radio DJ were taking their toll, as she posted a hilarious video of herself taking a nap on a rug Chilled: The mother-of-two was wrapped up in cosy knitted co-ords as she lay across the soft blue rug after a busy morning as a radio DJ Wake up! Eventually emerging from her slumber, Amanda said to the camera: 'It's actually really nice that floor, really nice' Dec, who has hosted the show with Ant since its inception, completed his look for the day by donning a dark plaid shirt and carried a black bag. Meanwhile, Ant sported a navy bomber jacket with a matching shirt and trousers as he left the hotel. Ahead of the auditions, Amanda once again took to Instagram to hint that her long hours as a BGT judge and Heart Radio DJ were taking their toll, as she posed a hilarious video of herself taking a nap on a rug. The mother-of-two was wrapped up in cosy knitted co-ords as she eventually awoke from her slumber, saying: 'It's actually really nice that floor, really nice.' In another hilarious post, Amanda also had a go at the Instagram filter which guesses how old the user looks, and couldn't hide her delight when it guessed that she was just 35 years old. In a State of the Union address in which he touted the new branch of the military, the Space Force, and recognized a surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, President Donald Trump also called on America to be the first nation to plant its flag on Mars. The president pushed for Congress to fully fund the Artemis program, NASAs effort to return to the Moon and eventually reach Mars. Trump said the project would assure that the next man and first woman on the moon will be American astronauts." The announcement garnered particular applause female members of Congress. According to NASA, the Artemis program will see a mission to the Moon by 2024, using new technologies to explore more of the lunar surface. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028, NASA says. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap sending astronauts to Mars. Two weeks later, Ickler returned to the Buffett Cancer Center for her surgery. During the 2 1/2-hour procedure, more than a liter of marrow the spongy tissue where blood cells are made was removed from her hip bones. Although its typically an outpatient procedure, allowing donors to leave the hospital the same day with only soreness and fatigue, Ickler experienced some negative side effects when her blood pressure and hemoglobin level dropped. She was released from the cancer center the following day, Jan. 22, and ended up in the emergency room at the hospital in her hometown of Plainview. Ickler spent three days at CHI Health Plainview and received a blood transfusion before returning to Kearney last week. Now, I really dont have any pain, she said. Despite the setbacks, Ickler isnt second-guessing her decision to donate, calling it the best experience Ive ever had. In fact, one of her first questions after the process was, When can I donate again? Kim Ji-hyung, left, former Supreme Court justice and head of Samsung Group's compliance committee, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung's self-initiated compliance committee held its first meeting after the boards of seven affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, agreed to cooperate with its requests regarding possible corruption. Committee chief Kim Ji-hyung, who previously served as a former Supreme Court justice, presided over the meeting at its office in Samsung Life Insurance Seocho Tower, southern Seoul, Wednesday. Those in attendance included Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty Secretary-General Ko Gye-hyun, Civil Society Organizations Network co-head Kwon Tae-sun, Seoul National University professor Kim Woo-jin, attorney Bong Wook, and Chung-Ang University professor Shim In-sook. Regarding the points discussed, a senior Samsung official said the committee talked over better and effective compliance processes to make sure affiliates adhere to all rules and Samsung-set regulations. "Assuming compliance-related risk is a substantial threat to all Samsung affiliates' financial, organizational and reputational standing, the committee members discussed the necessity of having a well-articulated compliance procedure to cut all possible risk of violating the committee set standards," the Samsung official said. The establishment of the corporate compliance committee and Samsung's guarantee to let the body work "independently" are responses to order from a judge to improve the company's overall compliance program to prevent any wrongdoings by executives. The Seoul High Court judge was pointing to the issue of Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong who allegedly bribed impeached president Park. At the time of the establishment, senior Samsung executives including vice chairman Kim Ki-nam and co-CEO Kim Hyun-suk said all Samsung affiliates will actively improve compliance management to protect themselves from managerial risks. Compliance refers to following relevant laws and regulations including those related to taxes and accounting. Depending on the industry, they are required to comply with large, complex sets of laws that have a substantial and significant impact on operations. Committee chief Kim said the members agreed on the need to monitor the activities of Samsung's board of directors and its management committees to make sure all acted are in accordance with the law. Earlier, Kim said the committee will look "closely into" a broad range of issues that include bribery, fraud, risky external sponsorship and illegal internal transactions between Samsung units. But it remains to be seen whether the members of the committee will directly report any wrongdoings to each of Samsung affiliates' boards. The committee plans to receive reports from employees via its website over any alleged misconduct of Samsung employees at all levels. In 2019, senior Samsung executives were found guilty of sabotaging a union, which eventually led to a prison term for the company's board chief Lee Sang-hoon. GREENWICH The man accused of killing a 24-year-old woman whose body was dumped in Greenwich has pleaded guilty. Javier Da Silva, 25, entered a plea of guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y., a year to the day that the body of Valerie Reyes was found in a suitcase off Glenville Road. Da Silva faces 30 years to life in prison on a federal charge of kidnapping. He will be sentenced May 21. In releasing new details about the case, federal prosecutors said Da Silva switched his cellphone to airplane mode before he entered Reyes residence in New Rochelle, N.Y., in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2019. After covering her mouth with tape and and putting her in a suitcase, the Department of Justice wrote in a statement, Da Silva turned toward stealing her money and belongings. He used her debit card to make $5,350 in withdrawals, according to the federal prosecutors, and he also sold an iPad belonging to Reyes in the days following her death. This lengthy investigation included examination of multiple crime scenes, hundreds of hours of surveillance footage, and numerous interviews of potential witnesses, said a statement from Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey. Additionally, social media footprints and records from a variety of sources were analyzed. Although justice has been served, we remain saddened by the loss of Valerie and sincerely hope that her family will find peace and a sense of closure to this tragedy, Heavey said. Da Silva told federal investigators that he was with Reyes in her apartment on Jan. 29, 2019, when she fell to the floor and hit her head, according to the criminal complaint against him. Reyes had suffered a severe injury to her head, the federal complaint stated. Da Silva admitted to federal investigators that he put her in a suitcase, leading to her death by suffocation. The body, inside a suitcase, was transported by Da Silva to a wooded area off Glenville Road, where it was found Feb. 5, 2019, by a town highway worker. The cause of death was homicidal asphyxiation. As he admitted today in court, Javier Da Silva committed a horrid kidnapping that resulted in the tragic death of Valerie Reyes, a young woman with her entire adult life ahead of her. Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI and our local law enforcement partners, Da Silva is now facing serious consequences, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement. Da Silva was arrested at his Queens, N.Y., apartment on Feb. 12, 2019, on a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. The case was handled by the FBI with assistance from police in New Rochelle and Greenwich. Family members of Reyes did not return requests for comment Wednesday. Reyes, who worked at a book store in Eastchester, N.Y., had dated Da Silva for a short time, according to her family. The relationship had ended in 2018. Da Silvas use of the debit card, and his trip to an automated bank teller in New Rochelle, helped investigators track him to his apartment in Queens. Federal prosecutors and defense lawyers had been in discussions with Da Silva for months about a possible plea deal, according to court records. The government and defense counsel have had discussions regarding a possible disposition of this case as recently as March 2019, federal prosecutors said in court documents last spring. The negotiations have not been completed and we plan to continue our discussions. Da Silva has been held at a federal detention unit at the Westchester County Jail. He was in the United States illegally at the time of the crime, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is a citizen of Venezuela and Portugal. He overstayed his visa after coming to New York City he entered the United States on May 8, 2017, on a visa, but he failed to leave the country as he was required to by Aug. 5, 2017, ICE said. Federal authorities said he would be deported after his prison sentence was completed. He pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com [February 05, 2020] Secure Web Gateway Market Worth $10.9 Billion by 2024 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets CHICAGO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new research report "Secure Web Gateway Market by Component (Solutions (Threat Protection, Access Control, and Data Protection) and Services), Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Vertical (Healthcare, BFSI, IT & Telecom, and Education), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the SWG Market size is projected to grow from USD 4.6 billion in 2019 to USD 10.9 billion by 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.1% from 2019 to 2024. The major growth drivers for the market include the rising need for protection from web-based cyberattacks. Browse in-depth TOC on "Secure Web Gateway Market" 128 Tables 34 Figures 159 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=122342997 Based on organization size, the large enterprise segment to lead the market in 2019 Large enterprises have more than 1,000 employees. They are strongly investing in advanced technologies to increase their overall productivity and efficiency. They are expected to invest significantly in implementing SWG solutions because of their capability to offer end-to-end protection in web security and to enforce the same level of security to applications. With a rise in trends such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and cloud-based applications, the number of touchpoints has increased in an organization; thus, raising the risk of cyber threats. To protect business networks, terminals, and information from cyber threats, data thefts, and unauthorized access, enterprises are considering the adoption of SWG solutions. SWG players such as Symantec, Zscaler, and Cisco provide solutions that cater to the needs of large enterprises. Large enterprises are expected to continue to adopt solutions and services from these companies through cloud as well as on-premises SWG solutions. Based on verticals, the IT and telecom vertical to grow at the fastest growth rate during the forecasted period IT and telecom companies are being attacked by cyber attackers more and more. The growing involvement of IT services into daily operations of companies across all verticals, coupled with the increasing sophistication of attacks, is compelling the companies to adopt web-based security solutions. The rising use of cloud computing, IoT, and BYOD has raised concerns over security solutions to be adopted in the teleco vertical. Operators controlling and operating critical infrastructure communicate and store sensitive data that are prone to sophisticated and complex attacks, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and ransomware attacks. With the evolving landscape of cyber threats, IT organizations, telecom operators, and service providers across the US, UK, Germany, France, China, Japan, India, Singapore, and other countries are deploying SWG solutions to combat the emerging threats on their infrastructure. Speak to Our Expert Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=122342997 North America to hold the highest market share during the forecast period The North American region has sustainable and well-established economies, which empower it to invest significantly in R&D activities, thereby contributing to the development of new technologies in SWG. The presence of the majority of key players is expected to be a major factor driving the growth of the market in this region. Key players such as NortonLifeLock, Zscaler, Cisco Systems, Check Point Software Technologies, Sophos Group plc, Forcepoint, Trendmicro, Comodo Group, and Mcafee, LLC, along with several startups in the region, are offering SWG solutions and services to cater to the needs of customers. Market Players The major vendors covered in the Secure Web Gateway Market include NortonLifeLock Inc. (Symantec Corporation) (US), Zscaler, Inc. (US), Cisco Systems Inc. (US), Check Point Software Technologies (Israel), Sophos Group PLC (UK), Forcepoint (US), TrendMicro Incorporated (Japan), Comodo Group (UK), McAfee, LLC (US), Thoma Bravo (Barracuda Networks, Inc.) (US), NetSkope (US), A10 Networks, Inc. (US), Cyren (Israel), Sangfor Technologies (China), CATO Networks (Israel), Content Keeper (Australia), iboss (US), Menlo Security (US), F5 Networks Inc. (US), and Citrix Systems Inc. (US). Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting Related reports: Web Application Firewall Market by Solution (Hardware Appliances, Virtual Appliances, Cloud-Based), Service (Professional and Managed), Organization Size (SMEs and Large Enterprises), Industry Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/web-application-firewall-market-176479811.html Application Security Market by Component (Solutions, Services), Solution (Web Application Security, Mobile Application Security), Testing Type (SAST, DAST, IAST), Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, Region - Global Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/application-security-market-110170194.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. 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Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insights: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/secure-web-gateways-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/secure-web-gateways.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Israeli occupation troops shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian who was taking part in a protest on Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, witnesses and medical officials said. Mohammed al-Hadad was the first Palestinian killed in unrest since Trump unveiled his plan last week to accolades from Israel but condemnation from many in the Arab and Muslim world. Witnesses and medical officials said al-Hadad was shot as he took part in a protest in Hebron, a Palestinian city with Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli occupation troops were pelted with rocks. An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment. The Palestinians, who have long shunned the Trump administration, accusing it bias towards Israel, say the peace plan falls far short of their demands for territorial and other rights. Washington deems many of those demands unrealistic. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexico currently brings up the rear when it comes to states holding presidential primary contests. But that would change under a bill filed Tuesday that seeks to move the state to the national forefront by shifting its presidential primary to mid-January. If approved, it would make New Mexico the first state to hold a primary, starting in the 2024 election cycle. Why cant we be the bellwether instead of Iowa? the bills sponsor, Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, said in a Tuesday interview. He said New Mexicos status as a border state and its diverse population the state is a minority-majority state in which Hispanics and Latinos make up 49% of the population would make it a pacesetter and could give minority candidates a better chance at winning their partys nomination. In addition, moving New Mexicos presidential primary to the second Tuesday in January instead of the first Tuesday in June could lead to more campaigns setting up shop in New Mexico and spending tax dollars here, Martinez told the Journal. The bill would not change New Mexicos primary election date for other races. Other proposals have also surfaced in recent years to change the date of New Mexicos presidential nominating contest but have largely failed to gain traction. A 2015 Republican-backed bill to move up New Mexicos entire primary election to March stalled in a House panel due to concerns that it could complicate state elections. Former Gov. Bill Richardson also pushed for an earlier primary, and legislation was passed in 2003 allowing Democrats and Republicans to hold nominating contests before the June primary. However, the Democrats presidential caucus in February 2008 was widely criticized, as it featured long waits at polling places and vote counting that took more than a week. Iowa is currently the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest, as it held its caucuses Monday but did not begin releasing results until Tuesday afternoon because of technical problems. The Hawkeye State is followed by New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which all hold their nominating contests this month. New Mexico will hold its primary election this year on June 2, which is tied for the latest date in the country, along with Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Retired porn star Randy Spears has swapped sex for salmon and is now working at a seafood counter at a Texas grocery store, and said he wouldn't have it any other way, DailyMail.com can reveal. Exclusive photos show the adult movie legend real name Gregory Deushle hard at work inside the H-E-B Woodlands Market in Woodland, Texas. The 58-year-old has been working at the market since January 2019 and previously worked a two-year stint at the store between 2014 and 2016. Fish counter workers at H-E-B stores typically make around $12 an hour or approximately $25,000 per year. The relatively modest salary is a far cry from the $1,000-a-day Spears charged at the height of his fame but, speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, he said he would never go back to porn. Retired porn star Randy Spears has swapped sex for salmon and wouldn't have it any other way, as he's now working at a seafood counter at a Texas grocery store, DailyMail.com can reveal. Exclusive photos show the adult movie legend real name Gregory Deushle hard at work inside the H-E-B Woodlands Market in Woodland, Texas. A source said the 58-year-old has been working at the market since January 2019 and previously worked a two-year stint at the store between 2014 and 2016 Spears said: 'The reason I got into porn is because I needed to eat. I'm resourceful. And I did it again now I sell fish. You got to do what you got to do.' He added: 'I need to eat, pay my bills. It has been pretty humbling after having people line up round a city block for my autograph and photo, after being a movie star and being famous. 'It was pretty humbling at first. I was throwing away fish guts in the garbage at the end of the shift and thinking, ''wow, this is a change''.' The 58-year-old first burst onto the adult film scene in the late 80s after struggling to survive during the 1988 writer's strike that shut down Hollywood. Spears exclusively told DailyMail.com, he would never go back to porn Until then, he had enjoyed modest success in mainstream movies such as Comedy Critters 2: The Main Course under the alias Gregory Patrick. With money in short supply, he turned to porn making his debut in a 1988 movie called The Case of the Sensuous Sinners in which he starred as a detective. He went on to appear in hundreds of X-rated films, playing Captain Tom Quirk in Sex Trek: The Final Penetration and took on the role of The Joker in 2010's Batman XXX: A Porn Parody. Spears explained: 'I had my fun, no doubt about it. I made a lot of money. I partied a lot. We'd show up at the swankiest new club in Hollywood or New York and they'd let you right in. 'Give you the best tables and that kind of thing. Fame was fun, no doubt about it.' He loved meeting fans and signing autographs and he has fond memories of the annual Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spears said: 'In the early days, we would all stay at the Tropicana and we would take over the hotel. 'We were partying, there were drugs everywhere. There was always drugs everywhere. We would just be crazy. 'One time, we started throwing the lawn chairs into the pool with naked girls sitting in them and then we're having sex in the lawn chairs in the pool. It was stuff like that. 'We would just do whatever we wanted to do. Security would come and be like, ''you guys got to keep it down''. Like 10 of them would show up because they wanted to see the naked girls and tell us to hold it down. There were lots of times like that.' But he says the adult business also had a dark side and he found himself both addicted to cocaine and regretting the loss of his mainstream career. Spears said: 'The reason I got into porn is because I needed to eat. I'm resourceful. And I did it again now I sell fish. You got to do what you got to do. I need to eat, pay my bills. It was pretty humbling at first. I was throwing away fish guts in the garbage at the end of the shift and thinking, ''wow, this is a change''.' Pictured: Spears with his former wife Demi Delia in 2008 Spears appeared in hundreds of X-rated films, playing Captain Tom Quirk in Sex Trek: The Final Penetration and took on the role of The Joker in 2010's Batman XXX: A Porn Parody Spears said: 'There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think, if I'd just stuck it out in Hollywood, what if? 'But I knew the very second they rolled the camera on me in the adult business that my [mainstream] career was over I was never going to be Rock Hudson. 'Times have changed now but back then, that was the kiss of death. You're not going to be in a movie with Tom Cruise. Too much liability.' By 2011, after more than 20 years in the business, Spears who was raised a devout Catholic was done. He said: 'At the end of my career, it really was a matter of me pulling over in my car after I had done a job and I just kind of broke down and started weeping. 'I said, ''please God, change my life. I surrender. I don't want to do this anymore''. People can believe what they want to believe, it was very real to me. 'And change has happened. My life is completely different now. I don't walk around beating people on the head with my Bible. 'But I have found peace now and I'm grateful for the things that I do have and I'm happy. I feel safe, I'm happy and it's been a big change. I wouldn't go back.' In 2013, two years after retiring from porn, he moved to Houston, Texas, to be closer to his two children with his adult actress first wife Danielle Rogers, 52. Amanda, 26, works in a veterinary clinic while son Greg, 24, has just graduated from college and plans to be an engineer. For Spears, finding work post porn initially proved tricky thanks to his notoriety but he says he enjoys his job and the only acting work he would consider now is voiceover roles. By 2011, after more than 20 years in the business, Spears who was raised a devout Catholic was done. He said: 'At the end of my career, it really was a matter of me pulling over in my car after I had done a job and I just kind of broke down and started weeping' For Spears, finding work post porn initially proved tricky thanks to his notoriety but he says he enjoys his job. He says his family are right behind him in his new career and are proud of him for being able to reinvent himself after retiring from porn He said: 'I do enjoy it. It's hard work, you're always cold you're working with ice and you're in the air conditioning back there. You come home smelling like fish. 'But I like talking to the customers, taking care of the customers. I'm a good cook I know a lot about fish. I enjoy helping them and that's the best part of the job.' He says his favorite fish is walleye pike, which he remembers from summers spent fishing in Canada with his brothers. 'Me and my brothers used to take fishing trips up to Canada,' he told DailyMail.com. 'It's one of my best memories. I've been a fisherman since I was a little kid I grew up on a river in Illinois. 'I love salmon as well. We sell some pretty exotic fish Chilean sea bass and stuff like that. But I enjoy it, I'm not burned out on it.' He says his family are right behind him in his new career and are proud of him for being able to reinvent himself after retiring from porn. But he issued a warning to would-be adult stars, saying they need to consider how the job will affect their future careers before letting the cameras roll. Spears said: 'Give it some serious thought as to what you want to do with the rest of your life once it's over because you will really paint yourself in a box, a corner. 'The corporate world won't want you because you're too risky so you'll limit yourself to possible menial jobs the rest of your life or a job where you're just kind of paying the bills. Nobody gives you that advice when you get into that business.' (Natural News) Hospital Authority (H.A.), a hospital workers union in Hong Kong, has called for a strike over the Hong Kong governments failure to close its border with China in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. On February 3, H.A. issued five demands to the Hong Kong government, including that it ban the entry of all travelers from China; provide adequate isolation wards for coronavirus; and suspend all non-emergency hospital services, effective immediately. Created in December of last year, H.A. boasts 18,000 members, which include doctors, nurses and other hospital workers. It overwhelmingly voted 3,123 to 10 on Feb. 1 during its general meeting to go on strike with the hope that the Hong Kong government will meet its five demands. According to HK01, a Hong Kong media source, the strike began on Feb. 3 and will continue for five days, with those striking already taking to the streets with protest signs. Hospital workers were also reportedly lining up by the hundreds outside hospitals to sign their names in support of the strike. Lai Ching-lung, a professor of gastroenterology at The University of Hong Kong, was one such striker who stood outside of Queen Mary Hospital to express his support for closing Hong Kongs border with China as a reasonable protective measure against coronavirus. As of this writing, Hong Kong has 14 known cases of coronavirus, while globally there are now more than 20,000 confirmed infections and 426 confirmed deaths. If there is no full border closure, there wont be enough manpower, protective equipment, or isolation rooms to combat the outbreak, warns Winnie Yu, chairwoman of H.A., about why the Hong Kong government needs to act swiftly to meet the unions demands. Hospital Authority says at least HALF of its members will strike beginning Feb. 4 if Hong Kong government refuses to act Of H.A.s roughly 18,000 members, about 3,000 were expected to participate in the first phase of the strike. These include roughly 1,000 nurses, 1,000 full-time medical staff, and about 300 doctors, with the remaining number representing other hospital faculty. The strike announcement came about after H.A. had previously tried to meet with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, only to have Lam not show up to the scheduled discussion. H.A. responded by giving the Hong Kong government until 6 p.m. local time on Feb. 3 to make things right, otherwise the next phase of the strike, to begin on Feb. 4, would be initiated, tripling the number of strikers to about 9,000. At this time, Hong Kong has shuttered 14 of Hong Kongs border crossings with China. But the rest still remain open at the direction of Lam, who on Jan. 31 rejected the idea of completely closing all of Hong Kongs border crossings with China. Lam claimed during a press conference on that date that closing all travel between Hong Kong and China contradicts the W.H.O. (World Health Organization) suggestion. However, it was the W.H.O. itself that, the day before, publicly declared coronavirus to be a global health emergency. Wouldnt be surprised if the Chinese regime is actually trying to capitalize from this outbreak by infecting the people of Hong Kong, wrote one commenter at The Epoch Times, linking the previous Hong Kong protests against the communist Chinese regime to a possible backlash in the form of biowarfare. Easier to replace them later with pro-CCP (Communist Party of China) supporters. Beijing did want to relocate infected persons from China to vacant locations in Hong Kong, that is, until people started protesting. It also refused Taiwans request to evacuate Taiwanese citizens. Will probably send them back after theyre confirmed to be infected. For more related news about coronavirus, be sure to check out Pandemic.news and Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders took the lead as the first results in the Iowa Democratic caucus were finally released, a day after technical issues caused chaos. With 62 per cent of results released, Mr Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was leading the field on state delegate equivalents, with Vermont senator Mr Sanders second. In the popular vote their positions were reversed. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator, was third in both, followed by former vice-president Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, in fifth. The partial results were announced as the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, Troy Price, apologised for the problems which have inspired mockery from Donald Trump and others. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty Mr Price promised an independent investigation into what happened, saying: "We've been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate." Speaking to supporters in Laconia, New Hampshire, after the early results were announced, Mr Buttigieg said he had begun the race a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition and no money, but with "a big idea". The Afghanistan veteran has argued it is time for a new generation of leaders in the party and that his lack of experience in Washington makes him an ideal candidate to break the partisan gridlock in the nation's capital. He said: "A campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the current president with a better vision for the future." Officials blamed the embarrassing hold-up on inconsistencies related to a new mobile app used for vote. Iowa is the first electoral test in the presidential calendar, although some Democrats have long complained that the largely white farm state has an outsized role in determining the party's nominee. Iowa voter asks to change vote after learning Pete Buttigieg is gay Mr Trump took a swipe at the Democrats, 11 of whom are contenders in the state-by-state battle to face him in November. "Nothing works, just like they ran the Country," he tweeted. Before the Iowa results were released, campaign aides for Mr Biden cited gross failures in the caucuses. "What we're saying is there are some inconsistencies, that the process, the integrity, is at stake. And the Iowa Democratic Party needs to check that data, check it again, check it a third time, check it a fourth time, because it's important to get it right," campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders. Reuters contributed to this report "The University of Tulsa is excited to leverage the resources and expertise of Noodle Partners to further develop these two online degree programs and meet the needs of students," said Dr. Janet Levit, Interim President of Tulsa University. The University of Tulsa (TU), Oklahomas highest-ranked national university, is launching an online MBA and elevating its online MS in Cybersecurity with Noodle Partners, the fastest-growing online program manager. Increasingly, adult learners are opting for programs that fit their busy lives. TU is working to improve the accessibility of their programs by meeting those students where they are online. The online MBA offers both part-time and full-time options to prepare students for professional management careers in the private and public sectors as well as for positions of leadership and responsibility in business and society. Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing job sectors in the United States; the BLS projects a 32% increase in employment from 2018 to 2028, more than six times higher than the average for careers in the U.S. For 20 years, TU has been one of just a handful of institutions designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education. "The University of Tulsa is excited to leverage the resources and expertise of Noodle Partners to further develop these two online degree programs and meet the needs of students seeking a research university-level education outside of a traditional classroom setting, said Dr. Janet Levit, Interim President of Tulsa University. TU's MBA and MS in Cybersecurity attract highly motivated working professionals who will use the degrees to advance their careers and support the nation's thriving business and technology industries." The online 37-credit MBA is a unique cohort-style program, which groups students in teams of four to five members that rotate each semester, fostering a strong network and providing an opportunity to work with individuals who bring different backgrounds and experiences to classroom projects. Elective courses in finance, accounting, energy, marketing or management allow students to customize and focus the degree to suit individual career goals. The online MS in Cybersecurity requires 30 credits to graduate. The program offers an entirely online curriculum, along with an option to take immersive courses in which students spend one week on campus completing hands-on, intensive training guided by faculty. The program is designed to be completed in 24-months, and students can continue to work as full-time professionals while completing the degree. TU is making an excellent strategic move by launching these innovative online programs, said John Katzman, CEO of Noodle Partners. We have total confidence in our partnership with TU and were excited to see how its incoming cohorts of students leverage their degrees in the workforce. About University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private, doctoral degree-granting institution that fosters a rich, diverse experience for students through mutual respect and cultural appreciation. With undergraduate, graduate and law students from 60 countries, TU is ranked No. 1 in Oklahoma by U.S. News & World Report and Wall Street Journal. Research opportunities start the moment students step on campus. Innovation and entrepreneurship are emphasized in equal measure with foundational coursework and design-thinking exercises. Through collaboration and commitment, the TU community generates prosperity, cultivates justice and serves others. Real-world experience is plentiful, and domestic alumni report a 96% placement rate. About Noodle Partners Founded by a team of education and technology veterans, Noodle Partners creates innovative online and hybrid programs while improving traditional classroom models. Noodle Partners has the capability to work with universities on every aspect of building a certificate or degree program that they choosemarketing, student recruitment, enrollment, curriculum design, student engagement, support services, graduate placement, and alumni engagementand provides a high level of fit and finish. For more information, visit noodle-partners.com or follow us on Twitter @Noodle_Partners or LinkedIn. Media Contact: Alyssa Miller alyssa@ammediaworks.com 973-615-1292 A US citizen has died after being arrested by Border Patrol agents in South Texas. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the 35-year-old man, who has not been identified, was a suspect in a human smuggling incident. The man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by agents in Brackettville, about 30 miles east of the border with Mexico. CBP said the man 'began exhibiting signs of distress' at about 6pm while he was being processed in Brackettville. The 35-year-old was arrested by agents in Brackettville, Texas, about 30 miles east of the border with Mexico, and was said to a suspect in a human smuggling incident Agents trained as emergency medical technicians 'immediately administered first aid' and eventually called local emergency services, CBP said. The man was pronounced dead at 9:37pm after being taken to hospital. The agency did not identify the man's illness, symptoms or cause of death, which was first reported by BuzzFeed News. The Border Patrol does not ordinarily detain US citizens, but it routinely arrests Americans accused of trying to smuggle immigrants who have crossed the border illegally. Those arrested can be charged with a felony in federal court. Twenty-four immigrants died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody between May last year and the beginning of the Trump administration, according to an NBC News analysis of federal data. At least four others died after being released from ICE custody. The agency did not immediately provide the circumstances of the man's arrest or the allegations against him. WASHINGTON - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido drew a standing ovation from Republicans and Democrats in a rare moment of political unity as President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech Tuesday. Trump called Guaido the true and legitimate leader of Venezuela and said President Nicolas Maduro is a tyrant as lawmakers applauded. Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland, Trump said to Guaido. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom. Guaidos attendance as a surprise, last-minuted guest of the president came as he has been trying to win face time with Trump, his most important international ally. Guaidos visit to Miami on Saturday rounded out a two-week world tour that took him first to Colombia, then across Europe and Canada, where he held meetings seeking more international help to oust Maduro. Venezuela has been a top priority in Latin America for the Trump administration, which a year ago was the first among a coalition of governments to recognize Guaido as president. The U.S. and nearly 60 other governments say Maduros 2018 re-election was not legitimate and that Guaido, as leader of the National Assembly, should be named interim president under the Venezuelan constitution. Maduro, however, remains in control, having faced down a failed military uprising, a brief renewal of mass anti-government protests and U.S. sanctions. Earlier, the White House said Ivan Simonovis, the former police chief in Caracas who was imprisoned in 2004 and held in captivity for nearly 15 years, also would be a guest. Simonovis was sentenced to 30 years in prison on what he considered trumped-up charges of ordering police to fire on pro-government demonstrators during a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez. Simonovis, Venezuelas most famous SWAT cop, escaped last year and was brought to the United States, His detention has been a rallying cry of the opposition that considered Maduros 2018 election to a second term a fraud and blamed his socialist policies for the nations crisis, which is driving mass migration and threatening the regions stability. Nestle Health Science's global reach and metabolic diseases focus expected to support TOTUM-63 development and global commercialization; Strategic partnership secures funding for the latest clinical development phase until the obtention of health claims from American and European Authorities; Deal is structured around an upfront payment of CHF 5 million, development sales milestone payments up to a maximum of CHF 66 million and tiered royalties on net sales; Agreement also includes TOTUM-63 supply to Nestle Health Science representing an additional source of revenue. Regulatory News: VALBIOTIS (Paris:ALVAL) (FR0013254851 ALVAL PEA/SME eligible ), a Research Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases, announces the signature of a global long-term strategic partnership with Nestle Health Science for the development and commercialization of TOTUM-63, an innovative and patented combination of 5 plant extracts specifically designed to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes on prediabetics. Sebastien PELTIER, CEO of VALBIOTIS states: "Nestle Health Science is an ideal strategic partner for VALBIOTIS. Its global reach, strategic intent to develop science-based nutritional health solutions and focus on fighting metabolic disorders like diabetes will be instrumental to TOTUM-63's worldwide commercialization success. We are excited about the opportunity that this deal brings to VALBIOTIS and to the many millions of people around the world at risk of becoming Type 2 diabetics. This transformational deal arrives just five years after the creation of VALBIOTIS and is a recognition of the hard work, commitment and vision of our team". Hans-Juergen WOERLE, Chief Science Medical Officer of Nestle Health Science, said, "The research and development that VALBIOTIS is doing is very promising. We look forward to working together to realize the commercialization of TOTUM-63, an innovative approach to reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes." Under the terms of the agreement, VALBIOTIS grants Nestle Health Science exclusive and global commercial rights to use TOTUM-63 in the prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes market. The agreement defines a number of priority markets for a global commercialization. In exchange for these rights, Nestle Health Science commits to an upfront payment of CHF 5 million, development sales milestone payments up to a maximum of CHF 66 million, and tiered royalties on net sales. The partnership will support VALBIOTIS's work in a number of ways, including funding the latest clinical development phase until health claims are obtained by the appropriate authorities in the United States and Europe. The financial terms of this agreement significantly extend VALBIOTIS's cash runway. The commercialization of TOTUM-63 may take place before obtaining health claims. Agreement also includes TOTUM-63 supply to Nestle Health Science, representing an additional source of revenue for VALBIOTIS. As part of the agreement, a joint steering committee comprised of representatives of both companies will oversee clinical development, regulatory matters, supply and commercialization. Beyond this strategic partnership on TOTUM-63 to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, VALBIOTIS intends to pursue its other R&D programs: TOTUM-070, to reduce blood LDL-cholesterol, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, TOTUM-8541, to reduce blood pressure, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and TOTUM-4481, in fatty liver disease, a condition with high risk of developing NASH. The Company will provide further details on its pipeline in a subsequent communications. Resumption of trading of VALBIOTIS shares on Euronext Growth will take place on February 6, 2020 at 9:00 am. ABOUT TOTUM-63 TOTUM-63 is a unique and patented combination of 5 plant extracts, with high potential to target the physiopathological mechanisms of Type 2 Diabetes. TOTUM-63 has already been proven safe and effective in healthy human volunteers during a Phase I/II clinical study. The results of the international randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II study showed that TOTUM-63 reduced fasting and 2-hour blood sugar levels, two risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes, in prediabetics compared to placebo. In these subjects, who also had abdominal obesity, TOTUM-63 significantly reduced body weight and waist circumference. TOTUM-63 benefits from intellectual property granted in the main markets worldwide: Europe (covering 39 countries), the United States, Russia and national phases are underway in more than 20 countries including China, Japan, Brazil, Australia. The ability to produce TOTUM-63 industrially, in compliance to North American and European standards, has been validated. TOTUM-63 already has marketing authorizations related to its status in Europe. ABOUT NESTLE HEALTH SCIENCE Nestle Health Science (NHSc), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nestle, is a globally recognized leader in the field of nutritional science. At NHSc we are committed to empowering healthier lives through nutrition for consumers, patients and their healthcare partners. We offer an extensive consumer health portfolio of industry-leading medical nutrition, consumer and VMS brands that are science-based solutions covering all facets of health from prevention, to maintenance, all the way through to treatment. Headquartered in Switzerland, NHSc employs over 5'000 people around the world, who are committed to making a difference in people's lives, for a healthier today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit: www.nestlehealthscience.com ABOUT VALBIOTIS VALBIOTIS is a Research Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases in response to unmet medical needs. VALBIOTIS has adopted an innovative approach, aiming to revolutionize healthcare by developing a new class of nutritional health solutions designed to reduce the risk of major metabolic diseases, based on a multi-target approach and made possible by the use of plant-based ingredients. Its products are intended to be licensed to players in the health world. VALBIOTIS was founded in La Rochelle in early 2014 and has formed numerous partnerships with top academic centers. The Company has established three sites in France Perigny, La Rochelle (17) and Riom (63). VALBIOTIS is a member of the "BPI Excellence" network and received the "Innovative Company" status accorded by BPI France. Valbiotis has also been awarded "Young Innovative Company" status and has received major financial support from the European Union for its research programs by obtaining support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). VALBIOTIS is a PEA-SME eligible company. For more information about VALBIOTIS, please visit: www.valbiotis.com Name: Valbiotis ISIN code: FR0013254851 Mnemonic code: ALVAL Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements about VALBIOTIS' objectives, based on rational hypotheses and the information available to the company at the present time. However, in no way does this constitute a guarantee of future performance, and these projections can be reconsidered based on changes in economic conditions and financial markets, as well as a certain number of risks and doubts, including those described in the VALBIOTIS core document, filed with the French Financial Markets Regulator (AMF) on 31 July 2019 (application number R19-030) as well in its supplement approved by the AMF on Octobre 9, 2019. These documents being available on the Company's website (www.valbiotis.com). This press release, as well as the information contained herein, does not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation to purchase or subscribe to, VALBIOTIS' shares or securities in any country. 1. TOTUM-854 and TOTUM-448 are active substances from the VAL-63 research program. They are ready to enter Phase II clinical development. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005659/en/ Contacts: VALBIOTIS COMMUNICATION CORPORATE Carole ROCHER Marc DELAUNAY +33 5 46 28 62 58 media@valbiotis.com ACTIFIN COMMUNICATION FINANCIERE Stephane RUIZ +33 1 56 88 11 14 sruiz@actifin.fr MADIS PHILEO RELATIONS MEDIAS Guillaume DE CHAMISSO +33 6 85 91 32 56 guillaume.dechamisso@madisphileo.com Bismah Malik By Express News Service BENGALURU: Paytm has plans to tap the market involving millions of merchants and small businesses across the country through its various offerings including Point of Sale (POS) device, a payment gateway. The digital payments major also announced plans to consolidate its presence in the offline markets with the launch of POS device that will serve as one-stop payment solutions for merchants and accept transactions through Paytm Wallet, all UPI-based applications, debit and credit cards as well as cash. Besides accepting payments, merchants will also be able to generate GST compliant bills and manage all transactions and settlements through their Paytm for Business app at one go. The POS device, according to Paytm, is loaded with some of the features and services that are first of its kind in the payments industry. The device comes with integrated billing software and customised solutions for different industry sectors ranging from ticketing, catering to parking among others. It also features an in-built printer, a scanner and generates bills. The device can be used to accept payments, print bills and scan items for faster checkout at counters. Announcing the expansion plans of the company, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said currently a majority of the digital transactions in the country done using debit cards and wallets, including those of merchants/retailers. Paytm has been able to bring on board 16 million merchants on its platform, he claimed. Through the launch of the POS device, the digital payments major is expecting to sign up another 10 million retailers. Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra have been the highest contributors of merchant sign-ups on Paytm, he further said. The POS device has already been run on a series of successful projects including bus ticketing service, parking management, BFSI, logistics, and home delivery. Democrats have chosen Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to deliver the response to Donald Trumps third State of the Union, elevating a fresh face into the national spotlight just months away from election day this fall. Ms Whitmer, 48, serves to highlight the importance the Democratic Party has placed on midwest swing states that delivered Mr Trumps surprise election victory in 2016 including in Michigan, one of a handful of Hillary Clintons so-called firewall states that Mr Trump won by less than 1 per cent of the vote. The choice also highlights the importance of women voters to the party, who helped to hand control of the House of Representatives to Democrats in a historic blue wave that saw Ms Whitmers election in 2018. Those results placed a historic number of women in Congress, too, surpassing the previous record of 107 voting members with 118. The choice of Gretchen Whitmer emphasises the importance of the Midwest and women voters to the Democratic campaign (Getty Images) Ms Whitmer isnt the only woman to step up to the podium to contradict Mr Trump, and comes after Stacey Abrams did so last year. Ms Abrams came up just short of winning the Georgia governors office just months before her 2019 rebuttal, though she notably declined to concede the race citing concerns around the integrity of the vote. Before Ms Abrams, congressman Joe Kennedy III delivered the rebuttal in 2018, a precursor to his ongoing Senate bid in Massachusetts. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA Ms Whitmers election in 2018 was seen by many in the Democratic Party as a test run to determine whether Michigan, which had not been won by a Republican for nearly three decades when Mr Trump came along in 2016, could be won again by a Democrat in 2020. She ultimately defeated her Republican challenger by 10 points, marking one of the most expensive campaigns in Michigan history. That opponent, Bill Schuette, had largely portrayed himself as in the mould of the president, and touted Mr Trumps support on the campaign trail. For her part, Ms Whitmer ran a campaign focused on political pragmatism and issues like rebuilding roads or strengthening schools. The Russia-Ukraine ruling is one of only four the Appellate Body will deliver after its formal demise in December, when the mandates of two of its three members expired. The World Trade Organization (WTO) recommended on Tuesday that Russia bring some of its measures blocking imports of Ukrainian railway equipment into conformity with global trading rules in the final ruling in a dispute between the two countries. In a document published on the WTO website, the organization's Appellate Body, in one of its last verdicts before it stops functioning, said some of Russia's measures were "inconsistent" with trade rules, Reuters said. Read alsoReuters: WTO top court largely backs Russia in fertilizer case with Ukraine "It's a mixed ruling that is more favorable to Ukraine," said a Geneva-based trade official. The case centered on Russian procedures to check that the Ukrainian railway equipment conformed with Russian rules. Part of the problem was that conflict between Moscow and Kiev meant Russian inspectors were unwilling to travel to Ukraine. An earlier WTO panel ruling on the case had said this was justified based on the hostilities between the two former Soviet republics. The Appellate Body disagreed on Tuesday, saying the panel should have looked at the situation where the equipment makers were based, not in Ukraine more generally. The Russia-Ukraine ruling is one of only four the Appellate Body will deliver after its formal demise in December, when the mandates of two of its three members expired. The United States has been blocking appointments to the WTO's appeals body for two years, leaving it with too few members to make rulings. However, the two departing members have been allowed to stay on to rule on certain outstanding cases. C oronavirus, the flu-type virus which is spreading across the globe, is starting to impact the tech industry with two companies modifying their Mobile World Congress showings later this month as a result. Today, the Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE confirmed it would be cancelling its press conference at the worlds biggest mobile trade show, which takes place in Barcelona between February 24-27. In addition, Korean-based tech giant LG has also said it will withdraw from exhibiting and participating at the show completely. In a statement, LG said this decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already been more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders. GSMA, the company which organises MWC, said it has implemented measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus including an increased cleaning and disinfection programme, increased onsite medial support, and will be asking attendees to adopt a no-handshake policy. Elsewhere in the tech world, Apple has temporarily closed all its stores and offices in China as a result of the outbreak. In a statement the company said: "Out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, were closing all our corporate offices, stores and contact centres in mainland China through February 9. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and we look forward to reopening our stores as soon as possible. Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 - In pictures 1 /32 Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 - In pictures The Nomu S50 Pro waterproof smartphone is displayed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A TCL DragonHinge foldable prototype is displayed AFP/Getty Images A visitor plays with a 5G technological robot EPA A Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is displayed AFP/Getty Images Manuel Valls (2-R), candidate of Ciudadanos Party for Barcelona's Mayor, next to party's leader in Catalonia, Ines Arrimadas (R), visits the automobile company SEAT' stand, during the second day of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona EPA A BlackBerry Key2 is displayed AFP/Getty Images A person holds America-based Chinese company Royole's foldable mobile device FlexiPai AFP/Getty Images People dance in a 360-degree Samsung videobooth AFP/Getty Images Sophie the Robot of Hanson Robotics is displayed AFP/Getty Images A visitor tests a virtual reality headset at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) AFP/Getty Images A visitor tests a collaborative mobile sensor AFP/Getty Images EHang 216, a 5G-enabled aerial taxi by Ooredoo AFP/Getty Images A visitor tests a LG 5G VR headset EPA A BMW Vision iNEXT is displayed AFP/Getty Images A purse featuring Royole's foldable mobile device FlexiPai is displayed AFP/Getty Images A XR-1 5G cloud robot by CloudMinds shakes hands with a visitor, AP An employee frames the new Huawei Mate X foldable phone EPA A visitor interacts with a Huawei Cloud X simulated reality stand AFP/Getty Images A visitor holds the new Samsung Galaxy S10 5G AP The new models of Sony Xperia 10 AP Attendees take pictures of the new Huawei Mate X foldable 5G smartphone AP A woman holds a 5G-enabled Samsung phone AFP/Getty Images Singtel Group chief executive officer Chua Sock Koong delivers a keynote speech AFP/Getty Images Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company does have some suppliers in the Wuhan area, where the virus originated from a wholesale food market, however, Apple is working on mitigation plans to prevent any production loss. As of February 4, there have been over 20,000 confirmed cases from coronavirus. Two cases have been confirmed in the UK, however health secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast this morning that he expects to see more cases in Britain. Hancock said: There are two cases only here in the UK but we do expect more, so we are taking no chances. Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 (8:28 am) - Score 1,495 Scotland-based UK business ISP Commsworld today claims to have become the first operator to take advantage of Openreachs (BT) new Dark Fibre X (DFX) product, which is only focused upon serving the limited inter-exchange connectivity market. As a result broadband speeds of 10Gbps may reach several Borders towns. A normal Dark Fibre network typically allows external ISPs the ability to gain physical access to a particular operators existing fibre optic cable(s), assuming there are spare fibres present (i.e. enabling them to install their own equipment at either end of the fibre within cable ducts). However the Ofcom regulated DFX solution is different in that its restricted to catering for the connections between BT exchanges in different geographic areas (e.g. between towns and cities). On top of that DFX has limited availability in the sense that ISPs can only order it from exchanges where BT faces no competition from rival backhaul providers being present or within 100 metres. Due to this Commsworld initially only intend to harness it for a 200km fibre backhaul upgrade into their enabled exchanges across the Scottish Borders, linking the region to its national Optical Core Network with new ultrafast connectivity. The work should enable alternative, accessible and affordable broadband and data connectivity solutions for organisations throughout towns such as Jedburgh, Kelso, Duns and Peebles. As a result Commsworld says they will be able to provide organisations and homes with flexible connectivity speeds of up to 10Gbps. Charlie Boisseau, CTO of Commsworld, said: Bringing this ultra-high-speed connectivity to more rural areas creates really exciting prospects for domestic and business users. Businesses wont be limited by location anymore were looking forward to seeing more businesses with dramatically faster and more robust connections flourishing in rural areas. Anyone will be able to set up a high-tech business from anywhere. Katie Milligan, Openreach MD of Customer, Commercial and Propositions, said: Commsworld has embraced dark fibre and secured an industry first to embed it into their Borders network. Weve worked very closely with the industry to design the new product and its now out there being used to extend high-speed services and provide more choice to customers. Access to dark fibre helps to address one barrier to a wider full fibre roll-out. An early priority for the new Government should be to remove other barriers like fibre tax rates and access to land and property, and mandate fibre for new-build homes. Only by working together as an industry, with Ofcom and Government, can we crack the challenge ahead. Ofcom has also recently proposed to introduce a new requirement on Openreach, which if implemented would also require them to provide cost-based access to Dark Fibre (DFA) for the supply of leased line access (LL Access) in non-competitive areas, such as rural locations (here). Wuhan, the epicenter of the 2019-nCOV outbreak, was put on lockdown on the eve of the Chinese New Year. On that day, Proya established a special group for epidemic response. With co-founder and CEO Fang Yuyou serving as the general director, the firm also formally set up a RMB15 million (approx. USD2.2 million) charitable public fund to enhance the effort to control and prevent further spreading of the 2019-nCoV virus. Proya has donated 4 million yuan to the cities of Wuhan, Wenzhou and Leqing as well as over 110,000 face masks to designated recipients. The firm will continue to do its utmost to meet domestic demand for supplies and to help prevent and control further spread of the disease. Purchasing supplies from Europe for designated donations According to Mr. Fang, their previous donations were mainly in cash. Coinciding with the Chinese New Year, the unexpected 2019-nCoV outbreak caused a severe shortage of medical supplies across China. As a result, Proya focused more on supplies purchases, in addition to cash donations. Among the more than 110,000 face masks Proya purchased from Europe, 68,000 were donated to the 2nd People's Hospital of Xishui in Huanggang, as the city faced a severity level in terms of the virus outbreak close to that experienced in Wuhan. As of February 3, Huanggang had reported 1,422 confirmed cases, of which 210 took place in Xishui, the second largest populous county in the city. Purchasing the face masks was a tough task. Immediately after the lockdown in Wuhan, Proya appointed Pan Xiang, director of the firm's European brand agency, to set up purchase teams. Due to tight supplies of medical protective devices in Europe, the purchase teams had to chase supplies in many European countries. The purchase task was even more challenging as Proya had to ensure the purchased items met the donation and use standards at China's domestic hospitals. "We visited a number of face mask makers across Europe. Notably, we spent over ten hours driving from Paris to Milan, as part of the purchase task. Moreover, we often worked all night to negotiate with our domestic colleagues due to the time difference," said Pan. Seamless transportation to ensure in-time delivery How to deliver the supplies to frontline medical staff in Hubei province proved to be another challenge. Applying for a fast path for the collection of donations with domestic and Hong Kong-based banks, negotiating with donation recipients on delivery issues and arranging for a flight to transport the medical supplies to China were all parts of Proya's effort. The firm's logistics staff was on call at the airport to ensure the fastest customs clearance. Wang Jianrong, general manager of Proya's manufacturing facility, escorted the delivery over the course of the entire delivery route to ensure smooth delivery. Proya staff worked day and night during each and every link of the delivery process to ensure in-time handout of the supplies. Each firm has instinctively taken on their corporate social responsibility and is doing their utmost in this urgent situation. Proya reconfirms its ongoing commitment via the immediacy of its response, noted Mr. Fang. SOURCE Proya EPA Democrats could not have feared an outcome worse than a presidential primary caucus frozen by a technical glitch and in-fighting among their candidates, allowing Donald Trump to pounce. From impeachment to the first 2020 votes to be cast, Democrats' hopes that they would have knocked the president down a peg have taken several blows. Rather than taking momentum into New Hampshire with perhaps two or three candidates looking more able to take him on, top Democrats are seizing on moral victories while the party's presidential campaigns are trading allegations about whether the process in Iowa was legitimate. As Democratic Party officials scrambled to accurately count the votes from Monday night's caucuses, Mr Trump and top White House officials were raising questions about whether the opposition party is hell bent on blocking self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders from securing early primary wins - and possibly the Democratic nomination by this summer. "If you win Iowa or really over-perform, finish higher than most people expected, you really get 24 hours - at least - of unfettered media coverage. That's huge," said one White House official who has worked on presidential campaigns. "Now, with Bernie, he won't have that. And now they've robbed it from him twice," the official said, referring to Mr Sanders narrow loss - two-hundreths of a percentage point - to eventual nominee Hillary Clinton - in the state's disputed 2016 caucuses. That "robbed" line of thinking is one that goes to the top levels of the Trump campaign and White House. "Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history. It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process," Mr Trump's re-election campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a statement. He then uttered the Trump team's line that the Iowa debacle shows Democrats are unfit to run the federal government. Story continues "And these are the people who want to run our entire health care system?" Parscale added. At the White House, Mr Trump mocked and criticised Democrats from the residence as he prepared for his third State of the Union address and fourth address to a joint session of Congress. "The Democrat Party in Iowa really messed up, but the Republican Party did not," he wrote. "I had the largest re-election vote in the history of that great state, by far. ... Thank you, Iowa!" In another tweet, the president mocked the opposition party by wondering if Democrats would "start blaming RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, instead of their own incompetence for the voting disaster that just happened in the Great State of Iowa." (He was referring to the conclusion of all 16 US intelligence agencies, Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election; Mr Trump has been reluctant to consistently agree, suggesting China or independent actors meddled, too.) One Democratic source responded to a message about the situation there and Mr Trump's Tuesday morning response with seven vomit emojis. One reason: Former Vice President Joe Biden's deputy campaign manager is openly questioning the entire process for gathering and counting votes in Iowa. Kate Bedingfield told CNN the Biden campaign has "real concerns about the integrity of the process," adding: "I think there were significant failures in the process last night that should give voters concern." The campaign posted an image of the former VP on Instagram with the words "Thank you, IA" beside his smiling face. With pollsters and political analysts suggesting the results there will show Mr Biden had a poor showing there, it's unclear what he would be thankful for, however. Another, Democratic strategist Brad Bannon, said the "chaos in Iowa is a godsend to Donald Trump." "The problems and delays in reporting the results undermine the integrity of the Democratic nomination process," he said. "Because Trump lost the popular vote and benefited from Russian interference, Democrats had a legitimate argument about the legitimacy of his election in 2016. After Iowa, it's more difficult to make that case." Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former Clinton aide, acknowledged the delayed Iowa vote results "looks bad." "I think they'll figure it out, but the president is going to exploit it," Manley said. "He is going to use every tool in his tool shed, including calling every Democrat under the sun a socialist - which seems to explain his interest in Sanders. ... The bottom line is this is not good because President Trump doesn't play the rules, and never will. This just helps him with that." White House officials were taking a noticeably long-term view, saying they see a long fight ahead. "If Democrats would like to talk about the economy, we'd love to have that debate," Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, said Tuesday. So would Democratic candidates, who argue Mr Trump's economic stewardship has benefited the wealthiest Americans and large corporations - but has not really helped many of his core supporters or average Americans. But Democrats were not talking about that on Tuesday as they reeled from the mess in the Hawkeye State. "It's a mess. We'll see if they get it together," the White House official said before flashing some team Trump confidence: "They better." Read more Trump claims Iowa victory after Democratic caucus descends into chaos Buttigieg branded #MayorCheat after declaring himself victorious The Iowa caucus fiasco is a metaphor for the state of US democracy Conservatives mock Democrats over Iowa chaos Trump closely watching Iowa as White House shifts to re-election mode WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump was gone, the House lights were dimming, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looked up to her friends and family in the gallery overhead. She held up the speech she had shredded behind Trumps back, on live television. She put her hand to her heart, dipped her head and gave a little bow. The moment showcased Pelosis sharper, less-restrained approach to the nations 45th president at the bitter end of the impeachment saga she led. Now, shes leading House Democrats out of impeachments shadow, through regular legislative business and toward Election Day in November. And though theres no sign Pelosi herself is exiting the political stage, theres abundant evidence that shes unburdening herself of any lingering restraint when it comes to Trump. And thats saying something, considering her unapologetic style when it comes to him. She smirked and clapped, eye-to-eye with him at last years State of the Union. In private, she questioned the presidents manhood. And she stalked out of a White House meeting with him in October, bluntly suggesting the president is controlled by his counterpart in Russia. But her speech-shredding on Tuesday night appeared to mark a pointier, post-impeachment phase, one Trumps reelection campaign quickly sought to monetize. Wow. Nancy ripped my speech. She truly hates America, said a text Wednesday as part of an effort to raise $2 million in 24 hours. As furious Republicans piled on the condemnation, Pelosi brandished the ripped paper in full view of reporters and repeated in the hallways that she tore it up. I felt very liberated last night, Pelosi told House Democrats in their private caucus meeting Wednesday, according to a Democratic aide in the room, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the remarks. She said she viewed Trumps remarks as a pack of lies on everything from health care to Medicare and Medicaid. We saw the president of the United States shred the truth right in front of us, she said. My friends, we just have to declare it. Thats what Pelosi said she was doing during Trumps address to the nation, in which he extolled a great American comeback and drew on falsehoods about U.S. energy supremacy, health care and the economy. Trump was speaking from a place of strength, with the Republican Party mostly solidly behind him, on the brink of his Senate acquittal Wednesday. For Pelosi and the Democrats, the address was a much more glum event. The party had a political hangover from the debacle Monday night in Iowa, whose kickoff caucuses ended in delays, fury and mockery from Republicans. The Houses impeachment of Trump, with its huge political risks for majority Democrats, was about to be dispatched by the Republican-led Senate. They booed and groaned, but more often, just sat still as Trump spoke. Trumps speech Tuesday night on Pelosis turf was the first time the two had been in the same room since Pelosi stalked out of the White House meeting in October. It was book ended by competing snubs: Trump appeared to ignore Pelosis outstretched hand when he arrived on the podium. She gave a look to her caucus, with a wide grin. Trump again kept his back mostly turned to her when he finished. Inches behind him, Pelosi gathered the speechs pages and ripped them once, twice, three times and a fourth as he left the chamber. Thats when she held up the navy blue folio with gold letters that contained what remained of the address. In fact, Pelosi has been freer with her thoughts on Trump and the Republicans for awhile. She was notably less restrained during a Jan. 15 floor speech on the day the House sent the two articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. She began by addressing Rep. Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican who had said Democrats are in love with terrorists and then apologized for his remark. I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for his apology for his ridiculous remarks about me and House Democrats, Pelosi said, looking at Collins. Then she took aim at Trumps July 25 phone call that forms the cornerstone of his impeachment case. During the conversation, Trump asked the president of Ukraine to do the favour of investigating former Vice-President Joe Biden and his son. Pelosi likened Trumps style to that of the mobsters in The Irishman movie. Then she took a slap at Republicans who had complained that shed led a rush to impeachment and then slowed down the process by refusing for a month to send the articles to the Senate. Dont talk to me about my timing, she said, glaring at them from the well of the House. For a long time, I resisted the calls from across the country for impeachment, she said. I held back. That changed with the revelations about Trumps political pressure on Ukraine. The House passed the articles nearly by party line on Dec. 18. By Wednesday, Republicans were predicting the Democrats would pay a political price for Pelosis conduct, which they suggested was a stunt. I think it was a new low, Vice-President Mike Pence said Wednesday on Fox & Friends. He accused Pelosi of trying to make the evening about her and I think the American people see through it. The Senate cleared Trump on Wednesday mostly along party lines. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted a video of himself ripping a piece of paper and saying, Acquitted for life. ___ Follow Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman Tobacco control advocacy groups, the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) and the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) have hailed the Federal Government for the gazette of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Regulations 2019. In a statement Wednesday, the groups said although it took long in coming, the move is a right step in the right direction. This development is welcome, said Akinbode Oluwafemi, ERA/FoEN deputy executive director. Now that a comprehensive legal framework for effective implementation of the NTC Act 2015 has been put in place, we anticipate enforcement will commence to keep the prowling tobacco industry in check. The gazette of the NTC Regulations 2019 by the Federal Ministry of Health is the final step that gives teeth to the law eight months after it was approved by the Eighth National Assembly on the conclusion of harmonization of the Senate and House of Representatives versions by a Conference Committee set up for the purpose. Among the key provisions of the Regulations is the introduction of health warnings in cigarette packs that must constitute 50% of the principal display area and will be increased to 60% in another four years. Tobacco manufacturers/importers/distributors must also submit a yearly report to the Health minister detailing quantity of tobacco products produced, audited annual statement of accounts, quantities of tobacco imported into or exported from Nigeria, and offers or payments made to political parties or candidates, among others. It also prohibits the participation of tobacco industry employees as delegate in Conference of Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control meetings owing to tons of reports that show that industry delegates infiltrate the talks to steer discussions from concrete decisions that regulate tobacco business. Enforcers of the law include the Nigeria Police officers, public health officers, National Security and Civil Defence Corps officers, Customs officers, and Environmental Health officers of the Federal Capital Territory and each state of the federation, among others. This indeed is good news and a most welcome gift to Nigerians, said Oluseun Esan, national coordinator of the NTCA. READ ALSO: We commend the Federal Ministries of Health and Justice for their roles in making the gazette happen and seize the opportunity to ask the enforcing agencies to hit the ground running because every minute counts. Mr Esan said the enforcement of the regulations would check the activities of the tobacco companies. In the last seven months of our waiting for the gazette, the tobacco industry has been running loose, conscripting more youths and has become emboldened in their tactics. The groups said that post-gazette the lack of funding for tobacco control might be exploited by the tobacco industry to continue business-as-usual. They advocated that the federal government should inaugurate the Tobacco Control Fund as recommended by the NTC Act 2015 in Part 3, Section 8 (1) as a mechanism for funding tobacco control. Knowing how the industry works, we can say it is not yet Uhuru until tobacco control funding is put in place either through the national budget or some form of subventions. But this is a good start, they added. Dividend paying stocks like Television Broadcasts Limited (HKG:511) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. A high yield and a long history of paying dividends is an appealing combination for Television Broadcasts. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. There are a few simple ways to reduce the risks of buying Television Broadcasts for its dividend, and we'll go through these below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis SEHK:511 Historical Dividend Yield, February 5th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Although it reported a loss over the past 12 months, Television Broadcasts currently pays a dividend. When a company is loss-making, we next need to check to see if its cash flows can support the dividend. Television Broadcasts paid out 636% of its free cash last year. Cash flows can be lumpy, but this dividend was not well covered by cash flow. Paying out more than 100% of your free cash flow in dividends is generally not a long-term, sustainable state of affairs, so we think shareholders should watch this metric closely. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Television Broadcasts's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. Television Broadcasts has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. Its dividend payments have declined on at least one occasion over the past ten years. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was HK$1.70 in 2010, compared to HK$1.00 last year. This works out to be a decline of approximately 5.2% per year over that time. Television Broadcasts's dividend hasn't shrunk linearly at 5.2% per annum, but the CAGR is a useful estimate of the historical rate of change. Story continues When a company's per-share dividend falls we question if this reflects poorly on either external business conditions, or the company's capital allocation decisions. Either way, we find it hard to get excited about a company with a declining dividend. Dividend Growth Potential With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS are growing. Television Broadcasts's earnings per share have shrunk at 54% a year over the past five years. With this kind of significant decline, we always wonder what has changed in the business. Dividends are about stability, and Television Broadcasts's earnings per share, which support the dividend, have been anything but stable. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that Television Broadcasts's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. Television Broadcasts's dividend is not well covered by free cash flow, plus it paid a dividend while being unprofitable. Second, earnings per share have been in decline, and its dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Using these criteria, Television Broadcasts looks quite suboptimal from a dividend investment perspective. Now, if you want to look closer, it would be worth checking out our free research on Television Broadcasts management tenure, salary, and performance. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The Pound Sterling Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate rose by 0.4% following the release of better-than-expected UK services data. This left the pairing trading at around 1.1847. The UKs service sector PMI rebounded in January, rising to the highest level since September 2018 and rising above the no-change 50 mark for the first time in five months. The UK general election buoyed the sector as this eliminated previous headwinds from delayed decision making. Januarys PMI rose to 53.9, above earlier flash estimates, and commenting on this, Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply noted: The UK service sector leapt into action in the New Year with a welcome return to stronger business activity and an optimism not seen for almost five years. New work flowed in at a surprisingly sharp rate as businesses started to invest and previously uncertain consumers parted with their cash. Orders held back by political uncertainty were uncorked at the fastest rate for around a year and a half. All in all a positive start last month, and if political stability is maintained throughout the year with political promises becoming reality, then 2020 could become a stellar year for service companies. Meanwhile, the Euro slipped against a stronger Pound despite Eurozone PMI composite data showing the bloc registered stronger growth at the start of 2020. While expansion in the private sector was buoyed by service sector growth, growth was softer than in December. Added to this, manufacturing output continued to decline. All nations in the Eurozone reported expansion in January, although both Spain and France recorded multi-month lows. Commenting on this mornings data, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, Chris Williamson said: A further rise in the headline PMI to the highest since last August adds to evidence that the tide may be turning for the eurozone economy. Although growth remains subdued, with the survey signalling a quarterly GDP growth rate of just under 0.2%, manufacturing is showing welcome signs of stabilising after the heavy downturn seen last year and services growth remains encouragingly resilient, thanks largely to the improving labour market. However, the pace of output growth is still subdued, and firms remain concerned by existing headwinds as well as fresh risks. Although US-China trade war tensions have cooled, US trade rhetoric has now turned to Europe, with the auto sector looking especially vulnerable to tariff threats. Similarly, while the UK has formally left the EU, trade discussions will no doubt cause an air of uncertainty to hang over the continent. The Wuhan coronavirus meanwhile represents a new potential disruptor to business and trade. We consequently expect the eurozone to avoid recession in 2020 but to struggle to muster growth of 1.0%. Meanwhile, the single currency slumped after further data showed retail sales in the bloc slumped further than expected in December. Monthly sales slumped by -1.6%, while Novembers sales were revised down to 0.8%. Added to this, annual sales edged up by a below forecast 1.3% at the end of 2019. Will Weak German Data Send EUR Lower? Looking ahead to Thursday, the Euro (EUR) could slide further against the Pound (GBP) following the release of German factory orders data. If Decembers orders slump further than expected after Novembers disappointing fall, the single currency will slide. Meanwhile, Germanys construction PMI could send EUR lower tomorrow. If the pace of expansion in Germanys construction sector slows more than expected in January, the Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate will edge higher. The partisan discord was on vivid display as the first president to campaign for reelection while facing impeachment made his case for another term: Republican legislators chanted Four More Years. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trumps speech as he ended his address. The 18th coronavirus patient, the daughter of the 16th patient, arrives at Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju, Wednesday./ Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong Medical experts renewed their criticism of the government Wednesday, urging it to extend an entry ban for foreigners beyond China, as four out of the total of 19 coronavirus cases here have been confirmed to involve people who traveled to Thailand, Singapore and Japan, not China. "The new developments are certainly worrisome. The government must consider blocking entry from countries beyond China," said Korean Medical Association spokesman Park Jong-hyuk. "However, as the government is not doing enough to ban people from China, I don't know what to expect from it." On Wednesday, the government reported three more cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the total to 19. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a 36-year-old Korean man who returned from Singapore after attending a conference there last month tested positive for the contagious virus, confirming him as the 19th case. Another man, 38, who was confirmed as the 17th patient, attended the same conference in Singapore. The 17th and 19th patients had been informed that one of the people they had been in contact with in Singapore was infected with the virus and voluntarily went to a hospital for testing. The 16th confirmed patient visited Thailand before showing symptoms on her return. S. Korea reports 4 more cases of novel coronavirus, total now at 23 Seoul city inspects restaurants for bat meat consumption Prank calls related to virus infection increase 2nd coronavirus patient fully recovered; to leave hospital this week The 12th confirmed patient had tested positive for the virus Feb. 1 after a visit to Japan. The 49-year-old man was believed to have been infected by a person he met there, and later also voluntarily reported for testing. Park reiterated the importance of the "golden time," saying, "Quarantine is all about the golden time. If you miss the golden time, you lose everything. For Hubei Province, the travel ban should have been in place two weeks ago." Dr. Kim Woo-joo from the Korea University Guro Hospital said the 17th case proves the quarantine authorities must be open to all possible scenarios when instituting preventive measures, criticizing the government's "narrow-minded and passive" ban. "For the Korean quarantine authorities, the 17th patient was infected through quite an unthinkable route," Kim said. The government remained adamant that its current measures are effective. Asked about the possible infection in Thailand, Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it would be premature to conclude the 16th patient was infected there. The 42-year-old woman returned home from Thailand Jan. 19, and then visited 21st Century Hospital and Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju after coming down with a fever, Jan. 27. The 18th confirmed patient, 21, is the daughter of the 16th patient. Chonnam National University Hospital and 21st Century Hospital raised their infection alert to high Wednesday. At 21st Century Hospital, all patients and medical staff on the same floor the 16th patient visited have been quarantined. The government said it had considered quarantining the entire hospital a so-called cohort isolation but didn't do so. Multiple fish dealers in the Houston and Dallas areas were hooked by Texas game wardens in a crackdown on the illegal sale of shark fins and products made from them, according to a news release. Class B misdemeanor charges were filed on 10 restaurants and markets, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Protecting the many shark species residing and migrating through the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the illegally trafficked sharks from around the world, offered for sale in Texas is one of our highest priorities, said Col. Grahame Jones, TPWD law enforcement director. Texas Game Wardens will continue to proactively work investigations related to illegal shark fin products and violations against the many species of wildlife found throughout the state. CUE THE 'JAWS' MUSIC: Several great white sharks spotted in the Gulf, and more are behind them The charges filed with the Harris and Dallas County District Attorneys offices are the result of an extensive investigation involving several businesses allegedly participating in the illegal commercialization of fins from various protected shark species, according to the release. Search warrants were executed by TPWDs Special Investigations Unit and game wardens from the Houston and Dallas area, resulting in evidence seizures in both cities. Additionally, a December 2019 investigation by Harris County game wardens resulted in Class A and Class B misdemeanor charges on multiple retail and wholesale fish dealers in the Houston and Seabrook area, according to the release. Charges include possession of a shark without the fins and the unlawful commercial sale or purchase of aquatic products, said TPWD. During the investigation, about 30,000 pounds of shark carcasses were reportedly found to have been sold and several hundred pounds were seized by wardens. All charges are being filed through the Harris County District Attorneys Office. Danny Hermosillo is the Digital News Editor for Chron.com | Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @Dannyherm1| Email him at Danny.Hermosillo@chron.com We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Judge Brooks Anderholt takes Mike Abatti contempt lawsuit against IID under submission Imperial, California - The Imperial Irrigation District appeared before Imperial County Superior Court Judge Brooks Anderholt, Tuesday, to defend itself in a contempt-of-court lawsuit filed by farmer Mike Abatti. This is an extension of the litigation brought against the district by Abatti in 2013 that challenged IIDs Equitable Distribution Plan, and is currently on appeal before the Fourth District Court of Appeal. In his latest legal challenge to IIDs water rights and operations, Abatti asked the trial court to find IID in contempt for violating the judges August 2017 order prohibiting the district from entering into any new industrial water supply contracts until it implements an EDP based on water history. At issue is an amendment approved by the IID board late last year to an existing water supply contract with longtime customer Ormat. That amendment calls for, but does not guarantee, an additional 500 acre-feet per year to the geothermal company; as such, IIDs position is that the contract amendment does not violate Anderholts 2017 order. Judge Anderholt, who found in his original decision that Imperial Valley agricultural landowners have a constitutionally protected water right, said that he would be taking the matter under submission and issuing an order in the next week. IID General Counsel Frank Oswalt said that it was clear, based on the judges exchange with the attorneys representing Abatti and the district, that he is focusing on the language and terms of the IID/Ormat contract, which Judge Anderholt acknowledged dates back to 1994, and the 2019 amendment. The judge will be issuing an order in this case, and it is obvious to me that he is sensitive to the competing interests involved here, and to the public interest, said Oswalt. What the district does next, legally, to defend the ability of this public agency to serve all of its water users will be up to the elected board, and will depend on what is in that order, he said. Kang Jong-soo, president and founder of Busan-based startup accelerator Collz Dynamics, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at a lounge of a shared space project called Urban Creators Unit in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Jan. 30. Courtesy of Collz Dynamics From startup to startup accelerator, founder Kang shares his knowhow By Jung Da-min Kang Jong-soo, president and founder of Busan-based startup accelerator Collz Dynamics, experienced immense success early in his career, managing to sell his own startup for around 8 billion won ($6.7 million) while still at university. He founded the small distribution business using RFID tags, and sold it to a U.S. company in 2005. Kang said he has always been interested in helping people solve "minor" inconveniences. With his knowhow as a startup CEO, he founded Collz Dynamics eight years ago in Busan, his hometown, with a goal to improve then-poor infrastructure for startups there. He worked at a finance company in Singapore in-between, which helped him observe global trends in the startup industry. "Busan has good infrastructure for the manufacturing industry, with its geographical advantage as a city with a trade port. But the infrastructure for startups there was relatively poor compared to that of the capital area," Kang said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Jan. 30. "I started to meet startup founders, mostly IT companies likely to succeed with a little help. That was how I ended up founding Collz Dynamics." As a company that focuses on "accelerating" startup businesses, the accelerator offers counselling and investment to startup founders in various areas, from manufacturing companies and IT companies to individual influencers running personal media channels. Kang said a successful startup is usually not about creating some kind of a fancy product or service but more about finding and solving minor inconveniences in everyday life. He advised those who want to enter the startup industry to focus more on pinpointing people's basic needs rather than coming up with a business model simply designed to draw investments. Kang also said there is no "perfect" timing for founding a startup but people need to jump into the business at the moment they feel is right. "Those who had worked for major companies tend to think there is a perfect timing or a perfect preparation to jump into the startup industry," Kang said. "There is no such perfect preparation. It would be hard for a startup to be a leader of a market if it chooses a similar business model of already existing successful businesses." As a representative of the accelerator, Kang said his standard of choosing startups to help is about finding people who have what he calls the "startup DNA." "Some think those with quick hands, those good at completing the daily tasks of the company, are the ones who would launch their own startups, which is not the case," Kang said. "It's rather those with a strong mentality, those who could solve problems at challenging momentswho I want to invest in." Among the startup businesses Kang's Collz Dynamics helped, successful cases include The Hive, a maker of a portable screwdriver powered by USB, and Tirebids, a brokering service that connects tire companies and customers through an app. Collz Dynamics is also partnering with China's Alibaba Group to further help the startups it is helping succeed in overseas markets. "I feel fulfilled when seeing the startups I helped make their own achievements, as I am the one who witnesses such success up close," Kang said. Kang is also planning to launch a shared space project called Urban Creators Unit in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, in the near future to offer offices and living spaces for startups and creators. The operation aimed at clearing out Russian citizens from the Hubei Province in central China where a viral pneumonia outbreak originated from has been carried out successfully, the Russian embassy in China reported. "Diplomats of the Russian embassy in China dispatched to the Hubei Province to assist in the evacuation of Russian nationals successfully transported our compatriots to the Wuhan airport," the diplomatic mission said in a statement issued on its website. According to the statement, rented buses delivered citizens to the airport from more than ten cities across the province, including those situated 400-500 km away from Wuhan, its administrative center. The special charter flights with Russians onboard left Wuhan in the early hours of February 5. The evacuated people were sent to the Russian city of Tyumen where they will be placed in mandatory 14-day quarantine. The official statistics says that 144 people were cleared out of Wuhan and Hubei, 128 of them are Russian nationals while the rest are citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations. Head of the Russian consumer watchdog, Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) Anna Popova said thatno one is displaying symptoms of the disease among those who left China, TASS reported. The total number of infections exceeded 24,300 in China with more than 490 people reported to have died from the disease. Meanwhile, 916 people are said to have recovered from it. The virus spread to 24 more countries, apart from China. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Ministers today warned that emergency legislation to stop the early release of terrorists must be passed by the end of the month. The law will be put before MPs next week - with Whitehall officials insisting it must be in force by the end of the month, when the next extremist is due to go free. The government also flatly dismissed the idea that the move will breach their human rights. The deadline has been set after Boris Johnson said the Streatham terror attack shows the need for 'immediate action'. Sudesh Amman had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his sentence less than a fortnight ago. Wearing a fake suicide belt, the 20-year-old grabbed a knife from a shop in Streatham High Road, south London, before stabbing two bystanders. Speaking at PMQs, Mr Johnson said the attack 'makes plain the case for immediate action'. 'We will shortly introduce emergency legislation to make sure we protect the public,' he said. A senior Whitehall official said later that the Bill will be introduced in the Commons on Tuesday, and go to the Lords after the half-term recess. It should receive Royal Assent on February 27. In a clear warning to peers against trying to delay the process, they revealed there is one terrorist due to be released at the end of February and five more due to be let out throughout March. Boris Johnson (pictured left at PMQs) paid tribute to the emergency services' response to the rampage by Sudesh Amman (right) Mr Johnson said the attack over the weekend 'makes plain the case for immediate action' The Government is proposing to end automatic release for terrorists halfway through their sentence, instead giving the decision to the Parole Board at the two-thirds mark. However, ministers are facing a backlash from civil liberties campaigners over making the measures retrospective. Lawyers have warned there will be court challenges under human rights rules. The Whitehall official dismissed the objection today, saying: 'What we are proposing in the emergency legislation is not to retrospectively alter offenders sentences.' Instead they said the change was 'in relation to release arrangements' as the Government believes this can be 'changed without breaching offenders' human rights'. There are 224 terrorists in prison in Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September. As many as 50 terrorists could be freed from jail this year, figures suggest. On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said emergency legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release, at which point their case would be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists at the Parole Board. Asked about the proposals as she gave evidence to London politicians today, Scotland Yard commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'If there are to be changes to the sentencing regime, the one thing we would be asking for, I think, is that people should still be released as they are under the current regime under strong conditions, licence conditions.' Armed police shot dead terrorist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and a female nursery teacher and another man She would not comment on whether Amman was subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (TPIM). The orders are used to place restrictions on suspected dangerous extremists who cannot be prosecuted because of national security issues, or deported. Five people in Britain are subject to a TPIM, according to official figures up to the end of November. This number has remained at a similar level since 2017. But there were 10 in force in 2013. Questions have also been raised over the efficacy of de-radicalisation programmes in prisons, after it was reported Amman did not take part in any such scheme while in jail. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said that being awarded he International Charlemagne Prize of the City of Aachen represents an opportunity to present Romania as a solid and trustworthy partner within the European Union. "I have showed that I am going to receive this high and prestigious distinction on Romania's behalf, as an acknowledgement of our efforts, our commitment to the benefit of European unity and solidarity. At the same time, the prize is owed to the Romanian society, which reconfirmed through the votes cast last year the attachment to Europe and its values. (...) The Charlemagne Prize award will represent (...) an excellent opportunity to present Romania as a solid and trustworthy partner within the European Union, deeply devoted to the consolidation of the European project," Iohannis said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, at the joint press conference with Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charlemagne Prize Jurgen Linden and Lord Mayor of the city of Aachen Marcel Phillipp.He showed that this prize brings forth the opportunity to get involved in consolidating the European project."I believe it is important and, I like to highlight, that I am the recipient of this extremely honouring, important prize, but I believe in fact I receive it for Romanians, for Romania. One politician can give an impetus, can have an attitude, can come up with ideas, but to make things move he or she needs at least one team and my team is very big - all pro-European Romanians. In this sense, I wish to use this opportunity to reiterate the value of the European project, to get involved in consolidating the European project and to be a voice in Europe who speaks clearly, firmly for the EU, for the EU's future and for overcoming various crises we, want it or not, deal with, but I am positive that we, Romanians, we, Europeans, also have the force and capacity and knowledge to further modernise the European project, to make it more solid, more consolidated, more united and to manage to make it more performing for the European citizens," Iohannis said.According to the President, the Romanian people is deeply attached to the European values and construction."Romania's image as a profoundly pro-European state is much more visible now, after the first exercise of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2019. The important results for the advancement of the European files with a major stake, as well as the events organised in Romania during this mandate - the most important one being the Sibiu Summit of 9 May 2019, concluded with the adoption of the Declaration of Sibiu - have proven Romania's capacity to assume a role of a mature EU member state, prepared to contribute to the consolidation of the European Union," Klaus Iohannis maintained.The head of state showed that Romania wants a consolidation of the European integration project based on the principle of convergence and cohesion.Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charlemagne Prize Jurgen Linden argued the choice of awarding the prize to the Romanian head of state."The Board of Directors unanimously adopted the award granting. Very soon this year we made the decision to award the prize because we are convinced that President Iohannis is currently one of the most important leading figures of European politics, he is a stable personality who defends the European values, he is the one promoting the European values, he is a supporter of the rule of law, the separation of powers, he endorses the protection of minorities, he represents a personality who knows that people in Europe must also benefit from the social balance and must have security of life. We are very proud that the President is the recipient of the prize this year," Jurgen Linden said.He said that Europe is confronted with crises such as Brexit, migration, unclarified financial issues."These crises can be solved with the stability of some people such as President Iohannis is in Europe. From our point of view, he is a fortunate case and a good fortune for Romania and from the city of Aachen's point of view I can say that he is a fortunate case and a good fortune for Europe and a model for our citizens, especially for the young generation. (...) Together with you, in Aachen, we can give an impetus for the future Union, an impetus we hope to be heard in Europe," Linden maintained.The Mayor of the City of Aachen also highlighted the importance of President Klaus Iohannis being awarded the prize."Our goal is to create Europe's future together. To this end we need progress in Europe's integration, but, at the same time, we look at the cultural diversity, at the chances residing in it as we see Romania is a country Europe needs and a country about which Germany must find out more than it already knows. Aachen is maybe a special place to talk about Europe, Europe's future, to have an opinion exchange about history, the chances residing in Europe's diversity and unity. We want to use this possibility to speak from Aachen about Europe, we want to create a platform for the people who have something to say, who are an example for Europe," Marcel Phillipp said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, calling it a "party of fekus" (those who bluff) that is out to sell off everything "except jails". Without naming Union minister Anurag Thakur or his controversial remarks during a recent election rally in Delhi, Banerjee wondered how a central minister continues to hold a constitutional post despite using unconstitutional language. Criticising the Centre's decision to privatise companies like BSNL, Air India and LIC, she said, "They would sell off everything (PSUs), they would sell off the Railways too; only jails would remain... only they will stay and rest of us will be termed as foreigners "BJP is a 'feku' party. It is only interested in giving out fake It is trying to divide the country on the basis of religion and threatening people with guns and bullets." The chief minister took umbrage at the recent comments of Thakur and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, dubbing the BJP as a party of "crazy, religiously-blind people". Thakur, during the rally in Delhi, had urged people to raise an incendiary slogan after lashing out at CAA protesters, while Adityanath courted controversy with his remark that those who attack 'Kanwariyas' (devotees of Lord Shiva) will have to face police bullets. "The BJP is a party of crazy, religiously-blind people who have little knowledge of religion and are trying to confuse the people of the country by dividing them. They are a party of goondas, of 'dangabaazs' (rioters)," Banerjee said. The West Bengal CM, who has been among the most vociferous critics of the saffron party, said, "I was born in Hindustan, not in a nation governed by BJP which attacks people with guns and bullets." The TMC supremo condemned the BJP-led government at the Centre for allegedly destroying harmony in the country by trying to forcibly implement the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens. Iterating that she would not allow the implementation of CAA, NPR or NRC in Bengal, Banerjee said, "The BJP is trying to play a communal game in the name of implementing these. Be cautious about it. "Yesterday, in the Lok Sabha, the government said that NRC will not happen. They keep on changing their stance," she said. Banerjee also expressed concern over the alleged lack of security of public money deposited in banks. Reacting to Banerjee's assertion that the CAA won't be implemented in the state, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh dared her to go ahead with the resistance. "If Mamata Banerjee has guts, I challenge her and the state government to stop the implementation of CAA in the state. She has been constantly spreading canards against the CAA and NRC in Bengal," Ghosh told a channel. He said it has become Banerjee's habit to resist whatever is good for the country. Referring to the trouble that broke out during a mass wedding ceremony hosted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Malda on Sunday, Banerjee said, "They (BJP) will come pretending to be from an NGO and help you in your daughter's wedding. But they will actually try to convert you. Do not trust them." As many as 45 people, including women and children, were injured when armed supporters of the Jharkhand Disom Party ran riot at the venue of the mass marriage ceremony. The BJP, CPI(M) and the Congress are "triplets", she said, hitting out at the opposition parties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lab technicians register samples from potential victims of the Novel Coronavirus at the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on Feb. 5, 2020. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images) Man Films Dead Bodies in Chinese Hospital, Then Finds Police at His Door If Fang Bin, a self-described citizen journalist from the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan, expected police to track him down, he didnt expect it would happen so fast. For days on end, he had been driving around the town, documenting every step of the way with his phone to show the life in a now locked-down city. On the morning of Feb. 1 alone, he had visited five hospitals where doctors hustled about in the packed halls and frantic patients groaned and sobbed. At the fifth hospital, he counted eight dead bodies from a funeral van, all within the five minutes after he arrived at the hospital. Inside, a sick man moaned and gasped for breath by the bedside of his father, who had already turned lifeless. Fang uploaded all of these moments to the internet. Around 7 p.m. that evening, half a dozen masked men wearing hazmat suits visited his property, demanding to take his temperature. Youve been to dangerous places. We have to find out whether you are infected or not, they said. Claiming to be medical officers on duty, they said he was a hazard to others for going to the hospitals without proper health protection, and broke into his home. They ignored Fangs repeated protest that his temperature was normal. The men took away his laptop, a desktop computer, and a cellphone. The next thing he knew, he was at a police station. The police questioned him on the videos he had released. You ignited a nuclear bomb, they said during the interrogation, according to Fang. Fang said they also accused him of taking money from foreign forces, and threatened to quarantine him for creating fear. There should only be one voice, otherwise it will create chaos, they told him. He was eventually released on Feb. 2 and got his phone back. Fang, who managed to find a bike and pedaled more than three hours home, credited social media users for their support. He said that the authorities changed their tone after seeing his videos go viral. In another post on Feb. 3, he said that he had received at least thousands of friend requests on WeChat, the popular Chinese messaging platform, adding that simply responding to the online messages took him hours. Justice lies within peoples hearts, he said. A medical staff member (C) spraying disinfectant on a patient after returning from a hospital and reentering a quarantine zone in Wuhan, in Chinas central Hubei province, on Feb. 3, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese state media had warned of dire consequences for anyone who spread rumors. Citing unnamed legal professionals, the state-owned Xinhua on Jan. 26 cautioned individuals not to fabricate and spread fake information around the coronavirus on social mediaor risk up to seven years in jail. Fang, who also sells traditional Chinese clothes called Hanfu in Wuhan, argued that the key to contain the outbreak is information transparency. On Dec. 30, Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang tried to warn his medical peers on WeChat about a mysterious virus, and was quickly placed under police investigation along with seven other medical professionals who did the same. It was one day before the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission held an emergency meeting and announced the news of the outbreak. The police nonetheless made Li sign a statement to acknowledge his wrongdoing and promise not to repeat the unlawful conduct. Li was diagnosed with the virus on Feb. 2, after unknowingly treating an infected person. Workers at crematoriums in Wuhan have described long working hours in an effort to cope with the sudden surge of bodies that need to be cremated. Yun, who works at the Caidian Funeral Home, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Feb. 4 that 90 percent of the staff there were on shift 24 hours a day. We really need more manpower, he said. Every day, we need at least 100 body bags. For Fang, his release also did not signal his safety at home. On Feb. 4, people wearing hazmat suits showed up at least three times at the door. The first time at 9 p.m., they told him they were delivering vegetables to residents. Around an hour later, a different group came, identifying themselves as police officers, and began taking pictures of him. The head of the group, who Fang recognized as the head of Houhu Police Station, said he wanted to have some tea. Fang did not oblige. Fang believes that the outbreak in Wuhan is, at least in part, a man-made disaster. He also said he would not give up no matter the pressure. As long as Im here, I will be making videos; as long as you see my videos, it means Im safe, he said. TO VIEW MORE NEWS STORY, PLEASE CLICK ON NEWS TAB ON MAIN MENU BAR A file photo of a Penns Grove Police Department car parked outside the station in Salem County. Read more Four people, including two small children, were found dead Wednesday in Salem County, N.J., authorities said. Police first found a mans body in the woods off Sportsman Road in Carneys Point Township after a passerby spotted the body in the morning and called 911, the Salem County Prosecutors Office said. He appeared to have died by suicide, the office said. After the Carneys Point Police Department checked the mans address, they contacted police in nearby Penns Grove. Officers with the Penns Grove Police Department then went to the mans home address and found a woman and two small children dead, the Prosecutors Office said. Authorities said no further information was available pending notification of relatives. The deaths are being investigated by police in Carneys Point and Penns Grove, the county prosecutors office, and the New Jersey State Police. No one at the police departments was immediately available to comment further. State lawmakers in Kansas will vote this week on an amendment to the states constitution that would codify their right to restrict abortion despite a state Supreme Court ruling to the contrary. The state House will this week consider the amendment, which was already approved by two-thirds of the Senate. The amendment states lawmakers can restrict abortion procedures to the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States. Republicans introduced the amendment after the Kansas supreme court ruled in 2019 that the state constitution protected the right to an abortion. Pro-life lawmakers worried the decision would undo abortion restrictions already in place in the state. They issued a constitutional decision, Representative Susan Humphries, a Republican who helped form the amendment, told the Wall Street Journal. So we have to react with a constitutional response. The amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, as well as a majority of the state popular vote. Lawmakers intend to put the amendment on the ballot in Kansass upcoming August elections, when voter turnout is lower than in the November general elections. Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to stop the amendments passage. The amendment would throw the state back into the Dark Ages, said Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The efforts of Kansas Republicans come amid a major push by pro-life lawmakers to limit abortion in various states. Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia have already passed constitutional amendments designed to allow abortion restrictions, and amendments have been introduced in Iowa, Kentucky, and Alaska. Other efforts include various so-called fetal heartbeat bills that prevent an abortion if a doctor can hear the fetuss heartbeat, a variant of which was recently introduced in Tennessee. Several of these bills are currently blocked by court injunctions. More from National Review Whos the best change agent of them all? That was the theme that informed the leaders TV debate last night. The three leaders, Leo Varadkar, Mary Lou McDonald and Micheal Martin were put through their paces in what was easily the best debate of the general election campaign. All had difficult moments. There were a few policy issues for the two men but Ms McDonald definitely had her most uncomfortable debate of the campaign. Ironically, some of her worst moments centred on whether her own party has gone through enough change. The three contestants put standing behind podiums in front of the seated Miriam OCallaghan and David McCullagh as if hauled before school principal were first quizzed on how exactly they were fixed for change? I think this is going to be a change election, Leo Varadkar started. What people have to ask is who is going to e the new government and who do they want to lead the new government. But bear in mind that all change isnt change for the better, he said, referencing Trump and Brexit. Michael Martin is a changed man. I worked in transformative change in education, health and so forth. Now I want to bring real, cogent change. For Mary Lou McDonald it was quite simple. The theme of this election that has emerged is a thirst for change. So has the Sinn Fein leader changed her position in the Special Criminal Court? The party has long opposed the court which was effectively created to deal with the IRA. I am for the courts, she said. The Special Criminal Court exists. She went around the houses like this a few times before Miriam gave up. Varadkar, who had started out as if trying to shake off pre-game nerves, was in like a shot. She wont give a straight answer because she doesnt want you to know the answer. Change, where are you? From there it was onto housing where Martin is gung ho to build and build, Leo is just getting to grips with the problem after being two years the previous seven he says were spent cleaning up Fianna Fails mess in real charge. Mary Lou wants to be ambitious but cant say who will build all the houses. Fianna Fail was and is the party of developers, Fine Gael the party of the landlords, she said by way of explanation as to why we have such a problem with housing. The joint principals nodded sagely and Miriam said wed be moving onto health after the break. David then addressed the camera with a look that was halfway between classic Vincent Browne and classic Mr Bean. The best of the health issue came from Martin when he pointed out that Varadkar had once noted that extra beds wouldnt be a good idea in tackling problems in the service. The economy provided Varadkar with his retort. He suggested that little had changed in Fianna Fail since the days of the illusory Celtic Tiger. Asking him to run the economy is like asking John Delaney back to run the FAI, the Taoiseach said. Martin responded with a tight smile. There were no major trip-ups from any of the candidates on the issues, but a theme did emerge. Varadkar was intent on targeting Martins policies, attempting to presumably sway the voters who have switched back and forth between their two parties over the last two elections. Martin was intent on picking holes in McDonalds policies. And Mary Lou, for the greater part, concentrated on pointing out the shortcomings of the other two but was not as sure footed when probed on how exactly she was going to be this great agent of change. On pensions, she was asked about her comment that the demographics will look after themselves, in relation to why she wanted to revert the pension age to 65 despite forecasts that it is not sustainable. Her reply appeared to be that in a society where people were taken care of the demographics would not turn out to be as bad as is being predicted. So you are encouraging people to procreate, McCullagh said, his left eyebrow shooting for the ceiling. It was the line of the night. Vote Sinn Fein to increase the birthrate, lower the national age profile and we will all live happily ever after. All three had awkward moments on the issue of errant party members. Varadkar tried to explain away the double jobbing Dara Murphy but didnt manage to convince. Martin claimed that comparing votegate pair Niall Collins and Timmy Dooley to Murphy was unfair, and he was correct even though the comparison hadnt been made. Mary Lou McDonald had her worst moment when the case of Paul Quinn was introduced. The 21-year-old Armagh man was beaten to death in a savage and calculated attack allegedly by an IRA gang in October 2007. Sinn Feins now minister for finance in the North, Conor Murphy, had in the aftermath of the murder suggested that Mr Quinn was a criminal. Miriam OCallaghan pointed out to Mary Lou that in an interview on Monday she told Bryan Dobson she didnt believe Murphy said any such thing. Miriam produced the specific quote. The Sinn Fein leader said it was wrong and shouldnt have been said and Murphy would apologise. For those with memories of the partys past it did raise the question as to how far they have now come. Will the debate change anything? Party hacks and the pols themselves place great store in the format. At least last night there were opportunities to enunciate policies and pick holes in opponents positions. The electorate cant claim that it has been given the chance to see the whites of their eyes. Apart from that, maybe it was all just, wait for it, plus ca change. View this post on Instagram 'Me and my mom need to have a talk' - Lil Wayne can't believe it after learning he's 53% Nigerian Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle A plane full of evacuees from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus that has sickened thousands and killed several hundred, landed early Wednesday at the Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, where officials plan to quarantine the travelers for two weeks while they are monitored for symptoms. A spokeswoman for the air base confirmed the plane was one of two that arrived from China early Wednesday, but she could not provide any more information. Conventional approaches usually take at least two to three years before you even get to the clinic. And we've gone from that sequence to generating a candidate in the laboratory in 14 days. When it comes to investing for most people, the goal is to make money, not save the world. Nevertheless, sustainable or responsible investing (whichever term you prefer) has hit the big-time, particularly around the theme of climate change. Michael Baldinger, head of impact investing at UBS wealth management, which manages more than $4 trillion (figures in U.S. dollar unless otherwise stated) in assets, claims that sustainable investing is now the fastest-growing asset class at scale in the world. Its hard to argue with the numbers. The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance says there is a $30 trillion pot of sustainable investments across various themes as of 2018, growing at about 12 per cent per year. A lot of that growth is coming from pension funds and other institutional investors signed up to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment, whose members control $86 trillion. Financial markets are driven by two powerful emotions: greed and fear. As the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, puts it, Companies that dont adapt [to the low-carbon economy] including companies in the financial system will go bankrupt without question. [But] there will be great fortunes made along this path aligned with what society wants. To wit: the top five coal companies in the U.S. have all declared bankruptcy since 2016, and Apple is now bigger than all the oil and gas companies on the S&P 500 combined, in large part because they have earned negative returns over the last decade, even after accounting for dividends. Carbon-intensive companies are suffering because the alternatives are not just cleaner but cheaper. Renewables are now cheaper than coal in two-thirds of the worlds countries, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. BNP Paribas estimates that oil needs to come down to $10 a barrel to be competitive with electricity-driven transport. This does not mean fossil fuels are going away tomorrow, but it does kill the growth story. For oil investors, the markets realization of this inevitable decline could make the coal horror show look like Bambi. This increasing speed of the energy transition is part of the reason why investors representing $11 trillion in assets have made public their plans to divest from fossil fuels. Perhaps more telling is that beyond these public declarations, many of the biggest investors in the world are selling off their fossil fuel holdings and loading up on green assets. For example, without any fanfare the $200 billion (Cdn.) Ontario Teachers Pension Plan has dialed down its fossil-fuel equity holdings to just one per cent. On the upside, the $306 billion (Cdn.) Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec has grown its green investment book to $30 billion (Cdn.), earning commercial returns along the way, according to outgoing chief executive Michael Sabia. Just in case anyone was in doubt whether sustainable investing is really about making money, the vampire squid of investment banking, Goldman Sachs, showed up this December pledging $750 billion in financing over the next decade to profit from the climate transition and inclusive growth. While economics are shifting in favour of sustainable investing, so is public sentiment. Call it the Greta effect if you like, but most people are no longer comfortable with the idea that their retirement investments may be helping to set the world on fire. Andreas Utermann, chief executive of Allianz Global Investors, which manages $600 billion, says, Clients have changed their tune. They have said we need to take this more seriously, and that has sharpened the minds of asset managers. Despite all this action among big investors, it appears small investors are getting left behind. If you add up the assets of the 130 funds on offer in Canada that declare sustainability intentions in their official documents, it is less than one per cent ($12 billion (Cdn.)) of total fund investments ($1.6 trillion (Cdn.)). Thats an even smaller fraction than they were at in 2003, when Corporate Knights published its first guide for responsible investors. What gives? It boils down to a belief many people still hold that sustainable investing is about sacrificing returns. The theory is that investing to make a return is hard enough, and if you add social and environmental considerations into the mix you are at a disadvantage. The trouble with this theory is that investing is like hitting a curveball, which is a pretty good metaphor for the world we live in. Putting on a sustainability lens gives the batter a better sense of the balls trajectory and increases the chance of making solid contact. To make things easier, Corporate Knights scores all the equity mutual funds and ETFs available in Canada according to how well their holdings line up with established sustainability criteria and, where available, their three-year financial performance record. While were not promising any home runs, the 36 funds listed below were deemed the worthiest for taking a swing at. Eco-Fund ranking methodology Funds are scored against their fund category peers according to (1) three-year net return percentile rank (50%), (2) weighted sustainability rating percentile rank based on analysis of their holdings* (40%), and (3) fund manager intention to manage the fund according to responsible guidelines (10%). If the fund is less than three years old, its final score is based on no.2 and no.3, which are grossed up proportionately to 100 per cent. Funds that score in the highest or second-highest quintile among category peers receive a five-tree or four-tree rating respectively. * Holdings that are red-flagged automatically receive a 0 per cent CK Sustainability Rating Score. Red-flag holdings include companies that are classified in the Corporate Knights database for one or more of the following criteria: companies blocking climate policy, farm animal welfare laggards, companies causing severe environmental damage, companies causing deforestation, forced and/or child labour, severe human rights violations, illegal activity, controversial and conventional weapons, civilian firearms, tobacco, thermal coal, for-profit prisons, access to nutrition laggards, access to medicine laggards, digital rights laggards, investor climate laggards and gross corruption violations. Sources: Corporate Knights Research, Fundata, Responsible Investment Association, Refinitiv, InfluenceMap, Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), Chain Reaction, Know the Chain, NZ Super Fund, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, American Friends Service Committee, Access to Nutrition Initiative, Access to Medicine Initiative and Ranking Digital Rights. Boris Johnson has vowed that the deportation of dozens of Caribbean nationals will go ahead amid evidence a claim that they are all serious criminals is untrue. The flight to Jamaica revealed by The Independent is the second since the Windrush scandal erupted and was condemned in the Commons, with calls for the prime minister to step in and stop it. It was also revealed that one man on the flight was released after being convicted under the now unlawful joint enterprise rule and has a serious heart problem. His wife feels that this stress is going to kill her husband, said Dawn Butler, Labours equalities spokesperson. But Mr Johnson told MPs: The people of this country will think it is right to send back foreign national offenders. Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty Controversy is growing over the removal of around 50 people, despite the mass wrongful detention and deportation revealed in the Windrush scandal and Theresa Mays apology for the suffering caused. All are said to have criminal convictions, but have served their sentences in UK prisons. Many now face returning alone to a country they left as young children. There has been one deportation flight to Jamaica since the Windrush scandal began in May 2018. One, scheduled to leave in April 2018, was cancelled for reasons the Home Office did not disclose. During prime ministers questions, Labour MP Nadia Whittome protested that the new charter flight was taking place before the lessons learned review of the Windrush affair had been published. Will the prime minister immediately suspend the flight until the lessons learned review is published and the recommendations implemented? she asked. After Mr Johnson insisted it must go ahead, Ms Butler raised a point of order, saying: The Home Office said everyone on the flight are serious criminals this seems not to be true. The North London MP revealed the case of her constituent, saying: He was convicted under now unlawful joint enterprise rule and released after two months. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled the rule had been wrongly interpreted for 30 years, resulting in people being convicted of a murder they did not intend or commit. Some of those earmarked for deportation were told it would take place on 6 February, but Ms Whittome suggested it was now planned for next week. A DNA study of over 10,000 people by UCL scientists has identified a class of gene variants that appear to protect against Alzheimer's disease. The findings, published in Annals of Human Genetics, suggest these naturally occurring gene variants reduce the functioning of proteins called tyrosine phosphatases, which are known to impair the activity of a cell signalling pathway known as PI3K/Akt/GSK-3. This pathway is important for cell survival. The research builds on previous studies in mice and rats, which suggested inhibiting the function of these proteins might be protective against Alzheimer's disease, but this is the first time such an effect has been demonstrated in people. Researchers believe the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 signalling pathway could be a key target for therapeutic drugs and the findings also strengthen evidence that other genes could be linked to either elevated or reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. "These results are quite encouraging. It looks as though when naturally-occurring genetic variants reduce the activity of tyrosine phosphatases then this makes Alzheimer's disease less likely to develop, suggesting that drugs which have the same effect might also be protective," said the study's lead author, Professor David Curtis (UCL Genetics Institute). In this study, scientists analysed DNA from 10,000 people: half with Alzheimer's disease and half without. In total, researchers examined all DNA sequence variants in over 15,000 genes, including over one million individual variants, in order to identify genes in which damaging variants were more common in people with or without Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that Alzheimer's disease risk is lower in people with damaging variants in a particular class of genes, which code for tyrosine phosphatases. The researchers say the findings suggest that drugs which have the same effect might also be able to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Professor Curtis points out there are already some drugs which act on tyrosine phosphatases but they have not yet been tested in clinical trials. "Here's a natural experiment in people that helps us understand how Alzheimer's disease develops: as some people have these genetic variants and some don't, we can see that the impact of having particular variants is a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease," Professor Curtis added. The researchers also found suggestive evidence that if there are genetic variants which damage the gene for the PI3K protein, then the risk of Alzheimer's increases. "There is a consistent story in our results that the activity of the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 signalling pathway is protective, which is exactly in line with findings from animal studies," said Professor Curtis. The study also found suggestive evidence to implicate a gene not previously known to affect Alzheimer's risk, called C1R. The gene is known to affect periodontal Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease involving chronic gum inflammation. Some previous research suggests that gum infections may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, so Professor Curtis speculates there may be a mechanism whereby genetic variants in C1R lead to some degree of gum disease, which in turn predisposes to Alzheimer's disease. This study builds on a major 2019 study involving UCL researchers that identified five new risk genes for Alzheimer's disease, adding to UCL's record of world-leading research in dementia and genetics. "Finding DNA variants which modify the risk of Alzheimer's disease is useful as it may help us develop drugs which target the same proteins. Simultaneously, researchers at UCL and across the globe are finding ways to detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before it causes any problems. As our understanding improves, there may be opportunities to intervene with treatments to prevent the disease from progressing," Professor Curtis said. Professor Curtis, honorary professor at the UCL Genetics Institute and at Queen Mary University London, conducted the study with a team of undergraduate students in the UCL Genetics Institute. The data was generated by an international collaboration, the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project. ### Danbury Police Department DANBURY A Florida woman was arrested Monday evening for allegedly trying to use a fake credit card at a Danbury Fair Mall department store. Hao Huirong, 28, of Tampa, is accused of using a fake credit card to try and purchase more than $1,100 of merchandise at the Lord & Taylor on Backus Avenue, police said. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that pornography is a menace and Central Government, State Government along with the State police are working together to curb it. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee, AITC, Serampore (West Bengal) raised a question--Whether any mechanism has been found by the Central Government to find out if any fake news is being published, printed or child pornography is being circulated, if so then how many cases have been detected and in how many cases punishment has been given. To this, Prasad said that measures are being taken in the direction to curb pornography and the entire country needs to understand this menace. "Pornography, particularly child pornography is a serious menace. We are taking a lot of measures. Central Government, State Governments and State police are working together to curb it," Shankar said in Lok Sabha. "In the case of child pornography and abuse of social media for this propagation, we are also taking lots of measures. The entire country also needs to understand this menace. Not only this but revenge porn is rising in the country. These are the issues which the society, the country, the polity and the parliament have to work together," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Surveillance footage has emerged appearing to show a missing 11-year-old boy getting into a car and leaving with his stepmom - who previously said she last saw him at home. Gannon Stauch was reported missing on January 27, and his stepmom Letecia Stauch, told police the last time she saw him was between 3.15pm and 4pm inside their home in Lorson Ranch, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said Leticia reported that the boy walked to a friend's house but then disappeared. He has not been seen since. A neighbor shared video footage with Stauch's father, Albert, that he said shows Gannon leaving with his stepmother on Monday morning and not returning home. Gannon was initially categorized as a runaway, but the status was later upgraded to a missing/endangered person's case, ABC News reports. Reasons for the upgrade include his age, the amount of time that has passed, the cold weather and because Gannon needs his medication. Fifty people were searching Gannon's neighborhood of Lorson Ranch on Sunday as the FBI joined in on the case. According to a neighbor, Letecia Stauch (pictured) is seen getting into a truck then reversing into the driveway when her stepson, Gannon Stauch, gets into the backseat Volunteers combed the neighborhood of Lorson Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the search for missing Gannon Stauch (left and right) who has not been seen since January 27 Roderrick Drayton, the neighbor who's camera picked up the footage, claims Gannon's father broke down in tears after he saw the video. He said the beginning of the clip shows Leticia backing a pickup truck into the driveway before Gannon leaves the house a short time later to get in the backseat. Drayton added that his surveillance camera then showed Leticia returning home around 2.19pm, getting out of the truck and going inside the house, but Gannon is not seen. Footage from 2.19pm to the time Gannon was reportedly last seen is not available, but the sheriff's office said earlier this week officers had no surveillance video showing the boy leaving the property. Drayton said when he showed the clip to Albert Stauch, he burst into tears and accused his ex-wife of 'lying' about Gannon walking to a friend's house. The neighbor told ABC News: 'I caught Gannon [on camera] getting into her vehicle at 10.13 Monday morning. 'He [Albert Stauch] just broke down crying and said, ''she lied, she lied about the time. He didn't go to a friend's house''.' Letecia also known as 'Tecia', was the last person to see Gannon and denied having anything to do with his disappearance. The vehicle then reversed into the driveway of the home in Lorson Ranch, Colorado Springs, before driving off before returning at around 2.19pm Gannon's biological mother, Landen Hiott (left), and his father, Albert Gannon Stauch, pleaded for their son's safety during a press conference She says she has received death threats after Facebook groups dedicated to finding the boy have accused her of being 'missing' . 'I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn't want to do it,' she told KKTV. 'I would never ever, ever hurt this child...these people have these conspiracy theories...I'm like, 'Why are you saying Gannon is dead?' He is not dead. We are going to find Gannon.' Letecia maintained that the entire family has been involved in the search for Gannon. She added: 'I'm just ready for Gannon to come home. Most importantly for him to see his family, but second, I am going to be so ecstatic when I'm able to say to people that I hope they have a really sincere apology for all these theories that have [come] out online.' A growing number of tips from the public have been called into the sheriff's office, with the most recent count totaling to 134. On Friday, blue ribbons were tied around Lorson Ranch to show support for his family and let Gannon know he's missed, according to The Gazette. During a news conference at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, Landon Hoitt (foreground) and Albert Stauch (background) parents of Gannon Stauch, made a tearful plea for the return of their son Gannon Stauch (pictured) was declared missing after he vanished on January 27 after leaving his home on foot to visit a friend's home 'We would like to remind those who live in or around the Lorson Ranch area to be mindful of and check areas on your property a child may hide to include yards, window wells, outbuildings and culverts,' authorities said on Monday. Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, said she was thankful for the community's attempts help to try and find her son. 'I'm so thankful for all the outpouring of help this case has brought. My son is a very loving kid, he wouldn't want harm on anybody at all and it's so hard to think, ''Why is this happening to him?'' she said. 'I have no clue. My kid deserves to come home. My kid has a purpose, my kid has a life and is important to me and is important to everybody that is standing in this room,' she continued. Gannon is an 11-year-old boy who was last seen wearing blue jacket, black jeans and sneakers. He has brown eyes and hair, is 90 pounds and stands around four-feet and nine inches 'Bring my baby home, I'm begging you.' More than 300 citizen volunteers and 160 volunteers from supporting military agencies have helped comb through the area. Some of those agencies include the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Salvation Army. Gannon was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black jeans and sneakers. He has brown eyes, brown hair, is 90 pounds and stands around four-feet and nine inches. If you have any information as it relates to Gannon's case, please call the Sheriff's Office Tip Line at 719-520-6666 or email Tips@elpasoco.com. A rift has opened in the Victorian Liberal party over the embattled Casey council, with party powerbroker and former arch-conservative MP Inga Peulich weighing in to oppose the immediate sacking of the entire council. Ms Peulich was messaging state members of Parliament on Wednesday after opposition local government spokesman Tim Smith called for the councils dismissal. He was reacting to the council's decision to extend paid leave to allegedly corrupt councillor and Liberal party member Sam Aziz. Inga Peulich in 2017. Credit:Darrian Traynor Party sources said Ms Peulich was pressing her party to cease calling for the entire councils immediate sacking. They noted her long-standing involvement in Casey politics and support for councillors including current mayor and Liberal councillor Susan Serey, who is regarded as a protege of Ms Peulich. Breastfeeding women with a pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation face a significant risk, even at a young age, of breast and ovarian cancer. Yet no fully effective breast cancer screening method exists for nursing mothers in this high-risk group, some of whom are diagnosed after the disease has spread, possibly becoming fatally metastatic. University of Massachusetts Amherst cancer researchers hope to change that by developing a new, noninvasive test that uses women's breast milk to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages. New mothers, and to a greater extent those with a BRCA mutation, face an increased risk of pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC), which is often aggressive, for about a decade postpartum. "This could eliminate the risk of metastasis-associated mortality related to postpartum, pregnancy-associated breast cancer in women with the BRCA mutation," says lead investigator Kathleen Arcaro, professor of veterinary and animal sciences in the College of Natural Sciences, whose UMass Breastmilk Lab develops tools to assess breast cancer risk. "We also hope to better understand breast tumor development and progression in these at-risk women." Supported by an $718,000 grant from the Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program, Arcaro and lab colleague Brian Pentecost, UMass Amherst research associate, will conduct a national study of breastfeeding women who have tested positive for the inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. A control group of breastfeeding women with neither a BRCA mutation nor multiple close relatives with breast cancer is also being recruited. "Breast milk essentially provides a liquid biopsy of the entire breast," Arcaro says. "This will be the first noninvasive, genetic and epigenetic study of breast epithelial cells of BRCA carriers. The study design provides a unique opportunity to examine breast cells from non-symptomatic BRCA carriers of reproductive-age in a critical period of breast cancer development." Arcaro is recruiting participants from across the U.S. through social media and with the help of breast surgeons and lactation specialists, including Dr. Katrina Mitchell of Ridley-Tree Cancer Center at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, California, and Dr. Shannon Tierney of Funkhauser Women's Center in Harrisburg, Virginia. "It is an honor to participate in such groundbreaking research with this team," Dr. Mitchell says. "Breast milk is a fascinating biospecimen with potential to change our approach to the early detection of breast cancer." Women in the study will provide breast milk samples, a saliva sample and a copy of their BRCA test results. They will also complete a health questionnaire and agree to annual, long-term follow-up. The researchers are also seeking samples from a small number of breastfeeding mothers who already have breast cancer in an effort to understand what a positive disease signal looks like. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations prevent the tumor-suppressor genes from repairing DNA damage, which leads to the high lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer. At least 50 percent of women with a BRCA mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70, and 30 percent will develop ovarian cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Arcaro and colleagues will examine breast milk for somatic mutations, or genetic changes that occur any time after conception. Somatic mutations cannot be passed on to offspring - unlike hereditary, or germ-line, mutations like BRCA. The researchers also will look for epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. These are chemical changes to DNA that affect gene expression and can be passed on to offspring but don't change the DNA sequence. "Breast milk from all women contains millions of epithelial cells from the target tissue, providing assessment at the earliest stages of disease development," Arcaro says. "This is in contrast to assessment of cell-free DNA in blood, where the amount of DNA is extremely limited and likely indicative of advanced disease and metastasis." Through the examination of the breast milk cells, Arcaro hopes "to uncover profiles that may identify breasts at increased risk of breast disease, as well as to shed light on breast cancer development in women with defects of DNA repair." ### Facebook page for study participants: https://www.facebook.com/UMassBRCAstudy Twitter: @UMassBRCAstudy A California couple who were reported missing last week after failing to return from a hike were found dead near a trail in the San Bernardino National Forest on Monday. Ria Williams, 27, and her boyfriend, Paul Stockwell, 29, were discovered at around 1.30pm off Cougar Crest Trail in the Fawnskin area near Big Bear Lake, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Their bodies were found about a half-mile into forest, authorities said. Ria Williams, 27, and her boyfriend, Paul Stockwell, 29 (pictured together), were found dead near Big Bear Lake, California, on Monday after going missing during a hike The couple's bodies were found off Cougar Crest Trail in the Fawnskin area near Big Bear Lake Williams' car was found in the parking area near the trail less than 12 hours before the bodies were found in a forest Williams, of Santa Ana and Stockwell, of Big Bear, were last seen in Big Bear on January 29. On Friday, Williams did not show up to work, prompting a co-worker to file a missing person report. Stockwell had also been reported missing by his father, a Big Bear store owner also named Paul Stockwell. 'Neither of the missing person reports indicated any suspicious circumstances or reason to suspect foul play,' the Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Williams' car was found in the parking area near the trail shortly before 2.30am on Monday, leading to a search of the area with a K-9 dog, according to the sheriff's department. The agency's press release announcing the recovery of the missing couple's bodies included a cryptic reference to 'the circumstances' of the case, which required 'Specialized Detectives from the Homicide Detail' to take charge o the death investigation. Williams (left) did not show up to work last Friday, prompting a co-worker to file a missing person report. Stockwell had also been reported missing by his father, a Big Bear store owner also named Paul Stockwell (right) The sheriff's department offered no further details. Autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death for Williams and Stockwell. According to the description of a GoFundMe campaign launched by a friend, Paul Stockwell ran a candle shop in Big Bear Village with his father, Paul Sr, who is currently waging a battle against blood cancer and is no longer able to work. 'At this time he not only grieves the loss of his son, but his business partner and best friend,' the site read. The organizer of the fundraiser described the younger Stockwell as 'one of the most incredible, generous and full of life members of Big Bears community' who, along with his father, was known for his spontaneous acts of kindness. A health official said that all passengers who arrived on a charter flight carrying New Zealanders home from central China that landed in Auckland are not displaying any symptoms of the new and deadly virus. New Zealand Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield told reporters outside Auckland Airport on Wednesday that the passengers looked very tired but relieved to arrive in the country. The 190 passengers evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the virus outbreak. They include 98 New Zealand citizens or residents, 35 Australian citizens or residents, and others from Pacific nations including Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Samoa. Most of the passengers will be taken by bus to a military facility where they will be held in quarantine for two weeks. The Australians are to be transferred directly onto another flight. Also on board are eight British, one Dutch and 1 Uzbek. There are no confirmed cases in New Zealand. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey and Russia should resolve differences over the conflict in Syria's Idlib without anger, after a deadly flare-up in violence challenged the fragile cooperation between Moscow and Ankara. The two countries support opposing sides in Syria's nearly nine-year war. In a phone call on Tuesday (February 4), Putin and Erdogan highlighted the need to follow Russia-Turkey agreements on Syria's Idlib that envisage increasing cooperation to "neutralize extremists," the Kremlin said. Turkey's report on the same phone call said that Erdogan told Putin that Turkey will use its self-defence rights in the event of another attack on Turkish military personnel in Syria. At the United Nations on Tuesday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to hostilities to keep the situation from getting out of control. The AAP, however, said it will try to ascertain whether Kapil had any connection with the party. NEW DELHI: Shaheen Bagh shooter Kapil Gujjar has reportedly admitted to the Delhi Police that he joined Aam Aadmi Party in early 2019. The revelation has been made by the Crime Branch of Delhi that is interrogating Kapil who fired shots at Shaheen Bagh earlier this week. The AAP, however, said it will try to ascertain whether Kapil had any connection with the party. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said: There is no point in releasing such photographs. This is part of BJPs dirty politics. Crime should be investigated and stern action should be taken against the culprit. Mr Singh said that his party will also move the Election Commission seeking action against deputy commissioner of police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo for naming AAP in the matter. When elections are on cards, how can the DCP malign the name of any party, he added. The disclosure by the police about Kapils alleged links with AAP comes just four days before the Assembly elections in Delhi, in which the 50-day protest at Shaheen Bagh against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act has become a key issue. Reacting to the this, BJP chief J.P. Nadda said: The country and Delhi today saw the dirty side of the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal and his people sold the countrys security for political ambitions. In the past, Kejriwal used to insult the Army and support terrorists but today his relation with a person linked to terror activities got revealed. Late in the evening, Union minister Prakash Javadekar criticised the AAP for allegedly playing politics of violence to divide the society. Now, it is clear that the person who fired was from AAP. They are creating tension in the city. They stand totally exposed. Mr Deo said that Kapil has revealed that his father Gaje Singh was also an AAP member and that both of them had joined the party in 2019. Kapils father had earlier contested the MCD election in 2012 on a BSP ticket. In the photos, circulating in the media, Kapil can be seen with senior leaders of the party like Sanjay Singh and Aatishi along with his supporters. A senior police officer said that the Crime Branch has also told the court about Kapil and his fathers connection with the AAP. Kapil had fired two or three times in the air, standing near the spot where hundreds of women and children were sitting in Shaheen Bagh on February 1. A big crowd of unarmed men, women and children were standing nearby. Eyewitnesses said when his gun jammed, he tried to run but was caught. While being led away, he was heard saying: Humare desh mein sirf Hinduon ki chalegi aur kisi ki nahi (in our country only Hindus will prevail). He was later taken in police custody for two days for questioning. On Wednesday, ahead of a Senate impeachment trial vote on whether or not to remove President Donald Trump, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney announced he is voting for conviction on the charge that Trump had abused his power. The decision makes Romney not only the lone Republican to break ranks with Majority Leader Mitch McConnellwho effectively guaranteed Trumps acquittal on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress before the trial even beganbut the first senator in American history to cast a vote to convict a president from his own party in an impeachment trial. Advertisement Romneys announcement came after the other members of his party whod hinted they might be open to considering the evidencemost notably Sens. Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collinschose to declare that the presidents actions in withholding aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden were improper, but not impeachable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In announcing his decision, the 2012 Republican nominee for president very explicitly cited his faith, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as obligating him to convict Trump and acknowledged that he would face blowback from within his own party for the vote. JUST IN: Mitt Romney becomes first GOP senator to say he'll vote to convict in Trump's impeachment trial. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine. https://t.co/G4oou9Qubc pic.twitter.com/FZwle2D1Y0 CNN (@CNN) February 5, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a senator-juror, I swore an oath before God to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am, Romney said, his voice breaking on the Senate floor as it looked as though he was on the verge of tears. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong. Advertisement Ultimately, Romney concluded that while he would vote to acquit on the charge of obstruction of Congress, Trumps actions toward Ukraine violated his oath of office, were grievously wrong, and demanded removal. Here is the key passage from his Senate statement: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did. The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The presidents purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine. Advertisement Advertisement In announcing his decision, Romney dismissed the arguments of the presidents legal defense team that his fellow Republican senators had cited in announcing their decisions to acquit. First, Romney did away with the ahistorical notion advanced by Trump defense attorney Alan Dershowitzand rejected by the vast majority of constitutional scholarsthat a statutory crime was necessary to meet the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors. Advertisement Advertisement To maintain that the lack of a codified and comprehensive list of all of the outrageous acts that a president might conceivably commit renders Congress powerless to remove such a president defies reason, Romney said. Second, he dismissed the notion that there was any plausible legitimate purpose behind Trumps request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens. Advertisement Given that in neither the case of the father nor the son was any evidence presented by the presidents counsel that a crime had been committed, the presidents insistence that they be investigated by the Ukrainians is hard to explain other than as a political pursuit, Romney said. Advertisement Finally, he dismissed the notion advanced by multiple colleagues that the decision of whether Trumps conduct warranted removal was one best left to the voters in November. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to historys rebuke and the censure of my own conscience, Romney said. Advertisement In a separate interview with the Atlantics McKay Coppins published simultaneously with his Senate announcement, Romney further stated that Trumps were the actions of an autocrat. Advertisement And really, corrupting an election process in a democratic republic is about as abusive and egregious an act against the Constitutionand ones oaththat I can imagine. Its what autocrats do, he said. While the vote has little practical impact on the outcome of impeachmentwith Trump being protected by the rest of his party determined to acquitit changed the political and historical terms of the event. I will only be one name among many, no more, no less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial, Romney noted. They will note merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the president did was wrong, grievously wrong. Advertisement Thats not quite right, though, because Romneys vote will set him apart, historically. The only two other presidents in American history to be impeached did not have a single member of their own party vote for impeachment in the Senate. Republican Richard Nixon resigned before he could face an impeachment vote, trial, and likely guilty verdict after the Watergate tapes were released. Democrats Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were acquitted without a single Democratic vote in the Senate to convict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Trump impeachment, Republican senators had argued that the impeachment was a purely partisan affair in order to justify their vote to acquit and keep it a purely partisan affair. The vote by Romneywho was actually the Republican standard-bearer for the presidency just eight years agodemolishes that argument. Nowafter red-state Democratic Sens. Doug Jones, Kyrsten Sinema, and Joe Manchin announced they would vote to convictonly the acquittal is a single-party decision. Advertisement Because of that, Romney is sure to face blowback for his decision. Within minutes of his announcement he already had. The presidents son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted repeatedly that Romney should be expelled from the GOP. Newt Gingrich, who lost the 2012 nomination to Romney, tweeted that Romney was a Republican in name only. Rep. Matt Gaetz called him a sore loser. And Republicans are sure to cite the fact that Romney famously sought Trumps endorsement in 2012 as a way to claim that he is being disloyal now. Romney, for his part, said he expected the attacks and seemed fine with them. I am aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced, he said. Im sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me? Advertisement Advertisement Finally, Romney acknowledged that his vote ultimately would not change the outcome. I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the president from office. The results of this Senate court will in fact be appealed to a higher court: the judgment of the American people, he said. Voters will make the final decision, just as the presidents lawyers have implored. In his interview with Coppins, Romney said that he would not vote for the Democratic nominee for president if it is either Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Sen. Bernie Sanders, saying that he would write in his wife, Ann Romney, as he did in 2016. The Delhi High Court was on Wednesday critical of the delay caused by the authorities in seeking issuance of death warrants for the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case as also of the "delay tactics" adopted by the convicts. The Delhi government had moved the court for issuance of black warrants, two years after the supreme court in 2017 had dismissed the review petition against the confirmation of death penalty. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said that after the apex court dismissed in 2017 the appeals of the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- "nobody had bothered" to move the trial court for issuance of death warrants for their execution. This step was taken only after Akshay's review plea was dismissed on December 18 last year, it said. "All the authorities concerned were sleeping" and waited till December 2019 "for reasons best known to them" to seek issuance of death warrants, it said. While the Delhi government had not taken any step, the victim's family had moved the trial court in February 2019 seeking issuance of the death warrants. On the "delay tactics" adopted by the convicts, the court noted that Mukesh had filed a review against the apex court's dismissal of his appeal after a lapse of 186 days, while Vinay and Pawan had moved a similar plea after the lapse of 225 days. Akshay moved the review plea after a delay of 950 days. The court further noted that Mukesh and Vinay moved curative pleas after a gap of 550 and 549 days, respectively, from the date of dismissal of their review pleas. Akshay moved his curative petition 42 days after dismissal of his review plea, while Pawan is yet to move such a petition, it observed. The court also noted that while the others have moved their respective mercy pleas, Pawan was yet to seek pardon from the President. "It cannot be disputed that the convicts have adopted all the delay tactics to frustrate the warrants," it said. "Therefore, in the interest of justice, I hereby direct the convicts to take steps if they wish to make any type of petition before any institutions/authorities available under law within one week from today, failing which this court expects from the institutions/ authorities concerned to deal, as per the law applicable on delay, if any, without further delay," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form A rchie Shepp, Ezra Collective, Floating Points and Jayda G are among the acts confirmed to play at the second edition of We Out Here this summer. The Cambridgeshire festival won plaudits in 2019 for its exploration of the connection between jazz and club culture, and will continue down a similar path in 2020. Famed saxophonist Shepp is the top-billed act, and will be backed by a big band on the main stage. Floating Points, aka Sam Shepherd, leads the electronic contingent, slated to deliver an all-night set within the festivals woodland area. Other highlights on the live music side of the line-up include Underground Resistance, Greentea Peng, Sarathy Korwar and Steam Down, while Joy Orbison, Jayda G, Henry Wu and Mr Scruff will all play must-see DJ sets. We Out Here was founded by DJ, radio host and label boss Gilles Peterson, who also plays at this years edition. It will return to Abbots Ripton from August 20-23. The European music festivals worth travelling for this summer 1 /33 The European music festivals worth travelling for this summer Primavera Sound (June 3-7) Undoubtedly one of the finest festivals Europe has to offer, with incredible depth of quality on its line-up every year. Rap? Pop? Brazilian thrash metal? You can probably find it here. Getty Images Rock am Ring/Rock im Park (June 5-7) Feeling like something of a Reading and Leeds throwback before they booked rappers as headliners this huge German festival is spread across two separate sites on one weekend. DPA/AFP via Getty Images NOS Primavera (June 11-13) Across the border in Portugal, this is basically Primavera Sound's little sibling, sharing many of the same acts. Pavement lead the bill. Getty Images Sonar (June 18-20) Said by some to exist in Primaveras admittedly huge shadow, Sonar in fact carves itself a niche by focusing on bass-heavy sounds, from grime to techno. Getty Images Secret Solstice (June 26-28) Hosted during Iceland's Midnight Sun, a period of the year in which it never gets dark, this festival offers an experience pretty far removed from its European counterparts. Getty Images for Icelandic Glaci Roskilde (June 26-July 4) Reliably the best festival in Denmark, year after year, pulling in headliners to rival festivals anywhere else in Europe. AFP via Getty Images Opener (July 1-4) Polands biggest festival, with a line-up split broadly between the most popular acts in rock and rap. AFP via Getty Images Rock Werchter (July 2-5) As the name suggests, this one specialises on bands making loud music, but there are some pop and rap acts snuck in there too. AFP via Getty Images Mad Cool (July 8-11) Another Spanish behemoth which draws the biggest names from all the major genres of pop, rock and dance. Kings of Leon are among the major acts. Getty Images BBK Live (July 9-11) A festival that feels almost like a mini version of Primavera Sound, with the same variety and quality, just not on the same massive scale. Kendrick Lamar is one of the star attractions in 2020. Getty Images Pohoda (July 9-11) A veteran festival with more than two decades experience, offering a hugely friendly atmosphere and some pretty massive acts from the worlds of pop, rock and beyond. AFP via Getty Images Hospitality on the Beach (July 9-12) A drumnbass extravaganza run by the legendary London label, Hospital Records, bringing together some of the scenes biggest names. Lucas Blochberger Exit (July 9-12) Another intriguingly eclectic festival, this time in Serbia, promising everything from tech house to ska to hardcore punk in recent years. Getty Images Ultra Europe (July 10-12) The European edition of the hugely popular American festival, specialising in EDM. Getty Images for MTV Love International (July 15-21) A sun-drenched dance music festival on the Croatian coast, with plenty of boat parties and sunrise DJ sets. Jake Davis/Here and Now Super Bock Super Rock (July 16-18) Moving from the urban surroundings of Lisbon and onto a beach further south in Portugal, expect a spread of rap, rock and pop at this festival. Foals will make their way to the event this year. Getty Images FIB (July 16-19) A festival popular with both Spaniards and Brits, which has a focus on Latin artists as well as the more widely known international stars. AFP via Getty Images Melt (July 17-19) An open-air spectacular with a line-up rooted mostly in electronic music but with a few intriguing deviations. DDP/AFP via Getty Images Tomorrowland (July 17-19 and 24-26) Something of a Mecca for European fans of EDM, this festival promises the biggest names and some bombastic stage production across two weekends. AFP via Getty Images Off (August 2-4) The antidote to Openers pop, this Polish festival focuses on the more obscure, experimental side of things. Iggy Pop headlines AFP via Getty Images Sziget (August 7-13) A Budapest blowout that seems to book bigger names each year. Expect internationally famous acts across the broad spectrum of rock and beyond. AFP via Getty Images ya (August 11-15) A Norwegian festival which proves just how strong its native music scene is, with plenty of homegrown acts headlining alongside international favourites. AFP via Getty Images Dimensions (August 13-18) A collection of cutting-edge DJs and musicians, ranging from techno to jazz, which has now moved away from its home in a 19th century fort and into the ever-popular Tisno. Flow (August 14-16) A varied festival, booking everyone from legacy rockers to cult favourites, held within the industrial surroundings of a disused power station. Flow Festival Rock en Seine (August 28-29) Paris biggest festival, delivering a crowd-pleasing blend of rock and pop music that draws an increasingly international crowd each year. AFP via Getty Images How to get tickets for We Out Here 2020 Tickets are on sale now with prices starting at 173. Buy them here. We Out Here 2020 line-up Performing live: Archie Shepp Ezra Collective Underground Resistance Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad Overmono Ashley Henry Greentea Peng Shackleton Sarathy Korwar Sam Wise Steam Down Erika de Casier Night Dreamer Takeover Feat. Selda, Baba Zula, Island Man & Emma -Jean Thackray Muriel Grossmann Gigi Masin Minyo Crusaders Lynda Dawn Elite Beat Sessa Da Lata Coops Kofi Stone Ola Szmidt Yelfris Valdez Zoe's Shanghai Dizraeli Laneous Hector Plimmer Isabelle Brown Maya Law Waldo's Gift Myele Manzanza Trio Olivier StLouis and The Danger Robinson Golden Mean Werkha (Solo Live) Ife Ogunjobi Amahla First Word Live ft: Tawiah, Kaidi Tatham, Children Of Zeus, Myele Manzanza, Olivier StLouis Melt Yourself Down Cykada Chiminyo Karate Boogaloo Sunda Arc Church Andrews & Matt Davies Leafcutter John Lovescene DJing: Floating Points 30 Years of Kenny Dope Kruder & Dorfmeister Joy Orbison Mr Scruff Josey Rebelle Jayda G Gilles Peterson Henry Wu James Lavelle Whities - Nic Tasker & TSVI - Anunaku Fred P - Black Jazz Consortium O'Flynn Kirk Degiorgio Colin Curtis Colleen Cosmo Murphy Idjut Boys Il Bosco (Red Laser Disco) Fabio & Grooverider DJ Storm DJ Flight Channel One DJ Spinn Jamz Supernova Steve Spacek DJ Paulette Patrick Forge Coco Maria Rachel Green Principe - Nigga Fox & DJ Lycox Tash LC IZCO Wookie Zed Bias aka Maddslinky Afronaut Kaidi Tatham Global Roots Tina Edwards Eliza Rose Nick The Record MLE Danuka P-Ro Gilla Mr Thing Bobafatt Konny Kon (CoZ) Discs of Fun & Love Stamp The Wax - Aaron L, Rosie Ama, Harri Pepper, Peachy, Zipporah Future Bubblers: The proposed levy of 1 per cent tax deducted at source (TDS) on e-commerce transactions, announced in the Budget this year, could impact the working capital of small businesses, said Amit Agarwal, country head of Amazon India, on Wednesday. He was speaking at the 14th India Digital Summit of the industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India, where he is also the chairman. Just look at the recent Budget. There is an introduction of tax collected at source. These seem like harmless papercuts, but they impact the working capital of small businesses. If you look at how ... KYODO NEWS - Feb 5, 2020 - 19:02 | World, All An Indonesian court on Wednesday acquitted a woman, earlier indicted for blasphemy against Islam for entering a mosque wearing shoes and carrying a dog, on the grounds that she was not mentally fit to be held responsible for her actions. The decision, however, was immediately criticized by a local Muslim leader. In their verdict, the judicial panel of the Cibinong District Court in the town of Bogor, near Jakarta, found that the defendant Suzethe Margaret, 52, "had convincingly committed a religious blasphemy." From witness testimony and evidence, however, the panel of judges also found that the defendant was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a chronic mental health disorder that affects cognitive function, emotions and behavior and is considered as one of the most severe forms of mental illness. (File photo shows Muslims pray during the Eid al Adha festival at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia.) "Therefore, she couldn't take responsibility for her action" and "cannot be sentenced," Presiding Judge Indra Meinantha Vidi said in reading out the verdict. Prosecutors had demanded she be sentenced to eight months of imprisonment. The case began in June last year when Suzethe became an internet sensation after causing a fuss inside the Al-Munawaroh Mosque in Bogor. Believing her husband was marrying another woman there, she stormed inside while bringing her pet dog and wearing her shoes. In Islam, those actions are considered sinful because dogs are seen as impure and shoes must be removed before entering mosques. Suzethe's actions angered the congregation, as well as netizens who learned of the incident after video footage was posted and made the rounds on social media. In the footage, she is seen arguing with worshippers, saying she is a Catholic and seeking an explanation about her husband's plan to get married in the mosque. Suzethe was subsequently reported to the local police, who were initially reluctant to proceed with the case because they quickly determined her to be mentally impaired. Following public pressure, however, the police arrested her and referred her to a psychiatric hospital for treatment while her case was being investigated. Upon hearing Wednesday's verdict, Suzethe's lawyer Alfonsus Atu Kota expressed relief, calling it "an extraordinary ruling" in view of the fact that blasphemy cases often end with jail sentences. Local Muslim leader Ruslan Sunardi, however, expressed disappointment, casting doubt on diminished capacity defense and saying she should have been sentenced as demanded by the prosecutors. Related coverage: Manga on Uyghur woman's testimony of torture in China goes viral Brought up in Japan, Muslim siblings bring fresh take on fashion, art Kimono-inspired hijabs prove culture mashup hit with Muslim tourists Sen. Bernie Sanders says he won Iowa too - pointing to the raw vote totals that show him ahead of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who's winning in percentage of delegates earned. 'I'm very proud to tell you that last night in Iowa we received more votes in the first and second round than any other candidate,' Sanders told supporters at his first post-caucus-result rally in Milton, New Hampshire. Sanders is dipping into New Hampshire Tuesday and Wednesday morning before heading back to Washington for the final afternoon of President Trump's impeachment trial. Sen. Bernie Sanders touted getting more actual votes in the Iowa caucuses than former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who won the higher delegate share Sen. Bernie Sanders participated in a Tuesday night rally in Milford, New Hampshire. He'll hold one more event Wednesday and then head back to Washington for the Senate impeachment vote Sen. Bernie Sanders greets supporters as he arrives in New Hampshire Tuesdsay after leaving Des Moines, Iowa A group of Bernie Sanders supporters greets the Vermont senator at the Manchester, New Hampshire airport Tuesday afternoon 'Tomorrow I fly back to Washington to cast a vote for the impeachment of Donald J. Trump,' he said. The Vermont senator said the task brought him no 'joy.' He also pointed out that the Democrats do not have the votes to remove the president, with Republicans holding not only a three-member majority in the U.S. Senate, but because removals needs a two-thirds vote. 'So tomorrow, tomorrow the votes may not be there to impeach Trump,' Sanders said at the rally. 'But I am absolutely confident in November the votes will be there,' he said to loud cheers. The crowd numbered 1,324, according to Milford's Fire Chief Ken Flaherty. In New Hampshire Sanders has benefited from next-door-neighbor status, winning the state by double-digit margins when he ran for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (right), accompanied by his husband Chasten (left), claimed victory in Iowa Monday night. The results Tuesday night bore that out as he got the highest percentage of delegate count Four years later, he beats former Vice President Joe Biden, who's consistently been in second place, by 7.7 points according to the current Real Clear Politics polling average. However, with Biden currently in fourth place in the Iowa results and Buttigieg taking first in the delegate count, the young mayor may see a boost. He's currently averaging 13.1 per cent support in the Granite State, versus 25.6 per cent for Sanders. Sanders mentioned the dramatic delay of Iowa caucus results at the top of his remarks. 'For some reason in Iowa they're having a little bit of trouble counting votes,' Sanders noted. 'I am confident that here in New Hampshire you'll be able to count your votes on election night,' he continued. 'And when you count those votes, I would prefer to win here,' the Vermont senator added. Two serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), in Kano State, Muhammad Musa and Hauwa Bagudu are set to wed on Friday at the Nigerian Air force base, Jumaat Mosque. The NYSC Coordinator in Kano, Ladan Baba, told journalists on Wednesday that the marriage will be the first of its kind in Kanos NYSC branch, adding that, it justifies the purpose of the scheme, which was established to ensure unity among Nigerians. He said the 2019 Batch A corps members intimated him with the development a few months after the orientation course. According to the NYSC coordinator, when the corps members met him on the issue, he advised them to seek the permission of their parents. I told them that when they meet their family and they agreed, that is when they should inform the NYSC management so that we can be a part of it. Since then, I did not hear from them again, until after about six months when they brought an invitation letter to me for their wedding. I was very happy when I saw the invitation. They narrated to me how their parents were involved, and accepted the union, he said, adding that it was then they became seriously involved, to ensure the success of the wedding. Last year, Shuaibu Ibrahim, the NYSC coordinator, said the corps would support any inter-tribal marriage among the corps members. The NYSC bye-law states that a corps member who desires to get married during the service year shall be allowed to perform the marriage ceremony in any place of his/her choice. How we met Recalling the genesis of the relationship, the bridegroom to be, Mr Musa, said, we met in camp, during our platoon activities. Mr Musa, a native of Afo, Nasarawa State said he was fully attracted to Ms Bagudu when he visited her family and valued the kind of hospitality that was accorded to him. I was initially attracted by her good character, kindness and respect to people, which I noticed during our stay in camp. It was a wonderful experience because, in the first place, my intention was to serve in Abuja, but when my posting came out, I was posted to Kano. I accepted in good faith, not knowing that this is what will happen, he said. Also responding, the wife to be, Ms Bagudu, a native of Nupe, Niger State, said she accepted his proposal because she noticed his gentleness and kindness during their three weeks stay in the orientation camp. According to her, she initially did not want to serve in Kano, but said, Alhamdulillah, Thanks be to God, she found a husband. DELTA Microelectronics and Presto Engineering join forces to provide a comprehensive, end-to-end semiconductor solution for Industry 4.0, IoT and automotive markets Presto Engineering, an outsourced operations provider to semiconductor and Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers, announced today that it has acquired the DELTA Microelectronics business unit of FORCE Technology, the European leader in ASIC supply chain services. With this acquisition, Presto adds ASIC design to its suite of services for the Industry 4.0, IoT, and autonomous driving market. FORCE Technology has become a shareholder of Presto Engineering and Juan Farre, FORCE's CTO, has joined the company's Supervisory Board. "Europe is an epicenter for the development of smart manufacturing technology Industry 4.0, IoT and the next generations of cars. This acquisition allows us to expand our business and provide industrial and semiconductor companies with a consolidated European partner that offers ASIC design, test, qualification and manufacturing expertise," said Michel Villemain, CEO, Presto Engineering. "Presto will leverage advanced European technology locally for all engineering and pre-production activities, resulting in higher quality and faster time-to-market for our customers. Our established, high-volume production framework provides a very cost-effective, long-term roadmap for the European microelectronics industry." "Joining forces with Presto brings our customers the best of both worlds," said Juan Farre, CTO, FORCE Technology. "DELTA Microelectronics' team will continue to provide the top-quality semiconductor services from ASIC design to complete turnkey ASIC manufacturing operations that our customers are accustomed to, and they will also benefit from a more flexible and comprehensive model focused exclusively on semiconductor applications." The company retains the DELTA Microelectronics brand ("by Presto Engineering") and will continue to operate the business from its Hrsholm, Denmark, and Hengoed, U.K., locations (with its existing teams), continuing to leverage its long and successful track record. Per lund, DELTA Microelectronics' general manager, will serve as executive vice president, ASIC, Presto Engineering. The addition of DELTA Microelectronics provides customers with a flexible model starting from either design (specifically for sensors, optics, NFC and payment systems), tapeout or post-silicon. Projects will benefit from the predictability and dedication of in-house, state-of-the-art capabilities locally in Europe. This establishes Presto as a European leader in outsourced microelectronics solutions with the size required to enable new smart manufacturing, automotive, communication and other advanced industrial applications. About DELTA Microelectronics With over 25 years of experience, DELTA Microelectronics is a European leader in ASIC services for the semiconductor industry. DELTA's comprehensive services include ASIC design, layout, test development, wafer supply, production testing, package development and assembly, components supply, logistics and supply chain management. DELTA's development and production facilities are based in Denmark and the UK, with service partners in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit asic.madebydelta.com. About FORCE Technology FORCE Technology is an international technology service provider with headquarters in Denmark. As a Danish Research and Technology Organization, FORCE is operating and developing a unique set of innovative and market leading facilities, technologies, and competencies for the benefit of the whole of society and business. FORCE Technology employs 1,300 people throughout Scandinavia and the world and provides a diverse set of service to more than 9,000 clients annual across 50 different disciplines. From testing to calibration to inspection to training, FORCE has time and again proven itself as a trusted provider and partner across disciplines. For more information, visit: https://forcetechnology.com/en. About Presto Engineering Presto Engineering provides outsourced operations for semiconductor and IoT device companies, helping its customers minimize overhead, reduce risk and accelerate time-to-market. The company is a recognized expert in the development of industrial solutions for RF, analog, mixed-signal and secured applications from design, tape-out to delivery of finished goods. Presto's proprietary, highly-secure manufacturing and provisioning solution, coupled with extensive back-end expertise, gives its customers a competitive advantage. The company offers a global, flexible, dedicated framework, with headquarters in Meyreuil, France, and operations across Europe, North America and Asia. For more information, visit: www.presto-eng.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005240/en/ Contacts: Presto Engineering Contact: Leila Karouch +33 2 31 06 27 22 leila.karouch@presto-eng.com FORCE Technology Contact: Thomas Bech Hansen +45 5129 3222 tbh@force.dk (Bloomberg) -- The FBI has reconstructed an iPhone belonging to the shooter behind the December Naval Air Station attack in Pensacola, Florida, but still cant access the encrypted data on the device, Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday. The disclosure came at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in response to questions from Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida. Wray said the FBI is currently engaged with Apple hoping to see if we can get better help from them so we can get access to that phone. About a month ago, the U.S. government asked Apple for help unlocking a pair of iPhones belonging to the shooter. U.S. Attorney General William Barr and President Donald Trump have also demanded more help from Apple in the case. The Cupertino, California-based company has said it gave the FBI cloud data related to the iPhones, but has insisted that it wont build a backdoor around encryption to access information on its devices. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers, Apple said in early January. While the government had been publicly pressing Apple to help it unlock the devices, experts in cybersecurity and digital forensics have believed that the agency has the ability to unlock the devices without Apples help, like it did with the phone belonging to the shooter behind an attack in San Bernardino, California, five years ago. Investigators can exploit a range of security vulnerabilities -- available directly or through providers such as Cellebrite and Grayshift -- to break into the phones, according to security experts. The FBI Can Unlock Florida Terrorists IPhones Without Apple The disclosure that the FBI still hasnt been able to access encrypted data raises questions about the FBIs attempts to break into the phone and could be designed to raise the pressure on Apple to provide additional assistance. Last month, Justice Department documents disclosed that the FBI was able to access data on an iPhone belonging to Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, in about two months. Parnass device is an iPhone 11, while the phones from the Pensacola case are an iPhone 5 and iPhone 7, which are easier to hack into. Story continues To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Gurman in Los Angeles at mgurman1@bloomberg.net;Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Skoda is hoping government moves to drag regulations for cars sold in India up to developed market standards will help turn around its fortunes in a market where it has stalled. The Volkswagen-owned Czech carmaker has been tasked with helping its German parent achieve a 2025 target of a 5% market share in India, which is dominated by home-grown automakers including Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Among the new rules are tighter emissions standards, pushing up the costs for domestic carmakers and forcing many to increase prices in India, which is expected to become the world's third-largest car market by 2026. This could make it harder for the Indian incumbents, which have to invest heavily to retain their cost advantage, and prove a potential opening for firms like Skoda, which is launching a new strategy for India to coincide with the changes. "The strategy was approved keeping in mind future regulations that would help us get competitive," Gurpratap Boparai, managing director of new entity Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, told Reuters ahead of India's biennial auto show that begins in New Delhi this week. Although Skoda and Volkswagen have invested in technologies in developed markets and their cars have typically been designed to meet stricter standards than were needed in India, that meant their cars were over-engineered and more expensive. Boparai said that much will depend on the kind of technologies rivals bring in and their price points. Under the new India strategy, Skoda and Volkswagen will use a modular platform to build cars, increase local sourcing of components to 95% to curb costs and design cars to local tastes, while also exporting them. Skoda this week previewed its first vehicle under the new strategy, a family sport utility vehicle (SUV) which it expects to launch in India next year. The company is targeting sales of 100,000 cars a year for its brand in India by 2025, from about 15,000 in 2019, and to grow its sales outlets to 200 by 2023, from 85. PUMP UP VOLUMES Safety features like driver's side airbags and anti-lock braking systems were until recently optional in India and emissions standards were less robust. Several global brands were unable to strip back their cars, struggling to generate volumes and make money in the country where Maruti, majority owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, and South Korea's Hyundai dominate. But stricter rules will cut the cost differential between firms like Maruti, with low-priced, compact cars and Skoda, said Gaurav Vangaal, associate director at consultancy IHS Markit. "To maintain that cost advantage, Skoda and VW will need to increase volumes so as to benefit from the economies of scale. This can only be achieved by ramping up exports and having a new and attractive line-up of cars locally," he said. Together Skoda and Volkswagen have less than 2% share of India's car market and dealers and analysts say they also need to improve after sales service and reduce the cost of ownership, both important factors for Indian car buyers. Volkswagen, meanwhile, this week showcased a compact SUV called Taigun and said it will focus its India strategy on SUVs, mainly in the premium category. It plans to launch 4 new SUV models in India over the next two years and increase the number of sales outlets to 150 by the end of 2020. Also read: Auto Expo 2020: 5 electric concept cars to watch out for Faced with the challenges posed by the novel Coronavirus (nCoV), the Kerala government is banking on its experience gleaned from fighting the deadly Nipah outbreak in 2018 and 2019 to effectively tackle the current situation. Activating its officials, doctors and field staff to face the challenge much before the state's first Coronavirus case was reported from Thrissur last week, the state health department has put all persons who have returned from nCoV-hit China under its surveillance since January 15. "If you are a person with travel history to China and returned from that country after January 15, you will be put under the radar of the district surveillance team," Dr S Sreedevi, additional DMO Ernakulam and district surveillance officer, told PTI. According to her, those who returned from the coronavirus-hit regions are given instructions through phone on the need to remain in home quarantine for 28 days for the safety of his/her family members. Details of the people who have travel history to China are taken from the airports. Information about the home quarantined persons are updated to the district health officials by the field staff. "If that person is found not following the guidelines for coronavirus, he will get a call from the top district medical officers urging him not to mingle with anyone," the medical officer said. According to her, in most cases the people obey the instructions of the health officials as they are aware of the threat posed by the disease. "Our experience in tackling the Nipah virus in 2018 and 2019 help us in dealing with the nCoV cases," the medical officer said. The Kerala government declared novel coronavirus as a "state specific disaster" on Monday as three students who returned from China's Wuhan province, epicentre of the epidemic, tested positive for the infection in the last few days. The state Health minister K K Shailaja has said the state health department is ready to face the novel coronavirus challenge drawing on its experience in overcoming the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018 and 2019. In line with the steps taken to tackle the Nipah virus outbreak, a state control room in Thiruvananthapuram and district control rooms at all district headquarters were set up much before the first coronavirus case was reported. A meeting of top health officials and doctors, chaired by Principal Secretary, Health, is held everyday to coordinate action to prevent the spread of the virus. All important meetings are attended by the health minister. Monitoring of those who are home quarantined are done by the primary health centres with the help of local bodies. Out Patient wings for attending to coronavirus cases have been made operational in all government general hospitals and medical colleges in the state. Isolation wards have also been set up in such hospitals and supply of necessary medical equipment needed for health workers also ensured. All these steps were taken drawing on the experience of battling the Nipah virus outbreak in the state in May 2018, which was reported in North Kerala districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram. As many as 2,000 people were quarantined and kept under observation during the period of the outbreak which had claimed 16 lives, officials recalled. The government declared it contained on June 10, 2018. But when the Nipah case was reported in the state last year, the government was very well prepared to tackle it, by keeping its surveillance high and taking precautions, officials said. The second spell of Nipah outbreak was in Ernakulam last year and it was contained successfully. The state's lone patient, a 23-year-old student affected with the virus, was discharged after 53 days of seclusion, close monitoring and treatment at a private hospital here in July last year. Improved healthcare facilities and awareness among the people in the state enabled the government to contain the disease, they added. The government is using the mainstream media and social media to spread awareness among the people about the threat posed by the coronavirus in the thickly populated state. In a Facebook post, Shailaja on Tuesday urged those who have come from coronavirus-hit regions to contact helath officials immediately. "Some who have come from the affected regions are still hiding their travel history and not informing the health officials. This is dangerous," the minister said. She urged people who had travelled to China in recent days to immediately contact health officials so that they could be home quarantined for a month to prevent spread of the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON Crisis management expert and author Edward Segal said there are seven early crisis management lessons from the Iowa caucuses that companies and organizations should learn from. The lessons include: Assume nothing will work the way it should. Immediately communicate information about your crisis and provide regular updates about the situation. Apologize when you are at fault. Have a crisis plan in place. Implement your plan from the top down using a clear and logical leadership structure. Prepare contingency plans for different crisis scenarios. Test your crisis plans on a regular basis to make sure they will work when needed. Segal observed that, "The fiasco in Iowa reminded people of their worst fears about the safety and security of how their ballots will be cast and counted this year." "There is a silver lining to the dark cloud that is hanging over Iowa it serves as a wake-up call to all election officials across the country," Segal said. "Federal and state governments must ensure and provide assurances to the public that appropriate safeguards and procedures will be in place to guarantee that when votes are cast and counted, nothing will happen that will call the results into question." Segal is the author of the forthcoming book on crisis management Crisis Ready: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies (Nicholas Brealey/Hachette Distribution). Learn more about Crisis Ready and Edward Segal at GetCrisisReady.com. ### The United Nations Security Council discussed the verdict by the International Court of Justice on Myanmar on February 4 but did not take any action on it, according to reports. UN's top court, ICJ had ordered Myanmar to do all in their power and prevent the genocide against the Rohingya Muslims, however, they failed to agree on a statement. The diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity to an international agency reportedly said that China and Vietnam, who are Myanmar's ally and also the part of the regional Association of Southeast Nations, had presented objections to the verdict. Even though UN failed to derive a statement, the European Union members of the council had reportedly urged Myanmar in a joint statement to the reporters after the meeting that it should comply with the orders by the top court as they are compulsory under International law. France, Germany, Belgium and Estonia along with a former member of the council, Poland had also adjured Myanmar to take credible action to bring justice and hold the ones responsible for violation of human rights. Read - Myanmar Installs Coronavirus Screening Device At Border With India: Official Myanmar must address the root causes of its conflicts, in Rakhine State, but also in Kachin and Shan States, the EU members said. Accountability of perpetrators of human rights and humanitarian law violations is a necessary part of this process. ICJ verdict on Rohingyas ICJ had previously ordered Myanmar to prevent genocide from being committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority. UN's top court ordered the country to take emergency provisional measures and urged to halt all persecution of the ethnic group including killing, raping, and destroying homes and villages. Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the court's president said that the ICJ is of the opinion that the Rohingya in Myanmar remain extremely vulnerable. Read - Two Days After ICJ Ruling, Rohingya Women Killed, Several Injured In Myanmar Shelling It was a unanimous decision when the court also ruled that it has the authority to consider a genocide case against Myanmar by creating international legal obligations on the country. ICJ has ordered Myanmar to take effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to its acts against the Muslim minority. Nearly 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee into camps in Bangladesh after the military of Myanmar launched a violent crackdown on the group in 2017. This, according to the UN officials was 'genocide'. This case in the International Court of Justice was the first legal attempt by the peace-making body to bring the country into justice over the crisis. It was also a rare example of a country suing another over an issue to which it is not directly a party. The tiny west African state of The Gambia, which is acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Corporation asked the court to halt the 'ongoing genocidal actions'. Read - Genocide Charge Dents Halo Of Myanmar's Suu Kyi Read - UN Urges Int'l Community To Continue To Pressure Myanmar (With AP inputs) One of the 15 trustees in the temple trust tasked to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will always be from the Dalit community, announced Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday. There will be 15 trustees in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from Dalit society. For such an unprecedented decision that strengthens social harmony, many many congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji, tweeted the Home Minster. The Centre has also decided to transfer the 67.703 acre of land to the trust. Also Watch: PM Modi announces formation of Ram temple trust in Lok Sabha A short while before, speaking in the Lok Sabha, the PM announced the governments decision to set up a temple trust to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya I am happy to share with my fellow Indians that important decisions have been taken with regard to Ram Janmabhoomi. These are in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India, said the PM. The trust, to be called Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra, will be empowered to take all decisions related to building a grand temple at Lord Rams birthplace and related matters, said the PM. The PMs announcement comes four days before the three -month deadline fixed by the Supreme Court to set-up the trust. I have come before you to give information on a very important and historic topic. This issue, like crores of people, is close to my heart and consider it my fortune to speak about this topic. This is connected to Ram Janamsthan Bhoomi and the construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya, said the PM. PM Modi also announced that the Uttar Pradesh government had agreed to give five acre land to the Sunni Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. The Supreme Court had on November 9, 2019, ruled in favour of the construction if Ram Temple at the disputed site, bringing an end to decades-old litigation over 2.77 acre plot that over the years became a politically sensitive dispute. The judgment came on 15 appeals filed against the Allahabad high court verdict dividing the property into three equal parts. PM Modi praised the people of India for displaying remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedure. In his address Modi emphasised on Indian ethos and spoke of how the citizens were members of one family. The prime minister urged all to work in the direction of building a grand Ram Mandir. Making a strong pitch for his re-election amidst his impeachment trial, President said that has staged a "great comeback" and the country was "highly respected again" as he boasted about the "unimaginable" economic growth under his watch. At his third annual State of the Union address, Trump set out his case for another four years in office, saying that in just three short years, his administration has shattered the mentality of American decline and rejected the downsizing of the country's destiny. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back," an upbeat Trump said in his 78-minute prime time address to a joint session of Congress. His address came hours before the ruling Republican Party-led Senate is expected to acquit the 73-year-old president on Wednesday in the high-profile impeachment trial. The Democratic Party-led House of Representatives has already impeached Trump and charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump is accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to probe his political rival and former US vice president Joe Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, to dim his electoral fortune. The US president said that under his leadership, jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and "our country is thriving and highly respected again." ALSO READ: President Donald Trump set to win acquittal from impeachment in Senate "Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," he added. Trump underlined the country's economic gains under his leadership, asserting that "the American Dream is back" and is "stronger than ever before". "The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power, and prestige," he said. In his report card, Trump asserted that America's economy is the best it has ever been. Asserting that the US is moving forward at a pace that was "unimaginable just a short time ago", Trump, the first president to run for re-election after being impeached, said since his election, his administration has created 7 million new jobs 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century, he claimed while noting that the average unemployment rate under his administration was lower than any administration in America's history. "If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to America's great economic success," he said. "Since my election, United States stock markets have soared 70 per cent, adding more than USD 12 trillion to our nation's wealth," he said. Trump noted that he had promised that he would impose tariffs to confront China's "massive theft" of American jobs. "Our strategy worked. Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the USA," he said. "For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States, now we have changed that but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi (Jinping). Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens. He said that whosoever coming illegally to the US would be promptly removed. Trump showered praise on the US military for for carrying out a "flawless precision strike" that killed Iran's military commander Qasem Soleimani and terminated his "evil reign of terror forever." "Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq," he said. "That is why, last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," he said. Trump said that the peace talks with the Taliban are underway and vowed to bring the US troops back from war-torn Afghanistan. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," he said. is the place where anything can happen and it is the place where anyone can rise. The respondent has to provide the information true to the best of his knowledge and belief. New Delhi: The Centre has clarified that no documents would be collected while updating the National Population Register (NPR), and also that disclosing the Aadhaar number will also be voluntary. The government further said it was discussing issues that were of concern with various states on finalisation of the NPR, that will collect details like demographic and other data of every family and individual. Minister of state for home Nityananad Rai, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, also said that till now the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level. The clarification comes after a political controversy over the preparation of the NPR and the data as well as other information being collected in the exercise. Protests have erujpted in different parts of the country over the issue and the possibility of linking the NPR with the NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The minister also told Parliament that the manual for updating NPR 2020 for enumerators and supervisors has been prepared and that people will have to provide information for the NPR to the best of their knowledge and belief. He also said in the written reply that no documents would be collected during the updation of the NPR and that no verification will be done to trace individuals whose citizenship is doubtful. The NPR updation will be undertaken through house-to-house enumeration for collection of specified particulars relating to each family and individual. The respondent has to provide the information true to the best of his knowledge and belief. The Aadhaar number is to be collected voluntarily, he said. The minister clarified that the population register was a document which primarily has details of persons usually residing in a village, rural area, town, ward or a demarcated area within a ward in a town or urban area. The NPR was first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015. In pursuance of sub-rule (4) of Rule 3 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003, framed under the Citizenship Act 1955, the Central government decided to prepare and update the population register during April-September 2020 throughout the country, except Assam, for collection of information relating to all persons usually residing in a village or town, he said. Earlier, on December 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at a rally in New Delhi that neither the Union Cabinet nor Parliament had so far discussed the issue of the NRC and some political parties were trying to create a controversy over the issue. The chief ministers of states like West Bengal and Kerala have opposed the NPR on the grounds that it would lead eventually to the NRC. Earlier, at a meeting of nearly 20 Opposition parties chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, it was decided to request all chief ministers who were opposed to the NRC to consider suspension of the NPR in their states, calling it a prelude to the NRC. Nana Owiti, the wife of Nairobi rapper King Kaka, shared an inspiring moment of introspection on social media as she celebrated the strides she has made in life from when she was a village girl. The Switch TV presenter also published an old picture with her grandfather that took her down memory lane to when she used to sleep on leaves as a mattress. When I look at this picture, I am overwhelmed with emotion. It reminds me of a time in my life when I was a miserable little human, a disheveled young girl with little hopes of making it in life.. But weirdly most of the times so happy inside, she wrote. My green sweater, had patches on the elbows, of different colours and patterns. It looked like a tie and dye gone wrong. My skin (Esp my legs) were cracked and had visible scales. I had no shoes. I remember now, how desperately I wanted shoes, because of how the terrain had badly ravaged the soles of my feet. My face tells the story of a difficult upbringing. My eyes speak the language of sadness, of a girl who is holding on to life by a thread. My eyes are puffy, significant of the little hours of sleep I would get every day either because it was too cold, too hot, or because I had slept hungry. I would get lost in a world of thoughts wondering if we would ever break away from this cycle of poverty and become successful people one day, narrated Owiti. The mother of two disclosed that her family depended on donor funding from a Non-Governemntal Organisation (NGO) even though they were still shortchanged. They would take pictures of poor families to evoke sympathy from donors who would in turn donate money and material things to support this cause. I later on discovered that some of the items that were sent by the donors were never cascaded to us, wrote Ms Owiti. She continued: This picture reminds me of how fast I ran home at the sound of thunder. Thunder meant rain. And if it rained before we plucked enough leaves from the trees to use as mattress, then it meant wed have no place to sleep added Nana. Im in awe when I remember where she has been, multitude of challenges she had to face, the pain she had to endure to become the woman that she is today. I admire thus little lady because she held on to that glimmer of hope that one day she will make it. She had a dream a vision, of a better future of wearing shoes lol of becoming more than just a village girl. The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed Russia their appreciation for evacuating Armenian citizen from China's Wuhan. "On February 4, an Armenian citizen who has expressed is desire to leave the Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei province, Lyudmila Baghdasaryan, was evacuated to Russia," the Armenian foreign ministry posted on its Facebook page. "We are thankful profoundly to our colleagues from Russia for their prompt response to Armenia's request and the assistance provided," the Armenian foreign ministry added. The total number of infections exceeded 24,300 in China with more than 490 people reported to have died from the disease. WESTPORT The towns grand list of taxable property showed an overall increase of 1.17%, or $133,442,936, from the 2018 net grand list, due to new construction and renovations. The grand list the net assessed value of all taxable property in Westport rose from $11,311,830,644 in 2018 to $11,445,273,580 last year, and saw increases across all three assessment categories: Real estate, motor vehicles and personal property, according to a Tuesday news release. SIGN UP here to get daily Westport News and alerts on breaking news Real estate assessment totals, which represent 94.16% of the grand list, increased 1.11 percent as a result of continued residential and commercial new construction, as well as renovation activity within the last assessment year. New apartment and retail developments at 793 Post Road E. and 501 Main St., alongside the new assisted living facility at 1141 Post Road E. and the new development at 500 Main St., contributed to the increase in the grand list. While personal property increased 1.75%, motor vehicles had a 2.6% increase, accounting for $317,925,555 and $350,622,910 of the grand list, respectively. Both of these increases indicate business investment and the ongoing purchasing of new vehicles. Overall, this years increase was higher than last year and indicated Westport remains a community of great interest to businesses and new residents, Town Assessor Paul Friia said. Top 10 taxpayers in Westport 1. Connecticut Light & Power Inc, Pers. Property, 139,409,760 2. 60 Nyala Farms Road LLC, Real Estate, 89,277,600 3. Bedford Square Assoc. LLC, Real Estate, 58,800,800 4. Equity One Westport Vill. Center, Real Estate, 35,890,600 5. Byelas LLC, Real Estate, 24,424,500 6. Aquarion, Real Estate/Pers. Property, 23,549,350 7. 285 & 325 Riverside LLC, Real Estate, 21,291,300 8. Campana 125 LLC, Real Estate, 20,767,800 9. 1735 Ashley LLC, Real Estate, 19,949,400 10. Ronnie F Heyman Trustee, Real Estate, 19,508,800 See More Collapse While the 1.17% increase is higher than the 2018 grand lists 1.07% increase, it is still among the lower increases in the past four years. In 2017, the grand list saw a growth of 1.52% and in 2016 there was an increase of 1.36%. The grand list will be used for the fiscal year 2020-21 town budget calculations. The figures are subject to change based on the outcome of the Board of Assessment Appeals hearings in March and further changes due to corrections or pending lawsuits. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com A man accused of threatening family members with a gun on Tuesday led police on a lengthy high-speed chase from south Houston to downtown, causing three separate crashes while cutting through miles of rush-hour traffic, authorities say. No one was seriously injured throughout the chase, which lasted nearly an hour, police said. The driver, who has not been identified, eventually crashed into a pole at San Jacinto and Rusk in downtown as police cornered him. The man did not listen to police commands, so officers forced him out of the vehicle, according to Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner. The man was taken to a hospital for an evaluation. According to Finner, the man's family said he suffers from a mental illness. Charges had not been filed as of Tuesday evening, Finner said. "I'm really proud to say... that nobody got hurt," Finner said. "You can imagine at rush hour, thousands of people are in our downtown area." Police were initially called to a home at 3:30 p.m. in the 4900 block of East Ridge Creek, where the suspect reportedly threatened to shoot family members. When police arrived, the driver fled in his SUV and refused to stop, police said. The driver led police through "a large part" of Houston's south side, Finner said. In footage from television cameras, the driver averted officers by cutting through traffic on a busy highway and frontage road. Once the chase moved into downtown, Finner said he ordered officers to stop the pursuit, hoping the suspect would calm down. The man, however, continued to drive the wrong way down one-way streets. He also veered onto sidewalks, Finner said. "You can imagine the decision we had to make, because I'm not going to let him run over some of our citizens," "Finner said. "So at that point, I asked them to try to pin the suspect if they can get him pinned safely." The driver was initially uncooperative, forcing officers to break a window and pull him from the vehicle, Finner said. He said it's unclear whether the man had a gun with him. His motivation for fleeing also was unclear late Tuesday, Finner said. Nicole Hensley contributed to this report. Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com Everyones talking about suburban female voters because theyre deciding elections, said Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokeswoman for the Winning for Women Action Fund, a political group dedicated to electing Republican women. Theyre a coveted demographic in elections, and policies like paid family leave are important to them. Paid leave, in general, is an easy sell with voters. Families need it 72 percent of mothers and 93 percent of fathers with children at home are in the labor force and a large majority of voters support it. But Americans, like their elected representatives, disagree on the details, particularly how to pay for it. In the State of the Union, Mr. Trump called paid parental leave for federal workers, a Democratic initiative he signed into law in December, a model for the rest of the country. But it has almost nothing in common with any of the paid leave bills in Congress, including the one he endorsed. The leave for federal workers, which will start in October, is financed by the government, and workers pay nothing (this is similar to companies that voluntarily give employees paid leave). There is one model of government-run paid leave that has already been successfully adopted in the United States. In eight states and the District of Columbia, paid leave has been financed by a small payroll tax increase, paid by employees and employers. This is also the model that Democrats have proposed for all Americans, in a bill called the Family Act. The child tax credit is worth up to $2,000 per child. If the Trump-backed bill passed, the average worker with a new child could receive $5,000, and then collect $500 less in child tax credits each year for 10 years. Workers earning less than $11,000 a year, who dont qualify for the full child tax credit, could also get up to $5,000, and pay it back over 15 years. Under the Democrat-backed Family Act, average workers would pay an additional $120 in annual payroll taxes, according to analysis by Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow on paid leave policy and strategy at New America, a left-leaning policy group. If they took leave, they would receive $9,920 for 12 weeks. Those with income of less than $11,000 a year would receive two-thirds of their pay, roughly $1,840, and their payroll taxes would increase around $22 a year, according to the analysis. So far, the Family Act has minimal Republican support, and the deal breaker is the tax increase. A payroll tax increase is not going to be passed into law anytime soon, Ivanka Trump said on Face the Nation on CBS in December. GRANITE CITY The Gori Law Firm has expanded its practice with an office at 2862 Madison Ave., Granite City. We have a large number of clients in the Granite City area, so it makes sense to open a new location for their convenience, said Sara Salger, managing partner of The Gori Law Firm. We also have a tremendously skilled team of attorneys who constantly strive to bring results to those suffering as a result of asbestos exposure, flooding, medical malpractice, and workplace injuries. With the addition of this new location, we are even better suited to accomplish that goal. Since its inception in 2008 in Edwardsville, The Gori Law Firm has grown and continues to seek opportunities to expand. Although the Granite City location is currently open for appointments only, it will be staffed in the near future. Our plans to open this office have been in the works for several months as a way to better serve the residents of Granite City who are in need of our services, said Chris Layloff, partner at The Gori Law Firm. Along with myself, my colleagues Mr. Ron Motil and Ms. Tonya Genovese are residents of Granite City, so we all have a strong connection to the community and its residents. In addition to the expansion announcement, two of the firms partners, Chris Layloff and Jason Steinmeyer, have been honored for obtaining the highest reported asbestos verdict in Missouri for 2019, according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Layloff and Steinmeyer obtained an $8.433 million verdict against the Ford Motor Co. for their clients, Al and Pam Bennett. Born and raised in St. Louis, Al Bennett was a mechanic at Ford, Mercury and Lincoln automobile dealerships from the 1960s to the 1980s where he was exposed to asbestos through his contact with brakes, gaskets, clutches and OEM replacement parts. The exposure eventually led to his pleural mesothelioma diagnosis in his right lung. Layloff and Steinmeyer were recently honored at the Missouri Lawyers Awards 2020 in St. Louis by Missouri Lawyers Media. While we appreciate being recognized for our work, were just happy that we were able to get justice for Al and Pam, said Chris Layloff, partner at The Gori Law Firm. Steinmeyer added, Chris and I, along with everyone at our firm, fight hard for our clients. Justice was delivered, and the recognition for a job well done is just an added bonus. Dr. John Vecchione has agreed to a five-year suspension; he was linked to 15 cases of bacterial heart infections A New Jersey oral surgeon has agreed to a five-year license suspension after 15 patients were sickened by a bacterial heart infection and one died. Dr. John Vecchione on Monday also agreed to pay $293,500 in penalties. He initially had fought the allegations. 'Dr. Vecchione spent years denying any responsibility for the infections contracted by patients in his care,' said Howard Pine, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. Vecchione engaged in 'professional misconduct and gross negligence' by failing to follow infection control protocols, state officials said. The state alleged the Budd Lake dentist failed to use sterile water or sterile saline during surgical procedures, improperly handled and stored single dose medication vials and did not properly prepare instruments. The allegations stemmed from a series of inspections conducted after an outbreak of bacterial endocarditis among Vecchiones patients. A two-year investigation by the state Health Department and Dentistry Board into sanitation at Vecchione's practice all started after Ryan Del Grosso, from Jefferson Township, was diagnosed with the heart infection endocarditis five weeks after having two wisdom teeth pulled. A doctor treating Del Grosso, who is now 25, remembered a similar case of the rare disease and notified state officials. Health investigators identified three other cases which had all occurred following surgery from the same practice. A closer look at patient records revealed that 15 patients had been infected, likely caused during the use of IVs to sedate patients before surgery. During a visit to Vecchione's office in November 2014, state and local health inspectors found 'multiple safety breaches' including the use of single vials of medication for multiple patients, the storage and use of unwrapped syringes, poor hand hygiene and the use of non-sterile products such as multiple-use alcohol dispensers. Twelve patients required heart surgery; one patient died from complications. An office that Vecchione had in Mount Olive, New Jersey, is pictured in this image The incidence of enterococcal endocarditis following oral surgery is rare about 1.5 cases per 100,000 patients annually nationwide, but patients at Vecchione's practice in 2013 and 2014 were nearly 250 times more likely to develop the infection. Under state regulations, single cases of endocarditis and enterococcal infections don't have to be reported to public health authorities Lisa Coryell, a spokeswoman for the state Board of Dentistry, said the board was satisfied Vecchione is making changes to correct any problems. 'Following two inspections of Dr. Vecchione's office, and a thorough review of his patient records, the (Board of Dentistry) identified several policies, protocols, and procedures in need of change,' Coryell said. 'Dr. Vecchione voluntarily agreed to implement those changes, which were memorialized in a Consent Order signed by both parties.' His suspension is retroactive to August 31, 2016, when Vecchione agreed to a temporary suspension of his license. That means Vecchione will be permitted to start his one-year probationary period as early as August 31 of this year if he complies with terms of the consent order and demonstrates his fitness and competency to resume practice, the state said. China urges relevant countries to view epidemic in rational, calm way People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:00, February 04, 2020 BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged relevant countries to view the novel coronavirus epidemic rationally and calmly and form science-based and measured responses. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on the situation that certain countries have successively announced restrictions on the entry of Chinese citizens. Among them, the United States has raised its travel advisory for China to the highest level and has temporarily banned all foreigners who have traveled to China in the past 14 days from Feb. 2. Acting with a high sense of responsibility to people's health, the Chinese government has taken the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required, said Hua. Hua quoted the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response. In the same speech, he said explicitly that declaring a public health emergency of international concern is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, the WHO continues to have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak. There is no reason to take unnecessary measures restricting international travel and trade. Noting most countries appreciate and support China's efforts to fight the novel coronavirus, Hua said China understands and respects them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entries. "But in the meantime, some countries, in particular the United States, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice." "The U.S. government hasn't provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a comprehensive travel ban on Chinese travelers. (The U.S. actions) could only create and spread fear, setting a bad example for others," said the spokesperson. Hua said even U.S. media and experts doubted the government's decision. They said that the U.S. government's restrictions on China are precisely what the WHO rejects, that the United States is turning from overconfidence to fear and overreaction, and that banning the entry of foreigners who traveled to China in the past 14 days is suspected of infringing on civil rights rather than reducing risks of virus spreading, according to Hua. Hua cited a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as saying that the flu from 2019-2020 season has caused 19 million infection cases and at least 10,000 deaths in the United States. By contrast, by Feb. 2, 17,205 cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection had been confirmed in China with 361 deaths, and 475 patients had been cured, while there are only 11 confirmed cases in the United States. "The contrast is thought-provoking," Hua said. She pointed out that the Canadian minister of health said Canada would not follow the U.S. to impose travel restrictions on Chinese or foreign nationals who had been to China, which was baseless. "It is a sharp contrast to the U.S. behaviors," Hua said. Noting that the destinies of all countries are closely linked in a globalized world, Hua said in the face of a public health crisis, countries should work together to overcome the difficulties, rather than resort to beggar-thy-neighbor practice, let alone take advantage of others' difficulties. According to Hua, since Jan. 3, the Chinese side has notified the United States of the epidemic and China's control measures altogether 30 times. Chinese Center for Disaster Control and Prevention and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held many rounds of communications on the outbreak. On Jan. 29, China's National Health Commission (NHC) replied through an official channel to the U.S. side that China welcomes it to join a WHO joint expert group. The United States thanked China for this on the same day. On Jan. 31, the United States told NHC that it had contacted WHO headquarters and submitted a list of U.S. experts wishing to join the group. "We hope relevant countries will make reasonable, calm and fact-based judgments and responses," said the spokesperson, adding that China will enhance cooperation with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner. "We have the confidence and capability to win this battle as soon as possible," she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Help India! By Nazish Hussain, TwoCircles.net Ranchi: It is late afternoon on a winter day in a residential colony of Ranchi, Jharkhand. Lanes look deserted with only two-wheelers passing by occasionally. Balconies are empty, doors and windows closed. A group of young people have gathered with mic, speakers, guitar and mats. Support TwoCircles A young boy named Maaz Aman Siddique, who wears a white T-shirt reading NO To CAA, NO To NRC, speaks on the mic, Hum aapke mohalle mein CAA, NRC, NPR par baat karney ke liye aaye hain. Hum students sheher ke alag alag colleges se aapke mohalle mein aaye hain, (We have come in your locality to talk on CAA, NRC, NPR. We students have come from different colleges in the city). The students request people for some time to hear what they have to say. Few women peep out from the balcony at the group on the street, while few others come out of their gates. One girl from the group walks toward the women, requesting to come and listen to them. Hum aapko batayenge is kaale kanoon ke khilaaf kaise ladna hai, (We will tell you how to fight against the draconian CAA) Maaz continues on the mic. Starting by reading out the Preamble, students from the group take turns to explain CAA, NRC and NPR to the crowd. Two mats are spread on the street, women come and sit there. Soon more people join in as mats are arranged from nearby homes to accommodate everyone. This student group does not associate with any political party. It started with few students and has multiplied with others coming together from different colleges and schools in the wake of Anti- CAA protest. The group is named after the famous song Kahab toh lag jai dhak se from the Bollywood movie, Article 15. After having actively participated in Anti-CAA seminars, protest marches and gatherings, they have recently started a door to door awareness program on CAA, NRC and NPR. Citizenship Amendment Act, which was passed in the parliament on 11 December 2019, came into effect on 10 January 2020 despite countrywide mass protests against it. In Jharkhand, following the 24/7 sit in protest model of Shaheen Bagh, similar scenes have been recreated at Haj House at Kadru in Ranchi. Spread across different pockets of the state civil societies, independent student groups as well as civilians have joined the call to revoke CAA, NRC, and NPR. There have been seminars, human chains, rallies, marches and various social media campaigns against CAA. In Dhanbad district Anti-CAA protestors faced sedition charges, which were later revoked after the Chief Minister Hemant Soren stepped in. The Idea behind Door to Door Campaign The students in this group are regular day scholars, who have been managing their classes, exams and other chores along with taking out time almost daily for door to door awareness campaign. It has now become a part of their routine and one of their top priorities to sensitize people on the issue. We are the future of this country, if we wont do anything for ourselves then who will? says Aditi Sidhant, a final year student of M.A, English literature. The group explains that after classes and daily chores, they do get some free time which they want to utilize for the cause. When asked why a group of students have traveled to an unknown locality in the city for a door to door campaign in an age of social media connectivity and outreach, Aditi explains, We realized in our own homes that women who have access to television and newspapers, get limited or biased understanding on Anti-CAA protest. We saw this as an issue. After serious discussion on how to tackle this problem, Aditi says, the group came up with this idea of a door to door awareness program. She feels, It is more impactful when we talk personally. Now it is her turn to address the gathering. Aditi steps ahead asking, Kya hum Hindu rashtra banne denge? (Will we let it become a Hindu nation?), Nahi (No), repeats the crowd in unison. She continues, The government has continuously tried to silence every dissent, but now it has gone too far. We want to tell the government we wont be silenced this time. She steps back and hands the mic to another student who now initiates a question answer session with the crowd. A middle aged woman walks up and says, I live in a rented house. I dont have any papers, where will I get papers to show? She explains that she earns her livelihood as domestic help since her husband is visually impaired. Besides her husband, she has a daughter to look after, making her sound more worried, If this government declares us outsiders where will we go? Why is this government doing this to us? I am so scared about all this.She asks the group to come to her locality and conduct the awareness program there too. Earlier the group was confined to taking out rallies and staging protest march at different places in Ranchi against CAA. Soon its popularity grew and many other students came forward to join it. The group has visited 11 localities in the city so far. Students have divided tasks among themselves that include routine programs of Preamble reading, explaining CAA, NRC and NPR, singing revolutionary songs and chanting Azadi slogans, question answer sessions on clarifying doubts of people and so on. The groups activities have gained momentum after getting several calls from different people to come to their localities and conduct the informative program. At times we have covered two places in a day. It has been quite hectic for us on days, says Shamam, post graduate student of Mass Communication, who handles PR for the group. Motivation and Risk behind the Protest Alongside Anti-CAA protests, Jharkhand has also been witnessing pro- CAA rallies under the banner of ABVP and other Hindu organizations. Protest demonstrations have largely been peaceful; however at few places it took violent turn forcing the authorities to impose Section 144. The latest is from Sakchi in Jamshedpur where after a face-off between protestors and supporters on 31st January 2020 Section 144 has been imposed till February 14. The group of students are vigilant and take due care to keep the protests peaceful. They have confined their protests to safe spaces only and avoid any confrontation with Pro-CAA rallies. We keep our protest secular and avoid going to such places where we sense trouble, says the youngest member of the group, Wali Hanzala, who is a class 12 student with upcoming board exams. Wali, whose sister and cousins have been studying in Jamia and AMU, has been much disturbed by the police brutality on the night of 15th and 16th December 2019. Wali takes care of social media for the group from designing protest posters to communication, promotion, and handling its Instagram account. On asking what makes him continue with protests despite board exams around, he says, Nowhere is safe, not even universities. Where will I go after my boards? (This article is part of SEED Fellowship, which is TCNs flagship journalism training and mentorship program for communities traditionally absent in mainstream media.) Days after she was allegedly raped by her neighbour in Rajasthan's Sikar, a 14-year-old girl died at a Jaipur hospital. The girl was raped on January 27 by her neighbour, who also tried to strangle her, police said on Wednesday. The victim was admitted to J K Lon Hospital in Jaipur after the incident and died on Tuesday evening. Police said the victim was alone at home when Basant Meena, 20, committed the crime. "He sent the victim's brother to buy biscuits and raped the girl," Sikar's Thoi police station SHO Sangeeta Meena said. "He also tried to strangle her and left the girl in an unconscious state. She was rushed to a nearby hospital from where she was referred to JK Lon Hospital in Jaipur," she said, adding that the accused was arrested on Tuesday. Dr Ashok Gupta, Superintendent of JK Lon Hospital, said the exact cause of her death will be known after a post-mortem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Huntsville school officials are telling parents that plans to require a longer summer vacation in Alabama could lead to longer school days, keeping some children as late as 5:30 p.m. But the state lawmaker behind the bill to lengthen summer break accused Huntsville of using a scare tactic to stir up parents. Its a complete fabricated lie, said Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, said of the Facebook post by Huntsville City Schools, a post shared more than 7,000 times in just 24 hours. Hurst plans to sponsor some sort of legislation mandating summer break run from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But he calls the idea of going to school until 5:30 "plum asinine." "I would never want children to go to school for eight hours," Hurst said. But school systems could indeed opt for longer days. A 180-calendar-day school year is not required under state law. Instead, the law requires students to receive 180 full instructional days with six hours of instruction per day, or 1,080 total instructional hours over the course of the school year. More instructional hours per day could allow for a longer summer. Currently, the school year runs anywhere from 174 days to 180 days among Alabama's school districts, according to information shared by the Alabama State Department of Education. Hurst said school officials could extend the school day, as some currently do, to squeeze in more hours in fewer days, but he doesn't think school days should run two hours longer. Huntsville school board member Elisa Ferrell said they were alerted to the possibility of an 8-hour school day by the Alabama Association of School Boards, which encouraged local board members to go public and drum up opposition to the calendar bill. AASBs Executive Director Sally Smith, who put out the call to action, said she has heard from some lawmakers, whom she declined to name, that an 8-hour school day was a possibility. But what she communicated to board members statewide through a robocall on Monday did not claim Hurst was responsible. "It is unfortunate that lengthening the school day was associated with Rep. Hurst," Smith said, referring to the wording of Huntsville's Facebook post. Regardless of who said what to whom, it appears the school district's efforts paid off. The Facebook post, originally posted just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, has garnered more than 2,100 comments so far. Most of the commenters reacted negatively to the idea of an 8-hour school day, which the post connected to Hursts proposal. "These hours are insane!!! Kids are already exhausted!!" one parent wrote. "Holy moly!! This would be a sick joke!!" wrote another commenter. Others said they'd start homeschooling their children if school lasted eight hours a day. This is terrible, my child just got into Triple A for the next school year and we have been applying since preschool! But best believe it this happens, she will definitely begin home schooling, another parent wrote. That comment was topped off with an angry-faced emoji. "So basically the kids will live at school? If this happens we'll begin homeschooling." Huntsville City Schools responded to many of those comments, writing, "Please contact your lawmakers to express your opinions," and included a link to find legislators' contact information. Huntsvilles post included a projected school calendar for next year, showing 189 weekdays between Labor Day this year and Memorial Day in 2021. That leaves only nine week days for student breaks, if they stuck with the 180-day school year they currently use. Rena Anderson, the community engagement director for Huntsville City Schools, stood by the post. "We were asked to do a call to action and we did," Anderson said. Hurst spoke with AL.com last year about a survey showing 85% of voters want longer summers. At that time, he said if just 30 minutes were added to each typical school day, a full school year could be completed in 166 days. Smith said while her organization opposes any bill that mandates start and end dates for school districts, "We're working to get (lawmakers) to understand what the bookends mean (for students and schools)," she said. Related: Alabama voters want longer summers, survey says In 2012, Alabama lawmakers mandated school start dates for two years, starting in 2013. At that time, supporters said it would help tourism recover from the Recession and the aftermath of the oil spill. Hurst said its not only about tourism, which means more money for education, but its also about jobs. This will help with the Governors program (to expand the workforce), he said, Were trying to incorporate all of this into workforce development because weve got to have these kids ready for jobs. Summers end up being wasted, he said, when it could be a more productive time for older students. Right now, with summer so short, he said, "Businesses just don't want to hire a student." If kids had summer jobs, they'd learn to "put the phone down" and how to get to work on time, what employers refer to as soft skills, Hurst said. "Without it, they don't learn any of it." Hurst said his proposal leaves control over the school calendar at the local level. They have total control, he said, but just not from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Update: According to Lisa Woodard, with State Superintendents Association, Rep. Hurst verified that there is no current... Posted by Huntsville City Schools on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Updated 5:05 p.m. to clarify that Alabama law requires 180 full instructional days at six hours of instruction per day, or 1,080 instructional hours, over the course of a school year. Update 2/6/2020 - Wording on Huntsville City Schools original Facebook post was changed to remove the association of Rep. Hurst with the possible 2-hour instructional day extension. A 14-year-old middle school student in Mercer County was killed Tuesday after crashing his dirt bike into the canal at Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, authorities said. The teen was riding with a group of friends along the D&R Canal towpath in Lawrenceville on Tuesday afternoon when he lost control of his bike and veered into the water, officials said. A passerby stopped to assist with CPR as the boy - identified by Lawrence school officials as John Pogroszewski - was removed from the water with a head injury. The eighth grade student at Lawrence Middle School was flown to Cooper University hospital, where he was pronounced dead, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement. It is always a tragic loss when a school community experiences the death of a student, Lawrence Superintendent Ross Kasun said in a statement emailed to NJ Advance Media. We were saddened to learn late last night of the death of Lawrence Middle School student John Pogroszewski and extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family." Lawrence Middle School principal Mindy Milavsky said counselors would be on hand Wednesday to assist his fellow students. We are saddened and deeply affected by the loss to our school community, she wrote in an email to parents and staff. We will continue to make every effort to help you and your child as we move forward in the days ahead. State Police and State Park Police assisted at the scene. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. In case of the approval, the new methodology will be applied to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia The European Union intends to increase the role of state-members during the talks with the candidates for entrance to the EU as Radio Liberty reported. Such changes are possible due to the new method of governance of extension of the bloc. It happened after the EU stopped the opening of the negotiations on the membership of North Macedonia and Albania. The representatives of France state that these countries have not reached enough progress in holding reforms, which aim the fight against corruption. The European Commission offers the state-members to make more systematic contributions in the entrance process. They will also have a possibility to analyze and control the common progress. The EU believes that it will allow to make the entrance process more predictable and dynamic. In case of the approval, the new methodology will be applied to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia. On February 1, the United Kingdom was no longer a member of the European Union. The Brexit agreement entered into force at midnight on January 31 Central European Time. As we reported earlier, the visa-free regime will be implemented for UK citizens in Ukraine. However, it will be temporary; it is supposed to expire on January 30, 2021. Ukraine's visa talks with Britain might begin in a year. British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons explained that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had issued a decree on visa waiver for the British, as international agreements will remain in force, but internally Britain will no longer be a member of the European Union after Brexit. JACKSON, Mich., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumers Energy Foundation announced today it is again sponsoring a competition that will provide $50,000 to support big ideas in small towns across Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The "Put Your Town on the Map" pitch competition will provide dollars for three projects that build strong communities. Up to 10 finalist communities will compete for the funding at the annual Small Town and Rural Development Conference on April 22 at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Mich. "Consumers Energy is committed to ensuring that Michigan's communities of all sizes are growing and thriving," said Roger Curtis, Consumers Energy's vice president of public affairs. "We were impressed by the incredible ideas from so many communities last year. We're excited to invest more dollars into the competition's prizes and look forward to seeing even more creativity and innovation on display." Consumers Energy created the competition to reward ideas and provide critical dollars for projects in Michigan's small towns. Communities with a population of up to 10,000 have until March 2 to submit proposals. Consumers Energy and the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) will select 10 communities to make a pitch at the Rural Partners of Michigan conference for grants worth $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000. Last year's first competition featured $15,000 in grants. The winners were: Port Austin First place ($7,500) A large vacant lot will be developed into an interactive and dynamic space for tourists and community members. First place A large vacant lot will be developed into an interactive and dynamic space for tourists and community members. Spring Lake Second place ($5,000) A plan to bring public art to the Lakeside Trail to make the village a destination for visitors. Second place A plan to bring public art to the Lakeside Trail to make the village a destination for visitors. Sparta Third place ($2,500) The Orchard, an incubator for small businesses. The "Put Your Town on the Map" competition aims to reward a variety of innovative ideas, such as those that attract visitors to downtowns, focus on housing, education or employment, create community pride and more. Community leaders can learn more and apply at http://cedamichigan.org/rpm/conference-rpm. The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider. The Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what's most important to Michigan its people, our planet and Michigan's prosperity. In 2019, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed more than $11.5 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information about the Consumers Energy Foundation, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation. Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/consumersenergy Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/consumersenergy SOURCE Consumers Energy Related Links https://www.consumersenergy.com Mail Call Diego Garcia: The Most Isolated Post Office in the World Navy News Service Story Number: NNS200204-01 Release Date: 2/4/2020 9:51:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jillian F. Grady, U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia Public Affairs DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (NNS) -- Diego Garcia is one of the Navy's most remote duty stations. There are no malls or department stores here, so most service members and civilians stationed here regularly order items in the mail. Due to this, the Logistics Specialists (LS) onboard U.S. Navy Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, who work as postal clerks, are used to hearing one question, "Is there mail call today?" The amount of mail that arrives in Diego Garcia varies. Some weeks we'll have no planes make it out to the island, meaning no mail for those eagerly waiting for it, but when the planes do come in, up to 20,000 pounds of mail will arrive in a week. The LSs who work at Diego Garcia's post office are responsible for the sorting and distributing of post and packages, and the routing, directing, and transportation of mail. They also maintain security for registered, certified, and other special classes of mail. The day starts early on mail call days. At around 0500, one of the postal clerks will drive to pick up the mail at air cargo. They'll load the trucks and bring the mail back to the post office while the other clerks prepare for offloading. Upon offloading, each piece of mail is stamped and sorted. After all this is finished, mail call begins. Each NSF department, ship, or tenant command has mail orderlies who come to collect the mail. From there the mail is distributed to the island and the ships. "Seeing everyone get mail makes me happy," said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Lynie Borromeo about mail call. Teamwork is important at the post office and everyone does their part. "Each postal worker has their own role to play on island," said Logistics Specialist Seaman Apprentice Marcus Garcia. "Whether it is registered mail or working the front desk or teaching new mail orderlies how to pick up their commands' packages, we all contribute to the mission." There are unique aspects of the postal clerk job here on Diego Garcia. Since Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the LSs have to keep in mind both U.S. postal laws and BIOT customs when it comes to what can be accepted and sent off from the island. The post office greatly contributes to the mission here in Diego Garcia, providing a necessary service even though it can, at times, be challenging. "By ensuring that personnel on the island receive their mail we raise the spirits, for what to many, can be an otherwise challenging time period of isolated duty," said Garcia. "It is our own way of contributing to the overall morale of our Sailors during their time on Diego Garcia." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 10:30:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 4, 2020. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about the possibility of discrimination against certain groups of people due to the novel coronavirus epidemic. He appealed for "a strong feeling of international solidarity, a strong feeling of support to China in these difficult circumstances but also to other countries that might be impacted," and "a strong concern to avoid the stigmatization of people that are innocent and that might be victims of that situation." (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about the possibility of discrimination against certain groups of people due to the novel coronavirus epidemic. "It's easy to move into ... perspectives in which there tends to be discrimination; there tends to be violation of human rights; there tends to be stigma on innocent people just because of their ethnicity," Guterres said during a press conference. He appealed for "a strong feeling of international solidarity, a strong feeling of support to China in these difficult circumstances but also to other countries that might be impacted," and "a strong concern to avoid the stigmatization of people that are innocent and that might be victims of that situation." Regarding China's efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, he said China has mobilized enormous resources and enormous capacity to respond, something the UN fully recognizes. He also underlined the UN agencies' support for China's fight against the epidemic, pointing to the work done by the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. The WHO "has been very active trying to support China and to support other countries where cases have been developed," he said. Moreover, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Children's Fund have also been quite active in responding to the epidemic. In the meantime, Guterres acknowledged that the novel coronavirus is "something with a dimension ... that is sometimes difficult to fully respond," but he stressed that "we are trying to mobilize our best capacities and best resources." [February 05, 2020] Generating Pseudo-Random Speckle Illumination Patterns Allows For High-Resolution Imaging Using pseudo-random speckle patterns is an efficient way to image targets, but most approaches require bulky, expensive, complex and slow machinery. To apply this technique to biomedical imaging, such as ultra-thin endoscopy or in vivo neural imaging, a smaller device that can generate random speckles is needed. A team of researchers led by Takuo Tanemura at the University of Tokyo, Japan, has demonstrated the use of a multimode fiber (MMF) in combination with an integrated optical phased array (OPA) chip for single-pixel imaging in potential biomedical applications. Taichiro Fukui, a PhD student in the group, will present their imaging technique at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC), to be held 8-12 March 2020 at the San Diego Convention Center, California, U.S.A. According to Fukui, previous research has shown that illuminating a target using random speckles rather than a focused spot enhances the spatial resolution of an imaging process. "This is because unlike a focused spot, the random speckle illumination consists of interference patterns that contain higher spatial frequency elements," he said. By integrating an MMF output with an OPA chip, which splits the input light into a number of independent phase shifters, the group was able to generate different random speckle patterns to illuminate the target. "Although we have previously demonstrated random-speckle-based imaging by just using an OPA without MMF, we could not resolve a large number of points due to the limited number of phase shifters on the OPA," said Fukui. "Surprisingly, in this work, we discovered that by transmitting through an MMF, the number of resolvable points can be increased drastically." With a simple matrix multiplication operation of the illumination pattern matrix and the transmitted optical power matrix, the image of the target can be quickly reconstructed. In testing this method, the team was able to image 490 resolvable points using 128 phase shifters and 600 illumination patterns. This result is comparable to other MMF methods, but with a smaller, cheaper and faster technique. "The most important finding in this work is that the resolvable number is essentially determined by the spatial capacity of the MMF and no lnger by the OPA, as in conventional methods of using an OPA only," Fukui said. "We have confirmed that the number of resolvable points can even exceed 1,000 if we have stronger intermodal coupling inside the MMF. Our work is just the first step to demonstrate such possibilities." Pending several improvements - such as reducing the on-chip losses by integrating optical amplifiers on the OPA chip - the technique can be used to develop small, high-speed, low-cost and high-resolution imaging technologies. "We believe that our scheme can be employed not only in endoscopic applications, but also in various optical sensing and imaging scenes, such as flow cytometry and optical coherence tomography," Fukui said. These results and additional research will be presented onsite at OFC 2020. Hear from the Research Team "'Single-pixel imaging through multimode fiber using silicon optical phased array chip," T. Fukui, et al., Monday, 9 March 2020, Room 2, 11:00 a.m. PST Registration Information Register before 10 February 2020 and save on a full technical conference pass. Credentialed media and analysts who wish to cover OFC 2020 can find registration and other essential information in the OFC media room. About OFC The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) is the largest global conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. For more than 40 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward. OFC includes dynamic business programming, an exhibition of more than 700 companies, and high impact peer-reviewed research that, combined, showcase the trends and pulse of the entire optical networking and communications industry. OFC is managed by The Optical Society (OSA) and co-sponsored by OSA, the IEEE Communications Society (News - Alert) (IEEE/ComSoc), and the IEEE Photonics Society. OFC 2020 will be held from 8 - 12 March 2020 at the San Diego Convention Center, California, USA. Follow @OFCConference, learn more at OFC Community LinkedIn, and watch highlights on OFC YouTube. About The Optical Society Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005848/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Entrepreneur Yerkin Tatishev and his team at Kusto Group aim to adopt innovations in technology and develop global partnerships supporting Kazakhstans transition into a regional powerhouse with its eye on the global high-quality meat market. Daniel Kunin, a Managing Director of Kusto Group, asserts that a collaborative approach between policymakers and businessmen is crucial to making this happen, though it may take some time. The investment in agriculture will result in high-growth, high-skilled, and high-quality industries and will benefit the income in rural communities. Overcoming a nations challenges In a country that has struggled in the era following Post-Soviet rule, Kazakhstan is becoming a leader among the worlds emerging economies. According to Yerkin Tatishev, Chairman and Founder of Kusto Group, there is a new commitment to diversification and modernization pushing Kazakhstan into the lead and global business leaders should take notice. In the past, Kazakhstan has had to overcome a barrage of economic challenges. Its natural resources and extraction industries of coal, heavy metals, oil, and natural gas have been the prime income for the country for decades. Tatishev believes the time has come and opportunities are ripe for the modernization of the agricultural sector. A strong agricultural sector could reduce the nations dependence on non-renewable resources and potentially could rival the oil and natural resources industries in exports, profits, and employment. Kusto Group is leading the way Through a series of initiatives, the Government of Kazakhstan has emphasized the countrys need to diversify and the importance of attracting global leaders to invest in its emerging economy. Increasing stabilization is key to sustain long-term growth. Tatishev and Kusto Group are guiding the way through innovation and revolutionizing current practices in the agricultural domain. Modern adoption and application of innovative technologies will transform agriculture practices in Kazakhstan, says Kunin. Currently, the most common agricultural practice is based on grazing and small-scale farming, with the goal of feeding Kazakhstans own population. The country is landlocked but has throughout history been a critical link between Asia and Europe. It was once part of the ancient Silk Road trade route and, today, China has integrated the country into its modern Belt and Road Initiative. Kazakhstan has a wealth of arable land and a location that is unique for agricultural growth. All these factors place Kazakhstan in an enviable position to produce high-quality agricultural products for export to Central Asia, Russia, China, the Middle East, and even the European market. Tatishev and his company are committed to helping the country realize its agricultural potential and become a regional leader and eventually a leader in the international community. Yerkin Tatishev, center, Daniel Kunin, third from the left, and members of Kusto Group visit a farming operation in the United States Raising national agribusiness standards Kusto Group has a goal of elevating the standards across the industry in general and not just increasing yields and production figures. Kusto Group has identified the livestock industry as a key growth market for Kazakhstan, says Tatishev. We believe that natural, high-quality meat production is the time of export-based agriculture that can be a game-changer. Kusto Group has been in meat production in Kazakhstan for a decade. The company was the first to import world-class Angus and Hereford breeding stock from the United States, they aim to emulate the American model of success in animal husbandry in Kazakhstan; with a focus on non-GMO crop production, corn and soy fattening techniques and the use of precision technology. According to Kunin, Clear purpose and vision to introduce innovative technology and best practices at each step of the production value chain will ensure quality at every step of the process from pasture to packaging. Fostering innovative and nurturing partnerships Accelerated economic growth cannot be accomplished without developing partnerships with other industry leaders. These ventures enable Kusto Group and its partners to share innovations and knowledge leading to investments in new technology and best practices that will bring sustainable change to the industry. Kazakhstan currently suffers from a lack of infrastructure that contributes to growth and sustainability. Kusto Group has recently collaborated with other industries to address these issues. It has signed a joint venture with Valmont Industries, a Nebraska based company, to build a new facility in Kazakhstan to manufacture modern irrigation systems to increase yields, save water, and add a new level of security and stability to farmer production. Last month, Kusto Group signed a landmark deal with Tyson Fresh Foods, a division of Tyson Foods, a world leader in protein production, and the Government of Kazakhstan to construct a modern meat processing facility in Kazakhstan. The deal is projected to have an annual agricultural economic benefit to the country well in excess of one billion dollars (USD). Kusto Group also established a partnership with Minnesota based Baumgartner Agricultural Science and Service BASS) to introduce non-GMO seed production techniques to the country. This initiative aims to provide KazBeef, Kusto Groups livestock division, and the entire agricultural economy with nutritious and sustainable grain in large quantities for livestock production The time is ripe for investing in Kazakhstan The world is watching as Kazakhstans agricultural economy is growing under the efforts of Tatishev and other businessmen with a shared vision. The government has undertaken steps to target industries for greater development with investment and legislative incentives. These initiatives can redefine the countrys long-term agricultural sector. The moves within the country are attracting the attention of international investors. Kazakhstans economic landscape can be reimagined and be a leader in the worlds emerging economies with diversification and broadening of wealth creation. Kazakhstan and Yerkin Tatishev are expecting the investors around the world to take notice and not shy away from the countrys potential. The New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement has had a surprisingly benign reception - cautious welcomes for some aspects, regrets that it has not gone further on others, but little said about the plethora of new offices and agencies decreed in it. The accord facilitated an immediate awakening of the Stormont institutions from their three-year slumber. That may have been enough to win a good Press and sufficient to stifle the hoots of derision and snorts of incredulity that might have been expected. Most people may have not read the NDNA document and are not aware that we are to have separate commissioners for the Irish language and for Ulster Scots and an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, a Central Translation Hub and simultaneous translation in the Assembly. What is an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression? And what is it doing at the heart of government, overseen by the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister? Its purpose is "to promote cultural pluralism and respect for diversity, build social cohesion and reconciliation and to celebrate and support all aspects of Northern Ireland's rich cultural and linguistic heritage". Language enthusiasts and even political parties can campaign for the revival of a language, but not on the basis of a "right" (as in civil, political, or human rights) It arouses echoes of Orwell's 1984 and a Big Brother totalitarian approach telling us how we should think. All this is set out in Annex E of the agreement; it is the tortured response of the assembled brains to the issue that brought the institutions down three years ago and is most likely to do it again: the language problem. The irony is that Northern Ireland has never had - and still does not have - a language problem as one is generally understood. We all speak English, we all read, write and understand English, so no one is at a disadvantage in work, or dealing with public authorities, or the law. Some also have Irish and prefer to speak it when they can, but they are also fluent in English. There is no minority here put at a practical disadvantage when obliged to use English. It was to protect linguistic minorities being placed at such a disadvantage - having to deal with public authorities, or courts, in a language in which they were not fluent - that the Council of Europe's Charter of Minority and Regional Languages was created. And it is undertakings given by London with regard to Northern Ireland when the UK signed up to the charter in the 2000s. A political, or ideological, commitment to reviving a language which, however important in terms of heritage, has long since ceased to be the daily tongue of any significant minority, is another thing and does not fall within the remit of the charter. Someone has foolishly decided that problems are solved by inventing silly names for them. Thus, we have the "Belfast/Good Friday Agreement" and "Derry/Londonderry", to which is now added "the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition" Language enthusiasts and even political parties can campaign for the revival of a language, but not on the basis of a "right" (as in civil, political, or human rights). Is there a fundamental contradiction in the NDNA policy on language? The Office of Identity and Cultural Expression has among its goals "to build social cohesion and reconciliation" in Northern Ireland, while at the same time enhancing the development of Irish and Ulster Scots, including official recognition of the status of both. Are we not in danger of creating a real language problem by institutionalising Irish and Ulster Scots and so deepening the identity divide between Irish and British - a divide that is enshrined in the Belfast Agreement, but which is a political divide, not one readily discernible in the daily life of the province? Someone has foolishly decided that problems are solved by inventing silly names for them. Thus, we have the "Belfast/Good Friday Agreement" and "Derry/Londonderry", to which is now added "the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition". This last one is not just silly, but completely inappropriate. Ulster Scots is not spoken exclusively by unionists - it is a regional dialect spoken by people in areas such as mid and north Antrim and the Ards peninsula, which include many people who regard themselves as Irish rather than British. Whatever agreements say and whatever the British Government has registered with the European Charter, we all know that Ulster Scots is not a language, but a dialect of English. The tens of thousands of people who speak it do so under the assumption that they are speaking English. When they sit down to read a paper, it is in English; when they write a letter, or send an email, it is in English. Claiming Ulster Scots as a language was a short-sighted unionist ploy in the beginnings of the peace process to counter Sinn Fein's call for full recognition for Irish as an official language. Whether the intention was to insist on Ulster Scots and Irish having equal standing, thereby highlighting the absurdity of the whole project, or just to insist that, absurd or not, they wanted to ensure that Ulster Scots was treated on a level with Irish, whatever the cost. There is one more irony in the whole NDNA approach; the emphasis on Ulster Scots is not solely on language, but also on traditions and culture. Ask anyone in Northern Ireland what the main characteristic of the Ulster Scot is and many will say it is his cannieness with money. As the old rhyme has it: "If you weren't sae Ballymena with yer Ballymoney, you could hae a Ballycastle for yer Ballyholme." There is no detail in the agreement of the cost of all the proposals relating to language - agencies, commissioners, translation hubs, new programmes in schools - but the main criticism to emerge almost immediately was the inadequate response of London on the matter of the extra funding needed for Northern Ireland. Will London cough up when it is asked to fund the Central Translation Hub "to provide language translation services for the nine Executive departments, arm's-length bodies, local government and public bodies" and also the simultaneous translation system for an Assembly where everyone is fluent in English. Do the thrifty Ulster Scots in the Executive and Assembly ever give thought to how these demands must appear to the paymasters at Westminster? The Scottish planters and migrants of the 17th century brought the Scots tongue of lowland Scotland with them and Ulster Scots has evolved as a modified form of it. Ulster Scots people revere Robbie Burns as their great cultural icon. When they come to debate the language proposals in the Assembly, they should remember some of Burns' best-known lines: "O wad some power the giftie gie us/To see oursels as ithers see us./It wad frae money a blunder free us." If you can read and understand that, you know Ulster Scots, even though it is in "the Scots dialect", as Burns himself termed it. If you cannot, you can apply for help to the Central Translation Hub - when, and if, it's up and working. Dennis Kennedy is a former deputy editor of The Irish Times. He is the author of Square Peg: The Life and Times of a Northern Newspaperman South of the Border (Stroud: The History Press, 2009) The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Wednesday said the Sunni Central Waqf Board, which will get five acres of land in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, is not the representative of the entire Muslim community. The AIMPLB also said that if the waqf board accepts the Centre's offer it should not be considered a decision of all Muslims of the country. While delivering its judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case on November 9 last year, the Supreme Court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. The apex court had also ordered that five-acre land will be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodha at an alternative site. "The Sunni Waqf board is not the representative of the entire Muslim community. If it takes land, it should not be considered a decision of Muslims of the country," AIMPLB, senior executive member, Maulana Yasin Usmani, said. He said the AIMPLB and those associated with it have decided that they "will not take any land in Ayodhya". On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday alloted five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for construction of a mosque. All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) spokesman Maulana Yasoob Abbas said, "The Supreme Court had directed to provide the land to the Sunni Waqf Board. It's their decision whether they take it or not. Whatever decision, it takes there should be peace and communal amity." He however said that the Shia Board is with the AIMPLB on the matter. Senior AIMPLB member Zafaryab Jilani said, "The decision of the UP government to give five-acre land for construction of the masjid (mosque) almost 18 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Ayodhya is against the judgment delivered by a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in 1994 in the cases of Ismal Farooqui." "In the judgment it was said that the 67 acre of land acquired by the Centre will be used only for four purposes -- temple, mosque, library and resting place (thahraav sthal). If any land is left, then it will be returned to its owners.Hence, the land for the mosque should be given from this 67 acre of land," he said. Jilani also said, "AIMPLB has already decided that it will not take any land in lieu of the land of the mosque. Now, it depends on the Sunni Board to keep this point of view before the government." No reaction could be obtained from the Sunni Central Waqf Board. Despite efforts, no contact could be made with the board chairman Zufar Farooqui. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Endovenous laser therapy (ELT) closes and shrinks the varicose vein and causes scar tissue within the vessel in order to seals off the vein and promote blood flow through other nearby veins. The global endovenous laser therapy market is estimated to account for US$ 329.3 Mn in terms of value and is estimated to reach US$ 591.1 Mn by the end of 2027. Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market: Drivers Increasing adoption of endovenous laser ablation therapy is expected to propel growth of the global endovenous laser therapy market over the forecast period. Endovenous laser ablation therapy is a minimally invasive procedure that makes use of catheters, lasers, and ultrasound to treatment of varicose veins. The procedure requires less time (around an hour) and one small incision. Moreover, the recovery time of patient is also low. These advantages boost adoption of endovenous laser ablation therapy, thereby propelling growth of the market. Request Free PDF Research Report Brochure @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/3377 Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market: Opportunities Increasing prevalence of obesity is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the global endovenous laser therapy market as the condition is a high risk factor for varicose veins. For instance, according to MedAlertHelp.org, over 1.9 billion adults were reported as overweight worldwide. Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market: Restraints Unfavourable reimbursement scenario in some economies is expected to hinder growth of the global endovenous laser therapy market. For instance, in France, only radiofrequency is reimbursed and not endovenous laser ablation therapy. Key Takeaways: The diode lasers segment in the global endovenous laser therapy market was valued at US$ 201.3 Mn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 394.9 Mn by 2027 at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. Diode lasers are used in several endovenous laser systems which is supporting growth of the segment. For instance, VenaCure EVLT 1470 Pro manufactured by AngioDynamics uses high-performing diode laser The ambulatory surgical centers segment held dominant position in the global endovenous laser therapy market in 2018, accounting for 35.7% share in terms of value, followed by hospitals and specialized clinics, respectively. Ambulatory surgical centers perform outdoor patient surgeries for which overnight patient admission is not necessary. These type of centers save time as well as costs which is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period. Browse Research Report At https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/endovenous-laser-therapy-market-2744 The North America region held dominant position in the global endovenous laser therapy market in 2018, accounting for 42.4% share in terms of value, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific, respectively. Factors such as presence of key players in the region, and product launches is expected to support growth of the region over the forecast period. For instance, AngioDynamics, a provider of endovenous laser therapy products is based in the U.S. Market Trends In countries such as the U.S., endovenous laser therapy for varicose veins is majorly performed in clinics rather than hospitals in order avoid long-time waiting in big hospital settings, which is why physicians are rapidly adopting laser therapy systems. In Denmark, prior authorization for using endovenous laser ablation is not required and all patients are covered through state health insurance. Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market: Competitive Landscape Major players operating in the global endovenous laser therapy market include AngioDynamics, Inc., Candela Corporation, Dornier MedTech GmbH, Alma Lasers Ltd., Alna-Medical system GmbH, LSO Medical, Wontech Co., Ltd., Intros Medical Laser GmbH, and Energist Ltd. Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market: Key Developments October 2019: AngioDynamics, Inc. acquired Eximo Medical, Ltd., an early commercial-stage, medical device company, and its proprietary 355nm wavelength laser-technology platform May 2019: Candela Corporation partnered with The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation and E.V.A. Clinic to provide pro-bono laser treatments Purchase this Report (Price 4500 USD for Single-User License) @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/3377 Segmentation Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market, By Product Type: Endovenous Laser Systems Diode Lasers Yag Lasers Endovenous Laser Fibers Bare Tip Laser Fibers Radial Tip Laser Fibers Gold Tip Laser Fibers Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market, By End User: Hospitals Ambulatory Surgical Centers Specialty Clinics Global Endovenous Laser Therapy Market, By Geography: North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East: Africa Company Profiles AngioDynamics, Inc.* Company Overview Product Portfolio Financial Performance Key Strategies Recent Developments Candela Corporation Dornier MedTech GmbH Alma Lasers Ltd. Alna-Medicalsystem GmbH LSO Medical Wontech Co., Ltd. Intros Medical Laser GmbH Energist Ltd. About Coherent Market Insights: Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity. Contact Us: Name: Mr. Raj Shah Phone: US +12067016702 / UK +4402081334027 Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Visit Blog: https://globalindustryresearchblog.wordpress.com/ Tourists taking in the sites across London have slammed Britain's tallest building The Shard for being 'too high'. Visitors also complained about the 'pricey' drinks at The View from the Shard experience, which sees day-trippers take in views of the capital from 1,017ft. The 95-storey super tall skyscraper towers over London and is home to several bars and restaurants. Standard tickets will set you back around 25, but many complained they didn't look at the view because it was 'almost too high' and overcrowded. The Shard (pictured above) is situated in the London Bridge area of the capital and boasts views of the whole city Many slammed the view at the top of the Shard and said it was 'underwhelming' and 'too high' iDoris said: 'I HATE heights, once in I found a couple of stools backs to the wall while my husband went and got a glass of champagne.' And another reviewer said: 'Good views but maybe too high for good pictures.' Jane H added: 'I didn't look at the view - too high.' FCY Bayern said: 'Almost too high.' Despite this, the vast majority of TripAdvisor reviews for the Shard give it a glowing report, with many claiming it is one of the 'best attractions in London'. Overall it has a 4.5 star rating, with sixty per cent of those having attended The View at the Shard claiming it was 'excellent' and twenty seven per cent saying it was 'very good'. TripAdvisor also awarded it with a 'certificate of excellence', a badge of honour given to attractions that consistently get good reviews and feedback. Some visitors joked that it was an 'amazing place' for people who don't actually like heights Where are the tallest buildings in Europe? With visitors complaining about the height of the Shard in London, we look at the top five tallest buildings in Europe 1. The Shard, London, UK: 1,017ft tall, has 72 floors and is home to offices, bars and even a hotel One Blackfriars, The Shard & South Bank Tower, seen at night from Waterloo Bridge with Canary Wharf in the distance 2. Commerzbank Tower, Frankfurt, Germany: 984.3 ft tall and is the headquarters for Commerzbank The headquarters of Commerzbank AG, left 3. Messeturm, Frankfurt, Germany: 643ft and has 63 floors. The tower even has its own postcode The Trade Fair Tower Messeturm and the Frankfurt skyline 4. Torre Cepsa Madrid, Spain: 815ft and has 45 floors. It is located in the business district of the city Four Towers or Cuatro Torres financial district in Madrid, Spain 5. One Canada Square London, UK: 771ft and 50 floors, it had been London's tallest skyscraper before the Shard had opened and was originally meant to have been 820ft One Canada Square is the building with the point Advertisement Some however claimed the view 'wasn't actually that nice' while others moaned that it was too crowded to actually see anything. He added: 'I would rather recommend to grab lunch at Aqua Shard or drinks at Hutong as they are 20 floors lower and thus you can still recognise what's actually going on on the ground. 'Likelihood that these floors are covered by clouds is also lower.' And Nidgehammer moaned: 'I feel though that you're actually too high to see London properly, of course you have to come here as a 'tick off the list' place and it's a great building (the tallest in Western Europe) but we won't be back.' Others also claimed that the atmosphere at The Shard was 'too corporate'. While others actually championed the view, with some saying on 'clear day you can see all of London'. Some complained that other tourists were perched against the windows and that they had to move from the top floor as it was 'too windy'. The Shard was originally named the London Bridge Tower, after it's location, but was renamed due to its appearance. It can be seen almost anywhere in London which makes it such a popular tourist destination. Irvine Sellar developed the Shard and had a vision of a 'vertical city'. It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. His other famous works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens However, despite the history behind the building, the sky-high cost of drinks riled some visitors and some joked that they 'nearly fell over' when they saw the price of the beverages. Some even said they'd have to take out a second mortgage to be able to afford a cocktail at the top. The Shard has a pop-up cocktail bar at the View From The Shard. Other bars include the Oblix and Aqua Shard - scattered among floors. Those visiting View From The Shard said they found tipples pricey. Emily Mae said: 'Drinks are expensive up there so be prepared to need to take out a small mortgage for a glass of Champagne.' Adventure couple added: 'The drinks are very expensive up there so the all inclusive package was worth the little extra as a glass of fizz from the bar was around 15.' One said: 'Expensive drinks, 12-17 for small whisky glass sized cocktails, but they were nice!' Another said: 'On the expensive side if you want a drink up there.' Jade M said: 'We decided to get a drink from the bar, I nearly fell over when I saw the prices. 'Very expensive.' HLawlor24 said: 'We skipped the drinks because they were insanely expensive.' UK Brit abroad said both bars 'sold overpriced drinks.' ClaireCakemaker added: 'Drinks at the bar on the top floor were really expensive (16 for a glass of champagne).' Kaz2061 said: 'Drinks are not the cheapest.' Others visited Oblix and said they too were pricey. DavidF said: 'The drink prices may make some weep into their glass?' Lesley A added: 'Drinks are pricey as to be expected I had a gin and lemonade - other half had a rum and coke - 36.' In response to this, a spokesperson from the View at The shard said a Rum & Coke with House rum (Bacardi) and a mixer is currently price at 9.50, while a premium gin and mixer is priced from 10.50. A Gin & Lemonade, House gin (Beefeater) and a mixer would be 9.50 and a premium gin and mixer is priced from 10.50. Iran's judiciary sentences "CIA spy" to death: spokesman People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 17:06, February 04, 2020 TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili said Tuesday that the country's Supreme Court has approved the death sentence of an Iranian who was spying for the United States, semi-official Fars news agency reported. "Amir Rahimpour, who was the CIA spy and received huge money to give part of the information of Iran's nuclear program to the intelligence service of America, had already been sentenced to death and it was recently approved by the country's Supreme National court," Esmaili was quoted as saying. "He (Rahimpour) will be punished soon," the spokesman said. He added that two others have been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of spying for the United States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The first person in New York City being tested for the coronavirus tested negative for illness, health officials said on Tuesday. The test results meant that the person, who is currently hospitalized at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, does not have the novel coronavirus. The first person who met the criteria to have samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was found not to have the 2019 novel coronavirus, said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. The response and care the patient received reflects how well the systems we have in place are working, Barbot said. "We want to thank everyone for all they did, and we will keep New Yorkers informed as the situation develops. Were relieved to hear that the person in question does not have the novel coronavirus, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. I cant say this enough: If you have the symptoms and recent travel history, please see your health provider immediately." Good news, NYC! We got the results back for the first person under investigation for novel #coronavirus, and they are NEGATIVE: https://t.co/RbcfuXWMFp Test results from the other two patients under investigation are still pending. pic.twitter.com/BPyLEjnBlJ nycHealthy (@nycHealthy) February 4, 2020 The CDC said on Monday that 11 cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States amid a global outbreak of over 17,000 cases and more than 360 deaths all mostly in mainland China. Since then it has been reported that 425 deaths and 20,438 cases were confirmed in China as of Tuesday. The additional confirmed domestic cases also include the second person-to-person transmission of the virus in the United States between two people with close household contact in California, according to Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. While the first patient under investigation for coronavirus in New York City tested negative, health officials announced on Sunday that an additional two people in New York City are being tested for the novel coronavirus after recently traveling to mainland China. A 60-year-old man, who has been hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens, is considered to be in stable condition, according to the citys Department of Health. An additional 60-year-old individual is being hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens. The CDC said on Tuesday that both of those cases are still pending. The timing of the test results is dependent on the CDCs capacity for testing. Authorities have cautioned that cases under investigation should not be presumed as likely to be confirmed. Staten Island hospital physicians are on heightened alert for novel coronavirus, health officials previously told the Advance. We are on very, very high alert for coronavirus now, said Dr. Harry Kopolovich, chairman of the emergency department at Richmond University Medical Center. "Our local health services are fully aware and prepared to deal with a pandemic if one does in effect occur. President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency in the U.S. on Friday in response to the spread of coronavirus. Messonnier said the presidents proclamation suspends entry of foreign nationals who have visited (mainland) China within the past 14 days into the United States, and exempts immediate family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents." These people will be allowed to enter the United States, Messonnier said of the exemptions; however, these individuals will receive an additional health assessment and will be screened for symptoms of the virus. If these individuals are considered to be symptomatic, they will be transferred for further medical evaluation, Messonnier said, and will be isolated for 14 days. Given the virus spread outside of China, Messonnier said the CDC is also putting in place measures to detect this virus among those who are allowed entry into the United States," calling the person-to-person spread outside of mainland China a cause of concern. CDC RECCOMENDATIONS For those who feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and who have recently traveled to Hubei province China or been in contact with a confirmed case within 14 days of symptom onset, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends: Seek medical care right away. Before going to a doctors office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about recent travel and symptoms. Avoid contact with others. Do not travel while sick. Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not hands) when coughing or sneezing. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. For more information about the coronavirus, visit the Heath Department website at nyc.gov/health. Photo: Its that time of year when hip-hop heads celebrate the life and legacy of a hip-hop producer and performer who left this planet way too early. James J Dilla Yancey, died on February 10, 2006 from a cardiac arrest after years of battling lupus, three days after his 32nd birthday and the release of his long-awaited Donuts album. He left behind a massive amount of hip-hop and R&B music. When the proud Detroiter wasnt creating music for himself, he worked on tunes for such artists as Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, The Roots, DAngelo and so many others. On the anniversary of his death this year, an event called DILLAgence, is being held in Houston, where Dilla music will play well into the late night. DILLAgence is known as Houstons official J Dilla tribute, an evening of wall-to-wall classics, hits and deep cuts that the late Yancey was involved in somehow or some way. It was begun in 2010 by Trevor Piper, promoter and creative director of the T. Piper Media Creative Agency, who was hipped to Dillas music through a DJ. After some research, says Piper. I realized his importance to the scene and saw that there were other tributes across the nation and I wanted Houston represented. Over the years, the party has bounced through various venues, from Alley Kat Bar & Lounge and Supastar Spin Academy to Warehouse Live. This year, the event will go down at Deans Downtown, during DJ/music historian Flash Gordon Parkss Motown on Mondays night. Like the past couple years, the resident DJ wholl be spinning the tunes is DJ Anarchy, of the two-man Soul Control crew with DJ Elevated. I know Trevor was diligent in looking its funny I said that he was looking for a kind of new venue and home for it, says Anarchy, who cites the instrumental version of Dillas posthumous, 2006 album The Shining as an oft-played, Dilla favorite. He didnt want to skip any more years of doing it. And, with Flash having a Monday you know, the Motown, with the Detroit connection I think it made a little bit of sense, and Flash was, you know, cool with us coming in. Anarchy promises that the setlist will run the gamut. Of course, he says, were gonna get into some of his work: his personal productions, stuff that he assisted on production with, stuff thats kind of from his tree like A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Slum Village some of the people hes influenced as well as some of the samples the original music where he got some of his popular tunes from. And, with this one of course being at Motown on Mondays, were gonna sprinkle some of the original Motown sound in there as well. While this event has been known to attract Dilla fanatics, hip-hop enthusiasts and musicians, Piper also wants to encourage patrons to donate to the James Yancey Dewitt Foundation, overseen by his mother, Maureen Ma Dukes Yancey. Of course, theres the million-dollar question: will this event have donuts on site? There usually are, says Anarchy. Exclaims Piper, Yes, there will definitely be donuts and we encourage people to bring more! Considering how we continue to lose good people on a recurring basis, the people behind DILLAgence keep this event going to remind people to never forget those unique people whose time was cut short but left so much for us to celebrate. As Piper says, What I would like for people to take away is its cool to honor your ancestors and keep their legacies alive. Craig Lindsey is a Houston-based writer. DILLAgence When: 8 p.m. Monday Where: Deans Downtown, 316 Main. Details: Free; 832-564-0918; facebook.com/events/168083284470963 By Park Si-soo Police are looking for 100,000 face masks that vanished from a warehouse in Incheon last week. The masks were supposed to be loaded this week onto a cargo vessel bound for China, which is waging an uphill battle against the deadly coronavirus. Incheon Jungbu Police Station said a Korean trader noticed on Saturday the masks had disappeared and called police. "We are looking into various possible scenarios including the warehouse manager's mistake of handing over the masks to the wrong person," a police officer said. Police in Fall River are seeking the publics help in a hit-and-run crash, that occurred Monday night when a blue pickup truck sideswiped a 24-year old man on a scooter. Police say a dark blue Ford F-series 250 or 350 Super Duty truck collided with a man on a scooter at around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Rodman Street and Plymouth Avenue in Fall River. Both vehicles were stopped at a traffic light with the truck in the right turn lane and the scooter in the center lane set to go straight, police said. When the light turned green, police said, the truck accelerated straight, sideswiping the Fall River resident on his scooter. Police said the man driving the truck, stopped and got out, before returning to his vehicle and fleeing the scene. The man on the scooter was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for injuries that police said were not life-threatening. Police are looking for more information regarding the dark blue truck with light blue lettering on the side. The truck, which is registered in Rhode Island, also had a utility style light bar, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Fall River Police Officer John Aguiar at 508-676-8511 or jaguiar@frpd.org. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling on 508-672-8477. Advertisement Two Australians are among the 10 to have tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise liner off the Japanese port of Yokohama. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew - 200 of whom are Australian - aboard the anchored vessel after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. The 10 infected people included two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, and one guest from the United States, in addition to one Filipino crew member, a spokesman for Princess Cruises confirmed to Daily Mail Australia. They will be transported to a medical facility while the remaining thousands will be quarantined on board the Carnival Corp ship for 14 days, Japan Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said. 'I want to take sufficient care of the health of passengers and crew and make every effort to prevent the spread of the virus,' Kato said at a media briefing. Everyone on board the Diamond Princess had received initial health screening, Kato said, a process that identified 273 people for testing. Of that smaller group, 31 results had been received so far, revealing the 10 confirmed cases. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking information about the Australians on board the ship. Fears had been raised about the supply of food to those onboard, but a Princess Cruises spokesman said the ship plans to proceed to Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard. People are transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess to a patrol ship on Wednesday, after ten people onboard the cruise have tested positive for coronavirus, in Yokohama, Japan Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday after ten tested positive for coronavirus Workers in protective gear are seen at the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama on Wednesday bringing patients from the cruise ship Authorities in full protective gear are pictured on the boat gathering items as they escort a guest off the boat A Briton, David Abel, who is on board with his wife Sally, both from Oxfordshire, has described the strict quarantine measures on the vessel. 'We are now officially in quarantine. It appears that our quarantine is on board the ship, that we will not be taken off to a hospital.' Mr Abel said in a Facebook video. 'The 10 people that are affected, they are being taken off very soon by the local coastguard into a medical facility. We are to remain on board the ship and we are confined to our cabins.' Health Minister Kato said that officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms, suggesting that more test samples could be taken. None of the 10 infected people, three of whom are Japanese nationals, had severe symptoms, public broadcaster NHK reported. A health ministry official said not everyone would be tested with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits because it was too time-consuming and deemed unnecessary. A look inside the ship where 10 people have been quarantined. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew Officers in protective gears carry luggage cases after people who were transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess, arrive at a maritime police's base in Yokohama Photographs and video posted on Twitter by a passenger with the handle @daxa_tw showed masked health workers clad in blue plastic gowns walking down empty corridors on the Diamond Princess as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Carnival Japan, the local unit of the British-American cruise operator Carnival Corp, said on Tuesday the turnaround of the ship had been delayed by about 24 hours. It was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. Carnival's Princess Cruises Japan said on Tuesday that cruises scheduled to depart from Yokohama and the western Japanese port of Kobe this week would be cancelled because of delays related to the coronavirus checks. The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in Japan. The epidemic, which originated in China's Hubei province, has killed hundreds of people and infected more than 10,000 so far. Speaking yesterday, Mr Abel said the crew of the Diamond Princess had imposed strict hygiene measures with tourists warned to avoid public toilets - but claimed that some of his fellow passengers 'don't give a damn about personal health'. David Abel (pictured) said passengers had 'no idea' when the quarantine would end as he and 3,710 others were left in limbo in Yokohama Bay today Ambulance workers in protective gears drive an ambulance which is believed to carry a person who was transferred from Cruise ship 'Nobody is able to book onward flights as we have no idea when the quarantine will clear,' said Mr Abel, who is travelling with his wife and described himself as a 'captive' on the ship. 'The whole ship is in quarantine, we are in the middle of the bay, anchored, so nobody can get on or off this ship. 'My guess is we are going to be here throughout the whole of the day and the night.' Praising the crew, he said staff had imposed stringent hygiene measures under which passengers had to wash their hands in sight of a staff member before eating. 'Staff are constantly cleaning and sanitizing public areas such as handrails and door handles. Passengers are requested not to use public toilets unless in emergency,' he said. However, Mr Abel also accused some of his fellow passengers of increasing the risk of infection with poor personal hygiene. 'Some of the passengers on board just don't give a damn about personal health,' he said. In one case, an American tourist had blown his nose on a napkin and left it on a dinner table where waiters carrying food were likely to touch it, he said. It is not yet known exactly how the virus spreads. The sun rises over the Diamond Princess on Wednesday anchored off the Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Cruise ship Diamond Princess is seen anchored off the Yokohama Port on Tuesday, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Describing the medical tests, Mr Abel said: 'We've had the medical guys come into our stateroom and it's taken all night, from midnight to 10am, for them to do four of the decks and there are 14 in total. 'They came in, took our temperature, asked three questions - have we got a cough, have we got a fever, do we take medication to lower temperature.' Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus. The only people in sight are personnel going from room-to-room to test the passengers for the virus, or to clean the ship's public areas. One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Another shows the ship's huge casino standing empty. Corridors and a huge atrium are left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks. The usually-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess is now empty and unmanned. An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan The once-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess stands empty and unmanned Medical personnel are pictured going room-by-room as they check up on the passengers. According to a statement from Japan's health ministry, the guests' temperatures and overall conditions are being monitored One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the cruise liner after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus Images show corridors and a huge atrium left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks A man in protective clothing walks on the sixth deck of the Diamond Princess today where quarantine specialists are carrying out tests Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the ship had already been quarantined on Saturday at the port of Naha, but the unnamed 80-year-old man's diagnosis has now forced further checks. In addition, any passengers who got off in Hong Kong or had close contact with the infected man will be subject to tests for coronavirus. Until the results are in 'everyone on board... will stay there', Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato said. The 80-year-old patient 'did not visit a medical centre inside the ship while he was sailing with us', according to cruise operator Carnival Japan. 'According to the hospital where he is staying, his condition is stable and infection was not found among his family members who sailed with him,' they said. Medics today went deck-to-deck through the Diamond Princess to test for the virus Japan has already barred foreign nationals who have been to Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. People with passports issued in Hubei are also banned from Japan in a bid to contain the crisis. Visitors who display symptoms of the new virus when they arrive in Japan can also be denied entry. A total of 11 foreigners have been barred from entering so far, the immigration service agency said today. Japan has also flown more than 500 citizens out of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated. Medical personnel pictured on the eighth deck of the cruise ship as they carry out tests on the passengers on board, who have been instructed to remain in their rooms A TV crew films the cruise ship Diamond Princess off the port of Yokohama today as health officials carry out medical checks The disease is believed to have emerged in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals, spreading rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in late January. The virus has so far spread to more than 20 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. In addition, Hong Kong today announced that a 39-year-old coronavirus patient had died in hospital - only the second fatality outside mainland China. There are already 13 people in Australia who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, which has killed 362 worldwide and threatens to become a global pandemic. The highly-contagious virus has infected more than 17,000 people worldwide. It has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Australia citizens trapped in Wuhan have now been evacuated and have landed on Christmas Island, where they will enter a quarantine for 14 days. It is understood that 72 people were on board the first of four charter flights expected to take more than 240 evacuees to the Indian Ocean island. The Airbus left Western Australia's RAAF Base Learmonth, near Exmouth, on Monday night, and touched down on Christmas Island about 9pm local time. Those on board were among the 243 who had earlier been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus, on a Qantas flight. Jaime Rawden, VP of Channel Development Altaworx is poised to help businesses build equity value. - Forrest Derr Altaworx continues to grow. Investing in the UCaaS reseller channel, Altaworx has formed the Channel Development Team. Led by Jaime Rawden, our VP of Channel Development, this team works to empower resellers to build equity value in their businesses by providing UCaaS with white label billing solutions. Danielle Kennedy and Alan Reynolds have also joined the Channel Development Team as Client Success Managers and provide the training as well as resources needed for our resellers to be successful. Forrest Derr, who has been with the company since 2015, was also promoted to President to continue in executing the vision of our CEO Rickie Richey. With this team in place, Altaworx is poised to help businesses build equity value. Altaworx, located in Fairhope, AL, was founded in 2003 by Rickie Richey, to address the emerging demand for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business telephone systems. His vision was to build a company that not only provides leading-edge technology but truly focusses on helping customers drive revenue, control expenses, increase productivity and operate more efficiently. In 2011, Altaworx continued to focus on customer impact through emerging technologies, becoming an internet telephony service provider or ITSP. The company began selling Altaworx branded SIP trunking and Hosted PBX solutions to business customers in the 22 state AT&T footprint. Today, the company operates its cloud-based voice solutions from two AT&T data centers; Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 20:55:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 625 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Gaucho - Buenos Aires, an emerging luxury label with global ambitions, is pleased to announce they have appointed in-house designer, Lautaro Amadeo Tambutto as the brand's Creative Director. His role and primary duties as a designer will now be expanded, managing the conception, design, and on-brand execution of materials for the brand. Tambutto will be working primarily out of the business's headquarters in New York City, as well as the atelier in Buenos Aires' upmarket Recoleta district.Off the heels of a successful debut at New York Fashion Week in September 2019, Tambutto joined the growing Gaucho - Buenos Aires brand in December, with plans to incorporate creative silhouettes and lots of leather with an urban spin for the young and culturally aware clientele. Tambutto's "GPS Collection" - slated for 2020-2021 - plots a course on a fashion journey that builds upon contemporary urban and athleisure trends. By injecting elegance and sophistication into streetwear fashion, Tambutto intends to elevate streetwear casual to streetwear elegance, and seeks to globally position Gaucho - Buenos Aires' spirit of Argentina as a major presence in the fashion landscape.Born in Argentina, Tambutto's family originally hails from San Antonio de Areco - otherwise known as the home of the Gaucho. Having received his training in Italy, Vogue Italia has described his aesthetic as a "very modern and richly inspired take on sportswear," and it is indeed an appealing mix of references - "the sweet spot between sportswear, traditional tailoring and Latin American influences," Tambutto says. It all resonates strongly with Gaucho - Buenos Aires' own design DNA. Tambutto sees immense possibilities for the emerging brand to put Buenos Aires on the luxury fashion map and looks forward to bringing long-overdue recognition to Argentinian design."I'm very excited about taking over the creative direction of Gaucho and working with such a professional group. The team's support and mutual understanding of each other helps us move forward in the right direction. Since the beginning of my career, I saw the image of the Gaucho as an icon and my inspiration, and now with this opportunity as Creative Director for Gaucho - Buenos Aires, I have the platform to show the world my vision, my traditions, and a canvas to highlight this beautiful culture," said Tambutto."We could not be more excited to promote Lautaro into his new role as Creative Director. His positive attitude, heritage and talent lends to the authenticity of our brand" said Scott Mathis, Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc.'s Founder & Chairman. "Lautaro's creative vision and style pairs perfectly with Gaucho - Buenos Aires' growing collection of products, the authenticity of Argentina, and the elegance and style of Buenos Aires. We look forward to great things from our team in the future. Our company's future lies in e-commerce, where we have the opportunity to achieve global scale.About Gaucho - Buenos AiresGaucho - Buenos Aires blends the quality of a bygone era with a sophisticated, modern, global outlook. The brand's beautifully handcrafted clothing and accessories herald the birth of Buenos Aires' finest designer label. In September 2019, Gaucho - Buenos Aires entered the US market with a Spring/Summer 2020 runway show at NYFW celebrating the romance and glamour of Buenos Aires with a modern twist. Drawing on the cosmopolitan vibe of Buenos Aires and the spirit of traditional Gaucho culture, Gaucho - Buenos Aires ( www.gauchobuenosaires.com) is a new destination for luxury ready-to-wear and leather accessories. Weaving artisan techniques and materials into innovative contemporary designs, Gaucho is gaining traction as an emerging designer brand to watch.CONTACT:Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc.Rick Stear, Director of Marketing212.739.7669rstear@ gauchoholdings.com SOURCE: Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results LOS ANGELES Would-be plotters bent on staging an attack aboard a passenger plane know theyve first got to pass through a gauntlet of security measures at an airport, from body scans and spot interrogations to pat-downs and even close scrutiny of their shoes. But a shooting that killed a person and wounded five this week on a Greyhound bus in California illustrates a stark reality about security on buses and trains: Anyone determined to carry out an attack on ground transportation faces few, if any, security checks. The comparative scant security prompted at least one survivor of Mondays shooting on the bus heading from Los Angeles to San Francisco to rethink his future mode of travel. I think I will just fly from now on, Mark Grabban said. He was on the bus with his girlfriend when a passenger whod been muttering and cursing opened fire. Grabbans perception was that Greyhound worried more about stopping passengers from smoking and talking too loudly than ensuring no one got aboard with a gun. Its astounding and shameful, the 30-year-old said. Greyhound said that while it does not use metal detectors at all of its locations, its safety practices are similar to other bus companies. Drivers and terminal employees also are trained on security procedures. An incident of this nature is extremely rare within the bus transportation industry, its statement said Tuesday. Although uncommon, it does not change the seriousness of what occurred. We are continuing to work closely with local authorities as they complete their investigation. In the four years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, some U.S. lawmakers complained that way too little federal money was spent on ground transit security compared with what was spent on airports. Then-U.S. Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, estimated that $22 billion had gone into airline security in those years, while less than $550 million went to security for buses, trains, subways and ferries combined. Theres no indication spending gaps have closed. Thats true even though vastly more people get on a bus, train or subway than on planes each day. More than 30 million Americans use ground transit daily, compared with around 2 million who fly. Violent incidents on buses are extremely rare. But concerns have arisen that with airports more secure than ever, would-be terrorists in particular could see buses and other ground transit as easier targets. The Transportation Security Administration was established in 2001 to fix security holes that allowed for the 9/11 attacks, with a mandate to check 100% of baggage through airports. That level of security would be impossible on the countrys sprawling bus and rail lines. More than 70,000 buses operate on 230,000 miles (370,149 kilometers) of roadways, the American Public Transportation Association said. Even if money could be found to pay for metal detectors at bus stations, it would be impossible to have them at every stop along a route, security experts say. The suspect in the California shooting boarded at the East Seventh Street bus station in Los Angeles, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brian Pennings. At the station Tuesday, there were several security guards but no signs of baggage or any other kind of security checks. No metal detector, no wand, nothing, Grabban recalled about the preboarding process Monday. Greyhound has a no-gun policy, but Grabban said a policy isnt enough to stop someone from boarding the bus with a gun and shooting people, as Ive found out. Theres no indication federal officials will ever consider making pat-downs, body scans and metal detectors as ubiquitous at bus and train depots as they are at airports. We dont intend to roll out anything like what we have in the airports. We are satisfied at this point, Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske said in 2017. TSAs mandate includes security on all the nations transportation networks. But the vast majority of the TSAs more than 43,000 security officers work at the over 400 U.S. airports. TSA efforts beyond airports often take the form of partnerships, advice and federal grants. States and municipalities assume more responsibility for their local bus or subway systems, and theres little uniformity nationwide. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority together with TSA officials announced in 2018 that it would become the first mass transit system in the U.S. to install screening equipment that scans passengers for weapons and explosives. The TSA has deployed response teams that have done spot baggage checks on city subway systems, including in Chicago. Its largely to create the perception that there is an active security program more than a realistic chance of catching someone, said Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation expert and economics professor at DePaul University in Chicago. They want anyone thinking of carrying a gun into the system to think twice. Just because passengers dont see security measures at bus and train stations doesnt mean they arent there, said another Chicago-based security expert, Michael J. Fagel. He said undercover staff are often looking for signs someone might be carrying a gun, while others trained to spot behavior quirks that could indicate trouble monitor depots via surveillance cameras. Few countries have attempted the kinds of security measures for ground transit that could plausibly thwart an attack. Israel is one. At least some Israeli buses are fitted with four or five separated, fortified compartments, which can help limit the deadliness of a bomb or gun attack, said Fagel, who teaches crisis management at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Among measures to boost security on U.S. buses and trains that wouldnt be too costly or impractical would include requirements that riders show IDs that match names on tickets before boarding, Schwieterman said. He said enabling bus and train services to check the names of ticket buyers to see if they have violent criminal records also could help manage risks. As it is now, drivers and passengers are the de facto, frontline security when violence breaks out on buses. That happened during a 2014 attack in which a man screaming everybodys going to die pummeled the driver and caused a Greyhound bus to careen off an Arizona highway, injuring more than 20 people. Passengers were credited with subduing the assailant. Same goes for Mondays attack. Authorities say passengers wrested the gun away from 33-year-old Anthony Devonte Williams and got him off the bus. He was arrested on the side of the road. Officials praised the efforts as heroic, though they didnt immediately provide details. ___ Tarm reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. SANTA FE A former Catholic priest accused of kidnapping and raping a boy under the age of 13 more than 30 years ago was acquitted on both counts by a Santa Fe jury on Tuesday. Marvin Archuleta, 82, had been assigned to Holy Cross Catholic School in Santa Cruz in the mid-1980s, but his defense attorney argued that Archuleta was not in New Mexico at the time of the alleged assault during the 1986-87 school year. At that time, he was assigned to a parish in Silver Springs, Maryland. His accuser, now a 40-year-old man, claimed the assault took place when he was a 6-year-old first grader at the school. The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning the verdict. I think the evidence was clear Marvin Archuleta was in Maryland the entire time of the alleged victims first grade year, and there wasnt any evidence to the contrary, said Ryan Villa, Archuletas attorney. Frankly, the story just didnt add up. Assistant Attorney General Brittany DuChaussee argued during the four-day trial that Archuleta would still visit New Mexico occasionally around the time of the alleged crimes. As evidence, she produced a newspaper article from the time that depicted Archuleta presiding over a funeral in the area. The case against Archuleta began in October 2018 when the alleged victim filed a lawsuit against Archuleta, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Vatican. While the alleged victim could not remember the name of the man who abused him, he identified Archuleta from an old photograph. The accuser, who testified Friday, claimed that the former priest had pulled him and two other boys out of class ostensibly to be recruited as altar boys. He claimed that he alone was then taken to the churchs sacristy by a priest and offered cookies and punch. He was later made to kneel on a chair, his pants were pulled down and he was raped while being told he wasnt being punished, but this is how God loves you. The accuser said that over the years he turned to alcohol and drugs as a way to deal with the emotional pain and had overdosed on drugs multiple times. It wasnt until 2016 when he realized that there was a connection between being raped as a boy and his drug and alcohol addiction, chronic depression and failure to sustain intimate relationships, according to the lawsuit he filed two years later. Archuleta was one of more than 70 priests, deacons and seminarians on a list of priests credibly accused of sex crimes against children released by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2017. His case is the first to be prosecuted by state Attorney General Hector Balderas office, which has been investigation accusations of sex abuse of children in Roman Catholic churches throughout the state. Journal North reporter Edmundo Carrillo contributed to this report. Police busted a sex racket with the arrest of at least 28 people, including 15 women, from a hotel near Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar inter-state bus terminal in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Among those arrested is a Kazakhstan woman, two owners of a hotel and a middle man. The accused were produced before a court on Wednesday. The court remanded owners of Hotel Park Blue Gurpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh and middle man Mohit Sharma to two-day police custody, while others were sent to judicial custody. According to the police, Mohit used to provide women on demand to the guests of the hotel. Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, investigation) Dayama Harish Kumar Omparkash, along with assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti, sub-inspector Richa Rani conducted a raid at four hotels on a tip-off. Most accused were arrested from different rooms of Hotel Park Blue even as they made a futile bid to escape. Police said most of the arrested guests were local residents who had booked rooms only hours ago. The hotel had maintained no record of the guests, which is mandatory, police said. The accused have been booked under sections 3, 4 and 5 of Immoral Trafficking Act by the Division 5 police. By Laman Ismayilova Works of national artists have been displayed at Heydar Aliyev Center to mark the 28th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre. The state hymn of Azerbaijan was sounded, tragedy victims were honored with a minute of silence. Speakers included the chairman of EMEDIA GROUP Elshan Aliyev, deputy chairman Tural Nurmammadov, art director of the project Ulker Abulfet, chairman of Support the development of professional education Public Association Irada Alili and others. Nearly 100 project participants visited the family of the National Hero of Azerbaijan Mubariz Ibrahimov who sacrificed himself on the frontline, defending his motherland. A video on the Khojaly genocide and the film directed by Elvin Abdullayev "Meriz" were presented to the viewers. The event was hosted by Alida Mustafayeva. The exhibition has been held within "Justice for Khojaly" International Awareness Campaign, launched in 2008, at the initiative of Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva. The campaign aims to raise international public awareness of the Khojaly Genocide, root causes and consequences of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the need for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The campaigns activities are also directed towards honouring the victims and keeping their memories alive, particularly by constantly informing the younger generations and supporting the survivors and seeking ways to relieve their suffering. On the night of February 26, 1992, Armenian armed forces, directly supported by the 366th regiment of the former USSR, stationed at that time in the town of Khankendi in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan attacked, from five directions, the town of Khojaly. About 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. The art project will run in Guba and Ganja until February 15. Moreover, the exhibition will be also held in Georgia, Russia and Turkey on February 16-26. The art project will end in Baku on February 28. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Portland has struggled for years to properly manage its program that regulates marijuana businesses and hasnt established enough tools to ensure community complaints or program shortcomings are being addressed, according to the city auditors office. The cannabis program run by the citys Office of Community and Civic Life lacks management fundamentals such as an overall strategy, reliable data to track performance and public impact, and tools to regularly communicate with other city departments, the city council and the community about cannabis regulation, a city audit said. Recreational marijuana was legalized in Oregon in 2014. The citys cannabis program was created the same year, but Portland didnt start regulating businesses that grow, produce or sell the marijuana until 2016. The city council tasked the Community and Civic Life Office, formerly known as the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, with enforcing the citys marijuana rules and managing complaints linked to cannabis sales and use. The programs also collects fees for city marijuana business licenses and conducts business inspections. The Auditors report recommended the Community and Civic Life Office create a strategy for the cannabis program to streamline the licensing and enforcement process, accurately track data and publicly disclose more information about the programs performance and the marijuana industry. In the absence of a clearly defined strategy, Civic Life risks a scattershot approach that does not support citywide collaboration and does not respond to emerging concerns, the audit said. [Read the report] In a joint statement, Community and Civic Life Director Suk Rhee and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the bureau, said they mostly agreed with the Auditors Office recommendations but believed the report would benefit from additional context and information regarding our operations. They said the program strategy was delayed because the city council didnt have a unified vision on regulation until last year. They said the program adopted a central strategy in November that focused on equity, community involvement, sustainability and sensible regulation. Eudaly and Rhee said the program does need an improved data management system, but denied that the information wasnt being tracked accurately. They also said the program does have regular community engagement and cited the citys cannabis policy oversight team as an example. The citys cannabis program is funded by license fees, and has brought in about $1.1 million in each of the three full years its operated. The program has spent between around $834,000 and $940,000 in that time frame, the audit said. The audit found several issues with how the program is managed. As part of their review, auditors interviewed the offices managers and workers. Auditors determined that the programs fees and budget are based on anecdotal information because the Civic Life bureau hasnt defined program activities or analyzed its workload, the audit said. As an example, the audit cited the city councils approval of the bureaus proposal to lower licensing fees in September 2018 from $4,975 to $3,500. The request at the time wasnt based on a specific program strategy or an analysis of the program workload, the audit said. Eudaly at the time said the changes were a step toward reducing the lingering impacts of marijuana prohibition since it being legalized. The audit said the program has no performance metrics and only tells the public how many cannabis business license applications it has received and the type of licenses it has issued. The data the bureau has collected on licensing, enforcement and complaints may be unreliable, the audit said. The review found the program no plan to make sure the information it gathers on the licensing and enforcement process is valid and complete. Complaint and enforcement data are spread across various systems instead of one place, the audit said. License applications are tracked by a spreadsheet that often crashes. Auditors found that program staffers dont consistently log public complaints or actions taken to remedy them. Managers cant easily access basic information such as how many complaints have been substantiated or how long each investigation took, the audit said. According to the report, the program also doesnt track how often the citys licensing and inspection requirements duplicate the states regulation process, which can create burdens for business owners. The audit also found business owners of color still face barriers from breaking into the industry. The program offers license fee reductions for women- and minority-owned and small businesses as well as for cannabis business owners or store employees who have prior marijuana convictions. But the audit found the Civic Life office doesnt have the proper data to evaluate if that aspect of the program is successful. Civic Lifes cannabis program is supposed to identify challenges and make necessary adjustments to the requirements and process, the audit said. However, since staff does not have the data or tools to compile valid and complete information on licensing and enforcement trends, the program cant produce valid reports on program performance. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 04:50:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Rescuers work beside the sliding off plane at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Turkey, on Feb. 5, 2020. At least 120 people were wounded when a plane slided off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on Wednesday, Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui) ISTANBUL, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- One killed and 157 others wounded when a plane slided off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on Wednesday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced. Koca said two of the wounded are currently under intensive medical care but none of them is in critical condition. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a new tweet that The accident happened at 6:19 p.m. local time (1519 GMT) when a plane of Turkey's Pegasus Airlines with 183 people on board skidded off the runway shortly after landing. He told reporters earlier at the airport that the plane could not grasp the runway because of bad weather conditions, and fell toward a road from a height of 30-40 meters. Press reports said there are still people trapped under the wreckage of the plane and the rescue operation is continuing. Video footage aired by Turkish TV broadcasters showed that the front part of the aircraft was torn apart, and the plane was split into three parts. Press reports also said four American and four Chinese citizens were among the passengers of the plane coming from Turkey's western city of Izmir. The NTV broadcaster noted that one Chinese national was wounded and rushed to a nearby hospital. The airport was reportedly closed to air traffic until further notice. [February 05, 2020] CUNY Joins With InStride to Expand Career-Boosting Online Educational Opportunities for Workers The City University of New York will be partnering with InStride to leverage CUNY's robust online education programs as a vehicle for employees to pursue career-boosting degrees. InStride helps employers identify skills gaps in their organizations and equip employees with strategic education opportunities through quality institutions to help meet those needs and advance their careers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005850/en/ InStride will work to expand CUNY's relationships with national and international corporations, giving their employees access to the top-quality education that CUNY provides. The CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS), which offers fully online degree programs within the CUNY system, will work with InStride to foster relationships with corporate employers across the nation and around the world, and enroll their employees in the school's online programs and courses. "This partnership with InStride will build on CUNY's historic mission to act as an engine of economic mobility by expanding access to a quality education to workers of all ages," said CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez. "We are pleased CUNY's growing online offerings will be used as a vehicle to help employees meet the changing demands of the global workforce, while also helping employers to strategically invest in their future." CUNY views online learning as an engine of equity and access. Online instruction can bring in new constituencies, especially through new programs developed in partnership with employers, to enter new and emerging fields in the fastest growing sectors of the workforce. In the fall of 2018, 26,907 students enrolled in online courses at CUNY. The University seeks to substantially expand online offerings in the coming years. CUNY SPS, whose online bachelor's degree programs are ranked in the top 5 percent in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, meets the needs of adults who are looking to finish a bachelor's degree, advance in the workplace, or change careers. The school's partnership with InStride will further advance its mission to help more of the 32 million working adults nationwide who have some college credits but no degree, as well as the many others who are seeking advanced degrees. "We are excited to begin this partnership with InStride, which will allow more working adults to obtain a quality and affordable education," said John Mogulescu, founding dean of CUNY SPS. "Online learning has always been a key part of the CUNY SPS mission, and we look forward to broadening access to our offerings through this collaboration." In the last year, InStride has expanded agreements with a curated education network in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and Europe. Its network now includes founding partner Arizona State University, Harvard Business School Online, UNSW-Sydney, Dublin City University in Europe, TecMilenio and Tecnologico de Monterrey in Latin America. "Being selected by the CUNY system provides InStride's corporate partners with a quality online acadeic partner in one of the world's most economically vibrant cities," said Vivek Sharma, CEO of InStride. About CUNY The City University of New York is the nation's largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation's first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City's five boroughs, serving 500,000 students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY's mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University's graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city's economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city's workforce in every sector. CUNY's graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur "Genius (News - Alert)" Grants. The University's historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. About the CUNY School of Professional Studies Home to the first fully online degree programs at the City University of New York, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) provides online and on campus programs that meet the needs of adults who are looking to finish a bachelor's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, advance in the workplace, or change careers. The School's growth has been remarkable. Launching 23 degrees since 2006, the School has seen enrollment rise by more than 30% in the last four years to over 3,700 students in the credit-bearing programs. We serve thousands more who are enrolled in our non-degree and grant funded workforce development programs. In addition, the School has an active Alumni network and established the CUNY SPS Foundation, which offers multiple scholarship opportunities to our current students. Affirming our role as a leader in online education, CUNY SPS is ranked in the top 5% of U.S. News & World Report's list of the 2020 Best Online Bachelor's Degree Programs, making CUNY SPS the highest nationally listed program in New York State and New York City. About InStride As the premier global provider of Strategic Enterprise Education (SEE), InStride enables employers to provide career-boosting degrees to their employees, through leading global academic institutions across the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia. InStride helps organizations achieve transformative business and social impact by unlocking the power of education, through advanced technology-enabled experiences for learners and corporate partners alike. For more information, please visit www.instride.com or follow InStride on Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005850/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In an interview with the German Press Agency (dpa), the Minis-ter-President of Baden-Wurttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, de-mands enhanced collaboration of the states universities. Close collaboration of universities with each other is a success factor of our state. For many years now, KIT has established close strategic partnerships and strategic collaborations with other univer-sities in Baden-Wurttemberg, says the President of Karlsruhe Insti-tute of Technology (KIT), Professor Holger Hanselka. The strategic added value of the partners are both the prerequisite and the objec-tive of collaboration. The Heidelberg Karlsruhe Strategic Partnership (HeiKA) of KIT and Heidelberg University, for example, represents a strategic collaboration with the declared objective to create a re-search and development space that is unique in Germany and inter-nationally visible. Just like HeiKA, the Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm & Karlsruhe (CELEST) run in cooperation with Ulm University and the Helmholtz Institute Ulm together with Ulm University and other partners have been crucial to the success of all partners in the Excellence Strategy. Within the framework of the Excellence Strategy, KIT acquired the Cluster of Excellence 3D Matter Made to Order with Heidelberg University and the Cluster of Excellence Post Lithium Storage together with Ulm University. At the Innovation Campus Future Mobility funded by the State of Baden-Wurttemberg with EUR 10 million, which is officially opened in Stuttgart today, KIT and the University of Stuttgart conduct re-search in the areas of additive manufacture and zero-emissions drives. To adequately cope with the big topics and challenges of society, such as energy, mobility, and artificial intelligence, strategi-cally coordinated collaboration across institutions is of crucial im-portance, Hanselka emphasizes. We can only develop solutions when the strongest partners pool their complementary competen-cies. Strategic collaboration projects are of major significance to research, teaching, and innovation at KIT. In the trinational confed-eration of EUCOR, KIT and Freiburg University closely cooperate with the universities of Basel, Strasbourg, and Mulhouse in re-search, teaching, and innovation. Collaboration of universities and further partners also is an important factor of the Baden-Wurttemberg Test Area for Autonomous Driving (TAF-BW) and the Karlsruhe High-performance Center for Mobility Research. Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. TULSA, Okla. The city of Tulsa will conduct a test excavation at an area cemetery as part of an ongoing effort to find remains of victims of a 1921 race massacre, officials said. The test excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery, planned for April, was announced during the citys Mass Graves Investigation Public Oversight Committee meeting on Monday, the Tulsa World reported. The meeting came a little more than a month after investigators announced that geophysical surveys conducted in October had found anomalies consistent with possible graves. We would see this as an intermediate step, Kary Stackelbeck, a state archaeologist, said. If we were to identify evidence that we seem to believe at the time is consistent with race massacre victims, we would want to leave them in a state that allows for us to come back and undertake future investigations and a recovery effort in a more thoughtful and well-planned-out fashion. Tulsa's mayor announced in 2018 that the city would re-examine sites in search of victims of the 1921 massacre. The sites were last inspected by the Tulsa Race Riot Commission in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The massacre happened over the course of 16 hours, from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses. As many as 300 people were killed, hundreds more injured and thousands left homeless. Tulsa's prosperous black business district known as Black Wall Street was destroyed. Stackelbeck said the test excavation at Oaklawn will provide much more detail than the geophysical surveys did. With the geophysical data, it doesnt see bodies, Stackelbeck said. It doesnt tell us whos down there. It doesnt tell us, are there people there? And if they are there, are they in coffins? City officials also provided an update on its search at Rolling Oaks Cemetery. The city has said that the cemeterys owners have been reluctant to allow a site identified by historical investigators to be surveyed because it is beneath some known interments. Deputy Mayor Amy Brown said officials are now close to an agreement with the cemeterys owners. Looks like we found the one and only good thing that has happened because of the deadly Coronavirus - it literally saved someone from getting sexually assaulted. A woman in China managed to scare away a man who had broken into her house by pretending to be sick because of the rapidly spreading virus and I can't help but applaud her quick thinking that saved her. Basically, the culprit - 25-year-old Xiao - broke into the victim's bedroom last week in the city of Jingshan, which is situated near Wuhan, which we all know is the epicentre of the killer virus. Reuters In a last-ditch attempt to save herself as he tried to assault her, she said, "I just returned from Wuhan and have been infected, therefore I am home alone in self-quarantine." She also pretended to cough while pushing him away as he tried to strangle her and cover her mouth. Well, it seemed to have worked as the assailant got scared and decided to flee the scene. He did, however, steal about 3,080 Yuan - or about Rs 31,000 - in cash before he left. That's a good bargain considering the alternative, and moreover, seeing how he's been caught by the police, she might have even got the money back. Reuters According to the police, Xiao had no money and had also walked out on his family that very night and that's why he decided to steal. After seeing that the victim was alone, he probably thought he could get away with sexual assault as well. A manhunt was launched immediately after the victim reported the incident to the police but it was a little difficult to track him down since everyone was wearing a mask to protect themselves from the Coronavirus. Luckily, Xiao turned himself in, accompanied by his father, a couple of days after the incident. Reuters The best part is the victim is safe and her quick thinking prevented something terrible from happening. Moreover, now the culprit is in police custody, getting what he deserves. Newark, NJ, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global vinyl acetate monomer market is expected to grow from USD 7.43 billion in 2017 to USD 10.78 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.76% during the forecast period from 2018-2025. Global vinyl acetate monomer market is growing at a rapid pace from the past few years, owing to rising demand from construction industry. Increasing construction sector in the developed and developing countries and rising government initiative to enhance the infrastructure sector, offering the new opportunities for vinyl acetate monomer in the construction industry. Vinyl acetate monomer is a key intermediate used in the marking of a number of polymers and resins for adhesives, films, textiles, coatings, paints, and other end-products. It is an organic colorless compound made up from reaction of acetic acid and ethylene, with oxygen in the presence of palladium catalyst. Polyvinyl alcohol is the most important derivative of vinyl acetate monomer and has wide application in textiles, packaging films, adhesives, photosensitive coatings and thickeners segments. Global vinyl acetate monomer market is expected to witness rapid growth over the forecast period, owing to increasing demand from various end user industries. In addition to this, rising global demand for paints, coatings, textiles, adhesives is projected to propel the growth of vinyl acetate monomer market. However, volatility in raw material and strict environmental regulations on the production process, projected to hamper the market growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, rising demand for the ethyl vinyl acetate films from solar energy sector and increasing demand for EVOH films from the food processing industry, is anticipated to provide potential opportunities for the vendors in upcoming years. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/375922/request-sample Key players operating in the global vinyl acetate monomer market include are The Dow Chemical Company, Kuraray, Sahara International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem), Ningxia Yinglite, Wacker Chemie, Celanese, Dairen Chemical Corporation, Sinopec, LyondellBasell Industries, Ineospec Inc, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Arkema, and Japan VAM & POVAL Co. Ltd. among others. To enhance their market position in the global vinyl acetate monomer market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as recent developments, product innovation, joint venture, mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, and partnership. To effectively meet the unabated demand for vinyl acetate monomer, major firms are aggressively focussing on ramping up their production capacities. For instance, in the April 2018, Celanese announced the expansion of VAM capacity at its Clear Lake, Texas, USA facility. Once this additional production capacity is added, the total capacity for VAM at the Clear Lake facility will be 450kT per annum, making it the largest and most efficient VAM plant in the world. In July 2019, Sahara International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) announced the upgradation of its vinyl acetate monomer plant, enhance the reliability of production and allow the IVC plant to achieve its future operational plans. In April 2018, Wacker Chemie introduced the new process for making vinyl acetate, a key ingredient in its polymer dispersions, from cellulosic materials. In November 2019, Shenghong Refining Petrochemical (Lian Yun Gang) Co. Ltd., China, awarded contact to KBR Inc. for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) technology by. This is the first commercial vinyl acetate monomer technology license secured under an alliance agreement between KBR and Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) to commercialize SDK's VAM technology. Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) held the largest market share of 32.64% in 2017 Application is segmented into polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) an others. PVA emerged as the largest segment in global vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) market with a 32.64% share of market revenue in 2017. PVA is widely used in the production of adhesives owing to its superior adhesion property to various substrates such as wood, metal, plastic. PVOH segment also accounted for a significant market share in 2017 owing to applications in production of coatings and water soluble packaging materials. Construction segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 7.05% over the forecast period End user industry segment is divided into packaging, construction, automotive, textile, and others. Construction segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 7.05% over the forecast period. Increasing demand for the coatings and paints from the construction sector is driving this increase in demand for vinyl acetate monomer. Increasing construction activities, owing to rising population and urbanization is expected to provide further growth opportunities in the vinyl acetate monomer market. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-vinyl-acetate-monomer-market-by-application-polyvinyl-375922.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Vinyl Acetate Monomer Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Africa. Growth of end user industries such as textiles, construction and increasing demand for packaging, coatings and adhesives led Asia Pacific region emerge as the largest market for vinyl acetate monomer with USD 3.24 billion revenue in 2017. China holds the largest market share in the vinyl acetate monomer in the Asia Pacific region. This is mainly attributed to absence of stringent manufacturing regulations and supportive trade regulations coupled with favorable government programs in the country. North America region is projected to clock a robust growth rate on account of healthy demand for vinyl acetate monomer from its well-established packaging and automotive industry. About the report: The global vinyl acetate monomer market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (Kilotons), imports (Kilotons) and exports (Kilotons). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: Single User License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=375922&type=single Corporate License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=375922&type=corp Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. In addition, our syndicated research reports offer a packaged guide to keep companies abreast of the upcoming major restyle in their domains. Fior Markets facilitates clients with research analysis that are customized to their exact requirements, specifications and challenges, whether it is comprehensive desk research, survey work, composition of multiple methods, in-detailed interviewing or competitive intelligence. Our research experts are experienced in matching the exact personnel and methodology to your business need. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.marketresearchplace.com Related Reports Global Flexographic Inks Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-flexographic-inks-market-by-resin-type-acrylic-367084.html Global Nanocellulose Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-nanocellulose-market-by-type-nanocrystalline-cellulose-nanofibrillated-367085.html Global Collagen market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-collagen-market-by-source-bovine-poultry-marine-367086.html Global Double Sided Tape Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-double-sided-tape-market-by-resin-type-367087.html UDPATE 3:15 p.m. RCMP have arrested a male youth in connection to a threat made against Kelowna Christian School Wednesday morning. Police were called to the school just before 9 a.m. by staff who said they had received a threat. RCMP launched an investigation and placed the school on hold and secure. As a result of the police investigation, members of the Kelowna RCMP School Resource Unit were able to identify where the call was placed and the individual who made the threat. said Const. Lesley Smith. The suspect was identified as a youth in a neighbouring community and he was subsequently located and arrested for his actions. Charges of uttering threats and public mischief are being considered. UPDATE 2:10 p.m. The hold and secure at Kelowna Christian School has been resolved. In a statement online, the school says there is no threat of danger to staff and students. However, due to the heightened emotion of the day, the decision has been made to dismiss all students early, the school said. When Castanet News visited the school around 2 p.m., parents were picking up their children and the majority of police had left the area. We want to thank everyone for their patience, understanding, and ability to follow the schools protocol for school safety, the schools statement continued. The matter is now an active police investigation and, as you will understand, we are not able to provide any further information at this time. Counsellors will be available to students and staff at school on Thursday. UPDATE 11:35 a.m. RCMP say they are investigating undisclosed threats made against Kelowna Christian School. Police were contacted just before 9 a.m. by school officials about a threat made by a male suspect towards students and staff of the school. RCMP immediately attended the school and is performing a risk assessment. RCMP officers and school officials continue to work together to ensure the safety of the school identified in the threat, says Cst. Solana Pare. RCMP continue to conduct an ongoing risk assessment based on the best information available to us, and have taken the appropriate steps to reduce any potential risk. The school remains closed while the investigation continues. Anyone with information on the threat is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. UPDATE 10:55 a.m. Police outside Kelowna Christian School say they are investigating a threat received this morning. At this point, only people associated with the school board are being allowed to enter the building. Parents are still being turned away. ORIGINAL 10:30 a.m. There is a significant police presence at the Kelowna Christian School on Benvoulin Rd. A parent tells Castanet he was unable to drop his child off at school this morning and was told to come back later in the morning. The school could not be immediately reached. Castanet will update as more information becomes available. Why does the left always punch itself in the face? It hurts, it leaves bruises, and it looks silly. But its a habit the left cant shake. It happens in almost every country with a fairly even political landscape, for instance Britains Labour Party, Canadas NDP, and of course, the U.S. Democratic Party fumbling toward defeat in a very winnable election. I have written about this before, being so let down by the immaculate left that I moved to the centre left, where people are more reasonable and dont aim for self-destruction in the name of moral purity. The centre left does not abandon womens rights in an effort to appeal to other smaller groups. The centre left does not bicker, at least in public. The centre left wins elections. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is essential to the left, in that hell force the Liberal government to be more leftist. This will work. But he still doesnt seem hugely popular in his party. Instead of cleaving to the leader, his erstwhile rivals complain that he is not a traditional leader pulling in the lumberjack vote. Dont underrate lumberjacks. Its petulant. Its self-destructive. As for the Democrats, youd think they want to lose the election, the most crucial they have faced since, well, the last one. Imagine President Trump re-elected, unimpeachable, bulking up on personal profit, assassinating, charging migrant parents fees to get their children out of ICE cages, farming the indigent for transplantable organs, invading Canada for fresh water. I could go on. Imagine Trump but worse. Then imagine losing to Trump out of cluelessness, hurt feelings, tribalism, screwing up an Iowa caucus that has been dodging its coffin for years, and quarrels over the single-payer health plan that zero Americans will get if Democrats dont self-regulate. Democrats need to be hauled into assembly to hear some rage from the principal about school spirit. Theres no I in Democrat, nor in Sanders or Warren. (There is in Biden so Ill drop the analogy.) Britain had good years (1997-2007) with New Labour led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who once said in awe about the hard left that its as if they dont want to win. Then the top job was handed to Gordon Brown because Blair had promised him in a cafe or something. Brown was a good man but a dreary one and a charmless campaigner. Labour lost. They must have wanted to. The slide continued with Jeremy Corbyn, a humourless, old-school, sexist left-winger so hardline that his Christmas message depressed me and I dont even live there. He appeared to actually dislike cheerful Brits for enjoying mouth-watering Christmas meals while others were homeless, hungry, alone and persecuted. The roast goose turned to ash in many a Labour-voting mouth. He does not understand the aspirational working class. In fact, he disapproves of it, and thats a vote-killer. Corbyns clique and Labour Party managers were notoriously vicious to their own staff; one bullying her team so badly (strangulation is not best practice) that the staff are calling for an intervention (Corbyn wants to ennoble her before he goes). The anti-Semitism was palpable and the purges semi-Stalinist, not deadly but so frequent that they would have run out of people to expel and shun. Consider the leftist face thoroughly punched. And we cross the Atlantic to find a Democratic party clogged with foolish hopefuls who should have been quickly weeded out to focus attention on this handful of plausibles: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Amy Klobuchar. So what does Hillary Clinton do to Sanders? She sends out venom, saying nobody likes him and that he behaved badly in 2016. Who cares? Its 2020. A Democratic congresswoman openly booed Clinton on TV. Now Sanders folk are doing a Hillary Clinton on Warren. They should be assessed on their ability to crush Trump and nothing else. We are living in an emergency. A Democratic politician or two may die. Impeachment chief Adam Schiff just got a death threat from a drunk sex offender, who became inflamed while watching Fox News. Focus, people. Losing this time means a democracy gone violent and haywire, the death of a nation. Heather Mallick is a columnist based in Toronto covering current affairs. Follow her on Twitter: is a columnist based in Toronto covering current affairs. Follow her on Twitter: @HeatherMallick Read more about: Washington: In a blitz of retweets on Wednesday morning, US President Donald Trump attacked Speaker Nancy Pelosi for tearing up a copy of his State of the Union speech. One of the more than two dozen posts that drew the president's attention just hours before he is expected to be acquitted of impeachment charges by the Senate called Pelosi "uncouth," and several included #PelosiTantrum. While the president did not criticise Pelosi in his own words on Wednesday morning, his counsellor Kellyanne Conway and the vice president did not hold back. Conway commented on Pelosi's expressions during the speech, telling reporters that she looked like she was "reading the Cheesecake Factory menu all night." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 07:22:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A child cancer patient waits to receive medical treatment at a cancer treating center in Sanaa, Yemen, on Feb. 4, 2020, the World Cancer Day. A WHO report in February 2019 estimated that number of cancer patients in Yemen reaches approximately 35,000. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua) evan spiegel snapchat snap Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Snapchat's parent company Snap says that it agreed to a $187.5 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought against the company by investors following its IPO in 2017. The agreement was signed in January, the company said in its quarterly earnings statement on Tuesday. Investors had sued the company over allegations of failing to properly warn them ahead of its IPO about the competition that Snapchat faced from Facebook-owned Instagram. Snap faced an investigation from the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission over the matter, but it was dropped in late 2019. The company took a $100 million expense for the settlement in its earnings statement, with the balance of the settlement apparently covered by Snap's insurance. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Snap, Snapchat's parent company, said Tuesday that it had signed a preliminary agreement to pay $187.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed against the company in 2017 by investors following its initial public offering. Snap had signed a preliminary deal to settle the case in January, as previously reported by Law360. However, when Snap reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday evening, it also shared the financial details of the settlement for the first time. Judging from the language Snap used in describing it, it seems that the settlement is awaiting court approval to finalize. Notably, Snap said in its earnings report that it had "recorded legal settlement expense, net of amounts directly covered by insurance, of $100.0 million," seeming to indicate that the company expects to pay a little over half of the proposed settlement out of pocket, with the balance paid for by insurance. Several investors brought the suit against Snap in 2017, in the wake of its tumultuous IPO. They alleged that Snap had concealed negative information ahead of going public about competition Snapchat faced from Facebook-owned Instagram. Story continues The class action lawsuit, which has involved several different plaintiffs in its convoluted history, eventually prompted the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into Snap's pre-IPO disclosures, though the agencies eventually dropped the case late last year. Snap has struggled on the public markets since it went public in March 2017, hovering just shy of $17 a share in after-hours trading Tuesday right around its IPO price of $17. After a poorly-received redesign in 2018 triggered a sell-off, Snap rebounded last year largely thanks to the popularity of its augmented reality lenses. Snap missed Wall Street's revenue expectations in its fourth-quarter, but handily beat earnings per share predictions and added roughly 8 million new users. Read the original article on Business Insider 'After the NRC in Assam, things have changed for Muslims in India.' Residents of some villages of Kutch in Gujarat have called for a 'Muslim boycott' after a bandh called by the community against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens proved successful. Pamphlets have been distributed in the region terming the bandh as 'Desh Virodhi' for opposing the CAA and NRC. Ibrahmi Halepotra, president, Akhil Kutch Sunni Muslim Hith, tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf how the anti-CAA protests have taken a communal turn in Kutch. On December 18, 2019, we took out a rally against the CAA in Kutch, under the banner of the Akhil Kutch Sunni Muslim Hith. It was joined by lakhs of people and this happened without any publicity. We had organised this entire protest through WhatsApp and it was very successful. Next day, supporters of the CAA said they will also take out a rally. I wondered what's the point in calling a rally in support of the CAA when the law was already passed. But these pro-rallies were taken out by communal elements to disturb the peace in Kutch. On January 28, supporters of the CAA again called a rally where they displayed a 100 feet-long national flag. Next day, there was a Bharat bandh called by the Bahujan Kranti Morcha against the CAA and our organisation supported that. I supported it on the condition that there should be no violence and the bandh must be held peacefully and participation should be voluntary. Many Muslims joined the bandh, but by evening, a few people were arrested because of some unrest. On January 30, messages by CAA supporters started circulating on WhatsApp groups, asking a Muslim vegetable seller in a small village called Navanagar in Kutch not to sell vegetables because he had supported the bandh. Later, in Anjar Kutch, a Muslim community called Khatri that does bandhni textile work, was boycotted and many people refused to do business with them. Out of nowhere, messages started floating on WhatsApp that Muslim-owned businesses must be boycotted. Later, I located the source (of these messages) and went to the police, urging them to intervene and stop this nonsense. They said they would investigate the matter. I told them if they find out who is behind this then good, otherwise I will file a first information report. Meanwhile, in Ratnal village, a poster was issued in the name of the Bharatiya Janata Party minister Vasanbhai Ahir, saying that autorickshaw drivers who supported the anti-CAA protest should not be allowed to ferry passengers in the village. Personally, I feel the minister was not responsible for the poster. It was the handiwork of some communal elements. They wanted to protest against Muslims and at the same time target Vasanbhai too. Next day, another WhatsApp forward claimed that our organisation -- the Akhil Kutch Sunni Muslim Samiti Hith -- is part of the Students Islamic Movement of India. After this message, the IG of Kutch (Subhash Trivedi) called a meeting among all groups. At that meeting too, the boycott issue was raised. The IG intervened to ensure that peace is maintained at any cost between the pro- and anti-CAA factions. Newspapers covered all these issues in detail. Muslim businessmen began opening their shops, but many CAA supporters continued boycotting them. Many Hindus told these people who were boycotting us not to do so. They said Kutch is one of the most peaceful places in India and now it is being turned into a dangerous place. Two major businesses are owned by Muslims in Kutch: Milk and bandhni. Many Muslim businessmen also own crusher plants and truck associations. Though the boycott was not very successful, when people are bombarded constantly by communal messages on social media, then surely there would be some effect. Those who are calling for a boycott of Muslim businesses should say if they will stop using milk overnight. Muslims are in these business for years, how can they be replaced overnight? These people must understand such things before spreading communal messages. The labourers in Kutch are also mostly Muslims. If they are also boycotted, who will do these jobs? I feel this boycott call is to spread fear in Kutch. I want to tell all those who do not understand why Muslims are supporting anti-CAA rallies, that after the National Register of Citizens in Assam, things have changed for Muslims in India. Gillian Flaccus / Associated Press DEPOE BAY, Ore. Tourists, nature lovers and amateur scientists are whipping out their cameras to document the effects of extreme high tides on shorelines from the United States to New Zealand, and by doing so are helping better predict what rising sea levels will mean for coastal communities around the world. A network of volunteer photographers fans out around the globe during so-called king tides to capture how high the waterline gets and where the water goes. They then upload the images many with geolocation data embedded for use by scientists, policymakers and even city planners as they study and prepare for the effects of climate change. The photos show where flooding occurs on specific roads, or give clues about whether its safe to build new housing, for example, near an eroding bluff. Wisconsin has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state officials said on Wednesday. The new patient, of undisclosed age and gender, is the twelfth confirmed case in the US after testing positive for the virus at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS), the patient was in Beijing, China sometime in the past two weeks, where they came into contact with people now known to be infected with coronavirus. It's unclear if the patient would have been aware that these contacts were sick. The patient is being isolated at home, said to be doing well, and not in need of hospitalization. It comes the same day that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it's distributed coronavirus tests to more than 100 labs around the country. The patient's test came back positive on Wednesday, and Wisconsin officials said the person is 'doing well,' according to local Channel 3000. Between the more widely distributed tests and the four additional flights bringing American evacuees from Wuhan, China, back to the US, CDC officials said an increase in cases - potentially a steep rise - is to be expected. Wisconsin has reported its first case of coronavirus, bringing the US total to 12. State officials have not disclosed the age or gender of the patient, but said they were in Beijing, China within the past two weeks With the addition of the latest case in Wisconsin, there are now 24,589 cases of coronavirus worldwide and 493 deaths SURGE IN CASES EXPECTED AS MORE LABS GET CORONAVIRUS TESTS AND MORE EVACUEES ARRIVE Emergency Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval was given to the CDC's test for coronavirus as of Tuesday night. On Wednesday, officials announced the test had been shipped to state labs, and that they expected an increase in testing and test results by the start of next week. But as the test results of the new Wisconsin patient came back Wednesday, they likely were analyzed at one of the previously-equipped CDC labs. So far, 10 people in Wisconsin have been tested for coronavirus. Seven thus far were negative. Officials said they are still awaiting the results of some tests. Beginning on Sunday at 5pm, all US citizens arriving to the US from China were to be funneled through 11 international airports: JFK, Chicago O'Hare, LAX, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma, Honolulu, Atlanta, Dulles, Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Detroit. It remains when exactly or into what airport the newest coronavirus patient arrived in the US. They may well have reached the US before the new travel restrictions were enacted. As of Monday, the CDC said that only one of the confirmed US cases of coronavirus had been detected via airport screening. Another 167 have tested negative, 82 tests are pending, and the CDC is following 36 'people under investigation,' according to the agency's briefing prior to the Wisconsin case's identification. Dr Messonnier said Wednesday that she expects there will be more cases confirmed. A deluge of those diagnoses may be on its way soon, as four additional planes repatriate Americans who had been trapped in Wuhan and as the newly-approved tests reach more labs. 'We should not be surprised if there are cases' from the flights, said Dr Messonnier. 'Negative results do not preclude 2019-nCoV infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or other patient management decisions,' the FDA said in a Tuesday evening statement. ONE EVACUATED CHILD IN CALIFORNIA AND A NEW JERSEY WOMAN WITHOUT SYMPTOMS ARE IN QUARANTINE 'That being said, there's a child with a fever,' she added, referring to a minor who is among the 195 Wuhan evacuees at March Air Reserve, and who was taken to a hospital and quarantined with a fever on Tuesday. 'Those of you that have children know there are many reasons that children develop fevers and, as far as I understand, the child is actually doing pretty well.' She also noted that, of the 11 confirmed cases, most had been doing consistently well and even said that those who had been in somewhat worse shape - potentially a reference to a California couple hospitalized Sunday night - were improving. A woman has been placed under quarantine after flying from Hubei Province, China - where the coronavirus outbreak originated - to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday. Pictured: A United Airlines flight takes off at Newark, December 2019 The twelfth case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wisconsin in a patient who recently traveled to Beijing. Pictured: Medical staff in protective suits treat a coronavirus patient at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, January 27 According to Dr Messonnier, the quarantined passengers from the first evacuation flight from Wuhan are 'going on with daily life as best they can' on March Air Reserve. They are expected to be released by February 11. Meanwhile, a woman has been placed under federally mandated quarantine in New Jersey after flying into Newark Liberty International Airport from Hubei Province - the region of China in which Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak is located. She arrived on Tuesday and, as per protocols enacted by the Department of Heath and Human Services, was placed under federal quarantine. She has displayed no symptoms and is being monitored somewhere in Essex County, New Jersey, state officials said. MORE EVACUEES ARRIVE IN THE US AND ARE PLACED UNDER FEDERAL QUARANTINE On Wednesday, another two flights full of a cumulative 350 or so Americans who had been trapped in locked-down Wuhan touched down back in the US. They landed at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County Wednesday and will be staying at the base's Westwind Inn. Like the initial evacuation flight's passengers, they will be held under mandatory quarantine for 14 days. The State Department separately said it may stage additional flights on Thursday. This image shows one of the chartered flights carrying the Americans It's entirely possible if not likely that some will be positive for coronavirus, but those who do not develop symptoms and test negative will ostensibly be released on February 20. More planes are expected to arrive this week from Wuhan at any of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, the CDC said Wednesday. Federal officials have not disclosed where the passengers will be quarantined, but Washington State Patrol revealed on Tuesday that the Fire Training Academy near North Bend will serve as a quarantine facility there. Hong Kong authorities are keeping passengers and crew members under quarantine on the cruise ship World Dream. Almost 2,000 tourists are being held on a cruise ship in Hong Kong and being tested for the new coronavirus after several crew members reported symptoms associated with the illness. Passengers aboard the World Dream ship, operated by Genting's Dream Cruises, are being barred from disembarking at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Cruise Terminal until test results from three suspected cases are returned. The ship arrived in Hong Kong from Taiwan on Wednesday with 1,871 passengers aboard. The vast majority were from Hong Kong, but several passengers traveled to join the cruise from other countries, including Australia, the U.K. and Canada. Three people from mainland China who had previously been on the World Dream between Jan. 19 and 24 had been diagnosed with the virus, according to Reuters. However, Dream Cruises confirmed on Wednesday that no one currently on the ship was from mainland China. Around 30 crew members reported "various minor symptoms" such as coughs and sore throats during health screenings upon arrival in Hong Kong, according to Dream Cruises. While one crew member was diagnosed with flu, temperature screenings did not confirm fever in the remaining 29 crew members. However, three crew members who said they had felt feverish have been sent to public hospitals for further testing for the coronavirus. Samples from crew members who reported other symptoms have also been taken to medical facilities for precautionary testing. In an emailed statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for Dream Cruises said local health officials were administering health checks for the remaining passengers and crew on board. "Due to this situation, no passengers or crew will be allowed to disembark from World Dream until the test results from the affected crew members have been confirmed," the company told CNBC. "Dream Cruises is cooperating fully with all health authorities and is complying with all official guidelines and instructions to safeguard the health of its guests, crew and the general public." Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday that anyone entering the territory from mainland China would be quarantined for 14 days. She also said that two cruise terminals would be closed to reduce the flow of people entering Hong Kong. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hong Kong reached 21, with the territory reporting its first death from the illness on Monday. The World Dream is the latest in a string of cruise ships to be caught up in the coronavirus outbreak. Princess Cruises said Tuesday it would keep 3,700 people in quarantine on a ship for 14 days, after nine passengers and a crew member tested positive for the virus in Yokohama, Japan. Some 6,000 tourists were held on a cruise ship in Italy on Thursday over fears a Chinese passenger was infected with coronavirus. The passenger was eventually diagnosed with the common flu. China's National Health Commission said that as of Tuesday night, 24,324 cases of the new coronavirus had been confirmed and 490 people had died in the country. The US has shown understanding of the importance of the Chabahar Port operations for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan, the government said on Wednesday, amid concerns that increased American sanctions against Iran may impact projects. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said India is participating in the development of the first phase of Shahid Behesti Port in Chabahar in cooperation with the Iranian government. The Indian company, India Ports Global Limited, had taken over port operations in December 2018 and has successfully handled over 5 lakh tonnes of cargo, including exports from Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port that began in February 2019, he said. "The US has shown understanding of the importance of the Chabahar Port operations for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and to provide Afghanistan with economic alternatives," Muraleedharan said. Responding to another question on the government's position on China's 'One Belt One Road' (OBOR) or 'Belt and Road Initiative' (BRI), he said the government's concerns arise in part from the fact that the inclusion of the so-called illegal 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor' (CPEC) as a flagship project of OBOR/BRI, directly impinges on the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. "This so-called illegal CPEC passes through parts of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh which are under illegal occupation of Pakistan. The government has conveyed its concerns to the Chinese side about their activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan and has asked them to cease such activities," the minister said. The government is of the firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, Muraleedharan said. "They must follow principles of openness, transparency and financial responsibility and must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of other nations," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A South Korean woman has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus after visiting Thailand as deaths from the illness have climbed to nearly 500. This marks the first time a foreign tourist has become infected after visiting the southeast Asian nation. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed 42-year-old, identified only as Patient 16, flew back to South Korea on January 19 after traveling in Thailand, which has the greatest number of cases outside China. She developed symptoms on January 25 and was confirmed positive on Tuesday, after visiting Chonnam National University Hospital in the city of Gwangju for testing. Meanwhile, health officials say the number of deaths has spiked 15 percent from 427 to 492, with all but two reported in mainland China. There are now 23,865 cases of coronavirus worldwide. A 42-year-old woman from South Korea was confirmed positive for coronavirus on Tuesday after she visited Thailand, but officials cannot determine where she contracted the virus. Pictured: South Koreans evacuated from Wuhan, China, disembark from a chartered flight at Gimpo Airport in Seoul, South Korea, January 31 It remains unclear where the woman became infected, but officials haven't ruled out that she contracted the virus in Thailand. Also unclear is whether or not the woman visited China recently. Dr Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Thai Department of Disease Control, told the Bangkok Post that the risk of contracting the virus in Thailand is limited. 'Tourists, naturally, are in places full of foreign tourists and thus are likely to be in areas of disease transmission,' he said. 'The case of the Korean woman does not change the degree of risk concerning the disease in Thailand. Chances of contraction remain low in this country. 'Now we are trying our best to find as many of those infected as possible and people in contact with them,' The virus was recently confirmed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, China. Nearly 24,000 people worldwide have been infected with the virus in at least 25 countries. In Thailand, 25 cases of coronavirus and one death from the infection have been confirmed, making it one of two countries outside China where the virus has turned deadly so far. Officials confirmed the first case of human-to-human transmission of the virus inside the country on Friday after a taxi driver tested positive. Meanwhile, in the US, 11 cases have been confirmed in the US including six in California, two in Illinois and one each in Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington. Federal health officials have stated that the risk of coronavirus to the American public is low. However, the South Korean woman's case has raised concerns that more coronavirus patients, who haven't recently visited China, will crop up in the US. Campus News Calidore String Quartet to present next two concerts in Slee/Beethoven cycle The Calidore String Quartet has been praised by The New York Times for its deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct. UBNOW STAFF The internationally acclaimed Calidore String Quartet returns to UB next week to present the third and fourth concerts in this seasons Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle. The concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and at 3 p.m. Feb. 16, both in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus. The program for the Feb. 15 concert will feature Quartet in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3; Grosse Fuge, Op. 133; and Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1; the following day, the musicians will perform Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 Serioso; Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6; and Quartet in A minor, Op. 132. The remaining concerts in the cycle will be performed on April 25 and 26. The quartet will lead a master class at 11 a.m. April 25 in Baird Recital Hall, 250 Baird Hall, North Campus. The Calidore String Quartet Jeffrey Myers, violin; Ryan Meehan, violin; Jeremy Berry, viola; and Estelle Choi, cello has been praised by The New York Times for its deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct. Recipient of a 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, the quartet first made international headlines as winner of the $100,000 Grand Prize of the 2016 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition. The quartet was the first North American ensemble to win the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist award; it is currently in residence with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Centers Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two). This season, the Calidore String Quartet celebrates both its 10th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth by presenting cycles of his string quartets at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and the universities of Toronto and Delaware, in addition to UB. In Europe, the musicians will perform Beethoven quartets in Antwerp, Dresden and at the Rheingau Musik Festival. In addition, the Calidore is premiering a new work by composer Anna Clyne inspired by Beethovens Grosse Fuge and commissioned by Music Accord in performances at Lincoln Center, Princeton University, Penn State, Caramoor, San Francisco Performances, and Bostons Celebrity Series. The ensembles name an amalgamation of California and dore, French for golden represents its reverence for the diversity of culture and the strong support it has received from its original home: Los Angeles, Calif., the golden state. Tickets for the Calidores presentations of the Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle are available through a variety of outlets at the following pricing structure: UB faculty, staff, alumni, seniors and non-UB students $10 plus $2.18 fee and minimal credit card charge at eventbrite. $14 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday) $17 in person at the door (one hour before concert time) General public $15 plus $2.18 fee and minimal credit card charge at eventbrite. $19 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday) $22 in person at the door (one hour before concert time) UB students are admitted free with ID. For a complete listing of all concerts being presented by the Department of Music, visit the departments website. During the working visit to Luhansk region, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza visited the entry-exit checkpoint in the village of Stanytsia Luhanska. "Larisa Galadza got acquainted with the peculiarities of functioning of the entry-exit checkpoint, the procedure of carrying out control and inspection operations, the level of passenger traffic and the conditions of crossing the demarcation line by citizens," the press service of the Eastern Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports. The Ambassador was most interested in the security component. The Ambassador of Canada also visited the reconstructed bridge near the entry-exit checkpoint Stanytsia Luhanska which had been a serious and difficult obstacle on the way to government-controlled Ukraine until October 2019. ol WASHINGTON President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union address Tuesday night before a deeply divided Congress on the day before the Senate was expected to finish his impeachment trial by voting to acquit him. The speech delighted Republicans who chanted four more years, and disgusted Democrats who believe the GOP president should be removed from office. Two New Jersey Democrats walked out on the speech. It occurred the same day results from the Monday Democratic caucus in Iowa were revealed after a huge vote tally glitch delayed them. Welcome to the 2020 presidential campaign, everyone! Here are eight takeaways from Trumps speech. 1. Surprise! Trump and Pelosi arent pals Trump spoke before Congress as just the third U.S. president to be impeached. The president has railed against impeachment for months (including during his speech in Wildwood last week). But no, he didnt mention the i-word once. He is expected to be acquitted by the Senate on Wednesday. Of course, the partisan tensions were clear. At the beginning of the speech, Trump did not shake House Speaker Nancy Pelosis hand. At its end, Pelosi tore up her copy of the speech on national television. Pelosi rips up Trumps State of the Union addresshttps://t.co/X9QE8425BW pic.twitter.com/7aKIe0ZuE5 The Fix (@thefix) February 5, 2020 2. The economy is great! Just like his New Jersey speech last week, Trump spent much of his speech talking about the economic progress under his watch. You can expect this to be the centerpiece of his campaign stump speech. The unemployment rate of 3.5% is a 50-year low. Trump rattled off a long series of numbers showing a strong American economy. In New Jersey, 135,000 jobs were created since the election, including 10,000 manufacturing jobs, according to the White House. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.1% in September 2019, the lowest since the state began keeping records in 1976. Also, according to the White House, wages for manufacturing jobs in the state rose by 5%, 107,000 New Jerseyans were lifted out of poverty, and new business applications increased 18%. If we hadnt reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success, Trump said. While 6.7 million jobs were created during the first 35 months of Trumps administration, even more, 7 million, were created during the last 35 months of his predecessor, Barack Obama, according to the Washington Post. Trump inherited a growing economy, while Obama took over during the Great Recession that began under Republican President George W. Bush. In the Democratic response, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said not everyone was benefitting from economic growth under Trump. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market, she said. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for: transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs." 3. What was that he said about health care? House Democrats won a majority in 2018 as they pledged to lower health care costs and protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. They have passed legislation to fulfill those promises, though Senate Republicans have refused to take it up. Meanwhile, Trump has joined a GOP lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act and therefore remove the guarantee of affordable insurance for those with cancer, diabetes or other illnesses. And he embraced Republican efforts to replace the health care law with legislation that wouldnt protect those with pre-existing conditions. That didnt stop him in either Wildwood or at the Capitol from saying, I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions that is a guarantee. Rep. Donald Norcross guest was his daughter-in-law, Hedya Aryani, who has breast cancer. The unexpected cancer diagnosis of a loved one makes the fight for affordable, accessible, quality health care more personal than ever, said Norcross, D-1st Dist. Tonights #SOTU address was simply another example of President Trumps broken promises and outright lies to the American people. The truth is that the President has failed to lower drug prices and that hes doing everything he can to sabotage our health care system. Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) February 5, 2020 4. Two Jersey lawmakers walked out. Another boycotted the speech. Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., didnt wait until Trump finished his speech to leave the Capitol. I just walked out of the #StateOfTheUnion. I cant stand a liar. This mans presidency is a national tragedy. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 5, 2020 Tonight I walked out of the Presidents despicable and dishonest #SOTU. I dont expect much from this President, but I will not sit quietly while he lies to my face and to the American people about protecting preexisting conditions, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) February 5, 2020 Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-10th Dist., didnt even show up. QUICK QUESTION: Do you think I should attend the President's State of the Union address? I'm planning to skip it to acknowledge the fact that the president has been impeached. Let me know what you think. pic.twitter.com/IfokGUOg5x Rep. Donald Payne Jr (@RepDonaldPayne) February 4, 2020 On the other hand, party-switching Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., landed a prime seat to greet Trump when he arrived. 5. OK, was he telling the truth? The New York Times found several false claims during Trumps speech. Among them: Trumps claim to have built more than 100 miles of his southern border wall, even though all of the construction took place where existing barriers stood; that his new trade agreement would create almost 100,000 new jobs; and that U.S. stocks have risen 70 percent since he was elected. Trump also claimed credit for making the U.S. the worlds largest producer of oil and natural gas, but that occurred in 2013 under President Barack Obama. On the other hand, Trump was right when he said that the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement was the first trade deal in years to gain union support, that drug overdose deaths declined for the first time in three decades, and that the Islamic State lost its caliphate. 6. Saluting the troops. Every day, Americas men and women in uniform demonstrate the infinite depths of love that dwells in the human heart, Trump said as he praised Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake, who was killed in Iraq in 2008. Looking on from the gallery were Hakes widow Kelli and son Gage. He also saluted Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first black fighter pilots. McGee, 100, was in the gallery with his 13-year-old great-grandson, Iain Lanphier, and Trump said he recently promoted him to brigadier general and personally pinned the stars on his uniform earlier in the day. Several New Jersey lawmakers invited family members of those who lost their lives serving their country. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., brought along Jennifer Albuquerque, the partner of Army Sgt. Michael Goble of Washington Township. He was killed in Afghanistan last December seizing a cache of Taliban weapons. Guests of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., and Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., had lost family members in military training accidents. 7. Trump honors Rush Conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced he had advanced cancer, was one of Trumps guests at the address. In the middle of the speech, Trump announced that Limbaugh would receive the nations highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He then stopped his address so first lady Melania Trump could present Limbaugh with the medal. More than 80 percent of Limbaughs statements fact-checked by Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning winning website, were found to be false or mostly false. 8. A Murphy shout-out (during the Dem response, of course) Even before Trump spoke, the new chairman of the Democratic Governors Association was criticizing his policies, including the tax law that capped the federal deduction for state and local taxes, proposals to allow oil drilling off the Jersey Shore and his rhetoric on immigration. New Jersey is stronger and fairer than it was two years ago, but not because of any policy President Trump has enacted, Gov. Phil Murphy said. Murphy also got a shout-out from Whitmer for his efforts to replace the lead water pipes that contributed to the recent Newark water crisis. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A suspected neo-Nazi who pleaded guilty to a gun crime brought up his firearms and swastika flag in an interview with the FBI in Texas. Video shows Aiden Bruce-Umbaugh, 23, handcuffed and wearing in an orange jumpsuit, discussing his drug use. In the interview with agents Bruce-Umbaugh says that he uses drugs to 'help [him] get to sleep sometimes' and 'take the edge off'. He admits that he has some 'addiction problems' but maintains the marijuana is for personal use. He goes on to tell the agents he has 'a feeling' they want to discuss something else, saying: 'Well, I assume you're here because of my swastika flag and my firearms.' Bruce-Umbaugh is facing up to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person in Lubbock in January after an investigation by the FBI. Bruce-Umbaugh allegedly referenced his affiliation with 'the group,' declared he was 'a Nazi' in jailhouse phonecalls The suspected member of the Atomwaffen Division, an extremist neo-Nazi group, was arrested in November in the Texan city of Post, dressed in tactical gear. He was pulled over for speeding while travelling in the passenger seat with Kaleb Cole, 24, the suspected leader of Washingtons chapter of the Atomwaffen Division who is facing an unrelated charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. Firearms, a small canister of marijuana, and a vial of THC oil were found inside the Ford Focus. Bruce-Umbaugh admitted to possessing AR-15 rifle, two AK-47 rifles, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, and assorted ammunition while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Bruce-Umbaugh denied having anything illegal inside the vehicle during the traffic stop, but later admitted that the firearms, marijuana, and THC belonged to him. He told investigators that he smoked marijuana on a daily basis, according to plea papers. Aiden Bruce-Umbaugh, 23, admitted possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person The Atomwaffen Division is an extremist neo-Nazi group that releases propaganda videos featuring hateful rhetoric against Jews 'The Northern District of Texas is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,' US Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said. 'As a drug user, this defendant should never have been allowed to possess firearms. We're grateful to our law enforcement partners for helpings us keep this defendant, and his guns, off the streets.' FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said: 'The amount of weapons and ammunition seized from the defendant could have caused serious harm. Luckily, the FBI and our law enforcement partners successfully intervened before an act of violence could be committed.' In a detention hearing in November, prosecutors argued the government had reason to believe Bruce-Umbaugh was part of Atomwaffen Division. In jailhouse phone calls, he allegedly referenced his affiliation with 'the group,' declared he was 'a Nazi,' and discussed a photo taken of him and another Atomwaffen Division member at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Propaganda videos admitted into evidence, which feature hateful rhetoric against Jews, depict members of the Atomwaffen Division at self-described 'hate camps' practicing hand-to-hand combat and shooting firearms. 'Race war now!' they shout, before one displays a Nazi salute. Bruce-Umbaugh is set to be sentenced on April 23. Were not here on a tour. We want to stay here forever. Hindus lead a miserable life in Pakistan. Many of our brothers have been killed there, says Lali, 22, a Pakistani Hindu girl who crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border along with her parents. She is part of a group of 50 Hindu families who entered India on Monday on the pretext of visiting shrines but with the hope that they will be accepted and granted citizenship by the Government of India. The enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by Parliament on December 10 may have triggered violent street protests led by opposition parties but it has buoyed the hopes for Hindus facing persecution across the border. Though December 31, 2014, is the cut-off date for citizenship under the Act, the legislation has encouraged more Hindus to visit and stay on in India. Those crossing over now will have to apply for citizenship like any other migrant. 2,170 PAKISTANI HINDUS CROSS OVER SINCE DEC As many as 2,170 Pakistani Hindus have crossed over to India since December, an Indian official at the Attari-Wagah integrated check post said, requesting anonymity. In November last year, 534 Pakistani Hindus entered India. Of them, 378 returned to Pakistan. In December, the number grew to 870 Pakistani Hindus of whom 650 returned. However, this January, 1,200 Hindus arrived and only 300 of them returned, he says. So, in January the least number of Hindu Pakistanis, who came returned. During the first five days of February, 100 Hindus have already come from Pakistan. Many more are expected in the coming days, he says. The Hindus, most of them from Sindh province of Pakistan, come on a 25-day tourist visa on the pretext of visiting the holy city of Haridwar and other shrines in the country. DIDNT COME WITH FAMILIES EARLIER However, sources say, the number of Hindu visitors has never been so high. Moreover, the Hindus who came on pilgrimage in jathas (groups) earlier, did not come with their families. The average strength of a jatha was not more than 50 in a month. Since December, a jatha comprises more than 200 members with families included. For example, on January 28, the number of jatha members was 230, the official said. The jatha that arrived on Monday clearly sought refuge in India though they seemed hesitant to say so publicly, fearing it may upset their plans of settling down here. When TV cameras zoomed in on Lali, she was seen requesting the crew from electronic media that her photos should not be beamed in Pakistan. It can create problems. Its very difficult for us to reach here. By revealing our identity, you may add to troubles. We dont want to go back. Yeh hamari apni Bharat Mata hai (This is our motherland). NO GOING BACK, I LOVE MY INDIA A 14-year-old boy, Sri Ram, said, Things are not favourable for us in Pakistan. We have come to our country. We want to live here. We were born in Pakistan but we dont want to go back. Another teenager Kishore Kumar, a Class 5 student, was proudly wearing a cap with the Tricolour emblazoned on it along with the words: I love my India. We are not happy in Pakistan, he said. Another man accompanied by his two children and wife declined to be identified but said: Were here on 25-day visa and will decide our course after taking a dip in the Ganga at Haridwar. Another youngster requesting anonymity said, Hindustan is for Hindus. Pakistan is good country, but its people are not. We want to see what (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji does for us. The Hindus were carrying household goods, heavy luggage and sleeping material. Going by the goods they carried, it appears they are here for a long haul. UNDERSTANDING WITH INDIAN GOVERNMENT Four Hindu families that came from Pakistan the same day, were received by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who is vocal about the persecution of minority communities in the neighbouring country. He said the families had permanently left Pakistan in an understanding with the Indian government. We had urged the Indian government to grant them visas to rescue them from forcible conversion in Pakistan. These families will stay in Delhi till they are granted Indian citizenship, he added. Intro: ON THE RISE 2,170 Pakistani Hindus have crossed over to India since December 2019, 100 in the first five days of February itself; they arrive on a 25-day tourist visa to visit Haridwar and other shrines after which many choose to stay on SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The year 2020 could emerge as the start of the era of relative global chaos or major upheaval. It is the era we have been anticipating, as the impact of core population decline meets economic dislocation, and security and structural uncertainty. Changes in the fundamental sociological framework of global society, due to the end of the population growth cycle - and with it the end of the economic growth cycle based on expanding market size - were beginning to become evident by the beginning of 2020. It was apparent that 2020 was likely to see a major evolution in this transformation. The three inevitable trends which had been promoted in recent decades - the inevitable rise of the Peoples Republic of China; the inevitable decline of the United States of America; and the inevitable consolidation of the European Union into a strategic superpower had all, by 2020, retreated into the swamps of vainglory. A broad-brush landscape view of 2020 must include at least the following: The Peoples Republic of China and the BRI Framework: The Communist Party of China (CPC) should be expected to face unprecedented challenge in 2020-21, not only for its control of the economy of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), but to its ability to project the PRCs physical power in its immediate region, and across its suzerain empire, expressed through the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) network of states. The PRC economy has been faltering for several years, and growth in gross domestic product (GDP) figures have only been sustained by artificial construction transactions, which are now becoming unsustainable. It is now estimated that the PRC was in actual economic decline at a time, which will lead to a faltering in its foreign investment and loan capacity to sustain the BRI program. The BRI concept has become an ideology for the projection of the CPCs influence, far more than an economic platform, but it is one which has a real financial cost to the PRC and which is expressed in monetary terms. It was created as a de facto ideology to buy strategic space globally when traditional maoist-marxist ideology could not make any meaningful penetration. The CPCs ability to buy hearts and minds was made possible by the Chinese economic growth, which had been funded by the Chinese private sector, unleashed by PRC leader Deng Xiaoping (1978-92) after the death of Mao Zedong. The state economic sector did not contribute to this rise. Related: Can OPEC+ Rescue Oil Markets Once Again? By 2019, and even earlier, Pres. Xi Jinping had begun to curb the private sector and favor the state-owned enterprises (SOEs, which had not contributed to the economic miracle), in order to gain more control over society. It was a de facto return to maoism and economic stagnation at a time when urbanization and other factors were already stressing the PRCs capability to sustain growth. Moreover, the PRC has almost 20 percent of the global population and only seven percent of its water (and that water supply is decreasing due to consistently declining snowfall on the Tien Shan mountain range), and what water it does have is heavily polluted. Its food production is now totally compromised. The PRC has extensive foreign exchange holdings and holdings of US debt paper, but these are now beginning to erode as Beijing is forced to now expand its imports of foreign foodstuffs. The reason for the PRCs total capitulation to the US in the so-called trade war with the signing of Phase One of January 15, 2020 was (a) for the PRC to begin to cope with its growing food and economic crises, and (b) to ensure, for US Pres. Donald Trump, that the PRCs economy would not completely collapse in 2020, the year of pivotal US elections. So the PRC was already on economic life-support by the time the coronavirus pandemic began to become known by the end of January 2020. It was clear that the CPC was already well aware of the reality that the coronavirus had begun its broad contagion - with the consequent impact on the PRC economy - when it signed the trade deal with Pres. Trump. All of this, coupled with the economic impact of the revolt of Hong Kong against the PRC - effectively removing Hong Kong as one of the key economic contributors to the PRCs economic miracle - meant that the PRCs already-delicate economic condition was now in an unavoidable and dramatic decline. At the same time, the Hong Kong example meant that Beijings steady pressure to dominate the elections in the Republic of China (ROC: Taiwan) collapsed, resulting in a severe loss of prestige for the CPC. The Taiwanese intransigence meant that two Chinas continued to exist. The CPC could not claim total victory in the Chinese Civil War when the original state - albeit now reduced to a rump geography on Taiwan and other islands - continued to exist as a taunt to the legitimacy of Chinese maoism. The question was, then, what Beijing would do about the situation to prevent a domestic backlash and the collapse of the substantial BRI infrastructure which had developed throughout Eurasia and Africa, and through the Pacific. Pres. Xi must do something, if only to contain the unrest within the CPC, let alone within the PRC population. Was it possible that he would initiate military action against Taiwan? Or against Vietnam (perceptionally, an easier target, but one which embarrassed the PRC in 1979)? Or elsewhere? Xi must do something, and it will be disruptive, and possibly have significant negative impact on his own rule. US Pres. Trump, assuming he wins re-election in November 2020, may decide in 2021 to take the PRC off life support and re-start the trade war. The downstream ramifications are significant. Western Europe After Brexit, and the Re-Shaping of the Heartland/Maritime Balance: The myth of the European Union (EU) was finally shattered when the United Kingdom - despite ruthless pressures from the EU - left the EU on January 31, 2020. The EU was already in a delicate economic condition before that occurred, and would now lose significant traction as a result of the UK departure (Brexit). This raises questions: 1. Would the economic malaise which was likely to deepen in the EU in 2021 (unless it could achieve a tariff-free trade deal with the UK before that time) cause other EU members to question the value of the alliance? 2. Would the rump EU become more susceptible to influence from Moscow because of energy dependency on Russia? [And come under greater PRC pressure because of an economic dependency on PRC loans and investments?] 3. Would the EU attempt rapid increases in state-building to create an actual sovereign entity out of the Union? This approach, which had been the long course of action by EU leaders, defies the fact that the EU lacks a coherent defense capability as a requisite for actual superpower influence. The ideology of Brussels has been that the EU would build a third way of soft power, something which indicates that the proponents of this do not actually comprehend the necessity to have a comprehensive arsenal of soft and hard power resources. The EU has moved into a position, particularly with Brexit, of massively reduced influence globally. On the other hand, the move by the UK back to fully sovereign status means a re-galvanized position for the community of maritime powers, and for the Commonwealth. Despite a period of sorting out in 2020, the maritime powers (the UK, US, Canada, Australasia, possibly Japan, India, Taiwan, and so on) and the Commonwealth, have now begun to re-coalesce. Related: The Jet Fuel Crack Killing Oil Wont Last The ongoing weakness of the EU, however, has significant ramifications for stability in the Mediterranean Basin, and particularly related to actions by Turkey toward Cyprus, Greece, Libya (and by stealth, toward Egypt), and the Levant. There is an increasing likelihood of France continuing to take a sovereign view of strategic issues, and work closely with the UK. Moreover, some EU states - particularly Greece, Poland, and the Baltic States - will reinforce a new momentum in NATO, which should be expected to re-orient away from a purely North Atlantic context to become the basis of a global capability. The United States Moving To and Through Pivotal Elections: The US continues to be a nation divided at levels of polarization not seen since 1860. This is likely to worsen until (and beyond) the November 3, 2020, Presidential and Congressional elections. The internal US schism profoundly hampers both the attention which the US President can devote to strategic issues, and the prestige which gives the office influence. Thus, most of the strategic actions by the incumbent President fail to get attention in the US polity, such as initiatives to cement a new economic and power framework in Central Asia, extending through a resolution of the Afghanistan conflict, and linking to the Indian Ocean via Pakistan. And attempts since 2017 to break up PRC strategies (BRI) to control Eurasia and Africa. Of primary importance, then, is whether the US misses great opportunities in 2020 and possibly fails to start to regain unity in 2021, and whether the US can itself regain cohesion at all. It is not inconceivable that the US could see greater moves toward secession by some states, or toward violence between urban-controlled state structures against nationalist elements. In the US, it is the society-level schism which could work profoundly against the success of the state, as opposed to the PRC where it is the state which is now moving (again) against society. A Turning Point for Africa: The collapse of the PRCs suzerainty over much of Africa has meant a collapse of security there, and a return to corruption at a leadership level in those particular states. The absence of accountability or major-power pressure means that rapid decline should be expected in 2020 in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere on the Continent. Problems persist in the Horn of Africa and North Africa. This instability is being exploited substantially by Turkey, working alone and through Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) conduits, and by Iran. The fundamental decline in PRC investment and loans (and the pressure by Beijing for African states to deliver resources and other outcomes), as well as a tapering off of PRC purchases of resources from African states, will mean growing economic malaise in Africa. This will lead to an impetus toward mass migration to Europe (in particular) at a time when the EU states are increasingly less able to cope economically with this. A similar scenario could apply to much of Latin America and for similar reasons. The Transformation of the Middle East-Mediterranean: There was, as 2020 dawned, a kind of calm before the storm emerging in the Middle East. Irans clerics, after a period of panic after the death (long anticipated) of Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, were now looking more soberly at whether they could carry through with their planned new war against Israel. After initial euphoria about possible victory against Israel, there was the start of sober evaluation as to whether Iran could prevail. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which had briefly abandoned the US in 2019 to seek Moscows and Beijings support in keeping Iran from attacking them, had by 2020 begun to rebuild their relations with the US. Internal challenges in Saudi Arabia remained, and the task of restructuring Yemen in the wake of a collapse of the Saudi-UAE war there was beginning, but without Saudi influence. Meanwhile, Turkey continued to lash out with initiatives in Libya designed to help Ankara get access to the Egyptian-Israeli-Cypriot gasfields of the Mediterranean. Turkey, facing growing economic and social challenges, became the principal area of instability, which was likely to cause its President to undertake precipitate action in 2020. Is Chaos Likely to be Expressed as Paralysis and Distraction? As very real crises begin to emerge, what is significant is that urban societies tend to avoid all consideration of them and turn to the distractions of belief systems, particularly climate change politics (which is separate from actual climate change science). These drive internal societal passions, but paralyze capabilities to deal with actual strategic challenges. A sense of social distress is likely to become exacerbated in major urban societies as the economic decline of the PRC begins to bite the global economy. This will further polarize societies and impact funding for technological evolution. We are entering the period of uncertainty. By Gregory R. Copley via GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The CBI on Wednesday registered an FIR against unidentified officials in connection with a Rs 1,000 crore rehabilitation scam in Chhattisgarh, officials said. The officials are accused of siphoning funds amounting to Rs 1,000 crore from the State Resource Centre (SRC) and the Physical Referral Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC) of the state government over a period of 10 years. The Chhattisgarh High Court had directed the CBI to take over the probe, officials said. On January 30, the high court ordered the CBI to register a First Information Report against 12 bureaucrats, including seven IAS offlcials, in the case of the alleged irregularities. The order was passed by a division bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Parth Prateem Sahu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Making a strong pitch for his re-election amid the impeachment trial, President Donald Trump said that America has made a great comeback and the country is "thriving and highly respected again" as he boasted about the economic growth under his regime. Delivering his 3rd State of the Union address, Trump said on Tuesday that in just 3 short years, his administration has shattered the mentality of American decline and rejected the downsizing of the country's destiny. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back," Trump said during his over one hour address. The US president said that under his leadership, jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and "our country is thriving and highly respected again." "Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," he added. Trump underlined the country's economic gains under his leadership, asserting that "the American Dream is back" and is "stronger than ever before". "The years of economic decay are over...Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige," Trump said on the eve of his likely acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial. The president asserted his country's economy is the best it has ever been. Asserting that the US is moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, Trump, the first president to run for reelection after being impeached, said from the day he took office, he worked towards reviving economy and the agenda of his administration is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens. He said that whosoever coming illegally to the US would be promptly removed. "We entered into historic cooperation agreements with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75 per cent since May -- dropping 8 straight months in a row. And as the wall goes up, drug seizures rise, and border crossings go down," he said. Trump showered praise on the US military for for carrying out a "flawless precision strike" that killed Iran's military commander Qasem Soleimani and terminated his "evil reign of terror forever." "Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq," he said. "That is why, last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," he said. Trump said that the peace talks with the Taliban are underway and vowed to bring the US troops back from war-torn Afghanistan. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," he said. Speaking about the US-China relationship, he said for decades, China has taken advantage of the US, "now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Days ago, we signed the ground breaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the US," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Detectives witnessed him selling a semi-automatic pistol, which was later determined to have been stolen in an Ingleside burglary, Covelli said. Before that, Hudson allegedly sold a firearm which had been stolen during a burglary in the city of McHenry. Industry body Amfi has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities with regard to the government's plan to scrap dividend distribution tax (DDT) on mutual funds and introduction of tax deducted at source on the income distributed by such products, fund managers and officials have said. Industry experts believe that the government's plan to tax dividend at the hands of investors could make dividend plans in equity and balanced schemes unattractive and investors may move towards growth plans. In addition, long-term investment plans such as equity-linked saving schemes and retirement products will be impacted too as the proposed tax regime has no deduction available. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2020-21 has proposed to abolish dividend distribution tax (DDT) on the dividend declared by companies and mutual funds to shareholders or unit holders. Once the DDT is abolished, the dividend amount will be added to investors' taxable income and taxed as per the individual tax bracket. Currently, mutual funds deduct the DDT and then hand over dividend to the unit holders. In addition, the minister introduced a 10 per cent TDS (tax deducted at source) provision on the income distributed by a mutual fund to its unit holders if such income exceeds Rs 5,000. The minister proposed the insertion of a new Section -- 194K -- in the Income Tax Act, which states "any person responsible for paying income arising from units of mutual fund or a specified company must deduct tax at the rate of 10 per cent of such income", according to the Finance Bill 2020. The tax department on Tuesday clarified that the Budget proposal of 10 per cent TDS will be applicable only on dividend payment by mutual funds and not on gain arising out of redemption of units. In a statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said queries have been raised if mutual fund would be required to deduct TDS also on the capital gains arising on redemption of units. "It is hereby clarified that under the proposed section, a mutual fund shall be required to deduct TDS at 10 per cent only on dividend payment and no tax shall be required to be deducted by the mutual fund on income which is in the nature of capital gains," it said. It went on to state that necessary clarification, if required, shall be proposed in the relevant provision of the law. Samco Head (RankMF) Omkeshwar Singh said a TDS of 10 per cent has been introduced under new Section 194K for a payout of Rs 5,000 and above, however it is not clear if it considers only dividend or capital gains as well. "Industry body Amfi has sought formal clarifications from relevant tax authorities since TDS on long-term capital gains for equities is exempted up to Rs 1 lakh," he said. "We would need to wait for more clarification on this subject. Further, the new proposed tax regime has no deductions available under 80C, which was being used by governments to encourage long-term investment-cum-savings, that (ELSS or retirement) may get adversely impacted," he added. Several industry officials also said the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities in this regard. "With the removal of DDT on mutual funds, dividend income from mutual funds is now taxable in the hands of the investors at their relevant tax slabs (subject to a 10 per cent TDS)," said Kaustubh Belapurkar, director, manager (research), Morningstar. "We think this will make dividend plans in equity and balanced plans unattractive from a tax perspective for investors in the higher tax brackets as investors in a growth plan are liable to pay a LTCG (long-term capital gains) of 10 per cent," he added. Naveen Kukreja, CEO and co-founder of Paisabazaar.com said, "The government's move will positively impact a small segment of individual investors, who are not in the highest tax slab and were investing in the fixed income instruments under the dividend option," said Abhishek Bansal, Chairman and MD, Abans Group of Companies, said the proposal is a positive move. "Earlier, DDT was levied twice, first when a company would pay a dividend to an asset management company (AMC), second when the AMC would declare its annual profits. These year-end profits declared by the AMC could be availed of in two ways by the investor who is a customer of the AMC: Either the investor could take the gains out as a dividend or it could be invested back into the fund. If the investor took the dividend route, he would need to pay DDT again," he said. "This has now been replaced by a single simplified tax in terms of the abolishment of DDT and 10 per cent TDS to be applied by the AMC to its investors. This is hence a positive move," he added. Bansal said that now, the quantum of savings that would result because of this step needs some clarification from the government on whether TDS is to be cut on the income component or on the entire proceedings. Clarification on the same will surely be available over the next few days as the industry has requested clarity on the same. New Delhi, Feb 5 : There is no proposal is under consideration to set up deradicalisation camps in Jammu & Kashmir, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. This was stated by Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy. Earlier, supporting the idea of setting up of deradicalisation centres in Kashmir as suggested by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh had said such a move was welcome. Singh had said that Pakistan and its terror proxies have been trying to spread radicalisation in Kashmir which has affected many youth. He said deradicalisation centres will help those youth who have gone astray. He had called for a collective effort to tackle the issue of radicalisation in Kashmir and said experts and members from civil society must join hands to counter the problem. Last month speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, General Rawat had mooted the setting up of deradicalisation camps in Kashmir. COLUMBUS, OhioAs another person in Ohio is being tested for coronavirus, state health officials are being more tight-lipped about details than they were about the first suspected cases. On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health announced that a person in Ohio has been tested for the virus, which has so far killed about 500 people and infected 24,000 mostly in China, where the outbreak began. The state health department said no additional information including the persons name or location will be released until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determines whether or not the person has the virus. Thats in contrast to last week, when, following initial news reports, state health officials held a news conference, as well as conference calls with local health officials around the state, to provide details about two Miami University students who were tested after returning from China with flu-like symptoms. Both students ended up testing negative for coronavirus. Ohio has not had any confirmed cases. In addition to not releasing such information this time around to the media until the test results are in, the state health department has instructed local health officials this time around to neither confirm nor deny that the new suspected case is in their area, according to Adam Nation, a spokesman for the Cleveland Department of Public Health. An Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman didnt immediately return a phone call seeking comment on why the department clamped down on sharing information about the new potential case. But Nation said it was because the state health department wants to avoid a repeat of last week, when the two Miami University students were subjected to heavy media attention even though they werent identified, and it turned out they didnt have the coronavirus. They're worried about protecting the privacy of individuals, Nation said. And as with what they felt they saw in Butler County, they decided to change the way that they're instructing us to respond to these. Kevin Brennan, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, confirmed that this new potential coronavirus case is not in Cuyahoga County. Asked if he knew where the new suspected case is, Brennan said his agency has not been told that information. Its not like last week, when they were on statewide calls just talking about, whatever county they were in, Brennan said. Read more Ohio politics and government stories: Eight Ohio counties miss deadline to complete required pre-election security upgrades House passes veterans service dog bill by Ohios Rep. Steve Stivers Ohios foster-care system needs more caregivers, greater input from foster parents, state panel finds Proposed $13 minimum wage ballot issue clears Ohio panel, can begin collecting signatures A postal worker whose fingers were bitten off by a dog as she put a card through a letterbox is suing Royal Mail for 50,000 compensation. Clare Offord, 41, had only been in the job for five months when she lost portions from two fingers on her left hand during a route in Romford in 2016. Mrs Offord, from Essex, had put her hand through the letterbox to deliver a 'missed parcel' card when she felt the dog bite. The mother was rushed to hospital, but despite surgery was left without large parts of her ring and middle fingers. Mrs Offord is now suing her employer, claiming Royal Mail did not do enough to make sure she was safe on the route, which was not her normal round. But Royal Mail lawyers deny liability for her injuries at Central London County Court and dispute the 50,000 damages she is claiming. 'The claimant has lost the larger part of two fingers on her left hand,' her barrister, Ben Rodgers, told the court. 'Her fingers are not going to grow back.' Clare Offord, 41, had only been in the job for five months when she lost portions from two fingers on her left hand during a route in Romford in 2016 The mother was rushed to hospital, but despite surgery was left without large parts of her ring and middle fingers According to claim documents, Mrs Offord was a part-time relief postal worker in February 2016 when she was asked to cover for a colleague. The colleague had noted the presence of the dog, on a route in the Lowshoe Lane area of the town, her lawyers claim. The dog had been 'aggressive,' biting and pulling post through the letterbox, but this was not recorded on the route log, the document says. Her lawyers state: 'She was delivering a parcel. She rang the doorbell. The occupier did not answer the door. 'The claimant, as she had been trained to, filled out a form P739 - ''Something for you''.' 'She pushed the form through the letterbox. As she did so, the dog bit her, causing serious injury to her fingers.' According to claim documents, Mrs Offord was a part-time relief postal worker in February 2016 when she was asked to cover for a colleague Mrs Offord's legal team say she had been told never to leave an item hanging out of a letterbox, due to the risk of theft. But she had not been given a posting peg, a plastic device used for posting mail without workers having to put their fingers through the letterbox. The presence of the dog was also not noted on the 'walk log' and so she had no idea of the risk she was taking, it is claimed. The case was in court for a short preliminary hearing ahead of a full trial of the claim at a later date. Mr Rodgers told Judge Caroline Wilkinson that the owner of the dog was convicted of a Dangerous Dogs Act offence. According to a local newspaper report the dog's owner pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury in May 2016 at Barkingside Magistrates Court. The owner was reportedly ordered to pay fines, compensation and costs totalling 8,793 from which Ms Offord received a compensation order for 2,764. Mrs Offord's legal team say she had been told never to leave an item hanging out of a letterbox, due to the risk of theft Additionally the dog was hit with a 'contingent' (or suspended) destruction order, meaning that any further offences would result in the dog being put down. However, Mrs Offord had decided to sue Royal Mail and not the dog owner because of alleged 'wider issues' within the sorting office, Mr Rodgers said. The 'walk log' for that particular route had not been updated since 2011 and did not record the presence of the dog, he added. He also claimed managers at the Romford sorting office had failed to take 'reasonable care for the safety of their post persons.' As well as the cosmetic effect of losing her fingers, Mrs Offord has been left suffering with 'cold intolerance,' which may impact on her employment with Royal Mail, he continued. The court heard Royal Mail is defending the case, denying liability for Mrs Offord's injuries and contesting the size of her claim. Lisa Fountain, from Mrs Offord's solicitors Slater and Gordon Lawyers, said: 'My client had been in the job for less than six months at the time of this attack, which has caused serious and permanent disfigurement. 'Several thousand people are attacked by dogs each year including many postal workers so this should have been a known risk for Royal Mail.' According to Royal Mail, 47 postmen and women are attacked by dogs in the UK every week. DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the partys 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62% of precincts in the state. The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg's early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigieg's early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his party's most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden's campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. "We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline -- even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent press conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. And billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, saying he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The party's caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said thank you to Iowa and, tongue in cheek, expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes. "And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here," he said. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. With more than one-third of all precincts left to report, Sanders led on the first alignment. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbor Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren also said she was feeling good about her performance in Iowa. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion." A Biden campaign representative objected to the partys plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didn't address growing reports about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials, and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party. Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Bloomberg announced plans to double his national television advertising spending which has already exceeded $100 million as he expands his paid staff to more than 2,000 people. Bloomberg is looking to next month, having decided to bypass Iowa's contest and the three other states voting this month in favor of the delegate-rich states in March. After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever, Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. No one has made the sale or even come close to it." Beyond 2020, Monday's debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. ___ By Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont and Alexandra Jaffe United and American Airlines on Wednesday both announced plans to temporarily suspend flights to Hong Kong following the outbreak of a deadly new coronavirus. United said it would halt flights to the international financial hub from Saturday until February 20, citing a sharp drop in passengers. American Airlines said it had already suspended flights through to February 20. Both carriers had previously said they were halting flights to mainland China where the outbreak of the new coronavirus began late last year and has since killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 24,000. Dozens of major airlines have stopped flying to the Chinese mainland in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, which has been detected among a small number of people in more than 20 countries. The inclusion of Hong Kong in the flight ban comes as the city struggles with its own outbreak, with 18 people testing positive for the disease, including one who died. On Tuesday, health officials in Hong Kong warned there was now growing evidence of local transmissions -- cases where people have become infected without travelling to China. Hong Kong has one of the worlds busiest airports and is a major transit point for China. jta/qan American Airlines UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS Or it might have something to do with our own psyches. For some deep-seated reason, people cling to the idea of Brad Pitt as they think they know him or, though its impossible to know what goes on behind closed doors, as they want to know him: the strikingly attractive, humble Missouri native who just happened to become a superstar and has made serious mistakes but is trying to change. Maybe we just yearn for simpler times, and in our minds, that time is represented by a tanned and sculpted Pitt at his peak, named Peoples Sexiest Man Alive not once, but twice. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Another passenger who travelled to China was placed in the isolation ward at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital after he complained of fever. Throat swabs and blood samples will be sent for testing tomorrow, said sources from the hospital. Meanwhile, test results of three passengers who travelled from Wuhan with an infected student of Kerala is awaited, said Health Minister C Vijayabaskar after a stakeholder meeting on coronavirus preparedness, here on Tuesday. Samples have been sent to King Institute, Guindy. The health minister pointed out that so far 21 samples have tested negative for the novel coronavirus (nCoV). We have screened 1,225 people and kept them on house observation. Also, the Union Ministry had given new instructions, according to which an exclusive aero bridge should be set up and a dedicated screening team posted at airports, the minister said. When asked about travel advisory to Kerala, the minister said, It is a general precaution that we avoid going to affected places, adding surveillance has been increased in Coimbatore and Theni, bordering Kerala.The minister also said that the number of isolation wards has been increased and that the State is fully geared to meet any emergency. Health department officials said 10 people, including eight Chinese nationals, kept at the isolation ward in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital were sent home. Also, an advisory will be issued that the traffic police use sterilised breath analysers to prevent the spread of the virus. Another patient Another person was placed in the isolation ward. Blood samples will be sent for testing. BOSTON, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veruna , developer of the insurance industrys only agency management system (AMS) built on the Salesforce platform, is pleased to announce Jennifer Carroll as the companys new CEO, replacing Bob Scullin, who is moving into an expanded and ongoing role at Keystone Insurance Group, a major investor in Veruna. Jennifer has been part of the Veruna team as strategic adviser relating to growth strategy, but her expertise extends far beyond advising startups on funding, said Jon Lincoln , founder and chief product strategist at Veruna. Shes well-versed in high growth potential technology, and she started Day One with a clear understanding of our business and the change we bring to the table for insurance agencies. Were very happy to have her at the helm. Carroll has extensive experience advising technology startups through all life phases, from formation to venture financing to exits, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A). She is also a registered patent attorney with focused study and practice involving intellectual property (IP) matters, such as patent counseling, trademark prosecution, licensing, strategic partnerships, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) arrangements. Prior to being named CEO, Carroll helped the company raise more than $5 million in seed and series A funding, and as CEO she is focused on optimizing operations for efficiency and scaling the company. Technology designed specifically for insurance agencies has been at a development standstill for decades, said Carroll. Veruna took a clean slate look at the way agencies need to do business today and tomorrow in order to be competitive. Weve minimized implementation issues with cloud deployment and change management by building on the Salesforce platform. Im looking forward to taking the company to new heights as CEO. Carroll formerly served as general counsel and a fractional C-suite executive for startups such as Drillinginfo (now Enverus), the leading provider of data and analytics in the oil and gas industry, and Revionics, provider to Tier 1 retailers of pricing optimization software, as well as running a law firm focused exclusively on high-growth potential companies. Veruna takes an innovative approach to agency management by coupling exceptional technology with industry expertise, to deliver higher levels of mobility, flexibility, customization, and integration all backed by the expansion capabilities inherent to the Salesforce AppExchange. The winner of ACORDs 2016 Innovation of the Year award, and 2017 Organization Leadership and Case Study awards, Verunas contemporary agency management system (AMS) is revolutionizing the way modern insurance agencies do business. About Veruna Veruna delivers the insurance industrys only modern agency management system (AMS) built on the Salesforce platform and capable of driving quicker decisions using real-time data, robust analytics, and automated workflows with increased mobility, flexibility, customization, and integration all backed by the expansion capabilities inherent to the Salesforce AppExchange. For more information, please visit www.veruna.com . Media Contact: Jennifer Overhulse St. Nick Media Services jen@stnickmedia.com 859-803-6597 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cca41085-0303-4783-b962-a4a424aec445 A 31-year-old man has been charged over an $11 million cyber fraud in which he allegedly obtained the financial profiles and identities of more than 80 people to create fraudulent bank accounts and steal from their savings and superannuation accounts. Adam Jones, originally from South Australia, was arrested at a public library in Green Square on Wednesday morning after authorities closed in on the elaborate scheme allegedly targeting victims across Australia. Authorities estimate Adam Jones allegedly gained more than $11 million through the coordinated identity theft. Mr Jones has been charged with 24 offences, including knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, and dealing with identification information to commit an indictable offence. He did not apply for bail at Newtown Local Court on Thursday, however bail was formally refused. He will next appear at the same court on April 2. A fire ripped through several apartments in three different buildings in York County early Wednesday morning. Firefighters were dispatched at around 4 a.m. to the first block of York Street in Hanover Borough for an apartment fire, FOX43 reports. The fire spread to three buildings and affected six apartments. Up to 15 people were displaced as a result of the fire. No injuries were reported, but at least one pet died in the fire, according to FOX43. Crews are on the scene of a house fire in the 100 block of York Street in Hanover Boro. pic.twitter.com/yCQtsX5Py0 Cale Ahearn (@caleahearn11) February 5, 2020 There is no word on how many people were injured or the extent of any damage involved at this time: https://t.co/8DzZdKgMHG pic.twitter.com/NyVfzoWmuW Cale Ahearn (@caleahearn11) February 5, 2020 Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. CHENGDU, China, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tongzilin residential community, one of the most concentrated expat communities in Chengdu, with about 4,300 expats from more than 30 countries and regions. Thomas Deshors, 26, is one of the international volunteers participating in the investigation into the epidemic situation in Tongzilin residential community. Deshors started his "drop-in" visits to a residential community in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday.He has already mastered his work routine: first, ask the health condition of residents and take their temperature; then, ask them where they have been recently, especially if they have been to Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province and also center of the novel coronavirus outbreak; last but not least, share with them knowledge about protection against the virus and learn about their troubles. "I think a foreign face is more friendly to foreigners," Deshors said. The community lacks enough staff who can communicate with foreigners in English. Many foreigners living here have thus volunteered to help community workers. Tongzilin International Community Center, a platform to provide service for international residents, was established in September 2018 and an international volunteer alliance under the center was also founded to enable the expats in the community to participate in the governance of the community, said Zhang Jiarong, Party chief of the community. By the end of 2019, there were over 50 volunteers from different countries in the alliance. During the ongoing fight against the epidemic, the alliance called on the volunteers to lend a hand. On Jan. 26, a post online attracted the attention of many foreigners in Chengdu. It read, "urgent need for anti-epidemic volunteers. In response to the recent epidemic development, the community is eager to recruit English-speaking volunteers to carry out anti-epidemic communication for foreign residents." Ren Lijuan, a volunteer from Tongzilin Community International Volunteer Service Team who is in charge of the recruitment of volunteers, said about 160 people applied on the night when the online post was published, of whom nearly half were foreigners and many were new faces. On the afternoon of Jan. 27, the community started the drop-in visits. "Before the visits, we conducted training for the selected Chinese and foreign volunteers and provided them with masks and disposable gloves. In particular, we emphasized that volunteers should first protect themselves and maintain a certain distance from the residents," Ren said. From Jan. 27 to 29, the volunteers helped conduct the investigation covering most of the foreign residents in the community. Mario Rodriguez, an Ecuadorian pilot with Sichuan Airlines, just returned to Chengdu from Harbin on Thursday with his wife and three children. "Everything is good so far. We're taking precautions," said Rodriguez, adding that he and his family members stay at home and have enough food. Though it is difficult to buy masks, his friends and company are offering help. Similar drop-in visits have been carried out recently in many communities with concentrated numbers of foreigners in the Chengdu high-tech zone and Jinjiang District. Community workers and volunteers have collected the foreigners' demand for masks, disinfectant and other necessities and are trying their best to help. "We are all joining in, both Chinese or foreigners. I hope that while protecting their health, we can also bring warmth to these foreign friends," said Chen Lirong, director of the Tianhua community residents committee in the Chengdu high-tech zone. SOURCE Tongzilin Residential Community Washington: As US President Donald Trump ended his State of the Union speech without a single mention of impeachment, a dramatic scene was witnessed when House speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up the paper copy of his speech. Asked why she tore up US President's speech, Pelosi said it was the "courteous thing to do considering the alternative". A report in Guardian quoted longtime congressional reporters as saying that the top Democrat's move underscored what an unprecedented State of the Union it was, from the president's rejection of the speaker's handshake to Republican cheers of "Four more years!" in the House chamber. Q: Why did you tear up the speech?PELOSI: Because it was the courteous thing to do.PELOSI: It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative. Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 5, 2020 Trump, emerging from the shadow of impeachment, on Tuesday stared down Democratic lawmakers who seek to toss him from office and snubbed top Democrat Nancy Pelosi at a State of the Union speech he used to tout a rosy image of the US economy and his leadership. Trump avoided the subject of his impeachment in the early portion of his pugnacious speech, but the scars from the battle were evident with fellow Republicans giving him standing ovations while rival Democrats for the most part remained seated. The Republican-led Senate was expected to acquit him on Wednesday of charges he abused his powers and obstructed Congress. Seeing Pelosi, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker, for the first time since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago, he declined to shake her outstretched hand as he gave her a copy of his speech. Having not spoken to Trump since their last meeting, Pelosi appeared to be taken aback. She avoided citing the customary "high privilege and distinct honor" that usually accompanies the speaker's introduction of the president to Congress. "Members of Congress, the President of the United States" was all she said in introducing Trump. In the audience, Republicans from both houses of Congress chanted "four more years" as he stood at the lectern in the chamber of the House with a presidential election almost exactly nine months away. Democrats sat silently and some could be seen shaking their heads as Trump declared, "The state of our union is stronger than ever before." Pelosi, who dropped her opposition to impeachment and allowed Democratic lawmakers to seek the charges against him, sat stoically and grim-faced behind Trump and paged through a written copy of his speech. Trump entered the chamber with Democrats experiencing some measure of chaos after technical glitches delayed the results of voting in Iowa on Monday as the party seeks a nominee to face the incumbent Republican. Trump presented himself as a big improvement over Democratic President Barack Obama, whom he succeeded three years ago, saying he had bolstered US economic growth and increased jobs. "In just three short years we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny," he said. The House impeachment managers, acting as prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial, were seated together at the front of the Democrats' section. Healthcare in Issue Many House Democratic women wore white for a second year in a row, a sign of the suffragist movement that won women the right to vote 100 years ago. Several Democratic lawmakers refused to attend the annual speech to protest Trump, such as liberal firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump, using the speech to lay out his vision for a second four-year term, said a Democratic plan to expand government-funded health insurance amounted to a "socialist takeover" that would bankrupt the country, cut benefits for those who have them now and provide care to illegal immigrants Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed healthcare plans that would be entirely run by the government, a sharp departure from the current, private system in which millions of Americans get medical insurance from their employers. Trump's lack of a healthcare plan has left him open to criticism that he has not put enough work into finding a way to reduce rising insurance costs that burden middle-class Americans. "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!" Trump said. Democratic women stood and chanted "HR 3" - a reference to a Democratic bill that would lower drug costs. In the Democratic response to Trump's speech, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in excerpts of her remarks: "Democrats are trying to make your healthcare better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away." Trump offered an upbeat portrayal of his presidency in hopes of persuading Americans to give him another four-year term in the Nov. 3 election.He saluted surprise guest Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, and made cancer-stricken conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh an immediate recipient of the presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump's wife Melania pinning the ribbon around Limbaugh's neck. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" Trump said. Aides said Trump wanted to keep the speech upbeat despite his anger at being impeached by the House. He was expected to address the controversy after his almost certain acquittal in the Senate. Trump also revived his arguments that migrants should be stopped from crossing the southern U.S. border and that so-called "sanctuary cities" where migrants are protected are wrong. Pelosi could be seen shaking her head as Trump spoke of his views on immigration. After coming close to a broad conflict with Iran after he ordered the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, Trump said "we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." (With inputs from Reuters) Through the generous sponsorship from Arvest Bank and Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation, CTAC Live will bring the ANDY MEADOWS BIG BAND to Duncan on Friday, February 14th @ 7:30 pm. This is the last concert of the 2019-2020 CTAC Live Concert Series and will be held at the Simmons Center Theater. Andy Meadows big band performs his unique blend of crooner music, big band swing, western swing, jazz and country. Born in Flint Michigan and raised in the Texas Hill Country, Andy Meadows has been around music and the stage his entire life. His family owned and operated a country station in Texas, his father led the music in church and often invited a young Andy up to sing solos, his mother taught high school drama, and Andy began writing songs at age 16 and formed his first band a few years later. After getting a full scholarship to Texas Tech to study opera and later transferring to South Plains College to focus on commercial music, Andy went to work in radio. Accompanied by a vibrant 10 piece band, Andy's live show delivers vocals powerful enough to compete with the likes of Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra. Plus, Andy's all-star band includes a group of phenomenal musicians who have played with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole to Faron Young. Their unique blend of country, jazz, big band, swing, western swing, and blues work perfectly in concert halls, theaters and dance halls. With his 3 piece suits and his impromptu interactions with the crowd, Andy Meadows is a throwback to a time when musicians truly were entertainers. Andys most recent release, in 2018, was Bourbon Sessions Vol 1 with two new originals and the band's take on three more classics. In 2016, Modern Day Crooner was released which features Meadows' version of six classic songs as well as four of his originals. Others include Sounds Like Christmas an EP featuring 4 holiday classics and an original he co-wrote with producer Jason Manning called "When You're in Love on Christmas. For more ticket information, please call the CTAC office at 580-252-4160 or visit http://www.chisholmtrailarts.com. Chisholm Trail Arts Council is a nonprofit organization with a mission of Promoting and Inspiring the Arts in Southwest Oklahoma. CTAC receives support through Oklahoma Arts Council, McCasland Foundation as well support from businesses and memberships. OTTAWAOttawa concedes that the probe into Iran's downing of an Ukrainian airlines flight has slowed down as federal officials try to pressure Iran to turn over the jet's black boxes for analysis. Its been a month since missiles fired by the Iranian military brought down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 over Tehran and yet the aircrafts recorders have not been processed, defying international protocols that dictate that they be analyzed as soon as possible following an accident. On Tuesday, a frustrated federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau wrote Mohammad Eslami, Irans minister of roads and urban development, following up on a telephone conversation the two had Monday. Thats the point that I made very strongly (Monday) to the Iranians, that the world is looking, Garneau told reporters following a cabinet meeting. I told him we did not believe they have the necessary expertise and equipment in order to do the analysis and the decoding of the boxes which may be damaged and I encouraged them ... to look at the option of sending them to France, he said. While the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are said to have been significantly damaged, they could still provide critical clues about the flight, which was shot down just minutes after it departed Tehran bound for Kyiv. Of the 176 people on board, 138 including 57 Canadian citizens and 29 permanent residents were headed to Canada. There are requirements to analyze these boxes as quickly as possible, Garneau said. I think its just a question of the decision making process thats going on internally within Iran and we are encouraging them to speed that up, he said. This weeks exchanges with Iran follow a Friday meeting Garneau and Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne had with Salvatore Sciacchitano, president of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, one of the governing bodies of the Montreal-based agency responsible for setting aviation standards. ICAOs recommended practices for accident probes state that the nation leading the investigation shall arrange for the readout of the flight recorders without delay. That meeting was to ask the ICAO to encourage Iran to follow the international standards for the timely analysis of the black boxes, one federal official told the Star, speaking on background. ICAO confirmed Tuesday that Canada has been in touch about access to the flight recorder data. Our council president is conveying a letter to Irans civil aviation authority to confirm this is the case, and to remind it of its relevant obligations, agency spokesperson William Raillant-Clark said in an email. The delay was a focus of a Monday conference call among representatives of the nations that had citizens on the flight, including Canada, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom. The government group was formed to help give voice to the concerns of family members who lost loved ones in the crash. According to a summary provided by the Global Affairs, the group called on Iran to release the black boxes immediately as a demonstration of continued willingness to have a full and transparent account of this event. The group also pledged to find common ground on legal options for negotiations with Iran on compensation to the families. Despite Irans foot-dragging over the black boxes, Garneau downplayed concerns that tensions between Ukraine and Iran would derail the investigation. Iran has reportedly stopped sharing information with Ukraine after Ukrainian media reported on air traffic control recordings that suggested that officials knew immediately that at least one missile had struck the jet. Garneau said the investigation has slowed down but insisted it was still going to go forward. I have assurances of that from Iran, he said. Garneau noted that in the aftermath of the crash, Iran did allow two investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to visit the crash site and examine wreckage. The board has also offered its expertise to help process the black boxes. Iran started off on a very good footing. We need them to continue on that footing especially with respect to the analysis of the black boxes. Were going to continue pushing it. Im confident that its going to happen, he said. Read more about: Luther Anthony Randolph, 84, of Media, a jazz organist and record producer whose hits Yes, Im Ready and Hey There Lonely Girl, helped shape the Philadelphia soul sound of the 1960s, died Monday, Jan. 27, of complications from a series of strokes at Bryn Mawr Terrace. Mr. Randolph became interested in music at an early age, when he began playing the trumpet and piano. At age 12, he began studying the piano in earnest. He spent so much time practicing that his mother had to chase him off the instrument to do his chores, his family said in a statement. Mr. Randolph launched his career playing piano for the First Baptist Church of Morton and by 16 was playing R&B and jazz professionally. Fascinated by the artistry of organist Jimmy Smith, Mr. Randolph tackled the jazz organ in 1960 and mastered it. He moved away from the piano in favor of the organ. In 1962, teaming up with guitarist Johnny Stiles and jazz drummer Norman Connors, Mr. Randolph released the hit record Cross Roads. It soared to No. 1 in Philadelphia R&B rankings and enjoyed a strong showing nationally. Mr. Randolph joined with Stiles and vocalist Weldon McDougal III to establish Harthon Records, a Philadelphia soul label, in the early 1960s. The company produced records for vocalists including Barbara Mason and Herb Ward. Masons Yes, Im Ready peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1965. Sharon Stiles, Johnny Stiles wife, said the song became a million-dollar seller. Stiles died in 2017. The song that really put Philadelphia soul on the map was Barbara Masons Yes, Im, Ready, a pop #5 hit in the spring of 1965, wrote Peter Shapiro in the 2015 book Turn the Beat Around. The record established the lush tones that would characterize the Philadelphia soul sound, he wrote. In a rinky-dink office at 59th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, thats where the whole thing started, Sharon Stiles recalled. Luther and Johnny Stiles had a big part in everything that was done. We were close. The label also produced recording artist Eddie Holmans 1970 hit single, Hey There, Lonely Girl, which placed at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart. Over the next few decades, Mr. Randolph headlined at the Round Table in West Philadelphia, Bob and Barbaras Lounge on South Street, and Zanzibar Blue in the Bellevue Stratford. He and Stiles toured the East Coast and played at Atlantic City hotels before the casinos arrived. Born in Media to the Rev. Fredrick and Emma Randolph, he spent his childhood in Media, where he attended the public schools. Later, he lived in Ridley Township, Sharon Hill, and Philadelphia. Mr. Randolph believed in education as the key to advancement. He completed a bachelors degree at an art college in Philadelphia and a masters degree in education at Howard University in Washington. After graduating, he joined the Army and was deployed to Germany as a musical ambassador to help improve Cold War relations. Mr. Randolph and Stiles remained friends through the years. Luther had an infectious smile, said Sharon Stiles, who described him as a handsome man with an imposing physical presence and a winning manner. And he was so nice. He lit up a room because he was always smiling. He was so gentle. He was raised that way. While Mr. Randolph pursued a music career, he had a parallel career as a teacher in the Philadelphia School District. Starting in 1966, he taught elementary school and then art and music at Sayre Middle School in West Philadelphia. He retired in the early 1990s. Mr. Randolph became aware of the civil rights movement and joined its ranks in the late 1950s. He met the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and inspired by his speeches, helped organize sit-ins at the segregated lunch counter at an F.W. Woolworths store in Chester. In retirement, Mr. Randolph took classes in how to trade stocks and securities and shared his knowledge with friends and family. Mr. Randolph was married to Myrtha Randolph. They divorced; she survives. He married Geraldine E. Randolph, who died in 1993. In 2001, he married Sylvia Hayre. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Coree Cuff Lonergan; stepdaughter Lee Harrison; two sisters; a granddaughter; and many nieces and nephews. A viewing starting at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the First United Methodist Church, 350 W. State St., Media, will be followed by an 11 a.m. funeral. Interment will be in Rolling Green Memorial Park, West Chester. When the late, great Karl Lagerfeld announced he was designing a collection with H&M back in 2004, the (fashion) world nearly stopped. The head of Chanel (that haute-est of houses), famous for his exquisite catwalk creations, designing for a shop known for 10 T-shirts? It will never work, we chortled. But, of course, Lagerfeld had the last laugh. The designer/High Street collaboration is part of the retail landscape nowadays. We've seen brands from Balmain to Jimmy Choo jumping aboard the bandwagon and producing mass-market capsule collections. But this week, the high-low idea is entering the next realm: couture. Well, nearly. Anthropologie is launching a collection with Spanish 'pret-a-couture' house Delpozo. It's an interesting choice. You've probably never heard of Delpozo. But look closer and it's a fitting match. Anthropologie is launching a 20-piece collection with Spanish 'pret-a-couture' house Delpozo (Pictured: A 175 skirt from the collection) Items from the collection include a ruffled print blouse for 129 (right) and a floral printed dress for 198 (left) The Spanish brand has been quietly climbing the fashion ranks of late, its delectably pretty new look with unusual pastel colour combinations and 3D petal shapes proving catnip for celebrities and the fashion crowd alike. But the big selling point (if you've got that kind of money) is its 'demi-couture'. What on earth does that mean? Haute couture proper has to meet a strict set of criteria, a bit like Champagne. Meanwhile, the diluted Delpozo version uses skilled artisanal elements (hand-embroidery, the finest fabrics) while being available to buy off-the-peg. And Anthropologie, a mecca for all things unusual yet special, has the same sort of appeal for those of us with Champagne tastes on a cremant budget. Pictured: The 298 Anthropologie X Delpozo floral jacquard trench coat, with pastel tones The high street collaboration also includes a floral-print dress (left) and an embellished jumpsuit So, does the 20-piece Anthropologie X Delpozo collection live up to its promise? My magpie heart is definitely beating faster for the embellished pieces. The delicate floral prints and sherbet and sugared-almond colours are delicious. Plus the range also spans homeware and furniture. It might not be true couture, but it's a cut above other collaborations. So what next? The bespoke suits of Savile Row or one-off Dior creations hitting the High Street? We can live in hope. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 08:30:54 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 816 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Andrew Chen, a storyteller turned entrepreneur, receives his nomination of the 1st International Influencer Award in 2018 for his exemplary contribution to My Inspire Project.The marketing expert, digital media influencer, and an absolute curator, Andrew Chen, has made himself an epitome in New York and Taiwan. He has been a benevolent partner to many organizations like LVMH Group, Gilt Groupe, Bergdorf Goodman, and Issey Miyake. Apart from his achievements as a multi-professional icon in Marketing, Business Development, Digital Strategy, and Multi-Channel Retailing, Andrew is also a member behind the Luxury Education Foundation. He has been an extremely talented personality even during his academic years. His certification from Parsons School of Design and his international education background speak for his ladder of success.With risks come great responsibilities. In the same manner, Andrew Chen converted his risks, fear, and strength to bring on to the podium, My Inspire Project.' This global thought platform is the coagulation of Co-Founder, Henry Hu, and Chen's unbeatable thoughts in terms of the travel and luxury industry. My Inspire Project is a channel that connects clients with the potential audience. Apart from luxury and travel diaries, Andrew leaves no room for adapting different cultural experiences and curated lifestyle into his project. The business of these two hard-working entrepreneurs is connecting with the millennial generation irrespective of caste, gender, creed, sex, or religion.The building of this great example of holistic activities did not happen in a day. When Andrew Chen decided to take a leap from the corporate industry and start helping designers and brands to manifest a brand consciousness in the digital media, My Inspire project came into force. For more than a decade, the pioneer of the design industry traveled to extreme places, executed VIP events, and conducted social media assessments to make a formula like a project. Slowly and steadily, by the end of 2018, the platform started to gain humongous feedbacks from customers. The graphics, video, and brand messages were bold enough to attract viewers across all latitudes and longitudes. These permutations and combination gave birth to one of the rising Influencers in early 2018, Andrew Chen.Andrew and Henry's My Inspire Project is responsible for creating superior content for corporate business holders and high-end individuals who demand unique and impactful writings. In addition, the company has already collaborated with art organizations, hospitality groups, LGBT communities, tourism boards, and fashion houses across the globe. My Inspire Project's team has discovered a new medium for celebrating the unheard voices of individuals. Using the professionals of the Project,' one can transcend the value of positive living and sustainability too. The company is known worldwide for its curation in the luxury world. My Inspire Project is determined to bring out expertise in planning, trend analysis, and forecasting them at large scale. Andrew focuses more on the market trends of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East regions for understanding the global trends in the travel and luxury branch.After receiving global recognition, the company began to run smoothly with prolific talents coming in to make it a concrete platform for international causes and concerns. According to the owners, My Inspire Projects stands on 3 pillars, "Individuality," "Exclusivity," and " Authenticity." Keeping these 3 parapets in mind, the company is also launching on social media platforms on RED in China. Andrew understands that for any entrepreneur, the Chinese market holds great importance. To keep up to the level of the markets of China, the company will soon launch a travel film for Suzhou. This film will render insight into the culture, color, and vintage for knowing the market from a close focal length. The main aim of the organization is to connect the lifestyle, tradition, and moral values of the East and the West through My Inspire Project. Unlike other trip advising channels, Andrew Chen does not keep his travel tips too sophisticated. He curates in a well-versed and simple manner so that the audience can gain knowledge from it. The project also collaborates with many premium travel agencies such as South America based VMElite, for co-designing and curating various exclusive programs and experiences. To be a member of the community and obtain further information about My Inspire Project, look up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9fR5jMJYk&feature=youtu.be About Andrew ChenAndrew Chen, as said earlier, is an earnest entrepreneur who wants the audience to reach the global exotic spots, learn destination, cultural values, and travel tips through his project's social media channels involving YouTube, Red, and Instagram and soon his own website and newsletter for close members.Media ContactCompany Name - My Inspire Project, Copyright of Gloren Co.Email Address - info@ myinspireproject.com Website URL - https://www.myinspireproject.com/ Instagram URL - www.instagram.com/myinspireproject/ SOURCE: My Inspire Project, Copyright of Gloren Co. The Vatican sends hundreds of thousands of masks to China in an attempt to help stall the spread of the Coronavirus. The joint initiative of the Office of Papal charities and the Missionary Centre of the Chinese Church in Italy has seen hundreds of thousands of masks sent to China. According to a Press Statement by the Holy See Press Office, the masks have been sent to Hubei, Zhejiand and Fujian provinces, which appear to be the areas most affected by this virus. Health officials believe the virus was initially transmitted from animals to humans, but that human-to-human transmission of the flu-like illness is now occurring. The illness has now officially been spread to over 20 countries around the world. Chinas Health Commission reported on Sunday that there were 475 recoveries and 361 deaths nationwide, around 2% of those reported to have been infected with the virus. The number of people who have recovered nationwide has also risen in recent days, suggesting that the new viruss fatality rate is relatively low. A political activist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has strongly condemned the Kashmir Solidarity Day, which is to observed in PoK on February 5 at the behest of Pakistan. Amjad Ayub Mirza said, "Celebration of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 is a fraud. It is not related to any event in Kashmir, which makes it a day to be observed. Jamaat-e-Islami and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq decided to observe this day with an aim to play over Kashmir. It was to encourage terrorism in Kashmir and garner local support". Pakistan observes the day every year, which it says is to renew its pledge of continuing support to the Kashmiris fighting for their right to so-called self-determination. However, it ironically continues to occupy PoK and Gilgit Baltistan, the part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Mirza said, "Today's reality is that in Pakistan occupied Kashmir; including Gilgit Baltistan, there are no good roads, no medical facilities, no medical and engineering universities. There is no railway and no airport. In Skardu and Gilgit, there are airports, but with poor infrastructure. In PoK, there is no airport. While in Jammu and Kashmir there are 10 airports, railway infrastructure and motorways are there. It has seen rapid development". He praised New Delhi for revoking Article 370 and Article 35 (A) from Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir should be part of India for its peace and prosperity. Mirza said, "Gilgit Baltistan should be attached with Ladakh. PoK, including Poonch and Mirpur, should be attached with Jammu. It will help to strengthen people to people contacts. Secondly, the people from PoK, who are migrated as labourers in foreign countries, will be economically stable in their own land". He added, "I wish to invite you to help us becoming part of India. We should be part of India, which is a growing economy and the world's largest democracy. We will not only be able to have opportunities for jobs and development, but our region will also get benefitted". "We are not Pakistanis. We are residents of Jammu and Kashmir. It is our right to decide whether we wish to go with India or Pakistan. How can we go with a country like Pakistan, which is responsible for our destruction?" asked Mirza. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia suspended its parliament for a day to honour the victims of its summer of devastating wildfires, as protests against the government's handling of the crisis continued. On the first day back after the summer recess, Prime Minister Scott Morrison postponed ordinary business in the capital, Canberra. Instead, he and other MPs paid tribute to those killed by the raging bushfires, which include nine firefighters and three American Air Force personnel whose plane crashed while battling a blaze in New South Wales. "This is the black summer of 2019-20 that has proven our national character and resolve," Mr Morrison said. "These fires are yet to end and danger is still before us in many, many places, but today we gather together to mourn, honour, reflect and begin to learn from the black summer that continues." Although more than 100 fires still rage, cooler weather means none currently posed an immediate threat, Australia's meteorological authorities have said. Families of some victims were in the public gallery as the embattled leader - who was castigated for going on holiday to Hawaii at the height of the crisis - vowed Australia "is not and will never be overwhelmed". SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A civil rights leader who was gay and a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was posthumously pardoned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also announced Wednesday what may be the nations first process for forgiving those convicted under outdated laws punishing homosexual activity. Bayard Rustin was a key organizer of the March on Washington in 1963 where King gave his seminal I Have a Dream speech. He also helped plan other nonviolent protests and boycotts to end racial discrimination. Newsom pardoned Rustin for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena, where he was appearing as part of a lecture tour on anti-colonial struggles in West Africa. Rustin served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender before returning to his home state of New York. He died in 1987. Newsom noted that police and prosecutors nationwide at the time used charges like vagrancy, loitering and sodomy to punish lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. He issued an executive order creating a new initiative to identify those who might be eligible for pardons and swiftly consider those applications. Rustin is far from alone, Newsom said in the order. He encouraged others in similar circumstances to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong. Countless others in California, as well as around the country, have experienced similar unequal application of the law because of stigma, bias and ignorance, Newsom said. His conviction is part of a long and reprehensible history of a criminal prohibitions on the very existence of LGBTQ people and their intimate associations and relationships. Equality Federation executive director Rebecca Isaacs and Movement Advancement Project research director Naomi Goldberg said it appears Newsoms is the first such clemency effort in any state. Californias new initiative gives them a path to clear their names, Isaacs said in a statement. Newsom first gained national prominence in 2004 when, as San Franciscos mayor, he ordered officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The practice was overturned then but eventually became the law nationwide. Last month, the California Legislatures LGBTQ and black caucuses asked the Democratic governor to pardon Rustin. Rustins close friends knew he was gay, but his religious and political associates distanced themselves after his arrest, Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber told Newsom on behalf of the caucuses. Generations of LGBT people including countless gay men were branded criminals and sex offenders simply because they had consensual sex, Wiener said in a statement praising Newsoms actions. This was often life-ruining, and many languished on the sex offender registry for decades. Weber said the pardon helps leave Rustins legacy in the civil rights movement uncompromised. Rustin was a great American who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail, she said in a statement praising Newsom. This pardon assures his place in history. Rustin was stripped of his leadership post at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a pacifist organization involved in the civil rights movement, after U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina read Rustins arrest file into the Congressional Record. California repealed the law against consensual sex between same-sex adults in 1975. In 1997, it created a way for those individuals to be removed from the California Sex Offender Registry. But neither step changed the original convictions. President Barack Obama honoured Rustin posthumously with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Kings famous I Have a Dream speech. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Brussels, 6 February 2020 : Although assisted reproduction is now controlled by legislation in almost all European countries, substantial variations exist within the detail of that legislation. The most complete survey ever of the legal and funding framework of 43 European countries has found that almost all of them (with the exceptions of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Romania and Ukraine) now have specific legislation in place.(1) However, while there is some shift towards homogeneity in a growing number of jurisdictions (such as the removal of donor anonymity in sperm and egg donation, or the treatment of single and lesbian women), Europe remains a patchwork of local legislations in how its main fertility treatments are controlled and made available to the public.(2) The greatest legal variants were found in access to treatment (according to age, relationship status), third-party donation, fertility preservation (either ahead of cancer treatment or for personal/social reasons), and public funding. Access to treatment In 11 of the 43 countries surveyed access is limited to heterosexual couples with a diagnosis of infertility, which precludes treatment of single and lesbian women (who often have no diagnosed cause of infertility). These countries include Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. France is presently in the process of relaxing its legislation to include the treatment of single and lesbian women. Thirty-four of the 43 countries have legal age limits for treatment. In 21 (including Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK) males and females must be above 18 years. Maximum female age is also a legal limit in 18 countries, ranging from 45 years in Denmark and Belgium (in the latter this limit applies to egg retrievals while embryo replacement and insemination are allowed up to 47 years) to 51 in Bulgaria. There are no legal age limits in Finland, Germany, Norway, while current legislation in France sets a female upper limit at "normal reproductive age", Spain at the "age of the menopause", and the Netherlands at age 49. Treatments While donor sperm for IVF and intrauterine insemination is allowed in almost all European countries, egg donation is banned in Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Embryo testing for chromosomal status (PGT-A, formerly known as PGS) is not permitted in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands. Embryo sex selection (by PGT-A) is not allowed in any country (except in some countries to screen embryos for sex-linked diseases). Age limits are set for sperm donors in most countries - most commonly a lower age of 18 years and upper age of 40 years. Limitations on the number of infants originating from the same donor are in place in 30 countries, in five as a recommendation and not a legal obligation. In seven of these 30 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and UK) there is a maximum number of families/women who may have children resulting from the same donor (from two for Slovenia, to 10 for UK and 12 for Denmark). Most countries set a lower age limit of 18 for egg donors, and an upper limit ranging from 34 years in Serbia to 38 years in France, with the vast majority of countries setting the limit at 35 years. The biggest recent change moving towards homogeneity in Europe is in the anonymity of egg and sperm donors. However, strict anonymity remains the law in 18 countries, including France, where regulatory developments are likely to change this requirement. In some countries anonymity applies to recipients but the born children can have access to donors' identity when above a defined age (Austria, Croatia, Finland, Malta, Portugal, UK). In Germany and Switzerland, where anonymous donation is not allowed, recipients may bring their own donor to provide eggs just for that couple, a practice also allowed in all countries. Recent developments in direct-to-consumer DNA testing and the huge DNA databanks building up as a result means that anonymity can no longer be guaranteed anyway. Similarly, legislation has not caught up with egg freezing, which was made possible with the widespread introduction of fast-freezing by vitrification. However, the freezing of eggs (and sperm) for the preservation of fertility ahead of cancer treatment (ie, for medical reasons) is allowed in all countries, despite an absence of specific legislation in 17 of them. Non-medical ("social") egg freezing is not permitted in Austria, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Serbia and Slovenia, but is allowed in Germany and Switzerland. Public funding Public funding systems are extremely variable. While four countries (including Ireland) provide no financial assistance to patients, limits to funding are defined in all the others - most commonly female maximum age, previous children, and a maximum number of treatments publicly supported. Generous public schemes are found in Denmark, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Slovenia; in the latter three countries funding is linked to a clinical policy, such as the number of embryos transferred (relative to female age) and the rank of the treatment attempt. Public centres have far longer waiting lists than private ones, with a waiting time between 12 and 24 months in Italy, Spain, Ukraine and some areas of Portugal. The authors report that "social, cultural or religious" factors in different countries explain some of the variations in regulation and application, especially in third-party donation treatments and surrogacy. "Our data show how differently European countries have dealt with these issues," said Professor Carlos Calhaz-Jorge, first author of the study and a former chairman of ESHRE's IVF Monitoring Consortium. He added that travel for treatment to other jurisdictions may overcome these restrictions - reflecting the strength of patient power in assisted reproduction. "Lower treatment costs, access to techniques not possible in the home country, donor eggs and sperm more readily available, and expectations of better quality treatments are key drivers for this cross-border phenomenon," he said. However, he warned that such movement may expose patients to "less controlled clinical environments". Commenting on the findings, Calhaz-Jorge was doubtful of pan-European legal homogeneity in the coming years. "In each country there are subgroups with different views from the majority - or, at least, from the politicians in charge. That's why cross-border treatments developed. However, with third-party donation there is evidence of a general trend towards less restrictive regulation. But even here we've seen that that move depends mainly on the individual commitment of a couple of politicians with strong convictions." ### 1. The survey was performed by the European IVF Monitoring Consortium of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). The full report of the survey is published today in the ESHRE medical journal Human Reproduction Open: Calhaz-Jorge C, De Geyter C, Kupka MS, et al. Survey on ART and IUI: Legislation, regulation, funding and registries in European countries. Hum Reprod Open 2020; doi:10.1093/hropen/hoz044 Please see this report for more specific data on individual countries. 2. Details in the report were accurate on 31 December 2018. Since then, some countries are in the process of updating their regulations (such as France), or introducing new legislation (such as Ireland). * When obtaining outside comment, journalists are requested to ensure that their contacts are aware of the embargo on this release. For further information on the details of this press release, and access to the full paper, please contact: Christine Bauquis at ESHRE Mobile: +32 (0)499 25 80 46 Email: christine@eshre.eu The woman was released on bail (stock photo) A Belfast woman has appeared in court charged with blackmailing the man she claims subjected her to a sex attack. The 55-year-old allegedly made a demand for a 3,000 payment with menaces. She cannot be identified due to the nature of her complaint. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard the alleged blackmail offence was committed in October last year. A defence lawyer described it as a "delicate" case, with the charge against his client emerging during an ongoing police investigation. He argued that the woman will have lifetime anonymity if her allegations are proven. "She was the victim of a serious sexual assault," the barrister claimed. "This (blackmail charge) has the essence of a counter-complaint." Deputy District Judge Joe Rice confirmed the woman had been connected to the alleged extortion offence. He released her on 500 bail, to return to court later this month for an update in the case. The Iowa caucus debacle is just the latest example of politicos building faulty technology -- with serious political consequences. Professional technologists shuddered at the apparent incompetence and hubris as details emerged Tuesday about the Iowa Democratic party rushing a contract for its caucus results app with a little-known tech company founded by veterans of Hillary Clinton's campaign, pushing the app out faster than it could be responsibly built and rejecting opportunities for testing and security vetting. The resulting implosion of the app from Shadow Inc. on the first vote of 2020 undermined faith in the electoral process just as Democratic party leaders were trying to restore it. The country is still waiting for the full results. "The most important lesson anyone should take away from this is that if you're going to use a new technology that you need to very rigorously test it and exercise it and plan for what your backup will be if it fails," Eric Rosenbach, a former top Pentagon official who leads the Defending Digital Democracy program at Harvard University, told me. "That didn't happen here, which is disappointing," he said. "That's not something that's good for democracy." The high-profile coding error, which produced inconsistencies in reported caucus results, was reminiscent of other times when the government or campaigns built digital tools -- but the hard work of getting the tech right took a backseat to other priorities. In 2013, health insurance seekers could barely use the Obama administration's online exchange Healthcare.gov when it was first released, dealing a serious blow to the former president's main domestic policy achievement. It prompted jabs from Republican critics that a government that couldn't build a website couldn't possibly revamp healthcare that some echoed this week. It took two months and the intervention of a tech "tiger team" before the site was functional. And on Election Day 2012, the Mitt Romney campaign outfitted thousands of volunteers with a custom app called Orca that was designed to share real-time analytics from polling places and get-out-the-vote efforts in swing states. It was supposed to mark a revolution in campaign technology and a Republican counterstrike to the 2008 Obama campaign's Project Houdini program, which helped deliver one of the most data-driven Election Day operations in history. Instead, the app failed to load for many volunteers and crashed repeatedly for others, leaving many volunteers with nothing to do. The flops came as top leaders tried to meet political timelines leading to a major failure on the national stage. The Shadow app seems to have been built in an even hastier fashion. The Iowa Democratic Party only opted to build an app for reporting caucus results late last year after the national party raised security concerns about reporting results by phone, the New York Times's Matthew Rosenberg, Nick Corasaniti, Sheera Frenkel and Nicole Perlroth reported. Shadow, which they reported won the contract over other multiple bidders, built the app in just two months, which is almost certainly far less time than major tech companies would take. That rushed approach often spells disaster for tech projects, which need extensive testing to ensure all the major bugs are worked out, Steven VanRoekel, a former Microsoft executive who was the nation's chief information officer during the Healthcare.gov launch told me. "It seems as if they tried to deploy something last minutes that hadn't been vetted, hadn't run through rigorous testing and that's when stuff breaks down," he said. The Iowa party was also focused on dozens of other caucus priorities and seemed to be ignoring a lot of warning signs when it came to the app. That echoes the initial Healthcare.gov release when most of the people responsible for it in government had other important jobs and no one was laser focused on ensuring the technology worked, VanRoekel told me. "If it's not a wake up everyday and do it project for someone, you shouldn't ship it," he said. "You shouldn't put it out there because it's just destined for failure." On the company's side, Shadow was also hampered by a lack of coding expertise, an unfamiliarity with major tech projects and not enough time to get the app approved by Apple's app store, the Times reported. "Instead, the app had to be downloaded by bypassing a phone's security settings, a complicated process for anyone unfamiliar with the intricacies of mobile operating systems, and especially hard for many of the older, less tech-savvy caucus chairs in Iowa," they write. The massive delay in the results on such a high-stakes night not only diminished public faith in Democrats' ability to run elections but created a situation ripe for disinformation, tainting the caucus as much as a foreign interference campaign might have. "The danger of a snafu like this is that it undermines trust in the democratic process and the more often that happens the less likely Americans are to trust that the vote they put in is actually the vote that counts," said Rosenbach, whose group focuses on combating foreign interference in campaigns. "They're more likely to start to believe some of the fringe conspiracy theories that pop up on Twitter or on Facebook." State election officials, who have spent months or years vetting voting systems and other technology before they're approved for use in general elections, described Iowa's situation as "cringeworthy." State election officials often don't play a role in technology used in caucuses, though they typically supply state-approved machines in states with primaries. "Before you can make any technological change in elections, you have to have two things. You have to have confidence and you have to have competence," Ohio's Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose told my Washington Post colleague Neena Satija. "What I saw was kind of a cringeworthy thing for any of us that run elections ...But they put themselves in this scenario by what sounds like a series of bad decisions that they had made." There were plenty of warnings. Congressional staff and computer science experts raised doubts for months about whether the app would work -- but their questions were rebuffed by Democratic leaders, my Post colleagues Tony Romm, Neena and Drew Harwell reported. The Department of Homeland Security also offered to test the app's security but was turned down, acting secretary Chad Wolf said on Fox and Friends. Iowa Democratic Party chair Troy Price later said he didn't know about the offer. The Democratic National Committee's chief security officer, Bob Lord, even urged the state to drop the app but was ignored, sources told the Wall Street Journal's Dustin Volz, Tarini Parti, Alexa Corse and Robert McMillan. For its part, the party cited security as one reason it sought to avoid the spotlight in the runup to Iowa, and said the delay in testing until just weeks before the caucuses was intentional. "Iowa Democrats waited to introduce the software to avoid giving potential hackers time to penetrate it, the official said, adding that the party chose to keep the name of the vendor secret on the advice of national cybersecurity consultants," my Post colleagues Isaac Stanley-Becker and Michael Scherer report. Still, by the day after the debacle, officials were also quick to denounce the app. Democratic officials in Nevada, who'd planned to use it for their own caucus Feb. 22, quickly reversed course. DNC chair Tom Perez declared the app "will not be used in Nevada or anywhere else during the primary election process," adding that "the technology vendor must provide absolute transparent accounting of what went wrong." Price apologized for the delay when he released partial results yesterday afternoon but also stressed that none of the results were hacked or tampered with. "The underlying data, the raw data is secure," he said. "It was always secure. This was a coding error." Shadow itself, meanwhile, acknowledged the coding error that prevented caucus leaders from sharing results and issued an apology on Twitter. The company's chief executive Gerard Niemera, who previously built tech products for field organizers in Clinton's 2016 campaign, also offered a personal apology in a Bloomberg interview. "I'm really disappointed that some of our technology created an issue that made the caucus difficult," he said. "We feel really terrible about that." This undated image provided by Jeep shows Bill Murray reprises his role as Phil Connors from the 1993 film Groundhog Day, in a scene from the company's 2020 Super Bowl NFL football spot. The groundhog is "Poppy," a rescued groundhog from Lancaster. Read more Less than a year ago, a Lancaster County man took a baby groundhog he found in his driveway to a local wildlife refuge, where she was found to have a debilitating dental condition, leaving her incapable of surviving in the wild. But things have turned around for the 10-month-old, 12-pound 'hog named Poppy. Shes now perhaps the second most famous groundhog in America. On Sunday, millions of Super Bowl viewers saw Poppy, cared for by volunteers at the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in Lancaster County, featured alongside Bill Murray in a Jeep commercial revisiting the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, of course. Poppy was filmed sitting shotgun, riding in a bicycle basket, and accompanying Murray to dinner. And Poppy has inspired more than good ad reviews: In an odd coincidence, theres also now Poppy the Groundhog merchandise unrelated to the Super Bowl stardom and donations coming in to Raven Ridge, in Washington Boro, to support the volunteer organization and the mammals, birds, and reptiles in its care. Its a true rags to riches story, Poppys handler, Betsy Shank, said. Shank said Poppy was brought to the refuge when she was about 4 weeks old so young she still had her eyes closed. Over several months of care, she struggled to get used to drinking and eating. Veterinarians found she has a dental condition called groundhog malocclusion, meaning her front teeth were misaligned and continued to grow without wearing down. Raven Ridge had three options for Poppy: euthanize her, put her under anesthesia and have her teeth cut down on a weekly basis, or remove her front teeth and leave her with just her 18 molars. Last fall, they opted for the last. READ MORE: As Punxsutawney Phil predicts spring is near, winter is nowhere in sight, real forecasters say Then in December, Shank got her first glimpse of Poppys potential for fame. A few weeks after Shanks husband went into Ville & Rue by Domaci, a Lancaster boutique, and recommended it sell pillows with groundhogs on them something his wife would like for the holidays, no doubt Poppy was in Bucks County being photographed by Eric & Christopher LLC, textile designers based in Perkasie. They started manufacturing tote bags and pillows for a rollout on Groundhog Day, which falls on Feb. 2, coincidentally this year the same day as the Super Bowl. While the merchandise was in production in mid-January, Shank got a call from an animal agent based in New York who was in need of a groundhog. Fast. Murray had, at the eleventh hour, agreed with Fiat Chrysler to do a Jeep commercial for the Super Bowl. Murray notoriously doesnt do commercials, doesnt employ reps, and gives people a 1-800 number to leave a message if they want to get in touch with him. Fiat Chrysler chief marketing officer Olivier Francois told CNBC the company tried the phone number and penned a letter to Murray in October, but had given up on running a Super Bowl ad until hearing back from him just two weeks before the big game. READ MORE: Super Bowl LIV ads have some Philly-area connections They just needed to procure a groundhog. Shank knew of the perfect one. With more than a week to go until the Super Bowl, Shank said she and Poppy drove to Woodstock, Ill. (where the original Groundhog Day was shot), for the commercial filming. While there, they were accompanied by the animal agent and a third-party official to certify humane animal treatment during filming. Shank said Murray was a natural with the rodent, which was wearing a harness and tethered through most of the shoot, which took place over three days. Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, Jeep released its Groundhog Day ad on its social media channels at 6 a.m., the time Murray awoke each day in the 1993 comedy classic. The same day as the commercials rollout, Poppy merchandise, created by a couple of Pennsylvania small businesses, was unveiled, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Raven Ridge, which is in the process of undertaking construction to get, among other renovations, a hot water system, a new roof, and internet access. I truly believe, Shank said, this animal was put on this planet for this purpose. AAAED 46th National Conference and Annual Meeting We seek to provide our attendees with presentations that promote creative, innovative strategies and cutting-edge research to enhance equity and diversity in higher education, government, and the private sector, said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, president of AAAED. With a theme of Turning Obstacles into Opportunities, the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED) announced its upcoming 46th National Conference and Annual Meeting, scheduled for June 6 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. The longest-serving association of professionals in the fields of equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity will also celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The conference will take place at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 K Street, NW. We seek to provide our attendees with presentations that promote creative, innovative strategies and cutting-edge research to enhance equity and diversity in higher education, government, and the private sector, said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, president of AAAED. AAAEDs professional development offerings are intended to help individuals who are new in their jobs or experienced individuals seeking updated information to stay competitive in the profession. AAAED will be offering three Professional Development and Training Institute (PDTI) courses including: New Professionals Academy, Diversity Management, and Federal Programs (Title IX, Title VI and Sec. 504). In 2020 AAAED is also providing more diversity of workshop choices in the kinds of learning opportunities available. Masterclasses, Express Talks, Preconference workshops or Deeper Dives, as well as the standard format workshops will be offered during the conference. As is its tradition, every fourth year, AAAED meets in Washington, DC. AAAED attendees will hold meetings with members of Congress and host an Annual Awards Ceremony on Capitol Hill, where it will honor icons of equal opportunity and diversity. Participants will also visit the Smithsonian's National Museum for African American History and Culture. This conference is designed to meet the needs of any person classified as an EEO/AA or diversity professional. This would include equal opportunity directors, EEO specialists, affirmative action officers, human resource professionals, chief diversity officers, diversity and inclusion consultants and leaders, industrial relations specialists, labor relations advisers, career planning specialists, prospective managers, and other equity and inclusion professionals. We are delighted to welcome agency officials, experts and icons of social justice, diversity and equal opportunity to attend our 46th meeting of equal opportunity professionals, said Gregory T. Chambers, Conference Chair. The AAAED 46th National Conference and Annual Meeting is open to the press. For more information or to register for the Conference, go to: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/Conference_Agenda1.asp. For more information about past Awards Program honorees, click here: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/Awards.asp. The frog was bitten and he was worried it would regurgitate the living snake A green tree frog has miraculously survived after being bitten multiple times while trying to devour the world's third most venomous snake. Jamie Chapel, the owner of Snake Take Away and Chapel Pest Control, was called to a home in the Townsville suburb of Stuart, Queensland, to remove a deadly Coastal Taipan from a woman's backyard on Tuesday. The snake removalist told Daily Mail Australia he was on his way there when the woman called him back to say the snake was being eaten by a frog. The snake removalist told Daily Mail Australia he was on his way there when the woman called him back to say the snake was being eaten by a frog (pictured) COASTAL TAIPANS The coastal taipan lives along the coast from northern NSW, Queensland, Northern Territory through to north-eastern Western Australia. It's one of Australias most notorious snakes has fangs which can grow up to 12mm long. The venom the coastal taipan injects is specially designed for warm blooded mammals. One neurotoxin knocks out the preys nervous system so its muscles wont work. Another toxin stops the preys blood from clotting so it bleeds to death. Anyone bitten by the coastal taipan should seek help immediately. Source: The Australian Reptile Park Advertisement 'By the time I got there the frog had been bitten quite a few times but had almost swallowed it completely. 'I wasn't sure if the frog was going to survive, but I didn't want it to regurgitate the snake alive and for it to slither back into the woman's yard, so I took it back with me.' The frog survived the night and will be released into the wild if it stays alive. Mr Chapel said green tree frogs will eat almost anything, but that Coastal Taipans aren't common around Townsville. 'Getting called to one is an experience,' he said. The pest controller shared photos of the frog eating the snake online, describing it as 'the coolest thing ever'. His post amassed thousands of likes, shares and comments. 'By the time I got there the frog had been bitten quite a few times but had almost swallowed it completely,' the snake catcher said 'Many years ago I woke to the sound of my budgie making a lot of noise, went out to the cage and there was a big green frog sitting in the bottom of it with a mouth full of feathers. They'll eat anything,' one person commented. 'I have photos from about four years ago where a green frog ate a brown, he survived... This frog gripped the snake around the head and suffocated it then once it stopped moving he finished eating it... Was amazing to see,' another wrote. Mr Chapel said anyone bitten by a coastal taipan should call emergency services. COLUMBUS, Ohio Eight of Ohios 88 counties failed to meet a state deadline to upgrade their security in preparation for this years presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday. All eight failed to complete a section of the state directive dealing with security training, according to LaRose, the states top elections official. LaRose, as part of an ongoing emphasis on elections security, ordered the upgrades last summer. But they completed other measures including background checks of employees, installing digital devices that can automatically detective electronic intrusions and switching to websites and email addresses with .gov or .us suffixes. LaRose singled out Western Ohios Van Wert County, which he said will be placed under state administrative oversight while officials there complete the security check-list announced by LaRose last summer. He also said hes asked for the resignation of Jetta Mencer, a Coshocton County board of elections member who LaRose said failed to comply with a requirement to activate a new email address with a .gov or .us suffix and refused to participate in state meetings. Six other counties Carol, Clark, Hamilton, Holmes, Ottawa and Warren missed the Jan. 31 deadline, but LaRose said hes confident theyll finish the upgrades within the next week, and hes not taking any extra oversight measures. In a news conference in Columbus, LaRose compared the security upgrades to a pre-flight checklist. Something as complicated and complex as a presidential election should be handled with the same care youre using when youre getting ready to take off in an airplane, LaRose said. Military and overseas voting began last Friday, while early voting starts on Feb. 19 for the March 17 primary. Ohios voting machines cant be hacked remotely since theyre not connected to the Internet, but vulnerabilities include voter registration lists and county and state elections websites. LaRose also has spoken out about fighting misinformation and other efforts to undermine public confidence in elections integrity. Linda Stutz, director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections, said in an interview her two-person agency fell behind as it dealt with a move to a new office. She said the elections board doesnt have any IT staff, and has been reliant on a county staffer who had been tied up dealing with a trial. We knew we were not going to make the deadline, and weve been working hard to try and do it, she said. Mencer, reached by phone, said she had been dealing with personal issues and didnt intend to miss the deadline. Shantiel Soeder, deputy director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said the new security measures will help the agency maintain voter trust by preventing any intrusions. While it was a difficult and rigorous process to get this completed, these security upgrades have accelerated the standard for security for all counties and agencies in the state of Ohio, and were proud to be a part of it, she said. Sharon Wilcox, director of the Auglaize County Board of Elections, said the new measures were tough for counties, especially those with limited resources. I know the timing is not good with the primary around the corner, but it needed done, she said. LaRoses office shared $12.8 million from a federal grant to help counties cover costs associated with the upgrades. He said another $13.6 million is expected in a new funding round soon. Read other recent Ohio state news: Proposed $13 minimum wage ballot issue clears Ohio panel, can begin collecting signatures State leaders address hot-button issues during AP forum: Capitol Letter Ohio legislative leaders noncommittal on DeWine gun bill in 2020 Path cleared for top GOP state lawmakers re-election after Democratic opponent disqualified Januarys turmoil in Iraq also highlighted differences among the P5, creating tensions not only between the Western and non-Western members of the group, but also among the U.S. and its allies. After the U.S. killed Soleimani in Iraq on 3 January, China and Russia signalled their displeasure by refusing to sign off on a routine condemnation of Iraqi protesters attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad the previous week. (Normally, the one thing diplomats in New York can agree on under any circumstances is that it is unacceptable to attack diplomats.) Moreover, the episode resulted in a behind-the-scenes split between France and the UK, which some European officials fear could presage more serious divisions in the post-Brexit era. When France proposed that the Council hold closed talks on regional de-escalation after the Soleimani affair, the British presumably wishing to avoid any implication that they were critical of Washington refused to join other European members of the Council in calling for these consultations. Paris backed off. Although the UK worked collegially with France and other EU Council members after the 2016 Brexit referendum (increasing, as we observed last year, the number of E3 statements with France and Germany at the UN on issues including Iran), European officials fret that it will now start to tilt toward Washington more frequently. The situation in Libya, a perennial source of Council tensions since 2011, also fuelled P5 bickering in January. While Germany engineered an ostensibly successful summit in Berlin on the country in the middle of the month with participants from all P5 countries including Presidents Macron and Putin agreeing to respect the UN arms embargo and support a ceasefire UN discussions on how to follow up on the conference quickly derailed. Germany called for the Council to pass a short resolution endorsing the Berlin conference conclusions, but other P5 members requested a text more focused on the situation on the ground, with the U.S. specifically pushing for the resolution to condemn Russian private military contractors operating in Libya, and Moscow predictably refusing to accept such wording. At the time of writing, the Council appears to be edging toward some sort of compromise text (with only vague language on the military contractor question), although Russia has questioned whether the Council should endorse the Berlin outcome at all unless Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar who is both head of the Libyan National Army, which dominates eastern Libya, and Moscows ally confirms his support for it. As outside powers have continued to breach the arms embargo, and some observers think a new escalation of fighting is likely, it is hard not to conclude that the Security Council missed the opportunity to make the most of the Berlin meeting by offering rapid and firm backing for a ceasefire. Council members also see the prospect of more diplomatic storms over the Middle East that could divide the P5 this year. Council members also see the prospect of more diplomatic storms over the Middle East that could divide the P5 this year. President Donald Trumps long-delayed announcement of his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan at the end of January, featuring a highly imbalanced version of what he misleadingly labels a two-state solution, can hardly be expected to serve as the foundation for cooperative work in New York. In quick succession, the plans author Jared Kushner will brief a closed meeting of the Council on 6 February, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the UN early next week to condemn the U.S. approach. Tunisia, the only Arab state on the Council at present, is working on a resolution that is likely to reaffirm past Security Council resolutions on the two-state solution as a basis for talks and implicitly dismiss the American effort a text which the U.S. would surely veto. Nevertheless, and although British and French diplomats would probably prefer not to have to vote on the issue, as the dispute is liable to do little more than illustrate the Councils diminished importance for Middle East peacemaking, a showdown seems almost inevitable. A showdown could also be coming to the General Assembly where the U.S. both lacks a veto and traditionally finds itself in a distinct minority on Israeli-Palestinian issues. The most serious flashpoint for the P5 is, however, Iran. The E3s decision in January to call out Iranian breaches of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in retaliation for U.S. abrogation of the deal in 2018, initiating the agreements dispute resolution mechanism and opening a pathway for the potential restoration of UN sanctions against Tehran, pleased Washington. Under the JCPOA, any single participant in the deal can snap back sanctions without the possibility of a veto. Two overlapping questions loom: first, whether the U.S. has the legal authority to trigger the snapback, given that it no longer is a JCPOA participant and, secondly, whether Russia and China would respect any reimposition, whether triggered by the U.S. or a European country. As Crisis Group noted in a recent report : Russia and China have suggested that they would not recognise any reimposition of UN sanctions, arguing that the basis for the existence of sanctions ie, ensuring the purely civilian nature of Irans nuclear program was removed with the signing of the JCPOA. Restoring UN sanctions would likely lead to the JCPOAs collapse, and possibly Irans withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Of particular import to the U.S. is the future of the UN conventional arms embargo on Iran, which under the terms of the JCPOA is set to lapse in October, unless sanctions are reimposed. If UN sanctions are not reimposed through the JCPOA mechanism, Council diplomats speculate that Washington may table a fresh resolution extending the embargo this summer. Such a text would almost certainly run into a Chinese and Russian veto, which depending on the timing could overshadow a P5 leaders summit in September. And More to Come If Iran seems to be the source of at least one possible breakdown in New York among the P5 between now and the celebration of the UNs 75th anniversary at the General Assembly session in September, a number of other crises could exacerbate their tensions. Syria could rear its head again as the Council will have to discuss humanitarian assistance in July when the latest mandate for cross-border deliveries will lapse potentially repeating the recent fight over the issue. UN officials expect Russia to once again take a tough line. North Korea, a topic that brought the U.S. and China together in 2017 when they agreed on far-reaching sanctions could become a source of division going forward. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 U.S. Senator Bob Casey invited gun violence prevention advocate Mkiyah Martin to be his guest to the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4th. Read more By 11 p.m. on a weeknight, 14-year-old Mkiyah Martin is usually in bed in her Philadelphia home. But on Tuesday night, the Saul High School student and her father, Tyrique Glasgow, were just making their way out of the United States Capitol after a whirlwind day. Mkiyah, an emerging gun violence prevention advocate, had been invited by Sen. Bob Casey to be his guest during the State of the Union. She joined a handful of other Philadelphians as one of the youngest people in House chambers to hear the presidents speech. Casey said in a press statement that he hoped Mkiyahs attendance would remind others in Washington of the grave task we have at hand not only to prevent gun violence in our communities, but to ensure survivors and those impacted by gun violence have access to the resources they need to recover and manage their trauma. Those resources remain limited at best, which is why in response to a 2018 Inquirer investigation about the lifelong burdens shouldered by survivors and their families, Casey and Rep. Dwight Evans cosponsored the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act. The bill, referred to the Judiciary Committee, promises to establish a federal advisory council to support victims of gun violence, and identify gaps in the myriad support systems. Its long overdue and desperately needed. Other than touting the importance of the Second Amendment, President Donald Trump largely omitted gun violence from his speech. Something that was noted by both Philly father and daughter and the father of a teenage girl killed in the 2018 Parkland, Fla., mass shooting who was also in attendance. During Trumps speech, Fred Guttenberg yelled out something along the lines of What about the victims of gun violence like my daughter? The outburst got him ejected, but the question weighed on Mkiyah, who sat nearby in the gallery. What about her 15-year-old cousin Rasul Benson, who was shot and killed while pumping gas for snack money at a South Philadelphia neighborhood gas station in 2018? Did his life matter? Did any of the lives of so many friends and family members gunned down in her short lifetime that Mkiyah struggled to come up with an accurate count? What about the 100,000 people shot in the United States every year? Or the 1,463 shot in Philadelphia last year? Despite Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric, what about the domestic terrorists white American men who are bigger threats to our country than Muslim foreigners? Since learning that shed be in Washington during National Gun Violence Survivors Week, Mkiyah started to write down her thoughts, some of which she got to share Tuesday with lawmakers and reporters, others that didnt fit in a sound bite. She and her father said that even sympathetic lawmakers seemed distracted by Trumps impeachment trial. Did they hear her? Mkiyah wondered. Did they see her? When you look at me, she wrote, do you see a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher or do you see the next gun violence victim? The experience was eye-opening, and despite being exhausted, Mkiyah and her father talked all the way on their car ride back to Philly. They appreciated the opportunity to witness history, but they conceded that it led to some sobering realizations. Dad, he didnt talk about what we wanted talked about, Glasgow recalled his daughter saying. As a gun violence survivor himself and former gang member who mentors neighborhood kids, he wasnt surprised. People in charge have forgotten about what the actual purpose of government is about, Glasgow said when I caught up to him Wednesday morning. Its about the people. In Philadelphia and cities across the nation, he said, people in zip codes that have largely been forgotten are doing the work on the ground believing that some kind of hope and help is coming. But it never happens. Its time to stop waiting." To Mkiyah, he said something that applies to us all: We got work to do. CLEVELAND, Ohio The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is walking back a spokesmans statement that the board would not tally votes cast for two issues on March ballots in Cleveland if supporters withdraw the petitions used to get the issues before voters. Elections Director Anthony Perlatti told cleveland.com that the statement issued Friday from spokesman Mike West was premature. While past practice might dictate that the votes not be tallied, he said, the board would need to conduct more research before making such a decision. This is something that doesnt happen often, Perlatti said. The ballot issues call for Cleveland City Council to be reduced from 17 to nine members and council pay to be cut from $83,000 a year to $58,000. Clevelanders First, a citizens group, forced City Council to place the issues on March 17 ballot by collecting the signatures of more than 6,500 voters in support of each measure. But the fate of the issues was called into question last weekend, when Clevelanders First announced it intends to withdraw its petitions. Bill Ritter, a Clevelanders First leader, told cleveland.com the group was responding to the concerns of East Side pastors that reducing council to nine members could result in a divisive East Side-West Side split of wards. In response to the announcement, West told cleveland.com on Friday that the issues would remain on the already printed ballots for city voters. But he said the board would not tally the votes if Clevelanders First followed through on its pledge to withdraw the petitions. Asked by cleveland.com on Monday and Tuesday to cite the state law that would allow the board to disregard votes cast for the issues, West provided responses that did not answer the question. In an email Monday, West stated that backers of an issue can withdraw their petitions at any time before the election, but cited no state law to support the claim. He added in the email that Notices will be provided to voters that the votes cast will not be tallied. West stated in a Tuesday email that the petitions could be withdrawn at any time until the day before the election, but again did not cite a state law to support his claim. He added, This is really between Cleveland and the Committee. West did send cleveland.com a reference to the Secretary of States handbook, which provides no applicable references to state law. But the handbooks advises boards of elections to consult with your county prosecutor regarding any withdrawal of a local question or issue. Perlatti told cleveland.com Tuesday evening that the board has not decided how to proceed if the issues are withdrawn, despite the statements made by West. He said the board will seek guidance from the Secretary of State before making a decision because of the lack of clarity in state law. Ohio Revised Code specifically states that nothing prevents backers of an issue from withdrawing their petitions 60 or more days before an election. But the law says nothing about whether backers can withdraw petitions within 60 days of an election. Perlatti said the board also will consult with the local prosecutor and look for any past cases that might serve as a precedent. Meanwhile, the backers of the two issues have yet to formally withdraw their petitions, though Ritter told cleveland.com on Friday that his group still intends to do so. Guinea's president announced on Tuesday evening that a constitutional referendum will be held in March, according to state media, despite massive protests against the move. The government will hold the poll on March 1 on the same day as planned parliamentary elections, according to a decree broadcast on state television and radio, heard by an AFP reporter. Hundreds of thousands of people have protested in the West African state since mid-October over concerns that President Alpha Conde, 81, intends to use the constitutional reform to extend his mandate. At least 26 civilians and one gendarme have been killed in the protests to date, according to an AFP tally. "The electorate is convened on the same day for legislative and referendum ballots," the government said on state media. Guinea's political opposition has vowed to boycott the parliamentary election, however. Jailed under previous hardline regimes, Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010 and was returned to office by voters in 2015 for his second and final five-year term under the current constitution. When he first launched consultations on reforming the constitution in September, the opposition accused him of seeking to in effect restart his time in office and allow him to run for a third term. However, a draft constitution presented in December still limited the number of presidential terms to two. The president has said that the former French colony's basic law "concentrates corporate interests" and needed reform. He has neither confirmed nor denied claims that he intends to run again. On income inequality rankings, Iowa comes in third best, with narrower gaps between rich and poor than any state except Alaska and Utah. But when it comes to choosing presidential candidates, Iowas process is exceptionally unequal. On Monday, when Iowa held the much-anticipated first in the nation caucus, low-income residents faced multiple barriers to participation. First, you had to be able to show up in person by 7 p.m. and stay for an unspecified number of hours. That knocked out people who work in the evening and couldnt take time off. Think about the second-shift workers at the poultry and pork processing plants that dot the state. Think about the students who bartend to cover their tuition and other people who have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Think about the parents who couldnt afford night-time child care. They were all excluded. Iowas Latinx residents, with a poverty rate nearly double the state average, were particularly likely to face economic barriers to participation on top of language barriers. The Iowa Democratic Party is supposed to provide translation support on request, but you wouldnt know that from looking at its website. Iowas strict voter ID law is another potential hurdle. The League of United Latin American Citizens sued to overturn this requirement, arguing that Latinx residents (as well as students) are less likely to have a drivers license or state-issued ID card. While a district court judge recently overturned other parts of the states 2017 voter suppression law, he allowed the voter ID requirement to stand. LULAC responded by redoubling its efforts to ensure Latinx residents could exercise their constitutional rights at the polls. Nick Salazar, LULACs Iowa state director, said they were on track to register 10,000 new Latinx voters. They also held caucus trainings to help newbies feel more comfortable in what can be an intimidating setting. Unlike primary participants who fill out ballots in the privacy of a voting booth, Iowa caucus-goers must declare their choice of candidate in front of their neighbors. Imagine how unnerving it could be to wind up in the same caucus room as your boss or your landlord. What if you back different candidates? LULAC also took advantage of a new Iowa Democratic Party initiative that allowed a limited number of satellite caucuses for communities with special needs, including non-native English speakers. Spanish-English bilingual caucuses took place for the first time this year in Muscatine and Des Moines. While Iowas Latinx community faced high barriers to caucus participation, the hurdles were even higher for the states formerly incarcerated population. Iowa is the only state in the nation that still permanently bans all people with felony convictions from voting, unless they apply for and receive a waiver from the governor. The Restore Your Vote campaign estimates that this draconian law disenfranchises 10% of Iowas black voting-age population and 2% of the states total voting-age population. Research also shows that incarcerated people have much higher than average poverty and jobless rates both before and after they serve their time. The overwhelming whiteness of Iowas population (90%) has long made it a controversial site for the nations first presidential candidate contest. The barriers to caucus participation for disadvantaged groups make the states privileged political status even more problematic. To have a true democracy, we need voting to be accessible for all citizens, no matter how much money they make, how well they speak English, the color of their skin, or whether they have served time in prison and paid their debt to society. Our votes only really count if we can all vote. Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and co-edits the IPS publication inequality.org. She wrote this for InsideSources.com. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. Increasing density by replacing single-family homes with multifamily ones would be a boon to our efforts to address climate change, and it would help with affordability. But if that is too practical a selling point, let me offer a couple more politically salient ones. First, there is nothing especially admirable about the development of single-family zoning in America. Though the policy is now defended as a way to maintain the ineffable local character of neighborhoods, single-family zoning has a history in segregation. As the historian Richard Rothstein has documented, single-family zoning was one of the many ways white homeowners and politicians kept African-Americans out of suburbs. And second: We can move on from single-family housing to something better for everyone. A few years ago, shut out of the skyrocketing market for single-family homes in our Northern California suburb, my wife and I bought a townhouse. At first we thought of it as a starter home wed just had our second child, and it felt like we could slum it in a townhouse for a bit before we could move into the dream of a place with a backyard. That dream now looks prohibitive: Houses with backyards in my neck of the woods require tech-I.P.O. levels of insane wealth. But you know what? I dont feel so bad. Our attached townhouse, on a piece of land a small fraction of the size of a single-family home, is less of a burden on the environment, and it is just the right size for the four of us. Its also just as loving and pleasant a place for my kids to grow up in as my own suburban manse was for me. At some point, recently, I realized that I no longer fantasized about ever having a backyard my dream home is now a townhouse, and if its good enough for me, perhaps it could be good enough for others in my state, too. Office Hours With Farhad Manjoo Farhad wants to chat with readers on the phone. If youre interested in talking to a New York Times columnist about anything thats on your mind, please fill out this form. Farhad will select a few readers to call. One half of the chamber was on its feet, roaring its approval for The other sat in sullen silence, broken by boos and occasional hisses, until their leader ultimately ripped up the president's speech. Six weeks after he was impeached by the House of Representatives -- and a day before his expected acquittal in the Senate -- Trump's annual address was delivered in a triumphant vein, and could not have been more polarising. Chants of "Four more years! Four more years!" greeted the president as he entered the chamber headed by his chief political nemesis in Washington: the Democratic Speaker of the House. After a slow stroll down the centre aisle, accepting backslaps from Republican lawmakers, Trump stepped up to the rostrum and handed Pelosi a copy of his speech. The smiling speaker reached out for a handshake. Trump did not return the favour. And at the very end of his address, Pelosi -- very deliberately -- ripped up her copy of the president's speech -- in a pointed political statement delivered on live television. The bitterness between the 73-year-old president and the 79-year-old speaker is nothing new. But the latest flashpoint comes one day before the US Senate votes almost certainly to acquit the 45th president on the impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Throughout the impeachment crisis, Trump has repeatedly assailed Pelosi for her impeachment "hoax", branding her "nervous Nancy" and "crazy Nancy" on Twitter. Trump leaned into Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over his Senate trial, and spoke with him for a good seven seconds -- an eternity in the walk-up to his speech. The shadow of impeachment hung heavy over the evening -- neatly illustrated by Jerry Nadler, one of the lawmakers who led the prosecution at Trump's trial, who sat leafing through a pocket copy of the US Constitution ahead of his address. But Trump made no mention of impeachment or his expected acquittal in the one hour and 18 minutes speech, opting instead to focus on his "incredible" record on the economy. "Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging," Trump said, earning a prolonged standing ovation -- one of dozens during the night. Democrats remained largely silent as Trump boasted of his achievements -- with many female lawmakers dressed in white in a nod to the suffragette movement for women's voting rights. But when he spoke of creating an "inclusive society," elevating "every race color, religion and creed," many in the opposing camp winced, hissed or jeered. "No!" cried one female lawmaker. Several Democrats walked out. Democrats, many looking shell-shocked, booed further as the president accused them of being soft on "dangerous criminal aliens" and seeking to "impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system". In a reality TV-style flourish, Trump paid a live tribute to controversial conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently disclosed he has advanced lung cancer, asking Melania Trump to present him with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour. Trump went on to single out a woman in the audience whose army husband had been away for months on foreign deployments, telling her he had "a very special surprise". It was her husband, in full uniform, coming down the stairs for a tearful, surprise reunion -- in front of a primetime national television audience. But Trump's theatrics appeared to largely leave Democrats cold. "Every has oratorical and presentation flourishes, but you don't want to make it into a theater, you know -- we didn't go to the opera," House Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi told AFP. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jakarta: The World Health Organisation says Indonesia must do more to prepare for a possible outbreak of coronavirus, amid concerns the country of 270 million has not reported a single case of infection. The organisation wants Indonesia to improve surveillance, case detection and preparations at designated health facilities "in the event of an outbreak scenario". It comes as an Australian living in Bali, who has been diagnosed with pneumonia, criticised local health authorities' testing procedures and handling of his case. Australian Matthew Hale, who lives in Bali and who feared he may have contracted the novel coronavirus, has criticised the medical treatment he has received at a hospital on the island. The WHO's Indonesia representative Dr Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, who is working closely with the Health Ministry, said the country had taken "concrete measures" including screening at international borders and preparing designated hospitals to handle potential cases. For the road portion, that work includes roadway widening, new curbs, new lighting, some new sidewalk and a roundabout at Mississippi Street, Pappenheim said. That work will be done in two phases, so that were keeping traffic access it will be under detour, the road will be closed, but we will have access at all times to the subdivision and to the gas station. Activist Urvashi Chudawala, who was booked for sedition for allegedly raising slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam, has filed an anticipatory bail application in Mumbai sessions court. An FIR was registered against her and 50 others for allegedly raising slogans in support of Jawarharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam at the 'Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathering 2020' at Azad Maidan on February 1. They were booked under Section 124A (Sedition), 153B, 505, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Imam, who was arrested in a sedition case for alleged provocative speeches, is currently in the remand of Delhi Police. He has been booked under charges of sedition and inciting enmity between communities under Sections 124A, 153A and 505 of the IPC following his speech in which he spoke about "cutting off Assam from India". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After two months of waiting since his release on bail Christmas Eve, journalist and human-rights activist Omoyele Sowore, is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 11 in Nigeria on charges of treason and money-laundering. Since his arrest Aug. 3, 2019 by DSS, Sowore, founder of an online news site, Sahara Reporters, and subsequent release four months later on bail, he been restricted from travel by bail conditions. Following his initial release on Dec. 24, his wife, Opeyemi Sowore called for the return of Omoyele to the United States and was joined by a diverse array of human-rights organizations, plus congressional representatives, including U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ5). I hope that the Nigerian government will drop the baseless charges and respect my husbands right to freedom of expression and to due process as stipulated under the Nigerian Constitution and International Law, she was quoted to have said. Just recently in early December, Sowore supporters rallied in Newark and joined U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. Gottheimer has called on the Nigerian government to release Omoyele Sowore. I am outraged by the blatant harassment of Omoyele Sowore, an activist and journalist whose only crime appears to be exercising his right to free expression, Menendez said in early December. In a letter to the Nigerian ambassador, Menendez and Gottheimer said crackdowns on nonviolent protesters since 2015 have similarly reflected a lack of apparent commitment to civic freedoms, which is beginning to negatively impact the image of Nigerias government, both at home and abroad. Both noted the government crackdowns have collectively killed hundreds of Nigerian citizens and serve as troubling demonstrations of the excessive force used by the military, wrote Menendez and Gottheimer. Moreover, they noted increasing reports from Nigeria of security services assaulting and detaining journalists, using excessive force on non-violent protesters, and taking other actions that inhibit freedom of expression, and otherwise prevent Nigerians from fully exercising their fundamental constitutional rights. Earlier this year, Mr Sowore called for revolution because he said Nigerias elections were not credible. That followed the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. All that is needed for a #Revolution is for the oppressed to choose a date they desire for liberty, not subjected to the approval of the oppressor, he tweeted on 2 August. He has since been charged with treason, money laundering and cyberstalking for allegedly sharing false and insulting information about President Buhari. He denies all the charges. The Noida-based Indian eCommerce payment system and digital payment platform Paytm, recently revealed that it is incorporating advanced AI-driven measures to ensure security, maintain and safeguard transactions and protect from fraudulent activities. The recent feature analyses advices the user to uninstall rogue apps on the customer devices that might trigger fraudulent transactions. The company is also using AI technology to detect suspicious transactions. Based on the detection the platform slows the payment process or completely blocks the transaction. No further transactions would proceed unless the fraudulent is uninstalled. Satish Gupta, MD & CEO of Paytm Payments Bank, "This security feature will scan the apps installed on the user device and will pop-up a security alert whenever a dangerous app is found that may put the users' accounts at risk." "A large number of our users have welcomed this move. We have already seen cases where these features have stopped attempts to defraud our customers," Gupta added. With a proficient and dedicated team of nearly 200 cyber security specialists and industry experts the company ensures end-to-end security of every user transaction. It is closely working with telecoms, cyber cells, state and central cops to identify, prevent and acknowledge the fraud transactions and immediately report to the company. The bank has reported a list of 3,500 mobile numbers involved in SMS and call scams to authorities. It has also filed an FIR against the criminals with the Cyber Cell for an immediate action to stop the activities. Telebehavioral Health Concierge provides same-day or next-day access to licensed mental health professionals for help with addressing burnout and other mental health concerns. The service is now available to 40,000 employees and family members of Providence organizations and partners across Washington, including Providence Health & Services, Swedish Health Services, Kadlec and Pacific Medical Centers. Providence's remaining family of organizations plan to adopt the service by the end of 2020, making it available to 119,000 employees and their 80,000-90,000 dependents across seven states. "We heal others best when we are healthy ourselves, mind, body and spirit," said Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Amy Compton-Phillips, M.D. "The Telebehavioral Health Concierge is one way to support the well-being of all who serve in our facilities and communities. We're excited about seeing this innovative service scale and making it available to more people in need." The concierge began as a pilot several months ago leading to over 1100 virtual appointments. Initial feedback from program participants further validate the need for greater access to behavioral health services and more convenient solutions. Nearly 50 percent of participants surveyed said they would have not sought professional help if they didn't have access to this service, or known where else to seek help. "Growing a virtual care network to improve access across the Western United States is important, because it enables us to deliver tailored care to those struggling to get or find help," said Telehealth Chief Medical Officer Todd Czartoski, M.D. "The opportunity to care for our own is really special, and we are thrilled to see such a robust response to this service." The concierge is the latest initiative in Providence St. Joseph Health's long-standing efforts to address caregiver burnout. Previously, Providence St. Joseph Health partnered with other health systems and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in an initiative called Joy in Work. Other initiatives offered include mental health first aid classes to train caregivers to appropriately respond to someone in a mental health crisis, scheduled monthly compassion networking calls and the implementation of training and protocols to help address existing and emerging workplace dangers and find ways to reduce them. To learn more about the Telebehavioral Health Concierge Program, click here. About Providence Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 829 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 119,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif. SOURCE Providence Related Links http://www.providence.org The Board of the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) approved on Wednesday the results of the unannounced control performed at insurer Euroins Romania Asigurare-Reasigurare S.A and decided to fine the company 100,000 lei (about 21,000 euros), ASF said in a release. "The ASF Board has decided to fine the company 100,000 lei for failure to comply with the provisions of Law No. 132/2017 and Enforcement Guideline 20/2017 regarding: the registration of the submitted claim request; the answer to the claim request and the formulation of the offer; the use of a record of findings form that makes no mention of the damaged person's right to turn to any auto repair unit, without any restriction or constraint on the part of the RCA insurer; the use of reference sources not laid down in the insurance law; the term for the completion of the additional record of findings," the release said.Also, the ASF Board decided that within 30 days from the receipt of the decision, Euroins shall present a plan of measures to remedy the found deficiencies. The company can challenge the sanction within 30 days from the notification of the ASF Board's decision.In September 2019 the ASF slapped insurers City Insurance SA and Euroins Romania Asigurare-Reasigurare SA with a fine of 50,000 lei each for delaying the payment of claims. AGERPRES A man has been arrested in central Melbourne after a specialist bomb squad descended on the CBD. In dramatic scenes, workers watched in terror as a man was dragged from a car by heavily-armed police. The man was seen climbing on the roof of the silver sedan and was shouting 'for about five minutes' in front of terrified shoppers. He was then allegedly seen revving the car and spinning it around, as as thousands of workers made their way around the city. The public have been told to avoid the area as officers search the vehicle, which was on the corner of Flinders Street and William Street just after lunchtime. The man was seen climbing on the roof of the silver sedan (pictured) and was shouting 'for about five minutes' in front of terrified shoppers The public have been told to avoid the area as officers search the vehicle, which was on the corner of Flinders Street and William Street just after lunchtime. Pictured: The man is arrested by police Heavily armed officers searched the car (pictured) after dragging a man from the vehicle in front of terrified shoppers in Melbourne Officers, including members of the Special Operations Group, have closed down the area, with offices in lockdown. Dozens of police officers were scrambled to the scene on Wednesday afternoon in more than 10 emergency vehicles. One witness, Heba Teryaki, told the Herald Sun he saw the man acting erratically, and had climbed on the roof of his car. 'I was really scared, frightened,' she said. 'I thought dead set I was going to die.' An exclusion zone has been set up in Melbourne's CBD between Kings Street spreading to the north side of the Queens Bridge. Dozens of police descended on the scene in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday afternoon as a man was arrested (pictured) Victoria Police urged people to avoid the area down Flinders Street between King Street and the Queens Bridge (pictured) as it dealt with the incident 'Due to an incident at Flinders and Williams Streets, Melbourne, a number of streets have been closed. We are asking everyone to avoid the area,' a police spokesman said. 'Traffic closures are at Flinders and King Street, Flinders Street and Market Street, Queensbridge, William Street and Flinders Street. 'Further information will be provided once we have an update.' The incident is likely to cause commuter chaos on Wednesday afternoon, with a number of roads closed and trams also affected. As of 3pm, the car was still sat at the intersection with the bonnet open. Metro Trains confirmed all city loop train services have been cancelled until further notice. Investigators area appealing for any pictures of video footage of the incident be sent to Victoria Police. Witness Campbell Jabs told the Herald Sun he saw the dramatic moment police dragged the man from the car. Police were seen searching a car in Melbourne's CBD just after 2pm on Wednesday (pictured) after a man was arrested Police searched the silver sedan in Melbourne's CBD (pictured) just after lunchtime on Wednesday 'There was about six police cars and about three grey response cars who jumped out, they had guns drawn,' he explained. 'I was like "s*** this is real". It happened in a flash. He opens the car and drags the guy out, putting the cable tie around him. 'Then there were another six cops that jumped out. It was really serious. To have that many with guns drawn, it was really weird.' The scene was reminiscent of the Bourke Street rampage of January 17, during which James Gargasoulas ran down and killed six people - including a baby boy and a young girl. Grape Festival will have to relocate elsewhere in 2021. The 2019 Grape Festival at Piestany airport in the west of Slovakia. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled This years Grape Festival will say goodbye to the spa town of Piestany, where it has been held for the last ten years. We want the last year at the airport to not only be a goodbye but also a bit of a carnival and celebration of life, Jan Trstensky of the Grape Festival told The Slovak Spectator. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Initially, the popular music festival was planned to be held at a location other than Piestany airport in 2020 due to a rising number of charter flights in the summer, but organisers found a compromise with travel agency Happy Travel and the Trnava Self-Governing Region (TTSK). In 10 years, almost 160 musicians from 22 countries played Grape Festival. Several, mostly British, artists have already been announced for the 11th edition, namely YUNGBLUD, Foals, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Nothing but Thieves, and Daughter, to name a few. PLEASANT VALLEY Robert Pulford of Pleasant Valley, an area pilot, recently gave more than 300 young people a free demonstration airplane ride as part of the EAA Young Eagles program, which is introducing a new generation to the world of flight. Pulford was mong the more than 50,000 volunteers around the world who have donated their time and aircraft to the effort. All pilots in the Young Eagles program explain the safe operation of airplanes and principles of flight before the short trips. Participating young people become official Young Eagles with the flight. The names of the pilots and the participants are also included in the Worlds Largest Logbook, which is on permanent display in the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and online through the Young Eagles web site. Young Eagles also have access to an online pilot training course, made possible by Sportys Pilot Shops, located in Batavia, Ohio. The Young Eagles Program was unveiled by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in July 1992 and has now flown more than 2 million young people, primarily between the ages of 8 and 17. EAA is a worldwide organization with over 200,000 members who enjoy all facets of recreational flight. The Young Eagles program goal is to allow young people to experience positive activities and discover the possibilities available to them within the world of aviation. For more information, visit www.youngeagles.org. Bank offers seminar on online reputations LAKEVILLE - Salisbury Bank has partnered with Scoville Memorial Library and the Entrepreneurial Center of Northwest Connecticut to present the Business Mastery series seminar A New Era of Digital Marketing - Understanding Your Online Reputation, Feb. 20 at the library, from 6-8 p.m. The seminar includes understanding what an online reputation is and why it is important; how to manage and respond to online reviews; how to be proactive about an online reputation; and using software to get reviews. The program will be presented by Lance Leifert, CEO, Conquest Consulting, who has more than 20 years of experience in technology-oriented marketing and development. He holds a degree in Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Connecticut and has been an adjunct professor at the University for over ten years. He formed Conquest in 1997 and has helped clients of all sizes with the strategy and implementation of cutting edge, integrated marketing programs. Under Lances leadership, Conquest has worked with clients including Hartford HealthCare, Aetna, Athena Healthcare, and Hooker & Holcombe. The library is located at 38 Main St., Salisbury. The snow date is Feb. 27. Reservations are suggested, but not required. To reserve a spot sign-up at salisburybank.com/seminar, or contact Genia Wilson by calling 860-453-3496, or email at evwilson@salisburybank.com (type Reputation in the subject line). CHWC offers DOT physicals TORRINGTON Community Health and Wellness Center (CHWC) now offers Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exams at its Torrington medical office at 469 Migeon Avenue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which sets regulations for the safe operation of commercial vehicles, requires all commercial drivers to carry a certificate of good health. Only medical professionals who have had the proper training in FMCSA regulations are authorized to conduct DOT physicals can issue the certificate. CHWCs qualified provider is Joann M. Orsatti, NP-C, who has been practicing in northwest Connecticut for more than 16 years. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), CHWC is able to provide DOT exams for $90. A DOT exam is a specific type of exam for professional truck and bus drivers that checks height, weight, and blood pressure; hearing and vision; stress level; blood sugar level; cardiac function; digestion; and reflexes and nervous system function. To make an appointment, call CHWC at 860-489-0931. Records to be destroyed LITCHFIELD In keeping with state and federal regulations on confidentiality, Regional School District No. 6 school officials plan to destroy student records this winter. Confidential records are destroyed six years after they become irrelevant to the provision of education services or after graduation. Scheduled to be destroyed are the following records: High school academic files of the classes of 2012 and 2013. Included in files are Letters of recommendation, PSAT, ACT, and ASVAB, reports. Transcripts must be kept on file for 50 years and are not available. Special Education records for the classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013 which includes assessments and evaluations, IEP, PPT referral forms and documents Records will be destroyed in March. Anyone interested in receiving his or her records should make the request by emailing the school, and must arrange to pick up records personally. Written permission for another person to pick them up on your behalf must be submitted if you are unable to retrieve records in person. For academic records email: Barbara Hart at bhart@rsd6.org For Special Education records email: Elizabeth Carlson at ecarlson@rsd6.org Abu Dhabi's long-troubled Etihad Airways said it would sell 38 aircraft to an investment firm and a leasing company in a deal valued at USD 1 billion, the latest cost-cutting measure by the United Arab Emirates' national carrier. Etihad said it would sell 38 aircraft 22 Airbus A330s and 16 Boeing 777-300ERs in the deal with investment firm KKR and leasing firm Altavair AirFinance. KKR said the Boeing 777-300ERs will be leased back to Etihad upon purchase in early 2020," while the Airbus A330s will go to international clients. Etihad described the move as being in line with the third year of its transformation program. The deal offers us flexibility while ensuring we stand by our sustainability targets and maintain a fleet of the most fuel-efficient, technologically advanced aircraft, the airline said in a statement. Etihad's website lists itself as having a fleet of 102 aircraft. It no longer lists its A330s among its fleet, having said it would begin phasing those aircraft out. The 16 Boeing 777s it will sell and lease back represent 15 per cent of its current fleet. Since 2016, Etihad has lost a total of USD 4.75 billion as its strategy of aggressively buying stakes in airlines from Europe to Australia to compete against Emirates and fellow rival Qatar Airways exposed the company to major losses. Etihad lost USD 1.28 billion in 2018. It has yet to release results for 2019. In the time since 2016, it has embarked on a cost-cutting initiative and recently announced it would restructure planned aircraft purchases from Airbus and Boeing. The airline reported revenues of $5.86 billion in 2018, down from USD 6 billion in 2017. It flew 17.8 million passengers last year, down from 18.6 million the year prior. Previously, Etihad reported losses of USD 1.52 billion for 2017 and USD 1.95 billion in 2016. It blamed challenging market conditions and effects of an increase in fuel prices in part for the loss in 2018. Abu Dhabi's rulers launched Etihad in 2003, competing with the established Dubai government-owned carrier Emirates that flies out of Dubai International Airport only 115 kilometers (70 miles) away. In 2018, Etihad began loaning pilots to Emirates under a new program. Both Emirates and Etihad have seen business hurt by President Donald Trump's travel bans affecting Muslim-majority nations. That's even with Abu Dhabi International Airport having a U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility, allowing passengers arriving in America to immediately leave. It's the only such facility in the Mideast. The two airlines are government-owned carriers in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. Both compete in the long-haul carrier market, using their nation's location between East and West to their advantage. Both airlines continued to fly to China amid the ongoing outbreak of the new coronavirus, even as other Western and Arab airlines stopped. On Monday, UAE civil aviation authorities halted all flights to China, except for those going to Beijing. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. (Bloomberg) -- The Senate found President Donald Trump not guilty of abuse of power and obstructing a U.S. House investigation of his pressure on Ukraine to investigate a political rival. Here are the latest developments: GOP Senators Investigating Hunter Biden (6:05 p.m.) Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson said theyve asked the U.S. Secret Service to provide Hunter Bidens official travel records for their investigation into potential conflicts of interest. Grassley, chairman of the Finance Committee, and Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement theyre seeking details on Hunter Bidens travel dates and locations when he had Secret Services protection because his father Joe Biden was vice president. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company that had been embroiled in controversy, while his father oversaw U.S. policy on Ukraine. Republicans argued during Trumps impeachment trial that if Democrats were allowed to call witnesses, the GOP should be able to call Joe and Hunter Biden. Democrats said the Bidens had no knowledge about whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens after Joe Biden began running for president. Schumer Says Acquittal Has Giant Asterisk (5:23 p.m.) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said theres a giant asterisk next to Trumps acquittal because he was acquitted without facts, he was acquitted without a fair trial. We always knew that it was an uphill fight, Schumer told reporters. No one had illusions that the president would be convicted. Republicans are going to have to answer to the American people because they chose to turn their backs instead of seeking additional information, he said. He said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unwilling to negotiate about whether to seek new witnesses or documents. -- Laura Litvan Trump Declares Victory, to Make Statement (5:11 p.m.) Trump said on Twitter he will make a public statement at noon Thursday at the White House to discuss our Countrys VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax! Roberts Departs With Thanks to Senators (5:07 p.m.) In closing the trial, Chief Justice John Roberts thanked leaders of both parties for helping him carry out ill-defined responsibilities in an unfamiliar setting. He invited members of Congress to visit the court to watch an argument or escape one. I also depart with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter, Roberts said. -- Greg Stohr McConnell Calls Trial a Colossal Mistake (5:01 p.m.) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the verdict that the impeachment was a colossal political mistake for House Democrats. Trump has his highest approval rating since taking office, and Senate Republicans who face tough re-election races are in better shape than when the trial started, he said. He said his message to the House is, Dont do this again. McConnell also said he was surprised and disappointed that GOP Senator Mitt Romney voted to convict Trump on the first count, but said Romney has been largely supportive of Senate Republicans goals. The Trump campaign also lashed into Democrats, calling the House impeachment the worst miscalculation in American political history. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said the president has been vindicated and that his re-election effort was strengthened as a result. This terrible ordeal was always a campaign tactic to invalidate the 2016 votes of 63 million Americans and was a transparent effort to interfere with the 2020 election only nine months away, Parscale said in an emailed statement. -- Laura Litvan Trump Acquitted By Senate on Both Counts (4:32 p.m.) Trump was acquitted on both impeachment articles, bringing his Senate trial to its inevitable end. The Republican-led chamber voted 52-48 to acquit Trump of abusing the power of his office and 53-47 to clear him of the charge that he obstructed Congress. While this outcome was widely expected, it sends Trump into his re-election campaign emboldened and unrepentant. Senate Has Votes to Acquit on Second Charge (4:29 p.m.) The Senate has enough votes to acquit Trump of the charge that he obstructed Congress, which means the president will be cleared of both impeachment articles. The vote is ongoing. Minutes ago, the president was found not guilty of abusing the power of his office. Trump Acquitted By Senate on Abuse Charge (4:19 p.m.) The Senate voted 52-48 to clear Trump of abusing the power of his office. The Republican-led chamber will vote next on whether Trump obstructed Congress. The Senate is expected to find him not guilty of that impeachment article as well. Senate Has Votes to Acquit on First Charge (4:15 p.m.) The Senate has enough votes to find Trump not guilty of abusing the power of his office. The vote is continuing. A guilty verdict on either of the two impeachment articles would be enough to remove Trump from office. But enough senators already have said theyll acquit him of both charges to fall far short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict. The Senate will vote next on whether the president obstructed Congress. Senate Begins Vote on Abuse of Power Charge (4:10 p.m.) The Senate began voting on the charge that Trump abused the power of his office, the first of two House impeachment articles. It would take only 34 senators in Trumps favor to acquit him, and Republicans control the chamber 53-47. After this vote, the Senate will vote on the second article accusing Trump of obstructing Congress. Democrat Manchin to Vote to Convict (3:54 p.m.) Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said hell vote to convict Trump on both articles. The president is not entitled to act with blatant disregard for an equal branch of government or use the superpower status of the United States to condition our support of democracy and our allies on any political favor, Manchin of West Virginia said in a statement. Arizona Democrat Sinema Will Vote to Convict (3:35 p.m.) Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona plans to vote to convict Trump on both charges, the Arizona Republic reported. Sinema had been one of the last undecided Democrats before Wednesdays vote. GOPs Romney Will Vote to Convict Trump (2:09 p.m.) Republican Senator Mitt Romney said hell vote to convict Trump on the charge of abusing his power, making him the lone member of his party to join with Democrats in saying the president should be removed from office. The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, Romney said on the Senate floor. Romney of Utah was one of two GOP senators, along with Susan Collins of Maine, to vote earlier to consider calling witnesses. Nadler Suggests Seeking Bolton Testimony (11:45 a.m.) The House should consider subpoenas for additional testimony about President Donald Trumps dealings with Ukraine, including that of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, said Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, one of the impeachment managers. Nadlers discussion of that issue with reporters Wednesday was not a specific commitment that any particular witness would be called by his committee or any other panel, an aide said. House Democrats have said previously that despite Trumps expected acquittal by the Senate on Wednesday, theyll continue pursuing inquiries into his administration, policies and businesses, as well as his actions regarding Ukraine. Another House manager, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said the issue of pursuing testimony from Bolton and others is a question for further discussion and that will be led, I presume, by the speaker and by Chairman Schiff. He was referring to Adam Schiff, the lead House manager and Intelligence Committee chairman. Democrat Jones to Vote to Convict (11:03 a.m.) Democratic Senator Doug Jones of Alabama said hell vote to convict Trump on both charges, staying with his party and putting his re-election at deeper risk. After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the president for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Jones said in a statement. The presidents actions demonstrate a belief that he is above the law, that Congress has no power whatsoever in questioning or examining his actions, and that all who do so, do so at their peril. Jones, the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate, faces re-election in November in a red state. Pence Expects Bipartisan Senate Acquittal (9:05 a.m.) Vice President Mike Pence said that he expects a bipartisan vote to acquit Trump in his Senate trial. In a Fox News interview Wednesday morning, Pence made the assertion without disclosing potential Democratic lawmakers who may join with Republicans in acquitting Trump. Democratic moderates who represent Trump-leaning states include Doug Jones, who is up for re-election this year in Alabama, and West Virginias Joe Manchin, who doesnt have to run again until 2024. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, has remained undecided. A vote for acquittal from any of them would let Trump say his reprieve was bipartisan. The only bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives was against the articles of impeachment, and we expect a bipartisan vote in the United States Senate today, Pence told Fox. -- Mario Parker Trump Acquittal Certain in Final Senate Vote (6 a.m.) Members of the Republican-controlled Senate are staying within party lines so far in announcing their vote intentions, although some havent disclosed their plans. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have said theyll vote to acquit the president, although each criticized his actions toward Ukraine. Collins said Trumps conduct was was improper and demonstrated very poor judgment, while Murkowski said it was shameful and wrong. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, the only remaining Republican who might vote to convict, has kept silent thus far. Democrats viewed as potential votes in Trumps favor include Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. A vote for acquittal from any of them would let Trump say his reprieve was bipartisan. Catch Up on Impeachment Coverage Key Documents Here is the House Democrats web page containing documents related to the impeachment trial. House Democrats impeachment brief is here. Trumps initial reply is here, and his lawyers trial brief is here. The House impeachment resolution is H.Res. 755. The Intelligence Committee Democrats impeachment report is here. Gordon Sondlands transcript is here and here; Kurt Volkers transcript is here and here. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitchs transcript is here and here; the transcript of Michael McKinley, former senior adviser to the secretary of State, is here. The transcript of David Holmes, a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, is here. The transcript of William Taylor, the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine, is here and here. State Department official George Kents testimony is here and here. Testimony by Alexander Vindman can be found here, and the Fiona Hill transcript is here. Laura Coopers transcript is here; Christopher Andersons is here and Catherine Crofts is here. Jennifer Williams transcript is here and Timothy Morrisons is here. The Philip Reeker transcript is here. Mark Sandys is here. --With assistance from Steven T. Dennis, Mario Parker, Billy House, Greg Stohr, Daniel Flatley and Laura Litvan. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. police car Daniel Tadevosyan/Shutterstock Youlette Wedgeworth, 52, faces a misdemeanor aggravated assault charge in Macomb County, Michigan. Prosecutors say she bit off an inch of a man's tongue after he used it while kissing her, when she specifically asked him not to. Police were able to recover the tongue from an apartment's bedroom and it was reattached. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Prosecutors in Michigan say a Detroit woman bit off an inch of a man's tongue after she told him not to use it when kissing her. Youlette Wedgeworth, 52, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault in the incident on January 28, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith told WXYZ. Derek Miller, chief of operations for the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, told the Detroit Free Press that Wedgeworth and the man, from Center Line, Michigan, were consensually kissing at the man's apartment when the incident occurred. He said when the two started to kiss, the man put his tongue in Wedgeworth's mouth. They briefly stopped kissing, and she told the man not to put his tongue in her mouth, Miller said. They started kissing again, but the man put his tongue back into Wedgeworth's mouth and she bit one inch the tip of it, Miller said. When police arrived on scene they found the man bleeding from his mouth and were able to recover his tongue from the apartment bedroom. "I believe this is the first case of this nature in my 27 years in the prosecutor's office," Smith said in a statement to WXYZ. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where his tongue was reattached. Wedgeworth was taken into custody, where she was charged with aggravated assault, which is a misdemeanor charge. She could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Her bond was set at $25,000 Insider Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Foreign airlines are keen to acquire Air India, Disinvestment Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey told TNIE on Tuesday. We have seen sufficient interest from potential foreign buyers, some of them airlines. We cant name them because of the confidentiality clause, he said. "Under existing norms, foreign airlines can acquire only up to 49% in the national carrier. So, foreign carriers wishing to bid will have to be part of a consortium (with Indian partners)," Pandey added. According to sources, the government may relax the rules to allow higher FDI in aviation. Meanwhile, there are reports that the Tatas may bid for the airline they founded in partnership with Singapore Airlines. Aviation analysts say Gulf-based airlines, too, are eyeing Air India, which flies to 41 international destinations and has several scores of unused rights to fly to other foreign destinations with a total of 800 slots for landing at major airports globally. Our interactions with prospective bidders were helpful as we understood why many of them did not bid the last time. High debt and continued government shareholding appeared to be the reasons, said Pandey. This time around, the government is offering 100% equity to potential buyers and has also promised to pare down debt drastically to Rs 23,286 crore. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was shot and killed at an Interstate 95 rest stop Wednesday afternoon. Trooper Joseph Bullock, a 19-year veteran, died as a result of what authorities have described as a 'felonious act' at around 11.30am at mile marker 107 near Palm City, about a 45-minute drive north of West Palm Beach. No further details were released, including whether a suspect had been arrested or what led to the shooting. Florida Highway Patrol trooper Joseph Bullock (left and right), a 19-year veteran, was killed in a shootout at a rest stop near Palm City late Wednesday morning. Bullock lived in Stuart, Florida A news helicopter captured a tarp covering a body laying next to the driver's side of a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser Officers are seen at the scene of the deadly shooting at mile marker 107 on I-95, about a 45-minute drive north of West Palm Beach A WSVN news chopper flying over the scene captured a tarp covering a body laying next to the driver's side of a FHP cruiser with the door open. A few steps away, a second tarp was said to be covering another body next to a tow truck, suggesting that the purported late-morning shootout took the lives of both the trooper and a second person. The deadly incident closed Interstate 95 in both directions in the area. According to a statement from Florida Highway Patrol, Bullock was a US Air Force veteran who served nearly 19 years with the agency and was assigned to Troop L- Fort Pierce. 'Trooper Bullock was fatally wounded today in the line of duty while assisting the public on I-95 in Martin County,' according to the release. 'The investigation into the incident is ongoing and additional information will be released as it's available.' Bullock was a US Air Force veteran. He is survived by his parents and sister Terry Rhodes, executive director of the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gene Spaulding put out a joint statement mourning the tragic loss of the trooper 'who chose to make selflessly serving and protecting others his life's work.' The officials asked the public to keep Bullock's family and colleagues in their prayers. According to Bullock's Facebook page, he lived in Stuart, Florida. He is survived by his parents, sister and several cousins. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Information Builders (IBI), the leading data and analytics company, today announced that it has won five Dresner Advisory Services' Technology Innovation Awards for leadership in Location Intelligence, Data Preparation, Cloud BI, Embedded BI, and IoT Intelligence. This is the fifth consecutive year IBI has been recognized by the awards program for its positioning as a top vendor in Dresner's Wisdom of Crowds series of thematic market studies. The annual research reports are based on data collected from end users and provide a real-world perspective on technical capabilities related to the data and analytics markets. Each report in the 2019 series examines current deployment trends, user intentions, and industry capabilities in BI and analytics. The five awards honoring IBI recognize the company as a leader in the following: Location Intelligence Location and geospatial analysis Data Preparation Modeling, preparing, and combining data prior to analysis Cloud BI Technologies, tools, and solutions supporting cloud deployment models Embedded BI Inclusion of business intelligence (BI) features and functions as an inherent part of other applications IoT Intelligence Technologies analyzing IoT data collected through networks embedded within electronics, software, and sensors Information Builders' WebFOCUS analytics products help companies use data strategically across and beyond the enterprise. The platform provides organizations with what they need to turn every kind of data into actionable insights for real business outcomes. With comprehensive, scalable, and proven capabilities, WebFOCUS offers superior experiences with more flexibility than any other BI and analytics platform. "We are honored to once again be recognized by Dresner Advisory Services for our technical capabilities and offerings in analytics," said Frank J. Vella, CEO, Information Builders. "Data and analytics are the drivers of digital transformation, and it is our mission to help organizations capitalize on new opportunities and insights in the connected world. Each of these Technology Innovation Awards reflects customer and end-user recognition and that is great validation that we're succeeding in that mission. We intend to continue delivering our stellar products and services to our users in 2020 and beyond." "Our annual thematic research focuses on current user behaviors, priorities, and intention within the market, including a ranking of leading providers who offer the most comprehensive solutions in these significant thematic areas," said Howard Dresner, founder, Dresner Advisory Services. "We congratulate Information Builders for its continued recognition for strong performance in Location Intelligence, Data Preparation, Cloud BI, Embedded BI and IoT Intelligence." Tweet This: @infobldrs is honored with five Technology Innovation Awards from @howardresner for leadership in #data and #analytics: http://ow.ly/rPWc50ydzY1 About Information Builders Information Builders provides the industry's most scalable software solutions for data and analytics. We help organizations operationalize and monetize their data through insights that drive action. Our integrated platform for business intelligence (BI), analytics, data integration, and data quality, combined with our proven expertise, delivers value faster, with less risk. We believe data and analytics are the drivers of digital transformation, and we're on a mission to help our customers capitalize on new opportunities in the connected world. Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com , follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs , like us on Facebook , and visit our LinkedIn page. Press Contacts Kathleen Moran Information Builders (917) 339-6313 [email protected] Melinda Ball LEWIS (781) 418-2428 [email protected] SOURCE Information Builders (IBI) Samsung seems to be finally ready with its first Bixby-powered smart speaker. Responding to a user query, a Samsung representative has said that the Galaxy Home Mini will be launching in South Korea on February 7. The official, who apparently is in charge of Samsungs mobile division, said the device will sell for 99,000 won (~$83). The Samsung representative, however, has mentioned that the release date may still change depending on the situation. That seems unlikely though, as the said release date is just a couple of days away and Samsung surely wouldnt be wanting to make a last-minute change in the schedule. The company had said last month that it will be launching the Galaxy Home Mini in early 2020. Samsungs Bixby-powered smart speaker has already seen multiple delays. It first announced the Galaxy Home back in August 2018. The device made an appearance at the CES 2019 but it has only existed as vaporware since. A Mini version of it was announced last year and it now appears to be ready to face the real world. Advertisement Perhaps, the delay was because Samsung was still refining its in-house voice assistant Bixby. So maybe we should say Bixby is now ready to compete against the likes of Amazons Alexa and Google Assistant. The latter two already have a strong presence in the market. Will Samsung be able to carve a share for itself in this ever so crowded smart speaker market, or is it already too late? Only time will tell. Galaxy Home Mini features Interestingly, Samsung had recently published an announcement on its South Korean website saying the Galaxy Home Mini will hit retail shelves in its home country on February 12. Although the post has since been taken down, it did give us a hint on what to expect from the upcoming Samsung smart speaker. Advertisement The Galaxy Home Mini has a rounded mesh design with AKG branding on the top. Reports earlier suggested that itll come equipped with four infrared (IR) remote transmitters, allowing you to control IR-based appliances offline. It can of course control connected smart devices over voice commands as well. According to the now-deleted announcement, the Galaxy Home Mini features two microphones to facilitate voice recognition over long distances. The device can leverage external sensors in your home to detect emergencies, like fires, smoke or leaks, and provide notifications. Advertisement It can also tell when an appliance isnt working. Youll also be able to send and receive messages, as well as make and receive calls through Home Mini even if your smartphone isnt by your side. Thanks to powerful AKG speakers, the Galaxy Home Mini promises premium quality audio experience with 360-degree surround sound. Theres also a multi-room speaker feature in this new smart speaker. It seems quite likely that the Galaxy Home Mini will arrive in South Korea on or about the said date. Samsung may announce the official release date for international markets at the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 11. A young girl has chosen to leave an exclusive boarding school after she was banned from her dormitory amid fears she may have coronavirus. Chinese students at private schools across Australia were kept segregated from their classmates if they had visited China over the Christmas holidays. The extreme measures were to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. However, the year 10 student from South Korea was forced to leave her dorm at Ravenswood School for Girls, on Sydney's north shore, even though she visited China in October - before the outbreak began. Her dad, Peter Kim, was outraged that the school had forced his daughter to miss two weeks of school. The year 10 student from Ravenswood, on Sydney's north shore, (pictured) was forced to leave the school even though her visit to China was in October - before the outbreak began A young girl (stock image) has chosen to leave an exclusive boarding school after she was banned from her dormitory amid fears she may have coronavirus 'To take the measure of not only preventing her from joining class, but telling her to leave her dorm, seems like an extreme response,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'Despite (my) protest that she did not visit China (since the outbreak) and did not have contact with any visitors from China and no symptoms of any virus, the school maintained that they were erring on the safe side.' His daughter has since changed to a different school where she was able to attend straight away. Principal Anne Johnstone said their health and safety protocols had been established in response to the 'unprecedented, rapidly evolving' health crisis. 'Our actions were not personal but were driven by our responsibilities to (the student) and to our broader school community,' she said. 'We do not step back from taking the strongest and most cautious advice from WHO, as we have a duty to protect all students not just those who had been in areas covered by the warnings or marked red on the map.' Fears of the virus spreading through schools are high after it was introduced to Australia last month from China, where it was first detected in Wuhan. A man wearing a face mask cycles past the body of a man who collapsed and died on a pavement in Wuhan on January 30 (pictured), the city at the epicentre of the outbreak There are already 13 people in Australia who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, which has killed 362 worldwide and threatens to become a global pandemic. The highly-contagious virus has infected more than 17,000 people worldwide. It has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Australia citizens trapped in Wuhan have now been evacuated and have landed on Christmas Island, where they will enter a quarantine for 14 days. There are already 13 people in Australia who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, including an eight-year-old boy (pictured: coronavirus) Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly It is understood that 72 people were on board the first of four charter flights expected to take more than 240 evacuees to the Indian Ocean island. The Airbus left Western Australia's RAAF Base Learmonth, near Exmouth, on Monday night, and touched down on Christmas Island about 9pm local time. Those on board were among the 243 who had earlier been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus, on a Qantas flight. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ravenswood School for Girls for comment. 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Targeting Cookies We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity during a meeting with former political prisoner, Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, and discussed with him the defense of illegally detained persons. "As a political prisoner, Oleg Sentsov displayed remarkable strength & courage. On the Hill today, we spoke about his work fighting for the rights of the oppressed & wrongly imprisoned, and I reaffirmed Canada's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity," Trudeau wrote on his Facebook page in the early hours of Wednesday. Sentsov, in turn, on his Facebook page, called Trudeau "one of the most devoted and strongest allies of Ukraine." Both posted a joint photo on their pages during a meeting in Canada on Tuesday. Hangzhou to close down 'non-essential public places' to curb coronavirus epidemic Global Times By Wang Qi Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/4 19:08:41 The local government of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province, released a range of regulations including the closing down of all non-essential public places and locking down residential communities to curb the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday, after 132 confirmed cases were reported in the city. Zhejiang had reported a total of 829 cases as of Tuesday, ranking second among all Chinese mainland provinces and municipalities just after Hubei Province, where the virus epicenter Wuhan is located. All public places except for those relating to residents' daily life necessities will be closed, according to emergency regulations that were made public on the Hangzhou government's website on Tuesday. The government also urges farm markets, supermarkets and pharmacies to reasonably arrange business hours and conduct regular disinfection measures. People entering these spaces are required to wear masks and receive temperature checks, and the government also advocates that each family assigns one person every two days to go out to buy daily necessities, in order to reduce outings. In addition, all villages, residential communities and companies must adopt closed management, people from other places should show their ID cards, get registered and receive temperature checks. People holding or participating in crowd activities shall be seriously punished, and weddings are forbidden. Some analysts believe Hangzhou's move is a "timely and necessary warning." Zhou Zijun, a professor at the Peking University School of Public Health, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Hangzhou's approach is targeted, as there is growing evidence that the spread among dense populations is responsible for many coronavirus infection cases. Hangzhou is aiming to isolate the source of infection and cut off the transmission route, which is a scientific way to prevent and control the epidemic, said Zhou. In late January, Hangzhou announced that schools will not be allowed to start the new term before February 17, and companies will not go back to work until February 9, the end of this week, to prevent cross-infection in public places. Hangzhou's move became a hot topic on social media within 12 hours, with more than 120 million views and 6,800 comments on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. Many netizens believe that Hangzhou's regulations show its determination to control the epidemic and protect citizens during this special period, which is understandable. However, others said the government should also take care of companies that may suffer financial losses. Zhou noted that there is no need to overreact and panic as the government will gradually introduce corresponding measures to tackle the epidemic, given the public's online supervision and increasing transparency in publishing information and the government's decision-making process. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bengaluru, Feb 5 : Wary of revolt by disgruntled legislators, Karnataka's ruling BJP has decided to induct only 10 newly-elected MLAs in the second cabinet expansion on Thursday, a party official said on Wednesday. "Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has sent names of only 10 newly elected legislators to Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday instead of 13 planned earlier," party's spokesman G. Madhusudhana told IANS. Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office to the 10 MLAs in the glass house of Raj Bhavan on Thursday at 10.30 a.m. in the presence of Yediyurappa, cabinet ministers, officials and party's state leaders. As the BJP high command is pre-occupied with the February 8 Delhi Assembly elections, induction of three more MLAs had to be deferred amid fears of revolt by dissidents, lobbying for cabinet berths in the 34-member ministry. "The Chief Minister will meet the high command after the Delhi Assembly election results (February 11) for seeking its approval to fill the remaining 6 cabinet berths after the induction of 10 MLAs on Thursday," Madhusudhana said. Though names of the MLAs to take oath have not been made official, party sources said Ramesh Jarkiholi, S.T. Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj, K. Sudhakar, Shivaram Hebbar, Shrimanth Patil, B.C. Patil, and Anand Singh (all ex-Congress) and K. Gopalaiah and K.C. Naryana Gowda (ex-JD-S) would be sworn-in as cabinet ministers. In the first cabinet expansion on August 20, 2019, 17 legislators were inducted into the ministry with three as Deputy Chief Ministers. The second expansion on Thursday will take their total to 28, including the Chief Minister. Six vacancies remain to be filled in the third expansion. The newly elected 10 MLAs taking oath on Thursday were part of the 14 Congress and 3 Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebels whose resignations from the Assembly in July led to the fall of the 14-month-old JD-S-Congress coalition government on July 23 and the return of the BJP to power again in the southern state on July 26. In the December 5 by-elections in 15 assembly segments, the BJP won 12, the opposition Congress two and one by an Independent. The JD-S drew blank. "Mahesh Kumathahalli, who quit the Congress and won in the by-election on a BJP ticket, is likely to be posted as the state's representative in New Delhi with a cabinet rank," added Madhusudhana. Eight-time MLA Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Halappa Achar, S. Angara and C.P. Yogeshwar were in the race for the three cabinet posts before the high command withheld their names on Wednesday evening. In the 225-member House, including one nominated and two vacant, with by-elections in their Assembly segments pending a high court verdict on their May 2018 Assembly poll results, the ruling BJP has 117, the opposition Congress 68 and JD-S 34. The committee opted to fix the issue of criteria for drawing the states political map by passing enabling legislation to accompany the amendment. It sets out rules for the commission to follow, calling for districts that are similar in population, respect communities of interest, give minorities equal opportunity, dont favor any political party, and are compact and follow established boundaries as much as possible. CHICOPEE A 39-year-old Chicopee man is charged with drug trafficking and other offenses following a narcotics raid on his residence early Tuesday, police said. Roberto Falcon of 91 Stonina Drive is charged with trafficking cocaine in excess of 36 grams, illegal possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition and an electronic stun gun. He is also charged with improper storage of a firearm and a stun gun near a minor, and receiving stolen property, subsequent offense. He was taken into custody following a 3:45 a.m. raid by Chicopee police and the Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force. Chicopee police obtained a district court search warrant as a result of an investigation into drug activity at that address, said Officer Mike Wilk, Chicopee police spokesman. When officers pounded on the front door to announce they had a warrant, a bag containing cocaine, marijuana and $1,400 in cash was tossed out the rear window, Wilk said. Officers stationed in the rear of the building spotted it being tossed and easily recovered it, Wilk said. It also contained Falcons drivers license. Falcon was secured in one of the bedrooms, while officers found a woman and small child in an adjoining bedroom. The woman, whose name was not disclosed to the press, was not charged, but Wilk said police did contact the Department of Children and Families about the child being present. In all, police found around 46 grams of cocaine, scales and plastic bags, and some lactose powder, which is commonly used to cut pure cocaine for sale on the street, Wilk said. They also found a loaded firearm that had been previously reported stolen in Florida, and an electronic stun gun. Falcon is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Chicopee District Court. by Sara Guaglione , February 5, 2020 is raising the price of its digital subscription for the first time, from $15 every four weeks to $17 from about $195 to $221 a year. The increase will take effect on March 8, according to CNN. Thats just a few days after Super Tuesday primaries on March 3 for the 2020 presidential election. In a message to subscribers, The New York Times said the new rate will help us sustain and strengthen our coverage at a time when independent journalism is under great pressure. The price for students and educators will stay $1 per week. The Times launched the digital subscription and put most of its content behind a metered paywall in March 2011. It allows non-subscribers to read a few articles a month before they need to subscribe to access additional stories. The publisher now has over 4 million digital subscribers. Revenue from the Times' digital-only subscriptions increased 18% year-over-year to $401 million from 2017 to 2018, according to the company's latest annual earnings report. The companys goal is to get 10 million digital subscribers by 2025. Currently, mutual funds deduct the DDT and then hand over dividend to the unit holders. New Delhi: Industry body Amfi has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities with regard to the government's plan to scrap dividend distribution tax (DDT) on mutual funds and introduction of tax deducted at source on the income distributed by such products, fund managers and officials have said. Industry experts believe that the government's plan to tax dividend at the hands of investors could make dividend plans in equity and balanced schemes unattractive and investors may move towards growth plans. In addition, long-term investment plans such as equity-linked saving schemes and retirement products will be impacted too as the proposed tax regime has no deduction available. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2020-21 has proposed to abolish dividend distribution tax (DDT) on the dividend declared by companies and mutual funds to shareholders or unit holders. Once the DDT is abolished, the dividend amount will be added to investors' taxable income and taxed as per the individual tax bracket. Currently, mutual funds deduct the DDT and then hand over dividend to the unit holders. In addition, the minister introduced a 10 per cent TDS (tax deducted at source) provision on the income distributed by a mutual fund to its unit holders if such income exceeds Rs 5,000. The minister proposed the insertion of a new Section -- 194K -- in the Income Tax Act, which states "any person responsible for paying income arising from units of mutual fund or a specified company must deduct tax at the rate of 10 per cent of such income", according to the Finance Bill 2020. The tax department on Tuesday clarified that the Budget proposal of 10 per cent TDS will be applicable only on dividend payment by mutual funds and not on gain arising out of redemption of units. In a statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said queries have been raised if mutual fund would be required to deduct TDS also on the capital gains arising on redemption of units. "It is hereby clarified that under the proposed section, a mutual fund shall be required to deduct TDS at 10 per cent only on dividend payment and no tax shall be required to be deducted by the mutual fund on income which is in the nature of capital gains," it said. It went on to state that necessary clarification, if required, shall be proposed in the relevant provision of the law. Samco Head (RankMF) Omkeshwar Singh said a TDS of 10 per cent has been introduced under new Section 194K for a payout of Rs 5,000 and above, however it is not clear if it considers only dividend or capital gains as well. "Industry body Amfi has sought formal clarifications from relevant tax authorities since TDS on long-term capital gains for equities is exempted up to Rs 1 lakh," he said. "We would need to wait for more clarification on this subject. Further, the new proposed tax regime has no deductions available under 80C, which was being used by governments to encourage long-term investment-cum-savings, that (ELSS or retirement) may get adversely impacted," he added. Several industry officials also said the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities in this regard. "With the removal of DDT on mutual funds, dividend income from mutual funds is now taxable in the hands of the investors at their relevant tax slabs (subject to a 10 per cent TDS)," said Kaustubh Belapurkar, director, manager (research), Morningstar. "We think this will make dividend plans in equity and balanced plans unattractive from a tax perspective for investors in the higher tax brackets as investors in a growth plan are liable to pay a LTCG (long-term capital gains) of 10 per cent," he added. Naveen Kukreja, CEO and co-founder of Paisabazaar.com said, "The government's move will positively impact a small segment of individual investors, who are not in the highest tax slab and were investing in the fixed income instruments under the dividend option," said Abhishek Bansal, Chairman and MD, Abans Group of Companies, said the proposal is a positive move. "Earlier, DDT was levied twice, first when a company would pay a dividend to an asset management company (AMC), second when the AMC would declare its annual profits. These year-end profits declared by the AMC could be availed of in two ways by the investor who is a customer of the AMC: Either the investor could take the gains out as a dividend or it could be invested back into the fund. If the investor took the dividend route, he would need to pay DDT again," he said. "This has now been replaced by a single simplified tax in terms of the abolishment of DDT and 10 per cent TDS to be applied by the AMC to its investors. This is hence a positive move," he added. Bansal said that now, the quantum of savings that would result because of this step needs some clarification from the government on whether TDS is to be cut on the income component or on the entire proceedings. Clarification on the same will surely be available over the next few days as the industry has requested clarity on the same. Jared Leto has some new workout buddies in Jake Gyllenhaal and Liam Hemsworth, in a new snap he shared on Tuesday. The 48 year old actor shared a photo with Gyllenhaal, 39, and Hemsworth, 30, along with fitness expert and trainer Jason Walsh. Leto joked that, Right after this we played Twister,' while Gyllenhaal commented that Leto, 'shall forever be deemed "the human pretzel."' Workout buddies: Jared Leto has some new workout buddies in Jake Gyllenhaal and Liam Hemsworth, in a new snap he shared on Tuesday Pretzel: Leto joked that, Right after this we played Twister,' while Gyllenhaal commented that Leto, 'shall forever be deemed "the human pretzel"' Leto was wearing a grey sweatshirt and lavender Adidas workout pants with an orange stocking hat on his head. Hemsworth was wearing an army green hoodie with 'Move or die' written on it, plus black shorts and black shoes. Gyllenhaal was rocking a black Nike hoodie, grey shorts and green shoes, while Walsh rocked a red National Geographic shirt with black sweats. Friends: After his workout, Hemsworth was spotted in Beverly Hills, doing some shopping at John Varvatos with a bearded friend After his workout, Hemsworth was spotted in Beverly Hills, doing some shopping at John Varvatos with a bearded friend. The Hunger Games star was rocking a white t-shirt under a suede grey coat, with a gold chain tucked into his shirt. He completed his look with black pants with the cuffs rolled up and black sneakers with white soles, plus black sunglasses. Liam's look: The Hunger Games star was rocking a white t-shirt under a suede grey coat, with a gold chain tucked into his shirt Leto returns to the big screen this summer in Sony's Morbius, a spin-off of the super-villain hit Venom, hitting theaters July 31. He also has another upcoming movie called The Little Things, alongside Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, expected to hit theaters later this year. He has also been rumored to return as Joker in two untitled Warner Bros./DC Comics projects, but there is no indication those are moving forward. Morbius: Leto returns to the big screen this summer in Sony's Morbius, a spin-off of the super-villain hit Venom, hitting theaters July 31 Gyllenhaal is coming off Spider-Man: Far From Home and he has a number of projects in pre-production such as Rio and Finest Kind. Hemsworth will be heading to the small screen with the new Quibi streaming service series Most Dangerous Game, which doesn't have a premiere date set yet. He also has Arkansas, alongside John Malkovich and Vince Vaughn, which is currently in post-production. Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during the New Hampshire Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall on Wednesday in Concord, N.H. Read more NEW YORK Pete Buttigieg held a slight lead over Bernie Sanders in the opening contest of the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, according to partial results released by the Iowa Democratic Party. The results that came out Tuesday and Wednesday followed a period of caucus chaos. Technical problems marred the complicated process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results from Monday's caucuses, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to the data. The results reflected 75% of precincts in the state. The two early leaders Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Vermont Sen, Sanders were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades. For the 38-year-old Buttigieg, his early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known city leader to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, said as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigieg's early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his party's most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden's campaign sought to play down the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. "We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, the chairman of the state party, Troy Price, declined to answer questions about the timeline even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent news conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes this coming Tuesday. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor, sensed opportunity after Iowa, and said he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbor Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion." Beyond 2020, Mondays debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. Police have arrested more than 40 suspects in a nationwide crackdown on courier fraud gangs who con vulnerable elderly people over the phone then turn up at their doorsteps to steal millions of pounds of their savings. More than 3,000 victims in the last two years have been tricked into taking large sums of money from their bank accounts and handing it to someone posing as a courier, police officer or bank official. Among the victims were an elderly Bournemouth couple who lost nearly 1million in October, including all their savings and pension, and were left with just 187 to their name. City of London Police - which leads the fight against fraud in England and Wales - launched a crackdown on courier fraud, which sees criminals con vulnerable elderly people over the phone then turn up on their doorsteps The couple, in their 70s and from Bournemouth, were contacted by a man who convinced them he was a police detective. Warning them that a police undercover operation had discovered their bank account and funds were at risk of fraud, he got them to transfer their savings to a safe place. He persuaded them to make transfers time and again until almost all their money - nearly 1 million - had vanished into the account set up by the bogus detective. They were left with just 187. He first contacted them last August and the fraud was uncovered in October but details have been released today as police reveal more than 40 people have been arrested in a crackdown on so-called courier fraud across England and Wales. Commander Karen Baxter of City of London Police, which heads the fight against fraud, said: 'Fraudsters specifically target older people by exploiting their trust in the police and their bank, to bleed them dry. 'Courier fraudsters are nearly always part of broader criminal gangs: they are persuasive and can be aggressive. This can be particularly intimidating when they turn up on a victims doorstep.' Courier fraud occurs when a criminal contacts victims by phone pretending to be an official, such as a bank worker or police officer, before offering easily-obtainable personal information to establish their trust. The fraudster will then suggest a scenario, which is often that the victim has been targeted by corrupt officials and a small amount of money is needed to 'assist' the investigation into what happened. A 'courier', often a taxi driver, will then be sent to the victim's address to pick them up and collect their card details, or take them to a cash machine to withdraw money. Police say there have been 3,188 over two years with a sharp rise in the past six months. Total losses have amounted to more than 12million - although this will be an underestimate as this type of fraud is 'grossly under-reported', according to police. Officers raided 18 premises and seized large amounts of cash, as well as other goods such as stolen bank cards and passports. Pictured is a sniffer dog on one of the raids Police made 44 arrests nationwide, with 14 people charged and two already pleading guilty to fraud As part of a national crackdown led by City of London Police and involving all 43 police forces in England and Wales, officers raided 18 premises and made 44 arrests, with 14 people charged and two already pleading guilty. Officers also sized large amounts of cash and other items including stolen bank cards, four fake passports, jewellery and phone scripts instructing fraudsters how to fleece their victims. Pensioner Carol Norton told the BBC in January how fraudsters stole 4,000 from her and her dying husband after posing as police officers. She received a phone call from the 'chief fraud officer' at the local police station, who said someone at her bank branch had used her card details to try and spend 600. They persuaded her to withdraw 4,000 in cash from the branch to 'help the investigation', before sending a taxi driver round to pick it up. Sunderland pensioner Edward Gibson, 80, was told by a fraudster posing as a bank official that he was due 3,600 in overpaid bank charges - but would have to pay 200 in solicitor's fees before receiving the money Another recent victim was Sunderland pensioner Edward Gibson, 80, who was told by a fraudster posing as a bank official that he was due 3,600 in overpaid bank charges - but would have to pay 200 in solicitor's fees before receiving the money. Mr Gibson was told he needed to buy four 50 gift vouchers to cover the money, but grew suspicious and alerted police. In 2013, judges jailed two brothers for a total of ten years after they masterminded a 244,000 fraud from their council house by persuading victims to hand over their PIN numbers before sending a taxi driver to pick up their bank cards. Shilu Miah, 31, and his sibling Dulu Miah, 26, fleeced 218 accounts and spent most of the cash on luxury holidays, cars and designer clothes, including Louis Vuitton flip flops ' to the tune of 1,000 a pair'. The brothers also went on shopping sprees at Selfridges and Harrods as well as drinking champagne at nightclubs in London's West End, Blackfriars Crown Court heard. WASHINGTON (Feb. 5, 2020) - An online survey of nearly 500 veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) suggests a high burden of disease almost three decades after the conflict. GWI affects 25% to 30% of the 693,826 military personnel who were deployed to the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. The diagnosis of GWI - according to the standard "Kansas" criteria - includes a combination of fatigue, sleep, cognitive, pain, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin problems, among others. To understand more about symptom severity and disease course, Air Force 2nd Lt Cayla Fappiano, a medical student at the Georgetown University School of Medicine working with GWI expert James Baraniuk, MD, created an online questionnaire. They published their results in the journal Military Medicine (Feb. 2). Four hundred eighty-five (485) veterans with GWI responded, grading the current severity of 37 symptoms from "none" (0) to "severe" (4). The median symptom score was 95 out of 148, indicating a high level of morbidity, Fappiano says. An overwhelming majority of veterans who responded to the survey reported moderate or severe fatigue, sleep, and pain symptoms over the past six months: 91% with fatigue, 90% not feeling rested after sleep, 89% with joint pain, 84% having problems falling or staying asleep, and 83% with muscle pain. Additionally, 80% reported moderate to severe cognitive dysfunction with difficulty concentrating and memory concerns. In addition to logging symptoms, veterans were asked to estimate when each symptom began. About 20% reported fatigue and sleep symptoms in theatre, but more than 40% of this group reported every measured fatigue, sleep, pain, mood, and gastrointestinal symptom by 1994. Baraniuk cautioned that self-reported symptom inventory studies, like this one, are subject to significant bias. Veterans self-selected as having GWI and may have been more likely to participate if they experience more moderate to severe symptoms. "Further, as the population ages and their prevalence of other medical conditions including cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular incidents increases, it is important to discriminate these conditions from GWI in future studies," Fappiano adds. This study did investigate some co-morbid diagnoses. Chronic fatigue syndrome was present in 89% of those surveyed. Moderate or severe anxiety was present in half. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed in 19% before 2000, but half reported being diagnosed in the last decade, totaling 66% by 2018. This suggests late onset PTSD may be a component of GWI. "These symptoms suggest that brain systems related to disordered threat assessment, extreme vigilance, intrusive memories, and irritability may be additional components of GWI pathology," says Baraniuk. "Unfortunately, these symptoms may be misinterpreted as being psychosomatic, which would interfere with the ability of doctors to make the diagnosis of GWI." In fact, 61% of this group had been told that their condition "is all in their head" by a physician or other health care provider. "This study not only demonstrates the need to improve the understanding of GWI in the clinic, but also may serve as a model system for following the health of deployed service personnel in future conflicts so that we can make diagnoses and start appropriate treatments earlier," Fappiano concludes. ### The authors report having no personal financial interests related to the study. The publication of this work was supported by a TD Bank Award to Fappiano. About Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. Connect with GUMC on Facebook (Facebook.com/GUMCUpdate), Twitter (@gumedcenter) and Instagram (@gumedcenter). Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution against Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it divisive. The state cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Kamal Nath urged the Centre to repeal the law saying that it was against the secular character of Indian Constitution. The MP cabinet passed a resolution against CAA calling it discriminatory and divisive. The law is against the secular character of our Constitution, state law minister P C Sharma said while briefing the reporters after the cabinet meeting. The MP assembly is going to pass a resolution against CAA during its ensuing budget session, he added. MP would become fifth state in the country after Rajasthan, West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab to adopt a resolution against CAA. Secularism is basic foundation of Indian Constitution which cannot be changed. It is clearly mentioned in the Constitution that India is a secular country. Besides, Article 14 of the Constitution grants equality to all citizens of the country under the law, the resolution by the state cabinet read. The resolution exhorted the Centre to repeal the law besides clearing doubts in the minds of the people on the contentious issue in the wake of growing protests against the law in the country. The CAA has provided to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims in the countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Opposition BJP took strong exception to decision by the state cabinet, saying that it amounted to violation of Constitution by the Kamal Nath government. The move is nothing but appeasement of minorities by the state Congress government, state BJP president Rakesh Singh said. Korean business and services are bracing for a shortage of workers due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. Factories, construction sites, restaurants, hotels and farms in Korea have become increasingly reliant on workers from China, with 391,000 Chinese laborers accounting for 46.3 percent of all foreign workers here. One employment agency that supplies maids said it is getting increasing requests from customers for Korean workers. Some agencies have told maids from China who went home for the Lunar New Year holiday to take a break for the time being. But it is not easy to find Koreans to replace them. A support group in Ansan, south of Seoul for Chinese workers gets more and more calls from people who said they were fired simply because of their ethnicity. Most are construction workers and maids. Park Yong-man (65), who runs an employment agency in Daelim-dong in southern Seoul, said, "We have received a barrage of phone calls from clients asking for Koreans to replace Chinese caretakers and maids at post-natal care centers and houses. As Chinese workers refrain from leaving their homes, the number coming here to seek jobs has fallen from 50 a day to fewer than 10." Mr. Romney rejected on Wednesday the cynicism that has driven so many of his colleagues to avert their gaze from the roiling disaster of the Trump presidency. Hes the president of the United States. I voted with him 80 percent of the time, he said. I agree with his economic policies and a lot of other policies. And yet he did something which was grievously wrong. And to say, well, you know, because Im on his team and I agree with him most of the time, that I should then assent to a political motive, would be a real stain on our constitutional democracy. Algiers, February 05, 2020 (SPS) - The Saharawi ambassador to Algeria, Mr. Abdelkader Taleb Omar, said that the stalemate of the Saharawi can push the Saharawi people to resort to escalation and use all means to determine their destiny, including armed action, in case that all political solutions fail. The Saharawi ambassador said, in exclusive statements to the Russian newspaper "Sputnik" that the option of the armed struggle remains valid adding: "The Saharawis are obliged to prepare their armed force, because the option of the armed struggle always remains on the table and can be used when necessary. "The current stalemate due to Morocco's intransigence requires us to alert the international community about the possibility of military action. All these obstacles can push the Saharawis to choose other forms, whenever they want to avoid them, and the world must act," Taleb Omar pointed out. The Saharawi diplomat pointed out that the current state of the Saharawi question "is characterized by a state of blockade for several reasons, the most important of which is: the UN peace process stalled since the resignation of the UN envoy, Horst Kohler , without the appointment of another envoy so far, in addition to the Moroccan obstacles, backed mainly by France. "International law does not recognize any sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara, an occupied territory pending the organization of a self-determination referendum," he added. On the options available to the Saharawi people to face what is described as "an accomplished fact," the Saharawi ambassador said: "We are informing international public opinion and influential countries, as well as the African Union, about the seriousness of the situation ", expressing its gratitude to the African Union, which did not change its position despite Morocco's return to the African bloc. On the other hand, the Saharawi ambassador expressed his complete satisfaction with "the quality of the relations that unite us with Algeria and the frank and clear positions of Algeria, people and government," he said. "We have noted that the five candidates for the last Algerian presidential elections have unanimously agreed that the Saharawi issue is a matter of decolonization, which is the same position expressed by President Abdelmdajid Tabboune at his last meeting with the media, and we are proud of the Algerian firm position, "he emphasizes. SPS 125/090/TRA Meet Frances Shiels - the woman who says she was trapped in a man's body for 60 years. Frances' Story - 'It pains me that my decision to be me has had a fallout on those I love most in the world' Growing up as John Francis, and known to everyone as Frank, the Londonderry native who was born in the Bogside said she always knew she wasn't really a man. Nevertheless, 'Frank' did try to conform to social norms by getting married and having two children - but the strain of living a lie eventually took its terrible toll. Now though, and despite a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and subsequent transition, there is no happy-ever-after for Frances, who has found that following her heart has harsh consequences. "People have been mean and abusive," she admitted. "They consciously mis-gender me, and still call me 'sir' in a restaurant or coffee shop. It even happens on the phone when I answer it 'Frances Olive'. "I also don't have any public social media presence because I've been forced off it by bullies." For the 67-year-old former statistician, who has lived in south Belfast for two and a half years, it's also a lonely road. "I'm the oldest of seven children and only two of my siblings are totally accepting and embracing of my identity," said Frances, who has had two surgeries under the NHS and has met the criteria for being legally female. Wearing fashionable glasses with green rims and dressed in a baby pink leather jacket and a long multi-coloured pink and black dress for our interview, stylish Frances is far removed from her previous incarnation. But she said she has always "known who I am from my absolute earliest memory", adding that "for a long time in my teens I thought I was schizophrenic - or mad, but I didn't tell anyone". I remember going through puberty and not being physically attracted to boys or girls Indeed, as a young boy, Frances even considered becoming a priest. "I remember going through puberty and not being physically attracted to boys or girls so I thought I'd been given a gift from God," she said. "So I considered the priesthood and I spent time going to two different seminaries in Co Cavan and Co Dublin for quite a while from when I was aged 13 to 18. I thought God wanted me for the priesthood and was making it easy for me to cope with a life of celibacy." But after "praying for a sign" around the age of 17 he didn't get one and went home from a seminary "confused" and "uninterested in relationships with girls other than as friends". Frank was 22 when he got married to a girl he went to primary school with and had known all his life. She was also his best friend for decades. The couple, now divorced, had two children - son Tim, the 44-year-old pastor of Omagh Community Church who continues to stand by the person he still calls 'daddy'; and a daughter with whom she has no current contact. Although they are now estranged, Frances, who's now a policy advisor for FOCUS: The Identity Trust, said his ex was the first person who knew of his personal struggles. "My ex-wife knew for a long number of years but I don't think she recognised the full import of it," Frances said. "She misinterpreted the cross-dressing. Suffice to say we both recognised that it was an issue. We did attempt to live with it for approximately 20 years before I couldn't survive any longer. "When my ex-wife discovered my identity we tried to continue on as things were before with the elephant in the room. "I embraced it all and tried to be the best possible father, husband, brother and manager. I did the absolute best I could." In 2012 Frances and his ex-wife went together to get help from the NHS. That journey ended with an operation that marked the start of the transition. During years peppered with bouts of depression, anxiety, unemployment and social phobia, Frances revealed that she had also attempted suicide three times and had been considering it again before going to her GP in great distress "aiming to complete suicide" but "not wanting to put that burden on my family". Frances was finally officially referred to the regional gender identity service by a consultant psychiatrist in 2000 but relations with his wife, whom he no longer sees, broke down in 2012 and they parted ways. "My ex always made it very clear that it was totally unacceptable to her that I would cross-dress, that I would express my true identity in public and it was coming to an absolute crisis," she said. "The amount of pain that we were both undergoing ... it became impossible for me to bear it any longer and I was literally at the stage of choosing whether to be or not to be." It pains me that my decision to be me has had a fallout on those who I love the most Frances is extremely conscious of the hurt and turmoil she has caused to her nearest and dearest, who may never come to understand her motivations. "It pains me that my decision to be me has had a fallout on those who I love the most in the world, those people I continue to love," she said. "The feeling of isolation is at times almost unbearable." But that said, she's convinced it's better being Frances than denying her true self. "I am immeasurably more comfortable as me," she said. "This whole journey has been about resolving my inner conflict and I have done that. I'm totally comfortable in my own identity and I don't have to fight that any more." Yet there remains the guilt of bringing the challenge of her identity to her son and family. "A lot of things happen to transgender individuals like me and they're largely down to societal attitudes but they affect the people around me," she admitted. "There is transphobia all around me. "My ex-wife and my family would have experienced that sort of societal transphobia and I feel guilty because if I wasn't transgender none of this would be happening. Timothy has been able to transcend all that because he knows the true me." For Frances, though, this rocky road leads to her future path of choice. "I always thought I had some sort of a calling," she said. "Now I'm convinced my vocation is to shed some light for society for those transgender people yet to be born. "I'm still here and the purpose of my being is to help change society's attitude to people like me and to make people realise we're not mad and we don't have two heads. "God created us the same way He created everyone else." Expand Close Tim and Frances Shiels together Kevin Scott / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tim and Frances Shiels together Tim's Story: 'I accept it as Frances's reality but I don't approve of it... we've agreed to disagree' Pastor Tim Shiels thought he'd already dealt with everything this world could throw at him. The 44-year-old had been a homeless drug addict, spent five stints in rehab and tried to take his own life before eventually getting clean and turning his life around. But the Omagh man, who is no stranger to battling for survival, was destined to face yet another bump in the long and tortuous road after his father told him he'd always felt like a woman trapped in a man's body. "I honestly thought I had seen it all," he said. "It was around the beginning of 2012. The exact date is a mystery to all of us at this stage - we've all been through so much already. "But what do you do when your daddy sits down at your kitchen table and essentially tells you that he wants to become your mammy?" He added: "My understanding or ignorance of gender dysphoria was limited to what I'd seen on Coronation Street [with Hayley Cropper, a male-to-female transgender character]." Sitting in the lobby of a hotel, with his divorced dad who now identifies as a female, Frances, the father-of-four and pastor of Omagh Community Church speaks candidly about the shocking revelation from almost eight years ago. I accept it as Frances's reality but I don't approve of it, nor do I agree with it. Ultimately, we've agreed to disagree But Tim, who still calls his father 'daddy', also confided that while he "accepts" that Frances believes he was always a woman, he refuses to accept his father's assessment that it's a medical, rather than psychological, condition. "That's where the tension exists between him and me," he said. "I accept it as Frances's reality but I don't approve of it, nor do I agree with it. Ultimately, we've agreed to disagree." Describing his conflicted feelings following the admission made by his father - who used to be called John Francis, better known as 'Frank' - Tim said he was angry and "wanted to poke his eyes out". "It was a wave of emotion, going from shock into a processing of 'What do you mean? That's nuts. Daddy are you okay?'," he recalled. "As Frances was sharing this story I remember pausing and asking myself, 'What do I do? I'm a pastor, I love God'. So I asked Jesus, 'What would you do?' "That was the default setting for everything else that would follow, and I just felt my spirit telling me 'You've just got to hold his hand' even though I wanted to run." Tim cannot, however, remember if he did physically take his father's hand. "Neither one of us can remember the exact moment," he said. "I'd like to think I held his hand, but I knew the message was that I had to maintain the relationship and journey with this. It would, however, have been easier to run." That made Jennie very angry. She was counting the cost and the impact of this on the kids After sharing the news with wife Jennie (43), a midwife, she requested a "lead-in time" where their children - Sian and Oisin (then aged 12), Aoife (8) and Cadhla (1) - could continue to see "Grandad Frank". "Frances wasn't up for that - as far as she was concerned the decision had been made and we had to get up to speed with it," Tim said. "That made Jennie very angry. She was counting the cost and the impact of this on the kids. "We felt we were being told that this is the beat of the drum, and you're either in or out. "I felt that I'd already made the decision (that I was in), but everybody else then had to make their own." Tim said that when they told the children they were "met with blank faces". He then told them he wasn't going to "force them to be in any relationship they didn't want to be in". Although Jennie has yet to meet Frances due to "all the complexities of the situation", Tim told how the older three children initially "decided that they wanted to hang out". "We went to a cafe and it was very difficult," he recalled. "Frances was described as a man and being greeted as 'Sir'... and in their heads everybody was looking at them. "So you've got an eight-year-old and two 12 year olds looking at someone who's supposed to be their granddad but presenting themselves as a female. In the end they all felt it was easier to not engage with the emotion and the abnormality, so now there's no contact "The reality is their granddad was there, looking like a woman. It didn't make sense to them, they felt so uncomfortable with and decided it was too much for them. "In the end they all felt it was easier to not engage with the emotion and the abnormality, so now there's no contact." Explaining gender dysphoria to them wasn't enough to make them understand their granddad's new persona, as Tim added: "I'm 44 and I still can't make sense of it." He added: "Our youngest journeyed the longest but the turning point for Cadhla was two summers ago when we were walking up the quay on the River Foyle and she found it incredibly difficult and very uncomfortable to have everyone looking at us." Recalling the words the consultant used to describe how his father had been feeling pre-transition - "it's like a cooker standing in the mirror and seeing a fridge" - Tim said he accepts the analogy and hopes it will "help people understand the complexity of this issue". "We've got to accept there are people in our community who are suffering like that on a daily basis," he added. In his role as a Church leader, Tim said none of his congregation have rebuked him for his dad's decision. On the contrary his "incredible Church family" have been very supportive. "As Frances and I have journeyed together, I'm in a more authoritative position to speak into this and I've become more public and I'm travelling across the UK and Ireland to speak to churches," he said. "More often than not the reality of the Church is that we look at people as problems to be fixed but regardless of how Frances is today, my daddy is not a problem to be fixed. He's a person to be loved." Visiting Bhutan could become more expensive for Indian tourists as Bhutan's Lower House has passed a legislation that makes it mandatory for visitors from India, Bangladesh and Maldives to pay a fee of Rs 1,200 per day for "sustainable development" starting July 2020. This legislation was passed on Monday. The decision to impose the fee came after an increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting Bhutan. Compared to 2018, there was a 10 per cent hike in the number of tourists visiting Bhutan from India, Bangladesh and Maldives. Currently, international tourists have to pay approximately $250 (Rs 18,000 approx) as a minimum charge per day per person. This $250 charge also includes a $65 "Sustainable Development fee" and a $40 visa charge. The tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives don't have to pay any charge as of now. However, as per the new legislation Indians are reported to be charged a Sustainable Development Fee and a "permit processing fee". The central government sources told the media that the "Tourism Levy and Exemption Bill of Bhutan 2020" which is still being discussed imposes a very "nominal" charge to develop its tourism facilities and infrastructure. Apart from imposing a very 'nominal' charge, the bill also includes additional provisions for visit of tourists from the three countries to Bhutan. The concerned authorities in Bhutan have assured the Indian government that "tourists from India wouldn't be inconvenienced in the course of the implementation of the new regulation". Also read: Nepal offers to play mediator between India, Pakistan; says dialogue best way to resolve issues Also read: Global med-tech majors seek custom duty cut to prevent smuggling of medical devices DRAPER, Utah, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HealthEquity, Inc. (HQY) (HealthEquity or the Company), the nations largest independent health savings account (HSA") custodian, announced that it plans to release its fiscal year-end sales results following the close of regular stock market trading hours on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. Following the news release, HealthEquity management plans to host a conference call for investors on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. ET during which management will review year-end sales results for fiscal 2020. HealthEquity Fiscal 2020 Sales Results Conference Call Date: February 18, 2020 Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Dial-In: 1-844-791-6252 (US and Canada) 1-661-378-9636 (International) Conference ID: 3450549 Webcast: ir.healthequity.com A replay of the conference call will be made available on the Companys website at ir.healthequity.com. The Company also announced that it plans to participate at the following upcoming investor conferences: SVB Leerink 9th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Date: February 25, 2020 Time: 9:00 am Eastern Time Location: Lotte New York Palace Hotel Presenters: Jon Kessler, President and CEO and Darcy Mott, EVP and CFO Webcast: None Raymond James 41st Annual Institutional Investors Conference Date: March 4, 2020 Time: 8:40 p.m. Eastern Time Location: JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL Presenter: Jon Kessler, President and CEO, and Darcy Mott, EVP and CFO Webcast: None SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Technology, Internet & Services Conference Date: March 10, 2020 Time: Scheduled one-on-one meetings Location: Lotte New York Palace Hotel Presenter: Steve Neeleman, Founder and Vice Chair and Darcy Mott, EVP and CFO Webcast: None About HealthEquity HealthEquity administers Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other consumer-directed benefits for our more than 12 million accounts in partnership with employers, benefits advisors, and health and retirement plan providers who share our mission to connect health and wealth and value our culture of remarkable Purple service. For more information, visit www.healthequity.com . Story continues Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our industry, business strategy, plans, goals and expectations concerning our markets and market position, product expansion, future operations, expenses and other results of operations, revenue, margins, profitability, future efficiencies, tax rates, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other financial and operating information. When used in this discussion, the words may, believes, intends, seeks, anticipates, plans, estimates, expects, should, assumes, continues, could, will, future and the negative of these or similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements in this press release. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations regarding future events, results or outcomes. These expectations may or may not be realized. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give you no assurance these expectations will prove to be correct. Some of these expectations may be based upon assumptions, data or judgments that prove to be incorrect. Actual events, results and outcomes may differ materially from our expectations due to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although it is not possible to identify all of these risks and factors, they include, among others, risks related to the following: our ability to realize the anticipated financial and other benefits from combining the operations of WageWorks with our business in an efficient and effective manner; our ability to compete effectively in a rapidly evolving healthcare and benefits administration industry; our dependence on the continued availability and benefits of tax-advantaged health savings accounts; our ability to successfully identify, acquire and integrate additional portfolio purchases or acquisition targets; the significant competition we face and may face in the future, including from those with greater resources than us; our reliance on the availability and performance of our technology and communications systems; recent and potential future cybersecurity breaches of our technology and communications systems and other data interruptions, including resulting costs and liabilities, reputational damage and loss of business; the current uncertain healthcare environment, including changes in healthcare programs and expenditures and related regulations; our ability to comply with current and future privacy, healthcare, tax, investment advisor and other laws applicable to our business; our reliance on partners and third-party vendors for distribution and important services; our ability to develop and implement updated features for our technology and communications systems and successfully manage our growth; our ability to protect our brand and other intellectual property rights; and our reliance on our management team and key team members. For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to the risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent periodic and current reports. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. We undertake no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Like many of you, I was shocked to hear about Rush Limbaugh and lung cancer. By coincidence, I tuned in just as he was explaining his situation. Back in the fall of 1990, I was working on several projects down in Ciudad Juarez on the other side of the border from El Paso, Texas. Juarez was a lot quieter back then. My work required me to fly to El Paso on Monday morning and spend a couple of days in Ciudad Juarez. My plane from Dallas landed around 10:45 local time, and then I rented a car for the drive across the border. A few minutes after 11 A.M., Rush would come on, and I loved the show. It was so different from anything on the radio those days. Later, I found Rush on Dallas radio, and I've been listening ever since. He is wonderful and at times so hilariously funny. Remember the one about Sharpton and Jackson, the Justice Brothers? Or President Clinton talking to Anne Richards and Mario Cuomo after the 1994 elections? Rush's success is that he is so genuine. He actually believes what he is saying. And he loves the U.S. and what it stands for. How much will we miss a full-time Rush every day talking about politics and everything else? I will miss him a lot. How much will I miss him? I can't wait to hear what he has to say about this Iowa disaster on Tuesday night. I hope that he can tell us soon! PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. Photo credit: Rush Limbaugh.com. BRIDGEPORT A local business has been pinned down as the place where fraudulent Texas dealer plates are being sold, according to police on Wednesday. Officer Michael Bouchard was recently on patrol when he identified several vehicles with temporary Texas dealer plates, which were all made of paper. When each registration was checked, police found that the identification numbers did not match the alleged Texas dealer plates on the vehicle. Police said the fake license plates were being fraudulently sold by a local business at Grand Street and Hurd Avenue. Police said the name of the business is GRS Tint Shop. Officials said an arrest was made by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. The initial investigation concerning the issuance of Texas dealer plates began several weeks ago as part of quality of life detail implemented to improve the condition of local neighborhoods and identify existing problems which need to be addressed and corrected, police said. In coordination with the DMV, the police department said it was able to identify the falsified plates and the business distributing it, as well as the individuals using the illegal plates on their vehicles. Victims should be aware that having an illegal license plate is an arrestable offense, police said. The department said the dealers providing the illegal plates, on several occasions, provided the victims with fraudulent insurance cards. The state requires drivers to have minimum liability insurance. In a video posted by the city, Bouchard held one of the fake plates and talked about the scam. He said the plates have popped up around the city. The plate itself is actually a scam, Bouchard said. The plates are not legitimate plates. They are not a legitimate registration and they are not legitimately insured by the dealer. Bouchard said anyone with these scam plates can expect to be pulled over, ticketed and possibly arrested. On top of that, the persons vehicle will be towed, he said. Anyone who has purchased these plates or been approached about the possibility to purchase these plates is asked to call the Bridgeport police tip line at 203-576-TIPS. General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia wants the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to call for thorough investigations into every case of corruption recorded under his watch, and not only those that allegedly took place during the previous administration. To him, the sudden interest in the Airbus bribery scandal by the current government as evidenced in the swift call for a probe by the presidency, whiles other equally sordid acts of graft are blatantly ignored, is mind-boggling. Following news of the Crown Court at Southwark in the United Kingdom's judgement on 31st January, 2020, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation was fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana, the Office of the President charged the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to with immediate effect delve into the bottom of the Airbus bribery scandal and investigate the complicity of any public official, "past or present" who may have been involved in the saga. "....President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgement and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law," a statement signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin read. But speaking on Okay FMs "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show, General Mosquito, stated that if the president has now found the courage to probe alleged acts of corruption then he should "investigate the Airbus, Air-tricycle, and Air-train all, and make the findings public since corruption has no political color. If some people have committed crimes, they should face the full rigors of the law." What interests me is that the President said that he has no authority to order anybody to investigate corruption cases but ended up clearing corrupt appointees; and said it is the responsibility of state institutions to conduct their own investigations. If today, he has shown that he has the wherewithal to order for investigation, then the over 200 missing excavators must be investigated.... over 200 excavators have vanished into thin air; if you want something to investigate, he should add this case to the Airbus and do a thorough investigation, including that of the missing tricycles in the 40-footer container," he charged. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tesla shares fell 17.18% Wednesday after a company executive said that cars initially scheduled for delivery in early February will be delayed due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The huge fall comes after two spectacular days for the stock earlier this week. Tesla shares were up nearly 20% on Monday and another 13.7% on Tuesday. Tesla on Wednesday did avoid setting a record for its biggest single-day loss, which happened in 2012 when the stock fell 19.3%. But it was still the second-worst day for Tesla. Tesla stock down was down as much as 20% during intraday trading Wednesday. The company's market cap stands at $132.4 billion. The electric carmaker began rolling out Model 3 vehicles from its Shanghai Gigafactory to Chinese customers in January. Tesla has kept its Shanghai factory closed after the Lunar New Year following government guidelines due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, which has now infected at least 24,000 in more than two dozen countries and killed about 490 in China. "The proposed delivery (of cars) in early February will be delayed," Tao Lin, vice president at Tesla, announced on Chinese microblogging service Weibo, according to a CNBC translation, in response to a question from a user. "We will catch up the production line once the outbreak situation gets better." The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI investigation into the unnatural death of a CRPF jawan, hailing from West Bengal, at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh in 2015. A division bench comprising justices Sanjib Banerjee and Kaushik Chanda ordered the CBI to investigate the death of CRPF constable Suman Roy, a resident of Tribeni in Hooghly district of West Bengal, on a prayer by his mother. Roy's body was found hanging from a tree in the CRPF campus in Neemuch district on February 24, 2015. The authorities had claimed that it was a case of suicide. The court directed CBI authorities to complete the probe within six months and submit a report before it. Alleging that her son was under tremendous physical and mental torture by his superior, the jawan's mother Jyotshna Roy moved the high court seeking an impartial probe by a central agency into the death of her son. Her lawyer Sk Mujibar Rahman claimed before the court that there is enough evidence to show that there were extraneous reasons into the death of Roy and as such an impartial probe was required to be conducted into the death of the jawan, who was on training at the Neemuch facility. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Raising a shrill pitch over ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh ahead of Delhi Assembly elections to a whole new level, Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, a Hindu Right-Wing group, has threatened to forcibly clear the 'blockade' caused by anti-CAA protesters. The group has set a deadline till 12 February for the Centre and the state government to vacate the Shaheen Bagh part of the Kalindi Kunj Road occupied by protesters. Or else, it threatened, they will do it themselves. Raising a shrill pitch over ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh ahead of Delhi Assembly elections to a whole new level, Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, a Hindu Right-Wing group, has threatened to forcibly clear the "blockade" caused by anti-CAA protesters. The group has set a deadline till 12 February for the Centre and the state government to vacate the Shaheen Bagh part of the Kalindi Kunj Road occupied by protesters. Or else, it threatened, they will do it themselves. Recently, the group also held a protest march from Noida to Shaheen Bagh demanding clearance of the road. The group was not allowed ahead by the police. Thakur Sundar Singh Rana, working president of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha allege that the blockade has caused much inconvenience to the commuters. "Lakhs of people living in Noida and Delhi commute to and fro through the Shaheen Bagh route every day to reach schools, colleges, hospitals and workplaces. But due to the blockade caused by anti-CAA protests they have to opt for a longer route through Delhi-Noida Flyway, facing tremendous hardship," he said, and added that the Mahasabha would "use weapons if required", to vacate the road after 12 February. Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha is an organisation which functions across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. According to Rana, the group cannot do anything before 12 February because the Election Commission-mandated Model Code of Conduct is in force in the National Capital till 11 February. Results for Delhi Assembly Election will be announced on 11 February. Rana said the organisation does not want to disrupt the poll process. Kuwar Ajay Singh, the national president of the organisation told Firstpost that it is preparing to execute it's plan to vacate the Kalindi Kunj Road to mobilise masses in the locality. "We will surround the Shaheen Bagh area from all sides. For that we will mobilise our Kshatriya society and march towards Shaheen Bagh. People from our units in Palwal, Ballamgarh and Faridabad will march towards Shaheen Bagh too. Our supporters from the units in Delhi will march from Kashmere Gate to Shaheen Bagh and those from the units in Haryana will go via rail route. People will move from Noida. The protests in Shaheen Bagh are not only anti-national but also have caused fear among the people living in nearby areas of Jasola, Madanpur Khadar and Sarita Vihar as they cannot move out of their localities due to the blockade," he said. Significantly, the anti-CAA protests going on in Shaheen Bagh (for more than 50 days now) have become the central talking point ahead of the Delhi assembly election especially after the BJP decided to make the elections about it and its "polarising effects", with AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Siodiya, on the other hand, siding with the protesters. Commuters blame protesters for traffic snarls Kalindi Kunj Road is one of the busiest routes in the National Capital that connects Noida to Delhi and people have protested against the Shaheen Bagh protests because it is inconvenient for commuters. People in South Delhi use this route to commute to Noida and vice versa. On account of the blockade, they now have to travel through the Delhi Noida Flyway to reach the same destination which consumes hours of their time instead of a few minutes. "My brother-in-law Ajay Chauhan (45) who is suffering from serious kidney infection had to be transferred to Apollo Hospital in Delhi from Kailash Hospital in Noida. But we could not shift him because of the distance which we would have to cover due to the blockade and instead had to transfer him to another hospital in Noida itself," said Neeraj Chauhan, a resident of Meerut. Residents said that the protests not only cost time, but also money. Rajpal Chauhan, who lives in Sector 37 in Noida, said, "My son used to reach school near Jasola in 20 minutes and his commuting costs was around Rs 1,000 a month. But now the cost has doubled, because he has to take a longer route." Utpal Singh, who travels to his office in Noida from his home in Kalkaji, complains about longer travel hours due to traffic jam. "Due to the protest in Shaheen Bagh, number of vehicles plying on the Delhi Noida Flyway have doubled. As a result, traffic jams occur every now and then, making journeys a few hours longer than normal," he added. Ask authorities, say Shaheen Bagh protesters The protestors in Shaheen Bagh, on the other hand, blame authorities for the inconvenience as they say that it is them who have blocked the Kalindi Kunj Road in the name of security. Bhupendra Singh Rawat, a human rights activist who supports the anti-CAA movement said, "The protesters in Shaheen Bagh have only occupied a small part of the Kalindi Kunj Road. There is enough space for vehicles to pass by. But the authorities have blocked the entire stretch of the Kalindi Kunj Road that passes by Shaheen Bagh. If the government decides to open the blockade then there would be no traffic jams." Ovais Sultan Khan, another activist from the protest, agrees that inconvenience has been caused by the protests but he also asks whether these inconvenience is more than the fear of losing citizenship? Among the voices that object to the ongoing protests in Shaheen Bagh, some are compassionate. Amar Singh Bhadoriya, who lives in Agra and travels to Delhi often, said that it is the government's duty to consult with the protesters and ensure that the road is free. "Certainly people who travel to Delhi from Agra and Meerut have suffered a lot due to the protests going on in Shaheen Bagh, but it is the government's duty to ensure that the protests do not go on for long. Why cannot the government talk to the protesters and solve the issue," he said. One of Ireland's oldest resident is urging the country to get out and vote and do its duty to solve the homeless crisis. A sprightly 106-year old Nancy Stewart from Clonard, Co Meath is older than the Republic of Ireland and has never missed voting in an election down through the years. The centenarian says that in all her years of living in a country that has seen hard economic times, she can never remember a time where children were sleeping on streets. She believes that all politicians should 'stop fighting' each other and work together for the greater good of the country. "I'm sick of listening to them (TDs) fighting with each other and then doing absolutely nothing - they should be ashamed of themselves," she said, adding "you never hear of them fighting over their wages. I feel really bad about all the people and children, the young children who have no homes. It didn't happen in my day. We need to make sure that no-one in this country is forgotten. "Back then, the council built small cottages for people who could eventually buy them. They weren't grand homes - they were small cottages.All you need is a kitchen, a sitting room and a bedroom - sure you can only sleep in one bed. "The minute you get the old age pension, sure it's well and truly spent because of the cost of things. "Back in my day, we worked hard and everyone was on an equal footing. We picked potatoes by hand - back breaking stuff but now you just go and buy washed ones. Everyone had the same and shared what they had. "Mothers stayed at home and they would feel degraded if they had to go out and work. You were raised by your mother and your next door neighbours. Many mothers now just can't afford to stay at home and that is just wrong. "For society's sake, mothers should be given a grant to stay at home, if that is what they want to do. "Please God, I'll be voting on Saturday but I won't be saying for who. No-one should be told who to vote for but everyone should do their own homework before they vote. "Everyone should have a right to a roof over their head." Go out and vote. You have no right to give out if you don't vote. You can only complain if you do. Your country needs you to vote. The mum of six was born in 1913 and is looking forward to meeting people while out voting. According to her family's research, Nancy is the third oldest in the State and the oldest person to still live independently. "I love talking to people. I'm beginning to think I'm somebody," she laughed "I don't feel old. I love the company and the chats and lots of good, plain food." In the first comprehensive study mapping global patterns of stillbirth rates, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have found that pregnant women who are poor and have lower access to education and employment are more likely to experience a child's death at delivery. "Our research offers a better understanding of where stillbirth rates are higher, and what the social causes underlying stillbirths are, not just taking into account the medical factors as most studies do," said USask community health and epidemiology researcher Nazeem Muhajarine, whose findings have been recently published in Nature Scientific Reports. The model developed by the USask researchers shows that stillbirths are more likely in countries where gender inequality is high--where women experience financial challenges and have less access to education and employment opportunities compared to men. While stillbirth rates are relatively understudied, according to the World Health Organization every year almost three million children reportedly die before or at delivery, but the majority of these deaths are preventable. Many mothers-to-be experience stillbirths around the world and this loss takes a personal toll on the families and the women who are preparing to give birth and see their dreams dashed. We hope we will help these women with our research." Nazeem Muhajarine, USask community health and epidemiology researcher Focusing on data from 194 countries, Muhajarine and his PhD student Daniel Adeyinka's model shows which social causes in addition to gender inequality have a potential link to stillbirth rates worldwide. They found that stillbirths rates are more likely in countries where pregnant women have higher rates of anemia (iron deficiency caused by low nutrition), limited pre-birth healthcare, and lack of access to skilled professionals such as nurses, midwives or doctors for delivering the babies. "We hope that our study will provide policy makers with information for improving women's social conditions so that fewer and fewer women will experience stillbirths around the world," said Adeyinka. The USask model, which used novel artificial intelligence software, also mapped the "hot spots" of highest stillbirth rates, a cluster of 37 countries in Africa and Southern Asia. Nigeria and Pakistan led with 43 deaths for every 1,000 children born. This is an average four times higher than the 2030 national target of 12 deaths per 1,000 births of the World Health Assembly Every Newborn Action Plan (WHA ENAP). The researchers also identified "cold spots" of low stillbirth rates, mostly in in Canada, Europe and Northern Asia, oscillating between one and 12 deaths per 1,000 births. "A cultural change is needed in 'hot spot' countries around women's conditions," said Muhajarine. "Not only should we offer better hospital services and more access to skilled healthcare professionals, but we also need to make sure that women and girls have access to enough food, better education and work opportunities, and are not married off too early." Muhajarine and Adeyinka ran simulations to predict how to improve children's survival at birth, especially in "hot spot" countries. The researchers found that to decrease stillbirths worldwide by 44 per cent would require improving women's access to education and by 51 per cent, and improving mothers' nutrition by 59 per cent compared to current worldwide rates. The researchers also recommend that pregnant women should have more access to pre-birth health services and skilled healthcare professionals at delivery--an average increase of 27 per cent on healthcare services and 26 per cent on access compared to current rates. Adeyinka will apply this study to design recommendations that could inform policy makers in Nigeria, his home country, where stillbirths are the second highest in the world. "The time to act is now," said Adeyinka. "Stillbirths are more expensive than successful deliveries. On top of saving lives, if we lower stillbirths, the money could be invested in improving mothers and children's health and on the healthcare system as a whole, including in Nigeria." The researchers used data from the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) databases. University of Nevada public health PhD student Babayemi Oluwaseun Olakunde contributed to the study. CLEVELAND and BOSTON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MPE Partners ("MPE" or "Morgenthaler Private Equity") announced today the recapitalization of Teel Plastics ("Teel"), a winner of Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year. Teel is a leading technology-driven manufacturer that specializes in plastic extrusion and injection molding capabilities in the agriscience, laboratory sampling bags, medical, consumer cosmetics, water treatment, flex-film cores, and industrial piping markets. Teel has been owned by the Smith family for over 20 years and was seeking a partner to help the Teel team capitalize on the significant growth opportunities that are currently available to the company. MPE partnered in the transaction with owner and Chairman, Jay Smith, as well as the senior management team, led by President Tom Thompson. Matt Yohe, Partner at MPE, said, "Since its founding in 1951, Teel has developed a reputation for superior quality, materials expertise, collaborative product development, and exceptional customer service." Karen Tuleta, Partner at MPE, said, "We look forward to partnering with the management team to help Teel accelerate its growth as a platform company while maintaining the culture and tradition of excellence that has made Teel so successful to date." Jay Smith added, "The Smith family is proud of the success we've had building Teel into a world class plastics processor over the past two decades, and we have a future of exciting growth planned. We are confident that, together with MPE, we will continue to innovate, deliver quality products to our customers, and execute on our growth plan. We are excited to utilize the capabilities, resources, and capital that MPE brings to support this next chapter of growth." BakerHostetler served as legal advisor to MPE. P&M Corporate Finance, LLC (PMCF) acted as the investment banking advisor to Teel and Foley & Lardner served as legal advisor. About Teel Plastics Headquartered in Baraboo, WI, Teel Plastics is a world-class, technology-driven manufacturer of highly engineered and complex plastic components specializing in plastic extrusion and injection molding. About MPE Partners MPE Partners ("MPE" or "Morgenthaler Private Equity") seeks to be the preferred partner for entrepreneur- and family-owned companies. Based in Cleveland, OH, and Boston, MA, MPE invests in profitable, lower middle market companies with EBITDA between $5 - $20 million. MPE has two primary target investment areas: high-value manufacturing and commercial & industrial services. For more information, please visit www.mpepartners.com. SOURCE MPE Partners Related Links http://www.mpepartners.com Classes havent been held at the school at 730 W. 25th Ave., since early last year. Students were relocated to the Gary Area Career Center after pipes burst in the 93-year-old building during the January 2019 polar vortex. Because maintenance has been deferred so long, Parish said the repair cost could go beyond the anticipated scope. The New Milford High School Winter Guard and Green Heat Winter Percussion group will co-host its annual home Musical Arts Conference competition Feb. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The event will take place in the gym at the high school on Route 7 South. The Musical Arts Conference or MAC is a coalition of Music Educators that have formed a non-profit organization, in order to create a professional and educational outlet for high school ensembles to compete in. It is their goal to give every high school performer the opportunity to perform in a professional atmosphere and be evaluated by the most qualified adjudicators available. The home competition will feature performances from award-winning New Milford High School Winter Percussion and Winter Guard, as well as schools from the surrounding area in Connecticut and New York. Sixteen groups are scheduled to perform at the event, including the University of Connecticut and University of New Haven Winter Guards. Winter Guard performances will include a variety of musical pieces interpreted through dance, using flags, sabers, and rifles and Winter Percussion groups perform a musical program enhanced with visual designs, props and sound effects. Admission for the event is $15 for adults, $8 for children under 10. A wide variety of refreshments will be available. A 33-year-old Hoover man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a 2016 shooting on Interstate 20/59 that killed one man and wounded a pregnant woman. Jury selection in the capital murder trial against Roderick Jerome Johnson was set to begin Tuesday morning. The case was to be tried before Circuit Judge David Carpenter, and Johnson was facing the death penalty in the June 5, 2016 killing of 22-year-old Brett Allen Kimbrel. He was also charged with attempted murder in the wounding of woman, who was shot in head and the arm, but recovered. Instead, Johnson pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Assistant District Attorney Brent Butler said the plea was accepted with consent from the victims family. Bessemer police responded at 11:40 a.m. that Sunday to report of a wreck on the interstate. When they arrived on the scene, they found Kimbrel and a female both had been shot inside their black Ford Mustang. Both were taken to UAB Hospital. Kimbrel was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. Butler said had the case gone to trial, testimony would have shown that the shooting was the result of a drug-deal-gone bad. Johnson in possession of cocaine and heroin and was also charged with drug trafficking. According to court records, Johnson was driving a white Chrysler 300 and was chasing the pregnant woman, who was driving a black Ford Mustang, on the interstate. Johnson began shooting into the moving vehicle. Kimbrel, a passenger in the front seat, was shot in the head. The surviving victim told Bessemer investigators that "G" shot them. During the investigation, police determined "G" was Johnson. On June 8, the woman picked Johnson out of a lineup. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force eventually arrested Johnson at an apartment on Alliston Bonnett Memorial Drive. They recovered an AR-15 and a .45-caliber pistol during the arrest. At the time of his 2016 capital murder arrest, Johnson had only been out of prison for 11 months after serving time for four attempted murder convictions stemming from a 2010 shooting at Western Hills Mall. Johnson was arrested in that case after gunfire erupted in the parking lot near the main entrance of Western Hills Mall in Fairfield. Shortly before 11 a.m. on Aug. 3, 2010, three men ran out of the mall. Two men jumped into a silver Ford Crown Victoria and the other man shot them through the windows, police said at the time. The wounded men ran into the mall to seek help and the suspect fled. In 2011, Johnson pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder. Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton said ADOC records show Johnson received a 20-year sentence with 15 years suspended, 5 years to serve with 5 years of probation. Based on his sentence, Johnson served 4 years, 11 months and 24 days before his probation July 28, 2015. Johnson was represented in the capital murder case by attorneys Emory Anthony and Derrick Collins. We are glad that my client will not face death, Anthony said. Butler said he believes justice was served. He put many peoples lives in danger that day, the prosecutor said. Roderick will be in prison for a long time. (CNN Philippines, February 6) The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it is wrong to impose a blanket travel ban to and from China amid the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus. The statement came after the United Kingdom asked Britons to leave China, where the virus originated. We encourage all countries to make their decisions based on evidence, not just a blanket coverage. Because even in China, there are provinces with very few cases, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a press briefing at Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO already called on countries not to impose travel ban and trade restrictions over coronavirus, citing that this may only increase the fear and stigma within the international community. Ghebreyesus noted that a large portion of 2019-nCoV cases are only in the Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus. Considering China, as if the problem is the same in all provinces, could be wrong and it's wrong. For instance, 80% cases in China are from Hubei province. So that blanket approach may not help, he said. There are more than 30 countries which have imposed travel ban in China. The WHO reported that there are 24, 363 confirmed cases in China and 490 deaths. Outside China, there are 191 cases in more than 25 countries. The relatively small number of cases outside China gives us a window of opportunity to prevent this outbreak from becoming a broader global crisis, said Ghebreyesus. [applause] Good evening. Im honored to be here and grateful that youre tuning in. Im Gretchen Whitmer, the 49th governor of the great state of Michigan. Tonight, I am at my daughter Sherry and Sydneys public school, East Lansing High School. Were here today with families and parents, teachers, and, most importantly, students. I want to thank you all for coming. But tonight, Im going to talk to those of you who are watching at home. Id need a lot more than 10 minutes to respond to what the president just said. So instead of talking about what he is saying, Im going to highlight what Democrats are doing. After all, you can listen to what someone says, but to know the truth, watch what they do. Michiganders are no different from Americans everywhere. We love our families and want a good life today and a better life tomorrow for our kids. We work hard, and we expect our government to work hard for us as well. We have grit and value loyalty, and we still root for the Detroit Lions. We and all Americans might be weary of todays politics, but we must stay engaged. Our country, our democracy, our future demand it. Were capable of great things when we work together. We cannot forget that despite the dishonesty and division of the last few years and that we heard tonight from the president of the United States, together, we have boundless potential. And young Americans are proving that every day by taking action. Thats what I want to focus on tonight. Monty Scott is 13 years old and lives in Muskegon Heights, Mich. Montys street was covered in potholes. They were ankle-deep, and he got tired of waiting for them to get fixed. So he grabbed a shovel and a bucket of dirt and filled them in himself. During my campaign, people told me to fix the damn roads because blown tires and broken windshields are downright dangerous, and car repairs take money from rent, child care, or groceries. And we, the Democrats, are doing something about it. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker passed a multibillion-dollar plan to rebuild their roads and bridges. Gov. Phil Murphy is replacing lead pipes in New Jersey. All across the country, Democratic leaders are rebuilding bridges, fixing roads, expanding broadband, and cleaning up drinking water. Everyone in this country benefits when we invest in infrastructure. Congressional Democrats have presented proposals to keep us moving forward, but President Trump and the Republicans in the Senate are blocking the path. When it comes to infrastructure, Monty has tried to do more with a shovel and a pile of dirt than the Republicans in D.C. have with the Oval Office and the U.S. Senate. Bullying people on Twitter doesnt fix bridges. It burns them. Our energy should be used to solve problems. And its true for health care, too. For me, for so many Americans, health care is personal, not political. When I was 30, I became a member of the sandwich generation. That means I was sandwiched between two generations of my own family for whom I was the primary caregiver. I was holding down a new job, caring for my newborn daughter, as well as my mom at the end of her brain cancer battle. I was up all night with a baby, and during the day, I had to fight my moms insurance company when they wrongly denied her coverage for chemotherapy. It was hard. It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces, our health care system, and our child care system. And it changed me. I lost patience for people who are just talk and no action. So as a state senator, I worked with a Republican governor and legislature to expand health care coverage to more than 680,000 Michiganders under the Affordable Care Act. Today, Democrats from Maine to Montana are expanding coverage and lowering costs. In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly is working across the aisle to bring Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands. In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham enshrined A.C.A. protections into law. Every Democrat running for president has a plan to expand health care for all Americans. Every one of them has supported the Affordable Care Act with coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. They may have different plans, but the goal is the same. President Trump, sadly, has a different plan. Hes asking the courts to rip those lifesaving protections away. Its pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away. Think about kids like 17-year-old Blake Carroll from Idaho, who organized a fund-raiser to pay for his moms colon cancer treatment, or 19-year-old Ebony Meyers from Utah, who sells art to help pay for her own rare genetic disorder treatment. No one should have to crowdsource their health care, not in America. But the reality is, not everyone in America has a job with health care and benefits. In fact, many have jobs that dont even pay enough to cover their monthly expenses. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. American workers are hurting in my own state, our neighbors in Wisconsin, and Ohio, Pennsylvania, and all over the country. Wages have stagnated, while C.E.O. pay has skyrocketed. So when the president says the economy is strong, my question is, strong for whom? Strong for the wealthy, who are reaping rewards from tax cuts they dont need? The American economy needs to be a different kind of strong strong for the science teacher spending her own money to buy supplies for her classroom. Strong for the single mom picking up extra hours so she can afford her daughters soccer cleats. Strong for the small business owner who has to make payroll at the end of the month. Michigan invented the middle class, so we know if the economy doesnt work for working people, it just doesnt work. Who fights for working, hard-working Americans? Democrats do. In the U.S. House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats passed a landmark bill on equal pay, another bill to give 30 million Americans a raise by increasing the minimum wage, and groundbreaking legislation to finally give Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices for Americas seniors and families. Those three bills, and more than 275 other bipartisan bills, are just gathering dust on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells desk. Senator McConnell, America needs you to move those bills. Meanwhile, Democrats across the country are getting things done. Pennsylvanias Gov. Tom Wolf is expanding the right to overtime pay. Michigan is, too. Because if youre on the clock, you deserve to get paid. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are working to give hard-working teachers a raise. And speaking of the classroom, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers unilaterally increased school funding by $65 million last year, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has enacted free, all-day kindergarten. In 29 states, weve helped pass minimum wage hikes into law which will lift people out of poverty and improve lives for families. Thats strength. Thats action. Democracy takes action, and thats why Im so inspired by young people. They respond to mass shootings, demanding policies that make schools safer. They react to a world thats literally on fire with fire in their bellies to push leaders to finally take action on climate change. They take on a road filled with potholes with a shovel and some dirt. Its what gives me great confidence in our future, and its why sometimes it feels like theyre the adults in the room. But it shouldnt have to be that way. Its not their mess to clean up. Its ours. The choices we make today create their reality tomorrow. Young people, Im talking to you, and your parents and grandparents. Democrats want safe schools. We want everyone to have a path to a good life, whether its through a union apprenticeship, a community college a four-year university, without drowning in debt. We want your water to be clean. We want you to love who you love and to live authentically as your true selves. And we want women to have autonomy over our bodies. We want our country welcoming and everyones vote counted. 2020 is a big year. Its the year my daughter Sherry will graduate from high school. Its also the year shell cast her first ballot, along with millions of young Americans. The two things are connected, because walking across a graduation stage is as important as walking into the voting booth for the first time. Her future, all our kids futures, will be determined not just by their dreams, but by our actions. As we witness the impeachment process in Washington, there are some things each of us, no matter our party, should demand. The truth matters, facts matter, and no one should be above the law. Its not what those senators say. Tomorrow, its about what they do that matters. Remember, listen to what people say, but watch what they do. Its time for action. Generations of Americans are counting on us. Lets not let them down. Thank you for listening. God bless America. Good night. [applause] [cheers] Donald Trump Jr. lashed out at Mitt Romney in a vicious Instagram meme after the Utah senator said he will vote to convict President Donald Trump. Trump Jr shared a meme that showed Romney wearing 'mom jeans' with the words 'because you're a p**sy' written below the image. In the caption Trump Jr. then called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican Party. 'Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS,' Trump Jr. wrote. 'He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so hes joining them now. Hes now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP,' he added. Scroll down for video Donald Trump Jr. shared a meme that showed Romney wearing 'mom jeans' with the words 'because you're a p**sy' written below the image On Wednesday, Romney (left) became the first and likely only Republican to break ranks during the Senate's impeachment trial and favor removing Trump from office. Trump Jr. (right) then called for Romney to be 'expelled from the GOP' On Wednesday, Romney became the first and likely only Republican to break ranks during the Senate's impeachment trial and favor removing Trump from office. Romney announced his decision during an eight-minute speech on the Senate floor, as the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee became the first senator to bolt what so far has been a strict party-line divide over whether to oust Trump. The two men have had a tumultuous relationship since Trump began his presidential campaign. Romney, a moderate and elder statesman in his party, paused during his speech as he became choked up with emotion. 'I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am,' said Romney, a Mormon. After he made that remark, he paused for about 11 seconds, seemingly struggling with his emotions. 'I take an oath before God as enormously consequential.' Romney called his decision about how to judge Trump was 'the most difficult decision I have ever faced'. 'The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a "high crime and misdemeanor." Yes, he did,' Romney said. 'The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders.' Romney said he knew some fellow Republicans would strenuously disapprove of his decision and that he would be vehemently denounced. But he called his decision 'an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me'. The senator said he believes Trump was guilty of 'an appalling abuse of public trust when he pressured Ukraine's leaders to investigate Joe Biden. Romney and the president have had a tumultuous relationship since Trump began his presidential campaign "What he did was not "perfect,"' Romney said on the Senate floor, as Trump has described his call with Ukraine's president that was at the heart of the scandal. 'No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep one's self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine,' the senator added. Trump was acquitted by the GOP-run Senate, where a two-thirds majority, 67 votes, was required to remove him. After facing the darkest chapter of his presidency, Trump, 73, is seeking a second four-year term in the November 3 election. The impeachment charges against Trump centered on his request that Ukraine investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden and the president's subsequent actions to block testimony and documents sought by the House in its impeachment investigation. Democrats accused Trump of abusing his power by withholding $391million in security aid passed by Congress to help Ukraine combat Russia-backed separatists as leverage to pressure Kiev to help him smear Biden, who is seeking his party's nomination to challenge Trump in November. Trump denied wrongdoing and most Republicans in the House and Senate rallied around him. Over the past few days, some Republican senators have criticized Trump's behavior but said it did not warrant his ouster. 'I hope our Democratic colleagues will finally accept the results of this trial, just as they have not accepted the results of the 2016 election,' said Republican Senator John Cornyn, saying he hoped they did not launch a second impeachment inquiry. 'It's time for our country to come together, to heal the wounds that divide us.' The president also has a bitter feud with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. That feud boiled over during Trump's State of the Union Address Tuesday night with Trump snubbing Pelosi's outstretched hand (pictured) Pelosi (pictured) then ripped apart a copy of the president's remarks behind his back The president also has a bitter feud with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. That feud boiled over during Trump's State of the Union Address Tuesday night. Trump snubbed her outstretched hand and Pelosi ripped apart a copy of his remarks behind his back. The president delivered the astonishing snub to Pelosi as he started his speech by ignoring her as she offered him a handshake, which set the tone for a full-throated condemnation of his political enemies and his presidential predecessors in front of a divided Congress. He simply turned away as the Speaker took her copy of his speech, then stood in front of a chamber which echoed with cries of 'four more years' from Republicans. The Democratic impeachment managers sat together during the address. Adam Schiff looked at the ground while Jerry Nadler sat with his head in his hand. Several of them had copies of the constitution on the desks in front of them. Pelosi, at times, was seen biting her lip or holding up a page of the president's remarks close in front of her face and staring at it intently as the president launched zingers at his political enemies through bragging about policy accomplishments or attacking what the Democratic opposition wanted to do. She shook her head when Trump claimed he saved the pre-existing condition provision of Obamacare - a law Pelosi fought to get passed and the president tried to dismantle. The speech was so contentious and divisive that Pelosi tore it up when the president was done speaking. As he left the dais, she ripped the pages in half and threw them down. Democratic lawmakers also fled the chamber in droves when Trump was done talking. 'I tore it up,' Pelosi told reporters after the speech was over. 'It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech.' The House launched its impeachment inquiry in September. The Senate trial began on January 16. Senate Republicans voted down a Democratic bid to call witnesses such as former national security adviser John Bolton and present new evidence in the trial. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told reporters that Democrats likely would subpoena Bolton, who in an unpublished book manuscript described Trump as playing a central role in pressuring Ukraine, as they continue to investigate the president. Trump is the third US president to have been impeached. The two others, Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868, were left in power by the Senate. (Natural News) Sick residents of Wuhan, China, and its surrounding areas are having a difficult time getting tests and treatment for coronavirus because there are just too many infected people and not enough resources available to help them. Affirming claims that far more people are sick and dying than the communist Chinese government is letting on, The New York Times recently published a sobering expose about some of the families in Wuhan that are having to watch their loved ones suffer and perish due to medical scarcity. What some had previously pegged as a conspiracy theory is actually turning out to be true, as many of the 11 million people who live in Wuhan are being forced to wait in lines outside at-capacity hospitals in the hopes of being seen by a doctor only most of them never actually get that chance. Layers of bureaucracy stand between residents and help, writes Amy Qin for The Times. And the long lines outside hospitals for testing and treatment suggest that the outbreak is spreading far beyond the official count of cases. The fact that officials in Wuhan are feverishly building new hospital compounds to accommodate potentially hundreds of thousands of patients suggests that Qin is right, as are the area locals who told Beijing reporters that the rest of the world has no clue how bad things really are over there in Wuhan. The situation that weve seen is much worse than what has been officially reported, stated 32-year-old Long Jian to reporters outside of a hospital where his elderly father was being treated for coronavirus. Those who can get diagnosed and treated are the lucky ones. In our neighborhood, many who werent able to get diagnosed ended up dying at home. If youre not already on your death bed, Wuhan hospitals wont even admit you Ever since the government of Wuhan locked down the city, sealing off streets and banning most forms of transportation besides a few approved emergency taxis, local residents have mostly been stranded inside their homes. Some have chosen to bike or walk to wherever they need to go, assuming they have the strength, energy and ability to do so. But unfortunately for those who are sick, this is not a viable option, and theyre basically being left for dead. Calling 120, Chinas version of 911, is also no longer feasible, as Wuhan residents are being told that there are already hundreds of others waiting before them for emergency services. Wuhans medical services are also refusing to see people unless they have severe symptoms, the definition of which some locals say is outrageously unrealistic. Many people with actual severe symptoms are being told that theyre not serious enough to warrant medical attention, in other words. In other cases, patients are being told that they cant be admitted to area hospitals without a proper coronavirus test. But as the media has been reporting, testing kits are likewise in short supply, which means most people will never get tested, and thus wont ever be admitted to a hospital. Im very dissatisfied with the government, says 64-year-old Amy Hu, who tried to seek medical services after suffering a fever, cough, shortness of breath and diarrhea. Hu was told by a doctor that she had, in fact, contracted coronavirus, but because no diagnostic tests were available to confirm this in accordance with government standards, she couldnt actually be admitted to the hospital for treatment. Its like only when the patients are close to death can they be admitted to a hospital, Hu futher lamented to the media. The latest coronavirus news is available at Outbreak.news and Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com A 56-year-old woman who formerly worked at an aged care facility in Sydney's inner-west has been charged with assaulting eight patients over an eight-month span in 2019. The former nurse was arrested at a home in Palomar Parade in Yagoona in south-west Sydney on Wednesday morning. A former aged care worker in Yagoona has been charged with assaulting eight patients in 2019. Credit:Jessica Shapiro She was taken to Bankstown Police Station and charged with eight counts of common assault. Despite working at the facility for 10 years, the string of alleged attacks - on six men aged 79, 80, 82, 86, 89, and 95 and two women, aged 53 and 86 - all occurred between February and October last year. Assailant of house of Russian Central Election Commission head ordered to forced treatment Moskva city news agency, Igor Ivanko 10:54 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) A court ordered the native of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Karabalayev, who had committed assault related to robbery against the house of Chair of Russias Central Electoral Commission Ella Pamfilova, to undergo compulsory treatment, the Investigative Committees press service reports Wednesday. According to the court ruling, Karabalayev is to be sent to a specialized inpatient medical organization, the statement reads. Psychological and psychiatric examination earlier revealed that when committing the crime Karabalayev suffered from a mental decease and could not realize public danger of his actions. The defendant pleaded guilty. An attack against the house of Pamfilova in the Moscow Region was committed in the night of September 6. A crime figure entered the building through the window, several times tasered Pamfilova and escaped, the Interior Ministrys spokesperson Irina Volk told journalists earlier. Karabalayev has been living in Russia since 2014 but does not have the permanent dwelling and income sources. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described BJP as a party of "fekus" (those who bluff) who threaten people with guns and bullets to divide the country on the basis of religion. Without naming Union minister Anurag Thakur or his 'gaddaron ko goli maro saalo ko" remark, Banerjee, who was speaking at a convention of TMC workers at Krishnagar in Nadia district, questioned how a central minister continues in a constitutional post despite speaking unconstitutionally. The TMC supremo also slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his "goli vs boli" comment. She said, "BJP is a feku party. It is only interested in giving out fake It is trying to divide the country on the basis of religion and are threatening people with guns and bullets". "I was born in Hindustan, not in a nation governed by BJP who attack people with guns and bullets," she added. The TMC supremo also criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre for destroying the harmony in the country by forcibly trying to implement the CAA, the NPR and the NRC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OAKLAND, Calif. - More than a year after a young woman was stabbed to death by a stranger on a California subway platform, jurors deciding the fate of the accused killer saw on Wednesday video of the horrific attack. The surveillance video showed a man pull a kitchen knife from his shirt and quickly strike 18-year-old Nia Wilson in the neck as she boarded a train. He then stabbed her 26-year-old sister Letifah Wilson, wounding her, before running away. The video of the July 2018 attack in Oakland drew gasps as Wilsons friends and family wept during opening statements of the murder trial. John Lee Cowell, 29, followed the women from a Bay Area Rapid Transit platform onto a train for a 30-minute ride to a transfer station, then stabbed them when they were boarding another train to their destination, Deputy District Attorney Butch Ford told the jury. Videos showed Cowell tailing the women and removing a knife hidden in his pants in the attack that killed Wilson and wounded her 26-year-old sister, Letifah Wilson. Ford showed other video that he said showed Cowell trying to flee with passengers in the chaotic aftermath of the assault and purposefully misdirecting officers. The prosecutor argued the attack was carefully planned, showing Cowell changing clothes he kept in a backpack that was tossed, along with the knife, at a nearby construction zone. Evil exists in this world. That evil causes terrible things to happen, Ford told jurors. The evil, in this case, has a name. That name is John Lee Cowell. Cowell has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder with the special circumstance allegation that the stabbings were committed intentionally by lying in wait. His attorney, Christina Moore, said the killing was a rash act fueled by psychosis because of Cowells severe mental illness. Cowell, a transient with a history of violence and mental illness, was taken from court earlier Wednesday after he disputed Fords presentation to the jury. He was allowed back for the beginning of Moores statements but didnt return after a lunch break. Superior Court Judge Allan Hymer told jurors to disregard Cowells outburst and absence from the courtroom. The victims mother said she believed Cowell created a distraction in the courtroom so he could avoid watching video of the attack. It was too devastating for me to watch, Alicia Grayson said. Moore said Wilsons killing was tragic but urged jurors to consider Cowells mental state. She said she will present evidence that in the month before the attack, Cowell repeatedly sought medical treatment because he was having auditory hallucinations telling him someone was out to harm him. She said she will call experts to testify that Cowell was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which is considered a lifelong biological disease. These are the contexts. This is what you need to understand, Moore told jurors. This is an incredibly difficult case to be fair in. Wilsons death was one of several violent attacks on BART, the train system that connects San Francisco to the nearby cities of Berkeley and Oakland. Train system officials have announced a number of measures intended to improve safety since the attacks. The start of the trial had been delayed while authorities sought to determine Cowells mental competence through a series of psychiatric evaluations. In December, a judge ruled Cowell was fit to stand trial after noting that he was malingering to avoid trial by refusing to co-operate with doctors appointed to evaluate him. Cowell was released from a maximum security facility for mentally ill convicts less than three months before the attack. Wilsons sister recovered and was expected to testify for the prosecution. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being garlanded during an election campaign rally in support of party candidate from Sangam Vihar constituency Poonam Azad, ahead of the State Assembly polls at Sangam Vihar in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a massive attack on BJP and AAP accusing them for spreading hatred in the society. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were not interested in providing jobs to youngsters, but were keen on making one Indian fight another for staying in power. Addressing his first rally in the national capital on Tuesday in the run-up to the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls, he said the current environment in the country, the hatred, the violence and the attacks on women were harming ndia and people were not benefitting from it. Seeking votes for his party candidates, he said, Modi and the BJP may be benefitting from it, but Indians are not. If you want development and employment, you will have to erase hatred from the hearts of people, said Mr. Gandhi. He hit out at the BJP for not addressing the economic slowdown and the issue of unemployment, but instead, encouraging violence. They (BJP) talk about the Hindu dharm, about Islam, of Sikhism. They have no knowledge of religions. In Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, where is it written that attack other people, suppress them?, he asked the crowd. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attacked Narendra Modi over the issue of job losses and took a dig at his sanyog-prayog remarks on Shaheen Bagh, asking whether the rise in unemployment was a coincidence or his experiment. She said a report recently said 3.5 crore jobs have been lost in the last five years in seven important sectors. When PM comes to give a speech in front of you, he does not even make a mention of it. Can he tell us whether the job losses was sanyog or prayog, she said at a joint rally with Rahul Gandhi. [February 05, 2020] Brazil revises telecom legislation to facilitate market fluidity Sydney, Feb. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Brasil outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Brazil-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses The Brazilian fixed-line market continues to suffer from consumers substituting services for mobile and VoIP solutions, the latter offerings being treated as value-add and thus not being regulated. As a result, VoIP services are offered by many providers. The country is a key platform for a number of important submarine cables connecting to the USA, Central and South America, Africa and the Caribbean. Several new cable systems are due to come into service through to 2022, which will increase bandwidth and push down broadband prices for end-users. Investments are also ongoing into extensive terrestrial cables between Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The principal telcos include Telefonica Brasil, operating fixed-line and mobile services under the Vivo brand, as well as America Movil operating services under the Claro brand. Oi also offers a range of services though the companys financial difficulties have prompted it to consider selling its mobile business in a bid to reduce debt. Brazil has one of the largest mobile markets in Latin America. Changes to the dynamics of the market further into 2020 are expected if Oi successfully completes the sale of its mobile unit. The multi-spectrum auction intended to push the development of 5G was scheduled for March 2020 but has been delayed due to interference issues with satellite TV broadcasts. The auction will be the largest conducted in Brazil thus far, though given the underused capabilities of LTE it is unlikely that the licensees will provide commercial services before the end of 2021. The country also has one of the largest broadband markets in Latin America, though broadband penetration is only slightly above the regional average, trailing behind Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Amendments to the licensing regime adopted in October 2019 also require that ISPs which have switched to authorisations invest money saved from lighter regulations be invested in the expansion of broadband services. Claro is the leading broadband network operator, followed by Vivo and Oi. Oi and Vivo provide services via DSL while Claro is principally a cable broadband provider. The fibre segment has shown the strongest growth during the last two years, reflecting efforts among providers to extend their networks. This report provides a review of Brazils telecom market, including infrastructure and the regulatory environment. It profiles the main fixed-line operators and provides relevant statistics and analyses. The report also covers the mobile voice and data segments, providing a range of statistics and analyses, as also subscriber forecasts. In addition, the report reviews the fixed and fixed-wireless broadband sectors, including an assessment of technologies and regulatory influences. Key developments: More operators launch FttP services; EllaLink cable system becomes operational; Legislative reform eases restrictions on telcos and opens up market for spectrum trading; GlobeNet and Facebook start laying the 2,500km Malbec cable; Seabras-1 cable to provide direct route between the US and Brazil; Nextel Brazil sold to America Movil; Multi-spectrum 5G auction delayed due to interference issues; Mercosur countries end international roaming charges; Report update includes the regulator's market data updates to November 2019, operator data to Q3 2019, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments Companies mentioned in this report: Telefonica Brasil/Vivo, TIM Brasil, Claro, Oi, Nextel Brasil, CTBC/Algar Telecom, Sercomtel Celular, Vodafone Brazil/ARQIA, Embratel, GVT, Universo Online (UOL), Net Servicos de Comunicacao, Intelig, Neovia, Eletropaulo Telecom, Copel, BuscaPe, Global Crossing, Star One, TelesatBrasil, Hispamar, Telebras, Intelig Henry Lancaster February 2020 Table of Contents Key statistics Regional Latin America Market Comparison Telecom Maturity Index by tier Market Leaders Market Challengers Market Emergents South America Telecom Maturity Index Central America Telecom Maturity Index TMI versus GDP Mobile and mobile broadband penetration Fixed and mobile broadband penetration Country overview Telecommunications market Historical overview Market analysis Regulatory environment Regulatory developments General Plan for Updating Telecom Regulations (PGR) General Telecommunications Act Regulatory authority Fixed-line developments Privatisation of Telebras Telecom sector liberalisation General Competition Plan Concessions and authorisations Mirror companies Universal service goals Government telecom funds (Fust, Fistel, and Funttel) Number Portability (NP) Access Interconnection Fixed-line contract renewal 2006 Fixed-line contract renewal 2011 Mobile network developments Mobile spectrum allocation and concession areas Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Roaming Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) Network sharing Tower infrastructure Mobile market Mobile statistics Mobile infrastructure Analogue networks Digital networks 5G 4G (LTE) 3G GSM Other infrastructure developments Mobile data SMS Mobile broadband Major mobile operators Introduction Vivo (Telefonica Brasil) TIM Brasil Claro Brazil Oi Nextel Brasil CTBC/Algar Telecom Sercomtel Celular Unicel/Aeiou (defunct) Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) Mobile content and applications Mobile economy Fixed-line broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Broadband statistics Digital inclusion and GESAC National broadband plan Broadband for Schools Fixed-line broadband technologies Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks Other fixed broadband services Broadband Powerline (BPL) Fixed wireless Fixed network operators Overview of fixed network market Oi (Telemar) Vivo (Telefonica Brasil) Embratel (Claro) Global Village Telecom (GVT) TIM Brasil CTBC/Algar Telecom Sercomtel Telecommunications infrastructure National telecom network Fixed-line statistics International infrastructure Submarine cable networks Satellite networks Infrastructure developments Amazon cable Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks Smart infrastructure Smart meters/smart grids Data centres Appendix Historic data Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Brazil 2019 (e) Table 2 Evolution of GDP in Brazil 2000 2019 Table 3 Change in telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2009 2019 Table 4 Change in poportion of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Table 5 Development of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Table 6 Change in telecommunications investment and proportion of revenue 2009 2019 Table 7 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Table 8 Change in proportion of telecom investment by segment 2000 2018 Table 9 Growth in the number of annual mobile numbers ported 2008 2017 Table 10 Decline in MTRs 2016 2019 Table 11 Growth in the number of mobile towers by operator 2004 2019 Table 12 Growth in the number of active mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2009- 2024 Table 13 Change in the prepaid/postpaid ratio of mobile connections 2009 2019 Table 14 Change in mobile voice and data ARPU 2009 2019 Table 15 Change in mobile market share of subscriptions by technology 2004 2019 Table 16 Growth in the number of LTE subscribers 2013 2019 Table 17 Development in the number of LTE subscribers by operator 2013 2019 Table 18 Change in LTE subscriber market share by operator 2014 2019 Table 19 3G and LTE network population coverage 2008 - 2019 Table 20 Increase in the number of Vivos LTE subscribers and penetration 2015 2019 Table 21 Growth in Vivos mobile data traffic 2015 2019 Table 22 3G municipal coverage 2008 2019 Table 23 Decline in the number of 3G subscribers and market share 2008 2019 Table 24 Decline in the number of GSM subscribers 2007 2019 Table 25 M2M terminals 2008 2019 Table 26 Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Table 27 Mobile broadband accesses by major operator 2013 2018 Table 28 Mobile broadband accesses by minor operator 2013 2018 Table 29 Increase in mobile broadband population coverage by major operator 2013 2019 Table 30 Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2010 2019 Table 31 Change in the number of Vivos mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 32 Development of Vivos mobile financial data () 2013 2019 Table 33 Development of TIM Brasils mobile financial data 2009 2019 Table 34 Development of TIM Brasils financial data () 2014 2019 Table 35 Change in the number of TIM Brasils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 36 Development of Claro Brazils mobile revenue 2010 2019 Table 37 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 38 Decline in Ois mobile revenue 2012 2019 Table 39 Decline in the number of Ois mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 40 Change in Ois mobile ARPU 2016 2019 Table 41 Nextel revenue ($) 2010 2019 Table 42 Nextel Brazil financial data (R$) 2017 2019 Table 43 Nextel Brazil ARPU 2017 2019 Table 44 Change in the number of Nextel Brazils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 45 Nextel Brazil mobile subscribers by type 2015 2018 Table 46 Algar Telecom voice revenue (mobile and fixed) 2009 2019 Table 47 Development of Algar Telecoms financial data 2015 2019 Table 48 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 49 Decline in the number of Sercomtels mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 50 MVNO subscribers 2012 2019 Table 51 Port Seguro mobile subscribers 2012 2019 Table 52 ARQIA mobile subscribers 2013 2019 Table 53 Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Table 54 Change in broadband market share of subscribers by main operator 2009 2019 Table 55 Schools connected via the broadband for Schools program 2008 2018 Table 56 Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Table 57 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Table 58 Growth in the number of Ois broadband subscribers 2010 2019 Table 59 Growth in the number of Claros fixed broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 60 Change in the number of Vivos broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 61 Growth in the number of TIM Brasils broadband subscribers 2012 2019 Table 62 Growth in the number of Algar Telecom broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 63 Growth in the number of Vivos FttP/C connections 2014 2019 Table 64 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2008 2020 Table 65 Change in the number of satellite broadband connections 2014 2021 Table 66 Change in operator market share of fixed lines 2009 2019 Table 67 Development of Ois revenue by service 2012 2019 Table 68 Development of Ois EBITDA, capex (Brazil) 2012- 2019 Table 69 Decline in the number of Ois fixed lines in service 2010 2019 Table 70 Decline in the number of Vivos fixed lines in service 2009 2019 Table 71 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed lines in service 2006 2019 Table 72 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed-line RGUs 2013 2019 Table 73 Decline in Claro Brazils fixed-line revenue 2013 2019 Table 74 Development of Claro Brazils financial data 2013 2019 Table 75 Growth in the number of TIM Brazils fixed lines in service 2012 - 2019 Table 76 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms fixed lines in service 2012 2019 Table 77 Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2009 2024 Table 78 International internet bandwidth 2004 2017 Table 79 Historic - Mobile market share by technology 2004 2009 Table 80 Historic - Mobile prepaid/postpaid ratio 2003 2009 Table 81 Historic - LTE geographic and population coverage by operator 2017 Table 82 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 1997 2009 Table 83 Historic - Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2002 2009 Table 84 Historic - Mobile ARPU major operators 2009 2017 Table 85 Historic - Oi mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 86 Historic - Claro Brazil mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 87 Historic - Vivo mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 88 Historic Sercomtel mobile subscribers 2003 2009 Table 89 Historic - TIM Brasil mobile subscribers 2002 2018 Table 90 Historic - Algar Telecom mobile subscribers 2003 2009 Table 91 Historic - Nextel Brazils mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 92 Historic - Internet users and penetration 1998 2009 Table 93 Historic - Fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2001 2009 Table 94 Historic - Share of fixed/fixed wireless broadband subscriptions by platform 2010 2015 Table 95 Historic - Fixed broadband connections by speed 2014 2017 Table 96 Historic - Cable modem subscribers and penetration 2001 2018 Table 97 Historic - DSL subscribers and penetration 2001 2009 Table 98 Wi-Fi hotspots in service 2013 2016 Table 99 Historic - Oi broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 100 Historic - Telefonica/Vivo FttP homes passed and connected 2008 2015 Table 101 Historic - GVT broadband subscribers 2004 2015 Table 102 Historic - Broadband operators market share 2003 2009 Table 103 Internet access market share by platform 2005 2015 Table 104 Historic - Average broadband access speed (download) 2007 2017 Table 105 Historic Claros broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 106 Historic Vivos fixed broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 107 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity 1995 2009 Table 108 Historic - Operator market share of fixed lines 2006 2010 Table 109 Historic - Telecommunications investment 2000 2009 Table 110 Historic - Proportion of telecom investment by segment 2000 2009 Table 111 Historic - Evolution of GDP in Brazil 2000 2009 Table 112 Historic - Telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2000 2009 Table 113 Historic - Proportion of telecom revenue by segment 2000 2017 Table 114 Historic - Telecom revenue by segment 2005 2009 Table 115 Historic Ois fixed lines in service 1999 2009 Table 116 Historic - Vivos fixed lines in service 1999 2009 Table 117 Historic - Vivo (GVT) financial data 2012 2014 Table 118 Historic - Vivo (GVT) revenue by service 2012 2013 Table 119 Historic Vivo (GVT) fixed lines in service 2006 2015 Chart 1 Latin America Overall Telecoms Maturity Index Chart 2 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Leaders Category Chart 3 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Challengers Category Chart 4 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Laggards Category Chart 5 South America Telecoms Maturity Index by country Chart 6 Central America Telecoms Maturity Index by country Chart 7 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita Chart 8 South America mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration Chart 9 Latin America fixed broadband penetration versus mobile broadband penetration Chart 10 Change in telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2009 2019 Chart 11 Change in proportion of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Chart 12 Development of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Chart 13 Change in telecommunications investment and proportion of revenue 2009 2019 Chart 14 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Chart 15 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Chart 16 Growth in the number of annual mobile numbers ported 2008 2017 Chart 17 Decline in MTRs 2016 2019 Chart 18 Growth in the number of mobile towers by operator 2004 2019 Chart 19 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2009- 2024 Chart 20 Change in the prepaid/postpaid ratio of mobile connections 2009 2019 Chart 21 Change in mobile voice and data ARPU 2009 2019 Chart 22 Change in mobile market share of subscriptions by technology 2004 2019 Chart 23 Growth in the number of LTE subscribers 2013 2019 Chart 24 Development in the number of LTE subscribers by operator 2015 2019 Chart 25 Change in LTE subscriber market share by operator 2014 2019 Chart 26 Increase in the number of Vivos LTE subscribers and penetration 2015 2019 Chart 27 Decline in the number of 3G subscribers and market share 2008 2019 Chart 28 Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Chart 29 Increase in mobile broadband population coverage by major operator 2013 2019 Chart 30 Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 31 Change in the number of Vivos mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 32 Development of Vivos mobile financial data () 2013 2019 Chart 33 Development of TIM Brasils mobile financial data 2009 2019 Chart 34 Development of TIM Brasils financial data () 2014 2019 Chart 35 Change in the number of TIM Brasils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 36 Development of Claro Brazils mobile revenue 2010 2019 Chart 37 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 38 Decline in Ois mobile revenue 2012 2019 Chart 39 Decline in the number of Ois mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 40 Development of Algar Telecom financial data 2015 2019 Chart 41 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 42 Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Chart 43 Change in broadband market of subscriber by main operator 2009 2019 Chart 44 Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Chart 45 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Chart 46 Growth in the number of Ois broadband subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 47 Growth in the number of Claross broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 48 Change in the number of Vivos broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 49 Growth in the number of TIM Brasils broadband subscribers 2012 2019 Chart 50 Growth in the number of Algar Telecom broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 51 Growth in the number of Vivos FttP/C connections 2014 2019 Chart 52 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2008 2020 Chart 53 Change in operator market share of fixed lines 2009 2019 Chart 54 Development of Ois revenue by service 2012 2019 Chart 55 Development of Ois EBITDA, capex (Brazil) 2012- 2019 Chart 56 Decline in the number of Ois fixed lines in service 2010 2019 Chart 57 Decline in the number of Vivos fixed lines in service 2009 2019 Chart 58 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed lines in service 2006 2019 Chart 59 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed-line RGUs 2013 2019 Chart 60 Decline in Claro Brazils fixed-line revenue 2013 2019 Chart 61 Development of Claro Brazils financial data 2013 2019 Chart 62 Growth in the number of TIM Brazils fixed lines in service 2012 - 2019 Chart 63 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms fixed lines in service 2012 2019 Chart 64 Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2009 2024 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment Exhibit 2 South America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 3 Central America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 4 Map of Brazil Exhibit 5 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 6 H-band for 3G services lots, areas, and spectrum winners Exhibit 7 Bands for 4G services blocks, winners, and price/MHz/population Exhibit 8 700MHz auction results 2014 Exhibit 9 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2.5GHz auction bids December 2015 Exhibit 10 Subdivision of Brazil into regions and areas for mobile licensing Exhibit 11 Vivo concessions Exhibit 12 TIM Brasil concession awards for frequency bands A, B, D, E Exhibit 13 Claro Brazil concessions Exhibit 14 Oi concession awards for frequency bands A, D, E, M Exhibit 15 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 16 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 17 Regions and States of Brazil Exhibit 18 Atlantic Cable System planned Exhibit 19 Geostationary satellites operating in Brazil Exhibit 20 Historic - LTE TDD deployments Exhibit 21 Historic - LTE deployments Exhibit 22 Historic - 3G network launches by operator 2007 2008 Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Brazil-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Nicolas Bombourg [email protected] Within Australia (02) 8076 7665 Outside Australia +44 207 097 1241 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steel River Group Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Steel River Solutions has entered into a strategic partnership with SICIM S.p.A through their Canadian subsidiary, SICIM Canada Ltd. SICIM is a global leader in engineering, procurement and pipeline construction in the oil and gas industry. SICIMs broad international experience, specialized equipment fleet, as well as their unique expertise in building pipelines in complex steep slope environments is a strategic fit for Steel River and their industry partners. The companys track record of community involvement and their use of partnerships with local groups to promote economic development in the communities they operate in are what truly set them apart and aligns with Steel Rivers corporate values. Steel River Group is centred around building capacity and strengthening competency with the Indigenous communities, people and companies we work with. Providing employment and training is key to the future success of individuals and in turn supporting advancement for themselves, their family and the community in which they live, said Steel River Groups Indigenous Founder and CEO, Trent Fequet. Partnering with a global construction leader with shared values around economic and social development will go a long way in helping us to realize this vision. Steel Rivers experience in the Western Canadian marketplace, its workforce and strong relationships and understanding of the local Indigenous and social environment will allow the Steel River SICIM Partnership to solidify our foothold into the Canadian energy industry. SICIM is a recognized contractor with the capacity to work across different continents and in different environments. SICIM has provided solutions to challenges encountered around the world, including: pipeline construction across the Alps in Europe; working in the rain forest in the Amazonas; installing camps in remote areas of Central Africa; installing 56 pipe through the urban and congested areas of Europe; and working in the cold regions of Kazakhstan and in the hot deserts of Central and South America. About Steel River Group Steel River Group is a privately held and Indigenous owned and operated company that was born out of a deep belief that there has never been a better time to reimagine how an Indigenous business defines, creates and captures value for our people and alliance partners. Our operating approach is centred around our Indigenous inclusion ecosystem model, which aims to bring Steel River companies, Indigenous communities and alliance partners together under a shared vision to create opportunities that build long-term social and economic benefits. As a diverse Indigenous management entity, Steel River Group provides several corporate services to its group of companies, alliance partners and communities in which it works. Its execution divisions specialize in mainline pipeline construction and integrity decommissioning and maintenance, as well as, civil construction, water treatment and care, environmental care, equipment leasing and operating, and supplying professional management personnel and embedded talent. For more information about Steel River Group: Visit www.steelrivergroup.com For more information about SICIM S.P.A: Visit www.sicim.eu TSX-V: GBR VANCOUVER, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Great Bear Resources (the "Company" or "Great Bear", TSX-V: GBR) would like to invite interested shareholders to join Mr. Chris Taylor, P.Geo, President and CEO and Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, Vice President, Exploration for a webinar detailing recent progress in the Company's ongoing fully-funded 200,000 metre drill program at its 100% owned Dixie property in the Red Lake district of Ontario. Live Webinar The Great Bear webinar will take place on Thursday, February 20th at 11:15 am PDT/2:15 pm EDT. Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. Online registration and participation details may be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/37YvChd For those unable to participate, a recording of the webinar will be posted to the Company's web site following the live broadcast. BMO Global Metals and Mining Conference The Company would also like to invite interested shareholders to listen to Mr. Taylor present at the 29th Annual BMO Global Metals and Mining Conference in Hollywood, Florida, at 10:00 am EDT on February 26th. A link to the live broadcast, and to view presentation after the event, is provided here: https://cc.talkpoint.com/bmoc001/022320a_js/?entity=3_BIHDW57 PDAC Great Bear will also be participating at the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention held March 1st - 4th at the Toronto Convention Centre. Attendees are welcome to view Chris Taylor's presentation on March 2nd at 2:30 pm EDT in room 802 of the Convention Centre. To meet management in person throughout the Convention, visit Great Bear in the Discovery Group booth in the Investors Exchange at booth #IE2813. Drill Core from the Dixie Project will be displayed with Great Bear geologists on hand in the PDAC Core Shack: PDAC Core Shack - SESSION B Tuesday, March 3, 10:00 am 5:00 pm EDT Wednesday, March 4, 9:00 am 12:00 pm EDT ABOUT THE DIXIE PROJECT The Dixie Project is 100% owned, and consists of 9,140 hectares of contiguous claims that extend over 22 kilometres, and is located approximately 25 kilometres southeast of the town of Red Lake Ontario (a 15 minute drive). The project is accessible year-round via a paved highway which runs the length of the northern claim boundary, and through a network of well-maintained logging roads. The Dixie property hosts two principle styles of gold mineralization: High-grade gold in quartz veins and silica-sulphide replacement zones ( Dixie Limb and Hinge) . Hosted by mafic volcanic rocks, and localized near regional-scale D2 fold axes. These mineralization styles are also typical of the significant mined deposits of the Red Lake district. . Hosted by mafic volcanic rocks, and localized near regional-scale D2 fold axes. These mineralization styles are also typical of the significant mined deposits of the district. High-grade disseminated gold with broad moderate to lower grade envelopes (LP Fault). Interpreted to traverse the Dixie property for approximately 18 kilometres of strike length and currently drilled along 4 kilometres of strike length. High-grade gold mineralization is controlled by structural and geological contacts, and moderate to lower-grade disseminated gold surrounds and flanks the high-grade intervals. The dominant gold-hosting stratigraphy consists of felsic sediments and volcanic units. About Great Bear Great Bear Resources Ltd. is a well-financed gold exploration company managed by a team with a track record of success in mineral exploration. Great Bear is focused in the prolific Red Lake gold district in northwest Ontario, where the company controls over 300 km2 of highly prospective tenure across 4 projects: the flagship Dixie Project (100% owned), and the Pakwash Property (earning a 100% interest), the Dedee Property (earning a 100% interest), and the Sobel Property (earning a 100% interest), all of which are accessible year-round through existing roads. Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, Director and VP Exploration, and Ms. Andrea Diakow P.Geo, Exploration Manager for Great Bear are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Chris Taylor" Chris Taylor, President and CEO Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This new release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. We seek safe harbor SOURCE Great Bear Resources Ltd. Washington, Feb 5 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Iran, according to US State Department. The two, on Tuesday, discussed the IAEA's monitoring work in Iran, nuclear security, and the importance of the IAEA to US security interests, State Department's Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. Pompeo and Grossi pledged to stay in close contact on nuclear issues of concern, the statement added. The meeting came days after Washington's sanctions against the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its head while renewing waivers allowing foreign companies to continue work at Iranian nuclear sites. Since its unilateral exit from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Washington has been mounting pressure on Tehran through a series of sanctions. Iran has maintained a tough stance and scaled back its nuclear commitments in response. In early January, Iran announced the fifth and final step to end its commitments to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which is the restriction on the number of centrifuges. But Iran also said it will continue its cooperation with the IAEA. Digital personal lines comparison site The Zebra has reported $38.5 million in Series C fundraising. The round was led by Accel and included other current investors Silverton Partners, Daher Capital, Floodgate Fund, Ballast Point Ventures as well as Weatherford Capital and Keith Melnick, The Zebras CEO. According to The Zebra, it has enjoyed strong revenue growth with sales up almost 200% year over year to nearly $37 million in 2019. Austin, Texas-based The Zebra, which launched in 2012, compares rates from dozens of insurance companies and provides auto and home insurance shoppers with agent support. Among the carriers it quotes are State Farm, GEICO, Progressive, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Travelers, Chubb, USAA, Farmers and Nationwide. It had raised $61.5 million from investors including Mark Cuban prior to this latest round. Related: Topics Funding Tierna Unruh-Enos is an investigative journalist working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2009, she worked in the television news industry. That was the same year that a grisly discovery was made on the West Mesa. The remains of 11 women and one fetus were found in a construction area on the far Westside of Albuquerque. The bones were found by someone who lived in the area. Christine Ross of Albuquerque was walking her dog when she stumbled on a human femur poking out from the ground. The remains dug out of shallow graves in that empty lot belonged to women who had disappeared from Albuquerque. Most were from vulnerable, marginalized populations. Some were young. Some were sex workers. Eleven years later, a suspect in those lonely deaths has yet to be positively identified. No trials have been held to provide closure for the families of those women. In the nearly score of years that have passed since their discovery, people have moved on and memories have faded. But the story is far from over. The crimes and the women who died violently at the hands of a still unknown assailant continue to shape this citys culture and its perception by residentsas well as by visitors, tourists and others who live beyond the banks of the Rio Grande. Now, Unruh-Enos is on the case again, determined to bring light to a very dark subject. Weekly Alibi chatted with the journalist about her investigation as well as her new podcast, The Mesa. Weekly Alibi sat down with Unruh-Enos to review the case and discuss the mulititude of findings as the investigative reporter prepared to take her podcast to the people. Television News Unruh-Enos sat in the Weekly Alibi conference room and began her discourse on the events leading up to the discovery of 11 human female bodies in an area of town that is still relatively remote. I started being involved in this and doing research on it, doing a lot of work on it, she began, when it happened in 2009. I was working at KOAT-TV, a local television station here. I remember walking into work when they found the first set of remains and it was, like, all hands on deck. It was a crazy time. Unruh-Enos remembers that there were many reporters covering the discovery at that time and that three were assigned to the unfolding tale at her station, including noted local television newsman Rod Green, she said. Green retired in 2010. That was during his last year at KOAT. It was a huge story for him to end his final year at the station. He was the real deal, an old-school journalist. After that, another reporter began covering the story, Unruh-Enos related. After Green, we had another reporter, shes in Seattle now. Her name is Natalie Swaby. Swaby did a great job, the investigative reporter continued, and several others followed after she too moved on to another market. Those included Chris Ramirez, who is now at KOB. It really was like it was all hands on deck. Events were happening so quickly and new details were being uncovered every week. Sometimes they would find two set of remains in one week and then a week or two would go by and they wouldnt find anything. But then theyd discover another body. And another. Unruh-Enos further recalled that the original reporter, the journalist who reported on an unusual number of missing women in the Albuquerque area was Maggie Shepard from the now defunct Albuquerque Tribune. From the Trib The Albuquerque Tribune was the citys afternoon newpapersometimes in three editionsuntil 2008. Edited by Ralph Looney and later by Phill Casaus, the paper was famous for its keen investigative reporting on local issues. Among the staff, Shepardnow a PIO for the public defenders officewas known for her skills as an investigator, Unruh-Enos continued. She was the first reporter in Albuquerque who did a story on an unusual number of women going missing. That happened in 2007. In 2008, the paper went out of business. Further she remembers bringing up the report with the staff at the television station she worked at. I remember going to my news director and saying this is a huge deal, this is front page news. Look at all these women who are missing. Why arent we doing anything about it? She says she was surprised by the response. She told me that if the police want to make it a big deal, theyll let us know. Unruh-Enos added that the police chief at that time was Ray Schultz. Schultz retired in 2013 as controversies regarding his involvement with Taser International and city police use-of-force procedures began to come to the attention of the City Council. I made one phone call, I should have made more. But I dont know that there was a real sense of urgency from the police department at the time of the Tribune report, she said. Maggie had done the story after a ride along she had with city cops. She was with a detective who showed her documents relating to 16 women who she knew were missing. The detective had been working on those cases for years, Unruh-Enos said Shepard told her. The Case By then, most of those women were dead. The reporter from the Tribune did not know that, the police did not know that. The women in question were all killed between 2001 and 2005, although the bodies and the makeshift graveyard where they were buried were not discovered for four more years. APDs efforts to bring the case to a conclusion have been mixed, the investigative reporter told Weekly Alibi. Back then there was still a sense of that because some of these women lived a high-risk lifestylenot all of them, but some of them didit wasnt a priority [for the homicide department]. Now the department is looking into the case and has a task force to help move the years-old investigation along. Explaining the rationale that led to the lengthy amount of time between when the murders of such fragile, high-risk humans occurred and their subsequent discovery, Unruh-Enos said, If they go missing, it could be for a number of reasons. They might have left town, theyre grown women. Maybe they had a drug overdose. Maybe they are incarcerated in another jurisdiction. I dont think there was anyone taking the situation for what it really was. The situation, it turns out, was really dire. Eleven young lives were erased by the murderer or murderers, the investigative journalist emphasized in her meeting with Weekly Alibi. And as the years pass, memories become strained and fewer and fewer resources are devoted to solving a series of tragedies that began nearly 20 years ago on the streets of Albuquerque. The Podcast Though two persons of interest have been identified as possibly having been involved with the crimes, there is no definitive evidenceso farthat will help name a suspect, much less bring that person or persons to justice. Thats where Tierna Unruh-Enos new podcast, The Mesa, comes in. I think those girls deserve as much as anyone else who goes missing. They deserve someone to keep looking, to search for justice for those lives lost. Its my hope, first and foremost, that somebody out there absolutely knows something. And I think that either theyve been too scared to come out or they thought what they knew was insignificant. Theres nothing insignificant about this case. That something, however insignificant, could be the thing that points police in the right direction. These are the names and ages of the slain in this case: Jamie Barela, 15; Monica Candelaria, 22; Victoria Chavez, 26; Virginia Cloven, 24; Syllania Edwards, 15; Cinnamon Elks, 32; Doreen Marquez, 24; Julie Nieto, 24; Veronica Romero, 28; Evelyn Salazar, 27; and Michelle Valdez, 22. The Mesa, a podcast on Anchor.fm, examines the history of the West Mesa murders and the future of the investigation that followed those heinous crimes against women. Tune into The Mesa on Spotify or at anchor.fm/themesa. Earlier attempts to overcome the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have failed, and the international community needs to demonstrate determination and new creative approaches to this problem, said US President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address. The head of the US administration noted that on January 28, Washington announced its new settlement plan in the Middle East, which is also called the "deal of the century." "Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognizing that all past attempts have failed, we must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and give millions of young people the chance to realize a better future," he said. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man wanted for a fatal shooting in Alaska has been arrested in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Brant Marshall, 40, is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Grant Fowler, 34, KTVA-television reported. Fowler was shot Dec. 3 at the Black Angus Inn, according to Anchorage police. He died later that day. The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force arrested Marshall on Jan. 28. Marshall, known in Anchorage as Joey Snow and Snowy, will be extradited to Alaska to face charges, police said. Online court documents to not list his attorney. ___ An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Fowler as the shooting suspect in the fourth paragraph. COHOES A Cohoes city judge on Wednesday set bail for a man with a long history of failing to make his court appearances, setting up the first constitutional legal challenge to a new state law that prohibits judges from requiring defendants to post cash bail for certain non-violent offenses. City Court Judge Thomas Marcelle had outlined his reasoning in a 12-page decision he issued Monday questioning whether the state Legislature and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had exceeded their authority by passing a law mandating that judges can never set bail in certain "non-qualifying offenses" ranging from misdemeanors to felony drug trafficking. Jonathan R. Johnston was arrested last month in Cohoes and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and several traffic offenses. Johnston has skipped court appearances and failed to pay fines for minor offenses stretching back years across multiple counties including last fall in Cohoes, when he failed to appear twice in City Court on similar misdemeanor charges and traffic violations. In court Wednesday, Johnston did not speak as Marcelle set bail for him at $100 cash, $200 bond or $500 personal recognizance bond. But the judge, who acknowledged that Johnston was being pulled into the spotlight of a larger legal battle for a relatively minor offense, immediately stayed the order, allowing the defendant to walk out of court. The two-week stay, the judge said, will also give the Albany County Public Defender's office time to file an appeal of his order in county court. Johnston's attorney, assistant Public Defender Angela Kelley, said her office will appeal Marcelle's decision. She argued in court that the judge did not have the authority under the new law to set bail and that he is effectively inserting himself into the case as a litigant since neither her office nor the Albany County District Attorney's office which was not represented at the hearing had raised the issue. Read more: Heastie pushes back on 'sensationalized' bail reform tales "At this point it's our position that ... the court is not in the position, or does not have the authority, to raise this issue," Kelley said, adding that the state attorney general's office also should have been notified and allowed to intervene to defend the constitutionality of the new law. Kelley additionally questioned whether Marcelle has a conflict of interest and should recuse himself from the case, because he has a part-time job as a "policy analyst" with the office of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, whom she said has been an outspoken critic of bail reform. The judge declined to step aside. Apple on Wednesday said that he is not a staunch critic of the changes to bail requirements, although he does question whether, for instance, a defendant accused of killing an infant which was the case recently in Cohoes should be released without bail being set. "It's the new pre-trial discovery requirements that I have an issue with," Apple said. "It's crushing us, and those are the things that I would like to see changed." Outside court, Kelley said cases like Johnston's and especially the charge of driving without a license are in part why bail reform was enacted, because people without financial means become trapped in a vortex where they may not have transportation to make court appearances or go to work, and then cannot pay their fines. They have often ended up thrown in jail, she said. "The court cannot just raise the constitutionality of a law; that's typically done by the litigants," Kelley said. "Neither party is arguing that the law is unconstitutional, but we're essentially now arguing against the court, which obviously is not something that's typically done." Kelley also said that under the old rules, people being put in jail for a charge of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle had been a widespread problem. "The people of this state decided it was no longer in accordance with fairness and justice to incarcerate people for offenses like this," she said. "This offense, in particular, comes about when an individual has unpaid tickets that they can't afford to pay. It essentially criminalizes poverty." From the bench minutes earlier, Marcelle said, "It is not a poverty-based issue. ... It is a choice by a defendant to not answer the charges that have been lodged against him. That's the court's concern. ... The court has to administer justice. If I don't have defendants before me, I can't administer justice." Albany County District Attorney David Soares, whose prosecutor in the case took no position before Marcelle issued his written decision challenging the new law under a separation of powers argument, on Wednesday said that his office supports a judge's authority to use discretion. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Bail reform was passed in the governors budget without any debate, much less any guidance," Soares said. "But we certainly support judicial discretion, and given the persons history and past performance, we support the courts exercise of discretion. We believe that should be the law of the state of New York. There is no other state that has engaged in bail reform that has completely eliminated a courts discretion." Judges still have discretion under the revised law to set bail for defendants who "persistently and willfully" fail to appear in court. Last year, Johnston had twice failed to show up for a prior case in which he was also charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle bench warrants for his arrest were issued in both instances and bail was not set. But in the current case, which involved his arrest last month by Cohoes police for driving without a license, Johnston has made all of his required court appearances. The written decision issued by Marcelle on Monday was shared among the 120 members of the state's Association of City Court Judges this week, raising the prospect that other judges may also seek to test the validity of the new statute. "It was circulated to all of the members of the City Court Judges Association, and what they do with it is up to them," said Rye City Court Judge Joseph Latwin, the group's president. "The association has had several unofficial conversations among the members with people trying to deal with the impacts of this law, and generally everybody is trying to comply with this law as best they can." Before setting bail, Marcelle conducted a hearing to gather information on Johnston's financial well-being and to ascertain whether he has the cash to secure his release, and to insure that he will return to court when directed. Under the new law, Marcelle could have considered the "least restrictive" measures other than cash bail to assure his return to court, including an electronic monitoring bracelet that would be locked on his ankle and maintained by probation officials. During a hearing last week, Marcelle noted from the bench that it would be "a greater intrusion on his liberty to make him wear an ankle bracelet, as opposed to posting $100." Many lawmakers who oppose the legislation, and contend it needs to be amended or repealed, have pointed to recent cases involving manslaughter and domestic abuse in which people arrested are being released without bail being set. But Marcelle said he is not questioning the intent of the law, which was to fix a lopsided bail system that resulted in people with money spending less time in jail than indigent defendants. Marcelle is a former Albany County attorney from Slingerlands. Last year, his nomination for a federal judgeship was blocked by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who cited Marcelle's record on reproductive rights. Marcelle withdrew his name from consideration for the federal bench. Between 2015 and 2019, Johnston allegedly failed to answer summons or to pay fines in eight town courts spread across six counties, resulting in his license being suspended each time. In each case, Johnston had been released without being required to post cash bail, according to court records. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The second Armenian citizen to be evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan amid the coronavirus outbreak has been airlifted to Russia as a result of cooperation with Russian colleagues, the Armenian foreign ministry said. The foreign ministry said they maintain contact with the national Lyudmila Baghdasaryan and are taking measures to organize her repatriation from Russia as soon as possible. We express our profound gratitude to our partners in Russia for rapidly responding to Armenias request and providing assistance, the foreign ministry said. Other nationals of Armenia currently in the Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, have refused to be evacuated. The evacuation is not being carried out in other provinces of China. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan A top US envoy today pressed Russia to get the Syrian regime to halt a military offensive into the northwestern Syrian enclave of Idlib that has driven some half a million people to flee their homes since December. Russia needs to change its policies, US Syria envoy James Jeffrey told journalists at the State Department today. We are very worried about this, Jeffrey said. We have seen not just the Russians, but the Iranians and Hezbollah actively supporting this offensive. The US administration is not sure if the Syrian regime offensive is intended just to go to the M4 road, or beyond, he added. The United States once again condemns the continued, unjustifiable, and ruthless assaults on the people of Idlib, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday. We stand by our NATO ally Turkey in the aftermath of the attack, which resulted in the death of multiple Turkish personnel serving at an observation post used for coordination and de-escalation, and fully support Turkeys justified self-defense actions in response. The UN Security Council was expected to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Idlib and Syria on Thursday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday following the killing of eight Turkish troops by Russian-backed Syrian forces in Idlib province Monday. We will of course sit down and discuss everything, Erdogan told journalists traveling with him to Ukraine on Tuesday, referring to Russia. Not with anger, though. Because those who sit down with anger, get up with losses. The UN secretary-general appealed for a cease-fire. We are particularly worried that now the escalation came into a situation in which we had Turkish army and Syrian army bombing each other, and that, of course, is a change in the nature of the conflict that is extremely worrying, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told journalists at a press conference Tuesday. My strong appeal is for a cessation of hostilities, and my strong appeal, again, is for all the conditions for humanitarian aid to be created humanitarian aid to be distributed, to be created as we are seeing now about, I think, 500,000 people already displaced by the recent offensive and the very dramatic humanitarian needs related to it, Guterres said. Amid the escalating violence between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces in Syria, the United States has also seen an increase in the number of instances of Russian troops entering deep into territory the United States still controls in northeastern Syria, Jeffrey said. Both Russia and the United States are trying to exploit Russian-Turkish and Turkish-US tensions to advantage, said Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who supports the Syrian opposition now based out of Washington. The more Russia feels that Turkey is not part of its alliance with Iran and it is leaning more to the Americans, the more Russia tries to make Turkey pay a heavy price for that, Barabandi told Al-Monitor. And the heavy price is more IDPS internally displaced people fleeing toward the Turkish border. That is why they allow the regime to pursue its offensive, Barabandi said, adding that the Syrian IDPs are largely fleeing the areas before the Syrian regime takes them. They simply leave it, Barabandi said. The villages are empty. Even they are not under attack from the regime. The regime is coming, they leave. The regime goes to any area, destroys the school, because that is where IDPs are, and hospitals, because that is where the injured are. Basically, they dont have leadership, a center where the people can go. President Donald Trump points during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Read more WASHINGTON A divided U.S. Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Wednesday, ending a historic impeachment trial that reflected a deep political acrimony likely to resonate through the presidents reelection campaign. All but one Republican senator voted not guilty" on the abuse-of-power count, clearing the president of the charge. That charge failed, 48-52, even as some in the GOP said his behavior was inappropriate. Democratic senators pronounced him guilty. On the obstruction charge, all Republicans and no Democrats voted to acquit in a 47-53 vote. Sixty-seven votes out of 100 were required to remove the president. The predictable conclusion of the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history reflected the partisan splits throughout Trumps presidency. The GOP-led Senate moved quickly to clear Trump after the House, in a vote supported only by Democrats and one independent, impeached Trump in December for his efforts to pressure Ukrainian leaders to investigate a political rival, Democrat Joe Biden, using security aid and an official White House visit as leverage. They also accused him of defying all congressional investigations. Immediately after Wednesdays acquittal vote, Trump posted on Twitter a video showing campaign signs promoting his candidacy every four years in perpetuity. (The Constitution would allow him only one more term.) He also announced an event Thursday to discuss our Countrys VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax! With the result seemingly certain from the very start of the House investigation last fall, the only surprise Wednesday was the vote by Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah, to convict Trump for abuse of power. He was the only Republican to support Trumps removal from office and became the first senator to ever vote to remove a president of his own party. Romney, the GOPs 2012 presidential nominee, said Trump is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. READ MORE: Sen. Mitt Romney breaks with GOP, votes to convict President Donald Trump Corrupting an election to keep ones self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine," he said in a Senate floor speech two hours before the vote. With my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. Romney voted to acquit the president on the obstruction charge. The vote, which followed a three-week trial, ended one of the most bitter periods of a historically divisive presidency. It reflected Republicans near-lockstep support of Trump and was the culmination of years of Democrats outrage over his behavior. Each party accused the other of inflicting lasting national scars. The battle over Trumps behavior now will be fought on the campaign trail, and his acquittal opens the door for him to claim vindication. Exoneration comes when President Trump gets reelected because the people of the United States are fed up with this crap, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said on the Senate floor, but the damage you have done will be long-lasting. He said that the impeachment was driven by Democrats who hate Trumps guts and that the charges would hinder future presidents. Democrats, meanwhile, also predicted far-reaching damage, arguing that Trump has been given a pass by the GOP that will allow him and future presidents to use their offices for political gain, and defy congressional oversight. More broadly, they accused Republicans of giving Trump a stamp of approval for behavior that undermines the very notions of truth and decency. Our nation was founded on the idea of truth, but, in order to countenance this president, you have to ignore the truth, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.). He said the acquittal will come with a giant asterisk. No Democrats voted to acquit, though several represent conservative states. Democrats will turn to voters in a hope that Novembers election can remove a president they see as unfit and a threat to the countrys institutions. And they can point to Romneys vote to argue that at least one Republican recognized the gravity of Trumps actions. The Senate trial of Donald Trump has been a miscarriage of justice, said Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.). "Hes going to escape accountability because a majority of senators have decided to let him. READ MORE: The Trump impeachment trial is over. What does it mean for Pennsylvania in 2020? She also recounted Trumps words on the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he bragged about groping and kissing women without their consent. When youre a star, they let you do it," she said, repeating his quote. You can do anything. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) called out Republicans who, he said, privately told him they worry about the presidents behavior, but voted to acquit him anyway. If no one on this side of the aisle, no one, has the backbone to stand up and stay Stop, there is no question itll get worse, Brown said. Republicans, meanwhile, said Democrats used the constitutional power of impeachment because they couldnt get over losing the 2016 election. The framers built the Senate to keep temporary rage from doing permanent damage to our republic, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said. Moments later, the senators stood one by one during a roll call, each saying guilty or not guilty in the silent chamber. There was one clap as Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) voted to convict, but otherwise there was no celebration or protest. Romney shook hands with a colleague and immediately left after the votes. Even among the handful of Republicans who publicly conceded that Trumps actions were inappropriate" or wrong, most said the actions did not meet the high standard of treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors laid out in the Constitution. If this shallow, hurried, and wholly partisan impeachment were to succeed, it would rip the country apart, pouring gasoline on the fire of cultural divisions that already exist, said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.). By the end of the trial, few of the facts were disputed. Numerous career diplomats, including several appointed by Trump, testified under oath that $391 million in military aid to Ukraine, intended to boost its security and Americas by providing a bulwark against Russia, was stalled while Trump and his allies pressed Ukrainian leaders to investigate Joe Biden, his son, and a debunked conspiracy theory about that countrys role in 2016 election interference. Theres no question in my mind that were their names not Biden, the president would never have done what he did, Romney said. READ MORE: During impeachment, visitors to Phillys historic district have looked to the past to connect with politics Trumps former national security adviser John Bolton has reportedly written in a forthcoming book that Trump was directly involved, confirming the sworn testimony, though Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to have Bolton testify under oath. House Democrats suggested Wednesday they may now subpoena him. Trump and his administration defied all subpoenas and requests for documents, breaking with past presidents who have faced impeachment investigations. Republicans warned that a conviction would set dangerously low standards for removing a president. The question, then, is not whether the president did it, but whether the United States Senate or the American people should decide what to do about what he did," said Alexander, one of the few Republicans to mildly chide Trump over his actions. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey was among those Republicans who said Trumps actions were inappropriate but insufficient to remove him from office. With the 2020 election looming, new polling suggests the impeachment may have helped Trumps public standing. His job approval rose to 49%, the best of his presidency, according to a Gallup survey released this week. Among Republicans, approval rose to 94%, up 6 percentage points from early January. Among independents 42% approved of Trumps job performance, up five percentage points. The impeachment centered on efforts by Trump and his close allies, including his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to damage Biden as a potential 2020 opponent. Trump sought an investigation into Bidens son Hunter for his high-paid job with a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, which was long suspected of corrupt behavior. Hunter Biden landed the job at the time that the elder Biden, as vice president, was the U.S. point man on Ukraine policy and forced the ouster of the countrys top prosecutor. Joe Biden, however, was carrying out official U.S. policy, in concert with European allies, in seeking removal of a prosecutor seen as soft on corruption. The investigation into Burisma was dormant, watchdogs have said, and Hunter Biden was never accused of criminal wrongdoing. Democrats scoffed at the idea Trump sought the investigation due to any moral outrage. They noted that his administration only stopped aid to Ukraine after Biden entered the presidential race, and that the GOP made no effort to raise concerns about Hunter Bidens job when it was made public years earlier. Romney, acknowledging the expected result, looked ahead to Novembers election. The results of this Senate court," he said, will, in fact, be appealed to a higher court the judgment of the American people. They are members of the crew. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says there are 25 Ukrainian citizens on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship placed in quarantine off Yokohama port near Tokyo, Japan. "According to preliminary information, there are 25 Ukrainian citizens who are members of the crew, on board the Diamond Princess cruise liner," Director of the Ministry's Consular Services Department Serhiy Pohoreltsev told UNIAN. Read alsoReuters: Passengers face two weeks on virus-hit cruise ship off Japan The quarantine regime was introduced from 07:00 on February 5 for a period of 14 days. "At present, Japanese doctors are taking steps to examine all those on board," he said. In total, there are 3,700 people from 56 countries on board the ship, of which 2,700 are passengers and the remaining are crew members. As was reported, local health officials confirmed on Wednesday, February 5, that 10 people on the ship had tested positive for coronavirus and more cases were possible. In 1997, a 10-year-old boy from Somerville was abducted, raped and murdered by two men in Cambridge. Salvatori Sicari was convicted of first-degree murder, and the second man, Charles Jaynes, was convicted of second-degree murder, making him eligible for parole in March 2020. Jaynes has an appearance scheduled before the parole board on Mar. 31, but the family of Jeff Curley seek for his killer to remain behind bars. Its still a shock when that hits you, the possibility that he may get out, Bob Curley, Jeffs father, said in an interview with Boston25. Charles Jaynes cant get enough bad things to happen to him, to compensate for what he did to Jeffrey. Curley questioned if Jaynes was reformed given the violent attack. Jeffrey died a horrible death, he died all by himself, in the trunk of that car, Curley said. It was not a quick death, he suffered for a long time. You try not to think about it, try not to let it affect you but, its easier said than done sometimes. As the details about the murder emerged, including one suspects association with the North American Man-Boy Love Association, public outrage intensified, Curley inundated state representatives with requests to reinstate the death penalty. Despite Curleys efforts, Massachusetts lawmakers rejected reinstating the death penalty, but by just one vote. He later reversed his stance on capital punishment. In 2001, at the first national conference of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, held at Boston College, Curley came out as being against capital punishment. He told the interviewer, this was solely based on the inequities of the criminal justice system which he has witnessed firsthand. Jaynes was the worse one of the two, as far as I'm concerned. He had a good lawyer, he got second-degree murder with the possibility of parole. Sicari got life without the possibility of parole, said Curley in an interview with NEPR in 2009. That just highlights that the justice system isn't always perfect for everybody. Jaynes has had a quiet 23 years in prison, only making headlines when he tried to change his name in 2012. Jaynes representing himself at Brockton District Court said he wanted to change his name to Manasseh-Invictus Auric Thutmose V, in line with his Wiccan religious affiliation. A curious dog accidentally sets this New Mexico home on fire Footage captured in New Mexico shows the moment an inquisitive pooch starts a blaze that almost destroys his home. Kahuna can be seen knocking over an ironing board, which in turn blocks a heating grate on the floor, eventually sparking the fire. Luckily for Kahuna and another canine companion, the home was fitted with a fire alarm and the two pooches escaped unharmed. See what happens in the video above. A Chinese woman managed to scare away a rapist by coughing and telling him that she has coronavirus and has just returned from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel virus. The suspect, named by police as 25-year-old Xiao, broke into the victim's bedroom last Friday night in the city of Jingshan near Wuhan, according to police, reported Daily Mail. Just when the man tried to launch an attack, the victim, who is healthy, shouted in desperation: "I just returned from Wuhan and have been infected, therefore I am home alone in self-quarantine." Getty Images The woman also pretended to cough while trying to push away the perpetrator, identified as Xiao, who was attempting to squeeze her neck and cover her mouth. But after hearing Yi's claims, the culprit was frightened and fled - but not before robbing Yi of 3,080 yuan (338) in cash, said the report. The incident happened in Pingba on the outskirts of Jingshan, which is a three-hour drive from Wuhan. Jingshan Public Security Bureau described what happened in a post on social media yesterday. The man had walked out on is family and had no cash, so he intended to rob. However, after finding the woman alone in her house, he planned to sexually assault her. The number of people infected in China by the coronavirus outbreak jumped to nearly 500 on February 5, after Hong Kong reported its first death from the disease and millions more in China were ordered to stay indoors. The confirmed toll in mainland China rose to 490 after hardest-hit Hubei province reported 65 more people had died -- the biggest single-day tally since the first fatalities emerged last month. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. India has also confirmed its third case of the novel coronavirus in Kerala. All the positive cases are from Kerala. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher(WASHINGTON) -- Executives from some of the largest e-cigarette companies defended their business practices on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, amid concerns about their role in the rising rates of e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction among young people. Federal officials and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about products such as Juul and other e-cigarette brands in recent years. Last year, the Trump administration announced a new policy aimed at reducing the number of young people using e-cigarettes by banning sweet and mint flavors for cartridge-based vaping products, but leaving menthol and tobacco flavors on the market. The federal tobacco age was also recently raised to 21. The "flavor ban" goes into effect this week, but advocates say it contains major loopholes that leave other flavored products on the market, and that young people are already moving from Juul to other nicotine products like Puff Bar -- a disposable, single-use e-cigarette. In Wednesday's hearing, the company executives were pressed on the flavored nicotine products that remain on the market and the role they play in the epidemic. Surveys of teenage vape users show that Juul is overwhelmingly the most popular device, but advocates are increasingly raising concerns that the federal ban on some flavored products doesn't include others like disposable cigarettes or liquids used in refillable devices. As the executives delivered their opening statements before the House Energy and Commerce committee -- sitting in front of a dozen young anti-vaping advocates in bright orange shirts -- they insisted their companies are "responsible actors" in the marketplace and do not market or sell to underage users. "I fully recognize that the opportunity for the millions of adult smokers who still use combustible cigarettes to have an alternative is at risk if we dont address this issue," K.C. Crosthwaite, Juul's CEO said. "We are focused on combating underage access because I know it puts it all at risk if we dont make progress here." Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., called it "chilling" to see the tactics and trends from the popularity of traditional cigarettes repeat itself with these new products. "I heard all of you over and over say you are responsible men, men of integrity. That is not true," Pallone said, adding he doesn't believe the executives when they say they don't intentionally target young people. "If you want to be men of integrity, responsible men, you would not be selling this product," he said. Meredith Berkman of the advocacy group Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes said her group of concerned parents was completely surprised to see a footnote in the Food and Drug Administration's enforcement plan, specifying that disposable e-cigarettes, which are thrown away after one use, would not specifically be included in the federal ban on flavored vaping products that use replaceable cartridges, as first reported by The New York Times. Berkman said advocates have pressed the FDA to include all flavored products in the ban, including the disposable e-cigarettes, and that they've pressed lawmakers to question the companies about the other products in Wednesday's hearing. "It's all part of the same thing," she said, adding, "I hope their feet are held to the fire." The federal government hasn't published data on the number of middle and high school students who report using disposable e-cigarettes, though it is part of the National Youth Tobacco Survey. However, Stanford University pediatrics professor Bonnie Halpern-Felsher said teachers and students in schools she works with report more teenagers are using the cheaper, single-use products. "Overwhelmingly in the last six months, what we hear is Juul, yes, but really it's these disposables, and they don't even say disposables, these educators and the students will say Puff Bar ... and that is what we're hearing that is going on right now," she told ABC. Halpern-Felsher said it's difficult to know if the administration's flavor ban prompted teenagers to switch to the disposable products, but that the flavors and high nicotine concentration can still attract younger users. She believes all flavored products should be taken off the market. "We know that youth are using these products in record numbers, and the products that I have in my hand right now I'm looking at this, you know, green lush ice and this peach, beautiful peach colors and flavors and these blue ice, blueberry ice and, you know, things like that. I've got a rainbow of colors in front of me, that was just given to me and these have a tremendous amount of nicotine in them too, these products," she said. The Wall Street Journal reports that NJOY, which manufactures a disposable e-cigarette product, decided to voluntarily stop sales of its fruit flavors amid concerns that teenagers would use them as a replacement for Juul and other cartridge flavors impacted by the ban. NJOY CEO Ryan Nivakoff and the president of Fontem U.S. Antoine Blonde said they have no data that would indicate their flavored disposable products are being used by large numbers of young people. Blonde added that he is concerned about new disposable e-cigarette products on the market that may not be making active efforts to avoid youth use of their products. The FDA says it has the ability to target any e-cigarette company or product targeting young people under the new enforcement plan, even though the definition of e-cigarette in the document specifically excludes disposable, single-use products. "Let us be clear: Under this policy, if we see a product that is targeted to kids, we will take action," Mitch Zeller, director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products said in a statement. "We will continue to use our regulatory authority to tackle this alarming crisis thats affecting children, families, schools and communities," Zeller said. "We will also continue to closely monitor data regarding youth usage of all e-cigarette products and adjust our enforcement priorities to address youth use as necessary." Lawmakers on Wednesday pressed the CEOs on research showing nicotine is addictive, causes health issues in the respiratory system and higher blood pressure, and that e-cigarette products can contain small particles, heavy metals and chemicals that are harmful to the lungs. Some of the executives said they weren't familiar with the specific studies being referenced but that the company's own research on health risks from their products will be included in applications for FDA approval due later this year. Juul voluntarily pulled its sweet flavors from the market last year and later stopped selling and distributing mint after data showed its popularity among young people. The company also stopped advertising on social media after investigations from the FDA and Congress focused on marketing strategies they said targeted the youth. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Sonora, CA A federal has signed off on a deal to refinance billions of dollars in debt to pay off PG&E bondholders, getting the company one step closer to getting out of bankruptcy. The bondholders had an alternative plan for getting the nations largest utility out of debt but have now agreed to support the companys blueprint instead. PG&E now appears to be well-positioned to emerge from bankruptcy by June 30. There is one stumbling block facing the company, however, staunch opposition from California Gov. Newsom and other elected officials. They have threatened a government-backed takeover of PG&E unless additional dramatic changes are made. In fact, on Monday, one lawmaker introduced a bill that would force taxpayers to buy the struggling utility and turn it into a public entity with a safety-first mission ahead of shareholder profits, as reported here. A wildfire insurance fund created by the state gives the governor, state lawmakers and the California Public Utilities Commission, the states chief regulatory agency, leverage over the company. The state program is a key component in PG&Es reorganization as state approval is needed by the June deadline to qualify for the funds. In a sign of its confidence at Tuesdays hearing, PG&E work out a timetable that would enable the company to put the bankruptcy behind it just 17 months after the process began. That would be much faster than the three years it took PG&E to reorganize when it filed for bankruptcy in 2001. PG&E is setting up a $13.5 billion fund to pay the wildfire victims. The deal is a big point of contention, as the judge found out after being inundated with letters from victims worried that too much of the money will go to attorneys and government agencies seeking reimbursement and not them. Noting those concerns the judge set a Feb. 21 deadline for the lawyers to provide a clear explanation of how victims will file claims, with a timeline explaining how they can expect to be paid. Then a more extensive breakdown must be filed on March 10. On top of the victims fund, PG&E has also negotiated settlements totaling $25.5 in the past few months to reconcile with homeowners, businesses, insurers and government agencies who had claimed more than $50 billion in losses from wildfires blamed on the companys mismanagement and failing aging equipment. Tech firm LG has become the first major company to pull out of the global tech extravaganza Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month over coronavirus fears. The Korean company will instead hold separate events in the near future to announce its latest gadgets. Experts fear this may cause a 'domino affect' and see other major players withdraw from the event, which is one of the key dates in the technology industry calendar. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak continues to rise, with Chinese authorities reporting almost 500 deaths and more than 24,500 infections. The GSM Association, which runs the summit, has responded by saying coronavirus has had 'minimal impact on the event thus far' and saying it has precautions in place. This week it announced onsite signs to encourage its expected 100,000 attendees to adhere to hygiene recommendations and follow a 'no-handshake policy'. In response to the LG bombshell, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo have been clarifying their own position. Based in Beijing, Shenzhen and Dongguan respectively, the three firms will still be attending the event. Xiaomi has said it will attend the event as normal, but has cancelled its trip for Chinese media. Scroll down for video Pictured: The 2019 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This year it will be held between 24-27 February 2020 and organisers insist it will proceed as planned Pictured, Frank Lee, director of brand marketing at LG Electronics last year as the company ramped up preparations for 2019's MWC. However, this year it will not be attending and has announced separate events in the near future to announce its latest gadgets 'LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation, as the virus continues to spread outside China,' the company said in a statement. 'With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. 'This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders. 'In lieu of its participation in MWC, LG will be holding separate events in the near future to announce its 2020 mobile products. 'LG Electronics thanks its supporters and the public for their understanding during these difficult and challenging times.' In response to the LG bombshell, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo have been clarifying their own position. Based in Beijing, Shenzhen and Dongguan respectively, the three firms will still be attending the event WHAT IS MWC DOING TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS? Increased cleaning and disinfection programme across all high-volume touchpoints, e.g. catering areas, surfaces, handrails, WCs, entrances/exits, public touch-screens, etc. along with the use of correct cleaning/sanitising materials and products Increased onsite medical support Awareness campaign via online and onsite info-share and signage Availability of sanitising and disinfection materials for public use Awareness and training to all staff and associates on standard personal preventative measures, e.g. personal hygiene, frequency of use of sanitising/disinfection products, etc. Advice to exhibitors on implementing effective cleaning and disinfection of stands, offices along with guidance on personal hygiene measures and common preventive behaviour Public health guidelines and advice communication to Barcelona hotels, public and private transport, restaurants and catering outlets, retail, etc. Measures added this week include; Installing new signage onsite reminding attendees of hygiene recommendations Implementing a mic change protocol in production for speakers Communicating advice to all attendees to adopt a 'no-handshake policy Source: GMSA Advertisement Industry analyst Ben Wood, from CCS Insight, said LG's decision was a 'big development' for the show, adding that he hoped it would not cause a 'domino effect with other companies'. Tech company ZTE, also based in Shenzen, China, recently cancelled its press conference at the event but will still attend the Barcelona event. In a statement released last night, it said this was because it is 'an overly courteous company, and simply don't want to make people uncomfortable'. Oppo, the Chinese manufacturer which has its headquarters more than 600 miles (1,000km) away from the outbreak ground zero in Hubei, told MailOnline: 'OPPO is proceeding with MWC as planned, taking all precautions to ensure the safety of its staff, media and partners.' Huawei Technologies said it still planned to hold events around the forthcoming MWC. 'We are keeping a close eye on matters and having to internally adjust accordingly and responsibly,' it said in a statement of its own. 'As it stands, London and Barca events still planned. But ... things are changing constantly.' In response to the unprecedented decision from LG to ditch the marquee event, GSMA issued an updated statement on the event's status following the continued coronavirus spread. It has beefed up precautions in the wake of the LG announcement and will now install onsite signage reminding attendees of hygiene recommendations, install a 'mic change protocol' for speakers and is also putting in place a 'no-handshake policy'. In its latest statement, GSMA said: 'The GSMA confirms that there is minimal impact on the event thus far. MWC Barcelona 24-27 February 2020, will proceed as planned.' It continued: 'GSMA colleagues around the world are taking strong measures to contain and lessen any further spread of the virus. 'These measures include adhering to advice from the WHO and other health authorities, respecting travel restrictions where they exist, arriving early in Spain to allow time for self-quarantine and ensuring access to masks.' The Odisha government on Wednesday announced to bear the treatment cost of kidney donor Priyankarani Patras 3-year-old daughter who is admitted at a private hospital here after a road accident. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced this a day after Priyankaranis kidneys were transplanted in two men after doctors declared her brain dead on Monday night. The doctors at the state-run SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack and a private hospital here undertook cadaveric renal transplant on two men on Tuesday. Twenty-six-year-old Priyankarani of Digapahandi in Ganjam district along with her daughter Siddhi, were critically injured in a road accident on January 26 and admitted at a private hospital here. While Priyankarani died on February 4, her daughter is still in ventilator and struggling for survival. Deceased Priyankaranis husband V Sameer Raju and father-in-law V Dharma Raju had given their consent to donate her vital organs. As a noble gesture, the chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the state government will bear the treatment cost of the girl while expressing his gratitude towards the deceaseds familys sacrifice. Though her two kidneys could save lives of two persons, one at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack and another in a private hospital here, her other body parts could not be utilised due to lack of infrastructure in the state, an official said. Patnaik also said that the family of Priyanka Rani will be felicitated under the Suraj scheme of the state government. Last year, the state government had announced an annual award in the name of Suraj to promote organ donation. Suraj Behera, of Odisha who was working at Surat, met with a fatal road accident on October 29, 2019. He was declared brain dead on November 2 by the doctors after which his parents decided to donate his organs to save lives of others. "I congratulate the SCBMCH doctors for conducting the states first cadaveric kidney transplant and also the family members of Priyanka of Ganjam district for donating her organ. This has created a new history in Odishas organ transplant and modern treatment," Patnaik tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bill approved Monday by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will allow voters with disabilities to cast votes electronically possibly with smartphones in upcoming elections. State officials are checking on security issues to see if a mobile app could be used. It's the one they've already used for certain military and overseas voters. The new law allows electronic absentee ballots to be cast by people with disabilities. But its approval came the same day that Iowa caucuses delayed announcing a winner of a primary for the Democratic nominee for president, citing technology issues. The Iowa Democratic Party used an app to help tabulate results. Related video: Iowa Caucus results delayed West Virginia's existing mobile voting app was pioneered and touted for its identification procedures, such as using video to verify a person's identity. But it's come into controversy. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said in October that, during the 2018 election cycle, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner noted an attempted intrusion into the mobile voting app. Stuart said the election system wasn't compromised. The app, called Voatz, is currently on hold pending a security audit, requested last July, Secretary of State deputy press secretary Jennifer Gardner said. She said Tuesday the state plans to use the mobile app for voters with disabilities and once again for military and overseas members where possible, but it depends on the audit. It could be available in a few weeks or sooner. Utah County, which includes Provo in the "Salt Lake State," utilized this kind of mobile voting last November, with a partner in the initiative labeling it as the first in the nation to do so for citizens with disabilities beyond military and overseas voters. HURIWA also express consternation that the hierarchy of the National Examination Council whose reputation is being rubbished by the persistent claim that it issued a dud certificate to a serving Senator, it has not bothered to officially address Nigerians on this worrying development which may adversely affect the global reputation of the certificates it issue to candidates. The Rights group stated that it was disingenuous that politicians play partisan politics with serious issues that can be interpreted as destroying the corporate image of institutions established by law and empowered to conduct examination for students just as the Rights group said if such tendencies continue and not corrected by the institutions whose corporate reputation are demolished through innuendos and media attacks, then the waning image of Nigeria globally could escalate and certificates that originate from Nigeria maybe rejected in the civilized societies. HURIWA has therefore given the National Examination Council 76 hours ultimatum to respond to the persistent allegations on the certificate scam and put an end to the media sensationalism or it would be assumed that it has something to hide and therefore it's reputation may be rubbished. "NECO must speak up even after it has responded to official FOI REQUEST there is the need to brief Nigerians on the status of the certificate it issued Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in view of the fact that Dr. Obinna Uzor who approached a court and got a pronouncement contradicting NECO's response to our FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST has even after this unambiguous confirmation and verification of the certificate of Ifeanyi Ubah has continued to raise fresh posers on the validity of the same certificate." As a platform that champions the human rights of all citizens, we are disturbed by the trend of politics that have become fashionable in Anambra state whereby everything is held in disdain and profanity even when it will only take such political actors little efforts to adopt law-based means to seek for information from such institutions. It took us just less tgab a week to get a response to our FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST so why wouldn't Dr. Obinna Uzor approach NECO to ascertain the veracity and source of the certificate instead of persistently dwell in sensational media warfare. The Rights group in the statement jointly endorsed by the National coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf stated that it was wrong for the politician Dr. Obinna Uzoh to continue to make such a monumental allegation even when it (HURIWA) had officially been told by NECO that indeed the certificate paraded by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is genuine. We call on the management of NECO to step in and ensure that their good corporate reputation as a credible examination council is not continuously messed up in the muddy water of politics. We expect the body to officially step in and address the whole of Nigerians and clear her good image from these unwarranted political attacks." "If the claim is that the National Examination Council lied in the official response to our freedom of information request in which it told us that senator Ifeanyi Ubah has genuine certificate, then we may consider suing them if they fail to within 78 hours address the continuous allegation against them by the Anambra politician. HURIWA had recently told journalists as follows: "Gentlemen, in our possession is a letter from NECO which confirms that the CERTIFICATE tendered by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is authentic. In a letter with the particulars as follows NECO/R/LGS/20/003, dated 23rd January, 2020, NECO was tasked to respond to as follows: Application for the authentication of NECO Certificate and Statement of Result of candidate No. 31474672FC: Ubah Ifeanyi Patrick of June 2003: No. 303865920. The NECO examination council wrote thus: I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject matter dated 19th January, 2020 and to reply as stated infra. We hereby authenticate that the facts as stated in the statement of result of a June/July 2003 (Appendix 1 of your letter) bearing the following details are correct. CANDIDATE NAME: UBAH IFEANYI PATRICK REGISTRATION NUMBER: 31474672FC EXAM YEAR: 2003 EXAM TYPE: SSCE INT. CENTRE NUMBER: 020020 CENTRE NAME: CARDOSO HIGH SCHOOL, AJEROMI/IFELODUN S/N SUBJECT GRADE REMARK 1. English Language C6 CREDIT 2. Mathematics C6 CREDIT 3. Biology F9 FAIL 4. Government C6 CREDIT 5. Economics C5 CREDIT 6. Literature in English C5 CREDIT 7. Commerce C5 CREDIT 8. Christian Religious Studies C6 CREDIT Number of subjects recorded: 8(Eight) including the failed subject (Biology). Equally, we also authenticate that the facts contained in the certificate issued to you in respect of the aforementioned examination (Appendix 2 of your letter) as reproduced below are also correct: CANDIDATE NO: 31474672FC CANDIDATE NAME: UBAH IFEANYI PATRICK EXAM YEAR: 2003 EXAM TYPE: SSCE INT. CENTRE NUMBER: 020020 CENTRE NAME: CARDOSO HIGH SCHOOL, AJEROMI/IFELODUN CERTIFICATE SERIAL NO.: 303865920 Subject Grade Interpretation English Language C6 Credit Mathematics C6 Credit Christian Religious Studies C6 Credit Commerce C5 Credit Economics C5 Credit Government C6 Credit Literature in English C5 Credit Number of subjects recorded: 7(Seven) excluding the failed subject (Biology). From the foregoing data, what appeared as a discrepancy between the two set of data is the non-recording of Biology with F9(FAIL) in the certificate. This is easily explained by stating that the conventional and obtainable practice among examination bodies is that failed subjects are not recorded in the certificate, although they remain in the examination bodies database and continue to appear in both the statement of result(s) and confirmation of result(s) usually sent to educational institutions. In simple language, examination bodies do not issue certificate(s) for failed subject(s). In all we state with every sense of duty and responsibility that both the statement of result and the certificate (Appendix 1 and 2 of your letter respectively) are genuine. They both emanated from the council and correspond with the records in our database. Please find attached the certified true copies of the following: 1. Online (Internet) copy of the Statement of Result (which usually and still contains the failed subject: Biology in this case). 2. Confirmation of Result (which usually and still contains the failed subject: Biology in this case); 3. Broad sheet page showing the candidates details among other candidates (which usually and still contains the failed subject: Biology in this case); and 4. The original Certificate (which usually and does not contain the failed subject: Biology in this case). Sir, kindly accept the assurances of the esteemed regards of the Registrar/Chief Executive. Signed by Comfort L. Kolo, Esq. (HOD, Legal & Board Affairs) for Registrar/Chief Executive. This miscarriage of judgment is damaging to the central place if integrity in the judicial arm of government. This media briefing is to remind the Nigerian Judiciary and especially THE NATIONAL JUDICIAL COUNCIL that they can either work vigorously to compel judges to adhere principles that promote and protect judicial integrity or we wave goodbye to any sort of an INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY BECAUSE A JUDICIAL SYSTEM WHICH IS NOT ANCHORED IN THE INTEGRITY OF THE MINISTERS IN THE TEMPLE OF JUSTICE IS DOOMED". HURIWA then asked-: "Why is Dr. Obinna Uzoh still in doubts or does he have a contrary intelligence?" A baby has become the ninth person to be infected with measles in NSW this year, sparking fears of an outbreak in the Australia's most populous state. NSW Health issued an urgent measles warning on Wednesday after discovering the baby had visited a busy food court in western Sydney. The infant, who is too young be vaccinated, was recently visited by extended family from an area where there's a current measles outbreak. Last Friday, the infected baby visited in the Plumpton Marketplace in the City of Blacktown, where it may have spread to countless other people. A baby has become the ninth person to be infected with measles in NSW this year, sparking fears of an outbreak in the Australia's most populous state. NSW Health issued an urgent measles warning on Wednesday (stock image) This week, NSW Health urged people who visited the same food court to look out for measles symptoms until February 17. Western Sydney Local Health District director Dr Shopna Bag said people not immune to the highly contagious disease are at risk if they've been exposed to an infectious person. 'Anyone who develops symptoms should arrange to see their GP and call ahead to ensure they don't wait in the doctor's waiting room with other patients,' Dr Bag said in a statement. The infected baby is one of nine known measles cases in NSW this year. A female University of Sydney student infected with measles visited the Laneway cafe at the Camperdown campus on January 28. Anyone who visited the cafe that day has been warned to stay alert for measles symptoms until mid-February. Last Friday, the infected baby visited a food court in Plumpton Marketplace (pictured) in the City of Blacktown, where it may have spread to countless other people. The baby is may have been infected by extended family from a measles outbreak area At the time, NSW Health public health clinical director Dr Leena Gupta warned: 'The measles virus is highly contagious and is spread through the air by someone who is unwell with the disease. 'We recommend medical treatment be sought but if you or your child do have these symptoms, you should call the doctor's surgery before you go in so they can make arrangements so you don't wait with others.' On Sunday, a Sydney Eastern suburbs woman was also diagnosed with measles, becoming the seventh person in NSW to be diagnosed in 2020. She spent time in a number of busy areas including Bondi Junction, Rose Bay and Double Bay from January 26 to January 31. Measles symptoms include fever, coughing, runny nose and sore red eyes, followed by a red spotty rash that starts on the head and spreads down. Istanbul: Shaza Hotels announced its expansion plan for the Turkish market at the Tourism Investment Forum 2020 (TIF) (TRAVPR.COM) UAE - February 5th, 2020 - Istanbul: Shaza Hotels announced its expansion plan for the Turkish market at the Tourism Investment Forum 2020 (TIF) organised by the Turkish Tourism Investors Association TTYD in Istanbul last week. The exclusive conference brought together leading international investors, financial institutions, banks and real estate developers to discuss opportunities to shape the future of tourism in the country. Chris Nader, Vice President, Shaza Hotels, said, Shaza represents the cultures of the Silk Route, and Turkey is a strategic market for our story and expansion plans. We spent the last few years growing our brands in the Middle East and have now established an office in Istanbul to actively pursue opportunities in Turkey and surrounding markets. The country is ready to welcome new and fresh brands, and our unique brand proposition fits perfectly the needs of investors and travellers, both from a concept standpoint and investment criteria standpoint. As members of the Global Hotel Alliance, luxury brand Shaza and its upscale brand Mysk by Shaza are the only international hotel brands that manage exclusively alcohol-free hotels. Nader stressed, Historically, investors and operators have focussed primarily on two markets: Istanbul and Bodrum. We would of course like to manage properties in these two highly performing cities; however, we also see immense potential in secondary cities and remote destinations. Turkey has so much richness in terms of culture, heritage and nature outside the main cities, and the country needs to promote these locations by developing quality hotels, resorts and retreats to attract the new generation of travellers. This is what we want to achieve. Shaza Hotels is currently in discussion for various projects in Turkey, including wellness resorts, nature and thermal retreats, and historical palaces connected to heritage and cultural sites. The Turkish Tourism Investors Association strives to achieve robust, resilient, sustainable, innovative and high-quality nation-wide growth in tourism. The governments 11th development plan has identified tourism as one of the strategic industries, which is to receive special incentives and support, especially outside primary cities. It was recently announced that Turkey has the potential to attract more than 75 million foreign tourists and generate $65 billion in tourism revenues by 2023. About Shaza Hotels Shaza Hotels is an international hotel management company comprising of two unique brands: Shaza in the luxury segment, and Mysk in the upscale segment. The brands are characterised by their dedication to offering true Arabian hospitality inspired by the traditions and culture of the Silk Route and reflected by a contemporary Middle Eastern style decor and serene ambiance that is appreciated by the most discerning travellers. Shaza is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA). About DISCOVERY Loyalty A memorable trip demands more than a comfortable stay. DISCOVERY, an award-winning global loyalty programme, provides 16 million members recognition and perks across over 570 hotels, resorts and palaces in 78 countries. Elite members have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local culture through Local Experiences, distinctive activities that capture an authentic taste of each destination. For more information, visit discoveryloyalty.com For media please contact: Hina Bakht Managing Director EVOPS Marketing & PR Mob: 00971 50 6975146 Tel: 00971 4 566 7355 Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com www.evops-pr.com ### BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Eldar Janashvili Trend: The presentation of Japanese cuisine called "Taste of Japan" was organized in Baku by the biggest Japanese H.I.S. tour operator and the Japanese embassy in Azerbaijan, Trend reports on Feb. 5. During the presentation, the products were presented by companies such as Hagimura Seicha Limited, specializing in the production of Kabusecha, Sencha and Gyokuro tea and Matcha chocolate, as well as other companies that presented meat dishes and delicacies from wagyu beef, characterized by its marbling and high content of unsaturated fats. Besides the Japanese companies, the representatives of the local companies, in particular, Shirin confectionery factory and Herba Flora company, as well as of the Turkish branch of Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) company also attended the event. Opening the ceremony, Head of H.I.S. companys office in Istanbul Dursun Ablat informed the participants about the activity of the company and then invited the guests to taste the refreshments. H.I.S. project manager Takasawa Naoyuki spoke about the work on promoting Japanese products in the global market, including Azerbaijan, in particular, about the assistance provided by the Azerbaijani Herba Flora company in the supply of Japanese green tea to Azerbaijan. Naoyuki stressed that the delivery of food products to the country has a number of difficulties that must be overcome. Japanese ambassador to Azerbaijan Teruyuki Katori stressed that interest in Japanese cuisine is growing in Azerbaijan, the number of sushi lovers is also growing. Nevertheless, the ambassador emphasized, Japanese cuisine has a wide range of national dishes, most of which is unknown to the Azerbaijani consumer today. In particular, Katori talked about wagyu beef products widely represented at the exhibition, among which were delicacies, salads, noodles and rice "Nigiri Zushi" ("hand-pressed sushi") with "wagyu". Yusif Aliyev, director of Shirin confectionery factory, emphasized that the factory will produce five types of Matcha chocolate, which will become a rarity not only in the Azerbaijani market, but also in the European market. Herba Flora co-chairs Rashad Aghayev and Fizuli Huseynov underlined the high level of trade relations between Azerbaijan and Japan. "For Azerbaijani consumers, Japan is primarily associated with high technologies, Aghayev said. I am sure that Azerbaijanis will feel the real Japanese quality in our tea." Director of Azerbajan's Ibio company Irana Mammadzade said that the company is engaged in the import of Japanese products, in particular, wagyu beef within the project. Japanese food products were previously imported through Russia and Europe and could not claim to be 100-percent authentic, Mammadzade added. From now on, Japanese products may be purchased directly through Ibio. Representative of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Furuichi Vigeru said that the ministry supports the project of promoting Japanese food products in Azerbaijan, stressing that such companies as Ibio and Herba Flora play a big role in connecting the two countries in food industry. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili Chennai: Rajinikanth has come out in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) saying it will not affect Indian Muslims who chose India as their motherland during the partition in 1947. The actor claimed there was a lot of misleading information being spread on CAA due to the ulterior motives of some political parties and religious groups. Rajinikanth added that he would be the first to step out and rise in protest if and when CAA affects Indian Muslims. Rajinikanth called the National Population Register (NPR) as necessary for India. "It is a must to conduct a census of the Indian population in 2021. Don't we need to know who are Indians and who are from outside? This is very important and I don't know what is the issue with this," stated the superstar. Clarifying his stand on rumours related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Rajini stated that the procedure for the same hasn't started and deliberations were still underway about it. On the protests that have been taking place across major parts of the country over CAA-NRC, the actor cautioned students to not get misled by false propaganda and urged them to think logically and then make informed decisions after consulting with their elders and faculty before embarking on protests. When asked about CAA not having included Sri Lankan Tamils, Rajini stated that he was in favour of citizenship being granted to Tamil refugees who have been living in camps across Tamil Nadu for the last several years. However, he also added that the Tamils living in Sri Lanka must not be considered as they have been living there since the time of the Chola empire. There have been protests in several parts of India ever since the CAA came into effect on January 10, 2020, under which Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians facing persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh can seek citizenship of India. But those seeking citizenship under the act must be residing in India from December 31, 2014. Washington: In a reality TV moment during one of the United States' most formal occasions, President Donald Trump reunited a soldier with his family during the annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday. The wife and two children of Army Sergeant Townsend Williams were among Trump's guests at the address to Congress, and he began to tell their story in Williams' absence. "War places a heavy burden on our extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and her two children," Trump said, explaining that Williams' husband has been in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment. "Amy's kids haven't seen their father's face in many months. Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and in peace, and we want to thank you. Thank you, Amy," Trump said, prompting applause from the chamber. Williams stroked her son's hair while her daughter clutched her arm. "But Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment," Trump said, as the reality dawned on Williams and she put her hand over her mouth. The applause got louder. "He is here with us tonight, and we couldn't keep him waiting any longer" the president said. In his dress uniform, with campaign ribbons on his left breast, Williams slowly walked down the steps behind them, bent down, embraced his children and hugged his wife. [February 05, 2020] PPG to Acquire Alpha Coating Technologies, Light Industrial Powder Coatings Manufacturer PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Alpha Coating Technologies, LLC ("Alpha"), a manufacturer of powder coatings for light industrial applications and heat sensitive substrates. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, Alpha focuses on the development, manufacture and sale of powder coatings for light industrial applications; medium density fiberboard and heat sensitive substrates; and toll manufactures powder coatings for metal and light industrial applications. Alpha employs approximately 35 people at its operations in West Chicago, Illinois. "Alpha's best-in-class service, technology and quick turnaround color matching capabilities will be a strategic complement to PPG," said Kevin Braun, PPG vice president, Industrial Coatings, Amricas. "We are pleased to welcome Alpha into the PPG family and continue providing our customers with outstanding products and services." PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for 135 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $15.1 billion in 2019. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein include statements relating to the timing of and expected benefits of the Alpha Coating Technologies acquisition. Actual events may differ materially from current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the satisfaction of the conditions of the acquisition and other risks related to completion of the acquisition and actions related thereto; the parties' ability to complete the acquisition on the anticipated terms and schedule; the ability of PPG to achieve the expected benefits of the acquisition; and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in PPG's periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and its current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. CATEGORY Industrial Coatings View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005107/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTCPINK:LKMNF) ("Lucky" or the "Company") announces that the private placement previously announced on January 20, 2020 for 25,000,000 units at $0.02 per unit, for proceeds of $500,000, has been oversubscribed by $200,000. The over-subscribed private placement will now be for a maximum of 35,000,000 units at $0.02 per unit for proceeds of $700,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share at a price of $0.05 per common share for a period of 24 months after the closing. All of the Common Shares and Warrants of the Company issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four month hold period. The Transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. About Lucky An exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna and Emigrant Projects. The Company's Fortuna Project is a royalty-free 550km2 (55,000 Ha, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concession. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador. The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Adrian Rothwell" Chief Executive Officer Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Adrian Rothwell, President and CEO, by email at info@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575447/Lucky-Announces-Increase-to-Private-Placement A former state corrections officer was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison after he admitted last year that he distributed images and videos of child sex abuse using a mobile app, federal prosecutors said. Michael A. Ruggiero, 38, of Lacey Township pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Trenton in June 2019 to one count of distribution of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito. For three days in April 2016, Ruggiero used the unidentified app to distribute and share the images and videos of prepubescent children, and also admitted to receiving child porn on the it, authorities said. He also had images on his cell phone when authorities arrested him in June 2017, at work said. Ruggiero worked at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield, a state Department of Corrections prison for young adult offenders. He was a senior corrections officer with an annual salary of $48,559 a year when charged. He was arrested after police in Canada arrested a man on a parole violation who then told investigators that he had used the app to distribute pornography to other people, authorities said. Canadian police took control of the account and identified other users, including Ruggiero, and traced an IP address to his home and phone in Ocean County. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. PICKERING, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE:RFR)(OTC Pink:RFHRF) ("Renforth" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that drilling has resumed on Renforth's wholly owned New Alger gold property, located in the Cadillac Mining Camp in northwestern Quebec. This program will drill several longer holes across the Cadillac Break, through the Piche volcanics and into the Pontiac sediments, further exploring the first, where Renforth recently discovered new gold occurrences, and getting deeper pierce points within the Piche, which hosts the existing identified mineralization on the property. The Company is pleased to have the support of shareholders in funding the Company in December 2019, those funds are being used to increase our knowledge and the value of New Alger. Results will be reported on as they are obtained. Renforth held its' Annual General Meeting pursuant to the notice which was given, >30% of the outstanding shares were voted at the meeting in support of management's recommendations. Renforth would like to thank those shareholders who took the time to vote. Technical information in this press release was reviewed and approved by Brian H. Newton P.Geo, a "Qualified Person" pursuant to NI 43-101. For further information please contact: Renforth Resources Inc. Nicole Brewster President and Chief Executive Officer T:416-818-1393 E: nicole@renforthresources.com #269 - 1099 Kingston Road, Pickering ON L1V 1B5 ABOUT RENFORTH Renforth Resources Inc. is a Toronto-based gold exploration company with five wholly owned surface gold bearing properties located in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada. In Quebec Renforth holds the New Alger and Parbec properties, in the Cadillac and Malartic gold camps respectively, with gold present at surface and to some depth, located on the Cadillac Break. In both instances' additional gold bearing structures, other than the Cadillac Break, have been found on each property and require additional exploration. Renforth also holds Malartic West, contiguous to the western boundary of the Canadian Malartic Mine property, located in the Pontiac Sediments, this property is gold bearing and was the recent site of a copper discovery. In addition to this Renforth has optioned the wholly owned Denain-Pershing gold bearing property, located near Louvicourt, Quebec, to O3 Mining Inc. In Ontario Renforth holds the Nixon-Bartleman surface gold occurrence west of Timmins Ontario, drilled, channeled and sampled over 500m - this historic property also requires additional exploration to define the extent of the mineralization. No securities regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and information under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may', "will', "plan', "expect', "believe', "anticipate', "estimate', "intend' and similar words referring to future events and results. Such statements and information are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the risks of obtaining necessary approvals, licenses and permits and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in the Company's securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and the reader is cautioned against placing undue reliance thereon. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and the Company assumes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Renforth Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575332/Renforth-Resumes-Drilling-at-New-Alger Two days after a 25-year-old lecturer was set ablaze by her stalker in Maharashtra's Wardha district, leaving her critically injured, the brutal incident has galvanised common people as well as politicians in expressing outrage and saying prayers as the victim continues to be in critical condition. A day after a shutdown was observed in Hinganghat town in protest against the incident which occurred on Monday, many women in Hinganghat on Wednesday recited prayers at local temples for the speedy recovery of the victim, Ankita Pisudde. "Women from our colony came together and prayed for improvement in Ankita's health. She is very critical. We are chanting mantras and firmly believe that God will save her life," said Vaishali Bhute, a resident of Sayaji Nagar. While an all-religious prayer meet was organised at a temple in the town, a gathering was held in a school located near the spot of the incident. In Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said his government will not tolerate atrocities against women and stressed on swiftly bringing the perpetrators in such cases to justice. After visiting the hospital in Nagpur where the victim is admitted, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced that the trial of the accused would be fast-tracked, and well-known lawyer Ujjwal Nikam would be appointed as special prosecutor as per the request of the woman's relatives. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP on Wednesday alleged "delay" on part of the state government in depositing the compensation amount for the victim's treatment. State BJP vice president Chitra Wagh visited the Orange Hospital in Nagpur and also the spot of the incident in Hinganghat on Wednesday. "Can you call this as the state of Chhatrapati Shivaji? Women are not safe in Maharashtra. Three such incidents have been reported after the Hinganghat incident," she claimed. Wardha district collector Vivek Bhimanwar said the amount of Rs 4 lakh was deposited in the bank account of the hospital towards meeting tentative medical expenses of the victim for now. "We have made a provision of around Rs 12 lakh, as estimated by the hospital towards her medical expenses," he said. Earlier in the day, Wardha Police transferred the probe into the case to a special team led by Pulgaon town's deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Trupti Jadhav. "As per state government's orders, we are moving an application seeking trial in a fast track court. We are also forwarding a proposal to get a special public prosecutor to represent the victim," Wardha Wardha Superintendent of Police Basavraj Teli said. Amid outrage, state Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal urged women to report incidents of stalking to police without any hesitation. Meanwhile, residents in the victim Pisudde's Daroda village are in shock over the incident. A resident said he had never imagined that the accused Vikesh Nagrale (27)--who was arrested after the incident--will take such extreme step. "Vikesh was warned by Pisudde's father several times, but he continued to stalk her. Vikesh and Pisudde were friends more than a year ago, but later she started avoiding him. We all are in shock," said Vivek Timande, a villager. He said the accused had worked as a JCB machine operator after doing a technician course, and later as a contract technician with Railways. Gajanan Devadhe, a neighbour of the Pisudde family, said the victim is one of the highly-qualified women from the village. "She is M.SC in Botany and B.Ed. Her younger brother Prajjwal is an engineer," he said. Earlier in the day, the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha by Ramdas Tadas of the BJP demanding adequate compensation to the victim. Navneet Rana, the MP from neighbouring Amravati, also expressed her concern about the safety of women in the Lower House. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For instance, the Eqtesad News website recently published a report about the Harandi district in Tehran which describes a new industry of betting on children fighting in the streets. This website, however, borrowed its report from another state-run media outlet, Hamshari Online, which mentions, These days [Harandi district] experiences a new type of child abuse and gamble, which is repeated daily. Notably, when two state-run media directed by officials raise the same catastrophic issue, it shows the scale of deep, importance, and impacts of this tragedy on the society has become so severe that the government-linked media cannot conceal it anymore. Here, it would be beneficial to look at what is happening under the ayatollahs shadow, however, this piece titled, Small Gladiators; Shocking Report from the Business of Anger in the Capital, doesnt express the whole scope of the truth. The author wrote: This is not Detroit, the worlds most dangerous city. This is Harandi district in the Capital of our country. It is notoriously renowned for infecting addiction injuries, and addicts, criminals, and homeless people have gathered in parks to be entertained by gambling on childrens fighting beside drug using The author describes what she has witnessed from what is occurring at the district. Under the subtitle, The Opiate World, the author writes: We are entering into a narrow alley of Alizadeh street in the Harandi district. Most houses are rusty or abandoned [Then] we arrive at a dilemma. We turn to the left where our final destination is. We hear unclear sounds. All pedestrians are unkempt and dirty, and collect all their items in black bagging and carried them on their shoulders. At the end of the alley, the sounds are becoming clearer. Suddenly, a door opens, and several stumbling minors and teenagers are pushed out. The author continues her narrative about one of the fighter children named Asghar. Asghar is 13 and has been intoxicated with alcohol and homemade drugs to fight against the boy of a neighbor who is in a similar state. The state-run media outlets pointed out to Asghars parents as the source of the addiction. However, they dont mention the root of vast addiction that absorbed most poor families in misery. In truth, addiction in Irans society is the direct outcome of high-prices, poverty, unemployment, imbalance in distributing the national wealth among the people, etc., which themselves are the grip of systematic corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement that have driven the country to the brink of absolute collapse. The next part of the piece describes the fight between Asghar and his rival. They fight and harm each other in return for $2-3 alone. The spectators cant afford to bet much more than $2-3. Both fighters and gamblers spend the majority of their money on drugs. Asghar won, his rival lost, and he must bear beating of his owner in addition to Asghars blows. Asghar is only one example of a hundred other children who see these fights as an honored business instead of stealing, cheating, and other disgraceful jobs! The fact is they are selling their lives and health for a couple of dollars to provide the drug expense for their parents. $70-80 equates to prosperity for these teenagers and minors who have been returned to medieval times thanks to the theocratic government. The government ironically claims that it has implemented many plans to counter or cease these social harms. However, the people of these areas believe that the government and its apparatuses only made the situation more intense and complicated by thoughtless plans. In this respect, the scale of social harms and the districts that hosted these types of businesses not only havent decreased, but they have accelerated. The fact is the government that squanders the national properties to improve its influential policies in the Middle East, terrorize neighboring countries, and pursue nuclear bomb-making projects, has no assets to spend on its own people. On the other hand, these social harms are the direct reflection of the corrupt system and officials who only pursue to line their pockets with the national wealth. And every day one of them escapes with millions of dollars while enjoying absolute immunity against legal persecution. In such circumstances and after the recent nationwide protests in November and January, each social issue has the potential to ignite a new round of unrests, which are capable to turn rapidly into political revolts against the entire government. As in the November protests, the Revolutionary Guards and security forces could quell the peoples desire for regime change only by resorting to excessive violence and killing more than 1,500 demonstrators. However, the people along with college students gabbed an opportunity in January and flooded into the streets once again. They chanted, Commander-in-chief [addressing the supreme leader Ali Khamenei], resign, resign, and The IRGC shame on you, let go of our country. New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 5 : The case of the death of a four-month-old infant in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh has been termed as a violation of the "Right to Life" under the Constitution by twelve-year-old Zen Gunratan Sadavarte, who was recently awarded the National Bravery Award by President Ram Nath Kovind. Zen, a resident of Mumbai and student of Class VII of Don Bosco International School, Matunga, has written to the Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde to issue directions to stop children and infants from participating in the demonstration. Shaheen Bagh has been the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. Moved by the death of the four-month-old, Jahaan Mohammed who was brought by his parents to the Shaheen Bagh protests, Zen has urged the CJI to direct the Delhi Police to conduct a proper investigation into the cause of his death. Zen, who received the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) bravery award for 2019, has written a five-page letter to the CJI stating the incident has shaken her as a citizen. "Right to Life under Article 21, was violated of the four-month-old child, who accompanied his mother every day to the Shaheen Bagh demonstration," said Zen speaking to IANS. The mother has reportedly cited severe cold and cough as a probable reason leading to the demise of her baby. Zen has sought investigation from the authorities into the matter in which the parents claimed that the death certificate did not mention the reason of death, the media reports said. "The police failed to stop children from participating in such gathering/agitation, which is harmful for their health," said Zen on police in-action. However, her parents Gunratan and Jaishree Sadavarte made it clear that "Zen is not opposed to the Shaheen Bagh protests and has only sought to highlight the pain of children and infants which amounts to 'torture and cruelty' especially as they can't express their anguish". "The writ or direction may issue to the authorities to stop children and infants from involving in the demonstration and agitation which amount to torture and cruelty," said Zen in the letter, which can also be considered as a petition. She emphasised that new born babies need extra care and the protesters are ignoring the unfavourable conditions in which the children are put, which violates child rights and natural justice. "New born babies need a lot of attention and care as they cannot express their pain, thereafter ignoring the conditions unfavourable to the children; they are brought to the protest place, which is violative of their child rights and natural justice," said Zen in the letter. Zen, in her letter, has pointed out that little Jahaan's Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution was violated as he accompanied his mother daily for the protests and after returning home at 1 a.m. on January 30, passed away in his sleep. While Jahan's mother has said that he may have succumbed to the winter chill of the national capital, Zen said many of the participants (in Shaheen Bagh) bring their children and infants to the long hours of protest which is violative of their juvenile rights and natural justice. She also sought to blame the parents - Arif Mohammed and Nazia, the Delhi Police and the organisers of the Shaheen Bagh protests - for alleged negligence which resulted in Jahaan's death. She urged the CJI to direct the police and other authorities concerned to conduct full-fledged investigation into the death of the baby. "It is very surprising that the death certificate issued by the hospital has not mentioned any specific reason for the death in that case, it is mandatory to undergo medical investigation including post-mortem...," the letter reads. (Alliance News) - Imperial Brands PLC on Wednesday issued a profit warning following new vaping regulation in the US. The tobacco major was down 7.1% at 1,814.60 pence in opening trade in London. Tobacco trading remains in line with expectations, the FTSE 100 constituent told its annual general meeting, but group constant currency net revenue is now seen at a "similar level" to last year and adjusted earnings per share are expected to be slightly lower. This is because of the US Food & Drug Administration's ban on certain flavours of cartridge-base vapour devices, as well as weaker-than-expected consumer demand for vapour. In addition, Imperial said it expects a currency headwind on net revenue and adjusted earnings per share of 1% for the half-year and 3% for the full-year. First half adjusted earnings per share are expected to be down around 10% at constant currency, which the company said is due to the phasing of inventory write-downs, "primarily relating to the US flavour ban". It said half-year adjusted operating profit will take a GBP45 million hit from the inventory write-down, which Imperial said is in line with its previous estimates. "Regulatory uncertainty and adverse news flow continues to affect demand in the US and Europe. We estimate this will result in significantly lower year-on-year [Next Generation Product] net revenue as well as increased provisions for slow-moving stock," Imperial said. The firm said it is implementing a further cost-savings programme to counter some of these headwinds, which will result in a full-year hit to adjusted operating profit of GBP40 million. Its Tobacco business, though, had a good start in the first three months of the financial year. "The Europe division has benefited from price/mix gains, which have largely offset weaker volume trends. Our US business remains strong, although financial delivery has been temporarily affected, as anticipated, by wholesaler destocking following the year end price increase. The Africa, Asia and Australasia division has delivered revenue growth," said Imperial. Meanwhile, negotiations over the potential sale of Imperial's Premium Cigar Division remain ongoing, the company said, adding: "We continue to consider the potential divestment of other non-core operations." By Lucy Heming; lucyheming@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/Getty Images With apologies to everyone who had Princess Eugenie and Ariana Grande in Oceania scribbled in their dream journals, a summit of different British and American royalty occurred this week instead. Per CNN, Prince Charles appointed Katy Perry as an ambassador of the British Asian Trust charity, which aims to tackle poverty, human trafficking, and inequality in South Asian countries. Perry will be spending most of her time in India, a country that she says has long held a special place in my heart through previous charitable work. She also said shes impressed by the work ethic of Prince Charles, though made no mention of her thoughts on the portrayal of Princes Charles on this season of The Crown. Just dont forget to collab on an epic charity single, you two. Xiaomis sub-brand POCO has launched its second smartphone in India as the POCO X2. This time, instead of going for OnePlus as its competition, POCO has targeted a more budget-friendly category. Hence, the new POCO X2 has been priced at Rs 15,999 for the starting variant. Just to be clear, the X2 does not come as a successor to the POCO F1. With the X2, the company is eyeing a completely different class to cater to. Pitting it against the likes of Realme X2, POCO talked at length about the smartphones superiority over its competition. But is it really that good? A look at the specifications of some smartphones in that budget can answer that better. So here we compare the POCO X2 with Redmi K20, Samsung Galaxy M40 and Nokia 7.2 based on what they offer on papers. Read on to find out which one wins. Poco X2 Display Amongst the four smartphones, POCO X2 boasts of the largest display as well as the highest resolution. While its screen measures at 6.67-inch, the resolution promised is 2400x1080 pixels. Following close is the Redmi K20s 6.39-inch AMOLED display that offers a 2340x1080 pixels resolution. For the Galaxy M40, the resolution remains the same but the screen size drops marginally to 6.3 inches, that is the same as that of the IPS LCD display of the Nokia 7.2. As for the protection on these smartphones, the POCO X2 and Redmi K20 both appoint a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 while the Nokia 7.2 and Galaxy M40 stick to Gorilla Glass 3. Processor POCO X2 trumps the competition here too but only marginally. While both the X2 and the Redmi K20 use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, the X2 appoints a G variant that also offers liquid thermal cooling for better prolonged performance. Nokia 7.2, on the other hand, is backed by a Snapdragon 660 SoC while the Galaxy M40 bumps it up slightly to Snapdragon 675. Redmi K20 Battery A crucial element of a smartphone experience is its battery life and surprisingly enough, the X2 makes sure that it pits the others here too. Samsung and Nokia felt a 3500 mAh battery to be enough on their smartphones when they were launched last year. Xiaomi bumped it to 4000 mAh on the Redmi K20 and now, the X2 is the segment leader in this category with a mammoth 4500 mAh battery that also supports 27W fast charging. Primary Camera By now we have a fair enough idea that POCO has aimed to provide the best with the X2. A look at the camera configurations of these four smartphones clears the same. While the three others come with a triple-camera setup, the X2 offers an extra lens on its quad-camera at the back. You can check out the lens configurations of these smartphones at the bottom. Samsung Galaxy M40 Selfie Camera A similar story is observed with the selfie camera too, as the POCO X2 is the only one in this comparison list that comes with a dual-lens selfie camera (20MP+2MP) at the front. Interestingly, this setup is embedded in a punch-hole on the screen, a trait similar to the Galaxy M40s 16MP selfie shooter. While the Redmi K20 uses a pop-up selfie camera for its 20MP front camera, the Nokia 7.2 comes with a 20MP water drop selfie shooter. Storage POCO X2 and Redmi K20 offer three different storage options ranging from a 6GB RAM and 64GB storage to an 8GB RAM AND 256GB storage as the top variant. The Nokia 7.2 also has three options between 4GB to 6GB RAM and 64 to 128GB storage. The Galaxy M40 comes in two options - 4GB RAM + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 128GB. Nokia 7.2 Price Down to the most important part. Having been launched months earlier, all the three contenders to the POCO X2 have experienced a price drop since their launch. With that, they are being available at the prices mentioned in the table below. POCO X2 has been conveniently priced in the middle, starting at Rs 15,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant and can easily be seen as a tough choice to beat in the Indian market now that its out. Poco X2 Specifications All travellers from China, even asymptomatic ones, will now be quarantined in a hospital on arrival for a minimum of 14 days, according to a revised travel advisory issued by India on Wednesday, even as 5,123 people are under home surveillance across the country. The advisory also says that existing visas (including eVisa already issued) are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China where the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) broke out in December, killing about 490 people and infecting at least 24,000 people in China alone. In its earlier advisory the government had cancelled visas of all Chinese passport holders. People travelling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return, the fresh advisory reads. The advisory was revised after cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba held a high-level meeting to review actions and preparedness on the novel Coronavirus. All precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection. Airport screening has been strengthened and those under quarantine are being closely followed up. The PMO is personally monitoring the situation, said a senior health ministry official, requesting anonymity. India has performed a total of 741 tests since January 19, of which 738 have tested negative. The three people who have tested positive are in hospital and stable, said the official. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that is responsible for monitoring sample testing, a total of 901 samples have been tested till Wednesday. Four hundred and three are from the quarantine centres set up for individuals evacuated from Wuhan, China. All the 403 tested are negative. As many as 498 samples are referred from suspected cases throughout the country. Till date, three out of the 498 tested are confirmed laboratory positive for nCoV. India evacuated 647 Indians from Wuhan on Friday and Saturday; they are housed in two different isolation camps run by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). So far, out of 406 samples taken, 104 sample results are out, and none have tested positive from the two camps. No fresh symptom has been seen among the evacuees, the statement said. The Delhi government also set up a control room on Wednesday. Community surveillance, awareness and empowerment is critical to emergency public health management, said Preeti Sudan, secretary (health). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rhythma Kaul Rhythma Kaul works as an assistant editor at Hindustan Times. She covers health and related topics, including ministry of health and family welfare, government of India. ...view detail Thousands of ship's crew and passengers were held in quarantine aboard two cruise ships after an outbreak of coronavirus on Wednesday, as the number of confirmed cases globally neared 25,000 with the overwhelming majority still in China. As the global death toll from the coronavirus neared 500, 10 suspected coronavirus patients were taken off the Diamond Princess cruise ship to a coast guard vessel in Japan, which took them to shore where they were taken by ambulance to isolation wards. More than 3,700 people remain on board, and will have to stay there under quarantine for the 14-day coronavirus incubation period. In all, 273 people aboard the Diamond Princess either had symptoms of respiratory illness or had had contact with a man who left the ship in Hong Kong, only to be confirmed as suffering from coronavirus. They will now be tested for the virus. A similar fate befell a second cruise ship, the World Dream, that was denied permission to berth in Taiwan's port city of Kaohsiung. The ship arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday, but the more than 3,600 passengers and crew were denied permission to disembark at the city's Kai Tak terminal. Some 90 percent of passengers were Hong Kong residents. Three crew members had developed a fever and 30 had reported other symptoms. All are being tested for the coronavirus, according to the city's chief port health officer, Leung Yiu-hong. Checks carried out Officials from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection boarded the ship at Kai Tak on Wednesday morning to carry out checks on the 1,800 passengers and around 1,800 crew members still on board. The quarantine came after eight former World Dream cruise passengers who disembarked from the vessel in late January tested positive for the coronavirus. There are concerns that crew members who came into contact with them could also be carrying the virus, as the 14-day incubation period has yet to expire. Leung said that those still on board were having their temperature checked and were filling out health declaration forms, but wouldn't be allowed to leave. "We'd like to see the result of our quarantine measures and the epidemiological investigation to see whether we need more stringent measures," Leung told reporters. "So we can't say for the time being when the quarantine measures are likely to end," he said. As reporters looked on from the dock, passengers stood and shouted down. "I'm almost out of face masks," shouted one. "I'm scared," shouted another. Another simply said: "I want to go home." No choice but to comply A passenger who gave only a nickname Rex said he had no choice but to comply, however. "I have to take this calmly, because we have to cooperate with epidemic controls," he said. "If they need to isolate us, then we have no choice." "I do know that some of the staff who clean the cabins have been coughing," he said. "Most of us are just waiting in our cabins now." A spokesperson for Star Dream Cruises, the company that owns World Dream, said the vessel had returned to its home port in Hong Kong after being denied permission to berth in Kaohsiung. Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the advisory committee on communicable diseases at the Hong Kong Medical Association, said the virus could circulate very quickly in a closed environment like a cruise ship. "Any Hong Kong people who had planned to go on a cruise should give careful consideration to canceling their plans in the wake of the epidemic," Leung said. The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called on world governments to raise U.S.$675 million to help countries fight the epidemic. "It's much less than the bill we will face if we do not invest in preparedness now," Tedros told a news conference on Wednesday. New hospital built Meanwhile, authorities in the worst-hit Chinese city of Wuhan began moving patients into a brand new hospital built in just 10 days. The 1,000-bed facility was built from prefabricated units and comprises wards and isolation rooms. Another 1,500-bed hospital is due to open its doors to patients on Thursday. More than 3,000 beds have been provided in public spaces to treat patients with mild symptoms, after citizen journalists reported massive overcrowding in Wuhan's hospitals, with patients routinely being sent back home without receiving a diagnosis. Chinese researchers have also applied for a national patent on an experimental drug developed by Gilead Sciences that they believe might fight the novel coronavirus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology applied for a patent in China for the use of the antiviral drug, known as remdesivir, in conjunction with a military academy. The drug is being rushed into trials in China on coronavirus patients after showing early signs of being highly effective, the company said. Chinese scientists said they have found Gileads remdesivir, and chloroquine, an 80-year-old malaria drug, highly effective in laboratory studies. Reported by Man Hoi-Tsan, Lu Xi and Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Vaping isnt just a gimmick, its an art, an escape, or simply just plain fun for people. Modern-day vaping has skyrocketed due to the advent of online social media platforms. Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, etc. have all become the right stage for the presentation of various tips and tricks. Nearly every third youngster in a group of 5 either knows or wants to know about vaping. Now the question is, where will this troubled soul seek help from? A simple answer to that would be just Google it, but heres the thing, Google does show you the closest answer to a question, but sometimes you need a lot more than that. Advertisement An alternative: Vaping Applications Looking for answers can become a tiring ordeal as there are a ton of links and reviews telling anything about everything. Heres where phone-based apps come to the rescue. For vaping experts and beginners, these apps can serve multiple purposes at the same time. From community-based connections to knowledge banks, apps can really make things a lot easier for people; one can also visit a puff bar to know more about vaping gear. For vapers seeking help regarding the different aspects of vaping and other members from the community, here are five vaping apps that can help you out. Advertisement E-Liquid Calculator This application tells the user about how a good composition of liquid solution can be achieved for the best vaping experience. With a collection of a ton of exotic E-Liquid recipes to try out, the app also tells you the right amount of nicotine that should be consumed with every recipe you make. You can also try a bunch of your own creations by mixing the variables and checking them out by balancing them. The Vape Tool Building the right coil for the best vaping experience is nothing sort of awe in itself. Since the measurements and equations should be well balanced and finely tuned, it becomes necessary to have a tool that can help you with complex building mechanisms. Enter The Vape Tool, with its handy array of equations and technical support for building newer coils for vaping; users can learn a lot of new things by merely going through the interface at first glance. The Vape Boss This is a simple app for reaching out to others from the same community, i.e., the vaping community. A lot of people prefer sharing their vaping experiences, reviews, tricks, and much more with others to get a better insight. With this app, sharing pictures, videos, etc. can be done without any hassle. It is easy to download and can be found relatively easily on the App Store. Advertisement Vapour Suite Another kitchen for making vaping juices, this app has a lot more features than the typical juice making apps out there. Equipped with a juice content calculator to accurately measure the right amount of components, Vapour Suite is just like a professional artist who knows how to do the job in the best manner possible. Vaffle This is yet another social app made for the lovers of vaping. You can maintain a diary about your latest exploits with vaping, share it among your friends, and get useful insight as well. Vaffle is just like the Instagram of vapers; people with the same creed can connect here and share their tricks and whatnot; its a fun app nonetheless. New York Over the objections of the Oscar-winner's defense, five photos of a naked Harvey Weinstein were passed around Tuesday to the Manhattan jurors considering the sexual abuse case against the disgraced Hollywood producer. The jurors were instructed to review each photo while holding them in a fashion where the crowd inside the courtroom couldn't get a look. Jurors No. 11 and 12 appeared to wince as they peered upon the images of a naked Weinstein. Weinstein, asked as he left the courtroom if the photos from June 18, 2018, were indeed full Harvey nudes, responded, "No, it was Playboy." Accuser Jessica Mann, who finished up her stint on the witness stand Tuesday, had previously testified about Weinstein's deformed genitalia. According to her description, the man behind "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction" is without "a working penis." The 34-year-old Mann, in her second day of cross-examination, accused the movie maker as "my rapist" before acknowledging that the two shared an on-and-off consensual sexual relationship after he twice sexually assaulted her in 2013. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "I know the history of my relationship; it's complicated and it's difficult," Mann testified. "I don't need an excuse. I own my behavior." The 67-year-old Weinstein, whose alleged predatory behavior made him the poster boy for #MeToo outrage, was accused by some 90 women in recent years of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. One of the most important responsibilities of an accountable and effective government is the protection of its residents. Whether gun safety measures, protection from fraud, anti-terrorism action or funding a robust national defense, government has taken countless actions to protect Americans from enemies foreign and domestic. When a new threat of violence to our citizenry appears, we must act prudently to protect ourselves. Far from a new threat, violent far-right extremism and hate crimes have emerged in recent years as a dangerous threat to the well-being of families across our state and country. While in previous generations, threats from the violent revolutionary extreme left may have been in evidence, it is the far right that presents the current clear and present danger. Connecticut has experienced its share of hate crimes, many directed against Muslim and Jewish people. In November 2015, shots were fired at the Baitul Amun mosque in Meriden with the suspect charged with hate crimes. 2016 and 2017 brought threats to the New Haven Islamic Center and to the home of Islamic Center of Central Connecticut president Omer Abdelgader. In 2019, a caller threatened to burn down the Muhammad Islamic Center of Greater Hartford; a Nashville, Tenn., man was arrested after damaging a Milford church he said pushed the LGBT agenda; and Staples High School in Westport was the target of hateful anti-Semitic graffiti. Additionally, the Anti-Defamation League reported there is an even more alarming trend: hate crime murders are occurring at the highest rate since 1991. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracked an estimated 40 murders by right-wing terrorists. The SPLC tracked six hate groups in Connecticut with active user bases, including the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer and white nationalist Identity Evropa, with additional stories exposing individuals having ties to these groups. Last autumn, a police officer in East Hampton retired from his position after discovery of his ties to the far-right Proud Boys, a group with an extensive history of connections to political violence. A current member of the Killingly Board of Education served as vice president of the American Guards Connecticut chapter, a group designated as a general hate organization by the SPLC. The reality of the presence of these groups in our state should be especially alarming when placed in the context of an ongoing developing news story. In January, members of a white nationalist group called The Base were arrested in at least four different states, with authorities reporting their actions extended to planning terrorist events. One of the men was a Canadian fugitive who was discharged from that countrys military after his views were discovered. In November, reports said a New Jersey member of The Base orchestrated the vandalism of synagogues in Wisconsin and Michigan on the same day. Another three men in Georgia planned to murder a married couple who participated in antifascist activities. These men sought to accelerate the downfall of the United States government and incite a race war, and the chilling proof of the multistate vandalism constitutes evidence of far-reaching coordination. While these individuals were unable to actually harm others before being arrested, their behavior is profoundly disturbing, and raises the question of whether The Base may have members in Connecticut in addition to Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia. It is clear that this group has an extensive network and has initiated at least one multistate attack. Hate crimes are reaching multidecade highs. Right-wing violent terrorism is occurring nationally. Right-wing hate groups are operating in Connecticut. In response to these frightening trends, the Senate Democratic caucus announced last month that one of our priorities in the current legislative session is to create a task force to track hate crimes and violent extremism. It is not enough to say it has not happened here. We must prevent it from happening here. It is evident that a task force to investigate these trends should be established. Our state police have already created task forces to pursue crimes including narcotics sales, home invasions, motor vehicle fraud, urban violence, automotive theft and illegal firearms. A task force to investigate hate crimes and violence based on ideology is a necessity to preserve the safety and peace of mind of the people of Connecticut. Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney is a Democrat whose district includes New Haven, Hamden and North Haven. [February 05, 2020] Artland Announces U.S. General Availability, Bringing the Art World Closer and Making it More Accessible than Ever NEW YORK and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artland , the worlds leading community platform dedicated to connecting art lovers and galleries worldwide, today announced the general availability of its platform for art buyers and galleries in the United States. Available in the Apple App Store and on the web , Artland curates a unique digital community for both galleries and art collectors. Artland enables on-demand viewing and purchasing of artwork from anywhere in the world through the most comprehensive 3D archive of current and past art experiences, with over 1,000 exhibitions from more than 500 galleries. Artland provides consumers with an immersive 3D view of a gallerys entire exhibition through their mobile phone or connected device, allowing users to experience the art as if they were walking around the gallery in person. The platform benefits both the art buyer and galleries by offering a state-of-the-art purchasing process that can supplement the traditional ways in which consumers buy art. With Artland, art lovers can purchase their coveted pieces directly from galleries through the mobile app and website, as well as share their own private collections to fellow art enthusiasts by uploading them to their profiles in the community. As Artland strives towards our ultimate goal of creating more accessibility and transparency in the art market, the United States was the obvious next market as we continue to democratize the industry. The purchasing of art should not be limited to people of means who are able to travel the world from gallery to gallery, said Mattis Curth, CEO and Co-founder of Artland. Todays consumer expects to do nearly everything from their smartphone, so Artland is set to ensure the industry meets those on-demand needs as other e-commerce markets have previously. We want to bring art to a broader audience of people, in a way that is simple, streamlined, and not intimidating. We believe weve done that with Artland. For Art Enthusiasts. Typically, buying art means going to a gallery to view art works, which can be an intimidating venture, especially for novice art buyers just getting into the industry. Often, works are shown without listed prices, leaving newcomers with more questions than answers. How do you know where to go or what kind of art youre even interested in? Artland provides art lovers the ability to discover new artists, follow their favorites and explore galleries throughout the world, while generating curated insights on new artists for users to discover. From beginners looking to buy their first piece to established collectors alike, potential buyers can view galleries worldwide through 3D technology and initiate the buying process for any available art piece. Artland is also home to the largest digital library of privately held art collections in the world. Using the platform, enthusiasts can upload and showcase their entire collections to inspire other art lovers, and also receive recommendations to view new art or artists based on their existing collection and other browsing activities. Features include: A personalized collector profile unique to the users style, preferences and interests For already experienced collectors, Artland allows users to upload works from their private collections and browse each others for inspiration Ability to search for art based on artist name, medium, cost, gallery location, etc. Opportunity to experience art as the gallery/artist intended via innovative 3Dtechnology Access to a comprehensive Art Guide that maps nearby galleries and allows users to search by location For Galleries. Historically, to showcase and sell their art, galleries have largely been dependent on prospective buyers visiting their gallery to review pieces in person or marketing through existing pipelines to private collectors. To meet the digital-first expectations of the modern consumer and further grow their client base, Artland provides galleries with the digital tools necessary to showcase their art to a global audience, democratizing the industry and making it more inclusive to the common consumer. Using 3D technology, galleries are able to give potential buyers the best sense of an artists overall aestheticindividual pieces can be viewed from connected devices, as well as in the context of a recorded exhibition, showcasing how each piece fits with other works in the artists wider body of work. Features include: Gallery profiles that communicate the unique mission, exhibitions, represented artists and more, enabling consumers to familiarize themselves with gallery programs and available works Access to a global network of art buyers who have the ability to purchase art from wherever they are in the world 3D gallery tours that let potential customers experience the art as if they were in the galleries themselves, enabling art lovers to visit galleries in New York, London, Berlin, Milan, Paris and beyond, all in one day through their connected device Ability to share Artlands 3D experiences through their own marketing efforts, including websites, newsletters, social media properties, etc. Inclusion on Artlands Art Guide, the most comprehensive gallery listing service in the world that allows users to search for galleries by city and provides a mapped view of nearby galleries Artland also provides galleries with versatile digital tools that optimally communicate their mission and content. Beyond creating profiles and uploading artworks for sale, Artland provides galleries with the ability to communicate with a global community and archive their exhibitions permanently to attract more buyers. The ability to embed these 3D recordings also supports galleries to maximize marketing possibilities through their own websites, newsletters and other digital materials. The opportunity to collaborate with Artland gave Independent the opportunity to embrace early the possibilities of new technologies. We now can share the curated exhibitions with global viewers in ways that transcend time and geography, said Elizabeth Dee, Founder and CEO of Independent Art Fair. Together we are breaking new ground in how art is experienced, and archived for future generations of culture. More than 65,000 art lovers worldwide currently use Artland to access works and exhibitions in 3D from over 500 galleries. Artland has made recordings at some of the world's foremost galleries, including established leaders like Gagosian , Sean Kelly , Lehmann Maupin , Kukje , Max Hetzler , Spruth Magers , Michael Werner , Levy Gorvy , and emergent influencers like Karma , Rachel Uffner , Sabrina Amrani and Josh Lilley . Artland has also already partnered with 10 U.S. galleries ahead of its general availability release. Artland has currently facilitated $25M in art purchases from partner galleries across the globe. Artland is available on iOS as well as on the web . About Artland Artland is an online community platform that connects art lovers and galleries worldwide. Through its website and mobile app, Artland provides art enthusiasts of all kinds, from beginners looking for their first piece to established collectors with access to the largest digital database of private art in the world. With Artland, galleries are able to access the digital tools expected by todays consumer. Beyond connecting galleries with potential buyers, Artland provides galleries with the tools necessary to showcase their art at a global level through innovative AR technology that lets consumers tour the gallery from any smartphone or connected device. To find out more about Artland, visit artland.com . Media Contact Rob Kreis Fischtank PR and Marketing [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A New York man pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating a sex trafficking ring in the basement of his parents home, where he occasionally locked them inside and forced them to use a bucket as a toilet. Raymond Rodio III, 48, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sex trafficking, criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, promoting prostitution in the second degree and promoting prostitution in the third degree. This is an individual who clearly had no regard for the women he victimized, subjecting them to exploitation, fear and humiliation, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini said. It is our hope that this guilty plea delivers justice for the many survivors of Rodios scheme. Prosecutors accused Rodio of enticing women to the Sound Beach home with heroin and crack cocaine and then forcing them to engage in prostitution in his parents basement or at nearby hotels. He would keep either a large percentage or all of the prostitution-related profits. Rodio had been running the drug-fueled brothel, which involved more than 20 women in their 20s, since 2014. He set up dates through Backpage and Craigslist. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLEs free True Crime newsletter for breaking crimenews, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Prosecutors said Rodio would occasionally lock some of the women in the basement for extended periods of time and force them to use a bucket as a toilet because the room didnt have one. The women were unable to escape because the door to the basement had an exterior lock to which Rodio had the only key. The horrors came to light in August 2018 when Rodio and a woman were stopped by Suffolk County police during a routine traffic stop. An investigation by the Police Departments Human Trafficking Investigations Unit revealed evidence that the victim had been forced into sex trafficking by Rodio in the spring of 2018, said a press release from district attorneys office. Rodio is scheduled to be sentenced on March 9. He is expected to be sentenced to nine and a half years in prison and five years of post-release supervision. He will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison. Rodios attorney could not be reached for comment. European police and courts will be barred from cooperating with their British counterparts if Boris Johnson follows through on his threat to water down human rights law, Brussels has said. The European Commission has made human rights a red line in negotiations with the UK and said any security agreement would include an automatic termination clause tied to the UK keeping the Human Rights Act. It was reported on Wednesday that the prime minister is planning to rewrite the 1998 Act and potentially even suspend the UKs membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), using a recent stabbing in South London as his pretext. But in its negotiating mandate, published this week, Brussels said such a move would result in UK courts and police forces being locked out of cooperation with EU systems. The envisaged partnership should provide for automatic termination of the law enforcement cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters if the United Kingdom were to denounce the European Convention of Human Rights, the Commissions draft mandate says. It should also provide for automatic suspension if the United Kingdom were to abrogate domestic law giving effect to the ECHR, thus making it impossible for individuals to invoke the rights under the ECHR before the United Kingdoms courts. The stipulation is the latest example of how EU policy preferences will continue to affect Britain after Brexit, even though the country is not a member and no say in formulating them. Under the ECHR, citizens of signatory countries can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if they feel their rights have been breached. The only country in Europe not a signatory is Belarus, an authoritarian dictatorship. The Human Rights Act was passed in 1998 by the UK government and writes ECHR rights into domestic law, meaning people in Britain can appeal to UK courts over breaches of their rights without having to go to Strasbourg. The act also makes it unlawful for any public body, such as the police, to breach human rights. The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday that ministers want to rip out provisions from the Human Rights Act protecting the right to life and the right to family life. Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty They are also open to suspending the UKs membership of the ECHR entirely, it was reported. Asked about the possibility of suspending the convention, Mr Johnsons spokesperson said: We are going to ensure that we will bring forward the necessary legislation to protect the public because thats the right thing to do. The PMs chief advisor, Dominic Cummings, is said to be pushing for a suspension of the ECHR. He has previously called for a referendum on the UKs membership. A 25-year-old woman from Nepal has been arrested with 1.5-kg charas in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, police said on Wednesday. A police team held Seema near Kotadhar at 9.30 pm on Tuesday after she was found in possession of the contraband, said Kullu Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh. An FIR has been lodged against the Nepalese national and an investigation is underway, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has said the US should be the first national to plant its flag on Mars. In reaffirming our heritage as a free nation, we must remember that America has always been a frontier nation. Now we must embrace the next frontier, Americas manifest destiny in the stars. I am asking Congress to fully fund the Artemis program to ensure that the next man and the first woman on the Moon will be American astronauts using this as a launching pad to ensure that America is the first nation to plant its flag on Mars, he said in his State of the Union address. NASA earlier announced the new US moon exploration program was called Artemis. It will consist of three stages: the first (Artemis 1), which provides for an unmanned flight of the Orion spacecraft mounted on a SLS (Space Launch System) rocket around the Moon and its return to Earth, is scheduled for the second half of 2020. The second stage (Artemis 2) - the flyby of the Earths natural satellite with a crew on board - is scheduled for 2022. At the third stage of the mission (Artemis 3), NASA expects to carry out the landing of astronauts on the moon in 2024 and send them to Mars approximately in the mid-2030s. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, February 5, 2020 Teaming up with Amazon and Walmart, the United States Department of Agriculture just announced it is expanding its test of SNAP Online Purchasing to Washington state. SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- which used to be known as the food stamps program -- is already testing the online pilot in New York, where it also works with ShopRite. It seems like it should be a no-brainer: Low-income shoppers need time-saving convenience as much as everyone else, right? But marketing to low-income consumers continues to be complicated. Marketing Daily spoke with Ron Hill, Ph.D., professor of marketing at American Universitys Kogod School of Business, who has spent decades researching the behavior of impoverished consumers. advertisement advertisement Marketing Daily:Marketers are really good at selling an aspirational lifestyle, but lately, there has been so much conversation about income inequality. Might marketers feel more comfortable specifically targeting poorer people? And what is it marketers dont get about this demographic? Ron Hill: To grow, marketers need to stop looking at who buys from them, and start looking at who wants to buy from them. And while it certainly doesnt work to say, Hey, poor people, buy this, marketers do need to understand how close to the edge people are. About 10% of the population lives in abject poverty. About 40% struggles. And about 60% of America dis-saves, which means they spend more than they earn. How long can you survive like that? MD: People -- and that includes marketers -- are often embarrassed by words like poor and low-income. Might that be changing? Hill: If you were to talk to most people who are at the bottom, perhaps the bottom 20%, many view themselves as struggling but middle class. Its just this illusion about where we are in the food chain. And there is still a sense of pride in their identity. Ive even found that when I worked with homeless people. And so many poor people in the U.S. work multiple jobs, so they dont see themselves as poor. But they do realize its a constant struggle to get those things their family needs to feel whole, which includes things like shelter, food, healthcare and jobs. MD: Do they see poverty as permanent? I had a stage in my career where I lived on SpaghettiOs, and I bet many people have -- but I viewed it as temporary. Hill: I think most view life as a constant struggle and don't see it ending. MD: Lets talk about brands, like Amazon and Walmart, participating in this SNAP pilot. Are they in a position to build relationships -- I mean good ones, not predatory ones -- with these struggling consumers? To be the kind of company that makes the consumer say, These people understand me? Hill: There are so many obstacles. Almost everything you do with Amazon requires a credit card. Theres no window to walk up to and pay cash. If you look at the kind of credit cards low-income people have, the rates are quite high: double digits, maybe in the 20s. They often default, and that becomes part of the dis-saving pattern. Walmart traditionally has done well with these shoppers -- but in rural areas, where they don't have access to a lot of other options. These consumers make constant tradeoffs, especially between branded and generic items. And if brands discount too deeply, they run the real risk of turning other shoppers off. Many [poorer shoppers] live in isolated communities, food deserts, or places where no one will deliver. They dont have cars. So they end up paying more for lower-quality stuff. MD: Tell us more about SNAP, given to recipients on an electronic benefits transfer (or EBT) cards. I know it averages at about $1.40 per meal, but how much money are we usually talking about per month? Hill: I wish there was a good answer, but because states are involved, the amount people get in total benefits varies quite a bit. But I've never seen a situation where it was enough to make the family feel whole. Theres nothing left over at the end of the month. MD: How about tech? So many people have smartphones, and lots of experts insist that digital access can level the playing field. Do you agree? Hill: No. Technology literacy depends upon literacy and education levels. Poorer people buy burner phones because they can afford them. Or they buy into plans and then get kicked off. Ive had the same cell number for years, but for poorer people, its more nomadic. STAMFORD The public has not heard much from Michelle Troconis since her arrest last June in connection with the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, but that could soon change. On Wednesday, Troconis hired attorney Jon L. Schoenhorn, a well-known criminal defense attorney from Hartford, to replace Andrew Bowman, of Westport, in her defense against conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges. Schoenhorn signaled that Troconis is interested in making a more vigorous public defense against accusations that she aided her former boyfriend Fotis Dulos in the killing of his estranged wife. Michelle Troconis is innocent of these charges, Schoenhorn said Wednesday. I think she has been, up until now, kind of maligned publicly and has not had a chance to defend herself in the court of public opinion. We will vigorously defend against these charges, he added. The change in attorneys comes less than a week after Fotis Dulos died from an apparent suicide. Troconis, 45, is accused of conspiring with Fotis Dulos to kill his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, who was last seen May 24 and is presumed dead. Troconis has been released on house arrest and is due in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday. Now that Fotis Dulos has died, defense attorneys say the states attention has nowhere to turn but to his alleged accomplices, Troconis and his close friend and former attorney, Kent Mawhinney. In his first move as Troconis lawyer, Schoenhorn filed a motion to have the case transferred to the Judicial District of Hartford, citing possible prejudicial publicity in Fairfield County as one of the reasons. The Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District is saturated with the New York City media market, the chances of prejudicial publicity are greater in Stamford, which has little nexus to the crimes charged, of the defendant than the proper judicial district, namely Hartford, Schoenhorn wrote in his motion. Schoenhorn said the charges against his client stem from incidents the police say occurred in the Hartford area. Although the state alleges this crime occurred in the town of New Canaan, the set of facts set forth in the arrest warrant affidavit in support of probable cause claim that the conduct only occurred in Hartford, East Granby and Farmington, all of which are within the Hartford Judicial District, Schoenhorn wrote in support of changing venue. Schoenhorn also asked for a court order to transfer all discovery material from Bowman, who did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday afternoon. For the first time since the investigation began more than eight months ago, 469 pages of search warrants in the case were recently unsealed. The documents outline how police believe Fotis Dulos, Troconis and Mawhinney allegedly conspired to kill Jennifer Dulos and cover up the crime. Mawhinney, 54, remains jailed on $2 million bond on a conspiracy to commit murder charge. According to arrest warrants, Jennifer Dulos was last seen on a neighbors security camera at 8:05 a.m. May 24, returning to her New Canaan home after dropping off her children at a nearby school. Police believe Fotis Dulos was lying in wait and attacked her in the garage, the warrants indicate. According to arrest warrants, Troconis and Mawhinney attempted to establish an alibi for Fotis Dulos while police say he was in New Canaan that morning. Troconis and Dulos also created alibi scripts that police found in their Jefferson Crossing home, according to arrest warrants. However, Troconis and Mawhinney provided contradicting statements when interviewed by investigators, the warrants said. Troconis eventually admitted to lying and told investigators Dulos wasnt home when she woke up that morning, according to the warrant. Troconis provided an alibi for herself by taking selfies with the Stop & Shop robot in Simsbury and stopped to see two friends that morning, according to the arrest warrants. Police said two people resembling Fotis Dulos and Troconis were captured on video in Hartford later that night around the time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing. A man police contend is Dulos was seen on the videos dumping bags that were later determined to contain his wifes blood and clothing, the warrants said. A separate arrest warrant said Dulos and Troconis took a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck belonging to a Fore Group employee to a car wash in the days after the disappearance. Police said in the warrant that they believe Dulos drove the truck to New Canaan the morning of the disappearance. Dulos also urged the employee to remove the seats, which were later found to contain his wifes blood, according to the warrant. Around 10 passengers onboard a cruise ship that has arrived in Japan's Yokohama from Hong Kong have been infected with coronavirus, Japanese media reported. "Around 10 new coronavirus-infected passengers on a cruise ship anchored off the port of Yokohama," TV Asahi said on Twitter on Wednesday morning. Japan's Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by Kyodo News, that the 10 people onboard the ship, who were infected with coronavirus, would be sent to the hospital. The minister advised all other passengers to remain on the ship for 14 more days. On Monday, there were reports of several passengers feeling unwell on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. On Saturday, Hong Kong health authorities confirmed a new coronavirus case after testing an 80-year-old man who had arrived in Japan from China on January 17. The man boarded the cruise ship in Yokohama on January 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong five days later. According to Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the entire cruise ship, which can carry up to 2,700 people, could be quarantined in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Zachary Hanshew | Warriors Correspondent | Tue, Feb 4th 8:46pm EST Chris Chiozza went for zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three assists and a steal across three minutes in the Nets' 119-97 win over the Suns on Monday. MONTREAL - Quebec Premier Francois Legault is dismissing naysayers who are accusing his government of wasting $30 million on a company that wants to build giant airships to transport heavy cargo around the province's far north. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Quebec Premier Francois Legault responds to the opposition during question period Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot MONTREAL - Quebec Premier Francois Legault is dismissing naysayers who are accusing his government of wasting $30 million on a company that wants to build giant airships to transport heavy cargo around the province's far north. The Journal de Montreal reported Tuesday that the previous Liberal government had rejected the project as too risky. That led the opposition to suggest someone at the province's investment arm must have been sniffing helium when they accepted the pitch from the French company, called Flying Whales. But not only is the science behind the idea of cargo airships sound, the technology has been around for nearly 100 years, said professor Barry Prentice at University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business. "There is no question the technology works," Prentice said in an interview Wednesday. Prentice, a transportation and supply chain management expert, also runs a research institute studying airship technology. Airships disappeared from the skies in the 20th century for the same reason electric cars and windmills never took off during the same time period: fossil fuels. Jets took over the passenger airships, gas-powered vehicles dominated the roads, and coal-fired plants sprung up around the world, Prentice said. But now electric cars and wind turbines are back, said Prentice. "The airships are just the next technology to follow the same pattern. But we aren't looking to transport passengers. Now we're talking about cargo." Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon of the current Coalition Avenir Quebec government announced in November 2019 a $30-million investment in the French company, Flying Whales, as well as its Quebec subsidiary. The company, which also has Chinese backers, is hoping to use the airships to transport up to 60 tonnes of material at a time over regions that are difficult to access by road, such as the province's northern region. Successive provincial governments have been trying to spark investment in Quebec's north to take advantage of its massive natural resources. But on Tuesday, the Journal de Montreal reported the previous Liberal government didn't think the project would take off. And the paper cited anonymous experts who questioned how the aircraft would be supplied with the necessary ballast after dropping off its load in order to stabilize it and prevent it from flying away. Prentice said water could be used as ballast even though Quebec's far north is frigid most of the year. "The transcontinental railways were all steam engines," Prentice said. "And we built those to go across the country in the 1880s. And they had to stop every hundred miles to take on water. Somehow we kept the water from freezing all winter long." Fitzgibbon told reporters the French company's project was more advanced than it was when presented to the Liberals, adding he expected the airships to start flying by 2022-23. But that didn't stop the opposition from trying to burst the government's bubble. "I don't know if someone was inhaling helium ... but (the project) just doesn't make any sense," said Quebec solidaire's Vincent Marissal. Legault said the critics would be proven wrong. The Flying Whales project is "brilliant," the premier told reporters Tuesday, adding it presented a modern way of transporting goods in the far north. "If we don't take risks," Legault said, "we don't go anywhere." But professor Robert Gagne, director of the Center for Productivity and Prosperity at HEC, Universite de Montreal's business school, said Quebec's Flying Whales adventure is another sign of the government's "excessive" intervention in the market. "When governments invest in something, you have to ask yourself, why aren't the bankers interested?" he asked in an interview Wednesday. Governments can generally take bigger risks than companies can, he said, because they don't have shareholders and spread the risk over the entire population. He said Legault was elected to manage the province, "and he wants to take risks with our money. And we need to give him our blessing to play casino with our money. It's not the role of government ... it's not to become a major player in the market." Prentice, however, said the Quebec government is correct to invest in the airship project. "It's worth the risk to try," he said. "We're not talking about an anti-gravity device this is a technology that was proven 100 years ago and we know it worked, just like wind turbines and electric cars." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 5, 2020. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Wed, February 5, 2020 10:02 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20629db93 2 Lifestyle agnes-b,fashion,fashion-designer,France Free French designer Agnes B. really doesn't like the fashion world of which she is one of the great survivors. "I don't like fashion. I have nothing to do with that world where everyone is in a bubble," said the veteran creator, a lifelong activist for progressive causes. "Some people like to go out and be seen," said the 78-year-old who dressed her friend David Bowie for decades and who made the famous black jacket with the leather collar that John Travolta wore in the film Pulp Fiction. Like her, Bowie would run a mile from the "celebrity scene", she said. Both, however, shared a passion for all kinds of modern art. And now Agnes whose real name is Agnes Trouble is opening her own gallery in an up-and-coming corner of the French capital. Fab will not only house her eclectic private collection of more than 5,000 works half of them photographs but will also, she promised, be a "factory of culture and social solidarity". Next to Station F, the world's biggest startup incubator in the shadow of France's national library, the designer wants to put some fizz into what was a soulless corner of French capital. Her idea is to bring the art, music, fashion and publishing worlds together with the neighborhood's young tech crowd and its multi-ethnic working-class residents. Even as she approaches her eighth decade, the grandmother of 16 and great-grandmother to 19, has lost none of the daring, drive and curiosity that helped her build a fashion empire of 300 boutiques, largely in Asia. Art and activism Indeed, Fab's first show is called "La Hardiesse", or "The Audacious One", a nod to the self-taught designer who started out in fashion as a penniless young single mother with twin boys to look after. Back then, after marrying a much older man straight from school, the young Agnes Bourgois (hence Agnes B.) dreamed of being a museum curator. Now, she has a collection of Basquiats, Warhols, Nan Goldins, Martin Parrs and paintings by Gilbert and George all of her own that many institutions would mortgage themselves for. But Agnes B. sees herself more as a motherly custodian than a collector of artists who can fall rapidly out of favor. The art world can be just as ruthless and as capricious as fashion. "Suddenly, no one cares about what these artists have done, and they drop them. I don't like that," she said. For her, an artwork becomes "an orphan when it leaves an artist's studio. It needs to be adopted, loved, seen and understood," the designer insisted. Born in Versailles, near Paris, into a genteel, but impoverished Catholic family, Agnes's adolescence was marked by abuse by her uncle. It took her more than 60 years to tackle the subject with the film Je m'appelle hmmm (I'm called hmmm), which she wrote and directed, although she insisted it wasn't actually her own story. Agnes married the future publisher Christian Bourgois who was 12 years her senior when she was 17. 'A 78-year-old Greta Thunberg' "After I had my twins at 19, I left Christian at 21 without a penny. I was lucky to be very poor without being very unhappy. I would buy ham from the shop with the money they gave me for bring them empty bottles. "One day, one of the twins said to me: 'Aren't you lucky Mammy to to have us!'" The experience helped forge her social conscience that has seen her support innumerable liberal causes in France and beyond. "I really feel for the Rohingyas, the Uyghurs and the climate," the designer declared, adding that she is "very afraid of Trump". With France hit by strikes sparked by government pension reforms, she worried for those who have been "forgotten". "Nobody talks about the cleaners or the artists who have nothing. Who is defending them? "I am a bit of a 78-year-old Greta Thunberg," she joked, referring to the teenage Swedish climate activist. Her liberal Catholic faith, however, is a comfort. "It's pegged into me," she said. "I don't have that doubt even though I really like people who doubt. I need to talk to my friends in heaven." "We are not machines or animals, even if animals have a kind of soul themselves too." Imperial Valley News Center Physician Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution Charges for Prescription of Opioids New Orleans, Louisiana - A family medicine physician pleaded guilty Friday of drug distribution charges arising out of her prescription of opioid drugs from a medical clinic she operated in Alabama. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town of the Northern Distrcit of Alabama, Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) New Orleans Field Division made the announcement. Celia Lloyd-Turney (Turney), M.D., 66, of Toney, Alabama, who operated Choice Medicine Clinic, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 8, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke of the Northern District of Alabama. The plea came after a trial while the jury was deliberating, but before they reached a verdict. At trial, evidence showed that from 2015 to 2017, Turney wrote multiple prescriptions for controlled substances to purported patients who were actively abusing other drugs, suffering from addiction, and selling the pills. This case was investigated by HHS-OIG and the DEA, with the assistance of the Huntsville, Alabama Police Department. Trial Attorneys Louis Manzo and Ann Weber Langely of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J.B. Ward of the Northern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers. The Fraud Section leads the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force. Since its inception in October 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has charged more than 70 defendants who are collectively responsible for distributing more than 40 million pills. Senior officials of the Election Commission and the Delhi Police on Wednesday inspected the Shaheen Bagh area, the site of anti-CAA protests for over 50 days, and encouraged protesters to vote in the assembly polls due on February 8, officials said. The Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the Shaheen Bagh area under the "critical" category. "Special expenditure observer and special observer police, along with senior police officials, inspected the area for over an hour. We spoke to some of the protesters and they said they would participate in the elections," Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava said. The protesters said they will help the authorities in conducting peaceful polls in the national capital, police said. Shaheen Bagh, Khureji Khas and Hauz Rani are some of the sites in the city where protesters are opposing the amended citizenship law. Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Praveer Ranjan said a briefing led by Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Devesh Srivastava was held on Wednesday morning to assess the situation in Shaheen Bagh ahead of the poll on February 8. "Recently, I had visited the area along with the Delhi CEO, and we had taken stock of the situation. There may have been some firing incidents in the last few days, but anti-CAA protests are happening in many other parts of Delhi, but no untoward incidents have been reported from those areas," he told reporters. "During our visit to Shaheen Bagh on Friday, we had tried to feel the pulse of people and I don't see any reason for concern. We are hopeful people will step out and vote on the polling day without any fear," said Ranjan, also a nodal officer of the Delhi Police for the assembly elections. In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the area under the "critical" category, its top official said on Wednesday, while asserting that confidence-building measures are being undertaken to reassure voters. Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh also said that no complaint has been received from local people of Shaheen Bagh about any safety issue they feel would be on the polling day. Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. The elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As on 31 March, BPCL reported cash and cash equivalents of around Rs 5,300 crore, against Rs 10,900 crore of debt maturing over the next 15 months. New Delhi: Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft is keen to bid for acquisition of Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), sources said after the Russian firm's CEO Igor Sechin met Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday. Rosneft, which is the majority owner of India's second-biggest private oil refinery, is keen to expand in the world's third-largest and the fastest-growing energy market. Sechin first met Pradhan over breakfast, and then in delegation-level talks expressed interest in bidding for the acquisition of government stake in Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), officials privy to the discussions said. The government is selling all of its 53 percent stake in BPCL in the country's biggest privatisation plan. Officials said national oil companies from the Middle East, such as Aramco of Saudi Arabia and ADNOC of UAE, have also been primed for bidding for BPCL. Sechin, who was here to witness the signing of the first deal with Indian state-owned refinery for supplying crude oil a fixed-term basis, expressed interest in investing more in India, they said. On 20 November 2019, the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided to privatise BPCL by selling the government's entire 52.98 percent stake to a strategic investor along with management control. Rosneft owns a 49.13 percent Nayara Energy Limited (formerly Essar Oil Limited). Nayara owns and operates 20 million tonnes per year refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat and also owns 5,628 petrol pumps in the country. It is keen on expanding the fuel retailing network and BPCL would get it ready access to close to one-fourth of 67,440 petrol pumps in the country. BPCL operates four refineries in Mumbai, Kochi (Kerala), Bina (Madhya Pradesh) and Numaligarh (Assam) with a combined capacity of 38.3 million tonnes per annum, which is 15 percent of India's total refining capacity of 249.4 million tonnes. After removing three million tonnes of the capacity of the Numaligarh refinery, which will be sold to a public sector unit, the new buyer will get 35.3 million tonnes of refining capacity. BPCL owns 15,177 petrol pumps and 6,011 LPG distributor agencies in the country. Besides, it has 51 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants. The company distributed 21 percent of petroleum products consumed in the country by volume as of March last year and has more than a fifth of the 250 aviation fuel stations in the country. The government is keen to get international energy majors such as Saudi Aramco, Total SA of France and ExxonMobil to operate in the downstream fuel marketing business so as to bring in greater competition. Currently, 95 percent of retail petrol and diesel sales and near 100 percent of cooking gas (LPG) and kerosene sales are controlled by the public sector units. As on 31 March, BPCL reported cash and cash equivalents of around Rs 5,300 crore, against Rs 10,900 crore of debt maturing over the next 15 months. Officials said Indian Oil Corp (IOC) signed a term contract to import up to 2 million tonnes of Russian grade Urals oil from Rosneft in 2020. This is the first time a state-owned firm has signed a term import deal with Russia as they look to diversify sourcing of oil beyond their traditional suppliers in the Middle East. State-run firms have started importing significant volumes from the US as part of this strategy. At current prices, the government stake in BPCL is worth just over Rs 53,000 crore. The acquirer will have to make an open offer for buying an additional 26 percent stake from other shareholders of BPCL. The stake sale is critical for the government to meet its disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore set for the coming financial year starting 1 April. World Health Organization officials have damped down expectations of imminent breakthroughs in the development of vaccines or treatments for the outbreak. There are no proven, effective therapeutics for the novel coronavirus, Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Program, said on Wednesday at a press conference in Geneva. The UN agency plans a systematic review of all therapeutics, Ryan said. The organization will share clinical trial protocols around the world, he said. An antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences is expected to start testing ... SPRINGFIELD After initially objecting to elements of an $11.3 million improvement project at the intersection known as The X, the City Council on Monday heeded the mayors warning to not jeopardize state funding. In December, the council voted to reject a plan to widen a section of Sumner Avenue near The X, and said any planned work shall do its utmost to enhance, preserve and protect the existing trees and tree canopy that lines Sumner Avenue. That vote triggered an immediate veto by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who warned the councils order could push the project back a number of years, or plain just lose this state funding. After a prolonged discussion and an 11-2 vote Monday, the council chose not to override the mayors veto. In the name of public safety, something needs to be done there, said Ward 6 Councilor Victor Davila, who represents the Forest Park area. Its a top-10, accident-prone (site) in the state. We might be in risk of losing some or all of the money. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation plans to reconstruct the intersection of Belmont Avenue, Sumner Avenue and Dickinson Street to improve traffic flow and public safety. The plans include widening the streets in some areas and removing some trees. Councilor Tracye Whitfield, said the city should not risk losing the MassDOT funding, as many other communities would be happy to take the money instead. Councilors Kateri Walsh and Adam Gomez voted for the override, with Walsh urging the council to wait until after a Feb. 11 community meeting on the project. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Forest Park Middle School. I find it very hard to believe that a public agency like MassDOT would cancel plans because people affected have questions, said Walsh, who is among councilors concerned about the loss of trees near the intersection. Councilor Melvin Edwards said that with past and future public meetings, and with public concerns being reviewed by MassDOT, there is ample time for the council in the future to support or reject the project and related land takings. The X project is scheduled for a fiscal 2024 construction start and remains in the design phase. The safety of that intersection will continue to be a problem until improvements can be constructed, Sarno said. The design details will be presented to the neighborhood over the next two to three years ahead of construction, Sarno said, adding that his administration will work with the neighborhood to address any concerns. Photo: Internet According to the National Disaster Management Agency, all passengers, including 12 crewmembers and 14 Malaysian government officials, will have to undergo health screenings upon returning home. Those found with symptoms of the virus will be sent to hospital while those who clear the screening will go to the monitoring centre for 14 days. As of February 3rd, Malaysia confirmed eight infection cases, all were Chinese tourists in the country. Meanwhile, the Thai government has asked authorities concerned to evacuate 160 citizens from Wuhan city on February 4th. Thailand has so far recorded 19 infection cases. About 200,000 Chinese tourists are now in Thailand./. The university group of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at Humboldt University in Berlin has again won representation in the Student Parliament (StuPa). According to the preliminary results, it received 3.7 percent (90 votes) in this years elections on January 29-30 and will be represented in the new parliament with two of its three candidates (Sven Wurm and Helmut Wolff). The IYSSE is the youth and student organization of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). The IYSSE have only one seat less than the youth organisations of the Left Party (SDS, Die Linke HU Berlin) and the Free Democratic Partys (FDP), which, like all the parties in the Bundestag (federal parliament), have considerably greater resources and were able to stand more candidates. The student group of the Greens (Grunboldt) received 204 votes (5 seats); the Christian Democratic RCDS, 216 votes (5 seats); and the Social Democratic Partys Jusos, 300 votes (7 seats). The list of independent students (Lust) won 8 seats, with 305 votes (12.43 percent); and the Left List (LiLi), 7 seats, with 278 votes (11.33 percent). IYSSE anti-war meeting at the beginning of the election campaign at Humboldt University IYSSE spokesman Sven Wurm, who received the fifth most votes (58) out of a total of more than 150 candidates, said the IYSSEs renewed entry into the StuPa was a success. We have now been represented in the student parliament continuously since 2015 and have established ourselves on campus as the force that consistently fights against the danger of war and dictatorship and the transformation of our university into a hotbed for right-wing and militaristic ideologies. It is internationally known that the extreme right-wing professor Jorg Baberowski at Humboldt University downplays Hitler and National Socialism (Nazism) and is defended by the university management. The opposition against fascism and war is enormous, he added. We discussed with students that the question of political perspective is crucial. Only an international socialist movement of the working class against capitalism can stop the rise of extreme-right forces and a renewed relapse into barbarism. The fact that we have received much support for this perspective is all the more significant because right-wing forces on campus have systematically sabotaged our campaign, torn down our election posters and attacked our candidates. Baberowski and his defenders are clearly highly nervous and concerned about the growing opposition. During the election campaign, the IYSSE organised three successful events, which were attended by about 200 students and workers. The first took place on January 14 with WSWS Germany editor Johannes Stern, under the title No war against Iran! For an international movement against capitalism and war! At the second meeting, on January 21, Christoph Vandreier, deputy chair of the SGP and author of the book Why Are They Back? Historical falsification, political conspiracy and the return of fascism in Germany (available in the US and UK), spoke on the question of the ideological preparation of war and fascism 75 years after the end of the Second World War. The closing event, The new class struggles and the perspective of international socialism was a special highlight. Alex Lantier, the chairman of the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES), the French section of the ICFI, and Joseph Kishore, national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in the US, appeared via live video. Kishore, who had recently been nominated by the SEP as its US presidential candidate, summed up the significance of the IYSSE election campaign at Humboldt University. The decisive question, he said, was the establishment of an independent political leadership. Workers and young people should not let themselves be hijacked behind one faction or another of the ruling elite. No progressive tendency could be found among the capitalist parties, he said. The necessary conclusion, he insisted, was, not tinkering with the system, not futile reforms within the framework of capitalist politics. We live in a revolutionary epoch, and the working class needs revolutionary politics. A political movement must be built that is deeply rooted in historical experience and that has drawn the critical lessons from this experience, which must guide the politics of the present. We do not need a politics of wishful thinking and pragmatic manoeuvres, but a politics based on a scientific perspective, on class analysis, on Marxism. In a statement on its official Facebook page, the IYSSE group at Humboldt University thanks all its voters and supporters. We will use all opportunities in the student parliament, on campus and beyond to fight for a socialist perspective. There is no place for right-wing extremism, militarism and the falsification of history at our university, it says. Any young person who is not yet a member of the IYSSE and wants to become active should sign up here and join the fight for a socialist future. For months, the race to nominate a Democratic challenger for the 2020 presidential election has been beset by confusion over policy, an overcrowded field and the headline-grabbing impeachment process. So when Americans awoke on Tuesday to news that results from Iowa the first state to vote for its favoured candidate were incomplete and indefinitely delayed, they could have been forgiven for feeling that a second Trump term in the White House was closer than ever. "Have they tried unplugging Iowa and plugging it back in again?" historian Kevin Kruse joked on Twitter. But at a time of widespread uncertainty about information and fears of technological interference by foreign powers such as Russia and China, the inability to co-ordinate paper ballots from one state's 1681 precincts and transmit them via an app, nearly two decades after Florida's "hanging chads" debacle, is the kind of spectacle that feeds conspiracy theories as well as narratives of American decline, both fertile ground for US President Donald Trump's nationalist demagoguery. With about 62 per cent of results reported on Wednesday (Australian time), the state had given just over half of votes counted to two men: Pete Buttigieg, who has no experience in federal politics but is widely touted as a centrist and a fresh face; and Bernie Sanders, the hero of the Democratic Party's insurgent left. The result is probably most troubling for former vice-president Joe Biden, the man whose name Republicans have relentlessly tied to the impeachment process and perhaps the best-known of all the contenders nationally. Biden was running fourth behind another favourite of the left, Senator Elizabeth Warren. Mr Biden's supporters will probably console themselves by subtly suggesting Iowa is an anomaly, an overwhelmingly white and rural state that doesn't represent the diversity of the US electorate and which instead of conventional voting uses caucuses, a decentralised and time-consuming system that many campaigners say unfairly penalises those with work and family commitments or disabilities. Even in 2008, a year of record turnout, only 16.1 per cent of the state's eligible voters attended the Iowa caucuses, and early signs are that the figure this year is even poorer, which helps to explain the decision of another Democratic hopeful, New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg, to sit Iowa out and spend money on a Super Bowl ad instead. Before Airbus built an A320 assembly line in Alabama, it built a similar one in China -- which it has now shut down due to concerns about a coronavirus outbreak. Airbus announced the move in a Wednesday statement from Toulouse, France. There was no indication in the statement that the move would impact Airbus operations in other parts of the world. Mobile-based Airbus spokeswoman Kristi Tucker said that production continues on schedule here in Mobile with no anticipated impacts. Airbus China is observing Chinese Government requirements for staff to work from home and is facilitating with IT equipment so employees from all locations including Tianjin do not need to travel to work where possible, the statement said. With regards to the business impact, China domestic and worldwide travel restrictions are posing some logistical challenges. The Tianjin Final Assembly Line facility is currently closed. Airbus assembles the A320 family of jets in four places: Toulouse, Hamburg, Tianjin and Mobile. It cant simply step up production at the other three because of the shutdown of one: The manufacturer has been pushing production levels at all them to meet a vast backlog of orders. The company also is known for intricate multinational supply lines that would be hard to re-route. Airbus is constantly evaluating the situation and monitoring any potential knock on effects [i.e. ripple effects] to production and deliveries and will try to mitigate via alternative plans where necessary, said Wednesdays statement. It did not suggest how long the shutdown might last. Aviation industry news source flightglobal.com characterized the shutdown as the first response from a major airframer in recent days to the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed close to 500 lives. However, some aerospace companies have announced they will not attend the upcoming Singapore Air Show. The Diamond Princess cruise ship and its nearly 3700 passengers and crew remain in quarantine off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, after a passenger with coronavirus flew from Wuhan to Tokyo and spread the disease to others on board. Gay Courter, 75, was among the thousands of passengers who were all told at 7am on Wednesday that they may face two weeks in lockdown to contain the outbreak. The Diamond Princess cruise ship is anchored off Yokohama port. Credit:AP Two Australians have caught the coronavirus on the cruise ship and there are fears more than 200 others have been exposed to the deadly disease. Ms Courter, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, was travelling with close friends, including her family doctor and his wife. Hundreds of farmers in Gudamalani of Rajasthan's Barmer district on Wednesday held a day-long demonstration, demanding compensation for their crops lost in the locust attack. The protest was led by Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), which submitted a memorandum of farmers' demand to the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gudamalani. For the past several months, locust attacks in a number of western Rajasthan districts have destroyed crops and caused heavy losses to farmers. Hariram Manjhu, district head of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh told ANI, "In Barmer district, various crops are badly affected due to locust attack and hence causing financial distress to farmers. The state government has announced relief money of Rs. 27,000 per 2 hectares of land. Farmers are getting only Rs.11,000 against the announced amount of relief and adding to distress administrators are also asking various documents from farmers." The protestors also accused the government of not taking enough actions to curb the menace of locust attack. State General Secretary of RLP, Ummedaram Beniwal, said the government should assess the damage by sending a team to the locust affected areas. He also demanded that the government should declare it as a disaster and provide special relief package to the farmers of Rajasthan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mustafabad Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Mustafabad constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Mustafabad Assembly Elections 2020 | Securing a whopping lead of almost 27,000 votes over the trailing AAP's Haji Yunus, sitting MLA and BJP candidate Jagdish Pradhan secured 57,056 votes and a 62.25 percent vote share. The Mustafabad Assembly constituency came into existence in 2008 as part of delimitation exercise. The constituency is part of the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency and is slated to vote on 8 February along with 69 other seats in Delhi. Counting of votes will be held on 11 February. Results in last three years The Mustafabad Assembly Constituency is currently held by Jagdish Pradhan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the 2015 Assembly election, Pradhan got 35.33 percent of the total votes and had defeated two-time MLA Hasan Ahmed of Congress. In 2013 Mustafabad was one of the three seats bagged by BJP with Pradhan, a non-Muslim face, winning the seat with 58,388 votes. Congress' Ahmed and AAP's Mohd Yunus came second and third, respectively. In 2008, Ahmed had won the seat by defeating Pradhan with a margin of just 979 votes. For the upcoming Delhi Assembly Election 2020, the key candidates in Mustafabad constituency include Haji Yunus of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jagdish Pradhan of the BJP and Ahmed's son Ali Mehndi from Congress. Mehndi is also head of the Congress party's minority wing. Demography According to Economic Times, five constituencies Rithala, Shahdara, Seemapuri, Babarpur and Mustafabad have Muslim population between 30 percent and 40 percent. Over the last seven years, AAP has successfully weaned away Muslim voters, who have long been considered a traditional Congress vote bank. In 2015, when AAP had swept the Delhi elections winning 67 seats and giving away only three to BJP, Mustafabad was the only Muslim-dominated seat that was won by BJP. Click here for complete coverage of Delhi Assembly Election 2020 Okhla, Seelampur, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Mustafabad and Chandni Chowk seats, were all seats that were once a Congress stronghold but are now represented by the AAP and BJP in the Assembly. And they all fall in minority-dominated areas. After the massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Congress is eyeing a comeback on these seats. Here's a profile of constituency (as of 2015): Constituency number: 69 Total electors: 2,33,426 Male: 1,29,496 Female: 1,03,923 Others: 7 Voter turnout in last Assembly Election: 70.65 percent Polling stations: 192 District: North East Delhi Major parties in the fray: Congress, AAP and BJP are the main two contenders in the state. According to reports, in North East Delhis Mustafabad Assembly constituency, which has a sizeable Muslim population, bijli-paani (electricity and water) are the main issues for the locals. Mustafabad is one of the three Assembly constituencies which the BJP had won in 2015 elections because of a split on Muslim communitys votes. A woman murdered in the driveway of her own home had tried to protect children in her care from a man accused of stabbing her to death. Daily Mail Australia is forbidden from identifying the name of the woman, her alleged killer or how she knew the children she died protecting after a Melbourne magistrate imposed a gag order to protect the identity of the children. The alleged murder, which happened in Seaford - in Melbourne's south-east, just before 5pm on Tuesday, comes hot on the heels of another alleged murder of yoga instructor Maud Steenbeek in Heidelberg West last week. Daily Mail Australia is unable to reveal who the victim of domestic violence is, or the identity of her alleged killer due to a court-imposed gag order The suburb of Seaford sits on beautiful Port Phillip Bay. It is the location for much joy and also much horror. A woman was killed there on Tuesday, but her identity cannot be revealed Xochil O'Neill, 28, remains in hospital under police guard in a serious condition after he allegedly killed Ms Steenbeek, 61. But while Daily Mail Australia is unable to tell readers about who the doting mother was, it can reveal she was a much adored member of her community. 'She was just amazing,' a friend said. 'It's just awful. It's just wrong that her kids are not going to see her anymore. ' The court-sanctioned anonymous mother was a familiar sight on her quiet street in the suburb along Port Phillip Bay - about 36kms from Melbourne. 'She was always riding around on her bike,' a neighbour told Daily Mail Australia. 'And this is the saddest part - she didn't have a car so she never drove - but I'd always see her cruising up the street and she'd have her kids on her bike too. And that's just not going to be there anymore.' A source has told Daily Mail Australia the alleged killer isolated the children trapped in the home from his alleged victim before turning on her. 'He wouldn't allow them to leave the room. He wouldn't allow the children to leave,' the source said. 'She's intervened and then he's attacked her.' Witnesses have claimed the woman was seen and heard running for her life from the home before collapsing in a driveway in front of three children. 'She was with her dog. Barely breathing by that stage,' the source said. Paramedics arrived shortly after by that woman could not be revived. Neighbours remembered the woman for her friendly nature and love of her children and dog. 'One time she found my dog and held onto it for me until I realised it was missing and then I went over there and thanked her ... It's just horrible. I can't even believe it.' a neighbour said. Daily Mail Australia has been told fears of domestic violence within the public housing home had been well discussed among those that knew the stay-at-home mum. A prosecutor acting on behalf of Victorian director of the Office of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd, QC, had attempted to suppress any information on the alleged murder being reported at all, including the fact it was a matter of alleged domestic violence. Maud Steenbeek, 61, was allegedly murdered in her own home while on a video call to a relative Daily Mail Australia is forbidden from identifying the name of the woman, her alleged killer or how she knew the children she died protecting after a Melbourne magistrate imposed a gag order to protect the identity of the children Magistrate Sarah Leighfield agreed the name of the victim and her killer should remain a secret so as not to further upset the children who were in the housa when she died The matter was hotly contested by Daily Mail Australia and lawyers acting on behalf of The Age and Channel 9. Magistrate Sarah Leighfield denied the request to omit the matter was related to domestic violence, but agreed to protect the names of the killer and his victim to spare the children undue distress in the short term. The ruling had a mixed reaction from those that knew the dead woman. 'It's an absolute tragedy,' another friend said. 'I don't have any respect for him whatsoever, but the children and the mother's names should be protected.' A 44-year old man appeared in court on Wednesday charged with one count of murder. He sat and made no comment as he was remanded in custody to appear in court again later this year. SPRINGFIELD The Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse may be a moldy, dusty, dirty dinosaur of a building, but environmental conditions there have not contributed to chronic health problems leading to the deaths of employees, according to a draft report recently released by the state. Trial Court officials commissioned an indoor environmental analysis of the courthouse at 50 State St. and the Juvenile Court at 80 State St. after employees of the sites sounded an alarm over potential health hazards inside the walls. There was, and remains, a widely held belief that environmental hazards lurking within the Ireland courthouse killed two of its beloved judges who occupied the same office after both were stricken with with Lou Gehrigs disease. The late Springfield District Court Judge William Boyle died in September from the disease, which is also called amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He passed away a year after he retired, publicly discussing conversations with his doctors, who characterized the likelihood of contracting the disease after his predecessor Powerball odds. Springfield District Court Judge Robert F. Kumor Jr. died of ALS in 2013. Panic bubbled over after Boyles interview with The Republican was published. Employees began taking an informal inventory of the number of long-term employees who were gravely ill or had died from cancer and other diseases. Trial Court officials, state legislators and even Gov. Charlie Baker took notice. The Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment for the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse and Hampden Juvenile Court was recently released to Judge John Payne, Boyles successor as presiding justice of Springfield District Court. Payne made it available to employees and members of the local bar and provided a copy to The Republican. The study was conducted by Environmental Health & Engineering Inc. (EH&E). Although multiple (indoor environmental quality) issues were identified and should be corrected, EH&Es assessment did not identify conditions that would support an environmental work-related cause for the cases of chronic health conditions reported in the Buildings, including ... ALS or cancer, an executive summary within the 150-page report reads. Also, the historical review of the 50 and 80 State Street property and surrounding areas did not indicate evidence of sources or conditions likely to pose an environmental hazard in the Buildings, it continues. The study did note that EH&E found excessive dirt and dust on surfaces throughout the buildings, heavy dust and mold growth on and around air supply diffusers, more mold surrounding water damage, and filthy ductwork. The company reported it tested the buildings drinking water, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems plus sampling the air for volatile organic compounds and aldehydes; mold spore levels; carbon monoxide; heavy metals; and dust, among other parameters. A consortium of current and former courthouse employees on Jan. 14 released a letter highlighting its own analysis and dissatisfaction with the draft report. Based on available information, the draft summary assessment, in the opinion of many courthouse employees, minimizes or ignores immediate, serious health risks to courthouse employees, the analysis, which was unsigned, concluded. It cited among other things a third, unnamed courthouse employee who died of ALS in 2017. Like Boyle and Kumor, this employee had a window office on the north side of the Ireland courthouse. What are the odds? reads one heading, while another reads, Recurring unresolved fume incidents. Payne, who also is chairman of a 22-member Environmental Advisory Committee to monitor problems and the states response to their concerns, said he has called a public meeting of all employees and members of the bar at the Ireland courthouse on Feb. 7. Weve sent out emails to local legislators as well in the hopes that they can come as well, Payne said, adding that he hopes an immediate next step is to bring Trial Court administrators and facilities management officials out to Springfield to discuss next steps. Ex-PM David Cameron today revealed he turned down a 'kind offer' from Boris Johnson to head an international climate change summit in Glasgow. Mr Johnson had hoped his predecessor and long-standing rival would be a 'big hitting' president of the crucial UN conference - known as COP26. However, Mr Cameron refused on the grounds that a minister would be better-placed and he had too many other commitments. Former foreign secretary Lord Hague has also rejected an approach. The overtures emerged amid fears the gathering risks descending into a shambles after ex-minister Claire O'Neill was sacked by the PM's adviser Dominic Cummings last week. David Cameron is believed to have refused the COP26 job on the grounds that a minister would be better-placed Mr Johnson officially launched the countdown to COP26 at an event with David Attenborough in London yesterday She condemned Mr Johnson's handing of the situation yesterday, claiming he had privately admitted he 'doesn't understand' the climate change issue. Mr Cameron told reporters today: 'It was an honour to be asked to chair this important conference and it was kind of the Prime Minister to consider me, but my view is that these things are best done by a government minister so there is one person in charge, one chain of command, rather than two. 'I also have exciting commitments this year, not least to Alzheimer's Research UK. 'But I wish the government well with hosting this conference.' A Downing Street source confirmed that discussions were held with the former prime minister and Lord Hague but declined to say what positions were discussed. The source added: 'We think it should be a ministerial role going forward. 'We think it should someone who is a big hitter and someone who can handle themselves on an international stage. Mr Johnson refused to answer questions about who would take on the job during a COP26 launch alongside David Attenborough yesterday. The Government said a minister will take charge of the post. The UN climate talks, to be held in Glasgow in November, are the most important since the Paris Agreement to curb global warming was secured in 2015. Countries are expected to deliver more ambitious domestic plans for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030, as current proposals are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. Lord Hague (right) was also approached for the COP26 job after ex-minister Claire O'Neill (left) was sacked last week Pressure is also on countries to set out long-term plans for cutting emissions, with the science now clear that the world must reduce greenhouse gases to zero in a matter of decades to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The run-up to the talks will require a major diplomatic effort from the UK to secure ambitious climate action from countries - at a time when Britain is also negotiating trade agreements with the EU and other nations. Lord Barker of Battle, who served as an energy and climate change minister under Mr Cameron, said he understood the reports to be correct. 'My understanding is that he felt it was just a little too soon for him personally to come back into a frontline political role,' he told BBC Two's Newsnight. The mother of a 13-year-old girl viciously beaten up by bullies at a McDonald's while walking home from school says her daughter's life has been changed forever by the attack. The girl, whose name has been withheld, was assaulted at the Gilles Plains McDonald's in Adelaide's northern suburbs at around 4pm on Tuesday. The group of bullies allegedly filmed each other attacking and taunting the year eight student, who was hospitalised with missing teeth and suffered memory loss, a concussion and damage to her neck, spine and shoulder. Her devastated mother said the 'bright and bubbly' teen had only just started high school last week. The girl, whose name has been withheld, was attacked at the Gilles Plains McDonald's (pictured), in Adelaide's northern suburbs, on Tuesday at around 4pm 'She is a beautiful straight A student. She has suffered bullying all her life,' she said. 'This poor girl has only started high school a week ago and now her life is changed forever.' The teen now needs numerous surgeries, dental replacement, and has suffered permanent damage to her face. A family friend said the alleged attackers are still harassing her while she recovers. 'They are continuing to torment her via online messages,' she said. 'All while she's laying in her hospital bed.' In a statement, South Australia's Department of Education said it is aware of a 'police investigation into an incident that happened off-site after the school day yesterday'. 'The school has reached out to the family and support is being put in place to assist the victim to return to school. Appropriate disciplinary action is also being taken.' Police have charged a 14-year-old girl over the attack, and are continuing their investigations. PIGGS PEAK They may be airtime vendors but two women showed that they still live by the motto, wathinta abafazi wathinta imbokodo. This is a South African adage that means when you strike a woman, you strike a rock, but it is also a phrase used to describe the courage and strength expressed by women despite oppression. This was evident when a man who tried to swindle two female MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) agents was battered in full view of members of the public who captured the incident using their smartphones. The alleged swindler was rescued by three security guards from First Action Security Services just when he had been pinned to the ground by the women. First Action Security is the company responsible for patrolling the Piggs Peak Town, tasked by the municipality. Withdraw This is said to have happened on Monday evening when the man, *Moses, allegedly tried to withdraw E4 000 from two women via Mobile Money. Moses tried at different times but little did he know that they were monitoring his actions. According to one of the women, the vendors were tired of being scammed. *Rose said Moses first started off by trying to withdraw money from another vendor. She said he asked for E4 000 but when he was asked for his identity document (ID), he could not produce one. Moses is alleged to have then given an ID number starting with 29 but he appeared too young to have a document with these first digits. The first two digits of an ID number refer to the year in which one was born and the women said Moses appeared too young to have been born in 1929. Rose said after Moses had realised that the vendor had figured out his intentions, he left her. He then came to me and also wanted to withdraw E4 000, said Rose. She asked for his cell phone number but he called out a mobile number that did not appear to be registered. She said she then asked him for his ID number but he told her that he was in a hurry and that she should be quick. He did not produce one, said Rose. She said she recalled that many of her colleagues had beenswindled and realised that Moses, who was still standing before her could be one of the scammers. I then held on to his pants so that he could not run away, she said. She said despite doing so, Moses ran away and she called out to another vendor who was also almost swindled. Rose said the two women then chased after the man shouting juba, meaning intercept him. Whatever the final Iowa caucus results reveal, this much seems certain: Pete Buttigieg had an impressive showing and Joe Biden did not. It is still unclear when the final tally will be revealed and a winner declared. But with 71 per cent of the results in, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor leads the pack slightly, with 26.8 per cent of the delegates. Buttigieg is followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 25.2 per cent. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in third place with 18.4 per cent. And, perhaps most surprisingly, the former vice-president trails in fourth with 15 4 per cent, a disappointing showing for arguably the most high-profile candidate. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has 12.6 per cent. CBC spoke to experts to offer their insights on what these results mean, so far, to the campaigns of some of the candidates. Pete Buttigieg Elise Amendola/Associated Press Had Buttigieg finished outside the top three, which poll numbers had suggested was a possibility, his campaign would likely have been over, said Sean Trende, a senior elections analyst for RealClearPolits.com, a political news website that includes polling data. Buttigieg had gone all out in Iowa, pouring lots of resources into the state. "He has very much a lease on life now." More than a lease, says Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. Buttigieg's placement, whether he finishes first or just behind Sanders, is a "big victory" for him. "Even if Sanders does win, well, big deal. He did what everybody thought he would. But Buttigieg exceeded expectations. And this is an expectations game." The results debacle has, unfortunately for Buttigieg, taken away some of the media attention that follows the winner of this first contest in the presidential nomination process. Still, it will give him some kind of boost as he campaigns in New Hampshire for the Feb. 11 primary vote. And more importantly, it could draw in more fundraising dollars. Buttigieg's placing will also motivate voters in the upcoming primary states to take a second look at his candidacy, said Karen Kedrowski, director of the Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. Story continues Kedrowski said it's interesting Buttigieg did so well, because Iowa tends to lean more progressive in the Democratic caucuses. "It might indicate that caucusgoers were going in with a somewhat different calculus, not necessarily the focus on ideas and policy preferences as much as what they might define as electability." But Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a non-partisan political newsletter produced at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, suggested Buttigieg's success could be short-lived. He believes Buttigieg, to really transform himself into a real contender, will need to win New Hampshire next Tuesday, a tough challenge considering Sanders perceived lead there. "Assuming he wins Iowa, maybe he will maybe he won't, maybe that leads to a breakthrough, " Kondik said. "Because otherwise, if he sputters out of New Hampshire, I don't know if there's anywhere for him.to go." Bernie Sanders Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Sanders was leading in most polls come election night. But a few days before the caucus vote, before an enthusiastic crowd of 3,000 at the arena in Cedar Rapids, Sanders stressed voter turnout would be key to his victory. High turnout he wins, low turnout he loses. Estimates so far, suggest a turnout hovering close to 2016 numbers, around 170,000, and a big drop from 2008 when nearly 240,000 participated and Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and other candidates. This may be a significant factor why Sanders trails in second. Still, the results so far show he is winning the popular vote and is just slightly behind Buttigieg in the delegate count. But William Schneider, a professor of policy, government and international affairs at George Mason University, said that if the results stick, that has to be a bit of disappointment for Sanders. While he was expected to win, it's "not exactly a strong showing." Athough he's beating Biden handily, the strong showing of Buttigieg must give the Sanders' campaign some serious worry. "So it's not a big vote of confidence in Sanders. I don't think it gives him much momentum," Schneider said. However, that momentum could be found in New Hampshire, where he could win big, Schneider said "He's a local. New Hampshire voters know him, he got over 60 per cent of the vote against Hillary Clinton," Schneider said. Elizabeth Warren Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer/Associated Press Warren was reputed to have the best ground game in the state, an important element in the Iowa caucus, as getting someone out to vote is a challenging endeavour. Still, according to current results, the Massachusetts senator sits in third place. "If the results hold, it's really bad for Warren," said Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist. "Warren also had problems, as she had a vaunted campaign organization, but still only could muster third. She is now facing serious headwinds," Siegfried said. And if she doesn't do well in New Hampshire, the path "gets trickier for her," Kondik said. Trende said Warren should hope to finish second there, and ride some momentum to Super Tuesday. Joe Biden Mary Altaffer/Associated Press The former vice president is supposed to be the front-runner, the candidate most familiar to voters, and, according to polls leading up to the caucus, in a pretty tight race with Sanders. "And to come in fourth. That's a real letdown," Schneider said. It's more than a letdown, suggested Trende, "Biden is in big trouble." Leading up to the caucus, even as far back as September, Biden operatives had been lowering expectations for their candidate in Iowa, saying it was not "a must-win" state, and that instead, they would be focusing their efforts on South Carolina, Nevada, and the Super Tuesday states. Regardless, it did seem like his team really made a strong play to try to win Iowa, and came up "significantly short," said Kondik. Biden is also not expected to do particularly well in New Hampshire, a state Sanders is expected to win. While their team has their eye on South Carolina, and the African American Democratic voters who favour Biden, polls suggest his lead has diminished there, while Nevada may also be problematic.. That leads to another problem: fundraising, an issue his campaign is already having to deal with. Despite his name recognition, Biden has had trouble raising money, and with the loss in Iowa, it could dissuade other potential donors. "At a certain point. the donors are going to be like, 'This guy has run for president twice and has never won a race,'" said Trende. Biden ran unsuccessfully in 1988 and 2008 for the presidential nomination of his party. "If he comes in third or fourth in New Hampshire, loses Nevada it's gonna, it's gonna be tough." As well, with Buttigieg's strong Iowa showing, it's possible that he, not Biden, will become the so-called moderate candidate that those in the political centre of the party rally around. "It's no longer inevitable that Joe Biden is going to be the finalist in the moderate bracket, to go up against the progressive," said Bannon. "In terms of support for moderates and money, Mayor Pete struck a major blow against Biden." Amy Klobuchar Elise Amendola/Associated Press Iowa was Klobuchar's chance to perform well and make a significant showing. She had a quasi-home state advantage, said Kondik, as her home state of Minnesota borders Iowa. Instead, the results so far have her in fifth place. "This to me was her chance. It's hard for me to imagine a path for her now," Kondik said. South Africa: DPWI resolving Eskom municipal debt The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has begun reconciling and verifying debt owed to Eskom by the countrys 257 municipalities. Appearing before Parliaments Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille unveiled the departments plans to address the climbing Eskom debt. As of 30 June 2019, municipalities reported that the overall government debt owed by the DPWI was just over R3 billion. However, as of 4 February 2020, 63%, or R1.97 billion, of the reported R3 billion debt had been resolved. At that stage (30 June 2019), 135 of the 257 municipalities reported their debt owed to DPWI. The remaining 122 municipalities did not report, as per the statutory requirements, said the Minister. The department, she said, is in the process of verifying and reconciling the debt owed for all 257 municipalities. The government debt campaign, which was started by DPWI on 1 August 2019, focused on the verification and reconciliation of the outstanding debt. The project is monitored weekly by DPWI regional offices, while progress update meetings are also held monthly with National Treasury, De Lille told Scopa. Municipalities were informed of the government debt project through letters in October 2019, whereby their cooperation to jointly resolve the reported debt was sought. Ongoing working sessions are being held with various municipalities, which include account by account reconciliations, verification of property ownership, securing sign-off on agreement between parties, setting timelines for delivery of invoices based on sign-off and payment/account credits, De Lille said. Following verification and engagements with the relevant municipalities, there was a difference of more than R1.7 billion from the R1.97 billion. De Lille said this means that once all the accounts of these municipalities were verified, the actual amount owed was R186 million, as opposed to the initially reported amount of R1.97 billion. This represents a significant difference in the actual amount owed to municipalities than what was initially reported by municipalities," said De Lille. While 63% of the debt has been resolved, the DPWI updated Scopa on the progress with engagements with more municipalities. DPWI is conducting ongoing engagements with 52 municipalities to verify R655 million, which was reported as owed to municipalities in the 30 June 2019 Section 71 reports, the Minister said. Getting municipalities to comply Meanwhile, as the campaign continues, 142 municipalities still have to be engaged to verify an amount of R388 million, as reported in the Section 71 reports on 30 June 2019. During the verification and reconciliation process, it had been found that municipalities were unable to substantiate the reported figures stated in their Section 71 reports. De Lille said the department is resolute in its commitment to settle all verified debts within 30 days of receipt of the statements. Despite the debt owed to the DPWI, the department continues to pay municipalities and Eskom on time. The DPWI has taken a decision to devolve the settling of municipal services to the various user departments, with effect from 1 April 2020. This has been communicated with all user departments, Eskom and municipalities. DPWI also met with Eskom on 5 December 2019 to address issues of common interest, she said. The Minister said no outstanding debt was highlighted during the meeting and no outstanding debt was raised in the follow up meeting held on 21 January 2020. Eskom in fact commended the DPWI on its timeous payment and confirmed the positive working relationship between its officials and DPWI officials. DPWI is committed to settling all verified invoices within 30 days. Outstanding invoices are monitored on a weekly basis. All unpaid invoices in DPWIs possession, as at 31 January 2020, are current, except for three offices with an arrears of R4.9 million, she said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Longtime Pullman resident Drina Board, who made a collard greens dish and cornbread, said many of the scrumptious traditional dishes were handed down from generations past, starting with slaves who had to be creative in cooking their meals from scraps. But Board also said her parents introduced her and her siblings to a variety of food. As part of its ongoing investigation into Apple, the U.S. Department of Justice has reached out to app developers. The Cupertino company is accused of anti-competitive behavior and is currently being probed for the same. Reuters reported about the investigation in June last year and now the officials finally seem to be making some headway. According to sources, the Justice Department has contacted select app developers to help investigate the claims. Mobicip developer, Suren Ramasubbu told Reuters that he was interviewed by an investigator in November last year. He was quizzed about interactions with Apple. Ramasubbus company offers an app that allows parents to keep an eye on their kids. The app has garnered more than a million download worldwide. Things went for a toss after Mobicip was removed from the iPhone app store last year. Apple claimed that Mobicip failed to meet some of the requirements. Meanwhile, Apple has refused to comment and insists that its apps need to stick to a high standard for privacy, security, and content. Interestingly it is not just Apple who is facing a probe. Other tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are being investigated for similar charges. Once again the probe is directed at interviewing participants and determining whether there are issues or not. Apple is accused of promoting its own apps on the App Store. Apple introduced Screen Time in 2018 and it soon became one of the most popular features. Screen Time allows lets us set control for limiting access to apps or to set up parental controls. Apparently, the features were previously offered by third-party apps like Mobicip. Soon after releasing Screen Time, Mobicip was removed from App Store only to be reinstated back after six months. However, Ramasubbu claims that Mobicips revenue was halved in this period and they are yet to bounce back. Award winning UK-based gospel artiste, Diana Hamilton, is ready to wow her fans at her upcoming concert dubbed, The Experience with Diana Hamilton at the ICGC Calvary Temple, Sakumono in Accra. The concert, which is being organized by Diana Hamilton and her management, will bring together Christians, gospel music lovers and gospel artistes on one platform to celebrate Jesus Christ and to thank Him for his blessings. According to the organizers, this year's edition of the event which has Hamilton as the headline act is not just about singing and dancing but an encounter with God. Known for her touching and passionate worship songs, Hamilton is expected to lead a night of praise, powerful music and a ministration concert. Hamilton, who has carved a niche for herself as one of Ghana's enterprising gospel musicians, has won the hearts of many music fans in Ghana with her soul touching music and stagecraft. She has promised her fans that she will stage an extraordinary live musical performance to satisfy them. She will also be treating her fans and gospel music lovers to a repertoire of some of her famous hits songs such as Ensi Wo Yie, Osoro Be Kasa, Mo Ni Yo, I Believe, Lord Of Hosts among others. Slated for February 16, the much hyped event would feature some of the finest Ghanaian performing gospel artistes such as CSP Kofi Sarpong, Joe Mettle and Akesse Brempong. The concert is expected to pull thousands of music lovers to the venue to witness the thrilling performances. Over the years, the gospel concert has witnessed performances from renowned gospel acts such as Becky Bonney, Ceccy Twum, Francis Amo, KODA, Oware Junior, Jojo Arhin, Stephen Asamoah-Duah and his bandCompozers Band, Charlotte Appiah, Niella and a host others. ---Daily Guide "We are excited about working with Core-Mark to gain retail distribution nationally on our premium CBD products," said Kelly Michols, Solari Hemp CEO. "Core-Mark is one of the largest and most respected marketers to the convenience retail industry and Solari will greatly benefit from their marketing programs and technology capabilities. We greatly appreciate that they value our farm-to-shelf approach to the hemp-derived CBD industry and our strong commitment to making high-quality CBD products that their customers can count on." "We are pleased to be partnering with the Solari team to bring their branded CBD products to our US customer base," said Chris Murray, Core-Mark Senior Vice President of Marketing. "Solari has developed a unique and compelling portfolio of farm-to-shelf CBD products by leveraging cutting-edge technologies in farming extraction and product formulations. We look forward to accelerating the distribution of Solari products through Core-Mark's extensive supply chain and proven marketing capabilities." Solari has over 150 acres of hemp farmland in Longmont and Eaton, Colorado, with on-site extraction and distillation and a strong commitment to science and genetics. The farm-to-shelf hemp company offers high-quality hemp-derived wellness solutions at affordable pricing to enhance people's health regimens while encouraging consumers to "Live Better with Solari" every day. As one of the largest farmers in Colorado, Solari functions as both a B2B and B2C company, growing crops for their own products, as well as providing full-service hemp sourcing solutions and white labeling services for companies looking for a high-quality source of hemp. Solari's line-up of hemp-derived CBD products are currently available at over 2,000 retail locations, including Smoker Friendly, and online at SolariHemp.com and CBDDirectOnline.com. Please visit Solari online at SolariHemp.com and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SolariHemp to learn how to #LiveBetterWithSolari. ABOUT SOLARI HEMP Solari Hemp, founded in 2018 in Longmont, Colorado, is a farm-to-shelf hemp company with on-premise growing, harvesting, extraction, distillation, testing and product development. Solari Hemp utilizes cutting-edge technology and advanced methods in farming extraction, materials testing, and product formulations. Solari Hemp maintains full control over the production and development process from start to finish working with stable genetics yielding high-quality hemp-derived content and are committed to sustainable growth, smart scaling and quality in all aspects of their work. Solari Hemp offers high-quality, effective products that can easily be incorporated into your daily health regimen. With a generational history in Colorado along with farmers who are deeply rooted in the hemp farming sector, Solari Hemp is driven to be a positive voice for the hemp industry focusing on awareness and advocacy while working to ensure its long-term success. Solari Hemp launches with a full line of CBD Isolate products. Each product is third-party tested to ensure consistency and quality. For more information on Solari Hemp, please visit SolariHemp.com. ABOUT CORE-MARK Core-Mark is one of the largest marketers of fresh, food and broad-line supply solutions to the convenience retail industry in North America. Founded in 1888, Core-Mark offers a full range of products, marketing programs, and technology solutions to approximately 43,000 customer locations in the U.S. and Canada through 32 distribution centers (excluding two distribution facilities the Company operates as a third-party logistics provider). Core-Mark services traditional convenience stores, grocers, drug stores, mass merchants, liquor and specialty stores, and other stores that carry convenience products. For more information, please visit www.core-mark.com. Press Contact: CULTURESPUN, Inc . [email protected] SOURCE Solari Hemp; CULTURESPUN, Inc Related Links http://culturespun.com Forest ranger Brandon Poulton and the Lewis County Search and Rescue saved a Virginia man from a snowmobile accident at the intersection of Stillwater and Big Moose Road in the Stillwater Reservoir area. The man was transported by helicopter to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. That incident and others below involving Forest Rangers took place between Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. All specifics below were supplied by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Green Lake, Greene County Flat Ice Rescue Training: On Jan. 27, Forest Rangers from Region 4 (Zone A) simulated flat ice and cold-water rescues at Green Lake. Forest Rangers Rob Dawson and Jeff Breigle directed the training exercise. Forest Rangers rehearsed ice rescue techniques to simulate saving the life of a struggling person who has fallen into icy cold waters. Participants used cold-water rescue suits, throw bags, ice picks, and reach poles to practice this extremely important skill. For more information about being safe on the ice, go to DECs Ice Fishing webpage. Town of Webb, Herkimer County Wilderness Rescue: On Jan. 30 at 12:41 p.m., the town of Webb Police Chief contacted DECs Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a snowmobile accident at the intersection of Stillwater and Big Moose Road in the Stillwater Reservoir area. A 48-year-old male from Cross Junction, Virginia, complained of injuries to his lower extremities. Forest Ranger Brandon Poulton arrived at the scene and assisted Lewis County Search and Rescue with packaging the snowmobiler. The man was carried to a waiting vehicle, which transported him to a helicopter at Stillwater Headquarters. The snowmobiler was flown to a hospital in Syracuse for treatment. The incident concluded at 2:20 p.m. Town of Camillus, Onondaga County Wilderness Rescue: While on patrol on Jan. 31 at 3:15 p.m., Forest Ranger Mike Chappell overheard a radio call for assistance with a wildland search. A 35-year-old male from Camillus had reportedly left a supervised facility that borders the Camillus Forest Unique Area and could not be found. Forest Ranger Chappell responded, and once on scene, coordinated with the Camillus Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriffs Deputies to search the area for the missing man. At 3:50 p.m., Forest Ranger Chet Lunt responded, along with the Sheriffs Air-1 helicopter. As Ranger Chappell searched one of the hiking trails in the Camillus Forest, deputies with Air-1 reported they had located the man in a field in the state unique area. Forest Ranger Chappell responded to that location along with deputies and confirmed it was the missing man. They walked the subject out of the woods and turned him over to WAVES ambulance personnel for evaluation. Town of North Elba, Essex County Wilderness Rescue: On Feb. 1 at 10:24 a.m., DECs Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 26-year-old female from Hagaman with a possible right leg fracture near the summit of Scarface Mountain. Six Forest Rangers took snowmobiles in to Scarface as far as possible and then hiked the rest of the way before reaching the injured hiker at 12 p.m., just below the summit. The Rangers evaluated the hiker and packaged her for carry-out down the trail. The Rangers reached the snowmobiles at 1:30 p.m. and transported the woman back to the trailhead. She declined medical transport and advised she would be transported via personal vehicle to Saranac Lake for treatment. The incident concluded at 2:10 p.m. Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DECs Hike Smart NY and Adirondack Backcountry Information webpage for more information. READ MORE Winter bald eagle watch on Onondaga Lake continues to get better Bored? 7 winter weather activities in and around Rochester DEC seeks input on dealing with overuse by hikers and others in Adirondack High Peaks You can rent this entire Catskills ski mountain resort all to yourself for $4,500 a day Shark fins U.S. Fish And Wildlife Services Wildlife inspectors seized 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins at a Miami port, CBS News reported. While it's not illegal to sell shark fins in the US, the shipment contained species protected in the US. Activists have lobbied Congress to ban the sale of shark fins nationwide. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Wildlife inspectors seized 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins at a Miami port on January 24, CBS News reported. The 18 boxes of shark fins were valued between $700,000 and $1 million, CBS News reported, citing officials. US Fish and Wildlife Service officials believe the shipment was on its way from South America to Asia, where shark fins are used for cooking and traditional medicine. Customs and Border Protection helped with the investigation and said the boxes were falsely declared. While shark finning is illegal in US waters, buying and selling fins is not. However, the shipment violated the Lacey Act, which bans the trade of illegally obtained wildlife, CBS News reported. The shipment contained shark species protected by the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. The trading of shark fins is a major environmental concern because it depletes the ocean's shark populations, according to organizations such as Oceana. Oceana is lobbying Congress to pass the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act to stop the trade in the US. Authorities have not announced any criminal charges for the Miami shipment, and the investigation is ongoing, CBS News reported. Read the original article on Business Insider DETROIT Eight months after it seemed headed for the corporate junkyard, Tesla is now worth more than General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler combined, even though the Big Three together sell more cars and trucks in two weeks than Tesla does in a whole year. In a reversal of fortune analysts find amazing if not nutty, the stock of the electric vehicle and solar panel maker has rocketed to nearly $900, up over 30% in just the past two days. It is now worth five times what it was in June, when there were whispers of bankruptcy surrounding the company founded by the erratic visionary Elon Musk. Among the worlds automakers, Tesla, with a market value Tuesday just shy of $160 billion, ranks behind only Toyota, at $232 billion. Many investors see it as justified for a company that is leading the world in electric vehicle sales amid an expected global transition from the internal combustion engine to batteries. Others see the meteoric rise as just plain crazy for a company thats never turned a full-year profit. It doesnt seem to be closely attached to reality, said Gartner analyst Mike Ramsey. Tesla sold only 367,500 vehicles last year, compared with millions at GM, Ford or Fiat Chrysler. GM alone sold 7.7 million, 21 times more than Tesla. Just last spring, Tesla seemed to be in trouble. Its stock had fallen 40% largely on concerns that it was running out of buyers for its high-priced vehicles, which start at nearly $40,000 and can run well over $100,000. Big debt payments were looming, the company was burning cash and losses were growing. But sales emerged stronger than many expected, production problems were vanquished, and while Tesla lost $862 million in 2019, it turned a profit during the last two quarters of the year. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A suspected case of a potentially devastating disease to banana crops has been detected in the region that supplies more than 90 per cent of the fruit to Australia. Farmers are being encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity practices after a suspected case of Panama TR4 disease - a soil fungus, was detected at a far north Queensland banana farm. Panama disease devastates banana crops (file image). Credit:Andrew Daly / Australian Banana The disease is the biggest biosecurity threat to Australia's $580 million banana industry and eradication of the disease is not feasible. The Tully Valley property, south of Cairns, where the latest case has been detected is close to three other properties infested with the disease first found in Queensland in 2015. More than 500 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, have arrived at two military bases in California as Washington works to fly more stranded citizens home. The Pentagon said the US travelers on two State Department-chartered flights would be quarantined for 14 days after landing at Travis Air Force Base and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Both flights landed at the Travis Air Force Base in Solano County Wednesday morning. One of the flights needed to refuel before heading to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. The State Department separately said it may stage additional flights on Thursday. More than 500 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, have arrived at two US military bases in California as Washington works to fly more citizens home. The planes (far left and right, taxiing) landed Wednesday morning The State Department separately said it may stage additional flights on Thursday. This image shows one of the chartered flights carrying the Americans Both flights (pictured) landed at the Travis Air Force Base in Solano County Wednesday morning. One of the flights needed to refuel before heading to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego One of the planes is seen departing Travis Air Force Base after unloading the US citizens In China, the fast-spreading outbreak has killed 491 people, while two deaths have been reported outside of the mainland. More than 24,000 people have been infected across 25 countries In a statement, the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said 'several planes carrying passengers from Wuhan China will arrive in three states' this week. According to the CDC, the other locations are the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. 'These planes will be met by a team of CDC personnel deployed there to assess the health of the passengers. The passengers have been screened, monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff and during the flight,' the CDC said. According to the agency, 'CDC staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms'. 'These passengers will be issued quarantine orders upon arrival at their designated quarantine location. This quarantine order will begin on the day the flight left Wuhan and will continue for up to 14 days. 'Medical care will be readily available at the first onset of symptoms, if needed. CDC will work with the state and local public health departments to transport any passenger exhibiting symptoms to a hospital for further evaluation. Americans are seen preparing to board the flight from Wuhan to the US on Tuesday A passenger is seen wearing a face mask on the flight from Wuhan to the US on Tuesday Passengers are seen on the evacuation flight from Wuhan to the US on Tuesday 'We continue to believe the immediate risk of coronavirus exposure to the general public is low, however, CDC is undertaking these measures to help keep that risk low,' the agency said. US citizens who are evacuated are expected to reimburse the federal executive department for the flight. According to the Travis Air Force Base, evacuees will be housed at Travis' Westwind Inn lodging facility. 'A safety cordon will be established, away from residential housing, to ensure the Travis mission can safely continue, the privacy of the evacuees can be enforced, and to protect the health and welfare of our Team Travis community,' the base said in a statement. First reported in China in December 2019, the strain, known as 2019-nCov, is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, a city 700 miles south of the capital of Beijing. The fast-spreading outbreak has killed 491 people in China, while two deaths have been reported outside of the mainland. More than 24,000 people have been infected across 25 countries. US health officials have reported 11 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States so far, including two person-to-person transmissions, and have declared a health emergency with mandatory two-week quarantines for travelers from China's affected province. Members of a medical team communicate with a coronavirus patient at Hankou Hospital in Wuhan Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realize they have the infection The Trump administration declared a public health emergency on January 31, and announced the extraordinary measures of barring the entry of foreign nationals who have recently visited China. The State Department issued a 'Do Not Travel' to China advisory to US citizens, advising them to return on commercial flights if possible, though some commercial airlines have suspended flights to or from major Chinese cities. Americans criticize US government over response to evacuation from Wuhan When China cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province following the coronavirus outbreak, it made it difficult for some families to get out of Wuhan. There have been transportation restrictions to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. That lockdown made it even harder to get to the airport where evacuation flights arrived to transport Americans from Wuhan to the US. 'Were like refugees here,' a New Jersey woman said in response to the way the US government has handled the evacuation process. Others said they were confused by the process of evacuating Americans from the US Embassy first. 'I was a little taken aback by that. I was like, "Okay, you guys leave. What about the 1,000 Americans here? Whos looking out for our best interests?"' John McGrory said. Advertisement US officials have also restricted flights from China to 11 designated airports deemed capable of carrying out enhanced screening. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. The lockdown has made it difficult for some families like the Roth family to get out of Wuhan. Earlier this week Sam Roth was trying desperately to get his wife, Daisy and their two young children, 10-month-old Adalynn and five-year-old Abigail, out of Wuhan and back home to Neenah, Wisconsin. 'I dont want them to get sick. I want them to come home,' Roth told TMJ 4. His family flew to Wuhan on January 19 to see Daisys family for Lunar New Year. According to the station, Daisy and the children have stayed at her parents apartment, while waiting for a flight home. They were unable to get on the flight from Wuhan to the US last week due to priority given to those most at risk. 'My youngest daughter is more susceptible to that, than a healthy, middle-aged, adult,' Roth said. Roth said his family managed to get on one of the recent evacuation flights out of the virus-stricken city. His wife and children were among the 500 passengers to land in the US on Wednesday. Earlier this week Sam Roth (pictured) was trying desperately to get his wife and their two children out of Wuhan and back home to Neenah, Wisconsin Daisy and their two young children, 10-month-old Adalynn and five-year-old Abigail, were able to get on one of the chartered flights out of Wuhan that landed in the US Wednesday morning Other Americans have criticized the US government over their response to the evacuations. 'Were like refugees here,' a New Jersey woman told The Washington Post. 'Its been so frustrating, mainly because of the lack of information,' she added. John McGrory, a writer from Columbus, Ohio, told the newspaper that he is concerned with how the government evacuated officials from the US Embassy in China before anyone else. 'I was a little taken aback by that. I was like, "Okay, you guys leave. What about the 1,000 Americans here? Whos looking out for our best interests?"' he said. Last week, nearly 200 Americans were evacuated from Wuhan, mostly US diplomats and their families. That flight arrived landed at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County on January 29. In addition to the US, other countries have also been evacuating their citizens. Thailand evacuated 138 people from virus-hit Wuhan, Uzbekistan evacuated 250 and Australia evacuated more than 200 in the last four days. The regulator of Honduras has confirmed that it intends to release the 3.5GHz band for mobile use. Conatel (Comision Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) has stated that it intends to deliver the benefits of regional harmonisation with other Latin American countries by allowing operators to use the frequency. The decision to free up the band was prompted by the regulators desire to facilitate international roaming and spectrum optimisation while reducing the amount of investment required as well as time-to market. Spectrum between 3.3GHz and 3.7GHz will be allocated for mobile services, while the 3.7GHz to 3.8GHz range will be designated for fixed/wireless broadband. The spectrum will be sold at auction, with a date to be specified in the future. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-06 00:07:00 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 677 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTCPINK:LKMNF) ("Lucky" or the "Company") announces that the private placement previously announced on January 20, 2020 for 25,000,000 units at $0.02 per unit, for proceeds of $500,000, has been oversubscribed by $200,000.The over-subscribed private placement will now be for a maximum of 35,000,000 units at $0.02 per unit for proceeds of $700,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share at a price of $0.05 per common share for a period of 24 months after the closing. All of the Common Shares and Warrants of the Company issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four month hold period.The Transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.About LuckyAn exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna and Emigrant Projects.The Company's Fortuna Project is a royalty-free 550km2 (55,000 Ha, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concession. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador.The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD"Adrian Rothwell"Chief Executive OfficerFurther information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com , or by contacting Adrian Rothwell, President and CEO, by email at info@ luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking InformationThis news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations.The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. Zelensky enacts ratification of amended Ukraine-Singapore deal on avoidance of double taxation 02:40, 05.02.20 1152 Ukraine's Finance Minister Markarova says that similar agreements with changes will be ratified with another nine countries. Action will be taken in accordance with law to secure justice for all: Army on Nagaland firing incident Signing remains as Govt, Naga rebels close in on peace deal India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 05: The Naga peace talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) along with the Naga National Political Groups has concluded. Negotiations on all political issues have concluded, but the signing has been delayed owing to a few minor issues. The Naga rebel groups will have to take a call on this. Sources in the Union Home Ministry tell OneIndia that barring a few minor issues, all other aspects have been covered. The rebel groups will now have to take a call on the same. There are several hundred armed cadres of the NSCN-IM still in Myanmar and before the signing of the peace accord, they would have to surrender the source also said. People in Nagaland who came from foreign countries show no signs of coronavirus The Home Ministry has made it clear that some members of the group are involved in unlawful activities and this is not acceptable to the government. These are some of the issues that are pending and it is important that the cadres give up arms. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 The source also added that the government has been talking with the NSCN-IM and the NNPG separately. Both have come together and there would be just one peace accord, the official cited above said. The head of Sudan's ruling council said the benefits of his meeting with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu will be apparent soon, as controversy swirled at home over his apparent historic vow to move toward recognizing the Jewish state. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stressed the aim of Monday's talks with the Israeli prime minister was to help alleviate the nation's economic plight, much of which stems from its U.S. designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to comments reported Wednesday by pan-Arab TV stations. Al-Burhan, a lieutenant general, also said he'd notified Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok ahead of the meeting, which was arranged by the U.S. Sudan is being run by a joint civilian-military administration until elections slated for 2022, and the information minister previously said the government hadn't received advance notice. News of the meeting sparked intense debate in Muslim-majority Sudan, which is edging toward democracy after President Omar al-Bashir's three decades of authoritarian rule ended with his overthrow last year. No Sudanese government since independence in 1956 has had official ties with Israel, while the capital, Khartoum, was the venue for the 1967 Arab League summit that famously declared the so-called "Three No's": no peace, no recognition and no negotiations. The U.S. lifted sanctions on Sudan in the final years of Bashir's regime, although it gave little boost to an economy devastated by years of mismanagement. The African nation's continued designation as a terror sponsor, though, has prevented any serious foreign investment, according to officials from the transitional government, who have campaigned vigorously for its removal from the list. Hamdok earlier Wednesday called for the transitional government "as a whole" to ensure "accountability, responsibility and transparency." He stressed that decisions on foreign affairs had to made by the cabinet, as outlined in a key power-sharing agreement struck between the army and civilian activists after tense negotiations last year. The Sudanese Professionals Association, a once-clandestine group that organized the protests that helped bring Bashir down, on Wednesday denounced Burhan's meeting, and said normalization with Israel was a serious decision that shouldn't be taken by a transitional government. A slain drug dealer with "$50,000 on his head" was preparing to flee a day before he was locked in a toolbox with an associate and thrown in a lagoon, a court has been told. Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru's decomposing bodies were found in February 2016 after police dragged the large metal box from Scrubby Creek south of Brisbane. A court sketch of murder accused Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiat during his trial at the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Tuesday. Credit:Michael Felix/AAP The pair had been lured to a unit and assaulted by a group of men in Kingston 18 days earlier after Mr Breton disclosed to a school friend he had a photo of a drug dealer on his phone. "This is a photograph of Stou Daniels the prosecution says is what the trial is all about," prosecutor David Meredith told Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday. Maple Ave. E., 400 block, 10 p.m. Jan. 26 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 27. A person spat on the door of a restaurant. For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in China Cinda Asset Management Co., Ltd. (HKG:1359), since the last five years saw the share price fall 55%. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 11% in a month. But this could be related to poor market conditions -- stocks are down 8.5% in the same time. Check out our latest analysis for China Cinda Asset Management While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Looking back five years, both China Cinda Asset Management's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 1.2% per year. This reduction in EPS is less than the 15% annual reduction in the share price. This implies that the market is more cautious about the business these days. The low P/E ratio of 5.10 further reflects this reticence. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). SEHK:1359 Past and Future Earnings, February 5th 2020 This free interactive report on China Cinda Asset Management's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, China Cinda Asset Management's TSR for the last 5 years was -42%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. Story continues A Different Perspective While the broader market lost about 5.5% in the twelve months, China Cinda Asset Management shareholders did even worse, losing 16% (even including dividends) . However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 10% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for China Cinda Asset Management that you should be aware of before investing here. If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The future of the Energy Security Board, set up by the Turnbull government to steer national reforms in the energy sector, is up for review with early responses ranging from high praise to harsh rejection. Draft terms of reference for the review, obtained by the Herald and The Age, show that "cessation or continuation" of the board are among the options. Kerry Schott is the head of the Energy Security Board. Its future hangs in the balance. Credit:Louie Douvis Developing a "clear framework" for choosing the next chair and deputy chair for the three-year old body is another objective of the assessment. Kerry Schott, the board's chairwoman, is yet to make public her plans of whether to extend her term, assuming the board is extended beyond its original remit of July 2020. A woman has been killed and four others were left seriously injured after a horrific head-on smash in Sydney's airport tunnel. Two cars smashed in the northbound lane at Mascot shortly before 5.40am on Thursday. Pictures from the scene show a grey Honda HR-V and a white Ford Falcon mangled on the side of the road. Commuters faced huge delays as traffic backed up for 5km. One person is dead, and three others are critically injured in Sydney after a horror head-on crash in the airport tunnel heading south Police said five people were travelling in the northbound car, while the driver of the southbound car was the sole occupant. A passenger, who was a woman in her 30s, in the northbound car died at the scene, four others were seriously injured. They have all been rushed to hospital. The driver of southbound car was taken to St George Hospital for mandatory testing. Inspector Kath Rallings, from the NSW Ambulance, said it was an 'absolutely horrendous crash'. 'As you can imagine, when paramedics arrived on scene it was absolute bedlam. There were several patients in serious conditions and traffic backed up,' she said. 'Paramedics worked tirelessly with other emergency services, but despite their best efforts, nothing further could be done for one of the patients. Emergency crews are seen working on a patient at the scene of the crash in the Airport Tunnel on Thursday morning Pictures of the wreckage show a silver car smashed into the side of a white car 'Understandably, this is an extremely distressing situation for those involved as well as for our paramedics and other emergency services. 'This is going to have a rippled effect on everyone today. We are just urging everyone to take care on the roads and please stay safe.' Commuters have been told to expect long wait times as there is heavy traffic in the area. The Airport Tunnel southbound has been closed. Diversions are in place at Southern Cross Drive and Wentworth Street. Live Traffic NSW has advised travellers heading to the airport to use the T8 Airport train line. Investigators are currently at the scene. Police were at the scene of the crash on Thursday morning, where one person died A fleet of bright red electric bikes run by ride-share company Uber will hit Melbourne's streets next month, in a plan that councils hope will salvage the reputation of shared bike schemes. International company Jump has signed an agreement with Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip councils to green-light the city's first dockless e-bike scheme. Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp and the new Uber-run dockless e-bike, Jump. Credit:Eddie Jim The move comes hot on the heels of the disastrous oBike scheme in Melbourne, which saw yellow share bikes being ditched on footpaths or dumped in the Yarra and the removal of Melbourne's blue bikes. Around 400 Jump bikes which are operated via the Uber app are to be made available for hire in a one-year pilot scheme across the three councils. Stafford St. N., 900 block, 7:54 p.m. Jan. 24. A man became engaged in a conversation with two males when one of them demanded his property. When the man attempted to walk away, the males grabbed his jacket, causing him to fall, and both fled from the scene with the cash that fell out of the jacket pocket. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Wednesday the Syrian government to withdraw its military outside the Turkish observation posts in Syrian Idlib by the end of February, AP reported. "This is a new era in Syria. Nothing can remain the same where the Turkish soldier's blood has been shed," he said, in reference to Monday's deadly clashes. If our soldiers' safety cannot be ensured in Idlib, no one can deny our right to ensure it ourselves, he said. Earlier, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported that fighters of the Syrian army liberated 22 settlements in the Saraqib's outskirts in Idlib province, where the outpost of terrorists from the Jabhat al-Nusra groupis released per day. The rapid advance of government forces allowed them to block the enemys supply lines to force the militants to surrender. Idlib is the only region in Syria that has remained in the hands of illegal armed groups since 2012. A northern de-escalation zone was created there in 2017, where militants who refused to lay down arms in Eastern Ghouta and the southern regions of Syria moved there. In the province there are 12 observation posts of the Turkish army. Erdogan said that Ankara attaches particular importance to friendship and cooperation with Moscow. The Turkish leader said yesterday there is no need to enter into conflict or serious contradiction now, since Ankara and Moscow are implementing very serious strategic projects, including the construction of the first Akkuyu NPP in Turkey and the TurkStream gas pipeline project. Dublin, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "World - Chemical Wood Pulp (Dissolving Grades) - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global dissolving wood pulp market revenue amounted to $9.3B in 2018, jumping by 6.5% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). The market value increased at an average annual rate of +3.9% over the period from 2007 to 2018; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2013 with an increase of 21% y-o-y. Over the period under review, the global dissolving wood pulp market attained its peak figure level in 2018 and is likely to see steady growth in the near future. Consumption By Country The country with the largest volume of dissolving wood pulp consumption was China (4.9M tonnes), accounting for 50% of total consumption. Moreover, dissolving wood pulp consumption in China exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest consumer, India (889K tonnes), fivefold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Indonesia (590K tonnes), with a 6.1% share. From 2007 to 2018, the average annual rate of growth in terms of volume in China totaled +5.2%. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: India (+8.7% per year) and Indonesia (+3.3% per year). In value terms, China ($4.7B) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by India ($799M). It was followed by the U.S. Market Forecast 2019-2025 Driven by increasing demand for dissolving wood pulp worldwide, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next seven years. Market performance is forecast to decelerate, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +2.3% for the seven-year period from 2018 to 2025, which is projected to bring the market volume to 11M tonnes by the end of 2025. Production 2007-2018 Global dissolving wood pulp production stood at 8.6M tonnes in 2018, increasing by 2.2% against the previous year. The total output volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.0% from 2007 to 2018; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded in certain years. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2013 with an increase of 18% against the previous year. Over the period under review, global dissolving wood pulp production reached its peak figure volume in 2018 and is expected to retain its growth in the immediate term. In value terms, dissolving wood pulp production amounted to $7.9B in 2018 estimated in export prices. The total output value increased at an average annual rate of +3.2% from 2007 to 2018; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded in certain years. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2013 with an increase of 16% y-o-y. In that year, global dissolving wood pulp production attained its peak level of $8.2B. From 2014 to 2018, global dissolving wood pulp production growth failed to regain its momentum. Production By Country The countries with the highest volumes of dissolving wood pulp production in 2018 were China (1.8M tonnes), the U.S. (1.4M tonnes) and South Africa (950K tonnes), together comprising 48% of global production. Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Austria, Finland, India, the Czech Republic, Japan and Norway lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 41%. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of dissolving wood pulp production, amongst the main producing countries, was attained by Brazil, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Global Trade 2007-2018 In 2018, approx. 4.6M tonnes of dissolving wood pulp were exported worldwide; increasing by 4.1% against the previous year. Overall, dissolving wood pulp exports continue to indicate a buoyant increase. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2008 with an increase of 15% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global dissolving wood pulp exports reached their peak figure in 2018 and are expected to retain its growth in the near future. In value terms, dissolving wood pulp exports totaled $4.5B (estimates) in 2018. Overall, dissolving wood pulp exports continue to indicate resilient growth. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 when exports increased by 32% year-to-year. Over the period under review, global dissolving wood pulp exports attained their maximum in 2018 and are expected to retain its growth in the near future. Exports by Country South Africa (948K tonnes), the U.S. (902K tonnes), Brazil (702K tonnes), Canada (522K tonnes) and Sweden (478K tonnes) represented roughly 77% of total exports of dissolving wood pulp in 2018. It was distantly followed by the Czech Republic (225K tonnes), committing a 4.9% share of total exports. Norway (143K tonnes) took a minor share of total exports. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of exports, amongst the main exporting countries, was attained by Brazil, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. In value terms, the largest dissolving wood pulp markets worldwide were the U.S. ($975M), Brazil ($766M) and South Africa ($754M), with a combined 56% share of global exports. Brazil experienced the highest rates of growth with regard to exports, in terms of the main exporting countries over the last eleven-year period, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Export Prices by Country In 2018, the average dissolving wood pulp export price amounted to $964 per tonne, therefore, remained relatively stable against the previous year. Overall, the dissolving wood pulp export price, however, continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 an increase of 17% y-o-y. In that year, the average export prices for dissolving wood pulp attained their peak level of $1,237 per tonne. From 2012 to 2018, the growth in terms of the average export prices for dissolving wood pulp failed to regain its momentum. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major exporting countries. In 2018, the country with the highest price was Norway ($1,274 per tonne), while South Africa ($795 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Brazil, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Imports by Country China represented the major importer of dissolving wood pulp in the world, with the volume of imports finishing at 3.1M tonnes, which was near 53% of total imports in 2018. India (634K tonnes) ranks second in terms of the total imports with a 11% share, followed by Indonesia (7.9%) and Germany (7.3%). Japan (162K tonnes), Thailand (158K tonnes), China, Macao SAR (142K tonnes) and Austria (87K tonnes) took a relatively small share of total imports. Imports into China increased at an average annual rate of +17.3% from 2007 to 2018. At the same time, India (+18.2%), Indonesia (+11.4%), Austria (+7.5%), Japan (+6.6%), Thailand (+3.6%) and Germany (+2.3%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, India emerged as the fastest-growing importer in the world, with a CAGR of +18.2% from 2007-2018. China, Macao SAR experienced a relatively flat trend pattern. From 2007 to 2018, the share of China, India, Indonesia, China, Macao SAR and Germany increased by +44%, +9.3%, +5.5%, +2.5% and +1.6% percentage points, while the shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period. In value terms, China ($3B) constitutes the largest market for imported dissolving wood pulp worldwide, comprising 54% of global imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by India ($590M), with a 11% share of global imports. It was followed by Germany, with a 7.5% share. In China, dissolving wood pulp imports increased at an average annual rate of +16.8% over the period from 2007-2018. The remaining importing countries recorded the following average annual rates of imports growth: India (+18.7% per year) and Germany (+2.4% per year). Import Prices by Country The average dissolving wood pulp import price stood at $962 per tonne in 2018, standing approx. at the previous year. Overall, the dissolving wood pulp import price continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 when the average import price increased by 22% y-o-y. In that year, the average import prices for dissolving wood pulp attained their peak level of $1,286 per tonne. From 2012 to 2018, the growth in terms of the average import prices for dissolving wood pulp remained at a lower figure. Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was Japan ($1,149 per tonne), while China, Macao SAR ($509 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Thailand, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global dissolving wood pulp market. Within it, you will discover the latest data on market trends and opportunities by country, consumption, production and price developments, as well as the global trade (imports and exports). The forecast exhibits the market prospects through 2025. Data Coverage Market volume and value Per Capita consumption Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term Production in World, split by region and country Trade (exports and imports) in World Export and import prices Market trends, drivers and restraints Key market players and their profiles For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e048f2 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. STUTTGART, Germany -- The Army is offering big bucks to lure more warrant officers into the air defense artillery branch, where specialists are in high demand to meet an expanding set of global missions. The Army said it will pay a $60,000 bonus in the hopes of attracting new warrant officers to fill manning gaps. Sixty-eight new ADA warrant officers are needed each year, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jonathon Boone said in a recent Army statement. "We always need three warrant officers per (ADA) unit, and 12 warrant officers per battalion," Boone said. There are three ADA warrant officer specialties: command and control systems integrator, air and missile defense tactician, and air and missile defense systems technician. The $60,000 bonus is open just to new defense tacticians and technicians, the Army said. The service added it will accept warrant applicants from service members in other branches interested in switching to the Army. The Army has recently placed Short-Range Air Defense capabilities near the top of its priority list as it seeks to counter adversaries like Russia and China. Most SHORAD units in the active Army stood down in the aftermath of the Cold War, as the military shifted focus to counterinsurgency operations. However, Russia's military intervention in Ukraine in 2014 and backing of separatists in the ongoing conflict in the country was a turning point for the Army. The war in eastern Ukraine sparked renewed interest in rebuilding air-defense capabilities needed to combat more sophisticated weaponry than what troops faced during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army got a "wake-up call" when it witnessed the conflict in Ukraine, Col. Mark A. Holler, commandant of the Air Defense Artillery School, said in a July statement. In 2018, the Army activated the first SHORAD unit to be stationed in Germany since the end of the Cold War drawdown. The push for more firepower is happening across the Army. Three years ago, none of the Army's 10 active divisions had short-range air defense battalions assigned to them. In 2019, the Army said it would add 10 SHORAD units by 2024. In the 1990s, it was standard for every division to have assigned SHORAD units. The bonuses come as the Army seeks to improve officer retention in multiple high-demand jobs. Last week, the service hiked incentive pay for pilots for the first time in two decades. Read more: Russian Submarine Activity Has Picked Up in Atlantic, Navy 3-Star Says Stocks extended a global rally and oil prices surged higher Wednesday on eased market concerns about the impact of the deadly China virus following reports of a scientific breakthrough on tackling the epidemic, dealers said. Strong US employment data underpinned market sentiment as well. "Equity markets in Europe are driving higher on talk there has been progress in relation to the coronavirus situation," said David Madden, analyst at CMC Markets UK. Asian markets had posted gains earlier in the day following record highs overnight on Wall Street, which continued to move higher in midday trading on Wednesday on a better-than-expected gain in employment in January. Meanwhile, Sky News had reported that a UK research team working on a coronavirus vaccine had made a "significant breakthrough". Professor Robin Shattock at Imperial College London told the broadcaster he was ready to begin testing the vaccine on animals next week. "US futures and European stocks gained and Treasuries tanked as virus optimism ran wild on reports that a key breakthrough was made in the search for a coronavirus cure," noted Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda trading group. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde commented meanwhile that the novel coronavirus in China and beyond presents "a new layer of uncertainty" for European economies. Traders however took heart from the fact that the virus' spread outside China had not spiralled. Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said "the stock market has remained resolute in its determination that any economic impact caused by the coronavirus will be short-term in nature" despite a number of firms acknowledging their operations in China would be impacted. Sportswear maker Adidas and European planemaker Airbus were among the latest, with Airbus saying that it has shut its factory outside Beijing that carries out the final assembly of its A320 and A330 planes. Meanwhile, moves by Chinese authorities to support mainland stocks were also providing cheer, with the central bank pumping more than $200 billion into financial markets and the government easing restrictions on equities trading. The rally in riskier assets saw investors shift out of safer investments such as gold and yen, dealers said. Elsewhere, the pound reversed a rise against the dollar after the payrolls firm ADP reported that US companies added 291,000 jobs in January, far above expectations. The dominant US services sector accelerated for the second straight month in January as well, and services firms continued to struggle to find workers, a report by the Institute for Supply Management showed. - Key figures around 1645 GMT - London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 7,482.48 points (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.5 percent at 13,478.33 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.9 percent at 5,985.40 (close) EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.2 percent at 3,777.84 New York - DOW: UP 1.0 percent at 29,106.03 Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 2818.09 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.4 percent at 26,786.74 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.0 percent at 23,319.56 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1004 from $1.1044 at 2200 GMT Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2994 from $1.3031 Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.68 pence from 84.76 pence Dollar/yen: UP at 109.68 yen from 109.52 yen Brent Crude: UP 3.6 percent at $55.92 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.8 percent at $51.47 per barrel A 13-year-old girl is starting a legal battle to force a council to withdraw guidance to schools on how to support youngsters questioning their gender identity. In a landmark legal case, the pupil, who attends a co-educational secondary school, claims her safety, privacy and dignity are compromised by Oxfordshire County Councils Trans Inclusion Toolkit. The 65-page guide says transgender pupils can use the school lavatories and changing rooms that correspond to their gender identity. Lawyers for the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, yesterday filed a request for a judicial review against Oxfordshire County Council at the High Court in London The pupil, who attends a co-educational secondary school, claims her safety, privacy and dignity are compromised by Oxfordshire County Councils Trans Inclusion Toolkit It also says that on residential trips trans pupils should be able to use the dorm appropriate to the sex they identity as. Lawyers for the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, yesterday filed a request for a judicial review against the council at the High Court in London on the basis that the toolkit puts her at risk. Last night the girl said in a statement she felt sad, powerless and confused by the advice. I dont understand how allowing boys and girls to share private spaces is okay, she added. The council said it utterly refutes suggestions it is failing to safeguard children. Robin Guess is Featured in the KNOW Tampa Annual Publication Tampa, FL-- November 5, 2019 -- Today at the KNOW Tampa Book launch event held at The Orlo House in South Tampa, Robin Guess, Founder of Beau Gachis Cosmetics was one of 93 other women who were featured in the 2nd annual publication that recognizes Tampa's "Women you must KNOW and do business with". The women listed in the book are Representative Image Nazimuddin Siddique On 27 January, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Assam government, factions of the terrorist organisation National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) signed the new Bodo Agreement. The accord calls for renaming the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) to the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), and increase in the number of seats of the BTAD council from 40 to 60. The government will set up a commission to study about the inclusion of the Bodo-majority villages into the BTR, and the exclusion of the non-tribal majority villages from it. The NDFB will be given amnesty and efforts will be taken to rehabilitate its members. Subsequently, 1,615 NDFB members surrendered before the Indian government. . The Bodos make up about 5 percent of the total population of Assam. Their demand for a separate homeland commenced in 1967 through the Plain Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA), but the demand did not materialise. Bodo leaders actively participated in the Assam Movement, but the Assam Accord did not recognise the interests of the Bodo masses and its elites This, compounded with the historical alienation of the Bodos by the Aomiya political elites, created a sense of deep despair among the Bodo political elites. It finally led to the start of the Bodo Movement, which demanded Assam be split into two with the new state being Bodoland. The Bodo Movement brought forth unprecedented violence in Assam, especially in the western Assam. Several terror groups came out of this movement and the most prominent among them were the Bodo Security Force (BSF), which later became the NDFB, and the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). The NDFB has several factions, and four of them engaged in the recent peace talk. While the Ministry of Home affairs records that over 4,000 lives have been lost to the Bodo movement, many experts feel that the figure is north of 20,000. Terrorists, claiming to represent the Bodo people, were responsible for these lives lost to ethnic cleansing. The recently-signed accord is the third accord the government has signed with the Bodo political elites and with the extremists. The first Bodo accord was signed on February 20, 1993, which paved the way for the formation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC). The accord, inked by the central and state governments and the leaders of the Bodo movement, ultimately failed. The second accord, signed on February 10, 2003, was between the central and state governments and the BLT.. This Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) gave birth of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which was much celebrated by the Bodos, in the same manner most of the Bodos are jubilant about the latest accord. The BTC included four districts Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, and Udalguri. These four districts, together known as the BTAD, have about 70 percent non-Bodos, who do not enjoy any significant political rights. For the 2003 accord, the government did not consult non-Bodo representatives, and the MoS left out the NDFB, which was operating in a ruthless manner in Assam before and after the accord. Given these factors it was doomed to fail. In the years following this, the movement continued mainly by the ABSU politically and by the NDFB through violent terrorist activities. Killings and bomb blasts became normal in the western Assam. This has led to the third and current accord. After signing the accord Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the territory of Assam will not get divided, but the development over the decades clearly indicates that the BTR is increasingly moving towards a separate state. The Bodo movement in western Assam is an example of an ethnocracy-inspired movement. Only 27 percent of the total populations in the BTAD are Bodos. In the line of previous two accords, this one too completely dismisses the interest and rights of no less than 70 percent non-Bodo population in the BTAD. Thousands of people belonging to the Adivasi, the Koch-Rajbanshis, the Muslims, the Gorkhas, etc. were forcibly displaced from their homes, in the series of internecine violence. Thousands of these people still remain displaced, and while the government has talked about the rehabilitation of the factions of the NDFB, it has surprisingly maintained a silence on the rehabilitation of these citizens who have been victims of the Bodo movement. In the midst of all these deep intricacies, this peace accord has brought cheer to thousands of Bodos, while an uneasy silence is observed among the non-Bodos, who constitute the majority of the region. Families fleeing the coronavirus epidemic in China could be sent to isolated mining camps or hotels as Christmas Island fills up with plane-loads of Australians. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the government was drawing up contingency plans "for every possible scenario" after more than 200 Australians were forced into quarantine on a cruise ship off the Japanese coast. Two Australian passengers of the Diamond Princess have caught the coronavirus after an infected passenger flew from Wuhan to Tokyo and spread the disease to others on board. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We have been worried about cruise ships. We are worried about what happens if further provinces are shut down and whether we face the prospect of trying to assist people to depart literally in the thousands," Mr Dutton said. Use of HIV medication to be investigated as coronavirus treatment ROC Central News Agency 02/05/2020 11:02 AM Taipei, Feb. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) will investigate the use of an HIV medication as a treatment for the coronavirus that has been declared a global public heath emergency, according to an institute researcher Tuesday. John Hsu (), an investigator with the NHRI's Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, said reports indicate that Kaletra, which is used to treat HIV-1, has shown promising results when used in conjunction with interferons in treating the coronavirus. The antiretroviral medication is an inhibitor and works by blocking a protease (an enzyme that breaks down proteins) the coronavirus needs to reproduce, he said. "This is why this virus is evil because it relies on the protease to harm healthy cells," he said. "If we can inhibit this protease, then we have a drug that works." The original use of Kaletra was to treat HIV, but it has been found to inhibit the protease used by the coronavirus, Hsu said. "We have some excellent case reports," he said. "Unlike HIV, which is a lifelong condition, coronavirus patients only need to use the drug when they are most ill, and then their immune system will take care of the rest." Hsu said there are around 10 drugs similar to Kaletra, and his study will see if there is a cocktail therapy that can better treat the coronavirus. Li Chia-wei (), a professor with National Tsing Hua University's Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, said using medicine that has already been around to treat new diseases will help reduce the time needed to create new drugs. "A new drug takes some 10 to 20 years and around US$1 billion to US$2 billion to develop," he said. According to international media, doctors in Thailand, which has 25 confirmed coronavirus cases, have administered Kaletra in conjunction with anti-flu medication to some patients and the results have been promising. The acute respiratory disease was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization on Jan. 31. Taiwan has confirmed 11 people infected while China has already recorded 20,511 infections and 426 deaths since the virus was first identified, according to official statistics as of Tuesday. (By William Yen) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address During the first two Saturdays and Sundays in February, the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail wineries will be hosting the Wine and Chocolate Trail. The Wine and Chocolate Trail is a wonderful way to celebrate Valentines Day. When you arrive at your first winery, you will receive a Commemorative Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail glass to use and keep for all of your tastings. Ticket holders will also receive a specially selected Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail gift at their sixth stop, while supplies last. Guests have the option to start at the winery of their choice. Trail tickets are valid for one visit at each of the wineries during the two weekends of the trail, regardless of when tickets are purchased. The official hours for this event are noon to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday for each trail weekend, regardless of the wineries individual tasting room hours. The following wineries will be participating: Bernhardt Winery, Messina Hof Winery, Peach Creek Winery, Perrine Winery, Pleasant Hill Winery, Saddlehorn Winery, and Texas Star Winery. Tickets must be purchased online at www.localwineevents.com, with tickets selling at $35 per individual adult or $56 for a couple. Texas Vineyards The vineyards along the Gulf Coast, including Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties will be seeing a lot of human intervention called pruning. Since the Gulf Coast has mild winters, pruning is done much earlier than California and other parts of Texas. Pruning controls not only how the grapevine grows, but it is used to limit the amount of grapes each vine will produce. The grapevine is founded on its root system. Too many grapes pulling nutrition from the root system will cause plump grapes with little character since the root system cannot sufficiently provide the required nutrition. Reducing the grape load to a suitable level will produce grapes which get the suitable proportioned nutrition from its roots. In other words, lower grape production will provide grapes with a suitable level of root nutrition which will display the grape varietals characteristics. This provides grapes which will produce a better wine. If you want to learn firsthand about vineyard pruning, check out these local vineyards for a hands-on experience in the vineyards: Wild Stallion Vineyards off West Rayford Road in Harris County has free vineyard seminar led by Fritz Westover, a renowned national viticulturist on Saturday, Feb. 8 starting at 8:30. Reservations are a MUST at by calling 281-803-9463 or emailing Wild Stallion Vineyards info@wildstallionvineyards.com. Bernhardt Winery off Texas 105 will be hosting vineyard pruning in their vineyards on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9. Haak Winery in Galveston County held their pruning day on Jan. 12. If you are going into a vineyard, wear appropriate clothing including closed toed shoes. Please bring pruning shears and an appetite to learn. Grape Vine wreaths can be made from the cuttings or you can growth new grape vines using a grape vine shoot with at least seven buds. Bernhardt Winery Winter Concert Series RONS WINE PICK Bernhardt Winery Conquistador Wine Characteristics: This red wine has a nose of black olive and leather imbedded with a palette of spices. Gold Medal Winner at the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition. Grapes: Black Spanish Grapes grown along the Texas Gulf Coast. Pair with: Barbecued meats Where to buy: Bernhardt Winery near Plantersville Price: $30.00 per bottle See More Collapse The weather over the next three months is normally cold, wet, and windy so the Bernhardts have moved their concerts inside their winery event room. The settings are intimate, warm, and friendly. Since the winery event room is limited in size, this series of events is on a reservation basis only for the first 60 paid reservations. Outstanding music, buffet appetizers and desert are provided with patrons providing their own main courses for their meals. Concert admission with appetizers and desert is $35 per adult. The event room opens at 4:15 p.m. with a Meet and Greet in the Winerys Soleil Room with appetizers followed by the concert running through 7 p.m. There will be a concert intermission and a Sunset Toast. Please call 936-894-9829 to make your reservation for a memorable Sunday afternoon. Upcoming concerts include: Feb. 23 - Bayou Roux celebrates Mardi Gras Feb. 29 - Shake Russell and Michael Hearne from noon to 6 in this special concert. March 15 - Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos April 18 - Chocolate, Strawberry and Wine Festival Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net. A Portland man has been arrested and charged with 12 counts of rape and sexual abuse against four different women. Swift, 50, is charged with raping four different women from June to December of last year.Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Anthony Kronus Swift, 50, allegedly abused the victims between June and December of 2019. Court documents show that the victims were incapable of consenting because of physical and mental disabilities. Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, said he couldnt say if Swift knew the victims, or what his connection was to them. A court document following Swifts arrest shows that when investigators asked him if he knew the victims, he didnt offer specifics, but laughed and said a couple of girls who arent right, they have problems in the head. Swift has pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts and has a court hearing April 23. According to court documents, Swift has also been known by the names Nathan Ray Buckman, Karona Karonus Corona, John Hansacker and Anthony K. Smith. They also show that Swift had methamphetamine charges and is homeless. Court records say Swift was a co-founder of the Krude Rude Brood, a white supremacist gang based out of Portland. Previous court records show that Swifts criminal history in Oregon stretches back to 1988, with dozens of charges of robbery and assault. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, said in an article about the Krude Rude Brood that Swift had been released in 2017 after a 15-year stint in a Texas federal prison on gang-related felony charges. He currently has two open cases of felony identity theft, both from October 2019. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Just days away from the meeting between Catalan president Quim Torra and his Spanish counterpart, PM Pedro Sanchez, Spains courts of law are working double time to throw a spanner in the works. On Monday Catalonias High Court [TSJC] pressed fresh charges against president Torra over his decision to hang a banner in support of the political prisoners and exiles from the balcony of the Catalan government building. Torra has recently been stripped of his seat in parliament by Spains Electoral Board following an identical incident. This time the charges stem from a complaint lodged by [unionist platform] Impulso Ciudadano which prompted the TSJC to give the Catalan leader 48 hours to remove the banner. It was September 19. The Catalan president refused to and it wasnt until September 27 that police officers were instructed to take it down. Parallel to this, on Friday last week Spains Constitutional Court brought criminal charges against the Speaker of the Catalan parliament, Roger Torrent, after the chamber passed a resolution against the Spanish monarchy and in favour of self-determination. Furthermore, Justice Pablo Llarena has asked the UK authorities to extradite [exiled Catalan MEP] Clara Ponsati with the excuse that she has lost her parliamentary immunity due to Brexit. At the same time, the Public Prosecutor has spoken against granting Jordi Cuixart a three-day leave from prison because he shows no regret. Everything indicates that the objective of taking the Catalan feud out of the courts which Pedro Sanchez and the PSOE pledged to undertake will be much harder to achieve than initially thought. Once it has been set in motion, the machinery of the judiciary is very difficult to stop. Therefore, if there is one thing we can anticipate about the coming months it is that the judiciary will continue to apply pressure because to a large extent it is one of the bodies of the State that oppose all change and seek to wreck both the policies of the new PSOE-Podemos executive as well as any attempt to hold talks with Catalonia. The Catalan secessionist parties would do well to include this variable in they analysis of the situation and try, if at all possible, not to allow this to affect their main strategy: the possibility of a dialogue with the State. Catalan politics must be rid of the supervision of courts of law, must be shielded against their actions and, therefore, judges and prosecutors shouldnt be find it easy to intervene. At the same time, the judicial battle in Europe must go on whilst remembering that it is defeats in Europe that irritate Spanish judges the most. This will be a long game that, for now, the PSOE has agreed to play with gestures like a hypothetical reduction of the penalty for the crime of sedition. Still, that is not the ideal solution: what is needed is an amnesty that embraces all the legal cases to do with Catalonias independence bid. We must be aware that this wont be achieved easily, as it must be approved by a majority of representatives in the Spanish parliament. Meanwhile Spains judicial machine will keep working to ruin any solution or measure that benefits the political prisoners, the exiles and everyone who is still facing charges. Joy as hope is restored to bright student When classes started on Monday, Triphin Mudzvengi was sitting attentively among the studious first-year engineering students. Mudzvengi captured the hearts of South Africans about a week ago with her story. She had achieved seven distinctions in her matric final exams but had no funding to pursue her studies as her parents - a domestic worker and bricklayer - could not afford the fees. Although she had a merit award of R15 000 from the University in recognition of her achievement, she still needed more funds to cover tuition, accommodation and book expenses. Her plight caught the attention of well-wishers ranging from corporate donors to individuals wanting to contribute to a life that holds promise. It was this spirit of generosity that paid the fees of the Zimbabwean young lady who arrived in South Africa in 2010 with her parents. In a meeting with Prof. Ian Jandrell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, whose office facilitated her arrival, Mudzvengi shared her excitement: I am relieved, happy and excited to finally be here. She also thanked everyone that wished her well and paved the way for her studies. We continue to be amazed by the spirit of generosity shown by ordinary South Africans when matters like this emerge. We hope that this spirit will extend to many others across the country who are in similar positions, by donating to university fundraising offices, said Jandrell. Now that her future is secured, Mudzvengi is looking forward to diving into her engineering programme and exploring university life. Her extra-curricular interests include debating and she will be right at home with the Wits Debating Union, a student society that was won many African titles as the best team in Africa. She has also settled in at a Wits residence where she reunited with two friends that she met at national debating tournaments and science expos. The clash between Liberal moderates and pro-coal National Party MPs dominated Tuesdays Coalition party room meeting. But it was almost overshadowed by a more peculiar biff - whether new arrival David Van had better legs than some of his colleagues. Victorian Liberal senator Van, for reasons unknown, stood to tell the party room about his work with BlazeAid, a charity which helps farmers rebuild after natural disasters. He mentioned, having worn shorts while volunteering, that he could prove his hard work by the scratches on his leg. Liberal MP Tony Pasin, a South Australian from regional Mount Gambier, was not about to let this go unchallenged. He noted, loudly, that Van could have avoided injury by wearing pants. (Pasin, for the record, also volunteers with BlazeAid.) Keep your shirt on: Victorian Senator David Van was keen spruik his work for bushfire charity, Blaze Aid Credit:Shakespeare Im a young man and unlike you I can wear shorts and show off my legs, Van, 56, apparently told Pasin, 42, according to those in the room. Rochester City Council member Shaun Palmer went into a meeting with Rochester Civic Theatre representatives about 13 hours after proposing the city reclaim $200,000 in funding. "Reading the lease, we have no obligation to fund anything for the Civic Theatre, and looking at their finances, I would say we dont want to," he said Monday night at the end of a council meeting. While Council President Randy Staver called the proposal premature, Palmer hadnt changed his mind in the morning. "Im ashamed we gave you $200,000, and I sit on the City Council," he told Civic Theatre Board President Jeff Haynes and Sinead Chick, the theater's director of operations. "I think we were misled. I think we were duped, and I'm just offended by that." Sitting across the table from the two representatives, he encouraged them to consider reimbursing the city following questions about the organizations financing. ADVERTISEMENT Haynes acknowledged that the Civic has seen significant financial challenges recently, saying the majority of the problems became evident in June, following unclear financial reports. Unaudited reports appear to show deficit spending since the beginning of the fiscal year that started in August 2018. In an attempt to address some problems, the theater obtained a $300,000 unsecured five-year loan last fall and board members pitched in a combined $100,000 approximately $40,000 in donations and $60,000 in loans. The loans have raised red flags, since former Civic Executive Director Kevin Miller reportedly opted against disclosing them to the city, despite the private nonprofit organizations reports of growing dependence on outside support, including annual city funding. Rochester City Attorney Jason Loos said the loans from sitting board members could cause conflicts for the organization. "I would see that as a huge conflict of interest," he said. Council member Michael Wojcik put blame on a lack of board oversight regarding Miller, who resigned last month. "Its pretty clear looking at the financials and the history of events that happened that Kevin Miller was a snake-oil salesman. He was a fraud, and he cheated the community," he said, while stopping short of suggesting the city pull all of the organizations funding. ADVERTISEMENT Wojcik said hed like to see the theater return $90,000 in funds intended to cover building maintenance costs, which could be overseen by the city. Additionally, he suggested the city take back at least half of the remaining $110,000, which would be held until the Civic is moving toward solid financial ground. Council member Nick Campion also raised concerns about the delay in discovering problems. "Im struggling a little bit to understand when the board said this was a problem," he said. Haynes said problems came to light over time, but the board has a plan in place to correct financial reports and gain financial footing, with weekly updates and working to create a more "realistic" budget for the year. "I personally have every confidence we can turn this around," said Haynes, who took over as Civic board president last month. Wojcik said the lack of reliable numbers point to a need for further investigation by the city. The council members were presented with some balance sheets and budget items at one point, and additional material was posted days later. Some of the items appeared to send conflicting messages about the financial state of the Civic Theatre. Haynes said some of the confusion in reporting appears to stem from Millers lack of understanding regarding the financial software, adding that the organization has relied on volunteer bookkeeping support throughout the years. Following estimates that $250,000 was spent on professional actors in 2019 and reports that bills, including November and December payrolls, were missed or late during the year, members of the councils Outside Agency Oversight commission said more information is needed. ADVERTISEMENT "We are going to need to get continuous updates before we can get a true final opinion on whats going on," Wojcik said. The council members scheduled another meeting to discuss the issue at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 12 in Room 104 of City Hall. During the meeting, they said they want to review continued disclosures, as well as potential models for funding and ways to see a return of funds for possible monthly distribution. City Administrator Steve Rymer has suggested that alternate models could end funding for the Civic Theatre. "We should look at ways of sustaining performing arts for this community," he said, noting that it doesnt mean sustaining the organization that has operated in the Mayo Civic Center for decades. Wojcik said recent operational changes, as well as work done by the citys Civic Music Department, could provide options for reducing costs for performing arts options, while also adding options for a growing number of local theater programs. Looking at options could ensure programs are supported and city funds are spent properly, he added. "A big part of this for me is risk mitigation for the city of Rochester," he said. Sydney, Feb. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Brasil outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Brazil-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses The Brazilian fixed-line market continues to suffer from consumers substituting services for mobile and VoIP solutions, the latter offerings being treated as value-add and thus not being regulated. As a result, VoIP services are offered by many providers. The country is a key platform for a number of important submarine cables connecting to the USA, Central and South America, Africa and the Caribbean. Several new cable systems are due to come into service through to 2022, which will increase bandwidth and push down broadband prices for end-users. Investments are also ongoing into extensive terrestrial cables between Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The principal telcos include Telefonica Brasil, operating fixed-line and mobile services under the Vivo brand, as well as America Movil operating services under the Claro brand. Oi also offers a range of services though the companys financial difficulties have prompted it to consider selling its mobile business in a bid to reduce debt. Brazil has one of the largest mobile markets in Latin America. Changes to the dynamics of the market further into 2020 are expected if Oi successfully completes the sale of its mobile unit. The multi-spectrum auction intended to push the development of 5G was scheduled for March 2020 but has been delayed due to interference issues with satellite TV broadcasts. The auction will be the largest conducted in Brazil thus far, though given the underused capabilities of LTE it is unlikely that the licensees will provide commercial services before the end of 2021. The country also has one of the largest broadband markets in Latin America, though broadband penetration is only slightly above the regional average, trailing behind Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Amendments to the licensing regime adopted in October 2019 also require that ISPs which have switched to authorisations invest money saved from lighter regulations be invested in the expansion of broadband services. Claro is the leading broadband network operator, followed by Vivo and Oi. Oi and Vivo provide services via DSL while Claro is principally a cable broadband provider. The fibre segment has shown the strongest growth during the last two years, reflecting efforts among providers to extend their networks. This report provides a review of Brazils telecom market, including infrastructure and the regulatory environment. It profiles the main fixed-line operators and provides relevant statistics and analyses. The report also covers the mobile voice and data segments, providing a range of statistics and analyses, as also subscriber forecasts. In addition, the report reviews the fixed and fixed-wireless broadband sectors, including an assessment of technologies and regulatory influences. Key developments: More operators launch FttP services; EllaLink cable system becomes operational; Legislative reform eases restrictions on telcos and opens up market for spectrum trading; GlobeNet and Facebook start laying the 2,500km Malbec cable; Seabras-1 cable to provide direct route between the US and Brazil; Nextel Brazil sold to America Movil; Multi-spectrum 5G auction delayed due to interference issues; Mercosur countries end international roaming charges; Report update includes the regulator's market data updates to November 2019, operator data to Q3 2019, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments Companies mentioned in this report: Telefonica Brasil/Vivo, TIM Brasil, Claro, Oi, Nextel Brasil, CTBC/Algar Telecom, Sercomtel Celular, Vodafone Brazil/ARQIA, Embratel, GVT, Universo Online (UOL), Net Servicos de Comunicacao, Intelig, Neovia, Eletropaulo Telecom, Copel, BuscaPe, Global Crossing, Star One, TelesatBrasil, Hispamar, Telebras, Intelig Henry Lancaster February 2020 Table of Contents Key statistics Regional Latin America Market Comparison Telecom Maturity Index by tier Market Leaders Market Challengers Market Emergents South America Telecom Maturity Index Central America Telecom Maturity Index TMI versus GDP Mobile and mobile broadband penetration Fixed and mobile broadband penetration Country overview Telecommunications market Historical overview Market analysis Regulatory environment Regulatory developments General Plan for Updating Telecom Regulations (PGR) General Telecommunications Act Regulatory authority Fixed-line developments Privatisation of Telebras Telecom sector liberalisation General Competition Plan Concessions and authorisations Mirror companies Universal service goals Government telecom funds (Fust, Fistel, and Funttel) Number Portability (NP) Access Interconnection Fixed-line contract renewal 2006 Fixed-line contract renewal 2011 Mobile network developments Mobile spectrum allocation and concession areas Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Roaming Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) Network sharing Tower infrastructure Mobile market Mobile statistics Mobile infrastructure Analogue networks Digital networks 5G 4G (LTE) 3G GSM Other infrastructure developments Mobile data SMS Mobile broadband Major mobile operators Introduction Vivo (Telefonica Brasil) TIM Brasil Claro Brazil Oi Nextel Brasil CTBC/Algar Telecom Sercomtel Celular Unicel/Aeiou (defunct) Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) Mobile content and applications Mobile economy Fixed-line broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Broadband statistics Digital inclusion and GESAC National broadband plan Broadband for Schools Fixed-line broadband technologies Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks Other fixed broadband services Broadband Powerline (BPL) Fixed wireless Fixed network operators Overview of fixed network market Oi (Telemar) Vivo (Telefonica Brasil) Embratel (Claro) Global Village Telecom (GVT) TIM Brasil CTBC/Algar Telecom Sercomtel Telecommunications infrastructure National telecom network Fixed-line statistics International infrastructure Submarine cable networks Satellite networks Infrastructure developments Amazon cable Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks Smart infrastructure Smart meters/smart grids Data centres Appendix Historic data Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Brazil 2019 (e) Table 2 Evolution of GDP in Brazil 2000 2019 Table 3 Change in telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2009 2019 Table 4 Change in proportion of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Table 5 Development of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Table 6 Change in telecommunications investment and proportion of revenue 2009 2019 Table 7 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Table 8 Change in proportion of telecom investment by segment 2000 2018 Table 9 Growth in the number of annual mobile numbers ported 2008 2017 Table 10 Decline in MTRs 2016 2019 Table 11 Growth in the number of mobile towers by operator 2004 2019 Table 12 Growth in the number of active mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2009- 2024 Table 13 Change in the prepaid/postpaid ratio of mobile connections 2009 2019 Table 14 Change in mobile voice and data ARPU 2009 2019 Table 15 Change in mobile market share of subscriptions by technology 2004 2019 Table 16 Growth in the number of LTE subscribers 2013 2019 Table 17 Development in the number of LTE subscribers by operator 2013 2019 Table 18 Change in LTE subscriber market share by operator 2014 2019 Table 19 3G and LTE network population coverage 2008 - 2019 Table 20 Increase in the number of Vivos LTE subscribers and penetration 2015 2019 Table 21 Growth in Vivos mobile data traffic 2015 2019 Table 22 3G municipal coverage 2008 2019 Table 23 Decline in the number of 3G subscribers and market share 2008 2019 Table 24 Decline in the number of GSM subscribers 2007 2019 Table 25 M2M terminals 2008 2019 Table 26 Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Table 27 Mobile broadband accesses by major operator 2013 2018 Table 28 Mobile broadband accesses by minor operator 2013 2018 Table 29 Increase in mobile broadband population coverage by major operator 2013 2019 Table 30 Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2010 2019 Table 31 Change in the number of Vivos mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 32 Development of Vivos mobile financial data () 2013 2019 Table 33 Development of TIM Brasils mobile financial data 2009 2019 Table 34 Development of TIM Brasils financial data () 2014 2019 Table 35 Change in the number of TIM Brasils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 36 Development of Claro Brazils mobile revenue 2010 2019 Table 37 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 38 Decline in Ois mobile revenue 2012 2019 Table 39 Decline in the number of Ois mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 40 Change in Ois mobile ARPU 2016 2019 Table 41 Nextel revenue ($) 2010 2019 Table 42 Nextel Brazil financial data (R$) 2017 2019 Table 43 Nextel Brazil ARPU 2017 2019 Table 44 Change in the number of Nextel Brazils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 45 Nextel Brazil mobile subscribers by type 2015 2018 Table 46 Algar Telecom voice revenue (mobile and fixed) 2009 2019 Table 47 Development of Algar Telecoms financial data 2015 2019 Table 48 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 49 Decline in the number of Sercomtels mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Table 50 MVNO subscribers 2012 2019 Table 51 Port Seguro mobile subscribers 2012 2019 Table 52 ARQIA mobile subscribers 2013 2019 Table 53 Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Table 54 Change in broadband market share of subscribers by main operator 2009 2019 Table 55 Schools connected via the broadband for Schools program 2008 2018 Table 56 Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Table 57 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Table 58 Growth in the number of Ois broadband subscribers 2010 2019 Table 59 Growth in the number of Claros fixed broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 60 Change in the number of Vivos broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 61 Growth in the number of TIM Brasils broadband subscribers 2012 2019 Table 62 Growth in the number of Algar Telecom broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Table 63 Growth in the number of Vivos FttP/C connections 2014 2019 Table 64 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2008 2020 Table 65 Change in the number of satellite broadband connections 2014 2021 Table 66 Change in operator market share of fixed lines 2009 2019 Table 67 Development of Ois revenue by service 2012 2019 Table 68 Development of Ois EBITDA, capex (Brazil) 2012- 2019 Table 69 Decline in the number of Ois fixed lines in service 2010 2019 Table 70 Decline in the number of Vivos fixed lines in service 2009 2019 Table 71 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed lines in service 2006 2019 Table 72 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed-line RGUs 2013 2019 Table 73 Decline in Claro Brazils fixed-line revenue 2013 2019 Table 74 Development of Claro Brazils financial data 2013 2019 Table 75 Growth in the number of TIM Brazils fixed lines in service 2012 - 2019 Table 76 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms fixed lines in service 2012 2019 Table 77 Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2009 2024 Table 78 International internet bandwidth 2004 2017 Table 79 Historic - Mobile market share by technology 2004 2009 Table 80 Historic - Mobile prepaid/postpaid ratio 2003 2009 Table 81 Historic - LTE geographic and population coverage by operator 2017 Table 82 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 1997 2009 Table 83 Historic - Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2002 2009 Table 84 Historic - Mobile ARPU major operators 2009 2017 Table 85 Historic - Oi mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 86 Historic - Claro Brazil mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 87 Historic - Vivo mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 88 Historic Sercomtel mobile subscribers 2003 2009 Table 89 Historic - TIM Brasil mobile subscribers 2002 2018 Table 90 Historic - Algar Telecom mobile subscribers 2003 2009 Table 91 Historic - Nextel Brazils mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 92 Historic - Internet users and penetration 1998 2009 Table 93 Historic - Fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2001 2009 Table 94 Historic - Share of fixed/fixed wireless broadband subscriptions by platform 2010 2015 Table 95 Historic - Fixed broadband connections by speed 2014 2017 Table 96 Historic - Cable modem subscribers and penetration 2001 2018 Table 97 Historic - DSL subscribers and penetration 2001 2009 Table 98 Wi-Fi hotspots in service 2013 2016 Table 99 Historic - Oi broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 100 Historic - Telefonica/Vivo FttP homes passed and connected 2008 2015 Table 101 Historic - GVT broadband subscribers 2004 2015 Table 102 Historic - Broadband operators market share 2003 2009 Table 103 Internet access market share by platform 2005 2015 Table 104 Historic - Average broadband access speed (download) 2007 2017 Table 105 Historic Claros broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 106 Historic Vivos fixed broadband subscribers 2001 2009 Table 107 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity 1995 2009 Table 108 Historic - Operator market share of fixed lines 2006 2010 Table 109 Historic - Telecommunications investment 2000 2009 Table 110 Historic - Proportion of telecom investment by segment 2000 2009 Table 111 Historic - Evolution of GDP in Brazil 2000 2009 Table 112 Historic - Telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2000 2009 Table 113 Historic - Proportion of telecom revenue by segment 2000 2017 Table 114 Historic - Telecom revenue by segment 2005 2009 Table 115 Historic Ois fixed lines in service 1999 2009 Table 116 Historic - Vivos fixed lines in service 1999 2009 Table 117 Historic - Vivo (GVT) financial data 2012 2014 Table 118 Historic - Vivo (GVT) revenue by service 2012 2013 Table 119 Historic Vivo (GVT) fixed lines in service 2006 2015 List of Charts Chart 1 Latin America Overall Telecoms Maturity Index Chart 2 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Leaders Category Chart 3 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Challengers Category Chart 4 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index Market Laggards Category Chart 5 South America Telecoms Maturity Index by country Chart 6 Central America Telecoms Maturity Index by country Chart 7 Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita Chart 8 South America mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration Chart 9 Latin America fixed broadband penetration versus mobile broadband penetration Chart 10 Change in telecommunications revenue and proportion to GDP 2009 2019 Chart 11 Change in proportion of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Chart 12 Development of telecom revenue by segment 2009 2019 Chart 13 Change in telecommunications investment and proportion of revenue 2009 2019 Chart 14 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Chart 15 Change in telecommunications investment by sector 2009 2018 Chart 16 Growth in the number of annual mobile numbers ported 2008 2017 Chart 17 Decline in MTRs 2016 2019 Chart 18 Growth in the number of mobile towers by operator 2004 2019 Chart 19 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2009- 2024 Chart 20 Change in the prepaid/postpaid ratio of mobile connections 2009 2019 Chart 21 Change in mobile voice and data ARPU 2009 2019 Chart 22 Change in mobile market share of subscriptions by technology 2004 2019 Chart 23 Growth in the number of LTE subscribers 2013 2019 Chart 24 Development in the number of LTE subscribers by operator 2015 2019 Chart 25 Change in LTE subscriber market share by operator 2014 2019 Chart 26 Increase in the number of Vivos LTE subscribers and penetration 2015 2019 Chart 27 Decline in the number of 3G subscribers and market share 2008 2019 Chart 28 Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Chart 29 Increase in mobile broadband population coverage by major operator 2013 2019 Chart 30 Mobile operators market share of subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 31 Change in the number of Vivos mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 32 Development of Vivos mobile financial data () 2013 2019 Chart 33 Development of TIM Brasils mobile financial data 2009 2019 Chart 34 Development of TIM Brasils financial data () 2014 2019 Chart 35 Change in the number of TIM Brasils mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 36 Development of Claro Brazils mobile revenue 2010 2019 Chart 37 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 38 Decline in Ois mobile revenue 2012 2019 Chart 39 Decline in the number of Ois mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 40 Development of Algar Telecom financial data 2015 2019 Chart 41 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms mobile subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 42 Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration 2009 2024 Chart 43 Change in broadband market of subscriber by main operator 2009 2019 Chart 44 Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Chart 45 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers and penetration 2009 2020 Chart 46 Growth in the number of Ois broadband subscribers 2010 2019 Chart 47 Growth in the number of Claross broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 48 Change in the number of Vivos broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 49 Growth in the number of TIM Brasils broadband subscribers 2012 2019 Chart 50 Growth in the number of Algar Telecom broadband subscribers 2009 2019 Chart 51 Growth in the number of Vivos FttP/C connections 2014 2019 Chart 52 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2008 2020 Chart 53 Change in operator market share of fixed lines 2009 2019 Chart 54 Development of Ois revenue by service 2012 2019 Chart 55 Development of Ois EBITDA, capex (Brazil) 2012- 2019 Chart 56 Decline in the number of Ois fixed lines in service 2010 2019 Chart 57 Decline in the number of Vivos fixed lines in service 2009 2019 Chart 58 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed lines in service 2006 2019 Chart 59 Decline in the number of Claro Brazils fixed-line RGUs 2013 2019 Chart 60 Decline in Claro Brazils fixed-line revenue 2013 2019 Chart 61 Development of Claro Brazils financial data 2013 2019 Chart 62 Growth in the number of TIM Brazils fixed lines in service 2012 - 2019 Chart 63 Growth in the number of Algar Telecoms fixed lines in service 2012 2019 Chart 64 Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2009 2024 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment Exhibit 2 South America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 3 Central America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 4 Map of Brazil Exhibit 5 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 6 H-band for 3G services lots, areas, and spectrum winners Exhibit 7 Bands for 4G services blocks, winners, and price/MHz/population Exhibit 8 700MHz auction results 2014 Exhibit 9 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2.5GHz auction bids December 2015 Exhibit 10 Subdivision of Brazil into regions and areas for mobile licensing Exhibit 11 Vivo concessions Exhibit 12 TIM Brasil concession awards for frequency bands A, B, D, E Exhibit 13 Claro Brazil concessions Exhibit 14 Oi concession awards for frequency bands A, D, E, M Exhibit 15 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 16 Regions and states of Brazil Exhibit 17 Regions and States of Brazil Exhibit 18 Atlantic Cable System planned Exhibit 19 Geostationary satellites operating in Brazil Exhibit 20 Historic - LTE TDD deployments Exhibit 21 Historic - LTE deployments Exhibit 22 Historic - 3G network launches by operator 2007 2008 Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Brazil-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Congress on Wednesday staged a walkout from Lok Sabha demanding the release of Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and other Jammu and Kashmir leaders from detention. Abdullah along with several other leaders including Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti was detained after the government abrogated Article 370 last year. His detention was extended for three more months under the Public Safety Act in December last year. The three-term chief minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state would continue to remain at his residence which has been declared a sub-jail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iranian news agencies Wednesday morning reported that 56 Iranian nationals living in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, have arrived in Iran and will be quarantined for two weeks. According to some reports tens of Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese nationals were also on the flight. Iranian and other nationals were flown to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport onboard a chartered airbus belonging to Mahan Air. In a video published by Rokna, an Iranian news agency, on Wednesday an Iranian student who has returned from Wuhan sends a message to Iranians in which he says everyone is fine and the rumors that they have been sent to their families straight away are not true. "We arrived in Tehran at 8:00 AM and we are going to be quarantined for two weeks before joining our families". In its reports Rokna also said 59 Iraqis, 24 Syrians and one Lebanese national were also on the flight. The Islamic Republic News Agency later reported that with Chinese cooperation Iran has helped to repatriate 59 Iraqi students and quoted an Iraqi official as saying that the students evacuated from Wuhan have already arrived in Baghdad. Curiously, Rokna also claimed that the Mahan airbus carrying the Iranian and other nationals evacuated from Wuhan was not trackable on Flightradar, a real-time flight tracker. Mahan airline was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2011 for supporting the Revolutionary Guard's Qods Force. On December 11, 2019 the Treasury Department designated three of Mahan Air's general sales agents based in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong for "facilitating the Iranian regime's support to proxy militias". Two days after a 25-year-old woman college teacher was set ablaze by a stalker in Maharashtra's Wardha district, state Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal urged women to report incidents of stalking to police. He asked women not to hesitate in approaching the nearest police station and assured all help in such cases. "In case you are being stalked, please DO NOT hesitate to #Dial100 or report the matter to your nearest police station for immediate help. BE ASSURED THAT WE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST," Jaiswal tweeted on Wednesday along with hashtags #LetsTalkAboutStalking and #NoToStalking. On Monday, the college teacher, Anita Pisudde, was set ablaze by a stalker in Hinganghat town of Wardha. It also came to light that the victim and the accused, Vikesh Nagrale (27), were friends till two years ago when she severed ties with him due to his "irrational behaviour". The accused, a married man who has a seven-month-old son, used to stalk the woman, a police official earlier said. Nagrale has been arrested and remanded in police custody till Saturday, he said. As per doctors at a Nagpur-based hospital where the victim is admitted, her condition is "stable but critical". The state government on Tuesday flew Sunil Keswani, director of the Navi Mumbai-based National Burns Centre, to Nagpur for supervising the woman's treatment. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who visited the hospital on Tuesday evening, announced that the trial of the accused would be fast-tracked, and well-known lawyer Ujjwal Nikam would be appointed as special prosecutor as per the request of the woman's relatives. Residents of Hinganghat took out a protest march on Tuesday and demanded death penalty for the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 14:58 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b69d4 1 World Xanana-Gusmao,Timor-Leste,coronavirus,quarantine,Bali-tourism,repatriation Free Timor Leste Planning and Strategic Investment Minister Xanana Gusmao confirmed that the country had requested assistance from Indonesia to put 17 of its citizens who are soon to be repatriated from China because of the coronavirus outbreak into quarantine in Bali, despite a prior refusal by the island's administration. The Timor Leste government made the request since the country lacked the proper infrastructure and equipment to handle coronavirus cases, Gusmao said after a meeting with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD in Jakarta on Tuesday. We dont have the proper facilities. We dont have anything, which is why we requested assistance just like any other country. Its not like were asking for exclusive treatment, said the former Timor Leste president as quoted by tribunnews.com. He said he was confident that Indonesia was better equipped to handle coronavirus cases than Timor Leste. Read also: Our good neighbor, Timor Leste This is a global issue, not something that [only affects] Timor Leste and Indonesia. I believe Indonesia is more capable [of handling coronavirus cases] than us and will therefore help us resolve this issue, Gusmao added. The Bali provincial administration confirmed that Timor Leste had asked for Indonesian permits and assistance to quarantine 17 of its citizens on the island. The request was made through the Indonesian Embassy in Dili. However, a meeting held by the administration on Monday decided to reject Timor Lestes request to put its citizens into quarantine on the island. The relevant parties in the province did not agree to grant the request; therefore, its difficult for us to accept it," Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com. The decision was made based on considerations and input from several tourism stakeholders in Bali. (rfa) Ask Matt ... about potential land sales on U.S. 64 Two acres in the 800 block of Sixth Avenue West are among parcels for sale. Q. Whats up with all the properties for sale in the 700 block of Sixth Avenue West in Hendersonville? Is something big going to happen? There are four vacant properties for sale along Sixth Avenue West between Justus and Oak Streets across from the new Health Science Center building which is home to Pardee, Wingate, and Blue Ridge Community College. The block is zoned MIC (Medical, Institutional, Cultural) which permits banks, offices and medical facilities but only certain retail businesses. Restaurants are allowed with conditions. Three of the lots are owned by Dr. Leon Elliston. A wooden sign in front of the former Pampered Palate Restaurant advertises the property as a potential business development with 9,735 sq. ft. of retail space on the ground level plus residential units on the second and third floors. The asking price for the three lots is $1,397,000. Suzanne Woolsey, a Beverly-Hanks commercial realtor, reported that the properties have been on the market for over a year however there has been recent interest. Woolsey said the tract could be used for housing such as for Wingate University students, but those developers tend to prefer projects at larger institutions. The fourth property, which also faces the YMCA, had many tenants over the years (it was the first of three addresses for Two Guys Pizza & Ribs and also operated as the Back Street Grille). This 0.4-acre corner parcel is listed for $475,000. Im amazed the lot hasnt sold, said James Wilson, a Pulliam Properties agent who has the listing. Maybe its the price point. It is a great opportunity for a medical office complex. The only property in the 700 block that is not for sale is the law office of William Alexander Jr. Im surprised the hospital has not bought the property, said Alexander. I hope its put to good use. A block west on Sixth Avenue (800 block) you will notice another for sale sign. Tom and Mike Cooper have 1.9 acres of prime real estate also zoned MIC. This property has great visibility (14,000 vehicles pass by daily) but site has a steep back slope. Tom Cooper said many people have inquired about the parcel but they have not gotten to an agreed upon price. Pulliam Properties lists the land for $1,295,000. While we are looking at lots for sale on U.S. 64 lets go back through town to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Beverly-Hanks has a 162-acre tract for sale inside the Hendersonville City Limits. Often referred to as the Thomas tract, it borders Jackson Park but has access from Tracy Grove Road. A sizable portion of the property is in the floodplain and you may recognize the portion along the south side of U.S. 64 East as that huge wetland that comes to life in the springtime. A real estate description boasts that 68 acres are high and dry with a potential for up to 800 residential units, subject to city approval. The asking price is $4 million. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Not just the locals but a large number of NRIs too are campaigning for the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi believing that party chief Arvind Kejriwal will bring in a change in the city. Hundreds of NRIs have flown into the city and are working on the ground as the national capital gears up for the Assembly polls on February 8. Speaking to IANS, Convenor AAP Overseas, Prithvi Reddy said close to 500 NRIs are in Delhi campaigning for the AAP on the ground. He said the NRIs are taking part in the party's campaigning and are seeking votes for the AAP, managing the volunteers and doing all kinds of tasks for the party. Reddy said while some NRIs have came to Delhi in the last leg of the election, several others have been in the city from past two-three months. "The support from the NRIs started with the India Against Corruption. I think they (NRIs) look at the Aam Aadmi Party as a ray of hope. People go abroad as it offers them a better opportunity and a better living standard. However, they will always be a second-grade citizen there. They feel like an outsider there, so they feel and wish that they should go back home." He said the AAP gives them hope that it will lead the country towards development so that the NRIs can return to the country and enjoy the same living standard that they enjoy abroad. Explaining about the developed nations, he said that in foreign countries one has to pay taxes while the government takes care of education and health. "You don't have to pay again. But here (in India), you pay taxes and then pay expensive school fees and hospital bills." "The money saved from these could be used for a better living standard. The AAP comes as a ray of hope here." He said the AAP supporters continue to repose trust in the party and Kejriwal's leadership as it has fulfilled the promises. "(Prime Minister) Modi was the hope and a rising star during the 2014 elections. But, everyone has seen that after five years, they have not delivered on the promises. But AAP fulfilled its promises and worked even more harder than it promised," Reddy said. He said that the public can sense that the AAP is bringing a positive change in the country. Reddy said: "Right from the inception of the AAP, about 20 per cent of the election funding came from overseas supporters, including people from Canada, the UK, the US, Singapore, UAE among several others." Adding on to Reddy's information, Kamal Garg, a software engineer based in Vancouver in Canada, told IANS that the funding and support is coming from so many small countries that "we cannot even imagine that party can get support from such far away lands". Reddy say the NRIs see this as an investment in the country. Speaking about Garg, Reddy said being a Punjabi, Garg is managing about 500 Punjabi volunteers in the city. "Everyone is contributing in whatever way they can. Despite any position, the NRIs are working for AAP." Garg recalled that he also contributed in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. Hailing from Punjab's Moga, Garg said he has been part of the AAP since the formation of the IAC. "I was a volunteer during the IAC. Soon after, I went to Canada. But, I kept following Arvind (Kejriwal) and his work." He said that the overseas volunteers stay connected with the party here through various social media platforms. Garg also said they have formed a team of NRI volunteers, after people having mutual admiration for the AAP, came together. He said their vision is the Kejriwal's vision of India. "While staying here, we don't realise, but after staying in developed nations you will realise the importance of health and education. Why we need more concentration on the two sectors?" He said it is a wish and desire of the NRIs that Kejriwal becomes the Prime Minister one day. "Weather this happens in one year or 20. We would love to see him as the PM." He explained that it is not just an emotional desire. "But Arvind's plans for the nation are the plans for a developed India. India cannot be a developed nation with polarisation. It will be developed with education. People cannot read and understand the constitution without being educated. People will read and understand it if they are educated." Reddy said all the NRIs wishes to return to the nation one day, but lack of opportunity and a better lifestyle stops them from doing so. "No matter what the NRIs say but their heart is still in the country. The field here (in India) is not level playing as those having contacts and influences can get things done easily, while the rest keep running. But, AAP works for everyone without any discrimination." AAP Canada convener Jaskirat Kaur also wished to see Kejriwal become the Prime Minister one day. Co-Convenor AAP Overseas Preeti Menon explained that the NRIs have a dream that India too became as developed as the countries or cities they are living in. "Arvind has managed to make their dream come true by providing world class healthcare and education free of cost. The NRIs want that the way Arvind has improved the city, one day he will also improve the country." The national capital is going for polls on February 8 and the NRIs too taking an active part in the campaigning. (Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in) Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston Chinmayanand, 72, walked out of the district jail after the completion of legal formalities, said Shahjahanpur prison superintendent Rakesh Kumar Shahjahanpur: Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand was offered flowers by supporters as he walked out of prison on Wednesday, two days after being granted bail in the case in which he is accused of sexually abusing a law student. Chinmayanand, 72, was released from the Shahjahanpur district jail after the completion of legal formalities, prison superintendent Rakesh Kumar told PTI. The Allahabad High Court had granted him bail on Monday. But he was not released earlier as the bail papers had not reached the jail. While granting him bail, Justice Rahul Chaturvedi also transferred Chinmayanand's trial from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, taking note of the victim's apprehension that he could influence proceedings in his hometown. "The trial court will take up the case on priority basis, preferably on a day-to- day basis and the trial will be concluded within one year," the high court said. The bail order directed Chinmayanand to file an undertaking that he would not seek any adjournments and be present in court. Outside the Shahjahanpur jail, Chinmayanand's supporters waited for him with flowers. He was then driven to his ashram, where he offered prayers before leaving for his home. Justice Chaturvedi had also directed Lucknow's Senior Superintendent of Police, to depute a senior sub inspector and armed constables for the security of the student and her family members during the trial period. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to "induce or seduce" a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was arrested for trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape. She and her three friends had allegedly threatened to release video clips of massages she claimed she was forced to perform on the politician, who was disowned by the ruling BJP after the sexual abuse charges surfaced. The high court granted the woman bail in the extortion case on 4 December. While allowing bail to Chinmayanand, the high court said it is difficult to determine at this stage who exploited whom in the case. Justice Chaturvedi suggested that it may be a case of quid pro quo but asked the trial court not to be influenced by the higher court's observations. As pointed out earlier, that both the parties crossed their limits and at this stage it is very difficult to adjudicate as to who exploited whom? In fact, both of them used each other, he said, taking note of material on record indicating that the woman and her family received favours from the politician. Last year, the Supreme Court had stepped in when the 23-year-old student went missing for a few days in August after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse. A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, later arrested Chinmayanand and the student. The National Industrial Court, on Wednesday, ordered the Nigerian Army to reinstate a senior officer, Mohammed Suleiman, having established that the military authorities broke the law in dismissing him in 2016. Delivering judgement on Wednesday at the headquarters of the court in Abuja, Sanusi Kado, the judge, said, The compulsory retirement of the claimant by the Nigerian Army via a letter of Compulsory Retirement in 2016, is Ultra vires, illegal, unlawful, null and void. Mr Kado said the defendants failed to act with respect to the law, by not adhering to its own rules and guidelines of employment. Thus, the judge said that the action of the army in retiring the claimant is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect. He ruled that Mr Suleiman, who was arbitrarily punished while holding the rank of colonel, be reinstated back to the to the army with his benefits and privileges restored. The judgement capped off nearly four years of Mr Suleimans efforts to get justice, including repeated appeals to President Muhammadu Buhari for redress. Last year, the court ordered the army to reinstate two officers, also illegally punished but no compliance yet. Arbitrary dismissal Mr Suleiman was one of the 38 officers dismissed by the army in June 2016. The mass sack affected nine major-generals, 11 brigadier-generals, seven colonels and 11 lieutenant-colonels. In a June 9, 2016, letter to the affected officers, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, their compulsory retirement was hinged on provisions of Paragraph 09.02c (4) of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers 2012 (Revised). The referenced section 09.02c (4) of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers 2012 (Revised), shows the officers were laid off on disciplinary grounds i.e. serious offence(s). Emphasising service exigencies and that the military must remain apolitical and professional at all times, Sani Usman, spokesperson for the army then, had released a statement, disclosing what could have constituted the serious offences which warranted the dismissal of the 38 officers. It should be recalled that not too long ago some officers were investigated for being partisan during the 2015 general elections, Mr Usman said. Similarly, the investigation by the Presidential Committee investigating Defence Contracts revealed a lot. Some officers have already been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). However, investigations by PREMIUM TIMES, involving review of service rules and interviews with officials with direct knowledge of the matter, showed the army violated its own laws by dismissing the majority of the officers. Contrary to the claim by the army, our investigations showed that only a few of the affected officers were queried, tried and indicted. Others had their careers abruptly cut short for reasons that smacked of high-level arbitrariness, pettiness, witch-hunting and partisanship by authorities of the army. While officers cleared by either arms procurement panel or election panel were retired, others who were not questioned at all were also sent away. Mr Suleiman was one such officers neither queried nor indicted for any offence before being forced out of service. The Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers whose paragraph 09.02c (4) was relied upon to remove the officers, originates from the Armed Forces Act. The section cited by the army provides that an officer may be compulsorily retired on disciplinary grounds i.e. serious offence(s) without defining what constitutes serious offences. But the principal law the Armed Forces Act establishes all actions that constitute offences in the Military. The Act prescribes steps to be taken in punishing offences, and a review shows no section empowers the Army Council to arbitrarily punish or compulsorily retire officers for any offence. In fact, the Army Council, in Section 11(a-f) of the Act, has no power to retire any officer on disciplinary ground without compliance with the steps prescribed by law. The judge, Mr Kado, affirmed this in his judgement. Advertisements The defendant has not proved anything that would warrant the dismissal of the claimant, he held. Appeals to the commander-in-chief The judgement on Tuesday capped nearly four years of efforts by Mr Suleiman to get justice, including repeated appeals for redress to Mr Buhari as the law provides. Paragraph 09.02(e) of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers, 2012 (revised) provides that any officer compulsorily retired or dismissed can appeal to the president through the Chief of Defence Staff within 30 days. Our investigation revealed that 22 of the affected officers exploited this window, and had their petitions conveyed to the president by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, via a July 2016 letter referenced CDS/6/1/A. After that joint appeal, one of them, Mr Suleiman, who won his case on Wednesday, had four times written the presidency seeking justice and once in September 2018 challenged Mr Buhari to prove his integrity. Mr President, you have put out a reputation of being a man of justice, dignity and integrity but you are yet to prove it to all Nigerians in the case of these 38 innocent Army officers, wrote Mr Suleimanthrough his lawyer, Adeyinka Adedeji. In the past two years, grave injustice has been meted to (them), and in spite of repeated passionate letter(s) of redress to you as their Commander-in-Chief, you have been curiously silent. Mr Buhari has never responded, nor acknowledged any of the petitions to him. One of the affected officers, Ojebo Baba-Ochankpa, died while waiting for justice in January 2017. Earlier Judgements Against The Army Mr Suleimans victory at the court on Wednesday is the fifth of such development since the arbitrarily dismissed officers commenced efforts to get justice. Before Wednesdays judgement in Mr Suleimans case, the industrial court had previously asked the army to reinstate four other affected officers. Last year, Nwokoro Ijeoma, a major-general, and Danladi Hassan, a colonel, separately won their cases against the army. On January 14 and 16 this year, the court also ordered the army to reinstate two other officers, Abdulfatai Mohammed and Thomas Arigbe, both lieutenant-colonels. However, the army is yet to comply with the verdicts of the court. It is not clear if the authorities have appealed the judgements. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach the spokesperson for the army, Sagir Musa, as his known phone line was switched off. Mr Sagir had previously, when Mr Mohammed won his case in January, told PREMIUM TIMES that its a legal issue and no comment could be extracted from him. Speaking after the judgement at the industrial court, Mr Suleimans lawyer, Ms Adedeji, thanked the court for doing justice to the case of his client. Ms Adedeji expressed optimism that the Nigerian Army Council as a creation of the law would respect and obey the judgment. Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra have been declared personae non gratae at the burial of the parents of Nnamdi Kanu, their founder. The Afaraukwu community in Umuahia North council area of Abia State, home town of the Leader of Kanu, handed out the warning on Tuesday, warning IPOB members to keep away, appealing for peace at the burial. Kanus younger brother also echoed the warning. The burial of His Royal Highness Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife, Ugoeze Meme Sally Kanu is slated for 14 February in their country home, Isiama Afaraukwu community in Umuahia local government area of Abia state. President General , Afaraukwu community, Chief Ikechukwu Ndubueze, who briefed the media on the preparations for the burial, said the community wants a peaceful burial for their late monarch and his wife. What we are doing is a traditional burial. The entire Afaraukwu community wants a peaceful burial. We have been meeting with the security agencies in the state. What we are doing is not an IPOB affair, we are only burying our late monarch and his wife. They should allow us bury our dead. Afaraukwu is a peaceful community. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Retired President Mwai Kibaki on Tuesday mourned his predecessor Daniel arap Moi, praising Kenyas second president for his legendary mastery at thwarting crises. In his message of condolence to Mois family, Kibaki also praised Moi for conceding to demands for the restoration of multi-party politics. According to Kibaki, Mois ability to assert state authority also saved Kenya from undergoing long periods of civil unrest as witnessed in other African countries. I have known Mzee Moi for decades and have worked with him for many years. I therefore have personal and nostalgic memories of Mzee Moi accruing from shared national platforms and responsibilities. Over time, I have had a chance to appreciate the best of Mzee Mois statesmanship and skillfulness in the conduct of statecraft both during the blissful and tumultuous moments that Kenya has traversed, he said in a statement emailed to newsrooms. With time, his mastery at thwarting crises became legendary as was his ability to assert state authority. That is largely how Kenya stabilized as a number of countries in the region and continent suffered disruptions and long periods of civil unrest. Kibaki added: As the political atmosphere in Kenya progressively underwent transformation, so did President Moi. To his credit, it is during his tenure as Head of State when political pluralism was reinstated in Kenya. Clearly, the return of multipartyism has opened up Kenyas democratic space in ways hitherto unimagined. The former President also praised his predecessor for the smooth handover of power in 2002. President Mois abiding charisma was best exhibited in 2002 when he oversaw an unprecedented smooth transition of power as he proceeded to his retirement. His willingness to readily usher the next Head of State remains a badge of honour on his leadership as well as statesmanship credentials, the 88-year-old stated. Daniel arap Mois legacy is deeply etched in the unfolding memoir of our nation. His contribution to the Kenya we all desire is also indelibly tattooed in the annals of our national history. May the late Daniel Toroitich arap Moi rest in peace, concludes Kibaki. Daniel Arap Moi passed on peacefully surrounded by his family at around 5:20 am Tuesday morning. Kenyans will be able to view his body on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at a venue yet to be disclosed. There will be a funeral service at Kasarani on Tuesday and he will be buried on Wednesday in Kabarak. Abidjan, Cote dIvoire (PANA) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Cote d'Ivoire will hold a workshop on Thursday, as part of the formulation of the 8th Cooperation Programme between the two partners for the 2021-2024 period Number of Confirmed Coronavirus Cases in South Korea Rises to 16 - Health Authorities Sputnik News 12:08 GMT 04.02.2020 SEOUL (Sputnik) - According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the sixteenth patient, a South Korean woman, 42, returned to the country on 19 January after visiting Thailand, and starting from 25 January she was suffering fever. On Monday, she was tested positive for the new coronavirus. South Korea has confirmed the 16th case of the new coronavirus that originated in China, the country's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday. "As of 4 February 2020, there have been 607 Patient Under Investigation (PUIs) with 16 confirmed cases, 462 cases already released after tested negative, and 129 cases currently being tested. The 16th confirmed case is in isolation at Chonnam National University Hospital and the epidemiological investigation is on-going. All other patients are in stable condition", the statement said. The South Korean Health Ministry has said that starting from Tuesday, over 1,300 people who have had contacts with those confirmed to be infected with coronavirus will be quarantined at home for two weeks. "Those who refuse to comply with the home quarantine will be fined up to 3 million won [$2,500]. We are trying to explain the danger of the situation in the best possible way and convince [these people]", KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said. The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has so far killed 425 people in China and infected over 20,000 others. On Sunday, the first coronavirus-related death outside China was confirmed in the Philippines. Earlier on Tuesday, Hong Kong, a special administrative region in China, reported its first death from the coronavirus. A total of 46 foreign airlines have so far suspended flights to and from China due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A brand loved by the Duchess of Cambridge cashed in on its royal connections by relaunching a sold-out piece worn by the royal. Kate Middleton, 38, sported Beulah London's 95 pink and red Shibani scarf for her outing to South Wales with Prince William, 37, yesterday. The vibrant accessory, which kept the Duchess warm as she strolled along the blustery seafront, was sold out before the royal engagements but is now being restocked as the label seeks to capitalize on the 'Kate effect'. The Beulah London website has now been updated and the 95 scarf is available for pre-order, with delivery expected by the end of March. Kate Middleton, 38, sported Beulah London's 95 pink and red Shibani scarf (right) for her outing to South Wales with Prince William, 37, yesterday (left) The vibrant accessory, which kept the Duchess warm as she strolled along the blustery seafront, was sold out before the royal engagements but is now being restocked as the label seeks to capitalize on the 'Kate effect'. Pictured, the scarf available to buy on the website Some 10 per cent of profits from all sales goes towards helping bring an end to modern day slavery. Beulah London, co-founded by Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan in 2010, has become a go-to label for Kate, who has stepped out in the designs on a number of occasions. Yesterday Kate wore the printed scarf with a vibrant red Zara dress, navy Hobbs coat and boots by Stuart Weitzman as she joined her husband for a busy day of engagements. The Beulah London website has now been updated and the 95 scarf is available for pre-order. Pictured, a model in the scarf (left) on the Beulah London website and Kate yesterday Yesterday Kate wore the printed scarf with a vibrant red Zara dress, navy Hobbs coat and boots by Stuart Weitzman as she joined her husband for a busy day of engagements in Wales Beulah London's designs have also been seen on Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who wore an elegant navy dress on a visit to Yogyakarta Palace in Indonesia last year. Ivanka Trump wore a 500 powder blue Beulah London shirt dress for a meeting in June last year. Lady Natasha and husband Rupert Finch have close royal connections and are friends with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Mr Finch also briefly dated the Duchess of Cambridge at St Andrews University. Affectionate: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared in particularly good spirits throughout their engagements in South Wales. Pictured, the couple in Mumbles, near Swansea Burst of colour: The Duchess of Cambridge was vibrant in a scarlet dress and the Beulah London scarf for the outing with Prince William yesterday afternoon (left and right) Lady Natasha, daughter of the Marquess of Reading, used her high society connections to promote an anti-slavery charity t-shirt in October last year. Princess Eugenie, Cressida Bonas and Lady Kitty Spencer, shared snaps of themselves sporting the brand's 'For Freedom' T-shirts, which are being sold to raise funds for anti-trafficking charity Justice and Care. The charity aims to stop slavery in the UK and beyond, and the shirts will retail for 60 with 100 per cent of proceeds going towards the charity, and each shirt sold will provide essential supplies for a UK victim. An app created by a tech company started by veterans of Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign is being blamed for the unprecedented chaos during the Democratic Iowa caucuses on Monday, when delays and inconsistencies in reporting forced the night to conclude with no real winner. The Iowa Democratic Party paid Shadow, a tech firm that last year joined with ACRONYM, a liberal nonprofit group focused on digital messaging, more than $63,000 during two separate payments in November and December last year for website development, according to state campaign finance records. According to the Huffington Post, citing a source with knowledge, those payments were for the app the caucus site leaders were supposed to use to upload the results at their locales. Gerard Niemira, who served as Hillary Clintons director of product during her 2016 campaign, is currently the CEO of Shadow. He previously worked as both chief technology officer and chief operating officer at ACRONYM for a little over a year, according to his LinkedIn. In September of last year, David Plouffe, who helped lead both of former President Barack Obamas presidential campaigns, joined ACRONYMs board of directors. Robby Mook, Clintons campaign manager, denied involvement in the app after rumors began circulating that he played a role in the apps development. Plouffe also denied knowledge about Shadow during an interview with MSNBCs Chris Hayes on Monday night. My understanding, I just texted the CEO, is ACRONYM is an investor in Shadow, I guess Shadow has its own board of directors, Plouffe said. In my relationship with ACRONYM, which has been going on for a few months, I have no knowledge of Shadow. On its website, Shadow describes itself as campaign and technology veterans who have built and implemented technology at Hillary for America, Obama for America, Google, Kiva, Apple, the AFL-CIO, and the DNC. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE Story continues ACRONYM spokesperson Kyle Tharp distanced the company from Shadow and the Iowa debacle. He also noted that ACRONYM is not the sole investor behind Shadow, which has other private investors. Its unclear who those other investors are. ACRONYM is a nonprofit organization and not a technology company, Tharp said in a statement. As such, we have not provided any technology to the Iowa Democratic Party, Presidential campaigns, or the Democratic National Committee. In January 2019, Tara McGowan, the founder and CEO of ACRONYM, announced the company had acquired Groundbase, which was launching Shadow, a new tech company to build smarter infrastructure for campaigns. McGowan, a former journalist, worked as a digital producer for Obamas 2012 campaign, according to her LinkedIn. Groundbase, a tech developer, was co-founded by Niemira and Krista Davis, who worked for the tech team on Clintons 2016 campaign. SANDERS, BUTTIGIEG ARE WINNING THE 2020 CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING RACE With Shadow, were building a new model incentivized by adoption over growth, with a deep focus on building the underlying tech infrastructure that will enable campaigns to use the most effective new tools in smarter ways & better integrate + leverage data across platforms, she wrote on Twitter last year. McGowan launched ACRONYM in the wake of the 2016 election; the group started its own super PAC, PACRONYM, in 2018. In 2019, the PAC raised $7.7 million, according to federal filings. During an interview with NPR in January, Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa State Democratic Party, said he hoped the app would allow the party to get the results out to the public quicker. He declined to provide additional details about which company designed the app, or about what specific measures had been put in place to guarantee the systems security. Party leaders said they decided to opt for the smartphone app, despite three years worth of warnings about Russias attack on the 2016 presidential election. "We as the party have taken this very seriously, and we know how important it is for us to make sure that our process is secure and that we protect the integrity of the process," Price says. "We want to make sure we are not relaying information that could be used against us." The candidates who were competing in Iowa included Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer. Results are not expected until later Tuesday. We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results. In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results, we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report, Iowa Democratic Party communications director Mandy McClure said in a statement Monday night. This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion. The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Related Articles New outbreak death toll nears 500, as confirmed cases pass 24,500, with majority of infections and deaths in China. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has risen to 490 after more deaths were reported in Hubei province. The virus originated in Wuhan, Hubeis provincial capital. A further 24,324 people on the Chinese mainland have been infected Chinas National Health Commission said on Wednesday. The virus has killed two people outside of mainland China, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. At least 25 countries have confirmed cases. Countries around the world have rushed to evacuate their citizens from Hubei and Wuhan, while many have also imposed extraordinary travel restrictions on travellers to and from China. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for greater solidarity among the international community, and criticised governments for being well behind in sharing data on virus cases. Read updates from Thursday, February 6 here. Here are the latest updates: Wednesday, February 5 US confirms new case The United States has confirmed its twelfth case of coronavirus, the first in the state of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a statement that the patient is an adult with a history of travel to Beijing, China prior to becoming ill. It added that the patient was exposed to known cases while in China and was now isolated at home. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases here. Canadians who do not need to be in China should leave: Ottawa Canadian citizens who do not need to be in China should leave while they still can, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said. We are advising Canadians whose presence in China is not essential to depart via commercial means while they remain available, he told reporters. Canada intended to fly out 200 citizens on Wednesday but will wait another 24 hours because of bad weather, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier. About 350 US evacuees from Wuhan land in California Two planes carrying about 350 US citizens out of Wuhan has arrived at a US military base in California. The US travelers on two State Department-chartered flights will be quarantined for 14 days after landing, the US Defense Department said. WHO convening experts on drugs, vaccines to set research agenda Experts will meet in Geneva from February 11-12 to set research and development priorities for coronavirus drugs, diagnostics and vaccines to combat the outbreak, the WHO said. WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a multinational WHO-led team would go to China soon. Gates Foundation announce $100m for coronavirus response The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to commit up to $100m for the global response to the coronavirus. The funding will be used to strengthen detection, isolation and treatment efforts, the foundation said, including protecting at-risk populations and developing vaccines and diagnostics. Were committing up to $100 million for the global response to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. Full details: https://t.co/nHLVkeqbXH pic.twitter.com/2jBOCqS9gf Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) February 5, 2020 Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said. WHO chief: 80 percent of China virus cases are in Hubei WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 80 percent of Chinas coronavirus cases are in the central Hubei province and that not all provinces had been affected. He said there were 24,363 cases in China and 490 deaths. The last 24-hour period of monitoring saw the most cases in a single day, he said. Some 99 percent fo all the cases worldwide are in China, he added. WHO issues appeal for $675m to fight virus The WHO has called for $675m in donations for a plan to fight the coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly at risk. Today were launching a strategic preparedness and response plan Were requesting $675 million to fund the plan for the next three months, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing in Geneva. Singapore confirms four more coronavirus cases Singapores health ministry has confirmed four more cases, including in a six-month-old baby, taking its tally to 28. Both the parents of the infant, a Singaporean citizen, have also been infected, the ministry said. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases here. Adidas closes considerable number of shops in China German sportswear company Adidas said it was temporarily closing a considerable number of its stores in China. The company said the fast-spreading virus was having a negative impact on its business but added that it could not yet assess to what extent. Adidas has about 12,000 outlets in China, including franchise shops. Putin proposed stripping pharmacy licenses for raising mask prices Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed stripping pharmacies of their licenses if they raise prices for anti-virus masks. Russia, which last week reported its first two cases of the virus, has restricted crossings along its 4,300km (2,670-mile) land border with China and flew home its first group of citizens from Wuhan on Wednesday. Coronavirus a new layer of uncertainty for economy: ECBs Lagarde The spread of the virus presents a new layer of uncertainty the the European economy, European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said. While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty, Lagarde said at a speech in Paris, putting the disease on the same level as global risks such as trade tensions and geopolitical flashpoints. Lagarde addressed the potential economic impact of the virus during a speech in Paris [File: Johanna Geron/Reuters] Chinese air force will join Singapore Airshow Chinas air force will participate in the upcoming Singapore Airshow, the Chinese defence ministry said in a post on its official WeChat account, adding that it would send nine aircraft and more than 100 personnel. Singapore has banned entry to all Chinese visitors and those who have recently visited China. In a statement, the Singapore Airshow said that Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Air Force aerobatics team Ba Yi would fly for the first time at the show. The event has taken special measures to safeguard attendees against the virus. WHO: No known effective treatments for new coronavirus The World Health Organization (WHO) played down media reports of breakthrough drugs being discovered to treat people infected with the new coronavirus. A Chinese TV report said that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug for the virus, while British broadcaster Sky News said researchers had made a significant breakthrough in developing a vaccine. Asked about the reports, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV (virus). Thousands of Chinese tourists stranded in Bali after flights suspended Thousands of Chinese tourists risk being stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government suspended flights to and from mainland China. With flights to be suspended at midnight Wednesday, at least 5,000 Chinese tourists are currently on the holiday island, according to Gou Haodong, the Chinese Consul General in Denpasar. Some are hoping to secure visa extensions offered by Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati. Chinas Xi says virus controls at crucial stage Chinas efforts to control a coronavirus outbreak are at a crucial stage and authorities must prevent the epidemic from spreading, Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi Jinping as saying. The government must report coronavirus outbreak information accurately in a timely manner, and will crack down on coronavirus related rumour-mongering, Xi said. Xi also said the government would ensure donated goods would be fully used in virus controls. About 350 US evacuees from China en route to California About 350 Americans evacuated from Wuhan are expected to arrive at two US military bases in California, the Pentagon said in a statement. The US travelers on two US Department of State-chartered flights will land at Travis Air Force Base, before one of the planes continues to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Passengers will be quarantined for 14 days. Airbus halts output at Tianjin assembly plant Airbus has prolonged a planned closure of its final assembly plant in Tianjin, China, the planemaker said, adding it was monitoring for any signs of impact on deliveries. The Tianjin final assembly line facility is currently closed, Airbus said in a statement. Airbus is constantly evaluating the situation and monitoring any potential knock-on effects to production and deliveries and will try to mitigate via alternative plans where necessary. IAG sees marginal impact of coronavirus on global travel The new coronavirus epidemic will have a only a marginal impact on global travel demand and the airline industry is healthy enough to absorb any economic slowdown in China, said the chief executive of British Airways parent IAG. The aviation industry is very robust. We may see some marginal impact, IAG CEO Willie Walsh told reporters in Doha at a CAPA aviation summit. Mothers may pass coronavirus to unborn children: Chinese doctors Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn child, doctors at the Wuhan Childrens Hospital said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on February 2. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and was confirmed to have the virus, they said. Malaysian journalist charged over China virus posts A Malaysian journalist was charged with causing public alarm with Facebook posts about the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China, as authorities warned against online rumour-mongering. Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias, a Malaysian newspaper journalist, denied three charges in a Kuala Lumpur court of breaking laws that ban statements which cause public fear and alarm, according to court documents. The documents did not say what she posted on Facebook, but local media reported the posts were related to the virus. The 40-year-old faces up to two years in prison for each count if found guilty. A Russian military plane at an airport outside Tyumen, Russia [Maxim Slutsky/AP] Russian plane evacuates 80 from China A Russian military plane, evacuating 80 people from China, landed in the Siberian city of Tyumen. The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that a medical staff accompanied the passengers citizens of Russia, Belarus, Armenia and some other former Soviet countries. Among the evacuated citizens no cases of infection were identified, the statement said. The military doctors reported the satisfactory condition of those who arrived from China, it added. All the evacuees will be in quarantine for 14 days. Italy scans all international arrivals for coronavirus Italy began thermal scanning passengers arriving on all international flights. At Romes Fiumicino airport, the controls were extended to domestic flights as well. Ukraine: Coronavirus is not disrupting grain exports to China Ukraine officials and traders do not expect the coronavirus epidemic to have an impact on the countrys grain exports to China, although there are delays to transport and disruption to logistics throughout the country. I see no reason to worry, said Mykola Gorbachev, the President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) traders union. China is in the market, demand has not gone away, but just now American prices are quite competitive with ours so Chinese demand will be divided between us and them, one Ukrainian trader said. There are difficulties inside China with logistics, with delivery to the regions, to consumers, but in general, the demand has not gone away, he added. Coronavirus evacuee plane from Wuhan arrives in New Zealand A plane load of New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Islanders evacuated from Chinas Wuhan city arrived in New Zealands Auckland, where they will be quarantined to prevent the spread of a new flu-like coronavirus, officials said. The Air New Zealand flight with 190 evacuees, three consular staff and five New Zealand health officials landed around 6pm local time (05:00 GMT). The New Zealanders will be put in quarantine for two weeks. Also among the passengers were 35 Australians and Australian residents with Chinese passports who would be returned to Australia, the authorities added. While the Australians would be transferred to an unspecified location in Australia without entering New Zealand, the Pacific Islanders would be held in isolation with the New Zealanders at a military base in Whangaparaoa, 25km (15 miles) north of Auckland. Hong Kong to further tighten mainland China border Hong Kong will close two cruise terminals and will put anyone coming from mainland China into compulsory quarantine for 14 days, its leader Carrie Lam said. Lam said the measures were aimed at curbing the cross-border flow of people to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus, which originated on mainland China. Some medical staff have been on strike for the past three days, demanding a full border closure. There have been 21 confirmed cases in Hong Kong, Lam said. Two Malaysians brought from Wuhan test positive for virus Two Malaysians who were flown back from Wuhan have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Southeast Asian nations health ministry said, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 12. A 45-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son did not show any symptoms when subjected to health screening on arrival in Kuala Lumpur but lab tests confirmed on Wednesday they had contracted the virus, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said. Both are receiving treatment in an isolation ward and they are in stable condition, Dzulkefly said. Russia not considering restricting food from China Russia is not considering restricting the supply of food from China, the deputy head of the agriculture ministry said, according to Russian news agencies. We are not considering it, Maxim Uvaydov said, adding that there has not yet been any information about whether the coronavirus can be transferred through food. Qatar Airways continuing cargo operations to China Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways, said the airline that suspended passenger flights to and from mainland China from February 3 will continue its cargo operations to the country. Speaking at an aviation event in Doha, he also said Qatar Airways hopes other countries will soon ease entry restrictions on people who recently visited China. The airline is donating medical supplies to China, Al Baker added. Thai taxi driver sends encouraging message to Wuhan A Thai cab driver who recovered from the new coronavirus after catching it from Chinese tourists said he wanted to encourage the city of Wuhan to keep fighting the virus. I watched the news every day from my quarantine room and send my support to Wuhan, said the 50-year-old driver, who wore a surgical mask to conceal his identity at a news conference. Even I can beat it. So can you, the driver said as he was discharged from hospital. Tokyo Olympics chief expresses worry for this years Games Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers expressed growing concerns about the effect of the coronavirus from China on this years Games, which kick off in less than six months. Im very worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the growing momentum towards the Games, Tokyo Olympics chief executive Toshiro Muto said at a meeting with officials of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), broadcaster NHK reported. Tokyo organisers will coordinate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IPC, the Japanese government and Tokyos city government to take measures against the virus, Muto added. Cathay Pacific asks 27,000 staff to take unpaid leave Hong Kongs flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take up to three weeks of unpaid leave, CEO Augustus Tang said, as the airline faces a crisis in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. I am hoping all of you will participate, from our frontline employees to our senior leaders, and share in our current challenges, Tang said in a video message posted online. In his video message to employees, Tang warned Cathay was experiencing one of the most difficult Chinese New Year holidays we have ever had because of the virus. And we dont know how long it will last, he added. With such an uncertain outlook, preserving our cash is now the key to protecting our business. Foxconn sees full China production resuming late-February Taiwans Foxconn aims to gradually restart factories in China next week but it could take at least one to two weeks from then to resume full production due to the coronavirus outbreak, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Foxconn, which makes smartphones for global vendors including Apple, has filed requests to reopen factories with local Chinese governments, the source said, adding that full resumption was not possible until late-February due to various travel bans to curb the virus. China to support virus-hit firms to raise funds via debt instruments Chinas bond market regulator said it will actively support debt financing and debt issuance by companies heavily affected by a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. The National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors (NAFMII) said it would also support the companies who have participated in containing the spread of the virus, according to a statement published on the central banks official WeChat account. NAFMII is backed by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). The association also said it would allow virus-hit firms to issue bonds and raise funds via other instruments including asset-backed notes (ABN). In addition, the association encouraged a lenient approach to debt repayments for firms affected by the epidemic. Vietnam setting up field hospitals for possible virus influx Vietnam is setting up field hospitals with thousands of beds to handle a potential influx of coronavirus cases, health officials said, as it prepares to receive its nationals from China. In the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh city, two existing facilities are being converted into field hospitals with a total capacity of 500 beds. In Hanoi, two military facilities have been turned into quarantine centres for up to 1,500 people as the country prepares to receive 950 people from China to be isolated at the sites. Two provinces in northern Vietnam near the China border have also set up beds for close to 3,000 patients. Central Vietnam has centres ready for as many as 3,700. African students trapped in coronavirus-hit Wuhan plead for help Stuck in the epicentre of a viral outbreak, young people from Africa urge their governments to evacuate them. Read the full story here. China races to build more hospitals as coronavirus outbreak grows Two infectious disease hospitals were built in a matter of days at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, authorities taking pains to publicise the work, with live streams of the construction and the arrival of the first patients at Huoshenshan field hospital in Wuhan on Tuesday. The 1,000-bed Huoshenshan hospital and the 1,600-bed Leishenshan hospital have been the main focus of attention for the countrys state-run media, with round-the-clock coverage. Less known, however, are the other hospitals now under construction elsewhere in the country to address the shortage of beds and facilities needed to treat the outbreak. Read the story here. An aerial view shows the newly completed Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan [China Daily via Reuters] China lab seeks patent on use of Gileads experimental treatment A state-run Chinese research institute has applied for a patent on the use of Gilead Sciences experimental US antiviral drug, which scientists think could treat the coronavirus that has killed hundreds and infected thousands. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, based in the city where the outbreak is believed to have originated, said it had applied to patent the use of remdesivir, an antiviral drug developed by Gilead, to treat the virus. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week reported a coronavirus patient in the US had shown improvement after taking remdesivir, which is also used to treat infectious diseases such as Ebola. Uzbekistan evacuates 84 people from Chinas Wuhan Uzbekistan has evacuated 84 people from the Chinese city of Wuhan and will place them in quarantine upon arrival in Tashkent, the Central Asian nations state airline said. Uzbekistan Airways said in a statement the passengers were being accompanied by doctors and specialists with protective equipment. Philippines confirms third case of coronavirus infection A third person, a 60-year-old female from China, has tested positive for coronavirus, the Philippine Department of Health said. One of the three infected Chinese nationals in the Philippines died on Saturday, becoming the first death outside mainland China. There are currently 133 individuals with suspected cases of infection, including 115 who have been hospitalised and are in isolation. Wuhan carries out city-wide sterilisation campaign Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has started a city-wide sterilisation campaign in an effort to curb the spread of the infection. A video posted on social media by the state-owned Global Times showed a truck spraying mist in one city block, and a motorised rickshaw making rounds and shooting thick white fumes in the air in a residential area in the city. Wuhan, the epicenter of the #coronavirus outbreak, began a city-wide sterilization campaign. Chinese netizens hail the move, hoping it will lead the city back to safety. pic.twitter.com/yzsCwO9WvM Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 5, 2020 Hong Kong: 30 crew members on cruise ship showing symptoms including fever The Hong Kong health department has announced that 30 members of a cruise ship, carrying 1,800 people, are showing some symptoms, including fever. The ship docked in Hong Kong earlier on Wednesday, after it was refused entry in Taiwan. Officials said none of the passengers in the ship came in contact with three mainland Chinese with coronavirus who were onboard the ship from January 19 to 24. Vietnam says virus will hurt economy Vietnams gross domestic product in the first quarter of this year will likely slow by 1 percent from a year earlier as a result of the coronavirus and the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, the government said on Wednesday. Vietnams aviation, tourism, agriculture industries and exports are all expected to be harmed by the epidemic, it said in a statement. If (the) Chinese economy slowed significantly, it would continue to impact Vietnam, the statement said. China is Vietnams largest trading partner Japan prepares ferry to be used as quarantine ship Japans military prepared a chartered ferry on Wednesday to use as a quarantine ship that could house hundreds of suspected coronavirus cases. The Hakuo was docked at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo. Around 300 people could comfortably live on the ship and it has a maximum capacity for 500, although that would mean queues for the baths and other facilities, a Japan Self Defense Force official told Reuters. Japan has not yet forcibly quarantined people who may carry the coronavirus, including Japanese returning on evacuation flights from Wuhan. Visitors wearing surgical masks attend the opening ceremony of Tokyos Ariake Arena, which will host Olympic volleyball and wheelchair basketball competitions this summer [Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters] People quarantined on the Hakuo will be confined to quarters for around 10 days and provided with a tablet computer and wi-fi to help them pass the time, the Japanese defence official said. Each will be provided with toiletries and other necessities during their stay, with meals brought to their rooms, he added. Japan to send fourth chartered flight to Wuhan on Thursday Japans Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Wednesday that Japan would send a fourth chartered flight to Wuhan to bring back about 200 people. The passengers could include Japanese nationals as well as their Chinese spouses, Motegi told reporters. The flight is expected on Thursday. New Zealand evacuation flight on way to Auckland from Wuhan A flight carrying New Zealanders, Australians and citizens of smaller Pacific countries leaving Wuhan is expected to arrive in Auckland later on Wednesday, authorities said. The Air New Zealand government-chartered flight is expected to arrive in Auckland, New Zealands largest city, at approximately 6:30pm local time (05:30 GMT). New Zealands foreign ministry said 193 passengers boarded the plane in Wuhan, including 100 New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, 23 Australian citizens and 70 nationals of other countries, mostly Pacific islands. UK plans second and final evacuation flight for citizens Britains Foreign Office said late on Tuesday that it would charter another civilian aircraft to evacuate British nationals and their dependants from Wuhan on Sunday. It will be their last chance to leave. The Foreign Office is chartering a second and final UK flight with space to help all British nationals and their dependants remaining in Hubei to leave, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. Britain had earlier advised its citizens to leave China if they were able to, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. At least 10 on quarantined cruise ship confirmed with virus At least 10 people on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama have tested positive for the coronavirus, Japans Health Minister said on Wednesday. The Diamond Princess, with 3,700 people on board, was quarantined after a passenger who got off the liner in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus. The number of infected could rise as screening continues. Read more here. A Japan coastguard boat at the Diamond Princess where 10 people have been confirmed infected with coronavirus [Jiji Press via EPA] US may stage additional evacuation flights in Chinas virus-hit Wuhan The Department of State said it may operate additional evacuation flights for US citizens in Wuhan on Thursday. Read updates from Tuesday, February 4 here. ALBANY New York Democrats have a misinformation problem. Just ask Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie hes been trying for months to reassure the public that bail reform isnt inherently putting criminals back on the streets to reoffend. Or Senate Majority spokesman Mike Murphy, who has used his Twitter account lately as a de facto fact-checking platform to clarify news stories that have attributed crime to the reforms. Or take a glance at the entire Justice Not Fear website dedicated to debunking allegedly misleading media reports about the changes. In the month and four days that this law has been in place, we saw thousands of people have been arrested and processed, but were just hearing about six, seven, eight sensationalized stories, Heastie asserted in an interview Tuesday. But even among those stories, the public isnt getting the full picture, he said. There are incidents that involve someone who is mentally ill, Heastie said, who should receive psychiatric help instead of sitting in a jail cell ahead of trial. He said there are also incidents in which a defendant could have been detained regardless of bail reform, either because they violated the conditions of their probation or parole, or they could have been charged with a more serious crime but local officials decided to release them anyway. Consider Manhattans Cornell Neilly, a serial bank robber who was arrested in July but released under the new bail law last month. He tried to rob a bank days after his release and was re-arrested. But Heastie said media reports about that incident have not focused on the fact that Neilly was on parole when he was arrested last July, making him eligible for detention even with bail reform. Its still unclear why Neilly was released. The system had the ability to deal with people, but the convenient thing is to just blame the bail law, Heastie said. Read more: Cohoes judge sets bail in low-level case, setting up legal challenge of new state law Heastie said he is not trying to point fingers at law enforcement officials with whom he would like to work as lawmakers evaluate any changes but theres not enough of a buy-in from law enforcement, (district attorneys), to get this law to work, where some things are falling through the cracks. Hes also not casting blame at the media, though he called for more balance and suggested highlighting the success stories of people who have shown up for court dates and kept their jobs because they werent thrown in jail. Still, it appears that the Assembly speaker is at a crossroads. Misinformation or not, public support for bail reform which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies is faltering. Republicans in both chambers have identified bail reform as their top issue this session, holding about a dozen press conferences calling for a repeal or changes to the law since October, including one Tuesday at the Capitol attended by roughly 200 law enforcement officials. Facing pressure from their constituents, some Democrats are admitting there may be a need for an amendment. Several have floated the idea of giving judges more discretion in deciding whether a person is a danger to society and should be detained before trial. Both Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, D-Yonkers, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo have indicated that they are open to changing the law. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for amendments. State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs told the New York Post Tuesday that Democrats seeking re-election in competitive districts could be put at risk if the state does not revisit the reforms. Some law enforcement officials and Capitol observers have suggested privately that Heastie may be reluctant to change the law immediately because of the potential to influence the ability of those "at risk" incumbents to gather petitions for the April primaries. Many are from districts where criminal justice reform groups have great sway. Heastie has denied that the election cycle is influencing his decision-making. He has emerged as one of the laws most firm proponents or, at the very least, a voice urging his colleagues to take a step back without rushing to judgment on a law that has been in effect for a little more than a month. Ive simply said it is too early to determine whether this law is highly successful, successful, working we just have not had enough time to do that, he said, while also acknowledging that theres never been, in the history of any government, a perfect law that is going to be taking care of every single issue. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The Assembly is still in an information-gathering period. Heastie is unsure whether he will reach a conclusion on possible changes by the time the state budget is scheduled to be finalized in early April. Meanwhile, the Assembly is also in an information-disseminating period, as Heasties aides have gathered with members of the conference to answer questions and address feedback that they have received from constituents, as first reported by The New York Post. Were listening, he said. Were paying attention. But as Heastie continues to speak out against any quick action on the reforms, members of his conference are split. Some downstate members, including Felix Ortiz, D-Kings County, and Catalina Cruz, D-Queens, gathered with activists in the Capitol on Tuesday to stand firmly in support of the law, which they said has made the criminal justice system more equitable for poor New Yorkers and people of color. Upstate members have not remained as devoted to the reforms, which was originally tucked in the state budget last year. Assemblyman John McDonald, D-Cohoes, said the conference is reviewing the law and deciding whether to address some minor changes regarding definitions of certain crimes. He attended one of the conferences informational meetings last week and said Heasties team has helped members work through their concerns, as some are struggling with this. We were sharing from our various parts of the state these stories that are coming out that, on the surface, sound bombastic, and then when you dig into it, you realize, OK, there might be some changes here, but we were really trying to validate whats going on, McDonald said. But then there are members like Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, who was one of the earliest Democrats to call for changes to bail reform. He is championing a bipartisan bill allowing further judicial discretion to detain people pre-trial. I do agree there needs to be some reform, but this is not it, Santabarbara said. This bill goes too far. You look at the list of offenses that are on the no-bail list. You look at those I don't know how you can classify them as non-violent. They're violent. He added: People are scared of this. They're scared of what's happening. We see the headlines every day. As Assembly Democrats continue internal conversations and determine whether they would rally enough support to vote in favor of changes, theres no question for Assembly Republicans. Do we need a more fair and just system? I think we all would agree yes, we can, and were ready to work for that, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, said at a press conference Tuesday. But compromising public safety and undermining law enforcement thats not an option. As long as that continues, were not going to stand by and be idle. Last September this column noted the departure of News Corp Australia's long-time communications boss Liz Deegan had led to some serious executive floor intrigue at the publisher's Holt Street headquarters. As we noted, there were four names including one who was apparently a senior editor being canvassed to take up the demanding job after Deegan left to become the National Rugby League's chief corporate affairs officer. This, we are told, was deeply unappreciated by those on the fifth floor. Now we can report that Uber's Australian and New Zealand communications chief Michelle Wood has replaced Deegan err, kinda and will be appointed News Corp's head of executive communication. She will be working largely on spin from the very top for News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller, chief operating officer Damien Eales and corporate affairs chief Campbell Reid (who she will report to). Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same' local - The United States of America (USA) has announced plans to start its own 5G network with selected partners - American companies such as Dell, AT&T and Microsoft have been shortlisted as possible partners - Other companies being considered are Nokia and Ericsson, two European firms Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The United States of America (USA) has initiated plans to begin its own 5G technology service. Information available shows that the country intends to team up with American and European companies to make it happen. YEN.com.gh understands that American companies such as Dell, Microsoft and AT&T have been shortlisted for the project. Source: usnews.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Google announces 4th quarter revenue; details show increased earnings Per a report by Business Insider, European companies such as Nokia and Ericsson may also be invited. The plan is to create a common 5G software standard that can operate 5G networks on any 5G equipment. Huawei, the biggest global player in 5G equipment has been sidestepped as the USA considers the company a threat to national security. There are fears due to its alleged ties with the Chinese government and fears that its technology could be used to spy on the USA. Huaweis Chief US security officer, Andy Purdy, has meanwhile stated that the USAs plan would leave it one or two years behind. He added that the USA should instead discuss the possibility of licensing Huawei's 5G technology to fulfill 5Gs true potential in the country. In other news, prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Boris Johnson, has revealed that Chinese technology firm, Huawei, can operate its 5G network in the country. This comes in the wake of an attempt by the United States of America (USA) to ensure that the Chinese company is excluded from next-communication generation plans by the West. In apparent defiance to Americas stance on the eve of Brexit, UK stated that Huawei, one of the high-risk vendors, would be allowed into the non-sensitive parts of the 5G network. Per a report by reuters.com, Huawei's service would be excluded from all critical networks and locations such as nuclear sites and military bases. USA is concerned that Huawei could be used as a conduit to steal Western secrets. It has however been confirmed that Johnson and Trump spoke shortly after UKs decision was made public. READ ALSO: South Africans in Wutan province in China call for evacuation by gov't Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh Dr. Faisel Rahman remembers Lionel Desmond as a calm, well-spoken and well-groomed veteran of the Afghanistan war. The psychiatrist said the man he interviewed in the emergency room on Jan. 1, 2017, gave no sign he planned to hurt himself or anyone in his life. That's why after a one-night stay at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S. the former sniper got discharged on Rahman's approval. At that point, he'd already begun some of the 90 searches police found on his cellphone for weapons and where to buy them. And on Jan. 3, he fatally shot his wife, Shanna, 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, and his mother, Brenda, at a mobile home in Upper Big Tracadie. He then turned the gun on himself. The CBC's Laura Fraser liveblogged from the fatality inquiry in Guysborough, N.S. 'Red flags' Rahman faced more than an hour of cross-examination from the lawyer representing Shanna Desmond's family which centred on the idea that he missed warning signs of violence. Tom Macdonald repeatedly asked Rahman why he didn't consider Desmond's combat history, his post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis or his admission that his wife had called the police on him numerous times as "red flags." Rahman did not fully answer the question at first. Instead, he told the inquiry that he made a clinical assessment and found Desmond's demeanour, body language and ability to make plans for the future all to be positive signs. Macdonald pressed the point, however, asking Rahman why he didn't consider it concerning when Desmond told him that police had seized his gun in the past and that his wife had just asked him to leave. Trev Bungay/Facebook/The Canadian Press The fatality inquiry's mandate includes learning more about Desmond's release from hospital and whether the doctors who treated him were trained to understand the symptoms and effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. Desmond's medical chart reported that he had PTSD, post-concussion syndrome and was "having a bad day," the inquiry heard Monday. Shanna Desmond had asked him to leave her family home the night before after he'd spent hours yelling and breaking furniture. Story continues But when Rahman met Desmond for about 30 to 40 minutes, he said he found the veteran's symptoms weren't a result of his PTSD or depression. Instead, he felt Desmond was distressed about his relationship with his wife and "their long-standing conflict," he said. During the mental health assessment, Desmond told the psychiatrist that fights had riddled his relationship with Shanna and that, each time, she would call the police and ask him to leave. Rahman said that Desmond seemed frustrated that his wife kept involving police, but stayed calm as he talked. The couple's latest fight had begun on New Year's Eve when he became irate after rolling a truck into the ditch, Rahman said, an incident police have described as the catalyst to the entire tragedy. "He told me [the fight] just kept escalating until the next morning," Rahman said. "He punched the table or some piece of furniture and he startled his daughter." Eric Woolliscroft/CBC Risk factors But although Desmond had shown aggression during the fight, Rahman said that he seemed remorseful and regretted upsetting his daughter. He talked happily about Aaliyah's 10th birthday party and the plans he had for his future. Desmond was being followed by another psychiatrist at St. Martha's as well as a social worker through Veterans Affairs. All of those things what Rahman called "protective factors" combined with Desmond's calm and forthcoming demeanour convinced the psychiatrist the veteran wasn't a risk to himself or anyone else. He found the "protective factors" outweighed the risks: Desmond's lengthy history of mental illness, his relationship conflict and his prior thoughts of suicide. Overnight stay Although Rahman felt Desmond was not acutely ill, he agreed to keep the former soldier overnight as a "social admission" at Desmond's request since his wife had asked him to stay somewhere else. Two accounts about that overnight stay have emerged throughout the inquiry, with Desmond having told family that the psychiatric ward was full, and staff at St. Martha's saying the veteran asked not to be put in that ward because his wife worked there. Rahman upheld the latter, saying that Desmond was given a comfortable bed in the emergency room at his request and not a stretcher. He told the inquiry that he offered the veteran a second night's stay if he wanted. Facebook Prevention The Afghan War veteran had been diagnosed by a Department of National Defence psychiatrist in 2011. He received treatment while in the military in New Brunswick and, later, in Quebec. He sought help in Nova Scotia as well, but previous witnesses have questioned whether his civilian doctors could access his military records to understand the full scope of Desmond's illness. The purpose of the inquiry is to examine whether changes to public policy in health care and supports for veterans and their families can prevent similar deaths. It is, however, a provincial inquiry and doesn't have the jurisdiction to recommend changes to key federal departments, like National Defence and Veterans Affairs. SYDNEY, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has officially launched the world's global database for accredited management system certifications, providing businesses and governments the ability to digitally validate an organization's certification(s) to determine if a certificate is valid and if the Certification Body issuing the certificate is accredited to issue certifications to that standard. IAF CertSearch, the largest global database for accredited certifications, currently includes around 400,000 valid certifications across more than 150 economies covering a range of sectors. With over 4000 certification bodies and 68 IAF MLA signatory accreditation bodies globally, validation of certifications across supply chains can be difficult. The aggregation of certification data in one global database - IAFCertSearch - makes the validation process simple and efficient. IAF Director for Users and Industry, IAF UAC Chair, Sheronda Jeffries said, "Via IAF CertSearch businesses and governments can ensure all suppliers in their supply chains hold valid accredited certifications and can be instantly alerted if the certification is suspended, withdrawn or expired." IAF Chairman Mr Xiao Jianhua said, "IAF CertSearch is a game changer for accredited certification, improving the awareness, integrity and value of accredited certification. Organizations will no longer be able to claim to have an accredited certification when they do not." Mr Jianhua added, "Launching the database is a great milestone! Trading with certified organizations is a way businesses and governments can demonstrate they have high quality, compliant, transparent global supply chains." The database also helps organizations demonstrate that organizations in their supply chains meet environmental, social, and governance standards. About the IAF IAF is an association of like-minded organizations dedicated to reducing risk for businesses and its customers by assuring them that accredited certificates may be relied on around the world. "Certified once, accepted everywhere." Contact information info@iafcertsearch.org Media facts: View additional quotes & statistics here: https://f1.iafcertsearch.org/assets/g/1.1/More+Information+and+Quotes+-+IAF+CertSearch+Press+Release.pdf Quotes from : Grant Ramely - Co-convener Medical Devices WG, DTA - Dental Trade Alliance James Bruin IATF - International Automotive Task Force Brian Geer IAQG - International Aerospace Quality Group Marie-Claude Quentin - Global Food Safety Initiative https://youtu.be/oDEaHPawzVA Popular standards Quality Management ISO 9001 Occupational Health and Safety OHSAS 18001 Environmental Management ISO 14001 Energy Management ISO 50001 Food Safety Management ISO 22000 Information Security Management ISO/IEC 27001 Medical Device ISO 13485 Key Industries: food supply, agriculture, medical, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing A couple set to have the first same-sex marriage ceremony in Northern Ireland posed in front of a mural to murdered journalist Lyra Mckee as they revealed the lucky coincidence behind them making history. Sharni Edwards, 27, and Robyn Peoples, 26, will get married in Co Antrim next Tuesday. The day marks their sixth anniversary as a couple and they had booked a civil partnership ceremony for the date months before the landmark law change in the region. Ms Edwards, from Brighton, and Ms Peoples, from Belfast, have now turned the event into a wedding ceremony. Robyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards had originally intended to have a civil partnership ceremony / PA Ms Peoples described the build-up to the high-profile wedding as an amazing whirlwind. Its the biggest coincidence, she said. We didnt set out to be the first or have all this attention, but we are grateful to be able to set the way for the rest of our community. The senior care assistant said she never thought the day would come, due to the reluctance of many local politicians to lift the prohibition. Same-sex marriage was eventually legalised as a result of a law passed last year by Westminster MPs who stepped in and acted on the controversial issue during the powersharing impasse at Stormont. Robyn Peoples (right) and Sharni Edwards walking Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. / PA Ms Edwards said she did not even know the law was different in Northern Ireland until she moved to Belfast from England. Every year you just felt knocked back and knocked back no matter how many marches and protests there were, but finally we are there, said the waitress. Before I met Robyn I didnt know myself, because obviously its legal in the rest of the UK, so I didnt know myself until I came over and she opened my eyes. When I found out, I couldnt comprehend it, I couldnt understand why Northern Ireland was so behind. Now the bills been passed to see history being made its just amazing. The couple paid a visit to a Belfast mural dedicated to murdered author Lyra McKee as they spoke about their wedding plans on Wednesday. Ms McKee, who was shot dead by dissident republicans as she observed a riot in Londonderry last April, was a vocal campaigner for same-sex marriage. Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International said the wedding would be a momentous occasion not only for the couple but for the tens of thousands of people who were involved in the campaign for a law change. Its big day for them but its also a big day for the campaign for equal marriage in Northern Ireland, he said. Campaigners for that right have had to fight longer and harder here in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK and Ireland but we won that campaign and next Tuesday Robyn and Sharni walking down the aisle is the big day, the success day for that campaign when we know we have finally secured those rights for everybody in Northern Ireland. The couple are planning an intimate wedding ceremony followed by a big party. The living room has original hardwood floors, custom built-ins, coat closet, and cottage-style Tudor windows. Read more Gina Smith had grown up in the Olney section of Philadelphia, lived in Lansdale for 17 years, and then rented in Fishtown for about a year before finding the right city/suburban balance. I wanted a place that was a little bit city and a little bit suburban without being too far from either, said Smith, a physical therapist. The classic English Tudor in East Falls suited her perfectly. A bicyclist and paddleboarder, she liked that Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill were just a half-mile away. And the two-bedroom, one-bath house is just three blocks from the East Falls stop on SEPTA Regional Rail. Since she bought the house in 2015, she said, things have moved into the neighborhood. A flower shop, a local deli, new construction. The Falls of Schuylkill branch of the Free Library, renowned as a hub of community activity, is nearby. But a change in Smiths circumstances a merger with a partner and four pets has caused her to move to nearby West Mount Airy. The 1,120-square-foot house, built in 1943, is on a tree-lined side street in a historic area. The living room has original hardwood floors, custom built-ins, coat closet, and cottage-style Tudor windows. The two bedrooms and a full bath are on the second floor. The updated galley kitchen has stainless steel appliances, a custom designer sink, and a two-zone wine fridge. Access to the enclosed private rear patio is through the kitchen. The basement has ample storage space and a laundry area. The home features natural gas radiant heat and recently added efficient zoned wall AC units on the second floor. Other recent updates include a new front sidewalk and copper snowcaps added to the copper rain gutters. The property is listed by Dave Marcolla at Keller Williams Real Estate-Newtown for $319,900. System developed at KIT for fully automatic wear control of ball screws by using artificial intelligence. (Photo: Markus Breig, KIT) Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a system for fully automated monitoring of ball screw drives in machine tools. A camera integrated directly into the nut of the drive generates images that an artificial intelligence continuously monitors for signs of wear, helping to reduce machine downtime. In mechanical engineering, maintaining and replacing defective components timely in machine tools is an important part of the manufacturing process. In the case of ball screw drives, such as those used in lathes to precisely guide the production of cylindrical components, wear has until now been determined manually. Maintenance is therefore associated with installation work, which means the machine comes to a standstill, says Professor Jurgen Fleischer from the Institute for Production Technology (wbk) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Our approach, on the other hand, integrates an intelligent camera system directly into the drive, which enables a user to continuously monitor the spindle status. If there is a need for action, the system informs the user automatically. The new system combines a camera with light source attached to the nut of the drive and an artificial intelligence (AI) that evaluates the image data. As the nut moves on the spindle, it takes individual pictures of each spindle section, enabling the analysis of the entire spindle surface. An integrated camera with lighting enables continuous monitoring of the spindle in the ball screw drive. (Photo: Markus Breig, KIT) Artificial intelligence for mechanical engineering Combining image data from ongoing operations with machine-learning methods enables system users to assess directly the condition of the spindle surface. We trained our algorithm with thousands of images so that it can now confidently distinguish between spindles with defects and those without, says Tobias Schlagenhauf (wbk), who helped development the system. By further evaluating the image data, we can precisely qualify and interpret wear and thus distinguish if discoloration is simply dirt or harmful pitting. When training the AI, the team took account of all conceivable forms of visible degeneration and validated the algorithms functionality with new image data that the model had never seen before. The algorithm is suitable for all applications that identify image-based defects on the spindle surface and is transferrable to other applications. Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. Native American activists are planning to maximize voter turnout, U.S. census participation and other civic engagement in 2020. North Dakota Native Vote launched its 2020 initiative on Wednesday in Bismarck. Nonprofit Executive Director Nicole Donaghy introduced board members and described plans to hire a field director and a goal of basing part-time field organizers as soon as possible on each of the reservations in North Dakota, "so that they can lead the charge." "We are a resource for our communities," said Donaghy, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. "Our main focus is the reservations. That's where our heart is. That's where most of our members currently reside, is on reservations." In 2018, Benson, Rolette and Sioux counties -- each home to reservations -- saw the most ballots cast out of the last five general elections there. North Dakota Native Vote launched that year following several years of dispute over North Dakota law requiring voter ID with a provable street address. That arose from the Republican-controlled Legislature's tightening of voter ID rules following Democrat Heidi Heitkamp's upset of Republican Rick Berg in the 2012 U.S. Senate race -- one she won with the help of Native American voters. Republicans said the race wasn't the reason -- that they were trying to stem voter fraud. Street addresses often don't exist on reservations, creating a perceived burden on Native American voters. Donaghy said the tightened law rendered a "crisis mode" to get out the vote. "We kept our people in the loop constantly, through media, through door knocking, through events, and so we had a tight ground game," she said. The group plans to build on the record 2018 turnout. Two federal lawsuits filed by tribes are ongoing related to the voter ID law. In the meantime, reservations during the 2018 election put together large-scale efforts to create free IDs with street addresses for tribal members. North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger declined to comment on North Dakota Native Vote, saying he is not familiar with the group or its plans. However, Jaeger on Wednesday announced Gov. Doug Burgum has granted him emergency rulemaking authority to incorporate information from tribal IDs into new electronic pollbooks set to be distributed to counties for first use in the June 9 statewide primary. New North Dakota Election Director Brian Newby has said he learned in 2018 of the "address difficulties" Native Americans face, such as distant polling places. He told the Tribune he wants "to be as responsive as I can to" accessibility issues. Donaghy said "that's a good promise." "That sounds promising and I really hope that he makes a commitment to our very rural tribal communities to hold himself true to his words," she said. She plans to reach out to Jaeger's office. North Dakota Native Vote Board Member Theodora Bird Bear, who lives in Dunn County on the Fort Berthold Reservation, had to drive about 100 miles round trip through a blizzard to cast her 2018 ballot in Manning after her longtime polling place -- a church 4 miles from her home -- closed unexpectedly. "I'm in a very rural area, very remote, and so it's a barrier for us out there," Bird Bear, 68, told the Tribune. Her local post office also has faced closure. North Dakota Native Vote also will prioritize other civic engagement this year, such as participation in the 2020 U.S. census, which begins in March. Board members said an accurate count is vital for tribal communities in allocating federal funds and drawing legislative districts. Donaghy encouraged community members to apply to be local census enumerators "to make it comfortable" for residents of reservations in North Dakota to participate in the decennial count. She and others in attendance at the group's launch on Wednesday said legislative representation from reservations is important. North Dakota Native Vote Secretary Tawny Cale, a member of Standing Rock, said a starting point is to inspire people to be involved. "One of our goals is not to be the token Indian sitting in the room," Cale said. "We want to have a voice, and we want there to be power behind that voice." North Dakota's 141-person Legislature has at least three state lawmakers who say they are enrolled members of tribal nations: Rep. Ruth Buffalo, D-Fargo, of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation; Sen. Oley Larsen, R-Minot, of Kluane First Nation; and Sen. Richard Marcellais, D-Belcourt, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Buffalo was an unsuccessful Democratic-NPL nominee for state insurance commissioner in 2016, along with Chase Iron Eyes for U.S. House and Marlo Hunt-Beaubrun for Public Service Commission, both of whom are from Standing Rock. "From that experience, I was left so inspired because so many first-time voters came out," said Buffalo, who won her House seat in 2018. North Dakota Native Vote is privately funded. "We got our start through crowdsourcing, and now we work with different foundations that share the same values and beliefs as we do," Donaghy said without elaborating. "We do not take state or federal dollars." Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. As part of the delegation, Albas Chairman of the Board of Directors Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa met with key Italian companies, including Fluorsid, FATA and Techmo Car, where important agreements were signed to advance commercial opportunities for both parties. Commenting on the occasion, Shaikh Daij said: Alba is pleased to be part of the Bahraini delegation to Italy led by HRH the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. As one of the key contributors to Bahrains economy, Alba is deeply committed to realising the Kingdoms Economic Vision 2030. Through these signed agreements, Alba aims to further strengthen its relationship with Fluorsid, FATA and Techmo Car as well as explore more avenues for future collaboration. Alba has an existing contract with Fluorsid for the supply of 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of smelter grade Aluminium Fluoride, around 70 per cent of Albas yearly requirements. FATA is the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for Albas Port Capacity Upgrade Project, part of Alba Line 6 Expansion Project, while Techmo is a producer of high-end mobile and stationary equipment for the aluminium and metal production sector and enjoys a long-standing commercial relationship with Alba. Separately, the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) yesterday signed an agreement with the Italian oilfield services company Saipem to study the feasibility of various projects in Bahrain. The agreement is part of GPICs strategy to expand operations and build on recent successes by studying the viability of implementing new projects within its industrial complex at Sitra and leverage the discovery of Bahrains largest oil field, which was announced in 2018. In a statement to mark the occasion, the Minister of Oil, Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, expressed the support of the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) to all its subsidiary companies, noting their contribution to the development and sustainability of the Bahraini economy and attraction of foreign investments into the Kingdom. In this regard, the minister highlighted that the strategy for Bahrains Oil and Gas sector is in line with the Kingdoms comprehensive development goals, led by HM the King, and receive the continuous support of HRH the Prime Minister and HRH the Crown Prince. The Minter of Oil highlighted GPICs proven excellence in production and marketing, adding that the companys expansion projects have the full support of both the government and shareholders. The Minister of Oil added that the agreement signed with Saipem will enhance GPICs ability to increase production, expanding its contribution to the Kingdoms economy, in line with the directives of HRH the Crown Prince. In another development, Shaikh Mohammed and Chairman of Tatweer Petroleum, and Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of Italian oil and gas company Eni, yesterday signed an agreement to explore new areas for collaboration during a high-level visit to the Italian Republic led by His Royal Highness, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister. The agreement will facilitate joint assessments as well as the launch of new initiatives in areas of mutual interest, including renewable energy, the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply, and exploration. Shaikh Mohammed recognised the delegations visit as a platform to further expand investment opportunities in the energy sector, and underlined the benefits of further increasing the exchange of expertise as a means to advance the Kingdoms oil and gas sector. Among others, Export Bahrain, the national export promotion agency, signed an agreement with SACE, the Italian Export Credit Agency, to increase exports between the two countries. Under the agreement, Export Bahrain and SACE agreed to exchange information on business opportunities to further promote exports, including utilising the exchange of knowledge to aid capacity building. Photo : HRH the Crown Prince with Claudio Descalsi, CEO of Italian Company Eni. Jonathan, who was a farm manager at his fathers Moria Farm and on trial while out of custody, went on the run soon after his defence lawyers bid for the discharge of his case was dismissed by Mwenezi Magistrate Honest Musiiwa. Over fifty million farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 25.1 million farmers have not got even the second instalment and 51.6 million of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 90 million farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 76.2 million or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 65 million farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 38.5 million beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by this PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 47.4 million farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 42.2 million received the first instalment, 40.2 million the second and 3.85 crore the third. There was no mention why nearly 5 million, 7 million and 9 million registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 30.8 million farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 26.6 million and 24.7 million beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 4 million and 6.1 million registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 11.9 million beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 7.36 million farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 75.6 million the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 1.69 million farmers registered during this period, 1.4 million got the first instalment, 1.3 million received the second and 987,000 the third. Of the 4.2 million registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 3.6 million got the first instalment, 3.1 milion the second and 2.million got the third instalment. As many as 2.38 million farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 1.87 million got the second and 1.84 million the third. A total of 2. 61 million beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 957,000 out of 1. 96 million farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 122,000 out of 198,000 registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 978,000 lakh farmers out of the 1.71 million registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 million registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. Also read: Budget doesn't provide counter-cyclical stimulus; RBI need to do heavy lifting to boost growth: HDFC Bank Also read: RBI MPC meet: Central bank likely to hold rates post Budget 2020 proposals ISTANBULA Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and broke apart while landing in bad weather in Istanbul Wednesday, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Passengers had to scramble through the split fuselage to escape. The aircraft, operated by low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, was arriving at Istanbuls Sabiha Gokcen airport from the western Turkish city of Izmir with 183 passengers and crew on board when it had what the Transportation Ministry described as a rough landing. Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the plane failed to hold onto the runway and skidded some 50-60 meters (yards) before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 30 meters (98 feet.) We are deeply saddened (But) we are very happy that we escaped a greater accident, Yerlikaya said, adding that the plane could have burst into flames. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported early Thursday that three people had died and 179 required care at multiple hospitals. Rescuers, assisted by an excavator, were seen working on one spot on the wreckage and it was not clear if they were searching for one person who remains unaccounted for. The airport was shut down after the incident, which occurred at around 6:30 p.m. local time (1530 GMT), and flights were diverted to Istanbuls main airport. Survivor Dogus Bilgic, 24, told Turkish television channel NTV that he fled the smashed plane by way of a gap near his seat and was one of the first passengers to get out. We traveled (on the runway) for some 20 or 30 seconds, then all of a sudden we flew off the runway, he said while seated in a wheelchair because of a leg injury. It happened in seconds. I was seated in 25C. I believe the plane broke apart at row 26, Bilgic recalled, adding that he threw himself out of the plane when he saw the opening. The front (of the plane) was in a terrible state. I saw, after I was on the ground, that it had completely broken apart, he said. As other passengers emerged from the wreckage, Bilgic said he helped two or three to the ground. I carried them somewhere because they werent doing as well as us, he said, then ran away from the plane with others, fearing a possible explosion. There was complete chaos, he said. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the wreckage of the plane in a field adjacent to the end of the runway. The video shows heavy rain and strong winds at the time, with smoke coming from one of the engines as passengers climb out of the fuselage onto the wings of the plane and away from the crash site. Eyewitness Hasan Eraydin, who shot the video, said he had been driving home from work when he heard a rumble. We were about 30 meters away we tried to get to the scene to help, but there was some sort of a canal in between and it was impossible. We thought God willing, no one has died. Dozens of rescue crew members swarmed around the flood-lit fuselage, including around the cockpit, which had flipped over. The plane was a Boeing 737 that was 11 years old, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24. We are aware of the media reports and we are gathering more information, Peter Pedraza, a Boeing spokesman, said. NTV said the injured included the planes two pilots, who it said were in serious condition. The television channe l broadcast a recording of the communications between the pilots and air traffic control in which the pilots are told that previous flights had reported strong tail winds. According to the information we have, there was a rough landing. The accident occurred after (the plane) could not decelerate and rammed into a field from the end of the runway, Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mehmet Cahit Turan as saying. Prosecutors opened an investigation of the accident, Anadolu reported. Pegasus is a privately-owned, low-cost carrier based in Istanbul that flies 97 routes, mostly within Turkey and to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. It is majority owned by Turkish billionaire Sevket Sabanci and his family, who have big investments in the country in areas as varied as real estate, clothing, health clubs and packaging materials. The accident comes a month after a Pegasus plane with 164 people on board skidded off the runway at the same airport in Istanbul. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on Jan. 7. In January 2018, another Boeing 737 in the Pegasus fleet slid off a runway at northeastern Turkeys Trabzon Airport and down a dirt embankment. The plane came to rest in the dirt above the Black Sea with its nose pointed toward the water. None of the 168 passengers and crew members were injured. Planes are designed to absorb impact forces in the bottom of the fuselage to improve the chances that passengers in the cabin above will survive. In 2013, the tail of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 broke off after the jet hit a seawall during approach to San Francisco International Airport. Three people died, 49 were seriously injured and scores more suffered minor injuries, according to the U.S. accident report. That same year, a Lion Air Boeing 737 split in two after landing in shallow water short of the runway in Bali, Indonesia. All 101 passengers and seven crew members survived. By Suzan Frazer and Mehmet Guzel - Nyakim Gatwech, a former refugee with thick Black skin has become a flourishing model - The beautiful 26-year-old faced heartbreaking criticisms growing up but has toughened through the harsh words to become a sensation - According to Nyakim Gatwech, bleaching her skin is completely unnecessary at it is a blessing to have a melanin skin Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A 26-year-old African model called Nyakim Gatwech with deep Black skin has become a stunning sensation on social media with amazing photos flaunting her proud complexion. Pulse.com.gh reports that the beautiful model was born in Sudan and became a refugee at camps in Ethiopia and Kenya before her family immigrated to the United States when she was 13 years old. While in Africa, Nyakim Gatwech was never ashamed of her super dark skin and her South Sudanese heritage but she began to suffer abuse when she found herself on a White mans land. She was a target of bullies simply because of her skin colour. READ ALSO: Meet the 16-year-old SHS girl in gold track who does part-time job to fund vacation classes It is reported that many people the young lady interacted with while growing up had very negative opinions about her skin. There were some people who literally feared her because of the glowing complexion while others cautioned her to just get rid of it by bleaching. Once, an Uber driver even asked her to bleach for $10,000. According to the young lady, she has been blessed with the melanin skin and there was no cause to change it for any reason. To her, bleaching is totally needless and unnecessary. READ ALSO: Girlfriend gets surprise of her life as birthday cake turns into money in video Nyakim Gatwech toughened through the criticism and now flourishes as a stunning Black model. In other news, a 16-year-old form-two student from Ada Technical Senior High School in the Greater Accra region by name Ivy Lartey has taken to part-time work to fund her vacation classes. This has been because her parents were unable to provide for her. According to a short documentary by 3news.com, Ivy has been on vacation since December 19, 2020, and is expected to resume school on March 1. This counts as a three-month period of holidays after spending only a month in school. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday criticised the Centre's decision to transfer probe into the 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) without taking the state government into confidence. In the third and concluding part of his interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray also accused the BJP of "betraying" him and said his 'hindutva' ideology was different from that the BJP as he did not want an unstable 'Hindu Rashtra' where governments are toppled and there is communal tension. To a question, he said the (Supreme Court's) decision on Ram temple was according to the Constitution. He also said the future of his Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress,was "good". NCP chief Sharad Pawar was the MVA government's "guide" and not remote controlling it, he said, adding that he will visit Delhi soon to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Referring to the Koregaon Bhima violence case, Thackeray said the Centre has all rights to step into the probe, but it should have taken the state government into confidence before handing over the investigation to NIA. "I was surprised by the Centre's decision. Doesn't the Centre trust the state's investigating agencies. Due to such incidents, there is a problem in Centre-state relations," he said while speaking to Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut. Thackeray said the probe in the case was handed over to NIA when Pawar was demanding an inquiry into it by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). "The Centre must have felt what is going on in our mind. It could have asked us what are we planning to do. Sharad Pawar expressed his views on the probe. Did we take any decision? The Centre should have sought information from us. It should have asked Pawar why he feels the case should be probed again," he said. The chief minister said he had spoken to Pawar and the latter wanted a "free and fair" probe in the case. Violence had broken out near Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune district on January 1, 2018. The case was earlier being probed by the Pune Police, which claimed that provocative speeches at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, led to the violence, and Maoists were behing the conclave. Thackeray further said his 'hindutva' (ideology) was different from that of former ally BJP. "I don't want an unstable 'Hindu Rashtra' where governments are toppled and where there is communal tension. The Shiv Sena's hindutva remains the same...but that doesn't come in between government functioning," he said. He also said the decision on Ram temple was according to law of the land and Constitution. Asked about Congress leader Ashok Chavan's statement that the Shiv Sena gave in writing that the MVA government will function according to the Constitution, the chief minister said not just his party, but the Congress and NCP have also given that in writing. "That is called the 'Common Minimum Programme'. The programme includes 'thali' (one plate meal) for poor at Rs 10, health check up for Re one and farm loan waiver," he said. He also rejected criticism that the Shiv Sena had surrendered to the Congress and NCP. "What is surrender? Has the Congress given up its secularism? I have also not given up hindutva. But, we are focusing on governance within the constitutional frame work," he said. On his government being called a 'khichdi sarkar', Thackeray said, "So what...the poor need 'khichdi'. Nobody gives them biryani." Asked about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Thackeray said he is a good colleague who has "knowledge of issues". "Even Ashok Chavan is very cooperative. We fought elections against each other and criticised each other. But, now we are working together," he noted. Ajit Pawar rebelled against his party NCP last year and joined hands with the BJP to form a short-lived government led by Devendra Fadnavis. The NCP leader was then sworn in as deputy chief minister, but he soon resigned, leading to collapse of the Fadnavis government. Thackeray noted that his is a three-party government. "I am the chief of my party. Sharad Pawar gives suggestions. He is experienced and I get guidance. The government is not remote controlled by him," he said. He also said the MVA government has a bright future and he sees no problem in the alliance continuing for long. "All the three parties have understood each other's limitations. If we do well within our limits, we can achieve our goal," he said. Thackeray accused the BJP of "betraying" him. To a question on whether doors or a slight windoware still open (for BJP), the Shiv Sena president said whatever he does, he does it openly. The Sena snapped ties with the BJP after the state Assembly polls last year over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. Asked about his government being called the "father- son government," the chief minister said his son Aaditya Thackeray, who is an MLA from Worli, was doing well and working on tourism and environment departments. "Just because I became the chief minister, why should I be a road block in his progress?" he asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny, Mr. Trump said. Here are six takeaways from the 78-minute speech. The tense dynamic between the president and Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on display all evening. The details: Read a full transcript and watch video highlights. Our reporters also fact-checked the speech. News analysis: Mr. Trump moved past preserving his first term and focused on securing a second with an argument aimed at both his political base and dubious suburban voters, our chief White House correspondent writes. The scene: The address included a few theatrical touches, including the surprise reunion of a military family. Mr. Trump also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who was seated next to the first lady, Melania Trump. Mr. Limbaugh recently announced that he has advanced lung cancer. Whats next: Mr. Trump didnt mention his impeachment trial, which is expected to end today with a vote in the Senate to acquit him. Heres what to watch for before the vote around 4 p.m. Eastern. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Jayadev Galla has moved a privilege motion against a number of Andhra Pradesh police officials, including the Director General of Police (DGP), for allegedly manhandling him during the three capital agitation last month. In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, dated February 3, Galla sought action against Andhra Pradesh DGP Gautam Sawang, Superintendent of Police (Guntur Rural) Vijaya Rao and Narasaraopeta One Town SHO Inspector Bilaluddin. Galla claimed that the police physically harassed him while he was participating in the 'Chalo Assembly' programme while protesting against the three-capital plan proposed by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's government. The MP said the police action against him tantamounts to breach of privilege. "The action of police against a Member of Parliament who is a constitutional functionary and preventing, obstructing, beating and injuring him when he is marching peacefully tantamount to breach of privilege and slapping Sections 143, 188, 353, 324, 332 read with 149 IPC clearly indicate the criminal intention of the government and its machinery," the MP from Guntur wrote in his letter to the Speaker. Requesting the Speaker to take suitable action, Galla said, "Please find out the reason for such an act and take suitable administrative and departmental action so that such things do not recur against anybody in the future." Outlining the three capital issue, the MP said, "It is the bone of contention because more than 29,000 farmers gave up about 33,000 acres of farmland on which they have been surviving for decades thinking that if the capital comes their living conditions would improve and there would be a better future for their children and the state." "Farmers who gave up their own cultivable lands have been protesting for the last more than 45 days opposing the decision to split the capital because the concept of three capitals is bizarre and robs Amaravati of its development," he added. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha on Wednesday slammed Galla for moving the privilege motion in Lok Sabha. Sucharitha while slamming the TDP MP has claimed that the latter called for "Jail Bharo" (fill the prisons) despite the imposition of Section 144. She also claimed that Galla also provoked farmers and the police during the agitation a few weeks ago. The State Assembly has passed the 'Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020'. The Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of committeemen on the Northwest Side defied Madigan and went ahead on Nov. 15 to name Delgado, then chief of staff at Peoples Gas, to the seat with votes from the 36th Ward. While Arroyo did not participate in the vote directly, he gave his share of the weighted vote to 30th Ward Ald. Ariel Reboyras, who then had enough of the vote to control the process. Reboyras has said he didnt consult Arroyo about the selection. By Rasana Gasimova The volume of cargo transported via Azerbaijans Astara railway terminal increased by 33 percent year-on-year in 2019, amounting to 363,842 tons, a source within ADY Express, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC reported. The terminal is used as a transit route for cargo transported from Russia to Iran and vice versa as part of the North-South International Transport Corridor that Azerbaijan is a member of. The transported cargo mainly consists of wood and wooden products (48 percent of the total volume of transshipment cargo), cereals (17 percent), construction materials (18 percent), fruits, vegetables, containers and other goods (17 percent). As for the volume of overfilled cargo during the day in 2019, the terminal carried an average of 23 cars or 1,373 tons of cargo, which in 2018 amounted to 16 cars or 1,056 tons of cargo, respectively. It should also be noted that in November 2019, the maximum load exceeded 40,472 tons, which is a record indicator of the volume of cargo carried over a month. Azerbaijans involvement in the North-South International Transport Corridor project, along with the development of relations between Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran, contribute to the expansion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and other member states of the corridor. Within the framework of the project, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC continues the construction of the Astara cargo terminal located near the Azerbaijani-Iranian border and on the territory of Iran. Note that the construction of the Astara terminal within the North-South International Transport Corridor started in 2016, and the first phase of construction was completed in March 2018. Cargo transportation operations have been carried out at the terminal since February 2018. The capacity of the terminal is 2 million tons annually, and it is planned to be increased to 5 million tons in the future. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A visibly distressed woman, Suzethe Margareth, entered the Al-Munawaroh mosque with a dog and without removing her shoes. She was convinced that her husband was getting married to another woman. The prosecution asked for eight months in prison. The court ruled that the defendant had committed an offence but could not be held responsible for it. Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Cibinong District Court in Bogor regency (Central Java province) acquitted a Catholic woman suffering from schizophrenia. Suzethe Margareth (pictured), 53, was charged with a blasphemy offence. On May 31, she had entered the Al-Munawaroh mosque in Sentul City with a dog and without removing her shoes. The video of the incident was posted on social media and went viral. This sparked a major controversy, prompting senior Islamic officials to act to avoid religious tensions. Prosecutors sought an eight-month jail term for the accused under Article 156a of Indonesias Penal Code, which covers blasphemy cases. After a trial that lasted almost five months, the court ruled that the woman was guilty as charged, but could not be held responsible for her action because of her mental health. The defence lawyer, Alfonsus Atu Kota, said that from the first hearing, everyone involved, including prosecutors and investigators, realised the mental state of his client. "From her gestures, the way she speaks, we can all see that she is suffering," he said. But the case was pursued because there was pressure from certain groups of people. According to psychiatric tests performed in 2013, Suzethe suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. About seven months ago, in a visibly distressed state, she entered the mosque convinced that her husband was going to marry another woman. A video of the incident posted on line shows the woman saying that she is Catholic, accusing the mosque of having converted her husband to Islam. Those present told her that they had no knowledge of any such wedding. She then kicks a security guard who had asked her to leave. Many Muslims reacted angrily to the event. According to Islamic custom, dogs are impure and footwear is not allowed in mosques. At present, prosecutors have not yet decided to appeal the decision rendered by the Cibinong District Court, which gave the womans family time to focus on her health. At present, she is undergoing outpatient treatment at the Marzoeki Mahdi hospital, which includes monthly check-ups and drugs to control schizophrenia. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 12:13:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow for victims who have died of the novel coronavirus in China. Lungu commended the Chinese government for its unmatched level of preparedness and tenacity demonstrated in handling the novel coronavirus epidemic since its outbreak. On behalf of the government and in his own name, the Zambian leader expressed "heartfelt condolences to the Chinese government, the bereaved families and the people of" China, according to a statement released by his office. Zambia stands in solidarity with the Chinese government, Lungu said, adding that he is confident through the relentless efforts of the Chinese government, there will be fewer infections and ultimately no further loss of lives. Zambians living in China were receiving all the necessary support and attention during this period, added the president. On-Demand VIDEO On-deand Audio Podcast, To launch, click here (MP3) Chronology (audio podcast times, video times differ slightly): Opening statements: 0-7:55 Measure A-Forever ballot measure: 7:55-14:55 Revitalize Willow/Pacific Corridor/How help small businesses: 14:40 -22:30 Homelessness / Kmai community concerns: 22:30-:32:50 Land Use Element/Density: 31:10 - 40:00 How long lived in 6th district, how many Council meetings attended/reached out to incumbent: 39:15:34-46:20 Air pollution: 46:20-54:30 Inter-personal skills/how get to 5 votes: 54:30-1:01:30 Restore public's right to agendize items and use 10% of Measure A to restore 30 add'l police officers: 1:01:30-1:10:55 Closing statements: 1:11:00 to 1:17:00 close Summary / Background (includes perspective) The first audience question (which moderator Tolkoff indicated he'd edited to make it "less inflammatory"] accused Mayor Garcia and the Council of first telling LB voters that the 2016 Measure A sales tax would be temporary but now want voters to make it a "Forever Tax" with LB's police and firefighter unions spending large sums "to buy the passage of Measure A" after receiving Mayor/Council approved pay raises. "Do you support this form of ballot rigging [in which] large organizations can buy votes with large campaign contributions?" the question asked. Challengers Hardie, Villasenor and Ursuy variously opposed the current Measure A-forever tax ballot measure. Challenger Saro said she supports the March 2020 ballot measure based on her understanding that if Measure A isn't extended, an already-enacted L.A. County sales tax will automatically take effect and she favors keeping the tax money in Long Beach. Council incumbent Andrews (who voted to put both the 2016 "temporary" Measure A and the now-proposed Measure A-Forever taxes on the ballot and is endorsed by LB's police and firefighter unions) didn't directly respond to the question, didn't argue against the now-proposed Measure A-Forever tax but said the City needs to find some other ways he didn't specify to pay for infrastructure without raising taxes. Sponsor Sponsor The 6th district is impacted by L.A. river homeless encampments and vagrants visible in nearby neighborhoods (the latter blamed on social networks for various neighborhood thefts); the incumbent and challengers sought better implementation of a number of current City practices but proposed no major changes to current City practices. The 6th Council district had LB's second highest number of 2019 shootings and homicides, but neither incumbent Andrews nor challenger Saro (with the two largest campaign warchests in the race) would commit to using 10% of Measure A's annual $60 million revenue ($6 million) to restore 30 officers for taxpayers (out of 150 officers not restored to date.) Re restoring police, Ms. Saro indicated she wants to see the budget first [city management recently previewed the FY 21 budget based on no increases in current staffing], wants to know how the added offiers would be used and indicated she's interested in knowing more about LBPD's now-former [field] anti-gang unit and why LBPD no longer has it [not a secret; LBREPORT.com coverage here.] Incumbent Andrews (endorsed by LB's police and firefighter unions) said he didn't want taxpayers to have to pay [although he voted to Measure A and the Measure A-forever measures on the ballot] and didn't indicate how else he'd restore officers or pay for other Council approved spending. Sponsor Sponsor Unlike the 2nd and 8th district Council races, the 6th district has no declared "Reform Ticket" candidate, although one of the LB Reform Coalition's issues did come up: restoring the public's right to agendize items for Council voted action (erased in a mid-1990's Council action.) All four forum challengers voiced varying levels of support. Challenger Saro included a nuanced response, indicating she'd consider doing so but with some type of process (possibly allocating such items to one Council meeting each month or every other month.) Incumbent Andrews didn't support restoring the public's right to agendize Council items, saying he believes the public trusts him to do so. He urged residents to more frequently attend Council meetings [although he and his Council colleagues voted last year to curtail public's ability to address the Council on Council-agendized items.) Sponsor Incumbent Andrews was first elected in an April 2007 special election in which he narrowly outpolled then-6th dist. Council candidate Al Austin. Andrews was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016, in the latter after waging a write-in campaign. In 2020, Andrews doesn't face a write-in requirement as a result of LB's voter-approved Charter Amendment BBB (put on the November 2018 ballot by LB's Council incumbents) that now lets the incumbent Mayor and Councilmembers seek three terms without a write-in requirement. Measure BBB also included a provision that doesn't count special elections among the three allowed terms (allowing Andrews to seek a final term in 2020. Sponsor As of Jan. 18, the Andrews campaign reported cash on hand of $35,531; his endorsers include Mayor Garcia and the LB Police and Firefighter Association PACs; An independent expenditure campaign has also surfaced backing Andrews (and Council incumbent Austin in district 8) funded with $14,500 to date by the BNSF Railway Co, Edison Int'l, AES and the LB Collective Ass'n. Challenger Suely Saro, PhD, is the daughter of Cambodian refugees and a former aide to former state Senator (now state Insurance Commissioner) Ricardo Lara, Dr, Saro has Lara's endorsement and that of former 1st dist. Councilwoman (now state Senator) Lena Gonzalez, 7th dist. Councilman Roberto Uranga and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. As of Jan. 18, her campaign reported cash on hand of $28,234. An independent expenditure committee supporting her election has surfaced from the L.A. County Federation of Labor, funded with $30,000 from the UniteHere! union (displeased with Andrews' vote against "Claudia's Law" benefiting hotel workers and the UniteHere! union trying to organize them.) Sponsor Sponsor Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online. View the discussion thread. blog comments powered by Disqus Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends: Follow LBReport.com with: Twitter Facebook RSS Return To Front Page Contact us: mail@LBReport.com Svetlana Kazina, a local photographer from the mountain village of Uznezya in Russia's Altai Krai region has captured a unique and rare optical phenomenon of the clouds. Kazina, who shares breathtaking views of mountains and nature on her social media accounts posted mesmerizing pictures of Iridescent clouds on Instagram explaining the rarest optical activity to the audience. Last month Svetlana went to Siberia's highest peak Belukha mountain where she clicked the beautiful pictures of Iridescent clouds also known as Rainbow Clouds that is a scientific phenomenon of light being reflected by the clouds in a similar technique like in the rainbow. In this rare optical phenomenon, very thin clouds appear in the colours of the rainbow. Rare optical phenomenon of Iridescence in Russia Kazina, posted the pictures on Instagram informing her audience of the rare event she was capturing, Rare optical phenomenon of Iridescence in Russia, Altai Mountains that shows various and unusual types of clouds. She further explained that these types of clouds is perhaps one of the most visually unusual and is a rather rare optical phenomenon in which very thin clouds located near the Sun are painted in spectral colours. Kazina explained that the phenomenon happened due to the diffraction of light on drops of clouds. She wrote, The clouds in my shots are so thin that they resemble lace rather than ordinary clouds, the wind power at this height was high and the pattern of cloud-weaving changed every second. However, she captured the rare phenomenon early in the morning on the mountain of Altai Mountains which is the highest mountain of Siberia - Belukha in December. Read #FoundThatLizard Trends On Twitter As Users Try To Spot Camouflaged Reptile Read Twitter To Label Altered Media, Remove If It May Cause Harm She informed the audience that the rare pictures would make one believe in miracles as in another portrayal of the rare and unusual phenomenon, Kazina captured the clouds reflecting the light from the moon in the dark night. She shared the unique photos on social media with a caption, there can be Irisation on the condensation traces of aeroplanes and on clouds in the moonlight. She further added, to see the Rainbow clouds so bright, you need to look at them through sunglasses or through the polarizing filter of the lens, otherwise, you can damage your eyes from the brightness. Read Kobe Bryant's Priceless Reaction To Eagles' Super Bowl Win Emerges On Twitter Read Twitter Moves To Curb Manipulated Content Including 'Deepfakes' What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips Prosecutors in California announced plans on Tuesday to drop all charges against a former Newport Beach doctor and reality TV personality who was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting seven women with his girlfriend. The Orange County District Attorneys Office said in a statement that an exhaustive, monthslong review determined there was no provable evidence that the former doctor, Grant Robicheaux, 39, or his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, 33, had committed any sexual offense. My sworn duty as the elected district attorney is not to secure convictions, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the statement. My sworn duty is to pursue justice and ensure that the rights of victims and defendants are protected. Mr. Spitzer said his predecessor, former District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, and Mr. Rackauckass chief of staff had manufactured this case and repeatedly misstated the evidence. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to arrive in New York on 11 February where he will address the UN Security Council (UNSC) to explain the Palestinian rejection of US President Donald Trumps offer, made last Tuesday, for a final political settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle. Abbas is expected to echo the statements he made in Cairo on Saturday as he headed the Palestinian delegation to an emergency Arab League foreign ministers meeting, and the arguments he made in Ramallah on Monday as the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) were meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss Trumps peace plan. He is likely to insist that the Palestinians will continue to totally reject the Trump offer, characterised in a memo the Palestinian delegation to the UN circulated among member states on 31 January as a cynical political deal made between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in total disregard of international law. The memo went on to say the Trump plan was an attempt to legitimise the illegitimate and failed to meet even the minimal requirements for a just solution to the Palestine question. The memo, of which Al-Ahram Weekly has a copy, added that the Trump plan totally contradicts the two-state solution which for decades was the bedrock of the global consensus on a just solution The plan attempts to validate illegal Israeli actions that have not only undermined the two-state solution but rendered it physically impossible to realise. Occupation cannot be a pathway for annexation. Annexation can only lead to an apartheid situation that no one can tolerate. The deep sense of injustice that the US-Israeli plan has triggered among the Palestinian people, who view the matter as an existential threat, only further reinforces their resilience and insistence to realise their full human rights and live in freedom, dignity and equality. According to a Palestinian official, beyond an opportunity to state the Palestinian position in black and white Abbas is not sure what he will get out the UN meeting. Abbas has received verbal support for his stance from both the Arab League and the OIC. The resolutions that the Arab and Islamic organisations adopted on Saturday and Monday were very much in line with draft resolutions the Palestinians presented. They rejected the Trump plan, which Washington has long trailed as the deal of the century, as unfair and insisted there can be no final settlement of the Palestinian cause away from the principle of land-for-peace. Meanwhile, news broke on Monday that Sudans acting head of state Abdel-Fattah Al-Bourhan had met with Netanyahu in Kampala to discuss the normalisation of relations between the two states. While Palestinian officials promptly denounced the meeting between Sudan and Israel neither Al-Bourhan nor the transitional government in Khartoum denied the plans. Cairo-based European diplomats say it is too late in the day for any Arab or African state to suspend its relations with Israel based on the fate of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. They add that Israel already has relations with Arab Gulf states and the countries of the Horn of Africa and that ties are deepening. According to an Egyptian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, it is also too late for the Palestinians to expect any state to overlook its own political and economic interests. Abbas got the resolution he wanted out of the Arab League. We had suggested that he should try to lobby rather than to boycott the US administration while the offer was being drafted but he declined. Where he goes from here is not clear, the diplomat added. According to another Egyptian diplomat who was directly involved in the making of the peace process, with the Trump offer announced last week things have become more complicated. Today, he said, it is an open question whether any of the established principles of the Middle East peace process can be saved. This scepticism is related, in part at least, to expectations Trump will be re-elected towards the end of this year, deepening Washingtons total bias to the Israeli right. And there are other constraints on any attempt to reverse the Trump proposals big departure from the established peace process, argues the diplomat. One of these relates to the fact the current US administration did not observe the established tradition of close coordination between Washington and its Arab allies, particularly Cairo, when drafting the peace initiative. As a result no leading Arab capital is willing to take Washington to task over the content of the deal. They will try to adopt the approach of let us try to stick to the Arab position on making Arab-Israeli peace but let us try to do this through the offer made by the US president. A Washington-based Arab diplomat worries that the announcement of the Trump deal also makes it more difficult to predict what actions Netanyahu might take on the ground. Israels 2 March general election the third since April 2019 are less than four weeks away and many observers think the result will be conclusive for neither Netanyahu nor his political rival Benny Gantz. If Netanyahu acted to annex any territories in an attempt to buck the polls the situation on the ground might escalate in a way that makes the situation completely unpredictable, said the diplomat. On Tuesday Josep Borrell, the EU high commissioner for foreign policy, warned against any annexation Israel may be planning. Borrell said the Trump plan broke with internationally agreed parameters and any Israeli annexation of Palestinian land would be subject to challenge. The US has been lobbying support for its offer though the response has been muted apart from the implicit nod some Arab capitals have offered privately to the White House. Washington has already asked Netanyahu to put any action on hold in order to accommodate his rival Gantzs request to hold off until the end of the Israeli election. Trumps senior aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner was expected to brief the UNSC on the deal today. In interviews given since the peace offer was made public last Tuesday Kushner has argued that the deal is the best and only workable way to reach a settlement for the Palestinian cause and that if the Palestinians insist on rejecting it then they will get nothing. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: By AFP WASHINGTON: The World Bank has called for countries to step up programs to fight the new coronavirus outbreak, and said it was considering mobilising its own resources against the disease. "We are calling on all countries to strengthen their health surveillance and response systems, which is essential to contain the spread of this and any future outbreaks," the institution said in a statement on Monday." ALSO READ | Coronavirus outbreak: Death toll rises to 490 in China as Hubei reports 65 new fatalities The World Bank Group is reviewing financial and technical resources that can be mobilized quickly to support affected countries," and also "closely coordinating with international partners to accelerate the international response." Since breaking out in China, the virus has killed around 490 people in the country, exceeding the 349 dead in the Chinese mainland from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which eventually killed nearly 800 globally. ALSO READ | World has 'window of opportunity' to halt coronavirus spread: WHO chief The new virus has infected 17,200 people and spread to more than 20 countries amid fears it could paralyse China and harm the global economy. The World Bank said it was "monitoring the wider economic and social impacts of this crisis," and would support "China's efforts to respond, including its efforts to maintain resilience in its economy". International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said last week that negative impacts on the economy in the first half of 2020 were likely but "it would be irresponsible to offer any speculations around what may happen." He did not directly answer a question about whether the Trump administration will continue to seek Ukrainian investigations of the Bidens once the impeachment case is over. Joe Biden is now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination to run against Trump this year. Hunter Biden accepted a position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company while the elder Biden was vice president, a move that the presidents allies have called corrupt but that never led to any charges of wrongdoing in Ukraine. * Ten passengers test positive for coronavirus * Test results still to come in on 242 passengers * Thousands to be quarantined for two weeks * Passengers concerned about food, medical supplies (Adds latest infection numbers, Kyodo report) By Ju-min Park and David Dolan TOKYO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Around 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks locked away on a cruise liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed on Wednesday that 10 people on the ship had tested positive for coronavirus and more cases were possible. While the infected patients were transferred by Japan's coast guard to hospitals on the mainland, the rest of the passengers and crew on board the Carnival Corp ship were placed in quarantine and given health screenings. The 10 cases were among 31 results received so far from 273 people tested. Passengers on Carnival's Diamond Princess, which had arrived in Yokohama on Monday after a 14-day round trip, will now spend another two weeks on the ship off Yokohama port near Tokyo. They took to social media to detail their predicament, posting photos of officials in masks and gowns conducting health checks, room service meals and empty corridors and decks. British passenger David Abel said passengers were confined to their cabins on Wednesday morning, with staff delivering food room-by-room. "The challenging situation for me is that I'm an insulin dependent diabetic," Abel said in a video taken in his cabin and posted to his Facebook page, adding that regular and timed food intake was a key part of managing his condition. "We don't have a choice in what we can eat, the announcement recently was that they're starting on the bottom deck and working their way up - I'm on the ninth deck." A 43-year-old Hong Kong resident on the ship with six family members said they had been given coffee and water, but no food, by lunchtime on Wednesday. They were hungry but had snacks of their own, he said. "I am not looking forward to the range of emotions in the next two weeks," he told Reuters from his family's windowless room, declining to be named. "Will deal as they come." Another passenger, using the handle @daxa_tw, tweeted that he was "hearing from many sides that people are troubled and uneasy". Carnival's Princess Cruises said quarantined passengers would get free internet and telephone services and the crew was working to keep them comfortable. The ship was caught up in the global coronavirus epidemic after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man tested positive for the virus after disembarking in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. The man had joined a shore excursion in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 22, local media reported. He was believed to have been in close contact with 36 passengers, Kyodo news reported, citing Japan's health ministry. Two of those people are among the 10 who have already tested positive, Kyodo said. Separately, public broadcaster NHK said a man in his 40s, who was visiting Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, from China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, had tested positive. That brought the total number of people infected in Japan to 34. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms. None of the 10 infected people - three each from Japan and Hong Kong, two Australians, one American and one Filipino crew member - had severe symptoms, NHK reported. FREE TRIP, RED WINE Carnival said quarantined passengers would get a full refund and a future cruise credit. The ship would go out to sea to perform "normal marine operations", it added, including the production of fresh water, before receiving food and other supplies from Yokohama. Not all passengers were overly concerned about their situation. American Ashley Rhodes-Courter posted a text message exchange on Instagram with her parents, Gay and Phil Courter, who are on board the ship. "The food is great, the staff is in good spirits and we're all in the same boat," the couple said, "plus they have not run out of some great Pinot noir." (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Chris Gallagher, Linda Sieg, Ju-min Park, Ritsuko Ando, David Dolan and Elaine Lies; Editing by Jane Wardell, Gerry Doyle and Philippa Fletcher) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Currently, two patients are still being tested for the new strain of coronavirus in New York City, and 11 cases have been confirmed throughout the country amid the global outbreak. Though no deaths have been reported in the United States from the virus, which was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and the risk here is considered low at this time by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the answers to 12 commonly asked questions about the virus, of which there have been 17,000 cases and more than 360 deaths all in mainland China. How is it spread? Much is still unknown about the virus introduced as 2019-nCoV, one of a large family of viruses common among animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats. Before now, these illnesses were rarely spread from animals to people and then from people to people. Whats happening now is that the new strain has been spread from person to person, mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, just the way youd catch the flu or a cold virus. Its not currently known if you can catch the coronavirus by touching a surface and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Whos at risk? All three New York City patients being tested had recently visited China. In fact, the only people considered to be at high risk for the virus are those who have recently traveled to China themselves or have been in close contact with someone who has. Medical professionals caring for patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus are also considered to be at high risk, according to the CDC. The CDC is asking people to call a doctor if they develop a fever, cough and respiratory problems within two weeks of having traveled to China, or if they become ill after having close contact with someone who has recently been to China. Should I wear a face mask? The CDC does not currently recommend the use of face masks among the general public. While limited person-to-person spread among close contacts has been detected, this virus is not currently spreading in the community in the United States. Is there a vaccine? There is no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV. How do you protect yourself? Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing and before eating is the best way to protect yourself. If you dont have soap available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Other ways to avoid contamination including avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and avoiding contact with sick people. How high is the risk? If youre living in the United States, chances are very low that youll become ill with the coronavirus, according to the CDC, despite the fact that 11 cases have been confirmed in this country amid a global outbreak of over 17,000 cases and more than 360 deaths all mostly in mainland China. Have there been deaths in the U.S.? Though cases here are expected to rise, officials stress that no one in the United States has died of the virus. What are the symptoms? Symptoms of the virus include cough, fever and shortness of breath. They mimic those of other respiratory conditions, including colds and the flu, according to the CDC, and they can range from being barely visible to causing severe respiratory distress and even death. Human coronaviruses, including 2019-nCoV, can sometimes cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. This is more common in people with cardiopulmonary disease, people with weakened immune systems, infants and older adults. These viruses can also cause sore throat, headache and a general feeling of being unwell. Whats happening on Staten Island? Staten Island hospital physicians are on heightened alert for the virus. Precautions in play at both Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospitals north and south sites include more robust triage screenings for patients, the wearing of surgical masks by staff and patients, and the use of isolation rooms when appropriate. Electronic systems at the hospitals have been updated to prompt pertinent questions to identify patients who should be considered for a coronavirus diagnosis. What are the travel restrictions? The U.S. government has taken unprecedented steps with respect to travel. As of Feb. 2 at 5 p.m., the government suspended entry of foreign nationals who have been in China within the past 14 days. U.S. citizens, residents and their immediate family members who have been in Hubei province and other parts of mainland China are allowed to enter the United States, but they are subject to health monitoring and possible quarantine for up to 14 days. Should I get tested? If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath within 14 days after travel from China, you should call ahead to a healthcare professional and mention your recent travel or close contact. If you have had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from this area, you should call ahead to a healthcare professional and mention your close contact and their recent travel. How is the virus diagnosed? At this time, all testing for the novel coronavirus is conducted by the CDC. State and local health departments are working together to provide specimens for testing to the CDCs Emergency Operations Center. The pilot seemed calm when a crewman in the rear of the airplane informed him of the fuel leak, unwelcome information when youre thousands of feet in the air over open ocean. Weve got fuel just pouring out, crackled the voice through the headphones, a hint of alarm detectable in his voice. Our mission that day was to fly halfway between San Francisco and Hawaii in a four-engine WC-130J Super Hercules turboprop and deploy 25 weather-sensing devices over a long band of water vapor known as an atmospheric river. Off-loading fuel was never part of the plan. Fuel? Pouring out? Is that normal? were my initial thoughts as Lt. Col. Jeff Ragusa, the lead pilot of the U.S. Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters, reached up and calmly manipulated switches. How about now? Ragusa said. Its still coming out, said the voice, as I was hustled out of the cockpit by a member of the crew. Ragusa had been nice enough to allow me into the cockpit for an interview and was explaining how the pilots in this particular craft, unlike other planes, must flick a switch to change fuel tanks when they get low. He then reached up and moved the fuel lever, prompting the fateful huddle about the leak. We were, at that moment, 28,000 feet up and had been flying 3 hours over the Pacific since taking off at 8 a.m. from Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, the closest landing strip. An emergency landing was out of the question. Back in the cargo hold, where other, unsuspecting journalists were seated, I peeked out of a porthole and saw streaks of fuel flowing from one of the propellers underneath the right wing. I was eyeing the parachutes when Senior Airman Donny Arseneaux informed the passengers that the airplane would have to turn back as a result of a fuel malfunction. Worst case scenario, he said after I asked, hoping for a calming, not-to-worry reply, is that the fuel could ice up, creating friction, and if we were struck by lightning ... He paused, did a hand-swipe gesture and said, were done. You mean we could blow up? I blurted out, my voice an octave higher and slightly more shrill than I intended, but Arseneaux had already wheeled around and was heading toward his control station. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. It didnt help knowing that three American crew members had been killed recently in a virtually identical C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker when it crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia. The horrifying death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a Southern California helicopter crash was also fresh on my mind. The model of plane we were in has been used for Antarctic resupply, medical missions, weather reconnaissance, aerial spraying missions, firefighting and natural disaster relief. It has stayed aloft inside thousands of tropical cyclones since 1965, when one flew into the eye of Hurricane Betsy, the most destructive hurricane in history at that time. It appeared to me that we were about to find out what it was really made of. I wondered if Ragusa had ever trained on techniques for landing flaming airplanes in roiling seas. Ragusa kept his calm, apparently having successfully changed to a tank less liable to explode, and with the help of co-pilot Jesse Rosal landed the plane at Travis without incident. Only then did he reveal that the same problem had occurred on the previous flight, forcing him to shut off one of the engines. Im sure it sets the scientists back a little bit from what they wanted, Ragusa said, failing to even consider what effect the aborted science mission might have had on certain civilian observers. They were hoping for as much data as they could possibly get, and today we just werent able to get them what they wanted. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite I know for a fact that the reason why the funds were released on the 11th of September isnt because as the managers say he got caught or anything else, Rubio said. It was because if he hadnt, the Appropriations Committee was going to pass something that was not only going to require him to release the funds this year but wouldve prevented him from holding those funds the following year. CONCORD, N.H. Coming off what looks like at least a close second-place finish in Iowa, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg turned his focus Tuesday to New Hampshire with a hectic schedule of speeches and town hall meetings. Supporters lined up around the block in the shadow of the state Capitol on a chilly Tuesday night, eventually filling the 800-seat Concord City Auditorium for his final appearance of the day. Buttigieg took the stage to chants of Pete! and began his remarks by reflecting on the results of the Iowa caucuses. Well, I havent had a whole lot of sleep in the last 48 hours, but Im having a very good day, said Buttigieg. We are having a very good day. Buttigieg declared at least a moral victory in Iowa on Monday night, based on his own campaigns analysis of the data, something supporters of his rivals considered bad sportsmanship. #MayorCheat briefly trended on Twitter. Whether or not Buttigieg actually won is still unclear. The Iowa Democratic Party has faced devastating criticism for bungling the reporting of results on Monday night and releasing a partial tally the next day that may not reflect the ultimate order of finish. The Tuesday afternoon results, accounting for 62 percent of the total vote, showed Buttigieg leading Sen. Bernie Sanders in delegates but with fewer raw votes. Additional numbers released late Tuesday showed a similar picture. As of Wednesday morning, 71 percent of Iowa precincts had reported their results, and there was no assurance when the counting would be over. Pete Buttigieg at a campaign event in Concord, N.H. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) One questioner at Tuesday nights town hall asked Buttigieg when exactly he knew he had won Iowa, drawing a few laughs in the room. Buttigieg said his campaign had gathered its own data by observing the process and felt confident, but that it was comfortable calling it a victory even as it waited for official results. What we saw told us that even as we're getting the final math figured out, waiting for those verified results, that something extraordinary had happened, and this campaign that a lot of folks thought shouldn't even be there had taken its place in the very front ranks of this process, said Buttigieg, who is the youngest candidate ever to seriously contend for a major-party nomination, a small-city ex-mayor with no national profile before entering the campaign, and a married gay man. Story continues And then we got the official word today, he went on, citing the partial results that put him in the delegate lead. Now, let me say that we're still waiting for more math to come through, but what we know, without any doubt, is that our vision has been validated, and that this is an astonishing victory for our organization, our values, our campaign and our candidates. He reflected on the historic nature of his campaign earlier Tuesday at an event in Laconia, N.H. This validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs or she belongs or they belong in their own family, that if you believe in yourself and your country, there is a lot backing up the belief, he said. Buttigieg spent much of his time making the electability pitch, saying he had spoken to many Republicans tired of President Trumps tweets who would be open to supporting him. Buttigiegs pitch combines his revolutionary persona with a centrist policy agenda and conventional professional credentials as a former management consultant, someone who can galvanize, not polarize. Pete Buttigieg. (Christopher Wilson/Yahoo News) At the Concord town hall, most of the questions were friendly, including one asking how Buttigieg takes care of himself while working so hard. But the first question of the evening got to the biggest challenge facing him going forward: How can he win over nonwhite voters? Despite his positive coverage during most of 2019, Buttigieg has failed to gain traction with minority communities. A poll of South Carolina voters released last week showed him barely registering with African-Americans there, which tracks with recent national polling. Buttigieg has said voters of color just need more time to get to know him, but the clock is ticking, as the campaign is set to move past the predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire. On Tuesday night, Buttigieg laid out a number of policies he would pursue in an attempt to eliminate racial gaps in health care, education and homeownership, touting his Frederick Douglass Plan and the need for an updated Voting Rights Act to combat race-based voter suppression. He concluded by emphasizing that the best way to prove his electability to communities skeptical of his chances of beating Trump is to keep winning. Weve got a lot of work to do, particularly in the South, where I have met a lot of folks who are suffering more than anyone else the pain of living under this presidency and who share that their No. 1 priority is knowing well be able to defeat Donald Trump, said Buttigieg. The process of proving that begins here in New Hampshire, as we make our way on to states like Nevada and South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states as well, and we will earn that support. Can Buttigieg win in the Granite State? The most recent round of polling shows him generally in third or fourth place, trailing Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but the impact of the still-incomplete Iowa tally and his reaction to it havent been fully factored in. One advantage Buttigieg had over Sanders and Warren in Iowa is about to end: The final vote in Trumps impeachment trial, which kept the senators in Washington, will occur on Wednesday, freeing the New Englanders to return to the trail full time. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deep Background, a weekly podcast hosted by renowned Harvard legal scholar Noah Feldman launches new episodes starting Feb. 5, Pushkin Industries announced. The show's latest episode features Feldman sitting down to speak with UNC Chapel Hill Law Professor Michael Gerhardt for the first time since Dec. 4, 2019 when they both testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Feldman and Gerhardt compare their experiences testifying and detail the "tidal wave" of vitriolic responses they both received afterwards. "For me the hate mail hugely outnumbered anything else And yes, a lot of it was anti-Semitic," Gerhardt shares with Feldman in the interview. The two legal experts also weigh in on the "partisan battle royale" occurring in Congress. "If you know what you're saying is firmly grounded in the law and it's backed up, you can have a lot of confidence when people come at you and attack you because you know the facts and you know the law," Gerhardt asserts. "If you don't have those things on your side I think like the White House lawyers currently you make things up ... you engage in a lot of inconsistent statements." Deep Background is available on Apple , Spotify , Luminary , and elsewhere. Contact: Heather Fain, 917-692-3846, [email protected] About Pushkin Industries Pushkin Industries is an audio production company co-founded by Jacob Weisberg and Malcolm Gladwell. Pushkin's chart-topping shows include Revisionist History, Against the Rules with Michael Lewis, The Happiness Lab, and Cautionary Tales. About Deep Background In Deep Background, Harvard Law School professor and Bloomberg View columnist Noah Feldman will bring together expert guests to explore the historical, scientific, legal, and cultural context that help us understand what's really going on behind the biggest stories. About Noah Feldman Noah Feldman is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He specializes in constitutional studies and was one of the four legal scholars called upon to testify at the Trump impeachment hearings. He is a contributing writer for Bloomberg Opinion and the author of nine books. SOURCE Pushkin Industries Related Links pushkin.fm WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, ending a historic Senate trial that was centered on his conduct toward Ukraine but that did not include live witnesses or new documents. The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit Trump on the charge of abuse of power. The near-party-line vote in the Republican-led Senate came on the first article against Trump, the third president to be impeached by the House. Several Republicans said Trump was wrong to leverage U.S. aid to Ukraine to pressure a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political rival, but argued that it did not warrant a guilty verdict and ouster from office. One Republican - Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah - crossed party lines to join Democrats in voting to convict Trump on the first charge. The Senate voted 53-47 to acquit Trump on the second impeachment charge, obstruction of Congress. Unlike on the first charge, Romney joined members of his party in voting to acquit Trump on the second charge. Several Trump administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, had predicted earlier Wednesday that Trump would be acquitted on a bipartisan vote. But that prediction did not come true: Republicans did not succeed in persuading any Democrats to cross the aisle in voting for acquittal on either charge. The acquittal follows a State of the Union address Tuesday night in which Trump pointed to the strong economy as vindication as he sought to move on from impeachment. The speech ended with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tearing up a copy of Trump's prepared remarks. The crux of the case against Trump was the allegation that he withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president. Brad Parscale, Trump's presidential campaign manager, celebrated Wednesday's vote, declaring in a statement that the president's campaign "only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense." The impeachment, he added, "will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history." "President Trump has been totally vindicated and it's now time to get back to the business of the American people," Parscale said. "The do-nothing Democrats know they can't beat him, so they had to impeach him." Shortly after Wednesday's vote, Trump himself took a victory lap as well, tweeting an animated video created by one of his supporters suggesting that he will remain president for eternity. Earlier, Romney sealed a place in history with his announcement that he will to vote to convict Trump of abuse of power, becoming a rare lone voice in a Republican Party that otherwise has marched in lockstep with the president throughout the impeachment proceedings. "There's no question that the president asked a foreign power to investigate his political foe," Romney said ahead of the floor statement he delivered Wednesday. "That he did so for a political purpose, and that he pressured Ukraine to get them to do help or to lead in this effort. My own view is there there's not much I can think of that would be a more egregious assault on our Constitution than trying to corrupt an election to maintain power. And that's what the president did." Romney's speech on the Senate floor drew a furious reaction from some Republicans, including Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., who accused the senator of being "forever bitter" that he will never be president. "He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he's joining them now," Trump Jr. said in a tweet. "He's now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP." During an interview with Fox News Channel host Chris Wallace that aired shortly after his Senate floor speech, Romney referred to his 2012 White House defeat, describing it as the worst thing that's happened to him politically. "I've got broad-enough shoulders to weather personal changes in my career, political or otherwise," he told Wallace. "But what I don't have is the capacity to ignore my conscience." Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., two of Trump's most vocal defenders on Capitol Hill, echoed Trump Jr.'s argument. In tweets Wednesday afternoon, Zeldin and Gaetz branded the Utah Republican a "sore loser." "Mitt Romney absolutely despises that Donald Trump was elected POTUS & he was not," Zeldin tweeted. "The sore loser mentality launched this sham impeachment & corruptly rigged & jammed it through the House. It looks like Schiff recruited himself a sore loser buddy on the GOP side to play along." - - - The Washington Post's Dan Balz contributed to this report. The shadow home secretary questioned ex-Black Rod David Leakey's accusations, which former Speaker Mr Bercow has also denied, in a since deleted post. "He had been a Lieutenant General who served in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. But claims he was bullied (i.e. intimidated and coerced) by John Bercow. Unlikely," she wrote on Twitter. Her comments have widely been criticised, with members of her own party condemning the insinuation of her post which she has now erased. Diane Abbott deleted the tweet after posting it this morning A spokesman for charity Help the Heroes told the Standard: While our servicemen and servicewomen perform heroic acts to keep us safe, this doesnt make them superhuman. The idea that veterans are immune from bullying is a damaging misconception about many who may have endured more than most. John Bercow (right) with former Black Rod David Leakey / PA Combat Stress, a charity for veterans' mental health, wing commander Dr Walter Busuttil RAF (Retd), consultant psychiatrist and medical director at Combat Stress, said: At a time when we are seeking urgent funding from the government to protect services for veterans with mental health needs, we are very disappointed that an MP suggests that a veteran cannot be bullied or intimidated." Labour MP Dan Jarvis said veteran's should not have their concerns "dismissed out of hand". "Having a distinguished service record does not preclude you from being a victim of workplace bullying," he tweeted. Former Speaker John Bercow Calls Bullying Accusations 'Utter Rubbish' "All of us in the labour/trade union movement have a responsibility to create a climate where people can voice their concerns & not have their experiences dismissed out of hand." The Standard has contacted Ms Abbott's office for comment. Lieutenant General Leakey is among a number of people who said they would hand dossiers to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. These are detailing allegations against Mr Bercow. He would fly into a rage, the red mist would descend, Lt Gen Leakey told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Wednesday. And he would be jumping up and down and bawling out, and shouting insults." Money collects in a TIF district for a term of 23 years after the city creates it. The property taxes paid to the school district, the citys general fund, the Park District and other taxing entities get frozen, and the extra dollars that accrue as property values increase instead go into a separate account to be used to make improvements within the districts boundaries. An eight-year-old boy has been airlifted to hospital in a serious condition after choking on his food at school. The student lost consciousness after choking while eating at school in Wahroonga and was evacuated by the CareFlight Rapid Response Helicopter around 12.00pm. The CareFlight Helicopter landed at nearby Knox Grammar School where NSW Police took the aeromedical crew to attend to the boy who was at a nearby school. An eight-year-old boy has been airlifted to hospital after choking on his food at a school in Wahroonga. Pictured: The CareFlight Rapid Response Helicopter after landing at nearby Knox Grammar School to airlift the boy to hospital 'Paramedics were providing initial treatment to the boy and CareFlights clinical team incubated the boy and placed him in an induced coma to stabilise him,' CareFlight said. 'He was then airlifted in a serious but stable condition to the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick under the ongoing care of CareFlights aeromedical crew.' A Toronto father says he is grateful that his 15-month-old daughter in Wuhan, China has been "shortlisted" for a Canadian flight out of the city hit hardest by the new coronavirus. Richard Fabic said he received an email from Ottawa on Tuesday saying Chloe is eligible to travel on the Canadian "assisted departure" flight from Wuhan. The city in central China is quarantined to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus that has killed more than 400 people. "I received it just before 6 a.m. and I just had to read it twice to make sure it was what I thought it was," Fabic told CBC News on Tuesday. Chloe is being looked after by her grandparents. The evacuation aircraft, a chartered plane that seats 250 people, is now headed to Hanoi, Vietnam where it will be on standby to make its way to Wuhan. It is scheduled to leave Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Thursday morning, according to the Canadian government. Fabic says he was told by Global Affairs Canada that Chloe's grandparents are also eligible for the flight. They are permanent residents of Canada. That means they will accompany Chloe, if she and they receive approval to board the plane. "That's really comforting because Chloe can be a bit demanding," Fabic said. "And having two people will make things easier." Richard Fabic Right now, Fabic said he is making sure that the necessary government documents are printed and signed for the flight. As Fabic prepares the paperwork, he and his wife, Yunfei Li, are also getting ready to move from Toronto to Victoria. Li left Chloe with her grandparents in Wuhan on a recent family trip there to give the couple time to get organized. After Li returned to Canada, the city was locked down because of the coronavirus outbreak. Daughter would be quarantined at CFB Trenton Fabic said he would like to visit Chloe if and when she returns to Canada, but the Canadian government has said the passengers on the flight will be quarantined at CFB Trenton for two weeks. The Ontario military base is east of Toronto near Belleville. Story continues The government said visits from family and friends will not be allowed to prevent the spread of the respiratory illness. "Top of mind is just dropping off a few supplies like diapers and stuff," he said. "I would like to get further details on how I can drop that off." Fabic said Chloe, who took her first steps in China, is starting to walk faster now, and in a video chat with her on Monday, he said she pointed to the door and said "Open." "I think she wants a bit more space," he said. Supplied Fabic added that he appreciates that the government is clearly trying to help Canadians stranded in Wuhan. "It looks like they are really trying to create a balanced approach here," he said. Plane needs final go-ahead from China On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the plane that will airlift the Canadians will wait in Vietnam for permission from Chinese authorities to land in Wuhan. The plane will be ready to leave hours after it receives the go-ahead from China, likely sometime Wednesday, he said. A letter sent by the government to Canadians and permanent residents of Canada currently in Wuhan said: "Due to demand and the restrictions associated with this flight, we cannot guarantee that everyone who is eligible for a seat will be able to board the plane." Though the numbers change by the hour, Champagne said as of Tuesday 308 Canadians have asked for help to leave the country but the plane has room for only about 250 passengers. The letter said they will be screened for any signs of the virus and those with symptoms will not be allowed to board the plane. "Chinese authorities will perform health screening and immigration controls before boarding the flight," the letter said. Passengers must get to the airport themselves and the letter warned of possible delays at checkpoints. The new coronavirus has killed 425 people in China and two others in Hong Kong and in the Philippines. More than 20,000 people have been sickened in China and at least 180 in other countries, including four in Canada. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.5 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: High-rank representatives from BP and Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR will visit Uzbekistan in February to discuss potential production sharing agreements to develop local hydrocarbon deposits, Trend reports referring to Uzbekistans Energy Ministry. Uzbekistan, keen to attract foreign investments to tap its large natural gas reserves, has been in talks with British Petroleum and SOCAR about the Uzbek section of the Aral Sea, Samsko-Kosbulak and Bayterek investment blocks of the Ustyurt region, the message said. Uzbekistan produces about 60 billion cubic meters of gas per year, exporting some of its output via pipelines to China and Russia. In 2019, Uzbekneftegaz (state-owned oil and gas company of Uzbekistan), BP and SOCAR signed two memorandums to explore the possibility of conducting joint exploration and development of fields in Uzbekistan; in 2018, a memorandum of understanding aiming to explore the possibilities of exploration in the investment blocks of Uzbekistan was signed. Furthermore, SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz reached an agreement on joint oil and gas operations in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as in third countries, in June 2017. In 2016, SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of exploration and development of oil and gas fields and other potential areas for the development of the energy sector. According to the State Statistics Committee, oil production in Uzbekistan decreased by 2.4 percent to 640,000 tons in 2019 compared with 2018, and natural gas production decreased by 7.8 percent to 54,301 million cubic meters. Wildlife inspectors at a port in Miami discovered an unusual shipment on Monday: 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins. Officials estimate the commercial value of the contraband to be between $700,000 and $1 million. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the shipment of dried fins were found in 18 boxes at the Miami Port of Entry on January 24. Officials believe the shipment originated in South America and was likely headed to Asia, where shark fins are sought after for use in soup and traditional medicine. Customs and Border Protection officials assisted with the bust. Officials told CBS News the shipment was falsely declared. The shipment violated the Lacey Act, which prohibits illegal wildlife trade, and included species protected from exploitation by CITES, The Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. Mayor Max the golden retriever brings California town together Shannen Doherty reveals stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis Second student dies after hit-and-run in Oklahoma Dianne Abbott faced a furious backlash today after suggesting that a former Black Rod could not have been bullied by ex-Speaker John Bercow because of his military background. The shadow home secretary was criticised by Labour MPs and trade union leaders after appearing to back Mr Bercow in his row with David Leakey, the senior Parliamentary official. Mr Leakey, a former British Army officer, has alleged that he and other staff members were 'brutalised' by Mr Bercow - who has rejected all of the claims made against him as 'total and utter rubbish'. In a tweet this morning that she later deleted, Ms Abbott claimed Mr Leakey's time in the services meant it was 'unlikely' he was bullied by the ex-Commons Speaker. Her comment was immediately condemned by Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union for senior civil servants. He tweeted: 'What a ridiculous comment from an experienced MP, demonstrating blind political partisanship and a complete failure to understand how power is abused in the workplace.' Ms Abbott was also criticised by members of her own party as Dan Jarvis, a Labour MP and former soldier, said: 'Having a distinguished service record does not preclude you from being a victim of workplace bullying. 'All of us in the labour/trade union movement have a responsibility to create a climate where people can voice their concerns & not have their experiences dismissed out of hand.' Diane Abbott, pictured at a protest in London on January 20, today claimed it was 'unlikely' David Leakey was bullied by John Bercow Ms Abbott suggested Mr Leakey's military service in the British Army meant he could not be bullied, a claim attacked by Dan Jarvis (below) John Bercow yesterday dismissed bullying claims made against him as 'total and utter rubbish' A spokesman for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: 'If Diane deleted her tweet I think that probably indicates that she had concerns that it might be misinterpreted and so she probably thought better of it. 'As a matter of course, all allegations of bullying and harassment should always be taken seriously and investigated and I'm sure Diane agrees with that.' Veterans groups also criticised the remarks. Dr Walter Busuttil, a former RAF Wing Commander who is now a consultant psychiatrist and medical director at Combat Stress, asked to meet Ms Abbott to discuss mental health of ex-services personnel. 'At a time when we are seeking urgent funding from the government to protect services for veterans with mental health needs, we are very disappointed that an MP suggests that a veteran cannot be bullied or intimidated,' he said. 'The Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces has published a report on bullying in the military. 'At Combat Stress we commonly see veterans who have mental health problems due to being bullied in the military or even after their service. 'They are trained to respect and follow their leaders and take the words and deeds of those in command seriously. So, when they believe that those in charge have stepped out of line, there's usually a larger than expected impact.' It comes amid a growing political row over whether Mr Bercow should be granted a peerage. Mr Leakey said this morning that if the former Commons Speaker was elevated to the House of Lords 'it would be a scandal that Parliament would struggle to live down'. Dan Jarvis, a Labour MP and former soldier, said: 'Having a distinguished service record does not preclude you from being a victim of workplace bullying' But Ms Abbott tried to pour cold water on Mr Leakey's bullying claims as she tweeted: 'Allegations come from former parliamentary official David Leakey. He had been a Lieutenant General who served in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. 'But claims he was bullied (i.e. intimidated and coerced) by John Bercow. Unlikely.' Mr Leakey retired from the military in 2010 after a 40 year career in the armed forces. He then served as Black Rod from 2011 to 2018. He recently submitted a dossier to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards outlining what he described as the 'intolerable rudeness and explosive behaviour' of the former Speaker. But Mr Bercow hit back in an interview with Sky News yesterday as he rejected all of the accusations made against him and argued Mr Leakey had made the claims because he is 'desperate to remain relevant'. Mr Leakey, pictured right, accused the former Commons Speaker of 'brutalising' parliamentary staff Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is thought to have nominated Mr Bercow for a peerage after Downing Street decided to break with the convention of governments nominating former Commons speakers for positions in the upper chamber. Responding to the allegations made against him by Mr Leakey, Mr Bercow said: 'Total and utter rubbish from start to finish. 'I noticed how hesitant David Leakey was in developing his case as though he was choosing his words carefully. 'Total and utter rubbish. The first point is that David Leakey didn't work for me, he wasn't employed by me, he wasn't an employee of the House of Commons. 'He worked in and was the protocol officer of the House of Lords. He is in absolutely no position whatsoever to comment on my relations with my parliamentary colleagues of which is is completely and utterly ignorant. 'He doesn't know what my relations were my clerks. He has absolutely no intelligence on those matters whatsoever. 'What we have got here is somebody who left the House who is thrashing around, desperate to remain relevant, popping up at every turn, trying to make himself seem very important, very centre stage, very at the heart of things in the way that I went about my work. 'None of those things is true.' Mr Leakey revealed earlier this month that he was submitting a complaint detailing allegations of bullying against Mr Bercow to the parliamentary authorities. It followed a complaint by Lord Lisvane, formerly the Clerk of the House, which led Mr Bercow to 'categorically' deny having ever bullied anyone. Since his election in 2016, his approval ratings have generally been in the mid- to low 40s. Over the past three months, Trump's approval ratings averaged 43 percent. The poll, conducted as Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate neared an end, found that Trump's approval rating reached a personal best of 49 percent. U.S. President Donald Trump's public approval rating has reached a new high, according a Gallup poll, an American polling company. The poll, based on queries of American voters, also found them evenly divided at 50 percent over whether Trump deserves to be reelected in the November 2020 election. Trump, a Republican, can thank Republican and independent voters for the improved approval ratings. His approval among Republicans rose to 94 percent, a 6-point increase from Gallup's previous poll on the issue. Trump's approval rating among independents increased 3 points to 42 percent. Trump's approval ratings among Democrats fell 3 points to 7 percent. Gallup conducted the poll from Jan. 16 to 29, during the Senate impeachment trial that is widely expected to result in Trump's acquittal. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for spreading "rumours" against the CAA and challenged her to stop its implementation in the state. Ghosh hit out at the TMC supremo for her "fictious comments" that the Citizenship Amendment Act is not being implemented in BJP-ruled states and said neither the chief minister nor her TMC party would be able to stop its effectuation in the state as it is a central act. He criticised Banerjee's opposition to CAA and said that it has become her habit to resist whatever is good for the country. "If Mamata Banerjee has guts, I challenge her and the state government to stop the implementation of CAA in the state. She has been constantly spreading canards against the CAA and NRC in Bengal," Ghosh told a channel. "Let Mamata Banerjee stop CAA from being implemented in West Bengal if she can. The allegation that CAA is not being implemented in BJP-ruled states is absolutely baseless for it is being implemented there too," Ghosh said. He said that the TMC's rumours will not bear any result as it is going to backfire. Already the crowd at the party's rallies has started to fizzle out as on the CAA issue the common man is in favour of BJP, he claimed. The CAA has been the latest political flash point in West Bengal, with Banerjee, who is among the most vocal critics of the saffron party, opposing it and the BJP keen on implementing it in the state. The Trinamool Congress said that BJP is trying to "fool and cheat" the people of the country as the National Population Register register is the "first step towards National Register of Citizens". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Kiwi tourist who drowned in a hostel swimming pool in Bali may have been meditating underwater before he died. Adam Bascombe, 37, was founded dead in a small pool by a Swiss tourist in the coastal town of Changgu, west of Denpasar, on January 28. Mr Bascombe had been in Bali for 60 days and was planning to travel the world after quitting his telecommunications job. Fellow New Zealander and friend Chris Francis said Mr Bascombe was likely practising his meditative breathing underwater when he drowned. Adam Bascombe (pictured), 37, was founded dead in a small pool by a Swiss tourist in the coastal town of Changgu, west of Denpasar, on 28 January. Before his death, Mr Bascombe had been in Bali for 60 days and was planning to travel the world after quitting his job 'There's a lot of speculation about what happened. He was staying at a hostel that had a small pool. He put his phone on the side and went for a swim,' Mr Francis told Stuff. 'He was practising meditation and I think he was holding his breath underwater. We think it was just a tragic accident.' Mr Francis said Mr Bascombe was taking an alcohol detox when he died, so it was unlikely he was drunk in the pool. On a Give A Little fundraising page, Mr Francis described Mr Bascombe as 'a man who loved life'. 'He was always full of energy and put others before himself. His infectious laugh and charisma always made those around him fell welcomed and his extraordinary ability to look at the positive in any situation,' he wrote. 'But now we have lost that light from a truly loved human.' Fellow New Zealander and friend Chris Francis said Mr Bascombe was likely practising his meditative breathing underwater when he drowned. Mr Francis said Mr Bascombe was having an alcohol detox at the time, so he would not have been drunk when he went for a swim In New Zealand, Mr Bascombe worked as a sales representative for telecommunications company 2degrees. Mr Francis said Mr Bascombe took part in a Ayahuasca ceremony during a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, which prompted him to quit his job and travel the world In New Zealand, Mr Bascombe worked as a sales representative for telecommunications company 2degrees. Mr Francis said Mr Bascombe took part in a Ayahuasca ceremony during a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, which prompted him to quit his job and travel the world. He took up meditation, moved to Bali and was planning a trip to the US later this year. Now, Mr Bascombe's body needs to be returned to New Zealand, which could cost up to $24,000, according to Mr Francis. 'We are wanting to help with raising financial support to help cover some of the costs to expatriate the body back to Dunedin to his family and if possible contribute towards his funeral costs also,' Mr Francis wrote on the fundraising page. 'So friends, the time has come to dig deep for a man who asked for nothing in this life and left us too early and too tragically.' 6:00 am, it was dark with a soft drizzle and the air was warm toward the end of the winter. Carrying a backpack and towing a piece of luggage, I headed out and walked 10min to arrive at the platform. Tall cedars and the well-kept appartments, three or four stories high, stood silently facing the well-lit station. Cars were far and few in between on the Central Expressway running parallel to the tracks. It felt so peaceful at the heart of the Valley. More people showed up, the train came on the dot, we ascended, and the iron horse moved on. Everything ran like clockwork, performed by humans with drilled monotony, and by 7:05am, I got off at Milbrae for the shuttle to SFO. This was a major connecting transit center. The platforms were full and quiet. People seemed entering a commute mode, which was somewhere between walk and sleep, with no cycles to spare on making noise. The sky turned pale to reveal large patches of gloomy altocumulus clouds, and everything underneath looked drab. Amid the stifling hush, imagine my delight when a flute started playing my beloved tune The Tibet Plateau(), so uplifting and rebelliously cheery. It was from a foodtruck, a pickup outfitted with shelves at the back and sides. The Chinese guy looked about 60 and almost bald. He was short, thin, nimble, and smiling as I approached, drawn more to his music than his fares, a buffet of bottled drinks and packaged food-like items, as Michael Pollan would call them, along with some Chinese pastrys. When asked, I hesitated and said I wanted some hot water. Naturally he had it, albeit hoarded in a cache in the front. (I knew he would have it, even if not for sale. The Chinese gold miners and railroad workers survived the Seirra Nevada winters thanks to their tea-drinking habits. There was a tradition here.) I liked the tune, I told him, and that made him happy. He filled my 12oz can and waved it off as I offered to pay. I was happy to leave five bucks nonetheless before hurrying back to the starting bus. In another 10min, I arrived at the airport. The trip so far cost me less than $15, including the hot water. I was taking the United Airlines 888 from SFO to PEK to spend 10 days around the New Year with dad. As usual, I declined airplane meals and instead started binging on movies. (Well. "Man shall not live by bread alone," as said.) UA had a long list of films to choose from, mostly American. Easily distracted by the noise, I preferred those with captions. I was especially touched by 'The Mule' by an 88-year-old Clint Eastwood. The story was about an old guy, failing in his flower business, started shipping cocaine for a Mexican drug cartel, by accident and obliviously in the beginning but later broke the record doing his job, delivering hundreds of kilos. The message, somewhat ironic, was family. The guy, while delivering a big load of the addictive drug, turned around and chose to stay with his wife in her last moments and thereby breaking the drug lord's rule. One could condemn the character for helping to break many others' families but the movie did not dwell on that aspect. He was thus finally redeemed, after trying to pass his life lesson, i.e., family before work, to his "handler" in the cartel and the FBI agent chasing him. Unlike 'The Million Dollar Baby,' by the same director and actor, the story had a sweeter ending. The plot, acting, and scripts are all great. I think it deserve better ratings. I can certainly come back to watch it again. Some memorable quotes include - I thought it was more important to be somebody out there than the damn failure I was here at my own home. - Thats the thing. You just remember that. You remember that with your family. You dont need all that other shit. I cried but, as a habit, thought of examples to the opposite. My friend G was a successful engineer, real-estate investor and family man. However, his wife, a Tsinghua alumna, chose to leave him for a high-end job in Beijing. I don't know if eventually she will turn around. Another friend, W, saw through at an early age the sham behind working hard for the boss and turned his attention to his own health and family. But the wife didn't appreciate that effort at all. There were many other examples. From what I saw, many of my generation seemed better at chasing wealth than keeping a family. So all I can say is that you choose those values that make you a winner no matter what. The pursuit of them makes you stronger, in body, mind, and spirit, everyday and by being strong you benefit the people you care about, if only as a side-effect or an inspiration. Mr. Eastwood himself is an example: how many 88-year-old can act and direct a movie? None of career frustrations, money, misunderstandings from people, old age, etc., can hurt you. Bigg Boss 13 contestant Mahira Sharma will reportedly be the next house inmate to be evicted from the show mid-week. Reports have emerged that Mahira will be evicted as part of mid-week eviction as the show approaches its finale on February 16. In the latest episode which had the contestants hold a press conference, Mahira was asked by the paparazzi that why she didnt follow her mother's advice to keep distance from Paras Chhabra. She had replied that she likes his strategies and thats why she listens to him. When Paras was asked if he would continue to be friends with Mahira after the show, he had said he will definitely be with her. He had, however, refused to comment on his break-up with TV actor Akanksha Puri. Their fans also looked convinced that the two will continue to be friends forever. Referring to them as PaHira, a fan said, Pahira has been together day 1 and havent seen such strong friendships in bb journeys so long. #ParasSabkaThreat. Another wrote, Ye @BiggBoss wali dosti Nahi. Zindagi Bhar tikne wali dosti hai (This is not a Bigg Boss friendship, this is for life). Mahira recently had an ugly argument with Paras Chhabra after the latter told her Chal nikal (get lost) in a very rude manner. Mahira was actually working in the kitchen when Paras started teasing her. She got upset and left the dough she was kneading. Paras got furious and started kneading the dough and mentioned that his finger is yet to recover after an injury. While Mahira asked him to move away, he refused to do so and continued to do the chores all by himself. He even told her, Chal nikal (get lost). This did not go down well with Mahira and the two got into an ugly argument. Also read: Hina Khan calls Bigg Boss 13 crazy: Makers have given liberty to push, abuse, hit people in this season Later, when Mahira tried to make up with him, he told her, Chal nikal yahan se, baat mat kar mujhse (go away, I dont want to talk to you). Paras went on to compare her to Asim and said that he doesnt find any difference between the two of them. He also compared her to Rashami earlier. Follow @htshowbiz for more The owner of an exclusive Sydney bar stabbed his business partner in the face with a wine glass stem during a bitter dispute. Benedict Winston Maurice, 38, who co-owns the Ode in Bondi, got into a heated argument with business partner Jeremy Moyle at around midnight last Friday. But the pair's disagreement turned violent when Mr Maurice spat in Mr Moyle's face. Mr Moyle then spat back at his business partner before the row escalated further. 'At this time, the accused was holding a broken wine glass in his right hand before stabbing the victim in the head with the stem of the glass,' police facts obtained by the Daily Telegraph read. Ode (pictured) in Bondi is run by four co-owners, but the business relationship between Mr Moyle and Mr Maurice had soured before the incident After fleeing the venue, Mr Moyle ran home to his wife and told her: 'Benedict stabbed me, get help'. He was taken to hospital where he received three stitches to a 2cm wound to his jaw. Mr Maurice was later arrested at Ode, where he had been drinking. The business is run by four co-owners, but the relationship between Mr Moyle and Mr Maurice had soured. Police said the tension between the pair is what prompted Mr Maurice to propose a settlement to buy Mr Moyle's share of the business. 'About midnight the accused arrived at the location where he and the victim and witness have begun talking about the accused buying out his partners' share of the business,' police facts read. 'These talks have become heated, with the victim and accused ensuing in a verbal argument.' Mr Maurice denied stabbing his business partner in an interview with police. '(Mr Maurice) states that due to the victim's close proximity to him it has caused the wine glass to break, with the victim suffering a small cut.' But police didn't believe Mr Maurice's version of events and charged him with reckless wounding. Mr Maurice pleaded guilty at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday. Although the defendant claimed the assault was not malicious, Magistrate Allison Hawkins told him it was a serious matter. The 38-year-old will be sentenced in a week. CIA spy sentenced to death ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 4 February 2020 / 16:41 Tehran (ISNA) "Amir Rahimpour, a CIA spy who was trying to pass on Iran's nuclear information to US, is sentenced to death," Iran's Judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili said on Tuesday. "US's feud against Iran has different examples, such as eight years of imposed war (between Iran and Iraq). Utilizing spies to hurt Iran was another hostile move by US which was thwarted by the security and intelligence departments," the official said. "Our intelligence surveillance has led to arrestment, trial and punishment of US and Israel's spies," he added. "Amir Rahimpour who was a CIA spy and got huge pay and tried to present part of Iran's nuclear information to the American service had been tried and sentenced to death and recently the Supreme Court upheld his sentence and you will see it carried out soon," Esmaili said. According to the official, two other people pretending to work for a charity were sentenced to 10 and five years in prison for spying and for acting against national security respectively but their sentences are not yet finalized. He also mentioned that these spies are Iranian nationals. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prima facie, if there is inaction on the part of the Speaker, it has to be cured, Chief Justice Bobde told Tamil Nadu Advocate General Vijay Narayan. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal to inform whether he was going to take cognizance of a petition seeking disqualification of 11 AIADMK MLAs, including deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam, pending with him for last three years. The petitions before TN Assembly Speaker Dhanapal had sought the unseating of 11 AIADMK lawmakers for defying the party whip and voting against the confidence motion moved by the chief minister E. Palaniswami in February 2017. A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A.Bobde, and Justices B.R.Gavai and Surya Kant sought response from the Speaker Dhanapal as the court was told that he was sitting on the petition seeking the disqualification of 11 AIADMK lawmakers for last three years without doing anything. The three-year delay was unnecessary. You (Speaker) needed to have taken action. Prima facie, if there is inaction on the part of the Speaker, it has to be cured," Chief Justice Bobde told Tamil Nadu Advocate General Vijay Narayan. I will place the courts view before the Speaker. However, in the meantime he takes action, he cant be impeded. Advocate General Narayan told the court. Company will highlight need for rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens LEXINGTON, Mass., Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- T2 Biosystems, Inc. (TTOO), a leader in the rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens, today announced the Companys participation in two conferences in February: Society of Critical Care Medicines (SCCM) 48th Critical Care Congress, and Medlab Middle East 19th Annual Laboratory Management and Medicine Conference. A recent study in The Lancet estimated that 11 million people died with sepsis in 2017 -- accounting for nearly 20% of all deaths worldwide -- more deaths than all forms of cancer combined, said John Sperzel, Chief Executive Officer of T2 Biosystems. We are excited to further demonstrate how our technology is helping to improve clinical outcomes and make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients suspected of sepsis. At the Medlab Middle East congress in Dubai, held February 3-6, 2020, Professor Pavel Drevinek, M.D., Ph.D. from Motol University Hospital in the Czech Republic will present, Using T2MR Technology for rapid detection of ESKAPE Pathogens directly from whole blood. The presentation will highlight the real-world, positive impact that T2 Biosystems rapid diagnostics that detect sepsis-causing pathogens can have on patients and clinicians. During the SCCMs Congress, held in Orlando, Florida, on February 16-19, 2020, the Company, including T2 Biosystems Vice President of Medical Affairs, Sandy Estrada, Pharm. D., will highlight the capabilities of its T2Bacteria and T2Candida panels. These panels are the only FDA cleared diagnostic tools that can detect sepsis-causing pathogens in the bloodstream directly from whole blood, providing results in three to five hours instead of days, as is seen with current blood culture-based methods. As a result, patients can receive targeted treatment sooner, and hospitals can better manage costs associated with identifying and treating sepsis, including antimicrobial costs. Story continues Attendees can learn more about the Companys innovations, as well as their clinical and economic benefits, at SCCM at Booth #1123. About T2 Biosystems T2 Biosystems, a leader in the development and commercialization of innovative medical diagnostic products for critical unmet needs in health care, is dedicated to improving patient care and reducing the cost of care by helping clinicians effectively treat patients faster than ever before. T2 Biosystems products include the T2Dx Instrument, the T2Candida Panel, the T2Bacteria Panel, and the T2ResistanceTM Panel and are powered by the proprietary T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) technology. T2 Biosystems has an active pipeline of future products, including products for the detection of additional species and antibiotic resistance markers of sepsis pathogens, and tests for Lyme disease. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding additional patients, timing of testing patients, anticipated product benefits, strategic priorities, product expansion or opportunities, growth expectations or targets, timing of FDA filings or clearances and anticipated operating expenses, as well as statements that include the words expect, intend, plan, believe, project, forecast, estimate, may, should, anticipate, and similar statements of a future or forward looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, (i) any inability to (a) realize anticipated benefits from commitments, contracts or products; (b) successfully execute strategic priorities; (c) bring products to market; (d) expand product usage or adoption; (e) obtain customer testimonials; (f) accurately predict growth assumptions; (g) realize anticipated revenues; (h) incur expected levels of operating expenses; or (i) increase the number of high-risk patients at customer facilities; (ii) failure of early data to predict eventual outcomes; (iii) failure to make or obtain anticipated FDA filings or clearances within expected time frames or at all; or (iv) the factors discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 14, 2019, and other filings the company makes with the SEC from time to time. These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While the company may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, unless required by law, it disclaims any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause its views to change. Thus, no one should assume that the Companys silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Media Contact: Gina Kent, Vault Communications gkent@vaultcommunications.com 610-455-2763 Koch Equity Development LLC, the investment and acquisition subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., is to acquire the remaining equity stake held by San Francisco-based private equity investment firm Golden Gate Capital in Infor, a provider of business cloud software specialized by industry. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first half of 2020. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. At the close, Infor will become a standalone subsidiary of Koch Industries, and will continue to be operated by the companys current management team from its headquarters in New York City. In addition to being an enterprise customer, Koch has been an investor in Infor since 2017. Now, the company intends to quickly position Infor as one of the most well-capitalized companies in technology. Led by Kevin Samuelson, CEO, Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry with 17,000 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries. The company has invested approximately $4 billion in product design and development to deliver industry-specific CloudSuites that solve the most challenging operational issues for over 68,000 customers around the globe. Its CloudSuites are cloud-native, industry-specific and built to enable manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, public sector, retail and hospitality companies to modernize and drive immediate impact. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control systems; electronics, software and data analytics; minerals; glass; automotive components; ranching; commodity trading; and investments. It has estimated annual revenues as high as $110 billion, according to Forbes. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested nearly $105 billion in growth and improvements. With a presence in 60 countries, they employ nearly 130,000 people worldwide, with about 67,000 of those in the United States. With offices in Wichita and London, Koch Equity Development focuses its efforts on strategic acquisitions and industry agnostic principal investments. Significant principal investments completed include Getty Images, Global Medical Response, Meredith/Time Inc., Solera Holdings Inc., The ADT Corporation, and Transaction Network Services. FinSMEs 05/02/2020 A former Tory culture secretary has denied that plans to decriminalise non-payment of the BBC licence fee were linked to No10s row with the corporation over allegations of bias. John Whittingdale told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: The reason the Government is looking at decriminalisation is nothing to do with political coverage, it is because the broadcasting world is changing so rapidly. I believe in the freedom of the media. In government, people will write things you dont always like. Downing Street has repeatedly clashed with the BBC over its political coverage of Brexit and the election. Government to consider decriminalising TV licence fee evasion Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has likened climate change deniers within the Liberal Party to "terrorists", and argued for a "green new deal" to shift the economy off fossil fuels. Speaking in Sydney at an event hosted by the Coalition for Conservation, Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy said Australia should use the "black spring and black summer" of huge bushfires as a "turning point" to take serious climate action. Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull have spoken out about the need to act on climate change during an address in Sydney to the Coalition for Conservation. Credit:60 Minutes/Channel Nine "If ever Australians were under any illusion that the consequences of a hotter and drier climate were not real, harsh and dangerous, those illusions have been shattered this summer. These bushfires are utterly without precedent in our history," Mr Turnbull said. The Turnbulls, who were in south-east Asia during some of the peak of the bushfires, said the effect on Australia's image abroad had been profound. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday invited Union home minister Amit Shah to a debate with an open heart, a day after he had given a deadline to the BJP to announce a chief ministerial candidate. The debate should be in an open field and open mind with an anchor of your choice and ours in front of Delhis people, Arvind Kejriwal said during a press conference just three days ahead of the Delhi assembly elections on February 8. But please dont say that one of our workers will debate with Kejriwal. It would be like accepting defeat, he said. Come, lets debate. A debate is a good thing. Amit Shah says vote for me and I will give you chief minister so you should come and debate with me, the Delhi chief minister said. Kejriwal had thrown a challenge at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to name its chief ministerial candidate and said he was ready for a debate with anyone it names. The Aam Aadmi Party leader said the opposition party in Delhi must announce its candidates name by 1pm on Wednesday and said if there is no name by then he would hold another press conference. The AAP leader had said that Amit Shah is demanding a blank cheque from the people of Delhi by withholding the name of his partys chief ministerial candidate. The people of Delhi are saying what if Amit Shah names someone uneducated and incompetent after they have voted for the BJP. That would be a betrayal of the people of Delhi, Kejriwal had said. Kejriwal has been pressing the BJP to declare its candidate for the top job in Delhi but the BJP has refrained from announcing any name. DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When Dallas native and award-winning photographer Gray Malin unveils his first self-portrait in Dallas on Feb. 19, the image will contain not one but two local icons the artist himself and the famous Mi Cocina Mambo Taxi. Titled "The Dallas Native," the work is part of Malin's "Bon Voyage" series, which invites patrons aboard a first-class journey inspired by cultural icons and timeless travel as told through the window of an airplane. Merging pop culture and the jet-set lifestyle, the series is a modern take on the "good life" at 30,000 feet. Malin decided to feature the Mambo Taxi a combination of Sauza Silver tequila, lime juice and house-made sangria, all swirled to frozen perfection as a tribute to the iconic Dallas-based Tex-Mex restaurant Mi Cocina, where he made countless memories over the years. "Mi Cocina is much more than a restaurant it symbolizes a sense of family, a lifetime of fond memories, and for me personally, an emblem of Dallas," said Malin. "I grew up going to the Preston Forest location with my family a few times a month to enjoy my favorite items like the chips and salsa (of course!), Queso Blanco, the Sunset Fajitas and as an adult, the Mambo Taxi. In 'The Dallas Native,' the beloved Mambo Taxi represents my hometown." Mi Cocina will host Malin at an exclusive unveiling of "The Dallas Native" at Monkey Bar above the Highland Park Village Mi Cocina on Feb. 19. "We're thrilled that Gray Malin is featuring the Mambo Taxi in his work. The name of the photo really says it all because it shows how important the Mambo is to area natives who grew up with our brand," said Edgar Guevara, CEO and president of Mi Cocina's parent company M Crowd Restaurant Group. "Like so many Dallasites, his connection to Mi Cocina is deep, and to him, our restaurants are an extension of home." Signed limited-edition prints of "The Dallas Native" will be available for purchase at www.graymalin.com. About Mi Cocina Dallas-based Mi Cocina has served undeniably authentic Tex-Mex, memorable experiences and its signature, award-winning Mambo Taxi margaritas for nearly three decades. With 22 locations in Texas and Oklahoma, the brand is owned and operated by M Crowd Restaurant Group, which also has four area Taco Diner restaurants and The Mercury, the venerable Dallas fine dining institution founded in 1998. For more information, go to micocina.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram @MiCocina. About Gray Malin Gray Malin is a modern-day fine art photographer and New York Times bestselling author based in Los Angeles. He has received commercial recognition for his aerial photography, shot over the world's most stunning beaches, and has also photographed collections at historic properties including The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Parker Palm Springs Hotel, The Breakers Palm Beach, and The Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club at The Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara. Forging his work into a larger lifestyle with the philosophy to Make Every Day a Getaway, Gray's photography has since expanded into a line of luxury products for home and travel. Gray has collaborated with global brands including Disney, Google, Laduree and Veuve Clicquot, engaging diverse audiences to experience his work in new and exciting ways. Media Contacts: Sara Hundley or Katie McKenzie [email protected] or [email protected] 817-329-3257 SOURCE Mi Cocina Related Links https://www.micocina.com European Union government envoys in Brussels and the bloc's executive arm sought to accommodate Emmanuel Macron's appetite for reform with tighter rules on countries looking to join the bloc and a broader debate on how to make the EU more effective. The European Commission proposed an overhaul of the expansion process Wednesday in a bid to revive the candidacy bids of Albania and North Macedonia which Macron vetoed last year. The plan puts more focus on "fundamentals," such as the rule of law and functioning democratic institutions, when assessing candidate countries, though it doesn't envisage new legislation. France and the other 26 EU members already have plenty of opportunities to veto the accession process which involves prolonged negotiations over years or even decades. Any member state can block a candidate's progress at any point in the process. By reaffirming the focus on "negative consequences" and "reversibility" if candidate countries backtrack on the required reforms, the commission is aiming to provide enough political cover for Macron to drop his opposition to membership talks with the two countries from the western Balkans. EU governments are wary of further delays as the prospect of membership is seen as anchoring fragile Balkan states to a path of democratic reforms. When Macron vetoed the process last October, he earned an unusually strong rebuke from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Commission's approach is a step in the right direction toward North Macedonia and Albania eventually joining the EU, a French official said, cautioning that this was a long-term objective. France will seek a clear position on whether membership talks must be opened for the two Balkan nations by May, when EU leaders are due to discuss the matter over a special summit in Zagreb, Croatia, the official said. On another front prompted by the French president, EU government envoys in Brussels unsuccessfully sought a common stance on the "Conference on the Future of Europe" -- a two-year deliberation intended to invigorate European unification. The concept is based on ideas laid out by the French president in 2017 from Pnyx, a hill that was the center of Athenian democracy almost 2,500 years ago. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also championed the initiative since taking office last year. Diplomats involved in the discussions said the scope, structure and aims of the process are unclear, while EU institutions are at loggerheads over which one will be in the driver's seat. Most member states want to make it clear from the start that the Conference won't lead to changes to EU treaties, a toxic issue after the traumatic experiences at the start of the century, when citizens rejected treaty changes in referendums. France is leading a small group of member states that say treaty changes shouldn't be excluded, according to a diplomat familiar with the deliberations, while Paris is also the main backer of ambitious institutional reforms, such as transnational lists of candidates for European elections. Macron's supporters in Brussels say that the French president is the only EU leader pushing the bloc -- traditionally immersed in inertia -- to discuss its strategic direction. For critics, his ambition is unrealistic and disruptive and doesn't help the decision-making process. Past experience also shows that pioneering proposals often hit a roadblock of competing national interests in Brussels. The latest example is Macron's idea for a joint euro-area budget, which -- after years of negotiations -- ended up with less than 20 billion euros to be spread among the currency bloc's 19 economies over seven years. - - - Bloomberg's Ania Nussbaum contributed to this report. Working alongside investigators from the Frederick County (MD) Sheriffs Office, special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments for a Rhea County man accused of attempting to solicit sex from a minor online. TBI agents received information about Victor Ryan Welch, 29, from authorities in Maryland last summer. A Frederick County detective in the departments Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, posed as a 13-year-old online and Welch engaged in a prolonged chat to solicit sex, the TBI said. On Monday, the Rhea County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging Welch with six counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means and two counts of solicitation of a minor - aggravated statutory rape. On Tuesday night, Welch turned himself in to authorities in Rhea County, where he was booked at the county jail on $7,500 bond. Anupam Kher, who has been politically vocal on social media, took to his Twitter handle to defend the CAA and take on those who are opposing it. In a video he shared, Kher spoke of the need to 'tell people what is right and what is wrong'. Slamming the anti-CAA lobby, Kher posed some questions and said, 'we need to teach people, sometimes with a sense of humour'. He wrote: "Sometimes it is necessary to convince some people that what they are understanding or acting to understand or trying to convince people is absolutely wrong. I mean CAA and NRC. You understand! Jai Ho!! #shareit" [sic] CM Uddhav echoes cousin Raj Thackeray on throwing out infiltrators, rules out need for NRC In the video he said, "Blessed are some of the people of my country. Since 72 years they haven't been able to understand the traffic rules. Since 3 years, they don't know how to pay GST. We have to spend crores on advertisements to explain them open defecation. But CAA they have understood in 2 days. And NRC they have understood even before it got executed in the country. We have to teach people what is right and what is wrong, sometimes with a sense of humour." CAA NRC !! !! #shareit pic.twitter.com/DRAqMkn4Tg Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) February 5, 2020 BIG: Govt puts it in writing, confirms 'No decision to prepare national level NRC' in LS The uproar over the CAA and NRC A nationwide furore is currently ongoing over the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and fears over a nationwide NRC. The former was passed by both House of Parliament in December. It seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants, though the act of not extending the act to Muslims from these three countries has sparked off a debate and ensuing protests. On the other hand, the NRC has only been conducted in the state of Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court. However, the opposition has raised the apprehension about the possibility of NRC being implemented along with the CAA. It has been alleged that a particular community would be targeted in this process. The government has stated as recently as Tuesday that there are so far no plans for a pan-India NRC. Hyderabad: Women's Welfare Organisation protest against CAA, NRC and NPR Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) on Wednesday announced he would vote to convict President Trump on one article of impeachment, abuse of power, while he would vote to acquit the president on the second article of obstruction of Congress. The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, Romney said in a speech on the Senate floor. However, the senator also admitted that Trump would not be convicted in the final vote. The president did in fact pressure a foreign government to corrupt our election process, Romney said in an interview with The Atlantic. And really, corrupting an election process in a democratic republic is about as abusive and egregious an act against the Constitutionand ones oaththat I can imagine. Its what autocrats do. In a separate interview with Fox News, Romney said, I do believe [Trump] should be removed from office. The Utah senator is the only Republican who has announced his intent to vote to convict on either of the articles of impeachment. Fellow moderate Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced earlier this week they would vote to acquit the president. With his vote, Romney will become the first senator in American history to vote to convict a president from his own party. Romney himself was the Republican nominee for president in 2012, an election he lost to incumbent Barack Obama. Romneys vote will almost certainly set up a clash with the president. The senators niece, Ronna Romney McDaniel, is the chair of the Republican National Committee. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him, McDaniel wrote on Twitter shortly following the senators announcement. I, along with the GOP, stand with President Trump. Romneys announcement came hours before the Senate is scheduled to cast final votes on impeachment. More from National Review Opalesque Industry Update - Mindful Wealth, an asset management company with around US$600 million under management, successfully completed the VCC Pilot Programme with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and re-domiciled one of its funds Avenida CLO Equity Fund from the Bahamas to Singapore. Mindful Wealth conducts wealth management services and fund management activities with licenses in Singapore and Dubai. The wealth management department offers advisory and discretionary management. The fund management department manages the mutual funds of the company. Singapore is an attractive location for global public investors and asset owners, such as sovereign wealth and pension funds, to access public and private market opportunities across Asia and ASEAN. In addition, to position Singapore as a leading fund domiciliation hub, MAS has recently introduced the new Variable Capital Companies (VCC) framework to provide a new corporate structure for investment funds which seeks to facilitate the co-location of fund managers' substantive fund management and domiciliation activities in Singapore. VCC is constituted under the Variable Capital Companies Act. After MAS launched VCC framework, it has been running a pilot programme for selected Permissible Fund Managers who wished to register a new investment fund as VCC or re-domicile a foreign corporate entity as a VCC. "It is a great honour for Mindful Wealth to be part of the VCC Pilot Programme. It gives us first-hand information on the new fund structure and the authorities we have been dealing with are very helpful and professional. We see this as an opportunity to grow our business and look forward to exploring different options with fund managers and clients.", said Marco Frangi, CEO at Mindful Wealth. "With this new legal framework in place, investment managers will have greater operational flexibility in the constitution of funds in Singapore. We have been working closely with the regulators since the beginning and we are among the few pioneering experts in this structure. With our Fund Platform, we can help relocate and re-domicile funds from other offshore jurisdictions to a fully regulated and high standard jurisdiction like Singapore, therefore opening up new opportunities to new and existing funds.", he added. "The VCC marks a significant chapter in the development of Singapore as a full-service international fund management and domiciliation hub. The VCC framework provides fund managers with a greater choice of investment fund vehicles in Singapore that caters to the needs of global investment funds and investors. Fund managers will also be able to extract cost savings from centralising their fund management and domiciliation activities in Singapore and structuring their funds more efficiently. The VCC framework also creates new opportunities for Singapore-based fund service providers such as legal and tax advisors, accountants, fund administrators and fund custodians, as we expect more fund managers to use the VCC to structure their investment funds.", commented Mr Benny Chey, Assistant Managing Director (Development and International) at MAS in a recent announcement by MAS. Mindful Wealth's flagship fund Avenida CLO Equity Fund was launched in March 2016 and is managed by Massimo Paschetto Alberto De Micheli and Stefano Paschetto. It has around US$80 million under management and is one of the few funds globally that focuses on the equity tranche of CLOs. It is available for investment with a low entry value, making the fund greatly accessible. The Avenida CLO Equity Fund has seen rapid growth in its AUM as well as great performance since its inception. As of the end of December 2019, the fund has returned 32,37% since inception. Avenida CLO Equity Fund's strategy is: To produce attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing in USD Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO); To offer the opportunity for investors to outperform other alternative investments by capturing excess returns in the USD CLO space; To invest in a diversified portfolio of CLO securities comprising CLO equity securities, lower-rated debt CLO securities, CLO warehouse securities managed by a selected number of CLO managers and issued in different periods; To dynamically manage the portfolio to maximize long-term return; To have a medium/long term investment horizon as it invests in fairly illiquid securities, CLO equities, which by their nature represent the "positive carry", i.e. the difference between the spread of a diversified loan portfolio minus the CLO cost of funding - the longer the fund is held the more the arbitrage works in favour of the investment. "There is a bright future for the Avenida CLO Equity Fund, as CLOs are a relatively unknown sub-asset class, meaning the market is ripe for the discovery of a niche solution to a difficult global low rate environment. With over 20 years of experience in the CLO business, possessing a unique knowledge of the CLO market and having established relationships and direct access to CLO managers, professionals and structuring banks, we have selected over 75 different primary transactions before setting up the Avenida CLO Equity Fund, generating an average mid-teen absolute return for the investors through consistent investment and risk management processes.", said Massimo Paschetto, Senior Investment Manager at Mindful Wealth & Fund Manager at Avenida CLO Fund. "Singapore is well-known for its transparency in governance, strict laws and regulations, economic stability and high level of business ethics. For Avenida CLO Equity Fund to be in Singapore, it signals a good reputation to investors and we are sure this helps to grow our AUM. The VCC model introduces a level of operational efficiency that can improve the efforts of fund managers to maximise investment opportunities. We are delighted that Avenida is part of the new model.", said Alberto De Micheli, Principal Representative and Senior Financial Advisor at Mindful Wealth. Mindful Wealth has worked with Genesis Funds Services, Shook Lin & Bok and Corner Banca SA on the re-domiciliation of Avenida CLO Equity Fund. Press release Bg Article source - Opalesque is not responsible for the content of external internet sites New Delhi, Feb 5 : As much as Rs 9 lakh crore may be locked in direct tax disputes and the government hopes to gain substantially from 'No Dispute but Trust' Scheme proposed in the Union Budget 2020 last week. Official sources said that Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey has directed senior tax officers to make the scheme a success by approaching the litigating taxpayers and convince them to avail the scheme. As Direct Tax Vivaad se Vishwas Bill, 2020 has been introduced in Lok Sabha on Wednesday as a Money Bill, the Revenue Department has started ground work and held a high level meeting of the senior officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). It was decided in the meeting that tax officers would be required to approach, convince and facilitate the litigants in their jurisdiction to avail the scheme and the performance of the officers would be rated on the basis of their success in executing the scheme. As on November 30 2019, there are around 5 lakh cases pending at various levels with disputed tax arrears amounting to approximately Rs 9 lakh crore. Further, given the lower rate of disposal of appeals, the amount of disputed tax arrears locked-up in these appeals is on the rise. Industry has hailed the government move for bringing the scheme but has noted that the window given is very short. The government has termed the scheme attractive. The bill tabled in the Lower House proposes to give advantage to taxpayers if the payment of disputed tax, interest or penalty is made on or before March 31, 2020 and with some conditions till June 30, 2020. Under the scheme, taxpayers would be required to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and there will be complete waiver of interest and penalty provided they make payment by March 31, 2020. For disputed penalty, interest and fee not connected with the disputed tax, the taxpayer would be required to pay only 25 per cent of the same for settling the dispute. A taxpayer shall be required to pay 110 per cent of the disputed tax (the excess 10 per cent shall be limited to the amount of related penalty and interest, if any) and 30 per cent of penalty, interest and fees in case of payment after March 31, 2020. Those who avail this scheme after March 31, 2020 will have to pay some additional amount. The scheme will remain open till June 30, 2020. South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said on Wednesday it has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. The Mobile World Congress, an annual telecoms industry event that draws more than 100,000 visitors to Barcelona, will go ahead as planned on Feb. 24-27 despite the international spread of a virus that has killed 490 people in mainland China. The Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, in the Ashanti Region, KT Hammond has refuted claims that he is no longer contesting in the upcoming New Patriotic Party parliamentary primaries on April 25. The fifth-term MP said certain internal elements in the party have employed numerous schemes to unseat him. On Monday, a nomination form picked on his behalf was returned to the constituency office unfilled, a gesture many deemed as a sign of Mr. Hammonds unpreparedness to return to Parliament. Former NUGS President, Sammy Binfoh Dankwa has already joined the race in the constituency with the hope of unseating KT Hammond. Mr. Hammond in an interview with Citi News said he is absolutely contesting to win. I am contesting, absolutely, we contest and we contest to win. The against people are going into over-drive. Why are you rushing this whole business that hes bought his forms? All I did was to take his form back. The deadline closes later this month. I am not abandoning the Adansi Asokwa seat, the legislator said. The lawyer, who has been in Parliament since January 2001 also claimed the opposition National Democratic Congress is incapable of choosing a competent parliamentary candidate to face him in this years parliamentary elections. The NDC is ready and hiding in the darkness to see what is happening. They cant choose any proper candidate in the constituency because of KT Hammond. There have been some instances of squabbles and confrontation after the leadership of the New Patriotic Party opened nominations for constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament. ---citinewsroom Studies of indoor tanning that are financially linked to the industry are significantly more likely to downplay the risks and highlight perceived benefits of indoor tanning than studies without such ties, according to researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine. The researchers analyzed 691 articles on indoor tanning in scientific journals. Fifty had financial ties to the tanning industry. Of these, 78% favored indoor tanning, compared with only 4% of studies without financial ties to the industry. As with research funded by the tobacco and sugar industries, the new finding suggests that people should consider whether studies on indoor tanning and exposure to ultraviolet rays were supported by organizations with possible conflicts of interest. Studies with financial links to the indoor tanning industry were much more likely to discuss perceived benefits of indoor tanning and to downplay the harms, said Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH, professor of dermatology, who sees patients at Stanford Health Cares dermatology clinic at the Hoover Pavilion. The association is quite striking. We need scientific data to be independent of industry influence. I am concerned that funding sources may influence the conclusions of these papers. A paper describing the research will be published Feb. 4 in the British Medical Journal. Linos is the senior author. Lola Adekunle, MD, a postdoctoral scholar, and graduate student Rebecca Chen share lead authorship. A group 1 carcinogen In 2009, the World Health Organization listed the ultraviolet light used in tanning beds as a group 1 carcinogen its highest cancer-risk category. But many people cite perceived benefits of indoor tanning, including mood enhancement, the role played by ultraviolet radiation in the production of vitamin D and the achievement of a base tan believed to protect against more serious skin damage. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than one-third of adults in the United States and over half of college students have reported using a tanning bed at some point in their lives. A Russian firm is suing Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party for failing to repay a multi-million euro loan, it was revealed on Tuesday. Court documents filed at the website of Moscow's court of arbitration show that the aviation parts company Aviazapchast is suing the party for just over nine million euros. The RN originally took out the loan with Russia's First Czech-Russian Bank in 2014. It should have made a single payment of nine million euros in 2019, after interest payments The debt recovery action was filed with the Russian court in December. Le Pen's party was notified in a letter dated 25 December and the first hearing is set for June. The RN's treasurer, Wallerand de Saint Just, told the news agency AFP the party had good relations with Aviazapchast. Of the loan, he said: "We are in the process of paying it back." In March 2016, the original loan was passed on to the Russian car hire firm Konti, shortly before the First Czech-Russian Bank went into administration and eventually shut down in July the same year. State-owned Deposit Insurance Agency then indicated that the loan had been passed on to Aviazapchast in November 2016. In 2018, French authorities withheld two million euros of public subsidies normally paid to political parties, pending an inquiry into the alleged misuse of EU funds the RN had received. The French authorities are also pursuing the party to recover nearly 11.6 million euros in damages and interest over alleged fraud and the misuse of public money during the 2012 parliamentary election campaign. With 13 patents from 20 years of contextual technology development, Quintesse has launched as an advanced contextual intelligence platform to meet the accelerating market demand for pro-privacy targeting solutions. As a new business from Vibrant Media, Quintesse provides brands and agencies complete transparency into the contextual suitability and safety of their campaigns and customized targeting tools to optimize and scale without the need for third-party data. For publishers, Quintesse helps increase monetization opportunities by exposing high-value, cookie-free media inventory. With the implementation of GDPR, CCPA, and other regulatory frameworks, and the phasing out of third-party cookies, Quintesse enters the projected $412 billion market by 2025, during a time when organizations are navigating new data privacy policies to connect with audiences. A new era of privacy legislation is forcing the advertising industry to pursue alternatives to third-party cookies as the primary method of targeting audiences, said Doug Stevenson, CEO and co-founder. Googles decision to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome will accelerate the move towards cookieless browsing. The market is shifting towards contextual targeting offerings such as Quintesse, which provides contextual intelligence for precise targeting regardless of the availability of audience data. Recently, Quintesse identified for a client in the pharmaceutical sector that the organization had 24% of its impressions appear in unsafe environments and 64% of the brands inventory used to deliver the campaign was within irrelevant web content. In addition, for a financial technology company, Quintesse revealed 99.8% of the inventory used to deliver the campaign was placed in non-relevant content areas. Brands are currently vulnerable to ad placements within unrelated and potentially harmful media environments, added Stevenson. Through Quintesse, we saw a great opportunity to go beyond the blunt brand-safety tools on the market and provide ways to tackle new challenges being faced with user-generated content and wasted impressions through false positives." Quintesse utilizes natural language processing (NLP) and curated machine learning for the most comprehensive contextualization of web pages, protecting brands from unsuitable content and unlocking valuable media inventory to drive real ROI. Clients of the platform benefit from: Increased Reach and Scale Unlock new inventory through cookie-free contextual intelligence, dramatically reducing false positives frequently produced by widely used keyword-matching technologies. Maximum Safety Through Complete Contextual Coverage Utilize computational linguistics to understand entire editorial page content, not just keywords in URLs, to offer true verification of page safety and suitability. Dynamic Content Targeting & Protection Detect content changes in real-time, to find new topics and protect your brand from threats buried within comment sections and frequently updated content. About Quintesse Quintesse is the authority in context. As the leading global contextual intelligence platform for brands and agencies, Quintesse delivers complete control and transparency for improved brand safety, suitability, and pro-privacy contextual targeting. With 13 patents from 20 years of contextual technology development, Quintesse utilizes natural language processing and curated machine learning for the most comprehensive contextualization of web pages. By protecting brands from unsuitable editorial events, processing dynamic content, and unlocking cookie-free media inventory, Quintesse delivers real ROI within the complex requirements of todays media landscape. The global company has offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, and Munich and provides services in 27 languages. Learn more about the free audit currently being offered by Quintesse here. WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Navy announced it has put into operation a low-yield, nuclear ballistic missile aboard a submarine as it seeks to deter adversaries like Russia. This supplemental capability strengthens deterrence and provides the United States a prompt, more survivable low-yield strategic weapon; supports our commitment to extended deterrence, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood said in a statement on February 4. The administration of President Donald Trump first announced its intention to deploy the W76-2 low-yield weapon in February 2018 after a review concluded there was a perception of a gap in U.S. deterrence capabilities. The Nuclear Posture Review concluded that Russia has a strategy known as "escalate to de-escalate," in which the Kremlin would use or threaten to use low-yield nuclear weapons in a limited conventional conflict in Europe to compel the United States and NATO to back down. "Recent Russian statements on this evolving nuclear weapons doctrine appear to lower the threshold for Moscow's first-use of nuclear weapons," the 2018 review said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on February 5 described the deployment of the new missile very alarming, according to Russia's news agencies. "It's a reflection of the fact that the U.S. lowers the nuclear threshold and considers it possible to wage a limited nuclear war and win such a war, Ryabkov said. Democrats in the House of Representatives criticized the deployment of the W76-2 as dangerous and said the Pentagon has refused to answer Congressional questions about the weapon. The deployment of this warhead does nothing to make Americans safer. Instead, this destabilizing deployment further increases the potential for miscalculation during a crisis, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (Democrat-Washington) said in a statement. Russia would not be able to determine if a weapon launched from a nuclear submarine is low-yield or not, adversaries say. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) estimates the W76-2 has an explosive yield of about five kilotons compared with 90 kilotons for the W76-1. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of about 15 kilotons. The United States already has about 1,000 low-yield, nuclear weapons that can be delivered by fighter jets, FAS said. Advocates for the new submarine-based weapon say that the fighters might not be able to penetrate Russian airspace. FAS said that despite the focus on deploying the weapon to deter Russian aggression, the real target is much more likely to be North Korea or Iran. With reporting by AP If you think the major concerns surrounding legalizing recreational cannabis are addressed in the whopping 173-page bill working its way through the Legislature, you must be smoking something. Because Senate Bill 115/House Bill 160 does not tackle many of the concerns expressed last session concerns that prompted the governor to create a 19-plus-member Cannabis Legalization Working Group to evaluate other states experiences with cannabis. Instead, it raises myriad new concerns. Granted, many people including Albuquerque City Councilor and working group lead Pat Davis have put in a lot of work trying to come up with a workable solution. Davis and other advocates say everyone who wants to is already using illegal pot or legalization is inevitable. They insist this new industry would create up to 11,000 new jobs and point out that the full impact would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2022, allowing time to work out details. But there are some important things to know about cannabis and this particular piece of legislation: The timelines dont track. Existing medical cannabis retailers actually can begin selling to recreational consumers on Jan. 1, 2021. Thats the same day the rules determining everything from how the state will issue licenses to how businesses will track their product from seed to sale will be written. Not only will those retailers be forced to comply on the fly, but the mandatory server training rules dont even have to be written until April 1, 2021. It wont raise that much tax money, and its already taken. The bills Fiscal Impact Report says the 9% excise tax on recreational pot is expected to raise $24.5 million for the state in fiscal 2024 all earmarked to seven funds directed at community grants, patient subsidies, substance abuse treatment, law enforcement, cannabis startups, workforce training and DWI education. Gross receipts taxes are projected to bring in $9.37 million to the general fund that year. Municipalities and counties are allowed to impose up to a 4% excise tax. Medical pot will be exempt from state excise tax and GRT. Local governments cant ban any category of license. And while they can in theory limit activity to one business in each category and set zoning requirements, thats ripe for a court challenge. A convicted meth or heroin dealer can set up shop. Licenses cant be denied solely because someone has done time for possession, use, manufacture, distribution or dispensing or the possession with the intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense a controlled substance. Customers have to be 21, but servers can be 18. How does that make any sense? Recreational buyers can get more pot than medical patients. Current law limits medical users to 8 ounces every 90 days; recreational users will be able to buy 2 ounces every transaction. Businesses are supposed to reserve enough for the 80,000-plus medical buyers, but they are concerned about shortages, especially because: There is no increase in the number of plants growers are allowed. Medical pot magnate Duke Rodriguez of Ultra Health says current caps make the governors goal of 11,000 jobs and $600 million in revenue unachievable. Proponents say it will be taken care of in rulemaking. Using is totally legal. While a strong argument can be made that last years decriminalization law didnt go far enough (there are still penalties for a half ounce, for heavens sake), this years bill includes automatic expungement of marijuana arrests and convictions, strikes marijuana from the substances banned from drug-free school zones and says use cannot affect parole or custody cases. Black-market marijuana sales wont go away. A new Department of Justice report says state-level legalization actually gives criminal drug trafficking organizations cover for large grow operations in fact, California has had to resort to calling out the National Guard to combat them. Impaired driving is still a concern. AAA says the number of traffic fatalities in which drivers tested positive for marijuana doubled in Washington state after legalization. In the bill, DWI is dealt with via a one-year pilot program using mouth swabs with no set levels of presumed intoxication. There is zero mention of drug-free workplaces. Davis said this allows businesses to set their own rules. Others say this would set businesses up for lawsuits. There are plenty of mentions of health risks. But only for minors and in the medical section. In fact, cannabis use especially in chronic users has been linked to schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, suicide, significant abnormalities in brain function and structure, and lower IQ. Should because everyone is already doing it really be sufficient reason to open the door to yet another vice? There are simply too many unanswered questions, too many contradictions and too hard of a push to get recreational cannabis through in a short 30-day budget session. Lawmakers need to take a sober look at what this bill will and wont do before joining recreational cannabis states. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. 13.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his caucus of Trump criminal accomplices betrayed their country when the acquitted a guilty president. Before the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, For a foreign country to attempt such a thing on its own is contemptible. For an American president to deliberately solicit such a thingto blackmail a foreign country into helping him win an electionis unforgivable. Does this rise to the level of an impeachable offense? Of course it does. Of course it does. On Article I, Republicans fell into line with the scheme and acquitted Trump by a party-line vote 52-48. On Article II, 53 Republicans voted for Trump acquittal as Romney voted not guilty. Mitch McConnell rigged a sham trial that did not allow documents or witnesses. McConnell was open about working with Trump to make sure that he was acquitted. Republicans cant claim that they made their decisions based on the evidence because they didnt allow any additional evidence to admitted outside of the House record. The actions of Senate Republicans in acquitting Donald Trump will stain each of their legacies and follow them into election day and beyond, but more importantly, they have participated in allowing Trump to erode impeachment and degrade the power of the Senate. The Republican Senators who voted to acquit Trump for their own partisan reasons have committed a crime against the Constitution and their country. The sham impeachment trial has revealed the Republican Party for what it really is. The GOP is a corrupt and broken party with no values that has sold itself out to Donald Trump. Americans have gotten to see for themselves what the Republican Party really is. Mitt Romney was the only Republican with the courage to stand up for his country. The vote was bipartisan to remove Trump, but it wasnt enough. Voters will have the chance to render a verdict on Trump at the ballot box, but this election should not be about just about Trump, but the need to remove a party that rotted with corruption from the Legislative Branch in November. The McConnell led treasonous betrayal of a nation will not be forgotten. The acting director of marketing and tourism promotion directorate at the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Dr Ali Follad, took part in the ninth meeting of the Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness (CTC), one of the technical committees of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The meeting was held at UNWTOs headquarters on January 24. The CTC meeting, which is held annually, aims to enhance tourism ties among participating countries while providing a highly sustainable and constructive environment to develop the tourism sector as a whole. Bahrain took part as a representative for the Middle East region. During the meeting, Dr Follad discussed with members of the regional administration to explore opportunities for mutual collaboration in a number of fields such as tourism statistics, training programs and rehabilitation as well as projects for technical collaboration. On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr Follad said: It was an honour to represent Bahrain during the CTC meeting organised by UNWTO. This CTC meeting is a vital platform which enables the BTEA to network with leading representatives of the tourism sector from around the world, in order to work towards achieving joint visions. At BTEA, we continue to extend all our efforts to strengthen Bahrains position as a prestigious tourism destination in order to further develop the tourism sector and increase its contribution to the national economy. CTC mainly focuses its work on assessing the state of knowledge on the basic concept of tourism competitiveness and identifying its key factors. This process also includes identifying, developing and harmonising concepts, models and operational definitions used in the tourism value chain in order to foster a competitive tourism environment. - TradeArabia News Service Gold prices slipped for the second consecutive day by Rs 396 to Rs 40,210 per 10 grams in Mumbai's bullion market over profit booking, and a stronger stock market. The precious metal also came under pressure after report suggested a breakthrough in the treatment of coronavirus, which dented the safe haven appeal of the metal. The rate of 10 grams, 22-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs 36,832 plus 3 percent GST, while that of 10 grams, 24-carat gold was Rs 40,210 plus GST. The price of 18-carat gold quoted at Rs 30,158 plus GST in the retail market. According to Navneet Damani, Vice President, Motilal Oswal, gold prices eased further amid news over the coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken by Chinese government to maintain economic stability. With Chinas efforts to support the economy jolted by the outbreak, the economic data reported from the US is also putting pressure on the metal prices. All eyes today will be on the service PMI numbers expected from major economies, and the ADP nonfarm payroll data from the US. The broader trend on the Comex could be $1,545-1,580, and on the domestic front, prices could hover in the range of Rs 39,780-40,660, said Damani. The gold/silver ratio, which is the amount of silver required to buy one ounce of gold, currently stands at 88.35 to 1. Silver prices fell Rs 500 to Rs 45,510 per kg from its closing on February 4. For All Commodities Related News - Click Here In the futures market, gold rates touched an intraday high of Rs 40,298, and an intraday low of Rs 39,900 on the MCX. For the April series, the yellow metal touched a low of Rs 37,530 and a high of Rs 41,567. Gold futures for delivery in April gained Rs 140, or 0.35 percent on the MCX, trading at Rs 40,115 per 10 grams in evening trade for a business turnover of 17,001 lots. Gold contracts for June delivery rose Rs 39, or 0.1 percent, at Rs 40,205 per 10 grams in a business turnover of 5,148 lots. The value of the April contracts traded so far is Rs 3,616.48 crore, and those of June contracts traded at Rs 282.69 crore. Similarly, Gold Mini contract for March gained Rs 50, or 0.13 percent at Rs 39,960 in a business turnover of 8,156 lots. According to Axis Securities, gold price is trading under a bearish momentum, and the price is expected to trade negative. Sustaining below Rs 40,050, the next leg of correction would drag prices lower towards Rs 39,800-39,700 in intraday trade. Source: Axis Securities On hourly chart, price is trading below 9, 21 & 60 EMA which is a negative sign. The broking firm advised its client to sell April Gold at Rs 40,050 with stop loss at Rs 40,200 and a target of Rs 39,800. MCX Gold has resistance at Rs 40,235-40,310, whereas support is at Rs 39,900-39,830, according to Motilal Oswal. The brokerage firm said spot gold has key support at $1,560-1,555 whereas resistance is at $1,577-1,582. At 1:22 pm (GMT), spot gold was flat at $1,552.49 an ounce in London trading. With the full Iowa caucus results yet to be released, election officials in Pennsylvania spoke to my colleague Jonathan Lai about the fear they feel, as they will also use new election protocols this year. Could a similar debacle happen in the Keystone State? Also, a Jenkintown woman returned to Auschwitz last month, connecting her past with her future. And, further down in the newsletter, we have a story on Phillys new-age bagels, wood-paved streets, and a look back at 2010s snowmaggedon." Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com) In October 1944, Anneleise Winterbergs train had stopped at the gate of death: the Auschwitz-Birkenau death and concentration camps in southern Poland. Now Anneliese Nossbaum, she is 91, a mother of two and grandmother of four. She lives alone in a tidy rowhouse in Jenkintown. And she and her family recently returned to Poland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Red Armys liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945. The Nossbaums allowed some of my colleagues to join them and chronicle their journey. This trip was Annelieses second return to Auschwitz, and she says she wont go back again. She had places within the Nazis deadliest camp that she wanted to show her family. And she also had one building she wanted to visit alone, to perform a ritual that would show Auschwitz that life found a way. Iowas debacle this week is Pennsylvanias nightmare. And elections experts said something similar could happen here in November when all eyes are on the critical battleground state. Some of the problems present in Iowa this week could show up in Pennsylvania because of new voting machines and the most dramatic electoral changes in decades. And, again similar to Iowa, officials have already warned that results make take longer to tally than they have in the past. That could allow for unfounded claims and conspiracies to spread. Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a $36 billion budget yesterday. While it has no major tax increases, it would boost funding for public schools, expand full-day kindergarten, borrow money to address environmental hazards in schools, and make changes to how charter schools are funded. Plus, he asked for stricter gun laws in the state. In particular, Wolf called for $204 million for a tuition assistance program. The program could enable more than a quarter of the students who attend Pennsylvanias state universities to graduate debt-free. The money would come from the state Horse Race Development Trust Fund, an idea thats already drawn criticism. Also, Wolf asked state lawmakers to act on guns by mandating universal background checks and other measures. Republicans control both legislative chambers and were noncommittal about Wolfs call for action on gun bills. What you need to know today Through your eyes | #OurPhilly One of my favorite things about Philly is how different neighborhoods keep themselves unique. Fishtown is no exception. Thanks for capturing that, @jeffphl. Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out! Thats interesting Opinions The presidents actions were not perfect. Some were inappropriate. But the question before the Senate is not whether his actions were perfect. It is whether they constitute impeachable offenses that justify removing a sitting president from office for the first time and forbidding him from seeking office again. writes Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) about his decision to vote against removing President Trump from office. Columnist Jenice Armstrong writes that the deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna exposed an emotional vulnerability in black men that, for a number of reasons, the culture historically encourages them to mask. Columnist Will Bunch writes about the issues with the Iowa caucuses and their impact on trying to fix American democracy. What were reading A Temple grad was behind Hyundais Smaht Pahk Super Bowl commercial. USA Today ranked it as this years No. 2 Super Bowl ad. Philadelphia Business Journal spoke with the Scranton native who grew up in Lehigh County. Can being a nudist really help you have a better relationship with food? The New York Times explored cooking naked at a nudist resort in Florida. Personally, I can struggle with time management. The Harvard Business Review offers an interesting look at how to improve your time management skills. (Hint: its not just life hacks.) Your Daily Dose of | Bill Murray and a rescued groundhog Less than a year ago, a man in Lancaster County found a baby groundhog in his driveway. He took it to a local wildlife refuge and she was found to be incapable of surviving in the wild. But its been quite the turnaround for the now 10-month-old groundhog named Poppy. While she might not be as famous as Punxsutawney Phil, Poppy starred alongside Bill Murray in a Jeep commercial during the Super Bowl that revisited the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. The deadly coronavirus could slash global oil demand growth by 40 per cent this year, BP has warned. Finance chief Brian Gilvary, said between 300,000 and 500,000 barrels a day were at risk. The oil giant expected demand to grow by 1.2m barrels a day this year. But it is feared the virus could have a devastating impact, particularly on China, the world's largest importer of crude oil. Fuel retailers have come under fire for hiking prices at the pumps, despite a fall in wholesale costs Gilvary said BP is keeping a close eye on whether the Opec oil-producing cartel and allies such as Russia attempt to push up prices by cutting production. Opec and Russia are already discussing emergency cuts. Oil was trading at $55 a barrel last night. Meanwhile fuel retailers have come under fire for hiking prices at the pumps, despite a fall in wholesale costs. Drivers saw the price of a litre of petrol and diesel rise almost a penny last month. But wholesale prices fell 4.2p and 7.5p respectively. The average price of unleaded is 127.6p, and just over 132p for diesel. Breakdown recovery group the RAC said retailers were 'very quick to protect themselves' by hiking prices after heightening tensions between Iran and the US but when the cost of oil fell sharply as the virus hit demand, prices at the pumps continued to go up. RAC spokesman Simon Williams said 'drivers are at the mercy of fuel retailers and this means they lose out on getting a fair deal'. Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster promoted the proposed SLNCR cross-border greenway during her appearance on The Late Late Show last Friday night (January 31). The controversial DUP leader spoke about her friendship and work with Leitrim and how she feels this will continue post-Brexit. She noted the inclusion of the SLNCR greenway in the Stormont deal which includes commitments from UK and Irish government. Manorhamilton Cllr Felim Gurn welcomed her comments and said Arlene Foster sees the potential of this for the border. He said she has worked with the committee since her appearance in Glenfarne 12 months ago. Cllr Gurn revealed he and Cllr Sean McDermott will be seeking another meeting with Ms Foster this month to speak with her about opening the new 5km demonstration stretch in Manorhamilton. He said with job losses expected along the border due to Brexit, the greenway is seen as an economic driver for rural areas and the towns of Sligo and Enniskillen. We cant sit now, it is time to keep it moving. He confirmed the application has been submitted by Leitrim County Council to get the SLNCR shovel ready. The 72km stretch from Collooney, through Leitrim, West Cavan and into Enniskillen is expected to cost 35m. Cllr Gurn said as time moves on the cost keeps creeping up. He said they hope to get the project moved on in the next five years. From Manorhamilton to Blacklion 72 out of 74 landowners have consented to allow the greenway. There are a few issues along the Colloney to Dromahair route. Cllr Gurn said engagement with farmers is important and their concerns are legitimate. He said Leitrim is starting to become a topic of conversation. Arlene Foster spoke of her connection to Leitrim, whil ehost Tommy Tiernan and Joe Brolley talked about Leitrim last week. People are discovering the county and we need to build on that, we need this greenway so show there is something to see between Glencar waterfall and Marble Arch Caves, concluded Cllr Gurn. Also read: Leitrim jobs roundup - who is hiring this week? VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from California early Wednesday on a test flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean, the Air Force Global Strike Command said. The missile blasted off at 12:33 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base and its reentry vehicle travelled 4,200 miles (6,759 kilometres) to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands as part of a developmental test, the command said from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Developmental tests use a spare missile from storage to validate flight worthiness of new or replacement components. That differs from test launches that use randomly selected operational missiles. Modernization programs are essential to sustaining the aging Minuteman 3 weapon system, Col. Omar Colbert, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, said in a statement. The launch was conducted by airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Vandenbergs 30th Space Wing, now a part of the new U.S. Space Force, provided support. The Air Force said test launches are not a reaction to world events. The launch calendars are developed three to five years in advance, and planning for individual launches takes six months to a year. After extending its issue deadline twice, state-owned ITI on Wednesday withdrew its follow-on public offer citing 'prevailing market conditions' New Delhi: After extending its issue deadline twice, state-owned ITI on Wednesday withdrew its follow-on public offer citing "prevailing market conditions". The announcement came after ITI extended the issue period for its follow-on public offer (FPO) twice amid lukewarm response from investors. At the upper end of the price band, the company expected to mop-up Rs 1,400 crore. As of Wednesday, the issue was subscribed 62 percent, as per data available with the NSE. "Pursuant to a resolution passed by the FPO committee of the company dated 5 February, 2020, the company has decided to withdraw the issue, due to the prevailing market conditions, in consultation with the book running lead managers to the issue, being BOB Capital Markets, Karvy Investor Services and PNB Investment Services," the company said in a statement. On 31 January, ITI had extended the issue period for its FPO till 5 February. Prior to this, the company on 28 January extended the issue period for its FPO by three days till 31 January. Also, it had reduced the price band to Rs 71-77 per share for its FPO from Rs 72-77 apiece. The FPO, which opened on 24 January, was initially scheduled to close on 28 January. The company's follow-on public offer comprised a fresh issue of up to 18 crore equity shares. Besides, an additional issue constituting up to 18 lakh shares was reserved for employees. ITI is into the business of manufacturing of a diverse range of information and communication technology products and solutions. Its customers include BSNL, MTNL, defence, paramilitary forces and state governments. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:24:30|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close WINHOEK, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- An all-powerful ensemble of some of Africa's top musicians including Nigerians, Tiwa Savage and D'Banj, as well as South African man of the moment Master KG, will grace Namibia on March 21 for the country's 30th year anniversary celebrations. They will be joined by many Namibian popular artists including rising star Top Cheri, and popular group PDK. The gig itself a solid feat for a country celebrating 30 years of independence will be sponsored by Namibia's mobile giant MTC, Tafel Lager, Nasria as well as multifaceted group Profile Investment Holdings. This will be the first time that D'Banj, Tiwa Savage and Master KG will be making the trip to Namibia for an act. "The power of music brings and unifies people. And that alone, interprets and translates the precise point of this celebratory concert," MTC's spokesperson John Ekongo said on Wednesday. Commenting on the event, Namibia's veteran musician Tate Buti said, "I have been in the industry for many decades now and my advice is to the young ones coming up to work hard for themselves. Not just to work to look good but to be to survive and live out of this. This is our time to prove ourselves as we are celebrating 30 years of independence." The cabinet on Wednesday approved an ex post facto (with retrospective force) dispensation waiving the '5/20 rule' for Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air to conduct flight operations between India and Sri Lanka. Under the 5/20 rule of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, an airline can conduct international flight operations only when it has five years of experience and minimum 20 aircraft. At a press conference, Union environment minister Prakash Javdekar said while the airline has five years of experience, it does not have the required 20 aircraft currently. However, in November last year, Alliance Air started operating thrice-weekly flights on the Chennai-Jaffna route. Javdekar said, "Cabinet has created an exception (from 5/20 rule) because from Sri Lanka - there are many Tamils there - people should be getting connectivity. Both countries welcome this decision". Later, in a press release, the government said, "India has close bilateral ties with Sri Lanka and our interest is to increase connectivity and to expand people to people contacts between the two countries. Prior to this approval there was no commercial operation scheduled from Palaly and Batticaloa airports". Both Palaly and Batticaloa airports are in Sri Lanka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade taking place on Saturday 29th February is broadcast Live on SBS for the first time. Joel Creasey, Narelda Jacobs, Courtney Act (courtesy of Studio 10) and Zoe Coombs Marr are hosts. The broadcast will also stream live via SBS On Demand and NITV with the geo-block removed, making it available to watch around the world, with interviews from Sam Smith, Dua Lipa and Kesha -and a special performance from Courtney Act. Joel Creasey said: I am equal parts thrilled and astounded that SBS are allowing me to broadcast Live on the gayest night of the year (after my birthday, of course). What could possibly go wrong? All jokes aside, I could not be more excited to be hosting again alongside the sensational Narelda Jacobs. Plus Zoe Coombs-Marr is back to bring us all the color and camper-y from the streets. And, I am of course thrilled to welcome the incredible Courtney Act to our glittery team. What a treat! Dust off your hot pants and crack out the (biodegradable) confetti, its time to celebrate! Courtney Act said: My first time hosting Mardi Gras on SBS and they raise the stakes by making it live! I promise to securely fasten all wigs and dresses to ensure there are no live TV wardrobe malfunctions (again)! Mardi Gras is a celebration for the queer community where we invite the world to come and watch our radical self expression, to share our stories, and amplify the voices of our siblings whose stories need to be heard. Narelda Jacobs said: Mardi Gras is so much more than an incredible party. It brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate diversity and sends a message to the world that being LGBTIQ+ isnt just normal its fabulous! My first Mardi Gras experience was in 1998 as a 21 year old, whod just come out. I was brought up in a fundamentalist Christian family where it was an accepted belief that being homosexual was a sin and gays were damned to hell. The pilgrimage to Sydney all those years ago allowed me to stand proud as a lesbian. I felt a strong sense of belonging and identity. The same arms that welcomed me over two decades ago, have welcomed countless others. This Mardi Gras, What Matters, is at the core of the party, and what matters most is each other. In 2020 Im looking forward to giving all my love to this beautiful and generous community. Lets celebrate together! Zoe Coombs Marr said: Im absolutely bloody stoked to be back onboard for another year of sideline mischief at the Mardi Gras broadcast. Last year I talked to bears and pop-stars and baby-dykes and even tourists! In face paint! Our community never ceases to delight me, so who knows what treasures this parade will hold. You bring the party poppers, and Ill do my best to contain my excitement on the night. SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: We are delighted and honoured to be broadcasting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade Live across Australia and around the world on SBS On Demand. What Matters to SBS is giving a voice to underrepresented communities and promoting social inclusion and acceptance through our content. We cant wait to share another amazing evening of love with our audience. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras remains one of the worlds largest and most loved LGBTIQ+ celebrations. This year the festival is themed What Matters?, to acknowledge how far the LGBTIQ+ community have come, and how much further there is still to go. For the first time, NITV will simulcast the live broadcast on Saturday 29 February at 7.30pm. Throughout the entire month of February, they will celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community with a slate of special programming including Killing Patient Zero, a documentary about the man wrongfully accused of being patient zero for the AIDS crisis, as well Black Divaz, about the inaugural Miss First Nation pageant. In the lead-up to the big night, SBS Radio will explore What Matters to gender diverse members of CALD communities in 2020 with deeply personal stories in over 25 languages. SBS Arabic 24 will report live from Oxford Street to Arabic-speaking audiences around Australia on Facebook Live. From Monday 24 February, SBS World Movies will showcase the best of LGBTIQ+ films with Queer Cinema Week, including Love Is Strange starring Alfred Molina and John Lithgow and the Golden Globe nominated Pride. SBS VICELAND will air an encore of the broadcast at on Sunday 1 March at 10.45pm. Local series Cloudy River will headline the Rainbow Pride movie collection on SBS On Demand. Cloudy River is a bold new series about pansexual artist Emma (Rebecca Robertson) and her musician lover, River (Rowan Davie), whose open relationship is put to the test when they move in together. Tangerine and Lovesong starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone will also feature in the collection. Coverage of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is produced by Blink TV for SBS. Broadcast times across Australia: NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT 7:30pm 10:30pm AEDT QLD 6:30pm 9:30pm AEST SA 7:00pm 10:00pm ACDT WA 7:30pm 10:30pm AWST* NT 6:00pm 9:00pm ACST *WA viewers can watch the broadcast live via SBS On Demand Melbournians will also be able to enjoy a special live screening of the broadcast in Federation Square, kicking off at 7.30pm on Saturday 29 Feb. Regional Australians can also join in the celebration, by checking out live viewing parties. Regional live viewing sites: Broken Heel Festival / The Palace Hotel, Broken Hill Central Coast Pride & Coastal Twist Festival Tropical Fruits, Lismore Charles Stuart University, Bathurst Feast, Adelaide Wagga Mardi Gras, Wagga Wagga THROB, Darwin Lismore Civic Centre By Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News Well, that didnt go according to script. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tweeted out a list of Oscars predictions on Monday night in what the governing body of the upcoming awards show is calling a mistake. The Academy said in a separate tweet that the list does not feature its predictions -- and that the error occurred when it tried to urge followers to share their Oscar guesses. We invited fans on Twitter to make and share your #Oscars predictions, reads the follow-up tweet from The Academys account. A ton of you already have. A brief issue on Twitter made some of yours look like they came from our account. They didnt. This error is now resolved. And well reveal our picks on Sunday. The Academy has since deleted the list at the center of the situation, but Deadline and other outlets shared screen shots of the original tweet. Academy tweeted this on accident and said it was a fan prediction. But I like this pic.twitter.com/AT5OPJtfqR ben20 (@benniedie) February 4, 2020 The list in question predicted that Parasite would win Best Picture, and that Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger would take home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. Sam Mendes 1917 also looks like a favorite, and Brad Pitt is predicted to win best supporting actor for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. The Academy Awards take place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Hong Kong is asking the Philippines to allow Filipino workers to return to the semi-autonomous Chinese city. The Philippines consul general in Hong Kong, Raly Tejada, said Tuesday that the citys labor minister, Law Chi-kwong, asked the government to let Filipinos return to work, effectively exempting them from the travel ban which has barred all Filipinos and Philippine permanent residents from heading to mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Tejada said Law assured that Hong Kong is doing its best to contain and combat the coronavirus, including shuttering most of its border with mainland China. Labor officials said Tuesday that at least 300 Filipinos who work in China, Hong Kong and Macau were affected by the Philippines coronavirus travel ban. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has been tasked to give each stranded Filipino worker 10,000 in cash, dormitories and food. The Labor Department will also pay for their airfare if they opt to go back to their provinces. Two Filipino domestic workers are now under quarantine in Hong Kong after being in close contact with people infected with the coronavirus. Both of them are not exhibiting symptoms of infection and may leave the quarantine camp in 14 days if they remain to be asymptomatic. The Bureau of Immigration has maintained that even overseas Filipino workers are covered by the travel ban. The Philippine government expanded its travel ban to include all of mainland China and its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau. This came following the first death of a patient infected with the coronavirus in the country. The 44-year-old Chinese man the partner of the 38-year-old Chinese woman who is the countrys first coronavirus case is also the first death due to the virus outside of mainland China. CNN Philippines Correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report. On Tuesday night, two very different events took place. The first was President Trump's State of the Union speech, one that showcased incredibly good news about the state of America today, soaring rhetoric, and moving human interest stories. That's what this post is about. The other event was the embarrassing Democrat temper tantrum, something we'll save for a less uplifting, but perhaps more amusing, post. What touched the audience most during the speech were the interactions Trump had with his honored guests. There are too many of these interactions to retell for this post, but the following guests were especially moving: There was Juan Guaido, the true president of Venezuela, who is being kept out of office by the tyrannical socialist, Nicolas Maduro. To Guaido, Trump had one message: All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul. There was Kelli Hake, a war widow, and Gage, her 13-year-old son. Kelli's husband and Gage's father had died when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb that Qassem Soleimani had supplied. It was a vivid reminder of the havoc and death Soleimani sowed throughout the Middle East. There was Jody Jones, whose brother, Rocky, was randomly shot to death by an illegal alien who was still on the streets thanks to California's sanctuary state policy. There was Iain Lanphier, an 8th-grader who wants to be part of the new Space Force. What was really awesome, though, was that Iain was there with his great grandfather, 100-year-old Brigadier General Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman and career military pilot who fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. In addition to being a truly great American, General McGee looks 70 years young. Apparently, a lifetime of heroics, breaking barriers, and working hard is an anti-aging serum: President Trump recognizes Gen. Charles McGee during #SOTU address. McGee, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, recently participated in Super Bowl coin toss. https://t.co/DAefVQ8WRt pic.twitter.com/BoCr8PVvBs NBC News (@NBCNews) February 5, 2020 And there was Rush Limbaugh, who announced on Monday that he is suffering from Stage IV lung cancer. To millions of Americans, Rush is the voice of conservatism and the voice of America. Just seeing him there, receiving well deserved plaudits from the president and cheers from Republicans, was moving. What really turned on the waterworks for so many people, though, was when Trump told Rush that he was to receive the Medal of Freedom...and then had Melania pin it on Rush then and there. Rush's face was a symphony of emotions (keep your eye on Rush at 1:38): Rush Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer. A bad, bad diagnosis. Trump brought Rush to the State of the Union. Rush was honored & given multiple standing Os. Melania give him the Medal of Freedom ON THE SPOT. No other Republican would have the balls to do this. Why I support Trump: pic.twitter.com/lpKT5SI7nJ Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2020 And there was Rush Limbaugh, who announced on Monday that he is suffering from Stage IV lung cancer. To millions of Americans, Rush is the voice of conservatism and the voice of America. Just seeing him there, receiving well deserved plaudits from the president and cheers from Republicans, was moving. What really turned on the waterworks for so many people, though, was when Trump told Rush that he was to receive the Medal of Freedom...and then had Melania pin it on Rush then and there. Rush's face was a symphony of emotions (keep your eye on Rush at 1:38): Rush Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer. A bad, bad diagnosis. Trump brought Rush to the State of the Union. Rush was honored & given multiple standing O's. Melania give him the Medal of Freedom ON THE SPOT. No other Republican would have the balls to do this. Why I support Trump: pic.twitter.com/lpKT5SI7nJ Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2020 Those were the moments that moved us. And then there was the good news, simply endless good news. Trump spoke of historically low unemployment, especially among minorities; of historically high wages, especially among blue-collar workers; of health insurance premiums that are 60% cheaper than under Obama; of a 75% drop in illegal border crossings; of lower prescription drug prices; of significant drops in opioid abuse deaths; of hugely successful trade negotiations with China, Mexico, and Canada; of energy independence; of shrinking welfare and food stamp rolls; of rising stock markets; and of the Space Force and the rebuilding of the military's might. It was a staggering list of accomplishments, all of which started with Trump's election and all of which are unlike anything Americans have seen before. From there, Trump moved to the things he promises to accomplish and, knowing Trump's record, that he will accomplish: breaking Maduro's hold on Venezuela; pulling troops out of Afghanistan; getting more children out of the horrors of public schools; getting all American high schools to offer vocational and technical education; maintaining Social Security and Medicare; protecting the Second Amendment; ending third-trimester abortion; blocking socialism; prohibiting free government healthcare for illegal aliens; advancing legislation to lower prescription drug costs; extending parental leave; and allowing victims of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens to sue the sanctuary cities and states that put those criminals on the street. Trump closed with a stirring homage to the American spirit: As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. This is the place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life. This is the home of Thomas Edison and Teddy Roosevelt, of many great Generals, including Washington, Pershing, Patton, and MacArthur. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and so many more. This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo. The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers and, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history. And we are making it greater than ever before! This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance. We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God. America is the place where anything can happen! America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true! This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun! Our spirit is still young; the sun is still rising; God's grace is still shining; and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come! Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless America. Trump's State of the Union address was an outstanding speech by a man whom history will surely remember as one of America's greatest presidents. Cepi Welcomes Launch of Forest Information System For Europe Rewarding Sustainable Forest Management practices will enhance biodiversity and climate resilience of EU forests. "Forest-related information has to be science-based and undisputed to provide the basis for future policies supporting forests and the forest sector deliver their contribution to the Green Deal." Carina Hakansson, CEO of the Swedish Forests Industries Federation, speaking on behalf of Cepi. Feb. 5, 2020 (Press Release) - This week, the European Commission is hosting the "International Conference on Forests for Biodiversity and Climate" in Brussels to discuss pressures on EU forest ecosystems due to, among others, climate change as well as how to best protect forests and their biodiversity for a climate neutral and climate resilient land. The European paper industry has a strategic interest in keeping healthy and growing forests in Europe. We offer a wide range of renewable and recyclable wood fibre-based solutions to EU citizens, from packaging to textile, including hygiene and tissue products, and our raw material comes mainly from European sustainably-managed forests. As an important milestone will be marked this year with the UN climate negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow and at the biodiversity conference in October in Kunming (China), as they include climate and biodiversity protection as strong components of political debates in reaching the UN SDGs, our industry recalls that biodiversity protection is an integral component of sustainable forest management (SFM). Today, Carina Hakansson, CEO of the Swedish Forests Industries Federation (SFIF), speaking on behalf of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi) welcomed the launch of the Forest Information System for Europe (FISE): "Forest-related information has to be science-based and undisputed to provide the basis for future policies supporting forests and the forest sector deliver their contribution to the Green Deal". The protection of biodiversity is not only extremely important in itself, but also a part of our efforts to reach the EU 2050 carbon neutrality goal. In light of the current debate on the best way to protect the biodiversity in forests, the European paper industry believes that the evaluation of the implementation of the current Biodiversity Strategy should be known before setting goals for a 2030 biodiversity strategy. In this way all relevant actors can contribute to the discussion and highlight what solutions are currently working in the best way. About Cepi Cepi is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products. Cepi represents 22% of world production, EUR 82 billion of annual turnover to the European economy and directly employs more than 177,000 people. From forest fibre technology to advance paper design the industry currently invests EUR 5.5 billion annually and is a leader of the low carbon circular bioeconomy transition. Cepi's 2050 'Investment Roadmap' outlines the industry's vision to advance this transformation in Europe through value creation and decarbonisation. To learn more, visit: www.cepi.org . SOURCE: Cepi (Confederation of European Paper Industries) Douglas "Doug" Edmond Flibbert, age 75, of Waldorf, Maryland was welcomed with open arms from his son, Matthew, on February 2, 2020. Doug proudly served in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard from the age of 18 until his retirement at age 55. He served both active duty and civilian. His job allowed him to see just about every state. It wasn't until he passed that his family became aware that he received numerous accolades, plaques, medals, and awards. He was a proud man and didn't feel the need to exploit his honors. Even though Doug moved from the state of Maine when he was young, he did long to be close to his family and after his retirement, he and his wife bought a home (Camp) which they renovated on beautiful Sheepscott Lake. They spent spring and summers in Maine where they were able to spend time with friends and family. They would have a lot of lobster fests with his sister, Jane and brother-in-law, Mike. When Doug was not in Maine, he would spend a lot of time with his best friend, Carl, fishing and crabbing. Doug loved watching TV and spending time with his grandchildren. He was the son of Carl E. Flibbert and Geraldine A. Boutin Flibbert. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Matthew J. Flibbert. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patricia Louise Jones Flibbert; his daughters, Lisa Ann Anderson and husband Joseph and Carla Jean Poole; his sister, Jane Trepanier and husband, Mike; and his grandchildren, Taylor, Kylie, Jacob, Abigayle, and Jolie. Visitation on Friday, February 7, 2020 from 9AM until Mass of Christian Burial at 10AM at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 3320 St. Peter's Drive, Waldorf, Maryland 20601. Interment to follow in the church cemetery. Memorial contributions in Doug's name are asked to Make A Wish Mid-Atlantic, Inc., 6555 Rock Spring Drive, Suite 280, Bethesda, MD 20817. For Eric Carrasco, escaping into nature helped him navigate PTSD when he came back home after five years of service in the Marine Corps in 2002. After realizing the effects of the outdoors, Carrasco started Operation Yellowbird, an organization connects veterans for outdoor activities like camping, backpacking and mountain biking. The activities help Houston area veterans get a chance to break away from their struggles, he said. ON HOUSTON CHRONICLE.COM: Veterans may fear PTSD may hinder work chances We use the outdoors as kind of our catalyst for bringing veterans together, Carrasco said. A new Harris County Precinct 2 park project, designed by Yellowbird and worked by American YouthWorks Texas Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps service opportunity, is in the works to offer mountain biking accessibility to northeast Houston at the Jim and JoAnn Fonteno Family Park. The trails are expected to be completed by the summer at 14350 1/2 Wallisville Road, Houston, which is just 10 miles south of Summerwood. GAME CHANGER: New PTSD treatment helps traumatized vets like never before More Information Reducing veteran suicides Veteran suicides exceeded 6,000 each year from 2008 to 2017 16.8 veterans committed suicide every day in 2017 The suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-Veteran adults in 2017 Source: According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. See More Collapse Carrasco hopes to offer a community where together they can help alleviate the issues that come with PTSD and lower the rate of veteran suicides. The hopeful end result is that we reduce things like PTSD, or we reduce the anxiety and depression that can be brought about by PTSD, Carrasco said. And hopefully we reduce the veteran suicide rate. So if we can somehow impact that number by using the outdoors to create camaraderie and positivity then hopefully we can at least do that. In addition to providing the first mountain biking trail to the area, the park is being built by Texas Conservation Corps members who come from across the U.S. to help in building community resources like this one. Jordan Crutchfield, one of two crew leaders on the gold team for the TCC, is a Houston native who served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a duel citizen. COMING SOON: $10 million Atascocita Park on track to open in 2020 This projects really cool because, No. 1, were helping to enrich the local community in giving an opportunity to the east end to get out and have awesome mountain biking tracks to ride on, Crutchfield said. And also because it is done with Operation Yellowbird, which is really cool. This project is special to her because her partner is a veteran. She believes being out in nature can help anyone, including veterans. I think being out in nature totally helps with anxiety and especially for people who are dealing with PTSD or veterans who are dealing with any type of maybe emotional distress from any experiences they may have had, Crutchfield said. Theres just something really soothing and healing I believe to nature and regardless of also being a veteran, just being outdoors I think can benefit anyone. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who has worked on parks and environmental concerns in Precinct 2 as one of his many operational goals in his position, said this project is an opportunity for the members of American YouthWorks to gain skills in the field. Im excited to launch this partnership with American YouthWorks, Garcia said in a press release. It is important we provide pathways to success for our youth. This helps us train our future workforce while providing meaningful experience and skills to our young residents. Beth Ortiz, a first-term AmeriCorp member, is from Seabrook and just graduated with a degree in Environmental Science from Texas A&M Corpus Christi and wanted to work in conservation. She found this program to be the best stepping stone toward a career in conservation. This mountain biking trail will be like a practice trail and it will be a good stepping stone to basically bigger, harder mountain biking trails, Ortiz said. There are barely any mountain biking trails on the east end of Houston so they thought it would be a good idea to add that into this park especially because this park is so big. For more information on Operation Yellowbird, visit their website https://operationyellowbird.ecwid.com/. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com It's no surprise that ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) is not getting much love from Wall Street. The company's 2019 earnings fell, largely due to lower oil and gas prices. Moreover, its downstream and chemical earnings, which should grow when oil prices are lower, also fell in 2019 due to lower margins and higher downtime. However, that should not make you write-off the stock. There are several key factors that make this beaten-down giant attractive. Production growth After falling for three consecutive years, ExxonMobil's oil-equivalent production rose in the year 2019. The growth was driven by increased liquids production, even as natural gas production volumes declined. The higher volumes favorably contributed to the company's earnings for the year. Moving ahead, as ExxonMobil's projects, including those in Guyana and Permian Basin, reach their full capacity, they will continue to contribute to the company's earnings. Population and economic growth continue to support oil and gas demand fundamentals in the longer-term. ExxonMobil's investments set it for stronger performance as the industry rises from the trough of the current price cycle. With significant scheduled maintenance behind, ExxonMobil's downstream earnings too should improve, contributed by improved margins from higher-value products and newer projects. Debt and cash flows ExxonMobil's rising debt levels is another top concern of investors. The company's total debt rose from $37.8 billion at the end of 2018 to $46.9 billion at the end of 2019. The company invested in some key growth projects during the year resulting in the rise in its debt. However, even with the higher debt, ExxonMobil's leverage levels are much lower than most of its peers. ExxonMobil generated cash flows of $29.7 billion from operating activities during the year. The company spent $26.8 billion in property, plant, and equipment (PP&E) additions and net investments and advances. It generated $3.7 billion in proceeds from asset sales during the year. So, ExxonMobil generated free cash flows of $6.6 billion in 2019, which don't cover its $14.6 billion dividends for the year -- a point of concern for investors. However, the equation should change as the company's investments over the last few years start adding to its cash flows. From 2019 to 2025, ExxonMobil expects to pay around $100 billion in dividends. The company expects to generate $190 billion in free cash flow during this period, based on a $60 per barrel flat Brent price scenario, resulting in ample available capacity to use for investments, dividend growth, share buybacks, or reduce debt. ExxonMobil's growth plans ExxonMobil is doing two things to fuel growth. One, it is investing in key capital projects, including in Guyana and the Permian Basin, that would significantly add to its earnings. Two, it is divesting assets that aren't a good fit for the company's growth plans. This will free-up capital to invest in projects that are expected to create more value for the company. ExxonMobil plans to divest $15 billion in non-strategic assets by 2021. Earnings from new projects will more than replace that from divested assets. Stock on sale? Though ExxonMobil is making significant investments, I don't expect exponential growth in the company's earnings anytime soon, unless oil prices rise significantly from their current levels. That doesn't look too likely. However, as long as oil prices don't fall freely as happened in 2014, the company's growth plans should work out well. That should help the company grow its earnings steadily, supporting the stock's price as well as its more than 5% yield. Mumbai, Feb 5 : Actor Vicky Kaushal wonders why people believe that being gay is "unnatural", and adds that it is the most natural thing ever. "I don't get it when people say it is unnatural. By which concept is it unnatural? Because if I look at it myself, at no point was it decided that I had this option to be straight or be gay and I chose to be straight. No, it never happened like that. So I just feel it's the most natural thing ever," Vicky said. "After spending countless hours at the crematorium (for a movie), I realised the importance of existence. Everybody has to face reality that is death. So after being called fat, ugly or dark, at the end of the journey we all are the same -- ashes," he added. The actor asserted that everyone goes through contradictory feelings about sexuality while growing up. "When you're growing up, there are always these thoughts, you don't know which side you fall on. You make your 'jigri' dost at that age and you want to spend more time with them, and then you hear all these terms about being gay and you think 'oh I wanna hang out more with my guy friends, am I you know??'. Everyone has those doubts in their mind about who they're attracted to," he said. Vicky expressed his opinions on homosexuality in "Azaad Awaaz" series on Audible Suno. The show is created by Oscar-winning producer and LGBTQ+ advocate Guneet Monga. Recalling an incident, Vicky said: "An assistant director of one of the film's I was on, he sent me a picture of him and his partner. He said that he wanted to share it with someone and I felt honoured that he felt so comfortable and he believed in me. It was nice to know that there's someone who trusts you so much. I have friends who are gay and they are comfortably gay and that's really amazing to see." The cards were laid out today. We found out why the My Step faction of the National Assembly wants to bypass the Constitutional Court with a bill. This is what ex-deputy minister of justice Artur Hovhannisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am today. The main idea of the bills on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, on referendum and on the Constitutional Court is to have the amendments that can be made to the Constitution be made in the form of a law, not through a referendum. During a discussion in the National Assembly, the National Assembly had to send the law to the Constitutional Court for an opinion and to determine the compliance of the law with the Constitution, and then the law would be sent to the President, who would either sign it or send it to the Constitutional Court. Now those two paths to the Constitutional Court are being closed through this legislative initiative. So, today the cards were laid out, and we learned that this concerns the amendment to the transitional provisions of Article 213 of the Constitution which states that members of the Constitutional Court shall continue to serve after entry into force of the Constitution according to the amendments of 2015, he stated. According to Hovhannisyan, the bill will be recognized as unconstitutional, if it is sent to the Constitutional Court. Now the National Assembly wants to change the transitional provisions by law, not referendum, and say that they will continue to serve, but their powers are being terminated. This is the goal of the legislative initiative that is completely unconstitutional, anti-state and will entail serious consequences for Armenia. According to the ex-deputy minister, if the bill is adopted, then there will at least be a response from the Venice Commission, which will say that the stability of the Constitutional Court has to be ensured. He also doesnt rule out a discussion on the issue of Armenia in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, just like the discussion on the issue of Poland. There were no casualties among Ukrainian troops in the past day. Russia's hybrid military forces on Tuesday mounted 12 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 12 times on February 4," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on February 5, 2020. The enemy opened fire, employing proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms near the towns of Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Pisky, Starohnativka, Novotoshkivske, Travneve, Orikhove, and Novoluhanske. Read alsoGerman right-wing populists from AfD visit Russia-occupied Luhansk (Photo) There were no casualties among Ukrainian troops in the past day. "Since Wednesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotroyitske, using grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles," the update said. SANTA FE A bipartisan proposal to provide emergency funding aimed at boosting participation in the census is on its way to the governors desk. The state House on Wednesday voted 68-0 in favor of Senate Bill 4, which would make an extra $8 million immediately available for census outreach efforts. Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, said its critical for New Mexico to target hard-to-count populations because the state stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for each percentage point of an undercount. Everbody counts in New Mexico, Herrera said. The census helps determine how much federal funding flows to the state, and its used to determine representation in Congress. Supporters say the outreach effort is crucial in New Mexico a state that relies heavily on federal funding but also has traditionally undercounted communities, such as Native Americans and rural residents. The legislation already passed the Senate and will now head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Senate Bill 4 is jointly sponsored by Herrera, Republican Sen. William Burt of Alamogordo and Democratic Sen. Liz Stefanics of Cerrillos. Its just the second bill this session to clear both chambers and be sent to the governor. The other was the feed bill that pays for legislative staffers and other costs of the session itself. President Donald Trump interrupted his State of the Union address Tuesday night to praise conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the gallery while Congress looked on. Trump singled out Limbaugh during his speech, and praised him as the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Limbaugh revealed Monday on his show that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet, Trump stated. Rush Limbaugh thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Trump then announced that Limbaugh would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom the highest civilian award the president can give and directed Melania to bestow the medal on an visibly suprised Limbaugh on the spot. Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our countrys highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump said. JUST IN: President Trump honors Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during #SOTU address: "Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country." The conservative radio host announced this week that he is battling lung cancer. https://t.co/z21h5Ddt05 pic.twitter.com/aNHL7YFNND ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2020 More from National Review CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flexential Corp. ("Flexential"), a leading provider of data center colocation and hybrid IT solutions, today announced that its parent, Flexential Intermediate Corporation, issued $250 million of Senior Secured Notes due 2024. Flexential (created in August 2017 following the merger of Peak 10 and ViaWest) operates 40 highly redundant and connectivity-rich data centers spanning 21 markets. Over the last two years, the company has experienced robust customer demand in its core markets and has added additional capacity in response. Flexential will utilize the net proceeds from the offering, after repaying the entire amount outstanding under its first lien revolving credit facility, to support continued expansion in its key markets as well as to fund additional investments in support of its hybrid IT solutions offering. "We are pleased that the financing provides Flexential with long-term capital to support our continued expansion," said Chris Downie, Chief Executive Officer, Flexential. "We continue to see robust demand for our connectivity-rich platform and look forward to expanding our offerings to meet market demand." The notes and the guarantees were offered and sold only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws. The notes and the guarantees will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state or any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws and foreign securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the notes and related guarantees, nor shall there be any sales of the Senior Secured Notes in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Use of Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. About Flexential Flexential offers flexible and essential services that help organizations optimize their journey of IT transformation while simultaneously balancing cost, scalability, compliance and security. The company, co-headquartered in Charlotte and Denver, is committed to building trusted relationships and delivering tailored solutions that suit the individual needs of its customers. Flexential is deeply invested in the success of its customers, who trust it to deliver core data center solutions of colocation and connectivity, as well as, cloud, managed solutions and professional services. Flexential's robust suite of assets spans 21 markets and comprises 40 highly redundant and connectivity-rich data centers. For more information on Flexential, please visit www.flexential.com . Flexential is a registered trademark of the Flexential Corp. Follow Flexential on LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and YouTube . Contact: Lori Stafford-Thomas Senior Director, Corporate Marketing, Flexential [email protected] 720-891-1070 SOURCE Flexential Related Links http://www.flexential.com This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist . The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission. The trash can in my kitchen has seen some things. Like: Whole chicken carcasses on top of old socks soaked with rancid tomato juice on top of a pyramid of unopened bills. (Thats not a metaphor.) Even when there is no trash in it, ghosts of meals past haunt its plastic figure, which releases a smell that seriously cramps the sophisticated, design-y feel my wife and I are going for in our home. To stifle that smell, I tried washing the thing thoroughly with soap and water (while wearing a mask over my nose and mouth), spraying expensive French perfume in it, and slathering it in roll-on deodorant. None of it worked. On the verge of just getting rid of the trash can altogether, I tried one more thing: a deodorizing sachet made for slipping into stinky shoes that I had left over from my days as a runner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At first, it seemed dubious on the day I put the sachet at the bottom of the trash can (outside of the garbage bag), I checked it hourly, and the smell still most closely resembled that of months-old yogurt and pizza. But the next day, when I had all resigned myself to spending upward of $100 on a new receptacle for junk mail and food waste (the exorbitant cost of trash cans is the subject of another article), I opened mine to toss some coffee grounds and got no whiffs of putrid fruit or burnt chemicals or weird manufactured floral smell to cover those up. I just smelled nothing. Somehow, the fragrance-free sachet had consumed all of the hellish smells lingering in the trash can overnight. According to the brand, the sachets and NonScents other products (which include a cat-litter deodorizer, fridge deodorizer, and a deodorizer specifically for skunk spray) all eliminate funk via a patented OxiScience Technology that utilizes natural and non-toxic ingredients to attack and remove sulfur-containing odors and ammonia. The sachets are coated in a biodegradable and human-safe polymer that slowly releases the odor-eating ingredients over time to ensure long-lasting coverage. I dont have a chemistry Ph.D. (and many of you likely dont either), so put simply: The sachets have a (relatively) sustainable and safe formulation that uses naturally occurring chemicals to effectively neutralize odors anywhere. Theyre also small and flexible enough to fit inside of most anything, including all styles of trash can and, of course, their intended vessels shoes. Its been about six months since I put the first sachet in my trash can, and Im on pace to replace them about every three months (though replacement frequency may vary based on the size of a can, what goes in it, and how often stuff goes in it). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friends are probably too polite to note the improvement in our homes smell (or the fact that I am now willing to open our trash can in front of them), but my life has improved immeasurably. I no longer live in fear of folks discovering my not-so-secret shame, or having to come up with excuses for why I dont immediately clear the table after dinner parties. More importantly, our home now mostly smells like nothing which is a heck of a lot better than everything weve ever thrown out, all at once. More Strategist-approved odor eaters Hollister M9 Odor Eliminator Spray, Unscented, 8-Ounces Former Strategist writer David Notis says this hospital-grade spray is the only thing that works to eliminate lingering boy smells from the apartment he shares with two male roommates. You usually just need one or two pumps. A fine cloud of unscented mist comes out and within about ten seconds nothing, Notis writes. No garlic or mildew or bathroom odor. Just neutral air. $11 from Amazon SPECIALTY PET PRODUCTS Pet Odor Exterminator Candle, Orange Lemon Splash Upon visiting a vets office that smelled of orange blossoms and Aperol spritzes, Strategist senior writer and cat owner Karen Iorio Adelson discovered the scent came from one of these ugly candles. After putting it to the test in her home, Adelson confirmed the candles funk-fighting ability: Cat odors no longer assault visitors as they walk through the door, and new guests often cant believe I even own cats, she wrote. $9 from Chewy SYRACUSE, N.Y. The city of Syracuse will hire at least two more code inspectors to inspect thousands of rental properties for lead paint in targeted neighborhoods, if a new proposal becomes law. The Common Council is reviewing the potential impacts of a law that would let city code inspectors test and cite for lead paint, which is poisonous especially to children. The council will host a 30-day public comment period on the new law, starting Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Ben Walsh joined councilors and members of his administration to outline some details of the law and the impact it would have. Representatives from the Central New York Community Foundation, which is supporting the law, also attended. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens said 95% of the citys homes were built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned. In 2018, 10.4 percent of children in the city tested positive for elevated levels of lead in their blood. Make no mistake about it, lead is a dire health threat to children and families in our community, Walsh said. It causes both immediate serious health impacts and long term problems that affect people and communities far into the future. The city identified high-risk areas it will prioritize for lead paint inspections. The areas include much of the south, west, near west and north sides of the city. There are around 4,600 one- and two-family rental properties in the high risk areas and 890 three-, four- and five-family rentals. Those high-risk properties would need to be certified as lead safe every three years. Properties outside the high-risk areas would need certification every six years. Ken Towsley, director of code enforcement, said he will add at least two inspectors to his department in next years budget. The city currently has 12 housing inspectors, in addition to new construction inspectors and electrical inspectors. Rental properties with up to five units are already required to submit to a regular inspection in order to qualify for the citys rental registry. Towsley said under the new law, inspectors would swipe for lead dust while theyre in the properties for inspections that are currently required. Based on what we do currently, adding a dust swipe will not be that much of a burden while were in these properties, he said. The concern is we want to have landlords let us in those properties, and thats where well have additional inspectors going forward. The citys rental registry law allows the city to obtain a warrant to inspect a house if a landlord is uncooperative. Some landlords fought the city on that law change for years. Councilor Joe Driscoll said the city has secured nearly $12 million to help fight the problem, including money thats available to landlords to deal with lead paint. That money comes from the state, the feds and non-for-profits like the Central New York Community Foundation. Were not just saying its a problem [landlords] need to fix," Driscoll said. "Were here to work with them and fix it together. Rochester passed a similar law in 2006 and saw a 90% drop in lead poisoning rates among children over the next decade. In Rochester, Driscoll said there were fears that a stricter lead paint law would cripple the housing market. He said those fears proved to be unfounded, even though a handful of landlords left. There were some property owners that left the marketplace, but I think those are the people that we want to go, Driscoll said. Before the council votes to pass the new law, it must issue an environmental impact statement. The council is currently reviewing a draft environmental impact statement, which must undergo a public comment period. The Common Council will host a public meeting next Wednesday, Feb. 12 at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. to outline details of the law and listen to public feedback. The public comment period ends March 5. Comments can be submitted by email to NBD@syrgov.net or hand delivered or mailed to the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development, 201 E. Washington St., Suite 600, Syracuse, NY 13202. If the law is passed, Walsh said the city would start inspecting properties for lead paint dust before the end of the year. This story has been updated with the timelines for when properties need to get certified as lead safe. A case for cheating has been registered against officials of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance at Beed city in central Maharashtra for not paying farmers' claims under the Prime Minister's crop insurance scheme. Government officials said the company was supposed to examine claims under the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna' and pay out insurance within two weeks after getting necessary reports from the government, but it was not done in many cases. The company did not decide as many as 1,34,943 insurance claims for crop damage filed by farmers from the district during the stipulated period, officials alleged. On Tuesday, Deputy Director of Agriculture Department Dilip Jadhav lodged a complaint against three Pune-based officials of the insurance company under IPC section 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) at the Shivaji Nagar Police Station here, they said. A first information report (FIR) has been registered, they added. When contacted for comment, Bajaj Allianz said in a statement that "as per the provision of crop insurance scheme, Govt of Maharashtra itself has provided the actual and benchmark crop yield basis on which losses are calculated". The company "duly settled all eligible claims as per the Maharashtra Govt report," it said, adding that "it cannot pay claims merely because the farmers are covered under the crop insurance scheme unless such farmers actually incur loss as supported by the report of State of Maharashtra". "If FIR is filed then same is false", the company said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Surat diamond industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore in next two months as Hong Kong, which is a major export destination, has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, say experts. Hong Kong is a major business hub for the Surat diamond industry, but schools and colleges have been closed there till the first week of March and even the businesses are seeing a dip in view of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. According to Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) regional chairman Dinesh Navadiya, polished diamonds worth around Rs 50,000 crore are exported from Surat to Hong Kong every year. "That's around 37 per cent of the total exports from here. Now, due to coronavirus scare, Hong Kong has declared a month-long vacation. Gujarati traders having offices there are coming back to India," he said. If the situation does not improve, it will have a huge impact on the Surat diamond industry, which polishes 99 per cent of all rough diamonds imported in the country, he said. "The Surat diamond industry is staring at a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore for February and March," he added. Another industry expert and diamond merchant Pravin Nanavati said there is a possibility of cancellation of an international jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong, to be held next month, due to the coronoavirus scare, which would hit the jewellery business in Surat. "Polished diamonds and jewellery made in Surat reach across the world through Hong Kong only. Now, due to vacation there, our business is totally closed. Traders are also returning to India," he said. If the situation does not improve, the Surat diamond trade losses may run into "several thousand crores", he said. "We have been informed that the international exhibition in Hong Kong may be put off due to the coronavirus scare. We sell huge quantity of diamonds at the mega event," Nanavati said. Orders are also placed at the event and the entire year's manufacturing targets are set, based on the response that Surat diamond traders get there, he said. "If the event gets cancelled, we will lose huge business" he added. Hong Kong has one of the world's busiest airports and is a major transit point for China. It is also struggling with the virus outbreak, with 18 people testing positive for the disease, including one who died. On Tuesday, health officials in Hong Kong warned there was now growing evidence of local transmissions -- cases where people have become infected without travelling to China. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the WHO. So far, the disease has killed more than 400 people in China and infected a further 20,000, nearly all of them in Hubei, a province in central part of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new species of marine reptile from the Triassic period has been identified from fossils found in southeastern Alaska, the United States. Thalattosaurs (meaning ocean lizards) were among several reptile lineages that adapted to marine life in the Mesozoic era. They grew to lengths of up to 3-4 m (10-13 feet) and lived in equatorial oceans worldwide until they died out near the end of the Triassic period. Thalattosaurs were among the first groups of land-dwelling reptiles to readapt to life in the ocean, said Dr. Neil Kelley, a paleontologist at Vanderbilt University. They thrived for tens of millions of years, but their fossils are relatively rare so the new specimen helps fill an important gap in the story of their evolution and eventual extinction. The newly-identified species is a small-bodied (estimated total length 75-90 cm, or 2.5-3 feet) thalattosaur. Named Gunakadeit joseeae, it lived about 220 million years ago (Norian division of the Triassic period). When you find a new species, one of the things you want to do is tell people where you think it fits in the family tree. We decided to start from scratch on the family tree, said Dr. Patrick Druckenmiller, director and earth sciences curator at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. We were surprised when we identified where Gunakadeit joseeae landed, he added. It was so specialized and weird, we thought it might be out at the furthest branches of the tree. Instead its a relatively primitive type of thalattosaur that survived late into the existence of the group. The fossilized remains of Gunakadeit joseeae a nearly complete skeleton including the skull were recovered from the Norian sediments of Keku Islands, Alaska. The specimen is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America. When we saw the fossils skull, we could tell right away that it was something new because of its extremely pointed snout, which was likely an adaptation for the shallow marine environment where it lived, the researchers said. It was probably poking its pointy schnoz into cracks and crevices in coral reefs and feeding on soft-bodied critters, Dr. Druckenmiller said. Its specialization may have been what ultimately led to its extinction. We think these animals were highly specialized to feed in the shallow water environments, but when the sea levels dropped and food sources changed, they had nowhere to go. A paper describing Gunakadeit joseeae was published in the journal Scientific Reports. _____ P.S. Druckenmiller et al. 2020. An articulated Late Triassic (Norian) thalattosauroid from Alaska and ecomorphology and extinction of Thalattosauria. Sci Rep 10, 1746; doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-57939-2 The police have announced a combat operation that led to the killing of 250 alleged terrorists in Kaduna State. The daring operation in Kuduru woodlands, in the besieged Birnin Gwari area, came on Wednesday morning, lasting for several hours, chief police spokesperson Frank Mba said in a statement. Mr Mba said the 250 people killed were high-profile members of the outlawed Ansaru terrorist group. The group reportedly contained elements that have been terrorising citizens through relentless kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes across central Nigeria. Mr Mba told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone that the police did not lose any personnel during the operation, which he said was unprecedented for any security agency in the country due to the vast brain and manpower that was deployed in its planning. Absolutely not, Mr Mba said repeatedly. No security force in Nigeria has attended what we did. It was a very thorough and unprecedented operation. Mr Mba said the police have other similar raids planned across the country, and would not be stampeded out of proceeding with them, no matter the fallout. Kuduru forest has long been a dreaded enclave of criminal gangs, with security agencies long suspecting that most of the deadly attacks in Birnin Gwari axis were carried out by elements that used the forest as a hideout. It was unclear whether the police acted on a tip-off to launch the attack, and whether officers could tell for sure that all the 250 people killed were terrorists. Even though the police said they were all high profile terror suspects, no names were immediately released of the casualties. The operation was carried out by a host of tactical police units, including the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS) and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Two officers manning a police helicopter that was used in the operation were injured, but had been receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (Credit: YouTube) Despite being just 50 seconds long, The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station is one of the most important pieces of filmmaking in cinema history. Made by the pioneering brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere in 1895, the black and white reel shows a steam train arriving at a station in the coastal town of Ciotat, in the south of France. Read more: Pacinos awkward One Show interview A single continuous shot, passengers board and disembark from the train, the camera held static. Despite its seeming simplicity, it's the first example of many techniques used in filmmaking today, from angled camera shots and use of perspective to close-ups. The now-dubious legend has it that when audiences saw the movie for the first time, they fled the room in panic, believing the train to be about to mow them down. But whether this happened or not, audiences were enthralled by the the Lumiere's moving images and early cinematic storytelling. Now, the 120-year-old movie has been brought into the digital age, transformed and upscaled into 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. YouTuber Denis Shiryaev has used 'neural networks' software Gigapixel AI to remake the film, and added sound too, with stunning results. Read more: Parents hit with appalling Lion King fine The 'generative adversarial networks' that are used in the clip are a type of machine learning system, also seen in the increasing number of uncanny 'deep fake' videos, in which faces have been swapped in recognisable movie roles, with disturbingly real results. The original movie can be seen below... LISBON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The construction of the world's largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), is scheduled to begin in January 2021, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported on Tuesday. The SKA "is a project worth around 900 million euros" and will start to be built "in January next year", with Portugal participating "in the construction with a quota that is under negotiation", Domingos Barbosa, coordinator of the national research infrastructure "Engage SKA" linked to the radio telescope initiative, was quoted as saying. Barbosa added that although the construction of the SKA is scheduled for the beginning of 2021, "the massive scientific data" generated by the project, "will only arrive in five" or "six years". The words came on the sideline of the inauguration ceremony of the Oblivion supercomputer which is associated with the SKA project. WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- President Trump shocked the nation and the world by announcing the government will invest in climate action, by supporting the One Trillion Trees initiative. This head-spinning announcement could make some contribution to climate action, this small step is woefully inadequate in the face of the ever-worsening climate emergency. Arctic ice restoration is a top priority to reduce the risk of catastrophic methane releases which could trigger a human extinction event in the next 2-15 years. Everyone in the cross-partisan climate restoration movement agrees that the three pillars of climate action are--Restoration, Adaptation, and Mitigation (RAM). This is the only right way to move forward, says Dr. Paul Zeitz, Co-Founder of Build a Movement 2020. Build A Movement 2020 today released the Climate Restoration Emergency Action (CREA) Report Card that demonstrates poor performance on essential climate action by all leading Republican and Democratic candidates--sending a warning to the American public, that our leaders are failing to lead. In releasing the report card, Dr. Paul Zeitz, Founder of Build A Movement 2020, said, Voters around the country should be alarmed by the lack of ambition to address the climate emergency by President Trump. Zeitz noted that the President scored an F, even after his State of the Union announcement of support for the Trillion Trees Initiative. All of the Democratic contenders received Cs and Ds. All are failing to respond adequately to our climate emergency. Climate Restoration Emergency Action--CREA--is urgently needed, is affordable and achievable, said Zeitz. Let's join forces with all Americans and vigorously demand action to restore our climate." Build A Movement 2020 demands that our next President should lead CREA, a bold, whole-of-government and global effort to catalyze a fast transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2030, massive carbon dioxide removal, Arctic ice restoration,and climate restoration as fast as possible. By committing to do so, we can ensure the survival and flourishing of all of humanity and our natural world--for ourselves and all future generations. Build A Movement 2020 is a newly forming political movement that connects political parties, movements, coalitions, organizations, and individuals to solve the existential threats facing humanity. Build a Movement 2020 co-founder Dr. Paul Zeitz is a physician and epidemiologist who has dedicated his career to catalyzing large-scale global movements for health and justice. The CREA Report Card was co-produced with ClimateChangesEverything.org For More Info: www.BAM2020.world; www.drpaulzeitz.org CONTACT: Paul Zeitz, 202-365-6786, [email protected] SOURCE Build A Movement 2020 Related Links http://www.BAM2020.world Graffiti targeting a Derry journalist has been condemned. The graffiti about Leona O'Neill was daubed on a wall in the Creggan area of the city yesterday. Mrs O'Neill, who works for a number of media outlets, condemned those behind the attack on her. "I am a journalist, working in my city trying to provide for my family," she wrote on Twitter. "I consider this a threat to my safety. "I call on community leaders to help me get this dangerous slur removed now." The graffiti was criticised by SDLP leader Colum Eastwood. Leona is a tenacious, truth seeking journalist who speaks truth to power and wont be intimidated by faceless criminals who are trying to silence her. Those behind this graffiti are cowards and theyre targeting Leona because theyre afraid of her honest and powerful journalism. The SDLP has asked for the graffiti to be removed and I would encourage anyone with information about the targeted campaign of harassment that Leona has been forced to endure to come forward to police. Review at a glance A t the new restaurant Ampeli, the Greek word for vineyard, we begin lunch with ouzo. It is my suggestion. I take it skieto (neat) the way it is said in Greece that men drink it. My chum Max adds ice. God, its good, he says. I thought the best way to get going for the day was to brush ones teeth and have coffee, but this is so much better! To my possibly addled mind, ouzo is the perfect drink. It soothes or galvanises depending on requirement. If appetite is dozy, ouzo will rouse it. If hunger is gnawing, ouzo will introduce a meditative pause. When this involves contemplating difficulties in life, it will soften their edges. I like other anise-based aperitifs, but ouzo with its distinct invocation of Greece is unrivalled. Plomari 1894 is one I look for. Something to eat while sipping in our case includes firm and filleted cured and marinated sardines in lemon verjus, a dressing that is oddly lacklustre, and on another occasion at dinner, home-cured tuna pastirma. Curls of the air-dried fish rather successfully impersonating beef are perched on slices of toast spread with fava (yellow split pea puree) and dotted with capers. Caper leaves finely cut decorating Jewish chopped chicken liver from the section Cold Social Plates (presumably another way of recommending sharing) moves Max to praise the caper bush in all its glory, from the short-lived flowers with their flourish of purple stamens to the pickled buds and berries and succulent leaves. No wonder it is referenced in The Bible. Ampeli chef Oren Goldfeld previously worked at Nopi and also at Toto in Tel Aviv. I would have expected the chopped liver to have more punch and conversely also more schmaltz. We find ourselves adding salt and pepper to quite a few of the dishes shy with their seasoning. Hot Social Plates an altogether more alluring proposition fields pan-fried lamb sweetbreads with Jerusalem spice mix, almond sauce and pickles. A fan of sweetbreads, I order them on both occasions but each time the heat attack needed to provide desirable crunch is lacking. Spiced potato burik with runny egg yolk, brown shrimp and harissa mayo is beautifully fried, the filo carapace crisp and golden, the yolk doing its runny thing and brown shrimp adding salinity. Only the spices are a bit feeble. Alongside are lettuce leaves cradling herbs and red onion that can be rolled into virtuous parcels to dip into the little hill of hot pepper mayonnaise. At dinner considering the section Large Plates I am with my friend Joe who has a thing about lamb chops. When he stays at my house in Greece we eat them out and we eat them in, the imprecise nature of local butchering adding to the challenge and their appeal. Here the chops neatly resembling one another are sprinkled with baharat (a Middle-Eastern aromatic spice mixture) and served with garlic-thrumming skordalia and meat juices. Glossily burnished from the grill, they are great, three in number. I let Joe have two. In need of heat: The sweetbreads at Ampeli / Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd Sharing onglet shish with charred broccoli, potato a la plancha and caramelised yogurt is less delightful. We agree with the waiter that onglet aka hanger steak, bavette, skirt should be cooked rare to access its virtue but then mystifyingly he says he will request it medium rare. It arrives overcooked and predictably tough, just a piece of meat on a stick. Scorching broccoli does that vegetable no favours. Desserts of loukoumades and chocolate mahleb (ground sour cherry pits) mousse lead me to recommend cheeses instead and more wine from the list that is the splendour of Ampeli. Curated, as is said these days, by Yiannis Karakasis MW, it conclusively illuminates the developments and the future of Greek winemaking. Assyrtiko is beginning to exhibit its nominative determinism on wine lists generally but here there are other equally revelatory indigenous grape varieties to try, quite a lot by the glass and 375ml carafe to facilitate that. I can champion Lyrarakis Daphni 2018 from Crete where herbal notes including bay ring clearly; mainland Assyrtiko Areti 2017 proving that it isnt only Santorini that can grow this grape productively; for Pinot/Nebbiolo fanciers, Chatzivariti Goumenissa 2016 and for Merlot/Tempranillo fans Strofilia Mountain Fish 2017; all these in carafes from 16 to 30. Charlotte Street and Greek actually Greek-Cypriot cooking have a history. Long gone are the days of Anemos Taverna, drinking Demestica wittily rechristened Domestos, bouzouki music, dancing on tables, smashing plates and swapping tales of bad behaviour in Corfu, but a little of that and less of the self-conscious, health-conscious eastern Mediterranean approach to the food all the go in Athens, says the press release would make me love Ampeli more. Fortunately, in the premises that were previously a branch of Senor Ceviche, the three-layer layout of tables still obtains with the ground floor fittingly operating as a wine bar. In Greece it wouldnt close but here restaurant hours are kept. The mezzanine is where I would choose to sit for a full meal, the basement a retreat for grey, rainy days. All the staff including the founder, Athens-born photographer Jenny Pagoni, and manager Lorraine Abrahams whom I last ran into at The Wolseley, are well clued up about the awesome wine list. Fay's Favourites - Drinking Greece Mazi Meaning together, it emphasises harmony between artisan wines and food. 12-14 Hillgate Street W8 7SR. mazi.co.uk Meraki A separate bar operation broadens the scope for all things viticultural. 80-82 Great Titchfield Street W1N 7QT. meraki-restaurant.com Peckham Bazaar Inspiration from the Dinaric Alps to the beaches of Anatolia is the promise and delivery. 119 Consort Road SE15 3RU. peckhambazaar.com By Rasana Gasimova Global price reporting agency Argus, supported by its general partner SOCAR (Azerbaijans State Oil Company) will hold the second Argus Azerbaijan International Petroleum Summit in Baku. The event, which will take place on March 12-13, 2020 will bring together major regional players in the oil, transport, trading and refining industries, Argus reported on its official website. The agency noted that Caspian countries remain of great importance for oil producers, traders and transportation companies, with the regions various big new projects providing fresh opportunities for trading and supply logistics. Conference participants will explore trading and logistics for exports of crude, refined products and petrochemicals. The forum will feature analysis of the latest developments in Caspian markets, and experts will be on hand to discuss expansions and upgrades to transport and refining infrastructure. The event will cover a variety of topics, such as: - Marketing and trading of crude, products and petrochemicals; - Export routes for crude and products from Azerbaijan and Caspian countries; - Prospects for new logistics patterns as part of the Caspian-Mediterranean transport corridor, rail transportation and tariff policy, shipowners, ports and terminals; - Regional pipeline routes, realities and prospects; - Domestic markets for crude and refined products in the Caspian region; - Petrochemicals industry in the region production, transportation and trading. Argus is an independent media organization with more than 1000 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 25 offices in the worlds principal commodity trading and production centers. The agency produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences. Note that the first Argus Azerbaijan International Petroleum Summit took place on October 12-13, 2017. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 4, 2020) - David H. Brett, President & CEO, EnGold Mines Ltd., (TSXV: EGM) ("EnGold" or the "Company") reports that the Company has closed the a further tranche of the non-brokered private placement announced December 10th, 2019, and issued 833,333 Non-Flow-Through Units ("NFT Units") at a price of $0.06 per NFT Unit for gross proceeds of $50,000. The NFT Units consist of one common share and one warrant, and each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.10 per share for a period of one year. The proceeds from the sale of the NFT Units will be used for general working capital. No finder's fees were paid in connection with the issue of the NFT Units. All of the securities are subject to a hold period which will expire on June 4, 2020. The Company will continue with the offering of non-flow-through units as previously disclosed. About EnGold EnGold is a Vancouver-based copper, gold, silver, magnetite exploration company focused solely on its 100% owned Lac La Hache property in the Cariboo region of BC which hosts the Spout Copper Deposit, the Aurizon Gold Deposit and the G1 Copper Discovery and other targets within a large porphyry mineralizing system. With world class infrastructure at its doorstep, Lac La Hache is a great location to be exploring. EnGold Mines Ltd. David Brett President & CEO For further info contact David Brett, 604-682-2421 or david@engold.ca This news release may contain "forward-looking statements". Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual development or results may vary materially from those in these "forward looking statements." Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52114 The 90-episode series, developed and implemented by Nhan Dan Newspaper, fully and systematically reflecting the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the development process of the Vietnamese revolution from the successful August Revolution to the present day. The film is shown chronologically, reflecting the long-term development of the nation, the Party and the country, affirming the decisive role of the leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho, and the striving and sacrifices of the entire Party, people and army of Vietnam. Thereby, the film contributes to educating the audience on the countrys historical traditions, the CPVs leadership and consistent policies, and the nations development in each period, creating a positive spread throughout the Party and the society. The documentary also affirms the role of the CPV and President Ho Chi Minh over the past several decades. The screening the film series is one of the activities to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the CPV, the 75th anniversary of Vietnams National Day (September 2, 1945), the 130th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (May 9), and Party Congresses at all levels. The series producers also worked with foreign archive centres in the United States, France, Russia and other countries in order to access and make use of valuable materials that will be shown for the first time to a Vietnamese audience. The 90 episodes of the series will be broadcast until the end of March 2021. T he Government must pass emergency legislation by the end of the month to prevent the automatic release of any further convicted terrorists following the Streatham attack. A target date of February 27 has been set to rush the Bill through Parliament. It is understood that one offender is due for release on February 28, with around five expected to be let out in March unless the new law is in force. A Whitehall official said: If the legislation is passed by February 27 we can prevent the automatic release of any further terrorist suspects who might pose a threat to the public. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Sudesh Amman, a convicted terrorist, wore a fake suicide belt as he grabbed a knife from a shop in Streatham High Road, south London, on Sunday, before stabbing two bystanders. The 20-year-old had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his sentence less than a fortnight ago. He was put under 24-hour police surveillance on his release, and sources have described him as an extremely concerning individual. Britains most senior police officer said he was able to stab two people while under surveillance because the operations are not man-to-man marking. Streatham stabbing: Terror surveillance not man-to-man marking, warns police chief Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that a time delay in responding would be inevitable if someone did something totally unexpectedly. On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said urgent legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release, at which point their case would be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists at the Parole Board. There are 224 terrorists in prison in Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September. As many as 50 terrorists could be freed from jail this year, figures suggest. Screengrab of an armed police officer on Streatham High Road. / PA The Whitehall official said the attack in Streatham highlighted an issue surrounding terrorists with relatively short prison sentences. There arent many terrorist offenders who will be in that similar kind of scenario but if there are any then thats too many and thats what we are looking to fix, the official said. The Government plans to introduce the legislation in the Commons on Tuesday next week, with the aim of clearing the House by the time it rises for recess on Thursday. The Bill will then go to the Lords on February 25 with the aim of getting royal assent on February 27. Robert Buckland said the urgent legislation was needed / Sky News There are no terrorist offenders who are due to receive automatic release before that date, the official said. The source said the Lords, where the Government does not have a majority, should wish to carry out its scrutiny quickly as we cannot continue to be in a position where the state has no power to block the release of terrorists who continue to pose a threat to the public. The Government has not ruled out derogating, effectively suspending, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to apply the new measures. Lawyers have warned the move would open the Government up to legal challenges from those already behind bars who were sentenced under the current rules. The Americans have asked NATO to maintain its current force levels regardless of the drawdown to carry the bulk of the training mission going forward. I think its pretty presumptuous of the United States to draw down and expect the European countries to keep their current levels, said Rachel Rizzo, an adjunct fellow in the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. NATO wouldnt be in Afghanistan if it wasnt for the United States. But Pentagon officials pushed back on the notion that the United States has asked NATO to handle training Afghan forces, despite the fact that if the American military cuts its forces in Afghanistan and focuses on counterterrorism missions, the training mission, by definition, will be left to the alliance unless it leaves the country. The U.S. has not asked NATO to take up the bulk of the training mission if there is a decision to reduce the U.S. force presence, said Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesman. Both NATO and the U.S. remain committed to the shared goal of ensuring Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists to threaten the U.S. and its allies. Some European officials say they believe the continued international presence in Afghanistan has helped curb the flow of migrants and refugees out of the country. But as the war stretches on, many politicians want to see the alliance reduce its commitment in the country. Clearly many European capitals wouldnt mind reducing their presence or turning the page on NATOs Afghanistan chapter, said Bruno Lete, an expert on the alliance in the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. If allies decide to cut more deeply, the continued training of the Afghan military will hang in the balance. The alliance, which immediately backed the United States invasion in 2001, has been a stalwart, but sometimes unreliable, part of the war effort. The United States has often pushed NATO to contribute more forces, and the allied countries have struggled at times to find enough people to serve in the training billets they have agreed to fill. The deadly coronavirus has been a topic of discussion not only in China but also in the world at large. Since its outbreak, the virus has so far taken the lives of so many people, leaving fear and despair among the world's populace. Cases of coronavirus are all over around us; if not the devastating images of victims on social media, it is probably the empathy evoking sites on our screens or print media. Generally, the virus has held everything to a standstill, and efforts are being combined to combat the menace. Image: facebook.com, @cctvcom Source: Facebook China is, without a doubt, one of the leading economic hubs in the world. However, the outbreak is a massive blow to the government, as many resources are being channeled towards it. Nonetheless, the Chinese authorities remain determined to kick out the virus and save its citizens. Even though it has killed about 425 people and left others severely ill and hospitalized, medical experts are yet to discover the origin and cure of the pandemic. Worse enough, the virus is currently being reported in other countries. Below are the updates. Updated 16:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Chinese doctor who was silent now has the virus Li Wenliang dropped the bombshell concerning the virus in a medical school alumni group. He explained that according to what he had seen in the tests, it was coronavirus. At the time, the doctor was silenced and accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police and was punished. Unfortunately, the doctor contracted the virus from the patients he treated. Updated 16:30 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Fear, racism, and xenophobia from the West As the virus continues to haunt countries around the world, there has emerged old racist tropes that tend to dissuade people from eating Asian food or interacting with Asians. According to many of them who live abroad, they have been treated as walking pathogens, unwelcome and unsafe. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Countries and airline places travel restrictions to China Several countries all over the world are taking measures to keep the virus away. The most stringent appear to be in the United States, where the administration has banned all foreigners who have entered China for the last two weeks. The move continues to receive criticism from both within and abroad. Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, has termed the guidelines as opaque and confusing. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Scientists scramble to study the virus Virologists in China who first isolated the virus have discovered that it can kill cultured human cells. Like the coronavirus that causes the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARs), it gets into the cell via molecular receptors. Image: facebook.com, @cctvcom Source: Facebook Updated 18:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Continued spread of the virus Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. Several cases have been reported so far. Countries such as Australia (12), Canada (4), France (6), Japan (20), Malaysia (10), The Philippines (2), Russia (2), South Korea (16), Singapore (18), Finland (1), Cambodia (1), and Belgium have raised concern. China continues to lead at 20,438. Updated 18:18 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - The increasing death rates The death rates, as a result of coronavirus in China, stand at 2.1% at the moment, according to the China National Health Commission. At the epicenter of the outbreak, which is in Hubei province, the death rate stands at 3.1%, and unfortunately, the area accounts for 97% of all the deaths. Sad enough, among the 425 deaths caused by this deadly virus, 80% are individuals above 60 years of age. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Xi urges tougher response to the epidemic In his second meeting with Communist Partys board, the China president called the outbreak a major test of the China's system. He signaled more aggressive measures to contain the virus after days of treatment from the center stage. Meanwhile, Macau, the largest g*mbling center in the world, is set to close its casinos for a fortnight. Updated 19:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - New virus cases in Hong Kong and Malaysia China has been hit with yet another blow with two cases of the novel coronavirus being reported in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The cases bring the number up to 17 people in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Other instances of the virus reported on Tuesday were in Malaysia. Doctors have not ruled out the possibility of future spread due to local transmission. Update 20:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - 414 people in the UK test negative According to the update from the Department of Health and Social Care, at least 414 have tested negative for coronavirus in the United Kingdom. The two who were positive continue to receive special treatment in a unit in Newcastle. Updated 20:30 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Coronavirus currently not pandemic, - says WHO According to the World Health Organization, the virus outbreak is currently not a pandemic. The director of Infectious Hazards Management section of WHO said it is difficult to control the virus because of the global mass movement. However, they remain hopeful that the current measures in place will help stop the transmission. Updated 21:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Japanese airlines cut flight to China Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have announced a reduction or suspension of flights to China because of the escalating cases of coronavirus. Updated 22:00 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - UK advises citizens to leave China In a move seen as an effort to save citizens from the deadly virus, the UK has advised its citizens to leave China if they can. Through their Twitter account, FCO also warned against travelling to Hubei province, as well as mainland China. Updated 22:30 hrs, February 4th, 2020 - Canada plans to repatriate its 300 citizens The Canadian government is preparing to repatriate about 300 of its citizens in China. The report suggests the flight is set to leave on February 6th, but the Chinese government is yet to give final consent. Update 12:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - A woman waiting for coronavirus test results escapes form hospital Following the escalating state of fear around the world, a woman who was in an Austria hospital to test for the virus escaped from the premises at 03:00 hrs. In a statement released by a press officer for Salzburg city, she escaped but was later found in her house by the policemen. However, investigations are underway to determine who might have interacted with her during the escape. Updated 13:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - The 12 cases of the virus in German get located Following the relentless efforts by the German government to identify the origin of coronavirus in their country, the 12 reported cases have been located in two states. According to the German Federal Health Ministry, 10 cases have been confirmed in Bavaria and two in Hesse state. Image: facebook.com, @chinadaily Source: Facebook Updated 13:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Tokyo Olympic organizers raise concerns over coronavirus On Wednesday, Switzerland based Olympic committee voiced concern about the disruption the virus is causing ahead to the planned games. The event is set to commence in less than six months. The organizers have repeatedly said that they have no plans to cancel the event. Updated 14:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Coronavirus patient discharged in South Korea South Korean authorities have confirmed that their second case of the virus will be the first patient in the country to get discharged. The patient is said to have shown remarkable improvement, and two tests for the virus came back negative. Updated 15:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Two ships now under quarantine There are two ships under isolation at sea with several people on board after former sailors tested positive for the virus. In Japan, at least 3700 people are on board of Diamond Princess cruise ship which is currently in Yokohama bay South of Tokyo. Four hundred twenty-eight passengers are Americans. Another cruise ship is docked in Hong Kong's Kai Tak terminal with over 1900 sailors on board. Update 16:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - First phase screening complete on the quarantined Japanese ship The operator of Diamond Princess cruise ship has confirmed that the first phase of the screening exercise is complete. According to his statement, the ten people who tested positive for the virus will be taken ashore to various hospitals for intensive care. Updated 16:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Chinese police detain those who lied about traveling to Wuhan Several people have been detained by the Chinese police for deliberately lying about traveling to the Wuhan, the epicenter of coronavirus. In the north-western province of Qinghai, police officers have arrested Gou, a migrant worker who they suspect of concealing his journey to Wuhan and thus endangering the public. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - US sends supplies to support Wuhan The Chinese government has today confirmed that the Trump administration sent supplies and support to the Chinese authorities working in Wuhan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs under their spokesperson, Hua Chunying has said that a batch of the supplies arrived yesterday. She further added that the United States government was willing to take part in the joint expert team that would include officials from China and the WHO. Update 17:15 hrs, February 5th, 2010 - Deaths due to the virus reached 490 in Mainland China The number of deaths from the virus in Mainland China has risen to 490 with more than 24,300 confirmed cases. An additional 185,000 people are currently under medical observation, according to health officials in China. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - More Americans travel home from Wuhan Thousands of the United States citizens who had been evacuated from Wuhan are now heading back to the US. According to a tweet by the US northern commander, two planes with about 350 on them are on their way to Travis Air Force Base, southwest of Sacramento, California. Updated 18:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Hong Kong is to quarantine people from Mainland China Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam has announced that everyone entering the semi-autonomous city from Mainland China will be quarantined for 14 days. The exercise will commence on Saturday. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - Adidas closes some of its Chinese stores German sportswear company, Adidas is shutting down a significant number of its stores in China because of the coronavirus outbreak. The company has over 12000 outlets in the country, as well as franchise stores. Updated 19:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - PGA Tour China moves tournament to Indonesia A Chinese based professional golf tour, PGA Tour, has resolved to move its Global Qualifying matches from China to Indonesia following the outbreak. The tournament is set for February 25th - 28th. Updated 19:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - CDC to distribute 400 test kits The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC has swiftly moved in to help China and other countries identify victims of coronavirus. It will distribute 200 test kits for Wuhan virus to local labs and another 200 to international labs. Updated 20:00 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - The US suspend Fulbright program in China The US department has temporarily suspended their Fulbright program in China following the outbreak of coronavirus. The program, which is an official educational exchange between the United States and the People's Republic of China, will be halted until further notice. Updated 22:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - All 11 patients who tested positive in the US are doing well, - says CDC The eleven victims of the deadly coronavirus in the United States are showing significant improvement, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement released by Dr. Nancy Messonnier, those who were sick have improved. Nonetheless, the CDC continues to monitor each victim's health. Updated 23:30 hrs, February 5th, 2020 - 12th case of Wuhan coronavirus confirmed in the US A report from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has confirmed that the number of Wuhan coronavirus victims in the US has increased to twelve. However, as of February 5th, the CDC had placed at least 293 under investigation in 36 states. Updated 14:23 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - US evacuees placed under quarantine Hundreds of the US citizens evacuated from Wuhan are under quarantine at two military bases in California. The people who were airlifted by two State Department-chartered cargo jets were met by CDC officials and placed under the mandatory two-weeks quarantine. The evacuees will be subjected to routine screening. Updated 14:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - A newborn becomes the youngest victim of coronavirus A Chinese newborn in a Wuhan hospital became the youngest human being to be tested positive for the virus. According to a report by the state media, the kid who was born on February 2nd tested positive 30 hours after birth. Even though the mother tested positive hours before delivery, it remains unclear how the baby contracted the virus. Updated 15:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Deaths spike again as the virus shows no signs of slowing The numbers of deaths and new cases of coronavirus continue to rise despite the measures already in place to combat it. So far, the number of confirmed cases stands at 28,256 globally, with more than 28,000 of the said cases being in China. Image: instagram.com, @coronavirus888 Source: Instagram Updated 15:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - A third person tests positive for the virus in the UK The total number of patients diagnosed with the dreaded coronavirus in the United Kingdom has risen to three following a recently reported case. According to England's chief medical officer, the patient tested positive for the infection was in Brighton but later transported to an infectious disease unit in a hospital in London. Updated 16:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Scientists ramp up effort to find a vaccine for the virus Around the world, researchers and scientists are burning the midnight oil in an attempt to unearth a vaccine for Wuhan coronavirus. Many academic facilities and bio-ph*rmaceutical firms have launched programs to find appropriate vaccines for the virus. Updated 16:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - China reduces tariffs by half on $75 billion worth of US goods As the outbreak of coronavirus escalates, the Chinese government has announced that it will halve additional tariffs on $75 billion worth of imports from the US. This is a positive sign, as the two countries look forward to ending trade wars between them. However, the move comes at a time when the Chinese government struggles over the increasing outbreak of the coronavirus. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Death toll rises to 564 in China The number of deaths from the coronavirus continues to increase in China, totaling to 564 as of Thursday. It is exactly two weeks since the authorities announced that Wuhan would be locked down as they try to contain the virus. Despite the unprecedented lockdown, the virus continues to spread as new cases are reported every day. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - An Italian hospital tries experimental treatment of patients A hospital by the name Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, which specializes in infectious disease treatment, has retained two infected Chinese citizens in the facility. The Chinese patients are in critical condition and are being treated with an experimental combination of various antiviral medicines. According to a statement from the hospital, the World Health Organization has identified the medication being used as promising based on the available data. Updated 18:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Nintendo suffers disruption from outbreak Nintendo has made it clear that the shipment of Joy-Con controllers and Switch gaming console will be delayed due to the disruption of their supply chains in China. The disruption comes as a result of increasing cases of the virus. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Ten more test positive in the Japanese cruise ship The number of coronavirus patients inside a quarantined cruise ship in Japan has doubled, following ten new confirmed cases. Diamond Princess cruise ship is currently in Yokohama bay, in South Tokyo. The vessel was isolated when an eighty years old man was tested positive for the virus. Updated 19:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Chinas property market stalls amid virus outbreak The outbreak is causing a painful blow to China's $43 trillion property market as developers are closing sale centers. Buyers, on the other hand, delay their search for new flats, resulting in a negative impact on this sector of the market. Updated 19:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - House to house checks set to commence in Wuhan Wuhan authorities have announced that they will start house to house temperature check on the resident. The move is a measure to identify and contain the virus. Update 20:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - CDC begins shipping coronavirus test kits to labs The Center for Disease Control and Prevention supplied test kits to various local and international laboratories. The shipping began on Wednesday, and the said test kits can deliver results in four hours from the time the sample gets tested. Update 20:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Nanchang city is to limit access to villages and compound Nanchang, which is the headquarters of Jiangxi province, will strictly monitor exits and entrances of the residents in their villages and compounds. The move comes as a stringent measure to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Updated 21:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Tyson Foods reopens some operations in China The Arkansas-based company said it is closely monitoring the news on the outbreak and that it has successfully started some of its operations in China. Tyson Foods has been working closely with the Chinese government, and it is therefore assessing the economic impact of the virus as it prepares for the possibility of any effect. Updated 22:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - Hong Kong confirms more cases of the virus Hong Kong has confirmed another two cases of coronavirus. The city's number of the virus goes up to 24 as of Thursday. Image: instagram.com, @lilscar2001worldnews Source: Instagram Updated 22:30 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - China's ambassador to the UK appeals for global solidarity in the fight against coronavirus The Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming on Thursday held an impromptu press conference to urge everyone to unite in the fight against the virus. Speaking in his embassy office located in London, the diplomat downplayed the negative criticism leveled against his country and emphasized the positives. Updated 23:00 hrs, February 6th, 2020 - The Chinese whistle-blower doctor dies The Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm on the Wuhan coronavirus, died on Thursday. The 34 years old doctor raised the alarm in December when he posted a message in his medical school alumni group on WeChat. According to the post, seven people had been diagnosed with SARs-like illnesses and were being quarantined in his hospital. Image: instagram.com, @wokelobster Source: Instagram Once he posted the message, the Chinese police accused him of rumor-mongering. He was among the many doctors targeted and arrested for trying to inform the public about the virus. Unfortunately, on January 12th, Li Wenliang got hospitalized after contracting the virus from one of his patients. He tested positive on February 1st, and on Thursday 6th he died. Updated 14:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Global infections surge past 30,000 According to a report from the Chinese health authorities, 31,161 people have so far contracted the virus in the country. The number of reported deaths due to the virus in China has also increased to 630 from the previous 564. Countries with most infections include Japan, Thailand, and Singapore with reported cases being between 20 to 30 infections. Updated 14:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Tributes and anger after Li Wenliang's death China's social media was full of grief and anger following the death of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. The unprecedented levels of grief and fury were channeled towards the government with calls for accountability and freedom of speech being the bone of contention. Updated 15:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Hong Kong warns of potential jail term for Chinese travelers who refuse quarantine Hong Kong authorities have announced that Chineses from Mainland China who refuse to undergo a two weeks quarantine risk being sent to jail. According to Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, the quarantine being implemented on the travelers is expected to reduce the number of people crossing the border. Updated 15:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Burberry closes more than a third of its China stores Burberry is the latest luxury goods outlet to be affected by coronavirus outbreak. According to a statement issued on Friday, the company has closed 24 of it 64 stores in Mainland China following the outbreak. The stores which remain open are operating with limited hours and are receiving few customers. Updated 15:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Singapore confirms three new virus cases Singapore's ministry of health has confirmed three new cases of coronavirus infections. The new cases bring to 33 the total number of patients in the country. All the three cases are Singapore nationals who have no links or travel history to China. Additionally, the ministry also reported that of the 33 earlier cases, two have been discharged while two remain in critical conditions. Updated 16:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Eleven Americans among those infected on cruise ship in Japan The number of Americans infected rose from three to eleven when forty one new cases on the cruise ship were announced today. So far, a total of 61 people on Diamond Princess have tested positive for the virus. The Japanese government said that those who tested positive would be moved to local hospitals. Confirmed case on board are as follows: Japan - 28, United States - 11, Australia - 7, Canada - 4, Hong Kong - 3, Argentina - 1, Taiwan - 1, New Zealand - 1, United Kingdom - 1, Philippines - 1 (Crew member). Updated 16:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Copenhagen airport partially closed after woman presented flu symptoms Copenhagen airport officials temporarily shut terminal 3 over fears of coronavirus. This was after a woman presented flu-like symptoms upon arrival. According to the Danish media, the woman had arrived on flight from China through Finland. The terminal has since reopened. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Chinese ambassador to US pays tribute to Li Wenliang The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, on Friday took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late Li Wenliang. He said he was really saddened by the death of the doctor but thanked him for what he has done in the joint efforts to fight the virus. The Chinese ambassador is among the few Chinese officials who have issued a statement concerning the death of Li Wenliang. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Hong Kong cancels Art Basel fair Following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, Art Basel has been cancelled. The Asia's largest annual art fair was scheduled to happen in Hong Kong. Updated 18:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Hong Kong healthcare workers end five-day strike because of coronavirus Hong Kong medical practitioners have ended their five-day strike after members voted to stop it. Thousands of healthcare workers have been on strike demanding that Hong Kong closes it boarders with Mainland China. According to Hong Kong Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, more than 7000 workers voted to decide on whether to continue with the strike or not. More than 4000 practitioners voted against the strike. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Trump praises Chinas response to the outbreak The United States president Donald Trump has praised Chinas response to the virus outbreak. This happened on Friday after speaking by telephone with Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. He said the Chinese leader was leading what will be a very successful operation. Updated 19:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Fears of coronavirus in Africa, a continent closely linked to China Even though there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Africa, experts fear the risk being posed by the steady traffic to and from China. Africa has a large number of Chinese workers, many of whom are now returning to the continent after visits to China for New year. This has therefore raised concern of the virus being transferred to the continent. Updated 19:30 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Illinois coronavirus patients discharged The two coronavirus victims who were being treated in Hoffman Estate, Illinois have been discharged from the hospital. According to a statement from the hospital, the two, a husband and wife in their sixties were allowed back to their home under guidance from CDC and Illinois department of Public health. Updated 20:00 hrs, February 7th, 2020 - Coronavirus vaccine may be ready by 2021, - say scientists The struggle against coronavirus outbreak may be far from over, as scientists say the vaccine would be available in early 2021. They also added that wearing masks only provides limited protection from the infection. Updated 14:00 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - First Canadians repatriated from Wuhan arrive in Canada A plane carrying Canadian citizens from Wuhan arrived home on Friday. The planes landed in a military base where the returnees will be quarantined for two weeks. The plane which had 176 passengers on board landed at Trenton air force base east of Toronto. Updated 14:30 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - Italy and China contradict over possible air traffic restart Italy has contradicted China's assertion over the possibility to restart flights between the two countries. On January 31st, Rome reached a decision to stop flights to and from China over coronavirus outbreak. The decision was treated with dismay from China which has been lobbying to have the ban lifted. Updated 14:45 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - Thailand confirms seven more coronavirus patients The number of coronavirus patients in Thailand has risen by seven following the newly reported cases. According to a statement issued by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, three of the new victims are Thais while the remaining four are Chineses. So far, the country has reported 34 confirmed cases. Updated 15:00 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - South Korea couples take part in mass wedding despite coronavirus outbreak Unfazed with the escalating numbers of infections, a South Korean Unification Church held a mass wedding. Image: instagram.com, @sgcoverup Source: Instagram The event which happened in Cheongshim World Peace Centre had over 6000 couples taking part in it. Updated 15:30 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - WHO warns against hoarding of protective gears Following the ever increasing demand for protective gears, the World Health Organisation has raised concern over the high prices of the gears which has severely disrupted the supply process. WHO's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he has noticed malpractices such as hoarding to ensure that the prices go up. He has appealed for solidarity from the public and private sectors during these trying moments. Updated 16:00 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - US offers $100 million in the fight against coronavirus According to a statement issued by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the United States will offer $100 million to China and other affected countries. The commitment, plus hundreds of donations from America's private sector, demonstrate the US strong leadership in response to the outbreak. Updated 16:30 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - Three more coronavirus cases reported on the Diamond Princess The Japanese cruise ship has been hit with yet another blow, as three more people on board are tested positive for the virus. The new cases bring to 64 the total number of infections on the vessel which had 3700 people on board. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - An American dies of coronavirus in Wuhan An American citizen (60 years old) has died from coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of virus. According to a report from the US Embassy, the American died on February 6th. Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Ministry has also reported that a Japanese man in his sixties, who had been suspected of being infected has died in Wuhan. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - Wuhan just built another hospital in days According to China's state-run CCTV, Wuhan doctors and nurses have arrived at Leishenshan Hospital. The hospital is the second health facility to be build in Wuhan in a matter of days. The construction of the hospital took place in 12 days, and the 32-ward hospital with 1500 bed structure will only admit coronavirus patients. Updated 18:00 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - France confirms five new cases of coronavirus Five more people have tested positive for the virus in France according to a statement released by Health Minister Agnes Buzyn. The newly reported cases bring the total number of infections to eleven in the country. All the five new cases are British citizens, one of whom is a child. However, none of the victims is in critical condition. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 8th, 2020 - China records 86 fatalities in a day Friday was the deadliest day in Mainland China as the authorities reported 86 fatalities. According to China's National Health Commission, a total number of 722 had died from the virus and 34,546 people were infected in Mainland China by Friday. The majority of new cases were recorded in Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan. Updated 14:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Some British citizens still stranded in Wuhan The last plane carrying Briton evacuees landed in the United Kingdom this morning. However, some citizens were left behind. Two citizens were not allowed on board because they initially failed temperature checks, although later their tests were normal. Updated 14:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - China allocates $10 billion to fight coronavirus The ministry of finance in China has announced that it has set aside a total of 71.85 billion yuan ($10.26 billion) to contain the virus. According to the ministry, the purpose for the funds is to ensure that members of the public can efficiently receive diagnosis and treatment. The funds will also ensure that regional fight against the virus is not hampered by financial constraint. Updated 15:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Coronavirus death toll surpasses SARS Even though the World Health Organization says coronavirus appears to be stabilizing, the escalation death tolls are worrying. So far, 800 people in Mainland China have lost their lives due to the virus. The number has surpassed that witnessed in the 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARs) pandemic. During the SARs outbreak, 744 lives were lost. Updated 15:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - UK registers fourth case of Wuhan coronavirus A fourth case of coronavirus has been reported in the UK. According to a statement released by the UK's chief medical adviser, another patient has tested positive for the virus. The infected person was transferred to a special NHS center at The Royal Free Hospital in north London. The new case brings to four the number of infected people in the UK. Updated 16:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - A Briton in Spain tests positive for the virus One member of a British family of four being diagnosed for the virus in Mallorca, Spain, has tested positive. The family members have been quarantined in a hospital on the island since Friday. This becomes the second case of coronavirus infections in Spain. Updated 16:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Six new confirmed cases on the Diamond Princess The number of infections on Diamond Princess docked off the coast of Yokohama has increased by six. The newly reported cases place the total tally to 67 infections of the 3700 people initially on board. Updated 17:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Whistleblower doctor is to be "remembered as hero" Amid increased social media fury about the death of whistleblower doctor, the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming has said he will be remembered as a hero The Chinese doctor died during the early hours of Friday. Updated 17:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - A county in China is offering cash to sick people if they report themselves Government officials across Hubei province are desperate to put a stop to the increasing cases of infections in the province and country at large. They have resorted to using a different approach, which is paying the infected people who report themselves to the authorities. According to an official Fangxian County notice, anyone who is sick and reports themselves to a hospital will receive 1,000 yuan ($142). Updated 18:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Germany announces its 14th case of coronavirus There are now 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany. Twelve cases are in the state of Bavaria, and the other two are in the state of Hesse. Updated 18:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Wuhan coronavirus gets a new official name Chinas National Health Commission has given Wuhan coronavirus a temporary name. For weeks now, the rapidly spreading virus has been known by the name of the city from which it originated, something which the residents of Wuhan have found stigmatizing and frustrating. On Saturday, Chinese officials said the virus will temporarily be called Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia, or NCP. Updated 19:00 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - Malaysia now has 16 cases of the virus infections According to a report from state news agency Bernama, a total of sixteen people have tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus in Malaysia. Out of those infected, 12 are Chinese citizens while the remaining four are Malaysians. On Friday, Malaysia announced it would extend its temporary travel ban to all provinces in China under lockdown due to the virus. The government also stated that it would make arrangements to bring home 212 Malaysian embassy and consulate staff in China, and 34 citizens currently in Wuhan. Updated 19:30 hrs, February 9th, 2020 - 20 Germans and their family members arrive in Berlin from Wuhan German Foreign Ministry on Sunday confirmed that 20 Germans together with their families who were being repatriated from China have arrived in Berlin. The flight which was carrying them from Wuhan went through the United Kingdom before landing in Berlin on Sunday. Heiko Maas, the minister of Foreign Affairs in German expressed his relieve on Twitter and also thanked the UK for their trust and cooperation. The minister further said the evacuees will spend two weeks in quarantine at a Red Cross hospital. READ ALSO: Indonesian officials spray antiseptic to passengers who came from Wuhan, China Fact check: 2019 novel coronavirus will not last long in PH because of hot weather Pres. Duterte tells Filipinos to stop blaming China over 2019 novel coronavirus Source: KAMI.com.gh Ambedkar Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Ambedkar Nagar constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Wazirpur Assembly Election 2020 | With a comfortable margin of over 5,000 votes, AAP's Rajesh Gupta surged ahead of BJP's Mahender Nagpal. While Gupta's 15,961 votes accounted for 54.89 percent share, Nagpal's 10,822 comprised 37.21 percent of the votes. Part of the high-profile Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, Wazirpur Assembly constituency will see a repeat of the 2015 battle as incumbent AAP MLA Rajesh Gupta takes on BJP's Mahender Nagpal for the second consecutive time. The Congress, on the other hand, has nominated Hari Kishan Jindal, an ex-councillor of the NDMC and a local Congressman. Wazirpur is known for being a major industrial area and was recently in the news as several workers went on strike against the Centre's policies. Here's a brief profile of the constituency: Constituency name: Wazirpur Constituency number: 17 District: North West Delhi Total electors: 1,63,100 Female electors: 71,916 Male electors: 91,181 Third gender electors: Three Reserved: No Results in previous elections: The constituency has elected representatives from all three parties in the last 27 years. Congress' Deep Chand Bandhu was the elected representative from the Assembly constituency in the 1993 and 1998 elections. In the 2003 polls, BJP won the seat for the first time when its candidate Mange Ram Garg defeated his nearest Congress rival Rattan Chand Jain by 2,507 votes. However, Hari Shanker Gupta won back the seat for Congress in the 2008 election. In the 2013 election, Gupta lost to BJP's Mahender Nagpal by nearly 13,000 votes. Nagpal, however, could not hold on to his seat in the AAP wave of 2015 as he lost to Rajesh Gupta by over 22,000 votes. Click here for complete coverage of Delhi Assembly Election 2020 Demographics: Wazirpur is dominated by migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The constituency also houses many trading centres, which points out that there is a sizeable Vaishya community in the constituency. In fact, in the past, all the three parties AAP, Congress and the BJP have nominated Vaishya (trader community) candidates this election. According to media reports, there is also a sizeable presence of South Indian voters in Wazirpur and has seen Congress bring their leaders from the South to campaign for the local candidates. Vodafone has announced it will spend about 200million (170million) to remove Huawei systems from its 'core' network. It follows the UK government's announcement last week that the Chinese tech giant will be allowed involvement in the UK's 5G network, but not be involved in core aspects. The firm will be limited to no more than 35 per cent of a vendor's equipment and be barred from 'sensitive parts' of the network such as areas near military bases. Vodafone confirmed it would take five years to strip out equipment made by Huawei from its so-called core - the centre of the telecoms network that processes customer data The mobile phone giant also recorded a small growth in organic services revenue in the three months to the end of December, buoyed by higher sales in Germany and Africa. Total group revenue rose 6.8 per cent to 11.75billion in the last quarter, from almost 11billion in the same quarter in 2018. Service revenue declined 1.4 per cent, though total revenue increased by 822million, or 10.1 per cent to 8.97billion. Its UK division saw both organic service revenue and revenue growth in the quarter, increasing by 47million and 181million respectively. Vodafone confirmed it would take five years to strip out equipment made by Huawei from its so-called core - the centre of the telecoms network that processes customer data. Vodafone has a small amount of Huawei equipment in its core network across Europe, but is already largely compliant with the UK rules. Vodafone chief executive Nick Read said: 'We have now decided, as a result of the EU toolbox and the UK Government's decision, to take out Huawei from the core. 'This will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million euros' While Vodafone UK does not use Huawei in its core network, the group uses a mix of Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia equipment for its 4G and 5G masts in Britain. Vodafone chief executive Nick Read said: 'We have now decided, as a result of the EU toolbox and the UK Government's decision, to take out Huawei from the core. 'This will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million euros.' Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, commented: 'Having spent some time in the doldrums, Vodafone is showing signs of renewed vigour. 'The group's sheer scale gives it some competitive edge in the markets in which it operates. 'Signs of recovery in the UK and Spanish regions are welcome developments, Germany is showing growth and in the rest of the world the revenue figures are strongly ahead. Group revenue in the rest of the world performed relatively poorly compared to Europe, experiencing a 2.7 per cent drop to 2.48billion, but organic service revenue jumped 9.1 per cent. Vodafone added 134,000 mobile contract customers across the UK in the quarter, but saw new broadband customer additions fall to 20,000 as competition took its toll. BT said the 35 per cent cap on Huawei's access to the UK's 5G network would cost the company about half a billion pounds in the next five years Read said: 'I am pleased with the pace at which we have executed our commercial and strategic priorities, which has allowed us to maintain our momentum in the quarter. 'Competition in Europe remains challenging, primarily in the value segment, however we continued to improve customer loyalty and to grow in broadband, and we achieved good growth in Africa. 'We expect a further gradual improvement in service revenue growth in Q4, led by Europe.' Vodafone's published results come the week after BT released its quarterly performance for the same time period. It registered modest falls in revenue and profits, though the latter was still nearly 2billion and the former was 5.8billion. BT said the 35 per cent cap would cost the company about half a billion pounds in the next five years, partly due to the expense of replacing Huawei equipment. Shares in Vodafone fell 1.7 per cent to 148.7p. A jealous husband confessed to using a razor blade to slash his pregnant wife's throat while they were in the middle of having sex, police in Brazil said. Marcelo Araujo, 21, claimed under questioning that he killed his wife, 22-year-old Francine dos Santos, after they rowed about her becoming pregnant for the third time. The couple already had two children, a daughter, four, and a son, two. A jealous husband confessed to using a razor blade to slash his pregnant wife's throat while they were in the middle of having sex, police in Brazil said. Marcelo Araujo and Francine dos Santos pictured together Marcelo Araujo, 21, (pictured) claimed under questioning that he killed 22-year-old Francine dos Santos, after they rowed about her becoming pregnant for the third time The couple already had two children, a daughter, four, and a son, two He reportedly admitted that he didn't want any more children, resented sharing his wife with them and hated the financial burden it placed on him as a young dad. The suspect was found seriously injured after the crime, with cuts to his neck and wrists, in the family home in Varzea Paulista, a municipality in the State of Sao Paulo. Cops said he had apparently tried to take his own life. Francine dos Santos was murdered by her husband in a brutal attack after she told him she was pregnant The suspect was found seriously injured after the crime, with cuts to his neck and wrists, in the family home in Varzea Paulista, a municipality in the State of Sao Paulo Investigators told Brazilian news outlet G1 that the admission came following more than six weeks of interrogation during which the accused gave several versions of what happened Investigators told Brazilian news outlet G1 that the admission came following more than six weeks of interrogation during which the accused gave several versions of what happened. According to detectives, the suspect claimed that on December 22 last year, the couple started off discussing plans for their family Christmas dinner but matters escalated and it turned into a blazing argument about the pregnancy. Shortly after the disagreement the pair appeared to resolve their differences and headed for the bedroom to make love. But during the intimate session the suspect apparently stabbed his wife, a make-up artist, with a knife several times before slashing her throat with a blade. Marcelo Araujo and Francine dos Santos pictured together. According to detectives, the suspect claimed that on December 22 last year, the couple started off discussing plans for their family Christmas dinner but matters escalated and it turned into a blazing argument about the pregnancy As day one of the Delhi Auto Expo kicks off, petrolheads across the country have been treated to a series of incredible reveals - from new innovations in the EV sector to stunning new concept designs and performance-focused rides aplenty. With new rides being announced to the public every hour, we took a look at the first days announcements - heres what we think you should keep an eye out for. Mahindra Funster Concept Mahindra Group A magnificent sneak-peek at the future of the XUV series, the Funster concept aims to showcase the flashiest work from the design minds at Mahindra. Powered by four electric motors with a combined output of 308bhp, the Funster is pretty damn quick with a claimed 0-100 kmph time of 5 seconds - living up to its name. Hopefully well see some of these design elements in the upcoming next-gen XUV500 - from the slick wheel arches and headlamps to a truly futuristic front grille. Skoda Octavia RS245 Skoda With roughly 245bhp, 340Nm of torque and a Rs 36 lakh price tag, the RS245 is a performance-oriented variant of the Skoda Octavia thats sure to bring a smile on your face. The numbers speak for themselves - Skoda claims that the model can fly from 0-100kmph in 6.6 seconds and easily do 250kmph - though youll have to be just as quick to grab the keys for these. The brand plans to run the RS245 at a limited run in India, with just 200 cars, so if youre looking for one of the best four-door rides in the country, youll have to pick up the pace. Tata Sierra Concept Tata Motors Remember the good old Tata Sierra? The iconic 3-door SUV was a mainstay during the 90s until it was finally replaced by the Tata Safari - but its returned with an all-electric comeback. The new concept showcased by Tata is based off the ALFA ARC platform - the very same structure that helped the Tata Altroz score 5 stars on the NCAP safety tests earlier this January. Maruti-Suzuki Futuro-e Concept Maruti-Suzuki The days of critics slamming Indian designers is decidedly past us with this incredible new concept from Maruti Suzuki. Designed and created as a homegrown effort, the vehicle features an interesting marriage between the ruggedness of an SUV and the sleek, sporty rooflines of a coupe - complete with futuristic swivel-seats and a centre console that looks like something youd find in Tony Starks workshop. Tata HBX Tata Motors The Maruti Suzuki Ignis and KUV100 better watch out - theres a new player in town. With considerable ground clearance, skid plates and knobby tyres, the HBX seems to be a rugged little compact SUV with a focus on grabbing buyers who like to wander a bit off the beaten path. Its expected to come with the same, tiny 1.2L petrol engine found in the Tata Tiago though. So lets hope Tatas engineers try to push it to perform as well as it looks. Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 63 S Mercedes-Benz Just when you thought things couldnt get cooler for the AMG 63 model, Mercedes-Benz has gone ahead to craft the most brutal, powerful and screamingly fast AMG model available in India. Not only does it look absolutely gorgeous - the biturbo V8 engine packs 639bhp and can drive this beast from 0-100kmph in 3.2 seconds - thats around the same as the Ferrari 458 Italia. Great Wall Haval Concept H Great Wall Another frontrunner of the Chinese auto invasion, Baoding-based Great Wall Motors aimed high at the Auto Expo with a teaser of its upcoming Haval model - the Concept H. The Haval features aggressive styling with its fang-shaped indicators and sharp lines - coupled with a host of futuristic features such as a hybrid system, driver-focused HUD, facial recognition and a 5G connectivity suite. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe As coronavirus has spread beyond China, University of Southern California graduate student Cindy Lu has stopped blowing her nose in public to avoid glares. Ryland Lu, no relation, has gotten mad about racist tropes he's seen in media depictions of Chinese people and their culture as unsanitary and bizarre. As for Ren Fernandez-Kim, she is now partial to rage-tweeting. It started after a jarring episode at a Target in Pasadena where an older couple stared her down after she coughed. Fernandez-Kim recalled awkwardly smiling and waving as the pair walked away, frowning. "Then I got angry," said Fernandez-Kim, who vented online just hours later. "Why should I have to worry about making them feel uncomfortable? I just coughed into my elbow like I was taught." For Asians in Los Angeles, xenophobia sparked by the spread of a virus originating in China has acted as a harsh reminder to even the native-born that they come off as foreign to those fearful they are disease-carriers just because of how they look. Similar anti-Asian sentiment surfaced in 2003 during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which also emerged from China. But the vitriol this time around has been amplified by platforms like Twitter, where racism spills into the open like a steaming trash heap speckled with expletives and the liberal use of "gook" and "chink" slurs. Feel like death, i chink i have the coronavirus Darragh (@DarraghMuff) February 4, 2020 But it's not just random Twitter racists who have ramped up tensions. The University of California, Berkeley, got heat for posting on Instagram that it was normal in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak to feel "'xenophobia: fears about interacting with those who might be from Asia and guilt about these feelings." The university has since apologized and removed the post. Unease over how they'll be treated has put some Asian Americans on alert for microaggressions, while others have adopted a gallows humor about being part of the "yellow peril." As L.A.-based comedian Jenny Yang joked: fun coronavirus game for Asians: cough a little as you pass by strangers. keep the racists on their toes. Jenny Yang (@jennyyangtv) February 1, 2020 For Lu, the USC grad student, the coronavirus panic has made her recognize that even though she is Vietnamese American, some people do not make the distinction, viewing all Asians with suspicion. In recent weeks, she had watched with concern as others on campus shot looks at Asian students, especially those in masks, and kept their distance. Then it happened to her. Lu sat down on a campus shuttle bus only to notice the passenger next to her scoot as close as possible to the window. "I can't help but think if it wasn't an Asian person sitting down next to you would you have the same reaction?" Lu said. Some organizations are trying to do what they can to stamp out coronavirus-related xenophobia. At USC, where the administration had to quash rumors of the virus' arrival on campus, nearly 30 student groups including the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly penned an open letter calling on the university to "reaffirm and make explicit its commitment to supporting all Trojans no matter where they come from." Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents the San Gabriel Valley, similarly asked constituents on social media to not "spread fear of Asian people." "I just want to make sure that people are suspicious about misinformation and to certainly not scapegoat an entire ethnic race of people," Chu told LAist. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., represents the San Gabriel Valley. (Paul Sancya/) Fake reports of coronavirus in Carson and the Santa Clarita Valley have created alarm across the region, which has seen two of the 11 cases reported so far in the United States -- one each in L.A. and Orange counties. Chu said she's worried that Asian Americans will face racism until the worst of the virus is over. A sense of dread is building in Ryland Lu, who works in Monterey Park as a transportation planner. He's bracing for how the virus will be treated in the presidential election cycle, and possibly put even more of a target on Asian Americans. "That could play out in some pretty nasty things that I might have to experience like name-calling," Lu said. "Or if I'm out late like at a bar or something, that's where people are more willing to express dark views." Fernandez-Kim, an illustrator who moved to L.A. about three years ago, said she experienced racism growing up Korean and Peruvian in Louisiana. But not until the Target encounter did she feel it in L.A. "There was like a silent tension there that I didn't understand," Fernandez-Kim said. Fernandez-Kim has since harnessed her discomfort into something else. After returning from Target, she tweeted explaining why she and many Asians wear face masks. ALSO. IF YOU SEE ASIANS WEARING FACE MASKS, IT MAY NOT MEAN THEY'RE SICK. IT IS A CONSCIENTIOUS CULTURE. WE WEAR IT AS A PREVENTATIVE FOR OURSELVES TO LIMIT GETTING OR SPREADING ILLNESS. WE DON'T START WEARING NOT AFTER THE FACT. SO DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE WHEN YOU SEE US WEAR IT. (@CorpusRen) February 1, 2020 She's gotten more than 42,000 retweets. In the dark void of xenophobia, there may be a little room for enlightenment. A US woman who initially voted for Pete Buttigieg in the Iowa caucus asked to change her vote after learning the Democratic candidate is gay. Footage of the incident, shared on social media, shows the voters shock at discovering Mr Buttigieg, 38, is married to a man. "Are you saying he has a same-sex partner? Pete?" the unnamed woman asks a polling station representative. "Are you kidding?" The staff member Nikki van den Heever, responds that, yes, he is married to his partner Chasten. Ms Van den Heever urges the woman to rethink her request to retract her vote / @annabelpark At that point the woman replies: "I don't want anybody like that in the White House, adding: So, can I have my card back?" in reference to her caucus voting slip. Ms Van den Heever says she doesnt know if the rules will allow the woman to rescind her vote, which she has already signed and submitted. She then urges the woman to look inside her heart and reconsider her request, saying: "He's a human being, right? Just like you and me, and it shouldn't really matter. When the voter replies: Well hed better read the Bible, Ms den Heever explains that he does. But the woman interrupts with: Why does it say in the Bible that a man should marry a woman then? The debate continues with the woman asking why the candidates sexual orientation has never been brought about before. Mr van den Heever and another voter standing next to her explain: Its common knowledge. Pete Buttigieg waves with his husband Chasten Buttigieg / Getty Images Mr Butteigieg, a military veteran and former South Bend mayor, has touted himself throughout his campaign as the candidate for change. During a rally in Iowa on Thursday night, he alluded to the states legalisation of gay marriage in 2009, and how it gave him hope that he might someday be a happily married man. And in the first paragraph of his bio on his Pete For America campaign website, it states that he lives in the same neighbourhood where he was raised with his husband, Chasten, and their rescue dogs, Buddy and Truman. Still, the voter remains unswayed by Ms Van den Heevers call to dig deep inside and think, should it matter if it's a woman or if it's a man, or if they're homosexual or heterosexual, if you believe what they say?" Instead the woman responds: It all just went down the toilet." The video, shared on Twitter by filmmaker Annabel Park, has been viewed more than 2.3 million times in 24 hours, with users praising Ms Van den Heever for how she handled the situation. Ms Park dubbed her reaction a "masterclass in patience, persistence, and love." Partial results from the Iowa Democratic caucuses show Pete Buttigieg with a narrow lead over Bernie Sanders. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:29:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The eastern Chinese city of Yiwu has arranged 40,000 beds for personnel who are ordered to receive isolation observation after returning from their hometowns after the Spring Festival holiday amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, local authorities said Wednesday. During the isolation, the city government will offer free accommodation for these people including workers and local market retailers and vendors. Returning personnel are required to report their whereabouts for the past 14 days and their contact with people from areas hit hard by the novel coronavirus, including Hubei Province and the cities of Wenzhou and Taizhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. They are also required to report their physical health status and that of the people living with them to their villages, communities and workplaces, according to the city government. Yiwu is home to the world's leading small commodities market. In 2019, there were more than 1.4 million non-natives and 15,000 overseas businesspeople in Yiwu. As of Tuesday, Yiwu reported a total of 14 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection. She has been constantly on the move amid the awards circuit and promoting her new film, Birds Of Prey. Yet Margot Robbie ensured she found time to spend with her friends as she was seen heading to dinner with Jennifer Lawrence in New York on Tuesday. The Australian actress, 29, looked in high spirits as she joined her friend at the Polo Bar after attending a Times Square promotional event for her movie in the center of Manhattan. Stepping out in style: Margot Robbie ensured she found time to spend with her friends as she was seen heading to dinner with Jennifer Lawrence in New York on Tuesday Whilst Margot was all-smiles on the outing, Jennifer was keen to keep things more low-key, concealing herself in an oversized jacket. Robbie wowed in a chic yet quite risque white blazer and vest set, with a precipitous bust line and no top underneath. The blonde accessorized with a fabulous black corsage on the lapel of her blazer. Her smartly tailored vest was so low cut, in fact, that the waist of her roomy black slacks peeked out from above the vest's buttons. Two's company: Whilst Margot was all-smiles on the outing, Jennifer was keen to keep things more low-key, concealing herself in an oversized jacket The Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood actress wore her hair down and parted at the side. Margot's makeup involved a warm shade of red-orange at the eyes, along with a beautifully peach lip. Joining Robbie were her costars in the film, including Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez and Jurnee Smollett-Bell. A fun party favor handed out at the event were headbands featuring the iconic two-tone pigtails of Harley Quinn, Margot's famous alter-ego in Birds Of Prey. Center of it all: Margot looked every inch the sublime movie star when she arrived at a promotional event for her new DC movie Birds Of Prey in Times Square Black-and-white stunning: Robbie, 29, wowed in a chic yet quite risque white blazer and vest set, with a precipitous bust line and no top underneath Sexy: Margot's smartly tailored vest was so low cut, in fact, that the waist of her roomy black slacks peeked out from above the vest's buttons Fun in threes: Joining Robbie were her costars in the film, including Ewan McGregor and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (left) Colorful: A fun party favor handed out at the event were headbands featuring the iconic two-tone pigtails of Harley Quinn, Margot's famous alter-ego in Birds Of Prey The crew: Joining them were director Cathy Yan (far left), Rosie Perez (second from left) and Ella Jay Basco (third from right) She also played the character in 2016's Suicide Squad (not to be confused with 2021's upcoming THE Suicide Squad, which will also feature Robbie as Quinn). Ewan in particular had great fun sporting the green and pink pigtails, which contrasted his dark ensemble remarkably well and amused his costars significantly. Jurnee looked marvelous in her own jacket-and-revealing-top combination, which consisted of a marble-printed blazer and skirt set paired with a lacy and very revealing bralet underneath. Veteran actress Perez raised the glamour of the evening in a lavish and iridescent crimson coat, worn over a black ensemble. Oozing style: Jurnee looked marvelous in her own jacket-and-revealing-top combination, while actresses Perez and Basco raised the glamour of the evening in a red and black outfits Veteran actress: Oscar nominee Rosie Perez looked elegnat in a lavish and iridescent crimson coat, worn over a black ensemble Coming to a screen near you: Anticipated movie Birds Of Prey is set to hit screens this Friday Joining them were costar Ella Jay Basco, also in a red and black outfit, and Birds Of Prey director Cathy Yan. Margot, who was also seen leaving The Polo Bar that same evening in the Big Apple, is currently in the midst of a particularly busy time, both making the rounds in support of this major studio release, as well as her activities on the awards circuit as an Oscar nominee for this Sunday's Academy Awards. Robbie is up for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the film Bombshell, in which she played a fictional composite character within a movie based on the real-life events leading up to the dismissal of Fox News head Roger Ailes due to his sexual misconduct. Margot's first Oscar nod came in 2018, for her portrayal of former figure skating Olympian Tonya Harding in the previous year's brilliant I, Tonya. Too many Harleys: The Birds Of Prey cast posed with a group of Harley Quinn cosplayers at the promotional event for the film Major side boob: Margot is currently making the rounds in support of this major studio release, as well as her activities on the awards circuit as an Oscar nominee for Bombshell Over-the-shoulder sexy: Robbie was also seen leaving The Polo Bar that same evening in the Big Apple Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN, says the claim by President Muhammadu Buhari that 90 per cent of Boko Haram victims are Muslims is untrue. Rev. John Hayab, CANs Vice Chairman (Northern region), said the umbrella Christian body was not surprised by the Presidents claim if recent utterances by his spokesmen over the persecution of Christians were considered. He was quoted as saying: If President Buhari truly made that claim, then we cannot be surprised going by the things his spokesman, Femi Adesina said after the killing of Rev Lawan Andimi. Read Also: 90% Of Boko Haram Victims Are Muslims: Buhari We believe Adesina wrote the column on behalf of his principal to affirm the things he has said, himself, about the attack on Christians by Boko Haram terrorists. But there is a difference between what they say in the media and the actual happenings on the ground. In Nigeria, it will be dishonest for anyone to claim that 90 percent of Boko Haram victims have to be Muslims. We believe it is not true. However, this is part of the denials that have caused problems in this country. Instead of accepting the reality of our problems, our leaders prefer to live in denials. No serious-minded person will believe the President is being honest in his claims. We make bold to say the Federal Government has not commissioned any multi-stakeholder survey to ascertain the facts and figures. Let the President show him the full facts backing his claims. A leader who is supposed to unite the people need not exhibit certain sentiments such as have been conveyed by President Buhari in his claim. University of Otago scientists are leading research into the possibility that the shallow submarine vents off New Zealands volcanic Whakaari/White Island could provide a natural laboratory to study the impacts of future climate change on our oceans. Submarine vents have natural gradients in climate variables like pH and temperature making them useful examples of future seawater conditions. Over the past few decades scientists have investigated submarine vents, particularly in deep waters, tropical and subtropical waters and in warm temperate seas to evaluate the long-term effects of climate change on our oceans. Vent studies in cold temperate waters in the southern hemisphere are scarce and it is important to know how climate change, and ocean acidification in particular, will affect our temperate species and ecosystems, says Dr Rebecca Zitoun of the University of Otagos Chemistry Department. Whakaari/White Island provides a rare opportunity to observe submarine vent systems in relatively shallow water, close to land. It also has a high biodiversity and is accessible by SCUBA, but most importantly for scientists, Whakaari/White Islands shallow vents produce acidic water with a very low pH (as low as 6.8 pH compared to standard sea water being approximately 8.1 pH) and water temperatures of up to one degree Celsius higher than ambient seawater in the area. These parameters mimic ocean conditions predicted for the year 2100 and beyond. All these features make Whakaari/White Island a really interesting and valuable site for climate change research, says Rebecca. We can look at what life survives there, and how those organisms adapt in order to survive. Because the waters around Whakaari/White Island are representative of future seawater conditions we can set-up long-term observations of the organisms living at the vents to improve our understanding of how marine life and ecosystems will respond to the changing climate. The first investigation in December 2015, funded primarily by a University of Otago Ocean Acidification Research Theme, involved seventeen scientists from eight institutions in New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, Brussels, Germany and the United Kingdom. A submarine volcanic vent. Preliminary data on physical, geochemical and biological characteristics of this shallow vent system were collected using divers and snorkelers, creating an integrated picture of the current state of the shallow vent system. The results of this study have been published in Marine and Freshwater Research, a mammoth effort with 14 co-authors. Link: https://www.publish.csiro.au/mf/MF19167 Rebecca and her colleagues found that the vents do create seawater conditions with pH, temperature and carbonate chemistry values as predicted for beyond the year 2100, but they also have a number of caveats. The alteration of carbonate chemistry occurs in only quite small areas around the vents and there are high concentrations of mercury and sulphide at both vent and control sites with levels considered biologically toxic. This potential toxicity presents more research opportunities, really, because we can expect to be dealing with the runoff of wastewater discharges and pollution into waterways in the future, which will increase levels of metals and elements in our rivers, estuaries and oceans. "Thus Whakaari/White Island, with its low pH, high temperatures and higher than ambient concentrations of some metals and elements can be seen as a great multi-stressor laboratory. Scientists can learn a lot here. The first steps have been made towards establishing a baseline of biological and geochemical parameters around the volcanic site, so that now scientists can get on with studying how physical climate change is likely to drive ecological changes in a real environment. Vinyl Manufacturer Rainbo Records Has Closed Its Doors A music industry backbone since 1939, vinyl manufacturer Rainbo Records has shut down, even as the industry as a whole has as seen a major resurgence in the popularity of vinyl. Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 Artists, record labels, and music trends come and go, but an unseen backbone of the music industry since 1939 has closed vinyl manufacturer Rainbo Records. Rainbo has been the place to go for indies since there was such a thing. This was not only for artists trying to get their initial break like Husker Du, NWA, Kacey Musgraves, and Childish Gambino, but indie labels like punk stalwarts Epitaph and SST; rap imprints Death Row, Priority, and Sugar Hill; early dance labels Moonshine, Mushroom and Thump; and Concord Jazz, Rhino, and American as well. Along the way the company pressed records for the U.S. War Department for messages from home to servicemen overseas, to General Mills for records built into Wheaties boxes, to Disneyland to describe its attractions. Thats why it comes as a huge surprise that Rainbo has gone out of business. Even as vinyl has seen a healthy resurgence, that hasnt been enough to offset the upcoming 40% rent increase that the company had to endure on its Canoga Park (a Los Angeles suburb) facility. Over the years Rainbo has manufactured all sorts of physical product, starting with vinyl, but also cassettes (making a comeback as well) and CDs. The company developed a reputation for providing excellent service at a fair price, and if you were involved in the Los Angeles music scene you were more than aware of its presence. While its a sad day that Rainbo has closed, it still survives in spirit. The plants record presses as well as 14 tractor truck loads of materials and nostalgia, as well as the Rainbo name, were purchased by United Records in Nashville. Its tough for any business to stay around for such a long time, but its especially difficult for vinyl record manufacturing. Because of the toxic chemicals involved and Californias notoriously difficult environmental laws, the company was already struggling just to comply with the existing standards. Add the rent increase and the costs were too much to bear. So say goodbye to Rainbo Records. Youve probably listened to its products and never knew it, but if you did you were aware of the companys legacy. Share on: US President Donald Trump on February 4 slammed Iran on their poor economy and said that Iranian leaders are either 'too proud or too foolish' to negotiate with the United States for sanctions relief. Trump made the comments while defending his Iran policy which has been severely criticised for being 'reckless'. Trump, while speaking at his third State of Union address, also said that the Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death and destruction, and start working for the good of its own people. The US President further added, Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very, very poorly. We can help them make a very good and short time recovery. It can all go very quickly, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them. US-Iran tensions have skyrocketed ever since Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal back in 2018 and last year Trump also reimposed all sanctions that had been lifted under the landmark 2015 deal. On January 8, Iran also fired multiple missiles on Iraqi military bases housing the US troops and called it it's retaliation to Qassem Soleimani's killing. The latest surge in tensions has also prompted calls for de-escalation from the international community that fears a wider conflict in the Middle East. READ: US President Donald Trump Touts Strong US Economy In SOTU Address READ: US President Trump Hits Dems On Health, Awards Limbaugh Medal US-Iran tensions The United States' interference in Iran dates back to 1950s when it helped overthrow a democratic leader in a coup. However, the relationship between Iran and the US saw a glimmer of hope during the second term of the Obama administration when the former US President started negotiations with Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani. In 2015, Iran reached a historic nuclear deal with P5+1 group which included the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. Iran, under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed to limit sensitive nuclear activities in lieu of lifting economic sanctions. However, President Donald Trump in May 2018 withdrew from the nuclear deal accusing Iran of violating the terms of JCPOA and followed it with crippling economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The bilateral relationship has been vulnerable since then, with Trump pressuring other countries to impose sanctions on Iran. In December last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the country is ready to hold nuclear talks with the United States on the condition that they lift the unlawful sanctions. READ: President Trump Highlights Mideast Policies And Conflicts READ: SAVAGE: After Tearing Speech To Shreds, Nancy Pelosi Lets Trump Know Dems Won't Back Down Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to announce its chief ministerial candidate by 1pm Wednesday and said that he is ready for a debate with whoever the saffron party chooses as the CM face for the February 8 assembly polls. At a rally later in the evening, Union home minister Amit Shah hit back at Kejriwal and said that each BJP worker is prepared enough to engage in a debate with the Delhi chief minister. Later, the BJPs Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari said that if Kejriwal wants to engage in a debate, he is ready. Both the BJP and the Congress have not named their chief ministerial candidates for the Delhi assembly polls. People should be allowed to choose their chief minister. The BJP is depriving people of this right. People of Delhi want the BJP to name their CM candidate. If BJP declares its CM candidate by 1pm tomorrow, I am ready for a public debate with him and we will work out modalities for the same, said Kejriwal, also the national convener of the AAP, soon after releasing the partys manifesto on Tuesday afternoon. Kejriwal said the BJP can decide place for the debate, adding that in democracy, people should have a chance to ask a question. By withholding the name of CM candidate, senior BJP leaders and Shah are demanding a blank cheque from the people of Delhi, he said. In a democracy, the chief minister is chosen by people not by Amit Shah... What if Amit Shah names some uneducated person for the CM post, which will be a betrayal to the people of Delhi, said Kejriwal. He further said, I ask people everywhere that your one vote will directly go to Kejriwal. People want to know where their vote will go if they support the BJP in the election. If they dont have a chief ministerial candidate, it means peoples vote for BJP will go waste. Responding to Kejriwal, Shah said, Kejriwal ji asked us to declare our candidate for chief minister and said he is ready to debate. For this, there is no need to announce a chief minister candidate. He just needs to tell us time and place as a karyakarta (party workers) from BJP will come to the debate. They are more than capable As far as the chief minister is concerned, our chief minister is the people of Delhi. Shah and Kejriwal addressed four public gatherings in Delhi on Tuesday. A young mother says she is too frightened to return to her local Woolworths after she came across a man inciting violence while dressed in a Neo-Nazi uniform. An image taken inside the Woolworths, in Clarinda, Melbourne, showed the man wearing a swastika armband as weekend shoppers collected their groceries. The woman said the man 'clearly wanted to be seen' and was 'intimidating other people. The woman came across a 'somewhat dishevelled' man wearing a swastika armband at the Woolworths Clarinda outside Melbourne at the weekend She told Daily Mail Australia: 'At first I thought I was seeing things - we live in such a safe and friendly neighbourhood. 'I only thought to look again as he was acting sly or cocky as he followed me into the supermarket.' The mother then said she bumped into him again in another aisle where he 'seemed to delight in her obvious fear.' She said: 'I was grateful that I had left my young daughter at home. This man seemed unpredictable - I was scared in my own local supermarket, in my own neighbourhood. 'He clearly wanted to be noticed - he wasn't just an ignorant racist, he was delighting in spreading fear.' A spokesperson for Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia they were disappointed to hear a shopper felt unsafe in their premises. 'We want everyone to feel comfortable in our stores and we're sorry to hear this wasnt the case on this occasion,' the spokesperson said. 'If ever our customers feel intimidated in a store, we'd encourage them to notify our team so we can alert security.' The man's attire has been criticised by the head of the Anti-Defamation Commission, who questioned how the 'outrageous behaviour' is still legal. The Commission's Chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said it reinforces a need for stricter laws around the display of hate symbols in Australia. The young mother said she's scared to go back to her local shops after the encounter at Woolworths Clarinda in Melbourne 'This stomach-churning celebration of the murder of six million Jews and millions of others by an individual with burning hate in his heart is a reminder why its time to shut down these extremists and ban the public display of the swastika,' he said. He's reignited calls for the government to introduce policy which would punish those who publicly showcase Nazi emblems. 'No wonder some feel like it is open season on the Jewish community, as an increasing number of agitated white-supremacists are emboldened, and are publicly expressing their admiration for the genocidal Third Reich,' he said. 'This act is a full frontal assault on the decency of all Australians and should serve as another wake-up call that the virus of racism still remains a dramatic problem in our nation.' Peter Webers season of The Bachelor has been quite the ride pun intended. Every week, the ABC reality series shows up with a new villain, giving viewers whiplash in regards to which castmates are worth rooting for. But then in the fifth episode, fans re-discovered Kelley Flanagan, the contestant in Webers season who called out the bachelor for rewarding the drama during their one-on-one date in Costa Rica. And although some fans thought Weber didnt appreciate Kelleys honesty, it seems he loved what the attorney had to say after re-watching the episode. What happened between Kelley Flanagan and Peter Weber during their one-on-one in The Bachelor? Sandwiched between the drama with other contestants, The Bachelor highlighted a one-on-one date between Kelley and Pilot Pete. First, the couple get in touch with their spiritual side. Then at the dinner portion of the date, Weber and Kelley discuss their current relationship. At the start of their conversation, Weber expresses his excitement over their meeting and initial spark. However, Weber wonders why they went from a high that was constantly climbing to a lull. Kelley agrees and she gets real with the bachelor. I kept wanting to say, yes I want to progress this, Kelley says. But Ive had zero opportunity to progress it. Weber refutes Kelleys experience. I feel like youve have a complacency because you feel like we have a strong connection from the beginning, he says. This is a unique situation. Nevertheless, Kelley remains firm. The 27-year-old shares she had a hard time figuring it out from the get-go. However, she finally found her way and is trying to open up. This doesnt seem to satisfy Weber and he presses her on what changed. Kelley Flanagan and Peter Weber on The Bachelor | ABC/Francisco Roman Literally, I was just sitting in Cleveland and I said to myself, What am I doing? You could be having so much fun with Peter and this situation. Just be you and have fun with it, Kelley says. Weber then wants to confirm Kelley is there for him. It can be fun, but Im not looking for fun, he says. Im looking for someone to spend the rest of my life with. I need to know that you are on the same level, on the same page. In response, Kelley reveals she wonders whether Weber is on the same level. She confirms she is ready for the next step marriage. However, she questions whether Weber is ready for a wife. And when Weber asks why, Kelley lays it out. Rewarding the drama, she says. That just kind of irked me. I was like, Why is he rewarding this drama? No person who should be in that stage [of life] would want to even put up with that. So I was just like, Why does he keep rewarding this? He should just cut it in the butt and be done with it. Madison Prewett, Sydney Hightower, Kelley Flanagan, Natasha Parker, Peter Weber, Kelsey Weier, Mykenna Dorn, Tammy Ly, and Victoria Paul on The Bachelor | ABC/Francisco Roman Meanwhile, Weber explains himself, revealing he wanted to feel 100 percent confident in his decisions. He also asks Kelley what she wants out of The Bachelor. At the end of it if our relationship is strong enough I could for sure be like engaged, Kelley says. The reason I say like engaged is because right now, I clearly know our relationship isnt in the place where I would be comfortable with that right now. I dont necessarily know how the process goes from here. She continues: I want someone to be my other half. I want to be with someone and were a power couple. I want someone to challenge me on a day-to-day basis, and me challenge them, learn from them, and vice versa. Peter gives her a smile. Reassured, he gives her the one-on-one date rose. Peter Weber explains his one-on-one date with Kelley Flanagan on The Bachelor On Feb. 4, Weber stopped by BUILD Series and opened up about his season of The Bachelor. Midway through the interview, the Delta pilot was asked why he doubted Kelleys intentions during their one-on-one date. So I met Kelley about a month before filming, Weber said. She was very hesitant of even wanting to go on then. She didnt know if this whole process would work for her, it would be suited for her personality. So I knew the whole time that she was never in her comfort zone. He continued: I guess there were a lot of moments up to that point because it took us a while to have our one-on-one I felt very strongly about her for a while. Id been waiting a while to have that with her. But there are moments where she couldve been trying a little harder. Weber then noted trying doesnt necessarily mean being involved with the drama. I know [Kelleys] not a dramatic person, Weber said. She doesnt want to get involved with all that stuff. But she could have tried to stick out a little bit more. And she acknowledged it. Now, Webers frustrations with Kelley may make more sense after hearing his take on the drama within The Bachelor mansion. When speaking with Good Morning America on Feb. 4, the 28-year-old seemed to believe all the animosity among the women meant they were more passionate about being with him. Obviously, you dont like to see that as youre going through the whole experience, but I kept looking back on it. That drama kind of showed that this is working, Weber said. And if all the women were getting along super well, they probably wouldnt have been super into me. If it was too easy, that wouldnt have been a good thing. But the drama aside, Kelleys honesty is exactly what makes her a frontrunner on Webers season of The Bachelor. And in the interview with BUILD Series, Weber noted that he loved Kelley for calling him out on their one-on-one date so directly. What I love about Kelley is, like, I watched that back and her calling me out and stuff. Thats actually a quality that I really love about Kelley. Shes so real, Weber said. Thats definitely something that Im looking for in my person one day. So I respect the hell out of her. Read more: The Bachelor: Will Hannah Brown and Peter Weber End Up Together? Becca Kufrin and Ben Higgins Dont Think Its in the Cards An accused paedophile teacher has been arrested and charged with having sex with a six-year-old girl. Frederick Brian Jones was arrested on Wednesday morning over allegations he had molested a student in his Peakhurst home in southern Sydney between 2013 and 2018. The 83-year-old teaches art in his home studio called Flair for Art, and was detained by NSW Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad following a two-month investigation. Detectives allege Mr Jones indecently assaulted and had sexual intercourse with the student on a number of occasions at the studio. The girl was aged between six and 11 during the alleged sexual assaults. Accused paedophile Frederick Brian Jones was arrested at his Peakhurst home and art studio over sexual assault allegations with a student Mr Jones opened his door dressed in a dirty white singlet, before officers took the accused paedophile to Kogarah Police Station. He was refused bail and will appear in Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday. Mr Jones' charges include having sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10, having sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 14 years, and indecent assault of a person under 16 years. He was charged with ten offences in total. Police allege Mr Jones knew his victim, and he was given a provisional apprehended violence order to protect the victim and her family. Mr Jones cannot go within 100 metres of her address or approach anyone in contact with her. Realme is expected to introduce a smartband and a smart TV at MWC 2020, and today it officially confirmed a flagship smartphone is coming as well. The account of the European division posted a tweet with the geographical coordinates of Barcelona, revealing the location for realmes 1st Global Launch. The coordinates lead to Fira Gran Via (in the back), where MWC 2020 takes place Spain appears to be a favorite destination for Realme to host its flagship launches. It already introduced the Realme X2 Pro in the capital Madrid in the middle of October. This time we also expect the phone to be part of the X family and to have the latest Qualcomm chipset. Rumors suggest it could be called Realme X50 Pro, an upgrade of the Realme X50 that has Snapdragon 765G chipset. We are yet to see an official date for the launch, but MWC 2020 is scheduled for February 24-27 and we will be in Barcelona, so once everything is official, we will have hands-on impressions right away. Source Alberta woman Laurie Stalenhoef and her husband decided to mark their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii. And they were rewarded with an amazing encounter with some humpback whales. Stalenhoef told Storyful it was her first whale watching trip, and its unlikely shell have a better one. In calm waters off West Maui, she and her group witnessed a triple breach, followed seconds later by a fourth. I was still holding my phone when the ocean seemed to erupt and separate as the most magnificent humpbacks burst into the air, Stalenhoef told Storyful. There were three huge breaches and then the fourth one seconds later. They were so large, but they showed unbelievable grace as they powered out of the ocean. I am still in awe to think that I actually saw this happen. It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life! Credit: Laurie Stalenhoef via Storyful Community grid system helps China fight virus Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/5 0:33:43 Community grid management, a nationwide social governance system in China that aims to improve the government's efficiency to actively find and solve problems for people among populous regions, is playing a crucial role in helping the country to fight the novel coronavirus epidemic. The community grid management system was first initiated at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2013 for building a better, more efficient and modernized platform for social management and services. It was intended to divide populous urbanized areas into "grids," or various blocks and communities, to let high-tech digital platforms, social volunteers and local police jointly and actively find and handle social issues for the residents, so that the management and service over the whole society could be improved, news website people.com.cn reported. Currently, as the whole country is fighting the coronavirus epidemic, the Global Times reporters learned from various provinces, cities and municipalities that the grid management system is playing a crucial and essential role in mobilizing different forces to better serve the patients, locate suspected infected residents, educate and help people to prevent infection, distribute medical materials and daily necessities, and maintain public order. However, this kind of new innovation regarding social management in China has been criticized and distorted by some Western analysts during media interviews like the Financial Times and the Voice of America. They said that the system is made to revive "a state presence in residential life that had receded as society liberalized in recent decades," especially in some regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang. Song Luzheng, a political science expert at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, said that the reason why some Western scholars and media outlets hold such suspicious attitudes toward the grid management is that in their culture, the values of liberalism are dominant. The state is a "necessary evil" and its presence must be contained, otherwise it infringes on the rights of individuals. "But in China's culture and political tradition, the state, the Party and the people have shared interests. So that's why some foreign observers and media will misunderstand or even demonize this system, because they are using their own standards and values to judge eastern civilizations which are very different from their own." How it works There are 93,100 people living in the 6.24-square-kilometer Daning Road subdistrict, of which 23,400 are nonnative residents. Markets, commercial plazas, railway stations and nearly 3,000 enterprises are located there. The grid management system has assisted the local government agencies in handling situations more efficiently. The system enables nationwide instructions, policies and rules to reach every resident in this lively and busy area, which is beneficial for authorities and the public together in preventing and controlling the spread of the virus, the street office staffer Yang Rong said. The system enables nationwide instructions, policies and rules to reach every resident in this lively and busy area, which is beneficial for authorities and the public together in preventing and controlling the spread of the virus, the street office staffer Yang Rong told the Global Times Monday. Shanghai is regulating residents to register with local neighborhood communities to buy medical masks from Sunday. With the help of the grid management system, Daning Road subdistrict was able to quickly inform all of its residents and collected registration information across all of its 24 neighborhood communities, Yang said. In Fengcheng, a county-level city administrated by Dandong city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, since January 26, the second day of the Lunar New Year, all civil servants have been working around the clock, especially with those at the community, village and county level government agencies, according to the local authorities. Their daily routine work includes dispatching virus-related scientific popularization booklets to every household in their administration areas to increase disease prevention awareness, help clarify rumors about the epidemic, and work at designed areas to take temperatures of passers-by and allow for timely registration of those who had come back from Hubei Province, according to a local official, who asked not to be named. So far, there have been no reports of confirmed cases in Fengcheng, however, everyone remains on high alert, she said. A community worker in southern Beijing surnamed Zhang told the Global Times on Tuesday that she had returned to work on Spring Festival Eve and has not taken a day off since. Zhang and her colleagues were first tasked with contacting people who recently came back from Wuhan or had close contacts with such people, which in only a few days evolved into gathering travel and health information on everyone in her area, making phone call after phone call to roughly 600 families. Starting Friday, community workers began to seal off entrances to residential communities, leaving only one or two open to measure body temperatures and register people who came and went. Sometimes there will be people who are not willing to cooperate, and community workers had to put forward explanations. But some would make complaints to Zhang's superiors, to which Zhang feels wronged by. "This job is very tiring, both physically and mentally, especially in the freezing wind," Zhang said. "But I'm responsible for my area, and I can't let people become exposed to the viral threat," she said. Modernized measures The grid management system is extremely crucial in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, where the outbreak started and still suffering from the most serious situation in the county. Wuhan-based residents told the Global Times that the local authorities have organized massive volunteer squads, mainly consisting of CPC members, to work with state-run digital online platforms to locate infected people and provide immediate treatment and conduct quarantine since January 25. "Previously, when people reported fever, they would arrive at hospitals via cars or pubic transport. Now, the government has banned private transportation and cut off connections between individuals and hospitals, which is difficult to organize and would increase the risk of cross-transmission, but it was replaced with a more efficient and secure mechanism," said a person who requested anonymity. When people discovered that they had fever-like symptoms, they could remain at home and reported on a mobile phone app called "Wuhan Wei Linli" (meaning Wuhan online neighbors), which the government told residents to install, and then the app will provide an online immediate diagnosis, some locals noted. Once suspected infected persons have been verified, they will be located immediately by the app, and the nearest volunteers will receive instructions and relevant information, then they will arrange specific transportation to send the infected persons to the hospital for further treatment, tests or quarantine. The app will update information about the patient's situation, inform people who live in the same community as the suspected cases, then the volunteers will arrange professional personnel to conduct disinfection work in the residences of the infected patients and also quarantine their recent contacts. Song noted that if foreign observers learned accurately how the grid management system operates in the fight against the coronavirus, they may change their suspicious views, as they will have a better understanding about the importance of state presence in maintaining public order. "The community grid management system is a modernized governance innovation in China. Facts prove that it is not an authoritarian machine designed to keep surveillance on people in Xinjiang and Tibet, but that it's a crucial advantage for the state to better serve their people, whether in normal times or serious situations," he noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two men charged over a wild racecourse brawl that went viral around the world celebrated outside court after they were sentenced over the bizarre fight. Matthew Samuel Becker, 32, and Bailey Petrie, 19, appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to one count of affray. The pair were charged over their involvement in a 30-person scuffle that broke out at Rosehill racecourse in December dubbed 'the war of the roses' after a woman was seen trying to use a bunch of flowers to break it up. The two were sentenced to 18 months of community service and an $800 fine. Bailey Petrie (left), Matthew Samuel Becker (centre) and Brandon Thomas Locke-Walker (right) pictured outside Parramatta Local Court last month. Petrie and Becker were given 18 months of community service convictions and a $800 fine Hayley Luke (right) became the face of the incident for her desperate efforts in coming to the aid of her father Steve (centre) after he was knocked to the ground while trading blows Brandon Walker (left) at Rosehill Racecourse in December After the hearing, a beaming Becker was seen pumping his fist in the air, apparently celebrating avoiding jail. He was accompanied by Brandon Thomas Locke-Walker, 22 - also charged in the brawl - who was heard telling him, 'you're a free man, you're a free man,' The Daily Telegraph reported. Magistrate Robyn Denes acknowledged the men's claims of self defence, but said their actions were 'no different to other alcohol-fuelled violence'. Four other men were charged in the fight, including Beau Hollitt, Stephen John Luke, his son Nathan James Luke, and Brandon Thomas Locke-Walker. Hollitt and Nathan Luke are scheduled to appear in court on February 18. Extraordinary photographs showing men trading blows at the racecourse made headlines in December thanks largely to the efforts of one woman who tried to use a bunch of red roses to break up the fight. Security guards watch on, helpless to stop the Rosehill Racecourse brawl that has since been dubbed 'the war of the roses' Brandon Walker (left) appears to throw a punch at Nathan Luke (right) as shocked patrons standing around watch on After a court appearance last month, Becker claimed his group of friends were not the ones who initiated the brawl. 'We were staring (at them) and they go: ''What are you staring it?'',' he claimed. 'Then one of the boys said "Well, your missus is hot" and that pretty much started it.' In the days after the brawl, Mr Luke's wife Sharyn revealed that her family - including her daughter Hayley who was the one wielding the bunch of red roses - had been having an early Christmas celebration when trouble kicked off. The brawl erupted as thousands of punters left Rosehill Racecourse after a long day of festivities. A photographer standing nearby took a series of photos as the violent struggle erupted, with security guards seen watching on helpless to stop the scuffle evolving. By the time police arrived at the Australian Turf Club venue most of those involved had left the racecourse. Police chased down and boarded the hire bus the the Luke group was in, before issuing court attendance notices to the six men. Indonesian sailors who were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants eat a meal at a local government officials house after they were released from captivity in Jolo, southern Philippines, Feb. 5, 2016. Philippine government security forces were looking for a Filipino doctor and gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf militants who abducted him from his home in southern Sulu province, a regional military spokesman said Wednesday. At least four men in police and military uniforms snatched the victim, Dr. Daniel Moreno, from his residence near a police station and the municipal hall in Jolo, the provincial capital, on Tuesday evening, Maj. Arvin John Encinas said. The island province in the far south is known as a hotbed for Abu Sayyaf Group militants linked with Islamic State (IS) extremists. The men who took Moreno then sped off toward Indanan, a remote town largely under the control of Abu Sayyaf, Encinas said. The Abu Sayyaf Group is likely responsible for the abduction, Encinas said, emphasizing that the kidnapping bore the groups hallmark. The Metro Jolo Interagency Task Group, composed of military and police units, launched pursuit operations to recover the victim, he said. But no group had yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, nor demanded ransom. It is possible that Abu Sayyaf kidnapped the doctor so he could provide medical assistance to comrades who were injured when the outlawed group suffered heavy casualties during firefights with the military in the region last month, Encinas said. At least five suspected Abu Sayyaf members were killed and others wounded in two clashes with government forces in neighboring Tawi-Tawi province on Jan. 18-19. The incidents occurred after the military received an alert that gunmen were spotted in the area transporting five Indonesian fishermen, who had been abducted at sea in waters in Sabah, a nearby state in Malaysian Borneo. The military had previously reminded medical practitioners and health workers to be cautious for their security, because Abu Sayyaf was known for kidnapping doctors in order to treat the groups wounded fighters. The Abu Sayyaf Group is the smallest of several armed groups operating in the southern Philippines, but it is considered the most brutal one. In 2016, Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded two Canadian hostages and a German captive after their governments refused to pay ransoms for their release. In May 2017, Abu Sayyaf figures allied with IS and foreign militants led a takeover of the southern Marawi city. They were defeated five months later after a battle with Philippine forces that killed an estimated 1,200 militants, soldiers and civilians and left the city in ruins. In January 2019, an Abu Sayyaf unit helped two Indonesian suicide bombers kill 23 people during an attack on a church in Jolo. Every year, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo adds plenty of new attractions to keep things fresh. Theyve done that again this year, but for many longtime fans, the biggest changes to the event will be geographic. So get a map of the grounds, people, because the fairgrounds layout has changed, and a number of popular attractions are no longer where they used to be. We did studies and made some changes to where things are located to improve traffic flow, said Lauren Sides, the stock show and rodeos communications and public relations manager. We hope the changes will provide our guests with a better experience. Perhaps the biggest change is that the carnival has been moved from its longtime home near the south end of the Freeman Coliseum to a larger area in Parking Lot No. 4 on the east side of the AT&T Center, adjacent to the livestock barns. San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo The new location has room for a dozen more rides than last year, for a total of 60, Sides said, including a larger roller coaster. Two other popular attractions, the High Energy Show and the Swifty Swine Pig Races, will be moved to the area so those who only go to the carnival can get a taste of what theyre missing in the rest of the fairgrounds. Heres a look at some of the other big changes and new wrinkles. (For advance tickets, full schedules and to register for events, visit sarodeo.com): Bustin in the Barn: A new place for an old favorite: mutton busting. Kids 4 to 7 weighing 55 pounds or less will compete to see how long they can stay atop a sprinting sheep, with winners earning a chance to ride in the big boy (and girl) rodeo event inside the AT&T Center. Texas Wildlife Expo: The interactive exhibit that teaches visitors about native Texas wildlife and how to conserve natural resources moves into the Freeman Coliseum concourse and to the outside of the building. Live music: A new music stage, dubbed Chute 7, has been added to the east side of the AT&T Center. It will feature cover bands playing classic rock. Four other stages will, for the first time, specialize in specific musical genres. The Food Court Pavilion stage will feature Tejano and Mexican-influenced music; the Watering Hole stage will be all about acoustic music; the Courtyard stage will be where local country music lives; and the members-only Frontier Club stage will feature local country music and cover bands. Charreada: The rodeos first-ever Mexican rodeo will take place at 5 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Expo Hall. Tickets are $20, which includes fairgrounds admission. Rodeo wildcard event: Rodeo performers will compete Feb. 10-16 in the Expo Hall for the opportunity to participate in the rodeo wildcard performance on Feb. 21 in the AT&T Center. Dan-Dan the Farmer Man: A kid-friendly interactive comedy show plays daily inside Little Buckaroo Farms. New foods: In addition to longtime favorites, new on the menu are cosmic cotton candy and rattlesnake sausage. Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini Police on Wednesday arrested two people, including a woman, for allegedly giving shelter to the three undertrials who escaped from the high-security Central Jail in Amritsar recently. The accused are relatives of the two of the undertials, who had escaped by scaling the boundary walls of the prison on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Police Commissioner S S Gill in a statement here said Paramjit Kaur, sister of the undertrials Gurpreet Singh and Jarnail Singh; and Sukhwinder Singh, who is brother-in-law of Gurpreet, were arrested for giving shelter to the undertrials after they escaped from the jail. They also gave shelter to the third undertrial, Vishal Kumar, he said. Police said Kaur and Sukhwinder met them in the jail in November, where the escape plan was hatched. According to the plan, a rented accommodation was arranged in Tarn Taran district, where the undertrials stayed after escaping from the jail. Police said a hunt was on to nab the prisoners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rather than working to end the Israeli occupation, the Palestinian leadership has become a key component of it. Security coordination with the Israeli military, which was written into the Oslo Accords, has become the Palestinian Authoritys core duty: It takes up more of its budget than the education, health and agriculture sectors combined. That eroded Palestinians trust in the authority, and incentivized corruption and surveillance in Palestinian communities. Twenty-five years later, the authority has failed to deliver peace, justice and self-determination for the Palestinians. Under the guise of pursuing peace, security coordination has enabled Israel to continue encroaching into occupied Palestinian land on the one hand and entrenching the one-state reality on the other. Over half a century after the occupation began and a quarter of a century after the signing of the Oslo Accords, it should come as no surprise that Israel is now primed to formally annex almost all of its settlements and the Jordan Valley (altogether constituting up to 30 percent of the West Bank). The real lesson here is the disposability of the Palestinian partner no matter how acquiescent it may be. The marginalization of the Palestinian Authority by Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu has demonstrated once and for all that Palestinians have no place in any future plans. This dynamic is not unique to the current administration in Washington, although it has been made especially explicit by it. American presidents from both parties have pursued policies that ignored, undermined and weakened Palestinian leaders for decades. As was the case in the negotiations before Oslo, the options for Palestinians are limited to either accepting permanent occupation, or having it imposed on them against their will. The Trump peace plan and Mr. Abbass response show that Palestinians have no way to hold their occupier to account through their current political leadership. What would the outcome have been if the Palestinian leadership had never complied with Israeli dictates particularly around security coordination? Where would we be today had the thousand nos been uttered 25 years ago? Painful as these questions may be for Palestinians, they present an opportunity for all parties to finally reframe the conversation. Many Palestinians, including millions of refugees, are no longer willing to wait for piecemeal negotiations over scraps of land. But while there is a general distaste for a peace process that has delivered little for the Palestinians, many avenues remain open. One is through the International Criminal Court a process already begun by the recent war crimes investigation into Israels use of force in the 2014 incursion on Gaza and the transfer of Israeli civilians into the occupied West Bank. (Such are Israeli fears of prosecution that the Trump peace plan expressly prohibits the Palestinians from partaking in any action at the court.) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for an end to fighting between Turkey and Syria in Syria's opposition-held province of Idlib on Tuesday. Guterres told reporters it was an "extremely worrying" escalation in the conflict that the Turkish army and the Syrian army were now "bombing each other" in the restive northwest region. "My strong appeal is for a cessation of hostilities," he said. "We don't believe there is a military solution for the conflict in Syria. We have said time and time again that the solution is political," Guterres added. On Monday, the Turkish and Syrian armies engaged in their deadliest clashes since Ankara sent troops to Syria in 2016. Regime shelling of Turkish positions in Idlib killed at least five Turkish soldiers and three civilians, Ankara said. Retaliatory fire from Turkey killed at least 13 Syrian government troops, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The incident further tested the uneasy coordination between Russia and Turkey -- the two main foreign brokers in the Syrian conflict. Russian-backed Syrian government forces and militia have retaken dozens of villages in the last rebel enclave in recent weeks, pushing displaced populations ever closer to the Turkish border. On Tuesday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would not allow Syrian forces to gain further ground. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (Agence France-Presse) Banda Aceh, Indonesia Wed, February 5, 2020 14:55 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b606b 2 National aceh,cannabis,cannabis-legalization,marijuana,marijuana-plants,coffee Free Agus plunges a wooden paddle into his coffee and marijuana-filled wok, taking care to roast just the right mix of ingredients -- and stay one step ahead of police in Indonesia's Aceh province. His contraband brew is a hit with locals and buyers in other parts of the Southeast Asian archipelago, who pay 1.0 million rupiah ($75) for a kilo of it. But this is risky business in Aceh, where even drinking alcohol or kissing in public can earn you a painful whipping under its strict Islamic law. Agus, not his real name, is part of a clandestine economy in the region at the tip of Sumatra which, despite its no-nonsense reputation, is Indonesia's top weed-producer with fields covering an area nearly seven times the size of Singapore, according to official estimates. Pot was once so common in Aceh that locals grew it in their backyards and marijuana was sold to the public. But it was outlawed in the Seventies and Muslim majority Indonesia has since adopted some of the world's strictest drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers. The nation has declared itself in the midst of a drug "emergency" because of soaring methamphetamine use. But the situation is Aceh is muddled. Police hunt weed farmers, imprison users and torch mountains of confiscated marijuana -- more than 100 tons last year alone. Yet just last week a lawmaker from the province proposed in Parliament that the drug should be legalized, so the country could export it for pharmaceutical purposes. He was quickly reprimanded by his Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), while the national narcotics agency slammed the proposal claiming it would discourage Aceh ganja farmers from adopting its suggestions to switch to vegetables and other crops. Despite the risks, Agus, claims he has little fear of going to jail. "How can you ban something that's everywhere?" he said, adding: "It's all over Aceh. This huge crackdown just makes it rarer to see in public but people still use it." Most days, his biggest concern is hitting the perfect ratio for his java -- 70 percent coffee and 30 percent marijuana. "If you put more than 30 percent ganja in there then you lose the coffee taste," he explained. For two decades Agus was a white collar professional but he swapped his prestigious career for a more lucrative trade in order to better support his family. "I wanted to focus on coffee because this is my area of expertise," he added. Agus insists his recipe offers a pleasant, less intense high than smoking it or eating popular dodol ganja. The local specialty mixes marijuana with a fudgy sweet made from glutinous rice, palm sugar and coconut milk. "That stuff can really make you hallucinate," Agus said. How marijuana became a thing in Aceh is a matter of debate. Some say it was brought by Dutch colonists hundreds of years ago as a gift for a sultan in the jungle-clad region. But local historian Tarmizi Abdul Hamid counters that marijuana use -- for everything from medicine and cooking to repelling pests from crops and preserving food -- can be found in manuscripts that pre-date the Dutch arrival. "It shows that ganja can be used to cure baldness or high blood pressure," he said of one text. "Ganja was also used for cooking and medicine. Smoking, however, is not mentioned in the ancient scriptures," he added. Centuries later, marijuana was on the front lines -- literally -- of a separatist insurgency in Aceh. Former weed farmer Fauzan remembers harvesting his crop when bullets started flying across his field in a shootout between government soldiers and rebels back in 2002, three years before a peace deal ended the bloody conflict. Fauzan estimates that some 80 percent of the people in his hometown Lamteuba, about 50 kilometers from provincial capital Banda Aceh, were once ganja farmers. Locals in the one-time rebel stronghold created secret pathways to their lucrative crops and even built hiding places to stash their weed harvest in a cat-and-mouse game with authorities. "This village is like heaven. Whatever you plant here it'll grow," Fauzan said. "Throw a ganja seed on the ground, leave it and then come back for the harvest." But, fearing arrest, he later quit the trade. Fauzan, who now grows chilies to support his family, works with the government to convince farmers to switch to vegetables and other crops. That's a hard sell in an impoverished village with few job opportunities. "If the government doesn't take care of people and supply assistance, they're likely to go back to their old routine," Fauzan acknowledged. For pot enthusiast Iqbal -- not his real name -- the only thing prohibition has done is make locals better at hiding pot in a cup of coffee or plate of noodles. He mused: "It's impossible to get rid of ganja in Aceh. Cracking down on meth by destroying a lab is easier. But when police destroy a ganja plantation, it'll just grow somewhere else." Update: Qualcomm reached out with a new video link as the original upload had some issues. Embedded video below has been updated with new link. Original story follows below. Qualcomms newest Snapdragon 865 chipset is going to power high-end devices this year, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S20, set to be announced next week. Today, Qualcomm posted an 8K video sample that was recorded using hardware powered by the new chipset. The Spectra 480 ISP is found inside the Snapdragon 865 and can process 2 gigapixels per second. Its also theoretically capable of capturing 200 MP still images and simultaneously capture 4K HDR video and 64MP stills. Smartphones with the Snapdragon 865 can capture professional image quality and will pack exciting new camera features including 8K video capture. See the dramatic landscaped of Arizona in 8K video loaded with 33-megapixels! So its big, sharp, and shared in its full glory on YouTube. The hardware used was the Qualcomm chipset paired with a Sony IMX586 48MP sensor on a prototype smartphone. The video quality itself is difficult to judge. It was shot with pre-production hardware and the resulting video looks noisy and grainy, which could be due to YouTube compression or the actual hardware. Plus, Between November (when the footage was shot) til now, we imagine that the video quality has improved since then. It doesnt seem like 8K video will all of a sudden take over on our TVs and smartphones anytime soon. The most immediate benefit of shooting video in such a high resolution is to down sample it to 4K resolution. After all, a similar thing has happened with quad-bayer camera sensors taking more detail to produce clearer images. Besides, is 8K video became more prevalent, wed need a heck of a lot more storage to save them. It was rumored that the Galaxy S20 Ultra would be able to record video in 8K resolution with its 108MP camera sensor. We are excited to see how much Samsungs image quality improves on the Galaxy S20. Only a week until then. Snapdragon 865 spec page Four years after the Utah state legislature passed a resolution officially declaring porn a public health hazard, a new bill introduced in the state this week takes that declaration one step further. If passed, the bill sponsored by Republican Brady Brammer would require every porn site to post a health hazard warning label on every video or still image containing sexually explicit content, or even nudity. The health warning would be required to remain on-screen for at least 15 seconds before the user may being viewing the desired image or video. The warning requirement would also apply to print publications, which under the bill must display the health hazard label prominently on their front covers. Porn sites that fail to post the warning labels would be subject to fines of $2,500for each offense. In other words, a single video without a warning viewed by 1,000 Utah users would cost the offending porn site a whopping $2.5 million in fines, according to a report by UtahPolicy.com. Brammer compared the bill to Californias toxic warning law, which requires manufacturers to label products warning consumers of any harmful substances they contain. The warnings would be based on the same largely debunked and iffy studies promoted by anti-porn organizations designed to show the alleged hazardous effects of viewing sexual content. "Exposing minors to pornography is known to the state of Utah to cause negative impacts to brain development, emotional development, and the ability to maintain intimate relationships, the warning label would read, as required by Brammers bill. Such exposure may lead to harmful and addictive sexual behavior, low self-esteem, and the improper objectification of and sexual violence towards others, among numerous other harms." Brammer told UtahPolicy.com that he submitted his bill for vetting by state legislative attorneys, and none gave him so much as a note about the constitutionality of the proposed law, which directs its fines only at porn sites that post original adult material, not at the internet platforms or services that may transmit or redistribute the explicit images. The proposed law defines pornography as any description or representation, in whatsoever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse, that may appeal to the prurient interest in sex of minors. Photo By Andrew Smith / Wikimedia Commons A young mother has been left disgusted and horrified after running a bath for her baby in a town recovering from bushfire to see the water turn a sickly black colour. Michelle Potts, from Lithgow in the Blue Mountains north-west of Sydney, said she saw the unsightly-coloured liquid stream out of her tap in the past week. Ms Potts said while the water first ran clear, when she turned away to undress her daughter the liquid streaming into the bathtub suddenly turned a much darker shade. A young mother has been left disgusted and horrified after running a bath (left) for her baby in bushfire-affected Lithgow in New South Wales' Blue Mountains only to see it turn a sickly black colour. Brown water pictured right last week coming from a local business tap 'It looked like Coke, that is how dark the colour of the water was. It was just gross,' the mother told 9News. Lithgow City Council has said the water contains iron and manganese sediment, which while unpleasant to look at does not pose a health risk. The mother's putrid discovery comes as the nearly 22,000 residents of the idyllic town on the national park's western edge battle water outages they say have become worse in the past two months. Lithgow saw its water supply muddied after the Gospers Mountain fire destroyed about five homes on December 21. In a water supply update, the council said high demand from firefighters battling the blaze had caused a water main to break on December 23. Residents were still dealing with dirty water though as late as Christmas Eve, with one saying the lack of water supply heightened concern already high from the advancing flames. Others in the valley town have now taken preventative measures including buying their own water (one resident's supply pictured) to make sure they don't get caught out by the next outage 'We were all on edge and guess what, the water went out. It was panic. We had no water, there was wind and it was just a nightmare,' resident Macgregor Ross said. The ongoing outages have meanwhile forced The Lithgow Tin Shed to close for five days in the past six weeks - resulting in a loss of business of about $60,000. Mr Ross has called for the whole water system in Lithgow to be replaced - financed by the state and federal government - in a change.org petition entitled Fix Lithgow water. 'Continually patching up one part of the system only leads to a break down in another part of the system,' he wrote in the petition. A bathtub in Lithgow is pictured a murky green. Residents are calling for the whole water system in Lithgow to be replaced 'We call on our local State & Federal members and the governments they serve on to provide the necessary funds to rebuild Lithgow's failing water delivery system.' Others in the valley town have also taken preventative measures to make sure they don't get caught out by the next outage. One resident Tom Strasser posted in a local community Facebook page he had bought three 20-litre containers of water. 'Don't get caught out without water when the next water outage hits Lithgow, and it it will,' he wrote. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lithgow City Council for further comment. 05.02.2020 LISTEN The state has discontinued the case against the founder of collapsed UT Bank, Prince Kofi Amoateng at the circuit court. Kofi Amoabeng was facing charges of stealing and money laundering following the alleged role he played in the collapse of UT bank. According to the prosecution represented by ASP Emmanuel Nyamekye, they intend to file a fresh case against Mr. Amoabeng at the High Court hence their decision. The decision means the trial at the circuit has been brought to an end. Meanwhile, a similar case which involves Managing Director of defunct Beige Bank, Mike Nyinaku at the same circuit court has been adjourned to March 5, 2020. Kofi Amoabeng before court Mr. Amoabeng was put before court in January to face charges of stealing and money laundering in the collapse of UT Bank Ghana Limited. He was however granted bail, by the court presided over by Justice Essandor, to the tune of GHS110 million with two sureties who earn not less than GHS 2,000. UT Bank collapse The Bank of Ghana on August 14, 2017, announced that it had revoked the license of UT Bank and ordered GCB Bank to take over its operation because it had severe capital impairment. Provisional figures released by the central bank showed the total liability of UT Bank stood at GH850 million while its total asset was pegged at GH112 million. ---citinewsroom A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he walks during a snowfall in an empty commercial street in Beijing, China on Feb. 5, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Another 10 Test Positive on Cruise Ship Quarantined in Japan, Taking Total to 20: Coronavirus Updates for Feb. 5 Roughly two dozen countries around the world have taken precautionary measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus as the death toll continues to rise. This page has updates from Feb. 5. For updates from Feb. 6, click here. Another 10 Test Positive on Cruise Ship Quarantined in Japan, Taking Total to 20 Japanese media have reported another 10 people testing positive for coronavirus aboard the now-quarantined Carnival Japan Inc.s Diamond Princess cruise ship, taking the total number of infections from 10 to 20. Japans health ministry confirmed Thursday that the 10 new cases were among 71 test results returned from 273 passengers who were tested for the virus earlier this week. Test results for 202 passengers are still pending. All 20 patients have been removed from the vessel and sent to hospitals in Kanagawa Prefecture for monitoring and isolation. The ship, which carries around 3,700 passengers, is now docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama. Passengers will be quarantined onboard for at least 14 days. One American, two Australians, three Hong Kongers, one Filipino staff member, and three Japanese were the first 10 to test positive for the virus. They were all between 50 to 80, the ministry said. Its unclear who the other 10 patients are at this stage. House Panel Holds First Hearing on Coronavirus Outbreak A congressional hearing has heard testimony from three health policy experts who have assessed the recent coronavirus outbreak and the response to it. Jennifer Nuzzo, associate professor and senior scholar from Johns Hopkins University, told the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation: Evidence is mounting each day that it may not be possible to contain this virus. What this means is that if its not possible to completely stop disease transmission, we must plan for how we will mitigate the impacts of the virus as it spreads. Read more here. 3,700 Quarantined on Dream Cruises Ship in Hong Kong Nearly 3,700 people on a Dream Cruises ship are undergoing testing for the Wuhan coronavirus while theyre being held on the vessel off the coast of Hong Kong. Three people who were on the cruise between Jan. 19 and Jan. 24 tested positive for coronavirus, which has ravaged parts of China and triggered lockdowns, according to a letter from Dream Cruises (pdf). The Taiwanese government blocked the ship from making its port of call in Kaohsiung, forcing it to return to Hong Kong, the letter said. A general view shows the World Dream cruise ship, docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on February 5, 2020 (PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images) Hong Kongs health department said that 90 percent of the people on the cruise are from Hong Kong and added that no mainland Chinese were on board the World Dream, Reuters reported. Its unclear clear how long passengers and crew would be held on the cruise ship. We would like to inform you that all passengers had received stringent temperature checks in Guangzhou Nansha upon disembarkation on Jan. 24, while any person who had a fever was further tested for coronavirus, according to the letter. Wisconsin Confirms First Case of Coronavirus, 12th in US The 12th U.S. case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wisconsin by state health officials. According to the Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security, the patient came into contact with the virus while traveling in mainland China sometime in the past two weeks. The Wisconsin patient is in home isolation and doesnt require hospitalization, reported NBC26 and Fox6. Read more here. Plane Turns Around After Passenger Claims to Have Coronavirus: Police A plane had to turn around and fly 1,000 miles back home because a man on board claimed to have caught the Wuhan coronavirus. On Monday, a WestJet flight from Toronto, Canada, to Montego Bay, Jamaica, turned around after a man declared that he had contracted coronavirus. The Peel Regional Police said James Potok, 28, was charged with criminal mischief after he stood up and announced that he had been to China and has the coronavirus, which was shared with the pilots and flight crew. A decision was then made to return the flight to Pearson Airport. The man was assessed by medical staff upon arrival and was declared coronavirus-free, according to police. The man was charged and is due in court in March. Read more here. A plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2020. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) Four Planes Carrying Evacuees Landing in US This Week Two planes carrying evacuees from Wuhan, Chinathe epicenter of the new coronaviruslanded in California on Wednesday while two other planes were slated to land elsewhere on Thursday, federal officials said. The two planes that landed on Wednesday arrived at Travis Airport Base between Sacramento and San Francisco, the U.S. military said. One plane was continuing to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. On Thursday, one additional plane will land at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, while the fourth will land at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel would meet the planes and assess the health of the passengers through temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms. The passengers will be quarantined for 14 days, the outer edge of the incubation period, from their departure from Wuhan. Chinese Citizens Say Authorities Misallocating Donations Sources inside China are accusing authorities of mishandling the distribution of supplies that the public has donated to help with the coronavirus response. Doctors and nurses from several hospitals designated to treat the coronavirus have turned to social media to plead for help. Videos shared online show medical staff wearing trash bags due to the lack of protective suits and shoe covers. On Jan. 31, spokeswoman for the Union Hospital in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the outbreak, told state-run media Shangyou News: We keep on receiving donated materials. But we have a lot of patients, and [medical staff] use a large amount of those materials, she said. Read more here. Teen Dies Alone at Home After Father is Quarantined A teenager with cerebral palsy was left alone at home in Huanggang City, Hubei Province when his father was quarantined after showing symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus. 17-year-old Yan Cheng died from inadequate care a few days later. Chengs father, 49-year-old Yan Xiaowen, developed a fever on Jan. 19. Local authorities took Yan and his younger son away to a designated clinic office for quarantine, leaving Cheng on his own without adequate care and supervision, according to a report by Chinas Autistic Child Service Platform Rice and Millet on Chinese social media. Huanggang is 46 miles away from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Yan is a native of Huanggang who has been working and living in Wuhan with his two sons in the past few years. Read more here. member of the Airport Medical Service takes a temperature reading from staff members with a digital thermometer at Budapests Liszt Ferenc Airport on Feb. 5, 2020, during a presentation for the press. The international airport prepared special control measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images) US Hasnt Verified Pregnancy Reports The United States has not verified reports that babies are being infected with the coronavirus in China, a top health official said on Feb. 5. We have read with interest this report of neonatal, vertical transmission coming from China. For a respiratory virus, it would be pretty unusual. However, theres a lot about this coronavirus that we do not know, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a phone call with reporters. Doctors at Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday that pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children. The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2, according to state television. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and was confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. The newborn has stable vital signs and no fever or cough, but was experiencing shortness of breath, the doctors said. Chest x-rays showed signs of infection and there were some abnormalities in liver function. The hospital also disclosed details of a second case involving an infant who was born healthy on Jan. 13. The babys nanny was later diagnosed with the virus and the mother days later. The baby started showing symptoms on Jan 29. Chinese Man Questioned After Filming Videos If Fang Bin, a self-described citizen journalist from the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan, expected police to track him down, he didnt expect it would happen so fast. For days on end, he had been driving around the town, documenting every step of the way with his phone to document life in a now locked-down city. On the morning of Feb. 1 alone, he had visited five hospitals where doctors hustled about in the packed halls and frantic patients groaned and sobbed. At the fifth hospital, he counted eight dead bodies from a funeral van, all within five minutes after he arrived at the hospital. Inside, a sick boy moaned and gasped for breath by the bedside of his father, who had already turned lifeless. Fang uploaded all of these moments to the internet. Around 7 p.m. that evening, half a dozen masked men wearing hazmat suits visited his property, demanding to take his temperature. Read more here. US Working With Biotech Firm to Create Virus Treatment The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will collaborate with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to develop new treatments to combat the Novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, it announced on Feb. 4. The New York-based biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will work in partnership with the department to develop multiple monoclonal antibodies that could be used individually or in combination to treat the virus, according to a press statement. These monoclonal antibodies are produced by a single clone of cells or a cell line with identical antibody molecules and bind to certain proteins of a virus, reducing its ability to infect human cells. HHSs Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Regeneron have had a partnership since 2014 and the company will use the same VelociSuite technology it used to develop a promising investigational three-antibody therapeutic which was used to treat Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019, the statement said. Read more here. People wear surgical masks in fear of the coronavirus in Flushing, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) Suspected NYC Case Tests Negative One of three people suspected of having the novel (new) coronavirus in New York City does not have the virus, tests confirmed. The person is hospitalized at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in the borough of Manhattan. The first person who met the criteria to have samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was found not to have the 2019 novel coronavirus, said city Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot in a statement. The response and care the patient received reflects how well the systems we have in place are working. We want to thank everyone for all they did, and we will keep New Yorkers informed as the situation develops. Read more here. Cathay Pacific Wants Workers to Take Unpaid Leave Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific Airways asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, saying preserving cash was key for the carrier and that conditions were as grave as during the 2009 financial crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak. Cathay is also asking suppliers for price reductions, putting in place hiring freezes, postponing major projects, and stopping all non-critical spending, Chief Executive Augustus Tang said in a video message to staff. On Tuesday, the carrier said it planned to cut about 30 percent of capacity over the next two months, including about 90 percent of flights to mainland China. Cathay had already experienced a sharp fall in demand since the middle of last year due to widespread anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Read more here. Hong Kong Confirms 21 Cases Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Feb. 5 that there were six new cases confirmed in the last two days in the city, bringing the total to 21. She added that these new cases showed the worsening trend of the coronavirus outbreak, since the three patients that tested positive yesterday did not travel outside Hong Kong during the viruss incubation period. Scientists say the coronavirus has an incubation periodthe period between exposure and the onset of symptomsof up to 14 days. Lam said that these three local infection cases proved that the next 14 days will be critical, to prevent the virus from spreading further in local communities. Among the 21, two patients infected with the diseases are in critical condition, Lam said. To further tackle the outbreak, Lam announced that Hongkongers and other travelers from China returning to Hong Kong will be placed under compulsory quarantine for 14 days. The new measure will be effective beginning at midnight on Feb. 8. A man wearing a respirator mask waits for his ferry in Hong Kong on Feb. 5, 2020, as a preventative measure following a virus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images) Taiwan Bans Entry to Chinese Nationals Chen Shih-chung, Taiwans health minister, announced on Feb. 5 that Chinese nationals living in China have been banned from entering the island. The ban will be effective beginning Feb. 6. Additionally, Chen announced that travelers to Hong Kong and Macao will be quarantined at home for 14 days after returning to Taiwan. The Philippines Reports 3rd Case of Coronavirus A 60-year-old Chinese woman has tested positive for the virus in the Philippines, local newspaper Sun Star reported on Wednesday, citing the health department. The woman arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan via Hong Kong on Jan. 20. She went to a private hospital in Bohol after having a fever. Several samples were taken from the woman on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, and were tested in Australia. On Jan. 29, the Filipino health department received notice of results of her test sample from Jan. 24, which showed negative for the virus at the time. The woman returned to China after recovering on an unknown date. However, the Filipino health department was alerted on Monday that her sample from Jan. 23 tested positive for the new coronavirus. First Indonesian Tests Positive An Indonesian migrant worker in Singapore has tested positive for the new coronavirus, Jakarta Globe reported on Wednesday, citing Indonesias manpower minister Ida Fauziyah. She is 44 years old and works as a maid there, Fauziyah said, adding that the female worker is now being treated at the Singapore General Hospital. Citing a tweet from the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Jakarta Globe stated that the female worker had not traveled to China, but her employer tested positive and is among one of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Singapore. Currently, Singapore has 24 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Officers in protective gears carry luggage cases after people who were transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess, arrive at a maritime polices base in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 5, 2020. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters) 3 Japanese Airlines Suspend Flights to China Japans flag carrier Japan Airlines will suspend flights between Narita and Beijing and between Chubu and Shanghai from Feb. 17 until March 28, according to Japanese media reports. All Nippon Airways flights will be suspended between Narita and Beijing from Feb. 10 to March 29. It will also reduce its Haneda-Beijing services by half to seven flights per week. Budget airline Jetstar Japan has announced that its services between Narita and Shanghai will be halted from Feb. 5 to March 28. Taiwan Reports 11th Case Taiwans Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the 11th case of coronavirus in the country on Wednesday. The case involves a man in his 50s who was among 247 Taiwanese businessmen and their families who returned to Taiwan on a charter flight on Monday. The man is being treated in isolation and is in a stable condition. Chinese City Nanjing Announces Partial Lockdown Nanjing, the capital of eastern Chinas Jiangsu province, announced nine measures for small neighborhood seal-off management of the city on Feb. 4, according to Chinas state-run media. One measure requires local authorities to check and list vehicles coming into and out of neighborhoods. People from areas heavily infected by the virus, such as Wuhan in Hubei province and Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, are not allowed to enter these neighborhoods. Another measure calls for people to report to local neighborhood authorities if they have been to areas heavily infected by the virus in the past 14 days. Public places are also being closely monitored. Places that do not provide living necessities should be closed down, the announcement states, without further details. Another measure calls for a halt to all construction works, including household renovation and gas pipeline reconstruction. Currently, 27 cities in China have implemented partial lockdown measures, including Wuhan, Wenzhou, Zhengzhou in Henan province, and Linyi in Shandong province, Taiwans daily newspaper Liberty Times reported on Wednesday. People leave after buying face masks at a pharmacy at Myeongdong shopping district in Seoul on Jan. 31, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Read more here. South Korea Reports 2 New Cases The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported two new cases on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 18. One patient, a 38-year-old Korean man, was in Singapore for a conference from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24. It is known that a Malaysian man attending the conference was infected with the virus. He tested positive on Wednesday in South Korea. The second new case involved a 21-year-old female, who is the daughter of the 16th confirmed case in South Korea. She also tested positive on Wednesday. US Airlines Suspend Flights to Hong Kong United Airlines announced on Tuesday that its flights from the United States to Hong Kong would be suspended from Feb. 8 to Feb. 20. The suspension is due to the continued drop in demand, United Airlines said in a statement on its website. American Airlines also suspended its flights between the United States and Hong Kong until Feb. 20. Currently, Hong Kong has 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and one patient passed away on Tuesday. Vietnam Confirms 10th Case A 42-year-old woman in north Vietnam has been diagnosed with coronavirus, marking the 10th known case in the country, Vietnams health ministry confirmed Tuesday afternoon local time, according to local reports. The unidentified female, located in Binh Xuyen district, Vinh Phuc province, northwest of Hanoi, developed a high fever on Jan. 31, according to VnExpress. She has been isolated at a medical center and her condition is reported as stable. According to the outlet, the newly-infected woman had close contact with another confirmed case in Vietnama 23-year-old who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 17. The worker was among a group of eight employees of Japan-based Nihon Plast Company that was sent to work-related training in Wuhan two months ago. The Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,000 people sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on Feb. 4, 2020, a day after it arrived with passengers feeling ill. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images) 10 Test Positive in on Cruise Ship Carrying 3,700 Cases of coronavirus in Japan have jumped to 33 after 10 passengers aboard a quarantined cruise ship tested positive. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Wednesday morning local time that the 10 cases were among 31 results from 293 people tested so far on Carnival Japan Inc.s Diamond Princess cruise ship, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The ship, docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama, was put on lockdown as screenings continue. The screenings started late Monday after an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong who was on the ship last month tested positive for the coronavirus. From around 7:30 a.m. we had them [the 10 who tested positive] get off the vessel, and with cooperation with the coastguard we are sending them to medical organizations, he said, AFP reported. Kato added that the rest of those on board are required to remain on the ship for 14 days. The ship carries around 3,700 passengers. Read more here. Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama on Feb. 5, 2020. (STR/Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images) Frank Fang, Mimi Nguyen Ly, Jack Phillips, Zachary Stieber, Eva Fu, Katabella Roberts, Olivia Li, and Reuters contributed to this article. For updates from Feb. 4, click here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 21:39:46|Editor: yhy Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lao government officials completed a three-week training course on advanced Geographic Information Systems, which was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to enable them to undertake climate mapping and zoning. The training course, funded by the Global Environment Facility, covered spatial analysis, geo-databases, network analysis, 3D analysis, and climate modeling, local Vientiane Times daily reported on Tuesday. The course was made through collaboration between the Asian Institute of Technology and the Strengthening Agro-climatic Monitoring and Information Systems (SAMIS) project. The 20 attendees came from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under Lao Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources responsible for data management, and the Department of Agricultural Land Management's modeling staff from Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, according to the report. Scientists and academics from the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute and the National University of Laos also attended, along with officials from the Department of Forestry. A closing ceremony for the training course took place on Friday, led by Director General of the Department of Agricultural Land Management Nivong Sipaseuth, and Assistant FAO Representative to Laos Chanthalath Phongmala. Speaking at the ceremony, Chanthalath said the course would enable specialists to prepare Laos' first climate atlas in collaboration with the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. This would also assist the Department of Agricultural Land Management as it begins preparations for agro-ecological zoning at the national level. "This training aims to improve adaptation to climate change and food security in Laos under the auspices of the Strengthening Agro-climatic Monitoring and Information Systems (SAMIS) project," he added. Laos' first climate atlas and national-level agro-ecological zoning are among the initiatives being prioritized. The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology recently finalized the development of a database containing all Laos' relevant historical climate data. International experts from the SAMIS project are assisting government specialists to prepare the input database. Post-training, a continued follow-up over six months, will assist experts in Laos as they produce the modeled spatial climate data that will later be included in the climate atlas, said the report. Energy Expert Chris Yelland has warned that load-shedding is going to last a long time, which will seriously hurt the South African economy. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter recently said that instead of continuing to defer maintenance, Eskom is now actively working on maintaining its power stations. Conducting scheduled maintenance on these generation units will, unfortunately, result in more load-shedding going forward. Speaking to CNBC Africa, Yelland said De Ruyter is preparing the country for a long period of load-shedding which is set to follow. He explained that Eskom needs to switch off generators for maintenance and that the power utility does not have extra generators to switch on. We have to brace ourselves for more load-shedding which will have a very negative impact on the economy, he said. We do not see load-shedding as a temporary thing. It is going to last some time, especially with the deep level of maintenance which is being planned. No maintenance for years Eskom has historically neglected to maintain its coal power stations in order to maintain a high energy availability factor (EAF). The energy availability factor shows the percentage of Eskoms generation capacity which is available, taking into account planned maintenance and unplanned breakdowns. We ran a coal fleet like a series of kombi taxis, but we reached a high EAF, NECSA Chair and retired Eskom chief nuclear officer Dave Nicholls said. The power utilitys EAF dropped from above 90% in the mid-1990s to below 65% in 2019. This decline was attributed mostly to a lack of maintenance and the effect of breakdowns at ageing power stations. Diminishing returns on maintenance Yelland said while maintenance is very necessary, he does not expect the impact of this maintenance to be significant. I think there are going to be diminishing returns from maintenance. It is going to be costly without too big an impact, he said. He said if anything Eskom can hope to stabilize the energy availability factor where it is now which is not a good place. To hope that the EAF is going to radically improve through maintenance is too optimistic, he said. New generation capacity needed urgently What South Africa needs to stop load-shedding is low-cost renewable energy complemented by flexible generation, Yelland said. He said flexible generation comes in two forms gas-to-power and battery energy storage. He added that gas-to-power is quick to build and comes at a relatively low capital cost, which is important as Eskom does not have a lot of money to spend. The combination of gas-to-power and variable renewable energy provides reliable, stable, and dispatchable energy. Yelland said this is the future of energy and that South Africa does not need to build more coal-powered plants to solve the countrys electricity crisis. The new world of flexible power generation is turning the old concept of increasing base-load on its head, he said. A generation plant which takes a long time to build and which is inflexible in its operation is susceptible to time and cost overruns. We need short construction time, flexible generation, and lots of small plants rather than big plants to mitigate the risk associated with putting all your eggs in one basket. Rea, Shaw, Griffin and Stuart CPA Keith Evans gives a report on East Mississippi Community College's fiscal year 2019 annual audit at the EMCC Board of Trustees meeting Monday night. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images The United States has warned it was preparing crippling and impactful measures designed to force Nicolas Maduro from power as Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for the Venezuelan leaders challenger, Juan Guaido. Guaido, who has spent the last year battling so far unsuccessfully to topple Maduro, arrived at the White House on Wednesday afternoon and was met by the US president. Earlier, a senior administration official told reporters to expect the moves against Maduro in the next 30 days, without specifying what form they might take. Related: Why Trumps 'maximum pressure' foreign policy yields minimum results We are probably halfway to what maximum pressure [on Maduro] could look like, they said. We are only moving in one direction and that is forwards. The official said Trump instructed all parts of the US government to use all of the tools at their disposal to further create stress upon Maduro and his cronies. But Guaidos tete-a-tete with Trump was overshadowed by the Republican senator Mitt Romneys announcement that he would vote for the US presidents impeachment. As that news broke, journalists were abruptly excluded from a planned Oval Office encounter between Trump and Guaido by the White House press office, without immediate explanation. The previous evening Trump had used his State of the Union address to offer Guaido a high-profile show of support. As Guaido looked on from the gallery, Trump declared him the true and legitimate president of Venezuela leading a righteous struggle for freedom. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler but Maduros grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken, Trump vowed to loud applause from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. In a clear sign of how Trump sees Venezuela as an important element of his 2020 presidential campaign, he added: Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul. Observers described Trumps public blessing as a triumph for Guaido, who defied a travel ban to leave Venezuela last month and is concluding a world tour which also included meetings with Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau. Story continues I think its huge for Guaido, said Guillermo Zubillaga, a Venezuela specialist at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. It erases all the doubts about his leadership it unites people around him and it emboldens him. I dont know how this trip could have been more successful. Vanessa Neumann, Guaidos envoy to the United Kingdom, said Trumps statement of very solid support would also shield Guaido from arrest when he tried to return to Venezuela in the coming days. The senior administration official said Maduro would face very significant consequences if Guaido was harmed. But many analysts question what concrete impact Trumps words will have on Guaidos faltering campaign to force out Maduro. Luis Vicente Leon, a top Venezuelan pollster, said Guaido could certainly consider Trumps backing a victory. Juan Guaido acknowledges applause during Donald Trumps State of the Union address on Tuesday. Photograph: Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images But it was now crucial for Guaido whose domestic popularity has slumped since he launched his campaign for change in January 2019 to return home with concrete results such as increased US pressure on Maduros key allies, China and Russia. If you return with nothing new, if you cannot convert potential energy into kinetic energy, you fall back into decline. And this is a terrible danger for the oppositions ability to sustain itself in the future, said Leon. Leon, the head of the Caracas-based polling group Datanalisis, said Venezuelan politics was like an old-fashioned sugar mill: It removes your juice and then discards you. If you dont do something different, youll get put through the crusher. And whether you end up as bagazo [pulp] in Caracas or in Miami, [its the] same shit. Guaido has offered no hint of what if any additional support his allies may have offered during his tour. But during a rally in Miami on Saturday he told supporters all options are on the table but also underneath it too. Maduros foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, slammed Trumps delusional and arrogant remarks, dismissing them as part of an attempt to revive his moribund regime change strategy for Venezuela. At least 33 people were killed in eastern Turkey on Wednesday by a second avalanche which buried a team of rescuers searching for people hit by an avalanche the day before. The bodies of 33 rescue workers and civilians were discovered in Van province, where they had been helping dig out a minibus buried by snow on a mountain road in the province, which borders Iran. Five people aboard the vehicle were killed, taking the overall toll to 38. Eight people had been rescued alive from the first avalanche, the Turkish government's disaster agency AFAD said. Television images showed dozens of people scrambling up the mountains, digging through snow in blizzards to find those trapped underneath. The number of those injured was 53 in total after the second avalanche hit, the AFAD said. An avalanche slammed into a mountain road in the province, which borders Iran, wiping out a huge team of rescue workers. Source: AP Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned the number of casualties could rise as local media reported an unknown number of people could still be under the snow. Van governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said rescue efforts continued despite the difficult winter conditions causing transport problems with heavy snow continuing to fall on the mountainside. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said rescuers had paused overnight and resumed their efforts Wednesday, local time. Authorities were alerted to the first avalanche when snow-clearing vehicle operator Bahattin Karagulle escaped from his snow-covered machine and informed officials of what had happened. Emergency service members give first aid to a victim of the avalanche. Source: AP Residents joined the desperate rescue effort The AFAD agency sent dozens of rescue workers after the first disaster while local police officers and firefighters provided assistance. Local media reported that residents in nearby areas also joined the rescue efforts in an area difficult to reach in harsh winter conditions. Television images showed dozens of people scrambling up the mountains, digging through snow in blizzards to find those caught under the snow. A special military plane with 75 military officers and other rescue officials were on their way from Ankara, AFAD and the defence ministry said. Story continues Turkish soldiers and rescue workers try to rescue people after double avalanche. Source: AP Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Twitter that "every tool available was mobilised" to help officials. Last month, the eastern province of Elazig was hit by a powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake, killing 41 people and injuring over 1,600 others. A 2009 avalanche in the northeastern province of Gumushane killed 11 climbers in the Zigana mountains. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Welcoming the Delhi High Court's decision to give the four death row convicts in Nirbhaya case just a week to avail of all the legal rights available to them to avoid death sentence, the victims' mother on Wednesday said that the convicts must be hanged soon after a week. "I welcome the Delhi High Court's order. It gives all four convicts one week to exhaust all the legal remedies available to them. After this, the convicts should be hanged soon," Asha Devi, mother of the December 2012 gang-rape and murder victim, told ANI. She said that earlier there was no timeframe for the accused to exercise their legal rights to avoid the death penalty, which has now changed. "This was the only problem as they were not given any timeframe to use their remedies and thus they were trying to delay the execution. Now, it is time-bound for them. I hope their mercy petition would be dismissed by the President. I request the government to not delay the hanging anymore," she added. Nirbhaya's father, Badrinath Singh, too expressed satisfaction over the High Court's decision. He also urged the government to make changes in the jail manual to make it possible to separately hang gangrape convicts. According to present rules, all the convicts have to be executed together, and as long as even one of them has a review plea, curative petition or mercy plea pending, none of them can be executed. "The Delhi government came to power by promising safety for women. They should understand that nowadays there is a rise in gangrape cases in the country. The government should make provision for hanging the convicts one by one...I welcome today's high court decision," said Badrinath Singh. Earlier in the day, Delhi High Court granted a week's time to the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case to avail of all legal remedies available to them. A single-judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said that the proceedings against the convicts for the execution of death warrant will be initiated after a week. The High Court observed that according to Delhi Prison Rules, if a mercy petition is submitted, 14-days period has to be given to the convict after the dismissal of the mercy plea. The death warrant against all four convicts cannot be executed separately, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 23-year-old man arrested for firing two bullets in the air near the Shaheen Bagh protest site on Saturday is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member who joined the party along with his father, a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, around a year ago, the Delhi Police crime branch team said on Tuesday. Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Rajesh Deo said Kapil Gujjar and his father, Choudhary Gaje Singh, joined AAP in early 2019 in the presence of senior party leaders. Their association with the party emerged when we retrieved deleted photos and videos from Gujjars cellphone. In some of the images, Gujjar and his father are seen with AAP party leaders. The two have admitted to being members of AAP, said DCP Deo, adding that the police were probing if there was a conspiracy behind the shooting. DCP Deo did not name the senior party leaders, but photographs that surfaced on social media and WhatsApp groups show the two standing with AAP Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh and the partys Kalkaji assembly constituency candidate Atishi. Hindustan Times could nott independently verify the authenticity of the pictures. As the photographs were circulated widely on social media,Delhis ruling AAP said the Delhi police were defaming AAP on the instructions of home minister Amit Shah ahead of the February 8 assembly polls. Singh alleged that it was a conspiracy and another example of BJPs {Bharatiya Janata Partys} dirty politics. there are just three to four days left for the elections. They will release many more videos and pictures. You wait and seen how many more conspiracies they will do. I am surprised that this is being done when model code of conduct is on in the city, Singh said, adding the party will complain against the DCP with the Election Commission. Hundreds of people join the party daily....will first find out what is the status of Gujjar and his father in Aam Aadmi Party, Singh said at a press conference when asked if Gujjar was an AAP member. In a press conference, Union minister and BJPs in-charge of Delhi assembly elections, Prakash Javadekar, said said: On the one hand, AAP felicitates youths with party caps and garlands and on the other hand it uses them to shoot to create tensionAAP is misusing youth for its political selfishness and is constantly trying to incite violence in the society to get votes, but the people of Delhi have thwarted the conspiracy to incite tension, Javadekar said. Delhi chief of the BJP, Manoj Tiwari said that the gunmans association with AAP shows that the party is trying to orchestrate protests. The AAP has been exposed in the Shaheen Bagh case. AAP leader Sanjay Singh had made him(Gujjar) join the party. Sanjay Singh is also a Rajya Sabha member of Parliament. The man who was brought to the party by Singh turns out to be the gunman at Shaheen Bagh. He has been exposed. Why did the AAP plan this conspiracy? People are suffering because of the Shaheen Bagh protest. Arvind Kejriwal has been exposed. The AAP should be punished. There should be an in-depth investigation. On Saturday, at around 4.30 pm, Gujjar fired two bullets in the air from a country-made pistol less than 150 metres away from the Shaheen Bagh protest venue, where hundreds of women, men and children have been demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act for more than 50 days. Gujjar was caught by police personnel from the spot even as he tried to run away. As he was being detained, Gujjar was caught on camera saying, No other community will have a say in this country. Only Hindus will. When Gujjar was arrested, his cellphone was not in his possession. We interrogated him about the cellphone and subsequently recovered it. It was found that the WhatsApp account, videos, and images were deleted from his phone. We retrieved the deleted pictures and videos with the help of technical experts, said Deo. Gujjar have told the police that he purchased the pistol during his brothers wedding seven years ago for celebratory firing, the police said. On Sunday, when HT visited Gujjars house in East Delhi, his father Choudhary Gaje Singh had said that he contested the 2008 assembly elections in Delhi as the BSPs candidate from Jangpura and the 2012 civic body elections from Khichripur ward. Singh had said that currently he was not association with any party or organisation. Another crime branch team probing the Jamia sedition case on Tuesday said that it had called 11 persons who were known to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Sharjeel Imam, arrested for a controversial speech. The 11 persons will be questioned in connection with the December 13 event outside Jamia Millia Islamia where Imam allegedly delivered an instigating and inflammatory speech during anti-CAA protests. Press Release 5 February 2020 Luxury apartments are no longer just about location or design. For wealthy international buyers, the services on offer within exclusive developments make all the difference. Advertisements As such, branded residences are on the rise in capital cities and premier holiday resorts. Private apartments come with an array of services from chefs - or room service for those in hotel-linked schemes - to personal trainers and dog walkers. "Hospitality is everything; globetrotting, time-poor, wealthy individuals expect a dedicated, personalised service that reflects their status, enhances their lifestyle and facilitates their day-to-day activities," says Jessica Jahns, head of EMEA hotels and hospitality research at JLL. There are now around 400 branded residences around the world, according to JLL, with Asia and the U.S. accounting for the majority although Europe is increasingly embracing the concept. Major hotel players dominant While luxury fashion brands such as Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld, and car manufacturers Aston Martin and Porsche, have recently joined the mix, the sector is dominated by high-end global hotel brands such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Mandarin Oriental. Globally, they control 80 percent of the branded residence market. London this year became home to the first Four Seasons Branded Residences project in Europe. The Twenty Grosvenor Square residence in Mayfair includes 37 apartments. Meanwhile, Mandarin Oriental is expanding its branded residence concept, having entered the market with its One Hyde Park scheme in London. As well as a second development in London's Mayfair district, the operator has plans for residences in Barcelona, Istanbul and Munich. "Hotel brands have huge amounts of experience in managing complex properties and catering for the different needs of a wide variety of guests," says Jahns. "Both these elements are key to how branded residences operate." Furthermore, there's a growing realisation that operators stand to benefit from adding branded residences to their portfolios, raising their profile among their target audience - as well as diversifying, explains Jahns. "These are two very compelling reasons for hotel operators to expand their offer into branded residences," she says. "Especially at a time of huge disruption to classic hotel business models via short-term apartment lettings." Room for collaboration As the idea of serviced living gains in popularity, the sector is set to evolve in terms of its offering and grow in terms of the number of locations. This will encourage more major hotel operators and local residential developers to work hand-in-hand to their mutual benefit, explains Thomas Zabel, Head of German Residential Development at JLL. "The combination of hotel and residential creates synergies rather than conflicts of use," he says. "The local developer has much to learn from the extensive experience of global hotel operators to create the premium product that high-end buyers want. Equally, hotel operators need the local expertise. In the future, we'll see partnerships becoming more common and more comprehensive." For developers, there's also the price premium; branded residences in a prime location in central Berlin could sell for 20 percent more than their unbranded equivalents. "A branded residence instils a higher level of confidence among users and buyers than an unbranded property whether they're planning on living in it themselves or renting it out," says Zabel. "With a well-known hotel brand, such as Marriott or Hilton, customers know that they are going to get the same quality product all over the world. This equally translates into higher resale values for buyers." The right location Matching a luxury brand to a city - Porsche in its hometown of Stuttgart, for example - may feel logical. But as Zabel points out, brand affiliation among potential residents has no boundaries. "An Italian fashion house with true global appeal is likely to succeed anywhere," he says. "Affiliation to a clothing label or to a car often runs deep among the world's high net worth individuals." Versace, Bulgari and Armani, for example, all have branded apartments in Dubai. While the sector looks set to be driven forward by global hotel chains, Jahns says there is space for more luxury brands, most likely through collaboration. Working with Radisson Blu, Porsche Design Towers has plans for a 90-metre high tower in its home town of Stuttgart, while the car giant is also edging closer to the construction of a similar concept in Frankfurt. "In the coming years, we may see more schemes where the chain brings the hotel expertise - and the luxury brand adds the glitz," Jahns concludes. A 52-year-old Canadian woman who sold her house to start a new life in Cuba with her musician boyfriend who is 13 years her junior has been found dead in a suitcase in a garbage tip. Nathalie Fraser, who originally came from the Canadian city of Montreal, was reported missing on January 18, according to her relatives. She had moved to Cuba in December last year where she lived with her boyfriend, identified as 39-year-old musician Leonel Leon Nuviola, in the western Cuban province of Matanzas. Nathalie Fraser and her boyfriend Leonel Leon Nuviola. She was found dead in a travel suitcase dumped on landfill in Cuban city of Matanzas Nathalie Fraser (left and right) sold her house in Canada to move to Cuba with her 39-year-old boyfriend According to local media, her body was found in a travel suitcase dumped in a garbage tip and her Cuban boyfriend has been arrested in connection with her death. Fraser was found in Matanzas, not far from the holiday hotspot of Varadero, which is popular with many Western tourists. Fraser's sister told local media: 'We learned it was a violent murder, that she suffered a lot. Her body was found inside a suitcase on a garbage site.' Melanie Fraser, the victim's daughter, said on a Canadian radio station that the couple appeared were very much in love. She added: 'She put her house up for sale and left with almost nothing to live there with him, with the eventual goal of getting married.' Suspect Leonel Leon Nuviola was arrested after the body of his 52-year-old girlfriend was found dumped in landfill Leonel Leon Nuviola with Fraser on a beach in Cuba. The couple were said to have met around a year-and-a-half ago But her other daughter, Marie-Eve Fraser, said she feared the worst when she was told by Interpol that her mother had been missing for 48 hours. She told French language newspaper, La Presse: "I felt there was something serious. 'When I went to see them in Cuba, I found him to be possessive, impulsive and controlling. My mother said it was because he was nervous to meet me.' The couple were said to have met around a year-and-a-half ago. Family members also complained about the lack of information from the Cuban authorities regarding the case. Fraser's family also claimed to have tried to contact Nuviola and his family, without success, despite previous good communication. According to local reports her boyfriend is currently considered the main suspect. The police investigation is ongoing, according to reports. Analysis Two Possible Keys to Unlocking Charter Reform in Myanmar A military lawmaker is seen at the Union Parliament on Jan. 27. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy YANGONAmong the 114 proposed changes to the Constitution submitted by the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), two are fundamental to the effort to achieve political reform in the country. The first calls for a reduction in the proportion of seats in Parliament reserved for the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw. Currently, 25 percent of seats in all parliaments, nationally and regionally, are occupied by unelected military officials under the Constitutions Article 14 and related provisions. This key political privilege allows the military to intervene in the legislative process and discussions of the countrys affairs, and gives it powers beyond territorial defense. Military MPs have provided the stiffest opposition to the NLD since it took power in 2016, strongly objecting to comments or proposals of elected representatives if they are deemed to have breached the Constitution or harmed the militarys image. In the proposals submitted last week, the NLD suggested gradually reducing the militarys share of seats to 15 percent after the 2020 election, 10 percent after 2025 and 5 percent after 2030. The proposals do not mention removing the military from Parliament entirely. In contrast to the NLDs goal of a gradual reduction, the ethnic parties want to remove the military from Parliament in one fell swoop. The NLD seemingly thinks its moderate approach will be more acceptable to military MPs. Nobody knows if it will work. But we can be sure that if the NLD sought to get rid of all the military MPs from Parliament right away, the resistance would be even stronger than it is now. The other of the two most important proposals would remove the militarys effective veto over any proposed amendment to the Constitution. Under the Constitutions Article 436, proposed changes to the charter require the support of more than 75 percent of lawmakers, meaning it is impossible to make any change without military approval. The NLD proposes changing the requirement for approving a charter amendment from more than 75 percent of Parliament to two-thirds of elected representatives, excluding the military appointees. If the NLDs proposed amendment passes, elected representatives would have the power to amend the widely criticized charter. While it is unlikely that the military will accept all of the NLDs proposed amendments, it would seem reasonable that it would accept one of the two above proposals, which would be enough to begin the process of democratizing and demilitarizing the Constitution. Reducing the proportion of parliamentary seats reserved for military MPs to less than 25 percent, or lowering the threshold for approving a constitutional amendment to below 75 percent of lawmakers, would remove the powerful militarys ability to block constitutional reform, making it much easier to amend individual undemocratic provisions in the charter, as well as those that prevent the establishment of a federal union. Yet, the military appointees have rejected all efforts by the NLD and the ethnic parties over the past year to reform the Constitution through a parliamentary committee. Instead, they submitted their own amendment proposals, all of which seek to protect the militarys interests. Asked what action the NLD plans to take if the military doesnt approve its proposed amendments, NLD Upper House lawmaker Dr. Myat Nyana Soe said, Nothing can be done if the proposed amendments arent approved by more than 75 percent of MPs, as required under the current charter. Dr. Myat Nyana Soe is the secretary of the Charter Amendment Committee, which compiled recommended changes from more than a dozen political parties and drafted the proposed amendments over the past year. And thats the major hurdle for reform, he said. But he added that if all groups put aside their own narrow interests and work together for the good of the country, nothing would be impossible. Indeed, some lawmakers are still hopeful that long-awaited constitutional reform is possible. The commander-in-chief said the military is not opposed to constitutional amendment. The USDP [the militarys proxy party] also said it wants to amend the charter. We, the ethnic parties and the NLD, are also pushing for that. So, I hope some of the amendments will be passed, an ethnic lawmaker said. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Rebel Armies Extend Truce but Fighting Continues China Quietly Pushing Myanmar to Back Its Development Plan for Irrawaddy River Why Does the Myanmar Military Rebuff the Work of the Constitutional Amendment Committee? The new owner of Adria Airways permits and licenses, businessman Izet Rastoder, is exploring opportunities to relaunch the carrier, possibly under a new name, and has held talks with potential business partners. Mr Rastoder met with investors in Dubai last week, while a group of businessmen from Russia and the United Arab Emirates, who previously outlined plans to relaunch Slovenias flag carrier , have said they are in contact with Mr Rastoder. They have suggested the new airline could operate a three-member fleet, comprising of two Sukhoi Superjet 100s and one Airbus A320-family jet. As previously reported, Mr Rastoder has also held talks with the Slovenian government over their support for a new carrier, however, since then, the Slovenian Prime Minister, Marjan Sarec, resigned, opening the way for either a new government or snap elections. Izet Rastroder has been tight-lipped on his plans for the new airline so far. As the largest banana trader in the region, his Rastoder Group sells bananas and other exotic fruits under the Derby brand around the world. The naturalised Slovenian, born in Montenegro, rarely gives interviews, and hardly ever answers questions. The Rastoder company was set up in May 1992, with its initial business being the import and export of coffee in the former Yugoslavia. Over the years, its activities have been expanded to the export and import of fresh fruit and vegetables, growing into a highly competitive company on the global market. In 2013, the Group opened a large logistics centre in Ljubljana. Mr Rastoder has since diversified his business and moved into real estate, while his company established Air Adriatic last year, which eventually acquired Adria Airways permits and licenses. Adrias remaining assets, which are yet to be put on sale, are estimated to be worth 6.23 million euros, of which 3.15 million are for the title to its office building at Ljubljana Airport. The official receiver, Janez Pustaticnik, believes that due to the complexity of the bankruptcy procedure, it is unlikely to be completed before 2024. The bankrupt airlines remaining assets include its brand name, valued at 100.000 euros, a flight simulator estimated to be worth 93.000 euros, and Adrias 100% stake in its flight school, priced at 133.500 euros. Until they are sold, Mr Rastoder has the right to lease all of the remaining assets. The bankrupt carrier also has 543.000 euros on its bank account, which will be used to pay a creditor, whose claims are currently subject to litigation. Presently, it is unknown how much Adria owes its creditors, with the list to be finalised on March 2. Mr Pustaticnik believes the process will take four years due to litigations, numerous recoveries and other procedures expected to be launched in Slovenia and abroad. A train load of people on an NJ Transit train spent a half a workday stuck on what seemed to them to be a trip to nowhere Monday night. Of the tales of travel woes that commuters had Monday evening after two trains were disabled and overhead wire problems outside of Penn Station New York short circuited the commute, the passengers experience on North Jersey Coast Line train 3510 to New York might have been the worst. Commuter Matty Lloyd of Long Island City said he spent four hours on the train from Secaucus to New York Penn Station Monday -- a 5 mile trip that should normally take about 14 minutes. He has a reverse commute, traveling from Queens to his job in Paterson. On Monday, he caught a 6:05 p.m. train out of Secaucus Junction, just when trouble was starting at Penn. We were the next train (that was supposed to pull into Penn Station). We were at end the of tunnel where it opens up where the interchange was, he said. But they never made it in to the station. Two trains broke down in the massive junction of tracks between Penn Station and the Hudson River rail tunnels because of what officials said was a power problem in the overhead wires. Train 3510 joined the line of trains having to back through the tunnel to New Jersey. The trip was not easy. At one point, he said, the train was locked in a standstill for about 40 minutes, stuck on a passing track as other locomotives whizzed by on either side of it. I watched three Amtrak trains from New York, and two empty trains, and five trains with people on them going to New York go by, Lloyd said. Throughout the course of the night, Lloyd said, he called 911 three times -- the first time were to alert responders to a woman who was having a medical episode on the train. When nothing happened for about half an hour, he said, he called again. The crew responded after they were notified by the dispatcher of the medical emergency, said Jim Smith, an NJ Transit spokesman. A conductor got off the engine to assist until EMS arrived, he said. The train pulled into Secaucus Junction where Emergency Medical Service responders took care of the passenger, Lloyd said. He stayed on the train, waiting for it to finally head to New York. When it didnt move for more than an hour, he called 911 again to ask if Amtrak and NJ Transit had forgotten about their stranded line. He was connected to a train dispatcher, who asked if he had fallen asleep on the train and was in the train yard, he said. She called back at 9:50 (p.m.) and said Amtrak left us, Lloyd said. They didnt know where we were. Finally after his 911 call, the train started moving. Lloyd arrived in New York slightly after 10 p.m., he said. Both Amtrak and NJ Transit said Amtrak dispatchers are in charge of train movements. NJ Transit was aware of all train locations throughout last nights delays, said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman. The Amtrak power issues resulted in significant delays to all trains in and out of PSNY with several trains, including 3510, experiencing long wait times. Trains had to be backed out of the tunnel and rerouted to tracks unaffected by the power issue, she said. NJ Transit regrets the hardships that this incident resulted in for our customers, Snyder said. What does it say about the condition of metro regions mass transit system? If this says anything, its that its in dire need of being brought into the 21st Century," Lloyd said. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Kellyanne Conway said Wednesday from the White House that she is concerned Democrats will attempt to interfere in the the November elections, bringing up their Iowa caucus fail. 'I'm very concerned the Democrats are going to interfere in our election because they have no idea they're like unruly, incorrigible children. I mean they can't even run a caucus, they want to run a country,' The White House counselor told reporters. 'I'm very concerned about the Democrats interfering in the election, because they just interfered in their own,' she said, referencing the fact that Democrats were supposed to know the results of the Iowa caucuses Monday night, but are still in limbo Wednesday morning. As of Wednesday morning, only 71 per cent of the results of the Iowa caucuses were reported showing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg going head-to-head. White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said Wednesday morning that she's worried Democrats will try to interfere in the general elections after the Iowa caucus fiasco 'I mean they can't even run a caucus, they want to run a country,' Conway lamented to reporters. 'I'm very concerned about the Democrats interfering in the election, because they just interfered in their own' She is referencing the caucuses Monday when an app used for reporting malfunctioned with inconsistencies, causing confusion over who won the first-in-the-nation primary competition As of Wednesday morning, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (left) is in first place with 28.6 per per cent and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (right) is in second with 25.2 per cent So far, progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren is shown in third place with more than 18 per cent and former Vice President Joe Biden is surprisingly falling into fourth But the 38-year-old MidWesterner is shown coming out on top so far with 26.8 per cent compared to Sanders' 25.2 per cent. The Democratic Party in Iowa was using an app called Shadow to report precinct results, but was forced to announce Monday night that due to 'inconsistencies' and malfunctions in the app, it could not give a definitive winner and instead had to result to paper reporting. Candidates had to move onto New Hampshire the first primary state without officially knowing who won the caucus. While the final results are still unknown two days after the caucuses were held in the first-in-the-nation primary competition, that didn't stop some candidates from declaring victory. Buttigieg gave a celebratory speech before departing Iowa, claiming he was moving onto New Hampshire as the victor. Democrats assured that there was no nefarious behavior going on with the app malfunction, claiming there had been no hack and attempting to shut down worries that Russia was behind the fiasco. 'As far as I can tell there's no Russia collusion in Des Moines. There's no Cedar Rapids and Sioux City are not overrun by Ukrainians or Russians trying to interfere in the election,' Conway said of the caucus mishap. 'It's just the Democrats doing it to themselves.' A loudspeaker broadcast ominous instructions across the deserted streets of Hangzhou, the eastern Chinese city that is home to e-commerce giant Alibaba: "Please don't go out, don't go out, don't go out!" Hangzhou is famous for being where tech tycoon Jack Ma founded his online shopping business in an apartment two decades ago, a one hour journey on a bullet train from Shanghai. But as large parts of China come to a standstill in a bid to end the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, green fences and "no entry" signs blocked streets near the headquarters of one of the world's most valuable companies. Alibaba's headquarters are inside one of three Hangzhou districts where some three million people were told this week that only one person per household would be allowed outside every two days, to buy necessities. The city is on an extended Lunar New Year holiday as part of efforts to keep people indoors and a temperature check had been set up outside the Alibaba office, near a "2020 Happy New Year" sign in English and the company's logo. Nobody was seen coming in or out, and a security guard told AFP that the company's parks across the country were closed. Several roads in closed-off Yuhang district were sealed and manned by security personnel. Blue signs explained:"Due to the requirements of epidemic prevention and control, the road ahead is closed, please go around. Thank you for cooperating!" In nearby streets, a message blared from a loudspeaker urging people to avoid gatherings. "Please don't go out, don't go out, don't go out!" said the voice advising people to wear masks, wash their hands regularly and report any people who are from Hubei. Alibaba said they were focused on "getting things done" when asked by AFP about the office closure. The coronavirus outbreak has cost 490 lives in China and so far infected over 24,000 people, mostly in Hubei, whose 56 million people have been under virtual lockdown since late last month. Hangzhou, which has a population of nine million, has 141 confirmed cases. At least three other cities in Zhejiang province -- Taizhou, Wenzhou and parts of Ningbo -- have imposed similar restrictive measures on people leaving their homes. The normally packed shores around West Lake -- Hangzhou's central tourist attraction -- were deserted. Few taxis were available in the city's quiet streets. Inside sealed off areas, residents in masks came out of buildings to collect food and groceries from deliverymen, watched by local volunteers in red arm bands. Boxes of supplies piled up on the pavement. One resident came out to collect her goods wearing a blue plastic apron over pink pyjamas, mask and ski goggles. A 35-year-old man surnamed Chen said he had already stocked up before the new year holiday, but that there was now competition for food. "I have to get up at 6:00 every morning to grab goods, or else I won't be able to get any," he said. Two South African women told AFP that when they left their building to get groceries, guards took their details in order to enforce the limits on outbound trips. But AFP saw several other people walk out of the building without having to give any details or checks. Deliverymen also moved easily in and out of the fenced-off residential areas to drop off groceries. "There are no patients in (the compound), it's just a preventive effect," said 27-year-old local Wang Runyu. The voice in the loudspeaker urged residents to be patient: "We know it's hard to stay inside the house. Please tolerate it for a few more days. ... Victory is not far away. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputies from the Bradley County Sheriffs Office have taken Garrett Mitchell Morris into custody after he fired several shots inside a business on North Lee Highway. There were no injuries reported. At approximately 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, an off-duty Tennessee Highway Patrol investigator witnessed a reckless driver in a white Ford Fusion traveling north bound on North Lee Highway. The THP investigator turned around to follow the driver. Shortly after, dispatch at Bradley County 911 Center was notified that the same white Ford Fusion had crashed in front of a business on North Lee Highway and received reports of an armed suspect inside the business. Two BCSO deputies reported to the North Lee Highway address, where the male suspect was exiting the building with a firearm. Male suspect was apprehended with no incident and identified as Garrett Mitchell Morris. According to witnesses at the sceneincluding the off-duty THP investigator who had caught up to the wrecked vehicleMorris entered the building and discharged multiple rounds from a firearm, which was later confirmed by detectives from the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division. Morris was taken into custody and has been booked at the Bradley County Jail on charges of vandalism over $1000, possession of schedule 1 (heroin), possession of a firearm while under the influence, and a DUI. Harnessing The Power Of big Data For Buyers And Sellers Combining AI With Human Interactions For A More Holistic Experience Most Technologists Agree, This Is Act One Of What AI Can Do What Consumers Should Know About AI (TNS) Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly infiltrating the real estate industry without looking like a futuristic takeover but rather a boon for buyers and sellers.Mortgage lenders, realtors, title companies, property appraisers and consumers use AI for a wide variety of purposes, including application automation, expediting processes, chatbots on real estate sites and automated valuations models, or AVMs, to name a few.AI can benefit real estate industry participants in many ways. An example is the use of machine learning to link potential buyers with more relevant properties, creating an enhanced real estate transaction (more timely and focused), says John DAngelo, managing director at Deloitte Consulting LLP. This can also make it easier for buyers and sellers to receive more personalized offerings based on their preferences. In addition, AI can reduce the transaction costs for buyers and sellers by shortening the transaction cycle.Communication between buyers and sellers can be augmented with AI, as well, says Adrian Fisher, CEO at Property Simple. This kind of technology is a useful tool for real estate agents who want to provide fast responses to their clients, without spending resources on more staff. These cost-savings can be passed on to consumers.Chatbots can already answer simple queries to help potential buyers find their next home. If theyre unable to provide an answer, these bots can notify human agents to take over and offer a better, more customized response, Fisher says. As machine learning advances, chatbots will become smarter. In the future, theyll be able to answer complex search queries proficiently, including those through voice technology.The enormous amount of data available, due in part to the digitization of information makes AI an increasingly important tool in parsing that data in a way thats meaningful to buyers and sellers.Ramneek Gupta, managing director and co-head of venture investing at Citi Ventures, cites two companies that are using AI to dive into big data for a more efficient and results-driven experience.Reonomy, for instance, uses AI and machine learning to automate the aggregation, clean up and feature extraction from large amounts of alternative data (information used in the investment process) on more than 50 million commercial real estate properties.This enables both buyers and sellers to make better sourcing, pricing and buying decisions, says Gupta. Another example is Homelight, a company that uses AI and machine learning to improve its pricing algorithms. Homelight leverages historical data and input from homeowners and agents to come up with accurate home price estimates.There are limitations to AI, says Peggy Zabakolas, Esq., real estate broker for Nest Seekers International. Already, most homebuyers use AI to look for a home online, loading their specifications to filter properties that meet those requirements.But when its time to buy, AI is not equipped to understand the nuances of purchasing the home, which includes a detailed understanding of the market and negotiating, Zabakolas adds. She also points out that AI might not have information on all the properties available, including those that might be word-of-mouth sales.Buyers are becoming more and more knowledgeable, which is wonderful, but when Im going to spend millions or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a property, I want to work with a human that has expertise in negotiating and getting a deal done, Zabakolas says. Also, agents may know of properties off-market that AI may not necessarily have access to.Although AI is transforming how companies do business, its still in its infancy. In fact, there are major hurdles technologists and policymakers have to overcome to increase AI security and eradicate bias.Recently, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, IBM Policy Lab co-directors Ryan Hagemann and Jean-Marc Leclerc urged global regulation of artificial intelligence based on accountability, transparency, fairness and security. Their argument is that technology relies on data with baked-in bias, which includes discrimination against women, minorities, the disabled, older Americans and others.I see an abundance of technology but a shortage of actionable policy ideas to ensure we protect people while allowing innovation to thrive, Christopher Padilla, vice president of government & regulatory affairs at IBM, said in a statement. The IBM Policy Lab will set a new standard for how business can partner with governments and other stakeholders to help serve the interests of society.A report issued by the FDIC in February last year showed that both face-to-face and FinTech lenders charged Latinx and African-American borrowers 6- to 9-basis points more in interest for purchase mortgages, which is consistent with the extraction of monopoly rents in weaker competitive environments and from profiling borrowers on shopping behavior.In total, Latinx and African-Americans pay some $750 million per year in extra mortgage interest, according to the report. This is where policy, like what IBM proposes, becomes critical moving forward in our dependency on and use of AI.The bottom line, for consumers, is to do their due diligence when shopping for or selling a home. Leveraging online tools, like rate comparison tables, is a great way to use AI to find the most competitive rates. Although AI is a powerful tool, it can also pose security threats, so practice caution when youre using things like electronic documents, online portals and other AI-powered technology.Make sure you have a clear understanding of security protocols in place when you send and receive documents via your lender. For example, some buyers have become victims of escrow wire fraud because they received an email from what looked like their bank asking to wire their escrow money, when in fact it was a scam artist. The unfortunate reality is that most victims of escrow wire fraud wont recover their funds.Finally, if youre asked to enter personal information online, like your social security number, make sure the request comes directly from your lender. Double- and triple-check online transactions to ensure you dont fall prey to a scam, virus or security pitfall. Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, has invited online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling 112 vacancies to the post of Staff Nurse through direct selection. The application-cum-registration process towards same closes on February 6, 2020 by 1:00 pm. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Staff Nurse Organisation Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh Educational Qualification Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery course or B.Sc Nursing Experience Freshers can apply Job Location Chandigarh, Punjab Salary Scale Rs. 18,030 per month Industry Medical Application End Date February 6, 2020 Age Criteria And Fees Desirous candidates applying for Staff Nurse posts in GMCH Chandigarh must not be more than 37 years of age as on January 1, 2020 with a relaxation (upper age limit) up to 5 years (SC/ST) and 3 years (OBC) respectively as specified in the advertisement. Candidates must pay a prescribed amount of Rs. 500 (UR/EWS) as application processing fee through online (net-banking/credit/debit) mode mode only. Ex-SM candidates are exempted from paying the fee. Sports Authority Of India Recruitment For 347 Paramedical Staff And Sports Scientists Educational Criteria And Eligibility Candidates interested in applying for Staff Nurse posts in GMCH Chandigarh must possess a Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery course or B.Sc Nursing from a recognised University/Institution, and must be registered with the State Nursing Council. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates as Staff Nurse in GMCH Chandigarh will be done through a Written Examination/Test. Candidates selected as Staff Nurse in GMCH Chandigarh will be paid an emolument of Rs. 18,030 per month. Karnataka High Court Recruitment For 27 Assistant Court Secretaries, Earn Up To 1.42 Lakh A Month How To Apply Candidates interested in joining as Staff Nurse in GMCH Chandigarh must register and submit their applications online on official GMCH Chandigarh website at https://gmch.gov.in/ on or before February 6, 2020 by 1:00 pm. Read the detailed advertisement about GMCH Chandigarh recruitment for Staff Nurse posts here It was on the eve of the Independence Day in 2019 when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had first announced that his government would launch a new Deshbhakti (patriotism) curriculum from next year to develop a feeling of nationalism among the students. Months later, as the party released its manifesto on Tuesday, the curriculum finds a mention in the 28-points promised by the Aam Aadmi Party for the 2020 Assembly election in the city. While a senior AAP leader refused to say that the mention of the curriculum has anything to do with the opposition pushing nationalism in the elections, interestingly, the AAPs manifesto does not have anything about education in particular but it speaks about the Deshbhakti curriculum. The Aam Aadmi Party had, however, promised world class education facility to be made available for each child in its Guarantee Card scheme. The manifesto said the party will introduce the curriculum after the success of the Happiness and Entrepreneurship Curriculum. While announcing the curriculum on Tuesday, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisoida said it will enhance the love of the citizens with its nation, flag, army, martyrs along with fellow citizens and the system of the country. The curriculum will enhance the patriotism in individuals. Also, it is worth mentioning that Sisodia in August 2019 had launched a Constitution at 70 campaign for the students of the Delhi government schools, calling it the first phase of Deshbhakti Curriculum. The three-month campaign, which ended on November 26 -- the date on which the Constitution was adopted 70 years ago -- was aimed to inculcate the values of liberty, equality and fraternity. Addressing the students, teachers and Principals of the Delhi government schools at the concluding ceremony of the Constitution at 70 campaign, Kejriwal had said that his government has worked according to the Constitution, despite facing the obstacles. He had said that if India implemented the Constitution for a day honestly, it will be number one in the world, adding his government faced so many problems as the Constitution was not fully implemented here. To be implemented from the next academic year in all government schools, the Deshbhakti curriculum will be formed from the inputs of everyone, including parents and fellow citizens. The idea of the curriculum came to Kejriwal while he was talking to his deputy Sisodia and the two decided that the time has come to take concrete steps towards building a class of patriotic citizens. Kejriwal said that the purpose of introducing the curriculum was to develop true love for the nation. Ordinarily we are reminded of our love for the country either when there is an India-Pakistan match or when there are tensions on the border. In our day-to-day lives we forget about our country. The Deshbhakti Curriculum is being introduced so that each and every citizen of this country truly loves their country. He said when the children grow older and start working, and at any point if they accept a bribe, then they must feel from within that they are betraying the nation. When they jump a traffic light, they must feel theyve wronged their country. We hear of so many incidents where foreign nationals come to India, they are faced with loot, assault, rape. When we hear stories of Indians returning from Japan, we only hear praise for the Japanese and their hospitality. That is our ideal, we have to love our country to the extent that we respect it and respect our guests. The Curriculum, Kejriwal said, is aimed at achieving three important goals. First, each and every child must feel pride for the nation. Children must be taught about the glories of the country. Second, each child must be made aware of their responsibility and duty towards the country. India has a hundred problems. We are poor, our farmers commit suicide. But who will solve these problems? It is us who will have to find solutions. Third, we have to instill among children the passion and commitment to be prepared to sacrifice anything for the nation. Kejriwal said the children have to realise that the problems the country is facing will have to be solved by all of us. We have to create a sense of ownership among all children that they have to take on the challenges we are facing as a country head on and address them. A team of teachers and principals from the city government school will design the curriculum after crowdsourcing ideas from across the country. It is likely to be implemented from April 1, if AAP is re-elected. Delhi is going to polls on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11. En espanol | Getting called for jury service is a routine fact of life for most Americans. But if that summons to civic duty comes in the form of a phone call or email, be suspicious: Its probably a jury duty scam. In this long-running form of government impostor scam, crooks posing as court or law enforcement officials, such as a U.S. marshal or sheriffs officer, claim youve failed to appear for jury duty and face imminent arrest. The only way out is to pay an immediate fine via credit card, gift card or money transfer. Other fraudsters will ask for personal information such as your Social Security number and date of birth, supposedly so they can check court records but really so they can steal your identity. Update, 8:30 p.m. Feb. 4: This story has been updated with new information. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI A fourth defendant has been arrested for the alleged imprisonment of a woman at a North Muskegon home. Lauren Kathryn Shirley, 32, of North Muskegon was arraigned Feb. 3 on a charge of false imprisonment, which is a 15-year felony. Three others were arrested and charged earlier. All four listed their addresses as the home in the 700 block of Lyncott Street in North Muskegon where the incident is alleged to have occurred. Its alleged that the female victim was tied to a chair, physically assaulted and not allowed to leave the home, Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat said earlier. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Jan. 7. A male who fled the home flagged down a police officer who noted the man had facial injuries, Maat said. Julie Ackley, left, Brian Shirley, center; and John Arrowood were charged on Jan. 9, 2020, with imprisoning a woman in their North Muskegon home. The charges against the four state that they did secretly confine and knowingly restrain the victim. Shirleys bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety, but that was amended to a personal recognizance bond to allow her to return to Harbor House, according to court records. Harbor House in Holland is a residential substance abuse treatment facility for women. Shirley has waived her right to a preliminary examination and been bound over to circuit court for trial. Others already arrested on false imprisonment charges are: Julie Ann Ackley, 41, who is being held in the Muskegon County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond. Her bond was recently amended to allow her to leave the jail on personal recognizance if space becomes available at a residential substance abuse treatment center. She was still in the jail as of Feb. 4. She has been bound over for trial in circuit court, according to court records. Brian Keith Shirley, 56, who is being held in jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond. He waived his preliminary exam scheduled for Feb. 3 and his case has moved to circuit court, said Matt Roberts, chief trial attorney for Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson. John Allen Arrowood, 54, who is being held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond. He also waived his preliminary exam on Monday and his case is in circuit court, Roberts said. More on MLive: Four accused of imprisoning woman inside West Michigan home Victim of fatal crash near Muskegon identified by sheriffs office Builder of unfinished West Michigan home accused of felony fraud The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Payne says the opposition National Democratic Congress has no credibility to discuss issues relating to corruption. According to him, the NDC has superintended over serious corrupt practices under their Flagbearer and Ex-President John Dramani Mahamas regime. Sam Payne was addressing NDC Communications Director, Sammy Gyamfis comments on Peace FMs Kokrokoo that he (Sammy Gyamfi) has been vindicated by the missing excavator saga under the Akufo-Addo government. Sammy Gyamfi rebuked government appointees of the Akufo-Addo administration for their misconduct and alleged involvement in the missing excavators and tricycles. Sam Payne took the NDC Communications Director down memory lane asking who was the President when people were stealing money from GYEEDA, Isofoton, Bus Branding, Ford Expedition saga, therefore admonishing the opposition party to stop fighting hard to equalize issues and make political gains out of it. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 'American Dirt' publisher vows to increase Latinx staff, published authors https://t.co/2sKvyrXsLu Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 4, 2020 Today, #DignidadLiteraria & @PresenteOrg won an unprecedented commitment from the leadership of @macmillanbooks to transform their publishing practices to include substantial increases in Latinx titles & staff, company wide. Read our full statement #DignidadLiteraria pic.twitter.com/OzEm8PsDMP Presente.Org (@PresenteOrg) February 3, 2020 Yesterday, during the Macmillan meeting, some Oprah ppl insisted that she has chosen Latinx writers for her club, stressing Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In reply, I grunted, "He's dead." Myriam Chingona Gurba de Serrano (@lesbrains) February 4, 2020 Part of what I read to the Macmillan folks yesterday. I stressed that Mexicans are good at building shit so let us handle the bridges. pic.twitter.com/TIc1wqMxba Myriam Chingona Gurba de Serrano (@lesbrains) February 4, 2020 I asked them to and was told that I should mind my tone. Perhaps they ought to be asked to do so by folks besides mean old me . Honestly, it would earn my respect if they were to issue a statement of retraction or correction. https://t.co/r3X2EX3cy6 Myriam Chingona Gurba de Serrano (@lesbrains) February 4, 2020 - A group of Latinx activists met on Monday with officials at Macmillan, the international parent company of Flatiron Books, which published American Dirt, to deliberate over steps the publisher could take to increase Latino representation in the industry.- Among the meeting attendees were Bob Miller and Don Weisberg, presidents of Flatiron Books and Macmillan, respectively; Amy Einhorn, the editor of American Dirt; representatives of Oprah Winfrey; and authors and #DignidadLiteraria founders David Bowles and Gurba. #DignidadLiteraria and Presente.org, an online Latinx organizing group, released a statement detailing the unprecedented commitments Macmillan made after the two-hour meeting. (see tweet in cut)- The publisher made commitments to substantially increasing Latinx representation across Macmillan, including authors, titles, staff and its overall literary ecosystem as well as developing an action plan to address these objectives within 90 days.- Macmillan also said it would regroup within 30 days with #DignidadLiteraria and other Latinx groups to assess progress.- According to Bowles, Macmillan officials conceded during the meeting that Cummins had not received death threats. When Flatiron Books President Bob Miller announced in a statement that they were canceling the book tour, they cited safety concerns over threats of physical violence.(Myriam Gurba tweeted she asked them to state that on their website and was told to mind her tone (see tweet in cut))Sources: 1 An airplane carrying U.S. citizens being evacuated from Wuhan, China, lands at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo) Second Evacuation Flights From Chinas Virus-Hit Wuhan Headed for the US: State Department The U.S. Department of State (DOS) said on Feb. 4, two further flights evacuating U.S. citizens from Wuhanthe Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreakhave departed for the United States. Two planes have departed Wuhan en route to the United States, a DOS spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Tuesday evening. No further information was provided by the spokesperson on how many people are on board the aircraft and where the planes will land. However, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told CNN earlier, on condition of anonymity, that the two planes would be carrying some 550 people back to the United States, and that they are expected to land at two military bases in California. The official said the two locations are expected to be Travis Air Force Base, located between San Francisco and Sacramento, and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. It is the second such operation in the past week after some 195 Americans were on Jan. 28 evacuated from Wuhan on a charter flight and placed under a 14-day quarantine in California, to evaluate whether they have contracted the deadly new strain of coronavirus. The first group of evacuees is currently staying in the living quarters inside the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, around 60 miles from Los Angeles. The air force base is under strict surveillance 24/7. The two jetliners en route to the United States carried shipments of private aid into China, following criticism from Chinas Foreign Ministry about the U.S. governments lack of assistance, reported WSJ. The U.S. government hasnt provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday. All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example. Her comments came as the Chinese Communist Party, after a week of discussions, accepted help from the United Statesallowing American experts into the country to help study and respond to the outbreak. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters last week that the United States offered to send a team of health experts to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, but China rejected the offer. In addition to the flights already en route to the United States, the DOS added said it may stage additional evacuation flights for private U.S. citizens still in Wuhan on Thursday, Feb. 6. The flights would be leaving from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, and the DOS has urged interested U.S. citizens in possession of valid passports, to contact the department with a specific list of information, the U.S. Embassy in China said in a release. The State Department on Jan. 31 raised the travel alert for visiting China from level three to level fourthe highest level of warningcautioning U.S. nationals not to go to the country. Family members of all government employees who are under the age of 21 are ordered to leave, according to the latest travel advisory. The novel coronavirus has spread to more than 20 countries and territories in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Oceania; experts have said that the Chinese regime is likely underreporting the true scale of the virus. GOLDEN, Colo., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmaJet, the maker of innovative, needle-free injection technology, today announced the publication of independent survey results from the first large-scale campaign using its needle-free technology. The paper, entitled Needle-free injectors for mass administration of fractional dose inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) in Karachi, Pakistan: A survey of caregiver and vaccinator acceptability, was published in Vaccine on January 23, 2020. The campaign, sponsored by the World Health Organization as part of its polio eradication efforts, vaccinated 500,000 children, aged 4 - 59 months, over a one-week period in early 2019. Data on acceptability of the PharmaJet Tropis Needle-free Injection System (NFIS) was collected from 610 vaccinators and 4,898 caregivers. Of those with prior needle and syringe experience, both vaccinators (97.6%) and caregivers (99.6%) expressed a strong preference for the Tropis system, citing ease and speed of use, appearance, and children's response to the vaccination (less crying/discomfort). Among caregivers, 94.7% said they would be more likely to bring their child for vaccination in a future campaign that used jet injectors. Importantly, mean vaccine coverage among towns administering fIPV was 98.7% which was an increase of 18.4% over the preceding campaign. Intradermal (ID) administration of fIPV has been established as providing a superior immune response.1 With significantly faster preparation and administration time compared to traditional ID technique with needle and syringe, it's ease-of-use, and the virtual elimination of vaccine wastage, the Tropis NFIS is ideal for vaccination campaigns. "The polio eradication campaign in Pakistan further validates the PharmaJet Tropis product functionality, and the company's operational readiness to support future campaigns," said Ron Lowy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PharmaJet Inc. "We are particularly pleased with the close to 20% increase in coverage which is critical for the eventual goal of eradication of polio." For more information visit www.pharmajet.com. Refer to Instructions for Use to ensure safe injections and to review risks. 1 Data on file About PharmaJet PharmaJet's mission is worldwide acceptance of PharmaJet needle-free devices as a standard of care in the vaccine delivery market. The Tropis Needle-free Injection System for intradermal injections received authorization to apply the CE Mark in May 2016. CONTACT: Nancy Lillie [email protected] 1-888-900-4321 Option 3 SOURCE PharmaJet Related Links http://www.PharmaJet.com Z amira Hajiyeva has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the UK's first unexplained wealth order. The "fat cat banker's wife", who spent more than 16 million at Harrods in a decade, was attempting to overturn a UWO obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA launched the probe into a property in Knightsbridge, central London, which was bought for 11.5 million in 2009 by a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, was the chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan from 2001 until his resignation in 2015, and was later sentenced to 15 years behind bars for fraud and embezzlement. Zamira Hajiyeva arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September 2019 / Jonathan Brady/PA Giving judgment in London on Wednesday, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett dismissed Mrs Hajiyevas appeal. The judge added that her application for permission to appeal against the courts judgment had been refused. BBC drama McMafia highlighted the problem of unexplained wealth / BBC WorldWide A UWO allows the NCA to seize someones assets if they believe the owner is a politically exposed person (PEP) someone from outside the European Economic Area in a position of power that makes them liable to bribery or corruption and they are unable to explain the source of their wealth. He argued that the banker was not a PEP, and said the NCA had seriously mischaracterised Mr Hajiyevs job by describing him as a government official as the International Bank of Azerbaijan was not a state-owned enterprise. The Court of Appeal ruled that, if the bank was a state-owned enterprise, Mr Hajiyev fell within the definition of a politically exposed person because he was its chairman, and that Mrs Hajiyeva was also a politically exposed person because she was a family member of Mr Hajiyev. The court added: The evidence was clear that the (Azeri) state had more than a 50% shareholding in the bank. On the facts of the case, the judge was entitled to conclude that it had ultimate control, and consequently Mr Hajiyev was a politically exposed person, being a person who had been entrusted with a prominent public function as a member of the management of a state-owned enterprise. Zamira Hajiyeva spent 16 million at Harrods / Ben Cawthra/LNP Mr Lewis had also argued that the High Court was wrong to rely on Mr Hajiyevs conviction, which he said followed a grossly unfair trial in Azerbaijan. But the Court of Appeal found that Mr Hajiyevs conviction for fraud and embezzlement was only one of the strands relied on by the NCA. It stated that the NCA had also relied on evidence of Mr Hajiyevs status as a state employee and the unlikelihood that, as such, his legitimate income between 1993 and 2015 would have been sufficient to generate funds used to purchase the property. The judgment added that an August 2011 report from Werner Capital which was intended to show that Mr Hajiyev was a high-net worth individual with an assessed net worth of over 72 million US dollars had in fact posed more questions as to the source of his wealth than it answered. A High Court ruling in October 2018 dismissed Mrs Hajiyevas initial attempt to overturn the UWO. Mr Justice Supperstone said at the time that three separate loyalty cards were issued to Mrs Hajiyeva by Harrods, where she spent more than 16 million between September 2006 and June 2016. Court documents later released to the media revealed that Mrs Hajiyeva blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree. The NCA subsequently seized jewellery worth more than 400,000 from Christies over suspicions about how the items were purchased while the auction house was valuing the jewellery for Mrs Hajiyevas daughter. Foreign Office staff have been banned from saying no-deal Brexit as Boris Johnson steps up his drive to convince the public the argument is over. A directive reads: On 31 December 2020 we will either leave the transition period with a Canada-style free trade agreement or the 2019 deal which will give us a trading relationship with the EU like Australias. Staff were then told: Do not use phrases such as deal/no deal. The instruction comes despite Australia lacking a trade deal with Brussels, which means a similar trading relationship will mean tariffs and other barriers. The rebranding is widely seen as softening up the public for the UK being forced onto vastly-inferior World Trade Organisation terms in 2021, with the threat of an economic slump. Peter Ricketts, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, mocked the memo, tweeting: We have been warned. It emerged at the weekend that a no-deal Brexit had been rebranded as an Australia-style arrangement and the prime minister then argued the word Brexit should no longer be used. Foreign Office staff have also been told not to use other Brexit-related phrases including implementation period and special partnership, The Guardian revealed. The opening sentence says: Brexit is completed. So do not use the term Brexit save as a historical event that took place on 31 January 2020. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA It then advises use 'transition period' not 'implementation period' the latter being the phrase used by Theresa May, despite the lack of anything to implement. Other words frowned upon include ambitious, unique, deep, bespoke or anything else that can be taken to mean anything other than a typical free trade agreement of the Canada type. The guidance adds: If hyperbole is absolutely essential, only make reference to a deal at least as good as [Canadas deal with the EU]. With the passing of the withdrawal agreement securing EU citizens rights and avoiding a hard border in Ireland, by shifting the customs border to the Irish Sea two of the original threats from a no-deal have been averted. However, the term must mostly understood to mean the risk of crashing out of the EU without a trade deal, where the threat remains. Instead of partnership, the memo instructs staff to stick to the phrase friendly cooperation between sovereign equals. Some EU terms must also be avoided, the memo saying: Use subsidies, not state aid with level playing field also outlawed. It continues: Stress that we accept the following EU claims: that a free trade agreement comes with friction. That we are able to negotiate directly only with the commission (and therefore that EU member states must persuade the commission if they need particular areas of cooperation to continue). The Rajasthan High Court has asked the central and the state governments to respond to a public interest litigation, which seeks to have the legal age of marriage for women, presently at 18 years, declared as unconstitutional. The PIL has been filed by one Abdul Mannan who argues that the different age limits for men and womens marriage are discriminatory and without a scientific basis. Different minimum age of marriage for men and women are not only against the doctrine of gender equality and gender justice guaranteed under article 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India but is also against the dignity of women, which is an integral part of article 21, the petitioner said. The petition states that more than 125 countries in the world have a uniform age of marriage for men and women. The National Human Rights Commission, pursuant to the National conference on child marriage, had recommended that India follows suit and bring uniformity in the minimum age limit. The petition says women are disadvantaged on several fronts due to the current lower age limit for marriage. Women have a fundamental right to be free to pursue studies or occupation after finishing school at the age of 18. As per the World Health Organisation, women who get pregnant before the age of 20, face a higher risk of low birthweight, preterm delivery and severe neonatal conditions, the petitioner added. According to the petition, the differential age limit is based solely on stereotypes. It also says that the Law Commission of India has observed that no scientific basis exists for such a distinction. ISTANBUL Amid an ongoing offensive in Idlib that has displaced half a million civilians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to act against Russian-backed Syrian forces if they did not fall back from Turkish observation posts by the end of the month. We want the regime to immediately retreat to the borders stipulated by the Sochi agreement in other words, to retreat behind our observation posts, Erdogan said in the Turkish Parliament Wednesday. He added that if the forces failed to pull back from 12 Turkish observation posts, two of which have been surrounded by Syrian troops, Turkey itself will have to take over the matter. It is the latest development following Mondays clashes between Turkish and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that left at least eight Turkish soldiers and 13 Syrian soldiers dead. The statement comes as a Syrian offensive has increased tensions on the ground in Syria while straining diplomatic relations between Ankara and Moscow, who have sought to de-escalate fighting Idlib, the last rebel-held enclave in the nations nine-year-old conflict. Citing repeated infringements of the 2018 Sochi memorandum of understanding between Ankara, Moscow and Tehran, Erdogan said Turkish forces were running out of options if they wanted to stop the violence and a possible mass exodus of refugees to Turkey from Idlib, home to about three million civilians. From now on, the violations by the regime will be retaliated for by targeting its military units as the regime responds to even the slightest violations by the oppositional groups with heavy attacks that also target civilians, Erdogan said. In a phone conversation Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Turkish leader relayed his frustrations over the failing cease-fire initiatives brokered between the two nations. In response, Putin said Ankara had not held up its side of the Sochi agreement by failing to remove terrorist groups from the de-escalation zone, according to a statement by the Russian presidents office. Aaron Stein, director of the Middle East program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said an Idlib offensive has been pre-ordained since the signing of the MoU and while conditions were not met by both sides, Turkish intervention did delay the movements currently being taken by Syrian regime forces. Among the agreements key terms were the reestablishment of regime access to Syrias M4 and M5 highways as well as the removal of extremist militants linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from Idlib by the end of 2018. Neither of those have happened, Stein told Al-Monitor. I think were just at the point where Russia cant delay any longer and decided to move ahead. In recent weeks, Syrian forces have captured the Idlib city of Maarat al-Numan and are expected to move north toward Saraqib in an effort to secure access to the M5 highway linking Aleppo and Damascus. Turkish forces stationed at observation posts have not largely engaged in fighting prior to this weeks exchange of fire but have now reorganized in Saraqib to slow the regime offensive. Stein said the move was unlikely to change dynamics on the ground. I think well end up in a situation where Turkey retains its observation post. It will just be surrounded by Russian military police in a regime-held area, Stein told Al-Monitor. The ongoing fighting has displaced an estimated 520,000 people in Idlib since Dec. 1, according to David Swanson, spokesman for the United Nations' humanitarian coordination office. Cold winter weather has complicated humanitarian relief efforts to accommodate displaced people 80% of which are women and children along Turkeys border. Turkey currently hosts about 3.7 million Syrians and lawmakers have sought to prevent the influx of more while calling for support from the international community in providing shelter, food and services for displaced people within Syria. If Turkey's warnings are not taken into consideration, we warn everyone that a refugee exodus will affect Europe to a large extent, Omer Celik, a spokesperson for Erdogans Justice and Development Party, said Tuesday. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chair of the opposition Republican Peoples Party, expressed similar concerns Wednesday while putting forth a five-point plan to de-escalate violence in Idlib and address the worsening humanitarian situation on the border. Yusuf Erim, a political analyst for Turkeys TRT public broadcaster, said averting a new migration crisis was Turkeys top priority in Idlib. Doing so would require close collaboration between Ankara and Moscow amid heightened tensions stemming from developments in Syria. Its important to differentiate between Turkey's bilateral relationship with Russia, which is very strong, and both countries cooperation in Syria, which is going through a tough period, Erim told Al-Monitor. He added, I think Turkey's decisive stance on Idlib will push Putin to compromise more than he had originally planned. Regardless of how Syria plays out, the Turkey-Russia relationship has become too big to fail for both sides and will weather Syria's storm. By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission took the first step on Wednesday to overhaul the fiscal rules that underpin the euro by launching a public consultation to help find common ground among deeply divided governments. The complex and often shunned rules, called the Stability and Growth Pact, say EU governments should keep budget deficits below 3% of GDP and public debt below 60% of GDP. A lax approach among some governments and outright cheating on statistics by Greece caused the sovereign debt crisis in 2010 that nearly destroyed the single currency. It left the euro zone deeply divided, with the fiscally strict northern EU countries accusing the south of profligacy, and the south criticising what they see as the north's obsession with debt reduction. "We're looking forward to an open discussion on what has worked, what has not, and how to build consensus for streamlining the rules and making them even more effective," Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said. The Commission will gather feedback on what could be changed until the middle of the year and come up with proposals before the end of 2020, officials said. The deficit and debt limits will stay, but the EU will seek to simplify rules and focus on metrics that governments control, such as spending in relation to GDP growth. The rules now use items, such as the output gap, that are theoretical, often revised and not controlled by those in power. The Commission also admits the current system does not give governments sufficient incentive to save in good times and promote investment. The EU executive would also like to see changes that would support its ambitious Green Deal, giving governments more leeway for "green" spending. Some governments are against that. Set up in 1997 to underpin the euro currency by limiting borrowing, the rules have undergone three revisions. The first, in 2005, was brought on by Germany and France, who refused to accept disciplinary procedures against them. Story continues The other two revisions came in 2011 and 2013 to calm financial markets shaken by the sovereign debt crisis. The changes gave the Commission wider powers to monitor and fine governments for irresponsible policies. But despite clear-cut cases of rule-breaking by France, Portugal, Italy and Spain over the last five years, the Commission never sanctioned any of them. EU officials privately say this primacy of politics over laws reduced the relevance of EU fiscal rules in policy-making of euro zone countries. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Philip Blenkinsop) WASHINGTONThe chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday called for a recanvass of the results of the Iowa caucuses, saying it was needed to assure public confidence after three days of technical issues and delays. Enough is enough, party leader Tom Perez wrote on Twitter. With 97 per cent of precincts reporting, Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are nearly tied for the lead, and both candidates have declared themselves victorious. The Associated Press said Thursday that it is unable to declare a winner in the contest. Beyond technical issues and Perezs concerns, the Iowa Democratic Party has yet to report results from some satellite caucus sites, from which there are still an unknown number of state delegate equivalents to be won. The state party apologized for technical glitches with an app that slowed down reporting of results from Mondays caucuses and has spent the week trying to verify results. However, it was unclear if the party planned to follow the directive of the national leader to recanvass those results, a process that would likely require state officials to review caucus math worksheets completed at more than 1,600 caucus sites to ensure the calculations were done correctly and matched the reported results. Iowa chairman Troy Price suggested in a statement Thursday that he would only pursue a recanvass if one was requested by a campaign. The caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled 2020 field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion (U.S.) spent countrywide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner and no official results. Campaigning in New Hampshire, Sanders called the Iowa Democratic Partys management of the caucuses a screw-up that has been extremely unfair to the candidates and their supporters. Weve got enough of Iowa, he said later Thursday at a CNN town hall. I think we should move on to New Hampshire. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. As first reported by The New York Times, numerous precincts reported results that contained errors or were inconsistent with party rules. For example, the AP confirmed that dozens of precincts reported more final alignment votes than first alignment votes, which is not possible under party rules. In other precincts, viable candidates lost votes from the first alignment tally to the final, which is also inconsistent with party rules. Some precincts made apparent errors in awarding state delegate equivalents to candidates. A handful of precincts awarded more state delegate equivalents than they had available. A few others didnt award all of theirs. The trouble began with an app that the Iowa Democratic Party used to tabulate the results of the contest. The app was rolled out shortly before caucusing began and did not go through rigorous testing. The problems were compounded when phone lines for reporting the outcomes became jammed, with many callers placed on hold for hours in order to report outcomes. Party officials said the backlog was exacerbated by calls from people around the country who accessed the number and appeared intent on disrupting the process. There was a moment in the night where, it became clear, Oh, the phone number just became available to the entire country, said Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who was answering calls for the party. It was a pretty big problem. U.S. President Donald Trump relished in the Democratic turmoil. The Democrats, they cant count some simple votes and yet they want to take over your health care system, Trump said at a White House event Thursday celebrating his impeachment trial acquittal. Think of that no, think of that. The chaos surrounding the reporting breakdown seems sure to blunt the impact of Iowas election, which typically rewards winners with a surge of momentum heading into subsequent primary contests. But without a winner called, Democrats have quickly turned their focus to New Hampshire, which holds the next voting contest on Tuesday. Buttigieg and Sanders will emerge from Iowas caucuses with the most delegates to the partys national convention, regardless of which one eventually wins the contest. They have each won at least 11 national delegates, with a handful of delegates still to be awarded, according to the AP delegate count. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has won at least five delegates, while former vice-president Joe Biden has won at least two and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has at least one. Iowa will award 41 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer. There are 11 delegates still to be awarded as the state party sorts out the final results of the caucuses. Candidates must win a majority of pledged delegates to the partys national convention to win the Democratic nomination for president on the first ballot. This year, thats 1,191 pledged delegates. The two Iowa leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, are separated by 40 years in age and conflicting ideology. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades. Buttigieg, a 38-year-old former municipal official, represents the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. Sanders narrowly lost the Iowa caucuses in 2016 to Hillary Clinton and pushed the party to make changes to the process this year, including releasing three different sets of results: a tally of candidate support at the start of the caucuses, their levels of support after those backing candidates with less than 15 per cent got to make a second choice and the number of state delegate equivalents each candidate receives. The AP will determine a winner based on state delegates. Given the tight race, former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile said the party needs to get this right so the eventual nominee isnt saddled with questions of legitimacy. Its a combination of embarrassment and not being prepared for the various mishaps that can take place when you try to do something new and different, she said. Party activist John Deeth, who organized the caucuses in Iowas most Democratic county, Johnson, said he welcomed a recanvass and would help as needed. It makes sense to look everything over again and get it right, he said. Deeth said that he believed the review would uncover some data-entry errors as well as some math and rounding errors in how delegates at each precinct were awarded. Volunteers running the precincts did their best, he said, but likely made some minor mistakes. Sorry! This content is not available in your region The HCM City Childrens Hospital No 1 has not admitted any patient with the coronavirus infection yet, the head of its infectious and neurological diseases department has said. Dr Truong Huu Khanh on Monday wrote on his Facebook page, which has thousands of followers, that the hospital last week admitted two children with a high risk of contracting the disease and isolated them before their test results turned up negative. He took to Facebook to repudiate a claim by someone on social media that the hospital was treating a two-year-old child with coronavirus infection, which caused many people to call up newspaper offices to seek clarification. This information is false, he wrote. On the same day Le Minh Hien, head of Cho Ray Hospitals social work division, wrote in his Facebook status: A one-minute voice record said 33 people were killed by the virus at the hospital. The claim is totally false. The hospital has in fact only treated two Chinese nationals, a man and his adult son, so far. The son has recovered and was discharged on Tuesday. The 66-year-old father, who also has diabetes, hypertension and other ailments, remains under treatment, but his condition has improved. Nowadays fake news and disinformation spread rapidly and widely via social media, especially Facebook, leading to confusion among the public. Khanh said this was why doctors like him have to use Facebook to clarify and advise the community. Doctors, health officials and relevant agencies have to be proactive and regularly update information about the virus on Facebook and hospitals and their agencies websites to combat fake news and disinformation, he said. Most hospitals in HCM City have set up their own Facebook page, he said. Khanh told Viet Nam News: People who spread fake news and disinformation should be fined if [they] cause serious consequences. Police in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan yesterday fined one woman VND10 million (US$431) for making fake claims on her Facebook page about six people being quarantined in An Phuoc Hospital with suspected coronavirus infection though the hospital has not said anything of that sort. Earlier the police and information and communications departments in Hai Phong and the provinces of Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, An Giang, and Thua Thien-Hue had also fined individuals VND7.5-12 million for spreading disinformation. Speaking at an online meeting on combating the coronavirus on February 1, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the public should remain calm and read the warnings and recommendations for preventive measures published by the ministry on its website. The ministry has also set up two free hotlines at 19009095 and 19003228 for public inquiries. Most calls to the hotlines so far have been to ask about coronavirus infection symptoms and hospitals that admit people with the symptoms. So far ten people have tested positive for the infection as of February 4, according to the Ministry of Health. Of the 361 other suspected cases so far, 283 have tested negative and 78 are in quarantine awaiting test results. VNS Fake news about coronavirus should be prevented: Minister The Minister of Information and Communications wants those working underneath him to be more proactive to rid the internet of fake news about coronavirus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 00:31:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Workers are busy converting Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center into temporary hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) To contain the spread of the coronavirus within the shortest time possible, China has exhorted all sectors to push the prevention and control work into full swing. The most strict measures have been implemented, with the lockdown of the 11-million-people city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, continuing for nearly two weeks. BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection in China have already exceeded 20,000, and the death toll has mounted over 400. The turning point is yet to come, and China is still struggling to keep up with the virus spread. The arduous battle is fought by the world's largest developing country whose success is key to the global campaign against the epidemic. There is no excuse for retreat. To contain the spread of the coronavirus within the shortest time possible, China has exhorted all sectors to push the prevention and control work into full swing. The most strict measures have been implemented, with the lockdown of the 11-million-people city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, continuing for nearly two weeks. Shortcomings and deficiencies, however, have also been exposed in response to the virus outbreak, though China has comprehensively improved its emergency response capacity since the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. Zhang Lei (R), a doctor of nephrology department of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, hugs his wife before setting out for Hubei Province in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 4, 2020. A medical team comprised of 42 members from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University set off on Tuesday to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Hubei. (Xinhua) This time, the virus is more infectious than SARS and has spread faster than expected. Medical equipment and surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles are urgently needed. Hospital beds are insufficient to treat patients. Reflection goes deeper on China's emergency management system. An overhaul of environmental sanitation conditions should be conducted. Illegal wildlife trade has drawn extensive criticism. The national reserve system and reserve efficiency need to be enhanced. All these problems must be solved. The sacrifice shall not be made in vain. Challenges are not only domestic. While the international community praises and supports China's anti-virus efforts, which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required, some countries have inappropriately overreacted, creating and spreading fear. The United States was the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, precisely what the World Health Organization (WHO) rejects. A U.S. federal official claimed the virus could help bring jobs back to the United States, revealing a mindset of taking advantage of others' difficulties. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his trip overseas, even viciously attacked China's national system under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). While China is engaged in the war with the common threat to global public health and growth, such words and actions from the U.S. side do not fit its touted role as a responsible global leader, disappointing both the Chinese people and the entire world. Medical workers gesture to each other through the window in Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital in Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo by Xiao Heyong/Xinhua) China has never been a nation that is fearful of challenges. This is the time for national mobilization. Few countries could attempt such prompt and resolute actions in containing the spread of the epidemic. Even fewer could allocate resources to the most needy in such a short time, such as complete building a hospital with a capacity of 1,000 beds from scratch within 10 days. This is the time for unity among 1.4 billion people of China. Public morale has been boosted across the nation. Although the epidemic would temporarily hurt service and other sectors, the economy as a whole is resilient enough to survive the shock. This is the time for science. The fatality rate of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland is far lower than Ebola, SARS and MERS. The steady rise in the number of recoveries serves as evidence that the treatments have been effective. Medical team members take an oath before setting out for Hubei Province, in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 4, 2020. The second batch of medical teams of 136 members from Guangxi set off on Tuesday to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Hubei. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) This is a time for openness and transparency. China has been sharing information about the virus with the WHO and relevant countries and regions. The country is taking effective measures to safeguard the well-being of foreign nationals in China. Chinese authorities regard withholding information as a crime. This is a time for confidence in the leadership. As a governing party that puts the people's interest as the top priority, the CPC is quick to learn from the outbreak as a test of the governance system and capacity. The Party stresses unified command, coordination and arrangement. It allows no actions of shirking off responsibilities. Tuesday is the start of spring, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. In the last two weeks, life in China has radically changed with the emergence of the infectious novel coronavirus, with streets almost empty and public events canceled in many cities. But people believe normal life will return just as spring has come. CHILOQUIN, Ore. -- The Sage Community School is closing permanently. In January of 2020, concerns started rising about the possibility of mold in the school. The school originally cancelled classes on January 21st. The reason for the closure cited in a Facebook post was for "building maintenance". In a Facebook post on January 24th, the Sage Community School said that they had been "made aware of a possible mold issue and are taking every precaution and all of the proper steps". That post went on to say that testing had been done, and that they were waiting on the results. On February 1st, the school issued a formal press release updating school families on the situation. In the press release, the school says that the mold tests came back negative, and that there is no threat to faculty or students. However, the statement went on to say that one staff member had become seriously ill. While the mold tests came back negative, the school says it is unable to continue to operate on reduced staffing. The statement says "the Board worked with staff in an attempt to keep the school open with reduced staff, in the end though there was not a path forward that would allow Sage to maintain the teacher/student ratios to allow staff to educate Sage students". NewsWatch 12 spoke to an office administrator at the school today. Wendy Buckingham says "it's just been a never-ending stream of bad luck that all landed on us at the same time". Buckingham adds, "what I really think prompted the final decision was while we wee all out for the mold testing, we lost some students and we also lost some hourly employees that also needed to take of their families and their lives". The statement from the school also cites the "rising costs of PERS and other operating expenses" as a reason for the closure. The Klamath County School district is encouraging families affected by the closure to enroll at other Chiloquin schools. KCSD Superintendent Glen Szymoniak issued a flyer with helpful information for families looking to enroll students in Chiliquin Junior-Senior High School or Chiloquin Elementary School. KCSD also encouraged families to homeschool. They suggest registering with Great Basin Homeschool or the Southern Oregon ESD Homeschool. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Klamath County School District says Chiloquin Elementary School has registered 15 new students today, and they expect more by the end of the week. Chiloquin Junior-Senior High School has registered 5 new students. KYIV, Ukraine, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the recognized autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church, commemorated the enthronement of its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy, with a series of events and religious ceremonies, beginning with a liturgy and culminating with a gala. Most notably, Metropolitan Epiphany met with United States Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. Another highlight was a speech from prominent Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial for Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv The Orthodox Church of Ukraine commemorates the enthronement of its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy, with a series of events and religious ceremonies On January 6, 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was granted the "tomos of autocephaly" the decree of ecclesial independence by the Ecumenical Patriarch, the head of the Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Turkey, formalizing a centuries-long split with the Russian Orthodox Church. The event was considered to be a final step of Ukraine's journey toward independence from Russia, which for decades used the Church to exert control and influence over Ukrainians. With two-thirds of Ukrainians, out of a population of 42 million, identifying as Orthodox Christians and half as members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Church is the backbone of society in Ukraine. Metropolitan Epiphaniy, a young, charismatic leader, has transformed the Church to be more inclusive, accessible and relevant to people's lives. "We are all different each human being is created by God as a unique personality. We can differ in our views and beliefs, our tastes, our interests, our attitude to politics and many other things," said His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy. "But at the same time, we are one family, as the children of God. Our Church is open to everybody; it invites them to step over the sill plate and into the house of God. Our Church is built on love. That is what sets us apart from the Russian Orthodox Church." In the year ahead, the focus for Metropolitan Epiphaniy and other Church leaders will be to unify members of the Orthodox faith in Ukraine around the Kyiv throne. A particular challenge is Russia's efforts to undermine unification by preventing churches from switching over to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and flagrantly violating the religious rights of those who live in areas of Russian occupation, including Crimea and Donbas. Ukraine's transformation into an independent and democratic nation will require collaboration between the Church and society. Two foundations were unveiled during the festivities that will aid in that transformation. The Metropolitan's Foundation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will provide support for the Church's continued modernization and development. The Mazepa Foundation presents a diversity of opinions on Ukrainian society with the Church's input. "Our mission is to spiritually educate the faithful and purify their souls through the Sacraments so they can embody in their own lives the Law of God not by order or force, but by gained spiritual experience," His Beatitude added. "The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has already overcome many challenges together with its people. The Church shares the dream of each Ukrainian, past and present, to see Ukraine as the place of worthy and happy lives for everyone." SOURCE Orthodox Church of Ukraine For a decade or more, it has been all about STEM. The transition to a knowledge economy has seen students, teachers and schools under pressure to pursue study in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, and at higher level, if possible. More recently, Education Minister Joe McHugh made compulsory History for Junior Cycle students part of his legacy. If Fianna Fail is in the next government, it says it will do the same with Geography. Meanwhile, the Leaving Cert curriculum is growing organically, with Politics and Society, PE and Computer Science bringing to 39 the number of subjects available. At Junior Cycle, the new short course options provide unprecedented opportunities for schools to introduce new areas of study to their pupils. Now languages are getting a push. Mandarin Chinese, Lithuanian, Polish and Portuguese are being introduced to the Leaving Cert curriculum in September. The latter three are among a number of languages in which native speakers have been enabled to sit exams, but putting them on the curriculum gives them a new status. It's part of a drive to improve the language skills of Irish students, both by encouraging greater take-up of languages generally and introducing more diversity in what schools offer. Various reports have pointed to the low competency levels in foreign languages in Ireland and the lack of diversity in the range provided across schools. Employers say there is a shortage of graduates and sufficiently skilled people in languages for trade and business. In a globalised world, it is not only the ability to speak foreign languages that takes on a new level of importance, but also an awareness of other cultures that comes with it. Brexit has added a new imperative. Karen Ruddock, Director of the Post Primary Languages Initiative (PPLI), a Department of Education (DES) unit providing support for foreign languages education in Ireland, predominantly at post-primary level, says: "You cannot understand someone's culture without speaking the language, and understanding their culture enables you to build bridges." PPLI conducted an audit a few years ago to get some hard data on the languages landscape in second-level schools. It found that, while French is almost universally taught - it's available in 94pc of post-primary schools - beyond that, the picture is quite patchy. Students in big schools, fee-paying schools and Dublin schools tended to have the best choice. A particularly reduced choice of languages was evident in schools in the north west. There is a knock-on effect of low uptake of foreign languages in further and higher education. The push behind turning Ireland into a nation of polyglots, has its roots in 'Languages Connect, Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education', which highlighted the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity for individuals, society and the economy. It noted the arrival of immigrants from almost 200 countries since 2000 as a resource to be nurtured. The audit of foreign languages provision in post-primary schools showed an appetite within schools to broaden their offerings. Mandarin and Spanish emerged as the top two languages of interest in terms of boosting provision. There was also significant interest in German, Polish, Italian and Japanese and Russian. But alongside an obvious enthusiasm, there are challenges. More than half (58pc) of schools reported their overall allocation of teaching hours - which is based on student numbers and translates into teacher numbers - as an obstacle. With school decisions on the number and choice of subjects linked to their teaching hours allocation and the level of student demand, it explains why larger schools and fee-paying schools (whose extra income supplements their State-paid teaching hours), can provide a bigger range. For instance, the audit found that 76pc of fee-paying schools offered Spanish at Junior Cycle, while it hovered around 30pc in other sectors. Similarly, provision of Chinese in Transition Year was up to 50pc in the fee-paying sector, but only 14pc in education and training board (ETB) schools. Ruddock concedes that "no school can offer everything - if you offer four or five languages, you are going to have a thinning in numbers and if you don't have the numbers, you have to choose a few." But, depending on the make-up of the school, she thinks there is an opportunity to be more open-minded. She asks: "Is it appropriate to look only at French and German, because that is what we have always done? We are encouraging schools to think about diversity and look at the global market rather than just the neighbours. "We have to create a society where Irish people can use foreign languages beyond just a few." Another challenge identified was a shortage of qualified teachers of foreign languages - and that problem is getting worse. At the time of the audit a few years ago, 37pc of schools cited availability of a qualified teacher as an issue. PPLI can provide teachers for Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Polish and Russian to facilitate a language's introduction in schools, but it is only a short-term support. Notwithstanding the various challenges, the Languages Connect strategy set out a number of ambitions around improving uptake in languages in the coming years. Targets include increasing the number of post-primary schools offering two or more foreign languages, increasing the number of students sitting two languages for State exams by 25pc, and increasing the proportion of higher education students studying a foreign language as part of their course to 20pc. The DES has launched a number of initiatives to support it, including more funding for teacher upskilling and school language exchanges. Before Christmas, PPLI facilitated a day of workshops for Transition Year students ranging from French food-tasting to Chinese calligraphy to provide them with an opportunity to experience and understand the social, cultural and professional benefits of learning foreign languages. Now the DES is offering an incentive to post-primary schools to broaden their languages offering by giving an additional allocation of teaching hours to support a new subject from September. The extra hours are being made available for Italian, Japanese, Russian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese and Lithuanian for which schools have been invited to apply. A school can seek an allocation of extra hours to teach one of the seven targeted languages to a minimum of eight students. It must give a commitment to provide the language for a minimum of two years, with a view to continuing for the long term through its regular teacher allocation, the hope being that the participating school will make the new language self-sustaining by the seventh year. It is suggested that schools could share a teacher. Ruddock says there is a tendency to pitch STEM against languages, but she says it is not about one or the other. "It is about accessing those markets - how can you go out to those markets if you don't have the language." While the Irish are native English speakers, she says the country is only 37th in the world in terms of the actual number of English speakers. "If Ireland is competing for foreign direct investment (FDI), it is up against other countries where workers have two or three languages. Which country are they going to choose?" she says. According to Ruddock, people who speak a number of different languages are more flexible and more resourceful than people who speak only one. With the world watching, the Iowa caucuses didnt exactly go according to plan. The famed event is the first chance Democrats in America (the state of Iowa to be specific) get to throw their weight behind a candidate vying for the partys nomination to take on Donald Trump in this years presidential election. It is the beginning of the end of the Democratic race as it works its way around the country. Iowa is the first cab off the rank and sets the tone for the drawn out political process. This time around, it was billed as a more sophisticated process with new technology and a swanky new app being used to collect and count the votes. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, pretty much everything. The worst case scenario happened A little-known startup company was picked by party leaders to develop a mobile app for reporting unofficial results, with key details such as the name of the who built the app kept confidential. While security experts tested the program, many of the people who needed to use it at 1,678 precinct locations across Iowa had little to no training. Things got worse during the voting on Tuesday, AEST, when coding issue within the app muddied the results, prompting party officials to halt reporting and move to a back-up system to verify the counts. The Iowa Democratic Party caucus app is displayed on an iPhone outside Iowa Democratic Party headquarters. Source: Getty It looks like the worst-case scenario happened, computer science professor Douglas W. Jones from the University of Iowa told the Associated Press. Prof Jones, who is a voting security consultant and co-author of Broken Ballots, was among experts who had warned before the caucuses that the plan to deploy the unproven app during the high-stakes event was risky. Some users were unable to download the app while others were ultimately met with malfunctioning messages when they did. Some reported being unable to login while others said the app kept freezing. As a result of the technical problems, vote counts were significantly delayed and numbers were still trickling in early Wednesday afternoon, AEST. Story continues With about 62 per cent of the vote counted, Pete Buttigieg had earned 26.9 percent of the votes counted thus far, followed by Bernie Sanders with 25.1 percent. Elizabeth Warren had earned 18.3 percent and former Vice President Joe Biden was in fourth place with 15.6 percent. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg takes a selfie with supporters. Source: Getty While the app was the preferred method for reporting results, the party did have a phone line available for caucus organisers to report results. But that quickly became overwhelmed and after long delays waiting on the line, some organisers went rogue and began announcing their results on social media. The reporting problems were exacerbated by a new requirement that organisers from each site gather and submit information to make the process more transparent. For the first time, each precinct (1,678 in all) collected data on the number of supporters for each candidate at the beginning of the night, and then after supporters of non-viable candidates realigned to a new candidate (explained here). Party officials defended their decision to delay the release of the results, saying they preferred to have accuracy over speed. But ironically ahead of the event they had touted the apps automated ability to calculate delegates and report results as an improvement over the complicated math and legions of phone calls that the system has long relied upon. Chaos gives rise to viral conspiracies The whole fiasco could not have gone any better for online troublemakers who have spent years disseminating false or misleading conspiracy theories online that the US election is rigged or vulnerable to tampering. Initial signs in Iowa, and crowd sizes, looked good for the hard left candidate Bernie Sanders, but the 78-year-old appears to be coming in second behind former South Bend, Indiana mayor, Pete Buttigieg. Many on social media were quick to suggest something fishy was afoot and that Sanders was being hard done by. The hashtag #BernieWon has since been trending on Twitter. President Donald Trump and his supporters also seized on the distrust by sending tweets with the hashtag #RiggedElection. Meanwhile Trumps own sons shouted Rigged! at an Iowa campaign event and Republican senator Lindsey Graham fuelled the fire by suggesting on social media that the caucus issues were the result of a Bernie blowout. Some Bernie supporters were looking for answers despite their candidate nearly winning. Source: Getty Other debunked conspiracies claimed that Bernies former rival, Hilary Clinton, had a hand in making the app, as well as a separate falsehood that the touted winner in Iowa, Pete Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic partys chairman three years ago, was also involved. Iowa is just the start guys, wrote one Twitter user, who has a profile picture of himself in a Bernie Sanders T-shirt. The Democratic Party will not allow Bernie to win. Ben Nimmo, a disinformation and security expert for social media analysis firm Graphika Labs, said there was no evidence of foreign accounts spreading Iowa conspiracies. This is Americans trolling Americans, he told AP. Thats the really worrying thing in 2020. with AP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. The Centre on Wednesday (February 5) said in Lok Sabha that the United States (US) understands India's security challenges in Jammu and Kashmir and Washington has always "shown understanding" in this matter. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that the US has also acknowledged the steps taken by Indian government to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. Muraleedharan made the statement while replying to a question as to whether the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has had any adverse effects on Indo-US relations. Muraleedharan added that the international community, including the US, was briefed about the Centre's move to junk Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. "Matters related to the Constitution of India are sovereign in nature and do not concern other countries or international organizations. The government has proactively briefed members of the international community, including interlocutors in the US, regarding the rationale behind the abrogation of Article 370 and the normalization of the situation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," said Muralidheeran in his written reply. "The US government has shown understanding regarding the security challenges in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and, from time to time, has acknowledged the steps taken to restore normalcy," he added. (Natural News) The left-wing media is having a meltdown over an article recently published by Zero Hedge that speculates about novel coronavirus being a potential bioweapon that originated in a laboratory. Entitled, Is This The Man Behind The Global Coronavirus Pandemic? the article explains how a November 18, 2019, help wanted ad put out by the Wuhan Institute of Virology sought two post-doctoral fellows to use bats to research the molecular mechanism that allows Ebola and SARS-associated coronavirus to lie dormant for a long time without causing diseases. The job description, which is still up on the schools website at the time of this writing, explains that the position will involve working in the laboratory of Dr. Peng Zhou, Ph.D., a researcher and head of the Bat Virus Infection and Immunization Group. Dr. Zhou started working with bats and communicable viruses back in 2009, having published dozens of articles about his findings in multiple science journals. His lab also issued a press release about how bats can carry illnesses without getting sick themselves while transferring them to people. The Zero Hedge expose on Dr. Zhou is thorough in detailing Dr. Zhous expertise on this subject, which directly coincides with the unexpected release of novel coronavirus from what experts claim were either bats or snakes, or both. Its also interesting that Dr. Zhou has been doing research at Chinas only level-four biohazard lab. As it turns out, Dr. Zhou has not only been researching how bats act as carriers for lethal illnesses without getting sick themselves, but also genetically engineering mechanisms to enhance, you might say, their carrier abilities. He also appears to have created a highly resistant mutant superbug in the process. As part of his studies, Peng also researched mutant Coronavirus strains that overcame the natural immunity of some bats; these are superbug Coronavirus strains, which are not resistant to any natural immune pathway, and now appear to be out in the wild, Zero Hedge explains. As of mid-November, his lab was actively hiring inexperienced post-docs to help conduct his research into super-Coronaviruses and bat infections. Twitter bans Zero Hedge for investigative reporting on coronavirus Zero Hedge concluded its article on Dr. Zhou by publishing his email address and phone number for readers to reach him with inquiries about the subject, prompting Twitter to ban Zero Hedge from its service for supposedly violating its terms of service. Since when is it a digital crime to publish the identity and contact information of a scientific paper author, you might be asking? Since novel coronavirus came along and the mainstream media decided that truth is offensive. BuzzFeed News was among the first to publish its own article, which we wont link to, chiding Zero Hedge for allegedly doxing Dr. Zhou, even though it merely published ways for readers to reach him that are publicly available. Describing Zero Hedge as a pro-Trump blog a snide descriptor aimed at denigrating the integrity of Zero Hedge in the minds of BuzzFeed News readers BuzzFeed News falsely accused the independent media outlet of falsely accusing Dr. Zhou of creating a bioweapon. But heres the thing: It appears that Dr. Zhou was, in fact, suspiciously involved with all of the right research pertaining to the coronavirus outbreak. If we still had an honest media in this country that engaged in actual journalism, all the major media outlets would be asking questions about Dr. Zhou and his work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. But instead, we have a complicit faux media that conducts no investigative research whatsoever, while lambasting others like Zero Hedge that do. For more up-to-the-minute news about coronavirus, be sure to check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com WHIOV.CAS.cn NaturalNews.com A Spanish judge has sanctioned a new probe into the deaths of a British pastor and his two children in a Costa del Sol swimming pool. Gabriel Diya's widow Olubunmi has got the go-ahead for the 'parallel investigation' she called for after the Christmas Eve tragedy. Mr Diya, 52, his son Praise-Emmanuel, 16, and daughter Comfort, nine, drowned in the pool at the holiday resort in Fuengirola in front of Olubunmi and surviving daughter Favour, 14. Police say it was an accident but an engineer and a professional diver hired by Mrs Diya's lawyer will now be allowed into the Club La Costa World pool. Their findings will be submitted to the judge, who has already been handed a police report into the triple drownings, so she can try to answer why they died. An engineer and professional diver will examine the Costa del Sol swimming pool (pictured) where a British pastor and his two children died on Christmas eve Police have described the incident as a 'tragic accident' caused by the victims' lack of swimming skills. But Mr Diya's widow has insisted her loved ones could all swim and claimed there was something wrong with the pool. The new tests Mrs Diya's lawyer Javier Toro has won permission for are expected to delay the judge's final ruling for at least several weeks. A spokesman for the investigating judge said: '[The court] which is investigating the death of three British nationals in a swimming pool in a holiday complex in Mijas, has agreed to authorise several investigative procedures which it considers relevant to the clarification of this case. 'They include the obtaining of expert evidence from a specialist proposed by the lawyer acting for the family of the three people who died, which will consist of an analysis of the functioning of the pool the three family members died in.' It was not immediately clear this morning when the team of professionals will make their site visit or if some of the work has already taken place. Their work will include checking the pump and motor at the pool where the drownings occurred, near the holiday apartment where the British family stayed. The industrial engineer, an assistant and the diver will also analyse the water circulation, the pool suction and pool drains and its electrical installations. Gabriel Diya, 52, his daughter Comfort Diya, nine (pictured together), and his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, died at the Club La Costa World complex Gabriel Diya (left) with his 14-year-old daughter Favour and her brother Praise-Emmanuel (right) who died alongside their father. On the right is Mr Diya's wife, Olubnmi The Fuengirola-based judge tasked with investigating the events surrounding the deaths of Mr Diya and his children, has also ordered resort chiefs to hand over a copy of the CCTV footage of the area from the day of the triple tragedy. Mrs Diya's lawyer made the CCTV request as part of a series of submissions which included questions relating to the operating licences of the main pool and two other pools the British holidaymakers are understood to have been allowed use of. The pool where the Christmas Eve tragedy occurred will be closed while the new tests are carried out. Fuengirola-based Mr Toro spoke of a 'parallel investigation' to clarify the cause of the the three deaths in the wake of the tragedy. He told reporters after visiting the scene: 'We will evaluate the police report as soon as we have access to the case papers and if we don't see what the real cause of this tragic event was, we don't rule out the possibility of a parallel investigation through engineers.' In a statement released through her lawyer in the wake of the tragedy, Mrs Diya insisted her husband and two children 'all knew how to swim'. She claimed: 'I believe something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time.' The Civil Guard previously said in a statement: 'The Civil Guard investigation, after carrying out different tests and taking statements from different people who were caught up in the Christmas Eve tragedy, points to a tragic accident which in principle was caused by the victims' lack of swimming expertise.' Resort chiefs have insisted police found 'no concerns' with the pool during tests despite initial speculation there could be a problem with the pool pump system. They said in a statement released after Mrs Diya pointed to anomalies: 'Naturally we have heard the comments made on behalf of Mrs Diya in a widely publicised statement to the media. 'The claims made in that statement are directly at odds with the findings of the police report. This makes it clear that their exhaustive investigations have confirmed the pool was working normally and there was no malfunction of any kind.' Civil guard divers (right) working at the side of a swimming pool at the Club La Costa World holiday resort near Malaga, Spain, on December 24 Favour Diya told police after the tragedy she had come close to suffering the same fate as her siblings after 'sliding towards the deep part' of the pool which was in the middle. She admitted to never having swum in areas where she was out of her depth but told cops who interviewed her: 'The water was moving but I don't know how to explain it.' Describing the moments leading up to the tragedy in a statement to police, she added: 'All three of us were going to jump in holding hands but at the last minute I still had my towel wrapped round me and I went to take it off while my brother and sister got in the water before I joined them. 'We've normally been in pools where the water starts off being shallow and gets deeper with the deep end being the part furthest from the area where you get in. 'We weren't aware that the deepest part of the pool was the bit in the middle and my brother and sister went towards that part. 'I realised I was out of my depth soon after I got into the water. I got scared and only managed to get out of the water with some effort because I'm not used to swimming in places where the water is deep and I can't stand up. 'As I was trying to get out I heard my brother shouting for help and saw my sister was under the water and my brother was struggling to keep his head above water. 'My father who was not in the water quickly took his trousers off and jumped into the water to help my brother and sister.' Although Favour told police she was not aware the deepest part of the pool was in the middle, the children's mum insisted to investigators she had told her youngest girl Comfort. Mr Diya, who lived with his family in Charlton, south east London, was a pastor at a London branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Pastor Agu Irukwu, chairman of the RCCG board of trustees in the UK, said last month after spending time with Mrs Diya that she had been showing 'grace and dignity.' He said: 'My wife and I were really amazed at the grace and dignity she is exhibiting at a time like this. 'We left there thinking we had been in the presence of a remarkable woman.' Can individuals infected with the Wuhan coronavirus spread it to others even if they arent showing symptoms? Its one of the most important questions confronting scientists. If even asymptomatic people can spread the virus, then it will be much, much harder to slow its spread. Doctors in China claimed asymptomatic transmission was possible, and a letter published Jan. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine appeared to back them up. In the letter, scientists described a cluster of infections in Germany that had started with a traveler from Shanghai. The traveler had seemed healthy during her four-day visit to Bavaria, the researchers reported, and started feeling ill only after she boarded a return flight to China. STAMFORD A former gubernatorial campaign manager who had to resign in disgrace after being fired from his big-time marketing job admitted to stealing $135,000 from his Norwalk employer Wednesday morning at the Stamford courthouse before paying back $100,000 in restitution. Kyle Lyddy, formerly of Newtown, made an open guilty plea before Judge Gary White to a felony first-degree larceny charge to be allowed to participate in the Accelerated Rehabilitation court diversionary program for first-time offenders that could allow him to expunge the criminal charge from his record and avoid serving any jail time. Lyddy served as the campaign manager of independant gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel in 2018. White told Lyddy, 33, that he had six months to repay the remaining $35,000 and if he returned to court in one year without incurring any new arrests, he would allow him to take the plea back. But White warned him that if he picked up any new arrests in that time or did not pay the rest of his restitution, including a $35 program fee, he would regard it as an open plea without any conditions attached and feel free to sentence him on the larceny charge. Just outside the courtroom Lyddys Lawyer William Dow said his client was appreciative that he could participate in the diversionary program. We appreciate the opportunity that was extended by the court to allow Mr. Lyddy to conclude this without any conviction and to maintain an unblemished criminal record, Dow said. Senior Assistant States Attorney said much more money was taken in the scam, which involved two other employees from Georgia that Lyddy supervised from his desk at Match Marketing Group in Norwalk, where he worked from January 2016 to January 2018. He was supervising two employees who were working in Georgia and between the three of them they stole approximately $500,000, Valdes said. He was the supervisor of those people and he actually was responsible for stealing about $135,000. Valdes said the two other employees are being prosecuted in Georgia. Lyddy was serving on the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission when he was arrested in September 2018. He is a UConn graduate and is the youngest of five children from a service-oriented family. His brother, Chris, represented Newtown and the 106th District in the state House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012. The Lyddy family runs an annual Light Up the Point event that has raised thousands of dollars for the SWIM Across the Sound organization, run by St. Vincents Medical Center Foundation in Bridgeport. Lyddy tried to avoid an arrest by offering his former company a down payment of $40,000 with $150,000 more to follow to be paid over five years. But when it turned out that when the company discovered that the amount of money missing was much more, they complained to Norwalk police in August 2018 and he was arrested about a month later. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com Hackers could exploit vulnerabilities in the popular ZigBee protocol to deliver ransomware or spyware to networks by compromising smart lightbulbs and their controllers VIENNA, Austria, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CPX Check Point Research, the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP), a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, has today revealed vulnerabilities that would enable a hacker to deliver ransomware or other malware to business and home networks by taking over smart lightbulbs and their controller. Check Points researchers showed how a threat actor could exploit an IoT network (smart lightbulbs and their control bridge) to launch attacks on conventional computer networks in homes, businesses or even smart cities. Researchers focused on the market-leading Philips Hue smart bulbs and bridge, and found vulnerabilities (CVE-2020-6007) that enabled them to infiltrate networks using a remote exploit in the ZigBee low-power wireless protocol that is used to control a wide range of IoT devices. In an analysis of the security of ZigBee-controlled smart lightbulbs that was published in 2017, researchers were able to take control of a Hue lightbulb on a network, install malicious firmware on it and propagate to other adjacent lightbulb networks. Using this remaining vulnerability, our researchers decided to take this prior work one step further and used the Hue lightbulb as a platform to take over the bulbs control bridge and ultimately, attacking the target's computer network. It should be noted that more recent hardware generations of Hue lightbulbs do not have the exploited vulnerability. The attack scenario is as follows: The hacker controls the bulbs color or brightness to trick users into thinking the bulb has a glitch. The bulb appears as Unreachable in the users control app, so they will try to reset it. The only way to reset the bulb is to delete it from the app, and then instruct the control bridge to re-discover the bulb. The bridge discovers the compromised bulb, and the user adds it back onto their network. The hacker-controlled bulb with updated firmware then uses the ZigBee protocol vulnerabilities to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow on the control bridge, by sending a large amount of data to it. This data also enables the hacker to install malware on the bridge which is in turn connected to the target business or home network. The malware connects back to the hacker and using a known exploit (such as EternalBlue ), they can infiltrate the target IP network from the bridge to spread ransomware or spyware. Story continues Many of us are aware that IoT devices can pose a security risk, but this research shows how even the most mundane, seemingly dumb devices such as lightbulbs can be exploited by hackers and used to take over networks, or plant malware, said Yaniv Balmas, Head of Cyber Research, Check Point Research. Its critical that organizations and individuals protect themselves against these possible attacks by updating their devices with the latest patches and separating them from other machines on their networks, to limit the possible spread of malware. In todays complex fifth-generation attack landscape, we cannot afford to overlook the security of anything that is connected to our networks. The research, which was done with the help of the Check Point Institute for Information Security (CPIIS) in Tel Aviv University , was disclosed to Philips and Signify (owner of the Philips Hue brand) in November 2019. Signify confirmed the existence of the vulnerability in their product, and issued a patched firmware version (Firmware 1935144040) which is now via an automatic update. We recommend users to make sure that their product received the automatic update of this firmware version. We are committed to protecting our users privacy and do everything to make our products safe. We are thankful for responsible disclosure and collaboration from Checkpoint, it has allowed us to develop and deploy the necessary patches to avoid any consumers being put at risk, says George Yianni, Head of Technology Philips Hue. Here is a demo video of how the attack works. The full technical research details will be published at a later date in order to give users time to successfully patch their vulnerable devices. Check Point is the first vendor to provide a consolidated security solution that hardens and protects the firmware of IoT devices. Utilizing a recently acquired technology , Check Point allows organization to mitigate device level attacks before devices are compromised utilizing on-device run time protection. Follow Check Point Research via: Blog: https://research.checkpoint.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_cpresearch_ About Check Point Research Check Point Research provides leading cyber threat intelligence to Check Point Software customers and the greater intelligence community. The research team collects and analyzes global cyber-attack data stored on ThreatCloud to keep hackers at bay, while ensuring all Check Point products are updated with the latest protections. The research team consists of over 100 analysts and researchers cooperating with other security vendors, law enforcement and various CERTs. About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cyber security solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally. Check Points solutions protect customers from 5th generation cyber-attacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and advanced targeted threats. Check Point offers a multilevel security architecture, Infinity Total Protection with Gen V advanced threat prevention, this combined product architecture defends an enterprises cloud, network and mobile devices. Check Point provides the most comprehensive and intuitive one point of control security management system. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes. Congratulations, Iowa. You played yourself, tweeted Lyz Lenz, a resident of Iowa and a columnist at The Gazette. Heres what people are saying about why the caucuses went wrong and why, at least in their current form, they cant go right. Iowas tech problem The Iowa caucuses got their first-in-the-nation status in 1972, and traditionally each precinct has simply called in its results. This year, however, the Iowa Democratic Party commissioned Shadow Inc., a for-profit technology company, to build an app for tabulating and reporting the votes. Further complicating matters, precincts had to report three sets of data this year the initial alignment of caucusgoers, the realignment of those with candidates below 15 percent support and then the final number of delegates won at each site instead of one. Precinct chairs apparently struggled to download and log in to the app, which had been put together in the past two months and had not been properly tested, creating widespread confusion. (Natural News) Yet another global pandemic that started in China is spreading around the world, but as usual, a Left-wing United Nations bureaucrat is siding with the authoritarian regime over democracies whose leaders are concerned for the safety of their citizens. According to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, such concern is bigoted, not rational which makes no sense at all, of course. Despite the fact that more than 20,700 people have been infected thus far, with 427 (as of this writing) having been killed by the novel virus, Tedros believes that a) the Chinese government is handling things well; and b) any criticism of the way Chinas handling the outbreak, including travel bans and other restrictions, is bad. John Mackenzie, emeritus professor at Curtin University, noted that it defies all logic that there was no increase in new cases at the same time that Chinese officials were holding local political meetings in January. There must have been more cases happening that we werent being told about. I think they tried to keep the figures quiet for a while because of some major meeting they had in Wuhan but I think there was a period of very poor reporting, or very poor communication, he said, calling Beijings response reprehensible. I think [China] were very quick to let WHO know?.?.?.?about it being a novel disease, they were very quick in being able to isolate the virus and share the genome sequence but I think on some of the more government public health type issues, they have been rather recalcitrant, he added. But for Tedros, it was more appropriate to blame the rest of the world for causing fear and stigma by limiting trade and travel to China because of the outbreak which, obviously, is still not contained. Meanwhile, as Zero Hedge reports, his criticism comes as China is itself blocking travel to Macau and implementing martial law or something very close to it nationwide. No one really knows how dangerous this virus really is The websites Tyler Durden noted: Having once again earlier denied that the novel coronavirus is a pandemic, saying instead that its an epidemic with multiple foci, and with people dropping down dead on the streets in China (and being forced into ambulances), WHO Director-General Tedros reiterated his previous stunning praise for Chinas forceful measures to halt the spread of the virus. Durden said what he is actually hearing from Tedros is something that Peak Prosperitys Chris Martenson suggested: That the WHO appears to be putting money over peoples lives. Specifically, the WHO also announced that despite the fact that the virus has a long incubation period and is highly disruptive, that shouldnt disrupt or limit global trade and travel. What kind of sense does that make for the World Health Organization to make that kind of statement? Tedros remarkable statement comes just ahead of a report by CNBC quoting researchers who claim that the coronavirus may actually be much more contagious than first believed, including one from the WHO. The rapid acceleration of cases is of concern, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organizations emergencies program, told a news conference last week before the agency declared coronavirus a global emergency. CNBC reports: Chinese scientists worry the respiratory illness, which world health officials say likely came from a fish market, has mutated to adapt to its new human hosts far more quickly than SARS. Data on the virus is changing by the day, and some infectious disease specialists say it will take weeks before they can see just how contagious it is. SARS was the last coronavirus-type of pandemic to originate in China. What is clear is that no one really knows just how dangerous and deadly this virus is at the moment. So chastising the leaders of countries who have elected to protect their citizens with Chinese trade and travel restrictions seems suspicious and dumb. Sources include: CNBC.com ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com There are lots of problems in the country, some of which are due to sanctions and some are due to mismanagement, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted in an address to loyalists in the capital Tehran Feb. 5. Despite all that, people will come to the battlefield on election day, because it is about the dignity of the establishment and the countrys security. Khamenei made the speech ahead of Irans parliamentary polls scheduled for Feb. 21. But the run-up to the vote has already been marked by serious questions after sweeping eliminations of moderate and Reformist political forces have made a parliament dominated by hard-liners inevitable. Under the Islamic Republic's constitution, the Guardian Council, whose members are directly appointed by the supreme leader, vets candidates for parliament. In one of the farthest-reaching purges of rivals ever, the ultraconservative body excluded many senior Reformist figures. The removal has prompted President Hassan Rouhani to question the legitimacy of the vote. Rouhani has warned that the eliminations will render the election a formality that could endanger the Iranian democratic process. Without directly naming Rouhani, the supreme leader dismissed his stance as controversy. Why is the election a healthy process when it ends in your victory, but it is called defective when it is not in your favor? According to Khamenei, accusations that the election is being engineered will only discourage people ahead of the vote. The Iranian supreme leader threw his weight behind the trustworthy Guardian Council, whose spokesman has been openly exchanging barbs with Rouhani over the vetting process. Irans Reformists have in recent weeks been speaking out against an unfair race, saying the Guardian Council has left no space for genuine competition. In a Feb. 4 statement, a coalition of Reformist political forces lamented the purge as narrowing the list of candidates too far. The Guardian Council has often faced allegations of siding with conservative camps and even in some cases manipulating the electoral process in favor of like-minded candidates. Most notably in 2009, the councils top members endorsed former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose disputed re-election sent Iran into months of deadly disarray. Someone may not favor me, but if they like Iran, they should show up at the ballot box, Khamenei further said in his speech. The apparent attempt to play the patriotism card came as Iran has faced one crisis after another in recent months, with protesters shouting slogans against the supreme leader and institutions under his command, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Last November, Iranians already squeezed by an economy hit by sanctions and corruption took to the streets against abruptly announced higher gasoline prices. Hundreds were killed in the security crackdown and thousands more put behind bars as the government accused hostile states of instigating the unrest. Only two months later and while questions regarding the governments handling of the November protests remained largely unaddressed, IRGC forces shot down a Ukrainian jetliner outside Tehran, killing all 179 people on board, most of them Iranians. It took the Iranian government three days to abandon its denial in the face of mounting evidence. The admission of guilt once again brought Iranians back to the streets with fresh slogans against the supreme leader and the IRGC over the coverup of the tragedy. In the interval between the two rounds of protests, the Iranian Students Polling Agency conducted a survey that showed a low level of willingness among ordinary Iranians to participate in the upcoming elections. Among other results, the poll found that in Tehran, only 21% of the respondents said they would take part in the vote. A jealous husband chopped off his love rival's PENIS and stabbed him to death after he found out his wife was having an affair in Thailand. Amornrak Jitkoh, 45, was furious after discovering his fortune teller wife, Nai, wanted to leave him for local policeman Jumrus Doljue, 57. He admitted hacking off his penis in a jealous rage and throwing it in the fire before fleeing on his motorcycle. Jitkoh first set fire to Mr Doljue's car outside his house in Kalasin, in the north east of the country on Saturday to lure him out. He then pounced on him with a knife and repeatedly stabbed him. Jitkoh told a police press conference: 'I cut off his penis because of my anger. 'I stabbed him many times, cut his penis and threw it in the fire then ran to my motorcycle and escaped.' Amornrak Jitkoh, 45, was furious after discovering local policeman Jumrus Doljue, 57, had been sleeping with his fortune teller wife, Nai Jitkoh torched Mr Doljue's car outside his house in Kalasin on Saturday to lure him out He was arrested eating noodles at a local restaurant after officers found his victim's body Police later found the victim's mutilated body with his penis hacked off and 23 stab wounds to his neck and body. Officers traced him to a nearby restaurant on Tuesday and arrested him as he calmly ate a bowl of noodles. Jitkoh smirked as he confessed to the brutal murder. He said his wife, a fortune teller, had refused to end the affair and had asked him for a divorce. At a police conference, he said: 'I suspected he was having affair with my wife since November 2018. 'Then on February 2019 my wife asked for a divorce. 'We still lived together until we had a fight last September that caused her to move away to her family's house, which I later discovered was next to the official residence for police officers. Jitkoh (pictured in custody with a crash helmet on) confessed to murder after his arrest Police Lieutenant Genaral Charoenwit Srivanich said the murder was a consequence of 'problems in the domestic relationship' 'I went to talk to her but she still refused to stop her affair with the policeman so I went and talked to him. He was not willing to stop seeing my wife so I killed him.' Police Lieutenant Genaral Charoenwit Srivanich said the murder was a consequence of 'problems in the domestic relationship.' He said that Jitkoh had confessed to charges of murder and he would be remanded in custody for a court date to be set. He said: 'This was a brutal killing and the suspect has confessed to charges of premeditated murder, arson and being armed in public. 'He will be interrogated again and taken to the scene for a re-enactment before the legal case continues.' SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- By a strict party-line vote, Onondaga County legislators today passed a resolution urging the state legislature to amend bail reforms that took effect Jan. 1 by restoring the ability of judges to impose bail for low-level offenses if they deem it necessary. The countys resolution also seeks to relax the 15-day deadline for police and prosecutors to turn over trial-related materials to defense attorneys, saying it has imposed new personnel costs on the county. Supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats, the resolution was a purely symbolic request to state lawmakers. Nevertheless, it sparked nearly two hours of passionate debate, including speeches from nine members of the public who defended the new bail reforms. About two dozen people held a rally before the meeting to oppose the county resolution. Republican county legislators argued that the states new bail and discovery laws urgently need fixing, despite having taken effect only a month ago. Legislator Debra Cody, R-Salina, pointed out that even Democrats like Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City have called for judicial discretion in setting bail for defendants who pose a danger to public safety. The new bail law does not allow the imposition of bail for many low-level crimes. "This is not a partisan issue,'' Cody said. But several Democratic lawmakers -- and most of the speakers from the audience -- said the calls to amend the law just 35 days after it took effect seemed to be motivated more by fear-mongering than facts. If the state law needs to be tweaked, time will tell, they said. Some Democrats argued that the countys resolution sent the wrong message to residents of poor and minority neighborhoods, where there is a long history of victimizing poverty by keeping people in jail if they cant raise bail while awaiting trial. "What this resolution tells people in my district, which is predominantly black and brown communities, is that this legislature doesnt care about them,'' said Legislator Vernon Williams Jr., of Syracuse. "This legislature cares more about what the DA says.'' The resolution, which passed 10-6 (with one absence), asks the state legislature to "suspend or amend'' the new bail and discovery reform laws. The key amendments recommended are to restore judicial discretion to impose bail for low-level crimes, and to lengthen the deadline for turning over discovery materials from 15 days to 45. Rick Trunfio, first chief assistant district attorney, told legislators the tighter 15-day discovery deadline is overwhelming the countys forensic scientists, police and prosecutors. "Its impossible,'' he said. "The statute was not properly drafted with regard to what are the time frames that are actually workable.'' Amid all the passionate back-and-forth, every speaker at the legislative session agreed on one point: The states previous system of bail was in need of reform. Whether the state legislature got it right last year was another matter. A $5 million apartment development in Port Melbourne, finished but vacant for almost a year, is the latest building to be caught in a bureaucratic quagmire caused by the flammable cladding crisis. Building consultants and the developer of the high-end Sable Bleu apartments, completed last May but still lacking a crucial occupancy permit, insist they are safe to occupy. The $5 million Port Melbourne apartment development that has sat vacant for almost a year. Credit:Joe Armao They point out that the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre which is safe to occupy is clad in near-identical materials to the four-level residential development. The apartment block is one of several caught out by changing regulations and a refusal by insurers to cover surveyors inspecting buildings with cladding issues. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah and Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta and Batam Wed, February 5, 2020 15:20 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b9b3b 1 SE Asia coronavirus,Singapore Free Indonesia will not repatriate its citizen in Singapore confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus and who is currently under isolation treatment at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). The Indonesian national is a 44-year-old domestic helper who has no recent travel history to mainland China, where the coronavirus first originated and has since spread rapidly. Her Singaporean employer has also tested positive for the coronavirus. Foreign Ministry acting spokesperson Teuku "Faiz" Faizasyah told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the government would not repatriate the citizen. "She will be treated until she recovers at a hospital there," he said. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore had left contact numbers that the patient could reach should she need any support, as she was currently under isolation, he added. Faiz said that the ministry had received no information as to whether the citizen had been in contact with other migrant workers prior to her admission to the hospital. Read also: Indonesian maid in Singapore tests positive for coronavirus The Straits Times reported that the Indonesian national had reported symptoms on Sunday and had not left her home since then. She was then admitted to the SGH on Monday. Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore I Gede Ngurah Swajaya told the Post on Wednesday that the embassy would stay in contact with the SGH. "We have confirmed that her condition is stable and she is under doctors' surveillance in the isolation room. We continuously inform our citizens about prevention steps as also suggested by the Singaporean government to its people," he said. The embassy said in a statement that it had received a verbal notice from Singapore's Health Ministry about the Indonesian citizen and that it could not reveal her identity because of the Personal Data Protection Act. The Health Ministry's communicable disease prevention and control director, Wiendra Waworuntu, said on Wednesday that the case was an apparent human-to-human transmission, and as a result, Indonesia would tighten up monitoring efforts on people coming from Singapore at Indonesia's entrance points. Indonesia has still recorded no confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. The death toll in mainland China stood at 491 on Wednesday. Hong Kong and the Philippines have also reported one death each from the coronavirus, which has spread to more than 20 countries and infected tens of thousands people globally, Johns Hopkins CSSE reported. Topics : coronavirus Singapore Jeff Probst has revealed he suffered from an episode of temporary amnesia last year that left him - briefly - with 'absolutely no memory.' In an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday, the host of Survivor said the incident occurred a few months ago while he was at home booking a trip for himself and his wife. Probst, 58, told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest he struggled to remember what day it was, where his wife and kids were, and what he was doing at his house. However, his memories suddenly returned the next day on his way to a neurology appointment. Probst said he thought it was a sign of early dementia, but doctors told him he actually had suffered from a rare phenomenon called transient global amnesia, during which sufferers temporarily become disoriented about where they are and can't form new memories. Survivor host Jeff Probst appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan to discuss a recent health scare in which he suffered from an episode of temporary amnesia (pictured) Probst, 58, was booking a trip for himself and his wife when he couldn't remember his wife's birthdate. He said he suddenly had no memory of what day it was, where his wife and his were and what he was doing. Pictured: Probst on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday, left, and on Mana Island, May 2019 Probst said he first realized something was wrong when he was booking plane tickets for himself and his wife, Lisa Ann Russell, to Las Vegas and found himself unable to fill in one of the fields on the form. 'It gets to your wife's birthdate. And I went: "What is my wife's birthdate?" And I couldn't figure it out, so I texted my wife and I said: "Could you call me?"' Probst said. While on the phone with his wife, Lisa Ann Russell, he started to forget other details such as where his kids were or even where Lisa was, despite her voice on the other end of the line. The TV host said that as the day went on, he had 'zero recollection of anything that was happening to me.' 'I had no idea who I was, where I was,' Probst said. 'I even wrote a note on my laptop, I wrote a note that said: "For our records, I have no idea why I'm wearing these clothes. I have no idea where our kids are. I have no idea what day it is. I have no idea why I'm writing this." And then a little later I type: "I just read this. Have no memory of writing it."' The episode lasted for about three hours, so Probst booked an appointment to go see a neurosurgeon the next day. It was while he was in the hospital on his way to get the MRI that his memory returned. 'I hit the elevator belt to go up to get the MRI, and I had a moment of - cause I didn't know what it was at this moment - "What if this is it? What if this is early dementia?"' He said he had three hours of 'absolutely no memory' but his memories came back while he was getting an MRI the next day. Pictured: Probst on SURVIVOR: Edge of Extinction, April 2019 Doctors told Probst he had transient global amnesia, a sudden episode of temporary memory loss that affects older people and has no known causes. Pictured: Probst on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday It wasn't dementia. Probst said his doctor diagnosed him with a condition known as transient global amnesia (TGA). TGA occurs when somebody suddenly loses their memory, forgetting recent events such as where they are and how they got there. It is most common among people above age 50 and is only temporary, with sufferers regaining their memory after a few hours. There is no known cause of TGA, but some suggest there is a link to a history of migraines or the overfilling of veins with blood due to a blockage. It occurs in about five per 100,000 people per year according to a 2007 report from Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in the UK. There is no treatment because the condition resolves on its own and has no known lasting effects, according to the Mayo Clinic. Probst says he is '100 percent' fine now and that the health scares appears to have been a one-off and hasn't occurred since. Caitlyn Jenner attends the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on January 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) In a collaboration few saw coming, Caitlyn Jenner has shared that shes done some filming for Mrs Brown's Boys. The US star posted a photo of herself on the comedy's set alongside Brendan O'Carroll in character as Agnes Brown to her Instagram account on Tuesday night. In the snap, the 70-year-old is seen reading the fictional newspaper favoured by Mrs Brown, the Northside People, while the matriarch stands over her. Read more: Ricky Gervais denies being snubbed by 'lovely, gracious' Caitlyn Jenner "Had so much fun shooting this funny comedy in Scotland! Mrs. Browns Boys!" Jenner captioned the photo. The former athlete wasn't suffering from geographical confusion as while the sitcom is set in Ireland, the show is actually filmed in Scotland. A representative for the show confirmed to Yahoo News that Jenner will be guest on the talk show spin off, All Round to Mrs Browns when it returns later in the year. Following on from her stint on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! last year, Jenner jetted over to the UK last week to present the Challenge Show gong at the National Television Awards. It was a big night for Mrs Brown's Boys too as the BBC show scooped the Best Comedy prize for the fifth time having won the accolade in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. The show aired three seasons between 2011 and 2013 and has returned every year for specials around Christmas and New Year. Brendan O'Carroll accepting the Comedy award for "Mrs Brown's Boys", pose in the winners room during the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on January 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) Meanwhile, All Round to Mrs Browns has aired a season every year since 2017. Star and creator O'Carroll teased back in December that another full series could be on the cards. The 64-year-old comedian told Metro.co.uk: Im happy with Christmas specials. At some stage they continually hint at some stage of having a full series back. Just having a full series. The agreement with the BBC is that when they decide its over, its over and that suits me fine. I bring it to a close. But as long as they want to keep running it on Christmas Day Im gonna keep doing it on Christmas Day and hopefully get better and better and better. Yesterday was unusually chaotic even for American politics. Democratic Party officials announced partial results from the Iowa caucuses at 5 p.m. EST showing Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders in the lead. Their statement came nearly a full day after the results were delayed due to reporting issues. Four hours later, President Trump began his State of the Union address. He became only the second president to do so while under impeachment. The atmosphere in the room was unusually tense and partisan. The president handed copies of his speech to Vice President Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She extended her hand, but he turned away without shaking it. She then introduced him, but not with the customary, Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States. Instead, she said simply, Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. During the speech, the president honored a Tuskegee Airman and his grandson who intends to become an astronaut. He welcomed home a soldier who reunited with his family for the first time in months. The speech recounted remarkable economic good news and called on Congress to make progress on a variety of fronts. Then, at the conclusion of the speech, the Speaker of the House stood, took her copy of the address, and tore it in two. She said later that she destroyed the speech because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives. She added that she was trying to find one page with truth on it but couldnt. My purpose in responding today is emphatically not to advance a partisan agenda. I would offer the same response to last nights divisiveness if the president were a Democrat and the House Speaker a Republican. In such a bitterly divided culture, my purpose today is to consider biblical ways to deal with disagreements as a nation and as individuals. One: Honor the position if not the person First, we must honor the position even if we disagree with the person. Peter instructed us: Be subject for the Lords sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good (1 Peter 2:13-14). Paul agreed: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1). Note that the emperor to whom they referred was Nero, one of the most despotic tyrants in Roman history. In light of Gods word, it was wrong for Republican Congressman Joe Wilson to cry out You lie! when President Obama was delivering a joint address to Congress in 2009. (The congressman soon apologized, and the president accepted his apology.) It was also wrong for Speaker Pelosi to rip up President Trumps speech. Congressman Wilson and Speaker Pelosi obviously disagreed with the presidents whose speeches they protested. But Scripture teaches us to honor the position, even if we disagree with the person. Two: Initiate reconciliation Second, Gods word calls us to go to those with whom we disagree. Jesus was clear: If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone (Matthew 18:15). Conversely, our Lord also taught us: If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24). Whether someone sins against us or we sin against them, we are to go to them. We are not permitted to speak about them before we speak to them. When we discuss public figures, we must avoid slander (Psalm 101:5; James 4:11) and gossip (Proverbs 20:19; 1 Timothy 5:13), only saying about them what we would say to them. These commitments break the cycle of retribution and initiate the process of healing. If the person will not respond to our initiative, we will know that we have done what we can. Three: Love our enemies in prayer Our third principle may be the hardest: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45). Love translates agape, the unconditional commitment to put the other person first. We demonstrate this commitment when we pray for those who persecute youthe Greek syntax is translated literally, for them as they are persecuting you. You know that you love your enemies when you pray for Gods best for them regardless of how they treat you. Such forgiveness obeys Gods word and will (Mark 11:25) and models his grace to a graceless culture. Imagine a culture living by biblical forgiveness Discussion of the divisiveness on display during last nights State of the Union is likely to continue for days. In response, lets model Christian behavior for a post-Christian culture. Lets choose to honor the position of those with whom we disagree. Lets refuse to slander them, speaking to them rather than about them. And lets pray for Gods best for them as we share the forgiveness we have received. Imagine the difference in our country if everyone followed these biblical principles. Now lets model the behavior we ask others to exhibit. With whom will you begin today? Publication date: February 5, 2020 Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Mark Wilson/Staff For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org. The Daily Article Podcast is Here! Click to Listen LONDON In the first serious test of the top end of the auction market since Brexit, Sothebys relied heavily on three works that had been looted by the Nazis and restored to the owners heirs in an underpowered sale Tuesday of Impressionist, modern and Surrealist art that raised 49.9 million pounds, or $64.9 million. That total was 43 percent lower than the 87.7 million at the sale last February. All three of the works had recently been returned to the heirs of the French property developer and art collector Gaston Levy. The painting that led the sale, with a price of 13.3 million, was Camille Pissarros 1888 Pointillist-style masterwork, Gelee Blanche, Jeune Paysanne Faisant du Feu showing two figures in a field on a sunlit winter morning. It had been on display at the Musee dOrsay in Paris from 2000 to 2018 after having been seized by the French authorities from a private collection in 1988. The painting had been looted from Mr. Levy in 1940, during the Nazi occupation of France, according to the catalog. The prestige of the Pissarro name and the paintings former presence at the museum encouraged five telephone bidders to push the price for the canvas beyond its 12 million upper estimate. "With the backing of the Permira Funds, LSNE continues to invest in increasing our capabilities and capacity with new state-of-the-art facilities and equipment," said Damon Abernathy, Vice President of Operations at LSNE. The new facilities will help LSNE meet customer demand and industry advancements in aseptic processing. CGMP production at 7 Commerce will begin in the second half of 2021 creating growth opportunities for current employees and bringing new jobs to the state of New Hampshire. Radio One DJ Clara Amfo has revealed she had 'long' and 'really emotional' talks with Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis and his partner Emma Freud about its 'storytelling'. London-based Clara, 35, who co-presented 2019's Red Nose Day, held a private meeting with the pair in their Notting Hill home to discuss her concerns about the charity. Comic Relief was hit by controversy last year when it was criticised by MP David Lammy over use of white celebrities to demonstrate poverty in Africa, which he said was part of a 'white saviour' complex left over from a 'colonial era'. Clara told BBC's Fortunately podcast that the conversation with Richard and Emma has resulted in changes being made to the charity's campaign this year. Radio One DJ Clara Amfo, 35, from London has revealed she had 'emotional and civilised' talks with Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis and his partner Emma Freud about its 'storytelling' (pictured, Clara in January) Speaking to the Fortunately podcast, Clara recalled: 'They're very loving and passionate people. The conversations we had, yeah, they were long. 'We had a really emotional, civilised, transformative and, I think, genuinely positive conversation about the storytelling and about how the show is done.' When she was asked whether conversations had ever been uncomfortable, she replied: 'It depends how you define uncomfortable, because Ive got no problem with confrontation if its going to get s*** sorted out. 'If anything I felt quite empowered because I thought, "Isn't it so great that I'm in a time I can have this conversation in your house, in Notting Hill?"' She added: 'Things take time. I'm not expecting it to be magically fixed overnight, the issues people might have with the programme.' Emma, the director of Red Nose Day, confirmed to the Evening Standard: 'It was a very important meeting for Richard and me. Clara said the conversation with Richard and Emma have resulted in changes being made to the charity's campaign this year (pictured, Richard in December 2019) 'We were really grateful Clara came and talked to us with such clarity, patience and honesty about the situation we are so keen to improve.' She added: 'It was one of many conversations, which have led to us modernising the way we tell the stories of our recipients.' Comic Relief has come under fire in recent years with some accusing the charity of using a 'white saviour' narrative in its charity appeal videos for African countries. It is thought that the organisation will now ensure recipients feature much more prominently in the clips. It comes after the charity was criticised by MP David Lammy for 'perpertuating tired and unhelpful stereotypes' when Stacey Dooley shared a snap on Instagram while she was holding a Ugandan child Clara added: 'We had a real conversation around the execution of the show last year before I agreed to do it.' In June last year, Comic Relief announced it would not send celebrities to meet people who live in poverty abroad after it suffered an 8million drop in donations when Labour's David Lammy criticised the tactic. The Tottenham MP accused the charity of 'perpetuating tired and unhelpful stereotypes' by sending 'white saviours' to raise awareness in Africa. He criticised the charity after BBC presenter Stacey Dooley posted a picture on Instagram with a Ugandan child while visiting the country with Comic Relief. Promo depts have been busy in the race for second place. While Married at First Sight is running away with the lions share its war between 10 and 7. Australian Survivor is teasing its Best Ever Tribal tonight -a big call. 10 has even asked staff to tease the show through their own social media to go into the draw for a $200 gift voucher. My Kitchen Rules has opted to tell Big Brother fans to Keep your eye on MKR -presumably for some kind of tease. Perhaps Seven should have put it to air in Q1 instead? Meanwhile after NSW Police used Facebook to tell its followers, Saying MAFS is on at 7:30! wont get you out of a speeding ticket tonight. Slow down, Seven even replied to the page saying MKR is on at 7:30. Interesting times. B oris Johnson will weaken the international battle against climate change if the troubled United Nations summit being hosted by the UK is a failure, a former government environment adviser warned today. Professor Tom Burke, who has advised three environment secretaries, warned that the stakes were high after it emerged that ex-premier David Cameron and former foreign secretary Lord Hague have both turned down appeals by the PM to act as summit president. He told the Evening Standard that the apparent lack of preparation by the UK, which was highlighted by the sacking of Claire ONeill as summit president, would have undermined confidence and made a deal more difficult. Professor Burke said the sacking of Ms ONeill was justified because she lacked the Prime Minsters ear and authority but he asked: Why on earth get Dominic Cummings, an aide, to phone someone up without warning and sack her in such a public way ... and without having a replacement ready? Boris Johnson & David Attenborough launch United Nations COP26 1 /12 Boris Johnson & David Attenborough launch United Nations COP26 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) sits with British broadcaster and conservationist David Attenborough, during an event to launch COP26, the United Nations' Climate Change conference, COP26 Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images PA He said Mr Johnson should have been flanked by a heavyweight politician rather than broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough at yesterdays launch event at the Science Museum. David Attenborough matters a lot to domestic audiences but I dont think he carries a lot of clout with Xi or Merkel, said Professor Burke, referring to Chinese president Xi Jinping and German chancellor, Angela Merkel. Britain hopes to attract 200 world leaders to the summit in November and for each to sign ambitious new commitments to reduce carbon emissions. After enacting the 'Disha Act,' the Andhra Pradesh government shows its steely resolve by launching "Disha Police Stations'' across the state to especially deal with rape and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence) cases on priority. On February 7, the first `Disha Police Station' will come to operate in Rajamahendravaram, also known as Rajamundry, at East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the Police Station and a video conference will be held connecting the 1097 police stations across the state of Andhra Pradesh. As many as 18 Disha Police Stations will be established across 13 districts of the state, in a phased manner. The Police Station at Rajamahendravaram is built on 4000 sq ft and is spread across two floors. The police station has a big waiting hall, counselling hall, feeding room for mothers and every such police station will be under the supervision of two DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) rank officials, apart from five inspectors, 18 constables, two data entry operators, one cyber expert. On average, every year, nearly 600 rape cases and nearly 1000 POCSO cases are reported in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Live TV "The main aim and purpose of a `Disha Police Station' is the quality of investigation for which SoPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are laid out. There will be a time frame of seven days to solve each case for an Investigating Officer ( I.O ) who will be assisted by specially trained personnel in finding clues, forensic and other required areas concerning such cases,'' informs Gowtam Sawang, Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, to Zee Media. Only about 12 cases will be handled by each Investigating Officer per year to lessen the burden. "We have already given ads to fill up 118 vacancies in FSL (Forensic Science Lab) who will be posted as Scientific Officers apart from filling up the vacancies of gynaecologists who will start their work right in the ambulances itself which will have a partition for privacy when any victim is brought to the nearest hospital,'' adds the DGP. Another unique aspect will be a special `Disha Control Room' which will be manned by 144 people round-the-clock to handle distress calls by women. Also, a special `Disha App' can be used by victim in distress which will have automatic SoS, emergency button, and if any victim can't talk, she can shake the handset for 10 seconds wherein the phone camera will automatically turn on and a 10-second audio-video will reach to `Disha Control Room' apart from stored numbers of family members or close relatives which will give the exact location of the victim in distress. After the filing of charge sheet under `Disha Act,' the trial should be completed within 14 working days. Thirteen Special Courts have already been sanctioned which will have dedicated 13 Public Prosecutors. The Andhra Pradesh government has already earmarked Rs 87 crores for additional staff, police station buildings, courtrooms. For the implementation of Disha Act without any hassles, the state government has appointed two top-ranking women officials Dr.Kritika Shukla, IAS and M.Deepika, IPS. 05.02.2020 LISTEN Nina (18), Turkish roots: "It is true, people are fed up with Democracy. They only see people in power are interested only in themselves. In Russia Putin steals money from the nation and is roughless, yet the overall majority of Russians like him." Kimberly (18), Kenyan roots :"When in Kenya someone should come to power through our democratic process with good ideas and a great heart...guess what will happen? Our own people will try to kill that person!" Democracy comes in various shapes and sizes around the world. In each form it is fundamental condition that MPs only have to submit themselves to their own conscience, not of their party, not of their voters, not of pressure groups...only their own conscience! During the Brexit process in the House of Commons/UK everyone was able to see the effect to this principle. MPs voted into Parliament as Remainers, turned themselves into Leavers, in effect betraying their mandate once received. When the new parliament was voted in these people were voted out by their constituency. If an MP does not care whether or not to be voted against in a general election after four years sitting in parliament reflecting only on his own conscience instead of the mandate given can cause great harm to the democratic process and voicing of electorates concerns can be the result of that principle. The Green Party "Die Grunen" in Germany are another good example to this effect. Starting off as a movement converting later into a Party it was an unwritten and widely communicated statement to their followers they would never use the Car Shuttle Service of the Bundestag from Bonn Train Station to the Langer Eugen (MPs office complex) nor Parliament rather ride bikes. They proclaimed not to fly but use train services instead, even to rotate each MP every two years in order to avoid too much power in the hands of one person. It was their leader Claudia Roth that ended the much-embraced separation from Party Leadership and a seat in the Bundestag or local parliaments with tears shed heavily before by her. From all parties in Germany "Die Grunen" betrayed their original ideas voted for in the shortest possible time that was once voiced by Rudolph Bahro in the 1980s when at a congress he proclaimed because of the Acid Rain they have the chance to harvest conservative votes in the Bavarian Alps with the need for the party to shape their profile into that direction. In China of the 16th century tested qualification was the only pathway to successful positions in the society not connections or social condition. In the 18th century intellects, wise men were appreciated and listened to, not powerful men. Europeans and Americans demanded end of last century from all African societies to follow their political ideas and turn their societies into Democracies regardless of their own traditions and expectations what life should offer them. History has proven that it is never a wise idea nor decision to impose on other countries ideas dear to their own heart but to advice foreign nations based on their tradition, historic current conditions and wanted society achievements a form of governance that most likely will perform on expectations in the shortest possible time of such countries. Governance is never static, changes as time changes. What is working well today for a certain nation or nations might not be fit for purpose for generations to come asking for a revised system. Only open-minded people trained in the toolbox of history and equipped with a visionary mind to see what has not yet been tested so far will eventually benefit nations along their way through future history. Nina und Kimberly:"So, Mr. Karl, you are telling us, anyone with a great idea to unite Africa and make it a paradise will be threatened by local and outside forces to end his life?" "Yes, potentially...yes! But...but these forces never understand that history can be delayed but never stopped. Over and over people are born and eventually the day will come history will show its true face!" 3 1 of 3 Jay R. Jordan / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Jay R. Jordan / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Police are still searching for the suspected gunman who shot a wrecker driver Wednesday, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called out to a crash in the 2000 block of Spring Stuebner around 5:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the driver had been shot in the chest, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Advait Mandar, a Grade IX student of the New Millennium School, DPS Bahrain, made his alma mater proud by completing the level 2 and securing a position among the top 100 meritorious students, in the Aryabhata Ganit Challenge 2019. Advait secured rank in the national level Ganit Challenge conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education for schools around the world. This computer-based contest aimed at promoting competencies among students through joyful assessment. It also helped students to identify, encourage and nurture the talent in Mathematics and apply the same to their daily life. The Chairman, Dr Ravi Pillai, Managing Director, Geetha Pillai and Principal, Arun Kuumar Sharma congratulated Advait, his teachers and parents for this commendable performance. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, the ChinaUnited States trade war is an ongoing economic conflict between the world's two largest national economies. Despite this, cities in China and the United States have partnered together to create "Two Cities/One Book", a collaborative project between San Francisco and Shanghai. Over the past several years, San Francisco Public Library worked with the Shanghai Pudong Library to produce the book, which presents an opportunity for San Franciscans to read and discuss the same book, at the same time, as residents from its sister city of Shanghai. People's Daily Online West USA visited the San Francisco Public Library to learn more about the book as part of a documentary on Oct. 23, 2019. City Librarian of the San Francisco Public Library and advocate for cross-cultural communication Michael Lambert is City Librarian for the City and County of San Francisco and was appointed to the position in March 2019. During his tenure as the acting director of the San Francisco Public Library, he increased the library's visit rate by extending the opening hours and free borrowing of books. In a documentary produced by People's Daily Online West USA, Mr. Lambert said, "We are proud to partner with the Shanghai Pudong Library, and we have a program called: Two Cities/One Book." Mr. Lambert has been working with the California Library Association and sits on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Technical Committee. Wei Deng Phone: 669.900.2566 Email: [email protected] Related Images micheal-lambert.jpg Micheal Lambert City Librarian of the San Francisco Public Library and advocate for cross-cultural communication Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBCL-Qhb3gU SOURCE People's Daily Online West USA English French MONTREAL, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genetec Inc. (Genetec), a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions is pleased to announce that it has been again named one of Montreals Top Employers by Mediacorp Inc ., publisher of Canadas Top 100 Employers list. The achievement marks the companys success in maintaining its 20+ year commitment to nurturing an open, collaborative people-centric culture while delivering significant software innovation to customers around the world. Montreals Top Employer contest provides a unique showcase of the best and brightest companies in their respective industries. Mediacorp editors look at eight criteria including physical space, work and social atmosphere, health, financial and family benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development and community involvement to assess company ranking. Finalists are compared against other companies in their industries to showcase those employers with the most attractive, progressive and rewarding work environments. Again identified as a leader among comparable employers in the greater Montreal area, Genetec came out a winner for the 14th consecutive year. Offering employees a unique combination of advantages including an inspiring collaborative work environment, a generous employee referral program, three weeks of paid vacation from day one, continuous training and personal development and a highly competitive group insurance coverage program. Other benefits include a state-of-the-art fitness centre and on-demand personal trainer, a subsidized gourmet bistro with prepared, at-cost take home meals, a decked-out games room and free fruit, coffee and tea. Were thrilled to be again recognized as one of Montreals top employers, said Richard Pailliere, Vice-President of Human Resources & Talent Management at Genetec. In an increasingly tight, competitive job market, receiving this consistent acknowledgement from the nations premier employer contest is a strong proof of our uniquely people-focused recipe; a handcrafted combination of programs and perks that make Genetec a truly exceptional place to work in any market. Headquartered in the Technoparc Montreal, just steps away from the citys coming light rail service, the companys four building campus has seen steady expansion to accommodate unprecedented annual growth. These newly renovated, state-of-the-art facilities provide a showcase for the companys industry-leading unified operations, intelligence and security offerings. Between its rapidly expanding Montreal campus and global footprint which includes over a dozen offices spanning the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific and the companys newest European office in London, England, Genetec actively seeks skilled professionals across a spectrum of specialties. To learn about career opportunities at Genetec please visit: http://www.genetec.com/about-us/careers About Genetec Genetec Inc. is an innovative technology company with a broad solutions portfolio that encompasses security, intelligence, and operations. The companys flagship product, Security Center, is an open-architecture platform that unifies IP-based video surveillance, access control, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), communications, and analytics. Genetec also develops cloud-based solutions and services designed to improve security, and contribute new levels of operational intelligence for governments, enterprises, transport, and the communities in which we live. Founded in 1997, and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Genetec serves its global customers via an extensive network of resellers, integrators, certified channel partners, and consultants in over 80 countries. For more information about Genetec, visit: www.genetec.com Genetec Inc., 2020. Genetec and the Genetec logo are trademarks of Genetec Inc. and may be registered or pending registration in several jurisdictions. Other trademarks used in this document may be trademarks of the manufacturers or vendors of the respective product. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 16:55:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin speaks at a press conference in Tunis, Tunisia, Feb. 4, 2020. It is a priority to protect Chinese and foreigners living in China from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Wang told a press conference here on Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Protecting Chinese, foreigners in China from novel coronavirus a priority: Chinese envoy" (Photo by Adele Ezzine/Xinhua) TUNIS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- It is a priority to protect Chinese and foreigners living in China from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin told a press conference here on Tuesday. "Preventing and controlling the spread of this epidemic and protecting Chinese and foreigners living in China remain a priority for the Chinese government and people," Wang told representatives of local and foreign media. "The life and health of the Chinese people are of major and vital importance, as well as members of foreign communities and diplomatic bodies established in China," said the Chinese diplomat. Wang affirmed that since the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, China has taken the strictest preventive measures to prevent its spread inside and outside China. "Airports and stations between Wuhan and other cities have been closed, and more than 7,000 medical personnel from across the country have been deployed to Hubei Province urgently to support local efforts," said the Chinese ambassador. A hospital had been built in ten days in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, to receive patients infected by the novel coronavirus, he said, adding "medical teams are making enormous efforts to mitigate critical cases and the number of deaths." China has started to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus, and more Chinese patients affected by 2019-nCoV have recovered. As a responsible country, said Wang, "China has initiated close international cooperation, particularly with the World Health Organization. China remains increasingly confident in its victory over the epidemic, said the Chinese ambassador. Online searches can help countries predict tourist visits more accurately and give governments a better read on economies that depend on the industry, an International Monetary Fund analysis showed. Combining Google Trends data with traditional forecast models improved accuracy of predicted tourist arrivals to the Bahamas from the U.S by about 30%, according to a working paper by IMF senior economist Serhan Cevik. As tourism is the main engine of economic growth in the Bahamas, accurate forecasting of tourist arrivals is critical for informed decision-making by policy makers and businesses, Cevik wrote, adding that the findings, consistent with previous studies, indicate search data can aid real-time surveillance and sharpen forecasts. Search data can help the industry better plan and invest, he said. Improving estimates would help tourism-dependent economies like those across the Caribbean, where the industry employs millions and generates billions of dollars in exports, Cevik wrote. The Bahamas is extremely dependent on fast-growing tourism, which contributes about 48% of gross domestic product and 56% of employment, he said. The study tracked Google queries from January 2004 to December 2018 for search terms including Bahamas in combination with words like travel, beach, hotels, resorts and flights. Tourist arrivals to the Bahamas rose 9.8% over a decade to more than 6.5 million visits in 2018, with about four-fifths of those coming from the U.S. That already outsize role is poised to expand even further. The World Travel and Tourism Council projects tourisms share of of GDP could reach 60% by 2030, and 70% of the workforce, according to the paper. That large footprint makes better forecasting all that much more critical for policy makers, Cevik said. While the tourism sector makes a significant contribution to the economy, it is also a major source of volatility due to greater exposure to external factors, Cevik wrote. Therefore, improving the prediction of tourist arrivals is important for forecasting overall economic growth as well as for effective planning and budgeting by the government and the private sector. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) hit out at the government on Wednesday over its "dubious record" of keeping the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's seat vacant for 62 sittings of the Lower House of Parliament. In a video, TMC's national spokesperson and its leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien said the average time taken to fill the post was 22 sittings of the House. "Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha still not elected. In 70 year history, average time taken to fill post is 22nd sitting of House. Longest time ever taken was 12th LS: 59th day. Mo-Sh (Modi-Shah) set dubious record. 62 sittings gone. Still no Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker," he said in a tweet. Articles 93 to 97 of the Constitution deal with the post of Lok Sabha speaker and deputy speaker. Article 93 makes it obligatory upon the Lok Sabha to appoint a speaker and deputy speaker to conduct the House proceedings. It states: "The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof and, so often as the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, the House shall choose another member to be Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be. However, the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha has not been appointed as yet. Otherwise, the post used to be filled soon after the appointment of the speaker in the previous Lok Sabhas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chris Pratt is branching out. The Guardians Of The Galaxy leading man, 40, showed off the memorabilia-lined walls of his new company Indivisible Productions, in an Instagram post on Tuesday. The Minnesota native, who is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, hummed familiar tunes from the projects he's been in, as he panned around the walls of the office, which were lined with posters, Funko pop dolls and varied knickknacks. Exciting: Chris Pratt, 40, showed off the memorabilia-lined walls of his new company Indivisible Productions, in an Instagram post on Tuesday. He was snapped in LA last year They included his stints on The CW's Everwood from 2002-2006; the NBC series Parks & Recreation from 2009-2015; and his work in the Guardians of the Galaxy, Lego and Jurassic Park film franchises. 'A musical sneak peak at the walls inside my office,' he wrote, adding he was 'so grateful for each step of this wonderful journey.' The actor, who has a seven-year-old son named Jack from his past marriage to Anna Faris, continued: Ive started a company. Indivisible Productions ... One nation ... Under God ... Indivisible.' The leading man, who plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said the mission statement of his new company was 'to create entertaining content, focusing on themes which will help to bridge the growing divide in our country and world. Homage: A poster of Pratt composed of large pixels is displayed on the wall Never break the chain: The actor showed off a sculpture of his Guardians Of The Galaxy alter ego Peter Quill/Star-Lord Mash-up: Pratt showed off a picture melding together Parks and Recreation with Guardians of the Galaxy 'You know, make the world a better place. No biggie, youre welcome, but its whatever.' Pratt also announced Tuesday that his new company is putting out The Terminal List, a drama he will star in and executive produce, adapted from Jack Carrs 2018 book The Terminal List: A Thriller. On the series, Pratt will play Reece, a Navy SEAL who is tortured after coming home from a mission in which his platoon was caught in an enemy ambush. Insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that Pratt and his team envisioning the show running multiple seasons, and are focused on selling it to cable and streaming outlets. Baby face: Pratt has a poster of himself and the cast of The CW's Everwood from 2002-2006 Proud: The A-lister's reflection was visible in the glass frames as he showed off the office Nostalgic: The office is lined with posters, Funko pop dolls and varied knickknacks from productions he past been in A day after social media exploded with horror stories from commuters who were delayed 90 minutes or more on their way home, were getting a clearer picture of exactly what went wrong -- and why it could possibly happen again in the future. The crippling delays appeared to be the fault of Amtraks aging infrastructure, laying bare the problems of relying on two trouble-prone early 20th Century tunnels to move 21st Century passenger volumes. Amtrak owns Penn Station and the Northeast Corridor Line that NJ Transit trains run on. The commute started to unravel at 4:32 p.m. Monday, Amtrak officials said. Electric power was lost on the tracks just outside of New York Penn Station after an electrical contact on the overhead wires failed, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman, in a statement. A NJ Transit commuter train was disabled there. That happened near the entrance to one of two Hudson River rail tunnels that are more than a century old, in a location where the overhead catenary wires intersect with the tunnels flood gates, he said. #commutingmisery Penn Station: miserable, overcrowded@& unsafe. Wall to wall people, no trains, no announcements. Then an announcement of 25 min delays. We boarded. Standing room only. And? Waited another 40 min. Our train is moving, 1 hour late. #njtransit #publictransportation pic.twitter.com/NiA4YcPtbU J. Elizabeth Clark (@jelizabethclark) February 3, 2020 Power was quickly restored, then interrupted again at approximately 4:48 p.m., and Amtrak sent a rescue engine to move a second NJ Transit train after it was disabled, Abrams said. One tunnel had to be closed while the rescue engine moved the disabled train, he said. Power remained off while crews diagnosed what the problem was with the train and the overhead wires. The train and tracks cant have power restored until the power director confirms it is safe to do so, which means that we had to wait until the train was towed out to investigate and make repairs, Abrams said. At approximately 6:10 pm., power was restored. It was lost again at 6:22 p.m., he said. Delays spiraled from 30 minutes to one hour and then to 90 minutes. What happened last night? We apologize to everyone affected by last nights service disruption, and we want to share with you some details on what happened. pic.twitter.com/N4HT2ycYxB NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) February 4, 2020 Its absolutely a larger infrastructure issue. If any one part of the system goes down, like the overhead power in one (tunnel) tube, havoc is wreaked on the whole system, said Stephen Sigmund, a spokesman for the Gateway Development Corporation, which is spearheading the push to build two more Hudson River rail tunnels. And it spills over to other modes, so PATH, roads, experience even worse congestion. Progress for the Gateway Tunnel project is mired in politics and red tape. The Federal Railroad Administration is 676 days past its self-imposed deadline to issue a record of decision on the Environmental Impact Statement for the Hudson River Tunnel, which would allow that part of Gateway to proceed. (Monday) nights shutdown of one tube in the more than century-old tunnel shows yet again the urgent need for Gateway, Sigmund said. We need the federal administration in Washington to step up and partner with us." Losing one tunnel cuts train capacity by 75% to six trains per hour, said Nancy Snyder, NJ Transit spokeswoman. Thats like a rush hour crash on a two-lane highway that closes a lane, officials said. It also illustrates why we need to build Gateway. If we had a second tunnel (with two additional tracks), trains could maneuver around the problem and minimize the impact/severity of delays, Abrams said. The other issue is repairing, maintaining and eventually replacing Penn Station infrastructure, some of which is 100 years old, he said. We do have an aggressive maintenance plan to continually monitor, test, and upgrade the infrastructure in and around New York Penn Station, and are looking at ways to try and prevent these incidents from occurring in the future, Abrams said. Commuters in the thick of Mondays delays said communication was lacking when they started to see delayed and canceled statuses displayed on train monitor boards in a very crowded Penn Station. The first hint of trouble came in an 5:16 p.m. alert about a late Montclair-Boonton Line train due to a "disabled train in the Hudson River Tunnel near Penn Station. Alerts about delays started at 5:30 p.m., about 30-minute delay. Cross honoring with PATH at 33rd Street, Hoboken and Newark was announced at 5:55 p.m. and bus cross honoring in a 7:02 p.m. alert. More alerts, sent at 6:30 p.m., announced 60-minute rail delays, which increased to 90-minute delays in a 7:30 p.m. alert. Every train @NJTRANSIT is delayed and Penn Station is great. (Also no communication from the rail as to why.) pic.twitter.com/cV6qVOke8A Josh Stermberb (@joshsternberg) February 3, 2020 NJ Transit officials defended their actions. Snyder said NJ Transit quickly implemented cross-honoring with PATH at Newark Penn Stations, Hoboken Terminal and 33rd St. Station in New York. That was bumped up to full systemwide cross-honoring with NJ Transit and private carrier buses. We sincerely apologize to all of our customers affected by last nights service disruption, she said. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday called for an end to politics over Lord Ram and said the government was going ahead with the Supreme Court-mandated process for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya while responding to the Union Cabinet approval for the formation of a trust to oversee it. The Cabinet approved the formation in line with the Supreme Courts three-month deadline set in November when it awarded a disputed plot of land in the holy city to Hindu claimants, who believe the site marks the birthplace of Lord Ram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision in Parliaments lower House or Lok Sabha three months after the court directed the government to form the trust before February 9. The Supreme Court had laid out all the instructions for the government to follow. The government is simply following the Supreme Courts instructions. The day the Supreme Court verdict came out, the Congress had respected it and welcomed it, said Congress spokesman Gaurav Gogoi. He added the decision was an outcome of the Supreme Courts ruling. ...the government is going ahead and constructing [the temple]... they should do so; it is their duty. But I only hope the politics over Lord Ram should end, said Gogoi. He added seeking votes on Lord Rams behalf should end as it is a matter of faith. If people want to practise their faith, they will go to the newly-constructed Ram temple. We do not need the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] to tell us and preach about religion. We have our own gods, own temples, own monasteries. We practise faith much better than the BJP practices, Gogoi said. Gogoi accused the BJP of practising fake nationalism and added it has fake love for religion, especially the Hindu religion. Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is up against the BJP and in the middle of a bitter campaign for assembly elections on Saturday, welcomed the Centres move saying there is no right time for good work. The announcement for the formation of the trust came three days ahead of the Delhi assembly polls. Some people are asking about the timing. There is no right time for good work. Let us make announcements for good work. I want them to make more announcements today as well as tomorrow and there is no problem, he said when asked whether the BJP-led Centre announced the move keeping in mind the February 8 Delhi assembly polls. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who ended a decades-long alliance with the BJP to form the government with the help of Congress and Nationalist Congress Party in last year, congratulated Modi over the Union Cabinets approval for the formation of the trust. Thackeray said the apex court had given a historic decision on the temples construction. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray hoped the process to construct the temple would be expedited. The central Cabinet has given the go-ahead to form Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirtha Kshetra assigned in the task building of the Ram Mandir. We thus, expect the process of building the Ram Mandir to be expedited and we wholeheartedly applaud the decision of the entire Cabinet, he tweeted. Samajwadi Party state spokesperson and former UP minister, Rajendra Chaudhary said, ...The trust had to be made as per the SC order. So todays announcement is procedural. All this must go as procedure and no political advantages or use should be derived out it. UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh said, The decision to include at least one member of Dalit community in the Ram temple trust showcases the governments focus on Hindutva ideology of social harmony. The decision would also strengthen the unity of the country. Also the Yogi Adityanath governments decision to allot 5 acres of land to Sunni Wakf Board for mosque is welcoming as well. OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Thirty-nine people were killed in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, in what the government called a terrorist attack on a village in Soum province. The weekend attack followed less than a week after militants killed 36 civilians in a neighbouring province, part of a surge in violence in the West African country that has killed hundreds, forced more than half a million from their homes and made much of the north ungovernable over the past two years. The government did not provide further details on the latest attack in the village of Silgadji, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as "cowardly and barbaric". It was not immediately clear who was responsible. Islamist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have carried out increasingly brazen raids against civilian and military targets in Burkina Faso in recent months, including an attack on a mining convoy in November that killed nearly 40 people. The rising insecurity has forced people from their homes. The number of displaced increased tenfold in 2019 to more than 560,000 people, making it the world's fastest-growing displacement crisis, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The flight of refugees into other parts of the country is straining local resources and leaving authorities struggling to cope. (Reporting by Thiam Ngiaga; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Alex Richardson) One thing was clear at this years World Economic Forum; nature is at the top of the agenda. The stage had been set last year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystems report, with the startling claim that as many as one million species face extinction by 2050. Biodiversity loss not only starred as the number three spot in the worlds most severe threats in the annual Global Economic Risks Report, it also played a supporting role in other global risks, including food and water crises, environmental disasters, interstate conflict and involuntary migration. A new report released in Davos, Nature Risk Rising, estimates that more than half our global economyUS$44 trilliondirectly depends on nature, and hence is vulnerable to environmental shocks. What emerged from these reports was not that biodiversity is in steep decline; the searing images of the Australian fires that killed more than a billion creatures already provided ample evidence of this trend. Rather, the reports made plain what more than 1,330 municipal and national governments had already determined--that biodiversity loss, coupled with climate change, poses a profound, existential planetary emergency, including for the worlds cities and economies. We have just ten years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and the United Nations, UNDP, and the Club of Rome are calling for a Decade of Action. This month, the largest ever World Urban Forum will focus on key challenges for a Decade of Action for a global urban agenda. Taking bold steps in the coming decade is imperative; taking bold decisions this year the Super Year for Nature - is even more so, especially for cities. What happens in rural places around the world has a direct bearing on all cities, all communities. The five most essential decisions for 2020 include: Government offices: Governments must reposition nature at the heart of sustainable development. This means re-evaluating the impact of the agricultural subsidies, national infrastructure plans, global infrastructure plans, foreign debt policies, and development policies that encourage biodiversity loss. It also means placing ecosystem restoration and protection at the forefront of national climate, food, water, security and rural and urban development plans. Financial institutions: Decisions to finance the loss of biodiversity, whether intentional or not, are made by managers of pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, monetary financial institutions, banks and investment houses worldwide. There are more than US$258 trillion in assets under management; less than one percent would entirely finance the SDGs, and a fraction of a percent--a rounding error-- would finance nature fully. Yet investments continue to drive biodiversity loss instead of recovery. Just as we are beginning to build transparency in the impact of investments on climate, we must now decide to do the same for nature. Judicial courts: Environmental defenders and journalists at the front line of biodiversity loss are facing unprecedented intimidation, assault and murder. Judicial courts must resolve to defend the defenders, and to bring to justice crimes which are largely perpetrated by mining, agribusiness and logging companies, and abetted by local corruption. They must also uphold laws regarding illegal poaching, especially those perpetrated by crime syndicates, as well as for large-scale pollution and dumping, especially those driven by corporate negligence. These decisions are not easy. They require bold, audacious new ideas, such as the Decade of Ecological Civilization and the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. They require new technology, including and tracking supply chains. They require new legal frameworks for the rights of indigenous peoples and for nature itself. They require new ways of valuing ecosystems, and new instruments for financing natures regeneration instead of natures loss. They require new ways of thinking about equitable and just transitions, such as Europes Green New Deal. Despite the diversity of decisions involved, they all boil down to just one: are we going to decide that this is the decade that we weave a planetary safety net for all life on earth, or are we not? The upcoming World Urban Forum is a great place to affirm that the answer is yes! In a perfect world, politics would always be about doing the right thing, not simply the politically expedient one. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In a perfect world, politics would always be about doing the right thing, not simply the politically expedient one. Also in a perfect world, laws wouldnt be broken, so courtrooms wouldnt be overburdened with accused criminals in need of legal representation. In the decidedly imperfect world in which we exist, however, crime is a constant concern, courtrooms are jammed and backlogged, and those facing charges the majority of whom belong to disadvantaged populations, including poor people, people with mental-health challenges and Indigenous people require representation which is essential to their navigation of the justice system but which they often cannot, without assistance, afford. Bail-court cases moved slowly on Monday. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) Proceedings in Winnipegs bail courts ground to a halt Monday after the provinces private criminal defence lawyers carried through on an earlier threat to cease taking on new legal-aid cases until the province meets their demand for a long-overdue increase to the rate theyre paid for their services. "Its going to be very slow," was how Gary Robinson, duty counsel supervisor for Legal Aid Manitoba, described the chaos at the Winnipeg Law Courts building. With the private defence bar having removed its services from the equation, it was left to Legal Aid Manitobas five staff lawyers to attempt to process all the cases in the buildings two bail courtrooms. Slow, indeed. Around 150 individuals were waiting Monday for their cases to be heard; something approaching 75 per cent of them would normally have been represented by the private defence bar. But the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba (CDLAM) withdrew its services in an effort to spur the province to act on its demand for a rate increase something the current and former provincial governments have been unwilling to consider for a dozen years. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Its hard to imagine any provincial administration even an austerity-driven government such as the one led by Premier Brian Pallister perceiving as fair the freezing of any sectors wages for a full 12 years, but that has been the case for the rate paid to CDLAM members for legal-aid services since 2008. And the only rationale one can conclude is responsible is that theres no political advantage to be gained by taking action to remedy the situation. Improving the lot of private lawyers getting paid $80 per hour to represent people accused of committing crimes is more likely to invite the scorn than the praise of the wider tax-paying population. But the accused, and their appointed legal representatives, are entitled to their day in court. In addition to being the right thing to do, ensuring access to a fair hearing is an imperative enshrined in Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So theres more involved than deciding whether fixing the problem is good for the political brand. The Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba withdrew its services in an effort to spur the province to act on its demand for a rate increase, which has been the same for 12 years. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files) It cant just be that the Pallister government is averse to spending money in courtrooms it has, after all, devoted considerable taxpayer resources to a legal challenge of the federal governments right to impose a carbon tax on provinces that refuse to establish their own. But perhaps that pursuit is perceived as more of a political "winner" than paying legal-aid lawyers a higher rate for representing accused criminals. Political expediency should not be the determining measure. Its the job of a government to protect its most vulnerable citizens; whether or not theyre people who inspire public sympathy or support shouldnt factor into the equation. This provincial government should be the one that ends a dozen years of neglect of the legal-aid system. In the midst of an unrelenting housing crisis, Mayor London Breed is turning to San Francisco voters for help in her crusade to build more housing and build more housing, faster. On Wednesday, Breed will announce the launch of a signature-gathering petition for a November ballot measure meant to simplify and accelerate housing production in San Francisco. It takes an average of nearly four years to shepherd a housing project with more than 10 units through the citys permitting process, a 2018 study from UC Berkeleys Terner Center for Housing Innovation found. If voters pass Breeds measure, it would require the Planning Department to cut that time down to six months. Our broken process for approving new homes has delayed and blocked housing from being built for decades, which got us into the housing shortage we face today, Breed said in a statement. The measure, dubbed Affordable Homes Now, cuts through the bureaucracy, meaning new homes can be built years faster than under our current system so that our low- and middle-income residents can actually afford to live here, she said. Like the proposal Breed failed to get before voters last year it was shot down by the Board of Supervisors the initiative would streamline the planning and permitting process for 100% affordable housing developments. But in an ambitious twist, the new measure would also confer those benefits to market-rate projects that exceed their affordability requirements. The signature-gathering effort follows the collapse of SB50 last week state legislation authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, that sought to limit the ability of cities to block denser housing near public transit and job centers. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle But unlike SB50, Breeds measure would not change San Franciscos existing zoning laws. Instead, it would eliminate much of the subjective decision-making that occurs during the planning process that Breed and her supporters say delays projects. Fights over the superficial aspects of a proposed development can add time, uncertainty and cost to the already expensive task of building housing in San Francisco, the mayors office argues. Should the measure pass, affordable housing projects would be automatically approved if they meet zoning requirements and the citys litany of building and planning codes. The proposed measure defines affordable housing as units for households making up to 140% of the area median income or just over $172,000 for a family of four. Market-rate projects would get that same benefit if developers choose to build more units of affordable housing on-site than what the city mandates a provision likely to attract the ire of the mayors detractors, many of whom are resistant to efforts to ease pressures on, or reduce concessions from, market-rate developers. To take advantage of the sped-up process, market-rate developers would have to increase the number of affordable units they build on-site by at least 15%. Currently, market-rate projects of 25 units or more must make at least 20.5% of those units affordable. That number increases by .5% each year, until 2028 under current city law. Peter Cohen, co-director of San Franciscos Council of Community Housing Organizations, had not yet read the measure, but said it seemed a little disappointing that the initiative sought to lower the goalpost for affordability mandates compared to whats currently required by state law. Cohen compared it to SB35, which streamlines projects that hit 50% affordable housing. Developers would also have to guarantee that all of the workers building the housing are paid prevailing wages, which generally reflect the pay and benefits provided to unionized labor. The city cannot legally require projects to hire only unionized workers. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Breeds measure would also eliminate the publics ability to challenge proposed housing projects by asking for a special review from the Planning Commission. The mayor and other pro-development advocates have long criticized the ease with which projects can be held up by public appeals, even when they meet zoning, planning and building-code requirements. Last year, several supervisors expressed concern that eliminating those challenges removed an important opportunity for public input into neighborhood planning. The mayors office contends that the zoning laws and other building requirements themselves are the product of lengthy public processes, and that the ballot measure is an attempt to avoid constantly having to relitigate them. By bypassing the board in an effort to get the measure on the ballot, Breed appears to be banking on the notion that San Francisco voters see and feel the effects of the housing crisis differently than most of the citys supervisors. Last year, a survey conducted on behalf of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce found that 79% of 500 respondents thought the city should create a policy priority to maximize construction of all housing types. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In a poll conducted for Breed and the measures backers and obtained by The Chronicle, 69% of 600 respondents said they would support a measure to expedite 100% affordable housing and market-rate developments that build more than their required affordable housing on-site. Another 24% opposed the measure and 7% were undecided. I dont know when the Board of Supervisors is going to wake up and realize that the status quo has failed San Francisco when it comes to housing. The board is completely out of touch when it comes to the changes that San Franciscans want to see, said Todd David, executive director of the Housing Action Coalition. Residents want new housing built and they want it now, he said. Breed has already secured the support of an influential and politically active labor union: the Carpenters Local Union 22, which boasts around 4,000 members in San Francisco alone, said Peter Garza, the unions political representative. The signature-gathering operation will be an expensive one. Breed and her supporters need to present just over 50,000 validated signatures to get the measure on the ballot. That means collecting somewhere between 70,000 and 75,000 signatures, to account for those that the elections department cant verify. It will likely cost between $500,000 to $750,000 for the signature-gathering petition. And after that, the mayor is likely in for a tough fight against a coalition of supervisors and advocates whove repeatedly fought her housing proposals, broadly on the grounds that theyre too friendly to developers whose profit-driven motives are seen as a central cause of the states housing crisis. Breed and the board both championed a $600 million affordable housing bond that voters passed last November, but they clashed over attempts to lower barriers for 100% affordable housing and housing reserved for educators. After introducing dueling ballot measures, Breed eventually withdrew her version and backed one introduced by several board members. The status quo isnt working for our city and it isnt working for our residents we need fundamental reform, Breed said. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close ?Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget for 2020-21was light on new structural reforms, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday adding ?it has notmaterially altered its forecasts for India's economic growth to rise to 5.6 per cent in the next fiscal from 4.6 per cent in 2019-20. "We believe it is highly unlikely the country's general government debt will be brought within the ceiling of 60 per cent of GDP by FY25, as stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act," it said. Fitch projected that the government debt will remain close to 70 per cent of GDP throughout the period to 2021-22. "India's high public debt levels are a weakness relative to its rating peers (the BBB median stood at 41.1 per cent in 2019)," it said. The Union Budget 2020-21 implies a modest degree of slippage from previous targets to consolidate public finances, it said. "However, its contents are consistent with our expectations when we affirmed the country's sovereign rating at 'BBB-'/Stable in December 2019.?" The Budget projects a deficit of 3.5 per cent in 2020-21 and implies a further postponement of the central government's medium-term fiscal deficit target of 3 per cent of GDP as it prioritises efforts to support economic growth in the context of the ongoing sharp slowdown. "A slippage of 0.5 per cent of GDP in both FY20 and FY21 relative to the earlier targets is in line with the tendency for deficit outturns to exceed targets in the past few years," Fitch said. Sitharaman projected that the deficit would fall from 3.8 per cent of GDP in 2019-20 to 3.5 per cent in 2020-21. "We believe most assumptions in the budget, such as nominal GDP growth of 10 pr cent and a 9.2 per cent rise in fiscal revenues, are credible," Fitch said. "However, risks are likely skewed towards the downside, particularly for revenues in light of previously announced cuts in the corporate income tax rate and newly unveiled income tax rate reductions." The tax cuts may stimulate economic activity in the medium term, but their impact on fiscal revenues is likely to be negative in the short term, it said. "The Budget was light on new structural reforms, although the government had already unveiled some measures last year," it said. The finance minister announced some easing of restrictions on foreign portfolio inflows, and schemes to encourage manufacturing in electronics and textile sectors. "However, we have not materially altered our forecasts for India's economic growth, which we expect to pick up to 5.6 per cent in FY21 from 4.6 per cent in FY20," it said. Fitch said a number of steps affecting financial institutions were announced in the budget, but they only partially address the issues that are facing the sector. For example, the extension of the credit guarantee mechanism to the debt of troubled non-bank financial companies will likely help provide some interim support for wholesale and housing-finance companies, but is unlikely to restore confidence in a sector that continues to face high risk aversion from creditors, it said. "Another downside risk in the government's fiscal projections is the degree to which it expects asset sales to fill the revenue gap left by tax cuts. Its divestment target for FY21 is around 3x as large as its expected total for realised sales in FY20. "To achieve this, the government would have to address its persistent tendency to fall short of announced asset-sale targets; asset sales in FY20, for example, were only 40 per cent of the planned total," Fitch said. The rating agency said greater fiscal transparency around off-budget financing is a welcome change. "The new budget recognises borrowing from the National Small Savings Fund of 0.8 per cent of GDP in both FY20 and FY21, although this is in an annex and not incorporated in the headline deficit figure. "If this off-budget spending were taken into account and divestments treated as a below-the-line financing item rather than revenue, in line with international norms published by the IMF, the deficit would rise from 4.9 per cent of GDP in FY20 to 5.4 per cent in FY21, according to our calculations," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAGINAW, MI Prosecutors have charged a Saginaw woman with witness intimidation while she was free on bond on a dozen charges including assault with intent to murder. Despite the new charge, she is free on bond again and allowed to move out of the state. The Michigan State Police Third District Fugitive Squad initially arrested Thalia M. Cruz, 25, on Dec. 4 in relation to a shooting that occurred Nov. 16. She was arraigned the following day in Saginaw County District Court on two counts of assault with intent to murder a life offense five counts of felony firearm, two counts of felonious assault, and single counts of discharging a weapon at a vehicle causing injury, conspiracy to commit assault with intent to murder, and lying to a peace officer. The arraigning judge set Cruzs bond at $75,000 cash-surety or 10 percent, which she posted. Prosecutors allege that on or about Jan. 14, Cruz posted threatening things regarding witnesses in her case on social media platforms. At least one of the witnesses notified police, prosecutors said. Authorities issued another warrant for Cruz on Jan. 22 and police arrested her the same day. Also on that day, she appeared in court for arraignment on a charge of interfering with a witness, a 10-year felony. Nicholas Garcia The judge set bond at $75,000 cash-surety or 10 percent, conditions of which are that Cruz not possess a firearm or have internet access. On Jan. 30, Cruzs initial case proceeded to a preliminary examination, as did that of her boyfriend-codefendant, Nicholas Garcia, 25. The hearing ended with both defendants bound over for trial in Saginaw County Circuit Court. Prosecutors allege that about 2:40 a.m. on Nov. 16, police responded to an area hospital after a 36-year-old man had arrived there suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Police learned the wounded man had been driving a vehicle on Davenport Avenue near Woodbridge Street when a single gunshot struck the drivers door and hit the man. Three other men were in the vehicle at the time, prosecutors said. The driver and another passenger switched places so the original driver could be taken to the hospital, police previously said. Prosecutors allege the shot was fired by Garcia from another vehicle. They allege Garcia was driving the vehicle, which contained girlfriend Thalia M. Cruz, 24, as a passenger. Prosecutors allege Cruz aided and abetted Garcia. They added the shooting was not random, and some of those in the victims vehicle knew their assailants. Garcia faces 11 of the same charges as Cruz, minus lying to a peace officer. The Jan. 30 hearing also saw District Judge Terry L. Clark reduce Cruzs bond to $6,250 cash-surety or 10 percent and grant a defense motion to allow her to move to Indiana. As of Feb. 5, Cruz is no longer in the Saginaw County Jail. Garcia is also free on a $10,000 cash-surety or 10 percent bond. Garcia and Cruzs trial on the first case is pending. Cruz is scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination on the witness interference charge at 4 p.m. on Feb. 10. Saginaw woman faces 12 felonies in November shooting on city street Man faces 11 charges in November Saginaw shooting incident Opposition members protest in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Lok Sabha erupted on Tuesday over controversial remarks on Mahatma Gandhi made by BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde with Congress members disrupting proceedings in the first half of the day, resulting in a walk-out by the Opposition. As soon as the House convened in the morning, Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Gaurav Gogoi, K. Suresh and Abdul Khaleque gave adjournment motions in the House and demanded an immediate discussion. Amid ruckus, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till noon. When the House reassembled at noon, Congress members trooped into the well shouting slogans with placards of BJP Party Godse Party and Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein. At this the Speaker said: People have elected us to debate and discuss. Please let the House run. He also rejected all the adjournment motions. However, the protests continued and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Hegde has insulted Mahatma Gandhi, who was respected by people across the globe. He also said that they were expecting a response from Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on the controversial remarks but they (the ruling party) are helpingpeople who hate Mahatma Gandhi. I have no expectations from people who are doing Godse politics, the West Bengal MP added. To this Joshi said BJP members are real bhakts and followers of Mahatma Gandhi while the Congress is a follower of nakli (fake) Gandhi like Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. Following this ruckus, all Opposition, including Congress, DMK, NCP and later Trinamul Congress walked out from the House. Hegde had recently said in Bengaluru that freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained Independence through Upavas Satyagraha, Gandhis preferred mode of agitation, and became mahapurush (great person). The former MP had said, There were two types of freedom fighters, one which believed in shastr (arms) and another in shastra (intellectual motivators). Didnt name Gandhi in my speech: Anantkumar Hegde Facing flak for his controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde on Tuesday, in a written reply to the party leadership, asserted that he made no mention of Mahatma Gandhi in his speech and said the remarks attributed to him are incorrect. Hegde, sources said, sent a detailed reply to party president J.P. Nadda, and the partys disciplinary committee, which had issued him a show-cause notice on Monday. The party MP claimed that he did not name or insulted Mahatma Gandhi his speech and reports about his speech are incorrect. He also said that he did not use words like nautanki or drama to describe the freedom struggle led by Gandhi. A section within the Bharatiya Janata Party is of the view that MP Anantkumar Hegdes remarks were distorted by some news reports. [February 05, 2020] Navigant Research Report Finds Smart Pole Deployments Are Expected to Experience a 50% Compound Annual Growth Rate Through 2028 A new report from Navigant Research provides global market forecasts of smart pole hardware and services, broken out by segment and region, through 2028. Smart poles are a new feature in urban landscape that leverage sensor and communications technologies to create an intelligent environment. By providing connection to the electricity grid and a physical location along streets and pathways, smart poles offer an attractive host for mobile broadband small cells as well as public Wi-Fi access points. Smart poles are also well positioned to provide a platform for other smart city technologies including smart lighting systems and sensor arrays. Click to tweet: According to a new report from @NavigantRSRCH, global annual deployments of smart poles are expected to increase from less than 600 in 2019 to more than 22,000 in 2028, experiencing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50.8%. "Though a nascent market, several smart pole drivers have emerged, including current and future needs for public connectivity and cellular network densification," says Grant Samms, research analyst at Navigant Research. "Municipalities are also seeing smart poles as infrastructure that can create new revenue streams and improve public safety by providing charging for electric vehicles, charging for cellular phones, a platform for advertising, and other features." According to the report, the multifaceted and often modular design of smart poles can be easily adaped to future needs. The emergence of 5G and the accelerating adoption of smart city strategies is expected to drive increasing demand for this connected infrastructure. The report, Smart Poles, analyzes the development and drivers of the smart pole market including financial, economic, and connectivity factors for all world regions. Global market forecasts of smart pole hardware and services are broken out by segment and region and extend through 2028, including a forecast for smart pole sectors. The study also examines significant smart pole projects and case studies of major deployments as well as the competitive landscape. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website. About Navigant Research Navigant Research, the dedicated research arm of Guidehouse, provides market research and benchmarking services for rapidly changing and often highly regulated industries. In the energy sector, Navigant Research focuses on in-depth analysis and reporting about global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of clean, intelligent, mobile, and distributed energy. Additional information about Navigant Research can be found at www.navigantresearch.com. About Guidehouse Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. We help clients address their toughest challenges with a focus on markets and clients facing transformational change, technology-driven innovation and significant regulatory pressure. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and technology/analytics services, we help clients create scalable, innovative solutions that prepare them for future growth and success. Headquartered in Washington DC, the company has more than 7,000 professionals in more than 50 locations. Guidehouse is led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit: www.guidehouse.com. * The information contained in this press release concerning the report, Smart Poles, is a summary and reflects Navigant Research's current expectations based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report's conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Navigant Research nor Guidehouse undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005034/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bright Pattern, leading provider of omnichannel cloud contact center software for innovative enterprises, selected by US-based airline SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading airline and travel company known for innovative customer experience has recently selected Bright Pattern Contact Center software powered by AI for its omnichannel contact center platform . With nearly 40 years of experience in leisure travel, the company offers low-fare alternatives to other airlines with exceptional customer experience. The airline plans to innovate and digitally transform its customer service contact center, offering voice, email, chat, and social channels to traveling customers with the goal of meeting customers on the channel of their choice with seamless omnichannel conversations utilizing the Bright Pattern platform. It is important for travel and hospitality organizations to create an effortless and personal customer experience at a rapid pace, 24/7/365 to meet customers' increasingly high expectations as they travel to their favorite getaways across the globe. The travel and hospitality industry is fighting to retain and create loyal customers through advanced technology and self-service channels, including innovative chatbots. The ability to change flights in-app, book hotels in Facebook Messenger, and plan an entire trip over the channel of choice is becoming the future of the travel and hospitality customer experience. Bright Pattern provides the solutions to build brand loyalty through advanced omnichannel technology, proactive communications, AI- and bot-powered self-service, and an easy-to-use agent interface. Bright Pattern Contact Center for Travel and Hospitality Proactive Communications - Provide travel updates and notifications over text messages or in-app. Use AI to process payments across all channels. Automatically email customers with updated itineraries and continue the conversation while customers are at their travel destination. - Provide travel updates and notifications over text messages or in-app. Use AI to process payments across all channels. Automatically email customers with updated itineraries and continue the conversation while customers are at their travel destination. Unified Agent Desktop - Consolidating customer data, communication tools, and easy-to-access information into a single desktop is critical in servicing your customers. - Consolidating customer data, communication tools, and easy-to-access information into a single desktop is critical in servicing your customers. Self-Service and Chatbots - Provide effortless booking using self-service channels with easy escalation to a live agent. Extend self-service options to guests as they arrive at their destination and allow guests to check in, order room service, and more, over digital channels on the go. - Provide effortless booking using self-service channels with easy escalation to a live agent. Extend self-service options to guests as they arrive at their destination and allow guests to check in, order room service, and more, over digital channels on the go. Omnichannel Quality Management - Implement AI monitoring for every interaction on every channel to gauge CSAT and sentiment by channel, customer type (e.g., Gold Customers) or journey type (e.g., International Travelers, US Travelers, Customer Bookings). - Implement AI monitoring for every interaction on every channel to gauge CSAT and sentiment by channel, customer type (e.g., Gold Customers) or journey type (e.g., International Travelers, US Travelers, Customer Bookings). Messenger App Communications - Provide booking options via popular messenger apps, including Facebook Messenger, LINE, Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, and WeChat. - Provide booking options via popular messenger apps, including Facebook Messenger, LINE, Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, and WeChat. CRM Integration - Increase agent productivity with integrated UI, click-to-call, screen pop, and activity history automatically saved with each ticket, courtesy of out-of-the-box integrations with top CRM providers, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zendesk, Oracle Service Cloud, and ServiceNow. "We are excited to provide our enterprise contact center platform to one of North America's fastest growing, innovative, and customer-centric airlines," said Michael McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern. About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful AI-powered contact center for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform with embedded AI that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business users-without costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across channels like voice , text, chat , email , video , messengers , and bots . Bright Pattern also allows companies to measure and act on every interaction on every channel via its advanced omnichannel quality management suite with embedded AI. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading contact center solutions and today are delivering architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern's cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/634980/Bright_Pattern___Logo.jpg Rabat, Morocco (PANA) Two human rights organizations are asking the Moroccan authorities to immediately free people who are being detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression and drop charges against them A woman in a burqa was taken away by the police from Delhis Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of anti-citizenship act protests, on Wednesday after protesters raised suspicion over her questions. According to reports, protesters said she kept asking questions and that some of them found a camera on her. New agency Asian News International tweeted a 38-second clip showing several protesters surrounding the woman even as police tried to pacify them. #WATCH Political analyst Gunja Kapoor extricated by police after protestors at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh alleged that she was wearing a 'burqa' and filming them. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/llRiKhMvOd ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2020 Watch | Shaheen Bagh ruckus: Suspicious burqa clad woman filming stir removed by cops Multiple reports later identified the woman as Gunja Kapoor, a right-wing columnist and the curator YouTube channel, The Right Narrative. They said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others, follows her on Twitter account. This comes after three incidents of shooting near sites of anti-CAA protests in the national capital in the last week. On Sunday, a shot was fired outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in south Delhi, 2km from Shaheen Bagh. Before that, a 23-year-old man fired shots near the protest site on Saturday. He was arrested by the police, who have said he is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The police claim has triggered another round of war of word between the AAP and Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of February 8 assembly elections. The first incident of shooting was reported on January 30 when a 17-year-old shooter fired at protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University. Protests have erupted across the country against CAA under which illegal migrants, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before 2015 will be eligible for Indian citizenship. Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims as only non-Muslims from the three neighbouring countries can become Indian citizens. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Kerala government to suggest steps to protect the sacred ornaments kept at the famed Sabarimala temple. The observation from the apex court came after it noted the dispute between two factions in the Pandalam royal family, which is the custodian of the sacred ornaments of Sabarimala temple. A bench headed by Justice NV Ramana and comprising Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari asked senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, representing the Kerala government, to come up with suggestions to safeguard the ornaments and scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 7. The court said that the jewellery does not belong to the erstwhile royal family but Lord Ayyappa, and it may appoint a responsible person for its safe custody. The court observed that there is a dispute between the family members, and as a result "why we should not allow the ornaments to be kept in the safe custody of a responsible person". The Kerala government counsel contended that the state could take a decision in the matter. Raja Raja Varma, a member of the former royal family, moved an application for impleadment in the pending matter and sought directions to access the jewellery, kept in custody of the secretary of 'Pandalam Kottara Nirvahaka Sangham', to the family's senior members. He contended that high-ranking officials of the association may misappropriate the sacred jewels. Senior advocate K Radhakrishnan, representing Varma, said that the temple ornaments have been in the hands of the Pandalam royal family, inside the Palace, and they are brought out once a year for Lord Ayyappa. The court queried: "Why should it allow the ornaments to remain in private custody, and also who has the keys to the strong room where ornaments are kept." To this, Radhakrishnan replied that the association is responsible for the same but its members - president, treasurer and secretary "come from a different branch of the royal family". Therefore, he contended, Varma had apprehensions of misappropriation. The bench asked the Kerala government to examine the possibility of any mischief in this scenario and report back to the court. The state has asked for more time to frame a separate law for the administration of the temple. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has pledged to seek a record amount of money from Congress in its upcoming budget to combat environmental hazards like radon gas while evading a bipartisan group of lawmakers pressing for immediate action. The commitment from HUD follows a November investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive that showed many housing authorities across the country are failing to test public housing for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer in America. HUD made its budget pledge in a Jan. 30 letter to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who has pressed the agency for answers in response to the newsrooms Cancer Cloud investigation. But HUD has continued to sidestep issues raised by Wyden and nine other senators, including their request on Jan. 15 to meet with Sec. Ben Carson to discuss concerns. A bipartisan request from 10 senators to sit down and work together on a solution deserves an actual meeting on behalf of all the people facing a major health threat like radon in public housing, Wyden said in a statement Tuesday night. The letter to Wyden was not signed by Carson. Instead, it came from Len Wolfson, HUDs assistant secretary for Congressional and intergovernmental relations. Wolfson wrote that the agencys 2021 budget request will call on Congress to provide a record amount of funding for testing and abatement of environmental hazards including lead, carbon monoxide, and radon. HUD did not specify how much money it would seek nor how much would be targeted for radon testing and mitigation in public housing. The letter from HUD was first reported by Politico. Congress appropriated up to $45 million in HUDs 2020 budget for housing authorities to address lead paint and other health hazards, including radon. HUDs letter did little to resolve Wydens concerns. Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, first called out HUD in December for not seeking funding in past budgets for radon and pressed the agency for answers -- a demand that went ignored. Wyden in January built a broader bipartisan coalition, urging HUD to request money in the upcoming cycle and asking for a meeting with Carson. I expect to talk with Secretary Carson soon about that meeting, which must include both actual specifics of the additional funding I requested and serious consideration of senators ideas on how best to achieve safe public housing, Wyden said in the statement. HUD and Carson have attempted for months to shift blame to others for a lack of uniform radon testing across the nations 1 million units of public housing. The Oregonian/OregonLives investigation found that HUD shrugged off a directive from Congress in 1988 to write a policy ensuring public housing tenants are not exposed to hazardous levels of radon. HUD does not require radon testing in public housing and did not begin strongly encouraging local housing authorities to check for the radioactive gas until 2013. The newsroom surveyed 64 housing authorities across the country, finding that fewer than one in three could produce testing records. The newsroom and reporters from its parent company, Advance Local, also tested public housing complexes for radon in six cities. Reporters found high levels of radon in units in three locations. Carson last week addressed radon for the first time publicly since the investigation. Carson incorrectly claimed that state laws are in place to address radon in public housing, then added that HUD would be adding something to its inspections process to make sure radon testing is done in a reasonable period of time by housing authorities. HUD officials in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for clarification on Friday, Monday and Tuesday about when those changes would go into effect or how long housing authorities would have to comply. Agency officials previously ignored numerous requests from the newsroom about whether Carson would agree to meet with senators. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Taliban say US has 'harmed' negotiations Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 5:32 PM The Afghan Taliban militant group says the United States has "harmed" negotiations that have been going on and off between the two sides. In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant group "has the intention & capacity for a resolution" that could see the US end its war on Afghanistan but that the US was hampering talks. "Negotiation process has been harmed by Trump's tweet, numerous US demands & quarrel b/w US & Kabul officials. @SecPompeo should refrain from blame-shifting. Our stance in principled & concerted - unlike them," he said. It was not clear what tweet the group was referring to. On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded "demonstrable evidence" from the Taliban that they have the capacity to reduce violence before signing any deal to end America's longest war. Pompeo said that a deal was close but that the US and Taliban had been close before and failed because the militant group was unable to demonstrate that they were committed to reducing violence. Taliban sources said last month they had offered to initiate a brief ceasefire of seven to 10 days to help secure a deal. The US had been largely quiet on the exact status of the negotiations over the past few months. But US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul last week that there had been "no notable progress" in the talks with the Taliban. In recent days, Khalilzad, who is leading negotiations with the Taliban, has launched a new round of shuttle diplomacy by travelling to Pakistan and Afghanistan to brief officials on the status of the talks. Islamabad has helped facilitate the talks between the Afghan Taliban and Washington in Qatar. Pakistan was also one of only three countries to recognize a Taliban regime that the US attacked Afghanistan to topple in 2001. The Taliban and the US had been negotiating the deal for a year and were on the brink of an announcement in September 2019, when President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process "dead." Talks restarted in Qatar later in December last year, but were suspended again following an attack near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan, which is run by the US. Violent assaults in Afghanistan have meanwhile been raging, with the number of clashes jumping to record levels in the last quarter of last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Berlin: A German state premier was elected with the support of the nationalist Alternative for Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on Wednesday, shattering the post-war consensus among established parties of shunning the far right. Thomas Kemmerich, a little-known liberal Free Democrat, became the first state premier elected with the support of the AfD, with whom Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats sided to the disgust of her national coalition partners. AfD parliamentary party leader Bjoern Hoecke, right, and Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democrats in Erfurt, Germany. Credit:AP The CDU and all the other established parties have previously ostracised the AfD over what they say are racist views held by some of its members. Merkel's Social Democrat national coalition allies accused her CDU of backtracking on a pledge never to cooperate with a far-right party. The CDU rejected the accusation, saying it was not responsible for how AfD lawmakers voted. Wednesday's ballot was secret. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:27:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged the Syrian government forces to retreat from Turkish observation posts in Syria's Idlib province by the end of February. "I told Mr. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin last night about the regime's retreat to the boundaries of the observation points. We hope that the regime will fall behind our observation points in February. The Republic of Turkey will be obliged to do this work if the regime does not," Erdogan addressed his party members at the parliament. Turkey's air and land forces will move freely and launch operations in all operation areas in Syria, including in Idlib, and they will conduct operations if necessary, he said. "The attacks on our troops is a turning point in Syria for Turkey," he added, referring to a recent attack by the Syrian government forces on Turkish troops, which killed seven Turkish soldiers. "The Syrian government is violating the cease-fire in Idlib," he noted, adding that "at the point, we see that safe zone reconciliations do not work in either Idlib or the Peace Spring Operation region." Turkish Defense Ministry said that at least seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian have been killed in Idlib on Monday during an attack launched by the Syrian government, while the Syrian state media denied there were any casualties. Hoping to prevent a repeat of last years gun violence, Minneapolis and St. Paul leaders are expanding anti-crime strategies that focus more on community-based solutions and public health than on beefing up police patrols. Mayors in both cities won increases in police budgets for 2020 but also heard calls from communities suffering from most of the gun violence to fund alternatives to patrol-based crime fighting. In Minneapolis, that led to the City Council in December backing $300,000 to expand the Group Violence Intervention program, part of the citys newly-formed Office of Violence Prevention. The intervention program works to identify people who are most likely to commit gun violence or be in the middle of a conflict and get police and community leaders to reach out to them. The newly budgeted funds will help pay to expand the program into south Minneapolis and buy uniforms and bulletproof vests for outreach workers. Supporters say GVI is showing some positive signs. In 2016, members of the projects target group were involved in more than 90 shootings. Since then, the number of shootings among these groups continued to fall. In 2019, there were fewer than 30, said Sasha Cotton, who directs the Minneapolis violence prevention office. ADVERTISEMENT "We believe that it is a tool thats helping to reduce the number of people who are shot due to gun violence from gangs and groups, although we know it is imperfect and that theres still work to be done," Cotton said. While the number of shootings among people targeted by the intervention program stayed level between 2018 and 2019, police statistics show the overall number of people wounded or killed by gunfire in the city increased from 244 to 269. Preliminary data show that in 2019, 48 people in Minneapolis died from homicide, a 55 percent increase compared to the previous year. Thirty nine of homicide victims died from gunshot wounds. In addition, two people, Mario Benjamin and Chaisher Fong Vue , were shot to death by Minneapolis police. Both cases are under investigation. St. Paul saw homicides double between 2018 and 2019. Thirty people were killed in 2019, not including Ronald Kerry Davis , who was fatally shot by a St. Paul police officer in September. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter resisted calls to boost police staffing and instead included an additional $1.5 million in community-based anti-violence programs in the 2020 budget . The mayors plan included $300,000 for a program called the Healing Streets Project. The program, which started in earnest last fall, extends violence prevention outreach into schools and hospitals and offers grief counseling for victims of gun violence. "Its a community-based, healing centered approach to ending and or reducing gun violence or cyclical or retaliatory violence in the community," said Danny Givens, the projects director. Healing Streets identifies community leaders who can relate directly to the populations most impacted by gun violence, people Givens calls "neighborhood change agents." ADVERTISEMENT The project also employs the use of community health workers who respond to traumatic events. Givens said the workers were used in at least one St. Paul shooting in the North End, arriving as people gathered for an impromptu vigil that the police struggled to contain. "Community health responders were able to show up, be present, help facilitate a space that was conducive for grief but then to identify, who are the persons most in need of care here?" he said. The Healing Streets approach is similar to Minneapolis effort Givens and Cotton grew up together and the two programs leaders are longtime friends though it remains in its early stages. Givens said Healing Streets will slowly roll out initiatives in the new year. This story originally appeared at: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/02/05/nontraditional-crime-prevention-gets-some-traction-in-mpls-st-paul of story Questions or requests? Contact MPR News editor Meg Martin at newspartners@mpr.org 2019 Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. Bahrains Economic Development Board (EDB) has enabled the signing of a number of agreements worth 330 million between Bahraini and Italian enterprises at a business reception in Rome, organised by EDB in cooperation with large Italian enterprises. The signing ceremonies were attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain, on the sidelines of an official visit to the Italian Republic, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA). These include agreements between: Tatweer Petroleum and Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (ENI) Bahrain Alba and Fluorsid S.p.A Alba and FATA S.p.A Alba and Techmo Car S.P.C Al Salam Bank and OMP Racing S.p.A GPIC and Saipem/Snamprogetti S.p.A (ENI Group) During the reception, HRH the Crown Prince underlined the importance of further strengthening the Kingdoms economic competitiveness through the adoption of initiatives aimed at enhancing sustainable diversification efforts, in line with Bahrains Economic Vision 2030. HRH the Crown Prince noted that promoting the capacity for innovation is key to providing favourable conditions for investment opportunities and economic growth, which is the foundations of the Kingdoms comprehensive development goals, led by HM the King. HRH the Crown Prince went on to highlight the Kingdoms achievements, praising Team Bahrains continued efforts supporting Bahrains long-term development aimed at delivering a promising future for all Bahraini citizens. HRH the Crown Prince emphasised the importance of bilateralism as a means to further enhance sustainable development and international cooperation across the economy, adding that strong Bahraini-Italian relations have resulted in the signing of a number of important agreements within the manufacturing, logistics, tourism and commercial sectors. HRH the Crown Prince went on to praise the EDBs role in attracting foreign direct investments, through the variety of plans and initiatives organised to showcase investment opportunities within Bahrain. The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, HE Zayed R Al Zayani, gave a speech in which he praised the longstanding ties between Bahrain and Italy, adding that the agreements signed are a testament to the broadening of the two countries bilateral partnership, which will further enhance both economies. HE Al Zayani noted that commercial cooperation between Bahrain and Italy began in 1973 and added that more than 60 Italian enterprises are present and operating in Bahrain. HE Al Zayani concluded his speech by relaying the opportunities available to enhance the Bahraini-Italian commercial partnership to even greater heights in the future. The President of Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo, Giovanni Ottati, gave a speech in which he highlighted that the Bahraini-Italian partnership has presented a wide-range of successful commercial opportunities. Ottati noted the Kingdoms Economic Vision 2030 has shaped its diverse economy and global competitiveness, noting the desire of Italy to further strengthen its economic partnerships with Bahrain. The chief executive of the Bahrain EDB Khalid Humaidan added: The long history of trade between Bahrain and Italy has evolved into a strong partnership, allowing both countries to flourish. Bahraini and Italian companies will continue to work together to benefit their respective commercial ecosystems, attract new talent, and promote strategic sectors that will generate new areas for collaboration. These new agreements will play a significant role in driving growth in both economies. A number of high-level officials from HRHs official delegation and senior figures from across the Italian and Bahraini private sector also attended the business reception. Iconic Perth music retailer Kosmic Sound has closed its doors after 51 years. Tributes flowed quickly on social media from the WA music industry as word spread of the store's closure, with long-term owner John Goldsmith confirming the end of an era on Wednesday. Kosmic has closed its doors after 51 years. "Hi all. Obviously and crazy busy and an emotional time for me personally. I will get a post out in the next couple of days. But yes, sadly, it is true," he wrote. The music retailer was long renowned for its expert advice and top-line products from its massive outlets, the latest of which was in the Osborne Park industrial area. The store often drew a who's who of musicians from across Perth, WA and abroad when they were in town or here on tour. A WA institution for many a professional and amateur musician, Kosmic's closure will be felt with a heavy heart by the industry, but Mr Goldsmith said that, although the company was in liquidation, he hoped to resurrect it again soon. Former guitarist for Cartman and The Avenues Cain Turnston, who worked at Kosmic since 2011, expressed his sadness at the store's closure in a post on Wednesday afternoon but assured those who had instruments at the store for repairs that they would be honoured. "Understandably it's a massive bummer for John and all the staff, but we will all dust ourselves off and move forward," he wrote. "I have made some incredible friends there over the last 9 years - lifetime friendships. And we will support and help each other as this plays out. When Iranian-born German academic Erfan Kasraie received an email from The Wall Street Journal requesting an interview, he sensed something was amiss. The Nov. 12 note purportedly came from Farnaz Fassihi, a veteran Iranian-American journalist who covers the Middle East. Yet it read more like a fan letter, asking Kasraie to share his "important achievements" to "motivate the youth of our beloved country." "This interview is a great honor for me," the note gushed. Another red flag: the follow-up email that instructed Kasraie to enter his Google password to see the interview questions. The phony request was in reality an attempt to break into Kasraie's email account. The incident is part of a wider effort to impersonate journalists in hacking attempts that three cybersecurity firms said they have tied to the Iranian government, which rejected the claim. The incidents come to light at a time when the U.S. government has warned of Iranian cyber threats in the wake of the U.S. air strike that killed Irans second most powerful official, Major-General Qassem Soleimani. In a report published Wednesday, London-based cybersecurity company Certfa tied the impersonation of Fassihi to a hacking group nicknamed Charming Kitten, which has long been associated with Iran. Israeli firm ClearSky Cyber Security provided Reuters with documentation of similar impersonations of two media figures at CNN and Deutsche Welle, a German public broadcaster. ClearSky also linked the hacking attempts to Charming Kitten, describing the individuals targeted as Israeli academics or researchers who study Iran. ClearSky declined to give the specific number of people targeted or to name them, citing client confidentiality. Iran denies operating or supporting any hacking operation. Alireza Miryousefi, the spokesman for the Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations, said that firms claiming otherwise "are merely participants in the disinformation campaign against Iran." Reuters uncovered similar hacking attempts on two other targets, which the two cybersecurity firms, along with a third firm, Atlanta-based Secureworks, said also appeared to be the work of Charming Kitten. Azadeh Shafiee, an anchor for London-based satellite broadcaster Iran International, was impersonated by hackers in attempts to break into the accounts of a relative of hers in London and Prague-based Iranian filmmaker Hassan Sarbakhshian. Sarbakhshian - who fled the Islamic Republic amid a crackdown that saw the arrest of several fellow photojournalists in 2009 - was also targeted with an email that claimed to be from Fassihi. The message asked him to sign a contract to sell some of his pictures to The Wall Street Journal. Sarbakhshian said in an interview that he was suspicious of the message and didn't respond. Neither did the ruse fool Kasraie, an academic who frequently appears on television criticizing Iran's government. I understood 100 percent that it was a trap, he said in an interview. That's not surprising given the hackers' sloppy tactics. For instance, they missed the fact that Fassihi had left the Journal last year for a new job at The New York Times. The Journal declined to comment. Fassihi referred questions to The Times, which in a statement called the impersonation "a vivid example of the challenges journalists are facing around the globe." U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts see Iran as a digital threat. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued alerts about the threat of Iranian cyberattacks following the controversial U.S. attack that killed Soleimani. Microsoft, which tracks attempts to undermine election security, in October accused Charming Kitten of targeting a U.S. presidential campaign; sources told Reuters at the time that the campaign was Donald Trump's. Homeland Security and FBI spokespeople declined to comment on the recent impersonations identified by Reuters. Certfa, ClearSky, and Secureworks said they could be tied to Charming Kitten through a study of the tactics, targets, and digital infrastructure involved - including servers, link shortening services, and domain registration patterns. In early 2019, the United States indicted Behzad Mesri - who ClearSky has linked to Charming Kitten through emails and social media activity - on charges of recruiting a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer to spy on behalf of Iran. Mesri remains at large and could not be reached for comment. Other impersonated journalists included CNN national security analyst Samantha Vinograd, whose identity was stolen in August and used in attempts to break into email accounts in Israel, ClearSky said. Another was Michael Hartlep, a Berlin-based videojournalist who has done freelance assignments for Deutsche Welle and Reuters. ClearSky found his name on an email inviting recipients to a bogus Deutsche Welle webinar on Iran's role in the Middle East. The firm did not find evidence that the Reuters name was used in hacking attempts. In another case, the hackers appear to have invented a journalist - "Keyarash Navidpour" - to send out a phony invitation on Jan. 4 to an online seminar that it claimed Deutsche Welle would hold about the killing of Soleimani the day before. No such journalist works for Deutsche Welle, said the news organizations spokesman Christoph Jumpelt. Vinograd referred questions to CNN, which did not return messages seeking comment. Hartlep told Reuters he worried such stunts might give sources second thoughts about answering a reporter's queries. "If this becomes the usual way of tricking people," he said, "definitely it makes our work very hard." [February 05, 2020] Winn-Dixie Celebrates Mardi Gras 2020 with Special Events and Community Donation Program As the Gulf Coast region prepares for carnival season, Winn-Dixie is announcing an exciting schedule of Mardi Gras events throughout Louisiana. Building on a strong history of commitment to community and culture, Winn-Dixie is expanding its existing partnership with Ochsner Health System as a 2020 Community Champion and the presenting sponsor of the inaugural Imagination Gala benefitting Ochsner Hospital for Children. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005217/en/ Beginning Feb. 5 through Feb. 25, Winn-Dixie will launch a Community Donation Program where customers at stores throughout Louisiana can donate at the register in support of Ochsner Hospital for Children. This will mark the third consecutive year Winn-Dixie has teamed up with Ochsner for a community partnership that drives awareness and fundraising. (Photo: Business Wire) Winn-Dixie has a longstanding history with Ochsner that includes unique Mardi Gras campaigns and innovative fundraising initiatives, both in store and in the community. Over the last three years, the neighborhood grocer has added to the partnership with activations that celebrate the spirit of carnival season while paying homage to local culture and traditions. Joey Medina, Regional Vice President of Winn-Dixie, said, "Winn-Dixie has been deeply rooted in Louisiana for nearly 64 years, and we are proud to honor local heritage and treasured traditions. The community is at the heart of everything we do and we are extremely excited this Mardi Gras season to build on our partnership with Ochsner Hospital for Children, and further commit our support for organizations that impact the communities we serve." In addition to a robust Mardi Gras campaign with Ochsner, this carnival season Winn-Dixie will be rolling with krewes in the greater New Orleans area as well as activating in-store festivities and special events. Beginning Feb. 5 through Feb. 25, Winn-Dixie will launch a Communiy Donation Program where customers at stores throughout Louisiana can donate at the register in support of Ochsner Hospital for Children. This will mark the third consecutive year Winn-Dixie has teamed up with Ochsner for a community partnership that drives awareness and fundraising. Winn-Dixie will also participate in the annual Ochsner Hospital for Children pediatric parade taking place at Ochsner's flagship location on Jefferson Highway on Thursday, Feb. 20. Winn-Dixie will offer king cake decorating at the hospital and host two young patients and their families on Mardi Gras floats in the Krewe of Argus and the Krewe of Covington parades. In addition, the grocer will support the hospital through pop-up parking lot parties featuring delicious food and live music from regional entertainers. Thomas Harris, Jr., FACHE, Vice President of Pediatrics at Ochsner Hospital for Children, said, "Parents from across the Gulf South and beyond entrust the health of their children to our pediatric team at Ochsner Hospital for Children. The lifechanging care our team provides across all disciplines - pediatric cardiology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and more - is possible thanks to the ongoing generosity of amazing community partners like Winn-Dixie." Winn-Dixie will also commission Mardi Gras masks, which will be featured throws in the two parades where Winn-Dixie will have floats - the Krewe of Argus and the Krewe of Covington. The masks will be designed by local artist, Kelly Sylvain, and will come with Winn-Dixie Mystery Gift Cards valued between $5 and $25. WINN-DIXIE MARDI GRAS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Ochsner Hospital for Children Community Donation Program Wednesday, Feb. 5 - Tuesday, Feb. 25 All Louisiana stores Krewe of Poseidon Community Parking Lot Party featuring Rockin' Dopsie Saturday, Feb. 8 from 3 - 5 p.m. Winn-Dixie Store #1502 3030 Pontchartrain Drive, Slidell, LA Krewe of Endymion Community Parking Lot Party featuring Royal Essence Showband Saturday, Feb. 22 from 1 - 3 p.m. Winn-Dixie Store #1472 401 N. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA Winn-Dixie "Grant a Mardi Gras Wish" Mardi Gras Parade Ride Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mardi Gras Day Krewe of Argus - Metairie, LA / Krewe of Covington - Covington, LA Winn-Dixie has been engrained in the Gulf Coast community for more than six decades? and is proud to continue its partnership with Ochsner. With more than 29 stores throughout Louisiana, Winn-Dixie will remain a committed partner to local organizations and proud supporter of the region's unique culture. About Winn-Dixie Founded in 1925, Winn-Dixie grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies serve communities throughout five southeastern states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, which is one of the largest supermarket chains based in the Southeast. For more information, please visit www.winndixie.com and www.segrocers.com. About Winn-Dixie Gives SEG Gives is the charitable arm of Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of BI-LO, Fresco y Mas, Harveys and Winn-Dixie supermarkets dedicated to supporting the communities we serve and the causes that impact our customers. About Ochsner Health System Ochsner Health System is Louisiana's largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the #1 ranked hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report and is recognized as a "Best Hospital" across two specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only facility in Louisiana to be recognized as a top 50 children's hospital by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years. Ochsner employs more than 26,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005217/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Express News Service THRISSUR: Malayalis may well be the hardest drinking community in the country, but for at least some, everyday drinking water laced with alcohol is still hard to digest. In Chalakudy, which has been right at the forefront in state in terms of its drinking habits, 18 families have complained that the water from the open well in their area has been smelling and tasting like liquor since Sunday. The bizarre phenomenon came to light when Joshy Maliyekkal, the owner of an apartment complex near Chalakudy bus stand, switched on the motor to fill the water tank at his house on Sunday afternoon. All of a sudden, the pipe started to smell very bad. We were suspicious as to why such a smell was coming from the water drawn from an open well, he said. According to Joshy, the area residents have been using the well for several years and this had never happened before. Upon discussing with the neighbours, we found that an excise official and a bar owner had dug up a pit in the compound of a bar nearby, in which they had dumped liquor. Though they dug the pit in the adjacent compound, it was in close proximity to our well, said Joshy. The residents thus approached the Chalakudy municipality, following which health officials examined the water. The inspection proved the presence of alcohol in the water, and hence we called the excise officials and informed them of the matter, said V G Joji, ward councillor. As the protest from the part of residents became intense, the excise officials agreed to resolve the situation. According to Deputy Excise Commissioner T K Sanu, the department has already started the purification of the water in the well. We will lend all support to the families affected, he said. The official added that carelessness from the part of the officers concerned had led to the situation. If we have to dump a huge quantity of liquor, we generally resort to options like distilleries. But here, it was just 2,000 bottles, so they decided to dispose it of by digging a pit. As per the official orders, while disposing it, the officer should take care not to cause any harm to the environment and the public. But they were unaware of the presence of an open well nearby, which is why this happened, he said. The bar owner has now arrived at a compromise with the residents, in the presence of the municipality officials. Until the water from the well becomes normal and usable, he will pay the bills for the supply of water to 18 families in the region. Saturday, 18 January 2020, 12:21 pm Press Release: Western Sahara Campaign Western Sahara Campaign-NZ enlisted the support of Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) to question and comment on Ravensdowns stated position in its press release of the 11th of December 2019, Two sides to the Western Sahara story. https://www.ravensdown.co.nz/in-the-community/two-sides-to-the-western-s... For ease of reference, WSRW took the arguments raised there in defense of Ravensdowns continued imports point by point. The area they say is occupied is actually listed by the UN as sovereignty undecided. WSRW and Ravensdown obviously disagree on the applicable terminology for a countrys military presence and unfounded administration of parts of a territory over which it has no sovereignty or internationally backed mandate, while violently suppressing the inhabitants of that territorys opposition to its imposed presence and administration. There is however an international consensus that the people of Western Sahara have a right to self-determination: the right to decide what the status of the territory should be, and as a corollary, the right to the natural resources of the territory. The Saharawis have not yet had the chance to exercise that right, and as a result, the status of the territory is still undecided. UN General Assembly resolution 34/37 labels Moroccos presence in Western Sahara as an occupation. On what basis does Ravensdown decide to completely bypass the people holding the sovereign right to decide the status of the territory, and to instead strike a supply contract with a party which does not hold those sovereign rights? The flags being waved are of a country actually not recognised by NZ, Australia, UK, the European Union, USA, China and the majority of countries in the world. Do any of the countries raised by Ravensdown formally recognize Moroccos claim to Western Sahara? The trade they say is illegal actually complies with the UN framework for trading with areas like these the industry does its due diligence on the supplying company OCP. Following Indonesias withdrawal of its occupation of East Timor, there are no other Non-Self Governing Territories currently under foreign occupation. No such framework really exists. The closest thing to such framework was written by the UN Legal Counsel on behalf of the UN Security Council in 2002. The author of that opinion has repeatedly stated that such trade is not legal. In November 2019, at the annual conference of the Belgian Society of international law, Hans Corell, the author of this opinion, specifically referred to the phosphate trade. I refer again to what I have said about the fisheries agreements in the past. To be legal, such an agreement would have to contain an explicit reference to the fishing zone off the coast of Western Sahara, defined by coordinates. The regime for issuing fishing licences within this zone would have to be completely separate from the regime that applies in the Moroccan fishing zone. Furthermore, the revenues generated by the licences in the zone of Western Sahara would have to be delivered not to Moroccos public treasury or equivalent but to a separate account that can be audited independently by representatives of the people of Western Sahara so that they can ascertain that the revenues are used solely in accordance with the needs and interests of their people. This system must apply also to other natural resources in Western Sahara, such as phosphates, oil or gas, or other resources, be they renewable or non-renewable." Read his full speech here: https://www.wsrw.org/a105x4575 Does Ravensdown consider that the author of the UN legal opinion on exploitation of mineral resources in the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara to which the company refers - misinterprets the opinion he authored? The two New Zealand companies they say are the only ones importing rock actually only import 22% of Western Saharas rock exports (roughly equally split) with the rest being imported by Brazil, China, India and Japan. New Zealand's farmer cooperatives are indeed not the only ones to import from occupied Western Sahara. They are however part of an increasingly smaller group of companies. Pointing to others ignoring the legal and ethical objections to the trade, does not make the trade acceptable. WSRW has not seen any credible evidence corroborating the claim that Japan is importing. Brazil has imported two shipments since our association started monitoring the exports in 2011. The Indian imports are primarily done to a subsidiary of OCP. The volume of exports and the number of international clients of the conflict minerals from Western Sahara has never been lower than in 2019. The rock they say doesnt help Saharawi is actually welcomed by the Saharawi whose livelihoods depend on the mine (interviews can be arranged with the Saharawi head of the PhosBoucraa Foundation). As in every conflict situation, there are those who benefit from the situation as it is. In addition, there are those who try to feed their families in a context where all economic activity is controlled by a foreign regime, to which they do not necessarily agree. We maintain however that the overwhelming majority of the Saharawis do not benefit at all. Yet, as also pointed out by the Court of Justice of the European Union (article 106 of decision of 21 December 2016), the question regarding benefits to the Saharawis is irrelevant: what matters is whether they have consented to the activity. http://curia.europa.eu/juris/ WSRW could have organized for you and other interested parties to meet with the secretary-general of the Saharawi association CSPRON, Mr. Sidahmed Lemjiyed, who follows Moroccan use of resources in Western Sahara. Regretfully, he is serving a life-sentence in jail, as he was tortured until confessing a crime that he had not committed. His fate is mentioned in the latest annual report of Human Rights Watch, published this week. https://www.hrw.org/world- The phosphate they say can be easily sourced from elsewhere actually comes with other challenges such as cadmium, dust, other environmental issues as well as quality and supply risks. We refer to the proposal of the European Commission to gradually reduce the allowed cadmium level of phosphate-based fertilizers in the European Union, which will result in a gradual decrease of imports of phosphate rock from North Africa as the rock there is among the highest cadmium-containing rock around the globe. It is telling that some of the most ferocious counter-lobby to the proposal came from OCP, alarmed by the imminent loss of their 32% sales figure in Europe. All other companies that used to import from occupied Western Sahara alongside Ravensdown and Ballance during from the 1990s until 2018 have found alternative sources. The superphosphate they say NZ can do without is actually essential to food creation without nutrients like phosphate, agricultural production would be about half of todays. It is obvious that food creation does not require phosphorus from Western Sahara. No food in the world except some in New Zealand, some in India and very little in Brazil and China - is produced without phosphate from Western Sahara. We refer to the dozens of companies that have stopped importing from Western Sahara in recent years, who have all initially stated that they could not do without the rock from Bou Craa, yet at present are sourcing from elsewhere. Other global players on this market, such as Yara, have terminated the Western Sahara purchases, now sourcing such rock from Morocco proper instead. The country they want to boycott is actually a valued trading partner to New Zealand with exports to Morocco worth over $300 million between 2011 -15. We have noted that Ravensdown over the course of the years has described Western Sahara as part of Morocco. We find it peculiar to read this position yet again. Such statement suggests that your company has not fully understood the legal status of the territory that you are sourcing your phosphates from. Western Sahara is not part of Morocco. No country in the world, nor the UN, the Court of Justice of the EU or the International Court of Justice recognize Moroccos claim to Western Sahara. We are not sure who your company refers to when stating that they want to boycott. In our work on the controversial New Zealand phosphate imports over the last decade, we have never observed such a claim being made. As far as we know, even Saharawis have no objections to companies like yours having good relations with Morocco proper. WSRW notes other arguments in your position statement (points 9-11, regarding safety of protesters; whether a ship was docked or not at the time of the RMT union handing over a protest letter; and whether or not a ferry with children took part in a protest). WSRW was not present, and has no position on these aspects. That Ravensdown would resort to such arguments in an attempt to justify a much more serious issue - that of knowingly importing minerals through a brutal and illegal occupation indicates that the company seems to miss the point entirely. (SPS) 062/SPS https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2001/S00039/ravensdown-s-western-sahara-story-rebutted.htm Ron Arsenault wants his fathers 100th birthday to be an unforgettable one. On Sunday evening during the 2020 Super Bowl, the longtime Scarborough resident posted a photo of his father Pte. Fred Arsenault, a decorated Second World War veteran, on his Facebook profile holding a poster that asked people to send him 100 birthday cards for his 100th birthday on March 6. Overnight, Arsenaults post was shared dozens of times and has since gone viral. I thought everyone would be watching the Super Bowl. By Monday morning our story was on Reddit and by yesterday afternoon Mayor Tory was sharing it, he said early Tuesday afternoon. Arsenault said he first heard about the 100 cards idea online when Jim South, a Second World War veteran from Texas, made a similar wish and received 100,000 cards for his 100th birthday on Oct. 7, 2019. We sent him a card, said Arsenault, who figured this concept would resonate with his father as he often spoke about reading letters from his mother in the middle of the night while serving in the trenches during the Second World War in Italy. Arsenault said over the years his dad, who lived in Scarborough with him and his wife Betty for a decade before going to live at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre last May, always had a thing for the mail and figured hed get a kick out of all of this. Arsenault, who is 63, visits his father, who is originally from Prince Edward Island, but lived in East York for several years until moving back to the island in 1980 upon his retirement, almost daily. Hes sure his father will enjoy reading all the cards hell receive. The bottom line is all of this is for (dad) and the other vets. They mean the world to me, said Arsenault, who said hes informed Canada Post of his fun experiment. Can I cut you short? I just saw the mailman. Weve got to have a discussion, he chuckled before concluding the interview. Anyone interested in sending a greeting card to Pte. Fred Arsenault should mail it to 9 Kenmore Ave., Toronto, ON M1K 1B3. Google, YouTube and Twitter have all sent cease and desist orders to controversial facial recognition app Clearview AI in an effort to stop it taking images to help with police investigations. The tech company's tools allow law enforcement officials to upload a photo of an unknown person they would like to identify, and see a list of matches culled from a database of over three billion photos. The photos are taken from a variety of controversial sources, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even Venmo. But some of those platforms have now attempted to block the use of any images uploaded to their sites, issuing a legal letter to Clearview AI, CBS reports. CEO of the app, Hoan Ton-That, 31, told the network: 'You have to remember that this is only used for investigations after the fact. This is not a 24/7 surveillance system. 'The way we have built our system is to only take publicly available information and index it that way.' Google, YouTube and Twitter have all sent cease and desist orders to controversial facial recognition app Clearview AI in an effort to stop it taking images to help police A spokesman for YouTube, which is owned by Google, said: 'YouTube's Terms of Service explicitly forbid collecting data that can be used to identify a person. Clearview has publicly admitted to doing exactly that, and in response we sent them a cease and desist letter.' Twitter has also asked the app to delete all data already collected as well as stopping any future scraping going forward. Facebook and Venmo have not yet acted despite saying they are against the practice. Clearview AI's technology is being used by hundreds of US law enforcement agencies including the FBI, according to The New York Times. Police upload a picture of a person and the app then shows them dozens of public photos - from its database of three billion - that supposedly match. Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That has defended his app The app also includes links to the websites where those photos came from - such as Facebook and YouTube - so the person can be looked up and identified easily. Clearview's website says its technology has 'helped law enforcement track down hundreds of at-large criminals, including pedophiles, terrorists and sex traffickers'. But the app raises questions about privacy and how it could be used in the future. Eric Goldman, co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University, told the New York Times: 'The weaponization possibilities of this are endless. 'Imagine a rogue law enforcement officer who wants to stalk potential romantic partners, or a foreign government using this to dig up secrets about people to blackmail them or throw them in jail.' Another concern is that the technology is not always accurate. It provides a match to an uploaded image 75 per cent of the time, but it is not known how often the match is correct. Clearview says that anyone can submit a request to the company to have a photo of them removed from its databases, but they must first present proof they own copyright to the photo. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal instructed prosecutors across the state to stop using Clearview AI. He decided to issue the ban after seeing Clearview had used footage from a 2019 sting operation in New Jersey promoting its own services, something even he hadn't been aware of at the time Earlier this month New Jerseys attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, instructed prosecutors across the state to stop using Clearview AI. Grewal decided to issue the ban after seeing Clearview had used footage from a 2019 sting operation in New Jersey promoting its own services, something even he had not been aware of at the time. In 2019, the NYPD had also tried using Clearviews facial recognition software during a 90-day trial period, but elected not to continue after the trial elapsed. However, a report from the New York Post found that many officers had continued using the app on their personal phones even after the department had decided against it. A Clearview spokesperson told the Post there were 36 accounts connected to the NYPD that have logged thousands of searches through the software. The ACLU has warned that because tools such as Clearview arent regulated they could lead to improper or even warrantless searches. DEANNE FITZMAURICE / Five health care workers at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose were exposed to the new coronavirus while treating a patient there and have been sent home and told to remain isolated until Feb. 11, according to Santa Clara County public health officials. The workers had contact with a man who had sought treatment at the hospital and later tested positive for the virus. The man, who was diagnosed Jan. 31, was the first known case of coronavirus in the Bay Area. An attendee looks out at caucus attendees during a caucus event in the 68th precinct on February 3, 2020 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, United States: Tom Brenner/Getty Images The team behind the disastrous app used in the Iowa election app has been revealed. The app, created by a startup named Shadow, was supposed to be used to co-ordinate information from the caucuses and allow organisers to send results back to the party. But it crashed repeatedly through the night, and has led to a failure to declare any kind of result. The party said the problems had been caused by a coding issue in the reporting system that has since been fixed but meant it was still unable to declare any results. Now focus has turned onto the company behind the app, Shadow, and the confusion surrounding how it managed to be created and used in one of the most important parts of the lead-up to the presidential election later this year. Shadows website describes the team behind the app as campaign and technology veterans who have built and implemented technology at Hillary for America, Obama for America, Google, Kiva, Apple, the AFL-CIO, and the DNC. Explaining the name of the company, it claims to be a building a long-term, side-by-side Shadow of tech infrastructure to the Democratic Party and the progressive community at large. The history of Shadow is unclear and somewhat obscure. A since-deleted post on the website of nonprofit Acronym, apparently written by CEO Gerard Niemira, announced the launch of Shadow, a new technology company that will exist under the ACRONYM umbrella and build accessible technological infrastructure and tools to enable campaigns to better harness, integrate and manage data across the platforms and technologies they all use. But in a statement last night, as the chaos in Iowa continued, Acronym distanced itself from the app. A spokesperson said it had not provided any technology for the causes, and suggested that Acronym was only an investor. Shadow appears to have begun life as an app called GroundGame, and then Groundbase, which was first founded in 2017. It appears to have been re-branded in the intervening period, before being launched under its current name in 2017. Story continues Niemira said in the same post that he had created the app with a few of my colleagues from the Hillary for America campaign where we built tools for [the campaigns] field team. Many of the people involved in the creation of what is now called Shadow worked on the Clinton campaign, as well as at technology firms, according to LinkedIn profiles. The app will also be used in the Nevada caucus, due to happen on 22 February. The local Democratic parties in each state paid $60,000 to Shadow for their services, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures. Read more What is the Shadow app causing chaos at Iowa caucus? Macy's is getting out of America's weakest shopping malls. "We see a bifurcation of malls," Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette told investors Wednesday during a meeting at the New York Stock Exchange. "The lower-tier malls continue to decline rapidly." The meeting came a day after Macy's announced it will close 125 stores over the next three years, most in so-called C- and D- rated malls, which bring in fewer sales per square foot than A- and B-rated properties. Macy's said its stores in A-rated malls, along with unrated properties, represent about 49% of stores today and 66% of sales. As Macy's shutters unprofitable shops, those percentages are expected to grow over time. "We see many malls that are thriving," Gennette said. "We believe the best malls have a real and growing place in U.S. retail. ... We believe these malls are here for the long run." As it looks to open some new stores, Macy's will be growing outside of shopping malls. It is testing a new smaller-format shop, called Market by Macy's, in open-air shopping centers. The first opens Thursday in Southlake, Texas, and includes a restaurant and sells a mix of up-and-coming brands like sock maker Bombas and children's apparel line Rockets of Awesome along with some of Macy's private labels. Macy's is also planning to open more freestanding Backstage locations in shopping centers. Backstage is Macy's off-price concept that competes with the likes of T.J. Maxx, Burlington and Nordstrom Rack. Macy's has more than 200 Backstage shops within Macy's stores today. It will open seven Backstage locations outside of Macy's stores in 2020, bringing the total of freestanding Backstage shops to 13. But even with the closures, Macy's will be left with about 500 department stores in malls, which one firm says is still far too many. That is "a number that we believe is too high in a world where mall traffic continues to decline," Citi analyst Paul Lejuez wrote in a note to clients. Macy's said that by 2021, its top 250 stores will represent 78% of sales. Those are the locations receiving upgrades such as self-checkout kiosks, new lighting and fresh flooring. Some U.S. mall owners have been echoing Gennette's sentiment. "Over the past 10 years ... we have seen the heightened value and improvement of the best centers, and a substantial deterioration of everything else," mall owner Taubman COO Bill Taubman told CNBC late last year. "What was good is even better, and what is not good has gotten much worse." Within the roughly 1,110 malls in the U.S., 80% of "mall value" is at properties rated A- to A++, according to an analysis by commercial real estate services firm Green Street. "Accelerating department store closures over the next decade seem inevitable, which imposes a sizable capex burden on landlords," Green Street analyst Vince Tibone said. "Reinventing the mall with new anchor tenants will be a significant challenge." Macy's shares were up than 2.7% at midday Wednesday. The stock has fallen more than 36% during the past 12 months. Macy's has a market cap of about $5.2 billion. The American Dream is back for all, says President Trump President Donald Trump has underlined the economic gains of the United States under his leadership, asserting that the American Dream is back and is stronger than ever before for all of US citizens, including African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans. Trump, in a self-congratulatory State of the Union speech, said employment prospects are stronger than ever before, and the US economy is at its brightest, having reached the highest levels in history, setting the stage for his re-election bid. The years of economic decay are over. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige, Trump said on the eve of his likely acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial. He said in just three short years, his administration has shattered the mentality of American decline and rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. The president asserted his countrys economy is the best it has ever been. The American Dream is back - bigger, better, and stronger than ever before, he said. Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results. Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again. Americas enemies are on the run, Americas fortunes are on the rise, and Americas future is blazing bright. The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power, and prestige. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back. I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world and its not even close. Our borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are renewed. Our pride is restored. And for all of these reasons, I say to the people of our great country and to the members of Congress: The state of our Union is stronger than ever before, Trump said. The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the worlds most prosperous and inclusive society one where every citizen can join in Americas unparalleled success and where every community can take part in Americas extraordinary rise. The President said the pro-American polices combined with measures undertaken to revitalise the US economy, including the revoking of a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements, have helped the US economy flourish. Trump said his pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American policies have helped the nation advance with unbridled optimism and lift citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed very, very high. He also claimed that his administration has created 7 million new jobs 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. US unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century, he said, adding that the average unemployment rate under his administration is lower than any administration in the history of the country. Asserting that the US is moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, Trump, the first president to run for reelection after being impeached, said jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging and the country is thriving and highly respected again. Americas fortunes are on the rise and its future is blazing bright, he said. From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the United States economy -- slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements, Trump said. The president said the agenda of his administration is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. Since my election, we have created seven million new jobs -- 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country. If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to Americas great economic success, Trump claimed. African-American poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years -- and last year, women filled 72 per cent of all new jobs added. The veterans unemployment rate dropped to a record low. The unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time low, Trump asserted. Underling that workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest unemployment rate recorded in US history, he claimed that record number of young Americans are now employed. Under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls. Under my administration, 7 million Americans have come off food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare. In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million people working-age people have joined the workforce. Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage earners has increased by 47 per cent three times faster than the increase for the top 1 per cent. After decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast and, wonderfully, they are rising fastest for low-income workers, who have seen a 16 per cent pay increase since my election. This is a blue-collar boom, he said. Real median household income is now at the highest level ever recorded. US stock markets have soared 70 per cent, adding more than $12 trillion to the nations wealth. This is a record. It is something that every country in the world is looking up to. Consumer confidence has just reached amazing new highs, Trump said. The United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, by far thanks to bold regulatory policies, he said, adding, we are restoring our nations manufacturing might, even though predictions were, as you all know, that this could never, ever be done. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration, with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or being built. Companies are not leaving; they are coming back to the USA. The fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is, and the United States of America is indeed the place where the action is. The president also spoke of how he replaced the disastrous NAFTA trade deal, under which the US lost one in four manufacturing jobs. He said the brand-new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. Trump also claimed success with his China policy and his promise to impose tariffs to confront Chinas massive theft of Americas jobs. He said the new agreement signed with China will defend US workers, protect intellectual property, bring billions and billions of dollars into US treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown in the USA. Trump said America is once again standing up for freedom. We are supporting the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to restore democracy. And, he said, just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a brand-new branch of the United States Armed Forces. Its called the Space Force. Trump said the next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. My administration is determined to give our citizens the opportunities they need regardless of age or background. Through our Pledge to American Workers, over 400 companies will also provide new jobs and education opportunities to almost 15 million Americans. On affordable healthcare, Trump said, Ive also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions. And we will always protect your Medicare and we will always protect your Social Security. Always. We love our smartphones -- whether Android or iOS -- not just because of the convenience that these smart OSes provide, but it's actually the apps in the app store that make the whole experience that much more worth it. And now, Google just announced that ever since the Play Store was launched, developers have managed to earn over $80 billion (around Rs 5.7 lakh crores). Reuters This number was disclosed after Googles parent company Alphabet released its Q4 earnings of 2019. The earnings shared were excluding developers from China. Senior Vice President at Google, Hiroshi Lockheimer tweeted about this, thanking the developer community for helping Android thrive. Twitter: @lockheimer Google Play Has More Developers According to a 2017 research on Statista, Google Play Store has over 724,000 developers creating apps for Android devices, as opposed to 494,000 developers making apps for iOS devices (iPhones/iPads). And even though the number of developers on the Play Store might seem like a lot, Apple developers manage to make more money. But Apple Developers Earned More Apple in 2019 revealed that its developers earned over $120 billion (around Rs 8.5 lakh crores) since the launch of Apples App store in 2008. This was also the year Google launched its Android Market, which was rebranded as Play Store a few years later. Why So? Whats more astonishing is the fact that there are less iOS devices in comparison to Android devices in the market. But what many people dont realise is that Play Store has a ton of free apps when compared to iOS, and people buying expensive devices dont mind paying for an app as opposed to an Android user on a tight budget whos always on the lookout for free apps. Getty Images Moreover, Google Play has a 30-percent cut on the app sales on its platform, which basically indicates the actual number could have been a whole lot more -- somewhere around $114 billion (over Rs 8.1 Lakh crores). TEFEN, Israel, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean-label dairy alternatives innovator Yofix Probiotics, Ltd., has concluded an extended series-A round of strategic investment from new key investors: Germany-based Muller Ventures, AG; the French Bel Group; and LionTree Partners LLC, based in the US. This brings in a total of $2.5M US in investment. Yofix Raises US$2.5 Million to Fuel Growt The new infusion of funding provides the startup with significant leverage for attaining global expansion of its current portfolio of award-winning plant-based yogurts. The funding also allows the company to accelerate development of its tech platform to launch more innovative soy-free dairy alternatives in additional categories. "In the fast-growing dairy alternative space, Yofix offers a unique range of quality products, both in terms of flavor and texture," notes Benjamin Bugl, Managing Director of Muller Ventures. "With no artificial ingredients, its clean-label solution is a powerful differentiator for consumer awareness and acceptance. Combined with Yofix' strong management team, this makes it an attractive investment opportunity for Muller." Last year, Yofix launched a new generation of clean-label yogurt alternatives based on its proprietary zero-waste production process. The unique fermented formula is soy-free and composed of a short list of natural and highly nutritious ingredients, including oats, lentils, and sesame. It was carefully crafted to deliver the classic flavor and probiotic functionality of dairy yogurts without the dairy ingredients, serving the lactose-intolerant and dairy-allergic population as well as offering a plant-based solution for the growing vegan and flexitarian markets. "The rise of flexitarianism has led to strong, growing demand for plant-based products worldwide," adds Fatine Layt, Head of France of LionTree. "Yofix has a unique positioning, offering 100% clean-label plant-based yogurt and a promising platform for delivering not only yogurts and drinkable yogurts, but a complete portfolio of real dairy replacements. More importantly, they hit all the desired organoleptic marks. We are enthusiastic to witness its next steps and facilitate its growth through our global network." Since the launch of its line of yogurt alternatives, the startup has been awarded the final $100,000 grant from the PepsiCo 2018 Nutrition Greenhouse program, and more recently was elected as one of the 50 most innovative companies at Anuga 2019 in Cologne. "Receiving the financial investment by such prominent multinational players of the dairy industry is an endorsement of trust and confidence in our products and technology," says Steve Grun, CEO of Yofix. "This fresh influx opens the door to new possibilities. Over the next few years, we will focus strategic efforts on expanding our line of dairy alternatives which also includes oat yogurt shakes into the global market. The support will also boost the advancement of our efforts toward developing more clean-label plant-based offerings that extend into alternative cheeses, frozen desserts, and milk alternatives the prospects are boundless," enthuses Grun. "We are excited to work with Yofix, one of the most innovative startups in its sector," says Caroline Sorlin, Plant-Based Acceleration Unit General Manager at Bel Group. "It offers a unique dairy alternative range for the market, combining great flavor, good nutrition, clean labeling, and respect for the environment. By taking part in the Yofix adventure, we are choosing to get closer to new players in the market that have key expertise and are developing the innovations of tomorrow. Bel Group is entering the plant-based arena for the first time, so this gives concrete expression to our strategy of combining the best of dairy and plant-based products. This approach is perfectly in line with our corporate mission: 'For All. For Good,' in favor of healthier and more responsible food for all." Yofix was the first startup to be housed by The Kitchen Hub, the FoodTech incubator established five years ago by the Strauss Group. (Strauss led the first leg of the seed round back in 2017.) "We are very excited about the future of Yofix. Strauss Group, through The Kitchen Hub, has long supported FoodTech startups. Yofix is one of the most promising startups in our portfolio," says Jonathan Berger, CEO of The Kitchen. Other investors for this round include Good Seed Ventures and HWA, as well as initial investors CPT Capital and VegInvest. For more information, contact: Company Contact: Yofix Probiotics Ltd. Mr. Steve Grun CEO [email protected] www.yofix.bio Press Contact NutriPR Ms. Liat Simha Tel: +972-9-9742893 [email protected] www.nutripr.com Twitter: @LiatSimha SOURCE Yofix Probiotics, Ltd. SPRINGFIELD For the third year in a row, the city is listing the German Gerena Community School as its top priority for renovations and repairs, but says 12 other schools are also in need of work. On Monday night the Springfield City Council authorized statement of interest applications to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to start the process for securing state funding for renovations at the 13 schools. Ward 1 City Councilman Adam Gomez said he is glad Gerena is the top priority and hopes it will remain that way until all of the necessary repairs are completed. Im committed to making sure every avenue possible to complete the Gerena renovations are supported by the City Council, he said. Any money awarded will go toward installing a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; completing the build-out of classrooms; and supplementing recent projects and investments. Gerena has been plagued for two decades with flooding and mold. Recent work has focused on tunnels connected to the school, including floor remediation, drainage pumps and motors, and entrance safety upgrades. Other recent improvements at Gerena include a new roof, upgraded boiler and indoor playground. School Committee member Maria Perez, who represents the North End neighborhood where Gerena is located, said there is a sense of excitement about Gerena being at the top of the list. Its been in need of repairs for so many years and I am happy that the city has acknowledged in the past few years the needs of this school and this community, she said. Perez said her hope is that the rooms near the tunnels, which are closed due to moisture issues, will be reopened not only for students but also for the community as a whole. It has been over a decade since the residents of this neighborhood have a had an accessible community meeting space. That is my dream to see those spaces open and used for youth programs and for activities for the elderly and families, she said. As for the other schools, Rebecca Johnson School needs an upgrade to the heating system and a replaced or renovated roof. Boland, Bowels and Sumner Avenue, Indian Orchard Elementary, and the High School of Commerce need new roofs. Central High School and Milton Bradley School need heating system upgrades. The Arthur T. Talmadge and Mary O. Pottenger schools, Balliet Elementary, and the High School of Science and Technology need windows and exterior doors. As the Centre constituted a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Congress on Wednesday said the government should go ahead with the process mandated by the Supreme Court but the politics over Lord Ram should now end. While delivering its judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case on November 9 last year, the apex court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. Four days before the expiry of the three-month deadline, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced in the Lok Sabha the constitution of a 15-member trust. The Supreme Court had also ordered that five-acre land will be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodha at an alternative site. Congress Spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi said the government's decision was an outcome of the ruling of the Supreme Court. "The Supreme Court had laid out all the instructions for the government to follow. The government is simply following Supreme Court's instructions. The day the Supreme Court verdict came out, the Congress had respected it and welcomed it," he said. "So the government is going ahead and constructing (the temple) they should do so, it is their duty. But I only hope the politics over Lord Ram should end," he said. Seeking votes on behalf of Lord Ram should end as it is a matter of faith, Gogoi said. "If people want to practise their faith they will go to the newly-constructed Ram temple. We don't need the BJP to tell us and preach about religion, we have our own gods, own temples, own monasteries, we practise faith much better than the BJP practices," he said. The BJP practises "fake nationalism" and has "fake love" for religion, especially for the Hindu religion, Gogoi said. In a rare occasion, Modi spoke in the Lok Sabha as soon as the House convened at 11 am, telling members he wants to share information on a "very important and historical subject for the country." "This topic is close to my heart like millions of countrymen and I consider it my great fortune to talk about it," he said. Since Parliament is in session, the government decided to inform the House on the important decision taken by the Cabinet. Union minister Prakash Javadekar said it would be incorrect to link the Cabinet decision to the Delhi Assembly polls this Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) But yesterday, the Police Department shared data showing that reported shootings, robberies and some other serious crimes increased last month compared with January 2019. The broad direction in January causes us real concern, Mayor de Blasio said at a news conference. The numbers announced yesterday, of course, were just a snapshot. An array of policy experts agree that meaningful trends cannot be seen in one month of crime data. (And, in fact, murder was down for the month.) Still, New Yorks police commissioner, Dermot Shea, quickly blamed the states new bail law for the rise last month. The law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, eliminates cash bail for most criminal defendants and allows them to stay free while their cases are pending. [Spike in crime inflames debate over bail law.] According to Police Department data, precipitous increases in crimes like robberies, shootings and auto thefts drove a 16.9 percent increase in overall crime last month compared to January 2019, my colleagues Ashley Southall and Jesse McKinley reported. The reaction Mr. de Blasio tried to assuage fears. New York City is unquestionably the safest big city in America, he said. The Police Department is the finest police force in this country, with a track record of reducing crime. The rise in the dividend at BP a leaving present for shareholders from Bob Dudley, the departing chief executive does not disguise the difficulties that are facing his successor. Dudley, who will have made more than 100million in pay, bonuses and incentives in his decade at the top, may feel he has earned those stratospheric rewards for succeeding at the long and difficult job of bringing back BP from the brink. But Bernard Looney, who takes his place, has almost as difficult a task in repositioning it now that tackling climate change is at the top of the agenda. Turning point: BP shares are down around 10 per cent in the past 12 months and are 20 per cent lower than a decade ago, pre-Deepwater The Government's move to bring forward a ban on new petrol and diesel cars is just the latest evidence. He needs to draw up a strategy so BP can avoid being a pariah in a culture where Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough are the new deities. The key issue is whether BP can keep investors on board with those lovely, gushing dividends, and if the payouts are enough to outweigh distaste for the oil business. Tellingly, the rise in the divi was greeted with joy to the extent it overshadowed a nasty fall in profits. Perhaps that's understandable given its importance to our pension funds: BP is expected to be the third-largest divi payer in the FTSE this year. A yield of nearly 7 per cent is certainly attractive when savings rates are so low, but can it maintain payouts on this scale? The company is a formidable generator of cash, but like US giant Exxon, it appears to have part-funded dividends and share buybacks from debt, and this is not sustainable. The bigger challenge is how the new boss responds to climate change. BP is investing in wind farms, solar energy and the like, but this is dwarfed by its core oil business. Having recovered its reputation after Deepwater albeit that it still had to fork out $2.4billion (1.8billion) last year relating to the spill and expects costs of up to $1billion (767million) this year it is in danger of becoming a climate change bogey. Being dropped by the Royal Shakespeare Company as a sponsor of cheap tickets for 16 to 25-year-olds last year is ominous, because it indicates young people's attitudes are moving against BP. Big institutions are heading in the same direction, with the likes of Blackrock putting environmental and social responsibility at the top of the agenda. The shares rose yesterday because of the dividend rise and in relief that the profits were not as bad as expected, but longer term they have been disappointing. BP shares, of which I own a small number, are down around 10 per cent in the past 12 months and are 20 per cent lower than a decade ago, pre-Deepwater. If BP shares are to perform better in the next decade, the new chief needs to make a transition from Big Oil to Big Green Energy and that will be no mean feat. Tesla mania The astounding rise in Tesla shares is the flip side of BP's travails and those of the traditional car makers. Its shares have soared to extraordinary heights, so that it is now the second-biggest auto maker by market capitalisation in the world, with only Toyota ahead of it. It's bigger than VW, and bigger than GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler put together. To put that in perspective, VW delivered almost 11m vehicles in 2019 and Tesla sold fewer than 400,000. One of Tesla's biggest fans is James Anderson, who manages the Scottish Mortgage trust, which is popular among small investors and listed in the FTSE 100. Scottish Mortgage saw its own shares hit a record high yesterday. So is Tesla a true wonder stock, or a bubble, the 2020 version of tulip fever? Has James Anderson, feted for his acumen, made the right call? However brilliant the technology, this share price has gone wild. Have a quick read of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds before investing, and don't bet the farm. Down Hill A share option award worth just over 300,000 for Chris Hill, the boss of Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), is not obscene largesse on the scale of that lavished on, say Jeff Fairburn, the 75million former boss of housebuilder Persimmon. Hill, when he told me last year that he would give up a seven-figure bonus because of HL's involvement in the Neil Woodford scandal, seemed genuinely contrite. Woodford himself and his cheerleaders at HL remain rich, regardless of their mistakes. Yet too many small savers, whose only error was in trusting the fund manager and HL, have suffered life-changing losses. To them, this award must be hard to swallow. She's kept tight-lipped about her younger sibling's on-screen romance throughout this season's Love Island. But This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes, 30, called Love Island's Sophie Piper's beau Connor Durman 'lovely' and gave her sisterly seal of approval on Tuesday. Medical PA Sophie, 21, told the The Sun Connor, 25, had already been introduced to Rochelle and Sophie's identical twin sister Lili Piper who were both impressed. Recoupled: Love Island's Sophie Piper has revealed her This Morning presenter sister Rochelle Humes has already met 'lovely' Connor Durman and given her seal of approval Sophie revealed: 'They had a brief meeting with Connor yesterday and they said he was lovely.' Saturday's star Rochelle wished her sibling luck before she jetted off to South Africa by sharing a sweet note her six-year-old daughter Alaia-Mai had penned for her auntie on Instagram. Since the tender message, Rochelle has kept staunchly silent about her baby sister's Love Island shenanigans. Rochelle was reunited with Sophie and twin Lili at a Christmas party two years ago following 23 years of estrangement after father Mark Piper walked out of the family home and never returned when she was three-years old. Tight lipped: Rochelle has kept staunchly silent about her baby sister's Love Island shenanigans, after being reunited with her two years ago after 23 years of estrangement In a strange twist of fate, Love Island winner Kem Cetinay, a close friend of Sophie's, helped bring the siblings together at the festive bash after a chance meeting with Rochelle at an industry party. Clearly a protective big sister, Rochelle has avoided getting embroiled in the online commentary about Sophie's island experience, but made sure to meet her new beau as soon as possible. Sophie has had her fair share of drama during her South African stay, most notably fending off the advances of Mike Boateng, 24, after love rival Connor was booted off the island. 'Go Sophie you are the best': Rochelle's six-year-old daughter Alaia-Mai wrote her auntie Sophie a good luck message ahead of her Love Island debut But on Monday brunette beauty Sophie was reunited with Connor on ITV2's Love Island Aftersun. The loved-up couple couldn't contain their delight at seeing each other again and giggled their way through the interview with show host Laura Whitmore, 34. Sophie's identical twin sister Lili Piper took to Instagram to share a video of the pair cosying up with lovestruck heart emojis flashing in their eyes. Despite the palpable air of amour, Sophie told the Sun that after the show the pair slept in different hotel rooms and are still waiting to enjoy their first date. Sophie told the Sun: 'Obviously we've both been so busy, but he's coming back down to London tomorrow so hopefully I'll see him again then.' Cute: Sophie's identical twin sister Lili Piper took to Instagram to share a video of the pair cosying up following their reunion on Love Island's Aftersun on Monday Get this newsletter in your inbox Monday-Friday by signing up at subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters. Top stories for Wednesday, Feb. 5 JEREMY CHRISTIAN TRIAL: Micah Fletcher becomes emotional Tuesday as he testifies about thinking he was going to die, and having to call his mother, after he was stabbed aboard a MAX train by Jeremy Christian. I simply did what I should do, he said in explaining why he intervened in an encounter between Christian and Taliesin Namkai-Meche. Also testifying Tuesday in Christians double-murder trial was the now-retired medical examiner who autopsied the bodies of the men Christian killed, Namkai-Meche and Ricky Best. Dr. Karen Gunson said the two had seven stab wounds between them. Keep up with the trial at oregonlive.com/crime, by subscribing to our free email newsletter, or via podcast or your digital assistant of choice - we'll have dispatches from the courtroom most afternoons. ELECTION CONCERNS: Oregon elections officials declared misinformation and division as the states biggest threat to election security, but did not offer any specific plans to address these issues, instead emphasizing voters' responsibility to maintain skepticism when consuming media. Meanwhile, Oregon's vote-by-mail system is drawing attention from other states following Iowa's problematic Democratic presidential caucus. CATLIN GABEL: Five former Catlin Gabel students filed lawsuits against the private school Tuesday, making new allegations about sexual and emotional abuse they say they suffered from teachers. The new lawsuits bring to 10 the number of former students who have gone to court since the school released an internal report in December detailing a long history of sex abuse by faculty and other former staffers. POLICE SHOOTINGS: The Portland police officer who fatally shot a man holding two knives near Mall 205 in December had encountered the same man 24 days before in almost identical circumstances - but that time a fellow officer quickly talked Koben Henriksen into surrendering. Hillsboro police on Tuesday released body camera footage of the tense seconds before an officer fired two shots and killed Jason Livengood as he held a gun in the police parking lot. CANNABIS REGULATION: Portland has struggled for years to properly manage its program that regulates marijuana businesses and hasnt established enough tools to ensure community complaints or program shortcomings are being addressed, according to the city auditors office. OREGON LEGISLATURE: Critics of Oregon House Democrats plan to delay limits on political contributions until July 2021 said during a committee hearing Tuesday that at least half of the people who might be tapped to suggest reforms would have a vested interest in keeping money flowing in Oregon politics. Snap of the day LC- NEW CARISSA: Tuesday marked the 21st anniversary of an Oregon environmental disaster: the wreck of the cargo ship New Carissa, which spilled more than 70,000 gallons of oil onto beaches near Coos Bay, killing an estimated 3,000 shorebirds and causing untold effects on other marine life. (Oregonian file photo) More news Precision Castparts lays off 150 in Oregon due to Boeing 737 MAX shutdown Portland man arrested, charged with rape of 4 women 1 dead after Vancouver shootingMan found dead in crashed car; Keizer police call death suspicious Man shoots 2 before killing self in SW Oregon, police say Camas HS principal apologizes for suggesting Kobe Bryants death was deserved Meet the Salem maestro behind the music of Frozen, both on screen and on stage Find more at oregonlive.com Weather and traffic Wednesday will be wet. Winds will be steady at 10-13 mph. High 51, low 48. Work on the Interstate 405 Ramps Project continues with nighttime closures 9 p.m.-5 a.m. through Friday of the ramp from I-5 south to I-405 south and the Going Street on-ramp to I-5 south. Get the latest forecast at oregonlive.com/weather Stay up to date on traffic conditions at oregonlive.com/commuting Advice Ask Amy: Med school graduate wants small town life, boyfriend loves the city Dear Abby: Paralyzing fear keeping new driver from trying for a license Dear Annie: Moms nagging about a check-in call is getting frustrating Find more, including todays horoscope, at oregonlive.com Todays comics Click here to see todays comics Todays obituaries Click here to find area deaths reported recently Today in history In 1846: The first issue of the Oregon Spectator, the first Oregon Territory newspaper produced on a printing press, came out in Oregon City. In 1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family emergencies. In 1994: White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Mississippi, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001, at age 80.) Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A 21-year-old Cameroonian student in China has become the first African known to be diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus, local media reported. In a statement, Yangtze University said the student was being treated in hospital in southern Jingzhou City after contracting the illness while on a visit to Wuhan City, the epicentre of the outbreak. He had returned to Jingzhou, where he lived, on January 19, before a lockdown was imposed in Wuhan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 360 people. The university said in a statement it has provided psychological comfort to the student and has reported the situation to his parents and the embassy. Thousands of African students study in China. They have made desperate appeals to their governments to evacuate them or to give them more support while they are trapped in Wuhan. Last week, Cameroonians in Wuhan wrote a letter to President Paul Biya, saying their embassy in Beijing had been largely uncooperative and they were short of basic necessities. Some medical students from Zambia are living on hospital sites close to where patients that have contracted the coronavirus are being treated. They fear that living in such close proximity to the illness places them at huge risk. There are more than 1,000 African students locked down across the city. While there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Africa, experts claim that the continent remains vulnerable. A large cohort of Longford childcare workers are taking part in a national protest march involving thousands of educators, providers and parents today, Wednesday, February 5. All community childcare services in Longford are closing, along with the majority of private services, and those that cant close completely are sending representative staff and parents. The protest was announced by the Early Years Alliance in early January and plans have been set in motion for todays protest, which will see thousands from across the country make use of their voices to demand a sustainable solution to the worsening childcare crisis. Longford Womens Link is in full support of the national protest, according to Louise Lovett, CEO of LWL and Chairperson of Longford County Childcare Committee. With huge support from our parents, our Early Years Education & Afterschool Service, Catkins Nursery is closing for the day to enable all our highly qualified professional childcare staff and management to travel to Dublin and participate in the protest, said Ms Lovett. Read also: Longford teachers to vote on industrial action over pay We congratulate SIPTU and the Early Years Alliance for bringing the sector together to advocate for a transformation to a model of childcare provision which gives our children their best start in life, but which also acknowledges the different roles and needs of childcare professionals, providers and parents, by providing investment that addresses all of these needs equally. Louise went on to say that while LWL welcomes the additional investment in the sector over the past number of years, it has not been enough. Investment has focused only on quality and affordability and not the additional costs associated with increased legislative compliance, providing a quality service or appropriately remunerating highly qualified committed childcare professionals, said Ms Lovett. There is a pay crisis in the sector with 61% of professionals earning below the notional living wage of 12 per hour. You cannot have consistent high quality without paying for it and you cannot have affordability without significant additional investment. I am absolutely delighted with the national response to this campaign and particularly pleased that the majority of Longford services will be represented on the day, she concluded. The Longford Womens Link Bus will be leaving the LWL premises at 9am today, Wednesday, to travel to Dublin and local childcare providers would love some local support to wave the girls off. Read also: Siptu say FF and FG manifestos will not help mend broken childcare system Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 We have a saying: Cacing saja kalau diinjak pasti menggeliat (even a worm will squirm when trodden upon). Well, we Indonesians are certainly not worms. Radicalism and Islamic conservatism have been on the rise for a while now, not just treading, but stomping on other peoples beliefs, customs, traditions and human rights. Theres always been resistance toward Islamic radicalism and conservatism, except that before it was simply a way of being: the moderate and inclusive Islam that Indonesia had long been famous for. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Azamgarh : , Feb 5 (IANS) The UP police forcibly removed about 200 anti-CAA women protesters from Jauhar Park of Bilariyaganj town of Azamgarh in the wee hours of Wednesday. The police lathi-charged the protesters and used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The police have also detained hundreds of protesters including women and children. Rashtriya Ulama Council general secretary Maulana Tahir Madni has also been detained. According to sources, the police crackdown began at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Women protesters said that a posse of policemen had started pressuring them to vacate the protest site. When they refused, the police used tear gas shells and batons and rubber bullets against them. Several protesters were injured in the ensuing melee and others fled to save their lives. No senior Azamgarh officer was ready to speak on the issue. Irish regulators have launched separate inquiries into Google and dating app Tinder over how they process user data, in a new round of regulatory scrutiny aimed at tech companies. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that it decided to look into how Google handles location data after a number of consumer groups across the European Union filed complaints. The commission opened an investigation into Google's Irish subsidiary to determine whether the U.S. search giant "has a legal basis for processing the location data of its users" and whether it meets transparency obligations under the EU's strict General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. Google "will cooperate fully with the office of the Data Protection Commission in its inquiry, and continue to work closely with regulators and consumer associations across Europe," the company said in a statement. "In the last year, we have made a number of product changes to improve the level of user transparency and control over location data." Amid coronavirus outbreak, Russia on February 5 reportedly flew home its first group of 78 citizens from Wuhan and now plans to quarantine them for the next two weeks in a camp in Siberia. According to international media reports, Russia further also plans to bring back 144 people, including 16 nationals of ex-Soviet countries from china Hubei's province. While speaking to an international media outlet, Anna Popova, Russia's chief medical officer said that all the arrivals from China would be quarantined in a camp 30 kilometres outside Tyumen. Russia has also restricted crossing along its land border with China and also reported its first two cases of coronavirus, both in Siberia and both involving Chinese nationals. Russia also suspended direct passenger trains and commercial flights from China, except for some that were being routed through a separate terminal at a Moscow airport to make screening passengers easier. Further, Russia is also preparing for the possible spread of the virus and ordered several schools and public events to be cancelled in a number of regions. READ: Philippines Confirms Its Third Case Of Coronavirus According to reports, the 2019-nCoV has already claimed nearly 490 lives and the number of people infected has now crossed 24,000. More than 20 countries have also confirmed cases of coronavirus, which also prompted the WHO to declare a global health emergency. Earlier, the WHO has also warned the international public health authorities that Wuhan Virus was of a significant threat to the nations outside mainland China and the disease pandemic enforced a global response to the outbreak. READ: Airbus Closes China Plant Due To Coronavirus Countries close border Similar to Russia, Macau has also denied entry to visitors from China's Hubei province unless they can provide documentation showing that they are not infected with the virus. The Macau government said that they will also not allow those who visited the province 14 days prior to their arrival. China's immediate neighbour, Mongolia has further closed all universities and educational institutes until March 2 to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. Citing a cabinet meeting, Mongolian state media also said that it has closed the border crossings for auto vehicles and pedestrian traffic from January 27 and called for public gatherings to be cancelled. On the other hand, Hong Kong's land and sea crossings with China have been closed and Carrie Lam has also announced the suspension of train and ferry services. READ: Coronavirus Scare: China's Haima Automobile Cancels Presser At Auto Expo READ: Chinese Lab Claims Patent For US Drug To Treat Coronavirus Patients The most popular hotspots for first-time buyers are within reach of the UKs biggest cities but still relatively affordable. Photo: Getty The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has been crowned Britains most popular area for first-time buyers, according to new research. Property site Zoopla analysed demand from first-time buyers over the past three months to create the list of locations with the highest percentage of demand from people identifying as first-time buyers. Outside of London, Leicester comes out on top for first-time buyers in the East Midlands, Bristol is the most popular location in the South West and, in Scotland, Midlothian is the most popular hotspot for those looking to buy their first home. A noticeable trend across the most popular areas is that they are within reach of the UKs biggest cities but still relatively affordable. For example, first-time buyers who want to live in Manchester are looking at up-and-coming Oldham instead of the city centre, whilst those who want to live and work in Birmingham are interested in near-by Wolverhampton. READ MORE: The areas outside London where house prices rose fastest in the past decade The cost of getting on the property ladder varies across the UK. First-time buyers in the number one hotspot of Barking and Dagenham are looking at properties priced at an average of 300,000 ($390,000) and would need a deposit of 45,000 and an income of 56,667 to buy, the research found. In Yorkshire and the Humber, where Bradford is the most popular location, the typical first-time buyer inquires about properties priced at 110,000 and would need a deposit of 16,500 and to be earning 20,778. Richard Donnell, research director at Zoopla, said: First-time buyers are the largest buyer group in the housing market, accounting for close to two in every five sales. Low mortgage rates and increased availability of higher loan-to-value mortgages have supported the growth in first-time buyer numbers over the last five years. Much of the growth in first-time buyer numbers has been recorded in regional housing markets where the cost of buying remains attractive. Story continues Our analysis shows that first-time buyers are seeking out the most affordable areas which deliver the best value for money in terms of accessibility and property type and size. In the highest-priced markets, first-time buyers are seeking two-bed homes but across large parts of the country first-time buyers are seeking out three-bed homes. The UKs most popular locations for first-time buyers and average price of the property Barking and Dagenham, London, 300,000, three-bedroom terraced Tower Hamlets, London, 435,000, two-bedroom flat Newham, London, 340,000, two-bedroom flat Reading, south-east England, 240,000, two-bedroom flat City of Wolverhampton District, West Midlands, 145,000, three-bedroom semi Thurrock, east of England, 260,000, three-bedroom terraced Greenwich, London, 340,000, two-bedroom flat Luton, east of England, 215,000, three-bedroom semi Southwark, London, 435,000, two-bedroom flat Crawley, south-east England, 255,000, three-bedroom terraced READ MORE: Home ownership among young people rises for the first time in a decade The attack was quick and horrific. Two rapid stabs into one victims neck and then two into another victims neck. Then the assailant disappeared from the cameras frame, leaving 18-year-old Nia Wilson to bleed out on the MacArthur BART Station platform. Gasps and muffled sobs echoed in the Oakland courtroom Wednesday during opening statements in John Cowells murder trial, as jurors and Wilsons family and friends viewed graphic security footage of the knife attack and the young womans final moments. Evil exists in this world, Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford told jurors in his opening statements. That evil causes terrible things to happen. The evil, in this case, has a name. That name is John Lee Cowell. Cowell, 29, is charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder for the double stabbing on July 22, 2018, which left Wilson dead and her sister, Letifah Wilson, seriously injured. There is no question Cowell attacked the women and killed Nia Wilson. The case instead turns on whether he knew what he was doing. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. This is not a case of whodunit, defense attorney Christina Moore told jurors during her opening statement. He did this. The violent act, however, was not rooted in evil, Moore said, referring to the prosecutors remarks. Moore asked jurors to set aside the jarring and emotional facets of the case, and to instead focus on the mental health experts who will testify about schizophrenia. Prosecutors have opted not to seek the death penalty, and Cowell could face life in prison if convicted. Cowell, dressed in a blue-checkered collared shirt, interrupted Ford with an outburst 10 minutes into the trial. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Allan D. Hymer removed Cowell from the courtroom for the remainder of Fords opening statements before allowing him to return after a break. After another break he was gone again. The trial began Wednesday after months of legal delays, largely over questions about Cowells mental competency to assist in his own defense. The criminal case was put on hold in December 2018 after Moore said her client suffered extreme delusion and extreme paranoia. A medical report last year restarted Cowells criminal proceedings, after the doctor found Cowell was fit to stand trial. Defense attorneys later failed in a bid to move the trial, arguing it was nearly impossible to find an impartial jury in Alameda County. Public figures from the onset had unfairly painted the murder as a hate crime, they said, when there was no evidence it was racially motivated. The Wilson sisters are black and Cowell is white. Evidence shown to jurors Wednesday offered the clearest picture to date of what transpired in the roughly 30-minute time frame from when Cowell apparently first saw the Wilson sisters and when he fled the scene of the attack. Surveillance footage shown by prosecutors had never before been viewed by the public. While Ford didnt dispute Cowells schizophrenia diagnosis, he repeatedly challenged its relevancy to the case. Ford noted Cowells calm demeanor and rational statements just before and after the attack. Videos showed Cowell, as well as Nia, Letifah and middle sister Tashiya Wilson all at Concord Station entering the same train. For the 25-minute ride to Oakland, Ford noted, Cowell seemed to be watching Nia Wilson. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. As the Wilson sisters and Cowell stepped off the train at the MacArthur station and attempted to board another train, Cowell retrieved a knife. He attacked the two sisters from behind and then ran down the stairs. Nia Wilson walked back onto the platform holding her neck. Letifah Wilson put her hand on her sisters wound. Soon, Nia Wilson, who had been sitting against a railing, was on the ground as a police officer performed CPR. Video footage later showed Cowell changing out of his clothes in a nearby parking structure. The attack was premeditated and deliberate, Ford told jurors. The footage, in its entirety, proved that Cowell was rational enough to wait out his attack, to attempt to flee and to hide his crime, the prosecutor said. Moore argued that Cowell had no motive to target the women, and called the stabbing a rash act of impulsivity from someone who is genuinely, severely and tragically impaired. Cowell, Moore said, was suffering from auditory hallucinations telling him to hurt other people. This is the context of the tragic nightmare you had to watch this morning, she said. Prosecutors will continue presenting their case Thursday. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy HOUSTON - (Feb. 5, 2020) - When city councils are elected by district rather than at large, spending on noninfrastructure projects increases, and the impact is not necessarily good, according to new research from a Rice University economist. "The Impact of Court-Ordered District Elections on City Finances" will appear in a recent edition of the Journal of Law and Economics and is authored by Richard Boylan, a professor of economics at Rice. "Beginning in 1975, the courts sought to increase minority representation in city councils by forcing elections by district in jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination," he said. "I was interested in determining the economic impact of this activity." In the study, Boylan examined 1,809 cities that elected their entire councils at large before 1975 and changes in spending between 1977 and 2002. He found that district elections raised noninfrastructure spending -- money allocated to projects other than construction or road work -- by 9.1% during this time period. "The increase in noninfrastructure spending could be positive if it is due to city services for the disenfranchised catching up with city services for the rest of the population," he said. "However, the increase can be negative if it is due to the 'common pool' problem, the idea that council members fully value the benefits of public spending in their district but assume only a fraction of their costs, thus leading to excess city spending." The evidence shows that district elections lead to excess noninfrastructure spending, Boylan said, suggesting the goals of equal representation and effective governance may be at odds. Nonetheless, raising minority representation on city councils "can help check discriminatory rhetoric, erode harmful stereotypes, create role models for minority groups, increase political consciousness and foster identification with government," he said. ### The paper is available online at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/705682. The study was funded by the Law and Economics Center at George Mason University School of Law. This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu. Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Richard Boylan bio: https://economics.rice.edu/faculty/richard-boylan Richard Boylan photo: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/Richard-Boylan-1-Faculty.jpg Photo credit: Rice University Photo link: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/Houston_City_Council_Chambers_February_2016.jpeg Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Boko Haram responsible for 59,311 orphans, 59,213 widows: Nigerian governor Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The governor of the Boko Haram-infected Borno state in northeast Nigeria has reportedly revealed that the extremist group is responsible for making tens of thousands of widows and orphans in the state as it continues its reign of terror. Borno Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum served last week as a guest lecturer at the National Defence College in Abuja. He spoke about his new white paper Strategic leadership: The challenges of Insurgency in Borno State. The lecture was attended by senior military officers and policymakers from inside and outside Nigeria, according to independent online newspaper The Cable. Zulum, a college professor who was elected last year as Borno's governor, did not mince words as he criticized ineffective government leadership for its inadequate response to the insurgency that continues to wreak havoc in his state. Boko Haram, which began in 2002, has killed and abducted thousands across the Lake Chad region in recent years and has developed a reputation as one of the worlds deadliest terrorist groups. Zulum provided a glimpse into how Boko Harams violence has impacted over 100,000 people. According to the Daily Post newspaper, Zulum said Boko Haram is responsible for the creation of 59,311 orphans and 59,123 widows throughout its existence. Although President Muhammadu Buhari has claimed to have defeated Boko Haram, the group which has splintered into two different cells continues to murder and kidnap. Although Boko Haram did not kill as many people in 2019 as the group has in years past, experts warn the decline is due to a change in a tactic by the militant group to focus more on kidnappings. The Nigerian government has faced international criticism for its failure to protect citizens and thwart Boko Haram's attacks and abductions. According to Daily Post, Zulum said part of the problem is an unwillingness of those close to people in power to tell the truth about the situation. He added that there is an unwillingness of political leaders to hear the truth. However, telling the truth and accepting the truth has been our major problems in Nigeria, Zulum said. Some people will never tell you the truth when you are in power and honestly, many of us in power also do not want to hear the truth, we prefer to be told what we like to hear and that is a serious deficit in leadership in the country. Zulum contended that a strategic leader must be a strategic listener and reader. A strategic thinker must also be a strategic learner, Zulum was quoted as saying. A strategic leader must be willing to hear the truth and to learn. Zulums remarks come weeks after the execution of pastor Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigerias chapter in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, gained international headlines. Andimi was abducted by Boko Haram in January and was seen praising God in a ransom video released online. But days later, Andimis killing sparked an outcry from the Christian community and Christian Association of Nigeria. CAN criticized the very questionable leadership of the security sector. On Sunday, thousands of Nigerian Christians participated in a nationwide prayer walk demonstration to call for security and protection led by General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, along with CAN. There are some things that the government can do alone and there are others that they cannot do alone, that is why we have to pray for the country that God should have mercy on Nigeria, Adeboye told The Nation. We pray that there will be peace and security in Nigeria. God sees all things and knows where the terrorists are, we pray that God sends His light to Nigeria and expose the evildoers in the country. That God should uproot all their sponsors. Buhari pushed back against criticism from the Christian community in a recent op-ed in which he explained that Boko Haram is not primarily targeting Christians. He argued that 90 percent of all Boko Haram victims have been Muslims. It is a simple fact that these now-failing terrorists have targeted the vulnerable, the religious, the non-religious, the young, and the old without discrimination, Buhari wrote. And at this point, when they are fractured, we cannot allow them to divide good Christians and good Muslims from those things that bind us all in the sight of God: faith, family, forgiveness, fidelity, and friendship to each other. Nigeria ranks as the 12th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Last month, Nigeria was placed on the U.S. State Departments special watch list of countries that tolerate or engage in severe violations of religious freedom for the first time. We are designating [Nigeria] special watch list for the first time because of all of the increasing violence and communal activity and the lack of effective government response and the lack of judicial cases being brought forward in that country, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters on a press call in December. It is a dangerous situation in too many parts of Nigeria. The government has either not been willing to or have been ineffective in their response and the violence continues to grow. The shortage of blood has been exacerbated by the continuing coronavirus epidemic, according to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT). The NIHBT said that hospitals needed 1,500 units of blood per day, whereas the NIHBT received only 226 units of blood in the 10 days from January 23 to February 1. The institute forecast that the shortage could last for some weeks, seriously affected blood supply for 170 hospitals in 25 provinces and cities which the institute manages. The same problem was also reported in Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Nang and Can Tho. Before the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, blood donation centres across the country collected a great amount of blood thanks to donors through the Red Sunday programme. The programme was organised by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, in coordination with the National Traffic Safety Committee and other organisations and universities. However, after the long holiday, the blood amount in storage has become exhausted and can no longer meet demand for emergency aid and treatment. Many blood donation events were organised, however, they have been postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak of coronavirus from China. According to the NIHBT, the institute can collect several hundred units of blood per day, whereas as many as 2,500-3,000 units of blood are needed per day to supply to hospitals in Hanoi and HCM City, not including other provinces and cities across the country. NIHBT Deputy Director Pham Tuan Duong said that the institute had sent a letter to the Ministry of Health to call for more blood donors together with conducting measures to prevent and control coronavirus. The NIHBT encourages residents to donate blood, especially those of types O and A. Blood can be donated at the NIHBT office on Pham Van Bach street in Cau Giay district from 8am to 8pm all days of the week. Blood donors can go to 26 Luong Ngoc Quyen street in Hoan Kiem district, 132 Quan Nhan street in Thanh Xuan district and 10 Alley 122 Lang street in Dong Da district from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday. The full list of blood donation sites is available on www.nihbt.org.vn/Home/DiemHM./.VNA An Indonesian woman who doctors say should receive psychiatric treatment was acquitted on Wednesday of blasphemy charges for taking a dog into a mosque. Suzethe Margareth was released after a panel of three judges at Cibinong District Court in West Java province absolved her of the charges because of her mental health. "The defendant cannot be convicted because of her inability to take responsibility as she has psychiatric disorders," presiding judge Indra Meinantha Vidi said in the ruling, "What she has done was part of her mental illness." Many Muslims consider dogs to be impure. A video that circulated online in Muslim-majority Indonesia last July shows a dog running around a mosque in the West Java district of Bogor while a visibly upset Margareth argues with shocked worshipers. Angered conservative Muslims pressured police to bring the case to court. Blasphemy is a criminal offense in Indonesia with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The dog, which was chased out of the mosque, died a day later when it was hit by a car as members of an animal welfare group tried to capture it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maruti Futuro-e electric concept debuts at Auto Expo 2020; the very first product to be unveiled at the event. Crossovers and electric vehicles are clearly the two primary themes of Auto Expo 2020 and Maruti Suzuki, the countrys largest carmaker who has the reputation for knowing the customers pulse, has combined both in the form of Futuro-e concept. The Maruti Futuro-e electric crossover coupe study is expected to eventually spawn a production variant based on a platform which looks set to spearhead the companys product strategy in the new decade. The concept has its dimensions in the ballpark of popular mid-premium crossovers in the market such as the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta, a segment where Maruti has no leadership in. According to the company, the Futuro-e harbingers a new styling language which represents an Indian car with global sensibilities. For starters, the Maruti Futuro-e concept doesnt look like any of the existing Maruti products (or even Suzuki for that matter). The smooth flowing profile, a dynamic coupe roofline that doesnt compromise on rear-seat headroom, expressive sheet metal surfaces, steeply tapering fastback-like rear fascia and unconventional front and rear LED lighting signatures represent a much-needed departure from dull, boring and boxy designs of current Marutis. This is not the first time Maruti showcased pretty interesting design concepts at the Auto Expo but when the production models came out eventually, they were either heavily watered down or looked significantly different. However, the main elements of the Futuro-e concepts design look almost product ready and we hope the production model retails the youthful character. Of course items like flush-fitting door handles, 3-D alloy wheels and rear-view cameras would make way for more conventional elements. The interior features floating concept with futuristic color themes, mood lighting, swiveling seats and a dashboard full of Human Machine Interaction (HMI) surfaces. The cabin is certainly far away from production but highlights the automakers intention to embrace next gen technology. Maruti has not discussed anything about the powertrain. It is reasonable to assume that the production version would initially be offered with the BS-VI compliant 1.5-liter petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid technology. Marutis partnership with Toyota could yield a full-fledged petrol-hybrid powertrain as well. As the decade progresses, a fully electric variant to take on the Tata Nexon electric is also likely to be in the pipeline. If the Maruti Futuro-e sets the tone for things to come from the carmaker in the future, things are going to be interesting. Jo Palmer has stepped down from Nightly News Seven, after 18 years as anchor. According to TV Tonight, the Tasmanian newsreader said it was with 'deep sadness' that she decided to leave her position. 'The newsroom has been my second home, and the news team my second family,' Jo said in a statement. Signing off: Jo Palmer (pictured) has stepped down from Nightly News Seven in Tasmania, after 18 years as anchor 'I will miss our team so dearly but I know this is the right decision for me personally and for my family,' she added. A replacement is yet to be announced. Jo is the mother of professional dancer Lily Cornish, who is paired with Christian Wilkins on this year's season of Dancing with the Stars. Saying goodbye: According to TV Tonight, the Tasmanian newsreader said it was with 'deep sadness' that she decided to leave her position. Pictured with her colleague Tom Cooper Jo has held a number of high profile roles in journalism over the years. She began her tenure on weekdays in 2002, having previously anchored the weekend news for Seven Tasmania. Before embarking on a television career, Jo was crowned Miss Australia in 1993. Stalwart: Jo began her tenure on weekdays in 2002, having previously anchored the weekend news for Seven Tasmania. Pictured with Candice Hazeltine Southern Cross Austereo News Director Grant Wilson said that Jo had achieved the status of Tasmania's favourite newsreader. 'She has also been an amazing mentor to aspiring journalists,' he added. 'And [she] has been instrumental in helping team members fulfill their career goals.' It doesnt seem like the city and the community is on the same page and we have not met anywhere in the middle, Taylor, 20th, said at a news conference. The community has spoken: We need to listen to the people who are impacted by the policies we implement. In cultivating a Christian ethic of economic generosity, we tend to focus heavily on traditional acts of charitydonating our dollars, volunteering our time, and so on. Likewise, in heeding Jesus call in Matthew 25 to serve the least of these, we often think through the lens of one-way material transfers. Yet throughout the Biblical story, we also see generosity manifest in the context of relationship. Sacrifice is paired with partnership, with giving finding much of its meaning in the receiving. When it comes to our economic witness, then, how might we widen our perspective, taking full account of the ways our love might manifest on behalf of our neighbors? In an article at The Gospel Coalition, Justin Lonas of the Chalmers Center poses a similar question, examining how an overemphasis on charity can lead us to neglect other spheres of sacrifice and service. As followers of Jesus, we are called to give generously and sacrificially to the work of the church and to our brothers and sisters in times of need, he writes. But is giving [as charity] the only way to show economic love to others and demonstrate the kingdom of God to a watching world? Indeed, if we were to simply observe what works, Lonas notes, the driving force of poverty alleviation has not been sporadic charity or even organized philanthropy, but the spread of institutions that foster markets in an increasingly globalized economy. Through the ongoing expansion of economic freedomof creating and innovating, buying and selling, trading and exchangingwe have seen historic declines in global poverty. What we forget is that such expansion also leads to new opportunities for generosity. While trade certainly involves a profit, as well as a range of other external considerations, it also offers new ways of giving and serving others. In its purest form, tradethat is, economic exchange in generalis simply sharing together in work and flourishing on a grand scale, Lonas writes. Through this perspective, trade and economic cooperation are simply part of Gods broader design for the created order, a picture of relationship and reciprocity and the interconnectedness of all things: The complexity of human beings and natural resources that markets help us navigate is a feature, not a bug, of creation. A quick look at any part of the natural world reveals a vast and interconnected variety of minerals, chemicals, and living things in an intricate dance. Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer describes how stability is built into ecosystems as reciprocity. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she explains how North American nut trees in the Juglandaceae familycommunicate with one another via interconnected fungi webs underground to produce similar harvests in similar years, helping to set the tone for the population of squirrels and their various predators. People are also part of the system, able to harvest the natural surplus of nuts for our own consumptionand the overabundanceensures that the next generation of trees will survive. We see this web of interconnectedness over and over in creation. No single corner of the world fully contains everything it needs to thrive. That interdependence, that mutual thriving, is part of the grain God has given the worldone we should work with, rather than against. Through trade and exchange, we see a natural interdependence among neighbors, through which much, much more is possible. The challenge is that it can be often difficult to inhabit these relationships in a way that truly loves and honors our neighbors. To fully flourish, we dont just need human cooperation. We need a Gospel heartbeat of generosity, and one that influences not just charitable donations but all of our economic action, from mundane daily trades and exchanges to our daily work and creative service to new economic enterprises and institutions: The generosity to which God calls his people isnt merely charity that alleviates pain for a moment (though its certainly never less than that). Its a spirit of giving freely from his abundance in ways that restore people to their God-given dignity and ability to participate in the economic life of the community as equals, not dependents. We are not blind actors, bound to unfettered self-interest, but responsible members of a created community called both to understand the relationships God has built into the world, and also to respect his design. The growth of wealth, specialization, and efficiency that God allows through markets is never meant to overpower or contradict our accountability to the physical and spiritual limits hes graciously given us. This not a choice between one form of charity and another. All is gift, and we are called to be gift-givers across economic life, serving our neighbors in the full complexity of their humanity, from immediate material needs to ongoing relational support, from economic empowerment to ongoing economic discipleship. This is not an either-or decision, as Lonas reminds us: Scripture offers a vision of economic life that bridges the charity of giving and the dignity of work and tradewith gratitude as its governing principle. Our triune God created the world as an outflow of his love, and it thrives in interdependent love. As such, God doesnt call us to a trickle-down economy of unrestrained prosperity for a few that spills over in generous giving to the less fortunate. He calls us to an intricately interconnected web of relationships that together reflect his creativity and abundance. By embracing this perspective and infusing our trading relationships with a spirit of generosity, we are simply aligning the work of our hands to the hearts of our neighbors through creative service and collaboration. By expanding our economic imaginations, we are opening new doorways to new redemptive relationships and the fruit thats bound to follow. Fully realized generosity is about reciprocity, both giving and receiving, Lonas concludes. It looks less like a soup kitchenwhere the haves dutifully ladle leftover blessings to have notsand more like a potluckwhere everyone has a place and everyone brings a plate. Such mutual transformation should be the God-given outcome of healthy trade steeped in gratitude and generosity. For God made us to depend on each other, to flourish alongside each other, just like all the other ecosystems he has made. Image: Image Dragon, Street, Shop, City (Pixabay License) Australian model Elyse Knowles has shared a poignant message to her legions of followers about helping the communities devastated by the bushfires. On Tuesday, the 27-year-old shared a series of photos on Instagram from her recent road trip from Melbourne back to her home in Byron Bay. The images showed the destruction left by the inferno over the past several weeks. 'Communities need us!' Elyse Knowles (pictured) urged her followers to holiday on Australia's south coast after bushfires devastate the region in an Instagram post on Tuesday In one photo, the blonde beauty stood at the welcome to New South Wales sign at the border. Another image showed Elyse sitting on top of a large burnt log observing the bushland around her. Other images included a half burnt road sign, a fire ravaged home with only its fire place still standing and a destroyed truck. She also shared a picture of her boyfriend Josh Barker in their van with the burnt forest in the background and the orange sun in the sky. Devastation: The model shared a series of photos on Instagram from her recent road trip with boyfriend Josh Barker from Melbourne back to her home in Byron Bay. In one image Elyse sat on top of a large burnt log observing the bushland around her Burnt: She also shared another image of a half burnt road sign they spotted on their trip back to Byron. Elyse wrote in the caption: '@AUSTRALIA'n communities need us. Lets holiday here this year' Elyse wrote in the caption: 'This week we are travelling from Melbourne to Byron along the south coast observing, supporting and appreciating all the hard work that has gone into saving our country. '@AUSTRALIA'n communities need us. Lets holiday here this year,' the model added. This comes after Elyse Knowles did quite the unusual beauty move of washing her luscious blonde locks in river water to promote natural shampoo brand, Aveda. Destroyed: She shared a photo of a fire ravaged home with only its fire place still standing Gone: In the collection of photos she shared was a destroyed truck they saw while on their travels Orange sun: She also shared a picture of her boyfriend Josh Barker in their van with the burnt forest in the background and the orange sun in the sky In the photo, she sported a pink bikini for the advert, placing her svelte frame on a wooden board while dipping her hair into the muddy river water underneath. 'When you feel 100% comfortable washing your hair in the river because the shampoo and conditioner you use has NO NASTIES,' she captioned the snap. In a separate photo, she was seen beaming as she posed for the camera - before dramatically flailing her body like a salmon as she dove into the water. That's one way to wash hair! This comes after Elyse Knowles did quite the unusual beauty move of washing her luscious blonde locks in river water to promote natural shampoo brand, Aveda Fans didn't question Elyse's decision for a riverside wash, instead praising the stunner for looking 'gorgeous' and 'incredible' while basking up the summer sun. It's no surprise that Elyse is doing everything she can to promote environmentally friendly products. Last year, she and her boyfriend Josh Barker settled in Byron Bay, New South Wales, in search of a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. Drill Permits Received for the Estelle Gold Camp Melbourne, Feb 6, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Directors of Nova Minerals Limited ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) ( OTCMKTS:QTRPF ) are pleased to announce that it has received all the necessary permits for the upcoming 25,000m drill programme at the Estelle Gold Camp.Nova has received all necessary regulatory permit(s) for drilling, camp, environmental and other necessary approvals from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other agencies to commence resource development works on the Estelle Gold Project, Oxide Korbel Deposit for up to 25,000 metres of drilling in 2020.As announced on 9 December 2019, the resource development drilling program will initially target the "Starter Pit" at Korbel Block B's Pads 3 and 4 (Figure 1) The location of Pad 3 is within the vicinity of a high grade intercept of 27.6 g/t Au over 1.5 metres returned from hole OX-RC-16 drilled in the summer of 2019. In addition, re-sampling of hole SE12-004, also in the vicinity of Pad 3, returned a broad intercept of 1.20 g/t Au over 70.1m (ASX 02 September 2019). Drilling from Pad 3 will continue to expand the Resource laterally and at depth by targeting mineralisation down to the 500m level. The additional data density from drilling Pad 3 and 4 will also increase confidence of the Resource and shift tonnes from Inferred into the Measured & Indicated categories. The global objective is to push the "Starter Pit" towards a feasibility study in 2021 (ASX announcement: 02 September 2019 and 9 December, 2019). Nova has also defined outside drill targets at Korbel within Blocks A, C, D, and Cathedral. The company is undergoing further desktop studies on the Korbel prospect and will update the market when all data is compiled. Across all the claim blocks, additional large targets have been identified at the RPM and the Shoeshine prospect (ASX announcement: 9 December, 2019).NVA Managing Director, Mr. Avi Kimelman said: "We are grateful to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and all involved for the approval of our updated APMA and water licences.This is now an exciting period for Nova as we are fully committed to amplifying our exploration and project development efforts in 2020 to significantly increasing the current 2.5Moz resource in both size and confidence with drill rigs now being mobilized. Most importantly our 2.5Moz Inferred Resource was achieved using and average drill depth of less than 100m. Induced Polarisation chargeability results show that the mineralization is present at 300m below surface. This program is now planned to test down to 500m level or 5 times the current depth of the current Resource area. Additional to that, we anticipate moving the Korbel starter pit to development stage during the course of 2020.Not all that many opportunities come around to drill a system this large such as what we have at Korbel alone with 14 other known targets at Estelle yet to follow up. The team has undergone further desktop studies and identified additional targets within Korbel we'll update on in due course. The Company looks forward to this program and is confident with its prioritised systematic exploration strategy, the team's experience and commitment we are now well on track to solidify the Estelle Project as the next emerging major gold camp."Furthermore, after Nova successfully confirming its maiden resource at the Estelle Project in southern Alaska, the Company plans to fast track exploration at the Project, with a view to progressively expanding the resource base from the current 2.5Moz inferred resource. The Company's funds will be invested in a series of ongoing exploration campaigns - including targeting, mapping and drilling programs - across the district-scale Estelle Project. Immediate priorities will include a resource upgrade at Oxide Korbel Blocks A and B as soon as practical, additional drilling at Oxide Korbel Blocks C and D and RPM (ASX announcement: 9 December, 2019), and a maiden project-wide resource statement to build on the maiden 2.5Moz inferred gold resource (ASX 11 September 2019). The Company will update the market on its exploration progress and results, and will also seek to fast track preliminary economic evaluation on the Oxide Korbel resource area.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Nova Minerals Limited Nova Minerals Limited (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) is a dynamic explorer and developer of its flagship Estelle Gold district in the Tintina gold belt. Nova's strategy is to substantially increase the current 4.7Moz resource on the Korbel prospect. Subsequently to continue to lock in value through moving Korbel towards production whilst increasing the resource base across the pipeline of targets within the Estelle gold district. Nova Minerals also holds strategic investments in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (Thompson Brothers Lithium Project), Torian Resources Ltd (ASX:TNR) and RotorX Aircraft Manufacturing Co. This election is more fraudulent than anything out of any third-world banana republic. The Iowa Democratic Party decided on Tuesday to release only 62 percent of the Iowa caucus results, which was evidently just enough to make it look like Pete Buttigieg, aka "Mayor Cheat," was in the lead. BREAKING: The Iowa Democratic Party has released 62% of its caucus results. Pete Buttigieg leads with about 27% in the State Delegate Equivalent count. Bernie Sanders follows with about 25%. More here: https://t.co/glyEmOk8dS pic.twitter.com/Kjej9p4q5y NPR (@NPR) February 4, 2020 From NPR, "Buttigieg Leads After Iowa Democrats Release First 62% Of Results": Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads with about 27% of State Delegate Equivalents, after the Iowa Democratic Party released most caucus results just now. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is second, with about 25% of delegate equivalents. Sanders has slightly more raw votes than Buttigieg, 28,220 to 27,030, but remember: The state delegate equivalent count is whats used to determine the winner. (The full results can be found in the graphic atop this page.) To recap: Buttigieg's team got the final poll which showed him in third and Bernie in first canceled, had the election results delayed massively thanks to a shady firm literally named "Shadow" that his team paid over $40,000 to and had other strong ties with his campaign, declared victory with zero percent of the vote in at 12:24 AM EST on Tuesday morning and now the Iowa Democratic Party released only 62% of the vote to make it seem like he won. At least in a third-world s-hole the people all know their elections are a sham. Our controlled media is actually trying to play this off as legit! Iowa Democratic Party releases state delegate equivalents, with only 62% of precincts reporting: Buttigieg 26.9% Sanders 25.1% Warren 18.3% Biden 15.6% pic.twitter.com/de1bErTpZu MJ Lee (@mj_lee) February 4, 2020 Chuck Todd said Tuesday on MSNBC that "not winning here" is likely a "small disappointment" for the Sanders campaign and puts "pressure" on his campaign as "finishing second was the minimum they could do." He also claimed the results are "suddenly an opening for Michael Bloomberg." WATCH: "This is suddenly an opening for Michael Bloomberg," says @ChuckTodd after Iowa Democratic Party releases partial caucus results. #Decision2020 Chuck Todd: "New Hampshire ... is suddenly a little more important than we expect it to be." pic.twitter.com/HFTh7RZoTA Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 4, 2020 JUST IN: In New Hampshire, cheers erupt at a campaign event as Pete Buttigieg announces that the early data from the Iowa caucuses shows him at the top. pic.twitter.com/u5hV6qhBun MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 4, 2020 Buttigieg is fake crying on TV: Mayor @PeteButtigieg chokes up in (possible) Iowa victory speech: It validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs or she belongs or THEY belong in their own family, that if you believe in yourself and your country, there is a lot backing up the belief. pic.twitter.com/hFIL6IdgLc Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein) February 4, 2020 CNN's Ana Navarro apparently wants us to think she is choking up as well: This @PeteButtigieg speech is like Chicken Soup for Americas political soul. Ana Navarro-Cardenas (@ananavarro) February 4, 2020 @PeteButtigieg is making history. He is breaking glass-ceilings. It wasnt until 2015 that Supreme Court struck down state bans on gay marriage. Today -less than 5 years later- an openly gay man with his husband by his side, is fighting bigotry, one vote at a time. Ana Navarro-Cardenas (@ananavarro) February 4, 2020 Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab and Minds. INDIANAPOLIS -- As public health leaders from around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, work to contain the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, a team at Regenstrief Institute, an international leader in health information technology, is providing help to track cases of the illness. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a global public health emergency. The Regenstrief team is creating a series of codes to identify the lab tests used to screen patients for the virus. The codes are part of a terminology system, created and maintained at Regenstrief, that is used around the world to identify laboratory and other health observations. The new codes will make it easier to track cases of the 2019 novel Coronavirus in the United States and across the globe. With more complete tracking, health leaders can study the virus and create strategies to address and contain the outbreak. The team also created codes during the Zika and SARS outbreaks, among others. "With novel viruses that appear to be easily transmittable, such as the coronavirus, it is vitally important that all identified cases be reported quickly for public health tracking," said Regenstrief Research Scientist Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S., a global health expert who, through her work at Regenstrief, assists with leading efforts to create and administer the global system that tracks results. "These codes will facilitate the identification of cases, not just from system to system, but from health department to health department and even country to country." The coronavirus was first identified in China. Thousands of people have gotten sick, and illnesses are being reported in a growing number of other countries including the United States. The codes to identify 2019 Novel Coronavirus laboratory testing are part of a universal coding system called Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), which was created at Regenstrief. The international system identifies health measurements, observations and documents. Health systems often have their own format for recording when someone is tested for or diagnosed with a virus or infection, which makes sharing and tracking information between systems difficult. LOINC uses standard terms, allowing data to be collected and facilitating interoperability. This is especially important when outbreaks of diseases occur. ### About Regenstrief Institute Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe. Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission. About LOINC LOINC was created in 1994 at Regenstrief Institute in an effort to facilitate interoperability in healthcare. There was a growing trend to send clinical data electronically between healthcare entities, a practice that is integral today. Today, the LOINC coding system contains more than 92,000 terms for everything from a serum alpha 1 antitrypsin level to a zygomatic arch x-ray report. For each concept, LOINC covers many other rich details, such as synonyms, units of measure, and carefully crafted descriptions. More about Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S. Theresa Cullen M.D., M.S., is the associate director of the Global Health Informatics program and a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute. She also is the interim director of strategic planning and communications for LOINC. In addition to those roles, she is an associate professor of clinical family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. NORWALK Plans to honorarily name a street after late Norwalk Police Officer Cesar Ramirez have been put on hold due to a forgotten city ordinance. The Common Council Public Works Committee planned to schedule a public hearing to rename a portion of Chestnut Street after Officer Cesar Ramirez who died Jan. 21 of brain cancer after 32 years of serving the South Norwalk community as a member of the police department. However, former Common Council member Richard Bonenfant brought up during the public comment a city ordinance that says one year must pass after a persons death before a street can be renamed. The air went out of a lot of balloons in the room, Public Works Committee and District D Council member Tom Keegan said. I was personally a little disappointed. According to the ordinance that governs the honorary and historic naming of streets, an individual shall be deceased at least one year prior to the naming. The ordinance was adopted in October 2014 when Bonenfant was on the Common Council. Officer Ramirez was a friend of mine, said Bonenfant, who served on the council 14 years. But I was on the council when they passed this...they dont want people asking on emotions. If the city determines theyre deserving in a year, let them do it. If you break the rules for one person, then you open the floodgates. The item will now go to the Ordinance Committee of the Common Council for further discussion. In the meantime, the issue has been tabled. Keegan, also a member of the Ordinance Committee, said they will discuss the item at their meeting later this month and what should be done with the ordinance going forward. We should be respectful of rules and law and ordinances, Keegan said. There is the possibility well understand the ordinance in place and well wait to officially name Chestnut Street after Officer Cesar Ramirez. I look at it this way: this may be an opportunity for us to spend a full year planning a wonderful celebration of Officer Ramirezs life...We know this is something the community is full behind. We want to have this tribute to Officer Ramirez, but I do think we should follow the rules in place. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday termed the February 8 assembly elections in Delhi a contest between two "ideologies" and said the poll results will be a shocker to everyone. In an election meeting in East Delhi's Kondli, he continued his attack on the ruling AAP in Delhi and the Congress, saying they opposed the BJP on issues like Citizenship Amendment Act, Ram temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of provisions of Article 370 due to fear of their "vote bank". "Are you their vote bank," he asked the crowd which said no. "Who is their vote bank," he again asked the gathering that replied, "Shaheen Bagh". Shah urged people to vote along with their families before 10.30 am on February 11 to make Delhi and the country safe. "I know your decision. The results on February 11 will shock everyone," he claimed. The former BJP chief, who has been spearheading party's Delhi election campaign in a whirlwind series of meetings and roadshows, said that the polls were not a contest between two parties. "Delhi elections are not a contest between two parties. You have to choose between two ideologies -- Rahul Baba, Kejriwal and the company which supports Shaheen Bagh or Modi who is safeguarding the country," he said. A protest against CAA, in which a large number of women are participating, is underway at south east Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December. Shah also attacked the AAP national convenor and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of being "number one liar". He alleged that the Kejriwal government in Delhi failed to fulfil its promises of installing 15 lakh CCTV cameras, procuring 5,000 DTC buses, opening 1,000 schools, regularising temporary workers and providing free wi-fi. Shah promised to grant sanction to prosecute JNU case accused Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, and Sharzeel Imam, who was booked under sedition charges, within one hour of the BJP forming government in Delhi. He also assured that the Modi government's health scheme Ayushman Bharat will be implemented soon after his party formed government. Shah said that the Modi government has formed a trust for Ekadashi and added a grand temple will be soon constructed in Ayodhya. The Union Home minister ended his speech in his trademark appeal, "press the EVM button on February 8 in Kondli with such anger that its current (poll result) shocks Shaheen Bagh". The BJP is working towards upstaging the ruling AAP and forming its government in Delhi after a gap of over two decades. A whole lot of BJP top brass, including Shah, party chief JP Nadda, Union ministers, chief ministers of NJP ruled states, senior party functionaries and parliamentarians are involved in hectic campaigning for the assembly elections. Campaigning for the polls to 70 membered Delhi Assembly will end at 5 pm on Thursday. Results of the elections will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teresa Giudice was New York chic when she was seen stepping out in Times Square this Wednesday. The 47-year-old went for head-to-toe black, throwing a sparkling blazer over a tight busty top to show off her new boob job to try to feel like her 'best self.' This comes after she admitted during a RHONJ teaser that her husband Joe told her he did not feel anything for her before they decided to split. Stepping out: Teresa Giudice was New York chic when she was glimpsed stepping out in Times Square this Wednesday Privileged view: The new season of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey will give viewers an inside look at the collapse of Teresa's marriage But if Teresa looked sad on Wednesday, she didn't show it. The star showed off her toned legs in tight leggings and rounded off the look with a pair of sleek stilettos and accentuated her unmistakable features with makeup. The new season of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey will give viewers an inside look at the collapse of Teresa's marriage. In a new sneak peek obtained by Us Weekly, the 47-year-old revealed her husband Joe told her: 'I feel nothing for you.' This past December Teresa separated from Joe, who has moved to his native Italy while awaiting a legal decision on whether he will be deported there. Sleek and chic: The 47-year-old went for head-to-toe black, throwing a sparkling blazer over a tight busty top and a pair of leggings Teresa made the new revelation during a heart-to-heart about her marriage with her brother Joe Gorga, who is married to her fellow Real Housewife Melissa Gorga. The New Jersey native shared that her husband 'said to me: "Yeah, I feel - you know, I just want you to know, I feel nothing for you."' Her brother was shocked, and she continued that her husband 'told me, he's like: "Go find somebody else." He's like: "I won't even be mad."' In flashbacks it emerged Joe Giudice also told her he 'didn't wanna get married' and 'Imagine we get divorced - who would want you? You have a lot of baggage.' Mover and shaker: She rounded off the look with a pair of sleek stilettos and accentuated her unmistakable features with makeup During Teresa's conversation with her brother, Joe Gorga advised her to 'move on in your life,' which Teresa responded to with an exhausted: 'Oh, okay.' Teresa married her husband back in 1999 and they are the proud parents of Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11. While Teresa discussed her marriage with her brother, he pointed out: 'Gia just said: "I don't care if you guys are together," right?' 'Maybe 'cause she feels it,' said Teresa. 'Like, we bicker, and I don't want the kid to like live through that, you know? You know, I don't know.' The way they were: Teresa married her husband back in 1999 and they are the proud parents of Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11; seen before he went to prison Joe Gorga confided: 'I never really thought you guys had a good relationship. I just didn't see him treating you the way you should've been treated.' 'Yeah, well, thanks for telling me now,' said Teresa acidly. Her brother replied: 'I'm not getting involved in your marriage ever, but I'm just telling you now, because you're in this situation. You gotta get happy in life. You know what I mean? I don't know what you're doing.' 'I don't know, man,' Teresa sighed. Letting it out: The New Jersey native shared that her husband 'said to me: "Yeah, I feel - you know, I just want you to know, I feel nothing for you"' In a confessional Joe Gorga shared that his brother-in-law is 'always gonna be arrogant. He's rough. He's tough. He doesn't know how to open up and be a man.' He explained: 'You know how what a man is? When he can look at you and say: "I love you. You're amazing. You're beautiful." That's a f***ing man.' Teresa and her husband's separation went public in mid-December a month after she brought their four daughters to visit him in Italy. Connections: Teresa made the new revelation during a heart-to-heart about her marriage with her brother Joe Gorga (pictured), who is married to her fellow Real Housewife Melissa Gorga In October Joe Giudice was released from ICE custody and permitted to return to his native country before a final legal decision on his deportation there. The Giudices' lawyer James T. Leonard argued in September that this move would allow Joe to begin earning a living for his family again, People reported. Joe Giudice was born in Saronno, Lombardy and has been in America since childhood but neglected to ever obtain U.S. citizenship, leaving him vulnerable to deportation after he and Teresa were convicted of various counts of fraud in 2014. Scathing: In flashbacks it emerged Joe Giudice also told her he 'didn't wanna get married' and 'Imagine we get divorced - who would want you? You have a lot of baggage' Both husband and wife spent time in jail, serving back-to-back sentences so that one parent at a time could be home with the children. After his 36-month prison stint, he was transferred straight to the Clinton County Correctional Center in Pennsylvania and into the hands of ICE last March. His deportation was court ordered back in October 2018 and his multiple appeal requests have so far fallen on deaf ears. CHICAGO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) published a white paper about the state of funding for food research, concluding that food research in the United States is chronically underfunded. As a result, there is potential to perpetuate risk in public health, food safety, and food security while eroding the U.S talent pipeline and global competitiveness. With these risks in mind, IFT proposes prioritizing federal and private research funding efforts for food with a focus on food science. The white paper presents the case for prioritizing funding in food research by examining trends in public and private investment in research as well as the contributions of food to the U.S. economy. It also includes IFT-led survey data regarding research priorities in food science and the impact of insufficient funding. In 2018, U.S. agriculture and food (AgriFood) contributed $5.08 trillion or 24.8 percent of combined GDP, accounted for 22.8 million jobs (14.2 percent), with food contributing 20.7 million jobs and $137 billion (5.4 percent) in exports and $146.5 billion (4.7 percent) in imports. At the same time, public funding in AgriFood research in the U.S. has drastically declined since 2008. In contrast, developing countries such as China and India steadily increased their funding from 1990-2013, and since 2010, China's funding has surpassed all countries. In 2018, private investment, including venture capital, in U.S. AgriFood was $21.6 billion, of which food accounted for $9.9 billion. This is significantly higher than public investment at $0.1 billion in food and $0.9 billion in agriculture. In comparison, in 2018, public investment in pharmaceutical as a percentage of GDP was higher (4.9 percent) than AgriFood R&D (4.2 percent) and food R&D (1 percent), despite the lower contribution to the U.S. economy. IFT's survey identified research priorities in food science that could help address major current challenges: public health, food safety and quality, and food security and sustainability. The decline in public funding for food is of great concern and cannot be substituted by private funding. There is an urgency for policymakers to recognize the significant contributions of the food sector to the U.S. economy and the risks associated with chronically underfunded research. It is vital to economic, national, and societal interests that the global food system ensures safe, nutritious, affordable, accessible, and environmentally sustainable food supply for the growing population. To continue to create value and maintain global competitiveness, advancements in food science and technology and pursuit of innovation are critical. Investment in food research will help to ensure a secure food supply, reduce foodborne disease outbreaks, and assist with efforts to protect the environment and national security. In response, IFT proposes the following three calls to action: Increasing and prioritizing USDA's funding for AgriFood research, with a primary focus on food Authorizing additional federal agencies to fund interdisciplinary research in food Enhancing public-private partnerships for AgriFood research, with a focus on research in food IFT strongly advocates for a paradigm shift to drive innovation, feed the talent pipeline, and maintain global competitiveness. To view the white paper, please visit: https://www.ift.org/-/media/policy-advocacy/ift-whitepaper-012720final.pdf About IFT The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a global organization of nearly 16,000 individual members from more than 100 countries committed to advancing the science of food. Since 1939, IFT has brought together the brightest minds in food science, technology and related professions from academia, government, and industry to solve the world's greatest food challenges. Our organization works to ensure that our members have the resources they need to learn, grow, and advance the science of food as the population and the world evolve. We believe that science is essential to ensuring a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. For more information, please visit ift.org. SOURCE Institute of Food Technologists Related Links http://www.ift.org Donald Trump Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images You may have noticed that Tuesday nights State of the Union address featured more than the usual share of positive references to African-Americans. The New York Times reports that President Trump has professed bafflement that his numbers with black voters are not higher, telling allies he assumed he would fare better because the economy is doing well and unemployment among African-Americans has dropped. Of course, in the same speech, Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh, a notoriously racist talk-show host. There is probably some relationship between low African-American support for Trump and his lavish praise for the man who said, Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson, among many other examples. To be sure, the causal relationship is not that black people vote against Trump because he likes Limbaugh. Trump himself has a record of racism so long and flagrant, beginning with his business career defying desegregation orders, that he makes Limbaugh look like Martin Luther King Jr. Rather, Trump and Limbaugh are drawn to one another due in large part to a shared ideology deeply infused with racism. What, then, is the source of Trumps confusion? How can a man build an entire career painting black people as dangerous, ungrateful subversives, yet expect their support? Trump is not known for his self-awareness or keen analytic powers, of course. But rank stupidity does not explain the entirety of his befuddlement. Trump has expressed a similar sentiment in public toward American Jews. By Trumps reckoning, he has delivered his end of the bargain, and yet the stiff-necked Hebrews forsake him. Here the reality of American Jewish support for Democrats has a similar logic to African-American voting patterns. It is an alliance rooted in values along with interests. Jews generally see the world through the eyes of a minority that requires liberal principles as a defense. Trump traffics in anti-Semitic tropes, including before Jewish audiences, simultaneously depicting them as greedy while lambasting them for failing to deliver the support he deserves. Reporters tend to describe Trumps mentality with the bloodless term transactional, but a more accurate term might be amoral. He is almost unable to comprehend values-based behavior. If you look at it from Trumps standpoint, there is at least a coherent logic. Sometimes your negotiating position requires you to describe your counterparty in unflattering terms. Lindsey Graham once called him a race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot, Ted Cruz called him a sniveling coward, and Rick Perry described him as a cancer on conservatism. Now they all rank among his most devoted servants. In Trumps mind, he has delivered what he thinks is most desired by Jews (staunch support for the Likud agenda) and African-Americans (low unemployment). If you put aside the fact that many Jews either vote on issues other than Israel or dont agree with the Netanyahu government, and that black people likewise vote on multiple issues and that Trump is merely taking credit for the recovery he inherited, the Trumpian logic takes shape. Sure, Trump may have called for some nonwhite teens to be executed, enforced a blacklist against Colin Kaepernick, and so on. And maybe hes indulged in a little casual anti-Semitism. In his mind this is all ephemeral, transactional, things he has said to gain momentary advantage. Why should that blind his counterparties to the practical advantages offered by his partnership now? Whats a little racism between friends? The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that it has received status of filing of electoral bonds from various political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, in a sealed cover. The EC has filed an affidavit in the apex court in pursuance to the top court's April 12 last year direction asking the to furnish all details of funds received through electoral bonds to the the poll panel in a sealed cover. "Pursuant to the same (order), the Election Commission of India has received sealed covers from various (national, state and registered and unrecognised parties)....," the EC said in its affidavit. The affidavit contains a list of 105 political parties, including national, state unit of national parties, state parties, registered unrecognised parties, who have filed the details regarding electoral bonds in sealed cover with the EC. "It is further submitted that insofar as the issue of submissions of annual audited report by the to the Election Commission of India is concerned, a list showing the current status of submission of audited annual accounts of the political parties is being annexed herewith," the affidavit said. The EC submitted the affidavit in the pleas filed by an NGO and others seeking a stay on the Centre's Scheme, 2018. The poll panel made it clear that being a constitutional authority, it does not propose to "take any contentious issues or to join any submission on merits as these are matters between contending parties". The apex court had in April last year declined to stay the Centre's Scheme, 2018, and had made it clear that it will accord in-depth hearing on the pleas as the Centre and the EC have raised "weighty issues" having "tremendous bearing on the sanctity of the electoral process in the country". The court, which was to decide the plea of NGO 'Association of Democratic Reforms' seeking that the issuance of electoral bonds be stayed or the names of donors be made public, had said the plea required detailed hearing in view of weighty arguments and the counter. As per the scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or an entity incorporated or established in India. A person being an individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Only parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and which secured not less than 1 per cent of votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, will be eligible to receive electoral bonds. As per the notification, electoral bonds will be encashed by an eligible political party only through a bank account with an authorised bank. The Centre and the EC had taken contrary stands in the court over political funding, with the government wanting to maintain anonymity of donors of bonds and the poll panel batting for revealing names of donors for transparency. During Tuesday night's State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump attacked California for "declaring their whole state to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants." To support that charge, the president recounted the tragic story of one of his guests, Jody Jones, whose brother was killed by an undocumented immigrant in the state in 2018. Rocky Jones, 51, was slain outside a convenience store by a former deportee with a violent past who had been released from jail only days before. "Here is just one tragic example," Trump said. "In December 2018, California police detained an illegal alien with five prior arrests, including convictions for robbery and assault. But as required by Californias sanctuary law, local authorities released him." Junior "Gustavo" Garcia-Ruiz, 36, had indeed been convicted of armed robbery in Fresno and assault in Reedley in 2002. He had twice been deported. In December 2018 he was arrested in Tulare County for erratic behavior before testing positive for an unspecified controlled substance, a misdemeanor charge. MORE: Nancy Pelosi rips up State of the Union speech When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials learned of the arrest, it issued an immigration hold, the agency said. But Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said that because of the sanctuary law, the sheriff's office had no choice but to release his prisoner. A few days later, Garcia-Ruiz went on a rampage in which he robbed a convenience store, killed Jones, injured at least six other people, stole a truck and led police on a wrong-way chase down a highway. He died in a crash while trying to elude officers. Boudreaux blamed SB 54, also known as California's Sanctuary State Law, for enabling what he called Garcia-Ruiz's "reign of terror." Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 54 into law in 2017. "Before SB 54, Gustavo Garcia would have been turned over to ICE officials," Boudreaux said in a statement two days after the crime spree. "Thats how weve always done it, day in and day out. But after SB 54, we no longer have the power to do that. Under the new state law, we must have a 'federally signed warrant' in order to do that. We didnt honor the detainer because state law doesnt allow us to ... "I want to be clear, the Sheriffs Office doesnt disagree with DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], it doesnt disagree with Dreamers. It disagrees with putting dangerous criminals back into our community. And thats exactly what happened here." California's new statute bars local law enforcement from targeting people based solely on their immigration status and limits what they can tell federal immigration officials about people theyre holding, such as when theyre due to be released from jail. The law expands upon the Trust Act of 2014, which limits local jails from holding people for extra time just so they can be deported. But both laws make exceptions for those suspected of violent crimes. However, according to the Sacramento Bee, Boudreaux said Garcia-Ruizs past convictions couldnt be used as a reason to honor ICEs detainer request because the violent crimes happened more than 15 years previously. SB 54 does stipulate law enforcement agencies can release individuals to immigration authorities if they had been convicted of certain felonies within the past 15 years. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate The reason he does that is because the truth does not serve him well. In the real world, the climate is changing: The planets five hottest years on record were the last five years. Economic growth is only middling. North Korea has not given up a single nuclear weapon. The tax cuts helped boost the deficit to more than $1 trillion a year. Even Republican senators admit that Putin intervened to defeat Hillary Clinton. It's different here, I explained. Weve a thing called Proportional Representation. We get coalitions of very different parties. Parties of the left or right? my English friend asked on WhatsApp. The two parties which have governed the country since the foundation of the State are both in the centre. By your standards, that is. Fine Gael is right of centre, but might look Blairite to you. Fianna Fail is slightly to the left of Fine Gael, and would also pass for Blairite. It all depends what mood is on them and the mood that is on their opponents. They go up and down like two sides of a see-saw. My friend a devoted leftie smells a rat. Where is your left wing, then? Well, theres the Irish Labour Party and the Irish Green Party and the Social Democrats, but currently none of these is the main opposing party. The main opposing party is Sinn Fein. Left wing? Yes, in parts, but theyre also nationalists and populists. A really positive thing about this country, from my point of view, is that our populism is left-wing. Theres no populist anti-immigration party with any share of the vote. Theres silence again on WhatsApp as she mulls this over. What kind of Government can you get out of those parties, she asks? I dont know, I say candidly. Its like Pangea is breaking up again and new continents are forming. The two Civil War parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are slowly losing their share of the vote and slowly joining up. FF has been propping up FG in Government for the past four years, and this time round FG says it will go into coalition with FF if necessary. I think this is good news. Its appropriate, 100 years after the State was founded. Then again, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar the half-Indian one, my English friend interjects has never understood Civil War politics. I remember him standing up in our parliament in 2010 and insulting the Fianna Fail Taoiseach by dissing a revered former leader of his own party as a useless Prime Minister and comparing him unfavourably to two former Fianna Fail leaders: Youre no Sean Lemass, youre no Jack Lynch or John Bruton, youre a Garret FitzGerald. Youve trebled the national debt and effectively destroyed the country. I absolutely adored that speech because it was so incautious but also because it was true. So if those two parties beginning with F join up, my friend asks, growing a little irritated, does that mean therell be a clearer left and right wing in Irish politics? Not necessarily, I said. Potential governments include Fine-Gael/Fianna Fail as well as Sinn Fein/Greens/Labour/Social Democrats, but also Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein/Greens, or Fianna Fail/Greens/Labour/Social Democrats. The left has been clamouring for a clear left/right divide since 1926 at least. A potential consolidation of the left is the reason that former Fine Gael Taoiseach Alan Dukes gave last week on RTE radio that the union of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail should be avoided. He said wed end up lurching backwards and forwards between left and right and then we might be in as bad a state as ... Well, the UK. How could it be a bad thing to have a clear left and a clear right? asks my friend.? I could have told her to look in the mirror, but I didnt. I said that Alan Dukes had made the point that Ireland has progressed a lot under these see-sawing coalitions. This is no more than the truth. I was born in the 1960s in a country which numbered among the poorest of developed nations. This country now holds third place in the UNs Human Development Index, while the UK comes in at Number 15, 12 places behind us, despite several centuries of plundering much of the known Earth for its empire. We saw a 23% increase in our human development between 1990 and 2017. The average length of our schooling increased from 11.4 years in 1980 to 18.6 years in 2013, while the UKs average length of schooling went from 12.9 years in 1980 to just 16.2 years in 2013. My voice was getting more and more high-pitched, as it tends to do when I am defending my country against British criticism. Perhaps, I near-shrieked, radical shifts from left to right are not all theyre cracked up to be! What are your per-capita carbon emissions? she asks. Oh, those. Well ... On average, we emit over 8.8 tonnes of carbon per person per year or 12.67 of greenhouse gases (carbon equivalents) while the Brits emit 5.8 tonnes of carbon and 7.1 of carbon equivalents. Were the fourth-worst emitters in the EU while the Brits are the 10th best. Thats because youve had nothing but right-of-centre parties in office, she announces. Theyll never cut carbon emissions. Help, I think. Maybe shes right. She hadnt seen the TV debate between the leaders of FF, FG, and SF on Tuesday night, but I had. FG is suggesting a 2% in annual emissions reduction rather than the annual 7% emissions reductions which would be necessary if we are not to breach our EU 2030 emissions target, as we have our 2020 target; Fianna Fail commits to the target, but does not have the roadmap to get there. Leader of the so-called left, Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald, announced, against all the evidence, that carbon taxes dont work and gaped like a goldfish when asked what exactly a massive investment in EV charging points meant. I remember reading that Green and the anti-immigrant, climate change denying right were the two new poles of European politics, rather than the traditional left and right. I thought that was a credible argument at the time. Look at Irish politics, though, and it falls down. Our anti-immigrant climate change deniers are at the fringes in the form of a few Independents. Our main parties are officially neither. They have been, however, largely inert on both issues. When it comes to migration, we may not have an anti-immigrant voice in mainstream politics, but some of the direct provision centres set up by the Department of Justice are as isolated from Irish society as the leper colonies of old. I put down the phone in case my friend gets on to housing and health. British Labours NHS and its monster home-building programmes date from the mid-20th century, however, and were not replicated under New Labour. It is possible that in todays more complex world the shifting continents model of government furnished us by Proportional Representation could show a new, more progressive way forward to the rest of the OECD than the Punch and Judy show of left and right provided by First Past The Post. Maybe our new Government will be so socially progressive and egalitarian as it drives down carbon emissions that it becomes an example of new politics for western Europe and shuts my English friend up once and for all. A court here on Wednesday rejected anticipatory bail plea of Urvashi Chudawala, a 22-year-old student who is facing a sedition case for 'shouting slogan' in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event. Additional sessions judge Prashant Rajvaidya rejected Chudawala's application for pre-arrest bail. The court also refused to grant her interim protection from arrest to enable her to move the high court. Prosecution, while opposing relief for her, had claimed that Chudawala was "supporting a person who is officially enemy of state". Chudawala is a student of the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences in the city. According to the police, during a rally of the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer community at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai last week,Chudawala shouted the slogan "Sharjeel Tere Sapno Ko Hum Manzil Tak Pahuchaege" (Sharjeel, we will realise your dreams). Her lawyer Vijay Hiremath had argued that an innocuous slogan was taken out of contextto allege that she wanted to create hatred against a community. "There was only one line,which was said only once...has it done any harm? It was not aimed at public servant or government machinery...it is not sedition at all ....It does not create hatred towards government, community oranyone," he said. "We may not agree with her statement but that does not amount to sedition," the lawyer added. Chudawala was a student, her examinations were nearing, and her career will be destroyed for a "two-second video", advocate Hiremath argued. "I (Chudawala) am being made an example as various protests are going on and they want to show they are taking it seriously. The state is not so fragile that a two-second video becomes sedition," he added. Chief Public Prosecutor Jaisingh Desai argued that Chudawala had shared a post in support of Imam on social media a day before the rally, which she deleted later. Referring to the controversial speech by Sharjeel Imam, Desai said he had spoken against the country. "You are supporting a person who is officially enemy of state," he said. When the police contacted her, she did not turn up before police to make clear her stand, the prosecution alleged. Police could not carry out further probe without arresting her, Desai contended. The court, while rejecting her plea, observed that Chudawala's statement in Imam's support "prima facie attracts the ingredients of the charges of sedition under section 124 (a) of Indian Penal Code, which attracts life imprisonment." "The case is of serious nature...custodial interrogation is required to reach the roots of the matter," the court said. Azad Maidan Police registered the case after a video showing Chudawala raising slogans in support of Imam went viral after the LGBTQ rally on February 1. Imam was arrested last month for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and in Aligarh during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SEOUL/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - At least three Asian businessmen who attended a meeting of more than 100 international delegates at a Singapore hotel have contracted coronavirus, while others are showing symptoms, authorities said on Wednesday. The cases are further evidence the virus is now spreading through human-to-human contact outside China. Malaysia on Tuesday said its first infected citizen - a 41-year-old man - had attended the meeting, which included delegations from China where the virus originated, in mid-January. South Korea also reported two confirmed cases of its citizens who visited the same business conference in Singapore on Wednesday. The cases are linked to a company business meeting involving 109 participants at the Grand Hyatt Singapore hotel on Jan 20-22, which included 94 overseas participants, Singapores health ministry said. Of the Singapore attendees, four have also reported symptoms and been referred to its National Center for Infectious Diseases. Authorities have not commented on the company or industry involved. A spokesman for the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Gerald Kheng, said the hotel had been deep cleaned after it was first informed of the incident by Singapores health ministry on Tuesday but said it was not aware of any other cases among guests or staff. Singapore - one of the worst hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 28 cases of coronavirus, including some local transmission cases. The city-state says no evidence has emerged of widespread community spread but it announced new precautionary measures on Tuesday including halting group activities such as school assemblies. Several firms in Singapore have suspended business and media events, including a big travel fair, but the Singapore Airshow is set to go ahead next week albeit on a smaller scale. The World Health Organization has said cases of human-to-human transmission outside China are deeply concerning and could signal a much larger outbreak. The death toll from the epidemic neared 500 on Wednesday. This years Creative Cities convention has announced three new speakers. BBC Threes Fiona Campbell, Managing Director of Channel 4 Nations and Regions Sinead Rocks and Channel 5s Ben Frow will speak at the Creative Cities Convention on April 23rd and 24th, held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. The Creative Cities Convention is a joint event organised by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Pact. Discussions and panels will be based around how the broadcast industry can help build local economies, including advice for smaller businesses in the global, competitive marketplace. Campbell who is BBC Three Controller will talk about her strategy for reaching different parts of the UK, commissioning more homegrown programmes and casting contributors from different parts of the UK. Managing Director of Channel 4 Nations and Regions, Sinead Rocks will discuss the channels move out London with the launch of new hubs in Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol and the challenge of building the talent base to match production growth across the UK. Channel 5s Ben Frow will be attending in his new role as Director of Programmes for all Viacoms UK content including Comedy Central and MTV. He will also update on the broadcasters commitment to improving the diversity of the companies it works with. Director Ruth Pitt said of the announcement Were delighted that once again some of the industrys biggest players are joining us to discuss and celebrate the fantastic growth of media production outside London. The conventions theme this year is Going Global and will include sessions such as, Can TV Save The Planet?, which will ask how producers can influence global opinions on climate change and sustainability. The event will include Maramedias Creative Director, Nigel Pope discuss Stormborn, a global co-commission between BBC Scotland, Arte in France and Love Nature, a joint partnership with the Smithsonian Channel and Blue Ant Media. Nigel will be joined on stage by partners including Love Natures Vice President of Development and Production, Alison Barrat. Synchronicitys Managing Director Claire Mundell will talk about the companys international projects and discuss the making of The Cry, set across Scotland and Australia. The opportunity in high end TV drama is more global than ever and at Synchronicity we are developing a range of shows to speak to an international audience, exploring universal themes but also rooted in Scotland in some way, says Claire. Further speakers are expected to be announced in the leadup to the convention To find out more about the Creative Cities Convention, visit www.creativecitiesconvention.com p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} Share this story The United States says new leadership in Central Asia and better interstate cooperation are opening up more opportunities for Washington to deepen ties with the resource-rich region. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said on February 5 that the United States had updated its regional strategy to take into account new developments over the past five years. "We absolutely see that we are in an era of new possibilities," Wells said a day after she returned from a trip to the region with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to expand U.S. influence in Central Asia -- a key land route between Europe and Asia filled with large oil and gas deposits -- in part as a counterweight to global rivals Russia and China. The administration is also leaning on Central Asia for support as it tries to end the nearly two-decade-old war in neighboring Afghanistan. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who took over the region's largest nation by population in 2016, has used his "visionary leadership" to drive internal reforms and interstate cooperation, Wells said. The five leaders of Central Asia -- which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan -- met on their own in 2018 to discuss cooperation for the first time in a decade and followed that up with another meeting the following year, a development Wells called important. "We have simply seen a sea change in attitude toward a regional identity," she said. Lisa Curtis, who oversees Central and South Asian affairs at the White House National Security Council, said such interregional cooperation "would not have happened five years ago." The officials said the United States was supporting projects that will help weave the region tightly together, like the formation of a unified electricity grid. It is also working with the five countries to standardize visa and customs procedures and lower nontariff trade barriers to boost cross-border relations and business. They expressed hope for plans to export hydropower from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which could help bring economic growth and stability to Afghanistan as it recovers from war, a key tenet of the U.S. strategy. The U.S. officials said the overarching goals of Washington's strategy toward Central Asia remained the same -- to ensure the region is stable and free from dependency on any one power. China's leverage over the region has increased as Beijing finances infrastructure projects that poorer countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan can struggle to pay back. Washington is offering assistance to the countries to determine whether infrastructure projects are worth the debt burden. The officials said increased foreign investment into Central Asia will depend on the countries carrying out further reforms to strengthen the rule of law. Curtis called on the leaders to improve democratic freedoms with "inclusive political systems including regular elections." Fred Rogers' youngest son John (pictured) was booked for aggravated battery and domestic violence after a fight with his ex-wife Mary, DailyMail.com can reveal Fred Rogers' youngest son was accused of throttling his ex-wife during their stormy marriage in a jarring contrast to the idyllic world of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and the gentle TV icon himself. DailyMail.com can reveal that John Rogers, 58, was booked for aggravated battery and domestic violence, and had his mugshot taken after the fight with his ex-wife Mary. She accused him slapping her on the back, throttling her and disconnecting the phone while she tried to call 911. John allegedly screamed: 'Get out b****! Nothing in this house is yours, you're not even getting the dog!' Police reports and court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com show their marriage collapsed soon after Mary made the allegations to police in Winter Park, Florida, in 2002. The files also show that Mary's boyfriend needled John about his famous father, once texting him to 'be a father [and] stop wasting your money your dad said so.' Then in 2018, John had to call the police because his own 15-year-old son was tripping on LSD and stripped himself naked while being transported to a mental health facility. Such family drama is a world away from Fred Rogers' story, which was recently made into the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks. Such family drama is a world away from Fred Rogers' (pictured in 1985) story, which was recently made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. Fred was married to Joanne Byrd and shared two sons James, the elder, and John. Surprisingly little is publicly mentioned about them The Rogers took part in a documentary that aired on PBS in 2018 called Won't You Be My Neighbor? about Fred's life and times. In the film, John (pictured with his father) admitted it was hard to have a father with such a saintly reputation, saying: 'It was difficult to have the second Christ as your dad. 'Dad's morals were just beyond most people' For more than 30 years Fred, a Presbyterian minister and puppeteer, preached a message of tolerance and understanding that molded generations of children. In each episode he would change into a cardigan and welcome viewers into his home where he met his 'neighbors' and taught the audience to value childhood. In real life, Fred was married to Joanne Byrd, sharing two sons James, the elder, and John with her. Surprisingly little is publicly mentioned about them. The family did take part in a documentary which aired on PBS in 2018 called Won't You Be My Neighbor? about Fred's life and times. In the documentary, John admitted it was hard to have a father with such a saintly reputation, saying: 'It was difficult to have the second Christ as your dad. Dad's morals were just beyond most people. 'The way he led his life, I believe dad tried to follow the example of Christ - and did in such a fabulous way. 'So living up to a legend such as he, was challenging for me growing up. I had my issues with that. 'But at about age 30, I sort of came to peace with it. I was like: ''You know what? I'm happy with myself.'' And what did dad always teach us? Be happy with the way you are.' That may be true but during John's 40s, his life with Mary was far more turbulent than peaceful. The Winter Park police report from July 30, 2002 states John was arrested for allegedly attacking Mary, even though she was two months pregnant at the time with their son. They had argued earlier that evening and Mary had gone to a hotel for the night, but was at their home to collect a few items. The Winter Park police report from July 30, 2002 states that John (left) was arrested for allegedly attacking Mary (right), even though she was two months pregnant with their son John said about his father: 'Living up to a legend such as he was challenging for me growing up. I had my issues with that. But at about age 30, I sort of came to peace with it. I was like: ''You know what? I'm happy with myself.'' And what did dad always teach us? Be happy with the way you are'. Pictured l-r: John, Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers and James John told police he 'did not restrain or strike' Mary and insisted he did not touch her, but 'only grabbed her by the wrist' to stop her from leaving. The couple had been married for 10 years at that point but broke up afterwards The report states: 'While the victim was collecting her belongings Mr. Rogers arrived at the home and they began to have a heated argument. The victim noticed that Mr. Rogers was intoxicated. 'During the argument the victim placed a 911 call to the police which was disconnected when Mr. Rogers unplugged the base unit from the power outlet. 'Mrs. Rogers attempted to walk away when Mr. Rogers slapped her on the center of her back with an open hand. 'Mr. Rogers then used his right arm around her neck to restrain her in preventing her from leaving the residence. Mrs. Rogers threw the phone and Mr. Rogers released her.' John told police he 'did not restrain or strike' his wife and insisted he didn't touch her, but 'only grabbed her by the wrist' to stop her from leaving. In Mary's account she says she was trying to leave the bedroom when John shouted at her: 'Get out b***h!' Mary claimed she told John she wanted one of the dogs to come with her and at that point, John 'threatened me by slapping me on the back and putting his arms around my neck'. She notes John was 'drunk' and said she was two months pregnant but her husband 'is aware of it'. The couple had been married for 10 years at that point but broke up afterwards. But it wouldn't be long before there was another incident in May 2004. John did not respond to messages to DailyMail.com's request for comment. John's ex-wife Mary accused him slapping her back, throttling her and disconnecting the phone while she called 911. John allegedly screamed: 'Get out b****! Nothing in this house is yours, you're not even getting the dog!' Mary claimed she got a phone call from a 'distressed' John who 'asked if he could come over to the house to have sex with her'. Mary declined and John hung up. He then called back and 'stated that he was going to take some pills in an attempt to kill himself, telling her: 'It's either me and you or nothing,' according to the police report. A few hours later, Mary claimed John came to her house and 'began looking through the window of the back door' so she called 911. When a police officer went to John's house, he 'did not appear distressed and stated he was not going to harm himself', the police report states. He told police he and Mary were 'going through a difficult divorce' and speculated that is why she made the comments about him. Later, John won custody of their son and Mary moved in with her new boyfriend, having a series of drunken bust ups with him - which landed her in custody several times. John took out a protective order against Mary to stop her from harassing him and their son, records show. Things blew up again in 2014 when John claimed he had gotten two 'demeaning' phone calls from Mary. By this point, he had obtained a no contact order from the Orange County Court against her. The following year, John called police because he had been getting calls and texts from Mary and her boyfriend Wayne McClendon. Later, John won custody of their son and Mary (pictured) moved in with her new boyfriend, having a series of drunken bust ups with him - which landed her in custody several times The following year, John called the police because he had been getting calls and texts from Mary and her boyfriend Wayne McClendon. Screenshots of the messages show McClendon brought up John's famous father, saying: 'Be a man and stop the [bull s**t] be a father stop wasting your money your dad said so' (pictured) Screenshots of the messages were included in the police file and show McClendon brought up John's famous father, saying: 'Be a man and stop the [bull s**t] be a father stop wasting your money your dad said so'. John replied: 'Please discontinue contact and go through the proper channels.' In August 2018 officers responded to a 'disturbance' between John and his 15-year-old son. John answered the door and was 'very sweaty' and said his son was 'acting weird'. He admitted his son was known to 'smoke weed' but had 'never acted like this in the past.' The boy was 'secured because of his aggressive actions towards officers', the report states. The officer thought the behavior was so strange it met the criteria for the Baker Act - which is the Florida law that allows families to detain loved ones who are impaired through mental illness. The son became 'agitated and combative' and kicked John while he was trying to put his shoes on. The report states that while being transported to a facility, the son managed to get his cuffed hands in front of him, despite them being originally tied behind his back. He also removed his shorts and underwear so he was 'completely naked,' according to the report. Upon arrival at the mental health facility, the teen became 'very combative' and the local Fire and Rescue Service were called to transport him to a different facility. On the way there, the boy allegedly revealed he was 'tripping on LSD' and had more of the drug in his pants pocket at his home, according to police reports. When police searched the boy's bedroom for drugs, they found LSD in aluminum foil in his pants pocket in the closet, according to police. Fred Rogers died in 2003 and to this day his wife Joanne (pictured together), who is still alive, is the guardian of his estate. The family runs the nonprofit Fred Rogers Company and the Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, near to where most of them live John appeared in a YouTube advert for the lawyer who helped him through his divorce which featured images of him and his father together. The commercial finishes with a photo of the father and son hugging each other and the words: 'Thank you, John, for opening up to us as well as letting us assist you in the success of your case'. Fans of Fred Rogers were appalled A week before this happened, John appeared in a YouTube advert for the lawyer who helped him through his divorce which featured images of him and his father together. The commercial for Orlando-based Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group stated: 'When your dad is one of the most famous dads your first instinct is for compassion and understanding and you think: ''What would dad do?'' when you're in the midst of a challenging custody battle. 'That's why John Rogers chose Rebecca. He KNEW this is what his dad would have done.' In the advert John says: 'Rebecca's expertise and character created a very successful outcome with this case.' The commercial finishes with a photo of the father and son hugging each other and the words: 'Thank you, John, for opening up to us as well as letting us assist you in the success of your case.' Fred Rogers' fans were appalled. Underneath the video, one person wrote: 'This awful! Rebecca Palmer ought to be ashamed of herself!!! Do NOT EVER use Mr. Rogers family for an advertisement! Mr. Rogers certainly would never agree to this ad and to use his sons tragedy to further your scummy law firm?!!!' Palmer said in an email to DailyMail.com she and John had no comment. Fred Rogers died in 2003 and his wife Joanne is the guardian of his estate. The family runs the nonprofit Fred Rogers Company and the Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, near to where most of them live. Greater Noida, Feb 5 : With the world's leading carmakers showcasing their latest electric vehicles (EVs) at the Auto Expo 2020, industry leaders have stressed on their own contribution towards building the EV ecosystem in the country as well as expanding their 'Make in India' strategy. Saying that it has already set up 100 charging stations, Tata Motors has predicted that the charging infrastructure will come of age in the next couple of years. Committing an investment of approximately Rs 7,000 crore in India in a phased manner, China's largest SUV manufacturer Great Wall Motors has said that it will expand its research and development centre in Bengaluru. The company is also looking forward to setting up its manufacturing unit in the country. "The government has already taken a lot of measures to boost the EV ecosystem in India. Before asking the government for something more, ecosystem players like us should start acting," Shailesh Chandra, President, Electric Mobility Business & Corporate Strategy, Tata Motors, told IANS. "The government has subsidised EVs by up to 20 per cent. They have also allocated Rs 1,000 crore for charging infra, brought down the GST rate to 5 per cent, while a number of state governments have also come up with different schemes," he added. At the country's largest auto exhibition show, Tata Motors showcased the newly-launched Nexon EV -- an electric SUV -- as well as the Altroz EV -- a modern city car. In the commercial vehicles space, the company displayed the Tata 4/12m Low Floor Entry Electric Bus -- the first full-electric drivetrain. Also on display was the Tata Ultra T.7 Electric, an intermediate commercial electric truck. "I don't expect more from the government. Now it's upon players like us to work on this section and avail the benefits. We believe that electric is the future," Chandra said. "After 2-3 years, I can see good infra for EVs and witness more EVs in the market. The buzz of the market is EVs and more players are coming up with such vehicles," he added. GWM on Wednesday globally premiered its Haval Concept H and announced the India debut of its concept vehicle -- Vision 2025 Pure Electric SUV. GWM had on display, among other models, Haval: H9, F7, F7x, F5 and the GWM EV: iQ & R1. At the GWM pavilion on display was a functional area that had a showcase of lithium ion battery, Haval Intelligent Home, Haval Intelligent Safety Display and Great Wall Autonomous EV. "We know the importance of the growing Indian market and the future of EVs. Therefore, we are looking forward to expanding our research and development centre in Bengaluru to make more user-friendly EVs for India and abroad," Hardeep Singh Brar, Director, Sales & Marketing, Great Wall Motors, told reporters. "Additionally, the company is also looking forward to setting up its manufacturing unit in India. We want to expand the 'Make in India' strategy and we are looking forward to cater to the needs of the global audience from India," Brar said. At the 15th edition of the auto exhibition, Maruti Suzuki unveiled its concept electric vehicle 'FUTURO-e'. "The Indian EV industry is on the cusp of a great innovation opportunity as both the government and the citizens understand the impact of an EV-based ecosystem, not only on businesses, but more importantly on the climate as well," said Nimish Trivedi, Co-founder and CEO of Prakriti E- Mobility Pvt Ltd. "The growth of the EV industry is essential for a clean, green and sustainable future. We envisage a future where EVs will become the vehicle of choice for every Indian, amply supported by a holistic ecosystem," Trivedi said. Among the products that MG Motor India showcased was the Marvel X, which is part of the company's focus on developing cutting-edge products with integrated internet and electric, and autonomous capabilities. It also featured a dedicated segment for "i-SMART" -- the technology that powers the HECTOR and the ZS EV. (Md Waquar Haider can be reached at waquar.h@ians.in) [February 05, 2020] Hitachi Vantara Federal Experts to Present at Microsoft Ignite the Tour Conference in Washington, D.C. Hitachi Vantara Federal, a leader in data-driven solutions and services for the federal government, announced today that Michael Coene, Chief Cloud Architect, and Andrey Aminov, Cloud Solutions Architect will present a session on leveraging DevSecOps methodologies in migrating to the cloud at the Microsoft (News - Alert) Ignite the Tour Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 6, 2020. What: Hitachi (News - Alert) to Present: Implementing DevSecOps When Migrating to the Cloud Who: Michael Coene, Chief Cloud Architect and Andrey Aminov, Cloud Solutions Architect Where: Microsoft Ignite the Tour Conference Microsoft Ignite Theater 2 within the Hub Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. When: Thursday, February 6, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. ET Michael and Andrey's session focuses on problems typically faced when transitioning to the cloud and how to use DevSecOps to alleviate these challenges in conjunction with the automation and acceleration provided by Hitachi Cloud Services. Hitachi Vantara Federal will also exhibit their latest Hitachi Cloud Services at Booth 105 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. In addition to their presence at the Microsoft Ignite the Tour Conference in Washington, D.C., executives from Hitachi Vantara Federal will attend the AFCEA Rocky Mountain CyberSpace Symposium, February 3-6, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located in Booth #118, executives from the company are available to discuss the latest issues in cybersecurity, community cyber readiness and national defense while providing an overview of the company's portfolio. For more details about Hitachi Vantara Federal, and their presence at upcoming conferences, visit: https://www.hitachivantarafederal.com/about/events/ About Hitachi Vantara Federal Hitachi Vantara Federal implements data and analytics solutions that meet the federal government's needs today and tomorrow. Hitachi Vantara Federal provides pathways to the cloud and converged IT systems through virtualization, storage and DCC to reduce IT complexity and increase the efficiency of the U.S. government. Hitachi Vantara Federal is able to offer the best information and operation technology from across the Hitachi family to provide exceptional value to government agencies. Hitachi Vantara Federal Corporation is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. For more information, please visit: www.hitachivantarafederal.com. Follow Hitachi Vantara Federal on Twitter (News - Alert) @HVFederal. About Hitachi Vantara Hitachi Vantara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., utilizes technology, intellectual property and industry knowledge to deliver data-management solutions that help enterprises improve customer experiences, develop new revenue streams, and lower business costs. Only Hitachi Vantara elevates customers' innovation advantages by combining deep information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and domain expertise. The company's experts work with organizations globally to drive data to achieve meaningful business outcomes. Learn more at www.HitachiVantara.com. About Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, leverages its talent and proven experience in global markets to deliver innovative solutions and services to address society's greatest challenges. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era and has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi powers Social Innovation solutions using digital technologies to deliver a new generation of smart businesses across a broad range of sectors. Learn more at www.hitachi.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005004/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] O nce upon a time North Sea oil was the home for swashbuckling types who imbibed expensive claret over lunch in salubrious French restaurants in Belgravia. The oil and gas industry is more serious now but a rumbling dispute between FTSE 250 explorer Premier Oil, an original swashbuckler, and one of its top investors a vulture fund called Asia Research and Capital Management (ARCM) has revived waves of drama in the North Sea. The tug of war is not this time about drilling rights or political claims to the black stuff but instead how to fix Premiers $2 billion debt pile. Last month Premier agreed to buy a string of gas and oil fields 140 miles off the east coast of Aberdeen from oil majors BP and Dana, raising $500 million of cash from shareholders to finance the deal. Chief executive Tony Durrant, a hard-headed former Lehman Brothers M&A oil banker, says the new fields will boost cash flows and pay off the $2 billion faster. Shares soared 16% on the news but there was trouble ahead. ARCM, a $4 billion Hong Kong-based fund founded by a headstrong Turkish debt trader called Alp Ercil, has attacked the proposal, saying it is fraught with risks. That is because ARCM claims the takeover will increase Premiers exposure to tumbling gas prices and drive up the cost of decommissioning old oilfields by about $600 million, putting even more pressure on Premiers finances. Premier has declined to comment on the claims. The duel may sound like a storm in a tea cup, or a barrel of oil, but it matters because the high-stakes battle between ARCM and Premier has repercussions far beyond the City. Premier is a major holding in the pension funds of millions of people and has borrowed nearly $200 million from thousands of armchair savers, so the fortunes of many hinge on the future of Premier Oil. That makes ARCMs claims all the more deserving of scrutiny. As part of the deal, Premier plans to push back paying off its debts by two years, from 2021 to 2023. As its largest lender, ARCM, which owns one in every six dollars of Premiers debts, is angry it will not be paid back sooner. Its a bit like your pal Dave promising to pay you back that tenner on Friday but then changing it to Monday. Cheers Dave. ARCM also says the oilfields Premier will obtain will store up trouble for the future and questions whether the FTSE 250 firm is pulling the wool over the eyes of investors by not being transparent in its calculations and basing the deal on punchy commodity prices. Yet some in the City question ARCMs motives. In December the hedge fund was forced to disclose a secret 17% short position in Premier shares, unknown to the Premier board and fellow investors. Rivals have urged the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate. The hedge fund claims it is a benign hedge on the massive Premier IOUs it owns (indeed the $455 million of debts dwarf the $190 million short position) but analysts say ARCMs main motivation now is to kill off the deal so it can stem losses on the short. Broker Numis said the hedge fund lacked credibility for attacking Premier but failing to mention the short. One Premier shareholder also told the Standard ARCM was using its position as creditor to screw equity holders but had sympathy for this approach. They are making their own catalyst. Premier has a myriad of other lenders alongside ARCM including Lloyds Bank, DNB, Deutsche Bank, Fortress and Verde (the latter two hedge funds not known to be shrinking violets). Creditors will meet next Wednesday to vote on the debt extension plans. Premiers secondary debts also trade at 100p in the pound, a sign that impending debt Armageddon is not on the cards. If the deal is so bad, as ARCM insists, then why do most of Premiers lenders back the idea? Market sources believe ARCM has already made big profits on the debt portion buying as low as 55p in the pound but now wants to preserve that gain by reversing losses on the short made when shares rallied. To do that it aims to cast doubt on the deal. Its hard to fathom whether ARCM is a genuinely concerned investor ringing the alarm bell or a cunning hedge fund looking to protect its own economic interests. Perhaps it is both. City sources say part of ARCMs objection is rooted in the fact its own plan to fix the debt was shot down. ARCM had been shoulder to shoulder with creditors last year in negotiations with Premier but split from the group when the North Sea plan was agreed. It then presented its own plan which apparently involved raising money from shareholders to repay debt holders instead of buying oilfields but this was rejected in favour of the North Sea acquisitions due to fears shareholders would snub the proposal. ARCM plans to go to court to block the deal, yet if Premier cuts debt rapidly it could refinance and pay ARCM back just six months after it promised at the end of 2021, although there are still big questions marks over that. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday while dismissing the Centre's plea challenging the trial court order which had stayed the death warrants in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, noted that "the convicts have frustrated the process of law". The Centre moved Supreme Court after High Court ruled the four convicts can't be hanged separately. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait while dismissing the plea said, "Convicts have frustrated the process of law by using delay tactics. I direct the convicts to file any application regarding their remedies within one week from today after which the court expects the authorities to act." He further noted, "I have no hesitation in saying that after the review of the convicts were dismissed nobody has even bothered to execute the death warrants. They were waiting for reasons best known to them. All authorities were waiting and sleeping." The Centre in its plea filed through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had challenged the January 31 order of Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana of Patiala House Courts. Rana in his order had said, "Without commenting upon the dilatory tactics adopted by the convicts, suffice it would be to state that seeking redressal of one's grievances through procedure established by law was the hallmark of any civilised society. The courts of this country cannot afford to adversely discriminate any convict, including death row convicts in pursuit of his legal remedies, by turning a Nelson's eye towards him." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while arguing the matter before the High Court had contended that the trial court order provides a perverse and misleading interpretation of Rule 836 of the Delhi Prison Rules. "This error goes to the root of the issue. It deserves to be stayed. Every convict is enjoying defeating the judicial system in the country. Convicts are exploiting the process of law," Mehta said. "There is a deliberate, well calculated, well thought out design to frustrate the process of law. It was a gang rape of a woman, inserting rods in her private parts, pulling out her intestines, and throwing her out of a moving bus," he added. The Centre also submitted before the court that the four convicts can be hanged separately. "The execution should be one by one. The rule only says if application of one is pending then execution of all has to be postponed.. but what does 'application' mean? It means an application pending before a court. A mercy plea is not an 'application'," Mehta had submitted. Opposing the submissions of the Centre, senior advocate Rebecca John argued that Central government has no locus standi to challenge the stay imposed on convicts' hanging as it was not a party to the matter in the trial court and has merely superimposed itself in it. "From 2018 to January 2020, the Union of India was never a party to the case. It is my submission that it has superimposed itself in this matter. What is their locus? We do not know," she submitted. On the demand of the piece-meal execution of those convicts who have exhausted their legal remedies, John said, "One common order was passed for all the convicts. The question is can execution take place one by one? When sentencing is common, order is common, then how can this happen?" She said that her client is entitled to avail all the remedies under the shadow of Article 21 of the Constitution. Article 21 reads: "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law." Mukesh and Vinay have exhausted their legal remedies. However, a decision on Akshay's mercy plea is pending before the President. Pawan has yet not availed the remedy of mercy petition, which is the last constitutional resort. He has also not availed the remedy of curative petition, which is the last judicial resort. The 23-year-old woman was brutally gangraped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which later led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail. Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petition in July 2018. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday congratulated crew members of the two Air India special flights that evacuated 647 Indians from the coronavirus-struck Chinese city of Wuhan, saying they did not express any fear and gave primacy to their duties. "Air crew spent around 12 hours with these people who have returned. Anyone else would have got scared and said 'why will I go to a place where there is so much infection and if I go there to bring people back, I may get infection'. No one said any such thing," Union Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar said after a Cabinet meeting here. "Air India's pilots and remaining crews gave primacy to their duties and did this work happily. Therefore, the Cabinet today congratulated them and everyone welcomed them as a very important work has been done by Air India," he added. On Saturday, 324 Indians were brought back from Wuhan by the first special flight, while another batch of 323 Indians and seven Maldivians were evacuated from the Chinese city on Sunday through the second special flight. Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said,"Union Cabinet's appreciation for the staff of Air India who travelled to Wuhan to evacuate Indians is indeed heart warming for the entire Air India family and would go a long way in inspiring Air Indians to keep going beyond the call of duty in serving the nation. Jai Hind." In the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province, India has put restrictions on the movement of people to and from China, like many other countries, as part of precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490 while the number of confirmed cases has touched 24,300. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Visa talks between Ukraine and the United Kingdom will continue in a year. "When we come to the end of this period, then we will have to negotiate a bilateral agreement [on visas] with Ukraine and settle this issue. Then we will hold talks on trade and other issues with the Government of Ukraine. But we will do this later," British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said on the air of a Ukrainian TV channel on January 31, TSN reports. She reminded that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky extended the visa waiver for the UK citizens for one year. According to her, the President of Ukraine issued a corresponding decree because the UK would no longer be a member of the European Union, while international agreements would remain in force. "The issue of visa waiver is not a political issue, it is a border security issue. And border security is the reason why the UK was not a party to the Schengen agreement. And this policy has not changed. After we leave the EU, the visa regime for Ukrainians will be kept. That is, there will be no change: if you travel to the UK from Ukraine, you will need to get a visa," Simmons said. ol GM's Enhanced Super Cruise will include automated lane change, which will allow the hands-free system to change lanes on the highway when requested on demand. GM DETROIT General Motors plans to expand its Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driver-assist system to 22 vehicles by 2023, including 10 by next year, the company announced Wednesday. The system uses a host of sensors, radars and cameras to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within the car's lane. GM last month said it's upgrading the next generation of Super Cruise to feature lane-changing capabilities similar to Tesla's Autopilot. GM currently offers Super Cruise exclusively on the Cadillac CT6, which ended production last month. It announced it would offer the upgraded system on two Cadillac sedans and the upcoming Cadillac Escalade, which it unveiled Tuesday night, during the second half of this year. 2021 Cadillac Escalade interior GM GM President Mark Reuss, who announced the news Wednesday during an investor day, did not disclose all the vehicles that would offer the technology, but he said they will include full-size pickups and SUVs. "We are rolling this out in a very big way," he said during the event in New York, which was broadcast online. The automaker previously said it would expand Super Cruise to all Cadillac models and to other brands beginning in 2021. GM launched Super Cruise in 2017, two years after Tesla debuted Autopilot. The Detroit automaker has been extremely conservative in its rollout of the technology, despite development of the system going back a decade or so. Due to the slower launch cadence and additional safeguards, Super Cruise has not received as much attention or scrutiny as Autopilot. Tesla has faced questions about Autopilot's role in at least three fatal crashes and about allowing driver misuse. The OPEC+ joint technical committee asked China on Tuesday to help it assess the demand loss from the coronavirus outbreak, as OPEC and its allies are struggling to contain an oil market meltdown over the virus. With oil prices falling into a bear market earlier this week, having dropped by more than 20 percent since a high in January, delegates from OPEC+ countries gathered in Vienna on Tuesday to discuss in an emergency meeting how the cartel and its allies should respond to the fast drop in prices. The OPEC+ panel invited Wang Qun, Chinas ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, to attend a closed-door meeting to helps assess the demand destruction. According to OPEC officials who spoke to Bloomberg, Wang told the committee delegates that China expects the virus impact would be localized and limited, and warned against overreaction. As of early Wednesday, the coronavirus had already claimed 492 lives worldwide, mostly in China, and had infected more than 24,500 people in 25 countries. Chinas oil demand amid the coronavirus outbreak is likely inflicting the worst oil demand shock to markets since the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and refiners are cutting refinery runs amid weak fuel demand. The OPEC+ panel did not discuss cuts on Tuesday, but it continues the meeting on Wednesday. The meeting, according to Bloombergs sources, showed the usual power play seen at all OPEC+ meetings so farOPECs largest producer Saudi Arabia pushing for more cuts, while Russiathe leader of the non-OPEC group of producers part of the dealpushing back. The Saudis are pushing for an additional cut of at least 500,000 bpd and even 1 million bpd, delegates told Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters in Russia on Tuesday that Russia was ready to move up the March OPEC+ meeting to February, but added that only a careful assessment of demand drop would inform the coalition whether further cuts are needed. OPECs own analysis at the panel meeting showed a 400,000-bpd drop in global oil demand growth over six months, delegates at the Tuesday meeting told Bloomberg. Commenting on the need of additional cuts, ING strategists said on Wednesday: If we assume that OPEC numbers are correct, and then factor in the supply losses we are seeing from Libya at the moment, and assume that these last through until the end of Q1, 500Mbbls/d of additional cuts should be almost enough to balance the market over Q1, whilst over Q2 we would likely need to see current cuts of 1.7MMbbls/d rolled over through until at least the end of June. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Bodycam footage shows the moment police in California handcuffed a 16-year-old boy, moments after he had suffered an epileptic seizure inside a bathroom at El Pollo Loco and before he had another one outside a patrol car. Fresno Police shared an 11-and-a-half-minute video released alongside audio of the 911 call with more context of how officers came to restrain David Ramos - who is autistic - despite his family begging them not to and placing protective arms around him. Audio from the call last Thursday features his sister telling the dispatcher 'he's being very combative'. She says: 'He's just 16 years old and he's in the restroom and not responding.' The clip shared Tuesday also confirms that he was making threats to kill his family. Bodycam footage shows Fresno Police handcuff 16-year-old David Ramos after his seizure in a public bathroom Fresno Police shared an 11-and-a-half-minute video alongside audio of the 911 call with more context of how officers came to restrain him His relatives expected an ambulance on the scene but police arrived first and placed him in cuffs to 'prevent him from harming himself or others' until medical professionals got there. The disturbing clip shows the child yelling that he doesn't want to be in handcuffs because he hasn't done anything wrong. His mother Lourdes Ponce cries for mercy, screaming 'He has autism, he has epilepsy, stop it!' as the officers take him out to a patrol car which he refuses to get into. Seconds after complaining of leg pain, he appears to be unresponsive and slumps to the ground. David is also seen vomiting. An officer seemingly considers removing the wrist restraints as concerned relatives complain they are hurting him and his mother accuses them of hitting his head during attempts to get him inside the car. While his sister soothes him, rubbing his back and head, his mother rushes to her car to retrieve documents about his health. The photo above shows the El Pollo Loco location where the incident took place last Thursday In 911 call audio his sister says 'he's being very combative' and that 'he's just 16 years old and he's in the restroom and not responding' The clip shared Tuesday also confirms that David was making threats to kill his family but the Fresno Autism Network believes he may have not been back to his usual state of coherency after the fit His mother Lourdes Ponce cries for mercy, screaming 'He has autism, he has epilepsy, stop it!' as the officers take him out to a patrol car David Ramos may have been in a 'post-epileptic phase' after his fit in the bathroom Throughout the edit footage released this week, he remains in cuffs. Police said they are still gathering more footage from the incident for the City of Fresno's Office of Independent Review. The Fresno Autism Network believes that police need more training on how to handle a crisis when someone has special needs. 'I feel like Fresno PD did their job and did what they're supposed to, but maybe things could've been handled a little differently,' founder Stephanie Ramirez told ABC 7. 'Something like autism is what we call an invisible disability. It's not like other disabilities where you need accommodations like a wheelchair. And these kids vary across the spectrum.' Ramirez believes David may have been in a 'post-epileptic phase'. 'That's the time after having a seizure, like their recovery time,' Ramirez said. 'The kids might look coherent, but they might not be back. Sometimes it might take them a few minutes to a few hours to be back to their normal state of being.' Seconds after complaining of leg pain, he appears to be unresponsive and slumps to the ground David is also seen vomiting but remains in cuffs the entire video shared by cops on Tuesday Cops said they placed him in cuffs to 'prevent him from harming himself or others' until medical professionals got to the scene While his sister soothes him, rubbing his back and head, his mother rushes to her car to retrieve documents about his health. The mother accused cops of hitting his head while trying to get him in the car Fresno Autism Network founder said Fresno PD 'did their job and did what they're supposed to, but maybe things could've been handled a little differently' The family had earlier visited a doctor, who treated the boy for epileptic seizures. Ponce said that while her son was in the bathroom at the El Pollo Loco, the seizures returned. 'I stood outside the door, I heard him hit the floor, I tried to open the door but it was locked, that's when I asked for help,' she previously said. 'We called paramedics for help, we did not call police. He was not hurting anybody, he was having a seizure.' Ponce added about the way cops treated her son. 'He saw that my son was throwing up and instead of helping him so that he wouldn't choke on his vomit, they had him on the ground in handcuffs,' she continued. 'After I showed the paperwork, EMS was able to treat him and take him to the hospital.' The boy is recovering from seizures at Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno. Ponce said her son was so traumatized by what took place on Thursday that he is having difficulty accepting treatment from hospital staff. She said that police stopped by the hospital on Friday to hand him a 'certificate of release' form - meaning that he will not be arrested. Mother Lourdes Ponce (seen above) was outraged over the incident. Police let her son go after she showed them paperwork proving that he suffered from epilepsy He is seen above in his hospital bed at Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno Singapore on Tuesday announced the first local transmissions of the deadly coronavirus from China as a major aviation conference was scrapped due to the escalating health scare. The Ministry of Health said it had found six additional cases, four of them involving human-to-human transmission in Singapore, bringing the total infections to 24 in the city-state. "Though four of these cases constitute a local transmission cluster, there is as yet no evidence of widespread sustained community transmission in Singapore,a the ministry said in a statement. Two of the local transmission cases involved women working at a health products shop primarily serving Chinese tourists. A third was one of the womenas Indonesian maid. Another was a female tour guide who had brought groups to the health shop. In addition to the local transmissions, two cases were among the Singapore residents evacuated from Wuhan on January 30. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that if the local transmissions escalate in the community the government is prepared to consider "measures to reduce human-to-human interaction". - Aviation convention scrapped - A major international aviation conference scheduled for the eve of next week's Singapore Airshow has been cancelled, organisers said Tuesday. Organisers, however, said the main event, Asia's biggest airshow, will proceed as scheduled from February 11 to 16 despite the pullout of several exhibitors, many of them from China. The aviation industry is one of the most affected by the virus outbreak after governments worldwide imposed restrictions on travel, including bans on arrivals from China. The death toll in China stood at 425 Tuesday, exceeding the number of fatalities in the country from the outbreak in 2002-03 of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The World Health Organization has declared the crisis a global health emergency. The National Institute of Agricultural Botany has opened its new Cambridge headquarters after a 25 million transformation. The plant science research organisation has finished its two year redevelopment and construction project. The new Lawrence Weaver Road headquarters includes new offices, laboratories, growth room facilities and meeting rooms. Its campus is on NIAB's original Old Granary and John Bingham Laboratory site, opposite the firm's home for the past 100 years on Huntingdon Road. The old headquarters site, based around the original 1921 building, was sold for redevelopment in 2018 but has remained home to NIAB until now. The development of the new headquarters involved the demolition of old workshop and farm buildings, refurbishment of existing laboratories, and the construction of a new Crop Science Building. NIAB CEO Dr Tina Barsby said: The development is an exciting new chapter following our centenary celebration last year, reflecting NIAB's ambitions across the regional, national and international agri-science communities. We believe it will help improved collaboration and communication across NIAB and with the new Crop Science Centre partnership, and provide much improved facilities and flexibility in working spaces. It is also the base for the Crop Science Centre - a partnership between NIAB and the University of Cambridge working with partners to push the universitys plant research into outputs for farmers, processors and consumers. The centre will be home to researchers from the Universitys Plant Sciences and sister research departments, the Cambridge Sainsbury Laboratory, and other UK and international research institutes. The opening of the Lawrence Weaver campus comes just nine months after NIAB moved into two new office and laboratory buildings at its neighbouring Park Farm site to the north of Cambridge. Park Farm was already home to the MacLeod Complex - NIAB's 2,500m2 research glasshouses - as well as the Sophi Taylor Conference Centre. The new barns include stores for onions and potatoes, seed stores for the pathology and genetics and breeding teams, sporeproof growth rooms and analytical services laboratories and offices. (Newser) The US Embassy in Madrid has issued a warning to American citizens after what it says has been "a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults nationally over the past five years." The embassy says this includes a rise in sexual assault "against young US citizen visitors and students throughout Spain" and visiting Americans should take precautions, reports CNN. The embassy warns that American victims of sexual assault "can find it very difficult to navigate the local criminal justice system, which differs significantly from the US system." The warning follows the alleged rape of three sisters from Ohio in the city of Murcia on New Year's Eve, the New York Daily News reports. (Read more Spain stories.) Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the setting up of an independent trust to finalise the details for the construction of a Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, sources asserted that the trust will comprise a total of 15 members-- 9 permanent and 6 nominated members. The body, to be called Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, has been formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court, pointed out the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha. According to sources, K Parasaran is the first member of the trust and Ayodhya District Magistrate (DM) Anuj Kumar Jha has been named the convening member. The seven other permanent members are--Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Maharaj, Parmanand Jimaharaja Haridwar, Swami Govindgiri Ji Pune, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, Dr Anil Mishra Homeopathic Ayodhya, Dr Kamaleshwar Chaupal Patna, and Mahant Dhinedra Das Nirmohi Akhara. The six nominated members will be selected by the board of the trust. Live TV What will be the functioning of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust? 1. Construction of a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya 2. Removing all obstacles in temple construction 3. Construction of parking around Ram temple complex, ensuring all facilities for devotees 4. To make a designated area for circumambulation 5. Construction of granary, cowshed, exhibition, museum, an ashram in Ram temple complex. How will the work get divided in trust: 1. Chairman or Director-General: All meetings of the trust shall be held in the presence of the Chairman. 2. General Secretary: The officers of the trust will choose the general secretary from among themselves, they will have the right to call all the meetings. Also the responsibility of handling the full record of the trust. 3. Treasurer: The members of the trust will select the treasurer from among themselves, who will prepare the details of all income expenditure, expenses and funds. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust will take all decisions for the construction of a massive and grand Ram Temple on the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, added PM Modi. The decision to form the trust was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday. The 67.703 acres of land along with the inside and outside courtyard will be transferred to the Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra for the construction of the Ram Temple. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification announcing that the office of the trust will be in New Delhi. As per the home ministry, the trust's registered office is at R-20, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi. Referring to the Supreme Court order on the Ayodhya case on November 9, 2019, PM Modi said the judgement was in favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the decision to form the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust. According to the Supreme Court order, the Sunni Waqf Board will be given 5 acres of land in Ayodhya, announced the Prime Minister. "On November 9, 2019, I was in Punjab for Kartarpur Sahib Corridor's inauguration. During the inauguration ceremony, the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya was delivered and I got to know about the historic decision. Uttar Pradesh government has already given its approval for giving 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board," he said. Announcing another major decision taken by the Union Cabinet, he declared the government will also develop the area around the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya as a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction. In a related development, the Uttar Pradesh government also issued a notification saying the government has already issued an allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board, as ordered by the Supreme Court in its November 8, 2019 verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute. Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told the media that five-acre plot for the mosque is in Dhannipur village on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from Ayodhya. Three men wanted for allegedly stabbing and looting a delivery boy of an online food portal have been arrested in south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area, police said on Wednesday. The accused had robbed the delivery boy after stabbing him in the Maidangarhi area on the intervening night of January 18-19, they said. Police identified the three as Lalit (25), Karan (22) and Mohd Zaid (22). With their arrest, police claimed to have solved nine cases of robbery and snatching. "The three men were caught on Tuesday by a police team deployed for picket checking near Aya Nagar in the area of Fatehpur Beri police station," said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South). Two button-actuated knives, one country-made pistol, one car, one motorcycle and nine mobile phones were recovered from them, he said. A case under the Arms Act was registered in this connection, Thakur said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lagos, Wednesday, February 5, 2020: Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today accused the Federal Government of hopelessly losing its way, and called on it to abandon its fruitless preoccupation with controlling social media content in Nigeria. It urged the Government to retrace its steps by focusing on its primary purpose, which is ensuring the security and welfare of the people. Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, MRAs Programme Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, said in a statement in Lagos that it was clear that the Federal Government as well as many of its State counterparts had abandoned their primary purpose and were now preoccupied with chasing shadows to the detriment of Nigerians. MRAs Statement is in response to that of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on February 3, 2020 at a meeting with a Finnish Government delegation that his Ministry will this month convene a stakeholders meeting as part of its efforts to design a framework for the sanitisation of the social media. The Minister said, while receiving the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Jyrki Pulkkinen, and the Ambassador of Innovation of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Finland, Mr. Jarmo Sareva, who were on an advocacy visit to promote the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), that the move was governments response to the irresponsible use of the social media to promote fake news and hate speech and that it was working with stakeholders to device a mechanism to sanitise the social media. Mr. Longe noted that the Minister's insistence at the meeting that the initiative was not aimed at stifling press freedom or infringing on the rights of individuals was neither believable nor reassuring given the Government's track record of using every means to suppress the right to freedom of expression, including its ongoing abuse of legislation such as the Cybercrime Act as well as anti-terrorism and treason laws to suppress media freedom and punish citizens who are critical of the Government or government officials. According to him, the denial by the Minister in an interview with Tim Sebastian of DWs Conflict Zone, which was posted online on January 31, 2020, of the existence of the social media bills pending at the National Assembly only serves to reinforce his lack of credibility and undermine the credibility of the government that he speaks for, not just on the issue of the governments efforts to control or regulate social media content and repress freedom of expression, but on virtually all issues. Mr. Longe said: A government whose chief spokesperson is notorious, domestically and internationally, for lying about virtually everything can have no credibility when claiming that the Government is concerned about fake news and misinformation, whether online or offline. If the Federal Government was truly concerned about fake news, it should by now have fired the same Information Minister, rather than reappointing him. He argued that With Nigerians facing a level of violent crimes and general insecurity never before experienced in the country, with unemployment at an all-time high and with most citizens experiencing the most horrendous conditions of living, postings on social media should not be the greatest concern of any responsible Government at this time as the Governments attitude evidences a lack of appreciation of its role and priorities. MRA also criticized the arrest on January 31, 2020 of five journalists who were subsequently detained and paraded by the FCT Police Command on February 1, 2020 for allegedly attempting to cause panic in Abuja, saying it was yet another instance of the Government and its law enforcement agents of impeding the work of journalists carrying out their legitimate duties. The journalists, Ms Pricilla Ajeshola, Mr. Jacob Orji, Mr. Abayomi Adedoyin, Ms Peggy Shande and Mr. David Gold Enemingin, were arrested for reportedly going to Wuse District Hospital in Abuja, where it was alleged that they claimed that one of them had Coronavirus. Their employer, The Nigerian News Group, speaking through its Media Officer, Mr. Lawrence Audu, said they were illegally arrested while gathering materials for a special report on Lassa fever and Coronavirus and that despite their efforts at an amicable resolution of the issue, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory refused to yield to pleas as his staff insisted on parading the journalists as criminals. Mr. Longe said: "We strongly condemn this egregious action by Government authorities as a violation of media freedom and a breach by the Government of Nigeria of international commitments, particularly Article 66(2)(c) of the ECOWAS Treaty which obliges ECOWAS member States 'to ensure respect for the rights of journalists'". For further information, please contact Idowu Adewale Communications Officer Media Rights Agenda Email: [email protected] Google on Tuesday admitted that a software glitch was responsible for sending out videos to the wrong people and that the technology major was notifying affected people. In a reply to a question raised by AFP, Google said "We are very sorry this happened." "We fixed the underlying issue and have conducted an in-depth analysis to help prevent this from ever happening again," added the official spokesperson. Motor India is not planning to hike prices of electric model Kona, despite expectations of a rise in the cost of the vehicle with the government proposing to increase customs duty on imported EVs, a top company official said. The automaker, which is looking to drive in a mass market electric vehicle (EV) over the next two-three years, said it will look to increase localisation to keep the price of the model under check to offset impact of increased customs duty. "Currently we are are importing some parts of the Kona Electric from South Korea. As per the new Budget announcement, the import duty will go up by 5 per cent... We understand the government's push is towards Make in India so we will do more towards localisation of the product here," Motor India (HMIL) Managing Director and CEO SS Kim told PTI. He admitted that the import duty increase will lead to rise in cost of the vehicle but "we will not pass it over to the customer and try to mitigate the impact by localising more and optimising our processes". Kona Electric is currently priced at Rs 23.71 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). As announced in Budget 2020-21, import duties on fully imported commercial EVs will go up to 40 per cent from 25 per cent, while the same on semi knocked-down electric passenger vehicles will go up to 30 per cent from 15 per cent. Import of completely knocked-down units of will attract import duty of 15 per cent, up from 10 per cent earlier. These changes come into effect from April 1. When asked about localisation level of the vehicle, Kim said, "Localisation is not very high, but for all other products which would be coming later, we are looking at over 90 per cent of localisation. For Kona the volumes are small right now and we are importing a lot of battery components from South Korea." He said HMIL is making some plastic and interior parts in India, but batteries are being imported. Commenting on the company's progress on mass market EV, he said: "We are working to develop mass medium EV, which would be launched in next two-three years... We are contacting suppliers, and various technologies companies to set up EV ecosystem in the country and our mass market EV and it will come with very high local content." Kim said is looking for partnership with various companies for battery manufacturing. When asked about sales prospects for the year, Kim said, "We are cautiously optimistic, we are looking at low single digit growth... The first half will be flat, but in the second half expect there could be single low dight growth." On new product plans, he said the company is studying the feasibility of products such as seven-seater Creta, micro SUV. "We are studying various options for MPV as well." When asked if Hyundai was planning a fresh round of investments in India keeping in minds its plans here, Kim said, "we are preparing some future plans", without disclosing details. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders were in a virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses early Thursday as the states Democratic Party continued to struggle with releasing long-delayed results. The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor had 26.2% of state delegate equivalents, barely besting the Vermont senators 26.1%, with 97% of more than 1,700 precincts reporting results. In third place was Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, with 18.2%, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden, with 15.8%. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was in fifth, with 12.2%. Iowa Democrats plan to continue releasing results as they sort through the data. A win in Iowa wouldnt put Buttigieg that far ahead in the race for the Democratic nomination, as only 41 pledged delegates are at stake. But Iowas first-in-the-nation status gives it a bigger role in the process than the numbers suggest. Momentum is key going into later contests and a win would give a boost to any candidate, especially one as little known nationally as Buttigieg. With a delay in reporting results due to problems with an app designed for the caucus and more complex rules, it remains to be seen if the Iowa winner will receive a traditional bump in polls, especially with attention splintered this week by the State of the Union address and President Donald Trumps acquittal by the Senate of impeachment charges on Wednesday afternoon. An Iowa win for Buttigieg would be a remarkable moment in U.S. politics, as he is the first openly gay presidential candidate, and, at 38, running in the first race in which he is old enough under the Constitution to contest the presidency. Iowa Democratic Chair Tried to Salvage Caucus Mess in Late Email Addressing supporters in New Hampshire, the state with the next presidential contest, Buttigieg, 38, leaned into his relative youth. He said Every time that we have earned that Oval Office it has been with a candidate thats focused on the future, new in politics, offering a different vision. Story continues On Monday night, the caucuses that were meant to give shape to the Democratic presidential field devolved into a political embarrassment for the party and left candidates and voters hanging with no results and no springboard into the next round of contests, including New Hampshires primary on Feb. 11. The chaos in Iowa began when an attempt to modernize the arcane caucus system and make it more transparent melted down with the introduction of new technology and more complex rules. The Iowa Democratic Party said it was unable to release results from Mondays caucuses after discovering inconsistencies in reporting from some precincts. How the Iowa Caucuses Work, or Were Supposed To: QuickTake We determined with certainty that the underlying data collected via the app was sound, Price, the state chairman, said in the statement. While the app was recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data. We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. This issue was identified and fixed. The clean-up efforts are unlikely to quiet critics. Party officials and lawmakers were already questioning its outsize role in picking the president. The Iowa contest is the first in a long cycle of caucuses and primaries that stretches until June -- awarding just 1% of the delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination. The disruption in the reporting is also likely to accelerate calls for an end to caucuses. Only three other states -- Nevada, Wyoming and Kansas -- still use the caucus system in the nomination race as the national party has tried to shift states toward using primaries. The Iowa Democratic Party said there was no evidence of hacking in the stalled reporting of results, but rather human error and other inconsistencies that forced the party to resort to hand-counting the votes. (Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) --With assistance from Larry Liebert and Ryan Teague Beckwith. To contact the reporters on this story: Tyler Pager in Des Moines at tpager1@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Epstein in Des Moines at jepstein32@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Magan Crane, John Harney For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. RAINIER The A Street beautification project is again a few weeks behind schedule because rainy weather has delayed the pouring of concrete for new sidewalks, much to the consternation of business owners. Steve Ambuehl, with project contractor Thomson Brother Construction, told the Rainier City Council Monday that 29 of the past 31 days were too rainy to pour concrete, which needs several consecutive dry days to cure. We lost a little ground on the schedule on the current phase, but we got a jump on the next phase to make up, Ambuehl said. He said that it appears the upcoming week may be dry enough to pour the sidewalks between Second and Third streets by Friday or early next week. Until we get out of the wet season concrete will be a hurdle every time, Ambuehl said. Nina Phillips, owner of Hometown Pizza, said shes had customers trying to come in her back kitchen door. My people wont come in the front door because theres a big vehicle there and they dont think they can walk around it, Phillips told the council. Customers are very confused. ... Theyll just go back to their cars. She said her business has suffered significantly during sidewalk reconstruction. Im cutting (employee) hours, she said. Im in there in 60 hours a week because I have no choice. A Street remains closed between Second and Third streets but will reopen as soon as the sidewalks there are complete, Ambuehl told the council. The $11.1 million beautification and safety project started in June and was originally slated to be finished this fall. However, in November the contractor told the City Council the project wouldnt wrap up until late May due to delays with the railroad track portion of the project. The project will also eliminate the asphalt road surface over the train track and create one-way streets on either side of the track, with curbs and gutters separating the track from driving lanes. It will also add Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks, filtered storm water collection for the roadway and new railroad and street lighting. Ambuehl estimated the project still will be completed by late May, but that isnt soon enough for business owners. Councilman Sloan Nelson said its been very painful for businesses and that he would like to see the closed section of A Street reopened to the public soon. He also said that he and Oregon Department of Transportation Area Manager Tony Snyder have helped business owners apply for state compensation for lost sales. Ambuehl said some of the delay is due to finding surprise utilities under the street, common in older towns. We try to minimize the pain, but unfortunately our hands are tied to some degree, Ambuehl said. This project has been a little bit of a moving target. ... Things have changed, but were still making progress. In other business, Rainier Public Works Director Sue Lawrence told the council that unexpected costs might change the citys plans for using two Small City Allotment Grants to renovate Second, Third and Fourth streets. The two federal grants, totaling $150,000, would have left the city responsible for paying only $57,000. But grant requirements to build wheelchair ramps on Second Street could drive the citys total cost up to $107,000. That number could go higher if ramps are also required on Third and Fourth streets. The council will have to decide whether to spend down the citys $270,000 street fund to pay for the ramps or reassess the project, Lawrence said. Mayor Jerry Cole moved the grant question to next meetings agenda to allow city staff to gather more information before making a decision. The next meeting is 6 p.m. March 2 at City Hall. In other business, the council: Discussed applying for grants to replace city bathrooms at the park. Set a public hearing for March 2 on the disposition of a derelict house at 29545 Old Rainier Road. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The services sector returned to growth in January for the first time since August (Yui Mok / PA) The all-important services sector saw strong growth last month as businesses which had put off big cost decisions started spending again following the decisive general election result, according to a closely followed survey. The IHS Markit/CIPS UK services purchasing managers index (PMI) hit 53.9 points in January anything above 50 is seen as a sign of growth in a sector up from an initial estimate of 52.9 in mid-January. It was the first expansion of the sector which accounts for three-quarters of GDP in the country since August 2019, with new business expansion growing to its strongest level since June 2018. The flip side of this coin meant that businesses and consumers were also paying more for services as firms felt more comfortable in raising their own prices and at the highest rate since June 2018Duncan Brock, Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Tim Moore, economics associate director at IHS Markit, said: A solid return to growth in the service sector was the main factor behind the recovery in the UK economy, with survey respondents commenting that a rebound in sales inquiries had quickly translated into rising workloads so far this year. Signs of greater willingness to spend and renewed positivity about the domestic economic outlook has helped lift service providers growth projections to the highest for just under five years. However, he warned that the vast majority of the data was collected prior to January 23 before any impact from the coronavirus outbreak could be accounted for. Disruptions to global supply chains and international travel could present risks to the UK economy and key trading partners in the coming months, he said. Companies also revealed they had to hire extra staff to meet the expected rise in demand, leading to higher levels of employment being recorded for the third month in a row. Most of the growth came from domestic business, the data said, with exports returning to positive territory albeit at marginal levels. There were also reports of an increase in fuel and transportation costs, which could lead to higher prices for consumers. Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, explained: The flip side of this coin meant that businesses and consumers were also paying more for services as firms felt more comfortable in raising their own prices and at the highest rate since June 2018. [February 05, 2020] Empower Institute: American Savers Have New View on Retirement American workers close to retirement and those who already have retired agree on one thing: the idea of retirement needs to be redefined. Retirement is no longer about reaching a certain age. It's more of a mindset and American workers close to retirement, or pre-retirees, are eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. That's according to survey results from Empower Institute, the research arm of Empower Retirement. The results of the survey are published in a white paper, Rethink, Rewire, Retire on the Empower Institute website. According to the survey results: 83% of pre-retirees said they expect to live their best life in retirement 83% of pre-retirees said they would rather save more money today so they don't have to cut back in retirement 81% of pre-retirees said there are more job and career opportunities for people post retirement "People are no longer looking at retirement as the end of something, but rather the beginning of something new," said Edmund F. Murphy III, President and CEO of Empower Retirement. "This important shift has changed the way people save for retirement, or what they now consider their second act." <> In the survey, despite citing challenges and having financial questions, pre-retirees say they started planning sooner than their retired counterparts and 67 percent said they felt confident in their ability to plan for retirement. Pre-retirees are looking forward to describing themselves as explorers, travelers and volunteers and 44 percent of pre-retirees said their top advice to their younger self would be to save enough to have fun, as well as for necessities. Both retirees and pre-retirees say there are more opportunities now than 20 years ago to have a second career, start a business or work in the gig economy. More than 60 percent of pre-retirees said they plan to continue to work or join the gig economy, citing freelancing and consulting as their top choice for work. "We are all recognizing this shift in the retirement landscape," Murphy said. "Planning for retirement now means planning for a new chapter in life and we think that's pretty exciting." Read this paper and other research at Empower Institute. About Empower Institute Formed in March 2015, the Empower Institute aims to critically examine investment theories, retirement strategies and assumptions. It suggests theories and changes for achieving better outcomes for employers, institutions, financial advisors and individual investors. The institute's mission is bringing together industry insights and expertise to address the personal finance issues and retirement savings challenges Americans face today. About Empower Retirement Headquartered in metro Denver, Empower Retirement administers $665 billion in assets for more than 9.4 million retirement plan participants, as of Sept. 30, 2019. It is the nation's second-largest retirement plan record keeper by total participants (Pensions & Investments, April 2018). Empower serves all segments of the employer-sponsored retirement plan market: government 457 plans; small, midsize and large corporate 401 (k) clients; non-profit 403 (b) entities; private-label record-keeping clients; and Individual Retirement Account customers. For more information please visit www.Empower-retirement.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005012/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) Three days ahead of Delhi elections, Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday 'invited' Union Home Minister Amit Shah to have an open debate with him on what all they have done for the national capital in the past five years. Addressing the mediapersons, Mr Kejriwal said,"What have you done for Delhi in the past 5 years? Come, let's have an open debate.' Mr Kejriwal questioned the BJP's appeal to the voter to elect them on February 8. "People of Delhi have already voted you for Article 370 and Ram Mandir but what have you done for Delhi. Why should people vote for you?" he said. Lashing out at BJP on '#AAPShaheenGunmanLink', Mr Kejriwal said,"People of Delhi want to know that why have you not taken any action on Shaheen Bagh till now. They want you to show proof that I am a 'terrorist'. Punish the gunman even if he is AAP's member.' Mr Kejriwal countered BJPs attack over his partys alleged links with Kapil Gujjar, the man who opened fire at the Shaheen Bagh protest site this week. "Our country is the best in the world, but our system is flawed. I don't know which party is he from. There can be no compromise when it comes to the security of the nation. I would like to appeal to the Home Minister not to do politics on national security. If Shaheen Bagh shooter has any AAP link, he should be jailed for 20 years instead of 10. He should be sent to jail no matter whichever party he belongs to,' he said. On the Government's decision to set up Teertha Kshetra Trust for Ram temple at Ayodhya, Mr Kejriwal said that he does not have any problems with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a trust for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Delhi will be casting its vote in the Assembly Elections exactly three days from now on February 8. UNI PY ADG 1505 Kardome, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup that develops voice-control technology for machines, raised a seed funding of undisclosed amount. The round was led by Hyundai Motor Company, with participation from NextGear Ventures and ATOORO Fund. The investment will allow the company to increase its manpower and accelerate the development of the new generation of voice interfaces, as well as expand the companys global presence. Founded in January 2019 by serial entrepreneurs Dani Cherkassky and Alon Slapak, Kardome has developed technology that combines dedicated software with the use of microphones that exist in various products to enable the implementation of a new generation of voice user interface, operating even in noisy and multi-speaker environments, such as vehicles, public buildings, restaurants and even at home. The company plans to accelerate the development of an innovative system for spatial isolation of voices in challenging acoustic environments, which will, among other things, be used by Hyundai vehicles and robots worldwide. FinSMEs 05/02/2020 Residents of the southern Wide Bay and northern Sunshine Coast have been warned to prepare for flooding, with the weather bureau issuing an initial warning for the Mary, Burrum and Cherwell rivers. With the heavy rain bearing down across Queensland's southern coastal areas tipped to continue, falls of 50 millimetres to 90 millimetres have been forecast for Brisbane throughout Thursday. A severe storm warning was also issued early on Thursday for heavy rain and potential flash-flooding in the Brisbane city and Redland council areas, as a band of heavy showers and thunderstorms developed. The band extended from Brisbane Airport across Moreton Bay, moving in a south-westerly direction, and was expected to affect the CBD, Boondall, Enoggera, Aspley and Brighton by 8am. Oil prices jump 2% as virus vaccine reports spur hope FILE PHOTO: Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped about 2% on Wednesday on media reports that suggested scientists were developing a vaccine for the fast-spreading coronavirus, even as world health experts said treatments have not yet been found. Also supporting oil was news that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its producer allies were considering further output cuts to counter a potential squeeze on global oil demand. The outbreak has killed nearly 500 people and is weighing on global economic activity and oil demand. The World Health Organization played down the media reports, saying there were "no known effective therapeutics" against the virus. Brent crude oil futures ended the session up $1.32, or 2.5%, at $56.46 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $1.14, or 2.3%, to settle at $50.75. Both contracts rose more than 4% during the session. Prices held gains after data showed U.S. crude inventories rose by 3.4 million barrels in the week to Jan. 31, compared with expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 2.8 million barrels. "The report probably had nothing shocking enough to ruin the momentum of the big crude comeback that we are seeing today," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. "The main reason oil sold off as hard as it did wasn't because of what we knew; it was what we didn't know. Now, it seems like we can quantify the demand destruction and look ahead." China's Changjiang Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday that a team of researchers led by Zhejiang University Professor Li Lanjuan had found that drugs Abidol and Darunavir can inhibit the virus in vitro cell experiments. Separately, Sky News reported that a British scientist has made a significant breakthrough in the race for a vaccine by reducing part of the normal development time from two to three years to only 14 days. Story continues Still, refineries including China's Sinopec, Asia's top refiner, have slashed throughput as the virus cuts demand for refined fuels. Fears of a slump in global oil demand had pushed U.S. crude and Brent futures into contango this week - a structure in which longer-dated oil futures trade at a premium that encourages traders to keep crude in storage for more profitable resale in the future. "Based on our forecast that China's GDP growth will slow to just 3% year-over-year in Q1 2020 and assuming that the virus is brought under control relatively quickly, we have tentatively penciled in a 10% drop in the country's oil consumption in Q1," Capital Economics analysts said in a note on Wednesday. "This pushes the global market into a small surplus in the first half of 2020." Falling demand for jet fuel worldwide because of the deadly coronavirus has also hit U.S. prices for the product, which dropped to their lowest seasonally in five years, market participants said. Companies including Royal Dutch Shell and Phillips 66 have limited business travel to China DEMAND IMPACT A slowdown in the global economy resulting from the outbreak is expected to reduce 2020 worldwide oil demand growth by 300,000-500,000 barrels per day (bpd), roughly 0.5% of total demand, BP's Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary said. "The (Chinese) economy will be weakened for some time to come as quarantines, social distancing and travel restrictions remain in place," BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian told the Reuters Global Oil Forum. "But as financial markets are anticipatory, one can see how favorable news in relation to potential medical solutions, or indications that we have reached a turning point in the progress of the virus outbreak, are likely to be interpreted positively." OPEC and allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, considered the impact on global oil demand and economic growth from the coronavirus at a meeting on Wednesday. However, Russia was not supporting a deeper oil output cut and was suggesting an extension of the current pact, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. (Reporting by Ron Bousso and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Additional reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Paul Simao, Cynthia Osterman and David Gregorio) KCMO Burning Overnight Fire damages Northland apartment building Tuesday night Kansas City firefighters battled an apartment fire Tuesday night in the Northland. Fire crews were called just before 10 p.m. to the 6800 block of Northwest 81st Street and found fire showing from the second floor of the building.No injuries were reported.The cause of the fire is under investigation. Double Murder Backstory KC man charged in September 2019 double murder KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A Kansas City man, who was arrested recently on unrelated charges in Iowa, faces charges in connection with a double fatal shooting in September of 2019. 28-year-old Kevin D. Dean faces two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, first degree attempted robbery and unlawful use of a weapon. Angels Allege Hellish Boss Former Victoria's Secret executive accused of harassing Bella Hadid, other models in shocking expose A shocking expose details the reportedly toxic culture within the Victoria's Secret organization, including accusations against a top executive for allegedly harassing supermodel Bella Hadid and countless others. The New York Times interviewed more than 30 current and former executives, employees, contractors and models who have worked with L Brands, Victoria's Secret parent company, in recent years for an expose about its cultural practices. Democratic Party Tech Trouble Lessons Learned From The Iowa Caucuses, And Danger Signs Ahead subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast If the Iowa caucuses were a pop quiz on how well the nation is prepared for the 2020 elections, it looks like almost everyone failed. Or at least that they need to do a lot more remedial work. The meltdown was extensive. No Stopping Prez Trump Now Trump's acquittal may have profound impact on presidential power Trump's acquittal, which is expected to take place on Wednesday, was largely preordained. A GOP-majority Senate was never likely to convict a Republican president, particularly one with Trump's influence over his party. Politics Of Sickness The coronavirus lays bare the limits of WHO's health diplomacy with China On social media this week the insults were flying thick and fast, some tinged with racism, but all with a common theme: how the World Health Organization, and its head, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was effectively doing the bidding of the Chinese government in the midst of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. More Weather Worries Flurries, light snow move in for your Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration Hide Transcript Show Transcript REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH TOMORROW. A LOOK AT FIRST ALERT CLOUDS AND RADAR. IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WASN'T GOING TO BE MUCH REDEVELOPMENT. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE ARE SEEING SOME OF THAT SNOW TART -- START TO POP UP AGAIN. With tribute to, we check pop culture, community news and just a few more tidbits from across the nation.is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . DES MOINES, Iowa Democratic officials in Iowa on Tuesday provided a measure of clarity to the muddled outcome of its statewide caucuses, releasing a delayed first wave of partial results that showed Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders with a preliminary lead and former Vice President Joe Biden falling well behind the other top-tier candidates. The release of the partial data, which accounted for 71% of caucus precincts, came after a night and day of suspense, confusion and silence from the Iowa Democratic Party after major problems with its new results reporting system. Even as the party began preparing to release the partial results on Tuesday afternoon, it drew sharp criticism from several campaigns that wanted a complete result, either to have a definitive outcome or frame their Iowa performance in the best possible light. While the results of Monday nights caucuses could change with more data, the highly competitive race between Buttigieg, a moderate, and Sanders, a liberal, reflected the divisions among Democrats about the ideological direction of the party, and sets up a crucial test for both wings of the party in the New Hampshire primary, on Feb. 11, where Sanders leads in the polls. The partial Iowa results also showed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in third place, with Biden trailing her by several points and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota behind him. Yet there was little evidence in the data released Tuesday that any candidate was on the way to the kind of dominant victory that would have a good chance of transforming the Democratic race. No one appeared on track to receive more than about a quarter of the vote, and five held support in the double digits a further indication that the Iowa caucuses were unlikely to play a decisive role in deciding the Democratic nominee. Several other candidates, including Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer, registered about 1% support or less. In Iowa, the candidates support is measured chiefly in the number of state-level delegates that each amasses, which in turn determines how many delegates they can collect for the Democratic nominating convention next summer. The state party is in the process of releasing popular vote totals as well, though their significance can be diluted in the arcane, multistage caucus process. In a sign of how uncertain the final outcome remained, Sanders held a lead over Buttigieg in the popular vote but trailed him narrowly in the state delegate count, with nearly three-quarters of the totals reported. The precinct data was released in two batches, most of it in the late afternoon and then a smaller installment at night, and the state party said it came from across all 99 counties. It was not immediately clear whether the initial tranche of caucus returns were reflective of the overall dynamics in the state, nor did the state party indicate when the complete results would be available. Several campaigns, including that of Biden, expressed frustration to state officials earlier Tuesday with the idea of publicizing a partial data set, amid widespread confusion about the breakdown in reporting the results. But under pressure to salvage the caucuses from a humiliating logistical debacle, Iowa Democratic leaders decided to go ahead with releasing numbers from a majority of precincts without waiting for the counting process to be completed. The halting and hectic process in Iowa was an unsightly spectacle for the Democratic Party at the start of its presidential nominating process, offering President Donald Trump an easy target for gloating and ridicule and raising serious questions about whether Iowa would be allowed to retain its first-in-the-nation status in future elections. Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, appeared downcast on Tuesday as he described the process as unacceptable in remarks to reporters. As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this, he said. Price repeatedly stressed that the data was accurate and said the security of the returns was his paramount concern. The returns posted on Tuesday largely mirrored the scenario that the leading presidential campaigns detected during the caucuses, gathering precinct-level information on their own and in some cases releasing it to the media to make up for the void of hard results. Should the rest of the Iowa results mostly mirror the data published on Tuesday, it could represent a significant embarrassment for Biden, who entered the race as a front-runner last spring but has struggled mightily in recent months to compete with fresher-faced and more liberal rivals in both Iowa and New Hampshire. For a period in January, his campaign had grown hopeful that he had a chance of winning Iowa and establishing early dominance, but by caucus night that seemed a remote prospect. Biden is aiming to retake control of the race later in February, when the competition moves to Nevada and South Carolina, two far more diverse states long seen as friendly to his candidacy. But first he may have to explain his Iowa slump to the political donors whose support he needs to compete in the larger primary states that vote at the beginning of March. Bidens campaign has said it expected to accrue delegates in Iowa and was bracing for an extended contest. Yet if Bidens dismal standing appeared clear enough, the actual identity of the Iowa winner remained a question mark. Both Sanders, I-Vt., and Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, have tried to claim an overall victory in the state, based on their internal campaign data, and they were too closely matched in the initial returns to declare a single winner. But in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Buttigieg brandished the available data to once again declare something like victory, and his supporters were encouraged to see his slim edge over Sanders in state delegates hold up as another installment of results came through close to midnight on the East Coast. Theyre not complete, but results are in from a majority of precincts and they show our campaign in first place, he said. The strength displayed so far by Sanders and Buttigieg underscored just how fluid the Democratic race remains, with a 78-year-old democratic socialist who ran for president four years ago deadlocked in Iowa with a 38-year-old former municipal official who was largely unknown a year ago and both of them substantially ahead of a former two-term vice president. The result also underscored the divisions on the moderate side of the Democratic Party, with three candidates closer to the political center Buttigieg, Biden and Klobuchar collecting a majority of delegate votes so far, but a candidate of the left, Sanders, still in a position to prevail because of the strength of his progressive base. The chaos surrounding the caucus process may limit the effect of the Iowa outcome: It is already apparent that, in a departure from past presidential campaigns, no candidate intends to drop out as a result of a disappointing finish in Iowa. Several candidates, including Biden and Warren, emphasized on the night of the caucuses that the nomination would be decided over a long process. And by late afternoon Tuesday, every major candidate and a number of lower-profile competitors had already moved on to New Hampshire, the next state in line, which holds a primary on Feb. 11. Arriving there Tuesday afternoon, Sanders struck a balance between lamenting the procedural breakdowns in Iowa and defending the ultimate significance of the vote there. He eagerly held up his advantage in the popular vote as proof of his strength in the race, also acknowledging the caucuses were not a good night for democracy. I think we should all be disappointed in the inability of the party to come up with timely results, Sanders said. But we are not casting aspersions on the votes that are being counted. Warren, also campaigning in New Hampshire, said Iowa had to get it together and criticized the decision to publish fragmentary results. I just dont understand what that means to release half of the data, Warren said in Keene. So, I think they ought to get it together and release all of the data. In Iowa, Price declined to lay out a timeline for completing the tabulation and releasing the results. On a midday conference call and in other private conversations with Iowa party leaders, representatives for Sanders, Buttigieg, Warren and Klobuchar urged local officials to provide the most complete set of results possible, and several campaign emissaries pushed for access to the paper trail that the party was using to verify returns from the caucuses. Bidens campaign took a more combative approach, repeatedly questioning in public and private the integrity of the caucuses and objecting to the partys plans for releasing the results. If you put out 50% of results, people are going to take that as final, Jesse Harris, a Biden adviser in Iowa, said on the conference call with the party. Thats only half. Thats not the total picture of what happened yesterday. In an uncharacteristic reversal of roles, it was Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders, who spoke up to defend the Iowa Democratic Party against criticism from the Biden camp on the conference call. Four years ago, it was the Sanders camp that raised alarm about the reliability of Iowas opaque results, in a clash that yielded a more complex set of data-reporting requirements that appear to have snarled the state party this time around. But Weaver suggested that those raising the sharpest objections this time had ulterior motives. I do want to urge people in the interest of not discrediting the party, he said, that folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results, last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous. Caucuses are largely a relic of the past, and Democratic Party rules prodded all but a few states to switch this year to holding straightforward primary elections. Democratic leaders in two states that still use the caucus system, Nevada and North Dakota, made statements Tuesday distancing themselves from the fiasco in Iowa. I am 100% confident that what happened in Iowa will not happen in Nevada, Harry Reid, the former Senate Democratic leader from Nevada, said on Twitter. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Isabelle Harris (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 16:41 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c092a 4 Lifestyle rape,rape-case,Sitok-Srengenge,rape-culture,feminist,Sexual-assault,sexual-abuse,Salihara-Theater Free Around seven years ago, a female student from the University of Indonesia was about to meet her idol but little did she know that the meeting would haunt her for the rest of her life. The idol, noted poet Sitok Srengenge, who was also one of the curators of the Salihara arts community, granted her an interview request as part of her poetry studies. The student and Sitok agreed to meet at the poets dorm but what was supposed to be an interview session turned out to be something entirely different. Sitok allegedly plied the student with alcoholic drinks and then raped her. Using his manipulative influence on the young girl, he is alleged to have raped her repeatedly on different occasions until she became pregnant. After falling into depression and contemplating suicide, the student, with the help of her lecturers and friends, found enough courage to report Sitok to the police in November 2013 and the case became public. A couple of weeks after the report, two more women stepped forward and also accused Sitok of rape. The police took almost a year to name Sitok a suspect in October 2014. Until now, however, Sitok has never faced trial for his alleged crimes. Sitok lives a quiet and regular life despite the occasional incident, such as when two activist groups One Billion Rising Yogyakarta and the Yogyakarta Womens Network (JPY) successfully called for him to be removed from the lineup at a 2015 writing event in Singapore, while his alleged victims were still waiting for justice to be served. In addition, Sitoks circle of friends, which includes influential figures from Indonesias arts and cultural community, perhaps surprisingly, defend him by blaming his alleged victims for being willing to go to his home in the first place. The slow progress of Sitoks case is a summary of everything that is wrong with how Indonesian society handles sexual violence; from victim blaming to the preservation of a rape culture through apologetic behavior, even from those who are supposedly against it. Sitoks case is just a tip of the iceberg. Sexual violence in Indonesia is systemic and widespread, intimidating hundreds of women. A joint study by sexual violence survivor advocacy group Lentera Sintas Indonesia, feminist online magazine Magdalene and online petition portal change.org released in 2016 showed that out of the 25,213 respondents, 1,636 said they had been raped and two thirds were minors. Around 93 percent of these victims did not report the incidents. Countless stories online describe how victims were too scared to report an attack or incident to the authorities for fear of repercussions from friends or family of the perpetrator. One boy had been repeatedly assaulted by neighbors, but after his family reported the crime, they were forced to leave the neighborhood because of intimidation from neighbors who thought the family was stirring up trouble. It is cases like these and a rapist-protection culture that drive survivors away from reporting, keeping the number of reported cases much lower than actual incident counts. Anindya Restuviani, co-director of Hollaback! Jakarta, a group that documents cases of sexual assault and harassment across the world, said that many people in authority still partly attributed the harassment to the victim. Even the police are reluctant to pursue sexual harassment cases because of the lack of a legal framework, she said. Gabi, an Australian currently working in Jakarta knows this all too well. She was walking down the street with some friends near her workplace when she heard a man yelling Miss! Miss! from a motorcycle on the road. As a foreigner, she had heard catcalling before, but turned to look at him anyway. I immediately turned around and tried to ignore him, but he kept following me, calling at me to look while driving slowly and exposing himself, she described. Gabi knew there was no point berating him or going to the police; nothing would change and no charges would be pressed as she could not identify the man. This incident made me so angry because I feel that women have to deal with this on a daily basis, she said of the harassment. Even worse, sometimes the victims face charges against themselves relating to their own sexual assault or harassment cases. For example, a woman, who accused self-styled spiritual guru Aa Gatot of raping her repeatedly over nine years and forcing her to end her pregnancies, faces defamation charges as the result of a counter-complaint, Vice Asia has reported. Gatots legal team asserted that she was addicted to sex, could not have been raped by the same man multiple times, and only wanted something out of Gatot. The laws that we have surrounding sexual harassment either protect the perpetrators or worse, criminalize the victim, Anindya said, referencing Indonesias Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law and Pornography Law. Institutionally, it can be difficult for victims to prosecute due to legal restrictions in handling the cases. Facing their abuser in court is often distressing for the victim. This deters people from pursuing the case or taking it to court in the first place and it is made worse by some media outlets that prefer to focus on the victim and sensualize their appearance. Widespread acceptance of rape myths, such as a victims dress style inciting a perpetrator to act, also contributes to the feeling of entitlement among rapists and their apologist peers. This is made worse when the police are the ones who accept the myths and place the blame on the victim. Indonesia still has a long way to go to deal with sexual violence cases properly. For now, Anindya said, what activists and advocates alike needed to do was to educate the public even more on what should be talked about when it came to assisting the victims. Putting more of a burden on the victim by saying you shouldve done this [] is the same as blaming the victim for doing something that is out of their control, she said. Lets shift the conversation to what bystanders should do when they see harassment occurring, As for the victims, we should tell them to stay strong, that we believe you and weve got your back. Isabelle Harris traveled to Indonesia under a program with ACICIS Study Indonesia. An Air New Zealand flight carrying 198 people from Wuhan has landed in Auckland. The flight touched down on Wednesday, with passengers from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands immediately taken to Whangaparaoa military base for a 14-day quarantine. The 35 Australians on board were taken directly to Christmas Island, a former off-shore detention facility, to join the 241 people taken there on board a Qantas fight from the coronavirus epicentre. An Air New Zealand flight (pictured) carrying 198 people from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has landed in Auckland The flight (pictured) touched down on Wednesday and passengers from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands were immediately taken to Whangaparaoa military base for a 14-day quarantine So far, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus infection among the men, women and children already on the island, where they are being held for up to two weeks. A team of specialist doctors and nurses is closely monitoring the evacuees. Up to 600 Australians initially registered for the evacuation flights home but some have decided to remain in Wuhan. It is not clear how many will join the next flight. Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the plan was for passengers to be isolated in small family groups on Christmas Island. 'There won't be a full mingling,' he said in Canberra on Monday. 'If someone does get unwell their family might have to start again for 14 days but we wouldn't want to expose the whole group to that.' However since the first evacuees landed on Christmas Island the escapees have been left than impressed by the conditions. Evacuees claim they are now being forced to stay in cockroach-infested rooms, with some of the 84 children on the island 'too scared to touch their beds'. The 35 Australians on board the flight were taken directly to Christmas Island, a former off-shore detention facility. Pictured: Australians already under quarantine on the island 'The hygiene issues make it worse than a prison. I understood that there would be very limited facilities here, but the actual condition is no facilities at all,' evacuee Belinda Chen told the ABC. Ms Chen, who is staying at the centre with her two kids, said the conditions were 'thousands of times worse' than what she imagined. 'I felt sick when I walked into the bathroom, there were bugs and flies everywhere,' she said. Another evacuee said it felt like they were being treated like 'a group of animals'. 'It's even more dangerous than staying in Wuhan, it is life-threatening conditions here, it is worse than self-isolation in Wuhan,' the person, who chose to remain anonymous, said. There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Zealand at this stage Other families claimed the cots provided for their babies were dirty and the linen hadn't been washed. Photos of the housing unit show plain steel bunk beds with mini fridges and shelving, while the shared bathrooms have metal toilets with plastic lids. Another woman said the facility looked 'completely different' from the photos evacuees were shown by the Government. The evacuees were given a brochure written in simplified Chinese saying they would be provided with 'every facility and service' they needed while on the island. Australians were also evacuated from the city earlier this week before being taken to Christmas Island Some evacuees have struggled to get in contact with their families as there is little to no mobile reception on the island, which is located 1500km west of mainland Australia. A $10 credit for the centre's phones was handed out to the evacuees in case they needed a doctor in the middle of the night. But others said the state of the facility were 'acceptable' and 'very simple but clean'. Sydney resident Gloria Zeng said there was a large courtyard with grass for kids to run around on. She also said staff painted a welcome sign to greet the evacuees with when they arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning. However - it is unlikely many more will be joining them. The prime minister warned Australians still in Wuhan that a second assisted evacuation flight home could possibly be the last. Evacuees claim they are now being forced to stay in cockroach-infested rooms, with some of the 84 children on the island 'too scared to touch their beds' 'What I want to tell people is that they can't count on a further flight beyond that,' he told Nine Network. The details of the second evacuation flight are still to be negotiated with Chinese authorities. The death toll from coronavirus in China has now passed 490, while there are now more than 24,000 confirmed cases on the mainland. There are no confirmed cases of the virus in New Zealand. Australia confirmed a 13th case of the illness on Tuesday after an eight-year-old boy in Queensland was confirmed to have the illness. He was part of a tour group where two other people, both in their 40s, were diagnosed with coronavirus. All three are in a stable condition at Gold Coast University Hospital. The Arkansas Insurance Departments Consumer Services Division (CSD) for recovering $3,005,606 for the states insurance consumers in 2019, the department said. Recoveries are dollar amounts recovered in excess of the amounts initially offered by insurance companies. CSD closed 2,320 cases in 2019 while receiving 2,264 consumer complaints. In 2019, Consumer Services had a combined total of 18,221 Arkansas consumers who either called or walked-in to the Department to discuss insurance questions. The Consumer Services Division assists insurance consumers with complaints and inquiries regarding insurance companies, producers, and adjusters. CSD investigates all complaints, working with the insurance company and the consumer to determine the appropriate course of action. CSD travels statewide to provide educational information and materials, and in the event of significant storm damage, travels to damaged areas to assist homeowners with filing claims and procuring emergency living expenses. During the 2019 flooding disaster, CSD staff participated in both the FEMA-sponsored Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) program and the Arkansas Red Cross Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC) in various locations around the state, assisting 152 Arkansans. Source: Arkansas Insurance Department The Assam Police on Wednesday recovered five bomb like objects from Panikhaiti area in Kamrup district, a senior police officer said. Kamrup, Additional Superintendent of Police, Sanjib Saikia told PTI that the five bomb like objects were found at Panikhaiti near Chhaygaon police station. "A team of Chhaygaon police station led by the OC went to Panikhaiti for investigation of a case. On way to the residence of the accused, the police team recovered the objects," he said. "The police will be able to confirm about the objects only after getting the test report from the FSL," the ASP added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joaquin Phoenix kicked off Black History Month at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts ceremony by lecturing the London audience on racial discrimination. His acceptance speech for the Best Actor prize was a more interesting performance than the hebephrenia Phoenix displayed in Joker. Rather than hide behind a clowns mask of madness and social victimization, Phoenix mixed empathy with self-importance. Perhaps he meant this attempt at commiseration to be better than the usual moral intimidation, yet it revealed the actors deep naivete. What used to be called bleeding-heart liberalism is now conflated with self-righteousness. While under the sway of political fashion, Phoenix, in his sincerity, clarified the oafish middle ground. Taking his sentimentality beyond the generic hashtag protest, Phoenix displayed a personal, simple-minded credulousness: I feel very honored and privileged. . . . But I have to say I also feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors dont have that same privilege. I think we send a very clear message to people of color that you are not welcome here. From that point, Phoenixs good intentions veered into rogue opportunism. If he understood that the awards were meant to be premised on pointing out excellence, not race, thered be no need to signal through mawkish, hands-in-pockets, aw-shucks pity and verbal fumbling that he was one with progressive dissenters. Phoenix continued: I dont think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although thats what we give ourselves every year. I think people just want to be appreciated for their work. But guilt came next: This is not a self-righteous condemnation, because I am part of the problem. . . . We have to do the hard work to really understand systemic racism. Apparently, ordinarily Phoenix is satisfied with the system of narcissistic self-congratulation. Systemic racism is just a catchphrase he picked up like the odious people of color from social media and pandering politicians, without understanding the delimiting ramifications of such terms. It seems that the social issues that Joker pretends to critique have not changed Phoenixs method of working or thinking, and this ultimately makes his peer-scolding acceptance speech as asinine as Joker itself. (In his previous nihilistic film, You Were Never Really Here, Phoenix showed his tendency to wallow in shame and confusion.) Story continues But Phoenixs coyness on stage proves instructive. Despite complaining in behalf of people who have contributed so much to our medium and our industry in ways that we have benefited from, Phoenix never took the time to appreciate any particular work as extraordinary. So I will. Actor Tory Kittles in Dragged across Concrete gave the richest characterization of a black actor in the past decade. But because the film didnt suit the prejudices of mainstream reviewers and elite Hollywood, Kittles and S. Craig Zahlers remarkable film were ignored during awards season. Kittless Slim was a rare black film role that surpassed modish stereotypes (such as Daniel Kaluuyas character in Queen & Slim); his intelligence and compassion come through the profane street facade (the young Morgan Freeman we never got to see, I wrote in my review.) If film-culture elites casually deny such achievements, it is too late to blame awards-season folly. And it sets an unhelpful tone for Black History Month. Phoenixs signoff was not inspiring but rather pathetic: I think that it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuated and benefit from the system of oppression to dismantle it. Thats on us. So, thank you. He wasnt being snide; hes a hippie child who mistakes counterculture cliches (systemic racism, people of color, preferential treatment, systemic racism) for heartfelt standards. He doesnt think through political fashion, and, as an American abroad, he was rude, besides. A long time ago, in a moral galaxy far, far away, a truly great actor named Marlon Brando refused an award an Oscar for playing Don Corleone in The Godfather, the peak of Brandos career as a show of principle to rebuke Hollywoods racist practices. Now misguided celebrities such as Phoenix want a grandstanding Millennial moment and their awards, too. Phoenixs BAFTA message doesnt reflect on Jokers dangerous message of violent anarchy, but Kittles and Zahlers film offered the modern miracle of empathy, and that means more than any award-equality speech. More from National Review Putin Prepares To Release Iowa Caucus Results By Moon Of Alabama February 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Unprecedented cybersecurity measures being taken to safeguard Iowa caucus results - Jan 29 2020 No one knows how many of Iowas 1,700 precinct leaders will opt to use a new smartphone app to report Democratic caucus results Monday night. But the security of that app will be the source of much scrutiny. After reports of Russian hacking attempts in the 2016 presidential election, party leaders are taking unprecedented precautions to protect against cybersecurity breaches and the spread of disinformation on social media. On Wednesday, Democratic Party officials in Iowa and Washington confirmed that the Democratic National Committee is deploying security staff to work with the state party to assist with any caucus problems. --- For three years, weve been preparing for the process that officially kicks off tonight in Iowa: the Democratic presidential primary. Today our chair, @TomPerez, reflects on the reforms weve made to make this the most transparent primary in our history: How We Prepared for 2020 --- Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter NPR Politics @nprpolitics - 5:33 UTC Feb 4, 2020 "By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious," Pete Buttigieg said in a late-night speech. 0% of Iowa caucus results are in. --- Walker Bragman @WalkerBragman - 5:59 UTC Feb 4, 2020 Not great optics here, folks: - Dems paid company literally called Shadow to create caucus app - Buttigieg campaign also paid Shadow, FEC records show - Caucus app fails - Buttigieg declares himself Iowa winner with no results --- Pro-Israel Buttigieg backer Seth Klarman is top funder of group behind Iowas disastrous voting app At the time of publication, twelve hours after voting in the Democratic Partys Iowa caucuses ended, the results have not been announced. The delay in reporting is the result of a failed app developed by a company appropriately named Shadow Inc. This firm was staffed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaign veterans and created by a Democratic dark money nonprofit backed by hedge fund billionaires including Seth Klarman. A prolific funder of pro-settler Israel lobby organizations, Klarman has also contributed directly to Pete Buttigiegs campaign. --- The Sanders campaign published its internal count from some 40% of the precincts which they say are representative. Their unofficial result: Sanders - 30%; Buttigieg - 25%; Warren - 21%; Biden - 12%; Klobucher - 11%; all others < 1% What a clusterfuck. This article was published by "Moon Of Alabama" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== This is very genuinely funny. (Please dont watch if youre not American or youll know were a failed state) pic.twitter.com/HAiyP9bKSz rob delaney (@robdelaney) February 5, 2020 Live Results: Iowa Caucuses 2020 App made by Clinton campaign veterans firm is behind Iowa caucuses debacle How Government and Media Are Prepping America for a Failed 2020 Election: Russia, China and Iran are already being blamed for using tech to undermine the 2020 election. Yet, the very technologies they are allegedly using were created by a web of companies with deep ties to Israeli intelligence. All around Mr. Trump were reminders of his ordeal over the last several months. One of the members of the escort committee that brought him in, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, is part of the team of House Democrats prosecuting him. The president encountered Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is presiding over the Senate trial and seemed intent on maintaining a studious neutral expression during their brief exchange. While he made no mention of impeachment, Mr. Trump did single out Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader who has single-handedly ensured he would survive the trial without witnesses testifying against him. Thank you, Mitch, Mr. Trump said at one point, referring to the senators help confirming judges, but it would not be surprising if he were grateful for other reasons. The presidents grim mood belied what was otherwise a good day for him. Aside from his coming acquittal and the chance to address the largest television audience of the year uninterrupted, Mr. Trump earlier in the day reveled in the Democratic dysfunction in the Iowa caucus and avidly sought to exploit it to promote suspicion among his rivals. He and his sons and allies pumped out Twitter messages suggesting the botched Iowa count was an effort to rig the election for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and against Senator Bernie Sanders, the candidate the president would rather face in the fall. Its a fiasco that just plays right into us, the president told television network anchors during an off-the-record lunch earlier in the day, according to people in the room. What other people would look at as a moment of completely political meltdown for this president, it all appears to accrue to his benefit, said Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union. He actually looks like the adult in the room. Democrats acknowledged that the Iowa breakdown played to Mr. Trumps advantage, at least in the short term. A Tokyo restaurant chain has opened a small pub in one of the citys busiest train stations, with a robot bartender serving drinks to commuters on their way home from work. Called Zeroken Robo Tavern, the bar is located in Tokyos bustling Ikebukuro train station and is owned by Yoronotaki, a company that operates a chain of izakaya-style restaurants around the country. The Zeroken Robo Tavern in Tokyo's bustling Ikebukuro Station has a robot bartender that can serve draft beer, sake, and mixed drinks The small space opened on January 23 and will run until March 19, part of a pilot program run to see how customers respond to being served by a machine instead of a human. Customers will first pay for their drinks at an automated payment kiosk. They'll receive a QR code receipt, which they present to the robot. After the robot scans the QR code it will go about preparing the drink. It takes about 40 seconds to pour a glass of draft beer and a little under a minute to deliver a cocktail or mixed drink. The robot also has a set of cameras built into its screen to monitor the emotional state of customers, tracking whether theyre happy or growing impatient. The robot was designed by QBIT Robotics, which developed a similar robot arm server for a small takout pasta restaurant. For robots, pasta, izakaya, and coffee are the same, QBITs Hiroya Nakano said. You can do various things by changing cooking equipment. The robot bartender was developed by QBIT Robotics, which had previously used a similar machine in a takeout pasta restaurant With around one-third of the countrys population over 65, worker shortfalls have become common in Japan. In the healthcare industry, industry watchers expect worker shortages will reach 380,000 by 2025. Yoronotaki decided to pursue the robotic bartender project in part because it could present a solution to the companys recent challenges in maintaining a full staff. The recent shortage of labor in the food service industry is a very serious problem, and our company is no exception, Yoronotakis Yukio Tsuchiya told Japan Top News. The robot bartender costs around $82,000, the equivalent of around three years salary for an average bartender in Japan. Customers pay for their orders at a kiosk and get a QR code receipt that they present to the robot, who'll then commence making their drink The initial response from customers has been generally positive. I like it because dealing with people can be a hassle, Satoshi Harada told Retuters. With this you can just come and get drunk. If they could make it a little quicker it would be even better. Explained: Who is Zakia Jafri and what are her complaints India oi-Briti Roy Barman New Delhi, Jan 05: The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed April 14 for hearing a plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain MP Congress Ehsan Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots. The apex court said that the matter had been adjourned many times and as it will have to hear it someday the court listed the matter asking all to be available for the hearing on the due date. "This matter has been adjourned so many times, whatever it is, we will have to hear it someday. Take one date and make sure you all are available," said a bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and A M Khanwilkar. Gujarat Riots Case: SC to hear Zakia Jafri's plea on April 14 Jafri's lawyer advocate Aparna Bhatt said that the matter is a contentious one and sought adjournment of the matter till after the Holi vacation next month. She though said senior advocate Kapil Sibal would argue on behalf of Jafri. The Jafri case has been adjourned five times since the petition was filed in 2018. Jafri's counsel told the top court that notice needs to be issued in the plea as the plea relates to an alleged "larger conspiracy" of riots and continued violence from February 27 to May 2002. Who is Zakia Jafri Zakia Jafri is the widow of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was brutally murdered in the 2002 Gulberg Society massacre that took place day after Godhra genocide in Gujarat on February 27. The couple was sheltering their neighbours from a violent mob during the attack as a mob of thousands gathered outside the residential colony. Ehsan stepped out for mercy to the mob for the people he was sheltering and murdered in the process. Jafri Zakia, who had hidden on a room on the first floor, survived the attack. Gulbarg Society massacre in 2002 Gulbarg Society was tagged as an upper and middle class residential colony in north Ahmedabad. The massacre took place a day after the Godhra train fire, in which 59 pilgrims were charred to death. Hatred was torching all over Gujarat as it was the Gulberg's turn to be the victim. Residents sought shelter at Jafri's bungalow as houses were set on fire one after another. The rioters did not spare the former parliamentarian as they lynched him and torched his bungalow that killed 69 people include Ehsan Jafri. The trial court described the massacre as the "darkest day in the history of civil society of Gujarat." The first complaint in the Zakia Jafri case On June 8, 2006, Zakia Jafri filed an FIR against 63 people which include the then chief minister of Gujarat and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top ministers, MLAs, IAS and IPS officers, and political leaders. The timeline Now 80, Jafri has been fighting for justice for her slain husband since 2006. The June 8, 2006 complaint did not get any response and Jafri filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court praying that her complaint be treated as FIR. But the High Court dismissed this complaint. Zakia Jafri then moved Supreme Court against the order passed on November 2, 2007, by the Gujarat High Court. On February 8, 2012, the Special Investigation Team filed a closure report giving a clean chit to Narendra Modi and 63 others. Jafri then filed a plea in Gujarat High Court against the SIT decision in 2017 and as it was rejected she filed the petition in 2018 in the apex court against Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order. Since the petition was filed in 2018 the case has been adjourned five times till now. Are Zakia Jafri case and Gulberg case same? Both the cases are distinct as Zakia Jafri case seeks the justice for the massacre that took place at Gulberg Society, the Gulberg case deals with criminal and administrative liability. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Feb. 4, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-06-257063-5) Jane McKeene and Katherine Deveraux are back in this sequel to the alternate history novel Dread Nation, in which the dead rise after the Battle of Gettysburg and black girls are trained to be Attendants to wealthy white society. After the fall of Summerland, Jane and her band of survivors are on the run, attempting to reach Nicodemus, the fabled safehaven. But when they reach the town, they find a few familiar faces that portend burgeoning trouble. Greg Walden Walden, a Republican, represents Oregons 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Its hard to know what to say to comfort a father who tells you how he found his bright, hard-working, teenage son dead on the family room floor less than a year ago. The autopsy showed the boy had ingested two types of fentanyl. The coroner said that even the small amount of powder he had used was 10 times more than what was needed to kill him. A deadly dose of fentanyl can be as small as the amount needed to cover Abe Lincolns ear on a penny. Its stories like this fathers that causes me to keep fighting this terrible scourge. And thats why I recently led the House passage of legislation to help stop illegal fentanyl from getting into our communities. One thing we all know by now - the opioid epidemic is still a national crisis that destroys lives and shatters families all across our state and our country. It has taken far too many lives and wreaked havoc on far too many communities. In 2018, President Trump signed into law the nations most historic effort to combat the opioid crisis the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act which expands access to treatment and recovery services and provides new tools for keeping drugs out of communities. The legislation, which I authored, has already led to several successes. That same year, we started seeing fewer people die from overdoses and more people getting medical care for their substance use disorder. Weve also seen new funding go to local caregivers and organizations to help provide for people in need both in Oregon and across the nation. All of this is good news, but we have much more work to do. Moreover, we have to think beyond opioids and put a renewed focus on the stimulant epidemic. Currently, the use of illicit stimulants, like cocaine and meth, is increasing. Tragically, according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Oregon was ranked second in the nation for methamphetamine use. Even more concerning is the fact that this issue is only growing. In 2018, the number of methamphetamine-related deaths in Oregon reached a historic high of 272, according to the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Programs 2020 drug threat assessment. That number is nearing the combined total of deaths related to opioid use for Oregon. Since 2009, the number of methamphetamine deaths in our state has increased by a whopping 400 percent. Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500-700 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. Recently, I joined a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers in raising concerns over the frightening increased use of stimulants that we are seeing. We sent letters to the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration noting that while we remain committed to improving treatment, prevention and protecting communities from deadly illicit drugs, we must also ensure our fight is multi-faceted. Appropriate attention and resources must be devoted to combating not just opioids, but also illicit stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine. In our letter, we emphasized the need for an agency response on this issue in order to better understand how the relevant agencies are monitoring and fighting the rising threat of illicit stimulant use. Oregon, beyond the Portland metropolitan area, has a relatively low rate of cocaine-involved overdose deaths. However, nationwide, cocaine use and overdose deaths are growing. Nationwide, cocaine was involved with 14,948 drug overdose deaths in 2018, accounting for one in five of all overdose deaths that year. From 2016 to 2017, we saw a 37 percent increase in the number of Americans who died from an overdose involving psychostimulants, totaling more than 10,000 deaths. These numbers are only going to get worse if we do not join forces and develop preventative measures and treatment for all substance use disorders. America answered the call to action when the opioid crisis swept across the nation and now America must do the same to combat the stimulant epidemic. The Plain Dealer highlighted a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial Sunday, Feb. 2, advocating seat belts in tour buses (Seat, shoulder belts should be required on buses). It noted a mountain of evidence showing that seat and shoulder belts save lives in vehicle crashes. Seat belts have saved thousands of lives since they were mandated in 1968 cars. Ohio school bus drivers have had seat belts since 1986. Avon Lake and Beachwood recently installed lap-shoulder seat belts in their new school buses to decrease their childrens risk. Both communities, first in Ohio to do this, have demonstrated leadership, understanding and compassion for children and provide a model for other communities. Lap-shoulder seat belts are a standard of care for school buses. Communities gamble every day that children fly down the highway without seat belts. Horrendous accidents and body counts should not be the basis for taking action. The additional cost for belts is estimated at only about $5 per student per year. We need to end the debate on the obvious effectiveness of seat belts and protect our children now. Rudy Breglia, Avon Lake Rudy Breglia promotes the School Bus Safety Alliance at http://schoolbusseatbeltsafety.com. South Carolina Republicans are poised to push voters to support Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) in the open South Carolina Democratic primary next week, because they view him as the weakest opponent to face Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders is the most socialistic, liberal candidate running in the Democratic presidential preference primary, Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp told The Post and Courier. So we feel we can make a strong point that our Democratic state legislators need to help work to close our primaries so it protects them as well as the Republican brand. The most recent Post and Courier poll for the primary found that Sanders trailed former vice president Joe Biden by five points, which prompted Leupp to declare that Republicans can easily affect the outcome. This is going to catch on like wildfire, he stated. The Post and Courier reported that Leupp and other state Republican leaders plan to announce the plan at a press conference on Thursday. South Carolina has open primaries, allowing voters to participate in either partys contest, but with no option to write in candidates. Although the South Carolina GOP had canceled its own primary, Leupp said the move to support Sanders can still help Trump. It helps the Upstates cause of registration by party and closed primaries, so its a win-win for any conservative Republican, he said. Leupp admitted that he had gotten the idea from conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who launched Operation Chaos in 2008 to encourage Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries to sow discord. President Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom the highest civilian honor during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, calling him the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. More from National Review The school maintenance backlog in Northern Ireland currently stands at 400m - the same amount of additional funding needed for education each year. The stark figure was presented to the Stormont education committee on Wednesday by the Education Authority (EA). One of its officials revealed the figure to committee chairperson, Alliances Chris Lyttle. School maintenance is required to ensure all schools operate at a modern standard. Mr Lyttle heard that the 400m cost equated to 1,600 schemes. The figure comes just a week after Education Minister , Peter Weir warned that schools require an extra 400m per year. This represents a 20% rise on the current annual education budget of around 2bn. Sara Long, EA chief executive, also echoed Mr Weirs comments, insisting the extra investment is required. The 400m is in order to continue the system as it is, she added. However, she added that for radical reform of the education system, key policy changes are needed. An undercover police sergeant shot a man authorities say attacked her in an apparent carjacking attempt in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The 57-year-old sergeant was sitting in a car near North Park and West Hunting Park avenues around 7:30 p.m. when the suspect threw a rock into her drivers side window, grabbed her by the neck, and tried to drag her out of the car, Action News 6 ABC is reporting. As the 25-year-old man continued to attack her, the sergeant pulled out her gun and opened fire, NBC 10 is reporting. Reports indicate the suspect was shot at least once and ran away, only to be found 20 minutes later when he broke into a nearby home to hide but was chased out by the homeowner. The suspect is at the hospital, listed in critical condition. The sergeant, a 23-year veteran of the department, was treated for minor injuries, reports indicate. Acting police Commissioner Christine Coulter said it doesnt appear the suspect knew she was an undercover officer during the attempted carjacking, according to reports. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Pelosi, too, seemed aggravated at moments by the spectacle unfolding before her. At one point, when Trump exhorted, We must always remember that our job is to put America first, the House Democratic leader clapped, then shook her head and half-lifted her arms, as if to wonder aloud how, exactly, she was supposed to act when Trump said something seemingly innocuous and patriotic put America first that also happened to be a campaign refrain and controversial foreign policy dictum. As was announced this week, I am resigning my position as the CPS Inspector General after five years. I am proud of my service and proud of the people who have worked for me and what they were able to achieve. I was a demanding and frequently impatient boss, and drove my employees hard, sometimes excessively hard, to achieve what they achieved. My tough management style led to complaints by employees, some of which I think were justified. (Reported complaints about my behavior are exaggerated, and allegations that I discriminated against anyone on the basis of race or gender are totally baseless.) That all led to an eventual discussion between me and Mayor Lightfoot in which she requested my resignation. The law is clear that statutory officers have the right to be removed only for cause, and I could have contested in court whether I had truly given adequate cause to be removed. However, after careful thought, I decided that it would be better for me and better for CPS to give the resignation the Mayor requested, so that the morale of the entire office could improve as quickly as possible and everyone could fully concentrate on the oversight and student-protection missions of the office. Pregnant women who are poor, and have lower access to education and employment are more likely to experience a child's death at delivery, according to a study which mapped global patterns of stillbirth rates. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, noted that 2.6 million stillbirths happen worldwide annually, a number that has remained high despite reduction in neonatal, and under-five mortality rates. "Our research offers a better understanding of where stillbirth rates are higher, and what the social causes underlying stillbirths are, not just taking into account the medical factors as most studies do," said Nazeem Muhajarine, from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in Canada. According to the computer model developed by the researchers, stillbirths are more likely in countries where gender inequality is high -- where women face financial hurdles, and have less access to education and employment opportunities compared to men. Assessing data from 194 countries, the model showed which social causes in addition to gender inequality have a potential link to stillbirth rates worldwide. The researchers found that stillbirth rates are more likely in countries where pregnant women have higher rates of iron deficiency, limited pre-birth healthcare, and lack of access to skilled health professionals like nurses, midwives, or doctors. The study also noted "hot spots" of highest stillbirth rates -- a cluster of 37 countries in Africa and Southern Asia. Nigeria and Pakistan, it said, led with 43 deaths for every 1,000 children born, which is an average four times higher than the 2030 national target of 12 deaths per 1,000 births of the World Health Assembly Every Newborn Action Plan (WHA ENAP). The model also marked "cold spots" of low stillbirth rates, mostly in in Canada, Europe, and Northern Asia, between one and 12 deaths per 1,000 births. "A cultural change is needed in 'hot spot' countries around women's conditions," said Muhajarine. "Not only should we offer better hospital services and more access to skilled healthcare professionals, but we also need to make sure that women and girls have access to enough food, better education and work opportunities, and are not married off too early," he said. To lower stillbirth rates worldwide by 44 per cent, the researchers said, requires improving women's access to education by 51 per cent, and improving mothers' nutrition by 59 per cent compared to current worldwide rates. They suggested that pregnant women should get more access to pre-birth health services, and skilled healthcare professionals at the time of delivery. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 05, 2020] Bluedrop Finalizes Contract to Develop V-22 Osprey Special Mission Aviator Ramp Trainers for Boeing Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. ("Bluedrop") (TSX-V: BPLI) and its subsidiary Bluedrop Training & Simulation, today announced it has finalized the contract for the development of a next-generation Special Mission Aviator Ramp Trainer (SMART) with Boeing (News - Alert) [NYSA:BA] for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The $2.6 million award is funded by Boeing under the Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada (ISED), Investment Framework Transaction program. Bluedrop will build full-sized, high-fidelity and immersive virtual reality ramp trainers for the V-22 Osprey, featuring enhanced specific mission capabilities including ramp operation, hoisting systems, gunnery systems and various mission critical procedural training capabilities. The new SMART will interface with Boeing's cockpit training devices to allow for fully interactive crew training and mission scenario training. "Boeing has again shown its full support of Canadian businesses in the Defense and Aerospace domain," said Jean-Claude Siew, Bluedrop executive vice president of Technology and Simulation. "The kickoff of this project is timely as it allows Bluedrop to bring the most advanced immersive technologies available and to evolve its state-of-the-art suite of rear crew training products in support of war fighters." Under the terms of the agreement, Boeing will provide engineering, training and simulation, and ongoing development support for a period of three years. "Boeing has had a presence in Canada for more than 100 years and we are proud to further demonstrate our commitment to Canadian industry with this Bluedrop partnership to offer an new training capability that helps ensure our V-22 customers are mission ready," said John Chicoli, director of Vertical Lift Services for Boeing. "We are working closely with V-22 customers and operators, incorporating their feedback through development, to deliver a trainer that seamlessly integrates with their operational needs." Bluedrop will develop the associated hardware and software from its recently opened Trainin and Simulation production center located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. About Boeing Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth. About Bluedrop Training & Simulation Inc. Bluedrop Training & Simulation Inc. designs and develops advanced training systems and state-of-the-art simulation products to safely train operators and maintainers of complex equipment. Our approach leverages innovative technology to provide cost-effective blended-media training content, from classroom instruction and computer-based training (CBT) through to high-fidelity training devices. Bluedrop Training & Simulation is a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) providing a strong value proposition offering 100% Canadian designed and developed solutions. For more information about Bluedrop, visit www.bluedrop.com. You can follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @Bluedrop_BPL. This news release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the impact of the operational restructuring and future plans and objectives of Bluedrop, constitute forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information but which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions in connection with the operational efficiencies associated with the integration of technological and financial systems and general economic and market conditions. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Bluedrop's expectations include general global economic conditions. For additional information with respect to risk factors applicable to Bluedrop, reference should be made to Bluedrop's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with securities regulators, including, but not limited to, Bluedrop's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition for the year ended September 30, 2019. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date of this release and Bluedrop does not undertake to update publicly or revise the forward-looking information contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005470/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blasted Donald Trump for his State of the Union address, accusing the president of turning the event into a game show that uses people of color as props. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who did not attend the event in person out of protest, was asked during an Instagram live session for her thoughts on the president highlighting so many people of colour during the speech. In response, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said that the president knew exactly what he was doing and that the tactic was deployed at all shows a rift between the way America views the rights of white people and the rights of people of colour. Trump knows exactly what hes doing, she said. Donald Trump has started giving out cash to black Americans at his rallies. This whole State of the Union was like a game show where he was handing out prizes and surprises and reality TV moments, and this is exactly his political agenda. The question posed to Ms Ocasio-Cortez referenced a specific portion of Mr Trumps speech, in which he highlighted an African American mother and her daughter from Philadelphia, Stephanie and Janiyah Davis. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets fellow lawmakers ahead of the State of the Union address Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez participates in an event with Democratic members of Congress EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures The Democrat senator speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 30, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib AP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Senate chamber to watch two votes on January 24, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives with Chellie Pingree at a House Democratic Caucus meeting Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez during Donald Trump's State of the Union address Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures New York State Assembly member Catalina Cruz with Ocasio-Cortez AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Nydia Velazquez talks with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez casts her vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with a campaign worker during a whistle stop in the Queens borough of New York Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez outside the US Capitol AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez after casting her ballot in the 2018 midterm general election at a polling site in New York EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks on during a march organised by the Women's March Alliance in Manhattan Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio Cortez looks on at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 16, 2019 AFP/Getty Janiyah, he said, is a fourth grade student who loves art and math, but has been assigned a low-performing school. Then, Mr Trump used their plight to attack Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf for vetoing a bill on school choice, and then told the child that she would be getting a scholarship so she can go to any school she would like. It has been noted that his characterization of Mr Wolfs veto is slightly or somewhat distorted. A report last year by the Philadelphia Inquirer found that Philadelphia schools are startlingly segregated even as other schools in surrounding public schools have become more integrated, in spite of school choice policies there that the Trump administration supports. During the State of the Union, Mr Trump was plugging a scholarship program that would give tax breaks to private organisations that set up scholarships for religious or private schools, which critics say would funnel money away from public school systems even as Republicans cheer the effort for improving choice. In her response, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said that Mr Trumps speech showed that the rights of people of colour are constantly negotiated, and on the chopping block in politics in general. When suddenly the rights of immigrants are controversial. Or issues pertaining to black Americans are controversial, but issues facing white Americans are not controversial, and they are bread and butter issues, this is what happens in our discourse, she said. And I think we need to be very careful about this because it is extraordinarily deliberate and it is being done with a very specific agenda. While speaking on the issue of CAA in Maharashtra, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that the NRC was not an issue right now, and the focus should be on the implementation of CAA in the state. He stated that the Shiv Sena had previously raised their voice against the Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state multiple times, therefore, bringing in CAA was the only way to sieve these infiltrators out. Read: Uddhav Thackeray slams 'religion-neutral' NRC, opposes premature protests in Maharashtra "Uddhav said NRC will not be implemented in Mumbai. NRC is not an issue right now, but CAA needs to be implemented. Earlier Shiv Sena had raised lots of voice against Bangladeshi infiltrators. CAA is for that only, to remove infiltrators. Maharashtra should implement CAA here," said Ramdas Athawale. Earlier Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had justified the party's stand on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said NRC will cause a problem for both Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra and so the Maha Vikas Aghadi will not implement it in the state. Read: BIG: Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray disagrees with NCP and Congress, backs implementation of CAA Uddhav backs CAA Taking an absolutely different stand from its alliance partners in the state, Uddhav Thackeray stated that the CAA did not take away anyones citizenship. Speaking exclusively to Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray agreed that this was a law to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from other countries. He also asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government would not bring in a resolution in the state Assembly against the CAA. Read: CM Uddhav lauds PM Modi for the formation of Ram temple trust, says 'It was the duty of Centre' First, we will talk about the CAA. We have persecuted minorities in our neighbouring countries. In fact, they are Hindus. Pakistan and Bangladesh are Islamic countries. CAA is not a law to drive out people of the country. Amit Shah has said that this is a law to give citizenship. I agree with that. It is a law to give citizenship to the persecuted people of our neighbouring countries. Read: Sanjay Raut justifies CM Uddhav's CAA stance; says action against 'anti-nationals' a must The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles made people believe that fairy tales could indeed come true. However, it now seemed like it was not all beautiful behind the scenes. Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Wedding of the Century on July 29, 1981 became the most-awaited wedding at that time. They were a picture of a happy couple, and it all seemed like they are on their way to happily ever after. Unfortunately, the dream-like union of the two from different backgrounds did not last long. Apparently, Prince Charles never really loved Princess Diana, as he has always maintained his feelings for Camila Parker-Bowles -- whom he eventually married after his separation with the Princess of Wales. However, while Princess Diana has always been painted the loyal lover who was ready to sacrifice everything to save her marriage, the late princess' biographer believed that she might have not really loved Prince Charles -- or at least she did not lover her as much as she made it to be. Princess Diana Unsure? Speaking with Natasha Kaplinsky of BBC Radio 5 Live during the 2017 series "Images of Diana," Princess Diana's biographer Sarah Bradford revealed some of her thoughts about the princess' feelings. Kaplinsky asked the biographer if the royal couple had something in common. "Really very little indeed. They really weren't suited at all," Bradford replied. Because of that response, the journalist assumed that Princess Diana must have only idolized -- not loved -- Prince Charles considering that he is also the heir to the throne. As a loyal staff to the princess, Bradford told the presenter that she still believed that Princess Diana loved Prince Charles despite all the things that happened. However, Bradford insisted that the amount of love which Diana poured into the prince was nearly comparable to a "yardstick" given her age when she tied the knot with Prince Charles. She also called Princess Diana "a beginner in the world of love" and that she would never really know if she really loved him or not. This time, Princess Diana's biographer agreed and said: "Seriously, I suppose she couldn't know. It was a caricature of a teenager's, really." The Prince and Princess of Wales have a 13-year age gap. It is also worth noting that Prince Charles proposed to her on Feb. 1981, only a few months after they started dating. The abrupt marriage turned the sunny-looking and lighthearted Princess of Wales into a person who struggled with mental health issues alone. Prince Charles, instead of helping her out, made everything even worse. Princess Diana Truly In Love? The documentary entitled "Diana: In Her Own Words" revealed what happened during the interview of Princess Diana with her friend James Colthurst at London's Kensington Palace in 1991. The princess' brutally honest stories focused on how Prince Charles spoke impertinent comments that caused her to have an eating disorder and how much she suffered when Prince Charles restarted his romantic relationship with Camilla. Despite all these, Princess Diana revealed in her 1995 Panorama interview that she still wanted their marriage to work since she loved her husband so much. Unfortunately, nothing worked out in the end. Samsung has accidentally leaked its next flagship smartphone on its official website, days before its expected launch. Images of the Galaxy S20 appear to confirm several previously rumoured features, including a hole-punch selfie camera and an updated rear camera arrangement. The marketing materials were quickly removed from the Samsung website, but not before German tech site WinFuture took some screengrabs. They showed the device within a case fitted with LEDs in a similar arrangement to one of the official cases for the Galaxy S10. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 also features a substantial bump for the housing unit of the rear camera lenses. A rear case for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S20 appears to confirm previous rumours about the camera (Samsung) The Galaxy S20 is expected to be officially unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event on 11 February, though numerous leaks mean there is little left that is not already known. It is expected to come in different size, spec and price variants, with the top-tier version being the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. The biggest upgrade will likely be the camera, which should come with a huge 108-megapixel image sensor capable of capturing far more detail than the Galaxy S10. A new "Quick Take" camera feature will also allow users to take multiple photos at the same time with the ultra-wide, zoomed-in or regular lens. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty It may not be the only phone to be launched at the South Korean firm's marquee event, which will be taking place this year in San Francisco. Serial leaker Evan Blass shared images of Samsungs forthcoming foldable smartphone expected to be called the Galaxy Z Flip showing pink and black colour schemes. The folding flip phone features a significantly different design to Samsung's previous folding phone, the Galaxy Fold. Leaks suggest Samsung's new folding phone features a vertically folding design (Winfuture.de) Rather than a horizontal mechanism that unfolds like a book, the Galaxy Z Flip opens vertically in a similar way to the recently announced Motorola Razr. It will not come with the same high-end specs as the Galaxy S20, however Samsung will be hoping it can capture the attention of consumers in the emerging foldable phone market. It is also expected to be cheaper than the top Galaxy S20 models, though prices for either phone are yet to be uncovered. The Syrian Army has captured a number of towns and villages in eastern Idleb, after fierce battles with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham reports Al-Masdar. The Syrian Army achieved a sizable advance in Idleb on Tuesday when their forces began a new push on the Abu Jarif axis in the eastern part of the governorate. According to a field report from eastern Idleb, the Syrian Arab Army captured a half dozen villages and towns on Tuesday following a fierce battle with the jihadist rebels of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The Syrian Army reportedly captured the towns and villages of Kuweres, Bleisa, Tel Aghar, al-Musheirifah, Jdeideh, and Tel Khatrah during their advance on the Abu Jarif axis in eastern Idleb. Meanwhile, on the Saraqib axis, the Syrian Arab Army continued their westward push, as their forces captured two towns overnight. According to a report, the Syrian Arab Army captured the towns of Kaddour and Ruwehah, which are located just east of the Aleppo-Lattakia M4 highway. These latest advances by the Syrian Armed Forces come at the same time the Turkish military builds up their presence in Idleb to prevent the army from advancing further into this region. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Israel is a key contributor to India's readiness to face security challenges, a senior defence ministry official said here Wednesday. "Israel is the largest contributor to India's preparedness against adversaries and has always been forthcoming to share high-end technology," Director General (Acquisition) and Additional Secretary (Defence) Apurva Chandra said. He was speaking at a programme, 'India-Israel Opportunities in Defence Cooperation: Future Vectors of the Digital Battlefield', organised by FICCI jointly with SIBAT (Israel Ministry of Defence) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at the DefExpo 2020. Chandra expressed confidence on maintaining partnership with Israel as all the MoD contracts so far have been concluded on time and the overall experience with Israel has been highly satisfying. He listed unmanned vehicles, UAVs, border management and after-sales support as the new focus areas of cooperation between India and Israel at the seminar that brought together stakeholders from the two nations to deliberate upon the opportunities for cooperation. Brig Gen (retd) Yair Kulas, Director, SIBAT, Ministry of Defence, Israel, said his country looks forward to sharing its deep knowledge and technology expertise in the future vectors of the digital battlefield. He said cooperation and collaboration are the key to a strong India-Israel defence partnership. Israeli Ambassador Dr Ron Malka said the India-Israel partnership is steadily growing on the foundation of mutual respect, trust, values, interest, tradition and culture. Seeking more joint ventures, he hoped for transforming the cooperation from the buyer-seller relationship to a strategic partnership. He said India and Israel were world leaders in science and technology and the scope of cooperation between the two countries was tremendous. Senior officials from industry and armed forces of India and Israel gave presentations during the seminar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ringsfield Hall provides children with outdoor residential opportunities through school trips. Activities relate to nature, care for the planet and very special care and respect for the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of each child. Ringsfield Hall provides children with outdoor residential opportunities through school trips. Activities relate to nature, care for the planet and very special care and respect for the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of each child. Ministers outreach at Sheringham model boat lake Local Christian, Graham Pickhaver has been sharing his testimony by giving out tracts at the model boating lake in Sheringham. Read more Chance to meet Norwich Christian leaders at lunch Christian church and ministry leaders are invited to the first Transforming Norwich lunch of 2022 on Wednesday January 26 at St Stephen's Church in Norwich city centre. Read more God of the second chance Jane Walters encourages us to embark on a new start with Jesus as 2022 gets underway. Read more Yarmouth church provides free hot food for needy Kingsgate Community Church in Yarmouth has re-started their Hot Food Hub, providing free hot meals for local people in need. Read more Norwich Christian unity service set for RC Cathedral All Christian churches and groups are invited to an ecumenical service on January 20 at St John's Cathedral in Norwich to pray for Christian unity. Read more Aylsham Christian charity seeks needy recipients The Cressey Henry Page Charitable Trust has been helping the poor of Aylsham for nearly 500 years, and is now seeking more needy people who need help. Read more Centre offers Christian holidays on the Norfolk coast With stunning locations in North Norfolk and North Wales, Christian Endeavour Holiday Centres are places to relax the body, replenish the mind, and rejuvenate the soul. Read more YMCA Norfolk needs two Wellbeing workers YMCA Norfolk is looking for a Wellbeing Engagement Worker and a Business Support Officer - Wellbeing Matters. Read more Two Norfolk churches share in 473k grants boost Two historic Norfolk churches are to share in a 473,700 funding package from the National Churches Trust, the UKs church building support charity. Read more Hundreds fed at free Norfolk Christmas dinners Hundreds of people who would have spent Christmas Day alone were fed and entertained across Norfolk by church and charity groups. Read more Norwich church volunteer inspired by kindness A woman who has volunteered for The Salvation Armys Toys and Tins Appeal since 2016 said she will carry on doing so for as long as possible. Read more Norwich pastor publishes new book Dr Alan Clifford, pastor of Norwich Reformed Church, has published a book on the life and ministry of 18th century church leader Edmund Calamy the Elder. Read more Life is full of uncertainties for us all says Dean The Dean of Norwich Cathedral, the Very Rev Jane Hedges, say that for every single one of us, at the moment, life is full of uncertainties. Read more Pantomime cast take part in Norwich carols The cast of Norwich Theatre's pantomime Dick Whittington and his Cat attended a Christmas Carol concert at St Peter Mancroft Church on Thursday December 23 to spread festive cheer and the Christmas message. Read more Bishop's Christmas refugee message In his Christmas message the Bishop of Norwich the Rt Rev Graham Usher, says at Christmas we look back to the story of someone who soon after his birth, became a refugee, we look back to a story to help navigate our future. Read more Ed Sheeran and LadBaby boost Waveney foodbank Pop superstar Ed Sheeran and Christmas sausage roll song group LadBaby paid a surprise visit to Waveney Foodbank near Eye earlier today. Read more Dilham musician recalls Josephs letter home What might Joseph had written if he had sent a letter home from his experiences during that first Christmas time? Read more Relatives of those killed in a notorious loyalist mass shooting said they were suffering "daily torture" due to delays in publishing an investigation. Five people were killed in February 1992 when UFF terrorists opened fire on the Sean Graham bookmakers shop on the lower Ormeau Road in Belfast. Too many loved ones have died without knowing the truth, the son of one of the victims awaiting a Police Ombudsman report said on the anniversary of the killings. Billy McManus, son of Willie McManus, said: "What they're putting us through mentally equates to a form of daily torture. "People are dying without any form of truth or redress as delay after delay occurs." Former Ombudsman Michael Maguire has found that "significant, sensitive information" about the atrocity was not made available to his investigators. A legal challenge by retired RUC officers after the ex-Ombudsman found collusion in the 1994 Loughinisland attack which left six people dead has also held up publication of reports, pending its outcome. The families and survivors of the bookmakers massacre added: "Certain actions in the courts, in our view, are also designed to thwart attempts at getting to the truth." No one has been convicted over the killings. The families of the victims have previously said they believe there was collusion between the killers and security forces in the betting shop shootings. Maria Sykes, sister of victim Peter Magee, said: "We need this report to find out exactly what happened. It's the not knowing that eats away at you every day and adds to the overall trauma. "We need this report in terms of healing, recovery and moving on as best we can - repairing our lives." Helen Duffin, widow of victim Jack, is aged in her 90s, and Roseleen McManus, widow of victim Willie, is 80. Families are concerned that if delays continue then they might not see the publication of the long-awaited report. Solicitor Niall Murphy said: "The legal challenge has meant that significant reports by the Ombudsman into just fewer than 40 murders have been held up pending the outcome of the challenge. And it is this delay that affects families awaiting the outcome of reports into the murders of their loved ones. "I share their frustrations about continuous delay." Operation Achilles is the name given to the Police Ombudsman investigation into the Ormeau Road atrocity and it includes six additional murders by the same UFF gang during the 1990s in south Belfast in which collusion is also a key feature, families said. Jim Clinton, whose wife Theresa was murdered in April 1994, a crime included in Operation Achilles, said: "It's galling when you think that the very organisation under scrutiny as part of the Ombudsman's investigation into the murders of our loved ones is the very same organisation taking these challenges and causing further harm to families. "We can't help but feel this is deliberate and designed as a stalling tactic." Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman died and a man was critically injured in a crash in the Sydney Airport Tunnel on Thursday morning. Emergency services were called to General Holmes Drive at Mascot following a head-on collision in a contraflow northbound lane set up for peak hour about 5.40am. There were very long delays from all directions during peak hour on Thursday morning. Credit:Nine Police said the crash occurred when a Ford Falcon, driven by the man, veered into the lane to collide with a Honda CRV carrying four Colombia women on their way to work. The deceased, a 29-year-old, was unable to be revived at the scene. Chief stew Kate Chastain from Below Deck may not have been kidding when she said she could use deckhand Rhylee Gerber in the interior. Gerber and Chastain were roommates on the boat and cameras often captured a sweet and nurturing side of Gerber when Chastain was being attacked by the men on the boat. On a few occasions, Gerber actually tucked Chastain into bed and tried to soothe her. Plus, Gerber was happy to pitch in and helped the stews make beds and was seen working in the laundry room too. Rhylee Gerber |Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images During season 7, Gerber also revealed that her mother and stepfather ran a bed and breakfast in Florida. Perhaps she picked up some major hospitality tips living amongst vacationers and should try her hand in the interior. Gerber recently shared a photo to her Instagram story that shows some of her hidden talents. She treated her host in Italy to a bath and snacks After Gerber wrapped filming the reunion, she jetted off to Italy to visit a friend. She shared a number of photos of the gorgeous Sicilian countryside as she and her friends visited several iconic locations. It is hard to be original when it comes to Venice, she shared. Every aspects of the city has been painted, photographed and described a hundred times before by some of the greatest minds having captured the contrasts between beauty and the decay of an ideal city that is part fairytale and part dystopia. Rhylee Gerber Instagram story Gerber and friends have been busy traveling around Italy. But when her friend who hosted her was under the weather, Gerber went into nurturing mode. She surprised her friend with a bubble bath and snacks in a relaxing atmosphere. Mood, she wrote along with relaxing music in the background. My gracious host caught a sore throat while traveling across Europe with me so I surprised her after work with a hot bath and some snacks. Them that gives, gets. She also shared a photo of what was for dinner too. Grilled veggies, jalapeno spiced cashews over a bed of greens and chilled couscous, she wrote. Kate Chastain said Gerber was the perfect roommate In addition to being a support to Chastain, Gerber was also the one who kept their cabin neat and tidy. Chastain told Decider she was surprised to learn that Gerber runs a pretty tight ship (or cabin). Actually amazing, Chastain said about sharing a cabin with Gerber. Surprise surprise, shes a clean freak, [always] organizing. Id be working, working, working and she had turned down my bed and decorated and cleaned. Chastain also said Gerber has an eye for aesthetics. She put a sarong up, gave it some personality. She lives in an RV sometimes and our cabin was about the same size so she was like, this is a space I know how to decorate. Gerber has really been showing her creative side with her wildly popular jewelry line. She developed a brand based on the natural materials she finds during her extensive travels. She told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she doesnt consider herself to be an artist, although most of her fans disagree. Sometimes Ill Google for ideas, but I dont consider myself to be an artist or a jewelry maker in any way, Gerber said. I think Im more of a craftsman. Id probably be a hoarder if I had a stationary place somewhere, she laughed. A long corridor, laid with antique red and yellow tiles, leads to the rest of the house. To the left is a sunroom that divides the pool courtyard from a second courtyard. Farther along is the main living area, with a living room, a sitting room with a staircase up to a mezzanine level, and one of two dining rooms. The living room has a vaulted wood ceiling and a wood-burning fireplace with a chimney that reaches up to a mezzanine fireplace. It also has glass doors that open to a third courtyard, with a central fountain. Along the corridor to the right are the kitchen and laundry room, the second dining room and four bedrooms with en suite baths, including the master suite at the end. The kitchen has a center island, mahogany cabinetry, marble countertops and slate tiles. It also has the homes original cupola, now a skylight. The walls in the kitchen, as in many of the rooms, have elaborate handmade relief designs in plaster, and were painted with a lime wash and antiqued by local artisans. All four bedrooms face the third courtyard. Two, including the master suite, have fireplaces. The master has vaulted ceilings, a sitting area, a walk-in closet and an en suite bathroom with dual sinks, a soaking tub and shower. A passage from the courtyard outside the master leads to the other street entrance. The courtyards are landscaped with hanging ferns, avocado trees and a rare black-pepper tree. Hot water is generated by rooftop solar panels, and a remote security system can be controlled online. There is a fully equipped service area for staff, along with garage space for three cars. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman and Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 17:49 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c28d5 1 Business negative-investment-list,positive-investment-list,BKPM,investment-coordinating-board,Bahlil-Lahadalia,Airlangga-Hartarto Free The government plans to issue at the end of this month a new investment list that will outline certain business sectors available for foreign direct investment, a high-ranking official has said. The plan is to issue the list [] in the form of a Perpres [Presidential regulation] instead of in the omnibus bill, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Bahlil Lahadalia said in Jakarta on Wednesday, referring to an omnibus bill on job creation proposed by the government to cut regulatory red tape. If the Perpres is issued in February, it will take effect in March, he added, declining to go into detail and revealing only that the list was still being discussed. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in November last year that the government planned to change the existing negative investment list (DNI) into a positive investment list. The positive list will promote priority industries that are open to both foreign and domestic investments, such as import-substitution or export-oriented industries. Read also: Government to replace negative investment list with positive list for priority industries At the time, the DNI contained a list of banned or limited foreign investment in certain business sectors to protect local companies. He also said in November that he expected the Perpres to be issued this year. The government is struggling to attract more investment into the country to help jack up sluggish economic growth. Indonesias economy grew 5.02 percent last year, the weakest since 2015, as investment and export cooled. Bahlil said on Wednesday that on the positive list, some sectors would still limit foreign ownership. We want to create a positive image because a negative list sounds less comforting [for investors], he said. We are building an image that will help build foreign investors trust in us. Bahlil had met with the Regional Representative Council (DPD) earlier that day to discuss the councils initiative to formulate a bill that would ease the licensing process and improve coordination between the government and regional administrations. The bill will lean more toward [tackling] the challenges that investors face on the regional level, DPD Commission IV chairwoman Elviana said during the meeting in Jakarta. Read also: 'Robots will replace everyone': Investment boss changes tune after saying no one would hire women Despite the governments efforts to ease the process of doing business, such a reform often does not transmit to regional administrations as the latter require investors to go through different mechanisms to procure local licenses. Elviana said the council would complete the draft by the end of 2020 and aimed to list it in the 2021 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). After the meeting, Bahlil declined to elaborate his stance on the issue, saying it was up to the lawmakers. As it became clear that the results of what might be the last edition of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus would not be released Monday evening, each of the so-called top-tier candidates hoping to take on Donald Trump in November did what politicians do: They spun it as best as they could. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was never expected to win, but congratulated her supporters for helping her campaign "punch above our weight. We are feeling so good tonight, and I cannot wait somehow, some way, Im gonna get on a plane tonight to New Hampshire, Klobuchar said. We are bringing this ticket to New Hampshire. Former Vice President Joe Biden, long thought to be the putative frontrunner but rumored to have finished as low as fourth in the final totals, told supporters: We feel good about where we are," and said he'd get a decent share of delegates in the end as he heads to New Hampshire. Another sitting Senator thought to be among the probable top finishers in Iowa Vermont's Bernie Sanders also struck positive notes when addressing supporters, who he told that he had "a good feeling were going to be doing very, very well here in Iowa." In contrast, his main competitor from the Democratic Party's liberal wing, Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren, sounded a note of caution when she spoke Monday evening. We dont know all the results tonight, but tonight has already showed that Americans have a deep hunger for big, structural change to make our economy and our democracy work for everyone, she said. Tonight showed that our path to victory is to fight hard for the changes that everyone is demanding. But it was the youngest candidate in the field, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who went all-in with his attempt at perception management. So we dont know all the results, but we know by the time its all said and done, Iowa, you have shocked the nation, said Buttigieg, who stood to be the first openly gay candidate to win a presidential primary or caucus if his prediction "by all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious" came true. To most observers, Buttigieg's remarks were simply those of a young politician trying to project confidence heading into yet another close contest. But once news broke that the reason for the delay in results was the app commissioned by the Iowa Democratic Party for the submission of caucus results, developed by a company founded by veterans of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, a number of high-profile figures began to suggest that a conspiracy was afoot. Some of the disinformation in question came from prominent people in President Trump's orbit. At 11.36pm on Monday, the presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted that: "The fix is in... AGAIN and we get to watch it play out on live TV." His brother, Eric Trump, weighed in a few minutes later when he wrote: "Mark my words, they are rigging this thing... what a mess." It was a message targeted to supporters of Sanders, who Trump campaign officials hope will either come out in strong enough numbers to let the president run for re-election against a self-declared socialist, or stay home in anger if he is not the nominee. It was also a message that top Sanders surrogates were more than willing to pick up. One of those surrogates, activist Shaun King, got rather specific in his accusations. "The poll that has been released right before the election in Iowa for 76 years straight was scrapped because Petes team complained. And Petes team funded the company that built the failed election app in Iowa. And Pete declared victory before results released?" King tweeted Tuesday morning. Another high-profile Sanders backer, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, retweeted a tweet by a Sanders-supporting journalist which implied a connection between the Buttigieg campaign engaging the firm that developed the Iowa caucus app for unrelated services, the app's failure, and what the journalist called Buttigieg's decision to "declare himself Iowa winner with no result." "This can't be it!" Omar wrote to her 1.8 million followers. But Sanders' obviously passionate surrogates' claims that something untoward is happening in Iowa at the behest of the dreaded "establishment" ignore the fact that the changes to this year's Iowa caucus were made at the recommendation of the post-2016 "unity commission" established to pacify Bernieworlders. It was them who were convinced that the Democratic National Committee rigged the 2016 primary against Sanders (there is no evidence of this). The uproar coming from the Sanders backers who'd read stolen DNC emails released by Wikileaks, who were now alleging that a corrupt bargain had been made between the Clinton campaign and the DNC, meant some action had to be taken to mollify Sanders' people, said Khary Penebaker, a DNC member who endorsed Cory Booker last year. "We recognize that we no longer had control of the narrative despite what we might have thought that actually happened in [2016]. This is where people were at this point, and we needed to make adjustments to accommodate that," he told me, though he stressed that he was speaking for himself and not the DNC. According to a person with direct knowledge with the process which led to the rule changes, Iowa's "Frankenstein caucus" was the result of accommodations for Sanders supporters who wanted to maintain Iowa's and Nevada's first-in-the-nation caucuses, rather than end the practice of holding caucuses altogether, because caucuses were thought to favor Sanders. The use of the app was necessitated by rules put in place to make the caucuses more like primaries by releasing more data, including first-round preference totals. "That's going away," the person predicted, adding that Americans may have seen the last of the Iowa caucuses. Penebaker, who noted that he was among those who favored the switch to primaries during the debates over the "unity commission" recommendations, said the Sanders camp's desire to keep the caucuses in place was the result of them "looking out for [their] candidate's interests, rather than the interests of actual voters," and added that the vitriol being directed by Sanders supporters at DNC Chair Tom Perez, Buttigieg, and others is unhelpful. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty "It's not helping our party or our candidates when we have to revert back to 'the easiest thing to think about is this, there's gotta be something nefarious going on," he said. "We're trying to make this as fair and as transparent as possibly can be given the circumstances are in front of us and we're not out there trying to rig anything." "I just don't see how when you, when you want to have a big tent, when you know you need to bring more people to the party who will vote for you in a general election, how this kind of behavior is one that appears to be welcoming," he continued. "It's OK to disagree, but it's not OK to behave in a way that is so toxic... and as a voter and as a parent, I don't see how this is going to make my daughter, who is 21 years old, want to go out and do something." Simon Rosenberg, a former strategist for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee who now runs the centrist New Democratic Network think tank, said that it's "astonishing" that the DNC would make mistakes that might open up the sorts of fissures between Sanders supporters and the rest of the Democratic Party that kept many voters home in 2016. But he added that Sanders is putting his candidacy in peril with the negativity surrounding his candidacy. "I think it would be smart of everyone involved in this to recognize this may have been an unfortunate and innocent error, and to now focus on winning New Hampshire and moving on, so any kind of sustained dwelling on this is going to be counterproductive," he said. "My hope [is] that Bernie has learned that at the end of the day, the kind of the fissures that evolved in 2016 in the Democratic Party were hurtful to him, and hurtful to the party. Rosenberg also pointed out that Sanders' support this year is just half of what he commanded in 2016: He's in the low twenties right now when he was in the forties [in 2016]. He's lost half of his votes, and part of the reason he's lost half of his vote is because people don't like the way that he attacked the Democratic Party[.] So if he wants to be the Democratic nominee and not just a spoiler, this is a real test for him in terms of whether he's learned that the way he handled this in 2016 was wrong and whether he's actually trying to win the nomination going forward, as opposed to being a spoiler in the race." Two Chinese nationals, suspected to be infected with coronavirus and referred to a hospital to be quarantined, have gone missing in Nepal's Pokhara. The authorities have launched a search operation to trace the two. The two (a man and a woman) had arrived in Nepal around three weeks ago on tourist visas. They were referred to the Manipal Teaching Hospital of Pokhara by Swakan International Hospital last week after they showed symptoms similar to that of coronavirus infections. However, the two are said to be untraceable since then. "We are searching for them," Mahendra Shrestha, spokesperson at Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population told reporters here. Though they have been reported missing since last week, Shrestha, claimed that the ministry hasn't been informed officially about the two individuals until Wednesday afternoon. "They should have reported to us; it should have been reported to us by Provincial Health Emergency Operation Centre. They might also have done it, I don't know about that," Shrestha said. "They were showing signs that relate to coronavirus infection but we cannot confirm it without making proper tests. They first came to Swakan Hospital on Sunday evening and were having fever," Dr. Dipendra Thapa, who referred the two Chinese nationals to Manipal Hospital, told ANI over phone. The tourists are reported to have arrived in Nepal from China's Yunnan Province around three weeks ago. The government of Nepal is yet to decide over the place to quarantine its citizens that are planned to be evacuated from China where 2019-nCoV has broken out. "Currently, a close discussion is underway but no decision has been made. There is no other information that has been passed onto us because the team working on it is different, secretaries themselves are a member of it. When that information reaches us, then only we can say," Sagar Dahal, Information Officer at Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population, told reporters on Wednesday as the deadline set by it neared. The Ministry of Health and Population in a press meet on Sunday had stated that details about the evacuation of Nepali nationals from China would be made within 3-4 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 05, 2020] CACI Appoints Former White House Chief of Operations Daniel Walsh as Corporate Strategic Advisor CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) announced today that it has named Daniel Walsh, who most recently served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, a Corporate Strategic Advisor and Senior Vice President to support the development of CACI's strategy for growing its national defense and homeland security business. In his new role with CACI, Mr. Walsh will help lead corporate efforts to enhance CACI's positioning in the national security market and thought leadership, provide insight and expertise on critical industry issues, and help grow and expand key client relationships. He will bring increased value to our customers' enterprises and missions, drawing on his management experience in the White House, as a Congressional Liaison, and more than two decades with the U.S. Coast Guard. Mr. Walsh served in the White House over the course of three presidencies. Most recently as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, he was responsible for security, technology, and military support to the President, as well as the day-to-day management of the White House, Executive Office, schedule and travel operations. His additional White House experience includes stints as Director and Deputy Director of the White House Military Office, and Military Aide to Pesidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. During his 24 years of military service in the Coast Guard, Mr. Walsh served as a department head on a Coast Guard cutter, officer in charge of a counter-narcotics team, and instructor pilot/aircraft commander in six military fixed-wing aircraft. He also served as Coast Guard Liaison to the U.S. Senate, where he obtained support for record funding increases. John Mengucci, CACI President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are extremely proud to welcome Mr. Walsh to CACI following his prestigious career in the White House and in the Coast Guard. Mr. Walsh's insights, drawn from his vast government and military experience, will be invaluable as we continue to enhance the capabilities we deliver to our enterprise and mission customers." CACI's 22,000 talented employees are vigilant in providing the unique expertise and distinctive technology that address our customers' greatest enterprise and mission challenges. Our culture of good character, innovation, and excellence drives our success and earns us recognition as a Fortune World's Most Admired Company. As a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies, the Russell 1000 Index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Index, we consistently deliver strong shareholder value. Visit us at www.caci.com. There are statements made herein which do not address historical facts, and therefore could be interpreted to be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in CACI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, and other such filings that CACI makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Any forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon and only speak as of the date hereof. CACI-Company News View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005141/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Emboldened by impending acquittal, Trump uses state of the union as stump speech Emboldened by an impending acquittal in his impeachment trial, a sputtering start to the Democratic caucuses and his highest approval ratings to date, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a rousing state of the union address Tuesday aimed squarely at his base. The mood may have started out ceremonial and civil in the hallways of the Capitol, but it became decidedly less so inside the House, culminating in a walkout by several Democratic legislators and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ripping up her copy of Trump's speech, later labelling it a "manifesto of mistruths." While state of the union addresses are supposed to unify the nation and energize supporters, Trump's speech tilted toward the latter while avoiding even a nod to his impeachment. "It was really a campaign speech," said Meena Bose, executive dean for public policy and public service programs at Hofstra University in New York state. "It's consistent with the kind of turbulent times that we're in. I think bipartisanship may be a bridge too far in 2020." The evening had all the trappings of a Trump rally, including chants of "USA, USA!" interspersed with "Four more years!" One of the more bizarre displays of pageantry of the night was a tribute to conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who was recently diagnosed with cancer and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom partway through the speech. Here are a few key themes that emerged from the state of the union. WATCH | Speaker Nancy Pelosi can't hide her disdain and rips up her copy of Trump's state of the union address: Economy Trump had lots to brag about: U.S. unemployment is at a 50-year low, wages are rising and the stock market is booming. But economists warn that there are some shades of grey to Trump's "blue-collar boom." The corporate tax cuts passed two years ago generated a fiscal stimulus and job growth, but they haven't spurred businesses to invest. Economic growth, at 2.1 per cent last quarter, has been more modest than the four to six per cent Trump promised at the start of his presidency. Story continues "[Companies] have literally trillions of dollars on their balance sheets that they could invest if they wanted to. What they're doing instead is they're buying back their stock," said Jacob Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. WATCH | 'This is a blue-collar boom': Trump points to employment gains across the board: While that might benefit the markets, the biggest boost from that boom has gone to the wealthiest 10 per cent of Americans, who own more than 80 per cent of stocks. The deregulation Trump highlighted in the speech has had a positive impact on investment and job creation in some sectors, but carries an environmental cost, which got no mention. Also noticeably absent was any mention of the country's $1-trillion US deficit and the more than $23 trillion in debt, which is expected to reach 98 per cent of GDP by 2030. Trade The new NAFTA and the recently negotiated first phase of a trade deal with China are big talking points for Trump, and Tuesday night was no exception. But Trump's take-no-prisoners approach to trade wars is widely seen as having a negative impact not just on the U.S. economy but the global trading system. Retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and other products have hurt the U.S. manufacturing sector, which is technically in a recession, and the agricultural sector, which in 2019 saw the highest number of farm bankruptcies in eight years. WATCH | Trade tariffs a hallmark of Trump economy: The unpredictable nature in which Trump wields tariffs as a negotiating tactic has injected uncertainty into the supply chain and made businesses reluctant to make long-term investments. "Business confidence has fallen across the board and not just in tradable sectors," said Kirkegaard. On Tuesday, Trump touted those tariffs, saying "our strategy has worked" and calling the recently signed deal with China "groundbreaking." But Kirkegaard and others say the deal is more of a detente and it's gains are modest. It still preserves about $360 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, for one, and allows China to keep subsidizing some industries. Health care Health care has been a differentiating issue in the Democratic race for president, and Trump seized on the Medicare for All policies that some Democrats have been advocating. "One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million very happy Americans," he said. WATCH | Trump attacks Democrats' 'socialist takeover' of health care: He warned that the coverage for undocumented immigrants that such plans include would "raid the Medicare benefits of our seniors" and drew a line in the political sand: "If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free health care to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left." Trump stretched the truth several times in this part of his speech, vowing, for example, to protect patients with pre-existing conditions, which is a protection guaranteed under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act that has been challenged under the Trump administration. Shefali Luthra of Kaiser Health News, who was fact-checking the speech for the PolitiFact website, also found that his claims about drug prices falling last year did not pass muster. "Prices may be stabilizing, but they are not coming down, and consumers are not experiencing that relief," she wrote. Immigration On immigration, Trump repeated some familiar refrains that have defined his rhetoric on the issue since the 2016 presidential campaign, highlighting specific cases of violent crimes committed by "illegal aliens" and decrying "radical politicians" who have declared their cities sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. He gave an accurate picture of the decrease in illegal border crossings in the last eight months although the total for 2019 was still the highest since 2007 but was less forthcoming about the wall on the Mexico-U.S. border that he has been promising since the start of his presidency. WATCH | Trump promises overhaul of immigration system: Trump told the assembled audience that 100 miles (161 km) have been "completed," when in fact all but one mile of that was a rebuild of existing barriers. The additional 500 miles (805 km) he has promised by the end of the year could face hurdles when it comes to acquiring the private land needed to build even a semi-contiguous barrier along the southwest border. "It's more of a symbol than a reality," said Ryan Streeter, director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "Most Americans don't really know what the administration is constructing along the border." Wedge issues Trump didn't shy away from some of the most polarizing wedge issues: from abortion to religion to guns to Supreme Court judges. "He really doubled down on all of them," said Scott Anderson, a governance studies fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "He sees where his bread is buttered. He's going back to his base." Anderson and other observers see it as a sign of what's to come in an election campaign catering to an electorate nearly evenly divided along partisan lines. "If you're running to your base in the state of the union, which is usually an effort to put forward a kind of broad-based positive vision that a lot of voters can sign on to, then when you're in the middle of a more committed political race, you're definitely running to the base." Trade, specifically the Canada-U.S.-Mexico deal, known as CUSMA or USMCA, was one area where it was thought Trump might highlight the bipartisanship that went into reaching a consensus. But that didn't happen. National security National security came up in the latter half of the 80-minute-long speech and contained few surprises. Trump highlighted the foreign policy accomplishments most observers had anticipated he would: the recently announced Israeli-Palestinian peace plan and the assassinations of Iranian Maj.-Gen Qasem Soleimani and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. As in other parts of the speech, Trump used the personal stories of some of his invited guests to underscore policy accomplishments in this case, the presence of Carl and Marsha Mueller, whose daughter Kayla, an American aid worker, was held captive in Syria by ISIS and killed in 2015. In one orchestrated reveal worthy of day-time TV, he brought out a returning soldier to be reunited with his young family WATCH | Trump's vow to bring troops home earns applause: Perhaps sobered by the recent escalation of tensions with Iran, Trump struck somewhat of a conciliatory tone, urging the regime not to be "too proud or too foolish" to ask for help with the country's flagging economy. "We are here," Trump said, while at the same time warning Iran to "stop spreading terror, death and destruction." Although he avoided explicitly mentioning the controversial withdrawal of troops from Syria, which some in his administration criticized as premature, Trump highlighted the need to draw down American troops abroad, specifically in Afghanistan. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as law enforcement agencies," he said. "We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home." It's an issue that would have resonated with a wide swath of Americans eager to disentangle from the protracted conflict, said Bose. Trump punctuated it with a signature made-for-TV moment, reuniting a young military family live on air in the middle of the state of the union address. One foreign policy surprise was the presence of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader who had been in Miami days earlier rallying support to his cause. He was an odd choice of guest at an event touting policy wins, given that his year-long attempt to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro has thus far been unsuccessful, despite support from the U.S., Canada and other Western nations, who've declared him the rightful president. Guaido's presence, as well as Trump's earlier reference to reversals of the "failing policies of the previous administration on Cuba," might score him points with Latino voters in the key swing state of Florida come November. Alka Lamba election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Alka Lamba CONGRESS candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Chandni Chowk seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Despite being considered one of the prominent faces in the Congress amid a tepid party campaign for the Assembly polls, Alka Lamba garnered merely 3881 votes till 2.30 pm. Her vote share stood at 5.03 percent, even as Aam Aadmi Party's Parlad Singh Sawhney and BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta left her far behind, getting 50, 891 votes and 21,307 respectively. Alka Lamba, who made a Ghar Wapsi into the Congress after five years, contested from the high-profile Chandni Chowk Assembly constituency. Lamba was previously representing the constituency in the Assembly between 2015 and September 2019, when she was disqualified under the anti-defection law. Lamba had a two-decade-long association with the Congress party before she switched over to the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party in December 2014 but later changed back to the Congress side. As a Congresswoman, Lamba served as the president of the Delhi University Students Union, national president of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, general secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, and secretary of the All India Congress Committee. An alumnus of St Stephens College, Lambas first taste of electoral politics was during the 2003 Assembly polls when she contested against Madan Lal Khurana but lost. Lamba is reportedly passionate about issues relating to women empowerment, human rights and sustainable development and has spoken extensively on them. In 2006, she was also appointed as the vice-chairperson of the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, an autonomous body of the Women and Child Development ministry. After joining the AAP, she was given the ticket to contest from Chandni Chowk, which she won by a margin of over 18,000 votes. A few months after the election, she found herself in a controversy when she was charged with vandalism and destruction of property after a shop owner allegedly threw a stone at her. Lamba was also in the line of fire during the 2012 Guwahati molestation case when she identified the name of the victim to the media. Consequently, she was removed as a member of the fact-finding team that probed the incident. Since the beginning of 2019, Lamba was embroiled in a bitter spat with the AAP top brass over several issues. From opposing the resolution to withdraw the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, refusing to campaign for the party in the Lok Sabha elections to seeking accountability from the party after its humiliating loss, Lamba had several run-ins with the party bosses. In September 2019, she finally quit the party citing continuing disrespect for her and joined the Congress party. SHANGHAI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese research institutes in the 5G field released a report on Tuesday, calling for the enhancement of international cooperation on 5G security. The report was released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, a professional research institute in China's 5G field. The report called for accelerating the promotion of international standards for 5G security and stepping up the formation of 5G security solutions covering multiple application scenarios. It also called for an international 5G security evaluation and certification system to promote mutual trust and recognition. Meanwhile, the report also advocated strengthening the upstream and downstream cooperation of the industry chain, boosting confidence in 5G security and creating an open, fair, transparent and non-discriminatory market environment for the global development of the 5G industry. According to statistics from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), as of October 2019, 348 telecom operators in 119 countries and regions around the world had invested in 5G, of which 61 had already launched commercial 5G services. A group of protesters were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Senate's vote in Donald Trump's impeachment trial. About 10 of them sat down in a circle directly underneath the Capitol Dome while about 30 others stood around them, shouting their support and filming the scene with their smart phones. 'Honor your oath, Trump is guilty, acquittal is a coverage up,' were among the phrases they shouted. They were black t-shirts that said 'remove Trump' and 'Trump is guilty' along with pins that said 'RIP GOP.' Anti-Trump protestors demonstrate in the Rotunda of the the Capitol U.S. Capitol Police office arrived in force to arrest them and removed members of the media from the area. 'This afternoon, the United States Capitol Police responded to unlawful demonstration activity in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building. Ten individuals were arrested, and all were charged with D.C. Code 22-1307, Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding,' USCP police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said in a statement. Protests have taken place outside the Capitol building during the president's impeachment trial. President Trump is expected to be cleared today in the two charges against him, drawing the fractious impeachment trial against him to a close. The Senate is scheduled to render its verdict on the president at 4 p.m. He is expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled chamber, where it would take a two-thirds majority to convict. There will be two votes - one for each of the impeachment articles against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of justice. And Mitt Romney announced on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon he will break with the Republican Party and vote to convict the president on the abuse of power charge. He is the first Republican to break ranks in a move that stunned Capitol Hill. 'The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a "high crime and misdemeanor,' Romney said. 'Yes, he did.' He will vote to acquit on the obstruction of Congress charge. His decision will not affect the expected outcome of Trump's trial. It takes two-thirds of the Senate to vote to remove the president from office. Even with Romney's support the Democrats don't have the numbers to hit that mark and Trump will remain in the Oval Office. But Romney's decision means there will be a bipartisan vote on the conviction side - a notable difference from the House vote where only Democrats voted in support of the two charges against the president. The White House has bragged that all House Republicans voted with the president - an assertion they won't be able to make about the Senate. The senator from Utah acknowledged he would face the fury of the president for his decision and he pre-taped an interview with Fox News, that ran shortly after his speech on the Senate floor, to explain his decision. The president is a frequent viewer of Fox News. Romney, a deeply-religious Mormon, cited his faith as the reason behind his decision. At times he choked up on the Senate floor during his remarks, pausing and taking deep breathes before he continued. The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a senator juror, I swore an oath before god to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before god as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced, he said in his remarks on the Senate floor. Mitt Romney announced he will vote to convict Donald Trump on the abuse of power charge Romney explained his reasoning behind the abuse of power decision, saying he was convinced President Trump acted as he did because it involved Joe and Hunter Biden, Trumps political rivals. There's no question in my mind that were there names not Biden the president would never have done what he did, Romney said. The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The president's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, he added. He acknowledged he would face the wrath of Trump and other Republicans with his decision. Trump tends to act with fury against those who cross him. I'm aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters I will be vehemently denounced. I'm sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before god demanded it of me?, he said. Now it's a question if any Democratic senators will break party lines and vote to acquit the president. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama are being watched for their votes Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama all hail from states Trump won in 2016 and retains strong popularity. If they vote to acquit it will give Trump a line to crow about. But Jones said Wednesday morning he will vote to convict the president on both counts of impeachment. 'After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the President for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,' he said in a statement. Manchin and Sinema have not said how they are voting. Manchin was seen sitting with Republican senators during President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. 'It's a 4 o'clock. I have four hours,' he told DailyMail.com when a reporter ran into him around noon in the halls the Capitol and asked him if he'd decided how to vote. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is currently in third place against a crowded Democratic primary field as Iowa Caucus results are tallied. While the most recent poll showed Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden heading into Caucus Day nearly tied for the lead amid a five way fight that also included Warren, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the initial results show a battle at the top between Buttigieg and Sanders. 14 Iowa Caucus results Buttigieg currently leads with 26.9% support from Iowa caucusgoers, after the Iowa Democratic Party released results from 62% of precincts following a day of confusion for candidates and voters largely caused by data reporting inconsistencies. Warren so far has locked up 18.3% support, almost 7 points behind Sanders 25.1%. Popular vote counts show Sanders leading thus far with 28,220 votes, followed by Buttigieg at 27,030 and Warren at 22,254. Biden is fourth in both categories. How many delegates the Massachusetts senator could pick up from Iowa for the Democratic National Convention in Wisconsin in July remains to be seen, with the party expected to release more results later Tuesday. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:26:23|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of the coronavirus has brought the world together to defeat a common foe, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday. "The fight against the coronavirus outbreak shows again that we live in a shared community where all of us are interlinked and interdependent," Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping said here at a press conference on China's prevention and control of the coronavirus. The diplomat elaborated on the measures taken by the Chinese government in the "serious battle against the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus." "The Chinese government has taken strong measures and will continue to resolutely make sure the measures are effectively implemented," said the consul general. A national joint prevention and control mechanism led by China's National Health Commission and composed of other governmental departments was put in place immediately after the outbreak of the epidemic to form a multi-layered prevention and control system focusing on central China's Hubei Province and the epicenter of the outbreak Wuhan, Huang said. China has strengthened its monitoring of the epidemic and conducted home-based medical observations for anyone who may have had close contact with those infected, he said. More medical supplies and manpower have been sent to Hubei Province. About 4 billion U.S. dollars have been allocated nationwide to fight the epidemic, and nearly 6,000 medical workers from across China have been sent to Wuhan and other cities in Hubei with medical supplies, said the consul general. China has taken great pains from preventing the epidemic from flowing out of the country and regularly keeps contact with the WHO and relevant countries and regions on the latest information, he said. In addition to initially sharing information such as the genome sequence of the new virus, China has invited experts from the WHO to carry out field studies in Wuhan. Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have also been in close communication with the governments of the host countries, keeping them informed of the outbreak and China's prevention and control efforts. Furthermore, China has launched a health campaign to educate the public on how to protect themselves from contracting the virus, he added. The Chinese Consulate General in New York has been issuing relevant information in a timely manner, said Huang. "We have strengthened consular work related to the epidemic. The Consulate has deployed more manpower to answer Chinese citizens' inquiries for help," he added. The prime ministership of Iraq comes with both the proverbial encumbrances of ill-fated political power: a crown of thorns and a poisoned chalice. Pity Mohammed Tawfik Allawi, who must now wear one and drink from the other. His nomination, after two months of wrangling between the country's biggest political blocks, has been rejected out of hand by the young Iraqi protesters whose anticorruption demonstrations undid his predecessor. His chances of addressing their grievances are slim: The parties backing him have no interest in any reforms. Allawi is the compromise candidate agreed by Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders - Hadi al-Amiri, who is Iran's man in Baghdad, and the radical cleric-politician Moqtada al-Sadr. Tehran has welcomed his nomination. Sadr has gone farther, by withdrawing his supporters from Tahrir Square and other spaces occupied by the protesters. Indeed, the Sadrists are now trying to force the protesters to leave. The new prime minister knows what Amiri and Sadr expect of him: a carve-up of lucrative government ministries among their supporters and the expulsion of U.S. forces from Iraq. Amiri will push for more pro-Iran policies, deepening Iraq's economic dependence on the Islamic Republic. Sadr will seek political dominance, which requires weakening the influence of Iran-backed militias. Allawi twice served as communications minister under a previous Iranian favorite, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, but resigned in protest against corruption and his boss's overtly sectarian politics. Under different circumstances, this would have earned him some goodwill with the protesters, but they see him as a hopelessly compromised member of the discredited political elite, and endorsements from Amiri and Sadr have hardened their suspicions. And yet, the protesters represent Allawi's only hope of standing up to his benefactors. If he can harness their outrage and embrace their reform aspirations, he might gain some political space of his own. That is what Allawi's predecessor, Adel Abdul Mahdi, should have done - or at least tried to do. He, too, was a compromise candidate beholden to political heavyweights. Rather than coopt the protests, he presided over a brutal crackdown, involving state security as well as the Shiite militias, which only inflamed the situation. Eventually, he had no option but to quit. Can Allawi do better? He has started by saying the right things, encouraging the protesters to carry on, and promising political and economic reforms. "I'm your employee carrying your trust, so do not retreat until you get what you want," he said. Rhetoric alone will not earn him political capital. The real test for Allawi is whether he can protect the protesters from the security forces and militias. Unlike Amiri and Sadr, he does not have any muscle to flex in the streets. So his best bet might be to seek the support of the one man they both fear: Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. Iraq's senior-most cleric has no militia, but his huge Shiite following makes his blessing essential for any prime minister. Sistani has expressed sympathy with the protests, opposes Iranian and American influences alike, and has called for a cleansing of country's politics. Like the protesters, he believes the country needs fresh elections. Allawi seems to agree, and has promised elections supervised by international monitors. The political parties - and not only the Shiite factions - have an interest in preserving the status quo in parliament and will put up stiff resistance. Overcoming them will require a combination of artful politicking by Allawi and the backing of the Grand Ayatollah, but that may be the only promise the prime minister can keep. It is no small irony that Allawi has got, without any effort of his own, the job for which his cousin Ayad Allawi fought so hard, through the ballot box as well as backroom deal-making. But it is more than likely that his cousin feels more pity than jealousy for the man with the thorny crown and poisoned chalice. The Supreme Court Wednesday said "administrative will" and "change of mindset" are required on the issue of giving command posts to women officers in the Army. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi, which is considering the issue of giving command position to women officers in Army after grant of permanent commission, said the government has to look at the matter "very differently". "Two things, administrative will and change of mindset, is needed to do this," the bench observed, amid a media report quoting the Centre's note. "Composition of rank and file being male, predominantly drawn from rural background, with prevailing societal norms, troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept WOs (women officers) in command of units," said the report quoting the note. As soon as the hearing began, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he was dealing with the matter and content of the report has projected the things in a different manner. The bench also said that what has been reported was not part of the arguments. It said there was more nuance in the matter than what has been reported. Mehta said the government has never intended to argue that male officers cannot take orders from women officers. He said women should not just strive to equal men as they can go far ahead of them. The apex court was hearing an appeal by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) against the March 2010 judgement of the Delhi High Court which had directed the Navy to grant permanent commission to all its women officers on short service commission. The top court said it would examine the issue related to command posts for women officers in Air Force and Navy on February 11. The Centre has submitted a written note in the apex court, containing the proposal of the government, that points out to several issues including "physical prowess" and "physiological limitations" as challenges for women officers to meet the exigencies of service in Army. "Inherent physiological differences between men and women preclude equal physical performance resulting in lower physical standards and hence the physical capacity of WOs (women officers) in the IA remain a challenge for command of units," the note said, adding that officers are expected to lead their men 'from the front' and need to be in prime physical condition to undertake combat tasks. During the arguments on Wednesday, the bench asked the lawyer appearing for the MoD as to whether his line of submissions was that women officers were not entitled for permanent commission at all. The lawyer, while making it clear that there was no discrimination against women officers in the Army, said he was not arguing that Military policy has to be static as it keeps evolving with time. Advocate Meenakshi Lekhi, appearing for some women officers, told the bench that "administrative will" and not the "political will" was missing on the issue. Lekhi referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi August 15, 2018 speech in which he had announced that women officers recruited under short service commission in the armed forces would have the option of taking up permanent commission. "That is why we did not say political will," the bench said. In its written note, the Centre has said that women officers up to 14 years of service would be considered for permanent commissions and further career progression in staff appointments only. It said that women officers above 14 years of service would be permitted to serve up to 20 years without consideration for permanent commission and would be released with pensionary benefits subject to meeting disciplinary and medical criteria. The note said that women officers having over 20 years of service would be released with pensionary benefits. When the MoD's counsel referred to difference in training given to male and women officers, the bench observed, "Even for granting permanent commission, you could see their fitness and suitability. It is not that everybody ipso-facto gets permanent commission". The MoD counsel said post 1999 Kargil war, people have come in large number to join Army through short service commission. On the issue raised in the written note about a situation where a women soldier or officer may become a 'prisoner of war', the bench said there were other services in addition to direct combat operations where women officers may serve. "It would be a situation of extreme physical, mental and psychological stress for the individual, the organisation and above all the government. Therefore, such a situation is best avoided by keeping the WOs away from direct combat," the Centre has said in the written note. The bench has asked the parties to file their written submissions by February 8 and told the MoD's counsel to inform the court by Monday next if the government has taken some decision on the issue. In its note, the Centre said the country has two unsettled borders and Armymen are mostly deployed in isolated and detached posts in difficult terrain and adverse climatic conditions. "The lines of communications are extended and the internal security situation in the north-east and J&K puts severe limitations on the functioning of units in these areas. These conditions have a major bearing in the employment of WOs in light of their physiological limitations accentuated by the challenges of confinement, motherhood and child-care," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova Works of national artists have been displayed at Heydar Aliyev Center to mark the 28th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre. The state hymn of Azerbaijan was sounded, tragedy victims were honored with a minute of silence. Speakers included the chairman of EMEDIA GROUP Elshan Aliyev, deputy chairman Tural Nurmammadov, art director of the project Ulker Abulfet, chairman of Support the development of professional education Public Association Irada Alili and others. Nearly 100 project participants visited the family of the National Hero of Azerbaijan Mubariz Ibrahimov who sacrificed himself on the frontline, defending his motherland. A video on the Khojaly genocide and the film directed by Elvin Abdullayev "Meriz" were presented to the viewers. The event was hosted by Alida Mustafayeva. The exhibition has been held within "Justice for Khojaly" International Awareness Campaign, launched in 2008, at the initiative of Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva. The campaign aims to raise international public awareness of the Khojaly Genocide, root causes and consequences of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the need for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The campaigns activities are also directed towards honouring the victims and keeping their memories alive, particularly by constantly informing the younger generations and supporting the survivors and seeking ways to relieve their suffering. On the night of February 26, 1992, Armenian armed forces, directly supported by the 366th regiment of the former USSR, stationed at that time in the town of Khankendi in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan attacked, from five directions, the town of Khojaly. About 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. The art project will run in Guba and Ganja until February 15. Moreover, the exhibition will be also held in Georgia, Russia and Turkey on February 16-26. The art project will end in Baku on February 28. Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu is calling for the allocation of more funds to Ghanas mission in China in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus to support emergency efforts. In a statement to Parliament, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Habib Tijani indicated that the equivalent of US$ 4,200 had been made available to the mission while government discusses the possibility of evacuating Ghanaians in that country. But Haruna Iddrisu on the Floor of Parliament retorted that at least a $100,000 emergency fund must be able to support the Ghanaian authorities in China. To come and say $4,200 [is not enough] Mr. Speaker. Meanwhile, the China chapter of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on the government to evacuate all Ghanaian students in China. The Union expressed fears over the wellbeing of Ghanaian students in the country. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, reopening dates for most universities in China have been postponed indefinitely, leaving international students stranded. Several countries including the United States of America and Australia have evacuated their citizens from China. Kenya also plans to repatriate its 85 students who are stranded in Chinas Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the outbreak was discovered in China. The first coronavirus case was first reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019.In China alone, there are now more than 20,000 cases of the virus, with the death toll at over 400. Outside China, there are more than 150 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with one death in the Philippines. Various countries have imposed travel restrictions to a varying degree like Singapore, US and Australia which are denying entry to all foreign visitors who have recently been to China. Some countries are denying entry to foreigners travelling from mainland China whilst others are denying entry to foreigners who have visited Hubei province over the coronavirus fears. The WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern when there is an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease. It had previously declared five global public health emergencies: the Swine flu in 2009, Polio in 2014, Zika in 2016 and Ebola, 2014 and 2019. Source: citinewsroom.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 6 2020 Ghiffari, 21, an engineer at an online accommodation company, has to take a 20-minute trip by motorbike from his home in Palmerah, West Jakarta, to his office in Gambir, Central Jakarta, every day. Oftentimes, it takes him 15 to 20 minutes longer because of heavy traffic. The traffic is very irritating, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. My work sometimes requires me to move from one place to another. Ghiffari's longer travel time is an example of Jakarta's decades-long traffic issue, with the city failing to show any improvements in its congestion rate since 2018, according to a report. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Democrance, the UAE-born insurtech startup, has joined forces with AXA, one of the largest global insurers in the GCC region, to launch a new personal accident insurance scheme for customers of the international money transfer service Hello Paisa. Under the partnership, UAE residents remitting money to their home countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia are now covered by AXAs accident and disability policy for free. Designed by AXA and Democrance, Hello Protect taps into Hello Paisas existing customer base and allows its members complimentary access to the personal accident insurance for themselves when transferring money through Hello Paisas branches. The platform allows users to manage all their insurance needs via their mobile phones. Payouts for all claims are made instantly via Hello Paisas remittance houses in beneficiary countries. This project is part of the broader AXA Emerging Customers global initiative which aims to improve financial inclusion and accelerate the development of insurance and protection services that cater to the needs of the low- and middle-income classes. Speaking on the partnership, Michele Grosso, Co-founder and CEO of Democrance, said: We have witnessed a rising demand for financial solutions amongst the populations that are most at risk and require social protection. Hello Protect enables us to introduce low- and mid-income segments of society to the personal accident insurance and other products. Remittance houses offer prime access points, since the UAE is one of the main remittance-sending countries in the world. India is the largest beneficiary, and receives $12.6 billion in remittances annually, followed by the Philippines at $3.5 billion. Collaborations such as this one reinforce our commitment to closing the protection gap and establishing an ecosystem that supports the financial inclusion through creating accessible financial products. Given the volume of remittances from the UAE, the countrys exchange houses and banks have begun to see the value of investing in digital technologies, including mobile apps, to make it easier for residents to send money home. Michal Matul, Senior Advisor at AXA Emerging Customers, said: Whilst safety nets exist in the UAE, not being in a position to send money home remains among the biggest concerns for most workers, who are largely the only source of income for their families back home. Offering financial support in cases of emergency through insurance helps provide immediate financial security and ensures peace of mind. In the UAE, blue-collar workers visit remittance houses on a regular basis, and this makes them our key target audience. Moosa Manjra, CEO of Hello Paisa, said: Our customers are amongst the most vulnerable segments of society, and stand to reap significant benefits from this new offering. All residents who send money home via Hello Paisa will now automatically get a free personal accident cover. Digitalisation has enabled instant and easy access across sectors, and we seek to leverage it to improve our customers lives. We are proud to partner with Democrance and AXA to bring this innovative service to the region. Globally, remitted funds amounted to $689 billion in 2018 and were estimated to reach $715 billion in 2019. Sending remittances home is a common practice especially amongst low-income residents, and forms the backbone of livelihoods and the entire economies outside the region. -- Tradearabia News Service Medaram: Devotees during Asia's biggest tribal fair, Sammakka-Saralamma jatara at Medaram in Telangana's Mulugu district on Feb 5, 2020. Devotees, mostly tribals, from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karn Image Source: IANS News Medaram: Devotees during Asia's biggest tribal fair, Sammakka-Saralamma jatara at Medaram in Telangana's Mulugu district on Feb 5, 2020. Devotees, mostly tribals, from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karn Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad, Feb 5 : Lakhs of devotees from various states descended on Medaram in Telangana's Mulugu district as Asia's biggest tribal fair, Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, began on Wednesday. Devotees, mostly tribals, from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states are attending the four-day biennial festival at in Eturangaram wildlife sanctuary. The devotees, including women, were standing in long queues to offer jaggery to tribal goddesses Sammakka and Sarakka, also called as Saralamma. Sammakka and Sarakka were legendary warriors from the Koya tribe who died while fighting against the Kakatiya empire over 800 years ago. The unique rituals will begin Wednesday night with the customary arrival of Sarakka's image from Kannepally village which will be placed on a platform. The image idol covered in red cloth will be brought in a vessel laden with vermilion and turmeric powder. The idols of Sarakkaa's father Pagidigidda Raju and husband Govinda Raju will be brought to Medaram. Devotees were having holy dip in Jampanna Vagu, a tributary of Godavari river. Jampanna was the tribal warrior and the son of tribal Goddess Sammakka who was killed in a war with Kakatiya Army. The tribals believe that a dip in the stream washes off their sins. Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for Medaram jatra, also called as Telangana's kumbh mela. About 1.5 crore devotees are expected to participate in the event. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Director General of Police Mahender Reddy reached Medaram from Hyderabad to monitor the conduct of the fair. Somesh Kumar directed all government departments to work with coordination to ensure smooth conduct of darshan and other rituals. He reviewed the arrangements made by all the departments. He directed the irrigation department to maintain the water flow in the stream and asked it to keep swimmers ready to prevent any untoward incident. Earlier, he flew over Jampanna Vaagu and other places where rituals were being conducted. The police chief directed officials to be on alert to prevent stampede. He said 12,000 policemen were deployed for the peaceful and smooth conduct of the event. The state government has sanctioned Rs 75 crore to take up various works for the smooth conduct of the rituals during the jatra. Various departments have undertaken various works to provide all the necessary facilities for the devotees. These include sprucing up bathing ghats along Jampanna Vagu. As many as 132 dress changing compartments were constructed across 3.5 km stretch. State-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is plying 4,000 buses to ferry devotees to Medaram from various places in the state. This is in addition to thousands of private vehicles. The South Central Railway is also operating 20 special trains from Hyderabad and other places in Telangana to clear the extra rush of passengers. David Camerons police bodyguard is under investigation after reports emerged that he left a loaded handgun and the former British Prime Ministers passport in the toilet on a commercial flight. The Metropolitan Police told CNN it had launched an investigation into the incident, which delayed takeoff and reportedly caused panic among passengers on a British Airways flight from New York to Londons Heathrow airport on Feb. 3. A passenger found the gun in the toilet and alerted crew, leading the captain to confirm to the cabin that a gun had legally been brought aboard the flight, newspapers including the Daily Mail and The Sun reported, citing eyewitnesses. Passports belonging to Cameron and the bodyguard were also found, reports said, and the weapon was ultimately removed from the flight before takeoff. Flight-tracking services show that the flight, BA 112 from New Yorks JFK airport, was delayed by more than an hour and took off around 8 p.m. local time on Monday evening. A police spokesperson told CNN, We are aware of the incident on a flight into the UK on Feb. 3 and the officer involved has since been removed from operational duties. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and an internal investigation is taking place, the statement added. Police officers are allowed to carry weapons onto commercial flights if they meet certain requirements, according to guidelines from the United States Transportation Security Administration and the UKs Civil Aviation Authority. Cameron is entitled to personal protection, provided by the Metropolitan Police, as a former Prime Minister. A British Airways spokesperson told CNN: We follow CAA rules which allow UK police to carry firearms on board in specific, controlled circumstances. Our crew dealt with the issue quickly before departure and the flight continued as normal. The incident isnt the first time Camerons team has misplaced something important. In 2012, Downing Street confirmed that the then-prime minister had accidentally left his 8-year-old daughter in a pub. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. The state of Colorado's Office of Information Technology (OIT) has hired Julia Richman as its new chief strategy officer.The position will focus on the convergence of strategy, product management, business architecture, as well as marketing and communications, Richman toldRichman, whose first day in the role was Monday, has spent the last two years working for the city of Boulder, Colo., where she started as its chief innovation and analytics officer, before being promoted to chief technology officer.Working with the city helped prepare her for her work at OIT, she said, because of the focus on modernization and leadership where it came to service delivery from back-end infrastructure to front-end customer service.Julia Richmans wide range of experience from the public and private sectors will be instrumental in developing and evolving a strategic framework that delivers customer delight, state CIO Theresa Szczurek said in a statement.Before her tenure in the public sector, she also worked for nearly a decade with Deloitte Consulting, where she was a senior manager working on projects with federal, state and local governments that focused on business and service operations strategies.Richman is the first strategy officer for the state in several years. Colorado previously filled a strategy officer position between 2014 and 2016, but the post was not renewed.She graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in government and English. She holds a masters degree in public policy analysis from Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said he has not abandoned Hindutva just as the Congress party has not let go of secularism. He stressed that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress works in the framework of the Constitution. The CM said that using religion to grab power, to kill and creating national unrest, is not his idea of Hindutva. If you run the government as per the Constitution; then how can you say that you have surrendered? I am Sena chief and Hindutva is our ideology. Congress hasnt given up its secularism. But as a government, we are following things that should be done as per the Constitution, Thackeray said in the latest instalment of a three-part interview which was released on Wednesday. In a sharp attack on the BJP over its Hindutva agenda, Thackeray said, Using religion to gain power is not my Hindutva. Absolutely not. They say that they want a Hindu nation. But if the Hindu nation is going to burn like this, I do not want it. My definition of Hindu rashtra (nation) and theirs [BJPs] is different. Killing one another is not Hindutva. Spreading lies about Hindutva and misusing it to gain power is not my Hindutva. Thackeray also called for infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh to be thrown out of the country at the earliest. However, he likened the process of removing infiltrators to demonetisation. This stand was taken by Balasaheb. Nobody should take credit for it. This is not our new stand. For just a few percent of fake currency notes, you demonetised the currency notes. Similarly, you are making the entire country stand in a queue for a few percent of infiltrators. This government has a strange policy of always keeping the people under tension, he said. The CM dispelled rumours that the remote control of the government lies with NCP chief Sharad Pawar. There is no question of remote control. If Sharad Pawar has suggestions, he makes them, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a long-awaited decision, a visiting judge ruled Tuesday that a Houston City Council candidate who has a felony conviction should remain on the ballot for the District B runoff, declining a plea from the third-place finisher to replace her on the ballot. Renee Jefferson-Smith, who finished 168 votes behind Cynthia Bailey in the Nov. 5 general elections, had argued that Baileys 2007 felony conviction for theft made her ineligible and the city erred in not declaring her as such before it certified the November results. Jefferson-Smiths lawyers cited a state law that says candidates cannot have felony convictions from which they have not been pardoned or otherwise released from its resulting disabilities. It doesnt define that phrase, which has now invited confusion about who qualifies and who does not. Her lawyers asked the judge to rule that the city should have declared Bailey ineligible and then place Jefferson-Smith on the runoff ballot with top vote-getter Tarsha Jackson. Special Judge Grant Dorfman declined to do so, saying that Jefferson-Smith did not conclusively prove Contestee Baileys ineligibility. No grounds were presented that warrant the voiding of the November 5, 2019 election, Dorfman wrote. In a separate ruling, Dorman ordered a May 2 runoff between Jackson and Bailey. The drama might not be over, though. Harris County attorneys say the months-late runoff cant be scheduled until the lawsuits resolution is final, and there is still an opportunity to appeal. Nicole Bates, an attorney for Jefferson-Smith, said Jefferson-Smith and her legal team would need some time before choosing whether to pursue an appeal. I think she probably just needs a moment to process everything thats happened and then figure out what her next move is, Bates said. Officials have said they would need a resolution by mid-March to make the May 2 ballot. Attorneys were confident Tuesdays decision would leave them enough time to clear that benchmark, even if an appeal is filed. The Election Code provides for an expedited appeal of election contests, so it may be final fairly quickly, assistant county attorney Doug Ray said. Bailey and Jackson, a criminal justice reformer who had advocated for Bailey to remain on the ballot, celebrated the ruling. Im happy about the decision and more excited about the fact that we can move forward, Jackson said. After this being in several courts and cases constantly being denied, its obvious that we need to move forward with the first- and second-place finishers. Baileys team echoed that sentiment. Her attorney, Oliver Jason Brown, claimed a fourth victory, citing an earlier, related lawsuit and its appeals. Shes ready to run her campaign, Brown said of Bailey. The dispute has held up the District B runoff for months after a dozen other city runoffs were decided Dec. 14. Eight new council members and four incumbents who prevailed in those contests were then sworn into office and began their new terms. District B incumbent Jerry Davis, who met his 8-year limit in the seat, has been serving as a hold-over council member, waiting for his successor to be elected and sworn in. The litigation began two days after the general election, when Jefferson-Smith filed her first lawsuit asking a judge to declare Bailey ineligible before the vote was certified. Judge Dedra Davis declined to do so. The city went ahead and certified the votes, and Jefferson-Smiths team asked appeals courts to order the city to declare Bailey ineligible . Those courts later rejected the requests. On Nov. 15, Jefferson-Smith filed a second lawsuit, this time an election contest, formally disputing the results and saying the city erred in administering the election. That triggered a portion of state law that Harris County lawyers said forced them to pull the District B race from the ballot. The case bounced around courtrooms and judges before landing before Dorfman Jan. 24. There, Jefferson-Smiths lawyers said they sent the city a packet of information on Nov. 13 that purportedly proved Baileys felony conviction. Lawyers for the city of Houston said the documents that Jefferson-Smith sent did not conclusively prove Baileys rights werent restored. The packet included a Harris County record of the conviction and a Texas Attorney General Opinion stating that restored voting rights dont mean a restored ability to run for office. An election contestant in Contestant Jefferson-Smiths position has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that voting irregularities materially affected the outcome of the election about which she complains, Dorfman wrote. Dorfman clarified in his ruling that he was not deciding whether Bailey was eligible to be on the ballot. Instead, he was ruling whether the city erred in administering the election. It didnt, he said, because the packet does not conclusively prove Contestee Baileys ineligibility. After reading the decision, Bates Jefferson-Smiths attorney said the ruling in the first case put them in what she called a paradoxical position. They had to prove, with public records, that Bailey hadnt pursued a pardon. But because she hadnt pursued a pardon, Bates said, there were no such public records. Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this report. The Beijing municipal government announced 19 measures to combat the novel coronavirus on Monday. They aim to make full use of the Chinese capitals capacity for scientific and technological innovation, strengthen its abilities to research and develop effective drugs, increase connectivity with pharmacies and medical equipment manufacturers, and encourage those companies to open offices in Zhongguancun parks. The city will also improve online consultancy for pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, and support key technological R&D and product demonstration for medical AI. The new measures to contain the epidemic will further streamline procedures of administrative approval, reinforce financial support for prevention and control, offer better services for enterprises, support the citys scientific and technological innovation efforts in prevention and control work, and ensure its smooth operation. In particular, to buttress the role of scientific and technological innovation to curb the epidemic, the city will do the following jobs. First, the city will reinforce R&D on drugs for treating the virus. Specifically, the government will announce policies on R&D to promote innovation on drugs and health, support medical institutions to conduct clinical research relating to prevention, control, diagnosis, and innovation, help bring more new medical equipment and drugs into clinical use as soon as possible, support pharmacies to speed up R&D on and production of drugs and test kits for the novel coronavirus. Second, the city will better connect with pharmacies and medical equipment manufacturers, encouraging them to open offices in Zhongguancun parks. The city will fully tap into the third-party technology and service platforms to accelerate R&D on and production of related drugs and medical equipment. The city will also fast-track the vetting and permitting process for antiviral and outbreak-prevention products. Third, the city will promote big data and AI applications. Specifically, the city will implement Beijings big data action plan, encourage the merging, sharing, and other interactions between government and private databases. The city will conduct AI applications for screening and allocation of supplies. It will also improve online consultancy concerning pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, and support key technological R&D and product demonstration for medical AI. She is a fashion plate both on and off the runway. And Gigi Hadid demonstrated her impeccable street style yet again when she was seen pounding the pavement in New York City on Wednesday. The 24-year-old supermodel wore a massively oversized red, white and blue shirt that dangled down almost to her knees. Out and about: Gigi Hadid demonstrated her impeccable street style when she was seen pounding the pavement in New York City on Wednesday She complemented the top with a pair of fashionably faded jeans and balanced on a pair of high-heeled off-white boots. Sweeping her luxurious hair into a ponytail, she accentuated her screen siren features with makeup and wore a tangle of necklaces. That same day her 20-year-old brother Anwar Hadid was glimpsed across the pond arriving at Heathrow Airport. Mover and shaker: The 24-year-old supermodel wore a massively oversize red, white and blue blouse that dangled down almost to her knees Off she goes: She complemented the top with a pair of fashionably faded jeans and balanced on a sky-high pair of high-heeled off-white boots Anwar, who has followed his sisters Gigi and Bella's footsteps into modeling, is dating the English pop star Dua Lipa who is currently in London. He was spotted at Heathrow this Wednesday dressed in a color-block checked anorak with a pair of flared jeans and a Prada bag. Gigi herself was across the Atlantic Ocean recently, as on January 22 she walked the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier at Paris Couture Week. Stepping out: That same day her 20-year-old brother Anwar Hadid was glimpsed across the pond arriving at Heathrow Airport Romantic trip?: Anwar, who has followed his sisters Gigi and Bella's footsteps into modeling, is dating the English pop star Dua Lipa who is currently in London Travel chic: He was spotted at Heathrow this Wednesday dressed in a color-block checked anorak with a pair of flared jeans and a Prada bag The extravaganza was the final fashion show for Jean Paul, who is retiring from his brand after a half-century in the industry. Bella was also on the star-studded runway, which included such names as Karlie Kloss, Dita Von Teese, Winnie Harlow, Paris Jackson, Yasmin Le Bon and Irina Shayk. Gigi has been hard at work on her modeling gigs, starring with Bella and their supermodel pal Kendall Jenner in a new Burberry campaign. The wife of Lesotho's prime minister, Thomas Thabane, was charged in court Wednesday with murdering his previous wife. Maesaiah Thabane is accused of shooting his then-estranged spouse, Lipolelo, outside her house, two days before he took office in 2017. Thabane and his wife were going through an acrimonious divorce at the time. He married Maesaiah two months later. At the time, the murder was believed to be a political assassination. Police issued an arrest warrant for Maesaiah last month after she failed to show up for police questioning. After weeks on the run, she turned herself in on Tuesday. Thabane announced his intention to resign last month without giving a reason. He did not attend the hearing. The love triangle murder case involving the alleged killing of a first wife by the new, younger spouse has captivated Lesotho. It has triggered street protests in the mountainous country, which is encircled by South Africa. That smell you get in the dry cleaners? That, folks, is the sweet scent of solvents. More specifically of a chemical called Perchloroethylene, also known as Perc, or PCE or Tetrachloroethylene. Its job is to dissolve dirt from your clothes, and it does that extremely well. But Perc is also a chemical nasty, a volatile organic compound, a ground level ozone, that you do not want to inhale or let loose into the environment. The biggest risk of exposure comes not so much from your newly cleaned clothes - though wool, cotton and polyester retain high levels that accumulate with each cleaning - but from the process of dry cleaning itself. Clothes are soaked in a toxic bath and the solvent can escape and vaporise into the atmosphere when they are being loaded or removed from machines or during pressing or maintenance or when it is being decanted for disposal as hazardous waste. "The problem with Perc," says environmental scientist Dr Ian Marnane of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "is it is classified as 'probably carcinogenic'." It is also a neurotoxin and acute exposure is linked to dizziness, headaches or loss of consciousness. Here in Ireland, the EPA has assessed the amount of emissions from dry cleaners countrywide to be around 60 tonnes a year. "It's adding to already existing problems in relation to air pollution," says Marnane, "and this ground level ozone is particularly problematic for people who have existing respiratory conditions, for example." There are safe-guards in place to regulate use of the chemical. Dry cleaners have to obtain a license from their local authority, and be inspected by an EPA-approved assessor to ensure they are not breaching their permitted emissions levels or letting waste leak into the ground or waste water system. "If Perc was to leak into the ground," says Marnane, "it would present a significant problem because it is very toxic to aquatic organisms. If it's not managed properly, it can cause pretty significant impacts on water courses and rivers and lakes." Leaks and spillages do happen. In Wexford back in the 1990s, ground contamination occurred at the Wexal aluminium factory, a plant that used the solvent as an industrial degreaser. Over 20 years later, the clean-up operation is still going on. So Perc is a problem. It is inevitable that the chemical will be phased out - a toxic-free environment is one of the aims of the European Green Deal currently being rolled out. France has already introduced a ban that comes into effect this year. There are cleaner alternatives. However, it costs money to make the transition, about 30,000 by one owner's estimate, and many small businesses would be hard pushed to find the capital. This is where State funding could step in with subsidies or grants for those wishing to go green. Some have already made the shift. Rita Langan of BeeGreen in Galway has been in the laundry and dry cleaning business for 23 years. Eleven years ago, she invested about 160,000 "at the height of the Celtic Tiger" to install an environmentally friendly system called wet cleaning which is water-based and chemical-free. "I didn't want to work with the chemicals," she says. "When we started no one was interested in it being green," she says, now, though it's become a selling point. The company also uses biodegradable plastic covers and is trialling recyclable hangers. Green Earth Dry Cleaners in Dublin also uses the system, the owners having made the switch for health reasons - though they mainly service commercial clients such as hotels that are keen to offer guests a greener stay. There are other options. For starters, buy clothes that are machine or hand-washable, and avoid ones with a 'Dry Clean Only' label. Or try washing your delicates at home - 'Dry Clean' generally means hand-washable. Keep in mind that temperature, agitation and type of detergent are the main factors that cause shrinkage or colour bleeding. Cotton, linen and polyester are often safe in washing machines with delicate cycles using cold water and gentle soaps. Wash each piece, turned inside out, in its own mesh bag to reduce agitation. Rescue from the machine immediately and dry flat. Chances are that more of your wardrobe is washable than you thought. On the scent Whiffy clothes? Try a trick beloved of theatre costume designers - spritz with vodka and let dry, or with water spiked with a few drops of essential oils and then iron. Three tips for home cleaning 1: Put jumpers in a mesh bag and wash on a cold, fast cycle or hand-wash with gentle detergent. Don't spin or wring, roll in a towel to remove excess water. 2: Colour-test fabrics by wetting a small area and swabbing - if it bleeds, take it to the cleaners. 3: Treat stains with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water before you wash. Mumbai, Feb 6 : WWE champion-turned-Hollywood star John Cena returns to the screens in a few months from now in "Fast & Furious 9", and while the makers of the Vin Diesel-starrer mega franchise probably won't fly down the actor to India to promote the film, Cena has struck a smart connection with fans here. The Hollywood machoman has taken to Instagram and posted a picture of model Asim Riaz on his handle. Cena did not caption the picture, to explain why he posted Riaz's picture. All we know is that Cena has in the past said that he does not follow any logic while posting snapshots on social media. Riaz has lately become a familiar name among those who watch the reality show "Bigg Boss", because he is a contestant on season 13 of the show. Cena's post might just do Riaz a whole lot of good by garnering some votes in his favour on that show. He would also be hoping that CenaaAs attention has a positive impact on his struggling career once he gets back into the normal world from the show. On Cena's part, the post could probably work as an early promotional campaign for "Fast & Furious 9". Too early perhaps, for the film is scheduled to release only in May. The funny thing is, after seeing Asim Riaz on John Cena's Insta page, many believed the Hollywood actor's account has been hacked! News organizations including The Post and the New Yorker have published accounts of migrants who were deported from the United States and killed after their return home. But the Human Rights Watch report appears to be the most extensive investigation into the phenomenon to date and reveals the most cases. Tori Black is a businesswoman who watches porn to get off. She calls up two guys from her firmMick Blue and Markus Dupreeand they are very firm with her. Markus pulls her by her hair and gobbles her ass as she slurps Micks dick. Mick goes into her pussy while Markus moves into her ass as she cries with pleasure. Avi Love and Emily Willis throw a slumber party and the girls are twerking like crazy. Blue shows up and Avi and Emily strip him and take turns riding cowgirl with their asses on his cock. Its so fucking good, Emily pants. They both giggle and squeal, like getting butt-fucked by an older guy is just the funnest thing ever. Kenzie Reeves recruits girls online who love anal sex, like Vina Sky. Also guys, like Dupree, who do it with young girls. Vina fucks Kenzie with a buttplug before Markus jumps in with Vina, then goes into Kenzies ass. Ends with a tasty cum swap. In the most elaborate episode, a blonde-wigged Adriana Chechik comes on like Marilyn Monroe in her iconic Diamonds number, with actual boy dancers. Then she takes on three fuckersAlberto Bianco, Mick and Markusall in tuxes, against a red backdrop. Albertos huge cock goes into her ass first, followed by Markus, as she sucks on Mick. Brief d.p. with Markus and Mick holding her aloft. More d.p.s, all three holes filled. She squirts, copiously. This is presentational porn, and its spectacular. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 : Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Assembly on Wednesday that he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to assign the case of two youths, arrested on the charge of being Maoist sympathisers, back to the Kerala Police. His statement came a day after he had refused to approach the Centre on the arrest of Allen Shuaib and Thaha Fazil -- both said to be Communist Party of India-Marxist workers and students of law and journalism. Both were arrested in November last year from their hometown Kozhikode after police allegedly seized Maoist leaflets that condemned the central government's action in Jammu and Kashmir. Kerala Police charged these youths under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The National Investigation Agency later took over the case. Vijayan had on Tuesday denied that these two youths were picked up by police while they were having tea and at one point of time had asked Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala to help correct a wrong. CPI-M Kozhikode district secretary P. Mohanan earlier maintained that the two youths were not Maoists, but changed tack as Vijayan asserted that they were not CPI-M workers but Maoist supporters. Deputy Leader of Opposition M.K. Muneer first raised the issue in the Assembly, pointing out to the NIA Act wherein a state government could urge the Centre to assign back a case being probed by the NIA. Thaha's mother told the media in Kozhikode that the family was very happy to hear of the change in stand by the Chief Minister. "We have been steadfast Communist supporters. Even when the CM spoke against us, we took it in our stride. Now we are really happy that he has written to the Centre. Chennithala's intervention also helped," she said. Chennithala and Muneer last month visited the homes of the arrested youths and assured their parents that they will do their best to help them and raise the issue in the Assembly. Two Australians have caught the coronavirus on a cruise ship in Japan, and there are fears more than 200 others have been exposed to the deadly disease. The Diamond Princess cruise ship has almost 3700 passengers and crew in quarantine off the coast of Yokohama, after an infected passenger flew from Wuhan to Tokyo and spread the disease to others on board. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is aware of the situation, and is urgently seeking information on the welfare of the Australians on board. The ship has been placed in quarantine for 14 days, and the infected passengers are being treated on mainland Japan. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Sajjad Lone and Mehbooba Muftis close aide released from detention in Jammu and Kashmir Two senior Jammu and Kashmir politicians were on Wednesday released from preventive detention after 180 days, bringing the number of released political prisoners since Sunday to eight. Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Lone and Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Parra, who is considered close to the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, were released in attempts to minimise restrictions that were imposed since the former state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special rights enshrined in article 370 scrapped by the parliament on December 5, 2019. Read More Make in India, for India and for the world: PM Modi at DefExpo Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the transformation of Indian defence in line with the changing technology is paramount and that the country was trying to become a major defence export power which was also tied up with its $5 billion economy ambition. Read More When Salman Khan was scared after Arbaaz lost a pair of Bata slippers Bollywood star Salman Khan has revealed how he was scared of an uncle during childhood after his brother and filmmaker-actor Arbaaz Khan lost a pair of slippers. Read More Just the third time in ODI history: Iyer,Taylor combine to join unique list Shreyas Iyers maiden century went in vain as Ross Taylors unbeaten century powered New Zealand to a four wicket victory against India in the first ODI of the three-match series at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday. The two centurions of the match, Iyer and Taylor, combined to script a unique record in ODIs.This is only the third time in the history of One-Day Internationals that both number fours have crossed the three-figure mark. Read More The Taste with Vir: Usha Uthup and a song for a vanishing South Bombay From jazz classics to rock to Hindi film songs, Usha Uthup can sing everything. But South Bombay, where she would perform live at the restaurant, The Talk of The Town, has lost its charm over the years, writes Vir Sanghvi. Read More Japanese woman speaks flawless Bangla, impresses everyone. Watch An intriguing video of a foreigner fluently speaking Bangla is impressing many on social media. The video, uploaded on Facebook by Apurba Das, shows Sakura Ishikawa speaking fluent Bangla. Das captioned it: A Japanese girl who loves Bengali more than many Bongs... Read More How Google Maps tells your location data Google keeps a detailed track of users movement. This record is available as a part of their Location History data. Users can view and manage Location History information through Googles Timeline, which is available both on mobile and desktop-based platforms. They can also edit specific entries from the Location History section, delete information from ranges in time and even delete all of their location history data. Read More Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 06:32:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Peter Thomson, United Nations secretary-general's special envoy for the ocean, speaks at a press conference on the preparations for the 2020 UN Ocean Conference at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 5, 2020. The international community should make every effort to turn around the deteriorating ocean ecosystem, Peter Thomson said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The international community should make every effort to turn around the deteriorating ocean ecosystem, Peter Thomson, United Nations secretary-general's special envoy for the ocean, said on Wednesday. "The health of the ocean is in decline. And we have to do everything possible to turn that around for obvious reasons," Thomson said while briefing reporters at the UN headquarters on the preparations for the 2020 UN Ocean Conference slated for Lisbon, Portugal, on June 2-6. He warned that the oceans are facing such problems as pollution, acidification, deoxygenation and ocean warming. "Back in 2017, it was about trying to wake the world up to the fact that the ocean was in trouble... Now what we're focused on are the innovative steps we're gonna take in Lisbon that are going to deliver the relationship with the ocean that we want humanity to have," he said. The 2017 UN Ocean Conference sought to mobilize actions for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. "By the time we get to 2030, we're gonna have to take some very important decisions about our relationship with the environment. The ocean is the most important part of the environment," said the envoy. "There is no healthy planetary ecosystem without a healthy ocean ecosystem." On Tuesday, at the preparatory meeting for the 2020 UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, Thomson urged everyone to focus on the "positive tipping points," claiming they "are closer than you think." These include "scaling up of science and innovation" and other solutions "that we will be concentrating on in Lisbon," according to the envoy. Thomson also spoke about the strong will of developing countries to participate in sustainable agriculture, windfarms and the greening of shipping, saying that "we are now on the cusp of a great positive revolution." Goal 14 of UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is Life Below Water. Statistics show that more than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Oceans also absorb about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by humans. The goal aims to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution, as well as address the impacts of ocean acidification. U.S. The Daily Beast Fox News White House correspondent and perpetual nemesis of Jen Psaki thought he had Joe Bidens press secretary cornered on Monday when he asked her why the president is still referring to COVID-19 as a pandemic of the unvaccinated when so many people are getting breakthrough infections. He was wrong.I understand that the science says that vaccines prevent death, Doocy began, before undercutting that basic truth. But Im triple-vaxxed, still got COVID. Youre triple-vaxxed, still got COVI (Newser) "Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder." Tracy Brabin, a UK member of Parliament, certainly knows now. The Labour MP and shadow culture secretary took to Twitter Tuesday to hit back at critics who berated her for wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in the House of Commons. In response to someone who questioned whether the outfit was "appropriate attire for parliament," Brabin noted others had called her a "tart," "slapper," and "slag," who looked as though she'd "just been banged over a wheelie bin." Brabin had taken to the despatch box to complain of journalists being removed from a press briefing on Brexit plans. "It damages a free and vibrant press, which is central to this parliamentary democracy," she said, per Mashable. She later said the focus on her outfit was an example of "everyday sexism," per the BBC. story continues below Brabin told the BBC that her dress had slipped slightly as she spoke. "But the context of this is frankly pretty absurd," she said. "This is everyday sexism where women are continually judged for what they wear, how they look and not what they say" as a means "to silence us." Brabin, who said she was speaking out "on behalf of other women," also noted there had been little fuss when a male MP was "asleep on the front benches with his legs up," as seen in this photo. "That is disrespectful," she said. As for the "keyboard warriors ... in their mum's back bedroom eating Pot Noodles and having a pop at people they don't know anything about," well, "I am not going to lose much sleep over them," Brabin said, per the BBC. "They are idiots and they are rude." (The former actress previously told Parliament about being raped as a young woman.) Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby appeared to soften a little Tuesday on a potential return of earmarks in spending bills this year, after saying last week his Republican colleagues probably wouldnt allow it. The Alabama Republican said that despite the Senate GOP Conference vote last year in favor of a permanent ban on the practice, he thinks theres an argument to be made for a reversal. I never said that I was against earmarks, Shelby said. I think we gave that power to the president and the president said he would like to give it back to us. During a January 2018 meeting on immigration policy, President Donald Trump told a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he wouldnt oppose a restoration of earmarks, which might facilitate legislative deal-making. You know our system lends itself to not getting things done. And I hear so much about earmarks, the old earmark system, how there was a great friendliness when you had earmarks, Trump said. But maybe all of you should start thinking about going back to a form of earmarks. After Trumps comment, some in the room laughed, while other lawmakers shouted yes or no. The practice of inserting line items in spending bills and other legislation for lawmakers home states and districts has been effectively barred since 2011, after lawmakers in both chambers imposed moratoriums a response to several pay-to-play lobbying scandals in prior years. Shelby said earmarking, which lawmakers sometimes call congressionally directed spending, could be brought back under the right circumstances. Earmarks have become a pejorative term. But directed appropriations, where theyre meritorious, I think thats a right Congress has had under the Constitution and shouldnt give up, Shelby said. But well see what happens. House Democrats have been talking about a return to earmarking in some form for the past few weeks. House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey, a New York Democrat, has been meeting with freshmen and at-risk Democrats to talk through how the process would work and listen to any concerns they have. A House Democratic aide, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Tuesday that they expect more discussions this week on community project funding before making a decision. Every discussion about community project funding has focused on a limited process that would help meet important local needs while adhering to the highest standards for accountability, effectiveness, and transparency, the aide said. Part of the equation for the House has been what the Senates response would be, because if only one chamber revives earmarks in fiscal 2021 appropriations bills it could be extremely difficult to get them enacted. Last week House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer hinted hed had some preliminary discussions with Republicans, including in the Senate, and said hed be surprised if the Senate GOP ban was truly permanent. Shelby would likely face a tough time persuading his GOP colleagues to reverse their prohibition, after the ban was adopted last year on a 28-12 vote. But he said it wasnt out of the question. Some people would never want to revisit it. But I think a lot of people would believe, as Ive said, that we gave up a lot of power thats given to us under the Constitution, he said. Maintenance man shot by tenant after being sent to wrong apartment originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A painter is in critical condition after being sent to the wrong house and getting shot by the occupant who thought someone was trying to break into his home. Byron Castillo, 48-year-old painter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was contracted by the Chatham Woods apartment complex in High Point last week when he arrived to complete repairs on an apartment just before 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, according to a statement by Kenneth Shultz, Chief of Police at the High Point Police Department. Castillo was accidentally sent to the wrong apartment, however, and after identifying himself as maintenance, he began knocking on the door and attempted to enter the premises with a key that he was given that did not work. MORE: Half-naked sex offender arrested breaking into home through doggy door The occupant of the apartment, 28-year-old Gregory Sims, then allegedly became scared and, fearing for his safety, suddenly opened the door of his apartment and shot Castillo once in the chest. Sims perceived that someone was attempting to break into his apartment and retrieved his firearm, said Shultz. Mr. Sims could see Mr. Castillo pulling on the door handle and that he had something in his other hand manipulating the deadbolt. MORE: Multiple family members shot, killed in alleged targeted home invasion Castillo was taken to a local hospital and underwent surgery for the gunshot wound and placed on a breathing machine. After investigating the circumstances around the shooting, the High Point Police Department announced on Tuesday that they would not be seeking to prosecute Sims over the shooting of Castillo. MORE: 4-year-old boy shot and killed during overnight home invasion The Violent Crimes Unit consulted and presented the case to the Guilford County District Attorneys Office and prosecution has been declined. Through unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Castillo attempted to gain entry mistakenly into the wrong apartment and Mr. Sims perceived that as a threat and fired his weapon, said High Point Police. Castillo is still in the intensive care unit in critical but stable condition. TORONTO, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Gold Corporation (TSX:TNX) (NYSE American:TRX) (the Company) announces that the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, Supreme Court of the State of New York has affirmed the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York granting of summary judgment to Crede CG III, LTD under a Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on September 1, 2016 between Crede and the Company. The Company is currently reviewing its rights including the right to appeal. The Appellate Divisions decision does not affect the Companys federal claim against Crede for market manipulation, among other claims. Respectfully Submitted, James E. Sinclair James E. Sinclair Executive Chairman For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations, via email at m.martin@tangoldcorp.com , direct line 860-248-0999, or visit the Company website at www.tangoldcorp.com The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE MKT LLC have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements Certain of the statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward- looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified using words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, ,occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited whether or not the Company will appeal the Appellate Courts decision and its rights under the federal claim. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information and even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following:, gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; mining operational and development risk; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign investment; currency fluctuations; speculative nature of gold exploration; global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; and defective title to mineral claims or property, as well as those factors discussed in the sections entitled Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in the Companys Form 20-F Annual Report for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019 as filed with the SEC on December 2, 2019. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward- looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Companys business contained in the Companys reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S. TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili said Tuesday that the country's Supreme Court has approved the death sentence of an Iranian who was spying for the United States, semi-official Fars news agency reported. "Amir Rahimpour, who was the CIA spy and received huge money to give part of the information of Iran's nuclear program to the intelligence service of America, had already been sentenced to death and it was recently approved by the country's Supreme National court," Esmaili was quoted as saying. "He (Rahimpour) will be punished soon," the spokesman said. He added that two others have been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of spying for the United States. Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Herman Trend Alert February 5, 2020 The Coronavirus Pandemic By now, most of us have heard about the latest biological attack on humanity: The Novel Coronavirus. What is the Coronavirus? Technically called nCoV-19, the Novel Coronavirus, 2019 is in the same family as SARS and MERS. About 70 percent of its genetic makeup is related to SARS and this particular virus has never before been seen in humans. It is believed to be a Zoonotic disease; which means that it originated in infected animals (probably snakes) and through a complicated process crossed over to at least one human host. From there, humans infected one-another, and the disease spread. How the Disease Spreads Similar to SARS and MERS, Coronavirus spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens proliferate. The United States Center for Disease Control estimates that the current incubation and infection time is estimated to be between 2 and 14 days. What this estimate means is that you can be infected and spreading the virus and not show any symptoms. Symptoms include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, and other trouble breathing caused by viral pneumonia. The Story of an Pandemic First detected mid-December in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, for a few weeks, the number of cases remained small. At that time, public health officials believed direct exposure was necessary to spread the disease; thus they believed that only animal exposure in the market was responsible. However, now that the number has increased significantly, it is obvious that there is critical human-to-human transmission. The World Health Organization has declared novel coronavirus a global health emergency. At this writing, there are almost 25,000 confirmed cases in more than two dozen countries. The Good News Currently the origin of the outbreak is under quarantine, but the virus has spread very quickly. Some nations, including the United States have taken steps to quarantine people arriving from the infected areas. Worse than SARS But Not the Perennial Flu Though SARS had a higher mortality rate than the novel coronavirus (2.1 percent versus 9.6 percent), it was actually responsible for fewer deaths in China than SARS (already 361 versus 349). In the US alone, the common flu killed 80,000 people last year in 2019. Do Not Be a Statistic Obviously it is always good advice to wash your hands well and often. Keep yourself healthy by eating nutritious foods (not fast or other highly processed foods), sleeping a sufficient number of hours, and getting enough exercise. When you are going to be on an airplane, you might want to consider wearing a mask? (I am flying to Africa next Saturday, and I plan to do so.) Coronavirus Will Not Be the Last As we warned in our last Herman Trend Alert about superbugs, this virus will not be the last. Whether Ebola, SARS, MERS, or H1N1, we have witnessed the zoonotic nature of diseases; the jump to a human host will likely happen again. So please, stay away from markets with wild animals, including bats, snakes, monkeys, chimpanzees, and others. Technology Responds Later this month, the global crowdfunding, venture investing platform OurCrowd will feature Dr. Ferid Murad, a Nobel prize winner in medicine. Dr, Murad will talk about the new product SaNOtize that uses the unique antimicrobial and immune-modulating properties of Nitric Oxide to treat skin and respiratory systems diseases. This revolutionary, non-antibiotic platform technology can not only treat topical infections and multifactorial diseases, including diseases caused by drug resistant microbes, but it can help prevent them as well. And the best news is that using this product will allow doctors to avoid the use of antibiotics. Kudos once again to OurCrowd for supporting this breakthrough and other products like it. Special thanks to Dr. Kate Huyvaert from Colorado State University for nurturing my interest in wildlife disease ecology and infectious diseases. For a map where Coronavirus has been confirmed as of February 5th, visit here. ********* T wo American flight crew who were killed fighting bushfires were given an emotional send off today as their coffins were flown home. Dozens of mourners gathered at Sydney Airport to pay tribute to Captain Ian McBeth, 44, and First Officer Paul Hudson, 42, as they were placed on a military plane for repatriation. Mr McBeth, from Montana, and Mr Hudson, of Arizona, died when their C-130 aircraft crashed during a water-bombing mission last month. Their coffins were draped in the US flag, while Australian emergency service personnel stood to attention alongside relatives of both victims. (L to R) first officer Paul Hudson, flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jnr. and captain Ian McBeth, the three US firefighters who died when an aircraft tanker crashed on January 23 in New South Wales / COULSON GROUP/AFP via Getty Imag Fire engines were also parked up with their lights flashing in honour of the two men. The body of a third crew member, flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, will be flown home on Saturday. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the crash, which occurred after the air tanker dumped retardant on a huge wildfire in mountains south of Canberra, the capital. Eight firefighters and a total of 33 people have lost their lives in Australias worst bushfires season in a generation. It emerged today that 300 serving and retired UK firefighters are heading to Australia to help rebuild communities destroyed by the fires. They will work with the charity BlazeAid in the worst affected areas of Victoria and New South Wales. The effort was organised by former London Fire Brigade officer Steve James, who now runs the Tunnel 2 Towers charity event. Mr James received 1,250 responses from firefighters from across the UK. A major airline has offered return flights for those who travel. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, we are living in the United States of Propaganda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 06:29:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and visiting Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama discussed regional issues on Wednesday, according to U.S. State Department. Pompeo and Rama discussed shared priorities during Albania's 2020 Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, State Department's Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. Pompeo highlighted strong U.S. support for Albania's bid to join the European Union (EU) and for on-going judicial and electoral reform efforts, the statement added. France, along with several other EU members, rejected Albania from moving forward with their membership bids last year. The European Parliament (EP) President David Sassoli said earlier this week that EP strongly supports the opening of accession talks of Albania with the EU. Thousands of Chinese tourists risk being stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government suspended flights to and from mainland China over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. With flights suspended Wednesday, at least 5,000 Chinese tourists are currently on the holiday island, according to Gou Haodong, the Chinese Consul General in Denpasar. Some are hoping to secure visa extensions offered by Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati. "Many foreign tourists want to extend their vacation in Bali and it is fine," he said. But concerns surround delayed departures. "We hope that Bali immigration office could facilitate Chinese tourists who have to overstay due to the policy," Haodong said. Some hotels had given assurances the visitors would be treated well during their extended stay, Haodong said, but he noted one establishment had "rejected Chinese tourists who have earlier checked in and entered their rooms due to panic over coronavirus". The number of Chinese tourists has already fallen from about 6,000 per day to just to 1,000 since the outbreak started in mid-December. Indonesia has yet to report a confirmed case of the virus, which emerged in a Chinese market at the end of last year and has since killed almost 500 people in China and spread around the world. Some 2.1 million Chinese visit Indonesia every year, the second largest group after Malaysia, according to tourist officials Peter Serkin, the son and grandson of illustrious musicians who found his own path to an international career as a pianist and teacher, died on Feb. 1 at the age of 72, at his home in upstate New York. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer. The passing of Serkin, at a relatively young age, leaves the musical world deprived of a pianist of intelligence, passion and integrity. He performed as a solo recitalist, a chamber musician and with orchestras all over the world. Among the conductors with whom he collaborated were such figures as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Robert Shaw, Pierre Boulez and James Levine. Serkin also taught at various points at the Juilliard School in New York City, the Yale School of Music, the Curtis Institute and most recently at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Peter Serkin in 2017 His extraordinary number of recordings include performances of Bach, including five separate recordings over a span of decades of the Goldberg Variations, as well as of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak and other 19th century masters. A particular focus of Serkins attention was music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his recordings include compositions by Bartok and Schoenberg, dating from the first half of the century, Olivier Messiaen, and more recent composers such as Elliot Carter, Stefan Wolpe, Charles Wuorinen, Toru Takemitsu and Peter Lieberson, whose work spanned largely the second half. Peter Serkin was born on July 24, 1947. His parents, Rudolf and Irene Busch Serkin, were refugees from Nazism. Rudolf Serkin (19021991) was a legendary pianist whose performances of the late Beethoven sonatas made an impact that many listeners can recall decades later. The elder Serkin had been born in Bohemia, into a Russian-Jewish family. Serkins maternal grandfather, Adolf Busch, though not a Jew, was a fierce anti-Nazi. He left Germany for Switzerland, along with his future son-in-law, as soon as Hitler took power in 1933. Busch, a famed violinist and conductor, when asked to return to Germany in 1938, replied that he would return with joy on the day that Hitler, Goebbels and Goring are publicly hanged. The younger Serkin began his career in 1959 at the age of 11, performing with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Philadelphia. He was soon performing with ensembles like the world-class Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras. Peter Serkin In the late 1960s, however, Serkin found himself alienated from the musical establishment, perhaps pressured by what was expected from the son of one of the worlds most famous musicians. This was also a time of revolutionary upheaval around the world, and Serkin was undoubtedly influenced by the period. He took a break from his career, living for some months with his wife and baby daughter in Mexico. Returning after several years, he began to take up where he had left off, but with some major changes. Many of these differences found expression in the chamber group TASHI, formed in 1973 by Serkin, violist Ida Kavafian, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and cellist Fred Sherry. The group lasted through the 1970s. TASHI deemphasized formal attire and some other conventions of classical music performance. Its unfamiliar configuration corresponded to the instruments in the unusual and inspiring Quartet for the End of Time, written by French composer Olivier Messiaen while he was a prisoner of war held by German forces in 1941. This work became closely associated with TASHI, which also performed a wide range of the classical repertoire, including contemporary as well as older classical music. Serkin left the group in 1979, saying he felt it had accomplished most of its goals and that he wanted to devote more time to solo piano music. The remaining instrumentalists continued TASHI, but for only a few more years, although each of its members continued with an extremely successful career. Serkin later credited TASHI with having restored his joy in performing. For me, he said in the early 1980s, the group represented a new way of preparing and performing music. Before that, I had been having a lot of trouble performing, and sometimes there wasnt that much enjoyment. Ive always loved music tremendously and enjoyed working on it and playing It was somehow very reviving in terms of just enthusiasm, enjoying traveling together, almost as if for the first time really enjoying playing concerts and the experience of sharing music. It turned my head around, and inspired me to try to have some of that same enthusiasm for other things, such as playing with an orchestra. In a later interview, with the San Jose (California) Mercury-News in 2012, Serkin suggested some of the reasons why TASHI had appealed to him. Asked about the commercialization of the classical music scene and the publicity that goes along with it, Serkin replied, I have something of an aversion to that kind of an approach. Theres something that seems to miss the point when theres too much emphasis being put on the individual whos performing the great classic works. If theres so much emphasis put on the performing of it, it seems to detract from the actual experiencing of the music itself. And it can even be a distraction for the performer, performers can start to think of themselves too seriously and start to manufacture performances and interpretations, other than letting the music lead them. In the same interview, Serkin said that maybe I was brought up that way, to have tremendous reverence for the great composers and not to make too great a deal out of those who play the music. This was indeed a guiding ethos of the world-famous Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, which was founded by Rudolf Serkin, Adolf Busch and several colleagues nearly 70 years ago. Peter Serkin literally grew up in the atmosphere of passionate collaboration in chamber music, far removed from the usual considerations of hierarchy, ostentation, formality and wealthy patrons. At Marlboro, established instrumentalists work together with young students in an annual summer festival. The results are almost always impressive, and sometimes magical. Rudolf Serkin was later quoted as acknowledging that he had perhaps not fully understood the younger mans abilities when he was growing up. Peter Serkin, though recognizing his fathers very critical style towards his sons, nevertheless said that he learned much from him through his formative years. At the same time, as a teacher the younger Serkin [tries] to be more encouragingnot to smooth over issues. But basically the reason were together is (for me) to try to be of help, and I think encouragement is a big part of that, because its kind of an act of bravery to play classical music. And Im very open to my students being my teachers, as well The things they do that may not have occurred to me. That can stimulate ideas, so it really goes both ways. Peter Serkin Beethoven Piano Sonatas A democratic sensibility on Serkins part was also shown in his frequent appearances, as a recitalist and chamber musician, at the low-cost Peoples Symphony concert series in New York City. This listener heard him there several times, including in a wonderful recital, with sisters Madalyn and Cicely Parnas, of Beethovens Ghost Trio, Brahmss First Piano Trio, and Ravels Piano Trio. Peter Serkin was also well known for performing and in some cases commissioning works by difficult composers, including many atonal works and others that dont get frequent performances. He once explained, Ive always been very interested in music thats being written today and in recent music. That was true even as a child, when that was somewhat discouraged. But it was just a component of me somehowinquisitive He told one critic that he disliked being called a champion of contemporary music, however, because of the connotation that it should be seen as a separate and segregated category. The WSWS has previously discussed some of the issues and problems raised with contemporary music. There can be no argument with Serkins curiosity and his insistence, in agreement with violinist Anne-Sofie Mutter and other well-known musical figures, that classical music has to find expression in new work if it is to be a living art form. Another example of the pianists openness to other forms of music was his love of jazz. He once referred to its rhythmic energy and wildness and freedom the quality of making something up on the spot, based on a real sense of discipline at the same time, which is something I really admire in classical music performances, too there should still be that sense of spontaneity, that its happening right now, on the spot. Serkins concern for new music did not lead to any neglect of the older canon. Very often the pianist would program works from the 19th century alongside contemporary pieces. Serkins technique, his understatedness, what he called his reverence for the great composers, and his attempt not to make too great a deal of himself, can be seen and heard in his many recordings. Some performances are available on YouTube, including the amazing piano four-hands rendition of Schuberts March in G major, Op. 52, No. 2, by father and son, Rudolf and Peter Serkin, in 1988 as well as this stirring performance of Beethovens Choral Fantasy, with Seiji Ozawa conducting, and Mozarts Adagio in B minor. Instagram, the photo-sharing app Facebook acquired for $US715 million in 2012, generated more than a quarter of the social media company's revenue last year, according to people familiar with the matter. The app brought in about $US20 billion ($29.7 billion) in advertising revenue in 2019, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the figures aren't public. That beats Google video unit YouTube, which recorded $US15.1 billion in ad sales a number parent company Alphabet revealed on Monday for the first time. Facebook declined to comment. Instagram was barely two years old and unprofitable when Facebook bought it. It's turning into a money spinner. Credit:AP Instagram has become increasingly central to Facebook's future, with users and advertisers flocking to the app even as sales growth slows at the main social network. Still, Facebook doesn't disclose revenue for Instagram separately in earnings reports, instead preferring to highlight the integration of its properties, branding them as a "family of apps." The team in charge of direct messaging on Instagram, for example, now reports to the Facebook Messenger team, and the company is changing Instagram's branding to "Instagram from Facebook." Instagram has more than 1 billion users, a figure Facebook hasn't updated since 2018. The Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress( NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has lashed out again at another New Patriotic Party (NPP) official. Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The outspoken NDC man in an interview on Neat FM in Accra describe the NPPs Communications Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoa as a mentally unstable person. READ ALSO: Ursula Owusu is not a marketable candidate - Albert Kan Dapaah Jnr Mr. Gyamfi was responding to a question on what he made of the NPPs press conference organized on Tuesday, February 4 to address the Airbus saga involving some top officials of the NDC. The NPPs aw Buaben Asamoa in the press conference challenged former president John Mahama to officially respond to the court documents which suggests he was the top Ghana government official who received bribe during the purchase of military aircrafts. In the face of these facts, it is very necessary for President Mahama to come out and be heard publicly, Buaben Asamoa said. ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana It was in reaction to Mr. Buaben Asamoas comment that, Sammy Gyamfi said the NPP official was hallucinating READ ALSO: Major Mahama was not only lynched; he was shot by two people - Investigator When the host of the programme asked Sammy Gyamfi to explain what he meant by hallucination in Twi, he retorted, he [Yaw Buaben Asamoa] is mentally unstable. Theres something wrong with him. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that a survey conducted by Ghanas premier university has revealed that 64.9% of Ghanaians are in support of the compilation of a new voters register. According to the survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana majority of Ghanaians are in full support of the ECs decision for a new register. In all 27,500 respondents were asked The Electoral Commission intends to compile a new voters register. Do you agree?". President Akufo-Addo is a "wicked old man" - Angry protester fumes | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Ursula Owusu is not a marketable candidate - Albert Kan Dapaah Jnr Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: YEN.com.gh The government has charged Farooq Abdullah, also a member of Parliament, under the Public Safety Act, a law that critics have called draconian. It allows authorities to detain people for up to two years without trial. Omar Abdullah and Mufti have been detained under a provision in the Indian penal code that allows preventive arrests to maintain peace. Two local administration officials did not respond to requests for comment on the detentions. A senior police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters with reporters, said that the detentions were completely legal. Standardbred Canada has released the breakdown of the voting for the 2019 O'Brien Awards. The ceremony took place Saturday, February 1, 2020, at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario. The complete breakdown of the official voting appears below. Thirty-eight voters from across the country and along with one Fan Ballot (put together based on the most number of first and second place votes in the Fan voting) comprised the voting. Voters included trade media who cover harness racing on a regular basis for publications or websites, race secretaries, track publicists, simulcast hosts and track announcers. Voters made a first and second selection in each category, except for Horse of the Year, where they were asked to vote for only one horse. First place votes were worth two (2) points and second place votes were worth one (1) point. In the event of a tie, the horse or person with the most first place votes was the winner. If both horses / people had the same number of first place votes, then the horse or person with the most second place votes was declared the winner. If there were also an equal number of second place votes, then a tie was declared. A unanimous score was 78 points. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: President Donald Trump is acquitted of both articles of impeachment. Just one senator crossed party lines to vote to convict him. A conversation with Mitt Romney about that decision. Its Thursday, February 6. Mark Leibovich, tell me about these conversations that youve been having with Senator Mitt Romney. mark leibovich Well, Mitt Romney has always fascinated me as kind of a wild card in his political life as a moderate governor of Massachusetts, as a, quote, severely conservative presidential candidate in 2012. Then, as a critic of Donald Trump when Donald Trump took over the party. Then, as a potential Donald Trump cabinet member when he talked to him about being secretary of state in 2016. Then, as a Senate candidate, someone who I wouldnt say embraced Donald Trump, but someone who certainly didnt push him away. And then as a senator, someone who has been fairly unshy at times about defying Donald Trump, being critical of him. michael barbaro Right. Somebody who is seen as ideologically malleable. Someone whos seen as inconsistent. mark leibovich Correct. And in this impeachment proceeding, he has been the ultimate wild card. No one knew what he was going to do really. People had ideas back and forth. But you never know what youre going to get with Mitt Romney. So I had been asking his office and Im certainly not the only reporter who had been asking whether I could hang around with him a little bit, whether I could actually go through this process with him. Which I figured was a bit of a long shot because hes been in such demand. And to my surprise last week, right as we were leading up to the big vote on witnesses, Mitt Romney agreed to sit down with me. michael barbaro Wow. mark leibovich Thank you again. [INAUDIBLE] mark leibovich We went up to his hideaway office, which was like a kind of michael barbaro Hideaway office? mark leibovich Its like a remote office. Every senator gets one. mark leibovich I mean, heres the question. Have you every taken a nap in here? mitt romney I have not. mark leibovich And Mitt Romneys was filled with M&Ms. mark leibovich Oh my god, peanut M&Ms. mark leibovich This was like a little break in the proceedings. So we didnt have a lot of time. mark leibovich I feel your body language. So Im going to be real quick here. mark leibovich And I was amazed at how open he was about the kinds of things he was thinking about. mark leibovich Hello. mitt romney Hi. mark leibovich Its good to see you. mitt romney Good to see you. mark leibovich So just sitting there, youve sat there, now, what, a week and a half? mitt romney No, its been a couple of months. [LAUGHS] mark leibovich Well, I know it feels like a a couple of months. mitt romney Yes, probably. What did we say, nine days? Is that it? aide Yeah. mark leibovich Does the experience of sitting in the chamber, listening to this day in and day out, intensify the burden at all? Does it make it seem weightier? Does it make it seem less weighty? Whats it been like for you? mitt romney I think it was most weighty having the chief justice come in the first time. And I think there was a sense of how important this is and how historic it is. We have to do what we feel is right in the case. But I think we also have to think more broadly as to what are the implications nationally and what are the implications for the institution of the Senate. mark leibovich What about the presidency? mitt romney And the presidency, both. I mean, thats mark leibovich I mean, put aside impeachment. What about just the nature of right and wrong? Like what a chief executive of this country should do. I mean, isnt that on trial to some degree? mitt romney Well, I think if there were a president that really was going to be removed under the crime or misdemeanor standard, he or she would have done something wrong. By definition that would [interposing voices] mark leibovich Yes, one would hope. mitt romney But by and large, most matters of right and wrong associated with the president are going to be determined by the electorate in the upcoming election. Impeachment is not to judge right and wrong alone. It is to judge right and wrong in the context of, has there been a high crime and misdemeanor? mark leibovich And one of the last things he brought up to me was a sense of obligation he felt to the United States Constitution. mitt romney This is its a constitutional issue. I feel a sense of deep responsibility to abide by the Constitution and to determine absent that pulls from the right and pulls from the left. What is the right thing to do? What does the Constitution demand? mark leibovich So it was very clear that this was weighing on him. [chatter] mark leibovich And I got sort of ushered out of his office. And he had to go back to the floor to continue the trial. mark leibovich O.K., wait. Do we go this way or this way? mitt romney Ill show you. speaker Well go mark leibovich Were walking out. He goes back to the floor. I took a right turn in a hallway. And there was Amy Klobuchar, who was back in Washington for about 36 hours to do her impeachment stuff, taking a break from her presidential campaign. And I said, Senator, can I ask you a few questions about Mitt Romney? mark leibovich Mitt Romney have you thought of this role here just as kind of a fellow center not centrist, but someone who is a bit of a wild card in all this? amy klobuchar Um, uh, uh mark leibovich And the name Mitt Romney sort of stopped her in her tracks a little bit. amy klobuchar Hold on. Im sorry. Yes, thats a good question. So I hope he plays that leadership role that I think John McCain would have played if he was here. I thought like every hour about if Senator McCain was here. mark leibovich And she used this as a prompt to talk about John McCain. The very important role that John McCain, the maverick, played in the United States Senate, as someone who could recruit other potentially dissident Republicans to his side and create a counterforce within the prevailing force that is the Republican Party in the Senate. michael barbaro So shes raising the specter that Mitt Romney could be a John McCain in this moment, i.e., could buck the party and perhaps even take other Republicans with him in siding with Democrats in impeachment. mark leibovich Correct. She saw him as someone who was genuinely agonizing, someone who could be a leader and someone that no one really had a grip on at this point. mark leibovich Has he demonstrated at all that he could have that like capability to actually play a McCain-like amy klobuchar Well, at least hes been willing to tell the truth here about the need to have the witness, which Ive appreciated. This is his moment to shine and hopefully he can bring some people with him. mark leibovich Thank you. mark leibovich So after my conversation with Amy Klobuchar, I left the Hill. I said to Romneys office, I said, Id love to keep in touch with him. We did not talk about his ultimate decision. He didnt want to talk about it yet. He made that pretty clear. But also, I wanted to get a window into his decision-making process. And we had about five days until this was all going to come to a head. So to my surprise and delight, they said, come on back on Wednesday morning. michael barbaro Wow, the day of mark leibovich The day of the decision. The day of the final vote. mark leibovich Senator mitt romney Long time no see. mark leibovich I know. michael barbaro O.K. So on Wednesday morning, what happens? What do you do? mark leibovich Wednesday morning, 10:30. I went into Mitt Romneys office. mark leibovich Lets do this. We have a table, table there. mitt romney We have a table there. mark leibovich I felt myself getting quite nervous, which is interesting because I almost you always sort of know what youre going to get in an interview. I just didnt know how this was going to go. This was a real jump ball. I mean michael barbaro You called it a wild card. mark leibovich It was a wild card. You could call it whatever you want. But I just didnt know how this was going to go. He looked exactly like he always looks, which is fresh as a daisy. He hadnt been sleeping. But you couldnt tell. He looked ready to go. He didnt look like he was in a mood for any kind of small talk. I wasnt either. mark leibovich Anyway, so anyone care about what you have to say today? mitt romney Probably. mark leibovich Probably. All right, lets get right to it. Do you have do you know how youre going to vote? mitt romney Yeah, yeah, Im going to vote yes on the first article. No on the second. mark leibovich He said that he would vote yes to convict the president on charges of abuse of power. And he would vote no on the second impeachment article, which is obstruction of Congress. mitt romney Theres no question the president fought providing documents and witnesses. But he did so through the use of the law. And the House, in my view, should have gone to the courts to get that resolved. By not going to the courts, they mark leibovich They forfeited. mitt romney I dont know how they make the case. mark leibovich And as soon as he started talking, I could see the emotion in his face. I could hear him, not choke up, but certainly there was a strain in his voice that I had not heard before. mitt romney On the first article, I think the case was made. And I believe that attempting to corrupt an election to maintain power is about as an egregious an assault on the Constitution as can be made. And for that reason, it is a high crime and misdemeanor. And I have no choice under the oath I took but to express that conclusion. mark leibovich He said, basically, I think hed gone back and forth. mitt romney Theres an old Protestant hymn that we sing in our church called Do what is right, let the consequence follow. Im sure Im doing the right thing. I dont know that I can weigh the consequence at this stage. But its going to be substantial. mark leibovich Yeah I mean, this is interesting. Wow, I mean mitt romney But you know Im a very religious person. And when you swear an oath before God to apply impartial justice, thats what I believe I have to do. And by the way, I believe other senators do the same thing. Im not the only one voting my conscience. But not voting my conscience, in order for me to have a better political and personal benefit, would subject my own conscience to its censure. So I just I dont have a choice there. This for me is fundamental to my oath to God and fundamental to how our country must work, which is that people have to be seen as honest in fulfilling that oath that they take. mark leibovich When did you make this decision? mitt romney I tried to keep from forming a final decision as I listened to both sides mark leibovich As a juror. mitt romney and I went all the way as a juror. And as I was going, of course, sometimes Id be swayed one way. Sometimes Id be swayed the other. I reached my conclusion really after the last day of questions and answers. mark leibovich So that would have been Friday or Thursday? mitt romney Yeah, Thursday. But I can tell you that throughout this entire period, theres not been a morning Ive gotten up after 4 a.m. Just obviously thinking about how important this, with the consequences. But then also analyzing, going back and looking at the testimony, reading the briefs of the two sides, going back through Federalist Papers. And then applying logic to it. mark leibovich What was it like for you to sit in or stand, in some cases through what was a very tribal gathering last night at the State of the Union. And I was watching you quite a bit because I was up in the gallery. It was quite a speech. And you knew what you the current you were going to be swimming up against in 24 hours. What was that like? mitt romney I think people have a very hard time understanding how you just dont vote with the team, and how you can make a decision of this significance, unless youre just doing it with the team. And its like, well, then think back to a jury you may have been on. And ask did you just go with whether it was a male or a female, or a black or a white or Hispanic, or non-Hispanic? Or did you try and apply a partial justice? Did you take your oath seriously? And you take your oath seriously. I agree with most of the things the president has done. The policies he put in with regards to the economy are very close to the policies I campaigned on four years before. I agree with those things. The fact the economy is doing as well as it is in part because of those policies. So hes going to take a bow for those policies, I Im with him. So Im with the pre and by the way, I think hes going to get re-elected. I think if Bernie or Elizabeth is the nominee on the Democratic side, hell get elected in a landslide. I will still vote for the policies I agree with. Ill stand and applaud when he says things that are right. But then he did one thing we know of that was a very seriously wrong thing. And not to call it grievously wrong would be to violate my oath, violate my conscience, subject me to the censure of history. mark leibovich What kind of consequences do you think youll endure for this? mitt romney Unimaginable. I dont know what theyll be. Theres some I know. I know there will be consequence. And I just have to recognize that. And do what you think is right. And mark leibovich What was interesting to me and this is one of those things that doesnt pick up so much on tape but you see his facial expressions. I mean, Mitt Romney is a very smooth character in his own ways. His face got red. He had a bit of dread in his eyes. It was as if he knew that a chandelier was about to drop on his head. michael barbaro Wow. mitt romney The reason I wanted witnesses and that was the area that there was a greatest discussion within our caucus, was we dont get witnesses. The reason I wanted to hear from John Bolton is that I hoped beyond measure that he would say something that would provide reasonable doubt so I wouldnt have to vote to convict. mark leibovich So you were looking for reasons not to vote for mitt romney Look, my personal and political and team affiliation made me very much not want to have to convict. I mean, I want to be with my colleagues in the Senate. I dont want to be the skunk at the garden party. I dont want to have the disdain of Republicans across the country. I was at the grocery store this weekend, and a guy went by me and said traitor. mark leibovich Where was this? In Utah? mitt romney No, it was in Florida. I was down at one of Anns competitions. Another person yelled from their cars as I was taking my groceries out of the car. Yelled from his car, Stick with the team! And so I recognized this is going to be a whole different level. But michael barbaro Why do you think Mitt Romney did this interview with you? I mean, he could have decided to show up and vote to convict the president. Why sit down with The New York Times and talk about all the agony and explain himself? mark leibovich Well, I mean, one thing Ive always been interested in with Mitt Romney is that he has always been, not in a self-absorbed way, but hes always been very aware of his own political narrative. He has been aware of how he was viewed, maybe as a political opportunist. Him maybe doing things out of expediency rather than principle. And I think ultimately, one of the things that this Senate chapter has done for him and his career is it has enabled him to maybe rewrite the ending. Maybe recast himself as someone who did feel as if he was doing the right thing at the expense of whatever the expedient decision at the moment would have been. mark leibovich any number of issues. Does any of that weigh on you? Youre in your 70s now. This is probably your last job. Maybe this is an important enough issue that I could really take a stand, and I mean, and just do the right thing. I mean, does this do you ever think about these decisions in light of other decisions you have made when you had more politically to lose? mitt romney I havent given the full analysis to my whole political history. But I will with time, particularly Im sure in retirement. My guess is that I was influenced in some cases by political benefit. And I regret that. And probably not to the extent to which my opponents tried to characterize it. But looking back, theres an item or two where I said I wish I had said that differently or taken a different position rather. I dont mean to make it just seem like just a couple of words. No, take the position that I and as is often the case, I have found in business, in particular, but also in politics, that when something is in your personal best interest, the ability of the mind to rationalize that thats the right thing is really quite extraordinary. And Im talking about myself. And Ive seen it in others. Ive seen it in myself. mark leibovich Especially in politics generally. mitt romney And by the way, and you could swear on a Bible that you are doing exactly what is right. But and thats because our mind has the capacity to do that. In this case, I worked very hard to prevent my personal feelings and my personal desire from influencing a decision that was going to be an important decision and the most difficult decision Id ever make. mark leibovich I think history is important to Mitt Romney. Its important to him for a lot of reasons. I mean, part of it is his ego. I mean, people in the U.S. Senate want to think that everything they do is actually relevant to history. But I think when youre Mitt Romney when youve lived a lot of history, when youve been the nominee of a Republican Party, when youve run twice for president and lost, when youve held a number of offices things like how you make a decision that will mark you forever are important in the historical context. And you could argue, you could be a cynic and say, oh, well, theyre just full of themselves, they care about how history will view them. Who does that? But I actually think it was important and a very kind of formative part of the process of coming to this decision for Mitt Romney. michael barbaro Was to just talk about it. mark leibovich Was just to talk about it. mark leibovich Right, you cannot send that off [INAUDIBLE]. Thank you. mitt romney Thanks. mark leibovich Appreciate it. O.K., all done. michael barbaro As you were leaving the office, hes just told you what hes going to do. What are you thinking? mark leibovich Well, I mean, part of it is just pure, straight-ahead, opportunistic reporter think, which is God, I hope they dont call me and say he changed his mind. Because, you know, hes going to go on the floor in a few hours and shock the world. I mean, not to put too fine a point on it. But this is a very momentous decision that would be a major headline at the end of a process that people had assumed was over, right? I mean, it wasnt a major twist. But it was certainly a twist in something that would be remembered here. michael barbaro But beyond your own journalistic mark leibovich Beyond my own michael barbaro self-absorption. mark leibovich self-absorption. My thought was, I hope he knows what he is in for. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. So Mark, what happens after your interview with Romney on Wednesday morning? mark leibovich O.K. So Wednesday morning becomes Wednesday afternoon. It was probably about 12:20 p.m. in Washington. I walked out of the office. I headed back to the New York Times, Washington bureau. And I knew he was scheduled to speak at 2 oclock. And he took the mic. archived recording (mitt romney) Thank you, Mr. President. The Constitution is at the foundation of our Republics success. mark leibovich And of course, you want to actually be watching this because, one, you dont know if what you just learned is going to hold, whether he changed his mind or not. archived recording (mitt romney) The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. mark leibovich But the other thing is, how does this look and feel when hes actually delivering it to the world? And one of things I was struck by is that he looked really nervous. He looked a lot more nervous on the floor than he did with me. archived recording (mitt romney) I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. mark leibovich And he got emotional at a couple of points. archived recording (mitt romney) I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong. The people will judge us for how well and faithfully we fulfill our duty. mark leibovich And it took him a while to get through this. michael barbaro Yeah, I was watching it. He was flipping the pages mark leibovich Absolutely, yeah. michael barbaro and speaking with all sorts of pregnant pauses. archived recording (mitt romney) The grave question the Constitution tasked senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did. mark leibovich Absolutely, yeah. And I dont think he was doing that for any kind of dramatic reason. I think it was just a genuinely hard speech to get through. And at the end of the speech, Mitt Romney invoked his children and his grandchildren. archived recording (mitt romney) With my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability. mark leibovich This is something he does fairly regularly. But it also, you know hes playing for keeps here. archived recording (mitt romney) I will only be one name among many, no more no less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. We are all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that distinction is enough for any citizen. mark leibovich But I think maybe theres some false modesty at work here too. I mean, hes not a footnote. He is a dissenting voice. And the Republican Party has not had many of those at all through this process. mitt romney Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. mark leibovich And then he walked off into history. michael barbaro So, Mark, after Romneys speech, the full Senate formally reconvenes. archived recording (john roberts) The majority leader is recognized. archived recording (mitch mcconnell) Mr. Chief Justice, the Senate is not ready to vote on the articles of impeachment. michael barbaro And becomes a court of impeachment. archived recording (john roberts) Each senator, when his or her name is called, will stand in his or her place and vote guilty or not guilty, as required by rule 23 of the Senate rules on impeachment. michael barbaro So what happens? mark leibovich Chief Justice John Roberts gives final instructions to the jury, or the U.S. Senate. The formal articles of impeachment are read aloud. archived recording (john roberts) The question is on the first article of impeachment. Senators, how say you? Is the respondent Donald John Trump guilty or not guilty? mark leibovich And he calls a vote. archived recording (john roberts) A roll call vote is required. The clerk will call the roll. archived recording (clerk) Mr. Alexander. archived recording (lamar alexander) Not guilty. archived recording (clerk) Mr. Alexander, not guilty. Miss Baldwin. archived recording (tammy baldwin) Guilty. archived recording (clerk) Miss Baldwin, guilty. mark leibovich On the first article of impeachment, presidential abuse of power archived recording (clerk) Mr. Romney. archived recording (mitt romney) Guilty. archived recording Mr. Romney, guilty. mark leibovich Mitt Romney votes guilty. He votes to convict. archived recording (john roberts) Two-thirds of the senators present not having pronounced him guilty. The Senate ajudges that the respondent, Donald John Trump, president of the United States, is not guilty as charged in the first article of impeachment. mark leibovich On the first article of impeachment, abuse of presidential power, the president was acquitted by a final count of 52 noes, 48 yeses. archived recording (john roberts) Two-thirds of the senators present not having pronounced him guilty. The Senate ajudges that respondent Donald John Trump, president of the United States, is not guilty as charged in the second article of impeachment. mark leibovich On the second article of impeachment, which is obstruction of Congress, Mitt Romney voted to acquit the president. The president was acquitted by 53 noes and 47 yeses. archived recording (john roberts) Without objection, the motion is agreed to. The Senate sitting as a court of impeachment stands adjourned. Sine die. mark leibovich And in the end, Mitt Romney was the only U.S. senator, and the first senator in U.S. history, to vote to convict a president of his own party of an impeachable offense. michael barbaro You could have hinted at this, Mark. But there is something really intriguing about choosing this moment for Mitt Romney to take a stand. His career I covered it very closely, covered 2012 campaign is littered with examples of moments where it seemed he wanted to be on both sides of an issue. Or he evolved in ways that felt opportunistic. Yet, at this moment, he becomes a senator of conscience. And hes not malleable. But its a moment where his vote to convict the president on one of two counts has no impact whatsoever on the process. And when you think back to people like John McCain, as Senator Amy Klobuchar did, he stood for conscience at moments that had huge consequence. mark leibovich The decisive vote in the Affordable Care Act. michael barbaro Was the deciding vote on Affordable Care Act, for example. In this case, Romney is the lone dissenting voice in a case that he can have no influence over. So what do you make of that? mark leibovich Heres why thats important. One, Donald Trump has craved some kind of way to say this is just a partisan witch hunt. Every Republican voted to support me. This denies him that opportunity. The other part in the context of Mitt Romneys career is, again, as you mentioned, this is not something Mitt Romney has traditionally done. Now you could argue the counter-factual. If he was up for re-election in Utah next year, would he vote differently? If he was thinking about running for president and going for the Republican nomination in 2020, would he vote differently? I think at this point, he has lived a long career. He has had a long, long life. And he would say at this point that he is answering to different forces. michael barbaro Regardless of whether it changes any of the dynamics of this Congress and the Republican Party and this president? mark leibovich Yeah, I dont think it will change any dynamics at all, except that Mitt Romneys life is going to get a lot more uncomfortable for reasons that I think he can handle, given how he weighed this decision. michael barbaro Well to that point, what has been the reaction for Romney in the hours since he went on the floor, gave that speech and then cast a vote to convict the president? mark leibovich I would say quite unpleasant. Everything from the president of the United Statess son Don Jr. calling for his expulsion from the Senate. His own niece Romney McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, publicly rebuking him basically on Twitter. michael barbaro His own niece? mark leibovich His own niece, yes, calls for recall elections in Utah. Things like that. Now this is a window into the kinds of things that are in store for someone who dissents from President Trump. michael barbaro And maybe what his colleagues in the Senate deliberately avoided by not mark leibovich Absolutely. michael barbaro doing what he did. mark leibovich It is a faith that they have voted to avoid. I mean, its obviously there are a lot of things at work when you decide to make a vote like this. But the noise is an absolutely undeniable part of the experience of voting against the interests of the person who leads your party. Donald Trump. michael barbaro Thank you, Mark. mark leibovich Thank you, Michael. michael barbaro On Tuesday night, President Trump himself began attacking Mitt Romney on Twitter, promoting a video that calls Romney slippery and stealthy, and without any evidence, claims that Romney is, quote, a secret asset of the Democratic Party. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. On Wednesday, Democratic officials in Iowa released more results from Mondays caucuses, which left the position of the candidates unchanged and the final outcome of the vote uncertain. With 97 percent of the results in, Pete Buttigieg maintained a narrow lead over Bernie Sanders that verged on a tie. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire archived recording (joe biden) Donald Trump is desperate to pin the socialist label of socialist, socialist, socialist on our party. We cant let him do that. But if Senator Sanders is a nominee for the party, every Democrat will have to carry the label Senator Sanders has chosen for himself. michael barbaro Former Vice President Joe Biden, who stands at a distant fourth place in Iowa, attacked both Sanders and Buttigieg as flawed candidates for the Democratic nomination. archived recording (joe biden) I have great respect for Mayor Pete and his service of this nation. But I do believe its a risk, to be just straight up with you, for this party to nominate someone whos never held a office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people in Indiana. I do believe its a risk. michael barbaro A man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly undoing his passenger's seatbelt before driving into a power pole. The 48-year-old man was driving in St Marys, in western Sydney, on January 30 with a 23-year-old female passenger when he allegedly unbuckled both seatbelts and crashed deliberately into a power pole. The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries to her left arm while the man sustained cuts to his knee. The driver is all alleged to have unbuckled his and a passenger's seatbelts before he deliberately crashed into a power pole (stock image) The man was arrested at his home on Tuesday and charged with attempted murder and intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The driver and woman are known to each other. The 48-year-old man is expected to appear at Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. Suspected bomber, Nathaniel Samuel who was caught at a Living Faith Church in Kaduna state, says he thought an improvised explosive device (IED) he had in his bag was fireworks. He said this while being paraded at the state police command on Monday. The suspected suicide bomber was arrested in the auditorium of Winners Chapel, in Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna metropolis, on Sunday. Read Also: Living Faith Church Suicide Bomber Not A Christian: Fani-Kayode Samuel told newsmen at the state police command that the fireworks were meant for decoration and he only discovered it was an IED when his bag was searched. He said: I went to the church in the morning at about past 8 am, so while I was seating down, I was listening to the sermon from the man of God. All of a sudden, I had a stomach ache, so I decided to go and use the toilet. When I came into the church I was holding a bag which contained some of my items, some of my documents because a day before that day, I went for an event at Ngwamboro, Sabo. When we got to the station, they suspected they were fireworks meant for decoration. When further queried by the police, he admitted what he had was an explosive device. He said: We got it from the event through a lady I told them about and her name is Grace; when she gave it to me, I never knew what the devices were until after my bag was searched that I got to understand what they are. They are explosives. When organizing, Weiss and Fife suggest always grouping like items together. Keep all your face-care products together in the order that you use them, Fife says. And, like Tilbury, they say to strategically place your cosmetics and brushes in the order that you use them so you can grab what you need without the stress of hunting and digging around. For Nygaard, they went one step further: They grouped not only like items together (lipsticks, blushes, etc.), but also like brands together. Hackers have finally done what bond issuers may have feared most from cyber criminals. A ransomware attack on Pleasant Valley Hospital in West Virginia was partly responsible for the hospitals breach of its covenant agreement, according to a notice to the hospitals bondholders from the trustee, WesBanco Bank. It appears to be the first time a cyber attack triggered a formal covenant violation, according to research firm Municipal Market Analytics. The virus entered the hospitals system via emails sent 10 months before the cyber criminals asked the hospital for money, said Craig Gilliland, the hospitals chief financial officer. The information the criminals held for ransom did not contain patient data or confidential data, so it was more of an annoyance, he added. Because of the attack, the hospital was forced to spend about $1 million on new computer equipment and infrastructure improvements, Gilliland said. That cost, along with declining patient volume, caused the hospitals debt service coverage for the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30 to fall to 78%, below the 120% the loan agreement requires, according to the material notice to bondholders. When we had the cyber attack, we didnt have the sophisticated anti-virus software that we needed, he said. Cyber attacks are effective on smaller hospitals and smaller government agencies who do not have the resources and do not spend the money to proactively get ahead of the curve. The hospital did not miss any payments to bond investors. Gilliland said he is not aware of whether or not payments were made to the perpetrators because the attack was managed by a cyber liability insurance carrier Beazley Group. Mairi MacDonald, who manages media relations for Beazley Group, said via email that the company does not comment on specific client matters. The resolution of the situation will likely cost the hospital via monetary settlements and security hardening, making a financial rebound a bit more difficult than otherwise, MMA said in its report. Pleasant Valley highlights cyber risks as, at least so far, primarily a worsener for most municipal credits. Cyber risk is a growing concern for the municipal market. There were 133 publicly reported attacks against health-care providers since 2016, 47 of which occurred in 2019, according to data collected by threat intelligence company Recorded Future, Inc. Health-care providers are at particular risk for cyber attacks because patient care is disrupted, so there is an expectation the hospital will pay to remedy that quickly, said Allan Liska, an intelligence analyst at the company. Health-care providers also use unique software that is often managed by vendors, leaving updates to the software out of their hands. You have hospitals and doctors offices that are often forced to run outdated and old software that makes them at risk for these ransomware attacks, Liska said. And its not just health-care providers that are at risk. In 2019, state and local governments reported 106 ransomware attacks, nearly double what was reported a year before, according to data collected by Recorded Future. Among them were the Syracuse School District, which said it experienced a cyber attack that could impact its financial position according to a July 31 regulatory filing, and the city of Baltimore, which disclosed a cyber attack to investors in its bond offering documents when it borrowed last year. For Pleasant Valley Hospital, the insurance company Beazley Group connected the Hospital with other vendors to settle and remediate the issue, according to the statement to bondholders. To address the decreasing patient volume, the hospital has lowered its labor costs and plans to convert doctor offices into two rural health clinics and to offer a new medical withdrawal inpatient service. The threat to credit will get worse in the public finance realm before it can be alleviated, said Geoffrey Buswick, an analyst for S&P Global Ratings. Issuers can do all the right things, like protect their network and have proper insurance in place, and still find it difficult to fully offset cyber risks, he added. The various actors out there, be it a nation-state or criminal organization or just a rouge hacker, seem to have advanced technologies that are changing quickly, Buswick said. With assistance from Amanda Albright and Danielle Moran. VANCOUVEROpponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say they will do whatever it takes to stop the project after suffering a devastating legal blow at the Federal Court of Appeal. Tsleil-Waututh Nation member Will George says activists will be scheduling meetings in the next few days to plan future actions and if it has to get ugly, it will get ugly. George says he expects more protesters to gather at existing demonstration sites in British Columbia including a watch house outside a shipping terminal in Burnaby and a collection of tiny homes in the Interior. Squamish Nation Coun. Khelsilem says there are a number of people willing to defend the provinces coast and the lengthy battle at the Federal Court has delayed a confrontation on the ground. The Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish were among four Indigenous groups that lost a challenge before the court yesterday, but they may still seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. Construction on the federally owned project has begun at terminals and along the right-of-way in Alberta but about 88 per cent of the detailed route in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has yet to be approved. Read more about: Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. The comment refutes earlier claims voiced in some media reports citing sources. Emine Dzhaparova, a participant in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, has said the official did not talk about the "lost Crimea," so the reports disseminated in media is unacceptable "manipulation." Earlier, the Novoye Vremya magazine wrote, citing its source, that Pompeo allegedly "said Crimea is lost and world players understand that Crimea is lost, and that Ukraine could give up on Crimea, and Russia is not a country from whom anything can be taken away." The report was immediately picked up by other media, including Russian propaganda outlets. "As a participant in the meeting, I must emphasize that the expression on the face of the U.S. Secretary of State did not in any way demonstrate what the article claims, nor did he utter the words the media referred to him," Dzhaparova wrote on Facebook. Read alsoZelensky thanks Pompeo for continuous support of Ukraine At the same time, Dzhaparova said the issue of Crimea had indeed been raised at the meeting. "The official position of the United States is clear, reiterated many times at different levels and fixed in numerous international documents, including the Pompeo Declaration, for which I thanked him during the meeting. This position hasn't changed in any way, despite Russian propaganda's wishful thinking attempts," she said. The Novoye Vremya report was eventually updated to clarify: during the meeting, the sides discussed the issue of how to keep Crimea on international agenda. Sydney, Feb. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Kazakhstan outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Kazakhstan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Kazakhstan is one of the most advanced telecoms sectors in Central Asia. The fixed broadband market in Kazakhstan remains relatively underdeveloped, due to the dominance of the mobile broadband, which is in turn driven by the mobile sector. Slow to moderate growth is predicted over the next five years to 2024 as mobile broadband will continue to dominate the broadband segment. The number of fixed telephone lines in Kazakhstan is slowly declining due to the dominance of the mobile segment, in particular mobile broadband. The rate of decline began to accelerate in 2015. Further decline in penetration is predicted for the next five years to 2024. The MIC has signed public-private partnership agreements with Kazakhtelecom, SilkNetCom and Transtelecom to implement a project to access to fibre-optic communication technologies in rural areas. Kazakhstans mobile market remains highly competitive, but rather than a focus only on growth in subscribers the market has shifted to value-added. All Kazakhstans major mobile operators are well on the path towards launching 5G services. Kazakhstan has seen a strong increase in mobile broadband penetration over the past five years. Market penetration increased rapidly initially. Since then the market stabilised and has been growing at a more moderate rate due to saturation in the mobile subscriber segment. Moderate growth is predicted over the next five years to 2024. In 2019 Kazakhtelecom launched its latest smart city project in Akmola in partnership with the local authorities. Key developments: Kazakhstan's mobile market has reached saturation point. Slow growth predicted through to 2024. Government signs up to ITU-sponsored GIGA initiative. Fixed telephone penetration continues declining as the mobile segment continues to expand. 5G services are scheduled to be launched in launched soon. Mobile broadband is growing strongly driven by a mature mobile market. Kcell has launched a pilot IoT agriculture service, utilising its 3G, 4G LTE and NB-IoT networks. Table of Contents Key statistics Country overview Telecommunications market Market Overview and Analysis Regional Market Comparison Regulatory environment Regulatory authority Market liberalisation Privatisation Overview Background Spectrum Number Portability (NP) Fixed network operators Kazakhtelecom Next Generation Network (NGN) development Fibre Optic Network Astel Ducat (formerly Kazintel) KazInformTelecom (KIT) Transtelecom Telecommunications infrastructure Overview of the national telecom network Wireless Local Loop (WLL) Fibre networks International infrastructure Overview Satellite networks KazSat satellite series Submarine Specific IT developments Cloud Computing Smart Infrastructure Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Cities Smart Meters Fixed-line broadband market Background Fixed Broadband Statistics and Forecast Fixed broadband technologies FttB Fixed wireless (WiMAX) Wi-Fi ISP market Nursat Mobile market Background Mobile Statistics and Forecast Mobile broadband statistics and Forecast Mobile Regulatory issues Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Mobile infrastructure Major mobile operators Statistics Beeline Kazakhstan Kcell (GSM-Kazakhstan) Kazakhtelecom (Tele2 / Altel) MNVOs Digital economy Government Digital Program Investment Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities 2019 (e) Table 2 Fixed Line Subscriptions and Penetration 2009 2024 Table 3 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 2024 Table 4 International Internet bandwidth capacity 2001 2018 Table 5 Lit/Equipped International Bandwidth Capacity 2013 2018 Table 6 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Table 7 Historic - Mobile subscribers and annual change 1996 2007 Table 8 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2010 - 2024 Table 9 Percentage of Population Covered by Type of Mobile Network Table 10 Mobile operators subscribers and market share 2019 Table 11 Kar-Tel (Beeline) - mobile subscribers 2006 2019 Table 12 Kar-Tel (Beeline) - mobile ARPU (historical) 2006 2014 Table 13 Kar-Tel (Beeline) fixed broadband subscribers (historical) 2008 - 2013 Table 14 Kcells mobile subscribers - 2006 2019 Table 15 Tele2 Kazakhstan / Altel mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 16 Altels mobile subscribers (historical) 2009 2013 Table 17 Altels mobile ARPU (historical) 2010 2014 List of Charts Chart 1 Mobile, Mobile Broadband & Fixed Broadband Penetration 2019; 2024 Chart 2 Asian Telecoms Maturity Index by Market Category Chart 3 Asian Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita Chart 4 Telecoms Maturity Index Central Asia Chart 5 Fixed Line Subscriptions and Penetration 2009 2024 Chart 6 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Chart 7 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Chart 8 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2010 - 2024 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Key Market Characteristics by Market Segment Exhibit 2 Central Asia -Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 3 Historic - Kazakhtelecoms modernisation program for telecommunications Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Kazakhstan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analys Malawian President Peter Mutharika plans to challenge a court decision overturning his 2019 poll victory, his spokesman said on Wednesday, in a move that could spark fresh opposition protests. After six months of hearings that gripped the southern African country, five top judges on Monday ruled that Mutharika was "not duly elected", citing massive and widespread irregularities including the use of correction fluid on results sheets. The judges ordered a fresh poll within 150 days. The thousands of jubilant supporters sang anti-Mutharika songs and danced in the streets. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP) But Mutharika's spokesman, Mgeme Kalilani, described the ruling as "a serious miscarriage of justice and an attack on the foundations of the country's democracy", telling AFP that Mutharika would appeal. He did not say when Mutharika would bring the challenge, but the 79-year-old president has up to six weeks to appeal. On Tuesday, Lazarus Chakwera, the leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, who came a close second to Mutharika, hailed the landmark verdict as a victory for democracy and Africa. The court said only 23 percent of the results sheets were verified and it "finds this to be a serious malpractice that undermined the elections". By PATRICK MEINHARDT (AFP/File) Addressing more than 10,000 jubilant opposition supporters who thronged his party's Lilongwe headquarters, Chakwera said "this is a great day". "It is democracy that has won. It is Malawi that has won. It is Africa that has won. And now justice has been served," he said. Mutharika was declared the winner of the May 21 election with 38.5 percent of the vote, Chakwera losing by just 159,000 votes. Chakwera went to court to challenge the result. Results 'cannot be trusted' In their unprecedented ruling, the constitutional court judges concurred that "the irregularities and anomalies have been so widespread, systematic and grave... that the integrity of the results has been seriously compromised". Malawi President Peter Mutharika waving to supporters following last May's election, annulled Monday. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP/File) The court said only 23 percent of the result sheets had been able to be verified, and that the outcome announced by the electoral commission "cannot be trusted as a true reflection of the will of the voters". It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964, and only the second African vote result to be cancelled, after the 2017 Kenya presidential vote. Allegations of vote-rigging sparked protests across the normally peaceful country shortly after results were announced. Opposition supporters celebrated in the capital Lilongwe and other major cities. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP) Mutharika's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) urged citizens to "maintain peace and order". In Zomba, the former colonial capital and now fourth-largest city, opposition supporters sang and danced in the streets on Tuesday, calling on Mutharika to step down following the historic ruling. The Southern African Development Community commended the court for "upholding the Malawian constitution" and pledged to "support... the election process". Mutharika, 79, will remain president until the new election, the court ruled. "It is a good time to be alive in Malawi. We have demonstrated that democracy does and can work in Africa. And this victory is not for us, it is for generations to come," said Lameck Hango, who celebrated with his friends in Lilongwe. Another Lilongwe resident, Johnson Banda, said he was "very happy with this judgement". "It's a true indication that Malawi has true democracy." But Mutharika supporter Chimpele Tsamwa was less pleased. "The judgement is not what I expected nor wanted -- but then all in all we trust the courts and have to go with what they have said. That's the beauty with democracy," he said. The international community has urged calm. "We call upon all Malawians to respect the decision of the court and to adhere to the path outlined in Malawi's constitution and electoral laws, including on the right to appeal," said Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa. You may already know about Austin's hopping music scene and trend-setting South by Southwest (SXSW) festivals, but it may surprise you to know that Texas' self-proclaimed capital of "weird" is also filled with tons of fun for families that will keep both parents and kids equally happy. The funky, festive city offers plenty of free fun, too, and grown-ups can enjoy the beat of live music and even some craft brews while still catering to the kids. Here are some of our favorite spots in Austin. RELATED: 7 Fun Cities to Visit With Kids Go Batty at the South Congress Bridge For kids who don't get spooked by the dark, the South Congress Bridge Bat colony is perhaps the best free thing to do in Austin, or anywhere for that matter. Every evening from March to November, join the bat fans that wait on the banks of Lady Bird Lake for the 1.5 million "birds of the night" that take off every evening at dusk. As soon as the sun settles beyond the horizon, clouds of fuzzy fliers swoop and dive and thrill the crowds that gather to watch them. Kirk Tuck Kids exploring the Light Lab at Thinkery. Play Indoors at the Thinkery Rainy day? Don't worry, the innovative Thinkery is a sure-fire hit for little ones, with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) activities geared toward babies up to grade schoolers. The hands-on exhibits start with a "Smile Here" selfie spot that then integrates your family's smiling (or maybe even scary or sad) mugs into different locations around the 40,000 square foot space. Other highlights include the Kitchen Lab, Innovators' Workshop, and the Spark Shop maker's space. Go Back to School at UT Austin With older kids, head to the massive University of Texas at Austin campus. Just wandering the expansive grounds and riding up to the top of the tower (a fun and cheap Austin activity) will make a lasting impression. Then check out the colorful Ellsworth Kelly glass at the Blanton Museum of Art and the LBJ Presidential Library, a good fit with tweens and teens for its interactive displays that explore 1960s culture (a recent exhibit focused on the music of Motown). Story continues RELATED: 10 Best Vacations for Kids Under 10 Check out East Austin The hippest new neighborhood in town is East Austin, and while the party scene of Sixth Street may be a little too much for kids, this neighborhood just to the east is a perfect spot to base yourself while still getting a taste of everything that makes Austin unique. Get a multi-bedroom, sleek new apartment rental through Sondera hip new alternative to the old Airbnb. For less than the price of a single hotel room, you'll get multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen, washer and dryer, and access to a cool pool. All-day brunch at Snooze is a local fave; the chocolate chip pancakes and Funky Monkey French Toast are always a good time. Say Cheers to a Beer Farm The craft brew scene is big in Austin, and while not all breweries are good for kids, Jester King is more than simply a spot to raise a pint. A 20-minute ride brings you to the 165 acre farm where kids, dogs, and beer aficionados all find something to love. The farm offers friendly goats, farm tours, live music, and some of the best wood-fired pizza you'll find in the whole state. Designate a driver and do the beer tasting to sip some of the most interesting brews in town. Austin Parks and Recreation Department A shot of Barton Springs Pool courtesy of Visit Austin. Dive Into Barton Springs Barton Springs pool is the perfect way to cool off on a hot Texas day. The three-acre, spring-fed pool is an Austin family favorite; the natural spring is deep and clean with an average water temperature of 70 degrees year-round. There's a small cover to enter ($9 for adults, $5 for teens, and $4 for young kids), but it's a bargain considering you're getting water park thrills without having to actually wait in line to get wet. Bring towels and picnic lunch and you'll be set for the day. It's adjacent to the free Austin playground at Zilker Park where you'll also find Barton Creek, a bit of free Austin family fun where the kids can watch fish and wade in to rock hop if it's not a swimming kind of day. Keep Austin Weird at the Cathedral of Junk For a fabulous, funky, and free Austin experience, head to the the always fascinating Cathedral of Junk. A labor of love by the owner and artist, Vince Hannemann, it's a treasure made from trash with towers and twisting pathways created from poured concrete and rubbish ranging from discarded street signs to Christmas ornaments. Kids love to climb around, explore the miniature scenes, and try out the slide. (Be sure to call before you come; visits are by appointment only: 512 299-7413). Get the Best BBQ in the Country (Without Waiting in Line) For many foodies, Austin is synonymous with great barbecue, and at the top of the pulled pork and ribs heap is Franklin Barbecue, legendary for its smoked brisket and hours-long, definitely not kid-friendly lines. But we'll share the secret of tasting its decadent carnivore menu without watching your kids have a mealtime meltdown: You just need to plan in advance (a parent speciality). Six weeks to be exact. And be sure to order at least five pounds of meat with the online ordering system, which is the perfect size for a hungry family (for reference, there are about four large ribs in a pound, about eight slices of brisket in a one pound order, and a pound of pulled pork fills a large cereal bowl). Choose a time, pick up your feast, and then head to a local park and dig in to the best of Austin! Nigeria has begun working on the security and information sharing requirements for the lifting of a US travel ban on prospective immigrants from the African nation, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said on Tuesday. Speaking at a joint news conference in Washington with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Onyeama said Nigeria was 'blindsided' by the US decision on Friday to add it and five other nations to an expanded version of the US visa ban. The action was issued as part of a proclamation by US President Donald Trump. US officials said the countries failed to meet US security and information-sharing standards, which necessitated the new restrictions. "We've identified all those requirements and we have actually started working on all them," Onyeama said. "It is actually very straightforward and it was very gratifying to come here and meet with US officials and to understand more clearly the reasoning behind it," he said. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, is the biggest country on the list whose citizens will be suspended from US visas that can lead to permanent residency. Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar were also slapped with a similar ban. The US government also will stop issuing "diversity visas" to nationals of Sudan and Tanzania, Trump's proclamation said. Search Keywords: Short link: Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks on the Senate floor about the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday. Read more WASHINGTON Utah Sen. Mitt Romney voted Wednesday to convict President Donald Trump, the only Republican to break ranks in the Senates impeachment trial and favor removing Trump from office. In a remarkable spectacle, Romney's decision meant the GOP's unsuccessful 2012 presidential nominee would be voting to oust a Republican president who seldom hides his contempt for the well-mannered party establishment that the patrician Romney symbolizes. As Trump plunges into his reelection effort, Romney's move also denied Trump a campaign talking point of asserting he had been unanimously acquitted by Republicans in a strictly partisan drive to remove him. And it stood as the most noteworthy vote of rebellion against Trump by a congressional Republican since 2017. At that time, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pointed his thumb downward in a post-midnight vote that derailed Trump's signature effort to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law. Romney announced his verdict during an eight-minute speech on the Senate floor two hours before the GOP-dominated chamber was set for votes that were virtually certain to acquit Trump. Romney cited the significance of the impeachment oath to render impartial justice sworn to by all senators. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am, Romney, a Mormon, said before pausing for about 11 seconds, seemingly struggling with his emotions. The grave question the Constitution task senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme, so egregious, that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor, Romney said. Yes, he did. In a statement released by his office, Romney said he would vote to convict Trump for the impeachment article accusing him of abuse of power, but to acquit the president on the second count of obstructing Congress' investigation of his actions toward Ukraine. In an interview on Fox News, Romney said he believed the Democratic-run House should have exhausted all legal remedies for hearing witnesses and receiving documents, which Trump blocked, before impeaching him for obstruction. Romney's willingness to break with his colleagues recalled the willingness of his own father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, to support the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. Assessed from a personal level, the clash between Trump and Romney came as little surprise. The two men have crossed swords frequently since Trump began his presidential campaign in 2015. Still, it threatened to expose him to the kind of demonization experienced by recent GOP lawmakers defying Trump. Republican Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee both decided against seeking reelection in 2018 after criticizing Trump. Trump did not immediately take to Twitter to react. But the chairwoman of the Republican Party did in an email sent to reporters headlined, Romney turns his back on Utah. This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last, tweeted Ronna McDaniel. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him. The senator is her uncle. While other GOP criticism seemed certain to follow, Romney seemed likely to suffer little blowback back home. Trump and his frequently coarse displays are not strongly popular in the overwhelmingly Mormon Utah, but Romney is. And at 72 and in the second year of his six-year Senate term, Romney is unlikely to face a political challenge there anytime soon. Romney's announcement made him the first senator to bolt what has so far been a strict party-line divide over whether to force Trump from office. On the Senate floor, Romney cited the allegation that Trump delayed U.S. military aid to Ukraine for its war with Russian-backed fighters until the embattled country's new leaders agreed to investigate Biden. The president's purpose was personal and political, said Romney. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. He called Trump's pressure campaign a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Romney said he's received numerous phone calls and text messages demanding that he stand with the team. But he said if he voted against his belief that Trump was guilty, it would expose my character to history's rebuke and the censure of my own conscience. Romney opposed Trump's bid early on and said he lacked the temperament and judgment to be president, calling him a phony, a fraud. Trump has called Romney a pompous ass. Trump ostentatiously interviewed Romney as a potential secretary of state, only to reject him. Romney has backed Trump in Senate votes 80 percent of the time, one of the lowest marks for Republicans, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com. Romney has opposed Trump on high-profile issues such as Trumps attempt to unilaterally shift federal dollars to building a wall along the Mexican border. SAYING ALL: National Security Minister Stuart Young at Wednesdays meeting of the Joint Select Committee on National Security at the Red House. Photo courtesy The Office of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago Sen. Ben Sasse: At tonights State of the Union address, the president talked about some big Nebraska priorities: promoting trade, securing the border and defending life. The USMCA is great news for Nebraskas farmers and ranchers and its an achievement worth celebrating tonight. Border security is national security: Weve got to combat the drug cartels that are terrorizing our southern border this is something Congress ought to get serious about. Last, but certainly not least, weve got to promote a culture of life with a compassionate agenda thats pro-baby, pro-woman, and pro-science. Sen. Deb Fischer: "At tonights State of the Union, President Trump laid out a forward-looking plan to protect American families through a strong national defense and a secure border. He also highlighted the new trade agreements that will provide opportunities for Nebraskans to work with partners around the globe and continue to grow the economy. I hope the presidents optimistic vision will inspire Congress to work together across party lines on solutions that will ensure a brighter future for Nebraskans and all Americans." Rep. Jeff Fortenberry: It is the ultimate tribute to our enduring republic that no matter the tenor of the time, the state of the world, the politics of the moment, the president of the United States stands before Congress, justices of the Supreme Court and a rapt nation and delivers a State of the Union address. Tonight, the president delivered a very American, meat-and-potatoes speech, with a very important emphasis on national security, keeping you safe, and getting health care right. He had a particular initiative that is dear my heart and those of many Nebraskans called The Trillion Trees. I think it's very important for Republicans to embrace this space of environmental security. When that military family was reunited, it brought tears to my eyes. Rep. Adrian Smith: Tonight, President Trump presented an optimistic agenda to continue growing economic opportunity for all Americans. He has worked hard to fulfill his promises to update NAFTA, hold China accountable, reduce burdensome regulations, reform the tax code and make our nation and the world safer. I agree there is much more work to be done, and I look forward to building on our accomplishments. Rep. Don Bacon: Tonight, we heard from the president about our once-again strong economy and his visionary approach to helping everyone thrive and in new opportunities. Not only is our economy strong, but military strength has been restored and we are respected once again. The president touched on how wages are rising faster for workers under the presidents forward-looking economic and tax policies. And in Nebraska, our real median household income has risen 10 percent to $62,000. The president also challenged us to continue to improve by expanding opportunities through career and technical education in every single high school in America. As I listened to our president talk about our once-again strong economy and strengthened military that is again respected by the world, I was even more impressed by the heroes he chose to represent our great country. From Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen who was recently made a brigadier general; to Amy Williams and her two children who have not seen their father Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams in months, until tonight; to Kelli Hake and her son Gage who lost her husband due to a roadside bomb provided by Soleimani who was recently killed by U.S forces. As we confront the challenges laid out this evening, the sacrifices of these extraordinary Americans is a reminder that there is no obstacle that we cant overcome through our united resolve for a better tomorrow. Gov. Pete Ricketts: President Trump truly is delivering on his promises to the American people in the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history. From millions of new jobs to new trade deals, he is helping create great opportunities for Nebraskas working families. His proposal to expand school choice will help students achieve their dreams, and his continued commitment to appointing conservative judges will protect our Constitution. Congress should answer President Trumps call to ban late-term abortions and bar illegal immigrants from receiving free government health care. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Representative Image Crude oil futures gained 0.67 percent to Rs 3,609 per barrel on February 5 as participants increased their long position as seen from the increase in open interest. The oil market might see depressed demand or at least four months because of Chinas coronavirus outbreak, and a large crude surplus that is not expected to clear at least until August. US oil inventories rose 4.2 million barrels for the week that ended on January 31, according to data released by the American Petroleum Institute against analysts anticipations of a build-up of 2.8 million barrels as per Reuters poll. In the futures market, crude oil touched an intraday high of Rs 3,642 and an intraday low of Rs 3,551 per barrel on the MCX. For the February series, crude touched a low of Rs 3,551 and a high of Rs 4,663. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, crude oil delivery for February contracts rose Rs 56, or 1.56 percent, to Rs 3,640 per barrel with a business turnover of 32,885 lots. The delivery for crude's March contracts gained Rs 43, or 1.19 to Rs 3,654 per barrel with a business volume of 3,767 lots. The value of the February contracts traded so far is Rs 4,767.93 crore, and those of March contracts saw a value of Rs 146.63 crore. Crude oil prices gave a gap down opening in the morning session. Prices edged higher in the last trading session, but it failed to sustain near the days high, and closed below the support zone of 3580 levels, according to Axis Securities. Source: Axis Securities Short term trend is negative for prices, as they are trading below 9 and 20 days EMA, and RSI is below 40 levels that indicates a low momentum in prices. The broking firm advised its clients to sell Crude oil below Rs 3,570 for the target of Rs 3,540-3520 on an intraday basis. MCX crude oil has immediate support at Rs 3,560-3,520, whereas resistance is at Rs 3,620-3,660, according to Motilal Oswal. The broking firm advised its clients that any pullback near the resistance area should be taken as a selling opportunity. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 2.40 percent to $50.80 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark was up 2.76 percent to $55.45 per barrel. The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday urged Christians to 'litter-pick for Lent' in a huge boost for the Great British Spring Clean. For the first time the Church of England has called for its members to do something for the environment in place of more traditional gestures such as giving up chocolate or alcohol. As part of 'Green Lent', it recommends churchgoers go on a beach clean, or clean up a river or pond in their area. As well as the Church of England, other backers of the campaign include the National Trust, the Women's Institute and Friends of the Earth, as well as more than 200 local authorities and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said we urgently need to rebuild our relationship with our planet and change our habits The Great British Spring Clean is organised by the charity Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Daily Mail. The archbishop, Justin Welby, urged Christians to do more to protect the environment. Speaking at Lambeth Palace, he said: 'We urgently need to rebuild our relationship with our planet. To do this, we need to change our habits in how we pray and how we act. 'Lent is not just about discipline. It's about allowing Christ to show us what's keeping us from loving and serving him and joyfully letting it go. Pictured: Parishioners at St Martins Church, in the Canterbury diocese, at last years Great British Spring Clean 'Whatever age you are, this Lent I hope you'll engage with God's plea for us to care for his creation, and that these campaign resources will help you on that journey.' The beach clean idea was outlined in a booklet released by the Church called #LiveLent. It contains a set of 40 reflections, actions and prayers on the environment. Instead of giving up chocolate or alcohol, the faithful are being encouraged to think about actions such as switching to renewable power, making at least one journey by foot or planting a tree. The campaign asks people to think about things such as how much water goes into making a pair of jeans, whether they could 'twin' their toilet to help provide sanitation in poorer countries, and the last time they looked at the night sky. The reflections for Green Lent run from Ash Wednesday on February 26 to Easter Day on April 12. It explains cleaning waterways would pay respect to Jesus, who was baptised in the River Jordan. The Bishop of Aston, Anne Hollinghurst, also praised the clean-up yesterday. She said: 'Through initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean and the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, and using the tips and ideas in this year's #LiveLent booklet, it is possible to channel our concern for the environment into helping at local level, engaging with the communities on our door step and taking a positive step to acknowledge littering is not acceptable. This is a Lent campaign that everyone can take part in, whether or not they are a churchgoer. I would encourage all churches to consider what they can do to help clean up their local communities.' Allison Ogden-Newton, of Keep Britain Tidy, said: 'It's great to have the support of the Church for our campaign. 'Pledging to pick up litter is an easy way for all of us to show that we care and are willing to do our bit for our community and the planet we all share.' Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 495.85, up 3.63% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 46.14% in last one year as compared to a 8.66% gain in NIFTY and a 1.88% gain in the Nifty Energy index. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 495.85, up 3.63% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.34% on the day, quoting at 12020.2. The Sensex is at 40906.3, up 0.29%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has added around 5.69% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has added around 4.01% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14953.8, up 1.01% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 72.79 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 60.99 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark February futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 489.9, up 3.9% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is up 46.14% in last one year as compared to a 8.66% gain in NIFTY and a 1.88% gain in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 16.22 based on TTM earnings ending September 19. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a crowded courtroom Tuesday afternoon, the lawyer assigned to represent a 14-year-old accused of murder raised competency concerns and agreed that the teen should remain in custody for now. Jevyn Steadman is charged with fatally shooting his 29-year-old cousin, who had been trying to intervene as Steadman argued with his father, police said. At a hearing before Judge Marie Ward, Steadman denied the charges in his juvenile petition and prosecutors said they might seek to sentence him as an adult. Todd Farkas, Steadmans lawyer, said his client has been found not competent to stand trial in two previous proceedings. He also asked the court to stay the case pending a competency evaluation, which the judge agreed to do. In an interview Tuesday, Farkas said although he agrees that his client should be detained for now, he can ask the court to revisit his conditions of release at any time. Addressing the court, Steadmans father voiced his disappointment with the juvenile justice system, saying his son had been released repeatedly in prior cases, despite his pleas for help. I dont want to see my son locked up, I asked them, he needs help. Find something, put him in a program or something, he said. And then you kept throwing him out in the streets, throwing him out, throwing him out, throwing him out. And now here we are where we are. According to a criminal complaint, the boy and his father had been arguing, and his cousin, Lawrence Howard, asked him to step outside in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. According to a witness, Howard and Steadman walked outside of the Southeast Albuquerque apartment moments before a shot rang out. When the witness went outside, she found Howard on the ground. The teen told her he was sorry and didnt mean it before taking her cellphone and fleeing. Steadman later turned himself in to police. Several of his and Howards family members attended Tuesdays hearing. Afterward, Howards mother, Catherine Howard-Portee, called Steadman a menace to society who had been in and out of jail. Her son leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter. My son didnt deserve this, and Jevyn took his life, she said. Jevyn has to pay for what he did. He shot my son in the head for no reason. Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Earlier the same day, the Ministry of Transport sent an urgent notice to the Vietnam Railway Authority, the Vietnam Railways and the Transport Department of the northern border provinces of Lao Cai and Lang Son, on the implementation of measures against the epidemic. Under the notice, Train MR1/T8702 from Vietnam to China will be halted as from 21:20 on February 5. The rail services will be resumed after the ministry issues a new notice. Meanwhile, international cargo trains through railway stations in Lang Son and Lao Cai will maintain their usual operation. The ministry asked the Vietnam Railway Authority and the Vietnam Railways to take countermeasures while keeping a close watch on the development of the disease. As of February 4 morning, Vietnam had recorded nine nCoV cases, with the latest patient being a 30-year-old man in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, who returned to Vietnam from Chinas Wuhan in January on a Southern China flight, the same flight with four other Vietnamese previously tested positive for the novel virus. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, the deadly virus has now spread to 27 countries and territories worldwide, with 19,843 confirmed cases as of 6:00 on February 4. Like a human, the hunger of the animal becomes uncontrollable. After which the animal can go to any extent to calm hunger. Many times such things have also come to the fore. A few days ago a similar video surfaced from the Zambia forests in which it was seen that a leopard tries to snatch a piece of meat from the mouth of a big crocodile, to calm his hunger, he tries three to four times and succeeds in it. Abu Dhabi set unique record in fishing, earning crores of rupees at auction According to foreign media, traveler Nicole Dangur went to South Lungwa National Park in Zambia. Walking in the jungle is his hobby. Meanwhile, during the night, he made a video, in this video, it can be seen that a leopard goes near a crocodile. The crocodile hunted a reindeer and is present in resting posture after eating it. Pieces of reindeer meat are present near his mouth. Some pieces he had eaten and some are visible outside his teeth. This Berlin girl is going to marry an airplane, in long-distance relationship with it from last six years After seeing these pieces, the leopard tries to snatch the morsel from the crocodile's mouth. In an effort of two to three times, he takes out a few pieces of meat. After removing the piece of meat directly from the mouth, the leopard tries to remove the pieces of meat from the other side as well. Here, in two attempts, he is able to snatch some pieces. After taking out a big piece in the third time, he goes away from there. This owl could not fly due to overweight, kept on a two-week diet Representative image Fatalities from the coronavirus epidemic are overwhelmingly concentrated in central China's Wuhan city, which accounts for over 73% of deaths despite having only one-third the number of confirmed infections. In Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease, one person has died for every 23 infections reported. That number drops to one on 50 nationally, and outside mainland China, one death has been recorded per 114 confirmed cases. Experts say the discrepancy is mainly due to under-reporting of milder virus cases in Wuhan and other parts of Hubei province that are grappling with shortages in testing equipment and beds. "In an outbreak your really have to interpret fatality rates with a very sceptical eye, because often it's only the very severe cases that are coming to people's attention," said Amesh Adalja, an expert in pandemic preparedness at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore. "It's very hard to say those numbers represent anything like the true burden of infection" said Adalja, who estimates current fatality rates are likely below 1%. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show As of Tuesday, 24,551 cases have been confirmed globally. A 1% fatality rate would put total cases at over 49,000, based on the current death toll of 492. Gauden Galea, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative for China, told Reuters on Sunday that a "crude calculation" done by dividing total cases by deaths put the rate at 2% and said the rate was generally falling. "Trying to really demystify those fatality numbers by including mildly symptomatic cases will help people to better understand the risk," said Adalja. CLUSTER OF DEATHS In Wuhan, some patients with milder symptoms have been turned away from hospitals in recent weeks because of the strain on resources, several people in the city told Reuters. Others have opted to self-isolate. Wuhan resident Meiping Wang said she and her sister both believe they have mild cases of the virus after their mother tested positive, but have not been tested. "There is no use going to the hospital because there is no treatment," Wang, 31, said in a telephone interview. Under-reporting mild cases - which increases fatality rates - could have a negative social and economic impact as global health authorities race to contain the disease. "It's good to remember that when H1N1 influenza came out in 2009, estimates of case fatality were 10 percent," said David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, who was working in public health at the time. "That turned out to be incredibly wrong." "As the denominator is growing in terms of case numbers, and case fatality goes down and down... you start to realise it's everywhere," he said. The global response to the coronavirus epidemic has been swift and fierce. Several countries have implemented partial or full travel bans on Chinese travellers. "There are many actions going on all over the world that really are premised on the idea that this is a very severe illness," said Johns Hopkins' Adalja. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the bans were an unnecessary interruption to travel and trade. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:25:34|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Roberto Azevedo, director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on Tuesday called for political leadership to modernize the multilateral trade institution amid the continued impasse over its Appellate Body. "The multilateral trading system is worth keeping, but that does not mean keeping it as it is. There are areas where it could improve, where it must improve," Azevedo said here at a conference hosted by the Washington International Trade Association. "In fact, some of the unconventional policies and bilateral arrangements we see today might never have arisen had we done more to update the system. The impasse on dispute settlement is a case in point," he said, adding that many members were dissatisfied with different aspects of how the Appellate Body was operating. The Appellate Body, the de facto court of appeals at the WTO, has been unable to hear any new cases since Dec. 11, 2019, because it only has one judge left due to a repeated blockage of the nomination of its members by the United States. "It is my hope that members will use the current crisis to produce an improved two-step appeals process," said the director-general. Noting that change in multilateral institutions is often difficult, Azevedo called for political leadership and involvement to push for structural changes at the WTO. "Technical experts sitting in Geneva cannot do it themselves. We need political leadership and involvement. It's either this, or we prepare to pay for the consequences," he said, warning that lack of predictability in trading conditions would lead to slower economic growth. "Without predictability, growth and job creation would be slower and more fragile than they would otherwise have been. Investment and consumption decisions would be postponed, many of them indefinitely," said the WTO chief. While the WTO is facing several challenges, Azevedo stressed that WTO members are once again advancing on multiple fronts, including negotiations to curb fisheries subsidies and the potential for new rules on investment facilitation, e-commerce and domestic regulations of services. "Looking ahead, I am sure that WTO members are ready for change. They want to improve the system we have -- not throw it away and attempt to start from scratch," he said. STOCKHOLM, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial Summary - Q4'19 Financial results in-line with or better than our expectations Net Sales $456 million million Net Sales decline 15%, Organic Sales 1) decline 14% decline 14% Active Safety Net Sales decline 22%, Organic Sales 1) decline 20% decline 20% Operating cash flow impacted by ~$(30) million of timing effects Outlook - FY'20 Organic Sales 1) are expected to increase in the mid-single digits, mainly driven by Active Safety and Brake Systems are expected to increase in the mid-single digits, mainly driven by Active Safety and Brake Systems Currency translation impact is expected to be negligible Operating loss and cash flow before financing activities 1 are expected to improve from 2019 levels (on a comparable basis) are expected to improve from 2019 levels (on a comparable basis) Global LVP is estimated to decline in the low-single digits Business Highlights Market adjustment initiatives continue to drive underlying cost structure and balance sheet improvements Order book at the end of 2019 remains approximately $19 billion despite ~9% lower LVP assumptions for the period 2020 to 2025 despite ~9% lower LVP assumptions for the period 2020 to 2025 Order intake for 2019 of ~$550 million of average annual sales with Active Safety ~70%, this represents ~$2.5 billion of lifetime sales of average annual sales with Active Safety ~70%, this represents of lifetime sales VNBS JV (Asia Operations) divestiture closed on February 3, 2020 , net cash proceeds of approximately $170 million , net cash proceeds of approximately million Order intake for 2020 is estimated to be approximately $1 billion of average annual sales for our core Electronics segment. Key Figures Three Months Ended December 31 Twelve Months Ended December 31 Dollars in millions, (except where specified) 2019 2018 Change 2019 2018 Change $ % $ % $ $ % $ % $ Net Sales $ 456 $ 535 $ (79) $ 1,902 $ 2,228 $ (326) Gross Profit / Margin $ 76 16.7 % $ 109 20.4 % $ (33) $ 311 16.4 % $ 430 19.3 % $ (119) RD&E, net / % of Sales $ (103) (22.50) % $ (132) (24.7) % $ 29 $ (562) (29.6) % $ (466) (20.90) % $ (96) Operating Loss / Margin $ (72) (15.80) % $ (75) (14) % $ 3 $ (460) (24.2) % $ (197) (8.80) % $ (263) Operating Cash Flow $ (104) $ 1 $ (105) $ (325) $ (179) $ (146) Comments from Jan Carlson, Chairman, President and CEO Organic sales in the quarter were in-line with our expectations at the beginning of the quarter, despite some weakness in the LVP. Our operating loss was lower than expected at the beginning of the quarter, primarily due to continuing cost control activities across the company, particularly with respect to customer reimbursements and control of our RD&E costs. In general, our market adjustment initiatives are continuing to positively impact our cost structure. During 2020 we intend to take further actions under our market adjustment initiative program. These actions include: further partnering, further focusing our product portfolio, reviewing certain customer contracts, and a continued focus on other cost improvement initiatives. We are also continuing to define the scope and priorities of Zenuity, where the Polestar 2 and the Volvo XC 40 Recharge, both launching in the upcoming months, will be the first two vehicles with the full Zenuity software suite for collaborative driving. This is a major milestone and achievement for Zenuity. 2020 is a major customer launch year for Veoneer and we are gearing up for the launch of our fourth-generation vision systems during the first half of the year. The bulk of the launches, and importantly the higher delivery volumes, are concentrated toward the second half of the year which is when we expect Veoneer to return to organic sales growth. We are basing our 2020 outlook on our core Active Safety and Restraint Control Systems businesses and our VBS US operations Brake Systems business, as we completed the divestiture of the Asian operations of our VNBS joint venture on February 3, 2020 as part of an on-going strategic review of our brake business. In the early part of January, we participated to the Consumer Electronics Show where we showcased our latest solutions in Collaborative Driving, which further confirmed our decision to focus our sales, operations and development on Active Safety solutions where the driver remains involved. Customer feedback to our approach is very positive and we expect to win significant, profitable orders with our focused, refined Active Safety portfolio throughout 2020. We are currently monitoring and taking appropriate actions on a daily basis related to the effects from the Corona virus outbreak in China. As always, the health and safety of our employees is our primary focus. To date we are not aware of any cases of the virus with our employees, however it is too early to assess the effects on our China business as this is an on-going situation. For the next several quarters our focus is on preparing for: successful customer launches in 2020 and heading into 2021, market adjustment initiatives to continue to drive efficiencies and improve cash flow, and continuing to win profitable new business. This report is information that Veoneer, Inc. is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the EVP Communications and IR set out above, at 12:00 CET on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. An earnings conference call will be held today, Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 13:00 CET. To follow the webcast or to obtain the phone number/pin code, please see www.veoneer.com. The slide deck will be available on our website prior to the earnings conference call. See also the Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures section on page 10 of this earnings release for further disclosures. 1 For all Non-U.S. GAAP financial measures, see the reconciliation tables in this earnings release, including the Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures section on page 10. See the Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures section for further discussion of the forward-looking Non-U.S. GAAP financial measures. Contacts: Thomas Jonsson - EVP Communications & IR, +46-8-527-762-27 or thomas.jonsson@veoneer.com and Ray Pekar - VP Investor Relations, +1-248-794-4537 or ray.pekar@veoneer.com. Inquiries - Company Corporate website www.veoneer.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/veoneer/r/financial-report-october---december-2019,c3027792 The following files are available for download: Innovation to drive new opportunities As the world heads into 2022, trends in commercial air travel and customer order activity are in much better shape than earlier post-COVID expectations, which is a positive sign for the industry. Global distribution of COVID vaccines is helping to clear a path toward normalization of air travel, though the current surge in Delta-variant infections in certain regions will likely keep demand for travel subdued into early 2022. But current macroeconomic trends suggest that demand for small- and medium-sized aircraft will continue to recover to reach pre-COVID levels in 2022, with aircraft manufacturers focused on narrow-body aircraft being well positioned to benefit from this buoyant demand. Furthermore, with air travel volumes now well off the lows seen in 2020, aftermarket revenues could recover strongly in 2022 as air traffic rebounds. New technologies, evolving business models, and increasing M&A activity will likely further accelerate the shift toward digital and operational efficiencies. In particular, digital thread and smart factory present a host of efficiency- and productivity-enhancing technologies that can accelerate time to market and reduce cycle times. A&D firms that focus on innovation will likely be better prepared for 2022. An estimated 13.62 million Indian nationals are staying abroad and USD 118.3 billion has been received as remittances since April 2018 up to September last year, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan cited figures which showed that countries like Nepal, the Middle East region, the UK, the US, Malaysia and Germany have a large number of Indians living there. As per the data received from Indian missions, there are an estimated 13.62 million Indians abroad, he said. As per the RBI data, during 2018-19, USD 76.4 billion was received as remittances, while during period 2019-20 (April-September), USD 41.9 billion was received, Muraleedharan said. Replying to another question, he said the number of Indians involved in financial irregularities with the banks as well as those who are under criminal investigation from 2015 onwards are 72 and considerable amount of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) are involved in respect of these cases. Muraleedharan, in reply to a separate question, also informed Parliament that mortal remains of 21,930 Indian nationals from 125 countries have been brought back to India since 2015 till December, 2019. On the issue of prisoners in Pakistan's custody, he said as per the available information, 275 Indians, including fishermen are presently believed to be in Pakistan's custody. However, as per the lists shared on January 1, 2020, Pakistan has acknowledged the custody of 262 of them, he said. In addition, there is the issue of 83 missing Indian defence personnel, including prisoners of war, whose custody has not been acknowledged by Pakistan, so far, Muraleedharan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Struggling Yes Bank topped the Nifty50 table, advancing nearly 4 per cent on Friday. However, market analysts say that these gains will be short-lived until a concrete step is taken to rescue the bank. The shares of the fourt- largest private lender gained over 10 per cent in two sessions after SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar said: "Yes Bank will not be allowed to fail." Kumar had reasoned that the Yes Bank is a significant player in the market with an almost $40 billion balance sheet. At the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, he said: "I have a feeling that it will not be allowed to fail." Yes Bank shares closed 4.40 per cent higher at Rs 42.75 a share on Friday. "Yes Bank needs a fresh round of funding and only that will help the bank to survive. Kumar's comment could be the same for any other bank which is not doing well as the concern is more about the banking system as a whole," said Narendra Solanki of Anand Rathi. "Investors still do not know as to how will Yes Bank be rescued. Kumar's comment may ease the panic to some extent but it will not result in much gains for Yes Bank until a solid proposal to revive it appears," Deepak Jasani of HDFC Securities told IANS. Yes Bank's financials have also come under heavy scrutiny off-late. Rating agency ICRA recently said that Yes Bank's solvency profile remains weak with net NPA/CET of 36 per cent as on September 30, 2019. A number of rating firms have red flagged the bank's exposure to stressed projects. Owing to uncertain news flow, Yes Bank, once the traders' favorite, has proved to be one of the biggest wealth destroyers. Its stock price is down to Rs 42 a share from a high of Rs 285.90 on April 4, 2019. Citing continued uncertainty with regards to Yes Bank's capital raising plan, Moody's Investors Service placed Yes Bank's long-term foreign currency issuer rating of B2 under review. The agency noted that standalone viability of Yes Bank is getting increasingly challenged by its slowness in raising new capital. Moody's said that because the viability of the bank absent a large capital injection is in question, it has downgraded the bank's standalone credit profile or its BCA to caa2 from b3. Srinagar, Feb 5 : Awami National Conference President Khalida Shah, the sister of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the downsizing Jammu and Kashmir without any consultation with its people is "unconstitutional, illegal and a blatant misuse of political power". "While abrogating Article 370, the government of India and the Parliament forgot the elementary fact that India got legal right to enter the state only because of the condition of Instrument of Accession," she wrote in the letter. In the letter, Khalida Shah also alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, "while tabling the bill on Abrogation of Article 370, misinformed the Parliament by stating 'Article 370 is a temporary Article in the Constitution of India', conveniently flouting to state the reality of 'Why Temporary?' "Mr Prime Minister, notwithstanding its title 'Temporary Provision', Article 370 is a 'Permanent Provision' of the Constitution of India. Article 370 is part of the "Constitutions' Basic Structure" incorporated in accordance with the wishes of the Constituent Assembly of J&K state. It can't be repealed, abrogated or amended. Article 370 is not a legal issue alone. It is a political commitment translated into a constitutional guarantee, arrived after a protracted negotiation between two sovereign people," she wrote. Revenue growth for Vodafone Ireland all but stalled in the latest three months as it faced more competition. It said that service revenue grew by 0.1% in its financial third quarter -- down from 0.9% growth in the previous quarter -- due to heightened mobile competition. The international telecoms giant faced tougher competitive conditions across the rest of Europe too. Maryland levies both an inheritance tax and an estate tax, in addition to the federal estate tax. Here is an overview of what you need to know about probate and how the states laws vary according to different family situations, among other topics. Estate planning is a complicated topic, though, and its a good idea to work with a financial professional to guide you through the process. If you dont already work with one, consider finding a financial advisor in your area. Does Maryland Have an Inheritance Tax or Estate Tax? Maryland has both an inheritance tax and an estate tax. Most families do not have to think about the federal estate tax, because of the exorbitantly high $11.18 million estate exemption the federal government now levies for the tax. However, residents of Maryland or those who own property in Maryland should keep in mind both the inheritance tax and estate tax when doing estate planning. The current Maryland inheritance tax rate is 10%, and the estate tax is a graduated rate that ranges from 0% to 16%, depending on the size of the estate. The difference between the estate tax and the inheritance tax is that the estate tax is charged to the entire estate, no matter who is inheriting. The inheritance tax only applies to certain heirs of an estate, and is charged to the heirs, rather than to the estate itself. Inheritance Tax Some individuals are exempt from the inheritance tax in Maryland, depending on their relationship to the decedent. Currently, property that passes to a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, step-parent, step-child, child or other lineal descendant, spouse of a child or other lineal descendant, or a corporation that has only people in this category as stockholders, is entirely exempt from the Maryland inheritance tax. A primary residence owned by domestic partners held in joint tenancy at the time of one partners death is also exempt from the inheritance tax. However, property that passes to any other beneficiary than those mentioned is subject to the Maryland inheritance tax. Story continues The Maryland inheritance tax is only placed upon property that passes under a will, under the terms of a trust, deed, joint ownership, payable on death designation, Maryland intestacy laws, or otherwise. However, life insurance that is payable to the decedents estate is the only type of life insurance included in the value of the estate. Property that is given away in contemplation of death is also subject to the Maryland inheritance tax. In other words, if you give away a material part of your estate within two years of passing away, the property you gave away also becomes subject to the inheritance tax. Estate Tax The estate tax threshold for Maryland was $4 million in 2018, and increased to $5 million for 2019. If the worth of your estate after you die is worth less than the estate tax threshold, the estate wont owe anything to the state of Maryland. However, for each dollar above the estate tax threshold, there is a progressive tax rate, going up to 16%, that your estate will need to pay before your heirs can collect their inheritance. In addition, starting in 2019, the exemption will be portable, which means a married couple gets a double exemption after both spouses have died. Starting in 2019, the estate tax threshold for married couples ends up effectively being $10 million after their death. Other Necessary Tax Filings After you pass away, there are many federal and estate tax situations that will become relevant for those who survive you. Besides the state estate and inheritance taxes, you need to look out for the following: Final individual federal and state income tax returns the federal tax returns are due by Tax Day of the year following the individuals death. The state tax return is due nine months after the death of the decedent unless the executor requests and receives an extension. Federal estate/trust income tax return due by April 15 of the year following the individuals death Federal estate tax return due nine months after the individuals death, though an automatic six-month extension is available if asked for prior to the conclusion of the nine-month period This is required only of individual estates that exceed a gross asset and prior taxable gift value of $11.4 million The Internal Revenue Service requires each estate to have its own employer identification number (EIN) to represent itself in any tax-related matters. To apply for an EIN, visit the IRS website or apply by fax or mail. Dying with a Will in Maryland There are certain basic requirements to make a will valid in Maryland. The will must be in writing. The person making the will, or the testator, must be at least 18 years old. The testator must also have legal capacity, which means they understand the purpose of the document they are signing. In order to finalize your will in Maryland, you must sign your will in front of two witnesses, and your witnesses must sign your will in front of you. Maryland generally does not accept handwritten wills, unless you are a member of the United States Armed Forces serving overseas. If the will is determined to be valid, the next step is the probate process. Maryland is not a state that is part of the Uniform Probate Code, but much of the probate process is similar to that of other states. Probate proceedings are tend to only be required if the decedent owned any assets in their name only. Other assets, also known as non-probate property, can generally be transferred to the other owner without probate. Maryland offers a simplified probate procedure for smaller estates. The simplified procedure is available if the property subject to probate has a value of $50,000 or less. If the surviving spouse is the only beneficiary, the cap goes up to $100,000 or less. The property value is defined as its fair market value minus any liens or encumbrances. The executor files a written request with the local probate court requesting to use the simplified procedure. The court can decide whether to grant or deny the requests. Dying Without a Will in Maryland Dying without a will isnt ideal if you care about estate planning or deciding where your assets will end up after your death. Maryland inheritance laws define these types of estates as intestate, which means there is no will, or no valid will. The court then follows intestate succession laws to determine who inherits your property, and how much of it they inherit. If there isnt a will, the court will appoint a someone to serve as the personal representative of the estate. The personal representative effectively does the same job as an executor. Executors take care of the estate of the decedent. Notice must be given to all heirs and beneficiaries, as required by the court. When someone dies intestate, there are often extenuating factors. If you can help it, its best not to die intestate and put your loved ones through the stress. If youre not sure what kind of estate plan you should make, you can seek the help of a financial advisor specializing in legacy planning. Spouses in Maryland Inheritance Law If you pass away intestate with a spouse but no living parents or children, your spouse will inherit all intestate property; that is, the property that does not have a named beneficiary. However, if you have living parents or children after you pass, your spouse will get half more of your intestate property, depending on the age of your children. If you have living parents, but no children, your spouse will inherit $15,000 of the intestate property and then half of the remaining property. Your parents will inherit the other half of the remaining property. Children in Maryland Inheritance Law If you have no spouse and any of your children are alive, they are the only heirs to your estate. However, if your spouse is alive, thats a different story. If you have children who are minors, your spouse will inherit half of the intestate property and your children will inherit the other half. If you have no minor children, your spouse will inherit $15,000 of the intestate property and then half of the remaining property. Your descendants or children will inherit the other half of the remaining property. Intestate Succession: Spouses and Children Inheritance Situation Who Inherits Your Property Children but no spouse Children inherit everything Spouse but no children or parents Spouse inherits everything Spouse and children who are minors Spouse inherits half Children inherit half Spouse and descendants, but no children who are minors Spouse inherits $15,000 plus half of the remaining balance -Descendants inherit half of the remaining balance Spouse and parents, but no descendants Spouse inherits $15,000 plus half of the remaining balance Parents inherit half of the remaining balance The legal status of your children is extremely important when it comes to inheriting under the laws of intestacy. Legally adopted children have just as much right to their inheritance as biological children do. However, foster children and stepchildren that were never legally adopted by you are not eligible to receive a share as your child. However, if you have no other living relatives, stepchildren have the right to inherit. If you placed your child up for adoption and that child was adopted by another family other than your spouse they are not legally eligible to receive intestate inheritance from you. Children born outside of marriage are eligible to inherit. If you were not married to the mother of your child when she gave birth to your children, they are still eligible to inherit as your children if you married the mother after their birth and acknowledged your paternity, acknowledged your paternity in writing, openly recognized them as your children, or a court determined paternity. Grandchildren only receive a share if their parent your child is not alive to receive their share. Posthumous children are also eligible to inherit. Posthumous children are born after your death but conceived by you. They are still entitled to their share even though they were born after your death. If the child is conceived by artificial insemination, they must be born within two years of your death to inherit. You must have also provided written consent to be the parent and must have also consented in writing to the use of your genetic material for posthumous conception. Unmarried Individuals Without Children in Maryland Inheritance Law If there are no spouses or children, the inheritance then goes to the closest living relatives, in the order listed in the chart below. Intestate Succession: Extended Family Inheritance Situation Who Inherits Your Property Parents Parents inherit everything Siblings but no parents Siblings inherit everything The intestate process is designed to ensure your property stays in the hands of your family. However, even if that is what you want, it is generally best to write your own will to ensure that all of your property ends up in the hands you want it in. Non-Probate Maryland Inheritances The probate process can be difficult and expensive. However, there are ways of avoiding the probate process in Maryland. The list below goes over some of the assets that will not have to go through probate and instead go directly to the beneficiaries, even if you have not made a will. Other Situations in Maryland Inheritance Law Maryland has a survivorship period. In order to inherit under Marylands intestate succession law, the heir in question must survive the decedent by at least 30 days. In addition, relatives conceived before you die but born after your death are eligible to inherit as if they had been born while you were alive. Immigration status is irrelevant when it comes to inheritance. If a relative of yours is entitled to a share of your assets, they can inherit no matter what their citizenship status is. Half-relatives inherit as much as whole relatives. For example, your half-sibling would get the same share as any other sibling. If you give an heir property during your lifetime, the value of that gift can be subtracted from your relatives share, but only if it is in writing at the time the gift was made, or if the heir admits it in writing. There are certain protections provided in the law if family members commit crimes. A parent is ineligible for their share if they are convicted of certain violent crimes against their child, including child abuse and violent or sexual acts against the child. A parent is also ineligible for their share if they are convicted of those same crimes against the childs other parent, or if in cases of incest the other parent of the child is also the child of the parent. Resources for Estate Planning Consider talking to a financial advisor about estate planning. Finding the right financial advisor who fits your needs doesnt have to be hard. SmartAssets free tool matches you with financial advisors in your area in five minutes. If youre ready to be matched with local advisors who will help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. One option for ensuring your estate is handled the way you want it to is a living trust, a legal arrangement that allows you to transfer control of certain assets to a trustee while youre still alive. Here is a full explanation on whats involved with a living trust, and how to set one up in Maryland. Photo credit: iStock.com/Vito Palmisano, iStock.com/MikeBagley64, iStock.com/Coast-to-Coast, iStock.com/SeanPavonePhoto The post Maryland Inheritance Laws: What You Should Know appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Questexs 15th Annual Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange (GMITE), which connects the largest selection of meeting and incentive travel buyers with global suppliers, today announces Stephanie Harris, President of the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), will present the keynote address. GMITE will take place at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, April 29 May 2, 2020. Disasters, Regulations and the Environment: Whats Disrupting Incentive Travel Today, will be the topic of Harris keynote, culled from the findings of the foundations new research study, scheduled to be released in May 2020. The study explores the biggest disruptors facing the industry today and the risks associated with this disruption; from flight shaming to traveler safety concerns to the impact of growing loyalty. Attendees will also learn about best practices from planners and suppliers for minimizing impact to their programs and on attendees. As President of the IRF, Harris directs the efforts of the foundation, an organization that funds and promotes research to increase the understanding, effective use, and benefits of non-cash incentives to businesses globally. Her stellar career is exemplified by her leadership roles at American Express Meetings & Events and at Maritz as well as her service on the Meeting Professionals International Foundation Board and the Travel + Leisure Business Travel Advisory Board. Currently, she represents the IRF on the Events Industry Council and serves on the Incentive Federation Board of Directors. We are thrilled that Stephanie will share the findings of this very important research with our event attendees, said Jill Birkett, Event Director. At GMITE we strive to deliver the most relevant and cutting-edge content that allows them to do their work more effectively. This is the best show for the meetings industry in the Americas. Excellent service, organization, concept, qualified buyers and lots of leads in my business bag, said Ninoslav Vidovic, Cluster Director of Sales, Hilton Prague. Held in partnership with SITE, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, GMITE brings fully hosted, high-volume North American incentive buyers and meeting planners who have a combined purchasing power of $1.5 billion, together with global suppliers for two and a half days of exclusive networking opportunities and pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings in private, luxury suites. To learn more about GMITE visit www.gmiteevent.com Follow us on Facebook and join the GMITE 2020 Facebook Event About Questex At Questex, we are passionate about driving business outcomes. We connect buyers and sellers and help both achieve their goals. We are online, on devices and live with experiential engagements. We understand the buyers behavior and evolving needs and connect them with the seller through continual touchpoints. From discovery through purchase and purchase through advocacy, we supply unmatched access, insight, engagement and turnkey solutions all in one place. MEDIA CONTACT: Update 1.25pm: Tipperary returning officer James Seymour has confirmed that the election in the constituency is going ahead. The election there had been postponed following the death of independent candidate Marese Skehan earlier this week because of a provision in the 1992 Electoral Act. Extensive legal consultation in the office of the Attorney General since Ms Skehan's death has taken place and an official announcement by the Department of Housing and Local Government is expected shortly. A spokesman for Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said he was awaiting notification of the AG's advice. It had been claimed a delay to the Tipperary vote could be unconstitutional as the Constitution states an election has to be held within 30 days of the dissolution of the Dail. Mr Seymour said that unfortunately Ms Skehan's name is still going to be on the balllot paper, as it is too late to change them now. Labour TD Alan Kelly has said the Tipperary Returning Officer has made clear the election will proceed in the constituency this Saturday. Electoral staff in Tipperary have also been told that the General Election vote there will go ahead as originally scheduled with all other constituencies. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Kelly confirmed the decision to proceed. Earlier: Tipperary electoral staff told to expect Saturday election By Digital Desk staff Voters in Tipperary may yet go to the polls with the rest of the country. The vote had been thrown into doubt following the death of a candidate. Marese Skeehan, an independent candidate from Thurles, was found dead in her home on Monday. Electoral staff have been told to expect the vote to take place. The returning officer for the constituency says it is subject to written confirmation. When contacted the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government could not immediately confirm that a decision had been made. Earlier today, Labour TD Read More: The Attorney General's Office has been examining legal arguments that claim delaying the General Election vote in Tipperary may be unconstitutional. After unveiling the Kwid Electric, Renault India has unveiled the Triber AMT at the 2020 Auto Expo. Renault Triber, launched in India in August 2019 has been a sales success. As of now, it is only offered with manual transmission option. Soon it will get the AMT option, which made its debut at the Auto Expo today. Renault Triber is currently offered in 4 trims with the RXE variant priced at Rs.4.99 lakhs and the top of the line RXZ variant getting a price tag of Rs.6.75 lakhs. The Renault Triber is specially designed for the Indian market. It is positioned on a reworked version of the CMF-A platform and measures 3,990mm in length, 1,739mm in width and 1,643mm in height. It gets a wheelbase of 2,636mm and boot space between 84 liters and 625 liters. What attracts buyers to the Renault Triber 7 seater MPV is not only its affordable pricing but the fact that it gets a flexible seating arrangement wherein the third row seats are completely removable. As on date, the Renault Triber is powered by a BS6 1.0 liter petrol engine mated to a manual transmission. The engine delivers 72 PS power at 6,250 rpm and 96 Nm torque at 3,500 rpm. Triber AMT is going to be offered in two RXT and RXZ variants. Fuel efficiency remains same as the manual variant, which is 20.5 kmpl. Where design elements are concerned, the Triber on test looked identical to its manual counterpart. It gets a new dual tone colour scheme, as seen in the images. It continues to look smart and functional with smart headlamps, body cladding, chunky bumpers, LED DRLs, functional roof rails and an easy boot release system. Once launched, the Renault Triber AMT with its BS6 engine lineup could see prices increased by up to Rs.40,000-50,000. The Renault Triber does not have a direct rival, but where its price range is concerned, it does come int he crosshair of buyers of cars like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Freestyle, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, etc in the compact hatchback segment. Along with noting outstanding sales in the country, Renault India has also started exports of the Triber to African markets. These exports allowed Renault sales to grow 64.27 percent in December. The company now spans exports to outer SAARC regions where the Renault Kwid has also found favor. Congress and some other opposition parties on Wednesday staged a walkout from Lok Sabha demanding the release of Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and other Jammu and Kashmir leaders from detention. Abdullah along with several other leaders including Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti was detained after the government abrogated Article 370 in August last year. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was "shocking to note" that for the last six months three former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers, including 84-year-old Farooq Abdullah, have been "languishing in jail illegally". Abdullah is a member of the House. "It is totally illegal detention. In spite of our protest, the government is hell-bent on putting them behind bars. So finding no alternative and out of desperation we are staging a walk-out from the House in protest," he said. Members of DMK and NCP were among those who also staged a walk-out. Earlier, Congress member K Suresh said the Speaker was the guardian and custodian of the House and has a moral duty and obligation to ensure the well-being of the members of this House. He said representatives of people were under detention in Kashmir and Farooq Abdullah has not been able to attend Lok Sabha for the last three sessions. "He is not present in the House for the last six months and the House has a moral responsibility to ensure his welfare, his right to attend the House and participate in the crucial Budget session, exercise his right to vote, his right to dissent," the Congress member said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opera Plaza Cinema, the struggling Civic Center movie house that had been scheduled to shut down, has a new nonprofit owner and a fresh long-term lease. The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation is taking over the four-screen cinema, which has long specialized in independent movies rarely shown shown at San Francisco megaplexes. The foundation will invest $1.2 million into updating the space, according to board members Jack Bair and Alfonso Felder, San Francisco Giants executives who co-founded the foundation in 2002. Opera Plaza Cinema is the third theater the foundation has taken over. It owns the Vogue Theater on Sacramento Street and leases the Balboa Theater in the Richmond District. The foundation signed a 10-year lease for Opera Plaza Cinema with the landlord, Pacific Union Development Co. Longtime operator Landmark Theaters will continue to run the theater. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The deal comes more than two years after the property owner determined that the cinema was no longer economically viable and submitted an application to convert the theater into office space. For years the property owner had been subsidizing Landmarks operations. The news of the theaters demise caught the attention of the foundation, as well as a group of philanthropic cinephiles who agreed to contribute the $1.2 million to save the theater. Venture capitalist Arthur Rock, apartment building owner Russell Flynn, First Republic Bank CEO Jim Herbert and wife Cecilia Herbert, board chair of Blackrocks iShares Exchange Traded Funds, were the donors. We just love movies and we appreciate having the ability to see a wide variety of films, not just blockbusters, Cecilia Herbert said. The lovely thing about the programming at Opera Plaza is its been interesting small movies rather the giant ones with $200 million budgets. We have seen many small, thoughtful movies there. Felder and Bair said new seating, concessions and screens, and a revamped layout would make Opera Plaza Cinema competitive with newer theaters around the city. At least part of the theater will remain open while its renovated. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The seats, the screens, the overall experience is something that needs an upgrade, Felder said. The theater has fallen behind. The news comes as Van Ness Avenue has struggled with retail vacancies, caused both by the migration to online shopping and years of construction of the long-delayed $316 million Bus Rapid Transit line, which is expected to open next year. The AMC 14 Theater at 1000 Van Ness Ave. and a CVS pharmacy at Sutter Street and Van Ness Avenue shut down last year, and the former Circuit City at 1200 Van Ness Ave. has been empty for years. A South Korean theater chain known for futuristic 4D auditoriums, has plans to take over the former AMC 14, pulling permits in October to renovate the multiplex theater, according to building department records. Nathan Nishiguchi of Urban Pacific Properties, which built the 462-unit Opera Plaza condo complex and owns 100,000 square feet of commercial space there, said his group had been subsidizing the theater for years. While Union Pacific didnt want to lose the theater, the company wasnt in a position to invest in the capital improvements needed to keep it competitive, he said. Nishiguchi said all of Opera Plazas retail tenants have suffered from the bus rapid transit construction, especially bookstore Books Inc. and Maxs Opera Cafe, a restaurant that has been a popular pre-show dining spot for theater and opera patrons. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle We are hoping that having the foundation reinvigorate the theater will bring more foot traffic to the plaza and help all of our small businesses, Nishiguchi said. Andy Perham, CEO of Books Inc., said that he is thrilled the movie theater is staying here. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The last couple of years with Van Ness torn up has been a real frustration, he said. There was heavy machinery just living in front of our store for a year. It would have been hard to hide us more effectively. Marlayne Morgan, of the Cathedral Hill Neighborhood Association, said Opera Plaza has been a big part of the performing arts district, which includes SFJazz, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera and the Sydney Goldstein Theater. Opera Plaza is the only theater in the district that focuses on film, she said. I think Van Ness is going to get a shot in the arm when BRT opens, and we would like to see the performing arts district expand up Van Ness. When it opened in 1980, Opera Plaza was an pioneer in a new generation of transit-oriented urban development. But the design of the complex set far back from the sidewalk with a spacious courtyard and fountain separating the retail from foot traffic makes it hard to find. The plan is to install more visible signage, which will help introduce the theater to new residents who have moved into the more than 4,000 housing units added over the past decade in the greater Civic Center neighborhoods, including Upper Market, Hayes Valley, Mid-Market and Lower Polk Street. There is a whole neighborhood that has grown up around the theater and needs to be reintroduced to it, Bair said. A lot of newcomers dont know its here. Meanwhile, the foundation is in talks to save another neighborhood theater: the Clay Theater in Pacific Heights, which ceased operations this month. Jim Herbert said his group is hoping to help restore and preserve this cultural treasure for the benefit of future generations. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstans Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tleuberdi will visit Azerbaijan, press office of Kazakhstans embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend. According to the press office, Tleuberdi will arrive in Baku to participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of member states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) to be held on Feb. 6. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Its goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh The president's speech has been called a 'campaign speech' for the coming election: EPA The father of a student killed in the Parkland shooting is speaking out after being removed from the State of the Union address last night for shouting at President Donald Trump over lies about the Second Amendment. Fred Guttenbergs 14-year-old daughter Jamie was killed in February 2018 during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Since her death, Mr Guttenberg has been an outspoken advocate for gun safety. Tuesday night, Mr Guttenberg - who was invited by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - interrupted the State of the Union as Mr Trump was assuring his supporters that he would protect gun rights. So long as I am president, I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, Mr Trump said. As the applause at his line died down, Mr Guttenberg could be heard shouting from the top row of seats about victims of gun violence like my daughter. Shortly after Mr Guttenberg was led out of the address by a plainclothes police officer, with some Democrats applauding the man as he was removed. His outcry was loud enough to attract both Ms Pelosis attention and Vice President Mike Pences, though Mr Trump did not indicate he was distracted by the outburst. In response to the scene, supporters of Mr Guttenberg - including David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland shooting who has become a prominent gun safety voice - took to Twitter, using #ImwithFred to show support for the grieving father. @fred_guttenberg lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting and has worked every day since to end gun violence, Hogg wrote. Tonight he stood up to a president that believes peace and the second amendment are mutually exclusive and was removed. Later, Mr Hogg tweeted he hoped the next president would award Mr Guttenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a reference to Mr Trumps decision to give the award to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, after he announced he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Story continues The Newtown Action Alliance, a grassroots group aimed at achieving gun control reforms that began after the Sandy Hook shooting, shared its support of Mr Guttenberg on Wednesday morning. Thank you to @fred_Guttenberg for representing all of us who are so frustrated & angry that Trump protects the NRA & not our children & loved ones from gun violence, the group wrote on Twitter. Late Tuesday night, Mr Guttenberg spoke out about the confrontation. Tonight was a rough night. I disrupted the State of the Union and was detained because I left my emotions get the best of me. I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A as happened tonight, he wrote in a Tweet. He continued: That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety. (2,2) That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety. Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) February 5, 2020 Monday night was Mr Guttenbergs second State of the Union address. He attended the event in 2019 as Ms Pelosis guest. In a Newsweek article from 2019, Mr Guttenberg said he was saddened by the fact that he was present at the address rather than watching it at home with his family. I should have been home watching on our couch with my complete family, Mr Guttenberg wrote. I cannot erase the reality that I was there because my daughter Jaime was murdered. Mr Guttenberg expressed dismay that Mr Trump chose not to address gun safety during his speech that year as well. As the president knew during his speech, on the following day the first hearings in over eight years on gun violence prevention would be held by the House Judiciary committee, Mr Guttenberg wrote. He could have mentioned that, and his hope to work with legislators on gun violence. He stayed silent. He stayed irrelevant. He chose to not be useful on this real emergency. Read more Trumps State of the Union address derided as manifesto of mistruths In the big picture, it doesnt matter a whole lot that results of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses were delayed. Knowing who won is important, but whether that news became public Monday night or Tuesday afternoon doesnt change much. On the list of problems affecting American democracy in 2020, a late result from Iowa is low on the list. But that doesnt change the reality that nearly everything about the tradition of the Iowa caucuses has been, and continues to be, a fiasco. Caucuses are undemocratic. Rather than a primary where people simply vote in a voting booth as in any other election, caucuses require people to come to a specific location at a certain time and stay there while the process sorts itself out, which isnt always quick. Its discriminatory against people who work for a living, people with young children or others in their care, as well as people with disabilities. Its an antiquated system that should long ago have been phased out. Iowa, too, is a terrible choice for a such an important role in choosing a presidential candidate, especially among Democrats. The Democratic Party is diverse; Iowa is not. It would be hard to pick a state less representative of the nation to play such an outsized role in our politics. But it goes deeper than that. Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill was right on Tuesday when she released a statement decrying the process. The Iowa caucus is an excellent reminder of why important elections should be run by trained, skilled and experienced state and local election administrators, not political parties, she said. Connecticut may not get everything right, but at least in this state voters can count on important principles such as the secret ballot, paper ballots that are subject to a post-election audit and a system run by professionals. Much of the blame for Iowas problems Monday has gone to an app on which elections officials were supposed to report results to party officials. The app didnt work, phone lines were jammed and no one in real time seemed to know what to do. Theres a solution to this, and its called voting. Theres no reason every state shouldnt have a primary to decide candidates, especially when the stakes are this high. And the order of states needs to change. One possibility is a nationwide primary, where everyone votes at once. This would have some benefits, though there is reason to think candidates spending time in one state, getting to know voters and letting people make the most informed choice possible is the preferred system. But if such a process is going to endure, it cant be Iowa that goes first. The first state to vote should be small, so voters have a chance to meet all the candidates. It should be diverse, with a demographic breakdown roughly similar to the country at large. And it should have cities, suburbs and rural areas, a mix of tightly packed urban areas, bedroom communities and farms, to represent the vastness of America in a manageable size. Forget Iowa. Its time to give Connecticut first-in-the-nation status. A victim of Britain's worst rapist Reynhard Sinaga has revealed how he beat up the sex attacker and brought him to justice - and called for more people who may have been targeted by the attacker to come forward. The anonymous victim of Sinaga - who preyed on at least 195 men, incapacitating his victims with the date-rape drug GHB before filming his attacks - spoke with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain today. He had been on a night out in Manchester and became separated from his friends when Sinaga invited him inside his flat to stay warm while his soon-to-be victim tried to contact his group. The victim today revealed how he got 'payback' on the rapist by beating him up before escaping - and said he hopes the predator will 'never see the light of day again'. After drinking two shots offered by Sinaga - one red and one clear - he became dizzy and the rapist launched his vile attack while the victim blacked out before waking up at roughly 6am with Sinaga 'basically on top of me at this point'. Sinaga preyed on at least 195 men, incapacitating his victims with the date-rape drug GHB before filming his attacks He spoke of how he had to beat Sinaga, 36, to near death in order to escape, meaning the police initially arrested him for GBH - but thankfully the real victim had picked up the rapist's phone accidentally when escaping. Officers found evidence of Sinaga's vile attacks, and he was jailed for at least 30 years having been convicted across four trials of 159 offences - 136 rapes, eight attempted rapes, 14 sexual assaults, and one by penetration. Piers Morgan asked if he was satisfied knowing Sinaga was going to prison for a very long time, and the victim said: 'I got a bit of payback by beating him up. 'Also he's going to live the rest of his life in Strangeways while I'm going to be out in the open world living my life while he's never going to see the light of day again. Susannah Reid says that the fact the victim fought back gives him a sense of power against his attacker. He said: 'That's how I've got on with it... that I got a bit of payback, from beating up and stopping him, and kind of blocking out the bit that I don't know what happened.' The victim today revealed how he got 'payback' on the rapist by beating him up before escaping - and said he hopes the predator will 'never see the light of day again' Bottles of alcohol which were used to spike victims in the home of Reynhard Sinaga in Manchester Officers are encouraging people to come forward, saying that not all of Sinaga's targets have been traced and some of those men may not know they have been assaulted. The victim who caught Sinaga today said: 'I've had the help of my friends and family and the health clinic of my area to make sure that I was all right, but I say to anyone who thinks there's something that might have happened to them, it's better to step forward with it and deal with it. 'Because there's no point - this is what Sinaga wanted, is to kill us from the inside, but we need to let it go out and say it's not a bad thing, it's not our fault, it's his fault.' Speaking about whether the rapist should ever be freed, he concluded: 'No, he should never see the light of day again, for all the people he's done it to, all the lives he's ruined that didn't know it happened - the police officers came to these poor boys doors and found out it's happened to them, for their sake alone.' The bedroom floor, where dozens of rapes took place, in the home of Reynhard Sinaga in Manchester The victim revealed that when police originally arrested him, he thought they were simply doing their 'due diligence', but ended up feeling like he himself was the perpetrator. He had spent 11 hours in a cell before police discovered that Sinaga had filmed attacks on dozens of unconscious men on his iPhone, proving the victim was telling the truth. Sinaga's victims were almost always straight men, and they often had no clue about what had happened when they awoke after the appalling attacks, feeling groggy and disoriented. As many as 70 of them have yet to be identified. This victim had only realised Sinaga had raped him when he first escaped his flat and his mind started 'clicking together thinking this was wrong, this doesn't happen normally'. He remembers waking up face-down on a quilt on the bedroom floor. 'I was disoriented, face-down on a pillow,' he has previously told the Mail on Sunday. 'I remember my pants and jeans were down to the top of my knees. 'He was on top of me with his pants down. I turned my head to the side and he jumped up and ran out of the room. The front door and the hallway at the home of Sinaga, who has been jailed for life, is pictured The living room at the home of Sinaga, who was jailed at Manchester Crown Court for life 'I stood up and pulled my pants and jeans up and I did my belt up. I was still unsure where I was I didn't know what had happened. 'He came back in to the bedroom. He had put some trousers on. I said to him, 'Mate, what's happening? I just want to go home.' The next thing he started shouting, 'Intruder! There's an intruder.' I said, 'Mate, can you calm down? What's happening?' I was so confused.' Then Sinaga ran at him, headbutting him across the bridge of his nose, before biting him on the shoulder and stomach. The victim fought back. 'We were wrestling and grappling with each other. I managed to hit him a few times over the head. I was hitting him and elbowing him and just trying to get him off me. 'I was stronger than him and I pushed him on to the bed. He grabbed a hold of my T-shirt and pulled me down on top of him. He was grabbing hold of me and biting me. I hit him a few more times and he lay on the bed.' Sinaga (left) claimed the men consented to being recorded playing a sex game in which they pretended to be dead to fulfil his fantasies at his flat (right, where blood was seen on the door) The victim had spent 11 hours in a cell before police discovered that Sinaga had filmed attacks on dozens of unconscious men on his iPhone, proving he was telling the truth With Sinaga dazed, the victim frantically scrambled his belongings together. 'I walked out of the bedroom and found my phone in the bathroom with my driving licence and my wallet. He must have taken them out of my pockets when I was passed out,' he says. 'I knew I had to get out of there and so I went to open his front door.' Just as the victim discovered the door was locked, Sinaga suddenly sprang back to life and jumped on his back. The victim pulled him over his shoulder and began raining down punches on the rapist's head. 'I'd had scuffles on the rugby field before but nothing like this,' he says. 'I was punching him in the head and finally he let go of me. I got the front door open and ran out.' By now, Peter's blue jeans and black T-shirt were drenched in Sinaga's blood. He checked his phone but it had run out of battery so he ran across the road and stopped a startled passer-by. After pleading to borrow his phone, he called his mother. 'I said, 'Mum, please can you pick me up where you dropped me off?' ' As he waited he thought to himself that his attacker might be dead. He says: 'He wasn't moving and I thought about the amount of force I'd used to get him off me. 'For a second I thought about not calling the police because I was worried I was going to be in trouble, but I knew I had to. I needed to tell them what had happened.' Peter went back inside the block of flats and knocked on an apartment on the first floor. 'This guy came to the door and I said, 'Please can I use your phone? I need to phone the police.' He loaned me his mobile and he was watching me carefully. I phoned 999. I said, 'I think I've been raped and that I've beaten this man up in his apartment.' When Peter's mother arrived 20 minutes later, she was confronted by blue flashing lights outside the flats. As people flee the bombardments in Aleppo, Russian warplanes have targeted vehicles carrying displaced families reports Zaman al-Wasl. On Monday, Russian airstrikes killed eleven displaced people, including four children and three women, while they were fleeing the western region of Aleppo province. According to Zaman al-Wasls reporter, the Russian airstrikes targeted a minibus carrying displaced people in the Kafrnaha town west of Aleppo city. The Russian-backed regime offensive has focused mainly on Idleb province in the northwest, and also lately on neighboring Aleppo. It is an attempt to seize control of a strategic highway that links the capital, Damascus, and the north. The push has accelerated in the last two weeks and government forces Wednesday seized control of the key town of Maarat al-Numan, which sits along the highway. The United Nations has estimated that 400,000 Syrians have been displaced over the past two months 315,000 in December and 75,000 in January. According to advocacy group Save the Children, half of those displaced are children, adding that at least 37,000 children were forced to flee in the month of January. During a one-week period in mid-January, 34 children and 13 women were killed, the UN said. Trucks and other vehicles have crammed the roads as civilians some of them already displaced by earlier fighting packed up their meager belongings to leave the towns and villages under attack. Idleb and parts of rural Aleppo are the last areas controlled by rebels in Syria. With assistance from allies Russia and Iran, Assad has managed to regain territories earlier lost to the opposition and now controls nearly 73 percent of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Senators are pushing for the creation of an oversight committee to review government agencies' use of intelligence and confidential funds. Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Senate Committee on National Defense and Security Chairman Panfilo "Ping" Lacson have filed the resolution in the wake of allegations of fund misuse at the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Specifically, Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr. has questioned 300 million worth of cash advances released to Secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan II in 2019. Asked if Honasan could face a legislative inquiry over alleged irregularities in the DICT budget, Lacson hinted it is possible. "Once the reso that SP Sotto and I filed early this week is adopted and the oversight committee is reconstituted, we will meet to decide on the way forward," Lacson said. He added that he and Sotto believe Honasan "deserves the opportunity to give his side amid all the insinuations aired by his close friend, Usec. Rio." Under their resolution, the Senate Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds will conduct hearings and investigations, and receive testimonies and reports relevant to its mandate. It notes that an oversight committee had been present in past Congresses and that there's a need to reestablish one "in light of the recent threats to our country's national security." The committee, to be chaired by Lacson, will be composed of four majority and two minority lawmakers. It will investigate the efficiency of government agencies' use of intelligence and confidential funds in preventing crimes and arresting criminals, protecting country's territory and national security and ensuring the release of timely intelligence information. Confidential funds are given in lump-sum to agencies for expenses which cannot be itemized under the national spending plan, such as surveillance activities done by government units other than the military. Rio quit his post last week as he questioned the need for a confidential fund for the DICT an amount which Honasan included in the agency's budget when he was still a senator, he said. A document obtained by CNN Philippines showed that a unit of the Commission on Audit assigned at the DICT flagged the irregular release of funds from confidential expenses through Audit Observation Memorandum 2020-001 issued January 20. The amounts were released in three tranches worth 100 million each on November 8, December 3, and December 17 last year as "cash advance for confidential expenses in connection with cybersecurity activities." Only the first disbursement has been liquidated, the documents showed. CNN Philippines cannot independently verify the issued memorandum, which was identified as "highly classified" and confidential. The auditors acknowledged that Honasan's office submitted supporting documents for one of the transactions on January 15, which include a copy of the check, obligation request status, a special allotment release order, and 17 other requirements. However, COA said this was still questionable. CNN Philippines has repeatedly requested comment from Honasan but he has yet to respond. House urged to hold its own probe on intel funds Meanwhile, lawmakers from the minority bloc in the House of Representatives, are also calling on the lower chamber to exercise its oversight powers and conduct a separate probe on the matter. At least 17 lawmakers have filed House Resolution 702 on Wednesday directing the House Committee on Good Government and Accountability to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the confidential funds of the DICT. The resolution was only shown to the media on Thursday. The allocation of very huge confidential fund for DICT is just part of the unprecedented increase of the confidential and intelligence fund of the different department and agencies under the present administration, the resolution read. With the current expose of former DICT Undersecretary Engr. Rio of suspected misuse of funds, it behooves upon Congress to exercise its oversight powers and scrutinize how this funds are being expended, it added. Alam natin na hindi talaga ito ina-audit kung sino ang may intelligence fundsDapat ngayon maging mapanuri na yung liderato ng Kongreso sa nire-raise ng Makabayan kagaya ng pondo na ito na hindi natin alam kung saan napupunta, said ACT-Teachers Party-list France Castro, one of the authors of the House resolution. [Translation: We already know that no auditing process takes place on who really has the intelligence funds. This should be the proper time for House leaders to consider what Makabayan has been raising, including these funds wit questionable allocations.] "If they will invoke national security, it's for Congress to decide. But they have to come to Congress. We have to exercise our oversight function over the budge," Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate added. Once approved, Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante of Manila 6th District will lead the committee hearing. CNN Philippines has repeatedly requested comment from Honasan on the issue but he has yet to respond. Honasan was present during the Cabinet meeting Tuesday night, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a press briefing. However, issues surrounding the DICT were not discussed. He just noticed that President Rodrigo Duterte shook Honasan's hand and that they "exchanged pleasantries." It also remains unclear if Duterte has accepted Rio's resgnation. READ: Eliseo Rio resigns as DICT undersecretary amid internal issues Nograles said Rio can file a formal complaint with Malacanang. He added that he does not know of any investigation being conducted by the Palace on the accusations against Honasan. "I think we should give the DICT family the first chance to respond if they would," he said. DICT is the agency tasked to craft and promote the national development agenda on telecommunications and information technology, taking the function away from the older Department of Transportation and Communications. It is in charge of the rollout of the third telecommunications player, the free public wifi project, and fiber optic cable networks for communications infrastructure. CNN Philippines' Melissa Lopez and Glee Jalea contributed to this report. Technology Innovation Pioneers, or TIP, reflects the UAEs quest to drive innovation and support youth and start-ups to bring knowledge economies under the spotlight, a senior official said. The timing of this summit couldnt be better as we celebrate Innovation Month and prepare for the UAEs next five decades, said DoE Undersecretary Mohamed Juma Al Falasi. Moreover, hosting the summit at NYU Abu Dhabi signifies the important role of higher education institutions in fostering a culture of innovation and supporting knowledge-based investments. The world has seen rapid technological growth in the last 50 years and its only going to grow further. The fourth industrial revolution has brought about unprecedented transformation in the way one lives, works and connects with each other. The 2020s are going to see disruptive technologies take shape and become mainstream, he said. Its not too long when artificial intelligence, 5G technology, blockchain, Internet of Things, self-driving cars, and many such things will become a day-to-day reality. In the UAE we understand the importance of technology very well and believe that creating an ecosystem to support innovation and technology is key to a sustainable and secure future, he said. In this context, DoE works with a clear vision to maximise deployment of clean energy and investment in sustainable energy-efficient technologies. Sustainability is top on UAEs agenda and to achieve that, it is investing in the future generation and inspiring them to think and ideate. With SMEs constituting a significant percentage of registered businesses in the UAE, and the world over, the role of entrepreneurship in promoting economic development and accelerating the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is obvious. In fact, entrepreneurships can be a driver of innovation, but can only achieve success if they are sustainable. Sustainability and innovation are intrinsically linked because sustainability requires ongoing innovation, and innovative solutions that do not focus on sustainability with long-term social and environmental goals will be doomed to fail. The answer to a lot of problems afflicting the world today lies in innovation. In the recently concluded Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, it was discussed at length the role of youth, technology and community to achieve sustainability going forward. We are living in challenging times as the world increasingly grapples with climate change, growing population, depleting natural resources and so on. Original thinking and new ideas underpinned by technology, will help us find solutions to present day problems and overcome unforeseen challenges of the future. I would like to point out here that the future of jobs is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today, in the wake of increased automation and our growing reliance on technology. The jobs of the future are not going to look like the present-day jobs. What we need to focus on, therefore, is to equip the future generation to face challenges of the future job market and overcome them. The most important skills that will hold us in good stead are creative thinking, agility of ideas and an affinity for technology. The forecast is that entrepreneurship and gig economies will become more widespread. The UAE is working on creating a conducive atmosphere for innovation in a bid to be among the top 10 innovation leaders in the world by next year. Part of the UAEs Vision 2021 is to make the UAE a competitive knowledge economy and be among the best in the world in entrepreneurship to drive its economy. The UAEs National Innovation Strategy is aimed at encouraging innovation in renewable energy, transport, technology, education, health, water and space and its success has been underpinned by joint efforts of the public and private sectors. Another example of UAEs national future development plans is the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, which aims to make the UAE the best country in the world by its centennial in 2071. In this respect, declaring 2020 as the year Towards the Next 50 Years is not simply an insightful vision but a reflection of our leaderships true belief in empowering and preparing the next generation to face all the challenges the forthcoming years may unfold while also enabling them to be a part of drawing a clear roadmap for the future, he added. -- Tradearabia News Service SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rad Power Bikes , a Seattle-based ebike brand, closed $25 million in funding led by Vulcan Capital and Durable Capital Partners LP. The funding will support new brick and mortar retail locations around the world, along with expansion of the company's mobile service and white glove delivery offerings. "I've been passionate about achieving a future where ebikes are king and transportation is energy efficient, enjoyable and accessible for all since I was 15 years old," said Mike Radenbaugh, Rad Power Bikes' founder and CEO. "We found two groups of world class consumer and retail investors who believe in our vision and will help us surprise and delight our customers in new and exciting ways." Leading the investment is Stuart Nagae, Director at Vulcan Capital and early Rad Power Bikes customer. "Rad Power Bikes is the market leader in electric bikes, bootstrapping its way to a profitable business," said Nagae. "This additional capital will enable the company to broaden its market, accelerate growth and continue to deliver the exceptional experience today's customers expect." Henry Ellenbogen, founder and CIO at Durable Capital Partners LP, is also a lead investor in this round. Ellenbogen recognizes Rad Power Bikes' growth potential after investing in the venture rounds of a number of notable companies in the direct to consumer and technology startup space. "In just a few years, Mike and his team have used their consumer direct business model to shorten their supply chain and create a tight feedback loop with customers, allowing them to constantly improve their line of ebikes and expand into new markets around the world," said Ellenbogen. "As demand for new and affordable solutions in the micromobility and electric vehicle sector advances, this investment will accelerate Rad Power Bikes' continued growth." Rad Power Bikes is the largest electric bike brand in North America, with more than 100,000 owners across 30 countries and a full lineup of ebikes packed with power, comfort, and utility for both personal and commercial use. Founded in 2007, the company has 200 employees spread across offices in Seattle, Wash., Vancouver, British Columbia, and Utrecht, the Netherlands. This round of funding comes nearly a year after Rad Power Bikes secured a private investment from Darrell Cavens and Mark Vadon, Seattle-area entrepreneurs and co-founders of the e-commerce retailer Zulily. As part of the transaction, Nagae will also join Rad Power Bikes' board of directors along with Vadon, who joined the board as a result of his growing involvement with the company, and Cavens who joined in 2019. About Rad Power Bikes Rad Power Bikes is the largest ebike brand in North America. Founded in 2007, the global consumer direct company boasts a full lineup of affordable ebikes and accessories that are changing the way people and goods move. The company designs all of its products in-house at its Seattle headquarters and operates international offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Utrecht, the Netherlands. The team of passionate ebike enthusiasts, product designers, and entrepreneurs create ebikes that are built for everything and priced for everyone. About Vulcan Capital Vulcan Capital is the multi-billion-dollar investment arm of Vulcan Inc., the company founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. Vulcan Capital focuses on generating long-term value appreciation across a portfolio, which spans diverse industry sectors and investment asset classes, ranging from early-stage venture investments to public equity value investing, leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, special situations and fixed income. Vulcan Capital was formed in 2003 and is headquartered in Seattle with additional offices in Palo Alto and Singapore. About Durable Capital Partners LP Durable Capital Partners LP is a newly formed investment adviser founded by Henry Ellenbogen. Durable Capital Partners LP's investment philosophy is grounded in sourcing small-cap compounders in both the private and public markets. Prior to founding Durable Capital Partners LP, Henry spent 18 years at T. Rowe Price, where he was Portfolio Manager of the Media & Telecom Fund (2005 - 2009) and the New Horizons Fund (2010 - March 2019). Henry was also T. Rowe Price's Chief Investment Officer for U.S. Equity Growth. SOURCE Rad Power Bikes The US on Tuesday said there is enormous potential for industry partnerships with India on state-of-the-art defence equipment and also hoped for a revival of the economy so that Delhi can spend more on the sector. Addressing a conference ahead of a five-day Defence Exposition which begins in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Wednesday, US Ambassador Kenneth Juster urged interoperability of defence systems deployed by partner countries. It is critical that India moves toward systems, not just weapons, that are effective, agile, and resilient, he said. We believe that India must ultimately move toward systems that are interoperable with the equipment and networks of its security partners, the envoy added. From virtually no defence sales between India and the United States in 2001, the figure today is about US$ 18 billion, Juster said. Asked if it the US should tone down its expectation on defence sales to India now because of its lack of funds, he said, Indias own Defence budget obviously is a matter of internal choice. But he added that one concern over the economic slowdown is that it affected a countrys ability to modernise its defence capability. So, my first hope is that the economy is revived and growth increases, because that will also increase the money available for defence expenditure, which is very important as this region continues to transform, he said. He said along the pathway to a deeper industry-to-industry relationship between India and the US there are, of course, barriers that we must overcome. Juster is leading the US delegation at the 11th edition of the governments defence exhibition which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are hoping to announce a range of defence deals in near future, he said. The theme of the DefExpo this year is Digital Transformation of Defence. The outbreak of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus in China, declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, is rattling the global auto industry. International auto manufacturers have shut down production in facilities across China in response to the spread of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, the capital city of Chinas Hubei province at the end of December 2019. Many manufacturers are further extending the annual Lunar New Year holiday shutdown at least through February 10. So far, 11 of Chinas 31 provinces have announced extended holiday shutdowns of all non-essential industries for at least an additional week in attempt to contain the spread of the virus. These provinces are Hubei, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Yunnan, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shandong. According to IHS Markit, a global industrial analytics and research group, the 11 provinces are responsible for two-thirds of Chinas automotive production. Wuhan [Credit: ZhengZhou] Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, is an important production hub for the global auto industry. Known as Chinas Motor City, major global auto manufacturers rely on production in Wuhan for large portions of their Chinese output: 54 percent for French automaker PSA, 47 percent for Japanese automaker Honda, 19 percent for American automaker General Motors (GM) and 15 percent for Chinese automaker Donfeng. GM, Toyota and Volkswagen have closed their plants in the region at least through February 9 in light of advice from local authorities. Honda and Nissan, which have also suspended operations in the region, are expected to have operating profits decline by 11 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively, for each month of production stoppage, according to JP Morgan Chase. IHS Markit further predicts that the continued idling of the plants in these areas will lead to a first-quarter production loss of 350,000 units, or 7 percent, if the shutdown is extended to February 10. However, if the shutdown extends through mid-March, first-quarter output is expected to take a 32.3 percent hit, a loss of more than 1.7 million units, according to the report. The coronavirus outbreak will have a much more serious impact on the Chinese and global markets than the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, which had little impact on the global auto sector. Today, Chinas auto industry is six times the size it was in 2003 and is the worlds leading automaker, producing 25 million vehicles or a quarter of cars and trucks manufactured each year. Approximately 1.6 million of the more than 9 million workers directly employed by the global auto industry work in China. The country is also the worlds largest car market with 23 million new vehicles registered in 2018, compared to 17 million in the US. The countrys domestic auto market has recently declined, however, largely due to the trade war measures of the United States and the slowing global economy. Even before the outbreak of the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported that China was heading toward its lowest sales forecast in five years. The impact of the shutdowns will reach throughout the world. Due to Chinas central position in the world automotive industry and world economy as a whole, production delays will impact the international supply chain for transnational corporations producing vehicles around the world. Sig Huber, senior managing director at the consultancy Conway Mackenzie and former global director of purchasing at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, told Bloomberg that If work stoppages are extended, we could start to see production disruptions in other parts of the world. Electric vehicle producer Tesla is among the companies monitoring the situation for supply chain impact outside of China. It expects a 10-day delay in operations at its new Shanghai plant, the first Tesla plant built outside of the US. China eclipsed Japan as the worlds second-largest economy in 2010. With a current gross domestic product of nearly $14.55 trillion, it accounts for over 16 percent of the global GDP and is expected to reach as high as 21 percent of the worlds output by 2024. The impact of the coronavirus on the world economy has been reflected in sharp drops on global stock markets as the deadly virus has continued to spread. The livelihoods of autoworkers in China and their families hang in the balance as plants are shut down for indefinite periods across the country. The virtual lockdown of Wuhan has entered its second week. One of the reasons for the extended shutdown cited by global auto manufacturers is the uncertainty that workers would be able to travel to work in factories, as public transportation systems such as buses and subways have been suspended throughout Wuhan, in addition to workers in other areas taking their own precautions and choosing not to travel out of fear of contracting the virus. Chinese autoworkers and their families will no doubt struggle financially during the extended shutdown period and its aftermath. Over the last year and half, GM, Ford, Volkswagen (VW) and other carmakers have already embarked on a global rampage against jobs, announcing layoffs and plant closures in response to the shift towards electric vehicles and falling demand in China and around the world. GM and VW expect production in the region to be reduced by 11 percent year-over-year as a result of the crisis. While the vast majority of workers in the US and other countries feel nothing but sympathy for their counterparts in China, the Trump administration has sought to use the virus to whip up anti-Chinese nationalism. During a TV interview last week, Trumps commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, said the outbreak of the virus will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America. He told Fox Business News, I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease. The fact is, it does give business yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. While seeking to stoke up economic nationalism, Ross could care less about the jobs of US workers. The billionaire made his fortune buying up distressed steel, coal mining and auto parts companies, stripping them of their assets and flipping the companies for huge profits, leaving thousands of workers without jobs and pensions. In conducting these corporate raids, the asset stripper enjoyed the backing of the United Steelworkers, the United Auto Workers and other unions, which blamed the job losses on Japan and other US competitors. Vast resources exist in the US and China, the worlds two leading economies, to combat the spread of the virus, which now has confirmed cases reported across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. However, the division of the world into rival nation states is the biggest obstacle to the collaboration of scientists, health care professionals and workers around the world, and the marshalling of the necessary global resources to combat the spread of this and future epidemics. The spread of the virus has also underscored the vast economic inequality in China and the rapacious character of the capitalist ruling class, which has made huge fortunes from exploiting the working class and providing a cheap labor platform for the transnational corporations. The financial losses incurred by the profit-hungry corporations as a result of the spread of the coronavirus outbreak will be shifted onto the backs of the working class in China and worldwide, through job cuts, attacks on safety and health benefits, shortened hours, wage losses and forced overtime to make up for lost production. Joe Biden's third presidential bid enters a critical stretch after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses sent the former vice president on to New Hampshire with a skittish donor base, low cash reserves and the looming threat of billionaire rival Michael Bloomberg and his unlimited personal wealth. In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden insisted he had a 'good night' in Iowa even as he trailed the top moderate candidate, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and the leading progressive, Bernie Sanders, according to initial returns from 71% of precincts. Biden was running fourth, close to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who just days ago polled in single digits. That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he'll reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against President Donald Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it's a reminder of how Biden's previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa. 'If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt,' said Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, Tennessee, who added that he hadn't even considered such a possibility heading into Monday's caucuses. 'That's a bad night, no matter how you spin it.' Blow: In New Hampshire, Joe Biden insisted that he was not worried about his Iowa fourth place, but establishment Democrats including his donors are concerned it is not a one-off problem Demographic concern: Joe Biden wishes Barbara Moroney, of Rocky Point, N.Y., a happy 80th birthday on the phone during a campaign rally in Nashua, N.H. His age and the age of his supporters is weighing on Democratic strategists Most precarious for Biden: Some of the would-be donors he could win over with a strong showing are giving new looks to Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor whose entire strategy of sitting out the four early nominating states is pegged to the possibility that Biden falters. Bloomberg, one of the world's wealthiest men with a net worth approaching $60 billion, isn't asking for money. He's simply looking for support that could cut off financial lifelines to Biden, whose campaign reported just $9 million cash on hand to start the year. That's patronage Biden needs to remain competitive with Buttigieg, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, who have raised massive sums from small-dollar online contributors who have been far less generous to Biden. Alex Sink, a Democratic donor who hosted Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, said many donors are holding back, waiting to see how Biden does. They are also keeping an open mind about Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Sink last week to attend an event in Tampa. 'I was anxious to do it because, like so many others, I'm curious and interested and worried about who our candidate will be and how we are going to beat Trump,' she said. 'Most of my friends don't know yet who they are voting for.' Biden aides have said for months that he didn't have to win in Iowa or on Feb. 11 in New Hampshire because he was better positioned in Nevada's Feb. 22 caucuses, South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary and a slate of March 3 primaries with more than a third of Democrats' national delegates at stake on a single day. That never meant, however, that Biden could sustain a bad showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The approach was also an expensive one, requiring deep campaign reserves to finance advertising and staffing in Nevada, South Carolina and delegate-rich states like California and Texas. Biden has a campaign footprint across the March primary map, with paid staff or volunteer offices in 13 states. But his cash flow raises questions about how much he can bolster his existing operation. His uneasy financial situation is underscored by an affiliated super PAC that spent more on Iowa ads than the campaign itself, but still has struggled to raise money and has little left over after Iowa. 'Will he have as much money as Bernie Sanders? Probably no. But it doesn't matter - all you need is enough gas to finish the race,' said John Morgan, a Florida plaintiffs attorney and one of Biden's top fundraisers. Freeman and Morgan agreed that Biden needs to finish in the top 3 in New Hampshire and ideally as the top moderate. That reflects what had been the quiet hope of Biden's team heading into Monday's caucuses. Take a look at me now? Mike Bloomberg is not taking donations but he needs the moderate support which Joe Biden's campaign is focused on to have a path to the nomination They didn't necessarily expect to win outright. But they hoped that they could emerge from Iowa as the clear alternative to Sanders, a democratic socialist and leader of the left's progressive base. An effectively two-person race between Sanders and the former vice president, Biden confidants believed, would open the financial spigot, firm up his advantages among nonwhite voters and win over skeptical white moderates now aligned with Buttigieg or Klobuchar. 'That's my conversation with people: If Bernie Sanders is the nominee, would you vote for him?' Morgan said. 'If not, then back Joe.' Biden took the same approach Tuesday on the campaign trail, hammering Sanders as directly as he has in weeks. 'It's time to get real about health care,' he said as he compared his proposal to expand existing insurance markets with a 'public option' to Sanders' 'Medicare for All' idea. Sanders has been pushing single-payer insurance for '30 years now,' Biden said, and 'hasn't moved it an inch.' The problem, Freeman said, is that a lackluster start in Iowa makes the Biden-Sanders juxtaposition a much harder sell. 'I don't think any of those conversations are happening today' with potential new donors, he said. Still, Buttigieg and Klobuchar have their own challenges if they hope to displace Biden as the presumed establishment favorite. They both have negligible nonwhite support, and Klobuchar especially has far more financial obstacles than Biden. Clay Middleton, a South Carolina Democrat who worked for Clinton in 2016 and Cory Booker's now-suspended campaign this presidential cycle, said that Iowa doesn't have to bury Biden but that he and every other candidate faces a delicate path trying to amass delegates going forward. 'The conditions are not the same now,' Middleton said, referring to when Biden dropped his 2008 bid after Barack Obama won the 2008 caucuses. 'But again, does he have infrastructure in South Carolina to win four out of the seven congressional districts, and does he have the infrastructure in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, as part of his Super Tuesday strategy? That's the real test.' Gov. Ned Lamont is looking to scale back the states debt-free community college program, which is set to start this fall, by limiting eligibility to students who meet income requirements. The Pledge to Advance Connecticut, which was approved by the Board of Regents in December, would have covered tuition and fees for all in-state, full-time, first-time students, regardless of their family income. Max Reiss, Lamonts communications director, confirmed that the administrations budget proposal Wednesday will include income and time limits. He explained that the administration is including $4.6 million to finance free tuition for students with expected Family contributions of under $7,500, which corresponds to a family income of approximately $75,000. The amount of a familys contribution is calculated based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The proposal would limit eligibility to students who have graduated within a couple of years, Reiss said. Legislators passed debt-free community college for all students last session, after some debate over whether to implement income limits on the program. They intended to fund the program with online lottery sales, which have not yet been authorized. The full cost of the unlimited program might have exceeded $20 million, though an exact figure was not clear. The last-dollar scholarship program is designed to cover students remaining costs for tuition and fees after all federal and state aid is applied. Students who received no need-based aid would have all costs covered by the new program, known as PACT, under the plan approved by the Board of Regents. Implementing an income threshold would mean that many of students would not be eligible. About 60 percent of Connecticut community college students already pay nothing out of pocket, due to federal and state financial aid. The $4.6 million funding for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system also includes money for Guided Pathways, an advising initiative aimed at improving retention and completion. One thing that Governor Lamont and the administration have been stalwarts on is fiscal accountability and making sure that everything were doing is sustainable, and we feel this is a sustainable path for the debt-free community college, Reiss said. Were open for other alternatives to expand this more, if thats something that the General Assembly wants to do. Liz.teitz@hearstmediact.com The confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection in China have already exceeded 20,000, and the death toll has mounted over 400. The turning point is yet to come, and China is still struggling to keep up with the virus spread. The arduous battle is fought by the world's largest developing country whose success is key to the global campaign against the epidemic. There is no excuse for retreat. To contain the spread of the coronavirus within the shortest time possible, China has exhorted all sectors to push the prevention and control work into full swing. The most strict measures have been implemented, with the lockdown of the 11-million-people city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, continuing for nearly two weeks. Shortcomings and deficiencies, however, have also been exposed in response to the virus outbreak, though China has comprehensively improved its emergency response capacity since the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. This time, the virus is more infectious than SARS and has spread faster than expected. Medical equipment and surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles are urgently needed. Hospital beds are insufficient to treat patients. Reflection goes deeper on China's emergency management system. An overhaul of environmental sanitation conditions should be conducted. Illegal wildlife trade has drawn extensive criticism. The national reserve system and reserve efficiency need to be enhanced. All these problems must be solved. The sacrifice shall not be made in vain. Challenges are not only domestic. While the international community praises and supports China's anti-virus efforts, which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required, some countries have inappropriately overreacted, creating and spreading fear. The United States was the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, precisely what the World Health Organization (WHO) rejects. A U.S. federal official claimed the virus could help bring jobs back to the United States, revealing a mindset of taking advantage of others' difficulties. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his trip overseas, even viciously attacked China's national system under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). While China is engaged in the war with the common threat to global public health and growth, such words and actions from the U.S. side do not fit its touted role as a responsible global leader, disappointing both the Chinese people and the entire world. China has never been a nation that is fearful of challenges. This is the time for national mobilization. Few countries could attempt such prompt and resolute actions in containing the spread of the epidemic. Even fewer could allocate resources to the most needy in such a short time, such as complete building a hospital with a capacity of 1,000 beds from scratch within 10 days. This is the time for unity among 1.4 billion people of China. Public morale has been boosted across the nation. Although the epidemic would temporarily hurt service and other sectors, the economy as a whole is resilient enough to survive the shock. This is the time for science. The fatality rate of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland is far lower than Ebola, SARS and MERS. The steady rise in the number of recoveries serves as evidence that the treatments have been effective. This is a time for openness and transparency. China has been sharing information about the virus with the WHO and relevant countries and regions. The country is taking effective measures to safeguard the well-being of foreign nationals in China. Chinese authorities regard withholding information as a crime. This is a time for confidence in the leadership. As a governing party that puts the people's interest as the top priority, the CPC is quick to learn from the outbreak as a test of the governance system and capacity. The Party stresses unified command, coordination and arrangement. It allows no actions of shirking off responsibilities. Tuesday is the start of spring, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. In the last two weeks, life in China has radically changed with the emergence of the infectious novel coronavirus, with streets almost empty and public events canceled in many cities. But people believe normal life will return just as spring has come. Nevin has appeared on screens big and small in the intervening years. She played a lead role in the AFI-Award winning Careful, He Might Hear you and on TV in everything from The Dismissal to Top of the Lake. More recently, she was the uptight blue-blooded grandmother in the ABCs Upper Middle Bogan. Nevins comic prowess was quickly apparent as the posh matriarch, appalled by the crassness of her adopted daughters biological family. A brilliant script by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope provided her with rich material: My grandfather worked very hard so we all could feel entitled. Despite being considered one of the countrys finest stage actors, she is not often recognised in public; Upper Middle Bogan changed that. I was having lunch with Judy Davis and this grandmother came over to me and said, My grandson would like to say hello, hes 10 years old. It was a very smart series and it reached a very wide age group. The cast of Upper Middle Bogan. The original show has been picked up by US streaming network Hulu and it is being remade for US audiences by CBS. And of course the reason were not doing series four is because Patrick [Brammell] went to LA and wont come back and we cant do it without him. She pauses. Well, we should try, shouldnt we? Actors in television and film spend a lot of time waiting around on set - setting up takes far more time than the filming. Rather than expend energy socialising between takes, Nevin prefers to read or listen to podcasts, largely about US politics. About 18 months ago, she decided to devote time to screen work. The lead time for television can be as little as six weeks whereas theatre is often planned a year or more in advance. I was always tied up, willingly and happily, to do plays on stage and run theatre companies. And then I had an epiphany once we moved down to the country (in the NSW Southern Highlands) it became a very different way of living my life. Robyn Nevin as Mrs Higgins (left), with Anna O'Byrne as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Credit:Chris Hopkins Musical theatre has also beckoned. In 2017, she played Mrs Higgins in Opera Australias production of My Fair Lady. Its a small, brilliantly written very funny role. I didnt have to cry on stage for the first time in decades, and that kind of made me think I can work in different ways. I dont want to do these plays that drag me through this emotional morass. The day after we speak, she is heading to Sundance for upcoming film Relic. The first feature from Melbourne-based writer/director Natalie Erika James, it was inspired by watching her grandmother disappear into dementia. What drew me to this absolutely was the script and then I met the director; the combination was a winner because [James is] so bright and so interesting ... Its a film that looks at Alzheimer's through the horror lense. So its deeply personal for her and its a huge universal subject, something that touches almost every family. Nevin in 1978 in a shot from ABC publicity. Credit: ABC publicity Co-starring with Emily Mortimer and LA-based Melbourne actor Bella Heathcote, she has not yet seen the film when we speak. I really dont want to in a way because I look so frightful. Its not a vanity role. Virginia Senate Blocks Governor Northams Gun Control Bill Virginia lawmakers blocked one of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northams proposed gun control bills Monday, as the state continues to be the center of a fierce battle in the nations gun debate. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted against Northams bill, which would make it a felony to recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in a way that endangers a minor. Before the bills demise, Northams spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said, This bill will keep children safe from loaded, unsecured firearms. Like Gov. Northams other commonsense gun safety measures, it is something that everyoneincluding responsible gun ownersshould support. Two Democratsstate Sens. Creigh Deeds and Chap Petersenjoined with Republicans to defeat the measure. They cited concerns that law-abiding gun owners would be unfairly punished. The failed bill is one of eight that Northam has proposed in an effort to reduce gun violence, but which have met with strong opposition from gun-rights activists nationwide. Senators have hinted that at least one other Northambacked gun-control billa ban on so-called assault weapons like the popular AR-15-syle riflesmay not pass. Both chambers have passed some of Northams proposed gun control measures and will hash out any differences between their respective versions in the coming weeks. Those include limiting handgun purchases to once a month, universal background checks on gun purchases, and a red flag bill that would allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from anyone deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others. Guns were a key topic of last years legislative electionsparticularly after a mass shooting in Virginia Beach claimed a dozen livesand gun-control groups heavily funded Democratic candidates. Democrats won full control of the legislature for the first time in a generation. Attempts to pass red flag laws in Virginia before Democratic gained control had all ended in Republicancontrolled committees before they could advance to full-floor votes, The Associated Press noted. Democratic Senator John S. Edwards, the chairman of the state Houses Judiciary Committee, told Newsweek, Democrats think we need to have reasonable restrictions to protect people from gun violence, he said. People ran on the fact that we needed to do something. We have constituents who feel we need reasonable bills to protect the public with respect to gun violence. However, numerous municipalities and sheriffs offices across Virginia have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries in light of the push for gun control in the state legislature. Gun rights activists held a rally on Jan. 20 in Richmond, Virginia. Officials estimated the total number of attendees at 22,000with about 6,000 who went through Virginia State Police security screening to get into Capitol Square and about 16,000 outside the gates in downtown Richmond. The number of attendees at the rally and forecast involvement of white supremacists and fringe militia groups increased fears that the state could see a copy of the violence that occurred in 2017 in Charlottesville. In an attempt to deal with potential violence, Northam declared a temporary state of emergency ahead of the rally, restricting weapons from the event on Capitol Square. The event remained peaceful and ended with no major incidences. Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday warned Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, who already have various government documents, against applying for Indian citizenship under the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Mamata Banerjee argued this would label them as foreigners for five years and land them in deep trouble. She said this while addressing a public rally at Hindu migrant-dominated Bongaon area in the Bangladesh-bordering district of North 24-Parganas. She also assured them that the state government, by providing land rights to residents of all refugee colonies, has ensured their Indian citizenship. Hence, no one has to be afraid of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and fall in the trap of CAA, she said. The moment you fill up the form (for citizenship under CAA), you are in trouble. You will become a foreigner for five years. The lose the property recorded in your name because you are a foreigner. Your business loses recognition. Can you understand how dangerous the plot is? she asked. Banerjee is on a two-day tour of the districts of North 24-Parganas and Nadia, both bordering Bangladesh. Hindu migrants from Bangladesh make up a significant chunk of the population. She is slated to address a rally at Ranaghat in Nadia district on Tuesday. In the Lok Sabha elections last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested both the Bongaon and Ranaghat parliamentary seats from her Trinamool Congress (TMC). From Ranaghat, Kalyani, Gayeshpur and Chakdah to Krishnaganj There are many refugee colonies. Many of you must have got unconditional land rights. The rest will get it in the coming days, she said in Bongaon. Do you know who started the process of giving unconditional land right? I did. When I was the MP from Jadavpur (1984-1989), the local people asked me to ensure unconditional land rights for the refugees. And I did it, she said. The chief minister said as many as 84 colonies have already been issued land rights and those on land belonging to the central government have been recognised by the state government. I have done this to ensure that they (the Centre) cant tell our mothers that they are not citizens because they do not have land records. All colonies are recognised now. There is not a single unrecognised refugee colony in Bengal right now. BJP leaders shot back, saying she was leading a misinformation campaign. I am sorry to say that she is resorting to lies and misleading people. If anyone from the six religions specified in CAA declares himself as a refugee, the person will be treated as a citizen from the persons self-declared date of arrival in India. And, the person will retain all rights and benefits that he enjoys at present, the convener of the BJPs refugee cell in Bengal, Mohit Ray, said. Ray said that land rights given by the state government carry no value because no one who has arrived in India from Bangladesh after 1972 is officially treated as a refugee and there is no refugee colony on official records for people who migrated after 1972. Let the government produce a single document showing the existence of refugee colonies for those who migrated after 1972, Ray said. A 30-year-old man lost both his legs and a hand after he fell down from a running train in West Bengal's Malda district on Wednesday, officials said. Ismail Sheikh, a migrant labourer who works as a mason in Gujarat's Surat, was returning home in the district's Englishbazar area, they said. He tried to get down the running train in Rathtala- Bura Buri area when he slipped and fell, losing both his legs and a hand, they said. He was taken to the Malda Medical College and Hospital by other passengers of the train, who also informed his family. Officials said doctors at the hospital have advised his family to shift Sheikh to a hospital in Kolkata as his condition is critical. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Apple and the U.S. Justice Department are at it again. This time its over cracking a brace of iPhones owned by the Saudi Air Force cadet who killed three sailors in a shooting spree last month at the naval air station in Pensacola, Florida. At a news conference held Monday to announce the findings of an investigation into the Pensacola incident, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr called out Apple for refusing to help the FBI recover data on the phones owned by the cadet, Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, who also was a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force. We have asked Apple for their help in unlocking the shooters iPhones. So far Apple has not given us any substantive assistance, Barr told reporters, reading from a statement. This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that investigators be able to get access to digital evidence once they have obtained a court order based on probable cause, he continued. We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of Americans and prevent future attacks, Barr added. Barrs Comments Refuted Barrs comments provoked Apple to issue a statement of its own on the subject. We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation, Apple said. Our responses to their many requests since the attack have been timely, thorough and are ongoing. Within hours of the FBIs first request for information, Apple provided the agency with a variety of information for its probe and continued to do so from Dec. 7 to Dec. 14. In response to six additional requests for information, the company provided investigators with iCloud backups, account information, and transactional data for multiple accounts. The queries resulted in many gigabytes of information that we turned over to investigators. In every instance, we responded with all of the information that we had, Apple said in its statement. We are continuing to work with the FBI, and our engineering teams recently had a call to provide additional technical assistance, it added. Apple has great respect for the Bureaus work, and we will work tirelessly to help them investigate this tragic attack on our nation. Backdoors Swing 2 Ways In its statement, Apple criticized the use of backdoors as a means for law enforcement to obtain data protected by encryption. A D V E R T I S E M E N T We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers, the company stated. Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users data, it continued. Apple is right to provide strong security to its users, requiring a passcode or biometrics to unlock a phone, maintained Kurt Opsahl, general counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online rights advocacy group in San Francisco. The attorney generals request that Apple re-engineer its phones to break that security imperils millions of innocent Americans and others around the globe, and is a poor trade-off for security policy, he told TechNewsWorld. Fundamental Disagreement There is a fundamental disagreement on this issue, observed Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at Tripwire, a cybersecurity threat detection and prevention company in Portland, Oregon. Advocates for lawful access believe that the ability to catch criminals outweighs the risks of compromised privacy, and privacy advocates believe that your right to privacy outweighs the governments right to search those devices, he told TechNewsWorld. Theres no doubt that the ability to bypass a devices encryption compromises privacy. The argument put forth in favor of such access is that its worth it, Erlin said. No one on either side of the argument law enforcement or technology has come up with a means to provide lawful access that cant be abused or exploited by unintended third parties, he continued. This isnt a new fight for either the U.S. government or Apple, added Erlin. By making a very public request on a very high-profile incident, Barr is aiming to put public pressure on Apple to comply where legal pressure has previously failed to get a result. Creating Public Pressure The Justice Department has wanted legislation mandating backdoors to encrypted devices for decades, noted Julian Sanchez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C. A D V E R T I S E M E N T They knew before they asked that Apple wasnt going to be able to unlock the phones, he told TechNewsWorld. Rather, this is about picking a high-profile case to restart that debate and create political pressure for that policy, Sanchez continued. We know they did this in the San Bernardino case, where an internal watchdog report found that the FBI was so eager for a court fight to make a political point that they didnt put much effort into exploring other ways to crack the phone even though thats what ultimately worked, he said. Fourteen people were killed and 22 seriously injured during a terrorist attack four years ago on the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. The FBI pressured Apple to crack the phone of one of the terrorists, but the company refused. Eventually, a contractor was found with tools to hack the phone for the FBI. There are presumably dozens if not hundreds of phones the FBI would like to break into, Sanchez said. They know full well Apple cant do what theyre asking. Theyve decided to stage a public fight over this one because they think its a case that will create political pressure on Congress to give them the policy they want. Reason for Skepticism The Justice Department and FBI have been misleading the public about their inability to access data on cellphones, maintained Gregory T. Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology, an online civil liberties and human rights advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. On one occasion, they overstated by at least a factor of four the number of phones they could not break into, he told TechNewsWorld. On another occasion, they sued Apple to compel assistance, even though they had a contractor 90 percent of the way to finding a solution. Eventually, the contractor broke into the phone, and the Department of Justice dropped the lawsuit, Nojeim said. So I think theres reason to be skeptical about FBI claims that its going dark, he observed. Encryption is important for the functioning of society today, added Nojeim. There are so many opportunities for the FBI to track us and gain information about who we contact and who contacts us. It has more access to more data about more people than at any other time in the history of the country. Oman is set to award contracts worth RO243 million ($630 million) for key sections of Adam-Thamrait Road dualisation project, a principal carriageway linking north Oman with Dhofar Governorate in the south, said a report. Construction work on packages 3, 4 and 5 of the dualisation project is expected to proceed concurrently with each contractor given three years for completion apart from a 90-day mobilisation period, reported Oman Observer. Parsons International & Company is the consultant for the Ministry of Transport in the tendering and supervision of the road dualisation project. Packages 1 and 2, covering the dualisation of 317 km of the carriageway, are making headway in their implementation with key stretches already opened for traffic during 2019, it stated. These three parts, aggregating a total distance of around 400 km, account for the lion's share of the 717.5-km Adam-Thamrait dualisation project, it added. The first meeting of a commission including representatives of the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army took place this week, paving the way to the convening of the Libyan Political Forum The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced that the 5+5 military/security commission made up of five senior officers from the Tripoli-based Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) and five senior officers representing the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) held their first meeting in the Palace of Nations in Geneva on Monday. Moderated by UN special representative and head of UNSMIL Ghassan Salame, the Joint Military Commission (JMC) had been scheduled to convene on 28 January but had to be postponed because the LNA command was late in designating its five members. These are Al-Madani Al-Fakhri, Faraj Al-Sousaa, Atiya Al-Sharif, Abdel-Karim Hadiya and Abdel-Hadi Al-Falah. Representing the GNA are Al-Fitori Gharibel, Ahmed Abu Shahma, Mukhtar Al-Naqasa, Mahmoud Bin Saeed and Abdel-Rahman Mohamed Al-Jatlawi. In his briefing to the UN Security Council on 30 January, Salame said that it is imperative that the JMC meet under UN auspices to transform the truce, or whatevers left of it, into a ceasefire and to discuss the modalities for a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which I know is of great interest to this council. He was referring to the truce jointly brokered and announced by Russia and Turkey on 12 January, although LNA commander Khalifa Haftar refused to sign a draft ceasefire agreement in talks sponsored by Moscow the following day. The commission will also seek to reach an agreement on long-term security arrangements, directly addressing grievances expressed by both sides. Your collective support for and engagement with this process is vital. Consolidating the truce is critical for the success of our simultaneous and parallel efforts to start the Libyan Political Forum enabling the parties to discuss transitional institutional arrangements, Salame said. On 10 January, Salame had asked the presidents of the Tripoli-based Libyan High Council of State (HCS) and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) to select 13 delegates each to the forum, on the basis of the 13 electoral districts on each side. He offered UNSMILs support to ensure that the process was inclusive, transparent, fair and democratic. However, as he told the UN Security Council, the selection process had not been completed by the time of his 30 January briefing. Deep political divisions within the House of Representatives have been impeding the selection process of its delegates to the Libyan Political Forum, he explained, after noting that the HCS had completed its selection of its 13 delegates. He then reported that three of the 13 HoR districts had elected their delegates for the political talks, but the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives denied this. Turning to the economic track, Salame told the Security Council that Cairo would be hosting the second economic meeting on 9 February bringing together Libyan economic experts, representatives of branches of the Libyan Central Bank, the National Oil Corporation (NOC), the Libyan Investment Organisation, the Central Auditing Bureau and the Libya Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Corporation. The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss ways to unify Libyas sovereign economic organisations and draw up terms of reference for the Libyan Expert Economic Commission, the members of which will be selected as the economic track continues. Urging progress on this front, Salame warned that the economy in Libya is becoming increasingly unstable due to the conflict. Institutional fragmentation and the inability to enact a unified economic policy are exacerbating existing challenges and creating new ones. He was especially alarmed by the effects of the interruption in oil exports following the NOCs declaration of force majeure on oil exports from ports in eastern Libya. The blockade results in losses of approximately $55 million per day in national revenue; as of today, the cumulative lost revenue as a result of the blockade has reached over $622 million, he said, adding that Libyas national debt has now surpassed 100 billion dinars and is spiking upwards. On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that the foreign ministers of the participants at the 19 January Berlin Summit on Libya would meet again in Munich in mid-March in the framework of the follow-up process. He said that his country would work with the UN Security Council to craft a resolution that would make it clear that countries that continue to violate the UN weapons embargo to Libya will have to expect consequences. At the time of writing, it is unclear whether the Security Council will adopt a UK-sponsored ceasefire resolution, backed by Germany. The draft resolution also calls for the withdrawal of the foreign fighters that Turkey and the UAE have been accused of sending into Libya. The International Follow-Up Committee to the Berlin Conference will get underway in the coming weeks with the formation of four working groups focused on the political, military, economic and international humanitarian law/human rights tracks, the UNSMIL head told the Security Council in his briefing. These mechanisms will ensure that the hard work ahead of Berlin continues and that those who obstruct the process, whether inside or outside Libya, can be held to account, he said. During a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied on 23 January, Maas invited Tunisia to attend the launch of the International Follow-Up Committee to the Berlin Conference. On his personal Twitter account, he stressed that the perspectives of Tunisia and other Libyan neighbours were extremely important to further steps. A relatively low level of violence has persisted on the ground in Libya since the 12 January truce brokered by Russia and Turkey. However, heavy weapons are still being used by both sides in the intermittent skirmishes on the southern outskirts of Tripoli and in the western areas of Sirte. UN officials continue to complain of ongoing violations of the Libyan arms embargo on the part of countries that had taken part in the Berlin Summit. Nevertheless, reductions in the flows of weapons and foreign mercenaries into Libya since the summit appear to have hampered, for the time being at least, the ability of the warring parties to sustain prolonged rounds of intensive combat. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Google said its Chrome browser will stop showing ads on sites that have "disruptive" video ads later this year based on a new set of standards released by the Coalition for Better Ads. The coalition's "Better Ads Standards" define ad experiences that would not be acceptable for consumers and would be most likely to drive consumers to install ad blockers. Ads that fall beneath those standards, according to its consumer research, include autoplaying video ads that play sound without any user interaction, or large "sticky ads" that take up more than 30% of a screen and stick to a side of a mobile page regardless of a user's attempt to scroll. The group's board members include Google itself, and other companies including Facebook, Microsoft and Unilever. Other members include ad-tech companies, agency holding companies and industry groups. About two years ago, Google began blocking other ads on websites that weren't compliant with the "Better Ads" standards. The latest announcement comes as Google is the subject of antitrust scrutiny in its advertising business and other areas. Last month, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked regulators to investigate the ad-blocking industry for anticompetitive behavior. On Wednesday, the coalition announced its standards for short-form video, which it defines as videos that are eight minutes or shorter. The group said non-skippable, preroll ads or groups of ads longer than 31 seconds that cannot be skipped within the first 5 seconds; ads of any duration in the middle of a video; and nonlinear display ads that appear on top of a playing video and are in the middle third of a video player or cover more than 20% of the video content are all "particularly disruptive." Chrome said in a blog post that the coalition has said website owners should stop showing those types of ads to site visitors within four months. Chrome said that on Aug. 5 it will stop showing ads on sites, in any country, that repeatedly show those ads and that YouTube, which Google owns, will also be reviewed for compliance. "Similar to the previous Better Ads Standards, we'll update our product plans across our ad platforms, including YouTube, as a result of this standard, and leverage the research as a tool to help guide product development in the future," the post said. The parents of three children killed in the Oatlands 'drunk driving' tragedy say if anything good is to come from the accident, they hope others make the most of every minute they have with their kids. Danny and Leila Abdallah say they are at 'peace' after the deaths of their son Antony, 13, and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 9. Their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, was also killed, while their nephew Charbel Kassas, 11, continues to fight for life in hospital. Mr and Mrs Abdallah returned to the scene of the shocking accident on Wednesday where mourners continued to pay tribute and pray. 'Look, I'll never be able to get my kids back, but I can find peace in my heart (seeing) the impact my children have given to the world in unifying people globally,' Mr Abdallah said. Danny and Leila Abdallah at the makeshift shrine which has been set up at the scene where their three children Antony, 12, Sienna, 9, and Angelina, 11, were killed on Saturday night Danny and Leila Abdallah said they hope that if any good is to come from the tragic accident which killed three of their children, it will be that parents 'enjoy every minute with your kids' Danny Abdallah with his six children. Three of the kids - Antony 13, Sienna, 9, and Angelina, 12, died on Saturday night when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver at Oatlands The stoic couple admit the past four days have taken a toll on them and their loved ones, but say they are comforted by the enormous support from across Australia. 'The hurt is always there, but you find a sense of peace (knowing) that people are out there thinking of their families, (or that) people are making peace with other people. 'If people are tired and fatigued they will go to work and work those extra hours, but they won't play with their kids, they'll say: 'Oh I'm too tired'. 'All I ask through this is that fathers be fathers, and mothers be mothers.' The couple are making preparations of a funeral on Monday, with hundreds expected to pack into Our Lady of Lebanon cathedral in Parramatta. Mrs Abdallah said she and her relatives had visited her children's bodies on Tuesday and now feels 'at peace'. 'To be honest with you, I feel at peace with God,' she said. Danny Abdallah at the shrine set up in memory of his three children and their cousin who were killed on Saturday night. He said he is at peace knowing his children's tragedy has united people globally Mourners continue to place flowers and cards at the scene of the accident on Bettington Rd at Oatlands, in Sydney's north west 'Yesterday I went and saw my kids, I went and saw them the way I saw them at the scene and they looked at peace. 'We're still mourning and we're still upset. We still have our days where we cry and scream in disbelief it's an (emotional) rollercoaster. '(But) after praying and praying I felt at peace. I felt that my kids could still hear me and that they are around us. It's amazing.' On Sunday, less than 12 hours after alleged drunk driver Samuel William Davidson hit and killed the four children, Mr Abdallah bravely spoke to media at the scene, smiling as he remembered his kids. Standing hand-in-hand at the same spot on Wednesday, the couple told more stories of their three 'beautiful kids'. Mr and Mrs Abdallah said their children used to love volunteering at a homeless kitchen, something they did on a weekly basis Truck driver Samuel William Davidson, 29, has been charged with 20 offences in relation to the accident including four counts of manslaughter and high range drink driving In particular they told how young Sienna chose to help homeless people - something they did weekly as a family - on her birthday, instead of celebrating with friends. 'On her seventh birthday, I said to Sienna: 'I'll take you anywhere... do you want to go to Centrepoint Tower, to the movies, bowling or Timezone? You just tell me and we'll go',' Mrs Abdallah said. 'But she said no, I want to go help the needy and feed the homeless. 'And then (at the end) they sung Happy Birthday. Now, a typical 7 or 8 year old they'd see the chocolate cake want to eat it... but she went down to this young girl and her mum and said: 'This is for you to take home',' Mr Abdallah recalled.. 'We're going to miss them but we'll see them soon.' By Sakura Murakami and Naomi Tajitsu TOKYO (Reuters) - Health screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard a cruise liner held in quarantine at the Japanese port of Yokohama, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. The 80-year-old man flew to Japan and boarded the ship, the Diamond Princess, run by Carnival Japan Inc, in Yokohama on Jan. 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan. By Sakura Murakami and Naomi Tajitsu TOKYO (Reuters) - Health screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard a cruise liner held in quarantine at the Japanese port of Yokohama, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. The 80-year-old man flew to Japan and boarded the ship, the Diamond Princess, run by Carnival Japan Inc, in Yokohama on Jan. 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan. 25, the company said. Photographs and video posted on Twitter by a passenger with the handle @daxa_tw showed masked health workers clad in blue plastic gowns walking down empty corridors as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Guests awaiting screening were asked to stay in their cabins, where they answered a questionnaire and had their temperatures taken. But onboard announcements later in the day said about 70% of the health checks had been completed and activities were operating normally except for the casino, shops and photo studio. Some family members expressed concern about relatives trapped on board. "Unaffected people can easily say 'keep them out' but my whole family wants my precious sister to come home safe," wrote one Twitter user. Carnival Japan, a unit of British-American cruise operator Carnival Corp, confirmed that the turnaround of the ship had been delayed by about 24 hours for authorities to review the health of all 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board. About half of those on board were Japanese, a company spokeswoman said. Carnival's Princess Cruises Japan later said cruises scheduled to depart from Yokohama on Tuesday and the western Japanese port of Kobe on Thursday would be cancelled because of delays related to the coronavirus checks. Once everyone's health was checked, those with fevers or who felt unwell would be tested, after which authorities would decide whether to let people leave the ship, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo. EXPANDING TEST TARGET SCOPE A health ministry official said not everyone would be tested with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits because it was too time-consuming and deemed unnecessary. Public broadcaster NHK said authorities were checking whether the Hong Kong man who later tested positive had disembarked when the ship docked in Kagoshima, southwest Japan. NHK also said that when the ship made a stop in Naha on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, about 10 passengers got off after checks showed no passengers had fever or other symptoms. Also on Tuesday, Japan expanded the scope of its screening for the virus generally after some people who had not met criteria for testing were later found to be infected. Opposition parties and some experts have criticised the government for responding too slowly to the risks following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. So far, the epidemic that has claimed more than 420 lives in mainland China. Chinese make up 30% of all tourists travelling to Japan and nearly 40% of the total amount foreign visitors spent last year, according to an industry survey. Japan has 20 confirmed coronavirus cases, of these 17 people have been in Wuhan. And on Saturday, Japan began refusing entry to foreigners who have been in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, in the past 14 days as well as people with passports issued in Hubei. Suga said that as of Feb. 3, eight foreigners had been barred from entering Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary panel the government would be flexible about expanding areas in China from which visitors would be banned, depending on trends in China. Some countries including the United States and Australia have denied entry to all foreign nationals travelling from China. Separately, Taiwan's government said on Tuesday it would ban cruise ships from calling at the island if they had visited China, Hong Kong or Macau in the 14 days before, or 28 days before if they had previously carried confirmed or suspected cases of the virus. (Additional reporting by Ju-min Park, Rocky Swift, Ami Miyazaki and Kaori Kaneko, and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. In an emotional TV interview, "Beverly Hills 90210" actress Shannen Doherty revealed that her cancer came back. Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but two years later, she said she was done with chemo and is feeling "great". However, the actress shared news of her relapse on Tuesday with Good Morning America. "It's going to come out in a matter of days or a week that I'm stage four. So my cancer came back," Doherty revealed. The 48-year-old star said that it is a "bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways," admitting that she does not think she has processed it yet. The "Charmed" actress also said one reason why she came forward to say it has returned is because of her health conditions that could come out in court. Doherty sued insurance giant State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018. "I'd rather people hear it from me. I don't want it to be twisted. I don't want it to be a court document. I want it to be real and authentic," Doherty added. "I want people to know from me. I didn't want them to know yet." Playing as "Brenda Walsh" in the original "Beverly Hills" show, Shannen Doherty has openly documented her battle with cancer on social media, posting videos of herself exercising along with the hashtag #cancerslayer. Filming the 2019 reboot of the show, which came months after the death of her co-star Luke Perry, she kept the news to herself so she can do her best to honor him. "It's so weird for me to be diagnosed and then somebody who was seemingly healthy to go first. It was really shocking," she continued, "And the last I could do to honor him was to do that show." The actress also admitted to keeping the diagnosis primarily to herself to prove to people that she can still work. However, she relied heavily on co-star Brian Austin Green on the long days of filming. Some days she had moments of "great anxiety," thinking that she "can't do this," but then Green -- out of the group of people that knew -- would say, "We got this, kiddo." After her interview aired, Doherty acknowledged the outpouring of support from her fans and friends by taking to Instagram and sharing a cartoon snapshot of Snoopy and Charlie Brown. In the image, Snoopy puts a positive spin on a grim outlook. This is a strategy that Doherty previously told People Magazine that she adapts every day. "I'm trying to be kinder to myself. and I try to live each day as an amazing, precious gift that I've been given." In 2015, Doherty sued her former management company Tanner, Mainstain, Glynn and Johnson for breach of contract and negligence. She claimed it caused her to lose her Screen Actors Guild medical insurance for all of 2014 when the undiscovered cancer was spreading because the company failed to pay a month in 2013 bill for the year's premium. The policy got cancelled and left her without coverage until the next enrollment period for 2015. According to her doctors, the cancer could have been potentially stopped if she had been insured and was able to visit her doctor in 2014. The lawsuit claims that the company has also mismanaged the actress' money, failing to pay her taxes on time and overcharged her in fees. Four days remain before the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, which will be held next Sunday. This election campaign has become the most active in the history of the country - more than 1300 candidates apply for 125 deputy mandates. The CEC has already accredited 850 international observers from 56 international organizations and 55 countries. Vestnik Kavkaza talked with the head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, a member of the Russian delegation to PACE, Leonid Slutsky, who has repeatedly been an observer in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. - International observers are already gathering in Azerbaijan. What kind of reaction to the elections can be expected from PACE, given that its attitude is usually critical? - I do not want to extrapolate, but, indeed, in the past, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was not entirely objective towards the elections to the Milli Majlis and the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. However, now the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, headed by Samad Seyidov, has achieved a qualitative change in the attitude of the Assembly to the position of official Baku on different issues. Today, in PACE there is no longer such tough anti-Azerbaijani tension as it was several years ago. And this is a great merit of a small but professional Azerbaijani delegation. I cant foresee, but I hope that the position of the PACE delegation on the elections to the Milli Majlis on February 9 will be much more constructive and objective. - However, PACE continues to hammer the point of political prisoners allegedly persecuted in the country - The latest report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan cannot be compared with the documents that PACE issued several years ago. A significant portion of the steam has already been let off. Nevertheless, we [the Russian delegation] criticized the biased position of the PACE report on political prisoners, who actually are not persecuted in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a country very close to us. And we welcome the tremendous successes, first of all, of President Ilham Aliyev, who confidently leads the country to prosperity, to ensure that the state has authority in the global political, informational, humanitarian space. He continues the work of his great father, Heydar Aliyev, the founder of today's Azerbaijani state. - What is your forecast regarding the parliamentary elections? - I am sure that the elections in Azerbaijan will comply with the European and international standards, and will be more objectively evaluated by international observers. At least, numerous observers from Russia will make every effort to achieve this. We are going there as part of several organizations - the Federal Assembly, the SCO, and the OSCE PA. I am convinced that we will be able to achieve an objective assessment. The elections, there is not the slightest doubt, will be held at a very high level and without any significant violations. Bhopal, Feb 5 : Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday became the fifth state after Punjab, Kerala, Rajasthan and West Bengal to officially reject the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The state Cabinet passed a resolution against CAA, requesting the Union government to revoke the new citizenship law. It said secularism is the fundamental principle of the Indian Constitution and the Preamble clearly mentions it. Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality before law and non-discrimination through law to all individuals of all classes and communities. The CAA violates these principles of the Constitution and should therefore be revoked, the Cabinet resolution said. The resolution was passed at a time when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is holding a convention in the city for all its affiliates and pracharaks in the Central Province to deal with the growing resistance against the CAA and the National Citizenship Register (NRC). The opposition BJP in the state has staged several demonstrations in favour of CAA in the last few weeks. Terming the CAA as violative of the basic character of the Constitution, the resolution referred to the widespread protests that have engulfed the nation over the enactment of the new citizenship law. Most of these protests have so far remained by and large peaceful. State Law Minister P.C. Sharma told IANS after the Cabinet meeting that the proposal could be brought in the state Assembly too. Sharma said that Congress has made its stand on CAA very clear. "Also, we have urged the government to withdraw the provisions under which information which have never been sought for Census purposes are now being sought for National Population Register (NPR) 2020. "The Union government should first withdraw these provisions and then move towards starting the Census process afresh," Sharma said. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had said last month that the party would consider bringing a resolution against CAA in the states ruled by it. "After Punjab, we are thinking about bringing a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It would be a clear message to the Central government to reconsider the Act," Patel had said. The Congress said the states have the right to disagree with the Centre and until the issue is resolved in the court, they cannot be "forced" to implement the "unconstitutional" law. Some other senior party leaders, including Kapil Sibal, believe that there is no way a state can deny the implementation of CAA when it has already been passed by the Parliament. Another senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had said that the resolution against CAA can be a political gesture, as the states hardly have any role now. Live Oak's IKEA store is turning a year old this month and is celebrating with a first-ever Fiesta medal, giveaways and events. The highly anticipated San Antonio-area IKEA location opened on Feb. 13, 2019, with massive crowds and long lines. Fans of the furniture store were clearly excited they would no longer have to make a road trip to Round Rock the next closest location to shop and eat Swedish meatballs. IKEA is marking the milestone on Feb. 15 and 16. Additionally, IKEA will embrace the culture surrounding its 49th location by releasing a Fiesta medal during the celebration. The first 500 IKEA Family members in line each day will be the first to receive the medal. Guests must show their IKEA Family Card to get the commemorative trinket. Joining the store's "Family" club is free, and profiles can be created online. These members will also get a "mystery envelope." Enclosed in the package will be a coupon for a redeemable prize, which could be one of IKEA's FRAKTA bags, a signature POANG chair, a $250 gift card or more. IKEA Family members can start lining up as early as 6 a.m. each day. Workshops, games and other events will be hosted in the massive store on both days. RELATED: H-E-B is awarding a lifetime of free groceries There's also a kids-only birthday party in the store's "Smaland" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 13. Parents must register their small shoppers by Feb. 12. Spots are limited. "We want to celebrate our birthday with out future customers," the store says online. Those who miss the 500-person cutoff or can't make the event will be able to purchase the inaugural medal at the Fiesta Store for $10 starting Feb. 17. All of the proceeds will benefit Child Advocates of San Antonio. Relive the excitement of the grand opening in the gallery above. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye But China cant have this openness when authorities work so diligently to control negative information about disease or anything else. The New York Times gathered some chilling examples: Hong Kong journalists who went to a Wuhan hospital in mid-January were detained and told to delete their footage. A Hong Kong television reporter who had covered the SARS epidemic posted an article about the new virus, but it was quickly deleted. A military doctor who helped expose the seriousness of SARS was later pilloried for harming the interests of the nation. How much do we get for our cookies? Don Mitchell asked his wife and partner in Mitchell Farms, a row crop farm in southern Mississippi that 14 years ago started supplementing its revenue with a corn maze and pumpkin-picking patch. Following food-and-beverage consultant Mike Holtzmans keynote address at the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Associations annual conference, it was clear that Jo Mitchells response was bound to be inadequate. Agritourism is on the rise nationwide, with revenue up from $704 million in 2012 to $950 million in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet while the federal agency hails the movements potential to revitalize rural economies, educate the public and preserve agricultural heritage, it acknowledges that agritourism still accounts for a tiny sliver of overall farm income. So Holtzman had the attention of the hundreds of farmers assembled for the agritourism meeting, held this year in North Charleston, when he told them they could double or triple their sales by making minor menu tweaks. He opened his presentation by outlining the costly mistakes that operators of haunted hayrides, goat yoga sessions and apple orchards are making at their concession stands, including offering too many items and charging too little for them. Weve got to solve this, because it is your No. 2 producer of revenue, Holtzman said. Understand you are a mini Disneyland: You have them captive. That doesnt mean you have to screw them. But if youre not getting feedback about your price, its too low. Holtzman urged attendees to resist selling familiar items such as Gatorade drinks and Snickers bars, because the customer is like, "Wait a second, Im a consumer in America. I am very intelligent. I know that candy bar cost you 88 cents at Walmart. By contrast, hayriders do a poor job of estimating the value of a funnel cake, especially if its shaped like their home state. You can sell a $16 shake, he promised. And it might have a glass they can take home that cost you 70 cents to get. Instead of selling a single cookie, Holtzman advised, put a bunch of cookies in a bucket and charge $14.99 for them. (But not $15, since agritourists only read the digits to the left of the decimal point, according to Holtzman.) Even better, farmers can brand the bucket to help guests forge an emotional attachment to it. And just about when theyre tired of your food, you close, he said, referring to the six-week season thats standard in the U-pick business. The simplicity of Holtzmans suggestions, such as We do not sell slices. We sell individual pizzas, resonated with a group of farmers more accustomed to pricing pony rides than pretzels. They nodded along as he explained why its a bad idea to print the price of a side of nacho cheese. (Everything on a menu looks more expensive next to something sold for 50 cents.) Weve got to start playing with our food, said Holtzman, who believes every agritourism operator should at least look into selling beer. This is a new industry. This is so new, we dont have a model, but its more than just kettle corn and caramel apples. At Mitchell Farms, the standard menu features kettle corn, boiled peanuts and cookies, which, for the record, sell for $2 apiece. The Mitchells have always relied on caterers to handle their other food service needs, since they dont have an on-site kitchen. But in the wake of Holtzmans talk, Jo Mitchell is considering hiring a consultant to tell the couple how much it would cost to build one. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 10:51:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is delivering his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. In remarks mostly focusing on his economic policies, Trump claimed they "have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny." "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" He said. The remarks came in the middle of a Senate trial of Trump's impeachment. The House, controlled by Democrats, impeached the president in December last year for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, charges that the White House has refuted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who orchestrated the chamber's impeachment drive against Trump and is seated behind him during the address, reached out to shake his hand, which the president ignored. The new Central Vista in Delhi will have a dedicated tunnel road for the movement of Prime Minister from his residence to office and the parliament building. In the redevelopment of seat of Parliament, special routes are being designed, in the line of American Mall, that will separate the movement of high-risk politicians from the general public that will end the regular traffic blockades and inconvenience caused during the VIP movements. While sharing the details of the planning in a presentation on "Central Vista Project: Reimagining and Renewing A National Icon" last week at CEPT university, where he is the President, the master planner Bimal Patel said that idea is to free these spaces so that they are more accessible. "Prime Minister's motorcade goes away because he gets a tunnel from his home to his office and perhaps even other places. So, one way in which you free public places from security concerns is to separate out the people who need high security and put them away inside compounds. Thats how the US mall works," he said during the two-hour power point presentation. The presentation showed that the PMs house will be shifted near the South Block and Vice-Presidents house behind the North Block. The existing offices of defense personnel will be removed and be replaced with Special Protection Group (SPG) office. According to the master design, these two blocks, which house several ministries, will be converted into a national museum. According to the plan, South Block will be converted into a museum of India up to 1857. The idea is to make North and South block a grand national museum of our country, said Patel said while repeatedly stating that the design is constantly changing with new and better ideas. According to Patel, whose firm HCP Design has designed the master plan, the Central Vista or Rajpath will house ten new buildings for accommodating between 50,000 to 60,000 government employees. Presently, they are scattered everywhere in the capital. The new arrangement, Patel said, will save Rs 1000 crore per year which is spent on rent. He said that to make their commuting easy, underground shuttle services will be provided. He said that the height of these buildings will be 36 metres tall, from ground plus eight floors, which is six metres lower than the India Gate. "The ambition is to build an underground shuttle that goes and connects all buildings. The employees arrive at the basement level and rise up into the building- like Dubai and Singapore airports- from terminal to terminal. Central secretariat will be a Transit Oriented Development (TOD)," he said. After the presentation, the Padma Shri recipient architect, was also questioned by the audience about the environmental concerns arising from the project. He was questioned on how bringing 50,000 to 60,000 people at the heart of Delhi that is also considered to be the "green lung" of capital, will impact the pollution which is already choking Delhi. He said that even a large portion of parks at Rashtrapati Bhavan may also be opened for the public for good. He also assured that the debris of the demolished building be used in the new construction. The full house capacity of the parliamant will be 1548 seats. There will be over 1000 officer chambers for the members of parliamant. The new parliamant buiding will also have a spire in golden colour. The project is likely to be completed by 2024. A man and a woman have been arrested in what authorities say is a multi-state fraud and theft crime ring. The Cullman County Sheriffs Office announced the arrests of John David Boggs, 45, of Kentucky, and Amanda Christine Lairsey, 32, of Tennessee. Both are charged with five counts each of first-degree theft of property. Sheriff Matt Gentry said investigators received multiple reports of a company called My Affordable Roofing defrauding victims of their money. The company is headquartered in Louisville and owned by the two suspects. Authorities said the pair opened a location in Cullman nearly two years ago after the extensive hailstorm damaged many homes and businesses in Cullman on March 18, 2018. Sheriffs investigators began receiving multiple reports about My Affordable Roofing taking victims money and then not showing back up and ignoring phone calls from their clients. Authorities began a lengthy investigation and found that My Affordable Roofing did complete a few jobs in the very beginning of 2018, right after the hailstorm, but began to sell other jobs and not complete the work. So far, the sheriffs office has taken six reports from victims with a combined loss just in Cullman - $167,045. Estimates are there could be up to 30 total victims in the Cullman County area that have still not filed reports. Gentry said investigators were contacted by a civil attorney that made authorities aware of a pattern behavior by Boggs and Lairsey. Investigators were able to discover the pattern of the same type of deceptive practices extending across multiple states that stretched from Indiana to Florida. Investigators were also able to uncover that Boggs was deeply in debt after multiple recent purchases in Florida of luxury homes, a large fishing yacht and leasing private aircraft from money earned from his victims in Cullman, as well as other states. Consulting with the civil attorney, as well as through the investigation, investigators estimate the losses to victims in all the states combined could be well over $1 million. This is a major case and we are still encouraging anyone that could be a victim of My Affordable Roofing to come forward, Gentry said. It appears through our investigation these suspects blatantly deceived customers and took their money with no intention of doing the work. The investigation is ongoing, and more charges could be filed. Anyone who believes they were a victim of the pair is asked contact Cullman County Investigator Trevor Clemmons. SALINE, MI -- Residents in Saline are planning a rally Wednesday night to stand in solidarity with neighbors following a impassioned week and a half in the school district. A Facebook event entitled Saline Diversity Inclusion Rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 5. Organizers wrote the rally will meet at the corners of Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Michigan Avenue. Community members began grappling with racism within Saline Area Schools on Monday, Jan. 27, when Superintendent Scot Graden denounced an act of racism in a Snapchat message thread targeting students of color. Its unclear whether students involved in the chat were disciplined, though Gradens letter to the community said the district uses restorative justice to handle infractions of school rules. Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools But the issue got national attention on Monday when a parent asked another parent why he didnt stay in Mexico. Parent Adrian Iraola, who is Hispanic, was describing the impact of racism his sons endured while in school when Tom Burtell asked Iraola, then why didnt you stay in Mexico? The question drew shocked gasps and comments from the packed room. Why didnt you stay in Mexico? School diversity and inclusion meeting turns volatile Graden denounced the comment and praised the community reaction in a letter to the community Tuesday night. Wednesday nights rally is intended to show the world that our community speaks out against racism and bigotry, the event description states. MORE IN SALINE: Tense moment at meeting on racial climate illustrates problem at Saline Area Schools Students weigh in on culture at Saline Area Schools after racist group Snapchat Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools Our reputation as a city is that we are racist, Saline parent says Son calls out fathers racist comment after Why didnt you stay in Mexico? outburst New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday said the construction of Ram Temple could be completed by 2024-25, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of formation of a 15-member Trust that would oversee the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. Sources in the know of things said the outline of the proposed two-storey Ram Temple has been prepared, and the work on the first floor is nearing completion. The carving of stones for the temple began after the Supreme Court verdict in November 2019. According to sources, 60 per cent work has been completed. VHP Executive President Alok Kumar said if the Trust follows the VHP model (of temple), it may take 4-5 years to finish the construction. The VHP also said if the Trust initiates a fund-raising call, it would organise the process. On being asked about placing barricades around the Ram temple complex, Kumar said it is the job of the security personnel to take decision on issues related to security. "VHP would, however, like Ramlalla to be seen by the people," Kumar said. The VHP also said that along with the construction of Ram temple, structural development will have to be done for the convenience of pilgrims throughout Ayodhya. "The trust has to do all this work." Since the Supreme Court announced its verdict, the work on carving the stones, ceilings, pillars in the workshop located near Karsevakapuram began, and 106 pillars have already come up. The temple will be prepared by dividing it into five parts. The first part will be the facade of the temple followed by its doors. It will be followed by two pavilions. Ramlalla will be seated below, while Ram Durbar will be on the top floor. According to the inscription in the workshop, the height of the first floor will be 18 feet while that of second floor would be 15 feet 9 inches. By Sun Shuai BEIRUT, Feb. 3The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Armed Forces(LAF) recently held a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony aiming to strengthen both sides cooperation on humanitarian demining. As one of the core forces for demining in the UNIFIL, the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping construction engineering unit (CHINCEU) to Lebanon was invited to participate in the ceremony. Next, the 18th batch of CHINCEU will be devoted to the coming demining operations within the UN Missions area of operation in south Lebanon but beyond the Blue Line. According to Brigadier General Frederic Boucher, Chief of Staff of the UNIFIL, in the wake of the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war and till 2010, the UNIFIL deminers had been conducting humanitarian demining operations within the framework of UN Security Council resolution 1701, in a bid to facilitate the Lebanon civilians safe access to their dwellings and agricultural land. However, these operations were suspended in 2010 because the UNIFILs tasks were to mark Blue Line and ensure the security of peacekeepers patrols. Now, the situation allows us again to resume efforts in humanitarian demining area, he said. Lebanon still has more than 40 million square meters of land contaminated with deadly mines, noted Brigadier General Gihad Al Bechelany, director of the Lebanon Mine Action Centre (LMAC). The signing of the MOU marks the beginning of our joint humanitarian demining operations with the UNIFIL in the 1,060-square-kilometer area between the Litani River and the Blue Line. After the signing ceremony, Colonel Gao Chaoning, commander of the 18th CHINCEU, accompanied Brig. Gen. Boucher to visit the LAFs Regional School for Humanitarian Demining, where they viewed the demining tools and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) collected in the country and exchanged demining experience. Col. Gao explained that the UNIFIL currently has peacekeepers from China and Cambodia undertaking the deadly task of clearing contaminated areas along the 120-km Blue Line and around UN positions in south Lebanon. The Chinese peacekeepers are honored to take part in the humanitarian demining missions. We will leverage our professional skills and strict operational standards to help the Lebanese people remove mines and clear off the major factor that hindering economy development and frightening local people, he said. Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described the BJP as a party of 'fekus' (those who bluff) who threaten people with guns and bullets Krishnanagar: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a party of "fekus" (those who bluff) who threaten people with guns and bullets to divide the country on the basis of religion. Without naming Union minister Anurag Thakur or his "shoot the traitors remark", Banerjee, who was speaking at a convention of TMC workers at Krishnagar in Nadia district, questioned how a central minister continues in a constitutional post despite speaking unconstitutionally. The Trinamool Congress supremo also slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his "goli vs boli" comment. She said, "BJP is a feku party. It is only interested in giving out fake news. It is trying to divide the country on the basis of religion and are threatening people with guns and bullets". "I was born in Hindustan, not in a nation governed by BJP who attack people with guns and bullets," she added. The TMC supremo also criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre for destroying the harmony in the country by forcibly trying to implement the CAA, the NPR and the NRC. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 4, 2020 Local SEO agencies need to begin thinking of their services as a business, according to analysis from a company focused on building a bridge from online to offline. Uberall on Tuesday released data that examines the accuracy of online listings for 75 top SEO agencies across the United States. More than 2,500 listings were analyzed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 19, 2019. The listings that appear in online directories such as Google, Bing and Yahoo -- along with social and review sites like Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor -- should contain critical information such as the companys name, address, phone number and hours of operation. The problem is that not all do. In fact, 41% of the online listings for SEO agencies have inaccurate information such as misspelled names and incorrect addresses. About 49% of all listings analyzed had missing information such as no phone number or hours of operation. The inaccurate information brings into question whether or not the owners of the SEO companies think of their own business as a critical service to support brands, retailers and others found online. advertisement advertisement SEO agencies dont see their services in the same category as a local business, said Greg Sterling, Uberall VP of market insights. I can see why they might not put an emphasis on this, even though its the bread and butter of their day-to-day work. Theyre leaving money on the table, he said -- and it may not be negligence, but rather laziness or a lack of concern over being found online. "When someone does a search for 'Denver SEO firms,' thats the type of search that properly optimizes your Google My Business profile," he said. "If youre not including images, content and accurate information, youre ceding the information to a partner and you might not get the phone call." The proprietors may see their services as digital businesses that primarily interact with content to support others, but thats not the case. Uberall analysts used the companys presence checker tool, which looks at accuracy and consistency of listings across numerous directories such as Google Search and Maps, Yelp, Facebook, Bing, Foursquare, HERE, Tomtom, Factual, and many others. The tool determines whether listings are present and complete in the directory, such as confirming a present phone number, URL, photos and hours of operation. The tool will show the missing, inaccurate and correct percentage of information across local sites. Information on the most common missing data was not available, but Sterling pointed to Uberalls Voice Search Readiness study. Conducted in 2019, the study is based on an analysis of 73,000 businesses and 2.1 million possible listings. Findings from the report suggested that nearly half of all listings had errors in opening hours, nearly one-quarter of all listing had errors in the business name, nearly one-fifth had errors in the street addresses, and nearly one-third had errors in the website listed. Some of the SEO agencies that have missing or inaccurate online information may not be as concerned about showing up in local search results because they dont focus on walk-in business, Sterling said. Others may focus on a few sites Google, and Facebook and neglect others because they are perceived to be less important. China's largest SUV manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) on Wednesday said it will invest USD 1 billion in the Indian market in a phased manner. The USD 1 billion (about Rs 7,100 crore) investment will be made in areas like research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, GWM Marketing and Sales Director (India) Harpreet Singh Brar said at the Auto Expo here. The company also intends to use manufacturing capabilities in India to export to other countries, he added. GWM has a research facility in Bengaluru. Recently, it also inked an agreement to acquire General Motor India's Talegaon facility. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The invisibility cloak of a fungus While viruses and bacteria regularly manage to infect the human organism, fungi only very rarely succeed. The reason for this is that the human immune system can recognize them very easily because their cells are surrounded by a solid cell wall of chitin and other complex sugars. Chitin is, so to speak, the alarm signal for our immune system, to which it reacts with a whole arsenal of defensive weapons. Some fungi, however, have apparently learned to avoid this fatal recognition: They possess one or more enzymes called chitin deacetylase, which they use to alter some of the chitin building blocks. This produces a chitosan, which is invisible to the immune system. A particularly aggressive fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, which can easily lead to a fatal infection, particularly in immunocompromised patients, has four genes that appear to encode such enzymes. So far, however, it had only been possible to show that three of them really are chitin deacetylases. The function of the fourth protein was unknown. Researchers at the University of Munster (Germany) have now examined this fourth enzyme in detail. They found that this enzyme is a chitosan deacetylase which has not been described before. The study has been published in the journal "PNAS" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Background and methods: Chitin is a polysaccharide, i.e. a giant molecule consisting of thousands of individual sugars that are strung together like a string of pearls. It plays the same role in fungal cell walls as the better known cellulose in the cell walls of plants. In contrast to cellulose, which is made up of the single sugar glucose, chitin consists of N-acetylglucosamine units, i.e. a more complex single sugar that carries a basic amino group and, attached to it, an acetic acid molecule. The enzyme chitin deacetylase removes some of the acetic acid molecules in the chitin chain, but not all of them, resulting in chitosan as a product. Chitosans thus consists of two different simple sugars, the chitin building block N-acetylglucosamine and the chitosan building block glucosamine. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Bruno Moerschbacher from the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at Munster University developed biotechnological methods to introduce such genes into the bacterium E. coli, and to characterise the enzymes produced by these bacteria in detail. Using modern mass spectrometry, they sequenced the products of these enzymes, i.e. decoded the sequence of chitin and chitosan building blocks. They were then able to analyse the bioactivities of the products and thus understand the relationships between their structures on the one hand and their functions on the other. "Apparently the chitin deacetylases need several chitin building blocks next to each other in the chain in order to attack the molecule and remove an acetic acid," explains biochemist Bruno Moerschbacher. "This is why at the end, there are always some chitin building blocks left. The new chitosan deacetylase can then also remove these last acetic acid molecules". The suspicion was obvious that only this last step makes the fungus really invisible for the human immune system. And indeed: in cooperation with dermatologists from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the researchers succeeded in showing that a chitosan that still carries many acetic acid molecules, stimulates the immune system even more strongly than chitin. Only treatment with chitosan deacetylase leads to a product that no longer activates the immune system. The chitosan deacetylase is thus a crucial tool of the fungus to attack its host under the chitin radar of its immune system. The complete removal of the acetic acid molecules from the chitin acts like a kind of invisibility cloak, making the fungus invisible to the immune system. "This makes chitosan deacetylase an interesting target for new drugs," comments Dr. Christian Gorzelanny from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, who previously worked in Bruno Moerschbacher's research group at Munster University. Lea Hembach, PhD student in Munster and first author of the study, adds: "A fungicide based on an inhibitor that specifically inhibits this enzyme would not be harmful to humans or other organisms at all, since they do not have such a rare enzyme". In a new project led by the bioinformatician Dr. Ratna Singh, the Munster researchers are already looking for such an inhibitor. Bruno Moerschbacher also hopes that his research group will succeed in developing a particularly strong immunostimulatory "designer" chitosan. ### Original publication: L. Hembach et al. (2020). Unique subsite specificity and potential natural function of a chitosan deacetylase from the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. PNAS; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915798117 This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. During a typical Canadian winter, snow accumulation and melt--combined with sudden rainfalls--can lead to bottlenecks in storm drains that can cause flooding. With that in mind, researchers at UBC's Okanagan campus have been examining urban stormwater drainage systems, and they too have concerns about the resilience of many urban drainage systems. A recently published paper from the School of Engineering says existing design methods for urban drainage systems aren't going far enough to withstand possible catastrophic storms or even unpredictable failures during a moderate storm. "As engineers, we run simulations of possible catastrophic events, and current systems often do not fare well," says doctoral student Saeed Mohammadiun. "We are seeing sources of overloading such as structural failures, severe rainfalls or abrupt snowmelt stressing these systems." Add any extreme situation including quick snowmelt or a heavy and sudden rainfall, and Mohammadiun says many systems aren't built to handle these worst-case scenarios. Mohammadiun has conducted several case studies of drainage systems in major urban areas around the world. He has determined many current urban standards designed for a 10-to-50 or even 100-year storm scenario are not meeting the increasing demands of climate change as well as intrinsic failure risk of networks' elements. "Conventional, reliability-based design methods only provide acceptable performance under expected conditions of loading," he says. "Depending on the system, if something breaks down or there is a blockage, it can result in a failure and possible flooding." According to Mohammadiun, the resiliency of a system is not just dependent on the load it can handle, but also on its design and build. Many do not take into account the effects of climate change or unexpected weather conditions. To establish an efficient resilient system, Mohammadiun says it is important to consider various sources of uncertainty such as rainfall characteristics, heavy snowfalls followed by a quick melt and different possible malfunction scenarios along with budget constraints, he says. "Building or improving the resilience of urban stormwater drainage systems is crucial to ensuring these systems are protected against failure as much as possible, or they can quickly recover from a potential failure," he adds. "This resilient capacity will provide urban drainage systems with the desired adaptability to a wide range of unexpected failures during their service life." The research points to several measures municipalities can proactively address the issue. Municipalities could build bypass lines and apply an appropriate combination of relief tunnels, storage units, and other distributed hydraulic structures in order to augment drainage system capacities in a resilient manner. With the recent heavy snowfalls across Canada, Mohammadiun says the silver lining when it comes to drainage is that it takes snow time to melt whereas heavy rainfall puts an immediate stress on these systems. But from the engineering point of view, it is necessary to consider both acute and chronic conditions. Not surprising, the research shows that urban drainage and stormwater systems that are built or modified to be more resilient, will handle extreme weather events more effectively and efficiently than conventional designs. ### This research was recently published in Hydrological Sciences. Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame Wednesday said there was so much that could be done with drone technology, stressing that Africa could also design and manufacture its drones BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan will organize additional transportation to evacuate Kazakhs remaining in China, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans embassy in China. The embassy said that currently the issue of organizing transportation from Beijing and Shanghai is being worked on. The evacuation will be carried out at the expense of the state. The embassy also notes that the date, time and other flight details will be announced later. Earlier this month, Kazakhstan has already evacuated 83 citizens from Wuhan, including 80 students. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then nearly 500 people have died. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden and Finland. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh The Deputy PM made the affirmation at a conference on February 4 in the northern province of Hai Duong to launch a consultation programme for local enterprises involved in supporting industries. Hai Duong is the first locality in the country to implement this programme, which is a joint effort of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Hai Duong Peoples Committee and Samsung Group of the Republic of Korea. Deputy PM Hue said Vietnam also aims to raise supporting industries share in the entire industrial sectors production value to 14% by 2030. He stressed that supporting industries are the main factor in raising the value of the process-manufacturing industry, the driver of Vietnams economic growth in recent years. However, it is still difficult for local enterprises in these industries to join in the global supply chain due to their small scale, low technology and a lack of linkage among them as well as between them and foreign-invested enterprises. To facilitate the development of supporting industries, the Government official required the Ministry of Planning and Investment to continue improving the investment and business environment, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to review and devise development orientations for several key supporting industries. He also asked the State Bank of Vietnam to consider designing more preferential credit packages for supporting industries, and instructed Hai Duong authorities to quickly adopt a master plan for developing supporting industries to 2025. The Deputy PM asked the Samsung group to continue coordinating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and local authorities in providing consultations to Vietnamese enterprises and assisting them in participating in global supply chains. He pledged that the Vietnamese government will create favourable conditions for Samsung to early start its project to build a Research & Development Centre in Vietnam. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh informed the conference that his ministry and Samsung have organised many courses to train consultants in enhancing production capacity of supporting enterprises. He said this year, the ministry will work with a number of localities to build policies and implement measures to develop supporting industries in those localities, adding that local administrations should invest in human resources for the industrial sector in general and supporting industries in particular. Secretary of Hai Duong provinces Party Committee Nguyen Manh Hien said the province is focusing on developing local supporting industries into a key link of global supply chains of multinational groups. He reported that Hai Duong is home to 454 foreign-invested companies with total registered capital of US$8.4 billion. According to the official, the province has many advantages regarding infrastructure and human resources in industrial development. It now registers 15,000 domestic firms with total capital of VND164 trillion (over US$7 billion). Director General of Samsung Vietnam Choi Joo Hoo pledged to enhance collaboration with the Vietnamese government to expand training activities and share experience with Hai Duong in order to help the provinces supporting firms achieve global production standards. He said Samsung will coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to train 200 experts in moulding as from this year. At the conference, the Hai Duong Peoples Committee, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on a consultation programme targeting Hai Duong-based enterprises operating in supporting industries. Under the deal, Samsung will select at least 15 enterprises to benefit from a three-month training programme on enhancing competitiveness. A Japan Airlines worker (C) wears a face mask while working inside a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on January 23, 2020 in Los Angeles. Mario Tama | Getty Images U.S. travel restrictions implemented in recent days to keep a fast-moving virus that has crippled much of China from spreading across America won't work, a top epidemiologist told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday. "I have never seen instances where that has worked when we are talking about a virus at this scale," epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Health Security, testified before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Respiratory viruses like the one that's sickened more than 24,300 across the globe and killed at least 490 in China "just move quickly," she said. "They are hard to spot because they look like many other diseases. It's very hard to interrupt them at borders. You would need to have complete surveillance in order to do that. And we simply don't have that," she said. In China, physicians are looking for sick people, while other countries are looking for people from China. Somewhere in between, infected people are going to be missed, she said. "For that, and other reasons, I do not believe we're going to be able to keep the virus out of our border," she said, adding that a bigger concern is that the travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines are diverting resources away from fighting the virus. One public health department has 31 health-care workers monitoring two quarantined patients 24 hours a day, she said. "As this epidemic grows, that's not likely to scale," she said. Other witnesses included Jennifer Bouey, senior policy researcher at the Rand Corporation, and Ron Klain, former White House Ebola response coordinator. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week. "While the threat of the coronavirus is relatively low in the United States at this time, we must be vigilant and prepared," Bera said in a statement. "I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses on ways in which we can plan and respond to this virus. Congress needs to ensure the administration has the tools it needs to respond to and limit the outbreak." A horror flu season has been blamed for nearly a third of patients waiting too long to be treated at Queensland emergency departments. Brisbane Times has compiled monthly emergency department data from 2019 and can reveal 28 per cent of patients were not seen within clinically recommended times across Queensland's 97 hospitals last year. A third of patients were not seen within clinically recommended times across Queensland's 97 hospitals last year. Credit:Edwina Pickles More than half of patients who presented at Gold Coast University Hospital's emergency department were not treated within the clinically recommended time frame in January, February, April and May last year. One third of sick children were forced to wait too long to see a doctor at the Queensland Children's Hospital during February and March. Two major telecom players Korea's LG and China's ZTE are scaling back their presence at the upcoming Mobile World Congress out of concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak. Why it matters: Mobile World Congress, held at the end of February in Barcelona, is the key trade show for the cell phone industry, and its selling point is the way it brings a very global industry together in one place. What they're saying: LG said Tuesday that "with the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind," it decided not to exhibit or participate in the conference. "This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders." ZTE said it canceled a press conference planned for Mobile World Congress in part due to visa and other issues and, also out of caution. "[We] tend to be an overly courteous company, and simply don't want to make people uncomfortable," a representative told The Verge. In a statement Tuesday, GSMA, the trade group that puts on Mobile World Congress, said it is "continuing to monitor and assess the potential impact of the coronavirus," and announced several new health precautions, but said so far there has been "minimal impact." Meanwhile, Huawei postponed a developer conference in China, but has thus far said it continues to plan to attend and exhibit in Barcelona. Go deeper: What's happening with the coronavirus RAMALLAH, West Bank Palestinian leaders are counting on the European Union to renew its commitment to a two-state solution for resolving the conflict with Israel. This comes after US President Donald Trump on Jan. 28 revealed the details of his so-called deal of the century for peace, which threatens the approach and which the Palestinians have rejected. In a speech following a meeting of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on the day of the plan's release, President Mahmoud Abbas noted that the EU still advocates the two-state solution based on its international legitimacy. He also stated, Europe is becoming aware that it has done us great injustice in the past and must rectify some of the mistakes it made over the past one hundred years. Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee, met on Jan. 29 in Ramallah with EU diplomats and in a tweet afterward remarked, Todays meeting with the EU Heads of Mission focused on concrete measures that have to be taken. The Annexation Plan is an attack against international law and the international system as a whole. This is a moment of truth #PeaceNotApartheid. In the days preceding Trumps unveiling of his plan, the Palestinian leadership had intensified pressure on the EU to take a bolder stance toward Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, the peace process and a two-state solution. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry lashed out at the EU in a Jan. 21 statement, accusing it of shy, insufficient and late responses in regard to measures taken by Israel and of failing to rise to the level of those actions and shouldering its own responsibility. In addition, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has pressured EU countries to recognize the state of Palestine. During a Jan. 21 meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde at the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said Europes recognition is necessary in light of Israeli threats to annex West Bank lands. Sweden is a model for European Union countries by recognizing Palestine and turning their political convictions into action, Shtayyeh said. Sweden recognized Palestinian statehood on Oct. 30, 2014. Shtayyeh also urged Switzerland and Belgium to hasten their recognition of the state of Palestine in order to confront Israels annexation threats. We want the European Union to work collectively to protect the two-state solution and the international resolutions that Israel violates daily, by trying to impose a fait accompli based on the theft of Palestinian lands and killing the possibility of statehood, Shtayyeh said. Europe should lead an international effort for the post-Trump project. Ahmad Jamil Azm, head of strategic affairs for the Palestinian prime minister, told Al-Monitor that the Palestinians want the EU to prove its commitment to the two-state solution by taking practical steps to uphold the possibility of such a solution. These include most notably rejecting political initiatives that do not include previous international conventions and recognition of a Palestinian state. The Europeans also need to continue to adhere to relevant UN resolutions and their previous stances in support of two states. To be effective, European recognition of Palestine requires the consensus of all member states, but this is unlikely to happen any time soon. Shadi Othman, spokesman for the EU Commission in Jerusalem, explained that in light of disagreement among EU countries on recognizing Palestine, the EUs unified, official position remains limited to steps aimed at keeping the two-state solution viable and taking the related, necessary actions on the ground. The EUs recognition of the state of Palestine has been extensively debated, and some member states have demanded it, Othman told Al-Monitor. But I think this is difficult to make happen at the moment in light of the lack of a general consensus among [EU] countries on recognition. He added that this year the EU will provide 300 million in aid to the PA, and barring major political developments, will provide assistance for the next two years. Regarding Palestinian criticism of the EU, Othman said, The EU shows understanding and pragmatism when dealing with the Palestinian issue. Despite the political changes in the region, the EU is trying to keep its vision of a two-state solution viable. The relationship between Europe and Palestine will remain strong and open despite the perplexing challenges on the ground. After the official announcement of Trump's plan, the Palestinians severed ties with the US administration, which has been mediating the peace process since 1993. This puts them in a delicate position of demanding stronger positions on the Palestinian issue from other parties while also being unable to afford the loss of financial support from those actors, like the EU. You are here: World Flash State leaders and heads of international organizations have recently expressed their support for China's battle against the novel coronavirus and commended China's measures in preventing and controlling the epidemic. Pakistani President Arif Alvi said that China's effective measures against the outbreak have been widely recognized by the international community, expressing confidence that the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, will definitely overcome the challenge. Myanmar President U Win Myint said that he believed the Chinese people, in a united and cooperative spirit and under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, will successfully control the spread of the epidemic. Expressing his gratitude for China's efforts to guarantee the safety of Cambodians in China, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said his country will stand with China through thick and thin and the two will overcome the epidemic together. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said his country stands firmly with China. Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that the island state highly appreciates the openness, transparency and responsibility that China has shown in the battle against the epidemic. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said his country appreciates and supports China's decisive measures to prevent and control the epidemic outbreak. He hopes that Kazakhstan and China can strengthen coordination and overcome the common threat as early as possible. Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov thanked the country for taking good care of the Kyrgyz nationals in China and expected China to defeat the epidemic at an early date. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon wished all patients infected with the coronavirus a quick recovery and expressed confidence that the measures taken by the Chinese leadership and the government to contain the outbreak will achieve its anticipated outcome. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said his country is willing to work with China to tackle the epidemic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the Azerbaijani people stand united with the Chinese people and his country is willing to provide all necessary assistance to China. Italian President Sergio Mattarella wished those who contracted the virus a quick recovery. Italy stands ready to provide China with all forms of support that are conducive to dealing with the epidemic, he said. Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country highly appreciates China's quick and decisive measures. The bravery and solidarity manifested by the Chinese people have won respect from around the world, including in Poland, he said. Czech President Milos Zeman said his country stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chinese people to combat the epidemic and will provide aid within its capacity to the Chinese side. Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said she believes the Chinese side can get the epidemic under control soon, and that the Croatian people stand ready with the people of China. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia highly appreciates the national strength that China has displayed while encountering a daunting challenge. He firmly believes that China, under the leadership of President Xi, will conquer the epidemic. Maltese President George Vella said the Maltese people will go all out to support the Chinese government in fighting the epidemic. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said the Egyptian government and people will staunchly support China. He believes that China is capable of defeating the epidemic quickly. The Egyptian side will spare no effort to support China. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said China winning the battle against the coronavirus is just a question of time. President of Guinea Alpha Conde said his country will always remember the precious assistance and selfless help that China offered while Guinea was combating the outbreak of Ebola virus. He believes that the Chinese people will defeat the epidemic. President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said China's strong ability to mobilize and its open and transparent attitude to the international community means there's hope of completely controlling the epidemic. President of Seychelles Danny Faure said his country appreciates the triumphalism and strength of the Chinese government and people in face of the epidemic as well as China's commitment and efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. Amaravati, Feb 5 : Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's hopes of the Centre's intervention to prevent shifting of the state capital from Amaravati were dashed with the BJP-led government making it clear that it is the prerogative of the state to decide on its capital. The Leader of the Opposition and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President was hoping that the Centre will put a brake to Jagan Mohan Reddy government's move to develop three state capitals. "It is for each state to decide its capital within its territory," Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said during question hour in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He was replying to a question by TDP MP Galla Jaydev, who wanted to know the Centre's reaction to the state government's move. Jayadev also wanted to know whether the Centre would advise the state not to resort to such decisions which not only vitiate the investment climate but will also be a great loss to thousands of farmers who have given their land for construction of new capital Amaravati. The minister merely said the state government, through its order dated April 23, 2015, had notified Amaravati as the capital city. "Recently media reports have appeared indicating the state government's decision to create three capitals for the State of Andhra Pradesh. It is for each state to decide its capital within its territory," he said. The statement has come as a shot in the arm for the YSR Congress government, which has decided to develop Visakhapatnam and Kurnool as the capital cities in addition to Amaravati. With the decision to shift administrative capital functions to Visakhapatnam, the coastal city will become the main seat of governance for all practical purpose. The high court will be shifted to Kurnool while Amaravati will merely remain as a legislative capital. However, a day after the Centre made it stand clear, Naidu remarked that a state can choose its capital but it can't change it. He was addressing farmers of Amaravati, whose protest over the state government's three-capital move entered 50th day on Wednesday. Naidu wondered why the Centre washing its hands off when the state's move threatened to badly affect the interests of farmers who had given 33,000 acres of land for building the capital. The TDP chief was hopeful of Centre's intervention as Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had laid foundation for Amaravati in 2015. Amaravati was the brainchild of Naidu, who lost power to the YSRCP in the elections last year. Stating that the state lacks funds to develop a "grandiose" capital like Amaravati, Jagan Mohan Reddy mooted the decentralization of capital functions to ensure what he calls equitable development of all three regions. Last month, the state Assembly passed two Bills to create three state capitals. However, in the Legislative Council, dominated by the opposition, the Bills were referred to a select committee. Angered over the Council Chairman's move, the government passed a resolution in the Assembly, urging the Centre to abolish the upper House of the State Legislature. All opposition parties including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have opposed the shifting of the capital from Amaravati and criticized the move to abolish the Council. Three Rajya Sabha members of the TDP, who had defected to the BJP after the general elections, and actor Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena, which last month announced an alliance with the BJP, are hopeful that the Centre would not facilitate early passing of a Bill in the Parliament for abolishing the Council. A group of Amaravati farmers have already challenged the government's three-capital move in the high court. A Yomiuri Shimbun reporter has been arrested by Tokyo police for allegedly using stimulant drugs, police sources said Tuesday. Takeharu Ishibashi, 34, a Yomiuri reporter based in Chitose, Hokkaido, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. Ishibashi is suspected of using stimulants in Tokyo or surrounding areas of the capital sometime between mid-January and Monday. He has denied the allegations. According to the sources, Ishibashi was behaving suspiciously while walking in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward around 4:30 p.m. Monday. When police officers stopped him for questioning, they discovered items including a syringe in his belongings. His urine later tested positive for stimulants. Advertisement At least 33 rescue workers were killed and 53 injured by a second massive avalanche in Turkey today as they searched for two people missing in an earlier disaster that left five dead. The second tragedy struck as local volunteers helped to uncover a minibus that was buried under snow by last night's avalanche near the town of Bahcesaray. More than 300 rescue workers were scouring the mountainside for survivors when the second devastating avalanche hit at around midday (9am GMT). Rescue workers, including police officers, firefighter, and local residents were among the dead in today's avalanche and several others are still missing. Video from the scene shows at least three overturned vehicles at the bottom of a hill during a snow storm. Rescuers were climbing up steep banks of snow and others digging frantically with shovels and pick-axes to reach any survivors. Fog, heavy snow and strong winds were hampering the rescue efforts. Rescuers search for avalanche victims near Bahcesaray in Turkey today where a second disaster killed at least 33 people At least 33 rescue workers were killed by an avalanche today as they tried to find people missing in an earlier disaster The first avalanche last night buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus, killing five people and leaving two missing Rescue workers carry a casualty at the site of the second avalanche that struck today just hours after the first disaster Turkish soldiers and rescue workers battle through a blizzard as they carry a survivor hit by today's avalanche in Turkey The two avalanches struck near Bahcesaray, in south eastern Turkey, leaving at least 38 people dead and several missing Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said poor weather conditions in the area were making it extremely difficult for rescue vehicles to operate, adding that one vehicle had been pulled out from under 16 feet of snow. Among those confirmed dead were military police officers, government-paid village guards, firefighters and local residents who volunteered to help. Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said earlier as the death toll rose: 'Eight of our friends from the gendarmerie, three of the security guards, three of our firefighters and nine of our volunteer rescuers died.' Turkey's emergency and disaster management agency, the AFAD, said soon after that 33 bodies had now been recovered from the mass of snow on the steep slope. The second avalanche slammed into vehicles on a mountain road today and Turkish soldiers joined the rescue efforts Hundreds of emergency workers, soldiers and local volunteers are helping with the rescue efforts after the second avalanche Soldiers and emergency workers surround an overturned vehicle in Turkey today after it was hit by a second avalanche Tuesday night's first avalanche had buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus, killing five people and leaving two others missing. Minibus driver Bahattin Karagulle and seven passengers escaped alive. Mr Karagulle told how he was trapped under snow in his vehicle for nearly half an hour before he could escape and alert the emergency services. He said he eventually managed to smash a window and dig his way out from under the snow. Mr Karagulle then staggered towards a nearby village where he was picked up by a vehicle and managed to seek help. Rescue workers searched well into the night for the two missing people. But they were forced to postpone the operation at 1am due to adverse weather conditions, including fog and strong blizzards. The search continued this morning at 7am as the military flew in extra personnel and vehicles to help. Cg altnda kalan aracn icinde 11 kisi vard.. Metrelerce kar var ustunde..yuzlerce kisi arac aryorduk.. 6 saat sonra umitlerimiz kesilmek uzereyken 7 kisi sag ckt bu cehennemden.. pic.twitter.com/Z4hvad0lBV Affan Orhan (@Affanorhan) February 5, 2020 Search and rescue workers dig to find a vehicle buried under deep snow in the first avalanche that struck Turkey last night Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned the number of casualties could rise further. She said: 'The number of people who lost their lives may increase. We estimate that the number of injured people may increase as well.' The AFAD disaster agency sent dozens of rescue workers after the first avalanche to provide assistance to police officers, soldiers and firefighters. Local residents from the town and surrounding villages also joined the rescue efforts. The head agency's local head of operations Osman Ucar was among those injured. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said he was dragged along with an excavator that was toppled by the sliding snow. 'I was half-buried,' he said, adding that he managed to dig himself out and escape on his own. Rescue workers desperately search for survivors with a mechanical digger after last night's devastating avalanche in Turkey A snow-clearing vehicle and minibus were buried under snow by the first huge avalanche struck last night killing five people Rescue workers battle through fog and blizzards as they try to locate survivors buried in the second avalanche in Turkey today An upturned vehicle is buried under snow as rescuers frantically dig in search of survivors today after a second avalanche hit The AFAD said a military plane with 75 gendarmerie officers and other rescue officials was on its way from the capital Ankara. A spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that 'every tool available was mobilised.' Christian Berger, the EU ambassador to Turkey, offered his 'deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences' as did the US embassy to Turkey on Twitter. One of President Erdogan's advisers was reported to have been injured in the second avalanche. Gulsen Orhan, who lives in the area, was rushed to hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also said: 'Our president's consultant is among those who were rescued and sent to the hospital, I wish you to be well again, God bless you.' Hundreds of volunteers helped in the hunt for survivors after a second avalanche took the death toll to more than 20 victims Rescue workers in Turkey dig deep into the snow to reach victims buried in an avalanche in south eastern Turkey Tuesday night's first avalanche had buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus, killing five people and leaving two missing Emergency teams were continuing to search for more victims still buried under the snow, including members of the government's disaster response agency and its medical rescue team. Last month, the eastern province of Elazig was hit by a powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake, killing 41 people and injuring over 1,600 others. A 2009 avalanche in the northeastern province of Gumushane killed 11 climbers in the Zigana mountains. Hundreds of rescue workers were taking part in the search operation when the second avalanche struck today The second avalanche struck on Wednesday as 300 emergency workers were searching for two missing victims from the earlier disaster near the town of Bahcesaray, Turkey Armaan Jain's wedding with Anissa Malhotra was a grand Bollywood affair with many known names coming together to celebrate his big day. Yesterday, they hosted a grand reception where Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan were seen dancing their hearts out and burning the dance floor. In one of the videos, SRK and Gauri can be seen dancing to Saddi Gali from Tanu Weds Manu. They recreated the love story of Armaan Jain's parents Rima Jain and Manoj Jain through their performance. SRK also wore a fake moustache for his dance performance. In another video, Karan Johar also joined the couple and matched his steps with the two. After SRK and Gauri's dance video started going viral, fans started lauding their dance performance, calling them the real-life king and queen Viral Bhayani Viral Bhayani Viral Bhayani For Armaan Jain's wedding reception, Shah Rukh had worn a classic black outfit and Gauri Khan looked gorgeous in a silver gown. SRK and Gauri never fail to give us couple goals whenever they step out together and yesterday was no exception. Needless to say, the couple has had one of the longest-standing marriages in Bollywood ever since they tied the knot on October 25, 1991. And continue to set new couple goals even today. The couple have been married for 28 years and with each year, their bond has grown substantially. Though both Shah Rukh and Gauri are very private about their personal life, their chemistry is often seen at public events. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend: The Travel Business Azerbaijan 2020 event will be held at the Baku Convention Center on April 29, Trend reports on Feb. 5 referring to the Baku Convention Center. Over 1,000 guests from 50 countries, including the Middle Eastern and European countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, India, Pakistan, Japan and Korea, will participate in the event, which is organized for the first time by the State Tourism Agency and the Azerbaijan Tourism Board. The event is considered as an important platform for promoting the country's tourism opportunities. The event is aimed at building cooperation and partnership among local and foreign travel agencies and stimulating the development of relations among them. During the event, B2B meetings, seminars for the companies will be held, conditions for the presentation of services will be created. Detention extension order against three Baring Vostok case defendants vacated RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:23 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Wednesday overturned a court order extending detention of three defendants in the Baring Vostok case, the courts press service told RAPSI. An investigators motion to extend detention of the investment funds partner Vagan Abgaryan, Chief Investment Officer Ivan Zyuzin and CEO of the First Collector Bureau Maxim Vladimirov until February 13 will be repeatedly considered by the Basmanny District Court of Moscow. According to the investigation, Baring Vostok founder, U.S. citizen Michael Calvey, who stands charged with embezzlement, knowing about a 2.5-billion-ruble debt of the First Collector Bureau, a firm under his control, has organized the sale of its shares to Vostochny bank that has led to embezzlement. The Investigative Committee claims that he committed a crime that could not be classified as business crime because he used a chain of sham companies settling the deal. Moreover, investigators say they have a PricewaterhouseCoopers audit report on the done deal estimating the sold shares at 600,000 rubles, which indicates an instance of fraud. Calvey denies allegations insisting that the deal was fair as both companies agreed its terms and stood for it, including a person reporting an alleged crime to law enforcement bodies. He noted that a report has been filed with police by a member of Vostochny bank board of directors Sherzod Yusupov. According to Calvey, the real reason of his prosecution is a wide corporate dispute related to the control of the bank by two groups of shareholders: Baring Vostok and stockholders coming from Uniastrum bank, which was reorganized and joined to Vostochny in early 2017. Baring Vostok company founded by Calvey in 1994 focuses on private equity investments in the CIS and Russia. The company has invested in shares of Yandex, Vkusvill, Tinkoff Bank and other major projects. OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dark Heart Nursery (DHN), a leading California based cannabis genomics, diagnostics and applied biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the opening of their brand new 70,000 sq. ft facility this Spring. Dark Heart Nursery (DHN), a leading California based cannabis genomics, diagnostics and applied biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the opening of a new 70,000 sq. ft square foot production and research nursery facility in Half Moon Bay, California. Capitalizing on the success of their Oakland California facility, Dark Heart is aggressively investing in plant science. The company's recent discovery of Hop Latent Viroid in cannabis is driving robust demand for clean plants across California. The Half Moon Bay facility will enable Dark Heart to meet the continued and growing demand for its disease-free, premium genetic material by both retail and commercial customers. Dark Heart was the first company to identify and eradicate the devastating Hop Latent Viroid (HpLVd) pathogen. As a result of increasing awareness of the disease, there is growing demand throughout California for diagnostic / curative services and clean outsourced genetics. The facility will help address that need. Since its inception over 12 years ago, Dark Heart has gained an unparalleled reputation for its high-quality cannabis plants. Among other achievements, Dark Heart was the first cannabis nursery to incorporate tissue culture technology into its plant production systems, ensuring high-quality clean plants. In recent years they've pioneered new value-adding product configurations such as seedlings, and teens. They also offer a broad selection of plants to home growers through retail dispensaries. "Here at Dark Heart, we strive to support industry & consumer growth and success. As our customers look to grow and diversify their businesses, Dark Heart provides solutions to help customers achieve their goals, bringing new opportunities for us and our customers." said Dan Grace , CEO. "We are very much looking forward to our new Half Moon Bay production facility which will allow us to more successfully meet the needs of large scale producers throughout California, and allowing us to introduce new product lines to meet the ever-changing needs of California's cultivation economy. This facility represents a significant milestone in Dark Heart's core mission to help farmers thrive." In addition to its core production capability, the new facility will be home to the company's emerging plant breeding program, where Dark Heart will produce new standout varieties and seed stock. The Dark Heart team includes a well-rounded group of scientific professionals, business leaders, horticulturalists and industry veterans who are dedicated to driving Cannabis innovation forward. This facility represents a significant milestone in the team's core mission to empower farmers to thrive. About Dark Heart Nursery: Dark Heart's mission is to empower growers to thrive by pioneering innovative products and services. Dark Heart is one of California's oldest and most respected cannabis brands, having garnered a reputation over the past 12 years for their high-quality clones. Headquartered In Oakland, California, the company employs over 60 people at four locations. Dark Heart is focused on research, plant genetics and pathology to ensure its customers are afforded high-quality, pest and disease-free, plants. Dark Heart also offers diagnostic and curative services for the HpLVd viroid and other plant pathogens. For additional information please visit www.darkheartnursery.com . MEDIA CONTACT: Elana Cohen [email protected] 847-997-4404 SOURCE Dark Heart Nursery Related Links http://www.darkheartnursery.com New Delhi, Feb 5 : After having a rough tenure with the BJP at the Centre, the AAP again aims to reach out to the saffron party as close to half of its manifesto promises cannot be fulfilled without the Centre's support. From the total 28 point manifesto released on Tuesday, 12 announcements will need the cooperation and coordination from the Centre to be implemented fully. In nine of its announcements, the AAP said it will put "pressure" on the Centre or "pursue" it. While the manifesto does not spell it out, another three of its promises will require the Centre's cooperation for completion. While the Jan Lokpal Bill, Swaraj Bill and the demand for a full statehood have made it back to the manifesto, the party have also said that it will develop Yamuna riverside with Centre's help and will put "pressure" on the government to stop sealing drives in the city. While the Jan Lokpal Bill, passed by the Delhi Assembly in 2015 is still pending with the Centre, the Swaraj Bill was rejected by the Lt. Governor. "AAP resolves to continue its struggle to get the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill passed by the Central government... We will pursue with the Centre to bring in a strong Delhi Swaraj Bill that will formalise the roles and responsibilities of Mohalla Sabhas and ensure adequate funds and functions in the hands of the community," the manifesto said. The demand for full statehood for Delhi will also need Centre's help as it will require a Constitutional amendment. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, while releasing the manifesto on Tuedsay, had said that it has been created keeping in mind the idea of a progressive capital. "We cannot do it alone, we need participation and support from the people, from the Centre, and all the agencies in creating a Delhi of our dreams." However, in the last five years, the clash between the Centre and the AAP government was known to all and have even brought the administration to deadlock after Kejriwal along with his three Cabinet Ministers went for a sit-in at the Raj Niwas for the LG's approval on a file for 10 days. The situation improved after the July 4, 2018 verdict of the Supreme Court which restored the powers with the city government. The manifesto also talks about protection from sealing. "We will continue to take all legal and administrative measures to put pressure on the Central government, DDA, and MCD to not allow sealing of industries or shops and ensure that the sealed shops are opened." The AAP said along with reviving the Yamuna river, it will work together with the Central government to develop a beautiful riverside along its banks. "This will play a big role in maintaining the Yamuna Eco-System and in creating a new tourist destination for Delhi." The AAP has said that it will pursue the Central government to ensure full ownership rights with freehold status for residents of resettlement colonies. It also said that the "Central government has still not regularised and changed the land-use of unauthorised colonies. AAP will continue to put pressure on the Central government to ensure all of Delhi's unauthorised colonies get regularized and homeowners get proper registries for their houses". The Arvind Kejriwal-led party also said it will simplify the criteria for the OBC Certificate. "The current requirement of having an address proof of Delhi from or before 1993 for being eligible for an OBC certificate is retrograde. We will pursue the Central government to replace this with the requirement of an address proof in Delhi for the past five years." Another promise which will need Centre's support will be giving language status to Bhojpuri. "We shall pursue with Central government for Bhojpuri language to be included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India." The AAP will also pursue the Central government to amend Sections 33 and 81 of the Delhi Land Reform Act to remove the "unjust restrictions on farmers' rights on their land and so that they can use it as per their wishes". AAP, in the manifesto, has promised to give world's largest metro network to the city, without mentioning the Centre's role in it. The Centre and Delhi governments are equal owners of the DMRC and any decision on extension will require both to be on the same page. "We will extend Delhi's metro network to 500 km making it one of the world's largest metro networks and will connect several new areas such as Burari, Kirari, Bijwasan, Narela, Karawal Nagar, Mangolpuri and others," the manifesto said. Also, the AAP promised for round-the-clock markets in the city on pilot basis and while the Centre may not have any role in it, the AAP government will require close coordination and a working relationship with the police, which comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Apart from these 12 promises, the AAP has also promised the doorstep delivery of ration, which was also stalled by the Delhi LG. However, a party leader confirmed that the party has all the approval for it now and will be able to implement it in the first year and Centre does not have any role in this now. Delhi is going for polls on February 8. (Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in) - Alban Bagbin has assured President Akufo-Addo of his support as he is determined to develop the country - On behalf of the chiefs and people of his constituency, he showed his commitment to the Presidents vision to develop the area Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has assured President Akufo-Addo of his support as he is determined to develop the country. The Nadwoli-Kaleo MP on behalf of the chiefs and people of his constituency showed his commitment to the presidents vision to develop the area through the implementation of various projects. The MP, who speaking at the sod cutting for the construction of two solar power plants in Kaleo and Lawra, made this known. READ ALSO: Defunct UT bank boss Kofi Amoabeng freed of all charges I want to congratulate His Excellency for and on behalf of our people and to assure him that we are solidly behind the government and any other government that is committed to developing the good people of Ghana, he disclosed. He expressed gratitude to the president for continuing with the project which had been initiated since 2012. I want to thank the president for continuing with this project. His Excellency could have decided not to complete had been initiated since 2012 which preparation took a long time and is now seeing the light of the day, he said. READ ALSO: 64.9% Ghanaians want new voters' register - UG survey reveals In other news, a survey conducted by Ghanas premier university has revealed that 64.9% of Ghanaians are in support of the compilation of a new voters register. According to the survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana majority of Ghanaians are in full support of the ECs decision for a new register. In all 27,500 respondents were asked. The Electoral Commission intends to compile a new voters register. Do you agree?. The survey reported noted that respondents from all 16 regions of Ghana supported the ECs decision, with the Upper East Region leading with 79.45% of the 1,499 respondents. READ ALSO: We'd campaign against political parties who are not committed to ending vigilantism - Catholic Bishops This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh CONCORD The rapidly developing township has taken steps to preserve what is increasingly becoming a rare and controversial commodity: open space At its regular Feb. 4 meeting, township council approved a resolution to engage in an agreement of sale with Elizabeth and Salvatore Carilla to preserve approximately two acres of vacant land for township open space. The move, which will cost the township $75,000, expands Concord Townships preserve to more than 300 acres of protected open space and furthers councils commitment to keeping open space a priority. The parcel is zoned Planned Residential Development and was proposed for a development to include four townhomes and two single-family homes. Township residents adjacent to the parcel voiced strong opposition of the proposed development, located at the corner of Pyle Road and Naamans Creek Road. Council reacted to the sentiment among residents and reacted quickly when the Carilla family approached them about land preservation. The preservation of this land is important because the tract contains the headwaters of Concord Creek. It also is is identified as a core habitat of significance in the countys Natural Heritage Inventory and contributes to the overall view shed in this area of the township. The township is purchasing approximately 1.8 acres of this parcel for $75,000 while the other .5 acre containing a single-family home will remain with the Carilla family. The township is planning to maintain its portion of the parcel in a natural wooded state in order to continue to protect the watershed area at the headwaters of Concord Creek. In a press release, Concord Township officials expressed gratitude to the Carilla family for working together to preserve this land, the view shed and natural resources. We welcome and encourage property owners to talk with the township about preservation and were very happy that Sal reached out, said council President Dominic Pileggi, who led the work to acquire the tract. We were able to work out a solution that was good for the owners and the community. The township is in the process of updating its comprehensive Open Space Plan through grant monies received by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources. Council is committed to expanding its township-owned open space and is currently engaged in preservation discussions with multiple landowners. In 2019, Concord Township preserved over 20 acres through fee-simple acquisition and deed restrictions. The township has for years been the scene of one of the most intense open-space battles in the region as residents have attempted to thwart repeated efforts to develop the Beaver Valley tract off Route 202. For further information on open space & trail efforts in Concord Township please visit the Townships website at www.townshipofconcord.com. Around the world, fireflies light up the night with their shimmering bodies. But scientists say this magical display is under threat with the loss of their natural habitats, pesticide use and artificial light putting some of the 2,000 or so species at risk of extinction. Habitat loss is leading to the decline of many wildlife species, with some fireflies suffering because they need certain environmental conditions to complete their life cycle, said Sara Lewis, a professor of biology at Tufts University, who led the research published Monday in the journal Bioscience. For example, she said, one Malaysian firefly (Pteroptyx tener), famous for its synchronized flashing displays, needs mangroves and the plants they contain to breed but across Malaysia mangrove swamps have been converted into palm oil plantations and aquaculture farms. More surprisingly, the researchers found that the use of artificial light at night, something that has grown exponentially over the past century, was the second most serious threat to the creatures. Artificial light includes both direct lighting, such as street lights and commercial signs, and skyglow, a more diffuse illumination that spreads beyond urban centers and can be brighter than a full moon. SHANGHAI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Opening up his suitcases, Jeffery S. Lehman, vice chancellor of Shanghai New York University (NYU Shanghai), handed out various medical materials to his faculty members, including protective clothing, sterile gloves and digital thermometers. Lehman returned to China from New York earlier this month and brought these materials to Shanghai to help prevent the novel coronavirus on campus. During his stay in New York, he had been following the progress of the epidemic. To help ensure the health of students and faculty members, he filled up his suitcases with various medical supplies. By 10:00 a.m. Monday, no cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the university. "Everyone cares about China," said Lehman. "People all around the world are concerned about the coronavirus outbreak. Greatly touched by the commitment of Chinese people on the frontline of the epidemic battle, Lehman said many of his American friends are eager to help. According to the statistics of the Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, there are more than 200,000 foreigners living and working in Shanghai. As China ramps up the fight against the infectious disease, these foreign residents also joined in the battle. Some helped translate health tips from Chinese to English to alert other foreigners in Shanghai, while some choose to share foreign experts' analysis of the epidemic with Chinese netizens. Afu Thomas, a German living in Shanghai and also an internet celebrity on Bilibili, a Chinese online video sharing platform, uploaded a video of his interview with Rolf Hilgenfeld, professor at Lubeck University, to give audiences some advice on disease prevention. The Ronghua Neighborhood, known as "a pocket United Nations" in Shanghai, homes more than 16,000 foreign residents from over 50 countries and regions. Some foreigners who have been to the epidemic-hit areas during the Spring Festival holiday are under isolation observation at home. Sakai, a Japanese resident in the neighborhood, had just returned to Shanghai from a business trip to Wuhan before the Spring Festival. He was under home quarantine along with his family members, expressing understanding of the measure. "It is an effective prevention and control measure against the epidemic, and there is nothing to worry about," Sakai said. During the isolation observation period, Sakai said he deeply felt the love from Shanghai residents to foreigners like him. "I am very grateful to the medical workers and the neighborhood volunteers who provide food delivery and psychological counseling services to us," Sakai said. "It is still reassuring to live in Shanghai." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:05:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close WARSAW, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The speaker of the Polish Sejm (lower house) announced on Wednesday that the first round of presidential elections in Poland will take place on May 10, and if a second round is needed, it will happen on May 24. An opinion poll by research firm IBRiS, reported by Polish media, showed that incumbent President Andrzej Duda would have the biggest chance of winning the elections. According to the poll, 42 percent of respondents said they would vote for Duda, compared to 26 percent for Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, the candidate of the Civic Coalition, the largest opposition force. All other candidates who announced their participation in the first round of presidential elections could have below 10 percent of votes. The numbers indicate that Duda would even have a chance of winning from the first round. If he couldn't, most of the opposition candidates would be likely to back Kidawa-Blonska in the second round, making it a tight race. According to the poll, around 58 percent of Poles would be planning to take part in the elections and about 8 percent are still undecided. The 10 Least-Reported Humanitarian Crises Of 2019 Out of the top 10 most under-reported humanitarian crises in the world last year - many of them climate-related - nine were on the African continent, according to a new report. Madagascar had the least-reported crisis in the study - entitled "Suffering in Silence" - released Tuesday by CARE International, as 2.6 million people in the country are affected by chronic drought which has left more than 900,000 in immediate need of food assistance. Does a crisis really happen if it is not in the headlines? YES. In 2019, over 50 million people suffered in silence CARE's new global report on the 10 most underreported #humanitarian crises of 2019 >> https://t.co/Ob8so9i96Y#SufferingInSilence #ForgottenCrisis pic.twitter.com/P1rtANH2RC CARE International (@CAREGlobal) January 28, 2020 Out of 24 million online media articles examined by CARE International, just 612 reports were about the humanitarian emergency in Madagascar - and the country was just the most extreme example of the international community's neglect of the world's second-most populous continent. An aid worker speaks with two women in Madagascar/Clement Radar, CARE "In 2019, over 51 million people suffered in 10 crises away from the public eye," the report says. "Although for the average person on Earth, life is better today than ever before, around 2% of the global population (160 million people) will require $28.8 billion in humanitarian assistance to survive. This is a fivefold increase of needs since 2007." With 80% of Madagascar's population engaged in agriculture, the climate crisis and resulting drought has caused damage to many families' livelihoods. Food shortages brought on by chronic drought conditions also led to Madagascar having the fourth-highest rate of malnutrition in the world, making it easier for diseases like measles to infect over 100,000 people in 2019. The hunger crisis in #Madagascar is completely off the media radar. Yet over 916,000 people are in need of food aid. #SufferingInSilence REPORT >> https://t.co/Ob8so9i96Y#ForgottenCrisis @CAREMadagascar pic.twitter.com/apDN6Cc0hl CARE International (@CAREGlobal) January 28, 2020 CARE International noted that millions of people in Africa are "suffering in silence" even as the climate crisis gains more international attention, thanks to grassroots climate activists like Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion, and students all over the world - including across Africa - who have led climate marches over the past year. "The increased public attention for the global climate crisis is encouraging, but we must ensure that the conversation is not limited to the Global North and much-needed transformations there," said Sally Austin, head of emergency operations for CARE International. "It is shocking to see how little media reporting there is about human suffering related to global warming in the South, the lack of political action to address this injustice, and solutions applied to ease the burden for communities." Other crises in Africa that have been intensified by the climate crisis include Zambia's droughts, which left 2.3 million people in need of food assistance, and a mix of extreme drought and flooding in Kenya. In southern Africa, where Zambia lies, temperatures are rising at two times the global rate. The pattern has contributed to a sharp drop in wheat and maize crops as well as in safe drinking water in much of the country. Hungry and forgotten: In Zambia, over 40 % of children under the age of five are stunted. RT to break the silence. #SufferingInSilence REPORT >> https://t.co/Ob8so9zJYw#ForgottenCrisis @care_zambia pic.twitter.com/ZH3xp5TCkQ CARE International (@CAREGlobal) January 28, 2020 Daily life for many in Zambia illustrates what climate leaders mean when they warn that people in frontline communities - who have contributed the least to the climate crisis - are suffering the most. "The drought has placed additional hardships and risks on women as they cope with the changing climate," the report says. "For example, some women now report waking up as early as 3 a.m. in order to be the first to collect the scarce water available and then spend all day searching for food. Many have resorted to collecting whatever wild fruits they can find to feed their families." In Kenya, rainfall in 2019 was at least 20% below average, and as CARE International says, "When there is not too little rainfall, there is far too much." "Heavy rains displaced tens of thousands of people during the fall months and destroyed farmland and livestock," the report says. "This worsened an already dire food situation in the country." A paradise for tourists, but also a forgotten crisis. Weather extremes put people on the edge of survival in #Kenya. Over 500,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.#SufferingInSilence REPORT >> https://t.co/Ob8so9zJYw #ForgottenCrisis pic.twitter.com/kBJPCXszqM CARE International (@CAREGlobal) January 28, 2020 North Korea is the only country on CARE's list that isn't in Africa; other underreported emergencies are taking place in Eritrea, Central African Republic, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and the countries of the Lake Chad Basin - made up of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. None of the countries on the list were covered in more than about 9,000 media articles all over the world throughout 2019. Armed conflicts are major drivers of humanitarian crises in several African countries. CARE's report notes that the climate crisis is worsening political and economic instability across the continent. "We're seeing increasing linkages between the effects of man-made climate change and the longevity and complexity of humanitarian crises," said Austin. "From Madagascar to Lake Chad to North Korea, the majority of crises ranked in our report are partly a consequence of declining natural resources, increasing extreme weather events and global warming more broadly." The report notes that three of the least-reported crises in the world are also on the United Nations' list of the least-funded international emergencies. With this in mind, CARE says, media outlets and humanitarian groups can help to close the gaps by considering "reporting as a form of aid." "Crises that are neglected are also often the most underfunded and protracted," the report says. "With close links between public awareness and funding, it needs to be acknowledged that generating attention is a form of aid in itself. As such, humanitarian funding should include budget lines to raise public awareness, particularly in low-profile countries." This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. - Comments welcome. Permalink Posted on January 29, 2020 Jurors find defendant in Moscow metro policeman murder case guilty TASS, Maxim Grigoryev 00:07 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) Jurors have issued a guilty verdict against a former employee of Rot Front confectionery Nurlan Muratov charged with killing a police officer at a Moscow metro station, a RAPSI correspondent has reported from the Moscow City Court. Earlier, during the trial, Muratov disassociated himself from committing the crime during. The defendant said that he did not know what had happened in a room, where the police officer had been killed, who had shot and who else had been there. According to his testimony, he was feared for his life and left the room. He also added that he had never born arms. Charges have been brought against the native of the Kyrgyz Republic over infringement on the life of a law enforcement officer. He received Russian citizenship illegally, "through an acquaintance", as the defendant said, according to investigators. Investigators claim that late in the evening on September 2, 2018, a police officer stopped a person for checking documents. Later, the policemans body with a firearm wound to the head was found in one of maintenance rooms at the Kurskaya metro station. He was put in detention on a court order. (Kitco News) U.S. Mint gold coin sales saw a strong recovery in January after the weakest year on record in 2019. The big story last year was contrasting sales between The Perth Mint of Australia, which saw a surge in gold coin sales, and the U.S. Mint, which reported dwindling sales throughout the year. The latest data from the U.S. Mint, however, show a significant recovery with gold coin sales beginning the year with a bang. Important to note when looking at these numbers is that January is traditionally the strongest month of the year for the U.S. Mint. A total of 60,000 ounces of the gold American Eagle coins were sold in January, which is a staggering increase of 2,900% from the previous month that saw only 2,000 ounces sold, according to the U.S. Mint data. This also marked the most ounces sold on a monthly basis since January 2019, which stood at 65,000. From the silver side of things, the U.S. Mint sold a total of 3,846,000 one-ounce American Eagle coins in January, which is a massive uptick from zero ounces sold in December and 463,000 ounces sold in November. In comparison, The Perth Mint reported selling 48,299 ounces of gold coins and minted bars in January, which is 39% lower than the December total of 78,912 ounces sold. The gold price likely had nothing to do with a surge in sales in January as the yellow metal started the year off on a strong note, with spot gold briefly trading above $1,600 an ounce at the beginning of January. In 2019, U.S. gold coin sales struggled as the U.S. Mint reported the worst year on record in terms of the American Eagle gold coins sales despite gold seeing the best year in nearly a decade. A total of 152,000 ounces of the gold American Eagle coins were sold in 2019, which is 38% less than in 2018, according to the latest U.S. Mint data. This marked the lowest sales on record since the U.S. Mint began recording the figures in 1986. Sales of silver American Eagle coins were the worst since 2007, with only 14,863,500 ounces sold in 2019, down from the already weak figure of 15,700,000 reported in 2018. In 2007, sales were only at 9,887,000 ounces. One of the reasons for the higher gold price and weak bullion demand was investors choosing to hold gold in other forms, such as gold-backed ETFs and futures, according to analysts. It was mainly professionals, hedgers and you had a lot of buying from South America, RBC Wealth Management managing director George Gero told Kitco News back in December. Money that normally could have gone into gold coins ended up going into gold ETFs or gold futures. The Perth Mint, on the other hand, attributed its 2019 year-end surge in gold coin sales to Germany, which was behind most of the purchases. Gold coin and minted gold bar sales from December showed a 45% uptick compared to the previous month. There was a total of 78,912 ounces of gold coins and minted bars sold in December, marking the highest monthly increase since October 2016, The Perth Mint said in December. The year-over-year comparison shows that sales were up 170%. We were happily surprised by the numbers in December. Just bear in mind, most of these sales have actually gone into Germany, Neil Vance, Group Manager Minted Products at The Perth Mint, told Kitco News. Germany had a new law that came into effect on January 10, which limited the anonymous gold purchase buying from EUR 10,000 to EUR 2,000. That may explain part of the reason why December was quite large, Vance said. The first fatality from China's new virus would come to represent a common set of traits among most of those who have died of the disease: he was over the age of 60 and in poor health. Since China reported the emergence of a new coronavirus in December, the SARS-like disease has infected more than 20,400 people and killed 425. So far, 80 percent of victims were elderly individuals aged 60 or above and 75 percent had pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. The mortality rate also stood at 2.1 percent, the commission noted -- much lower than the nearly 10 percent who lost their lives to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003, when nearly 800 people died worldwide. Over 97 percent of victims from the new virus hailed from central Hubei province, where a market that sold wild animals in the capital city, Wuhan, is believed to be the epicentre of the epidemic. Chinese government records also list at least five victims under 60 -- with the youngest a 36-year-old man from Wuhan. The death rate outside Hubei is 0.16 percent, officials said. Only two fatalities have been reported outside mainland China so far -- a 39-year-old man in Hong Kong who had travelled to Wuhan and a Chinese traveller from Wuhan who died in the Philippines. China's National Health Commission (NHC) reported on Tuesday that there were 632 recoveries nationwide. Of the 20,400 confirmed cases, the youngest is a one-month-old baby from the southern region of Guizhou and the oldest is 90. Here's what we know so far about the deaths: Most victims were over 60 According to details released by health officials, the victims to die of the virus were between 36 and 89 years old. At least five were under the age of 60. The youngest victim, a 36-year old man from Wuhan, was hospitalised on January 9 and died of heart failure two weeks later, Hubei health authorities said, without offering details on whether he had any pre-existing medical conditions. Among those who have been discharged from the hospital were younger patients, including a 35-year-old man from Shenzhen, a bustling tech hub in southern Guangdong province. He was released from the hospital on Thursday, according to the local health commission, as well as the 10-year-old boy who had visited relatives in Wuhan before falling ill. State-run Beijing satellite TV reported Sunday that a nine-month old girl infected by the virus in Beijing was also recovering. Many had pre-existing health conditions Many of those who died from the virus also had pre-existing health issues before contracting the Wuhan disease, such as diabetes and hypertension. One man, an 86-year-old who was hospitalised on January 9, had surgery for colon cancer four years prior, on top of suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. Another, an 80-year-old woman surnamed Hu, had Parkinson's Disease and more than 20 years of high blood pressure and diabetes in her medical history. Not all of them had a fever Currently, health authorities in several cities are screening passengers for fever at airports, railway stations, and bus terminals. But not all those who died after being infected reported a fever before being hospitalised, according to the NHC. A 66-year-old man surnamed Luo reported a "mainly dry cough" but no fever on December 22 before suffering from shortness of breath more than a week later. By mid-January, Luo required a ventilator to help him breathe. "A major concern is the range of severity of symptoms this virus is causing," said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. "It is clear some people are being affected and are infectious while experiencing only very mild symptoms or possibly without experiencing symptoms at all," he said. Two deaths outside mainland China A 39-year-old man in Hong Kong who had the virus died Tuesday, the city's Hospital Authority said. It was the second outside mainland China after the Philippines reported Sunday the death of a man from Wuhan. The death of the 39-year-old man in Hong Kong came as the semi-autonomous city closed all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland to slow the spread of the virus. Hong Kong media said the man had underlying health issues that complicated his treatment. He had visited Wuhan last month. Hong Kong has been particularly on edge over the virus as it has revived memories of the SARS outbreak of 2002-03, which killed nearly 300 people in the financial hub and 349 people in the mainland. Town planning authority MMRDA on Wednesday said it has terminated contracts awarded to engineering firms Simplex Infrastructure and MBZ-RCC over slow rate of progress on metro line construction. While Simplex was awarded the contract for constructing 12.7 km of the metro Line 2B on January 9, 2018 at a cost of Rs 1,080 crore, MBZ-RCC had been appointed for construction of an elevated corridor and the depot. "We had issued repeated reminders through letters to expedite the progress. However, the contractors failed to show any progress and therefore, we have terminated the contracts," Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said in a statement. The authority had issued more than 15 letters regarding the slow rate of work progress and five letters to resolve the issue of pending payments to the vendors as well as staff. "We also issued more than five letters to resolve frequent labour strikes. However, despite repeated notices, there was literally no progress at the site during the last four-five months," it said. As per the contract with Simplex, the expected progress from them in 30 months was 65 per cent. However, the contractor showed as little as 5.07 per cent progress in almost 25 months. "MBZ-RCC was awarded a contract worth Rs 521.21 crore on April 12, 2018, for constructing 5.9 km route of the Line 2B corridor. The expected rate of progress from the contractor was 60 per cent in 30 months. However, they could only complete 4.48 per cent of work in more than 21 months," it said. As far as Mandale depot is concerned, MMRDA had awarded the depot construction contract to MBZ-RCC for Rs 390.44 crore on January 19, 2018, at an expected progress of 50 per cent in 36 months. However, only 6.98 per cent work was done in almost 25 months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TechnipFMC, global leader in subsea, onshore/offshore, and surface projects, played host to HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister, during his visit to the company's office in Rome, Italy. The meeting took place on the sidelines of His Royal Highness official visit to the Italian Republic, reported BNA. Upon arrival at TechnipFMC, HRH the Crown Prince and his accompanying delegation were welcomed by Douglas J. Pferdehirt, Chairman and CEO. During the discussion, HRH the Crown Prince outlined Bahrains progress towards achieving its energy goals, recognising it as an essential component of the kingdoms long-term development plans, which are being led by HM King Hamad. In this regard, HRH the Crown Prince highlighted significant modernisation projects that are currently underway across the kingdoms oil and gas sector, most notably Bahrain Petroleum Companys (Bapco) modernisation programme (BMP), which is the largest project in the countrys history, stated the BNA report. He also pointed out that Bahrain continued to deliver sustainable growth by repositioning its economy as a smart-oil economy and emphasised that investing in technological innovation in the oil and gas industry broaden investment opportunities and strengthen the national economy. HRH the Crown Prince concluded by underlining that increasing collaboration in the oil and gas industry presents a unique opportunity to boost economic growth and further strengthen Bahraini-Italian cooperation, it stated. Later, HRH the Crown Prince was briefed on the TechnipFMCs strategy and BMPs progress, who then went on to meet the ambitious Bahraini engineers training with Technip FMC, it added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:23:30|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Long March-5B carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in southern China's Hainan Province Wednesday after a week of ocean and rail transport, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The rocket will take part in a joint rehearsal with the prototype of the Chinese space station's core module at the Wenchang Space Launch Center. It is scheduled to make its maiden flight and launch the prototype of China's new manned spaceship in April. The Long March-5B is a modified version of Long March-5 rocket and will be China's first 1.5-stage large carrier rocket, according to Wang Jue, chief commander of the Long March-5 rocket. The rocket is 53.7 meters long, with a diameter of five meters and a liftoff weight of 849 tonnes. It uses pollution-free propellant including liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene. It has a carrying capacity of more than 22 tonnes in low-Earth orbit. It has the largest carrying capacity in low-Earth orbit among all Chinese rockets. Plane Turns Around, Flies Back to Canada After Passenger Claims to Have Coronavirus: Police A plane had to turn around and fly 1,000 miles back home because a man on board claimed to have caught the Wuhan coronavirus. On Monday, a WestJet flight from Toronto, Canada, to Montego Bay, Jamaica, turned around after a man declared that he had contracted coronavirus. The Peel Regional Police said James Potok, 28, was charged with criminal mischief after he stood up and announced that he had been to China and has the coronavirus, which was shared with the pilots and flight crew. A decision was then made to return the flight to Pearson Airport. The man was assessed by medical staff upon arrival and was declared coronavirus-free, according to police. The man was charged and is due in court in March. WestJet told the CBC that the crew followed safety protocols. We were just over Florida and all of a sudden we felt the plane do a pretty dramatic turn, Julie-Anne Broderick told CBC News. We were flying in the opposite direction all of a sudden and it said our final destination was back in Toronto. So we were very confused and worried. The man, she said, was taking a selfie and told passengers that he was diagnosed with coronavirus. The flight attendants came, gave him a mask and gloves and just told him that he had to move to the back of the plane, she said. Broderick noted that the captain told passengers that he believes the entire incident was a hoax. I guess this guy thought it was a funny joke but its just really weird. We were all very frustrated, to just displace 240 people. Its just so selfish. Weve lost a day of our vacation, she was quoted by the broadcaster as saying. There were 243 passengers on the plane. Meanwhile, two other flights were canceled due to the incident, the broadcaster reported. On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened an emergency response group to discuss the coronavirus outbreak in China and efforts to curb the spreading to the virus in his country. The government remains fully engaged on the issue, and will do all that is necessary to ensure the safety of Canadians, both at home and abroad, Trudeau said in a statement after the meeting. A chartered plane will also be flown to Chinese coronavirus epicenter Wuhan, in Hubei Province, to evacuate Canadian nationals there. And as of Tuesday, five people had tested positive for the mysterious new virus in Canada. Three patients have been confirmed in Toronto and two in Vancouver. In the United States, there have been 11 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Arizona. WUHAN, China In the mornings, Wuhan is so quiet that bird calls sound down once busy streets. Stray dogs trot in the middle of empty expressways. Residents wrapped in masks creep out of their homes, anxiety flitting across their eyes. They line up at hospitals overwhelmed by a virus that most had not heard of until a few weeks ago. They line up outside pharmacies despite the door signs declaring they have sold out of protective masks, disinfectant, surgical gloves and thermometers. They line up to buy rice, fruit and vegetables from food stores that keep operating, while nearly all other shops are closed. Then they shuffle home to wait out this 21st-century siege. The unluckiest ones lie at home or in a hospital, stricken by pneumonia fevers that could spell death linked to coronavirus 2019-nCoV. Id never heard of this thing called a coronavirus before, said Sun Ansheng, a man in his 50s who the other day was sitting on the steps outside Hankou Hospital in Wuhan, where his feverish wife was being treated as a suspected victim of the coronavirus. But now its in my mind as soon as I wake up. CHESHIRE, Ore. -- Eugene-based Emerald Broadband has expanded its reach to the city of Cheshire in hopes of bridging gaps and making high-speed service a possibility for all. The internet service provider is working to introduce fiber optics to rural areas, and many residents feel that Emerald is a company they can trust. "I get on the computer, and I don't have to wait for it to buffer back and forth, Cheshire resident Donald Hall said. I get my response right away. Services provided by Emerald Broadband range in price. Packages begin at $35 per month for a 25 mbps connection and $50 for a 100 mbps connection. For those who cannot afford traditional prices and are in need of service, the company is able to help out by providing them with 25 mbps of connection. Raymond Hardman is the CEO and owner of Emerald Broadband. He was born and raised in Oregon and said that he wants children to be able to compete at the same level. Our lowest price point still stands if the family is on the free and reduced lunch program in their district, Hardman said. We provide Internet for free to that house while their students or children are in school. This is so they have the opportunity, and it doesn't cost them. They can use that money to pay for more food, more writing utensils or the things that are necessary that you have to pay for. Hardman has noticed that access to technology plays a key role and allows the community to communicate at a greater level. Ultimately, my hope is to see growth in the community, Hardman said. This is kind of a foundational technology that enables all of our industries to improve and be more modernized and more efficient. For more information about how you can have fiber optics installed in your home, click here. While viruses and bacteria regularly manage to infect the human organism, fungi only very rarely succeed. The reason for this is that the human immune system can recognize them very easily because their cells are surrounded by a solid cell wall of chitin and other complex sugars. Chitin is, so to speak, the alarm signal for our immune system, to which it reacts with a whole arsenal of defensive weapons. Some fungi, however, have apparently learned to avoid this fatal recognition: They possess one or more enzymes called chitin deacetylase, which they use to alter some of the chitin building blocks. This produces a chitosan, which is invisible to the immune system. A particularly aggressive fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, which can easily lead to a fatal infection, particularly in immunocompromised patients, has four genes that appear to encode such enzymes. So far, however, it had only been possible to show that three of them really are chitin deacetylases. The function of the fourth protein was unknown. Researchers at the University of Munster (Germany) have now examined this fourth enzyme in detail. They found that this enzyme is a chitosan deacetylase which has not been described before. The study has been published in the journal "PNAS" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Background and methods: Chitin is a polysaccharide, i.e. a giant molecule consisting of thousands of individual sugars that are strung together like a string of pearls. It plays the same role in fungal cell walls as the better known cellulose in the cell walls of plants. In contrast to cellulose, which is made up of the single sugar glucose, chitin consists of N-acetylglucosamine units, i.e. a more complex single sugar that carries a basic amino group and, attached to it, an acetic acid molecule. The enzyme chitin deacetylase removes some of the acetic acid molecules in the chitin chain, but not all of them, resulting in chitosan as a product. Chitosans thus consists of two different simple sugars, the chitin building block N-acetylglucosamine and the chitosan building block glucosamine. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Bruno Moerschbacher from the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at Munster University developed biotechnological methods to introduce such genes into the bacterium E. coli, and to characterise the enzymes produced by these bacteria in detail. Using modern mass spectrometry, they sequenced the products of these enzymes, i.e. decoded the sequence of chitin and chitosan building blocks. They were then able to analyse the bioactivities of the products and thus understand the relationships between their structures on the one hand and their functions on the other. "Apparently the chitin deacetylases need several chitin building blocks next to each other in the chain in order to attack the molecule and remove an acetic acid," explains biochemist Bruno Moerschbacher. "This is why at the end, there are always some chitin building blocks left. The new chitosan deacetylase can then also remove these last acetic acid molecules". The suspicion was obvious that only this last step makes the fungus really invisible for the human immune system. And indeed: in cooperation with dermatologists from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the researchers succeeded in showing that a chitosan that still carries many acetic acid molecules, stimulates the immune system even more strongly than chitin. Only treatment with chitosan deacetylase leads to a product that no longer activates the immune system. The chitosan deacetylase is thus a crucial tool of the fungus to attack its host under the chitin radar of its immune system. The complete removal of the acetic acid molecules from the chitin acts like a kind of invisibility cloak, making the fungus invisible to the immune system. "This makes chitosan deacetylase an interesting target for new drugs," comments Dr. Christian Gorzelanny from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, who previously worked in Bruno Moerschbacher's research group at Munster University. Lea Hembach, PhD student in Munster and first author of the study, adds: "A fungicide based on an inhibitor that specifically inhibits this enzyme would not be harmful to humans or other organisms at all, since they do not have such a rare enzyme". In a new project led by the bioinformatician Dr. Ratna Singh, the Munster researchers are already looking for such an inhibitor. Bruno Moerschbacher also hopes that his research group will succeed in developing a particularly strong immunostimulatory "designer" chitosan. ### Original publication: L. Hembach et al. (2020). Unique subsite specificity and potential natural function of a chitosan deacetylase from the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. PNAS; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915798117 ChiccoDodiFC/iStock(NEW YORK) -- A painter is in critical condition after being sent to the wrong house and getting shot by the occupant who thought someone was trying to break into his home. Byron Castillo, a 48-year-old painter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was contracted by the Chatham Woods apartment complex in High Point last week when he arrived to complete repairs on an apartment just before 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, according to a statement by Kenneth Shultz, chief of police at the High Point Police Department. Castillo was accidentally sent to the wrong apartment, however, and after identifying himself as maintenance, he began knocking on the door and attempted to enter the premises with a key that he was given that did not work. The occupant of the apartment, 28-year-old Gregory Sims, then allegedly became scared and, fearing for his safety, suddenly opened the door of his apartment and shot Castillo once in the chest. Sims perceived that someone was attempting to break into his apartment and retrieved his firearm, said Shultz. Mr. Sims could see Mr. Castillo pulling on the door handle and that he had something in his other hand manipulating the deadbolt. Castillo was taken to a local hospital and underwent surgery for the gunshot wound and placed on a breathing machine. After investigating the circumstances around the shooting, the High Point Police Department announced on Tuesday that they would not be seeking to prosecute Sims over the shooting of Castillo. The Violent Crimes Unit consulted and presented the case to the Guilford County District Attorneys Office and prosecution has been declined. Through unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Castillo attempted to gain entry mistakenly into the wrong apartment and Mr. Sims perceived that as a threat and fired his weapon, said High Point Police. Castillo is still in the intensive care unit in critical but stable condition. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Budget 2020 essentially focused on boosting agriculture, rural and healthcare sector. The government also showed its intent to develop smart cities across the country. In her budget speech announced on February 1, FM said the government has proposed to develop five new smart cities. "There is a case for maximising the benefits of three separately developing economic activities: (1) the upcoming economic corridors; (2) revitalisation of manufacturing activities; and (3) Technology and the demands of aspirational classes. We have to benefit from their convergence. Hence, it is proposed to develop five new smart cities in collaboration with States in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. Such sites would be chosen that offer the best choices in terms of aforementioned principles," she detailed. Considering the government's focus on infrastructure, including smart city projects, brokerages highlighted 20 stocks which will get the benefit from this: Positive for L&T, Ashoka Buildcon Centrum Broking said government budgetary support (GBS) increased 40 percent to Rs 13,700 crore from FY20RE of Rs 9,840 crore. But FY20RE itself fell short of FY20 BE of Rs 13,700 crore (so no change from FY20 BE levels). Note: BE is Budget Estimates and RE is Revised Estimates. Positive: RITES, Siemens, APL Apollo Tubes SMC Global said Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme has seen allocation going up by 40 percent and allocation for metro projects has been kept at Rs 17,842 crore. Overall increased allocation should help urban infra companies with Metro and Urban Transport related companies gaining higher share, the brokerage added. Positive for Havells, Crompton Antique Stock Broking said key centrally sponsored schemes which have seen a material increase in budgetary allocation are: a) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban and Rural) where budgetary allocation has been increased to Rs 27,500 crore from Rs 25,300 crore, b) Deen Dayal Upadhay Gram Jyoti Yojna for rural electrification at Rs 4,500 crore (up 11% YoY), c) Amrut including smart cities (up 40 percent YoY). Focus on rural electrification and housing to help electrical consumer durables companies like Havells and Crompton, it added. Positive for PSP Projects, NCC, L&T Edelweiss said the government proposed to set up Viability Gap funding window for setting up hospitals in the PPP mode, and proposed to develop five new smart cities in collaboration with States in PPP mode. Positive for companies like Schneider Electric Infrastructure, Siemens, KEC International, APL Apollo Tubes, Sterlite Technologies, Asian Paints, Kalpataru Power Transmission Axis Securities said the government's aims to set up five new smart cities will be positive for abovementioned stocks. Positive for L&T, KEC International, Bharat Electronics ICICI Securities said the capital outlay to Urban Rejuvenation Mission including AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission will be beneficial to abovementioned stocks. Buy PNC Infratech, HG Infra, KNR Constructions, Ashoka Buildcon BOB Capital Markets said key urban development schemes saw higher funding: AMRUT, Smart Cities, PMAY and Metro-MRTS projects. Affordable housing also received a boost with a one-year extension of loan interest incentives up to 31 Mar 2021 for purchase. Budgetary spending on infrastructure has declined, but the recent NIP announcement suggests the government's thrust on the sector remains intact, it added. It prefers asset-light companies and select asset owners with sound financials. Positive for ABB, Siemens, Ashoka Buildcon Prabhudas Lilladher said the Urban Rejuvenation Mission, which included AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission, will be beneficial for abovementioned stocks. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. A holiday-maker from Hong Kong claims she was fired from her Sydney CBD job after wearing a mask to work amid fears about the spread of deadly coronavirus. Tiffany, who didn't want to give her last name, wore the face mask for her shift at UGG Australian Collection, near Sydney Opera House, on January 23. The 24-year-old, who is on a working holiday visa, claims she was asked to remove the face mask or 'go home' by her manager and boss. But the store boss claims Tiffany has not lost her job over the incident and other staff members have been allowed to wear masks. Pictured: Tiffany contacted her boss via WhatsApp. The 24-year-old claims she was fired for wearing a face mask on January 23 but he said it was false The store boss, who does not wish to be identified, said Tiffany was welcome back at work, screenshots of the messages showed Tiffany said there wasn't a lot of information about the virus at the time of the incident but she knew it was deemed similar to SARS. 'Having the lesson from SARS outbreak in my hometown, wearing a mask is the best way to protect myself from getting the disease,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Given the rising confirmed cases [of coronavirus] around the world, I decided to wear a mask as a personal protection. 'My job involves numerous face-to face contact with Chinese tourists and I have no idea where in China where they're from.' Tiffany said her manager told her to remove the mask. When she asked if she could wear it while serving tourist groups from China, Tiffany claims she was again told no. 'I don't think this [wearing a mask] affects my personal working ability,' Tiffany said. 'At the same time, I had a mild cough so I didn't want to spread that.' the 24-year-old claims she also asked customers if they would have a problem with her wearing a face mask and they responded it would be 'fine'. Tiffany said her manager then called her superior, who she claims also said 'no' to her wearing the protective measure. Pictured: The UGG Australian Collection store near the Sydney Opera House. Tiffany wore a face mask to work on January 23, amid heightened anxiety about the spread of coronavirus 'After a while, the boss was back in the shop and he asked me to take my mask off or go home,' she said. 'I didn't seem to have much to choose from there. So I went home.' Tiffany said she wasn't initially sure if she was fired as he never directly said: 'You're fired'. But the day later, Tiffany said she was removed from the store's WhatsApp group, where employees receive their rosters and work-related updates. 'This is undoubtedly an act to show that I was fired,' she said. She said she emailed her boss a few times to request a back payment and letter of termination but the emails bounced back. Tiffany said wearing a face mask is 'personal protection' against infection and shouldn't impact her ability to work. Pictured: Travellers wear face masks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday Tiffany then contacted her boss via WhatsApp, where he claimed she was never fired. The store boss, who does not wish to be identified, said Tiffany was welcome back at work, screenshots of their messages show. In response to his message's, Tiffany said: 'I never said that I wasn't coming back. Now he's just making false accusations.' 'He asked me if I'm going back to work but you just fired me and you won't let me wear a mask. I just think he wants to get the thing resolved.' Tiffany said it is a 'good thing' if the store are now letting employees wear face masks. 'To be honest, wearing a mask is a personal protection thing. As long as it doesn't affect my working ability, it doesn't matter. It's about safety,' she said. Tiffany's boss claims she was not told to take off her mask and was not fired. The Circular Quay store is pictured Tiffany said she is seeking legal advice over the incident and Fair Work have advised it's a difficult case due to its 'he said, she said' nature. The store's boss claims Tiffany was not told to take off her mask and was not fired. 'We told her she could take some time off [during the virus] and her job would still be here but she said ''no'',' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'We have staff members wearing the masks today [Wednesday], I'm not going to tell one employee not wear a mask.' He did not wish to comment further. There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia and more than 20,000 across the world. The outbreak has killed more than 400 people in China, one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. Residents across Sydney and the world have opted to wear the protective masks in a bid to stop the spread of the illness. Pictured: Residents wear surgical masks in central district of Hong Kong By James M. Dorsey A series of recent measures in Saudi Arabia and Iran that violate the rights, if not endanger religious and ethnic minorities, call into question their moral claims of adhering to core faith-based values of mercy and compassion. If anything, the two arch rivals compete in violating the rights of minorities like the Uighurs who are threatened with deportation to China where they run the risk of being incarcerated in re-education camps in the troubled, northwestern province of Xinjiang; Rohingyas who have been the victims of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; and persecuted Bahais and other religious minorities in Iran. Saudi and Iranian policies seem more in line with those of authoritarian and autocratic leaders who often seek their legitimacy in "civilizationalism" that emphasizes the supremacy of a distinct civilization at the expense of others rather than principles of humanitarianism. The plight of threatened Islamic majorities alongside potentially different Muslim responses to U.S. President Donald J. Trump's controversial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan (that favors Israel) is likely to sharpen the struggle for leadership of the Islamic world between a Saudi-UAE-led alliance and countries like Turkey, Iran and Malaysia. Backed by Turkey and Iran, Malaysia organized an Islamic summit in Kuala Lumpur in December that failed to live up to its billing of defending the rights of endangered Muslim minorities. Nonetheless, the summit sparked ripples in various Muslim nations in the Middle East as well as Asia. Beyond Iran and Saudi Arabia's overall abuse of universal human rights, recent reports highlight their failure to ensure the safety and rights of persecuted minorities a principle that was left, right and center in last week's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, WWII Germany's infamous extermination camp in Poland. "Auschwitz did not fall from the sky," said 93-year-old historian and Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski. He argued that Auschwitz was the result of thousands of small steps that stripped minorities of their dignity and humanity. "The 11th commandment is thou shalt not be indifferent. Do not be indifferent when any minority is discriminated against," Turski said. The Saudi deportation of Uighurs who are caught in a no-man's land given the blanket refusal by Chinese diplomatic missions to extend their passports as part of its brutal crackdown on Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, casts a shadow over a visit last month to Auschwitz by Mohammed Al-Issa, the first by a senior Saudi cleric. Al-Issa's visit was designed to project the kingdom under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has defended the crackdown, as a religiously tolerant country that has broken with the intolerant aspects of ultra-conservative Islam, not only in its discrimination against women but also in its attitudes toward other faiths and minority groups. Al-Issa heads the Muslim World League that for decades was one of the prime Saudi vehicles for the global promotion and funding of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism. The world must ensure that "these kinds of horrible crimes" will never "happen again," Al-Issa said in Auschwitz, echoing statements by multiple Auschwitz survivors who insisted that "never again" was a principle applicable to all persecuted minorities, not just Jews. Al-Issa's statement may well have been genuine. "His face reflected feelings of shock and sadness as he looked at piles of used canisters of Zyklon-B, the gas used to suffocate victims, along with mounds of eyeglasses, shoes, prayer shawls, and human hair that the Nazis collected from incoming prisoners," The Times of Israel reported. "Unfortunately, humanity is still suffering from these kinds of crimes on a large scale today, different human beings against each other. I believe there is a huge responsibility on the international community to do something to deal with these kinds of horrible crimes and to make sure none of this will happen again. Our world will not be able to achieve peace unless we have a strong will together to fight evil," Al-Issa said in Auschwitz. Fighting evil would mean that arrangements are found for Uighurs rendered without valid documents as a result of Chinese policy, if not in the kingdom itself in cooperation with other countries rather than exposing them to the risk of indefinite incarceration. It would also mean adopting a compassionate attitude toward the approximately 250,000 Rohingya who have sought refuge in the kingdom from ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar where they are denied basic rights. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late January ordered Myanmar to adopt provisional measures to prevent further attempts at genocide against the roughly 600,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority remaining in Myanmar. Some 750,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent years to escape what the United Nations called "ethnic cleansing". Rohingya began migrating to Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and were granted residency by King Feisal in 1973, allowing them to live, work and travel within the kingdom and abroad. Thousands of Rohingya have, however, been expelled in recent years as illegal immigrants or because they entered the kingdom on false documents, the only papers available to them, as part of Prince Mohammed's efforts to reduce dependence on foreign labor and increase employment opportunities for Saudi nationals. By the same token, Iran last week ruled that national identity cards would only be issued to adherents of the three minority religions recognized by the country's constitution, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. The ruling eliminated the category "other" on the application forms for the card that is needed to access government and banking services as well as numerous other transactions. The ruling targets Baha'is, members of a sect viewed as heretic by mainstream Islam, and other sects, forcing them to lie to obtain the identity card. Baha'i leaders have been imprisoned and those who openly follow the faith are routinely denied university education and employment, while members of the community have seen their businesses shut down and land confiscated by the state. Iran's National Organization for Civil Registration, responding to a complaint about the omission of the "other" option, advised the Baha'i complainant to, in effect, disavow his faith and fill out the form with incorrect information. "Dear citizen, we wish you health. The law neither recognizes your religion nor offers a solution. You may submit your application under existing options," the authority said. Dr. James M. Dorsey (jmd@jmdonline.org) is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg's Institute of Fan Culture. Dresden Sinclair McKay Viking 20 Rating: The Crew David Price Head of Zeus 25 Rating: On the night of February 13, 1945, the east German city of Dresden was virtually obliterated by the RAF in one of the most brutally effective bombing raids of the Second World War. The following day, with the firestorm still raging out of control, another mass assault by American heavy bombers piled yet more misery and suffering on to a scene of devastation that survivors could describe only as biblical. But was the destruction of Dresden necessary? At the time, the war in Europe was in its final phase, and German forces everywhere were in retreat. Dresden was crammed with refugees fleeing the Soviet advance, and it was widely regarded as a safe haven. But as Sinclair McKay explains in this masterful and measured account, there was another side to the story. Dresden might have been famous for its beautiful china and its splendid buildings, but under Gauleiter Martin Mutschmann, a personal friend of Hitler, it was a functioning cog in the Nazi war machine. The Zeiss factory, famous before the war for its cameras, was turning out precision optical instruments and, like other peacetime businesses in this and other cities, was reliant on a workforce of horribly maltreated slave labourers. Sinclair McKay's masterful and measured account of the allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945 shows there was more than one side to the story McKays analysis of the sometimes flawed thinking of Allied strategists makes for troubling reading, but equating the toll of German civilians with the institutionalised genocide of the Jews, as some have done, seems to me unsupportable. There is only one Holocaust and the word should not be appropriated for anything else, however ghastly. The men who dropped the bombs certainly didnt think of themselves as murderers of civilians they were too busy simply trying to stay alive. The story of one Lancaster bomber crew, and of its last surviving member, former bomb-aimer Ken Cook, provides the focus for David Prices sobering and poignant book. Attrition rates in Bomber Command were higher than at the battle of the Somme, and during the course of the war a staggering 55,573 British and Commonwealth aircrew were killed. David Prices sobering and poignant book, The Crew, tells the story of one Lancaster bomber crew, and of its last surviving member, former bomb-aimer Ken Cook (above) The war fought up in the clouds by these mostly very young men was gruelling and remorseless as well as dangerous. Cook says he was embarrassed by the depictions of RAF crewmen in post-war British films. He remembers a far tougher and coarser life of hard drinking and bad language than the anodyne celluloid version. There were seven men in a Lancaster bomber, but according to one of the veterans quoted in McKays book there was always an eighth crew member present fear. The controversy over wartime saturation bombing shows no sign of fading away, but there should be no question mark at all over the bravery of the men who carried it out. The global surgical sutures market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.0% between 2017 and 2025 majorly owing to the rising number of surgical procedures. Fortune Business Insights in a report, titled Surgical Sutures: Global Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2018-2025 provides valuable information on the factors enabling growth in the market. The demand for surgical sutures is increasing as they help to heal the damaged tissue faster. Moreover, surgical sutures play a significant role in the wound healing process. These sutures have the ability to ligate the blood vessels together to aid healing of damaged tissues. As per the report by Fortune Business Insights, the global market for surgical sutures was valued at US$ 3,750.9 Mn in 2017 and is anticipated to reach US$ 5,982.9 Mn by 2025. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/surgical-sutures-market-100660 Leading Players operating in the Surgical Sutures Market are: Key players are involved in mergers and acquisition to strengthen their market position. Owing to increasing competition frequent innovations are taking place in the market. Some of the companies operating the industry are: CP Medical Braun Melsungen AG Coloplast Corporation Molnlycke Healthcare BSN Medical Demetech Corporation Ethicon Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. Boston Scientific Corporation Rising Adoption of Medical Technologies in Asia Pacific Encourages Growth in the Market Among regions, North America covered a revenue of US$ 1,489.6 Mn in the year 2017 and dominated the global surgical sutures market. Presence of leading manufacturers for sutures in the U.S. is the primary factor driving the market in this region. Also, the U.S. and Canada witnesses rising number of cardiovascular surgeries mainly attributable to the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in North America. This, in turn, is expected to register growth opportunities for the market in North America during the forecast years. Besides North America, Europe is the second-most leading region as per revenue in the global market. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness high demand for surgical sutures during the forecast duration. Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights An overview of a number of major surgical procedures by key countries Recent industry developments such as mergers & acquisitions Regulatory scenario for key countries Key industry trends Reimbursement scenario by key countries Global Surgical Sutures Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2014-2025 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Product Type Absorbable Non-absorbable Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Form Natural Synthetic Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Gynecology Orthopedics Cardiology Ophthalmic General Surgery Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Distribution Channel Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Centers Clinics Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country North America Europe Asia pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Continued Surgical Sutures Market Segmentation: By Product Type Absorbable Non-absorbable By Form Natural Synthetic By Application Gynecology Orthopedics Cardiology Ophthalmic General Surgery By End User Hospitals Ambulatory Surgery Centers Clinics Others By Geography North America (the USA and Canada) Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, and Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and Rest of Asia Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of Latin America) Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Reasons to Purchase this Report: Comprehensive analysis of the Surgical Sutures Market growth drivers, obstacles, opportunities, and other related challenges. Tracks the developments, such as new product launches, agreements, mergers and acquisitions, geographical expansions, and joint ventures. Identifies market restraints and boosters. Identifies all the possible segments present in the market to aid organizations in strategic business planning. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts:https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/surgical-sutures-market-100660 KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED: What are the key technological and Surgical Sutures Market trends shaping the market? What are the key opportunities in the market? What are the key companies operating in the market? Which company accounted for the highest market share? Why Choose Fortune Business Insights? What is the market size and growth rate of the global and regional market by various segments? What is the market size and growth rate of the market for selective countries? Which region or sub-segment is expected to drive the market in the forecast period? What Factors are estimated to drive and restrain the Surgical Sutures Market growth? Related Reports: Adhesive Bandages Market 2020-2026: Global Industry Update, Size, Future Growth, Development Status, Revenue | Regional Forecasts Research 2020 Transcriptomics Market Forecast 2026: Global Size, Share, Growth, Regional Overview, Opportunities, Sales Revenue and Key Country Radiation Dose Management Market Forecast to 2026 Size Estimation, Share, Regional Trends, Growth Factors, CAGR Status, Industry Insights by Top Key Players About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email:sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Linkedin | Twitter | BLogs New Delhi, Feb 5 : Union Minister Ravi Prakash Verma, on Wednesday, will present the report of the select committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will make a statement regarding status of implementation of recommendations contained in the Twenty-fifth Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development (2018-19) on 'Solid Waste Management including Hazardous waste, Medical waste and E-waste' pertaining to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Puri will also move the motion for election to the advisory council of the Delhi Development Authority. Rajya Sabha will also debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address moved by Bhupendra Yadav. Apart from this, several union ministers including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister of Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy will lay papers on the table in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The president of Break The Silence Foundation, Nollywood actor, Yomi Fabiyi, has given an advice concerning domestic violence saying parents should avoid fighting in the presence of their children. The actor shared a video showing a woman and child fighting with their father and hitting him with a big stick. Also Read: Stop Depending On Social Media Love, Yomi Fabiyi Tells Colleagues The actor went on to express that there is need to protect women in the society. The actor warned against getting kids involved in domestic violence, saying when small boys witness domestic violence against their mothers, they grow up to do worse. See his post below: WASHINGTON (AP) Standing before a Congress and nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to extol a Great American Comeback on his watch, three years after he took office decrying a land of American carnage under his predecessor. The first president to run for reelection after being impeached, Trump received a raucous but divided response from Congress with Republicans in the House of Representatives chanting Four More Years while Democrats stood mute. Fact-checking the State of the Union America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and the America's future is blazing bright," Trump declared. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" Setting a yardstick for success and then contending he'd surpassed it, Trump has now gone from an inaugural address that decried American carnage to extolling the Great American Comeback", offering the nation's economic success as a chief rationale for a second term. Trump spent much of the speech highlighting the economy's strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from President Barack Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama's eight-year presidency Trump stressed the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including his phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month. The main suspense was whether he would address the charges against him. Trump spoke from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate one day later was expected to acquit him largely along party lines. The first half of his nationally televised speech was largely optimistic, not mentioning the impeachment trial that has consumed Washington in favor of a recitation of accomplishments and promises. Yet the partisan divide within Washington was embodied by the woman over his left shoulder, visible in nearly every camera shot: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A frequent thorn in Trump's side who authorized the impeachment proceedings that charged the president with abusing the power of his office to push Ukraine to investigate a political foe, Pelosi created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago. Trump appeared no more cordial. When he climbed to the House rostrum, he did not take her outstretched hand but it was not clear he had seen her gesture. Later, as Republicans often cheered, she remained in her seat, at times shaking her head at Trumps remarks. Michigan governor gives Democratic response Even for a Trump-era news cycle that seems permanently set to hyper-speed, the breakneck pace of events dominating the first week of February offered a singular backdrop for the presidents address. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has presided in the Senate over only the third impeachment trial in the nations history, was on hand again Tuesday night this time in his more customary seat in the audience. Trump stood before the very lawmakers who have voted to remove him from office and those who are expected to acquit him when the Senate trial comes to a close. The leading Senate Democrats hoping to unseat him in November were campaigning in New Hampshire. In advance of his address, Trump tweeted that the chaos in Iowa's Monday leadoff caucuses showed Democrats were incompetent and should not be trusted to run the government. Among Trump's guests in the chamber: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been trying for months to win face time with Trump, his most important international ally. The president offered Guaido exactly the sort of endorsement hes been looking for as he struggles to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power. Trump called Guaido the true and legitimate president of Venezuela. Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland, Trump said. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul. Trump entered the night on a roll, with his impeachment acquittal imminent, his job approval numbers ticking upward and Wall Street looking strong. In the closest historical comparison, Bill Clinton did not mention his recent impeachment when he delivered his State of the Union in 1999. In his address a year ago, Trump did remain on message, making no mention of how Pelosi had originally disinvited him from delivering the speech during the longest government shutdown in the nations history. Trump spent much of the speech highlighting the economy's strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from President Barack Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama's eight-year presidency Trump stressed the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including his phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month. While the White House said the president would have a message of unity, he also spent time on issues that have created great division and resonated with his political base. He attacked Democrats health care proposals for being too intrusive and again highlighted his signature issue immigration trumpeting the miles of border wall that have been constructed. He also dedicated a section to American values, discussing efforts to protect religious liberties and limit access to abortion as he continues to court the evangelical and conservative Christian voters who form a crucial part of his base. The Democrats were supplying plenty of counter-programming, focusing on health care the issue key to their takeover of the House last year. Trump, for his part, vowed to not allow a socialist takeover of our health care system a swipe at the Medicare For All proposal endorsed by some of his Democratic challengers. Many female Democrats were wearing white as tribute to the suffragettes who helped win the vote for women, while a number in the party were wearing red, white and blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change, saying Trump has rolled back environmental safeguards and given free rein to polluters. Several Democratic lawmakers, including California Rep. Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced in advance of the speech that they would be skipping it, with the high-profile New York freshman tweeting that she would not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was delivering the party's official response and, in excerpts released ahead of the speech, was to draw a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the president's rhetoric. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market," Whitmer says. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. ___ By Jonathan Lemire. Darlene Superville and David Eggert contributed. ConservativeHome apologies if it has misread Donald Trumps State of the Union address, but it can find no reference in its text to a plan for reducing Americas carbon emissions. Instead, the President says that the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, by far, adds that the country is now energy independent, and claims that energy jobs are at a record high. Much in America depends on the actions of the individual states, and Trump did produce a proposal to plant a trillion trees. But his views on climate change are ambiguous, and he is no respecter of international orthodoxies on the subject having pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement. So much for one of the worlds two biggest powers. What of the other one? As Ted Christie-Miller of Onward pointed out on this site yesterday, China has overseen a 321 per cent increase in emissions. Xi Xinpings country is currently responsible for 26 per cent of global emissions, and rising. Some claim that China will forsake coal for renewables, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. In short, neither it nor America is currently doing anything that is likely to cheer Greta Thunberg. Or meet the more modest achievement of getting tangible gain from the coming Climate Change Summit in Edinburgh. This is the background against which to view claims that Boris Johnson and his government are in a position to provide international leadership on climate change. In some policy areas, such as Iran, its just about possible to believe that the Prime Minister can act as a bridge between the United States and Europe. In this one, its very difficult indeed to see how he can wring any meaningful gain from the coming summit. This puts the row over Claire Perry ONeills firing by Johnson as head of the summit into perspective. Frankly, it will matter little who gets the gig. Perhaps this explains why both David Cameron and William Hague have turned it down. The Prime Minister would do better to provide a coherent account how the Governments will achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This is a legacy pledge of Theresa Mays, tossed out during her last days in office, and it isnt at all clear how it will be met. It will be said that Britain has succeeded in both reducing its emissions and growing the economy since 1990, but much depends on how one slices and dices the figures. And environmental campaigners point out that we have effectively exported slice of our emissions through carbon credits. The Government is committed to lowering energy bills, opposing fracking and going ahead with a mass of road schemes championed by the Brexity Hezza himself. Ministers couldnt explain yesterday how much the earlier ban on hybrid vehicles will cost or what will replace the vanishing fuel duty. There is a sunnier side of the street. Ministers will support floating wind farms, gas from hydrogen production and nuclear energy, including fusion. The Conservative Manifesto promises to invest 500 million to help energy intensive industries move to low carbon techniques. The summit will provide pictures, declarations and speeches including an engaging one, we expect, from the Prime Minister as usual. The event will look and sound impressive. But it will be an emperor with no clothes. On Monday, Judge Lisa Branch, a Donald Trump appointee to the 11th Circuit, penned a startling dissent launching a novel attack against the Voting Rights Act. The power of the Voting Rights Act hinges on individual voters ability to raise the alarm over racially discriminatory election laws. Voters do this by suing the state or locality that is disenfranchising them. But Branch argued that voters cannot sue states to enforce the VRA. Branchs opinion is, for now, just a dissent. But there is a real possibility that the Supreme Court could transform it into the law of the land and render the landmark civil rights statute toothless. Advertisement The VRA describes two kinds of parties who can sue to enforce its guarantees: the attorney general of the United States, and an aggrieved person. Congress added the aggrieved person language in 1975 to clarify that private parties could file suit under Section 2 of the VRA, which bars any law that would deny or abridge the right to vote on account of race. Since then, the vast majority of VRA lawsuits under Section 2 have been brought by citizens, not the attorney general. The attorney general has filed just four of the 61 enforcement actions under Section 2 since 2013. Trumps Department of Justice has brought no VRA lawsuits at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a general rule, citizens cant bring lawsuits against their state in federal court, a principle known as sovereign immunity. But Congress can limit states sovereign immunity when it wants to enforce constitutional protections. Congress need only be unmistakably clear in its intentions to do so. In NAACP v. Alabama, the state, which has enacted some of the countrys most egregious voter suppression laws, argued that the VRA did not explicitly curb states sovereign immunity. Thus, Alabama claims that it, along with every other state, is immune from VRA suits. Advertisement Advertisement Two federal courts of appeals have already rejected this claim, and on Monday an 11th Circuit panel joined them. The majority was composed of Judges Charles R. Wilson, a liberal, and Roger Vinson, a conservative most famous for declaring the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. This unlikely duo made quick work of Alabamas argument: The VRA, it noted, clearly expresses an intent to allow private parties to sue the States. These provisions impose direct liability on States for discrimination in voting while explicitly and specifically permitting private parties to address violations under the statute. In her dissent, Branch made the bizarre argument that Congress did not limit sovereign immunity because it used the wrong preposition. The VRA, she wrote, allows any aggrieved person to enforce voting rights in any State. But to curb sovereign immunity, Branch insisted, the law had to authorize proceedings against a State (emphasis added). In short, Branch would overturn decades of precedent because she disagrees with Congress grammatical choices. Advertisement Advertisement If Branchs dissent ever became the law, it might not have a particularly devastating impact in the short term. No one questions (for now) the ability of voters to sue state officials, rather than the state itself, under the VRA. This principle would allow voters to sue the secretary of state who carries out election laws when they illegally abridge minority suffrage. And a federal court could halt those officials from enforcing the illicit laws. Advertisement Advertisement But another, more consequential dispute lurks just beneath the surface of this case. Alabama raised a separate argument that could have ruinous consequences for the VRA: It challenged the constitutionality of Section 2s results test. This test prohibits election laws that place a disproportionate burden on minorities, even if they were not enacted with discriminatory intent. Branch conspicuously declined to reject this claim in a footnote that should put civil rights attorneys on high alert. Conservatives have been searching for a case that could take down the VRAs results test, and NAACP v. Alabama might just be the one. Advertisement Advertisement The conservative effort to sabotage the results test rests on the distinction between disparate impact and discriminatory intent. It is exceedingly difficult to prove that legislators enacted a law with discriminatory intent because few are foolish enough to leave behind a smoking gun demonstrating their racist goals. By contrast, its fairly easy to prove that election laws have a disproportionate effect on nonwhite voters. The VRAs results test bars voting restrictions that have a racially discriminatory result, even if they werent proved to have a racially discriminatory purpose. Without this test, voters would have little hope of blocking voter ID laws or racial gerrymanders that have an outsized impact on communities of color. Advertisement Advertisement In its brief to the 11th Circuit, Alabama argued that the results test is unconstitutional. It pointed out that, according to the Supreme Court, the 15th Amendment applies exclusively to intentional racial discrimination. And the Supreme Court has said that when Congress enforces other constitutional provisions, it cant go beyond the meaning SCOTUS has assigned to them. Alabama asserts that this rule applies to the 15th Amendment (even though the Supreme Court has never said so). So the VRA cannot possibly let citizens sue states under the results test, because that test is unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement The majority spurned this argument. We take Chief Justice Roberts at his word, it wrote, when he explained that Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted another part of the VRA, in no way affects Section 2. Branch did not agree. Instead, she wrote (ominously) that she would not consider the constitutionality of the results test, because she already decided it could not be enforced against the states. Her refusal to affirm the legality of the results test is troubling since the 11th Circuit already upheld the test back in 1984. But the court has changed since 1984. In November, Trump flipped the 11th Circuit, giving it a majority of Republican appointees. If the full court rehears this case, Trumps judges may well adopt Branchs opinion as the law and consider the broader question she flagged in her dissent: the legality of the results test itself. Advertisement Advertisement Branch is not the first Trump judge to attempt to limit the VRAs scope. Trump appointees on other appellate courts seem eager to hobble the law and give states carte blanche to discriminate against nonwhite voters so long as they conceal their racist intent. NAACP v. Trump may appear, at first, to be a wonky case over an arcane doctrine. But Branchs dissent opens several new lines of attack against the VRA and tees up a potential SCOTUS showdown over Congress authority to protect the franchise. If the justices adopt Branchs position, they could strip marginalized citizens of their last remaining defense against voter suppression. Local contagion cases mount as six more discovered with coronavirus THAILAND: Thailand reported more cases of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus with six people, four Thais and two Chinese tourists, the latest found to be infected, Thai health officials said yesterday (Feb 4). healthChinesedeathCoronavirusCOVID-19 By Bangkok Post Wednesday 5 February 2020, 03:52PM Thai returnees disembark from Thai AirAria flight FD571 from Wuhan in China that arrived at U-Tapao airport in Rayong province on last night (Feb 4). All 138 returnees will be screened for coronavirus symptoms and quarantined for 14 days. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul The country is now in the stage of disease transmission. Since they are staying in places full of foreign visitors, tourists are likely to be in areas of disease transmission, said Dr Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department. He was speaking after health authorities contacted Seoul for information about a Korean woman found infected with novel coronavirus on her return from Thailand despite having never visited China. Dr Tanarak said that authorities were informed of the case in South Korea and were seeking details of her test results, condition and where she had visited in Thailand. The information would help them locate people who might have been in contact with her, so they could be checked for the virus. The 42-year-old South Korean woman tested positive for the virus after arriving home from Thailand on Jan 19. She became ill on Jan 25. Now in quarantine, she is the 16th person found to have contracted the virus in South Korea. Dr Tanarak sought to allay concerns, saying that transmission in Thailand was still limited. Health authorities were actively identifying and treating patients, he added. The case of the Korean woman does not change the degree of risk concerning the disease in Thailand. Chances of contraction remain low in this country, he said. Now we are trying our best to find as many infected cases as possible and also people who have been in contact with them. A quick response was preventing transmission increasing to a severe level, he added. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Disease Control Department, told the press that the four Thais included a couple who had just returned from Japan. The two others were drivers who had driven Chinese tourists in their vehicles. Health authorities had contacted their Japanese counterparts seeking information related to the infected Thai tourists, he said. Dr Suwannachai said five of the six were recovering well and would be discharged from hospital when free of the virus. The sixth and most recent patient was moved from a private hospital to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute and placed on a respirator as he is 70 years old and has underlying tuberculosis. He was the driver of a van that took an elderly Chinese woman to Hua Hin, where she was receiving treatment for the infection in hospital and her health was improving. The number of infections discovered in Thailand rose from 19 to 25 yesterday. Eight people have recovered and been discharged while the other 17 remained in hospitals. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday 138 Thais had boarded a Thai AirAsia flight from the epicentre of the outbreak, Wuhan in China, to Thailand. A total of 144 Thais in Wuhan and Hubei province had been due to arrive in Thailand aboard an Air Asia flight last night. However, only 141 showed up at Wuhan airport for the evacuation flight. Mr Anutin said 138 of the 141 had passed health checks and were allowed to board the plane to Thailand. Of the three not allowed to leave China, two had fever while the other was found to have overstayed their visa. Adm Sittiporn Maskasem, the Royal Thai Navys chief of staff, yesterday gave assurances that the navy and the Public Health Ministry had measures in place to look after the Thais flown back from Wuhan, and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The returnees arrived at U-Tapao international airport in Rayong last night. They were set to be screened with thermoscans at the airport before receiving health checks at Queen Sirikit Hospital in Chon Buris Sattahip district. Those who have virus symptoms will be treated and quarantined at the hospital, while the rest will be quarantined in five buildings at the Royal Thai Fleet headquarters Britain will allow Huawei into its national 5G network. Germany may not be far behind. But one European country has unequivocally sounded the alarm on Huawei: the Czech Republic. Why it matters: Europe's giants are having trouble resisting Chinese inducements to open their 5G networks to Huawei's less expensive equipment. Despite its small economic footprint, the Czech Republic shows it's possible to turn back the tide of dependency on China. Background: Just a few years ago, the central European country was heavily beholden to Chinese oil conglomerate CEFC China Energy, which had close ties to Beijing. CEFC built up its stake in media and real estate across the country, and the CEFC chairman was named a personal adviser of Czech President Milos Zeman, who supported Huawei's 5G bid and whose staff all used Huawei handsets. But in December 2018, the country's cybersecurity agency, NUKIB, issued a legally binding warning stating Huawei posed a security threat. The surprise warning shocked the Czech government, including Zeman. NUKIB's warning, and CEFC's unexpected collapse after its chairman disappeared amid domestic political intrigue, brought about a reckoning over China's influence there. Between the lines: "The strong Huawei position is part of a larger backlash in the Czech Republic," Martin Hala, a leading Sinologist in Prague, told me. The two European countries with the most unfavorable view of China were Sweden and the Czech Republic, according to a recent Pew Research survey. That's because "both went through traumatic, but eye-opening episodes with their Chinese 'partners,'" Hala said. Sweden has faced a lengthy diplomatic standoff over China's kidnapping of Swedish citizen Gui Minhai. And Czech residents experienced China's thorough co-optation of the country's elites, only for it all to come crashing down after the fall of CEFC. The bottom line: It was the superficial, and ultimately fragile, nature of Chinese economic investment in the Czech Republic that allowed a single rogue cybersecurity agency to push back so effectively against Huawei. Smoketown Rd., 14000 block, Jan. 29. A 16-year-old Woodbridge high school male was arrested after the school resource officer was notified the student was in possession of a weapon on school grounds. He was charged with possession of the knife on school grounds, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. The knife was not brandished and no threats were made. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:42:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were killed and 53 others injured Wednesday after an avalanche struck rescue teams in Turkey's eastern province of Van, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said in a written statement. The teams were in a search and rescue mission to find two trapped people in a previous avalanche that occurred late on Tuesday, when the second avalanche happened, said Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez, warning that danger of further avalanches. More than 30 were saved from under the snow and sent to hospital, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters, noting that there were still people buried under the snow. At least five people were killed in the Tuesday avalanche that struck a minibus and a snow-clearing vehicle and seven others were rescued. The avalanche struck the vehicles in Bahcesaray district along the Van-Bahcesaray highway while the vehicle was clearing snow near Karabet Mountain Pass at an altitude of 3,000 meters. PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is not likely to be waiting at the Clark International Airport when Filipinos repatriated from Wuhan City, epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, are expected to arrive Saturday, February 8. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, in an interview with reporters Wednesday, February 5, said the President had wanted to be "with the people". But Nograles said the President's management staff and security personnel might not allow him. Asked whether the President will inspect the quarantine facility inside Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Nograles said, "No, but the President, (what) he wants to do (is) that he wants to be with the people, but again it would be a diffrent thing with the PMS and PSG, they have their own protocol." Nograles was referring to the Presidential Management Staff, which provides management and technical support to the Office of the President, and the Presidential Security Group, the personnel assigned to protect the President and his immediate family. The repatriated Filipinos will be placed under quarantine at the Fort Magsaysay for 14 days, the incubation period for the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD). "The facility is ready to accommodate (people). It has 10,000 beds capacity. We are not saying that aabot tayo dun but at least na identify na natin yung quarantine facility," Nograles said. "It has been cleared, (Health) Secretary (Francisco) Duque has sent a team there to make sure that everything is fixed, that everything is ready and I beleive that Secretary Duque will be doing himself an ocular (inspection) in Fort Magsaysay," he added. The 2019-nCoV, which causes pneumonia, has killed nearly 500 people and infected nearly 25,000 people in China and several other countries since mid-December 2019. The first fatality outside of China was recorded in the Philippines, when a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan died while undergoing treatment at the San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila. Story continues The man's girlfriend, a 38-year-old Chinese woman, was earlier identified as the first 2019-nCoV case in the Philippines. A third case, a 60-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, was confirmed by the Department of Health Wednesday. All three individuals entered the Philippines via the Mactan Cebu International Airport. While the first two cases, the couple at San Lazaro Hospital, stayed for a few hours only at the airport, the 60-year-old woman traveled from the airport to the Port of Cebu in Cebu City, where she took a ferry to Bohol on January 22. She was admitted to a hospital in Bohol, but was cleared to go home on January 31, traveling again by ferry to Cebu City and then by land to the Mactan airport. (SunStar Philippines) The pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating, US Ambassador Kenneth Juster said here on Wednesday. Inaugurating the US pavilion at the Defexpo-2020, he said industry partners were playing a key role in the growth of Indo-US defence relationship. "I had the pleasure of travelling back to Washington DC last December to attend the second US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue between Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T Esper and Indian ministers Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar. "Two things from the ministerial dialogue stood out. First, the pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating. Second, our respective industry partners are playing a key role in the growth of our defence relationship," Juster said. "As the ambassador of the US to India, I have the opportunity to witness the efforts that are spurring the growth of this defence relationship. For example, last fall, I observed the first ever tri-services exercise. Such exercises demonstrate the importance that the US places on the Indo-Pacific region and value of our defence relationship with India," he said. He said both the sides were "increasingly working together" to meet common goals and serving common interest. The US companies' representatives at this pavilion, will undoubtedly play a role in working with India to achieve this goal, he said. "As the bilateral defence relationship grows, our embassy is dedicated to continuing to work to facilitate cooperation among the government and industries," he said. When asked to comment on New Delhi's concern over weapons supplied to Pakistan being used against India, as after the Balakot strike, Juster evaded a direct reply. "We are focussed here today on what we can do in partnership with India. And that partnership has continued to accelerate. That is the focus of attention and we regard India as a strategic partner in terms of our defence cooperation," he said. The five-day Defexpo was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese Doctor Tried to Save Lives, but Was Silenced and Became Infected With Coronavirus On Dec. 30, Li Wenliang dropped a bombshell in his medical school alumni group on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat: seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and quarantined in his hospital. Li explained that, according to a test he had seen, the illness was a coronavirusa large family of viruses that includes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Memories of SARS run deep in China, where a pandemic in 2003 killed hundreds following a government cover-up. I only wanted to remind my university classmates to be careful, he said. Li, a 34-year-old doctor working in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, told his friends to warn their loved ones privately. But within hours screenshots of his messages had gone viralwithout his name being blurred. When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished, Li said. He was right. Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police. He was one of several medics targeted by police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak. From an intensive care bed in hospital, Li told CNN he was confirmed on Feb. 2 to have contracted the virus. Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang. (Courtesy of Li Wenliang) His diagnosis has sparked outrage across China, where a backlash is growing against state censorship around the illness and an initial delay in warning the public about the deadly virus. Summoned by the Police On the same day in December that Li messaged his friends, an emergency notice was issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, informing the citys medical institutions that a series of patients from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market had an unknown pneumonia. The notice came with a warning: Any organizations or individuals are not allowed to release treatment information to the public without authorization. In the early hours of Dec. 31, Wuhans health authorities held an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreak. Afterward, Li was summoned by officials at his hospital to explain how he knew about the cases, according to state-run newspaper Beijing Youth Daily. Later that day, the Wuhan authorities announced the outbreak and alerted the World Health Organization. But Lis troubles did not end there. On Jan. 3, Li was called to a local police station and reprimanded for spreading rumors online and severely disrupting social order over the message he sent in the chat group. In that message, Li said the patients had been diagnosed with SARS, citing the test result that showed the pathogen tested positive for the SARS virus with a high confidence coefficienta measure indicating the accuracy of the test. He clarified in a subsequent message that the virus was actually a different type of coronavirus, but the screenshot of his first message had already spread online. Li had to sign a statementwhich CNN has seen a photograph ofacknowledging his misdemeanor and promising not to commit further unlawful acts. He feared he was going to be detained. My family would worry sick about me, if I lose my freedom for a few days, he told CNN over a text message on WeChathe was coughing too much and breathing too poorly to speak over the phone. Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang. (Courtesy of Li Wenliang) Luckily, Li was allowed to leave the police station after an hour. The Wuhan police have not responded to CNNs request for comment at the time of publishing. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declined to comment. The ophthalmologist returned to work at Wuhan Central Hospital feeling helpless. He said: There was nothing I could do. (Everything) has to adhere to the official line. On Jan. 10, after unwittingly treating a patient with the Wuhan coronavirus, Li started coughing and developed a fever the next day. He was hospitalized on Jan. 12. In the following days, Lis condition deteriorated so badly that he was admitted to the intensive care unit, and given oxygen support. On Feb. 1, he tested positive for coronavirus. Playing Down the Outbreak From the start, the Chinese authorities wanted to control information about the outbreak, silencing any voices that differed with their narrativeregardless of whether they were telling the truth. On Jan. 1, the Wuhan police announced it had taken legal measures against eight people who had recently published and shared rumors online about the pneumonia-like illness and caused adverse impacts on society. The internet is not a land beyond the law Any unlawful acts of fabricating, spreading rumors and disturbing the social order will be punished by police according to the law, with zero tolerance, said a police statement on Weibo, Chinese regimes Twitter-like platform. The police announcement was broadcast across the country on CCTV, the Chinese regimes state broadcaster, making it clear how the Chinese government would treat such rumormongers. In the two weeks that followed, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission remained the only source for updates on the developments of the outbreak. Chinese scientists identified the pathogen as a new coronavirus on Jan. 7. For about a week, no new confirmed cases were announced. Health authorities maintained there was no obvious evidence for human to human transmission, no infection of healthcare workers, and that the outbreak was preventable and controllable. On Jan. 31, Li wrote in a post on Weibo how he felt during that period: I was wondering why (the governments) official notices were still saying there was no human-to-human transmission, and there were no healthcare workers infected. Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 25, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) Then came a sudden jump in infections. The central government took over and, on Jan. 20, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered resolute efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus and stressed the need for the timely release of informationit was the first time Xi had publicly addressed the outbreak. Later that evening, Zhong Nanshan, a government-appointed respiratory expert known for fighting SARS 17 years ago, declared on state broadcaster CCTV that the new coronavirus was transmissible from person to person. Three days later, authorities placed an unprecedented lockdown on Wuhan, the economic engine and transportation hub of Chinas central heartlandbut five million people had already left the city for the Lunar New Year holiday. Now, the virus has spread to every region in the country, including the far western frontier of Xinjiang and the remote region of Tibet. In an interview with CCTV on Jan. 27, Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang admitted his government did not disclose information on the coronavirus in a timely fashion. Police officers and security guards stand outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market where the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan on Jan. 24, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) He explained that under Chinese law on infectious diseases, the local government first needs to report the outbreak to national health authorities, and then get approval from the State Council before making an announcement. For the late disclosure, I hope everyone can understand that this is an infectious disease, and relevant information has special channels to be disclosed in accordance with law, he said. Public Uproar By late January, the Wuhan governments mishandling of the outbreak was becoming well-understood in China. Many online thought of the group of eight rumormongers, saying their early warnings could have saved hundreds of lives. Calls for the eight to be vindicated greweven in state media. Xis call for the timely release of information was seen as a green light to report on the coronavirus and Chinese journalists began producing in-depth coverage and hard-hitting investigative reports. The state-run newspaper Beijing Youth Daily interviewed Li and the article went viral. The piece was censored within hours, but the uproar remained. As public anger mounted, Chinese regimes Supreme Court on Jan. 28 criticized the Wuhan police for punishing the rumormongers. It might have been a fortunate thing for containing the new coronavirus, if the public had listened to this rumor at the time, and adopted measures such as wearing masks, strict disinfection and avoiding going to the wildlife market, the Supreme Court commentary said. Travelers wearing protective masks wait in line for taxis after arriving at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station in Hong Kong, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Bowing to pressure, the Wuhan police issued a statement the next day, saying the eight people had only committed particularly minor misdemeanors for spreading unverified information. It said they had only been summoned for a talk and not detained or fined. On Saturday, another rumormonger came forward with her story in the Chinese press. Xie Linka, an oncologist at Wuhan Union Hospital, told Chinese media she received a warning from police after sending an alert to her colleagues in a WeChat group on the evening of Dec. 30. In the message, Xie relayed a warning from fellow doctors about an infectious disease: Dont go to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in the near future. Several people were found to have contracted an unknown pneumonia similar to SARS there. Today our hospital has received multiple patients from the market. Everyone please remember to wear masks and ventilate properly. Now recovering in a quarantine ward, Li said he was not sure if he was one of the eight rumormongers. But he felt relieved after reading the Supreme Court commentary, taking it as a sign that the central government is against giving him a harsh punishment. On Lis Weibo, tens of thousands have left comments thanking him for speaking out and wishing him a speedy discovery. Dr Li, youre a good doctor with conscience. I hope you stay safe and sound, read one of the top-rated comments. Others have questioned what could have been if Lis warning had been heeded. If Wuhan had paid attention to [his warning] back then and taken active preventive measures, wrote another Weibo user, where we stand now a month later could be a completely different picture. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 05: Activists protest outside Olympiahalle shortly before the annual general shareholders meeting of German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG on February 5, 2020 in Munich, Germany. The meeting is taking place amidst protests outside. Demonstrators are calling on Siemens to withdraw from its planned participation in the Carmichael coal mine project in Australia. (Photo by Getty Images) Getty Images Siemens reported a 3% fall in net profit in its fiscal first quarter, weighed down by weakness in the auto and energy sectors, as it begins a shareholder meeting blighted by protests. Net profit for the period from October to December 2019 came in at 1.09 billion euros ($1.2 billion) with orders at 24.76 billion euros, down 2% from the same period in the previous year. The Munich-based conglomerate confirmed its full-year outlook for "moderate growth in comparable revenue, net of currency translation and portfolio effects." On a comparable basis excluding currency translation and portfolio effects, orders declined 4% from the previous year and revenue was down 1%, but the order backlog reached a new high of 149 million euros. CEO Joe Kaeser said in the earnings report that the slower first fiscal quarter was expected, with energy weakness reinforcing the company's priorities. Siemens plans to carve out its gas and power division and merge it with its 59% stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to create Siemens Energy, which will be listed on the German stock exchange in September as planned. Siemens shares edged 0.2% lower Wednesday morning, while Siemens Gamesa climbed 2.3% and Siemens Health added 1.6%. Testy shareholder meeting The German multinational also had its annual shareholder meeting in Munich Wednesday, where it faced protests over Siemens' association with Australian coal mine operator Adani and its controversial Carmichael project. Earlier this week, 19 health groups advocating climate change action published an open letter to Siemens urging it to end its commercial relationship with Adani, after the company confirmed in January that it would go ahead with its reported $30 million contract to provide signaling technology to the coal mine's railway. The mine has also faced opposition from Australian indigenous groups after claiming that the project was supported by the indigenous population. An environmental activist protests with a flame-shaped placard reading "Stop Adani" during a demonstration outside the Olympic hall in Munich, where German engineering giant Siemens holds his annual shareholder's meeting, on February 5, 2020. Outraged by the group's sticking to a contract to supply rail equipment to a massive Adani Australian coal mining project, demonstrators were rallying outside the Munich Olympiahalle. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images) CHRISTOF STACHE Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) will vote to convict President Trump for abuse of power and acquit him for obstruction of Congress in the Senate impeachment trial. Why it matters: Romney is the only Republican senator to break ranks and vote to remove Trump from office, though the president is still expected to be acquitted later today. Romney who appeared choked up on the Senate floor as he announced his vote was the Democrats' last chance for a bipartisan conviction vote, after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced Tuesday that she will vote to acquit the president. Romney and Collins were the only two Republican senators who voted last week to allow witnesses and documents in the trial a call that otherwise failed along party lines. Between the lines: The decision is sure to infuriate Trump, who has railed against Romney several times in the past over the senator's criticisms of his conduct. Even if Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) vote to acquit Trump, the president will not be able to tout a bipartisan acquittal without the context that there was a bipartisan call to remove him from office. Romney will become the first senator ever to vote to remove a president who belongs to their own party. What he's saying: "The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders," Romney said in a speech on the Senate floor. "The president's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust." "What he did was not perfect," he continued. "No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." Romney also acknowledged the potential political backlash from his decision, stating, "Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?" This story is breaking news. Please check back for updates. Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Sen. Susan Collins represents Maine (not Utah). President Moon visits a public health center in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in set out to assuage the mounting public fears over the new coronavirus epidemic during a visit to a medical facility in Seoul, Wednesday. It was the second time for the President to embark on an on-site inspection of virus preparedness following the first one to the National Medical Center on Jan. 28. Moon visited a public health center in Seongdong-gu with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The center was chosen for its history of effectively dealing with viral public health scares since the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2015, according to the presidential office. Following the MERS outbreak, it established a negative pressure room, which is used to treat a patient while preventing infection, becoming the only public health center in Seoul having such a facility. The President underlined the importance of public health centers in overcoming the epidemic and reassuring the public. "In the future, we will prepare a stronger national response system for epidemics. But right now, we need to focus on containing further spreading. The public health centers and local governments are urged to do everything they can to stop the infections and protect its residents." He expressed concerns over possible shortages of quarantine personnel in case the epidemic prolongs, placing additional pressure on quarantine officers. Seoul Mayor Park said the city government is considering temporarily recruiting additional qualified nursing staff. It is democracy that has won. It is Malawi that has won. It is Africa that has won. And now justice has been served, said Chakwera in front of thousands of his supporters who thronged MCPs headquarters in Lilongwe. Prior to the Delhi Assembly election 2020, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan and BJP MP from West Delhi Pravesh Verma participated in Zee News Conclave 'India ka DNA' on Wednesday (February 5). Pravesh Verma challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to tell him the address of a new school built in the city, he claimed that he will leave politics today. "The old buildings have been given a new colour. No new flyovers have been constructed," he said. Live TV Verma said that all the religious places in Delhi which have been built on government land in the last 20 years, will be removed as soon as BJP government comes to power. "If you bring any such example in the last 20 years, they will be removed. Let me tell you that all the complaints I have received are about mosques and cemeteries being built," he said. Sanjeev Balyan said an increase in population is worrisome, whether it is Hindu or Muslim. Population control measure is the need of the hour. A passenger travelling from Dubai was arrested at the airport here for allegedly smuggling around a kilogram of gold hidden inside parts of a mixer grinder, an official said on Wednesday. The passenger of Dubai-Indore Air India flight (AI 904) was nabbed by an Intelligence team at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, airport director Aryama Sanyal said. The accused was caught smuggling around a kilogram of gold hidden in parts of a mixer grinder, she said, adding that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Customs was investigating the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chennai, Feb 5 : Southern superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday said he will be the first person to come in the support of the Muslim community if the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) affected them in anyway. He also said that the political parties for their own self-interest and religious leaders were joining the protesters, which was wrong. Answering reporters over his silence on the CAA, Rajinikanth said the Central government has clearly said that Indian citizens will not be affected by the Act. He said Indian Muslims have stayed back here in their "janmabhoomi" during the partition in 1947, and how could they be sent back. "If something like that happens, I, Rajinikanth will be the first person to voice in their support if they were affected," he said. Rajinikanth urged the students to get detailed information before joining any protest as any police first information report (FIR) registered against them will spoil their future. He also told the students that if they do not do research, then the pollical parties will use them. Queried about the Sri Lankan refugees, Rajinikanth said they should be given dual citizenship. According to him, National Population Register (NPR) is very essential as it tells who are the foreignors and who are the Indians. Rajinikanth also said that he has not done any illegal business and is a prompt and honest tax payer. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The chief financial officer with the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) is seeking to halt a disciplinary process against him claiming it is flawed, lacks independence and breaches his contract of employment. Michael Murnane, who has been CFO since 2011, is the subject of a disciplinary process arising out of two allegations of misconduct, which he denies. It is alleged that he inadequately managed company bank accounts to the extent that overdraft interest of between 14,000 and 21,000 was unnecessarily incurred. It is also alleged that in breach of company policy in early 2019 he used a company credit card to purchase a gift voucher for a departing work colleague. Due to these allegations Mr Murnane was summoned to a disciplinary meeting. Mr Murnane "absolutely rejects" the allegations of wrongdoing against him and described the overdraft claim as "a bolt from the blue". He claims the process lacks independence and that he has a contractual entitlement to have the matters investigated by an external independent third party. He fears that the process could result in him losing his 119,000 a year plus allowances job and that his reputation will be damaged. As a result of the disciplinary process against him Mr Murnane, who has been out on sick leave for some time, seeks various orders from the High Court including an injunction preventing the IGB from continuing with the disciplinary hearing against him. The IGB, represented by Mark Connaughton SC and Lorna Lynch Bl, opposes the application and argues that the internal investigation process should be allowed to proceed. The IGB rejects Mr Murnane's claims he has an entitlement to an external investigation. The application came before Mr Justice Tony O'Connor on Tuesday. After inviting the parties to consider going to mediation, the judge adjourned the matter to next week's court sitting. Mr Murnane, represented by Cliona Kimber SC, says that he repaid the money used to pay for the voucher out of his own pocket a few weeks after it had been purchased. It is Mr Murnane's case that the overdraft came about after the board had suggested putting money the IGB got following the sale of Harold's Cross stadium in 2018 into a separate ring-fenced bank account. He said that the CEO of the IGB, Mr Gerard Dollard wanted the money in the current account so that no overdraft would be needed. Mr Murnane claims that it was extremely unfair that he was held personally liable for the overdraft. The claims are denied. Rome, Feb 5 : Italy's government is eager to keep a "cultural presence" alive in Syria and other war-wracked parts of the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni told archaeologists at a meeting here Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said. "Keeping the flame of our cultural presence in Syria and in other Middle Eastern countries undergoing a serious political and humanitarian crisis at the moment goes beyond the already significant tasks and merits of the Mission," Sereni told members of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Near East from Rome's La Sapienza University. "For this reason, besides extending our country's thanks to our archaeologists, maximum support must also be guaranteed," she underlined. At the meeting, Mission members updated Sereni on their current activities in the Middle East, especially at sites and museums that have suffered or are at currently at risk of damage and disruption due to ongoing hostilities in the region, according to the statement. Sereni praised the archaeologists for their work and assured them of the Italian government's commitment to safeguarding the region's cultural heritage and to supporting the Mission, the statement said. The Mission is headed by Professor Paolo Matthiae who, since 1964, has led the excavations that unearthed the remains of the ancient city of Ebla in Syria. US President Donald Trump will receive Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Wednesday for talks on how to speed a democratic transition in his country, the White House said. Guaido, whom the United States and more than 50 other countries recognize as Venezuela's acting president, is seeking renewed international support for his push to oust President Nicolas Maduro. "The visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaido to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis," the White House said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Photo: Disney+ That Baby Yoda magic is working: The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that its Netflix rival Disney+ had signed up 28.6 million subscribers as of yesterday, a hugely impressive number for a service that launched less than three months ago. Whats more, the decision to offer a bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ seems to have had a halo effect on those two more established services. In a conference call with investors Tuesday, Disney said Hulu has surged to 30.7 million paid subscribers as of this week, representing stunning annual growth of about 35 percent from the end of 2018. Meanwhile, ESPN+ which offers programming not available on the main ESPN has jumped to 7.6 million subscribers, more than quadruple the 1.7 million subscribers it had in December 2018. Disney didnt say how many of these new subscribers came as a result of its $12.99 bundle of Disney+, ad-supported Hulu, and ESPN+, but some reports suggest one in four of Hulus new subs at the end of 2019 signed up for the bundle. Hulu has also benefited from offering discount deals, some of which cut the cost of the service to as little as 99 cents per month for a limited time. To be sure, its far too early to declare Disney+ a complete success. Disney told investors Tuesday about 20 percent of new Disney+ sign ups were the result of a deal with Verizon under which the wireless company pays Disney for the right to offer Disney+ to subscribers for free. Many of those customers could go away when they have to pay for the service on their own. (Thats perhaps why Disney today also said Disney+ will launch the new season of The Mandalorian next October, weeks before those free trials expire, while the new Marvel spin-off series WandaVision is set for a December release.) But the good news for the company is that 70 percent of subscribers paid full price for the platform, suggesting plenty of interest among consumers. And fully half of all subscribers signed up directly with Disney, which means the company keeps all the revenue from them. At the very least, these early results suggest Disneys massive marketing efforts and that partnership with Verizon have paid off in a big way. When Tunisia's president turned down the invitation to the recent Berlin conference on Libya, he scored points with the electorate. But senior Tunisian politicians have voiced the need for Tunisia to be a part of international dialogues and raised concerns about their new presidents competence on the world stage. Tunisias invitation to the much-anticipated Jan. 19 Berlin conference on the crisis in Libya came very late, just two days before the conference. According to a Tunisian Foreign Ministry statement, the invitation was rejected not simply because of its late arrival, but because Tunisia did not participate in the preparatory meetings for the conference that began in September during which time Tunisia had been occupied with presidential and legislative elections and has subsequently failed to form a new government. By contrast, Algeria, which received its invitation just one week before the summit, did attend. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was quoted as saying Jan. 22, There are statements from [the head of Libyas UN-recognized government Fayez] al-Sarraj, statements from [Libyan eastern military commander Khalifa] Hifter's side, which indicates that the only power capable of settling the problem is Algeria." On Jan. 23, Algeria hosted foreign ministers and diplomats from Libyas neighboring countries, including Egypt, Sudan, Mali, Niger and Chad, as well as Tunisia. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas briefed the meeting about the results of the Berlin summit. The Algiers meeting was inconclusive beyond stating, Libya's neighbors have the responsibility to facilitate a political solution, discussing terrorism risks and urging the warring factions to return to the UN-led peace process. That same day, Tunisian President Kais Saied met with Maas in Tunis. The presidential statement echoed that of his post-Berlin phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, painting a contrite Germany versus an assertive Saied, who told Maas, Tunisia should have an active role in resolving the Libyan crisis in accordance with the new approach. Saied called for an intra-Libyan dialogue away from foreign interference. Tunisia, which has hosted many UN talks on Libya in the past, currently holds the presidency of the Arab League and began its two-year tenure as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council in January. Given that Saied asked interim Foreign Minister Sabri Bachtobji to attend both the Algeria meeting and the subsequent Jan. 30 African Union Libya summit, was Tunisia right to refuse to participate in the Berlin conference? The director of Columbia Global Centers in Tunis, Youssef Cherif, told Al-Monitor that he doesnt think Saieds refusal was a mistake. The last-minute invitation was perceived as a humiliation by Tunisian public opinion and the elite, so Saied followed his voters' feelings. Cherif added, The invitation sent to Tebboune changed things. Cherif said the perceived message was that Algeria is the important hegemon and Tunisia, the junior and second-class follower, while in fact it's in Tunisia and from Tunisia that most Libya business is conducted. But Mohsen Marzouq, the leader of the centrist modernist party Machrou3 Tounes who publicly criticized the presidents refusal of the invitation, told Al-Monitor, Tunisia needed to be present there [in Berlin], not to have an impact on the meeting itself, but because you had the permanent members of the Security Council there, and it was important to meet world leaders and defend the position of Tunisia. He said that given the Libyan conflicts impact on Tunisia, a delegation could have asked for support on humanitarian issues and for support for the military purpose. But to be absent for [reasons of] dignity, I found it very naive. Abedhamid Jlassi, a senior member of the Shura Council of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, was very concerned that Tunisia may be lagging behind in the international diplomatic game and that countries to the east of Libya Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are very active. Jlassi said, Libyas western neighbors, i.e., Tunisia and Algeria, although directly affected by the situation, are not as active. Our foreign policy over the past few years has come to a dead stop. The neutrality is fine, but we need to advance. The organization of the Berlin conference itself was politically problematic, said William Lawrence, who teaches political science and international affairs at American University in Washington. Lawrence told Al-Monitor. It was rooted in a certain conception of power politics and organized without understanding the huge impact of Libyas own immediate neighborhood on its future. Lawrence said Tunisias nonparticipation was a lost opportunity. Theres a lot of confusion about where Kais Saied is going and what he is changing, particularly in foreign affairs, because he seems to have old-fashioned Arab nationalist proclivities but not all the time and any time he can spend advocating for Tunisia and his new administration of it is well spent. Tunisias success is critical for Libyas success, and vice versa. Cherif said Saieds apparent attempts to take a pan-Arabist, noninterventionist approach may not be working. He pushes for rapprochement with Algeria and a Libyan-Libyan solution, but the reality on the ground is far more complex than idealist ideas. The very real impact on Tunisias border security was underlined recently Jan. 4 when a cache of 35 Turkish-made pump-action shotguns were discovered in the Medenine region near the Tunisian-Libyan border following a Turkish delivery of arms to Libya. The shotguns were thought to be en route to armed groups in northwestern Tunisia. The increased risk of terrorism resulting from the current Libyan conflict was one of the key issues discussed in the Algeria meeting. Smuggling, which has increased since 2011, has impacted the Tunisian economy through lost tax revenue, but there are other negative economic impacts on Tunisia. Marzouq said, There are many [Tunisian] clinics that are treating Libyan fighters but not being paid by the Libyan government, so there are 100 million dinars' [$35 million] worth of unpaid bills. Tunisia is losing a lot of things, and therefore, We need help from the international community to better deal with these types of impacts. The arrest of the former spokesman for Jaish al-Islam has split opinion, with some questioning the methods and intentions of the French judiciary writes Al-Modon. The arrest in France of Islam Alloush, the former official speaker for the Jaish al-Islam, sparked contradictory Syrian reactions. So far those defending him have included the two former presidents of the opposition coalition, Ahmed Maaz al-Khatib and Khaled Khoujanoting that one of these made no efforts in his position to determine the fate of the Douma Four captives. Islamists for the most part did not refrain from questioning the integrity of the French judiciary, declaring it to be politicized. They questioned what sort of justice prosecutes small figures, while leaving the large criminals free to continue their crimes. While 38 years have passed since the Hama massacre, one of its major criminalsand the overseer of the Palmyra Prison massacre two years before thathappened to be Rifaat al-Assad, who today is being tried before French courts on charges of illegal enrichment, a charge which does not scratch the surface of his known criminal record. This highlights a major difference between the trial of Islam Alloush and Rifaat al-Assad in the same country, especially for those who do not want to read the full rationale for the two cases. By virtue of different time, tools and capacities, no Syrian entity has carried out a comprehensive case against Rifaat al-Assad for his crimes. Also, since the Palmyra massacre, and then the Hama massacre, laws have been developed in some European countries to include crimes carried out beyond their geographical borders. This of course does not excuse successive French governments from their moral responsibility for hosting those with known criminal historiesincluding those who they may have had enough intelligence to prosecute. In the case of Islam Alloush, he was arrested on the basis of a case prepared by three human rights groups against the Jaish al-Islam, led by the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, based on reports of violations from victims and their families. It is worth noting that the coalition, which donated two of its previous presidents to defend Alloush, has a legal office headed by a lawyer who, before the revolution, headed a human rights defense organization. This office has not registered any significant activity in pursuing Syrian war criminals in front of international courts, unlike the pursuits by individuals and organizations who do not have the material capacities that this office does. As for the violations committed by rebel groups, the perpetrators include some represented in the coalition. No statement has been issued at any time, not even a lightly-worded statement calling on these groups to respect personal and public freedoms in the areas they control. Some see Islam Alloushs trial before the French courts as an offense to the image of the Syrian revolution. The truth is that the real abuse was the long silence about these groups violations, which encouraged them and others like them to continue. It may be unfortunate that the first trials in German and French courts for violations in Syria are aimed at people affiliated with the opposition. The reason for this is the presence of the accused within reach of the judiciary. The first obvious regret is that Assads criminals have escaped trial for the same procedural reasonsthat is, because they are staying in Syria, which is now a land of impunity. The more important aspect is that a difficult test faces Syrians, and putting their sense of justice at stake. Many have seen the demands to try all war criminals in Syria equally, ignoring the particularity of the first and primary criminals. Even the concept of transitional justice remains more concerned with political change that allows for the prosecution of Assads criminals, rather than all the violations that accompanied the conflict in Syria. On the other hand, there were always fears that the crimes of the minor criminals would justify the crimes of larger criminals, and so concealment was ongoing. But the cover-up did not fulfill its purpose, as the factions that committed the violations did not make enough of an effort to disguise them, and were not at any time concerned with the image of the revolution. Because it is impossible to hold fair Syrian trials, it is assumed that any external judicial process regarding Syria will be celebrated. The division of Syrians over Alloushs trial strikes at the moral considerations that should bring them together despite political visions. The catastrophe here is not only politics winning over morality, but these politics being short-sighted, and not realizing that one who commits suicide morally does so politically as well. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. A COMMITTEE at the House of Representatives approved Wednesday, February 5, measures seeking to establish at least 24 new Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches in the Philippines. The Committee on Appropriations chaired by Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab approved the funding provisions in House Bills (HB) 2668, 2523, 2423, 2698, 2510, 2882, 2655, and 2945. Under the said bills, there will be eight additional RTC branches in the National Capital Region (NCR); five in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental; four in the municipalities of Rosario and San Juan, Batangas; two in Zamboanga del Norte; two in Daet and Labo, Camarines Norte; and one each in La Paz, Abra and Moalboal, Cebu. In an interview with Sunstar Philippines, Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Francis Kiko Benitez, who also authored HB 2510, stressed the importance of decongesting trial courts in Silay City in Negros Occidental. We hope it helps declog the docket and cases of the two RTCs in Silay and to address the cases in Victorias, Benitez said. In his explanatory note, Benitez said that clogging of court dockets hampers the delivery of justice. Other causes of congestion are heavy inflow of cases, lack of judges, and deployment of regular judges as assisting or acting judges. (SunStar Philippines) Macy's is shuttering about 125 of its weakest stores over the next three years. The department store initially announced the closure of two dozen locations in early January and this week it added 100 more stores to the list. Only two are in California: the Macy's at the Somersville Towne Center in Antioch and the store at Horton Plaza Park in San Diego were on a list released in a USA Today report. The only Bay Area closure, the Antioch store, is preparing for its shutdown. "A clearance sale began in January 2020 and will run for approximately 8-12 weeks," Macy's spokesperson Emily Workman said in a statement. About 70 regular, non-seasonal employees work at the store that opened nearly 16 years ago. Those who can't relocate to nearby stores will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources, Workman said. Along with closing department stores, Macy's closing its tech offices in San Francisco and the Cincinnati headquarters, resulting in the loss of some 2,000 corporate jobs, according to the Wall Street Journal. More than 800 employees and about 200 contractors work in the San Francisco building at 680 Folsom, and eligible staff will be offered severance and given the opportunity to reapply for jobs that are being relocated in New York and Atlanta, according to Business Insider. We believe these changes will eliminate any duplication of efforts, bringing these teams closer to our business teams and strategy, spokesperson Andrea Schwartz told Bloomberg. Departments that are moving include Macy's Product and Digital Revenue, Macys.com and Macy's Technology. Details on how many people in San Francisco will lose their jobs hasn't been released. ALSO: Slurp Noodle Bar in San Francisco quietly closes after six years The store closures represent about one fifth of Macy's current total. The stores, which include about 30 that are in the process of closing, account for $1.4 billion in annual sales. Macy's didn't specify how many jobs would be lost at the shuttered stores. Macy's is also testing a new store format that's located at a strip center, instead of a mall. This news comes as Macy's prepares for a meeting with investors in New York on Wednesday when the company is expected to share a three-year plan on how to grow, as more customers shop online. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. WASHINGTON The Department of Energy isn't distributing funding for clean energy research fast enough, House Democrats said Wednesday. At a hearing before the oversight panel of the House Science and Space Committee, Chairman Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., said the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy didn't spend $823 million in funding appropriated by Congress last year, more than a third of its budget. "We want to make sure EERE manages its R&D investments in an efficient manner and in keeping with congressional intent," he said. "If potential grantees do not think EERE is a reliable partner, they are less likely to engage with DOE in the future. I am concerned about the effect this could have on the United States position as a global leader in clean energy." The criticism follows repeated efforts by the Trump administration to cut funding to the EERE office under former Energy Secretary Rick Perry. But Assistant Secretary for the EERE Daniel Simmons said that it was not the office's intention to withhold spending and that carrying over funding from one year's budget to the next was in line with the final years of the Obama administration. "What matters at the end of the day is appropriated dollars. The president's proposed budget is the beginning of the process," he said. "It takes a while to get the funding announcements out the door." At the same time, Foster said, staffing levels at the EERE office have "severely dropped," despite increases in salaries and benefits for DOE staff. But Republicans on the science committee pushed back, arguing that it was the department's job to move cautiously in the distribution of more than $1.3 billion in outside research funding last year. "After increases by the Obama administration, EERE is by far DOE's largest applied research program," Beaumont Republican Rep. Randy Weber said. "It is clear DOE has operated appropriately and within its mandate for grant funding review." A South African court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for embattled former president Jacob Zuma after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing over corruption charges related to a 1990s arms deal. But the court said that execution of the warrant will be deferred until May 6 when the case is due to resume. Zumas lawyers said he was not able to attend the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday because he was ill and receiving treatment abroad, in the latest twist in a case that has seen numerous legal turns over a decade and a half. The High Court in the southeastern city of Pietermaritzburg issued the warrant after it questioned the authenticity of the sick note said to have been signed by a military doctor. The court accepts that Mr Zuma may be unwell, said judge Dhaya Pillay. But this court needs reliable evidence that Mr Zuma is indeed ill. It is not clear that (the doctor) is indeed a regular practitioner, she said. State prosecutor Billy Downer said it was a criminal offence for the 77-year-old Zuma, who was in office between 2009 and 2018, to skip court. Zumas lawyer Dan Mantsha told reporters outside the courtroom that our courts have no sympathy, no compassion. We are very concerned when courts issue warrants under the circumstances like this when the whole country knows that president Zuma is not well ... indeed president Zuma underwent two operations in early January this year, Mantsha said. When you start to issue warrants under such circumstances, people start to question whether we are all equal under the law. He said for the court to doubt whether he is sick or not, is absolute unimaginable. Mantsha vowed that the elderly Zuma, will attend court when he is fit, as he has done for previous hearings. Local media suggested that Zuma is in Cuba undergoing treatment for an undisclosed ailment. - Afraid to face the music - Zuma posted a video clip on Twitter on December 29 of himself dancing with a local gospel choir, with the caption Happy Holidays.. From myself and the Umlazi Gospel Choir. The former president has not tweeted since. Zuma is alleged to have taken bribes worth four million rand ($270,000) related to a $3.4 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was deputy president. In all Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment when he was deputy to the countrys second black president, Thabo Mbeki. Both Zuma and French defence company Thales, which supplied equipment for navy vessels, deny the charges. Last year Zuma unsuccessfully tried to stop the trial from going ahead. If the trial takes place, it would be the first time Zuma faces a court on graft charges, despite a string of accusations over his long political career. Teflon president Critics have dubbed Zuma the Teflon president for his reputed ability to evade judicial reckoning. He has also been accused of organising the systematic plunder of government coffers in a scandal known as state capture. Zuma appeared at an inquiry into the scandal in July, putting on a defiant performance and denying all wrongdoing. He was forced to step down in 2018 by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party after a nine-year reign marked by corruption allegations and dwindling popularity. The main opposition Democratic Alliance hailed the warrant decision, saying the court has put its foot down and shown Mr Zuma that he can no longer continue wasting the courts time and public resources because he is too afraid to face the music. He has gone above and beyond and tried every trick in the book to avoid being held accountable for his alleged hand in the arms deal, the DA said in a statement. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Two-and-three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor on February 4 reported better-than-expected revenue and operating margin for the December quarter. The companys revenue fell 11.5 percent year-on-year to Rs 4,125 crore and profit declined 32.1 percent to Rs 121.1 crore due to lower sales. At operating level, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation dipped 3.2 percent YoY to Rs 363.2 crore, but margin remained above 8 percent for third consecutive quarter at 8.8 percent against 8 percent. A CNBC-TV18 analyst poll has estimated profit at Rs 121.1 crore on revenue of Rs 4,063.7 crore and EBITDA was expected at Rs 342 crore, with margin at 8.4 percent. Here are the highlights from TVS Motor Company's earnings call, compiled by Narnolia Financial Advisors: Management Participants: KN Radhakrishnan Director & CEO, K Gopala DesikanCFO For Q3FY20, the industry continues to decline due to lower economic growth and lack of liquidity. Q4FY20 industry appears to be challenging, primarily because of declining GDP. For All Earnings Related News - Click Here Monsoon, though delayed, was normal, and reservoirs have enough water, which should lead to better Rabi and Kharif crops and relief measures announced in the Budget should stimulate growth. Sales of 2W industry declined by 11 percent in the quarter. The company has launched two variants of BS-VI: Eco Thrust Fuel injection (ET-FI) and Race Tune Fuel injection (RT-FI) The company reversed the provision of Rs.76.04 crore toward National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD) based on a favourable ruling by CESTAT. The company have changed to BS-VI in January and stopped BS-IV production. Customers feedbacks are very positive for BS-VI vehicles. Inventory level stands at 5 weeks (dealer stocks). TVS credit services finance penetration is 45 percent. The company launched electric scooter i-cube and it is currently being sold in Bangalore in12 dealerships. The company has further plans to expand it dealerships in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Trivendram. Q3FY20 export revenue is Rs 1,200 crore. Spares revenue is Rs 441 crore. The management expects 1HFY21 to decline due to BS-VI transition. Though some of the impact may get arrested by healthy monsoon and governments thrust on agriculture sector. The BS-VI transition is expected to be smooth, as 60 percent of the vehicles sold in January were BS-VI compliant. The management expects exports market to be strong based on stability in oil prices and currency. The recent ban on 2-wheeler & 3-wheeler taxis in Lagos, Nigeria may have some impact but it is too early to comment. Nigeria accounts for 55 percent of 3-wheeler exports and 12 percent of two-wheeler exports of TVS Motors. The import content is expected to come down to 8 percent in FY21 from 10 percent in FY20. Capex guidance of Rs 650 crore in FY20. Electric scooter: Total expected capex of Rs 200 crore. YAPHANK, N.Y., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Insurance Technology Association (ITA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Insurance Nerds (InsNerds) focused on enhancing the program and engagement at this years ITA LIVE 2020 executive event, to be held April 5-7, 2020, at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, FL. ITA LIVE is not and never will be a big tent event, said Jim Daggett, executive director of ITA . We are focused on creating opportunities for insurance executives to have one-on-one conversations with peers, think more innovatively through exposure to new solutions for existing problems, hear from vendors or service providers doing things differently, and leverage new networks to recruit amazing talent. Im looking forward to the energy and content our friends from InsNerds will bring to the table this year. The partnership with InsNerds will offer insurance executives within the InsNerds network discounted attendance to ITA LIVE, and InsNerds co-founders Carly Burnham, Tony Canas , and Nick Lamparelli will participate in sessions during the event as well. Additionally, InsNerds will be creating unique and valuable content while onsite by interviewing attendees and conference sponsors in a special edition of the popular Profiles in Risk podcast. ITA and InsNerds sit at the intersection of insurance and technology, and this partnership makes a lot of sense for both organizations, said Carly Burnham, co-founder and chief editor of InsNerds . We believe the ITAs members, readers of ITA Pro, and attendees of ITA LIVE will benefit from the content we provide and from the interactions with members of the InsNerds network who participate this year. ITA LIVE 2020 will focus on the practicalities of preparing your business for adopting and implementing the latest insurtech advances. With more than 20 interactive presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables, a wide range of insurtech topics will be examined, including: Getting your house in order to start really leveraging insurtech; Navigating the regulatory and privacy requirements that can hinder data use; Insurtech in the field: Real-life use cases of how carriers are using tech tools to galvanize their businesses; Startups vs. Carriers: Conversations between insurtechs and carriers; and Creating an exemplary customer experience. This years ITA LIVE will also feature energetic keynote presentations delivered by high-profile InsurTech influencers Dr. Robin Kiera of Digitalscouting , Rusty Sproat of FIGO Pet Insurance , and Tim Attia of Slice . For more information about ITA membership, this years ITA LIVE agenda, or to register, please visit the ITA website at www.itapro.org . About the ITA The Insurance Technology Association provides members with opportunities to collaborate, educate, network, share and use knowledge related to insurance technology. The ITA provides the insurance technology community with a resource solely dedicated to serving this specialized sector of the industry. Publications and educational programs created by the ITA are geared to anyone interested in or charged with evaluating, implementing or marketing insurance-specific technology systems or services. For more information, please visit www.itapro.org . About Insurance Nerds Insurance Nerds is the go-to source of transformational talent delivery and career management in the insurance ecosystem. With a background in traditional insurance via careers at Nationwide and other leading insurers, co-founders Carly Burnham and Tony Canas set out to build a community dedicated to the education and advancement of insurance professionals both new and old. Today, via the Insurance Nerds website, an active Slack channel, the Profiles in Risk podcast, and various blog, article, and book publishing initiatives, Insurance Nerds is a positive voice providing insights into and influence over the potential future and direction of this important industry. For more information, please visit www.insnerds.com . Media Contact: Jim Daggett Insurance Technology Association jim@itapro.org or 631-241-3301 A young girl's remains were found by firefighters in the attic of a burned Arizona home. According to investigators, the remains of the girl may have been hidden there for more than two years. In an article from MSN, a couple, Rafael Loera, 56, and Maribel Loera, 50, were taken by police after finding the remains in the attic of their burnt house. Discovery of the Skeletal Remains The Phoenix fire department was called after the house caught fire. While extinguishing the fire, firefighters discovered skeletal remains in the attic. This resulted in the invitation of homicide investigators. According to the statement given by the police of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Child Services (DPS) removed two children in the custody of the couple an hour before the report of the fire. In the previous week, a girl, 11 years old, who lived in the couple's home contacted the police and reported that she was alone. After the discovery of child abuse, DPS officers took the child. After the investigation, the police confirmed that the skeletal remains of the girl found on the attic of the home belonged to a girl who was last seen in 2017. Rafael Loera's Confessions Rafael Loera confirmed that the remains of the girl were identified as their adopted child. The name of their adopted child was Ana Loera a.k.a. Charisma Marquez. If Ana Loera was still alive, she would be 13 now. The couple reported that their adopted daughter had left for Mexico. They said that the girl said that she doesn't want to be contacted. However, Rafael Loera later admitted that their daughter was already dead. According to the police, Rafael stated that Ana got sick in July 2017. However, it took them a couple of days before they decided to bring her to the hospital. Before they went to the hospital, Ana died. With the fear of losing their other children, they hid the dead body of Ana in their home. They did not report thedeath of their daughter to authorities. Instead, they covered Ana's dead body with a sheet and placed her remains in the attic of the home. Ana's cause of death has not been identified. Rafael revealed that he had witnessed his wife abusing their children. He shared that his wife would hit them with a broom or an electrical cord. Based on court records, Rafael did not attempt to report the abuse because of his fear of being hurt by his wife. He also shared that they adopted another child after the death of Ana. Rafael confessed that he threw the remains of Ana in their backyard before he set the house on fire. The Criminal Charges against the Couple Rafael will be sent to jail on the counts of the concealment of the skeletal remains of a dead human being, child abuse, endangerment, and arson. Maribel will be charged with child abuse. Paras Shah, a senior bond trader in Londons financial district, has been suspended by Citigroup for allegedly stealing food from the office canteen at its European headquarters in Canary Wharf. The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Shah, 31, abruptly left his post in January as the banks head of high-yield bond trading for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It added that the bank and Shah declined to comment on the suspension. Shah reportedly joined Citi in 2017 after about seven years at HSBC. His job entailed matching buyers and sellers of junk bonds debt from companies judged to be riskier borrowers. Two former colleagues told the paper that he was a well-liked and successful trader. Shah is likely to have received a seven-figure pay package, according to rival traders and junk bond investors, and was suspended weeks before Citi was due to pay bonuses to senior staff, Financial Times reported. Shah graduated in economics from the University of Bath in 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. Financial institutions and regulators in the UK have in the past disciplined executives alleged to have engaged in personal misconduct such as theft, even involving small amounts of money. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All those, who want to put all of China under quarantine, should be ashamed, says philosopher Slavoj Zizek. And longs for a world, where a dreadful event like the corona epidemic would have positive consequences. Anzeige So much was already written about the coronavirus epidemic - what can I add to it as a non-specialist observer with a very limited access to data? But perhaps, one should raise the question here: where do data end and where does ideology begin? The first obvious enigma: there are much worse epidemics going on, so why such an obsession with this one when thousands die daily for other infectious diseases? No need to remember the1918-1920 influenza pandemic known as Spanish flu whose death toll is estimated to have been at least 50 million: now, influenza has infected 15 million Americans: at least 140.000 people have been hospitalized and more than 8.200 people killed this season alone. Racist paranoia is obviously at work here remember all the fantasies about the dirty old Chinese women in Wuhan skinning live snakes and slurping bat soup At this point of time, a big Chinese city is probably one of the safest places in the world. Building site of a new hospital, which is being built in Wuhan Quelle: dpa Anzeige But there is a deeper paradox at work here: the more our world is connected, the more a local disaster can trigger a global fear and eventually a catastrophe. In the Spring of 2010, a cloud from a minor volcanic eruption in Island a small disturbance in the complex mechanism of the life on the Earth put to a standstill the aerial traffic over most of Europe a reminder of how, with all its tremendous activity of transforming nature, humankind remains just another living species on the planet Earth. The very catastrophic socio-economic impact of such a minor outburst is due to our technological development (air travel): a century ago, such an eruption would have passed unnoticed. Technological development makes us more independent from nature and at the same time, at a different level, more dependent on natures whims. And the same holds for the spread of coronavirus: if it were happen before Deng Hsiao Pings reforms, we probably wouldnt have even heard about it. So how are we to fight the virus when it just multiplies as a weird invisible form of parasitic life, an undead (living dead) spectral entity whose precise mechanism remains basically unknown? It is this lack of knowledge which causes panic: what if the virus will mutate in an unpredictable way and trigger a true global catastrophe? Anzeige This is my private paranoia: does the reason of the panic displayed by authorities although the actual effects are till now relatively modest reside in the fact that they know (or suspect, at least) something about possible mutations that they dont want to render public in order to avoid public confusion and unrest? One thing is sure: isolation, new walls and further quarantines, will not do the job. Full unconditional solidarity and a globally coordinated response are needed, a new form of what was once called Communism. If we will not orient our efforts in this direction, then Wuhan today is maybe the image of a city of our future. Many dystopias already imagined a similar future: we mostly stay at home, work on our computers, communicate through videoconferences, do fitness on a machine in the corner of our home office, occasionally masturbate in front of a screen displaying hardcore sex and get food by delivery Anzeige There is, however, an unexpected emancipatory prospect hidden in this nightmarish vision. I must admit that during these last days I caught myself dreaming on visiting Wuhan. Do half-abandoned streets in a megalopolis the usually bustling urban centers looking like ghost towns, stores with open doors and no customers, just a lone walker or car here and there, individuals with white masks not provide the image of non-consumerist world at ease with itself? The melancholic beauty of the empty avenues of Shanghai or Hong Kong remind me of some old post-apocalyptic movies like On the Beach, which show a city with most of the population wiped out - no big spectacular destruction, just the world out there no longer ready-at-hand, awaiting us, looking at us and for us Even the white masks worn by the few people walking around provide a welcome anonymity and liberation from social pressure for recognition. Many of us remember the famous conclusion of the students situationist manifest from 1966: Vivre sans temps mort, jouir sans entraves - to live without dead time, to enjoy without obstacles. If Freud and Lacan taught us anything, it is that this formula the supreme case of a superego injunction since, as Lacan aptly demonstrated, superego is at its most basic a positive injunction to enjoy, not a negative act of prohibiting something - is a recipe for disaster: the urge to fill in every moment of the time allotted to us with intense engagement unavoidably ends up in a suffocating monotony. Deserted streets of Wuhan Quelle: AP Dead time moments of withdrawal, of what old mystics called Gelassenheit, releasement are crucial for the revitalization of our life experience. And, perhaps, one can hope that one of the unintended consequences of the coronavirus quarantines in Chinese cities will be that some people at least will use their dead time to be released from hectic activity and think about the (non)sense of their predicament. I am fully aware of the danger I am courting in making public these thoughts of mine am I not engaging in a new version of attributing to the suffering victims some deeper authentic insight from my safe external position and thus cynically legitimizing their suffering? When a masked citizen of Wuhan walks around searching for medicine or food, there are definitely no anti-consumerist thoughts on his or her mind, just panic, anger and fear. My plea is just that even horrible events can have unpredictable positive consequences. Carlo Ginzburg proposed the notion that being ashamed of ones country, not love of it, may be the true mark of belonging to it. Maybe, some Israelis will gather the courage to feel shame apropos Netanyahu and Trump politics done on their behalf not, of course, in the sense of shame of being Jewish but, on the contrary, of feeling shame for what the Israeli politics in the West Bank is doing to the most precious legacy of Judaism itself. Maybe, some British should gather the courage to fell shame about the ideological dream that brought them Brexit. But for the people of Wuhan, its not the time to feel ashamed and stigmatized but the time to gather the courage and patiently persist in their struggle. The only ones truly ashamed in China are those who publicly downplayed the epidemics while over-protecting themselves, acting like those Soviet functionaries around Chernobyl who publicly claimed there is no danger while immediately evacuating their own families, or those top managers who publicly deny global warming but are already buying houses in New Zealand or building survival bunkers in Rocky Mountains. Anzeige Maybe, the public outrage against such double behaviour (which is already compelling the authorities to promise transparency) will give birth to another unintended positive political development in China. But those who should be truly ashamed are all of us around the world thinking just about how to quarantine the Chinese. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday hit out at the Modi government accusing it of conducting an ideological surgical strike on Mahatma Gandhi by calling him an agent of the British and Pujya Bapu virtually in the same breath. Chowdhury also accused the Modi government of cherry-picking quotes of icons such as Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi to further their agenda and ignoring the larger message of unity and harmony. Don't be a fake Hindu, be a real Hindu like us, the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha said while participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address to Parliament. Chowdhury claimed that the Modi government has begun to retreat from its positions on the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) against the strong fight back by the people of India. He claimed that the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NPR was a sinister design of the government to create a Hindu-Muslim divide in the country. It has been foiled by the common people of every religion, every class, every age group who got together and launched an agitation against it, Chowdhury claimed. In an apparent reference to BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde's purported remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, Chowdhury said in Karnataka you call him a British agent, and at the same time fill up the President's Address with 'Pujya Bapu'. Don't carry out an ideological surgical strike, you will be in trouble, he said asking BJP leaders to read the Constitution carefully. He also hit out at the Prime Minister for limiting the political discourse around three themes Muslims, Pakistan and Imran Khan and maintaining silence on issues such as unemployment, fall in manufacturing and economic slowdown. Chowdhury also expressed concern over China's attempts at increasing its influence in Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar and the government's complete silence on the issue. (Newser) The search for an 11-year-old boy reported missing a week ago in Colorado Springs is intensifying, with surveillance video seeming to contradict the initial version of events offered by his stepmother. Leticia Stauch reported Gannon Stauch missing on Jan. 27, telling authorities he had left his home in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood between 3:15pm and 4:15pm to meet a friend, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Department. But neighbor Roderrick Drayton says his security camera recorded Stauch and Gannon leaving the home in a red pickup truck at 10:13am that day, and Stauch returning alone some four hours later, per ABC News. Drayton adds he showed the video to Gannon's father, Albert, on Sunday. "He just broke down crying and said, 'She lied. She lied about the time. He didnt go to a friend's house,'" he says. story continues below A rep for the sheriffs office says the video is "just one piece in a very, very, very large puzzle." There have been more than 180 tips, per the Denver Post. Meanwhile, Stauch says she's received death threats. "I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn't want to do it. And I would never, ever, ever hurt this child," she tells KKTV. She says she took Gannon on a hike, then to lunch, but can't comment on what followed. She also says she was denied an attorney in a police interview. Authorities are searching in Lorson Ranch and an area 10 miles away. But a winter storm may prove a complication. Gannon's mother also says the boyborn at 1 pound, six ounces, with a 10% chance of survivalneeds special medication, per ABC. "Please have hope with me," Landen Hoitt tells KKTV. "Bring my baby home." (Read more missing child stories.) A plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2020. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) Planes Carrying Evacuees From Coronavirus Epicenter Landing in US Today, Tomorrow Two planes carrying evacuees from Wuhan, Chinathe epicenter of the new coronaviruslanded in California on Wednesday while two other planes were slated to land elsewhere on Thursday, federal officials said. The two planes that landed on Wednesday arrived at Travis Airport Base between Sacramento and San Francisco, the U.S. military said. One plane was continuing to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. On Thursday, one additional plane will land at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, while the fourth will land at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing. Messonnier said she couldnt provide exact numbers in terms of the passengers in each plane and the overall total. The two planes landing in California had 350 people total on board, the military said. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel would meet the planes and assess the health of the passengers through temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms. The passengers will be quarantined for 14 days, the outer edge of the incubation period, from their departure from Wuhan. Empty shelves for N95 masks are seen at a Home Depot store in Alhambra, California, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Any people showing symptoms of the coronavirus would be sent to a hospital for tests and further evaluation. The first 195 people evacuated from Wuhan landed at the March Air Force Base on Jan. 29. The base is located in Riverside County, California. Everyone on board passed through multiple medical screenings before landing and additional screenings after landing. The CDC issued a quarantine after a passenger tried leaving the military base. The first person showing symptoms of the virus, a child, was sent to the hospital on Tuesday with a fever. There are many reasons why children have a fever, Messonnier told reporters, adding that the evaluation of the child is progressing and authorities are awaiting test results. The people quarantined at the base would be free to leave on Feb. 11 provided they and any family members quarantined with them are also healthy. They would be considered healthy if the 14 days from leaving Wuhan elapse without them showing any symptoms. A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he walks during a snowfall in an empty commercial street in Beijing, China, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) As long as they are healthy and their immediate family is healthy, our plan is to release them and help them get to their final destination, Messonnier said. No additional monitoring would take place. Right now our plan is to leave them alone and let them get on with their lives, she added. Officials expect more confirmed cases to arise among the evacuees but there has not been any additional confirmed cases since the eleventh in the country was confirmed earlier in the week, the director said. She echoed World Health Organization head Dr. Tedros, who said during a meeting this week that officials have a window of opportunity to deal with the virus since the vast majority of cases are in one country, China. Officials are preparing as if the outbreak is a pandemic but are hoping its not, Messonnier said. She discussed sending test kits to laboratories across the United States and outside the country and said the agency would keep reporting cases on its website three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This is the beginning of what could be a long response, she said. If community spread is established in the United States, broader measures will be put into place. One person died and two others were injured in three different accidents related to overcrowding on local trains along the Central Railway (CR) network on Wednesday. All three accidents took place between Mumbra and Kalwa, during peak hours in the morning. So far in 2020, four people have died and six have been injured after they fell off local trains on CR. According to Government Railway Police (GRP), the three accidents took place between 9.30am and 10am, on the slow track and on trains bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Haji Rayees Ahmed, 53, was forced to stand on the footboard because the train was overcrowded, said officials. He fell off the train near Kharegaon and died. Meanwhile 42-year-old Imtiaz Hyder Shaikh and 23-year-old Abu Osama suffered serious head injuries. Shaikh and Osama are undergoing treatment at Thanes Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (also known as Kalwa Hospital). An officer from Kalwa GRP, requesting anonymity, said, Ahmed suffered multiple injuries and was declared dead on arrival at Kalwa Hospital. He fell off the train around 10am near Kharegaon. The two injured, Shaikh and Osama, suffered injuries at 10 am and 9.30am respectively. While Shaikh and Osama are Mumbra residents, Ahmed was visiting the city. Ahmed owned a shop in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. On the day of accident, he left my home in Mumbra and was traveling to Mumbai to meet a relative, said Ahmeds cousin, Mohammad Aslam Shaikh. Imtiaz Hyder Shaikh, who suffered injuries on Wednesday, told HT he had been on his way to Vikhroli for work. I had caught 9:28 am CSMT local. However, it was crowded and I was hanging from the door. Due to pressure from the crowd, my hand slipped and I fell off the train. We have to bear this overcrowding daily as by the time the train arrives at Mumbra, it is packed during peak hours, he said. Osama works as a mechanic and was also going to CSMT for work. Two months ago, Osamas younger brother had fallen off a crowded local, said his mother Isratunissa Shaikh. My younger son too met with similar accident and suffered injuries on his hands. He recovered from the injury just recently, said Isratunissa, 45. Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of Railway Passengers Association, Thane, said overcrowding is a persistent problem and his organisation has repeatedly requested that CR increase the number of capacity of trains operating during peak hours. In 2019, 45 people died after falling off local trains. The tiny central African state of Equatorial Guinea said Wednesday it would give USD 2 million (1.8 million euros) to China to help it tackle coronavirus. The government, which has developed close ties with Beijing, said the donation was a mark of "support and solidarity." The new coronavirus has claimed nearly 500 lives, infected more than 24,000 people in mainland China and spread to more than 20 countries since it appeared in late December. While there has not yet been a confirmed infection reported in sub-Saharan Africa, many countries on the continent have imposed preventative measures. On January 27, Equatorial Guinea announced that all people entering the country from China would be quarantined for 14 days. It has since placed 25 people in isolation, according to the country's national committee to counter the virus. Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich state with an entrenched record of authoritarian rule and poverty, has developed close economic links with Beijing. Chinese companies have been awarded a string of contracts for infrastructure projects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow citizens: Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results. Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again! America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise, and America's future is blazing bright. The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power, and prestige. In just 3 short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world - and it is not even close. Our borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are renewed. Our pride is restored. And for all these reasons, I say to the people of our great country, and to the Members of Congress before me: The State of our Union is stronger than ever before! The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world's most prosperous and inclusive society -- one where every citizen can join in America's unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in America's extraordinary rise. From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the United States economy -- slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements. Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. We are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting high our citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed. Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs -- 5 million more than Government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my Administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country. If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to America's great economic success. The unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history. African-American youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. African-American poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years -- and last year, women filled 72 percent of all new jobs added. The veterans' unemployment rate dropped to a record low. The unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time low. Workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest unemployment rate recorded in United States history. A record number of young Americans are now employed. Under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls. Under my Administration, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare. In 8 years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just 3 years of my Administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce. Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage-earners has increased by 47 percent -- 3 times faster than the increase for the top 1 percent. After decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast -- and, wonderfully, they are rising fastest for low-income workers, who have seen a 16 percent pay-increase since my election. This is a blue collar boom. Real median household income is now at the highest level ever recorded! Since my election, United States stock markets have soared 70 percent, adding more than $12 trillion to our Nation's wealth, transcending anything anyone believed was possible -- this, as other countries are not doing well. Consumer confidence has reached amazing new heights. All of those millions of people with 401(k)s and pensions are doing far better than they have ever done before with increases of 60, 70, 80, 90, and even 100 percent. Jobs and investment are pouring into 9,000 previously-neglected neighborhoods thanks to Opportunity Zones, a plan spearheaded by Senator Tim Scott as part of our great Republican tax cuts. In other words, wealthy people and companies are pouring money into poor neighborhoods or areas that have not seen investment in many decades, creating jobs, energy, and excitement. This is the first time that these deserving communities have seen anything like this. It is all working! Opportunity Zones are helping Americans like Army Veteran Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio. After struggling with drug addiction, Tony lost his job, his house, and his family -- he was homeless. But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones. He is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family, and he is here tonight. Tony: Keep up the great work. Our roaring economy has, for the first time ever, given many former prisoners the ability to get a great job and a fresh start. This second chance at life is made possible because we passed landmark Criminal Justice Reform into law. Everybody said that Criminal Justice Reform could not be done, but I got it done, and the people in this room got it done. Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, by far. With the tremendous progress we have made over the past 3 years, America is now energy independent, and energy jobs, like so many elements of our country, are at a record high. We are doing numbers that no one would have thought possible just 3 years ago. Likewise, we are restoring our Nation's manufacturing might, even though predictions were that this could never be done. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my Administration with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or built. We have created over half a million new manufacturing jobs. Companies are not leaving; they are coming back. Everybody wants to be where the action is, and the United States of America is, indeed, where the action is. One of the single biggest promises I made to the American people was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal. In fact, unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that I decided to run for President. Following NAFTA's adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA -- only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law. The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada to a much higher degree, but also to a much greater level of fairness and reciprocity. This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of America's labor unions. I also promised our citizens that I would impose tariffs to confront China's massive theft of American jobs. Our strategy worked. Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the United States of America. For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States, now we have changed that but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi. They respect what we have done because, quite frankly, they could never believe what they were able to get away with year after year, decade after decade, without someone in our country stepping up and saying: Enough. Now, we want to rebuild our country, and that is what we are doing. As we restore American leadership throughout the world, we are once again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere. That is why my Administration reversed the failing policies of the previous administration on Cuba. We are supporting the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to restore democracy. The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people. But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken. Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul. To safeguard American Liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States Military. We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of military equipment -- all made in the United States of America. We are also finally getting our allies to help pay their fair share. I have raised contributions from the other NATO members by more than $400 billion, and the number of allies meeting their minimum obligations has more than doubled. And just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Space Force. In the gallery tonight, we have one of the Space Force's youngest potential recruits: 13-year-old Iain Lanphier, an eighth grader from Arizona. Iain has always dreamed of going to space. He was first in his class and among the youngest at an aviation academy. He aspires to go to the Air Force Academy, and then, he has his eye on the Space Force. As Iain says, 'most people look up at space, I want to look down on the world.' Sitting beside Iain tonight is his great hero. Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago. Charles is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen -- the first black fighter pilots -- and he also happens to be Iain's great-grandfather. After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for Civil Rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam. On December 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday. A few weeks ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General. And earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office. General McGee: Our Nation salutes you. From the pilgrims to our Founders, from the soldiers at Valley Forge to the marchers at Selma, and from President Lincoln to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans have always rejected limits on our children's future. Members of Congress, we must never forget that the only victories that matter in Washington are victories that deliver for the American people. The people are the heart of our country, their dreams are the soul of our country, and their love is what powers and sustains our country. We must always remember that our job is to put America first! The next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. Yet, for too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools. To rescue these students, 18 States have created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships. The programs are so popular, that tens of thousands of students remain on waiting lists. One of those students is Janiyah Davis, a fourth grader from Philadelphia. Janiyah's mom Stephanie is a single parent. She would do anything to give her daughter a better future. But last year, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvania's Governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice for 50,000 children. Janiyah and Stephanie are in the gallery this evening. But there is more to their story. Janiyah, I am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over. I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice! Now, I call on the Congress to give 1 million American children the same opportunity Janiyah has just received. Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act -- because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school. Every young person should have a safe and secure environment in which to learn and grow. For this reason, our magnificent First Lady has launched the 'Be Best' initiative -- to advance a safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-free life for the next generation, online, in school, and in our communities. Thank you, Melania, for your extraordinary love and profound care for America's children. My Administration is determined to give our citizens the opportunities they need regardless of age or background. Through our Pledge to American Workers, over 400 companies will also provide new jobs and education opportunities to almost 15 million Americans. My Budget also contains an exciting vision for our Nation's high schools. Tonight, I ask the Congress to support our students and back my plan to offer vocational and technical education in every single high school in America. To expand equal opportunity, I am also proud that we achieved record and permanent funding for our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on Earth. Before I took office, health insurance premiums had more than doubled in just 5 years. I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. Our new plans are up to 60 percent less expensive. I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions -- that is a guarantee. And we will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security. The American patient should never be blindsided by medical bills. That is why I signed an Executive Order requiring price transparency. Many experts believe that transparency, which will go into full effect at the beginning of next year, will be even bigger than healthcare reform. It will save families massive amounts of money for substantially better care. But as we work to improve Americans' healthcare, there are those who want to take away your healthcare, take away your doctor, and abolish private insurance entirely. One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans. To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare! Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our Nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders. These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration. This is what is happening in California and other States -- their systems are totally out of control, costing taxpayers vast and unaffordable amounts of money. If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left. But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free Government healthcare for illegal aliens! This will be a tremendous boon to our already very-strongly guarded southern border where, as we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built. We have now completed over 100 miles and will have over 500 miles fully completed by early next year. My Administration is also taking on the big pharmaceutical companies. We have approved a record number of affordable generic drugs, and medicines are being approved by the FDA at a faster clip than ever before. I was pleased to announce last year that, for the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down. And working together, the Congress can reduce drug prices substantially from current levels. I have been speaking to Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and others in the Congress in order to get something on drug pricing done, and done properly. I am calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices. Get a bill to my desk, and I will sign it into law without delay. With unyielding commitment, we are curbing the opioid epidemic -- drug overdose deaths declined for the first time in nearly 30 years. Among the States hardest hit, Ohio is down 22 percent, Pennsylvania is down 18 percent, Wisconsin is down 10 percent -- and we will not quit until we have beaten the opioid epidemic once and for all. Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the Coronavirus outbreak in China. My Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat. We have launched ambitious new initiatives to substantially improve care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer's, and those struggling with mental health challenges. And because the Congress funded my request, we are pursuing new cures for childhood cancer, and we will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America by the end of the decade. Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is a special man, someone beloved by millions of Americans who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our Nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I will now ask the First Lady of the United States to please stand and present you with the honor. Rush, Kathryn, congratulations! As we pray for all who are sick, we know that America is constantly achieving new medical breakthroughs. In 2017, doctors at St. Luke's hospital in Kansas City delivered one of the earliest premature babies ever to survive. Born at just 21 weeks and 6 days, and weighing less than a pound, Ellie Schneider was born a fighter. Through the skill of her doctors -- and the prayers of her parents -- little Ellie kept on winning the battle for life. Today, Ellie is a strong, healthy 2-year-old girl sitting with her amazing mother Robin in the gallery. Ellie and Robin: We are so glad you are here. Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life. Thanks to modern medical wonders, 50 percent of very premature babies delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive. Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to thrive and grow just like Ellie. That is why I am asking the Congress to provide an additional $50 million to fund neo-natal research for America's youngest patients. That is also why I am calling upon the Members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies. Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God! As we support America's moms and dads, I was recently proud to sign the law providing new parents in the Federal workforce paid family leave, serving as a model for the rest of the country. Now, I call on the Congress to pass the bipartisan Advancing Support for Working Families Act, extending family leave to mothers and fathers all across the Nation. Forty million American families have an average $2,200 extra thanks to our child tax credit. I have also overseen historic funding increases for high-quality child care, enabling 17 States to serve more children, many of which have reduced or eliminated their waitlists altogether. And I sent the Congress a plan with a vision to further expand access to high-quality childcare and urge you to act immediately. To protect the environment, days ago, I announced that the United States will join the One Trillion Trees Initiative, an ambitious effort to bring together Government and the private sector to plant new trees in America and around the world. We must also rebuild America's infrastructure. I ask you to pass Senator Barrasso's highway bill -- to invest in new roads, bridges, and tunnels across our land. I am also committed to ensuring that every citizen can have access to high-speed internet, including rural America. A better tomorrow for all Americans also requires us to keep America safe. That means supporting the men and women of law enforcement at every level, including our Nation's heroic ICE officers. Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 criminal aliens charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults, and 2,000 murders. Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens. In Sanctuary Cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed. Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the Sanctuary City of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman. The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE's detainer request, his victim would be alive today. The State of California passed an outrageous law declaring their whole State to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants -- with catastrophic results. Here is just one tragic example. In December 2018, California police detained an illegal alien with five prior arrests, including convictions for robbery and assault. But as required by California's Sanctuary Law, local authorities released him. Days later, the criminal alien went on a gruesome spree of deadly violence. He viciously shot one man going about his daily work; he approached a woman sitting in her car and shot her in the arm and the chest. He walked into a convenience store and wildly fired his weapon. He hijacked a truck and smashed into vehicles, critically injuring innocent victims. One of the victims of his bloody rampage was a 51-year-old American named Rocky Jones. Rocky was at a gas station when this vile criminal fired eight bullets at him from close range, murdering him in cold blood. Rocky left behind a devoted family, including his brothers who loved him more than anything. One of his grieving brothers is here with us tonight. Jody, would you please stand? Jody, our hearts weep for your loss -- and we will not rest until you have justice. Senator Thom Tillis has introduced legislation to allow Americans like Jody to sue Sanctuary Cities and States when a loved one is hurt or killed as a result of these deadly policies. I ask the Congress to pass the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act immediately. The United States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans -- not criminal aliens! In the last 3 years, ICE has arrested over 5,000 wicked human traffickers -- and I have signed 9 pieces of legislation to stamp out the menace of human trafficking, domestically and around the globe. My Administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the United States. Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My Administration has ended Catch-and-Release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed. We entered into historic cooperation agreements with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75 percent since May -- dropping 8 straight months in a row. And as the wall goes up, drug seizures rise, and border crossings go down. Last year, I traveled to the border in Texas and met Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz. Over the last 24 months, Agent Ortiz and his team have seized more than 200,000 pounds of poisonous narcotics, arrested more than 3,000 human smugglers, and rescued more than 2,000 migrants. Days ago, Agent Ortiz was promoted to Deputy Chief of Border Patrol -- and he joins us tonight. Chief Ortiz: Please stand -- a grateful Nation thanks you and all the heroes of Border Patrol. To build on these historic gains, we are working on legislation to replace our outdated and randomized immigration system with one based on merit, welcoming those who follow the rules, contribute to our economy, support themselves financially, and uphold our values. With every action, my Administration is restoring the rule of law and re-asserting the culture of American freedom. Working with Senate Majority Leader McConnell and his colleagues in the Senate, we have confirmed a record number of 187 new Federal judges to uphold our Constitution as written. This includes two brilliant new Supreme Court Justices, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. My Administration is also defending religious liberty, and that includes the Constitutional right to pray in public schools. In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses. We do not ban symbols of faith. We do not muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion. We lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the Glory of God! Just as we believe in the First Amendment, we also believe in another Constitutional right that is under siege all across our country. So long as I am President I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In reaffirming our heritage as a free Nation, we must remember that America has always been a frontier nation. Now we must embrace the next frontier, America's manifest destiny in the stars. I am asking the Congress to fully fund the Artemis program to ensure that the next man and the first woman on the moon will be American astronauts -- using this as a launching pad to ensure that America is the first nation to plant its flag on Mars. My Administration is also strongly defending our national security and combating radical Islamic terrorism. Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognizing that all past attempts have failed, we must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and give millions of young people the change to realize a better future. Three years ago, the barbarians of ISIS held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS -- the bloodthirsty killer Al Baghdadi -- is dead! We are joined this evening by Carl and Marsha Mueller. After graduating from college, their beautiful daughter Kayla became a humanitarian aid worker. Kayla once wrote, 'Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.' In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria, Kayla was kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of Al-Baghdadi himself. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, Al-Baghdadi murdered young Kayla. She was just 26 years old. On the night that United States Special Forces Operators ended Al Baghdadi's miserable life, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team, that so perfectly carried out the operation, had given their mission a name -- 'Task Force 8-14.' It was a reference to a special day: August 14th -- Kayla's birthday. Carl and Marsha, America's warriors never forgot Kayla -- and neither will we. Every day, America's men and women in uniform demonstrate the infinite depths of love that dwells in the human heart. One of these American heroes was Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake. On his second deployment to Iraq in 2008, Sergeant Hake wrote a letter to his 1-year-old son, Gage: 'I will be with you again,' he wrote to Gage. 'I will teach you to ride your first bike, build your first sand box, watch you play sports and see you have kids also. I love you son, take care of your mother. I am always with you. Dad.' On Easter Sunday of 2008, Chris was out on patrol in Baghdad when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. That night, he made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Sergeant Hake now rests in eternal glory in Arlington, and his wife Kelli is in the gallery tonight, joined by their son, who is now 13 years old. To Kelli and Gage: Chris will live in our hearts forever. The terrorist responsible for killing Sergeant Hake was Qasem Soleimani, who provided the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris's life. Soleimani was the Iranian Regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq. As the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault on United States Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. That is why, last month, at my direction, the United States Military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever. Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life! In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians raise their voices against their oppressive rulers. The Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death, and destruction, and start working for the good of its own people. Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them. As we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East. In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress, and peace talks are underway. I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home! War places a heavy burden on our Nation's extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and her 2 children -- 6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan. Amy works full time, and volunteers countless hours helping other military families. For the past 7 months, she has done it all while her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East. Amy's kids have not seen their father's face in many months. Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and peace -- we thank you. As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. This is the place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life. This is the home of Thomas Edison and Teddy Roosevelt, of many great Generals, including Washington, Pershing, Patton, and MacArthur. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and so many more. This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo. The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers -- and, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history. And we are making it greater than ever before! This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance. We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God. America is the place where anything can happen! America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true! This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun! Our spirit is still young; the sun is still rising; God's grace is still shining; and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come! Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless America. South Africa: Cellphone tower battery thieves nabbed in KZN The Hawks in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday arrested three suspects on the N2 after they were found in possession of reportedly stolen cellphone network batteries. The arrests were made by the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation and Port Shepstone K9. In a statement, spokesperson Andrea Naicker said the Hawks pounced on the three after receiving information of a van travelling on the N2 to Port Shepstone loaded with a number of cellphone tower batteries. The Hawks together with the Port Shepstone K9 and LCRC immediately responded to the information and the bakkie in question was located around the Hibberdene area where the members noticed five suspects offloading batteries at on outbuilding of a scrapyard, said Naicker. As police officials approached the property, she said, two suspects fled and three suspects aged between 26 and 35 were arrested on the scene for possession of stolen goods. At the scene police recovered 48 cell phone tower batteries - 24 Vodacom Batteries and 24 Colide batteries weighing around 90kgs each - to the total value of R480 000 and the bakkie estimated at R280 000, which was reported as stolen, in the Berea area of Durban. The van has since been impounded. The suspects are scheduled to appear in Hibberdene, Turton District Court on Thursday and are expected to face charges relating to possession of stolen goods. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. UP govt allots 5 acres for mosque 25 km away from temple. New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday announced the setting up of a 15-member trust to oversee the construction of a grand and magnificent Ram temple in Ayodhya, an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha four days before the expiry of a three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court. The announcement of the broad scheme for building a Ram temple and formation of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust was made by the Prime Minister shortly after a meeting of the Union Cabinet presided by him gave its approval. Union home minister Amit Shah said the trust would comprise 15 members, including a dalit representative, who would be in-charge of the entire 67-acre land. Mr Modi said formation of the trust was as per directions of the Supreme Court and the Union Cabinet has decided to transfer 67.703 acre land to it for the construction of temple. The Uttar Pradesh government also allocated 5 acres land to Sunni Waqf Board that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has rejected. Land for a mosque has been assigned about 25 km from the Ayodhya temple complex and even outside the town, but within the Ayodhya district. The land is in village Dhanipur in Ayodhya, on the Lucknow highway, around 18 km from the district headquarters, said UP minister Srikant Sharma. Reports said the spot chosen by the Yogi Adityanath government is located outside the 14 kosi parikrama, or an area of some 42 km around Ayodhya town that devotees circle during religious events. Saints had reportedly asked that the mosque site be assigned beyond the parikrama boundaries. The Prime Ministers announcement, that was promptly followed by a gazette notification, comes at a time when Model Code of Conduct is in place in Delhi which is all set to go for Assembly polls on Saturday where the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is trying hard to wrest power from incumbent Aam Admi Party. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that no permission was required from it to make this announcement and this was not a violation of MCC. No permission was sought from ECI and it was not required to be sought since it is Supreme Court mandated action, said an official of the ECI. Union minister for information & broadcasting Prakash Javadekar tried to delink the announcement with Delhi elections saying, This is the decision taken for a temple in Ayodhya. Nothing to do with Delhi. The whole country is not under elections. Let us not confuse the situation. However, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the timing of the PMs announcement saying the BJP makes all major announcements keeping in mind polls, and for the Delhi Assembly elections the BJP has played its last card. He added that the session of Parliament is to end on February 11 and the announcement could have come after February 8. Seems like BJP is worried over Delhi Elections, he said. On the basis of the Supreme Court direction, my government has today given approval to proposal for creation of Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust. The trust will be free to take all decisions regarding creation of a magnificent RamTemple in Ayodhya, the PM said in Lok Sabha amidst thumping of tables and chanting of Jai Shri Ram by the Treasury benches and silence from Opposition. PM said that on the directions of the Supreme Court, the government had requested Uttar Pradesh government to allocate 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board, and the state government acceded to the request. PM also praised the maturity shown by the country in maintaining peace and harmony following the Supreme Courts decision on the Ayodhya issue. The people of India displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. I salute the 130 crore people of India, he later said in a tweet. Keeping in mind the construction of the magnificent Ram Temple and the spirit of the devotees who would come to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla, in future the government has taken another important decision. It has decided that whole of the approx 67.703 acre acquired land will be transferred to thus created Sri Ram Janma Bhoomi Tirtha Kshetra trust, PM added. Soon after the PMs announcement, UP Cabinet announced allotment of 5 acres of land to Sunni Waqf Board. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said the Sunni Waqf Board, which will get 5 acres of land in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, is not the representative of the entire Muslim community and if it accepts the Centres offer it should not be considered a decision of all Muslims of the country. Sunni Waqf board is not representative of entire Muslim community. If it takes land, it should not be considered decision of Muslims of the country, senior executive member of AIMPLB Maulana Yasin Usmani said. He said AIMPLB and those associated with it have decided that they will not take any land in Ayodhya. Giving out details of the trust, Mr Shah said that the trust will be completely free to take every decision related to the temple. The trust will have its office in Delhis Greater Kailash. I am confident that millions of people who were waiting for centuries will soon be able to see the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram at his birthplace, Mr Shah said. Congress ally in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut welcomed the announcement saying, You all know, decision of building the Ram Temple was given by the Supreme Court and to respect its decision is the responsibility of the government. Mr Owaisi said that those who demolished the Babri Masjid have been rewarded with plum positions. People who orchestrated the demolition of Babri Masjid have been conferred with civilian awards, made governors and given ministries to clean Ganga by Narendra Modi. We will not forget Babri Masjid, he said. Advertisement There are just a few days to go before Hollywood's biggest night of the year, the Academy Awards. And so it's party time in Los Angeles as the stars gather for the celebration of last year's movies. On Tuesday night, Charlize Theron, Demi Moore and Sharon Stone headlined a bash hosted by Vanity Fair to mark the opening of the magazine's exhibition Hollywood Calling - The Stars, The Parties and The Power Brokers. Stylish: Charlize Theron, Demi Moore and Sharon Stone headlined a Vanity Fair party in LA on Tuesday for the exhibition Hollywood Calling - The Stars, The Parties and The Power Brokers The three showcased their individual styles with their fashion choices for their night out. Theron, 44, opted for a stripy mini dress while Moore, 57, chose a sleeveless black frock. Stone, 61, sparkled in a halter jumpsuit and equally shimmery cardigan. Blonde beauty: Theron, 44, showed off her legs in a red and black stripy mini dress cinched at the waist with a silver-buckled belt and paired with black ankle boots Headturner: The South African actress, nominated for an Oscar for Bombshell, carried a black clutch purse and her blonde pixie cut was styled back from her forehead Theron, nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Bombshell, showed off her legs in her above-the-knee outfit that she paired with black ankle boots. The red and black number had a high collar and long sleeves and was cinched at the waist with a black leather belt with silver buckle. The South African actress carried a black clutch purse and her blonde pixie cut was styled back from her forehead. Moore looked lovely in her knee-length black dress had a semi-sheer panel that fell to her ankles. She wore strappy black heels and left her signature long raven hair loose. Lovely: Moore, 57, went with a sleeveless knee-length black dress that had a semi-sheer panel that fell to her ankles. She wore strappy black heels and left her long raven hair loose In the genes: Moore was accompanied to the event by her daughter Rumer Willis, the eldest of her three daughters with ex-husband Bruce Willis Celebrity offspring: Rumer, 31, wore a white sleeveless dress slit to the thigh. She stepped out in white sandal heels, wore her hair in relaxed curls and added a septum ring and earrings Moore was accompanied to the event by her daughter Rumer, who wore a contrasting white sleeveless dress slit to the thigh. She stepped out in white sandal heels and also wore her long hair loose in relaxed curls. Stone was flawless in a navy sequin-studded halter jumpsuit which she paired with blue lens spectacles. She wore a gold metallic cardigan and carried a matching purse and completed her look with earrings and glossy lip color. Sparkled: Stone, 61, was flawless in a navy sequin-studded halter jumpsuit which she paired with blue lens spectacles and a gold metallic cardigan Good time: The iconic actress accessorized with drop earrings and a gold luxury watch Made an entrance: Mia Goth, 26, was striking in a long-sleeved black mini dress with plunging neckline that she wore with black tights and black heels along with bright red lipstick English actress Mia Goth was striking in a long-sleeved black mini dress with a plunging neckline. She wore black tights and black heels and tied her blonde hair back from her face. The Nymphomaniac star added a splash of color with scarlet red lipstick. Caitlyn Jenner, 70, showed up to the party with her BFF Sophia Hutchins, 23. The transgender reality star posed for a photo in front of her famous Vanity Fair cover in 2015 that confirmed her transition from male to female. Inseparable duo: Caitlyn Jenner, 70, showed up to the party with her BFF Sophia Hutchins, 23 Her big moment: The transgender reality star posed for a photo in front of her famous Vanity Fair cover in 2015 that confirmed her transition from male to female Contrasts: Angela Sarafyan, 36, flashed a little leg in a purple and black patterned wrap dress while Maggie Grace, 36, was suited in black with a red blouse unbuttoned at the collar On trend: Ashley Greene, 32, walked the red carpet in a pale pink jumpsuit decorated with an enormous bow Date night: The former Twilight star was accompanied by her husband Paul Khoury, 27, who cut a dash in a black ensemble Terming Iran's slain military commander Qasem Soleimani as a "ruthless butcher", President on Wednesday praised the US military for carrying out a "flawless precision strike" that killed him and terminated his "evil reign of terror forever." Iranian major general Soleimani was killed last month in a US drone strike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad ordered by Trump, bringing the entire Gulf region close to a full-blown conflict. Regional tensions increased after Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles in a pre-dawn attack, targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces are stationed in Iraq, which Tehran said was a "slap in the face" of America. Delivering his 3rd address to the US Congress, Trump said, "Soleimani was the Iranian Regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq." The US president said that as the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children and directed the December assault on the US Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. "That is why, last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," he said. "Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life," he added. Noting that in recent months, the US has seen proud Iranians raise their voices against their oppressive rulers, Trump said that Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death, and destruction and start working for the good of its own people. In retaliatory measures between the two nations, Trump last month imposed fresh crippling sanctions against Iran, targeting several of its top leaders, military commanders, and its infrastructure industry. "Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help," Trump said. "We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them," Trump added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead impeachment manager, sat in the first chair of their table, turned at a three-quarters position so that he could swivel his head around the chamber with every senators name called out. When each of the two roll calls ended, he pivoted around to stare at the clerks and parliamentarians as they double-checked votes that he was certain to lose, waiting until Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. read out each vote: 48-52, 47-53. CBSE Class 12 Chemistry exam will be conducted on March 7. With just one month left for the exam, students should now focus on revising the notes and chapters. Chemistry is considered a scoring subject in. It is conducted in two parts - Theory (70 marks) and Practical (30 marks). Abha Chaudhary, a teacher of Chemistry in Notre Dame Academy, Patna shares some important tips and topics to revise. 1. Revise topics from NCERT books thoroughly as questions are asked from NCERT books and marking schemes are made from NCERT only. A. Physical chemistry ( 3 chapters ) Numerical revision from in text examples and exercise questions at the end of each chapter. Go through the objective questions from in between lines and exercise questions. While solving numerical start with formula followed by steps . Unit with answer is compulsory. B. Organic chemistry Prepare in organised way . 1 IUPAC name practice from all four chapters of organic . 2 separate writing practice of naming reactions .. ( recalling number of times ) 3. Reasonings from in text , in between lines and exercise 4.Mechanism only from NCERT 5. Distinctions of functional groups 6. Conversions ( at the end). C. Inorganic - Block elements d and f block , metallurgy and Coordination Compounds chapters for Inorganic (Units 5-8 ) Memorise the balanced reactions 2. Practice structures of compounds based on hybridisation 3. Reasoning questions from in between lines , in text examples and exercise . D. The last three chapters remain solid marks. The last three chapters of the book need to be read and learned mostly and you can score a solid 10 marks from the chapters Biomolecules, Polymers and chemistry in every day Go through previous years question papers in new pattern as 10 questions have been increased in the form of MCQ and assets and reasons ( before answering these questions read questions properly ) Solving previous years question paper helps - understanding of the question pattern as well as provides confidence . Solve question paper book of previous years and go through each and every question. Difficult questions notes can be made separately for revision . Special instructions - total 37 questions will be there . 20 marks objective comprising of comprehension , one word answer , MCQ and assert reason . Other 50 marks questions are same as previous years . Internal choices have been increased specially in 5 marks questions . Omicron Outbreak: Night curfew in Kerala from Dec 30, no New Year celebration post 10 pm Kerala cop kicks, beats up passenger for travelling without ticket on train, video goes viral Complete lockdown in Kerala? Here's what Health Minister has to say New Covid curbs in Kerala: Attendance at marriages, funerals capped at 50 Bizarre! Kerala flat turns into bar, as water taps serve liquor India oi-Mousumi Dash Thrissur, Feb 05: Bizarre! A resident of Solomon's Avenue Flat in Kerala's Thrissur district was astonished and shocked after their houses turned into overnight pubs as the water taps installed in their homes served them the liquor they hadn't ordered. According to Manorama online report, over 18 families were affected by the taps flowing with tap water mixed alcohol. During the inspection, the residents find out the negligence of the excise department, whose recent effort to destroy seized liquor had created the mess. According to the report, six years ago a bar named "Rachana", located near the residence, was charged with illegally storing 6,000 litres of liquor. The excise officials intervened, later the court asked the officers to get rid of the illegal liquor. 'No case of love jihad in Kerala: Centre tells Parliament The sleuths took six hours to dispose of the illegal liquor. The officials disposed it by digging a pit on the premises of the bar and emptied one bottle after another. Gradually, the alcohol had slowly seeped into the soil and mixed with the water. Later, the alcohol-water was pumped to tanks. And it led to the comedy of errors. However, the irked residents have approached the Chalakudy municipal secretary and health department to take action against the excise officials. By Trend Kazakhstans Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tleuberdi will visit Azerbaijan, press office of Kazakhstans embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend. According to the press office, Tleuberdi will arrive in Baku to participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of member states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) to be held on Feb. 6. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Its goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz T he brother of the Manchester Arena bomber was foiled in an attempt to buy a key chemical for explosives when a friends father spotted its dangerous potential, the Old Bailey heard. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a homemade explosive in the foyer of the concert hall on May 22, 2017 at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring many more. His younger brother Hashem Abedi, now also 22, is accused of helping to plot the attack, allegedly buying materials to be used in a bomb, experimenting with explosives, and helping to store material. Jurors heard this morning that Abedi first tried to buy five litres of sulphuric acid over Amazon in March 2017, asking a friend to make the purchase by saying he was skint and needed the chemical for a battery. The friend tried to buy five litres of the chemical for 76 on Amazon, but the purchase was declined due to lack of funds, said Duncan Penny QC, prosecuting. The scene close to the Manchester Arena after the terror attack / PA The friend asked his father to help, but he told him no, explaining to his son that he believed acid could be used to manufacture explosives, Mr Penny added. He ignored further calls which were made to him by the defendant over the coming days. Later that month, Abedi is said to have asked another friend, Mohammed Younis Soliman, nicknamed Little Mohammed, to buy sulphuric acid for him. Jurors were shown evidence that an Amazon account under Solimans name and address was used for the 128.46 purchase of 10 litres of sulphuric acid. On that day he had been in contact with a phone linked to Hashem Abedi. A message was send shortly after the purchase to say send me your brothers number , and later in the evening a text was sent saying: Hashem, I need you urgently, the court heard. Mr Penny said there is also a direct connection between Abedi and a first attempt to buy hydrogen peroxide, another bomb component. Abedi is accused of being jointly responsible for the explosion with his brother, as they had a shared goal of mass murder and destruction. He is accused of buying shrapnel for an explosive device, renting a house with his brother to experiment with chemicals, and buying a car said to have stored a bomb. Abedi denies 22 murder charges, attempted murder, and conspiring with his brother to cause explosions. On February 3, Kerala's Finance Minister Thomas Issac tweeted: "15th UFC, it is informally learnt, awarded Rs 74,000 crore as revenue deficit grant to states. In an unprecedented move, the Centre has slashed it down to Rs 30,000 crore. It is a serious blow to those states who suffered serious reduction in tax share because of population factor." The statement once again brought to the fore the deteriorating relationship between the states and the Centre. An economic slowdown has resulted in the Centre missing its tax revenue targets. This has in turn led to lower tax devolution to states in 2019-20. The GST conundrum For FY 2019-20, the share of states in gross tax revenues fell to Rs 6.56 lakh crore, from the budgeted target of Rs 8.09 lakh crore - a shortfall of Rs 1.53 lakh crore. In part the shortfall was due to higher transfer to states in 2018-19 and also because of Centre's lower tax collections. Apart from tax collections messing up the fiscal math, the compensation cess distribution to states for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been a bone of contention between the Centre and states. In the 38th GST Council Meeting held on December 18, non-BJP states had said the union government may be headed for a sovereign default as it had refused to assure them of paying on time the GST dues guaranteed to them through a Constitutional amendment. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had told the Rajya Sabha on December 12 that in 2017-18, the total cess collected was Rs 62,596 crore, of which Rs 41,146 crore was released to states. The remaining Rs 15,000 crore was accumulated in the cess fund. In the next year, Rs 95,081 crore was collected and Rs 69,275 crore released. In December, the central government had released Rs 35,298 crore as the pending compensation payment to states and Union territories for the August-September period. Continuing the Centre versus states saga, in her Budget 2020-21 speech, Sitharaman said, "It is decided to transfer to the GST Compensation Fund balances due out of collection of the years 2016-17 and 2017-18, in two instalments. Hereinafter, transfers to the fund would be limited only to collection by way of GST compensation cess." As per law, Centre has to protect a 14 percent growth in states' GST revenues. In case of shortfalls, states have to be compensated to the extent of the shortfall till June 2022. The GST Council made the provision for levies and compensation cess on certain items over and above the GST rate to compensate states. The Sovereign, thus, cannot renege on its word to protect the revenues of states. Finance Commission suggestions The interim report submitted by 15th Finance Committee to the government will further strain the Centre-state relationship. Among a various other things, the Finance Commission - a constitutionally mandated body - decides how taxes would be shared between the Centre and the states. Every five year, a new Finance Commission is formed, headed by a chairman and comprising four other members. The Commission's terms of reference recommended, "the Commission shall use the population data of 2011 while making its recommendations". The use of 2011 census has riled many states because it is believed that states that have worked on population control would lose out on benefits. The choice of 2011 has resulted in states with larger populations like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar getting larger shares, while states that have worked to lower fertility rates and population control, have lost out. The government has now more than halved the post-devolution revenue deficit grant for states, in keeping with the recommended by the Commission. The grant now stands at Rs 30,000 crore, down from Rs 74,340 crore, for the year 2020-21. The post-devolution revenue deficit grants suggested by the 14th Finance Commission was a total of Rs 1,94,821 crore for 11 states during FY16-FY20. The Commission is yet to give its recommendations for the next five years. But in the interim report it submitted in the Parliament on February 1, the Commission recommends post-devolution revenue deficit grants of Rs 74,340 crore for 14 states in 2020-21. Out of the total revenue deficit grant, Rs 37,917 crore was assigned to Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, while Rs 36,423 crore has been set aside for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and seven North-East states. But the government's allocation for states has been only Rs 30,000 crore in Budget 2020-21, much less than half of the recommended money. As the third decade of the 21st century just raised its curtain, a novel coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, central Chinas Hubei province, turning hospitals into battlefields and medical staffs into soldiers. A medical staff samples throat swab for a patient, Feb. 2, 2020. The fever clinic of the First People's Hospital of Changzhou, eastern Chinas Jiangsu province runs 24 hours per day during the Chinese New Year to battle against the novel coronavirus. The hospital established a professional emergency medical team, set up a specialized treatment zone for the fever clinic and enclosed an isolation zone to treat the fevered and observe suspected cases. (Photo by Chen Wei, Peoples Daily Online) The 84-year-old academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Zhong Nanshan rushed to the epicenter on a high-speed train, leaving a touching scene on television screens and social media networks; batches of medical workers volunteered to lend a hand for Wuhan, saying they dont need any reward and are not afraid of death. They are sticking to their posts in the heart of danger, and going directly into the battlefield. At 9:00 a.m., Jan. 22, Wu Xiaoyan, a physician from the pathology department of the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, who was on route to her hometown for the approaching Chinese New Year, immediately went back to Wuhan after receiving a call of medical assistance from her hospital. Two hours later, she showed up at the hospital, saying she only felt assured when staying in the battle ground where everybody else was combating. My comrade in arms are all here, and the more dangerous it is, the more we have to fight, said Yan Li, associate chief physician at the emergency department of Wuhans Tongji Hospital. She had applied for a vacation to the hospital and was preparing for a family trip on Jan. 22. However, she went straight back to the hospital from the airport. Zhu Hu, vice president of the Wuhan Psychological Hospital who had just withdrawn from an aiding program in Tibet Autonomous Region, was suddenly diverted to the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, where he had worked for years to assist his former colleagues in the battle against the novel coronavirus. It was on the second day of her daughters arrival at home from Beijing for the Chinese New Year that Zhu received the order. He went straight to the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital after shortly seeing her daughter. Zhu has been living in a hotel near the hospital in case his family might be infected, and his daughter is still not able to see him till today. Three novel coronavirus-infected patients leave the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China. After meticulous treatment and nursing, their nucleic acid reagent tests showed negative. They were allowed to leave the hospital upon the evaluation of experts. (Photo by Luo Meng, Peoples Daily Online) In face of the epidemic, there are a great number of medical staffs across the country who have left touching words on their application letters to assist Wuhan, saying they stand ready at any time and will do anything to contain the virus. When difficulties arise in one place in the country, aid comes from everywhere. A total of over 6,000 medical staffs went to Wuhan to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts. They volunteered to go to the battlefield and stand together with the people in Wuhan. Fever clinics, designated hospitals, specialized hospitals, observation zones, isolation zones and red zones these are terms that would always terrify people. However, there are over 60,000 medical staffs in Wuhan sticking to their posts, and 15,000 fighters in white combating on the front line. According to an executive at the fever clinic of the Wuhan No.7 Hospital, the hospital has opened 6 consulting rooms since the clinic started on Jan. 22, and 9 doctors are working simultaneously for the patients. The clinic receives around 1,000 patients on a daily basis, the executive said. Liu Liang, a nurse from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University assisted doctors to save 4 critical patients from 0:00 to 4:00 am, Jan. 29. They were in 5 protective suits each to draw blood, complete blood gas analysis and give injections. After a short break, Liu continued her shift from 16:00 to 20:00. Every trivial move becomes difficult under the thick protective suits, and sweats have soaked my clothes after working four hours non-stop, Liu said. Days after arriving at the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia, Wuhan, the voice of Sun Liqun, leader of the assisting medical team from eastern Chinas Jiangsu province started becoming hoarse. The deputy director of ICU at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University always has lunch at 2:00 p.m., as she has to see the patients in the wards every morning with local doctors and make treatment plans. She always softens her lunch with water when the food gets cold. When a fighter is down, we have numerous coming up, standing their grounds and embracing unknown challenges. That is what Huang Yanqing, a nurse from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University who is now assisting the ICU at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital wrote in her notebook after seeing a determined look in the eyes of an infected Wuhan doctor. The Kannada-Hindi film also stars Anant Nag and Shraddha Srinath MUMBAI: Actor Gulshan Devaiah is set to star in Kirik Party director Rishab Shetty's Hindi-Kannada feature Rudraprayag. Gulshan, who most recently featured in Dibakar Banerjee's short in Ghost Stories, said he was bowled over by the "fantastic material" Shetty brought to him. "I am trying to back great roles and this role is something I feel I could add value to. Rishab has a great vision for the story and I trust him completely. He is extremely talented and gifted and I hope together we are able to give the audience a memorable film," Gulshan said in a statement. The Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota actor said what appealed to him about Shetty was his passion and ambition to tell stories his own way. "He is new wave and perhaps a pioneer in the making. I am very hopeful about this one which also stars the veteran Anant Nag and Shraddha Srinath," he added. The film will mark the Bollywood debut of Shetty. Washington: Partisan tensions boiled over during Donald Trump's State of the Union address, with the US President refusing to shake Nancy Pelosi's hand and the House Speaker responding by tearing up her copy of his speech. Trump delivered his third State of the Union address in the US House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), seizing the opportunity to make a re-election pitch to a prime-time national audience. The event put the deep divisions between the two parties on full view. Republican members exuded a boisterous energy, chanting "four more years" as Trump spoke and regularly leapt to their feet to applaud him. Meanwhile Democrats sat in stony silence, sometimes booing and hissing as the President spoke. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 02:20:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Burak Akinci ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Military operations by the Russian-backed Syrian government forces in Syria's Idlib province constitute a stringent test for Russian-Turkish ties, experts said. On Sunday, Turkey deployed tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers to its border and sent additional troops to its monitoring stations in Idlib, state media reported. Early on Monday, seven Turkish troops and a serviceman were killed and 13 others were wounded in Idlib by shelling from Syrian government forces, a grave incident which shows the fragile situation in this region. "Russia doesn't see its cooperation in Syria with Turkey as a privilege and Moscow's goals in this region doesn't assign as much importance to Turkey as it did a year ago," Hasim Turker, senior analyst at the Ankara-based think tank Bosphorus Center for Asian Studies, told Xinhua. Turker, a former staff officer, believes that the shelling which resulted in casualties in Turkish army could not happen without the awareness of Russia. "It seems that Russia is giving a warning to Turkey with this attack, saying that it wants Turkish troops out of this region while Syrian forces are advancing, and it doesn't want Turks to get in the way in Idlib," the analyst said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Jan. 31 to launch military action if the situation in Idlib is not resolved immediately. A cease-fire was brokered in Idlib on Jan. 12, but according to Turkey and the monitoring agency, it has been violated many times since then. Syrian forces, backed by Russian air forces, have since last week advanced rapidly. They have taken dozens of towns, including the key city of Maarat al-Numan located on the M5 international highway linking Damascus to Aleppo. The recent campaign has also raised tensions between Ankara and Moscow, which back opposing sides in the conflict. Turkey fears a fresh wave of migrants from Idlib and it has 12 observation posts in the region. Erdogan repeated that Turkey could not handle a fresh influx of migrants. He said that Ankara will not allow new threats near its borders, even if it meant resorting to military power, as it did in its three previous cross-border operations in northern Syria since 2016. "We will not refrain from doing what is necessary, including using military force," he warned, adding that his country wants stability in Syria. Last week, the Turkish leader and members of his government slammed Moscow for failing to take actions in Idlib, while Moscow denied these accusations. However, Turkey insisted that Ankara would not want tensions to escalate further with Moscow because of fears that a disruption in their partnership could stir a refugee influx towards Turkey and harm their economic cooperation. Erdogan made it clear that his country is not seeking to escalate tensions with Russia. "There is no need at this point to engage in a conflict or a serious dispute with Russia. We have important strategic engagements with Russia," he told journalists on Tuesday, citing energy projects and trade relations. Moreover, Ankara could lose another leverage as the two countries are also cooperating since late last year in establishing a so-called safe zone in a separate region in northeastern Syria following a Turkish incursion against Kurdish fighters. Erdogan said that some 1 million people under the threat of air raids and artillery shelling are gradually advancing towards the Turkish border amid a refugee crisis and growing anti-refugee sentiment in his own country. James Jeffrey, U.S. special envoy for Syria, mentioned that 700,000 Idlib residents had been pushed towards the Turkish border by the fighting, warning an "international crisis." "Winter conditions are making things even worse. The cease-fire has not alleviated Turkey's concerns while there are hundreds of thousands of people living in dire conditions near the Turkish border," Esra Uludag, specialist on migration, told Xinhua. Uludag hoped that the plight of people could push Ankara to reconsider its position of not allowing any more refugees into the country. Some Turkish security sources have also argued that Turkey could try to accommodate new refugees inside Syria in incursion zones controlled by its own forces since 2016, building temporary housing with international assistance. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Morgan, Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan and Patricia Zengerle (Reuters) Washington, United States Thu, February 6, 2020 04:49 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062cb646 2 World #USA,#Elections,Donald-Trump,impeachment,acquittal,senate Free President Donald Trump was acquitted on Wednesday in his US Senate impeachment trial, saved by fellow Republicans who rallied to protect him nine months before he asks voters in a deeply divided America to give him a second White House term. The businessman-turned-politician, 73, survived only the third presidential impeachment trial in US history - just like the two other impeached presidents - in his turbulent presidency's darkest chapter. Trump now plunges into an election season that promises to further polarize the country. Trump was acquitted largely along party lines on two articles of impeachment approved by the Democratic-led House of Representatives on Dec. 18, with the votes falling far short of the two-thirds majority required in the 100-seat Senate to remove him under the US Constitution. The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden, a contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Republican Senator Mitt Romney joined the Democrats in voting to convict. No Democrat voted to acquit. The Senate then voted 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress by blocking witnesses and documents sought by the House. A conviction on either count would have elevated Vice President Mike Pence, another Republican, into the presidency. Romney joined the rest of the Republican senators in voting to acquit on the obstruction charge. No Democrat voted to acquit. On each of the two charges, the senators voted one by one on the Senate floor with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans engineered a stripped-down trial with no witnesses or new evidence. Democrats called the trial a sham and a cover-up. Trump called the impeachment an attempted coup and a Democratic attempt to annul his 2016 election victory. Throughout the impeachment drama, Trump and his Republican allies kept up their attacks on Biden's integrity. It remains to be seen how much political damage that inflicted. In the first of the state-by-state contests to determine the Democratic challenger to Trump, Biden placed a disappointing fourth in Iowa, according to incomplete results from Monday's voting. Biden has accused Trump of "lies, smears, distortions and name-calling." 'APPALLING ABUSE' Trump faces no serious challengers for his party's presidential nomination. He is poised to claim the nomination at the party's convention in August and previewed in his State of the Union address on Tuesday campaign themes such as American renewal, economic vitality and hardline immigration policies. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse-of-power charge. Romney called the president's actions in pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden "grievously wrong" and said Trump was "guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust." "What he did was not 'perfect,'" Romney said on the Senate floor, as Trump has described his call with Ukraine's president that was at the heart of the scandal. "No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep one's self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." Romney, a moderate and elder statesman in his party, paused during his speech as he became choked with emotion after mentioning the importance of his religious faith. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham lashed out at Democrats, saying: "What you have done is unleash the partisan forces of hell." Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said Trump's acquittal in an unfair trial was worth nothing. "No doubt, the president will boast he received total exoneration. But we know better. We know this wasn't a trial by any stretch of the definition." In his speech, McConnell said: "The architects of this impeachment claimed they were defending norms and traditions. In reality, it was an assault on both." BIGGEST VICTORY YET Democrats expressed concern that an acquittal would further embolden a president who already challenges political norms. They have painted him as threat to US democracy and a demagogue who has acted lawlessly and exhibited a contempt for the powers of Congress and other institutions. They also have voiced concern over Russia interfering in another American election. Trump's legal team offered a vision of nearly unlimited presidential powers, a view Democrats said placed any president above the law. The acquittal handed Trump his biggest victory yet over his Democratic adversaries in Congress. Democrats vowed to press ahead with investigations - they are fighting in court for access to his financial records - and voiced hope that the facts unearthed during the impeachment process about his conduct would help persuade voters to make him a one-term president. Trump's job approval ratings have remained fairly consistent throughout his presidency and the impeachment process as his core conservative supporters - especially white men, rural Americans, evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics - stick with him. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, showed 42% of American adults approved of his performance, while 54% disapproved. That is nearly the same as when the House launched its impeachment inquiry in September, when his approval stood at 43% and disapproval at 53%. The trial formally began on Jan. 16. The Senate voted 51-49 last Friday to defeat the Democrats' bid to call witnesses such as Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, with only two Republicans joining them. In the previous presidential impeachment trials, Andrew Johnson was acquitted in 1868 in the aftermath of the American Civil War and Bill Clinton was acquitted in 1999 of charges stemming from a sex scandal. In the hours before the vote, numerous senators gave speeches on the Senate floor explaining their vote. SHADOW OF INVESTIGATION Trump, now seeking a second four-year term, has been under the shadow of some sort of investigation for most of his presidency. The acquittal marked the second time in 10 months that he withstood an existential threat to his presidency. In March 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller found insufficient evidence that Trump engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia in its interference on his behalf in the 2016 election. Mueller did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice in seeking to impede the investigation but stopped short of concluding the president acted unlawfully. Trump declared full vindication. Last July 25, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a phone call to "do us a favor" and open an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter Biden and into a discredited theory beneficial to Russia that Ukraine colluded with Democrats to meddle in the 2016 election to harmTrump. Hunter Biden had joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was US vice president. Trump accused the Bidens of corruption without offering substantiation. The Bidens denied wrongdoing. Democrats said Trump further abused his power by withholding $391 million in security aid approved by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russia-backed separatists and by dangling a coveted White House meeting as leverage to pressure Zelenskiy to announce the investigations. Under the Constitution, impeachment is the mechanism for removing a president or certain other federal officials for "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Coronavirus: Crayfish from New Zealand not exported to China to be freed by Esther Taunton and Amanda Cropp February 05,2020 | Source: Stuff Some of the crayfish from New Zealand unable to be exported to China due to the coronavirus outbreak will be returned to the sea. Between 150 and 180 tonnes of live rock lobster are being held in pots and tanks, at sea and on land, after export orders were cancelled by Chinese distributors. The industry has asked the Government to help manage the impact on the $320 million industry. On Wednesday, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said he had agreed that fisheries officials could allow a limited release of rock lobster back into the wild. "The decision will affect the live crayfish in holding pots at sea, and some held in tanks on land. It means they can be harvested again when the trade disruptions are resolved," he said. Exports of live rock lobster from New Zealand to China stopped last month as a result of "dramatically" reduced demand due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Nash said there were a number of concerns to be managed, including potential impacts on the health, welfare and sustainability of the rock lobster fishery, wider biosecurity issues for the marine environment, and the economic impact on local fishing communities and the industry. 2020 Stuff Limited Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. O-I Glass, Inc. OI reported fourth-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings of 50 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 47 cents. Results came in at the higher end of the companys guided range of 45 cents to 50 cents. Earnings reflected elevated selling prices and higher shipments which more than offset soaring operating costs. However, the bottom line declined 18% from the prior-year quarter figure of 61 cents. Including one-time items, the company recorded earnings per share of 20 cents in the reported quarter, as against a loss of 79 cents per share reported in the prior-year quarter. Operational Update Net sales edged down 0.4% year over year to $1,628 million. Sales volumes reflected the benefit of the Nueva Fanal acquisition, which was partly muted by decline in organic sales volumes and unfavorable foreign-currency translation impact. Also, shipments and mix changes marred top-line growth. Nevertheless, the revenue figure outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,619 million. Cost of sales was up 0.8% year over year to $1,352 million. Gross profit declined 6.1% year over year to $276 million. Selling and administrative expenses dropped 14.6% year over year to $99 million. Total operating profit was $200 million in the reported quarter, down from the prior-year quarters $211 million. Owens-Illinois, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Owens-Illinois, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Owens-Illinois, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Owens-Illinois, Inc. Quote Segmental Performance Net sales in the Americas segment grew 3.4% year over year to $890 million in the final quarter of 2019. Operating profit declined 9.4% year over year to $115 million. Net sales in the Europe segment were $553 million in the quarter, down 1.2% year over year. The segments operating profit increased 23.2% year over year to $69 million. Net sales in the Asia Pacific region dipped 2.7% year over year to $179 million in the reported quarter. Operating profit slumped 75% year over year to $16 million. Financial Update O-I Glass had cash and cash equivalents of $551 million at the end of 2019, up from $512 million at the end of 2018. The company generated $408 million of cash flow from operating activities in 2019 compared with the $793 million recorded in the prior-year period. Its long-term debt rose to $5.4 billion as of Dec 31, 2019, from $5.2 billion as of Dec 31, 2018. Other Updates O-I Glass continues to advance the tactical and strategic portfolio review in order to boost the companys competitive position and create shareholder value. This includes the evaluation of alternatives for its Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) operation. Moreover, the first commercial-quality products were delivered, using the MAGMA technology. Further, the company announced the expansion of MAGMA at Holzminden, Germany, which will begin production in the second half of 2020. In December 2019, the company completed a corporate modernization effort, which resulted in the creation of O-I Glass, the new public entity. 2019 Results O-I Glass reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.24 in 2019, down 17.6% from the prior years $2.72. However, earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21. Sales declined 2.7% year over year to $6.7 billion from the $6.8 billion generated in 2018. The top-line figure, however, beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.6 billion. Outlook The company now expects adjusted earnings per guidance for 2020 in the band of $2.10 to $2.25. The guidance reflects higher selling prices and sales volumes will be flat to up 2% supported by capacity expansion initiatives and Nueva Fanal acquisition. O-I Glass also expects improved operating costs, reflecting several turnaround initiatives as well as footprint adjustments in North America. These factors will boost the current years results. Cash provided by continuing operating activities for this year is expected to exceed $650 million. Capital expenditure is expected between $350 million and $375 million. The guidance also assumes the negative impact of foreign-currency translation. The company is focused on improving operating performance with major turnaround initiatives including revenue optimization, factory performance and cost transformation. It has identified more than $150 million of benefits over the next three years, and is targeting between $35 million and $50 million of net benefits in the current year. Share Price Performance O-I Glass stock has lost around 32% in a years time compared with the industrys decline of 26.3%. Story continues Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider O-I Glass currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the Industrial Products sector are SPX FLOW, Inc. FLOW, Tennant Company TNC and Cintas Corporation CTAS. While SPX FLOW flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Tennant and Cintas carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. SPX FLOW has a projected earnings growth rate of 9.1% for 2020. The companys shares have gained 37.6% in the past year. Tennant has an estimated earnings growth rate of 30.7% for the ongoing year. In a years time, the stock has appreciated 28.7%. Cintas has an expected earnings growth rate of 15.6% for the current year. The stock has surged 49.3% over the past year. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Owens-Illinois, Inc. (OI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cintas Corporation (CTAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report SPX FLOW, Inc. (FLOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tennant Company (TNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research MALTA Residents in the hamlet of Maltaville, by a 99-82 vote Tuesday, rejected the creation of a water district that some homeowners had hoped would end years of struggles over poor water quality and wells that run dry. It surprised me. I expected it to pass, said Malta Deputy Supervisor Craig Warner, who served as chair of the Water and Sewer Committee. This is a considerable defeat. He said he I cant ask the Town Board to go back and do another map, plan and report on the cost, size of the parcels and overall cost of the project. The vote was the culmination of at least 15 years of efforts and the evolution of three successive so-called map/plan/reports, he said. He has studied the issue of water in Maltaville for four years and said he is certain the option presented was the best and least expensive. If it had been approved, those living inside the boundaries of the $4.67 million water district would have paid $1,440 per year to pay off a 30-year bond to install the lines. Homeowners also would have been responsible for paying for the cost of the hookup, which would have varied from home to home. A total of 176 properties were included within the district boundaries in the southern end of town. The area comprises Knapp Road, Route 9, from Round Lake to Woodfield Boulevard, Easy Street, Route 67 East from Route 9 to the town line, Lake Ridge Road, Old State Road, Dugan Hill Road and County Route 80 or Maltaville Road. For years, residents in the area have complained about discolored and foul-smelling water from wells that easily run dry. To address the problem, residents have drilled wells or devised onsite storage. Warner said he also knows of families who shower at hotels. Warner said those who have been coping with poor water quality and lack of capacity will have to continue with the filtering processes and storage plans theyve devised. It know its a cost factor and some people are retired and on a fixed income, Warner said of reasons why the district was defeated. I got a lot of messages this morning from people who are very disappointed, he said. Its very unfortunate to have gone this far and have it defeated. The Coroners Office hired an expert witness to analyze evidence at the crime scene and discovered Link suffered wounds that led to her death, officials said. The coroner ruled her cause of death as a homicide. Budget carrier Ryanair was ordered on Wednesday to withdraw publicity describing it as a "low-CO2 emissions airline", as Britain's main advertising watchdog labelled the claim misleading. Ryanair Holdings Plc's print and broadcast adverts last September made environmental claims that were poorly substantiated and "must not appear again in their current forms", the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled. Under Chief Executive Michael O'Leary, the carrier has tangled repeatedly with advertising authorities, often over discount terms and conditions, and on Wednesday struck an unabashed tone. "Ryanair is delighted with its latest environmental advertising campaign, which communicates a hugely important message for our customers," spokeswoman Alejandra Ruiz said. Under pressure from policymakers and "flight-shaming" campaigners, airlines are scrambling to convince consumers they are taking action to mitigate environmental impacts, even as their traffic grows. Low-cost carriers tend to emit less carbon dioxide per passenger than legacy airlines because they operate younger aircraft on point-to-point routes with fewer empty seats. But they also account for a bigger share of total emissions growth. Ryanair, which carried 152 million passengers in 2019 and is targeting 200 million by mid-decade, based its green message on emissions per passenger, per kilometre. Its 69 grammes of CO2 per passenger-km come in 23% below the average of Lufthansa , British Airways parent IAG, Air France-KLM and easyJet, its website says. In absolute terms, Ryanair's 9.9 million tonnes of CO2 output placed it among Europe's top 10 emitters in 2018, a group dominated by coal-fired power stations, according to EU data. In radio and television adverts, the company "did not give any information on the metric used" to underpin its self-description as a "low-CO2 emissions airline", the ASA found. The print version did outline the calculation but failed to acknowledge Ryanair's higher seating density as a contributor or substantiate a claim to be Europe's "lowest-emissions airline", the watchdog ruled, upholding complaints against all three ads. "We told Ryanair to ensure that when making environmental claims, they held adequate evidence to substantiate them and ... that the basis of those claims were made clear," it said. Transport & Environment, a European campaign group, said the decision offered "a reminder that the aviation sector's climate impact is soaring because of a decades-long tax holiday and almost zero regulation of their pollution." A spokeswoman for the environmental organisation added: "Ryanair should stop greenwashing and start doing something to tackle its sky-high emissions." Ryanair said the same advertising message had been used in 10 European countries. "The message was approved in other markets and we provided all the supporting data they required," Ruiz said. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie A day after UK journalists expressed solidarity with colleagues excluded from a Downing Street briefing by walking out, network news anchors in the US attended the traditional pre-State of the Union lunch despite the exclusion of CNN. It is a tradition for the president to host news anchors from all the major networks in an off-the-record setting so that those covering the event can get a sense of the themes and content of the speech beforehand. Donald Trump has continued this tradition despite his often sour relations with the media. This is believed to be the first time that a president has singled out a network to be excluded, though. Anyone who has a private, off-the-record lunch or meeting has a right to invite who they want, said Hogan Gidley, principal deputy White House press secretary. When pressed on whether the snub was due to perceptions inside the West Wing about CNNs coverage, Mr Gidley declined to comment. All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 1 /6 All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters Another White House official, when asked if the decision to exclude the network came directly from Mr Trump, replied: I think thats a fair assumption. Reacting to the news on Twitter, many are comparing the situation to the barring of journalists from yesterdays Downing Street Brexit policy briefing and wonder why US anchors did not boycott the lunch. British journalists walked out after the prime ministers director of communications tried to restrict it to selected publications and broadcasters going as far as to divide the assembled group in two on either side of a rug before ordering those on one side to leave. Their colleagues who had been told they could stay all walked out in protest. The prime ministers tactics were likened to those of the Trump administration that has frequently barred journalists from briefings. In reference to the State of the Union lunch, CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins asked on Twitter: Why would any other anchor go to this? Twitter users were quick to condemn the lack of a boycott by other networks. Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted: These journalists boycotted the British governments briefing after their colleagues were banned. Solidarity needs to be modelled by news organisations here in the US for the sake of free press. Every anchor and journalist should stand in solidarity and not go, said one Twitter user. They shouldn't ... it should be boycotted by all networks, anchors, etc. said another. Shame on ANY anchor that attends this pre-SOTU luncheon. Specifically referencing the move by UK journalists, one tweet read: We could learn from them. Michael Calderone, senior editor of The Hive, tweeted that anchors from NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News and C-SPAN attended the lunch. In 2019, CNNs Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer were present at the lunch. Mr Blitzer has attended the event for 20 years. The president has frequently sparred with CNN, refusing sitdown interviews, attacking the network as a whole and singling out individual reporters and anchors. In 2018 the White House suspended CNN correspondent Jim Acostas press pass, only restoring it when a federal court ruled in favour of the network. The journalist Lesley Stahl, of CBS's 60 Minutes show, said that she had asked Mr Trump in 2016 why he continually insulted the media, and said that he replied: "You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you." One thousand fish will be released into Victorian rivers and lakes with bounties of up to $10,000 on offer in an attempt to lure tourists back to bushfire-ravaged towns. The fish will each be marked with a golden tag and will be available to catch in waters in East Gippsland and north east Victoria. The Golden Tag competition is yet to have a start date as some towns are still facing the threat of serious blazes but is expected to run for a year. There are six different species that will be tagged including black bream, dusky flathead and King George whiting, Murray cod, brown trout and rainbow trout. All fish will be edible. As part of the Golden Tag competition anglers who catch a fish with the tag (pictured) will win up to $10,000 The first ten lucky fishermen who reel in a catch with a golden tag will win $10,000 each. Anglers who catch one of the golden fish after this will each win $2,000. The competition is run by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and is expected to begin before Easter. Jaala Pulford, the Fishing and Boating Minister said the competition aimed to boost the economies in towns that were hit during the violent bushfire season. 'We want to get people back to East Gippsland and the north east with family and friends, spending money and helping local communities get back on their feet,' Ms Pulford said. A thousand fish will be released into waters in Victoria's East Gippsland and the state's north east in attempts to boost the economy of fire ravaged towns There are six species of fish on offer in the competition and all are edible 'The Golden Tag competition is a way to encourage fishers to visit waterways some for their first time and others because they've loved the place for decades and have fond childhood memories.' HOW THE COMPETITION WORKS Up to one thousand fish will be released into rivers in East Gippsland and north east Victoria Each fish will have a golden tag attached to it The first ten anglers to catch a tagged fish will win $10,000 The remaining fish caught will be worth $2,000 in prize money Anglers are required to record the length and location of the fish and take a photo They must then remove the tag and call the Victorian Fisheries Authority The competition will run for 12 months Towns targeted include: Mallacoota, Cann River, Bemm River, Orbost, Marlo, Lakes Entrance, Lake Tyers, Omeo, Dartmouth, Mitta Mitta, Corryong, Tallangatta and Bright Fish include black bream, dusky flathead and King George whiting, Murray cod, brown trout and rainbow trout Advertisement Ms Pulford said so far 200 fish have been tagged but they are yet to be 'launched' into the waters. Martin Pakula, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events said the towns were desperate for support. 'Our fire affected communities in East Gippsland and north east Victoria need our support now more than ever and that's why we're urging Victorians make their next trip within the state and just maybe snag a great catch,' Mr Pakula said. Tim Bull, a Member for East Gippsland said the competition would offer a significant boost to the economy. 'An incentive like this will attract anglers across the country and provide a major boost to business along the way.' Some of the towns targeted in the competition include Mallacoota, Omeo and the Cann River. Over the New Years Eve period, around 4000 residents in Mallacoota were stranded on a beach after bushfires engulfed the coastal town. Meanwhile those living in Cann River were unable to leave for several days as fires tore through the town at the start of the month. Many were forced to sleep in the local school as the flames closed in. Bushfires tear through Bemm River and Cann River in East Gippsland ALBANY, New York, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The buoyancy in the global hospital disinfectant products market stems from the rising incidences of hospital-acquired infections. By the estimates from the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year healthcare-associated infections kill more people worldwide than other incidents such as AIDS, breast cancer, or car accidents. The burden of cost on the healthcare system of the US is estimated to be around US$ 30 to US$ 45 bn every year. Hospital-acquired infections can develop even after 48 to72 hours after the admission of the patient. It can also develop within 10 days of discharge from the hospital. Nursing homes, community clinics, hospitals and even centers engaged with the handling of outpatient rehabilitation, dialysis, and surgery serve as fertile grounds for multiple drug-resistant microbes. This significant growth-impacting factor along with other stimulants is estimated to steer the global hospital disinfectant products market to an estimated market valuation of US$ 17.1 Bn by 2026. The market is likely to expand at a CAGR of ~ 5.3% from 2018 to 2026. A rise in the need for extensive use of medical instruments, increase in the number of minimally invasive surgeries, and an increasing number of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) across regions are expected to increase the demand for hospital disinfectant products over the forecast period, opines TMR Key Findings of the Market Study Among the type of products available in the market, liquid form of hospital disinfectant is likely to come up as the most popular product. Liquid disinfectants can easily reach out to every nook and corner of the surface and are long-lasting. Hand sanitizer is estimated to gain prominence as an extremely popular product in the skincare application segment. Explore 280 pages of in-depth research, granular insights, and a comprehensive country-level projections. Gain business intelligence on Hospital Disinfectant Products market by Type: Liquid, Gel and Lotions, Spray and Foam, Wipes, Devices, and Surveillance Providers; Application: Skincare, Surface Cleaners, Air Cleaners, Water Cleaners, and Disinfectant Instrument and Accessories) from 2018 2026 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hospital-disinfectant-products-market.html Hospital Disinfectant Products Market: Key Driving Factors Healthcare settings are predisposed to harbor various potential pathogens, which in turn can pose a great risk to the health of patients. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of the patient environment are critical and imperative to diminish the risk of hospital-acquired infections. It has been estimated that around 30 to 40% of all hospital-acquired infections are caused by the contaminated hands of healthcare workers. Their hands are contaminated either through their contact with colonized or infected patients or with the patient environment. All patients who are hospitalized are vulnerable to contraction of nosocomial infection. Some of the patients such as the elderly, young children are at greater risk as compared to others. Other risk factors for the contraction of hospital-acquired infections include indwelling catheter uses, long stays at hospitals, overuse of antibiotics, and inappropriate hand wash of healthcare workers. The factors are likely to drive the global hospital disinfectant products market in the near future. However, proper use of hospital disinfectant products assists in preventing and containing the spread of harmful viruses and bacteria. Many infectious diseases are prevented from spreading in their tracks through appropriate utilization of hospital disinfectant products. Prevention also needs regular sterilization and disinfection of medical devices. Various infectious diseases such as AIDS, mucormycosis, and tuberculosis are usually caused by pathogens comprising viruses, fungi, and bacteria. All these factors are estimated to encourage the growth of the global hospital disinfectant products market in the forthcoming years. Download PDF Brochure https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=62853 Spending on health is increasing rapidly than the rest of the global economy. It accounts for 10% of the global gross domestic product (GDP). According to a new study on global health expenditure by the World Health Organization (WHO) discloses a rapid upward trajectory of health spending worldwide. Such a trend is particularly more noticeable in middle- and low-income countries. In these countries, health spending is growing at an average of 6% every year as compared to 4% in high-income nations. Under the category of air cleaner segment, air freshener is likely to be a considerably promising product over the forecast tenure. Air freshener is less expensive in comparison with air neutralizer. These products are utilized to diminish the odor in the air and are found in a wide variety of forms. Based on the category of water cleaner, the water purification is another lucrative product for disinfection of hospitals. Augmented concern for hygiene and prevention of water contamination in hospitals worldwide is likely to bolster demand for water purification. View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/62853 Key Impediments for Hospital Disinfectant Products Market Players According to the study, the key restraints hampering the market growth comprise: Despite immense lucrativeness of the market, there is a lack of awareness amongst the people particularly in under-developed nations, which is likely to hamper the growth of the market. Stringent regulations could impede the growth of the market over the forecast tenure to some extent. Market: Region-wise Analysis North America is an immensely promising region in the global hospital disinfectant products market due to high adoption of these products in clinics, surgical centres, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Furthermore, a rapid rise in the incidences of infectious diseases to fuel demand for the product in the region. is an immensely promising region in the global hospital disinfectant products market due to high adoption of these products in clinics, surgical centres, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Furthermore, a rapid rise in the incidences of infectious diseases to fuel demand for the product in the region. Asia Pacific is likely to grow rapidly over the assessment tenure due to augmented spending on the healthcare infrastructure, high adoption of surgical treatment in clinics, and rapid development in the medical facilities. is likely to grow rapidly over the assessment tenure due to augmented spending on the healthcare infrastructure, high adoption of surgical treatment in clinics, and rapid development in the medical facilities. India and China hold promise for the hospital disinfectant products in Asia Pacific. Analyze Hospital Disinfectant Products market growth in 30+ countries including Chile, China, Argentina, and Australia. Request a sample of the study, Competition Landscape The global hospital disinfectant products market is highly fragmented and competitive and is marked with the presence of several players. Prominent players are making use of various aggressive strategies to increase their reach and revenue in the global hospital disinfectant products market. Key companies in the Hospital Disinfectant Products market include The Procter & Gamble Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Baxter International Inc, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Getinge AB, and Georgia-Pacific LLC Hospital Disinfectant Products Market by Type Liquid Gel and Lotions Spray and Foam Wipes, Devices Surveillance Providers Hospital Disinfectant Products Market by Application Skincare Surface Cleaners Air Cleaners Water Cleaners Disinfectant Instrument and Accessories Hospital Disinfectant Products Market by Geography North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa (MEA) & (MEA) South America Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Consumer Goods and Services industry: Baby Care Products Market - The vendors in the global market for baby care products are manufacturing unique and utility-driven products in order to attract the consumers. Since baby care products cater to niche consumer segments, the vendors within this market are projected to rely on targeting and analytics. Cosmetic Skin Care Market - The global market is expected to reach around US$ 130.4 Bn by 2027. The market dynamics of the market are subject to factors primarily related to the preference for organic cosmetic skin care products, which have emerged as a key driver of the global market Disinfectant Wipes Market - The disinfectant wipes market is likely to expand significantly in both developed as well as developing countries, as these wipes offer consumers hygienic, all-in-one and timesaving solution to clean up any mess. Baby Diapers Market - The global market is likely to witness considerable growth during the assessment tenure, from 2019 to 2027. The growth of the market is attributed to the rise in the number of women participating in the workforce Gain access to Market Ngage, an AI-powered, real-time business intelligence that goes beyond the archaic research solutions to solve the complex strategy challenges that organizations face today. With over 15,000+ global and country-wise reports across 50,000+ application areas, Market Ngage is your tool for research on-the-go. From tracking new investment avenues to keeping a track of your competitor's moves, Market Ngage provides you with all the essential information to up your strategic game. Power your business with Market Ngage's actionable insights and remove the guesswork in making colossal decisions. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact: Transparency Market Research State Tower 90 State Street Suite 700 Albany NY - 12207 United States USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com SOURCE Transparency Market Research The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board on Wednesday said that had the 5 acres of land allotted for the Sunni Central Waqf Board been given to them, they would have constructed a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Earlier, the state government allotted 5 acres of land in Ayodhya district to the Sunni Central Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court. The land is in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters, state government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said. "Had the Shia Waqf board got the land, it would have constructed another Ram temple there," chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi said here. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community. The home minister's statement came a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust. Rizvi stated that the government has fulfilled its responsibility and the Hindu community will get a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Meer Baqi, who was a Shia, had constructed the structure (mosque) but the land went to the Sunnis. It is the fault of Shias who had never raised their voice," he claimed. Baqi was a commander during the first Mughal emperor Babur's reign. The Babri Masjid was demolished at the site on December 6, 1992. "When we raised our voice in the Supreme Court, there was a 71 year delay due to which five acres land, which should have been given to Shias went to the Sunnis," he said and hailed the Narendra Modi government for paving the way for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. While delivering the judgement on November 9, the apex court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CARACAS, Venezuela Evo Morales, the former Bolivian president who fled his country in November amid violent protests over his bid to stay in power, will attempt to run for the Senate in the countrys upcoming elections. The announcement is only the most recent sign that Mr. Morales intends to play an active role in Bolivian politics, despite living in exile in Argentina and facing an arrest warrant issued by Bolivias interim government. Mr. Morales plans were made public on Monday when his party registered his candidacy with the countrys electoral tribunal. Mr. Morales congratulated his party on Twitter for choosing the best men and women for the next legislature. His plan to run is likely to heighten tensions ahead of Bolivias election on May 3, in which the country will choose its next president. In the highly competitive race for the Democratic nomination for Bexar County Precinct 2 constable, we recommend Ino Badillo, a former deputy sheriff who retired last fall after 35 years of law enforcement service. During the past 20 years with the county, Badillo worked with the Sheriffs Community Oriented Resource and Education unit, commonly referred to as SCORE. If elected, Badillo said he plans to focus on the needs in Precinct 2 that are not being met by the other 14 law enforcement agencies in Bexar County, and he envisions community outreach and potential school partnerships. The primary duties of a constable are to provide support for the justice of the peace court and serve court papers. Badillo said he does not plan to replicate the work of other agencies. That is fiscally responsible and commendable. The continued need for constables in urban counties has been a topic of debate for decades. Abolishing the office would require a constitutional amendment. Some would argue there is a place for constables amid a vast network of law enforcement agencies, but we see quite a bit of redundancy and little public accountability. Short of consolidation, we need those elected as constables to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars each of these offices costs $1 million a year to operate. Badillo is up to the job. The San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board usually does not endorse in constable races, but the troubling activities in Precinct 2 in the past year have compelled us to make an exception this election cycle. The previously elected constable, Michelle Barrientes Vela, who inadvertently resigned her seat before television cameras by announcing her intention to run for sheriff on the day her office was being raided by law enforcement officials, has been indicted along with one of her former deputies. The appointee selected by county commissioners to fill the unexpired term on the condition she not seek election to the post then filed for the office, and her name is on the ballot. We felt a civic obligation to vet the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for this post. Down-ballot races run low-budget campaigns, and few voters are likely to know much about the candidates. There are 11 candidates in this race, which means there will likely be a runoff. The winner will face Republican Charlie Pena Jr., who is unopposed, in the November general election. We urge voters to learn about the candidates in this race and cast an informed vote. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Elamaram Kareem on Wednesday submitted a privilege notice against Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel accusing him of "misleading" the Parliament on the loss in revenue in Jammu and Kashmir tourism sector after the scrapping of the special status of the state. In his notice, he said Patel refused to provide details despite the Jammu and Kashmir administration sharing the required information to the Centre. He said the minister had informed the Upper House in a written question by him that information on revenue from tourism is "not maintained" despite the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department informing the Centre about 71% revenue loss in tourism sector between August and October last year. Kareem had asked a question on November 11 last year about the "percentage of reduction in revenue received from tourism especially in the month of August, September and October 2019" among others. However, he said, information received from the Jammu and Kashmir administration showed that the state replied to the Central Tourism Department regarding his query on November 15 last year. The Narendra Modi government has scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories, leading to a lockdown in the region, which completed six months on Wednesday, anticipating protests and security implications. To Kareem's question, the RTI reply showed that the Jammu and Kashmir department informed the Centre that "there has been 71% average decline in revenue from tourism in Jammu and Kashmir during August, September and October 2019." Turkmenistan is to spend around USD 1.5 billion to build a new city whose construction will be overseen by the son of the isolated country's all-powerful leader. A report shown on state television Tuesday said that Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov had ordered the government to allocate the money to import equipment necessary to build city infrastructure. Television footage showed Berdymukhamedov flying in a helicopter over the site where the presently nameless new city will be built in the Ahal region where his son Serdar Berdymukhamedov heads the provincial government. Aleksandr Dadayev, chairman of the country's union of industrialists and entrepreneurs, praised the project as "unprecedented" and "a city for the centuries." The energy-rich country began work on the project in April, 2019. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 38, is regularly mentioned as a potential successor to his father who oversees a political system without opposition, checks on his authority or a free media. Turkmenistan's authoritarian regime has been accused by international rights groups of diverting energy revenues towards vanity projects of little long-term benefit to the population. An oil price crunch in 2014 and the cessation of a longstanding gas export relationship with Russia in 2016 were seen as motivating the government to cut back on subsidies that made utilities like water, gas and electricity free of charge. Berdymukhamedov, a former dentist, came to power in 2006 following the death of his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov who transformed himself from a Communist leader into a "Turkmenbashy", or "Father of the Turkmen" after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PATRICIA OConnors granddaughter appeared to have been viewing Japanese cartoons and applying for a job in a clothes shop shortly after her grandmother was allegedly murdered, a jury heard. Stephanie OConnors primary computer was used to access anime videos and to email a CV to Primark after she was alleged to have dressed up as her grandmother to conceal her death. One of the investigating gardai agreed with Stephanie's defence lawyer that while others in the house used the computer that was seized, the person involved at the time appeared to be Stephanie OConnor. Four people are on trial over Patricia O'Connor's death in 2017. Kieran Greene (34), then partner of her daughter Louise O'Connor, is charged with murder. Louise (41), her ex-partner Keith Johnston (41) and their daughter Stephanie O'Connor (22) are accused of impeding the murder investigation. They all deny the charges. Patricia OConnor (61) was allegedly murdered on May 29, 2017 at the house at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham she shared with family including Louise, Stephanie and Mr Greene. Expand Close Patricia O'Connor / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patricia O'Connor Her dismembered remains were found scattered in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14, that year. Stephanie OConnor is accused of disguising herself as her grandmother after she died to pretend that she was still alive, while Louise is accused of agreeing to this. Mr Johnston is alleged to have assisted Mr Greene in buying implements to use in the concealment of Patricia's remains, and to have refurbished the bathroom at the house to destroy or conceal evidence. This afternoon, a number of garda witnesses were either re-called or gave evidence at the request of defence lawyers. Detective Garda David Connolly said on December 21, 2017, he asked the manager of Texaco, North Tymon, Tallaght to look for CCTV footage from June 9 but it had been overwritten. This came about after Mr Greene made a further statement on December 9 in which he said he had stopped there on June 9. Detective Garda Gary Collins told Garnet Orange SC, for Stephanie OConnor, that a laptop computer was seized from the house at Mountainview Park. It was widely used in the house but was in fact Stephanies primary computer, Mr Orange said. Det Gda Collins said he did not know who owned it. On May 29, it was used at 6.07pm to search for Japanese anime cartoon videos on Youtube. It then went dead and revived again at 10.10pm with a Youtube anime video. At 11.05pm, there was a search for job opportunities at Primark in Dundrum, with a sign in to Dropbox at 11.08pm, then a sign in to Google accounts a minute later with a curriculum vitae forwarded to Primark. Det Gda Connolly agreed that the person involved appeared to be Stephanie OConnor. Det Gda James Doolan was questioned by Conor Devally SC about cell site analysis in relation to his client Mr Greenes phone on June 9, when Mr Greene had said he went to Wexford to dig up the body. Det Gda Doolan agreed that it would appear that, as Mr Greene had said himself, he did not take the phone with him. James Dwyer SC, for Keith Johnston said his phone activity dovetailed with him being at shops in the Square in Tallaght on the afternoon of June 9, 2017, but later, it pinged off the mast near his own home in Tallaght and this continued until lunchtime on June 10, after which pinged exclusively off masts in Co. Dublin, Det Gda Doolan agreed. The garda agreed with prosecutor Roisin Lacey SC that phone activity could arise from apps automatically updating and that did not necessarily mean there was a user. Det Sgt Eamonn ONeill agreed with Mr Devally that when Mr Greene was further interviewed while on remand in Cloverhill Prison on December 9, 2017, what he had to say varied from his earlier statements. Further steps were taken following this interview, including a visit to the garage in Tymon North which was never mentioned before, for CCTV, and searches at the Dodder where he said items were cast aside. An axe and hacksaw were found in undergrowth. A variation was that Mr Greene was not alone for a portion of the struggle with Patricia OConnor he previously gave an account of, but that it was joined in by Patricia O'Connor's husband, Gus OConnor, Mr Devally said. Mr Johnston was the only person to be re-arrested following Mr Greenes new interview; his co-accused were invited to reply to it if they so wished by they did not avail of that, Det Sgt ONeill said. He agreed with Mr Dwyer that Mr Greene was charged with murder on June 15, 2017 and gave his new statement on December 9. Mr Johnston was charged in relation to shopping with Mr Greene in October 2018, then his second charge was brought in December 2019. Mr Greenes new statement indicated that another person, Gus OConnor, had been complicit in the killing of Patricia OConnor and notwithstanding this allegation, nobody other than Kieran Greene has been charged with murder, Mr Orange said. Det Sgt ONeill said this was correct. Earlier, the jury finished viewing hours of video evidence in the case. Mr Greene was seen buying tools in DIY shops days after her allegedly killed Ms O'Connor, while Mr Johnston was with him, walking around the aisles and carrying some items. Garda Alan Thompson gave an outline of what was visible. Keith Johnston is seen on several clips on June 3 and 4 at the rear of the house at Mountainview Park - footage that was captured on a neighbour's CCTV camera, Gda Thompson said. He is seen cutting timber with an electric saw and checking tiles on the extension roof. On June 5, he and Kieran Greene are seen going to Homebase, Nutgrove Shopping Centre at 1.50pm. At 2.20pm, Kieran walks up the driveway at the house, followed by Mr Johnston, who is carrying a bucket of paint. Mr Greene hands Mr Johnston a bucket of grout or cement at the back of the house at 3.17pm. Then at 4.30pm Mr Johnston appears to be brushing the wall at the side of the house with a paintbrush. On June 6, Mr Johnston and Greene are both seen outside the house. On June 9, the Toyota Corolla that had been owned by Patricia O'Connor and used by Kieran Greene, reverses out of the driveway at 5.10pm. Mr Greene and Mr Johnston are later seen at a number of shops. They enter Mr Price in Tallaght at 4pm and Mr Greene is seen carrying a black canister. He is at the till at 4.11pm with a number of items, and Mr Johnston carries some items, Gda Thompson said. At 4.20pm, the two men enter B&Q, Belgard Road Retail Park, Tallaght, and at 4.32pm, Mr Greene buys black bags, gloves, two saws and Mr Johnston carries items. The Corolla is next seen at the Square, before the two men enter Shoezone at 4.44pm, exiting at 4.49pm carrying items. They are browsing in Woodies, Tallaght at 5.08pm, then at the tills two minutes later, when Mr Greene purchases items. Mr Greene is carrying an item with a handle when they leave the store at 5.10pm. The Corolla enters the driveway of the house at Mountainview Park at 5.48pm and Mr Greene walks around it and up the driveway. He walks back down at 6.17pm and is seen at 6.22pm entering Boots at Nutgrove Shopping Centre, where he buys an item. He buys baby wipes and household gloves in Eurogiant at 6.33pm, leaving the shopping centre at 6.39pm. Mr Greene walks back up the driveway at Mountainview Park with a shopping bag at 6.43pm. He removes a child seat from the Corolla at 8.54pm and walks back up the driveway. The Corolla revereses back out of the driveway and goes left at 8.55pm. At 4.15am on June 10, the Corolla pulls into the driveway, a male in a t-shirt walks up the driveway towards the house. An upstairs light goes on at 4.53am and off again six minutes later. Gda Thompson agreed with Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting, that apart from the female with a suitcase who appears from the left side of the house at 10.05pm on May 29 and goes in the back door, no other person goes in that door with leaving from it a short time previously. Every time a person left via the back patio door, they shortly after returned. In cross-examination, Gda Thompson told Mr Devally that the light seen going on in the house just before 5am was in a room occupied by Gus OConnor. The garda agreed with Michael Bowman SC, for Louise OConnor, that he had assisted the court with his commentary on the CCTV, but it is for the jury to interpret what they see. The trial continues. Let's talk about sex, New York. Let's talk about sex and sexuality in a way that is inclusive and broadens our understanding and empathy for one another. Let's give the next generation the strongest opportunity to make smart, lifelong decisions about their health. We know our state is ready to lead the way on this: 2019 polling data showed that 72 percent of New York voters, regardless of their political party affiliation, agree that sex education should include information on diversity, sexual orientations and gender identities. Sexuality education that covers the whole range of these important issues enables young people to develop respectful social and sexual relationships that keep themselves and our communities healthy, and it empowers them in accessing health services. When we can see ourselves represented in important health conversations, a crucial sense of validation follows. At The LGBT Community Center, we work to cultivate affirming spaces where LGBTQ youth have access to sexual health information that acknowledges they exist, and we see and celebrate healthier outcomes and decision-making as a result. We find that young people are even more invested in taking control of their sexual and overall health when they also receive inclusive health information in the classroom. On the other hand, when sexual health curriculum only describes cisgender and heterosexual identities and relationships, New York is sending the message that we don't accept LGBTQ students for who they are, which ultimately goes against our values by perpetuating homophobia and stigma. Every person deserves to be included, and it benefits every person to experience diversity and intersectionality in all facets of their education. Planned Parenthood health centers, which serve people from all backgrounds and identities, see firsthand the consequences young people face due to a lack of medically accurate information. Across the country rates of sexually transmitted infections are climbing, and many communities are still grappling with high rates of unintended teen pregnancies. LGBTQ youth are especially vulnerable because without an inclusive curriculum, many are not equipped with the knowledge or skills to encourage condom use and other contraceptive methods to reduce the risk of STIs and pregnancy. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. People should be able to seek medical care without fear or reservation. Too many LGBTQ adults report that they have delayed seeking needed health care or have gone without care because of the stigma they face within the health care system and society at large. Health care is deeply personal, and every person deserves the opportunity to have a patient/provider relationship based on a foundation of trust and respect. We know that the quality of our education can set the stage for the decisions we make for the rest of our lives about our relationships and health care as a whole. More visibility and accessibility of inclusive information in sex education helps our youth feel seen, and builds their trust in well-established social and medical systems to help keep them healthy. It is time to have the talk, New York. Only four states require school instruction that acknowledges the spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities. Our youth need acceptance and respect not stigma or shame to achieve their full potential. It is time for lawmakers to take action, because New Yorkers will no longer accept the bare minimum when it comes to empowering our young people with the knowledge to navigate friendships, relationships, consent and sexual health. US President Donald Trump declared America is stronger than ever before in his State of the Union address on the eve of his probable impeachment acquittal. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of the speech after Mr Trump finished. Mr Trump, the first president to run for re-election after being impeached, received a partisan welcome to the House of Representatives, with some Republicans chanting Four more years while Democrats stood silently. Americas enemies are on the run, Americas fortunes are on the rise and Americas future is blazing bright, Mr Trump declared. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back. Setting a measure for success and then contending he had surpassed it, Mr Trump has gone from an inaugural address that decried American carnage to extolling the Great American comeback, claiming credit for the nations economic success as a chief rationale for a second term. Republican members of Congress applauded nearly every sentence of Mr Trumps speech, often leaping to their feet to cheer him. In the nationally televised speech, Mr Trump was speaking from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate is expected to acquit him on Wednesday, largely along party lines. Mr Trump aimed to spend the first part of his speech highlighting the economys strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the monthMichigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer And what Mr Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from Mr Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Mr Obamas eight-year presidency. Mr Trump had promised much higher. In delivering his speech, Mr Trump stood before the politicians who voted to remove him from office and those who are expected to acquit him when the Senate trial comes to a close. Over his shoulder, visible in nearly every camera shot, was Ms Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Mr Trumps side who authorised the impeachment proceedings that charged the president with abusing the power of his office to push Ukraine to investigate political foe Joe Biden. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears her copy of President Donald Trumps State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress. Vice President Mike Pence is on her left (Alex Brandon/AP) Ms Pelosi created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago. This time, she ripped up her copy of Mr Trumps speech as he ended his address. When Mr Trump entered the chamber, he did not take her outstretched hand but it was not clear he had seen her gesture. Later, as Republicans cheered, she remained in her seat. In advance of his address, Mr Trump tweeted that the caucus chaos in Iowa showed Democrats were incompetent and should not be trusted to run the government. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was to deliver the Democratic Partys official response to Mr Trumps address and, in excerpts released before the speech, was to draw a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the presidents rhetoric. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market, Ms Whitmer says. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. The picture shows the Takanami-class Destroyer of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces. By WenWeiru The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces 4,650-ton destroyer Takanami left the Yokosuka Navy Base in Kanagawa Prefecture for the Middle Easton the morning of February 2, according to Japanese media. It is expected to arrive in waters near the Middle East late this month and join the two P-3C patrol planes that has arrived to carry out escort and intelligence-gathering missions. The force-sending movement by Japan is a response both to the US and to Iran with a view to balancing different parties and enhancing Japans own presence in the Middle East. The US formed the so-called escort coalition in the Gulf region in July 2019 and has been trying to get Japan onboard. The coalition claimed to protect the ships from different countries passing waters in the region, but was actually a joint armed force intending to impose pressure on Iran. Considering its relation with Iran, Japan rejected Americas invitation on the pretest of its legal procedures of assigning troops overseas, but three months later, it announced independent dispatch of the JMSDF to the Middle East for escort missions. As a matter of fact, the force-sending action by Japan is to balance different parties and enhance Japans own presence in the Middle East. First, Japan wants to exercise its right of sending troops overseas entrusted by the New Security Bill. Actually, Japan has been yearning to take this step after the New Bill came into force, but made little progress due to the lack of basis and the procedural obstacles. Tokyo hopes to take this opportunity to send troops overseas in large quantities and for a long period, which may set an example for it to turn such actions into a normal and regular practice, or even pave the way for constitutional amendment in the future. Second, Japan wants to enhance its military presence in the Middle East. It relies on the Middle East for most of its crude oil import, and the situation there concerns its energy security, so the country has been trying to enhance its military presence in the region in order to control its own energy supply and become a major player in reshaping the regional order. Its possible that Japan will find all kinds of excuses to send more troops to the region in rotation. At last, Japan has not directly participated in the US-led escort coalition clearly because Japan wants to maintain its relationship with countries in the Middle East region. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited Irans President Hassan Rouhani to visit Japan at the end of 2019 in an attempt to get Rouhanis acquiesce to Japans sending troops to the region via talks. In mid-January 2020, Shinzo Abe also visited Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman, in a bid to ask for their understanding of Tokyos sending troops to the Middle East. Therefore, although Japan refused to join the escort coalition, the JMSDF is already present in the waters of the Gulf region. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, was badly wrong in characterizing Trumps actions as merely inappropriate and concluding that obstruction of justice is not impeachable. The U.S. absolutely needed impeachment and removal of President Trump. It was truly un-American against our core values and democratic principles to acquit the president on the charges of abuse of power and (especially) his egregious obstruction of justice. Removing any president from office would be extreme and difficult, and with Trump it seemed extra-combustible. But a vote not to remove him was truly worse. The Republican-led U.S. Senates acquittal of Trump was responsible for breaking our nations genius and sacred system of checks and balances. With the Senates vote to legitimize Trumps absolute immunity legal argument, the U.S. will literally have an executive branch with absolute power a president who has to answer to no one and who is completely above the law. And the three branches of government will no longer be co-equal, as designed by our Founding Fathers and as established in our Constitution. WASHINGTON (AP) Standing before a Congress and a nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to extol a Great American Comeback on his watch, three years after he took office decrying a land of American carnage under his predecessor. The partisan discord was on vivid display Tuesday as the first president to campaign for reelection after being impeached made his case for another term: Republican legislators chanted four more years. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trumps speech as he ended his address. "America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," Trump declared. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back." Trump never mentioned the impeachment in his 78-minute speech. That followed the lead of Bill Clinton, who did not reference his recent impeachment when he delivered his State of the Union in 1999. Trump spoke from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate on Wednesday is expected to acquit him largely along party lines. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Vice President Mike Pence is at left. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP Nancy Pelosi Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trumps side, created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago. This time, she was even more explicit with her very text-ripping rebuke. No sooner had Trump finished his State of the Union address than Pelosi ripped the paper it was printed on in two. As he stepped down, she ripped again. Then a third time. And a fourth. If Trump knew about the American carnage going on behind him, he didnt react as he left. But Pelosi was on her turf, with a deep understanding of her audience and she wasnt finished. In case any confusion remained, Pelosi held up what remained of the address to her family in the gallery, in full view of reporters. "It was a manifesto of mistruths, Pelosi told reporters as she left the Capitol. The ripping was not planned, according to a person close to the Democratic speaker who was unauthorized to speak publicly. Rush Limbaugh reacts after first lady Melania Trump presented him with the the Presidential Medal of Freedom as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Second lady Karen Pence is at left and Kathryn Limbaugh is partially hidden. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP Rush Limbaugh Trump, the former reality TV star, had wife Melania present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, to divisive conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh announced Monday that he is fighting advanced lung cancer and appeared frail. Janiyah, left, and Stephanie Davis of Philadelphia, stand as they are recognized by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP Pennsylvania school choice Trump stunned a Philadelphia fourth-grader in the gallery with a scholarship to attend private school. Stephanie Davis and daughter Janiyah sat in the gallery as the president spoke. According to the Inquirer: He talked directly to the girl while discussing his plans for school choice and federal tax credits. While Davis, a single parent, would do anything to give her daughter a better future, Trump said, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvanias governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice. As Amy Williams watches, her husband Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams, hugs his daughter Elliana, 6, as he surprised her by appearing at the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump in a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Rowan, 3, first Lady Melania Trump and Rush Limbaugh watch. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP Soldier reunion Trump orchestrated the surprise tearful reunion of a soldier from overseas with his family in the balcony. From the News-Observer in North Carolina: A Fort Bragg soldier surprised his wife and two young children. Amy Williams was sitting next to first lady Melania Trump with her children when the president talked about her. Her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams, has been deployed for the last seven months, Trump said. But Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special surprise, Trump said. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here tonight and we couldnt keep him waiting any longer. President Donald Trump greets Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts as he arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP Recap of the speech Trump spent much of his speech highlighting the economys strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from President Barack Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obamas eight-year presidency Trump stressed the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including his phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month. While the White House said the president was offering a message of unity, he also spent time on issues that have created great division and resonated with his political base. He attacked Democrats' health care proposals for being too intrusive and again highlighted his signature issue immigration trumpeting the miles of border wall that have been constructed. He also dedicated a section to "American values," discussing efforts to protect "religious liberties" and limit access to abortion as he continues to court the evangelical and conservative Christian voters who form a crucial part of his base. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union response in East Lansing on Feb. 4, 2020. Democrats response Many female Democrats were wearing white as tribute to the suffragettes, while a number in the party were wearing red, white and blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change, saying Trump has rolled back environmental safeguards and given free rein to polluters. Several Democratic lawmakers, including California Rep. Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced in advance of the speech that they would be skipping it, while other Democrats walked out early. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her partys official response and drew a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the presidents rhetoric. "It doesn't matter what the president says about the stock market," Whitmer said. "What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don't have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs." By JONATHAN LEMIRE, The Associated Press Indonesia has called off a contest offering a cash reward to anyone brave enough to remove a motorbike tyre stuck around the neck of a giant crocodile. Authorities in Palu, capital of Central Sulawesi, said no would-be crocodile wrangler stepped forward to take up the challenge of removing the unwanted necklace from the 13-foot (4-metre) reptile. The contest was rolled out last month, but made headlines again last week when an unspecified reward was offered. The local conservation agency offered few details about the reward -- or how outsiders might pull off the dangerous task -- but its chief said the money would come out of his own pocket Conservationists who fear the croc is being slowly strangled have been trying -- and failing -- for years to find a way to untangle the beast. Rumours circulated that popular TV personality Panji the Explorer -- Indonesia's answer to late Australian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin -- was keen for another shot after a failed attempt two years ago. Officials said a team from the environment ministry will now redouble efforts to free the croc from its rubber stranglehold. "The contest has been cancelled," said Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency Head Hasmuni Hasmar. "But we now have back up from the ministry and government experts to help us." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan and Oman, and discussed ways to ramp up defence cooperation, particularly in the defence manufacturing sector. In the delegation-level talks with British Minister for Defence Procurement James Heappey, Singh underlined the growing ties between the two countries, a Defence Ministry statement said. It said the discussions focussed on opportunities to enhance defence engagements between the two countries In the meeting with Singh, Maldivian Defence Minister Uza Mariya Ahmed Didi expressed her country's gratitude to India for bringing back seven Maldivian students from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city in China. She underlined the opportunities that exist to further enhance defence cooperation especially in the maritime domain, to which Singh responded positively, the ministry said. In their meeting, Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan Colonel Erlis Terdikbayev and Singh agreed that to hold a joint exercise involving the special forces of India and Kyrgyzstan. The focus of meeting between Singh and Defence Minister of Oman Badr Saud Harib Al Busaidi was to boost overall defence partnership. "Defence cooperation was the key pillar of bilateral relations between the two countries. Both ministers discussed measures to further strengthen defence partnership, by enhancing joint maritime security exercises," the ministry said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK and RIVER FALLS, Wis., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nagase Holdings America and Interfacial Consultants, LLC ("Interfacial") announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Nagase Holdings America ("NAGASE Group") will acquire Interfacial. Interfacial is a Wisconsin-based industry leader in the development of disruptive advanced materials and manufacturing process platforms, serving innovation-minded customers in transportation, construction, medical and consumer markets. Pending completion, this transaction will represent a significant step forward in Nagase Group's growing commitment to increasing their R&D capabilities, particularly within the high-performance thermoplastics vertical. By tapping into Interfacial's expertise in development services, specialty materials and engineered substrates, Nagase Group aims to address customer needs by developing innovative new products and bringing them to market. Both Parties Anticipate a Stronger Future "We couldn't be more excited to combine efforts with the team at Interfacial," said Bradley Hilborn, Vice President of Strategy & Planning at Nagase Holdings America. "Interfacial has the ability to rapidly develop products and processes to manufacture at scale. This acquisition will allow Nagase to utilize those capabilities, enabling us to deliver rapid, innovative solutions to our customers across a variety of markets." Dr. Jeffrey Cernohous, Founder, Board Member & Executive Advisor of Interfacial, also looks forward to the growth this agreement will bring. "We are excited to deepen our relationship with Nagase as a result of this transaction," Cernohous said. "This partnership will allow us to accelerate the global commercialization of products relating to our material science-based technology platforms. We look forward to working with them to achieve this goal." About NAGASE Group NAGASE Group is a leading chemical trading firm in Japan, founded in 1832. NAGASE Group has continued to expand its business by enhancing value-added functions/services such as manufacturing, processing, and R&D capabilities. Today, NAGASE Group owns more than 100 group companies around the globe, manufacturing and distributing various products such as resins, functional polymers, plastic products, electronic materials, functional food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and intermediates. Additional information about NAGASE Group can be found on the company's website at https://www.nagase.co.jp/english/. SOURCE Nagase Holdings America Related Links https://www.nagase.co.jp/english My husband, Rob, and I have been together almost 20 years, and never once in those two decades have we agreed on a house. I hate a cookie-cutter home. Those rows and rows of suburban abodes all look like they were cut from the same mold, slapped with a few coats of gray and white paint and given a granite countertop or two and some new appliances. Voila, instant house! It's the kind of place I walk into and immediately want to leave. The problem? This is the kind of house my husband loves. This disagreement is a problemespecially since marrying in 2003, we have lived in five different houses in three different cities and two different countries. In other words, we house hunt more than your average couple. So this problem keeps cropping up. Here's more on why, and how, we've struck a balance that I hope will help other couples do the same. Why my husband and I have different tastes in homes Perhaps the root to this problem comes from our childhoods: Rob grew up in a 1970s home that calls to mind "The Brady Bunch" home, a ranch with central air conditioning and a sprawling footprint. The house my husband grew up in. Google My childhood home, on the other hand, was a 1920s house in Dayton, OH, with a small backyard, red brick front, and a series of built-ins on the inside. The house where I was born Ashley Brown We moved when I was 11, but I remember the home clearly: a sunroom surrounded by windows, and a round table in the kitchen jutting out from a built-in hutch replete with thick shelves and heavy panels. It had a finished basement I was terrified to enter, a room over the garage with wall-to-wall bookshelves, and a sewing room beside the master bedroom that wasn't big enough to be a bedroom and wasn't small enough to be a closet. In 1990, my family moved into a brand-new home. My father hired the contractor, and he and my mother built the home to their specifications. And yet, the house was still riddled with the same problems that most places have. It had leaks and peeling paint, and problems with the roof when the wind blew too hard. It was as much a money pit as an old house, if not more. My second house, new construction Sasha Brown-Worsham Although we lived in that new house for just five years, the memory of it stayed. So why would I trade character and quirkiness for a cookie-cutter house that is guaranteed to be just as unpredictable? How we compromised on our first rental When Rob and I rented our first place together in Boston, he fell in love with a place that looked all new insidewhite walls, a minimalist aesthetic. I wanted something Victorian and colorful, with history and maybe a ghost or two. The place we settled on had a little of both. Some new construction to suit him and lots of old character to suit me. Our first rental together Google Maps How we compromised on our first real estate purchase When buying our first house, we butted heads yet again, and again ended up meeting in the middle. We bought an old triple-decker built in the late 1800s, but with the kind of gutting inside that made it palatable to Rob. Granite countertops for him and an ancient, peeling porch for me. Perfect! The first house we bought Zillow Eight years ago, when we moved to New Jersey, I walked into one house and fell in love. The oven from the 1940s, the ancient wallpaper, the original stained-glass windows from the 1920sthis was definitely up my alley. All my husband saw, however, were weekends wasted examining ancient plumbing, leaks that would reveal much bigger problems, electric wiring that would cost a small fortune to replace. Our house in New Jersey Sasha Brown-Worsham How we strike the right balance today After my husband relocated for work, we decided to rent a house in the English countryside. We looked at 20 homes and settled on a manor built in 1867 because I couldn't live without it. I dreamed of this house my entire childhood, steeped in Jane Austen and Frances Hodgson Burnett. And luckily, Rob loves it, too. Now. But every few weeks, when something breaksand something always doeshe shares how happy he is that we don't own it. When the pipes run cold, the heat stops pumping, or the water heater leaks into his closet in the space that used to be the dumbwaiter, he is always glad the problem isn't ultimately ours. Still, we are lucky we get to live here, even if only for a few years. Our home in England Alan Worsham (@alan_hw_drone) We are scheduled to move back to the States in two years. We are already in hot discussions about our house hunt. The photos my husband sends are of houses built in 2010. They have pools in the backyard and open floor plans with a lot of light and neutral paint schemes. I am still enamored with the old Victorians with wraparound porches and fireplaces in every room. I am from Massachusetts, I tell him. When you think of my house, think of Louisa May Alcott, of cold nights by warm fires. My husband's dream is more palm trees and built-in outdoor grills. How it all resolves itself is anybody's guess. We have two yearsand our whole life togetherto keep making these compromises and to keep discovering the way two people with opposing visions can come together. In any marriage there are compromises. My husband hates broccoli and I love it, but I eat broccoli only when he is out of town. I hate action movies and death metal, so he watches those movies and attends those concerts without me. There is constant give-and-take between us, so why should our housing be any different? The post 'Help, My Husband and I Can't Agree on a House!' appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Two different events played out on the floor of the House on Tuesday night. The first was President Trumps powerful, moving, uplifting, and optimistic State of the Union speech. The second was the immature, arrogant, intemperate, and really disgusting temper tantrum in which Democrats indulged. The most obvious sign of a complete mental breakdown on the left was Nancy Pelosis conduct during the speech. Her petulant behavior could not be missed because she was seated behind the president, to his left. Whenever the camera was on Trump, it was on Pelosi too. Pelosi's hissy fit first showed itself when Pelosi refused to give Trump the traditional formal introduction. Traditionally, Speakers of the House say that it is their high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States. Pelosi, however, in grudging and rushed tones, simply said, Members of Congress, the President of the United States. Things went downhill from there. When Trump handed copies of his speech to Vice President Pence and Pelosi, Pelosi extended her hand for a shake, but Trump did not extend his hand back. Theres much debate about whether it was an oversight on his part or an intentional insult. You can decide for yourself: WOW Watch President Trump Snub a handshake from Pelosi. SAVAGE pic.twitter.com/ekahgtu2ut Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2020 As Trump began to speak, Pelosi began to perform a running pantomime behind his back. Rather than listen to Trump's speech, she leafed through the written speech he gave her. She also wriggled around in her chair, sucked her dentures, made disdainful faces, waved to people in the crowd, and generally behaved like an angry 15-year-old girl whose parents have forced her to attend a formal event. It was painful to watch the person who is third in line to the presidency behave in such a childish, rude manner. Being intentionally disrespectful and disruptive, though, was just a warm-up for Pelosis final act. When Trumps speech ended, she carefully gathered together her copy of the speech into neat little piles, ostentatiously ripped each pile in half, and disdainfully dropped them on the table in front of her: She couldnt even rip the speech in one stack. She had to divide it up. She made her weak act look even weaker. @realDonaldTrump lives in her head rent free. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/565WaYfBj3 Chris Loesch (@ChrisLoesch) February 5, 2020 Afterward, Nancy was even more insulting: Speaker Nancy Pelosi on why she ripped up President Trumps speech: Because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives. pic.twitter.com/nYTjAZAwGo Jason Donner (@jason_donner) February 5, 2020 The White House tweeted: Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy. The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020 One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy. The Democrats seated in the House were just as bad. As Trump methodically went through all the wonderful things that have come to the American people in the past three years, they sat there, angry and lugubrious. They refused to clap for record low unemployment, especially for minorities; record rising wages for blue-collar jobs; a secure Southern border; shrinking food stamp and welfare rolls; a rising stock market; criminal justice reform; energy independence; beneficial new trade deals; a revitalized American military; vocational studies in high schools; ending free medical care for illegal aliens; and, of course, Rush Limbaughs Medal of Freedom. The Democrats thought that they were protesting Trump. That's not what Americans saw, though. They saw politicians so invested in regaining political power that they deeply resented Americans becoming richer, healthier, and safer. If Democrats were smart, they would applaud what Trump has achieved and promise to do even better. Instead, they keep peddling their dystopian nightmares and promise that, once given unlimited power, all will be well again. Its an ugly look. Other Democrat lowlights: A small cluster of Democrats including Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Mark Pocan don't stand for Charles McGee, the former Tuskegee Airman introduced by Trump Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 5, 2020 I just walked out of the #StateOfTheUnion. I cant stand a liar. This mans presidency is a national tragedy. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 5, 2020 President Trump: This amazing fourth grade girl will finally get to go to the school of her choice everyone! Isn't she awesome! Democrats: pic.twitter.com/Q1fczwXpdl Shem Horne (@Shem_Infinite) February 5, 2020 Why Democratic lawmakers raised three fingers during this moment of President Trump's #sotu speech https://t.co/bfjGFvyWyq pic.twitter.com/M9CdURUJWU CNN (@CNN) February 5, 2020 (The Cummings bill, of course, was anti-free market, making it the equivalent of rent control for medicine.) This has been a bad week for Democrats: First, their impeachment effort not only failed, it drove up Trumps popularity. Second, they made a complete hash of the Iowa caucuses, which must have caused more than one person to wonder if theyre capable of managing a country. And third, they humiliated themselves by behaving like boorish, immature brats. This was not a principled protest; it was a tawdry, tin-eared tantrum. Photo credit: YouTube screen grab STORY LINK Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) Exchange Rate Falls despite Strong UK Services PMI Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) Exchange Rate Slips despite UK Services Growth Strong Wage Growth Supports New Zealand Dollar (NZD) NZD Flat as Investors Hungry for Risk Pound New Zealand Dollar Outlook: Will Risk Appetite Increase? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate remained flat, leaving the pairing trading at around NZ$2.0053.Sterling received some support earlier this morning after the countrys service sector PMI rebounded in January.However, the GBP/NZD exchange rate slumped later in the afternoon.The UK general election in December provided the sector with support as previous headwinds from delayed decision making were eliminated.This saw the services PMI rise to 53.9, the highest level since September 2018 and the first time in five months the sector has posted growth.Commenting on this, Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply said:The UK service sector leapt into action in the New Year with a welcome return to stronger business activity and an optimism not seen for almost five years. New work flowed in at a surprisingly sharp rate as businesses started to invest and previously uncertain consumers parted with their cash. Orders held back by political uncertainty were uncorked at the fastest rate for around a year and a half.All in all a positive start last month, and if political stability is maintained throughout the year with political promises becoming reality, then 2020 could become a stellar year for service companies.Meanwhile, the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) received an upswing of support following the release of labour market data. This buoyed the currency this afternoon.The New Zealand unemployment rate fell back to 4% in the final quarter of December, down from 4.1% in Q3.Commenting on the data, Stats NZ labour market and household senior manager Sean Broughton noted:The unemployment rate in New Zealand has largely been tracking down since late 2012, but has remained stable at around 4.0% throughout 2019.Further statistics showed that wages in the country increased by 2.6% in the year to December quarter. This offered the Kiwi some support as this was the largest increase since Q2 2009.The risk-sensitive New Zealand Dollar (NZD) received support on Wednesday after reports of medical breakthroughs in the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus.Reports stated that a Chinese university had found a drug that could treat people while researchers in the UK had made a significant breakthrough in the search for a vaccine.Commenting on the reports of a breakthrough, head of G10 FX Strategy at Credit Agricole, Valentin Marinov noted:The fact that the risk assets are so supported today may indicate that investors are hungry for risk.However, positive UK services data buoyed Sterling this morning but the pairing slipped this afternoon.Looking ahead, the New Zealand (NZD) could edge up against the Pound (GBP) if there is further optimism from markets about the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus is slowing.If investors remain upbeat about the spread of the virus slowing, the risk-sensitive Kiwi is likely to rise.Meanwhile, Sterling could slide against NZD if traders continue to worry about the UKs stance against the EU during discussions.If traders price in a higher chance of the UK being unable to reach an agreement with the EU before the end of the transition period, the Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate will slide. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound New Zealand Dollar Forecasts Bihar: To aid in branding and promotion of export items: Sushil Kumar Modi by Abhay Singh February 05,2020 | Source: The Times of India Animal husbandry departments principal secretary, N Vijayalakshmi, said production of fish in the state has recorded highest growth in the recent years. For long, Bihar remained a fish consuming state for which varieties of fish used to come from states like Andhra Pradesh, but the state is now turning into a fish producing state, she said, adding, the gap between fish import and production in Bihar was merely 44,000 tonnes which would be overcome in the next fiscal. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi (SuMo) on Monday said that the state government would actively intervene to promote exports from Bihar, which currently languishes at a miniscule 0.05% of the total exports from the country. The state would help in branding of products from various districts to create demand for them in the international market, he added. PM Narendra Modi has asked the state governments to make necessary interventions to promote exports of products and items from their respective areas, SuMo Modi said, referring to a recent meeting addressed by the PM in which he had participated. SuMo was the keynote speaker at seminar on State Focus Paper 2020-21 related to the annual credit plan prepared by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). He said, 8.74 lakh metric tonne (MT) of food items worth Rs 1,748 crore were exported from the state in 2017-18 was, but it could be increased to Rs 9.35 lakh MT valued at Rs 2,500 crore. SuMo drew the attention of the bankers at the seminar to the annual credit plan that had allotted Rs 292 crore for disbursement among exporters from the state. Come forward and assist them, so that more products and items could be exported from the state, which, in turn, would also increase the states share in the total exports from the country, he told the bankers. The deputy CM added that one product or item would be identified from each district for branding and its pull-value in the international market would be created. Among the items that he cited for identification were katarni chawal and chura from Bhagalpur, fruits (shahi litchi, Bhagalpuri silk and malda mango) and sweets as well as handicraft items and Madhubani paintings. Currently, the largest share of exports from the state belongs to non-basmati rice (32%), followed by maize (29%), cereal (9.3%), wheat (6.1%), makhana, as well as fresh vegetables and honey. The need is to do proper branding and maintaining their quality, SuMo said. The African Development Fund has approved a $34.74 million grant and loan to boost renewable energy access and promote an attractive investment climate in Liberia. At a signing ceremony on 29 January in Monrovia, Dr. Orison Amu, the African Development Bank's (AfDB.org) Country Manager in Liberia, and Samuel Tweah Jr., Liberia's Minister of Finance & Development Planning, inked financing agreements for two projects. The ceremony was attended by officials from government, the Rural Renewable Energy Agency (RREA), the National Investment Commission (NIC), development partners and other stakeholders. Under the first project, the Renewable Energy for Electrification in Liberia, more than $33 million, primarily in the form of a grant from the Bank and the Strategic Climate Fund's Scaling-up Renewable Energy program, is to support renewable energy sector growth. The funds will go towards construction of a mini dam on the St. John River in Nimba County in northeastern Liberia and the development of the Gbedin hydropower Falls with a total capacity of 9.34 megawatts of power, to be transmitted through an 8 km, 33kV line connecting 7,000 households. The system would allow for grid expansion to isolated communities and support the connection of schools, health centers, businesses and industries to the national grid, increasing the rural electrification rate in Liberia. Minister Samuel Tweah Jr. said the project, scheduled for completion by 2024, would help unlock one of the main constraints to economic development -- access to a reliable, affordable and sustainable supply of electricity. The second project - Support to Investment Promotion Agencies in Transition Countries - received approval for an additional $1 million to assist in promoting business investment in Liberia and building the capacity of the National Investment Commission. The funds will come from the Bank's Transition Support Facility. "As a Bank we understand the challenges faced by Government and the efforts underway to attract Foreign Direct Investment," said Amu. "This project aims at contributing to those ongoing efforts by (the Liberian) government." As of January 2020, the Fund has 16 on-going and recently approved operations in Liberia with a total commitment of $413 million. The active portfolio spreads over six sectors covering infrastructure, predominantly roads, and energy. With this new signing, energy now accounts for 26% of the Fund's total commitments in Liberia. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (AfDB.org) is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. Media Contact: Amba Mpoke-Bigg Communication and External Relations Department African Development Bank Email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org Tel: +225 57 25 77 00 As the early numbers start flowing in for Cannabis 2.0 sales, analysts are starting to slash 2020 sales estimates for the category. Cannabis 2.0 refers to Canadas legalization of cannabis products including vapes, edibles and beverages. Canopy Growth (CGC) was expected to be a leading player in this market launch, but the company still hasnt been able to scale THC beverages, and the new CEO just took over a couple of weeks ago. The new CEO must now reorganize the business when announcing December results in early February to turn around the never-ending cash burn. Cannabis 2.0 Failure The Canadian cannabis market has seen major weakness since the legalization of recreational cannabis back in October 2018. The failures have been a combination of restrictive government regulations as well as the lack of products available in the right categories and price points. The initial Cannabis 2.0 product rollout has followed the same path of recreational cannabis. Governments in Alberta and Quebec have banned vape sales and Ontario still lacks the retail stores necessary to attract consumers. On top of these regulatory issues, Canopy Growth announced on December 17 that the company wasnt able to scale cannabis-infused beverages. Investors already had concerns about the weak beverage sales in the U.S. market, but hoped the backing of Constellation Brands (STZ) would be the key ingredient to conquer the Canadian market. Combined with questions related to edible product pricing, analysts such as Douglas Miehm from RBC Capital Markets and John Chu of Desjardins Securities have severely cut revenue estimates for the year. Miehm now forecasts 2020 revenues of only $250 million, while Chu is slightly more bullish at $300 million. Miehm forecasts vape sales of close to $4.0 million, with cannabis-infused edibles and drinks at $8.0 million. The major problem, according to RBC, is that consumers prefer prices for edibles and vapes that are far below the initial prices found in B.C. and Ontario where both products are legal. Story continues No Margin Help The major appeal of selling Cannabis 2.0 products was the higher margin opportunity. The companies with major greenhouse capacity could grow cannabis for $1 per gram and sell CPG products for multiples of the commoditys cost. Well, the forecasted sales levels will only leave a company like Canopy Growth with a sales boost of $5 to $10 million per quarter. With the beverage facility not scaling and the weak sales in general, one has to wonder if the 2.0 products are a margin drag rather than a profit boost. For FQ2, the company reported adjusted operating expenses of C$160 million. One has to foresee this number growing with the launch of 2.0 products in Canada and CBD in the U.S. Even ignoring the weak September quarter due to product returns, Canopy Growth should have a difficult time recovering from the C$92 million EBITDA loss from June. The new CEO has to rationalize expenses and potentially exit certain markets. Both moves could lead to lower revenues and impact investor sentiment. Consensus Verdict Turning now to the rest of the Street, its a mixed bag when it comes to takes on this cannabis stock. 7 Buys and 8 Holds assigned in the last three months add up to a Moderate Buy consensus rating. At $21.49, the average price target puts the potential downside at 4%. (See Canopy Growth price targets and analyst ratings on TipRanks) Takeaway The key investor takeaway is that Canopy Growth keeps running into hurdles in terms of meeting financial targets. The stock is far too expensive with a valuation of over $8 billion, while revenue estimates for FY21 ending March are slipping below $500 million. The company has yet to exit a major spend mode, which is the first step to rationalize given the current weak market. Disclosure: No position. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Big crash: Norman Vancuylenberg crashed his Ferrari into a jewellery store in Sydney's CBD on January 6. He had a female passenger in the car, but it's not suggested it is the woman above A drunk driver who ploughed his Ferrari into a luxury jewellery store while cruising Sydney with a female passenger is the Italian-born CEO of a finance company. Norman Vancuylenberg, 41, was twice over the legal limit and driving on a suspended licence when he slammed his 599 model luxury car into the Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen store in Sydney's CBD about 3.30pm on January 6. The Ferrari - worth about $600,000 brand new - skidded onto the footpath on Market St and collided with the store's front window, injuring a female pedestrian in her 60s. Witnesses described the high-flying Naples-born financier as being 'totally shaken' following the crash. He was arrested by police and later blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.107 at Day St Police Station. What a mess: A boozy cruise about town turned into a very public disaster for Norman Vancuylenberg when he slammed his red Ferrari into a jewellery store on Market St, Sydney, after the New Year A woman in her 60s suffered a hip injury and Vancuylenberg's Ferrari was also left a crumpled mess from the crash, which occurred in broad daylight, about 3.30pm Italian-born high flyer Norman Vancuylenberg, 41, ploughed his red Ferrari into David Jones on January 6 Vancuylenberg, also known by the last name Formisano, pleaded guilty to three charges on Wednesday, including mid-range drink driving, driving while suspended and dangerous driving. A witness - back in the office for the first day of the working year - recalled to the Sydney Morning Herald at the time: 'I was sitting at my desk and heard a loud noise of wheels turning. 'I rushed to the window and saw the vehicle come around. It was a huge crash. 'It was such a loud explosion - it was really terrifying. 'The street was so busy, there were a few hundred people around.' The female pedestrian was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, but her injuries were not believed to be serious. The Ferrari narrowly missed a young family. Vancuylenberg's scarlet Ferrari was left a crumpled mess and his windscreen shattered. The shop window suffered only minor damage. The boozy crash is quite the fall from grace from Vancuylenberg. Not much to see here: The crash may have seemed sensational but it left behind minor damage to the Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen shopfront Vanculyenberg was described as 'totally shaken' after the collision, and was arrested by police A company profile by his business, Giant Finance Group, describes Vancuylenberg as a highly respected finance industry figure. The website boasts that Vancuylenberg 'helped and fund some of the biggest franchises ... in Australia, known today as RAMS Home Loans.' It claims he has been behind trail books worth more than half a billion dollars over the course of his career. He will be sentenced in March. Man, 38, identified as Olamide Awogbayi has been arrested by the Ondo State Police command for allegedlyraping a 13-year-old girl during a night vigil held by one of the churches along Idanre Road in Akure, Nigeria. The suspect who lured the underage girl to an uncompleted building where he defiled her, was nabbed after the girl's parents raised an alarm that their daughter was missing after the church programme. The rape victim was reportedly found in the uncompleted building where she was left all through the night by the suspected rapist after committing the crime. Ondo Police Spokesperson, Femi Joseph who confirmed the arrest of Awogbayi said: On the 1/2/2020 about 11p.m., in a church on Idanre-Akure Road, which was holding its vigil, Olamide Awogbayi (38) took the 13-year-old away to a nearby uncompleted building and defiled her in the early hours of the date the girl was declared to have been missing by the parents. The suspect, Olagbayi, was said to have taken to his heels when the girl fell unconscious. The said suspect will be transferred soonest after preliminary investigation. By PTI NEW DELHI: Over five crore farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 2.51 crore farmers have not got even the second instalment and 5.16 crore of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 9 crore farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 7.62 crore or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 6.5 crore farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 3.85 crore beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by this PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 4.74 crore farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 4.22 crore received the first instalment, 4.02 crore the second and 3.85 crore the third. ALSO READ | PM-Kisan beneficiary from Tamil Nadu has tough time trying to correct Aadhaar There was no mention why nearly 50 lakh, 70 lakh and 90 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 3.08 crore farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 2.66 crore and 2.47 crore beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 40 lakh and 61 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 1.19 crore beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 73.66 lakh farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of the first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 7.56 crore the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 16.97 lakh farmers registered during this period, 14.02 lakh got the first instalment, 13.72 lakh received the second and 9.87 lakh the third. Of the 42.34 lakh registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 36.98 lakh got the first instalment, 31.53 lakh the second and 27.67 lakh got the third instalment. As many as 23.83 lakh farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 18.79 lakh got the second and 18.43 lakh the third. A total of 26.13 lakh beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 9.57 lakh out of 19.64 lakh farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 1.22 lakh out of 1.98 lakh registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 9.78 lakh farmers out of the 17.18 lakh registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 lakh registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. Residents of a NSW town are calling for council to take action on murky, black water which looks like Coke. People from Lithgow, in the NSW Central Tablelands, have started a Change.org petition demanding local government rebuild Lithgow's failing water delivery system. I am sick to death of throwing away whites even after I have soaked them, one woman wrote on the petition. A resident of nearby McKellars Park wrote on Facebook her kids had to skip having a bath due to the dark, murky water in the tub. Another added her bath was black this morning, not nice while another complained her tub water was milky white. A Lithgow resident said her kids couldn't bathe in this water. Source: Facebook Mum Michelle Potts told Nine.com.au she recently ran a bath for her baby daughter but when she came back the water was gross. It looked like Coke, that is how dark the colour of the water was, she told the site. A resident known as Ailette told 2GB the water stained her dogs dishes. She added she wont drink the water either and has started buying it from the supermarket. Lithgow City Council told Nine.com.au the water doesnt pose a health risk and its colour is caused by a combination of iron and manganese sediment. Lithgow City Council says the water is safe to drink. Source: Facebook Mayor Ray Thompson said last week Council worked on the completion of a number of water main and service repairs. The community has experienced main breaks in the areas of Pillans Road and Wrights Road, as well as service failures in Wentworth Street and Wrights Road, he said. Staff have also been working towards the cleanup of storm damage throughout Lithgow, Clarence and the Wolgan Valley, Capertee Valley and Hartley. Lastly, works have been undertaken to remove problematic plastic wheel stops at the Blast Furnace, Rail Interchange and Wallerawang Bakery car parks. Dark, murky water has affected residents in a number of areas in regional NSW. Taya Biggs of Menindee, far west NSW, complained of disgusting water in January last year. A resident in Dubbo also complained of dirty water in September. Story continues Residents remain unhappy and want the water fixed. Source: Change.org/Fix Lithgow water A Dubbo Regional Council spokeswoman told Yahoo News Australia in a statement the cloudy water is due to maintenance and it was a common occurrence. This is just air in the line that causes the water to go milky/cloudy, this will clear up in a couple of minutes and the water will still meet Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and NSW Health guidelines. If people experience this they just need to run the tap for a couple of minutes and it will clear up. This has nothing to do with the upcoming increase of water restrictions. Yahoo News Australia has contacted Lithgow City Council for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian capital city of Yerevan is among the worlds 20 destinations selected by National Geographic for its 2020 Cool List a list of cities and countries you should have on your travel horizon. Welcome to the new decade. By now youve probably brushed off Januarys lethargy, and are fixing your sights on the year ahead. If so, weve got just the thing: our annual Cool List. Weve selected the 20 places you should have on your travel horizon. The National Geographic Traveller Cool List 2020 celebrates 20 destinations to keep in mind this year, from Slovenia and Los Angeles to Yerevan and Namibia, the National Geographic said in the article, presenting the top 20 destinations. New routes are opening up to the Armenian capital, one of the worlds oldest continually inhabited cities, the article notes, mentioning the recently launched affordable Ryanair and Wizz Air flights. National Geographic is noting that tour operators are focusing not only on Yerevans rich past, but also its distinctive cuisine and millennia-old wine traditions, capitalising on a growing interest in the Silk Road. Namibia, Baja California, Lebanon, Cumbria, Slovenia, Wales, Panama, Brisbane, Salt Lake City, Lyon, Los Angeles and other destinations are featured in the Cool List 2020. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Even after 25 years of having Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston for a neighbor, Robert and Nancy Parker still look forward to the Army posts time-honored routine that rattles their bedroom window every weekday morning at 6:30 a.m. Its the wake-up call heard around the heart of Military City U.S.A. For at least 125 years, San Antonio has started its day with a bang, or rather a boom, courtesy a blank round fired from a cannon at the base of Fort Sam Houstons main flagpole. The morning cannon, a 75 mm Pack Howitzer, punctuates the raising of the flag to the theme of reveille piped through the installations loudspeakers. The cannon is a lot of fun, said Robert Parker, a retired Air Force major whos saluted his own share of bugle calls at dusk and dawn. Its just history. Its just a tradition. Another cannon blast at 5:30 p.m. accompanies the lowering of the flag to the prerecorded strains of retreat. Times are set at the installation commanders discretion. Now Playing: The Army North Caisson Platoon fires the 75mm pack howitzer to start the day at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Video: Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News Its a resounding blast that reverberates throughout Fort Sam and beyond its historic confines, as much an echo of the nations past as San Antonios own military roots. Fort Sam Houston Museum Director Jacqueline Davis noted that as early as the 1840s, armed forces used a drum roll with reveille after sunrise and retreat at sunset to gather the troops for roll call. But as military posts grew, they needed something louder to reach their personnel across greater distances. As early as 1889, the Army had a regulation requiring that posts with a cannon fire it each day in the morning and evening. The roll call doesnt happen anymore, but Davis noted the cannon firing is a tradition that continues at virtually all posts. A piece of artillery is actually a weapon of war, Davis said. But the sound it makes is the sound of freedom. According to the Fort Sam Houston Museum, one of the earliest references to its daily cannon blasts is an 1895 article in the Galveston Daily News that refers to hearing the evening gun, Army jargon for cannon. The 1916 book Texas, The Marvellous, describes how the roar of the morning gun disturbs the silence of the city. Jerry Lara /Staff photographer And in his 1937 autobiography, A Maverick American, future San Antonio Mayor Maury Maverick rhapsodizes that for a dead moral certainty a great rumble of a cannon is heard at 6:15 the morning cannon then a sound of trumpets and drums, for at old Fort Sam Houston the soldiers are rising for another day. These days at Fort Sam Houston, that starts with a group of soldiers from the Armys Medical Center of Excellence on flag detail and members of the Army North Caisson Platoon who discharge the cannon. Its basically the base punching in and punching out, said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy French, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the platoon that fires the cannon. (But) theres definitely tradition involved that people do take to heart. On Tuesday morning, Spec. Joshua Torres did the honors at Sgt. Alvin Dorseys command. As Torres knelt at the cannon, Dorsey stood nearby with an arm up as if in mid-salute while a handful of soldiers attached the flag to the pole. At precisely 6:30 a.m., Dorsey snapped his arm down to signal the booming discharge and raising of the flag. Jerry Lara /Staff photographer As for the volume of that blast, French said its concussive report and decibel level are considered negligible as far as safety is concerned. Anywhere outside a 5-foot radius from the cannon is considered a safe zone, he said, though he noted the cannonier and noncommissioned officer in charge of firing the Howitzer do wear ear protection. Nevertheless, that cannon fire can be heard for miles, especially during dense cloud cover that bends the sound waves back down to the ground, resulting in louder noise levels. Davis recalled how when she first moved into her home just south of the Olmos Softball Field in 2004, she would hear what sounded like someone slamming a car door every morning at 5:30 a.m. She soon realized it was the Fort Sam cannon being fired 5 miles away. Robert Parker said many residents around Fort Sam Houston have a military background, some active and some retired, so theyre used to the daily cannon blast. But even civilians in the area dont seem to mind. Parker, whos also president of his neighborhood homeowners association, said complaints never come up at meetings. Rene Guzman is a features reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hedera Hashgraph, the enterprise-grade, public distributed ledger platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Armanino LLP , one of the 25 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S. The partnership allows Hedera ecosystem participants to leverage Armanino's DLT assurance technology platform, TrustExplorer, and its new Trusted Node data service for a reliable source of transaction and account data. Lionel Chocron, Chief Product Officer of Hedera Hashgraph, said, "Distributed ledger technology has the power to introduce unprecedented transparency, security, and performance to a myriad of industries; however, for ecosystem participants and their auditors, interacting with DLTs and extracting their data can present significant inefficiencies. Providing a scalable and efficient DLT network means ensuring that everyone, from our developers to our large-enterprise adopters, can easily track their own data on the network to be audited." With industry-standard trust mechanisms, the Armanino Trusted Hedera Mirror Node service offers Hedera ecosystem participants and their financial statement auditors relevant and reliable sources of information for balance sheet accounts with material activity in Hedera's native token, the HBAR. Andries Verschelden, Armanino partner-in-charge of Blockchain, said, "Putting data on blockchains and distributed ledgers offers great promise; however, making that data usable is hard. We believe there can be no mainstream adoption without enterprise-grade trust mechanisms. Today, we are building more trust and transparency with key partners and providing real tools to facilitate adoption. Our TrustExplorer platform, and all its applications, were designed from inception to be compliant, with a robust and auditable control environment." Armanino's TrustExplorer will be audited by a third-party independent accountant under the American Institute for Certified Public Accountant's system and organization controls (SOC) reporting standard. Chocron concluded, "Hedera will be the future of the decentralized internet. This goal ultimately requires fast, effective routes to auditability and regulatory compliance. From an individual investor completing a tax return, to a large enterprise demonstrating regulatory compliance, Hedera continues to prioritize these efficiencies to ensure the scalability and realistic useability of the network." For more information about the partnership, click here . About Hedera Hashgraph Hedera is a decentralized public network where anyone can carve out a piece of cyberspace to transact, play, and socialize in a secure, trusted environment. Developers can build secure, fair, blazing-fast decentralized applications on top of the Hedera platform. Co-founders Dr. Leemon Baird and Mance Harmon invented and developed the groundbreaking hashgraph technology after working at the United States Air Force Academy and as founders of Trio Security, BlueWave Security, and Swirlds, Inc. For more information, visit www.hedera.com , or follow us on Twitter at @hashgraph , Telegram at t.me/hederahashgraph , or Discord at www.hedera.com/discord . The Hedera whitepaper can be found at www.hedera.com/whitepaper . For Media Enquiries Zenobia Godschalk E: [email protected] T: 1.833.794.7537 x 717 Rebecca Maher E: [email protected] T: +353 87 391 9243 About Armanino LLP Armanino LLP ( www.armaninollp.com ) is one of the 25 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. Armanino provides an integrated set of audit, tax, business management, consulting and technology solutions to companies in the U.S. and globally. The firm helps clients adapt and change in every stage of business, from startup through rapid growth to the sale of a company. Armanino emphasizes smart technology, leading a cloud revolution of financial, operational, sales and compliance tools that are transforming the way companies do business. The firm extends its global services to more than 100 countries through its membership in Moore Global, one of the world's major accounting and consulting membership organizations. In addition to its core consulting and accounting practices, Armanino operates its division, AMF Media Group ( www.amfmediagroup.com ), a media and communications services agency. Its affiliate, Intersect Capital ( www.intersectcapitalllc.com ) is an independent financial planning, wealth and lifestyle management firm. SOURCE Hedera Hashgraph Related Links http://www.hedera.com In Indo-China The position In Indo-China was much the same as the same as that in Malaya, said the professor. The Vietnam insurgents could not be pinned down in any one place. Dr. Ho Chi-minh issued his orders from mysterious places yet his propaganda was such and so effective that people, quite wrongly were given the impression that it was only a matter of time before the Emperor Bao Dai must quit. "Certainly the French will not leave Bai Dal to fight alone in Indo-China," said Professor Vial-Mazel. The moment the French leave the country will be over-run and over-run by a highly trained and well organised minority." Professor Vial-Mazel emphasised that much of the trouble boiling up in South-East Asia and in Indo-China in particular was emanating from the Russian Embassy at Bangkok, in Siam. The Soviet Government's embassy staff at Bangkok, said Professor Vial-Mazel, numbered approximately 200. The other embassies and consulates of the Western Powers carried only small staffs, but the Soviet Union taking advantage of the large Communist following in Slam had settled down in Bangkok with the purpose of making it a "nerve centre," by which to radiate its propaganda throughout the whole of South-East. It was the busiest embassy anywhere in the East. The delay of the Democratic Powers in trying to counter some of the Communist expansion now creeping over South-East Asia was almost despairing, said Professor Vial-Mazel. Ho Chi Minh Credit:The Age Archives The Soviet Union had been otherwise. Not only had she unconstitutionally recognised the illegal republic of Ho Chin-minh, but, as a next step would probably propose the Vietnam Republic for membership to the United Nations. The whole thing was preposterous but that was the way the Kremlin worked and succeeded. In his talks all the way through Australia he had emphasised wherever he went that Indo-China was the key political country of the moment in South-East Asia, and that if the Australian people had not heard much about it in recent months, they certainly would be hearing more about it in the near future. CAULDRON OF THE NEW ASIA The Age Editorial Opinion published the following day, February 8, 1950. EVENTS and trends in Asia give grounds for grave concern to all who note the apparent eagerness of Moscow to fish in troubled waters from Pakistan to Korea. The picture given in these columns yesterday by Professor Georges Vial-Mazel is highly disturbing, and suggests that the Federated States of Indo-China may be destined for a role as dangerous and crucial as that which the country assumed when Japan secured access for advancing its preparations and mounting its 1942 offensives. Because of its situation bordering China, Siam and Burma, Indo-China is a key" country in the vast turmoil, a ready-made bridgehead for Communist infiltration from China and the spread at rebellion and disorder. Unfortunately, as the political scene changes, the channels of communication are apt to become blocked. Since the overturn in China and elsewhere it has become increasingly hard to understand what is afoot in several countries of South-East Asia, over which the clouds are gathering. Organised means of information are lacking, and the difficulties of knowing what is happening are accentuated by local fighting, such as that in south China, or the obscure conflict in Indo-China between the Communist clique under Ho Chi-minh and the new regime under Emperor Bao Dal. How far the French would be prepared to go in putting down the pretensions of the Vietnam Republic by armed forces can be only a matter of conjecture. A highly complicating factor is Russias recognition of the Ho Chi-minh Government. Professor Vial-Mazel confirms that 125,000 troops are deployed in Indo-China to prevent the over-throw of the Bao Dai regime, and the turning of the whole country into a puppet of Soviet Russia. Many signs point to the conclusion that Russia held, or rebuffed, in Western Europe, has switched its proselytising activities to Asia, and intends to make, during 1950, a large-scale probe for weak spots wherever they can be found among the teeming millions of non-Communist Asia. Mass poverty, hunger, illiteracy, political inexperience and economic difficulties are fertile seed plots for Communism. There have been only fragmentary depictions of the immense changes in China, and only very slight glimpses of their effects. The basic facts are that the Communists have gained almost complete control, and that between the new Peking rulers and the organisers of world Communist moves in Moscow there is a close affinity. The Horizon 2020 research and innovation projects explore 5G technologies for the broadcast community and other verticals BRUSSELS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveU has increased its collaboration with leading European partners on 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, testing and validating content contribution and media production use cases over advanced 5G Release 16 testbeds. The projects' goals are to provide the broadcast community and other verticals with insights into 5G performance in real-world scenarios. The projects are funded by Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation program. LiveU is a technology and use case partner in 5G Tours and in 5G Solutions, where it also serves as the leader of the Leaving Lab project media working group. Both projects test and analyze 5G performance KPIs, including media use cases related to LiveU 5G bonding technology. Participants include some of the largest cellular operators and cellular equipment manufacturers, broadcasters, non-media verticals partners, as well as AI and other technology partners and researchers and academics. The core 5G technologies being validated include network slicing, New Radio (NR), low latency, edge/cloud computing, SDN/VNF, service orchestration and more, bringing the 5G vision closer to realization. As part of these tests, LiveU's field units are being used in live events, for example, the Turin festival where orchestral music in auditorium will be synchronized live with street players (5G-Tours) and the Patras festival where multiple cameras will be transmitted from a crowded street (5G-Solutions). Baruch Altman, AVP Technologies and Projects, LiveU, said, "We're delighted to be collaborating with some of the leading players in the European cellular and media ecosystem in these important 5G projects, contributing our industry-leading technology and real-world cellular and broadcast experience. Emerging 5G networks offer exciting opportunities for smart cellular bonding. The lessons learned from these 5G validation trials will be used in our products and bring immediate advantages to our customers. There's no doubt that cellular bonding will continue to play an important role in live broadcasts as the wider deployment of 5G networks results in greater commercial use." The 5G-Solutions ICT-19 RIA project "5G Solutions for European Citizens" aims to prove and validate that 5G provides prominent industry verticals with ubiquitous access to a wide range of forward-looking services with orders of magnitude of improvement over 4G, thus bringing the 5G vision closer to realization. The project provides validation of more than 140 KPIs for 20 innovative and heterogeneous use cases that require 5G performance capabilities and that are expected to have a high future commercialization potential. (EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant no. 856691). The 5G-Tours ICT-19 RIA project "SmarT mObility, media and e-health for toURists and citizenS" involves advanced 5G validation trials across multiple vertical industries, deploying full end-to-end trials to bring 5G to real users for thirteen representative use cases. The project will provide efficient and reliable close-to-commercial services for tourists, citizens and patients in three different types of cities: Rennes, Turin and Athens. (EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant no. 856950). LiveU was previously involved in the 5G-XCast project,http://5g-xcast.eu/ completed last year. The two-year collaborative project focused on devising, assessing and demonstrating a conceptually novel and forward-looking 5G network architecture for large scale immersive media delivery. LiveU's wireless high-speed mobile broadband technology, Databridge, was used to enable the convergence of fixed and cellular networks. (EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant no 761498). About the 5G PPP The 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership (5G PPP) is a joint initiative between the European Commission and European ICT industry (ICT manufacturers, telecommunications operators, service providers, SMEs and researcher Institutions). The 5G-PPP is now in its third phase where many new projects were launched in Brussels in June 2018. The 5G PPP will deliver solutions, architectures, technologies and standards for the ubiquitous next generation communication infrastructures of the coming decade. About LiveU LiveU is driving the live video revolution, providing live video streaming for TV, mobile, online and social media. Let your audience become part of your story with high-quality and flawless live video, transmitted from anywhere in the world, through the use of our patented bonding and video transport technology. LiveU creates a consistent bandwidth and a reliable connection so you can acquire, manage and distribute high quality remote live broadcasts over IP. Our broad portfolio of products sets the industry standard for live video production. From backpacks to smartphones, and satellite/cellular hybrid to external antenna solutions, LiveU offers a complete range of devices for live video coverage anytime, anywhere. In addition, LiveU offers extensive cloud-based management and video distribution solutions. With over 3,000 customers in 130+ countries, LiveU's technology is the solution of choice for global broadcasters, online media, news agencies and social media. For more information, visit www.liveu.tv, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or Instagram. Contact: Joss Armitage (Int'l) +44-7979-908-547 joss@jumppr.tv Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086028/LiveU_EU_5G_PPP_projects.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/267684/liveu_logo.jpg Auburn, IN (46706) Today Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low near 10F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming ENE and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low near 10F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming ENE and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald during the final TV leaders' debate at the RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday February 4, 2020. See PA story IRISH Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire Then there were three three leaders slugging it out on television with only three full canvass days left. There was big stuff at stake for all of them. This is a premium article Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. Now that Mary Lou McDonald had battered her way to the top table all exclusion alibis were gone and it was up to her to perform. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had to somehow show he and his party still had fight in them despite a stuttering ill-starred campaign. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin had to keep brushing aside the opinion poll results and portray himself as the most likely option as Taoiseach. A debate like this, so close to polling day, would normally have no prospect of altering the election outcome. But, with Sinn Fein now shown ahead of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in the latest opinion poll, we are in seriously uncharted waters here as the political status quo since the 1930s could be upended. Ms McDonald had helped her party climb and climb in the popularity stakes by in large part casting themselves as excluded. She told discontented voters that the old parties were trying to dictate to Sinn Fein, and by extension to the voters. But now that alibi was gone. The Sinn Fein leader was shown up as vulnerable when it came to two legacy issues which have a current ring to them. She failed to give a straight answer on whether her party now supported the Special Criminal Court. After considerable cross-questioning by co-compere Miriam OCallaghan and her two opponents, Ms McDonald eventually said she believed the State fighting 21st century criminals needed some kind of special powers. Her party no longer wanted to abolish the Special Criminal Court which jailed hundreds of IRA terrorists over the decades but it did want its workings reviewed. Mr Martin pointed to her partys continued opposition to the Special Criminal Court. The old IRA comrades decided they could never vote for the Special Criminal Court or support it, he said. Again Ms McDonald was on thin ice when the Taoiseach raised the issue of Sinn Fein in government in the North where indicators on homeless, health, instances of suicide and a raised retirement age all compared very poorly with the Republic. She fell back on blaming the Tories 10 years of austerity and urged the Taoiseach to raise these issues with the London government. Rather poor stuff. Another case of pass the parcel here. Against that, Ms McDonald did well by looking and sounding confident for the most part. And she, like the other two leaders, avoided too much talking over each other and behaved with a deal of civility. It was clear she was conscious that coming into this debate on a high there was a risk of loss. She therefore kept to safe empathy for working families, young peoples quest for houses and pensioners. By contrast, the Taoiseachs task was most difficult of all. Mr Varadkar must show that he is still fighting even though on some of the opinion poll numbers people suggest Fine Gael will actually go further backwards on a poor election last time in 2016. It could be reduced to the early 30s in terms of Dail seats, comparable with its worst ever days out. Yet he managed to front up a courageous and never-say-die approach garnering some belated kudos for the Fine Gael leader. His attacks on Fianna Fail did not work too well and last night his prime target had to be Sinn Feins economic policies. It is too late for Leo Varadkar to stray too far from his core economic message and emphasis on the upcoming perils of Brexit. But he did hit some smarter soundbites, for example comparing giving Fianna Fail control of the economy again to giving John Delaney control of the FAI again. Mr Martin has made a latter day career out of gainsaying opinion polls since he took over leadership of the battered Fianna Fail party in January 2011. So, he still strove to portray himself as the only real viable Taoiseach after Saturdays General Election. He insisted Fianna Fail still has the benefit of having twice the number of candidates in the field as Sinn Fein. He can still claw back ground, and like Mr Varadkar, his line of attack on Ms McDonald was primarily around the economy. He pointed out that Sinn Feins plan to abolish the Local Property Tax would leave local councils short of 450m in funding. Its company tax plans would destroy jobs, he warned, and moves to make the banks not offset their losses against tax would rebound on the consumer. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Armenias delegation, which participated in the PACE session last week, had a private conversation with the whole staff with the [PACE] co-rapporteurs on Armenia who had issued a stern warning to the authorities regarding the Constitutional Court. There were two topics on the agenda of the one-and-a-half-hour discussion: judicial reform, and the dissemination of hate speech. They have mainly spoken about the latter, urged our MPs that this atmosphere being rooted in Armenia is not leading to anywhere good, citing examples of other countries. Particularly active was the head of the [Armenian] delegation Ruben Rubinyan, which has attracted the attention of the European partners, and they several times demonstratively gave the right to speak to the [Armenian political] opposition. Surprisingly, the opposition lawmakers have not even spoken a word about the situation surrounding the Constitutional Court and the apparent pressure by the legislative and executive authorities. Why not? In fact, the opposition feared that if they utter a word, they will be spread on the asphalt, slammed into the walls, and their paws will be cut. Li Wenliang, a doctor from Wuhan, China, was one of the first to recognize the public health threat of coronavirus. He now has the disease himself. (Photo: Li-Wenliang) A Chinese doctor who was one of the first people in the medical community to flag coronavirus as a public threat now has the virus himself and hes speaking out about how the Chinese government silenced him. On December 30, Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan, China, told his medical school alumni group on the Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a serious respiratory illness and were in quarantine in his hospital. Li told his friends, per CNN, that a test he had seen indicated that it was coronavirus, a group of viruses that includes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). "I only wanted to remind my university classmates to be careful," Li told CNN. Li said he advised his friends to warn their loved ones in private, but soon screenshots of his message went viral, and his name was clearly visible. "When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished," he said. Not long after posting the message, Li was accused by Wuhan police of spreading rumors. He was called by hospital officials to explain how he knew about the virus and, a few days later, he was summoned to a local police station and rebuked for "spreading rumors online" and "severely disrupting social order" over his WeChat message. Li said he was scared he was going to be arrested. "My family would worry sick about me, if I lose my freedom for a few days," he said. He reportedly had to sign a statement that acknowledged he committed a misdemeanor and promised not to commit further "unlawful acts." He was allowed to leave the police station after an hour. The doctor went back to work. "There was nothing I could do. [Everything[ has to adhere to the official line, he said. Li ended up unknowingly treating a patient with coronavirus on January 10; he started coughing and developed a fever the next day. Li was hospitalized on January 12 and was eventually admitted to the intensive care unit and given oxygen support. He tested positive for coronavirus on February 1. Story continues Wuhan police have been criticized by the international community in the way theyve handled the coronavirus outbreak. The virus has now infected 20,704 people worldwide and caused 427 deaths, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University. In early January, Wuhan police announced on Weibo (Chinas Twitter-like platform) that they had "taken legal measures" against eight people who had recently "published and shared rumors online" about coronavirus and "caused adverse impacts on society." "The internet is not a land beyond the law ... Any unlawful acts of fabricating, spreading rumors and disturbing the social order will be punished by police according to the law, with zero tolerance," the police statement read. Eventually, the Chinese government revealed that there was an outbreak of novel coronavirus a form of coronavirus that was not previously known to infect humans. Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang also later admitted on CCTV, Chinas state-run TV network, that his team didnt share information about coronavirus "in a timely fashion." What are the dangers of silencing doctors? This was an unfortunate but expected situation, based on how China views anything that creates disruption to their society, infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. We encourage doctors to be this vocal. Its how we find out about outbreaks. Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician in Akron, Ohio, and an associate professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, agrees. [Li] was just looking out for the public good, Watkins tells Yahoo Lifestyle. To punish him is absurd and very short-sighted. When doctors are scared to come forward about new developments they spot, things can go very wrong, very quickly, William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Hiding infectious diseases never works. The infections always get out, he says. When doctors are scared to speak up, it can have a chilling effect, Adalja says. You can see doctors not wanting to do whats right because theyre afraid for their safety and liberty, he says. That can have cascading effects that would basically end up leaving large gaps in communication available to the public. That can make outbreaks worse. Could the coronavirus outbreak have been prevented if doctors were allowed to speak up? Schaffner says, while that allowing doctors in China speak up early would not necessarily have prevented the outbreak, it might have helped limit the spread of the virus. In the U.S., doctors are encouraged to alert their local or state health department if they see an event that might have public health implications, Schaffner explains. From there, health officials can determine what is happening and what measures need to be taken to contain the situation, which may include warning the public. Once people are aware of an illness that may be a threat, they can take the right precautions and potentially help prevent or limit an outbreak, Schaffner tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Allowing doctors like Li to sound the alarm would have gotten the world ready earlier, Adalja says. We could have been more proactive, setting up surveillance and putting systems in place, he adds. The earlier we would have known about this, the better. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Bruce McConville, 55, from Ottawa claims he burned $1 million cash to avoid giving it to his ex-wife A Canadian man has claimed that he burned more than one million dollars in cash in an attempt to ensure his ex-wife is unable to lay her hands on the money as part of a divorce settlement. Bruce McConville, 55, from Ottawa told a Superior Court judge that he burnt the money out of frustration after being told he needed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in child and spousal support. The judge in his case did not believe the outlandish claims that the money had been smoked and has sentenced McConville to 30 days in jail and directed him to tell the truth as to whereabouts of the cash. Just two years ago, McConville was even running for mayor of the Canadian capital, but his campaign failed, much like his marriage. The failed candidate is accused of selling his properties and businesses behind his wife's back and then tossing the cash onto two bonfires, according to O Canada. He is also accused of ignoring a Superior Court order to pay the court $300,000 as a security. A judge didn't believe him and sent Bruce McConville, 55, pictured, to jail McConville has long defied a court order to file an affidavit about his finances and told the judge that the money was burned in two bonfires with $743,000 going up in smoke last September and a further $296,000 turned to ashes in December. By not revealing where the proceeds from his sales went, the court has been unable to work out what he owes in child and spousal support and so he has been getting away with paying nothing. McConville told Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips he managed to withdraw a total of $1,050,000 over the course of 25 withdrawals from six bank accounts. He claims to have kept the receipts from the ATMs but no longer has the money. He is accused of selling some of his properties and businesses to his former accountant, even though a court order told him not to sell any assets. He is pictured outside his auto shop McConville made a failed attempt to run for mayor of Ottawa in 2018 'So where's the money now? Judge Phillips asked, according to O Canada who were present at the court hearing. 'I destroyed it,' McConville replied. 'You've lost me. What do you mean?' the judge responded. 'When you say you destroyed it, what do you mean?' 'I burnt it,' McConville said. 'To the tune of how much?' the judge quizzed. 'In total, about a million and thirty-nine thousand dollars,' McConville said. 'How does destroying over a million dollars advance your child's best interest?' the ' Justice Phillips asked. 'You understand that's hard to believe?' McConville has stated that he is unable to provide any evidence of the cash being set on fire saying that he never filmed the bonfires or has any witnesses to back up his claims. McConville has not produced any documentation to show how much he made from the sale of his businesses nor has be produced any evidence to show he actually burned his own money 'It's not something that I would normally do,' McConville said to the judge. 'I am not a person that is extremely materialistic. A little goes a long way. I have always been frugal. That's why my business lasted for 31 years.' The judge felt that McConville 'very clearly and deliberately set out to thwart the court and the proper administration of justice,' and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. Judge Phillips warned McConville that if he failed to explain the whereabouts of the money, he would likely face an even lengthier jail term as well as having to face a $2,000-day-fine. 'You are making a mockery of this court, and its process, something I will not allow You are conducting yourself with intent to deliberately and willfully frustrate the proper administration of justice. After being released from jail in 30 days, McConville will be fined $2,000-a-day until he reveals the true whereabouts of the missing million 'More particularly, I find what you have done to be morally reprehensible because what you claim to have done willfully and directly undermines the interests of your children,' the judge added, 'You have set out to do damage to your children's future by destroying, on purpose, the financial wherewithal that you had to provide for their best interests,' the furious judge said. 'It may well be, therefore, that your remaining assets end up entirely in the hands of ex-wife. If that's the result you are trying to bring about, then so be it. But you cannot thumb your nose at the court as you have done.' The judge made it crystal clear that he did not believe McConville's story about how he had disposed of the money. 'I don't believe you. I don't trust you. I don't think you're honest,' the judge said. J&K leaders Sajjad Lone, Waheed Para released from detention India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 05: People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone and PDP youth wing president Waheed Parra were released from detention today, exactly six months after they were detained by the central government ahead of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. However, the three former chief ministers National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti - continue to remain in detention. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on Tuesday released two leaders - former PDP MLA from Wachi in south Kashmir Aijaz Ahmad Mir and trade leader Shakeel Ahmed Qalandar, who is the former president of the Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir. 'Are we still a Democracy, asks Priyanka Gandhi as Kashmir lockdown completes 6 months In the aftermath of this decision, nearly 350 politicians have been detained. However many were released on November 25, 2019. Out of the 40 former legislators detained, 33 were shifted from the MLAs' Hostel on November 17. Many others who were under house arrest have been released. The decision to detain Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act came under heavy criticism. At first, he was detained for a period of three months and then the same was extended by another three months. Tokyo, Japan, February 5, 2020 NEC Corporation today announced its selection to the CDP (*1) "A List" for its initiatives in the two sectors of Climate Change and Water Security. This is the first time that NEC has been named to the A List, as the CDP recognizes the companys commitment to climate change and sustainable water management. NEC announced its climate change policy guidelines aimed at 2050 (*2) in July 2017, and has positioned response to environmental issues centered on climate change as one of its top management priorities. NEC declared its support for the Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) (*3) in July 2018, received Science Based Targets (SBT) approval (*4) in October 2018, and is working to expand the use of green power to achieve environmental goals. In addition, NEC is reducing the amount of water used at each of the companys sites, and is supporting disaster countermeasures through the provision of river flood prediction systems using AI and IoT. The NEC Group globally promotes its Solutions for Society business, which creates social value in terms of safety, security, efficiency, and fairness. Going forward, NEC will integrate advanced ICT and expertise in support of creating an efficient and sophisticated society in which people can lead brighter and more prosperous lives. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 13:10:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 695 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Towards the end of 2019, a majority of funds and financial institutions including Bridgewater and UBS, has shown optimism towards the development potential of emerging markets in Asia Pacific. Investment advisory companies are eyeing for development opportunities in Asia Pacific market. This includes United States fintech investment advisory company CGQuant and its subsidiary CGTrade. CGTrade has set up operation centres across Asia Pacific regions including Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong. The company, utilizing powerful internal and external resources of CGQuant including AI big data algorithms, provides top-level financial investment and brokerage services for investors in the Asia Pacific region. The company strives for long-term developments in the Asia Pacific market.Arnald Haynes, chief operation officer of CGTrade Europe, said that given the recent political risks, investors were considering a relocation of assets in emerging markets in Asia Pacific. As long as uncertainty in trades was restricted, investors could benefit from these allocations of assets. The relaxation of monetary policy among global banks as well as the fact that the Asian economy is bottoming out has provided an even more favourable environment for a rising Asian stock market. The Asian stock market was expected to experience a rebound. The Chinese stocks were particularly expected to outperform the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.Arnald also said that given the improved profit forecast and risk-on sentiments from investors, the company has a positive forecast in Asian stock markets (except Japan market). Arnald is particularly positive on the prospects of China's stock market in 2020, especially the stocks in relation to the internet and 5G technology. "Emerging markets will expect positive returns and accelerate growth in 2020 because of the continued Quantitative Easing policies, low oil price and strong growth of the USD and Euro." When being asked why the company decided to enter the Asia Pacific market at this time, Arnald mentioned the core value and background of the company. He said that CGQuant was found in 2017, a fintech company enhanced by AI and big data; CGQuant managed over $100 million worth of assets for investors; With a robust background in financial technology, the company's online broker CGTrade was one of the fastest-growing internet brokers in North America; Their companies were constantly exploring new opportunities for growth. In 2020, the company was eyeing emerging markets in Asia Pacific.In terms of trading products, in addition to mainstream CFD trading, CGTrade also provides other investment instruments including stock index, CFDs, energy, gold, silver and other mainstream trading products. CGTrade has won the Best Trading Platform of European Broker Award in 2019. When being asked the reason for the rapid growth of the company, Arnald said that this was due to the fact that the company provides competitive financial products. CGTrade has always valued technology. The company has invested a huge amount of capital in technology to improve the speed of processing investors' orders so as to meet the various needs of customers in all types of transactions.Finally, the chief analyst of CGTrade Schwarz mentioned his views on A-shares. He advised investors to focus on the A-shares of the Chinese market in 2020. While showing optimism towards the Chinese market, he was particularly positive on the high-end equipment manufacturing sector and technology sectors.Regarding the company's development direction and core strategy for 2020, Arnald mentioned that the company would focus on artificial intelligence. The company will continue to grow via innovation and advanced analytical capabilities of AI. With the help of artificial intelligence, CGTrade is developing new service models for users. Technology will simplify the process and bring great convenience to small and medium investors for advanced investment experiences.About CGTrade and CGQuantUSA: CG Quant Research LLC is authorised and regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) CRD# 290775, SEC#:801-112127Eastern Europe: CGTrade Limited is authorised and regulated by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission, FSC#: C118023669 & Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Financial Services Authority, FSA#: 25355 IBC 2019North America: CGTrade Limited is authorised and regulated by the Canada Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center, MSB#: M19530398Asia Pacific: CGTrade PTY LTD is authorised and regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, ACN#: 638 187 649Media ContactNeo Lillardneoair47@ gmail.com SOURCE: CGTRADE Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Nicki Minaj Shares Report on Rosa Parks Lyric Was False: Had No Clue Anyone Was Mad. Dont Care Robyn Mowatt Robyn Mowatt is a staff writer at Okayplayer where she UPDATE: Nicki Minaj shares the recent TMZ report on her Rosa Parks lyric was false. The rapper recently took to Instagram to address the debacle that took place after she unveiled a teaser to her new track Yikes. She shared that she never told TMZ she didnt mean to drop her teaser on Parks birthday. TMZ also alleged that Minaj was aware of the heat shes been catching. On Instagram, she wrote: Never said this. Had no clue anyone was mad. Dont care. #Yikes. Alongside the Instagram Story post, she added a part of the TMZ report that was published yesterday. Take a look at the original story below. A new TMZ report alleges Minaj did not mean to drop her teaser of the track on Rosa Parks birthday. Nicki Minaj fans were avidly supporting the rapper when she released a snippet of her latest song Yikes yesterday which included a Rosa Parks line, now shes saying it was bad timing. All you bitches Rosa Parks, uh-oh, get your ass up was the lyric that caused social media users to either support or drag Minaj. What made matters a bit more controversial was the fact that Tuesday was Parks birthday. All you bitches is Rosa Parks get your ass up -Nicki Minaj(2019, Miami, FL) pic.twitter.com/ScCQmKk1BX Jacobi (@JDW543) February 4, 2020 I love Nicki Minaj, her flow is amazing and shes the best rapper of all time. Rosa Parks via Ouija Board. #Yikes pic.twitter.com/YIeAobLkOe Joao (@pinkdinasty_) February 4, 2020 Harriet Tubman and Aretha Franklin looking at Rosa parks after hearing that Nicki Minaj snippet. #Yikes pic.twitter.com/JKoRyCE41s BiG Bentley (@PhuckDeeBrown) February 4, 2020 Nicki Minaj need to leave Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman alone. They both have fought the good fight, let them ladies Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/RD1RhSDYTj (@writtenbytruth) February 4, 2020 Today is February 4th. Rosa Parks would have been 107 years old if she was still living to see her birthday today. Yall go remind Nicki Minaj that. Quick history lesson: She never got up, she stayed seated. The lyric makes no sense.pic.twitter.com/NMpqAo0BoJ Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) February 4, 2020 Parks is respectively lauded as a luminary and activist during the civil rights era for her tireless work in Montgomery, Alabama and beyond. She was also instrumental in the Montgomery bus boycott and also participated in a workshop at the historic Highlander Folk School. According to a TMZ report, Minaj didnt intend for the song to drop the same day as Rosa Parks birthday, the activist would have been 107 yesterday. Sources close to the rapper shared Nicki was not in any way, shape or form attempting to diss the great Mrs. Parks. They went on to say, She was just using her in what she thought was a clever metaphor aimed at her haters. In regards to the tracks teaser being dropped on Parks birthday, TMZ also reports it was bad timing and merely a coincidence. Additionally, the rapper said she would never undermine the work Rosa did and hopes her fans know that too. Take a look at the clip below. Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, has urged members of the National Democratic Congress [NDC] to stop wasting their Godly given strength on demonstrations against a new voters register compilation because it will amount to nothing. He said, the decision by Electoral Commission [EC] to clean the voters register is mainly to upgrade and keep it for purposes of preventing any political party from rigging the up-coming elections. " . . Dont think you are the only party capable of rigging elections; we are not interested in this set-up, therefore the support given the EC to do that which is right, he said refereeing to members of the NDC. Hon. Okyem Aboagye specified that members of the largest opposition party fight against the new voters register is basically to keep their bloated compiled voters register that they know have been benefiting them[NDC] in elections since 2012. What at all is your fear or worry that a new voters register is to be assembled when we won the last ended elections through this same voters register? Tell us what you are hiding as far as the current voters register is concerned that you believe should prevent the EC from introducing a new one? he quizzed the lawmaker said in his submission on UTVs Adekye Nsroma political discussion segment. Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Physicists have worked out the perfect soap mixture recipe for blowing giant bubbles and the secret ingredient is a food additive called 'guar powder'. Looking to find out how soapy films fifty times thinner than a human hair can form bubbles stretching more than 10 feet long, the team tried different mixes in the lab. They found that polymers long molecules found in substances like guar powder make bubbles stronger as their chains get tangled together and help resist popping. The findings are not just useful for bubble-blowers, however, as they could help improve the flow of oil through pipes and the removal of foam pollution from rivers. Scroll down for video Physicists have worked out the perfect soap mixture recipe for blowing giant bubbles and the secret ingredient is a food additive called 'guar powder'. Pictured, the researchers blow enormous bubbles on a lawn in the Emory University campus in Atlanta, Georgia WHAT IS GUAR POWDER? Guar powder is a food additive. It is used to thicken food, or as a source of fibre. For example, it can be added to baked goods to improve dough, or ice cream to generate smaller ice crystals and therefore a smoother texture. It is derived from the guar plant, which is also known as the Lond bean. The plant is grown primarily in northwest India and Pakistan, although crops are also cultivated in the plains of Texas, in the US. Pictured, a guar plant Advertisement 'This study definitely puts the fun into fundamental science,' said paper author and physicist Justin Burton of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Burton and his colleagues study so-called 'fluid dynamics' the flow of liquids and gases. 'The processes of fluid dynamics are visually beautiful and they are everywhere on our planet, from the formation and breakup of bubbles to the aerodynamics of airplanes and the deep-sea overturning of the worlds oceans,' Professor Burton said. The physicist was inspired to study bubbles after seeing street performers blowing huge ones using a soap solution and thick cotton strings. 'These bubbles were about the diameter of a hula hoop and as much as a car-length long. They were also beautiful, with colour changes from red to green to bluish tones on their surface,' he said. The iridescent, rainbow-like colours that can appear on bubbles are a result of the thickness of the soap film being close to the wavelength of light around a thousandth of millimetre, or a fiftieth of the thickness of a human hair. This fact made the physicist wonder how such a thin film of liquid could stay intact over distances exceeding 10 feet (3 metres) so he and his colleagues set out to investigate in the lab. 'We basically started making bubbles and popping them and recorded the speed and dynamics of that process,' Professor Burton explained. 'Focusing on a fluid at its most violent moments can tell you a lot about its underlying physics,' he added. The researchers tested out bubble mix recipes that they found on the Soap Bubble Wiki an open source project that aims to help so-called 'bubblers' blow the perfect bubble by separating 'fact from folklore' around soap mix recipes and ingredients. Many of the recipes on the wiki usually included a polymer in addition to water and dish-washing liquid, the team noticed. Polymers are substances made up of long chains of repeating molecules. The most commonly-recommended polymers for making bubble mix included natural guar, which is used as thickening or fibre additive in certain foods, and polyethylene glycol (PEO), which is used as a lubricant in some medicine. For each soap mixture they investigated, the researchers shone infrared light through the resulting bubble film to measure its thickness. The team also determined the molecular weights of the different polymers used by each recipe and tested how far each liquid could stretch by letting drops fall from a nozzle and observing the thread of liquid that between droplet to nozzle. Put together, the findings revealed that the polymers were key to making giant bubbles, with their long strands allowing the bubbles to stretch without popping. For each soap mixture they investigated, the researchers shone infrared light through the resulting bubble film to measure its thickness, as pictured 'The polymer strands become entangled, something like a hairball, forming longer strands that dont want to break apart,' Professor Burton explained. 'In the right combination, a polymer allows a soap film to reach a "sweet spot" thats viscous but also stretchy just not so stretchy that it rips apart.' The researchers also found that using polymers of varied molecular lengths as can form naturally when, for example, PEO is allowed to degrade over time can strengthen the soap film even more 'Polymers of different sizes become even more entangled than single-sized polymers, strengthening the elasticity of the film,' Professor Burton explained. 'Thats a fundamental physics discovery,' he added. The team also determined the molecular weights of the different polymers used by each recipe and tested how far each liquid could stretch by letting drops fall from a nozzle and observing the thread of liquid that between droplet to nozzle, as pictured According the the researchers, developing a better understanding of how fluids and thin films respond to stress could lead to a variety of applications such as helping to ensure oil flows smoothly through pipelines. 'As with all fundamental research, you have to follow your instincts and heart,' said Professor Burton. 'Sometimes your bubble gets burst but in this case, we discovered something interesting.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Physical Review Fluids. FILE PHOTO: The United States Senate begins the impeachment trial against U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts always looked unlikely to become the hero for liberals at President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial that some of them had hoped for. He turned out to be a mere bit player in the drama. Some Democratic senators, liberal activists and commentators had wanted Roberts to play an active rather than a largely ceremonial role in the historic proceedings, perhaps even summoning witnesses despite opposition from Trump's fellow Republicans who control the Senate. "I think it was wishful thinking. It was always wishful thinking," said University of Missouri law professor Frank Bowman, an author of a book on the history of impeachment. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office on two articles of impeachment passed by the House on Dec. 18 accusing him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Acquittal seems assured, with a two-thirds majority needed to convict and Trump's fellow Republicans holding 53 of the 100 Senate seats. Roberts' role was defined more by what he refused to do than what he actually did do. For example, responding to a query from top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, Roberts said it would be "inappropriate" for him break a 50-50 tie vote during the trial. Such a tie never occurred. Under Senate impeachment rules, Roberts read aloud questions posed by senators. But Roberts would not read aloud Republican Senator Rand Paul's query that named the purported whistleblower whose complaint within the intelligence community about Trump asking Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and other Democratic rivals triggered the House impeachment inquiry. "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Roberts said. The U.S. Constitution assigns the chief justice the job of presiding over impeachment trials. The presiding officer role lacks much authority so there was little Roberts could have done even if he had wanted to, said Sarah Binder, a scholar at the Brookings Institution think tank. Story continues "On the other hand, just by hewing to the traditionally minimalist role of presiding officer, Roberts did help bring a swift end to the trial," Binder said. Roberts, 65, is a reserved and mild-mannered jurist who held posts in the administrations of two Republican presidents before becoming a solid conservative vote on the Supreme Court. He seemed temperamentally ill-suited for a power grab during the trial, although he has on occasion voted with the court's liberal wing and in 2018 rebuked Trump over the president's criticism of judges who have ruled against him. Democrats and liberal activists sought to put Roberts on the spot during the trial. Senators rejected along party lines a Democratic-backed measure that would have let Roberts issue subpoenas for witnesses and documents. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, seeking her party's nomination to challenge Trump in the Nov. 3 election, put Roberts in an uncomfortable position with a question she had him read. "Does the fact the chief justice is presiding over an impeachment trial in which Republican senators have thus far refused to allow witnesses or evidence contribute to the loss of legitimacy of the chief justice, the Supreme Court and the Constitution," Warren asked in the question read by Roberts. Roberts, via a court spokeswoman, declined to comment on his experience in the trial. 'DO YOUR JOB' Liberal legal group Demand Justice at one point bought an online advertisement asking people watching the trial to call the Supreme Court's offices and "tell John Roberts: Do your job." The group said 5,000 such calls were made. Two lawyers who supported impeachment - Neal Katyal and Joshua Geltzer - were joined by a former Republican congressman, Mickey Edwards, in writing a New York Times opinion article urging Democrats to press Roberts to take a more hands-on role. The lobbying did not appear to pay dividends. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican who Democrats had hoped would join them in seeking to call witnesses, ended up voting to end the trial without allowing testimony. In a statement, Murkowski condemned the effort to "drag the Supreme Court into the fray, while attacking the chief justice." Chris Kang, a lawyer with Demand Justice, said, "At the end of the day, Chief Justice Roberts did nothing to ensure a fair trial. From that perspective, it's unfortunate." The focus on Roberts' role, Kang added, shows "he's not the impartial, apolitical chief justice that he puts himself out to be. We definitely put a dent in that image." NBC's long-running comedy show "Saturday Night Live" addressed liberal disappointment at Roberts on Feb. 1 with a skit called "The Trial You Wish Had Happened" that opens with the chief justice being kicked off the case. "This court," his mock replacement intoned, "needs a real judge." (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) One involved a man saying he wanted police to kill him, as he fired rounds from an apartment window on Christmas night -- including in the direction of police, authorities said. The other allegedly involved a man brandishing a BB pistol nearly indistinguishable from a real handgun, and refusing police commands to drop the weapon. Allentown police shot and wounded both men during the incidents four days apart as 2019 drew to a close. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin ruled Tuesday the officers use of deadly force was justified. The first of the two police-involved shootings occurred shortly after midnight on Dec. 25. Tyler L. Hartenstine, 24, had used a couch and other items to barricade himself inside his apartment at 727 Meadow St., according to Martins report. Through Facetime on a cellphone provided to police, Hartenstine had slurred speech and said that he wanted officers to kill him, Martin said; Hartenstine also said he had several firearms and would use them if officers made contact with him. Police had already heard what sounded like one shot fired in the area. As an Allentown Police Department crisis negotiator took over talking with Hartenstine, officer Joseph Krebs took up a position on the east side of the building that had "many occupants" inside, authorities said. Shortly before midnight, Hartenstine allegedly fired multiple rounds from the window of his third-floor apartment, in the direction of police, paused then fired again -- then again. About 12:05 a.m. Dec. 26, Hartenstine allegedly could be seen loading ammunition into magazines, before leaning out the window with a long gun pointed toward Krebs and firing a round. Krebs concluded that Tyler was a high level assailant, Martin wrote. The officer, through the red-dot sight of his own patrol rifle, could see Hartenstine pointing a rifle at him, according to Martin. "Krebs then fired multiple rounds at the subject until he believed he was no longer a threat," Martin wrote. "After Officer Krebs fired, there were no other shots fired from the apartment." Hartenstine continued to refuse to leave the apartment, until the police department's emergency response team was able to get inside and render aid, according to Martin. "It is crystal clear from the actions of Mr. Hartenstine ... that Officer Krebs' discharge of his weapon was entirely justified on the basis that he held a reasonable belief that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury to himself or to other officers in close proximity," the district attorney ruled. Hartenstine survived and is charged with five counts each of felony aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, in addition to summary carrying/discharging firearms. Following treatment at an area hospital, Hartenstine was sent to Lehigh County Jail without the possibility of bail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled Feb. 12 before District Judge Patricia Engler to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the case toward trial in Lehigh County Court. Around 2:50 a.m. Dec. 29, Allentown police officer Samson Wega was dispatched to a disturbance with shots fired in the 100 block of South Madison Street, Martin said. Wega arrived alone to find people on a porch, others fighting in the street, someone lying on a side street and two vehicles speeding away. Wega could see a male holding what appeared to be a black in color, semiautomatic handgun and jumping back and forth over the porch railings, according to Martin, who reviewed body-cam video and audio from the incident. Officer Wega moved closer and started ordering the male to drop the gun. The male, identified as 31-year-old Allentown resident Emmanuel Celestino Mendez, turned away from Wega "then quickly turned back towards the officer with the gun in his hand and pointed toward the officer," according to Martin. Wega then fired his duty Glock 19 at Mendez, and investigators would recover five shell casings from the 9mm. Mendez then walked toward the officer, but without a gun, and backup officers arrived to help take Mendez and a second male on the porch into custody, according to the district attorney. A Ruger P345 semiautomatic handgun that fires real bullets is shown on the left, alongside an Umarex replica BB pistol. An Allentown police officer was justified in shooting a man brandishing the replica during a disturbance about 3 a.m. Dec. 29, 2019, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said in a ruling Feb. 4, 2020.Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com Police found in the homes foyer, near where Mendez had been shot, a Ruger P345 replica semiautomatic carbon dioxide-powered BB gun. Mendez would tell investigators he had arrived home to find a friend of his involved in a fight and got the replica pistol to shoo people away, Martin said. Friends at the scene had told him to drop the gun, but Mendez reportedly said he didnt because he was afraid. "It is abundantly clear from the actions of Mr. Mendez that Officer Wega's discharge of his weapon was entirely justified ... ," wrote Martin, who on Tuesday released side-by-side photos of a real Ruger P345 and the replica BB pistol: "As I believe can be readily observed, the replica is virtually indistinguishable from the real Ruger when one considers that it was held in Mendez's hand and viewed by Officer Wega at a distance and at night." Mendez was initially released from the hospital then re-admitted due to complications, and was considered stable as of Tuesday, according to Martin. Mendez faces a felony count of aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault, and is free on $75,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled Feb. 27 before District Judge Ronald S. Manescu. Attorneys for Hartenstine and Mendez did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday. The Dec. 29 incident was Wegas second police-involved shooting of 2019. On Aug. 1, he fired 22 rounds from his department-issued .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle, fatally shooting a man whod been walking down the street firing a handgun in the air. That suspect, 27-year-old Andre Leach, of Paterson, New Jersey, also pointed the .38-caliber revolver at police, according to Martin, who ruled that shooting justified, as well. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The government has briefed the international community on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, with countries showing understanding of India's position, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said as a result of the government's outreach, countries have also called on Pakistan to not allow its territories to be used for terrorism in any manner. The government has briefed the members of the international community on the facts relating to Jammu and Kashmir and also shared perspectives on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, Muraleedharan said. "As a result of the government's efforts, countries have shown understanding that matters related to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, are internal to India, and that Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism has been posing a grave threat and affecting the lives of the people of India, including in Jammu & Kashmir," he said. There is also appreciation of the Indian position that the CAA is an affirmative action meant to address the long standing predicament of the vulnerable sections living in India, and that it does not impact in any manner the status of any citizen or deprive any Indian of any faith of her or his citizenship, the minister said. These countries have expressed faith that Indian democratic practices and institutions are equipped to deal with issues that may arise in implementation of the decisions taken by the Indian Parliament, he said. Muraleedhran also hit out at the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for his remarks on the CAA, saying the comments were "inaccurate and unwarranted". The United Nations' human rights body had voiced concern over India's new citizenship law, terming it "fundamentally discriminatory" in nature. "The government immediately registered its protest with the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and clearly conveyed that the legislation is a humanitarian measure and is in line with India's international human rights obligations," Muraleedharan said. He said the government completely and unequivocally rejected any efforts to internationalize the issues which are internal to India, in particular on laws passed by Parliament of a sovereign nation. The government has also taken note of some statements made by China, Malaysia and Turkey on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir and conveyed that India expects these countries to not comment on the internal affairs of India, he said. The countries have been asked to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and develop a proper understanding of the issue, he said. Responding to another question on the impact of the Article 370 abrogation on Indo-US ties, Muraleedharan said matters related to the Constitution of India are sovereign in nature, and do not concern other countries or international organizations. The government has pro-actively briefed members of the international community, including interlocutors in the US, regarding the rationale behind the abrogation of Article 370 and the normalisation of the situation in the Union Territory of J&K, he said. The US government has shown understanding regarding the security challenges in the Union Territory and, from time to time, has acknowledged the steps taken to restore normalcy, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Ivanishvili getting a free ride and pulling strings from behind"- Bloomberg - GeorgianJournal Subscriber content preview SEATTLE Yarington's funeral home, at 10708 16th Ave. S.W., sold for a little over $3.7 million, according to King County records. The seller was an LLC related to Service Corporation International of Houston (SCI), the country's largest funeral home chain. Yarington's was founded in 1948 and later acquired by SCI. . . . Inspired Closets is announcing its official opening of their first square foot industry-leading designer showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company mission is simple: to INSERT disorganized, stressful spaces with organized, inspired ones. That means listening to customers, designing with intent, and caring for customers as if they were family. Custom home organization is now easier than ever with the introduction of Inspired Closets, the only closet solution offering a simple, four-step process, design expertise, and unmatched customer service. Inspired Closets makes the process of upgrading to an organized custom space easy and fun and is the first to offer a start-to-finish, we take care of everything approach to custom closet design. The four step process includes consultation, design, home preparation and installation. First, the team of experts, will determine what is most functional and aesthetically beautiful for the closet; second, after designer evaluations, their proprietary Studio Design Tool will allow the customer to see the design electronically before its installed. Third, the expert build team, will prep the flooring and walls prior to installation, including providing garnet racks and temporary storage, and finally, for the installation, prior to the trained experts to install in minimal time. We are grateful to the Las Vegas community for welcoming us and letting us create a custom solution that is functional and beautiful. Simply put, Inspired Closets is dedicated to disorganized stressful spaces into organized inspired ones. We want Vegas to love your spaces and feel inspired every time youre in it, which is why were committed to exceptional customer service and the highest quality products, says interior designer, Liza Wolff. As a continued commitment to the southern Nevada community, Inspired Closets will feature a permanent art gallery showcasing beautiful artwork created by the clients of Opportunity Village art department. Artwork will be available ongoing and all proceeds will go towards the artist and the foundation that supports these amazing artists. Inspired Closets has pledged to match donations made to Opportunity Village during the grand opening of up to $3,000. Pegasus Airlines passenger jet flying in from the western city of Izmir veered off the runway after landing at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Wednesday afternoon, Daily Saban reports. The Boeing 737-800's fuselage broke in three and caught fire. Firefighters and ambulances were dispatched to the scene immediately after the accident. The plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, according to Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan. He said there were no fatalities but some passengers were wounded. He said the accident was due to a "hard landing." "Our teams are currently evacuating the passengers. There are no casualties so far, only injuries," Turhan said. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said 21 evacuees were hospitalized for injuries. He later updated that as 52. There were 171 passengers aboard the plane, the governor said. The airport, which serves much of Istanbul's Asian districts and the nearby industrial hub cities like Bursa, Kocaeli and Sakarya, has been temporarily closed to air traffic. Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced that it was canceling all flights to and from the airport for the rest of the day. French English Paris, 5th February 2020 BEAUTY, A NEW HERMES METIER Hermes, a house of objects since 1837, presents its sixteenth metier, Beauty, with its first collection, Rouge Hermes, devoted to the beauty of the lips. We approach this new metier in our own way, and with a great deal of pleasure. Hermes Beauty is part of who we are: a house where everything comes from creation, driven by artisans who seek to accompany the men and women of today with elegance, and with the integrity and authenticity that we represent. It is the quintessence of our affection for surprise and wonder, which embraces the object, its design, and the desire to be useful while inspiring dreams. Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermes The fruit of design, research and development work initiated more than five years ago and directed by Agnes de Villers, CEO of Hermes Perfume & Beauty, in the spirit of excellence and the integration of know-how that characterises Hermes, Hermes Beauty is a collaborative creation under the aegis of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermes. Pierre Hardy, creative director of Hermes jewellery and Hermes shoes, designed the object. Bali Barret, artistic director of the womens universe and creative director of womens silk, contributed her vision of femininity and colour, while Jerome Touron, creative director of Hermes Beauty, transposed this vision into make-up. Their work on objects, materials, colours and gestures developed freely through shared affinities and connections. Finally, Christine Nagel, Director of Hermes olfactory creation, gave this collection its fragrance. Rouge Hermes lipsticks are Hermes objects in their own right, expressing all of the houses principles in a small item of make-up. They share the same aesthetic of function as all Hermes objects. Our approach to beauty is fundamental. It is to reveal and highlight what is naturally there, with elegance, comfort and pleasure. I like the idea of Hermes as an intimate companion, revealing ones deepest self. I associate Hermes beauty objects with self-fulfilment, with the colour of an individuals personality, asserts Pierre-Alexis Dumas. Created from noble materials lacquered, brushed and polished metal in black, white or permabrass gold assembled by hand, the lipsticks are rechargeable and made to last. As Pierre Hardy explains, I love the simplicity of pure shapes that colours have the ability to animate. Intuitively, to become timeless, this object had to be able to morph, remain iconic, but stay fluid, be part of a connected sequence, and perpetually recognisable. A constant yet ever-changing object. The sensual and fine textures of the sticks deposit colour in a single stroke, with a matt or satin finish reminiscent of the houses Doblis and Box leathers. Materials carry colour. They give it its strength and its subtlety. They give it a particular finish. At Hermes, colours travel. They are reinvented from one material to another, states Jerome Touron. The houses elegance, spirit and imagination are expressed in 24 hues, a sophisticated selection inspired by the metiers of Silk, with the infinite richness of its colour references (75,000 shades), and Leather (900 shades). Like a silk scarf gracing a womans neck that creates radiance and reveals her beauty, for Hermes Beauty we wanted to discover or rediscover the emotion of colour as a fundamental feminine trait, explains Bali Barret. At Hermes, colour is an irrational, intoxicating passion, a craftsmanship of nuances, an obsession with striking the right tone, and a language all of its own. The emblematic collection is accompanied by a twice-yearly limited edition of three colours. As beautiful inside as they are on the outside, Rouge Hermes objects cultivate sensory appeal and attention to detail, right down to a miniature version of the famous orange box. Other beauty objects accompany the lipstick and form the basis of a ritual: a lip care balm, Poppy lip shine, a universal lip pencil, and a lip brush in lacquered wood. A collection of leather accessories cases and a moon mirror invite movement. Hermes Beauty will be enhanced with other objects, to be revealed every six months from September 2020, until a complete line of make-up is created. The Rouge Hermes collection will be available from 4th March 2020 in selected Hermes stores and retail outlets in 35 countries. Since 1837, Hermes has remained faithful to its artisan model and its humanist values. The freedom to create, the constant search for beautiful materials, the transmission of a savoir-faire of excellence, and the aesthetic of functionality all forge the singularity of Hermes, a house of objects. An independent, family owned company, Hermes is dedicated to keeping the essential element of production in France through its 42 workshops and to developing its network of 310 stores in over 44 countries as of 30th June 2019. At year-end, the group employed more than 14,700 people worldwide, including more than 9,000 in France. Axel Dumas, a sixth-generation family member, has been Hermes CEO since 2013. Founded in 2008, the Fondation dentreprise Hermes supports projects in the areas of artistic creation, training and the transmission of savoir-faire, biodiversity, and the preservation of the environment. Attachment TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Pelangio Exploration Inc. (TSXV:PX)(OTC PINK:PGXPF) ("Pelangio" or the "Company") announces it is not proceeding with the purchase of an interest in the Abansuaso Prospecting License. The Company's news release dated November 26, 2019 announced that it had entered into a term sheet with Supercare Group Limited ("Supercare") to acquire a 90% interest in the 60 square kilometer Abansuaso Prospecting License ("Abansuaso"). The term sheet was subject to a number of conditions, including the negotiation of a definitive agreement. The Company and Supercare were not able to arrive at a definitive agreement, and consequently the acquisition will not be proceeding at this time. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Pelangio Pelangio acquires and explores large land packages in world-class gold belts in Canada and Ghana, West Africa. In Canada, the company is focusing on the Dome West property located 800 metres from the Dome Mine in Timmins, the 25 km2 Birch Lake Property located in the Red Lake Mining District, the Grenfell Property located 10 km from the Macassa Mine in Kirkland Lake, the Dalton Property located 1.5 km from the Hollinger mine in Timmins. In Ghana, the Company is focusing on two 100%-owned camp-sized properties: the 100 km2 Manfo Property, the site of seven recent near-surface gold discoveries, and the 284 km2 Obuasi Property, located 4 km on strike and adjacent to AngloGold Ashanti's prolific high-grade Obuasi Mine. Ghana is an English-speaking, common law jurisdiction that is consistently ranked amongst the most favourable mining jurisdictions in Africa. For additional information, please visit our website at www.pelangio.com, or contact: Ingrid Hibbard, President and CEO Tel: 905-336-3828 / Toll-free: 1-877-746-1632 / Email: info@pelangio.com Forward Looking Statements Certain statements herein may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements or information appear in a number of places and can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information include statements regarding the the planned work programs, the Company's strategy of acquiring large land packages in areas of sizeable gold mineralization, the Company's plans to follow-up on previous work, and the Company's exploration plans. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, we have made numerous assumptions, including assumptions about the state of the equity markets. Such forward-looking statements and information are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement or information. Such risks include the changes in equity markets, share price volatility, volatility of global and local economic climate, inability to obtain necessary approvals or permits in Ghana, gold price volatility, political developments in Ghana, and Canada, increases in costs, exchange rate fluctuations, speculative nature of gold exploration, including the risk that favourable exploration results may not be obtained, and other risks involved in the gold exploration industry. See the Company's annual and quarterly financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statement and information. There can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information referenced herein will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward- looking statements or information. We undertake no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. All forward-looking statements and information herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. SOURCE: Pelangio Exploration Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575412/Pelangio-Announces-It-is-Not-Acquiring-an-Interest-in-Abansuaso-Property His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has presented du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) with the MOHRE Emiratisation Award for the second consecutive year at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi. The ceremony was attended by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Fahad Al Hassawi, Deputy CEO Telco Services, received the award on behalf of EITC. The telco won the award across all Semi Government categories for implementing notable policies to promote Emiratisation and support UAE national employees. The award for this category is presented to an enterprise or company that meets several criteria within its institutional operating system, including the internal work environment, innovation rates, employee development and training programmes. Commenting on the win, Al Hassawi said: We are deeply honoured to receive the MOHRE Emiratisation Award for the second consecutive year, which is a testament to our transformative Emiratisation strategy an integral part of the companys focus towards providing career development for Emirati leaders and the aspiring national talent of tomorrow. As a driving force in the UAEs telecommunications sector, EITCs Emiratisation framework is an encouraging illustration of the formative feats that can be achieved by invigorating workforces and unlocking the full potential of homegrown talent. He added: As the UAE leaders have reiterated time and time again, the countrys human capital is the most valuable resource towards achieving the future progress of the UAE, which is why we are honoured to be acknowledged for driving a talent pipeline that is fostering the economic imperatives of our knowledge-based economy. As a result of its outstanding Emiratisation policies, EITC has doubled the number of UAE nationals employed since 2006. Emirati employees form 35.91 per cent of the total workforce (48 per cent females and 52 per cent males). In addition, 60 per cent of UAE nationals hold leadership positions across all departments in the telco. dus Fujairah Contact Centre is staffed by 100 per cent Emiratis employees with 90 per cent females. Ehab Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Human Resources and Administration, EITC, said: It is a remarkable milestone to have won the MOHRE Emiratisation Award again, a result of our teamwork and various initiatives to attract, recruit and strengthen Emirati talent. Since our establishment, we have proudly reiterated our commitment to our strategic goal of increasing the Emiratisation rate within the ICT sector. This will enable us to position ourselves among the leading companies in this field and contribute to supporting the direction and vision of our wise leadership towards instituting a knowledge-based economy centered on Emirati nationals. Through its numerous initiatives, training and professional development programs, EITC is one of the most successful Emiratisation companies in the industry. The companys strategy focuses on recruiting young Emiratis and attracting talent through its ongoing participation in various recruitment fairs across the UAE and open recruitment through universities and academic institutions. The companys professional learning and development team gives priority to training UAE nationals and enhances their skills through the Leadership Academy, which has witnessed the graduation of more than 200 UAE national employees so far from different levels of the company. In addition, EITC has registered its highly qualified Emirati employees with outstanding executive programs such as INSEAD and the Women Leaders Program at the University of Ashridge, UK. EITC is one of the main supporters of the Government Accelerators programme, an initiative run by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, by employing 37 citizens of the United Arab Emirates across all departments of the company. The Emiratisation Award honours enterprises in the Private, High-Tech and Semi Government sectors. It also recognises and presents accolades to the Best Supporter of Emiratisation and The Best National Employee in multiple areas. In 2018, EITC won the Emiratisation Award in the High-Tech category for its efforts to make progress on the national key performance indicators, policies and services.--Tradearabia News Service New Mexico State Police on Wednesday identified the officer who shot an armed man during a confrontation on Interstate 25 last month. Dusty Francisco, a State Police spokesman, said Sgt. Joshua Perea injured Roman Craig, 26, in an Jan. 21 officer-involved shooting on the shoulder of I-25 between San Antonio and Paseo Del Norte. Craig has since been booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on a charge of aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon. Francisco said Perea was working a traffic safety operation around 10 a.m. when he stopped to check out an abandoned vehicle on the side of the highway. He said Craig began walking toward Pereas vehicle with a gun in his hand and refused the Sgt.s commands to drop the weapon. At that time, Sergeant Perea fired once towards Craig, striking him, Francisco said. Craig fell to the ground and he was taken into custody. Perea has been with State Police for over 12 years and, before that, served with the Los Lunas Police Department for nine years. The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday extended the use of a coronavirus detection tool to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-qualified laboratories across the country. The authorization was until recently limited to CDC laboratories, of which the agency's site says there are some 200 nationwide. An FDA spokesperson declined to answer when DailyMail.com asked how many labs would now be permitted to use and analyze the test. Under the emergency use authorization, the 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR diagnostic panel can be used in patients who meet the CDC criteria for coronavirus testing. The FDA has given emergency approval for the CDC's coronavirus test to be used by 'CDC-authorized' labs, but its unclear how many facilities that encompasses So far, 11 US coronavirus patients have been confirmed, 167 have tested negative, 82 tests are pending, and the CDC is following 36 'people under investigation.' The move is meant to speed diagnosis and containment of coronavirus patients to control its spread in the US, but without a specific number of authorized labs, it's unclear how much the authorization will do to expedite the process. 'Negative results do not preclude 2019-nCoV infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or other patient management decisions,' the FDA said in a Tuesday evening statement. Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Monday that she expects there will be more cases diagnosed in the US. Only one of the 11 identified cases so far was someone detected in airport screening. One of the patients was diagnosed after the CDC traced close contacts of another person confirmed to have the coronavirus. The other nine confirmed patients were detected by non-CDC doctors, suggesting that if there was a shorter pipeline between state health care professionals and testing, diagnoses would move more quickly. This may become increasingly important now that more than one instance of person-to-person transmission has been reported in the US. What's more, CDC officials said Monday that four more flights have been scheduled to evacuate Americans from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Secretary Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services also announced that flights from China would be redirected to 11 US airports. These locations, according to the White House, will be equipped to screen passengers and quarantine them if necessary - although many local authorities have said they were not prepared to do so, the Washington Post reported. The more labs have access to the diagnostic test, the greater the odds that the held passengers can be diagnosed or cleared of cornavirus more quickly, hopefully easing the burden of screening on citizens, state officials and facilities. The Board of Directors of Vietnam Container Shipping Joint Stock Corporation approved to convene the 2020 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders as follows: - Record date: February 26, 2020 - Meeting time: expected in late March 2020 - Meeting venue: will be noticed later. - Meeting contents: Report of the Board of Directors The audited financial statements in 2019 Report on business performance in 2019 and business plan for 2020 Report of the Board of Supervisors in 2019 Electing the Board of Directors, Board of Supervisors for the term of 2020 2024 Other issues under the jurisdiction of the general meeting. Sexier than us, far more chic and never, ever fat; theyre better mothers, cooks, lovers, and now we discover that they dont even get older they get better. Oui, oui, the myth of the French woman has just grown even more intimidating. According to the latest in a long line of books detailing how French women Do It Better, the femme fatale doesnt even dim with age. Author Caroline de Maigret, 44, is a former model with magnificent cheekbones and alluring cat eyes, who pouts from endless photos in her latest book Older, But Better, But Older, with cigarette dangling from perfect lips. She charts changes brought by ageing with annoying insouciance: amused that some of her peers are refusing cosmetic surgery; irritated by the way young men dont stutter when speaking to her as they used to. Against these inconveniences, though, she relishes how once a woman hits 40, she can love her butt, freeze her eggs and tell her lover what she wants. She shares tips, too. Every night, even if inebriated, we are to repeat such mantras as no one should see your gums when you talk or laugh; wear a black bra under your white shirt; and your look should always have one thing left undone. Author Caroline de Maigret, 44, is a former model with magnificent cheekbones and alluring cat eyes, who pouts from endless photos in her latest book Older, But Better, But Older She includes a helpful guide to French women: they may not always say hi or thank you (as if we didnt know); they are shamelessly snobbish (never!) and always late (because they are so much more important than we are). All of which is enough to give lesser mortals anyone born outside of France a serious inferiority complex. Look at that role model par excellence, first lady of France Brigitte Macron, showing off her 66-year-old pins in leather leggings on official trips with her 42-year-old husband. Or the actress Catherine Deneuve, gliding through her 70s like a yacht on the Med: sleek, gleaming and looking like a million dollars. Anything we can do, it seems, French women can do better, from skinny jeans to hot flushes. But dig a little deeper, and French women may have a thing or two to learn from their British counterparts. As an objective foreigner (Im an Italian who studied French history and has lived in Britain most of her life), I feel well-placed to compare the two. Lets start with the way French women look. Im not talking about their immaculate appearance, but the way they look down on everything and everyone. This proud, frosty contempt is as much the French womans signature look as a Chanel scarf, as I learned dating a French man in my 20s. His men friends were fine, if dull. But the women . . . they called me la petite Anglaise even though I was taller than them. They were artfully bored by everything. I found them insufferable. The actress Catherine Deneuve is gliding through her 70s like a yacht on the Med: sleek, gleaming and looking like a million dollars The women of Britain, on the other hand, were brought up to show an interest in everything: looking bored is the height of bad manners. British women are among the worlds best travelled, while the French stay at home (90 per cent travel only within France). When they do leave, they refuse to learn tourist phrases and leave stingy tips. One London family I know are still reeling from the French is best mentality after hosting an exchange student last year. The 17-year-old girl arrived with a suitcase stuffed with food and the contents of half a pharmacy because she could not eat ze English food or take ze English medicine. Going shopping with a French woman in even the best British department stores is mortifying. No matter what item she is offered, her reaction is always the same: Quelle horreur! Women across the Channel have a certain je ne sais quoi. But study them carefully and youll realise thats because they all wear a uniform: those perfectly draped scarves, creased trousers and killer heels are playing it safe. Look at that role model par excellence, first lady of France Brigitte Macron, showing off her 66-year-old pins in leather leggings on official trips with her 42-year-old husband My friend Charlotte, who has been dating a French man for years, quotes him as saying: English women are fun. French women are neurotic. When an English friend told his Parisian wife the origins of the quote Keep calm and carry on, she looked shocked. But the war was a tragedy! she hyperventilated, How could you ask people to be calm? Not all French women are drama queens, but this is the nation that takes more tranquillisers and antidepressants than any other. Here is something more intriguing: the list of icons Caroline de Maigret includes in her book stretches from Keith Richards to Jane Birkin. All of them Anglo Saxons. Which raises an astonishing theory: could it be that under all that pouting and posing French women feel mon dieu! terribly second-best? Monday, in a pathetic last-ditch effort to sway even a single Republicans vote, Lead House Manager Adam Schiff predicted that History will not be kind to Donald Trump, and warned his captive Senate audience: "If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history. Seems placement in history is of great concern to these Democrats. Not really the Republican Senators or even the Presidents, of course, but rather their own, which is likely scaring the hell out of them right about now. Equally alarmed are their cronies in the Mainstream Media, who, Schiffs beseeching notwithstanding, have properly capitulated the closing arguments in President Trumps impeachment trial as aimed more toward history than to sway the outcome. That same Trump history their paper of record hilariously and hastily decries as "stained." And the same inexorable outcome easily foreseen by all persons enjoying the benefits of above room temperature IQ -- right from the get-go, lo those many, many months ago. Such simpletons. Surely, Nancy Pelosi, Schiffs boss and the nations first female House Speaker, knew she was gambling with her own celebrated chapter in the history books when she ceded some of her authority to the nut-job wing of her caucus and announced the opening of the baseless impeachment inquiry way back in October. Fast forward just 3 months and Nancy wore a disturbingly celebratory smile during a ceremonial signing of the Impeachment Articles she was about to march pompously over to the Senate. A mere 2 days later, appearing on HBOs Real Time, Pelosi seemed somewhat disoriented yet relentlessly smug when she repeated her new permanently stained mantra to host Bill Maher with that same curious grin on her face: [emphasis added] "And [Trumps] impeached forever -- No matter what the Senate does, that can never be erased." Of course, nor can his all-but-certain acquittal. And it could get worse for Pelosi much worse. You see, while the MSM gushes over the prospect of GOP defections (Romney), it would seem far more likely that well see a few Democrats jump this unwaveringly partisan sinking ship. Doug Jones, for instance, who Politico declared The Senates Most Vulnerable Incumbent, as hes running for reelection in beet-red Alabama, which Trump owned by almost 30 points. Less so Kyrsten Sinema, who, while representing marginally-Trump-country Arizona (he prevailed by only 3.5 points), rode in on the 2018 bus Dems claim signals a bluing of the state. But by far the most likely defector is Joe Manchin. The Trump-By-42-points-West Virginia moderate, who was the only Democratic vote for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, has been tiptoeing around the possibility ever since the Silly March on January 15th. In his floor speech on Monday, he called for censure (way too late for that, Joe) as an alternative to removal, but is playfully holding his vote for the latter close to the vest. Although hes managed (just barely) to hold his seat in the heavily Republican state, a vote to kick Trump might also kick him right in (and out of) his seat in 2022. Youve no doubt heard Pelosi and her minions push back at complaints of an impeachment-obsessed, do-nothing Congress in the throes of Trump Derangement Syndrome by claiming the Democratic-controlled House has passed more than 275 bipartisan bills. The party-whine is that all those bipartisan bills are being blocked by Mitch McConnell in the GOP-controlled, do-nothing Senate. But, what you probably havent heard is that, according to factcheck.org, that list includes bills with as few as one Republican vote. You see, according to Madam Speaker, a Bill passed with merely a single Republican aye deserves the bipartisan moniker slapped upon it. Hmmm. Okay, then lets play that game. By that same reasoning, should any one of the aforementioned (or any other) Democrats drop off from the pack, (and clearly more than one may) Trump would therefore be acquitted by a bipartisan majority. And even should either or both of the still-inclined Republican usual suspects cross the aisle, the history books would nonetheless correctly declare Trump exonerated (a.k.a. cleared of all charges) by a bipartisan majority decision. And, perhaps of greater importance in these hyper-partisan times, so will the voters, come November. Surely Pelosi must be considering the words the equally introspection-challenged Oliver Hardy so often quipped to his partner Stan Laurel, Well, heres another nice mess youve gotten me into. Nice mess, indeed. And historys recollection wont be any less messy. In fact, as the true origins of the whistleblower complaint surface (and they will) the stain Pelosi, Schiff & Friends attempted to paint on Trump will likely rub off and deepen on them while quickly fading on its original target. To be sure, as evidenced by the behavior of contemporary news agencies, historys take on our 45th President, in general, and his impeachment, specifically, will largely depend on who writes it. But if scripted with even the slightest touch of objectivity, it will surely be much kinder to Trump than to those whose fingerprints are all over what history will undoubtedly depict as a bumbling, ill-conceived, and, ultimately botched, political maneuver. One which further deepened the nations divide and benefitted none but its narcissistic architects. One thing seems certain -- History will remember the purely partisan injustice behind President Donald Trumps impeachment and validate the justice of his bipartisan acquittal. Photo credit: YouTube screen grab (cropped) The United States impeachment trial of President Donald Trump concluded on Wednesday, on its 13th day, after the Senate voted to acquit Trump of charges of abusing his office and obstructing Congress investigation. A two-thirds vote of senators 67 out of 100 was required for conviction. With Republicans holding a 53-47 majority, Trumps acquittal was certain. Republican Mitt Romney became the first senator in history to back the conviction of a president from his own party. Democratic House managers, who act as prosecutors, had faced an uphill battle from the trials start, with hopes of conviction largely hinging on the ability to introduce new evidence, including the possibility of subpoenaing witnesses and documents, into the proceedings. However, even recent revelations in an unpublished book by former National Security Adviser John Bolton proved not enough to tip the scale, with Fridays 51-49 vote blocking new evidence and sounding a death knell for Democrats. As Trumps impeachment trial enters its final day, here are all the latest updates as of Wednesday, February 5: Pelosi responds After the vote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a lengthy statement, denouncing the Senates vote to acquit and reiterating that Trump will be impeached forever. She added that Trump and Republicans had normalised lawlessness. The President will boast that he has been acquitted. There can be no acquittal without a trial, and there is no trial without witnesses, documents and evidence. By suppressing the evidence and rejecting the most basic elements of a fair judicial process, the Republican Senate made themselves willing accomplices to the Presidents cover-up, according to the statement. Quotes of the day Senator Mitt Romney: What he did was not perfect no, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer: The verdict of this kangaroo court will be meaningless. By refusing the facts by refusing witnesses and documents the Republican majority has placed a giant asterisk, the asterisk of a sham trial, next to the acquittal of President Trump, written in permanent ink. Acquittal in an unfair trial with this giant asterisk, the asterisk of a sham trial is worth nothing at all, to President Trump or anybody else. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: We will reject this incoherent case that comes nowhere near, nowhere near, justifying the first presidential removal in history. This partisan impeachment will end today. But I fear the threat to our institutions may not, because this episode is one of a symptom of something much deeper. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal: I have been moved genuinely even to tears very few times in this body but I was riveted by his (Mitt Romneys) words. I said to myself this is why you came here. US Chief Justice John Roberts: As I depart the chamber, I do so with an invitation to visit the court I also depart with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances. Sham impeachment attempt In a statement, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham welcomed the Senate vote to acquit and blasted the sham impeachment attempt. The sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the FULL vindication & exoneration of President @realDonaldTrump tomorrow at 12:00 PM EST, the President will make remarks from The White House addressing this VICTORY. Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) February 5, 2020 Today, the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J Trump, Grisham said. As we have said all along, he is not guilty. Trump to make public statements In a tweet, Trump said he will speak about impeachment acquittal public on Thursday from the White House. I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Countrys VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2020 Acquitted for life Following the Senate impeachment vote, Trumps allies, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani boasted that Trump has been acquitted for life which quickly became a trending hashtag on Twitter. Acquitted for life! Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) February 5, 2020 The phrase was a jab at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who had said that Trump had been impeached forever. Trump takes to Twitter After the vote, Trump posted a video on Twitter showing Trump campaign signs for future elections from 2024 onward ending with Trump 4EVA, which he pinned to his timeline. Totally vindicated Trumps campaign manager, Brad Pascale said in a statement: President Trump has been totally vindicated and its now time to get back to the business of the American people. Leaders to speak Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to hold a news conference shortly. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is expected to make a statement after. US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking ahead of the resumption and final votes in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump [Senate TV/Handout via Reuters] US Senate acquits Trump The US Senate acquitted Trump of both charges in his impeachment trial after the Republican-controlled Senate rallied to protect him in advance of the 2020 presidential election where Trump is running for a second term in office. The vote brought the historic proceedings to an end. Final vote, second article The final Senate vote on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress fell along party lines with 53-47 in favour of acquittal, after Romney voted not guilty. US senators casting their votes on the second article of impeachment obstruction of Congress during the final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump [File: Senate TV/Handout via Reuters] The Senate cleared Trump of accusations that he obstructed Congress investigation into whether he acted improperly in withholding US security aid to Ukraine. Trump acquitted of abuse of power With a 52-48 final vote, Trump has been acquitted on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power. The charge stemmed from Trumps request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden, a political rival and contender in the November 3 presidential election. Final vote, first article The final Senate vote on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, was 52-48 in favour of acquittal, with every Democrat plus Republican Mitt Romney voting for conviction. In order to remove a president from office, a two-thirds majority in the Senate is required, so the vote fell short of that. Romney votes guilty Republican Senator Mitt Romney cast his guilty verdict on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power making him the first Senator in history to back the conviction of a president from his own party. All Democrats will vote to convict In a statement, US Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said he will vote to convict Trump on both articles of impeachment meaning every Democrat will vote in favour of the presidents removal from office. Voting whether or not to remove a sitting President has been a truly difficult decision, and after listening to the arguments presented by both sides, I have reached my conclusion reluctantly. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/yIgy6Qf5JZ Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) February 5, 2020 Partisan split The partisan spirit prevailing over impeachment was on stark display just before the votes as Republicans remained off the floor, huddled in the cloakroom as Democratic leader Chuck Schumer delivered closing remarks. The road to Wednesdays vote The US Senate was poised on Wednesday to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Here is a look at the road to his impeachment and trial. Mueller Report In July 2017, two little-known Democrats in the House of Representatives make the first attempt to impeach Trump, basing it on investigations into Moscows interference in the 2016 US elections. They file formal charges known as articles of impeachment, alleging that Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI head James Comey to hinder the Russia investigation by then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller. After a two-year probe, Mueller finds insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy involving Trump and draws no conclusions on whether Trump obstructed justice. In July 2017, two little-known Democrats in the House of Representatives make the first attempt to impeach Trump, basing it on investigations into Moscows interference in the 2016 US elections. They file formal charges known as articles of impeachment, alleging that Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI head James Comey to hinder the Russia investigation by then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller. After a two-year probe, Mueller finds insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy involving Trump and draws no conclusions on whether Trump obstructed justice. Whistle-blower On August 12, 2019, an anonymous intelligence official files a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to a summary of the call later released by the White House, Trump asked Zelenskyy to investigate both former US Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat running for president in 2020, and a conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind 2016 election meddling. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presided during the US Senate impeachment trial of Trump [Reuters] Impeachment investigation Amid further reports of Trumps dealings with Ukraine, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24 accuses Trump of urging a foreign power to intervene in the 2020 election and announces an impeachment investigation in the Democratic-controlled House. In testimony at televised hearings, US diplomats and officials describe a pressure campaign organised by Trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to get Ukraine to announce the Biden investigation. Trumps freezing of $391m in aid to Ukraine was part of the campaign, according to some testimony. Amid further reports of Trumps dealings with Ukraine, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24 accuses Trump of urging a foreign power to intervene in the 2020 election and announces an impeachment investigation in the Democratic-controlled House. In testimony at televised hearings, US diplomats and officials describe a pressure campaign organised by Trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to get Ukraine to announce the Biden investigation. Trumps freezing of $391m in aid to Ukraine was part of the campaign, according to some testimony. Impeachment On December 18 Trump becomes only the third US president to be impeached when the Democratic-led House approves two articles of impeachment charging him with abuse of power and obstructing Congress. On December 18 Trump becomes only the third US president to be impeached when the Democratic-led House approves two articles of impeachment charging him with abuse of power and obstructing Congress. The trial The Senate puts Trump on trial beginning on January 16. The outcome seems in little doubt, as Republicans dominate the chamber where a two-thirds majority is needed to convict and remove the president. While Democrats hoped new witnesses could change the equation, a motion to introduce new evidence was blocked last week. Democrats praise Romney Moments after Republican Senator Mitt Romney made the surprise announcement that he would break from party ranks and vote to convict the president on the abuse of power article of impeachment, Democrats took to Twitter in praise of the move. Thank you @MittRomney for rising to this moment, for choosing to vote your conscience, and for doing what you know in your heart to be right, wrote Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Thank you @MittRomney for rising to this moment, for choosing to vote your conscience, and for doing what you know in your heart to be right. Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) February 5, 2020 Senator Romney reminds us that it is not impossible to do the right thing, its just hard. That putting country over party isnt just a slogan, its our solemn obligation. That individuals who have courage and conviction can change history, and have an obligation to try, wrote Senator Brian Schatz. Senator Romney reminds us that it is not impossible to do the right thing, its just hard. That putting country over party isnt just a slogan, its our solemn obligation. That individuals who have courage and conviction can change history, and have an obligation to try. Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 5, 2020 A powerful and principled statement on the Senate Floor today, @SenatorRomney. An example for all of us. Thank you, wrote Senator Jeff Merkley. A powerful and principled statement on the Senate Floor today, @SenatorRomney. An example for all of us. Thank you. Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) February 5, 2020 Meanwhile, Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., in a series of tweets, called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican party. Look back: How did the House vote on the articles of impeachment? Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on September 24 of 2018. Nearly two months later, on December 18, the House voted in favour of two articles of impeachment: abuse of power of and obstruction of Congress. Republican representatives were unified in their opposition, with 195 voting against the abuse of power article along with two Democrats who broke party ranks. Meanwhile, 229 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of that article. On the obstruction of Congress article, 195 Republicans again voted against the measure, joined by three Democrats. Meanwhile, 228 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of the second article. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, voted present, refusing to take a side on either article. Heres a look back on the day the House impeached Trump. Romney, in speech on Senate floor, confirms he will break from party and vote to convict Trump Republican Senator Mitt Romney will vote to convict President Donald Trump on the abuse of power article of impeachment, likely becoming the only Republican senator to favour removing the president from office for his dealing with Ukraine. The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, said Romney, a 2012 Republican presidential candidate, in a speech on the Senate floor. Corrupting an election to keep ones self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine, he said. Republican Mitt Romney to break from party and vote to convict Trump: Report Republican Senator Mitt Romney one of only two Republicans to break from the party line and vote for new evidence in the Senate trial has said he will vote to convict President Donald Trump on the abuse of power article, the New York Times reported. I think the case was made, Romney told the newspaper in an interview in his Senate office on Wednesday morning. Senator Mitt Romney has said he will vote to convict the president on abuse of power. [File: Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press] I believe that attempting to corrupt an election to maintain power is about as egregious an assault on the Constitution as can be made, Romney said. And for that reason, it is a high crime and misdemeanour, and I have no choice under the oath that I took but to express that conclusion. He said he would not vote to convict the president on the obstruction of Congress article also passed by the House in December. I recognise there is going to be enormous consequences for having reached this conclusion, Romney told the Times, adding the fallout would be Unimaginable. Look back: What happened with the trials witness vote? Democrats had pushed from the beginning of the Senate trial to pass a motion that would permit new evidence to be permitted in the proceedings, which would open the door to subpoena new witnesses and documents. Democrats proposed an amendment that would allow new evidence on the second day of trial, which was blocked along with 11 others. The rules resolution passed by Republicans put off debate and a vote on evidence until after House managers, who served as prosecutors, and Trumps defence team presented their cases. Senator Mitt Romney was one of only two Republicans to vote in favour on introducing new evidence in the trial [J Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press] In the following days, attention turned to several Republicans considered possible swing votes on the evidence motion. Four needed to break from the Republican ranks to give Democrats a simple majority. Reports of revelations in a draft book by former National Security Adviser John Bolton, which emerged during the trial, heightened the debate. In the end, only two Republican Senators, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, voted in favour of the new evidence. While closely watched Senators Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander stuck with Republicans. US House Democrats likely to subpoena John Bolton: Nadler Democrats in the US House of Representatives are likely to subpoena Donald Trumps former National Security Adviser John Bolton and continue their investigation into the Republican president, the head of the House Judiciary panel said on Wednesday. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, speaking to CNN, said I think its likely, yes that their inquiries would continue and that a subpoena for Bolton was also likely. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton had said he would testify if subpoenaed in the Senate trial [File: Peter Nicholls/Reuters] Bolton wrote, according to the New York Times, that Trump had instructed him in May of 2018 to call the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to ensure that he would meet with the presidents personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who was leading the push for the politically motivated investigations. The directive came during a meeting attended by Giuliani, White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and White House lawyer Pat Cipollone. Bolton had also recounted an August exchange in which Trump told him to continue to withhold the aid to Ukraine until officials in the country agreed to the desired investigations into the Bidens. The report undercut what had been Trumps legal teams main defence that withholding the aid was unrelated to a push for the investigations. Kellyanne Conway: Trial vote will mean Trump is acquitted forever White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway says the expected vote in the US Senate on the articles of impeachment against US President Donald Trump will mean he is acquitted forever. I would not be surprised if the opposition to removal of the president is bipartisan. But I think we already know the votes are there Theres no way theres no near 67 votes, Conway said at a news conference on Wednesday. White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway if Trump acquittal is bipartisan [File: Evan Vucci/The Associated Press] There never was. So then I think other people are left to have to explain why they voted the why they put the country through this, knowing the outcome ahead of time, what was the point? she said. Democratic Senator Jones: I will vote to convict Trump Senator Doug Jones, one of just a handful of closely watched Democrats who face difficult re-election bids, has said he will vote to convict President Donald Trump. In remarks on the Senate floor, Jones said the sum of the evidence produced a picture of a president who has abused the great power of his office for personal gain, a picture of a president who has placed his personal interest well above the interest of the nation. Senator Doug Jones has said he will vote to convict the president [File: Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press] The announcement was significant for Democrats, who are hoping their party will present a united front by unanimously voting to remove Trump from office in Wednesdays final votes. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are among other Democrats being closely watched for their votes later Wednesday. What do the articles of impeachment allege? House investigators allege that Trump abused the power of his office by withholding nearly $400m in congressionally approved military aid and imposing conditions on a White House visit in an attempt to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations on his political rival, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden. House investigators further charge that the president obstructed Congress by categorically blocking his administration from providing requested documents and witness testimony. Read the full text of the articles here. What did the presidents defence say? Trumps defence team portrayed the House inquiry into the presidents dealings with Ukraine as deeply flawed and rushed. While initially denying there was evidence of quid pro quo (Latin for a favour for a favour), the defence shifted their arguments to say that even if there was quid pro quo, the presidents actions do not rise to an impeachable offence. The presidents defence team further framed the impeachment as an attempt to undermine US democracy. This was the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history. And it should be our last, the presidents lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said during closing arguments on Monday. What the House Democrats have done to this nation, to the Constitution, to the office of the president, to the president himself and to this body (the Senate) is outrageous. They have cheapened the awesome power of impeachment. What have the House managers said? The House managers spent their time on the Senate floor outlining the two articles of impeachment against the president: abuse of power and obstruction of justice. They repeatedly argued the need for new witnesses and documents to be presented in the trial, and portrayed the president as a serial interferer in US elections, who will be further emboldened to meddle in the lead-up to the November elections. He has betrayed our national security and he will do so again. He has compromised our elections and he will do so again. You will not change him. You cannot constrain him, lead House manager Adam Schiff told senators in the impassioned conclusion of closing arguments on Monday. If you find the courage to stand up to him, to speak the awful truth to his rank falsehood, your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath if only you will say, Enough.' What happened in the trial? The trial officially began with a ceremonial start on January 16 that saw the swearing-in of US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the proceedings, and the 100 members of the Senate. The next week began, on January 21, with 12 hours of debate culminating in senators voting along partisan lines to approve Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells rules resolution. Meanwhile, 11 amendments introduced by Democrats were blocked. This artist sketch depicts White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaking in the Senate chamber during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump [File: Dana Verkouteren/AP Photo] The Democratic House managers then presented their arguments on January 22, 23 and 24. Trumps defence presented their arguments on January 25, 27, and 28. Senators then had two days to submit written questions to both teams, on January 29 and 30, a process that was followed by the vote that blocked allowing more evidence on January 31. Following that, both sides gave a total of four hours of closing arguments on February 3. FALLS CHURCH, Va., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) board of directors has elected David F. Keffer corporate vice president and chief financial officer, effective Feb. 17, 2020. He will report to Kathy Warden, chairman, chief executive officer and president. Keffer will succeed Kenneth L. Bedingfield, who will remain with the company until Feb. 21, to facilitate a smooth transition. I am confident that Dave will strengthen our leadership team with his strategic, financial and business acumen, and will help our company continue to grow and perform, said Warden. Dave has broad experience and a proven track record of effectively leading finance organizations and driving business results. On behalf of the company and the board of directors, I want to thank Ken for his many contributions over the past eight years with Northrop Grumman, said Warden. Kens leadership helped position us for our future. Keffer served as a general partner for Blue Delta Capital Partners, a role he held since 2018. Previously, he was chief financial officer for CSRA, Inc. and chief financial officer for SRA International. Keffer holds a bachelors degree in finance from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Virginias Darden School of Business. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. "We are very excited to be selected as the new long-term tenant for the Bianchi Family and produce our new Non-GMO Wonderful Seedless Lemons in this special citrus growing area," said Zak Laffite, President, Wonderful Citrus. "The unique micro-climates in the region provide optimum timing for lemon harvests to complement our year-round program of Wonderful Seedless Lemons. The Bianchi Big Bench property is a large single block of land along the Central Coast, a very rare find." "The elevated terraced benches within the Santa Lucia Highlands are home to renown vineyards, wineries, and also the commercial production of lemon and avocado orchards. The 846 acre Bianchi Big Bench is a historic Salinas Valley property easily viewed from Highway 101 between Soledad and Gonzales, it's the largest flat bench on the west side," stated Al and Josh Mendrin of The Mendrin Group, exclusive advisors to the Bianchi Family in the transaction. "For decades the Big Bench served the Bianchi family well, grazing herds of cattle and dry farming hay through peril, bounty and drought. In the early 1990's, the decision was made to put the Bench into grapes and Robert Mondavi planted vines where cattle once roamed. Now, it's time for The Big Bench to go through yet another evolution!" stated Nicola Bianchi of the Bianchi Family. About The Bianchi Family In 1776, young Jose Maria Soberanes arrived in the Salinas Valley with the Portola Expedition; he was ready to settle down in the valley of the Salinas and have a rancho of his own. He dreamed of cattle running through the high grass and many children and ancestors to carry on the traditions of the family rancho. California Land Grants of the 1800's helped the ambitious young cattleman realize his dreams and today the ancestors of Jose Maria still ranch and farm on the one-time California Land Grant. The Bianchi Family maintains a small herd of cattle and keeps the traditions of round-ups, cattle brandings, big steak bar-b-ques and love of the land alive. They stay connected to the community and support it through 4-H, Farm Bureau, Young Farmers, serving on School Boards, The Historical Society, Lions Club, Swiss Rifle Club, the Catholic Church and Mission Senora De La Soledad. Bob Bianchi, the family patriarch, died in 2012. His wife Mary and family are confident that Bob and Jose Maria are content and proud of the rancho today! About Wonderful Seedless Lemons Wonderful Seedless Lemons is a new variety of premium, naturally seedless, Non-GMO Project Verified branded lemons in the U.S. and Canada. Wonderful Citrus owns the exclusive rights to sell and market this seedless lemon variety in North America. This juicy and flavorful seedless lemon with a smooth rind requires no pollination to propagate and is grown in California. Wonderful Seedless Lemons are available in produce aisles nationwide seasonally, from November through May. As the One Stop Citrus Shop, Wonderful Citrus is the leading grower, shipper, packer, and distributor of citrus in North America with a full citrus portfolio and year-long availability. For more information about Wonderful Seedless Lemons, visit WonderfulSeedlessLemons.com. About The Mendrin Group The Mendrin Group is a leading brokerage, consulting and advisory firm of agricultural land assets and vertically integrated agribusinesses. Based in California, their clients include private equity, pension funds, investment firms, family offices, large family farms, corporate farming operations, and global food and beverage companies. The Mendrin Group, a multi-generational family business for over 30+ years. www.mendrins.com SOURCE The Mendrin Group Related Links http://www.mendrins.com Four US bases are prepared to assist the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and house US citizens who may have been exposed to the Wuhan coronavirus overseas, Pentagon officials revealed Saturday. According to Military.com, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved an HHS request to house around 1,000 people who may have been exposed to the deadly virus while traveling abroad. HHS officials requested the Defense Department to provide several facilities capable of housing at least 250 people in individual rooms through Feb. 29, 2020, officials said Saturday. The four bases are the 168th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, in Fort Carson, Colorado; the Travis Air Force Base in California; the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas; and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California. The US Defense Department (DOD) will also provide medical care, transportation and security for citizens housed on the bases. DOD personnel will not be directly in contact with the evacuees and evacuees will not have access to any base location other than their assigned housing, officials said in the statement, Military.com reported. In accordance with CDC [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, all evacuees will be monitored for a period of 14 days. Should routine monitoring of the evacuees identify ill individuals, HHS has procedures in place to transport them to a local civilian hospital. The March Air Reserve Base in California is already housing around 200 US citizens who were evacuated from China and are now subject to a two-week quarantine on the base. Officials also confirmed that using the bases as quarantine centers will not affect military readiness. The departments primary responsibility is the safety of our force, our families and our base communities, officials stated. DOD personnel will follow guidance in the memorandum, Force Health Protection Guidance for the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak, to reduce risk. The quarantine measures were announced Friday. During the televised briefing, Alex Azar, the US Secretary of HHS, explained that any foreign nationals, other than immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled to China within the past 14 days could be denied entry into the US. Additionally, US citizens who have been in Chinas Hubei Province, where the virus originated would be, subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure theyre provided proper medical care and health screening. The US Indo-Pacific Command also confirmed Friday that US troops were told to leave China, and any travel to the country by service members or civilians in the command has been banned. The death toll from the novel coronavirus has reached at least 362, Chinas National Health Commission confirmed Monday. The total number of infections globally is currently at 17,491. Heather Mitchell is a talented writer, poet, and lyricist residing in Davison, Michigan, where she currently works in the preprimary education division of a local school district and when not writing enjoys needlepoint, reading ancient literature and jewelry design. She has completed her new book Eastern Flame: a touching memoir of her passionate relationship with a kind and loving foreign exchange student attending school in the US. Truly epic love comes but once in a lifetime, no, in a millennium, transcending cultures, space, even time. The ultimate modern romantic tragedy written here within explores an unusual relationship between a worldly Taiwanese exchange student and a simple, hardworking, visually challenged preprimary educator, who is also an author. Journey vicariously along with these star-crossed lovers. Enjoy exhilarating courtship. Experience flaming hot desire. Feel the tingles of profound passion. Suffer through anger, pain, frustration, immeasurable sorrows. Shed sympathetic tears as two innocent souls are savagely ripped apart by unforeseeable circumstances. Witness desperate struggles as they vow to reunite someday. Endure dark, lonely emptiness, constant longings, enveloping depression. Not only is this uniquely structured novel a work of nonfiction, but its text has been adapted from and is comprised entirely of the authors personal journals, poems, love letters, and e-mails. Read her deepest and most private thoughts. Delve into the indescribable power of her affection. This honest, carefully written, poetic story is guaranteed to touch even the most emotionless hearts. Published by Page Publishing, Heather Mitchells engrossing book is a gripping and potent love story between soul mates forced by circumstances to part far too soon. Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Eastern Flame at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:55:13|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's August 1st aerobatics team will attend the Singapore Airshow, scheduled for Feb. 11 through Feb. 16. The August 1st team arrived in Singapore Wednesday and will give a performance at the air show, which will be the team's first appearance in the country. Established in 1962, the team has staged more than 600 aerobatic performances for over 700 delegations from 168 countries and regions. Police will allege Samuel William Davidson, 29, began drinking at 7am on the day of the Oatlands tragedy The accused drunk driver who killed four children at Oatlands on Saturday night had allegedly been on a drinking binge since 7am that day. Samuel William Davidson, 29, opened his first beer 13 hours before he lost control of his vehicle on Bettington Road in Sydney's north west, police sources revealed. Davidson is facing 20 charges, including four counts of manslaughter, following the deaths of Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veornique Sakr, 11. Daily Mail Australia can reveal police will allege Davidson spent the day drinking by the pool in 40C heat at the rental property he shared with two mates, before he got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi ute. Scroll down for video Antony (far left), 13, Angelina (far right), 12, and Sienna Abdallah (front left), 9, and their cousin Veornique Sakr, 11, were killed when Davidson's 4WD allegedly veered off the road and hit the group as they walked to get ice cream. Police allege Davidson was three times the legal limit By late afternoon he allegedly had a blood alcohol reading of 0.150, three times the legal limit. Police allege Davidson and a mate drove to a nearby Caltex petrol station to get cash from an ATM. Security footage from a house along a road between Davidson's home and the petrol station allegedly show his vehicle going past at high speed. As he returned from the petrol station, Davidson allegedly veered off the road and ploughed into the group of seven children, killing four instantly. When police arrived at the scene they found both Davidson and his mate shirtless, just wearing shorts. Police will also allege in court that as he came down the hill on Bettington Rd, Davidson reached speeds of between 100km/h and 130km/h in the 60km/h zone. Danny Abdallah - who lost three children in the horror crash - told Daily Mail Australia that despite being a drinker himself, he would now like to see the blood alcohol limit for drivers reduced to zero. 'I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero,' Mr Abdallah said. We have to do something... - Daniel Abdallah 'I think you should just know that you can't have any, that you can only have water, so the temptation isn't there. 'People think 'I'll just have one more, I'll be all right' because they don't want to get a taxi or an Uber, or they've spent all their money on the night out. 'We have to do something.' Police will allege Davidson (pictured) had been drinking by the pool at his rental house before getting in his ute to drive to a nearby ATM to get cash out, when the accident happened The backyard and swimming pool at the rental property Davidson shared with two mates at Oatlands, in Sydney's north west. Police will allege he had spent the day drinking on Saturday Police claim Davidson had been drinking with friends at home before he got behind the wheel of his ute. He drove to a Caltex service station about 1.8km away from his Oatlands home to get cash. While on his way home, he allegedly ran a red light before crashing into a group of seven children Daniel Abdallah (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia he thinks the blood alcohol limit should be reduced to zero for drivers Danny and Leila Abdallah at the makeshift shrine which has been set up at the scene where their three children were killed on Saturday night Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila (right) have returned to the scene of the crash on Bettington Rd to pray with friends, family and strangers, on multiple occasions in recent days Danny Abdallah with his six children. Three of the kids - Antony (centre), 13, Sienna (front), 9, and Angelina (right), 12, died on Saturday night when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver Locals in the area near where the crash happened say the sound of Davidson's 4WD slamming into the fence was so loud they 'thought a building had collapsed'. Many immediately rushed to help and were confronted by a 'nightmare' situation. Long-time residents say it is not the first time a car has lost control coming down the hill on Bettington Road. Mr Abdallah has now joined their calls for something to be done to slow down cars in the suburban area, which is loaded with schools. 'That hill is very steep and it's very hard to stay at 50 km/h because of the angle,' he said. HOW THE TRAGEDY UNFOLDED * Seven children were riding their bikes along the footpath of Beddington Road, Oatlands, just before 8pm on Saturday * The children were on the way to buy ice cream when a Mitsubishi 4WD allegedly ploughed into them *Residents raced to children's aid and frantically tried to save them while waiting for emergency services *Four children - including a boy, two of his sisters and a family friend - died at the scene * Another boy, ten, was rushed to hospital with critical head injuries but is now in a stable condition * Two girls were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries *Male 4WD driver, a 29-year-old from Oatlands, underwent roadside breath test and allegedly returned positive result *The alleged driver Samuel Davidson was arrested and taken to Castle Hill Police with his 24-year-old male passenger *Davidson was charged with four counts of manslaughter Advertisement Veronique Sakr, 11, was also killed in the tragedy. She was walking with six of her cousins to get ice cream when they were allegedly hit by Davidson's out-of-control vehicle Micheal Sakr, 9, holds his mother Bridget's hand for support as they visit the scene of the tragedy where his sister Veronique and three cousins were killed on Saturday night Charbel and Mabelle Kassas (pictured at front, with their parents and siblings) were injured in the crash and rushed to hospital. Charbel who is still fighting for life in a coma, while Mabelle has been released Danny and Leila Abdallah said they hope that if any good is to come from the tragic accident which killed three of their children, it will be that parents 'enjoy every minute with your kids' 'Anywhere where there's communities they need to assess the hills to see if you need speed humps, barricades or something to slow cars down.' Mr and Mrs Abdallah returned to the scene of the shocking accident on Wednesday where mourners continued to pay tribute and pray. 'Look, I'll never be able to get my kids back, but I can find peace in my heart (seeing) the impact my children have given to the world in unifying people globally,' he said. The stoic couple admit the past four days have taken a toll on them and their loved ones, but say they are comforted by the enormous support from across Australia. 'The hurt is always there, but you find a sense of peace (knowing) that people are out there thinking of their families, (or that) people are making peace with other people. Davidson had been to the nearby Caltex petrol station on Pennant Hills Rd (pictured) to withdraw cash from an ATM and was returning home when the accident happened Security footage from a house along a road between Davidson's home and the petrol station allegedly show his vehicle going past at high speed. A picture from the Facebook account of Davidson (pictured) 'If people are tired and fatigued they will go to work and work those extra hours, but they won't play with their kids, they'll say: ''Oh I'm too tired''. 'All I ask through this is that fathers be fathers, and mothers be mothers.' Mrs Abdallah said she and her relatives had visited her children's bodies on Tuesday and now feels 'at peace'. 'To be honest with you, I feel at peace with God,' she said. 'Yesterday I went and saw my kids, I went and saw them the way I saw them at the scene and they looked at peace. 'We're still mourning and we're still upset. We still have our days where we cry and scream in disbelief it's an (emotional) rollercoaster. '(But) after praying and praying I felt at peace. I felt that my kids could still hear me and that they are around us. It's amazing.' The three Abdallah children will be farwelled in a funeral service on Monday. Mourners continue to place flowers at the accident scene on Bettington Rd at Oatlands A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath mocked Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for chanting Hanuman Chalisa, the latter said that he expects people in BJP also to do the same. Replying to a question on his reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, Kejriwal told ANI here, "It was a coincidence. There was an interview going on. He (the interviewer) said that BJP members were saying that I am anti-Hindu. I replied that I help senior citizens to seek blessings at Vaishno Devi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Shirdi, Tirupati, then how am I anti-Hindu? I am a staunch believer of Lord Hanuman." He added, "When I said this, he asked whether I know Hanuman Chalisa. So, I replied yes and he asked me to recite it. BJP has a problem with this too." Addressing a rally in Delhi, Yogi Adityanath had on Tuesday said that after Kejriwal, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi will also start chanting Hanuman Chalisa. When asked about this, Kejriwal replied, "I expect the BJP members also to read it (Hanuman Chalisa). I don't think, those from BJP would have read Hanuman Chalisa in their entire life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A couple have been accused of burying their two-year-old daughter up to her neck in sand and leaving her for 45 minutes in the blazing sun so they could have sex in the sea in Argentina. Police found the child 'hungry and sunburnt' in the 95F (35C) heat in Santa Clara del Mar, 250 miles south of the capital Buenos Aires, on Monday. The couple, both aged 29, were taken into custody after allegedly resisting arrest. They also face drugs charges after officers found cannabis, ecstasy and more than 200 pills of the sedative Rivotril in the mother's handbag. The couple (pictured in police custody) were arrested after burying their baby on the beach Police also found cannabis, ecstasy and 200 pills of sedative Rivotril in the mother's handbag The couple will be kept in custody until they appear in court and their child has been taken into temporary care. Another man who was reportedly with the couple fled the scene before police arrived. Other beachgoers are said to have called the police after they saw the couple performing 'obscene exhibitions' while 'diving into the sea.' Police said that while they were in the sea 'they left a child of two years buried in the sand of the beach up to the neck.' A source told the Argentinian newspaper Clarin: 'It was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit so imagine what that poor little girl was like.' The father of the child is Argentinian and the mother is from Paraguay. Neither has been named. The mortality rate for known cases of the novel coronavirus is significantly higher in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, than other parts of the country a gap that health officials and experts are racing to close by ramping up medical assistance and enhancing the region's critical care capability. The mortality rate total deaths as a proportion of the number of confirmed cases is running at 2.1 percent on the Chinese mainland, down from 2.3 percent at the onset of the outbreak, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. In Hubei province, the death rate of confirmed infections averages at 3.1 percent, while in Wuhan, the provincial capital, where the disease first surfaced, the mortality rate is estimated to be around 4.9 percent, according to the commission. After excluding infections and fatalities reported in Hubei, the death rate in 30 other provincial-level regions on the mainland dropped to 0.16 percent, according to Jiao Yahui, deputy chief of the commission's medical administration and supervision department. A dire shortage of intensive care specialists and hospital beds has contributed to the higher mortality rate in Wuhan, Jiao said. "The three hospitals designated to receive infected patients in severe condition house a total of 110 beds in their intensive care units, which far from meets the demand," she said. "The remaining seriously ill patients are then allocated to about 20 medical institutions across the city, which may not be able to provide sufficient professional care from intensive care staff," Jiao said. "This has also weakened the city's capability to save critically ill patients." To address the shortage, the commission has recently assigned three other hospitals in Wuhan to focus on treating severe cases of the new virus. They are designed to accommodate a total of 1,000 patients requiring special care. About 3,000 doctors and nurses specializing in providing intensive care will be deployed to take charge of wards receiving patients in a serious condition, the commission said. "A new team composed of the presidents or leading Party officials of 16 hospitals across the country has also gathered and is on standby. It is intended to improve the management of intensive care units in Wuhan and drive down the mortality rate in the city," Jiao said. Li Lanjuan, a member of the commission's senior-level expert panel, said in an interview with China Central Television on Monday night that the outbreak is nearing its peak. The rising caseload is straining the already overburdened medical institutions in Hubei, leading to a lack of medical staff capable of concentrating on the critically ill, Li said. "In Hubei, and particularly in Wuhan, one doctor could be under great pressure to monitor several patients, while in other regions, a handful of doctors are able to focus on one patient," she said. Official figures released on Tuesday morning show that the number of confirmed cases in Hubei province rose by 2,345 on Monday, including 1,242 new cases in Wuhan, to 13,522. The death toll in the region went up by 64 to 414 on Monday. "However, with the medical assistance and advanced therapies destined for Wuhan, it is very likely that the disease will be contained and the death rate will be cut," Li added. Though much remains unknown about the novel coronavirus, medical experts largely agree that it is not as lethal as other pathogens from the same family. In contrast, severe acute respiratory syndrome killed about 9.6 percent of those who contracted the virus, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome, which still sees isolated cases cropping up, now kills about one-in-three, according to the World Health Organization. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during an online daily news conference on Tuesday that the mortality rate of the novel coronavirus infections in China is far lower than that of the H1N1 flu outbreak in the United States in 2009, MERS and Ebola. She reiterated China's opposition to unreasonably strong reactions to the epidemic, but said a global effort is needed to overcome the epidemic. According to Jiao, from the National Health Commission, 80 percent of the deaths during the novel coronavirus outbreak have occurred among those age 60 and over, and 75 percent of the dead suffered from existing medical conditions. Most cases are not critical, she said. "There is no need to panic." Li Xinwang, head of Beijing Ditan Hospital's center for infectious diseases, said as research into effective antiviral drugs is underway, consistent life support and respiratory assistance are crucial for patients during treatment. Photo: (Photo : pxhere) Thinking of getting you kids a tablet this year? Here are the best tablets you can get them, and you can easily order them from Amazon today! With the Kidoz App pre-installed, you can easy-to-use parental controls to allow kids to access educational and entertaining apps and websites, filter age-appropriate content. Additionally, parents can access all tablet features in the adult profile. This tablet comes with a durable kid-proof case that is made of high-quality soft silicone material, provides protection against drops, bumps, and dirt by kids at play, and has height adjustable back clip that comes in two height levels. It is now more convenient to watch videos and play games on the tables. This tablet also comes with an all-new free Disney Book, including 18 Disney storybooks and 5 audiobooks such as Frozen, Brave, Cars, Coco, Finding Nemo, Cinderella, and a whole lot more. This professional kids' tablet has preloaded 120+ learning apps in all subjects: English, math, music, painting, social, study, art, logic, safety, manners, encyclopedia, stories, animals, plants, countries, and more. This tablet features a blue filtering screen, 8" HD screen, is waterproof, has a dual magic camera, and a parental control zone that switches security mode that kids can and can't use tablet while it's charging. It can also be used as an ordinary tablet so you can easily access and download YouTube videos. This tablet comes in two languages, English and Spanish, has a one-button switch providing two different language environments for kids to develop their learning abilities. Designed for discoveries, Samsung kids gives little ones their pick over 10,000+ hours of kid-friendly activities, featuring the characters kids love. This tablet lets your kids rule their own world, and your rules will rest easy knowing your kids are interacting with the content you can trust. Plus, set time, limits, and monitor what they're watching. This tablet is safe in small hands and is made for little hands. It also includes a durable bumper case to protect against bumps and drops. The VANKYO MatrixPad Z1 kids tablet comes with the COPPA Certified Kid App Kidoz preloaded, a shock-resistant bumper with a built-in stand and eye health mode which filters blue light. It is a 7-inch tablet that runs on a 1.5 GHz quadcore processor, Android 8.1, Go OS, and has Bluetooth. The tablet weighs less than 1lb so it is very lightweight to bring everywhere. It also has a parental control mode where parents can create and customize profiles for kid's accounts, hand-pick content for your kids, and control screen time and ensure they are browsing safe websites. With pre-installed learning games and educational apps, the Contixo V8 Kids tablet comes with 10 chart-topping and educator-approved academic and entertaining apps such as math, reading, writing, coding, music, problem-solving, and creativity skills. It is a powerful, full-featured tablet that runs on 1.5 GHz quadcore processor, has 16GB storage, and runs on Android 8.1 Go OS. This tablet is kid-safe right out of the box and comes with a tough bumper and 7" shatter-safe HD screen. This has got to be the best tablet for both kids and parents. With the Kid Mode pre-installed, there's no need to worry about unfriendly content on the Internet. With a quad-core processor, it delivers the perfect mix of power, portability, and performance. You will definitely get an all-in-one powerful device with this tablet. This is a great gadget for kids to learn and a great gadget for parents to let their kids learn while being monitored from time to time. For more great products, visit amazon.com now! I drive a taxi in Kelowna and I have been reading some people complaining about local taxi rates. First, taxi companies are not allowed to set their own rates. In Kelowna every company should charge about $2.25 per kilometre which is a rate set by the Passenger Transportation Board. Ride hailing drivers do not have to pay $5M commercial liability, which comes to $750 a month just for insurance. Second, on taxi rates there is sales tax which ride hailing companies are not required to charge. In Kelowna all taxis are owner operated Uber is partially owned by Saudi Arabia. There is a reason why fares are so cheap in Uber cars and I would encourage people to do some research before jumping to the conclusion that taxi companies set high rates. Jacob Travis It's too early to write off former Vice President Joe Biden's White House bid despite a likely fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Democratic megadonor and tech investor Alan Patricof told CNBC on Wednesday. Biden trails ex-Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Iowa state delegate equivalents with 71% of precincts reporting. A tech glitch delayed the results of the first-in-the-nation nominating contest, which was held on Monday night. "I think that Joe never expected to really win Iowa. I'm sure he expected to do better," said Patricof, the wealthy founder of venture capital giant Greycroft. He endorsed Biden back in September. Biden, who unsuccessfully ran for president twice before, hopes for strong showings the Nevada caucuses, on Feb. 22, and the South Carolina primary, on Feb. 29. He leads the pack in those states. However, the former vice president is polling well behind Sanders in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's primary. "After South Carolina, then this discussion will change if [Biden] he doesn't show a dramatic change," said Patricof. "But I think he's still very much in the race. Don't discount him." Patricof said he was in Iowa about two weeks ago, knocking on doors in support of Biden. He said his takeaway at the time was that many voters were undecided. Biden's campaign recently tried to reassure top donors that the candidate was still in a position to win in Nevada and South Carolina, states with significantly more diverse electorates than Iowa and New Hampshire. Patricof said he remains in Biden's camp, but suggested he could eventually support former New York City Mayor and billionaire businessman Mike Bloomberg if Biden were no longer be a formidable candidate. "You could probably guess who my No. 2 would be," Patricof said, never mentioning Bloomberg by name but saying he liked the letter "B." But Patricof stressed that he thinks Biden still "has a good chance of pulling this out." Patricof and his wife, Susan, bundled at least $100,000 for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. He also helped raise money for Democrats during their successful effort to gain a majority in the House of Representatives during the 2018 midterm elections. BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday said that the inclusion of a Dalit member in the Ram Temple Trust is an example of social harmony and termed the formation of the Trust as a historic decision. "Today is a historic day and the dream of every Hindustani has come true. In this Trust, social harmony has been emphasised by representing Dalit society. I once again warmly congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this," said Nadda in an official statement. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in the Lok Sabha the formation of a Trust for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaking in the lower House of Parliament, he said, "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A Trust has been formed, it is called Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerath Kshetra." Prime Minister's announcement was hailed with loud slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' from the members of the ruling party. Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that three will be 15 trustees in the Trust, of whom one will mandatorily be from the Dalit community. "The way the country has received and acknowledged the decision of construction of Ram Temple, it showed how strong the fabric of the Indian society is. I also congratulate all the countrymen for this strong solidarity," Nadda said. Thee BJP President thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for granting five acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board as requested by the central government. "According to the court's decision, the central government had requested the Uttar Pradesh government to give five acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board, which has also been agreed by the UP government. I also thank the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath Ji and the BJP government of the state for this," Nadda said. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had in November ruled unanimously in the favour of Ram Lalla. It said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7 acres will be handed over to a Trust to formed by the government, which will oversee the construction of Ram temple at the site. The court had asked the government to give 5-acre land to Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On the penultimate day of campaigning for the Delhi polls on Wednesday, the AAP, the and the slugged it out over issues ranging from citizenship law, appeasement politics and unemployment. The fielded its leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to attack the AAP and the BJP, even as war of words escalated between the and the AAP which traded barbs over the Shaheen Bagh shooter. On Tuesday, police had said that Kapil Baisala, the man who opened fire at Shaheen Bagh protest site last week, was an AAP worker. Addressing a press conference, Delhi Chief Minister said that if Baisala was even remotely connected to the his party then he should be given a "double punishment". "I am not aware of his (Baisala's ties) with the any political party. If he is even remotely connected to the AAP, he should be given double punishment. There should be no compromise on national security," he said. Attacking Home Minister Amit Shah, Kejriwal said that sending police officers for a press conference exposed his "ill-intent". Meanwhile, a delegation, headed by Union minister Prakash Javadekar, met the Election Commission seeking an FIR against AAP leaders, citing the firing by an alleged AAP worker near Shaheen Bagh protest here. "The police have revealed that the person who fired had joined the AAP. There are photos of AAP leader Sanjay Singh and others welcoming him. This is an open and shut case of a conspiracy to instigate two communities and create vote bank in one of them. The AAP's plan was to disturb communal amity. We have given all the proof to the EC," said Javadekar, who is his party's in-charge for the Delhi polls. Addressing a rally in Kondli in east Delhi, Shah said the polls were a contest between two ideologies and results will be a shocker to everyone. He said the AAP and the opposed the BJP on issues like Citizenship Amendment Act, Ram temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of provisions of Article 370 due to fear of their "vote bank". "Are you their vote bank," he asked the crowd which said no. "Who is their vote bank," he again asked the gathering that replied, "Shaheen Bagh". "Delhi are not a contest between two parties. You have to choose between two ideologies -- Rahul Baba, Kejriwal and the company which supports Shaheen Bagh or Modi who is safeguarding the country," he said. Shah also attacked Kejriwal accusing him of being "number one liar" and alleged that the AAP government failed to fulfil its promises. He promised to grant sanction to prosecute JNU case accused Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, and Sharjeel Imam, who was booked under sedition charges, within one hour of the BJP forming government in Delhi. Meanwhile Rahul Gandhi hit out at Shah, saying that people should not listen to him as his speeches contain "only trash". Addressing poll rallies in Kondli and Chandni Chowk assembly constituencies of Delhi, the Congress leader claimed that unlike the leaders of other parties, he never lied in his speeches. "The speeches of PM (Narendra) Modi, (Delhi Chief Minister) are nothing but full of lies," Gandhi said. "I have been in politics for 15 years. You can listen to any of my speeches, you won't find a single lie. You listen to Modi, Kejriwal, Shah...leave it. Don't listen to Shah, they (his speeches) contain only trash," he said. Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the PM does not want the youth to get employment as it works like oxygen for his politics. Gandhi said there was no need for the prime minister to give lessons on nationalism and he should explain why was he not able to provide employment to the youth. He said before Modi came to power in 2014, there was no Hindu-Muslim divide in the country from 2004-2014 but then "he comes from Gujarat and spreads poison". "The youth now does not know what he has in store for the future. He has fear in his heart. Narendra Modi does not want the youth to get employment because unemployment is oxygen for his politics," he said. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked BJP leaders, saying their character can be defined by the kind of slogans they raise, and claimed that the AAP was copying former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's development model. She also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister of being "hungry for publicity". "Slogans tell character. Those who worked in the nation's interest can be identified by their slogans. Our (Congress) slogans were 'Jai jawan, jai kisan', 'Mai yuva hoon', 'Mera ek sapna hai', 'Aaram haram hai', 'Roti, kapda, makaan'," the Congress leader said. "Their (BJP's) slogans are 'Goli maro; khoon se tilak karo, boli nahi goli. Ye desh jodne wale nare hain'? (Are these slogans in favour of bringing the country together)," she said at a poll rally in Chandni Chowk. The Congress general secretary also said that Dikshit during her tenure as chief minister had developed Delhi into what it is today. Attacking the BJP, she said, "What kind of politics is this? Violence is used in response to truth and non-violence. They spoil and ruin instead of making and enhancing. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man wearing a yellow face mask and a sign on his back reading, 'Caution, I have the Coronavirus,' walked into a Walmart store in Illinois on Sunday and sprayed Lysol on merchandise, police said. The man entered the store in Joliet with another man at around 4pm and began spraying what turned out to be disinfectant on produce, clothing, and health and beauty items, according to The Chicago Tribune. Police believe the two men, both in their 20s, were playing a prank. Sergeant Chris Botzum, a spokesman for the Joliet Police Department, said the man who was spraying the Lysol may have been filmed by his accomplice. Surveillance images of the two men. A man wearing a yellow face mask and a sign on his back reading, 'Caution, I have the Coronavirus,' walked into a Walmart store in Illinois on Sunday and sprayed Lysol on merchandise, police said The man entered the store in Joliet with another man at around 4pm and began spraying what turned out to be disinfectant on produce, clothing, and health and beauty items No one is believed to have been exposed to coronavirus in the incident. Officers were called to the store but the two men had already taken off in a white 2003 GMC Yukon after being confronted by shoppers. Walmart estimated that the prank caused about $10,000 in damages, including $7,300 in loss of produce and $2,400 in cleanup costs. Police are now searching for the pair and have been trying to contact the owner of the Yukon. Police are asking anyone with information about the identity of the two men to contact the Joliet Police Department's investigation unit at 815-724-3020 or Detective Ryan Myers at 815-724-3056. This is the second coronavirus prank in as many days, after an Instagram star caused carnage on board a flight from Toronto to Jamaica when he allegedly yelled he had coronavirus. Police believe the two men, both in their 20s, were playing a prank. Sergeant Chris Botzum, a spokesman for the Joliet Police Department, said the man who was spraying the Lysol may have been filmed by his accomplice. They caused $10,000 worth of damages The Walmart store in Illinois where the incident took place. There have been two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois Potok Philippe, real name James Potok, was arrested and charged with mischief on Monday after crew on board the WestJet plane from Toronto to Jamaica were alerted to his actions and the jet was forced to turn back. A second flight was also cancelled as a result of the incident. The 28-year-old, from Vaughan, told City News 'it was simply a joke' after he told the 243 passengers: 'Can I get everybodys attention please. I just came back from Hunan province, the capital of the coronavirus. Im not feeling too well. Thank you.' Airline crew asked him to put on a mask and gloves and the plane had to turn around. Potok defended his actions, saying: 'It would be something else if I said hey guys I have a bomb strapped to me, I have a weapon on me, people blew it out of proportion. To me it was simply a joke.' Investigators from Peel Regional Police Airport Division Criminal Investigation Bureau confirmed Potok was assessed by medical staff upon arrival at Pearson Airport and deemed to be symptom free. This comes as the death toll for coronavirus continues to creep up, with 493 people worldwide killed by the disease. The pace of fatalities is ramping up with 68 additional deaths recorded in the last 24 hours alone. Most of the deaths have been in Hubei province where the disease is believed to have emerged from. To date, there are currently 24,584 confirmed cases of the deadly disease worldwide. Last week, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency. Another prankster: An Instagram star caused carnage on board a flight from Toronto to Jamaica when he allegedly yelled he had coronavirus (pictured) Potok Philippe, real name James Potok, (pictured right) was arrested and charged with mischief on Monday after crew on board the WestJet plane from Toronto to Jamaica were alerted to his actions and the jet was forced to turn back In the US, there are 11 confirmed cases to date, including two in Illinois. On Sunday, officials confirmed the latest cases in the US as a husband and wife in San Francisco and a woman in Santa Clara. Concerns about the virus spurred the Trump administration to declare a public health emergency Friday and bar entry to the US for foreign nationals who have recently visited China. New security measures have been put in place, where all airlines operating in the US are now required to ask all passengers booked on international flights if they've traveled to mainland China in the last 14 days. Th global death toll for coronavirus continues to creep up, with 493 people killed by the disease Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport on January 29. In the US, there are 11 confirmed cases to date, including two in Illinois Although Chinese nationals or any foreign national who has traveled to mainland China will not be granted entry, this new order also relates to US citizens. US citizens who have traveled to the mainland need to re-book their flights through one of the seven gateway airports, including, John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta or Honolulu. In addition, US citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to Hubei will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, believed to be the incubation period of the virus, officials said. Americans who visited other parts of mainland China will undergo special health screening upon their return, followed by up to 14 days of 'monitored self-quarantine,' under the temporary restrictions. The first quarantines of US citizens potentially exposed to coronavirus in China began on Friday. A man who had pulled off the road to take a nap was shot by an unknown gunman outside a southwest Houston strip center late Tuesday night. The victim and his passenger were driving in southwest Houston when the driver became tired, so he drove into the parking lot of a shopping center in the 8900 block of Braeswood Boulevard, according to Houston Police Department detective Bobby Salazar. Thats when a masked man walked up to the car and opened fire, striking the victim, Salazar said. An error has occurred within file /articles.aspx Please report the error to support@bizcommunity.com and it will be fixed as soon as possible. A California elementary school has to pay for playing a Disney movie at a school fundraising event. According to KPIX, The Dad's Club of the PTA played the most-recent version of "The Lion King" at the school's "Parent's Night Out" fundraiser in November. I think one of the dads owned the movie. He had bought it at Walmart and we just basically threw it on while the kids were playing in the auditorium, PTA president David Rose told the news outlet. Recently, the school received a letter from SWANK Movie Licensing USA. The company enforces Disney's cinematic copyrights. According to KPIX, it informed the school they could not play the movie without a license and demanded $250 for the mistake. "The Federal Copyright Act specifies that copyrighted materials like movies can be used in your schools if properly licensed. Its important to know that neither the rental nor purchase of a movie carries the right to exhibit it outside of someones home. However, Movie Licensing USA can properly license movies for copyright compliant showings in your school," the company's website states. Rose said the fundraiser made $800. It helps to pay teachers and support school services. Here you have a company that makes so much money and we have schools that are struggling so much, Verkeley City Council member Lori Droste said. What I thought about was just the irony of having a multibillion dollar company essentially ask a school to pay up. According to reports, it is unknown how the school was reported for the violation. The PTA president said it will pay the fee, but hopes the money can be collected again through donations. Idemoto brings extensive experience in leading strategic planning as well as business and network development in both academic medical centers and community health systems. He most recently held positions as vice president of network development and the chief operating officer of the medical group and clinically integrated network at the University of Chicago Medicine. "Patrick's experience as a health care executive and his ability to drive growth and innovation aligns with the Stanford Children's Health culture and vision," said Paul King, president and chief executive officer, Stanford Children's Health. "He's led a successful career in business and network development, as well as ambulatory development and physician relations. His expertise will help us to accomplish key strategic and operational goals." At the University of Chicago Medicine, Idemoto was responsible for expanding the health system's network through acquisitions, mergers, partnerships, and affiliations. He developed new partnerships and service agreements to provide clinical services with area hospitals as well as establish a multispecialty community medical group. Prior to his role at the University of Chicago, he served as vice president of strategy and business development for Advocate Health Care's medical group and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Illinois. Idemoto serves on the board of the American Hospital Association. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with master's degrees in business administration and in health policy and administration. Marcie A. Atchison, JD As the organization's new chief human resources officer, Atchison will be responsible for leading Human Resources (HR) operations and strategy, including communication of policies and procedures, organization development, integrated talent management, and developing labor strategy. With nearly 20 years of strategic HR leadership experience, Atchison joins the organization after spending five years as vice president of human resources at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Women's & Children's Hospital. She has extensive experience developing strategies for employee relations and recognition programs, including successfully managing union negotiations. "Marcie brings wonderful HR expertise coupled with strategic and business capabilities," said King. "Her experience in building a high performance and accountability leadership culture as well as applying LEAN principles to human resources operations will benefit our organization and ultimately the communities we serve." Prior to joining MemorialCare, Atchison was the senior vice president of HR for Telecare Corporation, a private for-profit behavioral health system organization based in the Bay Area and was the vice president, chief human resources officer for St. Joseph Mercy hospitals in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to her executive roles, she practiced employment and labor law in Michigan. Atchison holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University and a law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law. She is a proud U.S. Air Force veteran and served her country during Operation Desert Storm. About Stanford Children's Health Stanford Children's Health, with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford at its center, is the Bay Area's largest health care system exclusively dedicated to children and expectant mothers. Our network of care includes more than 65 locations across Northern California and 100 locations in the U.S. Western region. As part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that also includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford University School of Medicine, we are cultivating the next generation of medical professionals and are at the forefront of scientific research to improve children's health outcomes around the world. We are a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the community through meaningful outreach programs and services and providing necessary medical care to families, regardless of their ability to pay. Discover more at stanfordchildrens.org. Media Contact: Elizabeth Valente [email protected] C: (650) 269-5401 SOURCE Stanford Childrens Health Related Links http://www.stanfordchildrens.org Burma Teacher in Rakhine Injured by Myanmar Military Shelling Primary school teacher Daw Khin Htay Win at Sittwe Hospital. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy SITTWE, Rakhine StateA schoolteacher in Rakhine States Rathedaung Township was seriously injured after being hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell that fell on her house on Monday evening. Daw Khin Htay Win, a 28-year-old primary school teacher of Konetan Village in Pyeintaw Village-tract was hit in the chest with shrapnel and rushed to the public hospital in the state capital of Sittwe. A naval vessel came down along the river shooting the right and left banks. I shouted at [my family] to run as the shells came down, said Daw Hla Mya Thein, the mother of the victim. I took my younger sister and rushed to the bomb shelter. My [elder] daughter was changing clothes after coming back from school. Then as she ran to the bomb shelter, she was hit by shrapnel. Family members of the victim and local villagers said the artillery shells came from two naval vessels that sailed down the Mayu River. They were apparently fired to prevent the Arakan Army (AA) from attacking the vessels. We saw the vessels come down along the Mayu River and thats where the artillery shells were fired from. I dont know how many times they shot. Half of my house was burnt down. Only after the firing was over did we dare to go outside and send my daughter to the hospital, said Daw Hla Mya Thein. Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed that there was fighting between the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, and the AA but said on Tuesday that he still had no information about civilian injuries in the clash. The naval vessels were transporting troops on Monday. The AA troops attacked us with medium-sized machine guns and we returned fire but I dont know about civilian injures, said Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun. However, AA information officer Khaing Thukha denied that there was any clash near Konetan Village on Monday. There was no fighting [with the AA] at all there on Monday. The naval vessels on the Mayu River were just recklessly shooting. Upper House lawmaker U Khin Maung Latt of Rathedaung Township agreed with the AA information officer. That village is located on the border of Rathedaung and Buthidaung townships. We heard that the naval vessels fired shots in four directions. They should not shoot recklessly at civilian areasit is illegal. It is also prohibited by the Geneva Convention. It is a crime, the lawmaker told The Irrawaddy. A 46-year-old woman and two of her family members were also injured by artillery in Pyeintaw Village on Sunday. She and one of her sons were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at Sittwe Hospital. A woman was killed and another three men were injured by artillery shells in urban areas of Kyauktaw Township on Monday morning. The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services claimed the shells were fired by the AA. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: UN Security Council Fails to Agree on Statement Urging Myanmar to Follow ICJ Measures in Genocide Case NLD Renegade Joins New Myanmar Political Party Myanmar Opium Cultivation in Decline: UN Report New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Congress has alleged that Aam Aadmi Party is using the name of Lord Ram to garner votes in the Delhi Assembly election. Congress alleged that a video doing the rounds on social media in this regard, was made with the consent of top leaders in AAP. Congress Sandeep Dikshit demanded that the Election Commission should take action against the AAP while the AAP has clarified that this is not their official video and the party has nothing to do with it. The purported video which is being shared on social media groups, shows a Hindu man who wants to vote for another party and is in a dilemma but Lord Ram appears in his dream and advises him to vote for the AAP. Dikshit said "this is a clear violation of the model code of conduct and the authorities should take action as no party can use the name of Gods to get votes, this is their agenda (AAP) to communalise the election." The Congress leader alleged that there is no difference between AAP and BJP as both seek votes in the name of religion and only talk of development. The Prime Minister has announced the setting up of a trust to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court judgment. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has welcomed the step. Appointment 5 February 2020 In this new role, Cuypers will focus on expanding sustainability initiatives at the restaurants and bars at Louis T Collection's properties in Thailand, Taiwan, and Australia. Examples of the group's next steps include forbidding suppliers to deliver produce in single-use plastics, reducing overall food wastage by coming up with creative solutions to use food that may otherwise be disposed of, and implementing procedures for energy and water savings in the kitchens. At Quay Perth they're starting a program to donate excess food to a local food bank. The Belgium national brings a wealth of experience from around Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Cuypers' most recent role was with Accor Thailand in 2019, where he was director of food & beverage for Novotel Hua Hin and Novotel Surin Beach and was in charge of their 18 dining outlets. He held the same role at H Hotel Dubai from 2017 - 2018 where he managed operations of the property's award winning restaurants. He also lived and worked in Dubai's neighbor to the west, Southern Sun Hotel Abu Dhabi, where he was assistant director of food and beverage for a year. Cuypers has held the positions of outlet manager, restaurant manager, and bar manager since he began his career over 15 years ago. Quay Perth operates a popular rooftop bar & restaurant called HQ that will become the group's signature venue under his direction. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Uma Bharti on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the announcement of the formation of the Ram Mandir Trust. The senior BJP leader tweeted in Hindi: "PM Modi has announced the decision of the Cabinet in the Parliament - "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra" Temple will be built under the supervision of the Trust. I was eagerly waiting for this moment in my life for very long. For this day only, I had risked my life in Ayodhya once. Many thanks to Prime Minister @narendramodi." Modi on Wednesday announced in the Lok Sabha that the government has given approval to the proposal for "Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra" trust to take care of the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and other related issues. The announcement was hailed by the ministers as well as parties like the Shiv Sena and the MNS. The announcement on the temple trust has sent a wave of jubilation in Ayodhya too. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will pay a visit to Azerbaijan to attend the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council), which will be held in Baku on February 6, 2020, Trend reports referring to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The foreign ministers of the member-states of the Turkic Council, namely, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as Hungarys deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade (observer member) will attend the meeting to discuss the urgent matters on the agenda of the Turkic Council, the message said. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Uzbekistan joined the organization in 2019. The organization's goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Teachers at schools, colleges and universities in HCM City are applying a wide range of teaching methods to help their students learn online while the schools are closed until February 9 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A lecturer at HCM City University of Technology and Education records lectures for online study for students this week while schools are closed until February 9 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Photo tuoitre.vn Pham Nhu Tung, a physics teacher at Ernst Thalmann High School in District 1, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper that he has prepared online practice tests for his students. He has recorded theoretical lectures and posted them on YouTube, making it easy for students to watch the content, he said. My students and I regularly exchange information relating to lessons on Facebook group chats, he said, adding that he also live-streams on Facebook to correct tests for students. Nguyen Ly Thuy, a maths teacher at Vietnam Australia International School, said her students can see assigned exercises by using Microsoft Office 365 during their days off. Students can use their phones or chat online to ask me any question, she said. Lecturers and students at the HCM City University of Science are using the flipped classroom method this week. Van Chi Nam, deputy head of the universitys Department of Information Technology, said the students can access learning materials (lectures, readings, practice tests and video clips) via the online learning management system (LMS). They can use online chat windows to talk directly with each other if they need to, he said. Technology-based tools and resources help students more effectively than previous teaching and learning methodologies, he said. The HCM City University of Technology and Education has also been promoting online teaching and learning this week. All lecturers and students are provided user accounts to access the universitys LMS system. After nearly two years of operation, the system helps students reduce the amount of time they need to spend in classrooms. Students at Van Lang and Hong Bang universities are also studying online until the end of this week. VNS Basic principles to reduce transmission of nCoV Basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections caused by the new coronavirus. 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WHIPPLE CREEK REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - GT BARRINGTON WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - LENOX WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - SALISBURY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY, LENOX WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE Williamstown Realty Group WITALISZ & ASSOCIATES, INC. WOLCOTT REALTY www.HomeZu.com United Airlines on Tuesday said it will suspend Hong Kong service, days after it cut its mainland China flights as coronavirus spreads. The Chicago-based carrier said demand had dropped for the routes. The suspension begins Feb. 8 and will last until Feb. 20 but more changes are possible. More than 20,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported worldwide as of Tuesday. "We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and make any necessary changes to our schedule," the company said in a statement. The suspension of Hong Kong follows a similar step American Airlines announced earlier Tuesday. Dozens of international airlines are cutting or suspending their China service because of the virus. American Airlines on Tuesday suspended its Hong Kong service, halting flights to and from Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles through Feb. 20 citing a drop in demand as the coronavirus spreads. Wuhan builds 3 temporary hospitals for mild nCoV cases Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/4 20:31:53 Wuhan is building three temporary hospitals in a local gymnasium, an exhibition center and a building complex to expand its capacity for receiving and treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The hospitals have been named Fangcang, meaning a field hospital with a square cabin, which is a modular health unit with emergency treatment, surgical treatment, clinical testing and other facilities. The Wuhan international convention center, Hongshan Stadium and a cultural building complex called "Wuhan living room" will be converted into temporary hospitals with a total capacity of 3,400 beds to treat coronavirus patients in mild condition. The temporary hospitals will be equipped with beddings, tables and chairs, electric blankets and other essentials. If the patient's conditions become worse, they will be transferred to the other designated hospitals for further treatment, officials said. More than 1,000 beds have been in place in the convention center with at least 500 workers on site starting 3 am on Tuesday, the National Business Daily reported. Beds will be managed separately in divided units. At Wuhan international convention center, every unit with 50 beds is managed by one doctor and one nurse. Despite the partition between units, having patients stay in a common space without isolation sparked concerns about the privacy and risks of cross-infection. A biggest challenge for the hospitals' construction is how to effectively isolate the epidemic, Pan Zhenyu, director of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, told Yangtze Daily on Tuesday. "The roof of the Hongshan Stadium is high, which makes it difficult to install ventilation and sewage facilities at the venue," Pan noted. Conversion work started on late Monday under the order issued by Wuhan's headquarters for epidemic control. The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that 20 Fangcang, or cabin hospitals, across the country will be assembled in Wuhan to ease the bed shortage. Some 1,400 nurses were dispatched to Wuhan to take care of patients at all the Fangcang hospitals. Wuhan's first makeshift hospital special for coronavirus patients in serious conditions, Huoshenshan, received its first 50 patients on Tuesday morning. Leishenshan, another makeshift hospital, is expected to be completed on Wednesday. As of Monday midnight, 13,522 cases of the novel coronavirus had been confirmed in Central China's Hubei Province, with 6,384 confirmed cases coming from Wuhan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi, Feb 5 : India's January composite PMI of 56.3 comes in at a 7-year high whereas services PMI signals strongest show of 7 year high of 55.5 in January. India's January manufacturing activity as earlier announced had hit near eight-year high as orders jump. The services sector started 2020 on a strong note with the IHS Markit India Services Business Activity Index coming in at 55.5 in January 2020, up from 53.3 in December 2019. This signalled the strongest upturn in output for seven years. High demand pushed the fastest increase in new orders and output for seven years. As a result, job creation was sustained and business optimism maintained, the latest IHS Markit Services PMI showed. The Composite PMI Output Index increased from 53.7 in December to a seven-year high of 56.3 in January. January data showed that growth of private sector activity moved up a gear, amid broad based accelerations across manufacturing and services. The main factor boosting growth was a sudden wave of new businesses. Aggregate sales rose at the sharpest pace since January 2013, with quicker increases evident at goods producers and service providers, according to IHS Markit. "The Indian service sector sprung to life at the start of 2020, defying expectations of fragility and building on the momentum gained at the end of 2019," Pollyanna De Lima, principal economist at IHS Markit, said in a statement. "With business revenues rising, service providers continued to increase capacity to meet further strong growth in sales. This is good news for jobseekers, particularly when we consider the results from the manufacturing industry which showed the steepest upturn in employment since August 2012." A sub-index tracking new business also climbed to its highest since January 2013, encouraging firms to maintain a strong hiring rate. Yet, not everything was rosy. New export business - a proxy of foreign demand - contracted last month, falling to its lowest since May 2018 on weaker demand from China, the United States and Europe. Pressure could heighten further amid growing global risks from China's coronavirus epidemic which has rapidly spread to other countries and claimed nearly 500 lives, mainly in mainland China, it said. Ankara: A plane skidded off a runway as it tried to land in Istanbul, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane. Television footage showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage appearing to be broken into three pieces at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Wednesday, local time. NTV television reported that the plane, which belonged to the low-cost airline Pegasus, arrived from the city of Izmir. NTV said it caught fire after skidding but said the blaze had been extinguished. The airport was shut down and flights were being diverted to Istanbul's main airport. UAE Exchange, a leading financial services brand in Tanzania and a Finablr company, announced the rebranding of its operation as Unimoni. The new brand will drive the groups agenda of facilitating seamless movement of money through a broad spectrum of innovative financial services aimed at enabling customers to fulfil their financial aspirations. The rebranding in Tanzania, in line with Unimonis Africa growth strategy announced in July 2018, reflects the companys aspirations to strengthen its presence and provide a broader spectrum of innovative financial services to its customers. Markets including Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, Seychelles, Uganda, and Zambia has already been rebranded as Unimoni. Pradeep Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Unimoni & UAE Exchange, said, With strong smartphone and mobile internet penetration, along with the greenfield potential that it holds, Africa as a region occupies a key position in the growth plans of Unimoni. The launch of Unimoni in Tanzania will further boost our efforts towards creating seamless and connected financial service experiences for our customers in the continent. Our global strategy revolves around promoting sustainable development and inclusive growth in all markets where we operate by developing services and products designed around the needs of our customers. While we continue to expand our network presence in Tanzania, we will also work towards strengthening our digital capabilities. Allen Semboze, Regional Head, Unimoni Africa, said, With respect to our growth strategy for Africa, Tanzania is an important market for us. Just like in other African markets, we are working on developing innovative technology-led products and collaborating with ecosystem partners to offer more value to our customers. Unimoni currently offers money transfer, foreign currency exchange, bill payments and other value-added services in Tanzania. Riyaz Naghoor, Country Head, Unimoni Tanzania, said, We are excited to unveil the Unimoni brand in Tanzania. Over the years, through our efficient and customer-centric services, we have built a strong reputation and presence in Tanzania. With the new brand, we aim to build on our capabilities and expand both in terms of network presence and services in the country. We have immediate plans to open five new branches in the country, three in Dar es salaam and two in Arusha and have secured the necessary clearances from the Central Bank. Unimoni is part of Finablr, a global platform for Payments and Foreign Exchange solutions. With deep regulatory know-how, technology expertise and industry leading partnerships, Finablr companies provide a broad array of tailored and trusted financial solutions for consumers and businesses. With a global reach spanning 170+ countries, Finablr companies processed over 150 million transactions in 2018, managing nearly USD 115 billion for customers. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mame Yaa Aboagye has called on former President John Dramani Mahama to apologize to Ghanaians for his alleged involvement in the bribery scandal of Airbus. According to a ruling by the Crown Court in United Kingdom, some government officials in the erswhile late President Atta Mills and John Mahama administrations were involved in the bribery scandal. The Guardian disclosure stated that Airbus, Europes largest aerospace multinational, was found guilty by a High Court in London for paying huge bribes in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana to secure contracts between 2009 and 2015". With regard to Ghana, the report revealed that the planemaker, according to Section 7 of UKs Bribery Act 2010, between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. Mame Yaa Aboagye reacting asked the opposition NDC to stop defending the defenseless at the center of the scandal that occurred under the Mills-Mahama administration according to her has dent the image of Ghana. She wondered why the former President and the NDC are trying so hard to defend Mr. Mahama and his cronies when their corruption tag is visible to all Ghanaians. She cited cases like Mahama Ford Expedition deal, SADA, SUBA, Bus branding and Woyome judgment debt scandal among others indicate that corruption has taken roots in former President Mahama and his cronies. She advised the opposition party to aid the Special Prosecutor in bringing the culprits to book. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Cubs have been in contact with free-agent second baseman Jason Kipnis, tweets MLB.coms Jordan Bastian. The Chicago organization was also tied to Scooter Gennet recently, and Bastian notes that theyre considering left-handed options at second base to pair with right-handed-hitting options like Nico Hoerner and David Bote. Kipnis has spent his entire career to date in the Indians organization. But while he was once a star-caliber second baseman whom Cleveland rewarded with a $52.5MM extension, the former second-round pick has seen his stock tumble in recent seasons. Kipnis was brilliant both in 2013 and 2015, making a pair of All-Star teams and garnering MVP votes in each of those seasons. On the whole, from the time he debuted through the completion of the 2016 season, he batted a combined .272/.345/.423 while averaging 17 homers, 38 doubles and 25 steals per 162 games played. Since 2017, though, Kipnis bat has wilted. In the past three years hes combined for a .236/.305/.403 slash (86 OPS+) in 1485 plate appearances. That downturn prompted the Indians to pay a $2.5MM buyout on what once looked to be a reasonable $16.5MM club option for the 2021 season, sending Kipnis out into the open market for the first time. Its been largely silent on Kipnis all winter, as teams in need of second base help have had a deep pool of both free agents and trade options from which to draw. Regardless of how many teams to which hes spoken, one would imagine that the Cubs are a highly appealing option for Kipnis, a Chicago-area native who attended high school at Glenbrook North just 19 miles from Wrigley Field. Bernie Madoff, the notorious Ponzi schemer, says that he is dying from terminal kidney disease, and on Wednesday asked a judge to grant him an early release from prison on compassionate grounds so that he can live out his remaining days with a friend. A lawyer for Madoff, in a legal filing, says the fraudster has "less than 18 months to live," and is suffering from "numerous other serious medical conditions" including cardiovascular disease and hypertension. On Thursday, a lawyer for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted Madoff, filed a court document asking a judge to set a March 4 deadline for them to submit a response to Madoff's request. Under their proposal, Madoff would have until March 11 to reply to the U.S. Attorney's Office's position. Madoff's lawyers agreed with that tentative schedule, according to the court document. Madoff, 81, is serving a 150-year prison sentence in a North Carolina federal facility for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history at his firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities in New York City. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to 11 crimes related swindling of billions of dollars from thousands of investors over several decades. "I'm terminally ill," Madoff told The Washington Post in an article Wednesday. "There's no cure for my type of disease. So, you know, I've served. I've served 11 years already, and, quite frankly, I've suffered through it," Madoff told the newspaper. But one of Madoff's victims, Gregg Felsen, had no sympathy for the arch-scammer who decimated his savings. "He's terminally ill? I'm terminally broke," Felsen told the Washington Post. "He ruined a lot of people's lives and changed them forever. He deserves no leniency whatsoever." Madoff last summer was moved into palliative care in the Federal Medical Center prison in Butner, N.C., according to the filing by his lawyer in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Madoff has refused to undergo dialysis treatment and is confined to a wheelchair, the lawyer, Brandon Sample, wrote. If a judge sets him free, Madoff, who forfeited all his financial assets when he pleaded guilty, would "financially support himself through Social Security and Medicare benefits," according to Sample. "If released, he will live with a friend," said the filing, which did not identify that person willing to host Madoff. Sample wrote, "Madoff does not dispute the severity of his crimes nor does he seek to minimize the suffering of his victims. Madoff has expressed remorse for his crimes." [February 05, 2020] Lirio Strengthens Executive Team to Position for Growth in Health Care; Expands Nashville Presence KNOXVILLE and NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lirio, a behavior change AI company that uses personalized engagement to improve health outcomes, today announced that its Chief Product Officer Marten den Haring has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Den Haring will lead Lirio's product vision, research and development, sales, marketing and customer success. Den Haring will continue to be based in Nashville, where the company is planning to expand into a new office and bring on up to 30 new employees between now and this summer. "Marten has been an amazing partner during his short time at Lirio. As the architect of our product vision and go-to-market strategy, his expanded responsibilities will enable us to accelerate innovation and scale our customers' success," said Mike West, Lirio's chairman and CEO. "I'm excited about the world-class leadership team we are assembling at Lirio as we strengthen our culture and grow our business at an incredible pace." Prior to joining Lirio, Den Haring was Senior Vice President of Platform at Element AI in Montreal, Canada and held various executive positions at Oracle, OpenText and Digital Reasoning. He was recently named a member of the 2020 class of the Nashville Health Care Council Fellows Program. He holds a Master of Science and a PhD in Economics. "Lirio's focus on creating a healthier population by meeting people where they areand doing so at scalerepresents one of the most meaningful technology challenges of our time," said Den Haring. "I am honored to be named COO and help Lirio's talented team deliver behavior change AI solutions that benefit our enterprise clients and the consumers they serve." Lirio also appointed Michael Becker as Chief Revenue Officer, named Emily Moses as Chief People Officer, and promoted George Hashbarger, Jr. from CFO to Chief Administrative Officer. Becker has years of experience buildig and leading high-performing sales and customer success teams in health care technology services. "Health systems and large employers are the largest influencers of health in our country. Both have a common incentive to drive behavior change and improve decision making," said Becker. "Lirio's approach of combining behavioral science and AI to scale improvements in human health and well-being was a key factor in my joining." Moses has led talent acquisition, development, and retention efforts for high-growth health care companies, helping them foster authentic workplace cultures while scaling rapidly. "Being part of Lirio's growth stage offers an incredible opportunity to create a workplace culture that practices a growth mindset daily," said Moses. "It's not work when your personal purpose aligns with the company's mission: to leave your mark on people's lives. The fun is just beginning at Lirio!" Hashbarger's role at Lirio has evolved from almost exclusively focused on finance to a broader portfolio of responsibilities, including information technology, security and compliance, facilities management, and business administration. "It's an honor to be named CAO of such an exciting company," said Hashbarger. "The addition of two talented members to the team should position Lirio to more efficiently handle its rapid growth and achieve its goal of improving patient and employee health through behavior change AI." These senior leadership moves follow closely on the heels of other 2020 Lirio news, including the announcements that Bon Secours Mercy Health has made an investment in the company, and that technology luminary John Seely Brown was appointed Scientific Advisor to its Behavioral Reinforcement Learning Lab, which advances the study of behavior change AI. About Lirio Lirio's behavior change AI platform moves people along their unique journey to better health through person-centered communication. The company brings together the power of behavioral science with AI to learn the most effective way to communicate with people in a particular context. That insight is applied to create personalized behavior change programs for health systems and large employers resulting in improved engagement and outcomes. For more information, visit https://lirio.com. Media Contact: Patrick Hunt 865.243.2418 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lirio-strengthens-executive-team-to-position-for-growth-in-health-care-expands-nashville-presence-300999283.html SOURCE Lirio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2020 - 00:47 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Nine passengers and a crew member on a cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama have tested positive for a new coronavirus originating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the health ministry said Wednesday. The development prompted the Japanese government to ask all passengers and crew members to stay inside their rooms on the ship as much as possible for up to 14 days starting Wednesday as it continues screening and works to prevent the illness from spreading in the country. By nationality, three of the 10 infected people in their 50s to 80s are Japanese, three are Chinese, two are Australians, one is an American and another is a Filipino, according to Carnival Japan Inc., the operator of the cruise ship Diamond Princess. The vessel with 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members from 56 countries and regions aboard has been kept in quarantine at anchor off a pier in the Kanagawa Prefecture capital after a disembarked 80-year-old passenger from Hong Kong was found to be infected with the pneumonia-causing virus. The ship headed for the Pacific Ocean in the afternoon to proceed with work necessary for its operation, such as creating fresh water and managing ballast water. The city of Yokohama said the vessel will dock Thursday morning to restock food and other supplies. The Japan Coast Guard said one of its helicopters will deliver 7,200 masks to the ship to prevent the virus from spreading at the request of the health ministry. (Health officials in protective gear transfer people on board Diamond Princess found infected with a new coronavirus from a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat to an ambulance parked at a pier in Yokohama near Tokyo on Feb. 5, 2020.) The number of infections in Japan rose to 35, with the government separately reporting two new cases. In Chiba Prefecture, a man in his 40s who arrived in Japan on Jan. 21 from Wuhan has tested positive for the virus. His wife was confirmed Tuesday to also be infected in the prefecture east of Tokyo. A Chinese man in his 20s residing in Kyoto, meanwhile, was also found infected. He had had contact through his work with Chinese tourists. On China's mainland, more than 24,000 people have been infected, with the death toll rising to 492, according to the country's health authorities. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the Japanese government is planning to dispatch its fourth chartered flight to Wuhan on Thursday to bring home Japanese nationals who wish to return. Of the cruise passengers and crew, 120 who have displayed symptoms including a cough and fever and 153 who had close contact with the infected passenger were tested for the virus, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said. Results for 31 people came back, and the 10 found to be infected were sent to four hospitals. Health minister Katsunobu Kato said it will take several days before the results for the remaining people come out. (Katsunobu Kato) Of the 10, two went on the same bus tour as the Hong Kong man when the ship made a stop in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, according to the ministry. No one is showing severe symptoms, and some have no symptoms at all, the ministry said. They were all hospitalized to prevent infections from spreading further. Kato also said it will take "a certain amount of time" before Japan can develop a rapid test kit and a vaccine to protect people from the deadly virus, when asked by an opposition lawmaker during a parliamentary session. The elderly and those with pre-existing conditions on the ship will be tested for the virus as they tend to be the worst affected if infected, the ministry said. "We will take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of infections while giving full attention to the health of the passengers and crew," Kato said at a press conference. The infected man from Hong Kong flew to Tokyo in mid-January and boarded the cruise ship in Yokohama on Jan. 20. He disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. (Health officials in protective gear collect the baggage of Diamond Princess passengers at a pier in Yokohama near Tokyo on Feb. 5, 2020.) The number of foreigners arriving in Japan on cruise ships has been on the rise in recent years, with those from China hitting 1.74 million last year, making up about 80 percent of the total 2.15 million, according to the transport ministry. The total figure has increased 12-fold from the level in 2013, when the ministry started taking records. After departing Yokohama on Jan. 20, the Diamond Princess stopped at Kagoshima two days later before arriving in Hong Kong. It then traveled to Vietnam and Taiwan before calling at Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, on Saturday and then returning to Yokohama on Monday night, according to its operator. The ship passed quarantine in Naha but the ministry decided to redo it following the discovery that the Hong Kong man had been infected with the coronavirus. Thirteen people disembarked in Naha, but none has shown symptoms, and they had all left the southernmost island prefecture of Okinawa by Tuesday, according to the health ministry and local authorities. Related coverage: Experts warn risk of viral spread in confined space high Malaysian woman charged for "mischievous" social media post on virus Japan quarantines 3,500 on cruise ship Diamond Princess over coronavirus BEIJING Hong Kong hospitals cut services as thousands of medical workers went on strike for a second day Tuesday to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely. The new virus caused its first death in the semiautonomous territory, adding to growing fears it is spreading locally. All but two of Hong Kongs land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after thousands of hospital workers went on strike Monday. Hong Kong health authorities reported two additional patients without any known travel to the virus epicenter, bringing the number of locally transmitted cases to four. The growing caseload indicates significant risk of community transmission and could portend a large-scale outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. More than 7,000 health workers joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, the strike organizer. Hong Kong was hit hard by the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a virus from the same family as the current outbreak. Trust in Chinese authorities has plummeted following months of anti-government protests in the Asian financial hub. The territorys beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Important services, critical operations have been affected, including cancer treatment and care for newborns, Lam told reporters. So Im appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Lets put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things. China reported 490 deaths and 24,324 confirmed cases, up sharply from the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, the one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. The patient who died in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, the mainland city where the outbreak started. The Hospital Authority said Tuesday he had pre-existing health conditions but gave no details. Most deaths have been among the elderly and those with other health problems, authorities said. More than 80% were over 60 years old, and more than 75% had an underlying disease, Jiao Yahui, a National Health Commission official, told a news conference Tuesday. Dr. David Heymann, who led the World Health Organizations response to the SARS outbreak, said that its too early to tell when the new virus will peak, but that it appears to still be on the increase. Ken Moritsugu is an Associated Press writer. James drove Hunhoffs vehicle to a gas station on the reservation, filled it with gasoline and drove away, then later returned in the same vehicle and pumped gasoline into a soda bottle and drove away again. In the news release, Kelly said James then drove to a wooded location on the Santee Sioux Reservation in Knox County, where he set fire to Hunhoffs body and her vehicle to conceal evidence of the murder. He abandoned the body and vehicle and left the area. Santee Police later recovered the shirt James was wearing in a trash receptacle. Hunhoff's DNA was on it and his DNA was on clothing Hunhoff was wearing. Kelly expressed his appreciation for the hard work and cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies in Nebraska and South Dakota. The quick and thorough work of these agencies, coupled thereafter with the acquisition of digital evidence, resulted in holding James accountable for this horrific crime and tragic loss for the Hunhoff family, he said. Kristi Johnson, the FBI special agent in charge, said the FBI's partnership with the Santee Sioux Nation Tribal Police, Knox County Sheriff and Nebraska State Patrol were vital in the investigation. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. A 12-year old boy from Afghanistan's Ghor Province is the only breadwinner of an extended family of 30, most of them young children. Ahmad Zia's father and three uncles were killed by the Taliban. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa By Kelsey Johnson OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government will collect billions of dollars in direct revenue from its federal carbon pricing system over the next four years, but most of the country's households will still receive more in rebates than they initially pay, Canada's budgetary watchdog said on Tuesday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his then-majority Liberal government introduced a revenue neutral carbon pricing system in October 2018 as part of its pledge to combat climate change. The policy includes a "backstop" that applies to five Canadian provinces whose own provincial climate plans the Trudeau government said did not meet federal standards, including Ontario - Canada's most populous province - and energy-rich Alberta. Under the program, the majority of the proceeds from the fuel charge are returned directly to individuals and families through rebates. On Tuesday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said the Canadian government could expect to collect C$2.81 billion ($2.12 billion) in direct revenues in 2019-20 from its current C$20 per tonne price on carbon. Direct revenues, it noted, would rise to C$8.27 billion in 2022-23, with the carbon price increasing to C$50 per tonne. An additional C$99 million will be collected this fiscal year through Canada's federal sales tax, the PBO said, adding that figure is expected to triple by 2022-23. Households, the PBO said, can still expect to receive 90% of the revenues raised from the fuel charge proceeds and about 80% of total revenue collected via direct federal rebates. "Under the federal government's current rebate structure, most households will still receive more than what they pay in fuel charges," said Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux. Canada's main opposition Conservatives vehemently oppose the Trudeau government's carbon tax, insisting the policy hurts Canadian families and businesses and should be repealed. (Reporting by Kelsey Johnson in Ottawa; Editing by Dan Grebler) Photo: O Palsson/Flickr Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in New York City. New York City starts year with spike in shootings, major crimes; NYPD, critics blame bail reform The NYPD has released its first monthly crime stats since the state enacted its new bail reform initiatives, and it shows an increase in nearly all crimes except murders and rapes. Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC. New York City basement apartment crackdown ramps up The city Department of Buildings issued over 5,000 violations to landlords for illegal apartment conversions in 2019, a 10% increase from 2018. Read the full story on Real Deal NYC. Former HUD head Shaun Donovan files for New York City mayor's race Former Obama housing secretary Shaun Donovan has filed papers to run for mayor of New York City in 2021. Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC. Mural in New York City honors Kobe, Gianna Bryant When the piece is finished, it will include the names of everyone killed in the helicopter crash. Read the full story on ABC30 Action News. Cross-examination drives key Weinstein accuser to tears A key accuser in the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein broke down in tears on the witness stand on Monday during an exhaustive cross-examination over the nature of her relationship with the once-powerful movie mogul. Read the full story on Boston Herald. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung talks with the Project Management Board and contractor of Yen Xa wastewater treatment plant. (Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn) Chung made the comment on February 4 as he inspected the progress of the Yen Xa wastewater treatment plant in the suburban district of Thanh Tri, which is being built with financial support from Japan. The citys largest wastewater project, capable of handling 270,000 cu.m of wastewater a day, started in 2016 and was originally slated for completion in 2021. Municipal authorities wanted to push the completion date forward to 2019, but delays in contractor selections have led to missed deadlines. For years, people in Hanoi have had to put up with the pollution caused by untreated wastewater discharged into the To Lich river, Chung said, referring to the notoriously foul river which has been dubbed the black river or dead river that authorities have previously tried to restore to its original state but to little effect. The Yen Xa plant, their latest and most comprehensive effort, has a system that will collect and treat all the wastewater from households and factories along the To Lich river that would otherwise be dumped directly into the waterway. Once operational, the river will be reborn, which is something many residents have wanted for a long time, Chung said. Furthermore, the project will serve wastewater treatment for seven districts in the city including the inner urban districts of Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan and Dong Da, and the suburban districts of Hoang Mai, Ha Dong and Thanh Tri. Chung said that the project could be completed by 2021 if construction plans changed and asked the contractor deploy more machinery and workers to speed up the project, especially the construction of the wastewater collection system. The earlier the project is completed, the sooner the city will benefit, he said. Stressing the ecological importance of the project, Chung said municipal transport and construction departments needed to plan upgrades to sidewalks and transform the landscape along the To Lich river in order to attract pedestrians to the site and make better use of the investment in the Yen Xa plant. According to Nguyen Van Hung, director of Hanois Drainage and Sewage Project Management Board, the Yen Xa project will serve an area of 4,874ha with a population of 900,000 people. The total length of the pipelines reach 52.6km. The project has cost 16.3 trillion VND (700 million USD), with ODA loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency covering 84 percent of the total. Researchers observed seasonal variations in the risk of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy--including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia--in a study of Danish women. In the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica study, the highest risk for hypertensive disorders was seen in pregnancies conceived during spring and summer. Of 50,665 women included in the study, 8.5% were diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. There appeared to be increasing risk when conceiving during the spring and early summer, peaking midsummer, and subsequently decreasing steadily during the autumn to reach a low by winter. Seasonal variations in vitamin D levels may help to explain these findings. "Our results are of great interest, as vitamin D may have caused the observed seasonal variation in the hypertensive disorders. It has long been assumed that vitamin D affects the pathogenesis of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy--including preeclampsia--and our results support this hypothesis," said lead author Christine Rohr Thomsen, of Aarhus University Hospital, in Denmark. ### The Hungarian police and the National Ambulance Service (OMSZ) are checking travellers entering Hungary for coronavirus at six major border crossings across the country, the spokesman of the national police force said on Tuesday. Kristof Gal told a press conference at the border crossing at Tompa, on the Hungary-Serbia border, thatthe crossings at Artand, Csanadpalota, Roszke, Tompa, Udvar and Letenye are also entry points into the Schengen area. Experience shows that most busses taking Chinese tourists to Hungary cross at these points, Gal said. Their temperature is being taken and those with a fever will be isolated and, if necessary, sent to a hospital with the facilities to receive them, Gal said. Police are providing protective gear and disinfectants at all border crossings in the country, Gal said. MTI Photo This year is believed to be a brighter year for the domestic tra fish industry with exports inching up in the first quarter, according to an official from the Vietnam Pangasius Association. Viet Nam expects to gain growth in tra fish exports this year. Photo baoangiang.com.vn Duong Nghia Quoc, chairman of the association, said this month the US was scheduled to issue final results in the 15th period of review (POR15) with lower anti-dumping duties on frozen tra fish (pangasius) fillets against POR14. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the United States Department of Agriculture officially recognised Viet Nam's Pangasius Food Safety Control System in November 2019 after more than three years of negotiations. Quoc was quoted by vietnambiz.vn as saying that "those are considered good signals to recover pangasius exports to the US market. However, according to domestic enterprises, the recovery will not be strong this year. China, another key export market of Viet Nams tra fish, was likely to increase demand for Vietnamese tra fish this year and beyond, he said. At present, Viet Nam is experiencing difficulties in exporting seafood as well as other farm produce to China due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. However, in the long term, the potential for boosting exports of tra fish to China is still great because consumption per capita is still low at 0.14 kilo per year, while consumption in the US is 0.32 kilo per person a year, according to Doan Toi, chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Nam Viet Group. With these positive signs, domestic tra fish exports were expected to increase this year, Quoc said. However, the industry would still face competition globally. China has raised pangasius, while it has promoted control of quality for tra fish exported from Viet Nam. Meanwhile, some countries such as India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia have also raised pangasius. The total output of these countries is likely to reach the same level of Viet Nam. Quoc said local businesses needed to enhance trade promotion, expand markets and apply technology for production to improve quality. Especially, the local business community needed cooperation to develop production chains and avoid competition to reduce prices, he said. In addition, they also had a big chance to promote the consumption of pangasius in the domestic market, Quoc said. Some years ago, the tra fish producers sold their product in the domestic market. However, due to the huge profit from exports, the domestic market was ignored. At present, with a population of 100 million, they could consume 200,000 tonnes of tra fish every year if each person eats two kilos of tra fish per year, Quoc said. To develop the domestic market, the pangasius industry would need a strong distribution channel. The State should have incentives for local businesses to increase domestic tra fish consumption. At the same time, the businesses must also boost trade promotion to bring more tra fish products to local customers, Quoc said. According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in 2019, Viet Nam gained US$2 billion from tra fish exports, down 11.7 per cent compared to 2018. The reduction was due to difficulties in exports to traditional markets, like the US, and the plunge in export prices. Pangasius exports to the US market dropped sharply by 49 per cent last year to $282 million. This export value accounted for 14 per cent of Viet Nam's pangasius export value, much lower than the tra fish export value to China, accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Moreover, in 2019, farmers increased acreage of rearing tra fish due to high profit in the 2017-18, so Viet Nam had oversupply of tra fish last year while import demand fell on the world market. As a result, Viet Nams tra fish export price last year dropped by 30-35 per cent compared to 2018. - VNS Catfish firms seek to exploit domestic market Meeting barriers in foreign markets, catfish processing companies have decided to exploit the domestic market. ADELPHI, Md. (Feb. 5, 2020) - Scientists are closer to understanding exactly what happens inside batteries that make them prone to fire, thanks to a molecular eye of sorts. Scientists at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory teamed with researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to study chemical reactions that occur when two key components of battery interface, forming a critical component in battery commonly known as the solid-electrolyte-interphase, or SEI. Understanding the chemistry and formation mechanism of this SEI holds the key to unlocking future better batteries, reseachers said. This new research, enabled by a technique that serves as a molecular eye, presents a dynamic picture of the chemistry and structure of SEI. These properties are known to influence the battery charge-discharge rate, especially at low temperature, safety and cycle life, according to Army scientist Dr. Oleg Borodin, a researcher with a team focusing on electrochemistry. "SEIs are critical for battery properties but elusive to characterize," said Dr. Kang Xu, a principal investigator on this research project. "They dictate how fast a battery could be charged for Warfighters in order to improve operational capabilities as well as preventing slow and abrupt battery failure during mission. But like dark matters, everyone knows they exist but no one knows how they work." Nearly four years ago, ARL scientists began collaborating with experts "who are not battery people," Xu said, but have unique expertise in advanced characterization techniques. He said Army researchers laid down the basic challenges faced in understanding SEIs, and asked for help. This collaboration resulted in a series of groundbreaking work in SEI, and some of the results have already been published in Nature Chemistry and Nature Nanotechnology in 2018 and 2019. Their latest work is featured in the article, Real-time mass spectrometric characterization of the solid-electrolyte interphase of a lithium-ion battery, published in the Jan. 27, 2020, Nature Nanotechnology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Scientists from the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed this technique, an in situ liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry and partnered with Army scientists to apply this technique on investigating the chemical workings at the electrode-electrolyte interface on a molecular level when the battery was charged in its first hour. They monitored the formation of the SEI and its chemistry variation. The approach allowed them to map the chemical reactions as they occurred. When combined with molecular dynamics simulations, their work revealed something that had only been speculated before. During initial battery charging, the battery forms an electric double layer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The creation of this double layer leads to fine structural and chemical variations of SEI, which will eventually dictate the performance of battery itself. The molecular-level understanding of the interface could serve as insightful guide to Army scientists' efforts in designing better batteries. These researchers find that before any interphasial chemistry occurs (during the initial charging), an electric double layer forms at the electrode/electrolyte interface due to the self-assembly of solvent molecules. The formation of the double layer is directed by Li+ and the electrode surface potential. The structure of this double layer predicts the eventual interphasial chemistry; in particular, the negatively charged electrode surface repels salt anions from the inner layer and results in an inner SEI that is thin, dense and inorganic in nature. It is this dense layer that is responsible for conducting Li+ and insulating electrons, the main functions of the SEI. An electrolyte-permeable and organic-rich outer layer appears after the formation of the inner layer. In the presence of a highly concentrated, fluoride-rich electrolyte, the inner SEI layer has an elevated concentration of LiF due to the presence of anions in the double layer. These real-time nanoscale observations will be helpful in engineering better interphases for future batteries. For decades, scientists tried to study the SEIs in lithium-ion batteries, with limited success due to the absence of a technique that would allow them to see battery operations at a tiny scale. Such nanoscale observations on a molecular level are needed to understand the chemistry at the interface. In 2017, Army researchers partnerd with the University of Maryland developed for the first time a lithium-ion battery that uses a water-salt solution as its electrolyte and reaches the 4.0 volt mark desired for household electronics, such as laptop computers, without the fire and explosive risks associated with some commercially available non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries. The majority of commerically-available batteries are different from the aqueous batteries invented by this team. Understanding the SEI could lead to incrementally improving current technology as an immediate solution for many Army applications. ### This work was supported by laboratory-directed research and development programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Vehicle Technologies Advanced Battery Materials Research Program; the U.S. German Cooperation on Energy Storage; the DOE Office of Science Joint Center for Energy Storage Research; and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE Office of Science User Facility sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research. CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. Some diseases are like black swans. They occur so rarely that many physicians never encounter them in their clinical practice, complicating efforts to treat them. How many rare diseases are there? According to a new study co-led by University of New Mexico data scientist Tudor Oprea, MD, PhD, no one really knows - and that's a problem, because it's likely that many rare disease patients do not receive appropriate medical care. In a commentary published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, a high-impact research journal, Oprea and colleagues from the U.S., Australia, France and Germany point out that as much as 10 percent of the world's population suffers from a rare disease, which translates into hundreds of millions of people. You have thousands and thousands of papers a year related to rare diseases, yet very few translate into cures." Tudor Oprea, professor and chief of the Translational Informatics Division in UNM's Department of Internal Medicine A big part of the problem has to do with definitions, the authors argue, because the inability to reliably diagnose a rare disease hinders researchers' ability to develop treatments for it. In the U.S., the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 defines a rare disease as one affecting fewer than 200,000 people. In the European Union, legislation introduced in 2000 defines it differently: when fewer than one in 2,000 people is affected. And, the authors point out, a disease that is considered "rare" in the general population might be relatively common within a subgroup - examples include Tay-Sachs disease among Ashkenazi Jews and sickle cell disease among people of sub-Saharan African descent. Another complicating factor is that the terms used to define diseases are often inconsistent and imprecise, and they sometimes vary from country to country. For example, "breast cancer" actually encompasses a variety of tumor sub-types with unique genetic signatures and different optimal treatments, Oprea says. Should it be classified as one disease or many? Estimates of the number of rare diseases usually settle in the range of 7,000, the authors report. But their recent analysis of an international disease classification database known as the Monarch Disease Ontology - or Mondo - suggests it could be as much as 50 percent higher. "The Mondo project is the first computer-assisted human curation process to bring together separate efforts in the rare disease community in order to catalog and annotate all rare diseases, regardless of country or disease type," Oprea says. Improving care for patients with rare diseases requires reaching consensus on the physical, genetic and environmental characteristics of each condition, but overlapping terminologies and models makes that difficult. The authors are calling upon the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, the National Academy of Medicine and other entities, to adopt a unified definition of rare diseases. "We encourage the community to get together and come up with more precise rare disease definitions," Oprea says. "There needs to be a forum to discuss this and dedicated funding mechanisms to address it." Suspended Moreton Bay mayor Allan Sutherland will face a committal mention in March on two criminal charges of misconduct in public office. Cr Sutherland did not appear at his case's first mention at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, but was represented by his lawyer Glen Cranny. Lawyer Glen Cranny, representing Moreton Bay Regional Council mayor Allan Sutherland, leaves the Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled Cr Sutherland has been mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council since it was formed as part of council amalgamations in 2008. He was previously mayor of Redcliffe City Council. He was charged in December last year by the Crime and Corruption Commission with both counts of misconduct. An experienced snake handler has made an interesting discovery - finding a female snake eating her smaller male mate. Reptile Rescue Tasmania snake handler Chris Daly was called out to a house in Sorell, Tasmania to collect a serpent on Saturday. 'When I pulled up I noticed she was a little, well, girthy, and wasn't moving as quickly as you would expect her to,' he said. Scroll down for video Experienced snake handler Chris Daly shared images of a female copperhead snake he was called to relocate only to find it midway through ingesting another snake (pictured) 'She still had the little guy in her mouth and was moving around while the tail was still wriggling around.' He said the smaller male snake had probably attempted to mate with the larger female but she was 'having none of it'. 'I think he was wanting to have a go and she wasn't having any of it and decided she wanted to eat him instead,' Mr Daly said. Amazingly the larger female seemed to change her mind after being caught and decided to regurgitate her potential mate, who was still alive when he was spat out. Mr Daly said it wasn't likely she regurgitated the snake because of his size. 'She was about two and a half foot and he was about two foot long, so she was probably going to cruise around with the tail hanging out until her stomach acids broke him down enough to swallow a little more, like a noodle,' he said. 'The male snake was a little lethargic afterwards so I took him back and hydrated him, heated him up and he is doing pretty well. 'I plan to release him again soon.' Mr Daly released the female snake back into an area close to where she was found but said it wasn't wise to do the same with the male snake. He didn't want to run the risk of it being eaten again so he will release him in a new area. Mr Daly said it wasn't unusual for copperhead snakes to eat other snakes, in fact it was their main source of survival in the recent Tasmanian drought. 'With the drought there are less frogs around, there is less water and prey animals, things are really dry but from our research we found the bigger copperheads were preying on smaller snakes,' he said. 'Similar to the mainland Red-bellied black snake they can be quiet cannibalistic,' he said. What Role Can Tech Play? There are about 12,000 sales taxes in the nation. And thanks to the Supreme Court decision in the 2018 case, South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., businesses that sell products outside of their home state now have a greater responsibility to keep up with all of those different taxes.Its a lot of legal burden on businesses given that there is no single oversight agency which provides clear guidelines of what to do, said Lucy Dadayan, senior research associate for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.Before the Supreme Court ruling, businesses only had to collect sales tax for out-of-state sales if they had a physical presence in the state where the purchase was made. That changed radically when SCOTUS removed the physical-presence requirement, and states established rules around the collection of remote online sales taxes in order to capitalize on the cases implications.States have moved faster on this fiscal policy issue than almost any Ive ever seen, said John Hicks, former executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers and the current state budget director for Kentucky.Of the 45 states that collect sales tax, Florida and Missouri are the only two that have not passed legislation requiring remote sellers to collect sales tax, but both are considering bills. These laws are known as economic nexus regulations. The idea is that if a business passes a threshold of total number of sales made or of total money made from sales in a state, it must collect sales tax.These economic-presence thresholds differ by state, but they follow the spirit of the Supreme Court decision in an attempt to reduce the burden on small businesses. In the landmark case involving South Dakota, the state set its threshold at more than 200 individual shipments or more than $100,000 in total sales. Other states have followed this lead , according to an Urban Institute report.Many states also passed regulations that require marketplace vendors like Amazon to collect sales taxes on behalf of their smaller sellers. These laws really put the burden on the entities who already have the infrastructure and technology and capability to figure out the sales tax in your town versus my town and correctly calculate and in essence facilitate the payment, said Hicks.In a 2017 audit, the Government Accountability Office estimated that states and local areas could receive anywhere from $8 billion to $13 billion in additional revenue if they collected taxes from remote sellers.Hicks cited a lower national estimate of $6 billion. Weve been trying to at least track the estimates that were made, the estimates that states used in their budget process, he said. Roughly it reflected another two percent increase in their sales tax revenues. That isnt massive, but the sales tax is 30 percent of states general fund revenue, said Hicks. So, its the second largest type of tax receipt, second to personal income taxes. A two percent increase in your second highest revenue stream is a notable item.However, Dadayan claims its too early to say anything about the revenue impact. Its not really substantial, she said. We think its going to take some time for the states to figure out the final rules related to the administration and thresholds and everything, and its going to take time for businesses to figure out how do they comply. Maybe in a year or so we will start seeing more substantial growth in sales tax, all things equal of course.Before the South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. decision, a remote seller with something as large as a warehouse or as small as a computer in a state could be expected to collect sales tax according to the laws of that state. The collection challenges included the manual process of calculating different tax rates and the potential for sudden changes to the sales tax definitions of local areas.Youve got thousands and thousands of cities with a sales tax in the United States who have the ability to change their boundaries, said Scott Peterson, the former sales tax director of the South Dakota Department of Tax Revenue. And every time they change that boundary, someones tax obligation changes. Either a retailers business gets sucked into the city and they now have to start charging the city sales tax, or a neighborhood gets sucked inside the city and every consumer inside that neighborhood is now subject to the city sales tax.The Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SST) was created during the 2000s to help reduce the burden of tax compliance for remote sellers. Peterson, the first executive director of the SST Governing Board, said the goal of SST was to get the cost of tax compliance to zero. As part of this effort, the board developed a public-private partnership called the Certified Service Provider (CSP).The CSP program involves a software company providing tax administration services to a seller, with SST member states covering the bill for the automated tax services.Sales tax is a very rote process, said Peterson, who now serves as director of governmental affairs for Avalara, one of five CSPs . Its extraordinarily suited for automation. So retailers were naturally moving toward automation anyway, and this [Supreme Court decision] gives them another reason to move even quicker, because now they have an obligation to collect sales tax, which is very complicated if you arent automating it, and those streamlined states will pay for it.But if a retailer sells products in the wrong state, so to speak, theyll have to foot the bill for CSP tax services. To date, 24 states are SST members. The fact that 26 states arent participating SST members presents a challenge for businesses, according to Peterson.Verenda Smith, deputy director of the Federation of Tax Administrators, said marketplace laws passed by states after the Wayfair decision took some business away from CSPs. Marketplaces that collect taxes for its sellers give smaller businesses a new way to interface with the tax agency.The CSPs have responded by doubling down on their sales effort, by pushing the idea that states really do need to address the burden by using this service and by paying for it, Smith said.Although some states may not be interested in bearing the cost associated with being an SST member, there are benefits that might offset the price. Peterson said the Wayfair decision opened up the market for CSP software given the thousands of sellers today that are collecting that didnt have to collect before. Without the aid of a marketplace or automation, this new context could lead to businesses making mathematical errors, given the complexity of sales taxes across the United States.While theres a lot of things that are pretty standard, normal or almost completely normal around the country, if all you know about sales tax is the California sales tax system, you wont even recognize the New Mexico sales tax system, Peterson said. You wont even see it as the same tax, they are so different from each other. And youre going to make mistakes.According to Smith, the SST contract essentially states that if any mistakes occur while using CSP software, the business is not held liable.In any case, the potential for miscalculations carries implications. Peterson said department of revenue offices have no idea whether a given retailer is collecting the right amount of taxes without an audit. In states that administer local sales taxes, this could mean that cities may not receive the tax revenue theyre entitled to.The department of revenue has no choice but to distribute the money the way the retailer said they collected it, notwithstanding how poor a job the retailer may have done collecting it, Peterson said.The solution to the auditing challenge is using a CSP-generated transaction list to ensure that every purchase included the right amount of sales tax, according to Peterson. Regardless of whether a state decides to pay for CSP services, rely on the marketplace model or take another path, the reconfigured landscape of sales tax collection raises important questions about how states and local areas can fully benefit from the Wayfair decision. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal invited Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a public debate on any issue on Wednesday, saying the people of the national capital wanted to know why should they vote for the BJP in the February 8 Assembly polls. He also wondered why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not clear the roads near Shaheen Bagh, where a public protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is going on for nearly two months, and said the saffron party was doing "dirty politics" over the issue to grab power in Delhi. The people of the national capital wanted to know what had the BJP done for Delhi in the last five years, Kejriwal said, seeking to know why the saffron party was opposing free schemes for Delhiites. He said Shah was seeking people's votes saying he will decide who will be the next chief minister of Delhi. "How can the people of Delhi give you (Shah) a blank cheque? They are not fools," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said. "I want to invite Amit Shahji with an open mind and honesty for a debate on any issue before the people of Delhi to make democracy strong.... He can decide the time and place for the debate," he said. On Tuesday, Kejriwal had challenged the BJP to declare its chief ministerial face for Delhi by 1 pm on Wednesday and said he was ready for a public debate. "I ask Amit Shah that if his party does not want to declare the name its chief ministerial candidate, he should at least tell the names of the likely candidates. Whether Smriti Irani, Manoj Tiwari, Vijay Goel, Hardeep Singh Puri are the likely chief ministerial candidates," he told reporters on Wednesday. "You (Shah) are telling people that the Centre has abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution and paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple. People have already voted you (BJP) to power for this (in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls)," he said. Kejriwal added that the BJP had fielded 10 chief ministers of states ruled by the party and 70 Union ministers for campaigning for the upcoming polls to defeat a small person like him. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When metal atoms form small clusters of a particular size, they show interesting and potentially useful electromagnetic characteristics, which are different from those of the actual bulk metal. To fully explore the potential of these properties, it is necessary to find ways to assemble precise macroscopic structures out of these clusters. But, how do these clusters bind together, and what exactly dictates their properties? These questions have remained unanswered, until now. In a new study published in Materials Horizons, researchers from the Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Yuichi Negishi, set out to find these answers. Prof Negishi explains the motivation behind this study, "Previous studies have found that gold clusters can form one-dimensional connected structures (1D-CS) that are linked via a single gold atom in each cluster. While assembling ligand-protected metal clusters is an interesting approach to realize new physical properties and functions, the factors required for the formation of 1D-CS are currently poorly understood." This exciting new research paper has been selected to be on the cover of the next issue of the journal. To begin with, the researchers wanted to see how intra-cluster ligand interactions dictate the formation of metal clusters. For this, they focused on a particular type of ligand-protected metal cluster called "thiolate (SR)-protected gold-platinum alloy cluster ([Au4Pt2(SR)8]0)", as it had various types of ligand distributions. Through techniques like single crystal X-ray structural analysis, the researchers found that these metal clusters attach to one another via gold atom bonds, and these bonds form 1D-CS depending on the attractive and repulsive forces caused by inter-cluster ligand interactions. They also found that these interactions are affected by how ligands are distributed on the clusters and the angles that they form. More specifically, when ligands were uniformly spread around the metal cluster (which indicates repulsive forces between ligands), the repulsive forces between different metal clusters were also higher, thereby preventing the formation of 1D-CS. Prof Negishi explains, "We found that the ligand distribution in [Au4Pt2(SR)8]0 changes depending on the ligand structure and that differences in the distributions of the ligands influence the inter-cluster ligand interactions. Thus, we need to design intra-cluster ligand interactions to produce 1D-CS with desired connecting structures." In fact, through further analyses, the scientists even found that the formation of 1D-CS had an effect on the overall electronic structure of the metal clusters, even affecting their conductivity. These findings serve as guidelines for those trying to create 1D-CS to leverage the potential of metal cluster assemblies. One notable application of metal clusters, states Prof Negishi, is the fabrication of finer wiring. He says, "It is challenging to draw finer wiring using conventional top-down technology; fortunately, progress in the field of metal nanoclusters will enable the development of bottom-up technology for drawing finer wiring." This study paves the way for significant improvements in sophisticated electronics systems and devices. Not just this, these findings will act as a beacon for scientists working in the fields of nanotechnology and nanoengineering! ### About The Tokyo University of Science Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators. With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field. Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/ About Professor Negishi from Tokyo University of Science Professor Yuichi Negishi has dedicated his career to physical and nanomaterials chemistry. He graduated from Keio University, where he also acquired his PhD in 2001. After working as a research associate in both Keio University and the Institute for Molecular Science, he joined the Tokyo University of Science as a junior associate professor in 2008, becoming a professor in 2017. As of 2018, he is also Dean of Graduate School and Head of Department. Many of his research publications in nanotechnology and materials science are highly regarded by scientific journals and selected for cover/back covers or featured articles. Funding information This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI (grant nos. JP16H04099 and 16K21402) and Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas ''Coordination Asymmetry'' (grant no. 17H05385) and ''Innovations for Light-Energy Conversion'' (grant no. 18H05178). Funding from Asahi Glass Foundation is also acknowledged. DAUPHIN Willi Budzinski isnt sure what hell do when the Dauphin Correctional Centre closes later this year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Dauphin Correctional Centre guard Willi Budzinski marches in Tuesday's protest to save the jail from its impending closure. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) DAUPHIN Willi Budzinski isnt sure what hell do when the Dauphin Correctional Centre closes later this year. The correctional centre guard has a two-year-old child and a pregnant wife who is only four weeks away from her due date. He has been a guard at the Dauphin Correctional Centre for the past four years, but right now the future is uncertain. Caption: City of Dauphin deputy mayor Kerri Reihl addresses the crowd outside the Dauphin Correctional Centre. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) Last week, the province announced that the jail would close sometime in May. "Probably, we would have to move out of the Parkland. I couldnt live here anymore. Wed have to sell the house, uproot and go. Where else are you going to find a job for roughly around $70,000 a year in Dauphin?" he said. Budzinski was marching in a protest through Dauphin organized by the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union against the looming closure of the citys jail on Tuesday. The union represents the jail guards and provincial employees at the facility. Organizers said approximately 350 people came to the protest to march alongside union leaders, correctional officers and provincial politicians. Caption: Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union president Michelle Gawrsonsky leads a crowd of approximately 350 down Dauphin's Main Street on Tuesday. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) Dozens of drivers honked and people waved from windows as the crowd marched down Dauphins Main Street toward the Dauphin Correctional Centre. The provincial government announced the impending closure of the jail as part of a plan to significantly renovate the Dauphin courthouse. The courthouse will be expanded into the area the jail currently occupies. Manitoba Justice Minister and Attorney General Cliff Cullen said the 103-year-old building doesnt meet modern correctional needs. Budzinski said he has a few irons in the fire for the future, but nothing set in stone. "Its pretty shitty timing in my mind," he said. Protesters march toward the Dauphin Correctional Centre. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) "After three and a half months, were not going to have a job. Its kind of hard to do what youre supposed to. Everyones doing their best and trying to put their best foot forward and do all their duties, but theres just a grey shroud over the centre right now." Michelle Gawronsky, president of the MGEU, said she wants Premier Brian Pallister and Dauphin Progressive Conservative MLA Brad Michaleski to listen to the residents who came to the march. "Listen to the people of this community, listen to the inmates, their families, listen to the correctional officers," she said. "Lets move on with life in a productive way thats going to keep the economy of Dauphin going. They need to be listening to the people, just once." While speaking to protesters, she demanded the provincial government keep the current Dauphin Correctional Centre open long enough to build the new, expanded correctional centre the previous NDP government promised to build. A crowd of correctional officers stand in protest outside the Dauphin Correctional Centre. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun) Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew, Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont and First Nations leaders also addressed the crowd on Tuesday. Michaleski was not at the Tuesday protest, but he was at a Monday evening town hall on the jails closure. At the town hall, he said a lot of thought went into the decision was made and the government is looking for a better Manitoba "for us and our children." He said the decision was not made lightly. Christopher Schneider, a board member of the John Howard Society in Brandon, said the impending closure will also have a big impact on the inmates themselves and their families. Schneider was also at the Monday town hall. "In some ways, they become hidden victims. The five-year-old son of somebody whos incarcerated who can no longer see his father on the weekends. He didnt do anything wrong and its difficult to explain to the children and the families fo some of these individuals what it is thats happening," he said. The inmates currently housed in Dauphin will be transferred to other facilities around the province, Cullen said during the announcement. The next closest provincial jails are in The Pas and Brandon. Schneider said keeping people farther away from their families breaks inmates support networks and community bonds. He predicts the decision to close Dauphin jail may increase the rate at which people re-offend after they serve their sentence. When announcing the closure of the jail, Cullen said the provincial government would move the approximately 80 government employees to other jobs. Gawronsky said the union has had two meetings with the Department of Justice but hasnt heard concrete details on the new jobs yet. Despite the possibility of a new job in the provincial government, Budzinski said hes not happy with leaving. "We dont want to leave home. This is why we chose to live here, this is why we bought a house here to be told that youve got to go somewhere else, who would like that?" dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a narrow lead over Senator Bernie Sanders as the long-delayed results of a chaotic Iowa caucus continued to trickle in on Wednesday. With about 86 percent of the precincts reporting, Buttigieg was leading the state delegate chase with 26.7 percent, while Sanders had 25.4 percent, Senator Elizabeth Warren had 18.3 percent and former Vice President Joe Biden had 15.9 percent. The partial results come after confusion and frustration over delays in announcing the Mondays caucus tallies due to a coding issue in an app that precincts used to report the data. It was unclear when the final vote will be announced. While campaigns were eager to spin the results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results eased the confusion and concern that loomed over the opening contest of the Democrats 2020 presidential primary season. During a private conference call with campaigns on Tuesday, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the specific timeline even whether it would be a matter of days or weeks. We have been working data and night to make sure these results are accurate, Price said at a subsequent news conference. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaking to supporters at his rally in Des Moines, Iowa, US [Carlo Allegri/Reuters] The leading candidates pressed on in next-up New Hampshire, which votes in just six days, as billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed an opportunity, vowing to double his already enormous advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The partys caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting the contest as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field with no clear frontrunner. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly one billion dollars spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several US territories, ending at the partys national convention in mid-July. Beginning of end of Trump Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren said she was feeling good about her performance in Iowa but questioned the state partys plans to release partial results. I just dont understand what that means, at least half of the data. I think they ought to get it together and release all the data, she said. The Sanders campaign told supporters that its internal monitoring showed him in the lead with nearly half the vote in. Sanders himself said late Monday: Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, essentially declared an Iowa victory. So, we dont know all the results, but we know by the time its all said and done, Iowa, you have shocked the nation, he said before leaving Iowa. By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate and US Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa [Rick Wilking/Reuters] Biden said he was feeling good and predicted the results would be close. The party told campaigns Tuesday that the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion. A Biden campaign representative objected to the partys plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan did not address growing reports about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. The stories and the problems are just multiplying, so presumably youre going to have some way of addressing that and explaining to us as you release these partial results why youre comfortable, Biden campaign lawyer Dana Remus said. You need to have enough transparency that other people feel comfortable about it now and were just not there right now. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party. Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden at a caucus night campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa [John Locher/AP Photo] For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice and the total number of state delegate equivalents each candidate received. Early polling had suggested Sanders entered the night with a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates Sanders, Biden, Warren and Buttigieg was positioned to score a victory. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighbouring Minnesota, was also in the running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and US Representative Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Sensing opportunity amid the chaos, Bloombergs campaign announced plans to double its national television advertising spending which has already exceeded $100m as it expands its paid staff to more than 2,000 people. Bloomberg is looking to next month, having decided to bypass Iowas contest and the three other states voting this month in favour of the delegate-rich states in March. After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever, Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. No one has made the sale or even come close to it. Meanwhile, Mike is taking the fight to Trump every day, doubling down on the national campaign strategy weve been running from the beginning. Democratic US presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar speaks at her rally following the Iowa Caucus in Des Moines, Iowa [Brenna Norman/Reuters] Beyond 2020, the debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party. Many used the moment to question whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. The party has tried to accommodate critics before, this year by promising to report three different data points about voters preferences, presumably improving transparency. But the new system created new headaches. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. A reconstructed transcript of the call, made public by the White House in October, makes clear that Mr. Trump asked the Ukrainian president to pursue investigations into the Bidens and into one element of his belief that Ukraine worked against his election in 2016: a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine rather than Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, and that Ukraine had possession of a server that would shed light on the theory. I would like you to do us a favor though, Mr. Trump said, asking Mr. Zelenskys government to work with Attorney General William P. Barr and Mr. Giuliani to pursue the investigations. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say CrowdStrike, Mr. Trump said, referring to an American cybersecurity firm and the debunked theory about Ukraines involvement in the hack of the Democratic Party. The server, they say Ukraine has it. He went on to bring up the Bidens. Theres a lot of talk about Bidens son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great, Mr. Trump said, according to the reconstructed transcript. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution, so if you can look into it. What Mr. Trump first said in private to Mr. Zelensky, he later said in public. In early October, answering questions from reporters outside the White House, Mr. Trump repeated and expanded on his calls for foreign help in investigating the Bidens. I would say that President Zelensky, if it were me, I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens, Mr. Trump said. Because nobody has any doubt that they werent crooked. He also suggested that Ukraine was not the only country that should dig into Hunter Bidens international business dealings. The Duke of Cornwall, Prince Charles, announced on Tuesday during a reception at Banqueting House in London that Katy Perry will become the new ambassador for the British Asian Trust's Children's Protection Fund for India. The two first met back November last year, in Mumbai when she was invited to a meeting for the British Asian Trust. The charity has been founded by the prince in 2007 to combat poverty in South Asia. Talking about the opportunity, Katy Perry told People, "My work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has taken me to many parts of the world and opened my eyes to the many vulnerabilities of children. India has long held a special place in my heart, and on my last visit, I was able to meet with The Prince of Wales and other leaders in Mumbai, and I was impressed by their strong plan - from on-ground initiatives to fundraising - that will aim to cut child trafficking in half." Katy Perry has been part of many charities and was also named as a UNICEF' Goodwill Ambassador in December 2013. Owen Wilson To Join Tom Hiddleston For Disney+ Loki Series Fast And Furious 9 Director Opens Up About Han Lue's Return To The Fast Saga The foundation will provide up to $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia; and accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that it will immediately commit up to $100 million for the global response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The funding will help strengthen detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations; and develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. The new funding is inclusive of $10 million the foundation committed to the outbreak in late January. "Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control," said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. "Our hope is that these resources will help catalyze a rapid and effective international response. This response should be guided by science, not fear, and it should build on the steps that the World Health Organization has taken to date." The Gates Foundation is contributing more resources in close coordination with other donors to assist the World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese frontline responders and others at the global and national levels. WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, citing the risks the virus poses globally and the need for a worldwide coordinated effort to enhance preparedness, especially in fragile settings. The Government of China has also declared a national public health emergency and mobilized a nationwide effort to contain the virus and treat those who are infected. Accelerating 2019-nCoV Detection, Isolation and Treatment The foundation will immediately commit up to $20 million to accelerate the detection, isolation and treatment of people diagnosed with the virus with the goal of interrupting transmission and containing the disease. This funding will be directed to multilateral organizations such as WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Support will also be directed to national public health authorities in China and other countries that have reported confirmed cases. Current national-level partners include the National Health Commission of China and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The release of fast and flexible funding is intended to help multilateral organizations and national public health authorities rapidly scale up their virus detection capabilities and implement disease modeling analytics so that they can target resources where they can have the greatest impact in arresting disease spread. This funding is intended to help public health authorities cover the initial cost of labor and supplies while international agencies and national governments appropriate the resources necessary to fund ongoing operations. Enhancing Protections for At-Risk Populations in Africa and South Asia Recent epidemics, such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, have had a disproportionate impact on populations living in extreme poverty, and sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia together account for 85 percent of the estimated 629 million people worldwide who live on less than $1.90 per day. Many people living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia also have limited access to quality primary health care, which is another factor that increases their health risks. The foundation will provide up to $20 million to help public health authorities in these regions strengthen their emergency operations centers, implement effective disease surveillance efforts and improve their capacity to safely isolate and treat confirmed cases. Among African Union member states, these efforts will be supported by the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in collaboration with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO-AFRO. AFENET is a non-profit service alliance of field epidemiology and laboratory training programs that currently operates in more than 30 African countries. Developing Vaccines, Treatments and Diagnostics for a Sustained Response The foundation will commit up to $60 million to accelerate the discovery, development and testing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for 2019-nCoV. If 2019-nCoV transmission continues for several months or more, safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics will be needed to help sustain long-term approaches to disease control and to prevent severe disease and deaths. The foundation will use its R&D funding to help global partners, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, identify and prioritize research needs, address gaps in the R&D landscape, incentivize product development by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and ensure that resulting products are safe, effective and made widely available. This effort will include support already underway for Chinese public- and private-sector research partners focused on the discovery, development and testing of candidate vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all peopleespecially those with the fewest resourceshave access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As governments struggle to fill jobs that deliver vital public services, new research from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) finds that Millennials working in state and local government are satisfied with their jobs and intend to stay with their employers so long as their benefits are not cut. In a nationwide poll of state and local employees, 84 percent of Millennials say they are satisfied with their job. This high job satisfaction among state and local Millennial employees comes despite sentiment that they could earn a higher salary in the private sector. Most Millennials in state and local government (80 percent) believe they could earn a higher salary working in the private sector, and only about one on four see their salary as very competitive. The research also finds that state and local Millennial employees (85 percent) say that they plan to stay in their job until they retire or can no longer work. But, Millennials' job loyalty would alter if their benefits were changed. Some 78 percent say their healthcare benefits is one reason they chose a position in the public sector, and 77 percent say they would be more likely to leave their job if this benefit were cut. Similarly, a high number of Millennials (84 percent) say that a pension benefit is the reason they stay in a state and local government job. These Millennials say that cutting their pension benefits would make them more likely to leave their state or local government job (71 percent). These findings are contained in a new Issue Brief, Millennial State & Local Government Employee Views on Their Jobs, Compensation & Retirement, available here. This research provides a deeper analysis of NIRS' November 2019 opinion research report, and it drills down to examine the views of Millennials working in state and local government. A webinar is scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2020, to review the findings and respond to questions. Register at no charge here. The Millennials survey data reveals that: Despite knowing they could earn a higher salary in the private sector, Millennials working in state and local government are satisfied with their jobs and total compensation. The vast majority (84 percent) are satisfied with their job. One in four say their salary is very competitive, but most (80 percent) say that their total compensation package (salary and benefits) is competitive. State & local government Millennial employees are planning to stick with their current job, but changing their benefits might push some out the door. Most Millennials (85 percent) in state and local government say that they plan to stay in their job until they retire or can no longer work. Some 77 percent say they would be more likely to leave their job if their healthcare were cut. A high number of Millennials (84 percent) say that a pension benefit is the reason they stay in a state and local government job, and 71 percent say that cutting their pension benefits would make them more likely to leave their state or local government job. Millennials working in state and local government are highly supportive of pensions, and they see the advantages of their benefits beyond retirement. Some 97 percent of Millennials in state and local government have favorable views of pensions, and more than three-fourths (77 percent) say that they prefer pensions over 401(k) accounts. Millennials see the value of pensions beyond providing retirement security. Some 92 percent of state and local Millennials agree pensions serve a role in incentivizing long public service careers, while 94 percent say that pensions serve as effective tools for recruiting new employees to state and local government jobs State and local government Millennial employees feel confident about their retirement, but worry about cuts or changes to benefits. Most Millennials (74 percent) working in state and local government say they are confident that they will be financially secure in retirement. But, 85 percent say they are concerned about potential pension benefit cuts, and 84 percent expressed concern about government officials underfunding pension contributions. More than three-fourths of state and local Millennial employees (77 percent) say they are concerned about cuts to their cost-of-living adjustments. State and local government Millennial workers say eliminating pensions has negative consequences. Nearly all agree (92 percent) that eliminating pensions will weaken government's ability to recruit and retain workers to deliver public services. The vast majority (86 percent) say that eliminating pensions will weaken public education, and most Millennials (82 percent) in state and local government agree that eliminating pensions will weaken public safety. "The key takeaway from this research is that Millennials understand the tradeoff between pay and benefits that often comes with a public sector job. Clearly, benefits are a driving force behind Millennials decision to seek and stay with a career in public service," said Dan Doonan, NIRS executive director. "As Baby Boomers retire and Millennials dominate the workforce, it's imperative that government employers attract talented younger employees committed to public careers that keep our communities healthy and safe and educate our children. Benefits play a key role in workforce loyalty for Millennials, turning jobs into careers," Doonan explained. In 2016, Millennials became the largest generation in the U.S. labor force. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 22.5 million U.S. workers are government employees with 2.8 million at the federal level, 5.1 million at the state level, and 14.6 million at the local. In 2019, 32 percent of state and local employees were Millennials. More than half (58 percent) of state and local public employees work in education, while 13 percent work in public safety, and 12 percent work in health and safety. "But despite state and local Millennial employee high satisfaction with their benefits, governments have been cutting back on health and retirement plans or shifting more costs to employees. We hope this research will inform the policy debate on Millennial preferences, thereby helping government employers make informed decisions related to the public workforce and benefits. More benefit cuts could have unintended and detrimental consequences -- like driving Millennials out the door and harming public services," Doonan said. Conducted by Greenwald & Associates, information for this study was collected from online interviews between August 22 through September 12, 2019. Sample was selected using two online panel providers, with 1,118 public sector employees aged 18 and older completing the survey to include 362 teachers, 284 police officers, 204 firefighters and 268 other public sector employees. The final data were weighted by age, gender, and personal income to reflect the demographics within each of these professions, and also weighted to reflect the distribution of these professions within the public sector workforce. The National Institute on Retirement Security is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established to contribute to informed policymaking by fostering a deep understanding of the value of retirement security to employees, employers and the economy as a whole. Located in Washington, D.C., NIRS' diverse membership includes financial services firms, employee benefit plans, trade associations, and other retirement service providers. More information is available at www.nirsonline.org. Follow NIRS on Twitter @NIRSonline. SOURCE National Institute on Retirement Security Related Links www.nirsonline.org Whats most interesting about Roberts as a choreographer is his embrace of softness, which extends to his use of music as shading that slightly lags or leads the dancers moves. Ode was accompanied by a recording of jazz pianist Don Pullens Suite (Sweet) Malcolm, (Part 1 Memories and Gunshots), by turns introspective and unsettling. Six men gather before a striking black backdrop scattered with flowers that glow brighter as the tableau beneath them grows more grim. There are no gunshots, no police, no struggle except inner turmoil, erupting now and again, sending the mens arms heavenward, their torsos twisting. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said anyone who disturbs the law and order in the city should be punished, adding if Kapil Gujjar is from AAP, he should be punished double. The Delhi police on Tuesday said Gujjar, who opened fire in Shaheen Bagh on February 1, had photos with Aam Aadmi Party leaders, while the party had called it BJP's "dirty politics". Speaking to the media, Kejriwal said Gujjar should be punished double if he has any connection with the AAP. "I don't know from which party he is. He should be punished severely. If, by any chance, he has any connection with the AAP, give him 20 years punishment if the law says he should be given 10 years. There should be no compromise on the national security." He also urged that Home Minister Amit Shah should not do politics on national security. "I want to tell Shah not to do politics on security. People understand what was your intention." He said Gujjar should be sent to jail irrespective of which political party he belongs to. "Those response for the law and order issue should be punished." Egypt and Saudi Arabia concluded an eight-day joint naval drill on Thursday, 30 January. Morgan-16, the Egyptian-Saudi Arabian military training exercise which used Egypts new Red Sea naval base Berenice, aimed to strengthen maritime security in the area. Activities were programmed with an eye on confronting current and future threats, enhancing interoperability between naval forces of friendly nations bordering the Red Sea and to hone the abilities of participant naval forces in planning, command and control, and communications while carrying out joint operations against unconventional threats and securing the Red Sea maritime theatre. A number of Arab and African nations participated as observers. Egypts guided missile frigate Taba, the transport and munitions ship Halayeb and several missile boats and their crews took part in the exercise. Saudi Arabia was represented by the Riyadh frigate and a PGG-class patrol missile boat. Activities included lectures and training seminars, an exhibition of weapons and equipment used in the drills and practical exercises such as tactical targeting using small weapons and a raid against a coastal target undertaken by sniper units using live ammunition. The exercises honed the skills of participant forces, promoted an exchange of expertise between Egyptian and Saudi participants, improved the combat efficacy of naval forces and increased familiarity with the naval armaments systems in use in the region. Marine forces from both Egypt and Saudi Arabia carried out visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) simulations, vertical and horizontal attacks, and a raid to seize control of a hostile island. Other drills highlighted the night-time targeting skills of special forces and their stealth and precision in undertaking counter-terrorist operations at sea. There were wireless communication and signalling exercises and search and rescue operations for aircraft and ships stranded at sea, alongside an electronic warfare exercise demonstrating the value of electronic jamming and decoy action in protecting naval units. A simulated battle at sea profiled the proficiency, speed and accuracy of participant ships in taking up battle positions and manoeuvring and carrying out combat tasks which included using live ammunition to intercept hostile surface targets, protecting ships against aerial attacks and refuelling at sea. Morgan-16 is one of several joint military drills Egypt holds with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain to address threats in the Red Sea region, an area vital to the national security of all four countries and to regional security as a whole. In addition to bilateral exercises Egypt engages in multilateral exercises such as the Red Wave naval drills of which there have been two so far. Red Wave-2, which took place in Saudi Arabia in September 2019, brought together forces from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti. Preparations are underway for a third edition of the drill. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's treatment has been delayed twice as his daughter Maryam was not permitted to be with him in London, according to media reports on Wednesday. In a statement, Leader of Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said his elder brother's health was critical and the Pakistan government on humanitarian grounds should allow Maryam to be with her father. "As Nawaz's health is (raising) concern, the margin for medical action is reducing as more time passes," Shehbaz was quoted as saying by Dawn Shehbaz said cardiologists had twice changed dates for the 69-year-old ex-prime minister's cardiac catheterisation. He said Sharif's wife Kulsoom's death had negatively affected his health, Express Tribune reported. Kulsoom died of multiple health complications in London in 2018. Sharif left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance to seek medical treatment, a month after he was released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence for corruption. The PML-Nawaz supremo is undergoing treatment for multiple diseases including coronary artery disease (CAD). The CAD is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries due to which the heart does not receive the blood it needs, leading to acute chest pain and, in some cases, a fatal heart attack. Maryam, 46, was placed on a no-fly list in August 2018. Citing her father's health condition in London, Maryam filed a petition before the Lahore High Court for removal of her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) and the return of her passport. Maryam's name is in the ECL since she was convicted in the Avenfield corruption case in 2018. She is also accused of money laundering. The PML-N vice-president was arrested by the country's anti-corruption bureau on August 8 last year in a case pertaining to "shady business transactions" at Chaudhry Sugar Mills, where she is a major shareholder. A photograph of Sharif at a London restaurant with some family members went viral on social media early last month, leading to speculation on the former prime minister's "serious" health condition. End of last month, the Punjab government asked Sharif to submit supporting reports on his application seeking extension of his stay abroad. The Punjab provincial home department, in a letter to Sharif, said a medical board had found the reports submitted by Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris on December 23 to be insufficient to form a conclusive opinion and sought fresh records. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajya Sabha witnessed a brief exchange of words between members of treasury benches and Congress on Wednesday as two members from the ruling BJP raised the issue of alleged involvement of an AAP worker in the Shaheen Bagh firing incident. Soon after ministers tabled listed papers, Vijay Goel (BJP) tried to raise the issue and was strongly opposed by some Congress members. However, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow Goel to proceed with his arguments and asked members to raise permitted issues for Zero Hour. Later, BJP MP Bhupender Yadav, as part of his Zero Hour mention, referred to the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections and without naming any party or place referred to the firing incident. He said the Delhi Police has released certain pictures following its investigation in the firing incident. Some Congress members again objected. To this, Yadav said the gunman does not belong to the Congress party. Yadav also wondered how a political party (in an apparent reference to AAP) can think of sending a legal notice to the police officer who is conducting inquiry into the firing incident. The Delhi Police has said that Kapil Baisala, who opened fired at the Shaheen Bagh protest site last week is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Yadav said registration of the political party, which is "criminalising politics" in Delhi should be cancelled. Meanwhile, senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said states were not getting share of taxes as per the devolution formula. He said states should get 42 per cent share but they are expected to get only 30 per cent during the current fiscal. According to him, the devolution was only 35 per cent in the previous two years. "It is a breach of promise" that was made in the Budget. His party colleague Digivjaya Singh said the Centre was not giving dues of states' shares in taxes because of lower revenue collections. He said the share of Madhya Pradesh in GST compensation has been reduced by Rs 14,000 crore. In her Zero Hour mention, senior Congress member Viplove Thakur suggested people injured in road and rail accidents, natural calamities and fire should be given higher compensation so that they can meet cost of their medical treatment. Akhilesh Prasad Singh (Cong) made a case for increasing the lenght of the airstrip at the Patna airport so that larger planes too could land there. Another senior Congress MP Motilal Vohra asked the government to take strict action against persons involved in black marketing of e-rail tickets. Samajwadi Party's MP Rewati Raman Singh highlighted the large number of vacancies in central universities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 05, 2020] Workforce Opportunity Services and PSEG Honor New Graduates at Triumphant Advancement Ceremony NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS)the leading non-profit organization connecting individuals from underserved populations with transformative career opportunitiesand PSEG, a diversified energy company serving the state of New Jersey, recently gathered with local community leaders and educators to honor 43 highly-skilled graduates as they completed a six-month job placement technology program. The ceremony took place at the renown Newark Museum of Art, located in Essex County, New Jersey, and was also attended by notables from the area, such as the Deputy Mayor of Newark, Rahman Muhammad, among others. The above-mentioned job placement program, "Talent Acquisition Pipeline (TAP)", which began in July of 2019, empowered participants to develop into full-time PSEG consultants in areas such as Software Development, IT Desktop Support, Windows, Network, and Database Administration. All program participants received comprehensive job training from App Academy and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), paid in full by WOS. Dr. Arthur Langer, Chairman, and Founder of WOS, spoke to the graduates regarding the importance of their accomplishments. "You have all completed a mission," said Dr. Langer. "Now you have a responsibility. If you continue to perform well, you'll open up doors for the other men and women who want to achieve something great. You all represent something that is impressive." Before the graduation ceremony, Dr. Langer presented an award to Joseph Santamaria, PSEG's SVP Chief Information and Digital Officer for his continued support to WOS and all its talent acquisition initiatives. Mr. Timothy Weeks, Director of IT Enterprise Solutions and Vendor Management at PSEG, and Wayne Spano, Senior Director, Applications Project Office at PSEG, were also presented with accolades as thanks for their dedication and encouragement to all advancing cohorts. In the past, WOS has typically placed one to two people in positions at PSEG, most of them military veterans. Through this latest TAP program, PSEG will now receive 43 new diverse employees, from a myriad of backgrounds, specifically trained for it's needs. Concurrently, WOS has placed over 5,300 people in jobs across a variety of Fortune 500 companies, such as Prudential, JetBlue, and United Rentals, to name a few. If you would like more information about WOS and our programs, or are interested in an interview with a WOS representative, please contact WOS media relations at [email protected]. 475 Riverside Drive Suite 1350 New York, NY 10115 Tel: 212-870-0241 About Workforce Opportunity Services Founded in 2005, Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS) is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to developing the skills of untapped talent from underserved and veteran communities through partnerships with organizations dedicated to diversifying their workforce. Utilizing a scientifically-based model derived from research conducted at Columbia University, we recruit, educate, train, and place high-potential candidates with leading organizations around the world. To date, WOS has served 4,000+ individuals through partnerships with more than 65 corporations in 40+ locations worldwide. For more information, visit wforce.org . Additional Links WOS on Twitter ( www.twitter.com/wforceorg ) WOS on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/wforceorg/ ) WOS on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/workforce-opportunity-services/ ) WOS on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/wforceorg/ ) View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/workforce-opportunity-services-and-pseg-honor-new-graduates-at-triumphant-advancement-ceremony-300999260.html SOURCE Workforce Opportunity Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said that his comments suggesting diploma holders attended colleges with worst results were taken out of context. In parts of a video which had already gone viral on social media, Dr Prempeh is seen purportedly describing diploma teachers as having attended colleges with the worst results. The video has since sparked anger among a section of the public including some aggrieved teachers who are demanding an apology from the Minister. But on Wednesday the Minister clarified when speaking to Kumasi-based Nhyira FM that there was no way he would rain insults on teachers for the selfless and sacrificial jobs they do in the country. Its surprising that people would seek to twist my views and piece them up to get a distortion just to achieve devilish plot. I will never insult teachers because we are the only government that is committed to paying teachers huge arrears owed them from 2013 to 2016, Napo, as he is popularly called clarified. Commenting specifically on the video in circulation against his person, Napo wondered the motivation to doctor his views in such a criminal manner. He said the video recording has been carefully pieced and his views distorted to suggest an insult on teachers, especially diploma holding ones. The NPP, the minister of Education noted, has offered Diploma teachers the opportunity to do a four-year degree, a sort of top-up to their grades. The Manhyia South lawmaker revealed that Diploma holding teachers who would take advantage to get grades at the university is sure to get better remuneration close to five times what they got when they had only Diploma certificates. The Minister assured both Diploma and graduate teachers the governments commitment to leading the case for their welfare. He noted that more incentives would be rolled out to ensure teachers do well in their favourite profession. Teacher award schemes and scholarships for further studies are all in the pipeline to motivate Ghanaian teachers, he posited Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long been a target of President Trump's ire, but her intolerance of his erratic behavior reigns supreme at least on the internet. A slew of memes and GIFs of Pelosi circulated online following Trump's third State of the Union (SOTU) address, which featured " multiple misleading claims and exaggerations " about everything from "tremendous" economic booms to a decline in overdose deaths, according to a New York Times fact-checked report. Related | Why Everyone Is Thirst Trapping For Bernie Sanders Clearly, Pelosi had enough. As Trump concluded his speech with the words to applause, Pelosi ripped her copy of the speech in half. When Trump first entered the room, Pelosi offered her hand to him, but he refused to shake it, instead turning to face the audience. But these exchanges weren't the only instances of presidential shade. As CNN anchor Jake Tapper pointed out in a tweet, Pelosi subtly snubbed Trump as well. When introducing him, she said, "Members of Congress, the President of the United States," rather than... a typically more decorated greeting. Pelosi wanted viewers to know that her actions were absolutely intentional. In a video tweeted by Fox News producer Jason Donner, she looked straight into the camera and said, "It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives." Pelosi's disdain for Trump has been longstanding. Last year, she seemed to clap sarcastically for Trump during the 2019 State of the Union address, which also turned into many viral memes. The internet's response to this year's SOTU is no different. Related | Nancy Pelosi to Announce Formal Impeachment Proceedings Pelosi and her tearing of the speech is currently trending on Twitter: #NancytheRipper, #NancyPelosiROCKS and #RipitUpNancy. Many found her action satisfying, as it symbolized her refusal to back down, and the ripping continues to overshadow Trump's actual speech. For the far-right, she is trending with the following hashtags: #PettyPelosi and #PelosiMeltdown, showing how divided people are on the matter. The State of the Union address was delivered the night before the Senate votes in Trump's impeachment trial , which will occur today at approximately 4 PM ET. Pelosi's full statement issued after Trump's SOTU address can be read here. In Lagos, Nigeria as against other states in the country, it is not uncommon to find food vendors sprawling in every nook and cranny. Sometimes in a street, you could find as much as three food vendors why? It is a lucrative business, people must eat. Food business has grown over time from going to the restaurant or buka as it is referred to in local parlance to door-step delivery. With the aid of social media, food can be ordered from any part of a city and be delivered to a customer at no hitch at all. In Lagos, because of the usual hustling that Lagosians are known for, many leave their homes as early as 4:00 am to return a little before 12:00 am daily. This makes patronising food vendors a daily practice, and in return, a boost for the food business. For the vendors, it becomes a part of personal branding for their business to carve a good niche for themselves. Some of them want to be known as the go-to-place for tasty and assorted meals of all kinds, others have come to be known to be the early birds of the business. They start selling food as early as 6:00 am, to serve workers rushing off to work but desire breakfast no matter how early. In the food business, consistency in a taste, quality and time(opening and closing hours) are key to sustaining the business and getting ahead of competitors. Read Also: Struggles, Pains Of Single Mothers And Societys One-Sided Backlash (Exclusive) However, it became recently known that some food vendors have employed a deadly practice of using paracetamol to cook their meat in order to make it tender on time. The revelation came as a big blow to many, as it is almost impossible to find a Lagosian who doesnt eat out or patronise local bukas. Though the revelation might have come as shock to many, it is interesting to note that the practice has been in existence for a long time and only came to light recently. INFORMATION NIGERIA spoke with Iya Dami who runs a makeshift Buka at Fagba junction, Iju, Lagos, during the day. Reluctant to speak about the practice in the first place but after much persuasion, she agrees that it is true that some food vendors use paracetamol to cook their meat in order to make it tender in no time. She said: many people dey use am cook because e dey quick makes meat soft. Instead of you to dey waste firewood or gas, paracetamol go make am quick soft. Although Iya Dami denies using paracetamol to cook her meat, she said she is quite aware of a number of her colleagues who engage in the practice. Asked if she knows that the practice could be hazardous to the consumers health, she said I nor think so because if person get headache or body pains, him go take paracetamol, so I not sure say na bad thing. Monsurat Aderanti, a food vendor at Iju Ishaga road said although she has heard of it being done, she has never practised it. The light-skinned middle-aged woman who sells food alongside more than 4 other food vendors at the bus garage said she first heard of the method when she was about to go into the food business. She said, People have been doing it for a long time. When I was going to start my business, I was advised by those who have been in the business before to use paracetamol to soften meat in order to make it soft quickly. However, she says she discarded the advice alongside some other ones given to her because it just didnt feel right. Not just those who sell food, Beer parlour operators have also been fingered as major culprits of this act. Because pepper soup is an important aspect of their business, it has been found that they use paracetamol to prepare their goat and cow meat in order to save the waiting time of customers and of course burning excess gas or kerosene. Knowing that it would be a herculean task to find a food vendor who would admit to using paracetamol to cook their meat, to avoid long hours of cooking and in turn, keep customers waiting which could lead to losing them Information Nigerias Verity Awala proceeded to speak with Lagosians on the street to find out if they knew about the practice and if it has stopped them from patronising food vendors. Oludara Salako, a roadside vulcanizer at Pen Cinema, Agege, said I have heard of it before, but it hasnt stopped me from patronising food vendors. In fact, I just finishing eating Amala and Gbegiri with meat from my favourite vendor. On if he doesnt border it could have an adverse effect on his health, if his food vendor in fact uses paracetamol to soften her meat, he said; Im not bothered because I have been partonising food vendors since I was a child and nothing has happened to me. And moreover, something must kill a man. Read Also: Inside The Sordid World Of Child Hawkers In Lagos Arike Ogunbiyi, a student of Lagos state polytechnic, who was on her way to her school said, I only heard about it recently and that has made me reduce my eating out habit. Sometimes when I decide to buy food from a food vendor, I just buy egg instead. Sarah Omotoro, a trader who sells kitchen utensils at Moshalashi Alhaja Market, Agege also spoke with INFORMATION NIGERIA, saying, it is almost impossible not to eat out, especially when you have to leave home very early in the morning and dont have time to make any food before leaving. The mother of one said she buys food a lot, especially as she has to breastfeed her 8-month old baby. However, she said that the revelation has taught her not to buy food from just any food vendor but a selected few and hopes the ones she patronises are kind enough not to be culprits of the evil practice. It became imperative to speak with health experts on the real dangers of cooking food with paracetamol. Is it as dangerous as it sounds or there is a way around it? A pharmacist, Chimerem Emenyonu who works at Juli Pharmaceuticals Ikeja, said the practice is very dangerous. According to her, there is something called paracetamol poisoning which in the long run can cause liver damage. Nonso Nwosu, another pharmacist who works with a popular pharmaceutical store in the Agege area of Lagos state, wondered why people would go through such means just to cut costs and make profit. He said, When paracetamol is used for cooking, it breaks down into other forms which become entirely different from its original properties as a pain killer and becomes highly acidic which becomes unsafe for consumption. He added that when paracetamol is broken down in this form, the drug is hydrolyzed into what is known as 4-aminophenol, and this is extremely hazardous to the kidney. Naturally, taking too much anything is bad and this is more true for drugs because of its effect on the kidney and liver. In Nigeria today, Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become rampant that the Nigeria Medical Journal in its 2016 report said it has become a public health issue. A report by the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) in 2018 said more than 25 million Nigerians, representing over 13 percent of the countrys estimated 180million people had kidney failures. With the increasing case of young people having kidney problems and eventually dying of the disease, it becomes important for all and sundry to take precautions as to life style choices that could lead to the almost irreversible condition. In a country such as this, where there is hardly proper monitoring of things, it would be almost impossible to check restaurants, beer parlours or food business owners on this practice Especially since many food vendors cook their food in their homes and take them to streets to sell. Some people have expressed fears that the revelation instead of deterring people would even serve as publicity of the illicit practice as they would jump on the new knowledge to perpetuate more evil in the name of saving cost and time. Syrian regime forces Wednesday pressed on with their offensive in the northwest that has displaced half a million people, despite heightened tensions with Turkey. Intensive aerial bombardment and ground fighting in the jihadist-dominated Idlib region since December have killed almost 300 civilians and triggered one of the largest waves of displacement in the nine-year war. The United Nations and aid groups have condemned the escalation and called for an end to hostilities in a region that is home to three million people, half of them already displaced from other parts of Syria. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that his country would not allow Syrian forces to gain more ground and accused them of driving "innocent and grieving people" towards the Turkish border. But Russian-backed Syrian regime forces on Wednesday pressed on with their offensive in Idlib, where they have seized more than 20 towns and villages from rebels and jihadists over the past 24 hours, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state agency SANA. With their latest advance, Damascus loyalists have nearly encircled Saraqeb in southern Idlib and were now within one kilometre (less than a mile) of the strategic highway town which has been emptied of its residents following weeks of bombardment, the Observatory said. Holdout rebels and jihadists can only exit from the north, with regime forces deployed on all other sides, according to the war monitor group. A military source quoted by SANA late Tuesday said the Syrian army was giving its enemies in Saraqeb and nearby areas a "last chance," calling on them to surrender their arms. The Syrian government was poised this week to recapture Saraqeb. But its push hit a snag after regime forces exchanged deadly fire with Turkish troops on Monday, an escalation UN chief Antonio Guterres called "extremely worrying". Regime shelling of Turkish positions in Idlib killed at least five Turkish soldiers and three civilians, Ankara said. The Observatory reported that retaliatory fire from Turkey killed at least 13 Syrian government troops. The exchange was their deadliest clash since Ankara sent troops to Syria in 2016. It further tested the uneasy coordination between Russia and Turkey, the two main foreign brokers in the Syrian conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN website Kathmandu/IBNS: The Nepal government on Wednesday said it might quarantine all those Nepali nationals who will be evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan province of China to Nepal Electricity Authority Training Centre in Bhaktapur, media reports said. Sagar Dahal, chief of Health Emergency Operation Centre, Ministry of Health and Population, told The Himalayan Times a meeting held in the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today dwelt on quarantining the evacuees at NEA Training Centre but the venue was not finalised. They will be quarantined for two weeks and then released. At least 180 Nepalis have filed applications at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing requesting evacuation, reported the Nepali newspaper. So far, 490 people have died in China since the outbreak of the disease. The recipe for a vibrant downtown includes a lot of ingredients. A generous helping of entertainment venues. A heaping portion of restaurants. More than a dash of nightlife. And all of stirred together in a mix of history and architecture. And if a city pilot program pans out, we can add in a sprinkle of the spicy flavor of food trucks. Downtown Lincoln offers a fine array of restaurants already, but a trial run planned for at least six weeks starting in April proposed by City Councilwoman Tammy Ward and food truck owner Nick Maestas would allow up to three food trucks to park on city streets during the days and hours designated in each of four zones. Their proposal puts trucks near areas where lots of people are employed, but it requires at least 100 feet from a brick-and-mortar restaurant, double the distance Omaha has codified. KYODO NEWS - Feb 5, 2020 - 19:53 | World, All, Coronavirus A Malaysian woman was charged in court on Wednesday for inciting public mischief over a social media post on the new coronavirus amid a crackdown on the spread of misleading news about the outbreak, as the government announced two new cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 12. Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias, 40, pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate Court to three charges under Section 505 of the Penal Code that deals with "statements conducing to public mischief," for three separate postings on her Facebook page which prosecution said could cause "fear or alarm to the public." She is the first to be charged as the government vowed tough action against the spread of fake or misleading information about the outbreak in order to contain panic among the public. "I take very seriously the incredible volume of lies relating to the coronavirus epidemic gripping the attention of Malaysians and indeed across the globe. Accordingly, I have decided that it is in the national interest that persons who initiate and disseminate lies on any issues in relation to coronavirus on the internet shall be investigated and if a case exists, be charged," Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a statement. (Supplied electron micrograph shows a new coronavirus identified in China.) [Photo courtesy of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, GISAID] If convicted, Hayati, who formerly worked with the New Straits Times, a local English daily, faces up to two years in jail and/or a fine. She was later released on a 12,000-ringgit ($2,910) bail. Among her Facebook posts that authorities deemed offensive was one in the Malay language which read, "This morning, news reported that 1,000 people from China had just arrived in Penang...Perhaps if LGE gets infected, only then an emergency will be declared?" LGE refers to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also leader of the ruling, predominantly ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party. The Penang state government had clarified that the tourists were from a cruise ship and had undergone medical examination. Meanwhile, two Malaysians who were evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China, were found to have contracted the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said. The 45-year-old man and his 9-year-old son were among 88 Malaysians and their 19 foreign spouses and children who were airlifted out of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. They arrived home Tuesday with no symptoms, but laboratory tests of throat swab samples came back positive, the minister told reporters. Of the 12 confirmed cases in Malaysia, nine are Chinese nationals and three Malaysians. One of the nine Chinese confirmed cases, a 4-year-old girl became the first new coronavirus patient in Malaysia to have made full recovery and allowed to return home, Dzulkefly said. The girl had tested positive on Jan. 29 and was treated at a hospital on the northern resort island of Langkawi. Subsequently, two more tests were run and both came back negative. Related coverage: 10 on quarantined Japanese cruise ship infected with coronavirus Macau casinos, largest gambling hub, to shut amid virus outbreak Japan may expand ban on foreigners from China amid virus outbreak Virus outbreak causes Japan firms to halt China business Brisbane City Council's use of loud music to move on rough sleepers in public spaces such as King George Square has come under question, with calls for a more "compassionate" approach. In the council's Tuesday afternoon chamber meeting, Greens councillor Jonathan Sri asked lord mayor Adrian Schrinner how it was "compassionate" to force homeless people out of public spaces with loud music and voices. The upper deck of King George Square where classical music is blasted to curb "antisocial" behaviour. Credit:Lydia Lynch. The council plays loud classical music at night between midnight and 6am to discourage people from sleeping in the square, a practice started in 2012 under the LNP administration. "How do you justify this decision to force vulnerable people out of a public space when they are seeking shelter?" Cr Sri asked, the second time he has raised the issue. Teslas stock has surged over 125% in the last month and a half, now chasing Toyota as the worlds most valuable carmaker, with some analysts predicting that the stock could skyrocket in the coming few years to wild levels--some of them even five digits. Teslas stock was trading near $400 at the beginning of the year, but as of Monday, the closing price hit an all-time high of $786. Tuesday, Tesla shares topped $900. In all, over the last 10 years, the stock price has soared a whopping 3,300%. Earlier this year, Tesla became the first American automaker to hit a $100 billion market cap. But it blew by that metric, too, and its now grown to $165 billion--almost twice the combined size of rival automakers General Motors and Ford. Right now, Tesla is only $30 billion behind market leader Toyota--which sold nearly 11 million cars last year, compared to 367,500 for Tesla. So, whats caused this massive rally? For starters, in December, Tesla delivered the first cars produced by its Chinese Gigafactory in Shanghai, enabling one of the largest auto markets to have locally produced cars at reduced prices. But then, last week, the Chinese government ordered the shutdown of the factory in Shanghai over coronavirus fears. Tesla stock, however, continued to surge ahead in surprise defiance of the viru The rally was highlighted by Tesla's last years fourth-quarter results reported last week, where it announced a first-ever quarterly profit of $105 million. The results were viewed as a milestone for the company competing against established major companies. Early on Tuesday, Tesla investor Ron Baron told CNBC he thought Tesla could hit $1 trillion in revenue in the next decade. Also, the rise came after Panasonic Corp reported the first quarterly profit in its American battery business with Tesla, which followed years of production troubles and delays. We are catching up as Tesla is quickly expanding production Higher production volume is helping to push down materials costs and erase losses, Panasonic Chief Financial Officer Hirokazu Umeda said during an earnings call. Falling battery prices means lower costs, and thus higher margins, for Tesla. Related: The Most Exciting Oil Plays Of 2020 Some firms, such as ARK Invest, believe that Tesla is still undervalued, reportedly targeting the automaker's true pricing at $7,000 by 2024, based on optimism about its gross margins and capital efficiency. And thats just ARKs base case. Its bull case has Tesla trading at $15,000, with a market cap of $2.7 trillion. Even ARKs bear case puts the stock at $1,500. Based on this probability matrix, our bear case implies that Tesla will sell 3.2 million vehicles in 2024, cutting its share of total EV sales roughly in half compared to todays levels. Our bull case implies that Tesla will maintain its roughly 18% market share, and that a substantial percentage of its fleet will generate high-margin robotaxi platform fees, the investment team wrote. Other analysts, however, are decidedly more cautious. Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin late last week said he felt Teslas stock was significantly overvalued when it was still trading at the $581 per-share level. He cited risks including the potential for delays in manufacturing, ramping production at its Shanghai Gigafactory and cost escalation as it tries to meet its volume targets. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas is sticking tightly to his $360 price target, telling investors that it is predicated on Tesla achieving 2 million units of sales by 2030 with a 15% EBITDA margin. By Tom Kool for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: What Does the Bible Say about Worry? Worry was as relevant a topic in the Old and New Testament as it is today. Inner angst isnt new, and anxiety isnt something unique to the current culture. I hope its reassuring to you to hear that the Bible has a lot to say about worry. If you have felt the crushing weight of your dread and doubts, you are certainly not alone and by no means out of reach of Gods hand. Proverbs 12:25 tells a truth many of us have lived, Anxiety weighs down the heart. The words weighs down in this verse mean not just burdened, but weighed down to the point of being forced to lay down on the ground, unable to move. Maybe you too have felt the paralyzing grip of fear and worry. The Bible also gives us hope for the way God works in those who worry. Psalm 94:19 says, When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. God brings hope filled encouragement for those consumed by cares and their hearts are made joyful again. Jesus also spoke about worry in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:31-32, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Jesus says not to worry and then gives us a rock-solid reason to fret less: your heavenly Father knows what you need and if he knows your needs, he will surely take care of you just as he cares for all creation. Philippians 4:6 also gives us a formula for how to handle worry when it does arise. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. The Bible makes it clear that worry will happen, but we get to choose how well respond to it. We can channel the inner turmoil that worry brings and choose to let it motivate us to present our needs to God. And then the next verse, Philippians 4:7 tells us what will happen after we present our requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. It seems the Bible agrees that worry is a difficult issue, while simultaneously telling us not to worry. Is the Bible commanding us to never be afraid or anxious? What if we do feel anxious? Are we breaking a command of the Bible? Does that mean that its a sin to worry? Photo credit: Unsplash/James Coleman [February 04, 2020] LINC Systems, a Portfolio Company of Center Rock Capital Partners, Expands Footprint with the Acquisition of R.V. Evans Company Center Rock Capital Partners, LP ("Center Rock") is excited to announce that its industrial fastener and packaging distribution platform, LINC Systems, LLC ("LINC") has acquired R.V. Evans Company ("RV Evans"), a fellow leading distributor of fastening and packaging products. Based in Decatur, Illinois, RV Evans has been owned and operated by the Evans family for over 80 years and is currently led by Kelly Evans and TC Evans. RV Evans provides innovative fastening and packaging products, equipment and servicing solutions to customers in a broad range of industries including construction, housing, food & beverage, consumer products, automotive, agriculture and other general industrial end markets. The acquisition of RV Evans further diversifies LINC's business across customers and end markets, as well as geographically with the combined businesses now serving customers in 30 US states. Kelly Evans and TC Evans will continue to lead RV Evans in their current roles within the company. Kelly Evans, RV Evans' President, commented, "On behalf of everyone at RV Evans, I am thrilled to partner with the LINC organization. LINC has established itself as a leader in our industry by providing the highest levels of value-added customer service and expertise that is critical to its customers. We look forward to leveraging our combined expertise, prodct offering and service capabilities to deepen our relationships with our customers and drive new opportunities for our employees." "Kelly and TC have built a great company with incredible resources and we are excited to join forces," said Ted Azar, CEO of LINC Systems. "RV Evans' and LINC's business models are highly complementary, and this combination will position our companies for future growth. Both organizations have a rich and respected history in this business, and are committed to providing customers with exceptional service, selection and product knowledge. We couldn't be more excited to have RV Evans join the growing LINC platform," added Mr. Azar. Arun Laxmanan, Principal at Center Rock Capital Partners, commented, "RV Evans and LINC are a great combination that advances our strategic vision of building a leading, nationwide industrial fastener and packaging distribution platform. We are excited to work with the combined management teams to fuel the Companies' continued growth through extraordinary service and expertise." About R.V. Evans Company R.V. Evans is a leading distributor of fastening and packaging products serving a broad range of industrial end markets including construction, housing, food & beverage, consumer products, automotive, agriculture and general industrial. For more information, please visit www.rvevans.com. About LINC Systems LINC Systems is a leading distributor of fastening solutions and industrial supplies serving a broad range of industrial end markets including pallet, furniture, housing, construction and general industrial. For more information, please visit www.lincsystems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204006117/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo wrote in a letter sent to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that China is thankful for Vietnams support in fighting the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic. The virus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province in December 2019, has infected 24,324 people in mainland China as of 10:00 am on Wednesday, killing 490, according to the South China Morning Post. There were at least 176 cases in 24 other countries and regions as of Tuesday, Reuters quoted the World Health Organization as saying. China has taken the most comprehensive and strict measures on a global scale and mobilized the forces of the government and the whole society to fight the epidemic and prevent the spread of the infection across all channels, Ambassador Xiong wrote in his letter. Many of Chinas measures have surpassed the standards of the International Health Regulations (IHR), the ambassador added. IHR is a legally binding instrument of international law that aims to assist countries in working together to save lives and livelihoods endangered by the international spread of diseases and other health risks and avoid unnecessary interference with international trade and travel. Chinese President Xi Jinping has established a central steering committee to oversee the tasks to fight the epidemic across the country, and a panel of research experts have also been assembled to study 2019-nCoV, he wrote. Huoshenshan, a 33,900-square-meter, 1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan, was finished on Sunday after ten days of construction, while Leishenshan, another hospital on an adjacent site with 1,600 beds, is expected to be completed on Wednesday, Ambassador Xiong wrote. The 2019-nCoV epidemic is preventable, controllable and curable, he added. China and Vietnam are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, the ambassador wrote. Since the outbreak of the disease, Vietnamese leaders have sent messages to Chinese leaders and appreciated the great efforts of the Party, the State and the Chinese people in our fight against the epidemic. Ambassador Xiong added that the leaders of Vietnam have displayed a spirit of international cooperation in recognizing Chinas contributions to protecting the health and well-being of people in the region and the world. China is also thankful for Vietnams early aid to the Chinese campaign against the epidemic. The government of Vietnam on January 31 decided to provide around US$500,000 worth of goods and medical supplies to the Chinese government and people to support their battle against 2019-nCoV. Another $100,000 worth of goods was provided by the Vietnam Red Cross Society. On the same day, the WHO declared the new coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. However, the coronavirus outbreak is not yet a pandemic, WHO officials said Tuesday, adding that they are hopeful transmission of the virus can be contained. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! DEWITT, N.Y. -- The Holy Cross School in DeWitt is closed for the rest of the week after more than half of its students missed class on Tuesday with illnesses, according to an email from the schools principal to parents. This will allow our custodial staff to do a deep cleaning of the building and allow students and staff to be isolated from each other, school principal Martha OLeary said in a Tuesday night email to parents. Approximately 180 students in kindergarten through sixth grade attend Holy Cross, according to its website. The school asked parents to limit play dates with other Holy Cross students and to limit attending functions that could further spread illnesses, OLeary said. The students were sick with the flu, pneumonia and other viruses, according to OLeary. Here is the full statement sent to parents: Dear Holy Cross Families, As everyone knows there has been a huge amount of illness at Holy Cross School this week. Today we had over 50% of our students out sick with flu, pneumonia, virus. After consulting the Superintendent of Catholic Schools, the Health Dept. and Fr. Kurgan, I am closing Holy Cross for the remainder of the week. This will allow our custodial staff to do a deep cleaning of the building and allow students and staff to be isolated from each other. In order for this to be the most effective, we are also asking all families to be aware of exposure to others in the community as well as other children from our school during this time. The CDC refers to this as "social distancing" to help minimize the spread of the disease in a certain population. Basically we are asking you to avoid playdates among Holy Cross students and limiting attendance at functions that could spread illness to the community at large and further the problem within our own school community. I know that this may be a burden on some parents but it was not a decision that was made hastily and I believe that it is best for the Holy Cross School community. Peace and wellness, Martha Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Newlyweds Tim Tebow, Demi Nel-Peters meet Pope Francis after first Night to Shine event in Rome Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Tim Tebow and his new bride, former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, were in Rome this week celebrating the citys first-ever Night to Shine event and were invited to meet Pope Francis. Night to Shine is sponsored by The Tim Tebow Foundation and aims to help people with special needs, ages 14 and up, experience prom. The couple posted several videos of the event while celebrating the special needs community of the capital of Italy. "We're so excited to be part of the first Night to Shine in Rome, Tebow is heard saying to the crowd on Instagram story. It's a night where the church gets to shine, it's a night where people with special needs get to shine, but more than anything it's a night where God gets to shine, he declared. Nel-Peters took to Instagram after the event with a photo of the couple showing Pope Francis all the footage from the event. Shared the beautiful highlights from last nights first-ever #NightToShine in Rome with Pope Francis, she wrote. Tebow didnt share much about the meeting with the pontiff but did post a video saying he was excited to get to meet him. "We get to meet the pope so we get to do that and then we're gonna take off and fly to another location for the next part of Night to Shine, Tebow shared on an Instagram story. In addition to Rome and cities across the U.S., proms are held in Peru, New Zealand, Albania, Kenya, and South Africa, among others. According to the Night to Shine website, the worldwide celebration is hosted by volunteers "in more than 375 host churches in 50 states, several different countries on six continents and in 28 different denominations." In the footage posted of the event in Rome, prom attendees, volunteers and even priests are seen dancing and enjoying the ball. Every guest of Night to Shine entered their prom on a red carpet, greeted by friendly paparazzi for their unforgettable night. According to the format of past events, once inside guests have access to hair, makeup, and shoe shining stations. They receive corsages and boutonnieres and theres lots of dancing. Additional footage shows the former Florida Heisman Trophy winner naming every guest of honor the kings and queens of the prom as they were crowned. The Tim Tebow Foundation contributes more than $3 million in financial grants to assist churches in hosting Night to Shine in their communities. A little boy who had eight heart operations cancelled is now recovering well at home after his operation was finally completed. Tommy Kinsella (aged 7) was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent his first open-heart surgery at 11 months old which gave him "a fantastic quality of life". But for the last 12 months, his health was deteriorating. He could no longer play hurling with his friends and walking up and down the stairs was a battle. He was due to undergo a procedure to repair or replace his mitral valve in November but his mother Noirin Kinsella said that understaffing, lack of hospital beds and medical emergencies meant that her son's operation was seriously delayed. In an open letter to Health Minister Simon Harris, the "desperate" mother wrote: "Do I need to wait until my son is rushed into hospital in a life-threatening emergency for him to be treated?" But "her hero" Tommy finally had his open heart surgery on January 15 followed by a second operation to fit a pacemaker after his heart rate plummeted to dangerously low. He is now getting stronger "day by day" after returning home last Thursday. The Kinsellas have started the Team Tommy K GoFundMe page and hope to raise 200,000 for the Children's Medical and Research Foundation at Crumlin Hospital because they have given us our boy back". Noirin said: What they've done for Tommy is amazing. I could wrap my son up with that money but it wouldn't make him better. Tommy is doing well now. He's up and about in the house but he's still taking it easy. He's amazing. He smiles his way through life. He's looking forward to going back to school and playing hurling with his friends again. Tommy had to stay home from school while he was waiting for the operation. He was suffering chest pains and had to wear a surgical mask to avoid infections. He was rushed to Wexford General Hospital three times over Christmas with low oxygen levels and blood pressure. However, after eight cancelled operations, including one on the morning of the operation after the family had travelled from Wexford to the Dublin hospital, the surgery finally happened. He had surgery on January 15 but was back in the ICU three days later with a very high heart rate. He came home for one night but his heart rate plummeted so he had to go back to Wexford General Hospital and then back to Crumlin. The care in Crumlin is brilliant. They even liaise with the hospital in Wexford on Tommy's care. I don't know how they do it. They have a hospital full of sick children and they're also dealing with children in other hospitals all over the country." In fact, the care was so good in Crumlin that Tommy was reluctant to leave staff when he was finally discharged last Thursday. "When they asked him if he was excited to go home, he said 'I don't know. I'm excited to see my sister but I'll miss you guys'," Noirin said. People can donate to Tommy's Just Giving fund YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. National Security Service (NSS) officers are conducting a search operation at Urban Development Committee Chairman Vahagn Vermishyans office, the NSS told ARMENPRESS. The NSS said they will provide additional information in an official statement later. According to unconfirmed media reports Vermishyan is currently under criminal investigation into alleged corruption-related activities. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Many of us have felt for some time that Iowa is not a bellwether state and too much weight is placed on its outcome. It was Jimmy Carter, a little-known Georgia governor, who came out on top in the 1976 Democrat Iowa caucuses just a century after federal troops withdrew from the South. He ran to the White House with Iowa tucked in his electoral portfolio. While the most entertaining story of the Iowa caucuses was either the utter chaos and incompetence that unfolded or the sinister machinations of the Democrat party, depending on your take on the events, the more important story is getting far less attention. When given the first opportunity to turn out and vote for a candidate to oppose President Donald Trump, Democrats largely shrugged and said, "Meh." Turnout was down almost 30% from 2008. This is by far the most important story out of this primary, which is why it will be largely blacked out by the media. While Barack Obama was not on the ballot, Democrats clearly expected a greater show of voter force when they were given the chance to do something other than howl their Trump derangement rage at the moon. Smart Democrats understand this reality all too well. Harry Enten is one of the smarter ones. "If you go back to four years ago, what the Iowa Democratic Party has said is this is about the same exact turnout," Enten observed. "That is not particularly good[.] ... There's supposed to be all this excitement around the Democratic Party wanting to beat Donald Trump. And this isn't the only data point that shows that." "Not particularly good" in liberal speak translates to catastrophic. The problem for Democrats is that only one of their candidates excites anything resembling passion, and he is the one candidate that the Democrat establishment power players are doing everything in their power to torpedo. At the same time, they are desperately pushing the least inspiring candidate in the entire field, although that impossible dream might be over post-Iowa. For Democrats, voting chicanery is practically a national spectator sport, but one would have thought they would have at least kept their fraud powder dry until they actually faced a Republican. In one precinct, Bernie Sanders beat Pete Buttigieg 111 votes to 47 in the first round. They both landed two delegates in that precinct in the Democrats' version of "everyone gets two trophies." The Sanders camp has to be concerned that a repeat of 2016 is underway, when they almost certainly won the state, perhaps decisively, and yet were declared the narrow losers. The fix was in, and, while I am thankfully no expert on the psychology of anyone who would actually consider pulling the lever for the Marxist madman, I have to think most of his supporters know that the fix is in again. It just so happens that the "chaos" benefited the candidate of the establishment while hurting Sanders. Nothing to see here. The media have been assuring America that we are at a national boiling point of pent up anti-Trump rage against the worst person to ever walk the Earth and that voters are dying to get to the voting booth in a collective cathartic purge. Iowa is the canary in the coal mine for the media and Democrats, showing that relying purely on opposition to Trump is about to blow up in their faces. While the complete caucus disaster (or Machiavellian machination) is more fun to talk about, the poor turnout is the story that matters. Will the behavior of Iowans be the start of a trend? President Trump's policies in combination with Democrat extremism has created a decisive political realignment that moved working-class voters out of the Democrat column and into his. Expect Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan to follow a similar path, with Democrats left to scratch their heads about the turnout that didn't happen. I expect that 2020 will also be the year that Minnesota votes Republican for the first time since 1972. Once these states start to flip, the terrain becomes increasingly unfriendly to Democrats. When long Democrat stronghold West Virginia flipped in 2000, Democrats won 45.6% of the vote. In 2016, their share of the vote was down to an anemic 26.5%. Those voters are not likely to tack back to the Democrats because Democrats, believing in their demographic ascendancy, have no intention of moderating their message. This is why so many of the enthusiastic supporters gathering at the president's rallies, at least on paper, are Democrats. There is nobody quite as committed as a new convert who sees the light. The president will handily win what was once a fairly reliable Democrat state in Iowa. Democrats won Iowa in six out of the last eight presidential elections. But with that realignment, the state will almost certainly stay in Republican hands for the second straight cycle, and it won't be particularly close. The good news for the Democrats is that they will likely have this turnout challenge only in states they don't need to worry about winning. Californians will step through the human feces to get to the polls to vote for the party that turned their state into a cesspool of misery. New York? Fuggedaboutit. The landscape going into New Hampshire will be very different based on the results out of Iowa. If Joe Biden did indeed finish in fourth place, he may already be a dead man walking, which will lead to the establishment torn between pinning their hopes and schemes on either the small-town mayor or the billionaire anti-gun zealot. New Hampshire is a slightly different animal. While the 2016 election in New Hampshire was razer-close, with the president losing by all of 0.4%, its voting base is far more favorable to the Democrats, who enjoy dominance across that entire region. If you look at everything through the lens of race, Iowa and New Hampshire look similar. But real diversity is more defined by ideological differences, and New Hampshire is no ideological twin of Iowa. If Democrat voters don't show a bit more enthusiasm there, they are in deep trouble, perhaps even in that state. Even as Democrats are running into a voter enthusiasm challenge, President Trump is not. He just hit his high water mark in a Gallup poll with a 49-percent job approval rating. In this hyper-partisan environment in which nearly every national media story is a ruthless attack on him, that is staggeringly high, especially considering that his approval among Republicans is 94%. During the last election cycle, many of the president's voters voted against "Jeffrey Epstein Didn't Kill Himself." This time, Trump's voters will crawl through nuclear fallout to get to the polls. According to Gallup, 41 percent of Americans "are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S." That's the highest satisfaction level in 15 years, which is not exactly fertile ground to run an opposition campaign. So enjoy the chaos of Iowa and what will likely be an even more entertaining New Hampshire. But know that the biggest story, the one that is being underplayed, is the apparent lack of Democrat enthusiasm, which is truly the best statement today that the state of the union is strong. Fletch Daniels can be found on Twitter at @fletchdaniels. Press Release 5 February 2020 Shaza Hotels announced its expansion plan for the Turkish market at the Tourism Investment Forum 2020 (TIF) organised by the Turkish Tourism Investors Association TTYD in Istanbul last week. The exclusive conference brought together leading international investors, financial institutions, banks and real estate developers to discuss opportunities to shape the future of tourism in the country. Advertisements Chris Nader, Vice President, Shaza Hotels, said, "Shaza represents the cultures of the Silk Route, and Turkey is a strategic market for our story and expansion plans. We spent the last few years growing our brands in the Middle East and have now established an office in Istanbul to actively pursue opportunities in Turkey and surrounding markets. The country is ready to welcome new and fresh brands, and our unique brand proposition fits perfectly the needs of investors and travellers, both from a concept standpoint and investment criteria standpoint." As members of the Global Hotel Alliance, luxury brand Shaza and its upscale brand Mysk by Shaza are the only international hotel brands that manage exclusively alcohol-free hotels. Nader stressed, "Historically, investors and operators have focussed primarily on two markets: Istanbul and Bodrum. We would of course like to manage properties in these two highly performing cities; however, we also see immense potential in secondary cities and remote destinations. Turkey has so much richness in terms of culture, heritage and nature outside the main cities, and the country needs to promote these locations by developing quality hotels, resorts and retreats to attract the new generation of travellers. This is what we want to achieve." Shaza Hotels is currently in discussion for various projects in Turkey, including wellness resorts, nature and thermal retreats, and historical palaces connected to heritage and cultural sites. The Turkish Tourism Investors Association strives to achieve robust, resilient, sustainable, innovative and high-quality nation-wide growth in tourism. The government's 11th development plan has identified tourism as one of the strategic industries, which is to receive special incentives and support, especially outside primary cities. It was recently announced that Turkey has the potential to attract more than 75 million foreign tourists and generate $65 billion in tourism revenues by 2023. "This year, we've raised the bar even higher," says Four Seasons Maui General Manager Marc Bromley of the annual event, awarded Robb Report's "Best of the Best New Wine Festival 2019" in its inaugural year. "Some of the world's most coveted wineries and most star-studded chefs will join us here in Maui to create pure magic." Navarro's curated list of over 30 wineries include powerhouses such as GAJA, BOND, Dom Perignon, Opus One, and many more. Acclaimed spirit producers Casa Dragones tequila, Michter's whiskey, and Dos Hermanos Mezcal by Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston will also join the weekend. Four Seasons Maui Executive Chef Craig Dryhurst will welcome superstar chefs Wolfgang Puck of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group and Spago Maui, Francis Mallmann, Michael Mina of Mina Group, Josiah Citrin of Melisse, Jackson Yu of Omakase, and Erik Anderson of Four Seasons Napa Valley. Guests who reserve the Four Seasons Maui Wine & Food Classic event package will have an all-access pass to the entire weekend of events. EVENT SCHEDULE (details are subject to change): Starlit Soiree Thursday, May 21, 2020, 6:30 p.m. The weekend's events kick off with a meeting of the stars, under the stars, featuring famed Italian wine producer GAJA, Wally's Chef Ryan Kluver, Four Seasons Maui's Executive Chef Craig Dryhurst and Four Seasons Napa Valley's Executive Chef Erik Anderson. Fifth generation vintner Giovanni Gaja will host this extraordinary evening. Oceanfront Gala Friday, May 22, 2020, 6:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. Over 35 world-renowned wine and spirit producers and bites prepared by celebrity guest chefs will be showcased at this grand tasting event set on the Resort's stunning Oceanfront Lawn. Guests will mix and mingle with visiting vintners and master sommeliers, as well as the Resort's robust staff of more than 20 sommeliers providing the Resort's legendary service. Masterclasses Saturday, May 23, 2020 & Sunday, May 24,2020, Daytime Guests will enhance their wine IQ with access to two of the following Masterclasses that feature the world's best wine, caviar, coffee and more: Champagne and Caviar: Billecart-Salmon and Calvisius Caviar Napa Valley Superstars: Dana Estates , Marciano Estate, Realm, Sinegal Estate , Marciano Estate, Realm, Sinegal Estate Glassology: A Discovery of How Glass Shape Affects Taste The Great Terroirs of California Pinot Noir: Barden, The Hilt, Kistler, Occidental, Williams Selyem House of Roederer: An Exploration of Biodynamic Champagne The World's Rarest Coffees: A Tasting with Two Coffee Sommeliers Central Coast Superstars: Aleksander Estate , Barden, Crown Point, Daou, Jonata, Margerum , Barden, Crown Point, Daou, Jonata, Margerum Super Tuscan Legend: Solaia Elite Dinners Saturday, May 23, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Celebrity chefs pair up with select wineries to present five break-out dinners across the Resort's stunning venues. Guests will choose from the following exclusive options: Opus One featuring Chef Wolfgang Puck BOND featuring Chef Josiah Citrin Memento Mori featuring Chef Michael Mina Dom Perignon featuring Chef Jackson Yu Casa Dragones Tequila featuring Chef Melissa Perello Fire & Feast with Francis Mallmann Sunday, May 24, 2020, 6:00 p.m. Sparks will fly as South America's most beloved chef Francis Mallmann brings his celebrated style to the shores of Maui. Mallmann, who has developed a cult-like following after Netflix documented his story on Chef's Table, will pull the meal right out of the fire, which guests will enjoy alongside Uruguayan Bodega Garzon wines. Brunch & Bubbles Monday, May 25, 2020, 10:00 a.m. The weekend concludes with a lavish brunch featuring only the best Champagne houses. Producers include Billecart-Salmon, Dom Perignon, Moet & Chandon, Ruinart, and Veuve Clicquot. Discover the full list of featured wines and spirits here. Ticket and Accommodations Information Guests will experience the entire schedule when they choose to book the event package. A la carte tickets are available for the Oceanfront Gala only. Guests must be age 21 years or older to attend all events. Accommodations must be reserved separately. Visit fourseasons.com/mauiclassic for more information. The presenting sponsor for the Four Seasons Maui Wine & Food Classic is ultra-high-end luxury watchmaker Richard Mille. Additional sponsors include NetJets, Riedel, Alaska Airlines, Martin Katz, and Chef Works. About Four Seasons Resort Maui: To learn more about the legendary resort, visit the website. CONTACT: Crissa Hiranaga, [email protected], 808-268-9644 SOURCE Four Seasons Resort Maui Related Links www.fourseasons.com S. Oregon Coast Hazards Statement for Tues; King Tides This Weekend Published 02/03/2020 at 6:50 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Gold Beach, Oregon) More eventful surf conditions are coming up, with the southern Oregon coast under threat of sneaker waves on Tuesday and the entire coastline and the Washington coast are getting more king tides over the weekend. (Photo above from 2018 courtesy Seaside Aquarium: flooding is not in the forecast for this series of king tides, but it has happened fairly often when these events come around.) The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Medford issued a special hazards statement, in effect from Tuesday morning through the evening for essentially the entire southern half of the coastline, including Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. Offshore combined seas of 15 feet with long period swells are likely to create hazards on the beaches of places like Bandon, Gold Beach and Port Orford. Meanwhile, the northern half of the Oregon coast (from Yachats to Warrenton) will not be seeing such wave action. Sneaker waves with high run-ups can knock unsuspecting people over and drag them out to sea. Shock and hypothermia can occur quickly in the cold Pacific waters, the NWS said. Logs and other debris can be lifted and floated by these waves, crushing or entrapping unsuspecting victims underneath. Never turn your back to the ocean. Conditions turn more normalized by Wednesdays early hours. However, the next and final wave of king tides are coming this weekend, spurred on by the moon being closest to the Earth. They happen Saturday through Sunday along the entire coastline. Currently, NWS predictions are not showing extremely large swells offshore, so there are not extraordinary aggravating conditions like those in January that created 35-foot waves sweeping onshore at times. Still, NWS prediction show combined seas offshore at around 18 feet for most areas, which is considerable. Along the Washington coast, offshore combined seas could be as high as 20 feet, but so far there are no warnings from the NWS office in Seattle. High tide conditions will vary quite a bit from area to area. You can see more at www.oregonkingtides.net. One example: according to NOAA, high tides will be around 8 feet for the Netarts Bay area from February 8 through 10, with high tides happening about noon. Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - Where to eat - Map - Virtual Tour See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather Photo above courtesy Seaside Aquarium: a storm surge hits the beach and goes beyond the Turnaround More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted A woman donning a burqa was taken into custody at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh after anti-CAA protesters caught her asking "too many questions", police said. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Govt Finally Cracks Down On Fairness Obsession, Proposes 5-Year Jail & Rs 50 Lakh Fine On Ads India's obsession with fair skin isn't new. For ages, the society has been partial towards women who have an apparent dark skin tone. Companies selling fairness products have had a fair run in the market, but won't be able to continue the same if a government proposal is implemented. Read more 2) Court Says All 4 Convicts In Nirbhaya Case Have To Be Executed Together. When Will It Happen? The HC on Wednesday made it clear that all the four convicts have to be executed together, not separately. The high court also faulted the authorities concerned for not taking steps for issuance of death warrant after the rejection of appeals of the accused by the Supreme Court in 2017. Read more 3) SC Says 'Change In Mindset Needed' After Centre Tells 'Soldiers Not Ready For Woman Commanders' However, in an epic reply, which also applies to several other sections of the society, the Supreme Court ruled, "if there is a will and a change in mindset on the part of the government, then women officers could be allocated command posts in the Army, adding that there are several other services where women could be included, such as combat operations. Read more 4) Chinese Woman Scares Off Rapist By Coughing And Pretending To Have Coronavirus A Chinese woman managed to scare away a rapist by coughing and telling him that she has coronavirus and has just returned from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel virus. Read more 5) After Daring Dadis, Punjab's Bibi Ji's Join Anti-CAA Protests As They Reach Shaheen Bagh BCCL A large contingent of Sikh farmers from Punjab who were detained last night while they were on their way to Shaheen Bagh in Delhi reached the protest venue on Thursday. Read more Matthew Rush came from a loving family. So did Andrew Russ Snyder. Theres no reason one had to die and one would wind up in prison, according to their parents. But thats what happened. Snyder died June 15, 2018, in his Bethlehem Township home after taking a fatal dose of fentanyl he bought from Rush, according to police. He was 31 years old. Rush, who is now 31, pleaded guilty to drug delivery resulting in death. He was sentenced Tuesday to four to 10 years in state prison. From the bottom of my heart, I am beyond sorry, Rush said. Both men lived in Bethlehem Township about a five-minute drive from each other. Snyder lived on Long Court and Rush lived in the 3800 block of Carter Road. They were friends in school and later became friends in rehab, according to defense attorney Phil Lauer. Both struggled with addiction. Both young men were brought up in good, loving homes by hard working parents who only wanted the best for their children, said Rushs mother in court Tuesday. Sadly, the dark world of substance abuse changed their life paths. Rev. Robert George said Rush was never a problem during his years at Notre Dame High School in Bethlehem Township. The priest now counsels Rush in prison. Through tears, Rushs sister described her brother as sensitive, loving and kind. Lauer said Rush has struggled with addiction for 14 years. These years of drug addiction clouded his reason and thought process, his mother said. Rush and his parents each apologized to the Snyder family for the loss of their son. In a letter to Northampton County President Judge Michael Koury, Snyders parents said theyre still trying to come to grips with the young mans death. The impact of finding Russ on the bathroom floor is immeasurable and will surely be life lasting, they wrote in a letter read in court by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Lupackino. All we can do is hope tomorrow will be a little easier that today. Also struggling with the loss of Snyder is his 7-year-old son, Chase. The Snyders say Chase visits with them one weekend a month, where he can see a photo of his late father on the wall. What do you say to your 7-year-old grandson when he says all he wants Santa to bring is his father back? the letter said. Lupackino said the Snyders are satisfied with the plea bargain and the four- to 10-year sentence. Their priority is ensuring Rush never sells drugs again. Too many are falling into this pit. Illegal drug dealers have to be held accountable and responsible, the letter said. Rush told police he thought he sold Snyder heroin, not fentanyl. But he knew the drug was dangerous and warned Snyder to be careful in a text message, saying it was no joke. But the warning wasnt enough to save him. Instead of holding back, Rush sold the drug and pocketed the cash. This was for $150, this drug deal, Lupackino said. I hope the defendant realizes for $150 the amount of pain that can potentially cost. Rush vowed to turn his life around. I will do everything in my power to change every aspect of my life, he told the judge. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. STORM Ciara is set to hit Ireland this weekend as voters go to the polls, with the chance of weather warnings being issued as a result of coastal flooding - and even some snow. The edge of UK Storm Ciara will cause further heavy winds, as well as more coastal flooding, while cold air from Canada will lower the mercury back down below zero, according to the national forecaster. While no weather warnings have been issued yet, the combination of Storm Ciara and cold weather moving in will see very unsettled weather across Ireland, according to meteorologist Matthew Martin. "It looks like Sunday will see the worst of the weather with some very severe winds and then later in the weekend we could see some wintry showers into Sunday and Monday," he told Independent.ie. "Unsettled weather is expected to develop across Ireland and Northwest Europe this weekend. A further spell of heavy rain is expected on Saturday and this will be accompanied by strong and gusty winds with a possibility of Status Yellow warnings. "Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate further on Sunday as Storm Ciara tracks to the north of Ireland. Storm Ciara is forecast to be a vigorous Atlantic storm system with an expansive wind-field." The forecaster continued that because of a range of factors, this weekend will also likely see coastal flooding as well as ice and snow. "The change will occur as very cold air sweeps out of Canada into the North Atlantic creating a sharp temperature contrast in the atmosphere over the ocean," he said. "It's possible that there could be some snowfall, particularly in the West. "The country will enter a period of spring tides this weekend. This will coincide with high seas, as well as extremely windy or stormy conditions later in the weekend and will result in an elevated risk of coastal flooding especially along western and southern coasts. "The unsettled weather is likely to produce significant rainfall totals over the weekend. This will result in an increase in river levels and may cause some localised flooding. "Next week, conditions will remain very disturbed across Ireland and the UK. It will remain very windy and turn much colder with the chance of wintry showers and ice in some parts." Photo: Anthony Gioe Are you new to comedy podcasts, overwhelmed by the array of options, and wondering where to begin? Then welcome to Start Here, a recurring guide to the best comedy podcasts available and our recommendations for which episodes are the best entry points to your next auditory obsession. The New York Post stirred up controversy last year with the clickbaity Sorry, childless millennials going to Disney World is weird. What the article failed to understand is that boomer-created problems like student debt, health insurance limbo, and impending climate doom have led many millennials to chase the simple joys of their youth. Podcast: The Ride hosts Scott Gairdner, Mike Carlson, and Jason Sheridan recognize the power of theme parks. P:TR proudly describes itself as a show about theme parks hosted by three childless men in their thirties. Since October 2017, the good boys have explored every inch of a different theme park ride or show sometimes as single riders, and sometimes with A+ guests like Rachel Bloom, Jeff Garlin, and even legendary Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter. For these three comedians, it sounds like a dream come true. For listeners who may not have the opportunity to visit theme parks so frequently, its an opportunity to live vicariously through the show. Social media is lousy with theme park content creators, but P:TR avoids the saccharine shine of many YouTubers while adding their own sharp sense of humor. Its essentially a millennial nostalgia show that may reference an obscure 80s commercial or a compilation of Michael Eisner saying hello that a listener may not necessarily have asked for, but are pleased to be reminded of. The formula has worked for over 140 episodes, even spawning a successful Second Gate Patreon. In late 2018, the good boys decided to experiment. Instead of discussing a ride in Universal Studios Hollywood, they discussed everything outside Universal Studios Hollywood at Universal CityWalk. The CityWalk Saga was a 19-part daily episode miniseries (complete with a catchy theme song sung by Off-Books Zach Reino) that centered on the kitschy themed restaurants and other tourist traps that reside just minutes from an actual theme park. A goofy, needlessly complicated framing device powered the series forward: In order to save the soul of the Sector Keeper (Anthony Gioe), a young ghost that died at the CityWalk fountain, P:TR had to discuss each business in CityWalks 19 sectors. The hosts growing exhaustion with their own undertaking added a layer of comedy straight out of The Simpsons Ironic Punishment Division. The boys passed this test of endurance (barely) and earned a spot on Vultures 2018 Year in Comedy Podcasts list as Best Miniseries (in a tie with Doughboys). The Saga ended with a teaser for another multi-part miniseries, the Downtown Disney Ordeal, a surefire way to turn the Happiest Place on Earth into a collective hell. But no one thought these three would actually do it. Until they did. For last Novembers Downtown Disney Ordeal, P:TR took things up a notch by adding RPG elements to a 15-part (plus three surprise episodes) daily series. Sheridan opens the first episode of the Downtown Disney Ordeal with an elegant logline: Ive poked and prodded, begged and badgered not to do this, and yet the call has been answered. We are rising to the challenge to examine a more sterile, slightly less chaotic, and more inconvenient-to-visit outdoor pedestrian mall. The plot: The Sector Keeper and his beloved catchphrase Boys, boys, boys, you give me strength are back, but this time his cousin, the Level Keeper, needs saving. Instead of the Citywalk Sagas 18 sectors, Gairdner, Sheridan, and Carlson must discuss each business in Downtown Disneys five levels (plus a hidden level). Each level is divided into three stages (think Super Mario). Much more understandable, the Sector Keeper sarcastically declares. Powerful items, boss battles, and huge twists keep the Ordeal exciting and fresh from start to finish. We did want to throw in some surprises so it wasnt just an exact repeat, Sheridan tells Vulture. These elements come into play at the end of each stage, when the boys receive an item that will prove useful on their upcoming journey. For example, after a Level 1-1 discussion of the subtle differences between La Brea Bakery Cafe and La Brea Bakery Express, the boys receive a sourdough loaf of bread autographed by La Brea Bakery founders Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel. These items come in handy during the D&D-esque boss fights at the end of each level, where various evil spirits possess the Sector Keeper. These bosses consist of the unsavory tycoons behind the businesses inside Downtown Disney. From Wetzels Pretzels founder Rick Wetzel to House of Blues co-founder Dan Aykroyd (yes, that Dan Aykroyd), Gioe turns these otherwise nondescript old businessmen into gleefully sinister caricatures. More than any other episodes of the show, the Ordeal makes listeners feel like theyre strapped into Podcast: The Ride. And like any good theme park ride, it inspired fantastic fan art from Reddit user JohnnyHaze, who sketched each episode along with the series, and even an exhaustive map by Twitter user @AllSevenFever. Finally, the definitive Downtown Disney District map is complete. At least until something inevitably closes or opens. pic.twitter.com/9Ak6BV2vLT Jason Bender (@AllSevenFever) November 25, 2019 Mike Carlsons high-energy theme song for the Ordeal ends with a lyric that echoes underneath the entire series: The Downtown Disney Ordeal: Why did we do this to ourselves? According to Sheridan, the hosts ask ourselves that every day. It was a lot of work, but very fun to do The first weekend we sat down to record, we did nine episodes over the course of two days and nearly lost our minds This was way too much podcast. The Ordeal is much more than the aforementioned analysis of La Brea Bakery vs. La Brea Express. And it better be, considering the boys steep investment of time and energy. While discussing the casual footwear sold at Downtown Disneys Sanuk, a frustrated Gairdner cries, What we are talking about is 200 feet from the Indiana Jones boulder! Carlson dutifully reminds him, No, this is a prison weve created. The prison is actually a deep dive into the most overpriced corners of a corporate power structure we all submit to, willingly or not. The boys shine a light on the conglomerates and seedy figures that own virtually everything Americans consume, from highly Instagrammable milkshakes to celebrity tequilas to the Luxottica sunglasses on our heads and the Deckers Brands Tevas on our feet. P:TR hasnt even received any freebies (outside of Splitsville Luxury Lanes) despite all the generous publicity. Carlson laments the cold shoulder from Disney PR, pointing out that all the other theme park media, theres yet to be a ghost child in any of this stuff We are innovating. Disney doesnt understand it. Of course, the Sector Keeper isnt P:TRs only companion on this long journey. Past guests like Doughboys Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger, Teen Creeps Lindsay Katai, and director Jason Woliner the Alec Baldwin of Podcast: The Ride all join in on the fun. Travel influencer and worlds foremost cold foam enthusiast Carlye Wisel brings her expertise to the Level 4-2 discussion of not the first, but second Starbucks in Downtown Disney. Perhaps the most fun had during the entire Ordeal comes thanks to P:TR fan and SNL party animal Kyle Mooney, who started drinking at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the Level 3-1 recording. A run of Bruce Chandling-adjacent Rocket Raccoon impressions turns the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! catchphrase My hands dont scan! into a wonderful recurring bit. Eva Anderson (Youre the Worst, Briarpatch) mysteriously disappears after her appearance, only to resurface seven episodes later in the Underworld. Thats right if you foolishly thought the Downtown Disney Ordeal was only going to be 15 predictable stages, think again. The boys spring three surprise episodes and a gloomy new theme song for Patreon subscribers to make time for the closed-down brothers and sisters of Downtown Disney Districts past in the Underworld a much more sorry, more financially lucrative state. Calling back to the end of 2018s CityWalk Saga, Nick Wiger helps close out the series by talking about parking structures. Ninety minutes on the intricacies of two specific parking lots may not sound like compelling podcasting, but it all escalates to the thrilling series payoff. For the final boss battle, the Sector Keeper is possessed by all of the previous levels baddies at once. Luckily, Sheridan took copious notes so he could list the 16 items available to help the boys overcome these bosses and free the Level Keeper. The series concludes with a wonderful clusterfuck of improv and storytelling, and order is restored to Downtown Disney. Or has it? The funniest thing that could possibly happen at the end of an 18-episode daily podcast series in which the hosts openly admit to teetering on the brink of insanity is to tease more daily podcast series. The Level Keeper (who sounds oddly like Griffin Newman) makes his long-awaited appearance to thank the boys for their courage. He proceeds to introduce his cousins, who plea for help from similar locations across the country. An all-star cast of familiar-sounding Keepers count Paul Scheer, Jessica McKenna, WWEs Zack Ryder, and the infamous Bug Mane among them request P:TRs assistance at Disney Springs and CityWalk Orlando, the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, the Citadel Outlets off the 5 on the way to Disneyland, and more. What I like about this and the end of The Last Jedi is that anyone can be a Keeper, Carlson jokes. All three ponder their future as the series comes to an end. After listening to nearly 26 hours of the Ordeal, stick around for a few minutes more to hear one last cryptic message from a villain yet to come. To quote the boys, this kind of long-term storytelling in podcasting is more than just fine. More than 30 crew members on board a cruise ship in Hong Kong are showing symptoms of coronavirus, officials said today as all 3,600 people on board were left stranded in quarantine. The World Dream docked in Hong Kong after three former passengers were found to have had the virus. The ship was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday and is now being held in quarantine while everyone on board is tested. Port health official Leung Yiu Hong said more than 30 crew members had symptoms such as fever, coughing or a sore throat. Pictures showed one man being moved off the ship and transferred to an ambulance by health workers in blue protective suits. Hong Kong has today tightened its quarantine measures, saying all arrivals from mainland China will face a mandatory two-week lockdown. The city's chief executive Carrie Lam has resisted pressure to seal the border completely but said today's move was a 'harsh' measure to reduce arrivals. The World Dream quarantine is the latest coronavirus lockdown on board a cruise ship after 3,711 people were left stranded on board the Diamond Princess in Japan. A man is transferred to an ambulance in Hong Kong by health workers in protective gear today after he was taken off the World Dream cruise liner The World Dream (pictured) is docked at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong today after three passengers who left the ship last month were found to have the virus Three people from mainland China who had been on board the World Dream from January 19-24 were found to have had the virus, Hong Kong's health department said. Most of the remaining passengers are from Hong Kong and none are from mainland China, said Leung, the health official. Everyone will undergo temperature screening and must fill in a health declaration form, and will not be allowed to leave until the tests are done, he said. The cruise operator, Dream Cruises, said the three 'confirmed' patients had left the ship in the mainland city of Ghangzhou on January 24. 'For the time being, we cannot conclude the likely time of finishing the quarantine measures,' said Leung. Hong Kong has confirmed 18 coronavirus cases, including at least four that were transmitted locally, and saw its first death yesterday. Health workers have been on strike this week to demand that the border with mainland China be completely sealed. The city's chief executive, Carrie Lam, has suspended some links with the mainland and closed some border crossings but she has left three open. Today she announced that arrivals from mainland China will face two weeks of quarantine. 'The measure is harsh. But I believe after we say all arrivals have to be quarantined for 14 days from February 8 the number of arrivals will reduce,' she said. The outbreak has rekindled memories of the 2003 SARS crisis, another virus which began in China and killed nearly 300 people in Hong Kong. A passenger wearing a face mask looks out from a cabin on the World Dream cruise ship, docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong Passengers stand on the helipad of the 151,000-tonne World Dream cruise liner today Members of the Hong Kong Department of Health wearing protective gear queue up to clean their hands on the deck of the World Dream cruise ship A man is transferred to an ambulance after medics took him off the World Dream cruise ship The latest virus has spread rapidly in China with nearly 25,000 people infected and 490 deaths, most in Wuhan and the surrounding province of Hubei. 'As the disease is spreading rapidly in our community, and locally infected cases are steadily increasing, we are dangerously close to a massive community outbreak comparable to SARS,' said the HAEA hospital workers' union. Thousands of medical staff have gone on strike and the Hospital Authority has warned that emergency services are being severely hampered. Hong Kong's beleaguered public hospital network was suffering from staff shortages and limited hospital beds even before the coronavirus outbreak. Today dozens of medical representatives marched to government headquarters to press their demands for the border to be sealed. Passengers stand outside a cabin on the World Dream cruise ship, docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong The health scare comes after months of violent anti-government protests in Hong Kong sparked by fears that its autonomy was being eroded by Beijing. Some pro-democracy protesters have come out in support of the HAEA strike, with some demonstrations beginning to resemble the pro-democracy protests. Overnight, police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd in the city's rural New Territories after protesters denounced the government's refusal to seal the border. On Wednesday, masked workers brandished posters reading 'Hospital workers on strike' and 'If we burn, you burn too' as they petitioned Lam to meet them and handed in a letter to her office on behalf of front-line medical staff. Thousands of Hong Kong people waited in long queues on Wednesday to buy face masks with some camping overnight to secure their place, broadcaster RTHK reported. The officers are looking for illegally obtained audio tapes. Ukraine's SBU Security Service has confirmed its officers are conducting searches in one of the offices of the 1+1 Media Group at 18 Kurenivska Street in Kyiv. "Investigative actions are taking place in keeping with a search warrant issued by a court," spokeswoman for the SBU Olena Gitlianska told UNIAN in a comment. She did not answer any clarifying questions, but promised that other details would be announced later. Read alsoUkraine's security service raiding Channel 1+1 office (Live stream) As UNIAN reported earlier, head of 1+1 Media's department of investigative journalism Maksym Shylenko reported that SBU officers on Wednesday began searches in an office of the 1+ 1 Media Group where journalists of the Groshi (Money) and Sekretni Materialy (Secret Materials) projects are based. According to Sekretni Materialy journalist Volodymyr Timofiychuk's live stream available on Facebook, the SBU officers said that they were looking for materials and data that were indicated in the warrant for search of evidence that journalists were involved in illegal eavesdropping. In particular, they are checking the PC and storage devices of Yevhen Kuksin. The SBU said the raid was not related to the activities of Channel 1+1, but was focused on specific individuals at the places where they could have created and stored audio files obtained illegally. Anticipating more than $400 million in extra tax revenue, state Republican leaders say cuts to property or income taxes could be the most likely outcome along with possibly spending some money to pay down state debt. Speaking with reporters after a Wisconsin Counties Association roundtable discussion Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, also signaled high hopes of passing yet this session a package of tougher-on-crime bills that could increase the states crowded prison population. Vos said Assembly Republicans in general were on the same page as GOP members of the Senate in regard to tax cuts. Specifics were not available on whether that entails property or income taxes, and how significant those cuts might be. Fitzgerald, who has been pushing for a property tax cut since last year, said the revenue surplus reported last month was higher than he had anticipated. He added he hopes lawmakers can put together something that makes sense. Revenue projections by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau report the state is expected to close out the biennium with a general fund balance of about $620 million. Thats nearly $452 million more than originally projected when the 2019-21 biennial budget was enacted last summer. The state has run a deficit with each of its budgets for at least the past 30 years under generally accepted accounting principles. By law the state budget must be balanced, and the state has achieved that for decades by using a different accounting system. Of the $818 million more in tax revenue than expected, half must go into the states Budget Stabilization Fund, a rainy day fund to be tapped in times of recession or fiscal emergency. That would bring the fund to more than $1 billion by June 2021. Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said it would depend on the proposed tax cut when asked if Democratic lawmakers would support such a proposal. Hintz has pushed that surplus dollars should first go to school-based mental health care initiatives or to address years of funding cuts at the University of Wisconsin System. I think the first dollar used should be to back the commitments that werent funded in the budget and then lets see about things that we might be able to come up with that are effective, accountable and have some benefit to our constituents, Hintz said Wednesday. Upper brackets Hintz said he would not support a tax cut similar to the states Republican-led manufacturing and agriculture tax credit, which passed in 2011. While touted by Republicans as a means to foster growth in the states manufacturing industry, Hintz described the credit as shortsighted and beneficial largely to some of the states wealthiest residents. A memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects that 20 taxpayers earning more than $30 million annually will receive a total of more than $50 million from the tax credit in the 2020 tax year. The memo also notes that 82% of the tax credit will go to people with adjusted gross incomes of over $1 million. If its a tax cut like that, then no, Hintz said of the potential tax cuts being proposed by Republicans. Any tax cut passed by the Legislature would have to be signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to go into effect. Vos said any tax cut proposal would need to be crafted so that Evers cannot screw around with it using his line-item veto authority. We have to be very careful how we craft it and make sure that its something that gets the attention of the Legislature but also does something for the economy, Vos said. Criminal justice Vos and Fitzgerald also said theyre still hopeful they can pass a package of Tougher on Crime bills, but added theres no legislation currently in the works to fund the construction of a new prison. Fitzgerald said there is support in the Senate for the package of bills, which would increase criminal penalties and likely expand both the adult and juvenile prison population, but added the cost could be a concern for some lawmakers. I have members obviously that will hold everybodys feet to the fire on the cost of those, but it didnt seem like it was so prohibitive that we cant tackle them, Fitzgerald said. The GOP bills were announced shortly after a package of bills proposed by Evers and Democratic lawmakers that would set incarceration limits for non-criminal supervision violations, expand earned release eligibility and allow for shortened community supervision options. Evers has said he is opposed to measures that would increase the states prison population, which is already slated to surpass an average of 24,500 inmates in the next fiscal year without any changes to policies. Hintz described the proposed GOP bills as policies that are ineffective, dont work and are expensive. Its the kind of thing that we know will cost money and that money will come at the expense of schools, universities other programs that could be a lot more meaningful, Hintz said. New prison? Assembly Republicans in 2018 approved a bill to spend $350 million on a new prison facility, but the legislation failed to pass the Senate. Asked if the Assembly would take up discussion on funding a new prison, Vos said he will wait to see if Evers signs the tougher-on-crime bills. I think we need to get this bill passed first, Vos said. The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety will discuss two of the proposed bills on Thursday. One bill would increase penalties for reckless driving, vehicle theft and fleeing from an officer. Another bill would create two $5 million grants for communities one for added policing to address carjacking and another to go to strategic planning to address crime. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 01:59:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Claudio Cordone, Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Lebanon, speaks at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 4, 2020. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched on Tuesday its funding appeal for 2020, the National News Agency reported. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched on Tuesday its funding appeal for 2020, the National News Agency reported. It includes 270 million U.S. dollars for the regional crisis in Syria in addition to financing the relief plan for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in light of the deteriorating economic conditions in the country. UNRWA Director in Lebanon Claudio Cordone, during a press conference held in Beirut, said that the required funds provide vital assistance to approximately 438,000 Palestinian refugees affected by the conflict inside Syria. The funding also should cover 28,000 people who fled to Lebanon and 17,000 others currently in Jordan and still face humanitarian challenges and need protection, Cordone said. UNRWA faced severe financial challenges in 2019 with a deficit of nearly 50 million U.S. dollars. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. 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The visit comes as the U.S. Senate is expected to vote Wednesday afternoon and rule Trump should be acquitted on charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress. The Women for Trump event illustrates the campaigns efforts to energize women voters, but the Trump campaign is struggling with a gender gap, polls in Pennsylvania show. Pennsylvania is widely considered one of the nations most critical battlegrounds in the 2020 election and the Keystone State could decide who wins the White House, analysts say. So both Republicans and Democrats are aiming to connect with women voters. In Pennsylvania, only 34 percent of women think Trump is doing an excellent or good job, compared to 43 percent of men, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released last week. Madonna said the decision to hold a Women for Trump event in the Harrisburg suburbs indicates the campaigns concern about reaching women voters in Pennsylvania. I dont think theres any doubt he faces an important test in winning the votes of college-educated women, said G. Terry Madonna, a political scientist at F&M College. He doesnt do well in the cities and suburbs and thats where college educated women tend to live. A separate poll also showed Trump having difficulty with women in Pennsylvania and other key battleground states. The Baldwin Wallace University Great Lakes Poll found 49 percent of women in Pennsylvania would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, while about 35 percent of women said they supported Trump. The poll also found double-digit gaps in support among women in the three other states surveyed: Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. In general, we see the gender gap across all four states, said Dr. Lauren Copeland, associate director of Baldwin Wallaces Community Research Institute. Nationally, the Gallup Poll released Tuesday found 49 percent of Americans surveyed approve of Trumps job performance, his best approval rating since taking office. But in the Gallup poll, he fared worse with women. The Gallup poll showed 53 percent of men approved of his job performance, compared to 46 percent of women. Groups advocating for womens reproductive rights have assailed some of the presidents policies. The Trump administration moved to allow most employers to block coverage of birth control. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro led a lawsuit to prevent the rule from taking effect. Last week, the House Democratic Womens Caucus sent a letter to Trump to condemn what they termed a continuing denigration of women in your rhetoric and policies. One of the thousands who packed President Donald Trump's December rally at the Giant Center in Hershey shows her support. Vice President Mike Pence, who appeared at the Hershey rally, returns to the midstate for a Women For Trump event in East Pennsboro Twp. today. | Photo by Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com More jobs than workers Trumps supporters contend the presidents policies are producing real results for women. Bernadette Comfort, vice chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, cited the strong economy as a selling point for the Keystone States women voters. You have more jobs than workers available right now, Comfort said. Women care about those issues. We care about the same issues as men. We care about the economy, we care about security. While conceding a gender gap being shown in polls, Comfort said she sees plenty of enthusiasm among women, who are showing up to volunteer and working to re-elect the president. She said plenty of donations, particularly smaller contributions, are coming from women. The Women for Trump organization is a key component in effort to galvanize more women, Comfort said. The groups first public event last year occurred in Pennsylvania, with a kick-off rally at the Valley Forge Casino Resort. Lara Trump, the presidents daughter-in-law, appeared at the event in the Philadelphia suburbs. Now, the group is having an event in the midstate, an area where Trump must do well if he is to win Pennsylvania again. Trump won Cumberland County by 18 percentage points in 2016, but he lost neighboring Dauphin County by 3 points. Overall, Trump won Pennsylvania by less than 1 percentage point four years ago. State Sen. Kristen Phillips-Hill, R-York County, said she sees a lot of support from women in her district for President Trump. Vice President Mike Pence is slated to appear at a Women for Trump event in Cumberland County today. State Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, a York County Republican, supports the president. She said she sees plenty of support in her area, particularly due to the strength of the economy. In the district I represent, I feel like the support is there and its strong, Phillips-Hill said. I encounter many women who will lean in and say, I support the president. I think theres a lot of people who may not be loud about it but that support is certainly there. Phillips-Hill said the constituents she has spoken with have not talked much about the presidents impeachment. She said she has occasionally heard complaints about Trumps rhetoric and tone, even from those who support his agenda. You have to look at overall whats being accomplished, Phillips-Hill said. Todays economy is flourishing. The policies are creating new jobs. Women are in the workforce in higher levels. Rep. Sue Helm, a Dauphin County Republican, said she was in the rural community of Gratz in northern Dauphin County last week getting signatures to put Trump on the ballot. She said she witnessed plenty of enthusiasm for Trump and most voters are concerned with pocketbook issues. People do have more money to spend in their household because of what the president has done on taxes, Helm said. Democrats decry branding effort Democrats and their supporters say they think women will make the difference both in Pennsylvania and across the nation, and not in the presidents favor. Emilys List, a national organization that supports pro-choice female candidates, said the group is working to make sure Pennsylvania women show up to vote for Democrats. The Trump campaign can target women voters, but they are doing so with a candidate who has undermined and insulted women and an agenda that would set them back, Christina Reynolds, vice president of communications for Emilys List, said in an email. We believe Pennsylvania women will see through this branding effort and reject Trump's record. Brendan Welch, communications director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, said he finds the Women for Trump event in central Pennsylvania as very encouraging Weve seen these Women for Trump rallies taking place in areas where they know where theyre weak, Welch said. Rogette Harris, chairwoman of the Dauphin County Democratic Party, said Democrats are very motivated to defeat President Trump. She said his record for women is lacking. Martin Boutros | mboutros@pennvideos.com Martin BoutrosMartin Boutros Rogette Harris, the chairwoman of the Dauphin County Democratic Party, said the Pence visit underscores the importance of central Pennsylvania to the Trump campaign. But she said the event geared to women rings hollow. Personally, its a joke to me, she said. A lot of policies the administration has been implementing and promoting, not counting the presidents attitude to women, the name calling and such, have done nothing to advance women and the issues that concern women. Democrats are more motivated this year than they were four years ago, Harris said, because they know Trump has proven he can win in Pennsylvania. This time, Democrats are not going to take it for granted, Harris said. There was an attitude in 2016 that Trump was a joke and hes not going to win. Were not going to take him for granted. Were going to do all we can to reach voters. More from PennLive Gov. Tom Wolf proposes $36.1B Pa. budget; big emphasis on education and workforce development Heres what towns would pay for state police under Gov. Tom Wolfs fee proposal: Use the database Listen to the latest episode of PennLives new political podcast Battleground Pa. on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts. Battleground Pa. examines the changing political climate across the Keystone State leading up to the 2020 election. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Donald Trump faced his House Democratic accusers on Tuesday night with no intention of bringing up the impeachment charges they levied against him, instead focusing his annual State of the Union address on his accomplishments as he pivoted to his re-election campaign. In an early remarkable moment, Speaker Nancy Pelosi extended her hand to the president after he handed her a bound copy of his remarks but he refused to shake it. GOP politicians responded with a "four more years" chant. Throughout the speech, the Californian Democrat did not hide when she disagreed with the president - at one point holding her hands up with her palms pointed skyward while shaking her head when Mr Trump said the elected officials gathered in the chamber had one fundamental job: "To put America first." Mr Trump told the country he had delivered economic growth and done more than his predecessors to secure the southern border and keep the country safe. But he also sounded several campaign-trail themes as he seeks a second term. "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare," he said. "Socialism destroys nations, and always remember, freedom safeguards the soul," he said. He immediately pivoted to boasting about his US defence budgets - a sector completely dependent on taxpayer funds, not appearing to acknowledge the irony. Democrats, however, had their doubts. "Mike Bloomberg believes that no one should suffer because they can't afford health insurance, and no one should face financial hardships because of medical bills. Health care is a right. As president, Mike will deliver affordable, reliable health care to all Americans," the former New York City mayor's presidential campaign said in a statement. Mr Trump sought to isolate Democratic candidates like Bloomberg by touting his economic resume. "Three years ago, we launched the 'great American comeback'. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results," Mr Trump said. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back." In a rare call for both parties to work together, the president told the Republicans and Democrats seated before him to work out legislation to reduce prescription drug prices. "Get a bill on my desk, and I will sign it immediately," Mr Trump vowed even though he told them the same about immigration reform and other issues - only to sink efforts to pass such legislation. Donald Trump hands a copy of his speech to Nancy Pelosi ahead of his State of the Union address but he turned away as she reached out to shake his hand (AP) Democrats, however, reject his contention of an historically "inclusive" economy, saying he has failed to help average Americans. As one staffer previewed earlier on Tuesday, the address did not feature the word impeachment. Aides signalled the president did not intend to bring it up directly even as he faced his House Democratic accusers for the first time since they launched their Ukraine investigation last October. "He understands where these fit into history," said one White House observer, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "He's just not going to risk very much tonight." Mr Trump instead sold himself as an economic guru who deserves a second term despite the country's ongoing political divisions and its deep chasm in how voters in both parties feel about him. He remains wildly popular with Republicans and deeply unpopular among Democrats. His aides acknowledge healthcare will be a major issue for voters in November. Mr Trump warned of a "socialist takeover" of America's private-based health system, if a Democrat replaces him in the Oval Office. "To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know that we will never let socialism destroy American healthcare," he said as House Democrats booed. "A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on earth. ... We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions." He also vowed to protect entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, which are important to older voters among whom his poll numbers have slipped. Trump slipped into campaign mode when he railed against the "radical left" and warned about federal health benefits for "illegal aliens." That amounted to a transition into the immigration portion of the speech, with Mr Trump claiming a "long, tall and powerful wall" is being built along the US-Mexico border; Democrats say what is being constructed is replacement barrier requested first by the Obama administration to replace structures that have been in place for years. Pelosi, again, shook her head slowly at the president she decided to impeach. Mr Trump veered back to immigration at several points, making claims about border-crossing rates and other "historic gains" while pushing his idea of a merit-based immigration system that Democrats say they will never pass. Recommended Democratic women wear white at State of the Union "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the US economy, slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements," he said. "Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA -- only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law." Ms Pelosi shook her head slowly as he panned other presidents. Congress approved that pact with bipartisan vote tallies in both chambers after Mr Trump's top trade officials and Ms Pelosi negotiated how it would be implemented. House Democratic women sat mostly motionless as he claimed the unemployment rate among women had reached an all time low. The president ticked off a list of unemployment figures contested by Democrats and economists alike. Groans from Democrats as Trump talks of reversing Obama's economic policy The early moments of his speech featured plenty of awkward moments, with House Democrats sitting stoically as he made a series of boasts and claims about what he views as his achievements. Ms Pelosi sat a few feet off his left shoulder on the dais, looking mostly at her own members as GOP politicians offered the president loud applause as he talked up the level of US stock markets and said "consumer confidence has just reached historic highs". In a clear nod to his political base, the president not only announced he would award conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he had First Lady Melania Trump pin it around his neck just one day after he announced he has advanced lung cancer. A bearded Limbaugh, seated beside the first lady appeared shocked, holding his hands over his mouth, his eyes reddening. As Republican lawmakers loudly applauded and cheered, he gave Mr Trump an enthusiastic thumbs up. He also called for Congress to send him a bill to overhaul the country's roads, bridges, airports, tunnels and sea ports - even though his own plan was rejected by members of both parties and he used the speech to endorse a Senate GOP proposal that has been rejected by Democrats in both chambers. The president hailed a bipartisan criminal justice bill, with Democrats standing and applauding though a few seconds after Republicans. When the president stepped foot inside the Capitol, he did so at the height of his popularity despite a remarkably turbulent term and having been just the third sitting chief executive to be impeached. The address was the capper on a day that saw Mr Trump and White House aides take a victory lap after his big Iowa caucuses win and the state Democratic Party's inability to get their votes counted, with the Gallup organisation releasing a poll that put his approval rating at 49 percent, the highest of his presidency. As Trump peacocked down the chamber's centre aisle, his political rivals were settling for moral victories. "I think that we have pulled back a veil of behaviour totally unacceptable to our founders, and that the public will see this with a clearer eye, an unblurred eye," Ms Pelosi told the New York Times on Monday. "Whatever happens, he has been impeached forever. And now these senators, though they don't have the courage to assign the appropriate penalty, at least are recognising that he did something wrong." Mr Trump's top aides had previewed a mostly upbeat address by the up-for-reelection president in which he would spend ample time talking about his accomplishments since taking office especially the state of the US economy. Hours before the president boarded his heavily armoured SUV then walked inside the House chamber a few minutes later, senior Democrats were discounting his record since taking office. "Time and again, President Trump and congressional Republicans have pursued policies that stack the deck against hard-working American families in favour of big corporations and the wealthiest few among the most significant of these is the Trump-GOP Tax Scam that was signed into law in December 2017," Ms Pelosi's office said in a blast email around lunchtime, contending that 2017 law has not made increased median household incomes. "Over the past three years, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have made every effort to further enrich the wealthy few but they have gone out of their way to stand in the way of progress and economic justice for hard-working middle-class Americans," the speaker's office added Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, a reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, was named Wednesday one of six finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. Kavanaughs investigation of Saudi citizens fleeing the U.S. criminal justice system, presumably with help from Saudi Arabia, resulted in a new federal law requiring declassification of records related to the pattern. Kavanaugh received a tip in late 2018 regarding the disappearance of a suspect in a Portland hit-and-run death. He then found a pattern of similar disappearances dating back decades and covering multiple states. The Saudi government acknowledged they provide bail and legal assistance but insisted they did not help suspects flee. However, the declassified records say the Kingdom almost certainly helped them escape U.S. justice. The winner of the Goldsmith Prize will be announced March 12. The contest is administered by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government. The list of finalists from Shorenstein Center: Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica Kyle Hopkins Lawless A first-of-its-kind investigation, by the Anchorage Daily News in partnership with ProPublicas Local Reporting Network, uncovered major gaps in law enforcement that placed residents at risk. Their reporting found that one in three Alaska communities have no local police of any kind, the state of Alaska has failed to enforce police hiring requirements and some villages routinely hire criminals as cops, and state Troopers are patrolling suburban areas at the expense of hard-to-reach villages. As a result of this reporting, the Department of Justice declared a national emergency and has promised more than $52 million in federal funding for public safety in Alaska villages. The Arizona Republic in partnership with USA TODAY and the Center for Public Integrity The staffs of The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY and the Center for Public Integrity Copy. Paste. Legislate The Arizona Republic, in partnership with USA TODAY and the Center for Public Integrity, conducted unprecedented computer analysis of legislation in all 50 states to reveal the nations largest unreported special-interest political campaign: 10,000 bills that were copied nearly word-for-word from text written by industry groups, lobbyists and political activists, often to benefit big business at consumers expense. Two tools built as part of the project are helping citizens and local reporters track these copycat bills in their own communities. Kaiser Health News Christina Jewett Hidden Harm Kaiser Health News revealed that, for nearly 20 years, the FDA struck deals with medical device makers to keep millions of malfunction and injury reports out of a trusted public database relied upon by doctors, researchers, and patients for information about injuries, deaths or malfunctions linked to breast implants, surgical mesh, artificial knees and hundreds of other medical products. Instead, the FDA allowed companies to submit these reports to an internal database so obscure that it was unknown to safety experts, doctors, and even a recent FDA commissioner. As a result of this reporting, the FDA published its entire hidden database online in June 2019, revealing 5.7 million device-related injuries or malfunctions for the first time. NBC News Suzy Khimm, Laura Strickler Silent killer: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Public Housing This NBC News investigation revealed that carbon monoxide detectors are not required in any of 4.6 million homes that receive federal rental subsidies from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, despite HUDs legal mandate to ensure these properties are decent, safe and sanitary. The investigation uncovered that at least 13 HUD residents have died from CO poisoning since 2003. Less than two weeks after the investigation was published, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced bills requiring CO detectors in public housing. In September 2019, the House passed a bill requiring detectors and $300 million in funding to install them, citing NBC News reporting. The bill is currently working its way through the Senate, with strong support from the Trump administration. The Oregonian/OregonLive Shane Dixon Kavanaugh Fleeing Justice In October 2018, federal law enforcement agents in Oregon suspected the Saudi Arabian government had helped one of its citizens, a young college student studying in Portland, flee the United States weeks before his trial in the hit-and-run death of a teenage girl. Based on a tip about this case, a reporter for The Oregonian newspaper uncovered a pattern of similar cases around the country, some dating back decades. In response, Oregons senior Senator introduced a bill that forces U.S. intelligence officials to disclose what they know about the Saudi Arabian governments suspected role in spiriting its citizens out of the United States to escape criminal prosecution. The bill was signed into law in December, 2019. The Washington Post Craig Whitlock The Afghanistan Papers/A Secret History of the War The Washington Post obtained and reported on a confidential trove of interviews conducted by the federal government with more than 400 people who played a direct role in the war in Afghanistan. The more than 2,000 pages of documents, pried loose after a three-year public records battle, reveal that presidents, generals and diplomats have misled the public about the conflict for nearly two decades. After publication, the story drew major attention from world leaders, U.S. presidential candidates, the Pentagon, military veterans, and the media. Congress has held several hearings to review the Afghanistan Papers and question federal officials about their handling of the war, with some legislators calling for the U.S. to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh 05.02.2020 LISTEN Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has described former President John Mahama as his good friend but incompetent in managing the country's affairs. He said Ghanaians will surely retire the former President from politics with a massive defeat than the 2016 results. After tasting his bitter and incompetent rule in one-term, Ghanaians realised that Mr. Mahama is not fit to rule so they rejected him in 2016. He wants to make a comeback this year, and surely Ghanaians would vote massively to retire him from active politics, he said. Napo insisted Mr. Mahama's track record shows that he does not have what it takes to properly govern the country and improve the lives of Ghanaians. Even if he is given 100 years in political office to rule Ghana, he cannot take the country to the Promised Land because he is incompetent. I have nothing against Mr. Mahama, in fact, he is my friend but he has proven that he doesn't have the expertise to rule Ghana, Dr. Opoku Prempeh stated. He said there is no way the people of Ghana would bring Mr. Mahama back into office to destroy the good things that the NPP government has started. The minister, who spoke on a wide range of issues, described President Akufo-Addo as visionary and the best leader in contemporary Ghanaian politics. According to him, the NPP government has used just three years to accelerate national development of the country and needs another term to finish the good things they are doing. He said education, health, agriculture, economic management and all other areas of the country have witnessed immense progress since the NPP assumed political office. Dr. Opoku Prempeh added that President Akufo-Addo deserves another term so that he would build on the concrete foundation he has laid so far. ---Daily Guide Los Angeles, Feb 5 : Hollywood actor Brad Pitt says he has a "lover" kind of bond with "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, and has immense respect for him. Asked about his chemistry with DiCaprio, Pitt said: "Lover. He calls me Lover. It's a bit confusing, but I roll with it. You'll find, with most of the guys, I would say we're all pretty much rooting for each other, we all have respect for each other, we all have a good laugh with each other. And it plays, and it's pretty easy." "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" is a fictional story of fading stardom told through aging star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt). Quentin Tarantino has woven real life stories into the plot with the infamous Charles Manson murders, including late actress Sharon Tate, as a backdrop to make it more intriguing. Pitt added that he loves working with Tarantino. "He has such a verve for the filmmaking process. He's knows he's not going to be there, but for 10 films, so it's not going to be indefinite. He has such reverence for filming and for film that, he makes a party out of it. He loves a story. If we're in the middle of a good story, the take is going to wait. We'll get to the take and it's going to be good, but we're going to finish the story," said the actor. At the moment, Pitt is looking forward to the upcoming Oscar ceremony, in which "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" has garnered 10 nominations. Pitt has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, and has been a firm favourite in the category all through the awards season. The other categories in which the film is nominated at the Oscars are Best Film, Best Director (for Tarantino), Best Actor (for DiCaprio) Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. The Oscar ceremony will be held on February 9 here, and will air in India on February 10 on Star Movies. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. No water supplies until de-occupation of the peninsular, the official says. Ukrainian President's permanent envoy for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Anton Korynevych has commented on manipulation over possible resumption of water supplies to Russian-occupied Crimea. "Due to the emergence of yet another manipulation in media regarding possible resumption of water supplies [from mainland Ukraine] to Crimea and the related 'visit of a commission from Kyiv' [to the neighboring Kherson region], we'll say this information is false," he wrote on Facebook on February 5. The official also announced a visiting meeting of the Committee on Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, to Kherson on February 11-12, where officials will learn more about issues related to the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Read alsoOccupying authorities to limit water supplies to Simferopol households due to shallow reservoirs media "We have planned a visit to the Kalanchak checkpoint and it is also logical to visit the dam of the blocked section of the North Crimean Canal since it is in close proximity to the checkpoint. Nobody talks about any renewal of water supplies, as water will flow to Crimea via the canal only after de-occupation [of the peninsula]. No water until de-occupation," Korynevych said. "The Committee's on-site meeting has nothing to do with the issue of water supplies, but aims to make familiar themselves with the situation near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea. Those who manipulate at every step should finally start working and stop looking for treason everywhere," he summed up. Photo: Israel Palacio/Unsplash From a wine tasting to a rock concert, there's plenty to enjoy in Cleveland this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 2020 Joyce Awards Information Session From the event description: Learn More about the Joyce Foundation Culture Program and the Joyce Awards at this information session! The Joyce Awards, the only program supporting artists of color in major Great Lakes cities, has awarded nearly $3.7 million to commission 69 new works since the program started in 2003. Each year cash awards of $50,000 go to support partnerships between artists and cultural or community organizations in six eligible cities: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul. When: Friday, Feb. 7, 2:30-4 p.m. Where: Glenville Arts Campus, 1464 E. 105th St. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Cabs and Slabs From the event description: February is the perfect month to enjoy hearty red wine with delicious beef dishes. Join us for a guided savory tour as we sample three delicious Cabernet Sauvignons perfectly paired with three different styles of beef. When: Friday, Feb. 7, 6:30-8 p.m. Where: Heinen's of Downtown Cleveland, 900 Euclid Ave. Admission: $35 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling From the event description: The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling perform at the Beachland Tavern with Kristine Jackson. When: Friday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 8, midnight Where: Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road Admission: $18-$20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Sarah Shook and the Disarmers Thor Platter Band From the event description: Sarah Shook and the Disarmers perform at the Beachland Tavern with Thor Platter Band. Story continues When: Friday, Feb. 7, 8:30 p.m.-Saturday, Feb. 8, 12 a.m. Where: Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road Admission: $15 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Violent Bloom/Jason Kaminski/Sure, Machine From the event description: Toledo indie rockers Violent Bloom return to the Happy Dog, joined by Jason Kaminski and Sure, Machine! When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 9 p.m.-Sunday, Feb. 9, midnight Where: The Happy Dog, 5801 Detroit Ave. Admission: $6 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Turkey gave Syria an ultimatum on Wednesday to pull its forces back from its military posts in the country's last rebel enclave following unprecedented clashes between their forces this week. The escalation between Turkish and Syrian troops -- which saw more than 20 people killed in exchanges on Monday -- is testing the uneasy relations between Turkey and Russia, the key foreign brokers of the conflict. "If the regime does not pull back, Turkey will be obliged to take matters into its own hands," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling party MPs in Ankara, giving Syria until the end of the month to comply. But Syrian regime forces were pursuing their offensive in northwestern Idlib province on Wednesday -- which has killed 300 civilians since December and displaced 520,000 people in one of the biggest upheavals of the nine-year war. Syrian troops have seized more than 20 towns and villages from rebels and jihadists over the past 24 hours, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state agency SANA. The Observatory said Russian air strikes killed three civilians -- all members of the same family -- on the outskirts of Idlib city on Wednesday. Regime rocket fire killed another civilian in the town of Anjara in the west of Aleppo province. Erdogan said two of Turkey's 12 observation posts in Idlib, set up under a 2018 agreement with Russia, were now "behind the regime's lines". The post at Morek was surrounded by Assad's forces in December, while another at Surman now lies within the regime's area of control. Eight Turkish troops and civilians were killed on Monday by regime fire in Idlib and Turkey's riposte killed at least 13 Syrian government troops, according to monitors, in the bloodiest clashes since Ankara sent troops to Syria in 2016. Erdogan called on Moscow, the key backer of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, to "better understand our sensitivities in Syria". He spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and told him Ankara would respond "firmly" to any new Syrian attack. Syria's military command said Tuesday that the presence of Turkish forces was "illegal and a flagrant act of aggression", vowing to respond to any Turkish attack on its forces, SANA reported. Erdogan said the clashes amounted to a "new era" in Syria, and that any further attacks would be "responded to in kind". "The air and ground elements of the Turkish armed forces will freely move in the Idlib region and if needed will launch an operation," he added. A Syrian foreign ministry source hit out at Erdogan's remarks to SANA as "lies and deceit". The mass displacement of civilians in Idlib has coincided with a biting winter and is one of the largest since the 2011 start of a conflict that has seen more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million displaced. Turkey, which already hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, wants to prevent a further influx. The latest clashes have tested the tricky balancing act between Turkey and Russia, who support opposing sides but have attempted to broker political solutions in Idlib. Under a deal reached last year, Russia was to prevent Damascus from launching a major operation in Idlib, in exchange for Turkey containing extremist groups running the region, but its proxies were largely sidelined by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Jana Jabbour, of Sciences Po in Paris, said the latest tensions would not derail Russia and Turkey's cooperation. "(They) know perfectly how to manage their differences. They need to cooperate and maintain good relations because they are economically interdependent," she told AFP. Their priority, she added, is to ensure a "regional solution, designed by Moscow and Ankara, as opposed to an international solution parachuted in by the West". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Apple has come out with a new redesigned Maps for all users in the United States. The new maps provide faster and more accurate navigation and comprehensive views of roads, buildings, parks, airports and malls across the country, making journeys easier. Apple plans to launch the new Maps across Europe in the coming months. The new map includes new features like Look Around and Collections. People in more than 200 countries and territories use Apple's app to navigate on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, and in the car with CarPlay. Building on the new map, iOS 13 introduced many new features that help users navigate and explore the world. 'Look Around' helps users from anywhere in the world to navigate through New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Oahu. Users can share lists of their favorite restaurants, places they want to visit or top sites for their next big vacation using 'Collections.' 'Flight status' provides intelligence to scan for information stored in Mail, Calendar or Wallet on flight information for terminals, gate locations and departure times, as well as flight changes or cancellations for upcoming travel. Other notable features in Apple Maps include Real-time transit, Share ETA, Indoor Maps, Siri Natural Language Guidance and Flyover. Apple said it will keep personal information safe and has built privacy into the core of Maps. With Maps, no sign-in is required and it is not connected to an Apple ID. Personalized features, such as suggesting departure time to make the next appointment, are created using on-device intelligence. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. A schoolgirl was hit by a stray bullet at Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, on Wednesday during a violent clash between a mob protesting the ban on okada (commercial motorcyclists) in certain areas and security operatives of the Lagos State Task Force. The girl, who is yet to be identified, was promptly taken to Peak Health Hospital where she was stabilised before she was referred to the General Hospital, Orile Agege for treatment, a medical officer at the former told PREMIUM TIMES. The violence, which broke out on Wednesday morning, was as a result of a restriction placed on the operations of motorcycles and tricycles by the state government. Videos circulated on social media revealed how people were scampering for safety as the clash erupted. The protesters also shattered glasses of vehicles and lit bonfires on the highway, disrupting movement and business activities. Vehicles belonging to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were also burnt by the protesters. No life lost- Police The Lagos State police spokesperson, Bala Elkana, told PREMIUM TIMES that the victim of the stray bullet was hit at Aboru when a faceoff occurred between operatives of Lagos State Task Force and miscreants. Mr Elkana said the operatives of the task force and police officers carried out the enforcement exercise in the area and 86 motorcycles were impounded. The riders of the impounded motorcycles and thugs in large number advanced to Iyana-Ipaja and attacked police officers on duty at Iyana Ipana roundabout, Alaguntan junction and Aboru junction, he said. Mr Elkana said no life was lost in the attack, but Salifu Umar, an Inspector of police was injured by the hoodlums. He said one LASTMA vehicle and two Neighbourhood Watch patrol bicycles were burnt by the hoodlums. He said 34 suspects were arrested in connection with the violent attacks and will be charged to court. A similar violence occurred at Ijora area of the state on Monday when a mob protested the restriction. The police said 24 suspects were arrested during the said attack for blocking major roads in Ijora, burning tyres, looting and stealing from unsuspecting road users and causing obstructions in the area. British telecoms giant Vodafone said Wednesday that it would cost about 200 million euros ($221 million) over five years to remove Chinese group Huawei's equipment from core 5G European activities. "We have now decided, as a result of the EU (recommendations) and the UK government's decision, to take out Huawei equipment from the core," Vodafone CEO Nick Read said in a conference call on its third quarter. "It will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million euros," he added, stressing that the cost would mostly apply to European activities outside of Britain. Read added that Vodafone had a "very limited amount" of Huawei in its core European infrastructure -- but warned it would take time to remove and swap equipment without disrupting customers. The company had already decided last year to pause Huawei usage in core networks in Europe, he added. Britain decided last week to exclude Huawei from core parts of the nation's 5G network and also to cap its share of the market at 35 percent, insisting that "high risk vendors" would be excluded from "sensitive" activities. London's decision came shortly after Brussels said it also would allow Huawei only a limited 5G role in the European Union. However US officials have said that the possibility of China using its commercial presence to spy on Britain -- or even shut down the network -- could force Washington to stop sharing intelligence with London. "On 5G network security and supply chain resilience, I am pleased that the UK process was conducted on the basis of facts and evidence and informed by advice from the National Cyber Security Centre," Read added on Wednesday. "Vodafone UK is already largely compliant with these measures and so we have very limited financial exposure, following our decision last year to pause Huawei in the core of our networks in Europe." The news comes after British peer BT said it would take a ?500 million hit over the next five years after the UK government limited Huawei's 5G role. Deputy Speaker of Ghana's Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin has assured President Akufo-Addo that he is solidly behind him in his commitment to develop the country. The lawmaker for Nadwoli-Kaleo Constituency on behalf of the chiefs and people of the area expressed their commitment to the president's vision to develop the area through the implementation of various projects. I want to congratulate His Excellency for and on behalf of our people and to assure him that we are solidly behind the government and any other government that is committed to developing the good people of Ghana, he said at the sod cutting for the construction of two solar power plants in Kaleo and Lawra, all in the Upper West Region, under the seventeen (17) megawatt peak solar power project. He added: I want to take this opportunity not just to welcome His Excellency to the Nadwoli-Kaleo Constituency but also on behalf of the people and chiefs of this area to thank him so much for continuing with this project. His Excellency could have decided not to complete had been initiated since 2012 which preparation took a long time and is now seeing the light of the day. According to president Akufo-Addo, this project reaffirms the commitment of his government to diversify the country's energy generation portfolio, and help increase the renewable energy component of Ghana's energy mix as well as contribute to the fight against the effects of climate change. With the solar project coming on the heels of construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and Irrigation Project, the 17-megawatt project is being funded by the German Government's Development Bank, KfW, at a cost of 22.8 million. He stated that the project will see to the construction of a 13-megawatt peak project in Kaleo and a 4 megawatt peak project in Lawra. This will help Ghana avoid an estimated seven thousand, four hundred (7,400) tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year; making our country a cleaner place to live in. He continued: the project at Lawra is scheduled to be completed in June this year, with the one in Kaleo also scheduled to be completed by December this year. When finished, both projects will generate enough energy to power some thirty-two thousand (32,000) households, and increase the geographic spread of power generation in the country. mynewsgh PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp. (CSE: VSBY) (Frankfurt: 5VS) (OTC: VSBGF), a leading retail software and technology company, and Energetika, an international provider of intelligent lighting solutions, are achieving outstanding results in making Mexico City communities much safer. The firms are installing thousands of security kits, powered by VSBLTY software, in the initial phase of the $10 million investment Mexico City is making in its safety lighting and integrated security program. The Mexican capital was designated as a Smart City in 2016 in recognition of its achievement in adapting to environmental and economic conditions and keeping them sustainable. Adrian Ruvalcaba, Mayor of Cuajimalpa County, reported that after the installation of the security kits, his community has become the safest county in Mexico City. We have gone from the 11th Safest to Number One during 2019. The single major contributor to this change is the camera network that is not even fully installed yet, the Mayor said. Neighboring Cuauhtemoc County reported a 40 percent reduction of crime in the first year of the installation of Energetikas lighting infrastructure and VSBLTYs AI-inspired video analytics. Energetikas security kit is a first of its kind Citizen Safety application and infrastructure program that includes outdoor mounted HD cameras, high intensity lighting, motion sensors and audible alarms. The technology also provides facial recognition and real time video analytics for crowd behavior. This low-cost system runs off local citizens internet service and is accessible on mobile devices in real time and includes an alerting system to enable direct local uniformed police response. The mobile application also permits content sharing for neighborhood watch and a panic button. Energetika CEO Rodrigo Calderon said, We are just in phase one deployment of security kits covering up to 40,000 endpoints throughout 56 Mexico City communities. We started last January in Miguel Hidalgo, Cuajimalpa, Cuauhtemoc and Benito Juarez, he explained. With this unique security kit deployment model perfected, we are hosting other Central and South American municipalities who wish to learn more about this program to improve citizen safety. We are projecting that this cost-efficient solution may be installed in three million security cameras or more in Latin America alone, Calderon predicted. Energetika, when contracted to provide smart lighting solutions for economically efficient applications that incorporate security, chose VSBLTY to provide security technology that includes crowd analytics and facial recognition for residential, commercial and governmental applications. VSBLTY CEO Jay Hutton said of the progress to date, We are excited to see the amazing early safety results of this deployment. It is setting the standard for collaborative security where citizens, law enforcement and technology work together to achieve a higher level of security. This Smart City deployment extends the reach of the security umbrella to residences and provides citizen access to city services right on individuals mobile devices. We look forward to collaborating on future deployments that will provide the next generation of public safety applications including tracking persons of interest, weapon detection, as well as vehicle and crowd analytics using the power of machine learning and computer vision, he said. Investor Relations MarketSmart Communications Inc.,+1-877-261-4466 info@marketsmart.ca CHF Capital Markets Cathy Hume, CEO, +1-416-868-1079, x231 cathy@chfir.com CONTACT: Linda Rosanio, 609-472-0877 lrosanio@vsblty.net About VSBLTY ( www.vsblty.net ) Headquartered in Philadelphia, VSBLTY CSE: VSBY) (Frankfurt: 5VS) (OTCBB: VSBGF) (VSBLTY) is the world leader in Proactive Digital Display, which transforms retail and public spaces as well as place-based media networks with SaaS-based audience measurement and security software that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning. About Energetika ( https://www.energetika.com ) With principal offices in Mexico City, Energetika provides intelligence lighting solutions to retailers, organizations and governments in Mexico, Chile and the Netherlands. In addition to advanced lighting, the company also installs intelligent sensors that are able to distinguish between people and objects, customizable controls and daylight harvesting for specific tasks. Energetika develops systems that collect information on energy and occupation of spaces in real time of what's happening inside of buildings, commercial properties and factories, while saving energy, increasing comfort and reducing maintenance cost through their predictive maintenance app. A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2207828c-1add-4224-a45e-19e2697fc471 [February 05, 2020] SinglePoint Subsidiary Direct Solar America Continues Rapid Growth as New 2020 Initiatives Start to Take Shape PHOENIX, AZ, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE --SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB:SING) is pleased to announce subsidiary, Direct Solar America, continues to drive new business as 2020 sales and marketing initiatives start to take shape. Last week Direct Solar America experienced that increase in business having one of its biggest weeks to date in new contract development. The increase is mainly attributed to new marketing and sales development including new canvassing teams starting, customer service improvements as well as partnership channels increasing engagement. We are strongly committed to continuing the development and improvement of Direct Solar America. The companys model continues to impress us by the ability to scale with few constraints into new markets. As we continue to see states rolling out incentives, we are able to act quickly and assess the market viability in order to decide whether to roll out teams in that area. Solar continues to be a driving factor and hot topic in the media, which I believe has resulted in the company expanding as rapidly as the company has. Direct Solar America, as a stand alone entity, eclipsed $2,000,000 in revenue in just 6 months of business, states Greg Lambrecht, CEO. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has declared the 2020s the Solar+ Decade. President and CEO Abigial Ross Hopper states, The 2010s were filled with more highs than lows, and the solar industry is in a strong position to become the leading source of new energy generation this decade Working in collaboration with other clean energy technologies, including storage, solar will lead a clean energy economic boom while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), in Q1 2019, the U.S. solar market surpassed 2 million installations just three years after the market surpassed the 1 million-installation milestone. The industry is expected to hit 3 million installations in 2021 and 4 million installations in 2023. This is a result of ncreased demand by consumers due to reduced installation costs as well as increasing environmental awareness which is driving the adoption of cost-efficient alternative and renewable forms of energy over conventional energy sources. To learn more about Direct Solar America, please visit DirectSolarAmerica.com. Schedule an appointment today to get your free in home solar quote. For more information visit: http://www.directsolaramerica.com/ http://www.directsolaramerica.com/mhg https://www.facebook.com/directsolaramerica/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/direct-solar-america About SinglePoint, Inc. SinglePoint, Inc (SING) is a technology and investment company with a focus on acquiring companies that will benefit from the injection of growth capital and technology integration. The company portfolio includes solar, payments and hemp based consumer products. Through acquisitions into horizontal markets, SinglePoint is building its portfolio by acquiring an interest in undervalued companies, thereby providing a rich, diversified holding base. Connect on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/SinglePointMobile https://twitter.com/_SinglePoint https://www.linkedin.com/company/singlepoint For more information visit: www.SinglePoint.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Corporate Communication SinglePoint Inc. 855-711-2009 [email protected] SinglePoint.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TORONTO Canada's Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed legal objections to the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that would nearly triple the flow of oil from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast. In a 3-0 decision, the court rejected four challenges from First Nations in British Columbia to the federal government's approval of the project. That means construction can continue on the project, though the First Nations have 60 days to appeal to the Supreme Court. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan said the ruling proves that if consultations and reviews are done properly, major projects can be built in Canada. "The courts have acknowledged that we listened and that we want to do things right," O'Regan said. The pipeline expansion would triple the capacity of an existing line to carry oil extracted from the oil sands in Alberta across the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. It would end at a terminal outside Vancouver, resulting in a seven-fold increase in the number of tankers in the shared waters between Canada and Washington state. Representative image Two Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) leaders Sajjad Lone and Waheed Para who were detained in August 2019 when the Centre abrogated Article 370 of Indian Constitution, were released on February 5. People's Conference (PC) chief Lone and People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and spokesperson Para were released from detention, after a period of six months. However, reports suggest that they were placed under house arrest soon after leaving the MLA Hostel. After their, 13 political leaders now remain detained at the MLA hostel, which has been temporarily converted into a subsidiary jail. The J&K administration had on February 4 released two leaders former PDP MLA from Wachi in south Kashmir Aijaz Ahmad Mir and trade leader Shakeel Ahmed Qalandar, who is former president of the Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir. Since February 2, a total of eight leaders have been released from preventive custody. Earlier on January 10, the government had revoked the detention warrants of 26 persons detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA). On December 30, 2019, five leaders belonging to the National Conference (NC), the PDP and the Congress, who were kept under preventive detention, were released. The leaders included Ishfaq Jabbar and Ghulam Nabi Bhat (NC), Bashir Mir (Congress) and Zahoor Mir and Yasir Reshi (PDP), officials had said. On November 25, two political leaders -- Dilawar Mir of the PDP and Ghulam Hassan Mir of the Democratic Party Nationalist -- were released by the new Union Territory administration. Former chief ministers of the erstwhile state Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, among others, remain in detention. (With PTI inputs) - Continuation of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity announced - Higher Committee provide update on strategy to realize the aspirations of the Human Fraternity Document ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, an independent body of religious leaders, educational scholars and cultural figures from across the world, hosted a celebration event yesterday to mark the one year anniversary of the historic Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. The Document was signed by His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, during the Papal visit to the UAE Capital in February last year. The celebration, held in Abu Dhabi, was attended by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in support of the Committee's efforts towards realizing the aspirations of the Document of Human Fraternity. Commencing the event, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam addressed faith leaders, cultural leaders and students attending from around the world in video messages in which they reiterated their commitment to the aspirations of the Human Fraternity Document. In their addresses, they also expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for the great support provided to the Higher Committee's effort. In his speech in the event, Sheikh Abdullah said, "We were honoured to host the signing of the Document of Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirate's capital, Abu Dhabi, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. This is a reflection of our commitment to its values which are well founded in our national and international strategy. The Document of Human Fraternity has also been included in our school curricula, and we will continue to support initiatives intended to spread the values of tolerance and understanding among all people, including the work of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. "We are honoured to host the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, and we encourage countries and international agencies to include the Document's values and objectives in their development programmes and initiatives. "I'm also honoured to announce the continuation of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, which was launched last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and was bestowed on the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb and Pope Francis, in recognition of their efforts to empower communities and inspire individuals on issues of fraternity and peace. The annual award will recognise those who unite for the good of humanity and reach out to one another in service of promoting human fraternity across the world. "The Document says, 'This Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will.' This is an invitation to everybody, regardless of their race or religion, to rally around values of Human Fraternity. We encourage everybody to uphold and adopt these values, especially the younger generations that helped in the emergence of this event." During the celebration event, the Higher Committee members took part in a panel discussion, updating on their strategy to realize the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity, including the Higher Committee's emphasis on engaging youth and educators. Focusing on future generations has been one of the organization's central aims since it was established, and a number of youth representatives attended the celebration event. In addition, the Committee has been instrumental in facilitating a forum, which took place in Abu Dhabi earlier in the day, bringing together over 150 students, religious leaders, and cultural leaders from around the world to engage in dialogue and hear from leaders of initiatives that exemplify human fraternity. Looking ahead, while engaging with young leaders and students to instill the values of human fraternity will be a key focus for the organization, the Committee will also encourage initiatives that serve humanitarian causes tailored to global leaders and to vulnerable populations in those communities. With its global focus, the organization aims to galvanize action on issues of peace and human fraternity across Art & Media, Community, Policy-Making, and Education. The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity includes nine members from the UAE, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the US, and Bulgaria. The members are: Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See; Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, General Secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity; Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation; Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Personal Secretary to His Holiness Pope Francis; Professor Mohamed Hussein Mahrasawi, President of Al-Azhar University; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture - Abu Dhabi; Dr. Sultan Faisal Al Remeithi, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders; Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO; and Yasser Hareb, an Emirati writer and TV presenter. The Higher Committee's core mission is to inspire the values of human fraternity among people of different faiths, backgrounds, and nationalities across the world. It is acting on the aspirations outlined in the Document of Human Fraternity by holding meetings with religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and others to encourage actions that will create a more peaceful world for all humankind. Most recently the Committee met the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and other senior UN representatives, to present plans for the Abrahamic Family House, one of the first projects the Committee is advising on, and discuss the group's future plans. Following the meeting, the Secretary General agreed to share the Human Fraternity Document with the 194-member states of the UN so they can benefit from the principles and values it sets out. About the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is an an independent body of religious leaders, educational scholars and cultural figures from across the world whose purpose is to inspire the values of human fraternity among all people. The committee will steward the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity across the world by holding meetings with religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and others to encourage actions that will create a more peaceful world for all humankind. The Committee will also work alongside legislative authorities to inspire national legislation that reinforces the values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. It will also oversee a variety of initiatives that aim to deliver on the aspirations of the Document of Human Fraternity, such as the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith center to be built in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity currently includes nine members from the UAE, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the US, and Bulgaria. For more information, please visit www.forhumanfraternity.org Link to Press Pack Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086600/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086601/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086602/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_3.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086603/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_4.jpg STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Amid concern about the deer population on the Island, another creature seems to be more present recently: the fox. Foxes have been present on Staten Island for many years. An Advance file photo taken circa 1910 shows a hunting and riding club tasked with hunting foxes on the Island. Reports about fox hunting can be found in reports dating back to 1893. After seeing this photo, Anthony Zavarelli reached out to the Advance about his own experience with foxes on Staten Island. Zavarelli, a life-long Staten Islander and Fort Wadsworth resident, has noticed a recent uptick in the number of foxes on the Island. He works as a longshoreman and crane operator at Global Container Terminal New York in Mariners Harbor. The business is located right next to the wetlands, and Zavarelli explained that he regularly sees all kinds of animals in the area - from deer to gophers, snapping turtles and more. When Zavarelli first heard his coworkers reporting fox sighting, he thought that they must be seeing things. Eventually, though, he saw the foxes for himself. Zavarelli said hes surprised the foxes are constantly in the area despite the heavy machinery and trucks present. The foxes around his building make an appearance weekly, and sometimes more often, he said. He also said some are accompanied by cubs. The foxs natural enemies are wolves, coyotes and bobcats - none of which are known to inhabit the Island. On Tuesday it was reported that the city Department of Parks and Recreation says it has found no evidence of a coyote population on Staten Island, months after a video surfaced on social media showing a large canine dragging a deer carcass in Travis. Have you seen foxes on Staten Island? Share your pictures by tagging #SILive or @siadvance on Instagram. The Gentlemen is Guy Ritchie's return to gritty gangster films. The film stars a who's who of Hollywood such as Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey and Colin Farrell. The film is currently out in theatres After the flop that was King Arthur, it looks like Guy Ritchie is moving away from Hollywood blockbusters and returning to his roots in old-school gangster films. The director of classics such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver, has just released The Gentlemen, starring Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey and Jeremy Strong. The film oozes cool and delivers all the gangster tropes that were all familiar with. Guy Ritchie has always been a director who understood the seediness of the London underworld better than most and his films reflect exactly that. The Gentlemen tells the story of an American ex-pat, living in London, looking to sell off his incredibly lucrative marijuana business. This, obviously does not go as planned and thus begins a cycle of betrayal, back-stabbing, cheating and every other vile thing you can think of. From what we can see in the trailer, were in for a real thrill-ride as Ritchie takes us through the world of Londons gangsters and their illegal dealings. The stellar star cast is another reason you should check this film out. The pairing of Hugh Grant, Matthew McConaughey and Colin Farrell makes this film a must-watch. The Gentlemen is out in theatres right now. Check out the trailer below. Note: This post was published in association with PVR cinemas Rakuten SQREEM will provide advertisers in Japan with marketing solutions built around AI based behavioural pattern analysis, and will cater to companies and advertisers in Japan. Through the combination of SQREEMs proprietary AI technology with Rakutens historical sales data from over 100 million members in Japan, Rakuten SQREEM will be positioned to better meet the needs of Japanese consumers by serving them content that is desirable and relevant. The new company will utilize the data provided by Rakutens members and the AI behavioural pattern analysis data owned by SQREEM to provide marketing solutions enabling media buying for Internet advertising through partners. For advertisers, the system aims to create new value and improve ad performance in the Japan market by providing advertisers with a real time picture of increasingly complex consumer behaviour thereby improving ad performance and cost efficiencies The new addition to Japans advertising scene is helmed by Representative Director and President Ryugen Shimizu, who is also President of LinkShare Japan, which operates Rakuten Marketing Japan. I believe that the marriage of capabilities that Rakuten SQREEM represents will take the Japanese programmatic advertising market to the next level. I hope that we can help the entire digital marketing industry grow even faster, said Shimizu. SQREEM is a proven Singapore-based AI company, with experience servicing customers globally. The company provides a marketing solution not dependent on individual identifiable data but by utilizing an AI automated behavioural pattern analysis platform that analyses massive, complex consumer behaviour data at a speed and volume unattainable by human beings. Rakuten SQREEM will provide solutions for the Japan market with a higher level of precision than is available today. Ian Chapman-Banks, CEO of SQREEM Technologies says, With Google announcing it would be nixing support of third-party tracking cookies for its Chrome browser, advertisers and their agencies are looking for alternative solutions that allow them to better understand and reach consumers without compromising their privacy. With SQREEMs cookieless AI tech stack, we are able to automate and achieve precise digital media buying. This enables us to serve both brands and agencies in GDPR compliant ways that can withstand privacy scrutiny in even the strictest markets. He adds, To date, SQREEMs AI capabilities have been proven in a myriad of scenarios: assisting governments with tracking criminal activity, predicting global market events, detecting instances of fraud, and assisting multiple firms in the financial sector with their media campaigns. SQREEM also boasts 12 of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies as clients, providing them with expert insights and advanced targeting capabilities. With the formation of Rakuten SQREEM, we look forward to changing the face of digital advertising in Japan. Greater considerations for user data are being called for with the rise in awareness of protecting personal information in data-based marketing, such as the enactment of the GDPR in the EU in May 2018. To date, Rakuten has worked hard for the protection of personal information when utilizing data accumulated by the Rakuten Group to provide marketing solutions. By developing and providing marketing solutions not dependent on personal attributes, Rakuten SQREEM hopes to provide digital marketing services that are effective for advertisers and safe for users. Rakuten and SQREEM will continue to create new digital marketing solutions for a range of companies through Rakuten SQREEM. 05.02.2020 LISTEN The state has filed fresh charges against the founder of collapsed UT Bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, as well as five other persons over their respective roles in the collapse of the bank in 2017. The prosecution in the facts sheet stated that, the five others being hauled before the court are; Johnson Pandit Asiama, Raymond Amanfu, UT Holdings Ltd., Catherine Johnson and Robert Kwesi Armah. Johnson Pandit Asiama (1st accused), was the 2nd Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BOG) between May 2016 and December 2017. Raymond Amanfu (2nd accused), was the Head of Banking Supervision Department (BSD) at BOG from 2014 to October 2017. UT Holdings Limited (UT Holdings 3rd accused), is a holding company which held shares in UT Bank Ghana Limited (UT). Prince Kofi Amoabeng (4th accused), was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UT from its inception in 2009 until his retirement on 31st December 2015. He is a shareholder and Director of UT Holdings. Catherine Johnson (5th accused), was the Head of Treasury who had also acted as the Head of Corporate Banking of UT. Robert Kwesi Armah (6th accused), was the General Manager of Corporate Banking of UT. The new charges include fraudulent breach of trust, fabrication of evidence and deceit of public officer. Below are the charges: Count One Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in February 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated an amount of $7,000,000 which was entrusted to UT Bank in trust for the Registrar of the High Court, Commercial Division, Accra. Count Two Statement of Offence Fabrication of evidence contrary to section 213 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in or about February 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to pervert the course of justice made a document containing a false statement that an amount of $7,000,000 had been deposited into an escrow account in the name of the Registrar of the High Court with intent to mislead a Justice of the High Court in a judicial proceeding. Count Three Statement of Offence Deceit of public officer contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in or about February 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to obstruct the course of justice endeavoured to deceive the High Court by representing to the Registrar of the High Court that an escrow account which had been opened in the name of the Registrar of the court had an amount of $7,000,000 deposited into the said account, a representation you knew to be false. Count Four Statement of Offence Fabrication of evidence contrary to section 213 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Catherine Johnson in May 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to pervert the course of justice made a document containing false statements on details of a call investment of $7,000,000 with intent to mislead a Justice of the High Court in a judicial proceeding. Count Five Statement of Offence Deceit of public officer contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Catherine Johnson in May 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to obstruct the course of justice endeavoured to deceive the High Court judge by representing to the Registrar of the High Court that $7,000,000 had been invested in the name of the Registrar at 2% per annum, a statement you knew to be false. Count Six Statement of Offence Conspiracy to commit crime namely fabrication of evidence contrary to sections 23(1) and 213 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Catherine Johnson and 2) Robert Kwesi Armah in October 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to pervert the course of justice acted together with a common purpose to commit crime namely fabrication of evidence. Count Seven Statement of Offence Fabrication of evidence contrary to section 213 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence 1) Catherine Johnson 2) Robert Kwesi Armah in October 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to pervert the course of justice made a document containing false statements on details of call investment of $7,000,000 with intent to mislead a Justice of the High Court in a judicial proceeding. Count Eight Statement of Offence Conspiracy to commit crime namely Deceit of Public Officer contrary to sections 23(1) and 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Catherine Johnson and 2) Robert Kwesi Armah in October 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to obstruct the course of justice acted together with a common purpose to commit crime namely Deceit of Public Officer. Count Nine Statement of Offence Deceit of public officer contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Catherine Johnson 2) Robert Kwesi Armah in October 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region with intent to obstruct the course of justice endeavoured to deceive the High Court judge by representing to the Registrar of the High Court that $7,000,000 had been invested in the name of the Registrar at 2% per annum, a statement you knew to be false. Count Ten Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in April 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH2,235,351.45 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT SOS Fund. Count Eleven Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in April 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH2,235,351.45 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT SOS Fund. Count Twelve Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH1,383,374.58 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the Forestry Commission. Count Thirteen Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH1,383,374.58 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the Forestry Commission. Count Fourteen Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH1,813,077.52 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the ECG Staff Fund. Count Fifteen Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH1,813,077.52 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the ECG Staff Fund. Count Sixteen Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH1,507,817.81 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the ECG Staff Fund. Count Seventeen Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH1,507,817.81 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the ECG Staff Fund. Count Eighteen Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH2,100,000 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT SOS Fund. Count Nineteen Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH2,100,000 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT SOS Fund. Count Twenty Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH2,727,521.95 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the National Communications Authority. Count Twenty-One Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH2,727,521.95 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the National Communications Authority. Count Twenty-Two Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of $2,799,917 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the WAICA-Re. Count Twenty-Three Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in August 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of $2,799,917 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for WAICA-Re. Count Twenty-Four Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in November 2014 and December 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH16,691,984.00 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Databank Financial Services. Count Twenty-Five Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng between November 2014 and December 2014 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH16,691,984.00 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Databank Financial Services. Count Twenty-Six Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in May 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH2,064,276.03 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SIC Life Company Ltd. Count Twenty-Seven Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in May 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH2,064,276.03 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SIC Life Company Ltd. Count Twenty-Eight Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in September 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH10,479,134 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for National Health Insurance Authority. Count Twenty-Nine Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in September 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH10,479,134 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for National Health Insurance Authority. Count Thirty Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in November 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of $4 million which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Best Point Insurance Limited. Count Thirty-One Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in November 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of $4 million which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Best Point Insurance Limited. Count Thirty-Two Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in December 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of $2 million which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Special Investments Company Limited. Count Thirty-Three Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in December 2015 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of $2 million which was invested in UT Bank in trust for Special Investments Company Limited. Count Thirty-Four Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in November 2016 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH650,000 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT Employees Group Scheme. Count Thirty-Five Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in November 2016 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH650,000 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for SSNIT Employees Group Scheme. Count Thirty-Six Statement of Offence Abetment of crime, namely, Fraudulent Breach of Trust, contrary to sections 20(1) and 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence UT Holdings Limited in January 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Prince Kofi Amoabeng to dishonestly appropriate the sum of GH4,050,607.86 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the Export Development and Investment Fund. Count Thirty-Seven Statement of Offence Fraudulent Breach of Trust contrary to section 128 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng in January 2017 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH4,050,607.86 which was invested in UT Bank in trust for the Export Development and Investment Fund. Count Thirty-Eight Statement of Offence Fraudulently Causing Financial Loss to the Republic contrary to section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng between 2014 and 2015 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region fraudulently caused financial loss of GH45,703,145.20 to the Republic. Count Thirty-Nine Statement of Offence Fraudulently Causing Financial Loss to the Republic contrary to section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Prince Kofi Amoabeng between 2014 and 2015 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region fraudulently caused financial loss of $8,799,917 to the Republic. Count Forty Statement of Offence Contravention of the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612) contrary to sections 46(h) and 67(a) of the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612). Particulars of Offence Johnson Asiama in May 2016 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region granted liquidity support to UT Bank in the sum of GH460 million without satisfying the prescribed conditions set out in the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612). Count Forty-One Statement of Offence Abetment of crime namely wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to sections 20(1) and 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Raymond Amanfu in May 2016 in Accra in the Greater-Accra Region abetted Johnson Pandit Asiama to wilfully cause financial loss of GH460 million to the Republic. Count Forty-Two Statement of Offence Wilfully Causing Financial Loss to the Republic contrary to section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Particulars of Offence Johnson Pandit Asiama in 2016 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, wilfully caused financial loss of GH413.09 million to the Republic. citinewsroom MALIBU, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifteen leading physicians and academicians from around the world will take the stage at the Malibu Microbiome Meeting, a CME event, on March 28-29, 2020 to share data, raise awareness, and advocate for life-saving advancements in microbial-based medicine. This two-day conference was organized by physicians for physicians to share knowledge with no third-party interests other than those of the patients whose lives they're fighting to save. The Malibu Microbiome Meeting (March 28-29, 2020) is a CME event joining physicians, government, and industry on the latest in microbiome research, discoveries, and news. Register at www.MalibuMicrobiomeMeeting.com Though Hippocrates said "all disease begins in the gut" nearly 3000 years ago, few medical publications on the gut microbiome were written before the 21st century. As studies discover numerous connections between the microbiome and various diseases, over 60,000 related journals have been published in the last ten years. It is no longer a question of whether the microbiome holds answers to longstanding medical questions; it is now a matter of how to apply these answers to human health and wellness. Meet the MMM Speakers Dr. Thomas Borody Australia's world-famous gastroenterologist (GI), FMT pioneer - develops innovative treatments for various diseases; founder and director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Sydney, Australia Topic: Microbiome Therapeutics and "thinking outside the box" Dr. Faming Zhang China's world famous GI, FMT expert - has done thousands of fecal transplants; Vice Dean of the Nanjing Medical University Institutes for Translational Medicine Topic: FMT for Conditions Other Than C.diff Infection Dr. Neil Stollman San Francisco-based GI MD; FMT early adopter and investigator; noted teacher and advocate; Fellow of the AGA and ACG; Chairman of ACG Board of Governors Topic: Microbiome 101 Dr. Colleen Kelly Brown University professor; Providence-based GI; FMT investigator; FMT guidelines co-author; primary author of ACG C.diff treatment guidelines Topic: Evidence of efficacy and safety of FMT for C.difficile infection Dr. Paul Feuerstadt Yale University professor; New Haven-based GI; research focuses include FMT, CDI, IBS and ischemic bowel disorders; he has presented extensively and authored/co-authored manuscripts and textbook chapters Topic: Challenges Around Clinical Trials in C.difficile Dr. Sabine Hazan Malibu-based GI; CEO of Ventura Clinical Trials with 20+ years experience in clinical studies; CEO of Progenabiome microbiome sequencing research lab; noted speaker and series editor on the microbiome Topic: Microbiome Disease Associations (cause or consequence?) Dr. Jessica Allegretti Harvard Medical School professor; attending GI, Director of Clinical Trials and FMT Program Director at Brigham and Women's Hospital Topic: Manipulating the Microbiome to Treat IBD Dr. Alexander Khoruts Medical director of University of Minnesota's Microbiota Therapeutics Program and Achieving Cures Together - developed revolutionary encapsulated microbiota and supported treatments for ~600 patients Topic: Pharmacology of FMT Dr. Sahil Khanna Mayo Clinic professor and director of Comprehensive Gastroenterology Interest group, C.difficile Clinic, FMT program and C.difficile related Clinical Trials; over 100 peer-reviewed publications Topic: FMT for chronic UTI Dr. Yinghong Wang University of Texas MD Anderson professor; recognized for expertise in cancer immunotherapy induced GI toxicities and initiative in setting up IBD clinic and FMT service Topic: Implications of the Gut Microbiome in Cancer Dr. Mazen Noureddin Cedars-Sinai Fatty Liver program director; research focuses on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, new imaging modalities and new treatments Topic: Microbiota and the Metabolic Syndrome Dr. James Adams Arizona State University Autism/Asperger's Research Program director; focuses on medical causes of autism, treatments and prevention; over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles Topic: Microbiota Transplant for Autism Dr. Zain Kassam Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Finch Therapeutics; founding member and current special advisor to the Board of Directors at OpenBiome Topic: Microbiome-based Therapeutics Dr. Scott Jackson Leader of the Complex Microbial Systems Group in the Biosystems and Biomaterials Division at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Topic: Developing Standards for Microbiome Research Dr. Howard Young Senior Investigator at the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism; head of the Cellular and Molecular Immunology Section at NIH (National Institutes of Health) Topic: How scientists elucidate mechanisms of microbial influence The Malibu Microbiome Meeting (March 28-29, 2020) is a CME event joining physicians, government, and industry on the latest in microbiome research, discoveries, and news. REGISTER HERE and reserve your space today. For more: www.MalibuMicrobiomeMeeting.com / Facebook / Instagram Questions / Exhibitor Inquiries: Contact here Media Contact: Stephanie Davis [email protected] SOURCE Malibu Microbiome Meeting Related Links http://www.MalibuMicrobiomeMeeting.com BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealer.com, a leading automotive industry end-to-end digital marketing solution, announces new enhancements to its digital storefront during the runway to the 2020 NADA Show. The company's latest offering harnesses Cox Automotive data the largest collection of automotive shopping behavior insights available to ensure dealers have the tools necessary to deliver unrivaled consumer experiences, forging the shortest and most personalized path to customer engagement and dealership growth. With brands from all categories bombarding shoppers, there has never been a more critical time for dealers to capture consumer mindshare by delivering tailored experiences that capitalize on available intelligence and technology. The industry is at an inflection point; to remain relevant and competitive, dealers must prepare themselves for the ride. Through new leading-edge capabilities designed to bring ease and efficiency for the consumer wherever they are in the buying process, Dealer.com's digital storefront experience tailors every interaction based on individual consumer demands. This level of personalization gives dealers the ability to build stronger customer relationships to help ensure enduring growth in a volatile consumer climate. The progressive site architecture is built for speed, security and flexibility to serve dealers today and well into the future. Beyond technology, Dealer.com's team of experts use their years of experience to guide and develop a digital strategy that brings in buyers. "The combination of Dealer.com's new end-to-end technologies and services powered by Cox Automotive data insights are invaluable resources for dealers, providing car buyers with the most dynamic, efficient and personalized online shopping experience available," said Wayne Pastore, vice president and general manager of Dealer.com. "With our new technology as the industry benchmark for dealership website experiences, dealers can meet the evolving high demands and shopping preferences of their customers, ultimately taking their sales success to new heights." Dealer.com enhancements for 2020 include: Reputation Management offers coordinated consumer review and response management, including Google My Business review optimization, that reinforces a dealer's customer service commitment online, strengthens local SEO, and turns every customer interaction into a selling tool. Auto dealership reviews influence more than half of consumers 1 . The Reputation Management solution allows dealers to proactively monitor and respond to all ratings and reviews increasing review volume to drive higher Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores, increased consumer engagement and shopper loyalty. offers coordinated consumer review and response management, including Google My Business review optimization, that reinforces a dealer's customer service commitment online, strengthens local SEO, and turns every customer interaction into a selling tool. Auto dealership reviews influence more than half of consumers . The Reputation Management solution allows dealers to proactively monitor and respond to all ratings and reviews increasing review volume to drive higher Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores, increased consumer engagement and shopper loyalty. Turnkey Video Advertising provides scalable, dynamic video content that leverages Cox Automotive's unique audience and householding data for dealers looking to promote their inventory on high-engagement social channels like Facebook and YouTube. With nearly four million automotive videos viewed on YouTube each day 2 and many consumers abandoning cable TV, video consumption among automotive shoppers is growing rapidly. Dealers that may lack resources or expertise now can enjoy barrier-free access to high-quality video assets and advertising content. Tailored video solutions are also available, leveraging OEM and dealership footage to develop creative that brings customer engagement to the next level. provides scalable, dynamic video content that leverages Cox Automotive's unique audience and householding data for dealers looking to promote their inventory on high-engagement social channels like Facebook and YouTube. With nearly four million automotive videos viewed on YouTube each day and many consumers abandoning cable TV, video consumption among automotive shoppers is growing rapidly. Dealers that may lack resources or expertise now can enjoy barrier-free access to high-quality video assets and advertising content. Tailored video solutions are also available, leveraging OEM and dealership footage to develop creative that brings customer engagement to the next level. Dynamic Inventory Search experience delivers the crucial inventory information consumers need to advance their shopping journey. A brand new UX-driven Search Result Page experience (SRP) appeals to a modern, mobile-reliant consumer, offering larger vehicle images, a multi-photo carousel, tabbed content and customizable page design to fit individual dealer needs. experience delivers the crucial inventory information consumers need to advance their shopping journey. A brand new UX-driven Search Result Page experience (SRP) appeals to a modern, mobile-reliant consumer, offering larger vehicle images, a multi-photo carousel, tabbed content and customizable page design to fit individual dealer needs. Free-Form Search is all-new, full-site, and now includes predictive recommendations and intelligence to handle misspellings, ensuring consumers will find what they're looking for. is all-new, full-site, and now includes predictive recommendations and intelligence to handle misspellings, ensuring consumers will find what they're looking for. Fixed Operations Advertising, Managed Services and Website Personalization highlights a dealer's service department utilizing Cox Automotive data to deliver service-related specials and coupons to vehicle owners identified as in-market for local service. Additionally, thanks to a new integration between Dealer.com and Xtime, dealers automatically can target shoppers looking for local service with relevant fixed ops advertising content. In addition to these product enhancements, Dealer.com continues to invest heavily in a Performance Management model that helps reach more relevant shoppers by properly leveraging all of the digital marketing tools within the Dealer.com suite to help dealers achieve their business goals in the most efficient manner possible. The client service team dominates with excellence by listening, learning and making continuous progress on solutions to deliver enduring value to dealers. As consumer buying expectations and shopping behaviors shift, dealers need to invest in digital solutions that bring delight to consumers. Dealer.com combines these innovations with extensive consumer intelligence to bring dealers the tools to build their best digital storefront. To learn more about Dealer.com's 2020 NADA product announcements, visit Booth #2629C or book a demo at https://www.dealer.com/demo. About Dealer.com Dealer.com is the premier digital marketing solution for the automotive industry. Providing an integrated platform of Websites, Advertising, Digital Retailing and Managed Services, Dealer.com allows OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology, data and insights to deliver the shortest, fastest and most personalized path to customer engagement. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of progress, with a focus on community, health, and wellness. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com. About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using cars easier for everyone. The global company's 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com 12018 ReviewTrackers Online Reviews Survey 22 Google: YouTube for Auto Dealers, October 2018 SOURCE Dealer.com Related Links http://www.dealer.com By Aaron Kesel Four alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein have written an open letter pleading for Prince Andrew to talk to the FBI for the sake of his daughters and their children, according to a report from the Daily Mail. The women urged the Duke to be on the right side of history. This comes after Andrew was accused last week of giving zero cooperation to the ongoing investigation into Epsteins inner circle, the Mind Unleashed reported. Prince Andrew, the world is watching, the letter begins. It was authored by an accuser who is using the name KiKi and was signed by three other unnamed Jane Doe accusers that are all being represented by lawyer Lisa Bloom. Please help the US authorities with anything you may have observed in your time spent with Jeffrey Epstein, they urge, stating Andrews privileged life gives him the power to influence and create positive change. Do it for the victims who have lived a life of suffering, shame and humiliation. You can make things better for us and for future generations with your co-operation, they wrote, according to the Daily Mail. The four recounted to the prince they are trying to right wrongs, despite our crippling fears. They also accused him of perpetuating them through apathy, inaction, and denial. You have a chance to be on the right side of history, they wrote, the UK paper said. The world is watching. Please look past your fear and help those who could not help themselves. Geoffrey Berman, U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York stated last week that Andrew had provided no cooperation despite repeated attempts to talk to him about the ongoing investigation into Epsteins pedophile ring. Berman added, the investigation will be moving forward with or without Prince Andrews cooperation, according to the Guardian. As TMU reported earlier this month, Scotland Yard has refused to reveal Prince Andrews location on the night that he is accused of raping Virginia Giuffre, one of the more public accusers and whose did not appear on the letter. During Andrews catastrophic failure of an interview with the BBC, the royal stated firmly that he was at a Pizza Express in Woking with his daughters on the night Giuffre claimed they visited a club before the then 17-year-old girl was made to have sex with the him at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew also made ridiculous claims that he cannot sweat, which ultimately blew up in his face on social media mere hours after the interview aired. Although the Duke of York claimed to have never met Giuffre in his life, private emails showed he mentioned Virginia Giuffre by name to Maxwell. The emails were found by the BBC buried in thousands of pages of legal documents in the case of Giuffre versus Maxwell. To make matters worse for Andrew, Maxwells entire email cache was hacked and could soon be leaked or sold, as TMU previously reported. If Maxwells emails are published it could mean the end of the denial game for the Duke of York. There is still time to fess up and tell the truth to help investigators track down those who were in positions of power and pulling the strings of the trafficking operation like Ghislaine Maxwell, as alleged by Giuffre in court. US President Donald Trump wasted no time in pouncing on the Democratic chaos in Iowa, framing it as a victory for himself. Mr Trump tweeted that the debacle was an "unmitigated disaster", suggesting it was proof that Democrats could not be trusted to lead. "The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is 'Trump'," he wrote. Clouded by doubts on a chaotic day-after, the Iowa Democratic Party began releasing partial results of the state's first-in-the-nation presidential caucus late last night. Expand Close Donald Trump. Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump. Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters Pete Buttigieg took a narrow lead in the first batch of long-delayed results and former vice-president Joe Biden trailed badly in fourth place with about 62pc of precincts reporting. US Senator Bernie Sanders was a close second and US Senator Elizabeth Warren placed third in the first results, released nearly 21 hours after Iowans poured into more than 1,600 public locations to begin the five-month process of picking a challenger to Mr Trump. In the first results of state delegate equivalents, the data traditionally reported to determine the winner, Mr Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had 26.9pc, Mr Sanders 25.1pc, Ms Warren 18.3pc and Mr Biden 15.6pc. Senator Amy Klobuchar was fifth at 12.6pc. Mr Buttigieg (38) would be the first openly gay US president if elected. While campaigns were eager to spin the results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results eased the confusion and concern that loomed over the opening contest of the Democrats 2020 presidential primary season. It was unclear when Iowa's full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the specific timeline - even whether it would be a matter of days or weeks. "We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Mr Price said. The leading candidates pressed on in next-up New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days, as billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, vowing to double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The party's caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting the contest as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field with no clear front-runner. Instead, after a build-up that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1bn spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted "first" status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several US territories, ending at the party's national convention in mid-July. Campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday, Ms Warren said she was "feeling good" about her performance in Iowa but questioned the state party's plans to release partial results. "I just don't understand what that means, at least half of the data. I think they ought to get it together and release all the data," she said. The Sanders' campaign told supporters that its internal monitoring showed him in the lead with nearly half the vote in. Mr Sanders himself said late on Monday that "Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump". Mr Buttigieg essentially declared an Iowa victory. "So we don't know all the results, but we know by the time it's all said and done, Iowa, you have shocked the nation," he said before leaving Iowa. "By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious." Mr Biden said he was "feeling good" and predicted the results would be close. The party told campaigns yesterday that the problem was a result of a "coding issue in the reporting system" that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of "a hack or an intrusion." A Biden campaign representative objected to the party's plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didn't address "growing reports" about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. Airlines are increasingly canceling flights due to plummeting traveler numbers as coronavirus spreads quickly beyond China's borders. Industry watchers forecast dismal earnings this year for both flag and budget carriers around the world. The eight Korean airlines saw operating rates on flights to China drop from 100 percent on Jan. 27 to around 31 percent only a week later. Korean Air has halted 20 routes to China while cutting down on the frequency of another eight. "Only the Gimpo-Beijing and Gimpo-Shanghai routes remain at seven flights a week, but those could be halted or cut at any time," a staffer said. Before the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Korean Air operated 204 round-trip flights on 30 routes to China a week. But the number has fallen to 57 a week on 10 routes, slashing the operating rate to 28 percent. 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In the space of a single year, Marko resurrected Red Bull's relationship with the then Formula E driver, gave Albon his F1 debut for Toro Rosso, and then promoted him to replace the struggling Pierre Gasly at the top team. "He joined a top team last year after only six months," Marko told Kronen Zeitung newspaper. British-born Thai rookie Albon was solid alongside Max Verstappen for his first half-season with Red Bull, but now Marko makes clear he wants more. "With experience and better preparation, of course he has to do more," he said. "He has to get stronger in qualifying and generally more consistent. But I am convinced that he will be able to do it," added Marko. (GMM) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:38:09|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese railway company will begin a trial of a newly-developed smartphone app aimed at helping combat the country's perennial problem of molesters on trains, local media reported Wednesday. East Japan Railway, also known as JR East, plans to begin testing the app that will allow victims to inform train staff in real time that they are being groped on a train. The app, which uses GPS, will enable victims to send an emergency signal that will alert train conductors' tablet devices as to the attacks taking place and the gropers' location. On the app, the conductors will then alert other passengers using the app that one of their fellows is being molested and other passengers will also be warned over the trains' loudspeaker systems. Known as "chikan" in Japan, victims, the majority being female, have long been subjected to sexual harassment and other obscene physical acts against their will by perpetrators, the majority of whom are male, exploiting the nation's overly-crowded public trains. The victims often feel intimidated when "chikan," many of whom are seasoned molesters who carefully target their victims, and can't defend themselves or fight back for fear of creating a scene in very crowded trains, or not knowing exactly who their attacker is. This point was reinforced by the President and CEO of East Japan Railway Yuji Fukasawa. Fukasawa said "as it's difficult for some victims to speak out loud, JR East hopes the new app will allow those people to notify conductors who can then act promptly." JR East said it will carry out its test of the new app on the Saikyo Line, which connects Tokyo with neighboring Saitama Prefecture and is perhaps one of the most notorious train lines for "chikans" operating, owing to the relatively longer distances between stops. The train operator said it will examine the efficacy of the new app and gauge the response of other passengers who hear the announcement of a "chikan" attack. Calls have been rife among female advocacy groups for train operators to do more to eradicate groping and other sexual misconduct on trains, with female-only cars being cheered at the time when they were first rolled out on some lines here more than a decade ago, but quickly criticized for only being available for certain services and at certain times, rather than on all trains, all of the time. In addition, the groups have been calling for harsher legal measures to be taken against those caught molesting passengers, including hefty fines and custodial sentences, even for first-time offenders, to "send a message that chikans will no longer be tolerated." Staeheli faces murder charges in King County SNOHOMISH Jeremy Tod Staeheli, suspected in the fatal shooting of a Snohomish homeless man, was extradited to Washington State and is in King County jail awaiting arraignment for second degree murder. Bail is set at $2 million. Brandt Stewart, 34, was found dead by a hiker just before Christmas. His body was discovered off a logging road about 12 miles from Stevens Pass, in Skykomish, putting the investigation in the hands of King County law enforcement. He was found with a vial in his chest pocket that appeared to contain several grams of methamphetamine. A glass pipe and a small torch-type lighter were found in the snow, near his body, court documents say. His backpack and wallet had been taken. Stewarts Mom, Elizabeth Carmichael, told investigators Stewart struggled with drug addiction for most of his adult life and was recently staying in a shed at the Snohomish Church of Nazarene. Staeheli confessed to shooting Stewart with a 9 millimeter handgun, court documents say. Staeheli has a record of misdemeanor crimes. Pending in Snohomish County are two assault charges. He is not permitted to have a gun, documents say. He fled to Red Bluff, California prior to his arrest, which led to the need for an extradition, documents say. Detectives were led to Staeheli with information from his Snohomish associates. Stewart was seen the morning of Dec. 22, getting into a red Ford Mustang with Staeheli in the drivers seat. Surveillance video showed a license plate number connecting the vehicle to Staeheli. One week prior, the red Mustang was seen near the shed, where Stewart was staying. Staeheli told detectives he knew Stewart and would sometimes bring him food and the two would smoke meth together. A single spent shell casing for a 9 millimeter handgun was found near the body. Detectives say the same gun was with Staeheli when he was arrested in Red Bluff, California, tucked into his waist band. He was arrested without incident in Red Bluff, two feet from the red Mustang. Check out our online Publications! Best seen in the Firefox or Chrome browsers Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 17:30:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Keren Setton JERUSALEM, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Just days after Russia released Israeli prisoner Naama Issachar, the nature of the relations between Israel and Russia have been brought to the forefront, prompting a discussion on what really motivates each side of the relationship. The image of Issachar arriving in Israel and receiving a hero's welcome as she was accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also raised questions in the country on the political price paid to see her release. Issachar was arrested in the Moscow airport last April during her transit from India to Israel. Authorities found fewer than 10 grams of marijuana in her luggage. At the end of Issachar's trial, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. "Her release was a symptom, not a cause, of some general trends in Israeli-Russian relations," said Gideon Remez, a researcher of the Truman Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "If there were concessions made, they were made for broader reasons, not just the Naama Issachar case." In Syria, the Israeli air force operates against Iranian presence with some degree of cooperation with Russia or at least a Russian blind eye. "Ultimately, for Putin, it is not a bad thing that Israel is limiting Iranian presence in Syria," Emmanuel Navon, a professor of international relations at Tel Aviv University and a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, told Xinhua, adding that "the fact that Israel is doing that job, works for Putin." Russian forces have been on the ground in Syria since 2015, with the aim of stabilizing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Over one year ago, a Syrian anti-aircraft missile that aimed at an Israeli aircraft accidentally shot down a Russian plane and killed 15 Russian military personnel. It was a low-point in the relationship which led to tensions between the two countries. However, Israel has since appeared to still maintain relative freedom of movement above Syrian skies and has reportedly carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria. Netanyahu supposedly arrived in Moscow last week to discuss the American peace plan that was revealed earlier last week, but many believed his main purpose was to bring the Israeli backpacker home, in an attempt to garner more support ahead of the general election scheduled in March. "The relations between Russia and Israel are steadfast, strong and the best they have ever been," Netanyahu said during a meeting with Putin. While they have put on a friendly show, the interests of the two countries remain contradictory. "Russia cannot be considered an ally of Israel or even of Netanyahu personally. Israel did not get anything that Putin would not have been willing to give anyhow," Remez told Xinhua, "Israel's ally for better or for worse is still the United States." As regional alliances shift, Israel finds itself at odds with Russia. While Putin may not want Syria to be under Iranian influence, Russia maintains good relations with Iran and has voiced its opposition to American withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal. Israel sees Iran as its arch-enemy. "Israel and Russia have conflicting geo-political interests in the Middle East," said Navon, "The main common interest is to try and prevent a clash in Syria, but beyond that, Russia is doing everything to damage American interests in the region." Israel and Russia maintain sound economic relations and there is substantial tourism between the two as well. However, another thorn in the relationship is the subject of natural gas which has the potential of dampening the atmosphere. Last year, Israel, Cyprus and Greece declared a new project aimed at transporting Israeli natural gas reserves to Europe in direct competition with Russian gas. "The Russians do not see eye-to-eye with Israel on this," said Navon, adding that should the project materialize, it will decrease European dependency on Russian gas. When having to choose a strong ally, Israel will undoubtedly choose the White House over the Kremlin. Here comes a new consumer show you could get hooked on: The Connecticut Fishing & Outdoor Show premieres at Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention Center in Uncasville, Conn., in February. The Feb. 14-16 event will feature expert speakers, demonstrations and new products. It is designed for longtime fishing and outdoor enthusiasts as well as anyone who wants to learn more about angling and other kinds of outdoor adventure. Fishing is the highlight of our newest show that showcases a wide variety of outdoor elements, featuring ATVs, rock climbing, rafting, kayaking, hiking, hunting, zip lining, biking and much more, said Kristie Gonsalves, president of North East Expos Inc. and a past president of the National Association of Consumer Show Producers. We are excited to bring this huge new consumer show and a wide range of experts, including NBC Sports fisherman Roland Martin and Surfcasters Journal editor Dennis Zambrotta, to Mohegan Suns expansive new expo and convention center. There will be more than 100 booths selling the latest fishing, hunting and outdoor equipment and fishing boats. Demonstrations include fly casting atop a 5,000-gallon Hawg Trough Fish Tank; a kayak pond will feature Intro to Kayak Fishing lessons by Three Belles Outfitters; fly-tying by experts; and North American wildlife seminars. Hands-on activities will include Black Hawk virtual fishing fighting chair simulator with Greg Dubrule. Seminars will be offered by Bobby Uhrig, professional fisherman and master lure designer; ]Mike Laptew, The Diving Fisherman; Ralph Wilkins of the Odysea and TVs Wicked Tuna; Joe Diorio, saltwater fishing guide; Al Gag, custom lure designer; Philip J. Carcia, 15,000+ mile hiker, runner and photographer; Toby Lapinski, managing editor of The Fisherman Magazine; and Greg Dubrule of Black Hawk Sport Fishing in Niantic. This new Connecticut Fishing & Outdoor Show show builds upon the success of the annual Northeast Fishing & Hunting Show that will continue at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn., from March 20-22. These two terrific events will be held one month apart for the pleasure of outdoor enthusiasts from across the state and beyond, said Gonsalves, who has produced major public events for more than 20 years. Both expansive shows will feature hundreds of booths with the latest fishing and outdoor recreational and adventure products and services, many hours of expert-led seminars and numerous demonstrations and hands-on activities for all ages. Admission is $12 for adults; 12 and under free. Hours are Feb. 14 from 1 to 7 p.m.; Feb. 15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to ctfishingoutdoorshow.com or call North East Expos at 860-844-8461. If you go Event: The Connecticut Fishing & Outdoor Show When: Feb. 14-16 Where: Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention Center, Uncasville, Connecticut Admission: $12 for adults; 12 and under free For more info: Online at ctfishingoutdoorshow.com; by phone, 860-844-8461 Key information that has been spreading about the mode of transmission of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV is wrong, a new report says. The coronavirus was first believed to spread even without the patients exhibiting symptoms. A couple of weeks ago, amid the continuous spread of the virus, health experts said that the virus can spread during its incubation period, a time when there are no noticeable signs and symptoms of infection. Now, German health officials have raised questions about a previous report that suggested the new virus originating from China could be spread by patients who are not yet showing symptoms. The researchers published their report in the New England Journal of Medicine and have raised concerns that it would be harder to control and contain the virus if it can spread during its incubation period. The team reports that Germans first case of coronavirus infection, a Chinese businesswoman, who had spread the virus to four colleagues, reported she had no symptoms. But apparently, she experienced unspecific and mild symptoms, including back pain. In fact, she was taking an anti-fever medicine. Coronavirus 2019-nCov Illustration. Image Credit: Creativeneko / Shutterstock The first study about coronavirus transmission Chinese researchers first said that asymptomatic people or those not manifesting any symptoms of infection might transmit the virus but had not presented any clear evidence. The new information spurred panic not only to people but also to health officials, noting that if in case it was like that, it would be very hard to contain the spread of the virus. Tracking the infected patients will be easier to perform if they already have the symptoms. This way, airports, and establishments can impose temperature checks or assessments on everyone arriving from another country, for instance, those from coronavirus-stricken countries. The new study, however, points out that the information was wrong. Take, for instance, the German woman who was first believed to transmit the virus to her colleagues without feeling any symptom. However, based on further assessment, it turns out she had mild symptoms during her stay in Munich. The researchers of the first study didnt actually talk to the patient before publishing the paper. The researchers relied on the information relayed by the other patients who were infected. It appears that the patient from Shanghai experienced symptoms while in Germany, including muscle pain and fatigue. She took in paracetamol, a fever-lowering drug. I feel bad about how this went, but I dont think anybody is at fault here. Apparently, the woman could not be reached at first and people felt this had to be communicated quickly, Christian Drosten of the Charite University Hospital in Berlin, a virologist who did the lab work for the study and co-author, said. The report authors emphasized that further evidence is needed on how the virus is transmitted and if it could really be infectious even during the incubation period. This case of 2019-nCoV infection was diagnosed in Germany and transmitted outside of Asia. However, it is notable that the infection appears to have been transmitted during the incubation period of the index patient, in whom the illness was brief and nonspecific, the reporters said. The fact that asymptomatic persons are potential sources of 2019-nCoV infection may warrant a reassessment of transmission dynamics of the current outbreak. In this context, the detection of 2019-nCoV and a high sputum viral load in a convalescent patient (Patient 1) arouse concern about prolonged shedding of 2019-nCoV after recovery. Yet, the viability of 2019-nCoV detected on qRT-PCR in this patient remains to be proved by means of viral culture, they added. Coronavirus is spreading The Wuhan coronavirus is continuously spreading, potentially spreading to other countries at a fast rate. A second death outside China has been reported in Singapore. As of writing, the death toll increased to a staggering 560 with over 27,000 people infected in 25 countries. At least 10 people on quarantined cruise ship confirmed to have the virus. The cruise ship, Diamond Princess, was quarantined in Yokohama, Japan with 3,700 people aboard. Meanwhile, US and the UK are planning of evacuating their residents who are still in Wuhan city, which was locked down weeks ago since the spread of the virus. Further, New Zealand and Australia also plans to rescue their residents. All those from Wuhan will be isolated for two weeks to observe for any signs of infection. Afghan Taliban Urges Pompeo to Refrain from 'Blame-shifting' By Ayaz Gul February 04, 2020 The Taliban rejected charges Tuesday by the United States that the insurgent group lacks "will or capacity or both" to take steps needed to advance turbulent negotiations between the two foes aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan. The rebuttal came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded "demonstrable evidence" from the Taliban it would lower the level of Afghan violence before reaching a peace deal. "We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence," Pompeo told reporters on Monday during his visit to Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday criticized Pompeo's remarks and in turn accused Washington of harming the Afghan peace process. "Mr. Pompeo should refrain from blame-shifting. Our stance is principled and concerted unlike them [U.S.]," Mujahid said in a statement sent to reporters. U.S. and Taliban representatives have been holding meetings in Qatar for more than a year, trying to negotiate a peace deal that would end what now has become America's longest war. If signed, the U.S.-Taliban pact could begin a gradual withdrawal of American troops from the country and open Taliban-Afghan negotiations on a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing in post-war Afghanistan. But the dialogue process has suffered repeated setbacks in recent months. President Donald Trump last September abruptly called off talks with the Taliban via a Twitter announcement just when the process had reached a decisive stage after a deadly attack resulted in the death of a U.S. service member. The two negotiating teams returned to the table in December. Last week, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul quoted Washington's chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad as telling Afghan President Ashraf Ghani there had been no "notable progress" in talks with the Taliban. The Trump administration is demanding a "significant and lasting" reduction in insurgent violence, while the Taliban has refused to go beyond its proposed weeklong scaling back of operations until a deal is signed. Taliban spokesman Mujahid asserted his group has "the intention and capacity" for seeking a resolution to the war in Afghanistan, but he blamed President Trump's September tweet and "numerous U.S. demands and quarrels" between American and Afghan officials for hampering the dialogue process. The Afghan government has demanded there be a monthlong nationwide insurgent cease-fire before a U.S.-Taliban deal is concluded. American officials have been pressing the Taliban, however, to continue a reduction in violence until intra-Afghan negotiations open, knowing the insurgents would not agree to a complete cessation of hostilities. Pompeo, while speaking Monday, also referred to challenges facing Washington in trying to end what Trump has referred to as America's endless war and bring home roughly 13,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan. "So we're working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, getting the sentences right. In the end, all Afghans will have to resolve that they want peace and stability for their own country, as well. That's certainly the Taliban, but it's others, too." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The National Unity Party (NUP) increased its seats in the House of Representatives after four lawmakers defected Wednesday from the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to the emerging power in the lower chamber. Deputy Speakers Neptali Gonzales II and Dan Fernandez, La Union 2nd District Rep. Sandra Eriguel, and Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Rolando Uy all left the ruling party for the emerging power in the lower chamber. With their exit from PDP-Laban, the NUP in the House now has 61 seats, while the ruling party is down to 66 seats. This party is something to reckon with in the future, Fernandez said after taking his oath with the NUP. Its high time for us what the real party that we believe is really meant for us. NUP President and Cavite 4th District Rep. Elpidio Barzaga said his party remains committed to pursuing President Rodrigo Dutertes legislative agenda. Barzaga also dismissed talks on the impact of his partys growing number in the House on the speakership as too premature. NUP recognizes Dutertes son and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte as an honorary member. The younger Duterte had once planned to run as House Speaker, but eventually dropped out after meeting with his father. The Davao City representative was also vocal in his opposition to the term-sharing deal brokered by the President between his close allies Taguig-Pateros 1st District Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco. CNN Philippines Correspondent Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report. US President Donald Trump on February 4 delivered his third State of the Union address. President Trump while addressing the US Congress termed the slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani a 'ruthless butcher'. In his speech, Trump said, "last month at my directions the United States military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever." Read: CIA Official & Orchestrator Of Soleimani's Death, Killed In US Military Plane Crash: Iran US kills Iranian General Qassem Soleimani General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed by US air raid at Baghdad's international airport on January 3, along with six others. The White House and the Pentagon confirmed the death of Iran's powerful military head by saying that the attack was directed by US President Donald Trump. Tensions between Tehran and Washington rose to an all-time high on January 8, when the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq that houses the US and coalition forces were hit by multiple rockets during the wee hours on Wednesday. This incident was first reported by Iranian state TV, who described it as Tehrans revenge operation over the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Read: Donald Trump Calls Soleimani 'King Of Roadside Bombs', Slams Obama For Staying Mute Trump's message for Iran Donald Trump in his State of the Union address also sent a message to the current Iranian regime as he asked them to abandon their pursuit of nuclear weapons and to stop spreading terror, death, and destruction. He also asked Iran to start working for the good of its own people. Trump further said that it was because of Washington's powerful sanctions that the Iranian economy is doing very poorly and that the United States can help them make a very good and short time recovery. Trump added that the Iranian regime is perhaps too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. Read: Trump Was Eating Ice-cream, Meatloaf, When Pentagon Confirmed Soleimani's Assassination Read: Iran To Hold National Mourning Over Ukrainian Plane Crash, Stampede At Soleimani's Funeral (With Agency Inputs) Several cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, which depart from Galveston, are not allowing passengers or crew to board if theyve been to mainland China two weeks before their sail date. The Cruise Lines International Association said its members are responding to the coronavirus pandemic by suspending crew movements from mainland China and turning away guests or crew members who have recently traveled to, from or through mainland China. The safety and health of passengers is the number one priority of CLIA members, the trade association said in a statement. Related: Passenger on Carnival's Princess cruise gets coronavirus after disembarking in Hong Kong The ban comes as one association member, Princess Cruises, has a ship quarantined in the wake of a health screening in Yokohama, Japan, that identified 10 people who tested positive for coronavirus. The 10 which included guests from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, the U.S. and a crew member from the Philippines will be taken ashore and treated in local hospitals. The ships more than 2,600 guests and 1,000 crew members will remain on the ship for at least 14 days, the period in which coronavirus symptoms can appear. The Port of Galveston is not expecting incidents such as this, as its cruises typically sail to the Caribbean or Bahamas and roughly 70 percent of its vacationers live in Texas or nearby states and drive to the port, said Galveston Port Director and CEO Rodger Rees. Were not expecting an impact, he said, but well be ready if there is one. Brett Milutin, director of port operations, said the ports stakeholders will have a phone call Friday to coordinate their response and clarify which organizations the U.S. Coast Guard and Galveston County Health District will lead that response should an issue arise. The call will also engage best practices and lessons learned from 2014, when a cruise ship returning to Galveston had one passenger onboard whod come from a region affected by the Ebola outbreak. There was initially some confusion on what organizations would lead the response to that, but the Coast Guard and Galveston County Health District ultimately kept the vessel off the coast while a sample was taken from the individual, who was not showing any symptoms of the illness. The results came back negative and the vessel was allowed into port in a process that lasted about 24 hours. If something happens, well be ready and everyone will understand their role, Rees said. Royal Caribbean Cruises, the parent company of Royal Caribbean International, which is building a third cruise terminal in Galveston, said it would deny boarding to any individual who has traveled from, to or through China, Hong Kong or Macau in the past 15 days. In addition, passengers with a passport from China, Hong Kong or Macau will have mandatory health screenings. Guests denied boarding due to these restrictions will receive full refunds. These steps are intentionally conservative, Royal Caribbean Cruises said in its statement. We apologize for the inconvenience created by these precautionary measures. At HoustonChronicle.com: Falling oil price, coronavirus weaken energy industry Carnival, which became the first cruise line to sail from Galveston in 2000, said its following the Cruise Lines International Associations guidelines by prohibiting guests who have traveled to, from or through mainland China within 14 days. Affected guests will receive a full refund, a credit equal to 20 percent of what they spent booking the original cruise (for instance, someone who spent $1,000 on the original cruise would receive a $200 credit) and travel expenses to return home. Although the risk to our guests and crew is low, we are closely monitoring the evolving situation with respect to coronavirus, Carnival said in its statement. Our medical experts are coordinating closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for our ships, guests and crew. Health screenings conducted by cruise lines could include non-touch temperature readings, according to the CLIA trade group. Half a million refugees were forced to leave Spain after the civil war was lost to the forces of fascism. Madrid, Spain When, as a 13-year-old in 1939, Lina Arconada became one of half a million Spanish Civil War refugees fleeing the troops of the victorious General Franco, she had no idea it would be more than four decades before she could return from France to her home country. It was traumatic we were exhausted, my clothes were in rags, I went to a village cemetery, and hid there for three days, Arconada recalls, in one of 23 interviews that form part of a huge new exhibition in Madrid entitled: 1939, Spanish Republican Exile. With her mother ill and eight months pregnant, her father behind barbed wire in a French internment camp and a five-year-old sister to look after, I had to learn to be both of my parents at the same time, she says. One thing was clear: as her mother faced two separate death sentences from Spanish courts for her political activities as an anarchist, a return was out of the question. Some left-wing towns gave us a warm welcome, but in many cases, we found ourselves in a terrible situation, recounts Antonio Cascarosa, who crossed into France aged 10. My father and brother were interned in a camp on a French beach in freezing cold February. The camp had no shelter nothing. The only way they could try to stay warm was to bury themselves in the sand. Dolores Delgado, Spains former minister of justice, introduced what is the biggest exhibition to date exploring the legacy of what the Spanish still call La Retirada (The Retreat) into France. Those in exile were first persecuted, then ridiculed and the Franco regime tried to wipe out all trace of [their] existence, she said. 191113183804107 Francisco Franco ruled Spain in a fascist dictatorship from the end of the civil war in 1939 until 1975. Eighty years later, democracy [in Spain] is now in a position to settle the moral debt with the victims of Francoism coming to terms with the past is vital for a better future, even if that past has been atrocious, added Delgado. Consisting of three linked exhibitions in the Arco Foundation Centre, and running until the end of February, the hundreds of documents, photos, drawings, books, films and sound recordings on display illustrate how each part of the refugees exile merged with the next. The first exhibition covers the crossing of the border, the next focuses on the refugees experiences in the internment and concentration camps in France and Germany, the third on the exiles diaspora around the globe. Having fled one appalling, three-year conflict, Spains refugees frequently found themselves entwined in an even longer one, set on a global scale: World War II. After the Retirada, my father fought against the Nazis and when he was captured, Franco agreed with the Germans to send any Spanish POWs to Mauthausen concentration camp, says Maggie Perlado, in another exhibition account. Many children were displaced as a result of the Spanish civil war; often their parents had been anti-fascist fighters, activists or supporters [Philippe Gausso Collection] During his five years at the camp, in which two-thirds of the Spanish prisoners died, Perlados father formed a resistance network alongside the famous Catalan photographer Francesc Boix. They combined to steal photos taken of SS officers which were subsequently used for their later identification by Boix at the Nuremberg trials. When Boix stole a negative, the same evening hed pass it over to my father (a carpenter), whod hide it risking his life inside the legs or mainframes of the cabinets hed been ordered to make, recalls Perlado. The exhibition places a strong emphasis on how the Retirada affected so many ordinary Spanish people, such as Perlados father, because the story thats mainly been told up to now is those of the big names, painters and writers, more than the others who had to take that road to exile as well, Dr Idoia Murga Castro, one of the exhibitions two lead scientific advisers, told Al Jazeera. Given all the stories of migration and exile that are happening now, its a very timely narrative partly because of the importance that any human life can have, and partly so we can appreciate that it wasnt so long ago that we Spanish were in the same predicament. Spanning the first four decades of the Retirada although half the exiles never returned the combined exhibitions also display plans of the internment camps in France, models of the ships such as the Sinaia which transported 1,500 Republicans to Latin America, as well as BBC radio broadcasts by exiled Spanish novelist Arturo Barea in the 1950s, and even the telegram from Manuel Azana, president of the defeated Republic, confirming his resignation. Pablo Picassos 1948 portrait of Mercedes Sanchez Cruz-Lopez, daughter of Manuel Sanchez Arcas, has never previously been on public display [Private collection] While fans of legendary war photographer Robert Capa will appreciate his coverage of the exiles during their first days in France alongside dozens of previously unpublished photos by French photographer Philippe Gaussot, taken on the frontier in 1939 art aficionados will be drawn by the Picasso portrait of Mercedes Sanchez Cruz-Lopez, daughter of an exiled government official, and never previously on public display. 191106085138998 A special mention should be made, too, of the photos of the return of Picassos Guernica painting, one of the best-known exiles, to Spanish soil from New York in 1981. Large numbers of Republican refugees ended up in Latin America; others fought against the Nazis in the Free French armies, while, as Dr Murga Castro pointed out, Encarnacion Lopez la Argentinita became one of North Americas best-known dancers of the 1940s. Others went much further afield: Toledo-born artist Alberto Sanchez ended up acting as an adviser in the Soviet Union for Gregori Kozintsevs 1957 film of Don Quixote, shot in a bid to reflect the tablelands of central Castille on the plains of the Russian Crimea. Many, though, sank into decades of relative obscurity, like the Mauthausen photographer Boix, who died in 1951, aged 31, of tuberculosis, probably contracted in the camp. Yet, while the full tragedy of the Retirada is impossible to ignore in the exhibition, it is clear, too, that the Spanish exiles also contributed to a vast cultural and social enrichment of the countries where they settled. There are cases I personally find very moving, like the Paloma Azul dance company in Mexico, which thanks to the support of an American dancer, Anna Sokolov, tried to give a space to all the refugees there to be reunited, to remember Spain and to show the Mexicans their predicament, says Murga Castro. They put on a ballet, Don Lindo de Almeria written by a Spanish refugee, Rodolfo Halffter, and which was due to be shown in Spain before his 1939 exile and the support and solidarity of the Mexican public gave them a second life; a new hope that fascism could be conquered. We all know how that story ended, said Murga Castro, with Franco remaining in power for 40 years. But in theatre groups like that, the drive to collaborate and overcome fascism was definitely there. And 80 years later, the 1939 Exilio Republicano Espanol exhibition pays them homage. Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has criticised the Duchess of Sussex in a recent interview, calling on Meghan to just get a grip. Clarkson, who was honoured with a GQ Car Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, touched on the Royal Family in his winners profile - referencing the Duchess as well as her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. After Clarkson was asked about how upset he was at the end of Top Gear, he said that he was pissed off with myself that I was a bit American about the whole thing. Getty Images He continued, Everybody cries. Everybody cried when Princess Diana was buried. But I mean, as a general rule, youve got to get a grip. I think the expression 'get a grip' needs to come back into the lexicon as soon as possible. Everybody needs to get a grip, he said. Meghan Markle... just get a grip. In recent years younger members of the Royal Family have fought against the old idea of a stiff upper lip, with Prince William and Harry discussing the emotional impact of their mother's death. Meghan was both praised and criticised for opening up to ITVs Tom Bradby in a documentary called Harry and Meghan: An African Journey - a defining moment which saw her hold back tears as she talked about the emotional toll her new life (and especially tabloid coverage) had taken on her. As Bradby asked about her mental health, Meghan held back tears and said, I would say look any woman, especially when theyre pregnant, youre really vulnerable. So that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn, and especially as a woman, its a lot. So you add that on top of trying to be a new mom, or trying to be a newlywed She later thanked Bradby, telling him not many people have asked if Im okay, and clarified that she wasnt really okay. Joining the Royal Family Meghan said she initially tried to embrace a British stiff upper lip, explaining, In all honesty I have said for a long time to H that is what I call [Prince Harry] its not enough to just survive something, thats not the point of life. You have got to thrive. You have got to feel happy, and I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried, I really tried, but I think what that does internally is probably really damaging, and the biggest thing that I know is that I never thought this would be easy but I thought it would be fair, and that is the part that is hard to reconcile but [I] just take each day as it comes, she said. Getty Images Meghan is not the only high profile woman that Clarkson has recently criticised. Age and geographical location have the strongest influence on immune composition and vaccine responses, with anaemia having a considerable effect, according to a study co-led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa", the Babraham Institute and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, in collaboration with the Manhica Health Research Center (CISM). The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, will help improve the efficacy of early childhood vaccines in low-income countries. The first years of life are key for the development of the immune system. During this period, the ability to respond to vaccines is reduced, and the susceptibility to infectious diseases is increased. This is particularly relevant in low-income countries, where malnutrition and other environmental factors may also play a role. In this study, an international team co-led by ISGlobal researcher Carlota Dobano, sought to identify the factors that shape the immune system during the first years of life. To do so, they analysed blood samples from children in Mozambique and Tanzania that participated in the phase 3 clinical trial for the RTS,S malaria vaccine. Specifically, they studied the immune phenotype - i.e. the percentage of different cell types that make up the immune system - over a 32-month period. The immune profile depends on age and location The results show that the immune system composition changes considerably during early childhood, with a progressive increase in dendritic cells and memory T and B cells - key elements for a strong immune response. These changes are observed over short periods of time (21 months), in contrast with the long-term stability observed in the adult. Comparison with a cohort of Dutch children suggests that this "maturation" of the immune system occurs faster in sub-Saharan Africa. "This could be due to a higher exposure to certain pathogens from early life," explains Gemma Moncunill, ISGlobal researcher and study co-author. Anaemia can reduce vaccine responses The authors also observed immune profile differences between both African countries: the Mozambican cohort had a more activated profile than the Tanzanian cohort, which was associated with a better response to the RTS,S vaccine. A detailed analysis of the samples indicated that this difference could be due to low haemoglobin levels. Experiments performed by the Babraham Institute confirmed that iron deficiency reduces the development of antibody-secreting cells in vitro. "Our results suggest that iron deficiency can impair the development of adaptive immunity in anaemic children," says Dobano. "These findings indicate that the optimal age to vaccinate infants and children may vary according to the vaccine and the location," she adds. "This will help us design more effective vaccination strategies and maximise the benefits for this particularly vulnerable population in low income countries." ### Crimea is lost for Ukraine forever, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a private meeting held in Kiev as part of the Secretary of States visit. According to media reports, this position was expressed by Pompeo at a meeting with Crimean activist Emina Dzhaparova, who asked him to keep "Crimea in the spotlight of U.S. foreign policy", as well as help with organizing a conference on the Crimean issue in Washington. Mike Pompeo responded that the issue of Crimea is closed. "Crimea is lost. World players understand this. Ukraine gave Crimea away, and it's impossible to take something from Russia," New Time cited him as saying. Political scientist, Vesti FM radio station host Sergey Mikheyev, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that said Pompeo's statement does not mean any change in U.S. policy towards Crimea. "Even if the Secretary of State officially says the same thing, it wont change anything. The Americans got the lever of pressure on Russia, and they certainly wont let it go, whatever they say," Sergey Mikheev stressed. "The United States understands the situation very well, but they will use it in a way that suits them. By the way, Ukraine also understands that Crimea will be never returned, and the statements made by Kiev are nothing more than rhetoric," the political scientist added. Pompeo visited Kiev during a tour to the former Soviet countries. He also held a meeting with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. Nearly a week after Fotis Dulos death in an apparent suicide, his lawyer Norm Pattis said the case is far from over. In an interview Tuesday on WPLRs Chaz and AJ Show, Pattis said the family is clear that Mr. Dulos did not procure or arrange for the death of his wife. He said the case is not over in a long shot ... its personal. Pattis said his team plans to proceed by making an unprecedented request of having Dulos estate be placed on trial for the murder. Pattis admitted it would be a difficult challenge, but said his clients family is adamant that his name be cleared. Attorneys for Fotis Dulos are also seeking to preserve all evidence police gathered at their clients Farmington home following his apparent suicide attempt last week. He declared his innocence of the infamous and heinous crimes that the state has accused him of and claimed his lawyers have the evidence to prove it, the motion reads. In the radio interview, Pattis made these points: On the note found at Fotis Dulos home: I was struck by the fact of his great love and loyalty, even in the end, to Michelle (Troconis) and his insistence that neither he or she had anything to do with Jennifers death. On Dulos apparent suicide: He killed himself, in part, because we abandoned our ideals. He was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Every inference was thrown against him. Pattis said: I didnt see the suicide coming. The story that is yet to be told Pattis said Dulos knew a story that has yet to be told and I think when that story is told a lot of people are going to wonder why we hounded this man unnecessary to death. Later, Pattis said, Theres a larger story to tell and were eager to tell it. We thought a jury would be the place. Hopefully, it will still be. Well find a way ... Im a pretty creative guy. He said, We will get Mr. Dulos story out on what happened on the day Jennifer Dulos went missing. On the last conversation with Fotis Dulos: While not disclosing details of his clients conversation, Pattis said, there was no question Mr. Dulos knew there was a realistic possibility of returning to prison that day. In a note found in his car, Dulos said: I refuse to spend even an hour more in jail. On the state not disclosing its evidence: We have still not been provided with discovery...the state keeps its secrets, while gagging us. In a statement from Fotis Dulos family, it called on state officials to release Jennifer Dulos medical records and psychiatric evaluations, offering the public a chance to juxtapose them to those of Fotis. We demand nothing less than the whole truth, the family said. To listen to the Chaz and AJ podcast, click here. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A major fake currency racket was busted by the Hyderabad Task Force police on Tuesday. The police have arrested 13 persons belonging to two gangs on charges of printing and circulating fake currency. They seized fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 17.7 lakh from them. Acting on a tipoff, the Task Force police arrested one Syed Kashif along with two juveniles while circulating the fake currency at Jagdish Market in Abids here. The police also apprehended an inter-State fake currency offender named Ameen Ul Rahman, who was wanted in eight cases in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He hails from West Bengal village, which is close to the Bangladesh border. According to Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, the gang prepared currency notes in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 by purchasing a scanner-cum-colour printing machines. The printing procedure was done at the residence of Ishaq Bin Saleh in Sangareddy. Video transcript: U.S. presidential politics is soaked in anger. Every Trump rally includes a Lock-Hillary-Up chant. The Democrats too. Biden yells at voters. Hillary says nobody likes Bernie. Warren wont shake his hand. What I dont get is why Sanders gets most of the blame for the anger. Hes the one who tried to calm things down with Warren. He joked about no one liking him. When he expresses deep anger, its not personal, its against inequality. Its as if the anger hes charged with is actually coming at, not from, him. Heres a theory. The entrenched Democrats Biden, the Clintons, the party bureaucracy have spent their lives feeling morally superior to Republicans because they really care about racism and injustice. But theyve watered down their principles in order to be pragmatic so they can win elections. Theyre sellouts with an explanation. Then along comes this ancient Jewish socialist who never bothered to get pragmatic like them, and hes about to take over their party and even become president? Did they sell out for nothing? They hate him. So they take their anger at him and project it onto him. They load him up with their frustration and try to drive him into the political wilderness carrying away their own failures like a Biblical scapegoat. I know thats an obscure Old Testament reference but Sanders has always had a bit of Old Testament prophet in him. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has softened his position on a national inquiry into the season's deadly bushfires after previously saying he did not know what a royal commission would achieve. Speaking on the ABC's RN Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Mr Fitzsimmons said it was critical for the state and federal government to "take lessons" from this year's season, doubling down on his description of the fires as "unprecedented". NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said state and federal governments need to "take lessons" from this fire season. Credit:AAP "I'm not sure what the parameters are of the inquiry; what you brand it, what you call it, I really couldn't care less about," Mr Fitzimmons said. "At the end of the day, the critical thing is, and what the premier's done and what the Prime Minister's done is make sure we do take lessons. We cannot go through a season like we've just gone through and not seek to take stock of what's happened and learn from what's happened. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, PDP chieftain, human rights activist and former Aviation Minister, has branded President Muhammadu Buhari a liar for saying that 90 percent of Boko Harams victims are Muslim. Buhari had on Tuesday said 90 per cent of all Boko Harams victims in the past years have been Muslims. The president, in an article published in Speaking Out, a guest opinion column for Christianity Today, said that the perception that members of the sect were always targeting Christians in Nigeria was not true. It is the reality that some 90 per cent of all Boko Harams victims have been Muslims, Buhari said. They include a copycat abduction of over 100 Muslim schoolgirls, along with their single Christian classmate, shootings inside mosques; and the murder of two prominent imams. It is a simple fact that these now-failing terrorists have targeted the vulnerable, the religious, the non-religious, the young, and the old without discrimination, Buhari said. Reacting to this development, Fani-Kayode said Buhari was lying about the matter as majority of communities being attacked were dominated by Christians. This is a lie.The overwhelming majority of communities that Boko Haram targets are Christian.The same with the Fulani militias. The killing of Christians in Nigeria is a common blood sport which shall continue as long as Buhari is President, he stated. The Chinese regimes state media call it super-fast hospital. To cope with the overwhelming number of coronavirus infected patients in Wuhan, China built the Fire God mountain (Huo Shan Shan) hospital within ten days and was already in use on Monday, Feb. 3. However, the fact that the Chinese military is now in charge of the hospitals operation has raised concerns about even less transparency regarding the outbreak. Chinese officials say hundreds have died, and tens of thousands are infected by the 2019 novel coronavirus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms. But experts suspect the real number to be much higher. Online videos of overcrowded hospitals and SOS letters from patients not being treated continue to challenge Chinas official figures. U.S.based China affairs commentator Jingyuan Tang said with the new military-controlled hospital, even such anecdotal evidence would be hard to come by. All of the medical staff will be from the military, Tang said, In that case, all the data and information in the hospital could become a military secret. The outside wont know it. The internal staff wont disclose it. Because whoever did so could be charged with disclosing military information and could be sent to military courts. Its like a black hole. People on the outside wont know how many patients went in therewont know how many people have disappeared, he said. The human rights records of Chinas military-run hospitals are not reassuring. Multiple former physicians have disclosed the presence of illegal organ transplantation and trade inside Chinas military hospitals. One physician said the phenomena were common. Tang said: If the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is able to make forced organ harvesting almost like an industry, then in the environment with no-transparency as in the new Wuhan hospital, in order to control the outbreak at any cost, as the CCP now vows, what would they do to the patients?. From the moral standard of the Chinese military, its really hard to say.' Hospital or Prison? After photos and videos of the new hospitals were released, Chinese netizens are questioning why it looks more like a prison than a hospitalwhy are the windows sealed off with bars?. Usually only mental hospitals have bars on the window, Sean Lin, a former microbiologist at Virus Disease Branch of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, told NTD, Not regular hospital. (There is) no need for bars even for quarantine purposes. No other hospitals in Wuhan appointed by officials as quarantine centers have such windows. Wuhans Xiaotangshan The newly built hospital is modeled after a similar hospitalXiaotangshan which was built in Beijing during the 2003 outbreak of SARS, another type of coronavirus. That facility was built in seven days. In 2003, most patients in Xiaotangshan were very contagious and more dangerous than those at other hospitals. Some western media outlets called it a SARS virus center in China, which may explode at any time. However, the Chinese authorities said in 2003 that the recovery rate in Xiaotangshan was 99 percent and that none of the 1382 health care workers were infected, when outside of the hospital, in contrast, 20 percent of all infected are medical staff. There was no cure for SARS at the time, nor is there now. The Chinese army also operates Xiaotangshan Hospital. Tang said rather how miraculous the Xiaotangshan hospital is, the incredibly high recovery rate may speak more to how tight military-run hospitals control is. In a memoir by the then president of Xiaotangshan hospital, Yanling Zhang described the fear that some patients experienced when transferred there. Zhang said some patients wouldnt let go of the knobs of the car that sent them to the hospital. One female patient aged over 40 started to lean on the wall and cry the moment she got out of the car and said, Is this a hospital? Is this going to be standard treatment? Can you cure my disease? Why do you take me somewhere so desolate? Is this a death concentration camp? Are you taking me as a test sample like what Unit 731 did? Pressure to Control Tang said China is also under pressure to try to prevent the international community from taking further measures to control the disease. Like evacuating foreign citizens in China or further cutting off trade relations, which can all have a very big impact on Chinas economy. And further economic pressure could threaten the Communist Partys legitimacy of power, he said. Chinese stocks plunged 8 percent on Monday due to fear of coronavirus spread, marking its worst day in years. The Chinese regime also accused the United States barring entry to foreigners from China as overreacting. Under the totalitarian system of communist China, the authorities havent seemed to care that much about how many Chinese people would die, Tang said, the Fire God Mountain Hospital could become a black hole, where all real numbers are sucked in. The United States has suspended providing real-time intelligence to Ankara that helped it target militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The change followed Turkeys Oct. 9 offensive against a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey insists is part of the PKK. The news, broken by Reuters, is further evidence of the fraying relationship between the two NATO allies. Why it matters: Both Turkey and the United States classify the PKK as a terrorist group. The CIA played a key role in helping Turkey catch PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999. The paused program began in 2007 in a joint operations room in Ankara, where images of PKK operatives filmed by US drones were flashed in real time on a large screen. In 2017, the United States weighed helping Turkey kill Cemil Bayik, one of the top PKK commanders in the field, to placate Ankara over the Pentagons ongoing partnership with the Kurdish-led and PKK-friendly Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). It also placed bounties on Bayik and two other veteran PKK commanders. The change may have been calculated to pressure Ankara into stopping its attacks on the SDF. But its effects are debatable, experts say, because Turkey has begun producing increasingly sophisticated drones of its own. Aaron Stein, director of the Middle East program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told Al-Monitor, Turkey has quickly built an impressive amount of its own drones to do the tasks the United States once did for Ankara and provide real-time imagery over areas it flies over inside its own territory and in Iraq and Syria. Feeling the heat: Berkay Mandiraci, a Turkey analyst for the International Crisis Group, says a total of 128 seasoned or senior PKK militants were killed between July 2015 and January this year. Twenty were killed in airstrikes, possibly including by armed drones, in the past six months alone. The uptick is indicative of Ankaras decisiveness to continue on a hard-line anti-PKK course, Mandiraci told Al-Monitor. Turkey also receives intelligence from local actors in Iraq's Kurdistan region. As such, the effects of the Pentagons move are more political. Stein observed, This program was a joint intelligence initiative to demonstrate a US commitment to taking Turkish concern about the PKK seriously. Im sure the PKK is pleased that it's managed to drive a wedge between two NATO allies, while Ankara is bristling at what it will think is the latest signal that America doesnt take seriously Turkeys security concerns. Whats next? Well-informed sources speaking not for attribution told Al-Monitor the story was likely leaked to Reuters by administration officials who opposed the suspension so as to shame the Pentagon into resuming the program. But with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatening further military action against the SDF, the Pentagon may be in no hurry to do so. Know more: For more on Turkeys drone program read Metin Gurcan on how the Turkish military increasingly relies on its own equipment and its targeted assassinations of top PKK figures. On Monday 3 February at around 4.30 am, the first English ship of the 104th Logistic Support Brigade docked in the port of Antwerp as part of the American exercise Defender 2020. Onboard were numerous logistics vehicles and equipment. On Monday 3 February at around 4.30 am, the first English ship of the 104th Logistic Support Brigade docked in the port of Antwerp as part of the American exercise Defender 2020. Onboard were numerous logistics vehicles and equipment. The first British ship of the 104th Logistic Support Brigade docked in the port of Antwerp (Picture source: Belgian MoD) This is the start of a large-scale exercise that will last three months. Defender 2020 (Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness) is the largest deployment of US ground troops to Europe in 25 years. Twenty thousand people will take part in the exercise and will transit through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. The first convoys to Germany will start on the evening of Tuesday, February 4. For Belgium, this represents a real coordination exercise. In addition to the military command of the province of Antwerp, a number of units such as the 29 Logistics Battalion, the 2 Medical Intervention Element, the Motorised Brigade units (Force Protection), the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (SEDEE), the military police and the Movement Control Group (MCG) are responsible for disembarkation, security and transport. This support comes under NATO's Host Nation Support mission, through which Belgium is committed to providing logistical support to Allied forces transiting through Belgian territory. Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. Updated 9:02 p.m. Vancouver Police have arrested 20-year-old Antoine Steven Archer and charged him with second-degree murder. Archer is suspected of shooting and killing 18-year-old Trevonta Billie Steven Burks. Police said the two knew each other and that a verbal fight between the two turned physical. Archer allegedly shot Burks and then also accidentally shot himself in the hand. Officers said at 2:24 p.m., they responded to a call of shots fired in the 5200 block of East Fourth Plain Boulevard and found Burks dead at the scene. Around 3 p.m., police responded to an urgent care clinic where Archer had arrived with a gunshot wound to his hand. He was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Archer was then lodged in the Clark County Jail. KGW News reported that the shooting took place very close to the Vancouver Police West Precinct building. Weve just confirmed this is a deadly shooting. The scene is very close to @VancouverPDUSA west precinct pic.twitter.com/5UXvLG9Jfp Mike Benner (@MikeBennerKGW) February 4, 2020 Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. In a statement, it stressed that Peru has a solid track record in international lawsuits cases and has obtained favorable rulings against claims for more than US$50 billion, in more than a dozen lawsuits filed by investors linked to contracts and investment treaties. As a result of such proceedings, it has recovered approximately US$110 million, showing a transparent and diligent behavior that respects the Rule of Law, which has ensured the guiding principles on private investment promotion. "In accordance with the positive record that the State has in international investment disputes, Peru will defend itself against this lawsuit," it said. Likewise, the Ministry reaffirmed its commitment in the fight against corruption and reserves all its rights under current legislation, including those related to anti-corruption matters and public international law. "The Peruvian State is respectful of its commitments, both contractual and international ones. However, the State will exercise its right of defense and will firmly oppose any inappropriate use of dispute resolution mechanisms," it added. In a dramatic gesture, Nancy Pelosi publicly tore up her copy of Donald Trump's annual State of the Union address, signalling the worsening relationship between the House Speaker and the US President. Pelosi has been one of Trump's fiercest critics and the top Democrat was the one who first launched formal impeachment process in the House of Representatives against the president last year. President Trump has frequently taunted the 79-year-old lawmaker as "Crazy Nancy". The mutual snubbing began the moment Trump, seeking re-election, walked into the House chamber on Tuesday night for his third State of the Union address in which he touted his administration's achievements during the past three years. It was the first time the two had come face-to-face since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago. On Tuesday night, the sour dynamic was on display to all from the start, The New York Times noted. The tensions over impeachment appeared to surface early on, however, as Pelosi refused to introduce Trump by saying it was her "distinct honour" and "high privilege" to do so, as is tradition. Instead, she simply introduced him as the President of the United States, Fox News, said to be Trump's favourite news channel, reported. When the 73-year-old Republican president stepped up to the rostrum in the House of Representatives and handed her his speech, Pelosi rose and extended her hand to shake his. Trump turned his back, and Pelosi quickly withdrew her hand. The interaction between Trump and Pelosi was one of the most anticipated moments of the president's appearance at the Capitol before the Senate is expected to acquit him on Wednesday in his impeachment trial, The Times noted. When the president accused the Democrats of planning to force American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to undocumented immigrants, Pelosi was observed twice mouthing: "Not true." Pelosi repeatedly shook her head during Trump's 78-minute speech which also saw Republican lawmakers chanting, "Four more years!" The veteran Democrat, the first woman in US history to hold the post of the Speaker, stuck to it until the very end of Trump's address and then she stood up, picked up her copy of his speech and tore it neatly in half. "It was a dramatic gesture, caught on camera, that encapsulated a tumultuous year in the relationship between the speaker and the president," The Washington Post commented. Pelosi told reporters afterwards her stunning gesture was "the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives". She did rise to applaud Trump more than once, including when he promoted his pet project of infrastructure investment. Later, she tweeted that the "Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot." Meanwhile, the White House hit back at Pelosi, saying the House Speaker has insulted the Americans honoured in Trump's speech, from a veteran airman to a premature baby or a mourning military family. "That's her legacy", the White House tweeted. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also criticised Pelosi, tweeting: Tearing the speech up is not going to tear up the accomplishments of this President. But Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrat in the Senate, said that Trump's address to Congress was more like his campaign rally than a speech a true leader would give. "It was demagogic, undignified, highly partisan and in too many places, untruthful", he said. F ormer prime minister David Cameron has rejected an offer from Boris Johnson to head this years UN climate summit. The current PM asked Mr Cameron to be the president of the COP26 summit being held in Glasgow later this year. But Mr Cameron said the position should be filled by a Government minister and also said he was focused on other commitments, including a major charity role. Former Prime Minister David Cameron / BBC According to the Times, former Tory leader Lord Hague was also sounded out for the presidency but turned it down. Mr Cameron told the BBC: It was an honour to be asked to do that job and Im very grateful to have been asked. But I think its best in these situations if you have a Government minister doing the job; you then have one line of command rather than, perhaps, two people doing the same thing. Since leaving Downing Street, Mr Cameron has had a series of media and speaking engagements and is also the president of Alzheimers Research UK. He said there are a lot of things I have already agreed to do this year, not least the work I do for Alzheimers Research UK, so I thought it was important that I carried on with that work. But I wish the Government well, I wish this climate change conference well, because its absolutely vital," he said. Im sure that there will be a Government minister, or someone, who will be able to do the job and do it very well. The Government has my backing as they go forward. Asked about his relationship with Mr Johnson, Mr Cameron declined to answer. The Government has said the new COP26 preparations leader would be a ministerial role in future. The UN climate talks, to be held in November, are the most important since the Paris Agreement to curb global warming was secured in 2015. Countries are expected to deliver more ambitious domestic plans for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030, as current proposals are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. Pressure is also on countries to set out long-term plans for cutting emissions, with the science now clear that the world must reduce greenhouse gases to zero in a matter of decades to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The run-up to the talks will require a major diplomatic effort from the UK to secure ambitious climate action from countries at a time when Britain is also negotiating trade agreements with the EU and other nations. To mark the launch of COP26, the Government announced a consultation on bringing forward a planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2040 to 2035 and earlier if feasible. The ban will also include hybrid vehicles for the first time. But as figures released on Wednesday showed demand for new cars fell by 7.3 per cent last month, the automotive industry hit out at the plan. Armenias newly appointed Ambassador to Iceland (residence in Stockholm) has presented his Letters of Credence to President of Iceland Guni Johannesson. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, after the ceremony of handing of the Letters of Credence, Ambassador Arzumanyan held personal talks with President Johannesson, at whose request the Ambassador presented the course of democratic reforms underway in Armenia, the latest developments of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the prospects for cooperation between Armenia and the European Union. The parties also discussed a broad range of issues related to the deepening of relations between Armenia and Iceland. BERRIEN COUNTY, MI A Michigan man sought by police since 2015 was arrested in Mexico and is being transported back to the United States, according to a news release issued by the Michigan State Police on Feb. 5. William Troy Stanson, 53, was charged in 2015 with first-degree sexual assault of a minor as well as accosting a minor in a separate case investigated by the Bridgman Police Department, the release states. The two cases involving Stanson were featured Jan. 29 on the Investigative Discovery Network television show In Pursuit with John Walsh. Tips came in hours after the show aired, which led directly to Stanton being located by authorities and his Feb. 4 arrest, the release states. Once it was determined Stanson was outside of the country, the FBI obtained an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant and requested assistance from Mexico law enforcement partners in Baja California, located in northwestern Mexico. In five years, it was something we never took our eye off, we just kept pressing and pressing and finally were able to make the connection with the network to get it out there nationally and thats what brought it home, Michigan State Police Lt. DuWayne Robinson told MLive. As of this morning, Stanson has been extradited to United States and will be transported to Michigans Berrien County, where he is expected to face charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and failure to appear for sentencing on the charge of accosting a minor, the release states. We had great support from our federal law enforcement properties and the Mexican authorities. Everybody was just tremendous in their assistance to us," Robinson told MLive. And I dont want it to be lost on people, but In Pursuit with John Walsh, they aired it a week ago and the fact we are able to have him in custody in that short of a turnaround is just tremendous for all involved, especially the family and the victim, he said. Agencies that assisted in Stansons arrest include the Michigan State Police, Bridgman Police Department, FBI, U.S. Marshals Office, Guardia Estatal de Seguridad (Baja California, Mexico), according to the release. Also on MLive: Former priest sentenced to two months in jail for tying up teen boy Victim, ex-cop reach settlement in civil suit over alleged rape Michigan woman convicted of husbands killing, released after appeal, featured on 48 Hours THE VOLUNTEER by Jack Fairweather (Penguin 7.99, 528 pp) THE VOLUNTEER by Jack Fairweather (Penguin 7.99, 528 pp) On September 19, 1940, German soldiers burst into a Warsaw apartment where a man was waiting to begin a journey to Auschwitz. Witold Pilecki was a gentleman farmer who joined the Polish resistance. As rumours spread that the Germans had established a concentration camp at Auschwitz, Witolds resistance group decided that one of them should infiltrate the camp to gain intelligence, and he agreed to take on the mission. Jack Fairweathers biography, winner this week of the Costa Book of the Year award, tells the story of the endurance, heroism and patriotism of a man whose efforts to alert the world to the horrors of the camps were ignored by the Allies. The reward for Witolds courage was to be executed for treason in 1948, but his indomitable faith in humanity shines through this powerful account. CAT PERSON & OTHER STORIES by Kristen Roupenian (Vintage 8.99. 240 pp) CAT PERSON & OTHER STORIES by Kristen Roupenian (Vintage 8.99. 240 pp) In December 2017, Kristen Roupenians story, Cat Person, was published in the New Yorker magazine. The account of a painfully awkward date between Margot, a 20-year-old student, and Robert, a socially inept 34-year-old, caught the troubled mood of relations between the sexes and the story went viral, becoming a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The story is part of a collection in which Roupenian dissects social relationships mostly sexual in a style somewhere between dark fairy story and horror. In The Boy In The Pool, a woman invites her friends teenage crush a Z-list film actor to be the star of her bachelorette party, while in Sardines, a bullied child makes a birthday wish with awful consequences. With an HBO series on the way, this is a timely and chilling debut collection. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TRAINS by Monisha Rajesh (Bloomsbury 9.99, 336 pp) AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TRAINS by Monisha Rajesh (Bloomsbury 9.99, 336 pp) For her first book, Around India In 80 Trains, Monish Rajesh travelled 25,000 miles across India, enduring discomfort and hostility. She swore never to take on anything so ambitious again, but five years on, the romance of railways proved too hard to resist. This time the journey was even more ambitious; she planned to circumnavigate the globe by train. It would take seven months and her fiance, Jem, was so worried about it that he decided to go too. The journey would test their relationship, as they travelled cooped up in grim conditions (the Hanoi to Saigon train resembled a mobile skip). But it was a test that they passed triumphantly. Id do it all again, said Jem, as they headed home in the luxury of the Orient Express. Bahrain's Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) has signed an agreement with the Italian oilfield services company Saipem to study the feasibility of various new projects in Bahrain. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the offcial visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to Italy. The agreement is part of GPICs strategy to expand operations and build on recent successes by studying the viability of implementing new projects within its industrial complex at Sitra and leverage the discovery of Bahrains largest oil field, which was announced in 2018, said a Bahrain News Agency report. In a statement to mark the occasion, Bahrain's Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa expressed the support of the National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) to all its subsidiary companies, noting their contribution to the development and sustainability of the Bahraini economy and attraction of foreign investments into the kingdom. Shaikh Mohammed highlighted GPICs proven excellence in production and marketing, adding that the companys expansion projects have the full support of both the government and shareholders. The agreement signed with Saipem will enhance GPICs ability to increase production, expanding its contribution to the kingdoms economy. GPIC President Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery highlighted that the agreement is part of the strengthening of economic relations between Bahrain and Italy, which aligns perfectly with GPICs strategic expansion plans. Dr Jawahery explained that the agreement includes studies for three projects: * The technical and commercial feasibility of increasing GPICs plants' daily production of ammonia, urea and methanol by approximately 15 per cent, through technical solutions that reduce energy consumption and use natural gas. The estimated cost of this project would be 350 million euros; * A prefeasibility study to build a mega ammonia/urea plant with a daily production capacity of 2,200 metric tonnes and 3,400 tonnes of ammonia and urea, respectively. The estimated cost of this project is 1.5 billion to 2 billion euros. * The third project will look to determine the quality of gas feedstock in the fields discovered in 2018. If proven feasible and implemented, these gas projects are estimated to cost 1.5 billion euros. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Global Over the Air Updates Market for automotive is expected to exhibit a strong 15% CAGR over the forecast period from 2018 to 2025, according to the latest research report from Market Research Future (MRFR). The global automotive over the air updates market is analyzed fully in the report, which takes a look at the comprehensive performance figures of the market over the last few years to present a detailed review of the markets key drivers, leading players, and dominant segments. The automotive over the air updates market has rapidly risen in stature to become a key component of the global automotive industry over the last few years. The growing use of electronics in vehicles and the growing demand for automated electronic monitoring of the vehicle have led to a growing demand from the global automotive over the air updates market. The growing demand for autonomous and connected vehicles is likely to be a key driver for the global automotive over the air updates market over the forecast period, as autonomous and connected cars rely heavily on their software programming to ensure steady performance and safety of the cars occupants. On the other hand, the difficulties in building a suitable software architecture for over the air updates in the automotive sector have held the market back. The risk of cybercrimes through automotive software systems is also quite high, which is likely to be a key restraint for the global automotive over the air updates market over the forecast period. Developing secure architecture of automotive over the air updates is likely to be a key avenue for players in the global automotive over the air updates market over the forecast period. Competitive Analysis: Leading players in the global automotive over the air updates market include Infineon Technologies AG, Garmin Ltd., Denso Corporation, Continental AG, Airbiquity Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Delphi Automotive, Robert Bosch GmbH, and HARMAN International. In May 2019, General Motors announced that it is working on building a comprehensive software platform for its cars that can be regularly updated over the air. GMs platform is expected to be incorporated into their automobiles by 2023. Segmentation: The global automotive over the air updates market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, propulsion, vehicle type, and region. On the basis of technology, the global automotive over the air updates market is segmented into firmware over-the-air technology (FOTA) and software over-the-air technology (SOTA). On the basis of application, the global automotive over the air updates market is segmented into electronic control unit (ECU), infotainment, safety & security, telematics control unit (TCU), and others. On the basis of propulsion, the market is segmented into ICE and electric vehicles. The electric vehicles segment is further sub-segmented into battery electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). On the basis of vehicle type, the global automotive over the air updates market is segmented into passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Regional Analysis: Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global automotive over the air updates market over the forecast period due to the growing automotive industry in the region. The growing demand for automotive electronics in the region is also likely to be a key driver for the automotive over the air updates market in the region over the forecast period, as the growing disposable income of consumers in this region has driven the demand for premium facilities in automobiles, including advanced automotive electronics and telematics. Moreover, the increasing demand for electric vehicles in China is also likely to be a major driver for the automotive over the air updates market in Asia Pacific over the forecast period. China has been a leader in developing electric vehicle technology in recent years, leading to growing demand for advanced software support for automotive operations. North America and Europe are also likely to be major players in the global automotive over the air updates market over the forecast period due to the presence of several leading market players in the region. Indian market is likely to head towards 12,000 levels on February 5 tracking positive trend seen in other Asian markets. Nifty50 recouped most of the Budget Day losses as Nifty50 rose nearly 300 points while the S&P BSE Sensex rallied by over 900 points on Tuesday. Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a negative opening in India with a 20 points, or 0.17 percent, loss. The Nifty futures were trading around 11,952-level on the Singaporean Exchange. Asian markets were trading higher on hopes of additional Chinese stimulus to lessen the economic impact of a coronavirus outbreak, but risks remain as the illness continues to spread and the death toll neared 500, said a Reuters report. The Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) is likely to lower its key lending rate - the loan prime rate - on Feb. 20, and cut banks reserve requirement ratios in the coming weeks, policy sources told Reuters. On the domestic front, lets look at the final tally on D-Street on Tuesday the S&P BSE Sensex rose 917 points to 40789 while the Nifty50 closed with gains of 271 points at 11,979. Investors' wealth increased Rs 3.57 lakh crore in two days of market rally where the Sensex zoomed 917 points on Tuesday in a broad-based recovery after the Budget-day fall. The Indian rupee on February 4 appreciated by 11 paise to close at 71.27 against the US dollar, tracking heavy buying in domestic equities and easing crude prices. On the institutional front, FPIs were net buyers in Indian markets for Rs 366 cr while the DIIs were net buyers to the tune of Rs 601 cr, provisional data showed. Big News: As many as 87 companies on the BSE will declare their results for December quarter that include names like Adani Enterprises, Ajanta Pharma, Andhra Bank, Apollo Tyre, Berger Paints, BOSCH, Cadila Healthcare, Cipla, Divis Laboratories, Gujarat Gas, HPCL, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Jyothy Labs, PNC Infratech, PTC India, TCI Industries, and Zuari Agro. Cipla: PAT likely to grow by 21% YoY Divis Laboratories: PAT likely to fall by 5% YoY Cadila Healthcare: PAT likely to fall by 26% YoY HPCL: PAT likely to grow by over 500% YoY (All estimates are from Motilal Oswal) Technical View: Nifty50 made a Long White Day kind of candle and is just 21 points away from 12000 Upsides there seems to be resistance around its 9-Day Simple Moving Average (11987) as pullback attempts on a corrective swing from the highs of 12430 11614 perished after testing the said average. The rally could extend towards 12087-12117 Considering the last two days of strength traders can look forward to buy the dips whereas shorting shall be completely avoided, suggest experts Three levels: 11614, 12087, 12100 Stocks in news: Public lender Punjab National Bank on Tuesday reported a surprise standalone loss of Rs 492.28 crore for the December quarter compared with a profit of Rs 246.51 crore in the same period last year. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on February 1 reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,035 crore for the quarter ended December 2019, impacted by exceptional charge related to license fee and spectrum usage. Titan Company reported a standalone net profit of Rs 470 crore for the December quarter, which is up 12.9 percent from Rs 416.23 crore in the same period last year. Technical Recommendations: We spoke to SMC Global Securities and here's what they have to recommend: Asian Paints Ltd: Buy| Target: Rs 2050| Stop Loss: Rs 1780| Upside 9% Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd: Buy| Target: Rs 357| Stop Loss: Rs 315| Upside 8% Lux Industries Ltd: Buy| Target: Rs 1670| Stop Loss: Rs 1390| Upside 12% Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. 2.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Republicans are preparing to let President Trump off of his impeachment conviction for trying to cheat in yet another election at the same time as they repeatedly block election security bills. It looks more than shady. It begs the question: Why is it that Republicans have so little faith in the people choosing them that they feel they have to pave the way for the Russians and other foreign interests to help them? On the eve of Senate Republicans giving President Trump the official go-ahead to cheat again in the next election, its time to revisit their constant blocking of election security bills. From October 22 to December 19th of 2019, Republicans blocked election security legislation: that would give states the funding they need to secure elections and create more transparency around online ads like the Honest Ads Act. the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act, which would have stopped things like foreign spending in our elections, was designed to protect our elections from foreign interference and disinformation campaigns. Noting the need for the SHIELD Act, House Democrats wrote, Federal investigators found that President Trump and at least 17 of his campaign officials and advisors had more than 100 contacts with Russians and Wikileaks. Now, the President has solicited foreign interference in the 2020 American elections from multiple foreign governments. Senate Republicans blocked that as well, with conservative media buttressing their failure to protect this country by noting that there were no signs of successful cyber attacks on the 2018 election, as if Muellers report did not indicate that Trump did cheat with the Russians, he just didnt feel he could prove they knew it was illegal when they did it. (Dont try this at home unless you are rich, white, male and litigious, because ignorance of the law is not usually a get out of jail free card.) like bipartisan bill Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER Act), which would have kicked in sanctions against Russia if they inferred in another election but was blocked by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) who claimed it was anti-Trump and would hurt Republicans. The mechanisms in this bill have been designed more to attack the Trump administration and Republicans than to attack the Russians and those who would attack our country and our elections, Crapo said, while blocking the bill. requiring paper ballots, technology safeguards and helping states beef up election security via the Securing Americas Federal Elections Act (SAFE Act), which was passed by the House but then blocked by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Election security has essentially become a partisan concern even when the bill is partisan, and rather than focus narrowly on that and play incredulous as we breathlessly report on what new attack comes from DC on the peoples rights, why not say what is actually happening. Republicans are giving Trump the go-ahead to cheat in 2020 by refusing any witnesses and evidence in his impeachment trial over his attempt to bribe a foreign power to help him cheat in another election. Republicans are aiding and abetting Trump and their party in cheating. The message Trump will get tomorrow from Senate Republicans is: There is absolutely nothing you cant do. You are above every law in this country. We are no longer serving as a check and balance on your power. Do whatever you want to whomever, endanger the lives of our troops and our citizens, undermine democracy, attack the United States in a traitorous move, we have your back. Republicans are giving the green light to Trump that they want him to cheat in 2020. They are helping him cheat in 2020. Theyve had multiple chances to amend election security bills to meet their own concerns, but instead they have blocked them one after another after another, when our own intel community warns that Russia did it in 2016 and their 2020 attacks could actually be even more brazen and why not, Republicans have rolled out the red carpet for the Russians to attack the U.S. elections again. Up in the air. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images For most of Tuesday morning, no one knew anything, and Bernie Sanders was nowhere to be seen. Ten, then 12, then 15 hours after the Iowa caucus results were initially expected, the senator (the front-runner?) was still in Des Moines, avoiding the cameras and waiting for some answers on what exactly happened Monday night. While Sanders sat and his senior team members stewed, fretting that their deserved momentum was slipping through their fingers, his rivals fanned out across New Hampshire. Joe Bidens campaign mobilized lawyers to question the caucuses legitimacy. Elizabeth Warren took the stage in Keene, promising to fight on, and Pete Buttigieg made two stops in the states southern tier, flooding the morning TV-interview circuit to keep declaring victory, even with no official count to back up the claim. Yet there was Sanders, still on midwestern ground, saying nothing. Behind the scenes, his inner circle had been convinced since early the previous night that hed won. But it was also growing increasingly clear to them that hed get no glowing moment in the spotlight anytime soon and that the polling bounce he would typically expect from a kickoff win might never come, thanks to developments that were out of their hands. Would they even be declared the winner before Tuesday nights State of the Union address? The morning aged, Sanderss silence grew more notable, and rumors flew about when the Iowa state party would say something, anything, official. Sanderss senior adviser Jeff Weaver, his 2016 campaign manager and longest-serving aide, tried to pry whatever information he could get out of the party operation. When its chairman, Troy Price, finally convened a call with flabbergasted representatives from the campaigns at 11 oclock local time, he informed them that, later in the afternoon, the party would release the results it had from over 50 percent of precincts but not a final total. Aides from rival campaigns objected, unwilling to settle for an incomplete count. Sanderss allies sighed, exasperated, but Weaver acknowledged hed been hard on Price the previous night and said at least they were getting some results out. The criticism of the integrity of the process is coming from folks who didnt fare too well in the caucuses, he told me after. It seemed clear he was talking about Joe Biden. If the tide wasnt going to turn on its own, theyd have to turn it themselves, and Sanders would have to be on the ground in New Hampshire when the results landed. So there he finally was on his chartered campaign plane on the Des Moines tarmac, shortly after noon. Flanked by his wife and the top echelon of his campaign team, he approached a small group of reporters jammed halfway down the narrow central aisle. An aide whispered to him that hed have to speak up to be captured by the mics over the engines thrum; as he neared, the plane revved up, and the flight attendants suddenly made their boarding announcements. Never before in history have so many cameras been on an airplane, Sanders said, surveying the scene. It was clear to him, and to anyone whod been there, that this midday flight to New Hampshire would likely be a far cry from the overnight party plane four years earlier, when hed nearly claimed a shock victory over Hillary Clinton and kicked off the big-time phase of his political revolution. But this time around, it wasnt just a lack of results standing between Sanders and a big night for fundraising and political momentum. Even if Sanderss internal numbers were right and Biden was in serious trouble, Buttigieg looked perilously close, and progressive rival Elizabeth Warren likely wasnt going anywhere. Almost immediately, Sanders said he wouldnt be declaring victory yet, but he insisted he was feeling good about the internal numbers his team had seen. Asked about Buttigiegs claims of a win backed by initial data from the mayors team Sanders raised his eyebrows and shot back, I dont know how anybody claims victory without an official statement of election results. Im not declaring victory. He then introduced Weaver to effectively declare victory. The adviser shared that the campaigns updated numbers showed Sanders ahead of Buttigieg, with Warren in third and Biden and Amy Klobuchar far behind. As Weaver spoke, campaign manager Faiz Shakir sent an email to supporters, informing them, Our internal results sent to us by precinct captains around the state indicate that with close to 60% of the vote in, we have a comfortable lead. Still, Sanders looked around but didnt smile. He seemed more focused on the point at the top of Shakirs email: Last night was a bad night for democracy, for the Democratic Party, and for the people of Iowa. Less than two hours after Sanders touched down in New Hampshire, the party finally released some initial results: Buttigieg was ahead but barely, and Sanders had as his team had long hinted would happen won the first alignment. Still, the night was young, and nearly 40 percent of precincts had yet to be counted. We want to thank the people of Iowa, Weaver said in a statement. We are gratified that in the partial data released so far, its clear that, in the first and second round, more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field, a line Sanders echoed Tuesday night at his Milford, New Hampshire, rally. For most of Caucus Day, Sanderss team was encouraged by what it was seeing. They were happy with the optics of the first satellite precinct to report its results in the afternoon: Of 15 caucusgoers at the Ottumwa location, 14 primarily Ethiopian immigrants who work at the local pork-processing plant went for Sanders. And when the nights main-event caucuses started in earnest, they had a good feeling early. Aides said on Tuesday that after about 15 percent of their precinct captains had reported totals back to HQ early the previous evening, their numbers (showing Sanders in first and Buttigieg in a tight second, with Warren close) stayed roughly steady. When all was done, there was anecdotal reason for cheer, too, which played right into the Sanders teams claim that it was turning out disaffected and new voters, including Latinos. Advisor Chuck Rocha celebrated that, of the 483 Iowans who caucused in the states four Spanish-language satellite caucus sites, Sanders earned all the delegates, winning the support of 430 voters. Participants hold campaign signs for Senator Bernie Sanders during the caucus at the Islamic and Education Center Ezan mosque in Des Moines. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images But a central piece of Sanderss plan to win the nomination had always been a clear win in Iowa, and as Monday evening went along, it was hard to miss the troubling signs that the contest was looking tight. Most data that became available throughout the day, including Sanderss own, didnt show him expanding his support much between the caucuses first and second alignments, perhaps casting doubt on his long-term ability to build upon his base within the party. (In the initial results dump, it was Buttigieg who gained more ground after the first round.) And for a candidate who speaks constantly of the need for a massive voter turnout to propel him to victory, the apparent drop back to 2016 turnout levels, instead of the 2008-style surge many Iowans predicted, was discouraging too. All day long, Sanders aides had been popping up around Des Moines expressing confidence but refusing to say much of substance on the record, instead waiting for the big evening moment when they thought hed get to celebrate. In the press filing center at Sanderss Caucus Night party, deputy campaign manager Ari Rabin-Havt walked in around the time caucus sites opened and was immediately swarmed by reporters. He didnt want to talk about what Sanders was doing or how he was feeling. I got nothing here!, he insisted. And when asked if anything could stop Sanderss run to the nomination if he won Iowa, Rabin-Havt stood straight and replied, Im not, Im not, Im not, before turning around and knocking on a wooden table three times. About an hour later, California congressman Ro Khanna, a Sanders campaign chairman, downplayed the idea that Iowa could set the candidate on a glide path. Its a long process to the nomination, he insisted to me on the sidelines of the party. I dont think hes under any illusion that this isnt a long slog, and he views himself as an underdog taking on a lot of special interests. He allowed, though, that hed seen a surge in support for Sanders since he came out strongly against war with Iran earlier this year and got the formal endorsement of the Sunrise Movement environmental group, all positioning him for a good showing in New Hampshire. As the night dragged on and it became clear that something was going wrong, the attendees cheered less enthusiastically each time CNN showed Sanderss empty lectern. Meanwhile, the fully stocked cash bar in the next room over got more and more crowded. Aides grew hesitant about walking through the press area. One, trying to move away from the main stage, found himself surrounded by journalists trying to see if he had any idea what the reporting delay was all about. He looked around, overwhelmed. This is fun, this is fun, he said under his breath, and kept walking. Sanders supporters wait for results to come in at his Caucus Night watch party in Des Moines. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images The mood of the room shifted palpably after the campaigns were told there were real problems with the caucus results and Klobuchar jumped at the opportunity to speak first, before East Coasters went to sleep. Warren and Bidens campaigns both said their candidates would talk soon, too, and suddenly Sanders staffers began hustling around the room to fill the risers behind the lectern, where surprise! the senator would soon appear. He took the stage, insisting he was happy with what hed seen, declaring the end of Trump was near, and promising to march on. He almost accidentally quoted Howard Deans infamous 2004 exclamation (Now it is on to New Hampshire!, Sanders said, Nevada! South Carolina! California! And onward to victory!), but no one noticed amid the madness of the moment. He left the stage, but his campaign still sure good news would come soon asked supporters to stay tuned. Of course, looming doubt about the final result remained. Any campaign saying they won or putting out incomplete numbers is contributing to the chaos and misinformation, tweeted Joe Rospars, Warrens chief strategist, later that night, as Buttigiegs camp distributed numbers suggesting hed won, Warrens campaign manager said they expected a close three-way race with Biden far behind, and Klobuchars campaign manager said her candidate would be close to Biden. The initial results released Tuesday were friendlier to Buttigieg than to Warren. Still, Sanders still could hardly contain his disappointment half a day later as he spoke to reporters on the chartered plane and insisted hed likely won. Asked about Bidens posture toward the caucuses, he replied, We should all be disappointed in the inability of the party to come up with timely results. But we are not casting aspersions on votes that are being counted. Calling the state party negligent, Sanders admitted, Frankly, I am disappointed and I suspect that I speak for all the candidates, all their supporters, and the people of Iowa that the Iowa Democratic Party has not been able to come up with timely election results. I cant understand why that happened, but it has happened. He was minutes away from wheels up to New Hampshire, the state that gave him his most resounding victory in 2016 and could do so again in a week. He was again the front-runner. But, Sanders said, this was not a good day for democracy. BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SANS Institute, the global leader in cyber security training and certifications, today announced SANS Boston Spring 2020 (#SANSBoston), taking place April 20-25 in Massachusetts. The event features hands-on immersion training courses taught by world-renowned SANS instructors. Included on the agenda is the newly released MGT516: Managing Security Vulnerabilities: Enterprise and Cloud course. Effectively communicating program details and business benefits is a common challenge in vulnerability management. MGT516 co-author and SANS instructor Jonathan Risto (@jonathanristo) explains, "Vulnerability reports typically lack business context, and often include non-actionable metrics such as the number of current critical vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, system administrators are expected to resolve issues using this limited data. And because they are unable to complete the work, breaches continue to leverage unpatched vulnerabilities." Risto continues, "In MGT516, we present an alternative strategy, and outline how to present relevant and meaningful metrics and measures to the audiences we engage with (executive, management, peers). Students also learn to invert their messaging to operations by providing solutions to the problems, instead of just identifying the problems." SANS Boston Spring 2020 features courses covering a variety of topics. Included on the course line-up are SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style, SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, Exploits, and Incident Handling, SEC540: Cloud Security and DevOps Automation, SEC599: Defeating Advanced Adversaries Purple Team Tactics & Kill Chain Defenses, and more. For a complete list of courses and instructors, or to register for SANS Boston Spring 2020, visit: https://www.sans.org/boston-spring-2020 About SANS Institute The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cyber security training and certification to professionals at governments and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach over 60 different courses at more than 200 live cyber security training events as well as online. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates a practitioner's qualifications via over 35 hands-on, technical certifications in cyber security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's degrees in cyber security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system--the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to help the entire information security community. (https://www.sans.org) SOURCE SANS Institute Related Links www.sans.org China on Monday hoped that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province. In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said China's foreign ministry and local governments are working hard to ensure the safety of Indians and people working in Indian diplomatic missions in China. Admitting that there could be a short-term impact of the epidemic on China's economy, he said the country's internal resilience is growing and it has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility. I am confident that it should not and will not be hindered by short-term difficulties. We should not suspend but expand the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, he said. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province, India has put restrictions on the movement of people to and from China, like many other countries, as part of precautionary measures to contain spread of the virus. The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490 while the number of confirmed cases has touched 24,300. The WHO has declared a global health emergency after coronavirus cases were reported in several parts of the globe. We hope that the Indian citizens will not overreact or panic over the outbreak. It is better to remain rational and calm, and judge China's prevention and control efforts with objectivity and compassion, the envoy said. He said China, a responsible country, is not only protecting the health of its people but also that of people around the world. We need your understanding and support for the cooperation between China and India in epidemic control to ensure normal personnel exchanges and trade between the two countries, he said. China is ready to continue to work with India, strengthen communication and coordination, and safeguard the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, he added. On the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on China's economy, Sun said there was no need to be pessimistic about the country's economy as its fundamentals remain unchanged. He said the Chinese government has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility and the long-term positive trend of the Chinese economy will not be impacted by the outbreak of the virus. China has rich experience in successfully dealing with SARS and the international financial crisis. This time will be no exception. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva recently expressed confidence that the Chinese government has sufficient policy space to stabilize economic growth, he said. The envoy also mentioned a telephone conversation between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Wi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar last week on ways to deal with the situation arising out of the outbreak of the virus. In the telephone conversation, Wang said that to address transnational public health challenges in this era of globalisation, we need to stay objective and rational, and step up communication and coordination, and that all should play a constructive role," he said. He added that Jaishankar had conveyed that it is important to evaluate the outbreak in an objective and rational manner and not take actions that may complicate the situation. On Saturday, 324 Indians were brought back from Wuhan, while another batch of 323 Indians and seven Maldivians were evacuated from the Chinese city on Sunday. Sun said a declaration of public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak in China is not a vote of no-confidence on China. When the director general of WHO declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, it emphasised that it does not recommend any travel or trade restriction. This declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but to take care of other countries with relatively poor sanitary conditions. It is not a vote of no confidence in China, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tired of selling his cabbage for just 25 cents a kilo, Mariano Gonzalez joined other farmers in a demonstration on Wednesday in Madrid against low prices paid by retailers for their crops. "The prices are not fair," he said, echoing a complaint made by many farmers as a wave of protest sweeps across the country. Gonzalez, 38, uses a sickle in the open fields to harvest cabbage about 20 kilometres (nine miles) south of Madrid with the help of his 73-year-old father, who is also named Mariano. Farmers have grown chard, cabbage and cauliflower for decades on the outskirts of the industrial town of Fuenlabrada but the younger Gonzalez said it is tough to survive now because profitability is so low. "The farmers who are left are about to retire, the few young people like me earn little and the prices paid take away your desire to work," the member of the union of small farmers (UPA) said. His father added that often "it is not even worth harvesting" the cabbage which are bought for just 20-25 cents a kilo when the "fair price would be double that". A small cabbage at a supermarket in Fuenlabrada sells for 1.50 euros (USD 1.70). According to UPA figures, farmers earn 179 euros for a tonne of wheat -- less than they were paid 20 years ago -- and get just 15 cents per kilo of potatoes that sell for 1.20 euros a kilo in stores. Angry farmers, several on their tractors, gathered Tuesday outside of Fuenlabrada's town hall, which is near a supermarket. Angel Gonzalez Romeral, a 64-year-old farmer with a trimmed white beard, demanded that the government establish a "base price" for each product that would ensure producers can earn a living. Otherwise he argued "family farms will all disappear, only the farms which are in fact industrial platforms will remain" as in Almeria, a southern Spanish region that is home to a huge expanse of greenhouses that produce crops for export across Europe. Spain's three main unions -- Asaja, COAG and UPA -- launched at the end of January a rare joint wave of protests across the country. "The imbalance in the agrifood chain means that a few large retailers and industrialists are powerful in front of numerous weak farmers," the unions said in a joint statement that railed against "abusive and unfair commercial practices". In Madrid, hundreds of farmers blew whistles and shook bells outside the agriculture ministry. Pedro Lopez, a 74-year-old farmer who owns 3,000 olive trees in the southwestern region of Andalusia, drove more than 300 kilometres (190 miles) to attend the rally. "With the pitiful prices we are paid, 27 cents a kilo, it costs more to collect the olives than to leave them on the tree," he said. The far-right party Vox is trying to tap into the malaise of Spain's increasingly depopulated countryside, but when its leader Santiago Abascal turned up at the rally in Madrid he was told to "go away". Spain's biggest agricultural union, Asaja, which is seen as conservative, said a fresh increase in the country's minimum wage approved by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was the "straw that broke the camel's back". That position was rejected by the leftist UPA union however. "We do not blame the minimum wage but low prices," its secretary general, Lorenzo Ramos, told AFP. The Spanish government swiftly opened discussions with farmers on Monday to address their concerns. "The huge middle class of Spanish farmers and livestock breeders needs price support and the CAP to survive," Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said Wednesday in a reference to the European Union's Common Agriculture Policy which gives many farmers subsidies. His ministry promised measures to support the most affected sectors such as fruit, vegetable and olive oil production. Spain is world's leading producer of olive oil. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sacramento, CA California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to temporarily eliminate physical education tests for students citing concerns about discrimination and bullying. The Associated Press reports during a planned three-year suspension, the state would study whether the current test for children in fifth, seventh, and ninth grades can be modified or a new assessment should be drawn up. The Governors office is concerned that the current tests measurement of body mass index is discriminatory as screenings require students to select male or female. The suspension proposal is part of the Governors proposed budget. P.E. classes would still be a requirement for graduation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 07:59:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed deep frustration with the situation in Libya, where truce and UN arms embargo have been repeatedly violated. "I'm deeply frustrated with what's happening in Libya, and I think that what's happening is a scandal," said Guterres in his New Year press conference, where he criticized the countries that met in Berlin in January in a bid to reduce foreign interference in the country. "They committed not to interfere in the Libyan process, and they committed not to send weapons or to participate in any way in the fighting. Now, the truth is that the Security Council embargo remains violated," he said. Fighting in Libya has continued on the ground despite a most recent call for a truce by Russia and Turkey on Jan. 12 and the Berlin conference on Jan. 19. Asked to name the countries who have sent arms and mercenaries to Libya, Guterres said "we are not verifying each of the equipment (to know its source)," but quoted media reports as calling out the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Sudan. The UN chief said "the only good news" about the Libya situation is the ongoing meeting in Geneva under the UN auspices. Five senior officers from the Government of National Accord (GNA), the internationally recognized Libyan government, and their counterparts from the Libyan National Army (LNA) started their talks on Monday. On Tuesday, Guterres' envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame said in Geneva that the warring parties now are willing to turn the truce into a permanent ceasefire. Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The instability resulted in a divided country, with the GNA overseeing the west and a rival government in the east. Each is backed by an array of militias and armed groups fighting over resources and territory. LNA, which supports the east, is trying to take over the capital Tripoli for the past 10 months. Tehran is showcasing what the Islamic Republic's supporters dub as "achievements" that ensure its "independence and progress" as the Islamic revolution's 41st anniversary approaches on February 11. During the days ahead of the anniversary the state TV features images of inauguration of dams, covering dirt roads with tarmac, or erecting telecommunication towers. During recent days, state officials have been talking about the imminent launch of Zafar [Victory] satellite and made a lot of fuss about the launch no one knows when it will exactly take place. The 113 Kg satellite is to be put on an orbit some 530 Kilometers high above the Earth, the Iranian media say. Officials at the Iranian Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (ITC) say it took 80 Iranian engineers three years to build the satellite which is to be launched into space with a Simorgh satellite carrier missile. Simorgh is the name of a legendary bird in the Persian epic Shahnameh or the Book of Kings. Iran's space program dates back to a few years before the 1979 Islamic revolution that replaced an millennia-old monarchy with a fundamentalist anti-U.S. clerical government. Plans made in 1977 were supposed to be completed in 1982 for the launch of a satellite called Zohreh [Venus] which was to boost the coverage of the National Iranian Radio Television (NIRT). Like many other modernization and scientific development projects, the plan was suspended indefinitely by the clerics who took over Iran and halted the countrys space and nuclear programs, among many other ambitious plans. In 1982, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) notified Iran that it was going to lose the orbit slot allocated to it if it did not have a satellite ready for launch or was not able to buy or rent an old one to put in orbit. Apparently, Iran did not have any plans to put a satellite in orbit and the issue died. Iran was unable to act also because many of its experts had left the country or were jailed or even executed for political reasons. The only solution for Tehran was to lease aging Russian satellites and preserve its slots on the orbit in a patchy way. But this cost Tehran some $20 million. Nevertheless, what happened was not unexpected as Iran's space program had fallen victim to the naive revolutionary and so-called jihadi management signified by inefficiency. Some fifteen years ago, Iran developed a new micro-satellite in collaboration with Italian companies which was supposed to be launched in 2005 with the Russian missile Kosmos-3M. However, the costly project failed and was shelved forever. The reason: International sanctions. In the same year, Iran signed a $132 million contract with a Russian company to Launch Zohreh, using French and German equipment. The deal to build the Zohreh 1 (Venus) satellite was signed with the Russian Aerospace Agency and its affiliate AviaExport in 2005. The contract was to continue with building Zohreh 2 satellite, but it was cancelled later. Finally, Iran began working on developing its own satellites and launch vehicles. In January 2019, reports indicated that Iran had three failed attempts to launch satellites including Payam into orbit, but was still trying to plan another launch. In August 2019 President Donald Trump posted a photo via Twitter of Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center in Semnan, 219 kilometers (136 miles) southeast of the capital city, Tehran. The satellite image showed the damage done to the facility by the explosion of what appears to have been a homemade "Safir" rocket during launch. Apparently, the rocket was being used in the attempted launch of Iran's Nahid-1 satellite. In a later tweet Trump underlined that the U.S. was not involved in the incident. The disclaimer comes on the backdrop of well-known cyber efforts by the United States to disrupt Iran's nuclear and missile programs; not only during the Trump administration but starting years earlier. However, Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi on Saturday, August 30 showed Nahid 1 (Venus 1) telecommunication satellite to journalists but did not elaborate further on the spacecraft's failed launch. The United States charges that the satellite carrier Simorgh rocket Iran showcased on February 4,2019 is part of Iran's ballistic missile program rather than being part of a peaceful telecommunication project. The United States has accused Iran of flouting a United Nations Security Council resolution by launching its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket to date. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert in July last year said the "provocative act" also violates the "spirit" of Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. "We consider that to be continued ballistic-missile development," Nauert said. Iranian state television showed footage of the Simurgh (Phoenix) rocket being launched carrying pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and said the rocket can put a 250-kilogram satellite into an orbit 500 kilometers high. The State Department said that type of technology is inherently designed to carry a nuclear payload, and Pentagon officials have said the technology can be used to develop long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. This article is based on longer article in Persian written exclusively for Radio Farda by Erfan Kasraei a researcher at Kassel University in Germany. Ralph Kaehler, a candidate for the DemocraticFarmerLabor Party endorsement for Minnesotas 1st Congressional District, announced Tuesday the suspension of day-to-day campaign operations. The announcement stated that the decision was made in December as a way for Kaehler and his team to assess the strategy and where he can have the most impact in Minnesota. We have a great team and growing support. The tumultuous political environment, coupled with new personal and business opportunities, lead to the decision to step back, assess the situation, and evaluate where we can have the greatest impact, Kaehler said in a statement. Kaehler will continue to be involved in efforts related to promoting Minnesota, rural needs and agriculture interests. His supporters, the announcement said, will continue to focus on in-state and local efforts. Kaehler, a St. Charles native, announced in October that he would be joining the race for the DFL endorsement to become the areas U.S. representative. Kaehler opponents for the DFL endorsement included Dan Feehan, who was the DFL candidate in 2018. He was defeated by Republican Jim Hagedorn, who took over the position in 2019. Hagedorn had run for the office twice before his election, but lost both times to now Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Pope Francis staged a surprise visit to admonish the IMF chief and several finance ministers to help alleviate the debt burden of struggling countries, calling for a new financial architecture to ensure social justice. In what came across as a political ambush, Francis attended a Vatican conference on the global economy, whose participants included IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and finance ministers Bruno Le Maire of France and Martin Guzman of Argentina. We have to help developing countries to achieve debt sustainability, through co-ordinated policies which should finance debt and reschedule debt, in order to find a solution for the very indebted countries and to alleviate the suffering of people, Francis said. You have to remember your responsibility to aid the poorest countries. The Pope also urged the officials in the audience to tackle climate change because we shouldnt destroy the roots of our common house. Francis has made countering global inequality and climate change cornerstones of his papacy. He told a Vatican conference of business chiefs from leading oil and gas companies and global investors in June to tackle a radical energy transition to save our common home. Speaking before the Popes remarks, Argentinas Mr Guzman said his country will seek more time to repay the record $56bn (51bn) credit line it obtained from the IMF. Mr Guzman said he was co-operating with Ms Georgieva to resolve the countrys debt crisis. In her speech at the conference, Ms Georgieva called for countries to act on global warming, saying the best way forward is to put a price on carbon. The IMF is pushing harder to address climate risk to the global economy by assisting with research efforts and offering policy advice. Ms Georgievas comments echo the funds call in October that climate change demands government action, and that countries must immediately adopt carbon pricing to keep global warming under two degrees Celsius. Ms Georgieva said that Chile, Colombia, and South Africa recently implemented carbon taxes, and China is about to launch an emissions trading system. These initiatives will encourage households and firms to use less energy and shift to cleaner fuels, she said. Ms Georgieva said while greater investment in coastal protection and more resilient infrastructure and agriculture are welcome, much more is needed to directly cut emissions. John Follain and Jeff Kearns, Bloomberg 5 February 2020: Borregaard ASA (Borregaard, OSE ticker: BRG) At a meeting on 4 February 2020 the Board of Directors of Borregaard ASA decided to propose an ordinary dividend for 2019 of NOK 2.30 per share to the Annual General Meeting. Dividend payment is estimated at NOK 229 million. The exact amount will depend on the number of treasury shares held at the date of the Annual General Meeting. No dividend will be paid on treasury shares held by the Borregaard Group. Provided that the traded shares are subject to ordinary settlement in the Norwegian Securities Register (VPS), shares acquired up to and including 16 April 2020 will carry the right to receive dividends, whereas shares that are acquired on and after 17 April 2020 will not carry the right to receive dividends. Subject to the decision of the Annual General Meeting, the dividend will be paid on 27 April 2020 to shareholders registered in the companys shareholders register as evidenced in a transcript as of 20 April 2020. The share will be quoted ex dividend on 17 April 2020. The Annual General Meeting of Borregaard ASA will be held on Thursday 16 April 2020 at 1 p.m. (13:00 CET) in Sarpsborg at INSPIRIA science center, Bjrnstadveien 16, 1712 Gralum. Borregaards Annual Report for 2019 will be released on 26 March 2020. Contacts: Per Bjarne Lyngstad, CFO, +47 952 44 515 Lotte Kvinlaug, Investor Relations Officer, +47 922 86 909 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5 12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Red Arrow Diner Announces First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary Media Lineup As a historic Manchester, NH landmark in and nationally-recognized brand, the Red Arrow Diner is excited to continue our legacy as a presidential primary pitstop and invite the public to join us for a front-row seat to politics, said Carol Lawrence, President and Co-Owner of the Red Arrow Diner. Red Arrow Diner is excited to announce their media line-up for the week leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary on February 11, 2020. A famous local stop for presidential candidates on the campaign trail, the Red Arrow Diner has become a national icon for the New Hampshire primary and the front row seat to the presidential campaign available to locals. Planned broadcast dates, times, show and channels are as follows: Wednesday, February 5th Manchester: Fox News 4:00pm-7:00pm Thursday, February 6th Manchester: EW Scripts Co. 8:30am-11:30am Saturday, February 8th Manchester: CSPAN Onsite Bus Location Sunday, February 9th Manchester: Hearst Television Washington Bureau Onsite Live Broadcast Monday, February 10th Manchester: SiriusXM Onsite Live Broadcasts 7:00am-12:00pm, 6:00pm-9:00pm Concord: TV 2 News Denmark Onsite Live Broadcast 12:30pm-1:30pm Tuesday, February 11th Manchester: SiriusXM Onsite Live Broadcasts 7:00am-9:00am, 3:00pm-6:00pm We are proud to play such an integral part of the exciting first-in-the-nation primary media activities here in New Hampshire, said Carol Lawrence, President and Co-Owner of the Red Arrow Diner. As a historic landmark in Manchester, NH and a nationally-recognized brand, the Red Arrow Diner is excited to continue our legacy as a presidential primary pitstop in 2020 and invite the public to join us for a front-row seat to national politics over the next week. Co-owners Carol Lawrence and Amanda Wihby will also be interviewed on February 10th during a live broadcast for Fox News Channels Your World with Neil Cavuto during a special New Hampshire primaries edition. For more information on these first-in-the-nation media schedule, please visit our website at redarrowdiner.com. To schedule a political visit, please call 603-219-5562. ABOUT THE RED ARROW DINER A privately-held company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Red Arrow Diner operates restaurants in Concord, Manchester, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. The brand is preparing to open their newest location in Nashua, NH in spring 2020. Each Red Arrow Diner location is a 24-hour diner and serves over 500,000 breakfasts annually. In addition to being named Business of the Year in 2019 by Business NH Magazine, the Red Arrow Diner has been featured on various nationally broadcasted television and radio shows, including the Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, NBCs JEOPARDY!, and SiriusXM political channels Patriot (125) and Progress (127), as well as national publications, such as USA Today and the Food Network Magazine. Additionally, Red Arrow is an active community supporter with countless volunteer hours, pro bono promotions, and financial donations. For information about the Red Arrow Diner, visit http://www.redarrowdiner.com. Several British brands including struggling High Street chains Ted Baker and Joules could be hit with higher costs if the coronavirus outbreak is not contained by Easter. Analysts at Peel Hunt said Ted Baker sourced more than 50 per cent of its products from Chinese factories and there was a threat of longer-term disruption if the virus was not under control in the next six to eight weeks. Wellington boot maker Jouless products are mostly made in eastern China, while sofa seller DFS has a factory just four hours from the city of Wuhan where the virus first appeared late last year. Analysts say there is a threat of long-term disruption if the coronavirus outbreak was not brought under control in the next six to eight weeks Bargain chain B&M relies on Chinese merchandise for 40 per cent of its sales, and bicycle seller Halfords imports most of its products from the Far East. Peel Hunt said cost pressures on retailers were likely to suppress share prices. Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways has asked 27,000 staff to take three weeks of unpaid leave. It said the situation was as grave as the 2008 financial crisis as it announced a 90 per cent cut in flights to mainland China. Sex Offenders Were Becoming Cops. After Our Stories, Alaskas Governor Wants That To End. Gov. Mike Dunleavys proposed law comes after Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found that dozens of rural Alaskan police officers had been hired despite criminal convictions. This article was produced in partnership with the Anchorage Daily News, a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing changes to state law that would improve police hiring standards and oversight after some villages hired police officers that were sex offenders or had been convicted of domestic violence. The proposed legislation, introduced Monday, is intended to deter communities from appointing unqualified people as VPOs and to deter people with certain convictions from applying for the jobs, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Megan Peters said. An investigation published in July by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found some 34 VPOs had been hired by at least 14 cities despite criminal convictions that would make them ineligible to work as officers or even private security guards most anywhere else in the United States. Alaskas sexual assault rate is nearly 3 times the national average. @adndotcom and ProPublica are investigating the lack of public safety as part of an ongoing look at sex abuse and a 2-tiered justice system that leaves some rural Alaskans behind. https://t.co/VfG9MpFGsH ProPublica (@propublica) September 21, 2019 In the Norton Sound village of Stebbins, for example, the entire seven-man police force had been convicted of domestic violence. (Dunleavy has also said that Stebbins and neighboring St. Michael will receive a state trooper this year.) The twin bills requested by Dunleavy, HB 224 and SB 164, would amend Alaska law to: Forbid anyone convicted of a felony, sex offense or domestic violence crime from working as a VPO. Allow the state to prosecute an unqualified VPO meaning someone who has been convicted of barrier crimes but is working as a VPO anyway for the crime of impersonating a public safety officer. Clarify that the Alaska Police Standards Council, a state regulatory board, has authority to set hiring and certification standards for VPOs and may investigate officers who do not meet those standards. Require VPOs to undergo 12 hours of domestic violence training and 12 hours of sexual assault training. Its unclear how the new legislation would solve certain problems, such as the difficulty of enforcing VPO hiring and training requirements across the vast state. State regulations already describe minimum qualifications for VPOs, but those requirements have often been ignored. This amendment is meant to clarify that people with convictions of domestic violence related crimes, sex offenses and felonies are not, by state law, peace officers, Peters said in a statement. If a person that doesnt meet the requirements is hired by a community, and then takes enforcement action trained or not then that person cannot use being a VPO as a defense to impersonating a peace officer. There are several different types of law enforcement in rural Alaska, each with different hiring and training requirements. Troopers are the best trained and best paid, working directly for the state Department of Public Safety and deployed to villages and hub cities. Village public safety officers, or VPSOs, receive similar initial training to that of troopers, and they are employed by regional nonprofits or boroughs. VPOs work directly for city governments in communities that cannot be reached by road. In some villages, they are the only local form of law enforcement, but the state has historically failed to track the identities of these officers. The bill incorporates recommendations from the Alaska Police Standards Council, which has been contacting every village city government to determine how many communities employ VPOs and the identities of those officers. As of December the board had identified 51 officers, most of whom were previously unknown to the state, meaning they were never properly vetted by regulators. It is unclear how many of those had criminal histories. Stay in Touch ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News are investigating sexual violence in urban and rural Alaska. Heres how you can stay in touch with us: Get email updates. Share your story in our questionnaire. Reach out to the reporting team anytime: alaska@propublica.org. Kyle Hopkins is an investigative reporter at the Anchorage Daily News. Email him at khopkins@adn.com and follow him on Twitter at @kylehopkinsAK. Filed under: Criminal Justice Note: This story originally appeared on ProPublica . It is published under a Creative Commons license. Join the Conversation Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville sounded the alarm bells on Tuesday night over what he described as the Democratic Party turning into an ideological cult, specifically singling out would-be presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. In the wake of Monday nights chaotic Iowa Democratic caucus that featured delayed vote results due to a faulty app, Carville appeared on MSNBC to warn that regardless of the final tallies, the Dems appear to be in big trouble. The polling averages have not been very good the last 10 days, he sighed. And Ive seen some pretty good polls that show enthusiasm among Democrats is not as high as we would like it. So theres something as people are watching this process that is concerning. Saying the party needs to wake up and make sure that we talk about things that are relevant to people, the former Clinton adviser grumbled that he is not very impressed with the Democratic field and suggested DNC chair Tom Perez should be canned. After complaining that the campaigns have to be more relevant, Carvillewho is backing longshot presidential hopeful Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) was asked if he would get behind Sanders if the progressive senator ended up getting the nomination. Well, Ill get behind him. I have no choice, an unenthused Carville replied. But look at the British Labour Party. Were like talking about people voting from jail cells. Were talking about not having a border. I mean, come on, people. He continued to rail against Sanders policy positions, describing the independent Vermont lawmaker as being for open borders and stressing that he doesnt want the Democratic Party of the United States to be the Labour Party of the United Kingdom, something he's told The Daily Beast before. Carville would go on to exclaim that Democrats need to be more concerned about taking power back in Washington, repeatedly stating that only 18 percent of the population controls 52 Senate seats. Story continues It matters who the candidate is, it matters what a party chooses to talk about! Carville shouted. Im 75 years old. Why am I here doing this? Because I am scared to death, thats why! Lets get relevant here, people, for sure. I just love you, former Democratic senator and current MSNBC contributor Claire McCaskill cooed in response. Carville, meanwhile, went on to make his case that the party was leaning towards a centrist candidate over a liberal one, wondering out loud: Do we want to be an ideological cult? Or do we want to have a majoritarian instinct to have the majority party? You and I know that 18 percent of the country elects 52 senators, he continued, addressing McCaskill. The urban core is not gonna get it done. What we need is power! Do you understand? Thats what this is about. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday used a novel way to deter a group of women in Bilariaganj town of Azamgarh district from occupying a barren park to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Police used mild force and tear gas shells to chase them away and then pumped water to leave it slushy so that the group could not reoccupy the space for the protest. The group had occupied the barren, unfenced park in the town for the sit-in protest on Tuesday. Dozens of women holding placards with slogans against the CAA and national register of citizens (NRC) started a protest at the park without any permission from local administration on Tuesday. While most of the women left the place around 4pm, they gathered again by 6 pm. This time with more women, said a senior police officer. In the night, district magistrate (DM) NP Singh and superintendent of police (SP) Triveni Singh spoke to protesters and tried to convince them to end heir dharna but the women refused to budge. At around 4 am, policewomen reached the spot and asked the protesters to vacate the park. When they refused, they used mild force to evict them. A police officer said the youths present outside the park pelted the cops with stones. Police cane charged the youths and drove them away. Later, police dispersed the women protesters by lobbing tear gas shells. Later, the administration pumped water in the park that turned it slushy and muddy. Three persons, including a policeman were injured in the stone pelting. The vehicle of the Bilariaganj station officer was also damaged. Heavy police force has been deployed at the spot as a preventive measure. SP said that the situation was normal. Protests led by women are continuing in other places in Uttar Pradesh such as Lucknow, Prayagraj and Deoband. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Northwestern Memorial went on bypass meaning it asked ambulances to take new patients to other hospitals more than any other Chicago-area hospital between 2017 and the first half of 2019, a Tribune investigation revealed last year. It was on bypass about 31% of the time during that period and has been investigated by the state for its use of the practice. VIP Logo I am thrilled to be able to put all of my experience in the builder space to use for VIP Mortgage. She continued, I am so passionate about the industry and being able to continue to grow VIPs builder business at the local and national level is what drives me. VIP Mortgage announced that builder industry veteran, Natalie Fischer, has been named the new Vice President of National Builder Sales for their Scottsdale based mortgage company. In the role, Natalie will actively engage local and national builders through partnerships and business opportunities throughout the country. With 20+ years of experience in home building, real estate, title & escrow, and mortgage, Natalie is the perfect candidate to fill this leadership position. Since joining VIP in 2016, Natalie has built VIPs builder business from one branch with one builder account to three branches with sixteen builder accounts. With the real estate market ever changing, builder business continues to be the constant and an area of the industry that Natalie is an expert in. Says Natalie of the position, I am thrilled to be able to put all of my experience in the builder space to use for VIP Mortgage. She continued, I am so passionate about the industry and being able to continue to grow VIPs builder business at the local and national level is what drives me. In addition to her work with VIP Mortgage, Natalie is also a founding member of the Board of Directors for HomeAid Phoenix, a national non-profit organization made up of leaders in the home building industry. She is also a member of the NAHB Professional Women in Building through the HBACA (Home Builder Association of Central Arizona) and an Auxiliary Board Member of NotMyKid. We are so happy to have Natalie move into this new role, says Keith Teegardin, Executive Vice President at VIP. Since joining our company in 2016, she has been instrumental to the growth of our builder division. Her commitment to expanding VIPs reach throughout the state of Arizona and the nation is apparent every day and I cant wait to see what she does next! VIP offers a variety of financing programs specifically for home builders and construction related projects, as well as identifying joint venture and marketing opportunities. In addition, the companys Builder Division has a thorough understanding of the nuances and intricacies involved with all aspects of new home financing. About VIP Mortgage VIP has 22 offices in seven states and is licensed in 24 states. In business since 2006, VIP is committed to responsible lending and making the dreams of homeowners a reality. Company licensed; 145502 and 0909074 Media Contact: Carol Taylor | ctaylor@vipmtginc.com | 520.305.6467 Inspired by stories of actor Donnie Wahlberg leaving big tips for servers, a wealthy businessman in Massachusetts left a very generous tip on a recent restaurant tab. Server Jennifer Navaria posted on Facebook that she received a $5,000 tip Saturday at the Seaglass Restaurant in Salisbury, Massachusetts, from car dealership owner Ernie Boch Jr. She initially thought it was a $50 tip. "I was, like, 'Oh, wait a minute,' so then I looked down again and I saw it was four digits, then a decimal point," Navaria said. According to his spokesperson, Boch was dining with a friend and noticed the restaurant did not have many customers. Navaria's photo of the credit card receipt shows that Boch's meal cost $157.56. It also shows that Boch wrote a message to Wahlberg at the top of the ticket. "Donnie, your move," Boch wrote. Wahlberg recently left a $2,020 tip for a server at an IHOP restaurant, a number referencing the new year. "She was just so outstanding, I said, 'This is it! This is the 2020 Donnie challenge,'" Boch said. "Who's making the next move? Who's it going to be? Who's going to help us out? It's got to be more than me -- I was more than Donnie -- (so) it's got to be more than me. Let's keep it going!" "Thank you Ernie Boch for your amazing generosity!" Navaria wrote. "You certainly made a job I really enjoy that much better." Navaria asked her Facebook friends to help share the photo of the receipt with Wahlberg. "I hear about this happening to other people and I knew about that challenge, but who would have ever thought it would happen to you?" Navaria said. (Bloomberg) -- The head of business for Apple Inc.s news app stepped down less than a year after launching a high-profile subscription product that has struggled to attract paying readers. Liz Schimel, the outgoing executive, joined in mid-2018 after serving as the president of international business at magazine publisher Conde Nast, said people familiar with the move who asked not to be identified discussing personnel matters. At Apple, Schimel oversaw relationships with advertisers and news publishers. Apple is seeking to hire a notable name from the publishing world to replace Schimel, one of the people said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. News is a key part of Apples shift to subscription services as it tries to squeeze more revenue from customers. The company introduced Apple News in 2015 as an app to aggregate stories from a variety of sources and added a $10 monthly subscription last March that includes digital magazines and access to newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. However, Apple was unable to secure a deal with two of Americas largest newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post. The papers were wary of handing over their reporting for a bundle that, in some cases, undercuts the price of their own plans. In addition to subscriptions, Apple News generates revenue from advertising inside the app, which runs on nearly all Apple devices. The company said in January that the Apple News app is used by 100 million people a month in Australia, Canada, the U.K. and U.S., but it didnt disclose the number of paying customers, as it has done for Apple Music. The company has been similarly vague about demand for other newer subscription offerings. On a recent call to discuss quarterly financial results, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the new video streaming service, Apple TV+, is off to a rousing start and that its being judged internally based on subscriber numbers. He said it wont have a material financial impact in the near term. Apple generated $12.7 billion in revenue from services in the holiday quarter, slightly below an average of analysts estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Story continues Apples services, including books, iCloud, news and video, are overseen by Peter Stern, a top lieutenant of Eddy Cue. Schimel reported to Stern, and her counterpart in editorial is Lauren Kern, a former executive editor of New York magazine whos now editor in chief of Apple News. In a bid to increase subscribers, Apple is considering bundling News with Apple TV+ and Apple Music as soon as this year, Bloomberg reported in November. In the meantime, the company has advertised heavily for Apple News+ and offered promotions. At times, it has extended the free trial period to three months, from one, and courted customers of Uber Technologies Inc. with offers of free trials through the ride-hailing app. To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Gurman in Los Angeles at mgurman1@bloomberg.net;Gerry Smith in New York at gsmith233@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.net, Mark Milian, Andrew Pollack For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Egypts Commercial International Bank (CIB) is proposing to issue up to 15 billion Egyptian pounds ($951 million) in financial instruments to fund expansion after rapid growth in 2019, its board said on Tuesday. The banks consolidated net income rose 23% in 2019 to 11.8 billion pounds, it reported late on Monday. The board authorised its chairman to call an extraordinary general assembly to approve the proposal, it said in a statement sent to the Egyptian stock exchange. Moving into 2020, we remain positive about the economic outlook and confident about CIBs ability to ride out market variations, it said in a statement accompanying its 2019 results. The board also proposed increasing the banks paid-in capital by 4.925 billion Egyptian pounds to 19.702 billion pounds by distributing one free share for every three existing, the statement said. It also proposed a cash dividend of 1.25 pounds per share for 2019. CIB shares were up 0.27% higher by 1215 GMT. Search Keywords: Short link: TUNIS - Tunisian's postal service has announced in a statement that it is issuing a special stamp in honor of Lina Ben Mhenni. Mhenni was a blogger, journalist, and activist for human rights and freedom of expression who died on January 27 at age 36 after a lengthy battle with an autoimmune disease. Her blog became famous around the world during Tunisia's 2011 revolution and she has often been referred to as the ''voice of the Tunisian uprising''. The annual State of the Union speech is supposed to be one of those rare occasions in Washington when members of both parties put aside their disagreements and show some measure of respect for each other. Obviously, that didnt happen Tuesday night, when our national politics hit another new low. First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to mention the customary high privilege and distinct honor that usually accompanies the speakers introduction of the president to Congress. Then the president refused to shake her outstretched hand. And of course at the end of the address, Pelosi tore up the presidents speech. Even during the speech, the father of a student killed in the 2018 Florida high school massacre shouted at the president when he said that the rights of gun owners are under siege. Fred Guttenberg was removed from the gallery by security officers for his outburst, though he did later apologize, saying, I let my emotions get the best of me. In all, it was not the kind of display that anybody could be proud of. This is the worlds greatest democracy, and most citizens want our leaders to act like it. Instead we see petty, tit-for-tat games that would be more appropriate for a grade school playground. Partisans from both sides will find reasons to justify their leaders behavior. Trump supporters could say he was justified in not shaking the hand of the House Speaker who just tried to remove him from office through impeachment. Pelosis backers could cite the presidents numerous, highly personal insults leveled at her and his refusal to shake her hand. Instead of getting trapped in those arguments, however, voters could agree on one thing: Were better than this, and we should be able to watch a State of the Union address that doesnt require awkward explanations to any of our children watching with us. Nastiness is hardly rare in Washington, but it has gotten worse in recent years. The two parties rarely support the same bill, something that was once common in America. Compromise and negotiation are becoming lost arts in a Congress that once mastered them. But back here in Southeast Texas, and across the country, voters can do something about it. In the primary elections, held on March 3 in Texas, and in the general election in November, we can have an impact. We can choose candidates in both parties who will step back from the edge and accept that we are all Americans, or we can select candidates who will perpetuate the divide. The choice is ours, and its another reason to vote in these elections, though no additional reasons should be necessary. We can keep hurling insults, or we can return to basic civility. If anything will change our toxic atmosphere, it is this. We hold the ultimate power to decide these issues, and the only question is whether we will use it. SE Asia restrains on virus measures Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/4 21:43:03 West's ideology won't sway Beijing's neighbors: analyst Southeast Asian countries have taken a more restrained and reasonable approach toward the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, in stark contrast to some Western countries that might have been motivated by ideological bias. Ill-intentioned goals of some in the West to sway the Southeast Asian countries will be futile, Chinese analysts said. Several countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have imposed some restrictions on travel in and out of China, including flight bans and visa restrictions after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of global concern. While the WHO clearly stated that it does not recommend limiting trade with and travel to China, these countries' measures can be understandable given their exposure to the virus due to a large number of Chinese tourists, said Zhuang Guotu, director of Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University. "Overall, the response from Southeast Asian countries has been normal and reasonable," Zhuang told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting that some countries have shown support in China's effort to control the epidemic. Some leaders of Southeast Asian countries have publicly declared their support and confidence in China's ability to combat the virus. At a speech on Saturday, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his country has confidence and China and other countries will work together to win the battle and harshly criticized rising anti-China or anti-Chinese sentiment in the wake of the epidemic. "That is foolish and illogical," he said, according to the Straits Times. "Even though the virus started in Wuhan, it doesn't respect nationality or race. It does not check your passport before it goes into your body. Anybody can be infected." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday also blasted anti-Chinese xenophobia due to the epidemic. "China has been kind to us, we can only also show the same favor to them. Stop this xenophobia thing," Duterte said, according to the Japan Times. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen even plans to visit Wuhan during his visit to China after his trip to South Korea, as long as the plan is permitted by the Chinese side, a Cambodian diplomat who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday. Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times that Hun Sen's requirement for visiting Wuhan might not be realized at present due to the serious situation, "but his friendly and positive attitude should be treasured." "Most Southeast Asian countries have expressed sympathy for China while some countries such as the US and Australia evacuated their citizens from Wuhan and stopped flights," Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. The US was the first to ban foreign nationals, not just Chinese citizens, from entering its borders and the first to evacuate its diplomats from China, while offering no sustentative support for China, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday. Australia followed suit. Despite their governments' response, many in the US and Australia have offered medical and other supplies to China, Gu noted. However, some US officials appear to have taken advantage of the epidemic in their smear campaign against China, with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggesting that the outbreak will bring jobs back to the US and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling the Communist Party of China a central threat. What's worse is that some Western officials might be trying to sway other countries, particularly China's neighbors, to isolate China under the guise of the epidemic, Zhuang said. "I don't think such efforts to pit countries against China will succeed," he said. However, in what appears to be a sign of a cautious approach, many embassies of Southeast Asian countries in Beijing on Tuesday declined or delayed comment, though some expressed support. Despite the example set by the US government's overreactions, many countries in Asia and beyond have taken a more supportive approach toward the epidemic. Ambassadors of Nepal, Greece and Bulgaria to China told the Global Times on Monday that their countries have not restricted Chinese nationals from visiting. "Bulgaria is not planning to restrict the entry of Chinese nationals," Bulgarian Ambassador Grigor Porozhanov told the Global Times on Tuesday, but said Chinese visitors will be subject to medical check-ups. "We highly appreciate the Chinese government's relentless efforts to battle the novel coronavirus and have full confidence in China's ability to control the viral disease," Porozhanov said. Japan has also won praises from Chinese people for its support for China's effort to contain the virus. Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that Japan's government and society have offered much sympathy, understanding and support for China. "At a difficult moment in fighting the epidemic, we sincerely thank and will remember forever the sympathy, understanding and support offered by other countries and people," Hua said at an online press briefing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bharat Forge Ltd is quoting at Rs 510.15, up 1.56% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 5.82% in last one year as compared to a 8.66% spurt in NIFTY and a 5.24% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. Bharat Forge Ltd is up for a third straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 510.15, up 1.56% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.34% on the day, quoting at 12020.2. The Sensex is at 40906.3, up 0.29%. Bharat Forge Ltd has risen around 6.75% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Bharat Forge Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 1.75% in last one month and is currently quoting at 8100.8, up 0.22% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 6.66 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 12.58 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark February futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 511.05, up 1.96% on the day. Bharat Forge Ltd is up 5.82% in last one year as compared to a 8.66% spurt in NIFTY and a 5.24% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 22.75 based on TTM earnings ending September 19. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in Mexico has challenged the traditional theory that humans first entered the American continents as a single population, scientists say. An analysis of the remains, found in an underwater cave known as Chan Hol near the city of Tulum, suggests there may have been multiple groups of early American settlers arriving from different geographical points of origin. According to the researchers, the skeleton, named Chan Hol 3, belonged a 30-year-old Paleoindian woman. Paleoindians were the first peoples to arrive, and subsequently inhabit, the Americas. A diver holding an exciting new discovery / PA It is believed they journeyed across an ancient land bridge connecting Asia to North America, known as Beringia, during the last Ice Age more than 12,000 years ago, before migrating to the Patagonian region in South America. The researchers say the shape and structure of the Chan Hol 3 skull is different to some of the other skeletons from a similar time period, indicating at least two morphologically different Paleoindian populations. The bones were found in an underwater cave near the city of Tulum on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula / PA Dr Silvia Gonzalez a professor of quaternary geology and geoarchaeology at Liverpool John Moores University, and one of the study authors, said: The new results are important because they question the traditional model for the peopling of the Americas with one single and homogeneous Paleoindian population migrating very fast from Beringia to Patagonia after 12,000 years ago. Our results indicate that at least two morphologically different Paleoindian populations were coexisting in Mexico between 12,000 to 8,000 years ago, one in Central Mexico and the other in the Yucatan Peninsula. The team, led by Professor Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, an earth scientist at Heidelberg University, dated the skeletal remains using mineral deposits called flowstone which covered some finger bones. Professor Silvia Gonzalez (left) and Dr Sam Rennie (right) working on the skeleton / PA They believe Chan Hol 3 to be at least 9,900 years old, if not older. Structural analysis revealed Chan Hol 3 had a round head with broad cheekbones and a flat forehead, resembling three other skulls from the Tulum caves. But according to the researchers, her cranial characteristics are different to the long-headed Paleoindian skeletons found in the region. Pieces of the prehistoric Chan Hol 3 skeleton. / PA Dr Gonzalez added: The Tulum skeletons may indicate that either more than one group of humans originally reached the American continent from different geographical points of origin, or that there was sufficient time for a small group of early settlers living in isolation on the Yucatan Peninsula, to develop a different skull morphology. In either case, the early settlement history of the Americas appears to be more complicated and may date back thousands of years earlier than commonly believed, according to the new human morphology data. The findings are described in the journal PloS One. Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth has been summoned by the judicial commission probing the police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters in Tamil Nadus Thoothukudi in May 2018 in which 13 people died. The commission, headed by justice (retired) Aruna Jegadeesan, has summoned the actor to appear in person at the panels premises in Thoothukudi on February 25. This followed the demand from several witnesses to cross-examine the film star for his remark that the firing and the resultant casualties were due to anti-social elements who indulged in violence and burning of public property during the protest. Sterlite Copper Smelter Unit, a subsidiary of Vedanta, is located in the heart of the port town of Thoothukudi in southern Tamil Nadu. There has been persistent protests and court battles for its closure on the ground that it was a prime cause for pollution. On the 100th day of the agitation on May 22, 2018, activists and political parties, traders fora, various outfits and civil society organisations took out a massive rally to the district collectorate to present a memorandum. Violence erupted during the peaceful rally and in the police firing 13 people lost their lives. The victims included 17-year-old J Snowlyn, who was shot near the beach, far away from the site of violence. The state government ordered the closure of the factory on May 28, 2018. Rajinikanth who visited the injured at the hospital in Thoothukudi two days after the firing squarely blamed it on anti-social elements and also criticised mass protests as anti-development and anti-industry. It was the anti-social elements and miscreants who set fire to the vehicles and attacked the district collectorate. The government should crush such elements with an iron fist. If we continue to protest like this, the industrial climate will be affected and the state will turn into a barren graveyard, he had said, inviting the wrath of the opposition. The post-mortem reports, accessed earlier by HT, show the victims were hit on the head and the chest in violation of standard operating procedures. The commission has held 18 hearings and examined 440 witnesses. It is slated to examine police and revenue officials besides the doctors who conducted the autopsies on the victims. Deem Finance, a digitally-led financial services provider, has engaged Network International, a digital commerce leader, to enable Deem to issue credit cards and offer loan-based services to existing and potential customers in the UAE. Deem has come to market with a brand new product set which includes cutting-edge digital services and cardholder communications tools. This collaboration builds on Networks significant experience in providing end-to-end card and instalment plan lending solutions to financial institutions in the region. Leveraging Networks established payment infrastructure and its value-added revenue generating and risk management services frees Deem from managing the mechanics of card processing. This allows Deem to focus on differentiating itself as a leading digital player in the lending market, without operational card management overheads. The key drivers that influenced the choice of Network as Deems processing partner were the advanced API interfaces that Network offers its customers, its online/real-time card processing service, and a very short timeframe needed to launch the first set of six new Deem Credit Cards into the market. These cards provide the customer with true value and put them in control of their spending and earnings, said Alex Kim, CTO, Deem Finance. We set some very challenging targets when it came to product delivery within 2019, and Network was able to meet them. Our new products are live, and we will be completing all our set up and data migration activities shortly. Deem is backed by Mubadala Investment Company, Fullerton Financial Holdings, Waha Capital and A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises LLC and provides financial support to individuals through credit cards, loans, and corporate deposits. Network will also offer Deem the capability to issue cards immediately in digital format for Google Pay and Apple Pay, thus supporting Deems objective of becoming a leading digital player. Samer Soliman, managing director - Middle East, Network International, said: Network is a trusted local processing partner in the region, and we are delighted that Deem has recognised this when it came to selecting an outsourced service provider with the capability to really help them grow their business. The UAE is among the fastest-growing digital payments markets in the world and we remain committed to delivering innovative and secure payment products and services to support clients such as Deem as they create a very specific role for themselves within the domestic and regional payment ecosystems. TradeArabia News Service The Centre on Wednesday said the disinvestment process of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) will be done in a transparent manner and surplus land of such units would be sold at commercial rates to states or any private party. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told Rajya Sabha during Question Hour that the surplus land issue of CPSEs will be "dealt with separately" during the disinvestment process. The government has given in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment of 28 CPSEs including Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). Responding to a query if huge land given by state governments on lease to CPSEs, that will be divested, will be returned to them or not, the minister said, "The land was not given to respective PSUs as a charity." The land was given as part of the deal and financial compensation for the same was also given to the respective state or individual, he said. Pradhan said the government has two principles for dealing with land related issues in the disinvestment process. There is a provision in the law. "Where the total business proposition needs a package of land for expansion for existing business, the land will remain with the entity. The surplus land will be delinked from the business proposition, it will be dealt with separately," he said. The surplus land can be handed over to the market or respective state government on a financial transaction, he added. "The surplus land will be dealt with after due diligence. If a party or respective state comes (to buy), we are open to negotiate on a commercial deal," Pradhan noted. In 2016-17, the government had consciously taken a decision that if in a proposal one portion of land is surplus then it will not be given to the new company as it is. It will be dealt with separately and commercially, he added. Responding to another query on apprehension that CPSEs will be divested at a cheaper rate, the minister said, "Nothing will be in the dark. Nothing will be under cover. Everything will be black and white, and transparent. The process is on." On divestment of CPSEs, the minister said it is being done as the government has "no business to be in business" and gradually it has to withdraw itself from such businesses and focus more on welfare of people. Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has announced a draconian new income reporting regime for welfare recipients, hoping to gouge out $2 billion in savings over the next four years. Draft legislation is to be released this week, the first week of parliament for the year, making it a top government priority for 2020. This is despite the computerised robo-debt system that clawed back hundreds of millions of dollars from welfare recipients being ruled unlawful last November by the Federal Court. Before even paying back the money wrongly taken from unemployed and under-employed workers and some of societys most vulnerable people, the government is moving to punish them again. Last April, in its 201920 budget the Liberal-National Coalition government flagged the use of new data-matching technology to automatically report employment income using a single touch payroll system. Welfare recipients will have to report any income fortnightly, to be checked against business payroll data held by the Department of Human Services. Social Services Minister Anne Ruston unveiled the new income compliance plan last week. It will gut welfare spending at the behest of the corporate elite and will have the effect of forcing thousands of welfare recipients off benefits and into lower-paid employment. At present, 1.2 million welfare recipients are required to report their income each fortnight to Centrelink, the governments monitoring agency. They are permitted to earn small amounts before their welfare payments are progressively reduced by 40 to 50 cents per dollar earned. A job seeker on Newstart benefits, for example, can earn a pittance of $104 a week, to supplement the poverty-level welfare payment of $555 per fortnight. Centrelink reporting periods often do not match workplace pay cycles, so welfare recipients are left having to estimate or predict their earnings. Casual work and unpredictable hours can make a nightmare of this requirement to report, leaving welfare recipients exposed to accusations of understating their income. The robo-debt system largely utilised automated income averaging to clawback alleged overpayments. The Federal Court outlawed the averaging, yet the new system uses much the same methods. The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) commented: We still dont know how much the government owes people who have paid false robo-debts over the past three years. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert told parliament last year that data matching would continue, even though the government was forced to pause the use of the robo-debt technology for new alleged debts. The government is also still enforcing existing robo-debts through debt collectors and garnishee orders. That is, the overall drive is continuing to impose the dictates of the banks and corporations on the welfare recipients, most of whom are struggling to survive. Ordinary people are framed as dishonest, while the banks and insurance companies that have defrauded customers of millions of dollars have escaped virtually scot free, with minuscule penalties compared to their profits. For some time the government has been working with the big four banks and two major supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, on new technological measures to extend cashless welfare cards to a national rollout. Since 2016, trials in regional and remote areas have imposed stringent controls on social security payments, especially for indigenous people, restricting nearly all spending to authorised essentials. Ruston recently boasted on Twitter of visiting the Northern Territory to consult remote communities on the Cashless Debit Card. Her travels relate to the plans for wider use of the card, and proposals to widen and extend the existing trials from June 2020 to June 2021. Ruston also has hailed quite successful work with the banks and supermarket chains on payment systems that could enable trials to impose the cashless card on welfare recipients in the major cities. As the WSWS has long warned, the initial trials were directed against the most oppressed sections of the working class, in preparation for a frontal assault on all welfare recipients. This offensive is well underway. As at November 2019, at least 104,480 people were no longer receiving Newstart or the Youth Allowance because of suspensions. This is intensifying a process that accelerated under the last Labor government. It was kept in office by the Greens from 2010 to 2013 as it cut thousands of sole parents off parenting payments, imposed harsh eligibility tests on injured and disabled workers, and privatised disability services via the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Opposition to these measures must be based on the socialist perspective that welfare itself is a fundamental democratic right, required to protect workers and the most vulnerable members of society from the brutal drive for capitalist profit at any cost. An Air Force Academy graduate who received the schools annual award for exemplary airmanship was sentenced this week to five years in prison on child porn charges. Col. Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Va., used an online network known for trading child pornography to download illegal images and videos, according to a Tuesday news release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition to prison time, Visconi must serve 15 years of supervised release, pay restitution, and complete 50 hours of community service that include speaking or writing about his experience and conviction, the news release states. He is a 1993 graduate of the Air Force Academy, a spokesman for the Colorado springs military school said. Visconi, a former special operations instructor pilot and Arabic linguist, received the Col. James Jabara Award for Airmanship in 2007 at the Air Force Academy. The award recognizes academy graduates whose accomplishments demonstrate superior performance in fields directly involved with aerospace vehicles. He received the award for training members of Iraqs air force on how to conduct counterinsurgency operations, according to the Air Force. A list of award winners on the academys Association of Graduates, omitted Visconis name and the year in which he won it, 2007 The organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time he received the award, Visconi was set to move from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina to the Air Force Academy, according to an Air Force story on his receipt of the award. The academy did not respond Wednesday to The Gazettes request for the years Visconi was stationed at the school. [February 05, 2020] LeapLearner, the World's Largest Coding Education Company, Launches in India GURGAON, India, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LeapLearner India joins the company's global network of over 1,000,000 students located across 20 countries, including China, Israel, and the US. 2020 kicked off with the launch of LeapLearner India, the EdTech giant's most recent global expansion into a new and promising market. The company will be based out of Gurugram and managed by Indian EdTech entrepreneur, Rahul Ranjan. LeapLearner International's Co-Founder and CEO, Ami Dror, will also serve as Chair of the global corporation's Indian enterprise. Dror, an Israeli serial entrepreneur, moved to Shanghai in 2016 to launch LeapLearner in China together with renowned mathematics education expert, Aaron Tian. The company has since reached over a million students through their online and offline offerings for the acquisition of 21st century skills. Following the exreme popularity of their cutting-edge computational thinking courses in China, LeapLearner India will now offer this curriculum for students ages 5-14 across India. Through LeapLearner's uniquely designed platform and learning tools, children will learn coding languages such as Scratch and Python, as well as App Development, AI, Robotics & Machine-Learning. The company's pedagogical approach and intuitive learning platform have been customized for Indian teaching-learning methods. In less than two months prior to the company's launch, LeapLearner India already registered over 1,500 students. The company plans to onboard over 10,000 students in its first year of operations. In addition to one-on-one online lessons, courses will be available at over 40 learning centers and ten K-12 Schools. As LeapLearner India grows and expands its activities, the company will enable top-rated teachers to offer home tutoring and small-group offline classes as well. As an impact-focused company, LeapLearner has joined forces with ICode, a US-based non-profit focused on expanding opportunities for computational thinking education through local, national and international junior coding competitions. LeapLearner students will be certified by ICode and will also be invited to participate in ICode's upcoming India Junior Coding Competition in October 2020. Through this competition, LeapLearner students in India will join the more than 80,000 students that have participated in ICode competitions around the world. Top achievers may even find themselves invited to attend ICode's Global Coding Olympiad in Shanghai in the Summer of 2021. About LeapLearner LeapLearner is World's Largest Coding Education Company with over 5,00,000 Students across 20 Countries. In India we offer Computational Thinking Program through Courses in Coding, Robotics, App Development, IoT & Logic for aged 5-14 years. For additional details, please contact: Girisha Chauhan ADRIFT Communications and Influencer Marketing M: +91-9999026913 E: [email protected] Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086497/Rahul_Ranjan_and_Ami_Dror.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Concentrate Sampling of Native Silver Vein Fragments Returned Significant High-Grade Silver Mineralization Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Silver One Resources Inc. (TSXV: SVE) (OTCQB: SLVRF) (FSE: BRK1) ("Silver One") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire an 100% interest in a very high-grade native silver prospect in Arizona. The property, to be called Phoenix Silver, lies within the "Arizona Silver Belt", immediately adjacent to the prolific copper producing area of Globe, Arizona. Multiple surface vein fragments (see photos below), interpreted to have been transported short distances downslope from partially exposed vein structures, have been found in numerous areas throughout the property (see maps below). Some of the larger fragments have returned the following: 417-pound native silver vein fragment in which a specific gravity test indicates high-grade silver. No assay was performed due to the desire to preserve the specimen nature of this sample. The grab sample is a selected sample and is not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property. (see photo below) 417 lb Silver Fragment To view an enhanced version of this image, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4730/52128_1502e7e2c4b12bb4_001full.jpg The above photo is of selected samples that are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property. 18.7 lb (8.5 kg) native silver vein fragment with 459,000 gm/tonne (14,688 oz/ton) silver, as determined by a concentrate assay performed at Skyline Assayers and Laboratories, Tucson, Arizona (ISO: 17025:2005). The grab samples are selected samples and not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property (see photos below) Fragment with Pen To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4730/52128_1502e7e2c4b12bb4_002fullx.jpg The above photo is of a selected sample that is not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property. Multiple Silver Fragments To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4730/52128_1502e7e2c4b12bb4_003xfull.jpg The above photo is of selected samples that are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property. Phoenix Silver Project Location Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4730/52128_1502e7e2c4b12bb4_004full.jpg Evidence of near distance transport include coarsely crystalline intergrowth of native silver and gangue minerals in combination with the relative non abraded physical nature of the vein fragments. Greg Crowe, President and CEO of Silver One stated: "The discovery of an undeveloped native silver prospect, with such high grades from near transported vein fragments, is extremely rare. This is particularly true in an active mining area such as Globe, Arizona. Nearby historic mines have reportedly produced significant quantities of native silver and silver mineralization in the late 1800's. However, most recent exploration and exploitation in the region has been focused on copper, not silver, and a large portion of the Phoenix Silver property is covered by overburden. Although Silver One has been concentrating its efforts in the "Silver State" of Nevada, the high prospectively of this project enticed the company to branch out into Arizona. Silver One is excited to be able to explore such a unique prospect, with the hope of encountering unexploited zones of native silver and silver mineralization." Six silver bearing vein structures have been identified on the property to date. Sampling of these structures, where exposed, has returned silver values ranging from background to 149 gm/t silver. The average value of 21 samples collected is 28 gm/t silver. Projection along the east-west trend of these vein structures suggests they could occur upslope from the high-grade native silver vein fragments uncovered thus far (see map below). The areas upslope are mainly covered by overburden and represent prime areas for exploration and the potential discovery of vein hosted native silver and silver ore mineralization. Phoenix Project Silver Showings and Samples To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4730/52128_1502e7e2c4b12bb4_005full.jpg This active mining area hosts several copper mines, some of which include Rio Tinto - BHP's Resolution Mine, BHP's Copper City Mine, Asarco's Ray Mine and Capstone's Pinto Valley Mine. The Arizona Silver Belt lies within a Precambrian Proterozoic to Mesozoic belt of rocks that is host to several past producing mines such as the McMorris and Stonewall Jackson. These lie to the east of the Phoenix Silver property. Historic records indicate that small-scale production from these properties in the late 1880's was in the order of several hundred thousand ounces of silver. (see Ransome, F.L., 1903, Geology of the Globe Copper District, Arizona, USGS Professional Paper No.12, pp 114-119 and Bishop, O.M., 1935, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Richmond Basin Area, Gila County, Arizona, pp 36-38). The Phoenix Silver property is a rare, underexplored high-grade, native silver and silver ore prospect. Silver One is very enthusiastic about this early stage, high-grade native silver opportunity and is anticipating moving rapidly and aggressively in the evaluation of its full potential. Terms of the Transaction Silver One entered into an option agreement dated February 4, 2020 (the "Agreement") with Granite-Solid LLC (the "Optionor") and Silver One Resources (USA) Inc., being a wholly owned subsidiary of Silver One, ("Silver One USA"), whereby Silver One USA has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Phoenix Silver property. The Phoenix Silver property consists of 86 unpatented lode claims and 2 unpatented placer claims, located in Gila County, Arizona. Silver One USA may exercise the option by making the following cash payment and share issuances: paying the Optionor US $350,000 within five days of TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the Agreement (the "Effective Date"); Silver One issuing the Optionor: (i) 500,000 shares on the date that is six (6) months from the Effective Date; (ii) 1,000,000 shares on the date that is twelve months from the Effective Date; (iii) 2,500,000 shares on the date that is twenty-four months from the Effective Date; (iv) 3,000,000 shares on the date that is thirty-six months from the Effective Date; and (v) 3,000,000 shares on the date that is forty-eight months from the Effective Date. If Silver One experiences a change in control, Silver One will be obligated to issue to the Optionor all share issuance obligations that have not yet been issued. The Agreement is subject to a five-mile area of interest. Further, after two years of the Effective Date, Silver One has the right to require the Optionor to include other unpatented placer claims under this Agreement for no additional consideration. The Phoenix Silver property is subject to an underlying 2% Net Smelter Royalty ("NSR") to the original prospectors of the project. Each 1% NSR may be purchased for US $500,000 resulting in a total of US $1,000,000 for the entire underlying NSR. The Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Greg Crowe, P. Geo, President and CEO of Silver One, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Silver One Silver One is focused on the exploration and development of quality silver projects. The Company holds an option to acquire a 100%-interest in its flagship project, the past-producing Candelaria Mine located in Nevada. The Company is currently conducting metallurgical tests to determine the best methods for and potential recoveries of silver from the historic leach pads. Silver One is also currently drilling the Candelaria project with the goals of updating the sizeable historic resource to current and is testing the potential for a down-dip high-grade zone of silver mineralization as indicated in previous drilling completed by Silver Standard in 2001. Additional opportunities lie in potentially increasing the substantive silver mineralization along-strike from the two past-producing open pits. The Company has staked 636 lode claims and entered into a Lease/Purchase Agreement to acquire five patented claims on its Cherokee project located in Lincoln County, Nevada, host to multiple silver-copper-gold vein systems, traced to date for over 16 km along-strike. Additionally, the Company also holds a 100% interest in three significant silver assets located in Mexico - Penasco Quemado, Sonora; La Frazada, Nayarit; and Pluton, Durango. For more information, please contact: Silver One Resources Inc. Gary Lindsey Phone: (720) 273-6224 Email: gary@strata-star.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Silver One cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Silver One's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Silver One's limited operating history, ability to obtain sufficient financing to carry out its exploration and development objectives on its mineral properties, obtaining the necessary permits to carry out its activities and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Silver One undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52128 A 15-year-old schoolboy allegedly died from a drug overdose just months after he was praised for his charity work by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Tributes to Emre Huseyin, from Sheerness in Kent, have poured in since the teenager collapsed suddenly and died at his Kent home on Saturday, five days before his 16th birthday. It is believed that Emre, who lost his mother at the age of three, had been experimenting with drugs alongside a friend. Tributes to Emre Huseyin, (middle) from Sheerness in Kent, have poured in since his death on Saturday. He is pictured with Sineah Hubbard, left, and Lucy Brightman-Stokes, right, who were also commended by Meghan and Harry during a ceremony at Wembley Arena The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met Emre's two fellow pupils Sinead Hubbard, far left, and Lucy Brightman-Stokes, second from left, backstage at Wembley Arena last year to thank them for the work they had done at their school's dementia cafe Another teenager, who has not been named, was taken to hospital on Saturday and later discharged. Police arrested a teenager from Orpington on suspicion of supplying drugs on Saturday. He was bailed, pending further enquiries. A second teenage boy, from Sidcup, was arrested on Monday and was still being interviewed yesterday. Last year, Emre was invited to Wembley Arena to be commended by Harry and Meghan for the work that he and his classmates had done at their school's dementia cafe. The initiative supports older people suffering from the disease, and was supported by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, of which Harry is president. While he didn't meet the Sussexes face-to-face, one of Emre's classmates presented a then-pregnant Meghan with a teddy bear for baby Archie backstage at the invitation-only concert. It is believed that Emre, who lost his mother at the age of three, had been experimenting with drugs alongside a friend. Pictured is his school, Oasis academy Emre's eldest sister Ceren Huseyin, 20, said: 'He was a smart boy and getting on so well at school. He was friendly, and loved going out with his friends. Youth appears in court over schoolboy's drug death A teenager appeared in court today accused of supplying MDMA following the sudden death of a schoolboy praised for his charity work by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Emre Huseyin, who would have turned 16 tomorrow, collapsed suddenly and died at his home in Kent on Saturday after experimenting with drugs. A 17-year-old boy appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court on Kent this morning in connection with Emre's death, charged with supplying MDMA - also known as ecstasy. Wearing a grey jumper and trousers the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, confirmed his name and date of birth as his family watched on from the back of the court. The youth, who was arrested on Monday morning, was released on conditional bail, and is due to appear at the same court next Tuesday for a plea hearing. Magistrates ordered the boy not to enter the Isle of Sheppey, or to contact any witnesses involved in the case. He was also instructed to co-operate with the youth offending team. He will be tagged and must not leave his London home between 7pm and 6am. A Kent Police spokesman said: 'The offence is reported to have taken place in Sheerness on Saturday. 'He has also been charged with threatening a person with a knife following an unrelated incident which also took place in Sheerness on Saturday.' Another teenager from Swanley, Kent, was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs on Saturday. He was bailed, pending further enquiries, until February 26. Advertisement 'He will be sorely missed. We all loved him so very much. It is such a terrible loss. This was so unexpected. He had many plans. He was full of aspirations. 'He wanted to study psychology and business in the sixth form. He had such a big future ahead of him. He loved reading and drama and was in school plays.' The family moved to Kent from Lewisham, south London, five years ago, in pursuit of a fresh start. Ms Huseyin said: 'We wanted to live somewhere where there wasn't so much crime.' Emre quickly settled into his studies at the Oasis Academy, and soon became a fixture at the school's award-winning cafe. Days after his death, floral tributes were still propped against the wall of Emre's home in Sheerness - where he lived with his father, sisters Ceren and Seren, 17, step-mother and two-year-old step-brother. He has two older brothers who live in Cyprus and Poland. His father, Yusuf Sakaryali, had been visiting another son in Cyprus when he was told the devastating news and flew back on Sunday. At evenings and weekends Emre would work at a local barber's shop to earn some pocket money. The shop's owner, Nicolae Costin-Christian, said: 'He was a very good boy. He would open the door for customers, show them to a seat, offer to get them a coffee and then sweep up their hair from the floor afterwards. 'I first met him when he came into the shop to have a haircut with his father. I have watched him grow up. 'I understand Emre might have taken something but if he did then it was very out of character. I have never seen him touch a cigarette or drink alcohol.' Indoor Gardening: How to Care for Your Houseplants Through the Winter Just because theres snow covering your garden doesnt mean you have to forgo the quiet company of plants. Whether youve brought some potted plants in from the garden, or have a number of regular house plants, youll want to be sure to treat them right through the winter. Indoor gardening Istanbul, Feb 6 : At least 120 people were wounded when a plane slided off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on Wednesday, Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. At the airport, Yerlikaya said the plane could not grasp the runway because of bad weather conditions and fell toward a road from a height of 30-40 meters, Xinhua news agency reported. One to two injured people were in critical condition, he said, noting the rescue operation inside the plane is still going on. Video footage aired by the Haberturk broadcaster showed that the front part of the aircraft was torn apart, and a fire erupted on the plane. Press reports said four US and four Chinese citizens were among the passengers of the plane with Turkey's Pegasus Airlines coming from the western city of Izmir. The airport was reportedly closed to air traffic until further notice. The four 2012 gang rape convicts sentenced to death should exercise their legal remedies within the next seven days after which the authorities should act in accordance with the law, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the Delhi High Court ruled on Wednesday. Justice Kait, however, rejected the Centres appeal against the trial courts order that put off their execution on February 1 and the request to hang two of them - Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma - because they had exhausted their legal options. Watch | Delhi HC set 7-day deadline for Delhi gang rape convicts to file petitions Tushar Mehta, the Centres senior most-senior law officer had argued that the court had misinterpreted the Tihar prison rules that requires the court to defer execution of death row convicts if an appeal or an application is made on behalf of any one of them. Mehta, who had been critical of the effort by the convicts to delay their execution, had sought to convince the high court that a mercy petition could not be counted as an appeal or application. Justice Kait wasnt convinced. I am of the opinion that all their death warrants have to be executed together, the judge ruled. Justice Kait, who had held a special hearing on Sunday at the Centres request, said the convicts were taking shelter of Article 21 which provides protection to them till their last breath. But he pulled up the authorities who the court felt had woken up late in the day. I have no hesitation to say that nobody bothered to execute the death warrants as long as Mukesh did not file his review plea in the Supreme Court after 186 days, the judge said. Senior advocate Rebecca John and advocate Vrinda Grover had countered the narrative that the four convicts were trying to delay their execution, underlying that they were just using the remedies that they are entitled to under the Constitution. Even death row convicts, who are guilty of heinous crimes, have rights, they argued. They had reasoned that the Delhi government didnt seek a death warrant for several years and the Centre had woken up yesterday and they are questioning me for the delay. Aligarh, Feb 5 : The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) proctor, Afifullah Khan, has resigned from the post without defining any reasons for the same. The resignation was accepted late on Tuesday night. The Vice Chancellor has appointed Professor Mohammad Wasim Ali of the Law Department as the new proctor. The proctor's resignation comes days after AMU students launched an agitation demanding the resignations of Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and Registrar Abdul Hamid in the wake of the campus violence on December 15. Meanwhile, 21 students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were booked by the Aligarh police on Tuesday night for allegedly burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the campus on Monday evening. According to police, the group of students, six of whom have been identified, had also written slogans of 'Hindutva terror down down', 'Islamophobic Yogi' on the effigies. They had burnt the effigies and raised slogans on the campus. Civil Lines circle officer Anil Samaniya said that the students have been booked under section 6 of Uttar Pradesh Special Power Act 1932 and section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Civil Lines police station. The students named in the FIR are Ammar Ahmad, Amirull Jaish, Nadeem Haidar, Ashif Hussain, Farhan and Nihad P.V., among others. The Aligarh police also issued notices to 153 people, including women, to sign a bond agreeing that they would be liable to face legal action if any untoward incident takes place outside Shahjamal Idgah where a large number of women have been on a sit-in for the past one week against the CAA and NRC. According to the police, men, who are providing logistic support to the protesting women, have also been issued notices. Talking to reporters, AMU coordination committee member, Faizul Hassan, who is also the former students' union president, said that though the resignation of the proctor was a welcome move, the students will continue their agitation till their other demands, including resignation of the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar are met. AMU spokesperson Rahat Abrar said: "The AMU is back to normal to some extent and efforts are on to resolve other pending issues including quashing of the FIRs lodged against bona fide students of the varsity". He said, barring a few departments, classes were held in the university on Tuesday and examinations will be rescheduled soon. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on Wednesday signed a contract with Russia's Rosneft Oil Company for importing two million tonnes per annum of Russian crude oil. The agreement was signed during India-Russia delegation-level talks. While the Indian side was led by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, CEO of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, headed the Russian delegation. Calling it an important milestone, Pradhan said, "This is yet another important milestone in our efforts to diversify sourcing of crude oil and in enhancing India's energy security." The two sides reviewed the ongoing investments between Indian oil and gas PSUs and Rosneft and discussed further enhancing energy cooperation and strengthening the hydrocarbons engagement both on investment front as well as sourcing natural gas and crude oil. Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said, "Hydrocarbon is an important pillar of the Strategic and Privileged Partnership between India and Russia. Indian oil and gas companies value their association with Rosneft, one of the important companies partnering in our energy security objectives." The two sides agreed to take forward mutually aligned priorities discussed during Minister Pradhan's visit to Russia in September last year, including exploring a roadmap for Indian investments in the Vostok (Eastern Cluster) project of Russia. They also explored opportunities for involvement of Indian companies in infrastructure development projects in the Siberian and Arctic regions. CEO, Rosneft, Sechin indicated his readiness to intensify cooperation to further strengthen India's energy security and work jointly with Indian oil and gas companies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The general in charge of Army installations laid out a plan that moves beyond fixing the service's housing crisis to drastically improving the quality of life at some of its most undesirable posts. "I am working two big pilots. First, I call it the big three, enhancing quality of life at Fort Wainwright in Alaska, at Fort Irwin in California and Fort Polk in Louisiana," Gen. Gustave "Gus" Perna, commander of Army Materiel Command, told reporters Tuesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. Wainwright is a strategic base on the Alaskan frontier; the other two are equally Spartan and are home to two of the Army's combat training centers: the National Training Center at Irwin and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Polk. "We send our best leaders, at all levels, to go train our [brigade combat teams], and then they are in these installations in the desert and in places where they don't have a lot of quality-of-life stuff," Perna said. The second pilot is being conducted at Fort Bliss, Texas, home to the Army's Sergeant Major Academy; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where majors go to Command and General Staff College; and Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, where colonels attend the Army War College, Perna said, explaining that about 1,000 leaders rotate through these locations every year. Related: Improvements Coming to Alaska Army Base as Troops Face Morale Challenges "We are cutting orders 120 to 180 days out. ... We tell them you can't report until this day, so we can synchronize and integrate their household goods, we can make sure their houses are available when they get there, we can make sure their houses are clean and there are no work orders required on them," he said. "The day they show up, they sign for a house ... household goods show up right behind them. ... Sergeants major and colonels who will be running our Army from the inside out can settle in and enjoy their family time and be educated without worrying about the house and work orders and blah, blah, blah," Perna said. In the past, the Army has made the excuse "it's 1,000 people, it's too hard," he said. "Bullcrap, we can figure this out, Perna said. "If we can do that, then why can't we do that for our entire Army." The pilots are part of a larger vision to modernize Army communities that builds off the work the service has done to solve its on-post housing crisis. For the past year, leaders have been slowly working to fix living conditions in thousands of privately managed family homes on installations across the country that suffer from problems ranging from peeling paint and faulty wiring to mold, rodent and insect infestations. These unhealthy living conditions were exposed in late 2018 in an investigative series by Reuters. "We have not arrested the situation that got this started, but we are gaining ground every day," Perna said. Of the Army's 87,000 on-post homes, 35,000 are brand new and about 27,000 have been modernized, he said, adding that there are about 25,000 that still need work. "Now we are onto what I call the next phase, as we still maintain our ... execution on the individual houses," he said. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville have stressed that they want to significantly improve the communities where soldiers and their families live, not just on-post housing, Perna added. "The secretary and the chief have visions to really bring our installations into the modern era -- how do we integrate with the local communities because 70% of our force lives off post." McCarthy recently visited Fort Wainwright -- which is part of Perna's community pilot -- and announced that the Army is working to significantly improve the quality of life for soldiers stationed at the Arctic post. But Perna wants to improve more than just barracks; housing; and morale, welfare and recreational facilities at Wainwright. "Why can't we have a waterpark up in Wainwright?" he said. "Why can't it be an indoor waterpark? It can be done. ... So why not partner with the state of Alaska ... and bring this capability to our soldiers?" Transforming every installation will be challenging, said Perna, who added that it will likely be approached in five-year chunks. "Whoever takes my place can pick it up and say, 'Oh yeah, here is where we are supposed to be in five years. Ok, I know where to go,' so it doesn't die with Perna or with McConville or McCarthy," he said. "At the end of the day ... our vision is that every installation is the No. 1 choice of soldiers and families. When they get their orders, they say, 'Yeah, I want to go to Fort Polk. I want to go to Fort Irwin. I want to go to Wainwright. I have heard nothing but great things about that installation." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Read More: Senior Army Leaders Begin Crackdown on Private Housing Problems live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Dixon Technologies that hit a record high of Rs 4,899 in the morning trade on February 5 has rallied more than 100 percent in the last year and more than 20 percent in 2020. The new year has been good for the stock that been hitting fresh highs almost daily. Experts say the future is bright for the design-focused and solutions company that manufactures products in consumer durables, lighting and mobile phone spaces. Dixon Technologies listed on the bourses in September 2017 and has since rallied by over 60 percent. The stock can surge past Rs 5,000 in the next 12 months, hence it would be wise to pick the stock on decline towards Rs 4,500, say experts. The December quarter results were also encouraging. The net sales for the December quarter increased by 31 percent on a YoY basis, whereas the bottom line surged by 54 percent. The company has shown good results especially in consumer electronics, lighting, and mobile businesses. The company seems optimistic for the current financial year due to new customers acquisition, expansion in the scale of operations and increase in original designer manufacturer mix. Recently, Dixon Technologies (India) Limited and Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd have entered into an agreement for the manufacturing of LED TVs, said Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research Limited- Investment Advisor. Dixon is focusing on client addition, backward integration and capacity extension to meet the growing demands. It is also targeting global markets with its increased size and scale in the lighting business, Garg said. All the above-discussed factors are attracting the investors and contributing to the rally in Dixon Tech, he said. Budget play The Budget 2020 might not have met expectations of many D-Street analysts, but it was good for certain sectors. Dixon Technologies, too, will benefit from various proposals introduced by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Budget proposed an effective surge in the import duty of printed circuit boards of mobile phones, which will restrict the imports. The government revised the custom duty on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly from 10% to 20%, which may benefit Dixon Technologies. High growth in consumer electronics and increasing electronic manufacturing services present a huge opportunity to players like Dixon, say experts. Dixon Technologies bears a charter of major printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer in India and increment in the import duty at their critical product is going to deliver high revenues in the books of the company, Kuldeep Tomar, Director, Advisorymandi.com, told Moneycontrol. What should investors do? Seeing the strong surge in the stock, experts advise investors to hold onto to it as the rally might not be over yet. Dixon Technologies witnessed a handsome 213 percent return in less than six monthsfrom a low of 1,560 in August 2019 to the recent high of 4,895. Make in India theme is the key reason for the stellar performance of the company. Synergy with marquee names like Samsung and Xiaomi is also a big factor in the companys growth, say experts. The stock has already rallied a lot but we will recommend investors to hold this stock for the long term, as the future looks very bright in terms of growth and it has quality management who delivers results to their projections, Santosh Meena, Senior Analyst, TradingBells, told Moneycontrol. Garg of CapitalVia also advised investors to hold on to Dixon Technologies instead of booking profits, keeping in view the upcoming projects, the companys focus on client addition, backward integration, capacity extension, and the current capital markets scenario. The stock is likely to consolidate in the range of Rs 4,500 to Rs 4,900 levels, any breakout will result in more upside, he said. Should new investors jump in? New investors should wait for a dip before getting into the stock, say experts. There is a high potential for the stock to hit Rs 5,000 in the next 12 months. Technically, the stock is trading above its important moving averages, which indicates that the stock has the potential to generate decent returns. I would like to recommend investors to add Dixon Tech to your portfolio in any dip. Stock is trading near 52-week high. Any dip around 4,500, will be a good bet with favourable risk to reward, Garg sid. Meena of TradingBells is of the view that the stock is trading with trailing PE of 50, which is on the expensive side, but it has a robust growth prospect of 30%/50% revenue/earnings CAGR over FY19-22E and fundamental ratios are supporting the valuation. Investors should accumulate this stock in Rs 4,400- Rs 4,200 zone, where 5,100 kinds of level can be achieved in the near term, he said. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Canada pressed Iran on Wednesday to send the black boxes from a crashed airliner immediately to France where the data can be analyzed, the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement, Trend reports citing Reuters. Irans civil aviation authority said on Tuesday it would keep working with other countries investigating its downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last month. Tehran has not released the black boxes. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne spoke to his Iranian counterpart Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and stressed Tehran must arrange for the quick download and analysis of the flights data recorders, the statement said. Champagne said the preferred option was for Iran to make use of the facilities offered by France with the technical capacity to do this work, it added. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month said the black boxes were damaged and France was one of the few nations able to decipher the data. Champagne also raised the question of compensation for families of the 57 Canadians who were among the 176 people aboard who were killed, the statement said. Champagne earlier told reporters that he and Transport Minister Marc Garneau met the head of the International Civil Aviation Organization last Friday to ask for its help to make sure the flight and cockpit recorders were sent to France. If you've followed Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor , you're likely well aware of contestant Victoria Fuller's former gig as a White Lives Matter apparel model. Now though, Cosmopolitan has decided to take a stand by not publishing Fuller's planned digital cover. In the latest episode of The Bachelor, the remaining contestants traveled to Costa Rica for a bikini photo shoot under the premise that whoever had the most chemistry with Weber would have their photos published on Cosmopolitan's website. And though Fuller ended up winning, the magazine's editor-in-chief Jessica Pels announced that they would no longer be publishing Fuller's photo shoot in the wake of the controversy. On Monday, Pels explained in a post that while she originally based her decision on "the energy they conveyed through the camera lens," after learning about Fuller's past modeling a few weeks ago, she decided to scrap the shoot. "Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color," Pels said in reference to a recently resurfaced photo, in which Fuller is seen in a "white lives matter" hat and a shirt with the Confederate flag. And while she noted that some reports point toward Fuller's shoot actually being for "a Marlin Lives Matter organization focused on preventing white and blue marlin from being overfished," the fact that the brand used white and blue lives matter messaging on their apparel was enough for Pels and her team to take action. "In my view, the nature of the organization is neither here nor there both phrases and the belief systems they represent are rooted in racism and therefore problematic," Pels continued, though she said that the already-printed March issue will still feature an insert of Fuller's cover. Neither Fuller nor The Bachelor have commented on the decision. Could Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II AB (publ) (STO:ENG) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. With only a two-year payment history, and a 1.7% yield, investors probably think Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II is not much of a dividend stock. Many of the best dividend stocks typically start out paying a low yield, so we wouldn't automatically cut it from our list of prospects. Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II! OM:ENG Historical Dividend Yield, February 5th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. In the last year, Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II paid out 29% of its profit as dividends. This is a middling range that strikes a nice balance between paying dividends to shareholders, and retaining enough earnings to invest in future growth. Besides, if reinvestment opportunities dry up, the company has room to increase the dividend. While the above analysis focuses on dividends relative to a company's earnings, we do note Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II's strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose. Story continues Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. This company's dividend has been unstable, and with a relatively short history, we think it's a little soon to draw strong conclusions about its long term dividend potential. During the past two-year period, the first annual payment was kr1.14 in 2018, compared to kr1.16 last year. Dividend payments have grown at less than 1% a year over this period. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments, we don't think this is an attractive combination. Dividend Growth Potential Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II has grown its earnings per share at 24% per annum over the past five years. Earnings per share have rocketed in recent times, and we like that the company is retaining more than half of its earnings to reinvest. However, always remember that very few companies can grow at double digit rates forever. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We're glad to see Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, but it was concerning to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Overall, we think there are a lot of positives to Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II from a dividend perspective. Are management backing themselves to deliver performance? Check their shareholdings in Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II in our latest insider ownership analysis. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. They were all very well qualified. It was a not an easy choice but Martha stood a little bit above the rest for what we were seeking, Melnick said, adding Carlos had previous board experience with expertise in communications and marketing. She has a very strong background and is able to understand current trends in marketing and has the ability to connect with the community. Four West Australian bikies have been arrested in a national day of action targeting members of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. WA Police executed seven search warrants across Perth on Wednesday, uncovering drugs, cash and weapons including an electronic stun device and military bayonet. Four senior Mongols members were arrested as a result of the raids. The arrests were the result of a "national day of action" targeting the Mongols. Credit:File/Simon Alekna The search warrants carried out in Landsdale, Thornlie, Darch, Girrawheen, Nollamara, Butler and Ellenbrook were part of a national police push targeting the gang. Gang Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant John Mottolini said co-ordinated activities were an important part of disrupting bikie gangs criminal activity. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The disaster response council of Metro Manila has asked the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine National Police to come up with clear procedures on how local governments in the capital region could handle possible cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The request stemmed from reports by local governments that some patients under investigation (PUIs) refused to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. We requested National Capital Region Police Office insofar as assisting our disaster risk reduction management officers and the Department of Health sa pagkuha ng mga, lets say, matitigas na ulo na PUIs [in dealing with stubborn PUIs], Michael Salalima, head of the Metro Manila Development Authoritys Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said during the inquiry on the government's response to the 2019-nCoV outbreak at the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Salalima also said they asked the DOH to just provide them with coronavirus information materials, with DOH as the only source to determine which is possible fake news. We have requested for the DOH to provide us only one material and coming only from them yung amin pong idi-disseminate [which we will disseminate] to all the cities, specifically sa city health, city disaster risk reduction and management [officers]. Meanwhile, all 17 local governments in Metro Manila have created a task force to prevent the virus from spreading. Some of them have "activated their contingency plans" as early as January of this year, planning and carrying out information campaign at the barangay [village] level, Salalima said. Lawmaker tells top health official: Fix your priorities Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon decried the absence of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in the House inquiry, saying his priorities must be fixed. As the overall in charge of this crisis, I believe he should have been here, hindi siya inspektor ng mga kuwarto ... Paki-sabi ayusin niya ang kaniyang priorities. [He is not just a facility inspector ... Please tell him to fix his priorities], Biazon said, addressing Duques associates from the DOH. Duque told CNN Philippines he will inspect Wednesday the possible isolation site for overseas Filipino workers from China which is Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. He was instructed by President Rodrigo Duterte to go to the area during their Cabinet meeting on Tuesday before the first batch of repatriates arrives on Saturday. Duque was criticized during a Senate hearing on Tuesday after it was revealed that it has assessed only 17 percent or 58 of the 331 airplane passengers who may have come in contact with two confirmed 2019-nCoV cases in the Philippines -- a Chinese couple from Wuhan -- the capital of China's Hubei province where the 2019-nCoV originated. Lawmakers also approved a resolution calling on Duque to utilize all of his powers and resources as head of the task force to combat the 2019-nCoV, and for all the members of the task group to be proactive in carrying out their mission. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that 42 overseas Filipino workers expressed willingness to be repatriated from Hubei, the Chinese province where the 2019-nCoV was first identified. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said Wednesday they are seeking clearance from Chinese authorities to fly the Filipinos home. Filipinos are exempted from the travel ban on nationals from mainland China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, which all have confirmed 2019-nCoV cases. RELATED: Duterte widens travel ban on mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau Uber started scaling back its self-driving car tests after one of its vehicles hit and killed a pedestrian in March of 2018. While the company doesn't seem primed to unleash a fleet of autonomous cars, it has been granted a new permit to resume testing in California. San Francisco -- home to Uber's headquarters -- is likely to be the company's main target, given its complex and twisting street layout. "While we do not have an update as to exactly when we'll resume autonomous testing, receiving our testing permit through the California DMV is a critical step towards that end," an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch. After the fatal crash, Uber stopped testing its self-driving cars in all four of its testing grounds -- Tempe, Arizona; Toronto; San Francisco and Pittsburgh. However, the company resumed testing in Pittsburgh just months later, and has plans to begin tests in Washington, D.C. by the end of the year. About a year after the pedestrian was killed, the company raised a $1 billion investment in its self-driving division from three Japanese organizations -- Softbank, Denso and Toyota -- despite allegedly ramping down its efforts in the autonomous vehicle industry. It's extremely probable that more deaths will occur during the testing and use of self-driving cars. How the industry handles these fatalities could have a big impact on how the technology progresses -- and how quickly the public warms up to the idea of autonomous vehicles. Nollywood actor, Uche Maduagwu has told Nigerian ladies that marriage is not a privilege or luck. Maduagwu also says approaching 30 or above without getting married doesnt mean there is a problem. Read Also: 99% Of Nollywood Actresses Bought Their Houses With Proceeds From Ashawo Jobs Maduagwu Speaking in an Instagram post, he further stated that marriage does not define anybody. He wrote: Marriage does not define you, approaching 30 or above and not married does not mean you have a problem Dear ladies, #marriage is not a privilege or luck, but a choice. Stop making people treat you as if there is something spiritually wrong with you simply because your #friends or sisters are all #married and you are yet to, this is 2020, ignore or stay far away from people with that mentality. If you choose to hang around or listen to such people, they will not only spoil your #happy mood, but also lure you into putting unnecessary pressure on the person you are currently in a beautiful #relationship with. #Wedding takes place in a day, but marriage is meant to be for a #life time, so if its taking you much time to selecting the most suitable man to journey with you on a marriage path of a life time, is the waiting not worth it? FOOD and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7.6 per cent between October 2020 and October 2021, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reported yesterday. In a memorandum on the Index of Retail Prices (RPI) published for general information yesterday, attributed to the acting director of statistics, Andre Blanchard, the CSO noted that the All Items Index of Retail Prices increased by 3.9 per cent between October 2020 and last October. Animals rule the countryside at the Animal Paradise sanctuary, 75 kilometers outside Argentinas capital, Buenos Aires. The sanctuary is a labor of love - something being operated for pleasure, not for profit. Gabriela Bezeric and Armando Scoppa have been heading the center for over 25 years. They rescue animals that would otherwise have been killed for meat. Around 850 animals live in the sanctuary. These residents include ducks, pigs and horses. The sanctuary is also home to llamas and capybaras large mammals native to South America. Bezeric hopes one day to expand the Animal Paradise. I always say that I am going to save all the animals that are at risk of death, she told the Reuters news agency. Bezeric and Scoppa, who are a married couple, support animal rights. Their ideas stand out in a country where meat consumption is central to the culture and to the economy. Yamila Buboff volunteers at the sanctuary. The Animal Paradise is the product of the work of two visionaries who a long time ago believed in giving a second chance to animals, mostly those destined for consumption, she said. So that they can be treated as the sentient beings they are and not just as a plate of food. An economic crisis has held up some of the couples plans for expansion. They are now looking for financial supporters. The important thing is that our Paradise can keep going, said Bezeric. Everything I do is for the animals and I want to continue so that this remains for them. As he fed Wolf, one of the sanctuarys horses, Scoppa said that he sometimes worried about the future. He and Bezeric are now in their 70s. There are no heirs here, the animals are the only ones to inherit it, he said. The animals own the place. Im John Russell. Horacio Soria and Juan Bustamante reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story sanctuary n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter consumption n. the act of using up or eating something visionary n. a person who has clear ideas about what should happen or be done in the future sentient adj. able to feel, see, hear, smell, or taste heir n. a person who has the legal right to receive the property of someone who dies We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Exports to China dropped 16 percent since a Huawei executive was arrested at the end of 2018. Canada can now put a price tag on its bitter diplomatic feud with China. Exports to the Asian powerhouse plunged C$4.6 billion ($3.5 billion), or 16%, to C$24.4 billion last year, according to data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada. Thats the first decline in shipments to China since 2014, and the largest drop in data going back to 1997. Relations with China havent been this fraught in half a century. The dispute started with Canadas arrest of a top Huawei Technologies Co. executive at the end of 2018 on a U.S. extradition request, and worsened after China locked up two Canadians on accusations of spying and halted billions of dollars of agricultural imports in the months that followed. Last years export decline was led overwhelmingly by the drop in agricultural shipments, including canola, meat and other crops. But even as shipments to the Asian nation fell, Canadian purchases of Chinese goods continued to grow. Imports from China were up 1% on the year. Though the U.S. remains Canadas largest trading partner, China is second biggest with two-way trade totaling C$71.2 billion in 2019. A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and prostitution charges after admitting that for four years he operated a brothel out of his parents' basement, where women were plied with crack cocaine and heroin. Raymond Rodio III, 48, from Sound Beach, New York, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of sex trafficking, criminal sale of a controlled substance and promoting prostitution. Rodio is expected to be sentenced to more than nine years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, when he goes before a judge on March 9, reported Patch.com. He also will be required to register as a sex offender. Scroll down for video Pimp's plea: Raymond Rodio III, 48, has pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of sex trafficking, criminal sale of a controlled substance and promoting prostitution (pictured at his arraignment in April 2019) Prosecutors said Rodio kept young women locked in his parents' basement in Sound Beach, New York, for long periods of time without toilet or shower (pictured) Rodio used the cellar as a makeshift sex dungeon (pictured) between December 2014 and February of last year According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, in August 2018, police pulled over Rodio during a routine traffic stop and discovered a suspected victim of human trafficking in his car. A subsequent investigation uncovered that the woman had been forced into prostitution by Rodio in the spring of 2018. Further investigation by the Suffolk Police Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and the District Attorneys Offices Human Trafficking Team revealed that Rodio was trafficking women out of the basement of his parents home on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach since December 2014. Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said Rodio used social media to lure some 22 women in their 20s, got them addicted to heroin and crack cocaine by initially offering them the drugs free of charge, and then forced them to have sex for money. If the women refused to comply, Rodio withheld drugs from them, or threatened them with violence. According to prosecutors, Rodio also plied the women with drugs to impair their judgement. Acting as the women's pimp, Rodio advertised their services on websites like Backpage.com and Craigslist.com, kept much or all of the women's earnings for himself, and used the money to support his own crack cocaine habit. Prosecutors said Rodio's parents, both aged 74, likely were not aware of what was going on in their home on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach (pictured) Rodios father, Raymond Rodio Jr (left), said his son has battled drug addiction for many years According to officials, the women were locked for extended periods of time in Rodio's makeshift sex dungeon in the basement, which did not have a shower or a toilet, and forced to relieve themselves in a bucket. None of the women that Rodio had preyed on has been arrested in connection to the prostitution case, but they will be receiving counseling. Video shot by News 12 Long Island inside the cellar shows a bed covered with a colorful duvet, several leather cushions and decorative animal skins hanging on the wall. Prosecutors say Rodio's parents, both aged 74, likely were not aware of what was going on in their home. Rodio III, who has a son and a daughter of his own, in November 2015 appeared on Suffolk County's Non-Paying Parents List The door to the basement has an exterior lock to which Rodio had the only key, a press release from the district attorney's office stated. In addition to the house, Rodio also allegedly forced the victims to perform prostitution at various motels throughout Suffolk County. Rodio's mother, Nancy Rodio, denied that her son had used her basement as a brothel. 'There was nothing going on in my house,' she said. Rodios father, Raymond Rodio Jr, said his son has battled drug addiction for many years. The elder Rodio said he tried to get his son help, but his efforts failed. Rodio III has a son and a daughter of his own. In November 2015, his name appeared on Suffolk County's Non-Paying Parents List, revealing that he owed more than $50,000 in child support payments. This is a rolling story. See the heading below for the latest update. Daily deaths caused by the new coronavirus have reached yet another record high in China, with 65 fatalities all in Hubei province confirmed in overnight figures released by health authorities. The newly reported fatalities took the death toll in mainland China to 490. According to data released on Wednesday morning by Chinas National Health Commission (NHC), confirmed cases around the country rose by 3,887 also a daily record high to 24,324, the majority of which were in Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak. Cases of the novel coronavirus in Hubei rose by 3,156 to 16,678, according to provincial figures as of midnight on Tuesday. Almost 2,000 of those new cases were confirmed in Hubeis capital of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated at a seafood and meat market. Newborn tests positive An infant in Wuhan has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus just 30 hours after birth, raising concerns that the infection could be contracted in the womb. Citing sources from the citys childrens hospital, state broadcaster CCTV reported that two infants were infected with the virus, the youngest just 30 hours old. The mother of the newborn was a confirmed patient of the coronavirus. At present, the infants vital signs are stable, the report said. Zeng Lingkong, a senior physician at the hospitals neonatal department, said the case was a signal that we should be concerned about the possible new transmission route of the coronavirus. Zeng said pregnant women should stay away from infected patients. The Wuhan Childrens Hospital had set aside an area to treat pregnant women with suspected symptoms, the report said. Asymptomatic transmitters Chinese health authorities have identified a number of patients who have become carriers and transmitters of the coronavirus despite showing no outward symptoms of the disease. Li Xingwang, chief infectious diseases expert at Beijing Ditan Hospital, said most of the dormant carriers were related to and had caught the virus from patients with symptoms. Story continues These [carriers] have the virus and can transmit it. The amount of virus correlates to the severity of the illness, which means these patients carry less of the virus and their ability to transmit disease is weaker, Li said. In new treatment and diagnosis guidelines released on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said people with milder symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, a cough but no lung infection, should be quarantined and treated to curb further infections. The guidelines also said airborne and digestive tract infections were other possible modes of transmission after traces of the coronavirus were found in patients faeces. Li said the two modes were still only possible routes and further investigation was needed to confirm them. Cambodias leader visits Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Wednesday, becoming the first foreign leader to visit since the introduction of emergency measures to try to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has confirmed Hun Sens trip to the capital following confusion over where he would travel to after visiting South Korea. On Tuesday, Hun Sen said he wanted to visit the 27 Cambodian students stranded in Wuhan, but China said going to Wuhan would not be appropriate and offered to host him in Beijing instead. We fully understand the concerns of Prime Minister Hun Sen about the students, Hua said in a statement. However, as efforts to curb the outbreak go into full force in Wuhan, and in such a short period of time, it is not convenient to arrange to go to Wuhan. China pays high regard to the safety and health of Cambodian students. Hun Sen has been criticised by domestic media for not evacuating Cambodian citizens from Wuhan, and last week urged people to remain calm. He also threatened that reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask would be kicked out of Phnom Penh, Cambodias capital. The prime minister does not wear a mask, so why should you be wearing a mask here? he said in a televised address. There is one confirmed coronavirus case in Cambodia. Drug patent application China has applied for a new patent on an experimental drug to treat the coronavirus. Wuhan Institute of Virology said in an online notice that a patent application had been filed on January 21 for the use of remdesivir, a drug developed by biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. The drug has not been approved or licensed anywhere in the world, but has been rushed into trials in China after showing signs of effective use on coronavirus patients. Chinese scientists have found remdesivir and chloroquine, an 80-year-old malaria drug highly effective in laboratory studies aimed at thwarting the coronavirus, they said in a paper published on Tuesday in the journal Cell Research. The two drugs effect on humans required further clinical tests, the Wuhan institute said in the online notice. It made the patent application in the national interest and would not exercise its patent rights if foreign pharmaceutical firms worked with China to curb the contagion, it said. New Taiwan restrictions Taiwan will bar mainland Chinese nationals from entering the island from Thursday until further notice, the Taiwan Centres for Disease Control announced on Wednesday. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said Taiwanese who had travelled to the mainland, Hong Kong or Macau would be quarantined at home for 14 days immediately after returning to the island. Taiwan has 11 confirmed cases of the illness, including a 50-year-old Taiwanese businessman who returned from Wuhan with 246 others on a charter flight on Monday night. According to the Taiwan CDC, one of the 11 patients is recovering and expected to be discharged this week. Wuhan ups testing Capacity to diagnose the coronavirus has been boosted in Wuhan, according to mainland media. Hubei Daily reported on Wednesday that 31 institutions in Wuhan were equipped to carry out testing, and that their capacity had been increased from 200 tests a day to 4,000. Tongji Hospital could now perform 1,000 tests a day, and had 27 staff up from 12 who were able to conduct them in a 24-hour operation, the report stated. As the demand for tests is rising, we have deployed manpower from other departments, Sun Zirong, a director of the hospital, said. At the citys Jiangbei Hospital, it takes up to five hours to test each batch of samples. The ability of health authorities in Wuhan to quantify the scale of the outbreak has been hampered by a short supply of testing kits, a member of the NHCs expert panel said earlier this week. Trump coordinating with China US President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address that the United States was working with China to fight the outbreak. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China, he said, without giving details. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat, he said. China has expressed unhappiness over the US ban on entry for travellers who have visited China in the previous two weeks, accusing the US of overreacting and spreading fear while failing to provide any substantial help. The White House has said that China agreed to allow American health experts into the country to help, but that China did not react very enthusiastically. UN urges support, not stigmas The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for international solidarity and an end to any ill-founded discrimination over the outbreak. At a press conference in New York on Tuesday, Guterres urged a strong feeling of international solidarity, a strong feeling of support to China in these difficult circumstances and all the countries that might be impacted, and a strong concern to avoid the stigmatisation of people that are innocent, and victims of situation. There have been reports of overseas Chinese and Asian people facing racist abuse since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Local media in Britain reported that a Chinese student in Sheffield was attacked for wearing a face mask on Thursday. A Chinese woman was sent to hospital for medical treatment after being hit by two foreigners in Berlin on Friday. True numbers may be higher The new totals of deaths and infections came amid growing concerns voiced by health experts that the true number of cases caused by the contagion, also known as 2019-nCoV, could be significantly higher, since official statistics generally reflect only acute cases in which patients have been admitted to hospital. Over 2,500 of the patients undergoing treatment in Hubei were in either serious or critical condition, according to the latest figures. The latest data followed predictions by a top health official that recent health care measures would cause the fatality rate in Hubei particularly Wuhan to fall. Those measures included increased beds for patients in critical condition and the deployment of specialist medical teams experienced in severe respiratory diseases, said Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the NHCs Medical Administration Bureau. The overnight figures indicated a small drop in Hubeis fatality rate, falling to around 2.9 per cent from 3.1 per cent the day before. The mortality rate in the province remained significantly higher than the national rate, which stood at just over 2 per cent. As of midnight on Tuesday, 892 people nationwide who had contracted the illness had been successfully treated and released from hospital, the NHC said. Over 185,000 people remained under medical observation. Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with. More from South China Morning Post: This article Coronavirus: infant tests positive just 30 hours after birth first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. (Adds experts to meet in Geneva) * Death toll in mainland China rises by 65, new daily record * American Airlines, United suspend flights to Hong Kong * Hundreds of experts to gather in Geneva in bid to combat virus * Virus to delay U.S. export surge from trade deal - White House By Stephanie Nebehay and Se Young Lee GENEVA/BEIJING, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine for China's coronavirus on Wednesday as airlines, carmakers and other global companies counted the cost of the fast-spreading outbreak. Hundreds of experts will gather in Geneva next week, on Feb. 11-12, in an attempt to find a way to fight back against the outbreak by speeding research into drugs and vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. A multinational WHO-led team would go to China "very soon", it added. It stressed no known effective treatment existed to combat the virus, dismissing various reports of "drug breakthroughs". China said another 65 people had died in the previous 24 hours, in the highest daily total yet, taking the overall toll on the mainland to 490, most in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan, where the new virus emerged late last year. There have been two deaths outside mainland China - in the Philippines and Hong Kong - both following visits to Wuhan. The virus had disrupted air travel, with more than two dozen airlines suspending or restricting flights to China and several countries, including the United States, banning the entry of anyone who has been in China over the previous two weeks. Hong Kong said all visitors from mainland China would be quarantined for two weeks, while Taiwan banned the entry of mainland residents from Thursday. The disruption spread to cruise ships this week, with about 3,700 people facing at least two weeks cut off aboard a liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed 10 passengers had tested positive for the virus. Story continues Passengers on the Diamond Princess posted pictures online of officials in masks and gowns conducting health checks and an empty deck. "This is not a good situation," British passenger David Abel said in a video shot in his cabin and posted to Facebook. In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew were confined to their ship docked in the city for tests after three people on board had tested positive earlier. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, saying conditions were as grave now as during the 2009 financial crisis. American Airlines Group and United Airlines said they would suspend flights to and from Hong Kong after this week, a step that would leave no U.S. carriers flying passengers to the Asian financial hub. About half of the air cargo carried globally is in the belly of passenger jets rather than dedicated freighters. FACTORY DISRUPTION Nearly $700 billion was wiped off mainland Chinese stocks on Monday with many factories shut, cities cut off and travel links constricted, fuelling worries about global supply chains. Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday. Hyundai Motor will suspend production in South Korea because of a disruption to the supply of parts, it said, becoming the first major carmaker to do so outside of China. Global carmakers have already extended factory closures in China in line with government guidelines. These include Hyundai, Tesla, Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Nissan and Honda Motor Planemaker Airbus has prolonged a planned closure of its final assembly plant in Tianjin, China, it said. Taiwan's Foxconn, which makes phones for global vendors including Apple, aims to gradually restart factories in China next week but could take at least a week or two more to resume full production, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. German sportswear company Adidas said it was temporarily shutting a "considerable" number of its stores in China. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the epidemic would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from a Phase 1 trade deal set to take effect this month. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the virus was adding to economic doubts. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty," she said in Paris. HUMAN-TO-HUMAN SPREAD Evidence of human-to-human spread outside China surfaced after an international business gathering in Singapore in January was linked to virus cases reported in Malaysia and South Korea, but authorities did not comment on its nature or the industry involved. Singapore - one of the worst hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 28 cases of the new coronavirus. Across mainland China, there were a total of 24,363 coronavirus infections, according to the WHO. Nearly 230 cases have been reported in some 27 countries and regions outside mainland China, a Reuters tally based on official statements shows. "The relatively small number of cases outside China gives us a window of opportunity to prevent this outbreak from becoming a broader global crisis," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. The WHO has declared the flu-like virus a global emergency and says facemasks are important in curbing transmission if someone is showing symptoms. Pregnant women may be able to pass it to their unborn children, according to Chinese state media. Asked about various reports of "drug breakthroughs", WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV." Russia said it would take between eight and 10 months to develop a vaccine, Interfax reported. Scores of Russians began two weeks of quarantine in Siberia on Wednesday after being flown from Wuhan. Beijing has criticised as an overreaction U.S. travel curbs that bar foreign nationals who have visited China. About 350 Americans, the latest to be evacuated from Wuhan, landed in California on Wednesday. (Reporting by Lusha Zhang, Ryan Woo, Roxanne Liu and Se Young Lee in Beijing, Yilei Sun and Winni Zhou in Shanghai, Tom Westbrook in Singapore, Jamie Freed in Sydney, Matthew Tostevin in Bangkok, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Hong Kong and Taipei newsrooms, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Susan Heavey and Makini Brice in Washington, Writing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie; Editing by Alex Richardson and Pravin Char) Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), cervix and breast cancers occupy the second and third places in cancers identified in the Congolese populations, after prostate cancer, an official source told PANA here Tuesday FILE - This file image released by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, and displayed at a Pentagon briefing, shows an image of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Islamic State group seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine but tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the region provide a comeback opportunity for the extremist group. (Department of Defense via AP, File) Associated Press The killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last October "has not resulted in any immediate degradation to ISIS' capabilities," US Central Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency explained to the Defense Department Inspector General. CENTCOM, the report explained, said that "ISIS likely implemented an existing succession plan upon Baghdadi's death and continued without interruption." The report explained that while ISIS remains intact and operational, it has not been able to significantly advance its insurgency. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The elimination of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last fall has not hindered the terror group's operations, the US military assessed, according to a new Pentagon inspector general report. US Central Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency "both assessed that the October death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US operation in Syria has not resulted in any immediate degradation to ISIS' capabilities," the report explained. CENTCOM said that "ISIS likely implemented an existing succession plan upon Baghdadi's death and continued to operate without interruption." President Donald Trump announced in late October that the notorious ISIS leader Baghdadi died during a raid by US Special Operations Forces on his position, detonating a suicide vest that killed him and his children. "The United States brought the world's number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead," Trump said. "Baghdadi's demise demonstrates America's relentless pursuit of terrorist leaders and our commitment to the enduring and total defeat of ISIS and other terrorist organizations," he added. The ISIS leader was eliminated on Oct. 26. Less than a week later on Oct. 31, the terror group announced a successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi. The CENTCOM assessment that Baghdadi's death has not degraded ISIS' capabilities is the latest sign that more work remains in the ongoing effort to defeat the terror group and that high-level decapitation strikes may not be effective at eliminating the threat it continues to pose. Story continues Former CIA counterterrorism officer Douglas London recently criticized the president's obsession with "celebrity" terrorist targets, to include Baghdadi, arguing that it caused him to overlook other potential targets that might further advance the US mission against extremist organizations. London, who served during the Trump administration before leaving the agency, wrote in a January op-ed for Just Security that "although US efforts to target key ISIS leaders and operatives had preempted what might have been any number of devastating terrorist attacks, the president's lack of familiarity with their names made such efforts and their accomplishments less consequential to him." Instead, he argued, the president's focus was on bringing down Baghdadi. CENTCOM told the Pentagon inspector general's office that following the infamous ISIS leader's death, "ISIS remained cohesive, with an intact command and control structure, urban clandestine networks, and an insurgent presence in much of rural Syria." In its effort to defeat ISIS, the US partnered with various international forces, such as the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces which fought to crush the ISIS caliphate at a heavy toll before they were abandoned by the Trump administration. ISIS remnants have been trying to regroup as the organization evolves from an occupying force into an insurgency, one that can carry out attacks locally, as well as incite lone wolf-style attacks in the West. While ISIS "maintained the pace, scope, and complexity of its operations in SDF-controlled areas," CENTCOM explained that the terror group "did not significantly advance its insurgency." Read the original article on Business Insider Homes and businesses that use smart light bulbs are at risk of being hacked and even spied on, new research has revealed. The vulnerability, which affects the market-leading Philip Hue smart bulb, was discovered by researchers at security firm Check Point, who claim cyber criminals could use it to plant spyware or ransomware on home networks. It works by exploiting a flaw with the popular ZigBee protocol, which is commonly used within wireless networks. "Many of us are aware that smart devices can pose a security risk, but this research shows how even the most mundane, seemingly 'dumb' devices such as light bulbs can be exploited by hackers and used to take over networs, or plant malware," said Check Point researcher Omri Herscovici. "It is critical that organisations and individuals protect themselves against these possible attacks by updating their devices with the latest patches and separating them from other machines on their networks, to limit the possible spread of malware." Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The researchers informed Philips of the vulnerability, who have since issued a security patch through its website. Check Point urged owners of the light bulb to update their devices immediately. The research once again raises questions about the security of internet-connected devices that are increasingly used in people's homes. Everything from toasters to baby monitors have been discovered with serious flaws that endanger the people who use them. A recent investigation by UK consumer watchdog Which? revealed that thousands of smart security cameras could be vulnerable to hackers. The Philips Hue smart bulb 'could allow hackers to plant spyware' within people's homes (Philips ) (Philips) Smart light bulbs, which have limited capabilities compared to other smart appliances like fridges and TVs, may seem relatively harmless as a technology, but Check Point's research is not the first time issues have been discovered with them. Last year, researchers at the University of Texas discovered security holes in popular smart bulb brands that cause them to leak information when exposed. "Think of the bulb as another computer. Any data can be stolen: texts or images. Anything that is stored in a computer," University of Texas professor Murtuza Jadliwala said at the time. "These bulbs are now poised to become a much more attractive target for exploitation even though they have very simple chips." The Australian Army insignia and the Australian flag on military uniform on Aug. 1, 2007. (Getty Images) Australian PM to Set up Veterans Suicide Commission Scott Morrison says a new inquiry into veteran suicide will be bigger and better than a royal commission. The national commissioner will investigate the deaths of more than 400 Defence personnel since 2001, and report back within 18 months. The permanent role requires new legislation, but an interim chief will work out of the prime ministers department immediately. Morrison said the inquiry would be able to keep evidence private, unlike a royal commission. I think weve come up with a much better way that brings everybody together, he said. The decision comes after federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese backed calls for a commission. Albanese endorsed the public campaign after meeting with Julie-Ann Finney, whose son David died by suicide earlier this year. While making clear he would have preferred a royal commission, Albanese welcomed the alternative as a necessary step. We dont want the perfect to be the enemy of the good here, he told reporters in Canberra. Labor will approach this issue in a positive way and join with the government in participating in this process. The suicide rate for ex-servicemen is 18 percent higher than the broader population and ex-servicewomen are twice as likely to take their own lives as other Australian women. The government will spend $40 million to set up the office of the commissioner. Apart from investigating past and new deaths, the commissioner will also make recommendations to improve mental health and wellbeing. The watchdog will deliver an annual report to parliament to assess the reduction of suicide risk factors. Liberal backbencher Phillip Thompson, himself a veteran, said he looked forward to the inquiry delivering tangible solutions. Every day I wake up and I remember my mates that have been killed on operations and my friends that have died by suicide, he said. Im sick of it, veterans are sick of it and the family members are absolutely sick and tired of burying our loved ones and now this is the action. The government will also establish a veteran family advocate alongside the new commissioner role to communicate with veterans and their families and help develop related policy. If you are struggling and have suicidal thoughts, please contact any one of the following organisations: Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also chat online with the Lifeline support service every day from 7:00 PM until 4:00 AM (AEDST). Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also chat online with the beyondblue support service every day from 3:00 PM until 12:00 AM (AEDST). Samaritans 135 247 Based in WA SuicideLine 1300 651 251 Based in Victoria Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 The Suicide Call Back Service provides immediate support to anyone feeling suicidal. In addition, they can provide ongoing support through up to six 50-minute telephone counselling sessions that will provide you with longer term support. The Suicide Call Back Service also offers online counselling. In the early days of World War II, the British were fighting to free Norway from the Nazis. As the pilots of two aircraft fought viciously, they were unaware they were about to make lifelong friends with an enemy. The aerial fighting took place amid heavy mountain snows between a German Heinkel He 111 bomber and three British B-24 Skua fighters. Three on one would be difficult for any medium bomber, but the Skuas were just too much. The German aircraft came crashing down in the mountains above a frozen lake. A few minutes later, one of the British Skuas experienced engine failure and made its own emergency landing on that lake. It was spring 1940, but you'd never know it to look at that remote mountainous area of Norway. Both the British pilot, Capt. R.T. Partridge, and his radio operator, Lt. R.S. Bostock, survived the rough landing, making their way to an abandoned house that appeared to have once belonged to a reindeer hunter. Almost as soon as they arrived, they saw three men coming through the heavy snow. They were what was left of the Heinkel bomber crew. They were not happy. A gun camera view of a dogfight over occupied Norway, ca. 1940. The British and German crews had both walked through the heavy snow and cold to the now-deserted cabin. Somehow, the British managed to convince the Germans their plane was not the Blackburn Skua that had shot down their aircraft, but rather a Vickers Wellington bomber that was shot down by the Luftwaffe. That was, of course, a lie. But the Germans were armed with pistols and knives, and the truth would literally hurt. Eventually, they came to a general agreement. The Germans could take the hut; the British would continue on in the snow. No one else had to die that day. The two British airmen made their way to the town of Grotli, a summer vacation resort that was currently devoid of people. Breaking into a hotel, the two men managed to pass the night in relative comfort. When morning came, so did the Germans. Rather than kill one another, the crews shared breakfast and decided they would have to cooperate to survive their situation. They were both far from their lines and had no way to communicate. No one knew to come look for them. If they didn't work together, they would all die there. Partridge and German Sgt. Karl-Heinz Strunk soon headed out to scout the area, look for other people and see whether there were populated towns anywhere close by. Almost immediately, in full view from the abandoned hotel, they encountered a Norwegian ski patrol. A patrolman fired a warning shot at the duo, and Partridge threw his body on the ground. Strunk put his hands on his head. Bostock, the British radioman, emerged from the hotel just in time to see Strunk reach for his pistol and be shot by the Norwegians. The other two Germans, pilot Capt. Horst Schopis and mechanic Joseph Auchtor, were captured and sent to the nearby town of Stryn as prisoners of war. They would eventually end up in Canada, where they spent the duration of the war. Partridge and Bostock were able to convince the ski patrol they were allies by showing them British currency. The two then had to link up with British Marines by hiking to Alesund, where they were then forced to steal a car to meet the HMS Manchester to return to England. Once in England, the two airmen were returned to service, taking part in an air raid near Trondheimsfjord, where Bostock was killed and Partridge was shot down and captured, spending the rest of World War II in a Luftwaffe POW camp. Both Partridge and Schopis survived the war, being prisoners, and went on to write books about their experiences. Decades later, Partridge called Schopis, and the two would meet several times over the years, notably in one another's hometowns of London and Munich. The two reunited for the last time in the city of Grotli in 1974, where the abandoned hotel they had once commandeered for breakfast stood. Schopis returned by himself in 2004, 14 years after Partridge died. Schopis died in 2011 at age 99. Their story was turned into the 2012 film "Into the White," starring Rupert Grint in the (renamed) Bostock role. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Know More About Military History? Be sure to get the latest stories about Military History, as well as critical info about how to join the military and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. An international research project has uncovered the genetic fingerprints of a range of cancer causes, with Australian experts saying it points the way to future personalised treatments. Many cancers are the result of damage to a persons DNA through exposure to ultraviolet light and tobacco smoking, which causes genetic mutations. The study, the largest of its kind, looked at more than 2600 DNA samples from 38 different tumour types to try to find similarities between those genetic mutations. The largest study of its kind has uncovered the genetic "fingerprints" for many underlying causes of cancer. Professor Sean Grimmond from the University of Melbourne led the Australian effort in the study, contributing about 10 per cent of the genetic samples that were analysed. More than 48 hours after the Airbus SE bribery scandal broke out, former President John Mahama, whose government dealt with the global aircraft manufacturing giant, is yet to open up to the findings of damning separate investigations in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). The damages in the US court against Airbus SE with Case No.: 1:20-cr-00021 (TFH) is being assessed after the historic judgment at the District of Columbia Court, but at the UK Crown Court of Southwark, London, Airbus SE has been fined a record 3 billion in penalties after admitting it had paid huge bribes on an endemic basis to land contracts in 20 countries, including Ghana. UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in documents sent to court quoted at least 5 million Euros as payment of kickbacks to a top Ghanaian official through an intermediary who is a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghanaian government official during the Mahama administration. NPP's Daring Move The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has gone overdrive and is claiming that Mr. Mahama is the person that investigations in the UK and the US had revealed to have taken bribes in respect of the sale of aircraft to Ghana by Airbus SE. They have even dared him to come out and clear the air but unusual of him, the former President has gone silent ever since, not even his characteristic social media posts. Clear View In the UK Crown Court documents, the SFO names the elected NDC guru as 'Government Official 1' and that powerful official is the same person being referred to as 'Individual 1' in the US court documents. In the same vein 'Intermediary 5' in the UK court documents, who has been described as the brother of the powerful elected official in Ghana, is the same person being referred to as 'Consultant 4' by the US authorities. Direct Contacts Per the two documents, Government Official 1, who the NPP insists is Mr. Mahama, was not just content with having Intermediary 5 (his brother) handle his alleged bribe-collection arrangements. According to the documents, 'Government Official 1' was in direct repeated contact with senior Airbus SE executives. President Akufo-Addo has already referred the raging Airbus bribery scandal to the Special Prosecutor, Martin A. B. K. Amidu, for investigations and possible prosecution. A statement by the Director of Communications at the Presidency (Jubilee House), Eugene Arhin, said, President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgment and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal and to take the necessary legal action against any such official as required by Ghanaian law. NPP Intensity The NPP said the case against Mr. Mahama is beyond what it called 'salvation' and said that notwithstanding the referral to the OSP, it is necessary that the former President now Candidate John Dramani Mahama responds directly to the issue himself. Candidate Mahama is no stranger to speaking to the international community. He has been known to assemble diplomats even if he has nothing to say except lies as demonstrated in the false tapes saga of Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency matters. The NPP calls on Candidate Mahama to tell the whole nation what he knows about GO1 and the processes leading to the purchase of the aircraft from Airbus SE. NPP Communications Director Yaw Buabeng Asamoa, addressing a news conference on Monday, said, The serious nature and processes involved in the accusations demand immediate action to remove any stains to the name and reputation of the Republic of Ghana. Key Decision Maker According to the NPP, Airbus SE, in seeking to sell Ghana three military transport planes from 2009 to 2015, actively engaged GO1, further described as the key decision maker in the purchase of aircraft by the then Government of Ghana. Though the first deal for two planes was concluded in 2011, the elected government official could not have been the late President Mills (RIP) because the evidence identifies a 'Go-Between', who is said to be a close relative of GO1. The 'Go-Between' referred to as Intermediary 5 (I5) in the court papers is further identified as a UK national born in Ghana. I5 is said to have migrated to the United Kingdom as a young child and thereafter lost touch with his Ghanaian family until the late 1990s. My First Coup D'etat According to President Mahama's account of his sibling in his book, 'My First Coup D'etat', the profile of I5 appears to fit perfectly that of the long lost and found brother. Having been found, he conveniently surfaces to be the preferred Business Partner (BP) of Airbus in its deal with the Government of Ghana through GO1. The NPP is insisting that the companies used to receive the bribe money were named and the shareholder who is very close to the former President has also been named. Document falsification, kickbacks, lies and overpayments is what the Airbus scandal is all about. And it appears John Mahama is deeply involved. Significantly, this is just one of Mahama's corruption scandals, where it is alleged that he personally leads the negotiations and for his close associate to execute on his behalf and collect the bribes. Tainted Candidate The NPP said, In the face of these facts, it is very necessary for Candidate Mahama to come out and be heard publicly. He cannot continue to hide behind others. Of course, we are all aware that he hates answering questions about corruption. He would like to find out if the question is being asked as a former President, or as a Candidate of the NDC, or as a Human Being. But he must answer because, allegedly, all fingers point to him and one of his brothers. Previous Incidents This is not the first time a court has boldly declared the Mahama regime an official 'kleptocracy'. This is a UK court. It confirms what the Ghanaian Supreme Court declared when it said the then government of John Mahama was in government to 'create, loot and share' public resources. The nation has had major issues of corruption and important allegations made against John Mahama personally in his time at the helm of government. He was personally involved in the Ford bribery scandal and the Armajaro issues, another foreign UK matter. Indeed, as referred to already, he struggled to even answer the BBC question whether or not he had accepted a bribe before, the NPP fired. Runaway NDC NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on radio yesterday, declined to comment on the Airbus SE bribery scandal and instead preferred to talk about the NDC's demonstration against the compilation of the new voters' register. He said the Airbus issue had been referred to the Special Prosecutor by the President and, therefore, Ghanaians should allow Mr. Amidu to investigate the matter. ---Daily Guide As we celebrate 25 years in business, these awards remind us that our people make all the difference, said Chris Flakus, Chief Operating Officer of The CSI Companies. The CSI Companies today announced that all of its participating divisions have received ClearlyRateds 2020 Best of Staffing Award for Client and Talent satisfaction, earned by less than two percent of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada. In partnership with presenting sponsor, CareerBuilder, and gold sponsors Indeed and Glassdoor, ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award recognizes companies who have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and candidates. On average, clients of winning agencies are 3.3 times more likely to be completely satisfied and candidates who have been placed by winning agencies are 1.7 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. Established in 2018, CSI Financial for the first time earned the Best of Staffing award for both candidate and client satisfaction. CSI Professional and CSI Tech maintained their Diamond Award winner status in 2020. The Diamond Award distinguishes companies who have earned the Best of Staffing Award for at least 5 years in a row. CSI Professional has earned the Best of Staffing awards since 2013 while CSI Tech has earned the Best of Staffing awards since 2014. As we celebrate 25 years in business, these awards remind us that our people make all the difference, said Chris Flakus, Chief Operating Officer of The CSI Companies. When clients and candidates feel taken care of, long-lasting relationships are built, and we look forward to replicating that experience for many more for years to come. In 2019, the Net Promoter Score staffing industry average for client satisfaction was -2%. CSI Financial, led by Larry Mims, received a score of 73.3%. CSI Professional, led by Brandy Kerby, received a score of 80.4%. CSI Tech, led by Andrew Cihlar, received a score of 82.8%. For candidate satisfaction, the Net Promoter Score staffing industry average was 45% in 2019. From their placed candidates, CSI Financial received a score of 68.1%, CSI Professional received a score of 68.8%, and CSI Tech received a score of 70.5%. Now more than ever, it is important for staffing firms to deliver consistently remarkable experiences to the clients and talent they work with, said ClearlyRateds CEO Eric Gregg. This years Best of Staffing winners have shown their commitment to exceptional service, committing to not only measuring satisfaction, but taking action on the feedback. About Best of Staffing ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms based exclusively on validated client and talent ratings and testimonials. About The CSI Companies Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., The CSI Companies provides national staffing solutions by placing top talent in the technology, financial, accounting, healthcare, and other professional industries across the country. In 2010, The CSI Companies became a part of Recruit Global Staffing, active in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Recruit Global Staffing is a leading global HR service provider, and part of Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. To learn more about The CSI Companies, visit thecsicompanies.com. Jamia Millia Islamia University Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan said that few demonstrators were detained by the police during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the varsity here on Tuesday. "Some people held a demonstration today. They were later detained by the police. The situation at the University is normal," Khan said. The protest has been going in and around the university premises since the passage of the citizenship law in December last year. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted more time to the central government, Delhi Police and others to file their response on a batch of petitions relating to the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15. A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and C Hari Shankar listed the matter for further hearing on April 29. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing on behalf of the Centre, informed the High Court that the investigation in the matter is at a crucial stage and sought more time to file a reply. Delhi High Court had, on December 19, issued a notice to the Centre and city police seeking their response in the matter. Various petitioners have moved the High Court seeking remedies including forming a fact-finding committee to probe the violence that took place on December 15 after Delhi Police allegedly attacked students protesting against the CAA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 18:20:58|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close COLOMBO, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Wednesday said that Sri Lanka could further grow through stronger technology and innovations as some innovative solutions in the country's transport and water sector could improve the delivery of public services, and harness the private sector to boost the economy, create jobs, and lift people out of poverty. In a statement released by the World Bank following the conclusion of a 4-day visit by World Bank Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer, the bank said that during his visit, Schafer gained a better understanding of Sri Lanka's development priorities under the new government and how the World Bank's financial and knowledge resources can be deployed for maximum impact. "Sri Lanka is today an upper-middle-income country with some of the best human development indicators in South Asia. These are tremendous achievements that the World Bank is proud to have helped achieve as a trusted partner of over 60 years," Schafer, quoted in the statement said. "We look forward to working closely with the government in the preparation of our new country strategy and our collaboration as development partners," Schafer said. During his visit, Schafer also discussed some of the government's key priorities, such as investments in human and physical capital, public sector reforms, creating skilled jobs for youth, and responding to the health needs of a rapidly aging population. He also commended the government's focus on tourism as an engine of sustained growth. Promoting innovation in agriculture to adapt to climate change while developing systems of value addition to promote growth were also discussed. While the government is keeping an eye on states' preparedness to deal with coronavirus, Kerala seems to be the best placed among all to handle the situation, say health experts. The state has a greater concentration of hospitals and medical and paramedical staff than others. However, given the general infrastructure in government hospitals and the availability of specialists, it's time to brace for challenges, say health experts. Doctors say containing the virus will a challenge as more people travel around the world. Of all coronavirus patients, mortality is high among elderly and immunocompromised individuals. The problem typically gets challenging when an infected person develops pneumonia. Health apparatus of states should have specialists and equipment in place, including anaesthesiologists (there are around 40,000 in India right now), intensivists, trained nurses, syringe pumps and blood gas analysers. Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, chaired a video conference with health secretaries and officials from various states/union territories (UTs) on Tuesday to review the novel coronavirus preparedness. She said "various precautionary measures have been undertaken in close coordination with the concerned ministries at the central level", and that the "situation is being closely and regularly monitored by PMO, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Cabinet Secretary". Also read: Kerala uses Nipah experience to effectively control Coronavirus spread A note issued by her office quoted her as saying that "as many as 777 flights and 89,500 passengers have been screened so far at 21 Airports." About 454 samples have been tested in India so far, of which 451 have been reported negative and three positive. In all, 3,935 passengers are presently under community surveillance across 29 states/UTs. During the meeting, the Ministry of Tourism officials stated: "they are coordinating with the hotels association for wider self-reporting by travellers visiting religious and other tourist places in states." Also read: Coronavirus scare: Hospitals get cautious and ready She also reviewed preparedness in terms of the orientation of health and other agencies, including adherence to prevention and management protocols, and awareness regarding prevention of coronavirus among people being screened and those transiting the border with Nepal. She said to meet with increasing demand for additional manpower to undertake screening at airports, states should provide required health workforce and other logistical support. Special awareness drives across toll plazas, bus stations and railway stations are being carried in states with no airports or seaports, such as Haryana. Kerala, which has reported three positive cases of coronavirus, highlighted the monitoring and surveillance being carried out across all administrative units. Also Read: Coronavirus update: India temporarily suspends e-visa facility for Chinese citizens, foreigners in china Researchers have launched a pilot program that aims to create a non-invasive way of testing every Australian child for type-1 diabetes. "Our aim is to be the first in the world to have routine screening for type 1 diabetes," pilot lead Dr Kirstine Bell said. Researchers hope to create a national screening program for type 1 diabetes in children. Credit:istock The tests will look for particular chemical markers that can indicate if a person is at risk of developing the disease months or years before they develop symptoms. Dr Bell, a diabetes researcher based in the University of Sydneys Charles Perkins Centre, said being able to identify the disease earlier means doctors can treat it earlier as well. Angela Merkel's party has today demanded a new vote after a regional politician was unexpectedly elected with support from the far-right AfD in a move that has shocked Germany. Kemmerich, a politician from the economically liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), was elected as state premier in the small state of Thuringia after lawmakers from AfD gave him their backing. As a result of the vote, which broke political taboos in Germany, Kemmerich beat incumbent Bodo Ramelow of the Left party 45 to 44. Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU party immediately called for fresh regional elections as a way out of the crisis, a call echoed by other mainstream parties. 'The CDU has said time and again there can be no cooperation with the AfD,' said Paul Ziemiak, secretary general of the centre-right CDU. 'New elections would be the best thing for Thuringia.' Newly elected Free Democratic Party (FDP) premier of Thuringia Thomas Kemmerich smiles as he gives a statement in Erfurt, Germany, following his victory 'This is the first time in the history of modern Germany that a state premier has been elected with AfD votes,' political scientist Andre Brodocz told broadcaster MDR. The AfD's own candidate received zero votes, indicating the party's state legislators aligned as a bloc behind Kemmerich. While the vote was secret, the liberal candidate must also have enjoyed support from lawmakers belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU, as well as his FDP stablemates. Media were quick to describe the event as a 'political earthquake', as mainstream parties had so far refused to countenance working with anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU AfD at any level. Addressing the local parliament in Erfurt, Kemmerich sought to ease concerns by insisting he would stick to a pre-election pledge not to work with the AfD. 'You have in me a bitter opponent of anything that even hints at radicalism, from the right or left, or fascism,' he said, to jeers from local MPs and shouts of 'Hypocrite!' and 'Charlatan!'. Left-wing Thuringia incumbent governor Bodo Ramelow can't believe his eyes as he loses the election by a single vote German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose party has called for new elections in Thuringia, arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting of the German government in Berlin People from across the political spectrum quickly condemned the tacit cooperation between CDU, FDP and AfD in social media posts. 'Every decent liberal should be ashamed that an FDP man has been elected with votes from the AfD,' tweeted Hubertus Heil, federal labour minister from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Voices within the FDP were divided, with board member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann tweeting that the 'unacceptable and unbearable' alliance made it a 'bad day for me as a liberal'. But the party's deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki welcomed Kemmerich's election as state premier. AfD co-leader Joerg Meuthen told the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily the vote showed there was 'less distance' between the CDU, FDP and AfD than other parties, showing the movement was part of a 'middle class' majority. It would be 'understandable' if the AfD demanded ministerial jobs in Kemmerich's government, he added. Thomas Kemmerich sits on his seat after the vote in the Thuringian state parliament in Erfurt, eastern Germany Thuringia belongs to Germany's former communist east, where rejection of the far right has not taken such deep roots as in the west in the decades since the country's 1990 reunification. As in other eastern states, the autumn 2019 election brought a surge there for the AfD. But in light of the firewall towards the far right, incumbent state premier Ramelow was widely tipped to be reelected. Despite the 2019 regional election robbing his coalition of absolute control in the state parliament, most observers had expected Ramelow, a popular local politician, to win a simple majority. Talks to find a possible majority coalition, rather than continuing with his weakened alliance of Left party, social democrats (SPD) and Greens, were complicated by national politics. Fraud on voters! People demonstrate outside Thuringia's State parliament building after the vote to show their anger at the result Merkel's CDU, who placed third in last year's ballot after the Left and the AfD, argue both are too extreme in their positions and have a nationwide policy of not working with either party. The dam breaking in Thuringia is all the more surprising to observers as the AfD's leader there, Bjoern Hoecke, is one of the party's most radical figures, heading a loose movement within the party known as the 'Wing'. He has in the past called for a '180 degree turn' in Germany's culture of remembrance for the Holocaust and other crimes of the Nazis, which form a central pillar of the country's post-World War II political life. Wednesday marked a 'new start for Thuringian politics,' Hoecke said, adding the AfD had helped stop it becoming a 'left-wing state'. Central Council of Jews in Germany president Josef Schuster said in a statement he was 'horrified' by Wednesday's vote. 'The FDP has quit the consensus among democratic parties not to work together with the AfD or to count on the far right's support,' Schuster said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke congressional tradition by introducing President Donald Trump as only "the president of the United States." Previous House speakers have introduced the sitting commander in chief by saying they had the "high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States." Pelosi gave President George W. Bush the full introduction in the 2007 State of the Union address. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke congressional tradition by introducing President Donald Trump as only "the president of the United States" during the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. "Members of Congress, the president of the United States," Pelosi said, introducing Trump in front of the joint session of Congress. Previous House speakers have introduced the sitting commander in chief by saying they had the "high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States." Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois introduced President Bill Clinton with all the formalities in 1999, when Clinton, like Trump, was facing his impeachment trial. Paul Ryan, the GOP former House speaker from Wisconsin, similarly introduced President Barack Obama in the 2016 State of the Union address. (Though Ryan's introduction of Trump in 2018 reportedly raised a few eyebrows after he mistakenly said he had the privilege of "preventing" the president, before quickly correcting himself.) During last year's State of the Union address, it was Trump who appeared to break tradition by starting his speech after shaking hands with Vice President Mike Pence and Pelosi but before the House leader could make a formal introduction. When asked about the 2019 incident, Pelosi reportedly denied it was a snub. "What do you mean? I introduced him," Pelosi said, at the time, according to The Hill. "I did introduce him. I said, 'Members of Congress, I present you the president of the United States.' There was no snub." Story continues "It went quickly, I guess," she added. Pelosi also gave President George W. Bush the full introduction in the 2007 State of the Union address. Trump's third State of the Union address in the House chambers appeared to be a contentious one with Pelosi. Trump neglected to shake Pelosi's hand before his speech after she extended her arm toward him. The two leaders have not spoken with each other in roughly two months, after the Democrat launched the House inquiry into and eventual impeachment of the president. Just after Trump ended his speech Tuesday night, Pelosi dramatically ripped up a copy of it. Asked about it as she left the chamber, she replied, "it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives." Read the original article on Business Insider ROME, N.Y. Students and teachers at Gansevoort Elementary School in Rome celebrated Read Aloud Day on Wednesday with an author visit and sing-along. Tamara Cantarano, the author of The Adventures of Mac the Dog, and guitarist Joe Cantarano held a program at the school to engage kids in reading. Reading every day, singing, playing while they are reading -- will help them remember what they have read and what they are learning, said Allison Ingmire, a kindergarten teacher at Gansevoort. World Read Aloud Day is held to promote the importance of reading and sharing stories. World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg on Wednesday announced she will be leaving the institution, according to a letter sent to colleagues and obtained by AFP. Calling it a "difficult decision," Goldberg wrote that she will step down from her post on March 1 to return to teaching at Yale University. "This has been a rewarding experience, to work with you on the issues that we care deeply about and ensure that development economics serves to create opportunities for the poor," she told her colleagues in the letter. In a separate letter, World Bank President David Malpass said research director Aart Kraay would take over for Goldberg until a new permanent chief economist is hired. "I appreciated Penny's passion for building the institution's connection to state-of-the-art academic research and her commitment to drawing young talented economists to the bank, an effort that will continue beyond her departure," Malpass wrote. A Greek-American national, Goldberg took up her post at the end of April 2018, after the resignation of Paul Romer following a controversy over the World Bank's statistical methods. A graduate of University of Freiburg in Germany and Stanford University in the United States, Goldberg was the first editor in chief of the American Economic Review and taught economics at Yale before joining the bank. There, she studied global value chains, and in a report published last October showed how poor countries could transform their economies by specializing in the manufacture of a particular component rather than building entire industries from scratch. World Bank Chief Economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg will return to teaching economics at Yale University A plane carrying 176 Canadian citizens from the centre of the global novel coronavirus outbreak has landed in Trenton, Ont. Flight HFM322 departed from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak originated, and landed at Vancouver International Airport after 9 p.m. local time Thursday evening. It stopped for refuelling for about two hours before heading to the Canadian Forces Base Trenton. Myriam Larouche, a 25-year-old from LAscension, Que., who is studying tourism management at the Central China Normal University in Wuhan, described the flight as pretty long, but noted everyone slept for most of it. All evacuees will spend 14 days under quarantine on the military base in southern Ontario being monitored to see if they have contracted the virus. I think Im going to sleep for 20 hours straight, Larouche said, adding that the last few days have been stressful. She said she is relieved to be back home because its been a long process that felt longer being in a different country. A U.S. government flight from Wuhan with about 50 Canadians on board departed a short time after the Canadian evacuation flight. The American plane will take Canada-bound passengers as far as Vancouver, where they will transfer to a second flight chartered by the Canadian government to CFB Trenton to join the rest of the evacuees. The plane was initially set to depart China early Thursday local time but was delayed due to what the Prime Minister said was inclement weather. Larouche said she got an email from the Canadian Embassy about the delay. The email says the delay was due to circumstances beyond the control of the Government of Canada. The flight departed Wuhan around 2:45 a.m local time, and landed in Vancouver at 9:45 p.m. local time to refuel. Briefly back on the ground, Larouche said shes so happy to be back in Canada. She said she felt good about arriving to Trenton, but a bit afraid and stressed about staying in quarantine for 14 days. Ottawa has said that upon arrival in Canada, the evacuees will be quarantined at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton for 14 days, with no visits from family or friends allowed. They will go through medical checks done by Chinese authorities, and no sick person will be allowed to leave. Larouche said the prospect of being in isolation in Canada doesnt bother her particularly if it puts Canadians minds at ease over whether the evacuees could cause the coronavirus to spread in this country. She arrived in Wuhan last fall with the intention of staying for two years to study tourism management at a local university. Before the outbreak, she spent her down time exploring the city, other areas of China, and practising Chinese. But since the coronavirus began to spread and the entire city was quarantined, shes only left her apartment to buy food from the grocery store. The once-crowded streets outside her window stayed almost entirely empty all day. In an interview with the Star, Larouche said she wondered whether she would have another opportunity to return to Wuhan at a later time. We call it a study city. Theres a lot of universities here, theres a lot of international students, she said. All those students are chatting with one another now online, comparing stories about the quarantine and whether theyll be able to leave Wuhan. Its easier when you know there are other people going through what youre going through, she said. With files from the Canadian Press Alex McKeen is a Vancouver-based reporter covering transportation and labour for the Star. Read more about: President Donald Trump spent little time on foreign policy in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but nearly everything he said on the subject was wrong. Early on in his speech, Trump said that, as a result of his policies, America is highly respected again. In fact, according to the latest international poll released in January by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of respondents have no confidence in Trump or his policieslower marks than received by the Russian and Chinese leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Only among right-wing nationalists in countries like Hungary and Poland have Americas ratings risen since Trump took officehardly the sign of a beacon of freedom. Advertisement Trump said, The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, even scorned by other nations, are long behind us. In fact, North Korea continues to enrich uranium, build missiles, and stall arms talks, while Trump believes that Kim Jong-un is his good friend who has signed a contract to denuclearize his military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He claimed his tariffs policy against China has worked, citing a groundbreaking treaty with China that protects workers and intellectual property while pouring billions into the U.S. Treasury. In fact, the accord with China was just a phase-one deal that leaves most tariffs in place, including many affecting U.S. firms that rely on Chinese-made goods in their supply chains. He claimed that, nonetheless, we have perhaps the best relationship with China that weve ever had. This might be news to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who just last week declared that the Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our time. Advertisement Advertisement Trump introduced Juan Guaido, the leader of Venezuelas opposition movement, who was sitting in the House gallery, calling him the true and legitimate leader of his countrywithout noting that, apart from some inflaming rhetoric in the early stages of the rebellion, roughly a year ago, Trump has done nothing for Guaidos cause.* Trump boasted that hed finally persuaded our allies to pay their fair share on defense spending, raising the contributions from the other NATO nations by $400 billion. In fact, the allies have boosted their spending by $130 billionnot nothing, but far below triumphant. (Trump has said he hopes theyll raise their share by $400 billion by 2024.) Even now, only a handful of NATO nations have met the goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, and except for Britain, those are hardly the wealthiest nations: Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. Advertisement Advertisement The president properly celebrated the destruction of the Islamic States caliphate and the militarys killing of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, Trump ignored the recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency concluding that Baghdadis death had no impact on ISIS operations, which have increased as the result of Trumps pullout from northern Syria. Advertisement Advertisement Trump also mentioned his groundbreaking path for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but offered no elaborationor reason. The plan has been unanimously rejected by the Arab Leagueincluding the leaders of the three nations who appeared alongside Trump at the peace plans announcement and who denounced it after reading the fine printand by the European Union, which declared that its terms violated international law. Our job, Trump said, reciting his campaign slogan, is to put America first. This is less profound than he pretends. None of his rival politicians believes in putting America second. Where they differ is with Trumps concept of America first, which has left America alone. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Headlines are often scarier than reality. By many accounts, the coronavirus outbreak seems unstoppable. At least two-thirds of Chinas economy has shut down, with more than a dozen provinces extending their Lunar New Year break to next week. It could be even longer in the countrys eastern electronics-manufacturing hubs, which have the largest number of patients outside the epicenter of Wuhan. The worlds export powerhouse is grinding to a halt, investors fear. But thats not the full picture. Even as the government diverts resources to contain the outbreak, with millions of people on lockdown, some factories are still humming. President Xi Jinping hasnt forgotten his Made in China 2025 dream. Consider display-panel makers. South Koreas LG Display Co. said that while it has halted lower-tech LCD module lines at its Nanjing and Yantai plants until Feb. 9, its facility in Guangzhou, which makes more advanced OLED panels for smartphones, was operating normally. It will begin mass production in the first quarter. This isnt your ordinary factory. With a monthly capacity of 60,000 sheets,(1) the Guangzhou site will account for almost half of LG Displays OLED output. The manufacturers decision last year to open a brand-new facility was a big win for Beijing, as other companies started shifting their supply chains out of China amid the trade war. The local government will make sure LG manages to operate smoothly, virus or not. Even in the area surrounding Wuhan, some factories have remained open. Employees at NAND flash-memory supplier Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. must report to work as usual, though entries and exits are strictly monitored, according to industry reports. Credit Suisse Group AG said the companys plant has been operating throughout the past week in a research note this week. Then consider Changxin Memory Technologies Inc., another memory-chip maker near Wuhan. It hasnt been affected by the sharp slowdown in domestic transportation of goods because it holds a national special license that allows it to continue making deliveries, according to TrendForce, a market-research company. Story continues These chipmakers are the crown jewels of Xis Made in China 2025 blueprint. Yangtze Memory is managed by Tsinghua Unigroup Co., the business arm of prestigious Tsinghua University, the presidents alma mater. Its early-stage NAND memory technology shows potential, and is only half a generation behind the global flash memory leaders. It can plausibly narrow that gap in just a year or two. Will Beijing allow an untimely virus to set its grand ambition back again? Chinas gone through plenty of drama in the past two years. But if it can weather a trade war, surely it can ride out an epidemic, which many hope will subside by spring. While factories that make toys or clothing could be closed for months, you can bet those with national strategic importance will stay up and running. Fears of a major disruption in the global hardware supply chain are overblown. (1) Once in full production. To contact the author of this story: Shuli Ren at sren38@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Rachel Rosenthal at rrosenthal21@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Shuli Ren is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian markets. She previously wrote on markets for Barron's, following a career as an investment banker, and is a CFA charterholder. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. 3M (US), Saint-Gobain 1998-2017 (US), Mirka Ltd. (Canada), sia Abrasives Industries AG (UK), DEWALT (US), Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH (Germany), ARC ABRASIVES, INC. (US), Zhengzhou Kingshark Abrasives Co., Ltd. (China), NIHON KENSHI Co., LTD (Japan), Kanai Juyo Kogyo Co., Ltd (Japan), Jiangsu Sanling Abrasive Co., Ltd. (China), and Tailin (Philippines), among others are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global non-woven abrasives market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis. Non-woven abrasives Market Market Overview Non-Woven Abrasives are manufactured when abrasive grains are fused with nylon fibers and are bonded together with the help of synthetic resins such as phenolic, epoxy, and others. The global Non-Woven Filter Media Market is projected to grow significantly on account of increasing demand from major end uses such as transportation, building & construction, textile, electrical & electronics, industrial machinery, and others. Growing demand from transportation and electrical & electronics industry due to increasing demand of both vehicles and portable electronic devices and rising applications of abrasives in electrical industry is anticipated to drive growth of the market. Additionally, the developing countries along with developed economies are rapidly taking up infrastructural developments, wherein non-woven abrasive is majorly used. On the backdrop of the growing environmental concern and regulatory norms against the conventional fuel based automobiles around the world is fuelling demand for electric vehicles. Moreover, the global Non-Woven Filter Media Market Market is estimated to grow at considerable CAGR during 2017 to 2023 to drive demand of the products forward. However, the major constraining factor operating in the market is a volatility in crude oil prices which may affect the resin prices to negatively impact Non-Woven Filter Media Industry. Non-woven abrasives Market- Competitive Landscape The global Non-Woven Filter Media Market Trends is a highly mature market with significant number of major players operating into the market. The market is primarily driven by flourishing construction, automotive and transportation equipment industry. The market is greatly concentrated by the presence of significant number of large players yet, 3M, Saint-Gobain, Mirka Ltd., Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH, Zhengzhou Kingshark Abrasives Co., Ltd. are the key manufacturers in this market. Almost all of these market participants are primarily adopting the expansion and product launch tactics to strengthen their market position. Growing automotive industries, and continuously rising demand from construction and industrial tools & equipment, along with the collaborations and agreements between manufacturers, distributers, and marketing firms are key market forces operating in the market for the growth of the demand for non-woven abrasives. Considering these trends, the global Non-Woven Filter Media Market is likely to witness competition over the forecast period of 2017-2023. Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: December 8, 2017- 3M, the U.S. based technology innovation company, entered into agreement with KUKA Robotics Co., Ltd. and FERROBOTICS Co., Ltd. of Germany and unveiled the joint polishing station with the theme of "technological innovation and power-making" at 3M Shanghai R & D Centre. The leaders of the tripartite parties aspire to jointly build the first joint polishing mill in Asia and join forces to focus on the technological innovation and research and development of the grinding process and promote the revolutionary development in the grinding field. April 20, 2017- The government of India have plans to promote use of technical textiles in the country with the textile ministry already having discussions on the subject with ministries of agriculture, urban development, health, and surface transport. The ministry plans to soon have meetings with other crucial ministries such as defence, railways, and heavy industries. This favouring conditions on part of government is anticipated to propel growth of the market in this region during the years to follow. October 12, 2017 - The US based global chemicals manufacturer and exporter, Huntsman Corporation launches a new inks for color-fast technical textiles scope of responsive inks that deliver exceptional light-and weather-fastness for digital printing of polyester strands. TERATOP XKS HL inks are designed to enable mills to produce technical textiles with the most astounding color-fastness performance for the automotive, outdoor furnishings and home textiles industries. November 22, 2017- China based Hismer Bio-Tech expressed its plans to manufacture biomass fiber from an exceptionally irregular source: shrimp and crab shells. The raw material used for this purpose is around 10,000 metric tonnes of the shell waste, which is procured from seafood preparing organizations in China's ports of Qingdao, Yantai, Dalian and Ningbo a year for the generation of somewhere in the range of 6,000 tons of biomass fibers. It has turned into the world's biggest marine renewable manufacturer. Access Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/non-woven-filter-media-market-2088 Combined Kamoa-Kakula Project Indicated Mineral Resource now stands at 423 million tonnes grading 4.68% copper, at a 3% cut-off Combined Kamoa-Kakula Project Indicated Mineral Resource now stands at 1.4 billion tonnes grading 2.7% copper, at a 1% cut-off Initial Indicated Mineral Resource estimate for the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone includes 1.5 million tonnes grading 10.7% copper, at a 5% cut-off Drilling continues to target additional resources in the vicinity of the ultra-high-grade Bonanza Zone and the Far North Zone Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun, Co-Chairs of Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF), announced today the completion of an independently-verified, updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Kamoa Deposit - originally discovered by Ivanhoe Mines' geologists in 2008 - is one of two very large, near-surface, flat-lying, stratiform copper deposits discovered to date on the 400-square-kilometre Kamoa-Kakula mining licence. The other major deposit - Kakula - is being fast-tracked to commercial production, with the initial 3.8 million-tonne-per-annum mining operation scheduled to produce first concentrate in Q3 2021. As shown in Figure 1 below, the Kamoa Deposit includes the recently-discovered, ultra-high-grade Kamoa North Bonanza Zone and the Far North Zone. The new Mineral Resource estimate is the culmination of an infill drilling program designed to better define higher-grade copper zones within the existing Kamoa Deposit. At a 1% cut-off, Kamoa's Indicated Mineral Resources now total 760 million tonnes grading 2.73% copper, containing 45.8 billion pounds of copper. At the same 1% cut-off, Kamoa's Inferred Mineral Resources now total 235 million tonnes grading 1.70% copper, containing 8.8 billion pounds of copper. At a 3% cut-off, the new Mineral Resource estimate boosts the Kamoa Deposit's Indicated Mineral Resource tonnages by 15% and contained copper by 15.5%, to a total of 256.8 million tonnes at a grade of 4.15% copper. At the same 3% cut-off, Kamoa's Inferred Mineral Resources now total 13 million tonnes at a grade of 3.51% copper. "The delineation of Indicated Mineral Resources at the North Bonanza Zone and the Far North Zone continues the long history of exploration success at Kamoa-Kakula," said George Gilchrist, Ivanhoe Mines' Vice President, Resources. "We see excellent opportunity to add further shallow, higher-grade copper resources in the northern portion of the mining licence in the general vicinity of the Bonanza Zone and the Far North Zone, as well as on our adjoining wholly-owned Western Foreland exploration licences, which should allow us to further unlock the exciting potential of this resource area." Majority of Kamoa's additional copper resources hosted in the ultra-high-grade Bonanza Zone and the Far North Zone The entire Kamoa Deposit was updated in the new Mineral Resource estimate. The majority of recent drilling, however, targeted the ultra-high-grade Bonanza Zone at Kamoa North, and an approximated north-south corridor of elevated copper grades in the far north of the mining licence area (the Far North Zone). The new Kamoa Mineral Resource estimate covers approximately 600 metres of strike length in the deeper western portions of the Bonanza Zone (west of the West Scarp Fault), and 1,500 metres of strike length in the shallower eastern portions of the Bonanza Zone, defined by drill sections spaced 50 metres apart on strike in the central section, and 100 metres apart on strike elsewhere. At a 1% cut-off, the current, combined Indicated Mineral Resources for the Kamoa-Kakula Project now totals 1.387 billion tonnes grading 2.74% copper, containing 83.7 billion pounds of copper. At the same 1% cut-off, Kamoa-Kakula's combined Inferred Mineral Resources now total 339 million tonnes grading 1.68% copper, containing 12.5 billion pounds of copper. At a higher 3% cut-off, the current, combined Indicated Mineral Resources for the Kamoa-Kakula Project now totals 423 million tonnes grading 4.68% copper, containing 43.7 billion pounds of copper. At the same 3% cut-off, Kamoa-Kakula's combined Inferred Mineral Resources now total 17 million tonnes grading 3.51% copper, containing 1.3 billion pounds of copper. The new Kamoa Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimate was prepared by George Gilchrist, Ivanhoe Mines' Vice President, Resources, under the direction of Gordon Seibel, RM SME, of the Wood Group (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc.) of Reno, USA, and is reported in accordance with the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mr. Seibel is the Qualified Person for the estimate. The effective date of the estimate is January 30, 2020, and the cut-off date for drill data is January 20, 2020. Details of the estimate are in tables 1 - 9. There has been no change to the Mineral Reserve estimate at Kamoa-Kakula. Figure 1: Plan map of the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence (outlined in red), showing the Kakula Deposit, Kamoa North Bonanza Zone, Kamoa Far North Zone and the Kakula and Kakula West deposits. The project's first mine at Kakula is scheduled to begin production in Q3 2021. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_002full.jpg The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the DRC government (20%). Figure 2: Among the world's largest copper deposits by contained copper, Kamoa-Kakula has the highest copper grades by a wide margin. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_003full.jpg Source: Wood Mackenzie *Note: Selected based on contained copper (Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources, inclusive of Mineral Reserves, and Inferred Mineral Resources), ranked on contained copper in Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources. Exploration will focus on finding more zones of ultra-high copper mineralization to further boost Kamoa's overall copper grades The Bonanza and Far North zones were discovered within previously-drilled areas following a review of the mineralization controls evident at the Kansoko, Kakula and Makoko discoveries. An intense focus on understanding these controls and how to recognize them from available data, provided the exploration team at Kamoa-Kakula with the ability to target high-grade zones, leading to infill drilling that included drill holes DD1450 and DD1571, the two highest-grade intersections ever drilled at the Kamoa-Kakula Project. Two drill rigs currently are drilling in the Kamoa North area, testing the typical Kamoa-Kakula shallow mineralized horizon on previously-identified, high-grade copper trends. The ultra-high copper grades intercepted to date in the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone are believed to be the result of an east-west growth fault focussing copper-rich fluids to interface with both the typical mineralized horizon at Kamoa-Kakula and the overlying, highly-sulphidic and reduced Kamoa Pyritic Siltstone (KPS). This has resulted in a new, upper mineralized zone hosted in the KPS and characterized by the bonanza-grade copper found in the vicinity of hole DD1450. These two zones combined provide an Indicated Mineral Resource of 12 million tonnes at a copper grade of 4.65%, at a 3% cut-off (Table 7). Drilling in the Far North Zone has defined 2,500 metres of high-grade copper along an approximately north-south trending fault where fluids have been focussed into a very condensed sequence of basal diamictite and overlying KPS. Drilling north of the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence, on Ivanhoe's 100%-owned Western Foreland exploration licences, has confirmed the continuation of this corridor for at least one kilometre. In the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone, the typical Kamoa-style mineralization, hosted within the basal diamictite, is flat-lying with shallow dips between 0 and 10, whilst ultra-high copper grades hosted within the overlying KPS dip at steeper angles (40). The eastern portion of the Bonanza Zone (east of the West Scarp Fault) and the Far North Zone occur in a shallow part of the deposit, with the vast majority of the Mineral Resource <250 metres below surface. Lineaments in the aeromagnetic data, thought to be the controlling structures, can be traced along trend into Ivanhoe's adjoining, 100%-owned Western Foreland exploration licences. Kakula's Mineral Resource also updated for the upcoming Feasibility Study The project geological team also updated the Mineral Resource estimate for the Kakula Deposit. This updated resource estimate, which has an effective date of November 10, 2018, will be incorporated into the Definitive Feasibility Study for the Kakula Deposit that is being prepared. Kakula's updated Indicated Mineral Resources total 627 million tonnes grading 2.74% copper, at a 1% cut-off grade, containing 37.9 million pounds of copper. At the same cut-off, Kakula has an additional Inferred Mineral Resource of 104 million tonnes grading 1.61% copper, containing 3.7 million pounds of copper. A drill rig in action at the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_004full.jpg A drill rig in action at the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_005full.jpg Figure 3: Plan map showing the copper grades in the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone and the Kamoa Far North Zone. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_006full.jpg Figure 4: Plan map showing the Mineral Resource classification of the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone and the Kamoa Far North Zone. To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_007full.jpg Figure 5: Section showing the copper grades in the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone. To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_008full.jpg To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_009full.jpg To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_010full.jpg Kamoa-Kakula is training a new generation of young Congolese women and men to safely operate the new, modern, underground copper mine being built at Kakula. Construction is nearing completion on the underground ore transfer station, which is part of the ore-handling infrastructure at the Kakula Mine. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_011full.jpg Excellent progress is being made on the high-volume conveyor system that will transport broken ore from underground to the surface processing plant, which is scheduled to begin operation in April 2020. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/52130_7b208dede4c04923_012full.jpg Table 1: Kamoa Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% TCu Cut-off Grade), January 30th, 2020 Category Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) Indicated 760 55.2 2.73 5.0 20,800 45.8 Inferred 235 21.8 1.70 4.0 4,010 8.8 Ivanhoe's Vice President, Resources, George Gilchrist, a Fellow of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Gordon Seibel, a Registered Member (RM) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), an employee of Wood Group, who is the Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource estimate. The effective date of the estimate is January 30, 2020 and the cut-off date for drill data is January 20, 2020. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM 2014 Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and a minimum vertical thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground mechanized room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$27/t. Concentrator, tailings treatment, and general and administrative costs (G&A) are assumed to be US$17/t. Metallurgical recoveries are expected to average 84% (86% for hypogene and 81% for supergene). At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover processing, tailings treatment and G&A costs. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hanging wall or foot wall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Depth of mineralization below the surface ranges from 10 m to 1,320 m for Indicated Mineral Resources and 20 m to 1,560 m for Inferred Mineral Resources. Approximate drill-hole spacings are 800 m for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 m for Indicated Mineral Resources. The average dip of the deposit within the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource outlines is 12.7 degrees. Vertical thickness approximates true thickness at Kamoa. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content. Table 2: Kakula: Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% TCu Cut-off Grade), November 10th, 2018 Category Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) Indicated 627 21.7 2.74 10.3 17,200 37.9 Inferred 104 5.6 1.61 6.7 1,680 3.7 Ivanhoe's Vice President, Resources, George Gilchrist, a Fellow of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Gordon Seibel, a Registered Member (RM) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), an employee of Wood Group, who is the Qualified Person for the Mineral Resources. The effective date of the estimate for Kakula is November 10, 2018, and the cut-off date for the drill data is November 1, 2018. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Reserves (2014) and reported on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and an approximate minimum thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground, mechanized, room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$42/t. Concentrator, tailings treatment and general and administrative (G&A) costs are assumed to be US$18/t. Metallurgical recovery is assumed to average 85%. Ivanhoe is studying reducing mining costs using a controlled convergence room-and-pillar method. At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover concentrator, tailings treatment and G&A costs. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hanging wall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Approximate drill-hole spacings are 800 m for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 m for Indicated Mineral Resources. The average dip of the deposit within the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource outlines is 17.8 degrees. Vertical thickness approximates true thickness at Kakula. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content. Table 3: Kamoa and Kakula: Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% TCu Cut-off Grade), January 30th, 2020 Deposit Category Tonnes (millions) Area (km2) Copper Grade (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) Kamoa Indicated 760 55.2 2.73 5.0 20,800 45.8 Inferred 235 21.8 1.70 4.0 4,010 8.8 Kakula Indicated 627 21.7 2.74 10.3 17,200 37.9 Inferred 104 5.6 1.61 6.7 1,680 3.7 Total Kamoa-Kakula Project Indicated 1,387 77.0 2.74 6.5 38,000 83.7 Inferred 339 27.4 1.68 4.5 5,690 12.5 The footnotes to Table 1 (Kamoa Mineral Resource) and Table 2 (Kakula Mineral Resource) also apply to this table. Table 4: Kamoa: Sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 44 4.5 6.14 3.5 2,690 5.9 4.50 67 6.7 5.65 3.6 3,800 8.4 4.00 107 10.4 5.13 3.7 5,490 12.1 3.50 171 16.4 4.61 3.7 7,890 17.4 3.00 256 24.0 4.15 3.8 10,700 23.5 2.50 369 32.8 3.73 4.1 13,700 30.3 2.00 504 41.5 3.33 4.4 16,800 37.0 1.50 655 49.4 2.97 4.8 19,400 42.8 1.00 760 55.2 2.73 5.0 20,800 45.8 0.50 1,185 59.4 1.99 7.3 23,600 52.0 Inferred Mineral Resource 4.00 1 0.1 5.47 3.4 55 0.1 3.50 4 0.5 4.12 3.1 177 0.4 3.00 13 1.5 3.51 3.1 441 1.0 2.50 30 3.5 3.08 3.0 910 2.0 2.00 58 6.5 2.66 3.2 1,540 3.4 1.50 113 11.9 2.20 3.4 2,480 5.5 1.00 235 21.8 1.70 4.0 4,010 8.8 0.50 680 31.4 1.01 8.0 6,860 15.1 The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to this table. Table 5: Kakula: Sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 77 5.9 7.48 4.5 5,730 12.6 4.50 91 7.0 7.04 4.5 6,440 14.2 4.00 109 8.3 6.58 4.6 7,200 15.9 3.50 132 9.9 6.09 4.7 8,060 17.8 3.00 167 11.8 5.50 5.0 9,180 20.2 2.50 218 14.3 4.85 5.4 10,600 23.3 2.00 318 17.5 4.02 6.5 12,800 28.2 1.50 435 19.6 3.41 7.9 14,900 32.7 1.00 627 21.7 2.74 10.3 17,200 37.9 0.50 939 22.6 2.08 14.9 19,500 43.0 Inferred Mineral Resource 4.00 1 0.1 4.41 3.3 33 0.1 3.50 2 0.2 4.04 3.6 67 0.1 3.00 5 0.4 3.52 3.9 168 0.4 2.50 10 1.0 3.10 3.7 324 0.7 2.00 22 2.0 2.64 3.9 583 1.3 1.50 45 3.7 2.18 4.3 974 2.1 1.00 104 5.6 1.61 6.7 1,680 3.7 0.50 257 7.9 1.08 11.7 2,770 6.1 The footnotes to Table 2 also apply to this table. Table 6: Kamoa-Kakula: Sensitivity of combined Kamoa-Kakula Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 120 10.4 6.99 4.1 8,420 18.6 4.50 159 13.7 6.45 4.1 10,200 22.6 4.00 217 18.7 5.86 4.1 12,700 28.0 3.50 304 26.3 5.25 4.1 16,000 35.2 3.00 423 35.8 4.68 4.2 19,900 43.7 2.50 587 47.1 4.14 4.5 24,300 53.6 2.00 823 59.0 3.60 5.0 29,600 65.3 1.50 1,090 69.0 3.15 5.7 34,300 75.6 1.00 1,387 77.0 2.74 6.5 38,000 83.7 0.50 2,123 82.0 2.03 9.4 43,100 95.0 Inferred Mineral Resource 4.00 2 0.2 5.02 3.4 88 0.2 3.50 6 0.6 4.10 3.2 244 0.5 3.00 17 1.9 3.51 3.2 609 1.3 2.50 40 4.5 3.08 3.2 1,230 2.7 2.00 80 8.5 2.66 3.4 2,120 4.7 1.50 157 15.6 2.19 3.6 3,450 7.6 1.00 339 27.4 1.68 4.5 5,690 12.5 0.50 937 39.3 1.03 8.7 9,630 21.2 The footnotes to Table 1 and Table 2 also apply to this table. Table 7: Kamoa Bonanza Zone: Sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 2 0.1 8.89 6.9 212 0.5 4.50 3 0.2 7.85 5.8 250 0.6 4.00 4 0.3 6.84 5.0 303 0.7 3.50 8 0.7 5.53 4.2 421 0.9 3.00 12 1.1 4.65 4.1 574 1.3 2.50 20 1.8 3.95 4.0 773 1.7 2.00 27 2.4 3.50 4.2 933 2.1 1.50 33 2.8 3.15 4.4 1,050 2.3 1.00 37 3.1 2.95 4.5 1,100 2.4 0.50 49 3.4 2.41 5.4 1,170 2.6 Inferred Mineral Resource 3.00 1 0.1 5.35 4.1 41 0.1 2.50 2 0.2 3.84 3.4 72 0.2 2.00 9 0.8 2.55 3.8 227 0.5 1.50 16 1.5 2.20 4.1 362 0.8 1.00 19 1.6 2.09 4.3 388 0.9 0.50 55 1.6 1.11 12.2 612 1.3 The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to this table. This table forms a subset of the Kamoa Mineral Resource reported in Table 4; it is not additive to Table 4. Table 8: Kamoa Bonanza Zone hosted within the KPS: Sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 1.5 0.06 10.68 10.5 162 0.36 4.50 1.6 0.06 10.52 10.4 165 0.36 4.00 1.6 0.06 10.35 10.4 167 0.37 3.50 1.6 0.06 10.22 10.4 168 0.37 3.00 1.7 0.06 10.11 10.4 169 0.37 2.50 1.7 0.06 9.95 10.3 170 0.37 2.00 1.7 0.07 9.77 10.2 171 0.38 1.50 1.8 0.07 9.68 10.2 171 0.38 1.00 1.8 0.07 9.55 10.1 172 0.38 0.50 1.8 0.07 9.44 10.1 172 0.38 Inferred Mineral Resource 3.00 0.4 0.03 6.95 4.9 30 0.1 2.50 0.5 0.03 6.74 4.9 30 0.1 2.00 0.5 0.03 6.52 5.0 31 0.1 1.50 0.5 0.03 6.24 5.3 32 0.1 1.00 0.5 0.03 6.24 5.2 32 0.1 0.50 0.5 0.03 6.24 5.2 32 0.1 The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to this table. This table forms a subset of the Kamoa Bonanza Zone Mineral Resource reported in Table 7; it is not additive to Table 7. Table 9: Kamoa Far North: Sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off (% Cu) Tonnage (Mt) Area (km2) Copper (%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) 5.00 1 0.1 7.17 4.0 78 0.17 4.50 1 0.1 6.58 3.9 94 0.21 4.00 2 0.2 5.69 4.0 133 0.29 3.50 3 0.3 5.09 4.0 171 0.38 3.00 5 0.5 4.49 4.0 222 0.49 2.50 7 0.7 3.92 4.2 287 0.63 2.00 11 0.9 3.39 4.5 365 0.80 1.50 15 1.1 2.97 4.9 432 0.95 1.00 18 1.4 2.65 4.7 473 1.04 0.50 24 1.9 2.15 4.7 517 1.14 Inferred Mineral Resource 1.50 0.2 0.04 1.97 2.7 5 0.01 1.00 2 0.2 1.32 2.9 21 0.05 0.50 6 0.8 0.88 2.9 50 0.11 The footnotes to Table 1 also apply to this table. This table forms a subset of the Kamoa Mineral Resource reported in Table 4; it is not additive to Table 4. Data verification and quality control and assurance Amec Foster Wheeler, a Wood company (Wood), reviewed the sample chain of custody, quality assurance and control procedures, and qualifications of analytical laboratories. Wood is of the opinion that the procedures and QA/QC control are acceptable to support Mineral Resource estimation. Wood also audited the assay database, core logging, and geological interpretations on a number of occasions between 2009 and 2020, and has found no material issues with the data as a result of these audits. In the opinion of the Wood Qualified Persons, the data verification programs undertaken on the data collected from the Kamoa-Kakula Project support the geological interpretations. The analytical and database quality and the data collected can support Mineral Resource estimation. Ivanhoe Mines maintains a comprehensive chain of custody and QA/QC program on assays from its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project. Half-sawn core is processed at its on-site preparation laboratory in Kamoa, prepared samples then are shipped by secure courier to Bureau Veritas Minerals (BVM) Laboratories in Australia, an ISO17025 accredited facility. Copper assays are determined at BVM by mixed-acid digestion with ICP finish. Industry-standard certified reference materials and blanks are inserted into the sample stream prior to dispatch to BVM. The most recently-filed technical report for the project is the Kamoa-Kakula Integrated Development Plan 2019 dated March 18, 2019, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc. (a division of Wood plc), DRA Global, SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd. and Stantec Consulting International LLC., available on the SEDAR profile of Ivanhoe Mines at www.sedar.com or under technical reports on the Ivanhoe Mines website at www.ivanhoemines.com. Qualified Persons Disclosures of a scientific or technical nature in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Stephen Torr, who is considered, by virtue of his education, experience and professional association, a Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mr. Torr is not considered independent under NI 43-101 as he is the Vice President, Project Geology and Evaluation. Mr. Torr has verified the other technical data disclosed in this news release. The current, independent, NI 43-101 technical report for the Kamoa-Kakula Project, is available under the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The Kamoa-Kakula Integrated Development Plan 2019 dated March 18, 2019, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., Wood Group (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc.), DRA Global, SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd. and Stantec Consulting International LLC, covering the company's Kamoa-Kakula Project. These technical report include relevant information regarding the assumptions, parameters and methods used to calculate the mineral resource estimates on the Kamoa-Kakula Project cited in this news release, as well as the effective date of earlier mineral resource estimates and information regarding data verification, exploration procedures and other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release in respect of the Kamoa-Kakula Project. Information contacts Investors: Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 Media: Matthew Keevil +1.604. 558.1034 Website www.ivanhoemines.com Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release. Such statements include without limitation, the timing and results of: (i) statements regarding the Kakula Deposit is being fast-tracked to commercial production, with the initial 3.8 million-tonne-per-annum mining operation scheduled to produce first concentrate in Q3 2021; and (ii) statements regarding Kamoa's exploration will focus on finding more zones of ultra-high copper to further boost Kamoa's overall copper grades. This news release also contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Estimates of Mineral Reserves provide more certainty but still involve similar subjective judgments. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation (including estimated future production from the company's projects, the anticipated tonnages and grades that will be mined and the estimated level of recovery that will be realized), which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that ultimately may prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve estimates may have to be re-estimated based on: (i) fluctuations in copper prices; (ii) results of drilling; (iii) metallurgical testing and other studies; (iv) proposed mining operations, including dilution; (v) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates and/or changes in mine plans; (vi) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licences; and (vii) changes in law or regulation. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's Q3 2019 MD&A, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors set forth in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in the company's Q3 2019 MD&A, unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and its Annual Information Form. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52130 Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Convicted Terrorist Who Sought to Help al Qaeda Destroy the Brooklyn Bridge FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Court Denaturalizes Iyman Faris Based on His Provision of Material Support to al Qaeda in Early 2000s, Which Included a Personal Meeting with Usama bin Laden at Terrorist Training Camp Months After Taking Oath of Allegiance to the United States On Feb. 3, Judge Staci M. Yandle of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of convicted terrorist, Iyman Faris. Faris, a native of Pakistan, was convicted in 2003 of providing material support to al Qaeda and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Among other actions in support of al Qaeda, in 2002, Faris evaluated the practicality of a plot to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge in New York using gas cutters, communicating his assessment to al Qaeda via coded messages. In its order revoking his U.S. citizenship, the court found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization and unlawfully procured his citizenship through willful misrepresentation of material facts. "A top priority at the Department of Justice is protecting our national security, and one of the things we do in support of that goal is tirelessly pursue denaturalization of known and suspected terrorists," said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice's Civil Division. "What Faris did is unconscionable he pretended to support the United States and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Usama bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the United States. The denaturalization of Faris and of others who similarly defraud the United States helps defend the integrity of the immigration system, promote the rule of law, and make America safer." "Iyman Faris is a traitor to the oath he took renouncing foreign allegiances and pledging to defend the Constitution and our American way of life. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing who took advantage of American generosity with plans to terrorize and murder. He does not deserve the honor of being an American citizen," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. "Becoming a naturalized citizen is a privilege. The process must be guarded for the safety of our nation and to protect and recognize the sacrifices, determination, and honor of those who earn that privilege honestly." Faris, 50, was convicted in 2003 in the Eastern District of Virginia of providing, and conspiring to provide, material support to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Among other actions underlying that conviction, in 2000, Faris traveled to Afghanistan where he met Usama bin Laden and other high-ranking members of al Qaeda at an al Qaeda training camp, researched information about ultralight airplanes for a senior al Qaeda leader, and arranged for airline tickets to be issued to al Qaeda operatives. In its Feb. 3 order, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted the government's motion for summary judgment revoking Faris's U.S. citizenship on multiple bases. The court found that Faris's admitted affiliation with al Qaeda within five years after naturalizing established that he was not attached to the principles of the Constitution and well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States at the time he naturalized in 1999. The court also found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization based on his lies to immigration officers while under oath and his fraudulent entry into the United States in 1994 by using another person's passport and visa. Faris is currently serving his criminal sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, with a projected release date in August 2020. Because of the Court's order, Faris is no longer a U.S. citizen and may be subjected to removal proceedings. This case was investigated by the Civil Division's Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section (OIL-DCS) National Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit (NS/A Unit), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with consultation and support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The case was jointly prosecuted by Chief Tim Belsan and Counsel for National Security John Inkeles and Ed White (ret.) of OIL-DCS's NS/A Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Biersbach of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years. Attachment(s): Download Motion for Summary Judgment Download Memorandum and Order Granting MSJ Download Judgment Topic(s): Immigration Component(s): Civil Division Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Division (NSD) USAO - Illinois, Southern Press Release Number: 20-134 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik on Wednesday reiterated the Maha Vikas Aghadi-led Maharashtra government's stand on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Malik said that no one in Maharashtra will be affected by the CAA and NRC as the state would not allow the implementation of those laws. This statement of Malik comes after taking a completely different stance from allies NCP and Congress, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray backed the Citizenship Amendment Act in an exclusive interview with Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana. Speaking to the media Malik said, "The MVA has already cleared it that no one will be affected due to CAA and NRC. Uddhav Ji has already cleared it. As we can see the BJP has created a ruckus in Assam by implementing NRC. NRC is for the refugees, and so we make it clear that NRC won't be implemented in Maharashtra and it has been cleared in Saamna as well." READ | BIG: Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray Disagrees With NCP And Congress, Backs Implementation Of CAA Uddhav backs CAA Thackeray stated that the law did not take away anyones citizenship. Speaking exclusively to Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray agreed that this was a law to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from other countries. He also asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government would not bring in a resolution in the state Assembly against the CAA. At the same time, he urged the Centre to take care of the housing and employment of the persecuted minorities. READ | Nawab Malik Accuses Centre Of 'shielding Someone' By Transferring Bhima Koregaon Case Uddhav Thackeray remarked, First, we will talk about the CAA. We have persecuted minorities in our neighbouring countries. In fact, they are Hindus. Pakistan and Bangladesh are Islamic countries. CAA is not a law to drive out people of the country. Amit Shah has said that this is a law to give citizenship. I agree with that. It is a law to give citizenship to the persecuted people of our neighbouring countries. He added, There is no reason to pass a resolution in the Assembly that we will not implement the CAA. Because I will reiterate once again that the CAA does not contain any provision to throw out people from here. It is to assimilate the persecuted Hindus in our country. But the Centre should take up the responsibility of their shelter and employment. READ | Cong, Sena And NCP Signed Maharashtra Govt CMP, Says Nawab Malik Sena's flip flop? Thackerays big declaration on the CAA comes even as Shiv Sena adopted a different position in both Houses of the Parliament. For instance, while the Sena MPs backed the legislation in the Lok Sabha, its party MPs including Sanjay Raut refused to participate in the voting process in the Upper House of the Parliament. On the other hand, both NCP and Congress ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government have made it clear that the CAA and the NRC would not be implemented in the state. READ | Budget 2020: NCP Leader Nawab Malik Criticises The Budget, Says It Will Confuse Citizens Two Australians on a cruise ship off Japan have contracted coronavirus after being exposed to the deadly virus by a previous passenger. The pair were among 10 people including three each from Japan and Hong Kong, one from the US and one Filipino crew member who tested positive for coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess. Japan has quarantined the vessel carrying 223 Australians among 2666 guests and 1045 crew at Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters specimens from more than 200 people have been collected. From around 7.30 am (0930 AEDT) Tuesday, we had (the 10 who tested positive) get off the vessel and with co-operation with the coastguard we are sending them to medical organisations, he said. The group was taken ashore by the Japanese Coast Guard and on to local hospitals, while the remaining passengers and crew have been quarantined on the ship in Yokohama Harbour. They will be provided medical assistance and, Im advised, will be given passage to an appropriate medical facility in Japan, and we thank the Japanese government for that, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told parliament on Wednesday. Diamond Princess was due to depart Yokohama on an eight-day round trip but the vessel will remain in quarantine for two weeks while Japanese authorities attempt to contain further spread of the virus. The outbreak has been traced to an elderly man from Hong Kong. The 80-year-old reportedly sailed on one segment of the cruise itinerary and disembarked on January 25. He visited mainland China for a few hours on January 10, officials said in a statement. Six days after leaving the ship he tested positive for coronavirus, on February 1. The infected patient had not been to healthcare facilities or seafood markets, nor had he been exposed to wild animals during his incubation period meaning he likely contracted the virus from another human. Several cruise lines have announced measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus. Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises have barred guests from ships if they have travelled from or through mainland China in the 14 days prior to the departure date of the cruise. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the government is inquiring into the health of other Australians on the ship. There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 24,000 in mainland China. The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. (TNS) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot should ban the citys use of facial recognition technology of the kind the Chicago Police Department utilizes on the grounds its racially biased and an invasion of residents privacy, a group of activists said Tuesday.The groups want to halt the departments new contract to use technology developed by Clearview AI. The program compares images of unknown suspects with a database of 3 billion images culled from websites. The Sun-Times reported last week on the deal.While we do think that public safety is a big concern, we also think that theres a huge public safety concern in not collecting massive amounts of information on everyone in the city, said Freddy Martinez, executive director of Lucy Parsons Labs.Speaking at a City Hall news conference, Martinez said city officials havent provided any guidelines on exactly how they are using the data. And he pointed to studies that have shown facial recognition technology tends to more frequently misidentify some minority groups than it does white people.While the city can make all sorts of arguments about how theyre using this technology, internally and externally they havent even released any kind of use policy, theres no kind of evidentiary standards for use of facial recognition technology, Martinez said.And Muhammad Sankari of the Arab American Action Network said the city hasnt earned the benefit of the doubt. Theres a long history in this city of criminalizing communities based on shoddy information, he said.Martinez said groups are working with aldermen to possibly introduce an ordinance to outlaw the technology.Lightfoot released a statement Tuesday defending the Police Departments use of the technology, saying investigators only use it to compare mugshots with the public source information culled from the internet. The internet database is not used to try to identify images captured in a live or real-time environment like closed-circuit cameras that are part of the Police Departments citywide camera network, the mayor said.The CPD uses a facial matching tool to sort through its mugshot database and public source information in the course of an investigation triggered by an incident or crime, allowing the department to speed up the sorting of thousands of mugshot photos when there is a possible comparator image, Lightfoots statement reads in part. It says a lot about this fraught moment in U.S. politics that President Donald Trump's move to slap immigration restrictions on almost a quarter of Africa's population transpired with little more than a murmur in Washington. But amid the final throes of the Senate impeachment trial and the chaos of the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the White House reinforced its virtual border wall Friday when it added six countries to the administration's list of nations subject to either sweeping travel bans or strict immigration limits. Trump's proclamation would "bar most citizens of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan from coming to work and live in the United States," The Washington Post reported Jan. 31. "Two nations, Tanzania and Sudan, would be banned from applying for the visa lottery, which issues up to 50,000 visas a year worldwide to countries with historically low migration to the United States." The six newly designated countries join seven other nations - most of which are majority-Muslim - already subject to travel bans. The nations on the current list encompass close to a quarter of the more than 1.2 billion people living in Africa. Nigeria happens to be Africa's most populous country, as well as its largest economy. The Trump administration justifies these maneuvers as "common-sense" steps to protect U.S. national security, arguing that the vetting procedures in place in these countries are insufficient in helping U.S. officials determine security risks such as passport fraud or links to extremist groups. However, it leaves open the possibility of rescinding the bans should those countries do enough to satisfy American requirements. Curiously, the bans bar migration to work and live in the United States but not tourist visits - though those admissions have dropped, too, under the Trump administration - which calls into question the administration's logic in restricting travel on national security grounds. The president's critics see this as part of a thinly veiled white-nationalist, immigration-restrictionist agenda championed by the White House since Trump took office. "Trump's travel bans have never been rooted in national security - they're about discriminating against people of color," Sen. Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., said Sunday on Twitter. "They are, without a doubt, rooted in anti-immigrant, white supremacist ideologies." In remarks that reverberated in 2018, the presidentdisparaged Haiti, El Salvador and several African nations as "shithole countries." According to the New York Times, in a 2017 private meeting aimed at reducing immigration levels to the United States, Trump noticed the considerable number of Nigerian immigrants on visa overstays and mused to his advisers that they would never "go back to their huts" if permitted to enter the United States. That casual bigotry belies the fact that African immigrants to the United States, and especially Nigerians, rank among the most highly educated arrivals. On Tuesday, standing alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told reporters in Washington that his government was working to satisfy U.S. criteria. "We have been able to tick most of the boxes with regards to lost and stolen passports," as well as beef up information-sharing with Interpol, Onyeama said at a briefing. Pompeo said he was "optimistic" that Nigeria could be removed from the restrictions list and indicated that U.S. concerns were stoked in part by the prevalence of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, whose insurgency has destabilized parts of the country and neighboring regions in Cameroon and Niger. In Nigeria, however, there's more pronounced anger and disbelief. "We are a giant of Africa - the biggest population of black people in the world," Nigerian Sen. Mohammed Sani Musa told The Post, "so this is unfortunate. It's harsh. And I hope it's temporary." On Twitter over the weekend, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and a political rival of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, urged Trump "to consider adopting measures that individually target those in government who have failed in their duties, rather than target the entire Nigerian population," echoing a grievance among some in Nigeria that local authorities gave the Trump administration enough cause to impose such tough measures. But the ban poses risks for the Trump administration, too, which earlier appeared eager to bolster ties with Africa's major economies. "Banning immigration from Nigeria while at the same time working for closer economic ties with Africa to counter Russian and Chinese influence indicates policy incoherence within the Trump administration," noted John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It is bound to have a dampening effect on the development of closer economic ties between the United States and the Giant of Africa." And then there are the tens of thousands who, overnight, found their lives upended and dreams dashed by the stroke of a presidential pen. Hadiza Aliyu of Nigeria's insurgency-plagued Borno state was planning on applying to move to the United States to join her two brothers. Those plans have been cast aside. "Trump has been looking for a way to get at us Africans for a very long time, and finally got us," Aliyu told the New York Times. "To hell with Republicans and their supremacist ideas." _ _ _ Tharoor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He previously was a senior editor and correspondent at Time magazine, based first in Hong Kong and later in New York Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's NEV startup Leading Ideal has delayed the delivery of the Leading Ideal One REEVs (range-extended electric vehicles) which were supposed to be handed over to consumers in February and March as the new coronavirus infection spreads, according to a statement the company released on Feb. 2. The startup said the concrete delivery date will come under discussion before Feb. 15 based on the component supply performance after suppliers resume operation, and it will strive to make the delivery postponed by no longer than one month. (Photo source: Leading Ideal) Besides, some new cars output before the Lunar New Year holiday will be available for delivery starting Feb. 10 according to the business resumption. Leading Ideal pointed out that the production and delivery of the Leading Ideal One SUVthe startup's first mass-produced modelwere delayed as the manufacturing operations of China's auto parts suppliers were widely impacted by the request about the epidemic prevention and control from the state and local governments. Notably, over 10% components were produced by companies in Hubei, the most-infected province in China. The EV manufacturer output 1,530 and handed over more than 1,000 new vehicles in last December, the month seeing the delivery kick off, Leading Ideal's CEO Li Xiang said via his social platform. Prior to the latest announcement, the delivery kick-off had been put off by one month as the company decided to directly offer consumers the newest 2020 version, skipping the former 2019 version. With the price remaining unchanged, the 2020 version of the REEV model features many upgrades over the 2019 in terms of sound-deadening tech, tires, driver assistance system, suspension, braking system and headlights. The spray polyurethane foam is expected to grow by USD 780.19 million during 2020-2024 according to the latest market research report by Technavio. Request a free sample report Spray PU foams exhibit high energy efficiency, thermal or mechanical performance, and versatility. As a result, it is widely used in the construction industry as an adhesive in window and door installations and manufactured housing. It is used for insulating walls, gap filters, and panels in doors and windows. It is also used as a weatherproof sealant as it covers irregular and hard-to-insulate shapes. The increase in infrastructure activities is driving the demand for housing and flooring materials, in turn, driving growth in the construction industry. This is leading to an increase in the demand for spray PU foam in various construction projects, which in turn, will boost the growth of the spray polyurethane foam market during the forecast period. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005616/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global spray polyurethane foam market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/report/spray-polyurethane-foam-market-industry-analysis As per Technavio, the innovations in polyurethane foams will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024. Spray Polyurethane Foam: Innovations in Polyurethane Foams Various manufacturers and research institutes are developing new forms of PU foam such as photo-cross-linkable polyurethane. These are produced by incorporating photo-responsive groups such as coumarin into the polyurethane foam. Alkoxy phenacyl group can also be used to build PU foam backbone. This led to the development of DEMILEC APX, an innovative new spray PU foam, which is used to insulate and air seal homes, schools, and buildings. It also complies with the rigorous fire test standards established by the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICCES). Such innovations and R&D activities in PU foam is expected to showcase a positive outlook during the forecast period. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Spray Polyurethane Foam: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the global spray polyurethane foam market by Type (Open cell spray PU foam, Closed cell spray PU foam and Others), and Geographic segmentation (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America and South America). The APAC region led the spray polyurethane foam in 2019, followed by North America, Europe, MEA and South America. During the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to factors such as the increasing demand for residences and commercial establishments, growth in the population of India and China, China being the hub for construction, and increase in infrastructure projects. Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Type Segmentation Open cell spray PU foam Closed cell spray PU foam Others Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South America Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005616/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: https://www.technavio.com Federal Reserve's Powell: High inflation 'exacts a toll' AP - 3 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) High inflation is taking a toll on American families, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged in remarks to be delivered at a Tuesday congressional hearing, where he is sure... $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Cotton Closes Black on Monday Barchart - 1 hour ago Cotton futures were off their high at the closing bell on Monday, but were still 10 to 40 points in the black. New crop cotton also bounced on Monday, ending the session 40 to 76 points firmer. The Seam... CTH22 : 115.22s (+0.09%) CTK22 : 113.07s (+0.17%) CTZ21 : 111.55s (+0.25%) Wheat Markets Close Mixed Barchart - 1 hour ago Mondays wheat market ended with winter wheat gains to HRS weakness. Spring wheat futures ended the session a nickel to 9 cents in the red. March MPLS wheat has posted losses in 9 in the last 11 sessions... ZWH22 : 762-0s (+0.46%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.2051 (+0.47%) KEH22 : 778-2s (+0.42%) KEPAWS.CM : 7.5951 (+0.45%) MWH22 : 914-2s (-0.97%) Corn Weakens out of Weekend Barchart - 1 hour ago Mondays corn trading session left prices 5 1/2 to 7 cents weaker. May futures were able to hold above the $6 mark, while Marcha and July closed less than a penny under. New crop futures were fractionally... ZCH22 : 599-6s (-1.15%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8670 (-1.13%) ZCK22 : 601-2s (-1.07%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%) US Mint begins shipping quarters honoring Maya Angelou AP - 1 hour ago WASHINGTON (AP) The United States Mint said Monday it has begun shipping quarters featuring the image of poet Maya Angelou, the first coins in its American Women Quarters Program. $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Chart of the Day: KLA-Tencor - A Tech Stock Still Worth Looking At Barchart - 1 hour ago I wanted to find out if there were still any tech stocks that were worth buying so I screened the NASDAQ 100 Index stock for the highest Weighted Alpha and technical buy signals and found one. My Barchart... KLAC : 418.73 (+0.44%) Shootin' the Bull Swift Trading Company - Mon Jan 10, 3:08PM CST Cattle were soft starting the week off. I am unsure why, but some of the excuses today have been employment issues related to Covid, and the varying stance on what to do about it. Russian priests should stop blessing nuclear weapons and other destructive military hardware, the Orthodox church has said. Clergymen have long appeared in images sprinkling holy water on submarines, ballistic missiles and Soyuz space rockets as part of rituals to bless them. But proposals drawn up by a church commission say the blessing of weapons that can kill an 'indefinite number of people' should be dropped. A Russian Orthodox priest blesses an SU-27 SM fighter jet at a military airport outside Sevastopol in the disputed territory of Crimea in November 2014 The document published by the church on Monday proposes that the military blessings be 'removed from pastoral practice'. 'The blessing of military weapons is not reflected in the tradition of the Orthodox Church and does not correspond to the content of the Rite, the document says. 'Any type of weapons the usage of which can inflict an indefinite number of deaths, including weapons with indiscriminate effects or weapons of mass destruction' are set to be removed from the priestly remit. However, it remains 'appropriate' to 'bless transport used by soldiers on land, water and in the air', to ask God to protect the men using them, it said. The proposals will be discussed until June 1 and the public are invited to take part in the debate, the church's Moscow branch said. An Orthodox priest blesses Russian paratroopers during a military parade in Stavropol in 2017 Russians often ask priests to bless anything from new cars and flats to Soyuz spaceships in the belief that the gesture bestows divine protection. President Vladimir Putin and his defence ministry have both aligned themselves closely with the Orthodox church. Defence minister Sergei Shoigu is currently overseeing the construction of a huge cathedral for Russia's armed forces outside Moscow. It is to be opened on May 9, the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War. Priests have been recruited to bless troops, planes and ships, and all sorts of weapons, from Kalashnikov rifles to nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles. Since 2010 the military has inducted priests into its ranks, including an airborne unit which can deploy with mobile inflatable chapels. Married At First Sight has been rocked by cheating scandals for the past two years. And the 2020 season will be no different, with plenty of drama set to play out on screen over the coming weeks. According to New Idea magazine, three marriages will collapse halfway through the series due to a shocking affair. Married At First Sight bombshell! THREE couples will be torn apart by betrayal this season, as another affair rocks the social experiment. Pictured: Hayley Vernon While it's unclear which participants are involved, trailers for the new season show several walk-outs, catfights and intense arguments. One of the more heated clashes involves Ivan Sarakula and Hayley Vernon, which means it's possible one of them plays a role in the scandal. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment. So much drama! While it's unclear which participants are involved, trailers for the new season show several walk-outs, catfights and intense arguments. Pictured: Stacey Hampton A clue? One of the more heated clashes we've seen so far involves Ivan Sarakula (right) and Hayley Vernon (left), which means it's possible one of them plays a role in the scandal Last season, viewers were left horrified by Ines Basic's sexual affair with Sam Ball. They managed to keep their relationship a secret for weeks despite being married to other people, but things eventually fell apart at a commitment ceremony. They confessed to their affair in front of the whole cast, leaving their respective partners, Bronson Norrish and Elizabeth Sobinoff, humiliated. Controversy: Last season, viewers were left horrified by Ines Basic's sexual affair with Sam Ball Adulterers: Another affair that took place last season involved Jessika Power and Dan Webb Another affair that took place last season involved Jessika Power and Dan Webb. In a controversial twist, the adulterers were allowed to re-enter the experiment as a new couple, while their former spouses, Mick Gould and Tamara Joy, left in tears. In 2018, Davina Rankin was involved in a 'cheating' scandal with Dean Wells, although they only ever went on a date and didn't get physical. The New York City Commission on Human Rights reached a settlement with Prada USA over a merchandise display that the Commission said used "racist iconography." The window display was featured at a Prada store in downtown Manhattan in December 2018. Used to showcase items from the luxury retailer's "Pradamalia" collection, the display included monkey figurines that the Commission said evoked images of Sambo, a racist caricature used to dehumanize black people. As part of the settlement, announced Wednesday by the Commission, Prada will have to invest in efforts that combat racism and promote diversity and inclusion. The retailer must require all of its New York employees and Milan executives to complete racial equity training. It will also establish a scholarship program for students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in fashion. Prada must hire an executive-level diversity and inclusion officer, as well. "The measures Prada has committed to have far-reaching implications for the fashion industry as a whole," said Sapna V. Raj, deputy commissioner of the law enforcement bureau of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, in a press release. A Prada spokesperson called the settlement "a mutually agreeable conclusion" in a statement to CNBC. "We share the New York City Commission on Human Rights' commitment to ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented and respected," the spokesperson said. "We are pleased that our diversity and inclusion initiatives are aligned with their vision for a more equitable, inclusive industry." Prada has experienced controversy over racism in the past. In 2018, it pulled an accessory line featuring a character with brown skin and large red lips that people said resembled blackface. Youre looking for a balance. Youre looking for an overall sort of flavor story in the mouth, she says. So, you dont want to be left short and you dont want to have it burning down too long, but you want to have a sort of development of flavors. Pictured L to R: Bill Dorsey, Fujitsu; Stephen Signaigo, Power & Tel; Lin Waters, Fujitsu; Darren King, Fujitsu; Rick Knea, Power & Tel; Susan Dianto, Fujitsu; Eddie Swing, Power & Tel. This prestigious award symbolizes our commitment to our channel partners, said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for communications networks, has received the 2019 Power & Tel Supplier Partnership of the Year award. Among hundreds of valued suppliers, Fujitsu was recognized for overall excellence in joint sales growth, brand awareness and market development. The two companies have a longstanding alliance that began when Power & Tel joined the Fujitsu Channel Partner Program. Fujitsus networking expertise paired with the extensive distribution system of Power & Tel has resulted in a winning combination for both companies and their mutual customers. This prestigious award symbolizes our commitment to our channel partners, said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. Our strong partnership with Power & Tel allows us to better serve our customers network transformation needs through best-in-class network hardware, software and services. We look forward to expanding our success with Power & Tel in 2020 and beyond. Supplier performance excellence is fundamental to Power & Tels long-term success, commented Matt Spinolo, chief operating officer at Power & Tel. Our Supplier Partnership of the Year award was presented to Fujitsu for 2019 achievements against high standards in sales performance and service excellence. Our partnership allows us to exceed customer expectations and remain competitive in the marketplace. About Fujitsu Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 132,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.0 trillion yen (US $36 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com. About Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for network operators, service providers and content providers worldwide. We combine best-in-class hardware, software and services with multivendor expertise to enable cost savings, faster services delivery and improved network performance. Working closely with our customers and ecosystem partners, we design, build, operate and maintain better networks for the connected world. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com/us/products/network or connect with us on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/Fujitsu-network-communications. About Power & Tel Founded in 1963, Power & Tel's extensive distribution system provides service providers and contractors an effective way to get the wide-range of products needed to build and maintain communication networks. As a value-add partner, the company also offers efficient solutions for the management of material and transactions; asset visibility; and maximizing resource & facility capacity. Company headquarters are located in Memphis, TN, with branch offices and distribution centers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Power & Tel's inventory, experience and technologies can help reduce the costs within your supply chain and allow you to reach your profit objectives. To learn more visit http://www.ptsupply.com or call 800-238-7514. NAIROBI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The son of an Indian gold mine owner in Burkina Faso, who was kidnapped by unidentified assailants in 2018, has been released, his father said on Monday. Kimar Akoliya, whose father Akoliya Patel owns the Ghana-based Balaji mining group, had set off for Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, from the remote Inata mine with two colleagues when they disappeared in September 2018. The identities of those kidnapped had not been previously confirmed. "By God's grace, it is true," Patel told Reuters in an email, confirming reports of Akoliya's release on social media. He gave no further details and it was not clear whether his colleagues, a Burkinabe and a South African, had been freed. The attackers were not identified at the time, but jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have in recent years expanded their presence across West Africa's Sahel region, a strip of scrubland beneath the Sahara desert, and taken a number of Western hostages. In November, 37 civilians were killed and another 60 injured in an attack on a convoy ferrying hundreds of local employees and contractors from a mine owned by Canada's Semafo in Burkina Faso. (Reporting by David Lewis, writing by Anna Pujol-Mazzini, editing by Aaron Ross and Timothy Heritage) The Japan share market finished session higher on Wednesday, 05 February 2020, as investors risk sentiments lifted by following a solid gain from Wall Street overnight and the Yen depreciation against the U. S. dollar. At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 234.97 points, or 1.02%, to 23,319.56, while the broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange grew 17.59 points, or 1.04%, at 1,701.83. Total 32 issues of the 33 industry category of Topix index advanced into positive territory, with Fishery, Agriculture & Forestry, Insurance, Mining, Nonferrous Metals, Information & Communication, and Warehousing & Harbor Transportation Services issues being notable gainers. Investor appetite was whetted by China's central bank intervention for the second day to combat the economic impact of a deadly coronavirus that has claimed at least 465 lives and infected more than 20,000 people in China. The People's Bank of China injected 1.7 trillion yuan ($242.74 billion) via reverse repos on Monday and Tuesday, helping Chinese stocks reverse some losses and lifting the world equity index. The stimulus boosted investor sentiment even as several economists cut forecasts for 2020 global growth as the fast-spreading virus hampers business operations in the world's second largest economy. Export-oriented issues such as automaker Toyota and construction machinery-maker Komatsu attracted purchases thanks to the yen's drop. Chipmaking gear manufacturers Screen and Tokyo Electron rose along with other stocks in the semiconductor sector after their U. S. peers fared well the previous day. Sharp Corp climbed 1.7% after the electronics company reported a 38.5% increase in third-quarter operating profit, due to gains at its smart appliance division and cost-reduction efforts. Mercari Inc jumped 3.9% after the e-commerce start-up announced the company and its subsidiary Merpay agreed to form a business partnership with NTT Docomo to enhance payment services and point programs. NTT Docomo Inc added 2.3%. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Chennai did not seem to be a "suitable place" administratively to have the Principal Bench of Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) as nobody wanted to go there. The top court, meanwhile, asked Attorney General K K Venugopal and senior advocate Arvind Datar to sit together and suggest names of judges who can be considered for appointment as the chairperson of IPAB which deals with trademark and patent disputes. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant suggested that either the principal bench of IPAB at Chennai be relocated to a central place in the country such as Nagpur, Jabalpur and Bhopal or a new bench be set at these places. Venugopal did not agree with the bench's suggestion and said, "Tamil Nadu also needs some kind of constitutional institution like IPAB" and a former Madras High Court judge may be considered for the appointment. The bench was hearing a plea filed by the International Association for Protection of Intellectual Property (India Group). The group said that the topmost tribunal on intellectual rights needed a regular chairperson and expert members to deal with disputes. "Why do you not shift to central places like Jabalpur and Nagpur... Chennai does not seem to be the suitable place, adminstration point of view, to have it (IAPB)," the bench said. However, it later asked Venugopal and Datar to suggest within two weeks names of former judges who can be considered for appointment as the chairperson of the IPAB. Earlier, the top court had said that the post of chairperson of Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) "cannot be allowed to be vacant". "The appointment process of the new chairman of the said board according to law is likely to be complete soon. In the meantime, however, we consider it appropriate to direct that the last incumbent viz., Justice (Retd) Manmohan Singh, be allowed to continue as chairman of IPAB for a period of one year after he attains the age of superannuation as there is no break in service," it had ordered. It had also asked Venugopal to obtain instructions from the central government department concerned about "relocation of the principal bench of Madras or location of a new bench to a central place in the country such as Nagpur, Jabalpur, Bhopal, etc. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Among the cars unveiled at the Auto Expo on Wednesday was Mahindra and Mahindra's e-KUV for Rs 8.2 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. With a single charge range of 150 km and a 55 min fast charging upto 80 pc, it was both a head-turner and a conversation-starter. Auto majors vied with each other to unveil futuristic versions of their cars at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Tata Motors took the lead, announcing four global unveils, a pre-production preview and a commercial launch at the 15th Auto Expo. The Tata Motors leadership team at the country's largest auto show, the AutoExpo 2020 . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors The HBX Compact SUV Concept Show Car based on ALFA ARC architecture, looks much closer to the production line now. The HBX Compact SUV Concept at the AutoExpo 2020 . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors The concept SUV very much looks like a purely modern, muscular, adventure driven compact SUV. The next surprising unveil was the Sierra EV concept. The legendary Tata Sierra of the '90s reborn at the AutoExpo 2020 . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors The Tata Sierra may actually come back in the guise of a hopeful Tata Sierra Concept with a lounge inside and a glass roof. The Tata Sierra may come in anelectric avatar to the Indian roads . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors With its signature curved glass at the rear merging into the roof, this undoubtedlly makes it one of the key showstoppers at Auto Expo 2020. For the Tata Safari lovers, Tata Motors also unveiled the Hexa Safari Edition which is a combination of the iconic Tata Safari and the ultra-capable Tata Hexa. The Tata Hexa Safari Edition at the AutoExpo 2020 was a new shade of green . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors Mechanically the same as the the current Tata Hexa, the Safari edition will get a new shade of green along with separate badging in the interiors as well as the exterior, and it will be a 4x4 drive. A pre-production version of the Harriers 7-seater version -- the Gravitas which is scheduled to be launched in FY 2021 -- was also unveiled on Wednesday. The Gravitas, the 7-seater version of the Harrier, is visibly larger . Photograph: Courtesy Tata Motors The Gravitas will get 2 captain seats in the middle row and a 3 seater third row, which is best suited for children. With 18-inch wheels and up to the B pillar, the Gravitas looks exactly like the Harrier. But in the rear, the overhang is much longer to accommodate the third row of seats, making it longer than the Harrier. And the roofline is raised in the Gravitas, plus the windows in the 3rd row are bigger to let in more light. But what made an actual launch on Day One at the Tata Pavilion in the Auto Expo 2020 was the BSVI version of the Tata Harrier. The Tata Harrier BSVI version will come with an AT option along with a sunroof and an electronic driver's seat . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors It was launched at a One India starting price of Rs 13.69 lakh for the manual and Rs 16.25 Lakh for the much awaited 6 speed automatic version. The interiors of the New Tata Harrier BSVI version . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors The Tata Harrier BSVI boasts of a panoramic sunroof, a first for any Tata SUV, along with a host of new features. Apart from these PVs, Tata Motors also showcased in their lineup the Tiago, Tigor, Compact SUV Nexon Ev and the ALtroz. In the commercial vehicles segment Tata Motors unveiled the all-new Winger. Posing with the all new Tata Winger, from left, Girish Wagh (president, commercial vehicles, Tata Motors Ltd), N Chandrasekaran (chairman, Tata Sons & Tata Motors Ltd), Guenter Butschek (CEO & MD, Tata Motors) and Pratap Bose (vice president, global design, Tata Motors) . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors Tata Motors also unveiled the New Tata Prima 5530.S Facelift -- the flagship truck from its extensive commercial vehicle line-up. The massive Tata Prima 5530.S at the AutoExpo 2020 . Photograph: Courtesy, Tata Motors If that was TaMo, the other automobile manufacturers were not to be left behind. Mahindra showcases 18 vehicles! Mahindra and Mahindra also had an impressive showcase of 18 vehicles, including a futuristic concept vehicle and a line-up of electric vehicles, passenger and commercial vehicles at their pavilion. Rajan Wadhera, president, automotive sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and Dr Pawan Goenka, managing director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd with the Funster. Photograph: Courtesy Gaurav Bhatt/Mahindra Automotive Above is the Funster electric convertible concept car that was unveiled on Wednesday. What set off a frenzy was the e-Kuv. More importantly, the price at which the e-Kuv was launched! The E-KUV at the Auto Expo. Photograph: Courtesy, Gaurav Bhatt/Mahindra Automotive Mahindra and Mahindra launched the e-KUV for Rs 8.2 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. With a single charge range of 150 km and a 55 min fast charging upto 80 pc, it was a head-turner and a conversation-starter. The Mahindra e-KUV's launch at the AutoExpo 2020 . Video: Courtesy, Mahindra Automotive It also had one of the widest displays of EVs by an Indian OEM at this years Auto Expo. The Mahindra production-ready electric shared mobility solution -- The Atom -- was unveiled at the AutoExpo 2020 . Video: Courtesy, Mahindra Automotive ATOM is a new age electric urban mobility solution for Smart Indias last mile connectivity needs that was unveiled on Wednesday. The electric version of the XUV300 was also unveiled by Dr Pawan Goenka. The e-XUV300 unveiled at the AutoExpo 2020 . Video: Courtesy, Mahindra Automotive Renault rolls out the AMT Triber French car maker Renault unveiled the AMT (automated manual transmission) version of its sub-compact multi-purpose vehicle Triber at the Auto Expo on Wednesday and said it plans to double sales in India in mid-term. The company was also working towards entering the fast growing electric vehicle (EV) space in the country and is likely to launch its first EV in the next two years, Renault India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Venkatram Mamillapalle said. Renault unveils the Renault Triber AMT Concept car at the Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo. The AMT version, which is set to be launched in the second quarter of the year, was unveiled by Fabrice Cambolive, senior vice president and chairman of Africa-Middle-East-India-Pacific Region for Renault Group along with Mamillapalle. "Our mid-term plan is to double our annual volume," Mamillapalle said. Kia has a Carnival! South Korean auto maker Kia Motors on Wednesday launched its premium multi purpose vehicle Carnival, and showcased a new concept for a global SUV Sonet at the Auto Expo. Carnival is being launched in India in three different specifications at a starting price of Rs 24.95 lakh for its Premium variant (ex-showroom), Rs 28.95 lakh for its Prestige variant (ex-showroom), and Rs 33.95 lakh for its Limousine variant (ex-showroom). Kia Carnival at the AutoExpo 2020 . Photograph: Courtesy, Kia Motors The Kia Sonet concept will be developed further ahead of a launch in the Indian market in the second half of 2020. Kia Motors India said it had received more than 1,400 bookings for the new car on the first day of orders and has a total of more than 3,500 bookings received till date. Hyundai unveils new Tucson Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motors India Ltd, Seon Seob Kim (2nd from left) poses with other officials during the launch of the Hyundai Tucson car at the Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida, on February 5, 2020. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/ PTI Photo. Hyundai Motor India on Wednesday launched a new version of its premium SUV Tucson as it looks to bolster its presence in the segment. While unveiling the model at the Auto Expo, Hyundai Motor India Managing Director and CEO SS Kim said the new Tucson comes with enhanced technology, design and performance. Powered by BS-VI compliant 2 litre petrol and diesel powertrains, the new Tucson comes with enhanced features like all-wheel drive, automatic traction cornering control, power seats and connected features. The diesel version of the vehicle now comes mated to a new 8-speed automatic transmission, delivering best in segment power (185 PS) and torque (40.8 KGM). The petrol engine delivers 152 PS of power. Additional inputs: PTI. Last Friday, the Workers Party (PT) government in Brazils northeastern state of Bahia approved, behind the shields of shock troops, its local version of pension reform, the regressive policy implemented by the countrys fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro at the federal level. Rui Costa, the PT governor of Bahia, the largest state in Brazils northeast, followed the line systematically pursued by the party in all the states it governs. In December of last year, his comrades from the PT who head the governments of Ceara and Piaui, also in the northeast, had approved the same measures against the public employees of their states, calling out Military Police riot squads to repress workers protests. Riot police protect PT legislators voting for pension cutbacks [Credit: Mari Leal - Bahia Noticias] Costa was worried that he couldnt push through the attacks last year, and rushed to approve them before the beginning of February. He called an emergency session of the state legislature during its recess, offering congressmen two extra salaries (the equivalent of R$50,000 or roughly US$12,000) to vote on the reform. On the eve of the vote, the governor had to mobilize pressure against a judge of the Court of Justice, who had suspended the vote on the legislation based on the understanding that it had been organized too hastily. The greatest fear of the PT government was the resumption of the strike and mass protests by Bahian teachers, which had lost momentum with the beginning of school vacation. Last year, a strong coordinated action was needed by the PT-led unions and their allies to isolate and weaken the strikes carried out by teachers in several Brazilian states, making it possible to pass the state pension reforms. The PT could not afford a renewal of the strikes and the risk of the movement getting out of control of the unions. As soon as it managed to overturn the court injunction, the government immediately proceeded to a vote on its regressive bill. Outside, public servants protested, while some of them managed to get into the session of the Legislative Assembly. Inside, protesters shouted against the reform and threw eggs at politicians. The President of the Assembly, and Rui Costas key ally, Nelson Leal, from the reactionary Progressive Party (PP), which has its roots in the party created by Brazils military dictatorship, responded to the demonstrators with the threat: You made a mistake. We are going to vote both rounds today. By that, he meant that they would speed up the process even more, not respecting the normal procedure of taking at least two days to consider such legislation. However, even before the session resumed, the Assembly was occupied by protesting members of the Civil Police. The state government responded by calling in shock troops from the Military Police to attack the demonstrators, while deputies were leaving the Assembly. Protected by the riot shields of the Military Police, they went to another room where, behind closed doors and without the press, they voted summarily on the Workers Party legislation. This was not an isolated episode. Rui Costa has long exposed the reactionary face of the PT, pursuing policies that are enormously close to those of President Bolsonaro. Costa pioneered the militarization of school education, one of Bolsonaros ultra-reactionary proposals. Bolsonaro inaugurated on Monday the first of his civic-military schools, which are designed to recreate the repressive educational system put in place by the military dictatorship that ruled the country for 20 years after a US-backed coup in 1964. Then, teachers and students who spoke about politics were subject to the terror of disappearances. Meanwhile, in Rui Costas Bahia, more than 80 schools have been implemented along this fascistic model, with the Military Police responsible for disciplinary management. The governor of Bahia is also an advocate of privatization. Last December, after reaching a billion-dollar deal with a Chinese company to build and manage a bridge in the capital, he criticized members of the PT for opposing the formation of partnerships with the private sector and defended the privatization of the sanitation system, promoted by Bolsonaro. Rui Costa has provoked friction with the PT base in Bahia. He ran roughshod over internal democratic processes in the attempt to impose the candidacy of Military Police Major Denice Santiago for the municipal elections in Salvador, the state capital, this year. The choice, articulated in a meeting with Lula last week, is another clear demonstration of the PTs sharp turn to the right, appealing to the military and signaling to the bourgeoisie its willingness to violently repress the political opposition of the working class. Rui has denounced PT opponents of running a police officer for mayor as racists because the major is a black woman. Far from an aberrationas some sections the pseudo left pretendRui Costa is the personification of the protracted right-wing historical trajectory of the Workers Party. He began his career in the PT at the beginning of the 1980s as director of the Union of Chemical and Petroleum Workers of Bahia, a post he held until 2000. He worked at the Camacari Petrochemical Pole, the largest industrial complex in the region, employing tens of thousands of workers. Camacari was the source of the obscene enrichment of sectors of the bourgeoisie, especially the construction conglomerate Odebrecht, which acquired an important part of the local state-owned complex to inaugurate Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in Latin America. Recently, when investigated by the Lava Jato Operation, Emilio Odebrecht reported that his contact with Lula began in the 1980s, when he was facing a general strike by petrochemical workers at the Camacari Complex. Lula helped him contain the workers revolt and, according to him, created the conditions so that I could have a different relationship with the unions. It is no surprise that Rui Costa was initiated into politics as the head of such a union. The beginning of 2020 saw workers from the petrochemical sector go on strike in several Brazilian states against the massive destruction of their jobs. This is an important milestone in the evolution of the class struggle in the country, and part of the global uprising of the working class. At the same time, the strikes have exposed the role of the unions, which impede the radicalization, unification, and generalization of the movement. In this context, the crucial task of the workers is to overcome all the political influence exerted by the Workers Party and other bourgeois forces on their movement. To this end, it is fundamental to draw the lessons from the political development of the PT, from its origins as a traitor to the struggles of the workers in the unions, to its current role as the manager of capitalist austerity and the forces of repression against the working class. ALBANY, New York, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The rising population, and expansion of healthcare sector around the world also promises new opportunities for players in the back table and cart covers market. The population around the continues to rise, with demand from emerging economies Asia Pacific registering a new high for baby carriages, cover carts with rising disposable incomes in the region. According to recent UN estimates, 80% of the world's population will come from Asia and Africa by 2100. The rising population will also not witness a fall in these regions until 2100, according to the same estimates. The growing disposable incomes in the region are likely to make way for new baby products in the region, with a key emphasis on retail carriages, and back tables used for cosmetic, dentistry, and general purposes in hospitals. Explore the insightful research with its incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections. Gain business intelligence on back table and cart covers market by Type: at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/back-table-and-cart-covers-market.html Key Findings of the Back Table and Cart Covers Market Study Green products continue to become increasingly appealing to consumers, especially in relation to baby carriages. The recent concerns about use of asbestos in construction, and increasing awareness about protecting children from artificial material is expected to drive growth for these products in near future. The main material in the market currently constitute of polyethylene, polyester, and propylene which make up for 76% total market share. The growing environmental concern regarding these promise new opportunities for innovation. There is growing demand for back tables, and cart covers, which can be used after the process of sterilization. These reusable tables are highly in demand, and currently constitute a very small share of the total market. The large demand for reusable tables and cart covers are expected to provide a major impetus for the market to register its steady 3.2% CAGR growth during the 2019-2027 period. View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/72456 Back table and cart covers Market: Key Driving Factors The growing demand for medical supplies to cater to the elderly population in developed countries is expected to provide main impetus for growth. The rising elderly population is prone to chronic illnesses, and current programs like MEDICAID also make way for favorable reimbursement opportunities. The growth of products like kits, surgical covers, and rising awareness about hospital-acquired infections are expected to drive growth further. The rise in cataract surgeries in United States for elderly is expected to make way for robust demand. Currently, the rate of cataract surgeries hovers around 4,000 to 10,000 per year. The rate is rising significantly in the US, Germany , France , Australia , and Japan . The rates of CRS vary between 500 to 2000 in Peru , India , and Vietnam among other countries. Key Impediments for Table and Cart Covers Market Players Heavy investments in research and development and growing complexity in medical products pose a challenge for growth in the back table and cart covers market. However, major players like DuPont, and Cardinal Health are making heavy investments in innovation to make way for non-woven disposable kits, and products. The prospects of rising elderly population are driving many new players to cater to their needs with appealing innovation. The emphasis for cost-effective, long-term use, and reusable products are growing amidst changing scenario in the healthcare sector. The growing preference for medical tourism is expected to drive demand for bariatric surgery, dental treatments, and cosmetic surgeries in the country. The growing partnership between medical tourism industry, and healthcare sector will make way for new opportunities for growth. The medical tourism is expected to deliver robust growth in emerging region of Asia Pacific, and continues to receive strong impetus from regulatory authorities. Download PDF Brochure for Back Table and Cart Covers Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=72456 Black Table and Cart Covers Market: Region-wise Analysis Black Table and cart covers market is expected to witness tremendous growth in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Moreover, the market also promises rewarding opportunities in Middle East & Africa for new players, wherein expansion of healthcare, and growing funding mechanism are making way for new opportunities. The rising incidences of cancer, and other chronic illnesses like HIV, are expected to make way for robust opportunities for growth for players in the back table and cart covers market. The expansion of MEDICAID for elderly patients also promises new opportunities for growth. Asia Pacific is expected to register highest growth rate during 2019-2027 period, wherein rising disposable income, and increasing opportunities for expansion in India, and China are expected to drive tremendous growth for the market. Back table and cart covers market growth in 30+ countries including US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Benelux, Nordic, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Request a sample of the study. Competition Landscape According to the Transparency Market Research study, the key players in the market including 3M, Cardinal Health, Medline Industries, Inc., Halyard Health, SW Med-Source, David Scott Company, Lac-Mac Limited, TIDI Products, LLC Ansell Healthcare LLC are likely to continue their investments in innovations, thanks to bright forthcoming prospects. Transparency Market Research has segmented the back table and cart covers market based on product, usage, end-users, and region. Global Back Table and Cart Covers Market: Segmentation Back Table and Cart Covers Market by Product Back Table Covers Cart Covers Back Table and Cart Covers Market by Usage Disposable Covers Reusable Covers Back Table and Cart Covers Market by End User Hospitals & Diagnostic Centers Academic & Research Institutes Others Back Table and Cart Covers Market by Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa (MEA) & (MEA) South America Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry: Pharmaceutical Excipients Market - Pharmaceutical excipients are often not in-built in pharmaceutical products and are often later. The increasing demand for pharmaceutical products due to rise in several chronic diseases including various forms of cancers, diabetes, and growth of the elderly population are expected to drive robust growth for the pharmaceutical excipients market. Opioids Market - Opioids are the most widely prescribed medications to treat moderate to severe chronic pain. The number of patients suffering from chronic pain is on a constant rise globally. Thus, increasing incidence of chronic pain conditions will continue to encourage the use of pain management drugs, thereby driving the opioids market. Gastrointestinal Drugs Market - As per expert analysts, the global gastrointestinal drugs market is foretold to clock revenue valuation of US$61.6 bn by 2024, which is a decent increase from an initial valuation of US$45.5 bn clocked in 2015. This growth is prophesized to occur at a healthy CAGR of 4.90% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Prenatal Vitamin Supplements Market - Research report on the global prenatal vitamins supplements market published by Transparency Market Research expects the CAGR to be around 7.7% during the give assessment period of 2016 to 2024. With this rate of growth, the valuation of the market is expected to rise up to US$56.10 bn by the end of 2024. Initially, in the year 2015, the market valuation was around US$29.12 bn. Alzheimer's Drugs Market - As per the comprehensive market study report, prepared by Transparency Market Research, the market is set to witness a robust CAGR of 7.5% over the period mentioned above. That means the market valuation would increase and move to an impressive USD 6.4 billion towards the end of the forecast period from USD 3.6 billion recorded at the end of 2016. Gain access to Market Ngage, an AI-powered, real-time business intelligence that goes beyond the archaic research solutions to solve the complex strategy challenges that organizations face today. With over 15,000+ global and country-wise reports across 50,000+ application areas, Market Ngage is your tool for research on-the-go. From tracking new investment avenues to keeping a track of your competitor's moves, Market Ngage provides you with all the essential information to up your strategic game. Power your business with Market Ngage's actionable insights and remove the guesswork in making colossal decisions. About Us Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals. Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories. TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision." Contact: Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ SOURCE Transparency Market Research Montanas Race to the Sky dog sled race turns 35 this weekend, with yet more proof of the winter sports egalitarianism. Nearly 200 huskies, both male and female, will be tugging at their traces to get started at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hi-Country Trading Post west of Lincoln. Four women and five men are entered to drive them in the longer race, 300 miles to the Swan Valley and back, a route that has seen a woman win six of the past seven years. One of them, Iditarod veteran Jessie Royer, has three of those victories and a record four all told. Its another diverse field. A couple of 19-year-olds, including Charmayne Morrison of Polson and Montana State University, return to the 100-mile race to compete with the likes of Roy Etnire, a 64-year-old millwright from Seeley Lake, a two-time winner who heads the trail crew getting things ready. A pharmacist, two nurses, a nurse practitioner and a home center owner from Choteau are among those in the 300-miler wholl be chasing Royer, who was a teenager when she won the Race to the Sky 500 mile race in 1994, the first of an unprecedented four victories. Royer is entered in next months 48th Iditarod Trail race across Alaska, her part-time residence. A perennial Top 15 finisher in the sports marquee event, shell be following up on her third-place finish last year. Because of its distance, terrain and organization, Race to the Sky is an Iditarod qualifier. Its also a proving ground, and two other mushers will also be honing their dog teams for the 1,100-mile race in Alaska in March. Gabe Dunham, 35, is a native Alaskan who has a kennel of sled dogs in Darby. Winner of the Eagle Cup Extreme 200 in northeastern Oregon last month, shell be making her Iditarod debut in March. So will Damon Ramaker, a 39-year-old emergency department nurse at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He caught the mushing bug from Cindy Gallea, a Mayo Clinic nurse practitioner formerly from Seeley Lake. Gallea, 68, competed in her 15th and (she said) final Iditarod last year. Shes entered in the Race to the Sky 300, though, 25 years after she took second in her first try. Great Falls dentist Brett Bruggeman broke through for his first Race to the Sky victory last year, in one of the coldest on record. Neither he nor son Spencer are entered this year. Pam Beckstrom, Race to the Sky secretary and publicist, said Tuesday the word she got from Etnire on Monday was the picturesque trail through the Blackfoot Valley and beyond was in good shape. Lincoln got inches of snow yesterday and with these cold temperatures at night it should set up the trail real nice, Beckstrom said. Until last year, Race to the Skys initial presence each race week was in and around Helena. The event itself commemorates the Camp Rimini War Dog Reception and Training Center near Helena for its contribution to the war effort in World War II. A classroom visit to a Helena middle school by an entire team of huskies is slated for Friday. Were pretty excited were back in Helena, said Beckstrom, who has been associated with all 35 Montana races. A highlight for the weekend is a free pre-race banquet Friday at 6 p.m. in the Lincoln Community Hall. Barbie Nelson of Firefly Cafe in Anaconda is catering the dinner, which features pork roulade with Dijon cream sauce and grilled chicken breast with caramelized onion sauce. For the second year the Race to the Sky is the third leg of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown awards program, following the Eagle Cap Extreme in Oregon and the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge in McCall. Trophies go to the top mushers finishing all three races. Brent Bruggeman earned the inaugural trophy last year, winning two of the three races and finishing second to his son Spencer at the Eagle Cap. This years leading contender was Josi Thyr, whos living in Seeley Lake and training with Royer, who won the Idaho Challenge but didnt enter the Eagle Cap. Thyr finished second in each of the first two long races of the Triple Crown and was initially entered in the Race to the Sky 300. But Beckstrom learned on Tuesday that Thyr was dropping down to the 100-mile as Royer prepares her top dogs for the Iditarod. That left no one eligible for either of this years Triple Crown trophy. As usual, former Race to the Sky contender Rob Greger is marshal of this year's contest. Chris Jewett is race manager. Beckstrom credited the Ponderosa Snow Warriors and Seeley Lake Driftriders, with volunteers like Etnire, Fred Beyer and their crew for marking and getting the trail in shape. Etnire is president and Beckstrom vice president of Montana Sled Dog Inc., the race organizer. The board also includes secretary Tracy O'Reilly, treasurer Mindi Askelson, Britnee Butte, Jody Deveraux and Jewett. Volunteers and sponsors for Race to the Sky 2020 are still welcome. Visit racetothesky.org to help out and to track the race online via GPS. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kolkata, Feb 5 : In a horrible incident that has once again raised questions on women's safety in the eastern metropolis, criminals in an ambulance tried to drag a housewife into the vehicle and then fatally ran over her father-in-law when he resisted, police and witnesses said on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Gobinda Khatik Road in the Tangra area around Tuesday-Wednesday midnight when the victims were returning with other members of the family from a marriage ceremony. Police on Wednesday arrested two persons and seized the ambulance. The woman said the ambulance came beside them at a high speed and screeched to a halt. She could hear one of those inside the vehicle telling the other person: "Drag her in." "There was one person in the ambulance apart from the driver. I got panicked on hearing what they were saying. Then one of them tried to drag me inside by pulling my left arm. When I shouted, my father-in-law and others rushed to save me. My father-in-law stood before the vehicle. "When those inside the vehicle found the situation getting messy for them, they drove at a high speed, running over and dragging my father-in-law," she said, still trembling in fear. The man was rushed to the state-run Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The woman said she had not seen the assailants earlier. "But if I see them again, I'll be able to identify them," she said. A local person who saw the incident said the vehicle had dragged the woman's father-in-law with such ferocity that all his clothes were torn apart. "When we rescued him, he had virtually nothing on," he said. City police's Joint Commissioner, Crime, Murlidhar Sharma said Abdur Rahaman, 26, and Tajuddin, 20, were arrested after studying CCTV footage of the ambulance in the area. "Rahaman, a resident of Daulatpur village in 24 Parganas (South) district, was in the driver's seat. Tajuddin hails from Nauhazari in the same district." There have been a number of incidents of women including actresses and models getting harassed in Kolkata over the past few months. One of the victims was former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta. A group of bike-borne youths had beaten up the driver of Sengupta's cab after one of their two-wheelers hit the car. The youths then followed her, threw stones at the cab and tried to snatch her phone to delete the video she had taken of the incident. Popular Bengali television actor Swastika Dutta had a harrowing experience, when an app cab driver "pulled" her out of the vehicle, threatened and "abused" her when she was going for a serial shoot. A week prior to Dutta's bitter experience, TV actress Juhi Sengupta alleged that she along with her parents was harassed and heckled by employees of a petrol pump. Her father, a senior citizen, was even pushed by the employee during the altercation. In December last year, a group of youths in a car chased an actress and made indecent gestures at her using cuss words. Native Americans living in the the Gulf of Mexico around 2,000 years ago feasted on 'colossal' oysters, some of which were over seven inches in length. The finding is based on shells collected from ancient 'middens', or mounds, in Crystal River, Florida, US, where indigenous people threw remains of fish from AD 50 to 1050. US researchers say the average body size of todays oysters is just two-thirds of the size of these humongous ancient forebears. While todays oyster shells reach heights of around 4.7 inches, colossal oysters that reached average heights of 7.4 inches no longer remain. The reason for the decrease in size is unknown, but researchers warn that a size decrease in other fisheries has previously been a warning sign of population collapse. Modern-day oyster shells (left) compared to the smallest and largest prehistoric shells (right) and a US quarter Crystal River feeds into the Gulf of Mexico, which is home to the largest remaining wild oyster fisheries in the world. Most of the worlds oyster reefs have been lost in the last 200 years and nearly one third of those that remain are functionally extinct they no longer play a role in their ecosystem. The bigger the oysters, the more likely they are to outpace destructive processes caused by humans, such as sea-level rise. Oysters also benefit the wider ecosystem by filtering water and stabilising shorelines, preventing them from collapsing in storms. Oysters in the Gulf of Mexico are getting smaller even in areas thought to be relatively pristine, said lead author of the study Stephen Hesterberg, a PhD student in anthropology at the University of South Florida. Size is one of the most important attributes of an oyster, affecting how much water they filter per day. They also affect the capacity for oyster reefs to protect coastlines from storm surge and create habitat for other commercially important fisheries. A comparison between the prehistoric oyster (left) and modern-day oyster shell. The largest prehistoric shells ranged from 3.5 to an impressive 7.5 years, while the largest modern-day oysters had an age range of 2.5 to 4.5 years The team studied prehistoric oysters from two archaeological sites on the seven-mile-long Crystal River where indigenous people occupied sites more than 2,000 years ago. The team used oxygen isotope analysis on five of the ancient oyster shells recovered from middens and five modern oysters from the largest size classes, to estimate growth patterns and maximum ages. While both sets showed similar growth patterns in the first year, modern oysters had grown 35 per cent and 38 per cent less in their second and third years, respectively. Excavation efforts take place near Crystal River Florida. researchers took their samples from middens - archaeological mounds composed of mollusc shells and other ancient waste The largest prehistoric shells ranged from 3.5 to an impressive 7.5 years, while the largest modern-day oysters had an age range of 2.5 to 4.5 years. Their maximum lifespan of 3.5 years was also a full 12 months shorter than the colossal oysters, say the team. Colossal individuals may never be restored in the Big Bend and wider Gulf of Mexico region due to irreversible changes in adjacent watersheds and climate, said Hesterburg, whose team published their research in Biology Letters. Truncated size has also been observed on oyster reefs elsewhere in the region, substantiating what may be a general phenomenon throughout the wider northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico. An oyster reef along the Crystal River facing the Gulf of Mexico, in Florida, United States Previous studies have claimed that future climate change and sea level rise could have a huge impact on commercial oysters globally. A study by the University of Stirling in Scotland in 2018 found the famous Sydney rock oyster from New South Wales is shrinking, caused by ocean acidification. Ocean acidification dubbed the evil twin of global warming occurs when the worlds oceans absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, which lowers ocean pH levels. Acidic water is damaging oysters ability to grow their shells, said Dr Susan Fitzer, a NERC Independent Research Fellow at Stirlings Institute of Aquaculture, at the time. We see lots of disorder in the calcite layers, because there isnt enough carbonate in the water for the oysters to draw on for optimal shell formation and growth. Oysters used to be a plentiful and cheap snack for the British working classes of the 18th century Middens in Australia, Japan and the UK have provided evidence of oyster consumption going back thousands of years. As recently as the 18th and 19th centuries they used to be a cheap and plentiful snack for pub goers and were often gulped down with pots of ale. Their popularity has driven market prices up over the years, giving them a reputation as an expensive delicacy. The reduction in size of oysters is part of a worldwide trend, with shellfish including mussels and scallops also getting smaller. The analyst who downgraded Tesla stock after its two-day, 36% winning streak said Wednesday that fundamentals need to catch up to the meteoric market run. "We're certainly not saying short this stock," Canaccord Genuity analyst Jed Dorsheimer, who took down his rating on Tesla shares to hold from buy, told CNBC. However, he kept Canaccord's price target on Tesla at $750 per share, which would represent a 15% decline from Tuesday's record close of $887 per share. Short sellers or traders who bet that a stock will decline have taken a bath on Tesla, which is one of the most-shorted stocks on Wall Street. In fact, with shares of Tesla surging nearly 300% in the past six months, those betting against the stock and trying to limit their downside lost more than $8 billion since the beginning of the year, according to data from S3 Partners. That includes nearly $2.5 billion in losses based on Monday's nearly 20% surge alone. Shares of Tesla, which were down about 14% early Wednesday on the Canaccord downgrade and production delays in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, gained almost 14% on Tuesday. Royal Caribbean Plays It Extra Safe With Coronavirus Contingency Plan Royal Caribbean Cruises has canceled eight sailings out of China and implemented a number of contingency measures as it tries to lessen the impact of the coronavirus. In addition to the cancellations, which run through March 4, the company said it would deny boarding to any individual who has traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days. The passengers will get a full refund. There will also be mandatory health screenings for certain individuals. China is still a relatively small part of the Royal Caribbean business, accounting for around 6 percent of the companys full-year capacity. The actions taken so far are likely to cost around $50 million in terms of lost revenue. Spectrum of the Seas is currently the only ship in China with two others scheduled to enter the market in May and July, respectively. The problem for tourism companies like Royal Caribbean is that there are currently so many unknowns associated with the outbreak, as CEO Richard Fain outlined on a call with analysts on Tuesday. Unfortunately, no one knows how this outbreak will play out, and we dont know how it will ultimately impact us, he said. One important bright spot is that looking beyond the current outbreak, we arent seeing a big impact on overall bookings elsewhere. But again, and here Im sounding like a broken record, we just dont know. If China remains out of bounds for a prolonged period of time, Royal Caribbean will likely have to think about moving Spectrum of the Seas and potentially the other ships bound for the country. [We] do have alternative plans in place, and we can either redeploy regionally or outside of the region, Michael Bayley, CEO of the Royal Caribbean International cruise line, said. The World Health Organization last week announced that the coronavirus outbreak was now a global emergency. So far it has killed at least 425 people with more than 20,000 confirmed cases. The mortality rate is around 2.1 percent, according to The Guardian. Story continues Bookings Outlook While the coronavirus is causing problems in China, elsewhere Royal Caribbean said that bookings had started off well. Fain said that what he had seen so far made the company very optimistic about 2020. In terms of destinations Jason Liberty, chief financial officer, said it was a mixed picture during the current wave season a period that typically covers the start of the year when travel advisors and cruise lines take a lot of bookings. Now while wave bookings trends have been strong for itineraries based in North America and Europe, recent events around the globe have impacted demand for some of our international itineraries, he said. Specifically, the unprecedented bushfires in Australia and recent activities in Hong Kong and the Middle East are each having an outsized impact on revenue for the first quarter. Full-Year Earnings Despite a slew of what Royal Caribbean characterized as extraordinary events, the cruise company reported record 2019 results. Net profit rose 5 percent to $1.9 billion with revenue up 15 percent to $11 billion for the 12 months up to December 31. Those incidents included a dry-dock accident at the Grand Bahama shipyard involving the Oasis of the Seas ship, cancellation of cruises to Cuba, and an unusual hurricane season. At the same time as unveiling its latest set of earnings, Royal Caribbean outlined a new companywide program called 20>25 by 2025, which sets out goals including delivering $20.00 adjusted earnings per share (for 2019 this was $9.54) and cutting its carbon footprint by 25 percent. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and sought its abrogation, contending the new law was against the Constitutions secular character. The resolution was passed during the state cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Kamal Nath, public relations minister P C Sharma told reporters. Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have already passed resolutions demanding scrapping of the CAA. Sharma said the cabinet passed the resolution describing CAA as against the secular character of the Constitution and differentiating people on religious lines. Egyptian transport service provider Mwasalat Misr announced on Wednesday the launch of Cairo's first electric public bus on a new route between downtown's main Abdel-Moneim Riyad Square and New Cairo. The 44-seat bus, dubbed X-bus, started operating this new line last week with an express service that only stops at four main bus stations along its route, Ahmed El-Naaqa, the maintenance and operation engineer of the X-bus, told Ahram Online. The bus was first operated in December for a three-month trial period and was initially planned to run on the same route, but was instead operated on a shorter route in 6 October City for free, according to Al-Naaqa. The ticket price for the bus, which is equipped to serve people with special needs, is EGP 25, while the price for the company's smart card holders is EGP 18. The air-conditioned bus runs two trips in each direction at 7:30am and 10:30am from downtown's Abdel-Moneim Riyad Station, and at 9am and 2:30pm from New Cairos Lotus Station. The buses are designed to "preserve the environment and do not cause pollution resulting from the use traditional fuels," and are equipped with Wi-Fi. They also have an electronic payment system that enables passengers to obtain a ticket from a machine aboard the bus. Since breaking out in China, the new coronavirus has spread worldwide and infected 17,200 people amid fears it could slow the global economy. (AFP/Anthony WALLACE) The World Bank last month forecast a rebound in global growth this year after the easing of trade tensions between the US and China that had contributed to a decline in 2019. But World Bank President David Malpass warned the virus that has killed hundreds in China and shuttered businesses and borders posed a threat to the prediction. "There will be a lowering of forecasts for at least the first part of 2020, in part due to the China, in part due to the supply chains," Malpass said. "A lot of Chinese goods come out to the rest of the world in the belly of aircrafts that are carrying passengers," Malpass said. But as airlines worldwide have suspended flights to and from China and some of its neighbors have shut their borders "you need to adjust the supply chains in order to get the goods out to make the products that the whole world economy is operating on," he said. The World Bank economic outlook predicted the world economy would grow to 2.5 per cent this year from 2.4 per cent last year. Malpass was discussing the economic outlook with Janet Yellen, former chair of the US Federal Reserve, who agreed the virus would take a bite out of growth. The virus "seems certain to have a significant effect at least for a quarter or two" on China and given its economic heft, and that will surely hit the global economy, Yellen said. The World Bank on Monday called for countries worldwide to strengthen their "health surveillance and response systems," and said it was eyeing what resources and expertise it can contribute to fight the disease. The virus has killed at least 425 people in China, exceeding the 349 death toll caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-2003, which eventually killed nearly 800 globally. Childcare workers take part in a protest in Dublin's city centre over low wages and to highlight the childcare crisis. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Childcare providers who are part of the early Years Alliance take to the streets of Dublin on their day of protest. Mairead Purcell (4) from Roxborough in Limerick sits on her mother Eimears shoulders at the march. Picture; Gerry Mooney Thousands of early childcare professionals took to the streets of Dublin city centre this afternoon to highlight the crisis the sector is facing. The march, organised by Siptu and the Early Years Alliance, began at Parnell Square and traveled through the city centre before gathering along Merrion Square. An estimate of more than 20,000 protesters rallied together in protest of a lack of government support and unfair wages in the sector. The streets were awash with the sight of placards and flags, among which was a lone bundle of balloons that read, Happy to change a nappy, but not to put up with this sh*t!" The Department of Children previously issued a circular to childcare providers outlining the implications they would face if they were to participate in the rally. The Department later withdrew a threat to cut their funding. It warned pre-school and other childcare scheme payments will be pulled for a day if they partially or fully shut down services. However, the warning seemed lost on the crowd while they sang and danced to Billy Joels We Didnt Start the Fire and Aretha Franklins Respect. Among the protesters was Julie London, owner of Happy Faces creche, in Askeaton, Co Limerick. Julie, whose creche employs 16 childcare professionals and cares for 95 children, said she cant afford to pay her staff a fair wage because of high rates and insurance costs. I want to pay my girls the money that my girls should be getting but Im not in a position to do that. My rates are 7,000, my insurance is gone up to 10,000 this year. Weve been given a 5 increase in our ECCE (Early Childcare and Education Scheme) weekly payment in 10 years, but they expect us to pay our girls the money that they should be paid, which is wrong, she said. Our insurance at the beginning was 3,000, and its now 10,000. There's been an insurer that's pulled out of the market so there's a monopoly there for the other insurance company, people claiming for things, thats pushed it up and we're hitting the brunt of it. That's one factor. I have 16 staff members. I've had some of them for the 13 years I've been there and they should be on a hell of a lot more money than they are, and I'm not in a position to be able to pay it to them. It's hard because you're advertising for staff, and you want good quality, good staff, but there's nobody going into the profession, because they're not getting recognised for the work that they're doing. The girls are going off in their own time doing courses. They're getting their higher levels, but they're never going to make that money back that they paid out for their course. I have one girl leaving to go into a different profession. None of my staff have left to go to another creche, we are the best employers as we can be and we want to be able to pay them the money that they're entitled to. Julie added that only nine children from her creche have benefited from the National Childcare Scheme, a statutory entitlement to financial support for families towards the cost of childcare, which came into effect last November. Childcare provider and lecturer, Mary Doohan McCraith, of Lamha Beaga Montessori, Co Donegal, said the government should be cherishing and investing in early years childcare to prevent difficulties that can surface later on as the child grows older. Whats happening at the moment is were only getting three hours of pay a day. Were only getting 4.60 a child per hour. Out of that, we have to pay our heating, our electricity, our tax, everything has to come out of that. They dont give us any extra for the likes of our planning, our curriculum, our observations. We have to do that outside of school time. We feel that the government needs to understand that our children are the richness of our country and we should be cherishing and investing in them. Looking at the difficulties that were having at adolescence and into adulthood, if we had support in the early years, those difficulties might not be happening. With educators from level five to 9, there is no pay scale. Regardless of what it is that youre actually teaching, youre going to get the same pay. Were not on a living wage." Veteran actor Kofi Adjorlolo has lashed out at some Ghanaian movie producers over unpaid jobs he did for them. In a viral video in which he was being interviewed by Joy News' Ibrahim Ben-Bako, Adjorlolo strongly criticized Ghanaian movie producers for their unfair treatment, hinting that they are the reason some of the country's actors are dying poor. Producers in Ghana here, they should respect themselvesold man like me, they call me to come and work and they cant pay me About seven producers in this country owe me moneyswhy? And then I'm sitting at home, Im hungry, and then when I'm sick too nobody pays attention Look, we have elderly people lying down on their sickbeds and these producers owe them, he revealed. Actors in Ghana here know what I'm talking about, these producers don't pay! he stressed. Kofi Adjorlolo further explained that he left his over 17-year-old broadcasting career for acting and ever since he became an actor, he has been taken for a ride by the producers. He said the assertion that he is worth $800,000 is untrue. Me! Me! Eight hundred what? he quizzed as if to say if he had that money, then he needs not to be angry with producers who owe him. ---Daily Guide Rocky Mountain Institute's "Powering Paradise" report describes Hawaii's journey through the energy transition of the last decade and offers insights that can help other jurisdictions navigate their own clean energy transitions. Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) today (February 4, 2020) released its new report "Powering Paradise: How Hawai i Is Leaving Fossil Fuels and Forging a Path to a 100 Percent Clean Energy Economy." The report provides a comprehensive review of Hawaii's clean energy journey, exploring the various elements which have come together to make this possible. In 2015, Hawaii was the first US state to proclaim a 100 percent renewable energy target. Since then, 14 other states, over 110 cities, and at least 19 utilities have followed suit to set 100 percent clean or renewable energy goals. These and other jurisdictions can learn from Hawaii's relentless pursuit of innovation as they develop strategies to make their own energy targets a reality. "People refer to Hawaii as the postcard from the future' because the state is confronting grid transformation issues sooner and is leading on pioneering approaches to the energy transition, from how the electricity system is planned, to how energy resources are procured and managed, to re-envisioning the role and business model of the utility," said Dan Cross-Call, principal at RMI and coauthor of the report. "Hawaii's journey provides lessons for many aspects of energy system innovation, which other jurisdictions can benefit from." Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders, RMI's first-hand experience working on the ground in Hawaii, and extensive research, the report distills lessons from Hawaii's experiences that are transferable to other U.S. utilities and energy professionals considering, or in the midst of, their own transition to a 21st century clean energy paradigm. These include: A willingness to try - Hawaii is constantly pushing boundaries, without always having a clear script for where it will go. Others can learn from Hawaii's missteps, but should also be emboldened to take their own risks, assured that rapid feedback loops will accelerate rather than impede progress toward solutions. Clear guidance from leadership - From the justification for the 100 percent renewable energy target, to the framing for the utility of the future and expectations for stakeholder engagement in regulatory proceedings, Hawaii demonstrates the importance of establishing reasoned, clear, and compelling intentions for the energy transition. Stakeholder engagement - As it steps into the unknown across so many fronts, Hawaii has consistently crowdsourced invaluable wisdom from local stakeholders, as well as drawn upon national and international experience. Ensuring broad support for its actions has been critical for maintaining momentum and making progress toward targets that benefit everyone. "Hawaii is the paragon for the clean energy transition, and the working prototype for all others attempting the clean energy transition," said Jason Prince, manager at RMI and coauthor of the report. "It's been lab, case story and an example of the relentless, collaborative effort that others can learn from and adapt to their own circumstances." "It is the state where deliberate leadership across legislative, regulatory, utility, and grassroots levels is steering market forces in the right direction to demonstrate that 100 percent targets are not merely aspirational, but practical and necessary." RMI has written this report with the express aim of informing actors in other states so that they can develop and successfully execute against their own 100 percent renewable energy targets. To download the report, visit https://rmi.org/insight/powering-paradise Media Contact: Nick Steel, Media Relations Manager t: +1 347.574.0887 e: nsteel@rmi.org Notes to Editors About Rocky Mountain Institute Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. Contact Alexandra Chin Associate, Media Relations M +1 973.262.0002 National Communications Director for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, strongly believes anyone found to have been culpable in the missing excavators saga will face the full rigours of the law. Not even members of the ruling party will go scot-free, he assures. According to him, government's commitment to the fight against corruption remains unabated, therefore acts that undermine the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, will certainly not be condoned. Excavators With Wings? At the peak of the fight against illegal mining between 2017 and 2018, many earth-moving machines said to be numbering about 500 were seized by the Operation Vanguard, an operational team made up of various security personnel purposely set up to clamp down on illegal mining. The then sector Minister, John Peter Amewu who sanctioned the seizure directed them to be parked at the premises of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation and also Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed recently that most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished. No-one Will Be Spared! Speaking on Okay FM's Ade Akye Abia programme, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, who is also the MP for Adentan Constituency, charged members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to be overly excited about news of the missing excavators as a sign of the government's broken resolve to tame corruption. "The NPP Government took steps to end illegal mining and that fight so far has been progressive so this issue of missing excavators will be investigated thoroughly . . . "This is the more reason why the police have been asked to investigate the matter with some arrests on-going. This should tell you that anyone involved in this act will not be spared," he said. 6 Arrests Made Meanwhile, the police in a statement issued on Tuesday, confirmed that suspended NPP Central Regional Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi together with five other accomplices have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). "Suspect Ekow Ewusi who was contracted to take custody of the seized equipment, was arrested on Monday, February 2, 2020, at Abelemkpe in Accra together with five (5) other accomplices namely; Frederick Ewusi, Joel Asamoah, Adnan Haruna, Frank Gyan, and John Arhin," the statement said. "Ekow Ewusi, Frederick Ewusi, and Joel Asamoah have been cautioned on the offense of Stealing while Adnan Haruna, Frank Gyan, and John Arhin have been cautioned on the offense of abetment of stealing". They have however been granted bail whilst investigations continue. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's daughter Harshita Kejriwal criticised the BJP and asked whether it is terrorism, if her father taught her Bhagavad Gita. "They say is dirty but it's a new low. Is it terrorism if health facilities are made free and brought to people? Is it terrorism if children are made educated? Is it terrorism if electricity and water supply are improved?" Harshita told ANI here. "My father has always been in social services. I still remember he used to wake us - my brother, mother, grandparents and I, up at 6 AM, make us read Bhagwad Gita and sing, 'Insaan se insaan ka ho bhaichara' song and teach us about it. Is this terrorism? Let them level allegations, let them bring 200 MPs and 11 Chief Ministers. Not only us, but two crore common people are also campaigning. They will show them on 11th February if they cast votes on the basis of allegations or the work done," she added. Asked about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath making fun of Kejriwal's illness, the Delhi Chief Minister's wife Sunita Kejriwal said, "I pray to God that he stays healthy. If this is his attitude, then he only will understand it. Don't know whether he is able to sleep at night after saying all this." She also said that people have assured her that their vote will go to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. "People are watching how allegations are being put on us. But they assure us that their vote will go only to 'jhaadu'. It is very disheartening to see that allegations are being put on a person who is working so hard," Sunita said. "This is a democracy. Whoever the people elect, they have to govern. In the past five years, Arvind has traveled a lot to the 70 constituencies of Delhi. People are our family," she added. She expressed disappointment with the allegation of some people from the opposition that Arvind Kejriwal is a terrorist or Maoist. "Our concern is about his health. It is very sad that some people from the opposition party are leveling Arvind with tags of a terrorist. He is someone who has devoted his life to social service. People in should be mature and not make such statements," she said. "AAP has worked for the basic education and health services in Delhi in its first term. Further, we want to take Delhi to level 2 if given an opportunity again," she added. The elections for the Delhi Assembly will take place on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 05.02.2020 LISTEN Ghana has just come out from a banking sector clean-up that sought to restore investor and public confidence in the sector instituted by the Bank of Ghana (BOG). The licenses of distressed banks were revoked and consolidated; some were merged. More importantly, officials who played key roles leading to the collapse of such banks are facing prosecution and have been barred from playing roles in the financial services industry in Ghana. The new banking regime has placed sound corporate governance including adherence to acceptable Anti Money Laundering /Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) standards at the forefront of corresponding banking practice. In fact, the reforms in the banking sector which began in August 2017 was successfully completed end of January 2019. We now have a more resilient financial sector, well-positioned to support economic growth. A report from the Ministry of Finances 2020 budget statement, page 47 placed the cost of the financial sector clean up to some Ghs16.4bn which represented about 5% of the country`s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This comprises Banks (Ghs11.7bn), Savings and Loans/Microfinance Institutions (Ghs2.4bn), Fund Managers (Ghs1.5bn) and Ghana Amalgamated Trust (GAT) (Ghs0.8m) Since the beginning of the shakeup by the regulator, the focus has mainly been on how some 4million clients and investors who were adversely affected by the cleanup would be able to retrieve their funds. However, the situation also had far-reaching effects for the entire banking industry for Banks who have Correspondent Banking (CB) relationship with some international banks. Corresponding Banking Defined In simple terms, Corresponding Banking is the provision of banking-related services by one bank (Correspondent say Bank A limited to another Bank B Limited (Respondent). This enables the Respondent to provide its own clients with cross-border products and services that it cannot provide them by itself, typically due to lack of an international network. In other words, a Correspondent is effectively an intermediary for the Respondent and executes, processes clear payment transactions for clients of the Respondent. The impact of the sector reforms has forced major corresponding banks to take a strong view on some banks in areas of: Onboarding restriction for prospective Respondent Banks Following the banking sector crisis, a lot of international banks have scaled-down on onboarding new banks who had appetite to establish new Corresponding bank relationships. This is attributable to the weak Anti Money Laundering / Counter Terrorist Financing (AML/CTF) framework of some of the banks in Ghana. Inadequate Sanction Programmes Sanctions are legal measures imposed by countries or groups of countries that prohibit or restrict dealings with specific individuals, entities, or countries. Due to elevated risk in CB relationships where the underlying clients of respondent bank clients are not known, most international banks have updated their sanctions framework with the expectation that respondent banks will meet such high international standards. It`s important for Banks to put in place strong mechanisms to check all potential red flags that may impact their CB relationships. Some of these red flags include; Customer/counterparty refusing to provide further information on parties/locations, unusual transaction structures which do not make commercial sense, indications that client company is controlled from a Sanctioned Country (e.g. shareholders are from a Sanctioned Country or parent company is incorporated in a Sanctioned Country) Correspondence indicating a Sanctioned Country address/fax number, Email address domain shows a Sanctioned Country Top 10 correspondent banking service providers globally (Cumulative CHIPS USD Clearing Market Share (%)) Source: CHIPS Reduced credit exposures on Banks Every correspondent bank offering Trade Finance services such as Financial Institution Trade Loans, Letters of Credit Confirmation and Discounting, Bonds and guarantees requires the CB bank to provide credit lines (Limit) to support such products of the respondent bank. However, following the financial crisis, some international banks have reduced their exposures on some banks due to their low levels of Capital and Capital Adequacy Ratios (CAR). Some CB banks are not allowed to expose to some banks more than 25% of their Tier 1. Weak Anti-Money Laundering / Counter-terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Ghana is currently on Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) list of countries with strategic AML deficiencies. The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) conducted a follow up review on Ghana in October 2018 and according to that report, Ghana made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and GIABA to strengthen the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime in order to address any related technical deficiencies. Ghana has since been making important progress in relation to addressing the technical compliance deficiencies in terms of implementing and improving AML measures. This requires banks to strengthen their AML/CTF framework and procedures to meet international banking practices including conducting the appropriate customer due diligence. Enhance Transaction Screening and Monitoring System The financial crisis saw many international banks requesting respondent banks to enhance their transaction screening and monitoring systems. It is interesting to note that in this 21st century where fraud and Cyber security has become the order of the day, some banks are still manually monitoring transactions instead of adopting an automated approach to transaction monitoring. Manual identification takes place through the vigilance of employees who identify suspicious behaviour of a client either through their engagements with the client, through media reports or through assessment of the transactions of the client. It`s the expectation of Correspondent Banks that, respondents have well automated transaction screening and monitoring systems. The list can go on and on. However, to sum up, Banks must pay close attention to current deficiencies in AML/CTF, Dodd Frank and Wolfsburg Questionnaire, sanctions, screening, monitoring and all corresponding banking activities that may impact their underlying clients Disclaimer: The views expressed are personal views and doesnt represent the institution the writer work for or the publishing firm. About the writer Carl Odame-Gyenti is a third-year Ph.D. (Financial Management) candidate, a Finance and Telecom enthusiast, managing local and global Investors, Intermediaries, Non-Bank Financial and Financial Institution relationships with an international bank in Ghana. He has embarked on several international assignments in London, Singapore, Dubai, Kenya, Nigeria and Southern African markets. He has a passion for youth and community development. By AFP BEIJING: A baby in China's epidemic-hit Wuhan city has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus just 30 hours after being born, Chinese state media reported Wednesday. The infant is the youngest person recorded as being infected by the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people since emerging late last year. CCTV quoted experts as saying it may be a case of "vertical transmission", referring to infections passed from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or immediately after. ALSO READ: World Bank calls for global effort against coronavirus as death toll nears 500 The mother had tested positive for the virus before she gave birth. The official Xinhua news agency reported Monday that a baby born last week to an infected mother had tested negative. The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals and spread rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January. China's national health commission said on Tuesday that the oldest person diagnosed with the virus is a 90-year-old, and that 80 per cent of reported deaths have been of patients 60 years of age and older. A South Jacksonville Elementary School fifth-grader who has collected more than 10,000 pairs of new socks for people in need over the past six years was named Tuesday as one of Illinois top two youth volunteers. Kellon Oldenettel, 11, of Jacksonville received the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The nationwide program honors young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As a state honoree, Oldenettel and Carson Pazdan, 16, of Barrington each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be named Americas top youth volunteers of 2020. Oldenettel collects and distributes the socks to people in need through shelters, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, community organizations and The Salvation Army. Many years ago, his mother told him about all the struggles and hardships people have in the world and that many dont have what I have, he said. He asked if that meant some people dont have socks. He immediately wanted to go to the store and buy some, but quickly realized that the need was probably too great for that solution. So Oldenettel called a few family members to help and placed a posting on Facebook. Within a few weeks, he had more than 500 pairs of socks. Now, Kellons Sock Drawer is a project that runs all year. Starting in the winter, he asks a half-dozen local businesses for permission to place decorated collection boxes on their premises and stops by each location weekly to pick up donated socks. He also speaks to young people, community organizations and other groups about his mission. After he sorts and counts all the socks hes received, with the assistance of a sorority, Oldenettel begins the distribution process. He has donated socks to families impacted by house fires, to mission groups heading overseas and to chemotherapy infusion labs at hospitals, as well as to elementary schools, nursing homes and charitable organizations. In addition, he personally hands out socks at public housing events, mobile food pantries and a local shelter. No one deserves to have cold feet, he said. Gov. Phil Murphy is cutting professional ties with a top adviser recently suspended from his job helping organize this summers Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee over allegations that he created a toxic and unstable working environment, NJ Advance Media has learned. Murphy will distance himself from Adam Alonso, his former deputy chief of staff, a day after a news report revealing the board of directors of the conventions host committee has launched an investigation into the anoymous allegations, sources said. Both Alonso and another longtime Murphy ally, Liz Gilbert, have been sidelined from their jobs running the committee until the probe is finished. The situation could provide more embarrassment for Murphy, a self-described progressive Democrat who is also dealing with similar allegations surrounding his 2017 campaign. Another former adviser, Julie Roginsky, said publicly in recent weeks that Murphys campaign was clouded by a misogynistic and toxic work environment." All this comes just months after Murphy took on a national role within the Democratic Party, becoming chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Murphys office has declined comment on the allegations against Alonso and Gilbert. But sources familiar with the governors thinking told NJ Advance Media that Murphy is severing his professional relationship with Alonso, who worked on his campaign, briefly served as a deputy chief of staff to his administration, and has remained a political adviser. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak for Murphy. Its unclear whether Murphy will also distance himself from Gilbert, who was national finance director of his campaign and then became executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. While Gilbert left her role with the state party to focus on her work on the convention in Milwaukee, Alonso has continued to consult the New Jersey Democratic State Committee in that time. The state party announced that it was cutting ties with Alonso shortly after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported on his suspension Monday night. Both Gilbert and Alonso have spent the last seven months running the conventions host committee, set to be held in mid-July in Milwaukee. Gilbert has been the committees president, while Alonso has been its chief of staff. But the committees board of directors sent a letter to staff members Monday saying it was putting Alonso on administrative leave as an independent law firm investigates concerns about the work environment and certain members of staff leadership" at the committee. We take the concerns raised seriously, appreciate that those concerns were brought to our attention, and began to look into the concerns the very same day," the board said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by NJ Advance Media. The board said Gilbert would not be in the committees office and would not have contact with staff during the investigation, while Alonso was placed on administration leave pending the outcome. On Tuesday, the Journal Sentinel reported that the investigation was launched after a group of senior women on the committee sent an anonymous letter to the board on Jan. 30 saying Alonso consistently bullied and intimidated staff members" and that it has been "primarily directed at the women on staff. They added that Gilbert enabled Alonsos actions, creating "a toxic and unstable working environment that we will not allow to continue. NEW: Letter from women at Host Committee for Dem Convention: "(Chief of staff) Adam Alonso has consistently bullied & intimidated staff members, but of note is that this is primarily directed at the women on staff ... resulting in a culture that coddles male senior advisors" pic.twitter.com/6OnFNx1Fnl Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) February 4, 2020 The Journal Sentinel also cited anonymous sources Monday that accused Gilbert and Alonso of giving contracts to friends in New Jersey. Gilbert and Alonso have not responded to multiple messages from NJ Advance Media over the last two days. Alonso told the Journal Sentinel he was proud of the team in Milwaukee and will cooperate with the investigation. Vision Media, a Secaucus-based company that also does work with the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, was hired in June to build the Milwaukee host committees website and to do other graphic design. Phil Swibinski, the companys vice president and a spokesman for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, said the the firm was hired to provide a variety of consulting services, from building out its website and mass email platform to executing graphic design projects to managing its database systems, among other tasks. Were proud of the work we have done for the Host Committee and look forward to continuing to contribute to its mission," Swibinski added. All this comes a little less than two weeks after Roginsky, a top adviser to Murphys campaign, said she emailed Murphy in 2017 about problems during his campaign. In one July 2017 email to campaign attorneys, Roginsky accused Alonso of making money off his relationship with Murphy, according to a copy obtained by NJ Advance Media. Alonso denied those claims to the Journal Sentinel. Gov. Murphy required all campaign staffers to disclose any and all relevant business relationships in New Jersey," he told the newspaper in an email. "I disclosed my political-business relationships, they were reviewed by campaign counsel, and they complied with campaign policies. Murphy said in a statement last month that Roginsky was involved in a dispute with senior staffers and that her comments did not reflect a larger workplace issue. Other women have also said Murphys campaign was toxic. Notably, Joe Kelley, who was the campaigns finance director, was accused of angrily throwing a chair in the presence of a female staff member. The campaign launched an investigation that cleared Kelley, who now holds a top position in Murphys administration. Murphy has also come under fire for how his inner circle responded to allegations made by Katie Brennan, a state official who said she was raped by a top Murphy campaign official in 2017. The official who was never charged with a crime received a job in Murphys administration and kept it for months even after Murphy allies knew about the accusations. The issue was the subject of a months-long investigation with public hearings held by members of the state Legislature. Roginsky told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday that she was saddened to hear of the allegations against Alonso and Gilbert in Milwaukee. I strongly believe that had Gov. Murphy taken my concerns seriously and done what the DNC did suspend those people who I alleged were involved in toxicity and wrongdoing and did an independent investigation, not an internal whitewash this never would have happened in Milwaukee, Roginsky said. That would have shown Liz and Adam there are consequences to that kind fo behavior. Roginsky also criticized Murphy on Twitter over the developments Monday: Anonymous allegations of workplace toxicity from 2,000 miles away get someone fired. Four women on the record in the governors own backyard dont get that courtesy when they allege workplace toxicity. Why the difference? https://t.co/MUIqRx1heq Julie Roginsky (@julieroginsky) February 4, 2020 The head of New Jerseys Republican Party on Tuesday said it was filing public-records requests into Alonsos time as Murphys chief of staff in 2018. Phil Murphy has a terrible history of hiring toxic individuals who mistreat women, state GOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt said in a statement. The public needs to know if Governor Murphy passed the trash on Adam Alonso. If Phil Murphy recommended Alonso for positions knowing Alonsos history of work place harassment, the Governor must answer to Alonsos victims. Adam Alonso is shown in a file photo. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The Saudi Telecom Company (STC) signed an initial agreement last Wednesday with Vodafone to buy its 55 per cent stake in Vodafone Egypt for $2.39 billion. Vodafone Egypt is the countrys largest among the countrys three mobile operators with a market share of more than 40 per cent translating to 44 million subscribers. STC is also Saudi Arabias biggest mobile operator, with about 45 per cent market share. Vodafone International owns 55 per cent of Vodafone Egypt, while the remaining 45 per cent stake is owned by the governments Telecom Egypt (TE). The transaction is expected to be closed by June 2020, Vodafone said in a press statement. STC said the non-binding agreement will be valid for 75 days starting last Wednesday and could be extended until a final agreement is reached between the two parties. Pulling out of Egypt is consistent with Vodafone Internationals efforts to focus on two geographic regions, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone International, said in a press statement. The potential acquisition of Vodafone Egypt is in line with our expansion strategy in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region, said Nasser Al-Nasser, CEO of STC, adding that Vodafone Egypt was the leading player in the Egyptian mobile market and STC looked forward to contributing further to its success. Experts believe the move has many advantages for the Egyptian telecommunications market. This is a very good deal mainly because of the price offered by STC, said Allen Sandeep, director of research at Naeem Holding. It was one of the biggest business transactions to have happened in the Egyptian market for a long time, he added. It indicates that the telecommunication sector is still growing and has a positive outlook for future growth, Sandeep said. Vodafone has a global strategy to manage its balance sheet by selling shares in emerging markets, Sandeep pointed out, and it did the same in Qatar two years ago. It had received a very good offer from STC for Vodafone Egypt. Mariam Wael, an equity financial analyst at Pharos Holding, agreed that the entrance of a new investor to the telecommunications market in Egypt would have a positive effect on the sector. She said the deal was almost double the value of Vodafone Egypt, as estimated by market experts including at Pharos Holding. Wael added that the evaluation of the 55 per cent stake owned by Vodafone International in Vodafone Egypt at $2.39 billion made the total value of Vodafone Egypt stand at $4.3 billion (LE68 billion), about double the estimation Pharos Holding had set on the telecommunication giant in Egypt. Before the STC deal, we estimated Vodafone Egypt to be worth LE35 to LE37 billion, she added. What made the deal significantly higher, in my opinion, is that the STC deal includes a commercial agreement that allows STC to keep the Vodafone brand, she stated, adding that the brand name and consumer perception could have contributed to the higher-than-expected value of the company. Customer loyalty, in addition to the brand name of Vodafone in the Egyptian market, may have led STC to pay more in order to keep the same name after the acquisition, at least before thinking about changing it, she said. Sandeep said that Vodafone Egypt did not have any debt, and it generated more annual EBITDA than any other operator at about $600 million per year. STC is looking at the steady growth in mobile data and Internet usage in the Egyptian market. There are currently more than 30 million users of the mobile Internet in Egypt, according to Sandeep, with more than two million expected to be added to that number per year. The number was only about five million 10 years ago, he pointed out. Data and the Internet are growing fast, and they drive most of the growth in the sector, especially for Vodafone Egypt which has the biggest market share of users and subscribers to data and the Internet from a mobile operator, Sandeep said. The challenge for STC, according to Sandeep, will be to maintain that momentum and to maintain Vodafones market share because competitors might see the deal as an opportunity to try to increase their market share and attract more users. The fate of Telecom Egypts stake in Vodafone after the deal is not clear, but it has the option to keep it as it is, sell it, or even offer to buy Vodafones stake before the deal is sealed with STC. The last scenario is unlikely, according to Sandeep. TE spent a lot of money entering the mobile business, and it would not be the right thing to do to buy the remaining Vodafone stake, he said. They could have done that before, instead of spending a huge amount of money to enter the mobile business themselves, Sandeep said. I also dont think the government would be willing to spend that much money, because it will put pressure on the countrys reserves of foreign currency, he added. Strategically, the right move by Telecom Egypt would be to sell its stake in Vodafone Egypt, especially after the attractive offer from STC. The question remains whether STC will be interested in buying TEs stake, especially since there has been no official approach to TE. Wael believes it is important to think about how much STC could offer to buy TEs share in Vodafone Egypt if the latter decided to offer it for sale. If that happened, she added, STC could offer less value since the huge deal with Vodafone includes a commercial agreement to use the brand name. We expect Telecom Egypt to use the money from such a deal to pay off debt and finance network expansion, as well as to finance its early retirement programme, which was introduced in 2019 to reduce employee costs, she said, adding that the programmes cost was estimated at LE1.5 billion. The investment income from Vodafone Egypt to TE from the latters 45 per cent share represents about 60 to 70 per cent of TEs annual bottom line, Wael said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Saudis buy stake in Vodafone Egypt Search Keywords: Short link: Hill Sheep Conference for Donegal The Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference will take place in Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey, County Donegal on Wednesday, 19 February. The conference will focus on hill sheep production but also on the contribution of hill sheep farms to maintaining and enhancing the uplands environment. The Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference will take place in Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey, County Donegal on Wednesday, 19 February. A presentation on Ticks and tick borne diseases of sheep will open the conference. This will be delivered by Colm OMuireagain from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Sligo. Cathal Buckley from the Teagasc Rural Economy and Development Programme will speak on Sustainability and public good provision of hill sheep farms. He will outline the benefits of having sheep on Irish hill farms and the contribution those farmers make to the public good. This will lead to a discussion on strategies for maintaining High Nature Value (HNV) Farmlands, which will be facilitated by Darren Carty, drystock journalist with the Irish Farmers Journal. Eileen McCloskey, a Sheep Technologist with CAFRE at Greenmount College, County Antrim, will present a perspective from Northern Ireland. She will talk about an integrated approach to sheep farming in the hills and uplands. How can farmers deliver better economic, social and environmental outcomes on their land ? Brendan Dunford, Manager of the BurrenLife Programme in County Clare, will speak about supporting farmers to deliver better economic, social and environmental outcomes, drawing on their years of experience with the BurrenLife programme. Also travelling to Donegal for the conference is Declan Byrne from Wicklow. He is project manager of the Sustainable Uplands Agri-environment Scheme (SUAS) in Wicklow. SUAS is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project. Another EIP project is The Inishowen Uplands European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project, and Henry ODonnell from Clonmany, County Donegal will outline to the farmers attending the conference how it operates and what it can contribute. The conference will conclude with a question and answer session and a panel discussion, with Eileen McCloskey, Brendan Dunford, Declan Byrne and Henry ODonnell all contributing. The conference runs from 6pm to 9pm, is free to attend, and all are welcome. For more information see www.teagasc.ie/hillsheep20 China scrambled to find bed space for thousands of newly infected patients on Thursday, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus soared to 563. More than 28,000 people are now known to be infected nationwide in the outbreak that has spiralled into a global health emergency. Two dozen countries now have confirmed cases of the coronavirus that emerged from a market selling exotic animals at the end of last year. On Thursday, thousands of people were stranded aboard two cruise ships in Asia, with tests finding that 20 people had contracted the virus in one of the vessels. At the Chinese epicentre of the epidemic in Hubei province, the locked-down city of Wuhan was due to open a second field hospital, offering 1,600 beds. The first hospital, with 1,000 beds, opened earlier this week, and authorities said they were converting public buildings into temporary medical facilities to deal with the influx of sick people. The city of 11 million is facing a "severe" lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, a senior official in Wuhan, noting that there were 8,182 patients admitted to 28 hospitals that have a total of 8,254 beds. There is also a shortage of equipment and materials, Hu told reporters. The central government has announced measures intended to ensure the supply of vital medical resources, with tax breaks for manufacturers of equipment needed to fight the epidemic. "We must make all-out efforts across the country to meet the need for essential medical supplies and medical professionals in Hubei Province," Premier Li Keqiang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. BGI Group, a genome sequencing company based in southern China, said it opened on Wednesday a lab in Wuhan able to test up to 10,000 people per day for the virus. - Cities hunker down - Tens of millions of people in Hubei and surrounding provinces are now facing swingeing restrictions on their movement as authorities try to slow the spread of the virus. They include residents of Hangzhou, a city just 175 kilometres (110 miles) from Shanghai, where fences block streets and loudspeakers tell people: "Don't go out!" In some cities, even in the far north of the country, inhabitants are being offered cash rewards to inform on people who come from Hubei. In Beijing -- where streets remain eerily quiet and businesses are shuttered -- restaurants have been barred from accepting reservations for parties. In Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province which borders Hubei, pharmacists must send reports to the authorities on anyone buying fever or cough medicine. The city has also limited the number of outings per family. - Cruise ship infections - While the death toll continues to rise, and now includes two people outside mainland China, health experts have stressed that at two percent, 2019-nCoV is far less deadly than the SARS pathogen, which is from the same coronavirus family and killed around 10 percent of the people it infected during a 2002-3 outbreak. But panic has risen worldwide with countries barring arrivals from China and governments warning against travel to the country, while airlines have halted flights. At least 20 people on one cruise ship off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, with thousands more staring at a two-week seaborne isolation. In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew spent the night marooned on the cruise ship World Dream as authorities conducted health checks after three former passengers tested positive for the virus. Italy announced that passengers on every international flight would be scanned for fever. The World Health Organization, which has declared a global health emergency, has called for $675 million to fight the novel coronavirus. "Our message to the international community is invest today or pay more later," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that the funding appeal was "much less than the bill we will have to pay if we do not invest in preparedness now". burs-lth/rox/qan Medical staff set up beds for patients displaying mild symptoms of the coronavirus at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan in China There is huge demand for facemasks all over Asia A usually bustling Beijing is eerily quiet, with businesses closed and people hunkering down to avoid the new virus A usually bustling Beijing is eerily quiet, with businesses closed and people hunkering down to avoid the new virus More than 3,700 people were on a cruise ship when it was quarantined off the Japanese coast Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:21:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Noting that the Chinese government and people are currently doing their utmost to fight the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, Xi said: "A friend in need is a friend indeed as the Cambodian people stand with the Chinese people at this special moment." Xi said Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother, former Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, had specially extended sympathy and support to the Chinese side. Moreover, the Cambodian prime minister had expressed strong support to China on many occasions and even made a special tour to China on Wednesday, which demonstrated unbreakable friendship and mutual trust between the two sides and showcased the essence of building a community of shared future of the two countries, said Xi, adding China deeply appreciated Cambodia's such moves. Xi stressed that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government had adopted the most thorough and strict prevention and control measures in a highly responsible manner toward the Chinese people and the international community in dealing with the epidemic. "At present, the prevention and control work is achieving positive results," said Xi. Xi said the Chinese nation had overcome adversity through its development and therefore it has confidence and capability to win the fight against the outbreak of the epidemic. "We will continue to strengthen cooperation with other countries, including Cambodia, in an open and transparent manner to effectively deal with the epidemic and maintain global and regional public health security," said Xi. "We will take good care of Cambodian citizens in China, including Cambodian students studying in China, and protect their lives and health as we treat Chinese citizens," said Xi. Xi said that in 2020 China will maintain close high-level exchanges with Cambodia, implement the action plan on building a community of shared future of the two countries and uplift China-Cambodia relations to new heights. Hun Sen said when China was in a difficult time, the Cambodian people stood firmly with the Chinese people to undergo and overcome common difficulties, and the two countries are truly "steadfast friends." Hun Sen said that he decided to make a special visit to China with an aim to showcase Cambodia's support to China in fighting the outbreak of the epidemic. The prime minister expressed gratitude for China's care of Cambodian citizens in China, expecting this tour to reinforce their confidence. In the face of the epidemic, some countries have adopted some extreme restrictive measures, which are not desirable. What is more terrible than the epidemic is the panic itself, he said. Hun Sen said Cambodia will continue to carry out normal cooperation and exchanges with China and is committed to working with China to build a community with a shared future of the two countries. Punishment for minor crimes may be mitigated for convicted mothers, pregnant women flickr.com/ Frank de Kleine 11:31 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) Russias Cabinet of Ministers submitted a bill mitigating punishment for pregnant women and women with children under the age of three years, who had committed non-serious crimes to the State Duma, according to a statement of the government. Amendments are proposed to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The draft law stipulates a possibility of release on parole for convicted pregnant women and mothers of kids under the age of three years living in the penitentiary facilities orphanages. Moreover, the initiative proposes to replace an unserved part of sentence with a lesser one after a female convict had served upwards of one-quarter of a term imposed on her for a minor crime. Earlier, in late 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill to improve custodial conditions for pregnant women and mothers with kids aged up to 3 years into law. Helping Charlie with her environmental mission was a joint effort for local Lions and Rotary groups. From left, Rotary satellite Orewa-Millwaters Brian Mullen, Karen Bonnici of Rotary Orewa, Laurie Rands of Orewa Lions, recipient Charlie Thomas, Rotary Whangaparaoas Ian Hacking and Sandy McInnes of Rotary Orewa. Red Beach teenager Charlie Thomas is about to embark on an eight-month challenge that involves clearing a remote Hawaiian atoll of mountains of rubbish and invasive weeds. While doing this voluntary work, the 18-year-old and a small team will live in a cabin with no power, internet or fresh food available. The isolated atoll, called Kure, is covered in rubbish because its located under the North Pacific Gyre. Charlie found out last December that she was one of only six successful applicants for the field team, and she leaves on February 9, so there was only a short time to find money to cover flights and other expenses. Her request for help from Orewa Lions so impressed Lion Laurie Rands that she wanted to provide more than the $500 that her organisation could give. Laurie got in touch with three local Rotary groups, who all agreed to help. In total, Rotary Whangaparaoa, Rotary Orewa, Rotary Orewa-Millwater satellite and Orewa Lions were able to provide $1900. I was blown away when I met Charlie, Laurie says. Being able to help an amazing young person like her, thanks to all the groups involved, has been so satisfying. Charlie worked full time for Sea Cleaners last year, removing rubbish from the ocean, and visited Hawaii as a youth ambassador for the organisation, falling in love with its wildlife. She claims to be excited at the prospect of eight months without a cellphone and also at the chance to get up close to the seabirds that inhabit the atoll. A keen artist, she is taking a huge stack of paper and plans to sketch the wildlife. She will also video her experience, so she can talk to local schools on her return about plastic pollution as well as the impact of life in an isolated place without social media. Going to Kure will give me the opportunity to be part of a programme dedicated to protecting the environment and habitat of all the animals I care so much about, not to mention the life skills Ill gain from living off the grid with a bunch of likeminded and equally passionate people, she says. This is going to be a life-changing experience. President Klaus Iohannis has invited on Thursday the leaders of parliamentary parties and formations to the Cotroceni Palace for consultations for the nomination of the next Prime Minister, the Presidential Administration informed. The parties are slated to meet with the President as follows:* 12:00 hrs - the National Liberal Party (PNL);* 12:45 hrs - the Social Democratic Party (PSD);* 13:30 hrs - the Save Romania Union (USR);* 14:15 hrs - the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR);* 15:00 hrs - the People's Movement Party (PMP);* 15:45 hrs - the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE);* 16:30 hrs - the Pro Europa parliamentary group;* 17:15 hrs - the parliamentary National Minorities Group."Several political steps are required, which will be completed in a fast succession. I will call a session of consultations with the parliamentary parties tomorrow, starting at noon. Tomorrow evening, after we wrap up the consultations I will probably already announce the person designated to form a new government," Iohannis said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Wednesday. AGERPRES by Thom Forbes @tforbes, February 5, 2020 Macys will close 125 stores across the country over the next three years and will eliminate about 2,000 corporate jobs in what it says is an updated strategy designed to stabilize profitability and position the company for growth. It also says it plans to focus on its higher-margin private brands business and expects to build four $1 billion brands. The stores that will be closing collectively account for $1.4 billion in sales but individually are poor performers and are based in what the company deems to be lower-tier malls. Among the stores that remain open, there will be job cuts in some stores and increases in others, Macys said, Charisse Jones writes for USA Today. advertisement advertisement Additionally, it is shutting its San Francisco offices that handled tech functions, shifting those tasks to New York City and Atlanta, Jones adds. More than 800 employees and about 200 contractors work in the San Francisco building at 680 Folsom, and eligible staff will be offered severance and given the opportunity to reapply for jobs that are being relocated in New York and Atlanta, according to Business Insider, Amy Graff writes for SF Gate. Departments that are moving include Macy's Product and Digital Revenue, Macys.com and Macys Technology. Further, the Cincinnati corporate headquarters will close, along with the companys San Francisco and Lorain, Ohio, offices. The company will also close its Tempe, Arizona, customer contact center and consolidate customer service work into its Mason, Ohio, and Clearwater, Florida, facilities. New York City will become the companys sole corporate headquarters, the company said, according to WLWT5 Cincinnati. Macys, which will keep running about 400 of its namesake stores, is ramping up its restructuring efforts after a yearslong slump. Cobbled together from various regional chains, the company has struggled even as it left the weakest malls and boosted spending on ecommerce, writes Suzanne Kapner for The Wall Street Journal. Once the backbone of Americas shopping malls, department-store chains like Macys, J.C. Penney and Sears have been losing customers to the convenience of Amazon.com Inc. and the discounts found at off-price chains like T.J. Maxx, she adds. Our goal is to reclaim and revitalize what a department store should be, Macys chief executive Jeff Gennette tells Kapner. Department stores are still vital if they are done right. There is viability to having many categories and brands under one roof. For example, Macys is opening a 20,000-square-foot, flexible retail store format location called Market by Macys at Southlake Town Square mall in Southlake, Texas, tomorrow. The customer base in the area has an average household income of $172,291, and 60% of residents have a bachelors degree, according to The Dallas Morning News. Market by Macys will host community-driven programming from cooking tutorials and book signings to crafting and fitness classes, the company says in a release. Macys new Texas concept favors interior design elements, like bright lighting and open space, that retailers like Target and Nordstrom are also bringing into new and remodeled stores. The new format also appears to have much in common with its existing curated shop-in-shop effort Market @ Macys found in some stores, Daphne Howland writes for Retail Dive. The brand experience team leading the effort is spearheaded by Story founder and now Macy's brand experience officer Rachel Shechtman. The Texas store will feature specialty designers and local Texas brands for men, women, kids and the home, lending a localized flair to the assortment, Howland adds. Shechtman said shes obsessed with the concept of store as community, and that was the driving force behind the new concept, Maria Halkias writes for The Dallas Morning News. Were using the past to impact the present and returning to a modern main street, Shechtman tells Halkias. Branding the beauty section as Getchells Apothecary is an example. Margaret Getchell was Macys first female executive in 1860, Halkias writes. The cost-cutting moves announced yesterday are expected to generate annual gross savings of about $1.5 billion, which will be fully realized by year-end 2022. For 2020, Macy's anticipates gross savings of about $600 million, reports the APs Anne DInnocenzio for The Chicago Tribune. The announcement of the steps comes ahead of Macy's annual investor meeting Wednesday in New York where Gennette is expected to unveil a three-year reinvention plan. The more convenient, brand-right touchpoints we have, the greater loyalty and engagement we engender. This will enable us to grow with the next generation of American shoppers, Gennette says in a statement. Whatever it takes to float the floats. The one-sided approach did not bother Lori Gray, a Fountain Hills resident. She told lawmakers she had two abortions as a teen mostly because I had no idea there were other options. Gray said she ended up at Planned Parenthood and, due to complications, now cannot have any children. Lola Bovell, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates, said abortion is a constitutionally protected right and there is no reason to deny women information on how to exercise that right. And she pointed out that Grays legislation, as worded, even would block a woman who wants some other service her organization provides, like mammography, from being referred to Planned Parenthood, even if it was the closest provider. Herrod said that is in line with existing policy that precludes state dollars from funding not just abortions but any organization that performs or refers people for abortions on the grounds that it becomes a way of indirectly subsidizing the procedure. Anyway, she said, there are more than 200 community health centers in Arizona: A woman does not need to go to Planned Parenthood to have her health needs met. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police have charged an Arden Heights man in connection with a massive marijuana stash that was recovered during the raid of a unit at a West Shore storage facility. Frank Pluchino, 45, of the 200 block of Dover Green, was arraigned Tuesday in Criminal Court for multiple felony charges of marijuana possession, according to court records. Police armed with a search warrant seized 275 pounds of marijuana and 12,035 cannabis oil THC cartridges during a raid Jan. 29 at a storage facility in Travis, an NYPD spokesman told the Advance. A defense attorney hired by Pluchino could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Pluchino was placed on supervised release. Hes due back in court April 7. Public records show the defendant is tied to nine different addresses over the past 25 years, in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Florida. Records also show charges filed against Pluchino in 2007 in Bucks County, PA, for charges of manufacturing, delivering, possessing, with intent to manufacture or deliver. Kudos to @NYPD120Pct Field Intelligence Officers and Special Operations staff who with the assistance of @StatenIslandDA made a tremendous seizure of illegal drugs before they contaminated the streets of Staten Island. This is what @NYPD120Pct is doing to keep our community safe pic.twitter.com/n3o7qPOlQ1 NYPD 120th Precinct (@NYPD120Pct) January 30, 2020 According to the Center for Disease Control, THC vape cartridges sold on the black market have been targeted as a major source of EVALI lung illnesses that reportedly killed 60 people nationwide. However, there was no indication at least initially by authorities whether any of the cartridges seized on Staten Island might have contained the substance(s) causing illnesses. Authorities said two brand names of THC cartridges were found in the storage facility. A push in Albany to legalize adult-use of marijuana in 2020 was inspired, in part, by the idea of regulating products for consumer safety and drawing consumers away from the black market, according to democratic lawmakers who support the move. A passenger plane skidded off the runway at an airport in Istanbul on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 179 others, officials said, Trend reports citing Turkish media. The Pegasus Airlines plane with flight number PC2193 was arriving from Turkey's Aegean province of Izmir at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport when it skidded off the runway while landing, said Turkeys Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turhan. Three people died and 179 others were injured among the 177 passengers and six crew members, said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. Television footage showed the nose of the plane almost completely separated from the rest of the fuselage, which burst into flames following the crash. "According to the information we obtained, after the hard landing, the plane drifted," said Turhan. After skidding off the runway, the plane drifted around 50 meters (164 feet), said Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya. "Then it fell from a height of around 30 meters [98 feet] here, where there is a connection road from the TEM highway to the E-5 highway." Prosecutors in capital Ankara launched an investigation into the incident. The airport has been temporarily closed to air traffic. Turkish Airlines also announced they have temporarily halted all flights to and from the airport. 00:22 (GMT+4) One person was killed as a result of the hard landing conducted by a plane of the Turkish Pegasus airline in Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, while the number of injured people climbed to 157, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "Unfortunately, one of the passengers died, and 157 people were injured", Koca told reporters. Turkish Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan previously said that no one was killed in the incident, and it was also reported that 139 people sustained injuries. Earlier in the day, the aircraft, en route from Izmir to Istanbul with 183 people on board, overran the runway during landing in poor weather, caught fire and broke into three parts. 23:00 (GMT+4) At least 120 people have been injured in Wednesdays crash landing of a passenger plane at Istanbuls Sabiaha Gokcen airport, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya informed, Trend reports citing TASS. "According to recent data, unfavorable weather conditions caused the crash. The plane crashed on the landing strip from the height of 30 meters. So far, 120 people have been taken to hospital," he said on Turkeys NTV channel. A Boeing 737-800 plane travelling from Izmir to Istanbul skidded off the runway earlier on Wednesday at Istanbuls Sabiaha Gokcen airport, subsequently catching fire. There were 177 passengers and 6 crew on board the plane. All passengers and crew have been evacuated. There have been no reports of casualties. 21:15 (GMT+4) A Pegasus Airlines passenger jet flying in from the western city of Izmir veered off the runway after landing at Istanbuls Sabiha Gokcen Airport Wednesday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. The Boeing 737-800s fuselage broke in three and caught fire. Firefighters and ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The plane was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members, according to Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan. He said that there were no fatalities but some passengers were injured. He said the accident was due to a "hard landing." "Our teams are currently evacuating the passengers. There are no casualties so far, only injured ones," Turhan said. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said that 21 evacuees hospitalized for injuries. He later updated the figure for injuries as 52. There were 171 passengers aboard the plane, the governor said. The airport, which serves much of Istanbul's Asian districts and nearby industrial hub cities as Bursa, Kocaeli and Sakarya, has been temporarily closed to air traffic. Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced that it was canceling all flights from and to the airport for the rest of the day. Low-cost carrier Pegasus, the country's second-biggest airline, uses Sabiha Gokcen as its main hub. The airline said in a statement that the flight number PC2193 with registry number TC-IZK skidded off number without deaths and the injured were being transferred to hospitals. Prosecutors in capital Ankara launched an investigation into the incident. Strong southwestern winds and rainfall have been battering the city for much of the day. On Jan. 7, another Pegasus 737-800 aircraft skidded off the runway in Sabiha Gokcen and stopped on top of a grass area between runways amid adverse weather conditions. No one was injured in that incident. In January 2018, a Pegasus Boeing 737-800 slid down an embankment at Trabzon Airport on the Black Sea,and landed just meters from the water with its wheels stuck in thick mud. After four days, the plane was eventually lifted back onto the runway with engineers using cranes. All 162 passengers and six crew were safely evacuated. Pegasus, which has been flying for 20 years, has a fleet of 83 aircraft, including 47 Boeings and 36 Airbus planes. New Delhi: Italy sees itself as an alternative entry point to European markets for Indian firms following Britains exit from the European Union (EU), and the large Indian diaspora can help drive trade and investment, Italian ambassador Vincenzo de Luca has said. There is certainly potential to attract more investment [and] more companies from India to Italy. We have already had an important increase in the number of Indian companies investing in Italy, he said in an interview. Italy has facilitation and incentives to attract foreign investors, and there is potential in both the greenfield sector, or opening of subsidiaries by Indian firms, and the brownfield sector, or acquisition of existing facilities by Indian firms, he said. There is already some investment from India in the brownfield sector in steel and automotive design, de Luca said, adding the legendary Pininfarina car design firm is now owned by Indias Mahindra Group. The UK is currently home to more than 800 Indian firms, many of which use the country as a base for European operations. Brexit has caused uncertainty about future operations, at least until the UK and the EU work out new trading arrangements, and several European countries are eager to woo such firms. De Luca highlighted the role the Indian diaspora of 180,000 in Italy the largest Indian community in an EU state following UKs exit from the bloc could play in driving trade and investment. This community is an asset for bilateral relations and we have to promote more people-to-people relations. Also, the Indian community is well integrated in the Italy territory and economy, he said. The Indians, mainly from Punjab, are very active in sectors such as food processing and it is in the interest of both governments to make their life easier in Italy and also invest through this community in Italy, he added. The Italian envoy also said the two sides have been able to overcome the setback caused by the case of two Italian marines who were accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012. Though the International Court of Arbitration is currently hearing Italys request for dropping the criminal prosecution of the marines, the two sides have found a way to move on, he said. My predecessor [and the] Indian and Italian governments have done a lot in the last few years...So the relationship has been very much improved. Now we have the momentum to really promote a long-term strategic partnership between Italy and India, he said. In addition to efforts to re-launch negotiations for a free trade agreement between EU and India, there is a lot of potential for New Delhi and Rome to work together as the two sides share the same values for multilateralism, rules-based trade, sustainable development, commitment to tackle climate change, partnership on digital economy and on security and defence matters, de Luca said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. ...view detail by Melani Manel Perera The Association was established in France by Fr Pierre-Bienvenu Noailles. The students of the Holy Family Convent Girls School in Bambalapitiya are grateful for the blessings received in recent years, including vocations. They pray for the for the country for the similar blessing. Colombo (AsiaNews) Hundreds of students celebrated the School Day of the Holy Family Sconvent School last Monday together with teachers, nuns and representatives of the Association. The event was held at the Holy Family Convent Girls School in Bambalapitiya, Colombo, in conjunction with 72nd anniversary of Sri Lankas independence in 1948. In his homily, Fr Daya Shelton Welikadaarachchi urged the students to "live and proclaim the beauty of the Holy Family's way of life, in school, at home, in the parishes, so as to show the Christian spirit to the world. Festivities began with a Eucharistic procession, followed by adoration of the Sacrament and finally Mass. During the procession, participants held a red water lily in their hands, whilst ten students dropped white flowers as the priest walked on. Some students held clay lamps in accordance with the Tamil fire ritual of Aarti. In her address, school principal Sr Deepa Fernando talked about the associations foundation and its five vocations: apostolic nuns, contemplative nuns, consecrated lay people, priests and secular members. During the prayer, schoolchildren thanked God for the five vocations received over the years and the blessings received by the whole country. The principal told AsiaNews that the Holy Family was founded by Fr Pierre-Bienvenu Noailles in France, immediately after the French Revolution. It was a time when the Church was in turmoil and most Christians had abandoned the faith. Even the priests and religious had left the congregations. This year we are celebrating 200 years of our foundation. For this, we are grateful to the Lord. Photo: (Photo : pexels) Helicopter parents are helpful to their children in the short-term as they assist their kids with everything and anything. They also rescue their kids when they are in trouble and they try their best to make sure that their kids do not undergo any inconvenience. This kind of parenting style may be done out of love, but it can take a toll on children in the long-term. Kids who grew up with helicopter parents are fast to lose that competitive advantage when they grow up. Some researchers have been studying the long-term effects of helicopter parenting, and here are the five biggest problems that kids with helicopter parents experience in adulthood: Kids have more health problems when they grow up A study from Florida State University in 2016 found that helicopter kids are more likely to have health issues when they grow up. The researchers found that most helicopter kids never learned how to manage their health because their parents always told them what to eat, what to drink, when to exercise and when to go to sleep. Intrusive parents usually worry too much about the health of their kids and they provide constant reminders about what to do. Studies show that if those reminders are absent, helicopter kids do not care for their bodies and health. They feel entitled Helicopter parents dote on their kids so much that the kids end up thinking that they can get what they want all the time. That notion that they are special does not go away when they grow up. The researchers from the University of Arizona found out that kids with helicopter parents grew up feeling entitled. They are also more likely to agree with statements about being self-entitled. Other studies connect the sense of entitlement to disappointment and suffering later in life. They experience more emotional problems as adults Helicopter kids grow up without learning how to manage their emotions because their parents do that for them. If they were sad, their parents were the ones who cheer them up. If they were angry, their parents were the ones who calmed them down. Their lack of emotional regulation skills becomes a problem once they live on their own. A study done by researchers at the University of Mary Washington in 2013 found out that college students who were who have helicopter parents are more likely to be depressed and they also feel dissatisfied with their lives. Helicopter kids rely on medication They are not used to tolerating discomfort because their parents shielded them from pain and prevented them from dealing with any kind of hardship. Helicopter kids are used to immediate gratification. This could explain why they are quick to reach for medication and they want their pain resolved immediately. Researchers from the University of Tennessee conducted a study in 2011 and they found that college students whose parents hovered were more likely to take medication for depression and anxiety. They were also more likely to consume pain pills. They lack self-regulation skills Helicopter kids do not grow up with as much free times as other kids. Their environments are usually high structured and their time is regulated closely by their parents. Without any opportunities to practice managing themselves, they lack the skills that are needed to reach their goals.A study from the University of Colorado in 2014 found that adults who grew up with helicopter parents are less likely to possess the mental control and motivation that they need to succeed. Helicopter parents only want to protect their kids, but hovering robs them of the mental strength that they need to reach their greatest potential in life. ALSO READ: Helicopter Parenting Plays A Major Factor In Raising Unemployable Children Royal Bank of Scotland's new digital bank Bo has told thousands of customers to shred their cards. It is reissuing debit cards to more than 6,000 of its customers who signed up to the app before January 3, in an effort to comply with new EU banking rules. It is the latest hurdle for Bo, which is set to lose its chief executive Mark Bailie later this year in a reshuffle ordered by RBS's new boss, Alison Rose. Digital bank Bo is reissuing debit cards to more than 6,000 of its customers who signed up to the app before January 3, in an effort to comply with new EU banking rules RBS, which also owns Natwest, said the new cards were being issued to make sure Bo was compliant with customer authentication regulations. The rules, to protect customers from fraud, force cardholders to use chip and pin machines more often, rather than always using contactless. Bo said: 'The new cards will message the customer via the pay terminal when they need to make a chip and pin transaction. 'We've chosen this option because we believe it provides a better customer experience.' Many banks are believed to have already built this technology into their cards, or developed a way of working through the new regulations with card networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The sight of President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga dancing the night away during the UB40 concert at the Carnivore grounds in Nairobi last weekend was simply awesome. Heads of Government and opposition leaders rarely enjoy such good times together anywhere in the world. READ ALSO: BBI rallies set for Makueni, Nakuru postponed after Daniel Moi's death Uhuru and Raila shake hands to end their political rivalries. Photo: PSCU. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Daniel Moi's little known daughters who stayed away from limelight It was even more fitting that the revelry came barely hours before the brothers flew to the US where they are set to address the 68th US National Prayer Breakfast meeting at the invitation of the US Congress. The global get-together will be more than just breakfast. Its an invitation-only gathering to be attended by about 2,000 elite politicians, business magnates, members of the US Congress, the diplomatic corps and religious leaders. READ ALSO: Akothee aomboleza kifo cha Moi, akumbuka alivyofaidika kutokana na maziwa ya Nyayo Uhuru and Raila will have the privilege of preaching on how to make the world a better place to live in, using the same stage used by distinguished past speakers such as Mother Theresa and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The two leaders, invited to Washington DC due to their demonstrated commitment to peaceful and constructive resolution of internal conflicts in Africa, have been asked to share their personal journey of faith and reconciliation in the event aptly-themed Reconciliation, Faith and Peace Building. All this would have been unthinkable two years ago when the then political archrivals traded hate-filled barbs in the wake of a highly contested election and chaos that pushed the country to the edge. Uhuru and Raila have become political buddies after their March 9, 2018, handshake. Photo: ODM. Source: Twitter But all that suddenly changed with their surprise handshake on the stairs of Harambee House on March 9, 2018; a historic reconciliatory gesture that has helped the country turn a new page. Like a magic pill, the handshake instantly restored peace and stability in the country while also according Kenyans a rare platform on which to confront the many deep-rooted issues affecting the country. The post-handshake era has witnessed the fiercest war on corruption in the countrys history while Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) - a product of the handshake will be used address other nagging issues such as ethnic antagonism, lack of a national ethos, inclusivity and divisive elections. Few, however, would have bet that a mere handshake between Uhuru and Raila would influence world peace. But it did, giving the handshake a new meaning and seemingly affecting international relations. Barely a month after the handshake, North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un and South Korea's Moon Jae-In met and shook hands, the first interaction between the two countries in over a decade. The warring leaders vowed to formally end the Korean War. US President Donald Trump soon followed suit, shaking hands with Kim Jong-Un two months after the two leaders had threatened to use the deadly nuclear weapons against each other; an act that would have inevitably triggered World War III. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni would also later meet and shake hands with his long-time opposition rival Kiza Besigye, a rare feat. With the handshake fever spreading wide and fast, and with many leaders using it to solve their decades-old problems, many felt this had everything to do with Kenya and even beseeched President Kenyatta to patent the handshake. The handshake effect is still being felt to date, with Raila revealing that he was recently invited to Togo to help the Government find a way to work together with the Opposition in that country. It is thus shocking that some local leaders, led by Deputy President William Ruto, are still fighting the handshake locally. It is simply outrageous that, for their own selfish gain, these leaders are hell-bent on scuttling a peace deal that has made the world safer, and earned Kenya a seat in the high table of world peace. While the good book tells us that a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown, these politicians must be reminded that Kenya, and the world, are more important than any one individual. They have no option but to embrace. The writer is Sammy Kwinga, a regular commentator on social, economic and political issues. The views expressed in this opinion article are his and do not represent the position of TUKO.co.ke. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My mother's prayers changed my life - Joseph Abwao | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michael Andrew (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 13:37 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b21ef 1 SE Asia China,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,discrimination,politics,tourism Free Activists and politicians are denouncing the growing harassment and mistreatment of Chinese tourists and migrants that has been inflamed by the global fear of the 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV). News outlets and social media users in Europe and North America are reporting a rise of public abuse and discrimination against Chinese people and people of Chinese descent, many of whom are being directly blamed for the spread of the virus. In parts of Southeast Asia, some businesses have reportedly been erecting signs barring Chinese customers from entry. Because your country is beginning [to] spread disease [...] we do not accept to serve the guest from China, read a sign in English outside a hotel in Danang, Vietnam, reports Reuters. According to the same report, a group of Chinese tourists in Indonesias West Sumatra were met by locals holding a banner that read: We, the West Sumatran communities, reject the visit of Chinese tourists. Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this type of discrimination is a violation of human rights and does little to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Violating the rights of Chinese people, either those who work in Indonesia or those who just traveled into Indonesia, in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive. Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach, he said. Authorities in places outside China should prohibit discrimination and harassment against people from China and ensure their equal access to hotels and medical care. HRW is keeping a close eye on international measures to contain the virus, which have included numerous countries closing borders to Chinese nationals against the World Health Organizations advice. Harsono said these measures needed to be carefully measured and deployed in order to operate within international law and preserve peoples dignity and human rights. Restrictions such as quarantine or isolation of symptomatic people must, at a minimum, be provided for and carried out in accordance with the law, Harsono said on behalf of HRW. They must be strictly necessary to achieve a legitimate objective, the least intrusive and restrictive available to reach the objective, based on scientific evidence, neither arbitrary nor discriminatory in application, of limited duration, respectful of human dignity and subject to review. Anti-Chinese sentiment has been a growing problem in Southeast Asia even before the coronavirus outbreak as Chinas influence and presence in the region increased. However, the sudden rise in abuse has prompted senior politicians to rally to Chinas defense. China has been kind to us; we can only also show the same favor to them. Stop this xenophobia thing, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said at a press conference on Monday, according to public transcripts. They are blaming the Chinese that [the virus] came from China, but it could always incubate in some other place, he said. In other parts of the world, social media users have reported witnessing Chinese people facing abuse on trains and in schools. Its awful. We sat next to a lady on the train whos lived in NZ [New Zealand] for over 30 years and she told us that people had been yelling at her to stay away from them and 'go home'. She looked so sad, tweeted one twitter user. New Zealand Green Party politician Golriz Ghahraman replied with a plea to protect Asian communities. Can we please unite to protect our Chinese and East Asian origin communities against this heartbreaking abuse? Infectious disease isnt race-based. Prejudice and hate is. And its a more dangerous enduring ill if we let it grow. Chinese residents in France have been sharing their experiences of racism with the hashtag #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I am not a virus). Not all Asians are Chinese. Not all Chinese were born in China and not all have been there. An Asian who coughs doesnt have the coronavirus. Insulting an Asian because of the virus is like insulting a Muslim because of the bombings, said one French twitter user. Other social media users have condemned the disproportionate media coverage of the coronavirus and the heavy-handed measures to stop it spreading when epidemics in other countries have gone comparatively unreported. Under cover of coronavirus, the US and its 'allies' are waging war against China, tweeted Australian journalist John Pilger. The racist travel bans and media hysteria are not approved by WHO. China's response to the emergency has been a model unlike the US whose current flu epidemic has killed 10,000 and isn't news. The writer is an intern under the ACICIS program The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Iranian security forces have raided journalists homes in recent days in an attempt to intimidate critics ahead of next months parliament elections. Members of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) raided the Tehran homes of journalists Maziar Khosravi, Yasaman Khaleghian, Moloud Hajizadeh, and Yaghma Fakhshami, CPJ said in a statement on February 5, citing news reports and a person familiar with the cases. According to those sources, documents were confiscated and equipment was seized in the January 26 and February 3 raids. The IRGC agents did not make any arrests or declare a reason for the raids. The raids come weeks before Iran is scheduled to hold general elections on February 21. Raiding journalists homes in the run-up to an election shows that Iranian authorities are intent on stifling discussion and intimidating critics, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. If authorities want to show that the countrys elections are open and fair, they must allow journalists to work without fear, he said, calling on Iranian authorities to cease raiding reporters homes and return laptop, phones, notebooks, and all other material confiscated in recent raids. The person who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity said that IRGC agents told all four the four journalists they would be contacted for questioning in the coming days. The Communications Director of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says allegations against former President John Dramani Mahama over his involvement in Airbus deal are frivolous and baseless. According to him, the Airbus scandal is about criminal infractions which have nothing to do with any government official under the Mills and Mahama administrations either offering or taking bribes to procure aircrafts from the aerospace multinational. He slammed the government for using diversionary tactics to distract the minds of Ghanaians from its corrupt practices. The NPP is only engaging in conjecture and baseless insinuations. They have not been able to adduce any evidence to buttress their claims. To the extent that, the said government official 1 is not accused of any wrongdoing in the report and approved judgment, his identity is completely immaterial. The desperate attempt by the NPP and its media surrogates to divert attention from recent conclusively established cases of corruption involving the Akufo-Addo government such as, the missing tricycles scandal, missing excavators scandal, the doling out of over GHS136 billion tax-waiver to the in-law of President Akufo-Addo among others, will not wash, he stressed in a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com. Read full statement below: From my reading of the UK SFO report and the approved judgment of the Crown Court of Southwark on the raging Airbus scandal, it is clear that the whole case is about: criminal infractions by employees and agents of Airbus and nothing more These infractions are that: 1. Airbus engaged agents (intermediary 5 and his associates & intermediary 8) who had no prior expertise in the aerospace industry, to help them sell military aircrafts to Ghana. 2. The role of Intermediary 5 in the transactions violated OECD Convention, 1997 due to his close relation with a Ghana government official (GO1) who was influential in Ghanas acquisition of the aircrafts at the time. 3. Intermediary 8 was used as a front for intermediary 5 with the consent of employees of Airbus to circumvent the OECD Convention, 1997. Through this arrangement, actual work done by intermediary 5 were misrepresented as having been done by intermediary 8 and success-based commission of about 3.8 million euros paid to intermediary 8, was later remitted to intermediary 5 by intermediary 8. 4. The payment of the success-based commission of about 3.8 million euros by Airbus to intermediary 8 which was later remitted to intermediary 5, was in excess of the agreed 5% commission of about 3 million euros as captured in the Purchase Agreement. There was therefore overpayment of about 800 thousand euros. 5. The success-based commission paid to the intermediaries were intended to induce or reward improper favor by government official 1. NB: There is no indication either in the report or approved judgment that this intention was actualized. Now the critical issues. 1. No ex-government official of Ghana is cited in the report or approved judgment for receiving a bribe or committing any offense. In fact, not even the unnamed government official 1 is cited in the report or approved judgement for receiving a bribe or for committing any offense. NB: This point becomes even clearer when juxtaposed with the facts narrated in the approved judgment with regard to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan, where the UK SFO actually made findings on how bribes were disbursed to senior executives of Airlines. Clearly, the UK SFO would have stated that bribes were paid to the said government official 1 if they had found so in their investigations. Instead they carefully chose the words "intended to induce" without more. And there is no indication that this intention was actualized. 2. There is no finding in the report or approved judgment that Ghana lost any money through the transactions. The government of Ghana paid fair commercial value for the aircrafts and was not in any way shortchanged. No such finding was made by the UK SFO or Southwark Crown Court. 3. There is no finding either in the report or approved judgement that any laws were breached by the government of Ghana or any official of Ghana in the transactions. The Procurement law was strictly adhered to. 4. There is no finding in the report or approved judgement, that the government of Ghana or any government official, engaged or paid any money to any agent. Therefore any infractions arising from the engagement and payment of agents by Airbus are entirely their business. Conclusion 1. The whole case is about criminal infractions by employees and agents of Airbus, a private company. There was no way the government of Ghana could have known of the above infractions at the time of the transactions. 2. Allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the Mills and Mahama administrations by the NPP are frivolous and baseless. The NPP is only engaging in conjecture and baseless insinuations. They have not been able to adduce any evidence to buttress their claims. 3. To the extent that, the said government official 1 is not accused of any wrongdoing in the report and approved judgment, his identity is completely immaterial. 4. The desperate attempt by the NPP and its media surrogates to divert attention from recent conclusively established cases of corruption involving the Akufo-Addo government such as, the missing tricycles scandal, missing excavators scandal, the doling out of over GHS136 billion tax-waiver to the in-law of President Akufo-Addo among others, will not wash. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video On a stretch of Norways Arctic border known for views of the Northern Lights is the small town of Kirkenes. Its population is under 4,000 and the local online newspaper has a staff of just two. And its here that Russia is signalling what the future may hold: a wider hand in trying to censor the internet for its citizens. At issue is the Barents Observer, which publishes in English and Russian, and a story about an openly gay man who twice contemplated suicide but then changed his mind and is now speaking out to promote mental health. Russias state telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, flagged the story for promoting suicide and blocked the entire Observer website in Russia last year. But the editor of the Barents Observer wonders whether the website was targeted because of its previous anti-Kremlin content. From Japanese comics to political opposition web addresses to a small Norwegian publication that had roughly 20,000 Russian readers per month, the outlets affected by Russias so-called blacklist now number at more than 300,000. But although Moscow has become notorious for meddling in the worlds internet, doing so at home isnt as easy especially in a society thats already used to online freedom. Russia has so far trodden relatively carefully in its censorship efforts. Still, internet freedom monitors in Russia fear its new sovereign internet law could one day rival that of Chinese and Iranian. The London-based rights monitor Freedom House ranked Russia 51st out of 65 countries on its internet-freedom rating last year. The legislation came into force in November, but it could be a year before the technology is in place. It aims to route Russian web traffic and data through points controlled by state authorities and to build a national domain name system. This, supporters claim, would give Russia greater control of internet content and traffic. Authorities backing the bill have described it as a cybersecurity measure needed to defend Russia by building a fenced-off network. But critics see it as the governments way of further cracking down on one of the few free sources of information remaining in the country. Cable news channels are state-run, and the television audience is gradually declining, according to the Levada Centre, an independent Russian pollster. Its study of the Russian media landscape in 2019 also revealed that social networks have replaced television as the main news source for young Russians, and although 80 per cent of the population had confidence in television as a news source 10 years ago, that figure is now 55 per cent. Cyberactivity has been harnessed by the Russian government to target governments and activists externally but now those same tools are turned inward, says Heather A Conley, director of the Europe Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Russian officials have seen how the internet and social media can be used by civil society to share information, organise grass-roots protests across Russia and as an instrument of transparency against Russian corruption. Vladimir Putin started to see the web as a potential threat An uprising more than eight years ago over election-rigging allegations sparked Russian authorities first efforts to wield more control over the internet. Russian President Vladimir Putin started to see the web as a potential threat and consider regulations, says former lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev. Around the same time, the first measures were introduced to block undesirable content on the internet, specifically targeting child pornography, drug-related material and anything that could be considered as encouraging suicide. The blacklist was supposed to be implemented by NGOs, but the role instead went to watchdog Roskomnadzor. More than 10 state agencies can ask Roskomnadzor to block a website. In Kirkenes is a Norwegian monument honouring the soldiers of the Soviet army who liberated the town from Nazi German occupation in 1944 (For The Washington Post by Ksenia Ivanova) That particular legislation did nothing wrong, but it was used as a model to introduce further initiatives, Ponomarev says. They were introducing laws but already for the political cases what they called extremism, terrorism and this kind of stuff, which led to the establishment of real censorship. The result has been a loose definition of what can be blocked. Some Japanese manga has been added to the blacklist as child pornography. News websites run by Kremlin critics Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Garry Kasparov are inaccessible to Russians because theyve been categorised as extremism. And the Barents Observer was punished for allegedly promoting suicide even though the subject of its story was doing the opposite. Thomas Nilsen, the editor, suspects the real trouble dates to 2014, when a Russian official publicly accused the website of anti-Russian reporting because it used terms such as Putinism and was critical of the countrys annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. He doubts that Russia will actually have the capability to cut itself off from the global web We are located in probably the most remote corner of Europe, Nilsen says. But not because we chose to end up in this situation, we feel that, yeah, we are on the border to Russia but we are also on the border to the fight for freedom of the internet. Not all of Russias internet blockades have been successful. After the Telegram messaging app, especially popular in Russia, refused to give authorities access to its users encrypted messages in 2018, Roskomnadzor unsuccessfully attempted to block it but inadvertently denied Russians access to a slew of unrelated online services. Telegram remains widely used by Russians, including many officials even Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov is on the app. The country blocked LinkedIn in 2016 because it stores the user data of Russian citizens outside of Russia, but its been hesitant to take the same action with more popular social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. They perfectly understand that 90 per cent of (online) users are apolitical, Khodorkovsky says. But if you deprive them of a beloved product, they can politicise [the product], which no one wants. Close to the icy border with Russia, Barents Observer has lost two-thirds of its Russian audience since being blacklisted (For The Washington Post by Ksenia Ivanova) Artem Kozlyuk of Roskomsvoboda, a group that fights internet censorship and promotes freedom of information, says that the new sovereign internet law opens up a new chapter of regulation because it involves infrastructure control through deep-packet inspection technology an advanced way to filter traffic. He doubts that Russia will actually have the capability to cut itself off from the global web, as the countrys authorities have claimed. But services could go dark in some regions for a short time. Thats already happened during protests in Moscow and Ingushetia, a republic in the Caucasus region. A block had devastating consequences for the Barents Observer. The publication has lost two-thirds of its Russian audience since being put on the Kremlin's internet blacklist. Nilsen, the Observers editor, says hed rather that happen than to succumb to self-censorship. We have decided never to compromise on what we are writing, he says. We are following what we believe is good ethics of journalism. And we dont want to change anything because Roskomnadzor disagrees with us. Washington Post Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 04:09:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference on UN work priorities for 2020 at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 4, 2020. Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the organization is totally committed to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the organization is totally committed to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We are totally committed to the two-state solution. And we are totally committed to supporting Israelis and Palestinians to come to a peace process for a two-state with the two-state solution based on international law, based on Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and based on the borders of 1967," the UN chief told reporters at a press conference on UN work priorities for 2020. "Our position is very clear. We are the guardians of the UN resolutions and international law in relation to the policy in question," the secretary-general added. "We have not changed our position," he noted. On Jan. 28, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed his controversial Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," calling for a two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." The U.S. president outlined the 80-page plan at the White House along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that it proposes a "realistic" two-state solution. The Security Council will hear a briefing behind closed doors from Jared Kushner, Trump's senior adviser, on the plan on Thursday, the council president said Monday. "The understanding is that the United States will request closed consultations in order to brief council members on the American plan. The idea, as I understand, will be that Mr. Kushner, as the special envoy, would be participating in that meeting," said Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, whose country holds the Security Council presidency for the month of February. Unionized refinery workers, left, and anti-Trump protesters gathered outside of the St. Francis de Sales School in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, where Vice President Mike Pence appeared. The union members want the government to support the resumption of oil processing at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, which shut down last year and is undergoing bankruptcy reorganization. Read more Federal environmental regulators have joined a parade of parties staking claims on the bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions refining complex, whose sale and reorganization are in the final, frantic stages of negotiation before a scheduled confirmation hearing next week. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a protective objection late Tuesday to ensure that the reorganization plan contains language that adequately protects the governments interests. Its filing is primarily aimed at preserving the EPAs claims for millions of dollars of unpaid renewable energy credits that it says PES owes the government. The plan that PES submitted to the court last month poses an unacceptable risk that the refinerys obligations to pay for ethanol credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, will go unpaid before the companys assets are liquidated. About 10 parties have so far submitted objections to the reorganization plan, complicating a final resolution. Many of the objections are efforts by parties to get priority over claimants when the refinerys assets are divvied up. A confirmation hearing was pushed back to Feb. 12 before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross in Wilmington. Much of the public focus on the refinery bankruptcy is over who will buy the 1,300-acre property, which is contaminated from more than a century of oil processing. PES selected a $240 million bid from Hilco Redevelopment Partners, which has told the city that it intends to close the refinery. But rivals assert that a second bidder, Industrial Realty Group, whose plan includes a resumption of refining, bid $25 million more and should have been selected. PES was the largest refinery on the East Coast before it shut down following a June 21 fire. It declared bankruptcy a month later, its second bankruptcy filing in two years. The EPA, in its filing submitted by the U.S. Attorneys Office, indicated it is engaged in negotiations with PES to settle its concerns before the confirmation hearing. The agencys concerns about the refinerys obligations to buy biofuel credits, or RINs, touch on a long-standing issue that the refinerys managers complained has cost the business hundreds of millions of dollars its obligations to blend ethanol with motor fuel under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. The EPA says that PES needs renewable credits for the first six months of 2019. The bankruptcy plan includes an estimated reserve of $28.8 million for the credits, which PES said shall not constitute an admission of priority or amount of RINs liabilities. The government argues that the RINs obligations are not a claim that can be dismissed by the court they are non-dischargeable compliance obligations and the companys reorganization plan fails to demonstrate how it will comply. The EPA, which regulates water and air emissions standards that apply to the refinery, also objected to the plants language that might be misconstrued to limit a future owners responsibility to protect public health. Nothing in the Bankruptcy Code permits a future owner or operator of property to evade its obligation to comply with environmental law as the owner of contaminated or defective property, the EPA said. The refinery also faces state environmental obligations. It signed a consent order on Jan. 15 with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection settling multiple violations for water discharges and storage-tank inspections, unrelated to the June fire. PES agreed to pay $151,000 in fines, which puts the DEPs claim among the highest priorities during a bankruptcy resolution. Meanwhile, advocates for and against reopening the refinery continue to conduct public demonstrations. On Wednesday, a contingent of refinery workers held a rally outside a West Philadelphia school where Vice President Mike Pence was making an appearance, to urge the Trump administration to support the resumption of oil processing at PES. AMG, Association Management Group of Greensboro, one of the Carolinas largest professional homeowner association managers, sponsored an original dress design at the 8th annual Big Hair Ball on Saturday evening, January 25 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro. This years theme, 2020: A Landmark Vision, treated attendees to a runway fashion show of one-of-a-kind outfits created by area and student designers. The sponsorship by Paul Mengert, AMG President and Treasurer of Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, was in honor of PTAA Chairman Steve Showfety and U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, both recently deceased. The evening of edgy fashions, big hair, food, and drinks was kicked off with a champagne toast in their memory. This gesture of goodwill commemorating individuals who were important airport supporters was commended by PTI Airport. AMGs sponsored design won the Most Creative Student Designer award. The program was presented by The Guild and Junior Guild of Family Service of Greensboro Foundation, Inc. in support of programs for Family Service of the Piedmont. This years event drew 1100 community advocates and raised $320,000 for Family Service, the largest nonprofit agency of its kind in Guilford County. Family Service supports thousands of children and adults facing domestic violence, mental health issues and financial stability challenges. AMG is known for the culture of giving in its five offices across NC and SC, not only for the positive impact it has on its client communities, but also on the company. AMG boasts 100% staff participation in service activities, through contributions of time, talent, and money. AMG understands the importance of contributing to local service organizations like Family Service of the Piedmont, Mengert said. Family Service is committed to something were passionate about: building healthy communities. We are proud to be a part of their mission, and especially proud this year to sponsor a design to honor good friends to our community who have recently passed away: PTAA Chairman Steve Showfety and Senator Kay Hagan. To learn more about Family Service of the Piedmont, visit http://www.fspcares.org/; for more about the sponsoring Guild, visit http://www.fspcares.org/guild. About AMG: AMG is a professional community association management company dedicated to building effective community associations. AMG guides and assists executive boards to help protect the association's interests, enhance the lives of community members and improve the property values in the community. With offices throughout the Carolinas in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, and Greenville and Aiken, SC, AMG is a knowledgeable partner in enforcing community governing documents with a proven set of processes and techniques, and supporting communities with a broad range of services which can be tailored to individual community needs. Association Management Group, Inc. is a locally Accredited Business by the BBB and is a nationally Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) by the Community Associations Institute. For more about AMG, visit http://www.amgworld.com. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Vietnams population of approximately one hundred million, and its growing global presence in the world will make it necessary to exploit the enormous untapped potential of the aviation industry. It is therefore imperative to remove bottlenecks in policies and procedures and promote a strong aviation industry within Vietnam. Difficult market to enter According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietnam is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, with an average revenue growth rate of 7.4% per annum. According to Bui Doan Ne, General Secretary of the Aviation Business Association, to meet the needs of a population of about hundred million people, the above growth rate is appropriate. Currently, there are five airlines operating within the country, including two private airlines, helping Vietnam airlines sector to have a new image and face after making significant changes. In particular, the most obvious change is the benefit to consumers. The competition has helped many people have the opportunity to fly cheaper with better services. According to experts, the entry of a new airline at this time will not be easy. Although the State has an open-door policy to create conditions for many sectors in the economy to participate in the aviation industry, but in reality, there are many barriers to overcome. Mr. Dang Tat Thang, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, said that to establish an airline we must follow both the 2014 Investment Law as well as Decree 92 of the Prime Minister. So the number of procedures are much more. That is the difference in the formation process for state-owned and private businesses. Then, from the initial ten aircrafts, if we want to increase the number of aircraft, we must again move for approval to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Transport, and the Aviation Department to once again fill reams of documents, same as at the early and initial stages when starting the airline. Nguyen Dinh Cung, Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that the process of entering the aviation market is still very difficult, even illogical. Instead of trying to resolve existing problems, the authorities do not allow businesses to act but find ways to limit them. These methods need changing for the sake of development. Open aviation to private sector There are currently two main bottlenecks in the development of Vietnam's aviation industry, namely, infrastructure and manpower. The fact that the aviation infrastructure has not met the development needs of the market has led to the current overload. This is due to various restrictions in the current mechanism. It also means that the State has not opened the doors for private investment. The effective participation of the private sector in the aviation industry was initially demonstrated in the Van Don International Airport investment project. However, private businesses are still at risk of being excluded due to aviation coming under a specific field which is related to national security. For example, for the Long Thanh International Airport investment project or the T3 terminal project at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Ministry of Transport is still favoring the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). In case of the Dien Bien Airport, although the local government wants to speed up the investment process and some private investors wants to join, the Ministry of Transport still insists on ACV as main investor. Without removing the distinction between state and private businesses in the process of investment, it is not known when the bottlenecks in aviation infrastructure investment will be removed. It is time to create a legal framework wide enough for businesses to compete on an equal level. There is no competition between airlines, but the competition is only between the state and the private sector. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cung said that in the current context, the State should only play a guiding role in policies and directions, and create an equal opportunity for state-owned and private businesses. The power of the private sector in infrastructure development rests in it having endless resources. I hope that the Long Thanh airport will be a success story of a private enterprise in the country. -Dr. Vu Tien Loc, President of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Luu Binh Nhuong, Deputy Head of the People's Committee of the National Assembly, is a strong supporter for creating conditions for private investors to enter the aviation sector. According to him, the State should not make money but should create an environment for businesses to make money, and the State must respond to business needs, not restrict them because of insufficient management capacity. In the process of developing the aviation industry in 2020, with an orientation towards 2030, the Government is aiming at the Vietnam aviation market to rank fourth among the ASEAN countries in terms of output. If it does not boldly open the doors for future prospects, change policies and mechanisms to attract resources to invest in the aviation sector, this goal will not be easy to achieve. Lawyer Nguyen Danh Hue from the Hanoi Bar Association, said that the Government should be open to create conditions for the private sector to participate in the aviation market, create competition, and also generate profits for the State, along with good services for the consumer. Duy Minh The radicalisation has come as a surprise to Narendra, for the shooter was a regular in his class. Since a protesting student was injured in the shooting at Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi, a row over the age of the shooter has ensued. Soon after the firing, ANI released the shooters 10th grade CBSE mark sheet that indicated he was a minor. Days after that, an Election Commission document went viral on social media to suggest the shooter is actually an adult. Narendra Sharma, in whose class the shooter was from 2013 to 2018, said the ANI mark sheet is accurate. His birth date is 8 April 2002, he said. He is a minor, 1,000 percent. Do not keep repeating the question. Narendra, however, is furious with ANI. They blackened the names of the shooter and his parents, but exposed the name of our school, he said. His parents are innocent, gullible people. They gave ANI reporters the mark sheet when they landed at their doorstep. Narendra claimed he has sent ANI a legal notice for defamation. But he refused to share its copy. On Thursday afternoon, 30 January 2020, students at Jamia Milia University began a march towards Rajghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. The day marked the 72nd anniversary of his assassination. At around 1.30 pm, while the gathering was moving, one person suddenly came out of it brandishing a small firearm like object and within a split second, before anyone could assess or react to what he was doing, the man suddenly fired towards the marching students, the Delhi Police said in a statement. The police staff immediately rushed towards the person and overpowered him. Back home in the small town of Jewar in Uttar Pradeshs Gautam Buddha Nagar district, the shooters parents, who were attending a wedding, thought he was in school. Jewar is merely 70 kilometres from Delhi. The residents around his home, which is about 300 metres away from a police check post in a narrow lane, are tightlipped. We do not know much about him, said an old man standing at a sweet shop right opposite his home. Two youngsters quickly pointed to his house upon asked for his address. But ran away when this reporter asked them if they knew him. Sandesh Kaushik, watching five men play cards on the corner of a road, agreed to talk. You are from Mumbai, you said, he revealed the reason why he decided to engage. I like that city. Also Read: Jamia shooter's age row: CBSE certificate shows him as 'minor', EC document shows he's registered voter since April 2019 Kaushik is a family friend of the shooters mother. We both belong to the same village in Mathura, he said. I know them well. In the morning, I was consoling his grandfather who could not stop crying. He was wondering how the family would pay for the bail or the lawyers fees. In a small house of three rooms, they live in a joint family, said Kaushik. His mother is a private school teacher, and father runs a small shop selling biscuits and stuff, he said. We are all shocked and saddened that he has done that. Watching Kaushik open up to this reporter, a passerby joined the conversation requesting anonymity. He used to attend Bajrang Dal camps, he said. The camps were really infrequent. But 8-10 kids with him used to attend. This reporter tried to meet those youngsters but none of them came forward. Nobody wants to be linked with him, said the man. However, Narendra said he met the Crime Branch officials on 3 February, who told him the shooter was acting on his own and had no affiliation with any organisation. Bhoot sawaar hoga limelight mein aane ka (He was desperate to be famous), said Narendra. His Facebook page, which has since been taken down, said he is a member of Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which is part of the larger Sangh Parivar under the RSS ideological parent of the ruling BJP. A Dainik Jagran report from November 2018 named him as one of the activists that encircled the Kotwali in Jewar over vandalisation of idols in a temple of that area. That protest was led by Deepak Sharma, who had allegedly instigated Indian students against Afghan students at a university, after which an FIR was filed against him. He has been associated with Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The Jamia shooter had uploaded a photograph with him on Facebook. Narendra said the Crime Branch officials told him the Facebook profile, which the shooter started in 2018, was dormant most of the time. He uploaded several posts on the day he committed the crime though, he said. Two of those posts read, Azaadi de raha hoon (Will give you freedom) and Shaheen Bagh, Khel Khatam (Shaheen Bagh, game over) referring to the anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests happening in Delhi. The rest of the photos have him with a gun or a sword. The radicalisation has come as a surprise to Narendra, for the shooter was a regular in his class. He was an obedient student, never behaved arrogantly with his classmates or teachers, he said. He was disciplined but average. Would get around 50-55 percent marks. He had an interest in wrestling. A few times he had participated as a wrestler in a fair." The inspectors at the police check posts near his house said this is a peaceful town, where people live harmoniously. There has not been any communal tension. But soon after the shooter was caught in Delhi, his neighbours in Jewar reportedly gathered around his house and chanted slogans in his support. The shooter has a younger brother and a sister. Kaushik said they are suffering because of his actions. The family is straight as an arrow, he said. His siblings have to be embarrassed because of what he did. If he had studied hard and found a job, he could have helped his struggling family. The family is in shock. He is supposed to have been appearing for Class 12 board exams beginning 24 February. He is currently in police custody. The family hopes he would be able to appear for the exams, said Kaushik. They met him in police custody and gave him his books. Even though we are not that far into the progress of the novel coronavirus, experts are still trying to assess its impact and spread. On the one hand, Goldman Sachs forecasts that the novel cornoavirus wont dent global growth, based on the assumption that the infection peaks in China at the end of the first quarter, which is in line with WHO projections. And the Wall Street Journal reports that China is deploying its surveillance technology to follow where people whove contracted the disease have been, even though some experts pooh-poohed its utility: Ms. [Susan] Erikson [professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver], who spent time in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis, said the idea of using big data often sounds more impressive than it is. In reality, there is too little return on the massive investment required to translate telecom info into public-health action, she added. The opportunity costs in an emergency are huge. Paying attention to low-return activity during a crisis means not paying attention to other more urgent public-health needs. But there is one area where theres somewhat less uncertainty: auto industry supply chains, where for quite a few players, shortages are already hurting production. This should come as no surprise; the big car manufacturers long ago adopted just in time manufacturing, with protective inventories a no-no. But optimizing for efficiency creates vulnerability to shock, and coronavirus is proving to be a big one. The Financial Times has a good recap, with several automakers hitting the red alert that they were mere weeks away from having to shutter some operations due to coronavirus hitting deliveries of key parts from China. Hyundai said yesterday it had halted production in all of its South Korea car plants, with a frantic search on to find new sources for engine wire-harness. And as we indicated at the top of this post, infections in China are currently expected to grow until late March/early April, meaning these car manufacturers arent very likely to get a break. Mind you, some of the apparent freakout may be due to an abundance of caution. China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to try to stem the spread of coronavirus in Wuhan and other parts of the country deemed at high risk. That in turn kept some manufacturers from restarting production. A key section from the article: Many vehicle manufacturers are still scrambling to assess how they will be affected by a Chinese shutdown, several executives told the Financial Times. Its almost impossible to know where the pinch points will be, said Justin Cox, head of global production at LMC Automotive. We just dont know right now how big the problem is or how long this will go on for. He added: A lot of carmakers will have back-up supply options, so they can switch suppliers. But if there is such a loss of output globally, there might not be enough to go around. If it does run out, they have to stop. Carmakers in Germany, which make the bulk of their profits in China, have announced the temporary closures of their production plants in the country, as have large car-parts suppliers. Meanwhile, Japanese carmaker Nissan on Tuesday said it was considering extending a shutdown of its joint-venture operations in China, in line with other carmakers including Toyota, Honda and Ford. For its two plants in Hubei province, which is at the heart of the outbreak, Nissan said production was expected to restart some time after February 14. Earnings at Volkswagen and BMW operations in China are expected to fall by at least 5 per cent in the first half of 2020, after the companies suspended production in the country, according to analysts at research firm Bernstein. The article does cheerily point out that Hyuandai expects to reopen its South Korea factories next week but also points out that automakers moving production around to keep operations humming, even if they did succeed in keeping output on a par, would still dent profits. The South China Morning Post warned that if the coronavirus isnt under control by April, smaller manufacturers will start failing: Concerns among small and medium-sized manufacturers in China over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak have risen sharply, with many worrying about going bust if the situation is not brought under control soon. Anxiety is most acute among labour-intensive manufacturing firms, as local governments have restricted business where numerous people congregate in an effort to contain the deadly virus If the outbreak is not brought under control by March or April, when many foreign customers place orders for the rest of the year, some Chinese companies fret business will shift to suppliers outside China, accelerating a move to alternative manufacturing bases, especially in Southeast Asia. The number of workers resuming work [at factories] in Dongguan will definitely be affected in the coming couple of months, as well as at logistics operations and supply chain firms, [Tom] Wang [operator of a footwear factory] said. There have yet to be any reports of shortages of pharmaceuticals, an area where the West is even more dependent on China than for auto parts. Admittedly, there is almost certainly more inventory slack, between retailer and drug distributors. But all it takes is for a critical drug or two to become scarce to create serious consequences. And it is far too early to tell if multinationals will start to question the wisdom of extended supply chains. Coronavirus can be excused as a black swan, but now all these big ticket execs have been put on notice. Look at how hurricanes in Puerto Rico led to shortages of IV fluids and bags because three Baxter factories were knocked out. Fires, storms, electrical outagesall are more likely than in the past and big companies need to take a hard look at their exposures. For the want of a nail, a shoe was lost. CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Company" or "Emerald Bay") reported today that the Company has spudded the fifth well, #4HC, on the Duval County Ranch Company ("DCRC") "E" lease. The DCRC properties were acquired by the Company, with partners HugoCellR and CWS Energy Resources, in August, 2019. The properties consist of five leases totaling 896 acres, and pertain to the shallow depths from just below the Mirando Sand (approx. 2,600') to the surface. The first phase of development at DCRC has been on the 320 acre "E" lease, and #4HC will be the fifth well drilled to date. The first four wells are currently producing 55 bbls/day of oil, and it is anticipated that the #4HC well will add approximately 15-20 barrels of oil per day. The partnership has plans to drill an additional 4-6 wells on the "E" lease this year. About Emerald Bay Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company. For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at: http://bit.ly/8020EBY For further information, please contact: Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000 Email: info@ebyinc.com www.ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575335/Emerald-Bay-Energy-Spuds-Well-at-Duval-County There is so much sexism and casual misogyny around us that, while we are most certainly disappointed by it, we have also stopped being surprised by it. Here's another tale of why men think women are less than them and how women can't be in authoritative positions. Apparently, we can't have women commanders in the Indian Army because 'male troops won't accept them'. Yep, the Centre has told the Supreme Court that women may not be suitable for command posts in the Army. Reuters First of all, troops should respect their commanding officer, whoever they may be, irrespective of gender. Second of all, you're giving the male soldiers such little credit by just assuming they'll behave this way. Third of all, it's a 'male' problem, so why are qualified and deserving women the only ones suffering? Who knew our troops had such fragile egos? Or, at least, that's what the government seems to be projecting as the truth. More reasons like greater family demands and the danger of them being taken prisoner of war were also cited as an excuse to oppose the plea of a few women officers for command posting after getting permanent commission. So, looks like men have no responsibilities towards their families, got it. And, being taken as a prisoner of war is a risk for every person in the army, irrespective of gender. Reuters It said, "The composition of rank & file being male, and predominantly drawn from a rural background, with prevailing societal norms, the troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command." The last argument is, of course, how women are physically inferior. How can we complete such a sexist sentiment without that one? Even though everyone in the army has to go through the same training, somehow, women will still not be at par with their male peers. This is so regressive, I can't even believe this is something that's happening in 2020. But, of course, this was ripped apart online, by both men and women, because no sane person would agree with this. Welcome to 21st Century India! Modi regime tells Supreme Court that women should Not be officers in the Army, because: 1. Male soldiers will not obey them, 2. Women officers will get pregnant 3. Women are physically, mentally & psychologically weakhttps://t.co/kzP3BdJnXs Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) February 5, 2020 It's so absurd. Our government has 2 excellent reasons why women should not be allowed to be in command positions in the army. 1) Male troops not ready to accept orders from them. 2) Women should be taking care of their families instead. https://t.co/9RGsHeW98H Pragya Tiwari (@PragyaTiwari) February 5, 2020 People only remember history when it's convenient. The Soviet Women of the Red Army played a huge role in defeating the German Army during World War 2. The Kurdish Women of YPG fought and defeated ISIS. Women cannot be part of Armed Forces is an medieval theory which has been proved wrong several timeshttps://t.co/FsNR280ygU Advaid (@Advaidism) February 5, 2020 A simple solution. Then train the male troops properly to accept women commanders. https://t.co/NW3Kc6Isgn Happymon Jacob (@HappymonJacob) February 5, 2020 Only a gimmick, of course. Where did your Woman Empowerment go dear Modiji and @BJP4India? Or was it also only an election gimmick just like Acche Din? Smt Indira Gandhi was the PM of a country which is also the world's biggest democratic country. Male troops then didn't question a woman's abilities. pic.twitter.com/W8WZcrmcJe Arjun Modhwadia (@arjunmodhwadia) February 5, 2020 What happened to 'beti bachao, beti padao' now? "...it is a greater challenge for women officers to meet these hazards of service owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their children and families" Translation- a woman's place is at home. https://t.co/iB2jR71k6Q Natasha (@nuts2406) February 5, 2020 Yep. A reminder to BJP Govt- male troops did not have any problems pledging obedience to a woman President who was also the Supreme Commander of forces. Please dont attempt to misguide SC with your chauvinistic views! https://t.co/bmXIwLdP0T Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) February 5, 2020 Hmm. This is for the women who support @BJP4India ! Pls tell your daughters to hangup their boots. And follow the men ! https://t.co/uXjfhAvm00 Kota Neelima (@KotaNeelima) February 5, 2020 Oh, the irony. The govt that celebrated having a woman Defence Minister till last year, is telling the SC that male troops wont accept women commanders? pic.twitter.com/XMhue0Ylq7 barkha deva (@barkhad) February 5, 2020 Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer of the nervous system that mainly affects babies and young children. It often begins in the adrenal gland but in around half of cases the condition has spread throughout the body when it is diagnosed, particularly to bone and bone marrow, and in these high risk cases survival is only about 50%.A study, led by experts at Newcastle University and published today in Clinical Cancer Research, has focussed on neuroblastoma cells which circulate in the blood and spread through the bone marrow.It is the first time that circulating neuroblastoma tumour cells have been identified in this way and experts say it is possible to test the effect of newer targeted types of treatments on the circulating tumour cells without the need for an invasive biopsy.Professor Deborah Tweddle, from the newly-formed Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, led the national study and believes that it is a major step forward in trying to personalise treatment as the number of circulating tumour cells indicate the strength of the disease.She said: Our study is an exciting development. It has improved our understanding of the spread of neuroblastoma and why some young patients may be at high risk of the disease advancing.If the numbers of circulating tumour cells prove important in predicting the effects of chemotherapy then, in the future, we will hopefully be able to tailor treatment to an individual patients needs.Through a greater understanding of neuroblastoma we hope to eventually improve the cure rate and, for those children who survive, we want to make sure that their quality of life is as good as possible after treatment.Our ultimate aim is to give those with this devastating disease the best chance possible and increase survival rates.This study is an example of the pioneering research that is taking place at Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, with a focus on the discovery to trial to healthcare pathway. Scientists collected blood and bone marrow samples from patients at five paediatric oncology centres in England and Scotland. A total of 40 patients were studied, 23 had high risk neuroblastoma at diagnosis. The team analysed the samples using specialist equipment an Image Stream Flow Cytometer run by Dr David Jamieson - to count the number of tumour cells circulating in the blood and bone marrow by labelling the tumour cells with an antibody against a molecule called GD2 present on neuroblastoma cells and photographing them. Anti-GD2 antibody therapy is now routinely used for treatment of patients with high risk neuroblastoma. Experts also collected the plasma of the blood after the cells were removed and found that they could still detect small pieces of tumour DNA. Genetic tests were carried out on the DNA and it was identified that they were similar to that of the main tumour. The ImageStream Imaging Flow Cytometer, housed at Newcastle University, was funded in 2013 with a grant of 438,000 from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Sir Bobby launched his Foundation in 2008 and it has gone on to raise over 13.5 million to find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer. Professor Tweddle, an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Oncology at the Great North Childrens Hospital, Newcastle, said: To our knowledge, this is the first study in the world to use this type of specialist equipment to look for circulating tumour cells in neuroblastoma. Clearly it is early days, but this study is promising as it means that we can look at tumour cells as well as tumour DNA from the same blood sample. Therefore, if its too hazardous to biopsy the main tumour we can get all the important genetic information we need from a blood test. Further research will look at a much larger number of patients and will be done as part of the next European high risk neuroblastoma trial, which is hoped will be open in the UK next year. Patients perspective Gemma Lowery sadly knows first-hand the devastation that neuroblastoma can cause. Her inspirational son, Bradley, died at the age of six after bravely battling the illness from being a toddler. When it was revealed that the condition was terminal, Bradley appeared as mascot for his beloved Sunderland AFC and struck up a close bond with striker Jermain Defoe. Gemma, of Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, has welcomed the Newcastle University research as she says it is key that there is a better understanding into the development of the condition. She said: It is extremely important that as much research as possible is done into neuroblastoma to help improve treatments for children with the condition. In general, not enough research is done into childhood cancer so the fact that Newcastle University is leading the way in studying neuroblastoma is fantastic. Its great that this research is a stepping stone towards personalised treatment as the standard treatment currently given is gruelling. Bradley was on life-support for 15 days, not from the cancer but from the effects of the chemotherapy. The Bradley Lowery Foundation is pushing for more people to become involved in scientific research and this is an example of the importance of it. Harvey Weinstein's legal team grilled one of the prosecution's key witnesses during cross-examination Monday. Jessica Mann, who testified Friday that Weinstein raped her twice in 2013 when they were in a relationship, fielded questions from Donna Rotunno that targeted her credibility. Rotunno, the disgraced producer's top lawyer, read an email Mann sent to Weinstein in April 2013, one month after she said she was raped at the DoubleTree Hotel in Manhattan. "I hope to see you sooner than later," it said, per the Hollywood Reporter. In August 2013, Mann emailed him, "I hope some of your genius rubs off on me." Court is dismissed early Monday after Harvey Weinstein accuser, Jessica Mann, suffers panic attack. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) "You knew that your words were a problem in your testimony," Rotunno told Mann, according to THR. "You sent him emails telling him how wonderful he was. You sent him emails thanking him. You sent him emails asking for things." Mann, a hairdresser and former aspiring actress, explained that she sent flattering emails because she was scared of Weinstein and wanted to appear non-threatening. "There was a reason my behavior was like this," she said. "Its just keeping him happy. I felt safe on email." At one point, Mann admitted to being "confused" about what she had said in the past, a word Rotunno jumped on. "Youre confused a lot, Ms. Mann," Rotunno said, which drew a sustained objection from the prosecution. Weinstein's lawyer also suggested Mann maintained a relationship with the former media mogul because she liked having access to Hollywood parties. Rotunno claimed Mann "manipulated" Weinstein during their interactions. Harvey Weinstein arrives at the courtroom for his sexual assault trial at Manhattan criminal court on Feb. 3, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images) "You made him think that you wanted to be there," Rotunno alleged. "You could have walked away from Harvey Weinstein and never seen him again." During their relationship, Mann said Weinstein forced her to participate in degrading sexual acts. On Monday, she was asked to elaborate about a time when he allegedly urinated on her. "I was shocked by it," she said. "It was gross." Rotunno also had Mann read from a letter she wrote to her then-boyfriend in 2014. Story continues "My secret and my fear is knowing that a part of the dynamic with Harvey would mean that you would never talk to me again," Mann read in court, according to the Wrap. "I had to work through a lot of illusion and father issues. "I told you how sometimes I felt hopeless, that I should just be with an older man because Im a lost cause," Mann continued. "I accepted that my father was that older man. I in turn would be that kind of woman because of my failed relationships." Mann read, "Harvey validated me. He always offered to help me in ways that my parents didnt... Harvey was my fathers age and he gave me all the validation I needed. "I remember the day I realized it was controlling my world because I was sexually assaulted," she stated in the letter. "That story played out where I played into sexual dynamics with people to feel like I would never be taken advantage of again. When that happened I grieved deeply for myself." According to the Wrap, court was dismissed early Monday when "Mann began uncontrollably sobbing and appeared to be having difficulty breathing. She was not able to regain composure after a short break, telling attorneys she was experiencing a panic attack..." Fox News reported Mann "started sobbing and couldn't stop." On Friday, Mann emotionally testified about being abused by Weinstein. She claimed he assaulted her when she told him she was dating another man. "The more I fought, the angrier he got," she said, choking back tears. "His anger scared me." She added, "I entered into what I thought was going to be a real relationship with him and it was extremely degrading from that point on." Mann claimed she "stayed in contact with [Harvey] for several reasons" including that she thought "he was going to hurt my father." On Tuesday, Tarale Wulff will be called back to the witness stand to answer more questions. Last week Wulff, a former cocktail waitress, wept as she claimed Weinstein raped her in 2005. She is one of the three "prior bad acts" witnesses allowed. Harvey Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann testifies in court with shocking details: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: United States President Donald Trump said that he has 'accelerated negotiations' in order to reach a political settlement with Afghanistan in his 3rd Union address on February 4. In his bid to renew his vow to reach an agreement with troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump also said that has no desire to kill 'hundreds of thousands' in unending fighting. In the Union address which has also witnessed the deepening of the political rift between the Democrats and Republicans with Pelosi-Trump face-off, Trump applauded the US troops who have fought with 'unmatched valour'. He further thanked American soldiers for their bravery which has made the political solution possible for the 'long conflict' in the Middle East. Read - US: Donald Trump Slams Iran's Economy, Calls Iranian Leaders 'foolish' Trump said, I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach if possible a political settlement in Afghanistan. US President also said that the troops have been fighting in the Middle East for nearly 19 years which has taken lives of at least 7,000 'American heroes'. He further said he 'loudly pledged a new approach' and adds that 'great nations do not fight endless wars'. US President said, As a candidate for President, I loudly pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars, which was followed by an applause. Read - US President Donald Trump Touts Strong US Economy In SOTU Address Afghanistan would be 'very happy' While talking about negotiating a deal with Afghanistan, Trump also said that that the other side would be 'very happy' to reach an agreement. Including the Taliban, US President claims that his administration is working out deals with the Afghan government to reduce the presence of American soldiers and focus more on counter-terrorism. Trump said, In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troops presence and focus on counterterrorism. And we will indeed focus on counterterrorism. According to Trump, 'it's time' that a peace deal is achieved, however, he still expressed his doubt whether an agreement would be negotiated or not. US President also claims that it was about time that America tries to maintain peace and also urged the 'other side' to do the same. US President said, We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement, but we do know that, after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace. And the other side would like to do the same thing. Its time. Read - Donald Trump Snubs Nancy Pelosi's Handshake, Speaker Tears Up SOTU Speech Text Read - US President Donald Trump Set To Deliver State Of The Union Address Amid Impeachment Trial September 24, 1946 January 31, 2020 Gary Wayne Kinman was born the second son of four on September 24, 1946, to Herb and Marge Kinman in McMinnville. At the time of his death he was a resident of OVHL (Oregon Veterans Home Lebanon) where he was receiving hospice care. Gary succumbed to Parkinsons-related complications on January 31, 2020. In his early years, Gary was known to have attended 12 different schools in 12 years of school as the transient nature of his fathers work led the family to move frequently, mostly throughout Northern California. The outdoors was both recreation and a necessity for the family as all able-bodied hunters from a young age helped provide meat for the dinner table. This upbringing helped establish a lifelong love for the outdoors and a profound respect for Gods creation. Gary attended most of his high school years in Springfield, where he graduated in 1964 from Thurston High School. In 1965, Gary and Ted Sorenson signed up for the draft together and spent the next two years together, starting at Fort Sam Houston in Texas for basic training together with nine other conscientious objectors in their squad that were from our fellowship. The time at Fort Sam was a time for these boys to find where their faith lay. It was a very formative time in their lives, and Gary had many defining experiences and memories from his time in the service knowing that serving the Lord was the only way to bring richness, security and peace into his life. Gary and Ted, along with three others of the boys, then went on to Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. One remained at Fort Sam and the other four went on to Fort Lewis and then Vietnam. In 2013, Gary was diagnosed with PTSD stemming from his time working with traumatically injured soldiers returning from Vietnam. Gary returned to private life in the fall of 1967 and attended Lane Community College through the 1967-68 school year. On March 16, 1968, Gary met Marilyn Louise Mooney, who became his loving wife of 51 years when they were married on September 21, 1968. To establish his in-state residency for eventually attending Washington State University, Gary moved to Edmonds, Washington, where he worked for a time at the Boeing Manufacturing Company in both the Renton plant and later on at the 747s plant in Everett. Gary graduated from UW in June of 1972 with his bachelor's (science and math with emphasis on Education). After graduation he taught 4th and 5th graders at the Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington, until moving the young family to Wenatchee, Washington at the end of school in 1979. In the years at Northshore School District, Joel Dean Kinman was born on January 5, 1973, and then Walker James Kinman on September 8, 1975. Camilla Maria Kinman was born on July 23, 1979, right after they moved to Wenatchee. In Wenatchee, Gary successfully sold insurance for a time but missed the teaching environment. He eventually applied for teaching jobs in the greater Wenatchee area and landed a position at Sterling Middle School in East Wenatchee teaching computers, math and science. At the end of the school year of 1986 Gary and Marilyn moved to Philomath, where he attended Oregon State University and earned his MBA. After graduating from OSU, Gary worked for several years in sales and marketing and performed software training to teachers all over the U.S. However, the travel did not fit into an active outdoor lifestyle and working only with teachers did not bring him in direct contact with students, which he missed. Gary returned to the classroom in the spring of 1994 when a position opened up in the Philomath High School business department. Later toward the end of his 10 years at PHS, he was also assigned to teach science and math students with a special curriculum engaging them in the construction and operation of a greenhouse at PHS. Garys last teaching position was in the business department at Woodland High School in Woodland, Washington, where he retired in 2008. Gary was diagnosed with PTSD sometime in 2013 and then with Parkinsons disease in October of 2013. Living with Parkinsons was manageable until early 2018, when Parkinsons-related dementia began to manifest itself. Ultimately, continued life on the 3-acre homestead in the Harris valley became hazardous to life. In early 2019 Gary and Marilyn swapped houses with their daughter and son-in-law, Dale and Camilla, buying each other out. In October it became apparent that Marilyn could no longer care for him at home, at which time he was moved to the Oregon Veterans Home in Lebanon where he lived until his passing. Through the years Gary was an avid hunter, fisher and trapper. He did his own taxidermy; grew beautiful dahlias; raised Golden Pheasants and rabbits, commercial fished several summers with his parents; commercial fished two summers in Alaska; and always had something going that piqued his curious nature and that made life lively. He was a loving, attentive husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. Gary was preceded in death by his parents (Herb and Marge) and is survived by his wife (Marilyn L.); his oldest son Joel of Philomath; son Walker (wife, Johanna, and their three daughters Sofia, Natalie and Emelie) of Stockholm, Sweden; and his daughter Camilla (husband, Dale, and their three children Harley, Dixie and Lane) of Philomath. He is also survived by his three brothers, Chuck (wife Jan), Jim (wife Tamara) and Mike (wife Marilyn R.), and the seven dear children and grandchildren in their lineages. A viewing will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, February 6, at McHenry Funeral Home. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 8, at Philomath High School Auditorium. Memorial donations may be made to Oregon Veterans Home-Lebanon, 600 N. 5th St., Lebanon, OR 97355. Please leave condolences for the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com. By Eric Hunter Hunter is president and chief executive officer of CareOregon, Inc. Oregons Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan, has a long history serving as a springboard for innovation, with the intent of giving every Oregonian a fair shot at living a healthy and happy life. Twenty-five years ago, CareOregon was founded to achieve these objectives, connecting low-income Oregonians with a network of health providers and services. As we celebrate a quarter century of serving those eligible for the Oregon Health Plan, we are in a unique position to reflect on the current state of health care transformation in Oregon and how we can partner to advance this work in alignment with our mission. Today, one in four Oregonians are insured through the Oregon Health Plan. With more than 250,000 members in Portlands metro region, the north coast and southern tip of the state, CareOregon has walked alongside our communities to help shape conversations about how to best serve our members. As we move into 2020, changes are coming to the Oregon Health Plan. Were intently watching policy conversations at the national level. At the state level, changes are coming through CCO 2.0, the states updated requirements for the 15 coordinated care organizations responsible for providing health services to Oregon Health Plan recipients throughout Oregon. The state is looking to these organizations to shift the way health providers are paid for services and improve how health plans integrate dental and mental/behavioral health services into whole person care. In addition, the state has asked coordinated care organizations to explore how to financially support community partners that offer housing, educational and other services that help members live productive lives. As the entity that helps three of those coordinated care organizations deliver health services to their members, CareOregon plays a critical role in meeting those goals. This next step in the evolution of Oregons system of care is encouraging. Supporting the community is how CareOregon has always approached health care. It is who we are. Looking forward, we must now ask ourselves how we can build on the success of our first 25 years of community-based care. With a shifting funding landscape and increased community needs on the horizon, CareOregon is exploring options to ensure that we are able to best serve our patients today and into the future. As we announced in August, subject to appropriate regulatory approvals, we will join Providence Plan Partners, a subsidiary of the Providence St. Joseph Health organization. CareOregon will retain our secular and nonprofit status, as well as a board of directors committed to CareOregon, its mission and operation. This affiliation will allow us to broaden our community-centered approach and the services we provide in conjunction with a mission-aligned and financially strong integrated health system. Combining our two organizations will also allow us to take advantage of the best practices that both organizations bring to caring for this population. This partnership will allow us to stay true to our community-based, mission-focused initiatives while bringing the type of scale to this work that can create the competitive advantages of a vertically integrated system. We are excited that this relationship will allow us to increase access to quality health care and innovative interventions to address the social determinants of health that impact our community. This affiliation strengthens CareOregons operational position by providing long-term financial stability. Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500-700 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. We remain committed to the communities that we serve. Each of our locally based coordinated care organizations will continue to be governed by a region-specific board of directors and our investments in those communities will still be driven by their needs and input. We look forward to continuing our work to address Oregons housing crisis through investments and partnerships such as the Rogue Retreat in Southern Oregon and our work with Central City Concern in the metro area. We will continue to bring parity and equity to the provision of integrated behavioral health services in rural areas, evidenced through the braided funding model that helped found the North Coast Pain Clinic in Warrenton. Finally, we will continue to fight for marginalized populations that have historically been excluded from the traditional medical model. We are proud to work with community-based organizations, such as the Cascade AIDS Project and North by Northeast Community Health Center, to work towards ending the health disparities that impact all Oregonians throughout the communities we serve. We were founded by the community and we are proud to be doing this work today. CareOregon will continue to fight for community-based transformation that achieves the triple aim, which is improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations and bending the cost curve. We call this commitment to innovation and health care transformation the CareOregon effect and we will continue this work now and far into the future. Senior Congress leader on Wednesday said secularism and citizenship are under challenge in the country and if a person is secular today, people will call her anti- Speaking after the release of a book, "Vision for a Nation: Paths and Perspectives", he said if one is secular these days their patriotism will be questioned and there will also be people who will, in course of time, question citizenship of others which is a point of danger. The book brought out by Samruddha Bharat Foundation was earlier released by former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former vice president M Hamid Ansari, besides Chidambaram and others. Chidambaram said that many Indians have become diminished citizens these days and while there are many propagating Mahatma Gandhi's concept of civil disobedience against injustice, there are also people propagating Adolf Hitler's philosophy of demanding complete obedience to the supreme leader. The Congress leader said one of the fundamental ideas of a modern democracy is secularism and it is under challenge along with citizenship today. He said secularism is being challenged to a point where citizenship has also become an object of attack. "We have reached a point where the debate on secularism has shifted to a debate on citizenship". "If you are secular today, there are people who will call you anti-national, if you are secular today, they will say that you are speaking the language of Pakistan, if you are secular your patriotism is under question. Many of these people will have the citizenship of others under question in course of time. That is the point of danger at which we seem to be arriving at in the last few years," he said. Citing an article in the book, Chidambaram said concepts both of Gandhiji and Hitler are being witnessed today in society. There was a time when Gandhi came up with the idea of civil disobedience as a statement of one's moral courage in the face of injustice, he said. "I am proud that the people who, we thought, will not come out of their homes in this cold are now actually practising Gandhiji's civil disobedience. "On the contrary, Hitler's view was demanding complete obedience to the views of the supreme leader. There are examples today in India, in Delhi of civil disobedience as a statement of one's moral courage against injustice. We also have examples of people demanding complete obedience to the supreme leader," he said. The former home minister said people's citizenship seems to have been diminished by a number of things and in a digital world, if one is denied citizenship for seven months, one is diminished as a digital citizen. "What is happening today is that it is only if we speak a particular language, speak the language belonging to a family or we belong to a race, or we belong to a religion or we practice a particular culture, that we will be an Indian citizen. ALSO READ: West Bengal becomes fourth state to pass resolution against Citizenship Act "If this definition is applied, many of us will cease to be citizens, many of us will become diminished citizens. A large number of us will even become non-citizens. As long as this was simply a theoretical idea propagated by Savarkars or Golwalkars, there was nothing wrong. "But, when this becomes a political project and the state is willing to put its power, resources and might behind taking this political project forward, we should seriously worry about what will happen to the concept of constitutional citizenship devised by Dr Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru," he said. Chidambaram alleged that politicised religion has almost taken over this country and over its institutions. Many of the institutions have been captured by those who belong to a particular religion, he said. "If you don't belong to this religion, or even if you belong to this religion and do not belong to the politicisation of this religion, then you have no place in many of the institutions of India of today," he said. Another Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said a final assault is underway on the foundational ideas of the country and there is need for a parallel paradigm, and it has become indispensable to re-articulate ideas and to convey them to the people. "This government prefers uniformity over unity in the country...they are redefining and reactivating the idea of India," Tharoor said. CPI general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "We are at a defining moment of what would be of the Republic of India". "Any effort to impose uniformity would lead to an implosion," he said. Gov. Tom Wolfs proposal to use $204 million to pay for college scholarships didnt even get out of the starting gate before opposition began to mount. The criticism wasnt over the governors desire to help college students pay for tuition. Rather, it was his plan to divert the money from a fund to boost horse racing in Pennsylvania, a proposal that put a burr under the saddle of the horse racing industry. Lets bet on our kids instead of bankrolling race horse owners," Wolf said during his budget address Tuesday, drawing a tepid response from mostly Democratic lawmakers. The governor proposes a scholarship program designed to help low- and middle-income full-time students who attend the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The state system schools include Shippensburg, Millersville and West Chester universities, among others. Supporters, including state system leadership, praised the effort to help kids pay for college. Representatives from the horse racing industry saw the proposal as a crippling blow. If approved by the Legislature, this raid would result in the end of horse racing in Pennsylvania by eviscerating the primary funding source for the purses and breeder incentives that serve as the lifeblood of the industry, said Pete Peterson, executive director of the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition. The program calls for diverting the money to pay for tuition assistance from the Race Horse Development Trust Fund, which receives money from slots gaming in Pennsylvania casinos. Wolf aims to create the Nellie Bly Scholarship Program, named to honor the woman who had to drop out of college more than a century ago after her father died and she couldnt afford to remain in school. Nellie didnt let that stop her. She went on to become a pioneering journalist responsible for bringing reforms to our mental health care system in the early 20th century, Wolf said in his speech. But more than 100 years later, we still see too many of our young people forced to drop out of college, or forced to move away from Pennsylvania, or forced to begin their lives buried under a mountain of debt. The Wolf administration anticipates the program will help at least 25,000 students annually pay their tuition and related costs after other financial aid sources are deducted. The catch is for every year, up to six years, that a student receives need-based assistance, they must remain in the commonwealth or the scholarship converts to a loan. State System Chancellor Dan Greenstein applauded the initiative. He said it could help the state achieve its goal of having 60% of working age Pennsylvanians having a post-secondary degree or credential; incentivize students to start their careers in the state; and contribute to making a historic investment in the state-owned universities. "Gov. Tom Wolfs Nellie Bly Scholarship Program represents a watershed investment in the success of Pennsylvanias students and the commonwealths public higher education system, Greenstein said. Officials in the horse racing industry argue the revenue needs to stay in the trust fund, which puts money into the purses awarded to top finishers in races as well as breeder incentives. Peterson said losing the fund would devastate an industry that provides $1.6 billion in economic impact and supports 16,000 or more jobs in agriculture, manufacturing , construction, retail and hospitality industries. Moreover, Peterson said it flies in the face of the 2017 Race Horse Industry Reform Act that was designed to modernize and salvage the states racing and breeding industry and blocked this kind of proposed transfer to provide economic certainty for investors. This horse racing industrys concerns didnt fall on deaf ears. Legislative leaders of both parties said they were not ready to jump on board with the governors proposal. That has an impact on jobs and those communities where horse breeding is a vibrant business, said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County. The governor, it makes a nice line here for him and thats important. But as we go through, we need to vet these proposals and see the total impact of them and make decisions. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County considers the governors scholarship program proposal significant and worthy of consideration. But as for the funding source, hes open to alternatives if the horse racing trust fund becomes an obstacle. It doesnt necessarily have to be from that pot of money at the end of the day, Costa said. So our goal is to be able to figure out a way to enact the legislation and look at other possible revenue streams to try to address that if we need to. Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, a state system board member who represents an area with a growing horse breeding industry, said he wants to see more details about the governors proposal before he makes any decisions about it. But based on what he knows about the agreement that led to the 2017 law that protects the race horse trust fund from transfers like the one Wolf is proposing, he said, "Youre kind of begging for a lawsuit. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. More from PennLive Gov. Tom Wolf proposes more aid to college students, tapping horse racing funds Human services get a boost in Gov. Wolfs spending plan No sales or income tax hikes but Wolfs corporate tax plan may be shot down again Businesses would get grants, tax credits under Wolfs spending plan Wolfs budget adds positions to state government workforce Another year of flat funding for public libraries lands them in Loser list Harrisburg to again get $5 million for fire protection The Legislature gets no increase in Wolfs spending plan Gov. Tom Wolfs budget address: In his own words Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. As it races to treat patients infected with the new coronavirus, the Chinese government is seeing potential in a cocktail of antiviral drugs. It is also recommending the Peaceful Palace Bovine Pill, a traditional Chinese medicine made with the gallstone of cattle, buffalo horn, jasmine and pearl. There is no known cure for the coronavirus that has sickened more than 28,000 people and killed 563 in China. The countrys National Health Commission says doctors should try treating patients mainly with a combination of Western drugs used to treat HIV and fight viruses, depending on the severity of illness. But the government is also looking at ways to supplement the treatment with remedies that are integral to its national identity traditional Chinese medicine. It has its supporters. I think it is the correct approach, said Cheng Yung-chi, a professor of pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine. The evidence is going to come and we have to give it the benefit of the doubt. The re-relaunched Impeach-O-Meter has been a wildly subjective and speculative estimate of the likelihood that Donald Trump would be removed from office by an impeachment trial before the end of his first term. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment presented by the House, voting 5248 against the charge of abuse of office and 5347 against the charge of obstruction of Congress. The difference between the two was Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who announced earlier that he would vote to convict the president on the count of abusing the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine to smear his political rivals. Advertisement Romneys move was a rare moment of genuinely surprising political news, and it meant that members of both parties supported Trumps impeachment and convictiona rebuke to the excuse, used often in recent days by Republican senators such as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, that the president should be let off the hook for his behavior because the case against him had become partisan theater. (Independent conservative Rep. Justin Amash voted to impeach Trump the House; Amash was a careerlong Republican who left the party in July 2019 in part because of the backlash against his support for impeachment.) It was the first vote to remove a U.S. president from office that has ever been cast by a member of Congress from that presidents party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bipartisan nature of the vote darkens the historical stain on Trumps record, and perhaps it certifies the egregiousness of his behavior in a way that will cause marginal but decisive problems for the presidentand other members of his partywith independent voters in November. But it wasnt nearly enough to give the impeachment effort the 67 votes it needed to remove Trump. Romney may have done the honest thing, but other Republicans who like to self-present as reasonable and conscientiousCollins, Murkowski, Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sassedid not. (Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrats whose decisions had been in question, all voted to convict.) Advertisement Thus has Trump got away with withholding funding appropriated by Congress in order to gain leverage on a foreign government that he was pushing to announce bogus but politically beneficial investigations into the Biden family and the 2016 Democratic email hack. And got away with it by a 19-senator margin. So now the real party starts. There are nine more months before the election, and the world of dirty tricks is his crime oyster. What kind of fake documentation can the Russian GRU draw up connecting Pete Buttigiegs work at McKinsey to the distribution of opioids? Which other countries could indict Hunter Biden for corruption? How far have Saudi Arabias hackers gotten in their research on Californias vote-tallying system? Does the Army need to check IDs at polling stations in New Mexico because of concerns about illegal immigration? And why limit ones imagination to electoral matters, really? Shouldnt the Ukraine whistleblower go to jail for disclosing national secrets? Doesnt Romneys vote against the countrys chief executive constitute an act of treason? The Trump era has been a long series of transgressions that were previously unimaginable, and the only real surprising thing the fully exonerated president could do now is quit while hes ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FLINT, MI A former Genesee County deputy accused of forcing a woman to perform a sex act in exchange for leniency is facing additional sexual assault charges in a new case. The alleged victim testified Monday, Feb. 3 in Genesee District Court. She said that George Zofchak, 41, forced her to perform oral sex on him while meeting to pick up forms she needed to obtain to go on a ride-along with him in his capacity as a police officer. She also testified during questioning by Genesee County Assistant Prosecutor Sara Coaster that Zofchak forced her to have sex at a sheriffs office substation. The pair met on a dating website in 2016. The alleged victim testified Zofchak told her that he worked for the government. After speaking for a few weeks, she learned Zofchak worked for the sheriffs office. She then expressed her interest in law enforcement, she testified. The woman is not being named because she is the victim in an alleged sexual assault. She testified Zofchak grabbed my head and forced me down" into a sexual act when the couple met at the Pheasant Run subdivision. He was very forceful and didnt care, she testified. When she went to turn in forms at a sheriffs office substation at Clio and Vienna roads, Zofchak allegedly forced himself on her. He also pushed her down to the ground, causing an injury to her wrist, she testified. Zofchak is charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and misconduct in office in the case. The woman talked about how she first met Zofchak when questioned by Archie Hayman, Zofchaks attorney. She said the pair chatted online for a few weeks, then ran into each other after messaging on the dating website, but didnt agree to meet up. She testified Zofchak messaged her that hed seen her at different locations in the community while he was on patrol. They then met up along a road near her apartment complex in the Clio area. The interest was because he was a police officer and he was very informational and helpful, she testified. Hayman asked the alleged victim about nude photos she sent to Zofchak. She testified the pictures didnt mean she had a sexual interest in him. Its something I enjoy doing, she testified. She testified she didnt contact police after the alleged assaults because she wanted the situation to go away. Another woman went to police on her behalf two or three years later. The witness testified she was afraid to go to police and that Zofchak had made threats to harm himself if the information ever came out. Hed kill himself, she testified. He would be done. A March 12 hearing has been scheduled after Hayman asked for a motion to enter in evidence information regarding a sexual encounter between the pair. Coaster argued it was not admissible under the Rape Shield Act. Im trying to show right now that even after she knew that he was an officer, after all these incidents, she still is having sexual activity with this man and shes doing it voluntarily and it has nothing to do with his position as an officer, said Hayman. Hayman asked Genesee District Judge David J. Guinn to release Zofchak on a personal recognizance bond, but Coaster argued he is a potential flight risk because this is the second case in which hes facing criminal sexual conduct charges. Zofchak also faces one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and misconduct in office in a separate case for allegedly taking a woman who was in handcuffs to a hotel room and forcing her to perform oral sex on him. The Genesee County Sheriffs Office responded at 10:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve 2018 after getting a phone call about a shoplifter at Walmart on Linden Road near M-57 in Vienna Township. Genesee County sheriffs deputy charged with criminal sexual assault and kidnapping Officials say Zofchak and another deputy responded to the call and arrested the man and woman suspected of shoplifting, then offered to stay with the woman, who was now in handcuffs, until the couples car was towed and impounded while the other deputy took the man to the Genesee County Jail. After the car was impounded, Zofchak took the woman back to the motel shed been staying at and forced her into giving him oral sex, now-retired Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell previously said. Zofchak is accused of throwing the woman onto the bed and groping her. After the incident, Zofchak made sure the victim understood she wasnt to say anything to anyone and reported back to the substation, Pickell said. The incident was reported to the Genesee County Sheriffs Department by the victims sister the following day. The case has moved onto Genesee Circuit Court. Zofchak was a deputy at the time of both alleged incidents, but hes since been fired. Guinn denied Haymans bond request. Zofchak remains in custody at the Genesee County Jail on a $200,00 cash or surety bond. [February 05, 2020] Kazakhstan's mobile operators prepare for the launch of 5G services Sydney, Feb. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Kazakhstan outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Kazakhstan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Kazakhstan is one of the most advanced telecoms sectors in Central Asia. The fixed broadband market in Kazakhstan remains relatively underdeveloped, due to the dominance of the mobile broadband, which is in turn driven by the mobile sector. Slow to moderate growth is predicted over the next five years to 2024 as mobile broadband will continue to dominate the broadband segment. The number of fixed telephone lines in Kazakhstan is slowly declining due to the dominance of the mobile segment, in particular mobile broadband. The rate of decline began to accelerate in 2015. Further decline in penetration is predicted for the next five years to 2024. The MIC has signed public-private partnership agreements with Kazakhtelecom, SilkNetCom and Transtelecom to implement a project to access to fibre-optic communication technologies in rural areas. Kazakhstans mobile market remains highly competitive, but rather than a focus only on growth in subscribers the market has shifted to value-added. All Kazakhstans major mobile operators are well on the path towards launching 5G services. Kazakhstan has seen a strong increase in mobile broadband penetration over the past five years. Market penetration increased rapidly initially. Since then the market stabilised and has been growing at a more moderate rate due to saturation in the mobile subscriber segment. Moderate growth is predicted over the next five years to 2024. In 2019 Kazakhtelecom launched its latest smart city project in Akmola in partnership with the local authorities. Key developments: Kazakhstan's mobile market has reached saturation point. Slow growth predicted through to 2024. Government signs up to ITU-sponsored GIGA initiative. Fixed telephone penetration continues declining as the mobile segment continues to expand. 5G services are scheduled to be launched in launched soon. Mobile broaband is growing strongly driven by a mature mobile market. Kcell has launched a pilot IoT agriculture service, utilising its 3G, 4G LTE and NB-IoT networks. Table of Contents Key statistics Country overview Telecommunications market Market Overview and Analysis Regional Market Comparison Regulatory environment Regulatory authority Market liberalisation Privatisation Overview Background Spectrum Number Portability (NP) Fixed network operators Kazakhtelecom Next Generation Network (NGN) development Fibre Optic Network Astel Ducat (formerly Kazintel) KazInformTelecom (KIT) Transtelecom Telecommunications infrastructure Overview of the national telecom network Wireless Local Loop (WLL) Fibre networks International infrastructure Overview Satellite networks KazSat satellite series Submarine Specific IT developments Cloud Computing Smart Infrastructure Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Cities Smart Meters Fixed-line broadband market Background Fixed Broadband Statistics and Forecast Fixed broadband technologies FttB Fixed wireless (WiMAX) Wi-Fi ISP market Nursat Mobile market Background Mobile Statistics and Forecast Mobile broadband statistics and Forecast Mobile Regulatory issues Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Mobile infrastructure Major mobile operators Statistics Beeline Kazakhstan Kcell (GSM-Kazakhstan) Kazakhtelecom (Tele2 / Altel) MNVOs Digital economy Government Digital Program Investment Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities 2019 (e) Table 2 Fixed Line Subscriptions and Penetration 2009 2024 Table 3 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 2024 Table 4 International Internet bandwidth capacity 2001 2018 Table 5 Lit/Equipped International Bandwidth Capacity 2013 2018 Table 6 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Table 7 Historic - Mobile subscribers and annual change 1996 2007 Table 8 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2010 - 2024 Table 9 Percentage of Population Covered by Type of Mobile Network Table 10 Mobile operators subscribers and market share 2019 Table 11 Kar-Tel (Beeline) - mobile subscribers 2006 2019 Table 12 Kar-Tel (Beeline) - mobile ARPU (historical) 2006 2014 Table 13 Kar-Tel (Beeline) fixed broadband subscribers (historical) 2008 - 2013 Table 14 Kcells mobile subscribers - 2006 2019 Table 15 Tele2 Kazakhstan / Altel mobile subscribers 2010 2019 Table 16 Altels mobile subscribers (historical) 2009 2013 Table 17 Altels mobile ARPU (historical) 2010 2014 List of Charts Chart 1 Mobile, Mobile Broadband & Fixed Broadband Penetration 2019; 2024 Chart 2 Asian Telecoms Maturity Index by Market Category Chart 3 Asian Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita Chart 4 Telecoms Maturity Index Central Asia Chart 5 Fixed Line Subscriptions and Penetration 2009 2024 Chart 6 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Chart 7 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 - 2024 Chart 8 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2010 - 2024 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Key Market Characteristics by Market Segment Exhibit 2 Central Asia -Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Exhibit 3 Historic - Kazakhtelecoms modernisation program for telecommunications Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Kazakhstan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analys Nicolas Bombourg [email protected] Within Australia (02) 8076 7665 Outside Australia +44 207 097 1241 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] When you're in business, the relationship you have with clients is of utmost importance. This doesn't just happen, it's something that takes time and hard work. In this article, we give you tips for building and maintaining good client relationships. 1. Make your communication super efficient What value has a partner that can't be reached or takes forever to answer? Not a lot ... Clients value good, fast and efficient communication. Of course, communication with clients shouldn't take up all hours of the day, but if you can show that you can often solve issues fast, that will help a lot for your client relationship. 2. Hold face-to-face meetings/evaluations We know, anno 2020 it's super easy to hold all meetings online with Google Hangouts, Skype and other tools. They're really handy and no one loses time to commute. Nevertheless, for a good relationship, the importance of a face-to-face meeting every now and then can't be underestimated. You can shake hands, have a good conversation and hold an in-depth evaluation. 3. Celebrate with personalized/promotional gifts Has a client been with your company for a certain time? Have you reached a milestone together? There are many reasons you can offer your client a personalized gift. If you put some effort into this and think through what your client likes, this can be really appreciated and help with the client relationship. We recommend giving something personal for the client and adding a fun promotional gift from your company. There are tons of products you can get personally printed (Dutch: bedrukken) with logos, taglines, and images. It doesn't have to be a pen - you can, for instance, choose funky sunglasses (Dutch: zonnebrillen), mugs (Dutch: mokken), backpacks (Dutch: rugzakken) and fans (Dutch: waaiers). 4. Exceed the expectations Something clients really appreciate, is when you deliver something that's even better than their expectations. Try to always give your absolute best, to deliver the best possible quality. And remember: underpromising and overdelivering will make clients happy! Good luck, we hope you can build super-strong client relationships! Turkey has urged the European Union to remove the artificial division between the Western Balkans and Turkey in the blocs enlargement policy and slammed Brussels treatment of Ankara in a letter seen by RFE/RL. The letter, addressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to new EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, is dated 22 January and outlines the Turkish view of the bloc's enlargement policy ahead of the publication by the European Commission on February 5 of a new methodology for EU accession negotiations. The commission's proposals concern EU hopefuls in the Western Balkans such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. Cavusoglu says in his letter said that the accession of the Western Balkan countries shouldn't be treated differently from that of Turkey. All countries should be treated on equal footing. We hope to see some positive steps taken in this direction to end the artificial division in the enlargement policy between 'Western Balkans' and Turkey during your tenure, Cavusoglu wrote, adding, aside from the fact that Turkey is a Balkan country by virtue of its history, culture and geography, every candidate country should be judged on their own merits and under equal circumstances. Turkey applied to join the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, in 1987 and started EU accession talks in 2005. In recent years, those negotiations have come to a standstill with the bloc critical of Turkeys human rights and rule-of-law record. The bloc has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogans extended crackdown on civil society at home and increasingly assertive policies abroad. Currently, 14 out of 33 negotiation chapters that Ankara must close in order to become a member are frozen. In contrast, both Serbia and Montenegro have proceeded further than Turkey in their EU accession talks despite only opening negotiations with Brussels in the past decade. Cavusoglu said that despite populist-riven debates on whether Turkey should be granted EU membership, my country is a candidate destined to join the EU as indicated in the accession partnership document. He suggested that EU member states should have a say on Turkish membership after negotiations with the bloc have ended: the final political decision on whether a candidate country is fit for membership should be taken at the very end of the process, not when some member states deem it necessary in line with their national agenda. Cavusoglu added that today, the Turkish people still overwhelmingly believe in the EU project, but a vast majority do not trust the EU due to double standards and discrimination against Turkey. Washington: President Donald Trump was to deliver a triumphant State of the Union speech Tuesday on the eve of near certain acquittal in his impeachment trial, setting the stage for his re-election bid with a boast of "I keep my promises." Facing a Democratic party smarting from divisions and a chaotic start to the primaries, Trump headed in buoyant mood to the House of Representatives, where just last December he was impeached for abuse of office. "Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results," he said, according to excerpts released by the White House. "We have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny." #WATCH LIVE from Washington DC: US President Donald Trump delivers his third State of the Union Address https://t.co/ONx3SdoZAS ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2020 Trump was to say that his policies of deregulation and tax cuts criticized by opponents as harming the environment and favoring the wealthy over the poor were responsible for "unparalleled success" in the economy. In a note of togetherness to a deeply polarized nation, he was to insist that he is "building the world's most prosperous and inclusive society one where every citizen can join in." He listed the North American USMCA trade pact, a trade deal with China, massive military spending, "unprecedented" measures to stop illegal immigration, and his bid to "end America's wars in the Middle East" as examples of fulfilling his commitments to voters. "Unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises," he said in the prepared remarks. Stepping before the nation in extraordinary times, President Trump will extol the "Great American Comeback" as he delivers his State of the Union address on the eve of his likely impeachment acquittal and in the aftermath of the chaotic first votes of the race to replace him. The first president to run for reelection after being impeached, Trump will argue that the nation's economic success is the chief rationale for a second term, according to speech excerpts released by the White House in advance. The main suspense was whether he would address the charges against him. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny," Trump said in prepared remarks. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" Trump aimed to spend much of the speech highlighting the economy's strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama's eight-year presidency. Trump promised much higher. In the nationally televised speech, Trump is speaking from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate one day later is expected to acquit him largely along party lines. This is a president with an enormous sense of drama and a background in television who understands that the setting gives him an opportunity," said presidential historian Michael Beschloss. This is an opportunity to set the course for reelection. White House aides have promised an optimistic speech that will look past the impeachment trial that has consumed Washington in favor of a recitation of accomplishments and promises. But Trump often veers from his script and may not be able to resist using the moment to claim exoneration and settle scores. And even in the moments when Trump has struck a tone of bipartisanship and cooperation, he has consistently returned to his scorched earth rhetoric within days. Even for a Trump-era news cycle that seems permanently set to hyper-speed, the breakneck pace of events dominating the first week of February offered a singular backdrop for the president's address. Yet Trump told TV anchors at a midday meal that his address would be extraordinarily low key. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has presided in the Senate over only the third impeachment trial in the nations history, will be on hand Tuesday night this time in his more customary seat in the audience. Trump will stand before the very lawmakers who have voted to remove him from office and those who are expected to acquit him when the Senate trial comes to a close. And over his shoulder, visible in nearly every camera shot, will be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trump's side who created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago and who authorized the impeachment proceedings that charged the president with abusing the power of his office to push Ukraine to investigate a political foe. Trump will also stare out at some of the Democrats who have been vying to take his job, although it was unclear if he would weigh in on the confusion in Iowa, where the results of Monday's leadoff caucuses were delayed. In advance of his address, Trump tweeted that the caucus chaos showed Democrats were incompetent and should not be trusted to run the government. Trump spent the hours before his speech tucked away at the White House, hosting network anchors for lunch while working on final drafts of the address. He entered the moment on a roll, with his impeachment acquittal imminent, his job approval numbers ticking upward and Wall Street looking strong. Aides played down the possibility that he would use the address to seek vengeance over impeachment. I think that this has gone on for too long and I think that, if you look at the ratings, the American people are frankly bored of it, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told Fox News early Tuesday. In the closest historical comparison, Bill Clinton did not mention his recent impeachment when he delivered his State of the Union in 1999. In his address a year ago, Trump did remain on message, making no mention of how Pelosi had originally disinvited him from delivering the speech during the longest government shutdown in the nations history. Trump aimed to spend much of the speech highlighting the economy's strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama.And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from President Barack Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obama's eight-year presidency Trump, according to aides, also planned to stress the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including his phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month. While the White House said the president would have a message of unity, he also planned to spend time on issues that have created great division and resonated with his political base. He will attack the Democrats health care proposals for being too intrusive and again highlight his signature issue immigration trumpeting the miles of border wall that have been constructed. The United States of America should be a Sanctuary for Law-Abiding Americans Not Criminal Aliens!" Trump is to say, according to the excerpts. My Administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to secure the Southern Border of the United States." He will also dedicate a section to American values, discussing efforts to protect religious liberties and limit access to abortion as he continues to court the evangelical and conservative Christian voters who form a crucial part of his base. As usual, the presidential guests will reflect issues that Trump wants to highlight. The invited guests include military families, immigration officials and the former sheriff from Venezuela who fled to the United States. The Democrats were supplying plenty of counter-programming, focusing on health care the issue key to their takeover of the House last year. Many female Democrats were wearing white as tribute to the suffragettes, while a number in the party were wearing red, white and blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change, saying Trump has rolled back environmental safeguards and given free rein to polluters. Several Democratic lawmakers, including California Rep. Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced in advance of the speech that they would be skipping it, with the high-profile New York freshman tweeting that she would not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was delivering the party's official response and, in excerpts released ahead of the speech, was to draw a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the president's rhetoric. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market," Whitmer says. "What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs." (With inputs from AFP) Environmental conservation group, Forest Watch Ghana wants President Akufo Addo to investigate assertions made by the Forestry Commission that, some top officials are involve in the activities of illegal miners in the country. This comes on the back of recent controversies surrounding some missing excavators and seized equipment belonging to the anti-illegal mining taskforce. A press statement by the group noted that should the issue not be dealt with appropriately, it will leave doubts on the minds of the public in the president's commitment to fighting illegal mining. Forest Watch Ghana, therefore, calls on the President to investigate the assertions made by the Forestry Commission. We suggest that an independent committee be set up to investigate the allegations made by the Forestry Commission and TigerEye PI in order to identify and punish the perpetrators, the statement added. It added that: As a civil society organization working in the environment and natural resources sector, we believe a campaign against illegal mining is a noble cause because of the fight against illegal mining, one against a major social canker of our time. It is, therefore, worrying to hear assertions of such nature from the Forestry Commission. These assertions will create doubts in the genera; public about the Presidents commitment to fighting against illegal mining. The group cautioned that governments disregard to the allegations brought up will also the mean efforts by stakeholders to fight illegal mining would have yielded no positive result. For these reasons, the President should not ignore the assertions made by the FC, Otherwise, CSOs who supported the campaign against illegal mining will feel stabbed in the back and will be disappointed if these allegations are swept under the carpet. So far, six persons have been granted bail after they were arrested over missing excavators. The six, including the suspended First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Central Region, Ekow Ewusi, have been cautioned with the offence of stealing and abetment to stealing. Some appointees should've resigned over missing excavators Mutawakilu The Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee, Adam Mutawakilu has said some government appointees should have resigned over the reported disappearance of some excavators seized from alleged illegal miners. But Adam Mutawakilu, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Damango constituency said the development confirms his view that the government's fight against galamsey is only a facade. How can an excavator vanish? By now some people should have willingly resignedI'm so shocked that excavators could just vanish. This goes to confirm what I said in 2019 that the president's fight against galamsey was just to remove those local people who are using hoes and cutlass and pave way for party bigwigs to take over. citinewsroom Come July, Michigan auto owners will be faced with new choices for their auto insurance policies as a result of major changes to the states no-fault system signed into law last year. On Wednesday, Michigans Department of Insurance and Financial Services rolled out a website, hotline and email meant to better inform drivers of what the new law will do and what their options are as they prepare to update their policies. The website, michigan.gov/autoinsurance, includes information about major changes to the law, as well as summaries of medical coverage options, insurance shopping tips and how to file a complaint or fraud report. People with questions can also email autoinsurance@michigan.gov or call 833-275-3437 (833-ASK-DIFS). The department plans to host town halls and other educational events throughout the state, including targeted outreach to certain regions and groups of drivers. Hotline operators wont be able to answer questions about how much a persons auto insurance will cost, as many factors go into how much auto insurance costs, and more than 100 auto insurance companies are already doing business in Michigan. But DIFS Director Anita Fox said operators are trained to answer specific questions about what to ask an insurance provider, differences between personal injury coverage and health insurance and more, adding the goal is to help Michigan drivers make a very personal decision about what best suits their needs. We can certainly tell them shop around, we can certainly give them the questions to ask, she said. Were here as a resource to to answer the questions and give them the tools to make the decisions for their families. The department is currently in the process of reviewing proposed policies from insurance companies to ensure compliance with the new law, and Fox said the department anticipates consumers will have policies to choose from sometime this spring, ahead of the July 1 effective date. In a statement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer encouraged drivers to use the available resources before making a decision on their auto insurance policy this year. Last year we worked closely with leaders from both political parties to preserve no-fault and create a better auto insurance system for Michigan drivers, she said in the statement. Protecting policyholders and providing them access to affordable coverage is fundamental to the prosperity of our entire state. The new law signed last May will allow those with health insurance that covers auto-related injuries and eligible Medicare recipients to fully opt out of PIP coverage. Other drivers will have a handful of coverage options, including unlimited coverage, $500,000, $250,000 and a minimum $50,000 option for Medicaid recipients. Each level of coverage would come with a guaranteed rate reductions on PIP coverage costs that begins July 1, 2020 and would last eight years. The reductions range between 10 percent for unlimited coverage and 100 percent for those who opt out. Another major shift will set a fee schedule for what health providers can charge when treating auto-related injuries, which will be set to 190 to 230 percent of Medicare rates in 2023 when fully phased in. The deal also includes provisions preventing use of certain non-driving factors in determining auto insurance rates, such as gender, marital status, zip codes and credit score. A recent statewide survey of 1,000 Michigan drivers commissioned by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association found 51 percent of insured drivers surveyed would not fully opt out of PIP coverage given the choice to do so. Another 24 percent said they would fully opt out if given the choice, and 25 percent of respondents said they werent sure whether they would or not. The survey also found 12 percent of insured motorists surveyed said they were very familiar with the new law, and 35 percent said they were a little familiar. Michigan Health and Hospital Association officials said they would be launching a marketing campaign this spring in an effort to raise awareness. Related: Roughly half of insured Michigan drivers wouldnt choose to opt out of no-fault coverage, survey finds Michiganders to see $120 reduction in auto insurance fee next year Gov. Whitmer signs bill overhauling Michigan auto insurance Michigan bans on things like zip code, home ownership impacting auto insurance now among strictest in nation MOSCOW -- A court in Moscow has prolonged the pretrial detention of Azat Miftakhov, a mathematician who says he was tortured while being detained a year ago on hooliganism charges. The Moscow City Court late on February 4 extended Miftakhov's detention until April 7, rejecting his lawyers' request to transfer their client to house arrest or release him on bail. Miftakhov, 25, a postgraduate mathematics student at the Moscow State University, was arrested on February 1, 2019, and accused of helping make an improvised bomb found in January in the city of Balashikha near Moscow. The Public Monitoring Commission, a human rights group, has said that Miftakhov's body bore the signs of torture, which the student claimed were the result of investigators unsuccessfully attempting to force him to confess to the bomb-making charge. Others who were detained along with Miftakhov, but later released, have also claimed to have been beaten by police. Miftakhov was released on February 7, 2019 after the initial charge failed to hold, but he was rearrested immediately and charged with involvement in an arson attack on the ruling United Russia's office in Moscow in January 2018. Miftakhov has rejected all of the charges and believes he may have been targeted by police because of his anarchist views. A prominent Russian human rights organization, Memorial, has recognized Miftakhov as a political prisoner. A series of demonstrations demanding Miftakhov's immediate release have been held in Moscow and other cities in Russia since his arrest. With reporting by Novaya Gazeta Would you want your medical records, including your vaccination records, permanently embedded into your skin, so anyone with a smartphone device could read them? The privacy implications are immense, as are the ethical considerations of what could, perhaps, become mandated along with vaccinations. The question, unfortunately, isnt just theoretical, as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have already created technology capable of storing medical information below your skins surface.1 [L]ack of standardized immunization recordkeeping makes it challenging to track vaccine coverage across the world, the researchers wrote in the journal Science Translational Medicine,2 That lack, or deficiency in information, is the purported impetus for the new development. In an MIT news release, its further stated that a lack of vaccination leads to about 1.5 million preventable deaths, primarily in developing nations, suggesting that this on-patient storage of vaccination history could somehow save lives. But instead of spending time and resources developing methods to track a persons vaccine history, far more lives could be saved by spreading access to basic health requirements, like clean water, sanitation systems and healthy food. Invisible Dye Injected Under Skin Would Track Vaccine History The new technology, demonstrated in a proof of concept study in rats, involves dissolvable microneedles that deliver near-infrared light-emitting microparticles into the skin. While the particle patterns cant be seen with the naked eye, a modified smartphone could be used to scan and view them. The dye is made of quantum dots, which are nanocrystals, that emit near-infrared light that a modified smartphone can detect. Study author Kevin McHugh, a former MIT postdoc, said in a news release:3 In areas where paper vaccination cards are often lost or do not exist at all, and electronic databases are unheard of, this technology could enable the rapid and anonymous detection of patient vaccination history to ensure that every child is vaccinated. The dye would be injected along with a vaccine. In tests, the patterns were detectable nine months later in rats. The researchers noted, By codelivering a vaccine, the pattern of particles in the skin could serve as an on-person vaccination record.4 In humans, its expected that the dye will remain for at least five years, where it could quickly alert officials if someone hadnt received a certain vaccine or didnt complete the full course of a vaccination. Senior study author Ana Jaklenec, a research scientist at MITs Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, further noted in the news release, In order to be protected against most pathogens, one needs multiple vaccinations. In some areas in the developing world, it can be very challenging to do this, as there is a lack of data about who has been vaccinated and whether they need additional shots or not.5 Will Consent Be Required? Its unclear whether consent would be required prior to the dye being injected. However, the fact that the identifier will be given along with a vaccine patch, which uses microneedles embedded into a bandage-like device, suggests one wont be given without the other. The fact that government-operated electronic vaccine tracking systems are collecting medical data on us and sharing it with industry and vaccine developers without our informed consent, is a violation of our privacy, Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, stated, and this on-person storage of medical information certainly would be, as well, if informed consent isnt required. Other potential problems should also be considered, according to Mark Prausnitz, a bioengineering professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who told Scientific American:6 There may be other concerns that patients have about being tattooed, carrying around personal medical information on their bodies or other aspects of this unfamiliar approach to storing medical records Different people and different cultures will probably feel differently about having an invisible medical tattoo. Health risks have also not been thoroughly assessed. The copper-based quantum dots used for the under-skin vaccine records are about 4 nanometers in diameter and are encapsulated in microparticle spheres that are about 20 microns in diameter. In studies on cadaver skin, the quantum-dot patterns remained detectable after five years of simulated sun exposure.7 The researchers believe the quantum dots are safe to use in this way because they are encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer, but they plan to do further safety studies before testing them in patients, MIT News reported.8 In 2006, a review in Environmental Health Perspectives published concerns about quantum dots (QD), highlighting the fact that their toxicity may be complex and is influenced by many factors:9 Not all QDs are alike; engineered QDs cannot be considered a uniform group of substances. QD absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity depend on multiple factors derived from both inherent physicochemical properties and environmental conditions; QD size, charge, concentration, outer coating bioactivity (capping material and functional groups), and oxidative, photolytic, and mechanical stability have each been implicated as determining factors in QD toxicity. Although they offer potentially invaluable societal benefits such as drug targeting and in vivo biomedical imaging, QDs may also pose risks to human health and the environment under certain conditions. Further, already the researchers are also looking to expand the amount of data that can be encoded into the patterns. Theyre considering adding in the date vaccines were administered along with vaccine lot numbers, but this is likely only the beginning. (Newser) There's a kind of cave-dwelling salamander that a Hungarian scientist describes to the New Scientist as "hanging around, doing almost nothing." But "almost" might be a little too generous. A team led by Gergely Balazs of Eotvos Lorand University studied a group of olms found in Bosnia and Herzegovina over an eight-year period and discovered one didn't move at allfor 2,569 days. That's seven years. Their paper published in the Journal of Zoology is titled "Extreme Site Fidelity," an appropriate description of their finding that, in general, each individual olm clocks less than about 32 feet of movement over a decade. The Independent reports the white salamanders have little cause to move: They're blind, live in darkness, can go years without eating, and have no predators to avoid. story continues below The only act that requires movement is mating, which happens every 12.5 years on average for females. "Most studies carried out on the species to date are based on laboratory studies," the researchers write, "resulting in a severe lack of ecological data from natural populations studied in their original habitat." They got that databut not a ton of insight. "We cannot present any strong argument about the benefits of being sedentary or the costs/risks of moving over larger areas ... We can only speculate that animals feeding on a very low food supply ... reproducing sporadically ... and living for a century are very energy cautious and limit their movements to the minimum." (Read more discoveries stories.) While the US President was enjoying having the attention focused around him for the annual address to lawmakers, the white outfits worn by Democratic women drew eyes from around the world. Among those wearing white was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - who also made headlines by ripping up a copy of Mr Trump's speech behind his back. Wearing white is a tribute to the women who fought for the right for suffrage, with 2020 marking 100 years since the 19th amendment - which banning the denial of the right to vote based on sex - was passed. It is not the first time women wore white to the State of the Union / Getty Images What is the State of the Union Address? The State of the Union Address (SOTU) is a speech given by the President of the United States to Congress at the beginning of every year - although the speech given after inauguration is not always considered an official SOTU. The speech is mandated in the American constitution - Article II, Section 3. It says: He[The President] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. Both the US House of Representatives and the Senate hear the address in a rare joint session of Congress. Presidents tend to include their success and goals in the SOTU, as well as speaking broadly about the philosophy of their rule. In an election year it is especially important as first term incumbents seek to win the support of the American people. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also wore white / AP Why do congresswomen wear white at the State of the Union address? US congresswomen wore white during the 2020 SOTU to celebrate 100 years since the US banned vote discrimination based on sex. The 19th amendment to the constitution states: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. It is notable that non-white women were not granted suffrage until 1965 and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The white theme celebrates one of the colours suffragettes wore as they campaigned for the right to be involved in the democratic purpose. Women legislators also wore white during the 2019 and 2017 SOTUs. In 2018 they wore black as they backed the #metoo movement that had just then exploded. Hillary Clinton wore white to Donald Trump's inauguration / Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images What's the history behind it? The idea of wearing white comes from the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, who co-edited the Votes For Women newspaper, came up with a series of colours women could wear to identify with the movement. This included purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity and green for hope. The idea caught on and spread across the Atlantic where American women were also campaigning for the right to vote. Hillary Clinton invoked the shibboleth in 2017 when she wore a white suit and coat to Donald Trumps inauguration. Iconic Australian swimwear label Tigerlily will be ringing in its 20th anniversary without two of its top bosses at the helm. Chief executive Chris Buchanan and chief financial officer Steven Hill have sensationally quit the company founded in 2000 by Jodhi Meares. A partner at Tigerlily's parent company Crescent Capital Partners also resigned as a director in December, according to documents filed with the corporate regulator. Chief executive Chris Buchanan and chief financial officer Steven Hill have sensationally quit the company Swimwear model Jodhi Meares founded the brand in 2000 while she was married to billionaire tycoon James Packer News of the top bosses stepping down comes two months after Tigerlily wiped its social media channels clean to prepare for a brand shake-up. Mr Buchanan, who has been with the brand for two years, said the company had been undergoing a 'brand audit'. 'Over the last 20 years, we realised girls don't come to buy a piece of clothing, they come to buy a piece for their adventures. We help them to make memories,' he said told The Australian at the time. At this stage it's not clear why Mr Hill and Mr Buchanan left the swimwear and bohemian fashion brand. Swimwear model Jodhi Meares founded the brand in 2000 while she was married to billionaire tycoon James Packer. Meares then sold the passion project for $5.8million to Queensland-based swimwear label Billabong. Billabong went on to sell Tigerlily for 10 times the price - or an estimated $60million - to Crescent Capital Partners in 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. According to Erdogan's administration, the Turkish leader noted that the attack on Turkish military personnel in Syria damages joint peace efforts in the region, Reuters reported. "The sides exchanged views on the problems of Libyan settlement and stressed the necessity of observing the ceasefire that has been in place in that country since January 12, and of implementing the results of the Berlin international conference of January 19," the Kremlin press service said. Ukraine has won an appeal challenging the decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding Russia's ban to export Ukrainian wagons and railway products. The respective decision was posted late on Tuesday on the WTO's website. "Ukraine won the appeal in the WTO. Ukraine's claims were almost completely satisfied by the WTO appellate body, and Russia's claims were dismissed," ex-trade representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska said on her Facebook page commenting on the decision. As reported, Ukraine filed a lawsuit in the WTO in October 2015, believing that Russia since 2013 unreasonably imposed restrictions on the supply of Ukrainian wagons, revoking the relevant certificates. In the applicant's opinion, the restrictions applied to the products of the Kriukov Car Building Works (Poltava Region), the Dnipropetrovsk Railway Switch Factory, Azovzahalmash (Donetsk region) and the state-owned Kharkiv Machine-Building Plant named after Felix Dzerzhinsky. As a result Ukraine's exports in the Group 86 category (Ukrainian classification of goods specially developed for foreign economic activity) decreased from $1.7 billion in 2013 to $51 million in January-July 2015. The WTO arbiter panel in July 2018 dismissed the key demands of Ukraine in this dispute with Russia. In August 2018, Ukraine filed an appeal. tech2 News Staff Globally, health authorities including the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been cautious about their responses to the coronavirus outbreak to ensure deft action by health officials and avoid panic among the general public. But, as of 30 January, the WHO has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak, that originated in Wuhan, a global health emergency. While there's no solid indication of the outbreak slowing down or being successfully contained, researchers around the world are working in overdrive to find a vaccination for the deadly, contagious virus. In China as well as other nations with high population densities, a vaccine could prove critical making the difference between a local public health emergency and a well-contained health threat. US-based biotech company Gilead, which is popular for its HIV and Hepatitis C treatments, has partnered with the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing to have an antiviral drug called remdesivir tested in 270 coronavirus-infected patients from Wuhan and Beijing. Gilead already submitted the drug through safety tests amidst the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and 2015, which has allowed them access to test it on sick patients immediately. First US #nCoV2019 patient treated with #remdesivir. Hard to wrap your mind around the fact that your pipetting may have helped save a human life #coronavirus #antivirals https://t.co/xHN3Ri6Aag Timothy Sheahan (@timothysheahan) January 31, 2020 There's evidence from ongoing trials of remdesivir's promise to treat coronavirus-positive patients. Moreover, many of the compounds being looked into are ones already tested in humans, with both a safety track record and proven effectiveness against various infections. A second clinical trial is also underway in China, to test a combination of two existing anti-HIV drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, against the novel coronavirus. Run by Chinese researchers, coronavirus patients treated with this drug duo appear to be helping a handful of coronavirus patients in Thailand, including a 70-year-old woman, Thai doctors said. "This is not the cure, but the patients condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours," Dr Kriangsak Atipornwanich, a lung specialist at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, told Reuters. What with the enormous pressure to curb the spread of 2019-nCoV any further, remdesivir could be the first drug used on Chinese patients under the compassionate use program a clause written into the Chinese Drug Administration Law in August 2019. The US similarly allowed remdesivir to be used on a 35-year-old American patient on the same grounds. Other companies with coronavirus drug candidates in the mix include Johnson & Johnson, Inovia Pharmaceuticals, Moderna Therapeutics and a coalition of public institutes led by Baylor's College of Medicine researchers. Bayor's College has a vaccine for SARS that could offer protection against the (albeit, novel) coronavirus strain, according to Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. This, because of the striking similarities that Chinese health authorities found in coronavirus and other members of the same virus family, like the SARS-, MERS- and common cold-causing virus. In late January, Aussie researchers managed to grow the coronavirus from a cell culture outside China. This "significant breakthrough" could go a long way in helping combat the deadly virus, which has claimed nearly 500 lives and infected 24,551 people worldwide. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital are hopeful that the advance will allow accurate investigation and diagnosis of the virus globally. Bhutanese authorities have assured their Indian counterparts that a proposed revamp of tourist fees will not inconvenience Indian travellers, people familiar with developments said on Tuesday. Foreign tourists visiting Bhutan currently have to pay $250 per day, which includes a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of $65, though this levy was not applicable to tourists from Bangladesh, India and the Maldives so far. Bhutans new draft tourism policy reportedly proposes a SDF and a permit processing fee for Indian travellers. Bhutanese authorities have assured that Indian tourists would not be inconvenienced in the course of the implementation of the regulation, the person said. I just think the caucus approach, as curious and quaint and interesting as it is, just runs counter to our basic feelings about voting in this country, said Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. Democrats are right to be nervous: The tight early results, matched with Mr. Bloombergs cash infusion, may portend a far more drawn-out primary process than many in the party had hoped. But perhaps most troubling for Democrats is a number thats gotten far less attention. Tucked into an Iowa Democratic Party news release today was the fact that early data suggested only about 170,000 people voted this year well below the 240,000 who participated in the caucuses in 2008. That may be an indication that none of the Democratic candidates are inspiring the kind of groundswell of enthusiasm that powered their party to the White House in 12 years ago. As all this played out for the Democrats, Mr. Trump was enjoying one of the best days of his presidency. Not only did he get to goad Democrats about their dysfunction, Gallup reported that his approval rating had climbed to 49 percent, his highest in that survey since his presidency began. The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is Trump, he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday morning. I expect well hear more gloating tonight, when he takes the podium for the State of the Union address. Want to see what happens? Join me tonight for our State of the Union live chat on nytimes.com (or in the NYTimes app). Ill be coming to you from Washington with top reporters from our White House and congressional team. And if thats not enough political news for you, we have more! Follow along with our Iowa updates. Check out our results page. Take a look at our reconstruction of what went wrong at the caucuses. And read reports from our forces already landed in New Hampshire. A patient in the emergency department of a hospital was overheard demanding 'no Asian doctor' amid fears of contracting coronavirus. A woman at Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand heard the patient call out while being brought in for treatment at the hospital's emergency department on Tuesday morning. The coronavirus has killed nearly 500 people but there have been no confirmed cases of the disease in New Zealand, with the witness describing the request as an ignorant remark. A patient in Auckland City Hospital (pictured) was overheard requesting 'no Asian doctor' amid coronavirus fears An Air New Zealand flight landed in Auckland from Wuhan on Wednesday with 198 people on board. Pictured: passengers in Auckland airport wearing face masks amid the new arrivals from the epicentre of coronavirus 'I'm not sure if I would describe this as blatant racism, but there's definitely a lot of total ignorance out there with regards to this virus,' the woman - who did not wish to be named - told The New Zealand Herald. An Auckland District Health Board spokeswoman said she was unaware of the incident, but said there were protocols in place to treat infectious diseases. 'The public can be assured that robust processes are in place in our hospital to care for any patients with coronavirus while protecting patients, staff, whanau (family) and visitors,' they said. A patient was brought to Auckland City Hospital last week with a suspected case of coronavirus, but it turned out to be negative. China Consul General in New Zealand Ruan Ping said the fight against the disease was not an excuse for bigotry. 'Compared with the virus itself, ignorance, hatred and discrimination are even more calamitous and should not be tolerated in any part of the world,' Mr Ping said. An Air New Zealand flight carrying 198 people from Wuhan landed in Auckland on Wednesday, with passengers on the aircraft being immediately taken to Whangaparaoa military base for a 14-day quarantine. The 35 Australians on board were taken directly to Christmas Island to join the 72 people taken there on board a Qantas flight from the coronavirus epicentre. One person from Hong Kong and another from the Phillippines are the only two confirmed coronavirus deaths outside of China. There are more than 24,000 people confirmed to have the deadly disease, with 14 cases in Australia. The Katsina Police Command on Tuesday, paraded the 17-year-old housewife Rabi Rabiu, who stabbed her husband to death in Almakiyayi village, Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state. Parading the suspect before newsmen, spokesman of the command, SP Gambo Isah, said that Rabi Rabiu stabbed her husband while he was asleep after an earlier altercation betwen the two. On 29/01/2020 at about 05:30hrs, DPO Malumfashi Division responded to a distress call based on a report that one Shamsu Salisu, m, aged 25yrs of Almakiyayi village, Malumfashi LGA of Katsina state had an altercation with his wife one Rabi Rabiu, f, aged 17yrs of the same address, but later while he was asleep the wife stabbed him with knife in several places in his body including his abdomen. As a result, he sustained serious injuries. The Police team rushed the victim to Malumfashi General Hospital where he was confirmed dead by the attending physician. In the course of investigation the police have recovered a sharp knife and a bed sheet all stained with blood. Investigation is ongoing. sai SP Gambo. Share this: WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) Wednesday said it has appointed Richard Ashworth as President of Walgreens. Ashworth will be responsible for developing the strategies and plans for all Walgreens operations and will have full responsibility for the leadership, development and management of the business. He will report to Alex Gourlay, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance. Previously, Ashworth served as President of Operations, Walgreens, and has held a variety of leadership positions with increasing responsibility overseeing pharmacy, health care commercial, retail and other segments during his 28-year tenure with the company. 'Richard is a strong leader who grew up with the Walgreens brand and who has a great appreciation for its storied heritage. He truly understands our customers and is passionate about the role we play in their daily lives,' said Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance. 'We are pleased to have Richard lead the Walgreens business, and lead the charge as we create the Walgreens of the future. His experience will be incredibly valuable as we continue to accelerate our ongoing transformation to best meet the needs of our customers, communities and team members.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. A political pressure group, the Niger Delta Youth Coalition ( NDYC ) has called on youths and politicians in Northern Nigeria to support the Southern Nigeria to produce a President in 2023. National Coordinator of NDYC, Prince Emmanuel Ogba made the call yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. He also called on the National Assembly to enthrench Zoning of the Presidency in the nation's constitution. Ogba who noted that by amending the constitution to accommodate zoning the crisis and desperation that characterise Presidential elections in the country would be drastically reduced. " By enthrenching zoning in the nation's constitution, Presidential election would be less expensive and the height of desperation that is always witnessed during Presidential elections would be drastically reduced", he said. According to Ogba, some political parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have had zoning in it's gentleman agreement, and with it, it was able to reduce the accrimony and crisis that affect the election of Nigerian President. He appealed to members of the party, particularly those from the north not to allow the zoning idea to die but rather to continue with zoning no matter the selfish interest of some members. Reacting to a recent interview by Prof Ango Abdulahi that former President Goodluck Jonathan disparaged the zoning, Ogba said such argument should not be used to trauncate the zoning formula. " After the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, NDYC was in the forefront of those who advocated for a power shift to the north which was eventually actualised. " In 2023 when President Muhammadu Buhari would be serving out his second term of eight years, and political gladiators have began their pamutations, we feel that the right thing is to call on particularly youths from the north and influential politicians to support the South produce the next President of Nigeria", he said. He said that if the South is supported to produce the next President, zoning would be made to stay. Ogba urged both the upper and lower Chambers of the National Assembly to amend Nigerian constitution to accommodate zoning , stressing that such step would would make subsequent Presidential elections less expensive and devoid of the usual accrimony and crisis that go with it. Job Title: ICT Intern(Fresh Graduate Jobs) Organisation: Movetech Solutions Ltd Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda About US: Movetech Solutions Ltd is one of the best, most preferred Software providers and Development Companies from Kenya, known for providing custom, bespoke, enterprise solutions to known clients worldwide across multiple domains such as Hospitality, Education, Travel, Security, Engineering, Health, Logistics, Manufacturing, Construction, Banking. Using the secure and latest technology and development methods, we ensure our esteemed clients stay abreast of most updated technology. Movetech Group has expert teams of software and web developers who are well versed in use of various technologies. From hotel software developers in Kenya, restaurant software developers in Kenya, we have all industries software that we have developed inhouse. Job Summary: The IT Intern should have a passion for software technologies to the limits and will work with our team of software engineers and sales agents to install, train the next generation of our software applications especially Hotel System, POS Systems, School systems. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Develop, configure, test, and maintain applications according to specifications consistently. Maintaining coding standards and participating in peer code reviews Testing the products in controlled, real situations before going live Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant must hold a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science / IT Proficient in programming using Java, PHP, Laravel and Code-igniter framework. Knowledge of JavaScript and Libraries like jQuery Deep knowledge in Ubuntu and Linux Experience with Bootstrap Framework RESTful API design and development skills Experience with MySQL database. How to Apply: All suitably qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to apply by sending their cover Letter stating projects done to info@movetechsolutions.com Deadline: 9th February 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline D onald Trump ignored Nancy Pelosis offer of a handshake before he launched into his State of the Union address, proclaiming his "great American comeback". The president turned away as the House Speaker, who led the impeachment proceedings against him, reached out to shake his hand after he handed her a copy of his speech. Mr Trumps snub, which Ms Pelosi shrugged off with a smile, set the tone for his condemnation of political rivals as he addressed the nation on Tuesday night. And after the US leader concluded his speech, Ms Pelosi stood up and tore her copy of the presidents script in two behind his back. Mr Trump began the annual address by setting out his case for re-election in November and boasting he has created a great American comeback before tearing into Democrats over healthcare. He declared America "stronger than ever before" as he delivered his speech in House of Representatives, which in December voted to impeach him. The address, which was the third of Mr Trump's presidency, came on the eve of his likely impeachment acquittal in the Senate and in the aftermath of the chaotic first votes of the race to replace him. Mr Trump received a sharply partisan welcome to the House. Republicans chanted "Four More Years" while Democrats stood silently. "America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," Mr Trump declared in his opening remarks. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" State of Union Address - In pictures 1 /28 State of Union Address - In pictures Nancy Pelosi rips up pages of Donald Trump's State of the Union address. Getty Images US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address flanked by US Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi at the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience before delivering his State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington AP Donald Trump appeared to ignored Nancy Pelosi's offer of a handshake before his State of the Union address AP House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington AP US Vice President Mike Pence stands and claps as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi looks at a copy of US President Donald Trump's speech POOL/AFP via Getty Images Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi extends a hand to US president Donald Trump ahead of the State of the Union address AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds up the ripped up copy of President Donald Trump's speech after the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Getty Images Democratic members of Congress listen to the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Getty Images First Lady Melania Trump arrives before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington AP Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido waves after being acknowledged by US President Donald Trump as he delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC POOL/AFP via Getty Images Radio personality Rush Limbaugh reacts as First Lady Melania Trump gives him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Getty Images Radio personality Rush Limbaugh pumps thumb after being awarded the Medal of Freedom by First Lady Melania Trump after being acknowledged by US President Donald Trump as he delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Sgt Townsend Williams kisses his wife Amy after returning from deployment in Afghanistan AFP via Getty Images Female members of Congress dressed in white pose for a photo ahead of the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Getty Images First Lady Melania Trump is applauded by her guests in the First Lady's box during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Getty Images Amy Williams watches her husband Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams being applauded by first Lady Melania Trump and the chamber after he surprised her by appearing at the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump in a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington AP First Lady Melania Trump hugs Amy Williams as Rush Limbaugh watches as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington AP Amy Williams watches her husband Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams being hugged by his daughter Elliana, 6, as he surprised her by appearing at the State of the Union address AP Mr Trump presented himself as a big improvement over Democratic President Barack Obama, whom he succeeded three years ago, saying he had bolstered US economic growth and increased jobs. "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!" Mr Trump said. Democratic women stood and chanted "HR 3" - a reference to a Democratic bill that would lower drug costs. Republican members of Congress applauded nearly every sentence of Mr Trump's speech, often leaping to their feet to cheer him. In the nationally televised speech, Mr Trump was speaking from the House of Representatives, on the opposite side of the Capitol from where the Senate one day later was expected to acquit him largely along party lines. Mr Trump was staring out at some of the Democrats who have been vying to take his job. As he was speaking, in Iowa the results of Monday's caucuses were still to come. In advance of his address, Mr Trump tweeted that the caucus chaos showed Democrats were incompetent and should not be trusted to run the government. Mr Trump continued to attack the Democrats over healthcare during his State of the Union address. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi extends a hand to US president Donald Trump ahead of the State of the Union address / AFP via Getty Images He said: "Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens forcing taxpayers to subsidise free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders." As he spoke, Ms Pelosi appeared to mouth "that's not true". Mr Trump continued: "If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens sounds fair to you - then stand with the radical left. But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors - then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free Government healthcare for illegal aliens." Listen to today's episode of The Leader: The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, viewed from a drone above 26th Street, looking north. A bankruptcy court hearing on the refinery's reorganization plan has been continued until Feb. 12. Read more A confirmation hearing for the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery bankruptcy, scheduled for Thursday before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, has been continued until Feb. 12, according to a filing submitted on Tuesday. Lawyers for PES notified the court that the amended reorganization plan, which calls for the sale of the refinery for $240 million to Hilco Redevelopment Partners, remains subject to continuing negotiations and review by PES and other parties. The company said it reserves the right to amend, modify or supplement the reorganization plan. Nine parties submitted objections by a deadline Monday, and deadline was extended until Wednesday to allow the U.S. Attorney to submit its filing. State Sen. Larry Farnese, State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, and State Rep. Jordan Harris, all Philadelphia Democrats, also submitted letters to the court sharing their thoughts. PES operated the largest oil refinery on the East Coast in South Philadelphia until it shut down June 21 following a devastating fire. It declared bankruptcy on July 21, its second bankruptcy in two years. Two industrial redevelopers are competing to buy the refinery. Hilco has told city officials that it plans to repurpose the 1,300-acre facility to a mixed-use commercial and industrial facility. The backup bidder, Industrial Realty Group (IRG), has formed an alliance with a local company headed by former refinery chief executive Philip Rinaldi to run the property as a refinery. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors has recommended that its members reject the plan because IRG bid $25 million more than Hilco for the property and wants to restart the refinery. The unsecured creditors include the refinerys labor union and many suppliers, who say they would be better off if the refinery restarted. READ MORE: Newly revealed restrictions challenge redevelopment of bankrupt Philly refinerys land Sunoco Inc., which owned the refinery until 2012 and is financially responsible for remediating the contaminated property, also filed objections to efforts to bypass deed restrictions on the land that it says limit building to only refinery, chemical or energy industry uses. PES, in its notice of the hearing continuation, said that if it revised the reorganization plan, it would post the proposed changes before the Feb. 12 hearing. It also asked U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross to reserve Feb. 13 as a backup date for the hearing. German court rejects removal of anti-Semitic statue: A German appeals court rejected a Jewish man's bid to force the removal of a 700-year-old anti-Semitic statue from a church. The "Judensau," or "Jew pig," sculpture on the Town Church in Wittenberg is one of more than 20 such relics from the Middle Ages that still adorn churches across Europe. Plaintiff Michael Duellmann had argued that the sculpture is "a defamation of and insult to the Jewish people" that has "a terrible effect up to this day." The court, citing a Holocaust memorial and informational sign displayed near the statue, ruled that "in its current context" it is not of "slanderous character." WASHINGTON - Democrats used a rebuttal to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night to refocus the national spotlight on the party's policy platforms, a pivot from the impeachment narrative that has dominated the headlines of the past half-year. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered the Democratic response to the president's annual address to Congress from a high school in Lansing, Michigan, a critical state for Democrats in their bid to oust Trump in 2020. And in a nod to the increasingly diverse party, congressional Democratic leaders chose another female politician, Hispanic freshman Rep. Veronica Escobar, one of the two first Latinas to represent Texas, to deliver a separate Democratic response in Spanish. Escobar didn't use the word "impeachment," and Whitmer used it once. Impeachment proceedings have dominated Washington since Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opened the impeachment inquiry in September. While Escobar talked about holding Trump accountable, both women focused instead on Democratic efforts to rebuild nation's infrastructure, reduce gun violence and improve access to health care - with Escobar delivering her speech from a community health center in her El Paso district. "It's pretty simple," Whitmer said. "Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away." Congressional Democrats' choice of Whitmer to reply to Trump highlights the party's focus on the Great Lakes state heading into a contentious election season. In 2016, Democrats were aghast when Trump carried Michigan over Hillary Clinton by less than a point, also sweeping up Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to claim the White House. Since then, Democrats have sought to ensure that the party is well-positioned to compete in the industrial Midwest and with swing-voters across the nation. Pelosi, for example, has notably refused to fully embrace some of the more liberal policies being espoused by the 2020 Democratic hopefuls, including Medicare-for-all and free college - ideas many Hill Democratic leaders fear will hurt the party. Enter Whitmer, a 48-year-old former prosecutor and state lawmaker who won the gubernatorial race in 2018 by 10 points. That sound defeat of former GOP state attorney general Bill Schuette gave the party hope that they can, with the right message, romp through the Midwest once again. Whitmer, who brands herself as a pragmatist willing to reach across the aisle, ran on a rather blunt slogan focused on infrastructure: "Fix the damn roads." Infrastructure has also been a top priority for Hill Democrats. And Whitmer on Tuesday night plugged the party's work on crumbling infrastructure Tuesday night. "[B]lown tires and broken windshields are downright dangerous. And car repairs take money from rent, child care, or groceries," Whitmer will say. "And we - the Democrats - are doing something about it." Whitmer will also make a personal appeal on health care, speaking about a time "I was holding down a new job, caring for my newborn daughter as well as my mom at the end of her brain cancer battle." She'll discuss how that experience led her to work with a Republican governor and legislator "to expand health care coverage to more than 680,000 Michiganders under the Affordable Care Act" as a state senator. "I was up all night with a baby and during the day, I had to fight my mom's insurance company when they wrongly denied her coverage for chemotherapy," she will say. "It was hard. It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces, our health care system, and our child care system. And it changed me." Democratic leaders' pick of Escobar, 50, is also not random. She hails from a border district that has been on the front lines of the immigration fight raging through the nation. As a part of Pelosi's leadership circle, Escobar has used her platform to push back on controversial Trump administration policies affecting immigrants, including family separation and a requirement that asylum seekers wait in Mexico during the application process. She's also led congressional delegations to the border. "I remember seeing the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island for the first time. I was in awe of Lady Liberty," she'll say Tuesday night. "It is up to all of us - in the face of one of the most challenging times in history - to reflect the dignity, grace of Lady Liberty and the values of America. Gun policies are also front and center for Escobar. Twenty-two people in her district, many of them constituents, were shot and killed at a Walmart in El Paso in early August, allegedly by a racist gunman who drove hundreds of miles from his home to hunt down people who looked to be of Mexican descent. Escobar spoke of those still-fresh wounds Tuesday night. "Just before he began his killing spree, he posted his views online and used hateful language like the very words used by President Trump to describe immigrants and Latinos," Escobar said of the killer. In the past, she's blasted the president's rhetoric, arguing that it leads to violence against minorities. Escobar made a reference to the impeachment effort that has ground Washington to a halt for months. She accused Trump of violating his oath by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his adversaries, what she called "a tragic moment" in American history. "Congress must defend our republic," she said, later adding a favorite Pelosi phrase: "No one is above the law. Escobar and Whitmer blame Trump for the growing income gap, with the wealthy earning more while low income earners still struggle. Escobar will say that Trump's economic policies have "created two Americas: one where the wealthiest 1% benefit and one that leaves too many farmers, businesses, and working families behind." Whitmer argued that "it doesn't matter what the president says about the stock market. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don't have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs." "Wages have stagnated, while CEO pay has skyrocketed," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank, a market leading advisory firm specializing in the sale of intellectual property assets and domain name brokerage, and Rock Creek Advisors, LLC, an advisory firm, with extensive expertise in turnarounds, financial advisory and liquidations, are marketing for sale the patent portfolio and certain related assets of a leader in professional grade augmented reality ("AR") hardware and software technology. The seller will entertain offers to acquire or license all or a subset of the patent portfolio. DAQRI built a name in the AR space by developing and delivering professional-grade augmented reality solutions to its 120+ corporate clients across many markets and industries. DAQRI's portfolio of patents, which represent a full suite of AR technology elements, has been commercialized through its two primary product lines: the head-worn hardware (DAQRI Smart Glasses) and the software platform (DAQRI Worksense). Together, the two technologies linked digital content to the real world to accelerate productivity, communication, and key business processes. "DAQRI developed a portfolio of patented technology that served as the foundation for the creation and commercialization of world-class AR solutions for a wide range of business and logistics obstacles," remarked Jim Gansman, Managing Director of Rock Creek Advisors. He added, "Controlling this portfolio has the potential to put a buyer at the top of the AR industry and provides an unmatched opportunity to expand the technology into adjacent high innovation areas." The applications for DAQRI's technology are far reaching with massive potential outside of augmented reality. Hilco Streambank CEO, Gabe Fried, commented "Applications for the various portions of the portfolio include AR glasses in the industrial space and extend to autonomous vehicles, gaming, artificial intelligence, consumer electronics, digital content creation, 3D digital mapping and more." Offers to acquire all or a portion of the assets are due by March 31, 2020. Parties interested in the patent portfolio or learning more about the sale process should CLICK HERE or contact Hilco Streambank or Rock Creek Advisors directly using the contact information provided below. About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, private transactions, and online sales through IPv4.Global, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments. About Rock Creek Advisors, LLC: Rock Creek Advisors works with companies and their investors, shareholders, directors, lenders, and other relevant constituents to help companies maximize their true potential. We have expertise in turnarounds, financial advisor, company sales and liquidations. We help bridge the gap between a management team's turnaround plan and their investor's needs. We help sell companies or parts of them that are attractive for a sale. We work closely with all constituents to analyze the situation, develop a workplan with clear deliverables/timeframes, build the steps for a turnaround or sale and execute on the agreed plan. For media and Press: Gary C. Epstein EVP Chief Marketing Officer Hilco Global [email protected] 847-418-2712 SOURCE Hilco Streambank Related Links https://www.hilcostreambank.com/ ANN ARBOR, MI -- Customers poured in Wednesday to get their long-awaited fragel fix from MD Bagel Fragel, which reopened more than a year after closing its original location. The relocated business saw a steady flow of bagel and fragel lovers after opening its new take-out only shop at 6:30 a.m. in the new location, 3500 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor. The local bakery known for the fragel, a signature item made of raisin dough, deep-fried and covered in cinnamon sugar, is running a soft opening through Friday, with a grand opening planned for Saturday. I hope I can remember how to do it all, said owner Patricia Rockette. I just hope we can get the customers through quickly so they dont have to wait. Id hate for them to have to wait." Patrick OMalley showed up at 6:25 a.m. and was the first person at the door, he said. I actually took a vacation day. This is a great place. Its definitely an Ann Arbor icon, OMalley said. He said he was in "heaven when he heard about the reopening. This is a little harder to get to than the last location, but theyre here, thats what counts," he said. OMalley recommends first-time customers try the fragel, but his personal favorite is the vanilla cinnamon bagel with vanilla cinnamon chip cream cheese, he said. Leah Karr said she grew up going to the bakery, and her go-to item is the smokin bird," a bagel with smoked turkey, melted swiss and spicy honey mustard. Ive been going to Bagel Fragel since I was in high school, and I am so happy theyre back," the University of Michigan nurse said. "Theyre a real Ann Arbor tradition. I was very sad when they had to close, of course. I usually would wear my Save Bagel Fragel shirt. Im happy for the community but Im really happy for the family that they were able to find another place and get the business going again because theyre good people. After 25 years, the company closed its 1760 Plymouth Road shop in Broadway Square at the end of 2018. A new landlord took over the strip mall and the bakery was forced to move. Customers rallied around the shop during the closure announcement, promoting Save Bagel Fragel shirts, seeking to raise money to help with relocation costs. A GoFundMe campaign to raise $40,000 for the relocation gathered nearly $12,000. Underground Printing ran a T-shirt fundraiser and sold about 180 Save Bagel Fragel shirts, which raised $2,300 for the bakery, Rockette previously told The Ann Arbor News. Not everyone was previously familiar with the community staple. Mark Reinsteins Wednesday visit to the bakery was his first. To be honest, in its previous location, I didnt even know about it, Reinstein said. But I love fragels and when I read that this is coming here, and its close to our house, I said fabulous." Rockette said her favorite part of running the busines has been working with the family and getting to know customers. We know them, and we all like to talk to them, Rockette said. MD Bagel Fragel to reopen in new Ann Arbor location Wednesday MD Bagel Fragel preparing to reopen in new Ann Arbor location Preparing for MD Bagel Fragels last day is surreal, owner says Milford Police / Contributed MILFORD Police are looking to identify a suspect in a fraud committed at an area business. According to Milford Police, on Jan. 4, a man reportedly walked into the Fed Ex location inside the Walmart at 1365 Boston Post Road and picked up a cell phone that was fraudulently ordered using someone elses identity. F1 could witness a new Max Verstappen in 2020, with a realistic chance of becoming the sport's youngest ever world champion. That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, who over the winter managed to extend the 22-year-old Dutchman's contract for 2021, 2022 and 2023. "For him it was important that Honda extended to 2021, so he could be fully involved in the development of that car," the top Red Bull official told Kronen Zeitung newspaper. "It is the biggest change in the regulations in the last 15, 20 years, so it was a mutual assessment of the possibilities. That is how we came to this result." But before 2021, Verstappen is hoping to take the momentum of the currently stable regulations and turn it into a real chance of winning this year. "We have a big goal," said Marko. "We want to be Lewis Hamilton's first challenger. "You can all look forward to a Max who won't start in Melbourne with a knife between his teeth," Marko added. "He knows that you don't win the world title in the first corner, or the first race, but with constant top positions." However, he is also expecting Mercedes and Ferrari to still be strong, ruling out that a team like McLaren or Renault can join the party in 2020. "No. The structures are too stuck. And an incredibly expensive and difficult year is awaiting us this year," said Marko. "We have our current car, but then we also have to look at the 2021 car and prepare for the 18-inch tyres. It's a gigantic challenge. "But I think maybe in 2021 it will be possible for a team to get a golden chance - like Brawn with the double diffuser," he added. (GMM) The Haryana government will set up a science centre at a cost of over Rs 30 crore in Ambala Cantonment, a senior official said here on Wednesday. Named Aryabhatta Vigyan Kendra, the centre will come up on five acres adjacent to the War Memorial in the city, he said. Additional Chief Secretary, Science and Technology, Amit Jha, said the work on the centre will commence in April and it will be completed by December 2021. Jha said this while presiding over a meeting to finalise modalities for the implementation of the project. A week ago, the state government had said a science city will be developed in Gurgaon. Amit Jha said the centre will have a science gallery, 270-degree immersive projection hall, 3D auditorium and a cafeteria besides other facilities. During the meeting, it was decided that the building of the centre will be constructed by the PWD (B&R) Department while galleries and exhibits will be installed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata. Jha said Kalpana Chawla Memorial Planetarium at Kurukshetra will also be upgraded by the NCSM. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) A Filipino seafarer has tested positive for the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, while 537 other Filipinos have been quarantined onboard a cruise ship in Japan. The Filipino was a crew member of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Other nationalities who were confirmed to have the coronavirus were an American guest, two Australians, three Japanese, and three Chinese nationals from Hong Kong. The cruise operator said the Filipino crew and nine others will be taken ashore by a Japanese Coast Guard watercraft and transported to local hospitals. "The Embassy is in constant communication with the remaining Filipinos onboard and is closely coordinating with Japanese authorities to provide them all possible assistance," the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Japanese authorities are still waiting for the results of more than 100 test samples from other passengers. The cruise ship has been docked in Japan's Yokohama Bay and placed under quarantine for 14 days to isolate and monitor 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members on board the ship, CNN reported. Medical officials are going room-by-room to check each their health and temperature. It is unclear how many passengers may have disembarked from the cruise ship early. Japanese authorities locked down the vessel on Tuesday after a former passenger, an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong who disembarked 12 days ago, was confirmed to have the coronavirus. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 20,000 people in the two months since it has been identified. Of the 427 deaths 425 were in mainland China, a Chinese man in the Philippines, and a 39-year-old man in Hong Kong. RELATED: This is where Wuhan coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide Plainview High School hosted the Business Professionals of America contest last week. The competition included about 200 students from area schools in the Area 4, Region 1 Leadership Conference for BPA. Sixteen PHS students competed and all of them qualified for the State Leadership Conference, which is set for March 4-7 in Dallas. BPA is a new for PHS this year. The competition includes contests in several areas of business including finance, business administration, digital communication and design, management information systems and management, marketing and communication. Tasha Hughes and Cindi Newlin are advisors. State BPA qualifiers include: Jared Walker first place, Digital Media Kaitlyn Gaither first place, Digital Publishing; second place, Broadcast News Team Emiliano Munoz first place, Graphic Design; second place, Broadcast News Team Isaiah Rodriguez first place, Fundamentals of Web Design Alex Castanda third place, PC Servicing Maritsa Ramos third place, Business Law and Ethics Jovany Dominguez first place, Advanced Spreadsheet Brandon Fenelon fourth place, Fundamental Spreadsheet Erika Medina second place, Basic Office Systems Will Rossi second place, Integrated Office Tyler Vasquez second place, Banking and Finance Thalia Romero second place, Payroll Accounting Julian Ramirez second place, Computer Animation Team Trey Morales second place, Computer Animation Team Morgan Ritter first place, Computer Modeling Ceaser Ibarra second place, Computer Animation Team; Broadcast News Team Will Rossi and Erika Medina were each also recognized with a Torch Award for areas of service, leadership, knowledge and cooperation in our school, community and area. A small village named Islak in the outskirts of Ahmednagar town on Wednesday passed a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC) during a gram panchayat meeting on Republic Day. Mahadev Gawli, a villager, who proposed the resolution during the meeting in the village with a population of just about 2,000, told ANI that they will launch a non-cooperation movement if the Centre refuses to roll back the new citizenship law and NRC. "Out of the 2000 people here, 45 per cent of people belong to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and downtrodden sections. They do not have documents to prove their citizenship. We have sent a dossier to the Centre suggesting to make changes in the new law. If not done, we will organise a non-cooperation movement from here," he said. Yogesh Gerange, a member of the Gram Panchayat, said, "The majority of the population here are tribals. They do not have caste certificates and are not able to get the benefits of the scheme launched by the government. They all have given assent on the resolution against CAA and NRC. These people will not be able to submit documents." Protests broke out in several places across the country against the Citizenship Act and NRC last year. At Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, protests have been ongoing since December 15 due to which Kalindi Kunj road has been shut for traffic movement. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Australian man has been fined nearly $40,000 after trying to smuggle more than 7,000 cigarettes from Bali to Perth to sell to his mates. The 34-year-old admitted to packing 36 cigarette cartons into his luggage for a flight into Perth International Airport from Bali on November 18, 2018. The maximum number of cigarettes a passenger can bring into Australia from Indonesia is 25 and the man was caught with 7,200 cigarettes between his two suitcases. Perth Magistrates Court heard the unemployed property broker planned to sell the cigarettes to his friends for $150 per carton, after buying them for $25 each at a supermarket in Kuta. An Australian man has been fined nearly $40,000 for trying to smuggle more than 7,000 cigarettes from Bali into Perth in his suitcase (pictured) The man had 7,200 cigarettes (pictured) in his luggage and was planning to sell them to his mates West Australian Border Force Regional Commander Rod O'Donnell told The West Australian that the man attempted to smuggle the goods intentionally. 'This man knew the risks,' Commander O'Donnell said. 'Our officers are alert to travellers attempting to bring in more than their duty free allowance of cigarettes and tobacco, and the consequences for those caught can be severe. 'This attempt to evade approximately $5,800 in Duty has ended up costing the man almost seven times that amount.' The man's fines included $15,000 for evading paying duty, $14,000 for smuggling cigarettes, $7,500 for making false statements to customs, and $2,652.73 in court costs. The man's incoming passenger card did not declare that he was over the maximum amount for cigarettes. President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for standing with and supporting the Malagasy people during the heavy floods and landslides that killed more than 30 people and displaced more than thousands of others in the East African nation in recent days. "Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi and Defence Minister @rajnathsingh for standing with the Malagasy people and for your support during the time of heavy flooding in #Madagascar," Rajoelina wrote on Twitter. Last week, the Indian Navy, in its 'Operation Vanilla,' diverted Naval Ship Airavat carrying the relief material to Madagascar after the country was ravaged by torrential rains and floods. The relief materials include rice, lentils, tea, cooking oil, flour, instant food, chocolate, milk powder, cheese, biscuits, jam, clothing, tarpaulin, tents, bed-spreads, blankets, shoes, essential consumer goods, disinfectants, flashlights, personnel protective equipment, and others. In addition to the above, it also includes medicines to treat the diseases which might occur in the aftermath of floods. The medicines shall cater to a large number of patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LANSING, MI -- Portions of Michigans sex offender law are unconstitutional. Thats a determination made by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a 2016 class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union initially on behalf of six anonymous convicted sex offenders. The case was returned to U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland, who in May gave the Michigan Legislature 90 days to amend or replace its sex offender law, but that didnt happen. Cleland is now set to hear arguments in the case in Port Hurons federal court for the Eastern District of Michigan at 2 p.m. Wednesday, when he could order that the law be rewritten. Lifetime registration requirements, loitering restrictions, reporting requirements and residency exclusions rules that render some cities mostly uninhabitable are at the core of the American Civil Liberties Unions lawsuit. Some of the laws requirements, including that a convicted sex offender not live or work within 1,000 feet of a school and a three-tier system that requires offenders to register for periods of 15 years, 25 years or a lifetime, were implemented retroactively in 2006 and 2011. In August 2016, the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Michigans Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) is punishment and that major parts of the law cannot be retroactively applied, the ACLU website says. The court, citing research showing that public sex offender registries actually make the public less safe, emphasized the law simply does not work. The District Court had previously ruled that other parts of the law were also unconstitutional. Despite these rulings, this ineffective and unconstitutional law is still being enforced against roughly 44,000 Michigan registrants. The ACLU said the law, as written, is impossible to understand if the portions added in 2011 that have been ruled unconstitutional are removed. Therefore, attorneys argue policy reform is necessary. In its Jan. 21 filing, ACLU attorneys recommended the judge allow 60 days, so that the Legislature can finally do what it should have done long ago" and revise the law. Assistant Attorney General Joseph T. Froehlich in an Oct. 22 response filed on behalf of state police and Gov. Whitmers office, argued rewriting the law is unnecessary and that the unconstitutional portions of the law could be removed and the remaining constitutional portions may be applied retroactively. Since that time, Froehlichs boss, Attorney General Dana Nessel, filed a brief in an unrelated criminal case that is before the Michigan Supreme Court. The case similarly focuses on whether Michigans Sex Offender Registration Act constitutes punishment and whether it can be applied retroactively. In her Jan. 30 brief, Nessel appears to agree with the ACLU. In fact, the ACLU is now using Nessels brief in support its class-action lawsuit. Michigans Sex Offender Registry Act, taken as a whole, imposes burdens that are so punitive in their effect that they negate the states public safety justifications, Nessel said. " ... Protecting the children and families of Michigan from sexual offending is critical, but it is the Legislatures task to determine how best to do so within constitutional constraints." According to Nessel, the Legislature should re-write the sexual offender law. Its unclear when Judge Cleland may rule on the case. We do not expect a ruling tomorrow but expect a written opinion at a later date, Attorney General Dana Nessel spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-MCKinney said Tuesday. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The 15th edition of Asia's largest automobile show in terms of visitor footfalls kicked-off here on Wednesday with a plethora of auto companies, start-ups, telecom, alternate fuel, electric vehicle and social media firms participating at the mega event. The Auto Expo 2020 -- Motor Show, will have a select opening on Wednesday and it will formally open for the public from Friday. The show features more than 15 start-ups, telecom, alternate fuel, electric vehicle and social media firms. "Auto Expo 2020 would see a showcase of different technologies related to clean vehicles, safe vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Director General Rajesh Menon told IANS. "This Auto Expo is beyond just showcasing of vehicles and will also focus on the new paradigms of mobility like connected cars, electric cars, and alternative fuel." Segment-wise, the start-up section of the show displays technology solutions for green mobility and services connected to the automobile industry. Furthermore, Reliance Jio and FaceBook are also present at the event along with 15 new technology start-ups. Lately, telecom operators have entered the segment to provide connectivity to internet-enabled cars and Jio will be showcasing embedded SIM technology for the automobile sector. Facebook will host a town hall discussion and will also be holding other events. Others such as Lithium-ion battery and charger manufacturers, along with tyre firms will also be present at the auto show. Besides, Brazilian UNICA (Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association), one of the world's largest bioethanol producers, Italian tyre firm Pirelli and design company Icona will also mark their maiden presence at the expo. However, the star attractions are expected to be the new foreign players at the auto show. New automobile firms like the Chinese' Great Wall Motor, FAW Haima, Olectra and MG Motors will showcase a vast variety of cars, SUVs and buses. The visitors to the event will witness 60 launches of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. Many of these launches are expected to be face-lifts of existing models with BS-VI compliant engines as the country is shifting to BS-VI from April 2020. The healthy participation and launches assume significance as the sector has been battered by falling sales due to high goods and services tax (GST), farm distress, stagnant wages and liquidity constraints. While some companies had to reduce production, dealers took inventory correction measures. Besides, brands like Volkswagen, Skoda, Force Motors will make a return to the motor show. The 15th edition of the expo, is being jointly organised by ACMA, CII and SIAM from February 7-12 for the general public, at the India Expo Mart in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:37:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged the Iranians to actively participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, official IRNA news agency reported. Khamenei advised some Iranian media and officials to avoid "talking in a way to discourage people from attending the elections." He also said that the enemy "exaggerates" the disputes and use them against Iran. The Iranian top leader called for big turnout in the election, saying that it will disappoint the enemy. Nearly 58 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the 11th round of parliamentary elections scheduled on Feb. 21. Detectives say a stolen car used in a fatal shooting on the West Side last month was found burned a few miles away soon afterward. Now, the Albuquerque Police Department is asking for the publics help to find whoever is responsible. Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said the white Hyundai Sonata is tied to the Jan. 26 death of Benjamin Moore, 26, at an apartment complex near Bridge and Central. He said the car was stolen days before, on Jan. 21, between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. from 8020 Bridgewater NW, near Ladera and Unser. Officers responded to the shooting on Jan. 26 around 9:45 p.m. at the Sandia Valley apartments. Moore was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound. Gallegos said the car was set on fire less than three hours later a few miles away in the area of Duke and Cactus Pointe SW. He said homicide detectives are asking for any information to include surveillance video or doorbell camera footage from any of the three incidents. Chante Moore, Benjamin Moores sister, told the Journal that the past week has been the most traumatic her family has been through and the silence from APD is deafening. Not one single person in the homicide division has asked one single question, not one single cop has reached out to us, she said. I have called homicide, and been put on hold and been put off, nobody has talked to me yet. Moore said the family has heard many things that could help hurry along the investigation. Gallegos said those in the homicide unit said they never received a call from Moore, but are willing to speak with her. Its so frustrating; my brother is dead and we want justice, Moore said. He was a good father and amazing artist. More than just some thug off the street. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 843-STOP or 242-COPS. As far back as March, Pelosi had warned that impeachment had to be for something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan. Republicans repeatedly read those words back to Democrats as Trumps party held its ranks together even as the facts grew so damning that several GOP lawmakers publicly conceded Trumps alleged efforts to solicit investigations of his political enemies from a foreign power by withholding military aid and a coveted meeting were wrong, though not impeachable. OPEC+ officials gathered in Vienna for a second day of debate on the impact of the coronavirus, a process that could result in an emergency ministerial meeting where Saudi Arabia would push for an oil-production cut. The price of crude has plunged on expectations that the epidemic will squeeze Chinas economy and curtail consumption of oil in the worlds biggest importer. Thats prompted Saudi Arabia to advocate for urgent action from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and it allies, but its efforts have repeatedly run up against Russias reluctance to cut deeper. The true impact of the virus also remains highly uncertain, clouding the cartels decision making. Estimates of how much demand will be wiped out in the coming months vary widely, with OPECs internal analysis predicting a modest impact but outside estimates showing the biggest hit to consumption since the 2008 to 2009 financial crisis. RELATED: OPEC+ consults China for urgent analysis of virus threat to oil Its a dilemma for the group because the duration of the hit to oil demand -- particularly from China, the worlds largest oil importer -- is not clear, Ann-Louise Hittle, Vice President of macro oils at Wood Mackenzie Ltd. said in a note. Yet, without a further production cut, crude oil prices will remain under pressure. As the OPEC+ Joint Technical Committee convened in Vienna, diplomatic efforts between Riyadh and Moscow continued in parallel. Saudi Arabia was pushing for a production cut of at least 500,000 barrels a day -- and even up to twice that amount, two delegates said Tuesday. Russia, whose budget is more resilient to lower oil prices, continued to push back, they said. The dynamic between Saudi Arabia and Russia is not new: since the alliance of OPEC plus allies was created three years ago, the two sides have disagreed about whether to cut production, often publicly, but have ultimately found a way to compromise. Differing Views On Tuesday, the technocrats heard a presentation from Chinas ambassador, Wang Qun, and looked at models of how the virus will affect demand. FUEL FIX: Our energy news. Your inbox. A perfect combination. OPECs internal analysis showed a modest drop in global demand growth of about 400,000 barrels a day for about six months even for a worst-case epidemic, according to delegates. If OPEC+ were to maintain its current output reductions throughout that period, there would be a surplus of 600,000 barrels a day in the first quarter and 1 million in the second, the analysis showed. The committee didnt discuss on Tuesday whether the group should deepen its cutbacks, delegates said. Others saw a more severe impact from the virus. BP Plc predicted the outbreak would have a bigger effect, erasing 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day of consumption for 2020 as a whole. S&P Global Platts said its worst-case scenario was for a hit of about 1 million barrels a day, which would take annual demand growth down to 320,000 barrels a day, the weakest since the 2008 to 2009 financial crisis. After Tuesdays meeting, Chinas ambassador Wang told reporters that the virus would inevitably affect oil demand, but cautioned against overreacting. Behind closed doors, he told cartel officials that the impact would be limited and localized, said delegates, who asked not to be named because the talks were private. Iraq, which is OPECs second-largest producer but has a poor record of implementing output cuts over the past three years, said it supported a response to the coronavirus. Theres definitely a justified worry over whats happening, given the importance of China as a consumer, a spokesman from the countrys oil ministry said in a statement. We believe that the wisdom of the members of OPEC are capable of containing this crisis in the coming period. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Following President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, there will be four rebuttals from Democratic lawmakers. Rebuttals will come from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, who will deliver a rebuttal in Spanish; Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who will speak on behalf of the Working Families Party; and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The party's official responses will come from Whitmer and Escobar. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Democrats are putting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan on the national stage Tuesday to rebut Trump, elevating a fresh face and casting an election-year spotlight on a swing state in the Midwest as the party looks to win back states Trump narrowly captured. The 48-year-olds ascendance comes as Democrats hope to solidify gains with female voters and as two men in their late 70s, former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, lead national primary polls. Her selection has led to increased speculation that she could be a running mate pick, though she has said she is not interested. Whitmer, who rarely mentions Trump, has advised Democratic presidential candidates that Michigan voters are less focused on his Twitter feed than on the fundamentals such as fixing deteriorating roads and helping train people for better-paying jobs. She will return to that theme in her 10-minute response to Trump's State of the Union address. These are the fundamentals that people in America are concerned about, Whitmer told The Associated Press, adding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thought I would have a message that would resonate. In high school, Whitmer wanted to be an ESPN broadcaster but switched course after an internship at the state Capitol while attending nearby Michigan State University. She went to law school and, after working as an attorney, won a House seat in East Lansing. Whitmer said she will talk about that incredibly hard time because it shaped her more than any other. She was caring for her mom, who died months after Whitmer gave birth to the first of two daughters. She also was serving as a freshman lawmaker and battling a health insurer over covering her mother's chemotherapy. She was an outspoken advocate for women before the 2017 Women's Marches and #MeToo era, publicly disclosing during a 2013 legislative debate on health insurance coverage for abortions that she had been raped in college. After leaving the Legislature due to term limits, Whitmer was appointed to temporarily lead the local prosecutors office. She won all 83 counties in the primary. Her nearly 10-percentage point victory over Trump-backed Republican Bill Schuette in the general election was the largest for a nonincumbent Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Michigan in 86 years. Michigan's independent voters were more likely to support Whitmer than Schuette, 53% to 36%, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the AP. Ten percent of Republican voters backed Whitmer, more than the 2% of Democratic voters who supported Schuette. The Kaiser Family Foundation and Cook Political Report's fall survey said 59% of Michigan's registered voters approved of the job Whitmer was doing, while 39% disapproved. Multiple political strategists said Whitmer could climb vice presidential lists given Michigan's importance, her ability to communicate on TV and social media, and her Midwestern background. Whitmer told the AP she is not seeking the job. Since taking office, Whitmer has had ups and downs. She signed GOP-sponsored legislation to reduce high car insurance premiums. But her call for a 45-cents-a-gallon fuel tax hike to fix roads flopped, leading to a protracted budget impasse. The deal-making chops she had run on were dealt a blow. This past week, she said she was done waiting, bypassed legislators and announced Michigan will borrow $3.5 billion to rebuild aging state roads and bridges. David Eggert; Hannah Fingerhut contributed / AP Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar After Trump delivers his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, freshman Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas will deliver the Democratic response in Spanish. Democratic leaders announced last month that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver their party's response to Trump's address in English, and Escobar will follow it up with a Spanish-language version of the speech. In the announcement, Pelosi said the Texas congresswoman's "values and vision beautifully represent our party and our country." And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Escobar "has embodied the best of public service in her first year in Congress." Escobar is the first woman to represent Texas's 16th Congressional District, which encompasses the city of El Paso and surrounding suburbs. She filled the seat formerly held by Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for Senate in 2018. Escobar first entered politics in 2006, when she was elected county commissioner of El Paso County. She was later elected county judge in 2010. Before that, Escobar worked as an English teacher at the University of Texas at El Paso. She has been a vocal critic of Trump's immigration policies. She is also an advocate for gun violence prevention measures, gaining prominence on the issue in the wake of a shooting at an El Paso Walmart that left 22 people dead in August. The shooter told police he had been targeting Mexicans. Escobar linked the president's rhetoric about immigrants to the violence, saying Trump was not welcome in the city after the attack. "Words have consequences," she said on MSNBC at the time. "And the president has made my community and my people the enemy. He has told the country that we are people to be feared, people to be hated." Escobar has been influential in the House Democratic freshman class since she entered Congress, winning a secret ballot election among her peers late last year to replace former Rep. Katie Hill as a freshman representative in Democratic leadership. She sits on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the high-profile House Judiciary Committee. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Escobar was involved in the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump's conduct related to Ukraine. Haley Byrd / CNN Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts will deliver a response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night on behalf of the Working Families Party, a progressive organization that, like Pressley, has endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in the Democratic presidential primary. Pressley's remarks will follow the official Democratic rebuttals, which will be given by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and, in Spanish, by Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas. All three women were first elected to their current offices in 2018. "What I intend to speak to is not the strength of our union, per se, but the strength of our movement," Pressley said in an interview. "This is really a love letter to the activists and the foot soldiers who have made the victories possible and who will continue to make victories possible, to really champion and elevate and advance working families." This is the third consecutive year that the Working Families Party has tapped a progressive official to answer Trump. Pressley follows former Rep. Donna Edwards of Maryland, who spoke in 2018, and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who gave the 2019 response. The speech will be streamed live on the Working Families Party's Facebook page. "When I ran for Congress, I said, 'The people close to the pain should be closest to the power,' driving and informing the policymaking. That wasn't some cute hashtag or slogan -- that's a value," Pressley said. "It's something that we practice at our organization. And Elizabeth Warren has also modeled that in her governance style." In a statement, Warren said she was excited that Pressley's voice and "bold, visionary leadership" would be featured in such close contrast to Trump's address. Pressley is the only member of "The Squad" of freshman congresswomen which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to choose Warren over Sanders in the Democratic primary. Sanders gave his own rejoinder to Trump's State of the Union in 2019 as he had done the year before a move that angered some Democrats, who accused him of distracting from the official response by former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams. The Working Families Party is a New York-based progressive organization that has expanded its reach over the past few years into down-ballot races around the country. But it has come under fire in New York state, where it has a fraught relationship with a Democratic establishment led by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The group backed Cuomo's 2018 primary challenger, Cynthia Nixon, and a number of successful insurgent candidates in state Senate races. Their eventual victories broke a controversial alliance between Republicans and a breakaway group of Democrats who caucused with the GOP, giving the party near-total control of the state government, which led to the passage of a slate of new progressive legislation last year. Gregory Krieg / CNN Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Sanders will offer a rebuttal for the third consecutive year. His campaign website will live stream the speech. Sanders will offer the speech from the Currier Museum of Art Auditorium in Manchester, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire primary is Feb. 11. In last year's speech, Sanders talked about income inequality. "In America today, we have more wealth and income inequality than almost any major country on earth and it is more unfair now than at any other time since the gilded age of the 1920s," Sanders said last year. "Yes, the economy is great for the three wealthiest people in America who own more wealth than the bottom half of our country 160 million people." The LG V60 ThinQ launch will only take place in North America and Europe, says the company executive Shin Jae-suk. This is a part of the manufacturers strategy of launching different tiers of 5G handsets in different regions. Since American and European customers are more willing to splurge, it makes sense to release premium phones in these markets. Advertisement Moreover, the carriers in these two regions also run more aggressive marketing campaigns. This will consequentially allow the company to cut down on its own marketing budget. LG Wants To Capture The Early Demand For 5G Handsets LG is keen to profit off Huaweis misfortunes and Apples late entry into the 5G market. Thus, for now, it wants to capture as much demand from the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Europe as possible. In its home country of South Korea, the company plans to release mass premium handsets. The manufacturer believes that since the competition between telecom operators is slowing down, its a better idea to release affordable 5G phones in Korea. By cheaper handsets, the company probably means those that are a part of the G series. Advertisement LG is considering ODMs for its mid-range and entry-level models. The plan is to outsource the manufacturing of 20 million out of the 30 million phones its planning to make to an ODM. Moving production of its handsets to contractors will allow the manufacturer to cut costs. By releasing 5G handsets across different price points and lowering cost, LG hopes to return to profitability by next year. Advertisement However, if you look around, most other companies have a similar strategy. Xiaomi, OPPO, and Samsung already outsource production to do cost saving. Similarly, many manufacturers plan to release affordable 5G capable phones this year. LG V60 ThinQ Launch Expected At MWC Needless to say, the competition is pretty tough. Thus, to lure customers, a solid device will perhaps work better than any other strategy. Currently, all eyes are on the LG V60 ThinQ launch. The phone will likely be unveiled during MWC which will take place later this month in Barcelona. The company will probably announce the LG G9 during the event too. Advertisement The LG V60 ThinQ will reportedly have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 under the hood. The SoC will probably be flanked by the X55 modem for 5G connectivity. The phone is expected to come with an improved dual-screen accessory with an upgraded folding structure. Hopefully, it will offer more in terms of functionality too. While LG might release foldable phones in the future, for now, this accessory is its answer to the bendable phones around. The handset will apparently also have an in-display fingerprint reader and a leaked image implies it will have a quad-camera setup at the back. Detailed specifications arent known yet, but we can expect it to have a primary wide-angle sensor, a telephoto unit, an ultrawide lens, and a Time-of-Flight module. Advertisement Other details are sparse, but with the LG V60 ThinQ launch around the corner, we can expect more rumors in the coming days. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden returns a supporter's phone after talking to her relative during a campaign event at the Central Iowa Fairgrounds in Marshalltown, Iowa, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Joe Biden: We Took a Gut Punch in Iowa Former Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged that his campaign suffered a setback following the partial release of the Iowa caucus results. Im not going to sugarcoat it: We took a gut punch in Iowa, Biden, a 2020 Democratic candidate for president, told supporters at a rally in New Hampshire on Feb. 5. The whole process took a gut punch. But look, this isnt the first time in my life Ive been knocked down. The full Iowa caucus results havent been released, and Democratic caucus officials in the state said it isnt clear when they will be. But the early results showed former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a slight lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was in third place. Biden was fourth, according to the preliminary results. The Iowa Democratic Party released results overnight from 71 percent of the precincts. Buttigieg had 418 state delegate equivalents, Sanders had 393, Warren had 286, and Biden had 241. Polls show Biden trailing Sanders in New Hampshire, the next state for the Democratic primary, but more polls show him leading in Nevada and South Carolina. A day before the partial Iowa caucus results came in, Biden told reporters that he would do well in Iowa. We had a good night last night in Iowa. I know you think thats silly, Biden said Feb. 4. But everything we can feel, its good. Heres the deal, we think were going to come out of there really doing well. In a speech to supporters on Feb. 5, the former vice president singled out Buttigieg and Sanders, warning attendees that Sanders would affect Democrats in down-ballot elections due to his socialist leanings. He also said Buttigieg has been critical of former President Barack Obamas administration. If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party, every Democrat in America up and down the ballot, in blue states, red states, purple states, in easy districts and competitive ones, every Democrat will have to carry the label Sen. Sanders has chosen for himself, Biden said in New Hampshire, according to CNN. President Donald Trump, he argued, would use the socialist label to politically harm Sanders if he becomes the Democratic nominee. In targeting Buttigieg, Biden said, Was it a failure when I helped pass Obamacare, the Paris Agreement, the Violence Against Women Act, or the assault weapons ban? I have a stronger record of passing big, progressive legislation than anyone running. Biden, 77, was responding to what he viewed were perceived slights from Buttigieg about his record when he served as vice president and in the Senate. New Hampshire votes in the Democratic primary on Feb. 11. Sudan reported Feb. 2 that Washington had invited head of its Sovereign Council Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for a visit. The following day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Uganda, secretly meeting there with Burhan. After the meeting, Netanyahu announced proudly to the world that Israel and Sudan, two enemy countries, agreed to work together toward normalizing ties. A statement issued by Netanyahus office noted that the prime minister believed the current Sudanese regime is headed in a new positive direction, and that he had also expressed this view to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "Burhan is eager to help his country modernize by taking it out of isolation and putting it on the world's map," the statement read. Indeed, Netanyahus diplomatic blitz was applauded not just in Jerusalem, but also in Washington. Pompeo praised both countries, congratulating Burhan on "his leadership in normalizing ties with Israel." In Sudan, on the other hand, things looked a bit different, with the government cautiously noting that Burhan informed no one and consulted no one before taking off to Uganda. Clearly, the road to normalizing ties between Khartoum and Jerusalem is not going to be as smooth as presented by Netanyahu in Kampala. Israel and Sudan have a turbulent past, with two issues at the crux of animosity: Iran and the conflict with the Palestinians. Back in January 2009, mysterious fighter jets attacked an Iranian arms convoy in the Sudanese desert. In April that year, an Iranian vessel laden with arms bound for the Gaza Strip was torpedoed off the coast of Sudan. Khartoum suspected that Israel was behind the attacks, in an attempt to thwart arms smuggling into Gaza. The toppling of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 changed the countrys priorities, with its new leaders distancing themselves from Tehran. But what exactly do the current leaders in Khartoum expect from Israel? Over the past decade, Netanyahu has invested much efforts in cultivating Israeli ties with African states, or in his own words, "bringing Israel back to Africa." He had stated on numerous occasions that Africa is part of Israels list of diplomatic priorities. Netanyahu made no secret of the fact that he was hoping to change the balance of power within the United Nations through this African campaign. He argued that Israel needs the African countries on its side in its UN battles against the Palestinians. Still, he kept noting that his African efforts embodied Israels long-term vision of showcasing its commitment to share with others its best practices and technologies in fields that include smart agriculture, water management, high-tech and health innovation. Netanyahu made a point of listing his trips to the African continent, his contacts with African leaders and renewed relations in the framework of Israels international cooperation policy. It was important for him to show that Israel in Africa is not only about selling weapons or exporting mercenaries. True, with the surge of Islamic extremist groups in Africa, the component of security cooperation has become essential in the multiple bilateral ties, but these efforts married well with global efforts for sustainable development of the fragile Sahel region. The renewal of ties with Chad in January 2019 signaled perhaps the first change in Israels own perception of its relations with Africa. Last July, the government approved the appointment of Israels ambassador to Ethiopia Raphael Morav also to the position of nonresident ambassador to Chad. Morav is a diligent and hard-working ambassador. Since his arrival in Addis Ababa, he has established excellent contacts with the Ethiopian authorities and with the civil society. But his colleagues in the Foreign Ministry say that on the Chad front, he was able to advance very little. The dramatic announcement a year ago on renewing ties has not been translated so far to any significant projects in the fields in which Israel excels. "There are many reasons behind the poor content of relations with Chad. The ministry has no more funding for anything in general, and Chad itself has hinted it is interested primarily in Israels security capabilities. Still, there is also a general feeling here that international cooperation is no longer the basis for bilateral ties with African countries. Some countries are interested in Israel just as a gateway to the United States, and on our end, Netanyahu ahead of elections is in a constant quest for photo-ops," a diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Sudan might be the classic case for such a double approach. Khartoum is desperate to have the US sanctions lifted against it and to be removed from the US list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Changing the current US policy is the key for Sudan extracting itself from international isolation. Israels expertise in agriculture is mostly needed in hungry Sudan, but according to the source this was not the primary motivation behind the Netanyahu-Burhan meeting. "Normalizing ties with Sudan is wonderful news for Israel and a great step in isolating Irans system of proxies. Still, we would have preferred for this development to take place vis-a-vis the civil elements in Sudans Sovereign Council instead of vis-a-vis Burhan. It is with the Sudanese people that we want to make peace and construct useful ties, not the military," said another diplomatic source, speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Before his arrival in Uganda, Netanyahus advisers pushed the news as if President Yoweri Museveni was going to announce the opening of a Ugandan Embassy in Jerusalem. That did not happen. Museveni contented himself with saying that he was "studying" the issue. Left with little on that aspect, Netanyahu spoke at large on strengthening bilateral cooperation on a wide variety of issues, including agriculture, health, water, energy and communications. For many in the Israeli Foreign Ministry, these were the exact words they were waiting for in the first place. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ramadani Saputra (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 6 2020 Show of strength: Indonesian gymnast Tazsa Miranda Devira competes in the team artistic gymnastics uneven bars event during the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 21, 2017. (AFP/Mohd Rasfan) Despite its status as the mother of sports, gymnastics is still struggling to gain popularity. The sport, which has introduced stars like Simone Biles and Nastia Liukin to the world, is still finding its place, especially in countries where gymnastics is not well supported. International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) president Morinari Watanabe has vowed to improve the sport's popularity. Watanabe, of Japan, who took the helm of the federation in 2016 from Bruno Grandi, is trying to provide access for countries to develop gymnastics through what he calls the Family Strategy. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Chairman of the Urban Development Committee of Armenia Vahagn Vermishyan has been detained on the suspicion of receiving a bribe in a particularly large amount, as reported the news service of the National Security Service of Armenia. Through operational intelligence measures and investigative actions, the National Security Service obtained factual data according to which the chairman of the Urban Development Committee of Armenia, acting as an official, using his official position contrary to the interests of service and due to personal interest, in accordance with the agreements reached with persons involved in construction or representatives of construction firms, personally, as well as through a close person, throughout 2019, in five cases, performed actions for them in exchange of a bribe in large amount and particularly large amount or in the form of commodities and materials. In addition, during a meeting held in his office on October 23, 2019, the chairman of the Urban Development Committee of Armenia reached an agreement to nominate the owner of several construction firms for the title Merited Builder of Armenia and received the equivalent of $5,000 in Armenian drams and construction materials worth nearly AMD 2,300,000 as a bribe. Within the scope of the criminal case instituted by the Investigation Department of the National Security Service in relation to the cases of prima facie crime under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia, the persons having committed the alleged crime have been apprehended, two of them, including the mentioned Committee chairman, have been detained; moreover, while being interviewed as a suspect, the official having received the bribe confessed to the crime. The preliminary investigation continues. EAST ALTON Members of the Illinois Senate on Wednesday overrode Gov. J.B. Pritzkers veto of a bill that local business leaders said was needed to protect Madison County aviation jobs. The state Senate voted 54-1 to override Pritzkers veto of House Bill 3902 one day after House members voted 107-0, with two members voting present, to override the veto. State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, led the efforts in the state Senate to protect thousands of highly-skilled, highly-paid jobs that jet repair companies provide to people in the state, including about 500 at West Star Aviation in East Alton. I refused to sit idly by and allow thousands of people to lose their jobs because of a mistake by a former administration, Crowe said. Labor workers in the aviation repair industry contribute vital economic growth in the Metro East region and across the state, she said. And this measure is an affirmation of support to them and their families. The measure reinstates Illinois sales tax exemption for aircraft materials, which expired Dec. 31, 2014. Since its expiration, the Illinois Department of Revenue audited several privately-owned aviation repair companies and never required them to collect sales tax. The Illinois Aviation Trades Association believes the outstanding tax bill is roughly $50 million. Thirty-six other states offer this sales tax exemption to some degree, Crowe said. The only way to ensure the aviation repair industry continues to flourish in Illinois is allowing the exemption for companies to compete with others in Missouri, Indiana and Wisconsin. Crowe said the exemption should have never expired in the first place and she thanked West Star Aviation employees for bringing the matter to her attention. The tax exemption was in place since 2010, but it expired without regulatory or other official bodies taking note. Aviation repair companies consequently did not collect the tax from jet owners during that period. On Nov. 25, Pritzker vetoed the bill, saying the past due taxes from Illinois private jet companies amounted to about $50 million, including interest and penalties. State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, has said the bill will protect more than 3,700 jobs at 14 aviation facilities in 12 communities across Illinois. Moscows hard-edged diplomacy over Syria is part of an increasingly assertive campaign the permanent Security Council member is waging at the global body as its expands its influence in the Middle East It was after midnight in a windowless basement room at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and Russian diplomats were holding the organizations $3 billion budget hostage. Just days from the start of the new year, disheveled envoys from several countries were struggling to broker a deal that covers everything from the number of translators posted to Geneva to who gets to fly first class. Talks were paralyzed around a line item representing a sliver of the budget proposal, but one with geopolitical implications -- $17 million to investigate human rights violations in the nine-year-old Syrian conflict. Thats when a Russian official entered the conference room and told more than two dozen diplomats that their agreement wasnt good enough yet, dragging negotiations past Christmas, according to three people who were involved in the talks. While last-minute budget talks arent unusual at the UN, Moscows hard-edged diplomacy over Syria is part of an increasingly assertive campaign the permanent Security Council member is waging at the global body as its expands its influence in the Middle East. Its an effort aimed at fending off threats to its influence in Syria, where Russian air power has allowed President Bashar al-Assad to consolidate control over nearly all but the oil-rich northeastern part of Syria. Russia is doing everything it can to undermine the UNs work in Syria, and they know one key way to do this is by going after budgets, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said in an interview. Russia knows how to take advantage of the UN system to further its goals. Whats not clear is whether the UN has a strategy to deal with Russia. A spokesman for the Russian mission to the UN didnt respond to requests for comment. The Syria measure survived in a tense Dec. 27 vote -- though diplomats warned that Russia would keep challenging it in future negotiations. A veto-wielding member of the Security Council, Russia increasingly has used its influence to counter efforts to undermine its Syria campaign. It has used its veto power 14 times on Syria-related issues since the conflict began, more than any other country over that period by far. The moves are part of President Vladimir Putins broader efforts to shape events in the Middle East as the U.S. seeks to scale back. Putins decision to enter the Syria war in 2015 saved the Assad regime and forced other regional powers to coordinate with Moscow over the future of Syria, sidelining a UN-brokered series of peace talks that struggled to get traction. Russia also widened a breach in U.S.-Turkey relations by convincing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to buy a Russian missile defense system, prompting the Pentagon to kick Ankara out of the F-35 jet program. And Moscow has deployed mercenaries to back General Khalifa Haftar in Libya against the UN-backed government. Russia is exercising power in a tough-minded way, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Tuesday. Putin understands power. Hes a Russian nationalist. And he believes Russia has to put its chips on the table. While President Donald Trump has sent additional forces to the Middle East to confront Iran, hes also escalated demands on other countries and the NATO alliance to do more for regional security, with the goal of winding down American troop commitments in endless wars from Syria to Afghanistan. UN diplomats say that Russia is increasingly confident about exercising its power and is pressing back strongly in response to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decision last year to begin a separate inquiry into attacks on civilian sites -- including hospitals and schools -- in Syria. The attacks occurred even though those facilities had shared their GPS coordinates with the Russian and Syrian militaries to avoid being accidentally hit. Horrifying footage shows an Afghan woman being stoned to death by an angry mob in an attack which activists have blamed on the Taliban. The clip shows a woman cowering and screaming in a hole as she is mercilessly pelted with stones in front of a crowd of onlookers. A spokesman for Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani has pointed the finger at the Taliban, accusing the militant group of 'cruelty and atrocity'. The Taliban claim the footage is from 2015 but activists do not believe them and the country's Independent Human Rights Commission is investigating the case. Horrifying footage shows an Afghan woman cowering on the ground as she is stoned to death, in an attack which activists have blamed on the Taliban The human rights commission told RFERL that it was trying to establish when the footage was taken and why the woman was killed. Laila Haidari, a prominent Afghan activist, said on Saturday that the Taliban had stoned the woman 'a few days ago' in Ghor province. 'The intensity of their violence and what they can do against women in the absence of law and order is clearly visible,' she said. 'We have to think about how we can stand up against this approaching horror.' In the video, the woman can be heard crying and screaming while the crowd shouts 'Allahu Akbar' and 'hit her'. Another activist, Farangies Shah, also stated that the stoning had been recent as she took aim at possible negotiations with the Taliban. 'Yesterday they stoned a woman in Ghor, tomorrow such acts will reach the shores of the US,' she said. 'Don't forget, you can appease the oppressor but their roots will spread and the problem will persist.' The woman was forced to sit in a hole where she was mercilessly attacked with stones by suspected Taliban members A large crowd had gathered for the stoning, many of whom took a turn at pelting the woman Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for president Ashraf Ghani, directly accused the Taliban of killing the woman. 'I am utterly shocked and saddened after I watched a video on Twitter in which a group of Taliban is stoning an innocent woman,' he said. 'Taliban's cruelty and atrocity under the name of Islam is a crime against humanity.' Trying to deflect the blame, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed in response that the video was several years old. He appeared to be referring to a notorious case in 2015 in which a woman known as Rokhshana was stoned to death for adultery, also in Ghor province. Officials said Rokhshana had been captured by the insurgents after she ran away from home, supposedly with a 19-year-old boyfriend. The woman appeared to be dumped in a pit before the stoning began. The punishment was frequently used against convicted adulterers when the Taliban ruled the country The crowd repeatedly hurls stones at the woman in a video clip which Afghanistan's human rights commission is now investigating A spokesman for Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani has pointed the finger at the Taliban over this footage, accusing the militant group of 'cruelty and atrocity' Rokhshana was accused of adultery because she was engaged to man she did not want to marry, Afghan authorities said at the time. Although stoning is illegal under the Afghan constitution, it is seen as a legitimate punishment under the Taliban's extreme laws. Convicted adulterers were frequently stoned or shot when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until the US-led invasion in 2001. Zabiullah, the Taliban spokesman, defended the practice and said it 'cannot be rejected by any Muslim'. He also suggested without evidence that the stoning in question had been carried out by a commander on the side of the Afghan government. SOMERSWORTH, N.H. With his frontrunner status in the Democratic race teetering, former Vice President Joe Biden admitted he had fallen short in Mondays Iowa caucuses, but then came out swinging against his rivals as he moved on to New Hampshire, which holds its primary election on Tuesday. I am not going to sugarcoat it: We took a gut punch in Iowa, said Biden to a crowd of a few hundred people at the 1899 Ballroom in this town in eastern New Hampshire. The whole process took a gut punch, but look, this isnt the first time in my life Ive been knocked down. The 25-minute speech, which began on a subdued note but ended with a defiant insistence that he could unify a badly divided nation, was a contrast to his comments the previous day in Nashua, where he said, We had a good night last night in Iowa. I know you think thats silly. But everything we can feel, its good. Heres the deal we think were going to come out of there really doing well. Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event Wednesday in Somersworth, N.H. (Elise Amendola/AP) While results from Iowa are still being released, Biden is on track to finish fourth in both delegates and the popular vote. He has also seen his national lead, which hes held since joining the race last April, dissipate. He did have some good news to tout, having received the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union on Wednesday morning. I know there are an awful lot of folks out there who want to write off this campaign, but Ill tell you what, theyve been trying to do that since I entered the race. But Ive got news for them: Im not going anywhere, he said to applause. Biden took his usual shots at President Trump, highlighting the State of the Union address from Tuesday night, but he mentioned Sen. Bernie Sanders by name repeatedly in an attempt to contrast himself to the current poll leader in New Hampshire. Biden criticized Sanderss health care plan as impossible and said that the socialist label the Vermont senator has assigned himself would doom the party down ballot. Biden didnt refer to Sanders by name when he discussed his own record of fighting the National Rifle Association, but he mentioned that one of his leading competitors had voted against the Brady handgun-control bill. Story continues Joe Biden speaks to voters Wednesday in Somersworth, N.H. (Elise Amendola/AP) He also turned his attention to Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who is projected to finish in the top two in Iowa. Biden said it was a risk to nominate someone whose highest office was mayor of a city of 100,000. He challenged Buttigieg, who has continually criticized what he describes as the failed status quo in Washington, to say that the Obama-Biden administration was a failure. The former vice president faced shouts from activists dissatisfied with his proposals for combating climate change. He took the interruptions calmly, asking one woman to please be polite when she interrupted him a second time, and urged his supporters in the crowd not to treat hecklers like Trumpsters do. He showed more resentment at the charge raised by some of his rivals that he is naive to think he can work with congressional Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stalled almost all Democratic initiatives over the past four years, and members of his caucus have repeatedly demanded that Biden and his son Hunter testify in Trumps impeachment trial. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said last week that Republicans would immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Biden if he is elected. Biden raised his voice to a shout as he insisted to the crowd that he can overcome the partisan divide in Washington. People make their way into a campaign event for Joe Biden Wednesday in Somersworth, N.H. (Elise Amendola/AP) The event was the third since the Iowa caucuses, and Biden has declined to take any questions from attendees, a break from the Granite States town hall tradition. He also skipped a youth climate forum in Concord that was attended by Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. (Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren were originally scheduled to attend and take questions but had to reschedule and send surrogates so they could be in Washington for the Senate vote on Trumps impeachment. Klobuchar rescheduled to speak at the start of the event, and Sen. Michael Bennet was set to speak via remote from Washington.) The Somersworth event was also the only scheduled event for Biden on Wednesday, and there were no events on the calendar for Thursday. He will face questions on Friday night in Manchester at the final Democratic debate before next Tuesdays primary election. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Brian Wilson Supports Boycott Beach Boys Concert Boycott Brian Wilson, a founding member of the Beach Boys, has called on fans to boycott one of the bands upcoming shows. The Beach Boys are performing a February 5th concert at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada and fans launched an online petition asking them to cancel. The petition, which has been signed by more than 122,000 fans to date, addresses Beach Boys manager Elliott Lott directly, stated: We the undersigned pledge to stop buying or downloading all Beach Boys music, going to Beach Boys concerts, and purchasing any Beach Boys merchandise until the Beach Boys withdraw from the SCI Convention and publicly state their opposition to this sick sport of killing animals for fun. We will call on the Beach Boys record label, agent and publicists to disown the Beach Boys, and on members of the public to protest at forthcoming Beach Boys concerts, unless they do so. Wilson supported the petition, posting a link to it on social media, and writing: This organization supports trophy hunting, which Both Al and I are emphatically opposed to. Theres nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition at https://t.co/vOUtJDq6t2 Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) February 3, 2020 The conference, which features noted trophy hunter Donald Trump Jr. as a keynote speaker, includes an auction for a 7-day South Africa Nyala and plains game hunt. Share on: Israeli political analyst Ron Ben-Yishai wrote on the Israeli website Ynet: Oddly enough, if the Palestinians do in the future come to an agreement with Israel on the basis of Trumps plan, the security picture will be far more complex and far less convenient for the Jewish state. Israeli Minister of Transportation Bezalel Smotrich, of the right-wing coalition which includes several extremist blocs, said on the website The Times of Israel: Trumps plan is not good. If we are asked to ratify it in the cabinet or Knesset, we will strongly oppose it. This plan leads to the creation of a Palestinian state and that is something we can never allow. All of the land of Israel is ours and we will not surrender one centimetre of it. This is true from a Zionist, Jewish, moral, and most definitely security perspective, as proven by 100 years of Zionism. Point taken. Contrary to general perception that Israel welcomes US President Donald Trumps Deal of the Century, the obsession with security and archaic ideology of Israels right-wing makes it highly doubtful the deal will be approved by the next Knesset. Even if Palestinians change their mind and accept the plan later. Since Vladimir Jabotisnky, the leader of the Zionist Revisionist Movement who died in 1940, and until Benjamin Netanyahu who leads todays right-wing front, the ideology of Israels right wing is founded on two principles. First, there will never be two states between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea as part of any political settlement with the Palestinians. Second, Jews and Israel are the only ones who will decide the border of their state and security arrangements that guarantee their survival. The two principles are organically linked and can never be separated. Centrist parties that despise the right-wings traditional and populist ideology will in fact join ranks with the right on the second principle regarding borders and security arrangements that Israel will eventually accept. There is great disparity between Netanyahus position and that of Benny Gantz, leader of Kahol Lavan and primary rival of Likud and the radical right in the upcoming elections, regarding how Israel will implement Trumps plan. Netanyahus attempt to quickly declare the annexation of settlements without waiting for the March elections is at odds with Washingtons reluctance on this issue and wanting him to wait. It is also contrary to Gantzs position, as stated by the Times of Israel website: While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will try and annex the West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley ahead of the elections, Gantz said the plan should only be implemented after the March vote and in coordination with the international community. Netanyahus statements after the deal was revealed indicating that he wants the proposal to be a framework for negotiations, not a final plan to end the conflict with the Palestinians. This demonstrates that he does not approve of the deal and wants more concessions from the Palestinians who will only receive 70 per cent of their territories in the West Bank, according to the deal, to establish their state after it is connected to the Gaza Strip through bypass roads and tunnels. In opinion polls, the Israeli public is not optimistic the deal can be implemented and result in final peace. A survey by Channel 11 on 30 January revealed that 61 per cent of responders believe the US administrations plan will not lead to political settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. While Palestinian rejection of the deal was expected and publicly known long before it was unveiled, the reaction of the Israeli public and right-wing parties was unexpected for many since Trump has already given Israel many privileges. These include annexing West Bank settlements as part of Israels final border, recognising Jerusalem as a unified city and capital of Israel, eliminating the right of return of Palestinian refugees, requiring Palestinians to recognise Israel as a state for the Jewish people only, and making the anticipated Palestinian state demilitarised. All these concessions by the Palestinians according to Trumps plan are still unacceptable to Israels right-wing which, as noted above, rejects the existence of two states between the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River no matter how small the proposed Palestinian state will be. Therefore, no one inside or outside Israel expects the deal to succeed. Most Arab countries reject the plan, and even if some have said they will work with it, this does not guarantee they will accept it in the end if Palestinians vehemently reject it. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began an intense campaign to rally European public opinion and influential countries in the EU to dismantle Trumps plan, and call for direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations under European, UN and Arab League sponsorship. It is unlikely he will succeed in convincing Israel to return to the negotiating table at square one and not under US auspices. As for the EU, which still supports a two-state solution and applying international law to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it does not have any real power to enforce any solutions in this conflict. Nonetheless, it is still too early to pass final judgement on the probability of Trumps plan coming to fruition. He believes that at first Palestinians will reject his ideas but will eventually agree once they understand the consequences of turning down the deal, especially since the plan specifies a four-year timeline to accept the deal and cooperate in implementing it and making it successful. Trump is also counting on Arab countries that reject the plan or have reservations about some provisions to eventually exert great efforts to convince the Palestinians to accept it out of fear of possible US sanctions if they dont. Trump understands that most Arab countries have for many years, and many more to come, been immersed in their own immense economic, security and political troubles. They will seriously ponder the loss of US support if they dont cooperate with Washington on the deal. Only Trump will benefit from his plan on several fronts. First, because he will have fulfilled his promise of proposing a deal to end one of the longest and most implacable conflicts, whether or not it succeeds. In fact, many commentators and experts doubted he even had a plan. Second, Trump implemented decisions in Israels favour that no one in the American Jewish lobby ever thought a US president could take, such as recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, viewing settlements in the West Bank as legitimate, and recognising Israeli sovereignty over Syrias Golan Heights. This means Trump could have unprecedented support from the Jewish lobby in the coming US elections. Third, Trump has the support of the pro-Israel Evangelical churches lobby which has even more influence on American voters than the Jewish lobby, especially since Gantz accepted the deal and an international role to make it succeed. Trumps deal will likely only be on the table for a few weeks, before US domestic focus shifts to the November presidential race. This means Trump will not focus on the issue much longer until next January, if he is elected for a second term. Unless, of course, there is a serious security breakdown between the Palestinians and Israelis during this year that leads to a major regional war with unpredictable outcomes and repercussions on regional security, and especially the future of the Palestinian cause. This would condemn Trump and lay blame on him for this breakdown because he proposed this deal. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Minnesota was awarded a $75,000 grant from UCare, a Twin Cities-based health plan, to support health equity programs designed to advance intercultural awareness among employees and further cultivate community relationships. "We are extremely grateful for the generous grant from UCare to bolster our efforts to provide equitable care to our patients and families," said Marc Gorelick, MD, president and CEO of Children's Minnesota. "The programs supported by the UCare grant will help us better understand social determinants of health and address the disparities that impact communities we serve." Because of this grant, Children's Minnesota can pursue two major initiatives in 2020: An intercultural competency assessment to equip Children's Minnesota employees with the skills needed to provide inclusive and equitable patient care to serve families' unique needs and reduce health disparities. to equip Children's employees with the skills needed to provide inclusive and equitable patient care to serve families' unique needs and reduce health disparities. Dialogue sessions with diverse businesses and organizations within communities that reflect the diversity of Children's Minnesota patients and families. This will help improve the economic vitality of those communities and build stronger community partnerships. "We are proud to support Children's Minnesota efforts to ensure that every child has an equitable health journey," said Ghita Worcester, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer at UCare. "We know that educational programs and innovative partnerships across communities are key to eliminating health inequities." The grant-funded initiatives complement existing efforts being led by Children's Minnesota's Health Equity Council, an internal group of leaders and staff dedicated to eliminating health disparities and addressing systemic inequities that will lead to better outcomes and experiences for underserved, unserved and inappropriately served cultural and ethnic communities. About Children's Minnesota Children's Minnesota is the seventh largest pediatric health system in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Additionally, Children's is Minnesota's only Level I pediatric trauma center inside a hospital dedicated solely to children. Children's maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children's health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. This work is made possible in large part by generous philanthropic and volunteer support from individuals and organizations throughout the state and region. An award-winning health system, Children's received Magnet recognition from The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and was verified as a Level I Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons in 2018. Additionally, Children's is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital. Please visit childrensMN.org. About UCare UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 430,000 members throughout Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin. UCare partners with health care providers, counties and community organizations to create and deliver Medicare, Medicaid and Individual & Family health plans. The health plan addresses health care disparities and care access issues through a broad array of community initiatives. UCare has received Top Workplaces honors from the Star Tribune for 10 consecutive years since the rankings began in 2010. SOURCE Children's Minnesota Related Links www.childrensmn.org The genocide of Armenians has been continuing in Baku, Sumgait, and Nagorno-Karabakh and needs to be recognized so that it does not continue with impunity, Baroness Caroline Cox said during the The Forgotten Refugees: What Happened to the Armenians of Baku? conference at the European Parliament. She recalled that she is in a black list of Azerbaijan because of her visits to Artsakh. I know people who fled to UK because of pogroms in Baku, Caroline Cox said, adding that the situation in Azerbaijan during those years was not a wonderful picture of democracy and openness as one of Azerbaijani participants tried to present. Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, the refugee who fled Azerbaijan in the beginning of 90s, told her story of fleeing Azerbaijan. Many of us have horrible memories of years living in cold and blockaded Armenia escaping with nothing. So many spirits were broken. So many lives were destroyed the lives of 350 thousand of people like me, she said. ULB lecturer David Babaev, in turn, thanked the European Parliament for offering a platform to voice our concern about the situation with Armenian refugees who were forced to leave Baku in 1990. Those atrocities: violence, intimidation, rape, murder and burning people alive should not stay unpunished, he added. The conference titled The Forgotten Refugees: What Happened to the Armenians of Baku? is organized by the European Armenian federation for Justice and Democracy (EAJD), mission of Armenia to the EU. The Dothan/Houston County Emergency Management Agency is closely monitoring the possibility of severe weather in the Wiregrass area. The Wiregrass area has the potential for heavy rains, thunderstorms and gusty winds arriving as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to the Dothan Houston County Emergency Management Agency. We are still looking at the main threat being heavy rains and gusty winds, said Chris Judah, Dothan/Houston County EMA director. Right now it is looking like the rain will be moved out of the area Friday morning. Scattered showers and storms could start as early as after lunch Wednesday, with the first chance of strong-to-severe storms being in that evening for Southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Gusty winds are expected to accompany the main line Wednesday night and Thursday. The weather threat will spread eastward late Thursday morning through the day. We are staying on top of this storm, and as information is updated, we will update everyone, Judah said. Isolated thunderstorms and tornadoes are possible Wednesday night and Thursday. KABUL - An Afghan media watchdog urged the government on Wednesday to heed a demand for more media freedoms after 30 local media outlets said in a joint statement that authorities were increasingly curtailing their access to information. Sayed Ikram Afzali, the head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said there is a good law in place guaranteeing the medias ability to work and access information but that the government has failed to provide enough funding and institutional support to implement the law. The joint media statement, unveiled at a protest rally in Kabul on Tuesday, comes against the backdrop of relentless violence across the country. Afghan forces, backed by U.S. allies, continue to fight the Taliban, who today control or hold sway over nearly half of Afghanistan. The Taliban stage near-daily attacks targeting government forces and officials, as well as those seen loyal to the government, and scores of civilians get killed in the crossfire, as well as in anti-Taliban operations by the Afghan forces. The U.N. has called for all sides in the protracted conflict to take better care to avoid civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the United States is engaged in on-again-off-again talks with the Taliban, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, to find a negotiated end to Afghanistans 18-year war that would allow the U.S. to bring home about 13,000 American soldiers. Throughout my tenure as the chief information commissioner, I have witnessed the medias access to information being restricted by key government institutions, said Afzali. Unfortunately, the trend continues. Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, head of the Nai Supporting Open Media group, said that access to information has been worst in the last five years and that the situation is now critical. If there is no access to information, then the nature of the media as a tool of freedom of expression will vanish, he said. Even as authorities concur that access to information remains a pervasive challenge for Afghanistan, they justify existing limitations by the persistent dangers and violence the country faces and warn that a return of the Taliban regime could do away with many hard-won freedoms. Afghanistan is among the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters. In January, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported that five journalists were killed in 2019 in the country. The year before, 17 journalist and media workers were killed in Afghanistan, when a total of 121 cases of violence against journalists and media workers were reported. There will be no set-back in our freedom, our gains in freedoms and womens rights are irreversible. They have been our red-lines in our talks with the Taliban, Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for Afghan President Asharf Ghani, tweeted on Wednesday. He defended the government, saying also that a joint government-media commission and a trust fund for journalists have been created in the past years. Tuesdays statement by the 30 media outlets said they were deeply concerned about the deterioration in access to government-related information in Afghanistan, and called on the international community and the government to protect the free flow of information. The media groups said all Kabul government institutions have shortcomings when it comes to providing access to information but they singled out the Supreme Court, the Attorney Generals Office and the National Directorate of Security Directorate as the worst offenders. Also, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Defence were high on the same list. The media protest took place in front of the Ministry of Information and Culture where the government had promised to build a monument to slain journalists three year ago. Work on the monument has yet to start. U.S. Charge dAffaires Ross Wilson urged the Afghan government to work with the press to make Afghan democracy stronger. Information is a vital resource of any free and open society, Wilson said. During an attack in April 2018, nine journalists who rushed to the scene of an explosion in Kabul were killed by a second suicide bomber who waited . A tenth journalist was killed the same day, shot in eastern Khost province. ___ Associated Press writer Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report. Unidentified people pelted stones at a UP government bus, injuring a passenger, police said here on Wednesday. Ramon Magsaysay award-winning journalist Ravish Kumar was among those on the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus that was attacked while passing through the Kusmhi jungle area on Tuesday night. The Cantonment police registered an FIR at about 1 am Wednesday on the basis of a complaint filed by bus driver Awadh Bihari. SHO Ravi Kant said a glass pane was broken and a person injured. The driver transferred all passengers to another bus after first aid was given to the injured passenger. Police have launched an investigation and are going through CCTV footage," he added. NDTV India journalist Ravish Kumar later posted pictures of the bus on Facebook. He claimed many passengers called the 112 helpline but there was no response. He then rang up Gorakhpur's Senior Superintendent of Police, whose public relations officer took the call. The police then reached the spot. Gorakhpur SSP Sunil Kumar Gupta said the driver didn't stop the bus when it was attacked and was not able to say anything about the assailants. The motive for the attack can only be found after an investigation, he said.The probe has been initiated and no culprit will be spared. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALBANY When Chinese government officials visited the University at Albany in 2016, a Chinese language lecturer found that a banner for National Taiwan University along with some Chinese calligraphy had been removed from the walls. The professor's office was apparently adjacent to the university's Chinese government-backed Confucius Institute, a cultural exchange program designed to promote diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. which has come under fire for allegedly downplaying events in China's history and promoting the country's geopolitical objective. The alleged incident at UAlbany was initially mentioned in a 2017 report by the right-leaning National Association of Scholars (NAS), as relayed by UAlbany Chinese Studies professor James Hargett. While NAS has been criticized for its anti-multiculturalism bent, UAlbany officials confirmed on Wednesday that they are looking into the episode after it was referenced in an op-ed published in the New York Daily News this week calling on the State University of New York (SUNY) to investigate and shut down the six Confucius Institutes housed on its campuses. "That is a serious allegation, and the university is in the process of looking into it," UAlbany spokesman Jordan Carleo-Evangelist said. "The information we have gathered to date suggests that the individual who may have been involved was not an employee of UAlbany and is no longer affiliated with the CI." On Tuesday, at a Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Higher Education in Albany, SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson told state legislators that the university system is reviewing its Confucius Institute sites, acknowledging concerns raised over contracts between the Chinese government and U.S. institutions that critics say curtail freedom of expression. "This is something I started looking into when I first became chancellor (in September 2017)," Johnson said in response to a question from Senate Higher Education Chair Sen. Toby Stavisky, D-Queens. "One of the reasons it's coming up now is ... (concerns about) academic freedom, transparency, and being open about what's going on where." In addition to UAlbany, Confucius Institutes are also hosted on Stony Brook University, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, and the State College of Optometry campuses. Pace, Baruch, Alfred and Columbia universities also operate Confucius Institute centers. The program is run out of the China Ministry of Educations Office of Chinese Language Council International, known as Hanban, which oversees the partnerships between U.S. and Chinese universities. Federal intelligence agencies and academic organizations have in recent years questioned whether Confucius Institutes are being used by the Chinese government to insert political operatives in the U.S. to conduct a form of "soft propaganda" in schools. "When left-leaning groups like the Association of University Professors, right-leaning outfits like the National Association of Scholars and a bipartisan U.S. Senate investigation worry about the same thing, somethings either really right or really wrong," wrote Stonybrook professor Todd Pittinsky in Sunday's Daily News. "In this case, somethings really wrong." SUNY's partnership with Hanban came under increased scrutiny in 2018, when an inquiry on Confucius Institutes by the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Investigations determined that U.S. campuses should take increased steps to ensure that their agreements are transparent and allow for full academic freedom. American university leaders told the Senate subcommittee that discussion of controversial topics such as the independence of Taiwan or the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 were discouraged at Confucius Institutes. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Confucius Institute funding comes with strings that can compromise academic freedom," the report concluded. While contracts with U.S. institutions vary, many, including Hanban's agreement with UAlbany, specify that both Chinese and U.S. laws will apply. UAlbany's agreement also specifies that the contract will be terminated if "the act of one party of the Agreement severely harms the image and reputation of the other party." A criticism raised by the Senate subcommittee is that China hires and trains all teachers and provides books and materials. UAlbany's most recent contract with China's Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, from 2018, removes language from the initial 2014 agreement specifying that the Chinese university will select topics of all academic reports and supply "all textbooks and audio-visual material." UAlbany's Carleo-Evangelist said that no concerns about academic freedom have been raised in association with the Confucius Institute to the president, provost or current dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, which oversees the center, and noted that university officials "only recently" became aware of the alleged 2016 incident. "To be clear, any action like that would be wholly unacceptable and a violation of both the spirit and letter of our campus policy on freedom of expression," Carleo-Evangelist said. "As a public university, UAlbany is committed to encouraging and preserving free speech and expression as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution because it is right, because it is the law and because it is an essential component of academic freedom. No relationship with any organization will weaken that commitment." UAlbany currently publishes its contracts related to the Confucius Institute online while other colleges are more secretive about the agreements. UAlbany also notes on its website that it matches funding provided by Hanban "dollar-for-dollar," primarily in the form of support staff and office space. A spokesman said that no credit-bearing courses are taught to UAlbany students through the Confucious Institute. Rather, teaching staff hired by the program provide language proficiency tutoring. Utah Senator Mitt Romney speaks at the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump, revealing he will vote to remove the president: AP Senator Mitt Romney says he will vote to convict Donald Trump on one of the impeachment charges he faces, marking a break in the Republican Party ranks just hours before the vote is to be held. Mr Romney announced his intentions during a speech on the Senate floor, where he said he would vote to convict the president for the abuse of power charge he faces, but acquit him on the obstruction of Congress charge. In doing so, he will be the first senator in US history to vote for the removal of a president of his own party in an impeachment trial. It appears unlikely that the announcement would significantly alter the likelihood that Mr Trump will ultimately be acquitted on both charges. But, it does denies the president and his allies the ability to cast the effort against him as a solely partisan exercise. "The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust," Mr Romney said during the speech, in which he invoked his sense of duty to argue that the Senate vote will be in-turn judged by the American people and history books. "What he did was not perfect," he continued, referencing the president's claims that his actions were flawless. "No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." The Senate will vote on Wednesday afternoon on the articles of impeachment that were delivered from the House following their vote to make Mr Trump the third president in US history to be impeached. Mr Romney was among a handful of senators who had been watched to see how they would vote, and is the only Republican so far to indicate he would vote to convict. That group of watched senators includes Democrats as well as Republicans, virtually all of whom represent a state considered to be competitive. Alabama senator Doug Jones, who faces a long-shit re-election bid, said earlier on Wednesday that he would also vote to convict the president. Story continues Susan Collins, a key swing state senator from Maine, has meanwhile announced she will vote to acquit the president. Regardless, Mr Trump will almost surely be acquitted, with a removal order only becoming possible when a super majority of senators vote in favour. That would mean Democrats would need to convince around 20 Republicans to break rank and vote with them to impeach. Read more Key swing-vote senator votes to acquit Trump Trump to face Pelosi for first time in months at State of the Union Undecided senator calls for censuring Trump Jill Biden says her family is no longer friends with Lindsey Graham Chinese pastor in Wuhan issues urgent call to prayer as Coronavirus cases rise above 20,000 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Chinese pastor living Wuhan the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak has penned a powerful letter urging the international faith community to pray as the number of confirmed cases rises above 20,000 in the country. The Christian leader, identified as "A Wuhan Pastor" by China Source, penned a lengthy letter in which he revealed that fellow pastors from around the world have been reaching out, asking how they can support him. It is readily apparent that we are facing a test of our faith, the pastor wrote. The situation is so critical, yet [we are] trusting in the Lords promises, that his thoughts toward us are of peace, and not evil (Jeremiah. 29:11), and that he allows for a time of testing, not to destroy us, but to establish us. Therefore, Christians are not only to suffer with the people of this city, but we have a responsibility to pray for those in this city who are fearful, and to bring to them the peace of Christ. The pastor emphasized that while Christ has given us His peace, that peace is not to remove us from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death, because Christ has already overcome these things. [When] disaster strikes us, it is but a form of Gods love, he contended. Spoken for today, Wuhans pestilence cannot separate us from the love of Christ; this love is in our Lord Jesus Christ. The pastor urged the international community to pray for Gods mercy upon this city, and bring peace upon this city through our prayers and testimony. I believe this is the command of God calling those of us living in Wuhan, he said. We are to seek peace for this city, seek peace for those who are afflicted with this illness, seek peace for the medical personnel struggling on the front lines, seek peace for every government official at every level, seek peace for all the people of Wuhan! The pastor concluded his letter by urging readers to turn their eyes upon Jesus, adding that only through the hope of the Lords mercy will this city be saved. The pastors letter comes as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rose above 20,000 in China, prompting Chinese authorities to quarantine several major cities. The virus originated in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in Hubei province, and can lead to respiratory illnesses, deadly in some cases. On Monday, Hong Kong reported its first death from the virus, which has killed at least 425, all but two of them in mainland China. The United States recently recorded its 11th case of the virus. Last week, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency. Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern notes that in this time of desperation and fear, Chinas Christian community has stepped up to provide hope and refuge to those suffering. A video shared by Father Francis Liu from the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness shows that encouraging sermons are being broadcast to their communities through speakers placed on balconies. According to ICC, a Christian rode his bike to a pharmacy where people gathered and played a sermon through a portable speaker. Another video circulated on social media shows Christians distributing face masks and Gospel pamphlets to passersby on the streets as a sermon plays in the background. Additionally, Christians from other provinces have offered their homes to host people fleeing from Hubei province who face housing discrimination. Human Rights Watch notes that there have been numerous reports of hotels outside of Hubei province refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media. Brother Jia Xuewei and sister Shu Qiong, from the heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, are among a number of Christians who opened up their homes to escapees and offered to cover room and board until Hubei lifts its quarantine. Speaking to Fox News, Doug Perez, an American who resides in Wuhan, described the situation as a "scary experience," like "something out of a sci-fi movie." He said that beyond the virus, he worries about the Chinese government's reaction. "The government here has taken a very, very strict, very strict and very proactive response ... to this coronavirus," Perez said. "It wouldn't surprise me if there are some problems in the future, especially, you know, food shortages or civil unrest." The National Film Archive of India has found a reel of a banned 1957 Kishore Kumar starrer "Begunah", more than 60 years after the Mumbai High Court ordered all prints of the film to be destroyed. The rare clip, found last week, shows music composer Jaikishen (of Shankar-Jaikishen fame) on the piano, actor Shakila dancing and Mukesh as the playback crooning the song "Ae Pyaase Dil Bezubaan". "Several people have been searching for the reel for many years. Since we didn't have it, we too started looking for it actively. It is a miracle of a discovery," NFAI Director Prakash Magdum told PTI. The film, which released in 1957, got mired in controversy with Paramount Pictures America alleging it was a copy of their 1954 movie "Knock on Wood". It won the rights and the Mumbai High Court ordered all the prints of the film to be destroyed. All the prints were thought to have been destroyed after the court order but Magdum believes a few travelled elsewhere and survived. "We obtained the reels from cinema lovers within India," he added. He said fans of music composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan had been looking for the footage for a long time as it is the only film to feature Jaikishan in a major appearance. "We have two 16 mm reels of Kishore Kumar's film 'Begunah' in two phases consisting of around 60 to 70 minutes. One reel came two months back and another came last week. The second one has the song 'Ae Pyase Dil Bezubaan'. It features Jaikishan on the piano and actor Shakila dancing. The song is sung by Mukesh," Magdum said. The condition of the reel is not in good condition but the song is "runnable". "The entire footage is of 60 to 70 minutes, the primary inspection says it is not in a very good condition but this particular song is there. But it is runnable, I could see it. The film starts abruptly but it does have a proper ending. There are no credits," he said. NFAI is now trying to get the copy of the judgement from the court but it has been difficult so far. "They said until we share the details like the date of judgement and the court in which the case was there, it will be difficult for them to search. We tried to check the database of various judgements through our lawyer friends but they couldn't trace this particular judgement. There are few items in magazines about it," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seoul/New Delhi, Feb 5 : With the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus showing no signs of slowing down, Chinese tech major ZTE and South Korean giant LG Electronics have decided to withdraw their participation from the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 event in Barcelona later this month. While LG has become the first major South Korean company to give MWC 2020 a miss, others may soon follow suit, considering the threat that the virus poses, according to industry watchers. "LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation as the virus continues to spread outside China," the company said in a statement. "With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain," it added. This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders, LG said, adding that it will be holding separate events in the "near future" to announce its 2020 mobile products. A ZTE spokesperson told The Verge that the company was cancelling its press conference at MWC partly due to practical issues like travel and visa delays and also because "(we) tend to be an overly courteous company, and simply don't want to make people uncomfortable". Telecom industry insiders said that the withdrawal of LG and ZTE from MWC is a significant development. However, they added that it remains to be seen if it would have a cascading effect on the show. Asked whether the threat of the coronavirus can impact MWC 2020, Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, said, "Yes, it can lead to a drop in footfalls as Chinese participants are likely to skip or nominate their colleagues from other regions." "I think potential impact will be more clear closer to the event date. There is also a possibility that some of the launch events are also postponed. To mitigate the risk, I think proper measures will be taken at show or more importantly at the first port of entry," he added. MWC organiser GSMA said that it is monitoring and assessing the potential impact of the coronavirus on its MWC20 events held annually in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles and as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. "The GSMA confirms that there is minimal impact on the event thus far. MWC Barcelona 24-27 February 2020, will proceed as planned, across all venues at Fira Gran Via Fira MontjuAc and La Farga L'Hospitalet, including YoMo and Four Years From Now (4YFN)," GSMA said in a statement on Wednesday. According to a report in Yonhap, other South Korean companies, including automaker Kia Motors Corp. are looking at the possibility of withdrawing from MWC 2020. Samsung Electronics Co., SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. said they will run their MWC exhibition booths as planned but hinted that there could be a change of plans if the situation gets worse. SK Telecom, South Korea's largest mobile carrier, has already announced that it will cancel a scheduled press event at MWC 2020. The annual gathering for the mobile industry drew nearly 110,000 visitors last year, with 6 percent of them coming from China, the fourth largest after Spain, the US and Britain, according to data from the GSMA. The toll from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China has climbed to 490, with 65 new fatalities, while the total number of confirmed cases has gone up to 24,324, the Chinese health authorities confirmed on Wednesday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) IGBO Is the Humankind Race: a contemporary documentation that seeks to help oppressors eradicate the idea of black and white races, as well as slavery. IGBO Is the Humankind Race is the creation of published author NNE NTETE, who has always been the annual member of the court of honor of the Bishops Annual Catholic Appeal in the diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, for many years. She was also appointed as an honorary member of President Barack Obamas kitchen cabinet in 2009. NNE NTETE writes, The purpose of the documentation is not to blame the colonial team who coined out the N-word slave country named Nigeria or praise the victims from the southern protectorates who had been dehumanized since 1914. The purpose of the documentation is to bring to the attention of the oppressors and encourage them to stop annihilating Ndi Igbo/the Igbo people indirectly. The oppressors need to develop a sense of oneness with the oppressed, according to Chineke, Chukwu Okike Abiamas plan when he created Adam. The Lord Almighty God did not create Nigeria. The Britisheducated female journalist and the colonial team coined out the N-word slave country named Nigeria in February 1914. The indigenous people were not invited to participate in naming their country. The colonial team unilaterally had already carved out the African continent among themselves in Berlin at the conference that commenced in November 1884 and ended on the 26th of February 1885. The colonial team deliberately destroyed the empires and kingdoms that flourished in the giant African continent. This documentation shall help oppressors eradicate the idea of the black race/white race and slavery. This documentation shall help oppressors step aside and allow the indigenous people all over the African continent to revive/restore their empires and kingdoms. The oppressors should cease from supporting and supplying weapons to the nonindigenous herdsmen who exterminate the indigenous citizens of Nigeria. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, NNE NTETEs new book is a stirring novel that opens the eyes of the readers for them to be able to see the ability of the Igbo people. With this book, the author wants the readers to set aside racism and accept one another despite differences. This book is filled with facts about the Igbo people, who are special skilled builders of the Lord Almighty. View a synopsis of IGBO Is the Humankind Race on YouTube. Consumers can purchase IGBO Is the Humankind Race at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about IGBO Is the Humankind Race, pR contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. As of this writing (early afternoon on Tuesday) the results of the Iowa caucuses the Hawkeye cauci, as Rush Limbaugh calls them remain unknown. How in hell is that possible? Because the intellectual titans who insist that they can (if only we give them sufficiently uncontested powers of official coercion) impose expert rational scientific management on everything from health care to global energy markets in reality cannot organize a two-car parade in Toeterville. Our would-be managers and planners are, in fact, useless as teats on a boar hog. How incompetent are the 2020 Democrats? Incompetent enough to make the 2020 Republicans look . . . sort of okay by comparison and that is saying something. Populists and pseudo-populists Left and Right sniff at the idea of political parties, at the idea that there should be some mediating layer they call it the Establishment standing between the People and power. From time to time, there are calls to abolish the parties or to supplant them with nonpartisan procedures, for example the nonpartisan primary rules in California that help to ensure no Republican ever wins an election west of Barstow. Opposition to parties is a deep current in U.S. politics one that precedes the existence of organized political parties, in fact. It is an error. The United States needs functioning political parties. Institutions are important for a pretty straightforward reason: They do things that need doing. In the case of political parties, that means organizing primary elections, for one thing, but also recruiting and screening candidates (bitch all you like about the Establishment, a Democratic party with a functioning leadership would not let Bernie Sanders get within smelling distance of the presidential nomination, not least because he is not a member of the Democratic Party), helping to build and connect politically engaged organizations (consider the many intersections between abolitionist and Republican groups in the 19th century or pro-life and Republican groups in the 21st), maintain organizations (such as the National Federation of Republican Women), etc. Story continues What the parties are not there to do when they are functioning properly is to act as mere aggregators. Unhappily, that is largely what the two major parties currently do. They have gone from being organizations with standards, procedures, and interests of their own to being a vehicle that anyone can drive, as Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report puts it. In the case of the goat rodeo in Iowa, she notes, these changes were driven by representatives of a candidate who does not define himself as a Democrat. Senator Sanders, a professing socialist, is formally an independent. This isnt unlike Donald Trumps ability to completely hijack the GOP, she adds. The party does not have an identity outside the president. Max Weber, the great political theorist, worried about a habit he called caesarism. Mass democracy, in his view, was no bulwark against authoritarian and dictatorial strongman rule it is closer to being a guarantor of such rule. Caesarism, in Webers formulation, is the result of power shifting from a parliament to a supreme leader who acts, in theory, as a tribune of the people. Gerhard Casper in his 2007 lecture on Weber and caesarism identifies the major tenets of the creed as: plebiscitary elections, disdain for parliament, relying on the legitimacy of the monarchy for cover, preference for governing with the help of emergency legislation, nontoleration of any autonomous power within the government, [and] failure to attract or suffer independent political minds. For monarchy we may substitute presidency and find ourselves with an excellent characterization of presidential politics in 2020. That is not a synonym for the politics of President Trump. President Trump is at times dismissive of Congress, but as a matter of substance he is if anything less contemptuous of the legislative branch than was President Barack Obama, who embraced the imperial presidency under the slogan If Congress wont act, I will. Senator Sanders, in his quest for the presidency, takes an equally caesarist view: We cannot accept delays from Congress, he says, not as a matter of mere rhetorical urgency but by way of justifying his proposal to govern by executive order and usurp the powers of the legislative branch. He will be cheered if he does so, just as Obama was before him and, to a lesser degree, as Trump was cheered by Republicans in a similar context. In the same way the division of powers in the government is designed to forfend the worst kinds of popular passions and transient enthusiasms, the persistence of autonomous powers such as political parties also works to prevent government from descending into a kind of elected dictatorship. But that only works when the parties are working. Have a good look at the high pomp of tonights State of the Union address and ask yourself if this is a country immune to caesarism. And then ask yourself how such caesarism might be contained in the current political context. The Democratic pratfalls in Iowa may be good for a laugh today. But theres tomorrow to think about. More from National Review Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft is keen to bid for acquisition of Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), sources said after the Russian firm's CEO Igor Sechin met Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday. Rosneft, which is the majority owner of India's second-biggest private oil refinery, is keen to expand in the world's third-largest and the fastest-growing energy market. Sechin first met Pradhan over breakfast, and then in delegation-level talks expressed interest in bidding for the acquisition of government stake in Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), officials privy to the discussions said. The government is selling all of its 53 per cent stake in BPCL in the country's biggest privatisation plan. Officials said national oil companies from the Middle East, such as Aramco of Saudi Arabia and ADNOC of UAE, have also been primed for bidding for BPCL. Sechin, who was here to witness the signing of the first deal with Indian state-owned refinery for supplying crude oil a fixed-term basis, expressed interest in investing more in India, they said. On November 20, 2019, the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided to privatise BPCL by selling the government's entire 52.98 per cent stake to a strategic investor along with management control. Rosneft owns a 49.13 per cent Nayara Energy Limited (formerly Essar Oil Limited). Nayara owns and operates 20 million tonnes per year refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat and also owns 5,628 petrol pumps in the country. It is keen on expanding the fuel retailing network and BPCL would get it ready access to close to one-fourth of 67,440 petrol pumps in the country. BPCL operates four refineries in Mumbai, Kochi (Kerala), Bina (Madhya Pradesh) and Numaligarh (Assam) with a combined capacity of 38.3 million tonnes per annum, which is 15 per cent of India's total refining capacity of 249.4 million tonnes. After removing three million tonnes of the capacity of the Numaligarh refinery, which will be sold to a public sector unit, the new buyer will get 35.3 million tonnes of refining capacity. BPCL owns 15,177 petrol pumps and 6,011 LPG distributor agencies in the country. Besides, it has 51 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants. The company distributed 21 per cent of petroleum products consumed in the country by volume as of March last year and has more than a fifth of the 250 aviation fuel stations in the country. The government is keen to get international energy majors such as Saudi Aramco, Total SA of France and ExxonMobil to operate in the downstream fuel marketing business so as to bring in greater competition. Currently, 95 per cent of retail petrol and diesel sales and near 100 per cent of cooking gas (LPG) and kerosene sales are controlled by the public sector units. As on March 31, BPCL reported cash and cash equivalents of around Rs 5,300 crore, against Rs 10,900 crore of debt maturing over the next 15 months. Officials said Indian Oil Corp (IOC) signed a term contract to import up to 2 million tonnes of Russian grade Urals oil from Rosneft in 2020. This is the first time a state-owned firm has signed a term import deal with Russia as they look to diversify sourcing of oil beyond their traditional suppliers in the Middle East. State-run firms have started importing significant volumes from the US as part of this strategy. At current prices, the government stake in BPCL is worth just over Rs 53,000 crore. The acquirer will have to make an open offer for buying an additional 26 per cent stake from other shareholders of BPCL. The stake sale is critical for the government to meet its disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore set for the coming financial year starting April 1. Also read: BPCL workers protest over PM Modi's privatisation plans Tesla's stock is racing higher almost daily this year, turning the company into a closely watched trend that investors in droves are trying to understand. A Google search for the phrase "Should I" pulls up a number of suggested results one might expect, like "should I get a flu shot" or the lyrics for The Clash's hit song "Should I Stay or Should I Go." But, with the stock of Elon Musk's company up nearly 290% in the past six months, there's a new No. 1 in the "Should I" search: "Should I buy Tesla stock." Suggested results for a Google search of the phrase "should I" on Feb. 4, 2020. Tesla skeptic Jim Chanos was one of the first to point out the phenomenon, tweeting on Tuesday from his account @WallStCynic that people should "Google 'Should I....' right now." Chanos is founder of hedge fund Kynikos Associates and has been one of the most vocal critics of Musk and his company. @WallStCynic tweet Tesla's not just at the top of the list, either. A search for the phrase "Should I" on Tuesday showed Tesla on the suggested results three times, with "should I sell Tesla stock" and "should I invest in Tesla" also making appearances. A look through Google Trends data shows just how much the "should I buy Tesla" search has spiked in the past week, both from people in the U.S. and around the world. 'Should I buy Tesla' searches in the US 'Should I buy Tesla' searches worldwide Additionally, Google Trends shows interest in "Tesla" is strongest in the western U.S. states as might be expected due to the company's heavy presence in California and Nevada. Interest in 'Tesla' by US states Notably, investors are trying to sort out if they should sell Tesla's stock. The company's rally has drawn comparisons to past speculative bubbles that occur sometimes in financial markets, such as the digital currency bitcoin. Tesla shares are similarly following the path that bitcoin took in 2017. Google Trends shows interest in Tesla moving generally likewise to bitcoin in the past month. 2019 was definitely a very challenging market, said Sarah Downey (pictured), co-leader of DART. Insurance premiums for companies dealing with digital assets tend to be much higher than premiums allocated to more traditional businesses. So far, carriers have also offered more limited insurance coverage than they would for more traditional types of companies, and the process for cryptocurrency firms to actually buy insurance is much more complicated and time-consuming than the norm. The [premium] really varies depending on what that digital asset company does, Downey added. For example, if you have a digital asset company who actually holds the assets, coverage for them would likely be much more expensive than a technology incubator whos really more focused on developing the technology associated with blockchain and digital assets. Read next: Marsh combines two private client services practices Despite its many challenges, the 2020 cryptocurrency insurance market is shaping up for some interesting developments, according to Downey. The first revolves around the potential for increased regulation or more regulatory clarity. The US has already started on this journey. In 2019, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued some guidance around the issue of digital assets, with a primary focus on investor protection. The SEC also issued a handful of no-action letters for companies offering cryptocurrency. Its very helpful to see no-action letters, but at the same time, theyre only directed to a specific company, so the cryptocurrency industry doesnt really walk away with a full set of guidance towards what it should or should not do, Downey commented. Theres still more room for additional [regulatory] clarity and we continue to expect the SEC to take an active role in [providing that]. With more certainty from the regulators comes much more comfort from the insurance underwriters. I think the insurance community is looking forward to some more clarity on the regulation front. Another trend to watch is the potential impact of firming in the wider property / casualty insurance markets. Commercial insurance markets are quite challenged at present due to increased litigation, intensified regulatory activity, and the upward trend in frequency and severity of losses. As a result, carriers are increasing rates and reducing the amount of capacity and/or coverage theyre willing to provide. Read more: Cryptocurrency market underserved by insurance The crypto insurance market has always been more challenging. While we do expect to see some impact on the crypto insurance market based on whats going on in the traditional market, were cautiously optimistic that the crypto market wont see as much of an increase in pricing as the traditional markets are seeing right now, said Downey. However, the fact is that theres still limited capacity and a limited number of insurers who are participating in this space, so that could continue to create some additional challenges. In 2020, it will be interesting to see how the traditional market might impact the crypto insurance market. As the digital asset industry matures and more cryptocurrency companies purchase insurance, insurers will gain access to more data, which will help them become more comfortable underwriting the risks. This all takes time, Downey pointed out. She added: The crypto markets are gaining in maturity, which makes the insurers more comfortable. Some crypto companies have started hiring very experienced board members - that also helps. And what were seeing from a lot of the crypto companies is a real drive to become more regulatory compliant. Many are focused also on retaining third-party vendors to help support their business. By third party vendors, we mean auditors, accountants, lawyers, insurance brokers, data analytics firms, which again, as the crypto market matures will really help insurance underwriters become much more comfortable in this space. If 2019 was categorized as being hesitant and uncertain, Downey provided a more optimistic outlook for 2020, categorizing the insurance markets as being interested and cautious. The cryptocurrency insurance market improves every year due to education, experience and data, she said. We spend a lot of time educating the insurance markets, our clients spend a lot of time educating the market, and the markets, quite frankly, are educating themselves as well and really devoting a lot of time to it. We remain very optimistic that the above the trends we talked about will lead to an increase in the comfort level of the commercial insurance market and their willingness to actively participate in this space. The United States Embassy in Spain has issued a security alert on its webpage warning about an increase in sexual assaults and advising US citizens to take precautions during their stay in Spain. The Spanish Ministry of Interior reports a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults nationally over the past five years. This includes a rise in sexual assault against young US citizen visitors and students throughout Spain, reads the alert. US citizen victims of sexual assault in Spain can find it very difficult to navigate the local criminal justice system, which differs significantly from the US system, adds the statement. The US Embassy and Consulate General urge US citizen students and visitors to take precautions against sexual assault during their stay in Spain. Recommendations include drinking responsibly and traveling with friends or family members. English version by Susana Urra. The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Monday regarding the permanent commissioning of women officers in the Indian Army, possible paving the way for allowing women in combat roles The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Monday regarding the permanent commissioning of women officers in the Indian Army, possibly paving the way for allowing women in combat roles, Bar and Bench reported. In response to a note filed by the Centre on the issue, petitioners gave written submissions before the Supreme Court and said that the arguments made on the physical capabilities of women, the composition of the rank and file and psychological realities "need to be rejected with the contempt that it deserves". The statement was made in response to a plea, filed by some women officers, that was being heard by a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi. The petition filed concerned the denial of Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in the armed forces. The Centre has filed appeals against a 2010 judgment of the Delhi High Court. The judgment had held that Short Service Commissioned women officers of the Air Force and the Army, who had applied for Permanent Commission (PC) but were only given extension commensurate to the SSC level, are entitled to PC at par with male Short Service Commissioned officers with all consequential benefits. Women may not be suited for commanding roles in the Indian Army as male troops are not prepared to accept women officers, the Central government told the Supreme Court earlier this month. During the hearing, the Centre said that male and female officers could not be treated equally when it came to postings because of their different physical standards, apart from greater family demands, the perils of women being taken as prisoners of war and reservations about over-exposing women officers to combat situations. The composition of rank and file being male, and predominantly drawn from rural background, with prevailing societal norms, the troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command, the Centre, being represented by senior advocate R Balasubramanian and lawyer Neela Gokhale, said in an argument note. Lawyers Meenakshi Lekhi and Aishwarya Bhatti, who were representing the women officers, cited the example of Minty Agarwal who, as flight controller, had guided Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman when he shot down a Pakistani F-16. They also brought to the Benchs notice the example of Mitali Madhumita, who was awarded the Sena Medal for her bravery when terrorists attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul, adding that women had displayed exceptional bravery in adverse situations. In response, the Centre said that armed forces require the commitment of the entire family of the personnel, given the frequent transfers. It is a greater challenge for women officers to meet these hazards of service owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their children and families, especially when both husband and wife happen to be service officers, the Centre said. Balasubramanian said that future wars are likely to be short, intense and lethal and the induction of women officers into Indian Army, hitherto a male bastion, needs to be viewed in the perspective of changed battlefield environment. Inherent physiological differences between men and women preclude equal physical performance resulting in lower physical standards and hence the physical capacity of women officers remains a challenge for command of units, the Centre held. The Bench said, A change of mindset is required with changing times. You need to give them opportunity and they will serve to the best of their capabilities. Changing recruitment rules for women in defence While the court spoke of a need to change mindsets, it is apparent that the Centre has generally been less than enthusiastic about inducting women in the armed forces, especially in commanding roles. A historic decision to allow women in field operations came as late as 2015, when then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that women will be inducted into the Military Police. The recruitment process started only in 2019, with India Today reporting that the plan was to recruit women in roles ranging from probing crime cases to assisting the army in field operations wherever required. In fact, the recruitment of women in the army even in non-combat roles did not begin till 1992, when it was opened up on Short Service Commission basis. The tenure was initially five years and was later extended to 14 years in 2004. In 2010, a Delhi High Court bench of Justices SK Kaul and Mool Chand Garg granted relief to women Short Commissioned Officers in Army and the Air Force, observing that denial of PC to such women officers when their male counterparts were given PC would be a "gross denial of Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution". The Centre had agreed to grant permanent commission to women officers who had served up to 14 years in the Army but not above that. Additionally, women officers with over 14 years of service would be allowed to serve till 20 years without permanent commission and those with over 20 years of service would be released with pensionary benefits. Since they were on short service, they were given limited exposure and training of 24 weeks, as opposed to 49 weeks for men. Before 2016, women made up just 2.5 percent of India's armed forces, working in mainly non-combat roles, according to a BBC report. As of June 2019, women were inducted in all branches of the Indian Air Force, with terms and conditions for women officers being issued from time to time. As of January 2019, 3.89 percent of the army personnel comprised women, while 6.7 percent of the navy and 13.28 percent of the air force personnel respectively were women as of June 2019, Minister of Defence Shripad Naik told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. However, several prominent voices have raised concerns about involving women in combat roles in recent times as well. For instance, former army chief General Bipin Rawat had told News18 that women are not ready for combat roles because they have the responsibility of raising kids. He also said that a woman officer would feel uncomfortable at the frontline and accuse jawans of peeping as she changes clothes. He also highlighted the issue of maternity leave and said the Army would not be able to give her leave if she is the commanding officer as she cant leave her unit for six months, but said objecting to the leave could create a ruckus. Women in combat roles Not withstanding the conservative approach of the army, the navy and air force broke the gender barrier and recruited female fighter pilots. In May last year, Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to qualify to undertake combat missions on a fighter jet. She completed her operational syllabus for carrying out combat missions on Mig-21 Bison aircraft during day time, India Today reported. She is from the first batch of woman fighter pilots of the IAF. Three women - Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh - were commissioned as flying officers in July 2016, less than a year after the government decided to open combat roles for women on an experimental basis. The first woman pilot of the Indian Navy Lieutenant Shivangi joined Naval operations in December last year, PTI had reported. "Shivangi will graduate to become the first female pilot of Indian Navy," a source told the agency. She was inducted into the Indian Navy as SSC (Pilot) as part of 27 NOC course in Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala and got formally commissioned by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, in June 2018. Errol Graham, a 57-year-old man from Nottingham, was found starved to death in his high-rise flat after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) removed him from all income support payments. His death has fuelled public outrage over brutal welfare sanctions adopted by Labour and Conservative governments since 2008. Errol weighed just 30kg (four-and-a-half stone), or 66 pounds, when his body was found by bailiffs after they broke down his front door to evict him for rent arrears. The flat had no gas, electricity or phone service. Two tins of fish with a use-by date of 2013 were the only food items in the kitchen. Errol Graham A three-day coroners inquest held one year later, in June 2019, found that Errol died of starvation. Evidence presented at the inquest exposed multiple and systemic failures by GP services, Nottinghamshire Health Care NHS Foundation Trust (NHCT), Nottingham City Homes and the DWP. The department cut Errols benefits after he failed to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) appointment in August 2017. In the anodyne words of Assistant Coroner for Nottingham, Elizabeth Didcock, there were a number of missed opportunities to better support Errol between April 2015 and his death in June 2018. This included a complete failure to treator even monitorErrols long-term depression and hypothyroidism for more than three years, despite him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act in June 2015. The safety net that should surround vulnerable people like Errol in our society had holes within it, Didcock concluded. Yet she made no formal orders for remedial measures, accepting the DWPs worthless assurances that it would undertake a Safeguarding Review. Errols death only came to public attention thanks to determined efforts by family members, led by daughter-in-law Alison Turner. She contacted Disability News Service (DNS), providing its editor, long-time disability rights campaigner John Pring, with evidence from the coronial inquest. Pring broke the story on January 23, and it was reported widely by mainstream media outlets five days later. Alison said the DWPs policies killed her father-in-law. She told the Daily Mirror, I want a guarantee that he wasnt going to die for no reasonthat they will see his death, take on board the seriousness of what theyve done and learn from it. I want them to learn so that nobody else has to die. Turner, who is disabled and the mother of a child with autism, spoke of her anger toward the DWP. They looked me in my face and had the cheek to tell me that everything they did was by the book and was acceptable. None of it was acceptable. The coroner spoke of a safety net with holes. But the final years of Errols life were a freefall plunge, with overstretched NHS services, callous tenant management practices by the NCH and the DWPs punitive welfare sanctions all combining to pass a death sentence. Systemic neglect Errol suffered from long-term depression, a condition which worsened following the death of his father in 2004. In January 2006, Errol overdosed on sleeping medication and attended the Emergency Department at Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. Pine View flats in Nottingham In 2009, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland) and prescribed Thyroxine, with regular blood tests needed to monitor thyroxine levels in his system. (Errol had previously suffered from an overactive thyroid but was overtreated with radioactive iodine and tipped into hypothyroidism as a result). Assistant Coroner Didcock recounted in her findings the testimony of Errols GP who told the inquest his patient was a proud man, who felt he should not disturb others and was reluctant to engage with services. In April 2015, Errol attended his local surgery where he shouted and behaved aggressively as he felt the surgery were not helping him, and that he could not get an appointment. Less than one month later, on June 1, Errol was behaving oddly and was admitted to Highbury Hospital under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act. The coroner recounted evidence from Errols daughter-in-law Alison, who described that his flat at that time was in a very poor state, with barely any food and no lightbulbs. She said Errol had cut the cables off electrical equipment and had hung them around the flat. A consultant psychiatrist who treated Errol at Highbury told the Inquest that Errol reported feeling withdrawn, anxious, and acting out of character following the death of a close friend. Errol was thought to have possible acute and transient psychosis in the context of psychosocial stressors, the coroner reported. Errol remained in hospital for nearly two weeks after he was sectioned, with short periods of day-leave beginning on June 8. But on June 13 he did not return to the hospital. Didcock explained, Police were notified and saw Errol at home, a warrant was applied for but rejected by the magistrate, and the Crisis team were asked to visit. The crisis team visited Errol on June 17 and concluded there was no need for readmission. The coroner remarked that Errols psychiatrist from Highbury showed a high level of care and concern by visiting him at his friend Lizs home on June 25 (a practice which is unusual for an in-patient psychiatrist). He found no symptoms of psychosis and concluded Errol was not acutely unwell. A visit by the Community Assessment Team (CAT) followed on July 9, but despite noting that he had stopped taking Citralopram medication for depression and Quetiapine (a sedative prescribed at Highbury) there was no follow-up visit. The coroner noted that Errol remained very vulnerable and found there should have been more assertive follow up at this timean appointment offered, or a telephone call to Errol in the subsequent three to four weeks. On August 23, Errols friend Liz called the Crisis team to warn that his behaviour was again of concern. But this was not considered a re-referral and no attempts were made to see Errol. Despite serious multiple health problems, Errol was not seen by a single doctor, psychiatrist or nurse between June 2015 and his death three years later. Work Capability Assessment Assistant Coroner Didcock noted, It was striking at the Hearing how little was known about Errols daily life from the summer of 2015 onwards. Errol withdrew from his family, doubtless under the impact of deteriorating health. After November 2015, he received no further notifications for blood tests or other check-ups from either his GP or Nottingham NHS Health Care. A protest against Work Capability Assessment in 2015 But Errol did come to the attention of the DWP. Its actions from August 2017 would have catastrophic consequences for Errol and his family. For many years, Errol received Incapacity Benefit due to serious long-term depression. But in 2008, as part of the Labour governments punitive welfare reform measures, he was transferred to Employment Support Allowance (ESA). This newly created payment was made conditional on completing a Work Capability Assessment (WCA), including a questionnaire and/or face-to-face interview. The entire process is designed to dehumanise and shame applicants. WCAs have been used to deprive thousands of people suffering a mental and/or physical disability of their right to income support and have been criticised by the United Nations and disability charities on human rights grounds. The Maximus corporation (annual revenue of US$2.39 billion) has administered WCAs on behalf of the DWP since March 2015. The company has struggled to drive down costs (i.e., move people off benefits and reject new applicants) to deliver increased returns to institutional shareholders, such as Blackrock and Victory Capital Management. In August 2016, Errols entitlement to ESA was reviewed by the DWP. He had already completed questionnaires (known as ESA50 forms) and face-to-face interviews in 2013 and 2014, but a DWP official concluded that because Errol had not seen his GP since 2015, the claimed level of disability was unclear. On this occasion, Errol was not asked to complete a questionnaire (he had previously returned these without any problem). Instead, an appointment for a face-to-face WCA was sent to Errol on August 17, scheduled for August 31. Errols lack of health care triggered warnings in just one arm of the British statethe DWP. Its intervention triggered no follow-up with either the NHS or Errols GP. The DWPs interest was entirely punitive. After Errol did not attend his WCA appointment, the DWP sent two letters asking him to explain his non-attendance. This was followed by a telephone call and a text message. Two misnamed safeguarding visits to Errol's home took place on October 16 and 17, but Errol did not respond. His ESA benefit was stopped by the DWP on October 10, 2017. The DWP was unable to clarify why it stopped Errols benefits prior to the so-called safeguarding visits. All sources of income were removed from Errol without any further enquiries and despite a long-term medical condition that was unlikely to have improved significantly, the coroner noted. She found that his loss of income and housing support were the final devastating stressors, that had a significant effect on his mental health. The actions of Nottingham City Homes (NCH) were the final contributing factor in this catalogue of state neglect and hostility. NCH is the arms length management organisation (ALMO) that managed the high-rise flats on behalf of Nottingham City Council. Errols Housing Benefitpaid directly to NCH by the DWPwas stopped on October 17, 2017. After attempts were made to contact him by mail and phone, NCHs Rent Accounts Manager visited Errols flat and spoke with him through the front door. Errol shouted What do you want? on two occasions, and started to punch the door, Didcock recalled. Extraordinarily, the NCH did not inform the Rent Accounts Manager that Errol was a vulnerable tenant. It claimed the information was not known, although Errol had disclosed his long-term depression when he filled out his tenant application form. While she criticised the NCH, the coroner concluded that all appropriate procedures that led to the Court Order for eviction were followed. Official cover-up Didcocks findings amounted to a cover-up of the DWPs role. Despite acknowledging that ESA was Errols only source of income, she stated, I cannot say on the balance of probabilities that the cessation of Errols ESA led directly to his death. Instead, she appeared to place the onus back onto Errol, stating, He did not ask for help from family, NCH, his GP or other support agencies, or contact the DWP to explain his circumstances. Having highlighted several missed opportunities on the part of Errols GP, NHS Health Care, and the DWP, she concluded there was not a direct causal connection between any of these missed opportunities when considered alone, and Errols death. Didcock found the DWP currently has no requirement to seek more information before making a decision to cease benefit following a failed safeguarding visit. But she issued no Regulation 28 orders for remedial action to prevent future deaths. Instead, Didcock accepted the DWPs commitment to carry out a Safeguarding Review and welcomed what she described as the DWPs commitment to listen to clients and to those representing them, and to ensure that the DWP were focused on support and safety for vulnerable people. A banner highlighting deaths from benefit cuts Errols family had every reason to respond with anger to the coroners findings, which effectively swept the DWPs actions under the carpet. In a final act of class justice, the family couldnt afford a lawyer to represent them at the Inquest, DNS reported, while the DWP employed an award-winning barrister from Parklane Plowdon Chambers. The DWP has since announced an Independent Serious Case Panel investigation into Errol Grahams death, but the panel is made up entirely of senior civil servants from the DWP, with no commitment that the findings of their investigation will even be made public. Last month, Alison told DNS, Its truly shocking what the system does to people. I have lived in fear ever since wondering what the future holds for me as a disabled person, and my child who will also rely on the system for support, as her autism amongst other conditions means she is unlikely to be able to live independently. I truly fear that the failures that let my father-in-law down will one day fail me and my child. Errols death was not an isolated occurrence. On December 2, DNS published "The Case for the Prosecution, presenting the stories of those known to have died after they were denied ESA payments. David Barr, Michael OSullivan, Paul Donnachie, Ms DE and John Carre all killed themselves after being found fit for work despite serious mental illness. Mark Wood starved to death at his home in Oxfordshire, while Jodey Whiting took her life in February 2017 after her benefits were removed for missing a WCA interviewshe was in hospital at the time. In the cases of Carre and OSullivan, coronial inquests found the WCA process had deliberately excluded medical evidence that favoured their claim to benefits. The true number of deaths caused by the DWPs hostile environment against sickness and disability claimants is unknown. But between March 2014 and February 2017, around 10 ESA claimants died each day after they were deemed work ready and placed in a Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). In the same period, around one claimant died each day after being deemed fit for work. Another 12 people died each day while waiting for the DWP to decide their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims. This equates to an annual death toll of more than 8,000 people. In response to Errols death, the Guardian, Daily Mirror and pro-Labour Canary cited Labour MP Debbie Abrahams as an opponent of the DWPs punitive measures. On January 27 she told Parliament, Particularly worrying are the deaths of vulnerable claimants like Errol, following the DWP stopping their payments. This is in spite of departmental procedures which are meant to protect vulnerable people. This has to be looked at as a matter of urgency. Labours opposition is a fraud. Tory minister Justin Tomlinson replied immediately to Abrahams that the hated fit-for-work test was Labours Work Capability Assessment. It was the Labour government headed by Gordon Brown which introduced ESA payments and WCA tests in 2008. And they did so with a vengeance. DWP statistics show almost two-thirds of claimants were declared fit for work by the DWP in 2009 and 2010, dropping to a quarter of claimants declared fit for work in 2014 (at the first stage of the decision-making process). The WCA tests aimed to undermine any conception of the states responsibility to support those with an illness or disability. The Blairites sleazy spin urged DWP clients to concentrate on the positives by looking at what you can do, not what you cant do. WCAs would be managed by a private companyAtos won the initial 500 million contractwith doctors, physiotherapists and nurses deciding eligibility based on a Logic-integrated Medical Assessment or LiMA designed by Atos and the DWP! Needless to say, this grotesque parody has nothing to do with any genuine medical assessment (indeed, advice provided by claimants own treating doctors is frequently ignored). More than a decade after the global financial crisis introduced endless austerity, a vicious regime of Work Capability Assessments, welfare sanctions and bogus fitness for work criteria are being used to hound the disabled, sick and unemployed from any source of income, driving many to premature death. The Labour Party and its apologists who introduced and supported these measures have blood on their hands. A 2008 editorial from the Guardian, The benefits of welfare reform outweigh the risks, supported the axing of Incapacity Benefit and the introduction of WCAs, asserting, there is no clear boundary between inability and unwillingness to work. For those like Errol and his family, the stakes could not be higher, with working class lives regarded as expendable. As Errol Grahams partner, Diana Burton, told DNS, In this day and age, this shouldnt happen. Its like we have gone back to Victorian times. Someone should be held accountable for it. If DWP hadnt stopped his money, he would still be here today. Definitely. Bloomberg/Getty Donald Trumps closest allies seized on Iowas caucus woes on Tuesday to promote conspiracy theories about a rigged process, and some Democrats lapped it up. The fix is in...AGAIN, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, as the Iowa Democratic Party struggled to tabulate results after a coding error prevented full caucus totals from being uploaded through an app. Mark my words, they are rigging this thing, Eric Trump tweeted. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) went all-in on conspiracy, trotting out a connect-the-dots theory that sounded like it was ripped from a Scandal script. Democrats, he suggested, had suppressed a newspaper poll and then orchestrated a technical glitch to cover up a poor showing by Joe Biden. Supporters of Bernie Sanders did complain that the delay in announcing the results blunted momentum for the Vermont senator, who had led in most polls. But Biden also complained about the screw-ups, having his general counsel fire off a scathing letter to Iowa Democrats. Iowa Democrats said the app the party used collected the results accurately from precinct chairs but only partially transmitted them due to a coding error. They insisted the underlying data was rock-solid and backed up by a paper trail. It would be nearly impossible to manipulate actual vote totals anyway, since the caucus process takes place in public, in full view of multiple rival campaigns and the media. But that didnt stop conspiracy theories from popping up almost immediately after the results were delayed late Monday. Trump campaign chairman Brad Parscale asked on Twitter whether the results had been rigged, while Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany claimed the Democrats were rigging it. In a Fox News appearance, Trump stalwart Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) suggested that the results had been delayed to cover up an embarrassingly low finish for Bidenwho was listed in fourth place in unofficial, incomplete internal results released by rival campaigns. Story continues If Joe Biden would have won tonight, we probably would have some results right now, Gaetz said. Pete Buttigiegs decision to come out and declare victory before any official results were in fanned some of the flames. Sanders supporters promoted hashtags like #MayorCheat and #CIAPete, a reference to conspiracy theories that Buttigieg is a CIA operative. On the Reddit forum for left-wing podcast Chapo Traphouse, a hotbed of pro-Sanders online activity, a highly rated post said believing that the Iowa caucus wasnt rigged would be as foolish as buying the official line that wealthy pedophile Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. Much of the speculation has focused on Shadow, the obscure Democratic tech firm that designed the Iowa reporting app. Both Biden and Buttigiegs campaigns have previously paid Shadow, which was launched by Democratic dark money group ACRONYM, providing grist for conspiracy theorists suspicious that the apps developers were biased against Sanders. Sanders fans also pointed out that Shadow CEO Gerard Niemira worked on Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. The firms critics also seized on pro-Buttigieg tweets from ACRONYM chief executive Tara McGowan. Citing McGowans tweets, Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich described the Iowa process as how to rig an election. A widely circulated blog post from right-wing conspiracy theory website Conservative Treehouse noted that Shadow just happens to have a connection to Buttigieg. Progressive journalist Walker Bragman lined up Buttigiegs connections to Shadow in a tweet that has been retweeted nearly 20,000 times, calling it not great optics. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who has endorsed Sanders, promoted Bragmans tweet, adding This cant be it! Omar later claimed she wasnt intending to spread a conspiracy theory about the caucus. Republicans, meanwhile,cheered on the Democratic in-fighting, with conservative pundit Erick Erickson hoping the conspiracy theories about the caucus would continue to hurt Democrats. I dont think Iowa sabotaged the caucus to hurt Bernie Sanders, Erickson tweeted. But I really hope a lot of Bernie Sanders supporters think that. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Amid the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reportedly said that the world has a 'window of opportunity' to halt the spread of the deadly virus as the steps taken by China were a good way of stopping its transmission. According to reports, the 2019-nCoV has already claimed nearly 490 lives and the number of people infected has now crossed 24,000. More than 20 countries have also confirmed cases of coronavirus, which also prompted the WHO to declare a global health emergency. While speaking at a technical briefing in Geneva, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reportedly praised the Chinese authorities for their response at the epicentre of the outbreak where millions of people are on lockdown and severe transport restrictions have been imposed. He said that there is a window of opportunity because of the strong measures China is taking and this opportunity could be used to prevent further spread and to control the disease. Ghebreyesus statement came after Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand also reported new infections that were because of person to person transmissions and not due to infections from China. READ: Kerala Health Minister Highlights The Measures Taken To Control Coronavirus Earlier, the WHO has also warned the international public health authorities that Wuhan Virus was of a significant threat to the nations outside mainland China and the disease pandemic enforced a global response to the outbreak. Authorities also banned Chinese nationals from travelling into their territory, suspending airlines, and halting the visa issuance and immigration facility. The health authorities around the world are further taking action to prevent a global epidemic, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China. READ: Coronavirus: 10 Passengers Onboard Cruise Ship Infected In Japan, 3000 Under Quarantine Precautionary efforts Macau has denied entry to visitors from China's Hubei province unless they can provide documentation showing that they are not infected with the virus. The Macau government said that they will also not allow those who visited the province 14 days prior to their arrival. China's immediate neighbour, Mongolia has further closed all universities and educational institutes until March 2 to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. Citing a cabinet meeting, Mongolian state media also said that it has closed the border crossings for auto vehicles and pedestrian traffic from January 27 and called for public gatherings to be cancelled. On the other hand, Hong Kong's land and sea crossings with China have been closed and Carrie Lam has also announced the suspension of train and ferry services. READ: Coronavirus Death Toll In China Soars To Nearly 500; Over 24,000 Confirmed Cases READ: Coronavirus: Five Rescued Indians Admitted To Hospital After Showing Symptoms (With Agency Inputs) A Portuguese man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the killing of his ex-girlfriend, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Connecticut a year ago. Police in Greenwich, Connecticut, said Javier Da Silva Rojas pleaded guilty in federal court in White Plains, New York, to kidnapping resulting in death. Officials said he is expected to be sentenced on May 21 to at least 30 years in prison. The body of 24-year-old Valerie Reyes, of New Rochelle, New York, was found in a suitcase in nearby Greenwich in February 2019. A medical examiner said she died of homicidal asphyxia. Police found the body of Valerie Reyes, 24, of New Rochelle, New York, stuffed in a suitcase that was dumped on the side of a Connecticut road in February 2019 Javier Enrique Da Silva Rojas (left), Reyes' (right) ex-boyfriend, pleaded guilty Wednesday to the killing after being charged with kidnapping resulting in death Law enforcement agencies tweeted out their thanks to the FBI and local police Da Silva, 25, who authorities say was in the country illegally and was living in New York City at the time, told investigators that Reyes fell to the floor and hit her head after they had sex at her home a week before her body was found, federal authorities said. He told investigators that he put packing tape over her mouth, bound her legs and hands, and put her in a suitcase that he dropped in a wooded area after driving for some time. She died from a lack of oxygen. The medical examiner did not say whether she died before she was put in the suitcase. Reyes worked at a bookstore and aspired to become a tattoo artist, co-workers and friends said. Rojas admitted to binding her hands and feet, putting packing tape over her mouth, forcing her body into a case and abandoning it on the side of a road in Greenwich, Connecticut Reyes' friends and family gathered at her funeral in Rye, New York last February Her cousin, Desiree Rodriguez, described her as 'just silly and just a free soul, beautiful soul.' Da Silva entered the U.S. on May 8, 2017, through the Visa Waiver Program and was required to leave by August 5, 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The program allows citizens from 38 countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa. Immigration officials said Da Silva would be deported immediately after serving his sentence. The reddish-orange suitcase containing Reyes' body was discovered by highway workers in Greenwich one week after the 24-year-old was last seen The suitcase with Reyes' body had been dumped in a wooded area (above) about 15 feet from Glenville Road in Greenwich, Connecticut Glenville Road runs through a quiet and somewhat isolated area of Glenville, a wealthy suburb of Greenwich with a population of just over 2,200 people 'We are gratified to learn that justice was served in this case,' New Rochelle Police Commissioner Joseph Schaller said. 'Our compliments to all of the law enforcement agencies and prosecutor's involved in the investigation.' Greenwich police said a lengthy, multi-agency investigation saw the examination of multiple crime scenes, hundreds of hours of surveillance footage and interviews with numerous potential witnesses as well as social media footprints and records 'from a variety of sources.' 'Although justice has been served, we remain saddened by the loss of Valerie and sincerely hope that her family will find peace and a sense of closure to this tragedy,' the Greenwich police said in a statement. Messages seeking comment were left with Da Silva's public defenders Wednesday. Former general secretary of Cotton University students' union, Pranjal Kalita has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency for questioning in connection with the violence during the anti-CAA protest. Kalita, who was the general secretary of the students' union in 2018-19 received the notice sent by the NIA under Section 160 CrPC on Wednesday. The NIA asked him to appear before it on Thursday at 11 am at its Sonapur office in the outskirts of the city for "the purpose of answering certain questions relating to the case" bearing number RC-13/2019/NIA/GUW, dated December 14. The case relates to probe into alleged "terrorist activity" by peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who is the Adviser of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS). Along with Gogoi, around half a dozen other KMSS leaders were arrested and are in judicial custody at present. In the same case, the NIA also interrogated IIT - Guwahati Professor Arupjyoti Saikia who was quizzed for the third time in four days on Tuesday. The NIA has also asked him to appear before it on Friday. KMSS Adviser Hussain Md Shahjahan has also been quizzed twice till Tuesday and was asked to reappear on Friday. Gogoi was arrested on December 12 from Jorhat as a "preventive measure" in view of the law and order situation in the state and his colleagues were taken into custody the next day. However, Assam Police on December 13 registered an FIR at Teok police station with FIR No 1688/2019 under various sections of the IPC along with 18 and 19 of the stringent UA (P)A. The case was handed over to the NIA the very next day with the issuance of an order (No 11011/62/2019/NIA) by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on December 14 itself. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. Army is planning on reducing its personnel strength to 420,000 by the end of the decade. This would be its lowest strength since just before the U.S. entered World War II in 1941. There was a similar experience during World War I when the army expanded from 200,000 in early 1917 to 3.6 million in December 1918. It had shrunk to 225,000 during the 1930s. In mid-1940 it was at 260,000 and expanded to 8.2 million by late 1945. But 28 percent of that was the Army Air Force which a few years later became a separate service. So actual army strength went from 160,000 in 1940 to 5.9 million in late 1945 and dropped to 591,000 by 1950. The army had another spurt of growth (to over a million) during the Korean War, shrank again in the late 1950s then expanded to over a million again for the Vietnam War in the 1960s. For the rest of the Cold War it stayed at about 730,000 then fell to 499,000 in the late 1990s because of the post-Cold War demobilization. That only increased to 560,000 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mainly because there was no conscription as there had been in the World Wars and until 1972. What the army had done after World War II was expand the reserves to over 500,000 troops. These were trained and most were capable of being sent into combat. Before World War II the reserves (almost all the National Guard, which are controlled by the states in peacetime) numbered 300,000. Back in 1940 the National Guard was not as well trained and equipped as it is today but it was organized and was easier to get ready for combat than new conscripts. Until the 20th century the U.S. Army was small in peacetime. That changed when conscription was revived in 1917. It was briefly used by the Union during the Civil War. Conscription was never popular anywhere during its brief history (about two centuries), and never worked very well either. It wont return to use in the United States for the same reason it disappeared in Britain in the late 1950s, and would have gone the same way in the U.S. during the 1960s had there been no Vietnam war. The main reason that conscription doesnt work is that in most countries, there are far more young men becoming eligible for military service each year than the military needs. So someone has to decide who will serve and who wont. This leads to widespread discontent over how unfair it is that some go, and others do not. In the European nations that first instituted conscription in the 19th century, everyone who was physically able was taken for two or more years, and then assigned to a reserve unit when they left active service. The idea was that the active army was basically a training organization for the wartime army of reservists. This meant that huge armies could be maintained at a fraction of the cost of a standing (full of active duty troops) army. The reserve system was used in a number of wars in the late 19th century, and then in the two World Wars. After World War II, the availability of nuclear weapons, and lots of other high tech weapons and equipment, made large armies less useful. By the end of the 20th century it was obvious to all that an army of professional soldiers was far more effective than one that contained a lot of conscripts. Another problem was that, even in those countries where everyone went, corruption eventually set in and everyone didnt. Or strings were pulled and favored sons went in and received special treatment, spending his two years in some pleasant assignment that kept him out of danger and quite comfortable. This sort of thing even went on in dictatorships. By the time the communist governments in Eastern Europe and Russia collapsed, the corruption in their universal conscription was one of the reasons for the collapse. Those of us who were of draft age during the 1960s remember that the unfairness of the system was a major source of discontent. And this discontent was there before the Vietnam War became an issue. Indeed, for most young men during the 1960s, the draft was more of an issue than the war. You could always avoid combat by joining the air force or navy. And if you were a college student or graduate, you could go into the army secure in the knowledge that you would almost certainly get a non-combat job. So poisonous did the attitude towards conscription become during the 60s that looking for ways to avoid service (faking a physical or psychological problem, or even bribery of draft officials) was done quite openly. Vietnam didnt end the peacetime draft in the United States but having too many people eligible for it did. The Baby Boom generation was coming of age during the 1960s. That meant over 1.5 million young men turned 18 each year. But the military needed less than half that number. Even at the peak years of the war, there were many more young men available for the draft than were needed. With thousands of young men getting killed in Vietnam each year, parents, as well as the kids, were more than a little upset at how so many kids were never called, or received one deferment (usually for higher education) after another. The situation hasnt changed. Most kids dont want to go off and be a soldier for a year or two. But there are still plenty of young men and women who want to volunteer. And it's not for the poor and uneducated either. Less than half of those eligible for the draft would qualify to volunteer for the peacetime force. And the American army learned that the volunteers they have been using since the early 1970s make much better soldiers. It was the army that was always getting nearly all the draftees. During the Vietnam period, even the marines were able to get by almost entirely on volunteers. The draftees all went to the army, because so many young men realized that they could honorably avoid getting shot at by volunteering for the air force or navy. This meant three, instead of two, years of service. But what the hell, at least you lived to talk about it. With all those volunteers, and that extra year of service, the air force and navy got more out of their new recruits. Since 1940, when the first American peacetime draft was started, the army found that they liked being able to grab all those well-educated kids that had rarely, in the past, joined the army. This was the main argument the army made in opposing the end of conscription. The air force and navy were not happy for similar reasons, as the draft had driven a lot of high quality volunteers their way because the alternative was being an army draftee. With no conscription, the air force and navy would have to get out there and hustle for recruits. And then there was the problem of pay. With no draftees filling up the lower ranks, the pay for entry level recruits would have to be competitive with civilian jobs. But historians, and those noting how the British were doing (they had gone all-volunteer by the early 1960s), realized that there would be no problem with an all-volunteer force. Historians also knew that a professional (all volunteer) army was a more effective one. This did not become generally accepted in the United States until the 1991 Gulf War. There is a form of the draft that might someday be used. There is, for example, a list of young medical professionals who could be drafted in the event of a major military emergency. The doctors and nurses involved are not all keen on getting called up, but they are not making a lot of noise about their unhappiness. Another list of computer specialists is also under consideration. This concept of only drafting the "best and the brightest" has not, yet, been controversial. While most people now realize that an all-volunteer force is superior, many still forget why a conscripted force could not compete, survive, or revive. But some politicians are not bothered by reality or historical lessons, and persist in calling for reinstating the draft. It will never happen, as 80 percent of American voters oppose it. Most people in the military would not want draftees either. And the potential draftees themselves are not particularly enthusiastic. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agustinus Hari (The Jakarta Post) Manado Wed, February 5, 2020 14:55 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b661d 1 National coronavirus,manado,North-Sulawesi,hospital,China,toddler,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,wuhan Free A 2-year-old Chinese toddler is currently under observation by medical personnel in an isolation room in the Prof. Kandou General Hospital in Manado, North Sulawesi after showing several symptoms of the new coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China. The patient is 2 years and six months old, a Chinese citizen who has been in Manado since Jan. 21, hospital spokesperson Deddy Sondakh told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Deddy said the patients condition was stable and the hospital has taken samples from the child and sent them to the Health Ministrys Research and Development Center (Balitbangkes) in Jakarta for further testing. Prof. Kandous Hospitals head of medical services, Hanry Takasenserang, said that the toddler was referred to the hospital on Monday afternoon by a private hospital in Manado. From the medical records we know that the patient has been experiencing fever and cough for the past nine days. [The patients parents] sought treatment at the private hospital when they first arrived in Manado; then they returned to the hospital again when [the child] did not get better. The private hospital then sent them to us, Hanry said. Hanry said they decided to isolate the child because the medical records showed how the patient has suffered from fever and cough for a couple of days and the family came from China. "According to the existing protocols, we took samples from the patients throat and phlegm and sent them to the Balitbangkes laboratory. We will wait for the results. For now, the patient is under the care of pediatricians and doctors," he added. Hanry said they also took samples from the toddlers parents, even though neither of them showed any symptoms. Although the toddler showed several symptoms of the new coronavirus, Hanry said they still could not conclude that the patient is positive for the virus until the test results come back. Meanwhile, he said, the hospital would follow the required procedures and take extra precautions while monitoring the patient. According to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE), as of Wednesday there have been 24,560 confirmed cases of the virus globally, resulting in 493 deaths. Indonesia has yet to have any confirmed cases, but an Indonesian domestic worker in Singapore tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. (hol) Vietnamese tour companies and hotels are concerned revenues could slip as the new coronavirus slashes the number of Chinese tourists. Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of Hanoi Redtours, said his company had canceled 15 tours to China during the seven-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday last month due to the novel coronavirus (nCoV). This has cost the company VND7 billion ($300,000), with a further 30 tours already canceled in the next two months, he added. Leading tourism firm Vietravel has canceled trips for about 1,000 visitors to Vietnam in the same period. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy director of the company, estimated the firm would lose tens of billions of dong (VND10 billion = $430,000) in costs for pre-booked visas and services. The company has canceled all Chinese tours to Vietnam until end March. Saigon Tourist Marketing and Communications Director Doan Thi Thanh Ha said the company has canceled plans for 500 tourists to travel to China during the Tet holiday, and is working on refunding them or switching to another destination. Da Nang-based Hava Travel CEO Nguyen Minh Xoang said it usually operates three charter flights a week bringing 600 Chinese tourists from Wuhan, China to Da Nang. But all trips have been canceled since Wuhan became the epicenter of the deadly 2019-nCoV, which will cut into company revenue this year, he added. Many Vietnamese localities including travel hotspots like Nha Trang Town and Da Nang City in central Vietnam and the China-bordering province of Quang Ninh in the north have ordered tour companies to stop accepting Chinese customers to limit the spread of the nCoV. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has suspended flights to and from China starting Saturday, except for a limited number to repatriate the remaining Chinese tourists in Vietnam, and vice versa. With Chinese tourists accounting for almost a third of total visitors to Vietnam last year, industry insiders are concerned the nCoV epidemic would cut revenues drastically. In Khanh Hoa Province, where Chinese tourists accounted for over 70 percent of total visitors last year, Le Van Son, deputy chairman of Nha Trang Khanh Hoa Tourism Association, estimated hotel room occupancy in the area could fall by up to 45 percent. "Provincial tourism will be hit severely by the new coronavirus." Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang reported a rise in the number of Vietnamese and international customers during Tet, though number of Chinese visitors fell by 50 percent year-on-year. A resort representative said the Chinese tourist number could fall by over 90 percent in the coming days. In Hanoi, over 12,800 hotel bookings have been canceled, according to the citys tourism department. Over 7,600 travelers have scrapped their tours to the capital, while 6,000 Vietnamese terminated their plans to visit mainland China and Taiwan. Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Duc Hai said tourist attractions across the city have seen customer numbers drop 30-50 percent. The situation is similar in other localities. In Da Nang, the number of foreign tourists during the Tet holiday fell 15 percent year-on-year, while in HCMC, the drop was 12 percent, according to local tourism departments. Chinese tourists in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Thai Phuong. Strategic shift Experts and industry insiders say the virus outbreak could be an opportunity for Vietnam to restructure its tourism sector by focusing on customers with deeper pockets. Pham Trung Luong, former head of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said Vietnamese tourism has been focusing on quantity in recent years and has become heavily dependent on Chinese tourists. Vietnam needs to focus on high spending Chinese tourists, and prioritize other markets such as Europe and North America where customers are willing to pay more, it was added. Tu Quy Thanh, CEO of Lien Bang Travelink, which serves a large number of Chinese tourists, said the nCoV outbreak is an opportunity for Vietnamese companies to filter its customers. "Chinese visitors bring in good figures in quantity, but not in quality. The markets of Western Europe and other developed countries are more sustainable," Thanh said. Vietnam welcomed 18 million visitors last year, up 16.2 percent year-on-year. The country has confirmed 10 cases nCoV infection as of Wednesday morning. Globally, the death toll from the epidemic has reached 492, with 490 dying in mainland China, one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. MEDIA COURTHOUSE The third of four people charged with stealing from lockers at the Haverford YMCA received a sentence of time served to 23 months Monday after pleading guilty to access device fraud, a first-degree misdemeanor. Antranelle Rashawn Cooper, 28, of Washington, D.C., was also ordered to pay $106 in restitution to two victims and $2,058 to Capital One Bank, joint and several with co-defendants Antonio McCallister Jr., 25, also of D.C., and Kimberly Wynn, 32, of Baltimore, Maryland. Cooper, who served time from his Oct. 6 arrest to Oct. 31, when he posted 10% of $25,000 bail, was additionally ordered to serve one year of consecutive probation and stay away from the victims under the negotiated guilty plea worked out by Assistant District Attorney Brian Doherty and defense counsel Michael Kotik. Haverford Township police arrested Cooper, McCallister and Wynn Oct. 6 outside the CVS store at 1109 West Chester Pike with Marco Morgan, 30, also of Washington D.C. Morgan is scheduled for a return-with-counsel hearing March 2 before Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge James Bradley. The arrest came after YMCA patrons returning to the locker room discovered their locks had been removed, and wallets containing cash, credit and debit cards had been stolen. While cancelling his cards, one of the victims learned that a card had just been used to make an unauthorized purchase of $2,044.00 at a CVS. Haverford officers checked at the two nearest CVS locations, including the West Chester Pike location, to see if the purchase had taken place there, with no luck. But a clerk at the West Chester Pike CVS called 911 about 4:21 p.m. that same day to report that two men had just attempted to purchase $2,000 worth of gift cards using a credit card. Staff contacted police after the card was declined as the two men fled the store and got into a dark vehicle on Garfield Avenue. Arriving officers blocked a dark blue Nissan Sentra that was attempting to leave from its parked position on Garfield Avenue. The vehicle had four occupants, including two men that matched the description relayed by CVS staff, according to police. The occupants were later identified as Wynn, Cooper, Morgan and McCallister. Officers said they also found bolt-cutters, two cut locks, part of a third cut lock, Visa gift cards, a set of padlock keys and $459 in cash inside the vehicle. McCallister pleaded guilty last week to two counts each of access device fraud and conspiracy to commit access device fraud, both third-degree felonies, for which he was sentenced to one year less a day to two years less a day at the county prison in Concord with one year of consecutive probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $2,075 to Wells Fargo Bank and $2,044 to CVS. Wynn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud Jan. 14 and was sentenced to six to 23 months at the county prison. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 Wayang (Indonesian puppet shows) are widely known throughout the country for being as traditionally Indonesian as it gets. Indonesia is a melting pot of many cultures and one form of puppet show, wayang potehi (Chinese glove puppetry), has shown how diversity and acculturation have continued to create new cultural treasures. Unlike traditional leather-made wayang puppets, the cloth puppets of wayang potehi are moved by the dalangs (puppeteer) gloved hand. AFP continues to develop its digital investigation activities on the American continent with the deployment of a new unit based in Washington, covering the whole of the United States. As such, the Agency bolsters its fact-checking operations via an expanded partnership with Facebook and reasserts its leadership in this domain. The articles produced independently in English and Spanish will be accessible to the general public on the multilingual blog AFP Fact Check, dedicated to verifying and demystifying false information spread online. AFP has the largest network in the world of expert journalists in charge of digital investigations. The Agency has deployed teams dedicated to digital investigations in more than 30 countries, working in 10 languages. Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director at AFP, says This new project shows again that AFP is among the leading voices in the fight against disinformation with a global network of more than 70 specialized fact-checking journalists. The creation of a team based in the United States to track and report on misinformation and disinformation will greatly enrich all AFP's journalism and coverage of the US presidential election. ...We are also delighted to be extending our fruitful global relationship with Facebook into the United States. AFP is our most expansive global fact-checking partner, working with us on nearly every continent to combat the spread of misinformation. Their global reporting footprint is invaluable to our program, and we're excited to bring their expertise to the U.S. Keren Goldshlager, Integrity Partnerships, Facebook said. In addition to the United States, new operations in various countries have been launched in recent months: Thailand, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru. About AFP: AFP is a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives. Drawing from an unparalleled news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP also is a world leader in digital verification. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world in six languages, with a unique quality of multimedia storytelling spanning video, text, photos and graphics. Commander of the Defense Army of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Lieutenant General Karen Abrahamyan today received Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, as reported the news service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh. A broad range of issues related to the security of both Armenian republics and the joint actions being implemented in the defense sector were discussed during the meeting attended by Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh Arshavir Gharamyan. During the meeting, the parties attached importance to all the tasks that, if implemented, will help the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh be more protected and ready to resist the global and regional challenges. Over five crore farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 2.51 crore farmers have not got even the second instalment and 5.16 crore of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 9 crore farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 7.62 crore or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 6.5 crore farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 3.85 crore beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by this PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 4.74 crore farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 4.22 crore received the first instalment, 4.02 crore the second and 3.85 crore the third. There was no mention why nearly 50 lakh, 70 lakh and 90 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 3.08 crore farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 2.66 crore and 2.47 crore beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 40 lakh and 61 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 1.19 crore beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 73.66 lakh farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 7.56 crore the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 16.97 lakh farmers registered during this period, 14.02 lakh got the first instalment, 13.72 lakh received the second and 9.87 lakh the third. Of the 42.34 lakh registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 36.98 lakh got the first instalment, 31.53 lakh the second and 27.67 lakh got the third instalment. As many as 23.83 lakh farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 18.79 lakh got the second and 18.43 lakh the third. A total of 26.13 lakh beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 9.57 lakh out of 19.64 lakh farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 1.22 lakh out of 1.98 lakh registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 9.78 lakh farmers out of the 17.18 lakh registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 lakh registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nvidias competitor in the cloud gaming service space called GeForce Now has finally come out beta and is live for everyone now. The service is Nvidias answer to Googles Stadia service, Sonys PlayStation Now and Microsofts upcoming xCloud but works differently in that users can use their existing games to use the service. Being a BYOG type service, users do not have to buy their favourite games again on the platform to use GeForce, instead the service will let you sync your game from your preferred game library. Currently, GeForce Now has support for Steam, the Epic Games Store, Battle.net, and Uplay and is available for North America and Europe regions. Another point to note is that the service is compatible on PC, Mac, SHIELD TV, and Android platforms. It has no support on the iPhone or iPad but Nvidia has confirmed that a web browser based version will come soon. Each time you want to run a game, Nvidia will an instance of your game library on its servers along with the save game files. There are two tiers at the moment; free tier that gives you standard access to the servers and 1 hour long playtime sessions. Upgrading to the premium tier will cost users $5 a month which will give priority access to Nvidia servers, 6 hour long playtime sessions, RTX ON support and a 90-day free introductory period. Users would require a strong connection to have a good experience; 15 Mbps connection or better, 30 Mbps for 1080p60 streaming, and 50 Mbps will give the best experience. Nvidia does support over a 1000 games, but only a few games are stored on cache in the servers, meaning other games would need to be downloaded onto the servers to play. Popular games like Fortnite, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege and more are supported, but there are notable exceptions like Grand Theft Auto V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or Red Dead Redemption 2. Interested users can check out the GeForce Now website for more details and installation files Source 1, 2 By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Climate protesters forced BP to temporarily shut down its London headquarters on Wednesday, the first day in office for the oil and gas company's new CEO Bernard Looney. BP said more than 100 Greenpeace activists attempted to place 500 solar panels in front of BP's building in St James' Square in central London, and blocked the entrances with oil barrels. Police said they had arrested nine people after the protest. Greenpeace spokesman Stefano Gelmini said several activists had chained themselves to the oil barrels. BP said Chief Executive Looney, who was visiting staff in Germany on Wednesday, shared the "deep concerns" of the climate protesters and understood their frustration and anger. The 49-year-old Irishman will set out his vision for BP's response to the low carbon energy transition in a speech next week where he is expected to unveil deeper commitments to reduce the company's carbon emissions. BP said Looney "hopes that what he has to say then will give people a sense that we get it and are very serious about working to address the problem." BP has faced growing pressure from climate activists and investors to meet to the 2015 Paris climate goals to battle climate change. In a letter published in the Financial Times on Wednesday, Greenpeace UK Executive Director John Sauven urged Looney to "immediately end investments in new oil and gas exploration, and set out a plan to transition BP to renewable energy by the end of the decade." BP, which reported a $10 billion (7.66 billion) profit in 2019, invested around $500 million in renewables and low-carbon technology out of a total capital spending of more than $15 billion last year. (Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Alex Richardson/Jason Neely/Jane Merriman) The U.S. Senate on Wednesday acquitted President Donald Trump of both charges in his impeachment trial as it found him not guilty of obstructing Congress, as had been charged by the House of Representatives, Trend reports citing Reuters. In the second of two impeachment votes, the Republican-controlled Senate cleared the Republican president of Democrats accusations that he obstructed Congress investigation into whether he acted improperly in withholding U.S. security aid to Ukraine. The Senates 53-47 vote on the second article of impeachment brought the proceedings to an end. 01:25 (GMT+4) The U.S. Senate on Wednesday found President Donald Trump not guilty of abusing his powers, as had been charged by the House of Representatives, Trend reports citing Reuters. In the first of two impeachment votes, the Republican-controlled Senate cleared the Republican president of Democrats accusations that he acted improperly in withholding U.S. security aid to Ukraine. The Senate vote was 52-48. OTTAWA - The national cyberspying agency monitored a Canadian citizen, contrary to policy, for several years due to a series of internal mistakes, a newly released watchdog report says. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A sign for the Government of Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is seen outside their headquarters in the east end of Ottawa on Thursday, July 23, 2015. The national cyberspying agency monitored a Canadian citizen, contrary to policy, for several years due to a series of internal mistakes, a newly released watchdog report says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The national cyberspying agency monitored a Canadian citizen, contrary to policy, for several years due to a series of internal mistakes, a newly released watchdog report says. The Ottawa-based Communications Security Establishment collects a wide array of foreign communications, including phone calls and emails, in search of information of interest to Canada. The CSE is forbidden by law from directing its activities against Canadians anywhere in the world and must try to protect their privacy when using or keeping intercepted information. CSE commissioner Jean-Pierre Plouffe, the long-time watchdog over the agency, noticed a privacy lapse that prompted him to conduct an in-depth review. In his 2018-19 annual report, recently tabled in Parliament, Plouffe says a foreign national who was identified as possibly holding Canadian citizenship was monitored by the CSE from 2010 to 2015. As part of Canada's role in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the CSE works closely with spy services from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. In 2018, one of these agencies, which the report does not identify, drew CSE's attention to the fact that the issue of the person's nationality "had not been fully addressed" in 2010 when his or her possible Canadian citizenship was first discovered, Plouffe's report says. The CSE then "obtained the necessary information to confirm that the targeted person was indeed Canadian," the report says. It is the CSE's usual practice to protect the privacy of people who are identified as possibly Canadian in the same way as those whose citizenship is confirmed, Plouffe says. He found that CSE analysts did not knowingly target the Canadian and that a series of factors led to the agency's error. Among them: the incident was discovered over a holiday, separate targeting teams responsible for different technical aspects of collecting information did not properly co-ordinate their responses, and the CSE failed to identify the possible Canadian as such in its targeting database. Ultimately, Plouffe found that although the CSE complied with the law, the incident highlighted gaps in the agency's information management, privacy-protection procedures and policy guidance related to targets who might be Canadian but whose status is in question. He says the risk of such an error recurring is low given the CSE has taken several steps to avoid inadvertently targeting Canadians now, including adopting new tools and information-management procedures. Plouffe was satisfied with the response and made no recommendations. Ryan Foreman, a CSE spokesman, said he could not provide any additional details about the incident. The episode "certainly is evidence that a constant watch needs to be maintained" on the agency's evolving practices, said Bill Robinson, a research fellow with The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. "It's concerning to see these things come up year after year," said Robinson, who closely watches the CSE. The spy service's corrective steps are undoubtedly sincere but they don't mean the same sort of problem won't happen again, he added. Since Plouffe's report was written, the review duties of the commissioner's office have been absorbed into a new watchdog, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, with a broader mandate. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter Whether or not you believe in ghosts, there's no denying that a cemetery is a spooky placeespecially after dark. Some people also fear the potential of criminal activities taking place in the various hiding spots between tombstones. But despite those possible perils, it turns out buying a home near a graveyard may not be such a scary idea. America is home to more than 144,000 graveyards and cemeteries, according to Redditor and data visualization expert Joshua Stevens, who mapped out all the graveyards and cemeteries in the contiguous United States in a map titled "The Geography of the Dead." With so many cemeteries, its little surprise that many are located in bustling neighborhoods. Ive had clients who both were not wanting to be near or next to a cemetery and others who didnt mind it at all, says Samantha DeBianchi, a Realtor and founder of DeBianchi Real Estate. Considering buying a home and settling down near other people's final resting place? Here are some things to think about. Pros: Quiet neighbors, peaceful The dead are quiet folks. When you enter a cemetery, you usually get the impression of a peaceful green expanse. If youre living by a cemetery, youll have lots of 'neighbors,' but it most certainly will be quiet, says DeBianchi, who's also a host on Bravos "Million Dollar Listing Miami." But she says buyers should keep in mind that funeral processions, earth movers, visitors, and overall maintenance could create noise at times. With that said, noise can happen in any area, whether youre near a cemetery or not, says DeBianchi. Pros: Well-maintained green space with no developments nearby Cemeteries are typically well-manicured, with flowers and trees in a parklike setting. They sometimes include a pond or lake. Homeowners likely won't have to worry about developments being raised in their area. I feel that buying a home near a cemetery offers a quiet, well-maintained setting, and oftentimes cemeteries are beautifully landscaped and picturesque, says Holly Finn with the Finn Team at Coldwell Banker West Shell in Cincinnati. However, while DeBianchi says the cemeteries that are in her area are well-maintained and landscaped, thats not always the case elsewhere. When Ive traveled to different states and locations, Ive definitely seen ones that arent as aesthetically desirable, she says. Pros: Affordable housing According to research by realtor.com, the median home price in neighborhoods with a cemetery are about 12% lower than similar homes in other areas without graveyards. Thats good news for buyers looking for more affordable homes, who dont mind living next to rows of tombstones. Finn says her team doesn't have clients who specifically avoid buying near a cemetery. Most of the cemeteries in our area have a buffer between the cemetery and the house. So as long as you don't look directly out on gravestones from the house, some of our buyers may appreciate a discounted price and enjoy the quiet neighbors, Finn says. Cons: Scary Still, cemeteries just plain freak out some people (a few of whom have a full-on phobia, coimetrophobia). Fear of ghosts wandering over to haunt the home and the feeling that it's taboo to live by a cemetery can keep home buyers from considering these properties. And some buyers might not care for a concrete reminder of their mortality just across the street. The cemetery could give some people a creepy or uneasy feeling, says Finn. Cons: Contamination or pollution from cemetery One concern that may not be as obvious is the risk from toxic chemicals used to embalm bodies. The decomposition of bodies can pass through the soil and into groundwater, and studies have shown that these chemicals may cause environmental contamination and groundwater pollution over time. In the U.S., about 5.3 million gallons of embalming fluid are used every year. This fluid contains formaldehyde, a respiratory irritant and known carcinogen, according to Funeral Consumers Alliance. However, a growing number of "green" cemeteries provide natural burials that have as little impact on the earth as possible. Cons: Houses stay longer on the market A home next to a cemetery doesn't exactly offer cachet, and as a result, properties near cemeteries tend to spend more time on the market. Owning a home next to a cemetery could rule out some buyers when going to sell, which would limit your pool of potential buyers, says Finn. However, DeBianchi says it all depends on the location. Theres a beautiful cemetery in a neighborhood that I sell in that has million-dollar homes lined next to it, and the feedback from the owners is that they like the tranquility of their surroundings, says DeBianchi. The post Grave Mistake? The Truth About Buying a Home Near a Cemetery appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. While a non-starter in and of itself, perhaps Trumps plan is an opportunity after all, for Arabs and Palestinians to recast the discussion based on their own realities The deal of the century has come a long way since its first use as a throw-away campaign gambit by a US presidential candidate, or as a means to criticise and ridicule that aspirant to the White House. At last it has become an official conception under the heading The American Plan for Peace in the Middle East and the opportunity of the century, at least according to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. This now fully-fledged US project inspired former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk to write an article for Foreign Affairs with the title, Disaster in the Desert: Why Trumps Middle East Plan Cant Work. Little was known about the deal when the Indyk article appeared in the magazines 15 October edition. Analysts had to piece together official preludes, leaks here and there, and snatches of overheard conversations in order to portray either castles in the sand or looming catastrophe. As it turned out, the project in its completed form echoed many of the speculations that had been bandied about in cyberspace and fleshed them out. But Indyk, in his article, had put his finger on the crux of the US project that was unveiled in Washington on 28 January in the presence of the Israeli prime minister. Not a single Palestinian or other Arab representative was on hand. One was reminded of the Egyptian saying many decades ago regarding the negotiations to end the British occupation of Egypt: they were about George V talking with George V. Under such conditions, when there are no real negotiations, the focus turns to how the absent party will react. But before turning to that, lets begin with the following excerpt from the Indyk article. In July 2019, Jason Greenblatt, then US President Donald Trumps envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, attended a routine quarterly UN Security Council meeting about the Middle East. Providing an update on the Trump administrations thinking about the peace process, he pointedly told the surprised audience that the United States no longer respected the fiction of an international consensus on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Greenblatt went out of his way to attack not some extreme or obscure measure but UN Security Council Resolution 242, the foundation of half a century of Arab-Israeli negotiations and of every agreement Israel has achieved within them, including the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. He railed against its ambiguous wording, which has shielded Israel for decades against Arab demands for a full withdrawal from occupied territory, as tired rhetoric designed to prevent progress and bypass direct negotiations and claimed that it had hurt rather than helped the chances for real peace in the region. The indignation was calculated. Guided by his boss Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser on the Middle East, Greenblatt was trying to change the conversation, to start a new, realistic discussion of the subject. UN resolutions, international law, global consensus all that was irrelevant. From now on, Washington would no longer advocate a two-state solution to the conflict, with independent Jewish and Palestinian states living alongside each other in peace and security. Greenblatts presentation was part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to break with the past and create a new Middle Eastern order. To please a president who likes simple, cost-free answers, the administrations strategists appear to have come up with a clever plan. In sum, the plan took everything the Arab-Israel peace process has been based on since Resolution 242 and tossed it in the dustbin of history. This includes its subsequent interpretations in the Egyptian-Israeli peace talks in Camp David in 1978, the Madrid Peace Conference and even the Oslo Accords, the outcome of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis, and that seemed an extension of the UN partition resolution of 1947, albeit modified to take into account changes resulting from subsequent Arab-Israeli wars. Now, according to the plan, the present and the future are to be based on new foundations. A new adversary is to supersede the old Arab-Israeli enmity. It is Iran that is wreaking havoc in the region. No Arab country, including Palestine, has been spared the effects of Islamist radicalism, its terrorist manifestations and their consequences in the form of refugees fleeing violence and civil warfare. The Trump plan, or deal, proceeds from the premise that the Palestinian-Israeli question should be placed in perspective amidst everything that has happened in the region during the past two decades, including chapters that have surpassed the Arab Spring in violence, war and revolution. The Palestinian reaction was anticipatable: burning flags and photos. The deal gave the Palestinians another four years of waiting after which the time will come to talk again, taking into account the interests accumulated over time. The Arab anger at the deal is understandable. Even in the US and in Israel a large body opinion believes that it puts peace on hold, giving violence and radicalism more time to reap the fruits of trading in the Palestinian cause. The American presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, stressed that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is about a land and a people under occupation and that the Trump plan does nothing to address this. Elizabeth Warren, another Democratic presidential candidate, recalled the two-state solution and relevant laws and resolutions. The rest of the Washington community in the liberal and resolutely anti-Trump think tanks together with the EU made similar comments. None of them are US presidents. Nor do any of them possess the key to the basic law of the Arab-Israeli conflict, namely creating de facto realities. Unfortunately, Israel has succeeded in creating many of these: a society, a state, a culture, a robust economy based on advanced technology. Recently, Israel has also become a petroleum country by dint of offshore fields of natural gas and who knows? may be oil as well. The only de facto reality that the Arabs can claim is that the Palestinians are still present on the land. There are more than six million of them, including 1.7 million Palestinians inside what used to be known as the Green Line. How should the Arabs handle the US peace plan, or the Trump deal, which has departed so radically from the terms and principles that have been accepted for decades? We could do as before: reject it and threaten intifada or even revolutionary action. The pros and cons of this would have to be carefully weighed. Of course, it is also the reaction the Israelis and international community expect. Alternatively, we could think about how to take advantage of the one Arab de facto reality the continued Palestinian presence in Palestine and incorporate that in a counter proposal. Simply put, we should not behave as the Israelis, or more precisely, the Israeli and US right, expect us to. We have a choice. Either we can look at the US administrations deal as the end of the world or we can see it as a new beginning for the creation of realities on the ground, realities that favour Palestinians. Ultimately, what we have is just a list of points for negotiation and for exploring avenues to a genuine peace for the Arabs and for the Israelis, too. The writer is chairman of the board, CEO and director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The prosecutor's office of Moscow's Western district has apologized to Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov for his illegal prosecution, in a case that has embarrassed the city's police department. "The prosecutor's office of the Western administrative district of Moscow has sent journalist Ivan Golunov an official apology in connection with his unreasonable criminal prosecution," the office said in a statement on February 5. The 37-year-old Golunov, who works for the Latvia-based online news outlet Meduza, was arrested in June last year in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs. The charges were later dropped and police officers involved in his arrest were themselves arrested last week. In late January, Golunov filed a complaint with newly appointed Prosecutor-General Igor Krasnov saying that nobody had apologized for his wrongful arrest last year. Golunov's lawyer, Sergei Badamshin, said on February 4 that the Prosecutor-General's Office had refused to apologize directly to his client and ordered a lower entity to do so. Interfax quoted Golunov as saying on February 5 that he had not received any apology over the case. I havent received anything yet. But its rather strange that the press service first sends a press release. They could call and spend three minutes talking with me and then send out a press release," Golunov told Interfax. On January 30, a Moscow court said that five former officers of the Moscow drug enforcement unit who arrested Golunov were placed in pretrial detention after they were charged with abuse of service duties, falsification of evidence, and the illegal handling of drugs. Golunov's arrest last year sparked a public outcry. Moscow authorities released him and launched an investigation into his detainment over the charges and also into why Golunov suffered bruises, cuts, a concussion, and a broken rib during the ordeal. In mid-July, three police officers and their supervisor were fired for violating Golunov's rights while detaining him. After Golunovs release, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin, the head of the Moscow police department's drug control directorate, and Major General Andrei Puchkov, the police chief in Moscow's West administrative region, over the case. Authorities announced in November that the case had been classified, a decision harshly criticized by Golunov's lawyers, who called the move an attempt to cover up the "wrongful arrest" of their client. With reporting by Interfax and RIA Novosti Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. At A Glance For yet another budget cycle, the state public library system would remain at a flat-level funding of $59.5 million under Gov. Tom Wolfs proposed 2020-21 state budget. Funding would remain unchanged for library services for the visually impaired ($2.5 million) and library access ($3 million). The only bump in funding would be directed to the Commonwealth Library, although that slight increase - of about $155,000 - would defray the cost of construction and not operational costs. The State Library would receive $2.4 million in funding this year. What It Means The proposed funding level would mean unfavorable news for the public library system, which has yet to recover from a 30 percent funding cut in recent years. In 2001, for instance, libraries received $75.5 million in state funding. It is disappointing that the governor did not encourage education through libraries but we know this is not the end of the budget cycle, said Pennsylvania Library Association executive director Christi Buker. Libraries continue to provide huge returns on investment to our communities. In spite of last years flat funding, the system was able to realize the restoration of $5 million in funding from the General Assembly. Buker said the public library system would once again turn to the Legislature for more funding. Library funding continues to struggle at the local level as well, as municipalities - rural, urban and suburban - struggle to meet the needs of library services because of funding cuts. State funding for the public library system helps defray the cost of basic operations of Pennsylvanias more than 600 local public libraries. Public libraries see more than 39 million visitors a year. Funding also supports public access to four major research libraries: the State Library of Pennsylvania, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the libraries of The Pennsylvania State University. Verdict Loser. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. LOS ANGELESPorn superstar Riley Reid now peers down at Los Angelenos from a bright yellow billboard near the corner of Hillhurst Avenue and Los Feliz Boulevard just east of Hollywood, in a clever, high-concept advert promoting her newly relaunched official website ReidMyLips.com. "Reid Everyday" the billboard proclaims beside a picture of a bespectacled Reid looking up from a book. An identical billboard is slated to go up next week on Melrose Avenue. "I'm just trying to grow my brand," Reid told AVN. "I relaunched my website so it's a better platform now, and I'm trying to get all the publicity about it I can!" Explaining that the site's new design was fostered by a partnership with website management developer Elevated X, Reid said she enountered no roadblocks putting up the high-profile ads, despite the explicit nature of the online destination they promulgate. "No problems at all," she attested. "I mean, we just tried to avoid it being too hyper-sexual. I wanted it to draw attention to an array of audiences." A lot of planning went into this minimalist approach, Reid related. "I have been working on putting a billboard together for quite a few months," she said, "even before Evil Angel did their billboard." She was referring by the latter to the five-screen digital billboard Evil Angel commissioned in New York City's Times Square last October in promotion of Reid's blowout star showcase I Am Riley, which went on to walk away from the 2020 AVN Awards with trophies for Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene and Best Double-Penetration Sex Scene. "I was afraid that maybe Evil would think that I was trying to copy them or something," Reid continued. "I had been wanting to do a billboard for a while because I felt like it would be a helpful way to signify the adult industry growing further beyond just the internet. I wanted to help bring porn back to how it used to be. Showcasing myself and my website in the form of a billboard I thought would help bring a sense of attention that has been lacking in the adult industry." She further noted, "I thought that if I can showcase myself and my website in a way that captures attention without being sexually provocative, it would have the ability to reach the greater audience. So I decided to use one of my favorite images of myself that isn't hyper-sexualized, which is me reading a book that is actually the Holy Bible. Though you cannot tell it's the Holy Bible from the photo, I know it is. And I thought with the play on words that I use within my website, to do so as well on the billboard and say "Reid every day," [it would] signify a positive influence of reading, which I think is great for the human mind, and not enough of us actually read books. But also a cute play on words with using myself as Riley Reid and consuming a little bit of Riley Reid every day." Reid said that the billboard company was "more than willing to work with me. They were excited and were extremely helful with creating the billboard with me and for me. And in fact Evil Angel was kind enough to allow me to use the artist that they used for their billboard to make sure that mine was up to par. I'm very excited to see the turnaround. I've had multiple fans as well as friends sending me videos of the billboard." She added that the response she's aiming to elicit is "for people to see it as a billboard of maybe fashion or a billboard of a person who is positively encouraging you without you realizing it is sexually driven." Check out Riley Reid's revamped site at ReidMyLips.com. - Kenya's second president Daniel Arap Moi, who was commonly referred to simply as Mzee Moi, passed away on February 4, 2020 at 95 - South Africa's iconic and widely celebrated former president Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013 at the same age as the ex-Kenyan leader - Zimbabwe's longest-serving head of state Robert Mugabe took his last breath on September 6, 2019 also at 95 Kenyans on Tuesday, February 4, woke up to the sad news of the death of retired president Daniel Arap Moi who passed on at the age of 95. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced his death on the morning of Tuesday, February 4, in a presidential proclamation. READ ALSO: Usiyoyafahamu kuhusu Fimbo ya Nyayo na marehemu Mzee Moi President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the death of former president Moi in a presidential proclamation. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Daniel Moi's little known daughters who stayed away from limelight However, the coincidence of three retired African heads of state kicking the bucket in their 95th year of age has become a noticeable pattern. From Zimbabwe's long-serving first president Robert Mugabe to the iconic and endeared South Africa's first president Nelson Mandela, here are the three head of states that met their death five years shy of clocking a century. 1. Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013) South Africa's first president Nelson Mandela was an endeared figure not only in his home country but also in the whole world. His great legacy of fighting apartheid during the struggle for independence in his native country garnered him international honour and recognition. He died in December 2013 and his funeral was graced by former US president Barack Obama. Nelson Mandela is remembered for his against apartheid during the fight for independence in South Africa. Photo: BBC. Source: UGC 2. Robert Mugabe ( 1924 - 2019) Zimbabwe's long-serving head of state Robert Mugabe was in everybody's lips due to his reluctance to relinquish power. He was ousted from power in a military coup after ruling for 37 years. Mugabe died later in 2019 aged 95. Robert Mugabe ruled for 37 years and he was reluctant to relinquish power. Photo:UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: 50s hairstyles: Easy ideas for long and short hair 3. Daniel Arap Moi (1924 - 2020) Kenya's second president Daniel Moi is the latest member in this club of presidents who died at 95. Moi rose to power after Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died in 1978 and he had prior served in different capacities including as vice president. He ruled with an iron fist for 24 years after which he retired from active politics in 2002. Moi died on Tuesday, February 4. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My mother's prayers changed my life - Joseph Abwao | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Speaking to Congress, the US president claims victory in the trade war with China, but an overall deal with Beijing remains elusive. Washington continues to oppose Huawei, is sending its warships into waters claimed by China, and plans to deploy hypersonic missiles to Japan. Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) In his State of the Union address to Congress yesterday, US President Donald Trump praised the recent trade deal with Beijing, noting that we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China. The deal is the first stage of negotiations meant to end the ongoing trade war between the two superpowers. For Trump, the agreement resets power relations between his country and the Chinese juggernaut, which he has accused of harming US workers with unfair trade practices, as well as stealing intellectual property from US firms, especially in the technological sector. The US president is expected to use his "victory" in the trade war with China to bolster his re-election campaign. The second phase of talks with China will be uphill however as the coronavirus outbreak could negatively affect trade between the two countries. Washington's growing military presence in the disputed waters of the South China Sea could also adversely affect relations between the two rivals. The Trump administrations opposition to 5G technology from the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, and sales to China by US high tech companies of products deemed sensitive in terms of national security are the main obstacles to an overall deal with Beijing. According to press reports, the US president will meet on 28 February with officials from government agencies to examine further limitations on Huawei's activities. The Trump administration has harshly criticised the European Union and Great Britain for allowing the use, albeit limited, of Huawei technology in building their 5G internet networks. Meanwhile, the cold war between China and the United States continues in the South China Sea, where Beijings territorial claims over certain areas are challenged by other countries, most notably Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei. For years, the US Navy has exercised the right of passage near a number of coral islands and reefs that China has turned into logistical and military outposts. The US goal is to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in waters claimed by China. According to information released today by the US Pacific Fleet, US warships sailed near the Paracel and Spratly islands seven times in 2019, five times in 2018, six in 2017, three in 2016 and two in 2015. US naval operations also extend to the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea, two other areas of high geopolitical tensions involving China. The United States is the guarantor of both the defence of Taiwan, which mainland China considers a rebel province, and Japan, which administers the Senkaku islands, claimed by China. On 10 January, US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said that the US could deploy new hypersonic missiles capable of flying at Mach 5 (more than 6,000 km/h) on the Senkakus and other islands in Southern Japan. Candidates streamed into New Hampshire early Tuesday morning to begin a frantic week of campaigning before the first votes in the country are cast in next weeks primary. Supporters for the various candidates gathered outside Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to welcome them to New Hampshire. The candidates made the move to the Granite State despite not having any results from the caucuses in Iowa, where officials had an issue reporting verified numbers. Final results are expected to be announced Tuesday. Nearly all of the candidates are slated to be in New Hampshire for the next week straight. Former Vice President Joe Biden, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren were among the candidates seen arriving overnight. We know that we did incredibly well. We won a bunch of precincts and delegates at places we didnt expect to win, and so were feeling good, Klobuchar said. (Im) even more excited to be here in New Hampshire, where our campaign has a ton of momentum, and were going to storm the state all week long, Yang said. Its good to be in New Hampshire. Our organizers are now leaving Iowa and going to the other places around the country where we are, Warren said. Former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg picked up a key endorsement from Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess ahead of his Tuesday morning arrival in the state. Candidates including Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is expected to have finished well in Iowa, and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer are also expected in the state Tuesday. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Sen. Michael Bennet campaigned in New Hampshire on Monday during Caucus Night in Iowa, choosing instead to focus their efforts on the state with the first-in-the-nation primary. The CEO of a company whose app wreaked havoc on the Iowa caucuses has apologized for the disaster that kicked off Democratic presidential primary. 'I'm really disappointed that some of our technology created an issue that made the caucus difficult,' said Gerard Niemira, the CEO and chairman Shadow Inc, in an interview on Tuesday with Bloomberg. 'We feel really terrible about that,' said Niemira, a former staffer with Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday night, the Iowa caucuses descended into chaos when there were widespread failures in the ability of local precincts to transmit their results to the state party using the Shadow app. 'We feel really terrible,' said Gerard Niemira, a former staffer with Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign who is CEO of political technology company Shadow A precinct chair shows photographers the app that was used for caucus results reporting on his phone after he unsuccessfully attempted to drop off a caucus results packet Precinct captains were forced to call the state party, flooding the hotline and delaying the process further. As of Wednesday, the full results of the caucuses had yet to be reported. With 71 percent of precincts reporting, Pete Buttigeig maintained a narrow lead ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders. Niemira insists that the problem was not with his company's app, but with the way that it transmitted data to the state party. 'The app was sound and good,' Niemira said. 'All the data that was produced by calculations performed by the app was correct. It did the job it was supposed to do, which is help precinct chairs in the field do the math correctly.' 'The problem was caused by a bug in the code that transmits results data into the state party's data warehouse,' he said. That transmission bug 'had catastrophic impact,' Niemira added. Your browser does not support iframes. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to the media after boarding the plane at the Des Moines International Airport on Tuesday Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg greets supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire the morning after the flawed Iowa caucus Niemira echoed state party officials in insisting that there was no foul play suspected in the breakdown. 'There's no evidence whatsoever that there was any kind of hack or intrusion,' he said. Adding to the chaos, it appears that many local party officials had difficulty logging into the app, which had to be downloaded through a secondary app and had multiple layers of security. The Iowa Democratic Party didn't roll the app out to its 1,678 caucus locations until a few hours before the meetings began Monday night. Party officials had said they would not be sending the new mobile app to precinct chairs for downloading until just before the caucuses to narrow the window for any interference, and there wasn't widespread pretesting by volunteers running the caucus sites. Niemira insisted that there was an ample testing window before the cacuses began. Chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party Troy Price is surrounded by reporters after speaking about the technical issues that delayed the Iowa Democratic caucuses results 'We'd had people using this app for weeks,' Niemira said. 'It had a 'sandbox' mode to practice with. What we were seeing early on caucus day was people having difficulty logging in for the first time.' Shadow built the app specifically for the Iowa caucuses, and had another in the works for Nevada's upcoming caucuses. The Nevada Democratic Party said on Tuesday it no longer planned to use Shadows technology. Shadow was created in January last year after data and messaging service Groundbase was acquired by Democrat non-profit ACRONYM. In addition to Niemira, Shadow's product manager Ahna Rao and COO James Hickey all worked on the Hillary for America campaign, which was defeated by Donald Trump in 2016. GOVERNMENT has authorised the long-awaited import tariffs to be imposed on all poultry product imports in a move to stabilise the local industry and plug the R6.5 billion annual loss the country is experiencing due to these imports. The introduction of the tariffs is one of the main requirements of the poultry sector master plan announced by government late last year to protect the local industry from being flooded with cheap imports from foreign countries, particularly from Brazil and the US. Various poultry industry stakeholders confirmed to City Press this week that Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel authorised the tariffs late last year and they were with Treasury for finalisation and publication in the Government Gazette. The department was unable to comment as spokesperson Sidwell Medupe is on leave. Department Poultry industry sources told City Press that the department was keeping mum on the matter because it did not want its thunder to be stolen. Sources said the announcement would most likely be made next month during the state of the nation address, when more details would be disclosed. Izaak Breitenbach, the general manager of the SA Poultry Association (Sapa), said: The import tariffs were signed by Minister Patel on November 8 and they are now with Treasury. The earliest we will know about the exact details of the tariff regime is when they are published in the Government Gazette. Yes, it is taking long and I have asked for it to be fast-tracked. We are working well with the minister (Patel). We are waiting for the department to give us a date for our first review meeting in February. It is at that meeting when a body to oversee the execution of the master plan will be announced. We are in contact with the ministers office, said Breitenbach. Land A spokesperson for the agrarian land reform and rural development department, which was heavily involved in the formulation of the master plan, confirmed that import tariffs had been authorised and were now with Treasury, but it declined to give more details. Breitenbach said Sapa did not know the exact details of the tariff regime, how it would be implemented and when it would become effective. But, he said, as far as Sapa was concerned, it had completed all the deliverables the master plan needed. One of these was committing R1.5 billion to boost the poultry industry. He said two companies, which he could not mention yet as a big announcement will be made soon, had already made investments in abattoirs and chicken processing plants, and in expanding their production lines. We will be making this announcement next month, he said. Production volumes in the industry are increasing in line with what exists in the master plan. This will not only help the poultry industry, but also the total grain value chain as feed consumption will increase in line with poultry production. The industry consumes 40 per cent of the total maize crop and almost all of the soya bean production, so this will be an important stimulus for the growth of the agricultural sector, Breitenbach said. The poultry industry value chain employs 110 000 people, equivalent to the number of people employed in the automotive industry. FairPlay, a non-profit organisation that advocates the end of predatory trade practices between countries so that big and small nations play by the same rules, confirmed to City Press that the import tariffs had been authorised and were now awaiting gazetting by Treasury. Happy However, the organisation was not happy with the slow pace at which government was moving because cheap poultry products continue to be dumped in South Africa. Francois Baird, the founder of FairPlay, said: The bureaucratic red tape is slowing down the process. This is the first step (tariffs) towards securing industry protection. The flood of imports continues, with tons of chicken dumped from Brazil and elsewhere in our market, affecting local livelihoods and job opportunities. We trust Treasury will gazette the tariffs so that the local poultry industry is protected. Last year, about 566 000 tonnes of poultry imports entered the country. About 518 000 tons of poultry products are dumped in South Africa every year. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The first batch of Filipinos to be repatriated from China where there is the highest number of novel coronavirus deaths and cases is set to arrive in the country on Saturday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday. He said that the details of bringing home Filipinos from China amid the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak were discussed during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday night. Panelo said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reported that the initial batch of returnees will arrive at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. They will then be transported to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to keep them away from the general public. Those coming from areas with cases of 2019-nCoV are subjected to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Forty-two Filipinos in China have expressed their desire to come home. They will be housed in the unused portion of the drug rehabilitation center inside the Army's Fort Magsaysay, which can accommodate 10,000 people. Duque will be flying to the site on Wednesday to properly anticipate the needs of the people who will be brought there. "The tentative plan is for them to be flown in to Clark and using of course a chartered flight. They will be transported to the Fort, but I don't know if there would be intermediate or station in between that. We are finetuning the plan," Duque told CNN Philippines. Congress members along with other Opp. parties walked out of the House. New Delhi: Where is Farooq Abdullah? Why is he being prevented from performing his duties as a MP? questioned Opposition parties as they staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha to protest Mr Abdullahs detention in the wake of the abrogation of article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir last August. Mr Abdullah and his son Omar both former chief ministers of J&K; and PDP leader and also former CM Mehbooba Mufti are among several political leaders kept under detention under the stringent Public Safety Act in J&K to prevent them from speaking to the public. Three former chief ministers including Farooq Abdullah are languishing in jails for the past six months. They have been put behind bars without giving any proper reason. He has been illegally detained, said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdh-ury while demanding the release of Mr Abdullah during zero hour. Another Congress member Kodikunnil Suresh also raised the matter but was cut short by speaker Om Birla following which, the Congress and other Opposition members entered the well of the house and started raising slogans of Save the Constitution. It is the responsibility of the government and the house to ensure his welfare and also that he exercises his right as an elected representative, Mr Suresh said even as Congress and other Opposition members walked out of the house in protest. Trinamul Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, while raising the issue of the detention of Mr Abdullah, said that the same was also raised during all-party meetings and business advisory committee meetings. I would request the government to intimate this house at least about his health condition, Mr Bandopadhyay said. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted saying, Its been six months since two ex-chief ministers have been incarcerated without any charges and millions of people were locked down in J&K. Six months ago, we were asking how long this will carry on? Now we are asking whether we are still a democracy or not. CLEVELAND, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) ("the Company"), a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, announced the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Alliance Insurance Services, Inc., ("AIS") of Washington, DC, effective February 1, 2020. With roots dating back to 1986, AIS is an independent insurance agency providing property and casualty insurance as well as personal lines to small and midsized clients across many industries including charter schools, real estate, construction, and technology in the DC metro area. AIS has nine employees and approximately $1.6 million in annual revenue. Jerry Grisko, President and CEO of CBIZ, stated, "Coming off another strong year in 2019 for our Property and Casualty Insurance business, the acquisition of AIS adds important talent to our position in the growing DC metro and Maryland markets. We are fortunate that AIS shares our commitment to exceptional client service and look forward to welcoming them to CBIZ." Ken Daveler of AIS, stated, "Joining the CBIZ family is a natural fit because our core value of providing professional service with a personal touch aligns with CBIZ's approach and culture. We are excited to take our clients' experience to the next level by offering them access to a broader range of services backed by CBIZ's national expertise." About CBIZ CBIZ, Inc. is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 Company offices in 32 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com. SOURCE CBIZ, Inc. Related Links http://www.cbiz.com A mother who was charged with murdering her young daughter and two sons who were found dead in their home in Dublin, was unable to attend a court hearing today. The bodies of Conor (9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3) McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court in Newcastle just before 8pm on January 24 last. Deirdre Morley, their mother, was remanded in custody last week, with an order that she would receive a psychiatric assessment while in prison after she was charged with three counts of murder. Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the childrens bodies were discovered. She was treated for a number of days afterwards at Tallaght University Hospital. The childrens father Andrew McGinley arrived home at the same time that gardai and paramedics reached the house. When they went inside, they found the three children dead. Ms Morley, 43, a nurse at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin, was due to appear again before Judge Ann Ryan at Dublin District Court today. A sick note was produced by the Prison Service and furnished to the court. Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy said he was aware and there was consent to a four-week adjournment. Judge Ryan consented to a defence application to request continuing medical and psychiatric assessment as deemed appropriate. Mr Dunphy said there was an issue in relation to her fitness to face court. Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions were not yet available. She was further remanded in custody in her absence to appear again at the same court on March 4. She made no reply in response to each of the charges and was handed a copy of charge, Detective Sergeant Kenny had said at Ms Morleys first hearing on January 29, five days after the death of her children. The court had at that stage acceded to solicitors request to recommend continuing psychiatric assessment and assistance for the accused in custody. Close to 1,000 people were at the Church of the Holy Family in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, last Friday for the funeral service of Conor, Darragh and Carla. The district court cannot grant bail in a murder case Their father Andrew McGinley delivered a eulogy to a packed church filled with friends and supporters of the McGinley and Morley families last Friday. SALEM Critics of Oregon House Democrats plan to delay limits on political contribution until July 2021 and appoint a task force to draft new caps said during a committee hearing Tuesday that at least half of the people lawmakers might tap to suggest reforms would have a vested interest in keeping money flowing in Oregon politics. Rebecca Gladstone, president of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, pointed out more than half the task force members, including representatives of political parties and political nonprofits, would have financial interests in proposing less restrictive contribution limits. Dan Meek, a lawyer who wrote the 2006 voter-approved contribution limits at issue, agreed. I would say 11 of the 17 members of the task force have a financial interest in large contributions, Meek said. At the same time, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregons vice president for legal affairs, Katherine McDowell, said the proposal would balance the publics right to express itself free of government censure and the right to participate in fair and free elections. The group has in the past argued that any constraints on political money are akin to restrictions on free speech. Oregon effectively has no limits on political donations, thanks to repeated court rulings that struck down or suspended them. This includes the ballot initiative voters approved in 2006, Measure 47. However, the Oregon Supreme Court could soon hand down a ruling in a case on Multnomah Countys voter-approved campaign finance limits. If the justices determine that such limits are constitutional, that would likely bring back the statewide donation caps, too. The chief sponsor of House Bill 4124, Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, and other lawmakers are concerned that implementing the limits in the middle of a general election cycle could lead to chaos and unfairly benefit candidates who began fundraising before any caps were in effect. There are some people who are fearful the legislature will continue to push (Measure 47) out, you know, in perpetuity, Rayfield said Tuesday. I think those fears have caused folks to not want this bill to pass, frankly. However, Rayfield said he believes on balance it would be better to make sure any Oregon campaign limits are constitutional and avoid a chaotic 2020 election cycle. I would not want to be (Republican Secretary of State Bev Clarno) making what would be perceived as a political decision in an election cycle, Rayfield said, referring to a decision the secretary of state might have to make regarding whether some portions of Measure 47 would violate the U.S. Constitution. The lengthy and detailed measure calls for any unconstitutional portions to not be implemented, while allowing the rest of the measure to take effect, Meek said. Implementing real limits, I think, will always be considered chaotic by the folks who are subject to those limits and I dont believe Measure 47 will require rulemaking by the secretary of state because the measure itself is extremely specific, Meek said. Its 20 single-spaced, small print pages. Separately, Oregon voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to allow campaign contribution limits. But lawmakers wrote that amendment so it would not allow the 2006 voter-approved statewide limits, only limits enacted more recently. Thus, only donation caps passed in Portland and Multnomah County and future statewide campaign contribution limits would be allowed under the proposed amendment. Rayfield said that when lawmakers were discussing last year whether to adopt new contribution limits, something they did not do, the secretary of state requested several years to implement money caps. Andrea Chiapella, legislative director for the secretary of states office, said on Tuesday that Clarno and others in the office do not plan to take a position on Rayfields bill to create the task force and delay Measure 47. We werent planning on weighing in at all," Chiapella said, although she added staff are open to meeting with Rayfield to provide technical expertise. The House Committee on Rules has not yet scheduled a work session to potentially amend the bill, which it must do by Feb. 13 in order to keep the bill alive. As long as the task force remains part of the proposal, it would cost a non-trivial amount of money and thus have to pass through the Ways and Means committee, which would keep it alive in the face of deadlines later in the 35-day session. Rayfield said some people are interested in using a less formal structure to draft new contribution limits a work group which would obviate the need for the bill to go through the budget committee. Rayfields proposal to increase public officials disclosure of their financial interests also came up for a hearing Tuesday morning, where it received strong criticism from Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby. I think it ruffled some feathers, Rayfield said later in the day, which left him thinking about whether this is the right session to be ruffling feathers with a bill like this. House Bill 4123 would require public officials, from county planning commissioners to the governor, to disclose any businesses they are involved with that might have dealings with or a business interest the policies of the government where that public official is serving. At a time when we have a lack of public trust in government, I believe that curbing that activity will increase trust in our campaign finance system and in public officials, Rayfield said. Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, attends the first day of the short legislative session at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP)AP Drazan fired back that Oregons part-time lawmakers typically hold other jobs in order to pay their bills so it might be simpler to forbid that outside work. That seems like that would be a lot more straightforward than asking people who are choosing public service to open up their families books and every part of their private lives because theres some level of suspicion, Drazan said. She suggested lawmakers can do other things to increase government transparency, such as make Oregons public records advocate independence from the governors office. There is a bill to do that Senate Bill 1506. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing and although a few lawmakers took the steps necessary to introduce it this session, no lawmaker has publicly pledged to champion it. Scott Morrison's office has refused to say how much his controversial holiday to Hawaii cost the taxpayer. The Prime Minister jetted off to the US state in mid-December with his wife and two daughters when the bushfire crisis was at its height. He paid for his holiday personally - but was accompanied by security guards whose flights and accommodation were paid for by the taxpayer. The Prime Minister (centre in blue) jetted off to the US state in mid-December with his wife and two daughters when the bushfire crisis was at its height It is standard practice for the Prime Minister to be accompanied by guards on holiday. The New Daily news website submitted a Freedom of Information request to ask how much it cost for his guards to go with him overseas. Officials said they had two documents containing the details but refused to release them, claiming doing so would jeopardise Australia's security. Brendan MacDowell, First Assistant Secretary in the Ministerial Support Division, said in a statement: 'I am satisfied that disclosure of material contained within Documents 1 and 2 would, or could be reasonably expected to, cause damage to Australia's security if it were disclosed.' Freedom of Information requests to the government can be denied if disclosing the information could jeopardise security or international relations. Mr Morrison was slammed for taking leave as intense blazes burned across the country but defended his family holiday, saying it was booked before the crisis. Mr Morrison with his wife Jenny in Hawaii. He flew home early while she stayed with the children When he flew home early, he said: 'I deeply regret any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time. Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese did not criticise the holiday itself but slammed Mr Morrison's behaviour. He said: 'I find it quite extraordinary that the usual protocols of the prime minister saying he is going on leave, how long he would go for and who would be acting in his absence have not been followed and, indeed, media inquiries were met with misinformation, at best.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister's office for comment. Sypha Belnades, Trevor Belmont, and Alucard (L-R) in a still from 'Castlevania' Season 1 Season 3 of vampire saga "Castlevania," based on the video game franchise of the same name, will debut March 5, 2020. After a four-episode miniseries debut in 2017 and a fuller eight-episode second season in 2018, "Castlevania" will be unfurling another ten episodes this March. Set in 15th century Romania, seasons one and two had followed the intertwining fates of castle-dwelling vampire lord Vlad Dracula Tepes, his half-vampire son Adrian (who sides with humanity) and monster hunter Trevor Belmont. Political, religious, social and personal limitations came into play as the three leads and their companions struggle for the future of their country and, implicitly, the world. Though not wholly perfect, the potential of "Castlevania"'s half-length first season was more gratifyingly explored in its second outing a year later, retaining its flair for stylish and dynamic battle sequences. Both seasons were inspired by 1989 video game "Castlevania III," a prequel to the long-lasting franchise's first two core games, which featured Trevor's descendant Simon in a similar vampire-hunting role. Predominantly taking the form of a two dimensional, side-scrolling action franchise, 1997 series entry "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" had an outsized influence on video gaming, especially in conjunction with 1994's "Super Metroid," thanks in part to the twin concepts of player freedom and creator direction. Both built on the open world adventuring of the original "Legend of Zelda" and its sequels. Though the "Castlevania" games adopted a 3D format for the 2010-14 "Lords of Shadow" subseries, the franchise's 2D approach was a potent inspiration for a tranche of more recent releases such as "Shovel Knight" (2014), "Hollow Knight" (2017), "Dead Cells" (2018) and, from "Castlevania" series producer Koji Igarashi, "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" (2019). Story continues The franchise as a whole was itself, of course, inspired by Bram Stoker's classic of gothic horror literature, "Dracula." Netflix distributed a 2020 interpretation of the story, a live action three-parter developed by "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" pairing Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, at the turn of the year. Its "Castlevania" announcement came the same day that Disney+ outlined an October debut for its second season of "Star Wars" spin-off "The Mandalorian." Irish people in coronavirus-hit China, who were advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday to leave unless their presence in the country was essential, face a scramble to get out on increasingly scarce airline flights. The message, posted on the department's website which is still confusingly dated "January", says it "advises citizens to contact their travel agency or airlines regarding available routes out before any further restrictions may be imposed". However, Irish people who have family, jobs and home obligations are expected to stay in China despite the lockdown of many areas and the infection of more than 20,000 with the virus and a death toll of 427. For those who want to leave, flying out of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, is impossible. A department spokesman did not respond to queries on whether it will help with repatriation. Airlines around the world are reducing or stopping their services to China. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic recently grounded their flights due to the outbreak. Several other airlines are continuing to operate flights, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, and Shenzhen Airlines. Those which have reduced their services are Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, LOT Polish Airlines and Philippines Airlines. Three Irish nationals travelled on a British rescue flight last week organised by the RAF to take over 100 people to the England from Wuhan. Meanwhile, Irish GPs have been told that patients and practice team members should not be alarmed as it is still more likely that anyone with flu-like symptoms will have the flu rather than the coronavirus. Isolation "The most important thing is that any patient who thinks they may have symptoms should not try to attend the GP surgery, out-of-hours service or hospital emergency departments in person," according to the Irish College of General Practitioners. Patients are being advised to first ring ahead to inform the receptionist if they have recently travelled to Wuhan, before a decision is taken by the GP or emergency department as to where the patient will be seen. If a patient arrives at a GP surgery with potential symptoms and recently travelled to an affected area, the GP should try to place them in isolation, where possible. "We recommend having a notice at reception with alcohol rub and surgical masks available," it added. The National Public Health Emergency Team met yesterday afternoon in the Department of Health, to review the available international data and guidance regarding the outbreak. It claimed that Ireland is well positioned to detect and respond to a case of the virus that might arise here. As of last night, there were no confirmed cases in Ireland. An Expert Advisory Group has been established. It will function as an expert sub-group, that will provide advice to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHE), the HSE and others. The NPHE will meet again next Tuesday. Advertisement Hundreds of Australians are trapped on a 'floating prison' cruise ship with rations being delivered to their rooms after 20 travellers tested positive for coronavirus. The Diamond Princess ship carrying 2,655 people is anchored off Yokohama, Japan where 20 infected patients, including two Australians, have been rushed to hospital for treatment. The other passengers have been told to stay in their cabins and are not allowed off the ship for up to two weeks amid fears of mass contagion. Among them are 233 Australians, including Olivia Capodicasa, from Melbourne, who was on the final night of her cruise with her grandmother when the ship was locked down. She described the conditions as being like 'hell' and said she had been watching movies to pass the time. 'It has been a hell of a 24 hours stuck in here', she told Sunrise on Thursday morning. 'I think it is really starting to hit me now that this is the reality and I'm not going home anytime soon'. A look inside the ship where 10 people have been quarantined. Screening began on Tuesday for some 2,655 passengers and crew Cruise ship Diamond Princess (pictured on Wednesday) is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, after 20 tested positive for coronavirus Miss Capodicasa said the passengers' only contact with officials has been through the captain who has made announcements to all the rooms. She said they have been asked to fill out forms if they need medication. Also on board are Cairns couple Paul and Jacqui Fidrmuc who said they were holding up OK. The pair told the Nine Network the ship was eerily quiet on Thursday. 'We are just kind of sitting tight really,' Mrs Fidrmuc said. 'It's a little bit daunting. But look, we can't do anything... We are good strong healthy people and we've got good immune systems and fingers crossed that ... we can fight it off.' Olivia Capodicasa (pictured) was on the final night of her cruise with her grandmother when the ship was locked down Cairns couple Paul and Jacqui Fidrmuc (pictured) said they were holding up OK as they were quarantined in their rooms Brisbane couple Karen and John Welch (pictured) said they had not heard anything about when they can leave Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port on Wednesday Brisbane couple Karen and John Welch said they had not heard anything about when they can leave. 'We have not heard a thing. I wish they would get on to the job. They need to get us off this ship,' Mr Welch told the Today show on Friday morning. It's like a floating prison British passenger David Abel He said they were keeping in touch with other Aussies on the ship by phone because they are not allowed out of their rooms. 'I have spoken to quite a few Australians on the phone here. We keep in contact. No-one's heard anything,' he said. Ten of the infected people - two Australians, one American, three guests from Hong Kong, two from Japan and one Filipino crew member - were taken ashore by the Japanese coast guard and sent to nearby hospitals on Wednesday. A further ten patients tested positive on Thursday. More than 200 others were anxiously awaiting their test results after they were selected for extra screening and medics in hazmat suits went deck-to-deck to test for the killer virus. Passengers were given rations including yoghurt, fruit and bread as well as juice and hot drinks for breakfast this morning Other passengers have shared pictures of their food, including bread rolls with cheese and meat and plates of chicken with rice, as staff in face masks delivered supplies on board the ship One cabin aboard the Diamond Princess had a note posted on the door with a request for English Breakfast teabags Menus (above) have been handed out to passengers who are not allowed to leave their rooms for up to 14 days. They were told to leave the menu in their mailbox for a masked worker to collect it and later deliver the food This image shows a medical form given to passengers on the cruise ship who need more medicines while in quarantine On Wednesday the ship left Yokohama harbour and returned to the open sea to collect seawater - which can be converted for use in showers and drinking water. British passenger David Abel described how luxury dinners had been replaced with rationed food delivered by staff in face masks. He said: 'It's just an extended two-week cruise, but it's not going to be a luxury cruise, it's going to be like a floating prison.' Other passengers have shared pictures of their food including bread rolls with cheese and meat, plates of chicken with rice, and a chocolate dessert - while one cabin had a sign on its door with a request for English Breakfast teabags. It's believed the virus was brought onboard by an infected 80-year-old Hong Kong man, who joined part of the 14-day cruise, and tested positive for the virus after disembarking on January 25. The virus emerged in the city of Wuhan in China in December and has so far killed 492 people. Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato said officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms, suggesting that more test samples could be taken. Until the results are in 'everyone on board... will stay there', he said. Health workers in protective gear wait for Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers to be transferred to the mainland Health Minister Kato said that officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms, suggesting that more test samples could be taken. None of the 10 infected people, three of whom are Japanese nationals, had severe symptoms, public broadcaster NHK reported. Another passenger, a Japanese man in his 70s, told public broadcaster NHK that the drastic new quarantine measures had been imposed today after ten people tested positive. 'Until yesterday, we were able to spend time in common spaces and do things like play ping-pong. But from this morning, we have not been allowed to go out of our rooms,' said the man. 'I tried to go to a restaurant this morning for breakfast but I was told: Please eat in your room. So I have been waiting for room service. But it hasn't arrived yet.' Pictures on board the Diamond Princess showed masked health workers in blue plastic gowns walking down as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Cruise operator Princess Cruises said the next two trips which were due to depart Yokohama on February 4 and February 12 had been cancelled. A spokesman said food and other supplies would be brought on board from other ships when the vessel returns to Yokohama. 'The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard,' the spokesman said. 'Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable. 'Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.' An ambulance departs the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama after bringing virus patients from the Diamond Princess Ambulance workers in protective gears drive an ambulance which is believed to carry a person who was transferred from Cruise ship The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in Japan. The epidemic, which originated in China's Hubei province, has killed hundreds of people and infected more than 10,000 so far. Speaking yesterday, passenger Mr Abel claimed that some of his fellow passengers 'don't give a damn about personal health' and had increased the risk of infection with poor hygiene. In one case, an American tourist had blown his nose on a napkin and left it on a dinner table where waiters carrying food were likely to touch it, he said. It is not yet known exactly how the virus spreads. 'Nobody is able to book onward flights as we have no idea when the quarantine will clear,' said Mr Abel, who is travelling with his wife ahead of their 50th wedding anniversary and described himself as a 'captive' on the ship. 'The whole ship is in quarantine, we are in the middle of the bay, anchored, so nobody can get on or off this ship.' The sun rises over the Diamond Princess on Wednesday anchored off the Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Cruise ship Diamond Princess is seen anchored off the Yokohama Port on Tuesday, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Describing medical tests on board, Mr Abel said: 'We've had the medical guys come into our stateroom and it's taken all night, from midnight to 10am, for them to do four of the decks and there are 14 in total. 'They came in, took our temperature, asked three questions - have we got a cough, have we got a fever, do we take medication to lower temperature.' Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus. The only people in sight are personnel going from room-to-room to test the passengers for the virus, or to clean the ship's public areas. One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Another shows the ship's huge casino standing empty. Corridors and a huge atrium are left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks. The usually-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess is now empty and unmanned. An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan The once-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess stands empty and unmanned Medical personnel are pictured going room-by-room as they check up on the passengers. According to a statement from Japan's health ministry, the guests' temperatures and overall conditions are being monitored One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the cruise liner after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the ship had already been quarantined on Saturday at the port of Naha, but the 80-year-old man's diagnosis forced further checks. In addition, any passengers who got off in Hong Kong or had close contact with the infected man will be subject to tests for coronavirus. The 80-year-old patient 'did not visit a medical centre inside the ship while he was sailing with us', according to cruise operator Carnival Japan. 'According to the hospital where he is staying, his condition is stable and infection was not found among his family members who sailed with him,' they said. Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus Images show corridors and a huge atrium left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks A man in protective clothing walks on the sixth deck of the Diamond Princess today where quarantine specialists are carrying out tests Medics today went deck-to-deck through the Diamond Princess to test for the virus Japan has already barred foreign nationals who have been to Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. People with passports issued in Hubei are also banned from Japan in a bid to contain the crisis. Visitors who display symptoms of the new virus when they arrive in Japan can also be denied entry. A total of 11 foreigners have been barred from entering so far, the immigration service agency said today. Japan has also flown more than 500 citizens out of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated. The disease is believed to have emerged in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals, spreading rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in late January. The virus has so far spread to more than 20 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. In addition, Hong Kong yesterday announced that a 39-year-old coronavirus patient had died in hospital - only the second fatality outside mainland China. The mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim on Wednesday welcomed Delhi High Courts seven-day deadline to the four convicts to exhaust their legal options in the case but said they must be brought to justice soon. I welcome Delhi High Courts verdict. It gives all the four convicts one week to resort to all legal remedies available to them. After this, the convicts should be hanged soon, she said, according to news agency ANI. The mother of the 23-year-old woman, who has been present in courts for the hearings, had expressed her shock to the staying of execution of the four convicts earlier in January. The lawyer of the convicts, AP Singh has challenged me saying that the convicts will never be executed. I will continue my fight. The government will have to execute the convicts, she had said while speaking to reporters amid tears. The high court on Wednesday asked the convicts to exhaust all their legal remedies available within a week, saying after which the authorities can take further steps. Justice Suresh Kumar rejected the Centres appeal against the trial courts order that put off their execution on February 1 and the request to hang two of them - Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma - because they had exhausted their legal options. The four convictsMukesh Singh (32), Pawan Kumar Gupta (25), Akshay Thakur (31) and Vinay Sharma (26)are on death row for the gang rape and assault of a 23-year-old paramedic student inside a moving bus on December 16. The young woman died in a hospital in Singapore on December 29, 2012. Justice Kait had held a special hearing on Sunday at the Centres request and reserved judgement on the Centre and Tihar Jails plea challenging the stay on the execution of the four convicts in the case. US retailer Macy's is closing 125 stores - about a fifth of its total - and laying off about 2000 workers as it struggles to shore up sales after a disappointing holiday season. The 161-year-old department store chain is also shutting down its second headquarters in Cincinnati and will move operations to New York, the company announced in a statement Tuesday. The company also plans to close offices in San Francisco and Ohio, as well as a customer service centre in Tempe, Arizona, resulting in a 10 per cent reduction of corporate and support staffs. Macy's had another disappointing holiday season. Credit:AP "The changes we are making are deep and impact every area of the business, but they are necessary," Jeff Gennette, chief executive of Macy's, said in a statement. "We are taking the organisation through significant structural change to lower costs, bring teams closer together and reduce duplicative work." Macy's, which had $US25 billion ($37.1 billion) in sales in 2018, is one of the country's largest and most prominent retailers, with anchor stores at hundreds of US shopping malls. But changing consumer habits and mounting competition from Walmart, Amazon and Target have been reversing its fortunes. The retail giant has closed dozens of underperforming stores, many of them in shopping malls, over the past four years as it invests in its most lucrative properties. Even so, Macy's has struggled to win over customers who are increasingly buying online. The examples set during the Senate impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump could not be starker. On the one hand, there was Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who bucked his party and listened instead to his conscience, voting Wednesday to convict the 45th president on a charge of abuse of power. With my vote, Romney said. I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. On the other hand, there were the other Senate Republicans, all of whom voted to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment, despite clear evidence that he had withheld aid to beleaguered Ukraine in an attempt to smear his political rivals. Some, including Texas two senators, called the trial a sham and refused even to address the presidents bad behavior. A host of others, however, admitted what the president did was wrong, even shameful and still voted to acquit: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Susan Collins of Maine. Rob Portman of Ohio. We dont have to be constitutional scholars or historians to be appalled by what we have seen and unnerved by the fragility of our democracy. And we dont have to be parents to worry about which example our children will follow. Ive kept asking myself: What has this taught our kids? What do they learn when bullying, dishonesty and deceit go unchecked? When elected leaders turn blind eyes to facts and evidence that dont suit their agenda? In raising children, we repeat certain axioms over and over, hoping to hammer home principles that will build character, encourage empathy, create adults who will live with honor and integrity. Follow the rules. Take responsibility for your actions. Be kind to others. Play nice. Dont lie, cheat or steal. Keep your promises. We give time-outs for tantrums. Groundings for breaking curfew. Grit our teeth and say no when our kids beg for too much ice cream or demand the latest toy. On the days when it would be so much easier to give in, we tell ourselves and our children: Its for your own good. Making the right choices helps us become better people and, in turn, makes the world a better place. Bad choices bring bad consequences. So what do we tell them now? We teach our children to value truth, yet our president has lied more than 15,000 times in 1,055 days in office. (About 31 times in this weeks State of the Union address alone.) We tell them not to pick on other kids, yet the person in the Oval Office litters his speeches and Twitter feed with the taunts of a schoolyard bully. We say not to cheat or steal, yet the highest office-holder in the land has made a career out of both, from swindling students at Trump University to siphoning money from his foundation to pay off debts and pay for his presidential campaign. We talk about keeping promises, yet senators sworn to defend the Constitution have shown fidelity to only partisanship and political expediency. As U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, noted in her closing statements, one day little boys and girls across America will ask why we didnt do anything to stop this president who put his own interests above what was good for all of us. They will be right to ask. Why indeed was more not done? Collins rationalized her vote by saying she hopes Trump has learned from this case and will be much more cautious in the future. Not much chance of that. As late as Tuesday, Trump told reporters hed done nothing wrong: It was a perfect call. he said. We are left with a president carrying the stain of impeachment but, unlike Bill Clinton who apologized to the American people, who remains entirely unchastened. How do we explain that to our children? Perhaps we tell them the world doesnt always work as it should. It can be ugly and unjust. But we should never stop trying to rise to our better angels as individuals and as a country. We should continue to expect our elected leaders to live up to the oaths they take and vote them out when they dont. As we do, well be helped by the examples of Romney and Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from deep-red Alabama, who voted to convict Trump even though it will likely hurt them politically. One of my daughters asked why Democrats moved ahead with two articles of impeachment when acquittal was all but inevitable. Maybe, I told her, they just had to do what they thought was right. Sometimes, that is all we can do. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Trumps State of the Union message, coupled with the Democratic response, reminds me of why I voted for Trump in 2016. And why I plan to vote for him again in 2020. The contrasts are just too extreme. I am conscience-bound to vote against the radical left and to vote for the causes that Trump will uphold. Everything else pales in comparison. I am voting against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tearing up the presidents speech for the whole world to see. As the White House tweeted out: Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy. I am voting against the socialist policies of Reps. like Rashida Tlaib, who tweeted: I walked out of that speech. The lies, the bigotry, and the shameless bragging about taking away food stamps that people depend on to live it was all beneath the dignity of the office he occupies. Shame on this forever impeached president. My apologies, Rep. Tlaib, but helping people find meaningful employment so that they do not need food stamps is hardly taking away food stamps that people depend on to live. And empowering the poor is not bigotry. Of course, sites like Mother Jones agreed with Rep. Tlaib, tweeting, While Trump brags on national television about the decline in food stamp enrollment and lifting people out of poverty, his actual policies "will cut off basic food assistance for nearly 700,000 of the nations poorest and most destitute people. But no one can deny that Americans, across the board, are doing better financially under the current administration. Even CNN acknowledged the truthfulness of Trumps words when he said, The unemployment rate for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans has reached the lowest levels in history. As noted on the CNN website, Trump is correct. The unemployment rate for each of these three groups is at a record low, at least since the government has been issuing data on them. (The data for African Americans and Hispanics goes back to the early 1970s, while data for Asians only goes back to 2000.) CNN also added, Trump inherited a positive trend that has continued during his tenure. The unemployment rate for all three groups had fallen substantially under President Barack Obama from the recession-era levels of 2009. Yet CNN could not deny the economic progress under Trump, one that truly benefits the people of America, including minorities. Including women. Including veterans. Including the disabled. Including young people. And so, when I vote for Trump, I am voting against the socialism of potential Democratic nominee like Sen. Bernie Sanders. The effects of his proposed policies, along with those of other leading candidates, would be disastrous. I feel conscience bound to cast my vote, a vote that will be meaningful. I am also voting against every Democrat (including Speaker Pelosi) who chose to sit rather than stand when the president called on Congress to ban late-term abortions. My conscience doesnt allow me to skip the election because Trump does not live up to all my ideals. Nor does it allow me to cast a protest vote for another candidate who cannot possibly win. Maybe thats what your conscience dictates, but not mine. And so, I will cast my vote against the policies of the radical left, including the abusive policies of sanctuary cities that are lax in punishing illegal immigrants who engage in criminal behavior. But I will also cast my vote for many of the things the president stands for. Things that are precious to me. Things that should be precious to all people of faith, in particular, to followers of Jesus. I am voting for the man who called for school choice initiatives, which will enable many families to pull their children out of state-run schools and enroll them in private, preferred schools. And I am voting for the man who said at the State of the Union I am also calling upon members of Congress tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies. Say it loud and clear, Mr. President. This is also the man who, as White House reporter Gabby Orr noted, has routinely called on Congress to pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that would make abortion after 20 weeks unlawful in most cases. And I am voting for the man who said, I have signed legislation to stamp out the menace of human trafficking domestically and all around the globe. As noted again by Gabby Orr, Last week, Trump announced the creation of a new position inside the White House Domestic Policy Council solely devoted to combatting sex and labor trafficking. The president's daughter, senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, has worked closely with outside groups, members of the president's Cabinet and lawmakers on anti-human trafficking policies. I am voting for the man who noted that he recommended 180 new judges to uphold our Constitution as written. This includes Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The implications of this are generational in scope. And I am voting for the man who is defending religious liberty. That includes the constitutional right to pray in public schools. Yes, I am voting for the man who said, In America, we don't punish prayer, we don't ban symbols of faith, we don't muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith, we cherish religion, we lift our voices in prayer and we raise our sights to the glory of God. I am also voting for the man who is defending national security and combating radical Islamic terrorism, and that starts with not being afraid to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism. I am voting for the man who faced down Iran, and who said, Our message to terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life. And I am voting for the man who has been called Americas First Zionist President after his new peace plan proposal. Thats what (and who) I am voting against, and thats what (and who) I am voting for. Can you imagine how different things would have been under President Hillary Clinton? Or under a future President Bernie Sanders? Or President Elizabeth Warren? That, my Never Trumper friends, is why I cast my vote. I strongly encourage you to reconsider your stance. Congress party leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday slammed the government over a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that pointed to the shortage of essential clothing and equipment for soldiers stationed at Siachen Glacier. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Chowdhury said the report had pointed out that "soldiers were not being looked after properly". He said 900 soldiers had been killed in the region due to extreme weather conditions. Chowdhury read a few paragraphs from the report concerning performance audit of provisioning and procurement from 2015-16 to 2017-18. Temperatures at the Siachen Glacier can at times fall as low as minus 50 degree Celsius. India has to keep its soldiers stationed at the glacier due to territorial dispute with Pakistan. Nishikant Dubey of BJP raised the issue of killing of seven tribals in Jharkhand and alleged that Left Wing Extremism was increasing under the JMM-Congress government in the state. BJP member Meenakshi Lekhi alleged that the person who had opened fire in Shaheen Bagh locality belonged to Aam Aadmi Party. "His photographs have been found," she said. Lekhi said that attempts were being made to defame the government and accused AAP of hatching a conspiracy. She alleged that there was a "sponsored strategy" in view of Delhi assembly elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 17 persons including a senior advocate, activists and journalists were arrested by the police in connection with a protest at the Gateway of India here last month against the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), an official said on Wednesday. All of them were released on bail after arrest for alleged unlawful assembly. On Tuesday, the police had arrested senior advocate Mihir Desai and Lara Jesani, another lawyer, in the case. Human rights lawyer Susan Abraham, student leader from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Shefali Saini, activists Suvarna Sable, Feroz Mithiborwala and senior journalist Jatin Desai were among those arrested on Wednesday. "All the arrested accused were released on personal bonds," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Sangramsingh Nishandar. All of them were named in the First Information Report registered on January 7 at the Colaba police station in south Mumbai, he said. The FIR named more than 60 people, including Desai, Jesani and former JNU student leader Umar Khalid. Over 2,000 people, mostly college students, gathered at the iconic Gateway of India on January 7 to protest against attack by masked goons on JNU campus as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. After the gathering at the Gateway of India caused a road block and posed problems for locals and tourists, the protesters were shifted to Azad Maidan where they ended their agitation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Feb 5 : After the recent bluster of its Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad against India, Malaysia has now begun to climb down from its rhetoric following the losses incurred by the curbs New Delhi put on its palm oil. Aarti Tikoo Singh New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) After the recent bluster of its Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad against India, Malaysia has now begun to climb down from its rhetoric following the losses incurred by the curbs New Delhi put on its palm oil. Mahathir Mohamad, along with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been critical of the Modi government over Kashmir and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and accusing him of persecuting Muslims in India. Following the criticism, India, the top buyer of Malaysia's refined palm oil, restricted its imports and asked importers to avoid purchases from the country which has been the second biggest producer and exporter of the edible oil. On Tuesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been travelling around the world campaigning against India, was in Kuala Lumpur on a two-day visit. Khan assured Mahathir that he would do his best to buy more palm oil from Malaysia. "That's right, especially since we noticed India threatened Malaysia for supporting the Kashmir cause, threatened to cut palm oil imports," Khan told a joint news conference. "Pakistan will do its best to compensate for that," he said. However, Mahathir avoided speaking about India. The Malaysian PM refrained from censuring India even as just over a month ago, he was upset that Khan skipped his Islamic summit which was primarily targeted against New Delhi. Khan had cancelled his trip to Kuala Lumpur last minute after he was arm-twisted by Saudi Arabia who had not been invited to the summit. Riyadh viewed the summit as attempts by Turkey, supported by Pakistan and Malaysia, to wrest control of the leadership of the Muslim world from Saudi Arabia. The kingdom had threatened to withdraw the six billion dollar loan it has given to Pakistan to deal with its ongoing economic crisis and deport millions of Pakistani workers from the country. The pressure from Riyadh was so intense that even a chastised Mahathir Mohamad had to clarify and almost apologise for holding the summit of Muslim nations. Now with the curbs imposed by India on palm oil imports from Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur seems to have recalibrated its position. Citing Malaysia's Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council on Tuesday said India's move to cut back on palm oil purchases from the southeast Asian nation is "temporary" and would be resolved amicably between the two nations. "Having long-standing bilateral ties, the two nations will overcome the current challenges and prevail towards mutual and beneficial outcomes," the council added. As per the council, Pakistan bought 1.1 million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia last year, while India bought 4.4 million tonnes, indicating that even if Islamabad does its best to help the Mahathir government, its demand for palm oil is not as large as India's. "Economics rules foreign policy instead of sentiments. Millions of people survive on palm oil economy in Malaysia. No one in the Mahathir government can afford to lose out on that for a long period," an External Affairs Ministry official said. Chinese authorities scrambling to contain the raging novel Coronavirus epidemic are ready to implement harsh measures including the death penalty to control the outbreak. The Coronavirus-infected people who conceal their infection and spread the disease intentionally in public places could be sentenced to death, officials have told Chinese state media. As many as 490 (492 globally) have died and over 24400 have been infected from the Coronavirus in China. China had similarly threatened execution and long jail sentences during the 2002-03 SARS epidemic for anyone avoiding quarantine and spreading the disease. It had invited criticism from human rights watchdogs. For the current outbreak, Chinas ministry of public security (MPS) responsible for internal security and a powerful government organ of the ruling Communist party -- and local governments at all levels vowed to crack down on coronavirus-related crimes to ensure social stability, in which violators could face the death penalty. Spreading rumours about the outbreak has been linked to subversion of state power and will attract swift and harsh punishment. Infected people with a history of travelling to areas worst-hit by the outbreak but hiding those facts would also be severely punished. If spared from the death penalty, a 15-year jail term lies in store for them. The Changchun police of northeast Chinas Jilin province, for example, is investigating a man for allegedly endangering public security as he concealed his travel history to a critical epidemic area, and then causing at least five more infections. The High Peoples Court of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province has said it would severely punish 36 crimes related to the prevention and control of the epidemic in accordance with the law, in which violators could face the death penalty. People who spread the virus intentionally and endanger public security could be regarded as violating the Criminal Law, which states that actions that endanger public security; can be subject to the death penalty if the situation is severe, the state-controlled tabloid, Global Times reported. The MPS will come down heavily on those spreading rumours, the tabloid said. Those who use the virus to fabricate or spread rumors, to promote secession from China or undermine national unity, or incite subversion of state power or the overthrow of the socialist system can face a maximum 15-year jail term, the report added. Chinese state councilor and MPS minister has directed public security organs at all levels to probe illegal and criminal activities that cause trouble and sabotage social order, and resolutely safeguard national political security. Manufacturing and selling counterfeit and substandard medicines and medical devices, harming medical personnel, disrupting medical services, blocking or interrupting traffic, and using the epidemic to inflate prices will be severely punished, the ministry said. The tabloid reported that on January 23, Beijing authorities imposed a maximum 3 million yuan ($429,000) of fine on a local pharmacy that raised the price of N95 masks from 200 to 850 yuan per box. An enraged Jeremy Christian fumed about the men he stabbed aboard a crowded MAX train and blamed them for the fatal encounter while police held him in custody hours after the attack, a Portland homicide detective testified at Christians murder trial. You put your hands on me, you abridge my freedom of movement, you assault me, you die, Christian told police on May 26, 2017, according to a statement read in court by Detective Michele Michaels. I hope they died. Later that night, as Christian screamed inside a holding cell in the Multnomah County Justice Center and banged against the door, he told Michaels he had also wanted to stab an African American woman who exchanged words with him on the MAX a day before the killings, according to video showed to jurors. The woman, Demetria Hester, had asked Christian to stop a racist harangue he had unleashed on train passengers near the Rose Quarter. Hester later blasted Christian with pepper spray and he threw a Gatorade bottle at her head. I would have stabbed her, if I could have seen, Christian said, sitting in the cell. (Expletive) who put their hands on me. Thats when it gets ugly. Michaels took the stand Tuesday and Wednesday in the second week of the trial. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday, after questioning a total of 40 witnesses in seven days. The trial wont be held Thursday and Friday because Christians defense lawyers hadnt prepared to start their case this week. The judge noted that some defense witnesses are scheduled to fly into Portland by Monday, when the defense will start. During Michaels testimony, prosecutors had her show the jurors the folding knife that Christian is accused of plunging into the neck of Micah Fletcher, then 21, Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky Best, 53. Fletcher survived. Namkai-Meche was declared dead later at a hospital. Best died on the train after it pulled into the Hollywood Transit Center. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, Christian is charged with the hate crime of second-degree intimidation for allegedly targeting Hester the night before and two teenage girls in the moments leading up to the stabbings as witnesses said he launched into a racist and xenophobic rant. One of those teens is African American and the other immigrated from Somalia and was wearing a hijab. Michaels read Christians response to her when she asked him what led up to the stabbings. Theres no way I can explain what happened, he said. Except both of those people would be alive if theyd kept their hands to themselves. Or got off the train, or allowed me to have my free speech. Its only because they decided to get violent with me that they signed their own death warrant, and I couldnt feel one bit sorry or remorseful about that. A 20-year veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, Michaels served as one of the lead homicide investigators in the case. Christian laughed and shook his head in apparent disagreement as Michaels testified, just as he has done during the testimony of other witnesses on past days. Prosecutor Don Rees asked the judge to admonish Christian and tell him to stop. Shes lying, Christian blurted out. The judge said some of the gesturing happened while Christian was talking to his attorneys, as he is allowed to do. But the judge told Christian that he otherwise must remain quiet. As Michaels testimony continued, prosecutors played video for jurors of the entire train ride -- a compilation of cellphone and TriMet videos woven together. The first footage shows Best stepping aboard near Portland State University. The footage ends more than 30 minutes later, after the stabbings as Christian stormed off the train and walked across an Interstate 84 pedestrian overpass. Michaels, who analyzed all the video from that day, said about five minutes before Christian started stabbing, Christian looked toward the two teenage girls and made a slicing motion across his neck. Michaels said some witnesses told her that Christian had been talking about decapitating people during his tirade. When questioned by defense attorney Dean Smith, Michaels confirmed that Christian spent 31 seconds looking at the girls. Surveillance video shows his tirade spanned six minutes or more. Defense attorneys contend that Christians rant wasnt directed specifically at the girls and that he wasnt trying to intimidate them because of race or national origin. But the prosecution contends he was. Is 31 seconds long enough for someone to intimidate another person? asked Rees, the prosecutor. Yes, Michaels said. Michaels also said it was apparent from the video that Namkai-Meche and Best didnt touch Christian at any point before he stabbed them. Michaels said Namkai-Meche was looking down at his phone -- which he had picked up after Christian threw it to the floor seconds earlier -- as Fletcher was stabbed. Namkai-Meche looked up just as Christian stabbed him in the neck, face and hand. Michaels said the entire time, Namkai-Meche was still clutching a food container in one hand and his phone in the other. It indicated to me that Mr. Namkai-Meche never did anything in being able to defend himself, Michaels said. ... There wasnt anything he did to rectify the situation. He was defenseless. When the prosecution showed jurors a video still frame of Christian stabbing Best, Michaels noted that Best was looking down, not at Christian. Both of his arms were pointed in the direction of the train floor. His hands arent on Christian. Rees asked if Michaels could tell what Best was doing when Christian attacked him. Michaels said Best was simply standing still with one hand griping a bar attached to the MAX train. His left hand was down by his side. Prosecutors offered jurors a window into Christians thoughts in January 2018, about seven months after the attack. Over defense attorneys objections, prosecutors played for the jury a recorded jail phone call between Christian and a friend. In the conversation, Christian said he got in an altercation" with Namkai-Meche because he stuck a phone right in my face. Christian blamed Namkai-Meches aunt, because she had been on the phone with her nephew a moment before and suggested he record Christian ranting because it might be a hate crime in progress. Basically, his aunt sent him to his death," Christian said. He described Namkai-Meches family as a group of social justice warriors. Christian also mocked Fletcher in the recording, calling him a wannabe social justice warrior who was having an autistic tantrum when he intervened right after Christian threw Namkai-Meches phone to the train floor. Christian said Fletcher decided to bully me. That didnt work out too well for him." Also Wednesday, prosecutors called the oldest son of Ricky Best and a sister of Taliesin Namkai-Meche. They eached shared basic biographical information about their loved ones -- a move defense attorneys objected to, arguing it would stir emotion. The judge, however, allowed the limited line of questioning. Bests son, Erik Best, said he has two younger brothers and a younger sister. He said he was 19 when his father died. His father had served in the Army before working for Portlands Bureau of Development Services, a job he commuted to on MAX. Prosecutors showed jurors a photo of Ricky Best in his Army fatigues, helmet strapped to his chin. Vajra Alaya-Maitreya, Namkai-Meches older sister, testified that her brother was the second youngest in a family of nine children. She said her brother, a 2016 Reed College graduate, worked on environmental projects for the consulting firm Cadmus Group in downtown Portland. He commuted by MAX or bus because of his concern for the environment, she said. Alaya-Maitreya teared up and her voice cracked as prosecutors showed jurors a photo of her brother, beaming in a knit cap with ear flaps and taken in his last year of life. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Aimee Green Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com. Phone at 503-294-7632. Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh Email at agreen@oregonian.com. Follow on Twitter @o_aimee Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Keep up with key trial events and takeaways by signing up for The Oregonian/OregonLives Jeremy Christian trial newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters. In view of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak in China, Aviation regulator DGCA told airlines on Wednesday that any person who will henceforth travel to the country will be quarantined on return. Among Indian airlines, IndiGo and Air India have suspended all of their flights between the two nation. SpiceJet continues to fly on Delhi-Hong Kong route. In its circular to domestic as well as international airlines, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "People have already been advised to refrain from travel to China through an earlier advisory. People travelling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return." "Existing visas (including eVisa already issued) are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China," it added. Over last weekend, Air India conducted two special flights to Wuhan in China, evacuating 647 Indians and seven Maldivians. All 647 people have been quarantined for two weeks on their return to India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reuters The US Justice Department has reached out to app developers as part of its investigation into Apple Inc, one of the four big tech companies being probed for alleged anti-competitive behavior, according one of the developers and another person familiar with the investigation. The chief executive of developer Mobicip, Suren Ramasubbu, told Reuters he was interviewed in November by a US investigator who asked about the company's interactions with Apple. The app, which has nearly a million users worldwide, allows parents to control what their children see on their iPhones. Ramasubbu said the Mobicip app was temporarily removed from the iPhone app store last year for a failure to meet requirements imposed by Apple. A source familiar with the Justice Department's investigation said a handful of app developers had been contacted in what is the first indication of what officials are pursuing involving Apple since the investigation was revealed by Reuters in June. US President Donald Trump has criticised Apple's Silicon Valley neighbours for other reasons, calling for closer scrutiny of social media companies and Google and accusing them of suppressing conservative voices online, without presenting any evidence. (Also read: US Congress demands Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google to submit internal emails) US Attorney General William Barr said in December that he hoped to have the Justice Department investigations into the big tech platforms Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google, Amazon.com Inc and Apple wrapped up this year. Apple declined comment, but pointed to a statement on its website that says its app store was designed to hold apps "to a high standard for privacy, security and content." "Since 2016, we have removed over 1.4 million apps from the App Store because they have not been updated or dont work on our most current operating systems," the site says. Apple's ability to do just that has been a point of contention in the courtroom. The company was accused in lawsuits last year of abusing its clout in the app market. In one case, the US Supreme Court gave the go-ahead last May to an antitrust lawsuit that accused Apple of forcing consumers to overpay for iPhone software applications. Screen time control Apple introduced its Screen Time app, which includes parental controls, in June 2018. At the start of 2019, Ramasubbu told Reuters, his company was contacted by Apple and warned that Mobicip's app violated the iPhone-maker's rules relating to technical elements that had previously been acceptable. The app was removed from the app store for about six months, during which time it was updated to be compliant with Apple rules, Ramasubbu said. It was reinstated in October 2019, but he estimates his company's business has shrunk by half. Six executives of parental control app companies interviewed by Reuters said they had a comfortable relationship with Apple until mid-2018. That is when Apple introduced its own, similar software giving parents oversight of their children's phone screen time and searches. Apple has said that it had been concerned about parental control apps using technology which gave developers access to sensitive data, and that they declined to approve apps that used the technology if they did not also commit to not sharing data on children. As the arbiter of who is allowed to sell in the app store, Apple says it has the power to ensure that only the highest quality apps are sold there. But some developers say it also allows Apple to push out apps that compete with its own products, thus strengthening its profits at a time with its device sales have stagnated and it is seeking new sources of revenue. The city of Vineland and its police department are once again being sued by one of its officers this time by a police captain who claims he was retaliated against for being a whistleblower. Vineland Police Captain Adam Austino filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday, alleging his right to free speech and whistleblower protections were violated by Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci and members of the Vineland Police Department. The Vineland Daily Journal first reported the story. Austino claims that the city and the department have engaged in multiple corrupt actions, conspired with one another and after he reported his findings to the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office and New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, he was retaliated against. He claims the terms and conditions of his employment were threatened, he was falsely accused of wrongdoing, and the department conducted sham investigations meant to harass and humiliate Plaintiff and to trump up false and implausible evidence against" him, according to court documents. Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae and the Attorney Generals Office both declined to comment about the lawsuit when contacted by NJ Advance Media. Messages left with both the mayor and city solicitor were not returned. PBA Local 266 President Craig Scarpa called Austinos allegations fictional. It is nothing but a distortion of the truth paired with outright lies," Scarpa said. "Mr. Austino is simply upset that he was caught engaging in illegal and other unethical behavior. This lawsuit is simply a desperate attempt at self-preservation. I look forward to watching it come unraveled in the coming months. The lawsuit details several incidents in which Austino alleges to have uncovered, and claims he was retaliated against after bringing the investigations to superiors and other agencies. According to the document, Austino said he conducted an investigation into the embezzlement of funds against PBA Local 266, the union that represents officers in the Vineland Police Department. After he reported his findings to the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office, union president Steven Buglio and union treasurer William Newman were both arrested, according to the lawsuit. Buglio pleaded guilty to two charges, and Newman entered pre-trial intervention. Austino said the unions vice president at the time, however, obstructed the investigation and proceeded to harass and ridicule him. He also alleges he told city officials he had evidence that former police chief Timothy Codispoti had transferred police funds to separate bank accounts to use for personal political activities in 2015, but the prosecutors office declined to press charges. Austino claimed he had asked for whistleblower protection under for Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), but his request was denied. Austino alleged once Codispoti found out he made the allegations, Austino was demoted and placed in Internal Affairs. Codispoti could not be reached for comment. Codispoti told NJ Advance Media the matter was investigated by the Prosecutors Office, reviewed by the citys Director of Public Safety, and that both offices concurred there was no wrongdoing with the account. Austino said he investigated the departments street crimes unit for evidence tampering, falsifying racial profiling data and the misuse of city funds, and later recommend it be disbanded. He claims because of this investigation, the union falsely accused him of wiretapping its members, but he said he was eventually cleared by both the Prosecutors Office and the police department. Austinos lawsuit is not the only litigation the city is facing from an officer. In November 2019, another officer, Ron DeMarchi, filed a lawsuit claiming his civil rights were violated, that he worked in a hostile work environment, and was also discriminated against and faced retaliation after current police chief Rudy Beu allegedly told DeMarchi he would be promoted if allowed to sleep with DeMarchis wife and daughter. Austino is seeking lost wages, benefits, damages, and being appointed as the deputy chief of the police department. NJ Advance Media reached out to his attorney, William J Fox, but Fox declined to comment on the lawsuit. Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Indoor Air Pollution: The Hidden Health Hazard How to protect your space from invisible threats Breathing is essential for survival, but in some places the air quality poses significant health risks. Exposure to air pollution is linked to lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, reproductive harm, and more. Experts claim our air quality has improved remarkably over the last few decades thanks to the Clean Air Act, but many still see plenty of room for improvement. According to the American Lung Associations latest State of the Air report, 40 percent of Americans live in states that have unhealthful levels of air pollution. Scientists, policy analysts, and public health advocates from across the country met to discuss the state of the nations air quality at a summit hosted by The Atlantic magazine in Chicago in 2017. Much of the event focused on rules that govern outdoor air quality, and the health conditions that result from exposure to things like vehicle emissions and coal-fired power plants. But according to panelist Joseph Allen, professor of exposure assessment science at Harvard University, the majority of pollution exposure occurs insidein our schools, homes, and workplaces. Outdoor air pollution penetrates indoors. And because of the time we spend inside, your daily dose can actually be greater indoors, he said. Chemical Exposure Pollutants that originate outside get a lot of attention from regulators, and for good reason. In a study published in 2013, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tracked emissions throughout the United States and found that air pollution from vehicles, industry, and other sources causes about 200,000 early deaths each year. Vehicle emissions alone were responsible for 53,000 premature deathsabout 15,000 more than were caused by car accidents. However, research demonstrates that chemicals that originate indoors may be just as harmful. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in some cases, concentrations of indoor pollutants have been shown to be twice as high as those outside. This is particularly concerning because we spend the vast majority of our timearound 90 percentindoors. Some indoor pollutants, such as radon gas, naturally emanate from the earth and seep into buildings through cracks in the foundation. Mold and legacy toxins such as lead and asbestos are hazards that must also be dealt with in order to protect our precious breathing space. However, the majority of indoor toxins come from sources we voluntarily bring into our environment. There are about 82,000 chemicals in commercial use, and no available health data for 85 percent of them. In the last few years, researchers have learned a lot about the risks associated with exposure to many indoor air pollutants, but the vast majority remains a mystery. Even the products we use to freshen up our environment, such as dryer sheets, synthetic fragrances, and cleaning products, may cause more harm than good. According to the Environmental Working Group, the popular air freshener Febreze contains chemicals that have been found to affect the respiratory and nervous systems. Protecting Your Space Harvards For Health website provides science-backed guidelines on how to create a healthy indoor environment. When choosing products that will share your breathing space, there are three chemical families of particular concern: Flame Retardants: Found in items such as furniture and building insulation, as well as products designed for children such as toys and car seats. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, chemicals that have been shown to interfere with the reproductive system, thyroid function, and other aspects of the endocrine system. Stain-Resistant Chemicals: Found in furnishings, carpets, clothing, nonstick cookware and paints, and other products designed to repel oil and water. Plasticizers: Particularly phthalatesa class of chemicals used to make products soft and flexible. Phthalates are found in vinyl tile, artificial leather, and even some brands of personal care products such as nail polish, hairspray, and skin lotions. Other common indoor pollutants found to pose risks to human health include nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, limonene, and benzene. These pollutants may come from printer emissions, cleaning supplies, personal care products, paint, pesticides, and more. We need to make better decisions about the products we put into our homeslow VOCs, no pesticide use, and purchasing furniture without flame retardant chemicals, said Allen, who is also the director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard, where he investigates the connections between indoor air quality and health. Unfortunately, many products are also made with chemicals that are emitted into the air in the form of gasa process known as off-gassing. Because of the impact of these off-gassing chemicals on air quality, Allen urges consumers to choose office supplies, furnishings, and other products with low (or no) chemical emissions to limit pollutants in their indoor airspace. Ventilation Making matters worse, our homes, schools, and offices are often built in such a way that toxic chemicals get trapped inside, concentrating in our air space. A lack of ventilation is one of the biggest reasons indoor air quality is so poor, and modern building methods are to blame, Allen says. Airflow was always an important consideration for previous generations of architects. But starting in the 1970s, builders began creating spaces that were more tightly sealed. Since 2000, there has been an even greater effort to ensure that our buildings remain air tight. This design choice makes for structures that are more energy efficient and fireproof, but it inevitably hurts air quality for the people who live and work inside, leading in severe cases to what is known as sick building syndrome. I think its a false choice that weve been presented with for a long time: energy versus health. In fact, we should have both and we can have both. Joseph Allen With minimal ventilation, air cant circulate. Pollution concentrates indoors, and, by design, theres little exchange of fresh air brought from outside. As a result, people who reside in sick buildings may develop eye irritation, headaches, breathing problems, and other health issues. Virtually every building we inhabitfrom the coffee shop you visited this morning to the place youre reading this article right nowis governed by this minimal ventilation standard. Several studies have shown that people who live, work, or attend school in buildings with good air circulation are healthier and more productive than those who inhabit poorly ventilated spaces. One study conducted in California found that students felt calmer and had longer attention spans in highly ventilated classrooms. Studies have also demonstrated a relationship between poor ventilation rates and higher instances of short-term sick leave, asthma, and respiratory infection among building occupants. In the interest of keeping energy costs down, most builders still tend toward minimal ventilation. But Allen says we spend too much time indoors to live and work in spaces that sacrifice our health. I think its a false choice that weve been presented with for a long time: energy versus health. In fact, we should have both and we can have both, he said. More Ways to Improve Air Quality We cant see or smell many of the chemicals that pervade our environment. Besides chemically sensitive individuals, most of us dont think about our indoor air space until someone gets sick. Even then, we may still not link our health problems to air quality. But we can take simple precautions to ensure that our inside air is as clean as can be. In addition to improving ventilation and limiting exposure to toxic off-gassing chemicals, be sure to employ simple public health measures. Wash your hands, and take your shoes off so youre not tracking in outdoor pollutants into your home, Allen said. Another step is controlling exposure to fine particles in your environment. One way in which we create these particles is cooking. Thats why Allen recommends installing an exhaust system over your stove. You want exhaust ventilation that is capturing those pollutants and putting them outside, he said. A lot of the time, theyre just putting them right back into your breathing zone. To collect these fine particles while cleaning, use a vacuum with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration. Very often when people use a vacuum, it doesnt capture the particles, it just disperses the particles and turns them into smaller particles. So you can actually increase the exposure, Allen said. The good news is, making these small improvements can have a big impact. Last year, Allen and his team published a study that examined how the indoor environment impacts our ability to think and process information. Researchers had people come into a controlled environment, and each day made various changes to the air the participants breathed, then tested their cognitive functions. Even with minor improvements in the environment, we saw better cognitive function scores, Allen said. Blasting President Donald Trump as a draft dodger and taking him to task for mocking veterans and soldiers, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran, walked out of Tuesday nights State of the Union address in protest. I left the #SOTU after Trump a draft dodger who has mocked Sen. John McCain, Gold Star families, and soldiers with traumatic brain injury started talking about the good he has done for our military. I left the #SOTU after Trumpa draft dodger who has mocked Sen. John McCain, Gold Star families, and soldiers with traumatic brain injurystarted talking about the good he has done for our military. Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) February 5, 2020 Fairly early in the speech before both houses of Congress, Trump, who touted a booming stock market, trade deals and job growth, said our military is completely rebuilt" with record-breaking investment of $2.2 trillion and increased support for veterans. Trump said U.S. forces were stronger than any other nations, and it was not even close. Trump added that his administration had brought the nation greater respect and admiration around the globe. But Trump, who avoided serving in Vietnam a handful of times, including once for bone spurs, has long come under fire for mocking McCain in 2015 by saying the Navy pilot was not a hero. McCain was captured and tortured for years after his plane was shot down in Vietnam, but Trump said he liked people who werent captured. Trump has also attacked veterans and Gold Star families when theyve not supported him, including Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who spoke out against Trumps divisive rhetoric at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Their son, Capt. Humayun Khan, died in Iraq in 2004 after engaging a suicide bomber. Newsweek reported that more than five dozen troops are being treated for traumatic brain injuries sustained during the missile strike that killed Iranian military and intelligence commander Qassem Soleimani. I dont consider them very serious injuries, relative to other injuries that Ive seen, the president has said, describing the impact as headaches. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 14:09 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b314c 1 Business Jiwasraya,SOE-Minister,State-owned-Enterprises-Ministry,insurance-holding-company Free The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry is set to establish an insurance holding company in February to help transform the countrys state-owned insurance firms following a financial fiasco at state-owned insurer PT Asuransi Jiwasraya. Deputy Minister Kartika Tiko Wirjoatmodjo said on Wednesday that the holding company would be launched later in February and is to be led by state-owned financing firm PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia. Other state-owned insurance firms such as Jasa Raharja, Asuransi Jasa Indonesia (Jasindo), Perum Jaminan Kredit Indonesia (Jamkrindo) and Asuransi Kredit Indonesia (Askrindo) are be incorporated under the holding company. Ailing Jiwasraya, however, has yet to be included as the ministry needed to discuss the matter further with the Finance Ministry and the Financial Services Authority (OJK), Tiko said. The holding company is not just for saving Jiwasraya, but to strengthen the insurance industrys transformation starting from its finance, risk management, investment management and product management to its actuarial aspects so we wont repeat the same mistakes as Jiwasraya did with its JS Saving Plan product, he told the press in Jakarta. Jiwasraya was also unable to pay holders of policies worth about Rp 16 trillion (US$1.16 billion) that were supposed to be paid as of January, prompting the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) to launch a corruption investigation. The AGO in January arrested five people, including the insurer's former boss and two businessmen, for their suspected roles in alleged corruption at Jiwasraya. Tiko also said the holding company would later help pay for Jiwasrayas policyholders claims. However, he refused to reveal more details as the ministry still needed to talk with the House of Representatives working committee on Jiwasraya before deciding how to provide the necessary funds for the troubled insurer. We still need to have political support from the working committee, he said. As for the claims payment, Tiko said the ministry would prioritize payments for conventional life insurance policies claims held by 4.7 million customers. We will then pay for the JS Saving Plan claims gradually, he said without providing more detail on how much the first batch of payments would be. A Houston man is headed to federal prison following his convictions related to two separate 2019 bank robberies in Friendswood and Galveston. Tremaine Venters, 26, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, to two counts of aiding and abetting bank robbery and aiding and abetting brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Venters and a friend, Jordan Johnson, robbed a BBVA Compass Bank in Friendswood on Jan. 3, 2019, and also robbed a Texas First Bank in Galveston two weeks later. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown handed Venters a 225-month prison term for these charges nearly 19 years. Venters will serve 57 months for the robbery charge and an additional 168 months for the firearms charge, which must be served consecutively. At the hearing, the court noted his prior felony offenses and criminal history as well as the necessity of keeping society safe from individuals committing offenses with guns. On Jan. 3, 2019, Venters entered the BBVA Compass Bank along with Johnson. Both men approached the counter, placed guns in front of tellers and demanded money. The tellers complied and Venters and Johnson exited the bank. Less than two weeks later, Venters and Johnson also robbed the Texas First Bank with a firearm. Venters walked up to the teller counter and tossed bag on the counter. Simultaneously, Johnson placed a gun on the counter and demanded hundreds and fifties from a teller. He then walked over to another teller station and said I need hundreds. That teller mistakenly believed he just wanted to make a withdrawal and reached for a withdrawal slip. At that time, Johnson said no and tapped his gun on the teller counter. She then opened her cash drawer, at which time Johnson told her to just give him the whole drawer. He put the money in a plastic grocery bag, and both men left. Bank employees were able to get a vehicle description and a license plate number. Authorities then saw a car matching the description traveling across the causeway from Galveston. They were soon arrested. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found a firearm and cash belonging to First Texas Bank. Johnson, 27, also pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing June 24. Both men have been and will remain in custody. nick.powell@chron.com Toddler with rare disorder gets new oxygen tank holders designed by 6th graders originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com A toddler who had trouble getting around with her oxygen tank is now getting help from a kind group of sixth grade students. Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. But Emmett's health obstacles doesnt stop her from being a typical 2-year-old. "Shes certainly sassy and strong-willed," mom Maleigh Hightshoe of Charlotte, North Carolina, told "Good Morning America." "She's so happy, loved, very much a people-person which is great because it helps us know if something isn't going well." PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. (Maleigh Hightshoe) PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe, 2, has a rare genetic disorder and an underdeveloped heart. She carries an oxygen tank daily. She will soon get around with newly-crafted oxygen tanks thanks to the 6th graders at at McClintock Middle School in Charlotte, N.C. (Maleigh Hightshoe) Because the left side of Emmetts heart is underdeveloped, it affects her lungs and she carries an oxygen tank daily to help them relax. She also uses a walker because of her low muscle tone. "She's fought and shown us that she wants to do more and be independent and that's when all of this started to present itself," Hightshoe said. PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe, 2, has a rare genetic disorder and an underdeveloped heart. She carries an oxygen tank daily. She will soon get around with newly-crafted oxygen tanks thanks to the 6th graders at at McClintock Middle School in Charlotte, N.C. (Maleigh Hightshoe) PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe, 2, has a rare genetic disorder and an underdeveloped heart. She carries an oxygen tank daily. She will soon get around with newly-crafted oxygen tanks thanks to the 6th graders at at McClintock Middle School in Charlotte, N.C. (Maleigh Hightshoe) During a local 5K run, Hightshoe met Ben Davis, a teacher of engineering courses like design and modeling, automation and robotics at McClintock Middle School in Charlotte. "This past summer we got to talking and he saw her oxygen tank," Hightshoe said of Davis. "It stirs the question, 'How do you get around?'" PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. (Maleigh Hightshoe) MORE: 'I saved recess': Girl in wheelchair can stay warm outside thanks to mom's invention Hightshoe said that sometimes the tubing from Emmett's oxygen tank will get caught in areas of her walker or the wheels would over it. That's when Davis' design and modeling class at McClintock got to work. The students built prototype holders for Emmett using 3D printers. PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. The design and modeling class at McClintock Middle Scholl in Charlotte, N.C. got to work in building oxygen tank holders for Emmett. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. (Maleigh Hightshoe) "All the ideas were really unique," teacher Ben Davis said, adding it took the kids three months to complete their designs. "From the very first day, they were lit up and excited and happy -- they had millions of questions about Emmett." Story continues PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. The design and modeling class at McClintock Middle Scholl in Charlotte, N.C. got to work in building oxygen tank holders for Emmett. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) MORE: 2-year-old unable to crawl now cruising thanks to dad's smart invention Davis said the students did research by measuring the bars on Emmett's walker and testing their designs on a loner from the brand which distributes her oxygen tank. One group decided that Emmett's oxygen tank was heavy, so they designed their holder on caster wheels. PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. (Maleigh Hightshoe) Another group learned that Emmett sits and scoots along the ground. Those students invented a pull cart design with a handle for her. PHOTO: Emmett Hightshoe was diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome in utero. Its a rare genetic disorder impacting organ development, as well as her physical and cognitive abilities. (Maleigh Hightshoe) Emmett's mom decided on four different designs. "Their enthusiasm about this and watching those kids learn about Emmett... they say, 'She's just a little girl. She's just like us she needs help,'" Hightshoe said. "That was really encouraging." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:55:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's hotel industry association Wednesday released a "self-discipline" pact on epidemic prevention work amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, pledging more standard prevention measures to make customers feel safer checking in. Jointly released by the China Hospitality Association and e-commerce company Meituan, the pact offers guidelines and standards for hotels' material supply, staff management, disinfection and other aspects of prevention work. The pact, the first of its kind in the industry, represents the efforts of many public health, hotel and tourism experts, according to Ding Zhigang, secretary general of the association. Hotel workers are required to wear masks, report their health conditions on a daily basis and check on the temperatures and health of customers and visitors. The pact also proposed standards for hotels' ventilation and how the hotel rooms and public spaces should be disinfected. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 12:28:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COPENHAGEN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The government is about to slim the size of the National Police to strengthen district policing, Danish Minister of Justice Nick Haekkerup told Denmark's TV 2 on Tuesday evening. According to Haekkerup, downsizing the National Police would result in savings to prioritize more local policing. Haekkerup's proposal, backed by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, would set up 20 new local police stations around the country. A total of 900 positions would be affected by the downsizing of the National Police, Danish TV DR quoted the PM as saying. National Police staff affected by the proposal would either be moved out to the police districts or transferred to more complex cases, suggested Haekkerup. "The goal is to get people out so that they are closer to citizens and keep someone who can be even sharper focused in, for example, financial crime," the Justice Minister told TV 2. Denmark is currently divided into 12 police districts while the National Police acts as the supreme police authority. Magoo knows the mythology of his field of work well - the arguments over top-of-the-line equipment versus garage recording and the supposed under-recognised nature of music production. Over almost three decades, the Brisbane-born producer - known in some circles as the more formal Dr Lachlan Goold - has worked with some of the biggest Australian music acts, from Midnight Oil to Powderfinger. Dr Lachlan Goold, also known as Magoo, is an ARIA Award-winning producer now working in the creative industries school at the University of the Sunshine Coast. But it is the practicalities of this experience he hopes to instil in up-and-coming Queensland artists, in his latest role as a lecturer in contemporary music at the University of the Sunshine Coast. "People need to get their hands dirty," said Dr Goold, who has won two ARIA Awards in his career. "That's how I learnt." Islamabad, Feb 5 : In a setback for Pakistan, Islamabad was prevented from observing Kashmir Solidarity Day at a hotel in Kabul, the Pakistan embassy in Afghanistan's capital said. The Pakistan embassy had booked a hall at Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day. However, the booking was cancelled, the Daily Times quoted a Pakistan embassy official as saying on Tuesday. The official claimed that the Afghan government had directed the hotel management to cancel the reservation for the hall. Kashmir Solidarity Day, a national holiday in Pakistan, is observed across the neighbouring country on February 5 to express their support for separatists in India's Jammu and Kashmir. "We had invited Kabul-based ambassadors from the OIC countries, Afghan political leaders, parliamentarians and media persons," the official said. The Afghanistan leadership has been critical of Islamabad's support to terror organisations active in Jammu and Kashmir. GLADWIN, MI A man is in police custody after allegedly crashing into an Amish buggy then fleeing the scene. About 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, Gladwin County Sheriffs deputies responded to a report of a dead horse blocking South Bard Road in Beaverton Township. A second call indicated a man and a smashed buggy had been found in a ditch near the horse, deputies report. Deputies determined the buggy had been heading north on South Bard Road when a motor vehicle struck it from behind. The buggys lone occupant was a 20-year-old man from the Gladwin area, deputies report. An ambulance took him to Mid-Michigan Medical Center in Gladwin and from there a helicopter flew him to the Midland Hospital Trauma Unit for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Deputies soon located the suspected vehicle, a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck, at a Gladwin residence. They identified the driver as a 30-year-old Alger man who had a denied or revoked drivers license, deputies report. Deputies arrested the man, who suffered no injuries in the collision. His name is being withheld pending arraignment in Gladwin County District Court. Police say driver crashed into Amish buggy, continued home without stopping A baboon was spotted grooming a lion cub on February 1 by South African wildlife guide Kurt Schultz, a behavior the 20-year safari veteran said he had never seen before. Before bringing a tour group to South Africas Kruger National Park, Schultz said he saw a troop of baboons acting in an agitated manner. He then noticed that a young baboon had caught a lion cub, but instead of killing it, which Schulz said was the normal course of action, the baboon seemed to have adopted it as a pet. In video uploaded to YouTube, the baboon climbs a tree while clutching the cub, then sets the little cat down to groom it. This is a very unusual sighting, the first of its kind for me, Schultz, who has been a guide for more than 20 years, says in the video. This cub is still alive it still looks fine, no injuries. Schultz told the Associated Press, I dont see a chance of this poor cub surviving. The troop of baboons was large and a lion would not be able to get the young back. Schulz said: "Nature is cruel at most times, and the survival of a young predator cub is not easy. The lion cub would pose a threat to the baboons when it gets older. I have witnessed baboons viciously killing leopard cubs and have heard of baboons killing lion cubs. Credit: LatestSightings.com via Storyful (February 5, 2020 Los Angeles, CA) The Marley family, UMe and Island Records have begun to roll out their yearlong MARLEY75 commemorative plans in celebration of the legendary cultural icon, Bob Marley's 75th birthday and 40th anniversary of the timeless classic "Redemption Song." In honor of Black History Month, now underway, and to mark the beginning of all MARLEY75 celebrations in 2020, the official music video for "Redemption Song" premieres today on Bob Marley's YouTube channel . Created by French artists Octave Marsal & Theo De Gueltzl, the breathtaking animation, featuring 2,747 original drawings, uses powerful symbols to amplify the magnitude of the song's timeless lyrics and importance in today's world. The video highlights Bob's contribution to the empowerment of black civilization, as well as his manifestation of hope and recovery for all mankind. Inspired by Bobs homeland of Jamaica, as well as insights received from his family, the artistic approach was to illustrate the imaginary world of Bob Marley in a way that highly stimulates self-reflection. "From the history of Slavery and Jamaica, Rastafarian culture, legacy of prophets (Haile Selassie the 1st, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X), as well as Bob's personal life, we take the audience on a journey through allegories and representations." Marsal and De Gueltzl reveal. The opening sequence invites the viewer into Bob's guitar, a visual metaphor to Bob's mind, and our own, in a quest for Redemption. Also, drawing from Rastafarian philosophy, another vital element of the video's narrative is about valuing nature, our Earth and the Mother Land. Watch the powerful visual for 'Redemption Song' HERE The MARLEY75 celebrations will encompass all things music, fashion, art, photography, technology, sport and film, providing fans unprecedented access to archives from the legendary artist's estate in new, thoughtful and innovative ways. Together with YouTube, new and exciting content is set to be released over the course of the year. The inaugural MARLEY75 music festivities kick off this Spring, the first of many celebrations to come. Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marleys Bob Marley Celebration will headline The BeachLife Festival . This special, collaborative appearance will feature Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley performing an extensive catalog of Bob Marley tunes in celebration of their fathers 75th birthday at the three-day immersive music, art, and culinary oceanside event. In this digital era, Bob Marley remains one of the most followed posthumous artists on social media, and MARLEY75 will serve to bring his music and message to the digital foreground, reaching new audiences and perspectives with innovative content and groundbreaking technology. Special live events, exclusive digital content, recordings, exhibitions, plus rare and unearthed treasures will also be revealed throughout the year. Bob Marley's music continues to inspire generation upon generation, as his legacy lives on through his message of love, justice and unity, a sentiment needed more than ever in 2020. In conjunction with Tuff Gong and UMe, a division of the Universal Music Group, the Marley family will continue to ensure the highest quality, integrity and care is taken to honor Bob's legacy and to celebrate one of the 20th century's most important and influential figures. One-quarter of all the Reggae listened to in the United States, is Bob Marley . Bob Marley's Legend is the nineteenth-biggest selling album of all time and the fifth-biggest selling Greatest Hits package in United States history. Throughout history, no artist has dominated the world of music quite like Bob Marley. A musical, political and spiritual icon of mythical proportions, both poet and prophet, Marley was the first Jamaican artist to give voice to the struggles of his people and the Rastafarian culture, and the first to gain worldwide fame. October 2020 will see the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." Released in October 1980 and taken from his ninth album Uprising (Island Records), the song was inspired by a speech from Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey's "The Work That Has Been Done" and is considered by many as one of the greatest songs ever written in popular culture. In a time when political unrest and oppression feels more prevalent than ever, "Redemption Song" maintains a poignancy and power and acts as a long-standing testament to Bob Marley's brilliance and voice for the people. Bob Marley's music catalog has amassed billions of streams and sold millions of albums worldwide, while his hits compilation, Legend, remains the world's best-selling reggae album and longest-charting album in the history of Billboard's Catalog Albums chart. Tune in and subscribe to the Official Bob Marley YouTube channel here for more upcoming content celebrating Bob's legacy and contribution to the world. Additional information on MARLEY75 events will be revealed soon. House Of Trelawney Hannah Rothschild Bloomsbury 16.99 Trelawney Castle has sheltered the same family for 800 years, but by 2008 its coffers are empty and Jane, the 41-year-old Viscountess Tremayne, is single-handedly trying to keep the estate afloat. With a cast that includes an illegitimate beauty, a scurrilous asset-stripper and a lonely maths whizz, this canny comedy of manners straddles the worlds of high finance and the crumbling aristocracy, braiding love, revenge and market meltdown. Waspish yet generous-hearted, it delights from start to finish. Hephzibah Anderson Independence Square A D Miller Harvill Secker 14.99 When a British diplomat is caught up in the Orange Revolution in Kiev in 2004, he throws caution to the wind, with fatal consequences for his career. Years later, in London, he bumps into the Ukrainian woman he holds responsible for his downfall. It is an intriguing situation, and Miller develops it with verve and elegance. Whether he is capturing the churning crowds in Kiev or the sleepier rhythms of London in August, he always has interesting insights to offer. Max Davidson The Water Dancer Ta-Nehisi Coates Hamish Hamilton 16.99 An award-winning African-American essayist, Coates mixes magic and harsh reality in his promising debut novel. Hiram is a slave on a 19th-century plantation whose foiled escape plan leads him to work with underground abolitionists. Coates, whos drawn on a book of real slave narratives, makes the power of stories and recollection central to a novel that also gives some people superhero abilities to teleport slaves using memories and a talisman. Thats a risky but intriguing device in a book marked by suffering, eloquence, and compassion. Jeffrey Burke DETROIT, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocket Homes today introduced its Neighborhood Trend Reports, a multi-purpose resource that provides consumers a wealth of information about the local housing market. The reports include the median home price and how it's trending, whether the area is a buyer's or seller's market, the number of homes for sale in the area, the share of homes that were sold under or over asking price and how fast homes are selling. All data is compared to the previous year so consumers can see the trend, and information is displayed with unmatched clarity - making Rocket Homes Neighborhood Trend Reports the industry's best source for real estate data. "By bringing the Neighborhood Trend Report to market, we've taken another step forward in our mission to simplify the home buying and selling process," said Sam Vida, President of Rocket Homes. "Information is power, and that power is now in the hands of consumers instead of just living with the professionals who study the local housing markets every day. Once they have this information, they can use it to make informed decisions when considering buying or selling a home." In the coming months, Rocket Homes will also launch Property Reports, displaying information similar to the Neighborhood Trend Reports, but on individual residences. Consumers will be able to see details about a home, get an estimate of the home's value and see how it compares to properties in close proximity. This will help homeowners track the status of their own home, while giving potential buyers valuable insights as they consider making a move. In addition to the Neighborhood Trend Reports, Rocket Homes' website has grown significantly since its launch a little over a year ago. The search site RocketHomes.com has grown to now include 1.6 million listings, which represents more than half of all homes that are listed for sale throughout the country. "At Rocket Homes, we are passionate about simplifying the real estate process by seamlessly connecting home search, local agents and, through a partnership with Rocket Mortgage, the mortgage process," said Doug Seabolt, Rocket Homes CEO. "Through our integrated approach, we are able to reduce the stress and confusion that is often associated with buying a home, allowing people to enjoy it as the exciting time it should be." Rocket Homes is still focused on the company's initial goal of matching home buyers and sellers across all the country with qualified, vetted real estate agents. The company has one of the largest partner agent networks in the nation, with more than 25,000 agents across all 50 states and 3,100 counties in America. This year will bring many added features to Rocket Homes, in even more states, including tools, information and services to help streamline the selling process all part of the company's mission of simplifying all aspects of the home buying and selling process. About Rocket Homes Rocket Homes, formerly known as In-House Realty, manages a Partner Network of more than 25,000 premier real estate agents and has assisted nearly 700,000 consumers with their home buying and selling needs. All of its Partner Agents are prescreened and demonstrate exceptional client service, knowledge and experience in their local communities. In September 2018, Rocket Homes launched its new website that allows consumers to search for homes, connect with a real estate professional and obtain mortgage approval - creating a seamless, fully integrated home buying and selling experience for consumers. For more information, please visit RocketHomes.com . SOURCE Rocket Homes Related Links http://RocketHomes.com OXNARD, Calif., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued earlier today by CURE Pharmaceutical (OTC: CURR), the company is updating this release to include forward looking statements. CURE Pharmaceutical (OTC: CURR), an innovative drug delivery and development company, announced today that it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with ReLeaf Europe, one of Europes leading pharmaceutical groups specialized in medicinal cannabis products. The agreement grants ReLeaf Europe exclusive access to CUREs encapsulation technology for certain oral and topical cannabis products in the Netherlands, the worlds first medical cannabis market. ReLeaf Europe products will be the first to use the CUREinside quality mark to bolster consumer confidence. According to market research, Europe is one of the worlds largest medical cannabis markets due to various governments approval for medicinal purposes. ReLeaf Europe is one of the few pharmacy providers of pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis oils in Europe and an ideal partner for our first step into the European market because of its commitment to establishing clinical evidence and following EU GMP and GDP standards, said Jessica Rousset, COO of CURE. Through this agreement, we will roll out our powered by CURE strategy that includes exclusive licensing relationships to build global market share. ReLeaf Europe is tackling the largest market in the world for cannabis by establishing a foothold in Holland a market estimated to reach $2.6B by 2028 and by pursuing innovative delivery systems and distribution networks. We are standard-bearers in clinical cannabis care in Europe and CURE shares our values in its science and manufacturing practices in seeking the highest of quality standards, said Jesse Kuijper, CEO of ReLeaf Europe. This collaboration will help accelerate our market presence through highly differentiated products. CURE will power several ReLeaf Europe products, including one sublingual tincture and two topical creams to be launched in 2020. About CURE Pharmaceutical CURE Pharmaceutical is a vertically integrated drug delivery and development company committed to improving drug efficacy, safety, and patient experience through its proprietary drug dosage forms and delivery systems. CURE has an FDA- and DEA- registered, cGMP manufacturing facility and is a pioneering developer of CUREform, a patented drug delivery platform. CUREform includes CUREfilm, one of the most advanced oral thin films on the market today; microCURE, an innovative emulsion technology utilizing proprietary encapsulation techniques; and CUREpods a novel chewable delivery system. CUREform's combined technologies provide opportunities for both immediate and controlled-release drug delivery of a wide range of active ingredients. CURE partners with biotech, pharmaceutical, and wellness companies worldwide and has positioned itself to advance numerous therapeutic categories, including the pharmaceutical cannabis sector, with partnerships in the U.S.A, Canada, Israel, and other markets. The companys mission is to improve peoples lives by redefining how medicines are delivered and experienced. For more information about CURE Pharmaceutical, please visit its website at www.curepharma.com. About ReLeaf Europe ReLeaf Europe bv is active since 2017 in the European pharmaceutical market. All products are distributed through licensed pharmacies, OTC as well as prescripted. Clinical Cannabis Care bv is a compounding pharmacy based in the Netherlands producing cannabis products for delivery direct to patients or through pharmacies. Cannadis Europe bv is developing EU-GMP THC and CBD APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) for pharmacists in Europe as well APIs for scientific research studies to be launched in 2020. Both Clinical Cannabis Care bv and Cannadis Europe bv are part of ReLeaf Europe bv. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation, the ability to successfully market the partnered products, the difficulty in predicting the timing or outcome of related research and development efforts, partnered product characteristics and indications, marketing approvals and launches of other products, the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the acceptance and demand of new pharmaceutical products, the impact of patents and other proprietary rights held by competitors and other third parties and the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the Company's judgment as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of our securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. I suppose I should feel schadenfreude. Two weeks ago, the Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski tweeted my column, saying he was shocked, angered and appalled by the ignorance, bias and illiteracy of my journalism. The Polish-born representative for Shrewsbury and former prime ministerial envoy to the Polish and eastern European diaspora in the UK took issue with my piece, which argued that resurgent right-wing nationalism had inspired in Poland a desire to simplify its complex part in the Holocaust, downplaying the enthusiasm with which some Polish people espoused antisemitism during the Nazi era. Kawczynskis tweet precipitated a pile-on of proportions I had yet to experience as a journalist, with dozens of men (and it was exclusively men) pursuing me across social media to call me a treacherous ape, among other insults, and warning me that next time we wont be so kind. Their vitriol was alarming, but also enlightening, confirming my concerns that modern Holocaust revisionism is a thin veil for the antisemitism that has long lurked in Polands popular culture, just as elsewhere. For a moment it appeared Kawczynski had decided not to fan the flames, choosing instead to delete his original message. Yet a few hours later, up he leapt in parliament to launch during a debate on Holocaust Memorial Day, no less a tirade against a Jewish journalist and her left wing rag employer. So I cant say that I was entirely unmoved to learn that Kawczynski is now facing something of a political pile-on himself. Last week, BuzzFeed reported that Kawczynski was due to convene in Rome with politicians from across Europes far-right, including Vox of Spain, Lega of Italy and Frances National Rally. The news went mostly unnoticed until, at the conference itself, the Shrewsbury MP nominated Matteo Salvini and Viktor Orban for praise. If anybody was in doubt about how much time Kawczynski could find for alleged antisemites, well, they werent anymore. The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) wrote to the Conservative Party chief whip Mark Spencer, calling on him to remove the whip from Kawczynski, and started a petition that has (at the time of writing) garnered almost 1,000 signatures. The Board of Deputies has also voiced its concern, calling for him to be disciplined. Given what happened to the Conservative adviser Tim Montgomerie after he expressed his fondness for Orban, Kawczynskis fate seems sealed. I should probably be pleased that Kawczynsku is getting his comeuppance. Yet, I still cant help but feel unsettled by this. Though he is by no means blameless, Kawczynski is about to be made a scapegoat. At this weekends conference in Rome, Kawczynski said that Orban and Salvini represent serious ideas and concerns, some of which are shared by many citizens of the UK. Indeed, a number of British citizens some of them Conservative MPs share Salvinis ideas. One is that the Jewish financier George Soros controls the EU an idea shared on Facebook by Sally-Ann Hart MP, as well as in a Facebook group in which Lee Anderson MP was an active participant. Hart and Lees social media activity came to light just days before the December election; timing evidently intended to do maximal damage to the Conservative Party. Yet whoevers plan it was failed spectacularly: not only was no disciplinary action taken, the public outcry was so muted (even the JLM was conspicuously quiet) that both went on to win their seats in Decembers poll. The unwillingness to act on allegations of antisemitism was unsurprising; after all, the Conservative disciplinary body had not too long ago judged an MPs Nazi-themed stag party not antisemitic. Yet it may also have been strategic: to have deselected not one, but three, of its candidates for antisemitism (Richard Short, the would-be MP for St Helens South and Whiston, also stood accused, having questioned whether the Jewish journalist Melanie Phillipss loyalties lay with the UK or with Israel) would have been to concede not merely a fault, but a trend and at a time when Labour had such a pleasing monopoly on institutional antisemitism. Kawczynski, then, is just what the doctor ordered. He is a backbencher with until now no profile to speak of, and whose unsavoury views can be dissociated from those of his party (a dissociation that even Labour politicians seem curiously willing to facilitate: Im no fan of the Tories, tweeted Lisa Nandy yesterday, sharing JLMs letter to the chief whip, but most of them arent like @DKShrewsbury). Amputate the rotten limb and the body remains healthy. Yet Kawczynski is a symptom of a disease endemic within British Conservatism. Getting rid of him will not cure it. Industry Update Appointment 5 February 2020 Sathit Mansuwan Appointed Director of Quality Assurance At Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) in Bangkok, Thailand Mr. Sathit Mansuwan is a highly respected professional in the industry with a wealth of hospitality operations and management experience. His roles include working as a General Manager in different brands within the renowned Minor Hotels Group, where he has been employed for the best part of the last 20 years. He started his career with Marriott Resort & Spa, Bangkok as Front Office Manager in 2000 and worked his way up through the group to the role of Cluster General Manager. Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) is one of the fastest growing hospitality management/branding companies in Asia with an ever-expanding geographic portfolio of hotels, resorts and serviced residences. Head quartered in Bangkok, Thailand with regional offices in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and Europe with more expansions planned, AHS and its brands have resonated with investors and consumers contributing value to all stakeholders. more information Recent Appointments at Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) Avani Dedhia - Associate Director MarCom 2 December 2021 A postgraduate in Marketing & Business Management, Avani has over 13 years of experience in hospitality, luxury, lifestyle, branding, media, publishing, communications, advertising, marketing, and public relations. read more Benchaphorn Sommai - Senior Director of Technical Services 13 September 2021 Ms. Benchaphorn Sommai (Aom) was promoted as Senior Director of Technical Services. Benchaphorn is an Absolute Hotel Services veteran with a strong background in interior design and design management. read more The trial of three alleged Internet fraudsters who scammed some white men by presenting themselves as President Muhammadu Buhari, resumed on Tuesday before the Federal High Court in Lagos. The defendants Uche Julius, alias Musa Mohammed; Kenneth Ezeomu, alias Abdul Karim; and Agu George, alias Dr Lina Norman were arraigned in November 2018 on 16 counts bordering on forgery and cybercrime. In the charges, the police alleged that Julius and some persons still at large on August 8, 2018 sent forged electronic messages to one Engr Gmemnzes, purporting same to have been sent by Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari, the First Lady and wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the police, the accused titled the messages, Attention: Geraldo Francisco Menezes, wherein he demanded immediate payment of $20.5m. At the resumed trial on Tuesday, a police detective, Musa Naneri, narrated to the court how Julius was lured to a pub, where he was arrested. Naneri said after their investigation pointed towards Julius, they contacted him and arranged to meet with him at a pub because he has love for Gulder. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 14 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, with no casualties reported, the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 12 times on February 4. No casualties reported due to the enemy shelling attacks," the JFO staff said in its update on Facebook on Wednesday morning. The enemy opened fire, employing proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms near the towns of Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Pisky, Starohnativka, Novotoshkivske, Travneve, Orikhove, and Novoluhanske. Senior research fellow, Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana, Dr. George Domfe, has supported the verdict of the Electoral Commission [EC] to gather a new voters register. He argued that persons and political parties against the new voters register should as well know that the total population when taken into context by any expert of electoral processes shows that the current voters register is not fit for the up-coming elections. . . In my selfish interest and the field in which I find myself, I will say our current voters register needs to be changed because the number of voters being mentioned with respect to the voters register does not correspond with the total population in the country, he said. Speaking on UTVs Adekye Nsroma newspaper discussion segment, the Senior researcher explained the number of registered voters in the register is unreasonable and must be looked at because no country is expected to have more than half of its population on its voting register when age zero [0] to fifteen [15] which is said to form half of the total population and age 16 and 17 are not qualified voters. Where from the more than half of our total population on our voters register deemed registered voters?. I will say our current voters register is over boated because no country is supposed to have more than the number of its total population on the voters register as is recorded today, he further stated. Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi, peacefmonline.com [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Musician and political activist, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, has said, he has regretted voting for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the last elections. In his view, the NPP administration has not lived up to expectation after winning the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections. A Plus speaking on The Citizen Show on Accra 100.5FM on Saturday, 1 February 2020 said corruption has engulfed the current administration, a situation he noted makes him regret ever voting for the party. He also indicated that in spite of the rise in corruption under this administration, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has failed to act. He told show host Kwabena Bobie Anash that he personally wrote a five-page letter to the president reporting some acts of corruption within some state agencies, however, Mr Akufo-Addo, he said, failed to act on the report. We campaigned against the NDC in the last elections that they were corrupt and so Ghanaians including myself voted for the NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo but what are we seeing today? Corruption is increasing. How can you tell me that five excavators have gone missing and we dont know where they are, he wondered. Ive regretted voting for the party, A Plus added. ---classfmonline The notion of American exceptionalism is under increasing scrutiny. Critics cite Chinas rise, our prolonged entanglement in Middle East conflicts, Russias new assertiveness and other factors to dispute Americas clear-cut status as the globes most powerful, influential and admirable nation. I, for one, still believe in American exceptionalism. Despite its problems, the United States remains the brightest beacon of freedom, democracy, opportunity and rule of law. But a crucial underpinning of that status is eroding, and it will profoundly weaken us domestically and abroad if we dont address it soon. Im speaking of bipartisanship: the willingness of individuals and political parties to fiercely advocate for their beliefs but ultimately acknowledge that some give-and-take is essential if were to reap anything but scorched earth. My Houston friends know Im a proud Republican. But I dont see Democrats as the enemy. They arent unpatriotic or undeserving of a voice in how our local, state and federal governments should function. Mutual respect among political factions has sustained our republic for two centuries, and it was crucial to the rise of American exceptionalism. The hyper-partisanship thats now gripping our country has all but paralyzed Congress. And it threatens to devolve into something even worse national tribalism. Too many people now seem essentially to say, Members of my party can do no wrong (no matter how atrociously they behave), and members of the other party are always wrong, ill-intentioned and dangerous. We must not only out-vote them, we must hate and destroy them. Ideological warriors, on the left and right, ignore a fundamental truth about our divided, checks-and-balances government: virtually nothing can get passed by Congress and signed into law without some degree of bipartisan cooperation. Its mathematically impossible in a nation thats split almost 50-50 politically. Neither party can achieve the super majorities needed to ram an agenda through the House, Senate and White House without at least some help from the opposition. The self-inflicted damage of our polarization grows daily. Congress is essentially gridlocked, unable to resolve even medium-size problems, let alone big ones. Not terribly long ago, the Senate approved a far-reaching and bipartisan immigration reform package, which then-President George W. Bush was eager to sign. But partisan purists in the House (then also controlled by Republicans) blocked it. Today, as both parties increasingly take all-or-nothing stands, its almost impossible to envision Congress advancing an ambitious immigration reform bill, or anything comparable. How long can we continue like this? How can we ask the rest of the world to consider us exceptional if we engage in endless partisan warfare? I dont know when and how the tipping point will come. At some juncture, however, millions of exasperated Americans will say something must change. When that happens, they will cast about for ideas and strategies to begin working our way back to a minimal level of bipartisanship that can unfreeze our ice-bound government. The good news is that at least one organization the non-profit group No Labels has been working on this issue for nearly a decade. As a No Labels activist and supporter, Ive watched the group put its convictions into action. It helped create the U.S. Houses bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, whose 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats are courageous enough to work across party lines for common-sense solutions. They endure rebukes from party leaders, and threats of ouster by ideological purists, for daring to work with the enemy. Even in todays bitter climate, the Problem Solvers have gotten results. When the current Congress convened, they changed House rules to give bipartisan bills a better chance to reach a floor vote. And last summer they resolved an ideological battle that was preventing much-needed humanitarian aid from reaching our southern border. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Will Hurd are Problem Solver Caucus members, and I urge other Texans to join, too. No Labels now is working to expand this bipartisan spirit into the Senate. It hosts monthly meetings of lawmakers from both parties and chambers to seek possible areas of compromise and progress. No Labels certainly doesnt have all the answers (and Id love to see other groups address our crippling polarization). But I am sure about one thing: continuing down the current road of unyielding partisan purity will weaken our economy, infrastructure, national security and reputation in the world. I love America and want it to remain exceptional. A return to reasonable levels of bipartisanship is essential. Zeidman is Chairman of Gordian Group and Cofounder of No Labels. Contributions to the No Labels 501(c)(4) are unlimited and not publicly disclosed. Katy Perry and Prince Charles have been slammed after she was appointed ambassador for the British Asian Trust - despite not being British or Asian. The Prince of Wales - founder of the organisation - announced the pop star's new role at a black tie reception in London last night. The Firework hitmaker said she hoped to 'help shine my light on the work that the British Asian Trust will be doing in South Asia'. But the appointment has provoked outrage online, with many criticising the choice of Perry for a role. Prince Charles appeared delighted to be joined by pop sensation Katy Perry at a lavish gala in London yesterday evening Perry's appointment has provoked outrage online, with many criticising the choice of Perry for a role (above and below, on Twitter) Namalee Bolle, writing on Twitter, said: 'Colonialism at it's finest. Of course we want to help on the biggest platform possible. 'But can't we find a South Asian worldwide representative instead of someone renowned for cultural appropriation and tone deafness?' While Nurshila Jackson said: 'Katy Perry as British Asian Trust ambassador - what part is British and what part is Asian? 'Or has she a long lost family history suggesting that she's all of the above.' And Melinda Fargo wrote: 'Katy Perry, who is not British... or Asian... has been appointed ambassador for the British Asian Trust? 'Okay, tell me again, slowly.' TV presenter Anila Chowdhry commented: 'It was a bit of an eye roll moment seeing Katy Perry becoming ambassador of British Asian Trust. 'Because the charity clearly thinks no-one from the charity is big enough from the minority community to get their message across into mainstream. 'But it is important to have diversity in charities to reach different communities and get the message out there. 'So understandable why they've done it, if they aren't reaching wider communities.' Prince Charles and Camilla meet musician American Katy Perry, second left, and businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla, left, as they arrive to attend a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust in London On Twitter, commenters have slammed the appointment of Katy Perry as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust (above and below) However some people jumped to defend the charity and Perry. BBC Asian Network presenter Nihal Arthanayake said: 'I hope those kids who have been saved from slavery in India are equally outraged when they discover a white person has helped raise the money that secured their freedom. 'What charity on earth would turn down the influence and awareness she brings?' Composer Nitin Sawhney added: 'I think as long as there is desi representation, which there is, then it's good to have non-desi ambassadors too. 'I think that anyone who has a profile with a different demographic following can certainly help a cause. 'It's important to be inclusive as Asians as well as the other round.' And BBC presenter Sonali Shah accused those criticising the appointment of racism. She commented: 'Some of the comments about Katy Perry joining us as an ambassador of the British Asian Trust are starting to feel a little 'stay in your lane' and dare I say it, at times, racist. 'Supporting those in need in South Asia isn't just the job of British Asians. She cares. And so should you.' Perry would be assisting the charity's programme to stop child trafficking in the subcontinent. It is thought 5.8million children are working in forced labour in India. She said last night: 'My work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has taken me to many parts of the world and opened my eyes to the many vulnerabilities of children. 'India has long held a special place in my heart, and on my last visit, I was able to meet with The Prince of Wales and other leaders in Mumbai, and I was impressed by their strong plan - from on-ground initiatives to fundraising - that will aim to cut child trafficking in half. 'That is why I am especially honoured to be named an ambassador for the British Asian Trusts Childrens Protection Fund, and to help shine my light on the work that the British Asian Trust will be doing in South Asia, and to be a part of finding solutions to child trafficking. Children are vulnerable and innocent and have to be protected.' Katy Perry, right, and Natasha Poonawalla, listen as Prince Charles gives a speech as he attends a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust in London Katy first met the heir to the British throne in India in November 2019. Pictured: The pair together in Mumbai as they attend a meeting for the British Asian Trust Since first forming, The British Asian Trust has supported programs in education, livelihoods, mental health and anti-trafficking, and has made a real difference to the lives of more than 4.8million people in South Asia. It has recently expanded its remit into Bangladesh, after successful dealings in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Around 5.8million children are believed to be working in forced labour in India. In Jaipur alone, tens of thousands are thought to be working 15-hour days in hazardous workshops, producing goods such as bangles and embroidery. As part of the Child Labour Free Jaipur Initiative, BAT has been working with business, government and communities to remove child labour from supply chains and encourage child labour-free products in markets. The charity's chief executive, Richard Hawkes, explained she would raise the charity's profile. He explained: 'She's such a massive global superstar and having her associated with the organisation in any way is absolutely brilliant for us because it definitely attracts attention, it gets people more aware of our work and aware of the anti-trafficking work that we do. 'So yes, without question it's going to raise our profile and get more people interested in what we do.' A British Asian Trust spokesman said: 'We are delighted to have Katy raising awareness of the shocking crime of child trafficking and child exploitation. 'Katy is one of many ambassadors working with us, and supporters from all across the world, to transform lives.' By Express News Service BHOPAL: Exposing the state of security at government offices in Madhya Pradesh, five unidentified men ransacked the office of a sub divisional magistrate (SDM), damaged his official vehicle parked outside and also allegedly opened fire in the air in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The incident is being seen as linked to the SDM-Chhatarpurs sustained crackdown against the land mafia in the district. The incident happened at around 9.05 am, when SDM Anil Sapkale was working in his office. Some unidentified men entered my office and ransacked the property there, before going outside and damaging my official vehicle and also firing in air just outside the office. Possibility of the incident being linked to the recent action against land mafia cannot be ruled out, the SDM told journalists in the evening. According to Chhatarpur district police superintendent Tilak Singh, a case has been registered against unidentified accused in the matter and multiple teams have been constituted to track and nab the absconding culprits. As per Chhatarpur district police sources, Rs 10,000 bounty has been announced for getting clinching clues against the accused. Former Chhatarpur Nagar Palika chairperson and BJP leader Archana Singh rushed to the SDM office on coming to know about the incident and expressed shock over it. Never in the last 15-20 years has anything like this happened. The incident has exposed that criminal elements dont have any fear of cops. If the SDM isnt secure, how can the commoners feel secure, said Singh. The landmark ruling by a five judge panel in Malawi overturning the May 2019 presidential election will be appealed by President Peter Mutharika, a presidential spokesman said on Wednesday. Well-wishers and Malawians themselves took stock of the ruling, noting that the process was accessible and inclusive, through local language Chichewa translation. Although there was doubt that the court case, filed by main opposition Malawi Congress Party, would result in annulling the election, the evidence was clear that incumbent President Peter Mutharika did not take the majority of the votes, said Happy Kayumi, a political science professor at the University of Malawi. People thought that maybe the opposition were just interestedin trying to please their voters, Kayumi told RFI. But from week two we studied the hearing and some of the evidence was shocking, he said. In their 500-page decision, the five judges ruled the irregularities and anomalies have been so widespread, systematic and grave that the integrity of the results has been seriously compromised, as only 23 percent of the result sheets could be verified. Tippex election Called on social media as the Tippex election, referring to a brand of correction fluid, ballot tally papers emerged with areas painted with the white fluid and written over. Mutharika, president since 2014 and brother of the late former president Bingu wa Mutharika, received 38.7 percent of the vote, while MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera took 34.1 percent of the vote and Deputy President Saulos Chilima, who broke away from the ruling party, received 20.24 percent. You have to think of this case from two dimensions: a legal battle, but also a political case, said Jimmy Kainja, an academic at the University of Malawi, saying that Peter Mutharika is a lawyer by profession. Story continues They may put forth an appeal so they may buy a bit more time to organise themselves for the next election that must take place within the next five months, said Kainja. Grandmothers could follow through Chichewa translation The unprecedented trial took on a national dimension as Times Radio, Zodiak Broadcasting, MIJ FM, and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation broadcast the trial from the first day in English, the national language of Malawi, but also translated the proceedings into Chichewa, one of the local languages that is spoken by more than 50 percent of the population. Lawyers for petitioner Chilima asked the High Court panel to scrap the court-interpreted translations on the second day after some of the five interpreters had trouble with the legalese and reportedly had to be rescued by lawyers. They reasoned that this would slow down proceedings. Judges Healy Potani, Ivy Kamanga, Mike Tembo, Dingiswayo Madise and Redson Kapindu refused to scrap the translations because the trial was in the national interest, a move that in hindsight created a sense of inclusion in the proceedings, said political analyst Jimmy Kainja. The whole thing has been covered from the beginning to the end, so it was easier for people to accept the outcome, because everybody could connect to where the judgment was coming from, he told RFI, adding that this was an aspect that probably prevented major chaos on the street if we just wake up one morning and find out that the ruling has gone this way and not that way. Although everyone speaks English, the issues with legalese made the process difficult to follow, but through the use of Chichewa, the trial became accessible. My grandmother has followed the case throughout -- shes not that mobile, so she would sit down and listen to the radio the whole day, said Kainja. She would have more information about what was happening in the court than he would have on a daily basis because he was working and could not sit and listen to the proceedings, he explained. If you talk to her, she could give you a good idea of how the judgement came about, and I think that was very good, he said. At the same time, it has also enhanced the understanding of how the judiciary works, because many believe that justice is only for people who can afford lawyers and only favours the few, he added. I think this has gone a long way to bring some sense of trust to the system as well, he said. Bonus ruling from Malawi court What is likely to have a greater long-term effect is the majority definition decision. What really surprised me so much is not only the verdict, but also what I can call a bonus, that the court has also interpreted certain key issues which are constitutional in nature, said Kayumi, pointing out that the court defined what is a majority of votes as well as null and void votes. The court interpreted majority to mean more than 50 percent of the votes, or 50+. Previously we have seen that those who were winning were getting less than 50 percent but the Malawian Electoral Commission was still declaring them as winners, said Kayumi, who did not expect them to rule on this. The issue had been repeatedly brought up, during each election, that 50+ majority needed to be defined. It had been present in parliament before, but through partisan politics, it never went through, he said. Malawians will need to return to the polls within 150 days, according to the High Court ruling. Mutharika has six weeks to mount an appeal. In what appears to be a throwback to Luxembourg's first dynastic crisis (see link), the Young Socialists are urging the government to hold a referendum on the future of the monarchy. The Young Socialists (the LSAP's youth wing) believe that the Grand Ducal Court's public and private funds must be clearly separate, the group wrote in a press release. In that vein, the youth wing believes that citizens of Luxembourg should be consulted for their opinion via referendum. Specifically, the referendum should query whether citizens wish to keep the current constitutional monarchy or change to a republic. The press release also highlighted that the group is against the practice of certain people being privileged based on their origins, but also that these same individuals have their individual freedoms and right to self-determination curtailed. The youth wing went on to argue that, in light of these issues, monarchy is no longer compatible with the modern values of democracy. Luxembourg's history: Luxembourg's dynastic crisis and the abdication of Marie-Adelaide Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters Matthew Marroquin, a 20-year-old caucus captain for a satellite precinct in Buena Vista county in north-western Iowa, was eager to tell state party officials on Monday night that his candidate of choice, Bernie Sanders, had swept one of the countys largest precincts. Related: Iowa caucus chaos: Democrats plan to release results 'as soon as possible' live coverage That fitted a growing narrative of Sanders strength in the first-in-the nation caucuses. An average of a recent string of polls and results of a Des Moines Register/CNN Iowa poll that were pulled because of respondent concerns showed Sanders with a slight edge over Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, with Joe Biden fading off. A rousing speech from Storm Lake city resident Linda Torres, a 24-year-old precinct captain, about how Sanders healthcare plan would have saved her fathers life helped seal the crowds preference for Sanders. Torres sister, Teresa, told the Guardian: Bernies fighting for us for all the right reasons. The end count was 93-0 for Sanders. Twelve other people at the precinct, most of them supporting Buttigieg, decided theyd leave rather than throw their support behind the progressive firebrand. Everything had been easy to run. Everything had worked. Until Marroquin turned to the party-administered app to report his results at around 8.50pm. Thats when events in at the precinct site echoing similar scenes at hundreds of other caucus sites across the state began to go very wrong. The app for transmitting results was not working in many places. A telephone hotline back-up system quickly became jammed. The TV cable news shows, eagerly awaiting results, rapidly turned to covering the ever-lengthening delay. The website wasnt working, so we had to go to this hotline, where we had to wait, like, an hour to get anybody on the other line, Marroquin said over the phone at about midnight on Tuesday morning. And when we did, we got people on the other side who were breaking down crying. The whole thing took forever. Story continues Marroquin said he finally uploaded the results at around midnight. Marroquin, Torres and the entirety of the local Sanders operation camped out until the wee hours of Tuesday morning in anticipation of the Democratic party releasing something. As of 10am local time, the state map was still blank, the party still maintaining results would be released at some time on Tuesday. By then all the major candidates in Iowa had already given farewell speeches and moved on to the next state in the race: New Hampshire. But still no results had been released as officials scrambled to recount results verify them, as national and international headlines focused on the unfolding chaos. A Guardian survey of caucus-goers and observers around Iowa showed experiences similar to that of Marroquin. Norbert Sarsfield, a Sanders precinct captain in Iowa City, said a mishandling of the first alignment delayed reporting in one of Iowas largest precincts; the reporting issue only compounded the issue, he said. Rage drinking, he said of his experience at his Iowa City precinct. The informal survey showed Sanders, Buttigieg and Warren making strong showings, and Amy Klobuchar was exceeding expectations. JD Scholten, a Sioux City Democrat running for Iowas fourth district, said results across western Iowa showed varied support for Klobuchar and Buttigieg. Sarsfield said Warren and Sanders led the way. Still, without actual results, no one really knows. The Iowa caucuses are never about the final delegate count; in total, its 41 delegates comprise around a single percentage point of the total delegate total. The caucuses are more of a stress test for the campaigns, explained Brad Best, a Buena Vista University political science professor and a longtime observer of the caucuses. A win for Sanders or a better-than-expected turnout for Buttigieg or Warren could have spun new narratives of strength heading into the New Hampshire primaries and Super Tuesday. Thats why every four years Iowa is such a hard-fought battleground. Related: Democrats head to New Hampshire with no frontrunner after Iowa catastrophe Thats all for naught now. Best said the caucuses and Iowas first-in-the-nation status are probably in jeopardy after Monday nights fiasco. The Iowa caucuses generate narratives, both legitimate and not, Best said in a recent interview. The campaigns seize on them to demonstrate new strength heading into subsequent primaries, and the fact they cant this time, is already posing headaches. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brendan Pierson (Reuters) New York, United States Wed, February 5, 2020 17:05 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c152c 2 Entertainment Harvey-Weinstein,trial,united-states,film,MeToo,Sexual-assault,Jessica-Mann Free Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial were shown naked photographs of the former Hollywood producer on Tuesday over his lawyers' objections. A sketch artist hired by Reuters saw a couple of the naked photos when they were passed to the jury and produced a drawing for the news agency. In the courtroom, prosecutors did not say why the photographs were introduced or how many were presented. A photographer employed by the Manhattan District Attorney's office testified that he took the pictures in June 2018. Weinstein did not respond to reporters' questions about what he thought of jurors viewing naked photos of him. A spokesman for Weinstein declined to comment. Jessica Mann, a woman Weinstein is accused of raping, testified last week about the appearance of Weinstein's naked body. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting Mann and another woman, Mimi Haleyi. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. Mann testified on Friday that when she first saw Weinstein, he had no testicles and appeared "deformed" or "intersex". The term refers to individuals with sex characteristics "that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies," according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. On Tuesday, Weinstein's defense objected to the photographs being introduced but did not say why. They did not address Mann's testimony about Weinstein's physical appearance. Reuters could not determine if prosecutors introduced the photos in an effort to corroborate Mann's testimony. A representative for the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment. The trial is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business and politics. Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein, whose films included The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, has denied the allegations and has said any sexual encounters were consensual. Weinstein is charged with raping Mann in March 2013. Mann testified that the alleged rape happened in the course of an "extremely degrading" relationship with Weinstein that lasted for years. Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno pressed her over three days of cross examination about that relationship. "I know the history of my relationship with him," Mann said on Tuesday. "I know it was complicated and difficult. That doesnt change the fact that he raped me." Rotunno asked that the answer be stricken, but Justice James Burke denied the request. Mann's testimony on Monday had been cut short after she began weeping uncontrollably as she read aloud an email she wrote in 2014 describing Weinstein as a "pseudo father". Focus on emails On Tuesday, Rotunno focused on Mann's email correspondence with him following the alleged attack. In one email in 2013, Mann told Weinstein she had just been through a breakup and was hoping to have dinner with him. In another email, sent in 2014, Mann asked Weinstein for a referral so she could get a membership at the Soho House, an exclusive club. In another, she told Weinstein, "I love you, always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call." Prosecutors are expected to rest their case later this week. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. MAHWAH, N.J., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drosrite International LLC, a private waste management technologies company based in New Jersey, USA, (the "Company", the Corporation or "Drosrite International"), further to its press release dated January 27th, 2020, provides the following update: Notwithstanding recent delays with respect to the previously announced transaction, the Company wishes to confirm that the first payments noted therein are expected to be transferred sometime within the next several days. Of note is that despite these delays, work has been progressing on the contract as per schedule, and several production milestones have already been achieved over the course of the past several months. Drosrite International had previously entered into a mutually exclusive arrangement with Radian to provide DROSRITE systems to Radian in their competitive bid for a major Aluminum Dross Processing project. The Company will manufacture, under a limited exclusive arrangement to sell DROSRITE systems, five (5) DROSRITE 5,000 TPY systems, plus two (2) 10,000 TPY systems to treat 30,000 to 40,000 tons per year of white and black aluminum dross. In addition, the Company will also supply spare parts over a 20-year period and, separately, benefit from an annual royalty stream. DROSRITE is a patented, proven, salt-free, cost-effective, sustainable process for maximizing metal recovery from dross (a waste generated in the metallurgical industry) which avoids costly loss of metal, while reducing a smelters carbon footprint and energy consumption, thus providing a high return on investment. The system has been designed to process and recover valuable metals such as aluminum, zinc and copper from dross. Radian is a private Saudi Arabian company providing technologies that help customers conserve energy, operate more efficiently through a broad range of solutions while saving fuel, water / electricity & reducing CO2 emissions. About Drosrite International LLC Drosrite International LLC, is a US based private company duly constituted and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, providing state-of-the-art waste management technologies to the aluminum industry. The Company is duly licensed and has the right to manufacture, market, sell and distribute DROSRITE systems and technology. All DROSRITE systems supplied by Drosrite International are manufactured in the USA. The Companys core business is to promote, under a limited exclusive arrangement, the trademarked DROSRITE systems and technology; a revolutionary salt-free rotary tilting furnace for maximizing the recovery of non-ferrous metals from dross. Drosrite Internationals focus is to supply DROSRITE systems, together with complete plant and accessories, required for the recovery of aluminum dross. Drosrite International LLC is in discussion with other smelters to provide this type of service on a direct/indirect basis. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Drosrite International LLC For further information please contact: Media Relations, Phone: (201) 512-8701, E-mail: media@drosrite-international.com RELATED LINK: www.drosrite-international.com The media has closely followed Britain's tumultuous journey to leave the European Union ever since the country made the decision in a June 2016 referendum. On Jan. 31, 2019, Brexit became official, and Britain is legally no longer part of the EU. The full effects of this change on British companies is still unknown. For example, one of the biggest reasons cited for wanting to leave the EU was to escape its many regulations. In order to trade with EU countries, the British government may end up conforming to many of those regulations anyway, but the final decision on each regulation has the potential to change the game for many companies. In addition to shaking up the trade laws, Brexit has also had a strong effect on the value of the country's currency, the British pound. Since the June 2016 referendum, the pound has depreciated approximately 7.8% against the U.S. dollar, 5.9% against the Chinese yuan and 2.7% against the Japanese yen, which has had profound effects on British international companies that conduct much of their sales in foreign currencies. GlaxoSmithKline GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LSE:GSK) (GSK) is a British multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in London, it is one of the most prominent pharmaceutical companies in the world. It got its start following the first World War, when its legacy companies consolidated and began developing drugs. In the present day, the company provides pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer health care products to customers around the world. As of Feb. 4, GlaxoSmithKline has a market cap of 89.01 billion pounds (approximately $116.04 million), a price-earnings ratio of 19.6, a cash-debt ratio of 0.13 and a return on capital of 59.92%. The share price has increased by 20% over the past year. Story continues 1aa2f493c9da132af8f8279262b6a5ee.png More than half of the company's revenue comes from outside of the U.K. Vaccines are its most international products, with the U.S. alone accounting for half of vaccine sales and other non-U.K. countries accounting for a fourth. As you can see in the chart below, GSK has consistently increased its revenue and net income over the past several years. a1a058ced98fa686b298f4c58c419919.png Constant currency will be a major tailwind for GlaxoSmithKline during the fallout from Brexit. Since it is a heavy exporter, the company benefits greatly from the depreciation of the British pound. "The positive currency impact primarily reflected the weakness of Sterling, particularly against the US$ and Yen, partly offset by weakness in emerging market currencies," reads the company's third-quarter 2019 earnings report. GlaxoSmithKline's constant currency boost may be magnified by the new coronavirus (dubbed 2019-nCoV) that has emerged in China. In the past, panic over new diseases has resulted in both consumers and investors pouring money into the companies that can develop the cure or the vaccine. The company is already in the process of developing a vaccine for the new virus, and it is also sharing its pandemic vaccine adjuvant platform technology through a collaboration with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The company has taken a risk-dissolving approach to Brexit, focusing on building up its foreign supply chains to prepare them for regulatory issues. Its contingency plan has been underway since the beginning of 2018, and it estimates that the necessary changes could cost 70 million pounds over the two to three years following Brexit, along with an additional 50 million pounds per year in customs, duties and other cross-border costs. Vodafone Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) (VOD) is the fourth-largest telecommunications provider in the world. Based in London, the company has more than 500 million mobile customers in 26 countries worldwide. Although Huawei, Verizon (V) and AT&T (T) provide services in more countries, their customers are relatively concentrated in their countries of origin. On the other hand, Vodafone holds the dominant market spot in many of the countries it operates in, particularly in Europe and Africa. It is sometimes called the most powerful brand name in the U.K. As of Feb. 4, Vodafone has a market cap of 39.97 billion pounds, a price-earnings ratio of 15.04, a cash-debt ratio of 0.18 and a return on capital of 6.84%. Shares have increased 7.97% over the past year. d12af7b1f764238e93fa8cc1d6d35294.png Compared to the other telecommunications giants, Vodafone has seen its growth slow, with revenue declining 2.4% per year over the past three years despite the number of customers increasing. European growth has slowed somewhat to approximately one million net new mobile contracts per year, while international revenues have grown 9% per quarter during the first half of fiscal 2020. 0f18f4340d6fb46f13fd32221d69d89c.png Since Vodafone is a company with primary operations in many countries, it may face more headwinds from post-Brexit regulations and travel restrictions. The value of the British pound is less relevant here because its depreciation against currencies such as the U.S. dollar is counteracted by its appreciation against currencies in many of the emerging markets in which it is the largest mobile services provider. "If we get GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] and data treatment wrong, if we get the visas wrong, the immigration part, this country misses an opportunity," former Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao said in a press conference in May 2018. However, each country that Vodafone operates in is effectively a standalone business, so the individual segments are well prepared to face any changes in how British companies do business internationally. The company expects that the most impact Brexit will have on its operations will be due to its impact on the macro economy in the U.K., which may make consumers less willing to spend. Diageo Another company with strong brand recognition and international presence is Diageo PLC (LSE:DGE) (DEO), a British multinational alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London. Its brands include internationally popular names such as Smirnoff, Guinness, Baileys, Johnnie Walker and Crown Royal. The company was the largest distiller in the world until China's Kweichow Moutai surpassed it in 2017. As of Feb. 4, Diageo has a market cap of 70.37 billion pounds, a price-earnings ratio of 23.52, a cash-debt ratio of 0.07 and a return on capital of 57.45%. Over the past year, share prices have increased by 2.94%. 17a5a7ba093dd38f3ff4e0676244355f.png Benefitting from brand-name recognition around the world, Diageo's revenue has grown 8.4% per year over the past three years. 6c9e11d88b39c56f2dd2cc800782cc97.png Diageo is a truly global company, with the majority of its sales revenue coming from foreign countries. North America accounted for 34.9% of the company's 2019 net sales, followed by Europe and Turkey at 22.9%, Asia Pacific at 21.0%, Africa at 12.4% and Latin America and the Caribbean at 8.8%. With the highest percentage of sales coming from North America, Europe and Asia, Diageo's profits will only improve when the value of the pound depreciates against the currencies in these regions. However, aside from constant currency tailwinds, Diageo is far less likely than GlaxoSmithKline or Vodafone to face Brexit-related changes. The company's most recent earnings report includes a note that it expects all of its goods to continue trading tariff-free. As a distiller, Diageo's products are simple to understand, and the simpler the product, the less complex the regulatory risk. If a government slaps on a tariff or two, the company's profits will suffer, and any changes to taxes or regulations in the wake of the reorganization will also have an impact. These factors are still largely unknown. Conclusion In short, Brexit is set to throw new variables at British companies, and the stronger its international presence, the more a company will have to jump through costly hoops. GlaxoSmithKline is a good example of a company that may face headwinds, counteracting the boost in international profits on a constant currency basis. On the other hand, companies such as Diageo, which provide one class of easy-to-understand products, face fewer risks due to the nature of their businesses. Changes may be imminent, but the big question is how easy it will be for companies to navigate the changes that affect them without breaking the bank. Disclosure: Author owns no shares in any of the stocks mentioned. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Kapil Baisala has no association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shaheen Bagh shooter's father Gaje Singh claimed on Wednesday, a day after police said the 25-year-old is a member of the ruling party in Delhi. Police had also said that Baisala and his father had joined the in early 2019. Baisala had fired two rounds in the air at Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of anti-CAA protests here, on February 1 and was arrested. Gaje Singh, a resident of Dallupura village here, said he was a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but left politics after losing in the 2012 municipal polls here. He asserted that he had no association with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Gaje Singh had also fought the 2008 on a BSP ticket from Jangpura, but lost. "There was an event during the previous Lok Sabha elections where people from Dallupura were invited. I went there along with my son. "We were welcomed by leaders and they put a cap on our head as a welcome gesture. This doesn't mean we are AAP members," Singh said. He said, "I fought elections in 2008 from Jangpura and then municipal elections in 2012 but later I eventually left politics." BJP members had also met me on an earlier occasion, Gaje Singh claimed. After the 2012 elections, Singh was active as the BSP's east district president, family members said. Gaje Singh has three brothers and they are all into the family-owned dairy business. He has one dairy in Dallupura and another at Badarpur where Baisala used to work. "This is a village and during elections many politicians come and invite the youth and families. Many people from the village went to the (AAP) event so Gaje Singh and Baisala were also there. "Political parties keep campaigning in villages and when villagers visit their event, they click photos with leaders," Baisala's uncle Fateh Singh said. The AAP is the ruling party in Delhi and there are so many traders, businessmen, builders and others who keep going to its events. "That doesn't mean they have become AAP members," he said. Baisala's family members said if the AAP had "recruited" Gaje Singh and him, there should be joining letters and proofs of the same. They also claimed that there was no proof on the AAP's social media accounts or letters that Gaje Singh and Baisala were its members. "He (Gaje Singh) is a much senior person than Kejriwal and was associated with the BSP for about a decade. When he fought elections, Kejriwal's party didn't even exist," Fateh Singh said. As per Gaje Singh's affidavit with the Election Commission, he has two houses in Modinagar worth Rs 31.50 lakhs. He also owns a plot in Ghaziabad worth Rs 1.6 crores and has two cars and five motorcycles. In addition to that he has other investments of Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs, as per the affidavit. Singh who has declared his profession as a farmer and has no criminal cases against him, it states. The family claimed that Singh had gradually withdrawn from politics and none of his brothers or uncles have any association with any political party. Baisala' family owns a small real estate firm "Jay Properties" in Dallupura. Kishan Singh, a village resident said, "Gaje Singh used to be a part of the BSP and we remember we even campaigned for him when he fought (municipal polls) from Dallupura. The BSP doesn't have much presence in Delhi and he lost. I don't think he is a part of AAP. One person was found dead Wednesday afternoon after a fire at a north Houston apartment building. Firefighters were called to the fire in the 9600 block of West Montgomery Road around 1:45 p.m. At least one person was found dead at the complex, Houston Fire Department spokesperson Sheldra Brigham said. A white sheet blanketed a body outside the building as firefighters waited for arson investigators. There appeared to be little visible fire damage to the exterior of the building. A rear window to the apartment appeared to be blown out, with broken glass and a set of blinds strewn on the grass. It is unclear if the fire contributed to the persons death or if foul play is suspected. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com On whether students figuring out what exam was going to be used is considered dishonest: I would say yes, and the reason I would say yes is that the reason that we have tests is for students to demonstrate their knowledge. And so if you just go and buy the answers, it doesnt necessarily mean that youve learned the material. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE/THE BRANDON SUN The Brandon University Health Studies Complex. On whether students figuring out what exam was going to be used is considered dishonest: "I would say yes, and the reason I would say yes is that the reason that we have tests is for students to demonstrate their knowledge. And so if you just go and buy the answers, it doesnt necessarily mean that youve learned the material." Sarah Eaton, assistant professor at the Werklund School of Education and educational leader in residence (academic integrity) at the University of Calgary The long, drawn-out drama of the Brandon University nursing students "compromised" exam continued this week, with the story hitting news organizations across the nation as a result of The Canadian Press picking it up. In the end, neither the university nor the students are coming out of this situation looking too good. Heres a quick recap: Last month, The Brandon Sun received a call from a relative of a nursing student at Brandon University who had been told their entire Nursing Foundations II class would have to retake their final exam. The exam had been "seriously compromised," according to the university. As punishment for allegedly compromising the exam, these students were made to re-write the exam with a potential top grade of 70 per cent, with the 30 per cent balance shaved off the top as punishment. Then, after the students had already been punished, the university launched an investigation into the matter, which reaffirmed that their earlier statement that the exam had been compromised. It turns out that students used an online test bank, which was believed to be secured for faculty use only. The professor used some of these very same questions in the final exam. Brandon University Students Union president Olusola Akintola said that students were able to figure out where the professor was getting their questions from based on sample questions asked in class. They figured out which test bank contained the collection of 700 questions the professor was drawing from, which included the 55 questions that ended up being used in the final exam. Sources told the Sun last month that the questions were purchased from testbankworld.org. To be clear, the university botched their handling of this situation. They punished all students despite not all of them necessarily participating in this act of academic dishonesty. Even worse, the punishment was levied before theyd even conducted their full investigation. But despite the abundance of outrage the Sun has received for what some perceive as us making students look bad, the class doesnt exactly come out of this controversy looking as squeaky clean as they and their supporters on social media (and on the other end of the phone line, and out in the community) projected them as being. If Akintolas summary is accurate (in a severe misstep, the university declined comment), at least some students deliberately pulled test questions from the internet for the purpose of academic dishonesty. We will likely never know how many students knew they were deliberately studying the exam questions in advance of the exam, since nobody is saying anything. The university has decided it would no longer speak on the matter. Its a troubling decision from an allegedly transparent publicly funded institution. They join the class of 46-48 nursing students in keeping mum on this controversy. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the universitys upcoming new academic integrity policy, which came to light as a result of this drawn-out, embarrassing fiasco. They certainly need it, and should throw in a new communications policy while theyre at it. Further, we expect the best of our students, so should we not expect the best from our professors? This practice of copying exam questions verbatim from an online resource easily accessible to students doesnt sit well. Nepal on Friday confirmed the first case of deadly coronavirus in the country identifying the infected person as a Nepali student who recently returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan, local media reports said. The 31-year-old man, who is doing his PhD in Wuhan, had returned from the Chinese city on January 5. He had visited a hospital complaining of respiratory problems and was admitted on January 13, the Kathmandu Post reported. He was given medication and once his health condition improved, he was discharged five days later from the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, the Himalayan Times reported. The hospital had taken specimens-throat swabs and blood samples-from the patient and sent it to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Hong Kong on Tuesday. "The throat swab and blood sample of a Nepali suspected of being infected with coronavirus, was tested positive," the Times reported, citing the Ministry of Health and Population. This is first confirmed case of the deadly virus in Nepal, bordering India. "We have received the report and specimens have tested positive," said Dr Hemanta Chandra Ojha, an official at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. "We are now in the process of searching for the man and his family in order to test them for further infection," Ojha was quoted as saying by the Post. Ojha said that they had no indication as to where the man had gone and his activities over the past five days, ever since he was discharged from the hospital. The novel coronavirus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to the WHO. The deadly virus has claimed 26 lives in China with confirmed cases rising sharply to over 880 in the country, prompting Chinese authorities to shut down 13 cities during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The virus has also spread to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. Japan on Friday reported a second confirmed case. President Donald Trump singled out a new steel mill project in Texas during the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade pact last Wednesday. Trump cited the Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) project in Sinton as an example of more manufacturing jobs returning to the U.S. "Steel Dynamics is building a $1.9 billion flat roll steel mill near Corpus Christi," Trump said during the ceremony. "And international automakers are pouring $25 billion into the United States, creating 50,000 new American jobs at a minimum. They are all investing in a future where we buy, hire and drive American cars again." Fort Wayne, Indiana-based SDI announced it was building the mill in July. Sinton is around 25 miles northwest of the Port of Corpus Christi. The new steel mill will be near the Port of Corpus Christi along the Gulf of Mexico. Image: Steel Dynamics SDI is one of the largest domestic steel producers and metals recyclers in the U.S. The Sinton location will speed steel delivery for SDI customers, including U.S. and Mexican pipe producers, officials said. The company picked Sinton as the site of its newest mill because it expects Mexican steel consumption growth to outpace the U.S. based on Mexico's growing manufacturing base. "In 2018, the Mexican market imported 7.5 million tons of flat roll steel. Based on their growing manufacturing base, we believe Mexican demand growth will continue to outpace supply, making this an even more attractive underserved market in the coming years," SDI President and CEO Mark Millett said during a fourth-quarter conference call with analysts Jan. 23. Millett said the new steel mill will serve the Western U.S., as well as Texas, northern and central Mexico, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The mill is expected to create around 600 jobs and could be operational by the end of the year, Millett said. The Sinton site already has transport access to railroads and highways as well as the Port of Corpus Christi and is less than 200 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Story continues Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. LONDON Lawmakers on the island of Jersey have approved scrapping a decades-old law that prevented married women from talking to the tax authorities without the permission of their husband or filing taxes under their own names, a mechanism described by a local senator as archaic. Jersey, a small island in the English Channel a few miles from the French coast, is a dependency of the British crown but is by and large independent of Britain, with its own directly elected assemblies, fiscal system and courts. That distinction has made Jersey a popular tax haven, but its financial laws have not always kept up with the times: Under its current tax law, introduced in 1928, only the husband in a heterosexual marriage can pay taxes, with his wifes earnings considered part of his income. She has needed his permission to be treated separately or even to discuss her financial affairs with the tax office. Things became a bit more modern in 2013, when a box appeared on income tax forms that husbands could tick rather than giving written permission. Three bus drivers working for the State Transit Authority have been sent home from the same Sydney depot amid concerns surrounding coronavirus and contact with people who had been in affected areas. One driver was sent home from the Brookvale depot on special pay on Wednesday after driving for five days after his wife returned from China and was required to self-isolate for the virus. Two other drivers at the northern beaches depot were also placed on special leave having picked up family who recently returned from China. The situation has left drivers confused, the union said, but NSW Health said only people who had been to mainland China, or had been in contact with coronavirus cases needed to isolate. Passengers wearing protective masks ride a bus in Macau, China, in the early morning of Wednesday, February 5. Credit:Bloomberg Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary David Babineau said the decision to send home the driver whose wife returned from China was made by a depot manager doing "what he thought was right according to the guidelines they had been given at the time". Drug Science (UK) has selected an African company as its supplier for its medical cannabis-focused clinical research initiative, Project Twenty21. The business in question: MG Health Limited, from the Kingdom of Lesotho. According to the companies, Project Twenty21will target 20,000 U.K.-based patients suffering from chronic pain, anxiety disorder, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; substance use disorder and Tourettes Syndrome. Researchers will look into the potential benefits of medical cannabis for the treatment of said conditions. Francois Ferreira, COO of MG Health told Benzinga he thinks Project Twenty21 is a bold initiative. He noted his company sees this study as a significant step toward collecting data from a large group of patients. This study will help validate the large body of anecdotal evidence regarding the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis. We believe that our industry has an equally important role in helping to dispel some of the exaggerated claims and distracting myths surrounding the product, he said. See Also: 'A True Breakthrough': BOL Pharma Completes Medical Cannabis Export From Israel To UK Adding to these comments, David Badcock, CEO of U.K.-based Drug Science explained Project Twenty21 does not offer a short-cut to accessing medical cannabis in the U.K. Patients will need to be seen by a physician, and provided their medical indication can be addressed by medical cannabis, and cannot be addressed with an existing treatment, the doctor may give the patient a prescription for medical cannabis, he said. Each individual prescription still needs to be approved by the Home Office, on a single prescription per single patient basis, before the pharmacy is allowed to source the product and dispense it to the patient. Acknowledging this is a very slow and cumbersome process, he hopes access to cannabis products, when appropriate, will become a little easier as Project T21 is able to provide feedback to the authorities and participating prescribers. Story continues 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. American personality Caitlyn Jenner has made an unlikely appearance on hit Irish sitcom Mrs Browns Boys. The transgender star (70), who recently featured in ITVs 'Im a Celebrity...', sent jaws dropping this morning after revealing she has filmed scenes for Brendan OCarrolls hit show. Sitting at the kitchen table while holding a copy of local newspaper 'The Northside People' aloft, she said she had "so much fun shooting this funny comedy in Scotland! Mrs Browns Boys!" The headline on the newspaper read: "Pyjamas back in fashion in Finglas" as OCarroll peered over Jenners shoulder. The popular show films at BBCs studio in Glasgow and its thought that she filmed the scenes around the same time as the National TV Awards in London on January 22. The reality star attended the ceremony and presented the 'Challenge Award' to The Great British Bake-Off. Its understood that she may have met Finglas funnyman Brendan on the same night, given that he and wife Jenny Gibney took home another accolade for Best Comedy. He recently revealed to Tommy Tiernan how he is happiest when performing stand-up to a live audience but that he still does not feel that he has "made it" as he never had a specific goal. He quoted his mother saying: "Success if like disco music; dont analyse it, just dance to it." Video of the Day The comedian said that he was a waiter for 18 years before he found fame and there is very little difference between an audience of four or 4,000 - you still have to have your timing right. He has many of his family members working with him on the hit show and said he loves them all going on tour together to places like Australia. "Nothing gives me more joy than being with my grand kids and seeing them every day." he said. [February 05, 2020] Rad Power Bikes Closes $25 Million in Funding to Grow Direct to Consumer Electric Bike Business SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rad Power Bikes , a Seattle-based ebike brand, closed $25 million in funding led by Vulcan Capital and Durable Capital Partners LP. The funding will support new brick and mortar retail locations around the world, along with expansion of the company's mobile service and white glove delivery offerings. "I've been passionate about achieving a future where ebikes are king and transportation is energy efficient, enjoyable and accessible for all since I was 15 years old," said Mike Radenbaugh, Rad Power Bikes' founder and CEO. "We found two groups of world class consumer and retail investors who believe in our vision and will help us surprise and delight our customers in new and exciting ways." Leading the investment is Stuart Nagae, Director at Vulcan Capital and early Rad Power Bikes customer. "Rad Power Bikes is the market leader in electric bikes, bootstrapping its way to a profitable business," said Nagae. "This additional capital will enable the company to broaden its market, accelerate growth and continue to deliver the exceptional experience today's customers expect." Henry Ellenbogen, founder and CIO at Durable Capital Partners LP, is also a lead investor in this round. Ellenbogen recognizes Rad Power Bikes' growth potential after investing in the venture rounds of a number of notable companies in the direct to consumer andtechnology startup space. "In just a few years, Mike and his team have used their consumer direct business model to shorten their supply chain and create a tight feedback loop with customers, allowing them to constantly improve their line of ebikes and expand into new markets around the world," said Ellenbogen. "As demand for new and affordable solutions in the micromobility and electric vehicle sector advances, this investment will accelerate Rad Power Bikes' continued growth." Rad Power Bikes is the largest electric bike brand in North America, with more than 100,000 owners across 30 countries and a full lineup of ebikes packed with power, comfort, and utility for both personal and commercial use. Founded in 2007, the company has 200 employees spread across offices in Seattle, Wash., Vancouver, British Columbia, and Utrecht, the Netherlands. This round of funding comes nearly a year after Rad Power Bikes secured a private investment from Darrell Cavens and Mark Vadon, Seattle-area entrepreneurs and co-founders of the e-commerce retailer Zulily. As part of the transaction, Nagae will also join Rad Power Bikes' board of directors along with Vadon, who joined the board as a result of his growing involvement with the company, and Cavens who joined in 2019. About Rad Power Bikes Rad Power Bikes is the largest ebike brand in North America. Founded in 2007, the global consumer direct company boasts a full lineup of affordable ebikes and accessories that are changing the way people and goods move. The company designs all of its products in-house at its Seattle headquarters and operates international offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Utrecht, the Netherlands. The team of passionate ebike enthusiasts, product designers, and entrepreneurs create ebikes that are built for everything and priced for everyone. About Vulcan Capital Vulcan Capital is the multi-billion-dollar investment arm of Vulcan Inc., the company founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. Vulcan Capital focuses on generating long-term value appreciation across a portfolio, which spans diverse industry sectors and investment asset classes, ranging from early-stage venture investments to public equity value investing, leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, special situations and fixed income. Vulcan Capital was formed in 2003 and is headquartered in Seattle with additional offices in Palo Alto and Singapore. About Durable Capital Partners LP Durable Capital Partners LP is a newly formed investment adviser founded by Henry Ellenbogen. Durable Capital Partners LP's investment philosophy is grounded in sourcing small-cap compounders in both the private and public markets. Prior to founding Durable Capital Partners LP, Henry spent 18 years at T. Rowe Price, where he was Portfolio Manager of the Media & Telecom Fund (2005 - 2009) and the New Horizons Fund (2010 - March 2019). Henry was also T. Rowe Price's Chief Investment Officer for U.S. Equity Growth. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rad-power-bikes-closes-25-million-in-funding-to-grow-direct-to-consumer-electric-bike-business-300999573.html SOURCE Rad Power Bikes [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Press Release February 5, 2020 De Lima appeals SC ruling over Duterte's verbal attacks Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima today filed a motion asking the Supreme Court (SC) to reconsider its earlier resolution dismissing her habeas data petition which seeks to protect herself from President Duterte's continued threats and verbal attacks. In the Motion for Reconsideration filed on her behalf by her counsel, Atty. Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno, De Lima asked the High Court to reconsider its Oct. 15 resolution which has unduly broadened the scope of presidential immunity to acts that have nothing to do with presidential powers, duties, and responsibilities. She principally argued that the Resolution "has twisted the doctrine of presidential immunity out of all sense of meaning". "The Resolution has twisted the doctrine of presidential immunity into a grotesque version of itself, inoculated the President from accountability for egregious conduct, and placed an insurmountable barrier to the search for truth and the vindication of basic rights," she said in her 20-page resolution. Last Oct. 15, the SC issued an en banc resolution dismissing De Lima's habeas data petition, a legal remedy she sought to protect her from Mr. Duterte's continued threats and verbal attacks against her as a human being, a woman, and a senator, It dismissed De Lima's petition on the ground that Mr. Duterte is immune from any criminal, civil and administrative suit during his presidency which expires on June 2020. The SC"s resolution was only made public last Jan. 22. De Lima, a former justice secretary, also pointed out that the Resolution has given President Duterte a "blanket license to slut-shame, discriminate, insult, offend, and bad-mouth her womanhood and assassinate her character and dignity." "The Resolution gives President Duterte untrammeled and unbridled power to slut-shame, discriminate, insult, offend and bad-mouth the petitioner for as long as he sits on his presidential throne," she said. The lady Senator from Bicol cited, for instance, that Mr. Duterte has once again resumed his verbal attacks against her during his speech on the occasion of the Ceremonial Distribution of Benefits to Former Rebels in San Isidro, Leyte, last Jan. 23, or the day after the release of the SC Resolution. "The Resolution also gives President Duterte unchecked power to do the same to any other woman who tickles his fancy - and whoever becomes his next target will have no legal remedy at all to stop him as long as he occupies the highest position in the land. His next target could be anyone even someone we know or someone to whom we are close to or related," she pointed out. In her habeas data petition, De Lima has recalled how Mr. Duterte admitted his personal grudge against her way back when she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights investigating his link with the dreaded Davao Death Squad. Such personal and oftentimes sexist tirades against her escalate when she opened a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions in the administration's all-out war on drugs, she noted. According to her, President Duterte's continued verbal attacks and threats also deprives her of an effective remedy in violation of her rights guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). "It is not disputed that petitioner is the victim of slut-shaming, discrimination as a woman, and psychological violence perpetrated by the highest executive official of our government," she said. "It is not disputed that President Duterte gathered information about petition's private life - including, by his own admission, information from a foreign government - and broadcast it to the entire nation," she added. De Lima, however, maintained that these acts clearly involve the wrongful collection and publication of her alleged private affairs, which she argued constitute unlawful interference with her privacy and unlawful attacks on her honor and reputation. She said the SC's resolution violates the ICCPR which imposes a duty on the Philippine government to provide victims of gross human rights violations with the right to an effective, prompt and adequate remedy. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Disinformation and false reports about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have bombarded social media and stoked unfounded fears among netizens. Many mainstream media reported and clarified these rumors in order to present a true picture of the epidemic to the public and help them stop panicking. BAT SOUP A video of a Chinese influencer eating bat soup went viral online following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Some news outlets published false reports saying that the virus may be linked to contaminated bat soup. "But the video was not shot in Wuhan, or in China for that matter," the BBC said in a report on Jan. 30. "Originally filmed in 2016, it shows popular blogger and travel show host Mengyun Wang during a trip to Palau, an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean," the BBC said. "The new coronavirus is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan. Although bats have been named in recent research from China as a possible source of the virus, bat soup is not particularly commonplace in the country and the investigations into its exact origins continue," it added. RACIST PROPAGANDA AGAINST CHINESE According to an opinion published by The Guardian on Feb. 1, "the 'bat soup' canard is a classic example of disinformation - and a potent one." "In this case, actual footage of a Chinese woman eating a bat in soup was ripped out of its actual context (a travel blogger's video from a restaurant in Palau filmed in 2016) and spuriously linked to the fact that some coronaviruses originate from bats, in order to create a narrative that appealed to a western audience's racist fascination with Chinese appetites," The Guardian said. In Australia, a fake alert, purporting to be from the Queensland government, advised the locals to stay away from areas with a high percentage of Chinese people. Duncan Pegg, a Member of Parliament of Queensland, posted a screenshot of the alert on Twitter and said it is "100% FAKE!!! FAKE!!! FAKE!!!" "I don't normally like to give any credence to people who seek to malign our community but wanted to make things clear this time," he said. "BIOWEAPON" CONSPIRACY Another groundless claim that has gone viral online was made by a report by the Washington Times on Jan. 26. It suggested that the virus "may have originated in a laboratory in the city of Wuhan linked to China's covert biological weapons program." The "bioweapon" conspiracy story quoted former Israeli military intelligence officer Dany Shoham as its source. In an article titled "The Wuhan Virus Is Not a Lab-Made Bioweapon," American news magazine Foreign Policy wrote on its website that "conspiracy theories are spreading faster than the coronavirus itself." "While Shoham never backed up the claim made in the story that the outbreak stemmed from a biological weapon, other outlets nevertheless picked up the idea and ran with it," Foreign Policy said. The BBC also reported that "no evidence is provided for the claim." "PLANNED" OUTBREAK Another conspiracy theory claimed that the novel coronavirus outbreak was manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry to sell vaccines. "One of the first users to float these allegations was conspiracy theorist and YouTuber Jordan Sather," the BBC said. In a widely shared tweet, Sather posted a link to a 2015 patent filed by the U.K.-based Pirbright Institute about developing a weakened version of coronavirus for potential use as a vaccine to prevent or treat respiratory diseases. However, Purbright has released a lengthy statement on its website which clarifies that its coronavirus research extends to viruses affecting poultry and pigs -- not the variation that has emerged in humans. "It's important to remember that coronavirus isn't one disease - it's a group of viruses," American internet media BuzzFeed reported. "The current coronavirus, believed to have originated in Wuhan, is the seventh identified type." FALSE NUMBER OF DEATHS Far-right American radio show host Hal Turner highly exaggerated the number of deaths and infections from the virus. In a report published on Jan. 23 on his website, Turner claimed that 112,000 people have been killed and 2.8 million people infected by the novel coronavirus, citing "Covert Intelligence sources who are former colleagues of mine from my 15 years with the FBI." Lead Stories, one of the third-party fact checkers hired by Facebook, debunked Turner's report as "fake news." In fact, Chinese health authorities have been updating related numbers on a daily basis. According to China's National Health Commission, the overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 20,438 by the end of Monday (Feb. 3). A total of 425 people have died of the disease and a total of 632 people discharged from hospital after recovery, the commission said. US President on Wednesday vowed to "smash" the rule of Venezuela's leftist leader as he welcomed his rival to his annual address before Congress. In an extraordinarily direct sign of support, Trump invited Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido -- considered interim president by some 60 countries -- to watch his address from the guests' gallery above. "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people," Trump said. "But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken," he said. Calling Guaido the "legitimate president of Venezuela," Trump said the 36-year-old engineer-turned-politician was "a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans." Trump's forceful words come after a period of relative reticence on that triggered commentary on whether he was putting the crisis on the backburner. Maduro has shown little sign of leaving more than a year after the United States and most Western and Latin American nations declared him to be illegitimate, citing elections that were widely criticized for irregularities. Maduro, who presides over a crumbling economy that has sent millions fleeing, still enjoys the support of the military, and Guaido's efforts to overthrow him through street protests have fizzled. The leftist leader also enjoys support from Russia, China and Cuba. Trump's salute to Guaido came in a highly partisan speech that included fresh vows of a hard line on immigration from Latin America as he cited crimes by individual foreigners. But Guaido enjoyed a mostly bipartisan welcome, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also applauding him as the Venezuelan opposition leader, a serious look on his face, waved back at the chamber. For Trump, however, has also become a political byword for socialism as he attacks the rival Democratic Party for proposed reforms such as expanding health care coverage. "Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul," Trump said. Trump was speaking one day before the Senate will vote on whether to remove him from office for pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political rival. He is widely expected to be acquitted after his impeachment by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Mawson Resources Limited ("Mawson") or (the "Company") (TSX:MAW)(Frankfurt:MXR)(OTCPINK:MWSNF) announces assay results from an additional 5 drill holes from the 2020 winter program at the Company's 100% owned Rajapalot Project in Northern Finland. The highlight is drill hole PAL0203 at South Palokas, where an 80 metre step out returned 8 metres @ 7.9 g/t gold from 303.0 metres, the best gold intersection to date from this prospect. In addition, hole PAL02020A drilled 370 metres down plunge from the resource boundary at Palokas, demonstrated the mineralized system is predictable and continues to significant depth. Resource expansion drilling at Rajapalot is ongoing with five diamond drill rigs testing Palokas, South Palokas and Raja prospects. A total of 16 holes (PAL0202-PAL0216) for 5,520 metres have been completed, to schedule, out of a 15,000 metre planned program. The drill program aims to infill and extend mineralization (Figure 1) and provide the data for an updated resource estimate to be delivered by the end of Q3 2020. Cobalt and multi-element assays remain pending. Drilling continues with two drill rigs at each of Palokas and South Palokas prospects and one at Raja prospect. Highlights from the South Palokas prospect: Drill hole PAL0203 intersected 8.0 metres @ 7.9 g/t gold from 303.0 metres (Tables 1-3, Figures 1-3) This is an 80 metre down-plunge step out from the December 2018 resource area and the best gold intersection returned from South Palokas; intersected gold from 303.0 metres (Tables 1-3, Figures 1-3) Highlights from the Palokas prospect: Drill hole PAL0207 intersected 7.6 metres @ 1.6 g/t gold from 150.8 metres Hole was drilled 30 metres to the southwest of PAL0030 (10 metres @ 10.6 g/t gold from 110.2 metres) intersected from 150.8 metres Drill hole PAL0206 intersected 1 metre @ 28 g/t gold from 262.2 metres: This high-grade intersection is the first hole drilled on the next section 145 metres down-plunge from the PAL0030 section; intersected from 262.2 metres: Drill hole PAL0202 tested 370 metres down-plunge from the resource boundary (2g/t gold equivalent "AuEQ" lower cut) at 600 metres below surface, while daughter drill hole PAL0202A was wedged at 451 metres to test a slightly deeper target: Drill hole PAL0202A intersected 10.1 metres @ 0.6 g/t gold (no lower cut) from 771.7 metres. Although lower grades were encountered (Table 3), confirmation of the mineralized structure 600 metres down plunge from surface is considered significant and indicates the system is predictable and continues to depth; Follow-up downhole electromagnetics ("DHEM") detected strongly conductive bodies lying immediately off both holes, helping to refine further drill targets; tested 370 metres down-plunge from the resource boundary (2g/t gold equivalent "AuEQ" lower cut) at 600 metres below surface, while daughter drill hole was wedged at 451 metres to test a slightly deeper target: Mr. Hudson, Chairman and CEO, states, "Each new drill program we have undertaken at Rajapalot sets new highs for discovery, this time delivering the best gold intersection recorded at South Palokas. These drill results continue to significantly extend mineralization beyond the Palokas and South Palokas inferred resource areas, while a large step out at Palokas has shown the mineralized system extends for more than 600 metres down plunge from surface." A plan view of the completed drill holes and the locations of drill hole targeting for this program are shown in Figure 1, including an enlarged plan view of the Palokas and South Palokas area. A section perpendicular to plunge including PAL0203 indicates the relationship between the Palokas and South Palokas prospects (Figure 2). New geologic interpretations indicate Palokas and South Palokas prospects are hosted in the same reduced stratabound host package (Figure 2), opening up a significant undrilled search space that is 350-400 metres wide between the two mineralized bodies. When viewed in a down-plunge orientation, mineralization, conductive electromagnetic plates and their enclosing rock packages also shows their similarity in style to the Raja prospect (Figure 1). The projected locations of the drill holes reported in this release on a gram x metre contoured plan demonstrates the potential growth in the resource based on intersections received during this drill program (Figure 3). Tables 1-3 include all relevant collar and assay information. Assuming a predominant stratabound control, the true thickness of the mineralized interval is interpreted to be approximately 90% of the sampled thickness. Cobalt data will be provided when multi-element assays are reported by the laboratory. Intersections are reported with a lower-cut of 0.5g/t gold over 1 metre lower cut. No upper cut-off was applied. The hosts rocks to the gold and cobalt mineralization comprise sulphides (pyrrhotite>>pyrite) with biotite-muscovite-chlorite schists at South Palokas and Mg-Fe amphibole-biotite-chlorite rocks at Palokas. Veining and fracture fill minerals include pyrrhotite, magnetite and magnetite-pyrrhotite (+/- quartz, tourmaline). Retrograde chlorite after biotite, generations of secondary muscovite ("sericite") and vein-controlled chlorite+/- tourmaline and magnetite are also present. Preliminary hand-held XRF analysis confirms the presence of associated scheelite and molybdenite, the former visible under UV light as tiny veinlets and disseminations. The minerals associated with the gold are clearly post-metamorphic, reduced, and most likely driven by hydrothermal fluids from nearby granitoid intrusions. Chlorite and fine muscovite are regarded as the lowest temperature silicate minerals with gold, structurally controlled in apparent spatial association with quartz and/or K-feldspar veins. Altered rocks enclosing the mineralized package contain locally abundant talc and tourmaline. Downhole electro-magnetic ("DHEM") surveys on drill holes in the deep Palokas area have also been completed over the last week to target down-plunge sulphidic mineralization and mise-a-la-masse surveys to confirm cross-hole and continuity to surface of mineralization are ongoing. Technical and Environmental Background Five diamond drill rigs from the Arctic Drilling Company OY ("ADC") and Kati OY ("Kati") all with water recirculation and drill cuttings collection systems are used in the drill program. Core diameter is NQ2 (50.7 mm). Core recoveries are excellent and average close to 100% in fresh rock. After photographing and logging in Mawson's Rovaniemi facilities, core intervals averaging 1 metre for mineralized samples and 2 metres for barren samples are cut in half at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) core facilities in Rovaniemi, Finland. The remaining half core is retained for verification and reference purposes. Analytical samples are transported by commercial transport from site to the CRS Minlab Oy facility in Kempele, Finland. Samples were prepared and analyzed for gold using the PAL1000 technique which involves grinding the sample in steel pots with abrasive media in the presence of cyanide, followed by measuring the gold in solution with flame AAS equipment. The QA/QC program of Mawson consists of the systematic insertion of certified standards of known gold content, duplicate samples by quartering the core, and blanks the within interpreted mineralized rock. In addition, CRS inserts blanks and standards into the analytical process. The qualified person for Mawson's Finnish projects, Dr. Nick Cook, President for Mawson and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining Metallurgy has reviewed and verified the contents of this release. NI 43-101 Technical Report: On December 19, 2018, Mawson filed an independent National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report (the "NI 43-101 Technical Report") on the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Raja and Palokas Prospects, at the 100% owned Rajapalot Project in Finland, (the "NI 43-101 Technical Report"), in support of the Company's news release dated December 17, 2018. The NI 43-101 Technical Report was authorized by Mr. Rod Webster of AMC Consultants Pty Ltd ("AMC") of Melbourne, Australia, and Dr. Kurt Simon Forrester of Arn Perspective of Surrey, England. Each of Mr. Webster and Dr. Forrester are independent "qualified persons" as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The NI 43-101 Technical Report may be found on the Company's website at www.mawsonresources.com or under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The gold equivalent ("AuEq") value was calculated using the following formula: AuEq g/t = Au g/t + (Co ppm/608) with assumed prices of Co $30/lb; and Au $1,250/oz. AuEq varies with Au and Co prices. About Mawson Resources Limited (TSX:MAW, FRANKFURT:MXR, PINKSHEETS:MWSNF) Mawson Resources Limited is an exploration and development company. Mawson has distinguished itself as a leading Nordic Arctic exploration company with a focus on the flagship Rajapalot gold project in Finland. On behalf of the Board, "Michael Hudson" Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO Further Information www.mawsonresources.com 1305 - 109 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7 Mariana Bermudez (Canada), Corporate Secretary, +1 (604) 685 9316, info@mawsonresources.com Forward-Looking Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although Mawson believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate, and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Mawson cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, changes in world metal markets, changes in equity markets, planned drill programs and results varying from expectations, delays in obtaining results, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, local community relations, dealings with non-governmental organizations, delays in operations due to permit grants, environmental and safety risks, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mawson's most recent Annual Information Form filed on www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Mawson disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Statistics Canada data show that immigration is the main driver of population growth and that the employment gap is the smallest it has been in a decade Bigger population smaller employment gap; immigrants driving population growth in Canada Statistics Canada data show that immigration is the main driver of population growth and that the employment gap is the smallest it has been in a decade Bigger population smaller employment gap; immigrants driving population growth in Canada Statistics Canada data show that immigration is the main driver of population growth and that the employment gap is the smallest it has been in a decade Bigger population smaller employment gap; immigrants driving population growth in Canada Statistics Canada data show that immigration is the main driver of population growth and that the employment gap is the smallest it has been in a decade Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Most of Canadas recent population growth has been thanks to immigrants, and as a result, the country is becoming increasingly diverse. There is also evidence that the employment gap between immigrant workers and Canadian-born workers is narrowing. Statistics Canada says 82 per cent of Canadas population growth between 2018 and 2019 was the result of international migration. Many Canadian provinces are pushing for immigration in an effort to propel population growth. The natural population growth is expected to continue on a downward trend. Population gains are expected to be driven by international migration. More immigrants in the workforce, diversity rising in cities The employment gap between new immigrants and Canadian-born workers is the smallest it has been in a decade. The employment rate gap decreased from 19 percentage points in 2010 to 13 percentage points in 2018. Recent immigrants are also experiencing faster growth in employment rates than the Canadian-born. Newcomers saw their employment rate increase by 7.7 percentage points from 2010 to 2018, compared to 2.1 percentage points for Canadians. About half of all immigrants have at least a bachelors degree. Over half, 54 per cent, of those in Canada between the ages of 25 and 64 with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) degree are immigrants. Visible minority populations are expected to continue on an upward trend, particularly in major cities. By 2036 up to 40 per cent of the population aged 15-64 is expected to belong to a visible minority group. Statistics Canada also predicts that up to 31 per cent of the population will have a mother tongue other than English or French, and up to 16 per cent will have a non-Christian religion. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved ALBANY Tedra Cobb, the Democrat hoping to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, announced Tuesday that she does not support removing President Donald Trump from office though she said in December that she would have voted to impeach him. "No, I don't support his removal from office," Cobb told reporters at a campaign event in Plattsburgh, according to North Country Public Radio. She later clarified that she could not back his expulsion because she believes the Senate did not conduct a fair trial. Labour Party TD Alan Kelly, has demanded that Minister Eoghan Murphy take immediate decisive action on whether the election will take place in Tipperary this weekend. Mr Kelly is a candidate in the constituency which is gripped with anticipation ahead of a determination by Read More: The issue has been thrown into doubt by the shock death of Marese Skeehan, an independent candidate in Tipperary. Speaking this morning, Mr Kelly said: Firstly, I want to offer my condolences again to the family of Marese Skehan. This is an extremely difficult time for them." We have heard through media reports both last night and this morning that the Attorney General is considering the legal argument to hold the election as planned in Tipperary this Saturday." Marese Skehan He said Mr Murphy needs to give a clear and decisive action on this immediately and inform the Tipperary electorate if he plans to press ahead with this election. I have received legal advice in the last 48 hours, which I am strongly considering, which shows that there has been a clear legal problem with the mechanism whereby this election was delayed. Data courtesy of The Irish Times A clear constitutional question arises from this - the people of Tipperarys right to be represented in the first meeting of the Dail will be breached if this election does not go ahead," Mr Kelly said. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy needs to take clear and decisive action on this immediately, which doesnt leave any doubts of the constitutional rights of the people of Tipperary," he added. Transforming from a legislative body to a court of impeachment required senators, aides and journalists to adapt to a new status quo, with new hours usually beginning at 1 p.m. and stretching as late as 2 a.m. and new rules. For senators, that meant being stranded without their phones and in sitting silence for hours at a time on the Senate floor, an endeavor they struggled against by doodling, fidget-spinning and whispering or surrendered to sleepily. For journalists, it meant cramming into crowded pens instead of enjoying the usual free-roaming access to lawmakers. Television cameras and photographers were not allowed inside the chamber, save for one operated by the government, limiting what the public could see and hear. Among those most inconvenienced by the trial, however, were the Senate Democrats running for president, who found themselves wondering when they would be able to return to Iowa before the nations crucial first nominating contest. While Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont made his annoyance clear, most tried to take it in stride. I dont know how many days this is going to last, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said. I just know that I have a constitutional duty to do my job. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday released two more leaders from preventive detention. Former Peoples Democratic Party Wachi MLA Ajaz Ahmad Mir and trade leader Shakeel Qalandar, who is former president of the Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, were released from custody on Tuesday. While Mir was held at MLA hostel, Qalandar was detained at the Central Jail in Srinagar. Ajaz Mir was released from MLA hostel Srinagar and Shakeel Qalander was released from the Central jail Srinagar, a senior police officer said. The release of two leaders comes two days after the government had released four leaders from the custody. National Conference president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti are still under detention. Last year was a big year for Spotify. A massive podcast push that began in 2017 hit top speed with the acquisitions of Anchor, Gimlet and Parcast. But the company was clear it wasn't finished, because its massive investment in podcasts was actually attracting users to its core music-streaming service. We're barely a month into 2020, and the company is already spending again. Only this time, Spotify is getting a lot more than podcasts: It's also getting a new audience. Alongside its Q4 2019 and full-year earnings report this morning, the company announced that it is acquiring the Ringer, a popular sports and culture media company. The Ringer is still relatively new, having only started in 2016. However, its creator, former ESPN writer and commentator Bill Simmons, is well-known to sports fans. While at ESPN, Simmons started the site Grantland, an outlet dedicated to a wide range of sports journalism, including award-winning long-form stories. Amid controversy in May 2015, ESPN announced that it wasn't renewing Simmons' contract and eventually shut down Grantland that October. While at ESPN, Simmons also hosted The B.S. Report podcast and had a two-year stint on the network's NBA Countdown basketball pre-game television show. When he founded the Ringer, Simmons hired a number of former Grantland writers and contributors with the focus of expanding beyond sports to include pop culture coverage. Indeed, the media company's writing and podcasts include in-depth work on movies, music, television, gaming and more. And while shows like Binge Mode, The Dave Chang Show and The Rewatchables that cover popular TV series and films are attractive to Spotify, it's the Ringer's and Simmons' sports commentary that have the real ability to expand the streaming service's podcast appeal. Plus, its shows are very popular. Spotify The Ringer Sure, the Ringer is a publisher, but don't get caught up in the "Spotify is in the publishing business" storyline. I'm sure the company is happy that it now has award-winning writers and a site that cranks out quality written content under its wing, but this purchase is primarily about podcasts. The Ringer currently has more than 30 shows, including The Bill Simmons Podcast, that tally more than 100 million downloads per month. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Ringer brought in more than $15 million in podcast revenue in 2018. Like it did with Gimlet and Parcast, Spotify is spending big to expand its podcast library with genres it thinks will continue to drive people to its paid service. Even if listeners are only coming for the episodic audio content, at least they're contributing to ad revenue. Story continues This also isn't the first time Spotify and the Ringer have been in cahoots. The two teamed up on The Hottest Take in 2019, a short-form podcast where Simmons and his colleagues "debate, defend and parse a controversial opinion on a pressing topic of the day" four times per week. Of course, those topics cover sports, movies, TV and music in addition to food and the internet. Each installment is less than 10 minutes, with some clocking in at around half that. It's too early to tell how Spotify will distribute the Ringer podcasts, but based on my recent interview with Spotify's Vice President, Global Studios and Video, Courtney Holt, you don't need to worry about existing shows being locked into a paid service. "I believe podcasting needs to be free and available to all consumers," Holt said. "Our intention is the content is available for free to our users -- whether you're free or premium, the experience is the same." Spotify The Ringer Spotify kept established Gimlet shows widely distributed after that acquisition. Even the new podcast Mogul eventually made it to other platforms after a period of exclusivity on Spotify. That delay obviously makes less sense with timely commentary and analysis like most of the Ringer's podcasts. Either way, there should still be ample content to enjoy even if Spotify isn't your podcast player of choice. Now that Spotify owns Gimlet, Parcast and the Ringer, the number of prolific podcast producers it hasn't snapped up is becoming increasingly limited. You still have NPR and other public radio organizations, along with Vox Media and more-niche outfits like Night Vale Presents. It's clear Spotify sees a benefit to owning production companies, but podcasts aren't a new medium. So it begs the question: Why hasn't Apple done something similar? Apple has its own music service where it could leverage podcasts to drive traffic, and maybe paid subscriptions. But the company seems content to let the shows exist in their own space -- and inside their own app. Given that Apple is responsible for popularizing the medium and even inspired its name, the company had a long time to invest in podcasts if it wanted to. It could have spent the time and money to make sure it was the only game in town when it came to the episodic content, especially if it got involved and invested early. Instead, Apple seemed to just let podcasts merely exist, even during the recent boom when advertisers have proved increasingly interested in sponsoring episodes or entire shows. Podcasts haven't been a sure bet for advertisers, mostly due to the limited information available about shows and the ads themselves. Spotify is also trying to change that. Last month, the service announced an ad platform that automatically inserts pre-recorded spots into shows so that a listener is more likely to hear them. What's more, those ads are targeted to users based on listening habits. The company is promising that stats like actual ad impressions, frequency, reach and anonymized audience info that includes age, gender, device type and listening behavior will all be available -- some of it for the first time. Spotify The Ringer In its earning report today, and before adding the Ringer to the fold, Spotify revealed it now has more than 700,000 podcasts. According to Podcast Insights, Apple hosts more than 850,000 shows on iTu... er, its Podcasts app, and more than 30 million episodes. That's a surprisingly small gap, and I expect it to shrink over the next quarter. Spotify also said podcasts have grown around 200 percent year over year on its platform, driven primarily by its continued push to add new content and acquire publishers that help it expand its listener base. For listeners, it has introduced features like Your Daily Podcasts and Your Daily Drive that put its powerful playlist-making algorithms to work for episodic content based on a user's habits. "We have seen early indications that our investments in podcasts are having a positive impact on conversion of free to paid users," Spotify said in its earnings report today. When you're a company that's teetering on the edge of profitability due to expensive licensing deals and high operating costs, it's worth the investment to lock down podcast studios to help you drive paid subscriptions. And Spotify probably isn't finished. Minutes before it announced the deal for the Ringer, the company reiterated that it will continue to spend big on both podcasts and related technology -- like online production suites Anchor and Soundtrap -- if it continues to see the benefits of doing so. "Any decision to accelerate our investment in podcast and technology spend should be viewed as an indication of our belief that our strategy is having tangible results," the company explained. "We have gained even more confidence in the data, particularly around the benefits from podcasts, and as a result, 2020 will be an investment year." If you're not convinced Spotify is now the king of podcasts, don't worry: The company will likely snatch up more shows in a few weeks. MONTPELIER, Vt. - A man accused of killing his Vermont girlfriend in South Burlington in 2018 has been arrested in Jamaica, the U.S. Marshals service said Wednesday. Leroy Headley, 38, was found and arrested by Jamaican authorities on Sunday in Negril, Jamaica, officials said. Headley is wanted on a second-degree murder charge in the May 3, 2018, shooting death of his partner and mother of his children, Anako Annette Lumumba. He is originally from Jamaica, authorities said. A court hearing for Headley was scheduled for Wednesday in Kingston, Jamaica, to determine his return to the U.S., the marshals office said. Bhiwandi Nizampur Nagarpalika College, known as BNN College, in Bhiwandi received the best college award for this academic year by Mumbai University. The college is 66 years old. BNN college was selected as the best among colleges in rural areas. In an event organised to recognize colleges, the University of Mumbai vice-chancellor Suhas Pednekar handed over the award to Ashok Wagh, principal of BNN College. Despite being one of the oldest colleges, we have ensured that we maintain our quality and also stay updated with technology, said Ashok Wagh, principal, BNN College. The college is currently having B+ accreditation by NAAC. With more than 10,000 students in the college, all administrative sections have been provided independent infrastructure facilities and we have our own android application that helps us stay connected with students, he said. Economists say the hefty tariffs Mr. Trump has placed on China have encouraged American consumers to purchase goods from other countries and have not led to an American manufacturing renaissance. Tariffs to date have clearly had a significant impact on imports from China, said Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. They equally clearly have not led to a stronger U.S. manufacturing sector. Rather than bringing manufacturing back to the United States, the clash with China has caused American companies and consumers to shift purchases to other countries, like Mexico, Vietnam and South Korea, said Mary E. Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Data released Wednesday morning showed the trade deficit in goods with Mexico increased $21.1 billion last year to a record $101.8 billion, as the United States brought in more goods from its southern neighbor. The trade deficit in goods with Canada grew by $8 billion, while the gap with Taiwan increased by $7.8 billion. Youre going to see this rearrangement of the deck chairs, Ms. Lovely said. The trade deficit in goods with the European Union also expanded to a record $177.9 billion in 2019, presaging Mr. Trumps next conflict. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has said that his attention was shifting to Europe now that he has signed trade deals with China, Japan, Canada and Mexico. Mr. Trump has criticized Europe for selling more to the United States than it buys and has accused its central bank of pushing down the value of the euro to make it easier for European companies to compete against American rivals. His administration is already imposing tariffs on Europe over airplane subsidies, and is threatening further levies in response to its digital taxes and on its cars. Many economists have predicted that Mr. Trumps trade deal with China would give businesses more certainty about trading conditions and cause imports from China to rebound, at least in part, in the coming months. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. By AFP HANOI: Vietnam is setting up field hospitals with thousands of beds to handle a potential influx of coronavirus cases, health officials said, as it prepares to receive its nationals from China. Vietnam shares a long porous border with China and the communist neighbours have close trade and tourism ties. So far Vietnam has 10 confirmed cases of coronavirus -- including three people with no recent travel history to China. The virus, declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, has so far killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 24,000, mostly in mainland China. ALSO READ: Vietnam to suspend all China flights amid Coronavirus scare Travel restrictions, flight bans and quarantines have been imposed as countries ramp up efforts to control the fast-spreading pathogen. In Vietnam's southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh city -- where three cases of coronavirus have been confirmed -- two existing facilities are being converted into field hospitals with a total capacity of 500 beds. They will "receive, monitor and treat" all suspected patients of coronavirus if the epidemic spreads further, according to the director of the city's health department, Nguyen Tan Binh. In Hanoi, two military facilities have been turned into quarantine centres for up to 1,500 people as the country prepares to receive 950 people from China to be isolated at the sites. Two provinces in northern Vietnam near the China border have also set up beds for close to 3,000 patients. Central Vietnam has centres ready for as many as 3,700. Vietnam has not announced plans to repatriate it citizens from China en masse, though 21 Vietnamese students in Wuhan -- the centre of the epidemic -- could be brought back on a chartered flight, the government said. Vietnam has banned all flights to and from mainland China and suspended new tourist visas for Chinese nationals or foreigners who have been there in the past two weeks. All passenger trains to and from China have also been halted. By Express News Service BHOPAL: A horrific incident of alleged mob lynching following rumours of child lifting happened in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. While one of the six men succumbed to injuries, five others have been hospitalized, four of who are stated to be critical. Primary police investigations have revealed that the shocking incident happened in Borlai village under Manawar police station of Dhar district on the instigation and rumour-mongering by three labour contractors from Khirkiya village (also in Dhar district). The three labour contractors had in a pre-planned manner called the six wealthy farmers from Sanwer (Indore) and Ujjain district to pay outstanding sum of Rs 1.5 lakh. According to the Dhar district police superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh, the six men are wealthy farmers from Sanwer area of Indore district and also adjoining Ujjain district. They had paid Rs 2.5 lakh to the three labour contractors based in Khirkiya village under Tirla police station of Dhar district recently for hiring agricultural labour, but the contractors didnt supply the promised labour. The contractors returned Rs 1 lakh to the farmers and asked the farmers to come to Khirkiya village for getting the outstanding Rs 1.5 lakh, said Singh. When the six farmers reached the Khirkiya village in Dhar district in two cars to get the outstanding Rs 1.5 lakh from the three contractors, the farmers were attacked in a pre-planned manner by the contractors and aides. The six farmers after being attacked with stones escaped in their vehicles from Khirkiya village, but when they reached Borlai village (around 30 km from Khirkiya village) their cars got stuck in traffic jam due to a bus, the SP Dhar said. Meanwhile, the three contractors and their men who were chasing the fleeing farmers also reached the Borlai villages and spread the rumour that the six men were fleeing after lifting kids from Khirkiya village. Provoked by the rumour the mob of villagers attacked the six men in two cars with stones and rods. All six men were dragged out of their vehicles and attacked heavily. Our cops meanwhile got to know that some men were being attacked on suspicion of child theft. Cops rushed to the spot and managed to bring them to Manawar hospital. One of the critically injured men was rushed to Indore, but died midway, the SP Dhar said. According to Singh a case of murder, attempt to murder and rioting has been lodged against the three labour contractors and 10-15 of their aides. No arrests, however, have been made till now. While the SP claimed that only three labour contractors and their 10-15 aides were involved in the incident, the videos of the incident which have gone viral show the mob of villagers and not just 10-15 men surrounding the farmers and attacking them with stones, sticks and mobs, while the helpless cop trying in vain to stop the violent mob. One video also shows the on-duty cops trying to ascertain the condition of the badly injured farmers by touching their bodies with green coloured pipes and also doing precious little, while the mob of villagers attack the downed shutters of a shop in which the farmers are possibly hiding. "In Peru, there are 550 franchises , of which 280 are foreign (51%) and 270 are domestic (49%), a large part of them belong to the gastronomic sphere ," he expressed. Costa Maya area to have National Guard centre Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R. After a tour of facilities in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, elements of the National Guard announced they will have an operations centre in the town. Several facilities were proposed by municipal president Jose Esquivel Vargas as the potential new Guardia Nacional operations centre. After the tour, the mayor explained that coordinated work is key to public security actions and with the support of state and municipal police, as well as the Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), they will strengthen security of the town. The tour was made hours before a citizen march was held in protest of insecurity in the municipality. Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Felipe Carrillo Puerto in a peaceful march requesting authorities deal with the criminal activity that has seen an increase on their streets. Prince William and Kate Middleton are still dealing with the fallout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit. The couple announced their stunning departure at the beginning of the year, and the royals are still figuring out how to move forward. While everyone is doing their part to pick up the slack, Prince William and Kate have found support from a member of her family, who has been a stabilizing force in the wake of Megxit. Kate Middleton and Prince William | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle call it quits By now, most people have heard about Harry and Meghans decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. After battling negative headlines in the British press for years, the couple decided to quit their royal duties in favor of a quieter life away from the cameras. Last month, Harry rejoined Meghan in Canada, where she has been staying for the past couple of months with their baby boy, Archie Harrison. As part of their plan to leave the royals, Meghan and Harry will live in Canada for part of the year and will become financially independent from the crown. They will also lose their HRH royal titles, though they will remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the foreseeable future. The couple also plans on continuing with their charitable organization, Sussex Royal, despite their exit. Here is how Prince William and Kate Middleton are handling Megxit Royal watchers have expressed some very strong opinions about Harry and Meghans exit, but Prince William and Kate have remained largely silent on the issue. The couple returned to their royal duties last month with a quick visit to West Yorkshires Bradford Hall. William spoke at the event and noted that dealing with challenges is an important thing in life. We just need to deal with them and we need to move forward rather than just be stuck in paralysis and pretend they dont happen, he stated. William added that he and his wife are going to make it a point to travel more throughout the UK and visit areas they normally dont get to see. Kate has also made a few public appearances since Megxit, including a stop by a childrens hospital. Throughout their public engagements, Kate Middleton and Prince William have put on a united front, which is par for the course for the royals. But behind-the-scenes, the couple has reportedly leaned on a member of her family as they continue to deal with Harry and Meghans departure. The Cambridges are leaning on this one person Prince William and Kate have reportedly found an immense amount of support from her mother, Carole Middleton. According to Daily Mail, royal expert Phil Dampier claims that Carole has been both stabilizing and supportive as William and Kate deal with a life without the Sussexes. Carole will be a stabilizing and supportive force in the background, looking after [her grandchildren] when needs be but also just being there for them, Dampier shared. Kate Middleton lovingly lays her hand on Prince Williams shoulder as the couple arrive in Wales pic.twitter.com/fj88B0lwNo The Sun (@TheSun) February 4, 2020 Kate has always been close to her parents, and William has also developed a close bond with the Middletons over the years. In fact, a second source says that William views Carole as a second mom and has leaned on her advice, especially in the absence of his real mother, Princess Diana. William and Kate can use all the help they can get following Harry and Meghans exit. Not only are they having to deal with the negative press surrounding Megxit, but they will likely have to take on more responsibility moving forward. Inside Prince Williams relationship with his in-laws Dampier added that Carole is a huge influence on William and Kate. For Prince William, Carole and her husband, Michael Middleton, have provided him with a solid family structure outside of his abnormal upbringing as a royal. Kate to be 'front & centre' of royals as Wills vows Megxit won't ruin plans https://t.co/6NXsIa11dx Sally Smith (@1sallysmith) January 29, 2020 William and Kate have reportedly visited Carole and Michael several times in the wake of Harry and Meghans announcement. A source also claims that Carole has spent time with William and Kate at Anmer Hall, offering them support as the royals deal with the drama. Prince William and Kate Middleton have not commented on the reports surrounding Megxit. They are doing their best, however, to deal with the issue behind-the-scenes as they continue their usual royal duties. ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It has been a mercurial run for cannabis companies over the past year or so. Many have seen their market shares curbed and cropped among an industry-wide correction. The markets have not been kind. But in stark juxtaposition is the cannabis industry itself which, while shaking out weaker hands and lesser ideas, is rapidly expanding as legal walls fall to the wayside and more crops bloom. In fact, a recent Forbes article cites a report that predicts legal cannabis sales will grow to nearly $30 billion by 2025. And for companies like Digipath Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP) the key word in that bold forecast may be legal. As one of the leading cannabis testing labs Digipath is well-positioned at the intersection of cannabis and commerce, a regulatory necessity to legal sale. Want to sell cannabis products most anywhere in the country? You need a lab like Digipath which just announced that its Nevada samples tested for the month of January were up 50% over the same month the year before as well as a planned expansion. The point may well be that while the cannabis sector sorts itself out with a little corporate Darwinism, the industry looks poised to expand and to expand rapidly. Not long ago cannabis was verboten, now theres a case full of CBD products in the local grocery store. And it generally has to be tested. If the market does expand as described, durable Digipath could be well positioned to continue its growth in regulatory required cannabis sample testing. About Digipath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP) Digipath, Inc., supports the cannabis industrys best practices for reliable testing, data acquisition, formulations, and new canna-tech to the cannabis industry. Digipath Labs provides pharmaceutical-grade analysis and testing to the cannabis industry to ensure producers, consumers and patients know exactly what is in the cannabis they ingest and to help maximize the quality of its clients products through analysis, research, development, and standardization. About The Emerging Markets Report: The Emerging Markets Report is owned and operated by Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), a syndicate of investor relations consultants representing years of experience. Our network consists of stock brokers, investment bankers, fund managers, and institutions that actively seek opportunities in the micro and small-cap equity markets. For more informative reports such as this, please sign up at http://www.emergingmarketsllc.com/newsletter.php Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 requires that any person that uses the mails to publish, give publicity to, or circulate any publication or communication that describes a security in return for consideration received or to be received directly or indirectly from an issuer, underwriter, or dealer, must fully disclose the type of consideration (i.e. cash, free trading stock, restricted stock, stock options, stock warrants) and the specific amount of the consideration. In connection therewith, EMC has received the following compensation and/or has an agreement to receive in the future certain compensation, as described below. We may purchase Securities of the Profiled Company prior to their securities becoming publicly traded, which we may later sell publicly before, during or after our dissemination of the Information, and make profits therefrom. EMC does not verify or endorse any medical claims for any of its client companies. EMC has been paid $115,000 for various marketing services including this report. EMC does not independently verify any of the content linked-to from this editorial. A contributor to this report has been paid 1.2 million shares and receives $3,500 a month for investor relations services on behalf of Digipath. http://emergingmarketsllc.com/disclaimer.php Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC Florida Office 15701 State Road 50, Suite #205 Clermont, FL 34711 E-mail: jamespainter@emergingmarketsllc.com Web: www.emergingmarketsllc.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 18:50:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Xinghong assists the security check at entrance of Luohuang South Railway Station in southwest China's Chongqing, Feb. 4, 2020. Wang is a railway police. After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Wang takes on the duty to instruct residents living along the railroad how to prevent and control epidemics. Meanwhile, he also takes responsibility of checking the body status of passengers and local residents. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) Outbrain, a leading discovery and native advertising platform on the open web, has brought on board Shobhani as Director for Operations and Partnerships. This is a unique role in the company and will serve as part of its corporate development of the team. Prior to joining the leadership team of Outbrain in India, Shobhani held the position of Head of Business Development at Intellect Ads, where she was responsible for onboarding new clients, agencies & publishers, identifying the winning strategies and scale the insights throughout the organisation. At Outbrain, our effort is to try and give our best to clients in terms of their success metrics. We are thrilled to have Veena on board as our Director of Operations and Partnerships. She brings deep expertise in client servicing and would be closely working with our partners to bring a new approach to relationship development and to furbish the operational excellence, said Sandeep Balani, Head of India at Outbrain. She has worked in proven leadership roles before and is the most strategic hire for the company at the right time to develop the existing opportunities in order to respond better to the business needs. On her appointment, Shobhani said, I am truly delighted to be taking on this new role. The opportunity ahead for the business is vast and to seize it, we must move at a faster pace and continue to transform. The biggest part of my work is to accelerate the abilities to bring innovation to the existing operations and deliver improved performances of the business with our partners. I look forward to working with the team to further develop their already extensive business operations. Shobhani brings to Outbrain 12 years of unique experience within the digital media industry. Beyond serving in leadership roles, Shobhani brings unique perspectives in the business environment, having a true multi-cultural career journey. Also Read: Outbrain renews strategic native partnership with Network18 Outbrain Appoints Jainab Shaikh as Director of Sales Advertisement Roxanne Pallett looked every inch the blushing bride as she enjoyed her first dance with her new husband Jason Carrion at their recent wedding reception in the American city of Philadelphia. In newly unveiled pictures, the lovebirds are seen kissing as they gaze into one another's eyes while taking to the dancefloor with their arms wrapped around one another, hours after becoming husband and wife. Former Emmerdale actress Roxanne, 37, and New York City fireman Jason, 39, opted to hold their celebratory reception at Sylvester Stallone's Adrian's Restaurant - which was featured in Rocky - after trying the knot in NYC. First dance: Roxanne Pallett and her new husband Jason Carrion kissed during their first dance at their recent wedding reception, held at Sylvester Stallone's restaurant Adrian's in Philadelphia The couple and their guests sipped on Dom Perignon champagne at the reception, where they dined on a four-course meal that included fish pasta dishes. After listening to the relaxing tones of opera music through their meal, the wedding party made their way upstairs to dance the night away to disco hits from the Saturday Night fever soundtrack. According to The Sun, the newlyweds went on to spend the night in the honeymoon suite in the BelleVue Hotel, then had a morning blessing on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, made famous by Rocky. Lovely bubbly: The lovebirds made it the ultimate wedding celebration as they enjoyed glasses of bubbly at the celebration Sensational: The former Celebrity Big Brother star looked nothing short of sensational as she donned a white figure-hugging strapless fishtail gown with a sweetheart neckline Blushing bride: The British actress, 37, looked every inch the blushing bride as she wrapped her arms around her hunky beau Earlier in the day, Roxanne appeared ecstatic as exchanged vows with hunky American Jason in a romantic ceremony at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City in front of 10 friends and family. The former Celebrity Big Brother star looked nothing short of sensational as she donned a white figure-hugging strapless fishtail gown with a sweetheart neckline. Roxanne's gown featured a lace overlay and an intricate heavily beaded bodice that highlighted her physique. Looking on in admiration: The happy couple's guests looked on as they danced and laughed with each other at the celebration Let's get ready to rumble: As the night wore on, the couple broke out their best dance moves as they upped the energy levels Good spirits: The couple were clearly in good spirits as they soaked up the celebratory atmosphere on their special day Roxanne styled her brunette locks into voluminous curls for her special day while her wedding attire was completed with a classic white sheer veil with a floral headpiece. Her other half Jason wore his brigade uniform for the wedding, wearing a navy blazer and matching trousers along with a crisp blue shirt and navy tie. The church was decorated for the couple's big day, with Roxanne posing for a snap underneath an extravagant floral display near the altar. After the couple said 'I do', they walked down the aisle with Roxanne jubilantly raising her hand in the air in celebration. Speeches: Earlier in the evening, the newlyweds and their guests sat at a candlelit dinner table as they listened to speeches Moving moment: Roxanne looked moved as her husband received a hug from one of the guests after he made a speech Relationship: Roxanne married Jason just two months after getting engaged. The couple first met in Brooklyn six months ago The couple's families were also involved in the ceremony with Roxanne's mother reading a poem that was written by Jason's late mother. Speaking to The Mirror about the nuptials, Roxanne said: 'It was the most perfect day saying "I do" to the most perfect man I've spent my life praying for. We are now going to a spa retreat to relax before J returns to full duty at the firehouse.' Roxanne married Jason just two months after getting engaged. The couple first met in Brooklyn six months ago. The loved-up couple had their honeymoon dreams dashed after Jason had to go back to work days after their secret wedding. Heartfelt: The wedding featured several heartfelt moments, where the bride and groom were seen hugging their loved ones Sip: Guests sipped on Dom Perignon at the reception, where they dined on a four-course meal that included fish pasta dishes Wedding gown: Roxanne's gown featured a lace overlay and an intricate heavily beaded bodice that highlighted her physique It comes after Roxanne revealed her husband was one of the reasons she was able to battle thoughts of suicide following her explosive CBB 'punchgate' scandal which saw her sensationally fall from grace in 2018. Roxanne revealed that by practising 'gratitude', her life changed from 'not having showered for days' to meeting the love of her life. Over Thanksgiving, Roxanne shared a smitten snap of herself kissing Jason on the cheek with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in the background. The star utilised the American holiday to reflect on how far she had come over the past year. She began: 'This time last year, I was in my scruffs, sobbing into a bowl of mac n cheese, having not showered for days.' Right hand woman: The actress had a single bridesmaid, who dazzled in a glittering black gown at the wedding celebration Night fever: The wedding party went upstairs to dance the night away to disco hits from the Saturday Night fever soundtrack Bearing their soles: Some members of the wedding party kicked off their shoes as they energetically danced the night away Fine dining: Earlier in the evening, the wedding party dined on fish and pasta dishes as they listened to live opera music Roxanne went on to explain that her mother ended up giving her some 'tough love' by forcing her to focus on the people who were 'holding her up rather than kicking her down.' It was then Roxanne began to practise gratitude - focusing on how lucky she was to have family and friends who loved her, as well as a roof over her head. She said: 'As I began to realise how lucky I actually was, the tough times that had broken me soon faded into the background. 'I began to see my life change shape for the better. A day at a time. It was almost like the moment I looked for the good, it actually blossomed into a better view from where I was standing,' Roxanne explained. All of us: The newlyweds and they guests posed for a group shot together as the special day rolled into a raucous night Diamonds are a girl's best friend: Roxanne flashed her stunning diamond ring as she lapped up the celebrations on her big day She offered further advice to others: 'To anyone who is in the midst of their darkness right now, I promise you, with the right thought process you can & will come through it, as I have. Just find little blessings in every day & let those overshadow the difficulties.' Lastly she gushed: 'And to my incredible man @bklynbad who saw my fire & ran towards it not away from it, thank you for loving me. #happythanksgiving.' Proving she was completely besotted with Jason, the brunette also went to flashed her sparkly engagement ring on Instagram Stories. Sources revealed to The Sun last year that Jason became 'a rock' to Roxanne one year after she was panned for falsely accusing her CBB co-star Ryan Thomas of punching her. Uniform: Dapper: Roxanne's other half Jason wore his brigade uniform for the wedding, donning a navy blazer and matching trousers along with a crisp blue shirt and navy tie Perfect moment: Roxanne said, 'It was the most perfect day saying "I do" to the most perfect man I've spent my life praying for. We are now going to a spa retreat to relax before J returns to full duty at the firehouse' Jason previously married Cortney Hendrix when he starred on Married At First Sight in 2014, however the couple split last February. It was revealed in August that Jason and Roxanne were dating and living together in New York, in a union that came seven months after she was dumped by her fiance Lee Walton following CBB punchgate. The actress confirmed her romance with Jason as she shared a loved-up snap at the time - shortly before the engagement news arose. On the engagement and romance, an insider said: 'Jason met Roxanne's mum for the first time during their recent trip to the UK and she absolutely adored him. Jason has been a rock to Roxanne since they've been together... Nuptials: Earlier in the day, Roxanne appeared ecstatic as exchanged vows with hunky American Jason in a romantic ceremony at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City in front of 10 friends and family Travelling in eye-catching style: The group were able to stay together, as they travelled to and from the venue in a stretch limo 'They've had very parallel lives and share an intense connection because of their past struggles. He's fiercely protective over her and has told friends that she's the one he's been searching for all this time... 'They began talking and went for coffee which then turned into an inseparable week. It was love at first sight. Friends say he never clicked with the girl the show matched him with and there was a great deal of pressure to keep up appearances for it'. In October, Roxanne detailed her suicidal thoughts and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following her scandal in the Celebrity Big Brother house last year. Family: The couple's families were also involved in the ceremony with Roxanne's mother Monica reading a poem that was written by Jason's late mother Huge changes: Roxanne revealed that by practising 'gratitude', her life changed from 'not having showered for days' to meeting the love of her life Past: Roxanne told how her mother ended up giving her some 'tough love' by forcing her to focus on the people who were 'holding her up rather than kicking her down' The actress was blasted when she falsely accused housemate Ryan of being a 'woman beater' after a playfight - which she alleged saw the actor 'repeatedly punch' her before she demanded he was removed from the house. Speaking to Jeremy Vine about the scandal, Roxanne said: 'It was a really awful time for a lot of people. It's only now when I watch those back I realised how far I've come. It's like watching somebody else.' When asked about her disappearance from the spotlight she responded: 'I had to. I had to get off the grid. That meant turning down any appearances. 'I'll be honest with you, it's been a long time coming. Things that were wrong were so wrong. And it's only now, since I've been having therapy, I've been doing some reflecting and soul searching - I've thought about why I felt that way.' Focused: After the Celebrity Big Brother controversy, Roxanne began to practise gratitude - focusing on how lucky she was to have family and friends who loved her, as well as a roof over her head Gentleman: As the lovebirds prepared to leave the venue, Jason threw his blazer over his glam new wife's bare shoulders Relationship: It was revealed in August that Jason and Roxanne were dating and living together in New York, in a union that came seven months after she was dumped by her fiance Lee Walton following CBB punchgate When asked if she felt suicidal, Roxanne said yes. After her exit from the Channel 5 show, she returned for a pre-recorded interview with host Emma Willis to apologise for the incident. Roxanne recently claimed she sent a suicide message to her family and friends after she falsely accused Ryan of punching her. Roxanne said she told her family 'she didn't want to be here anymore' after she was accused of over-exaggerating the playful punch from her co-star. For confidential 24/7 support in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. Support: Sources revealed to The Sun last year that Jason became 'a rock' to Roxanne one year after she was panned for falsely accusing her CBB co-star Ryan Thomas of punching her Proud to show their love: The couple openly showered each other with affection as they enjoyed their big day together Last month, comedian and political satirist Kunal Kamra was banned by four domestic airlines for heckling a TV news anchor onboard a flight. However, it turns out that he is not the only one suffering due to the airline ban. On February 3, Air India, one of those who suspended the comedian from flying with them, mistakenly cancelled the ticket of another Kunal Kamra, a resident of Boston who was in India to visit friends and family. According to an India Today report, Kamra went through a harrowing experience while trying to fly from Jaipur to Mumbai with the airline. He was at the check-in counter of the Jaipur airport to catch an Air India flight to Mumbai, when he learnt that his ticket has been cancelled. I was told that my PNR was cancelled and when I asked them why, they said that my name had been blacklisted. I knew why the other Kunal Kamra was blacklisted, but I did not understand why particularly I was blacklisted, he said. Kamra said that though the Air India ground crew helped him sort out the issue, it was an ordeal nonetheless, and something that could have been averted. Kamra added: I had ample time before the flight, so everything was sorted out eventually. Another ticket was issued to me quickly, but it was still annoying to prove my identity and establish that I am not the blacklisted comedian. Kamra had to produce two identity cards to prove his identity. He said that the entire situation was confusing as he had to seek clearance from both Jaipur airport security staff and Air India staff before boarding the flight. "While the airline was satisfied with a copy of my Aadhaar card, the security staff were convinced only when I displayed my American ID," said Kamra. The harrowed flyer also mentioned that he was not notified about the cancellation nor did anyone explain to him why his ticket got cancelled. The report went on to say that it would be problematic if the airlines start cancelling peoples tickets just by virtue of their name, because there might be several people by the same name. The report quoted Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar, who clarified that his name was auto rejected because of the ban on his namesake. NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Sasol Limited (Sasol or the Company) (NYSE: SSL) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of new, and indexed under 20-cv-01008, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired Sasol securities between March 10, 2015 and January 13, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Sasol securities during the class period, you have until April 6, 2020 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Sasol was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sasol operates as an integrated chemical and energy company in South Africa. The Company operates through Mining, Exploration and Production International, Energy, Base Chemicals, and Performance Chemicals segments. On October 27, 2014, Sasol announced the construction of a of an $8.1 billion ethane cracker and derivatives complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana, dubbed the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP). According to the Company, the LCCP includes seven manufacturing units, some of which are in continued development, including the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) facility and Ziegler alcohol, ethoxylates and Guerbet alcohol facilities, among others. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Sasol had conducted insufficient due diligence into, and failed to account for multiple issues with, the LCCP, as well as the true cost of the project; (ii) construction and operation of the LCCP was consequently plagued by control weaknesses, delays, rising costs, and technical issues; (iii) these issues were exacerbated by Sasols top-level management, who engaged in improper and unethical behavior with respect to financial reporting for the LCCP and the projects oversight; (iv) all the foregoing was reasonably likely to render the LCCP significantly more expensive than disclosed and negatively impact the Companys financial results; and (v) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On June 6, 2016, Sasol reported that the expected total capital expenditure for the [LCCP] could increase up to US$11 billion, including site infrastructure and utility improvements; a slower rate of capital resulted in an extended project schedule and contributed to further project cost increases; [t]he expected returns for the project have reduced due to changes in long-term price assumptions and the higher capital estimates; and [t]he increase in the estimated LCCP capital cost and extended schedule will reduce the expected project returns by approximately the same amount as the Companys lower long-term price assumptions. Following these disclosures, Sasols American depositary receipt (ADR) price fell $3.53 per share, or 10.99%, to close at $28.60 per share on June 6, 2016. On May 22, 2019, during pre-market hours, Sasol disclosed that the cost estimate for the LCCP has been revised to a range of $12,6 to $12,9 billion which includes a contingency of $300 million. Sasol cited a $530 million change in the projects cost forecast because of a [c]orrection for duplication of investment allowances of approximately $230 million; a [c]orrection for certain contracts and variation orders managed by Sasol, outside the primary engineering, procurement and construction contract, of approximately $180 million; and forecast improvements that were not expected to be realised and adjustments for potential insurance claims and procurement back-charges of approximately $120 million. Following these disclosures, Sasols ADR price fell $4.50 per share, or 14.93%, to close at $25.64 per share on May 22, 2019. Later, on August 16, 2019, during pre-market hours, Sasol issued a press release disclosing that it was delaying the announcement of its 2019 financial results because of possible LCCP control weaknesses. On this news, Sasols ADR price fell $0.74 per share, or 4.02%, to close at $17.67 per share on August 16, 2019. Then, on October 28, 2019, Sasol disclosed that its review of the LCCP control weaknesses had brought to light errors, omissions, and inaccuracies in the [LCCP] cost estimate, and a number of unethical and improper reporting activities that took place at the highest level of management. Sasol also announced the resignation of, inter alia, its Joint Presidents and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), effective November 1, 2019, and Senior Vice Presidents and others previously in charge of the LCCP. Finally, on January 14, 2020, Sasol issued a press release confirming that on January 13, 2020, the Company experienced an explosion and fire at its LCCP low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit. Sasol stated that [t]he unit was in the final stages of commissioning and startup when the incident occurred and has been shut down and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident, the extent of the damage and resulting impact on the LDPE units [beneficial operation] schedule. Following these disclosures, Sasols ADR price fell $1.70 per share, or 7.84%, over the following two trading days, closing at $19.99 per share on January 15, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com King commemoration speaker turned pain into purpose King commemoration: Yusef Salaam (left) talks with Stephanie Walters during William & Mary's 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. Photo by Nicholas Meyer '22 Photo - of - Hide Caption Yusef Salaam did not know the meaning of his name until he was in prison. My name means God will increase the teacher with peace, he said. On Thursday, Jan. 30, Salaam spoke at William & Marys 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration before a crowd of faculty, staff, students and community members who filled the Sadler Centers Commonwealth Auditorium. Stephanie Walters, producer and television host, moderated the discussion. Salaam spoke about his experience being tried and falsely convicted for the rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park in 1989. Four other young men were roped into the case, all pressured to confess to a crime they did not commit. Salaam was only 14 years old at the time. Shene V. Owens, associate director of the Center for Student Diversity, welcomed the crowd. The Center for Student Diversity, in conjunction with Community Values & Restorative Practices and the W&M Law School Office of Student Services, hosted this years Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration program. Owens spoke about how her student volunteers, along with Kimberly Weatherly, assistant dean and director of the Center for Student Diversity, came up with the idea of inviting one of the five men who were wrongfully convicted, deemed as the Central Park Five and now known as the Exonerated Five. Through the collective efforts of the CVRP and W&M Law School Office of Student Services, the CSD was able to invite Salaam to discuss his experience with the criminal justice system. Beginning the program with the audience singing Lift Every Voice and Sing, Owens introduced John Ezzard 23 who gave a passionate rendition of Kings famous speech, I Have a Dream. It brought the crowd to a standing ovation. Walters opened the discussion by connecting Salaams experience and activism with King. Im standing on his shoulders because he had the opportunity to stand, responded Salaam. Salaam spoke about his use of prayer, meditation and reading to get himself through his nearly seven years of prison time. He discussed his theory of fallibility as it pertains to law, noting that his confession was coerced, that he and the other four boys were under 18 years old. This was a tsunami we were not supposed to survive, Salaam said of the entire process. Salaams lengthy conversation with Walters wove its way through the story of how he and the four boys were tried and falsely convicted, his time in prison and the process of his exoneration in 2002 once the true criminal admitted to the assault of the Central Park jogger. Upon their exoneration, the City of New York gave the famous five $41 million in settlement, releasing a statement to absolve itself of blame in the wrongful conviction of the five men. The City of New York has denied and continues to deny that it and the individually named defendants have committed any violations of law or engaged in any wrongful acts concerning or related to any allegations that were or could have been alleged, the settlement states. They werent concerned about justice, Salaam said. After the hour-long discussion, Owens opened up the audience to a question-and-answer session. One person asked about his relationship with the other four men. Salaam dispelled the myth that the five men all knew each other before the crime this was not so, he said. He only knew one of the others, Korey Wise. All five were roped into the crime together, dubbed as acquaintances. Another woman mentioned how she was wrongfully convicted for assaulting a police officer and asked Salaam how she could find hope in eventually finding a job and regaining a sense of normalcy. Your statement is definitely felt in my heart, he said. We can transform pain into purpose. If we dont do that, we become ticking time bombs. Once we transform pain into purpose, we are unstoppable. We value the ongoing training and support that CAI-SC provides to our associates, said Dennis Abbott, president, Carolinas, FirstService Residential. Our commitment to partnering with the chapter has allowed us to further develop our team, as well as assist in growing our presence in SC. FirstService Residential, the leading residential property management company in North America, was honored by the South Carolina Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI-SC) as the 2019 Community Association Management Company of the Year at its 2020 Expo on January 9. We are honored to be named the Management Company of the Year. At FirstService Residential, we pride ourselves on providing best-in-class service to the communities we manage, said Michael Mendillo, president, FirstService Residential. We are extremely proud of our South Carolina team: they are the heart of our company. FirstService Residential was selected as this years winner based on their long-standing support of the chapter, as well as their commitment to the growth of the chapter and the industry at large. We value the ongoing training and support that CAI-SC provides to our associates, said Dennis Abbott, president, Carolinas, FirstService Residential. Our commitment to partnering with the chapter has allowed us the opportunity to further develop our team, as well as assist in growing our presence in South Carolina. http://www.fsresidential.com About FirstService Residential FirstService Residential is North Americas property management leader, partnering with 8,000 communities across the U.S. and Canada, including low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives; single-family communities; master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities; and mixed-use and rental properties. HOAs, community associations and condos rely on their extensive experience, resources and local expertise to maximize property values and enhance their residents lifestyles. Dedicated to making a difference, every day, FirstService Residential goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (FSV), a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 5, 2020 Growing regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice has some Google executives privately discussing whether or not Alphabet should divest its third-party ad-tech business. The Justice Department has reached out to more than a dozen publishers, advertising technology firms and advertising agencies posing detailed questions to Googles rivals, as the companys online ad tools become a major focus of an antitrust probe, according to one report. The questions seem to center on Googles integration of its ad server and Googles decision to require advertisers to use its own tools to buy ad space on YouTube, which reported generating $15 billion in revenue last year. advertisement advertisement Search agency professionals have told Search Marketing Daily that its products increasingly require them to trust Google and its ad tools. It all comes down to relying more on Google data, R2integrated Director of Media Rachel Curasi toldSearch Marketing Daily during an interview last month in which the agency rep spoke about Googles decision to eliminate third-party cookie tracking from the Chrome browser within the next two years. Those who want to explore divesting the business of display advertising say it has steadily declined in importance since Googles purchase of DoubleClick, while businesses like search and YouTube have soared, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the situation. Alphabet on Monday reported fourth-quarter 2019 revenue of $46.07 billion, and for the year the company revenue hit $162 billion -- up 18% year-over-year. Google's search business rose 15% -- reaching $98.1 billion in revenue in 2019. Google Properties generated $31.9 billion for the quarter, Google Network Members' Properties generated $6.03 billion, Google Other brought in $5.3 billion, and Other Bets generated about $172 million. The unit in question is part of Googles business that serves network of website partners. It accounted for $21.5 billion in 2019, about 13% of the companys overall revenue, down from 31% in 2008, the year the DoubleClick deal closed. The DoJ has contacted companies hurt by the dominance of its search and mobile businesses, such as Yelp, Duck Duck Go and Oracle. WSJ publisher News Corp was among the publishers contacted by antitrust investigators, along with New York Times, Gannett, Nexstar Media, and Conde Nast. A Google spokesperson told the WSJ the company has no plans to exit or sell the ad-tech business. The report, in part, points to the difficulty in running the business following a divestiture since all of Alphabets companies related to Google are so closely intertwined. Many arguments being made by the Opposition, civil society activists, students and retired government servants against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the projected National Register of Citizens (NRC) do not stand scrutiny. That religious minorities (primarily Hindus and Sikhs) in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have fled these countries is beyond dispute. Just compare the 1947 figures of the minority population of these countries to today. India is a natural refuge for them as they cannot migrate to other Muslim countries and obtain citizenship. The argument that persecuted Muslims from neighbouring countries such as the Ahmadis and the Rohingyas should also be eligible for Indian citizenship under the CAA is a belaboured one. We do not have a higher obligation to grant citizenship to Rohingyas, who have not claimed refugee status and have entered India illegally, than that of Bangladesh, a neighbouring Muslim country where they have sought refuge as victims of violence in Myanmar. Pakistani Ahmadis have not entered India clandestinely and, besides, can take refuge in several fraternal Islamic countries. With December 31, 2014, as the cut-off date for eligibility for citizenship, keeping the citizenship doors open in the future to Ahmadis, Rohingyas and other persecuted Muslims in Islamic countries after they enter India illegally makes no sense. Maintaining a database of citizens is a vital aspect of sovereignty, national security and governance. Democracies worldwide identify their citizens. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have citizenship rolls. India needs such a database even more, perhaps because of our open or unsettled borders, a long coastline, infiltration and terrorism, as well as demographic changes in parts of the country due to illegal migration. Once the database of citizens is available, illegal migrants can be identified. If the climate crisis leads to population flows across borders in the region, as is feared, one must think ahead. Fear-mongering about the projected NRC has reached such unreasonable proportions that even those who have served the country at the highest level in government feel concerned about proving their nationality because they do not have the birth certificates of their parents. An almost hysterical anti-Muslim colour has been given to the CAA and any NRC exercise, as if the malevolent Narendra Modi government intends to make Indian Muslims stateless en masse and create an insoluble problem for itself, other than gravely endangering Indias polity and social peace. The anti-India smears in the liberal western Press and critical statements by some foreign leaders should not be played up and legitimised by domestic critics by making the government responsible for them because of its policies. We should be defending the country against such malicious attacks and undue interference in our internal affairs. Moves in the United States Congress and the European Parliament show disrespect for our democracy, despite the talk about shared democratic values, and should be nationally decried rather than the Opposition leveraging them for domestic politicking. That only encourages anti-Indian western lobbies to play on our internal divisions. We should not worry about how the western media and individual foreign legislators judge the domestic political decisions we make constitutionally in our national interest. We should ask ourselves whether the views of Indian editors and sundry Members of Parliament matter at all in decision-making by western governments. Our normal diplomatic efforts to address international criticism should, of course, continue with self-confidence. To argue that CAA constitutes a violation of international law is wrong. While Article 2 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Covenant has been cited in support of the claim, Article 12 (1) which provides for restrictions by law in the interest of national security, and even lays down that an alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with law, has been ignored. The critique that a 25-year bipartisan consensus in the United States Congress in Indias favour has been broken by this government is untrue if only one would recall a bipartisan consensus against India in 1998 when we did our nuclear tests. To say that we have hyphenated our image with Pakistans in a fundamental way as religion driven intolerant states is a gross exaggeration, as it assumes that the CAA amounts to rewriting the entire Indian Constitution. Arguments that the CAA compromises our bid for the United Nations Security Council permanent membership; that we have become a reckless power with revisionist ambitions like Pakistan; or that the patience of the Washington establishment for us is diminishing show how far the critics want to go to discredit the Modi government. Those saying that the Internet closure in Kashmir will discourage investors should explain how China has not lost investments despite a ban on Facebook, Google and Amazon. By endorsing foreign criticism, distorting facts, misrepresenting realities, and denting the countrys self-esteem, the anti-Modi/Bharatiya Janata Party passion of critics undermines the countrys larger national interest. Kanwal Sibal is former foreign secretary The views expressed are personal Private sector lender Yes Bank has appointed Anshu Jain-headed global investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and two domestic entities for its fundraising plans, sources said on Wednesday. Other merchant bankers appointed by the capital-starved lender include IDFC Securities and Ambit Capital, they said. Jain is the ex-colleague of Yes Bank's current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ravneet Gill, who has made the capital-raising as his top priority after taking over last March. Jain was the co-chief executive of German lender Deutsche Bank globally, while Gill was heading the India operations. A bank spokesperson did not respond immediately to an e-mail on the same. Recognition of sour bets taken under his predecessor Rana Kapoor has depleted Yes Bank's capital buffers, and also forced it to reduce its loan book. It has, however, been struggling to raise the required capital for the past three months. It initially announced a plan to raise USD 2 billion, and had last month announced a new round of raising Rs 10,000 crore in fresh capital. On January 10, the bank's board had decided that Canadian investor Erwin Singh Braich's USD 1.2-billion offer will not be pursued further, and also hinted that a USD 500-million offer from Citax Holdings and Citax Investment Group, which was being favourably considered, is facing headwinds. The bank, which was waiting for regulatory nods as Citax's offer entailed over 10 per cent ownership, has not yet been able to get a clearance on the "conditions precedent". Without specifying timelines, it said the Citax offer will be taken up "during the next round". The scrip gained 7.58 per cent to close at Rs 37.60 a piece on the BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Northampton County officials are holding two special meetings Thursday on the purchase of new computers that county Executive Lamont McClure says are critical for the April 28 primary election. The countys election commission last week voted against buying the new electronic pollbooks that McClure says are needed for pollworkers to ensure voters are properly registered. Without them, cross-checking mail-in votes could delay the vote tally for weeks, McClures administration warns. In a letter to the commission members Monday, McClure said the Jan. 30 vote cast serious doubt on whether Northampton County will even be capable of conducting the Primary Election. The commission, at that meeting, was described as an advisory body to county council, with its 4-1 vote on ePollbooks merely a recommendation against the purchase. A resolution approving the $311,150 purchase is now before council on the agenda for its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. However, that resolution appears to assign a greater role to the commission than as an advisory body: "The Election Commission shall administer the system of elections and the registration of voters under applicable law," it states, citing the Northampton County Home Rule Charter. The commission, after receiving McClures letter, scheduled a special meeting for 8 p.m. Thursday for the purpose of discussing and potential action on the ePollbook purchase. Thats after the scheduled council vote, as well as after a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. Thursday of county councils finance committee to review the purchase. All three meeting Thursday are scheduled to take place on the third floor of the county courthouse and government center at 669 Washington St. in Easton. Charles Dertinger, McClure's director of administration, explained Wednesday that the commission on Thursday night would be considering the purchase after council has voted on approving funding for the ePollbooks, and that the "commission will be asked to weigh in positively on this." Northampton County in the past has had pollbooks printed for pollworkers to ensure voters are registered to vote and at the correct precinct. Pennsylvania's Act 77 overhauling state election law threw that system into disarray by pushing back the deadline to register to vote from 30 to 15 days before an election. The law also allows anyone to vote by mail, but prohibits those voters from canceling out their mail-in ballot at their polling place, in a change from previous rules. Anticipating a steep increase in mail-in votes, Dertinger said it could be weeks before votes are tallied to ensure mail-in voters didn't also vote at their polls -- unless pollworkers have ePollbooks that are updated in real time. That delay could mean the county will miss its state deadline to complete a canvas of votes and certify the results. Election commission members said they were hesitant to purchase new electronic voting equipment after problems marred the debut last November of new touchscreen voting machines. Those problems with the ExpressVote XL machines purchased for $2.88 million have been addressed, according to the manufacturer, Omaha, Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software. Members of the commission also said they have concerns about someone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to hack the ePollbooks, which are specially configured Apple iPads. The vendor the county is looking to buy the ePollbooks from, Tampa, Florida-based Tenex Software Solutions, said in a presentation Jan. 23 the computers are secure. Northampton County for 24 years contracted with a company called NTS to print its paper pollbooks. NTS has told county elections Chief Registrar Amy Cozze it will no longer be able to print them. A letter dated Jan. 31 from the Niagara Falls, New York, company cites the change in election law and the future advent of electronic poll books in saying it can no longer provide what we feel will be a cost effective and timely solution to adequately meet the crucial needs of the Northampton County Elections Office, according to a copy of the letter provided by McClures administration. Election commission members had discussed finding another pollbook printer, or even having the pollbooks prepared under a printer's timeline and supplementing them with printouts of voters who registered later. Dertinger said the county needs to follow strict procurement procedures and formats for the pollbooks approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State. Election commission Chairwoman Maudeania Hornik said she researched other counties' use of ePollbooks and found only six of 67 counties in Pennsylvania have adopted them. Efforts were unsuccessful Wednesday to reach Hornik and the commissions solicitor, Richard Santee, for comment ahead of Thursdays meetings. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. (Natural News) The news reported here has apparently been blacklisted everywhere across the U.S. and U.K. media. It is further evidence that a massive, globally-coordinated cover-up is being run by western nations (not just China) in an effort to lie to the public about the true size of the pandemic in nations beyond mainland China. Heres the news: The Secretary-General of the W.H.O., Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said last night that wealthy nations of the world i.e. western nations are refusing to share data on coronavirus outbreaks. He said that the W.H.O. has only received complete case report forms for only 38 percent of the known cases so far, essentially implying that western nations are less transparent than China when it comes to reporting the true number of coronavirus infections. This is being covered in Asian news sources such as Liberty Times Net, who covered the story at this link. So far, there appears to be zero coverage of this news in the U.S. or U.K. media, obviously pointing to a coordinated cover-up. (The CIA has ordered all U.S. mainstream media organizations to lie about the pandemic, just as the communist Chinese government has ordered its local media to push propaganda.) Additional details from LTN, translated from Chinese into English, reveal that the W.H.O. is calling on world countries to drop all travel restrictions against China and allow (infected) Chinese to freely enter all nations, obviously to spread the pandemic far and wide. From the story (translated): Some people questioned that China concealed the report when the case came out, which made the epidemic out of control. However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, secretary-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), criticized rich countries for failing to fulfill their obligation to share epidemic outbreak information. In addition to calling on the international community not to restrict tourism and trade due to the epidemic, the Secretary-General also praised China for taking major measures Thats right: According to the WHO, China is the honest country, while everybody else is lying. It doesnt get more insane. Coronavirus infections spreading outside China as infections, deaths mount Coronavirus infections are rapidly rising in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Nearby, a cruise ship with 3,711 people was found by Japanese authorities to be contaminated, with 10 passengers (so far) testing positive for the coronavirus. This means nearly everyone on board has been exposed. In mainland China, the pandemic is rapidly expanding to the point where now even Nanjing is being shuttered, and new infections are getting closer to Shanghai, the military and industrial hub of Eastern China. Zero Hedge is now reporting that the actual number of coronavirus infections and deaths in China may be 154,000 and 24,500, respectively, based on what appear to be leaked statistics that were quickly corrected to roughly 1/10th those numbers. Officially, the coronavirus has infected 24,500 people and killed nearly 500, if you believe that governments dont lie. Meanwhile, the tech giants are protecting communist China by banning and censoring all information that questions the official narrative about this exploding pandemic. It is becoming increasingly clear that the WHO, the tech giants, the mainstream media and communist China have all agreed to push the same lie: That China has this whole thing under control, and that the pandemic isnt even real, as another WHO department head stated yesterday. Yes, the very existence of the coronavirus is about to be portrayed as fake news by the global disinfo establishment. Brighteon.com/11b4e545-957f-4af7-b5e3-70170ce8c7b2 LANSING, MI -- Michigan recreational marijuana sales are nearing $18 million two months after the new industrys Dec. 1 launch. With $17,699,952 in sales between Dec. 1 and Feb. 2, the state has generated $2,938,192 in tax revenue, including $1,769,995 in excise taxes and $1,168,197 in sales taxes. The excise tax on recreational marijuana is 10%. The sales tax is 6%. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. For comparison, Illinois, a state that began selling recreational marijuana Jan. 1, generated nearly $40 million in sales during the first month, the Chicago Tribune reports. A major difference in Illinois was that all of its 41 licensed medical marijuana shops were able to begin selling recreational marijuana immediately on Jan. 1. In Michigan, the buildup has been gradual. While the total number of licensed retail marijuana stores reached 43 as of Tuesday, Feb. 4, over the first few weeks, only a handful of shops were able to open, including three on Dec. 1. According to the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, its issued the following recreational licenses: 43 marijuana retailers 1 class B marijuana grower (1,00 plants) license 17 class C marijuana grower (1,500 plants) licenses to 9 different companies 7 processors 4 secure transporters 3 marijuana event organizers 1 marijuana safety compliance facility Michigans 2018 voter-passed law requires the first $20 million collected in excise taxes over the first two years of the program be spent on medical research involving marijuana. The breakdown of the remainder is: 15% to cities, townships or villages that allow recreational business, proportioned to the total number of micro-businesses and retailers; 15% to counties, proportional to the total number of micro-businesses and retailers; 35% to the School Aid Fund for K-12 education and 35% to the Michigan Transportation Fund for road and bridge repair. State budget officials have projected the recreational marijuana market to reach in excess of $1.5 billion-per-year in annual sales once it reaches maturity, as soon as the latter half of 2021. The below map, which MLive is updating as new licenses are issued, includes all known retail marijuana stores in the state: -- Gus Burns is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact him with questions, tips or comments at fburns@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, @GusBurns. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. More on MLive: Michigan marijuana prices spike Recreational sales eclipsed $1.7 million last week Detroit-caused confusion over recreational marijuana sparks lawsuits Monthly recreational marijuana sales near $6.5 million Recreational market poised to boom in 2020 Michigan wants Weedmaps to stop advertising for unlicensed marijuana businesses Michigan not collecting personal information on customers Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency in southeastern Wisconsin in the wake of severe winter storms that struck the region. The governor issued an executive order declaring an emergency in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties in response to the storms Jan. 10-12. High winds and flooding caused significant damage along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The three counties earlier this week reported a combined $30 million in damage to public infrastructure. The declaration directs state agencies to help people affected by the storms. It also allows the Wisconsin National Guards adjutant general to call troops to active duty to help local authorities. Evers asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this week to perform a preliminary damage estimate, the first step in determining whether the state will seek a federal disaster declaration. FEMA officials are expected to do an assessment this week. Gov. Tony Evers is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to do a preliminary damage estimate of severe winter storm and lakeshore flooding that struck southeastern Wisconsin earlier this month. The process is the first step in determining whether Wisconsin will request a federal disaster declaration. Evers said the storm, combined with high water levels on Lake Michigan, resulted in significant shoreline damage to public infrastructure in southeastern Wisconsin. Doing the assessments will help determine whether communities may qualify for federal aid to help them rebuild, he said. The governors office said FEMA is expected to assess damage to public infrastructure next week in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Agency staff will not be assessing damage to homes or businesses, since much of that damage is covered by insurance or would not qualify for federal disaster assistance. As of Monday afternoon, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties had reported a combined estimate of $30 million in damage to public infrastructure as a result of the Jan. 10-12 storms and flooding. Those preliminary numbers are expected to change. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Windstorm Flood Wisconsin 05.02.2020 LISTEN Anytime I hear a cat meowing, either night, dawn or day: I don't only get chills, I get confused too. I wonder: What does she want? Is she hungry, frightened or is she in pain? BUT, I even get more confused and worried when some politicians talk about purging the police service. What would they use, hysop or DDT? Listen to one of them rant: "We'll clean the police and purge it of the canker that has besieged it under this government," says Sam George, MP for Ningo Prampram Constituency. Well, they say, charity begins at home. Isn't it? So, if you've got the nerve and the urge to purge the police service, why not start from the Akatamanso family( Emefa Mia-Mia). Then you'll have a good standing. Then you can look yonder. And then you shall see clearer. To begin with, there's no study that's found the police service as the most corrupt institution in the country. Though it may look bad from a lay man's point of view, it isn't the worst or most rotten institution in Ghana. Therefore, take the log from your eye first before you set out to remove the speck from another's eye. Allowing professionals: "Only true professionals will be allowed into the police service," Sam George declares. Question is: Who has it all? Which public institution in this country can say that it's it all...That 100 per cent of its workforce has it all wrapped around its finger? So why single out the police service? And why did the media not shed more light on such a misguided statement? My explanation: I think sometimes we get caught up with mundane activities. Sometimes, we miss the bus not because we are ill-prepared or late. But because certain circumstances determine such outcomes. I've realised that in the wake of the Airbus Bribery Scandal a lot of stories got deluged by Airbus bribery-super- storm. Without doubt, it's a humongous storm and I can speculate, it won't go down alone. Matter of fact it's already taken aim at its targets. Some would grab at straws in a desperate move to save their sunken image. Whilst their surrogates would speak at length as if they've been purged-- defending the indefensible. The Antecedent On Friday 31 January 2020, some local media outlets alleged that the Police leadership in Accra had refused to dispatch personnel to provide security at the one year anniversary of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.which was wrought by violence in 2019. I should note, the police has since refuted the allegation. The durbar was organised by the opposition NDC and other interested organisations. And it was here, on the sidelines that Mr. George, told reporters that the police refusal to show up was an indication of the dysfunction in the police service. It just tells you how dysfunctional the Ghana Police Service is. Like President Mahama said, when we come back to the government, we will clean out the police service and purge it of the canker that has besieged it under this government. So all those who are politicians within the police service must bear in mind that being a politician comes with a certain effect. When you lose an election, you get out of the place because we will not countenance this any more in this country, he fumed. He stressed that only true professionals will be allowed into the police service. According to the local media, there was criticism regarding the police absence at the durbar which was themed: Towards Election 2020, Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence, never again. And was understood, the only police officers that showed up were members of former President John Mahama security detail. For some time now the NDC has been critical of the security services and accused the state of state-sponsored vigilantism after the chaos at the by-election. Story background On January 31, 2019, violence erupted at the by-election held in that constituency meant to replace then sitting Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, who had passed on from an illness. In the course of the exercise some National Security Operatives fired gunshots at a polling centre at La Bawaleshie, injuring about six persons believed to be NDC supporters during the election. There were also some security personnel captured on camera brutalising citizens around the polling centre. By Gordon Offin-Amaniampong The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Power System Consultants UK, Ltd. ("PSC UK") and Ramboll UK Ltd. ("Ramboll UK"), today (4 February 2020) announced the completion of a transaction which resulted in Ramboll's Power Systems department in the UK becoming part of PSC UK, a division of PSC. In January, PSC also closed a deal acquiring Gridconnect, an Ireland-based firm specializing in grid connection, design, and construction supervision of electrical installations. These acquisitions further bolster PSC's Power Networks team to help clients safely and effectively integrate renewable generation sources onto the grid. Financial details of these transactions were not disclosed. As of 1 February 2020, all staff from Ramboll's Power Systems department in the UK, led by Gary Landels, Head of Department and Nick Randles, Senior Consultant, joined PSC UK. Gary Landels now leads the Power Networks division of PSC UK. Ongoing client commitments and service offerings will continue to be honoured. With these transactions complete, PSC UK now has regional offices in London, Newcastle and Warwick, UK; Dublin, Ireland; and Ludvika, Sweden. The combined team leverages its global capabilities and local expertise through 34 electricity experts, delivering owner's engineer services, planning, design, and implementation services across the energy value chain. "We are thrilled to welcome the members of the Ramboll UK Power Systems team to PSC. The combined team significantly augments PSC UK's capacity and provides the UK, European mainland, and Middle East markets a strong compliment of electricity experts to address electrical engineering, HVDC, operational technology, and market system needs. With the acquisition of Gridconnect last month and now with the experts from Ramboll UK's Power Systems team, we are actively addressing the need for a strong medium-sized electricity specialist option available to our clients in these regions," said Alex Boyd, PSC Group CEO. Gary Landels, Head of Ramboll's Power Systems department in the UK added, "We have been impressed by the quality of PSC UK's work and their commitment to client satisfaction. In that way, they are a great fit with our team. This transaction allows us to continue to serve our clients with the excellent quality they expect while significantly increasing capacity and broadening available expertise." "In a market where it's difficult to find quality electricity engineers, the power system experts from Ramboll UK present a unique opportunity to invest in the rapidly evolving electricity space," said Tim Miles, PSC UK General Manager. "The addition of the Ramboll Power Systems UK team doubles our regional capacity and broadens our service offerings to include expertise in areas we have historically needed to partner to deliver. Additionally, the combination provides the market with a strong, medium-sized provider that can respond to client needs quickly and capably." About Ramboll Ramboll is a leading engineering, design and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. The company employs more than 16,000 people globally and has especially strong representation in the Nordics, UK, North America, Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. With 300 offices in 35 countries, Ramboll combines local experience with a global knowledgebase constantly striving to achieve inspiring and exacting solutions that make a genuine difference to its clients, the end-users, and society at large. Ramboll works across the following markets: Buildings, Transport, Planning & Urban Design, Water, Environment & Health, Energy and Management Consulting. www.ramboll.com. About GridConnect Founded in 2012 and based in Ireland, GridConnect is specialized in wind, solar, biomass, biogas and high voltage installation design and has been involved in more than two gigawatts (2GW) worth of renewable generation projects. www.gridconnect.ie About PSC PSC is a specialist consulting firm to the electricity industry delivering planning, analysis, development, and strategic advisory services related to power networks, operational technologies, HVDC, distributed energy resources, and market systems. Over 160 PSC employees serve clients throughout the UK and Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America. PSC is independently operated and more than 65% employee-owned. www.pscconsulting.com. Contact: Rachel Miles PSC UK Ltd +44 7967 228 064 rachel.miles@pscconsulting.com FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Americans should be more concerned about the flu than the coronavirus, the nations top doctor said Tuesday. Dr. Jerome Adams, surgeon general of the United States, spoke at Fort Bragg in North Carolina during a program sponsored by Womack Army Medical Center. After his speech, Adams discussed the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement released Monday that it is closely monitoring the outbreak of coronavirus, which was first detected in China and continues to expand. The respiratory illness is similar to MERS and SARS, the CDC says. Adams said Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services is taking the virus seriously, but he warned about a more widely known illness. Flu is a much bigger risk to the average person, he said. Coronavirus: Everything you need to know about the deadly illness alarming the world Adams said that as of Tuesday morning, there have been 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. All those people either have been in the part of China where the virus has been most widely detected or in close contact with people who have been there, he said. The fact is, at least right now, the risk of coronavirus is low to most people in the U.S., he said. Youre more likely to get, to be hospitalized or to die from the flu than the coronavirus. When asked about the risk of coronavirus to deployed soldiers, Adams said military officials are looking at the situation in different areas of the world and will take all measures necessary to protect the troops. We are carefully following the spread of this disease globally so we understand which areas of the world are most at risk, he said. Right now, the United States is at low-risk, and our soldiers are getting everything they need to make sure theyre safe. Adams said protecting against the flu also will help in efforts against coronavirus. We dont want undifferentiated flu confusing our health professionals when were trying to evaluate people who may have coronavirus, he said. Flu is more likely to affect you, and we know how to protect ourselves against that. Story continues Adams encouraged residents to wash their hands, stay at home when theyre sick and get a flu shot. As surgeon general, Im telling folks the number one way to protect ourselves is to get a flu shot, he said. Coronavirus outbreak: United, American suspend flights to and from Hong Kong 'Pelosi disgraced herself': GOP outraged by Pelosi ripping up Trump State of the Union speech This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Coronavirus vs. flu: US surgeon general says flu a bigger risk Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday claimed that 20 terrorists have been killed in the union territory so far this year but security agencies were preparing for a peaceful summer. At a press conference after the killing of two militants on the outskirts of Srinagar, Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh said that security forces have achieved many successes in their operations since January. Singh said that they had already prepared a plan for peaceful summer especially on law and order front. We wish the coming summer would be peaceful. The police chief said that forces have killed 20 militants in Jammu and Kashmir in different operations and also busted several modules of militants across Kashmir. In January, many operations were carried out in different parts in which police were successful. Singh said recently in Jammu a group of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists which had infiltrated from Pakistan were killed. Three terrorists were intercepted at a check post and then killed in an encounter. He said the arms and ammunition which the militants were carrying looked like they were planning to carry out big terrorist activity. Eight weapons, grenades and a readymade IED were also recovered from them, he said. Whenever the Jaish-e-Mohammad groups come from Pakistan they bring high caliber weapons. They were carrying M4 US weapon ammunition, the same which they had used in 2018 for snipping. He said the Jaish militants use two types of communication system to stay in touch with their handlers. They have direct contact with their handlers in Pakistan through Ikcom and Thuraya sets. The DGP said that Srinagars population and administration are on the target of militants, but the security is always alert and strong enough to stop attacks. We have arrested many modules and are trying to the unveil module behind the Pratap park grenade attack on Sunday and have got clues and we will find the person who lobbed the grenade very soon. Despite an abundance of data that shows how deadly distracted driving can be, more than 50 per cent of Canadians admit to using their phone while driving. In addition to threatening lives, distracted driving has major financial implications. We recently released a report that showed how much someones auto insurance premiums increase after receiving a distracted driving ticket. To compile the report, we gathered data from our website, first by using someone with a clean driving record, and then adding a distracted driving charge within the past year. Depending on the province, the hypothetical drivers quote increased between 4 per cent and 24 per cent. Tellingly, there was no instance in which a distracted driving offence didnt increase someones insurance quote. Why did we do this? We thought that by attaching a dollar amount to this offence beyond a mere fine, Canadians might start taking distracted driving more seriously. Right now, they arent. In 2018 it was the number one cause of deaths on Ontario roads. In 2016, it contributed to 21 per cent of fatal collisions, according to Transport Canadas National Collision Database. This is more than a minor traffic offence. Its causing injury and claiming lives. Its time to treat distracted driving with the same kind of criminality and public condemnation as impaired driving, which Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) call a violent crime. We should be framing distracted driving with the same kind of censure. Current fines for distracted driving in Canada range from $172.50 to $3,000, depending on the province, and whether or not the driver tries to fight it in court. To most provinces credit, these fines have consistently increased over the past few years. Impaired driving, such as under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, comes with a fine (of $250) in Ontario, but also an uncontestable three day licence suspension on the first offence. A second offence within five years results in a seven-day suspension, a $350 fine, and a mandated education program. Those extra punitive measures have undoubtedly played a part in the decline of alcohol-impaired driving for more than a decade. For inspiration, we can look to other countries that have outright banned cellphone use while driving, like Australia, Denmark, and India. In Ireland, drivers convicted of a third distracted driving offence can face up to three months in jail, and in the Netherlands, up to two weeks. In 2018, the OPP issued 13,268 distracted driving tickets. As of December 2019, the OPP had tabulated 8,176 distracted driving tickets. It looks like a step in the right direction, but distracted driving is still an epidemic. As OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said last year, We can't ticket our way to compliance. Government and insurance companies alike must frame distracted driving as the deadly offence it so often is, like MADD have done for impaired driving. Distracted driving is irresponsible and dangerous. It should be treated for what it is an intentional act that jeopardizes lives. Iran will support Palestinian armed groups as much as it can, Iran's Supreme Leader said on Wednesday, urging Palestinians to confront a U.S. plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. "We believe that Palestinian armed organizations will stand and continue resistance and the Islamic Republic sees supporting Palestinian groups as its duty," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech carried on his website. "So it will support them however it can and as much as it can and this support is the desire of the Islamic system and the Iranian nation." U.S. President Donald Trump announced a U.S. plan last month which would set up a Palestinian state with strict conditions but allow Israel to take over long-contested Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian leaders have rejected it as biased toward Israel. Trump's plan is to the detriment of America and Palestinians should confront the deal by forcing Israelis and Americans out through jihad, Khamenei said, according to his official website. Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States after top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with a missile attack against a U.S. base in Iraq days later. Separately, Khamenei called for a high turnout in parliamentary elections on Feb. 21, broadly seen as a gauge of support for authorities after all-out war with the United States almost broke out last month. "It's possible that someone doesn't like me but if they like Iran they must come to the ballot box," Khamenei said, according to his official website, noting that the elections could help solve Iran's international problems. Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at hardliners over the mass disqualification of candidates for the election. Iran's economy has been battered after Trump pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. Search Keywords: Short link: The congratulations come from the President of Belarus, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, the Communist Party of France, A Just Russia Party, the Communist Party USA, the Justice and Development Party of Turkey, the Belgian Labour Party, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), the Portuguese Communist Party, the Communist Party of Greece, the Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Cyprus, Communist Party of Norway, the Communist Party of Albania, the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia, the Pheu Thai, the Workers Party of Tunisia, the Liberty Korea Party, the Socialist People's Alliance of Egypt, the Uruguays Broad Front and the Democratic Patriots' Unified Party of Tunisia. An art programme to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (Photo: VNA) In his congratulatory message, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said the sustainable development and the success in economy and society have demonstrated the effective leadership of the CPV for the benefits of the Vietnamese people. He firmly believed that the CPVs political prestige at home and abroad will continue to bring prosperity for the Southeast Asian country. Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Nikai Toshihiro expressed his respect for the proud 90-year history of the CPV and believed that the solidarity of the two parties will be further cemented. The Communist Party of France emphasised that the two communist parties will continue strengthening their solidarity and historical relations formed during the fight against colonialism. The Communist Party of Greece affirmed that the proud victory of Vietnamese people under the leadership of the CPV and President Ho Chi Minh has become a source of inspiration for millions of oppressed people around the world. The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) said that the prestige and high position of Vietnam in the international arena has reflected the strength and the ideological, political and organisational maturity of the CPV. For its part, the Communist Party of Britain noted that the current development of Vietnams economy along the socialist orientation is a role model which shows the CPVs capacity of uniting the people under the flag of communism to ensure economic and social transition. In its message, the Communist Party of Cyprus underlined that the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people had bolstered solidarity and anti-war movements in the world. President Ho Chi Minhs leadership and modest has left a long-lasting heritage for all communists in both ideology and practicality. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Communist Party said that throughout the CPVs 90-year history, it has upheld the vanguard role, winning support, recognition and respect of revolutionary and progressive forces around the world. Javier Miranda, President of the Uruguays Broad Front voiced his belief that Vietnam will continue being the hope of all nations of the world, especially of people who are fervently fighting for peace, sovereignty, social fairness and development./. A Champa temple complex in Nha Trang is deserted amid the nCoV outbreak, February 3,2020. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc. A Chinese man stayed in Nha Trang for five days and came into contact with many people before returning and testing positive for the new coronavirus. Dai Chunxia, 46, developed a fever on a Vietnam Airlines' flight from Nha Trang back to his home in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, on January 28. He was quarantined upon landing, hospitalized a day later and tests confirmed he was infected with the deadly virus, the carrier said. Dai arrived in Nha Trang, a popular beach town of Khanh Hoa Province, on January 23 with a group of Chinese tourists on a charter flight operated by the national flag carrier. During his time in Nha Trang, he stayed in two hotels on Hon Tre Islet and Duong Hien Quyen Street and visited a local hospital four times for heath checks. He also came into contact with many people, including hotel receptionists, tour guides, bus drivers and interpreters, apart from hospital and airline staff. Vietnam Airlines has disinfected the aircraft carrying the passenger, and required two flight crews to isolate themselves to closely monitor their health. Bui Xuan Minh, director of Khanh Hoa's Department of Health, said that the local health sector has been closely monitoring those previously in contact with the Chinese visitor. Vietnam has reported 10 cases of nCoV infection, three of whom have been declared healthy and discharged from hospital. As of Wednesday, the nCoV has killed 493 people and infected more than 24,600, mostly in mainland China, of whom 990 have recovered. EXTON, Pa., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (Booth #B58) West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a global leader in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, today announced that it will introduce several new, innovative pharmaceutical containment and closure offerings at Pharmapack, February 5-6 in Paris, France. The Company expands its innovations for global customers and their patients with the introduction of two AccelTRA component line extensions; a Flip-Off Seal container closure system (CCS) compatible with the 5mL Daikyo Crystal Zenith vial; and the new Ready Pack system with SCHOTT's adaptiQ platform, resulting from West's recent partnership expansion with the leading packaging supplier. In addition, West will share thought leadership insights into biologics and combination products, which are two priority areas in pharmaceutical packaging and delivery innovation today. Fran DeGrazio, Vice President, Scientific Affairs & Technical Services at West, will present on "Understanding the Complexities of Delivering a Biologic Drug to the Market" during the main Pharmapack session on biologics on Thursday, February 6 at 10:05 a.m. CEST. "West's priority is to help customers simplify their journey, whether through new products or by helping mitigate risks in the drug development process to accelerate speed to market in today's ever-evolving, complex industry and global regulatory environment," said DeGrazio. "We have deep knowledge of navigating the nuances of biologic drugs and delivery systems even at the earliest stages, including quality systems, design controls and risk management frameworks. By keeping a lens on the unique interface between a drug, its primary package and device, we support our customers with smart, integrated solutions from end to end that help them meet, if not exceed, industry standards." Company scientific and industry experts will be available at Booth #B58 to discuss West's role in continued innovation in biologics and combination products, to provide insights into the Company's Integrated Solutions offering, and to share additional highlights on the following new product offerings: AccelTRA components program : West launched two line extensions, including its AccelTRA Select EU configurations available in Ready-to-Sterilize (RS) and Ready-to- Use (RU) steam for customers needing a high-performing elastomer and regulatory support in North America , as well as its AccelTRA ready-to-sterilize (RTS)/ready-to-use (RTU) components product line with the RTS option available now for customers needing a high-performing elastomer and lead-time program support outside North America . Both product lines leverage the next-generation elastomer formula of 4031/45, which features 13mm and 20mm serum and lyo stoppers in eight configurations, offering generics customers optimal quality, speed and simplicity to help get their products to market quickly. In addition to stoppers, the AccelTRA Select components product line also features 1-3mL plungers for generics customers requiring a high-performing solution for their prefilled syringe needs. : West launched two line extensions, including its AccelTRA Select EU configurations available in Ready-to-Sterilize (RS) and Ready-to- Use (RU) steam for customers needing a high-performing elastomer and regulatory support in , as well as its AccelTRA ready-to-sterilize (RTS)/ready-to-use (RTU) components product line with the RTS option available now for customers needing a high-performing elastomer and lead-time program support outside . Both product lines leverage the next-generation elastomer formula of 4031/45, which features 13mm and 20mm serum and lyo stoppers in eight configurations, offering generics customers optimal quality, speed and simplicity to help get their products to market quickly. In addition to stoppers, the AccelTRA Select components product line also features 1-3mL plungers for generics customers requiring a high-performing solution for their prefilled syringe needs. Flip-Off CCS Seal: The Company launched a Flip-Off CCS Seal to provide customers with a ready-to-use sterile, superior quality capping product for its 5mL Daikyo Crystal Zenith vial. The Flip-Off seal maintains container closure integrity and supports a safe, convenient user experience. The Company launched a Flip-Off CCS Seal to provide customers with a ready-to-use sterile, superior quality capping product for its 5mL Daikyo Crystal Zenith vial. The Flip-Off seal maintains container closure integrity and supports a safe, convenient user experience. Ready Pack system : As an expansion of West's partnership with SCHOTT, convenient, ready-to-use combinations of West and SCHOTT products will be available on a small quantity basis, including West's Ready Pack system with the SCHOTT adaptiQ high quality RTU glass vials. The ISO standard vial products are being offered in three sizes: 2R; 6R; and 10R. : As an expansion of West's partnership with SCHOTT, convenient, ready-to-use combinations of West and SCHOTT products will be available on a small quantity basis, including West's Ready Pack system with the SCHOTT adaptiQ high quality RTU glass vials. The ISO standard vial products are being offered in three sizes: 2R; 6R; and 10R. Learning Lab presentation: Nico Brandes , Director, Market Development, Innovation & Technology at West will host a Learning Lab session entitled, "Design with the End in Mind: Patient-Centric Innovations in Containment and Delivery," on February 6 at 11:30 a.m. CEST . For more information on West products and services, please visit booth #B58 at Pharmapack or visit us online at www.westpharma.com. West and the diamond logo, AccelTRA, FLIP-OFF and Ready Pack are trademarks and registered trademarks of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., in the United States and other jurisdictions. Crystal Zenith is a registered trademark of Daikyo Seiko, Ltd. Daikyo Crystal Zenith technology is licensed from Daikyo Seiko, Ltd. SCHOTT iQ is a registered trademark of SCHOTT AG. Forward-Looking Statements Certain forward-looking statements are included in this press release. They use words such as "will," "introduce," "mitigate," "new," "expands," "offer," "accelerate," "future," and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management's current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this release. There is no certainty that actual results will be achieved in-line with current expectations. Specifically, there is no certainty that the AccelTRA component line extensions or the new FLIP-Off Seal compatible with the 5mL Crystal Zenith vial will achieve any particular result. There is also no certainty that our Ready Pack system offering in combination with the SCHOTT adaptiQ platform will achieve any particular result. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The following are some of the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or underlying our forward-looking statements: customer decisions to move forward with our new product and service offerings, dependence on third-party suppliers and partners and the ability to meet development milestones with key customers. These important factors are not all inclusive. For a description of certain additional factors that could cause West's future results to differ from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements, see Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors," in West's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Except as required by law or regulation, West undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. About West West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of packaging components and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products. Working by the side of its customers from concept to patient, West creates products that promote the efficiency, reliability and safety of the world's pharmaceutical drug supply. West's products and services address the unique needs of our Biologics, Pharmaceutical, Generics and Contract Manufacturing customers. The Company also offers an Integrated Solutions Programa comprehensive approach that combines West's high-quality packaging and delivery products with expert analytical testing, device manufacturing and assembly, and regulatory expertise. West is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, and supports its customers from locations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. West's 2018 net sales of $1.7 billion reflect the daily use of approximately 112 million of its components and devices, which are designed to improve the delivery of healthcare to patients around the world. For more information, visit www.westpharma.com. SOURCE West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Related Links http://www.westpharma.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island saw a drastic spike in certain crimes this past month compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD data. On Staten Island, there were 18 robberies from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, compared to 10 over the same time frame last year, according to NYPD data. Grand Larceny Auto crimes also increased from 11 cases to 14, the data shows. There also was four rapes reported from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2 compared to three during that period last year, according to the data. Burglaries, however, decreased from 26 to 22, the data shows. RECENT SPATE OF INCIDENTS AT STATEN ISLAND BANKS In the last two weeks, Staten Island recorded six bank robberies and related incidents. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, an individual entered the drive-through of a Santander bank branch located at 1850 Victory Blvd. at around 1:30 p.m. and passed two notes demanding money through a chute at the drive-up teller window, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. There was no money passed or removed and the individual fled the scene on Victory Boulevard in a red Ford truck, according to the statement. The notes included an unfounded bomb threat, a police spokesman said. The next day, police asked the publics help in identifying the driver of a red truck who is sought for questioning in connection with the attempted robbery. On Saturday, Jan. 25, police responded just after 1:30 p.m. to Santander Bank at 1320 Hylan Blvd., where a white man reportedly approached a teller and passed a note demanding cash, according to a written statement from the office of Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The man fled with $600, according to the statement. On Monday, police arrested Ivo Bogdamovic, 49, of 1st Place in Brooklyn and charged him with robbery in connection with the incident, an NYPD spokesman told the Advance. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, police received a call for a robbery at around 11:30 a.m. at a Northfield Bank located at 1481 Forest Ave., police said. A man entered the branch and passed a note demanding cash, according to very preliminary information supplied to a spokeswoman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. He was given an unknown amount that did not include a dye pack. He fled the location in a light-colored sedan, police said. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, possibly in his 40s, who was wearing a black hat and black jacket, the police spokeswoman said. On Thursday, Jan. 30, a man with a cast entered a Northfield Bank branch at 519 Forest Ave. at around 1:30 p.m. and announced it was a bank robbery, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. The man was later identified as Augustin Nadreau, 25, who was arrested in connection with the incident, police said. Only eight minutes later, Nadreau entered Victory State Bank located at 755 Forest Ave. and, after a brief flirtatious talk with a female employee, shouted, Its a mother f-----g robbery. I just want yall to know its a mother f-----g robbery, he shouted in a video later posted on social media. Everybody put your hands on the floor. Get your hands on the f-----g ground right now. Nobody reacted to the man, who walked out of the bank without actually taking any money, according to police. Nadreau was arrested in connection with that incident as well, and charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct in both incidents, an NYPD spokesman said. Following the incidents, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon upgraded charges to include attempted robbery. The new charges affected the status of a case in which Nadreau allegedly threatened to bomb a bank in 2018 if he didnt receive $1 million in cash. CRIME CITYWIDE INCREASES AS WELL Staten Islands recent spike in crime parallels a trend across the city. From Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, New York City saw a 16.9% increase in crime compared to the same period last year, according to data from the NYPD. Robberies citywide went from 943 in 2019 to 1,290 in 2020, the data shows. Burglaries went from 932 to 1,124, according to the data. Shootings incidents increased as well, from 52 to 67. Every single member of the NYPD understands that behind each crime statistic is a victim who deserves justice, said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. The men and women of this department are second to none and they will continue to be relentless to address upticks in crime. On Jan. 24, Shea said during a press conference that the recent increase in crime is connected to the implementation of new bail reform laws. Now as you see in the first three weeks of this year, we are seeing significant spikes in crime, he said. So either we forgot how to police New York City or there is a correlation. OPPOSING VIEWS Patrolmens Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch partially agreed with the NYPDs top brass, adding bail reform is not the only problem the city faces. The double-digit increases in shootings, robberies, burglary and thefts arent the product of any single law or policy. They are the result of failed leadership and a political culture that denigrates and devalues the work police officers do, Lynch said in a statement Tuesday. Lynch added that Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials have sent a single, clear message about their lack of support for law enforcement. "This is what happens when our city leaders sit silent or issue weak, belated statements when the mob in the street chants for dead cops. And these terrible statistics show that the criminals of New York have heard that message, loud and clear, Lynch said. The Legal Aid Society defined the data the NYPD released Tuesday as irresponsible misinformation. As any serious person knows, one month of data cannot tell us anything meaningful about crime trends. This is just more irresponsible misinformation from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and other opponents of bail reform happy to ignore reality when it doesnt serve their agenda, said Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. "The fact remains that crime is at all-time historic lows, and has been consistently low even as release rates from pre-trial detention have steadily risen. The president missed an important opportunity to really set a vision and to try to set the process of bringing the country together and that was evident in terms of the content of the speech and his body language, Lightfoot told the Tribune. He literally spent 90-plus % of his time only speaking to the Republican side of the chamber. He rarely looked over to the Democratic side. So he missed a real opportunity." BEIJING Hong Kong hospitals cut services as thousands of medical workers went on strike for a second day Tuesday to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely. The new virus caused its first death in the semiautonomous territory, adding to growing fears it is spreading locally. All but two of Hong Kongs land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after thousands of hospital workers went on strike Monday. Hong Kong health authorities reported two additional patients without any known travel to the virus epicenter, bringing the number of locally transmitted cases to four. The growing caseload indicates significant risk of community transmission and could portend a large-scale outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. More than 7,000 health workers joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, the strike organizer. Hong Kong was hit hard by the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a virus from the same family as the current outbreak. Trust in Chinese authorities has plummeted following months of anti-government protests in the Asian financial hub. The territorys beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Important services, critical operations have been affected, including cancer treatment and care for newborns, Lam told reporters. So Im appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Lets put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things. China reported 490 deaths and 24,324 confirmed cases, up sharply from the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, the one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The patient who died in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, the mainland city where the outbreak started. The Hospital Authority said Tuesday he had pre-existing health conditions but gave no details. Most deaths have been among the elderly and those with other health problems, authorities said. More than 80% were over 60 years old, and more than 75% had an underlying disease, Jiao Yahui, a National Health Commission official, told a news conference Tuesday. Dr. David Heymann, who led the World Health Organizations response to the SARS outbreak, said that its too early to tell when the new virus will peak, but that it appears to still be on the increase. Ken Moritsugu is an Associated Press writer. Jamie Lynn Spears thinks her daughter's recovery from an ATV accident was a "miracle". The 28-year-old star has reflected on the three years that have passed since Maddie, then eight, was hospitalised for almost a week after the vehicle she was travelling in flipped over into a pond at their Louisiana estate, leaving her submerged underwater for several minutes. Jamie reflected on Instagram: "3 years ago today, Super Bowl Sunday fell on February 5th, and I'll never forget that, because it was the day my whole world stopped. "It started like most Sunday's, going to church, visiting family, to suddenly trying to save my daughter's life, to them taking her away, to us believing we had lost her forever, and it literally felt like the world stood still around me. "I have never spoken fully in detail about that day, and the events that followed, but what I will share is that God blessed us with a true miracle. Maddie not only stayed here with us, but she made a full recovery." The former 'Zoey 101' star - who has Maddie, now 11, with Casey Aldridge and 21-month-old Ivey with husband Jamie Watson - went on to thank fans for their support during the tough time and urged people to be grateful for the "tiny miracles" they experience every day. She continued: "I know so many of you prayed so hard for us, so I will never let this day pass without thanking each of you for every single prayer you said for us, and I hope you all know we do not take this huge blessing we were given for granted, because most are not as fortunate, and we are fully aware of that horrible and unfair fact. "I am filled with gratitude today, and everyday, even on the bad days, because even those days are a gift, that so many others would give anything for just to have their loved ones back. "Let's all be thankful for the tiny miracles in our lives everyday, that we may take for granted, because it could all change in a second. Thank y'all for always being there for me and my family, we appreciate you and love you so much. #MiracleAnniversary.(sic)" Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday attended the inaugural ceremony of the Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow and said that the central government is working towards making India a hub of defence manufacturing. Singh, who is also a Member of Parliament from Lucknow, the host city of this year's Expo, said, "We want to make India a defence manufacturing hub." Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are also present for the inaugural event. Earlier in the day, the Defence Minister of Oman M Sayyid Badr bin Saud Al Busaidi had held a meeting with Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh in Lucknow. Oman's Defence Minister was accompanied by a high-level delegation and will be attending the Defence Expo India being held in Lucknow. The event promises to bring in new technologies and technological solutions, where defence manufacturing companies from India and abroad will showcase their products and services in the defence arena on a single platform, the Ministry said in a statement. The main theme of this year's event is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. As many as 1028 companies have registered for participating in this year's event, as against 702 in the DefExpo 2018. The number of participating foreign companies have also increased to 172 from the previous figure of 160. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An angry vegan woman has been filmed going on an incredible rant where she screamed at customers inside a McDonald's restaurant. In the footage, which was captured at a store in Auckland, New Zealand on Friday night, the young woman can be heard complaining about livestock ships transporting cows to China. 'There are cows on that f***ing ship and they are alive and they have souls. And you don't give a f***k, all of you in this room,' she screamed. 'But I hope when you die, you get to meet those souls.' When another customer asked if the animals have souls the woman lost it and screamed: 'Yes you f***er'. She then walked closer to the other customers who could be heard laughing in the video. Staff quickly intervened as tensions rose, they told her she would have to leave or they would call the police. The woman and her friend were then escorted her out of the store. Many people slammed the woman after footage of her outburst was shared on social media. They also questioned the reason for her rant as McDonald's does not import its meat. McDonald's sources their beef and chicken from New Zealand farmers, the website states. 'These kind of crazy person, Westboro-like judgement outbursts are completely counter-productive,' one person wrote. A vegan woman has been filmed going on an incredible rant where she screamed at customers inside a McDonald's restaurant 'I know a lot of people who get convinced to eat meat because of people like this, simply to respond to the open hostility with their own open hostility,' another wrote. Her outburst came after protesters took to the streets over a livestock ship exporting 4,000 cows to China for farming, which departed Port Taranaki. A McDonald's spokesman told Daily Mail Australia a person entered McDonald's Hawera on Friday evening, acting in an aggressive manner and directing abuse at customers. Restaurant staff followed protocol and did a good job to diffuse the situation, he said. Denmark's Novo Nordisk said on Wednesday it expects its business to grow at a slower pace in 2020 compared to last year, as it posted a slightly lower-than-expected quarterly operating profit. Novo Nordisk, the world's top maker of diabetes drugs, said it expects sales to grow between 3% and 6% and operating profit to rise 1%-5% this year, both measured in local currencies. In comparison, last year both sales and operating profit rose by 6%. Novo posted a fourth-quarter operating profit of 11.87 billion Danish crowns ($1.75 billion), compared to an average 11.96 billion crowns expected by analysts. "We are very satisfied with the financial performance in 2019," Chief Executive Officer Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said. He added that the launch of its once-daily oral pill Rybelsus late last year in the U.S. market was "off to a good start." Novo is betting on new treatments, including the first-of-its-kind tablet Rybelsus, to offset pricing pressure from competing insulins and U.S. lawmakers, who have been critical of rising drug costs. This month, Army Emergency Relief began providing up to $1,500 to help soldiers and their families with initial child care costs that pop up after a move. Families frequently face delays in placing their children in child care after moving, which often results in paying more than necessary in those first few months. The AER Child Care Assistance Program seeks to help families in that situation. With a no-interest loan, grant or combination of both, eligible families can receive up to $500 per month for three consecutive months. The program's goal is to offset the costs related to finding child care facilities off base, which is usually more expensive. Installation child care through Child & Youth Services is income-based, ranging from $304 to $694 per month per child during the 2019-2020 school year. Similar services off base can be more expensive, depending on the area. Wait times vary but can be more than 12 months. Families facing a permanent change-of-station move can put their children on a wait-list prior to arriving at their new base, but that doesn't guarantee a spot. When this occurs, they are forced to use child care options off base or sometimes in uncertified home day care operations, which can add cost and risk. For example, child care fees in Maryland last year averaged $15,403 for an infant in a day care center and $25,887 for both an infant and a four-year-old. On an installation, that cost would be $6,984 and $12,920.40 for a Category 5 family, with a total family income of $63,885 to $81,310 for the 2019-2020 school year. AER is the only emergency relief program to offer this option for child care costs. The Air Force Aid Society pays for 20 hours of child care per child in certified Family Child Care homes for each PCS -- but that's the extent of the child care assistance offered. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society's Quick Assist Loan offers up to $500 for sailors and Marines within minutes for urgent needs. "Although the QAL Program can be used to defray the cost of child care, often these expenses exceed that $500 limit, so our client would come to our local office, conduct a budget review with a caseworker, who would assess the need and render appropriate assistance," said retired Navy Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler, the society's vice president, chief development and communications officer. "We do pay for child care on a case-by-case basis, but the society doesn't have a unique child care assistance program like our sister aid organizations have." For families who continue to use off-base child care options, there are subsidies available through Child Care Aware of America. The 2018 Blue Star Families Survey shared that one of the top stressors for military families is child care. "Finding new child care can be one of many adjustment challenges and is a commonly reported issue for both military spouse respondents and female service members," the survey report said. Additionally, "79% of female service members who relocated in the last year could not obtain reliable child care." Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox. A researcher has invented a low-cost telecommunication system using drones which provides early warning on natural disasters and acts as a wifi hotspot when phone signal is disrupted during extreme weather (QUB/PA) A researcher has invented a low-cost telecommunication system using drones which provides early warning on natural disasters and acts as a WiFi hotspot when phone signal is disrupted during extreme weather. Last year saw 850 natural catastrophes, Queens University Belfast researchers behind the development said. In response, Dr Trung Duong has pioneered a system providing improved battery life and better durability. The research could make a real difference to people living in areas exposed to extreme weather and it will certainly make the work of emergency services much easierDr Trung Duong Dr Duong said: The research could make a real difference to people living in areas exposed to extreme weather and it will certainly make the work of emergency services much easier. He said warning systems for natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes were very expensive, not always effective and often easily damaged. Dr Duong has developed a low cost telecommunication system using drones that can fly over large surface areas, taking real-time measurements and providing information about weather conditions. It is known as a Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network (CTTN) and is critical to emergency missions such as rescue teams and emergency medical services. Amateur drones can last for around 30 minutes when flying over a large area, but Dr Duongs system will last three-to-five times longer than this and is not as expensive as a professional drone. The academic said: Currently in Vietnam, monitoring stations are placed alongside the river which cover a small area. Twenty five of these stations would take around six months to build and cost nearly 0.5 million. They only last four years but if extreme weather strikes, they are almost always damaged as they are so close to the water. He added: An added complication is that when a natural disaster hits, people in the affected communities find it very difficult to communicate with emergency services and their families as phone signal and WiFi is often disrupted due to the weather and also because so many people are using the system at one time. The researcher is a reader in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and conducts research at the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology at Queens University. To prolong the battery life of the drones, Dr Duong developed a mechanism for allocating resources across the system in real-time, which maximised the systems energy efficiency. Dr Duong said: The battery life of a drone often does not last long and those that can last up to 30 minutes are very expensive. Our challenge was to create an inexpensive wireless system employing drones that could be flown over a large surface area for a longer period of time but also with extra capacity in providing early warnings and wireless connectivity in the aftermath of disaster. It should also help to save money, the CTTN is much more durable than the current river stations and is 100 times cheaper. The system has already been adopted by disaster management authorities in Vietnam. Photo credit: RAUL MARTIN/MSF From Popular Mechanics Scientists used robots and replica tools to stress test ancient materials and designs used by hominins. Humans aren't millions of years old, but toolmaking certainly is. Ancient hominins chose materials based on what worked best for the work they were doing. Archaeologists are testing ancient stone tool designs using very modern engineering. In the journal Royal Society Interface, a group of three archaeologists based in England and Spain surveyed tools found at the two-million-year-old Olduvai Gorge site and ran them through engineering tests to try and understand if ancient hominins were iterating better and better materials and designs. The archaeologists noticed that tools in different families were made with different materials, the same way a mallet is made of a different material than a saw or a socket wrench. Especially in a time before there was any kind of forging, ancient hominins could only use what they could find in pretty pure form in their local environments. For more than 1.8 million years hominins at Olduvai Gorge were faced with a choice: whether to use lavas, quartzite, or chert to produce stone tools, the researchers explain. Lavas include igneous rocks like basalt and granite. Chert is a subgroup of sedimentary rock and includes flint, opal, and jasper. If toolmaking was more of an unstudied crapshoot, scientists would expect tools of all kinds to be made with all three of these families of stone. Instead, the sharpest, finest cutting tools were made of delicate, but fine-textured quartzite. Bulkier, more heavy-duty cutting tools were made from lavas. The archaeologists saw a clear pattern in toolmaking, but was that evidence-based? Were ancient hominins using kind of a scientific method? To find out, the research team made a bunch of replica tools and found a robot to stress test them. They tested sharp cutting on lengths of PVC pipe and longer-term durable cutting on tree branches. We quantify the force, work and material deformation required by each stone type when cutting, before using these data to compare edge sharpness and durability, the scientists write. Story continues A sharp, fine cutting tool could be used for a ton of different jobs, from gathering wild food to scraping the bark off of sticks. Functionally its more like a knife, and while it certainly could be durable, thats a lot less important than holding a sharp edge. Compare that with a larger cutting implement thats usually used like an axe. An axe isnt just sharpits also a tough wedge that you must be able to bury in a log in order to keep forcing the two sides apart. The edge still has to be sharp, but the axe itself must be very durable and strong. You wouldnt use a knife to cut down a tree any more than youd use a hand axe to cut down fine grasses or peel sticksat least not if you had a choice. When combined with artifact data, we demonstrate that Early Stone Age hominins optimized raw material choices based on functional performance characteristics, the scientists write. This shows that ancient hominins werent only making tools. They were considering what happened with past tools and making decisions based on what had worked best. That level of abstraction and logical decision-making is itself an accomplishment for a species that predated humans by more than a million years. You Might Also Like A New Zealand man who died in a hotel pool in Bali is being remembered for his generosity as strangers give what they can to help get his body home. Friend Chris Francis, a fellow Kiwi who lives in Bali, told stuff.co.nz Adam Bascombe was found after the tragic accident on January 28. Adam was a man who loved life, Mr Francis wrote on the Give a Little fundraiser he set up to help the family cover expatriate and funeral costs. He was always full of energy and put others before himself. His infectious laugh and charisma always made those around him feel welcomed and his extraordinary ability to look at the positive in any situation. Adam Bascombe is being remembered for being full of energy and putting others before himself. Source: givealittle.co.nz Mr Francis told stuff.co.nz police said there was no sign of violence regarding Mr Bascombes death, adding it was unlikely alcohol played a role as he was on a detox at the time. He was practising meditation [in the pool] and I think he was holding his breath underwater. We think it was just a tragic accident, Mr Francis said. On the Give a Little fundraising page, Mr Francis said it would cost $11,000 to get Mr Bascombes body back to New Zealand and the funeral costs would amount to $12,000. His sudden death in Bali will certainly have a financial impact on his family and all of us that love this man want to show our love and appreciation as he would have done the same for any of us, Mr Francis wrote. Mr Bascombes is from Dunedin on New Zealands South Island. Ben Presling, who worked with Mr Bascombe in Auckland, told the NZ Herald he wanted his friend to be remembered as someone who brought people together, saying it was because of Mr Bascombe he met his current partner. I met her because Adam dragged me out for a drink one night, Mr Presling said. He got out and did stuff. A lot of people complain about you know, how they hate going to work and how they want to change their lives and travel, and he actually did it. Adam Bascombe's friend is raising money to get his body back to New Zealand and help cover funeral costs. Source: givealittle.co.nz The Give a Little fundraiser has raised over $12,000 so far and the page is inundated with messages from those who knew Mr Bascombe. Story continues I am saddened by this news the world needs more lightworkers like yourself, one person said, paying tribute to Mr Bascombe. Thank you for shining your light with the world it is a great loss to all. Another tribute signed by two people said: We feel privileged and are thankful to have known someone like you. Keep spreading your bright light and love until we meet again. We love you. There are not enough words to express our feelings about this grave loss. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Ireland is experiencing political upheaval as never before, but the chief driver in this appears to have little to do with the internal politics of the island. Governments, north and south, are being dissolved or formed, elections called or postponed: The only certainty for all living on the island is a changing political reality. The preeminent force behind this is Brexit. Yet, few in Ireland have come to terms with this new reality; fewer still can gauge its consequences. In the Irish Republic, a general election has been called. On February 8, 2020, across 39 constituencies, voters will go to the polls to elect 160 members of parliament, or Teachta Dala, for the 33rd Dail Eireann, the Irish Parliament. For many in the Republic, politics is still shaped by the civil war that followed the 1921 partition of the island, creating Northern Ireland and the then-Irish Free State. Eventually emerging out of that bitter conflict came the two most prominent factions in Irish politics today: the Fine Gael (pro-treaty) and Fianna Fail (anti-treaty). In the southern Irish state, in election after election, Irish voters have been wary of giving either party an overall majority. The proportional representation electoral system (entailing a single transferable vote) ensures that the country has been doomed or blessed with a perpetual series of coalitions. In recent elections, the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael vote share combined tends to be over 50% of the popular vote. Thereafter, one of the two major parties has gone on to form a coalition government with minor parties of differing hues. That said, the Irish electorate has a limited choice. In the past decade, as the conflict in the north abated and a severe economic recession gripped the south, politics in the Republic has witnessed a clearer demarcation between those on the left and those fully signed up to the neo-liberalism of Brussels. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are centrist parties, increasingly socially liberal. Other than a few fringe groups, all other political parties contesting the forthcoming election are, to varying degrees, left-wing Labour, Sinn Fein, Social Democrats, and a whole host of socialist, Marxist, and independent candidates. Story continues Surveying this political landscape, for any Irish conservative, whether social or economic, this is pretty dire. All the main political parties support the recent social legislation, on same-sex marriage (2015) and abortion (2018), both introduced via referendum. About the European Union all parties are enthusiastic. Current predictions suggest that in the forthcoming election, Fine Gael will lose power to Fianna Fail, with Sinn Fein poised to strengthen its position as the main party on the left and, therefore, the primary parliamentary opposition to the inevitable Fine GaelFianna Fail power axis. One thing is certain about elections in the Irish Republic, it is always a case of plus ca change. But Ireland is changing in other more unexpected ways. Brexit has changed and is changing Ireland. Urgent talks are now underway between London and Dublin to achieve a speedy agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland, and by extension the wider EU, as the realization dawns that Brexit is really happening. This sense is prompted by the economic reality confronting any future Dublin government, namely, that Britain accounts for around one-fifth of Irish trade, generating more than a billion Euros per week for the Irish economy. Given Irelands trade imbalance with the U.K., Dublin needs a workable deal as much as London does more so, in fact. For Ireland the fallout from Brexit has not been just economic, though. Brexit has sparked serious discussion around the possibility of a united Ireland. Once confined to republican speeches at windswept commemorations for long-dead martyrs, todays talk of reunification is taking place, albeit in hushed tones, in the corridors of power in Dublin, Belfast, and London. The fact is that Brexit has begun to unravel the British Union. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted against Brexit, England and Wales for it. Both the former territories are now considering their options, each feeling, for different reasons, increasingly distant from Westminsters Conservative government led by Boris Johnson. For over three years, January 9, 2017, through January 11, 2020, Northern Irelands local elected assembly at Stormont was suspended as a result of a deadlock between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein primarily regarding the status of the Irish language, abortion, and same-sex marriage. In the end, the latter two issues were legislated by Westminster over the heads of DUP opposition. Now, it seems on the official recognition of the Irish language, the DUP has had to give concessions to Sinn Fein to restart the assembly. The much-vaunted restarting of the Stormont devolved administration in Belfast was not, however, so much an example of a working devolved settlement within the U.K. polity as much an act of political desperation on the part of Ulsters unionists. The recent restoration of Stormont occurred two days before an election would have had to be called as the Stormont Assembly on account of the three-year suspension. If voting in that election had taken place, following the voting patterns in Decembers U.K. general election, the main Unionist party, the DUP, would have lost votes and seats as it did in the December election but more crucially still, its hold on the First Minister post effectively Northern Irelands prime minister awarded to the majority party within the assembly. So any talk of the Democratic Unionist Party working toward a peaceful settlement to the underlying political fault line that is Northern Ireland needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. DUP credibility has been hit further, and maybe more, by its posturing for a hard Brexit. That stance has now backfired. Because of Brexit, Dublin needed an economic barrier between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as opposed to one on the island of Ireland. This economic barrier in the Irish Sea became a non-negotiable demand from Dublin, one backed to the hilt by Brussels. While the DUP MPs were of use at Westminster to prop up an unpopular prime minister, Theresa May, this Irish Sea border remained a sticking point in negotiations. When the parliamentary arithmetic was restored to positive by the popular new prime minister, Boris Johnson, the DUP was discarded, and quickly London agreed to a border down the Irish Sea. It appears the DUP has been hoisted upon its own petard. They got Brexit, but a Brexit that has weakened the Union. Furthermore, it has moved Ulster into a closer economic relationship with the Irish Republic. And as unionists know and fear, economic union, however loose, is only one step away from political union, however subtly expressed. Across Ireland, the various political processes appear to be stuck in varying degrees of paralysis. Consequentially, more than ever, the external forces now setting the political and economic pace for Ireland will continue to shape the country, and for some time to come. More from National Review Online grocer Ocado is the UK's fastest-growing supermarket, while the 'Big Four' continue to suffer declines in sales. Kantar data for the 12 weeks to 27 January showed Ocado's sales in the period rose 11.2 per cent year-on-year to 397million, while its market share crept up to 1.4 per cent from 1.2 per cent. While more than half of Ocado's sales had come from its heartlands in London and southern England, Kantar's head of retail insight, Fraser McKevitt, said the quickest growth was found in the north of England, where sales surged 17 per cent. On a roll: Ocado's sales in the 12 weeks to 27 January rose 11.2 per cent year-on-year to 397m, while its market share crept up to 1.4 per cent from 1.2 per cent Ocado's growth figure was a touch higher than Lidl, which saw sales rise 11.1 per cent to 1.7billion, while fellow discounter Aldi was in third place with a 5.7 per cent increase to 2.3billion. The growth from Ocado and the German chains stood in stark contrast to the UK's Big Four, which saw sales declines. Morrisons was the worst of the pack, with sales sliding 3 per cent to 3billion, followed by Asda, which dropped 2.2 per cent to 4.4billion. Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket, saw sales fall 0.9 per cent to 7.9billion, while Sainsbury's was the most resilient with its sales down just 0.6 per cent to 4.6billion. Overall, the UK's supermarket sector delivered positive growth at the start of 2020, with total grocery sales inching up 0.3 per cent to 29.2billion. The rise was attributed to purchases of meat substitutes as shoppers embraced 'Veganuary', while another health craze, 'dry January', helped drive a 37 per cent increase in sales of non-alcoholic beer. Jax Taylor and friends went in disguise as dirty old men to a strip club on Tuesday's episode of Vanderpump Rules during joint bachelor and bachelorette parties. The 40-year-old reality star ahead of his wedding to Brittany Cartwright, 31, transformed into elderly 'Hal' for a trip to a Miami strip club. Tom Sandoval, 36, was behind the idea to go as old men with the help of movie-level transformations by makeup artist Vivienne. Future groom: Jax Taylor was transformed into an old man along with his pals as they went in disguise to a Miami strip club on Tuesday's episode of Vanderpump Rules He became 'Maurice' with grey hair and beard and deep face wrinkles. His business partner Tom Schwartz, 37, turned into Nico from Greece who he described as a 'kind soul' and also a 'little bit creepy'. Beau Clark was changed into old man 'Luke' who loves shoes. 'She's my granddaughter's age,' old man Beau told Jax as they watched performers. Old men: Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval and Jax all became old men as part of the joint bachelor/bachelorette celebrations Strip club: Jax, Beau Clark, Schwartz and Sandoval looked like dirty old men at the club Good one: Old man Beau said one of the performers was his granddaughter's age as elderly Jax listened with an oxygen tube in his nose Cash flow: Sandoval and bride-to-be Brittany Cartwright were doling out cash to the dancers Brittany and her friends were already at the strip club where Kristen Doute, 36, urged everyone 'to show Brittany their boobs'. Katie Maloney, 33, spotted the guys in disguise and called over Stassi Schroeder, 31. 'That's them,' she told Stassi. Private show: Kristen Doute, 36, urged everyone 'to show Brittany their boobs' at the club Good eye: Katie Maloney spotted the old men and recognized them 'Is that them? Or is that really just a bunch of old men?,' asked Lala Kent, 30. All of the women were shocked at their appearances, but they all started having fun together. Katie whipped out some cash and old man Schwartz took off his pants and showed his white briefs as she howled in laughter. Cracking up: Schwartz as Nico gave Katie a quick striptease and dropped his pants Not sure: Stassi Schroeder could not believe the old men were her friends and fiance She then informed Schwartz that Sandoval was placing the blame on him for problems surrounding Stassi's book signing at their TomTom Bar. They both were in their old men makeup as they argued in front of Sandoval's girlfriend Ariana Madix, 34. Ariana admitted that she told Katie the issue was between Sandoval and Schwartz. Placing blame: informed Schwartz that Sandoval was placing the blame on him for problems surrounding Stassi's book signing at their TomTom Bar 'That hurt my feelings,' Schwartz said. Sandoval tried to justify his rage text to Stassi before the event, but Schwartz wasn't allowing it. 'I don't like the way you handled it. That's bush league. That's bush league,' Schwartz told him. Elderly argument: Sandoval and Schwartz argued while in their old man makeup 'Yeah, but here's the thing,' Sandoval started. 'There's always a ''but'',' Schwartz said as clips showed Sandoval issuing numerous apologies followed by a 'but' making his apologies seem insincere. 'Listen to me! Listen to me!,' Sandoval said as he tried to explain their business was on the line. Listen up: Ariana Madix looked on as her boyfriend yelled at Schwartz to listen to him Schwartz admitted he was 'too passive' sometimes at 'great cost to the minor details'. 'And sometimes he is so focused on the minute details at great cost to the big picture. Sorry, Tom,' Schwartz told his business partner. They both agreed that they have different skill sets and Sandoval admitted that Schwartz was right. 'Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear. You're the biggest asset to TomTom ever,' Schwartz said. Too passive: Schwartz admitted he was 'too passive' sometimes at 'great cost to the minor details' while noting that Sandoval focuses on the minute details 'at great cost to the big picture' Stassi the next morning was having a tough time accepting Beau's new handlebar mustache and she joked they were never having sex again. The group got together again for another bash that night and Schwartz and Sandoval danced together after making up. Jax and Brittany got a kick out of giant head signs of both of them and sweetly kissed. Handlebar mustache: Stassi the next morning was having a tough time accepting Beau's new handlebar mustache and she joked they were never having sex again Together again: Sandoval and Schwartz danced together after making up Big heads: Big heads of Brittany and Jax were carried out during the party Good times: Brittany and Jax laughed at the sight of their giant heds Tender moment: Jax and Brittany kissed ahead of their wedding that took place in June Kristen at the start of the episode angered Katie over dinner by bringing up Schwartz's infidelity before they were married. Katie was outraged that Kristen was still seeing her ex Brian Carter and later declared that she would demonstrate 'how to take a break from someone'. Kristen also was worried about her friendship with Stassi after also arguing with her over dinner. Friendship check: Kristen also was worried about her friendship with Stassi after also arguing with her over dinner 'I was hurt,' Kristen said after Stassi claimed she didn't want to be friends with her. 'I'm frustrated,' Stassi admitted. She told Kristen that she'd rather have her get back together with Carter so she could be free. Heart hurt: With her eyes watering, Kristen told Stassi that she was hurt by her words 'Kristen, I love you. I am never gonna not be your friend,' Stassi said. 'I need you to really understand that I am gonna be there for you. I am one of your best friends no matter what. It doesn't matter who you're dating or what decision you make. I am still one of your best friends,' Stassi added. 'I understand that things have been complicated. But no matter what, you're gonna have me. Like, I want to be one of your best friends. I never want that to change. I love you,' she added. Friendship pledge: Stassi pledged to remain friends with Kristen The episode also showed SUR assistant manager Danica Dow warning new server Dayna Kathan about TomTom general manager Max Boyens. Danica claimed that Max was involved with server Adriana and on her 30th birthday slept with her friend and then ignored Adriana. Dayna told Max who strongly denied the story. Duly warned: SUR assistant manager Danica Dow warning new server Dayna Kathan about TomTom general manager Max Boyens Birthday girl: Dayna listened as Danica told her how Max was seeing server Adriana and on her 30th birthday slept with her friend and then never talked to Adriana Strong denial: Max denied the story when Dayna told him about it Lisa Vanderpump, 59, talked to Max about plans for Pride and he informed her that James Kennedy was set to DJ the event at TomTom. 'He cannot have one drink,' Lisa warned Max. Dayna later served Lisa, her husband Ken Todd and their friends when they came into SUR. Pride plans: Lisa Vanderpump, 59, talked to Max about plans for Pride and he informed her that James Kennedy was set to DJ the event at TomTom No drinking: The British restaurateur warned Max that James should not be allowed one drink Server test: Dayna later served Lisa, her husband Ken Todd and their friends when they came into SUR and passed the test Lisa gushed about new server Brett Caprioni who also was giving her personal fitness workouts. Brittany waxed glowingly about her bachelorette festivities while also acknowledging a 'couple bumps in the road' as clips showed her friends arguing. The bachelorette festivities ended with the women jumping together fully clothed into a swimming pool. New guy: Lisa gushed about new server Brett Caprioni who also was giving her personal fitness workouts Good times: Brittany waxed glowingly about her bachelorette festivities while also acknowledging a 'couple bumps in the road' as clips showed her friends arguing. As the world races to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus, scientists across the globe including in Australia, are working to develop a desperately-needed vaccine. While Australian researchers have replicated the latest coronavirus in the lab, a better understanding of the virus is still required to produce an eventual vaccine that could be effective against the coronavirus. It will require many months of testing. We dont know much about this coronavirus, says Professor Mikhail Prokopenko, director of the Complex Systems Research Group at Sydney University. The data were getting at the moment is patchy... and I was surprised to see how fast it spread, he told Yahoo News Australia on Thursday. Along with the Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Prof Prokopenko has previously used anonymised census data to model how fast an influenza pandemic could spread in Australian cities. Containing it is unlikely to be effective as we originally hoped, he said of coronavirus. The 14th case of coronavirus was reported in Australia on Wednesday night, with Queensland Health confirming it is the fourth case in the state. A 37-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan was isolated in the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a member of the same tour group travelling with the previously confirmed cases a 44-year-old man, 42-year-old woman and eight-year-old boy. Prof Prokopenko said a major concern for health authorities is if Australia starts seeing local transmissions where people who havent travelled to China are infected. Basically the hope is that whenever new cases pop up, they are contained immediately, he said. Ultimately, the only answer is to get a vaccine. A vaccine could become available in half a year or sooner, according to Prof Prokopenko, but the process is slowed by trials required to ensure it is safe for animals and humans. It could be produced sooner but well have to wait for human trials, he said. Story continues Qantas is due to halt flights to and from mainland China from February 9. Source: Getty When SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) broke out in 2003, one effort to produce a vaccine was hampered when it showed adverse effects in humans, Prof Prokopenko explained. I dont think this epidemic will just run its course easily. Even in China, how long will this epidemic run without a vaccine? During the SARS outbreak, it took more than a year and a half to get a vaccine ready for human trials after the viral genome was released. But researchers got that down to about six months with the Zika virus in 2015, The New York Times reported. However despite a breakthrough from researchers at the University of Adelaide in December, a Zika virus vaccine remains elusive. Scientists in the US believe the work previously done to develop a SARS vaccine could be used to help fast-track a coronavirus vaccine, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. If we dont run into any unforeseen obstacles, well be able to get a Phase 1 trial (early human trials) going within the next three months, which will be record speed, he told The Times. Speaking to Yahoo Finance in the US, he warned that we are still in the realm of the unknown and that a vaccine was still likely at least a year away. Workers lay beds in the Wuhan living room exhibition centre, Wuhan, Hubei Province, where a makeshift medical centre has been set up. Source: Getty CSIRO hopeful of vaccine to be tested on ferrets Australian researchers are among those tasked with forming a clearer picture of the deadly new coronavirus in order to pave the way for testing potential vaccines. The CSIRO has been asked by a global group that aims to derail epidemics to help determine the key characteristics of the virus. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations wants to know how long the virus takes to develop and replicate, how it affects the respiratory system and how it is transmitted. Our role is to take the knowledge that we will be gaining from how this virus behaves, and then creating the biological platforms that are necessary for developing and trialling vaccine candidates, CSIRO Director of Health and Biosecurity Rob Grenfell told reporters on Friday. It is hoped a vaccine could be developed in 16 weeks, which will first be trialled on ferrets. What does it mean to be cured from coronavirus? As of Wednesday morning, total infections in mainland China have risen to more than 20,438 while the death toll is at least 490. Two more deaths have been confirmed in the Philippines and Hong Kong. But a vast majority of those who are infected by the virus will ultimately be fine as their immune system fights back against the virus. For those patients who are ostensibly cured, they fall into two categories according to Bruce Ribner, a professor at the Emory University School of Medicine in the US. Speaking to The Washington Post, he explained there are patients who are deemed clinically cured when someone starts feeling better and stops showing symptoms like a heightened fever and coughing. And then theres the more important outcome of being pathogen cured. Thats when doctors determine the virus is actually no longer in the body and therefore the patient cant transmit the disease. When it comes to being pathogen cured, we dont yet have a good handle on what it takes, Prof Ribner said. A doctor speaks with a patient during an online consultation session at a hospital in China. Source: Getty Medical professionals have warned that more information, such as how long the transmission period lasts, is needed to understand when and how patients are properly cured. A lack of a global standard for determining when someone is cured also complicates matters. In Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus, someone is reportedly considered cured when they havent had a fever for three days and have tested negative twice on a PCR test, which looks for the virus in the body. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Court asked senior counsel Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government to take necessary instructions from the state on their safety. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Kerala government on the steps that could be taken for the safety of valuable ornaments bequeathed to deity of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple by the royal family of Pandalam. Noting that the ornaments are being kept in a strong room located in the Pandalam palace, Justice N.V.Ramana heading a bench asked, Why these ornaments are being kept in palace and not given to temple for protection. They (ornaments) belong to Lord Ayyappa, once you have given to Lord. A senior advocate appearing for the section of royal family seeking to be impleaded in the matter said that sacred ornaments belonged to the Pandalam royal family as a whole which are taken out once a year and worn by the eldest son of Raja. All right, we are not disturbing the practice. We respect all, Justice Ramana said asking, Why we should allow the valuable ornaments in the hands of some. There should be one responsible officer to look after them. Ultimately these ornaments have to be given to God only. Question is of custody. Having aired its concern over the security of the ornaments, the court asked senior counsel Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government to take necessary instructions from the state on their safety. The court sought the safety and security of the ornaments as one of the senior members of the royal family Raja Varma and some others seeking to be impleaded in the case expressed apprehension that that the president, secretary and the treasurer, who hold the custody and the key to the strong room, may appropriate the valuables. There is a strong move on the part of the president, secretary and treasurer of the second appellant to appropriate the sacred ornaments of Lord Shree Ayyappa as the property belonging to the Valiakoikkal branch of the Pandalam royal family, said some members of the royal family seeking to intervene in the matter. Joint Action Committee - Shimoga, comprising of several organisations, on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) and Population Register (NPR) at Idgah Maidan in Shivamogga city. Protesters said that they will continue their protest round the clock like the one in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, where agitation is going on for over 40 days now. They also held placards that read "Reject NRC, CAA and NPR". "Sit-in protest like the one in Shaheen Bagh is now being held in every nook and corner of India. We will continue our protest 24x7 until the government withdraws the law and talks to us. We are not going to show papers to anyone," a protester said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Libyan National Oil Company (NOC), based in Tripoli, is stuck between these eastern and Tripoli alignments and does its best to remain neutral. While it is technically responsible for all production, Haftar really controls the production, while At stake is some $22 billion in annual revenues, and this is how it works: There are two Central Banks, the Haftar-aligned eastern central bank and the Tripoli-based central bank, where the GNA is situated. Thats made it very difficult for Haftar to fund his campaign. But in this game of economic warfare, Haftar has less to lose, and he wont really come to the negotiating table for anything less than a sizable chunk of oil revenues, access to foreign currency at non-black-market rates, and a new caretaker government in Tripoli. While Haftar controls the oil, he does not control the oil revenues, which go through the Tripoli-based Central Bank. Haftar, who controls the Libyan National Army (LNA), took 1.2 million barrels per day of Libyan oil off the market because the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) switched off the countrys foreign exchange system. For complete victory in Libya, General Khalifa Haftar will need the keys to the Central Bank kingdom of petrodollars, and hes willing to starve out Tripoli to get them. For complete victory in Libya, General Khalifa Haftar will need the keys to the Central Bank kingdom of petrodollars, and hes willing to starve out Tripoli to get them. Haftar, who controls the Libyan National Army (LNA), took 1.2 million barrels per day of Libyan oil off the market because the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) switched off the countrys foreign exchange system. No money. No oil. And its all about turning Libyan petrodollars into shiny US dollars. While Haftar controls the oil, he does not control the oil revenues, which go through the Tripoli-based Central Bank. Thats made it very difficult for Haftar to fund his campaign. But in this game of economic warfare, Haftar has less to lose, and he wont really come to the negotiating table for anything less than a sizable chunk of oil revenues, access to foreign currency at non-black-market rates, and a new caretaker government in Tripoli. At stake is some $22 billion in annual revenues, and this is how it works: There are two Central Banks, the Haftar-aligned eastern central bank and the Tripoli-based central bank, where the GNA is situated. The Libyan National Oil Company (NOC), based in Tripoli, is stuck between these eastern and Tripoli alignments and does its best to remain neutral. While it is technically responsible for all production, Haftar really controls the production, while the NOC markets the product, which means that the General is also responsible for raising all the petrodollars that are then handed from the eastern Central Bank to the Tripoli Central Bank. Why would Haftar allow the eastern Central Bank to simply hand over all revenues to the Tripoli Central Bank? Because the Tripoli central bank is the official bank that controls the foreign currency sales, and thus controls Haftars access to US dollars. The Central Bank has cut off Haftars access to cheap dollars, and Haftar has responded by cutting the Central Bank off from oil revenues, which it needs to pay public salaries (more than 50% of all public spending) and ostensibly to fund the controversial militias backing up the GNA. The Central Bank claims to also be a neutral force, but it is clearly doing the bidding of Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. Last week, Central Bank chief Sadiq al-Kabir told Reuters that oil now represents 93-95% of total revenue and covers 70% of total spending. Related: OPEC+ Struggles With Oils Fast And Furious Fall He described Haftars move to shut down the countrys ports as a bullet in the head. How long can the Central Bank continue to pay the massive lineup of public servants that form this rentier state? Likely for months, because it has reserves of around $73 billion. Haftar is already being starved out of dollars, so he has little to lose in starving out the Central Bank as leverage to gain access to petrodollars at official rates. Haftar could end up taking Tripoli without resorting to military action, if he can hold out long enough. All he needs to close the loop is control of the Central bank, which handles all proceeds from oil exports in U.S. dollars and then funnels them to accounts held in Western financial institutions. With access to these funds, Haftar would have power over money that is being funneled to the militias supporting the GNA in and around Tripoli. This has become a conflict over foreign exchange rates, more or less, with Haftar paying a massive premium for petrodollars, even though hes largely controlling production and ports. No ones in complete control in Libya, and the stalemate will continue until all three keys are in the same hand--production, export and petrodollars. Haftars latest move to force a shutdown of the countrys oil exports came after the Central Bank switched off the Inter CBL clearing system, denying FX access and trading to any bank in the countrys east. Central Bank head Kabir has long allowed multiple warring parties to manipulate the system, including Haftar-aligned militias. Some militias, most notably the Rada Special Deterrence Force (SDF), not only has infiltrated the Central Banks foreign currency system, but holds influence over it as well. While the SDF is nominally aligned with the GNA, it could easily switch over to Haftar if the General is seen to be winning this new form of economic warfare. To hedge bets on who will come out on top in Libya, keep an eye on the Salafist Madkhalists--who man the Rada SDF in Tripoli. There are indications that the Madkhalists allowed Haftar to take Sirte on his way to Tripoli earlier in January, and what they decide to do next in the capital renders them the kingmakers in this conflict. By Editorial Department More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Federal legislators are awaiting President Donald Trump's signature on a bill that would temporarily extend Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ban on chemical variants of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. An existing ban on fentanyl copycats -- or analogues -- is set to expire Thursday. In the meantime, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Steve Weinhoeft is urging Congress to make the ban permanent. "Fentanyl is a serial killer drug," he said. "The DEA continues to intercept variations of it being illicitly imported into the United States and distributed by criminal networks, causing overdose deaths across the country, including here in Southern Illinois. "I urge Congress to extend the ban on fentanyl analogues so law enforcement will have the tools we need to keep our communities safe." Fentanyl is 100 times more powerful than morphine and, when prescribed legally, is an effective pain killer. Copycat versions were classified by the DEA as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning they are highly addictive but have no medical purpose. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 70,000 in the United States have died from drug overdoses in 2017. Forty-one percent of those overdoses involved fentanyl or an illegal copycat. "We see those same trends continuing here in the Southern District of Illinois," Weinhoeft said. "Last month, the Madison County coroner reported that more of the drug overdose deaths his office reviewed in 2019 involved fentanyl. The stories of local families impacted by those deaths are heartbreaking." In February 2018, a White House declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency, which gave the DEA emergency regulatory authority to include all non-scheduled fentanyl analogues on the list of banned substances. Both the Republican-led Senate and Democrat-led House of Representatives have approved legislation to extend the DEA's authority. But Weinhoeft and others in the U.S. Justice Department have lobbied Congress to make the ban permanent and class-wide, meaning all fentanyl analogues would be listed in the same legal category with heroin and cocaine. Before the DEA was granted emergency regulatory authority, the Food and Drug Administration considered each new fentanyl variant that appeared on a case-by-case basis. "We increasingly find it manufactured illegally in China and Mexico, trafficked by cartels into the United States and sold on the streets at great societal costs," Weinhoeft said. "Because federal law identifies and regulates dangerous drugs according to their chemical properties, the ever-changing permutation of these fentanyl analogues pose a significant problem. If a particular chemical compound is not listed on the schedule of controlled substances, law enforcement is powerless to take action against it." According to an article in The New York Times, opposition to a permanent ban on the fentanyl analogues has come from criminal justice reform groups, who want the Government Accountability Office to have time to study how a policy will affect scientific research. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Police have located the vehicle that fled the scene where a wanted parole absconder shot at a fugitive task force officer in Grand Rapids. The blue 2017 Chevrolet Cruze was recovered overnight by police in Grand Rapids. The suspected shooter had not been found as of Wednesday morning, Feb. 5. Police are continuing to search for Maxamillion Long, 27, who is accused of shooting at the vehicle of a fugitive task force officer who was observing him Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 4, in the 900 block of Sherman Street SE. Long is believed to reside in the area. He was in a vehicle when he opened fire on the unmarked vehicle. The officer was not injured, though police said he was shaken up. Police initially identified the officer as a U.S. marshal but have since identified him only as a member of the countys multi-agency fugitive task force. Sgt. John Wittkowski declined to say what department the officer works for, but confirmed he does not work for the Grand Rapids Police Department. Maxamillion Long, 27, is being sought by police in Grand Rapids. He's considered armed and dangerous. (Courtesy photo | Michigan Department of Corrections) Long violated the terms of his parole in November, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. He was on parole for a 2012 unarmed robbery conviction from a 2008 incident in Kent County. Police said Long fired several shots at the marshals vehicle before fleeing in a blue Chevy Cruze. The agent called for backup after the shooting, which led Grand Rapids police to block off and investigate the scene. No houses or people were hit by gunfire. Detectives continue to follow leads in the investigation. Police ask anyone with information pertaining to Long to contact the police department at 616-456-3400, or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. Read more: U.S. marshal shot at by wanted parolee in Grand Rapids Two dead in Southeast Grand Rapids house fire Slaying victim Mujey Dumboya subject of MTVs True Life Crime Widespread poaching in tropical biodiversity hotspots is causing unprecedented declines in wildlife populations, known as defaunation. A new study published in the journal Diversity & Distributions, provides evidence that large-scale systematic surveys and novel methods of data collection and analysis, are necessary to assess the extent and distribution of poaching and its impact on biodiversity in forest exposed to severe defaunation. Mapping biodiversity in this way will provide information critical to protecting rare species that may still exist in these landscapes. The research was conducted in the Annamite mountains on the border of Laos and Vietnam, an area with an exceptionally high occurrence of endemic species that is threatened by illegal poaching through the setting of wire snares. The research team, led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), comprised scientists, conservationists and government counterparts, including representatives from WWF-Vietnam and WWF-Laos. High levels of unsustainable hunting have decimated wildlife populations in many forests in the Annamites. This situation is not unique to Vietnam and Laos - tropical rainforests in other parts of Southeast Asia are also experiencing a similar fate. To protect wildlife communities in these areas, the researchers argue that limited conservation resources must be utilized effectively and that understanding where rare and threatened species still occur will be an important first step to identify priority areas for targeted conservation activities. The authors provide evidence that surveying biodiversity in defaunated landscapes may require novel approaches. "By conducting systematic surveys at the landscape-scale, we were able to get a better overview of the wildlife communities and a deeper understanding of the underlying factors which influence species distribution," said Andrew Tilker of the Leibniz-IZW and lead author of the study. "We also found that using two complementary survey methods - camera-traps and vertebrate DNA extracted from parasitic blood-sucking leeches - improved our ability to detect species, which is especially important for rare and elusive animals. We then used these data and applied advanced statistical techniques to produce maps of species distributions across the landscape - the first for the Annamites." Ultimately, the researchers expect that biodiversity baselines established through such scientifically-robust approaches will help conservation managers to protect rare and endangered species still present in these landscapes. "The threat posed by illegal snares to the survival of endemic wildlife cannot be overstated," said Benjamin Rawson, Conservation and Program Development Director of WWF-Vietnam. "WWF is deploying probably the largest effort in the region to get these snares out of the forest and provide wildlife a fighting chance, but the sheer number of wire snares set in the Annamites is alarming." "With evidence from landscape-level surveys we will now deploy snare-removal teams to freshly identified areas of high biodiversity," says Adrian Klocke, Project Manager of the KfW Development Bank in Germany, which supports the Carbon and Biodiversity Phase 2 project (CarBi II) in the Annamites. CarBi II is implemented by WWF through KfW as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). "Additionally, the results of this study help us identify areas that are not currently protected but which are important for rare species," Klocke adds. "For instance, one interesting result was that a mostly unpatrolled forest area in Laos called the Pale area is a hotspot for numerous endemic and threatened species. We hope that as a part of CarBi II, this area can be protected." Amphone Phommachak, WWF-Laos Landscape Manager for the Central Annamites, agrees that this type of scientific study is highly valuable. "We need to develop and implement evidence-driven conservation strategies to protect the remarkable biodiversity of the Annamites. There is no doubt that the Central Annamites have been hit hard by intensive snaring, but fortunately, rare and endemic species are still hanging on. There is still time to protect species like the Annamite striped rabbit, but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Focusing snare-removal efforts and protecting new areas will hopefully help us prevent further extinctions in the Annamites." ### Joining 80 leaders from 24 countries in Washington, DC, last September, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) announced 2020 to be the Global Year of the Bible. Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, said WEA general secretary Ephraim Tendero. In contrast to the sacred writings of many other traditions, the Bible is meant to be read and understood by all people. But what if they cannot read? This is the case for up to 40 percent of the 1.5 million Telugu-speaking workers in the Gulf states. Having dropped out of school in their native India, these migrants find that the crowded labor camps of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain offer the best opportunity to support their families back home. But having come to the glitzy Gulf to gain a meager share of petrodollars, many find also the spokenand storiedwords of Jesus. In 2019, the Bible Society of the Gulf (BSG) was awarded Best Mission Project by the United Bible Societies (UBS). Honored in the category of Focusing on Audiences, BSGs pioneering audio and storytelling work among illiterates distinguished it among the 159 UBS branches worldwide. We help migrant workers rediscover themselves as children of God, said Hrayr Jebejian, BSG general secretary. Through the faith and hope of scripture, they gain the strength to navigate their many challenges. Jebejians book, Bible Engagement, noted during the UBS ceremony, described the long working hours, high rates of suicide, and sexual abuse endured by migrants in the UAE65 percent of whom are Telugu. Their average monthly wage is $175, which sometimes goes unpaid. The kafala system of sponsorship places the migrants passport in the hands of the employer, complicating any return back home. International attention in recent years has led to legal reform, but the isolation of labor camps means many violations go unnoticed. And the lack of communal space ensures that the church is often the only venue for outside social interaction, whether the migrant is Christian, Muslim, or from the majority Hindu population. Babu Ganta, communications director for the BSG, first traveled to the Gulf in 1983 to train English teachers. An educated Telugu Indian, his dismay at the average of two suicides per week drove him to write Hope, a simple booklet of scriptural encouragement and the plan of salvation. My words wont comfort, or convict people of sin, he said, but Gods words will. Yet despite distribution of 300,000 copies in 19 languages, too many were still unreached. Back in 2000, UBS realized that a changing world demanded it shift from traditional distribution targets to a focus of engagement and transformation. In South Africa, the local Bible society tackled the AIDS epidemic. The UK society emphasized the arts. The Peru society addressed issues of spousal and child abuse. In the Gulf, the BSG turned to illiteracy, designing a large print workbook on the Sermon on the Mount as an elementary primer. Over 12,000 have been distributed through migrant churches so far. Every night after work, we gather in our room and have a family prayer by reading this book, Renuka, an elementary-educated Telugu working for a cleaning company, told Ganta. We share our thoughts and pray for one another. But in the late 2000s, the BSG introduced the Mega Voice Player (MVP) and Proclaimer audio tools for those who could not read at all. Loaded with the Telugu Bible and other Christian materials, up to 200 MVPs and 800 Proclaimers are distributed each year. (Proclaimers can be used in a church service of up to 100 people. MVPs are designed for smaller groups.) I cant read my print Bible, Navin, who works in Dubai, told Ganta. But my faith returned now that I can hear God speak to me directly in my own language. And Prasad, a convert from Hinduism, took an MVP back to his home village in Indias Krishna district. Eventually, he planted its first church. These people are missionaries in waiting, said Ganta. They came to the Gulf for money, but go back with something more precious than gold. Yet despite its increased reach, audio technology is still limited by funding and manpower. And Jesus film DVDs and New Testament CDs have grown obsolete. So in 2011, Ganta discovered oral storytelling, and has been training in it ever since. In 2018, the BSG equipped 397 church leaders in the method and enabled them to train others. Over 4,300 can now tell stories themselves, and together they reached a combined audience of over 11,000. Migrants are tired after working all day, and if you tell them a sermon they will fall asleep, Ganta said. But Jesus taught nothing without using a parablethey are easy to tell and easy to repeat. We are simply going back to Jesus method. One Telugu pastor in Bahrain told Ganta how members of his congregation took the stories back to the labor camps, and entertained others. The laborers wanted more, and started coming to church. Eventually, the congregation doubled in size. Ganta emphasizes there is no magic formula. Now 70 years old, he consistently encourages the churches to arrange transportation, to prepare meals, and to visit migrants in the hospital. And by ministering in the labor camps, the love of God infuses them with a sense of community. Jebejians book measured the impact. Migrants experienced a deeper understanding of the theology of the cross, which allows them to treat personal and corporate suffering as a Good Friday experience that is a prelude to the Easter Sunday experience, he wrote. For them, God is a miracle maker [who] takes care of them. The Global Year of the Bible pledges to be a relational network at the grassroots level. The vision was announced at the state-of-the-art Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, able to rival the UAE in architectural grandeur. For those with smartphones, the BSG is partnering with the Scottish Bible Society to provide a multi-lingual Bible2020 app for daily reading in over 1,200 languages. Around the world, everyone can reador listentogether. The scriptures, Tendero emphasized, have always ministered to high and low. The Bibles storyinfused with the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spiritis the foundation for the recognition of the dignity of every individual, he said in his address. [It] undergirds every noble effort to address suffering in the world. Right-wing extremist Professor Jorg Baberowski physically attacked Sven Wurm, a deputy in the student parliament at Humboldt University (HU) in Berlin, at lunchtime on January 30. Wurm had just caught Baberowski in the act of removing International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) election placards from a bulletin board and tearing them to pieces. The aggressive actions of the right-wing extremist were captured on video. At midday on January 30, Jorg Baberowski, a right-wing extremist professor at Humboldt University, physically assaulted student Sven Wurm. Wurm is a member of the Humboldt University student parliament, where he is the representative of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE). Wurm had caught Baberowski tearing down the IYSSEs posters for the student election, which was being held that day. Wurm is the spokesman for the IYSSE and was the lead candidate for the group in the student parliament elections, which took place on the same day. He was in the process of distributing election material with a fellow student when the attack took place. The video shows that Baberowski came into the entrance of a wing of the HU main building with several destroyed IYSSE placards in his hand. He went to a blackboard where students can hang placards and announcements and tore down a further six IYSSE election placards. They bore slogans such as, Stop the attacks of the far-right on critical students, No to the trivialisation of the Nazis crimes at HU, and Socialists in the StuPa (student parliament). When Baberowski realised that his vandalism was being filmed and Wurm asked him why he tore down the placards, the professor turned violent. You are not filming me, Baberowski bellowed at Wurm, who studies at the same historical institute where Baberowski occupies the position of chair of Eastern European history. Baberowski then lashed out and violently struck the telephone from Wurms hand. A fellow student stepped between Wurm and Baberowski and attempted to calm the professor down. Should I smack you in the face? Baberowski threatened with a raised fist. Wurm asked Baberowski to stop his attack, to which Baberowski responded, Get out of here now, and quickly. Just one step further, my friend! Baberowski then rapidly left the scene. The incident was not only captured on video but confirmed to the WSWS by several witnesses. Baberowskis vandalism, his vulgar threats and physical attacks represented a serious disruption to the IYSSEs election campaign. The student groups placards have been torn down and its work hindered for some time. It is now clear that Baberowski, a university employee, is a direct participant in this. Baberowskis actions are not only an attack on the basic democratic rights of students and the autonomy of student government. They are also criminal in a number of respects. Along with the destruction of material, he also sought to use assault and intimidation to prevent students from campaigning for their list in the student election. Baberowski was out of control, Wurm told the WSWS. With his attack on me, he has escalated his persistent activities against his political opponents. He is not merely now acting as a right-wing ideologue and Nazi apologist, but directly as a right-wing extremist activist prepared to commit acts of violence. He wants to suppress anyone who opposes his right-wing extremist agenda and throw them off the campus. Baberowski has in fact been well known for some time for his agitation against refugees, advocacy of military violence, and trivialisation of the Nazis crimes. In 2015, he founded the Baberowski Salon (Die Zeit), at which everyone with standing in the New Right community meets at least twice a year. He rehabilitated the Nazi apologist Ernst Nolte in Der Spiegel in 2014, and added by way of justification, Hitler was not a psychopath, and he wasnt vicious. Two students from other election lists have already filed lawsuits against Baberowski over the past year because he severely verbally abused them. We will also inform the university administration about this incident and call upon it to initiate disciplinary measures against the right-wing extremist professor, stated Wurm. Students have the right to hold their elections and discuss politics without being threatened and assaulted by university employees. AKRON, Ohio An Akron man is facing a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of a woman last month in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood. Tyree Omenai, 26, was arrested Monday evening by the U.S Marshalls Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force near the area where the shooting occurred, police say. He is being held in the Summit County Jail on charges of murder and aggravated robbery. Omenai is accused of shooting and killing Tiffany E. Rhea, 27, of Akron, on Jan. 22. Rhea died died at Summa Akron City Hospital of a gunshot wound to her upper body, according to police. Rhea was a passenger in a vehicle that stopped in the area of Eastland and Bethany avenues. She exited the vehicle to argue with the Omenai, according to police. Omenai pulled out a gun and shot Rhea, then ran off, police said. To comment on this story, visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page. Read more from cleveland.com: Man shot outside RTA rapid station in East Cleveland Cleveland man charged in deadly Thanksgiving crash had PCP in his system, indictment says Two Cuyahoga County men among 14 accused of soliciting sex from Stark County investigators posing as teens Man attacked and tried to kidnap two women on Cleveland Metroparks hiking trail, authorities say Cleveland man shot in the pelvis as he and woman tried to rob another man, court records say A young woman has received a barrage of abuse after she showed before and after pictures as she celebrates her new life in Canada following her escape from Saudi Arabia. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun posed in a bikini and compared it to an old image of herself in a niqab. She said it was the biggest change in my life.. from being forced to wear black sheets and being controlled by men to being a free woman. Critics in Saudi Arabia were quick to hit out at her, saying that she was making herself naked. But, she has also received a large amount of support with people saying she was incredibly brave and that she looked amazing. Qunun fled the kingdom in January last year and barricaded herself in her hotel, saying she was escaping abuse from her family. For Saudi women, running away can be a matter of life and death, and they are almost always doing so to escape male relatives. Following the recent pictures, one follower told her: I really feel sad for people like you, Saudi woman are living in happiness, they are living a normal live they drive, go malls and now they travel alone, plus our prophet Muhammad said that women and men are equal. Another said: I was checking her previous posts and got to know that she literally got all this fame because she threw hijab away and started clothing like in the second picture. Qunun escaped her family while they were visiting Kuwait then flew to Bangkok. She was denied entry by immigration police and her passport was seized. She then took her case to social media, sparking the hashtag #SaveRahaf, and posted video of herself using a table to block the door to her hotel room. She renounced Islam and declared herself an atheist, saying: Physical, emotional and verbal abuse and being imprisoned inside the house for months. They threaten to kill me and prevent me from continuing my education. They wont let me drive or travel. I am oppressed. I love life and work and I am very ambitious but my family is preventing me from living. As a result of her campaign she was given UN protection and she chose to fly to Canada after being granted asylum there. Rahaf thanked her followers for their ongoing support, writing: I would like to thank you people for supporting me and saving my life. Truly I have never dreamed of this love and support. You are the spark that would motivate me to be a better person. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall voted to convict President Donald Trump during his impeachment trial Wednesday. This is not a process I wanted to be involved in when I first ran for the Senate, Heinrich said in a phone interview with the Journal. He said he felt duty bound to vote for conviction on the impeachment articles, saying he was concerned the president did not understand the restraints put on the office by the law or the Constitution. Udall, who announced his decision Tuesday, said the evidence that the president used his office and taxpayer funds for personal gain was staggering. He got caught red-handed, and immediately commenced a scorched earth blockade in Congress and the courts to cover up his grave misdeeds, the states senior senator said of the president, who was acquitted along an almost party-line vote. Only Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah crossed party lines, voting for conviction on the article charging Trump with abuse of power. It was one of the most courageous votes Ive seen in Congress, Heinrich said. Heinrich said the presidents defense team had every opportunity to present us with evidence that would explain his actions or give us reason to doubt this clear fact pattern. Instead, they shifted their defense away from the damning facts and embraced an extreme legal philosophy that would allow any president to abuse their power and ignore the law, he said. Udall said the president was guilty by any standard. If he is allowed to act with impunity, he will be a continuing threat to the sanctity of our democracy, he said. He is patently unfit to hold the highest office in our land. Udall said despite the vote for acquittal, Trump was not exonerated, not by this sham trial. He said history would not acquit the president. Heinrich said the president pressured the government of Ukraine, an American ally, not for our national security interests, but for his own selfish and corrupt political interests. When he was caught, he sought to cover it up by suppressing documents and preventing witnesses from testifying before Congress and the American people, the senator said. Heinrich said most presidents learn lessons from processes such as impeachment. And some of my Republican colleagues communicated that hope, he said. But based on his comments in the State of the Union address, I dont believe that will be the case with this president. The state Republican Party praised the acquittal, calling the impeachment a sham and a charade. Its time to move forward and continue to build on the presidents success in growing jobs, fighting terrorism, improving health care for all Americans and making America great again, Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce said. U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., called the trial an insult to our democracy. Its clear that President Trump abused his power and put our national security at risk, and no matter what else happens, he will always be impeached, Haaland said. This is a dark moment, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan said. President Trump corrupted this countrys rule of law when he put his interests ahead of the countrys to advance his own political needs. The evidence of his wrongdoing is undeniable. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer scored high marks from national political figures for being the face of the Democratic Partys answer to President Donald Trumps State of the Union address. From East Lansing high school, Whitmer delivered a 10-minute speech accompanied by her family and watched by more than 300 guests, including lawmakers and community members. She pushed back against Trumps celebration of economic accomplishments, displayed her personal experiences with a health care system that doesnt work for everyone and said her signature policy promise of fixing the damn roads is on track. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., were among the first high-profile Democrats to applaud Whitmers remarks. Warren said Whitmer shared a vision of what our country can be when we offer everyone a path to opportunity and a good life. Klobuchar, who said Whitmer is an example of how women can win big elections during a recent debate, said the Michigan governor rightly called out Trump for failing to make good on his campaign promises. Whitmers remarks netted positive reviews from various political figures and average viewers on Twitter Tuesday night. Michigans governor represents the future of the Democratic Party, and tonight she articulated our values, our goals and our plans to achieve them. I so appreciate @GovWhitmers leadership and applaud her for a standout Democratic Response. Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 5, 2020 So proud of @GovWhitmer tonight. So proud of Michigan. Now let's get out the damn vote this year. #SOTUResponse Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) February 5, 2020 TRUMP: JOBS! DRUGS! SPACE FORCE! ISIS! AIDS!!!! GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER: were fixin potholes in michigan Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 5, 2020 I appreciate Gov. Gretchen Whitmers acknowledgment of the important value and success of our bipartisan free full-day kindergarten program which is saving parents money and helping Colorados students. Jared Polis (@GovofCO) February 5, 2020 Gretchen Whitmer should be the Vice President candidate Shes unbelievable, smart, talented and capable Mayday Mindy (@maydaymindy9) February 5, 2020 18 months ago, @mscohen19 and I were in Detroit the day after the Michigan primary, helping @gretchenwhitmers team. Today, Gov. Whitmer is speaking on behalf of our party about governors accomplishments. Please support @DemGovs to elect more leaders like Gov. Whitmer. pic.twitter.com/AXBlqHKNH9 Jared Leopold (@jaredleopold) February 5, 2020 I hope the Trumpsters were listening.... Michigan Gov. Whitmer, in Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union, says GOP taking health care away https://t.co/a1zfAuS9zg Gale Turner Strong (@GaleTStrong) February 5, 2020 Lets give @gretchenwhitmer some back up so she can fix the damn roads. Republicans control both the Michigan House & Senate. Were only *4* seats away from flipping the Michigan House red to blue & Gov. Whitmer won four GOP seats on the path. #FlipEverything #SOTUresponse Jessica Post (@JessicaPost) February 5, 2020 I forgot how good @gretchenwhitmer is on TV. The last time I saw her on air, she was serving Trumps candidate a 9.6-point defeat in the Michigan governors race. Caroline Pratt (@carolinempratt) February 5, 2020 John Sellek, CEO of Harbor Strategic Public Affairs and a veteran GOP campaign adviser, said party leaders were counting on Whitmer to reassure their base that Democrats are focused on bread and butter issues. That a more outspoken progressive wasnt chosen shows top Democrats view Whitmers brand of pragmatism as the best way to soothe voters who may be feeling anxious about how the primary is unfolding, Sellek said. "We know here that Gov. Whitmer is a liberal and has said she is a progressive, but she comes across differently than most members of progressive wing publicly," Sellek said. "I think the message they need her to send is you may be uncomfortable with the complete chaos in Iowa, you may be uncomfortable with someone who is as extreme as Bernie Sanders, but let me remind you of some of the Democrats who are ostensibly focused on issues closer to the ground." Abby Clark, president of progressive public affairs firm Athena Strategies, said Whitmers selection is a win for Michigan and her own political prospects. That is something that really launches you onto the national stage, Clark said. It sends a message about the type of Democrat who can win in tough states. She has very broad appeal amongst the Democratic electorate, and she won handily in a purple state. I think this will really raise her profile a lot." Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, a Michigan native, criticized Whitmer for failing to make good on her promise to improve infrastructure during a visit to East Lansing last week. Hours before Tuesdays speech, McDaniel said Whitmer has been a disaster who broke per promise to deliver bipartisan results" in a Tweet. Sellek said Whitmer is likely on the shortlist of vice presidential candidates this year. As someone who fended off two progressive primary opponents then beat a Trump-endorsed Republican, grew support among suburban voters and took back a key swing state just two years after Democrats lost, Sellek said Whitmer checks off a lot of boxes for Democrats. If we learned anything about this presidential cycle, its that it is very possible for a fresh face and a fresh name -- like Mayor Pete -- to make a significant impact on the race, Sellek said. Clark highlighted Whitmers 2018 primary win against businessman Shri Thanedar and Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Detroits health department who earned Sanders endorsement. Whitmer won all 83 counties and picked up 46,000 more votes than her two opponents combined. I think she is a progressive Democrat, what you would call her is mainstream or big tent," Clark said. Whitmer is not a revolution candidate. I think a lot of people argue, very fairly, thats what we need in a state like Michigan. Clark said Whitmer has a lot of work left unfinished in Michigan, but it makes sense that she is considered a possible running mate. Tonight is definitely an audition for her, and while it may not come to fruition this year, shes also sending signals by doing this speech that she is considered a hot commodity by the rest of the Democrats and she does have a future," Sellek said. "Piraeus Bank will frontload its inorganic NPE reduction effort to 2020 and proceed with c.7bn of securitisations. This is facilitated by the Hellenic Asset Protection Scheme "Hercules", a tool that will provide additional support to Greek banks to speed up our de-risking initiatives." Piraeus Bank's CEO Mr. Christos Megalou stated on Monday, while presenting Piraeus Bank 2020 Strategy Update. In total, the NPE reduction planned in 2020 will be enhanced to c.11bn, leading to a NPE ratio lower than 30% by end-2020 versus the initial target of close to 40%. According the Piraeus Bank 2020 Strategy Update, along with the significant progress in 2019, the Bank completed in record time the very complex transaction of spinning-off its legacy platform and partnering with Intrum, an initiative that will overhaul the Bank's de-risking efforts. Furthermore, the 400mn Tier 2 issued in June 2019, was the first one by a Greek bank after 11 years. In total, these decisive actions increased the Bank's capital position by c.250bps since mid- 2018. As Mr. Megalou stated: "We are now turning the page for Piraeus Bank. We are fully focused on producing results and generating value for all of our stakeholders. Piraeus Bank is on track to attain its medium-term aspirations calling for c.10% return on tangible equity over the next 36 months." Performance: Strong Progress in 2019 Net Interest Income +2% yoy Net Fee Income +9% yoy on recurring basis Recurring Operating Expenses -5% yoy Recurring Core Pre Provision Income +16% yoy Loan disbursements of 4.1bn in FY.2019 exceeding initial target 17th consecutive quarter of NPE reduction at 24.5bn; historical low inflows in Q4.19 De-risking: Frontloading effort NPE reduction of c.11bn in 2020 NPE securitisations of c.7bn in 2020 (c.5bn "Vega", c.2bn "Phoenix") NPE ratio c.15% at the end of 2022 from c.49% in 2019 Cost of risk normalization in the following years Historical low level for defaults and re-defaults in Q4.19 at c.260mn signal positive trends ahead Returns: c.10% RoTE target brought earlier by a year, to 2022 Acceleration of balance sheet growth dynamics Improved performance demonstrating recurring earning power Uniquely positioned to take advantage of recovering trends in Greece Performance supported by enhanced operating model and cost efficiency plan View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005763/en/ Contacts: Andy Smith andy.smith@powerscourt-group.com The evacuation of an Armenian citizen from China will be carried out with the assistance of Russia, TASS reported. Deputy PM Tatyana Golikova said Russia is evacuating 147 people, among them: 10 Belarusian citizens, three Kazakh citizens, one Armenian citizen and one Ukrainian citizen. The first aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces has already landed at the airport of Tyumen, evacuating 80 people. The second aircraft landed at the airport of the Eastern Military District. After refueling, the aircraft will land in Tyumen. The death toll from coronavirus in China has increased to 500 people. The country confirmed 24 thousand 324 cases of infection and 65 new deaths were recorded in Hubei. The strategic partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom, as well as Brexit were among the topics of the discussions between Interior Minister Marcel Vela and Andrew Noble, the UK Ambassador in Bucharest, in a meeting held at the Interior Ministry, informs a release of the Interior Ministry (MAI) sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday. "The constant and effective dialogue between the authorities of the two states in the implementation of the priorities of the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership was underlined and, in particular, the very good cooperation in the field of home affairs at the level of relevant structures," reads the release.The joint efforts of the law enforcement authorities in both states for combating serious cross-border crime were also pointed out, with emphasis on the need for continued cooperation at the level of the operational structures."In this regard, in the next period, there will be sessions of exchange of experience on relevant topics from the field of activity of the Interior Ministry," informs the quoted source.Regarding Brexit, the two officials reiterated their concern for guaranteeing, on the principle of reciprocity, the rights of the Romanian citizens in the United Kingdom and of the British citizens in Romania. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. With 2021 concluded and the 20th anniversary of the ModDB's Mod of the Year Awards wrapped up, we take a stroll down history lane and look back at all the winners over the last two decades. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Valley Authority reported $2.6 billion in total operating revenues on 36.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity sales for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2019. Total operating revenues decreased about 5% over the same period of the prior year driven by lower sales. Despite record-setting heat in October and record-setting cold in November, sales of electricity were about 4% lower as total degree days impacted by overall heating and cooling were 9% below the same period in 2019. TVA's fuel, purchased power, operating and maintenance, tax equivalents, and interest expense were all lower in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020 than in the same period of the prior year. TVA's fuel and purchased power expense was 13% lower year-over-year, driven by lower effective fuel and purchased power rates. "This year has started off as a strong one for TVA's customers and, ultimately, for the nearly 10 million people we collectively serve," said Jeff Lyash, TVA's president and chief executive officer. "The diversity of TVA's power system continues to benefit consumers in the Tennessee Valley with lower fuel costs, and our local power company customers are starting to see the financial benefits of their new partnerships with TVA." The TVA Board did not implement a base rate increase for 2020. Additionally, local power companies that elected to sign up for a 20-year Valley Partnership Agreement began receiving a 3.1% bill credit during the three months ended Dec. 31, 2019. TVA's depreciation and amortization expense was $239 million higher during the quarter versus the same period in the prior year, due to a $225 million increase related to accelerating the retirements of certain generating assets. Operating and maintenance expense was $56 million lower, driven by a $65 million decrease from the prior year's accelerated recovery of the regulatory asset for certain environmental cleanup costs, which were fully amortized at Sept. 30, 2019. Interest expense was $287 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, or a 5% decrease from the same period of the prior year, driven by lower average balances of debt. TVA's debt remains at the lowest level in almost 30 years. "TVA continues to provide steady, low rates for our customers," said John Thomas, TVA's chief financial officer. "We are clearly seeing the financial benefits now from our transition to a cleaner generation fleet and lower debt, and these benefits will continue for years to come." Additional highlights of TVA's first quarter fiscal year 2020 include: Net income of $192 million , a decrease of 55% from the same period of the prior year. , a decrease of 55% from the same period of the prior year. TVA began implementing the Strategic Financial Plan, which was approved by the TVA Board in 2019. The key focus areas of the plan include maintaining rates as low as feasible, establishing better alignment between the length of local power company contracts and TVA's long-term commitments, stabilizing debt, and pursuing operational efficiencies. To engage LPCs in this effort, TVA began offering a 20-year Valley Partnership Agreement option in 2019. As of Dec. 31, 2019 , 134 LPCs had accepted the offer. , 134 LPCs had accepted the offer. TVA's economic development efforts continue to attract and encourage the expansion of business in the Tennessee Valley, with over $2.4 billion in investments and more than 27,500 jobs created or retained in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. in investments and more than 27,500 jobs created or retained in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. During the first quarter of 2020, TVA became the first utility in the United States to receive authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the issuance of an Early Site Permit for potential development of a small modular reactor at TVA's Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee . The permit is valid for up to 20 years from the date of issuance with the possibility of an extension and provides TVA additional flexibility to prepare for future energy needs. Selected Financial Data Three Months Ended December 31 Sales, Revenues & Expenses 2019 2018 Sales (millions of kWh) 36,667 38,099 Operating Revenues ($ millions) $ 2,578 $ 2,725 Fuel & Purchased Power Expense 642 738 Operating & Maintenance Expense 689 745 Interest Expense 287 302 Net Income $ 192 $ 423 Net Cash Provided by / (Used in) ($ millions) Operating Activities $ 838 $ 502 Investing Activities (590) (601) Financing Activities (243) 101 TVA executive management will host a conference call to discuss first quarter fiscal year 2020 results at 9:30 a.m. ET, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The event will be conducted as a webcast and as a dial-in teleconference. Participants will be able to hear the discussion and see slides via webcast, but will need telephone access to ask questions. Pre-registration for the conference call is required. Please click here to pre-register. Once pre-registered, the dial-in number will be provided via an email. If you are unable to pre-register, you may access the conference call by dialing toll free 844-308-6432 in the United States, or 412-717-9611 outside the United States. A replay will be available one hour after the end of the conference call until 9:30 a.m. ET, March 5, by calling toll free 877-344-7529 in the United States or 412-317-0088 outside the United States and using the conference number 10137547. A webcast replay and transcript will also be available for one year on TVA's website at http://www.tva.com/investors. TVA's quarterly report on Form 10-Q provides additional financial, operational, and descriptive information, including unaudited financial statements for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2019. TVA's quarterly report and other SEC reports are available without charge on TVA's website at http://www.tva.com/investors, on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, or by calling TVA toll free at 888-882-4975. This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future events and future performance. Although TVA believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to TVA's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. Media Contact: Jim Hopson, Knoxville, 865-632-8860 TVA Media Relations, Knoxville, 865-632-6000 www.tva.com/news Follow TVA news on Facebook and Twitter Investor Relations: Tammy Wilson, Knoxville, 865-632-3366 or 888-882-4975 Josh Carlon, Knoxville, 865-632-4133 or 888-882-4975 http://www.tva.com/investors SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority Related Links https://www.tva.gov/ Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 9 AM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. S Jaishankar may highlight Indias stance on CAA at Munich meet The Indian government will have an opportunity to highlight its position on the countrys new citizenship law and discuss regional issues such as the situation in Afghanistan when external affairs minister S Jaishankar visits Germany and Belgium later this month. Read more Trump, in state of union address, says he keeps his promises in re-election bid US President Donald Trump, on the eve of near acquittal in his impeachment trial, set the stage for his re-election bid with a boat of I keep my promises as he began his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Read more Coronavirus toll nearing 500, over 24,000 now infected in China Chinese health authorities said on Wednesday that 490 people had died and more than 24300 had been infected in the country by the novel Coronavirus outbreak until last midnight. Read more Auto Expo 2020 Full Coverage: Big launches, unveilings and more Auto Expo 2020 will bring together the best of the best from the automotive world. The 15th edition of Auto Expo motor show will be held in Greater Noida. Read more Horoscope Today: Astrological prediction for February 5, whats in store for Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and other zodiac signs The positions of the sun, moon and planets determine our daily horoscope. Each sign has its own characteristics and traits which tell us a lot about a persons personality. Read more Want the best budget smartphone for PUBG Mobile under 15,000? Check this list While playing PUBG Mobile we often wish we had the best smartphone out there that is powerful, long lasting, has great audio and a brilliant screen. These can mostly be found in premium smartphones that obviously cost you a lot. Read more India vs New Zealand: Debutants Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal create history as India openers in ODIs Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal made their debut for India in the first ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton as hosts New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first. Read more Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor arrive with Neetu Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor-Malaika Arora, Elizabeth Hurley attend Armaan Jains reception. See pics Actor Armaan Jains wedding reception in Mumbai on Tuesday was as glittery and starry as it gets. From the Khans to the Kapoor, all the biggest stars of Bollywood were in attendance to celebrate Armaans wedding with Anissa Malhotra. Read more The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) has promoted Bill Huddleston to TDCI s director of the Insurance Division. Huddleston, a longtime Nashville resident, has served in the department since 2014 and has previous experience in banking, public accounting, and most recently served as the divisions director of Receiverships. In 2017, he was a recipient of a Governors Excellence in Service Award. My experience with the Department and our stakeholders combined with my other professional experiences has helped me shape my management style as well as my insight into insurance policy, Huddleston said. I am grateful for the opportunity to be appointed to this position, and I am looking forward to continuing to earn the trust of Tennesseans. The Insurance Division oversees the regulation of insurance in Tennessee, including the states 202,935 insurance agents and its 1,865 actively licensed insurance companies. The division educates consumers, mediates insurance-related disputes, and enforces Tennessees insurance laws. As the divisions director, Bill will help plan for the Insurance Divisions future while helping further our mission of protecting Tennessee consumers, said TDCI Assistant Commissioner Rachel Jrade-Rice. His experience, leadership and knowledge will be beneficial in this role as he helps oversee day-to-day operations of the Insurance Division. TDCI protects the interests of consumers while providing fair, efficient oversight and a level field of competition for a broad array of industries and professionals doing business in Tennessee. Our divisions include the State Fire Marshals Office, Insurance, Securities, Consumer Affairs, Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Regulatory Boards, Tennessee Emergency Communications Board, Tennessee Corrections Institute, and TennCare Oversight. Topics Tennessee Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 16:26 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062bea94 1 News visa-application,visa-on-arrival,electronic-visa-authorization,travel,passport,Visa,e-visa Free Prior to traveling abroad, travelers have to prepare many things, including the type of visa they need to obtain. Many countries require Indonesians to apply for a visa at their embassy or service provider weeks before the journey. However, there are also some countries that allow Indonesians to enter using visa on arrival (VoA), which is less troublesome, as it can be obtained after the travelers arrive at the destination. Besides VoA, there are also countries that allow Indonesian travelers to visit using an electronic visa (e-visa), where applications can be completed online prior to the trip. Below is the list of countries that permit Indonesian travelers to enter using a VoA or e-visa, as quoted from Kompas.com. Read also: I used my powerless Indonesian passport to apply for a UK visa. This is what happened. Visa on arrival: Armenia Guinea-Bissau Iran Kenya Comoro Islands Marshall Islands Kyrgyzstan Madagascar Maldives Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Nepal Nicaragua Palau Papua New Guinea Azerbaijan Gabon Malawi Sierra Leone Tajikistan Samoa Senegal Seychelles Somalia Cape Verde Tanzania Timor Leste Togo Tuvalu Uganda Jordan Zimbabwe Oman e-visa: Pakistan Sri Lanka Taiwan Russia Turkey Georgia Oman India Do note that Indonesians entering Russia with an e-visa can only access certain areas, namely St. Petersburg and Leningrad. (gis/kes) __________ Editor's note: The list in this article has been corrected. blackwasp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 2,900 Thanked: 25,214 Times View My Garage Re: Hyundai @ Auto Expo 2020 Based on the mid-engined Veloster, the prototype could be one of the future halo products for the Hyundai's N line-up: Front gets a big splitter and the bonnet gets a large vent as well: Just look at the massive spoiler at the back: Take a look at the extension of the splitter: Functional headlights are picked up from the stock car! Closer look at the carbon fibre splitter: 20-inch OZ racing rims shod in slick P Zero racing rubber - red calipers too: Rear wheel well gap is almost non-existent. The car is lowered to the max: Lots of aero elements on the car all over, including these channels on the sides: Roof gets the racing livery + a small sharkfin antenna: Another look at the spoiler - its m-a-s-s-i-v-e on such a small car: Side vents scoop in air for the mid-engine... ...while the bonnet vent helps pass air through the large radiators (visible from the vent): Drinks high-octane gasoline: Another massive air channel - this one even gets its own netting! See how much the wide body kit juts out of the car: Over sized rear vent: A large diffuser to keep the car planted on the road at speeds: Both the diffuser and the spoiler extend way beyond the car's body: 'N' for Hyundai's performance division: Bucket seats with full racing harness to hold you while cornering: Basic steering wheel with important knobs and buttons at easy access: Comes with switchable maps: Prominent no airbag warning + conditions to use each map. The car develops a minimum of 320 HP and 390 HP with 102 RON fuel from the 2.0L engine: Buttons for the horn and drink dispensing for the driver: Hyundai RM 19 Racing Midship Sports Car Prototype was also on show:Based on the mid-engined Veloster, the prototype could be one of the future halo products for the Hyundai's N line-up:Front gets a big splitter and the bonnet gets a large vent as well:Just look at the massive spoiler at the back:Take a look at the extension of the splitter:Functional headlights are picked up from the stock car!Closer look at the carbon fibre splitter:20-inch OZ racing rims shod in slick P Zero racing rubber - red calipers too:Rear wheel well gap is almost non-existent. The car is lowered to the max:Lots of aero elements on the car all over, including these channels on the sides:Roof gets the racing livery + a small sharkfin antenna:Another look at the spoiler - its m-a-s-s-i-v-e on such a small car:Side vents scoop in air for the mid-engine......while the bonnet vent helps pass air through the large radiators (visible from the vent):Drinks high-octane gasoline:Another massive air channel - this one even gets its own netting!See how much the wide body kit juts out of the car:Over sized rear vent:A large diffuser to keep the car planted on the road at speeds:Both the diffuser and the spoiler extend way beyond the car's body:'N' for Hyundai's performance division:Bucket seats with full racing harness to hold you while cornering:Basic steering wheel with important knobs and buttons at easy access:Comes with switchable maps:Prominent no airbag warning + conditions to use each map. The car develops a minimum of 320 HP and 390 HP with 102 RON fuel from the 2.0L engine:Buttons for the horn and drink dispensing for the driver: Last edited by blackwasp : 5th February 2020 at 18:40 . The state Department of Public Health is urging anyone in Alabama who traveled to mainland China since late last month to call the departments Infectious Diseases & Outbreaks Division as soon as they arrive in the state in an attempt to control the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, the agency said Tuesday. Anyone who returned to the United States on or after Jan. 22 is being asked to call the number 1-800-338-8374. The agency is using the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions interim exposure risk categories high risk of exposure, medium risk and low risk to determine travelers next steps until two weeks have passed since they left mainland China. The Wuhan coronavirus, also known as the novel coronavirus and 2019-nCoV, was detected Dec. 31 and has infected 20,630 people so far, according to the latest World Health Organization report. All but 159 confirmed cases have been reported in China, including 11 in the United States, according to WHO and CDC data. The virus has killed 159 people, all but one of them in China. Risk depends on exposure, so those exposed to ill persons are at greater risk of infection. However, the situation is evolving, and risk will depend on how efficiently the virus spreads, and how sick it makes people, said Dr. Burnestine Taylor, medical officer for Disease Control and Prevention at ADPH. Exposure includes, but is not limited to, travel to mainland China or close contact with a person with symptomatic laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection. At this time, no cases have been identified in Alabama. High risk individuals classified as those who traveled to Hubei Province in China, live in the same household or care for someone with a confirmed coronavirus infection without taking precautions, or a person diagnosed clinically with the coronavirus outside the United States who did not have lab testing conducted are instructed to stay at home and refrain from public activities. The state Health Departments Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks Division will daily monitor these cases for 14 days after the latest exposure. Those at medium risk for contracting the coronavirus people who traveled from mainland China but outside Hubei Province, live or care for someone with the virus while using recommended precautions, come in close contact with someone with the virus, close contact with someone diagnosed with the virus but did not have lab testing done or being on a plane within six feet of a traveler with symptomatic, lab-confirmed coronavirus infection are instructed to remain home. They are also encouraged to avoid places like classrooms, shared offices, churches and public transportation. These individuals will also be monitored daily. Those at low risk will have no restrictions unless symptoms develop. If they start reporting systems, they are encouraged to contact the division immediately and use self-observation instead of daily monitoring by the division. Britains top companies are making too little progress in hiring people of colour to top jobs and end all-white domains in many boardrooms, a government-backed report said on Wednesday. The report, an updated version of a 2017 study that set deadlines for companies to improve boardroom ethnicity, gave a damning verdict of progress so far. Britains top 100 companies were set an end-2021 to have at least one person of colour as a director. The next tier of 250 companies was given until 2024. The latest report, again led by John Parker, used data from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) watchdog that polices corporate governance in Britain and noted how all the companies had fared in efforts to meet the targets. Parker said that close to a majority of boards at the top 100 companies remain all-white domains and that hopes of reaching the target look some way off course. However, our report suggests that whilst we may not yet be up to speed, it could still be possible to complete our journey in time, Parker said. Only eight companies account for nearly a quarter of directors of colour, with only 15 of those directors at chairman or chief executive level across the top 350 companies, the report said. FRC Chief Executive Jon Thompson said it was unacceptable that talented people are being excluded from succession and leadership simply because companies are failing to put appropriate policies in place. We will monitor closely how companies report on their policies or explain their lack of progress in this area, he said. The FRCs corporate governance code was strengthened in 2018 to promote boardroom diversity in gender and in social and ethnic backgrounds. Companies that sign up to the code are required to set out in annual reports a description of their policy on diversity, including any measurable targets that have been set. The FRC said that more than half of Britains top 100 listed companies provided little elaboration in their policy beyond some acknowledgement of the value of board diversity. Only 21 specified ethnicity in director succession planning, the FRC said. During four decades in the Army, I met and worked with more than my fair share of difficult people. But none of them came close to displaying the utterly unacceptable and bullying behaviour dished out by John Bercow, which I witnessed during the seven years I spent in Parliament as Black Rod. Now I believe it is my public duty to say that it would be a scandal if Baron Bully Bercow were ever to take a well-remunerated and taxpayer-funded seat for life on the red benches of the House of Lords, something that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is trying to bring about. Parliament, indeed, would struggle to live it down. Bercows explosive and intemperate behaviour is legendary, objectionable and unworthy of someone in public office. I believe it is my public duty to say it would be a scandal if Baron Bully Bercow were ever to take a taxpayer-funded seat for life on the red benches of the House of Lords He brutalised staff including me in the House of Commons and elsewhere with his angry moods and outbursts, which included thumping the table as he raged, and jumping up and down in fury. Brutalise, too, is the right word for what he did to Lord (Robert) Lisvane his highly-respected Chief Clerk, the Commons top official who retired early in 2014 due to ill health and stress apparently caused by his close dealings with the then-Speaker. Its also the correct description for his treatment of some of his private secretaries. He brutalised staff including me in the House of Commons and elsewhere with his angry moods and outbursts They and others have told me in confidence about deeply unpleasant experiences that they suffered at the hands of Bercow, a Jekyll and Hyde character who can be amusing but who can change in a moment when the red mist descends. This week, with a score-settling book to promote, the former Speaker took to TV studios and radio stations to lash out at me for daring to have called out his disgraceful and bullying behaviour to staff, which he of course denies. He called my allegations total and utter rubbish from start to finish...The guy is a know-nothing...He hasnt the foggiest idea what he is talking about. None of those things is true. Well, Bercow certainly knows how to insult people: a tactic he employed so often in the Commons Chamber to silence or humiliate hapless MPs and ministers. But he makes a fundamental error which I can only assume is deliberate in suggesting that I could know nothing about how he behaved towards staff in the Commons just because, as Black Rod, I was employed by the House of Lords. He ranted that I was completely and utterly ignorant and in absolutely no position whatsoever to comment on my relations with my parliamentary colleagues...He doesnt know what my relations were with my clerks. He has absolutely no intelligence on those matters whatsoever. Bercow is either ignorant of - or has conveniently forgotten what the role of Black Rod actually involves. Like all holders of that historic post, which was founded in 1350, I was known to the public mainly for my ceremonial role at the State Opening of Parliament. Marching while wearing the traditional breeches and stockings like an ageing pageboy at a society wedding as one observer memorably put it to hammer on the door of the Commons, I summoned MPs to hear the Queens Speech in the House of Lords. Of course, behind the scenes, the job involved far more than that: Running and co-ordinating the machinery of both Houses, including security, public access, major events and emergency planning together with my colleagues in the Commons. Bercow is either ignorant of - or has conveniently forgotten what the role of Black Rod actually involves The fact is that about 30 per cent of my work as Black Rod was within or for the Commons, where I had close working relationships with staff at all levels and almost daily dealings with MPs. So you see, Mr Bercow, what is total and utter rubbish is your argument, not mine. And that is why I know all too well what was going on from my daily contact on and off the record with many Commons staff and MPs who felt the lash of Bercows tongue and his intimidatory tactics, which were an open secret for years. I myself experienced a verbal Bercow-bashing on more than one occasion, not least when we met to discuss the planning for major visits by foreign dignitaries to address MPs and peers. The former Speaker has referred to two occasions when we had an altercation over such visits. I cannot go into their details here: they are contained in a confidential dossier that I have just submitted along with my formal complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. This will be examined along with further complaints from Lord Lisvane and other former members of Bercows staff. His insults to me personally witnessed by others included the despicable slur of calling me an anti-Semite (his family was Jewish) and denigrating my background, education and military career (a general in the British Army having commanded British and allied forces on operations around the world). Yesterday shadow home secretary Diane Abbott rushed to defend Bercow, suggesting that it was unlikely that I, an old soldier, could have been bullied by the 5ft 5ins former Speaker. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London To be clear, Bercow did not intimidate me: I suffered worse tirades from many a sergeant-major in my early days in the Army. But the visible effect of such behaviour on other parliamentary staff was appalling and inexcusable. Bercow also accuses me of opportunism, as I am speaking up now, some years after I left my job in Parliament. If I may correct him again, I first called out his behaviour and tantrums nearly two years ago, soon after I ceased to be Black Rod. This was not because I have anything to gain personally but because, after 40 years of service in the Army and seven years in Westminster, I feel passionately about the need to maintain high standards of decency and mutual respect in all our great institutions especially in Parliament. What makes this matter more urgent indeed critical is Bercows lobbying for the peerage that he and his deluded supporters feel is his entitlement now that he has stood down as Speaker. A recent report from the Lords Reform Group concluded that no group or individual should have an automatic right to a seat in Britains overcrowded upper House. Not that it will stop Bercow. If Bercow is cleared of bullying allegations by the investigation now underway and there are no other matters that might impugn his integrity, then so be it. Let his name go forward for the peerage. He does have some positive achievements to his name: for example, he strengthened the rights and powers of ordinary MPs and the official Opposition to scrutinise the Government. But before any candidate nominated for the House of Lords is approved, they must undergo an integrity test by the Lords Appointments Commission. This requires that the nominees past conduct...would not reasonably be regarded as bringing the House of Lords into disrepute. In the light of all the evidence against him, can Bully Bercow pass that test? Recent parliamentary inquiries have found disturbing evidence of a widespread culture of bullying and harassment, to which politicians and top officials have turned a blind eye for too long. Now, with the new complaints procedure in place, and Lord Lisvane and others filing individual complaints, this could be Parliaments MeToo moment when others find the courage to come forward and give their own evidence of what has previously remained hidden. I only hope they do so soon. For the sake of our country and the dignity of our Parliament, let Bully Bercow never again swagger through the doors of the Palace of Westminster. Lieutenant General David Leakey was Black Rod from 2011 to 2017. Most laptops have 16:9 displays. Some have 16:10 or 3:2 screens. But one thing that pretty much every modern laptop has in common? The display is wider than it is tall. At first look, the PivoBook from Taiwanese manufacturer Compal looks the same. But theres on key difference you can flip the screen from landscape to portrait orientation. The PivoBook isnt a real thing that you can buy yet, but that didnt stop Compal from winning an IF World Design Guide award for the laptop. That means that while detailed specs arent available, we do know a few things about the design: It has a 14 inch OLED FHD touchscreen display. The screen is extra thin and lightweight for effortless one-handed rotations. The rotation is made possible thanks to a hinge ingenuity which isnt very well described by the pictures. The laptop weighs about 3.5 pounds (1.5 kilograms). While my first thought was that this was a 2-in-1 tablet with a screen that you could lift, rotate, and then re-attach, the description clearly states that screen rotation occurs without having to remove the display first. So my best guess is that the long bar on the back of the PivoBook is able to work like a normal laptop hinge or rotate 90 degrees to let you lift the screen in portrait mode. Compal is an ODM (original device manufacturer), which means that were unlikely to see the PivoBook hit the streets under the Compal brand anytime soon. But we could see this design used and re-branded by other companie sin the coming year. The nationalism pitch is catching up well in the Delhi election campaign trail as leaders across party lines are using it to appeal to voters in its favor. On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cornered the BJP on the same pitch and asked if any of its leaders have ever raised 'Hindustan Zindabad' slogan in Pakistan. He cited an incident of a Congress leader, who raised the slogan in the neighboring country to take a jibe at the ruling party. Addressing a poll rally in Jangpura, Gandhi said that the Congress candidate Tarvinder Singh Marwah, who is contesting the election on the party's ticket went to Pakistan in 1987 and raised the "Hindustan Zindabad" (Long live India). "The BJP leaders talk about patriotism. Show me just one BJP leader who raised 'Hindustan zindabad' slogan in Pakistan. Congress' Jangpura candidate (Tarvinder Singh Marwah) did that and he went to jail for it," he said. Speaking to ANI, Marwah said that he raised the slogan in response to anti-India slogans by Khalistani elements at Nankana Sahib. "The Khalistan movement was raised under the patronage of Pakistan in the 80s. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, the demand for Khalistan was at its peak. At that time, Khalistani elements used to raise anti-India slogans at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites of Sikhs," he said. "I went to Nankana Sahib from Delhi for the Baisakhi program in 1987 and shouted slogans of Hindustan Zindabad and Khalistan Murdabad to respond to the Khalistani forces there," Marwah said. He stated that Pakistani security personnel detained him following the sloganeering. Marwah said that he along with his associates was kept in anonymity for the next four days, where they were mistreated. However, they all were later released after the intervention of the Indian High Commission. At that time, Marwah was around 27 years old and was a Youth Congress worker. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Macedonia Hopes For NATO Accession Ratification In March February 04, 2020 Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski has said that he expects Spain, the last country that needs to ratify its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) accession, to be ready to do so next month. "If everything goes according to plan concerning the political process, around March 10 that process should finish. There will remain some technical details that our parliament in Skopje will have to deal with," Pendarovski told reporters during a visit to Poland on February 4. North Macedonia was granted a protocol on accession to NATO membership in February last year, after a 2018 agreement with Greece that changed the former Yugoslav republic's name from Macedonia, resolving a decades-long dispute between Skopje and Athens. So far, 28 of NATO's 29 member states have ratified the accession protocol. Based on reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/north- macedonia-hopes-for-nato-accession -ratification-in-march/30416750.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address An Arizona woman has come forward claiming to be the birth mother of the 11-year-old girl whose remains were found in the attic of a Phoenix home belonging to the child's foster parents, who are now facing multiple felony charges. Priscilla Marquez on Tuesday showed up at the West Phoenix home of Maribel and Rafael Loera to build a makeshift memorial made up of candles, photos and stuffed animals paying tribute to her daughter, Charisma Marquez, also known as Ana Loera. The child, who would have turned 13 years old last month, has not been seen or heard from since July 2017. Priscilla Marquez (left) has come forward claiming that the girl whose skeletal remains were found last week at the home of a Phoenix couple was her daughter, Charisma Marquez (right) The purported birth mother revealed that Charisma was removed from her care in 2011, along with her two other children (pictured), as she battled drug addiction. The Maricopa County Medical Examiners Office is still working to positively identify the skeletal remains found at the Loera family's home last week, after a fire was reported at the residence. Rafael, 56, and Maribel, 50, have been charged with child abuse, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, and arson of an occupied structure. Marquez told AZFamily.com the Loeras' dead foster daughter is her biological child, who was removed from her care in 2011, along with her two other children, as she struggled with drug addiction. Charisma and her younger siblings ended up in the home of Rafael and Maribel, and Marquez said she had hoped the children were being looked after and cared for by their foster parents. This was hell for my children, Marquez said. Why did you adopt my children? To torture them? Because you didnt give them a happy home. Rafael Loera, 56, (left) and Maribel Loera, 50, (right) face charges of child abuse, abandonment or concealment of a dead body and arson of an occupied structure, following the gruesome discovery of human remains inside their burned west Phoenix house on January 28 The medical examiner will confirm the identity of the girl and cause of death. Court documents reveal that Rafael identified the girl as Ana Loera, also known as Charisma Marquez, who has not been seen or heard from since July 2017, when she was 11 years old. He claims he was on the way to Phoenix Children's Hospital with the sick child when she died The mother added that she has been clean for the past seven years, and she had hoped one day to be reunited with Charisma and her other children, Angelina, now aged 11, and Joseph Jr, nine. I'm so, so sorry, she said with tears running down her cheeks. If I could switch places with her, I would in a heartbeat. Court records allege Charisma and the other children at the home were starved, left in rooms strewn with feces, and whipped with extension cords. Following his arrest, Rafael told investigators his wife would hit the children with various objects, but he did not report her to the police because he was afraid of her. Rafael was said to her told police that sometime in 2017, Charisma fell ill and died before he could seek medical help for her. Fearing that the abuse in the household would come to light, Rafael allegedly admitted to wrapping the girls body in a sheet and stuffing her in the attic, instead of reporting her death to the authorities. Marquez pointed a finger of blame at child services for failing to ensure the safety and well-being of Charisma, her sister and brother. I dont understand how these people passed a background check to be able to take three innocent children, she said of the Loeras. Marquez now wants officials to hand over Charisma's remains to her so that she could lay her daughter to rest with dignity. Marquez's surviving son and daughter were taken into the custody of child service following the foster parents' arrest. Marquez broke down in tears saying how she wished she could switch places with her dead daughter. Charisma has not been seen or heard from since 2017 Marquez created a makeshift memorial outside the Loeras' home honoring Charisma A Phoenix couple accused of abusing three adopted children hid the dead body of an 11-year-old in the attic for two years, according to police. Rafael Loera, 56, and Maribel Loera, 50, face charges of child abuse, abandonment or concealment of a dead body and arson of an occupied structure, following the gruesome discovery of human remains inside their burned west Phoenix house on January 28. The birth mom wants the state to hand over to her the girl's remains so that she could lay her to rest Phoenix police previously confirmed that the remains found in the attic last week belong to a young foster girl who was in the Loeras' care; her body had been concealed for more than two years. In court documents, Rafael, who worked as a teacher's aide at Sierra Linda High School, has identified the girl as Ana Loera, also known as Charisma Marquez. One of the other children living in the property told police her parents said the girl had been adopted and moved away. The 11-year-old girl, who first raised the alarm about child abuse in the home, told detectives Maribel has said her 'older sister was adopted and sent to Colombia' while Rafael said she had been 'sent to Mexico'. The medical examiner will confirm her identity and cause of death. Rafael claims that Ana 'became ill' in July 2017 during the summer break but they waited several days before seeking medical help, the documents show. Police examine evidence at the west Phoenix home on Wednesday where the couple are accused of hiding the dead body of an 11-year-old foster girl in the attic for two years He told police that 'the child had been throwing up in the days leading up to her death and had what he described as convulsions before passing away.' He claims he was on the way to Phoenix Children's Hospital with the sick child when she died. The police report states that the couple chose not to contact authorities to inform them of her death for fear of the abuse coming to light and the other children being taken away from them. Instead, Rafael told authorities they had wrapped the girl's body in a sheet and placed her in the attic until January 28, when he moved the body to the backyard, siphoned gasoline from his van and deliberately set the house on fire because he was feeling hopeless and suicidal. Rafael also alleges Maribel had been abusing the girl leading up to her death and so a forensic autopsy of the bones would 'probably' show injures, the records show. Despite the young girl's disappearance, the couple were granted adoption of another girl just months later. Child welfare authorities first began investigating the pair on January 20, when their 11-year-old daughter called police to report that she was left home alone for two days hungry and scared. Officers found the inside of the home filthy with what appeared to be human feces around the property, AZfamily.com reports. Child welfare authorities first began investigating on January 20 when an 11-year-old girl called police to report that she was home alone and scared. The girl was removed from the home and two other children were removed the following week Just after the children were taken away, authorities were called to reports of smoke coming from the house. Firefighters then found the skeletal remains in the home The girl was removed from the home, but no other children were there at the time, police spokeswoman Sgt Maggie Cox said. Investigators from the Arizona Department of Child Safety returned to the house on January 28 to remove two other children, a 9-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl, over child abuse allegations. The case worker reported that Maribel refused to come out of the house to speak to her and that she was handed the two children in the front yard by Rafael. One hour later, firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from the house and discovered the human bones inside. Rafael and Maribel were booked into the Maricopa County 4th Avenue Jail. In court documents released Monday, county prosecutors said Rafael first lied to authorities that the girl had moved to Mexico, before admitting that she was dead. Rafael has blamed Maribel for the physical abuse of the girl and their other children. Rafael worked as a teacher's aide at Sierra Linda High School (above) Questions are now being asked of child services (above) as to why the disappearance of Ana had gone unnoticed for two years and why the couple were granted adoption of another girl just months later The 11-year-old girl also told police Maribel 'had a bad temper and would strike her with miscellaneous objects while physically slamming her head into walls', records show. The girl has injuries consistent with the allegations including 'numerous abrasions, scars, healed burn scars, injuries to her back, buttocks, abdomen and chin', police confirmed. The 9-year-old boy had injuries covering his whole body, cuts and abrasions on his face, and 'loop marks on his legs, injuries too numerous to count,' they said. Questions are now being asked over why the disappearance of Charisma, also known as Ana, had gone unnoticed by child services for two years. DCS told AZfamily.com: 'The department was not visiting this family as there were no foster children living in the home at the time of the incident, nor were there any open investigations prior to January 20, 2020.' The house was cordoned off as police investigated the property. In court documents released Monday, county prosecutors said Rafael first lied to authorities that the girl had moved to Mexico before admitting that she was dead Rafael and Maribel appeared in court last Wednesday and were held on cash-only bonds of $100,000 and $350,000, respectively. Prosecutors warned that the couple could be a flight risk, after police found their passports and a wad of cash in the home. If released, they must have electronic tags and can have no contact with each other or any children. Electronic monitoring was ordered if they were released. The convoy of CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is on a state-wide tour of Bihar campaigning against the CAA, NPR and NRC, was attacked here on Wednesday evening, police said. The former JNU student leader escaped unhurt in the attack by a stone-pelting mob, though one of the vehicles in his convoy was damaged and its driver injured, Sudhir Kumar Porika, the SP of Special Task Force, who is holding the additional charge of Supaul, told PTI-Bhasha over phone. "The convoy has left for its next destination. Investigations are on to identify and nab the culprits," Porika said about the attack, which happens to be the second such incident in less than a week. On February 1, his convoy was attacked in Saran district. The 'Jan Gan Man Yatra', which began on January 30, had a rough start when Kumar was told by police in West Champaran district that permission for his first scheduled rally was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. Congress MLA Shakil Ahmad Khan, who has been accompanying the CPI leader since the commencement of the tour, blamed "negligence on part of the police and the administration" for the incident. "It is a small town. The spot where the attack took place is less than a kilometer from the collector's residence. Police personnel and officials of the district administration were deployed. Still the miscreants hurled stones, raised slogans and managed to flee taking advantage of the dark," Khan alleged. "I have telephoned the Director General of Police seeking intervention from the highest level. Our yatra is to continue for the next few weeks. Already, we are on the move, having left Supaul for Saharsa where Kanhaiya's next rally is scheduled on Thursday. We hope the law and order machinery would rise to the occasion," the MLA added. He also claimed that two vehicles - a bus and a rath (open chariot-shaped car) were damaged in the attack - sharing images on WhatsApp, and alleged that "the driver of the rath, Ejaz, has been seriously injured. A woman sitting next to the driving seat has also received bruises". CPI state secretary Satya Narayan Singh issued a statement in Patna, strongly condemning the incident and demanding stern action against the culprits and "guilty police officials". The state-wide tour is being conducted under the banner of 'Joint Forum Against NPR/NRC/CAA'. It is scheduled to conclude with a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna later this month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FAIRFIELD Andrew M. Davenport never would have predicted the turn his life would take after a simple DNA test. Currently a writer and doctoral student at Georgetown University, and formerly a Fairfield University adjunct professor, Davenport was always interested in history and family stories. As a high school student at Fairfield College Preparatory School, he was encouraged by his teachers to pursue rigorous studies in the humanities and to always keep an open mind. It was a training that would later serve him well. Davenports first year at Kenyon College in Ohio coincided with the year that Barack Obama was elected President (2008). Listening to classmates speak about whether or not America was post-race drove Davenport to a closer study of American history. He felt it was disingenuous to think issues of race and racial discrimination were no longer relevant, even though America had elected its first African-American president. He wanted to explore these perceptions further, and began to engage in deeper conversations with his family, including his grandmother who, as a child, had moved to New York from Virginia during the Great Migration. The Great Migration describes a time period in which roughly 6 million African Americans left rural communities in the South for urban areas in the North and West due to racial oppression and poor economic conditions (1915-1970). I grew up with my grandmother in the same house and had always heard stories about her grandmother, who I later learned had been born enslaved. I felt like my great-great grandmother was always in the house with us, even though she had long since died. The stories about her and other long-gone family members were very real. I think thats how it started for me. Once I got older, had read quite a bit, and had honed some research skills, I wanted to explore the lives of the family members I had heard about. It was around this time that Davenports mother gave him the gift of a DNA test for his birthday. He started to connect with relatives through the DNA testing process, soon learning he was a descendant of people enslaved by President Thomas Jefferson. He connected with Gayle Jessup White, a third cousin once removed. (Davenports great great grandfather, and Whites great grandmother, were siblings). Some of their ancestors were enslaved at Monticello, a plantation owned by Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia, and had been passed down as property to Jeffersons heirs until the end of the Civil War. Davenport and White will be sharing their story on Wednesday, February 12 at 8 p.m. at the Fairfield University Quick Center for the Arts. The event, A Report from Monticello: Restoring African American Narratives to Thomas Jeffersons Plantation is the next in the Quick Centers Open VISIONS Forum (OVF) series, moderated by Professor Philip Eliasoph, PhD, OVF founder and director. The dialogue will address racism, politics, power, and slavery, and is designed to both deepen our understanding of U.S. history and to serve as a model for all those courageous enough to examine their own personal histories. Davenport and White are both deeply involved with Getting Word, an oral history project that began at Monticello in 1993 to preserve the histories of the African-American families at the plantation. Over 100 interviews with descendants of people enslaved by Jefferson have brought remarkable individuals out of the shadows of slavery and its legacies. Getting Word is chartered to tell the stories of peoples lives and achievements that were all but erased over the last 200 years. White, who became Monticellos first community engagement officer in 2016, is not only a direct Jefferson descendant, but is related to two well-documented families enslaved at Monticello - the Hemingses and the Hubbards. She has written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello and about her familys ties to Jefferson, his extended family and the enslaved community. As Davenport wrote in his 2018 Smithsonian article, White made this lost history her mission, poring through photos and documents as a Jefferson Studies Fellow, pursuing DNA evidence, spending the night on the floor of the Monticello kitchen where one of her enslaved ancestors likely cooked, and singing tear-stained spirituals in the unmarked graveyard of the plantations black residents. Monticello is more than my employer. . .its my ancestral home, said White, as interviewed by Davenport in the Smithsonian. Of course theres a lot of pain. But I think we need to look at that pain without fear and face it head on. And not be ashamed or afraid or angry to explore history. And use this information to help us move forward ... to find common ground, she explained. After meeting White, Davenport began studying Jefferson in depth to learn more about the families that the Jeffersons had enslaved. He began to track down more of his relatives, including those who had passed for white, and peppered them with questions. Some of them had been reluctant to talk about their experiences, but the passage of time made them more candid. They knew that I loved them, that I only wished to learn more, Davenport explained. I remember one specific conversation I had with my great aunt, who was 95 years old at the time. She gave me a precious inheritance of family stories. At the end of our last conversation she said to me, Go tell that story, baby. That great American story. Sock it to them, kid. When I asked my older relatives why I never knew about our ties to Monticello, they said, Well, you never asked! I never would have known these stories if I simply hadnt asked, he said. Davenports grandmother is now 90 years old, and never expected to return to Virginia after she left in the 1930s. They left for a new world, they left for opportunity. Virginia was not a place they wanted to be in the 1930s, explained Davenport. But as a result of my conversations, she became reunited with some of her cousins. My grandmother returned to Virginia with me in 2014 for the first time since she left in 1936. She has returned to see her cousins, the family farm, and, in 2018, attended an emotional reunion at Monticello for descendants of African Americans whod been enslaved by Thomas Jefferson. There has been an effort toward both healing and a transfer of generational knowledge, he added. American identity is complicated and ever-changing. Its a rich tapestry. I think about it as a crazy quilt experience. By being humble and listening to older people in your family and having respect for elders, you can learn who you are. We are each other. We need to sit at the elders feet and learn from their experiences. [Crazy quilts employ patchwork, embellishments, unique fabrics and a free-flowing style.] Its meant everything for my family to reunite. I was interested in stitching the families back together that had been torn apart by slavery and further removed by the Great Migration and, in some cases, racial passing. The twists and turns since the DNA test were so unexpected I had a sense of my roots, but I never could have imagined that I could learn what occurred before emancipation." Davenport is currently pursuing his PhD in U.S. history at Georgetown University and is busy with speaking engagements around the world. People have shared their own stories and theres been an exchange of information. I hope Gayle and I can continue to inspire others to tell their own stories, Davenport concluded. Tickets for the February 12 event are available through the Quick Center Box Office at www.quickcenter.com or 203-254-4010. Rating: Short take After being teased and appearing in a few leaks, Apple, in the latter half of 2019 launched the AirPods Pro that is aimed at audio enthusiasts that want nothing but the best in terms of design, performance and functionality. The AirPods Pro comes with massive improvements such as active noise cancellation, a better and snugger fit and last but not least, a new and enhanced design in comparison with the original, 2016 AirPods that should go some way in bringing more iPhone users into its true wireless ecosystem. In India, the AirPods Pro retail for Rs 24,900 which puts it on the upper end of the pricing segment for true wireless earphones and this takes away some of its lustre. In a market like Indias, very few true wireless earphones are priced above Rs 20K, which makes Apples option all the more desirable for tech enthusiasts or clout-seekers. If you happen to own an iPhone and want to have nothing but the best in what Apple has to offer snug fit, great audio quality and superior noise cancellation; then the AirPods Pro is an obvious choice for you. Additionally, the new and improved design means that you get an all-encompassing fit thats unlikely to get easily undone; no matter your ear type. Also, with intuitive controls and easy access to a new Transparency feature, you can allow ambient noises to get in without plucking them out from your ears. If you have used Apples original AirPods in the past, then you may not witness a huge learning curve; however, the new touch-sensitive controls need a bit of learning which you should master in a couple of days. However, we do recommend learning all the necessary controls as it will improve your overall experience significantly. The AirPods Pro is designed to perfection and has the Apple ethos running through every single bit of it. This convenience which is oft-overlooked ranges from the time it's first paired to your iPhone right to it doing a custom scan of your ears to ensure it offers the best possible fit. Apple fans will undoubtedly love each and every aspect of the AirPods Pro making it an ideal purchase for all iPhone owners; or some Android users that want to experience Apples expertise in the wearable department. The overall audio quality on the AirPods Pro has improved pretty impressively over the previous version with there being noticeable enhancements in the bass and vocals department. This ensures that fans of popular genres such as Hip-Hop or EDM will greatly enjoy using these earphones. However, those who are fans of other genres wont feel left out as these sound great as well. While we dont get some major improvements on battery life like some of the competition; Apple does ensure that you get a 4.5-hour playback with active noise cancelling turned on. The AirPods Pro are a great pair of true wireless earphones and it is definitely a recommended product if you dont have any cash restraints and want an Apple-designed product. With that being said, there are models like the Sony WF-1000X which offer better noise-cancellation and others like the HIFIMAN TWS600 that offer up to 38.5 hours charge in the charging case. The Whole Story Design, Build As soon as we tried the AirPods Pro on, the first thing we observed was how insanely lightweight they are. They are so light that when using them, you will forget that you have them on. This feature scores major points when it comes to comfort and even when using it for hours while listening to music or video streaming, there was absolutely no ear fatigue, a feature which Apple has definitely doubled-down on when compared with the original design of the AirPods. The AirPods Pro is a culmination of years of work Apple has put in and its great that these werent rushed out of the gate in the year following the launch of the original AirPods. Apple has taken user complaints into consideration and ensured that they not just built on the original model but also refined it to its finest. Even though we cant deny the fact that there are similarities with the AirPods Pro and the AirPods such as the elongated stem, the gloss-white finish and the curved body, there are some stark differences as well. The biggest giveaway here is the silicone tips that are quite small in comparison with other models. The entire body of the AirPods Pro is on the chunkier or bulbous side and this is in all-likelihood made to fit in the new components. However, the stem here is a lot shorter than the original AirPods giving them a much better appearance. While the older generation AirPods could be interacted with taps, the AirPods Pro has controls that are now located on its stems. So, with these force-touch sensors to be activated, all you need to do is a slight squeeze on either stem to pause or continue playing a track. Thats not all, a double squeeze allows you to skip forward to the next track while a triple squeeze goes to a previous track. A long squeeze on the stem will toggle between noise-cancelling models. There is a bit of a learning curve associated with the capacitive force sensor used here; but we assure you that once this is mastered, you will find this second nature and it will definitely enhance your overall usability experience. These controls can be adjusted in the Settings app of your iPhone and youre not limited to the ones Apple has to offer. For example, you can assign Siri to a bud while the other bud can be used to enable switching between noise-cancelling or Transparency mode. However, like the original AirPods, there is no means to control volume and this is a minor grievance which we had. Other brands have successfully added this feature and its a shame that Apple missed out. In its place, we need to navigate the volume through the iPhone which takes away some of the intuitiveness of the AirPods Pro. Apple has fitted an accelerometer in each earbud alongside an optical sensor which recognizes when the AirPods are removed from your ear. This allows them to automatically pause when removed and magically start playing once more when in the ears. In 2016, this was a great feature to have; however, in 2020, it is expected. Several brands are already using this feature in their products which cost a fraction of what the AirPods sell for; so, its not that big of a deal. Elaborating on the fit, the silicone ear tips lock the AirPods Pro in place and you wont find them coming undone even during rigorous movements such as running or functional training. There is absolutely no give whatsoever and while the original AirPods used to easily fall out during physical activities, the AirPods Pro always sat snug. Apple has launched the AirPods Pro with an IPX4 Ingress certification which means that they can be used in light rains or during physical activities where a lot of sweat comes in to play. This rating ensures that your expensive purchase will withstand the elements and come out on top. While it may survive light rains, it cannot be used while swimming; this is a fair warning for all those who may think that this is a Swiss army knife of earphones. As far as the charging case goes, Apple has now introduced a more horizontal profile thats marginally larger than the previous version. For the price, you get a fully-loaded charging case complete with wireless charging functionality without having to pay extra for a case with this feature. This allows you to charge it conveniently with any Qi-enabled wireless charging pad if you dont want to use the supplied USB-C to Lightning connector. To sum up this section of the review, the AirPods Pro does cost a pretty penny and they sell for a significantly lot more than rivals; however, they are built well and have the comfort to match. The design changes go a long way in ensuring they are worthy of the Pro moniker. Pairing The Apple AirPods Pro is an Apple product through and through. The whole experience here is extremely simple and you will be hard-pressed to find another product thats this easy to set up or pair. To set up, all you have to do is open the AirPods Pro charging case and tap on the connect prompt on your iPhone and youre good to go. To have this extremely simple experience, all you need to have is an iPhone running iOS 13.2 or later installed and then you get to benefit from Apples advanced features that are on offer which is not limited to access to Transparency mode directly from the Control Centre. After this, the AirPods Pro will be seamlessly paired with all of your Apple devices such as MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad, etc that are associated with your iCloud account. This means that you wont have to do the tedious process of pairing it every single time to each of your devices as you would have to do with other Bluetooth accessories. This is the Apple promise of a seamless ecosystem. After the initial setup, we recommend heading on over to the Bluetooth settings in your iPhone to test the fit of the AirPods Pro. This is a useful feature as it allows you to gauge whether the ear tips you have used with the AirPods Pro provide the perfect fit. In the packaging, you get three different sized tips small, medium and large. This fit test ensures if you have paired the right sized tips with the and it advises you to change it to get the perfect fit. Having the perfect fit is of vital importance to any in-ear headphones as it helps in offering an enhanced listening experience. With Apples test, it ensures that there isnt any sound leakage or any ambient sound entering in. This helps with passive noise reduction and goes some way in achieving physical sound isolation. The eartips are fairly easy to swap between and we recommend removing them once in a while just so you can clean them as they get a bit grimy after usage. Performance The original Apple AirPods was a marvel in itself and the way they worked so seamlessly, allowed them to be the most popular wearable in the world. However, it did come with some drawbacks and one key misstep was that the audio quality was just acceptable, not great, but acceptable. Three years later and we have a whole different story. Apple has really put in the groundwork when it comes to the AirPods Pro audio quality and now they have introduced custom drivers for achieving powerful bass as well as improvements in the midrange and higher frequencies along with an adaptive equaliser which automatically tunes the music to the shape of your ear. The end result is a neutral tonal balance instead of an added emphasis on bass like some of the other brand try so hard to achieve. The first and second-generation AirPods had very little to work with due to the lack of customisable ear tips. This made it difficult to achieve a good bass response with them sounding muddy across all spectrums. Where the original AirPods lacked a tonal balance, the AirPods Pro completely excel; allowing them to be extremely pleasing on the ears. The ear tips go a long way in making the audio quality on the AirPods Pro sounds a lot richer than the original AirPods. The bass response here doesnt have the thump thats witnessed on rivals such as the Beats PowerBeats Pro for instance, but it is a lot better than that heard on the second-generation AirPods. The bass response is tight with a bit of emphasis and this is due to the custom drivers Apple has used to achieve it. The low-end on certain tracks had a punch without sounding forced but you will miss out on the emphasis found on rivals. For those who love the neutral tonal audio, you will be more than satisfied as you the bass has a natural kick to it. Vocals are another area where the AirPods Pro shine and the neutral frequency is felt right through the mids with plenty of texture and detail. The treble does sound good as well and it has a bit of sparkle to it. A point to mention here is that the AirPods Pro does well in an area where very few competing true wireless earphones do and that is spaciousness. While listening to these in-ear monitors, we dont feel that the sound hits your head hard; but it has an openness that allows all frequencies to be heard with distinction. With that being said, the audio quality isnt on par with the likes of its nearest rival the Sony WF-1000XM3. The Sony option has a more vibrant sound while the AirPods Pro offers a more natural sound. However, for casual listeners, with the AirPods Pro, you will get an audio quality that will certainly keep you entertained. Apple rates the battery life of the AirPods Pro at 4.5 hours with noise-cancelling and Transparency mode turned off. At a time when certain brands are able to offer 8 to 9 hours of audio playback on a single charge; this option from Apple seems a bit lacking. We would have liked it if Apple had done a bit more to ensure that it did not die off this quickly. Again, this is us just nit-picking here and for most, it should be just fine. Verdict The Apple AirPods Pro cost Rs 24,900 in India and this puts it at the higher-end of the premium true wireless category alongside the Sennheiser Momentum, Bragi Dash Pro, Bang and Olufsen Beoplay and a handful of others. The AirPods Pro is on par with these models when it comes to audio quality; however, it trails the Sony WF-1000XM3 in terms of active noise cancellation. With that being said, the ease of use, the comfort levels, the seriously sufficient noise cancellation and the improved audio quality will make the AirPods Pro the only true wireless earphones you ever have to buy or even for that matter the only pair of headphones you ever need to buy. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Pete Buttigieg took a narrow lead in the first batch of long-delayed results on February 4 from the chaotic Iowa Democratic Party caucuses, and former Vice President Joe Biden trailed badly in fourth place with about 62 percent of precincts reporting. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was a close second and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren placed third in the first results, released nearly 21 hours after Iowans poured into more than 1,600 public locations to begin the five-month process of picking a challenger to Republican President Donald Trump. In Tuesday's first results of state delegate equivalents, the data traditionally reported to determine the winner, Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had 26.9 percent, Sanders 25.1 percent, Warren 18.3 percent and Biden 15.6 percent. Senator Amy Klobuchar was fifth at 12.6 percent. Buttigieg, 38, would be the first openly gay U.S. president if elected. A military veteran, he served in Afghanistan and spent two terms as mayor of South Bend, a city of 102,000 people. Speaking to supporters in Laconia, New Hampshire, after the early results were announced, Buttigieg said he had begun the race a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition and no money, but with "a big idea." Buttigieg has argued it is time for a new generation of leaders in the party and that his lack of experience in Washington makes him an ideal candidate to break the partisan gridlock in the nation's capital. "A campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the current president with a better vision for the future," Buttigieg said. Sanders, 78, was ahead in the popular vote, which is not used to determine the delegates who will cast ballots at the Democratic National Convention in July. An independent, Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist. It was a clumsy start to voting. Officials blamed inconsistencies related to a new mobile app used for vote counting for the unusual delay in Iowa, the state that traditionally kicks off a U.S. presidential election campaign that culminates this year on Nov. 3. The uncertainty enraged Democrats worried that it would only strengthen Trump's bid for re-election and prompted some Democratic candidates' campaigns to question whether the results would be legitimate. "As leader of the party, I apologize deeply for this," Iowa State Party Chairman Troy Price told reporters. "We've been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate." Some Democrats have long complained that the largely white farm state has an outsized role in determining the party's presidential nominee. 'UNMITIGATED DISASTER' Republicans asked how Democrats could run the country if they could not conduct a caucus, while Trump mocked the Democrats on Twitter, calling the delay an "unmitigated disaster." Trump took a swipe at the Democrats, 11 of whom are contenders in the state-by-state battle to face him in November. "Nothing works, just like they ran the Country," he tweeted. While Republicans pounced on the problems, their party has its own history of presidential election chaos in Iowa. On the night of the party's 2012 caucuses, Mitt Romney was declared to have won by only eight votes. But two weeks later, the party announced that Rick Santorum had actually won by 34 votes. Romney went on to be the nominee. Before the Iowa results were released, campaign aides for Biden cited gross failures in the caucuses. "What we're saying is there are some inconsistencies, that the process, the integrity, is at stake. And the Iowa Democratic Party needs to check that data, check it again, check it a third time, check it a fourth time, because it's important to get it right," Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders told reporters. "It looks like a disorganized mess," said Jessica Leonard, 41, who runs a food truck in Winterset, Iowa, and normally votes Democratic. FALSE START After more than a year of campaigning and more than $800 million in spending, the results in Iowa had been expected to provide some answers for Democrats desperately trying to figure out how to beat the businessman-turned-president. But the Democratic candidates had already departed Iowa and turned their attention to the next contest in New Hampshire on Feb. 11 before the first results had even been released. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who entered the race late and has decided to skip the early voting states to focus on later contests, seized on the muddled results, saying he would buy more advertising and hire more staff. "After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever. No one has made the sale or even come close to it," campaign spokeswoman Galia Slayen told Reuters. Price, the Iowa Democratic chairman, said the problems were "unacceptable." He said the app was recording data accurately but only tallying part of it. The coding problem was fixed and state officials were verifying the data from the app with required paper documentation, he said. Some local officials reported having trouble using the mobile app to report results from schools, community centers and other locations. But when they turned to the traditional method - calling results in by telephone - they were put on hold and could not get through. The Nevada Democratic Party said that for its Feb. 22 presidential caucuses it would not be using the same app or vendor employed in Iowa. Iowa Democrats had been keen to be more transparent in this year's caucuses after complaints from Sanders about the 2016 caucuses when he and rival Hillary Clinton earned roughly the same number of delegates who go on to choose the party's presidential nominee. He asked the party for an audit. PRESTON Minnesota agriculture is entering a period of transition. Without proper planning, land may not be transferred in a way that keeps the farm operational. Cue the Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshop: "Create Your Farm Legacy," which was held in Preston on Jan. 29. Presenters at the six-hour workshop were Megan Roberts and Amber Roberts, both extension educators. The workshops are a partnership between Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and University of Minnesota Extension. More than a dozen of the meetings were held across the state this year. The workshop covered topics including family communications, goal setting, business structures, mechanisms for inheritance and transition, estate and gift taxes and retirement planning. "It's really important, because in the next 20 years we're going to see the largest transfer of farmland that we've ever seen in this country," said Amber Roberts. "As that older, retiring generation decides to transition the farm, we're going to see a whole lot of farmland that suddenly has to go somewhere." ADVERTISEMENT She said with proper planning on the front end, she said, landowners will be "more likely have a viable farm operation continue in the next generation." That's why the attendance has been full at most of the workshops, she said. "It's a massive issue," she said. "And it's hard to think about, because we're talking family and farm legacy, mortality and thinking about mom and dad potentially not being there." Megan Roberts said the process of farm transition and estate planning includes a lot of elements, and the workshops are meant as an introduction to them. The workshops have been held for the last 15 years, she said, and are updated each year to reflect changes in law, tax code or the interest of farmers. A local attorney as well as a few ag lenders attended the Jan. 29 workshop. "That's always wonderful because then we have more perspective in the room," said Megan Roberts. Kaleb Storm, an ag banker in Winona, has a lot of farm customers who are working through farm transitions now. ADVERTISEMENT "This is a good program to catch up on trusts and succession planning," said Storm. "A lot of farmers look to their bankers as people who should know the answers to this stuff, and as advocates to their operations." He said it makes him a better lender to have an understanding of the many ways to pass land on to the next generations and the tax consequences of that. Storm attended a workshop a couple years ago but came back this year for a "refresher." Marvin Kuhn, a 55-year-old dairy farmer from Mabel, came to the workshop to prepare for a transition of his farm in the near future. The workshop was helpful, but "it's very complicated, and it's probably going to take several of these meetings to really understand it all." Kuhn's children are now adults and none of them will be leaving their careers to come back to the farm and take it over. "Due to the volatility in the dairy industry, there's not much to come back to," said Kuhn. So he and his wife need to explore options at transitioning the land, or for them to simply get out of the industry. "We worked for 30-some years to get to where we're at, and we don't want to make one wrong decision that gives most of it away," he said. "This is business." He said if one of his children were able to come back and take over the farm, that would be helpful. ADVERTISEMENT "But they're all professionals at what they do," Kuhn said. "So I'm not going to ask them to come back, just so we can have an easy way out." Iowas Democrats are still counting their caucus results, but on the other hand they werent hacked. A poorly built and badly tested app is still being blamed, and that judgment seems likely to hold up. The FBI warns of a DDoS attempt against a state voter registration site. Trends in DDoS. Some new strains of ransomware are out in the wild. Spoofed emails may be an Iranian espionage effort. And the confessed Nintendo hacker cops a plea. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with updates on Emotet. Guest is Kurtis Minder from GroupSense on the Pros and Cons of notifying breached companies. Leading NetSuite Consultants "Oasis Solutions have earned an outstanding reputation in the ERP software industry in all aspects of supporting clients through the ERP selection, implementation, support and training process. We are proud to share their expertise on ERPVAR!" Adrian Montgomery - Partner at ERPVAR ERPVAR.com announces a strategic partnership with Oasis Solutions, a leading provider of NetSuite ERP software. Oasis Solutions joins ERPVAR's exclusive network of NetSuite partners and NetSuite consultants. 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Oasis is an award-winning business management software partner for Sage software, NetSuite, and Adaptive Insights. Oasis has been around since before technology was a buzzword, assisting businesses in assessing, attaining and supporting business management software. With more than 300 years of combined industry experience, our team of software specialists offer expertise in accounting, human resource management, and custom software development. Oasis Solutions has offices in Louisville and Lexington, KY, and Nashville, TN. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Banking Regulation Act to bring cooperative banks under the regulatory mechanism of Reserve Bank of India. The government has taken this move in the wake of the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank crisis. The move will ensure greater accountability and transparency in the functioning of cooperative banks, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadkar said after the Cabinet meeting. Javedkar said the cooperative banks need to fulfill regulatory requirements set for scheduled commercial banks. The provisions would give Reserve Bank of India (RBI) the power to take control of weak co-operative banks. As per the new proposals, cooperative banks will need to take RBI approval for the appointment of CEO and do audits as per RBI guidelines. Also Read: PMC Bank scam: Only 10% of deposits withdrawn as RBI clampdown continues In September 2019, the RBI had restricted operations of the PMC Bank for six months after a multi-crore scam came to light following which the deposit withdrawal was initially capped at Rs 1,000, causing panic and distress among depositors. The withdrawal limit was increased gradually to Rs 50,000.The apex bank had superseded the board of the PMC Bank and appointed Jai Bhagwan Bhoria as the new administrator of the embattled lender with all the powers of the board. Also Read: RBI MPC meet: Central bank likely to hold rates post Budget 2020 proposals Among other key announcements, the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved dispensation to Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air for enabling commencement of International flights between India and Sri Lanka. The cabinet also approved the IIIT Laws Amendment Bill 2020 and setting up a major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 65,544 crore. By Chitranjan Kumar T he RAFs latest submarine-hunting spy plane is the equivalent of a flying iPhone, according to a top commander. Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, the RAFs senior operational commander, hailed the Poseidon P-8As capabilities as the first of the new planes arrived at RAF Lossiemouth. Its like the iPhone because it can be constantly upgraded to meet each new threat as it emerges, he said. The nine-strong fleet of maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with torpedoes and harpoon anti-ship missiles, is at the core of a 3billion programme for Britains contribution to an allied force of surveillance planes operating out of the Scottish base. The Poseidons fill a gap left by the cancellation of the Nimrod patrol aircraft programme in the defence review 10 years ago. Since then the UK has called on patrol aircraft from allies such as France, Canada, Norway and the US to track Russian spy vessels and submarines approaching Britain. The new planes will work in a joint force with the US Navy and Norway. Both deploy the Poseidon, and will swap pilots and crew with the RAF. Russian activity by air, sea and underwater is now at its most intense since the Cold War, with 10 Russian submarines being detected at one time in the north Atlantic in October last year. Theres a new adventurism, the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wig-ston, said yesterday. They are not playing to the rules with the incursions of their aircraft. Sometimes they dont file flight plans and turn off their identification transmission. They are interfering in the normal commerce of the seas. Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our countrys highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the president said. Donald Trump has been roundly condemned by critics for giving the controversial conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh one of the highest civilian awards in the country in the middle of his State of the Union address. Mr Trump announced his decision to award Mr Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his speech on Tuesday night, having Melania Trump present the medal and place it on the outspoken supporter of the president. Though news of the decision was widely reported hours before the State of the Union address, Mr Limbaugh initially appeared surprised, seemingly shaking his head in disbelief before accepting the award from the First Lady. The prestigious medal has been awarded to trailblazing political figures and activists like Martin Luther King Jr, Shirley Chisolm, and Desmond Tutu, among others. Mr Limbaugh recently announced he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. The 69-year-old has been accused of spreading racist, xenophobic and anti-immigrant claims, infamously calling former President Barack Obama more African in his roots than he is American while suggesting the former president was behaving like an African colonial despot. All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 1 /6 All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters He has also said slavery had its merits for having built the South and called Mexican immigrants stupid and unskilled, adding: Youre a foreigner. You shut your mouth or you get out. Walter Shaub, former director for the Office of Government Ethics, slammed the decision in a statement that suggested Mr Trump was awarding Mr Limbaugh the honour in order to appease his base. Like the Joe Arpaio pardon, Trump awarding that medal to Rush Limbaugh has nothing to do with its recipient but was awarded as a message to the viciously racist, nationalist segment of the population whose votes Trump needs, he wrote. It says: Stay with me, I am with you. Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel noted that Mr Trump was awarding the honour to Mr Limbaugh on Rosa Parks Day, which celebrates the legacy of the civil rights icon who also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. Today is Rosa Parks Day, Mr Kimmel said, and this is a medal they gave Rosa Parks. He added: Tonight, Rush Limbaugh got it. CNN journalist Jim Acosta also responded to the presidents State of the Union Address, saying Mr Trump was trying to make appeals to the African American community and noting: It cant be forgotten that he was awarding the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, who has a history of making derogatory comments about African Americans. So I think, you know, overall, its a wash, the reporter said. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, called Mr Limbaugh a "virulent racist" and said his being awarded the medal "cheapens" the prestigious honour. "First of all, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is an extraordinarily sacred award," she said. "We're talking about putting someone on the same level as Rosa Parks, for example, in terms of their contributions to American progress." She continued: "To do it in the middle of a State of the Union, and not even dignify it with its own ceremony, as it has, there is all sorts of norms that are being violated ... not just for people's humanity but also, it truly just cheapens the value of it." Not everyone was in opposition to Mr Limbaugh receiving the award, however: fellow radio host Rita Cosby described the instance as a touching moment and said the presidents State of the Union was emotional in a tweet. Romania's pro-European government collapsed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote on Wednesday after only three months in office, bringing the EU member closer to early elections. A total of 261 of 465 MPs voted in favour of a motion against the minority government led by Ludovic Orban, which took over in November. "The Orban government fell. It's a very big step for Romanian democracy," said Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (PSD), which had launched the motion. The move was triggered by Orban's attempt to change the law for local elections, which the PSD saw as a threat to its chances in a poll due in June. Orban had wanted to reintroduce a two-round voting system but the change will no longer be implemented. Paradoxically, the government's collapse might benefit Orban's National Liberal Party (PNL), which wants early polls to seize on a series of victories in the past year. A recent opinion poll suggested PNL was riding high, with 47 percent support compared with 20 percent for PSD. "We'll land on our feet. We were judged by a toxic alliance that lost people's support," Orban told reporters after Wednesday's vote. "Romanians will soon be called to decide the country's fate. We lost a battle, but we will win the battle for Romania." Romanians have grown frustrated with persistent corruption, which has implicated the highest echelons of the PSD -- the party's former leader Liviu Dragnea was jailed for corruption last year. President Klaus Iohannis must now appoint a new prime minister who in turn must try to assemble a majority, unlikely to be easy in a fragmented parliament. The Social Democrats already announced they would come up with their own proposal, while the liberals hope that Iohannis will again pick Orban for the role. But it is unlikely that a new stable government will be formed to lead one of the EU's poorest countries. According to the constitution, the president can dissolve parliament only after two failed attempts to install a new executive within 60 days. The PNL wants an early election, close to or at the same time as the local elections in June. Romania has not held a snap election since the fall of Communism 30 years ago. The PSD won the 2016 parliamentary election with a landslide -- but it was weakened by waves of street protests over judicial reforms and eventually thrown out in a no-confidence motion last year. Last year, the PSD took a drubbing in European elections and its candidate was heavily beaten in a presidential election, handing a second term to Iohannis, who hails from the centre-right PNL. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The garrison investigation department is investigating the criminal case regarding the death of compulsory fixed-term serviceman, Private Vahram Avagyan, and under this case, a charge has been brought against compulsory fixed-term servicemen Kh. G. and A. S. under part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (breach of relations between servicemen not subordinated to each other that has carelessly led to grave consequences). A petition has been filed to the court to select arrest as a pre-trial measure for the two servicemen, as reported Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Naira Harutyunyan. Yesterday former MP Arakel Movsisyans (Shmays) son, who was also one of the detainees, was arrested. He is also charged under the same article of the Criminal Code. In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan had said that there were 3 people detained under the case of serviceman Vahram Avagyan who died on January 30, and one of the detainees is the son of ex-MP Arakel Movsisyan (Shmays). As reported earlier, on January 30, 2020 at around 1:15 p.m. at the army training center of the Defense Army, compulsory fixed-term serviceman of N military unit, Private Vahram Avagyan fired gunshots with an attached AKM machine gun in the chest area and was transferred to the military hospital with firearm injuries, and at 2 p.m. he was pronounced dead. A criminal case been instituted by the garrison investigation department, and preliminary investigation is underway. Within the scope of the criminal case instituted in relation to the death of the soldier, Mkrtchyans fellow serviceman Davit Movsisyan, Khachik Gasparyan and Spartak Avetisyan were detained. Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Kentucky...Illinois...Missouri... Ohio River at Paducah...Olmsted Lock and Dam...and Cairo For the Ohio River...including Paducah, Olmsted Lock and Dam, and Cairo...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. && ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Ohio River at Paducah. * WHEN...Until early tomorrow afternoon. * IMPACTS...At 39.0 feet, Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 11:00 AM CST Monday the stage was 38.5 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 39.0 feet tomorrow morning. - Flood stage is 39.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood && Express News Service BELAGAVI/BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is finding it increasingly difficult to keep all his party MLAs united in the run-up to Thursdays cabinet expansion. Several senior leaders have expressed dissatisfaction over the sidelining of loyal and able party leaders. Three-time Saudatti MLA Anand Mamani showed his discontentment via multiple tweets. The people who recently joined the party are being made ministers. It goes to show that there is no value for legislators who were loyal to the party, Mamani said. In his tweets, Mamani also objected to senior leaders holding onto their posts, not making way for others. The inclusion of some unfit legislators and continuation of some senior ministers has not gone down well with senior BJP leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal. He said the government must assess the performance of ministers once every three months. ALSO READ | Party hopper-chowkidar CP Yogeshwars berth-right angers BJP MLAs The BJP leaderships decision to leave out MLA Mahesh Kumathalli has also irked many, with several questioning the logic behind keeping him out while giving berths to 10 newly-elected MLAs. In Bengaluru, meanwhile, BJP legislators are upset over the plan to induct CP Yogeshwar. Some MLAs met in the city to discuss the developments. After their meeting, MLA and the CMs political secretary MP Renukacharya said there is nothing new or wrong in holding meetings among MLAs. Its not a revolt or rebellion. We will never question the high commands decision. The only thing thats bothering us is the decision to make defeated candidates ministers, said Renukacharya. MLA Raju Gowda said there is nothing wrong in demanding that an MLA from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region be made minister. He added that they were not involved in any anti-party activities. China on Wednesday claimed a drop in the number of new suspected cases of coronavirus in the last two days, raising hopes that its strong measures may help to contain the outbreak, even as the death toll rose to nearly 500. As the death toll rose, Hong Kong announced on Wednesday a mandatory two-week quarantine for all travellers from mainland China to stop more cases of the deadly new coronavirus. The death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak rose to 491 on Tuesday while the total number of confirmed cases mounted to 24,324, Chinese health officials announced on Wednesday. The virus cases abroad have climbed to 182. The Philippines reported first death abroad while Hong Kong announced its first casualty on Sunday. China, which is waging a grim battle against the outbreak, received its first foreign dignitary, the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. A staunch of ally of Beijing, Hun Sen under whose prolonged regime received billions of Chinese investments was received at the airport by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and later he met President Xi Jinping. Ahead of his arrival, Hun Sen made headlines by offering to visit the coronavirus epicentre Wuhan to show solidarity to China's efforts to fight the outbreak. Like Pakistan, the other staunch ally of China, Cambodia also declined to evacuate its diplomats and students from the country like many other countries, showing solidarity with Beijing. Hun Sen refused to cancel flight services while all the major airlines have halted services to China over virus fears. While appreciating Hua Sen's solidarity, China however said he would not be travelling to Wuhan. "Hun Sen speaks highly of China's efforts against the epidemic and firmly believes that China will overcome current difficulties at an early date," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during an online media briefing here. Several countries have evacuated their nationals from Wuhan. India has evacuated 647 Indian students and seven Maldivians from Wuhan. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh which are also recipients of large scale Chinese investments too have evacuated their citizens. Pakistan which has several hundred students stranded in the Wuhan and Hubei province has declined to heed to their desperate pleas for evacuation, saying that China has promised to take care of them. Hua also said the suspected cases of coronavirus for the first time started dropping in the last two days, raising hopes that China may be succeeding in its battle to contain the virus. "The number of new suspected cases dropped for a second day in a row," she said. China's national health commission said it received reports of 3,971 new suspected cases on Tuesday on the Chinese mainland, compared with 5,072 cases reported on Monday and 5,173 on Sunday, showing a trend of decline. Chinese officials say the cases will come down with more specialised hospitals being set up in Wuhan. China has intensifies the testing process of the novel coronavirus infection in Hubei Province, experts said on Wednesday. For confirmed cases, the patients can get better treatment in a shorter period of time, and for excluded cases, they can go back to their normal life, she added. China's Ministry of Science and Technology said that a batch of Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, which will be put into clinical trials to test its efficiency on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is expected to arrive in China soon. Remdesivir has been used to treat Ebola infections abroad, a media report said. So far there is no set treatment to cure the coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, two new born babies in Wuhan were diagnosed with novel coronavirus infection, suggesting possible mother-to-foetus transmission. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here is the letter Laois childcare provider Orlagh McCrory has written to parents explaining why she has had no choice but to shut her childcare service in Portlaoise after nearly 30 years. Ms McCrory was among the up to 30,000 childcare workers from Laois and around Ireland who travelled to Dublin on Wednesday to make their voices heard to politicians in the General Election at the Together for Early Years demonstration. Dear Parents, It is with a heavy heart that I wish to inform you that, after 28 years, The Den Playgroup will close its doors in June 2021. It is due to the loyalty of all the lovely families who have supported us over the years, and who have children booked in with us in the coming few years, that we are giving such advance notice. This will allow children currently attending The Den to complete their two-year cycle, and the small number of children who are booked in for September are welcome to come for their first year and move on to another service for their second year, or to do both years in another service. Children booked in after this year will have ample time to find a new place. The biggest strength of The Den over the years, I feel, has been the amazing staff who work with me at The Den. Bridie has been working here for the past 23 years and Perry has been here for 19 years. They are the backbone of The Den. I know that they have always been totally committed, always put the needs of the child first and are so kind and caring not only to the children but to parents and indeed to me at difficult times in my life. I can honestly say that in all the time we have worked together, we have never had a cross word spoken between any of us which is probably some achievement! We all seem to be on the same wavelength. Working hard for something we dont care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion. For Bridie and Perry, and for me, working at The Den has not been a job, it has been our passion. We love coming in every morning, wondering what amazing things the children will do that day, how they will touch our hearts with their warm hugs and displays of affection, how they will make us laugh. We have taken pride in each childs achievements as if they were our own, tried to enable them to be the best individuals they can be, tried to comfort and reassure them when they were sad and upset. We often feel that we get more out of our days than the children do- what other job guarantees to bring a smile to your face every day! I would also like to pay tribute to Catherine Langan and Anne Malone who were also once part of The Den team and, of course, Aisling Keane, who is very much part of it now. We have been truly blessed to have met such lovely parents and families over the past 28 years, many of whom have become friends. Your recommendations have kept The Den going without having to advertise since our early years, and we are truly grateful to you all for this. The decision to close was never going to be easy but now seems to be a logical time to re-evaluate. The Early Years Sector in Ireland is at a tipping point. With totally inadequate funding, staffing crisis, constant requirements for new Policies and Procedures, new Regulations and requirements, and never-ending paperwork, our role at The Den has changed. All of these have placed an enormous amount of pressure and stress on staff and is making Early Years Services totally financially unviable. The amount of work now required to be done during non-contact hours, which is unpaid, is simply enormous. Im sure you must often think Ive totally lost my mind emailing newsletters and observations to you at ungodly hours of the night, but this is the only time I get to do them. All of the above has made me realise that I want to stop working before it becomes just a job, before it becomes a burden before Im not able to give 100% to the children in my care. I have also brought this philosophy into making a decision about my other venture, Chatterbox School of Speech & Drama and I feel that it is also the right decision for me to wind this down too. However as I feel it would be unfair to accept new pupils in September, and it would be financially non-viable not to replace 6th class pupils finishing up this year, I have made another very difficult decision that our end of year show on March 15th this year will be our final show. Making both of these decisions have been extremely difficult for me. There is probably never the right time to wind up two successful businesses that started from a group of 5 children, two of whom were my own, in the front room of my house. My daughter always advises people to find something they love and make a career out of it. Well, I love working with children and I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to make two careers out of that The Den Playgroup and Chatterbox. These businesses have become my babies and we all know that its always hard to let your babies go. I feel blessed to have had such a lovely career in The Den and in Chatterbox I have loved every minute of it and know I will miss them greatly, but I am sure that Ill find something to keep me busy! Yours with extreme gratitude for 28 amazing years, Orlagh Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:16:06|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three European countries of Britain, France and Germany (E3) do not want to use dispute resolution mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Chief of Iran's Presidential Office Mahmoud Vaezi said on Wednesday. The recent visit of Josep Borrell, European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to Iran was "very good," Vaezi was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency. "The remarks of Borrell mean that Europe does not want to use dispute resolution mechanism, and they believe that there is no better agreement to replace the JCPOA (the Iranian nuclear deal)," he said. The EU representative and Iranian senior officials have expressed their readiness to boost cooperation in the matters of the Iranian nuclear program. Three people are in custody and facing a number of criminal charges after multiple Winnipeg police officers were assaulted in separate incidents Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Three people are in custody and facing a number of criminal charges after multiple Winnipeg police officers were assaulted in separate incidents Tuesday. The chaos began around 2:25 p.m., when members of the guns and gangs unit reported a man known to police driving a SUV, despite a suspended licence. Police pulled the vehicle over in the area of William Avenue and Harriet Street. Two officers approached the SUV on each side and began talking with the driver and passenger. Suddenly, the driver put the vehicle into reverse and accelerated, dragging the officers. The passenger held onto one officers arms so he couldnt escape, police said Wednesday. The SUV struck a nearby car, and the driver put the vehicle into drive and accelerated forward, police said. In the process, the driver is alleged to have nearly hit one of the officers. The other officer managed to break free and climbed into the SUV to avoid being struck, police said. He managed to stop the vehicle in the area of William Avenue and Isabel Street. Police took the driver and passenger into custody. A loaded .22-calibre handgun and ammunition were found in the vehicle. One of the officers suffered minor injuries. Quentin Gerald Richard Bird, 30, of Winnipeg, faces seven criminal charges. Janessa Alicia Gordon, 23, of Sioux Lookout, Ont., has been charged with assaulting a police officer. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Both were detained in custody. At 10:05 p.m., general patrol officers reported a stolen vehicle parked in front of a residence in the area of Arlington Street and Flora Avenue. As officers approached the vehicle, it accelerated and rammed a police car. Soon after, the driver was taken into custody. Police searched the vehicle and found a sword, they said. The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Burrows Central neighbourhood between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3. Cody Henry Bousquet, 29, of Winnipeg, has been charged with six criminal offences. He was detained in custody. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 18:25:59|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A truck laden with charcoal leaves the factory of Ceballos Agroindustrial Company, located about 450 km east of Havana in the central province of Ciego de Avila, Cuba, Jan. 31, 2020. Cuba has turned a prickly invasive weed that blights its agricultural landscape into a profitable export that more than pays for its clearing and harvesting. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua) CIEGO DE AVILA, Cuba, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuba has turned a prickly invasive weed that blights its agricultural landscape into a profitable export that more than pays for its clearing and harvesting. The sicklebush (dichrostachys cinerea), here called "marabou," has found an export market as a vegetable charcoal. Cuba's Ceballos Agroindustrial Company, located about 450 km east of Havana in the central province of Ciego de Avila, exported almost 22,000 tons of marabou charcoal to Europe and the United Arab Emirates in 2019, generating revenues of more than 7 million U.S. dollars. "This is an exportable item that had not been discovered, despite how easy it is to make and also export," said Jorge Sanchez, the company's charcoal specialist. The natural resource, which had long been considered a costly problem, is now a prized commodity that "is almost free of charge," he said. "It is very important then to cut the marabou that invades farmland and turn it into the currencies the country needs," he added. The company buys the charcoal from farmers in Ciego de Avila, as well as the eastern provinces of Camaguey and Santiago de Cuba. Farmers burn the collected plant in ovens for at least five days. The charcoal is then shipped by truck to a processing center in an old ceramic factory, where it is classified according to the quality required by the clients and packed into sacks of various sizes. In the past 14 years, the company has exported more than 266,000 tons of charcoal, bringing in about 100 million dollars. The revenue allowed the company to raise wages and finance other projects, such as planting fruit trees to make juice and puree, among other things. The charcoal sells for 350 dollars a ton and is considered better than charcoal made of white firewood, because although marabou charcoal needs longer time to be lit, it burns for twice as long. In 2017, marabou charcoal became the first product exported by a Cuban state-owned enterprise to the United States in more than half a century. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. With flu season in full swingand responsible for an estimated 19 to 26 million illnesses and 10,000 to 25,000 deaths so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionyou may be a little more diligent than usual about anti-infection measures. But while the bugs circulating during this cold and flu season may have you reaching for your cleaning supplies a bit more often, its important to exercise some caution when using items labeled as disinfecting, particularly if you have children. These items, such as the easy-to-grab disinfecting wipes sold in cylindrical canisters, arent simply cleaners. What many people may not know is that they contain Environmental Protection Agency-registered pesticides. Used properly, these products are helpful in killing germs, and are even employed for infection control in certain healthcare settings. But its important to handle them appropriately. Some commonly used active ingredients in these products have been linked with health problems such as asthmawith long-term exposure. And experts we spoke with said that such risks may be greater for young children. Heres what you need to know about these germ-killing products. What's in a Disinfectant? Whether a product is a wipe, spray, liquid, or powder, those whose labels say they disinfect are legally distinct from those whose labels claim only to clean. To be able to call their product a disinfectant, manufacturers must prove that the active ingredients kill specific bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (which can cause dangerous blood, lung, bone, and heart valve infections) on surfaces. Manufacturers must also prove any label claims about specific viruses. Bleach (or sodium hypochlorite) is one active ingredient you may see in some disinfecting products. Hydrogen peroxide is another. Quaternary ammonium compoundsQACs or quats for shortare also among the active ingredients that may be found in household cleaning products such as disinfecting wipes. They appear on labels with names such as alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, and other types of benzyl ammonium chloride. Story continues Wipes containing quats may be of particular concern for children, according to Dawn Gouge, Ph.D., a public health entomologist with the University of Arizona, because theyre sometimes styled as classroom-friendly products. Theyre marketed to schools. Theyre marketed to teachers, Gouge says. Quats, just like other EPA-registered pesticides, are usually required to bear a caution: Keep out of reach of children. What are the potential health harms of disinfectants? Bleach is well-known as a possible cause of asthma, and quats have also been found to have the potential to set off the condition. Much of the evidence about human health effects comes from studies of adults who work with disinfectants, in addition to research in labs. According to a 2019 analysis of the EPA Pesticide Product Labeling System and other studies, published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), asthma occurs at higher rates in adults who use disinfectants and cleaners regularly for their jobssuch as janitors and healthcare workersthan in other workers. But some older research has linked disinfectants to health effects in children. In a 2005 study published in JAMA, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions reviewed case reports on pesticide-related illnesses in schools and child care centers from 1998 to 2002. They found that disinfectants, including bleach and quats, were implicated in 830 out of 2,593 pesticide-related illnesses or injuriessuch as eye, skin, or upper respiratory irritationin school children. The problems these chemicals may cause in adults can occur in kids, too, says Susan Pacheco, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Environmental Health. Quats, for example, can facilitate development of allergies and trigger asthma attacks, in children, she says. In fact, the experts we spoke with say that the active ingredients in disinfectant wipes may be more concerning for children. Kids breathe more air per pound of body weight than an adult does. Their exposure will be greater in terms of inhalation than an adult exposure would be, says Jerome Paulson, M.D., a pediatrician and emeritus professor at George Washington University. How to Clean and Disinfect Safely In your efforts to protect yourself and your family from germs, consider the following: Clean instead of disinfect. Disinfecting is critical to limiting the spread of infection in settings such as healthcare and early childhood-care facilities. But for most people at home, cleaning alonemeaning the removal of dirt and other substances from a surface via scrubbing with soap and waterwill remove plenty of worrisome germs. In settings where people aren't required to disinfect, cleaning is really more important than disinfecting, says Stephanie Holm, M.D., M.P.H., co-director of the Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, assistant clinical professor at UCSF, and lead author of the 2019 AJIC study. The EPA maintains a list of cleaning products considered to be safer than othersthe standard the agency uses screens out any products linked to asthma or breathing difficulties. When you need to disinfect, do it properly. Certain situations call for the use of a disinfectant at home to prevent the spread of infection. An example, according to the CDC, is if someone in your house contracts the highly contagious and misery-inducing stomach bug norovirus. Any mess from vomit or diarrhea on a surface should be cleaned and then disinfected. If you decide to use disinfectant, be aware that surfaces you intend to disinfect should be cleaned first of any debris. Skin cells, for instance, a component of dust, can reduce the effectiveness of some disinfectants, Holm saysso if you dont clean off the dust first, your disinfectant may not work as well. To kill certain germs, disinfectants must be left wet on the surface for a number of minutescheck the products label for specific instructions on how long. That means you have to use enough of the product to keep the surface wet long enough for the active ingredients to take effect. Use disinfectants away from kids. Make sure young children are out of the room when youre using disinfectants, and for a little while afterward. (Gouge says the amount of time might vary based on a products active ingredient and the level of ventilation in the room.) This will keep small hands from touching drying disinfecting fluid, and potentially getting it in their mouths. And be aware that the fumes that these products give offwhich can potentially trigger respiratory irritation and asthmaremained detectable in the air for about 20 minutes, according to one study in the journal Environmental Health. And keep in mind that some schools may request disinfecting wipes as back-to-school supplies or during cold and flu season. If your school is one of those, its worth calling the school to find out whether the wipes will be stored out of reach of children, recommends CRs senior scientist Michael Hansen, Ph.D. Make sure adults, and not kids, will be the only people handling the products. In one case in Massachusetts, officials from the states Department of Agricultural Resources sent a warning letter to a school where teachers had given disinfecting wipes to children for the purpose of cleaning desks, computers, and tables. Any cleaning tasks undertaken by children should be done only with regular soap and water. If your child has asthma, the school administrators, your childs teacher, and the school nurse, if there is one, should be aware of your pediatricians action plan for treatment in case of an attack. Its reasonable to ask your pediatrician to include a note on the action plan that says disinfectant wipes shouldn't be used in your childs vicinity, Pacheco says. Consider safer disinfecting products. In the 2019 AJIC article, Holm and her team found that disinfecting products that used hydrogen peroxide were linked with fewer negative health effects than those with bleach or quats. If you want to use a disinfecting product, consider looking for one whose active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here 1 In November 2007, you said "everyone" knew Paul Quinn was involved in criminality and smuggling. Who was "everyone" and where did you get your information from? 2 You said you had spoken to the IRA and it wasn't involved in the murder. Who did you speak to? 3 You have expressed support for the PSNI. The IRA is an illegal organisation. Have you told police the names of those to whom you spoke? 4 Paul Quinn's parents have said you didn't contact them to privately express your remorse or see how you could help after his brutal murder even though you were their elected representative. Why not? 5 Why did you not ask them who they thought murdered Paul, and what type of person he was, before you passed judgment on both matters? 6 Why did you continue to deny calling Paul a criminal when you knew you had done so in a BBC NI Spotlight interview? 7 Why did you unambiguously assert to your party president, Mary Lou McDonald, that you hadn't said such words about Paul? 8 The Quinns asked you repeatedly over the past 13 years to remove your slur against their son. Why did you ignore them for all those years? 9 The Belfast Telegraph contacted Sinn Fein on January 13 about the Quinns' demand that you retract your statement and apologise. We received no reply. Why should anyone believe that your U-turn now is motivated by anything other than damage limitation in the Republic's general election? 10 Is someone who branded an innocent 21-year-old murder victim a criminal, and who refused to retract for 13 years, fit to hold senior government office at Stormont? A bar and its promoters have been slammed as being 'insensitive' and 'racist' after launching their Corona Chinese New Year Special event with $8 Corona beers and face masks. Melbourne cocktail bar Pawn & Co and their promotional company Mr Chan's advertised the event, which also featured 'Happy Ending cocktails' on Facebook. But the promotion quickly backfired and the company were forced to apologise. Melbourne cocktail bar Pawn & Co and promotional marketing company Mr Chan's have been slammed for an 'insensitive', 'offensive' and 'racist' promotion using the novel coronavirus as a marketing tool (pictured) President of the Chinese-Australia Friendship Association Anthony Leong described the event as 'ignorant, racist and insensitive', ABC News reported. 'I was surprised that somebody, anybody, could be so insensitive and ignorant in terms of profiting from this and thinking it was funny,' Mr Leong said. 'I think the timing is not just ill-conceived and insulting, it also shows a lack of knowledge, empathy and humanity.' Following the backlash both businesses pulled the event and were forced to apologise. 'From the team at Pawn & Co, we would like to unreservedly apologise for the insensitive and inappropriate marketing that has been circulated by Mr Chan's,' a Pawn & Co statement read. 'Whilst it is an external promotional company that owns the Mr Chans brand, we acknowledge that we should have been more active in understanding the communication being marketed and how it might be perceived. 'We will immediately look to make changes here that reflect the values of our venue, team and the broader community.' Mr Chan's also released a statement apologising for the marketing stunt. Mr Chan's was set to host the 'Corona Chinese New Year Special' at the Pawn & Co (pictured) which was offering $8 Corona beers, free face masks and 'happy ending' cocktails before they were slammed by the Chinese-Australia Friendship Association 'We recognise that a promotional post that was made last week was offensive and we unreservedly apologise for this,' the statement read. 'We also recognise that some of our past promotional material was inappropriate, once again we apologise for this. 'We are taking action and reviewing the Mr Chan's branding immediately, it is important for us to run a night that is inclusive for all.' Since the post Mr Chan's has deactivated its Instagram account. Mr Leong said the apologies were 'too little too late'. 'They need to be held to account. To make light of something that has been fatal to hundreds of people is the height of inhumanity and insensitivity,' he said. Despite the backlash against both businesses a large number of the comments from social media users supported them. 'Clearly being comical in all the promotions it's not like you guys design promos to target and offend,' one user wrote. 'I think your Facebook posts are fantastic. Its entertaining and refreshing seeing the way you guys approach your marketing,' another added. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Leong for further comment. We were waiting for itthe Big One. Election 2020s preview. All eyes were on Iowa. So what happened? Just ask Bernie Sanders as he celebrates Ground Hog Day all over again. The Democrats Iowa caucus results failed due to a technical error, a minor mistake, a simple snafu. It could happen to anyone. Right? Yeah, right. It seems to happen mostly with Democrats, who always, but always, flub the details, then blame the Right. Here are some examples: The Health Care Plan, meticulously handled by then-president Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that comprises 20% of the U.S. economy, failed miserably. To paraphrase great American philosopher, Nancy Pelosi, we have to pass it before know whats in it. Now we know whats in it, or rather whats not in it. Its like a joke punchline. Democratic health care is like Democratic impeachment: Make a promise, make a headline, then fill-in later. Also try to scare people into acting hastily, acting of fear. Vote for ObamaCare and Prayerful Pelosi, in a hurry, before the Republicans push granny in a wheelchair off the cliff. And when you cannot fix your broken program, fix the blame. So, we all know who was responsible: Big R -- the Republicans, even though they were not consulted and even though they voted against it. Do you remember the super-slick yet new and improved Obamacare Health Care App that wasted more billions of dollars? It failed. Who is responsible? Of course, you know: Republicans, insurance companies, greedy businessmen etc. Lets move-on dot org. No need to investigate or to hold a trial. Democrats Insulting Republicans is sufficient. Casting suspicion is enough. It was the Republicans who did it. There will be no acquittal in our court of opinion. Remember when the Democratic National Committee (DNC) email data all leaked etc. We all knew who did it. Even the FBI knew who did it, because they never even bothered to investigate seriously, to check the hardware. So, once again, who did it? Not Big D, but the two big Rs" -- Russia and the Republicans. CNN and MSNBC said so, but maybe relying on CNN-MSNBC-DNC is not a good idea. Remember when ex-DNC chairwoman Donna Brazille leaked CNN debate questions to the Clinton campaign. She said it was a mistake, but she blamed Russia and Wikileaks for making her look bad. You cannot make this stuff up. Maybe the DNC was NOT hacked. Maybe the DNC are a bunch of hacks. When the ranking Democrat senator on the Senate Intelligence Committee was found to have had a Chinese spy in her inner circle for years, it was a small error, a minor glitch. When the same senator (Diane Feinstein) and her staff deliberately mishandled sensitive information involving Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, that, too, was a minor matter. No investigation, not even any ethics charges. When ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- Democrat presidential candidate in 2016 -- violated many laws by mishandling sensitive data, the head of the FBI himself, James Comey, acted more like a pope than an agent of the law, publicly granting her a papal indulgence reserved for high-ranking Democrats. Her crimes were annulled. Her little mistake was erased, aborted. It was just careless, not deliberate, said Pope James. It did not matter that she should have known better, because, after all, clearly, she had to know better. Clinton was an experienced official and an experienced lawyer. Clinton herself had claimed she was the most experienced candidate running in 2016 and in 2008. She knew the letter and spirit of the law. It also did not matter that she and her staff clearly acted with full deliberation, destroying evidence of her guilt -- her phones and her email server. They were given immunity by Comey, Americas tallest undertaker, who rubbed his hands unctuously as he buried the case. Sensitive data from Clintons phones and emails had long since passed into the hands of foreign intelligence agencies. Who was responsible? The Republicans. As Clinton said on another occasion, it was a vast right-wing conspiracy, not her mistake, her error or her crime. It was somebody elses conspiracy. Guess who? Two senior ex-intelligence officials (Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA director John Brennan) displayed their lack of intelligence, lack of candor and lack of manners when they insisted that the bad-mannered man with the unruly hair -- incidentally the president of the United States -- was an agent of Russia. When the computer records of 44 Congressional Democrats fell into the hands of Pakistani spies (the Awan family), Democrats made sure it was not investigated. Democrat Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz made sure the FBI and the Capitol Police never really got to the bottom of the scandal. The case was closed with a sweetheart plea deal in 2018. That is how things work in the Washington D.C. swamp when sensitive data is mishandled by Democrats. No real criminal investigation. No subpoenas, no enterprise journalism, no media crusades, no talking truth to power. The New York Times goes to sleep, and the Washington Post gets into bed with the cover-up. When the records and investigations of alleged election interference are selectively, deliberately leaked -- by senior Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff, the investigation is put into the hands of Adam Schiff, the man who did the leaking, the man who arranged the leaking and the man who covered-up for the leaking. Might as well assign Al Capone to investigate bootlegging in Chicago. The media made Schiff -- the most despicable distorter of data since Senator Joe McCarthy -- a hero. Republican congressman Devin Nunes, who correctly sniffed out the blatantly partisan abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, was slapped with an ethics inquiry, his reputation stained. Subsequently, investigations by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Inspector General Michael Horowitz showed that Trump and Nunes were correct in their assertions. So before you sign up for the next Democrat data app remember all these examples (and remember the misuse of IRS data by Obama officials) and please remember that d stands for data, but Big D stands for dirt and Democrats. Or as a Democrat famous for her failures once said: What difference at this point does it make? A long-running legal row concerning the bankruptcy of businessman Sean Dunne and the proceeds of the sale of a house in Shrewsbury Road, Dublin, has been settled. The High Court heard yesterday that following "sensitive discussions" since the matter was before the court last Friday, three separate actions related to the sale of 'Walford' had been settled on confidential terms. Mr Justice Denis McDonald, after reading the terms of settlement, agreed to adjourn final orders for a week. The trial had been scheduled to take four weeks. He said he was sure it had been quite difficult for the parties to have got to this point. Bernard Dunleavy SC, for the official assignee handling Mr Dunne's Irish bankruptcy, earlier said the three sets of proceedings were settled and involved "a series of complex steps to be taken in other jurisdictions". He asked that it be adjourned for a week for the implementation of those proceedings and an application will then be made to strike out all the proceedings. In his action, official assignee Chris Lehane sought to establish that Mr Dunne, who was declared bankrupt in 2013 both here and in the US, was connected with the sale of Walford for 14m to Yesreb Holdings. John Dunne (32), a child of Mr Dunne's first marriage, is the owner of Yesreb. Mr Lehane claimed Sean Dunne had an involvement with Yesreb and Walford must therefore still have had a connection to the family. The Dunnes initially denied having any connection with Yesreb but later asserted it had been owned by John Dunne, having been gifted to him by Gayle Killilea, Sean's former second wife. Sean Dunne paid a record 58m for Walford in 2005 at the height of the boom under a trust set up for Ms Killilea. In 2016, Yesreb sold Walford for 14.25m to Celtic Trustees Ltd. Celtic is the sole trustee of the Merdon Trust and whose settlor is billionaire financier Dermot Desmond, and which was set up for the benefit of Mr Desmond's children. The settlement came after Mr Justice McDonald was told on Friday that Sean Dunne, a witness but not a party to the High Court case, had separately initiated injunction proceedings in New York aimed at restraining John Dunne from using funds held by Yesreb. Yesreb is the defendant in the Dublin case and a firm of which John Dunne has been described as a director, to settle the High Court proceedings. Mr Lehane had sued Yesreb here in a bid to recover the proceeds of the sale for the benefit of the estate of Sean Dunne, whose Irish bankruptcy has been extended for 12 years over failure to co-operate with the official assignee. Celtic Trustees was a notice party in that case. In a second set of separate proceedings, Celtic, Mr Desmond and members of his family sued Mr Lehane and the Insolvency Service of Ireland over the alleged leaking of confidential material to a newspaper concerning an agreement to buy Walford. In the third case, Celtic sued Mr Lehane, claiming it had good title to Walford. All three cases are now settled. Cambridge University students have said that having military personnel and weapons at their freshers' fair is 'alarming' for attendees and could 'affect' their mental health. Students voted in favour of banning societies from bringing firearms to the annual fairs after union welfare and rights officer Stella Swain suggested those with mental health issues could find their presence 'triggering'. The motion said that the presence of military personnel and firearms at the fair indicate 'implicit approval of their use, despite the links between military and firearms and violence on an international scale'. Students voted in favour of banning societies from bringing firearms to the annual fairs after union welfare and rights officer Stella Swain suggested those with mental health issues could find their presence 'triggering' Ms Swain, who proposed the motion, said that the union was committed to demilitarisation efforts within the university, and therefore should not be a place for 'military organisations to recruit'. 'The presence of firearms and military personnel at freshers' fair is alarming and off-putting for some students, and has the potential to detrimentally affect students' mental welfare,' the motion said. Former commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp labelled the motion as 'pathetic, to say the very least,' the Daily Telegraph reported. 'I would suggest this is nothing to do with the military as such. It is just yet another effort, as we have seen in so many of these student motions at various universities, to undermine British society. 'Without the Armed Forces these students wouldn't be able to study, they are only able to because the country has been protected and defended by the British Army.' He added that many students from the university had fought and died in the Armed Forces, and that the motion lacked respect for their sacrifice. In 2018, the union voted down a motion to promote Remembrance Sunday citing fears about the 'glorification' of conflict. A CUSU sokesperson said: `A motion was brought to CUSU Council proposing to restrict stallholders from bringing firearms to the annual Freshers Fair. `The motion originally proposed that external staff from national organisations should not attend the Freshers Fair with student societies, as it is a student-focussed event. This part of the motion was removed before it was passed. `The final motion only proposed to restrict firearms at the Freshers Fair event and did not constitute any sort of ban on military personnel, military organisations or military student societies. `All registered student societies are welcome at the CUSU Freshers Fair, including student military societies, and this will continue to be the case.' By PTI WASHINGTON: The US is working closely with Beijing to combat the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump said, as the deadly infection claimed 490 lives in China and spread to over 20 countries, including India and America, prompting the World Health Organisation to declare a global health emergency. The US on Tuesday evacuated over 300 more people on two new flights out of the Chinese city Wuhan, the epicentre of the fast-spreading new coronavirus. Last week, it evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. "Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases," Trump said in his State of the Union speech on late Tuesday night while highlighting the initiatives taken by his administration in the healthcare sector. ALSO READ: World Bank calls for global effort against coronavirus as death toll nears 500 "We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat," he said. The death toll in coronavirus outbreak rose to 490 in China on Tuesday. One death was reported earlier this week from the Philippines. Worldwide, the virus, so far, has spread to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, India, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia, Finland, Spain, UAE and Sweden. "As we pray for all who are sick, we know that America is constantly achieving new medical breakthroughs," Trump said in his speech. ALSO READ | World has 'window of opportunity' to halt coronavirus spread: WHO chief The president underlined that his administration has launched ambitious new initiatives to substantially improve care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer's, and those struggling with mental health challenges. Trump said a good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative and high-quality healthcare system. "Before I took office, health insurance premiums had more than doubled in just 5 years. I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. Our new plans are up to 60 per cent less expensive. "I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions -- that is a guarantee," he said. The president said his administration will always protect the Medicare and the Social Security schemes. Asserting that his administration will never let socialism "destroy" US healthcare, he said, "As we work to improve Americans' healthcare, there are those who want to take away your healthcare, take away your doctor, and abolish private insurance entirely." "One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans," he added. PADUA - A model for receiving asylum seekers and refugees created by the Calo family will be replicated in six EU countries: Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, and Sweden. The three-year project, named Embracin, will receive 1.9 million euros in EU funding. In recent days, the 9 partners of the initiative met for the first time in Padua, which is spearheading the project. Taking part in the meeting was Antonio Silvio Calo, a Treviso professor known for hosting six migrants at his home. The project will follow the "6+6x6" model, which calls for six migrants every 5,000 inhabitants and a group of six workers - doctor, psychologist, cultural mediator, lawyer, etc - able to assist the six groups of six migrants each. Since the beginning of the year, Calo said, ''my youths have all been autonomous, both in terms of work and in terms of residence. It is not true that this type of reception cannot be done: if our family could do it, the state can too.'' In the eyes of the town councillor tasked with integration and social inclusion, ''the Embracin project is open both to families and other networks of people. We want to show that this type of reception can have a positive impact and can provide an alternative response to the closing of ports.'' Tullow Oil is considering closing its operations in Ireland as part of a wider plan to cut costs by around $20m (18m). The Irish-founded company has an office in Dublin, employing around 55 people. While some employees work in corporate services, most are exploration-focused geologists. Africa-focused Tullow is committed to halving its exploration spend. The companys Irish office was scaled back in size in 2015, before which it housed around 120 employees. Along with Dublin, Tullow may also close its Cape Town office. The two offices are Tullows only operations located in countries where it has no oil exploration interests. It is unclear whether any redeployment opportunities will exist but Tullow is expected to issue further details about its restructuring plans when it publishes delayed annual results for 2019 in March. Tullow is looking to cut a third of its overall group staff in order to lower administration costs by around $20m. The move would shrink its global workforce to around 650 people. Tullow estimates that the measures will deliver considerable savings and the groups workforce may reduce by approximately a third globally with potential office closures in Dublin and Cape Town among a number of measures to reduce costs and overheads, the company said confirming that it has begun the restructuring process and is set to enter into a consultation process with affected staff. At the end of last year Tullow scrapped dividend payments and parted company with its chief executive after announcing oil production and associated revenues would be lower than forecast in 2020 and beyond. Tullow is not expected to announce a new CEO to replace Paul McDade until after its March results presentation and around a third of its senior management jobs could also go in the upcoming cull. Its share price which tumbled by around 64% last year jumped as much as 6% on news of its restructuring plans. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 18:32 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c49ba 1 Business Soekarno-Hatta-International-Airport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,Bali-Airport,China,wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,Angkasa-Pura-II Free Indonesias largest international airports have stopped flights to and from China following the government's decision to impose a temporary travel ban to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan. State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II), which runs Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang, confirmed the stoppage on Wednesday. We have prepared for this matter with all stakeholders, especially all airlines that serve flights from Jakarta to China and vice versa. We hope that this temporary halt to flights will be understood by all parties, AP II president director Muhammad Awaluddin said, as quoted by Antara News Agency. Soekarno-Hatta is the only AP II airport that serves scheduled and regular flights to and from China. Before the ban, there had been 16 flight routes from Soekarno-Hatta to several destinations in China and vice versa. The routes included flights to Beijing, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzen Baoan, Shanghai Pudong, Kunming, Nanning, Haikou Meilan, Fuzhou Changle, and Xiamen Gaoqi. During normal service, 143 takeoffs and landings occur weekly at the airport on these routes. The airlines that offer flights between Jakarta and China are Air China, China Southern, Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Lion Air, Xiamen, China Eastern, Sriwijaya Air and Federal Express. In addition to Soekarno-Hatta, Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali has also temporarily stopped flights to and from China. As of Wednesday morning at 01.00 a.m local time, we have officially suspended the operational flight routes to and from mainland China until a time that will be determined later," airport general manager Herry Sikado said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. China Southern Airlines flight CZ625 from Guangzhou was the last flight from mainland China to arrive in Bali before the ban, landing at Ngurah Rai on Tuesday night. In Manado, North Sulawesi, charter flights connecting China and Manado have also been stopped indefinitely. "The decision is effective now, both for departure and arrival flights," North Sulawesis Law and Human Rights Ministry regional office head Lumaksono said on Wednesday. Lion Air Group spokesperson Danang Mandala Prihantoro said that flights to and from several cities in China had indeed been canceled or temporarily stopped until further notice from the government. Danang said the affected routes included the Manado to Tianjin and return route, the Manado to Fuzhou and return route and the Manado to Hangzhou and return route. Danang said Lion Air Group flights to China that were still operating were ferry flights for returning passengers only. (roi) OTTAWA A longstanding Osborne Village church fears its efforts to rebrand into a community-outreach hub could fall prey to squabbles between Ottawa and the Manitoba government. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA A longstanding Osborne Village church fears its efforts to rebrand into a community-outreach hub could fall prey to squabbles between Ottawa and the Manitoba government. Augustine United Church has operated since 1887, and has spent the past five years trying to convert into an outreach centre, daycare and gathering space under the name Augustine Centre. The idea is to still hold church services with the congregation renting the sanctuary, while focusing on community work in its 1903 building. "The spats that were going on between Ottawa and the province of Manitoba were really delaying our cause," said board chairman Jeff Carter. "We are literally, at this point, hanging on the thread." Provincial grants have come through, city bylaw requests are finally underway, and the private sector has stepped up. But federal cash remains elusive, after officially and unofficially asking Ottawa for $2 million since mid-2017. "Our main concern right now is the federal government. Weve had assurances and promises that money will be available to us, but we havent seen anything yet," said Carter. He fears the organizations involved the church itself, Oak Table, and the Splash daycare program will have to start taking on debt and cut into programming budgets if federal dollars dont flow soon. The church has an aging congregation and requires expensive upkeep, and so the groups involved came up with a plan. They want to renovate parts of the building to offer 92 daycare spots, expand the drop-in meal and warming-centre programs in the basement, and rent out the main sanctuary for events. The areas Liberal MP, Jim Carr, said he strongly believes in the project, and hes been asking federal officials what funding programs it might qualify for. "There are some definitional issues that have been discussed, and Im just looking at all possibilities within infrastructure pools, within the government of Canada, that would be a good match," he said. Carr has also asked Central Services Minister Reg Helwer to consider matching funds for the project. "I wouldnt call it a dispute; its a matter of what priorities the government of Manitoba establishes for cost-sharing infrastructure projects with Ottawa," Carr said. "Were hopeful that the province will also put this project on its priority list." Manitoba signed onto Ottawas Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program in June 2018, after the agreement sat unsigned during a year-long dispute over funding for flood-channel outlet construction. ICIP has provinces select projects and send them to Ottawa for approval, with both levels of government sharing costs. Carter said his group applied for $2 million shortly after Manitoba allowed ICIP applications this past summer. A spokeswoman said Helwer is away this week, but noted Manitoba has received many ICIP requests. "The province has a comprehensive approval process that includes consultation with external partners," wrote the spokeswoman, noting this often involves Indigenous and municipal leaders. "This review takes time to complete and is important to ensure Manitoba is making strategic investments in infrastructure." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Separately, the province has already earmarked $950,000 to help construct child-care spaces and demolish part of the basement. Ottawa has also forked out $100,000 for security of the child-care site. Carters group had previously appealed to Ottawa in mid-2017; that was as Manitobas ICIP agreement sat unsigned for a year. He would prefer the federal Liberals go around the Pallister government, as they did for a project down the road. "We hope that theyll be able to infuse some funds directly into this enterprise," Carter said. "The longer we wait, the more tenuous our situation becomes in terms of the ability to afford the building." A year ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $2.8 million for Winnipeg Transits Fort Rouge garage, in a direct agreement with the City of Winnipeg that left out the provincial government. Ottawa has threatened to do more direct cash transfers to municipalities when provinces are reluctant to share costs; its unclear whether the Liberals want to make this a habit for community groups. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, on Tuesday, imposed a temporary stay on a captive jetty project proposed along the south Konkan coast. The project planned at Nate village in Ratnagiri district, within the eco-sensitive Ambolgadh and Kasheli region, was opposed by local villagers, environmentalists and marine biologists. The environment minister has directed a temporary stay on all clearances and construction until further notice. The minister said he will be personally visiting the proposed jetty site. He will consult experts to assess the ecological impact of the project and hear all objections from local residents, said a senior official from the environment department. At a cost of 135 crore, the third party captive jetty, with a capacity of 10 million tons per annum will be built across 428.5 hectares. In January, I LOG Ports Private Limited, a subsidiary of Kolkata-based SREI Infrastructure Finance, commenced marine and soil testing activities for the project. This forced local residents led by Jana Hakka Seva Samiti (JHSS) to carry out massive protests at Nate and neighbouring villages. We welcome the decision by the state. With jetty, there will more polluting (red category) industries threatening the entire Ratnagiri coastline. We will continue to oppose this project until it is withdrawn, said Satyajit Chavan, president Jana Hakka Seva Samiti. Project proponents have rubbished claims that the project would cause harm to the environment. We have not received any communication from the state yet. If we do, we will convince the ministry about the economic advantages of such a project in Konkan region. The project is not at all environmentally damaging and there are vested interests in nearby villages that are attempting to block the construction. The project, however, awaits final environment clearance (EC) from the Centre. The project was first proposed in 2010 when a thermal power plant was planned along with the jetty but the idea was dropped in subsequent years. The project has been opposed by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) that had issued a detailed letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in January post soil testing work. Districts like Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg are coastal zones of high ecological value, clean beaches, and do not warrant such projects. Rather, local livelihood and economic boost can come from a sustainable tourism model, said Deepak Apte, director, BNHS. EC issued for JNPP in 2010 had clearly identified the Nate village area as eco-sensitive, and a 2012 conservation plan by BNHS highlighted how polluting industries would degrade the rich marine biodiversity, Apte added. Located in close proximity to the 9,900 megawatt Jaitapur Nuclear power plant (JNPP), the jetty will handle a bauxite beneficiation plant and also act a storage transport terminal for cargoes such as coal, fertilisers, sugar, bauxite, cement, steel structures and engineering goods etc. for refineries and other industrial clusters in the region. JETTY AREA PROPOSED AS BIODIVERSTIY HERITAGE SITE Pune-based Biome Conservation Foundation, Rock Outcrop Network, a network of citizens and scientists which works towards creating awareness on unique lateritic plateau ecosystems of Maharashtra, wrote to environment minister Aaditya Thackeray on February 2 proposed 11 sites in south Ratnagiri, including areas of the Nate village in Ambolgadh region in Rajapur taluka as a biodiversity heritage site to ensure sustainability of the ecosystems and livelihoods through local sustainable tourism activities. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The United States Senate cleared Donald Trump of both charges in its impeachment trial of the president, bringing to an end the impeachment saga that has consumed Washington since the House of Representatives launched its inquiry into the Trumps actions last September. In a 52-48 vote, the Senate found Trump not guilty of abusing his power of office. The Senate voted 53-47 to acquit the president on the charge of obstruction of Congress. On the first charge, one Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, broke rank and joined all Democrats in voting to convict Trump of abuse of power. But the vote fell well short of the two-thirds majority needed to remove a president. Romney voted with his party on the obstruction of Congress charge. Democrats had accused Trump of abusing his power by orchestrating a pressure campaign to get Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. They also accused him of obstructing Congress for refusing to participate in the impeachment inquiry. Trump denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly calling the impeachment a hoax. US senators casting their votes on the second article of impeachment obstruction of Congress during the final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump [File: Senate TV/Handout via Reuters] Trump repeated that assertion again shortly after the trial, tweeting he will discuss our countrys VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax! in a public statement from the White House on Thursday afternoon. The sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the FULL vindication and exoneration of President @realDonaldTrump, tweeted White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Shameful and wrong, but not impeachable Trumps legal defence in the Senate trial had argued that House Democrats did not sufficiently prove that Trump engaged in the pressure campaign. Even if Trump did what House Democrats accused him of, many Republicans said it was not a serious enough offence to remove him from office or ban him from running again with only nine months to go before the next US presidential election. Several Republican senators said the House proved its case and they expressed disapproval of the presidents conduct. The presidents behaviour was shameful and wrong. His personal interests do not take precedence over those of this great nation, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said in floor remarks. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said in a statement, it was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. While acquittal was always the likely outcome, the question of whether the Senate would call witnesses came to a dramatic head last week amid new revelations from former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton about Trumps alleged wrongdoing. After four hours of arguments, the Senate voted to block witnesses and new evidence in a 51-49 vote. Moderate Republicans faced heavy political pressure from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the White House not to break ranks during the trial. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking before the resumption and final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump [Senate TVReuters] McConnell met privately with Murkowski and convinced her not to vote with Democrats to call witnesses in the trial. McConnell, speaking to reporters after Wednesdays vote, accused Democrats of using the impeachment trial to try to gain an advantage in winning control of the Senate in November, but called the effort a colossal political mistake. He also said he was surprised and disappointed by Romneys vote. Asked by a reporter whether it was acceptable for a president to ask a foreign country to investigate a political rival, McConnell declined to answer directly. Impeached forever Trumps acquittal is not likely to satisfy Democrats quest for answers and will leave Trump and his administration open to continuing House investigations. Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said Trumps acquittal in an unfair trial was worth nothing. No doubt, the president will boast he received total exoneration. But we know better. We know this wasnt a trial by any stretch of the definition, he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Wednesdays acquittal, saying the president and Senate Republicans have normalised lawlessness and rejected the system of checks and balances of our constitution. She added: The president will boast that he has been acquitted. There can be no acquittal without a trial, and there is no trial without witnesses, documents and evidence The president is impeached forever. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, who also served as a House manager in the Senate trial, said earlier on Wednesday that the House would likely subpoena Bolton to testify and continue its investigation into the president. Democrats have expressed concern that an acquittal would further embolden a president who already challenges political norms. They have painted him as a threat to US democracy and a demagogue who has acted lawlessly and exhibited a contempt for the powers of Congress and other institutions. They also have voiced concern over Russia interfering in another US election. What was the impeachment centred on? The core of Trumps impeachment revolved around a July 25 phone call the US president had for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump asked the Ukrainian for a favour. Before and after the call, according to testimony in the impeachment inquiry, Trump directed government officials and his private agent Rudy Guiliani to demand Zelenskyy announce political investigations in exchange for the release of nearly $400m in security assistance and a White House meeting for Zelenskyy. Trump wanted Zelenskyy to undertake official investigations of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who was a paid board member of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company. There is no evidence the Bidens did anything wrong. US senators casting their votes on the first article of impeachment abuse of power [File: Senate TV/Reuters] Trump further pushed Zelenskyy to look into a debunked conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that hacked emails and documents of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and the campaign of then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation charged Russian intelligence agents with the 2016 cyberattack and US intelligence agencies concluded publicly Russia was behind the attacks. Biggest victory yet Trump is only the third US president ever to face a Senate trial. No president has ever been removed from office in an impeachment proceeding. The acquittal handed Trump his biggest victory yet over his Democratic adversaries in Congress. Trumps job approval ratings have remained fairly consistent throughout his presidency and the impeachment process as his core conservative supporters especially white men, rural Americans, evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics stick with him. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, suggested 42 percent of American adults approved of his performance, while 54 percent disapproved. That is nearly the same as when the House launched its impeachment inquiry in September, when his approval stood at 43 percent and disapproval at 53 percent. With additional reporting by William Roberts in Washington, DC. Open source Pechersk district court of Kyiv extended the arrest of Yana Duhar, the suspect in the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet. Her arrest is extended until April 4 as Ukrainian News reported. The suspect was present during the session court along with her lawyers. The prosecutors insisted on the extension of the arrest as Duhar is married to a citizen of Iraq. The law enforcers are concerned that she will escape from the country to husband. The lawyers stated that Yana Duhar does not communicate with her husband for two years. During the stay under the house arrest, the suspect did not try to leave the country; her passports kept by law enforcers. As we reported, National police detained the persons of interests in case of the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet. They are also notified of suspicion. Kyiv Pechersk District Court chose a preventive measure for Yulia Kuzmenko in the form of the detention for two months. Pechersk district court of Kyiv chose the restrictive measure in the form of the 24-hour house arrest for military nurse Yana Duhar. Andriy Antonenko was also arrested for two months. Ukrainian journalist Pavlo Sheremet was killed in Kyiv in the morning of July 20, 2016. His car exploded in the citys downtown. The vehicle belonged to his civilian wife, Editor-in-Chief of Ukrainska Pravda outlet Olena Prytula; she was not in the car at the moment. The Ukrainian police qualified the explosion as intentional homicide. There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas - better, in many respects, than those of the EU - without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now. Virginia Tech scientists have discovered that incredibly small particles of an unusual and highly toxic titanium oxide found in coal smog and ash can cause lung damage in mice after a single exposure, with long-term damage occurring in just six weeks. The tests were headed by Irving Coy Allen, a professor with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, with collaborators from across Virginia Tech and researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, and East China Normal University in Shanghai. The findings were recently published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology. They follow 2017 findings by Virginia Tech geoscientist Michael Hochella that burning coal -- when smoke is not captured by high-end filters currently found in U.S. power plants -- emits tiny particulates known as titanium suboxide nanoparticles into the atmosphere. Such nanoparticles were found by Hochella's team of scientists in ash collected from the city streets, sidewalks, and in ponds and bays near U.S. and Chinese cities. Using mouse models in a lab setting, these tiniest of nanoparticles -- as small as 100 millionths of a meter -- entered the lungs after being inhaled. Once inside the lungs, the nanoparticles encountered macrophages, the lungs' defensive cells that trap and remove foreign materials. Typically, these cells protect the lungs from pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. But against these nanoparticles, the macrophages falter. They can't break the titanium nanoparticles down, so the cells begin to die, and this process recruits more macrophages. These processes begin a feedback loop with each round of dying cells concentrating around the nanoparticles. The dying, nanoparticle-containing cells then begin making deposits in the lungs and these deposits cause problems. We begin seeing negative impacts on lung function, and basically the lungs fail to continue to work correctly." Irving Coy Allen, a member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology In what Allen calls a "striking find," his team discovered negative effects after only one exposure to the toxic nanoparticles. Long-term damage from the deposits can appear in as little as six weeks, raising concerns for highly polluted cities. "We realized if someone is living near a power plant, or near one of these coal burning sources, they wouldn't be exposed to a single dose, they'd be exposed to this daily," he said. "We also did not see lung clearance after a week, so when these things are in your lungs they are staying there, and they are staying there for an extended period of time." More so, damaged lungs can lead to higher susceptibility to virus or bacterial infection, and could worsen symptoms associated with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the exact effects of these toxic nanoparticles on humans, other animals, vegetation, and water systems are not known and demand further study by international researchers, Allen said. "Mouse and human lungs are functionally similar, but anatomically different in a variety of subtle ways," Allen added. "While the studies done in this paper are commonly utilized to model airway disorders in people, more direct clinical data are necessary to fully understand the human impact of exposure to these nanoparticles." The titanium suboxide nanoparticles -- called Magneli phases by researchers -- were once thought rare, found on Earth in some meteorites, from a small area of certain rocks in western Greenland, and occasionally in moon rocks. However, Hochella, working with other researchers in 2017, found that these nanoparticles are in fact widespread globally from the burning of coal. According to the earlier study, published in Nature Communications, nearly all coal contains small amounts of the minerals rutile or anatase, both "normal," naturally occurring, and relatively inert titanium oxides. But when burnt, these minerals convert to titanium suboxide. The nanoparticles then become airborne if the power plant is not equipped with high-tech particle traps, such as those in the United States. For countries without strict regulations, the nanoparticles can float away in air currents locally, regionally, and even globally, Hochella said. (He added that the United States first started using electrostatic precipitators on coal stacks in the 1920s.) Early biotoxicity studies by Hochella's group with zebra fish embryos showed signs of negative biological impact from the nanoparticles, suggesting potential harm to humans. Now, with this study, the odds of toxicity to humans are much greater. "The problem with these nanoparticles is that there is no easy or practical way to prevent their formation during coal burning," said Hochella, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geosciences with the Virginia Tech College of Science, upon the earlier study's release two years ago. Hochella and his team came across the titanium suboxide nanoparticles quite by accident while studying the downstream movement of a 2014 coal ash spill in the Dan River of North Carolina. The group later produced the same titanium suboxide nanoparticles when burning coal in lab simulations. This potential health hazard builds on established findings from the World Health Organization: More than 3.3 million premature deaths occurring worldwide per year due to polluted air, and in China alone, 1.6 million premature deaths are estimated annually due to cardiovascular and respiratory injury from air pollution. This raises multiple questions: Are the nanoparticles absorbed through the body by other means, such as contact with eyes or skin? Can they find their way into vegetation - including food - though soil? If so, what are the implications on the gastrointestinal tract? Are they present in drinking water? If a mouse experiences long-term damage at six weeks, what does that pose for humans who breathe the air? Allen urges that testing move to human-focused studies. "We've identified a unique pollutant in the environment, and we've shown there's a potential health concern for humans, so that gives us a biomarker that we can monitor more closely," he said. "We should begin looking at these particulates more closely as we become more aware of the hazards these nanoparticles pose. These are questions that need to be asked." That path, while obvious, may not be so simple, ethically or politically. Scientists can't expose human test subjects to coal smog or ash and the toxic nanoparticles. Therefore, a likely scenario: scientists could study these particles in human lung tissue from lung biopsies and clinical specimens. However, many clinicians have been reluctant to take part in this effort in many of the countries at the most risk. Allen said one reason may be the sensitivity that these countries hold toward air-quality issues. President and co-founder of global strategic intelligence and research firm Proactive Worldwide, David Kalinowski, will lead the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) workshop Foundations of Market & Competitive Intelligence on February 12 and 13, 2020 in Dallas, TX. The intensive two-day workshop will take place at AC Hotel Dallas Downtown. Intended primarily for individuals who are relatively new to competitive intelligence, as well as current CI professionals looking for a refresher course, the workshop will offer takeaways that will empower attendees to develop and implement intelligence strategies that will lead to positive impacts on their organizations. The workshop will focus on nine core areas strategic and competitive intelligence professionals must develop in order to support evidence-based decision making. Topics Kalinowski will address include CI industry best practices, managing stakeholder expectations, conducting secondary and primary research, delivering impact through analysis, developing an intelligence network, and determining the value of CI. To ensure attendees leave Foundations of Market & Competitive Intelligence with lasting skills and knowledge, the workshop will present information through practical lessons and hands-on experiences rather than mere theory. Attendees will work alongside Kalinowski and their peers, participating in role-playing activities and breakout exercises, watching videos, considering case studies and listening to stories packed with valuable decision support insight. Participants at the latest iteration of the workshop rated it at 4.9 out of 5, describing it as engaging and full of useful tools, takeaways and strategies. After completing the workshop, participants can expect to understand how to apply an intelligence capability model to their CI function and demonstrate the value of CI. They will also learn the elements of an early warning program and develop the skills they need to improve their capacity for analysis. Following a knowledge test conducted at the end of the course, each participant will be presented with their SCIP Competitive IQ certification. This professional certification indicates the attainment of skill in market and competitive intelligence. Online registration for the February 2020 session of the workshop runs until the day of the event. Registration price varies for SCIP members and non-members, but individuals who join the SCIP when they register for the workshop will receive a substantial discount on a one-year membership. About David Kalinowski Kalinowski has over 30 years of experience working in the competitive intelligence field. He has conducted CI research and consulting for hundreds of corporations across industries and borders and oversees all business operations and administration at Proactive Worldwide. A dynamic presenter, he frequently facilitates wargaming events for strategic leadership teams and presents at conferences and programs like Foundations of Market & Competitive Intelligence. Kalinowski has remained a member of the SCIP since 1990, and he was presented the SCIP Catalyst Award in 2005 for service to the CI profession along with being SCIPs first recipient of its Distinguished Member Solutions Provider award in 2015. About Proactive Worldwide Proactive Worldwide is a global research and consulting firm dedicated to providing decision support backed by primary research and evidence-based analysis that results in strategic insight. Founded in 1995, the company works with clients in industries such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing and technology. To learn more about Proactive Worldwides industry-leading work in competitive intelligence, visit http://www.proactiveworldwide.com. Even its suppressive security forces, like the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), are trying to distance themselves from the regime, at a time when the regime has also lost much control in Iraq. Add this to the Iranian peoples uprising, where they chant anti-regime slogans and you can see that the regime is on shaky ground. Isolation The regimes isolation began with the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and the reimposing of sanctions that cut off Irans oil and petrochemical revenue. In the past year, its become considerably worse. In February 2019, the European signatories to the JCPOA condemned Iran for its breach of the UN Security Council resolution 2231 by the testing of a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and urged the regime to end its unacceptable behavior. In July, the US Treasury designated Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif and the regime failed to comply with international standards against money-laundering and terrorist financing, which could have given it some sanctions relief. (Despite several warnings, the regime still failed to meet those standards.) In December, the European Parliament passed a resolution supporting the Iranian peoples protests and condemned the regimes violent crackdown. In January, the United States Congress did the same, while the regime announced that it would stop abiding by the nuclear deal. The announcement led the European signatories to trigger the agreements dispute resolution mechanism, which could mean UN sanctions being reimposed on Iran. Loss of Influence The regime also lost a lot of influence over the last 12 months, with probably the most important blow being the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, head of the Iranian regimes proxy forces in Iraq, in a drone strike by the US on January 3. Others include: The Iraqi uprising against Iranian interference in their country, which began in October and was revived in January The blacklisting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, including its Quds force and all its commanders by the US The expulsion or arrest of Irans terrorist diplomats in Albania, the US, and Germany for their role in plotting terrorist activities against MEK/PMOI Loss of money to support proxy groups The Iranian peoples ongoing protests against the regime The overthrow of the regime is certain and imminent. The Iranian people do not want the mullahs in power. They want to free themselves from the regime and will accept nothing less than freedom. Things have changed dramatically in Iran over the past year, with people taking to the streets at every opportunity to chant slogans like Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is null and void, despite the heavy presence of the security forces. The international community must stop appeasing the mullahs and instead side with the Iranian people. Dileep V Kumar By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It's past midnight on January 30 and a high-level meeting is in progress at the Thrissur Government Medical College. Chairing the meeting is a 63-year-old woman who is the health minister of the state. The meeting has been convened against the backdrop of the confirmation of the first positive case of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) in the country in Thrissur in Kerala. In the days that follow, two more positive cases are reported from Alappuzha and Kasaragod. But like a seasoned captain who steers the ship through a storm, the health minister KK Shailaja is leading the state's response to the viral outbreak with a combination of tough-mindedness and tender-heartedness. For Shailaja, containing the nCoV is just another challenge in her current stint as health minister. She had the experience of marshalling her troops during the floods and the Nipah virus outbreak which had struck the state twice, in 2018 and 2019. "She is a tough taskmaster. It doesn't matter if it's midnight or if she is having any ailments, the minister is there to monitor every arrangement. In the case of nCoV prevention and control, the minister is leading from the front by convening assessment meetings daily," said an officer of the health department. ALSO READ | Baby tests positive for coronavirus just 30 hours after birth The officer pointed out that from surveillance to aspects like early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread, the minister is there to oversee all activities. This has reaped dividends as the three cases which turned out to be positive were in people who were quarantined by the health department as soon as it came to know about their arrival from Wuhan in China, which is the epicentre of the outbreak. During one of her press briefings, Shailaja said, "The state is expecting more positive cases of nCoV. But that doesn't mean people have to start panicking. The state's surveillance protocol is one of the best. Also, it has been decided to put in place a three-pronged strategy for nCoV containment - ensuring the health of those who had returned from Wuhan, ensuring zero nCoV death and ensuring non-outbreak of nCoV among the public." At the same time, sources say that the professional stance taken by the state health department in times of health emergencies like Nipah and nCoV is because of Shailaja. "Before entering into politics, she was a science teacher at Sivapuram High School in Kannur. This science background helped her understand the complexities and terminologies involved in viral outbreaks better. Also, she gives a patient hearing to experts in the field," said a member of her ministerial staff. Corroborating this, former state health secretary Rajeev Sadanandan said, "Be it times of distress or normal grievances, she tries to identify herself with the common man. The other major quality is giving space to technical people to carry out their work without any political interference. The high level of integrity that she posses is another remarkable feature." ALSO READ | Amid coronavirus outbreak, 'crisis' stricken Hong Kong airline asks 27,000 staff to take unpaid leave The other day, the minister said that as those who are under home and hospital quarantine due to nCoV are suffering from stress, anxiety and stigma, it has been decided to provide them with psychological support under the mental health programme. For this, 191 counsellors have been employed and to date, they have provided counselling to 1,043 people. She also stepped in to address the 'infodemic' phenomenon that accompanies any public health emergency. Infodemic refers to the overabundance of information - some accurate and some not - that is circulated on social media. To plug this, other than initiating legal action against rumourmongers, the health department also started to provide accurate information regarding nCov to bust the myths. The state at present has put 2,421 people who arrived from nCoV notified places under isolation. Of them, 2,321 are in home isolation and 100 are in hospital isolation. So far, three positive cases have been reported from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod. All the positive cases are medical students who studied in Wuhan and are known to each other. Timeline As soon as the Union Health Ministry issued an alert against nCoV on January 17, the state health department began surveillance measures The lessons learnt while dealing with the Nipah virus outbreak were drawn upon by the department On January 18, the department commenced its nCov preventive and control measures including that of alerting the District Medical Offices to look out for symptomatic persons On January 30, the first positive case of nCoV in the country was reported from Kerala The positive case was confirmed in a medical student who was in isolation at Thrissur general hospital On February 2, the second positive case was reported from Alappuzha In the second case too, the student was in isolation at a hospital The third positive case was reported from Kasaragod on February 3 nCov was confirmed in a student who was in isolation at a hospital in Kasaragod The government declared nCoV a state-specific disaster Union health secretary Preeti Sudan, while praising the nCoV surveillance protocol of Kerala, asked other states and union territories to take a leaf out of their book. A Candian man falsely announced that he had coronavirus forcing the plane to return to the airport, international media reported. James Potok was detained by the police soon after medical tests proved he was fine, police said on Tuesday. The incident happened on February 3 on a WestJet Airlines flight that was carrying 243 passengers from Toronto to Montego Bay in Jamaica. Potok, while speaking to international media said that it was simply a joke that went wrong. Charged with mischief Narrating the incident, the 28-year-old YouTuber said that about mid-way through the flight he stood up and pulled his video camera out. He then looked around and asked for everybodys attention. He then said that he had just returned from Hunan Province, the capital of the coronavirus and wasnt feeling well. Read: J&K Government Orders Corona Virus Screening At Airports Read; Coronavirus: Man Kept In Isolation Ward Of Govt Hospital In UP's Balrampur After the plane landed, the 29-year-old man was checked by medical staff who concluded that he did not have coronavirus. He was charged with mischief by the police and is now scheduled to appear in court on March 9. Sarah Patten, a spokeswoman for police in the town of Peel, close to Torontos Pearson international airport told media reporters that a male was causing a disturbance on the flight, saying he had been to China and had the coronavirus. Read: US Partners With Pharmaceutical Firm To Develop Treatment For Coronavirus Read; Coronavirus: Surat Diamond Industry Stares At Rs 8,000 Cr Loss Meanwhile, as the dread of coronavirus intensifies, the United States announced that it is working with a pharmaceutical company to develop a treatment for the deadly virus. As for now, the country has 11 confirmed cases of the virus. The official added that new treatment will be developed using a class of drug that boosted survival rates among Ebola patients. According to reports, both the Department of Health and Human Services and Regeneron will develop monoclonal antibodies to fight the infection, a different line of treatment to the antiretrovirals and flu drugs that have also emerged as possible defences against the disease. TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Habitat for Humanity Canadas National Board is proud to announce that Julia Deans will be taking over the role of President and CEO, effective February 24, 2020. After practicing law with Torys LLP in Toronto and Hong Kong and creating a successful business in Singapore, Julia led CivicAction , Futurpreneur Canada and the task force that developed Ontarios first-ever immigration strategy. Most recently, Julia was the founding CEO of the Canada Childrens Literacy Foundation . Julia Deans has a wealth of experience leading organizations through growth and evolution. She is ideally posed to provide strategic leadership as we move through the development of a new five-year strategy for the federation, said Ed McMahon, Board Chair of Habitat Canadas National Board of Directors. Were excited to work with Julia as we grow to serve more families through decent and affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national charitable organization that provides affordable homeownership opportunities for working people on low incomes. It does this through the efforts and hard work of 54 local Habitat for Humanity organizations, operating in every province and territory to build homes with the support of donors and thousands of volunteers. I am very excited to join Habitat for Humanity Canada, which Ive always admired for its inspiring network of committed people and partners building homes and communities across Canada, said Julia. I look forward to working with everyone in the Habitat family to increase affordable housing through community-driven home building and creating larger-scale and longer-term solutions to the severe housing issues faced by so many. Habitat Canadas previous President and CEO, Mark Rodgers, announced his resignation in the fall of 2019 . The national board would like to thank Mark for his dedication to Habitat for Humanity and his work serving families for almost 18 years, including the past five as President and CEO. Story continues About Julia Deans With degrees from Queens, Columbia and Osgoode Hall Law School, Julia practiced law with Torys in Toronto and Hong Kong and built QD Legal in Singapore before becoming a non-profit CEO with CivicAction , Futurpreneur Canada and the Canada Childrens Literacy Foundation and director of many non-profit and business organizations. Shes been named one of WXNs Top 100 Most Powerful Women, a YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction and Woman of Influence Canadian Diversity Champion and received the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Leadership Award and the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Leader Award in 2018. Julia is also on the boards of InvestEco, George Brown College, the Canada Post Community Foundation and jack.org, and on the Sidewalk Toronto and Goodman School of Business Advisory Councils. About Habitat for Humanity Canada Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national charitable organization working toward a world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to call home. Habitat for Humanity brings communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, Habitat homeowners and 54 local Habitats working in every province and territory, we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in Canada and around the world. For more information, please visit www.habitat.ca . For more information please contact: Sarah Austin Director, Communications Habitat for Humanity Canada Email: saustin@habitat.ca Phone: 416-644-0988/1-800-667-5137 x302 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fead4600-57d1-4126-b882-4191f325c3a1 Indigenous groups lose court bid to block Canada pipeline Ottawa, Feb 4 (AFP) Feb 04, 2020 Canada's federal court on Tuesday denied a bid by indigenous tribes to block a long-delayed expansion of an oil pipeline, dismissing their claim that they had not been adequately consulted on the project. The decision is a win for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government in 2016 approved the project connecting the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific coast for crude shipment to new overseas markets. It also risks, however, turning climate activists who supported Trudeau's administration against him. The federal court said the Coldwater Indian Band and other tribes had not proved that Ottawa "failed to meet its duty to consult and accommodate during the re-initiated consultations." "Although indigenous peoples can assert their uncompromising opposition to a project, they cannot tactically use the consultation process as a means to try to veto it," said chief justice Marc Noel. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan said the government had held "the most comprehensive consultation ever undertaken for a major project in Canada's history" with indigenous people. "This project is in the public interest," he said, pointing to its "creation of thousands of good, well-paying jobs" and "getting more of our valuable natural resources to global markets." According to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney the ruling "removes the last remaining legal obstacle" to the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline. The tribes, however, vowed to bring their fight to the Supreme Court. "We say this project cannot go through," Leah George-Wilson, chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, told a nationally-televised news conference. - 'Australia is burning' - Khelsilem Tl'akwasik'an of the Squamish Nation said further development of the oil sands made possible through the expansion of pipeline capacity would exacerbate global warming. "We are risking unstable climate for future generations," he said. "Australia is burning... and yet this government wants to double down on building more oil pipelines." The Trans Mountain project would expand an existing 715-mile (1,150 kilometer) conduit to move 890,000 barrels of oil a day across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, replacing a smaller, crumbling conduit built in 1953. Indigenous groups had argued that a second consultation with them on the project's impacts on wildlife and the environment, mandated by law, had been inadequate. The project was delayed several years by protests and legal challenges by environmental activists and indigenous tribes. They contended that increased shipping along the Pacific coast could impede the recovery of killer whale populations, and risked contaminating the tribes' aquifer. In 2018, the government stepped in to buy the troubled project for Can$4.4 billion (US$3.3 billion) from Kinder Morgan. After fresh court-ordered consultations with indigenous groups affected by its construction, the government announced in June 2019 that it was moving forward. The decision drew criticism from environmental groups that had traditionally sided with Trudeau, while supporters lamented how long the pipeline was taking to get built. Canada is the world's fourth largest oil exporter but sells almost all of it to the US. By the end of this month, Ottawa must decide whether or not to approve another controversial oil project in Alberta, a Can$21 billion oil sands mine proposed by Teck Resources. Meet The Shirley Temple King, your next Instagram must-follow. Six-year-old Leo Kelly has amassed more than 200,000 followers for his sometimes scathing reviews of Shirley Temples at chain restaurants in Connecticut. He has his reviews down to a science. Each one starts, "Hey guys, it's the Shirley Temple King," before he launches into a review of his latest concoction. He rates the cocktails based on the amount of cherries (you'll quickly learn his ideal number is three), the grenadine to Ginger Ale ration and the type of glass - he prefers a "fancy" glass over plastic. His recent visits have included The Cheesecake Factory (no cherries, plastic cup, score of 5) and Blackstone Grill (three cherries, his "perfect, perfect" number" and "just enough ice") score of 8.1. And if you're wondering where to find the world's best Shirley Temple, it's at Hoodoo Brown BBQ. The Shirley Temple received a 9.5 rating "There's really nothing to say, 'cus it's just a great Shirley Temple," is the official review. He sometimes ventures into New York City to try Shirley Temples, including a recent trip to Carmine's Italian Restaurant in Times Square (although the Shirley only received a 6.2 for its lack of cherries). His only 10/10 review took place in New York because he "never gets to have these grown-up cups." Longhorn Steakhouse changed its recipe after his negative review, proving his power as a food blogger. He's even gained celebrity fans, including Chrissy Teigen, and has been compared on Twitter to Seth MacFarlane. For Reverend Canon Eric Jay, the Queen's Coronation in 1953 was a career highlight. The Archbishop of Canterbury's senior chaplain played a pivotal role in Elizabeth II's enthronement at Westminster Abbey, dressed in formal robes and church regalia for the televised ceremony watched by millions. But, just three years after that glorious day, the highly respected clergyman found himself caught up in a more challenging drama when he discovered his teenage daughter was pregnant. Jay's 17-year-old daughter Christine was sent to the West Country, where she gave birth in secret before reluctantly handing over her baby girl for adoption. Such stories were not uncommon in Fifties Britain, but it was the events which followed and the horrific fate that lay in wait for that baby girl which makes this one heart-rending. That tiny girl grew up to be tragic Sheila 'Bambi' Caffell, who was murdered in August 1985 along with her six-year-old twin sons and the couple who adopted her, Nevill and June Bamber. All five were shot in the family's remote Essex farmhouse by the Bambers' adopted son, Jeremy. Sheila 'Bambi' Caffell was murdered in August 1985 along with her six-year-old twin sons (pictured together) and the couple who adopted her, Nevill and June Bamber Bamber, 59, (pictured in 1986) is serving a whole-life prison sentence for the 1985 murders of his sister Sheila Caffell, 26, her twin boys Nicholas and Daniel, both six, and his parents Nevill and June, both 61 The story of their horrific murders is the subject of an ongoing six-part ITV drama, White House Farm. But while the programme has reignited interest in one of Britain's most shocking and baffling multiple murders, the story of Sheila's adoption as a two-week old baby and her quest to be reunited with her birth mother has all but been forgotten. It was just a few months before she died that Sheila finally met Christine, who was by then in her mid-40s. With Sheila suffering frail mental health, it was a joyful episode in her troubled life. One of Sheila's closest friends, Tora Tomkinson, witnessed that first meeting between mother and daughter at her North London flat. As she exclusively told the Mail this week: 'It really was a privilege to see how well the two of them got on. We were sat there on the sofa and into the room came this ray of light. She was equally as beautiful and equally as lovely as her daughter. 'It was so nice to see Bambi so in tune with this woman who was her real mother when she was so out of kilter with her adoptive mother.' Speaking to the Mail this week, Sheila's ex-husband, sculptor Colin Caffell, described the encounter in similar terms: 'Seeing Sheila meet her birth mother for the first time was clearly a positive experience for her that began to reveal the beginnings of her emotional and psychological recovery; something that grew in strength during the weeks to follow. 'She had found a mother and an identity that she could relate to. Apart from the day she gave birth to the twins, I had never seen Sheila so happy.' But the tragedy for Sheila's birth mother, said to look uncannily like her daughter, was that almost immediately after being reunited with her daughter and discovering she had twin grandsons Nicholas and Daniel they were snatched away from her in the most evil of circumstances. In 1956, Christine had been working as a receptionist at the Bonnington Hotel in Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, when she became pregnant by an older man. Her horrified parents, Eric and Margaret, arranged for her to leave London, telling their two younger children, Susan and Peter, that she had been offered another job. Aerial view of White House farm in Tolleshunt d'Arcy, Essex. The story of the chilling murders is currently being re-told with a new ITV drama called White House Farm, starring Freddie Fox and Bamber and Cressida Bonas as his sister Cressida Bonas plays Sheila 'Bambi' Caffell in TV drama White House Farm Christine lived under her mother's maiden name, Webb, and worked in the village of Combe Down just outside Bath. Her daughter was born on July 18, 1957, in a private nursing home in a grand regency house. While the baby was given the name Phyllis Webb, Christine left a blank space for the father's name. According to Sheila's own research, he was a 30-year-old dry cleaner from Putney who disappeared abroad after his relationship with Christine ended. Phyllis stayed with her mother for two weeks before going into the care of the Church of England Children's Society and being taken to Sunnyside children's home in Wiltshire. It was her grandfather, Dr Eric Jay, who oversaw her adoption when she was three months old. He picked the Bambers, not only because they were deeply committed Christians but because he had crossed paths with Nevill Bamber during the war when they both served in the RAF. On October 10, 1957, Phyllis left Sunnyside for White House Farm, the beautiful Georgian farmhouse near Tolleshunt D'Arcy in Essex that would be the scene of her horrific death 28 years later. The adoption was officially sanctioned at Essex County Court in Maldon on February 6, 1958 the year the Jays left Britain for Canada, where Dr Jay spent the next 17 years as Professor of Historical Theology at McGill University in Montreal. It was in the university's stunning chapel that Christine married in 1965. She and her husband, who died in 2018, went on to have three children and five grandchildren. In the UK, life with the Bambers was rather less straightforward. June was from a farming family.After she married Nevill, her father offered him the tenancy of White House Farm. All that was missing from their lives were children and when they were unable to have any, they turned to the Church to help them adopt. But there were early warning signs that all was not well. In 1958, when the baby girl they had renamed Sheila was still only a few months old, June was admitted to a private psychiatric hospital in Northampton suffering from depression. After failing to respond to medication or psychoanalysis, she was given electric shock therapy. When she returned home several months later, Nevill hired a nanny to help with the baby. The couple decided to adopt again and in 1961 they brought home a six-month-old baby boy Jeremy. From the outside, the two children appeared to enjoy a blessed life. In reality, it was anything but. They were educated privately, but both struggled after being sent away to school and neither excelled academically. Sheila was desperate to get away from her deeply religious family and head for London. After leaving school at 16, she enrolled at a secretarial college in Swiss Cottage and began modelling. But in 1974, aged 17, in an echo of her own birth mother, she became pregnant by her boyfriend, and future husband, Colin Caffell. Jeremy Bamber (pictured in 2013) who was given a whole-life tariff with no possibility of release, has always claimed his sister, a vulnerable former model nicknamed 'Bambi', killed their family and then herself in a murder-suicide Bamber is pictured being escorted by police before his conviction in 1985 The Bambers arranged an abortion. By now, Sheila's relationship with her mother was becoming increasingly fraught. Her lack of physical affection left Sheila dreaming of her real mother. According to Colin, when he and Sheila were caught by June sunbathing naked in a field she called her the 'devil child'. After Sheila became pregnant again, she and Colin married in May 1977, but she lost the baby at six months. She suffered another miscarriage before giving birth to twin sons in June 1979. But the marriage to Colin broke down five months later and they divorced in 1982. While they remained friends, the years that followed were painful ones, dogged by Sheila's depression and mental illness and she began undergoing treatment in 1983 for mild schizophrenia. Jeremy Bamber would later try to use her fragile mental health as a motive for murder when he initially convinced police Sheila carried out the killings before taking her own life. In the aftermath of the murders, much was made in the Press of Sheila's fragile mental state and whether or not meeting her mother had tipped her over the edge. Tora Tomkinson had become one of Sheila's closest friends after they got chatting outside the North London kindergarten which Tora's daughter attended with Sheila's twins. Tora said: 'We just seemed to get on well and I asked her if she fancied coming back for a coffee one morning and it just went from there. Bambi was the most wonderful, gentle, kind girl. 'She had told me she was adopted and her adoptive mother was so unkind, cruel even to her. She used every opportunity to put her down and I never understood that. Mothers are supposed to nurture and she just seemed jealous.' Tora recalls that in May 1985 three months before the murders Sheila finally had the opportunity to meet the woman who gave birth to her. They had been writing to each other for several years. 'One day out of the blue Bambi asked me if she could meet her real mother at my home, as she wanted me there for moral support,' she recalls. 'She was very nervous and thought it might be best to be somewhere neutral and with someone else in case it didn't work out. I'm adopted, too, so I was fascinated to see how they interacted. 'They spent most of the afternoon together and it was so natural and they got on so well.' According to Tora, Christine said she never wanted to give up Sheila, but she 'loved her father and felt she had to do what was expected of her'. Tora was not there when, later that week, Sheila introduced Christine to Colin and the twins. According to Colin, Christine lavished the boys with kisses and hugs. Colin later described that meeting as 'one of the biggest, most important events of her life'. In his 1994 book In Search Of The Rainbow's End, he said: 'I will never forget the look of sheer joy on Bambs' [his nickname for her] face when I first saw them together. She was beaming from ear to ear, with a smile I hadn't seen the like of since the birth of the twins.' He said that Christine, 'an elegant woman in her mid-40s, was as beautiful as her daughter, and so obviously her real mum. To see them chatting together, one would have thought they were more like sisters or old school friends comparing notes. There was an instant rapport between them. Bambs told me later that Christine was everything she ever dreamed she would be; that she had this wonderful feeling that she had an identity at last'. The massacre of his family became known as the White House Farm murders after the name of his parents Essex farmhouse (pictured) where it took place in 1985 Jeremy Bamber (played by Freddie Fox sat down) is questioned by DS Stan Jones, Mark Addy, (pictured left) during the ITV drama White House Farm Of Sheila's mental illness, Tora says: 'She went to some really dark places. I think it was the malevolent influences of June and Jeremy. She loved her adoptive father, Nevill. He was a lovely man but she couldn't see him without seeing them and it didn't do her any good. I know Bambi was very frightened of Jeremy. He was so arrogant, selfish and self-obsessed and he had a very quick temper.' In fact, the last time Tora saw Sheila was just before the fateful weekend. 'She was so tired and pale and drawn,' Tora recalls. 'She had asked me to go with her [to Essex] but I had this strange sense of foreboding. There was something I just didn't feel comfortable about. Perhaps it was the fact I knew how much she struggled with seeing June and Jeremy and I didn't want to be a part of it. 'I told a little white lie about my son not being very well. She phoned again before she went and begged me to go. I didn't, though, and that knowledge has stayed with me ever since.' Tora adds: 'The first and last time I met Jeremy was at Bambi's funeral and his performance was just so over the top you could tell it wasn't genuine. There was no malice in her. She was so sweet. She definitely did not kill anyone.' A couple of months after the murders, Colin met Christine for a second time as she passed through Heathrow Airport. 'I found that morning with Christine one of the most moving and tragic of the entire story,' he wrote. 'I was faced with a tormented and sensitive woman, who had been drawn into the whole catastrophe at the very last minute. She was almost a stranger and yet so deeply and intrinsically involved.' The weeks following Sheila's death were a nightmare for Christine, he said. At the time, her other children didn't know of Sheila's existence. Above all, she told Colin, she felt guilty, saying: 'I feel like I'm partly responsible having had her adopted in the first place.' This week, Christine now in her 80s and still living in North America declined to talk about Sheila. Colin Caffell, who is remarried and living in Cornwall has remained in contact with her. Christine's father, Eric Jay, died in 1989 aged 81. Jeremy Bamber, 59, who is serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole, maintains his innocence. The latest of several attempts to appeal his conviction came just three months ago when he said new evidence a phone call he made gave him the 'ultimate alibi'. Nearly 35 years have passed since the events at White House Farm and yet for the relatives of those who died, the horror of what took place there has left a tragic legacy. Trump never directly addressed impeachment, the story that still felt inescapable in the House chamber Tuesday, with Pelosi, its instigator, sitting directly behind him. But the tension between the speaker and her president was palpable throughout the night. As the president entered the room, he refused to shake the speakers hand after she extended hers. By the end, her copy of his speech was in pieces. JOHANNESBURG and LONDON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Africa Capitalworks Management ("ACW"), a Sub-Saharan Africa-focused private equity investment company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a significant minority equity shareholding in Gaselia Industries Group ("Gaselia"), one of the largest homegrown beverages groups in West Africa. Founded in 2002 by local entrepreneurs and headquartered in Bamako, Mali, Gaselia has three bottling production and distribution operations, located in Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea-Conakry. It is one of the leading producers in each of its markets and categories and has an ambitious growth plan. Gaselia is the exclusive partner of Monarch Beverages ("Monarch") in these territories, and its product portfolio comprises proprietary brands and Monarch brands, such as Planet, American Cola, Bubble-Up and Reaktor. Gaselia also produces and distributes mineral water, sold under its Assinie brand, and produces and supplies PET preforms to the West African market. Gaselia employs 800 people. Commenting on the transaction, ACW Managing Partner Nana Sao, said: "Sub-Saharan Africa offers a wealth of investment opportunities, and we are delighted to be investing growth capital alongside Gaselia's accomplished founders in this exciting and dynamic sector." Yann Rogombe, ACW Investment Professional, said: "We are pleased to partner with a successful local and entrepreneurially-led business, with a proven track record of building a world-class bottling operation. We believe our patient capital, complementary skills and strategic support will assist Gaselia to accelerate the implementation of its growth plan and build on its leading regional platform." Madiou Simpara, Gaselia Chairman and founder, said: "We believe that we have found in ACW a partner with whom we share the same values and strategic vision. ACW will support us in our aim to provide greater access to affordable quality products to the mass market." Boubacar Pona, Gaselia CEO and co-founder, also commented: "We are delighted to partner with ACW for the next phase of Gaselia's growth. ACW's capital and complementary skills and expertise will allow us to unlock the full potential and accelerate the expansion of our platform." About Africa Capitalworks ACW is part of the Capitalworks Group ("Capitalworks"), a leading independent alternative asset manager, concentrating in emerging markets. ACW is a permanent capital vehicle focused on the mid-market in Sub-Sahara Africa, excluding South Africa, and combines the deployment of patient capital with a strong partnership approach, working alongside entrepreneurs and management teams to build exceptional businesses. About Capitalworks Capitalworks is a leading independent alternative asset manager concentrating on Sub-Saharan Africa. Capitalworks manages more than US$1 billion for a diverse range of investors, including leading domestic and international institutional investors, commercial banks, insurance companies, pension funds, family offices and high net worth individuals. Capitalworks' philosophy is centred on building exceptional businesses through partnering with leading entrepreneurs and management teams. SOURCE Capitalworks (Pty) Ltd In a major blow to BJP MP Parvesh Verma, the Election Commission on Wednesday (February 5) banned him from campaigning for Delhi Assembly Election 2020 for 24 hours from 6 pm on Wednesday. Notably, the campaigning for February 8 Assembly poll in Delhi is set to end on Thursday (February 6) and EC's decision means that the Verma will not be able to campaign for his party on the last day. Verma, one of the star campaigners of the BJP, was earlier banned by the EC for making controversial remarks at an election rally and was prohibited from campaigning for four days. On Thursday (January 30), Verma, who is the BJP MP from West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, was banned from campaigning by the EC for four days for making controversial remarks. On January 29, 2020, Parvesh Verma was issued a notice by the EC for his statement that people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh would be cleared in an hour if the BJP comes to power in the national capital. He also laced his comments with a sensational remark, "They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters". Live TV "It is an election to decide the unity of a nation. If the BJP comes to power on February 11, you will not find a single protester within an hour. And within a month, we will not spare a single mosque built on government land," he had added. In a separate statement, the poll commission noted that Verma's comments had the potential to aggravate existing differences and create mutual hatred between religious communities and was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. His request for an opportunity of a personal hearing in the matter was dismissed by the EC. Delhi Assembly election is on February 8, 2020, while the counting of votes and results will come on February 11. RIVERSIDE, Calif. Theres Zumba and boxing classes, lectures on business and taxes, and chalk art outside for the children. While it might sound like a local recreation centers offerings, its actually part of daily life for 195 American citizens quarantined on a military base after being evacuated from the heart of a new virus outbreak in China. The cluster of American consular officials, businesspeople and families with children were whisked out of the city of Wuhan on a U.S.-chartered plane last week. Since then, they have formed their own community while waiting to be released from a 14-day federal quarantine order designed to limit the virus spread. They hold a daily town hall meeting to receive updates from officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and discuss travel plans. There is an early morning jogging group and some who run stairs to stay in shape at March Air Reserve Base, said Matthew McCoy, a theme park designer and one of the evacuees. Last weekend, there was a pizza party for the Super Bowl with two television screens outside the two-story building where theyre being housed in modest hotel-style rooms. Theyre planning a flag football game and another party before evacuees scatter to Atlanta, New York and other cities to reunite with family. Its not a cruise ship, you know, but were trying to make it as an overall team, McCoy said in an interview over Skype. Thats what were hoping the other camps do. Were still humans. The group was the first placed under federal quarantine order because of the new strain of coronavirus, which has sickened more than 20,000 people and killed nearly 500, virtually all in China. Two more planes carrying about 350 Americans arrived Wednesday at other California military bases and two more are expected Thursday at bases in Nebraska and Texas. All passengers will be quarantined for 14 days. At March Air Reserve Base east of Los Angeles, meals are catered, including breakfast burritos and noodles and chicken. Theres baby food and kid-friendly options like chicken nuggets, and soda and water, McCoy said. A non-profit group brought toys for the children and toiletries to make it feel more like home, he said. Real soap, not hotel soap. Were talking Irish Spring and Zest, he said. They also brought in a coffee machine, where McCoy bumps into other evacuees on middle-of-the-night runs. Many are still working remotely in China, which has a 16-hour time difference. These furnishings and support from federal and local officials, he said, have helped the group band together to make the most of the highly unusual circumstance of being whisked out of a shut-down city and placed under the first federal quarantine order in the United States in more than 50 years. The Americans who arrived Wednesday flew on two U.S.-chartered jets and landed at Travis Air Force Base, located in Northern California between San Francisco and Sacramento. About half are being housed there and the others were flown to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar just outside San Diego. Miramar is the former home of the Navy flight school that inspired the film Top Gun. At Travis, they will live in a base hotel. There is a large outdoor area and common spaces in addition to individual rooms. At a Miramar, some are staying at the Consolidated Bachelor Quarters. Images provided by the military show a communal dining area with large dispensers of breakfast cereal, a laundry room and an auditorium, playground and lecture hall. Others are staying at an inn on the base. Dr. Christopher Braden, the CDCs lead representative at Miramar, said the roughly 170 passengers were of all ages, including infants. He said they were in a difficult situation. Theyre allowed 70 pounds of luggage to carry on board with them, Braden said, So theres not very much they have in the way of personal belongings, and so we need to do what we can to make sure that theyre well cared for. They are free to roam their quarantined areas and will have phone and internet access. The CDC isnt recommending face masks or other protective gear but suggests that everyone keep a distance of about 6 feet (1.8 meters). Anyone who exhibits coronavirus symptoms will be isolated in a medical facility. Three adults and a child at Miramar were found to have fever or a cough and brought to local hospitals Wednesday evening, the CDC said. In Riverside County, some evacuees still wear face masks and keep their distance, but people are friendly to each other, said Jarred Evans, a former University of Cincinnati quarterback now playing professionally in China . Everything has been pretty chill, Evans said. But many face also challenges such as family stuck in China and business disruptions. McCoy said much of his work has slowed and hes been seeking help to keep supporting his son. Kimmy McDaniel, co-founder of the non-profit Project Strong One, said she was moved to try to help the evacuees, noting many work for the State Department. Her group furnished bikes and games for the kids, hair conditioner, diapers, and anything and everything that would help make this transition more palatable and a positive experience, she said. There is also a round-the-clock mobile health clinic. One child was sent to the hospital with a fever, accompanied by a parent, but returned to the base after testing negative for the virus, said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for the countys public health agency. For this first group, the quarantine will end Tuesday. But those arriving on later flights are just beginning their journey. The American spirit provides, McCoy said. Everybodys nice to everybody. I think thats going to happen in all the other places. ___ Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat and Julie Watson in San Diego, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Carla K. Johnson in Seattle and Terry Chea in Fairfield, California, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show a nonprofit is called Project Strong One, not Project Support One. The Reporter's Notebook The Chinese New Year kicked off Saturday, Jan. 25. Its the year of the rat, which I could suggest was named for a number of people I could name! The lunar year is divided into 13 categories, all named for an animal. While traveling to the Far East once, I was caught up in the Chinese New Year by chance. I had landed in Taipei, Taiwan from Osaka, Japan, on my way to Saigon. I had a booking at the Grand Hotel, referred by Mary Yang Meeds, wife of Rep. Lloyd Meeds at the time. Lloyd represented Washingtons 2nd District. The Grand Hotel was owned by Madame Chang, wife of Nationalist ruler Chang Kai-shek. Mrs. Meeda and Madame Chang were well acquainted and I was hoping, at the time, that I might meet her and interview the latter. The hotel was truly grand, a brilliant red on the outside and the grounds sprinkled with boxwood carved in the shape of numerous animals. It was the time of the Chinese New Year in Taipei, with some 3 million inhabitants. The city was a buzz of activity. It is the custom to pay all your bill before the start of the lunar year, with funny money of all things. I took a taxi to go someplace and was caught in a terrific traffic jam. I asked the taxi driver if his fare was for distance only, or if time was also used. He said both. I jokingly asked if he would accept funny money for the fare, and he replied no. So I asked directions to return back to the hotel, and took off on foot. The merriment and resolve was contagious, and everyone was having a lot of fun. Lloyd Meeds had arranged for a government representative to assist me with transport and answer any questions I might have. One of the things planned was a trip to one of the countrys offshore island of Matsu, which was under dispute with mainland China. Later the government rep advised me that the trip to Matsu was on hold because the Chinese communists had been shelling the island and it wasnt safe. I asked if we could visit a farm, and I was told that would be OK. So the next day he picked me up at the Grand and we took off to visit a farm. Enroute there, we had a steady stream of trucks and pickups facing us. I asked about it and was told that I would see soon. The trucks and pickups were returning to the city after emptying garbage hauled from the city. It was a huge garbage dump. They would haul garbage out of the city, then go through it and haul what was recyclable back to the city. We arrived at a small farm. The farmer was working on a concrete slab, tossing wheat in the air with a wooden fork. Very primitive, and I wondered why this farmer was selected for the visit. I next asked to go to the national museum. I had heard that when the Nationals fled the mainland they had taken a huge amount of Chinese art objects with them and that many were displayed in a new gallery constructed to house them. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But I was drawn back to the Chinese New Year crowd, and the traffic jam. I had attended Chinese New Year celebrations in Seattle, but nothing like this. I was told that the trip to Matsu was still a possibility, and left word how I could be reached. In Hong Kong, I was messaged that Matsu was off. A day after breaking down in tears under cross-examination, key accuser Jessica Mann returned to the witness stand at Harvey Weinstein's trial and told the jurors: "I want the jury to know that he is my rapist." His lawyers say the 34-year-old former actress was a manipulator who gritted her way through sexual encounters with Mr Weinstein (67) because she enjoyed the perks of knowing him. Ms Mann was cross-examined about accepting an invitation from the defendant to an Oscars party in 2015 and a meeting at a Beverley Hills hotel in 2016 after which she had emailed Mr Weinstein saying: "I feel so fabulous and beautiful. Thank you for everything." Asked by his lawyer Donna Rotunno why she would have accepted favours from "your rapist", Ms Mann turned to the jurors and said: "I want the jury to know that he is my rapist." Union Minister Giriraj Singh has hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement regarding the formation of 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra' trust and slammed Congress for delaying the issue in courts for many years. Speaking to ANI, Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy, and Fisheries said, "We have waited for this moment for years. Congress had delayed the Ram temple construction and obstructed the issue in courts for years". "When we used to raise slogan- 'Mandir wahin Banayenge ' (We will construct the temple), Congress used to mock us by asking the date for construction of Ram Temple. Today, we have announced the dates and formed 'Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra' trust. Now there will be a grand temple of Lord Rama at Ayodhya", the senior BJP leader added. He also asserted that this is the beginning of 'Ram Rajya' in the country and said, "Today in parliament, when Prime Minister Modi announced the scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, I thought as if Lord Rama has made him the Prime Minister for this day." Today in Lok Sabha Prime Minister Modi had announced the formation of a trust for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Speaking in the lower house of Parliament, he said, "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra." Prime Minister's announcement was lauded with loud slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' from the members of the ruling party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's Minister of Roads and Transportation on Tuesday questioned the relevance of a leaked air traffic control audio, which proves Iranian authorities knew a Ukrainian plane which crashed near Tehran on January 8 had been targeted by Revolutionary Guard missiles. Speaking to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) on Tuesday, Mohammad Eslami said the leaked audio of the air traffic control exchange with the captain of an Iranian flight who witnessed the shooting of the Ukrainian plane "could not be commented on before being investigated because the Iranian flight [Aseman 3768] took place after the crash". The audio file released by Ukraine's Channel One on February 2 contains a recording of the communication between an air traffic dispatcher and the captain of Aseman 3768, a commercial Iranian flight. In the recording, the Aseman captain says he can see missiles in the sky. Apparently concerned about an American missile attack in return for Iran's attack on two Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops only hours earlier, the captain wants to know if there is any military activity in the airspace. The air traffic dispatcher who is unaware of such activity is then heard in the audio repeatedly trying to contact the Ukrainian flight. The Aseman captain says he has seen a huge explosion before the communication ends. The audio file was handed over to the Ukrainian team investigating the crash by Iranian authorities while they were in Iran. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the authenticity of the recording aired by a TV channel and said it was proof the Iranian authorities knew from the start the plane had been hit by a missile. Speaking to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on Tuesday, Bahram Parsai, a member of Iran's parliament said the audio file "clearly indicates that the Civil Aviation Organization had been aware of the cause of the crash". Parsai demanded that the authorities explain how the Head of the Civil aviation Organization could have known about the cause of the crash but not the Minister of Roads and Transportation and the President who said he only found out about the missile incident two days later. Over 5,000 delegates from various countries will participate in the three-day International Seafood Show in Kochi, beginning Friday, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. The show is being organised by the ministry's arm, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), in association with the Seafood Exporters Association of India. The theme of the show is 'Blue Revolution- Beyond Production to Value Addition'. "Over 200 exhibitors, 350 stalls and more than 5,000 delegates, including foreign delegates, are expected to attend the three-day event at Kochi," it said. The delegates include seafood processors, buyers and stakeholders, representing firms in India and abroad. The biennial show returns to Kochi after 12 years and will provide a platform for Indian exporters and overseas importers of Indian marine products to interact, it said. "It will also give an opportunity for display and sale for manufacturers and suppliers of processing machinery, packaging systems, processing ingredient dealers and cold chain systems," it said. The show will give service providers like the logistics and certifying and testing segments an opportunity to showcase their products. Besides, it will highlight the technological advances and sustainable practices followed in the sector in India. During 2018-19, India has exported over 14,37,000 tonnes of marine products worth USD 6.70 billion. "With a multi-pronged strategy, addressing capture fisheries and aquaculture, it is expected to achieve an export turnover of USD 15 billion in next five years," it said. The last show was held in Goa in January 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities are still searching for a 47-year-old Gloucester County man who went missing after apparently walking away from a fiery crash in December. State Police told NJ Advance Media last month that Anthony Dellomo was missing and released new details Wednesday saying video surveillance showed the Franklin Township resident walking west on Route 49 away from the crash. Dellomos car veered off southbound Route 55 near milepost 24.6 in Millville around 12:11 a.m. on Dec. 29, slid down an embankment into the woods and caught fire, according to State Police. When troopers arrived, no one was in the Chevrolet Impala, which is registered to Dellomos mother. A search of the area immediately after the crash and again in the morning turned up no sign of any occupants. Dellomo was wearing a Philadelphia 76ers hat and sweatshirt he received for Christmas when he left his mothers home in Franklinville about three hours before the crash, according to his sister Lisa Dellomo-Racobaldo. She said last month investigators have showed the family surveillance video gathered from several homes and a Wawa near the crash that shows a man who closely resembled Dellomo. His cell phone hasnt been used since the crash and Dellomo has no credit cards or cash in his possession. Dellomo also requires medication, which he didnt take with him, his sister said. He is 5-foot-10-inches tall, about 200 pounds with brown hair and hazel-blue eyes. State Police said Wednesday that anyone who sees Dellomo should approach him with caution. Anyone with information is asked to call the State Polices criminal investigation office in Port Norris at 856-785-0036 or the Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, extension 2554. Anonymous tips are welcomed. Anthony Dellomo, 47, of Franklinville, hasn't been seen since a car he was driving crashed along Route 55 on Dec. 29, according to State Police. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) said in a statement Wednesday that he will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment. Why it matters: Jones is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2020, and the decision to vote in favor of removing Trump from office is likely to play a significant role in the deep-red Alabama Senate campaign. What he's saying: "Having done my best to see through the fog of partisanship, I am deeply troubled by the arguments put forth by the Presidents lawyers in favor of virtually unchecked presidential power. In this case, the evidence clearly proves the President used the weight of his office and that of the United States government to coerce a foreign government to interfere in our election for his personal benefit. ..." The Presidents actions demonstrate a belief that he is above the law, that Congress has no power whatsoever in questioning or examining his actions, and that all who do so, do so at their peril. That belief, unprecedented in the history of this country, simply must not be permitted to stand. To do otherwise risks guaranteeing that no future whistleblower or witness will ever come forward and no future President Democrat or Republican will be subject to Congressional oversight as mandated by the Constitution. Go deeper: Live updates from the impeachment trial 2.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donald Trump may not have been in front of a MAGA rally crowd on Tuesday night when he delivered his State of the Union address, but his behavior and remarks were as troubling as ever. In a couple of instances, Trump was clearly struggling with the simple act of reading the teleprompter. At one point, as Voxs Aaron Rupar pointed out, he had difficulty with the word Americans. Trump encounters some trouble reading the word Americans pic.twitter.com/WaVN8G4HhU Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2020 Not long after that struggle, Trump misspoke when talking about trade, saying, Its been many, many years that we were treated fairly on trade, instead of unfairly. Its been many years that weve been fairly on trade Trump meant to say the opposite pic.twitter.com/cWLNmxkIuV Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2020 Trump attacked Obama for handing him a good economy Aside from Trumps less-than-sharp reading skills, the president was also met with groans and gasps when he had the nerve to attack former president Barack Obama, the man who handed him the economy that hes now bragging about. If we hadnt reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success, Trump said. This despite the fact that Obama prevented another Great Depression, saved the auto industry and laid the foundation for the economy that Trump inherited. In other words, Trump is doing what hes done his entire life: inherit something, slap his name on it and brag about having created it all by himself. Video: Gasps in the chamber as Trump attacks the Obama administrations economic policy, even though the previous president stopped a depression, saved the auto industry and laid the foundation for the economy Trump inherited. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/NARFIkYQ4E PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 5, 2020 At the end of the day, what the country saw on Tuesday night during the State of the Union was more of the same: a president losing his mental grip and gaslighting the country as his Republican puppets cheer on. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter LAS VEGAS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Conquest Holdings, Inc. (OTC: PCHK) today announced that it has signed an amendment to its November 2018 cooperation agreement for the planting and harvesting of castor crops in China, as well as a production agreement with a commercial facility for the downstream processing of the castor oil as the first of its several business management projects and acquisitions. PCHK management has calculated that the planting project, which is for a minimum of 5,000 acres and up to 8,200 acres, is expected to generate US$6.5 Million in gross revenue dependent on completion of its fundraising for the planting. Management also projects that the agreement is strongly favorable to the Company since terms dictate a 100% payback of PCHK's initial capital contribution of 400 RMB per Mu. In addition, the partner to our cooperation agreement has agreed to contribute all land for planting free of charge and has guaranteed a minimum harvest of 230kg per Mu for this planting season, for a cost of 300 RMB per Mu. Shares of net profit payable to our partner under the cooperation agreement will be reduced accordingly if the harvest per Mu does not yield agreed minimum harvest results. PCHK is not responsible for more than RMB400 (US$57.66 as of January 23, 2020) per Mu (666 square meters) of the planting and harvest costs. Upon successful harvest, revenue from the sale of castor seeds will be put into a fund of which PCHK will own 60% of net proceeds, after costs. According to the agreement, if the harvest yield is below 230kg (507 pounds) per Mu, the partner to our cooperative agreement will contribute from their 40% share of the net profit to compensate PCHK for the shortfall. Pacific Conquest also signed a processing agreement, for the refinement of castor oil with Guangxi province-based Qinzhou Haina Chemical Ltd., which has an annual production capacity of 25,000 tons of castor oil.. Through Qinzhou Haina Chemical, Pacific Conquest has the ability to produce and market castor derivative products to be sold to top state-owned Chinese oil and pharmaceutical companies to service Pacific Conquest's commercial customers throughout the Pacific Rim with various castor derivatives. The processing partner was selected by Pacific Conquest due to their advanced technology and superior workforce, industry know-how, and access to premier national and global partners. Qinzhou Haina Chemical is an exclusive registered supplier to China's top Chinese oil company, which uses castor derivatives to improve the quality of engine oil products and lubricants. Soil and growing tests for additional castor plantations are also currently underway in other countries, as are on-going negotiations/discussions with potential partners on three continents based on longstanding professional relationships. About Pacific Conquest Holdings, Inc. Pacific Conquest Holdings, Inc. ("PCHK") is a business management company that incubates promising companies in select stable growth industries. The principals of PCHK have deep roots and relationships with major Pacific Rim countries and currently have several potential acquisitions in process throughout the region. The castor business is the first of PCHK's subsidiaries being incubated and grown into a complete profit center for the parent company. It is expected that each of the companies PCHK acquires will stand on its own as an independent profit center. While the initial acquisition targets are based in Pacific Rim countries, it is expected that each one will have the potential of expanding its own operations in selected markets globally. Each PCHK project or acquisition will be independently evaluated based on several factors including: The potential of the industry and its international growth markets Quality of current management and their vision for growth and market share The competitive advantages of the products and/or services rendered by the potential acquisition Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are based on current facts and analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determined, and assumptions of management. Forward looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors beyond the reasonable control of the Company. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include misinterpretation of data, the Company's ability to raise financing for operations, breach by parties with whom we have contracted, and the possible inability to maintain qualified employees or consultants. SOURCE Pacific Conquest Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://pacific-conquest.com/ RTHK: China has averted spread of coronavirus: WHO The dramatic measures taken by China to rein in the deadly new coronavirus outbreak have prevented significant spread abroad, providing a "window of opportunity" to halt transmission, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. But the UN health agency's chief also called for greater solidarity, accusing some governments of wealthy countries of being "well behind" in sharing data on virus cases. "While 99 percent of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases," Tedros said in a technical briefing to the WHO's Executive Board in Geneva. "That doesn't mean that it won't get worse. But for sure we have a window of opportunity to act... Let's not miss this window of opportunity," he said. Tedros said the WHO had received complete case report forms for only 38 percent of the cases outside China. "Some high-income countries are well behind in sharing this vital data with WHO. I don't think it's because they lack capacity," he said. "Without better data, it's very hard for us to assess how the outbreak is evolving, or what impact it could have, and to ensure we are providing the most appropriate recommendations," he said. More than 20,400 cases of the virus have been confirmed in China since the virus was first detected on December 31. The toll in mainland China has soared to 425 and more than 20 countries have now confirmed cases of the virus, which the WHO has declared a global health emergency. Tedros said the WHO was sending masks, gloves, respirators and 18,000 protective isolation gowns to 24 countries, as well as 250,000 test kits to speed up the process of diagnose carriers of the virus. He also reiterated his call for countries not to impose travel and trade restrictions because of the virus. "Such restrictions can have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit," he said, adding that 22 countries had so far informed WHO they were implementing such measures. "Where such measures have been implemented, we urge that they are short in duration, proportionate to the public health risks, and are reconsidered regularly as the situation evolves," he said. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-02-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Nearly every folding chair was occupied in the San Ygnacio Community Center on Tuesday as Zapata County landowners were apprised of their rights as the federal government prepares to build the border wall in their county north of Falcon Lake. READ MORE: Results revealed from Laredo boil water notice investigation Laredo Sector Border Patrol will hold their first meeting with effected Zapata County landowners on Friday, according to a spokesperson. Here Border Patrol will begin to request the right of entry from any landowner whose property they would like to survey. This will allow the feds go onto their land to determine the governments preferred alignment of the wall. An attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, Ricky Garza, and activists opposing the border wall encouraged landowners not to sign this request from the government. When they asked the crowd if anyone had received a right of entry request letter, no one raised their hand. Garza noted that in exchange for the right of entry irrevocable access to peoples property for a year or 18 months the government compensates landowners no more than $100. But when they conduct these surveys, they may dig holes in the land or clear vegetation, for example. The Border Patrol will try to make it seem like its a very minimal intrusion. Its very small, its no big deal, theres no compensation associated with that. But in fact when you think about it, what they are asking for is a fairly major property right, Garza said. No landowner is required to sign these documents, he said. If they dont sign, the government will continue to send requests, and then federal officials may pay a home visit to request access in person. If landowners still do not sign the right of entry documents, the government will take the case to federal court and have a judge grant them access. This will usually delay the process by a few months, Garza said. But he is representing clients in McAllen whose right of entry cases have been in the system for over a year, he said. Theyre fighting the $100 compensation from the government for this temporary access and arguing for more money. He believes it wont be possible for the Trump administration to build this wall from Laredo to Brownsville by their November goal. But it is difficult to know how quickly it could go up. Thats a big question mark for all of us. How long is this all going to take? In one vision of it, someone may get their right of entry letter tomorrow. They may sign it, (the government) may come in and survey it. In a few weeks they may get the offer to buy the land, they may sell the land to (the government), and the border wall can go up by the end of 2020, Garza said. But another vision of it is where it does take a lot longer, where the landowner understands their rights ... and is making sure their rights are respected to the fullest extent of the law. READ MORE: Interviews for open Laredo city manager position postponed Hands shot up across the community center. Landowners asked about any recourse in this process. Currently, the only areas excepted from border wall construction are in the Rio Grande Valley: the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, La Lomita Historical Park, National Butterfly Center and SpaceX. However, there is also protection for something more general: historic cemeteries. Garza said there is no language that says these cemeteries need to be certified by the state or federal government. Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center, encouraged landowners take note if they have any cemeteries on their property. The entire town of San Ygnacio, meanwhile, is on the National Register of Historic Places, noted Laredoan Sylvia Bruni. And the Trevino-Uribe Rancho is a National Historic Landmark. But there are currently no explicit provisions that protect either from border wall construction, Garza said. Something that is going to be very important for the whole border, for the whole region, is telling the story about why your county and why your community is important and unique, he said. Telling that story and showing why these pieces are irreplaceable and why they should be respected, I think that can go a long ways. Paul Uribe is a descendant of the family that built the Trevino-Uribe Rancho and lives across the street from the architectural treasure, a few hundred yards from the Rio Grande. He said it is hard to describe what it feels like when people who have nothing to do with this community are pushing to build a border wall here. And its not even about if a property is historic, or if its been in someones family for 100 years. Its about everyones property rights, Uribe said. Outside the meeting, a young man urged his neighbor not to sign the right of entry letter. READ MORE: Mayor addresses Laredo at State of the City address Of course not. Im not going to sign anything, he responded. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged that the city had seen effects emanating from this law for months, suggesting that the impact of the bail law started before Jan. 1. The courts began following the new guidelines in November to avoid a last minute crush of people who were released from jail. Neither the mayor nor the commissioner offered data or analysis to support their contention that the law was behind the increase. Bail was originally intended as a tool to ensure that defendants showed up for court appointments. But supporters of the changes to New Yorks law said the system had ended up penalizing people who were unable to afford bail, forcing them to rely on expensive bail bonds or remain behind bars while their cases moved through the courts. The new law is intended to ensure that most people arrested on criminal charges are free while their cases are pending. Judges are no longer allowed to set bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, including stalking, assault without serious injury, burglary, many drug offenses and some kinds of arson and robbery. Opponents have pointed to a string of crimes committed by people who were released before trial as anecdotal evidence that the law needs to be rolled back. But on Tuesday, supporters of the law, including public defender organizations and civil liberties groups, lashed out at the mayor and police commissioner. Nicole Triplett, policy counsel of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the police commissioner and mayor were manipulating statistics to fit their misguided narrative that giving low-income New Yorkers the same privileges as wealthier people is somehow linked to crime. For the past two decades, New York City has reduced both its jail population and the use of cash bail, resulting in some of the lowest crime rates we have ever seen, she said. We cannot let the distortions, falsehoods and purposeful fear-mongering that has spread over the past few weeks discredit these long-overdue changes. President Trump touted his commitment to combating illegal immigration during the State of the Union address on Tuesday, and attacked Democrats for supporting sanctuary policies that he argued directly resulted in murders and other violent crimes. Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens. In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed, he said. Trump went into detail describing tragic crimes committed by illegal immigrants who were released after their initial arrests due to sanctuary-city policies which direct local law enforcement officers not to honor ICE detainer requests. In one recent example, Trump cited the January rape and murder of 92-year-old Maria Fuertes in New York City by a 21-year-old illegal immigrant who had been previously arrested and released in November. The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York sanctuary policies, he was set free, Trump said Tuesday. If the city had honored ICEs detainer request, his victim would still be alive today. Last month, the vice president for the NYPDs Sergeants Benevolent Association slammed New York mayor Bill de Blasio during a press conference with ICE for preventing the police from working with federal immigration authorities. During his third State of the Union address, the president also highlighted the story of one of his guests, Jody Jones, whose brother was killed in California in 2018 by a criminal alien with five previous arrests. Our hearts weep for your loss, and we will not rest until you have justice, Trump told the man, Jody Jones. President Trump welcomes Jody Jones, who's brother Rocky was killed by an illegal immigrant released under California's sanctuary law. He calls on Congress to pass legislation allowing Americans to sue sanctuary cities and states.#SOTU pic.twitter.com/zf08qrX6bC Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 5, 2020 The president also touted his administrations work to end human trafficking, secure the southern border, and support ICE. Story continues As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75 percent since May, dropping eight months in a row, Trump stated. . . . With every action, my administration is restoring the rule of law and reasserting the culture of American freedom. In January, the Department of Homeland Security assisted the Mexican government to block a migrant caravan composed of thousands of Central Americans from passing through Mexico on the way to the U.S. More from National Review DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay on Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and fiery progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest in the partys 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical issues marred the contest, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowas traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62% of precincts in the state. Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Ind., becomes the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. His early strength reflects his aggressive political pursuit of rural and small-town voters, including some Republicans, who prefer a more moderate approach to address the nations political problems. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg declared, his voice filled with emotion, while campaigning in next-up New Hampshire. While campaigns were eager to spin the results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the Iowa contest. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the specific timeline even whether it would be a matter of days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate, Price said at a subsequent press conference. The partys caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting the contest as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field with no clear front-runner. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in mid-July. The other early leader, Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, has spent decades fighting to fundamentally change the nations politics and economy. The party told campaigns Tuesday that the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion. Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont and Alexandra Jaffe are Associated Press writers. Irelands new government will have to navigate all of this at a time when relations with Britain have been strained by the Brexit process including the delicate question of how to handle the border with Northern Ireland, a territory that remains under British control and, after Brexit, out of the European Union. A lot of what has happened in the last three years has brought out militancy in people who thought they were quite moderate nationalists, said Diarmaid Ferriter, a history professor at University College Dublin. Three years of listening to the debate about the border, and to British ignorance about Ireland, have allowed a reflex anti-British sentiment to come to the fore. Henry Patterson, an emeritus professor of history at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, said the dispute over the R.I.C. threatened to feed into destructive sectarian passions. If you cant recognize the humanity of these people, and what was done to them, as well as what they did to other people, Mr. Patterson said, we are really into the worst kind of tribal narrative about Irish history. The current backlash erupted at a time when many people south of the border had been gaining a more nuanced understanding of the old R.I.C. Founded as a heavily armed colonial police force, it was expected to protect Anglo-Irish landlords from their impoverished Irish tenants, oversee evictions and quell political unrest. But in quieter times its constables earned acceptance and even respect through ordinary police work. Most of its rank-and-file members were recruited from the same class of Catholic farmers and merchants who provided the bedrock for Irelands struggle for independence. Hundreds of people have been evacuated in New Zealand as floods swept through southern parts of the country following heavy rainfall. Authorities told residents to not be complacent and advised them to leave their homes immediately in low-lying areas of Southland due to rising river levels. Nearly two hundred tourists were also rescued many by helicopter from the picturesque fjord of Milford Sound after floods and mudslides swamped roads on the natural attraction. A state of emergency was declared in Southland, where people in the towns of Gore, Mataura and Wyndham were told to leave their properties early Wednesday morning (local time). Emergency Management Southland urged people to go and stay with friends and family on higher ground if possible or to gather in certain community spaces. Hamish Walker, the local MP, said authorities warned him they were dealing with a one in a 100 year flood. Aerial footage showed water covering roads and fields, while a high river can be seen rushing past nearby buildings in another video. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Walker says: It is quite strange. It is actually quite a sunny day. Further rainfall is forecast over the coming days, but not the heavy rain that has caused the flooding. Authorities told Gore residents on Wednesday evening that they could go back to their properties as the Mataura River had gone down after it peaked around midday. Emergency Management Southland said other evacuated locals would have to wait until Thursday morning to know whether it is safe for them to return home. Additional reporting by Associated Press Somnath Bharti election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Somnath Bharti AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Malviya Nagar seat and many more at Firstpost.com. A lawyer-turned-politician, Somnath Bharti is one of the leaders who have been with the Aam Aadmi Party since the start. An IIT Delhi alumnus, Bharti will be looking to score a hattrick win from Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency. He is known as an approachable and hard-working leader in his constituency, albeit his short political career is haunted by several controversies and allegations. During his first stint as MLA, Bharti faced allegations of vigilantism and taking law in his own hands after he lead a group of people to raid homes of African nationals, after receiving complaints of an alleged drug cartel being run by those people. In a chargesheet in September 2014, the Delhi Police said "nine African women were victims of molestation and manhandling by a mob led by then Law Minister Bharti." Bharti was at the centre of another row in the 2000s, when he was running an when an IT company, which as per media reports, operated in the "grey zone" and was allegedly unethical. Bharti's name is linked to a company which allegedly spammed websites and extorted money for directory services. However, he has denied any wrongdoing and blamed an associate for the dodgy business. A native of Bihar's Nawada district, Bharti completed his MSc from IIT Delhi, and pursued law from University of Delhi. He then practised at the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, before entering public life during the Jan Lokpal movement. He is also a founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party. In 2013, he was elected to the Delhi Assembly from Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency, defeating Arti Mehra of the BJP by a margin of over 7,000 votes. In the next election, he improved his margin of victory, defeating Nandini Sharma of the BJP by nearly 16,000 votes. Between 2013 and 2014, during chief minister Arvind Kejriwals 49-day tenure, Bharti served as the law minister. However, he gained notoriety in January 2014, after the episode of alleged vigilantism against Africans Bhartis trouble have continued during his second term as legislator too. In 2018, he was booked for abusing a journalist during a TV debate. The journalist accused Bharti of insulting her, claiming that the former minister had told her to become a prostitute. Bharti has also been accused of perpetrating domestic violence against his wife. In June 2015, his wife, Lipika, had filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women for allegedly subjecting her to domestic violence and trying to kill her. Meanwhile, despite the steady stream of controversies, Bharti's party has decided to repose faith in him. AAP party has fielded him for the third consecutive time from Malviya Nagar constituency, and he is considered the strongest contender from the seat. Kaos tracked them down before he was found with a stab wound to the chest Beau Budak, 24, and Kieran Rocke, 21, were allegedly fleeing from police officers Two boxers are accused of stabbing a police dog named Kaos in the chest after fleeing from officers. Beau Dean Budak, 24, and Kieran David Rocke, 21, allegedly ran from a vehicle at Gordon Park in Brisbane's north, Queensland, at about 1.30am on Sunday. Kaos, a seven-year-old German Sheppard, tracked the men down with a police dog handler. The dog was released to catch the men but was found with a large stab wound to the chest. Scroll down for video Kieran David Rocke (left), 21, and Beau Dean Budak (right), 24, allegedly ran from a suspect vehicle at Gordon Park in Brisbane's north, Queensland, at about 1.30am on Sunday A police spokesperson described Kaos' actions as 'complete bravery' (pictured: Kaos with bandages where he was stabbed) The handler, who has been with Kaos since he was a puppy, delivered first aid before Kaos was transported to Stafford Heights vet surgery where had an operation. A police spokesperson described Kaos' actions as 'complete bravery'. Police confirmed Budak (pictured) and Rocke knew each other before the alleged attack 'He engaged the suspects and was stabbed. He then continued to apprehend them, ignoring his injuries and [we have] successfully taken those offenders into custody.' Police confirmed Budak and Rocke knew each other before the alleged attack, The Courier Mail reported. They were charged with serious animal cruelty, serious assault of police while armed with a weapon and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. They did not apply for bail during a hearing at Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Monday. Senior Sergeant Sean Baxendell was optimistic that Kaos could be recovered in three weeks. 'I've just come from Kaos. He's very lively I've got a lot of hair on my pants to show that,' he said on Monday. The dog was surrounded by dog handlers at all times. Senior Sergeant Sean Baxendell was optimistic that Kaos (pictured) could be recovered in three weeks Rocke will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on February 17. Budak will appear at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on April 1. A 25-year-old Logan Village woman, 22-year-old Wynnum man, and 29-year-old Manly West woman were also charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle. They are expected at appear at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on February 17. The mother of an IRA murder victim has demanded that Sinn Fein sack one of its Stormont ministers for accusing her son of being a criminal. Breege Quinn called for the removal of Conor Murphy from his position as Finance Minister after Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald admitted he had been wrong to brand her son Paul a smuggler and criminal. He is not fit to be in government, said Mrs Quinn. The murder of Paul Quinn 13 years ago, and Sinn Feins response to it, has become a major issue in the General Election campaign. On the last Read More: She said his remarks were wrong and had caused additional hurt and grief to Mr Quinns parents. The 21-year-old from Cullyhanna in south Armagh was 21 when he was beaten to death by a gang of around a dozen men in a farm shed across the border near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan. His family blame members of the IRA, but Sinn Fein has long denied republican involvement in the killing. A month after the murder, Mr Murphy, a Sinn Fein representative for Newry and Armagh, claimed Mr Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality. Reacting to Mrs McDonalds remarks on RTEs Prime Time debate, Mrs Quinn said told BBC Radio Ulsters Nolan Show: Mary Lou should just step him down. Has he any idea what we are going through, what he has put us through? She added: He has no compassion for anybody. He is not fit for the job he is in and he was not fit to be an MLA at the time either. Mrs Murphy said she would not meet Mr Murphy until he apologises publicly. I welcome Mary Lous apology last night of saying Paul was not a criminal even though she had kept it up for 13 years, she told BBC Radio Ulster. Conor Murphy still has to do his part, he has to come out publicly and apologise to us, and I mean publicly, on national television, because that is where he put the slur on our son and for 13 years we have endured and cried and fought for justice to get the truth. Mrs Quinn said Mr Murphy needed to tell the authorities north and south of the border the names of the IRA members who he said told him the organisation was not involved in the murder. We have got the half truth and I thank Mary Lou for her part last night, and Conor Murphy, we are waiting for him to publicly apologise and go to the gardai and PSNI and give the names of the IRA people he said he spoke to in Cullyhanna, she said. We could have justice tonight if Conor Murphy decided to give it to us. If he doesnt do that, I will not be meeting him. Mrs Quinn said Mrs McDonalds remarks had provided some comfort to the family. The fact she said Paul was not a criminal, I could go to bed last night and sleep, that gave me comfort of course it did, she said. We knew Paul wasnt a criminal. Criminals are very wealthy people, poor Paul didnt have 10 pence. In a key exchange during Tuesday nights debate, Mrs McDonald said: The only criminals involved in this scenario are the people who so cruelly and viciously took his life. Mary Lou McDonald I have spoke to Conor and he is aware that the comments he made after the murder of Paul Quinn have caused hurt and that that hurt has endured, so he apologised for those remarks, he withdraws those remarks and he will speak to Breege Quinn and the family directly. Her comments appeared to run contrary to remarks she made Read More: She told the Prime Time debate on Tuesday that her recollection 24 hours earlier had not been correct. Those things should not have been said, Conor withdraws them and apologises, she said. The remarks were wrong, they are withdrawn correctly and will be apologised for directly to Mrs Quinn. My sole concern in this is that the family have been hurt and the remarks made need to be withdrawn and apologised for, thats the correct thing to do and thats what Conor will do. A family that has lost their son in such brutal circumstances doesnt need the additional hurt and grief of those remarks. Mrs Quinn has been demanding that Mr Murphy give the names of IRA members in Cullyhanna he said he spoke to about the incident in 2007. Mrs McDonald said Mr Murphy had spoken to the gardai and PSNI about the murder, but she did not indicate whether he had passed over any names. 1 minute read In Eli Lilly v Genentech, Mr Justice Arnold applied Lord Sumptions seven considerations in relation to plausibility from the UK Supreme Courts Warner-Lambert decision, invalidating certain claims of Genentechs patent in relation to psoriasis. Other claims in relation to rheumatoid arthritis were held to be obvious over prior art. Evidence presented by both parties experts and information in the patent were key in this decision. Despite holding the relevant claims of the patent to be invalid, Arnold made a reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union on whether a supplementary protection certificate may be granted on the basis of a third party marketing authorisation. The case highlights the dilemma faced by patentees of when they ought to file an application. File too early and risk a finding of insufficiency (implausibility), file too late and increase chances of a finding of anticipation or obviousness. Eli Lilly sought revocation of a Genentech patent concerning an antibody which specifically binds to the IL-17A/F heterodimer for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, on the basis of novelty, obviousness and insufficiency (lack of plausibility). Mr Justice Arnold held certain claims in dispute in Genentech's patent to be novel, but obvious in light of the prior art. Other claims were held to be obvious in relation to rheumatoid arthritis but these claims were found to be insufficient for lack of plausibility in relation to the treatment of psoriasis. As a result, all the disputed claims were held to be invalid. In relation to Genetech's application for a supplementary protection certificate (SPC), despite holding that the patent was invalid, Arnold referred a question to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on whether Genentech could rely on Eli Lilly's marketing authorisation (MA) to obtain an SPC. Background Genentech is the proprietor of EP (UK) No 1 641 822, titled "IL-17A/F heterologous peptides and therapeutic uses thereof". While Genentech does not market a product covered by the patent, Eli Lilly markets an antibody called ixekizumab sold under the trade name Taltz for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis for adults. The patent specification states that the invention "relates to identifying novel secreted polypeptides of the interleukin-17 (IL-17) family which have been shown to be related to immune-mediated and inflammatory disease." Interleukins are immune-modulating agents and also referred to as cytokines. The patent provides an overview of the IL-17 family of cytokines which are implicated in immune-related diseases. The patent further describes IL-17A and IL-17F members of the IL-17 family and discusses the identification of a new human cytokine that is comprised of a heterodimer consisting of IL-17A and IL-17F (IL-17A/F) stating that molecules which inhibit IL-17A/F activity would be expected to have practical utility when an inhibition of the immune response is desired. The claims of the patent cover an isolated antibody which specifically binds to the IL-17A/F heterodimer in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis. Some claims are drafted as purpose-limited product claims, and others are drafted as purpose-limited process claims. Psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis are included in a long list of examples of immune-related and inflammatory diseases in the specification of the Patent. Eli Lilly filed a revocation action alleging that the claims of the patent are invalid on grounds of lack of novelty, obviousness and insufficiency. The company also sought a declaration that dealing in ixekizumab does not infringe the patent. Ixekizumab was developed as an antibody against IL-17A for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Initial studies showed that ixekizumab did not interfere with the binding of IL-17A/F. In later development, psoriasis was suggested as a new indication following research relating to IL-17A. Eli Lilly then later obtained an MA for ixekizumab for the treatment of psoriasis for ixekizumab. Once the IL-17 A/F heterodimer became commercially available, Eli Lilly was able to determine that ixekizumab binds to both the IL-17A/A homodimer and the IL-17A/F heterodimer. Obviousness and anticipation Arnold dismissed Eli Lilly's claims that the patent was anticipated but held that some claims were obvious over a US patent which disclosed recombinant production of a heterodimer between IL-17F and Il-17A. He also held that other claims were obvious as far as they were directed to rheumatoid arthritis. Insufficiency: plausibility of the psoriasis claims Arnold considered the seven propositions made by Lord Sumption in Warner-Lambert in relation to plausibility (see Table 1). The expert witness for Eli Lilly contended that the skilled person would note the broad list of conditions which the patent claims state can be treated with the anti-IL-17A/F antibodies and considered that it was 'highly unlikely' that the skilled person would consider targeting IL-17A/F to be beneficial in some of them and at best a guess for many. He also stated that there was no experimental evidence directed to the role or effect of IL-17 A/F in psoriasis. Further he stated that the skilled person would not consider IL-17A/F as a candidate to take forward to a clinical trial. The expert witness for Genentech stated that the skilled person would regard it as plausible that IL-17A/F had a role in psoriasis and referred to other research papers referring to the mechanism by which IL-17 A/F played this role in psoriasis. Based on the evidence, Arnold held that the skilled person would not regard it as plausible that an anti-IL-17A/F antibody would have a discernible therapeutic effect on psoriasis. He stated that the patent contained no experimental data on the role or effect of IL-17A/F in psoriasis, nor any discussion of the role or effect of IL-17 A/F in psoriasis. Pointing away from the idea that it would work, the patent showed that IL-17A/F is an order of magnitude less potent than the homodimer IL-17 A/A. Important in his finding was that the patent specification claimed efficacy against a broad list of conditions in relation to which the skilled person would not think it plausible that the antibody would be efficacious in relation to them all, and there was no specific singling out of psoriasis. Therefore, he found Genentech's claim of an efficacy against psoriasis not to have been plausibly disclosed by the patent. Table 1: Seven plausibility propositions from Warner-Lambert 1) That the product is efficacious for the treatment of a given condition must be plausible. 2) A mere possibility that it will work or a bare assertion that it works is not enough. 3) The claimed therapeutic effect may be rendered plausible by a specification showing that something was worth trying for a reason and not just because there was an abstract possibility that it would work but because reasonable scientific grounds were disclosed for expecting that it might well work. 4) There is no need to prove that the product works, but there must be something that would cause the skilled person to think there was a reasonable prospect that the assertion would be true. 5) The reasonable prospect must be based on a direct effect on a metabolic mechanism specifically involved in the disease, this mechanism being either known from prior art or demonstrated in the patent per se. 6) In the context of experimental data, the effect on the disease process need not necessarily be demonstrated by experimental data. It can be demonstrated by a priori reasoning. For example the specification may point to some property of the product which would lead the skilled person to expect that it might well produce the claimed therapeutic effect. 7) The disclosure may be supplemented or explained by the common general knowledge of the skilled person. However it is not enough that the patentee can prove that the product can reasonably be expected to work for the designated use, if the skilled person would not derive this from the teaching of the patent. Infringement Given that it is now known that ixekizumab is known to bind to both IL-17A/A and Il-17A/F together with more recent research that shows that IL-17A/F plays a role in psoriasis, Arnold, applying the Supreme Court test for infringement from Actavis v Eli Lilly (pemetrexed), which takes into account doctrine of equivalents, held that if the patent claims were valid, that Eli Lilly would have infringed them. SPC referral to the CJEU An SPC aims to compensate patent owners for some types of regulatory delay and can be granted if: The product is protected by a basic patent in force. A valid authorisation has been granted to place the product on the market. The product has not been the subject of a previous SPC. The authorisation is the first to place the product on the market. Although Genentech does not have a product covered by the patent on the market, it filed an application for an SPC based on its patent and on Eli Lilly's Taltz MA. Eli Lilly argued that, assuming the patent is valid, Genentech's SPC application does not comply with the SPC Regulation because: 1) Taltz is not protected by the patent and 2) the Taltz MA is not a relevant authorisation since it is a third party MA relied on without the consent of the third party (Eli Lilly). Taltz protected by patent Arnold held that ixekizumab was covered by claim 1 of the patent but not covered by claim 12 because it was not permissible to take into account research on the efficacy of ixekizumab on psoriasis carried out after the date of the priority or filing date of the patent. Third party MA Ely Lilly argued that the object of the SPC Regulation is to compensate a research organisation for the delay to market entry as a result of the regulatory processes to obtain an MA, and that a company which has not suffered lost time because it was not the company that obtained the MA ought not to have any compensation. Genentech referred to evidence that it is consistent practice at the national offices of EU member states to grant SPCs on the basis of third party MAs. Genentech also referred to case law that the basic patent and the MA may be held by different and unconnected parties, and that the wording of the SPC Regulation makes it clear that SPCs may be granted on third party MAs. Arnold held that the law in this area is not clear and considered that the following question ought to be referred to the CJEU: "Does the SPC Regulation preclude the grant of an SPC to the proprietor of a basic patent in respect of a product which is the subject of a marketing authorisation held by a third party without that party's consent?" Arnold noted that if he was correct to hold the patent invalid, Genentech's SPC application must fail. Genentech indicated that it wished to appeal the judgment on the validity of the patent and that if the company were successful, the question on the SPC application would be relevant. Eli Lilly argued that as any judgment of the Court of Appeal would take some time and that as the UK will shortly lose jurisdiction to make a reference to the CJEU due to Brexit, there were exceptional reasons to make a reference to the CJEU now. Further, the SPC dispute was not confined to the UK since Genentech had filed parallel SPC applications based on the Taltz MA, so an answer could be provided only by the CJEU. Arnold accepted these arguments in these current exceptional circumstances and referred the question to the CJEU despite finding that the patent was invalid. Conclusion This case shows courts applying the principles established in Warner-Lambert in relation to plausibility. The dearth of experimental data or any other scientific reason in the patent showing why it would work made the patent open to an attack of insufficiency for lack of plausibility. In his findings, Arnold did accept that while Warner-Lambert was concerned with a second medical use, this case concerned a first medical use of a previously unknown antibody. Genentech has indicated its intention to appeal the decision. The case highlights the dilemma faced by patentees of when they ought to file an application. File too early and risk a finding of insufficiency (implausibility), file too late and increase chances of a finding of anticipation or obviousness. It would be prudent to consider filing a patent application as soon as there is enough evidence to overcome the plausibility hurdle as set out in Lord Sumption's seven propositions. The findings of this case also give an opportunity to new market entrants wishing to 'clear the way'. As set out by the parties in this case, it is current practice that an SPC applicant is granted an SPC based on another entity's MA. The question referred to the CJEU will be crucial in determining where the balance lies and whether the current practice will be prohibited taking into account the policy reasons for the SPC. Once the CJEU guidance is handed down, it will of course apply across all EU member states. The CJEU guidance provided will be crucial to current and future SPC applicants who base their SPC applications on a third party MA. Varuni Paranavitane Varuni Paranavitane is an IP litigation associate at AA Thornton in London. The material on this site is for law firms, companies and other IP specialists. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs. Share this article TORONTO - Airbnb will limit young adults' ability to book some properties in Canada in a pilot project aimed at cutting down on unauthorized parties like the one where three young men were killed in Toronto over the weekend. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chris Lehane Airbnb's Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Communications, joined by doctors, takes questions during a press conference in Toronto, on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO - Airbnb will limit young adults' ability to book some properties in Canada in a pilot project aimed at cutting down on unauthorized parties like the one where three young men were killed in Toronto over the weekend. The company will prohibit people under the age of 25 from booking local listings for entire homes in Canada, company executive Chris Lehane announced Wednesday, insisting such bookings are far more likely to lead to security incidents but refusing to provide numbers to support the claim. "Three young men lost their lives on Friday night. Nothing we're going to say or do will bring back those lives, but we're certainly going to talk about what we should do from a responsibility perspective," said Lehane, senior vice-president of global policy and communications. "...For us it's simply not good enough to say that, hey, we're just merely a reflection, we're a mirror onto larger societal challenges. For us, it's incredibly important that we take a responsibility." About 0.03 per cent of Airbnb bookings result in property damage and 0.06 per cent result in security incidents, Lehane said. The Friday-night shooting happened during a party in a condo unit that was rented out through Airbnb. Those killed have been identified as Tyronne Noseworthy, 19, Jalen Colley, 21, and Joshua Gibson-Skeir, 20. Police have yet to explain why only two of the three deaths have been classified as homicides so far. Investigators have said two guns were found at the scene and the gunmen were among the dead. The Toronto shooting is just the latest incident to highlight fears around Airbnb parties. Late last year, Airbnb announced a ban on so-called "party houses" after five people were killed at a Halloween party at a rental in Orinda, Calif., that was listed on its site. The ban prohibited "open-invite" parties in which organizers open up the home to anyone who wants to attend, for instance by advertising on social media. The new measure will have some leniency for young people with a positive track record on Airbnb, Lehane said. Those under 25 who have at least three positive reviews will be able to book entire homes locally. He said there will be a certain radius from a person's home address in which they won't be allowed to book a full residence, but said the company would be keeping that number secret to make it harder to circumvent the measure. The company will monitor the initiative's effectiveness in real time and decide whether to roll it out globally, he said. "We're not saying this is going to be a solve-all or a panacea," Lehane said. "The issue of gun violence goes well beyond this particular action that we are identifying and taking. But we do think it is a step in the right direction and a step that will reduce the number of instances out there." But David Wachsmuth, an assistant professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in urban governance, said the announcement seems like something of a half-measure, targetting individuals instead of following through on the promise to ban party houses. "This really to me feels like of a piece with so many of the PR moves Airbnb engages in," he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I spend lots of my day looking at data about Airbnb listings, and I feel like if they came out and said, 'Hey David could you identify some problematic listings for me,' I'm pretty sure I could do it, and I'm pretty sure they could do it even better." The company has said it is removing such listings from its site, but Wachsmuth said he still regularly sees them. Airbnb is also introducing a "24/7 neighbourhood support telephone hotline" in Canada to connect residents with "rapid response agents" who will deal with concerns. The line is already operating in the United States, but Lehane said Canada will be the second country where it will be instituted. Airbnb also announced Wednesday that it will donate $300,000 to Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns over the course of three years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. SEOUL, KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / February 4, 2020 / Korea Blockchain Week, South Korea's flagship blockchain event, has appointed the world's leading blockchain marketing agency, MarketAcross. The partnership will see MarketAcross support marketing and PR efforts in the build-up to the June 15-21 event hosted by FactBlock. Scheduled to take place at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul, Korea Blockchain Week (#KBW2020) will bring together leading speakers, influencers, thought leaders, developers and industry figureheads from across the globe. MarketAcross will support pre- and post-event promotion and media coverage, while helping to raise the profile of the prestigious event outside of South Korea. Announcing the partnership Elad Mor, CEO of MarketAcross said: "We're delighted to be appointed as an official marketing partner for Korea Blockchain Week. It promises to be one of the most highly anticipated events of its kind in Asia, and we look forward to sharing the many highlights across crypto media in the run-up to June 15. With FactBook pulling the strings and MarketAcross supporting, I'm confident that Korea Blockchain Week 2020 will be the biggest and best event yet." KBW 2019 saw more than 4,000 attendees gather to hear over 50 speakers including Vitalik Buterin, Adam Back, and Nick Szabo discuss key technical and ideological issues affecting the cryptosphere. At the 2020 event, other industry names will join South Korean blockchain evangelists and business leaders to discuss emerging trends and defining narratives for 2020. The week-long event will feature a series of conferences, seminars, workshops, hackathons, and networking events that will provide an opportunity for delegates to gain an insight into the future of blockchain and to meet industry experts. South Korea is known as a hotbed of crypto adoption and innovation, with its tech-savvy government and business sector embracing blockchain to solve an array of real-world problems across multiple industries and verticals. Korea Blockchain Week 2020 is an eagerly anticipated event that will dictate the trends that shape 2020 through Asia and beyond. Story continues About MarketAcross MarketAcross is the blockchain industry's preeminent marketing firm, specializing in PR, SEO, content marketing, brand reputation and social promotions. Based in Tel Aviv, MarketAcross serves many of the industry's largest exchanges and blockchain projects, including Binance, Huobi, TRON and many others. About FactBlock FactBlock, a subsidiary of media conglomerate Financial News with over 20 years of experience in Korea, is a blockchain consulting firm focused on connecting global companies to the Korean markets, conglomerates & governments. It has been hosting events in Korea for the past 20 years such as Korea Blockchain Week, Waves Summit, ICT conference and FactBlock VIP Nights as well as global networking events and roadshows. CONTACT pr@marketacross.com Elad Mor, CEO +972-545-464-238 SOURCE: MarketAcross View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/575177/Blockchain-PR-Agency-MarketAcross-Joins-Korea-Blockchain-Week-as-an-Official-Marketing-Partner Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall has revealed that The Doctor will face an entire of army of Cybermen in the show's series 12 finale. In scenes set to air next month, the two-part conclusion will see the Time Lord go head-to-head with the metal men once again, after it was teased earlier in the series that she would be wary of 'The Lone Cyberman.' The episodes will also feature a guest appearance from Julie Graham, who previously starred in the Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010. Exciting: Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall has revealed that The Doctor will face an entire of army of Cybermen in the show's series 12 finale Chris told The Mirror that viewers can expect plenty of Cybermen towards the end of the series, after they last appeared in Who's 10th series finale in 2017. He said: 'It's probably one of the most epic space opera stories we've done.' 'It's a big, big, Cyberman story, that last two-parter. There are a lot of Cyberman coming in this series.' Chris also teased that viewers can expect to see the so-called Lone Cyberman which had been hinted this series, before things expand into far more dramatic scenes. Dramatic: In scenes set to air next month, the two-part conclusion will see the Time Lord go head-to-head with the metal men once again The Cybermen's last appearance also saw the surprise return of John Simm as The Master, revealing that he orchestrated the original creation of the robots years earlier. It was also revealed that the finale will guest star actress Julie, who has previously appeared in series such as Benidorm and The Bletchley Circle. She said: 'I've always been a huge fan, so I felt like a kid in a sweet shop.' This weekend's episode is set to be a spooky delight for fans, as it takes place on the same night that Mary Shelley wrote the sinister novel Frankenstein. Big name: The episodes will also feature a guest appearance from Julie Graham, who previously starred in the Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010 This series of Doctor Who has already been full of surprises, with fans sent into a tailspin after Captain Jack Harkness made a guest appearance to warn the Doctor about 'the lone Cyberman.' The episode also saw the introduction of the show's first ever black Doctor, as Gloucester tour guide Ruth was revealed to be a dormant version of the time traveller. It's a reveal that left many die-hard fans demanding answers about how there could be another version of The Doctor, with many hoping the truth will be revealed before the series comes to an end. Doctor Who continues on Sunday at 7:10pm on BBC One. The ruling New Patriotic Partys [NPP] suspended Central Regional Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi, has been described as a Mafia for his lead role that led to some missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal miners. An owner of one of the missing excavators, Michael Boateng is still in shock as to how his heavy duty equipment was sold, but made to believe that the equipment was been used for party [NPP] work at an unknown destination. My excavator had to travel from Obuasi when it was seized by government task force to Accra. I followed it to Accra with all documents to retrieve it and that was when I heard of Ekow Ewusi as the man in charge of all seized excavators and other equipments, he narrated in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Michael Boateng however told host Kwesi Aboagye that he went through hell in attempt to get back his excavator. I was even willing to pay any amount for it, he said - adding that my friend paid as much as Ghc 55, 000 to retrieve his own. Boateng who is still searching for his excavator, also claims that When the task forced raided my home, they drove away my Pickup truck and the number plate has been changed by Ekow Ewusi who is using it now. The Criminal Investigations Department [CID] of the Ghana Police Service arrested Horace Ekow Ewusi, over missing excavators seized in the clampdown on illegal mining galamsey.The embattled Vice Chairman was interrogated over his role in some missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal mining operators.The arrest follows a request made to the CID by the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng.According to the letter written by the Minister, Mr Ewusi was contracted to cart excavators and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping.The Ministers letter said the Ministry had received information that he sent an unknown number of equipment to the unauthorized location including one in Tema.It further said, Information reaching me indicates that he has sold an unknown number of the pieces of equipment including excavators.Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has disclosed how Horace Ekow Ewusi came into the picture for the fight against illegal mining popularly referred to as galamsey.In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Prof. Frimpong Boateng said, the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Illegal Mining, the then secretary, Charles Bissue now suspended, introduced Mr. Ewusi as a party who could help them resolve the issue of storage of seized excavators.He explained that impounded excavators from galamsey operators were a major issue since they did not have a central area to keep them.He noted that Charles Bissue averred that Mr. Ewusi was an auctioneer who had depots scattered in three separate areas namely; Industrial Area, Abelemkpe and Oyarifa.Prof. Frimpong Boateng further intimated that there was the need to keep the impounded machines at a centralized location in Accra hence the resolve of the Secretariat to employ the services of the NPP Deputy Chairman of the Central region.He, however, clarified that Mr. Ewusi was not working in any capacity with Operation Vanguard as was being speculated. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video For most youthful offenders who have gotten themselves into trouble with the law, the juvenile justice system provides a therapeutic and rehabilitative approach, which is the best way to get them back on track. The systems main goal is to give juvenile delinquents every chance to change their behavior and become law-abiding adults. Indeed, Valerie Boykin, director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, credits the departments 3-year-old Transformation Plan for dramatically reducing the number of juvenile intakes and detentions in Virginia, which were at historic lows last year. But there are certain crimes that are so heinous that the main goal should be protecting the public. And the unfortunate fact is that a deviant 14- or 15-year-old who commits a premeditated violent felony, such as first-degree murder, poses as much danger to the community as any adult criminal. Trying such juveniles as adults and sending them to adult prison if convicted not only protects the public, it also separates them from other youthful offenders who are guilty of lesser transgressions, and who therefore have a much higher chance of being rehabilitated. Exposing them to extremely violent offenders, no matter what their age, is not in their or societys best interests. Since the current law isnt broken, the General Assembly should not try to fix it. Excerpted and adapted from The (Fredericksburg) Free Lance-Star. Editors note: Editorials published from other sources do not always represent the viewpoints of The Daily Progress, but are offered in an effort to share additional opinion and information. The way the story was told to me is that there came a day in the early 1970s when some guy at a country music recording studio in Nashville called South Central Bell. He said he wanted a telephone line put in, but that it would go from only one room to the next. Further, he wanted it for just one day. The phone company lady, amused at such folly, asked him why instead he didnt just use one of the phone extensions already in the office to call the next, that way it wouldnt cost anything. The man replied, his voice timbred by miles of tobacco and whiskey, Honey, this is for a country song and its got to be real. That story came bounding up the steps from my memory bank like an excited puppy last week when Loretta Lynn, ever her feisty self at age 87, bemoaned the demise of what made her world famous. "I think it's dead," Lynn said during an episode of Martina McBride's "Vocal Point" podcast. "I think its a shame. I think its a shame to let a type of music die. I dont care what any kind of music it is. Rock, country, whatever. I think its a shame to let it die, and Im here to start feeding it." She continued, describing modern country as "a sad situation, because we should never let country music die There's such a hard push to crossover and change it up, and do something new that we can lose what country music really is all about," the statement said. "I like it countrypure, simple, and real! And there is that word for the second time real. The telephone man put the new line in the recording studio, this almost 50 years ago. Then Loretta Lynn stood in front of a microphone with the musicians at her back, sharp and tuned. Conway Twitty took a chair in the office, and over the telephone, the two recorded what will forever be a classic, As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone. Some say the ring-and-a-half to start it is almost as famous as the song a curious blend of Conway speaking on the phone as Loretta wails back but I know every time the ring sounded on WDOD back in the day it made four or five who were anywhere around a Zenith holler, Turn it up! I also know that real country is far from dead. Loretta, who was married at age 13 and a grandmother at 34, celebrated the 60th anniversary of her first hit, Honky Tonk Woman over the weekend. In the years since, shes had 24 No. 1 hits like You Aint Woman Enough (To Take My Man) and Dont Come Home A-Drinkin . With Loving on your Mind. Her fans clamored over Fist City, where she sings in a stern warning to her mans temptress, and then Coal Miners Daughter well, it was chosen No. 187 among all the songs in the last century and is, quite simply, Americana at its most pure, refined 100 times over, and oh so real. Back when I was given a daily dose of country helping bale hay on some hot afternoons, just about everybody knew Loretta and the right way, the wrong way, and Conway! had a thing going. It was said no man and woman singing duets like they did could have 12 Top Ten hits and five No. 1s without a sharing a cheatin song more than music but both swore it wasnt true. Everybody thought me and Conway had a thing going, and thats the furthest from the truth, she once said. I loved Conway, as a friend, and my husband loved him. Conway was really the only one in the music business that (my husband) gave a dag-gone for. In a wondering way, I believe what Loretta believes is dying is that the once tightly-knit family of country music people has deteriorated to include men who wear ball caps backwards, where blue jeans cost more with rips and holes, and todays songs dont have the pain and heartache and anguish people in the South could so easily understand because they lived it too. Several years before Dalton Roberts died, that was five years ago, we would share lunches and sometimes talk about our love to write. The former County Mayor loved music, and often performed some of the songs he wrote. Once when Dalton had spent the day trying to pedal some of his songs to the stars in Nashville, he was heading back to Chattanooga when a friend asked Dalton if hed mind a rider. That rider turned out to be the legendary Hank Williams, Sr. and Ive always saved a copy of Daltons description of that ride. * * * I was dejectedly driving home from Nashville and Hank Williams materialized in my passenger seat. We had a conversation that started setting me free. After I whined about the hard day I'd had in Nashville and songwriting being an affliction, he asked, "Why do you write?" and I said, "To be rich and famous like you, of course." He quickly said, "That's not why I write! That just happened. I write because I have to. If you don't feel you have to write, you are not a songwriter, son. You write to get the pain out - the women, the hangovers, the endless highways, and the dead-end streets. And strange as it sounds, a song that gets out your own pain can help other people get their pain out or at least ride with it a little easier." Then he surprised me. I'd heard all the tales of him slowly drinking himself to death so it naturally gave me a start when he said, "But all of life ain't snake handling. You've got to break the spell of the devil and write some fun stuff like 'Jambalaya.'" He got quiet a minute and then finished his soliloquy, "It's self-therapy, boy. It's your own personal shrink. Why lay on a couch boring a doctor when you can pick up your guitar and heal yourself?" As I rode along in the rain with the windshield wipers keeping rhythm with my mind I wondered, "Will anyone ever believe Hank Williams told me to write for fun and self-therapy?" * * * Yeah, I believe it. You mighty right I do. Thats because country music is real its lyrics honestly slices of life, and it will be many more years before anybody will ever snuff away the memory of a telephone being installed by South Central Bell for only one day. It has to be real. * * * royexum@aol.com Workers preparing the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center on February 4, 2020 in Wuhan, China. It is understood that the first and second floors of Wuhan International Convention and Exhibition Center have been converted into temporary hospitals with a total of 1,000 beds, which are specially used to treat patients with mild new-type coronavirus. Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The coverage on this live blog has ended. For up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. All times below are in Beijing time. 9:00 pm: ECB chief says coronavirus outbreak 'adds a new layer of uncertainty' to global growth The president of the European Central Bank has expressed concern that China's coronavirus outbreak is fueling global economic uncertainty, according to a Reuters report. "The short-term uncertainties are mainly related to global risks trade, geopolitical and now the outbreak of the coronavirus and its potential effect on global growth," Christine Lagarde reportedly said during a speech in Paris, France on Wednesday. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty," she added. 8:25 pm: WHO says there are 'no known' effective drug treatments against coronavirus The World Health Organization (WHO) has played down media reports of a drug breakthrough against the coronavirus outbreak, saying there are "no known" drug treatments against the virus. "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV and WHO recommends enrollment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety," WHO said in a statement on Wednesday. "A master global clinical trial protocol for research and prioritization of therapeutics is ongoing at the WHO," it added. Earlier in the day (See 7:00 p.m. update), Reuters said a Chinese TV media outlet had reported that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat people with the new coronavirus. The news agency, citing traders, suggested this was a reason for the move higher in stocks. Separately, Sky News reported Wednesday that a scientist from Imperial College London had made a significant breakthrough in the race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. The vaccine is thought to be able to reduce the development time from "two to three years to just 14 days," Sky said. CNBC has not been able to verify the media reports. 7:20 pm: China's Xi says the country must crack down on coronavirus misinformation Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the government will crack down on misinformation about the coronavirus, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. He reportedly added that the world's second-largest economy must report information about the virus in a timely and accurate manner, with the outbreak at a crucial stage. Xi's reported comments come as the World Health Organization continues to warn against fast-spreading rumors about the virus online. "There is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from 2019-nCoV," the WHO posted on its official Twitter account last week, along with the hashtag #KnowtheFacts. The United Nations health agency has repeatedly sought to caution against fake alerts and posts circulating on social media. 7:00 pm: US futures rally amid media reports of a drug breakthrough for coronavirus U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday. It comes after Reuters said a Chinese TV media outlet had reported that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat people with the new coronavirus. The news agency, citing traders, suggested this was a reason for the move higher in stocks. Separately, Sky News reported Wednesday that a scientist from Imperial College London had made a significant breakthrough in the race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. The vaccine is thought to be able to reduce the development time from "two to three years to just 14 days," Sky said. CNBC has not been able to verify the media reports. At around 6 a.m. ET, Dow futures indicated an implied open of nearly 300 points, while futures in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also pointed higher. Tweet 1 6:30 pm: Oil prices climb more than 3% on reports of effective coronavirus drug Oil prices jumped more than 3% on Wednesday, following media reports that scientists may have developed an effective drug to prevent China's fast-spreading coronavirus. International benchmark Brent crude traded at $55.40 Wednesday evening, up around 2.7%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $50.82, almost 2.5% higher. Both crude benchmarks had climbed more than 3% earlier in the session. Brent and WTI have fallen more than 20% since climbing to a peak in early January. OPEC and non-OPEC partners, sometimes referred to as OPEC+, are thought to be considering further output cuts this month, with energy market participants increasingly concerned that the virus outbreak could squeeze oil demand growth. 5:30 pm: Hong Kong's Carrie Lam says visitors from mainland China must be quarantined for two weeks Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said those coming from mainland China will be put into compulsory quarantine for 14 days. The city's chief executive said Wednesday that two cruise terminals would also be closed in an attempt to limit the cross-border flow of people. Some medical staff have been on strike for three days, demanding a full border closer. Lam said there have now been 21 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong. 4:11 pm: China's Foreign Ministry says China, US in close contact over virus A batch of supplies from the U.S. arrived in Wuhan on Feb. 4, and some American businesses and institutions have also offered support, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry said during a daily briefing on Wednesday, according to an official translation. "We have come to a crucial stage in terms of epidemic prevention and control," the spokeswoman said. She noted both China and the U.S. are in close communication through diplomatic and health channels. On trade, Hua said China hoped the U.S. would "work with" the Asian country on implementing the consensus that their leaders have reached. 3:50 pm: Cathay Pacific appeals to employees to take unpaid leave Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific has appealed to all of its employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, as the airline carrier struggles with falling demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Employees "have the option to take three weeks of unpaid leave" in the period between March 1 and June 30, the airline said in a statement to CNBC. "In view of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak and also significant drop in market demand, we just announced massive capacity cuts yesterday," the statement said. "Preserving cash is the key to protecting our business. We have already been taking multiple measures to achieve this. Today, we are appealing to all employees to participate in the special leave scheme," the airline said. 3:30 pm: Taiwan suspends entry for mainland Chinese citizens Taiwan has temporarily suspended entry for all Chinese citizens who live in mainland China, effective from Thursday. Taiwan, which is not a member of the World Health Organization due to China's objections, has 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. China considers self-governing Taiwan a wayward province to be brought under its control. 3:15 pm: China markets close more than 1% higher Mainland Chinese markets closed higher on Wednesday, building on gains in the previous session after a sharp fall at the start of the week. The Shanghai composite closed up 1.25% on Wednesday, while the Shenzhen component jumped over 2.4%. Other major Asia-Pacific markets also rose, while European markets were predicted to edge higher. 3:00 pm: Passengers on cruise ship in Hong Kong being tested for virus Over 1,800 passengers on a Dream Cruises ship docked in Hong Kong are being tested for the new coronavirus, after some crew members reported they have fevers and other symptoms, according to the city's health authorities. Passengers and crew members are not allowed to get off the World Dream ship without permission, authorities said. More than 90% of the passengers are Hong Kong residents. The ship had traveled from Nansha, China to Vietnam between Jan. 19-24 a group of mainland Chinese tourists on that trip was confirmed to be infected, according to authorities. Separately, Princess Cruises on Tuesday confirmed that ten passengers on a ship in Japan have the virus. 2:50 pm: Singapore says outbreak is 'a very good lesson' on diversifying supply chains The ongoing spread of a new coronavirus which shut down major business hubs in China serves as "a very good lesson" for companies and economies on the importance of diversifying their supply chains, said Singapore's trade minister on Wednesday. 2:20 pm: Schools in Shanghai not to reopen before end February Shanghai authorities announced on Wednesday that all schools are not to reopen before the end of February. 1:20 pm: Two new cases in South Korea South Korea on Wednesday confirmed two new coronavirus cases. One of them is a 38-year-old male who was in Singapore for a conference from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was an infected Malaysian patient at the conference, it said. 1:00 pm: Healthcare workers in Hong Kong strike for third day Medical workers in Hong Kong went on strike for a third day, in a bid to pressure the city's government to shut down all borders with mainland China. They said they are doing so as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Hong Kong, which reported its first death due to the virus. The city has confirmed 18 cases so far. Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam has closed some borders but left three open, arguing that to close the entire border would be impractical and discriminatory, according to a Reuters report. 12:15 pm: Trump says 'working closely' with China on outbreak U.S. President Donald Trump said during his State of the Union address that the U.S. is coordinating with the Chinese government on the coronavirus outbreak. "Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat," he said, without giving further details. The White House said earlier this week that China accepted its offer to allow U.S. experts into the country as part of a World Health Organization effort to fight the outbreak. Earlier, China accused the U.S. of spreading fear and panic amid the outbreak instead of providing assistance. 11:25 am: Second hospital in Wuhan due to be completed on Wednesday A second, 1,600-bed hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan is set to be completed on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media. That follows the city's first, 1,000-bed hospital which was completed and started admitting patients on Monday. Both hospitals were constructed rapidly in a roughly week-long process, watched by millions of viewers via live-streaming. Wuhan will also convert another eight venues into temporary hospitals to receive coronavirus patients, state media Xinhua reported. To make more beds available, some hotels, stadiums and training centers may be used to admit suspected and mild cases, according to authorities. 10:35 am: One American among ten passengers on Princess Cruises ship who tested positive An American is among ten passengers who tested positive for coronavirus, Princess Cruises confirmed to CNBC. The other infected passengers are from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, according to Princess Cruises. "We were notified that amongst the samples that have completed testing, 10 people have tested positive for Coronavirus," Princess Cruises said in an earlier statement after the first phase of health screening for guests and crew onboard the Diamond Princess. There are more than 3,700 people onboard, and about half of the 2,666 guests are from Japan, the cruise liner said. 10:18 am: Passenger flights, rail trips in China plummet Passenger flights in China, excluding foreign flyovers, fell 12.1% year-on-year from the first day of the Lunar New Year travel period (Jan. 10) to Feb. 4, according to state news agency Xinhua, citing China's aviation authority. For Feb. 4 alone, the drop was 63.8%, the report said. China's railway operator said in an online post Tuesday night that 1.3 million passenger rail trips were expected for that day, a year-on-year decline of 88.5%. That followed a drop of 86.1% to 1.6 million trips on Monday. The Lunar New Year is one of the busiest times for Chinese to travel. This year, authorities encouraged people to stay home in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. 10:05 am: China markets jump Mainland Chinese stocks jumped for a second day running after plunging more than 7% on Monday in their return to trade. The Shenzhen component and the Shenzhen composite rose more than 2%, while the Shanghai composite climbed about 1%. 9:45 am: Global economy is more vulnerable now than during SARS China's economy has changed since the SARS epidemic in 2003 that killed some 800 people worldwide, and shaved 0.5 to 1 percentage points off the country's growth that year. Here are five charts that show why the global economy is more vulnerable today than during SARS. 8:09 am: United Airlines to suspend Hong Kong flights United Airlines on Tuesday said it will suspend its Hong Kong service, days after it cut its mainland China flights as coronavirus spreads. The suspension starts on Feb. 8 and will last until Feb. 20 but more changes are possible. A security guard wearing protective gear checks the temperature of the visitor at the entrance of Accident & Emergency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 4, 2020. Bloomberg 8:02 am: China reports total deaths of 490, and 24,324 cases China National Health Commission said that as of Tuesday night, a total of 24,324 cases have been confirmed and 490 people have died in the country. There were 65 additional deaths and all of them came from Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. 7:23 am: Hubei reports 65 additional deaths Hubei province reports an additional 65 deaths and 3,156 new cases related to the mysterious coronavirus as of the end of Tuesday. The Hubei Provincial Health Committee on Wednesday reported that 479 people have died and a total of 16,678 cases have been confirmed so far. To date, the province the epicenter of the pneumonia-like virus has accounted for most of the deaths from the new coronavirus. All times below are in Eastern time. 5:24 pm: Outbreak costing Disney theme parks $175 million Disney said it is expecting to take a $175 million hit from the recent coronavirus outbreak if its Hong Kong and Shanghai Disney parks remain closed for two months. Christine McCarthy, chief financial officer at Disney, said the company expects an impact of $135 million on second-quarter operating income from the Shanghai park and about $40 million from the closure of the Hong Kong park. 4:48 pm: Nike expects 'material impact' on operations in China Larry King has said his agnostic atheism and estranged wife's religion played a part in their split after 22 years last August. The legendary TV and radio host revealed he and Shawn King whose maiden name is Southwick - tried to get past their differing beliefs. But a combination of the 60-year-old actress being Mormon and other factors including their 26-year age difference and his devotion to broadcasting - made their relationship irreconcilable. 'The age difference eventually takes its toll,' he said in the new issue of People. 'Also my wife is a very religious Mormon, and I'm an agnostic atheist, so that causes little problems. 'We overcame a lot, but it just hit a point where we didn't get along.' Larry King partially blamed his estranged wife's religion and his agnostic atheism for their split after 22 years last August. 'My wife is a very religious Mormon, and I'm an agnostic atheist, so that causes little problems,' he admitted in the new issue of People He added: 'We overcame a lot, but it just hit a point where we didn't get along'. King, 86, said about Southwick, 60: 'The age difference eventually takes its toll' The man whose show Larry King Live aired on CNN for 25 years form 1985, admitted his tendency to put his career before romantic relationships may have been another factor in the breakup. Pictured June 21, 2010 Southwick is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and her father went to college at Brigham Young University in Utah, which is owned by the church. The pair almost divorced in 2010 but got back together. It followed a reported 2008 rehab stint for Southwick who allegedly had an addiction to painkillers. She's believed to avoid alcohol in line with her religion. Her children with King are also thought to have been raised Mormon. Gossip stories said the split resulted from Southwick trying to interfere with the inheritance of her two adult sons, Cannon, 19 and Chance, 20. King also has a son with his first wife and two children with his third wife. King and Southwick also faced rumors of infidelity but have both denied it. King, whose show Larry King Live aired on CNN for 25 years form 1985, admits his tendency to put his career before romantic relationships may have been another factor in the breakup. 'I never cheated on my wives but the sad thing is my career always came first,' he admits. 'I used to say if CNN called with an emergency or my wife called with an emergency, I'd call CNN first. 'I've really tried not to let [rumors] bother me. I have to read so much about myself. You spend 62 years on the air. Not everyone is going to like you. All I can do is be honest.' But both have denied rumors of infidelity. King said: 'I never cheated on my wives but the sad thing is my career always came first' Gossip stories said the split resulted from Southwick trying to interfere with his estate - potentially negatively impacting the inheritance of their two adult sons, Cannon, 19 and Chance, 20. Pictured August 21, 2018 King said after having surgery for an angina last April, he finally decided to do something about their differences. He's pictured with sons Cannon, 19 (right) and Chance, 20 (left) King said after having surgery for an angina last April, he finally decided to do something about their differences. 'I thought about what I wanted the rest of my life to be,' King said. 'When you're 40 and there are moments of unhappiness in a marriage, you can overcome that. But it's hard at my age. There is nothing worse than arguing. And I wanted to be happy.' The duo met in 1997 and Larry King Now airs via their ORA network inspired by Southwick's middle name. After his eighth divorce, King has no hard feelings. 'I wish Shawn the best. We love each other. And I'll always care for her.' However King says 'in my head, I'm not a marrying guy'. 'When I grew up if you fell in love, you got married. And I married the ones that I loved. But what I loved at 20 was not what I love at 30 or what I loved at 40.' Southwick broke down in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV last year, saying she was blindsided when he filed for divorce. 'I was crushed, I had no idea that this was coming, it hurt yeah. I was totally blindsided,' she admitted in an emotional interview back in September. King has had numerous health issues, including a heart attack, prostate and lung cancer, and type two diabetes. 'He's going through a lot right now. His health issues, that can really shake you to the core to see him so vulnerable and he doesn't remember two solid weeks of time. It's life, it's real and it's not fun.' She added: 'I don't think, again I'm not in Larry's head, I refuse to believe that he intended to humiliate me. It's strange, I can't quite wrap my head around it, but it is what it is... it hurts. 'Larry has a very strong personality, Larry does what Larry wants, that doesn't mean that I can't disagree with him because I have and I do and will continue for as long as we are on this earth.' Nigeria has registered an upsurge in the number of Lassa Fever cases since the beginning of the year, with 365 positive cases and 47 deaths reported from 23 states across the country. According to week five situation report on the disease released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday, the number of states reporting at least a case of the disease rose to 23 from 19 in the previous week. The 23 states are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Borno, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Adamawa, Cross River, Delta, Osun, Ogun, Abia, Taraba, Plateau, FCT, Gombe, Enugu, Kebbi and Anambra. Three states, Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi, remain the states with the most affected cases. However, there was a reduction in the number of new deaths (six) in the reporting week as compared to the previous week where 19 deaths were reported. Increasing cases In the data released by NCDC, new confirmed cases have increased from 95 cases in week four to 104 cases. These were reported from 15 states (Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Delta, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, FCT, Gombe, Enugu, Kebbi and Anambra). Also, one new health care worker was affected in Delta State. Five health workers had been reported among the dead from the disease in the previous weeks from Kano (3), Taraba (1) and Borno (1). NCDC said, cumulatively from the beginning of the year, Nigeria has reported 47 deaths from the outbreak, with a case fatality rate of 12.9 per cent. Also, the number of suspected cases has significantly increased when compared to that reported for the same period in 2019. In total for 2020, 23 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 74 Local Government Areas. The predominant age-group affected is 21-30 years and the male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1.2, it stated. Map showing confirm cases for week 5 Yearly outbreak Lassa Fever has become a yearly occurrence in the country. This has been raising concerns among health experts who believe Nigeria is not making enough conscious efforts to combat it. Due to the yearly death of their members from the disease, the Association of Resident Doctors called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on Lassa fever. The association said it has become a yearly occurrence for them to lose their colleagues to the disease as they are often the first responders to Lassa fever patients. They said health workers are susceptible to infection with the disease because health facilities are poorly equipped. Declaring an emergency is owing to the poor preparedness in response to our health institution in handling cases of Lassa fever, they said. READ ALSO: The doctors call comes less than a week after its mother association, Nigeria Medical Association, and a virologist, Oyewale Tomori, made a similar submission. Mr Tomori had said the government is not doing enough in finding a lasting solution to the yearly outbreak. He said Nigerian leaders seem to be less concerned about the disease because most of the people contracting it are the masses. Nigeria has been embarking on more curative measures as there is no vaccine for the disease. Meanwhile, the NCDC in its yearly response to combating the disease said it has activated the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to coordinate response activities across affected states. It also said that the five molecular laboratories for Lassa fever testing in the NCDC network are working at full capacity to ensure that all samples are tested and results provided within the shortest turnaround time. Lassa Fever Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by the Lassa virus. The disease is transmitted from the multimammate rat to humans. It also spread through human to human transmission. Advertisements Lassa fever is transmitted from the excreta or urine of the multimammate rat. Anyone suspected of contact with a Lassa patient needs to be presented to the health facilities within 21 days. Lassa fever at early stages presents symptoms similar to fever or malaria. Symptoms of the disease generally include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, vagina, anus and other body orifices. It could also present persistent bleeding from sites of intravenous cannulation. Early diagnosis and treatment increase a patients chances of survival. Elliott, along with many other seniors and residents raising children and grandchildren in Brookland Manor, supports the renovation and redevelopment of the neighborhood but worries about a lack of affordable and available housing. The residents association continues to campaign for the preservation of all 535 units of existing affordable housing at their three-, four- and five-bedroom sizes and subsidy levels for residents making zero to 30 percent of the area median income, along with tenant employment opportunities. Vessels and trains coming from China are in focus as nations take steps to halt the spread of a deadly coronavirus that originated in the worlds second-biggest economy. Heres a roundup of some of the latest efforts by authorities globally, including quarantines and checks. Argentina Authorities are requiring advance copy of medical reports for all vessels arriving directly from China or any vessels that called in the Asian nation, according to NABSA shipping agency. The reports must include data on body temperature of each crew member. Australia Enhanced screening measures will apply to vessels that left China from Feb. 1, with the first ship to meet that criteria expected as soon as Feb. 10. The government is continuing to consult with port authorities and industry groups on the development and implementation of those measures. Foreign nationals who were in mainland China on or after Feb. 1 wont be allowed to enter Australia until 14 days after they left or transited China, although limited exemptions exist for maritime crew, according to Australian Border Force. The restrictions mean that the 14-day period starts when the ship departs China and will be restarted for a further 14 days if any illness is reported, private shipping and logistics agency Gulf Agency Co. said Wednesday. Queensland states maritime safety body has already intensified checks on incoming foreign vessels, which are required to report if any crew member or passenger has visited mainland China since Feb. 1 or Hubei province in the past 14 days. They must also disclose if anyone shows coronavirus symptoms. Miner Fortescue Metals Group said vessels loading at its facilities in Port Hedland are scheduled to berth at least 14 days after departing mainland China, adding that iron ore is being delivered as planned. Brazil Maritime agents must notify port authorities in Paranagua and Antonina, of ships arriving from regions dealing with epidemics, which are not allowed to arrive less than 21 days since leaving the previous port, according to a statement from the ports. India At least 12 major ports are screening ships and crew members arriving from China, Hong Kong and Singapore. At least 31 vessels and 1,045 crew have been examined since Jan. 27. Indonesia Vessels that have visited China during their last 10 port stops will be thoroughly inspected by the Port Health Authority, according to Indonesias Directorate General of Sea Transportation. Anyone suspected of being infected with the virus must be treated by authorities. Animal inspections will also be carried out. While Indonesia scrapped a plan to ban Chinese food imports to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after Beijing warned of the negative impact of such measures on investment and the economy, it will no longer accept live animals from the Asian county. Japan Any non-Japanese crew who visited Chinas Hubei province within the last two weeks, or people with passports issued from the Chinese province, arent allowed to enter Japan. Philippines The Philippine Ports Authority said workers in ships coming from China are prohibited from disembarking to prevent the spread of the virus. Singapore Vessels that have traveled to China in the past 14 days must submit a health declaration form and other documents 24 hours before berthing, according to a Feb. 1 notice from the Maritime and Port Authority. South Korea Any vessel that visited China within the last 14 days will be inspected by officials from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agency before they enter ports to check the crew, according to an official at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The vessels can only enter South Korean ports if the inspectors find no sign of infection and give them the all-clear. Thailand Thailand has set up a checkpoint in the Samut Prakan province where 20 to 30 officials from the Port Authority of Thailand and the Disease Control Department will screen all crews on vessels coming from China before they can moor at the Bangkok port. If any ship is found to have sick crew, it will be quarantined. The measures are also being applied for the countrys northern ports. With assistance from Thomas Kutty Abraham, Aya Takada, Kyunghee Park, James Thornhill, Dan Murtaugh, Harry Suhartono, Suttinee Yuvejwattana, Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Krystal Chia and Isis Almeida. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics China Australia Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has repeatedly promised that the United States will hold the Iranian regime accountable for its human rights violations. In keeping with that promise, as Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook recently announced, the United States has imposed sanctions on another senior Iranian official, IRGC Brigadier General Hassan Shahvarpour, over his role in the brutal repression of Iranian protesters: He oversaw the massacre of 148 helpless Iranians in the Mahshahr region last November. General Shavarpour was in command of units responsible for the violent crackdown and lethal repression around Mahshahr. Special Representative Hook said the United States has received over 88,000 tips through a tip line Secretary Pompeo established two months ago: We use this information to expose the criminality of the regime and to hold violators accountable. Since the violent crackdown on protests last November, the United States has sanctioned two judges and eight other regime officials for their roles in brutalizing the Iranian people. Mr. Hook pointed out that President Trump recognized the courage of the Iranian people in tweets he recently sent out in Farsi, after anti-government protests broke out following days of lies by the Iranian regime about its shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner. Special Representative Hook noted that the Iranian people are rightly blaming their own government for 40 years of corruption, mismanagement, and kleptocracy. He emphasized that the United States maximum pressure campaign to induce the Iranian regime to behave like a normal nation is leading to Irans economic and diplomatic isolation; and that the credible threat of military force by the U.S., if it is attacked, is restoring much needed deterrence. The campaign, Mr. Hook said, is going to do more to advance peace and stability in the region than a policy of accommodation with the regime. Special Representative Hook noted that the United States has made clear it would like to have our diplomacy met with diplomacy from Iran, and that the regimes rejection of diplomatic off-ramps, has led to Irans recent domestic crises. But until the Iranian regime changes course, Secretary Pompeo has made a promise to the Iranian people: America hears you. America supports you. America stands with you. We do so for your sake; for the sake of freedom; for the sake of basic human dignity. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 00:40:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A worker unloads medical and epidemic prevention supplies at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) China has strengthened supervision and taken strict measures to deal with unqualified and derelict officials during the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus. Misconduct including dereliction of duty and misappropriation of relief funds and materials will be investigated and handled in accordance with the law. On Tuesday, a Red Cross Society official in central China's Hubei Province and a government official in Wuhan, the provincial capital, also the epicenter of the epidemic outbreak, were removed from their posts. WUHAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The discipline inspection authorities in China have strengthened supervision and taken strict measures to deal with unqualified and derelict officials during the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On Tuesday, a Red Cross Society official in central China's Hubei Province and a government official in Wuhan, the provincial capital, also the epicenter of the epidemic outbreak, were removed from their posts. Meanwhile, two other government officials in Wuhan were penalized following a health official's removal from office in another city in the province hit hard by the novel coronavirus recently. Misconduct including dereliction of duty and misappropriation of relief funds and materials will be investigated and handled in accordance with the law, said a guideline issued by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Supervisory Commission. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels should actively perform their duties to promote the implementation of joint prevention and control of the outbreak, it said. When chairing a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, demanded resolute opposition against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake in the prevention work Monday at a meeting on the prevention and control of pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. Those who disobey the unified command or shirk off responsibilities will be punished, Xi said, adding that Party and government leaders supervising them would also be held accountable in severe cases. A worker makes protective masks at a medical material manufacturer in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) OFFICIALS DISMISSED IN EPICENTER OF EPIDEMIC OUTBREAK A Red Cross Society official in Hubei has been sacked after the charity organ came under fire over receiving and handling of donations, the provincial supervisory commission said Tuesday. Zhang Qin, full-time deputy director of the Hubei branch of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), has been removed from office for dereliction of duty in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Zhang was also dismissed from the leading Party members group of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC, and given a serious intra-Party warning as well as a serious administrative demerit, it said. An investigation showed that relevant officials and cadres with the RCSC Hubei branch failed to take responsibility when receiving and distributing donated funds and prevention goods in the effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic. They were also found to have violated relevant regulations and be responsible for information disclosure errors, the commission said in a notice. Meanwhile, Chen Bo, a member of the leading Party members group of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC, was given a serious intra-Party warning and a serious administrative demerit. Gao Qin, chief of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC and also the executive vice director of RCSC Hubei branch, was given an intra-Party warning, according to the notice. On the same day, Xia Guohua, a member of the leading Party members group and deputy head of the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics, has been removed from office and was also given a serious intra-Party warning as well as a serious administrative demerit for violating relevant regulations to distribute face masks, according to the city's supervisory commission. Two other officials, Meng Wukang, Party chief and director of the Wuhan Municipal Development and Reform Commission, also the Party chief and head of Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics, and Huang Zhitong, deputy director of Wuhan municipal government office, were admonished, the commission said. Tang Zhihong, director of the health commission of the city of Huanggang, Hubei Province, was removed from her post last week because she had unshirkable responsibility for problems including insufficient screening for suspected cases, slow progress of tests and lack of testing personnel. The problems were found out by a central government inspection team designated to guide the epidemic control work in the city which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, according to local authorities. Huanggang then sacked six officials over poor performance in the epidemic prevention and control. Three of them were county-level officials and the rest were village or township-level officials. Huanggang mayor Qiu Lixin said that a total of 337 officials in the city had been penalized following inspections over Huanggang's anti-coronavirus work. A worker unloads medical and epidemic prevention supplies at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) WHOLE NATION INTO ACTION The anti-graft body in the eastern Chinese city of Yueqing in Zhejiang Province announced Monday that it fired two health officials and punished its vice mayor over dereliction of duty in the ongoing coronavirus fight. Ni Chengjian, head of Yueqing's disease control center, was fired on Sunday for having failed to take good account of the close contacts of infected patients, input the information about such contacts into the system and report an incident that caused seven cases of infection. Xie Mingrong, head of Yueqing's health commission, was also fired. Yueqing's vice mayor Chen Weiyan has received a disciplinary penalty, both for their conduct as officials in charge of the local anti-epidemic effort. A total of 170 officials have been penalized over poor performance in the effort to prevent and control the epidemic in the eastern province of Fujian. The Party Chief of Xiangwei Village in Lianjiang County was removed from his post for failing to closely monitor a villager who had returned from Wuhan. The villager, who was not put under medical quarantine, went for family dinner at a relative's house, putting other residents in the village under risk of infection. Another village Party chief in the city of Ningde received a warning for not stopping villagers gathering for the Spring Festival celebration in time. Similar policies have been adopted in many other provinces and regions. Officials at all levels who failed to perform their duties on curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus were punished or even sacked. On Monday, Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, called on the Party's organizational departments to better perform their duties in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. A circular issued by the department recently highlighted a performance assessment of leading officials in the epidemic control. Those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities or behave dishonestly should be held accountable, it said. (Reporting by Qiang Lijing, Han Xiaojing, Lu Yifan, Liang Jianqiang, Liao Jun, Li Changzheng, and Wang Cheng) Mohamed Fahmy has abandoned a multimillion-dollar legal case against Al Jazeera relating to detention in Egypt in 2013. A former Al Jazeera journalist has dropped a legal case against the Doha-based media network more than four years after he accused the company of negligence. Mohamed Fahmy was suing Al Jazeera for more than 100 million Canadian dollars ($75m) for neglect and endangering the lives of journalists working in Egypt. He said the network sent him to Cairo knowing that it was guaranteed he would be arrested. Fahmy, a Canadian citizen of Egyptian origin, along with a group of journalists, was detained in Egypt in 2013 on charges of stoking unrest and publishing false news. He and his nine colleagues were accused of spreading false news during their coverage of the aftermath of the military overthrow of then-President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the year they were taken into custody. Fahmy spent 437 days in jail before being released. The Egyptian judge who sentenced the journalists said they were brought together by the devil to destabilise the country. According to a report published by the New York Times, Fahmy received a substantial loan from the UAEs ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, to cover his legal campaign against Al Jazeera following his release from prison in 2015. After his release, Fahmy filed the complaint against Al Jazeera in September 2016 from Canada. In a statement, an Al Jazeera spokesperson said on Wednesday: Al Jazeera is committed to reporting the news without fear or favour and will always stand up for its journalists and the rights of all journalists to operate freely anywhere in the world without fear of arbitrary arrest, assault, prosecution or other forms of harassment and intimidation. Al Jazeera worked extremely hard to support Mr Fahmy and his colleagues after their arrest and throughout their trial and imprisonment in Egypt and was extremely disappointed when Mr Fahmy sought to transfer blame for the oppressive and unlawful actions of the Egyptian authorities onto the Network, the statement read. That it is now clear that he did this in collaboration with a regime that is fundamentally opposed to free and independent journalism only heightens our sense of disappointment, the statement added. According to the Qatar-based network, once arrangements were in hand for Fahmy to be cross-examined on the claims he had placed on the record, he chose to abandon the claim altogether before cross-examination took place. Al Jazeera is the focus of a dispute between Qatar and four Arab states, who severed all trade and diplomatic ties with Doha accusing it of supporting terrorism an allegation Qatar has repeatedly and vehemently denied. In 2016, the four states Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain presented Qatar a list of 13 demands, which include the closure of Al Jazeera. Click here to read the full article. The Two Popes is Anthony McCartens third Academy Award nomination as a screenwriter, all for true stories: He was nominated for The Theory of Everything, which focused on the domestic life of ALS-frozen physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones), and Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) facing war in Darkest Hour. Although The Two Popes is in the Adapted Screenplay category, all were self generated: Its based on McCartens own play. McCarten was visiting St. Peters Square with his wife when he started wondering about how this was the first time in 500 years that we have two popes living, he said. He started writing a screenplay, a stage play, and a novel, and his agents sent him to pitch the idea to studio executives. The first batch didnt warm to a film about ideas that starred two old men. But his last meeting of the day was Netflix, and McCarten described this theological debate between a conservative and progressive. If we do this right, it may speak to larger issues about division in our society. More from IndieWire When he finished talking, three young women production execs raised their heads and said, Lets do it.' I remember thinking, Do your parents know you are doing this?' said McCarten. From that day on, we never had the slightest resistance. Once McCarten familiarized himself with the positions of Benedict and Francis, it was fun to create the swordplay between the two, he said. What made it interesting, was I was able to invest both sides with equally powerful arguments. They both have the same weaponry and arsenals. Theres strength in changing a monolith. For Benedict, change is dangerous, but Francis says, If you dont change, you stop being part of the world, youre be left behind. Their counterarguments had equal validity, and it helped that these two dont like each other and cant agree on much, and yet the future of the faith, 1.28 billion practitioners is in the balance. Story continues His favorite line is Pope Benedicts: Sometimes, the hardest thing is to listen. If there is a crisis in modern life, its that weve stopped listening to each other, McCarten said. Its allowed these divisions to intensify on our society, and if we learned to tolerate and listen to the opposing view, it wouldnt be so heated. What were aching for in our modern debates is movement for someone to realize they may be wrong. Thats what Pope Benedict does, movingly, in The Two Popes, as he steps down from the papacy and knowingly turns the church over to reformer Pope Francis. Netflix gave the movie scale, as it flashes back to Francis life in Argentina, peeks behind the scenes of the Vatican conclave, and recreates the Sistine Chapel. The two popes did meet on several occasions, but of course McCarten is making it all up, including their musical taste, their tango together, and Pope Benedicts digital admonishment to Keep moving. Writing screenplays still remains a steep learning curve, said McCarten. You start every screenplay ignorant and have to land it again. At this point, once I know the idea and have cracked the story in my head, I know how to write it now. Writing seems to flow. The trick with talky movies when the special effect is the dialogue, he said, is you need the best people to deliver the lines. Then youre going to win the day. So far so good, as actors Redmayne, Jones, Oldman, Rami Malek, Jonathan Pryce, and Anthony Hopkins have all landed Oscar nods. Oldman and Malek won. McCarten also wrote the original screenplay for the long-floundering Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. He started from scratch after others had failed to crack it including another playwright-screenwriter to whom McCarten is often compared, fellow behind-the-scenes biopic writer Peter Morgan. (Morgan received a story credit.) The main challenge with Bohemian Rhapsody, he said, was finding the love story. I saw the love story with Mary Austin, a woman who was the love of this famous gay mans life. She really was the only one who stuck with him all the way through. He gave everything to her when he died. Shes the only one who knows where the ashes are buried. He was the godfather to her kids. Its an interesting twist on a gay storyline. Critics thought I was burying the gayness; I thought we had evolved past that point. Raised in rural New Zealand in a Catholic family with two books in the house a cookbook, and the Bible McCarten credits Catholicism for grounding him in metaphor and ritual, he said. Theres a certain high theater to Catholicism, that goes deep in you. You start the day with candles and someone telling you that eternal life is waiting for you. After university in Wellington, McCarten started off as a journalist and playwright. He wrote his first play when a local theater suddenly went dark, giving him eight days to craft a stage play. He taught himself how to write by reading Waiting for Godot.This is easy, he said. Two people standing on a rock, asking questions. His quasi-Beckettian play scored good reviews, which turns your head when youre young. Thats it. The die is cast. I started living in rooms with blank pages. McCarten eventually made his way to London as a playwright and novelist, where he married and raised two kids. He segued into screenwriting after adapting two of his plays into indie films (Via Satellite and Show of Hands), which he directed. Next up: McCarten is finishing The Two Popes book, and writing a project for his late mom: a Broadway musical about Neil Diamond. Its also a moral instruction, to keep moving,' said McCarten. Keep evolving. Dont stop now, this is no time to stop. Get up and keep going. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The main poster of "I'll Find You On A Beautiful Day" has been released. JTBC's upcoming drama directed by Han Ji-seung released the main poster of the series featuring the lead actors Seo Kang-joon and Park Min-young on February 5th. "I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day" is the story about Hae-won (Park Min-young), who is tired of living in Seoul and goes back to her hometown where she meets Eunsub (Seo Kang-joon). The poster shows Haewon and Eunsub who are experiencing the first snowfall together in Bukhyeon-ri during winter. It's just a side-by-side but perfect couple chemistry that's eye-catching. It will air for the first time at 9:30 PM KST on February 24th. The Chinese delegation has skipped the DefExpo, India's biennial exhibition of military platforms and wepons, in view of the coronavirus outbreak in China's Hubei province, officials said on Wednesday. Official delegations from over 40 countries and top executives of 172 military manufacturers are attending the exhibition which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The Chinese government had conveyed to the government that it will not be able to send the delegation in view of coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province. The Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov also skipped the expo. However, the reasons for his trip cancellation were not known. With China scrambling to contain the deadly virus that has killed 490 people there, India on Sunday announced temporary suspension of e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing there, and issued a fresh advisory, saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. The coronavirus has also cast a shadow at the auto expo in New Delhi. On Tuesday, automobile industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had said all Chinese companies participating in the expo have confirmed that their exhibit area would be manned by their Indian employees. In addition, auto component makers body (ACMA) said Chinese participants at the components show of the expo are unable to travel to India due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China. Apart from 490 fatalities, 24,324 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection have been reported in 31 provincial-level regions in China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A screen displays the logo and trading information for Coty Inc at the NYSE in New York By Aditi Sebastian and Praveen Paramasivam (Reuters) - Coty Inc reported quarterly profit above expectations on Wednesday and said the recent coronavirus outbreak would have a relatively small impact on its earnings, sending the cosmetics and fragrance maker's shares surging as much as 22%. The virus, which has killed nearly 500 people and affected hundreds of thousands across the globe, has forced several retailers, including Capri Holdings and Ralph Lauren Corp , to shut stores and limit working hours. Chief Financial Officer Pierre-Andre Terisse told Reuters the company would take a hit but it would be smaller than that of its competitors. China, an important market for luxury brands, accounts for 3% of Coty's overall sales. "Investors have been on edge with beauty and personal care companies because of the impact of the coronavirus, and specifically the impact it will have to sales in the greater China area and travel retail channel," CFRA Research analyst Arun Sundaram said. "The tone and commentary today gives investors a bit more confidence that COTY will fare better than its peers." The results also highlight the CoverGirl cosmetics maker's efforts to draw in millennial customers who are shunning mainstream cosmetics brands for niche ones that are promoted by social media influencers. Coty spent $600 million to take a majority stake in reality TV star Kylie Jenner's make-up and skincare businesses in November and is collaborating with American actress Lili Reinhart to promote its brands among millennials. The company posted a 1.3% rise in its luxury unit on a comparable basis, driven by strong demand for its Tiffany & Love fragrances and glittery Gucci lipstick. Net revenue fell 6.4% to $2.35 billion, but was still ahead of analysts' estimates of $2.34 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Net loss attributable to the company narrowed to $21.1 million, or 3 cents per share, in the second quarter ended Dec. 31 from $960.6 million, or $1.28 per share, a year earlier. Story continues Excluding certain items, Coty earned 27 cents per share, beating analysts' average estimate of 24 cents. Share of Coty, which is majority owned by German conglomerate JAB Holdings, were up about 15% at $12.18. (Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam and Aditi Sebastian in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Anil D'Silva) NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EMC Filtration market worldwide is projected to grow by US$227.5 Million, driven by a compounded growth of 5.8%. Single Phase EMC Filters, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 6.5%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$201.9 Million by the year 2025, Single Phase EMC Filters will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798486/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 4.9% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$8.1 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$6.9 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Single Phase EMC Filters will reach a market size of US$7.9 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 8.6% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$62.2 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Astrodyne TDI; Dem Manufacturing; EPCOS AG; Ets-Lindgren; Premo SA; Reo Ltd.; Schaffner Holding AG; Schurter Holding AG; TE Connectivity Ltd.; Total Emc Products Ltd. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798486/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares EMC Filtration Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: EMC Filtration Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: EMC Filtration Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: EMC Filtration Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Single Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Single Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Single Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Three Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Three Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Three Phase EMC Filters (Load Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Custom Filters (Load Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Custom Filters (Load Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Custom Filters (Load Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Military and Aerospace (End-use Industry) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 14: Military and Aerospace (End-use Industry) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 15: Military and Aerospace (End-use Industry) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Medical (End-use Industry) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 17: Medical (End-use Industry) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 18: Medical (End-use Industry) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Consumer Electronics (End-use Industry) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Consumer Electronics (End-use Industry) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Consumer Electronics (End-use Industry) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Telecom (End-use Industry) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Telecom (End-use Industry) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Telecom (End-use Industry) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Other End-use Industries (End-use Industry) Worldwide Sales in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Other End-use Industries (End-use Industry) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Other End-use Industries (End-use Industry) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US EMC Filtration Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 28: United States EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 29: EMC Filtration Market in the United States by Load Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 30: United States EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: United States EMC Filtration Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: EMC Filtration Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-use Industry in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 33: EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 34: Canadian EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Canadian EMC Filtration Historic Market Review by Load Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 36: EMC Filtration Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Load Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 37: Canadian EMC Filtration Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: EMC Filtration Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 39: Canadian EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 40: Japanese Market for EMC Filtration: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 41: EMC Filtration Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 42: Japanese EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Japanese EMC Filtration Market in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 45: EMC Filtration Market Share Shift in Japan by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 46: Chinese EMC Filtration Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 47: EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 48: Chinese EMC Filtration Market by Load Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 49: Chinese Demand for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 50: EMC Filtration Market Review in China in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 51: Chinese EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European EMC Filtration Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 52: European EMC Filtration Market Demand Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 53: EMC Filtration Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 54: European EMC Filtration Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: European EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018-2025 Table 56: EMC Filtration Market in Europe in US$ Thousand by Load Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 57: European EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: European EMC Filtration Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 59: EMC Filtration Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 60: European EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 61: EMC Filtration Market in France by Load Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: French EMC Filtration Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 63: French EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 64: EMC Filtration Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 65: French EMC Filtration Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 66: French EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 67: EMC Filtration Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 68: German EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 69: German EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: EMC Filtration Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: German EMC Filtration Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 72: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 73: Italian EMC Filtration Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 74: EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 75: Italian EMC Filtration Market by Load Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 76: Italian Demand for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 77: EMC Filtration Market Review in Italy in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 78: Italian EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 79: United Kingdom Market for EMC Filtration: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 80: EMC Filtration Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 81: United Kingdom EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 83: United Kingdom EMC Filtration Market in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 84: EMC Filtration Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 85: Spanish EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 86: Spanish EMC Filtration Historic Market Review by Load Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 87: EMC Filtration Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Load Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 88: Spanish EMC Filtration Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 89: EMC Filtration Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 90: Spanish EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 91: Russian EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 92: EMC Filtration Market in Russia by Load Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 93: Russian EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Russian EMC Filtration Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 95: EMC Filtration Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-use Industry in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 96: EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 97: Rest of Europe EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018-2025 Table 98: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Thousand by Load Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 99: Rest of Europe EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 100: Rest of Europe EMC Filtration Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 101: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: Rest of Europe EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 103: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 104: EMC Filtration Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 105: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 106: EMC Filtration Market in Asia-Pacific by Load Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 108: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 109: EMC Filtration Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 110: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 111: Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 112: EMC Filtration Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: Australian EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 114: Australian EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 115: EMC Filtration Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: Australian EMC Filtration Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 117: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 118: Indian EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 119: Indian EMC Filtration Historic Market Review by Load Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 120: EMC Filtration Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Load Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 121: Indian EMC Filtration Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: EMC Filtration Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 123: Indian EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 124: EMC Filtration Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 125: South Korean EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 126: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: EMC Filtration Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: South Korean EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 129: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for EMC Filtration: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 131: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 132: Rest of Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 133: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 134: Rest of Asia-Pacific EMC Filtration Market in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 135: EMC Filtration Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 136: Latin American EMC Filtration Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018-2025 Table 137: EMC Filtration Market in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 138: Latin American EMC Filtration Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 139: Latin American EMC Filtration Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 140: EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 141: Latin American EMC Filtration Market by Load Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 142: Latin American Demand for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 143: EMC Filtration Market Review in Latin America in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 144: Latin American EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 145: Argentinean EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018-2025 Table 146: EMC Filtration Market in Argentina in US$ Thousand by Load Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 147: Argentinean EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Argentinean EMC Filtration Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 149: EMC Filtration Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Argentinean EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 151: EMC Filtration Market in Brazil by Load Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period 2018-2025 Table 152: Brazilian EMC Filtration Historic Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 153: Brazilian EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: EMC Filtration Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 155: Brazilian EMC Filtration Historic Market Review in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 156: Brazilian EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 157: EMC Filtration Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Mexican EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 159: Mexican EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: EMC Filtration Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Mexican EMC Filtration Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 162: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 163: Rest of Latin America EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Latin America by Load Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 165: Rest of Latin America EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 166: Rest of Latin America EMC Filtration Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 167: EMC Filtration Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-use Industry in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 168: EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 169: The Middle East EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 170: EMC Filtration Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 171: The Middle East EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 172: The Middle East EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 173: The Middle East EMC Filtration Historic Market by Load Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017 Table 174: EMC Filtration Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Load Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 175: The Middle East EMC Filtration Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 176: EMC Filtration Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 177: The Middle East EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 178: Iranian Market for EMC Filtration: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: EMC Filtration Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 180: Iranian EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 181: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 182: Iranian EMC Filtration Market in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 183: EMC Filtration Market Share Shift in Iran by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 184: Israeli EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018-2025 Table 185: EMC Filtration Market in Israel in US$ Thousand by Load Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 186: Israeli EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Israeli EMC Filtration Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 188: EMC Filtration Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 189: Israeli EMC Filtration Market Share Analysis by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 190: Saudi Arabian EMC Filtration Market Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 191: EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 192: Saudi Arabian EMC Filtration Market by Load Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 193: Saudi Arabian Demand for EMC Filtration in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 194: EMC Filtration Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 195: Saudi Arabian EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 196: EMC Filtration Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 197: United Arab Emirates EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 198: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 199: EMC Filtration Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 200: United Arab Emirates EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 201: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 202: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 203: Rest of Middle East EMC Filtration Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2009-2017 Table 204: Rest of Middle East EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 205: EMC Filtration Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 206: Rest of Middle East EMC Filtration Market in Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 207: EMC Filtration Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AFRICA Table 208: African EMC Filtration Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Load Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 209: EMC Filtration Market in Africa by Load Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 210: African EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown by Load Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 211: African EMC Filtration Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 212: EMC Filtration Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by End-use Industry in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017 Table 213: EMC Filtration Market Share Breakdown in Africa by End-use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION ASTRODYNE TDI POWER SUPPLIES & EMI FILTERS DEM MANUFACTURING EPCOS AG ETS-LINDGREN PREMO SA REO (UK) LTD. SCHAFFNER HOLDING AG SCHURTER HOLDING AG TOTAL EMC PRODUCTS V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798486/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com In a reflection of the discontent and squabbling over the long-awaited cabinet expansion in Karnataka, only ten BJP MLAs, all defectors from Congress and JDS, would be inducted as ministers on Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Wednesday. Following my discussion with the party president and other leaders in Delhi, it has been decided to induct only 10 as ministers on Thursday, Yediyurappa told reporters here. The swearing-in ceremony would take place on Thursday at 10.30 a.m at the Raj Bhavan. Yediyurappa said Athani MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, among the 11 rebel Congress and MLAs who had won on BJP tickets in the December byelections after being disqualified, was being left out in the second expansion of the six-month old cabinet. The revolt by the rebels led to collapse of the Congress- JDS coalition Ministry in July last year, paving the way for the formation of the BJP government. At present, there are 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen berths are vacant. Regarding the three other "native BJP leaders" whom he had earlier indicated would be made ministers, Yediyurappa said the party high command has asked him to discuss the matter with them in Delhi. The Chief Minister had announced on Sunday that 13 BJP leaders, including the 10 MLAs who had defected from the Congress and the JD(S), would take oath on Thursday. On Kumathalli, Yediyurappa on Wednesday said "It is difficult to make him (Mahesh Kumathalli) minister now. I will call him and discuss with him. We will try to give him some other responsibility. The Chief Minister had earlier promised ministerial berths to all of them. Another person whom he was keen on making minister was Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti.However, Katti will also not make it to Yediyurappas cabinet this time. There is no doubt about making Umesh Katti minister. He was also supposed to take oath tomorrow but it has been decided to administer oath to only 10 MLAs, he said. Ever since Yediyurappa made announcement about the cabinet expansion, ministerial aspirants in the party started making a pitch for their case. "Native BJP leaders and another group comprising MLAs from erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region emerged with each demanding ministerial posts. Apparently keen to avoid any rebellion, the party high command after discussing with the Chief Minister decided to induct only 10 people in the cabinet. Earlier after Yediyurappa indicated that three 'native BJP' leaders would also be inducted, rumour mills were agog that they could be Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali, Umesh Katti and C P Yogeshwar, who had lost to former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy from Channapatna. The two defectors who unsuccessfully contested the by- election have been pushing for cabinet berth for them as a "mark of tribute to their sacrifice of leaving their former party, resigning from the assembly and getting disqualified by the Speaker only to install the BJP government." Kumathalli had turned emotional following speculations he will not secure a Cabinet berth. "We have trusted him (Yediyurappa). We are ready to dowhatever work he will assign. We will firmly remain with the BJP but I am hurt," Kumathalli had said on Sunday. Besides the Chief Minister, the MLAs also made a beeline before Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra ahead of the cabinet expansion. Vijayendra had demonstrated his political acumen when he made a dent into the JD(S) bastion Mandya district in the by- elections and won a seat for the BJP by ensuring victory for Narayana Gowda from Krishnarajpet. "There is nothing unusual about it. I frequently visit Vijayendra ever since I joined the BJP," Mahalakshmi Layout MLA K Gopalaiah told reporters after meeting him. The Congress and the JD(S) have been watching the developments with curiosity even as "dissatisfaction" is hitting some sections of the ruling BJP ahead of crucial cabinet expansion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: The Canadian Press Hassan Shadkhou The husband of one of the victims who died when a Ukrainian jetliner was shot down by the Iranian military last month wants the people he says ordered his wife's death to be charged and tried at the International Criminal Court. Hassan Shadkhoo has been barely able to sleep since his wife, Sheyda, was killed along with 175 others when her plane crashed minutes after take off from Tehran on Jan. 8. Several days later, Iran admitted its military mistook the passenger jet for hostile aircraft amid tensions with the United States. Sheyda Shadkhoo was 41 when she died, returning to Canada after visiting her mother in Iran. She worked as a chemist at a firm in Markham, Ont., that tests products to ensure they meet government standards. Hassan Shadkhoo spent two weeks in Iran after the crash, where he buried his wife next to her father at her family's request. He was already at the airport in Istanbul when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had intelligence the plane was brought down by a missile. Shadkhoo began sobbing as he heard and immediately said it was not an accident, something he still believes today. He said he had no nerves flying in and out of the same airport because dying was not one of his concerns. "At this point I have nothing to lose," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press, shortly after he returned to Canada. He does have a lot of questions and a lot of anger. He said he wants it made clear he is speaking out on his own behalf, not "for my beloved Sheyda" or her family, who live in Iran. Shadkhoo said the Iranian regime is criminal, but he says he puts the full blame for what happened on the United States. He also doesn't believe anyone in the Iranian military accidentally mistook a civilian plane for anything else. Shadkhoo said the Canadian government and the Italian embassy in Tehran were very helpful and supportive while he was in Iran. Canada hasn't had a diplomatic presence in Iran since 2012, and the Italians help Canada provide consular assistance to Canadians there when needed. But now he wants Trudeau to condemn the crash as an act of terrorism and vow to prosecute those responsible at the International Criminal Court. "Will the prime minister of Canada vow to do this no matter who the perpetrators are?" he said. The pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating, US Ambassador said here on Wednesday. Inaugurating the US pavilion at the Defexpo-2020, he said industry partners were playing a key role in the growth of Indo-US defence relationship. "I had the pleasure of travelling back to Washington DC last December to attend the second US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue between Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T Esper and Indian ministers Rajnath Singh and "Two things from the ministerial dialogue stood out. First, the pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating. Second, our respective industry partners are playing a key role in the growth of our defence relationship," Juster said. The five-day was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte reads a report on the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) during a briefing at the Malacanan Palace on February 3, 2020. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts Health Secretary Francisco Duque III despite criticisms from several lawmakers over his departments handling of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) cases in the country, a Malacanang official said Wednesday, February 5. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement after opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan criticized Duque for not knowing details involving the spread of the disease in the country, and for failing to complete the contact tracing of plane passengers who traveled with two Chinese tourists who tested positive for 2019-nCoV. Nograles called Pangilinan and the other senators accusations of failure of leadership against Duque very unfair, saying a lapse that could easily be rectified did not mean that the DOHs efforts to contain the spread of the disease were a total failure. Hes hands-on with everything. Hes done his job so far. The President still has his trust and confidence kay Secretary Duque, he told reporters in an interview in the Palace. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, senators grilled Duque for failing to complete the contact tracing following confirmation of positive nCoV cases in the Philippines. The Health chief reasoned that airlines refused to share passengers contact information to protect their privacy, which was denied by local carriers Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines. Duque, however, promised to complete the contact tracing process within two days. Nograles said Duterte has not expressed disappointment over Duque during their Cabinet meeting on Tuesday night after the latter was chided by lawmakers earlier in the day. He added that focusing on the weakness in contact tracing is not the correct way of managing an ongoing health crisis, adding that the public should look at the bigger picture by recognizing the governments efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos against the virus. You should look at the different aspects in terms of the management of the situation. There are several other aspects, the quarantine, health care, the testing, the protocols, coordination of different agencies, coordination with WHO (World Health Organization), he said. Story continues He also said that calling for Duques resignation is not the proper thing to do at a time when the government is working to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the country. Lets move forward from there. I think thats the best we can do at this time. Lets just help one another, he said. Lets not take away all the other efforts that the DOH family is doing Mahirap ang trabaho na ginagawa ng mga health workers natin. There was a lapse, it was admitted, and it will be rectified and we hope the public will continue to support and not constantly look at just one lapse and say failure na lahat. I think given the circumstances, our health workers have done a pretty good job, he added. RRD (with details from Correspondent Rosalie Coz) The post Duterte still trusts Duque despite criticisms over DOHs nCoV response Palace appeared first on UNTV News. On Friday, with Americans focused on President Trumps impeachment trial, the coronavirus and the upcoming Iowa caucuses, the Trump administration announced it was adding six more countries to the list of those whose citizens face travel restrictions to the United States. The given reason was that those nations were not sufficiently screening people who sought to come to America. The six countries affected when the travel ban takes effect on Feb. 22 are Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria. All have sizable, if not majority, Muslim populations in Myanmars case, Muslims are a minority that is severely repressed. According to the acting secretary of homeland security, Chad Wolf, these countries fell short in new vetting criteria for terrorists and criminals attempting to enter the United States. The restrictions differ Sudan and Tanzania are barred from the diversity visa lottery, while the other countries face a suspension of entry for immigrants. Travel for tourism and reasons other than immigration remains open a curious gap if the purpose of the restrictions is to keep out potential terrorists. It may be that the countries do somehow fall short in vetting would-be emigrants. And since the conservative-controlled Supreme Court upheld Mr. Trumps ban on travel from several predominantly Muslim countries Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad (later removed from the list) as well as Venezuela and North Korea in June 2018, the new ban would most likely survive legal challenge. But it doesnt take a lot of intuition to guess that security is not foremost on the presidents mind. A volunteer gives a leaflet about how to prevent novel coronavirus epidemic to a citizen in the street in Xiangyang City, Central China's Hubei Province. [China Women's News] Under the leadership of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), women's federations at all levels in Central China's Hubei Province have acted swiftly to mobilize women across the province to respond to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei Province. Shen Yueyue, President of the ACWF, urged the women's federations in Hubei Province to contribute to the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus epidemic. Shen said the ACWF will give full support to the work of epidemic prevention and control of the province. Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, learned about the need of supplies for the epidemic prevention and control work in the province, and she coordinated the ACWF's resources to collect and send supplies and funds to support Hubei. On January 23, the Women's Federation of Hubei Province issued an initiative to women and the women's federations in the province, calling for their active engagement and actions in the epidemic prevention and control work in villages, communities and families. The province's women's federation and the Hubei Women and Children's Development Foundation had raised 14.74 million yuan (US $2.12 million) worth of funds and materials as of January 29. The Wuhan Women's Federation has established a coronavirus prevention and control headquarters in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and it issued a letter to the city's women and families, calling on them to make contributions at their post, and protect themselves in a scientific way. On January 25, the women's federations in Wuhan raised 200,000 medical facial masks and distributed them to anti-epidemic sites, sub-districts and communities, helping women and community residents solve their urgent needs. More efforts of women's federations have also been made to collect donations, publicize related policies, promote epidemic prevention knowledge and provide psychological counseling to local people. In addition, women's federations in Xiangyang, Yichang and Huangshi and the other nine cities are going all out in response to the virus outbreak. They have mobilized officials of the women's federations, women volunteers and the public to take preventive actions to stop the spread of the virus, including publicizing knowledge about epidemic prevention, checking household registration and body temperature in communities, conducting telephone interviews, distributing facial masks, enforcing quarantines, and providing psychological assistance. In response to the call of women's federations across the province, women entrepreneurs have helped raise a large number of urgently needed medical materials. The Hubei Women Entrepreneurs Association received over 576,400 yuan (US $83,094) in donations on January 24-30. A volunteer in Xiangyang City explains the epidemic prevention work to a local community resident. [China Women's News] The owner of a supermarket in the Shuixingtai Community in Fancheng District, Xiangyang City, gave 800 disposable medical masks to the community for its working staff and residents. [China Women's News] With the help of the Women's Federation of Hubei Province, a company donates disinfectant worth 50,000 yuan (US $7,208) to Huanggang City. [China Women's News] An official of the Women's Federation of Suizhou City publicizes the epidemic prevention measures from door to door. [China Women's News] (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 07:05:43|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Democratic voters attend the caucus at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 3, 2020. Iowa, a state in the Midwestern United States, is holding Democratic and Republican caucuses Monday night, kicking off the 2020 U.S. presidential primary. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) DES MOINES, United States, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders are leading in the first set of Iowa Democratic caucus results released Tuesday afternoon. With 62 percent of Iowa precincts reporting, Buttigieg is leading with 26.9 percent, followed by Sanders standing at 25.1 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, with 18.3 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively, round out the top four. Senator Amy Klobuchar garners 12.6 percent. No other candidates register in double-digit support. It's unclear when the full results will be released. The partial results were announced almost a day after the Democratic caucuses in Iowa Monday night, the first nominating contest of the 2020 presidential primary. An announcement of the results was delayed due to a "coding issue" in a mobile app used to collect data for the Democratic events, according to Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Troy Price. "This was a coding error in one of the pieces on the backend, but the raw data, the data that has come in, is secure," Price told a press conference. The state party official also apologized for the reporting of the Iowa caucus results, which has caused confusion and discontent. "The reporting of the results and circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses were unacceptable," Price said. "As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this." In a made-for-TV moment, the deployed husband of a military family made a surprise appearance during Tuesday's State of the Union address, having returned from Afghanistan. Amy Williams, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was sitting next to the First Lady on Tuesday night along with her with her two children, 6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan. Trump told the crowd that Williams works full time and volunteers during her spare time helping other military families. Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was next to the First Lady along with her two children - 6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan Trump then informed Amy and her children that her husband Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams Townsend was present 'War places a heavy burden on our Nation's extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina,' Trump said. 'For the past 7 months, she has done it all while her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East.' Trump thanked her, then told her he had a surprise: Her husband had returned from deployment and was at the Capitol. 'I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back,' President Trump said. 'He is here with us tonight, and we couldn't keep him waiting any longer.' Sgt Townsend Williams picks up his children after returning from deployment in Afghanistan as his wife Amy looks on during the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington The woman burst into tears as her husband appeared in the chamber and walked down the stairs to hug his wife and kids. First Lady Melania Trump, could also be seen cheering, right Sgt Townsend Williams kisses his wife Amy during the State of the Union address. Even Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaido, far right, can be seen smiling at the emotional and unexpected reunion Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams is kissed by his wife Amy as he returned from duty while First Lady Melania Trump look on in sheer delight Sgt. Williams walked down the stairs to rapturous applause from both sides of the house. Dressed in his uniform he greeted his shocked wife who burst into tears as she told him she loved him. Williams first hugged his children and then hugged his wife. Trump delivered the speech of nearly 80 minutes Tuesday amid his impeachment trial. He spoke about the gains he says his administration has made, but he did not mention the impeachment once. Trump made clear he is staking his re-election on the state of the economy. Deploying his penchant for superlatives, Trump said the American economy had never been stronger. Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams who surprised his wife Amy by returning from duty can be seen embracing Melania Trump President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech Sgt Townsend Williams, right, waves next to his children after returning from deployment in Afghanistan as his wife Amy looks on It was a made-for-TV-moment and it appeared everyone watching in the chamber cheered The Finance Ministers Union Budget 2020 contains proposals that will benefit expatriates working in India. The most notable one is the change in tax residency provisions. Expatriates will now be able to stay longer in India before taxation of their global income gets triggered. Prior to this proposed change, they were able to stay in India only for two-three years before global taxation was triggered, but now they can stay up to four-five years. The new optional concessional tax regime will also favour expatriates as most of them generally do not claim deductions or exemptions. ... OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the country's merchandise trade deficit shrank to $370 million in December compared with $1.2 billion in November, as crude oil exports rose. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A freight train rail yard is pictured near Pitt Meadows, B.C., on November 25, 2016. Statistics Canada says the country's merchandise trade deficit shrank to $370 million in December compared with $1.2 billion in November as crude oil exports rose. Economists on average had expected a deficit of $610 million, according financial markets data firm Refinitiv. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the country's merchandise trade deficit shrank to $370 million in December compared with $1.2 billion in November, as crude oil exports rose. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Economists on average had expected a deficit of $610 million, according financial markets data firm Refinitiv. Exports rose 1.9 per cent in December to $49.3 billion but, excluding energy products, edged up 0.3 per cent.. Energy exports climbed 9.5 per cent in December, led by an 18.0 per cent increase in crude oil exports that rebounded after a drop in November due to a rupture in the Keystone pipeline in North Dakota. Total imports climbed 0.2 per cent in December to $49.7 billion. For the full year, the trade deficit totalled $18.3 billion in 2019, the smallest deficit since 2014, when the last annual surplus was recorded. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. Homelessness is on the rise in many of America's biggest and most expensive cities but it's a growing problem in rural areas, too. Why it matters: People experiencing homelessness are often harder to count in rural areas and they have a harder time accessing support programs in small towns with fewer resources. The big picture: Homelessness in the U.S. has risen for a third consecutive year, driven by a spike in California, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said in December. Jobs continue to shift to cities making life harder for people already struggling to find work and affordable housing. "The long-term trend is that people are leaving rural areas and moving to cities. In rural areas there are fewer jobs and less income. It's not necessarily that housing options are so expensive, it's that job opportunities simply aren't there." Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness By the numbers: One-third of rural Americans say homelessness is a problem in their community, according to a May poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Homelessness is often more hidden in rural areas than in cities. Small towns are less likely to have stable shelters, so people are more likely to double up with friends or sleep on family members' couches. That also makes it harder to be counted during annual data collections. "In rural communities, there's not a typical place where people experiencing homelessness might gather, such as a food pantry, soup kitchen or public library places in urban areas where you might be able to see people more easily," said Shaye Rabold of the Kentucky Housing Corporation. "People are dispersed over large geographic areas." Zooming in: Overall, 4,079 homeless people were counted in Kentucky in a 2019 national survey, the last single-night survey of homeless people for which data is available. That's a 10.6% increase over the January 2018 national count, per HUD data. Kentucky's major metro areas Louisville and Lexington both saw around a 15% increase in homeless population between 2018 and 2019. The rest of the state, which is mostly rural, saw a 6.9% increase. Eastern Kentucky has been hit hard by the loss of coal mining jobs and a dwindling number of service-sector jobs. Even in areas where there are jobs, there's very little public transportation for people living in spread-out rural counties to get to work. "You may be living in a particular community but the job is a county over and there's no way to get there," Rabold said. "But even if you have an education, even if you have transportation, there just aren't enough jobs to go around." Go deeper: Justifying the party's stand on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that the NRC will cause a problem for both Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra and so the Maha Vikas Aghadi will not implement it in the state. Further, stating that action has to be taken against anti-national forces in the country he mentioned that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's stand on CAA is clear. This statement of Raut comes after Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray took a completely different stance from allies NCP and Congress and backed the Citizenship Amendment Act in an exclusive interview with Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana. A day earlier, the Centre had confirmed that there was no talk of a pan-India NRC at the moment. Speaking to the media Raut said, "Many things are clear after Uddhav's interview in Saamana. NRC and CAA issue is also clear now. CM has also doubt over NRC, the problem will not only be faced by Muslims but also Hindus. His stand on CAA is also clear, and after this MVA stand is also clear. The State government led by Uddhav Thackeray will run for 5 years and provided action has to be taken against anti-national forces in the country." READ | Sanjay Raut Attacks Centre On Communal Politics In Its Mouth Piece Saamana Uddhav backs CAA Thackeray stated that the law did not take away anyones citizenship. Speaking exclusively to Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray agreed that this was a law to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from other countries. He also asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government would not bring in a resolution in the state Assembly against the CAA. At the same time, he urged the Centre to take care of the housing and employment of the persecuted minorities. READ | 'What Were They Doing?': Sena MP Sanjay Raut Questions Police Inaction At Jamia Shooting Uddhav Thackeray remarked, First, we will talk about the CAA. We have persecuted minorities in our neighbouring countries. In fact, they are Hindus. Pakistan and Bangladesh are Islamic countries. CAA is not a law to drive out people of the country. Amit Shah has said that this is a law to give citizenship. I agree with that. It is a law to give citizenship to the persecuted people of our neighbouring countries. He added, There is no reason to pass a resolution in the Assembly that we will not implement the CAA. Because I will reiterate once again that the CAA does not contain any provision to throw out people from here. It is to assimilate the persecuted Hindus in our country. But the Centre should take up the responsibility of their shelter and employment. READ | Sanjay Raut Hits Back At BJP, Asks 'Will BJP Take Mehbooba Mufti To Ayodhya?' Sena's flip flop? Thackerays big declaration on the CAA comes even as the party adopted a different position in both Houses of the Parliament. For instance, while the Sena MPs backed the legislation in the Lok Sabha, its party MPs including Sanjay Raut refused to participate in the voting process in the Upper House of the Parliament. On the other hand, both NCP and Congress ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government have made it clear that the CAA and the NRC would not be implemented in the state. READ | Sena's Sanjay Raut Slams BJP For Misleading People, Questions Centre On CAA's Practicality Boris Johnson today accused Jeremy Corbyn of a 'grotesque failure' to understand UK efforts to tackle climate change as the PM shrugged off criticism from a sacked ex-minister. Claire Perry O'Neill was dismissed as president of the COP26 UN climate change summit last week and responded by hitting out at the PM's record on green issues. She claimed Mr Johnson had failed to deliver on 'promises' he had made on tackling global warming as she also accused him of showing a lack of leadership. Mr Corbyn seized on the brutal criticism of Mr Johnson by the former Tory minister as he tried to score points at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. But Mr Johnson rebuffed the criticism from the Labour leader and Ms O'Neill as he launched a passionate defence of his record on tackling climate change. Boris Johnson, pictured at PMQs today, shrugged off criticism of his record on tackling climate change from former Tory minister Claire Perry O'Neill Jeremy Corbyn said the PM was failing 'spectacularly' to provide leadership on the climate change issue Mr Corbyn said the world was now at the 'eleventh hour to save the planet' as he listed Ms O'Neill's criticisms of the premier. Mr Johnson hit back and said: 'I think if you look at what this government is achieving and already has achieved on climate change it is quite phenomenal. 'You will know that last year was the first year on record that renewables produce more of the energy of this country than fossil fuels. 'You will know that since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, 99 per cent of all the solar panels that have achieved that miracle were installed under this government. 'We are delivering for the people of this country. We are reducing greenhouse gas. All you produce, I am afraid, is a load of hot air.' Mr Johnson had reportedly asked former Tory leaders David Cameron and William Hague to take over the running of the climate summit but both declined. Mr Corbyn ridiculed the PM as he suggested he could now ask another Tory leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, if he wanted to do the job. He then asked: 'Why is the Prime Minister failing so spectacularly to measure up to the scale of the climate crisis that this country and indeed this planet is facing?' Mr Johnson dismissed the broadside and said: 'This is beyond satire. This is the first country, the first major economy, in the world to have set a target of carbon neutral by 2050. 'It is an absolutely fantastic thing and we are leading the world in our ambitions and we will have a wonderful summit in Glasgow, one of the most fantastic cities in our country, at the end of the year.' But Mr Johnson hit back and accused Mr Johnson of a 'grotesque failure' to understand UK efforts to tackle global warming He added: 'I think the grotesque failure of the leader of the opposition to understand what is happening in this country's economy let alone in the fight against climate change is quite mind boggling.' Ms O'Neill, who stood down as a Tory MP at the December general election, was sacked as president of the November talks in Glasgow by the PM's special adviser, Dominic Cummings, on Friday. She claimed Mr Johnson 'doesn't really understand' climate change as she launched a blistering revenge attack and accused him of reneging on green pledges. The former clean growth minister claimed Mr Johnson had presided over 'a huge lack of leadership' on the issue, which had left the UK 'playing at Oxford United levels when we need to be Liverpool'. In a letter to Mr Johnson published by the Financial Times, Ms O'Neill told him: 'You promised to "lead from the front" and asked me what was needed: "Money, people, just tell us!" Sadly these promises are not close to being met.' PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 14:05:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1011 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Green Leaf Farms International is Raising Capital in Their Founders Round.LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Player's Network, Inc. (OTCPINK:PNTV), a rapidly growing international company in the adult-use and medical marijuana industry, with operations in Las Vegas, Nevada and Jujuy Argentina, published a Shareholder update from CEO Mark Bradley.Please visit this link https://playersnetwork.com/2019-year-in-review/ to view the full 2019 Shareholder Update with images and videos.Dear Shareholder,2019 was, as Dickens said, the worst of times and the best of times. It was a year of struggles. It was also a year of great accomplishments. We laid tremendous groundwork for the future prosperity of our company.Let's address our struggles and accomplishments.After 28 years as a fully reporting public company, we struggled to get our 2018 and 2019 audits and financial statements current due to unprofessional conduct by our prior accounting firm, forcing us to sue them for damages. We are targeting the end of Q1 2020 to get current and are determined to stay current every quarter thereafter.Not having timely filings resulted in us getting an OTC Stop Sign, creating the perception that something is wrong with our company other than not filing on time. I assure you that is not the case.Yes, it has taken longer than anticipated for our cannabis operations to begin generating revenue. As those who follow the cannabis industry are aware, the time it takes for companies to get their cultivation facilities up and running was severely underestimated industrywide. After our initial cultivation team failed to grow the high-quality cannabis crop profitable distribution to dispensaries requires, we fired them in early 2019, then hired GrowSmith to retool our 27,000-square-foot North Las Vegas facility. GrowSmith developed new genetics, cultivation and extraction methods, and sanitation protocols to optimize the capabilities of our facility.As of late November 2019, as measured by independent lab tests, we began harvesting some of the highest quality, premium cannabis in the State of Nevada. The lab results revealed substantial THC levels and total cannabinoids in excess of 30%, stating it is the cleanest cannabis they have tested in the past four years!By the end of Q1 2020, North Las Vegas is forecast to be operating cash-flow positive on an ongoing basis supported by a perpetual harvest of high-quality cannabis products. We are now selling our flower at a price above the industry average and continue to scale up the amount of flower we harvest every month. This is a huge milestone about which we're all thrilled.Equally important to future profits is the creation of an exciting second revenue stream! We recently signed an agreement with Industry Extracts, and have set up an infused gummy production line. We are on schedule to roll out a proprietary Green Leaf Farms branded gummy product line in the next 30 days.As many of you know we are a participant in a class action lawsuit against the state of Nevada contesting the corrupt way they handled the issuing of new dispensary licenses. There is significant evidence that the state conducted unfair licensing practices. Settlement negotiations have begun, and an April 20th (4/20 - imagine that) trial date has been set. We are hopeful we will receive one or more dispensary licenses so we can become vertically integrated in Nevada.The "Big News" that will truly differentiate us from every other cannabis company, is the formation of Green Leaf Farms International, Inc. ("GLFI") as a PNTV subsidiary. GLFI will manage our unique, unprecedented 30-year Joint Venture Agreementwith Jujuy Argentina's provincial government for a massive tract of prime agricultural land with ideal year-round growing conditions to cultivate cannabis.In early 2018, massive state, city and local taxes, onerous compliance requirements, restrictive regulations and overhead costs made management realize that the US and Canada were difficult environments in which to operate a profitable cannabis business. This reality has been clearly reinforced by the stock market's devaluation of high-profile cannabis companies over this past year.90% of these cannabis companies lost an average value of 65%, which is what I suspected would happen. The irony is that most of these companies have valuations 10-to-100-times higher than PNTV's, yet they have only a fraction of PNTV's upside potential based on assets we control. We believe PNTV is grossly undervalued, and once investors understand the scope of our positioning in Argentina, the value of the joint venture we entered into with the government there, and the letter of intent we have already signed for the purchase of cannabinoid compounds from our operation there, our market value should increase exponentially.PNTV has evolved from one of several cannabis companies with a license and growing operations in the state of Nevada into a company positioned to become a dominant worldwide supplier of the largest quantity of the broadest spectrum of high quality, low cost cannabinoid compounds in the world.After tracking the explosive growth of the CBD industry, and the number of large medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, beverage, and other consumer products companies marketing cannabis-based products, I came to believe that cannabis and the cannabinoid compounds extracted from cannabis would become commodity-like products. And, these large companies would not become farmers, producing and processing their own cannabinoid compound ingredients. Instead, they would look to purchase the highest quality, lowest cost ingredients just as they do for every other product they produce.Predicting that, I embarked on a worldwide search for the best possible country to partner with in order to dominate this market. As shareholders, I'm sure you are aware that the location I determined best suited our company's needs was Jujuy, Argentina. I negotiated and signed on behalf of GLFI a Joint Venture with the Jujuy, Argentina government that includes the establishment of an adjacent tax-free zone for processing and exportation of cannabis-derived products without the oppressive taxation or restrictive regulations prevalent in the U.S. and Canada.Just as important, unlike the highly restrictive genetic requirements that limit what can be legally grown in much of the U.S. and Canada, our Joint Venture Agreement allows GLFI to grow and extract oils from can The Australian bush is no stranger to fire. In fact, several species need fire in order to regenerate. Indigenous Australians have been using fire for thousands of years as a natural part of seasonal cycles and their understanding is invaluable for us to tap into. Unlike hazard reduction burning, cultural burns are cooler and slower moving, usually no taller than knee height, leaving tree canopies untouched and allowing animals to take refuge from the flames. Small fires are lit with matches, instead of drip torches, and burn in a circular pattern. These burns consider the country. The timing and frequency depend on the geology and therefore soil types, the types of animals and their breeding cycles, the trees and other plants and their flowering cycles. Fire can clear the understorey of a forest to allow room for new seedlings to sprout. And the hollows and fallen logs as a result of fire provide shelter and nests for animals and birds. Fire can also damage plant and animal communities to such as extent that they may take hundreds of years to recover. Denuding the ground cover can result in erosion once the rain comes. And this also makes the ground vulnerable to weeds and other pests to establish themselves. Another point of vulnerability is the lack of ground cover to protect from predation. Changes in food quality and quantity is another obvious outcome from fires. The Australian bush has developed amazing strategies to cope after all but the fiercest of fires. Flora Fire stimulates many plants to increase productivity and flowering. Fire is needed for some species to open woody seed pods, releasing the seeds onto the ground, where they encounter fertile ash beds in which to germinate. This process is known as serotiny, where the seed is shielded against a pulse of flame, but then opens to release it. This is common among Banksia species and a number of conifers. Some plants depend on heat or smoke to germinate seeds in the soil, or to stimulate buds to fruit. Heat-shock can crack open hard shells, liberating seeds or allowing for water to enter. Smoke alone can trigger flowering in some species, and a wave of chemicals released by fire can pass through the soil, both to fertilize and to purge it of toxins. Charcoal acts as a promoter of many annuals. The range of known chemical cues in air, water, and soil continues to expand, although many of their mechanisms remain mysterious. Epicormic growth is one of the current buzz-words! The epicormic buds of Eucalypts and Banksias are set deep in thick bark which insulates and protects the cambium from heat and damage but fire stimulates regrowth. If there is damage to the crown of the tree, hormones suppressing the sprouts may stop being generated by the crown of the tree, causing the sprouting to occur. This is also true of other species such as Melaleucas (paperbarks) where the surface bark may burn spectacularly but also stimulates growth. Species such as Eucalypts and Proteaceae also have lignotubers woody swellings at the base of their stems which contain buds that are dormant until theres a fire. Some Eucalypts (eg Alpine Ash) dont survive fire but seeds that are released germinate en masse once conditions are favourable. Because soil is a good insulator, buds underground are well protected. Plants can survive fires by re-sprouting from basal stems, and also from roots and horizontal rhizomes. Geophytes (plants which have bulbs, corms or rhizomes) survive burning because the storage organs are below ground protected from burning. They persist vegetatively between fires and are stimulated to flower following a fire. Root suckering can result in large clonal populations post-fire. Many grasses have sheaths around the base that protect them. Tree Ferns (Cyathea australis and Dicksonia antarctica) and Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea australis) have dense, fibrous trunks. They reshoot and recover quite quickly. Grass Trees rely on fire to remove the buildup of leaves and dead material. Once burnt, flower-spikes, which will develop numerous seeds, are often the first sign that the Grass Tree is alive. Wattle trees (Acacia species) drop seeds which are stored in the leaf litter and soil, being buried underground by ants busily building up food stores to feed their colonies. The heat of the fire cracks the seedcoats and triggers germination. Acacias may also rely on suckers underground to clone populations. Nitrogen within a plant is lost to the atmosphere when a plant burns. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root nodules of plants are essential to restore nitrogen, making it available in the soil and for other plants. Many of the first plants that appear after a fire, such as Acacias and pea-flowering plants which are often called 'fire weeds', have this nitrogen converting ability. Fauna Animals have the advantage of mobility. Many, such as lizards, are extremely sensitive and detect smoke very quickly. Smoke also awakens Gould's long-eared bats and fat-tailed dunnarts, enabling their escape from fire. Animals also recognize the distinct sounds of fire. Reed frogs flee towards cover and eastern-red bats wake from torpor when played the crackling sounds of fire. Other species detect fire for different reasons. Fire beetles from the genus Melanophila depend on fire for reproduction, as their larvae develop in the wood of burned trees. They can detect fire chemicals at very low concentrations, as well as infrared radiation from fires. Some species of birds that use recently burnt areas for nesting have camouflaged eggs that blend in with the burnt ground and appear less obvious to predators. It's common to see large animals such as kangaroos and wallabies fleeing a fire, sometimes even doubling back through a fire front to find safety in areas already burned. Other animals prefer to stay put, seeking refuge in burrows or under rocks. Smaller animals will happily crash a wombat burrow if it means surviving a fire. Burrows buffer animals from the heat of fires, depending on their depth and nearby fuel loads. From here, animals can repopulate the charred landscape as it recovers. For example, evidence suggests populations of the agile antechinus (a small carnivorous marsupial) and the bush rat recovered primarily from within the footprint of Victoria's Black Saturday fires. Small marsupials such as brown and yellow-footed antechinus also use torpor to suppress their energy use and therefore the need to seek food. Echidnas are able to burrow into the ground, but can also sustain some burning of their spines. Short-beaked echidnas seek refuge and, when finding it, lower their body temperature and limit activity, so reducing the amount of food they need for energy. Despite their spiny defenses, echidnas have been found more often in the stomachs of foxes following fire, so staying put in a little refuge is a good move. There isnt room to document all the diverse and wonderful strategies that God has built into His creation to protect it and ensure species survival. But this gives a taste of some and should be an encouragement for us to realise that these kind of disasters do not catch Him by surprise. Useful references https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/11/04/3882133.htm https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks-reserves-and-protected-areas/fire/plants-animals-and-fire https://www.firesticks.org.au/ https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks-reserves-and-protected-areas/fire/plants-animals-and-fire https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-ecology-of-fire-13259892/ https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/units/env207/ecology/ecology.html https://phys.org/news/2020-01-animals-survive-australia-bushfires.html https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.13227 https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/books/9783110370195/9783110370195-002/9783110370195-002.pdf https://biology.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/fire-adaptive-traits-eucalpyts https://www.landcarevic.org.au/assets/Uploads/Burnt-trees-Will-they-regrow.pdf https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/management/fire/fire-and-the-environment/53-fire-plants-and-vegetation Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) A Filipino domestic worker is in quarantine in Hong Kong after her employer tested positive for novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, Hong Kong Consul General Raly Tejada confirmed on Wednesday. He said the woman, the second Filipino overseas worker placed in isolation in Hong Kong, is healthy and not showing flu-like symptoms linked to the deadly virus. "Most importantly she is not a patient, but just a confinee. She is healthy and we hope she remains so," he told CNN Philippines. The worker has to be housed in the designated quarantine camp for 14 days for monitoring. Tejada said she will not be tested for coronavirus infection, but her temperature will be taken daily in line with Hong Kong's strict protocol. If she shows symptoms within the quarantine period, she will be sent to the hospital for a follow-up treatment. If not, she would be allowed to leave. The Foreign Affairs Department said there is no case yet of any Filipino contracting nCoV in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has at least 18 nCoV cases, with one death confirmed on Tuesday. Philippines has banned travel to and from Hong Kong, China, and Macau amid the continuous global spread of the virus. CNN Philippines' Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report. Shannen Doherty revealed this week she is battlign Stage IV terminal breast cancer - but she is also locked in a bitter legal battle with State Farm Shannen Doherty's attorneys accused State Farm of 'tactless victim blaming' and 'callous lies' after the insurance giant suggested in court documents that she still smoked after receiving her stage IV cancer diagnosis last year. In new court papers filed on Wednesday as part of their ongoing dispute over Doherty's home, which she says is still damaged after a 2018 wildfire, the company included a deposition from an industrial hygiene expert. Doherty has to date received a total of $1.1million from State Farm to pay for repairs to the damage and temporary accommodation since the fire. She says that the damage costs alone are closer to $4million and that she is owed now because the company has also caused her added stress given that she was diagnosed with terminal cancer last February. In Wednesday's filings from State Farm, the expert - Brian P. Daly - said there was no damage to the house when he examined it in December last year. He claimed to have seen medical records which showed Doherty smoking. 'COPD was confirmed. COPD, is more often than not, by my experience caused by cigarette smoking. And the medical records would suggest that as of March this year, you client still smokes cigarettes. 'That's relevant... because, apparently, your client continues to participate in an activity that promoted COPD. And of course that's not a good idea,' he said in the December 2019 deposition. The deposition was submitted to the court docket on Wednesday along with photos Daly took of Doherty's home which he said showed it was safe. In fact Daly said that if she did carry out any home repairs, it would become more dangerous because there would be more dust. State Farm's filing on Wednesday included pictures of the home the actress said is not suitable for her to live in because of the damage The exterior of the home was somewhat disorganized and there were leaves strewn across patio furniture but the expert did not note any damage. The photos were taken in December Doherty claimed that the damage to her home and personal belongings totaled around $4million But State Farm's hired expert found no proof of the soot, ash or char inside or around the property that Doherty claimed was harmful The expert took photos of inside the actress's organized living room and noted that there was nothing to report damage-wise A view of the actress's dining room. Her lawyers say they had already been making repairs before these photos were taken Doherty's attorney furiously denied that she smoked until March last year, telling DailyMail.com it was 'absolutely false.' They also questioned the credibility of the expert and called him a 'hired gun'. As for the state of Doherty's home in photos that were submitted where it seems immaculate and free of damage, they said they had been taken after the repairs were carried out. It is not clear what remaining repairs need to be done for her to move back in. Her attorney however said the soot, char and ash that was at issue and making it unsafe for her to live there was 'microscopic' and no visible to the expert's eye. 'The claim that Shannen was smoking until March 2019 is absolutely false. 'The photos were taken 13 months after the fire and after extensive repairs and cleaning by Shannen. 'Much of the dispute relates to microscopic contamination not visible to the eye. Doherty beat cancer once before. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 then, after a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was given the all-clear in 2017. She is shown in 2016 'The original experts engaged by Shannen and State Farm closer to the time of the fire both found the highest measurable levels of soot, char and ash contamination in nearly every spot examined. 'So-called expert, Daly, is merely a hired gun who only gives opinions for insurance companies exclusively,' Devin McRae told DailyMail.com. He added that the company was guilty of 'victim blaming', saying: 'Its tactless victim blaming. 'Its callous and unsupported by fact. 'Whether thats coming from rogue lawyers or the company internally remains to be seen.' The house, they insist, is still in need of some repairs. Daly charges $575 an hour to be deposed for civil proceedings or testify at trial. TMZ quotes State Farm as accusing her of using her diagnosis to try to garner sympathy at trial. It said she 'improperly claims she is entitled to have her entire home rebuilt at a cost of $2.7 million because she has breast cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 'In fact, the first sentence of [Shannen's] memorandum ... reveals [her] plan at trial to garner sympathy by her contention that State Farm must rebuild her entire house.' The insurance company did not respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Wednesday. Photographs of the house show some disrepair outside but it is not clear if it was caused by the fire. The patio furniture was disorganized, but the interior of the home seemed in immaculate condition from black and white photos. Doherty, 48, revealed this week that she is battling cancer for the second time. She was diagnosed with it first in 2015 then went into remission in 2017. It came back last year and she hid it until having to make it public this week before the State Farm trial exposed it. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category The Future Mobility Innovation Campus works on a clearer picture of innovations required for future mobility. (Photo: Markus Breig, KIT ) Safe and sustainable mobility is one of the big issues of society, ranging from urban commutes to merchant shipping on oceans. To make mobility sustainable in times of urbanization, resource scarcity, and climate change, the University of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) pool their research competencies in the Innovation Campus Future Mobility (ICM) that is funded by the State of Baden-Wurttemberg with around 10 million euros. Today in Stuttgart, work is started officially in the presence of State Science Minister Theresia Bauer. It is the goal of the ICM to create new, pioneering technologies in the areas of mobility and production. The first two pilot projects, hence, will cover zero-emission drives and additive manufacture, i.e. use of 3D printers not only for high-quality and operational (lightweight) components, but also for components with novel functions. KIT and the University of Stuttgart pool their competencies to think about new forms of mobility, flexible production technologies, and future value networks and study them interdisciplinarily. The ICM addresses the transformation process in the mobility sector. Excellent fundamental research and new innovation processes will give rise to disruptive technologies and innovation leaps in the areas of Additive Manufacture and Zero-emission Drives. It is our declared objective in Baden-Wurttemberg to become the showcase of modern and sustainable mobility, says Science Minister Theresia Bauer. We need science to think beyond current industrial application horizons of technologies. The Innovation Campus is a major element to develop key technologies for climate-friendly mobility. Excellent research will open up new perspectives of creating added value in automotive industry. Future mobility represents a major challenge for society and is associated with many expectations: It is to be comfortable, safe, and inexpensive, interconnected, sustainable, accessible and quick, autonomous, and robust, summarizes the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. KIT and the University of Stuttgart will now work on concepts and technologies for future vehicles and the necessary production systems to respond to this challenge. The Rector of the University of Stuttgart, Professor Wolfram Ressel, emphasizes: The Innovation Campus Future Mobility is in line with the vision of intelligent systems for a sustainable society of the University of Stuttgart. Together with the KIT, we will conduct interdisciplinary cutting-edge research for smart mobility solutions on our joint technology platform. Among others, we will use a flexible universal machine that integrates separate serial fabrication processes in a single technology. We are presently witnessing the change of traditional automotive and supplier industries to providers of sustainable mobility services, says KIT Vice-President for Innovation and International Affairs, Professor Thomas Hirth. With the ICM, we want to accompany and lead this change. For this, we will rely on scientific excellence, interdisciplinary fundamental research, and new innovation processes in production and vehicle technologies. KIT and the University of Stuttgart will enter the first phase of the ICM with the focus on Additive Manufacture and Zero-emission Drives, adds Professor Peter Middendorf, Vice Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer of the University of Stuttgart. This will give rise to major synergy effects for both partners, which will be further advanced. Phase One: Additive Manufacture and Zero-emission Drives The ICM will enter the first phase by focusing on Additive Manufacture and Zero-emission Drives. Work will concentrate on the vision of decentralized production based on an entirely flexible production technology the universal machine. Fabrication data only will be transmitted digitally, whereas products can be produced locally and, if necessary, in the short term, with a high quality, inexpensively, and in any small numbers instead of storing them at large facilities and distributing them via complex logistic chains causing traffic. However, this will require a technology leap in fabrication technology. On the other hand, new production technologies can help reduce emissions of drive systems and vehicles, as they help save weight, space, material, and energy or combine functions of various components. For this reason, the ICM will also develop concepts for smaller vehicles and the corresponding components that are specially tailored to the First & Last Mile mobility requirements. This means that work will concentrate on need-tailored interconnection of individual and public transport systems. By means of prototypes, such as safe, smart, comfortable commuter mobiles for short distances, the concepts of the first phase will be validated and demonstrated. Zero-emission vehicles and mobility concepts using digitalization will lead to more efficiency in the use of resources and transport space. Focuses in the next phases will be identified together with the scientists involved and external experts within the framework of a think tank. The Innovation Campus Future Mobility is a joint initiative of KIT and the University of Stuttgart to enable groundbreaking ideas and innovations. For this, a competitive, transparent process will be used for project selection and entirely new approaches of fail fast and often will be pursued quickly and flexibly. Temporary use of approaches that may turn out to be a failure later on will be possible, i.e. learning from mistakes. The ICM will identify industrial fields that will be important in future, create cooperation places as well as innovation and founding culture, promote young talents, and integrate research in Baden-Wurttemberg. At the Innovation Campus Future Mobility Research for Future Sustainable Mobility, researchers from Karlsruhe and Stuttgart working in the areas of vehicle technology, product development, production technology, chemistry, materials, electrical engineering, aircraft construction, and machine tools will collaborate. In addition, projects of other universities and research institutions in Baden-Wurttemberg may be integrated depending on the topic. The Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry for Science, Research, and the Arts funds the ICM with EUR 10 million over five years. In addition, young investigators groups will be set up and professorships for Laser Systems Technology and Digitalization of the Development of Materials and Processes for Additive Manufacture will be funded at the University of Stuttgart and KIT, respectively, for a duration of ten years. About the University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart, established in 1829, has about 26,000 students. Its vision Intelligent Systems for a Sustainable Society and its profile The Stuttgart Way stand for a consistent interdisciplinary integration of engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Its outstanding role as a worldwide connected research university is reflected, among others, by the two Clusters of Excellence Data-integrated Simulation Sciences and Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture, the ARENA 2036 Research Campus, participation in the Cyber Valley network, as well as by a number of collaborative research centers and research training groups. More about the KIT Mobility Systems Center http://www.kit.edu/research/6720.php Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. By Trend A presentation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will be held as part of the Oil and Gas Turkmenistan 2020 International Roadshow scheduled for Feb. 24-25 in Dubai (UAE), Trend reports referring to the Turkmengaz State Concern. It is planned to consider the possibilities for partnership in the implementation of the next stage of the development of the giant Galkynysh field to provide natural gas to the transnational TAPI gas pipeline and other investment projects, the report said. As many as 200 delegates representing 80 companies and agencies from more than 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the event. On the sidelines of the roadshow, business negotiations with interested parties are envisaged. The prospects of business partnership in a number of areas will be discussed during the event. They include the development of deposits on licensed shelf blocks in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, attracting investments to the introduction of new technologies that contribute to the optimization of production in mature fields, attracting investments in hard-to-develop fields, as well as gas chemical projects. Turkmengaz, Turkmennebit (Turkmen oil) state concerns and the Turkmengeologiya (Turkmen geology) state corporation act as organizers of the roadshow with the assistance of the Turkmen Forum, and Gaffney, Cline & Associates. The construction of the Turkmen section of the TAPI pipeline was launched in December 2015. The design capacity of the pipeline may reach 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the city of Fazilka in India. The construction of the Afghan section of the pipeline was initiated in February 2018, while the construction of the Pakistani section is planned to be launched in 2020. The Turkmengas State Concern is the leader of the TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd. international consortium. It acts as the main financier and manager of the project. The consortium also includes Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistans Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited Company and Indias GAIL Company. Turkmenistan exports gas to China and Russia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz WASHINGTON - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used Democrats response to President Donald Trumps State of the Union address to swivel from impeachment to working-class voters worries, saying her party is focusing on easing health care costs and other pocket-book concerns. Whitmer mentioned Trumps impeachment trial only briefly near the end of her nearly 11-minute speech Tuesday. She sprinkled in passing references to his behaviour, such as, Bullying people on Twitter doesnt fix bridges it burns them. But she spent the bulk of her address touting Democratic efforts on health care and peoples struggles to pay their bills, issues that helped her party win House control in 2018. Its pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away, Whitmer said from Michigans East Lansing High School, which her daughters attend. Her remarks were nearly overshadowed by an extraordinary gesture moments earlier by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Seated directly behind Trump in the House chamber, Pelosi marked the end of the address by theatrically tearing her copy of his remarks, dramatizing the bitter gulf between the two sides as this years presidential and congressional election campaigns commence. Democrats won House control in 2018 by lambasting unsuccessful efforts by Trump and congressional Republicans to repeal President Barack Obamas health care law. Democrats say they will concentrate on health care in this years campaign as well, including opposing an administration-backed federal lawsuit aimed at declaring Obamas statute unconstitutional. Trumps impeachment has dominated Washington since the fall. In a remarkable confluence of events, the GOP-run Senate was set to acquit him Wednesday, less than 24 hours after his address. As we witness the impeachment process in Washington there are some things each of us, no matter our party, should demand, Whitmer said. The truth matters. Facts matter. And no one should be above the law. Democrats selection of Whitmer, 48, underscored their determination to improve their performance in the Midwest in Novembers elections. Trump captured Michigan in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes by appealing to lower-earning workers, winning a state that hadnt voted for the GOP presidential candidate since 1988. Trump also won over enough working-class white voters to score slender victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and to win Ohio handily. Reaching out to those voters, Whitmer acknowledged their struggles to afford transportation, student loans and prescription drugs. Michigan invented the middle class, she said. So, we know if the economy doesnt work for working people, it just doesnt work. Whitmers prominent role also highlighted her partys outreach to women, whove soured on Trumps belligerent style and whose growing support helped Democrats make big gains in suburban districts in 2018. Whitmer was elected governor easily that year over a Trump-backed Republican, and shes been mentioned as a potential vice-presidential nominee. In Democrats Spanish-language response, freshman Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar focused on health care and workers struggles to get by. Speaking from a community centre in her home town of El Paso near the Mexican border, Escobar also described last Augusts mass killing there by a shooter she said used hateful language like the very words used by President Trump to describe immigrants and Latinos. Escobar also touched on Trumps impeachment, saying that hed jeopardized the next election and threatened national security with his efforts to pressure Ukraine, an ally fighting Russian-backed insurgents, to produce damaging information on political rival Joe Biden. We Democrats will continue to fight for truth and for what is right. No one is above the law, Escobar said. ___ Associated Press writer Cedar Attanasio in El Paso, Texas, contributed to this report. SALINA, N.Y. -- Deputies have released the name of the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash in Salina. Rene Hamel, 58, of Quebec, Canada, was driving a tractor-trailer that struck and killed Richard Wydick on Sunday evening near the Pilot truck stop, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, Onondaga County Sheriffs Office spokesman. Hamel told detectives he did not know he hit Wydick, he said. The accident happened around 6 p.m. Sunday on Seventh North Street. Wydick walked into the Terminal Road East intersection just as the light was turning green, Seeber said. Thats when Hamel turned the tractor-trailer he was driving off of Terminal Road onto Seventh North Street and hit Wydick, he said. Wydick, 30, of Liverpool, was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. alking about the measures taken to help the industry, the minister listed some of them like corporate tax rate cut and removal of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT). New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday exhorted the industry to shun hesitation and be a partner in driving growth, saying the government has already initiated several measures and is willing to take more steps. The government has already reduced corporate tax rate, removed Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and abolished dividend distribution tax (DDT), she said while addressing the industry leaders here. The approach has been "we shall spend on asset creation and it is the cascading effect of this spend which is going to help the industry. So we expect you to be... the engine to pull the economy forward", the finance minister said. She added that "in today's conditions, it cannot be just the govt spending which can pull this economy towards that growth which all of us want. I strongly believe industry today will have to come out of that hesitation, which you held and rightly in your mind. But I think it's time now to come out of the hesitation. I called it self-doubt sometime back". Sitharaman signalled that the government is willing to do more in terms of necessary measures to prop up the economy. "We have done what whatever little we can, we are not closing the doors, we are still ready to do and even much more. But I want it to be a meaningful intervention from the government rather than rush to do something which may not be necessary at all for the government," she said. Talking about the measures taken to help the industry, the minister listed some of them like corporate tax rate cut and removal of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT). She said, "It is now time for all of us to pull our weight along, make sure that the economy has support of each one of us, where each one will have to become the engine for pulling this economy up. After all, the spirit of enterprise is yours, we are here to facilitate." On raising the customs duty on certain items, the minister said, import of medical equipment which are not made in India will come at a duty, but the revenue collected will be utilised to fund creating medical infrastructure in aspirational districts where there are not good hospitals. "So that is the extent to which we want to make sure that government's money will not be spent frivolously," she said emphasising that the biggest priority of the Budget was to maintain macro-economic stability. She clarified that the duty on medical devices is not with a sense of being protectionist. "If there are medical devices made in India and under Make in India, we wanted encouragement of India-made goods, at least for those we didn't want to have imports flooding the market," she added. Recalling the past experience of the government fiscal expansion during the global economic crisis, Sitharaman said the government has learnt from the past experience and decided not to go on the splurge to boost the economy. "I am also indicating clearly in contrast to what had happened in response to 2008-09. I am also clearly indicating that I am going to clearly lay a glide path for fiscal deficit so that treatment to the economy which is now so demanded and justifiably demanded will be given clear monitoring. "We are not going to leave it unendingly as though there's never going to be an end and the treatment has to continue forever. If the economy shows clear improvement, we shall focus our attention to something else. That's the difference between 2009 treatment and now," she said. Last time, it was left without an end therefore the splurging continued, she said, adding, the present government between 2014-19 had to sort that mess out which resulted in twin balance sheet problem. On scrappage policy, the finance minister said some fine-tuning is being done and soon it will be out. It would focus on eliminating the fleet of old polluting commercial vehicles plying on the country's roads. The proposed policy, once approved, will be applicable on all vehicles including two- and three-wheelers. The Investment Cell mentioned in the Budget has been conceived to implement the National Infrastructure Pipeline, she said, adding, this platform could be further extended to investments across sectors, including health. Sitharaman also announced that she would be meeting various stakeholders in three metros beginning 7 February. "This group will be coming with me in the next few days to at least three cities --Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata -- in India, to interact with industry, economists, trade bodies, traders, farmers and farmers' group," she said. Speaking about taxation of REITs and InvITs, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey said, the department will look at any anomaly and address if required. Advertisement Ten people on a quarantined cruise liner have tested positive for coronavirus and been taken off the ship, with thousands of tourists facing two weeks marooned off the coast of Japan. The ten people - two Australians, one American, three guests from Hong Kong, two from Japan and one Filipino crew member - were taken ashore by the Japanese coast guard and sent to nearby hospitals today. The remaining passengers are stuck in their cabins on the Diamond Princess with hundreds anxiously awaiting their test results after medics in hazmat suits went deck-to-deck to test for the killer virus. British passenger David Abel, who is on the cruise with his wife Sally, said food was now being rationed with alcohol banned and passengers not even allowed to walk down the corridor. The vessel has today left Yokohama Bay, where it was anchored yesterday, and returned to the open sea to collect seawater - which can be converted for use in showers and drinking water. Japan placed the ship in quarantine after an 80-year-old man who left the ship in Hong Kong last month tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 400 people in China. All 3,711 passengers and crew were screened for the virus and 273 of them subjected to further tests, Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato said. Of the 31 results received so far, ten people have tested positive. Kato appealed for the passengers and crew, who come from 56 countries, to cooperate with authorities, and said he assumed the quarantine would last around 14 days - the estimated maximum incubation period for the virus. More than 1,800 people are also being tested for coronavirus on a cruise ship in Hong Kong today after some crew members reported fever. There are 428 Americans among the passengers of both ships. People are transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess to a patrol ship on Wednesday, after ten people on board the cruise have tested positive for coronavirus, in Yokohama, Japan Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday after ten tested positive for coronavirus Workers in protective gear are seen at the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama on Wednesday bringing patients from the cruise ship Health workers in protective suits put up hoardings today as passengers who were diagnosed with the virus are moved Officers in protective gears carry luggage cases after people who were transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess, arrive at a maritime police's base in Yokohama Cruise ship in Hong Kong is latest to be quarantined More than 1,800 people are being tested for coronavirus on a cruise ship in Hong Kong today after some crew members reported fever. The World Dream docked in Hong Kong after three former passengers were found to have had the virus. The ship was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday and is now being held in quarantine while everyone on board is tested. Pictures showed one man being moved off the ship and transferred to an ambulance by health workers in blue protective suits. A man is transferred to an ambulance in Hong Kong today after he was taken off the World Dream cruise liner Three people from mainland China who had been on board the World Dream from January 19-24 were found to have had the virus, Hong Kong's health department said. Most of the remaining passengers are from Hong Kong. The cruise operator, Dream Cruises, said the three 'confirmed' patients had left the ship in the mainland city of Ghangzhou on January 24. 'For the time being, we cannot conclude the likely time of finishing the quarantine measures,' said Leung Yiu-hong, an official at the city's department of health. Hong Kong has confirmed 18 coronavirus cases, including at least four that were transmitted locally, and saw its first death yesterday. Health workers have been on strike this week to demand that the border with mainland China be completely sealed. The outbreak has rekindled memories of the 2003 SARS crisis, another virus which began in China and killed nearly 300 people in Hong Kong. Advertisement British passenger Mr Abel, a diabetic, said he feared he would fall into a coma if he did not get enough food. 'This is a huge challenge for Diamond Princess,' he said last night. 'There are people that need food in their cabins.' Since then, some supplies have been brought on board and crew members wearing face masks have gone cabin-to-cabin to deliver food. 'All the passengers on board this ship, we remain confined to our cabins. We can't even walk down the corridor,' said Mr Abel. 'For many passengers it's going to be absolute boredom. We are quite fortunate that we've got a cabin with a balcony. The people I feel really sorry for are those with inside cabins who've got no natural light, no fresh air.' Smoking has been totally banned on board, even for passengers with a balcony, he said. 'We are definitely no longer on a luxury cruise, where we had the superb benefit of eating from a dining room and a choice from the menu those days are over,' he said. 'I am so grateful that the ship are taking care of us, its just such a contrast to the first few weeks of a cruise on the Diamond Princess. 'For the first time ever we've seen the crew wearing face masks, they haven't been wearing them until serving breakfast and lunch today. 'They knock on the door, they hand over the tray of food and when they are ready to collect the trays they come and knock on the door. It's very brief. 'It has changed beyond recognition but this is not the fault of Princess cruise line, they are complying with the Japanese health authority. 'Those 10 passengers have been removed from the boat this morning by the coast guard and they've been taken to a medical facility on the mainland. 'Now we only have passengers that have not tested positive but of course we have been breathing the same air as those that have been removed.' Mr Abel has been speaking to world media from the cruise ship - but said he would most like to be interviewed by ITV's Holly Willoughby. Health Minister Kato said that officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms, suggesting that more test samples could be taken. None of the 10 infected people, three of whom are Japanese nationals, had severe symptoms, public broadcaster NHK reported. Another passenger, a Japanese man in his 70s, told public broadcaster NHK that the drastic new quarantine measures had been imposed today after ten people tested positive. 'Until yesterday, we were able to spend time in common spaces and do things like play ping-pong. But from this morning, we have not been allowed to go out of our rooms,' said the man. 'I tried to go to a restaurant this morning for breakfast but I was told: Please eat in your room. So I have been waiting for room service. But it hasn't arrived yet.' David Abel (pictured) said passengers had 'no idea' when the quarantine would end as he and 3,710 others were left in limbo in Yokohama Bay today A small coast guard vessel leaves the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama today amid an ongoing virus lockdown Ambulance workers in protective gears drive an ambulance which is believed to carry a person who was transferred from Cruise ship Pictures on board the Diamond Princess showed masked health workers in blue plastic gowns walking down as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Cruise operator Princess Cruises said the next two trips which were due to depart Yokohama on February 4 and February 12 had been cancelled. A spokesman said food and other supplies would be brought on board from other ships when the vessel returns to Yokohama. 'The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard,' the spokesman said. 'Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable. 'Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.' The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in Japan. The epidemic, which originated in China's Hubei province, has killed hundreds of people and infected more than 10,000 so far. Speaking yesterday, passenger Mr Abel claimed that some of his fellow passengers 'don't give a damn about personal health' and had increased the risk of infection with poor hygiene. In one case, an American tourist had blown his nose on a napkin and left it on a dinner table where waiters carrying food were likely to touch it, he said. It is not yet known exactly how the virus spreads. 'Nobody is able to book onward flights as we have no idea when the quarantine will clear,' said Mr Abel, who is travelling with his wife ahead of their 50th wedding anniversary and described himself as a 'captive' on the ship. 'The whole ship is in quarantine, we are in the middle of the bay, anchored, so nobody can get on or off this ship.' Health workers in protective gear wait for Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers to be transferred to the mainland The sun rises over the Diamond Princess on Wednesday anchored off the Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Cruise ship Diamond Princess is seen anchored off the Yokohama Port on Tuesday, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Describing the medical tests, Mr Abel said: 'We've had the medical guys come into our stateroom and it's taken all night, from midnight to 10am, for them to do four of the decks and there are 14 in total. 'They came in, took our temperature, asked three questions - have we got a cough, have we got a fever, do we take medication to lower temperature.' Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus. The only people in sight are personnel going from room-to-room to test the passengers for the virus, or to clean the ship's public areas. One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Another shows the ship's huge casino standing empty. Corridors and a huge atrium are left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks. The usually-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess is now empty and unmanned. An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan The once-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess stands empty and unmanned Medical personnel are pictured going room-by-room as they check up on the passengers. According to a statement from Japan's health ministry, the guests' temperatures and overall conditions are being monitored One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the cruise liner after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus Images show corridors and a huge atrium left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks A man in protective clothing walks on the sixth deck of the Diamond Princess today where quarantine specialists are carrying out tests Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the ship had already been quarantined on Saturday at the port of Naha, but the 80-year-old man's diagnosis forced further checks. In addition, any passengers who got off in Hong Kong or had close contact with the infected man will be subject to tests for coronavirus. The 80-year-old patient 'did not visit a medical centre inside the ship while he was sailing with us', according to cruise operator Carnival Japan. 'According to the hospital where he is staying, his condition is stable and infection was not found among his family members who sailed with him,' they said. Medics today went deck-to-deck through the Diamond Princess to test for the virus Japan has already barred foreign nationals who have been to Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. People with passports issued in Hubei are also banned from Japan in a bid to contain the crisis. Visitors who display symptoms of the new virus when they arrive in Japan can also be denied entry. A total of 11 foreigners have been barred from entering so far, the immigration service agency said today. Japan has also flown more than 500 citizens out of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated. The disease is believed to have emerged in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals, spreading rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in late January. The virus has so far spread to more than 20 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. In addition, Hong Kong yesterday announced that a 39-year-old coronavirus patient had died in hospital - only the second fatality outside mainland China. Medical personnel pictured on the eighth deck of the cruise ship as they carry out tests on the passengers on board, who have been instructed to remain in their rooms A woman waiting for an international traveler to arrive to LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal wears a medical mask for protection against the coronavirus outbreak on February 2, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. The U.S. is accepting four new planes carrying Americans being evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 24,300 people across the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The Americans will be quarantined at four different military bases across the U.S.: Camp Ashland in Nebraska; Travis Air Force Base in California; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego; and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The four latest evacuation flights come after the first government-chartered flight from Wuhan landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, last week. The flight's 195 passengers remain under quarantine at the base. "This could be the beginning of what could be a long response," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a conference call with reporters. CDC officials announced the mandatory quarantine orders last week. It is the first time the U.S. government has issued federal quarantine orders in 50 years, officials said. "While we recognize this is an unprecedented action, we are facing an unprecedented public health threat," Messonnier said last week. CDC officials said there have been no new U.S. cases reported since confirming 11 infections earlier this week. Officials said 206 people have tested negative for the virus, while 76 possible cases are still awaiting results. World Health Organization officials announced earlier Wednesday that the number of cases of the flu-like coronavirus surged in the last day, with more than 3,100 new patients confirmed in China. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference that the reported cases are "the most cases in a single day since the outbreak started" on Dec. 31. Just 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China, and 80% of those cases are concentrated in Hubei province where the virus was first detected in the city of Wuhan, Tedros said. Of the cases outside of China, 31 spread through human-to-human contact, mostly from close friends or relatives who had recently been to China. Infectious disease specialists and scientists say the virus may be more contagious than current data shows. Data on the virus is changing by the day, and some infectious disease specialists say it will take weeks before they can see just how contagious it is. The respiratory illness is not yet considered a pandemic. According to WHO, a pandemic is "an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people." At first, Reznikov was considered as a candidate for the post of deputy prime minister. President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided not to appoint a separate deputy prime minister for the occupied territories, instead opting for once again dismantling the Ministry into two parts: the Ministry for Veterans Affairs and the Ministry for the Temporarily Occupied Territories. The President's Office is mulling the appointment of Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's political subgroup Oleksiy Reznikov to the post of Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories, as reported by the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, citing sources in the President's Office. At first, Reznikov was considered as a candidate for the post of deputy prime minister, set to deal with the issues of occupied territories. He underwent an interview on February 1. Read alsoUkraine's parliament appoints Shmyhal as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Community Development However, as of today, President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided not to appoint a separate deputy prime minister for the occupied territories, instead opting for once again separating the Ministry of Veterans and the Ministry for the Temporarily Occupied Territories. The latter is expected to be headed by Reznikov. Reznikov was deputy of Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko and ex-secretary of the Kyiv City Council. In September 2019, he became Ukraine's representative to the Minsk Group and was one of the active members of the Ukrainian delegation at the Normandy Four summit in Paris. On February 4, Minister for Veterans, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Oksana Koliada announced that the ministry would be unbundled. The President's Office also reported on February 4 that "according to the president's assignment, a decision was taken to establish the Ministry for the Occupied Territories." Google's main regulator in the European Union, Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), has launched an inquiry into the company's processing of location data, the DPC said on Tuesday. "The inquiry will set out to establish whether Google has a valid legal basis for processing the location data of its users and whether it meets its obligations as a data controller with regard to transparency," the commission said in a statement https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/data-protection-commission-launches-statutory-inquiry-googles-processing-location-data-and. The DPC is the EU's lead data regulator for a number of large U.S. technology firms which have headquarters in Ireland under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR) "One Stop Shop" regime. Those rules give regulators the power to impose fines for violations of up to 4% of a company's global revenue or 20 million euros ($22 million), whichever is higher. The DPC said it had "received a number of complaints from various consumer organizations across the EU, in which concerns were raised with regard to Google's processing of location data." In May it opened its first investigation into Alphabet Inc's Google over how it handles personal data for the purpose of advertising. The DPC has more than 20 large-scale investigations under way into multinational technology firms, including Twitter , LinkedIn, Apple and Facebook. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Climate change problems 1) Hybrid car fiasco a kick in the face for drivers Hybrid car owners have been given a kick in the face by ministers, motoring bodies have said, as they warned that the surprise decision to ban the vehicles from sale in 2035 will backfire. Tens of thousands of motorists who were incentivised by the government to buy hybrid cars believing they were an environmentally friendly option now fear their resale value will slump as the ban approaches. Friends of the Earth accused ministers of greenwashing the public into believing they should buy hybrids, even though some models can produce higher CO2 emissions than new diesel cars. The move was compared to the knee jerk New Labour policy of tax breaks for diesel cars, which was later discredited and severely damaged the market for second-hand diesels. Labours subsidies fuelled a rise in diesel cars, increasing air pollution. Daily Telegraph Gove refuses to answer question on cost of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars ban eight times The Sun Comment Have hybrid buyers been sold a lie? Ed Wiseman Daily Telegraph There is a 28 billion black hole in plans for electric car revolution, Philip Johnston Daily Telegraph >Today: ToryDiary: Climate change. Ministers must explain how they will meet Mays 2050 net zero carbon emissions target. Climate change problems 2) Cameron and Hague both reject top job at UN conference The former prime minister and Lord Hague of Richmond turned down the offer to serve as the figurehead of the COP26 event in November. Mr Johnson has identified hosting the UN conference secured last year with the backing of France and Germany as a key part of his diplomatic drive to present Britain as a world leader after Brexit. Some 90,000 people, including world leaders, are expected at the summit, the biggest event hosted by the British government since the 2012 Olympics. The role would involve extensive travel to cajole national governments and institutions such as the EU. Concerns over the summits leadership came to light last week when Mr Johnson sacked the former energy minister Claire ONeill as its president. Michael Gove, the chancellor the Duchy of Lancaster, has been identified as a possible replacement since he already has ministerial oversight. The Times Climate change problems 3) He doesnt get it Tory savages PM Boris Johnsons announcement of a defining year of action on climate change was overshadowed by a former Tory energy ministers claim that he had admitted he didnt really get the issue. Claire ONeill, who was sacked by the prime minister seven months after he appointed her to lead the UN climate summit in November, said there had been a huge lack of leadership. She spoke out shortly before Mr Johnson joined Sir David Attenborough, 93, at the Science Museum in London for the launch of the UKs plans for COP26 summit in Glasgow. Mr Johnson made two announcements, promising to bring forward to 2035 the date Britain would end the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and by one year to October 2024 the date when it would stop burning coal to generate power. The Times Britain has a responsibility to lead charge on climate change, Johnson says Daily Telegraph PM vows new drive to help the disabled with better access to jobs and services The Sun Comment Time for Johnson to get serious about climate change, Jeremy Warner Daily Telegraph Glover: Denying journalists access to briefings is outrageous censorship On Monday afternoon, journalists at No 10 who were expecting a briefing on EU trade were asked to line up on one side of the entrance hall while a security officer checked them off against a list. Those acceptable to the powers-that-be were asked to cross over to the other side of the room. The remaining journalists mostly, though not entirely, from organisations disliked by No 10 were told to leave. In the event, everyone present walked out in protest at what was considered an almost unprecedented act of censorship on the part of Downing Street. It is part of a misguided attempt, largely orchestrated by the Prime Ministers chief adviser Dominic Cummings, to seize control of the news agenda in a way reminiscent of Donald Trump. Daily Mail Tensions between Javid and Cummings rise ahead of Budget FT Has Cummings overplayed his hand? The Times Comment If a Corbyn government had behaved like this, wouldnt Tory MPs be in uproar? Michael Deacon Daily Telegraph Morgan: My plan to decriminalise non-payment of the TV levy Twenty years ago Blockbuster, the then heavyweight of video rentals, turned down a 38million merger offer from Netflix. Today Netflix is worth 50billion, 1,300 times its offer to Blockbuster which has gone from 3,000 stores to a museum in Oregon, for people who want to remember what video cassettes look like. Netflix now competes with the likes of Amazon, Google and Apple for dominance of the multi-billion-dollar streaming market. The result is that people now spend three times as much time watching subscription services such as Netflix than they do BBC iPlayer. More children now recognise the names Netflix and YouTube than they do the BBC. Daily Mail Not paying TV licence could no longer be a criminal offence The Sun BBC faces 200m shortfall if licence fee prosecutions end The Times >Today: Long-Bailey causes massive row over claims of nepotism Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey has insisted she was not seeking to criticise senior members of Jeremy Corbyns team after suggesting that nepotism and mismanagement had contributed to the partys election defeat. Sky News understands the leading left-wing candidate has made private phone calls to both Seb Corbyn, son of the Labour leader, and Laura Murray, daughter of senior Labour adviser Andrew Murray, to assure them she was not referring to them when she told The Guardian that under her leadership promotions will be based on what you know, not who you know. Seb Corbyn previously worked as an adviser to shadow chancellor John McDonnell, while Laura Murray is the Labour Partys head of complaints. Sky News Starmer calls for all-BAME shortlists Daily Telegraph Labour MP hits back at criticism of attire The Guardian Cameron bodyguard sparks panic on flight by leaving loaded gun in toilets A terrified passenger found the weapon and handed it to flight attendants on the British Airways scheduled service from New York to London. Take-off was delayed by an hour because of the commotion. The pilot announced that close-protection officers were allowed to carry guns on board but one passenger refused to accept the situation. The stand-off ended with the weapon being removed from the plane. Believed to have been a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, it had been found along with Mr Camerons passport and that of his bodyguard. A source said: Fortunately it was found by a law-abiding member of the public who did the right thing. Daily Mail Trump and Pelosi snub each other as President addresses Congress A bitter feud between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi boiled over at his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, with Trump snubbing her outstretched hand and Pelosi ripping apart a copy of his remarks behind his back. Trump delivered the astonishing snub to Pelosi as he started his speech by ignoring her as she offered him a handshake, which set the tone for a full-throated condemnation of his political enemies and his presidential predecessors in front of a divided Congress. He simply turned away as the Speaker took her copy of his speech, then stood in front of a chamber which echoed with cries of four more years from Republicans. Daily Mail More Jailed surgeons 11,000 patients face checks The Times Nursery teacher stabbed as she unlocked bike The Times Cruise ship quarantined as multiple passengers rushed to hospital with coronavirus Daily Express Comment We cant blame EU if Brexit doesnt deliver, Robert Colville The Times >Today: >Yesterday: News in Brief Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The investigative arm of the Philippine National Police was tasked to help track people who were in contact with those infected with novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, the Department of Interior and Local Government said Wednesday. PNP Chief Archie Gamboa has ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to employ "tracker teams," which will be led by PNP deputy chief for operations Guillermo Eleazar, the department said. On Tuesday, health officials revealed they have contacted only 17 percent of passengers on the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flights taken by the Chinese couple who both tested positive for the novel coronavirus after they arrived in the Philippines two weeks ago. "We ask the cooperation of the public and all local government units in this important task to contain the spread of this disease in our country," the DILG said on Wednesday. During the Senate hearing into the government's preparedness to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country, Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa a former top cop suggested that the Health Department submit to the PNP passenger manifests from airline companies. He said the PNP would be able to track down those people in 24 hours. The couple from Wuhan the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak came to Cebu on January 21 from Hong Kong on Cebu Pacific flight 5J 241. The two then boarded Cebu Pacific flight DG 6519 from Cebu to Dumaguete and Philippine Airlines flight PR 2542 from Dumaguete to Manila. Of the pair, health officials said the 38-year-old woman no longer has symptoms while the 44-year-old Chinese man died Saturday the first reported death from the virus outside of China. Both airlines companies have said they are contacting passengers on those flights and have placed their crews under quarantine. They also said that their planes have been disinfected. Students of the Presidency University (PU) have confined vice-chancellor (VC) Anuradha Lohia to her chamber since Monday and there was no sign of them withdrawing the agitation over issues like hostel renovation among others on Wednesday afternoon. Lohia managed to give the students a slip early on Tuesday, went out of the campus unnoticed and returned in the afternoon. She has remained confined at her chamber since then. The student agitation, which started with some demands related to the renovation of Hindu Hostel, entered the fifteenth day on Wednesday. The students have been sitting on an indefinite protest in front of the V-Cs office. Our movement started with four demands related to hostel renovation but has got a set of seven demands, as three issues got added due to the steps taken by authorities during the agitation, said Souren Malik, general secretary of the students union. Malik said students had submitted seven deputations with the VC, addressing seven different issues, but received no response to any of them. One of the issues is the recent transfer of a number of the hostels staff and students are demanding they are reinstated. The agitation is being spearheaded by PU students union, run by Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Since the VC has refused to speak to us on our demands, the agitation will continue. She is free to go back to her home. No student will block her way. But we are not moving from our agitation site, said Deeprajit, a student in the economics department. On Tuesday, several classes were hampered due to the agitation. Despite repeated attempts, neither the vice-chancellor nor registrar Debajyoti Konar could be contacted for comments. A faculty member said, requesting anonymity, that teachers are trying to mediate between the students and authorities but no solution emerged till Wednesday afternoon. State education minister Partha Chatterjee urged students to exercise restraints. We are always in favour of being lenient in dealing with student agitations. But students also need to understand that gheroaing the authorities at the drop of a hat is not the way to go about pressing for their demands, Chatterjee said. Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice" Since announcing their departure from royal duty on Jan. 8, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have begun to write a bold new chapterone in which engagements are casual and unannounced, free time is spent hiking in the woods near their Vancouver Island home with 9-month-old son Archie, and the rules governing their old life no longer apply. This decision [to leave] had been weighing on them for a long time, and they are relieved to have it done, a friend tells PEOPLE in this weeks issue. A weight has been lifted off their shoulders. But their new life hasnt come without a price. After a series of intense discussions with Harrys 93-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the couple lost their ability to use their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) titles, and Harry had to forgo his role as youth ambassador to the Commonwealth. It brings me great sadness that it has come to this, he said on Jan. 19. Harrywho served 10 years in the British army, including two tours of Afghanistanwas also stripped of his honorary military appointments. The military was a part of his upbringing and his life. He brought a lot to those guys and understood things. It is sad, says a palace insider. RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Just Shared a Major Clue That Theyre Putting Down Roots in Canada Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Despite the sacrificesHarry also left behind the rest of his family and closest friendsthe couple ultimately negotiated almost everything they asked for, says the palace insider, with the ability to live and work where they want at the top of the list. As for the loss of their HRH titles, Harry doesnt care about the titles, says a source in their circle. It doesnt interest him; it never has. As fallout from the couples departure continuesits unclear whether they will retain the use of their Sussex Royal brandingMeghan is deliberately keeping her circle tight. Shes keeping a low profile while things settle down, says an insider. RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have the Perfect Reason to Live in British Columbia: Unique Privacy Laws Story continues With their newfound freedom, Harry and Meghan have quickly adapted to life on scenic Vancouver Island in Canada, where they have been staying in a $14 million mansion off the Pacific coast. They both love to be outside and have been loving it there, says the friend. When theyre not doing yoga or eating in, Harry will pick up sandwiches at a local spot, and Meghan walks her beagle Guy and the couples new Labrador. They are enjoying living a quiet life, an insider says of the couple. They go for long walks, they do yoga, and Meghan cooks. They are real homebodies who love to chill out with Archie and the dogs. Cant get enough of PEOPLEs Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Prince Harry and Archie | Sussex Royals Behind the scenes they are laying the groundwork for their own charity foundation. These plans take a lot of time, and staff are putting in the legwork to prepare it properly and make sure it delivers on the expectations and the couples ambitions, says a source. Harry has already collaborated with Oprah Winfrey for an upcoming Apple TV+ mental-health project. He really cares about his work. Hes a good guy, says the member of their circle. From potential speaking engagements and publishing deals to their own production company, anything is possible. Its full throttle for them right now, says a close friend. They have a lot happening in 2020, and it will be really exciting to see. President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, senators sworn to do impartial justice stood at their desks to state their votes for the roll call guilty or not guilty in a swift tally almost exclusively along party lines. Visitors, including the president's allies, watched from the crowded gallery. Roberts read the declaration that Trump be, and is hereby, acquitted of the charges. The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House to Mitch McConnell's Senate, reflecting the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in his State of the Union address confirmed his desire to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and put an end to Americas longest running war. "In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress, and peace talks are now underway. I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as law enforcement agencies. These are warfighters that we have the best in the world and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end Americas longest war and bring our troops back home," he said. The US began separate peace talks with representatives of the Taliban movement to end hostilities in the fall of 2018, which would allow the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The government in Kabul did not take part in them and was only notified of the results. Following nine rounds of meetings, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in September 2019 confirmed the fact that the Taliban had reached a fundamental peace deal, which, inter alia, would remove over 5,000 US troops from the country. However, Trump then announced the cancellation of a secretly prepared meeting with his Afghan counterpart and Taliban leaders at his Camp David residence, after which the talks were suspended. On February 1, Khalilzad arrived in Kabul, where he met with Taliban representatives. According to Ashraf Ghani's administration, there has been no significant progress. Photo: The Canadian Press First Nations and environmental groups in British Columbia are promising to continue to fight the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion while business leaders are celebrating a court decision that upheld the federal government's approval of the project. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Squamish Nation, Coldwater Indian Band and a coalition of small First Nations in the Fraser Valley filed a legal challenge in the Federal Court of Appeal arguing that the government's consultation with them was inadequate. The court ruled in a unanimous 3-0 decision on Tuesday that the government met its duty to consult, clearing a major legal hurdle for construction to continue on the expansion of the pipeline from Alberta's oilsands to B.C.'s coast. Coun. Khelsilem of the Squamish Nation told a news conference in Vancouver that oil and gas is not the future for the economy when the effects of climate change have been felt in Canada through wildfires. "When we're looking down the barrel of a gun ... we must act swiftly and boldly," he said. "Australia is burning. B.C. was burning. Alberta was burning. And yet this government wants to double down on building more oil pipelines. That is not a future that we can invest in." The four Indigenous groups oppose the expansion because of the risk of oil spills and increased emissions. They are still deciding whether to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but said they would pursue all available options to stop the project. The Tsleil-Waututh still have a leave application before the high court, asking it to review a Federal Court of Appeal ruling last September that limited the scope of the legal challenges to the government's most recent round of consultations. Chief Leah George-Wilson of the Tsleil-Waututh criticized the legal standard applied by the court, which requires the approval of the project to be "reasonable" in light of the law and evidence. "If we're talking about reconciliation and protection of the environment, I don't think 'reasonable' is adequate. I think that sets a low bar for our reconciliation," she said. Industry groups, on the other hand, celebrated the court decision as a win for B.C.'s economy and reputation with international investors. Val Litwin, CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, said the project represents a "huge" capital investment that will create both construction and permanent jobs in the province. It also shows the world that Canada can get its natural resources to market in a safe way that limits environmental impacts and respects human rights, he said. The City of Vancouver, which has long opposed the pipeline project, said it stands with First Nations that are opposed to Trans Mountain. "The city remains of the view that the Trans Mountain pipeline project would have significant environmental impacts, including the unacceptable risk of oil spills and increased greenhouse gas emissions related to the project at a time when the world needs to reduce emissions," it said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 14:19:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The city government of Beijing vowed to enhance financial support for firms that face temporary difficulties amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Loans to such enterprises will not be suspended or withdrawn in advance, said Huo Xuewen, head of the Beijing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, at a news conference on epidemic control on Tuesday. The city will increase credit support for players in the areas of epidemic prevention and control and people's livelihood. Some Beijing banks have begun to offer low-cost financial support to key companies on the front lines of epidemic prevention and control, said Huo. The Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau also said at the conference that companies that fail to pay social security premiums due to the coronavirus outbreak will not have their welfare entitlement compromised. Previously, the city extended the collection period to allow companies in hard-hit industries like tourism, hospitality and catering to delay their payment of social insurance premiums. Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland reached 24,324 by the end of Tuesday, Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. A total of 490 people had died of the disease. A number of Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Qingdao and Suzhou, have rolled out policies to bail out small businesses by reducing their loan, rent and social security payment burdens. CARMAT has responded to all remaining questions from the conditional approval Number of subjects to be enrolled in the study extended to 10 patients Regulatory News: CARMAT (Paris:ALCAR) (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, announces that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fully approved the Company's Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application to start a US Early Feasibility Study (EFS) of its total artificial heart. The amended EFS protocol includes 10 transplant-eligible subjects limited to a network of 7 US renowned institutions. The primary endpoint of the study is patient survival at 180 days post-implant or a successful cardiac transplantation within 180 days post-implant. It is a staged study with a progress report of the first 3 patients after 60 days, before the enrollment of the next 7 patients. CARMAT also obtained conditional approval from two Institutional Review Boards (IRB) and this full FDA approval enables the company to accelerate the discussions with the other IRB and research contract offices at the 7 sites. The company is also working closely with the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) to obtain a coverage of the costs of the trial, with the objective to start patient enrolment in Q4 2020. CARMAT will present the EFS protocol at the 2020 symposium on mechanical support for the heart and lung of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) on February 14, 2020, in Houston (Texas). Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, said: "The full approval to initiate a US study marks another milestone for CARMAT and confirms the trust of the FDA in our ability to conduct the feasibility study of the first bioprosthetic artificial heart in the United States. Considering the ongoing approval procedures with the Institutional Review Boards at the selected centers and discussions on the potential reimbursement of the treatment costs, we expect patient enrolment to start in Q4 2020." About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart project A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, composed of the implantable bioprosthesis and its portable external power supply system to which it is connected, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States. The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader. The first physiological artificial heart: given its size, the use of highly biocompatible materials, its unique self-regulation system and its pulsatile nature, the CARMAT total artificial heart could, assuming the clinical trials are successful, potentially save the lives of thousands of patients each year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life. A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of 33 million. Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Matra Defense SAS (subsidiary of the Airbus Group), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital investor), CorNovum (an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State), the family offices of Pierre Bastid (Lohas), of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Sante Holdings S.R.L.), of the Gaspard family (Corely Belgium SPRL and Bratya SPRL) and of M. Pierre-Edouard Sterin (BAD 21 SPRL), Groupe Therabel as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT. For more information: www.carmatsa.com Name: CARMAT ISIN code: FR0010907956 Ticker: ALCAR DISCLAIMER This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties. No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Document de Reference registration document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers under number D.19-0135 on March 12, 2019, as well as changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company's ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005507/en/ Contacts: CARMAT Stephane Piat Chief Executive Officer Pascale d'Arbonneau Chief Financial Officer Tel.: +33 1 39 45 64 50 contact@carmatsas.com Alize RP Press Relations Caroline Carmagnol Tel.: +33 6 64 18 99 59 carmat@alizerp.com NewCap Investor Relations Strategic Communication Dusan Oresansky Alexia Faure Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 94 carmat@newcap.eu Electric vehicles are being introduced gradually, and even with aggressive policy support they are expected to reach 50% of total fleet by 2050, making it imperative to use low carbon biofuels to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector by mid-century. Improvement in biotechnology and bioengineering provide new opportunities to produce advanced biofuels from non-food crops; however it is critical to continue investment in research and development and provide policy incentives for producing bioenergy crops for advanced biofuels. In a new article in the Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy (AEPP), Past President of AAEA, and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, David Zilberman along with Madhu Khanna and Deepayan Debnath from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Deepak Rajagopal from the University of California, Los Angeles, examine why biofuels are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Madhu Khanna says, We argue that the potential of biofuel has not yet been fully realized. There are opportunities to increase farmers' income by increasing productivity of traditional crops and releasing cropland for biofuels, increasing biofuels from non-food crops and making food and biofuel complementary rather than in conflict. The article The Future of Biofuels in an Electrifying Global Transportation Sector: Imperative, Prospects and Challenges is available on the AEPP website for a limited time. This research was funded by the USDOEs Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproduct Innovation and by the Global Climate and Energy Project. If you are interested in setting up an interview with Madhu Khanna, please contact Allison Scheetz in the AAEA Business Office. ABOUT AAEA: Established in 1910, the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is the leading professional association for agricultural and applied economists, with 2,500 members in more than 60 countries. Members of the AAEA work in academic or government institutions as well as in industry and not-for-profit organizations, and engage in a variety of research, teaching, and outreach activities in the areas of agriculture, the environment, food, health, and international development. The AAEA publishes two journals, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, as well as the online magazine Choices and the online open access publication series Applied Economics Teaching Resources. To learn more, visit http://www.aaea.org. All countries used the opportunity to update on their respective repatriation processes. The International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752, which was shot down in Iran on January 8, demands that the Iranian authorities give it the black boxes of the downed plane. "All countries are concerned with Iran's failure to release the black boxes. Annex 13 to the Convention on Civil Aviation requires this take place without delay. Iran must release the black boxes immediately as a demonstration of continued willingness to have a full and transparent account of this event," the group consisting of representatives of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan, said in a statement on February 4 after their fifth meeting by teleconference. All countries used the opportunity to update on their respective repatriation processes. Importantly, they agreed on the need for continued pressure to secure closure, accountability, transparency and justice for the victims of flight PS752. Read alsoFrance ready to help Ukraine analyze UIA PS752 black boxes Canada's Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne shared with the group that he had made an official approach to the International Civil Aviation Organization on this matter with Transport Minister Marc Garneau last Friday. "Furthermore, all participants are committed to finding common ground on legal options for negotiations with Iran regarding its responsibility in this act in order to bring justice, including equal compensation to the families of the victims of flight PS752," the statement said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors. On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error" and that those responsible would be held accountable. On February 2, intercepted communications between Tehran Airport's air traffic control tower and the second pilot of Iran's Aseman Airlines flight at the time of the crash of flight PS752 were released by TSN.Tyzhden. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation into the crash. By Rob Shearer While Lt. Gov. John Fetterman crusades on legalizing recreational marijuana, one poll released last fall suggests Pennsylvanians may not be eager to jump on the bandwagon. Theyre right to be cautious. Lost amid the legalization hullabaloo is the chaos unfettered pot will wreak on labor practices, workplace litigation, employer liability, healthcare costs and more. I know. Im an employer. Among the jobs my company offers are forklift operators, where drug-induced impairment is not just an inconvenience but a major safety hazard. In 2019, 50 percent of those to whom we offered employment in customer service, warehouse positions or driving failed drug screenings. Some of these applicants use marijuana under a doctors prescription. While I sympathize, traces of federally illegal pot medically prescribed or not are still illegal, and I remain liable for the safety of my companys workplace. Such safety concerns are real. According to one study, employees testing positive for marijuana had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and 75 percent higher absenteeism rates than their counterparts. Fetterman has paralleled marijuana to alcohol and cigarettes, even claiming marijuana is safer. But research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that fatal accidents involving marijuana doubled in Washington between 2010 and 2013 after the state legalized the drug. This rush to legalize recreational pot is plaguing employers with mass confusion. Can I require drug-free workplaces? Can I be sued for discrimination for denying a job applicant after a failed drug test? Can I discipline employees testing positive for marijuana? If I discontinue drug screening, do I run afoul of federal laws and risk being uninsurable? What if business contracts require my company to comply with all federal and state laws, which contradict each other? As an example of this contradiction, a New Jersey court just ruled employers must reimburse employees for medical marijuana, despite its continued illegality under federal law. The list goes on. Making matters worse is that standards if they can be called such vary widely among states that have legalized recreational marijuana, as outlined by Business and Legal Resources. In Nevada, where recreational legalization went into effect Jan. 1, employers cannot deny employment to applicants testing positive for marijuana, with some safety-related exceptions. In New York City, pre-employment marijuana drug tests generally wont be allowed, also with some exceptions. Illinois law prevents employers from disciplining or terminating employees for using lawful products off the premises of the employer during nonworking hours. Employers can prohibit employees from working while impaired, but marijuana remains in someones system far longer (up to 30 days) than alcohol, so how can impairment be proven? And few guidelines exist in cases where a disciplined employee contests a penalty. These scenarios dont address the economic costs of legalization on the state and employers. Why should employers be forced to police such things to begin with? CurrentCompliance.org, which catalogues drug testing laws, called these costs staggering. According to one study, in states where medical marijuana is legal, Social Security disability insurance claims rose 9.9 percent post-legalization. Widespread recreational legalization would further spike these claims. Occupational Health & Safety Magazine offered additional warnings of increased workers compensation claims, health care and liability insurance premiums, and litigation costs. Unfortunately, many elected officials championing pot-for-fun are ignoring these questions, which is hardly surprising, as most of them have never signed the front of paychecks. Before jumping on the pot bandwagon, lawmakers should count the costs of legalization and conclude the price tag on Pennsylvania is simply too high. Rob Shearer owns, with his wife and business partner, several companies focused on supply chain logistics. He is a trustee of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Over the course of the first Trump administration, there have been attempts, mostly unsuccessful, to convert Nancy Pelosi into something of a meme, a symbol of liberal anger and feminist defiance. At times, Pelosi herself has seemed oblivious or unaware of these efforts, as when she was photographed wearing sunglasses and a rust-colored coat on her way out of a contentious meeting with the president at the White House, an outfit which some interpreted, to my mind inexplicably, as a symbol of her power. At other times, Pelosi seems to be consciously manipulating these efforts to make her a symbol, as at the end of Trumps 2019 State of the Union address. When the speech concluded, Pelosi angled her hands toward Trump to clap softly and with a patronizing expression, a gesture that seemed deliberately designed to be turned into a gif and shared online, which it was. Related: House still 'likely' to subpoena John Bolton after Trump impeachment trial live news The periodic effort to make Pelosis image into a symbol of anti-Trump sentiment received another installment on Tuesday night, at the end of another State of the Union address, when the speaker of the House ripped up her copy of Trumps speech as soon as the president had finished giving it, in full view of the cameras. The gesture, again, appeared calculated and deliberate: an expression of anger and contempt at the president, and exasperation at the failure of Congress, and the Senate in particular, to check his abuses. The clip was shared widely, and within minutes it had been integrated seamlessly into the vernacular of social media. #NancyTheRipper started trending on Twitter. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared the clip captioned with a wide-eyes emoji. But attempts to render Pelosi into a symbol seemed doomed to fail, or at least not to endure. She is less taciturn and more difficult to project ones own values on to than perhaps the most heavily cathected figure in national politics, supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is less comfortable being seen as evil and omnipotent than her counterpart in the Senate, Mitch McConnell. Pelosi has a palpable anger that emerges in moments of frustration, but she is not as frankly or openly resentful as post-2016 Hillary Clinton, and at times seems weary of being seen as angry. She recently chewed out a reporter for asking if she hates the president, insisting that she doesnt hate anybody. She does not possess the rigorously chipper commitment to an alternative vision of the country that is espoused by Elizabeth Warren. Pelosis talents have always lain in the less glamorous, less public side of politics: she is good at whipping up votes in her caucus and she is good at disciplining dissenters. She is good at offering incentives and punishments to get Democratic members of Congress to do what she wants them to do. She is not good at being a figurehead. She is not good at being all things to all people. Story continues In part, Pelosi has failed to make herself a symbol because she means wildly different things to different sectors of the country. To the right, she is hated as a flaming and committed liberal, the embodiment of the culture war battles that preoccupy so much of the Republican base. She represents San Francisco, and in the minds of Republican voters she conjures images that to them seem darkly menacing: men holding hands or the rainbow flag over the Castro, the Venus symbol or maybe gender neutral bathrooms. To them, Nancy Pelosi represents a wholehearted commitment to the thing they fear their country is becoming, the thing they find ominous and threatening. To rip up the speech on television was a bit of theatricality, a ploy designed to get attention. It also worked To the left, Pelosi is entirely the opposite. She represents San Francisco, the tech hub that in the minds of Democratic voters conjures images that are unsettling: the sterile offices of internet giants, the unfathomable amounts of money, the unknown capacities and dark motivations of billionaires with questionable loyalties and ambivalent commitments to civic freedom. To those further to the left, Pelosi also represents a Democratic establishment committed more to process than to principle, and which has failed to respond to the moral crisis of the Trump era. To them, she represents centrism, and cowardice. In part, this is because Pelosi has been responding to a set of asymmetrical incentives that require Democrats to cater to the center while Republicans can indulge the worst impulses of their base: this is why, for instance, Pelosi dragged her heels for months before finally initiating impeachment proceedings against Trump. But the reality that she has reasons for catering to centrists at the expense of the left does not diminish the sense that she is not much interested in leftist principles. In the aftermath of the 2018 midterms, she expressed a needless and ill-advised antagonism toward the younger, further-left women in her new caucus called the Squad, a moment of pettiness that mercifully seems to have subsided. She has become a symbol of the Democratic party that so much of its base is disgusted with: one more interested in preserving its own power than in seeking out justice. Indeed, its not always clear that she knows the difference. And so perhaps its inevitable that any attempt on Pelosis part to make herself into an anti-Trump symbol will be met with dismissal and ridicule. In part, this is gendered: it is dangerous for a woman to attempt to dictate her own symbolism in a culture in which any womans image is already symbolically laden. Perhaps it is most dangerous of all for Pelosi, a figure who is understood wildly differently on the right and left but whom people from across the political spectrum can come together to hate. Related: Pete Buttigieg looks to build on Iowa success as contest hits New Hampshire After she ripped Trumps speech up on TV, the right called her crazy. #PelosiMeltdown, was trending. The president took, as he does, to Twitter. The tactic was standard: to depict complaining women as insane, unreasonable. But misogyny emerged from the left, too. Some mocked her gesture with sarcastic declarations of Slay, kween a phrase taken from black vernacular and used by mostly white men on the left to imply that expressions of defiance from women are contemptible due to their supposedly fraudulent feminist righteousness. It seemed there was no corner of the political discourse where open contempt by a woman for Trump would be met with anything besides eye-rolling ridicule. Its true that it is not clear whether Pelosi will bring the passion of her speech-ripping moment into congressional investigations of the administrations corruption something she could do, and so far mostly has not. And its true that she expressed in that moment, before the cameras, a passion that often seems absent from her moral stances. But it is also true that the anger and contempt for the president that Pelosi displayed when she ripped up his speech on national television are appropriate reactions to Trump, appropriate reactions to a Senate which will acquit him on Wednesday in an impeachment trial that was rigged in his favor. Its true, too, that many Americans, and particularly women, feel disgust and hatred for Trump, and that they saw that disgust and hatred reflected in Pelosis gesture. To rip up the speech on television was a bit of theatricality, sure a ploy designed to get attention. It also worked. The day after Trump made a long speech full of misinformation that tried to make a case for his re-election, no one is talking about him. Instead we are talking about the speaker of the House. That, too, is a skill, one that Pelosi seems to be honing. FILE PHOTO: General Motors Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra announces a major investment focused on the development of GM future technologies at the GM Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion, By Ben Klayman and Joseph White DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co has watched with frustration and envy as the market value of electric carmaker Tesla Inc has ballooned to about two and a half times GM's size, but on Wednesday the Detroit automaker made the case that its EV and self-driving technology strategy deserves a higher value. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra and top executives hosted an investor conference in New York to convince potential shareholders GM is a burgeoning technology firm at the forefront of tomorrow's electric and self-driving cars. "We believe we're a compelling investment opportunity," GM Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara told reporters after GM reported quarterly results, when asked about the run-up in Tesla's stock. "From a share-price standpoint, we're very bullish on the future," she added. Barra has been restructuring GM's operations and stressing her goals of readying GM for a future of "zero emissions and zero accidents" for several years. Still, GM shares trade just above the $33 share price of its 2010 initial public offering. That has left it with a market capitalization of about $49 billion, below Tesla's valuation of about $130 billion. "The market's got it wrong," said Chris Susanin, co-portfolio manager with Levin Easterly Partners, which owns shares in GM but not Tesla. "GM should be the $150 billion market cap, not Tesla." The bulk of GM's profits is still derived from the fuel-hungry pickup trucks and SUVs sold in the United States. The Chinese market has been the source of a steady $2 billion in profits a year, but that is threatened by a market slowdown, rising costs for electrification and now the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. While China will deliver lower equity income to GM in the near term, it remains a solid contributor that is profitable and dividend paying, and will play a key role in the development of EVs globally, officials said. GM also sees growth for its Cadillac brand in China. 'HAVE OUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO' Story continues Barra's challenge now is to assure investors that GM can make the leap across the gap separating its profitable internal combustion present and an uncertain electric future. While gasoline-powered vehicles will make up a large portion of U.S. sales into the 2030s, GM has said it will spend more on developing electric vehicles than those with internal combustion engines over the next five years. GM laid out a more detailed plan for the development of EVs and self-driving vehicles at the investor day, including its Cruise self-driving unit. Some analysts have suggested GM should spin off Cruise, but Suryadevara said GM has no plans to do that. She added that spending in 2020 on that business will roughly match last year's $800 million. Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said the self-driving market opportunity totals $8 trillion. One of the audiences for the investor day is potential employees as GM competes with Tesla and other automakers globally to hire top engineers and software developers outside of Detroit, highlighting technical centers in Ontario and Israel. Barra, asked whether Tesla's eventual electric pickup offering could squeeze GM's margins, said her company understands that business. "I think we can have our cake and eat it too," she said. GM also said it will offer its Supercruise partially automated driving system on 22 models by the end of 2023, GM President Mark Reuss said. GM also laid out its plan to reduce manufacturing complexity this year by eliminating 25% of the parts used in its plants. Barra also said GM targets sourcing all of its global electricity from renewable sources by 2040, a decade sooner than previously promised. In December, GM and South Korea's LG Chem <051910.KS> said they would invest $2.3 billion to build an EV battery cell joint venture plant in Ohio, creating one of the world's largest battery facilities. That same month, GM's Cadillac chief said most if not all of the vehicles offered by the luxury brand would be electric by 2030. GM said last week it would invest $2.2 billion in its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build electric trucks and SUVs. (Reporting by Ben Klayman and Joseph White; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Andrea Ricci) The Delhi High Court said on Wednesday that if the mercy plea of one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case is allowed by the President, it would entitle those whose petitions for pardon have already been rejected to move a fresh mercy plea. The observation by the high court came in its verdict holding that all the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- have to be hanged together and not separately. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said, "...if the mercy petition of similarly placed convict Akshay Kumar Singh is considered by the President of India, the change of circumstances would entitle convict Mukesh to move a fresh mercy petition." However, hours after the high court order was pronounced, Akshay's mercy plea was rejected by the President on Wednesday evening. The mercy pleas of Mukesh and Vinay have already been rejected. Pawan is yet to seek that relief. The court has said that Rule VIII (A) of the instructions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding procedure to be observed by the states for dealing with petitions for mercy, "highlights the point that even if the President of India has rejected a mercy petition, a fresh mercy petition can be moved due to change of circumstances". It also referred to the Supreme Court decision in the case of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, who was executed for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, in which it was observed that the law permits the convict to move a subsequent mercy petition even after dismissal of mercy petition in case of change in circumstances. "Thus, convict Mukesh cannot be adversely segregated from the similarly placed convicts simply because he has been sincerely and earnestly pursuing his legal remedies," the high court said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrate Black History Month at W&M Stepping Into Excellence: Briana Childs '19 participates in the inaugural Stepping Into Excellence Black Expo at William & Mary in 2019. The event will take place again on Feb. 22, 2020. Photo by Kristen Popham '20 Photo - of - Hide Caption William & Mary is recognizing Black History Month with a number of events, beginning this Friday. Items from the True Black History Museum will be on display on Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sadler Centers atrium. The exhibit includes more than 1,000 artifacts from the late 1700s to the 21st century. The traveling history museum aims to preserve the history of African Americans and educate visitors about contributions of African Americans to mankind. More about the event, which is sponsored Alma Mater Productions, may be found on its Facebook page. Alma Mater Productions is also sponsoring a screening of the film The Last Black Man in San Francisco on Feb. 21. The event will begin at 9 p.m. in the Commonwealth Auditorium with a 45-minute discussion about the impacts of gentrification in America to provide context for the films main theme. On Feb. 22, the second annual Stepping Into Excellence Black Expo will take place 2-4 p.m. in the Campus Centers Trinkle Hall. Sponsored by the Black Student Organization, E.S.S.E.N.C.E. Women of Color at W&M and the Center for Student Diversity, the expo will showcase work from black-owned businesses from Virginia and student entrepreneurs. People interested in participating should RSVP online by Feb. 12. More information may be found on the events Facebook page. While the aforementioned opportunities are open to the public, some planned events are available just to students. Those include the annual Sankofa Gala hosted by the Student Assembly at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in Miller Halls Brinkley Commons and The Disconnected Mentalities of the Black Man/Woman hosted by the Center for Student Diversity on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. at a location to be determined. For more upcoming happenings at the university, visit the W&M Events calendar online. The only defection from the party line was Mitt Romney. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/Bloomberg via Getty Images In an outcome long expected despite steadily growing evidence of presidential malfeasance, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit Donald Trump on the two articles of impeachment presented by the U.S. House. On the first article, alleging abuse of power, the vote was 52 not guilty and 48 guilty. All 47 Democrats, plus Republican senator Mitt Romney, voted to convict. On the second article, alleging obstruction of justice, Romney joined other Republicans in voting not guilty, so that vote was 53 not guilty and 47 guilty. A two-thirds majority vote on either one of the articles would be required to remove Trump from office. Republican senators and Trumps attorneys may now regret the many comments they made during the impeachment trial referring to the vote against impeachment in the House as partisan, since a single Democrat (Collin Peterson of Minnesota) voted with the GOP. Now, the vote to convict Trump on Article I is bipartisan thanks to Romneys vote. Trump thereby became the first of the three impeached presidents to lose a member of his own party in the Senate. Andrew Johnson, a career Democrat who ran as a fusion Union Party running mate to Abraham Lincoln and then sharply broke with Republicans, was acquitted by a solid bloc of 12 Democrats along with seven Republicans. Bill Clinton was acquitted by a coalition of 45 Democrats and 10 Republicans on one article of impeachment, and the vote was 5050 on the second article. With the impeachment saga wrapped up, appeals by both parties to a higher court of public opinion will now play out between now and November. Its notable that seven Democrats from states carried by Trump in 2016 (Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona) voted to remove him from office, while two Republicans from states carried by Hillary Clinton (Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado) voted to acquit the president. Jones, Peters, Collins, and Gardner are all up for reelection this year, with Jones and both Republicans definitely making themselves more vulnerable by their votes today. The trial ended 16 days after it began, a new record in brevity. But the volume and intensity of the proceedings will echo for many years, and Trump will never escape the opprobrium of having been impeached. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Louisiana officials are warning people to stay away from a lethal drug combination after it turned up for the first time in the state.. The drug, which first surfaced in the United States in 2017, is called 'gray death'. It's a dangerous opioid combo that looks like concrete and varies in consistency from a hard, chunky material to a fine powder. Gray death is a dangerous combination of some of the most deadly opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and various fentanyl analogues. Authorities are warning people to stay away from 'gray death' (pictured), a lethal drug so potent that it could kill you as it surfaces for the first time in Louisiana The drug first surfaced in the US in 2017. It's a dangerous opioid combo that looks like concrete and varies in consistency from a hard, chunky material to a fine powder. Police confiscated the gray death (center) along with cocaine (left) and crystal meth (right) Deputies from St Mary Parish Sheriff's Office discovered the substance that is reported to have a potency 10,000 times greater than morphine, during an arrest last week. 'A minuscule amount of this drug can kill,' the sheriff's office said in a statement. Authorities shared photos of the drug they confiscated from suspects who were traveling across St Mary Parish from the Lake Charles area. 'The public is advised to never pick up or touch this drug if you ever encounter it and to call and report it to law enforcement,' police said. Investigators who nicknamed the street mixture in 2017 detected it or recorded overdoses blamed on it in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio. The substance is a combination of several opioids blamed for thousands of fatal overdoses nationally, including heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil sometimes used to tranquilize large animals like elephants and a synthetic opioid called U-47700. 'Gray death is one of the scariest combinations that I have ever seen in nearly 20 years of forensic chemistry drug analysis,' Deneen Kilcrease, manager of the chemistry section at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said. The drug's ingredients and their concentrations are unknown to users, making it particularly lethal, Kilcrease said. Deputies from St Mary Parish Sheriff's Office discovered the substance that is reported to have a potency 10,000 times greater than morphine, during an arrest last week And because these strong drugs can be absorbed through the skin, simply touching the powder puts users at risk, she said. Last year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration listed U-47700 in the category of the most dangerous drugs it regulates, saying it was associated with dozens of fatalities, mostly in New York and North Carolina. Some of the pills taken from Prince's estate after the musician's overdose death last year contained U-47700. 'Gray Death' first surfaced in 2017 in Alabama and Georgia The substance is a combination of several opioids blamed for thousands of fatal overdoses nationally, including heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil sometimes used to tranquilize large animals like elephants and a synthetic opioid called U-47700. 'Gray death is one of the scariest combinations that I have ever seen in nearly 20 years of forensic chemistry drug analysis,' Deneen Kilcrease, manager of the chemistry section at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said. The drug's ingredients and their concentrations are unknown to users, making it particularly lethal, Kilcrease said. And because these strong drugs can be absorbed through the skin, simply touching the powder puts users at risk, she said. Last year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration listed U-47700 in the category of the most dangerous drugs it regulates, saying it was associated with dozens of fatalities, mostly in New York and North Carolina. Some of the pills taken from Prince's estate after the musician's overdose death last year contained U-47700. Advertisement Gray death has a much higher potency than heroin, according to the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Users inject, swallow, smoke or snort it. Officials said the drug is powerful and cheap, for both buyers and manufacturers. Gray death can be purchased for as little as $10, and manufactures can make it with whatever ingredients they have available at the time. The state of Georgia has reported at least 17 overdoses, at least six deaths from U-47700 and 12 deaths from furanyl fentanyl, plus over 50 reports of the drug in use. Fentanyl-related deaths spiked so high in Ohio in 2015 that state health officials asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send scientists to help address the problem. The mixing poses a deadly risk to users and also challenges investigators trying to figure out what they're dealing with this time around, said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican. 'Normally, we would be able to walk by one of our scientists, and say "What are you testing?" and they'll tell you heroin or "We're testing fentanyl,"' DeWine said. 'Now, sometimes they're looking at it, at least initially, and say, "Well, we don't know."' Some communities also are seeing fentanyl mixed with non-opioids, such as cocaine. In Rhode Island, the state has recommended that individuals with a history of cocaine use receive supplies of the anti-overdose drug naloxone. These deadly combinations are becoming a hallmark of the heroin and opioid epidemic, which the government says resulted in 33,000 fatal overdoses nationally in 2015. In Ohio, a record 3,050 people died of drug overdoses in 2016, most the result of opioid painkillers or their relative, heroin. Baring one's shoulders in the name of fashion might have long been commonplace on the red carpet and the catwalk...but it's not a look that's ever been seen in the actual Commons. The sartorial brouhaha that has erupted since Labour MP Tracy Brabin wore a 35 shoulder-baring black Bodycon frock to address fellow politicians in Westminster yesterday has sparked feverish debate - and strongly divided opinion. After some suggested the dress wasn't 'appropriate' attire, Brabin has quickly fired back, accusing her critics of 'everyday sexism'. What's clear is that the Labour MPs Commons predecessors, of differing political persuasions, have never been quite as daring when it comes to the Westminster wardrobe. It's hard to imagine the Iron Lady, for example, or erstwhile Speaker Betty Boothroyd, arriving in the hallowed halls of Parliament with a shoulder exposed. Former Prime Minister Theresa May has always been partial to a sleeveless evening gown but those more glamorous garments have never made it inside Parliament's walls. The Westminster dress code currently dictates that female MPs wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction' in the House of Commons. Male MPs are asked to wear a jacket. Scroll down for video Shoulder-gate: Fierce debate has ensued over how 'appropriate' the black off-the-shoulder dress that Labour MP Tracy Brabin, 58, wore to speak in the House of Commons yesterday - with opinion passionately divided Off-the-shoulder was a style beloved by the Eighties: but it's very hard to imagine the Iron Lady addressing the House with a bare shoulder on display The Conservative Prime Minster, who spent 11 years in charge of the country from 1979 to 1990, was more a fan of formal suits and striking jewellery While former PM Theresa May is a fan of sleeveless gowns for formal events, this look would possibly have been a shoulder too far for the Conservative Would Betty think better of wearing a revealing dress in the House of Commons (Former Speaker of the House Betty Boothroyd) How Labour MP Harriet Harman might look in Brabin's high street frock MP for Camberwell and Peckham, Ms Harman picture speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in 2015 Ready for a night out? How former Tory MP Edwina Currie might look if she donned the dress What would the late Baroness Trumpington have made of Brabin's Commons outfit? New mother Stella Creasy, Labour & Co-op MP for Walthamstow, as she'd look in the strappy number The British Green Party politician Caroline Lucas looks a little chilly in the revealing LBD Tory MP for Portsmouth North, Penny Mordaunt in a mocked up photo of her wearing the same style as Tracy Brabin Labour Party stalwart Margaret Beckett might prefer her more standard colourful jackets to grace the House of Commons Former MP for Vauxhall Kate Hoey as she might appear in the ASOS pleated pencil dress While Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan blasted Brabin's close-fitting off-the-shoulder number as 'inappropriate', his ITV colleague Holly Willloughby admitted that she was 'fascinated' as to why a little flesh on display in Westminster might cause such a fuss. Social media has had a field day too, with memes galore erupting on Twitter. WHAT IS WESTMINSTER'S DRESS CODE? Female MPs are asked to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction' in the House of Commons. Male MPs are asked to wear a jacket. Parliament's website says: 'The Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men.' Advertisement Many posted photos of Brazilian MP Ana Paula da Silva who, in February 2019, wore a revealing two-piece red trouser suit with a plunging neckline in the South American country's parliament, sending shockwaves through the country's political system. Elsewhere, there were memes showing a mere glimpse of an ankle, a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that a Victorian dress code should be rolled out in Westminster. Others suggested that Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg's lounging in the Commons was far more inappropriate than Brabin's dress. The Shadow Culture Secretary, 58, has hit back strongly at the criticism, firing off a withering riposte on Twitter yesterday evening that said: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not...a slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' Tracy Brabin (pictured after winning the by-election for Labour in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire in 2016) has fired back strongly at critics suggesting she was 'inappropriately dressed' for Westminster, calling it 'everyday sexism' The classic pencil dress comes only in black and is described by ASOS as perfect for 'that thing you have to go to'. Right: The over-the-knee frock is actually reasonably modest, with just the right shoulder area on display Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. 'It is another case of everyday sexism,' she said. 'We are raising our daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards... 'I would suggest this is part of the pushback for that... listen to what we say, not what we wear.' There is no official dress code for MPs in the House of Commons although politicians are advised to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction'. A note on Parliament's official website says the Speaker may take exception to 'informal clothing'. Ms Brabin admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress yesterday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. The sinister video was sent to the woman on WhatsApp A woman prosecuted for possession of child porno- graphy after she failed to completely delete a two-minute video sent to her on WhatsApp has received a suspended prison sentence. Judge Pauline Codd said that in January 2018, Omo Delpin Omorouyi was the innocent recipient of a video that began innocuously and featured a man and a toddler. Garnet Orange, defending, said his client did not know what the video was and began watching it. When it became apparent it was "something sinister", she stopped playing the video. She asked the sender, who she knew only by his first name: "Why are you sending me child pornography?" She told him not to text her again. Omorouyi deleted the Whats- App message, but garda Kill-ian Leyden told the court the smartphone app automatically downloads images and videos to the phone once they are viewed, so the video remained on the phone. A month later, gardai carrying out an unrelated investigation went to search a house in Swords, north Dublin, where the woman was living. Omorouyi was not the target of this operation, but her phone was seized from the house during the search. A subsequent analysis recovered the video. Omorouyi was arrested and told gardai she believed she had deleted the video. "I did not know what it was until I opened it. I then deleted it from my phone," she told gardai. She said she regretted playing it. Awful Omorouyi (28) pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography at her home in Swords on February 2, 2018. Mr Orange said the case showed that "any of us could find ourselves the recipient of this kind of awful material". "This stuff is flying around online. It's a case of 'there but for the grace of God go I'," he said. He added that his client should have reported the footage to gardai but did not. Judge Codd noted that this is not a criminal offence. The judge said the "disturbing" video showed the rape of a two-year-old child, but the woman had innocently received it. She suspended a prison term of four months, noting the lack of any other convictions. At the end of the hearing John Byrne, for the DPP, asked Judge Codd to order the destruction of the mobile phone. "It's not possible to delete whatever data is on it with any degree of certainty," he said. Mr Orange told the court that his client's ambitions to work in childcare are now gone because the conviction means she cannot get garda vetting. "That door has being shut to her," he said. She has left a college course in social care and is now working in a fast food restaurant. Mr Orange said his client she came to Ireland from Nigeria as a juvenile and that "appalling things" had happened to her in her past. In an assessment, a psychiatrist said that "listening to her had a moving effect on him". Gda Leyden said that the adult in the video has since being identified as a man in Michigan, US, and has being convicted. As a Certified Information Privacy Professional/ United States, Schmidt will add depth and experience to McDonald Hopkins Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Group. He spent the past year with KPMG in Chicago, where he was a senior associate in its cyber group's strategy and governance pillar. His duties focused on evaluating, building, and improving the privacy compliance practices of large corporations. A large part of this work was helping companies prepare to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act, a major omnibus privacy law in the style of GDPR. He was also involved in the firm's M&A due diligence efforts, where he evaluated the privacy compliance programs of relevant acquisition targets, and international coordination efforts. His expertise includes HIPAA, GDPR, and FERPA. After completing a dual degree in computer science and psychology at the University of Notre Dame in 2013, Schmidt worked as a software engineer and technical project manager, before earning his J.D. in December of 2017 from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was the Executive Technology Editor for the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review. He also served as the co-president of Law Breaks, the law school's alternative spring break and pro-bono legal aid organization. Following law school, Schmidt served as a legal research fellow with the International Association of Privacy Professionals, where he performed privacy-related research and published think pieces and white papers on technology law issues. His engineering background includes in-industry development experience with internet of things and big data applications. Schmidt speaks Spanish and French and can write code in eight programming languages. Schmidt can be reached at 248.593.2941 or [email protected]. About McDonald Hopkins Since 1930, McDonald Hopkins has thrived by building long-lasting relationships with businesses and individuals who share an entrepreneurial spirit. As the business advisory and advocacy law firm celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2020, it has a renewed commitment to providing exceptional client service and insight for the challenges at hand and on the horizon. To learn more, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com. CONTACT: David Carducci McDonald Hopkins LLC 600 Superior Avenue, East, Suite 2100 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Phone: 216.348.5814 Email: [email protected] SOURCE McDonald Hopkins Related Links http://www.mcdonaldhopkins.com By Maria Kiselyova and Gleb Stolyarov MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it was preparing for the potential spread of China's coronavirus as authorities closed schools and cancelled public events in some regions, though officials attributed that simply to flu. Russia has a 4,300 km (2,670-mile) land border with China and last week reported its first two cases of coronavirus in Siberia. Both involve Chinese nationals. Moscow has restricted border crossings from China, suspended direct passenger trains and commercial flights, except for some that are being routed through a separate terminal at a Moscow airport to make screening passengers easier. The government has also granted authorities enhanced powers to deport any foreigners who contract the virus. "We are preparing ourselves for a possible wide spread of the infection," Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy said, according to the Interfax news agency. The virus has killed more than 420 people and infected more than 20,000, nearly all inside China, although cases have been recorded in 23 other countries and regions, and there have been two deaths in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Two Russian military planes were due to help evacuate 130 Russians stranded at the epicentre of the outbreak in China's Hubei province, officials said. Authorities are setting up a quarantine area in Siberia's Tyumen region, where those evacuated will be held under observation for 14 days, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said. Russia's consumer health watchdog has told people to wear medical masks on public transport and to change them regularly, but authorities in Russia's Far East said a sudden spike in demand for masks was threatening to create shortages. "Don't buy masses of medical masks," the Primorsk region's government wrote on social media, adding that the next big delivery of masks was not expected until Feb. 14. In St Petersburg, the celebrated Mariinsky Theatre postponed a Feb. 11 performance by a Chinese national opera and dance troupe until a "more favourable time when listeners can enjoy the music without worrying unnecessarily". Story continues At least two regions - Ulyanovsk and nearby Samara on the Volga river around 900 km (560 miles) east of Moscow - have closed schools until the end of the week because of seasonal flu cases that officials said were not linked to coronavirus. All large public events in Ulyanovsk have also been cancelled, the regional government said. No coronavirus cases have been reported in either region. "All countries in the world want to show that they can control this situation, so they're all trying to do their best," said Alexei Zhdanov, who flew into Moscow from Beijing wearing a mask. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova, Gleb Stolyarov, Tom Balmforth, Lev Sergeev; additional reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-FarberWriting by Katya Golubkova/Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alex Richardson) At the beginning of a new year, many of us look to the future, review the past and consider the state of the nation. As a dean of engineering, I have the privilege of working with students, seeing them grow into their profession, and define their vision for the future of this great country. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion At the beginning of a new year, many of us look to the future, review the past and consider the state of the nation. As a dean of engineering, I have the privilege of working with students, seeing them grow into their profession, and define their vision for the future of this great country. We have many serious challenges to address as we face the next decade. The future of work frames all of them. How we educate the workforce is part of the solution. It is fair and reasonable for taxpayers to ask whether universities have delivered on the promises made by the leaders who invested in education at the dawn of Confederation. Have universities kept pace with the needs of our economy? Since 1950, the size of the Canadian labour force has increased by 3.6 times. According to Statistics Canada, over the same period, the number of university degrees awarded has multiplied by 18 times. According to the 2014 Education at a Glance report by the OECD, Canada has the highest per cent of population aged 25-64 with some form of tertiary (past high school) education. Canada sits at 53 per cent of the population versus the OECD average of 32 per cent. We have increased the availability of education to people entering the workforce from 18 per cent to 80 per cent since 1950. Specifically, engineering enrolment across the country has increased by two per cent per year since 1991. At the same time, life expectancy, quality of life, employment and literacy are all up significantly. We should be proud of this record. But what do high literacy and education levels mean for the future workforce? The very meaning of work is changing. Rather than using humans to do work that can be done more safely by machines, we need skilled workers who can be the bosses of machines. This work requires creativity and insight, so craftspeople and precision tradespeople will still be needed, along with university graduates. Many industries have already shifted from a simple negotiated exchange of goods to adaptive relationships which build shared value. Adaptability is now a core expectation for success across all organizations. Customer service is central to all longstanding relationships. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The skills we need in the future workforce, according to the RBC Humans Wanted report, have shifted from manual labour to skilled trades, analytical thinking, problem solving and design work. Engineers are part of this solution. Are universities adapting to the changing job market? University leaders are very aware of future job skills reports and are actively moving to incorporate changes into their programs. This is partly in response to dramatically reduced government funding which forces transformation in our business models and partly in response to messages we are hearing from industry and from government. We are listening and we are looking to the future. Equipping our students for the job market and for the challenges they will face is our first priority. While there are always portions of an organization which resist change, I see a great vision for the future among my colleagues across our country and I see action on the ground at the University of Saskatchewan and elsewhere. As we move into a new decade, we should be proud of Canadas investment in post-secondary education, and proud of our national and provincial leaders who recognized that a more skilled workforce would be needed for the jobs of today and the leaders of tomorrow. Suzanne Kresta is dean of the college of engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. She graduated with her first engineering degree in 1986 from the University of New Brunswick. President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping look at a go board which Xi offered Moon as a present during their 2017 summit in Beijing. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae By Do Je-hae The spread of the new coronavirus from Hubei Province, China, is posing a possible hindrance to bilateral relations between Seoul and Beijing. Cheong Wa Dae is facing a dilemma as it struggles to improve relations with China, particularly important with Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul, while facing challenges at home amid the epidemic. The Korean government is facing growing calls from people here to expand the entry ban of foreign nationals traveling from Hubei Province to other parts of China to prevent further spread of the virus about which the Chinese government has already indirectly expressed discontent. On Sunday the government announced the entry ban, but a growing number of Koreans believe there should be stronger immigration controls to better contain the situation. Opposition parties and even some members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are urging an expanded entry ban for people traveling from other regions in China, such as Guangdong, or even the entire country. The ruling Zanu PF has suspended some members of the partys Youth League, who claimed yesterday that three top Zimbabweans businessmen, some of them linked to the presidium, are engaged in shady deals that are devastating the local economy. The party suspended Youth League secretary Pupurai Togarepi, his deputy Lewis Matutu and secretary for the commissariat Godfrey Tsenengamu, accusing them of violating the partys rules and regulations by making public statements denouncing Green Fuel (Pvt) Limited director Billy Rautenbach, Kuda Tagwirei of Sakunda Holdings and Tafadzwa Musarara, chairperson of the Grain Millers Association, for allegedly bleeding the countrys economy. Announcing the suspensions, acting information secretary, Patrick Chinamasa, said the three should have followed normal channels instead of making public statements denigrating Musarara, Rautenbach and Tagwirei without proper authorization. The decision to suspend them was made at the partys Politburo meeting held in Harare on Wednesday. Togarepi will remain a Central Committee member while Matutu and Tsenengamu are now ordinary card-carrying members of the party. Chinamasa said, After 12 months, they will be eligible to stand in any elections to any position within the party. According to Chinamasa, the Politburo once warned the party youth to refrain from making such statements without following laid down Zanu PF regulations. The Politburo took note of this irregular modus operandi which is alien to the partys way of doing its business It is also important to highlight that previously it happened and the Politburo deliberated and specifically gave a directive that the youth, if they have any problems, which are of significance to them, they should raise them in a proper forum. We basically invite and encourage our general membership that if they are witnesses and have evidence of any corruption against whomsoever, to raise these issues with the relevant authorities, in this case, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and where they think its pertaining to senior party members, they should bring them to the party. Musarara has already indicated that he will take stern measures against Matutu and Tsenengamu while Tagwirei and Rautenbach have not yet reacted to the allegations laid against them. An estimated 13.62 million Indian nationals are staying abroad and $118.3 billion has been received as remittances since April 2018 up to September last year, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan cited figures which showed that countries like Nepal, the Middle East region, the UK, the US, Malaysia and Germany have a large number of Indians living there. As per the data received from Indian missions, there are an estimated 13.62 million Indians abroad, he said. As per the RBI data, during 2018-19, $76.4 billion was received as remittances, while during period 2019-20 (April-September), $41.9 billion was received, Muraleedharan said. Replying to another question, he said the number of Indians involved in financial irregularities with the banks as well as those who are under criminal investigation from 2015 onwards are 72 and considerable amount of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) are involved in respect of these cases. Muraleedharan, in reply to a separate question, also informed Parliament that mortal remains of 21,930 Indian nationals from 125 countries have been brought back to India since 2015 till December, 2019. On the issue of prisoners in Pakistan's custody, he said as per the available information, 275 Indians, including fishermen are presently believed to be in Pakistan's custody. However, as per the lists shared on January 1, 2020, Pakistan has acknowledged the custody of 262 of them, he said. In addition, there is the issue of 83 missing Indian defence personnel, including prisoners of war, whose custody has not been acknowledged by Pakistan, so far, Muraleedharan said. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks during a Gospel Music Association ceremony in Nashville. He plans to sign an adoption bill that the LGBTQ community and many businesses say is discriminatory. A total of 142 businesses signed a letter Wednesday announcing their opposition to Tennessee's recent slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, which has been dubbed the slate of hate by activist groups. The collective, known as the Tennessee Businesses Against Discrimination, included major companies such as Amazon, Nike, Dell, Lyft, Marriott and American Airlines, as well as more than 100 small businesses in Tennessee. The letter specifically targets the passage of HB 836, which allows taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ people. It stated that enacting further anti-LGBTQ legislation would harm Tennesseans and "create unnecessary hurdles to economic competitiveness." "Policies that signal that the state is not welcoming to everyone put our collective economic success at risk," the letter said. "It is both a business imperative and core to our corporate values that our customers, our employees and their families, and our potential employees feel fully included in the prosperity of our state." Tennessee received more than $22 billion in tourist spending in 2018, according to Nashville Business Journal. Nashville has become a recent hub for tech-sector expansion, with a high quality-of-life ranking. Amazon is in the process of adding 5,000 jobs as part of an operations hub in the city Tennessee's largest jobs deal ever. FedEx, the largest company headquartered in Tennessee, did not sign the letter. FedEx did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but according to LGBTQ rights group GLAAD, which asked FedEx to sign the letter, the delivery services company indicated in writing that while it receives many requests to join advocacy efforts, it prefers to demonstrate corporate values through civic and charitable efforts. GLAAD also told CNBC via email, "As one of the largest companies headquartered in Tennessee, FedEx has an obligation to its LGBTQ employees in Tennessee and its customers nationwide to use its public voice and brand power to help stop these dangerous anti-LGBTQ bills. With more than three dozen large corporations speaking out against the slate of legislation today, FedEx's refusal to address is notable and out of step with other companies doing business in Tennessee." The letter, organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and Freedom for All Americans, is the latest in a series of businesses speaking out against Tennessee's discriminatory laws. In April, when HB 836 was first introduced, 13 large companies signed a similar letter, including Nike, Hilton, Lyft and Marriott, but Gov. Lee signed the bill into law on Jan. 24. "I think equality is important and protection of rights is important and the rights of religious liberty are important," Gov. Lee said in a recent interview on Nashville's News Channel 5. "And that bill was centered around protection of religious liberty, and that's why I signed it." Gov. Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though it previously has told CNBC that critics had mischaracterized the bill. What have the restrictions been during the impeachment trial? ERIN SCHAFF We are not allowed to take photos in the Senate chamber. And theyre keeping us in penned sections while the senators are in the hallway. This makes it much more difficult than usual for us to do our jobs. The elected officials who will decide whether or not to impeach the president can now avoid the press if they would like to. Normally there arent very many restrictions on journalists in the Capitol. These photographs have a sense of stillness in a time when the news moves rapidly. Did you know what you wanted the project to look like before it began? MARISA SCHWARTZ TAYLOR We wanted a way to slow down the story and give readers a new entry point, maybe the people who werent following the impeachment every single day. SCHAFF When this was on the House side I spent about a week with the House Judiciary Committee as they reviewed the drafted articles of impeachment. When things went over to the Senate we thought about how we could do it from that side, given all of the restrictions on photography and that the senators are on the floor all day (where we also have no photo access). SCHWARTZ TAYLOR Once they named the House managers who were going to be prosecuting the case, we knew we wanted to do a portrait project. We came up with the idea of black-and-white portraits that are stark and focus on expression details reminiscent of the portraits made by Richard Avedon, a photographer who shot powerful people. Headed into the election year, President Donald Trump told lawmakers that in three years of his presidency, the US has moved forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago. Making a strong pitch for his re-election and confident of his acquittal from impeachment, Trump, in his joint address to the US Congress told Congressmen that the American dream is back - bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results, he said as he listed his achievements of the three years and giving his vision for the next term. Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens. Speaking about the US-China relationship, he said for decades, China has taken advantage of the US, "now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Days ago, we signed the ground breaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the US," he said. Trump said that the US is coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. "My Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat (coronavirus)," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 5 February 2020: Borregaard ASA (Borregaard, OSE ticker: BRG) At a meeting on 4 February 2020, the Board of Directors of Borregaard ASA decided to propose to the Annual General Meeting an ordinary dividend for 2019 of NOK 2.30 per share. Dividend amount: 2.30 per share Declared currency: NOK Last day including right: 16 April 2020 Ex-date: 17 April 2020 Record date: 20 April 2020 Payment date: 27 April 2020 Date of approval: 16 April 2020 Borregaard ASA Sarpsborg, 5 February 2020 Contact: Lotte Kvinlaug, Investor Relations Officer, +47 922 86 909 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5 12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Emma Roberts proved just way she is considered to be one of the premier fashionistas in Hollywood. The 28-year-old actress donned a pair of snakeskin booties as she strutted her stuff on a solo outing in West Hollywood on Tuesday. As if her fashionable footwear wasn't already enough she also donned a white leather biker jacket as she made her way out for a caffeine run at celeb-favorite Alfred's Coffee. These boots were made for: Emma Roberts donned a pair of snakeskin booties as she strutted her stuff on a solo outing in West Hollywood on Tuesday She also donned a pair of blue jeans and white Michael Stars cardigan sweater as she accessorized with gold-rimmed shades with matching necklaces. Her blonde locks were worn down in a middle-part as she had natural, complementary make-up on her face. Emma was without her beau Garrett Hedlund for the dinner, with the couple soon set to celebrate their first anniversary. Out and about: As if her fashionable footwear wasn't already enough the 28-year-old actress donned also donned a white leather biker jacket on a caffeine run at celeb-favorite Alfred's Coffee The couple have been together since March 2019, after Emma ended her famously tumultuous relationship with former fiance Evan Peters, 32, following numerous splits. Emma and Evan first started dating in 2012 after filming Adult World, and went on to work together again on American Horror Story for four seasons. Since parting ways for a final time, Evan has moved on with pop star Halsey, 25, with the couple confirming their relationship in October. While Emma and Garrett have been friends for years, they are believed to have turned their friendship to romance at the start of last year. Garrett was previously in a relationship with actress Kirsten Dunst, 37, for four years until March 2016. Loved up: Emma was without her beau Garrett Hedlund for the dinner, with the couple soon set to celebrate their first anniversary, as the two are seen together in LA last month Emma has become the de facto muse and final girl of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story universe, having headlined the most recent season AHS: 1984. She also is potentially returning to the Murphy crowd favourite Scream Queens. Emma has several other titles in various stages of development, including RRR, Now I See You, Betches and Anya's Ghost. The actress also recently wrapped two feature films, Holidate opposite Kristin Chenoweth and The Hunt with Hilary Swank. At 37 weeks pregnant, Keri Stephens was at a rehearsal dinner when she realized that she hadn't felt her baby move in a while. Scheduled to be a matron-of-a-honor in the wedding the next morning, Stephens, then 31, a healthcare editor from outside of Atlanta, tried to convince herself that everything was fine. "I remember having to give a speech, trying to smile for picturesI was terrified, but I thought I was overreacting," she says. "I thought maybe I was being paranoid and I didn't want to make a scene." Like a lot of moms, Stephens told herself she was probably worrying without cause and thought that maybe she had just been too busy during the day to notice her daughter moving. By the time she got home that night, however, she realized all of her go-to methods to get the baby to movedrinking juice, changing positions, and poking herweren't working. Her husband convinced her it was time to go to the hospital. By 6 a.m., after several tests, Stephens had been rushed to an emergency C-section under general anesthesia and without her husband because the doctors decided there wasn't enough time. Klaus Tiedge/Getty Images A PSA to Other Moms Today, fortunately, her daughter, Harper, is a healthy and happy 5-year-old kindergartener, and Stephens still isn't completely sure what caused her baby to decrease movements that night. The final test that led to the C-section, called a biophysical profile, showed her daughter as scoring a two out of 10 (a score of eight to 10 is considered normal, while anything four or under is abnormal). Follow-up tests on her placenta after delivery suggested some kind of infection was present. What she is sure of is that her daughter would probably not be alive had she not gone to the hospital that night. And moreover, Stephens believes she would not have known to even get checked if she herself hadn't heard a similar story from a friend who was pregnant before her. That friend had noticed her baby's decreased movements toward the end of her pregnancy, but instead of writing it off as the baby simply "running out of room," she went and got checkedand saved her baby from what the doctors predicted would have been a stillbirth. Story continues "I don't think I would have paid attention if it hadn't happened to my friend," says Stephens, who posted a PSA on her Facebook page in November 2019, urging other mothers to trust their instincts and get checked if they feel a decrease in their baby's movement. "I don't know who needs to read this, but I wanted to share," she wrote. "Babies don't stop moving in late pregnancy. And if your baby does and you feel like something is off, trust your gutI don't want to scare anyone, but it's always better to be safe than sorry." Courtesy of Keri Stephens The author and her baby. What to Know About Your Baby's Movement at the End of Pregnancy It was important to Stephens to share her story because she believes that far too many moms believe the myth that babies don't move as much near the end of pregnancy and, especially for first-time moms, it can be difficult to distinguish what's "normal" and what's not. What to expect? Although babies will grow and get more crowded in the uterus, they will still move a similar amount of times even as they approach their due date, says Lori Hardy, M.D., an OB-GYN at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. "The character of the movements may change to more of a 'rolling' rather than sharp kicks, but the quantity of movements should be similar," she explains. One of the best things you can do is get to know your baby's typical movement patterns, she suggests. That way you can detect if something may be wrong. "As a general rule, most babies have a 'schedule,' meaning that they move a similar amount at similar times of the day," says Dr. Hardy. "Some will seem to move 'all the time' and some are much less active, but that is the pattern they have established. After 24 weeks, there should be a similar amount of movement each day and a mother will generally have a pattern that she notices as the pregnancy progresses." She adds that, in most cases, babies are most active at night when the mother is at rest. According to Daniel Roshan, M.D., FACOG, FACS, a board-certified high-risk pregnancy maternal-fetal medicine OB-GYN in New York City, those movement patterns will differ based on factors such as how far along you are in your pregnancy, how large your baby is, and even where the placenta is located. For example, if your placenta is in front of your baby in the uterus (closest to the outside of your stomach versus closer to your spine), it can act as a "cushion" and block some of the baby's movement. To check for fetal movement, Dr. Hardy recommends the following: Lay on one side Place your hand on your abdomen Feel for movement The standard for movement is that your baby should move at least 10 times within two hours, no matter how close you are to your due date, says Dr. Roshan. If you find that you are having trouble remembering to track your baby's movements, Dr. Roshan suggests checking for your baby's movement at a set time every single day, especially after lunch or dinner when your baby will be more active as a result of your meal. What to Do If You Suspect Your Baby's Movements Have Decreased In the event that you notice that your baby's movements have decreased, your baby fails to move at what's expected, or you are concerned that something may be wrong, you should immediately call your pregnancy care provider, say both Dr. Hardy and Dr. Roshan. Your care provider can then advise you on what to do next. He or she may suggest, for instance, that you have a glass of orange juice and re-check for movements, come into the office for monitoring, or head immediately to the hospital for evaluation. And if you're worried that you are overreacting, as Stephens notes she was initially, or that the nurses or doctor will judge you for coming in, don't be, says Dr. Roshan. "I always tell patients it's better safe than sorry," he notes. "You have nothing to lose by being checked." Needless to say, Stephens missed the wedding she was supposed to be in that morning, but since that day, she's taken on an even more important role: spreading the message for moms to get checked if their babies' movement decreases. Russia Beyond spoke to the universitys rector Vladimir Fillipov about its origins, humanist principles and modern-day revival, as well as his personal reminiscences of life as a student at the institute in the late 1960s. In late August 1968, 17-year-old Vladimir Filippov, soon to become a first-year student at the Peoples Friendship University (RUDN), arrived in Moscow on a late-night train from Uryupinsk, a small town in the Volgograd Region. He reached the university dormitory close to midnight and spent his first night in the capital treating two fellow students, one from Madagascar and the other from Cameroon, to homemade jam he had brought with him. His new friends did not speak a word of Russian. Furthermore, they were believers. It turned out that the lady who was in charge of laundry and bed linen had already gone home. As we were turning in, they saw that I did not have any bed linen. They then moved all the three beds together, put their two bed sheets on them and put me in the middle. That was how I spent my first night with foreign students. That was it, that was how peoples friendship started, recalls Vladimir Filippov, the rector of the Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and a former education and science minister of Russia. Vladimir Filippov Vladimir Trefilov/Sputnik Vladimir Trefilov/Sputnik Despite the official doctrine of atheism in the USSR, the university treated foreign students religious beliefs with understanding. In the morning, I saw Jean-Paul, a Catholic, praying in one corner, and Abdul, a Muslim, praying in another, while I, a member of the Young Communist League, did not know where to look and what to do, Filippov recalls. He explains that then RUDN had already put into practice its principle of bringing together students from different countries who speak different languages and belong to different cultures. In the 1960s-70s, the USSR sought to spread its influence to the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, by providing training and education to young people from there and supporting their fight for independence. Through the export of education, Moscow hoped to spread the Russian language and culture abroad. At the same time, Soviet leaders expected to promote Communist values too. It was with this aim in mind that the Peoples Friendship University was set up on Feb. 5, 1960. Until the early 1990s, it bore the name of the first prime minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba. Its staff included the most renowned professors and academics, both in sciences and humanities. Upon leaving the university, RUDN graduates went back to different parts of the world. Many of them rose to very prominent positions in their home countries. These includeAbbas Yusuf Saleh, the prime minister of Chad until 2010; Abdramane Sylla, a minister in Mali; Achieng Ongong'a, the managing director of the Kenya Tourism Board, and many others. According to Filippov, his friend and roommate, Jean-Paul from Cameroon, later became a justice minister. Grigory Sysoev/Sputnik Grigory Sysoev/Sputnik When in the late 1980s Russia was swept by the winds of change of Gorbachevs perestroika, RUDN was one of the first educational establishments in the USSR to switch to the Western model of higher education, offering a bachelors and a masters degree. Soviet university degrees abroad were considered to be equivalent to a bachelors degree, though the relevant course of studies in the USSR lasted from five to six years. As Filippov explains, at the time, these were completely new notions for the Soviet education system. Then the chancellor of RUDN went to see the USSR minister of higher education, Yagodin, and complained to him that our degree is not recognized as equivalent to a masters degree abroad, says Filippov. Yagodin said: Alright, and issued a decree to set up a masters program by way of an experiment. Some 15 years later, Filippov himself became the education minister of new Russia and signed the Bologna declaration, after which the terms bachelor and master became common practice in Russian universities too. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Filippov goes on, the university fell on hard times. RUDN lost a considerable portion of its funding and tens of thousands of students every year. However, by the late 2000s, it had managed to regain its former glory. There are now 28,000 students from more than 150 countries studying at RUDN, even more than in Soviet times. Anton Kavashkin/Global Look Press Anton Kavashkin/Global Look Press In 1993, when I became rector, we had just 5,700 students from 109 countries. There are now 28,000 students and the number of students graduating in a single year is now the same as was the total number of students 20 years ago, says Filippov. Most importantly, despite all the changes, RUDN has managed to preserve an atmosphere of friendship between people from different countries and cultures. The rector has his own theory as to how to avoid ethnic tensions: It is necessary to create an opportunity for closer contacts at everyday level, both in the dormitory and in the classroom. Everything will follow from there. Love will follow, kids will follow. If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material. The Mid-Michigan Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) invites the public to its February seminar, "An Overview of the Center for Chemical Process Safety," presented by Ken First, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Grand Traverse Pie Company, 2600 N. Saginaw Road, Midland. The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) is a technical group within the AIChE. CCPS brings together manufacturers, government agencies, consultants, academia, and insurers to lead the way in improving industrial process safety. CCPS member companies, working in project subcommittees, define and develop useful, time-tested guidelines that have practical application within industry. Some areas of focus include education (process safety training courses and online courses), projects, tools (free tools including worksheets, databases, process safety metrics, glossaries, safe work practices, and tools for risk analysis screening and chemical hazard engineering fundamentals), and publications (over 100 book titles, Process Safety Progress quarterly journal, and CCPS Process Safety Beacon monthly publication). Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) -Grizzly Discoveries Inc. (TSXV: GZD) (FSE: G6H) (OTCQB: GZDIF) ("Grizzly" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a corporate update and plans for 2020 exploration at its Ket 28 Greenwood Project, together with anomalous results from soil sampling undertaken in 2019 on a portion of the Greenwood Gold Project. Grizzly 2020 Exploration Plans - Ket 28 Prospect Grizzly has recently received drilling permits for high priority drill targets at the Ket 28 prospect, located within the Rock Creek claim group of the Greenwood Project, at which historic drilling in 1994 intersected high grade gold with 52.19 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) over 3.35 meters (m) core length. Drilling by Grizzly in 2009 and 2010 at the Ket 28 prospect followed up the historic drilling in the mid 1990's, with up to 2.77 g/t Au over 11 m core length and 8.75 g/t Au over 3 m, with a higher grade zone of 11.90 g/t Au over 2 m core length. In addition, wider intervals of lower grade mineralization were intersected with 1.02 g/t Au over 13.5 m core length and 1.19 g/t Au over 10.35 m core length. The Company is currently planning a 2020 exploration program that will focus on the Ket 28 prospect where the gold mineralization is open along strike and to depth, and requires further drill testing. Grizzly is planning a 15 to 20 hole drill program that will target the mineralized zone in the central portion of the Ket 28 prospect, with the intention of expanding the currently defined gold zone and developing a maiden mineral resource estimate. The initial Ket 28 drill program is expected to cost approximately $350,000 to $500,000 and is subject to financing. Grizzly CEO, Brian Testo, stated, "Our extensive land position on the Greenwood Property hosts numerous mineralized areas. Our focus is to develop a high grade gold resource estimate that can lead to production potential. We believe the Ket 28 prospect has such potential, and this will be the first of several recommended stages of exploration to accomplish our goals in this prolific region of southeastern BC." Grizzly 2019 Soil Sampling During 2019, a total of 889 soil samples were collected from the eastern portion of the Company's Greenwood claim area, north of Grand Forks within the Granby River drainage area. A total of 22 soil samples yielded greater than 50 parts per billion (ppb) Au and 7 samples greater than 100 ppb Au up to 1 gram per tonne (g/t) Au. Several of the anomalous soils are coincident with Triassic Brooklyn Formation volcanics and sediments in contact with Late Paleozoic Knob Hill Formation volcanics and sediments, considered favourable geology for gold mineralization in the Greenwood area. Follow-up exploration including prospecting with additional rock and soil sampling ground geophysical surveys are being planned for 2020 for the anomalous targets identified with the 2019 survey. Other Grizzly 2020 Planned Exploration The Company is planning to complete a planned helicopter magnetic and conductivity survey of the Robocop claims prior to conducting drilling. In addition, with the recent uptick in platinum (Pt) and Palladium (Pd) prices, the Company is preparing to re-examine its Sappho Prospect southeast of the town of Greenwood. Details on these additional programs and schedules will be the subject of follow up news releases. We invite all shareholders and interested investors to visit us in Booth 3020 at this year's March 1 - 4, 2020 PDAC, Toronto, Ontario. ABOUT GRIZZLY DISCOVERIES INC. Grizzly is a diversified Canadian mineral exploration company with its primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange with 67.1 million shares issued, focused on developing its precious and base metals properties in southeastern British Columbia. The Company holds or has an interest in over 160,000 acres of precious-base metal properties in British Columbia. The technical content of this news release and the Company's technical disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Michael B. Dufresne, M. Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. On behalf of the Board, Grizzly Discoveries Inc. Brian Testo President (780) 693-2242 For further information, please visit our website at www.grizzlydiscoveries.com or contact Investor Relations: Jim Greig Corporate Development Tel: 778-788-2745 Email: ir@grizzlydiscoveries.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Caution concerning forward-looking information This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Grizzly in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Grizzly's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Grizzly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52148 While nurse practitioners are essential to health care, they should not replace doctors in an attempt to solve primary care shortage, write board members from the Physicians for Patient Protection. Read more The U.S. is facing a deficit of primary care that some advocates want to fill by expanding the responsibilities of nurse practitioners. Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle and David Hebert of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners wrote last month in The Inquirer in support of having NPs in primary care as a part of bipartisan health reform. While nurse practitioners are vital members of the health-care team, they are not meant to replace physicians. To expand their role in this way could prove detrimental and dangerous for patients. Recently, in New Jersey, a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to prescribe medication and treat without a physician was defeated for safety concerns. We also disagreed with this bill, because the education, regulations, and training required to practice are very different between physicians and nurse practitioners. The research does not, in fact, show that nurse practitioners can provide comparable care to physicians. Many of the studies cited to support NPs providing direct primary care have always occurred in settings where nurse practitioners were working under physician supervision. For example, one study sampled Medicare patients at random, yet in more than half of the United States, nurse practitioners are required to see Medicare patients under the supervision of an attending physician, meaning theyre not practicing independently. We have yet to see a reliable study with a large, diverse sample size and similar complexity of patients that compares physicians and nurse practitioners practicing independently to assess whether NPs can effectively provide primary care for patients over the course of a lifetime. Also, while the number of nurse practitioners has grown exponentially, workforce data shows that states that have allowed independent practice have not seen an increase of nurse practitioners practicing in underserved areas. Instead, independent nurse practitioners end up working in the exact same locations as physicians. In addition, surveys and health-care experts suggest that many nurse practitioners are foregoing primary care, instead opting to work in specialty offices and/or administrative roles. Nurse practitioners are also unlikely to save the health system money. In fact, one of the first studies to examine nurse practitioners, published in 1974, suggested increased health-care costs due to a much higher utilization of care services compared with physicians. In the decades since this study was published, research has indicated that nurse practitioners order more unnecessary diagnostic tests and prescriptions, including antibiotics, and have lower quality referrals to specialists than physicians do. The reality is, educational requirements for nurse practitioners are a fraction of that required of physicians. For example, a newly trained primary care physician has approximately 20,000 clinical hours between medical school and residency before they practice. Nurse practitioners can practice with as few as 500 clinical hours. More concerning is that the quality of newer nurse practitioner programs has been called into question. Unlike medical school, some nursing graduate programs boast 100% acceptance rates, are completely online, and lack the clinical experience standards required of physician trainees. While advocates of expanded NP roles describe a physician shortage, they fail to note that America is already facing a shortage of nurses. By encouraging more nurses to move into a medical provider role, nurse practitioner independence would have a negative impact on an already short supply of bedside nurses. While we agree that Americans deserve access to high-quality, affordable health care, nurse practitioner independence is not the low-hanging fruit of reform it appears to be. Legislators should focus instead on increasing the supply of physicians starting with preventing the closure of residency training programs like the one at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, which disrupted the training of nearly 600 Pennsylvania physicians. They can do so by backing legislation to expand graduate medical education with more residency program slots. The growth of medical schools in the U.S. has far outpaced that of the residency training programs necessary for medical school graduates to practice. Its time to double down on supporting, not replacing, physicians. Rebekah Bernard and Purvi Parikh are board members of Physicians for Patient Protection, a grassroots organization of practicing and retired physicians, resident physicians, and medical students. By PTI LUCKNOW: The pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating, US Ambassador Kenneth Juster said here on Wednesday. Inaugurating the US pavilion at the Defexpo-2020, he said industry partners were playing a key role in the growth of Indo-US defence relationship. "I had the pleasure of travelling back to Washington DC last December to attend the second US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue between Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Indian ministers Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar," he said. "Two things from the ministerial dialogue stood out. First, the pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating. Second, our respective industry partners are playing a key role in the growth of our defence relationship," Juster added. "As the ambassador of the US to India, I have the opportunity to witness the efforts that are spurring the growth of this defence relationship. For example, last fall, I observed the first ever tri-services exercise. Such exercises demonstrate the importance that the US places on the Indo-Pacific region and value of our defence relationship with India," he said. He also added that both the sides were "increasingly working together" to meet common goals and serving common interest and that the US companies' representatives at this pavilion, will undoubtedly play a role in working with India to achieve this goal. "As the bilateral defence relationship grows, our embassy is dedicated to continuing to work to facilitate cooperation among the government and industries," he said. When asked to comment on New Delhi's concern over weapons supplied to Pakistan being used against India, as after the Balakot strike, Juster evaded a direct reply. "We are focussed here today on what we can do in partnership with India. And that partnership has continued to accelerate. That is the focus of attention and we regard India as a strategic partner in terms of our defence cooperation," he said. The five-day Defexpo was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Latin American pharmaceutical contract manufacturing & research services market is anticipated to reach USD 21.0 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Low drug registration cost in Latin American countries and continuous economic growth are the key factors contributing to progress in this region. Moreover, Latin America offers higher recruitment rates and relatively high competitive prices in comparison to United States and other European countries. Aforementioned fact pronounces the trend of shifting Contract Manufacturing/Research Organizations (CMO/CRO)s attention to Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. Ongoing adjustment in Latin America to reduce the commodity prices and domestic political turbulence in each country is expected to shape regions economic growth there by driving revenue generation in the outsourcing market for pharmaceutical development. Further Key Findings from the study suggest: Contract manufacturing services accounted for the largest share owing to wide range of services offered by the CMOs located herein for therapeutic drug development API/Bulk drug development services accounted for the largest share over the other segments as companies continue to invest for API production capacity enhancement Rising inclination of drug manufacturers to focus on core competencies such as R&D are observed to have a major impact on the yearly growth of contract research organizations Brazil held the largest share with respect to revenue generation in 2015 Governments current initiative to ensure GMP compliance among small and medium-sized pharma companies has contributed for the large share of Brazil Chile is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period. Presence of companies offering bioanalytical, biomarker discovery, assay development, and cGMP analytical services can be attributed for the estimated growth Key players contributing in this market are Lonza; Charles River Laboratories S.A; Jubilant Life Sciences Limited; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer CenterOne); Albany Molecular Research, Inc; QuintilesIMS; and Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC. These entities are involved in collaborations with therapeutic research organizations in order to enhance their industrial presence Grand View Research has segmented the Latin America pharmaceutical contract manufacturing and research services market on the basis of services and country: Latin America Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing & Research Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Manufacturing API/Bulk Drugs Advanced Drug Delivery Formulations Packaging Packaging Finished Dose Formulations Solid Formulations Liquid Formulations Semi-solid Formulations Research Oncology Vaccines Inflammation & Immunology Cardiology Neuroscience Others Latin America Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing & Research Service Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Brazil Mexico Colombia Argentina Chile Venezuela Rest of Latin America Access full research report on Latin American pharmaceutical contract manufacturing & research services market: www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/latin-america-pharmaceutical-contract-manufacturing-services-market Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Wed, February 5, 2020 07:05 706 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206293994 2 Art & Culture Mona-Lisa,Paris,auction,Rubiks-Cube,France Free A street art Rubik's Cube version of the "Mona Lisa" is expected to sell for up to 150,000 euros ($166,000) when it goes under the hammer in Paris this month. Made from 330 Rubik's Cubes by the French artist Invader -- famous for his ceramic Space Invaders figures inspired by the vintage pixelated video game -- is called "Rubik Mona Lisa". It is the first of a series of works in which the artist has recreated some of the great paintings of art history in Rubik's Cubes. Invader, whose real name is Franck Slama, claimed that they the foundational creations of a new art movement called "Rubikcubism". He has glued Space Invaders works to walls in more than 33 countries, and even inspired smartphone applications for fans trying to track them down. Read also: Louvre offers virtual 'tete-a-tete' with the Mona Lisa "Rubik Mona Lisa" will go on sale at Artcurial on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on February 23 as a part of auction featuring some of the biggest names in street art. Invader made "Rubik Mona Lisa" in 2005 and has since gone on to recreate Edouard Manet's Impressionist masterpiece "Le Dejeuner sur lHerbe" ("Luncheon on the Grass") as well as Gustave Courbet's ever-controversial "The Origin of the World" in Rubik's Cubes. The cube, a cult children's puzzle in the 1980s, was invented by the Hungarian sculptor Emo Rubik as a teaching tool to explain three-dimensional forms to his architecture students. A blockbuster Leonardo da Vinci show at the Louvre museum in Paris, which holds the "Mona Lisa", finishes at the end of this month. Its been nearly a quarter-century since Oregon put anyone to death but the state remains ready. The Oregon Department of Corrections execution chamber lies deep inside the states oldest prison in Salem. The entrance to the three-room suite is unmarked. A window on the door is covered. The space sits undisturbed, suspended in time. The department allowed an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter and photographer to see the chamber on a recent visit to the Oregon State Penitentiary. The news organization requested a tour in light of a new law passed last year that represents the first major legislative restriction to Oregons death penalty since 1984, when voters amended the constitution to include capital punishment. We keep it sanitary and clean, said Corrections Capt. Toby Tooley. We get a lot of visitors. We have a lot of interest in seeing it. Its more of a historical stop. 20 The death chamber inside Oregon State Penitentiary The compact rooms -- a small holding cell, a shower room and the execution chamber itself -- feel like a vestige from another era. And in a way they are. The last person put to death in Oregon was Henry Charles Moore. Moore, sentenced to death for the 1992 murders of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, died at 12:23 a.m. on May 16, 1997. In 2011, the state prepared the rooms again after a judge signed the death warrant for Gary Haugen, a twice-convicted killer. The plan to execute Haugen came after the killer waived his legal appeals. But two weeks before Haugens planned execution date, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber imposed a moratorium on executions, calling capital punishment morally wrong and arguing that Oregons system fails to meet basic standards of justice. Courts upheld the reprieve. The suite remains preserved like a Cold War-era bomb shelter. The clock on the wall no longer keeps time. The batteries are dead. The body restraints are made of leather. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive Haugen remains on death row, a two-tiered unit of cells steps from the execution chamber. Twenty-eight men and one woman are sentenced to die, though in all likelihood they will never set foot inside the chamber. Thats because Oregons approach to the death penalty has shifted, reflecting national trends. Polling shows support for the death penalty has dropped significantly since the mid 1990s. About 56 percent of Americans said they support capital punishment in a poll done two years ago compared to 80 percent in 1994. Today, 29 states, including Oregon, have the death penalty. Four of them, like Oregon have a moratorium that Kitzhaber began and Gov. Kate Brown has extended. The ranks of the condemned are expected to taper off too. While policy and public sentiment may have changed, Oregons execution chamber has not. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive Legislation passed last year was designed to reduce Oregons use of the death penalty. The law now limits aggravated murder to four categories: killing another person while locked in jail or prison for a previous murder, killing two or more people as an act of organized terrorism, killing a child younger than 14 intentionally and with premeditation and killing a police, correctional or probation officer intentionally and with premeditation. While policy and public sentiment may have changed, Oregons execution chamber has not. To get there, you must walk through three locked gates at Oregons only maximum-security prison, then pass through the main building and back outside. From there, the route takes you along a wide paved walkway known as the avenue, which separates a towering cellblock from the recreation yard. White sheets line a gurney where the inmate would, in theory, be injected with a lethal three-drug cocktail. Today the drugs would be almost impossible for the state to obtain due to objections from the drug makers who dont want their medicines used in executions. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive (Even in a recent downpour, hundreds of men walked and congregated in the muddy yard under the eye of armed corrections officers who look over the massive open space from towers.) The walk continues to a dingy yellow building in a far corner of the prison compound where some of the states most challenging inmates are kept, along with death row and the execution chamber. The suite remains preserved like a Cold War-era bomb shelter. The clock on the wall no longer keeps time. The batteries are dead. The body restraints are made of leather. White sheets line a gurney where the inmate would, in theory, be injected with a lethal three-drug cocktail. Today the drugs would be almost impossible for the state to obtain due to objections from the drug makers who dont want their medicines used in executions. The holding cell where prison protocol says the condemned must be kept for 48 hours before execution sits unused but ready: the bed is made, a purple pillowcase is on the pillow. A drab wool blanket is wrapped around the mattress pad in the otherwise empty space. The mothballed suite today exists as a necessity but also a curiosity. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive A long checklist still hangs on the wall. Its been there so long that Tooley, the captain of the unit, isnt quite sure when it was posted. It details 25 steps between the time witnesses are brought into the viewing area and when the mortuary removes the body of the condemned. Two push-button phones, one red and the other blue, hang on the wall. Each is marked with black letters: governor and attorney general. The states execution protocol requires that the governor and attorney general give the go-ahead before the lethal injection is administered. The mothballed suite today exists as a necessity but also a curiosity. The Department of Corrections does not permit public tours of its prisons, but a few times a month, the staff opens the rooms to small groups of lawyers, judges and college students. Said Tooley: Its only used for tours and executions. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Managing Director, Jeff Hendren, Brings Extensive Experience in Product Strategy, Business Development and Marketing NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / As public relations (PR) and marketing functions become more closely aligned and dependent on ROI-based solutions, strategic marketing communications firm, Caliber Corporate Advisers, today announced the addition of financial technology veteran, Jeff Hendren, as managing director. Hendren brings over two decades of experience building fintech startups and driving corporate strategy in industries such as fintech, wealthtech, wealth management, asset management, payments, proptech and institutional finance. Companies he has led with successful exits include Quovo (Plaid) and PerTrac (eVestment). Hendren's role as managing director will extend across Caliber and its sister company, The Financial Revolutionist (The FR), with a focus on corporate and product strategy. "Jeff's knowledge of fintech, financial services and extensive experience scaling technology products to meet client needs will add tremendous value to Caliber and the FR," said Harvey Hudes, founder & CEO of Caliber Corporate Advisers and CEO of The Financial Revolutionist. "Applying technology solutions to marketing needs in financial services is becoming essential to remain competitive. To serve the industry and broader marketplace, we're focused on developing and leveraging new technology based on quantitative intelligence, to help clients make more ROI-based decisions." In 2019, The FR launched Event Analyzer, a platform that provides intelligence to fintechs, institutional financial services companies and advisors across more than 250 events. Caliber puts this technology directly into the hands of its clients enabling them to gain insights that shape their marketing planning and strategy. "Technology is changing not only the industries we serve, but the services we offer," said Jeff Hendren, managing director of Caliber and The FR. "Delivering quantitative, results-oriented marketing products will bring real value to financial firms looking for a competitive edge. The Caliber team is making great strides to address client needs in new and innovative ways and I'm excited to help lead our future growth." Caliber Corporate Advisers has experienced significant growth over the past few years across clients and staff in its New York City and Austin offices. In 2019, Caliber was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States as well as O'Dwyer's 2019 top 20 financial PR firms list. Caliber also recently announced a strategic partnership and investment from partner firm, Vested. About Caliber Corporate Advisers Caliber is a strategic marketing communications firm that helps companies tell their story and connect with key stakeholders. Since 2010, Caliber has provided counsel to leading and entrepreneurial organizations within financial services and technology (FinTech, InsurTech, PropTech). Caliber provides best-in-class strategy and tactical execution of content marketing, public relations, media training, social media and digital marketing. For more information, visit: https://www.calibercorporateadvisers.com/. Media Contact Stephen Sumner Caliber Corporate Advisers 917.985.6630 ext.15 stephen@calibercorporate.com SOURCE: Caliber Corporate Advisers View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575272/Caliber-Corporate-Advisers-Fortifies-Leadership-Team-as-Financial-Services-Demands-More-from-Marketing-Due-to-Swift-Technological-Advancements New Delhi, Feb 5 : "Lord Ram has made Narendra Modi Prime Minister for building Ram temple," said Union Minister Giriraj Singh while reacting to the announcement made by the Prime Minister on the formation of a trust for building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaking to the media in Parliament on Wednesday, the minister said, "We, including PM Modi, believe in 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one) and 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' (peace and prosperity for all). That's why we have called for 5 acres of land for Sunni Waqf Board also. It will maintain social harmony in the country. Lord Ram has made Narendra Modi Prime Minister for building Ram Temple only. Modi hai to Mumkin hai." Echoing similar views, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the Prime Minister had followed what the Supreme Court said in its judgement. "The entire country, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, is rejoicing. He has followed the order of the Supreme Court by announcing the formation of Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust," Pokhriyal told reporters in Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced in the Lok Sabha that the government has cleared a proposal for 'Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust to take care of the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and other related issues. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) The Purdue Board of Trustees will vote Friday on the approval of a posthumous degree for a student killed in a cave rappelling accident. Trever Col died on Nov. 23 after he fell 200 feet while rappelling in Alabama's Valhalla Cave. Col was a senior studying mechanical engineering from Austin, Texas. He was on the trip with four other Purdue students. The 21-year-old was involved in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon racing team and Purdue Outing Club. He also studied abroad in China and served as a summer intern at Siemens in Norwood, Ohio. The trustees will meet at 9:15 Friday morning in Stewart Center room 326. Raising the issue of detention of NC leader Farooq Abdullah in Lok Sabha, leaders from opposition parties on Wednesday attacked the government for "illegally" detaining an old leader and walked out of the House. Abdullah, the National Conference leader and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has been under detention from August 5 last year since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. "Three former chief ministers including Farooq Abdullah are languishing in jails for the past six months, they have been put behind bars without giving any proper reason," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, while demanding the release of the sitting member. Abdullah has been illegally detained, Chowdhury alleged. Later Congress members along with those of several other opposition parties walked out of the House. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay also raised the issue of detention of Abdullah and said the issue was also raised during the all-party meeting. "I would request the government to intimate this House at least about his health condition," he said. Earlier Congress MP K Suresh raised the issue of release of Abdullah, but it was cut short by the Speaker. It is the responsibility of the government and House to ensure his welfare and also that he exercises his right as an elected representative, Suresh said. Thereafter members of Congress, DMK, NCP, NC and Muslim League entered the well of the House raising slogans for release of Abdullah. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the longest-serving ruler in the Arab world who has died aged 79, took power in the Gulf state of Oman in a 1970 palace coup against his father and then guided the country from medieval-style feudalism to global-looking policies that hastened modernisation and broad political influence. Qaboos was born in 1940, the only son of Omans ruler, Sultan Said bin Taimur. His childhood was lonely and cloistered, and his father was mostly absent. He grew up in a palace, able to access books and records but otherwise forbidden from talking to his teachers about anything but his studies. His father had led the country since the early 1930s and kept it as it had been for centuries: most of the capital, Muscat, was lit by lanterns at night, there were only a few miles of paved roads, and slavery was permitted. Said bin Taimur grew increasingly cut off from his subjects, especially after an assassination attempt in 1966. His son had been sent to the UK at 16, where he attended the Sandhurst military academy and briefly served in the British army. Upon his return to Oman in 1964, he lived under virtual house arrest under orders from his paranoid father. He grew increasingly frustrated with his fathers policies of isolation and his utter rejection of modernity despite oil resources. In 1970 he deposed his father in a coup backed by the UK, which had a stake in Omans oil fields and sought a freer hand to put down rebel factions in the country. The new ruler presented himself in public, symbolising a new era for the nations 750,000 inhabitants, who had not seen its sultan in person for decades. Said bin Taimur was exiled to Britain and died in 1972. Recommended How Oman is trying to become the Middle East mediator again Under Qabooss rule, Oman shunned the skyscrapers and extravagances of nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi, stressing that Muscat and other cities should generally retain their traditional character and architecture as much as possible, even as five-star resorts and international brands moved in. While other gulf states tried to outshine one another with malls and theme parks, Oman concentrated on cultural firsts for the region. Among them: a world-class opera house inaugurated by Placido Domingo conducting Puccinis Turandot, and a symphony orchestra that reflected the sultans lifelong appreciation for music and his interest in the lute and pipe organ. Circa 1970, the year he deposed his father in a UK-backed coup (Getty) But he shared one overriding trait with other gulf region leaders: a tight grip on power that allowed no room for dissent or open political debate. And, like several other rulers in the region, he was forced into rare concessions by unrest inspired by the Arab Spring. In 2011 protests broke out in Oman calling for more job opportunities for young people, in a country where nearly half the population is under 25. The demonstrations led to unprecedented clashes with security forces. In response, Qaboos quickly stepped in with promises of 50,000 civil-service jobs and slightly more power for an advisory panel, known as the shura council. Still, the reforms only went so far. Anyone daring to challenge authority risked arrest, including crackdowns for social media posts. Qaboos and his handpicked inner circle continued to climb in importance for Washington as middlemen for dealings with Iran. Oman negotiated the release of three Americans who were detained by Iran in 2009 along its border with Iraq and charged with espionage. Oman also played other important message-carrying roles, including during US-led talks on Tehrans nuclear programme and in helping free 15 British sailors captured by Iranian naval forces in 2007. At the same time, Qaboos fostered close ties with Iran both publicly and away from official channels. Near the Strait of Hormuz, the sultans security forces generally turned a blind eye to Iranian smugglers carrying goods such as TVs and ovens across the Persian Gulf on speedboats. In March 2014, Oman signed a 25-year accord to import Iranian natural gas. Protests broke out in Oman in 2011 over the lack of jobs for young people (AFP via Getty) Qaboos was perhaps the most enigmatic figure in the fraternity of gulf leaders. He mostly eschewed international travel in favour of his palaces in Muscat and Salalah, a southern port with lush flora fed by the Indian Ocean monsoons. Qaboos shared little of his personal or political life in public, but saw the priorities for his nation as education, greater participation of women in civic affairs and diversification of its oil-based economy, according to leaked US diplomatic cables. He was briefly married to a cousin, Nawwal, in the 1970s, after which time he did not seek another wife. He had no children. He was succeeded as sultan by his cousin Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, sultan of Oman, born 18 November 1940, died 10 January 2020 Washington Post The latest gyroplane commissioned by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has increased plateau capabilities for a wider variety of missions and is expected to be deployed along China's southwestern border regions, experts said on Sunday. Commonly known as the Falcon, the new Lieying gyroplane is equipped with three seats instead of two and has a more powerful engine with 135 horsepower. The gyroplane also has a longer rotor blade that stretches 8.8 meters and redesigned fuel tank, according to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based periodical focused on the national defense industry, on Thursday. Compared with the two-seat model, the three-seat issue has broader military applications as it can carry more personnel and weapons, transport wounded personnel, and conduct missions like two-person parachuting, the report said. Already proven in earlier tests, the latest model is also capable of operating in plateau areas with heavy loads. The three-seater can transport up to 630 kilograms and take off, fly, and land at an elevation of 4,200 meters, the magazine reported. With sledges as landing gears, the gyroplane can take off and land on ice and snow surfaces, the report said, noting that it can also land and take off on water when equipped with floatation gear. The new Lieying edition is a practical choice for plateau operations in regions like Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, where the two-seat version might struggle, a military expert who asked not to be named told the Global Times on Sunday. The Falcon is adept at infiltrating hostile areas during stealth reconnaissance missions due to its agility, small size, and low noise output, the expert said. The Lieying, developed by Shaanxi Bao He Defense Technology, made its PLA debut at China's the National Day parade on October 1, 2019. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Altitude Networks , the industry's first cloud-native DLP for SaaS collaboration solution, today announced that Gerhard Eschelbeck has invested in the company. Eschelbeck joins Felicis Ventures , Slack Fund , Accomplice and Alex Stamos , who participated in the company's series A funding round which closed in July 2019. A proven information technology executive with strong operational and strategic experience, Eschelbeck was most recently Google's vice president of security and privacy engineering. He has launched innovative and successful companies and has built high-performance multi-national teams in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Eschelbeck is regarded as one of the foremost experts on network and system security and previously held CTO positions at Sophos, Webroot and Qualys. "Cloud-based collaboration and productivity tools like GSuite, Dropbox, Slack are transforming the way people collaborate and share data but they're surfacing a new set of security challenges," said Eschelbeck. "While at Twitter, Michael saw these growing issues and the need for a cloud native approach to data security. Contrary to heavy-handed security approaches of the past, Altitude Networks manages cloud security risk in real-time and surfaces the risks that actually matter. I am thrilled to be part of Michael's vision and to play a part in furthering its growth and success." Since the product became available in August 2019, Altitude has added several new customers to the roster, including the Democratic National Convention, HackerOne and Node.AI, who selected its platform to protect sensitive business data. The company also announced a partnership with the Defending Digital Campaigns nonprofit. Every day, Altitude protects millions of sensitive files in GSuite from unauthorized data access, accidental or malicious sharing to unintended individuals, and data theft. In response to the rising demand for its cloud-native data loss prevention solution (DLP), Altitude more than doubled its headcount in 2019 with new hires in engineering, sales and marketing. Kim Truong joined as head of marketing. Truong was previously head of marketing at ioTium, a startup providing secure managed software-defined network infrastructure for industrial IoT. She has also held marketing positions at Interana, Hortonworks and Citrix Systems. Gessica Moreale is senior director of sales and has held critical sales roles for leading security companies such as Demisto/Palo Alto Networks, Tanium and EMC. "Our strong growth trajectory leading into 2020 is driven by the need for organizations to gain control over the tremendous amount of sensitive data sharing that is happening in today's most popular cloud collaboration tools," said Michael Coates, chief executive officer for Altitude Networks. "Visibility, remediation and prevention of critical file sharing risks are key to tackling data security in the modern workplace. With Altitude's continuous, automatic and highly accurate solution, organizations can promote productivity and collaboration, while protecting sensitive data." Earlier this month, Altitude was named to the Built in San Francisco Top 50 Startups to Watch list. The company will be exhibiting at RSA Conference, Feb. 24-28, as part of the Early Stage Expo, where attendees can get a hands-on demo and meet with company executives. Additionally Michael Coates will be presenting " The First 6 Months as a CISO Determines Success or Failure " at the conference on Thursday, Feb. 27. Follow Altitude Networks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altitude-networks/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/altitude Blog: https://blog.altitudenetworks.com About Altitude Networks Altitude Networks is the industry's first cloud-native DLP for SaaS collaboration solution to provide improved data protection for cloud applications such as G Suite, Box, Office 365, Slack and others. For organizations of all sizes with data in the cloud, Altitude Networks protects companies against unauthorized data access, accidental or malicious sharing to unintended individuals, and data theft. The company was founded in 2018 by security veteran Michael Coates and machine learning and fraud detection expert Amir Kavousian. Altitude Networks is backed by Felicis Ventures, Accomplice, Slack Fund and Rain Capital. More information can be found at www.altitudenetworks.com . Media Contact: Cathy Summers Summers PR [email protected] (415) 483-0480 SOURCE Altitude Networks Related Links https://altitudenetworks.com/ Johannes Baar-Baarenfels was the only Austrian among more than 40 distinguished international architects to present his project "Sofia Serdika" at the Schusev Architecture Museum in Moscow. The Financial Times calls Baar-Baarenfels' glass domes to preserve the Thracian-Roman ruins in Sofia a "highlight of the exhibition". VIENNA, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- From January 31 to May 10 2020 the exhibition "Public Architecture - Future for Europe" is shown at the Shusev Architecture Museum in Moscow. The Austrian architect Johannes Baar-Baarenfels' Nezavisimost Square project in Sofia "is a highlight of the exhibition," reports the Financial Times. His project is presented alongside the works of more than 40 European architecture firms committed to new architecture respecting the cultural heritage in Europe. Baar-Baarenfels designed and constructed three shell-shaped glass domes preserving the 2500 years old underground ruins in the city centre of the Bulgarian capital. "It is an honour for me and my team to represent Austrian architecture in Moscow with this project," says Johannes Baar-Baarenfels. The Project During drilling work to expand Sofia's metro, a vast site of ruins from the ancient Thracian and Roman city of Serdica resurfaced. A grid structure dating back to the Byzantine era, more than seven meters under ground level, was found stretching across Nezavisimost Square which is surrounded by Stalinist architecture. Johannes Baar-Baarenfels encased the ruins with three parametric-designed glass domes. They reveal the city's ancient past in contrast with their 20th-century surroundings. The domes are separated by two bridges allowing visitors to walk above the site and take a look down at the architectural treasure below. The three domes are membrane structures made of steel and glass. The exciting form is created by single as well as double curved glass panels. They span an area of around 16 x 16 meters. Designing a low rise of 2.10 meters was a static challenge in order not to divide the square. With his striking structure Baar-Baarenfels creates a new awareness of public space and the city's cultural heritage. "The relevance of the construction goes beyond its mere architectural significance", says Baar-Baarenfels: "After all it is located right in front of the Bulgarian Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the President's Office. It can be seen as a sign of a new beginning for the city, as its hidden ancient past is brought back to life through architecture that points to the future". Johannes Baar-Baarenfels worked in Sofia in cooperation with local architect Hristo Guentchev. The project was implemented by local companies. Planning, building permission and construction took twelve months to complete. About architect Johannes Baar-Baarenfels Johannes Baar-Baarenfels is an Austrian architect based in Vienna. He was awarded for his renovation of Palais Rasumofsky in Vienna in the category "New and Old" at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore in 2013. In 2010 Baar-Baarenfels was nominated at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona for the Sportalm-Flagship-Store in the Vienna City centre under the category "Shopping". Johannes Baar-Baarenfels was also a lecturer at universities in Austria and India as well as several other European and Asian countries. Press-pictures for download ( Baar-Baarenfels/Guentchev): https://tinyurl.com/sfwq8kd Further information: www.baar-baarenfels.com Media contact: Foggensteiner Public Relations GmbH Beatrixgasse 32 1030 Wien Tel.: +43-01-712-12-00 Fax: +43-01-712-12-00 - 20 alexander@foggensteiner.at www.foggensteiner.at Making a strong pitch for his re-election amidst his impeachment trial, President Donald Trump said that America has staged a "great comeback" and the country was "highly respected again" as he boasted about the "unimaginable" economic growth under his watch. At his third annual State of the Union address, Trump set out his case for another four years in office, saying that in just three short years, his administration has shattered the mentality of American decline and rejected the downsizing of the country's destiny. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back," an upbeat Trump said in his 78-minute prime time address to a joint session of Congress. His address came hours before the ruling Republican Party-led Senate is expected to acquit the 73-year-old president on Wednesday in the high-profile impeachment trial. The Democratic Party-led House of Representatives has already impeached Trump and charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump is accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to probe his political rival and former US vice president Joe Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, to dim his electoral fortune. The US president said that under his leadership, jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and "our country is thriving and highly respected again." "Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," he added. Trump underlined the country's economic gains under his leadership, asserting that "the American Dream is back" and is "stronger than ever before". "The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power, and prestige," he said. In his report card, Trump asserted that America's economy is the best it has ever been. Asserting that the US is moving forward at a pace that was "unimaginable just a short time ago", Trump, the first president to run for re-election after being impeached, said since his election, his administration has created 7 million new jobs 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century, he claimed while noting that the average unemployment rate under his administration was lower than any administration in America's history. "If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to America's great economic success," he said. "Since my election, United States stock markets have soared 70 per cent, adding more than USD 12 trillion to our nation's wealth," he said. Trump noted that he had promised that he would impose tariffs to confront China's "massive theft" of American jobs. "Our strategy worked. Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the USA," he said. "For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States, now we have changed that but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi (Jinping). Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens. He said that whosoever coming illegally to the US would be promptly removed. Trump showered praise on the US military for for carrying out a "flawless precision strike" that killed Iran's military commander Qasem Soleimani and terminated his "evil reign of terror forever." "Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq," he said. "That is why, last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," he said. Trump said that the peace talks with the Taliban are underway and vowed to bring the US troops back from war-torn Afghanistan. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," he said. America is the place where anything can happen and it is the place where anyone can rise. BIG RAPIDS Area residents are invited to enjoy a night of tragedy and comedy as Big Rapids High School debuts its winter one-act plays. With two one-act plays -- "It's Not You, It's Me" and "The Insanity of Mary Girard" -- audience members will have the unique opportunity to experience two individual stories (a comedy and a tragedy) in the span of one evening, explained Wilhelm, director of the "It's Not You, It's Me." Student Fran Arquette directs "The Insanity of Mary Girard." The shows will take place this weekend in the BRHS auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. "Usually, we do shows with similar themes," student director Ivabelle Wilhelm said. "We just couldn't find two shows with the same theme, so we thought, 'What if we do opposites?'" In "It's Not You, It's Me," the audience will be taken on a relatable and hilarious journey through the the lives of main characters, Catherine and Jack, who keep finding themselves heartbroken. "No matter what they do to try and improve themselves, they just keep getting dumped, and it's always the same excuse -- 'It's not you, it's me,'" Wilhelm said. Wilhelm added that the humor of the show comes from how realistic it is, noting audience members will be able to see themselves in many of the scenes. "The Insanity of Mary Girard," the second one-act of the evening, will be slightly less relatable, Arquette said. Set in Philadelphia in 1790, this play is a historical fiction about a woman sent to live in an insane asylum after she is caught having an affair. According to Arquette, audience members will be able to watch Girard go insane throughout the course of the performance. "It's an eerie and terrifying show," she said. "It's deep from the beginning, and you have to pay attention to so many things." After working on the shows since early December, both student directors said they are excited for their shows to finally be seen by an audience. "It's so nice to know that we're here with such a great group of actors and they work so well together. Opening night is going to go so smoothly," Arquette said. Those interested in attending the one-act plays may visit brhsmi.booktix.com, or purchase tickets at the door. The House is lit for television ahead of President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, and members of Congress are showing off their priorities. Many Democratic women are wearing white Tuesday to align themselves with suffragettes a century after women won the right to vote. Some also are wearing green Equal Rights Amendment pins ahead of an expected House vote on the issue this month. Look, too, for red-white-and-blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change. Many Republicans got to the chamber early to snag aisle seats. The coveted positions allow them to shake hands on camera with the president as he makes his way down the aisle. Two prominent House Democratic freshmen are boycotting President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech over his conduct. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who are both front and center as members of "the Squad, said hours before the address Tuesday that they're skipping it. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that she would not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution. Pressley, meanwhile, said she's boycotting because Trump consistently demonstrates contempt for the American people, contempt for Congress & contempt for our constitution. Other Squad" members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan were expected to attend the joint session of Congress. The four freshmen are all congresswomen of color, and they voted to impeach Trump. They have been labeled The Squad in part for their criticism of Trump, and the president frequently rails against them. This year, Trump is speaking on the eve of his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress when dealing with Ukraine. The acquittal vote will resolve impeachment in Congress, but voters will have the final say this election year. Every member of the House, a third of the Senate and Trump himself are up for reelection. LAPEER COUNTY, MI -- A mid-Michigan County has officially been named a Second Amendment Sanctuary. The Lapeer County Commission made it official with a 4-2 vote Thursday, Jan 30. The resolution was originally brought forward by Commissioner Rick Warren at the Thursday, Jan 16. meeting, Vice-Chairman Ian Kempf said. There was open discussion on Jan 23 and a vote was taken Jan. 30. The resolution is meant to send a message to Lansing that Lapeer County is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and would not be in favor of additional laws that would impede upon those Second Amendment rights, Kempf said. The original proposals wording was similar to many resolutions brought to counties across the state, but the Lapeer County Commission added language that defined a Second Amendment Sanctuary County as a place of refuge for the lawful gun owners and citizens under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution. Warren and Chairman Gary Roy ultimately voted against the resolution because of the amended language. Roy said he would have voted for the original resolution, but he didnt like the added word lawful." Im in support of the original resolution," Roy said during the meeting. "I have been from the beginning but I am against the wording in this particular resolution, which leaves me no choice but to vote against the amended resolution. Roy and Warren could not be immediately reached for further comment. Kempf said he was in support of the added language. I certainly believe the overwhelming majority of my constituents are very strong Second Amendment supporters," he said. "At the same time, theyre in favor of Second Amendment rights for lawful or law-abiding citizens so I supported that amendment. By passing the resolution to declare the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary, the board affirmed, its support for the Lapeer County Sheriff and Lapeer County Prosecuting Attorney, in the exercise of their sound direction, to not enforce against any citizen an unconstitutional firearm law, according to the resolution. The resolution will not change anything under current Michigan laws but Bill Gavette with the Lapeer County Tea Party said it was encouraging to see county officials take a stand. Its good to see our folks, our county officials, .... reaffirming their commitment to what weve already been guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution as far as the right to bear arms and our Michigan Constitution, Gavette said. The resolutions in Lapeer and other counties across Michigan are in response to Virginia passing red flag gun laws which would allow police to confiscate guns from people deemed threats. Family, police could petition to take away guns from person posing extreme risk under Michigan bills A similar push is popping up in every Michigan county through a Facebook group called Michigan for 2A Sanctuary Counties, which was created on Dec. 25 and already has over 91,500 members. What was happening in Virginia captivated the country, said Jeff Fuss, founder of the Facebook group. Its about making sure peoples voices are being heard, not just at the state level, but also at the local level, at the township, at the county level especially so when people in Lansing try to pass whatever laws, they know where the people stand and they know where their bounds are because they have to take their guidance from the people, Fuss said. Gov. Whitmer, Democratic leaders push extreme risk gun bills after national shootings While the resolution will not change a countys daily operation under Michigans current laws, the movement looks to send a message to lawmakers, Fuss said. Some people refer to it as a reaffirmation of faith," he said. "I look at it as just more of a statement from the community on where they stand if things change on the laws that we have today. Not everyone is thrilled with the efforts, however. The recent emergence of Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties in Michigan is harmful because the push to pass these resolution is to undermine normal law and order, said Carol Sullivan with the the Michigan Great Lakes Bay-region branch of Moms Demand Action, which advocates for common sense gun legislation while still supporting the Second Amendment. The good news is, these resolutions are legally meaningless," she said. "The bad news is theres a whole lot of bad that comes with it. Were concerned with anything that promotes confusion around issues of firearm laws. Specifically, red flag laws have been upheld as constitutional and met the due process guidelines when challenged in court, Sullivan said. In America, only the judicial branch can determine the constitutionality of any given law. State and federal legislatures make laws, prosecutors, police and other state and federal officials, they enforce laws but only judges can rule on them. If youre not a judge and if your argument is that a law is unconstitutional, that is a gun lobby and gun extremist talking point and thats aimed at spreading misinformation thats aimed at sparking fear. Other counties that have passed similar resolutions include Mackinac, Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle, Oscoda and Kalkaska. Osceola County was most recently added to the list. The Sanilac County Board of Commissioners has also voted to pass the first reading of a resolution to make the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, according to the Times Herald. Gov. Tom Wolf speaks at a news conference in his Capitol offices on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 in Harrisburg, Pa. Read more Capitol Notebook by Spotlight PA provides updates on important news and notes from the halls of power in Harrisburg. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. A decade ago, then-Gov. Ed Rendell declared passing gun control laws in Pennsylvania a lost cause, saying the legislature was too beholden to gun rights groups to make any changes. On Tuesday, another Democratic governor made an impassioned plea to state lawmakers to take up the issue by mandating universal background checks and passing a red flag law to allow firearms to be temporarily seized from people declared by a court a threat to themselves or others. Lets make 2020 the year we choose to stop being cynical about the politics of gun violence, Gov. Tom Wolf told a joint session of the legislature while pitching his latest budget. Many of Wolfs proposals, including strengthening reporting requirements for lost and stolen firearms, mirror ones that Rendell and others called for in 2010. The states laws have remained largely unchanged since then. Republicans leaders, who control both legislative chambers, on Tuesday were noncommittal about Wolfs call for action on gun bills. But in recent years, the majority party has been more open to holding hearings to debate gun violence prevention proposals. In 2018, the legislature approved a measure further restricting gun access for people convicted of some domestic violence crimes, as well as people covered under final protection-from-abuse orders. It was hailed as a watershed moment in Pennsylvania. In this legislative session, both chambers have continued hearings on gun-related bills although the Houses Judiciary Committee chairman made headlines last fall when he abruptly declared that no other gun-related bills would be considered by his panel. That all but ensures that a red flag proposal that seemed to be gaining momentum will not get a vote this legislative session, which ends in November. Still, advocates for more gun restrictions on Tuesday said they believed Wolfs plea could change the legislative playbook. Im glad to see that the governor has taken the bully pulpit and put it at the level that it deserves to be, said Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who was in the Capitol Tuesday with Mayor Jim Kenney and Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker to hear Wolf speak. Said Kenney: I have nothing against gun ownership or hunting or anything like that. Its just people have different cultural experiences. And ours around guns in the city and the surrounding area involve death, and not hunting or sport. Spotlight PA receives funding from nonprofit institutions and readers like you who are committed to investigative journalism that gets results. Become a Founding Donor today at spotlightpa.org. Bhopal, Feb 5 : A key minister of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has chosen to launch a scathing attack on RSS at a time when the Sangh Parivar is holding a major convention in the state capital here. "RSS is a political organisation, because it works on the lines of political parties," said General Administration Department Minister Govind Singh while speaking to the media. Singh said the RSS has been claiming that it is not a political organisation, but the fact that its chief Mohan Bhagwat has a final say in deciding the names of Chief Ministers and Governors belies RSS' claims. Singh alleged that the BJP is trying to push the country into the path of communal war. Its leaders are acting like Adolf Hitler, Singh alleged. Launching an attack on Bhagwat, he said the RSS is playing politics in its true form. "He (Bhagwat) should remove his mask and take over the reins of the BJP. RSS has been exposed in public as a political organisation," Singh said. "Where does the RSS get its money from? Its offices have been turned into air-conditioned workplaces and they are organising camps across the country. It should come out clean about its finances," Singh said. The three-day RSS convention is being held in Bhopal to take stock of the issues facing the Sangh Parivar activists and its affiliates since the fall of the 15-year-old BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. Bhagwat had already held talks with more than 100 pracharaks of Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since Monday during his four-day sojourn in the city. He has also held discussions with the ABVP brass at Sharda Vihar, a residential school run by the Sangh Parivar. Sangh is expected to come out with its youth, women and rural outreach programmes, especially to draw support for the Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday evening. RSS conventions are usually closed affairs with very little being conveyed to the media. This time around, however, a press handout was released to make some deliberations public. The Sangh refrained from making any observations about the announcement of the Ram Mandir Trust by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day. However, the international President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje, expressed hope that the trust would construct a grand temple on the birthplace of Lord Ram as per the VHP's proposed model for which stones are being carved for three decades now. Kokje is based in Indore. "We expect the newly formed trust to build a grand temple on the Ram Janmabhoomi as per the model prepared decades ago," Kokje, a former jurist and ex-Governor of Himachal Pradesh, said on Wednesday. Sentiments of thousands of saints and lakhs of Hindus are associated with this popular model of Ram temple that has been on display on several occasions, he said. The widow of a retired criminal forensic scientist who hanged himself after he was linked to a 1984 murder is suing police for causing her husband's suicide. Kevin Charles Brown, 62, was a criminalist with the San Diego police department during the time that Claire Hough, 14, was found dead on a Californian beach. After police linked him to the case in 2014 he killed himself in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. But his wife Rebecca now says cold case detectives bungled the investigation after her husband's sperm was found on a vaginal swab. She argues that accidental cross-contamination of the DNA was to blame for the link and that crime lab workers routinely kept their own semen samples on hand to check their testing methods. Kevin Charles Brown, 62, was a criminalist with the San Diego police department during the time that Claire Hough was found dead on a Californian beach The lawsuit alleges this was 'a well-recognized, well-documented, and frequent occurrence', arguing there have been 41 instances of it happening at department since 2001. A second suspect who was identified is also dead, leaving the case with no leads. Ronald Tatro died in Tennessee in a boating accident three years ago. Tatro was convicted sex offender and his blood was found all over Hough's jeans. There was no apparent link between the two men, who appeared to be strangers and no evidence as to why the two men would have carried out the murder together. The trial against San Diego police, which employed Brown between 1982 and 2002, began Monday when the federal court heard from technician John Simms on Tuesday. He told the court: 'I cannot be certain whose (semen sample) I used. I dont want to believe I made a mistake, but I have to admit its a possibility.' Forensic DNA expert Suzanna Ryan told the jurors: 'I think its quite likely contamination.' Brown was a criminalist with San Diego police for 20 years. He is pictured here at a crime scene in 1991. He retired in 2002 Brown had suffered from depression throughout his life. Eugene Iredale, the attorney for Kevin Browns estate, told The Washington Post: 'He was afraid they were going to arrest him, that he would be put in jail and subject to abuse, and he couldnt stand it.' Lead detective, Michael Lambert is accused of not telling a judge about possible lab contamination when he obtained a search warrant and also downplaying Tatro's previous convictions. Ronald Tatro was also linked to the murder. He died in 2011 City attorneys say in their response they 'do not intend to argue or comment that Kevin Brown killed or raped Claire Hough', The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. But senior chief deputy city attorney Catherine Richardson writes: '[The detectives] were doing their jobs. The reply adds: 'Homicide detectives are not mental health professionals. They cannot be expected to know whether a suspect is at risk of suicide because of an investigation.' Investigators at the time could find no leads in Hough's death, but after the development of new DNA techniques, Brown was linked to the girl's brutal death. Claire was found strangled in late August 1984, and was found dead under a bridge at Torrey Pines State Beach which crossed the sands. Her left breast had been cut away and her body was covered in marks from fingernails. Reports from the time suggest that Claire had slipped out of her grandparents' house nearby so she could smoke and listen to music cassettes. Her body was discovered by a walker at 5am. Claire's grandparents raised the alarm when she had not returned by morning, and the body was identified as hers. In 2014 Rebecca Brown said: 'The police have hounded my husband all year, and he ended up having a nervous breakdown and killed himself. 'They kept hounding him on something he didn't do. He's a good, kind, sweet, gentle man.' WESTPORT As budget season progresses, so does the education boards efforts to incorporate millions of dollars in recommended school repairs into its capital forecast. But for now, the district is looking to budget only about $833,000 for priority improvements next year. SIGN UP here to get daily Westport News and alerts on breaking news A report prepared by Antinozzi Associates outlines a 10-year, $96 million plan with the districts current five-year plan highlighting approximately $65 million in improvements, which includes soft costs for engineering, project management and architectural design. The Antinozzi report for year one of the suggested improvements total $12.5 million, Chief Financial Officer Elio Longo said at a Board of Education meeting Monday, adding projects would be prioritized by need. As it stands, however, less than $1 million in projects is planned for the first year. Projects were prioritized by safety of students and staff first, then educational environment, and lastly retention of the building envelope. Priority projects include a cooling tower replacement at Greens Farms Elementary School, and roof projects at Staples High School and Saugatuck Elementary School. The priority one items we believe are the must have, must do projects in fiscal year 2021, Longo said. Interim Superintendent David Abbey said the priority list was developed to address potential impacts in an already tough budget year. This needs to be handled differently and creatively as we go through the budget process, he said. Otherwise, frankly, the operating budget cannot absorb it. Board members discussed how the town could work together to address the items listed. They also floated the idea of presenting the budget in two ways one operational and another for facilities to show the effect of addressing facilities deficiencies. I support doing all these items. I do not support doing it at the expense of the rest of the budget, BOE Chair Candice Savin said. Sandy Srihari, co-president of Long Lots PTA, said she was concerned the Long Lots windows were not proposed to be replaced until 2023-2024 in the capital forecast. According to Srihari, some of the windows are over 60 years old. Most of the remaining windows were installed in 1979, so theyre a young age of 41, she said, adding it was risky to push off the improvement at the towns largest elementary school. Director of Facilities Ted Hunyadi said he reviewed the Antinozzi report alongside his team to provide the board with its priority list. In our best judgment, we selected things in the first year as things we need to be addressing in a priority one manner, he said. Its things the facilities department feels has to be done sooner rather than later because of systems aging out. Hunyadi noted prices provided by Antinozzi were high compared to bids the district has made for past projects. We feel that number can be significantly reduced, he said, adding the report should be viewed as a planning document. Any improvements that required invasive work on schools would be done during the summer, Hunyadi said. In an effort to be fiscally proactive, the board favored planning projects for the second year after the budget is passed. BOE member Elaine Whitney said the five-year capital forecast was an essential planning tool and evolving plan, and that the school board would be updated on any specific details before any project is started. Then we would ask for each individual project as an appropriation request, Whitney said. Our hope and expectation is that many of these numbers will come down at least in the early years. The education board will vote on the $833,905 outlined for facilities alongside the district budget at its Feb. 10 meeting. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.comt Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday (February 5) passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre to repeal the new legislation. The Act differentiates between illegal immigrants on religious grounds. Its against the secular spirit of the Constitution. For the first time since the Constitution was adopted, a law has been passed that differentiates between people according to their religion. This will endanger the secular and tolerant nature of the country, reads the resolution. People are at loss to understand why such provisions have been included in the law. There is suspicion among the minds of the people. Protests have been held across the country. MP has seen peaceful protests and people belonging to all class have been part of them, it added. The resolution also demanded that the Centre must remove new questions from National Population Register and update the population register only after that. It is to be noted that two Madhya Pradesh BJP leaders Ajit Borasi and Maihar MLA Narayan Tripathi have also opposed the CAA, saying it is against the Constitution of India. Notably, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal and Rajasthan assemblies have already passed a resolution against the CAA and it is expected that Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh would also pass a resolution against the CAA in the Budget session of its Assembly. The Telangana government has also announced that it will not implement the CAA but the state assembly is yet to pass any resolution against the new legislation. Live TV Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Wednesday that his government will not pass a resolution against the CAA but the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra will not allow the implementation of the proposed National Register of Citizens in the state. Proving citizenship will be difficult for Hindus and Muslims. I will not let NRC to come in. As Chief Minister or without Chief Minister, I will not allow anyone to take away anybodys rights, Thackeray said. BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) Bolivia is set to introduce epidemiological control at airports and land border crossings due to the coronavirus outbreak, Carola Valencia, the chairwoman of Bolivian national epidemiological control agency, said on Wednesday. "Bolivia has activated an epidemiological control plan in various sectors to prevent and identify possible cases of coronavirus," Valencia said, as quoted by the Bolivian Health Ministry on Twitter. At the moment, no confirmed cases of the virus have been detected in Bolivia or elsewhere in Latin America. The novel coronavirus outbreak, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has since killed nearly over 490 people, with nearly 25,000 confirmed cases worldwide. Last week, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern as most nations began evacuating their citizens from the affected area. Belavia 899 was more than an hour into its scheduled two-hour flight to Munich on 24 January. It had been a largely uneventful experience for the 60 or so passengers on board. Flight attendants had dispensed pasty-looking cheese rolls and even paler coffee, signatures of the airline. Ninety miles from German airspace, the Embraer 175 jet was making good progress towards its destination. But somewhere above Wroclaw, and without any explanation, the plane performed a 180-degree turn. The pilot only made an announcement to passengers 20 minutes later, with the plane already in full descent. Technical issues meant an unscheduled landing back in Grodno, western Belarus, he said. The unusual course of events left the passengers bemused and frightened. Was there a bomb on board? If there were mechanical issues, why did the plane not divert to a nearer airport in Poland? The mystery would only continue on ground in Grodno, when a stairway was pushed to the the plane but the crew made no attempt to open the doors. Bagalavan Perier B By Express News Service VILLUPURAM: A 55-year-old petrol bunk manager was murdered by a gang of eight rowdies at his office in Villupuram on Tuesday. The perpetrators of the crime were identified from CCTV footage recorded in the petrol bunk. Police suspect that an old mamool (extortion) issue from 2018 might be the motive behind the murder and a hunt has been launched to nab them. Villupuram police say, Seenuvasan(55) of Panapakkam village was working as a manager in a private petrol bunk at Kamban Nagar. On Tuesday, he was sitting in his cabin when eight men, five in a car and three on a bike, came to the petrol station. One of them rushed into the petrol bunk office and hurled country bombs at Seenuvasan and later hacked him to death using scythes. The other employees tried to stop the criminals but they threatened them and fled the spot. Police were informed and the body was sent to Villupuram government medical college hospital in Mundiampakkam for autopsy. All police stations in Villupuram and nearby districts were alerted and vehicle checks were tightened in the district borders to nab the gang. Bomb and forensic experts were also called to the spot. Villupuram police filed a case and preliminary inquiry revealed that in March 2018, a rowdy gang asked mamool from the petrol bunk owner Prakash and as he refused to give the amount they attempted to hurl petrol bomb at his house. Police then identified the perpetrators and they were arrested. Police added that they suspect Seenuvasan might be murdered in connection with that incident as in 2018 he was the manager of the petrol bunk. They are inquiring further. Seenuvasan stayed in Ananda Nagar with his wife Meera and daughter Sankari. We have identified the perpetrators using the CCTV footage and hunt is on to arrest them. The car used by the gang was found at Perangiyur roadside as they left it and escaped from police check, said SP Jeyakumar to Express. The Petrol bunk was closed after Seenuvasan was murdered. Welcome to SOTU, 2020s brand new gameshow! Its like Oprah or Ellen except the star is a straight white man and most of the real beneficiaries will be too! We have a really great show planned for you tonight, folks! You wont believe the prizes, the intrigue, the ups and downs! You will laugh and you will cry! The best is yet to come! That was the feel of Trumps State of the Union speech tonight, delivered as it was in this brave new world where its perfectly normal for a president to stand up and declare the union stronger than ever before 24 hours before he faces an impeachment vote in the Senate. Come and watch the orange man in a red tie and his vice president, who gave so many standing ovations during the excessively long speech that he gave the impression of a jack-in-the-box powered by sycophancy. Come and see wealthy, conservative men in expensive suits jump out of their seats to applaud for a blue-collar boom. Watch again as they boo the previous administration while the Speaker of the House, wearing the same pin she used during the Houses impeachment on her white suit jacket, shakes her head after having her handshake refused by the president. Come and watch a promise to ban late-term abortion announced minutes after the leader of the free world cynically introduces the teary mother of a small child born at 21 weeks gestation. Come and watch Donald Trump take personal credit for inventing gentrification when he claims that wealthy people are pouring money into poor neighborhoods in the first time these communities have seen anything like this. Come and watch a billionaire snowflake with a victim complex and a miniature American flag claim that for many years we were treated unfairly on trade because of Chinas massive theft of Americas jobs which they were getting away with year after year, decade after decade. Truly, it has to be seen to be believed. If you think its cynical and audacious for the president to bring a single mother and her young daughter to a State of the Union address to illustrate how Democrats are apparently failing in their state, then fine. But at least wait until the final reveal the one where the president says: Tonight we can exclusively reveal you will be going to the school of your choice! to a confused eight-year-old whos been waiting for a scholarship in Philadelphia. Nothing beats watching that awkward, awkward moment play out. Nothing at all. Or does it? Wait, because theres more. Theres a young family a mother called Amy and her two children being introduced to the floor because her husband is currently on deployment. The president just wants to thank her for being part of a military family that makes sacrifices on behalf of America. Actually, he doesnt just want to thank her. He wants to announce that we have your husband right here and were bringing him out! Amys two small children, caught up in the clapping and the Republicans unironically chanting USA, USA! look stunned as their father appears in uniform. The little boy mouths, Daddy? Yes, Donald Trump has paid to have this prize delivered to them in front of the cameras. Will he pay for the years of therapy this will likely necessitate? Who cares?! USA, USA! Then there are, of course, the mentions of Space Force; the promise to put the first woman on the moon; the claims that unlike so many before me, I keep my promises; the true and real president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido forced to stand and nod for a long, uncomfortable few minutes to Trump can segue into a rant about how socialism destroys countries and Democrats are socialists who will take away your healthcare. Everyone can be a player in the Trump 2020 campaign: an exiled Venezuelan politician, a two-year-old born prematurely, Brett Kavanaugh, Rush Limbaugh, those illegal alien criminals who just keep shooting people, Hunter Biden. All Trumpworlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players (well, except women at eight months gestation with dead fetuses in their wombs. But who cares about them?!) And he wouldnt let you go without playing some of his greatest hits, either. The wall is back! (We have now completed over 100 miles and have over 500 miles completed in a very short amount of time, so by next year we will have 500 miles completed, FYI. Thats creative math.) Space Force is going to make your child an astronaut! The best is yet to come! Nancy Pelosi will hand out a special treat at the end: signed shredded pieces of the speech made by the 45th president to the United States of America. SOTU never disappoints with Donald Trump at the helm, and this really was a bumper edition. You will laugh; you will cry. You will mostly cry. But your tears will be used to power great new opportunities for oil and gas workers! And you will get to keep your overpriced healthcare plan! Smile a little, why dont you? The United States is where all the action is! And shouldnt that count for something? EUROSTAR chief executive Mike Cooper has told Railnews that he is delighted with the launch of through trains from Amsterdam to London, and is hoping that the next stage of Eurostars development will see its route network extended into Germany. A key factor is the proposed merger of Eurostar and Thalys, which already runs high speed trains between Paris or Lille to Brussels, continuing from there to Amsterdam or Germany, where Thalys serves a number of cities including Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen and Dortmund. A merger would combine these routes with the Eurostar network, which not only includes London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris, but also extends to the south of France, particularly to ski resorts. Eurostar ran a preview service for invited guests from Amsterdam to London on 4 February. It was the first time that a train for London had carried passengers from the Dutch capital, and public services will begin on 30 April, with Rotterdam also served from 18 May. The development has been welcomed by Dutch ministers and the domestic train operator, state-owned Nederlandse Spoorwegen, while UK transport secretary Grant Shapps spoke at St Pancras International after the preview train from Amsterdam had arrived. He said: I believe this sends a very clear message indeed, that although Britain has left the European Union, we are emphatically not leaving Europe. And nothing says that better than investing in modern transport links. Our connections to other nations demonstrates our commitment to operate with opportunities beyond our shores, bringing our UK business closer to other markets. As far as a Thalys merger and the possibilities of expansion are concerned, Eurostar CEO Mike Cooper said: We have only scratched the surface with the Netherlands. If I look at our priorities over the next 12 to 24 months it is absolutely to develop that. We are considering this merger with Thalys, and one of the benefits is that it would give us access to the German market. Thalys has been through the learning curve of taking trains across borders into Germany, and that learning curve will be an important strategic asset for us should the deal go ahead. The proposal contains provisions for the release of Palestinian prisoners which will not be fulfilled. Ask any Palestinian and they will tell you about a brother, a sister, a cousin or a friend who was pulled out of their home by the Israeli military in the middle of the night and subjected to the torturous labyrinth of interrogation, military prosecution and internment, or held under administrative detention without charge under the pretence of incriminating secret information. It is estimated that close to one million Palestinians have been detained since Israel was established in 1948. Since 1967 nearly one-fifth of the Palestinian population and 40 percent of Palestinian men have been arrested and charged under the 1,600 military orders that control every aspect of the lives of Palestinians living under occupation. At the end of December 2019, there were at least 4,544 Palestinian detainees and prisoners being held in Israel Prison Service (IPS) facilities. With so many Palestinians unlawfully behind bars, the release of political prisoners is undoubtedly crucial for ending Israels occupation of Palestine. Yet, less than one page was allocated to this issue in the 181-page document outlining US President Donald Trumps so-called peace plan. In the plan titled Peace to Prosperity, dubbed by Trump as the deal of the century, Palestinians found nothing but familiar attempts to take away their most basic human rights and righteous national aspirations. They perceived Trumps deal as the latest chapter in the State of Israels racist and colonial plan to unilaterally control historic Palestine in its entirety and remove Palestinians from their homeland. For many Palestinians, the only difference between this peace plan and the most extreme Zionist proposals is that this one is being pushed not only by the racist leaders of a settler colony, but also by an incompetent and dangerous American administration. Palestinian political prisoners, who have either been left out entirely or reduced to bargaining chips in past political resolution attempts, also found nothing new in the plan which promised them neither freedom nor justice. The plans brief section on the future of Palestinian prisoners attempts to draw naysayers in by conceding that some eligible Palestinian political prisoners will be released in two phases following the signing of a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. According to the document, the first phase is to occur immediately after the signing of the deal, while the timing of the second phase is left to be determined by the two parties at a future date. The document goes on to declare that any additional prisoner releases will be based on Israeli consent. This is a tried and failed strategy. In the summer of 2013, as part of a US-brokered deal to restart Middle East negotiations, Israel agreed to release 104 long-serving prisoners in four phases. Many of these prisoners were convicted long before the 1993 Oslo Accords, and should have already been released under the terms of that deal. Israel initially released 78 pre-Oslo prisoners in three batches. But in April 2014, to punish the Palestinians for gaining greater recognition by the United Nations, Israel announced that it would not release the final batch of 32 prisoners. They remain incarcerated to this day. Just as it was with the 2013 deal, Trumps new deal has no mechanism to force Israel to keep its word and guarantee the freeing of prisoners. The prisoners were being used as bargaining chips to make the Palestinian leadership surrender their demands for freedom and recognition then, and the Trump administration is trying to use them for the same purpose today. Moreover, the document outlining the latest peace plan stipulates that under the proposed deal former prisoners who are currently living in exile will be given amnesty and allowed to enter Palestine. For Palestinian prisoners, and anyone else who has been following their decades-long fight for justice, this is another red herring. In 2009, Israel amended Military Order 1651 (186) to allow the Israeli army to use secret evidence to revoke amnesties that were granted to former Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of past prisoner exchange deals. This allowed dozens of prisoners to be rearrested and made to serve the remainder of sentences they originally received, many of which ranged from decades to life. As they were held on secret evidence, they were unable to defend themselves in courts. The longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israels jails, 61-year-old Nael Barghouthi, is one of the dozens who have been rearrested under this order. Barghouti was first arrested by Israeli forces in 1978. After spending 34 years in prison, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in 2011. He was, however, rearrested in June 2014 under the Military Order 1651(186). He remains in prison to this day. We can and should expect that under the newly proposed plan, those released will be routinely rounded up and put back in jail this is, after all, already happening. The problems with the new plans proposals about Palestinian prisoners, of course, do not end there. According to the deal of the century, Palestinian prisoners will be forced to sign a pledge to promote the benefits of coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, and to conduct themselves in a manner that models coexistence, in order to be released. Could any Palestinian make such a pledge? What does coexistence mean to the nearly one million Palestinians who have been arrested since 1948, whose only contact with Israelis has been at a barrel of a gun, at military checkpoints and during midnight raids in their homes? What are these prisoners supposed to promote following their release, considering that many of them have been physically and psychologically tortured during their captivity, leading to permanent damage to their bodies and their souls? What about those who have had to endure life-threatening hunger strikes to gain basic necessities like family visits and medical care? Finally and here is the real kicker the so-called deal of the century says no Palestinian prisoner will be released if all Israeli captives and remains are not returned to the State of Israel. As the Palestinian Authority has no jurisdiction over Gaza, and consequently over most of such exchanges, this clause almost guarantees that the prisoners will remain incarcerated. Here, it is crucial to note that the remains of more than 300 Palestinians are currently held by Israel in closed military zones. Families have long been fighting for the remains to be returned to them for proper burial. Israel has repeatedly denied their requests. In September 2019, the Israeli High Court ruled that Israel has a right to hold on to these remains to use in future political negotiations. Do not be fooled by Trumps attempts to gaslight the international community into believing that his deal of the century is benevolent towards Palestinian political prisoners. This malicious plan only aims to expand the ongoing mass incarceration and criminalisation of Palestinians who have long been used as political pawns both in life and death but never treated as human beings. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Griswold Lecture Theater was filled nearly wall-to-wall as Northwood University students and Midland residents gathered on Tuesday to hear two unique sides to the debate on mass immigration. As part of Northwood's year-long event series "America and the World," the university hosted two nationally-acclaimed writers for a debate on mass immigration, or the phenomena of large numbers of people relocating to a new country. According to the Pew Research Center, the foreign-born United States population reached a record 44.4 million in 2017 nearly quadruple the same population in 1965. "America has always welcomed immigrants, but each generation is also inclined to revisit the question of whether there is such a thing as too much," said Northwood Professor Glenn Moots, director of Northwood's Forum for Citizenship and Enterprise, and organizer of the debate. "Open discussions can be awkward no one wants to appear to be ambivalent or insensitive but civil discourse is important in a democracy, and that's why we host these debates, to hear both sides." Arguing for more "relaxed" immigration policy was libertarian journalist Nick Gillespie, editor-at-large for Reason Magazine. Gillespie has also served as editor-in-chief of the magazine, as well as writing for media outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times. Arguing against Gillespie in favor of more restrictive immigration policies was conservative political pundit Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor for National Review and frequent contributor to Bloomberg View, National Affairs magazine and CBS News. Ponnuru stepped up to replace Andrew Sullivan conservative political commentator, author and former editor of The New Republic magazine after Sullivan was ordered not to travel by his doctor. David Nicolas of WCMU Public Radio served as the debate's moderator. Describing himself as a "moderate restrictionist," Ponnuru argued that the phenomena of mass immigration is not so much a problem as "continuous" mass immigration. "Sometimes when we discuss immigration, the terms are set in a flat-footed way, as being a question of whether we're for immigration or against immigration the phrasing 'mass immigration' helps to focus our minds on the question of quantity," Ponnuru said. "As with medicine, the poison is in the dose. One can welcome a great deal of immigration while also wanting to impose limits on it." Ponnuru believes that the key factor of making immigration successful for the U.S. is that assimilation take place, which is most likely to happen when immigration is either kept at a moderate level or periodically halted by "pauses." "The 1890-1920 period of mass immigration is remembered as successful because we took a long time pausing from mass immigration, during which a lot of assimilation took place I refer to the 1920-1965 (timeframe)," Ponnuru said. Though he took issue with the term "open borders" due to its overuse and vague nature, Gillespie answered the question "is mass immigration bad for America?" with resounding "hell no." "What immigrants do is they pump new blood cultural blood, economy blood into a country," Gillespie said. "We are an aging country; we need new blood." Gillespie compared the rate and quantity of immigrants coming into the U.S. each year to Midland with its last-recorded population of 41,800 people receiving 200 new people every year. "Newcomers mix things up, and that makes people worry," Gillespie said. "We're talking about mass immigration it's a lot when you count it all up, but when you start to break it down into what's coming into your community, it's a little bit more manageable." Both debaters agreed that an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system as it exists now would arguably be the best solution. "We would be better off with a bit less immigration, but perhaps even more with a different system of immigration, and with an immigration system that deserves to be called a system that is, an immigration policy that looks as though it was designed on purpose, which is not the immigration system we have today," Ponnuru said. Though the debate was not as fierce as it might have been if Sullivan had been able to attend, audience member Ricky Schroeder still found it engaging. "It was very interesting, listening to what they both had to say," the 21-year-old Northwood student said. "I wouldn't say it was a debate, it was more of a discussion." The "America and the World" series is co-sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies. "On one hand, in the world right now you have a longstanding move toward globalization, while you also have a move toward nationalism the current (Trump) administration has spoken openly about nationalism," Moots said. "The question of America's role in the world is probably more in play than its ever been, at least in recent memory." Previous events in the series have included guest speakers speaking about the "parallel histories" of Japan and the U.S., as well a discussion on how the people of Egypt view the U.S. UCLA bioengineers and colleagues at UNC School of Medicine and MIT have further developed a smart insulin-delivery patch that could one day monitor and manage glucose levels in people with diabetes and deliver the necessary insulin dosage. The adhesive patch, about the size of a quarter, is simple to manufacture and intended for once-a-day use. The study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, describes research conducted on mice and pigs. The research team, led by Zhen Gu, PhD, professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, is applying for FDA approval of clinical trials in humans. Gu and colleagues conducted the initial successful tests of the smart insulin patch in mice in 2015 in North Carolina. Our main goal is to enhance health and improve the quality of life for people who have diabetes. This smart patch takes away the need to constantly check one's blood sugar and then inject insulin if and when it's needed. It mimics the regulatory function of the pancreas but in a way that's easy to use." Zhen Gu, former professor in the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering The adhesive patch monitors blood sugar, or glucose. It has doses of insulin pre-loaded in very tiny microneedles, less than one-millimeter in length that deliver medicine quickly when the blood sugar levels reach a certain threshold. When blood sugar returns to normal, the patch's insulin delivery also slows down. The researchers said the advantage is that it can help prevent overdosing of insulin, which can lead to hypoglycemia, seizures, coma or even death. "It has always been a dream to achieve insulin-delivery in a smart and convenient manner," said study co-author John Buse, MD, PhD, director of the UNC Diabetes Center and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. "This smart insulin patch, if proven safe and effective in human trials, would revolutionize the patient experience of diabetes care." Insulin is a hormone naturally produced in the pancreas helps the body regulate glucose, which comes from food-consumption and provides the body with energy. Insulin is the molecular key that helps move glucose from the bloodstream to the cells for energy and storage. Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person's body does not naturally produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not efficiently use the insulin that is produced. In either case, a regular dosage of insulin is prescribed to manage the disease, which affects more than 400 million people worldwide. The treatment for the disease hasn't changed much in decades in most of the world. Patients with diabetes draw their blood using a device that measures glucose levels. They then self-administer a necessary dose of insulin. The insulin can be injected with a needle and syringe, a pen-like device, or delivered by an insulin pump, which is a portable cellphone-sized instrument attached to the body through a tube with a needle on the end. A smart insulin patch would sense the need for insulin and deliver it. The microneedles used in the patch are made with a glucose-sensing polymer that's encapsulated with insulin. Once applied on the skin, the microneedles penetrate under the skin and can sense blood sugar levels. If glucose levels go up, the polymer is triggered to release the insulin. Each microneedle is smaller than a regular needle used to draw blood and do not reach as deeply, so the patch is less painful than a pin prick. Each microneedle penetrates about a half millimeter below the skin, which is sufficient to deliver insulin into the body. In the experiments, one quarter-sized patch successfully controlled glucose levels in pigs with type I diabetes for about 20 hours. The pigs weighed about 55 pounds on average. I am glad the team could bring this smart insulin patch one more step close to reality, and we look forward to hopefully seeing it move forward to someday help people with diabetes." Robert Langer, ScD, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT and one of the paper's co-authors The technology has been accepted into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Emerging Technology Program, which provides assistance to companies during the regulatory process. The researchers are applying for FDA approval for human clinical trials, which they anticipate could start within a few years. The team envisioned that the smart microneedle patch could be adapted with different drugs to manage other medical conditions as well. At UCLA, Gu is also a member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the California NanoSystems Institute and the Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics. Buse is chief of the Division of Endocrinology and the Verne S. Caviness Distinguished Professor of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. NEW DELHI, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ThomasLloyd is proud to have held its inaugural Indian Investment Symposium in New Delhi on 3rd/4th February 2020. The symposium focused on inward investment from Europe to support the current and future expansion of sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy in India. Attended by 120 European delegates and representatives of the High Commissions and Embassies of the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, we were delighted to welcome as guest speakers: Shri Nitin Gadkari, Honorable Union Cabinet Minister. Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Honorable Union Cabinet Minister. Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Raj Kumar Singh , Honorable Minister of State Independent Charge of the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy , Honorable Minister of State Independent Charge of the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Mr. Amitabh Kant , CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) Following the symposium, the delegates visited a solar facility in the state of Maharashtra. About ThomasLloyd Group ThomasLloyd is a global investment and advisory firm dedicated to leading the necessary process for social and environmental change, focusing exclusively on the financing, construction and operation of sustainable projects in the infrastructure, agriculture and property sectors. The range of services comprises products and services through the entire value chain of these sectors. In addition to the structuring, placement and management of impact investing solutions, they include consulting and financing of projects and companies, as well as digital financial services, particularly in investment brokerage, investment advisory and asset management. Founded in 2003, ThomasLloyd is now one of the world's leading impact investors and providers of climate financing. Headquartered in Zurich and with over 250 employees in 17 locations in North America, Europe and Asia, the company currently manages assets of over 3.2 billion Euros for more than 60,000 private and institutional investors. For further information, contact: ThomasLloyd Group Malte Liesch Press/Communication Phone: +49-(0)89-599-890-313 Fax: +49-(0)89-599-890-323 public.relations@thomas-lloyd.com www.thomas-lloyd.com - Sophia Danenberg made history as the first African-American and the first Black woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal - The trailblazer also successfully climbed Mount Tasman, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Rainier and Mount Kenya - Sophia Danenberg joined nearly 2,500 people who have actually reached the top of Mount Everest since 1953 Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Trailblazer Sophia Danenberg joined nearly 2,500 people in 2016 who have actually reached the top of Mount Everest in Nepal, the world's tallest mountain. Sophia Danenberg made history when she became the first African-American and the first Black woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. According to blackhistory.com, since 1953, only about 2,500 people have actually reached the top and over 300 people have died attempting to reach the top of the mountain. Sophia Danenbergs recent achievement is highly remarkable because of the potential threat of death. YEN.com.gh learnt that when she reached the peak, she suffered from bronchitis, a stuffed nose, frostbite on her face and a clogged oxygen mask but she made it to the top and made it back alive. READ ALSO: Kelvin Mensah: Meet the Ghanaian private jet broker and entrepreneur defining luxury travel services The trailblazer has also successfully climbed other popular mountains including Mount Tasman in New Zealand, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Mount Rainier in Washington State, and Mount Kenya. Beyond attaining great feats as mountaineer, she works for Boeing as an aerospace industry expert in global chemical and environmental regulations. Her job is to advise the corporation on EH&S policy developments and interfacing with global trade associations, governments, the United Nations, OECD, APEC and other intergovernmental organizations. Prior to launching her career, Sophia was a researcher-writer for a travel guide in Thailand and a Fulbright Fellow in environmental economics at Keio University in Tokyo. Sophia Danenbergs went on her first hike at Harvard University when she went rock climbing with a friend. In other stories, YEN.com.gh reported that the birthdays are special moments for most people and they go lengths to ensure that their day is immortalised in photos. And Nana Adwoa Konadu Boateng, a female Ghanaian nurse has shared gorgeous images of herself to mark her birthday. Nana Adwoa Konadu Boateng marked her birthday on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, and she took to a popular Facebook group to celebrate her day while urging members of the group to help her express thanks to God. "Please help me wish myself a blessed birthday.....GRATEFUL TO YOU LORD ALMIGHTY,'' Nana Adwoa Konadu Boateng wrote in a post on Facebook. Konadu Boateng's lovely photos garnered over seven thousand reactions and one thousand comments on social media as at the time the story was being published. READ ALSO: Simon Agbeko: Police officer pay bills for baby and to donates crutches at Korle-Bu (photos, video) Faces of Ghana: Ghanas 1st Female Police Bemoans High Rate of Police Indiscipline | #Yencomgh Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK:FDIT) owner of Findit.com, a full service social networking management platform which provides online marketing services, is featuring Findit member Select Floors and their extensive collection of tile, carpet, laminate, luxury vinyl and hardwood flooring. Select Floors is a professional flooring company located in Atlanta Georgia that services the Greater Atlanta Area. Homeowners looking for new custom carpet, tile, hardwood, luxury vinyl, or laminate flooring rely on Select Floors for both professional installation services as well as a premium selection of flooring. With over 17 years of experience, Select Floors has become the trusted choice for professional flooring installation services across Atlanta. Schedule a free in home flooring installation estimate with Select Floors by calling 770-218-3462. Select Floors has claimed 60 Findit Names under the Claim Your Name Feature on Findit. The Findit Names that Select Floors has typically corresponds to the name of a town that they provide flooring installation services in as well as a type of flooring. Each name only exists once and there is no limit to how many names you can claim on Findit. Claiming Your Name on Findit with a specific town and service, like Select Floors has, can help increase overall exposure in search engines and in Findit. Watch Select Floors Hardwood Flooring Video on Youtube Some of Select Floors Findit Sites are: findit.com/vinings-laminate-floors findit.com/roswell-flooring-installation findit.com/brookhaven-luxury-vinyl-floors findit.com/marietta-carpet-installation Select Floors offers free in home flooring consultations; you don't even need to leave your living room to get great new floors installed in your home. Findit focuses on reaching the target demographics for each of these members that may or may not be aware of them in an effort to heighten brand awareness of their services and in some cases, their extensive product lines. Check Out Some of Select Floors On-Site Flooring Photos Click on the Images Above About Select Floors Select Floors has been in business over fifteen years. In the last ten years, we have served over 5,000 homeowners. By offering turnkey service, you can rest assured that from the moment you walk into our showroom until the moment our installers leave your home, every aspect of the process is complete and just as you would expect it to be. Our knowledgeable sales staff will explain all your options for selecting the type of flooring that is right for you. Our professional certified installers have been with our company for over ten years. They are trained to work and handle all of your belongings. Select Floors has been featured in Best of Atlanta magazine. About Findit, Inc. Findit, Inc., owns Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increase in brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTCPinksheets. Safe Harbor: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed. Contact: Clark St. Amant 404-443-3224 SOURCE: Findit, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575327/Findit-Features-Member-Select-Floors-And-Their-Extensive-Collection-of-Premium-Flooring The Loss One of the companies that Leila Janah founded, Samasource confirmed the unfortunate passing of the entrepreneur and philanthropist. According to Samasource, Leila Janah died "due to complications from Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer" at only 37 years of age. Even though she died at a young age, her efforts to help others proved that age does not matter. Leila Janah primarily focused on putting a stop to world poverty as well as promoting environmental sustainability. As mentioned earlier, Samasource is just one of the many companies that she had founded. In actuality, she founded three corporations, each with a specific problem to solve but all with the common theme to provide job opportunities for people. Samasource is specifically concerned with technology; Samaschool, as the name suggests, concentrated on training and discovering new skills for the future economy, and LXMI, a company that puts the spotlight on skincare, keeping in mind the value of organic products. It is quite common for people who lose someone to wish and desire for a redo--to go back in time to either change a couple of things or even to deliver a message that one was not able to do so before. While this is an impossible thing to do, a stroll down memory lane in honor of the departed is the next best thing. According to the information gathered by CNN, Leilah Janah was born on October 9, 1982, in New York, but her parents raised her in one of the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. Keeping in mind her objective and life mission to ameliorate the condition of the people in straitened circumstances, she founded Samasource, not where she was born and raised, but in Kenya. True to her aim, the company currently takes into employment thousands of people not only in Kenya but also in other places like India and Uganda. Aside from employment, the company has also helped a large number of people, almost twenty times the number of people that they currently have. The Legacy In spite of the fact that she made it a high priority to focus on her career to help other people, Samasource stressed how much they will notice the absence of her contagious laughter, her strong and unshakable spirit, and how she miraculously inspires everyone whom she encounters and recognizes to have the potential to do good for everyone else. The chief operating officer of the company, Wendy Gonzalez, currently stands as the interim CEO of the said company. For five short but fulfilling years, the two helped each other bring into being the vision and strategy that is not set for the company. As a business partner, and moreover, as her friend, she shall continue the legacy that Janah has left behind. This is, of course, true not only for Gonzalez but also for every person whom Leila Janah has inspired. Helping those below the poverty line had always been her goal, and now is the time to pay it forward, to pass on the tasks and inspire others to do the same. Many west-central Illinois schools are closing early today to stay ahead of a winter storm expected to bring abut 4 inches of snow overnight. Jacksonville schools were dismissing two hours early; different schools have different dismissal times. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the trial court order of no separate hanging of the four convicts in the December 2012 gangrape and murder case. Justice Suresh Kait rules that convicts can't hang separately as they are convicted by a common order and cant be executed separately. The court also gave one weeks time to all the convicts to exhaust all their legal remedies. This means in one weeks time from today Pawan has to file mercy plea as he is the only one yet to seek that remedy. However, the 14-day time still remains once mercy rejected of the convicts. The High Court also pulled up authorities and said, jail authorities were sleeping since May 2017 when the Supreme Court dismissed criminal appeals of the convicts. ALSO READ| Judgment needs to be implemented at the earliest for Nirbhaya gangrape convicts: AAP leaders For reasons best known to them, a death warrant was not issued after that, the court said. Centre in its plea had challenged the January 31 order of Additional Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court, Dharmendra Rana. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while arguing the matter before the high court, contended that the lower court order provides a perverse and misleading interpretation of Rule 836 of the Delhi Prison Rules. This error goes to the root of the issue. It deserves to be stayed. Every convict is enjoying defeating the judicial system in the country. Convicts are exploiting the process of law, Mehta said. There is a deliberate, well calculated well thought to design to frustrate the process of law, SG added. Opposing the submissions of the Centre, senior advocate Rebecca John argued that Central government has no locus standi to challenge the stay imposed on convict's hanging as it was not a party to the matter in the trial court and has merely superimposed itself in it. The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail. Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petition in July 2018. Minnesota church to build tiny house settlement for homeless veterans Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Minnesota congregation has approved the development of a tiny house community on their church's property to house homeless veterans. Faith Lutheran Church of Forest Lake recently voted to approve the project, with the hope that the tiny house community, known as Sacred Settlement, will be completed by 2021. Faith Lutheran Church Senior Pastor John Klawiter told The Christian Post that the concept of the Sacred Settlement matches the values of our congregation in many ways. We have a lot of members who have served or are actively in the military. We have a newly established veterans committee that will walk alongside any of the veterans that live in the Sacred Settlement, Klawiter said. Faith Lutheran also has a long history of helping support homeless ministry, which includes the establishment of a family shelter in nearby Hugo. A developmental team at the church will be working alongside an architect to determine the proper location on the church property for the community, Klawiter added. This community will be well designed and intentional in how the houses are configured to be aesthetically pleasing and to provide a sense of community within our community, he continued. A Sacred Settlement is not meant to be transitional housing, but a permanent community that brings community and belonging for the residents in a dignified and supportive place to call home. To achieve their goal, Faith Lutheran is working with a nonprofit organization called Settled, which works with churches to create tiny house communities for the homeless. According to their website, Settled works under a community first model to address homelessness, believing that simply building a house for someone homeless is not enough. [The housing first] approach falls short because the problem of homelessness is not a lack of housing and professional help alone, but just as critically, a lack of integration into a supportive and nurturing community, they stated. A Community First approach is an alternative that focuses not only on providing shelter but on meeting relational and social needs in a holistic way. Klawiter told CP that he hoped congregations across the United States will also hear the call to support the homeless communities and act upon the call to love thy neighbor as themselves. I have been blessed to see my congregation respond to this calling to serve deeper in relationship and to grow in compassion, Klawiter added. Its a leap of faith to jump into this ministry, but we know that Gods continued presence is at the heart of this opportunity to alleviate the growing concerns of those experiencing chronic homelessness. New York: Naked photographs of Harry Weinstein were shown to jurors in the Hollywood producer's New York rape trial, on Tuesday, over his lawyers' objections. A sketch artist hired by Reuters witnessed some of the photographs when they were passed to jury, and produced a drawing of it. In the courtroom, prosecutors did not say why the photographs were introduced or how many were presented. A photographer employed by the Manhattan District Attorney's office testified that he took the pictures in June 2018. Weinstein did not respond to reporters' questions about what he thought of jurors viewing naked photos of him. A spokesman for Weinstein declined to comment. Jessica Mann, a woman Weinstein is accused of raping, testified last week about the appearance of Weinstein's naked body. She testified on Friday that when she first saw Weinstein, he had no testicles and appeared "deformed" or "intersex." The term refers to individuals with sex characteristics "that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies," according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting Mann and another woman, Mimi Haleyi. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. On Tuesday, Weinstein's defense objected to the photographs being introduced but did not say why. They did not address Mann's testimony about Weinstein's physical appearance. It could not be determined if prosecutors introduced the photos in an effort to corroborate Mann's testimony. A representative for the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment. The trial is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business and politics. Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein, whose films included "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love," has denied the allegations and has said any sexual encounters were consensual. Weinstein is charged with raping Mann in March 2013. Mann testified that the alleged rape happened in the course of an "extremely degrading" relationship with Weinstein that lasted for years. Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno pressed her over three days of cross examination about that relationship. "I know the history of my relationship with him," Mann said on Tuesday. "I know it was complicated and difficult. That doesnt change the fact that he raped me." Rotunno asked that the answer be stricken, but Justice James Burke denied the request. Mann's testimony on Monday had been cut short after she began weeping uncontrollably as she read aloud an email she wrote in 2014 describing Weinstein as a "pseudo-father." On Tuesday, Rotunno focused on Mann's email correspondence with him following the alleged attack. In one email in 2013, Mann told Weinstein she had just been through a breakup and was hoping to have dinner with him. In another email, sent in 2014, Mann asked Weinstein for a referral so she could get a membership at the Soho House, an exclusive club. In another, she told Weinstein, "I love you, always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call." Prosecutors are expected to rest their case later this week. Kunduz : , Feb 5 (IANS) At least eight militants have been confirmed dead after a security forces' helicopter pounded Taliban hideouts in Gul Tepa district of northern Kunduz province late on Tuesday, spokesman for the provincial government Esmatullah Muradi said on Wednesday. Seven more militants, including a senior commander, Hussain, sustained injuries, Xinhua quoted the official as saying. Hussain, according to the official, had served as shadow district chief for the restive Dasht-e-Archi district. Taliban militants who are operational in parts of the relatively troubled Kunduz province haven't commented. Food Tha Gyi Thamee Restaurant: Serving Upper Myanmar Cuisine Tha Gyi Thamee, a high-quality Burmese restaurant serving simple ah nyar-style dishes from Upper Myanmar and using environmentally friendly takeaway packaging. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy A Burmese restaurant that serves ah nyar-style food, a simple cuisine from the ah nyar region in Upper Myanmar, has gone viral among Yangon foodies because of its environmentally friendly takeaway food policy and ah nyar-style fried chicken. Tha Gyi Thamee, meaning daughter of the village leader, has a limited set menu with just a few choices, including ah nyar-style fried chicken, fried mutton, Pathein homemade fried sausage, baked dried fish, nan gyi thoke rice noodle salad, laphet thoke tea leaf salad and similar fried and homemade items. The restaurant opened in the middle of 2019 with the idea to be a little more health conscious. I have a kid and his favorite dish is fried chickenhe always asks for fried chicken. If we have free time, we can cook for him at home. But if not, we have to buy from a fast food store or other restaurants, said Ma Kay Thi Myint, owner of Tha Gyi Thamee. As you know, when eating out the food isnt always good. They use monosodium glutamate [MSG] and we all know that fried items arent healthy. But if we use good oil and dont use MSG, we can eat fried items safely. There might be other people like us who would like to eat fried food with pure peanut oil, like homemade meals, she added. So we started the Tha Gyi Thamee project with the concept of simple fried chicken but made to be premium quality. Their target customers are mostly children, families and people who dont like to eat rice with oily curry. Before the restaurant opened, we took one year to practice techniques, like how to fry meat using a less oily method, how many times we can reuse the oil and the most important thing: how to pack the takeaway items, said Ma Kay Thi Myint. She wants to bring back the old-school takeaway system where the customers bring their own boxes, or use recycled and upcycled materials. The main motivation was that I want to reduce plastic use. Then I got an idea from my cousin to use htan gau hpa, a four-cornered basket with a removable cover, woven with strips from the stalks of palmyra palm fronds, she said. So Ma Kay Thi Myint traveled to Upper Myanmar and went from village to village to find htan gau hpa. Luckily I found a supplier but they can easily get moldy, so I needed to find a way to preserve them safely. One of my friends has a bamboo chopstick warehouse and I found a way to steam htan gau hpa but it still failed, Ma Kay Thi Myint explained. Finally, she found the solution: to seal the htan gau pha using biodegradable plastic to protect them from moisture. Then, we can keep all the htan gau pha boxes for a long time, she said. On the day my friend and I visited Tha Gyi Thamee, we arrived around 2 p.m. without having eaten lunch. The smell from the kitchen made us hungrier as we ordered ah nyar fried chicken, fried mutton, Pathein chicken sausages, tea leaf salad and two peanut oil rice dishes with yellow peas. As the food was cooked to order and arrived from the kitchen, the smell of peanut oil mixed into the rice was very goodguests can buy the oil at the restaurant too. All the fried items are not too oily and the meats are crispy but not too hard. Their Pathein chicken sausages are flavorful too, different from chicken sausage bought at the local market. Since childhood, we have ordered chicken sausages from that supplier. Theyre homemade and we want to serve our customers good quality food, Ma Kay Thi Myint said. Their tea leaf is also homemade, and its tasty. Guests can buy boxes of the tea leaves at Tha Gyi Thamee as well. Ah nyar-style fried chicken with rice costs 3,500 kyats (US$2.42), a fried mutton set is 4,800 kyats, Pathein chicken sausage is 3,000 kyats and tea leaf salad is 3,000 kyats. The prices are average and worth it, considering the value of the food. In the morning, Tha Gyi Thamee served mohinga and coconut noodle soup. For dessert, the restaurant has different kinds of local sweets, including Mandalay cream malai porridge, ah nyar barley porridge with jiggery and others. Currently, we serve one curry daily as a special dish for those people who want to eat home-cooked curry. We announce all the dishes for the week in advance on our Facebook page, Tha Gyi Thamee so customers can come to the restaurant when their favorite dish is served, explained Ma Kay Thi Myint. At Tha Gyi Thamee, customers can also get a 5 percent discount if they bring their own box for takeaway. If not, the restaurant packs the food with a htan gau pha and charges an extra 400 kyats. Actually, the process of making htan gau pha costs more than 400 kyats but I wanted to make a no-plastic policy at the restaurant, she said. Some are happy to pay but some still dont want to. Regardless, I will never change the restaurants policy. Tha Gyi Thamee is located at 57(B) Tharyar Shwe Pyi Aye Street in Yankin Township, open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. You may also like these stories: Yangon Hotel Hosts Buffets Showcasing US Dishes Fresh, Affordable and Just a Little Spicy: Jana Mon Serves up Myanmars Mon Cuisine in Yangon Mozzarella and Ribs: A Match Made in Heaven at James Cheese Myanmar A masked worker cleans public areas of a shop in Hong Kong. (PHOTO: Associated Press) SINGAPORE The National Environment Agency (NEA) has released an interim list of cleaning products that are known to be effective against the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December. Many general household products contain the appropriate concentrations of active ingredients that are known to inactivate coronaviruses, said the agency in a media release on Wednesday (5 February). Items on the list (see below) include products from popular brands such as Dettol, Clorox and Mr Muscle. These products can be used for disinfecting areas that are very likely to be contaminated with nCoV, for example, the bedroom of an infected person, said NEA. The agency also provided a list of the active ingredients in cleaning products that are known to work against coronaviruses. The NEA's interim list of household cleaning products known to be effective against coronaviruses. (GRAPHIC: NEA) Besides the use of cleaning agents, the NEA said that steam and heat treatment are also effective against coronaviruses a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious conditions such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). On using such cleaning products, the NEA stressed the importance of checking labels, using the products according to instruction and being aware of the potential hazard of each product. The agency also discouraged the use of sprays for disinfecting highly contaminated surfaces or material. NEA noted that its product list should be read in conjunction with the Guidelines and Advisories issued by NEA with instruction and guidelines on how to conduct proper cleaning and disinfection of premises. NEA's list of active ingredients in cleaning products that work against coronaviruses. (GRAPHIC: NEA) Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories Wuhan virus: Singapore to support aid with $1m, medical supplies Wuhan virus: Critical to assess impact of steps by China in next few weeks - top MOH official Wuhan virus: Man from Wuhan is first case in Singapore to fully recover Wuhan virus: Singapore confirms first locally transmitted cluster with 4 cases, total 24 Who let partisan divides back into the room? After several years of relative good feeling and compromise between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and his Republican majority foes in the Pennsylvania Legislature that produced common ground on liquor reforms, pension reforms and criminal justice reforms, partisan differences emerged again Tuesday as Wolf delivered his sixth state budget proposal. In fact, the immediate reaction from several Republicans was so pointed that one wondered what was on the menu at the traditional night-before leaders briefing on the spending plan at the Governors Residence in Harrisburg, and whether it had left some with a bit of election year indigestion. Wolfs $36.1 billion plan includes no broad-based tax increases on the typical Pennsylvanian, usually a good starting point for the GOP. Minutes after Wolfs address, House and Senate leaders attacked the governors proposal, and they started with the old stuff. Republican legislative leaders pounced on a $587 million increase sought in the current-year budget, most of it needed to cover projected over-spending in medical assistance and public welfare spending, with an additional $90 million needed for corrections operations. Administration officials said the numbers are tied to caseloads and cost increases, but GOP lawmakers said that defies belief at a time when unemployment rates are low and state prison populations are declining. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor argued it means the Department of Human Services budget is out of whack by more than $800 million in this year alone, a level of spending that he and others called unsustainable. He cited a proposed accounting maneuver that would push another $300 million of the agencys funding booked for the current budget into the new fiscal year starting July 1. In the private sector, people would be fired for that kind of overage and lack of performance, said Saylor, R-Red Lion. Just another day here for us politicians. Then Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, hopped right on the same train. He called Wolfs address a red-meat speech" designed for the comfort of his leftward-leaning political base. What we will do is," Corman said, is "pull him back to the middle, and we will get to a fiscally responsible budget that does not ask the taxpayer to invest more in state government. Wolf, less than an hour before, probably could have sworn he did just that as he unveiled what he called a "blueprint for unleashing a new wave of prosperity for our Commonwealth.... This budget does not ask any of you to vote for any new taxes. It does not ask any of you to join me on some wild-eyed ideological crusade. Corman said that was wrong to the tune of more than half a billion dollars. He pointed to Wolfs business tax restructuring plan that would result in a projected net increase in corporate tax collections of nearly $240 million next year, plus another request for a severance tax on gas pulled from the Marcellus Shale reservoir - technically not a part of this budget, but the chief payback plan for Wolfs Restore PA infrastructure plan. By that time, observers in the House gallery had already seen more than half of the 21 applause breaks in Wolfs nearly 35-minute speech break down largely on partisan lines. Wolf played his part in all this, too. The second term governor - who earned praise from GOP leaders on budget day one year ago for his fiscal restraint - did repeatedly call for action on Democratic Party priorities like increasing the states minimum wage, extending statewide anti-discrimination protections to sexual orientation and gender identity. He ended his speech with a long soliloquy on the need for new gun control measures. In addition to Restore PA, he called for major charter school reforms aimed at creating a projected $280 million in savings for Pennsylvanias public schools, and he doubled down on his plan to borrow $1 billion for a crash program to rid all of the states school buildings of lead paint, asbestos and lead water service lines. Thats a lot of proposed spending thats outside the four corners of the general fund budget. But its also a lot of spending within the parameters of the budget: Wolfs total ask for 2020-21 comes to $36.1 billion, which is actually a Rendellian-like leap of 6.1 percent from the $34.0 billion plan passed last summer. (Wolf officials, it should be noted, are carrying the spending increase as 4.2 percent; their calculation appears to be based on a 2019-20 spending number adjusted with the proposed supplemental appropriations.) The battle lines were easily evident to some observers outside the Capitol. This is his (Wolfs) last hurrah, noted Philadelphia-based public relations executive Larry Ceisler, a Democratic Party strategist in an earlier phase of his professional life. Ceisler was referring not so much to this budget proposal, but to Wolfs last chance to get a Democratic majority in one or both chambers of the Pennsylvania Legislature. If he wants to cement any type of legacy, its going to have to be with a Democratic legislature, so he has to do what he has to do to gin up that base to try to win some of those more competitive seats, especially in the southeast, Ceisler said. None of this is to suggest that the two sides are anywhere near the flashpoints that blew up around the Capitol in 2016, when Wolf - with his first-year budget still unfinished - presented a 2016-17 plan that doubled down on his proposal for an increase in the states 3.07 percent personal income tax rate. Thats when then-House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, said Wolf reminded him of his young daughter who when she doesnt get her way, lies on the floor and cries about it. She is 4 years old. I have confidence shell grow out of it, Reed said. Im hopeful shes going to mature and were going to be able to work together. I have the same hope for this governor. Wolf, in his turn at the House dais Tuesday, reveled in how far Democrats and Republicans had come together since then, ticking off the accomplishments of the last four years. He called plans for this year ambitious, but said that with Republicans help the state has turned a corner from crisis management to a renewed sense of confidence in Pennsylvanias future." With that, he launched proposals to get more Pennsylvanians off the economic sidelines and back into the labor force through targeted retraining programs, initiatives to provide off-hour child care and transportation, and continued efforts to lower barriers for people leaving the states prisons. He unveiled a double-barrelled approach to help states 14-campus public university system, first by creating a $200 million scholarship program for students from low- and moderate-income households, and secondly, through a $13 million investment in Chancellor Dan Greensteins restructuring plan. Wolf talked about using future proceeds from a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program to help fund public transit programs. I have ambitious plans for this year. And I know that the politics of the moment dictate that some of you go out into the hall after this and talk about the parts you think may be too ambitious, Wolf summed up. But none of us came to public service to prove that better things are not possible. We are here because we believe that we can envision, and achieve, a brighter future for the people we serve. It was still easy to find common ground between the governor on issues like continued investment in public school funding and workforce development. But how much to spend, and how to spend it? Different story. Repeatedly. As Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County, noted, everybody wants to give more state aid to schools. But the administrations proposed revisions to the current-year budget puts our ability to budget and fund those initiatives tremendously at risk. Corman pushed back on the school building improvement plan as not necessarily being fair to all. A lot of schools have gone through their process to mitigate environmental concerns and make sure they get rd of lead and issues of that nature, and sacrificed to do that," the Senate leader said. So the question is, whats in it for them if were doing that (for other schools)? What are we doing for the schools that did proper planning?" All the Republicans vowed to work throughout the upcoming budget deliberations to lower the budgets overall spending number, and keep Pennsylvania on a path of fiscal responsibility. So, it turns out theres a lot to fight over on Wolfs path to prosperity." And - aside from funding Pennsylvanias ship of state and all that that entails for another year - those fiscal battles might go a long way to setting the stage for the political battles to come. More budget coverage from PennLive Gov. Tom Wolf calls for more money for public schools, changes for charter schools Gov. Tom Wolf proposes more aid to college students, tapping horse racing funds Human services get a boost in Gov. Wolfs spending plan No sales or income tax hikes but Wolfs corporate tax plan may be shot down again Businesses would get grants, tax credits under Wolfs spending plan Wolfs budget adds positions to state government workforce Another year of flat funding for public libraries lands them in Loser list Harrisburg to again get $5 million for fire protection The Legislature gets no increase in Wolfs spending plan Gov. Tom Wolfs budget address: In his own words Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. . , Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:30:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia has called on all countries involved in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to preserve the agreement. "We urge all participants to put aside the issue of the dispute resolution mechanism and focus on the main thing: the formation of the environment and prerequisites in order to begin to struggle for the preservation of the JCPOA," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released Wednesday. The point of no return has not yet been reached, the statement said, adding that to ensure the viability of the JCPOA, the strict implementation of its obligations by all parties involved is required. The JCPOA was reached in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia, France, China, plus Germany) and the European Union. Tehran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear weapons program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions. In reaction to the U.S.' withdrawal from the landmark deal in May 2018 and the subsequent sanctions, and in response to Europe's sluggishness in facilitating Iran's banking transactions and oil exports, Iran has been gradually moving away from its nuclear commitments since May 2019. The ministry said that recent statements made by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell could make the impression that an agreement on extending the time range for resolving disputes and postponing the relevant dates has been reached by all participants of the JCPOA. However, at the moment, Borrell has only received a joint appeal from Britain, Germany and France about their decision to launch a dispute resolution mechanism, the statement said. This did not go further, as the JCPOA does not contain any explanations about how and when the mechanism is activated, it said. The ministry also said that Borrell pointed that the JCPOA member countries were reluctant to push themselves into tight time frames. Russia fully agreed that it is not worth starting a process that will lead the JCPOA to a complete collapse, it said. Kia Motors, the Korean car brand, launched the Carnival multi-utility vehicle in India at the Auto Expo. The base version starts at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), with the top-end version costing Rs 33.95 lakh. More than 3,500 bookings have been received for the Carnival since it opened in January. The Carnival will be a premium people mover that will compete against the segment bestseller Toyota Innova Crysta. There will be three trim options with the Carnival and multiple seating options (7, 8 and 9 seater). Electric sunroof, dual touch screen system and powered tailgate are some of the features on the Carnival. There are 37 UVO smart features on the Carnival that can be accessed through a smart watch. The Carnival comes powered by a 2.2 litre, BS-VI diesel engine mated to a eight speed transmission that generates 200ps of peak power. There will be three colour options on the MUV. Kia, which is also one of the biggest SUV makers in India, also showcased the Sonet compact SUV as a concept. The Sonet will compete against the Maruti Brezza and the Hyundai Venue. The Sonet will be launched in the second half of 2020, a senior company executive stated at the launch event. Kookkyun Shim, MD and CEO, Kia Motors India, said, "Compact SUV is a new concept at the Kia pavillion. We also have zero emission Soul and Niro electric vehicles on display." By 2025-end, Kia Motors will have a full line up of 11 battery electric vehicles with a global market share of 6.6 percent in the EV space, Shim added. Kia Motors Corporation is the worlds eighth largest automaker. It clocked 15,450 unit sales in January, retaining its position as the fourth largest automaker in the country in terms of sales. Seltos with sales of 15,000 units becomes the sixth highest selling model in the country, while Carnival also gets a headstart with 450 units dispatched to dealers. In addition, Seltos becomes the highest selling SUV, beating the nearest competitor by more than 30 percent. January marks the highest ever sales for Seltos since its launch in August 2019. Total sales for Kia stood at 60,494 in five months. The company said there will be over 300 touchpoints of Kia in India by December-end. The convoy of CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is on a state-wide tour of Bihar campaigning against the CAA, NPR and NRC, was attacked in Supaul Supaul: The convoy of CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is on a state-wide tour of Bihar campaigning against the CAA, NPR and NRC, was attacked in Supaul on Wednesday evening, police said. The former JNU student leader escaped unhurt in the attack by a stone-pelting mob, though one of the vehicles in his convoy was damaged and its driver injured, Sudhir Kumar Porika, the SP of Special Task Force, who is holding the additional charge of Supaul, told PTI-Bhasha over phone. "The convoy has left for its next destination. Investigations are on to identify and nab the culprits," Porika said about the attack, which happens to be the second such incident in less than a week. On 1 February, his convoy was attacked in Saran district. The 'Jan Gan Man Yatra', which began on 30 January, had a rough start when Kumar was told by police in West Champaran district that permission for his first scheduled rally was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. Congress MLA Shakil Ahmad Khan, who has been accompanying the CPI leader since the commencement of the tour, blamed "negligence on part of the police and the administration" for the incident. "It is a small town. The spot where the attack tookplace is less than a kilometer from the collector's residence.Police personnel and officials of the district administration were deployed. Still the miscreants hurled stones, raised slogans and managed to flee taking advantage of the dark," Khan alleged. "I have telephoned the Director General of Police seeking intervention from the highest level. Our yatra is to continue for the next few weeks. Already, we are on the move, having left Supaul for Saharsa where Kanhaiya's next rally is scheduled on Thursday. We hope the law and order machinery would rise to the occasion," the MLA added. He also claimed that two vehicles a bus and a rath (open chariot-shaped car) were damaged in the attack sharing images on WhatsApp, and alleged that "the driver of the rath, Ejaz, has been seriously injured. A woman sitting next to the driving seat has also received bruises". CPI state secretary Satya Narayan Singh issued a statement in Patna, strongly condemning the incident and demanding stern action against the culprits and "guilty police officials". The state-wide tour is being conducted under the banner of 'Joint Forum Against NPR/NRC/CAA'. It is scheduled to conclude with a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna later this month. I really hope this one is good; the first one is very dear to me but the others kind of fell flat Reply Thread Link Kind of sad it'll be the last one, but better than to see it get stale. Reply Thread Link I'm fine with this. I loved the first two (especially Trip to Italy), but Spain kind of dragged and wasn't as funny to me as the previous ones. I'll still check out the new one though. Reply Thread Link I love the original Trip so much, and enjoyed Italy but Spain was pretty boring to me. I hope Greece can go back to a bit more of the self-reflection and vulnerability especially for Coogan's 'character' because that's what I think made the original work so well, and maybe it will considering how Spain ended. Reply Thread Link I have no clue how that Spain ending will be worked into this one! Reply Parent Thread Link i forgot to watch the spain one probably because the italy one was kinda meh compared to the first one Reply Thread Link I fucked around on my phone for most of the Spain one, and then the last 5 minutes took a turn, so idk what this plot will be like Reply Parent Thread Link the screenshot looks like it's from a spy thriller Reply Thread Link I love greece Reply Thread Link too repetitive lmaooooo they shook it up a little at the end of the last season but i mean, the best thing about it is it's the same shit over and over Reply Thread Link only found the first one kinda funny and the other two boring af. Do not get the appeal for steve coogan but love rob brydon Reply Thread Link I love living vicariously through these series. I don't think I saw a Spain one though, thx ONTD! I will look for it. I wish I could go to Greece... Reply Thread Link 05.02.2020 LISTEN The Chief Executive Officer of the Nation Builders Corps has been awarded by the Management of the Voiceless Media and Consult for what it described as tremendous innovations, prudent leadership and accessibility at his organisation and also services to his community. Presenting a certificate of honour to the NABCO CEO at a brief ceremony in Accra, the Managing Director of the Voiceless Media and Consult, Chief Akilu Sayibu, explained that the Voiceless Media Honours were aimed at encouraging and motivating Ghanaians who were doing their utmost best for Mother Ghana and their communities. He commended Dr. Anyars Imoro Ibrahim for his positive attributes and temperament that has endeared him to not only the staff at the NABCO but also the beneficiaries of the scheme. The Voiceless Media disclosed that it has over a period of six months, through its researchers, monitored the activities of some government appointees both at their corporate organisations and also in their communities and were impressed with the feedback hence the need to recognise some appointees for their services to society. Receiving the certificate of honour in his office, Dr. Anyars thanked the Management of the Voiceless Media and Consult for the award and said he was humbled by the recognition accorded him and intend to the extra mile for the betterment of his organisation and community. The NABCO CEO used the opportunity to call on beneficiaries of the NABCO modules to put in their maximum best wherever they are whilst hoping for a better future. Dr. Anyars Imoro, who is also the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the Tamale Central Constituency, thanked the Management and staff of the NABCO for their support and commitment to duty saying that the honour was for all of them. Present at the ceremony were Messrs Felix Agbodo, Abdul-Dayan Alhassan and Alhassan Iddrisu all of the Voiceless Media and some staff of the NABCO in Accra. This article by Jeff Schogol originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. J. David Patterson has withdrawn his nomination as the No. 2 personnel official at the Pentagon, a U.S. official confirmed on Wednesday. Politico first revealed that Patterson had lost support from lawmakers after word spread that he had co-authored a 2017 opinion piece that blamed terrorist attacks on immigrants who failed to "assimilate into an adopted culture." Patterson could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Congress' website shows that the Senate Armed Services Committee received his nomination on Jan. 9 but it does not indicate that any subsequent action has been taken. The White House did not provide a comment for this story. Patterson is a retired Air Force colonel who flew as a forward air controller during the Vietnam War, according to a Jan. 6 White House news release. He went on to serve as principal deputy undersecretary of defense in the comptroller's office under President George W. Bush and he currently works for SMA Inc. He and A.D.P. Efferson wrote a Nov. 3, 2017 opinion story in The Federalist with the headline "How Multiculturalism Helps Breed Homegrown Terrorism." In the article, Patterson and Efferson argue that multiculturalism is "the antithesis of what the United States stands for" and that immigrants must accept U.S. laws and culture. "One explanation for the rise in terrorist behavior in the United States is the insidious and significantly difficult-to-pinpoint problem of failure to assimilate into an adopted culture," Patterson and Efferson wrote. "It's a phenomenon clearly present in Western Europe and apparently emerging from the shadows in the United States. By growing evidence, promoting 'multiculturalism' is a major culprit. We certainly don't discount the influence of ISIS' ubiquitous propaganda, but to be compelling there must be a willing mind." David Brown, Connor O'Brien and Daniel Lippman of Politico broke the story on Tuesday that Patterson had withdrawn his nomination. More articles from Task & Purpose: China's Foreign Ministry Says US Should Not Overreact to Coronavirus Outbreak Sputnik News 01:57 GMT 04.02.2020(updated 02:14 GMT 04.02.2020) The virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, and since then, cases of it have been registered in more than 24 countries, including the United States. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on the United States not to overreact to the coronavirus outbreak and instead to work with China in combating the virus, China's People's Daily newspaper reported on Monday. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying condemned the US for not providing "any substantial help" to China and making a fuss about the virus outbreak. The spokesperson added that despite the relatively large number of people infected, the death rate from the virus in China is rather low, only 2.1 percent, which is far lower compared to other infections like Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Since it was identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei province, the novel coronavirus has spread to more than 24 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Australia, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. At least 425 fatalities have been registered in China so far, while one patient also died in the Philippines. In total, around 150 people have been infected with the new virus outside China. Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the outbreak. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Cork city cemetery which was hit by a distressing act of vandalism is in line for a range of security upgrades. Seven CCTV cameras at St Catherines Cemetery in Kilcully have been upgraded with the latest in high-definition cameras. The state-of-the-art surveillance system will be monitored 24-hours a day and will allow the operators, monitoring the screens from a remote location, to activate a voice warning system attached to the cameras. The operators will be able to issue a verbal warning through the speakers to warn intruders or anyone spotted acting suspiciously in the cemetery that their activities are being recorded, and that gardai may be alerted. Extra lighting is also being installed in the cemetery car park in a bid to enhance visibility in the area. The enhancements were confirmed by Cork City Council following an update from gardai on Monday in relation to the investigation into the desecration of several graves in the historic cemetery in early January. Several thousand euro worth of damage was caused to graves during the incident, with the headstones on up to 20 graves knocked off their plinths, several statues were beheaded, and various grave ornaments and vases were smashed. It was the worst and largest single incident of vandalism at the cemetery where smaller numbers of graves had been attacked and damaged in recent months. Some of the graves and plots damaged in previous incidents are owned by members of the Travelling community and there were concerns the grave attacks may have been linked to a local feud. But following extensive garda enquiries, it is believed that a suspect has been identified and that the vandalism is the work of just one individual and there is no connection whatsoever to any feuding. A beheaded statues in the graveyard. Picture: Jim Coughlan In the immediate aftermath of the vandalism, Cork City Council arranged for a 24-hour security presence on the site but it warned such a presence was not sustainable in the long term. A committee of concerned relatives was formed and they have been calling for security upgrades in and around the cemetery. Council officials confirmed yesterday that following consultation with security experts, a raft of improvements are now planned in and around the cemetery. A spokesman confirmed that there are no plans to lock the cemetery gates at night. We acknowledge that people have different ways of dealing with grief. Many people visit cemeteries at night-time and we were conscious that we needed to be able to keep the gates open while at the same time enhancing security, he said. Local Fianna Fail Cllr Tony Fitzgerald, who has been working on behalf of the relatives committee, welcomed the improvements. A further meeting will be held shortly to discuss concerns raised at recent public meetings, he said. Gardai told a meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee on Monday that its investigation into the vandalism is ongoing. Palestinian health ministry says Mohammed al-Haddad, 17, was shot dead during clashes in Hebron. A Palestinian teenager was killed by Israeli fire during clashes in the southern part of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has said. Mohammed al-Haddad, 17, was killed by a bullet that penetrated his heart in clashes with occupation [forces] in the area of Bab al-Zawya, according to the ministry. The teenager was killed in Hebron, where a few hundred hard-line Jewish settlers live in a heavily guarded enclave in the heart of a Palestinian city. Relatively small protests have broken out across the occupied West Bank since United States President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East plan last week, with demonstrators sometimes throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli forces. The Israeli military spokesmans office said in a statement that soldiers identified a Palestinian who hurled a Molotov cocktail at them [and] responded with fire in order to remove the threat. The Palestinians have roundly rejected Trumps Middle East proposal, which offers them limited self-rule in scattered chunks of territory with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem while allowing Israel to annex large parts of the West Bank. In Gaza, the military said it targeted a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. There were no reports of casualties. The besieged territory has been relatively calm in recent months as part of an informal truce between its Hamas rulers and Israel, but tension has increased since Trump unveiled his plan. The Palestinians, as well as much of the international community, view the settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem territories seized by Israel in the 1967 war as illegal and a major obstacle to peace. In just six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 13 official visits to neighbouring countries (excluding China), compared to just five by Manmohan Singh in 10 years. This included the first bilateral State visit to Sri Lanka in almost 40 years, if one excludes Rajiv Gandhis 1987 short trip to seal the military intervention. Such intense political outreach reflects the urgency of Indias regional connectivity strategy, also known as Neighbourhood First. Unfortunately, much of the analysis has focused on whether a pro-China or anti-India leader has taken over power in Kathmandu or Colombo. Such a narrow geostrategic focus misses the many small successes on the ground that have silently enhanced connectivity with the neighbours. Over a dozen Integrated Check Posts are being built to facilitate trade and mobility along the borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar. In 2019, India and Nepal inaugurated South Asias first cross-border oil pipeline and, for the first time, Bhutanese cargo reached Bangladesh on an Indian river vessel. Following upgradation with Indian aid, the airport at Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, was reconnected with a direct flight from South India after more than four decades. Finally, the launch of the South Asian Satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation enhanced digital connectivity across the region. These are just a few examples indicating how connectivity has become the new consensus across the Indian government, and is making unprecedented progress, beyond just political summits, statements and slogans. But keeping this momentum will not be easy, with a variety of challenges on the horizon. First, Modis political initiative has exposed significant implementation deficiencies and policy coordination challenges between various ministries. With Myanmar, for example, the Trilateral Highway and Kaladan projects have been delayed for almost two decades, affecting Indias reputation. Delhi will also have to do a better job at roping in Indias border states, which are the main stakeholders in deepening cross-border linkages. Second, China cannot be blamed for doing its own part. Pressuring Nepal or Sri Lanka to limit their economic relations with China because of intangible security concerns is no longer sustainable. These countries will continue to balance Beijing and Delhi and, as the late strategist K Subrahmanyam noted, Delhi must thus take a relaxed view because in the longer run the imperatives of geography, cultural affinities, international politics will bring home to our neighbours the facts of life and of realpolitik. India may never be loved in neighbouring countries, but it can certainly be respected for delivering more, better and faster to support developmental objectives. Third, for all the investment in physical infrastructure of roads or ports, the region will not integrate unless India opens up its market and embraces the logic of economic interdependence. There are no short-cuts to the slow process of bottom-up integration of cross-border sectors such as transportation, electricity or water. This also requires short-term sacrifices that will hurt protectionist lobbies at home, especially when it comes to reducing trade barriers. The recent hike in import tariffs has sent the wrong signal to Bangladesh and there has also been no progress on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement with Sri Lanka. Fourth, South Asia is no longer Indias exclusive backyard and there are important new players that can support India in developing Indo-Pacific alternatives to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Especially with Japan, India embraced an ambitious agenda of trilateral cooperation, of which Sri Lankas Colombo port terminal is the best example, but Delhi seems to have bitten off more than it can chew. Greater exchange of information and coordination may be more effective than pushing for more joint projects in third countries. Similarly, within the region, while keeping the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in the freezer makes sense until relations normalise with Pakistan, India will have to complement its bilateral track with other neighbours with greater investment in regional institutions, whether the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) or the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative (BBIN). Fifth, cultural and religious values have taken a front seat in Neighbourhood First, which incessantly promotes India as a civilisational hub. But emphasising alikeness is often counterproductive with smaller neighbours, where identity politics favour distinctiveness and also fuel anxiety about greater linkages with India. In addition, will India be able to keep the ideological high ground to pressure neighbours on democratisation and inclusiveness? In the past, Delhi took up the causes of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Madhesis in Nepal, but these have been losing salience in the name of economic and security pragmatism. Finally, regional connectivity will only succeed if India invests in increasing its knowledge about the region. South Asian and neighbourhood studies have been neglected for decades at Indian universities and there is a generational gap of experts, for example on the rapidly changing political, economic and social dynamics of Nepal or Myanmar. Constantino Xavier is a fellow at Brookings India, New Delhi. He is a leading a research initiative, Sambandh, on regional connectivity across sectors. The views expressed are personal . - Akothee claimed she only attended maths class so she could get the free nyayo milk - The songstress made the revelation while mourning late Moi - The ex-president will be remembered as the initiator of free milk programme in schools The sudden demise of Kenya's second president Daniel Moi touched many people in different ways. Most people who mourned his death, which occurred on Tuesday, January 4, morning, remembered him as a good leader who was all for peace and unity. READ ALSO: Wema Sepetu confesses to terminating late TZ actor Steven Kanumba's pregnancies READ ALSO: Facebook's second in command Sheryl Sandberg engaged to fiance at 51 Local celebrities such as Akothee were not left behind in mourning the late former president. In a long social media post seen by TUKO.co.ke, the mother of five disclosed Moi made her attend mathematics classes while still in primary school. According to Akothee, she really hated the subject and would skive maths classes save for days which students were supplied with free milk, popularly known as Maziwa ya Nyayo, which was one of Moi's legacy. READ ALSO: King Kaka mourns Razz Msupa, female artiste he featured in Ligi Soo remix ''This is the only thing that would make me attend double maths lessons, otherwise, I had no business with Mr Oile. Coming to class and always accusing me of feeling sweet because my dad was rich, according to him, my dad was very rich because I was dropped in school with governments land rover with at least two policemen. Oile ,I was not feeling sweet, you just instilled fear in me, and every time I saw you coming to class with a cane in your hands, my mind switched off because I knew what that cane will be doing to me!" she wrote. READ ALSO: Lanet: Maharusi wafika kanisani wakiwa walevi Her post was echoed by many of his followers who admitted indeed Maziwa ya Nyayo made schooling fun during Moi's era. Most people who commented on Akothee's post cracked silly and thanked her for taking them down the memory lane. Many of them also mourned the late Moi holding Kenya had lost a great leader. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Crime of passion | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates Source: TUKO.co.ke Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar does not behave like a "remote control", adding that he himself takes guidance from Pawar if he comes across any issue. Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress are a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra government. "There is no question of remote control etc. We are three separate parties. I am the head of my party and yes, I got the hint of your question... Do you want to ask about Sharad Pawar? Sharad Pawar does not behave like a remote control... If he has some suggestions, he definitely gives it," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Thackeray said, "...His (Pawar) experience is tremendous. He definitely guides me through his experience. I also take his guidance if there is an issue. But he too has a specialty... If you explain something well to them, then in a moment he says okay, you are right." The Chief Minister further stated that there is no need to worry at all as "along with the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Maharashtra also has a bright future." Speaking about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Thackeray said that he is a "good colleague". "He is aware of issues, has experience. In the last election, we have commented strongly on each other. But now, while coming together and running the government, we are handling each other," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T hree teenagers have been jailed over the "cowardly" killing of an Uber Eats delivery driver who was attacked as he tried to stop his scooter from being stolen. Iderval Da Silva, 46, died after being punched and kicked by youths outside a cafe in Battersea, west London, in May last year. He was left unconscious on the floor after the group had tried to steal his moped and died three days later from a bleed on the brain. Jadan Richards, 19, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years for murder at the Old Bailey on Wednesday. Jaden Richards, 20 sentenced to life imprisonment Tay Clovey, 16, was also ordered to be detained for 11 and a half years for murder. The judge lifted a reporting restriction on naming Clovey after the sentencing. A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons and was found guilty of manslaughter but cleared of murder, was jailed for four years. Tay Clovey, 16, will serve a minimum of 11 and a half years of his life sentence The victim's son Caique Keven Silva told the court of his anguish following his father's death. He said in a statement: "I find it very difficult to explain how not having my dad here is affecting me. "Part of me still thinks that this hasn't really happened, that it is only a nightmare from which I will wake up at any time. Scooter belonging to Iderval Da Silva / PA The news left me shocked to my core and I immediately made arrangements to fly to London." He added that he was "crushed" after seeing his father "lifeless and in the state he was in". "He was not responding to me when I spoke to him, when I hugged him or when I held his hand." Pictured: da Silva whose son spoke emotionally about missing his dad His father will be "sorely missed" by his family in Brazil, he said, as well as by his friends in England. "My dad was there for people, never thinking of himself," he said. "No one deserves to lose their father in the way I lost mine." While passing sentence, judge Mark Dennis QC said: "There is no reason to think that any of you were immature for your age at that time, nor that you would not have known that such an unnecessary and cowardly assault was both wrong and wholly unjustified." Following the trial Jasire Frazer, 18, from Wandsworth, and a 17-year-old were cleared of murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter. The South African Rand exchange rates trended higher on Wednesday, following a sharp improvement in market risk sentiment on reports of a significant breakthrough in the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus. The coronavirus outbreak in China has spread panic through markets over the past couple of weeks, with investors fearing the impact on Chinas economy could have widespread repercussions for global growth at the start of 2020. The Sars outbreak was estimated to have cost the global economy approximately $30bn in 2003, but with Chinas increasingly important role in global supply lines analysts fear the impact could be even bigger this time around. This is why markets have cheered the news that British scientists working on a vaccine for the coronavirus have made a breakthrough this week. Professor Robin Shattock, head of mucosal infection and immunity at Imperial College London suggests that his team is now ready to begin testing the vaccine on animals, with the aim of trialling it with humans by the summer. Whilst this would come too late for the current outbreak it would be essential if there are additional cases in the future. Shattock said: It's not going to be too late if this becomes a pandemic and if it circulates around the world. We still don't know much about the epidemic itself so it may wane over the summer months if it is like influenza. We may see a second wave come through on a global basis and if it comes a vaccine will be really important and would be in place to tackle that. News of a possible vaccine is a major relief to ZAR investors, as a slowdown in China is likely to weigh heavily on the domestic economy given its role as South Africas single largest export market. South Africa's Ramaphosa Considers Eskom Debt Relief Also influencing the South African Rand on Wednesday was the news that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is favourably disposed to proposals to help lower state power utility Eskoms considerable debt pile. The cash strapped utility has had to implement regular load shedding in recent weeks as it struggles to provide enough generation capacity, plunging parts of the country into frequent black outs. The power cuts are thought to be taking a heavy toll on South Africas economy, with some analysts even warning they may leave the country on the brink of recession. So news that Ramaphosa may be amendable to efforts to reduce Eskoms debt by around $17 billion will be welcome news for ZAR investors. In the meantime there are hopes that Turkish power-ship company Karpowership could plug the short-term gaps in generation at a lower price than it costs Eskom to maintain its own generators. Karpowership is reportedly awaiting a response from South Africas government to its proposals but is confident its ships could be operational quickly. ZAR Exchange Rate Forecast: Softening Business Confidence to Drag on the Rand? Looking ahead, the South African Rand (ZAR) could face some headwinds in the latter half of the week with the publication of South Africas latest business confidence index. Economists forecast business sentiment will have deteriorated last month as coronavirus fears took hold. The Rand may extend these losses through Fridays session as well, should a solid US payroll report buoy the US Dollar (USD) and limited demand for risk-sensitive currencies. Update Feb. 5, 7:45 p.m.: One of the injured victims has died of his injuries. He was identified as Lewis Thompson Jr., 33, of Selma Original story: A Selma man was killed and two others were injured in a wreck Tuesday morning in Chilton County, authorities said. Kahmcel Rashad Jones,23, died in the wreck around 11 a.m. Tuesday on Alabama State Route 22 near Chilton County Road 410, according to Alabama State Trooper Benjamin Michael Carswell. Jones was riding in a 2000 Honda Accord that collided with a 1999 Hino Truck. Jones, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers were taken to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries, Carswell said. No further information was available as state troopers continued to investigate the wreck. Kenya's former and longest-reigning president, Daniel Arap Moi, has died at the age of 95. President Uhuru Kenyatta made the announcement on Tuesday morning and has declared a period of national mourning until a state funeral is held. Former Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled the country with an iron fist between 1978 and 2002, has died aged 95, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced Tuesday. Moi's 24-year rule saw his country become a one-party state where critical voices were silenced, corruption became endemic and tribal divisions were stoked and turned bloody. "It is with profound sadness that I announce the death of a great man," Kenyatta said in a statement. He ordered a period of national mourning until a state funeral is held, on a date not yet announced. The former president died "in the early morning of 4 February at Nairobi hospital in the presence of his family," Kenyatta said. Chequered career Moi fought off rivals in a bitter contest to take the top job in 1978, succeeding Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta. The speaker of Kenya's national assembly, Justin Muturi said that Moi was an "astute politician", who "employed pragmatic nationalism to keep the country together for the 24 years that he led our nation. "He will be remembered for his great efforts towards consolidating peace and tranquility within the Horn of Africa and largely the East African Region, at a very difficult time for the region and the African continent," Muturi added. His son Gideon Moi, a senator, confirmed Moi died at 5.20 am (02:20 GMT). "He passed away peacefully," he said. One of the defining scandals of Moi's presidency was the loss of $1 billion from the central bank through false gold and diamond exports. A report by the risk consultancy group Kroll in 2007 claimed Moi's family and clique laundered money on a global scale, buying properties and companies in London, New York and South Africa, and even a 10,000-hectare ranch in Australia. OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CNote has entered into a partnership with the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIFund) that will allow NCIFund to access new investor capital aligned with NCIFund's mission of catalyzing environmentally and socially responsible business development, sustainable jobs, and wealth creation in rural, minority and low-wealth communities. This partnership builds on CNote's mission to create a more inclusive economy for everyone by enabling investors of all sizes to deploy capital with mission-aligned organizations while generating competitive financial returns and measurable social impact. As CNote aggregates increasing investor demand seeking socially responsible investment opportunities, it partners with leading Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) like NCIFund. CDFIs are federally-certified community-focused lenders that enable transformative economic development in their communities, providing funding to small businesses, affordable housing development, and other projects in communities that often lack adequate access to financial resources. NCIFund's focus on locally owned triple-bottom-line (TBL) small to mid-sized businesses in central Appalachia and the Southeast aligns with CNote's mission and matches growing investor demand to support rural communities. CNote co-founder Yuliya Tarasava remarked, "We're excited to have NCIFund as a partner; they have an amazing pedigree of driving measurable change in the communities they serve. As more investors look for ways to invest in rural America, NCIFund presents an opportunity to do that in a very intentional and sustainable way." Founded in 1999 by The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the West Virginia Small Business Development Center and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), NCIFund was created to address the lack of access to capital for small businesses and farms that responsibly steward natural resources and provide vital community services. NCIFund now serves West Virginia, North Carolina, and the Appalachian regions of surrounding states, where it has lent over $70 million to 400+ companies, generating more than 5,300 jobs. Over 50% of NCIFund's borrowers are women or people of color. "We rely on capital from impact investors to help us increase our support for women business owners, entrepreneurs of color, and the underserved and rural communities we work hard to serve," said Marten Jenkins, CEO of NCIFund. "So, we're very pleased to become a CNote partner. CNote is an exciting way for NCIFund to connect with investors who share our mission." About CNote CNote is an award-winning, first-of-its-kind financial platform that allows anyone to make money investing in causes and communities they care about. With the mission of closing the wealth gap, CNote directs every dollar invested toward funding female- and minority-led small businesses, affordable housing and economic development through its nationwide network of CDFI community lenders. About The Natural Capital Investment Fund The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIFund) invests in enterprises that promote a healthy environment and healthy families in Central Appalachia and the Southeast, catalyzing environmentally and socially responsible business development and wealth creation in rural, minority and low-wealth communities. The fund meets its mission as a federally certified community development financial institution (CDFI) by lending to and assisting triple-bottom-line enterprises that promote equity, protect the environment and grow the economy, including: healthy local food and specialty agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, eco- and heritage tourism, child and adult day care, primary care providers, and small town main street redevelopment. Media contacts Thinkshift Communications Anya Khalamayzer | [email protected], 732.614.2318 Sandra Stewart | [email protected], 415.391.4449 Related Images cnote-logo.png CNote Logo Logo with mycnote.com url listed. Related Links CNote - Investing Platform NCIFund - CDFI SOURCE CNote Park ranger Eric Knight introduces the history of Independence Hall to visitors at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Read more At the start of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, it seemed no founder was mentioned more than Pennsylvanias most famous delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin. The way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told it in announcing the start of the impeachment inquiry last fall, Americans gathered on the steps of Independence Hall in 1787, awaiting to hear of the nations new government, when someone from the crowd asked Franklin: What do we have: A republic or a monarchy? The scientist and statesman replied: A republic, if you can keep it. Now, with the Senate acquitting Trump of all charges, visitors have used the place where the small two-sentence drama over monarchy or republic played out to reflect upon the countrys founding at this historic moment. People are hungry for an alternative to the partisan paralysis and clashes that are paralyzing Washington, and that is what the framers intended: A constitution shaped by the understanding of the people, said National Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen. Whether we survive as a republic depends on self-education. That is why it is inspiring to see how eager people are to educate themselves. Since Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry, traffic to the National Constitution Centers Interactive Constitution site is up 41% compared with the same period last year, according to the center. Brian Litofsky, 48, said hes often thought about the Constitution amid the impeachment proceedings in Washington. You can talk about the emoluments clause. You can talk about the bribery line in the impeachment clause and all that kind of stuff. Its kind of all relevant. READ MORE: Constitution Center visitors, like the rest of America, have mixed opinions on impeachment READ MORE: The articles of impeachment against Trump, explained He and his wife brought their children, Madelyn, 9, and Jacob, 7, to Independence Hall when the family was visiting from Boston. Madelyn needed no convincing that the history of this country is important. She wore her Hamilton sweatshirt. Since I love history we thought it would be nice to go here, Madelyn said. I really like tours a lot. Eric Knight, a National Park Service ranger who gives tours of Independence Hall, said he feels a responsibility to tailor the stories he tells to the audience, especially if there are children staring back at him. Theyre going to be the legacy. Theyre going to grow up and be voting, Knight said. If the kids don't get it, we don't get it. We dont keep it. Looking at the 50 visitors gathered in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall as the impeachment inquiry was ongoing, Knight, 64, focused on the children pressing themselves against the railing and raising their hands. He asked: What happened in this room? They, um, signed the Declaration of Independence. They signed the Constitution. They talked about how bad the British were. Yes, that is all true, Knight, 64, told the children. But before talking about all that, he said, it was important for them to understand what it took for the men gathered here to found a nation. In this room we forget there were arguments, there were debates, there were sacrifices," Knight said. More importantly, there was compromise. Parents said they wanted their children to see past partisan bickering and feel as though they have an active role in democracy. Showing their children the place where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created, parents said, was a way to bring history to life and make it relevant to the present. READ MORE: Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers greatest fear | Opinion Visiting "at a time when Im worried about Americas future theres a sense of that, wanting my kids to understand this American experiment, said Dan Waite, 48, of Highland Park, N.J. Trips like this, Waite said, are a way to jump-start conversations about what it means to be an American with his children, Talea, 8; Sarina, 10; and Mateo, 13. He hoped physically being in Independence Hall would make those values less abstract than the words in a textbook. I have this hope we can restore civil conversation, he said, where we believe at least some good in each other. Deirdre Keogh, 44, of Braintree, Mass., tries to keep her children, Evelyn, 11, and Coleman, 9, from watching the news because it just brings you down. But Evelyn sees her grandmother watching the news. She loves Fox News," the girl said. "She always has it on. She never stops watching it. She loves Donald Trump. Keogh knows her children listen to television or the radio and hear how the country is divided. She said she appreciated how Knight, the park ranger, emphasized compromise. I still want them to have some confidence that our government is doing the right thing for them, Keogh said of her children. So hopefully we can get through this time preserving that. As a high school teacher, Yaira Sotomayor, 33, of Cibolo, Texas, said she often thinks about how the countrys Constitution and understanding of history shapes the future. She brought her children, Analysse, 12, and Pablo, 9, to Independence Hall when the family was in town. I wanted them to see it firsthand," she said. "And when they actually hear the teacher in the classroom, to be able to say: Oh, Ive been there. The president, Sotomayor and her husband said, has divided the country. She wants her children to see how, amid all of this, a document created in Philadelphia more than two centuries ago still guides the country today. You read the Constitution and it still applies to this day," Sotomayor said. "And we still have the system of checks and balances, and I think it really works. Lee Yeash, 57, hasnt been feeling as if her one vote in Lumberton, Burlington County, would affect what happens in Washington. But while looking around Independence Hall and seeing all the other visitors, she felt included in the nations story. When you listen to the news, it seems like the only states that matter are Ohio and Iowa and New Hampshire, Yeash said. But when you come here, I think it brings you back to where everything started that you still feel like youre a part of it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 06:33:18|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close HAVANA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov was expected to arrive in Cuba on Wednesday to bolster political and economic ties with the Caribbean island, local media said. Lavrov was scheduled to meet with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, as part of a four-day, three-nation tour of Latin America. The meeting will serve to reaffirm the longstanding relationship between Cuba and Russia. Also on the agenda is Washington's half-century trade embargo against Cuba and stepped up sanctions under the current U.S. administration. Lavrov visited Havana in July to follow up on bilateral cooperation agreements to improve the island's rail network, among other things. Trade exchange between the two countries surpassed 500 million U.S. dollars in 2019. Lavrov's tour will also take him to Mexico and Venezuela. Mexico this year heads the regional integration bloc known as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and Russia is interested in strengthening cooperation with the region's integration blocs, according to local media. In Venezuela, the Russian envoy will meet with President Nicolas Maduro, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, and Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza to discuss a negotiated solution to the country's political crisis, according to a statement issued in Mexico. Venezuela and Russia have cooperation in various fields, including energy, medicine, pharmaceuticals, mining and transport. She played Monica Geller on Friends, and Gale Weathers in the Scream films. Courteney Cox made her casual outfit stylish on Tuesday, as she was seen getting a lift after a shopping trip to The Row's flagship location on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California. The Cougar Town star, 55, wore a lovely pair of dusty rose sweatpants that were cuffed above the ankle, which she paired with similarly hued New Balance sneakers and a crisp white t-shirt. Breezy chic: Courteney Cox made her casual outfit stylish on Tuesday, as she was seen getting a lift after a shopping trip to The Row's flagship location on Melrose Place in West Hollywood Cox also had a white sweatshirt tied around her shoulders on the brisk and windy Los Angeles day. In addition to a Row shopping bag, she also carried a chic looking black shoulder bag. Courteney smiled as she made her way, wearing her glasses. Her trademark raven-colored hair was parted at the middle, and she tied it back in a ponytail. Summer vibes: The Cougar Town star wore a lovely pair of dusty rose sweatpants, which she paired with similarly hued New Balance sneakers and a crisp white t-shirt The Row is a stylish label and brand established in 2006 by former Full House actresses Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, headquartered in New York. Courteney, a Golden Globe nominee in 2010 for her role on Cougar Town, is at work on a new TV series called Last Chance U, now that hopes for a long-awaited Friends reboot/reunion have been all but dashed. The most recent update came from a Guardian interview with David 'Ross' Schwimmer, published late last month, when he said, 'I just don't think it's possible, given everyone's different career trajectories. Monica: Courteney, a Golden Globe nominee for Cougar Town, is at work on a new TV series called Last Chance U, now that hopes for a long-awaited Friends reboot have been dashed; seen here in January in Los Angeles Memories: The most recent update came from an interview with David 'Ross' Schwimmer, when he said, 'I just don't think it's possible, given everyone's different career trajectories' 'I think everyone feels the same: why mess with what felt like the right way to end the series? I don't want to do anything [just] for the money,' he concluded. Friends originally ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, and made worldwide stars out of the six lead characters - Schwimmer, Cox, Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matt Le Blanc (Joey Tribbiani) and Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing.) In October, Jennifer shared an Instagram photo reuniting with her castmates, which broke world records and went on to garner 15.8 million likes, to date. David's comments come after the much-lauded Friends reunion special was downgraded to a 'maybe' according to people at HBO. Parliamentary questions resemble one of those phrase books which enable one to express, in a foreign language, various thoughts for which it is hard to imagine much need in everyday conversation, useful though they are in the House of Commons. Is the Prime Minister right or wrong? Tony Lloyd asked from the Opposition front bench during Northern Ireland Questions, while trying to establish whether there will be customs checks in the Irish Sea. The Prime Minister is always right, Robin Walker replied from the Treasury bench. New Conservative MPs should memorise this phrase, which they will find can be used on almost any occasion, especially if they want to raise a laugh. There is no place in our society for those who peddle hate and division, a Tory backbencher remarked. Again, a useful phrase, which new MPs should commit to memory. Britains place in the world is at a crossroads, Jeremy Corbyn said. He might have added that as far as political life is concerned, we are always at a crossroads, even when we have decided which way to go. This is beyond satire, Boris Johnson said. We will have a wonderful summit in Glasgow, the Prime Minister also remarked. As so often Im not entirely sure what the Honourable Gentleman is talking about, Johnson said soon after. Is he intentionally trying to impersonate Donald Trump? Ian Blackford asked the Prime Minister. This Government as a whole is absolutely passionate about buses, Johnson said a few minutes later, a remark unlikely to be made by President Trump. If Ionesco had set one of his plays in the House of Commons, he could have taken the dialogue straight from Hansard. But since Ionesco is no longer with us, perhaps one of my younger, fitter colleagues can get going on a phrase book which will be of assistance to new MPs. A man who killed his son for an insurance payout 12 years ago has now also been convicted of murdering his wife years earlier for the same reason. Karl Karlsen, 60, was found guilty by a jury on Monday of the 1991 arson death of his wife Christina Karlsen in their home in Murphys, California. He was accused of setting the fire that killed Christina in order to get the $200,000 life insurance policy that he took out for her just 19 days before she died. Karlsen faces a sentence of life without parole when he is sentenced next month over his wife's death. Karl Karlsen, 60, was found guilty by a jury on Monday of the 1991 arson death of his wife Christina Karlsen in their home in Murphys, California Karlsen collected $200,000 in life insurance when his wife Christina died in a California house fire in 1991. He received a $700,000 life insurance payout when his 23-year-old son Levi was crushed repairing his father's car in New York in 2008 The father showed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read out and his attorneys have already said they will appeal, the Union Democrat reports. He is already serving between 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to the 2008 murder of his and Christina's 23-year-old son Levi in New York. Karlsen faces a sentence of life without parole when he is sentenced next month over his wife's death Karlsen killed his son to get his $700,000 insurance payout. His children long suspected Karlsen was responsible for their mother's death. Christina, who was 30 at the time, died trapped in the bathroom of the couple's home after spilled kerosene and a faulty electric light ignited a fire. Karlsen was credited with saving Levi and the couple's two daughters by getting them out of the burning home. He told investigators at the time that he was not able to go back for his wife. It was later determined that Christina couldn't escape through the bathroom window because Karlsen had boarded it up from the outside just days earlier because it was supposedly broken. Investigators listed Christina's official cause of death as an accident. Karlsen left California with his three children two weeks later and used the $200,000 life insurance money to buy a home in New York. Karlsen was accused of setting the fire that killed Christina (above together in an undated photo) in order to get the $200,000 life insurance policy that he took out for her just 19 days before she died Christina, who was 30 at the time, died trapped in the bathroom of the couple's home after spilled kerosene and a faulty electric light ignited a fire In a 2013 interview with ABC News, the couple's daughter Erin Deroche - who was just six at the time - recalled hearing her mother screaming as the fire burned. 'At the time, I was six years old. I didn't understand that my mother was behind that wall dying,' Deroche said. As she got older, Deroche said she was able to process what happened and came to believe that her father didn't do enough to help save her mother. 'He didn't make an effort to save her. He just stood there,' Deroche said. 'That's not how people are supposed to act when someone they love is trapped and literally burning in front of them.' Deroche said she and her brother Levi were about 11 or 12 when they secretly discussed the possibility that their father was somehow involved in their mother's death. Levi, who by then was a father of two young children, died in 2008 in an apparent accident when he was just 23. A truck fell on top of him while he was working underneath it doing repairs at his father's property. His death, like his mothers, was initially ruled an accident. Police started looking into the case when a family member tipped them off that Karlsen had claimed his son's $700,000 life insurance payout. Karlsen was sole beneficiary of Levi's insurance policy. Levi, who by then was a father of two young children, died in 2008 in an apparent accident when he was just 23. A truck fell on top of him while he was working underneath it doing repairs at his father's property Karlsen left California with his three children two weeks after his wife's death and used the $200,000 life insurance money to buy a home in New York. His family and children have long suspected him of being involved in Christina's death His second wife Cindy agreed to help investigators by wearing a wire and speaking to him about Levi's death. She feared for her life after learning Karlsen had taken out a $1.2 million life insurance policy on her. In the secret wire recordings, Karlsen admitted to removing his truck's front tires and raising it on a single jack before Levi volunteered to do the repairs. Following a 10-hour interrogation, Karlsen eventually told police he had been there when the truck fell on his son. He maintained it was an accident but admitted that he left his son to die. He later pleaded guilty in exchange for 15 years to life in prison. After Karlsen was charged with his son's murder, police in California reopened the investigation into his wife's death. His daughter said she was relieved to know police were investigating her father. 'It was never a question for me... It was a matter of fact,' Deroche told ABC News. Soon after her brother's death, Deroche said she visited her father in prison and told him that she knew he was involved in both killings. 'He won't ever own up to Levi,' Deroche said. 'But he did tell me 'It's been over 20 years, and they still haven't got me yet. What makes you think they're going to get me now?'' A man was baffled by a bizarre creature he reeled out of a river, prompting people to speculate what exactly it is. The video of the creature, thrashing around on a wharf, was shared on Facebook and it is clearly attached to a fishing line. Somebody tell me what the f*** this is coming out the river, the man who caught the creature wrote on Facebook. The video, shared by the man from the US state of Arkansas, has been viewed over 900,000 times since it was uploaded. People in the comments guessed the creature was some type of fish or squid while others suggested it was some sort of stingray or skate. The skate was reacting to being caught while still attached to fishing line. Source: TikTok/Natalie1526n One outlandish prediction was that it was spawned from a squirrel and a fish, saying contaminated rivers are deforming area fish. Looks like a baby rat, one commented. However, PhD Candidate in The Fish Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons, was able to provide some clarity. Ms Pini-Fitzsimmons said the creature was definitely a skate, which is part of the same family as stingrays, which explains the resemblance between the two. In the video, it appears the skate is reacting to being caught, curling up its wings underneath its body, Ms Pini-Fitzsimmons said, also adding the skate in the video was definitely a male. Skates are smaller than stingrays, with prominent dorsal fins, according to Sciencing, and they lay eggs, opposed to rays, which birth live young. There are more than 150 species of skates, which do not like brackish and freshwater environments. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. [February 04, 2020] Deltapath's Noise Cancellation Gateway Helps Businesses Improve Communication and Collaboration Over Phone Calls and Fuels Artificial Intelligence SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deltapath, a Unified Communications company, specializing in revolutionizing the way organizations and people communicate, announced their Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway is set to release in the first quarter of 2020. The Noise Cancellation Gateway leverages Dolby's renowned audio expertise and technology. It filters nonhuman voices and focuses on improving two major areas garnering a lot of attention: voice calls and artificial intelligence. Voice calls remain a popular mode of communication, but the new work-from-anywhere trend is increasing the number of voice calls initiated outdoors in noisy conditions. With the Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway, callers and call recipients experience crystal-clear audio, even in the noisiest situations encountered over the phone. More companies are turning to artificial intelligence to help them improve customer experience or make digital assistants indispensable. The Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway can positively impact a company's AI engine's accuracy rate, whether your AI engine is analyzing voice input, interpreting voice commands, transcribing audio into meaningful text, or interpreting peoples' emotions through their tone of voice. Deltapath's newest product is available to every UC platform and every industry. Consumers are not limited to using the Deltapath UC Platform to enjoy it. David Liu, CEO and Founder of Deltapath stated, "Background noise is an age-old problem that has been polluting conversations and data for years. Deltapath decided to introduce a noise cancellation gateway because there is a huge need for technology to tckle background noise more than ever before. More and more employees are working and attending meetings outside the office. While we can all control background noise in our office, it is impossible to do so outdoors. Deltapath wants employees and customers to all have positive, fulfilling experiences whenever they are on a phone call no matter where they are. Equally important, more companies are using artificial intelligence to drive business outcomes. Companies such as those using speech recognition for their IVR systems and voice assistant devices can all get more from our gateway, which can filter the noise that regularly gets recorded with any voice input, making analysis and interpretation of the data extremely difficult." "As the biggest contact center supplier and value-added reseller for Genesys in Great China, eSoon recognized the importance of the Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway for our customers who not only operate large scale contact centers but utilize some form of voice AI technology. The gateway will serve to enhance the accuracy of voice recognition for these companies. Most importantly, the Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway helps increase productivity and enhance the customer experience." eSoon Daniel Cheung VP, Sales "Conferencing is the core of collaboration and it allows distributed and virtual teams to feel connected over the phone, enabling everyone to participate and share their thoughts. When voice quality is poor, however, conferences become frustrating and nonproductive. With the Deltapath Noise Cancellation Gateway, background noise is eliminated, improving audio quality during conferences." GuangZhou YunQu-info Deng Congjian Deputy GM About Deltapath Inc. Deltapath liberates organizations from the barriers that prevent effective communication and revolutionizes the way organizations communicate through innovative technologies that meet the needs and the wants of organizations. We specialize in solutions that unite different communication platforms, audio and video equipment, telephones, desktops and mobile devices to make communication accessible and intuitive. It is our belief that every solution should embody simplicity and offer users the right form of communication for the right occasion, right at their fingertips. For more information about Deltapath and to learn how we can help you reach your goals, please visit www.Deltapath.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Contact Info: Tribe Builder Media Kristen Shea [email protected] 929-367-8993 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deltapaths-noise-cancellation-gateway-helps-businesses-improve-communication-and-collaboration-over-phone-calls-and-fuels-artificial-intelligence-300998885.html SOURCE Deltapath [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Saudi Arabias National Cybersecurity Authority has launched the Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh, the Middle East largest to date cybersecurity event. The Forum, held under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, is taking place over two days, on February 4 and 5, 2020, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. The international Forum is hosting global policy makers, businesses, investment firms and international organisation representatives to discuss how the worlds collective cybersecurity should be maintained in the face of tomorrows threats. Over the two days, participants from all over the world will discuss how the issues under the Forums five themes (cybersecurity industry, international cyber collaboration, cyber culture, cyber disruption, and cyber threats and resilience) should be understood, and what responses need to be developed to strengthen the integrity of the worlds cyber defences. Some of the key speakers at GCF who will be talking to the above themes include the Heads of the UK and Singapore governments Cybersecurity Authorities, both globally renowned experts in their field, as well the Chairman of Advisory Board of World Economic Forums Center for Cybersecurity. Experts from the tech sector include Diana Kelley, Microsofts Cybersecurity Field CTO, and Travis Reese, the President of FireEye. Saudi Arabias own national cybersecurity champions will also be speaking on the criticality of cybersecurity in their respective fields: Eng. Khalid Alharbi, CISO for Aramco, and Yasser Al Swailem, Cybersecurity VP for Saudi Telecom Company. Speaking about the Forum, the Chairman of the Saudi Arabias National Cybersecurity Authority, Dr Musaad bin Muhammed Al Aiban, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers, said: We are tremendously excited to host this event and act as a catalyst for cybersecurity cooperation and innovation. The constantly evolving threat landscape requires intensified global cooperation on cybersecurity and the Global Cybersecurity Forum is encouraging global leaders to take meaningful actions to better protect the worlds economies and makes cyberspace safer for all. Saudi Arabia has steadily increased its cybersecurity capabilities in recent years and is now the most cybersecure state among the Arab nations. The country is looking to further consolidate its position as a regional leader and become a global cybersecurity hub, so the Forum will also bring investors together with cybersecurity business that are developing the defensive technologies needed to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving threats. The Forum, which is convening more than 1,200 participants from more than 58 countries will be attended by some of the worlds leading cybersecurity companies, including Microsoft, IBM, and FireEye. The Forum is anticipated to generate significant investments in the cybersecurity industry, accelerating the development of Saudi Arabias already rapidly growing cyber sector and supporting the growth of the global cyber industry. The Global Cybersecurity Forum will help bolster global cooperation between regional and global cybersecurity players. Five major MOUs will be signed by NCA with Saudi and international organisations throughout the event to reemphasise and strengthen their commitment to international cybersecurity cooperation. The MoUs being announced illustrate how the Forum is helping fuel growth of the cybersecurity industry, expanding on Saudi Arabias existing capacities and creating up-stream growth beyond its borders, not just in jobs, but in knowledge and technological innovation through collaborative initiatives to expand the capacity and develop the technologies needed to keep the world ahead of tomorrows threats. The MoUs will allow NCA to provide better cybersecurity training to its youth and collaborate with international organisation on cybersecurity strategies. The MoU between NCA and Global Resilience Federation seeks to enhance cybersecurity protections for critical national infrastructure through improved information sharing and threat mitigation strategies through a national information sharing blueprint. The MoU between NCA and Underwriters Lab is a strategic partnership that will enable the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to further enhance its national capabilities in cyber threat mitigation. The MoUs signed by NCA with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the Saudi Human Resources and Development Fund and NEOM will enable Saudi students to acquire a deep knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity matters, increasing the pipeline of qualified cybersecurity professionals for the growing cybersecurity industry. -- Tradearabia News Service This is a two-part feature on graduate students Crystal Grant and Daniel Desautels who were named Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellows by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Part 1: Crystal Grant From Jan 21 to April 10, graduate student Crystal Grant is participating in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicines Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C. Named in honor of the late NAS Policy Fellow Christine Mirzayan, the fellowship gives graduate students hands-on experience with the development of science and technology policy by way of research projects. Mirzayan herself was a fellow at the Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education. She graduated from the University of California in San Francisco with a PhD in neurobiology and had a deep interest in sciences role in society. On Aug. 1, 1998, before completing her fellowship to move on to the Association for the Advancement of Sciences Congressional Fellowship, Mirzayan was murdered. Now, in its 23rd year, the namesake Fellowship trains graduate students who share Mirzayans ambition. Crystal Grant is one of those students. A sixth-year PhD student at the Laney Graduate School, graduating in May 2020, Grant studies epigenetics and its relationship with aging under the advisement of professor of genetics at Emorys School of Medicine Karen Conneely. Grants fascination with biology began in high school but her focus on genetics began while an undergraduate studying biology at Cornell University. One day, the professor put up this really interesting slide, where fruit flies were growing legs out of parts of their body where they shouldnt, says Grant. The homeotic genes of the flies that control the arrangement of their bodies were reorganized so that the legs grew where the antennae would normally grow. I thought that was amazing, and [it] made me want to start researching, says Grant. During the last two years of her undergraduate studies, Grant participated in the National Science Foundation-funded Biology Research program. The program aims to prepare underrepresented students for research careers. After graduating from Cornell in 2013, Grant became a research assistant for the Feinstein Institute. Her time at the institute coincided with the budget sequestration of that year and was impactful in her decision to pursue her PhD. I was working in a lab with other scientists and everyone was talking about how this shutdown would negatively impact the NIH and its ability to fund grants, explains Grant. I thought then that there needed to be scientists who are comfortable talking to policy makers. That was my final push to get a PhD. Since her enrollment in LGSs Genetics and Molecular Biology program, Grant has had numerous research opportunities while traveling to Switzerland through Emorys Molecules to Mankind program. By making connections in Switzerland, Grant learned about and accepted the NSF-funded Graduate Research Opportunity Worldwide (GROW) program. Grant also took part in yet another NSF-funded fellowship: The Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Additionally, Grant participated in a Visiting Researcher Fellowship with the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, staying with the program for a year. With her rich research experience and a passion for science advocacy, Grant will use the Mirzayan Fellowship to gain experience in science policy. For 12 weeks, she will work on the Committee for Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine to gain a better understanding of the experiences underrepresented women face in tech fields. My PhD is very bioinformatics heavy, [and] I am a black woman, says Grant. Ive had firsthand experiences in how underrepresented women fare in tech. Getting to contribute to that type of study as well as policy recommendations of how to rectify the issue, is something Im super excited about. The Kent Center School Scholarship Fund will host the 25th annual Chocolate Fest Feb. 12 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Kent Center School. A snow date of Feb. 13 is set. Patrons will be invited to pay $5 at the door to receive a plate of homemade chocolate goodies from local bakers. Bakers interested in making chocolate treats are reminded there is a no-nut policy not just peanuts due to student allergies. Baked goods should be delivered to the 9 Judd Ave. school Feb. 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the front door of the school. Proceeds go to scholarships for the post-secondary education of Kent Center School graduates. For information, mail info@kcssf.org or visit www.Facebook.com/kcssfchocolatefest or call 860-927-3497. Just after the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on the two articles of impeachment against him, Senate Republicans announced Wednesday that they have requested Hunter Bidens official travel records from the Secret Service. Senator Chuck Grassley, chair of the Finance Committee, and Senator Ron Johnson, chair of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, requested the documents on former vice president Joe Bidens son as part of their ongoing investigation into his possible conflicts of interest involving his business dealings with China and his lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. The committees are reviewing potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama administration, particularly with respect to his business activities in Ukraine and China, the chairmen said in a letter to the director of the Secret Service. Johnson and Grassley previously requested from the Treasury Department any documents pertaining to the younger Biden and the the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma Holdings. House Democrats launched the impeachment inquiry after news broke about a July 25 phone call Trump had with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. During that call, Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to investigate Bidens son, Hunter Biden, over allegations that Biden leveraged his position as vice president to benefit his son, who held a lucrative position at a Ukrainian gas company. Biden was in charge of addressing corruption in Ukraine as vice president at the time. Lawmakers subsequently accused Trump of obstructing the congressional inquiry by refusing to provide documents and allow witnesses to testify. The White House temporarily withheld $391 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine intended to help the country ward off Russian aggression, prompting suspicion of a quid pro quo scheme in which Trump is said to have finally released the aid in exchange for the promise that Bidens conduct would be investigated. Story continues The Senate voted Wednesday afternoon to acquit Trump of the two impeachment charges brough by the House, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. More from National Review SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach, the number one sales engagement platform, today announced the speaker lineup for its annual conference, Unleash. Unleash brings together the best sales, operations, marketing, and success leaders from across the sales industry. Unleash provides an opportunity to learn best practices while connecting with leaders from fast-growing startups to Fortune 500 companies. At the conference, attendees will hear from world-class leaders, industry disruptors and individuals who are "Building the Future of Sales." This year's headliners at Unleash include: Guy Raz - Named "one of the most popular podcasters in history" by The New York Times and co-creator of the popular NPR show How I Built This - Named "one of the most popular podcasters in history" by and co-creator of the popular NPR show Carey Lohrenz - The first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy - The first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy Mike Clayville - Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at Amazon Web Services (AWS) - Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Eric Yuan - Founder & CEO of Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - Founder & CEO of Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Kelly Wright - Seasoned sales and technology executive with extensive experience as a board director and advisor - Seasoned sales and technology executive with extensive experience as a board director and advisor Mary Shea - Principal Analyst at Forrester covering the sales engagement space "The caliber of speakers coming to Unleash this year is incredible. I'm excited about the discussions we'll be having around technology, revenue frameworks, and people," said Manny Medina, Outreach co-founder and CEO. "Not only is Unleash the leading sales engagement conference, but it's also the best opportunity for sales professionals to learn how to hone their skills and drive impactful results." Unleash will take place at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in the heart of San Diego from April 7-9, 2020. With three days of game-changing content, attendees will walk away with tangible ways to increase efficiency, build stronger relationships with customers and close more deals. Additional speakers will be announced over the coming weeks. To reserve your tickets for Unleash, visit https://unleash.outreach.io/. About Outreach Outreach is the number one sales engagement platform that helps companies dramatically increase productivity and drive smarter, more insightful engagement with their customers. More than 4,000 companies such as Adobe, Tableau, Okta, Splunk, DocuSign, and SAP depend on Outreach's enterprise-scale, unparalleled customer adoption, and robust AI-powered innovation. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io. PR Contact: Amanda Woolley [email protected] SOURCE Outreach Related Links www.outreach.io 1 of 2 Now Apple will come to your house to repair your iPhone Apple introducing a new onsite repair service that will see a professional come to your home or office to perform the repair. The service was first spotted by MacRumors last week on Apples support site, which notes the following: In select locations, onsite service may be available. The onsite repairs will be handled by Go Tech Services, which lists itself as an Apple Authorized Service Provider on its website. The only way to set up an onsite visit is to reach Go Techs website through Apple Support. Otherwise, youll see the error you get when you click the link above. According to MacRumors, onsite repairs are currently being offered in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas. If you search for repairs on Apples support site in any city where onsite repairs are offered, Go Tech will be the first option listed. If you select Go Tech, Apple will warn you that an onsite visit fee may be charged in addition to the providers standard repair cost. You can then click Book through this provider to be redirected to Go Techs website, where you can choose a time and location for the repair visit. Read More... NATO allies meet for Defender 20 strategic planning workshop in Warsaw By Spc. Cody Kellum February 4, 2020 WARSAW, Poland -- In support of Exercise Defender-Europe 20, service members and representatives from Poland, the U.S. and other NATO partners met for a strategic planning workshop in Warsaw, Poland on Jan. 30, 2020. Defender 20 is the largest U.S. force deployment to Europe in more than 25 years. This exercise demonstrates the U.S. military's ability to quickly deploy a large force to support the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and respond to any crisis. Included among the distinguished visitors present were the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher, Maj. Gen. Joe Jarrard, U.S. Army Europe Deputy Commanding General for Army National Guard, and Gen. Jaroslaw Mika, the General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces in Warsaw. "This exercise is not just symbolic, it gets to the heart of what we mean when we talk about collective European security," said Mosbacher. "In a crisis, NATO must be able to respond as quickly as possible. Defender-Europe 20 simply could not happen without Poland." The multinational training exercise is scheduled to take place this upcoming Spring. Approximately 37,000 U.S., allied, and partner nation service members from 18 different countries are expected to participate. "The purpose of Defender-Europe 20 is to exercise the U.S. military's ability to deploy a large force from the U.S. to Europe to respond to any crisis alongside our NATO partners," said Maj. Gen. Joe Jarrard. "This is not just a U.S. event, but includes all of Europe and is centered in Poland. Thank you for all of the support to our soldiers here in Poland, Defender-Europe 20, and to the NATO alliance." There will be several media events held during the exercise. Journalists, media outlets and those looking for more information should email U.S. Army Europe at USArmyEurope.MediaDesk@mail.mil. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation has announced Matthew Ballard and Daisy Maurya-Ballard as the event chairs and the event committee for Journey 2020: An Evening in Bali. The Balinese-themed Journey 2020 gala, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Saturday, March 7, is the foundations third annual premier fundraiser in support of their free grief support and counseling services, available to anyone in the 22 counties they serve. The Ballards said, We believe that raising money and awareness for the grief support programs are a way for them to share the love, hope and peace they have received from Hospice of Chattanooga. In 2016, they experienced hospice care during the illness and loss of Daisys mother, and Hospice of Chattanooga helped their family through every stage of her mothers illness and later death. Mrs. Maurya-Ballard is partner, owner and operator of Willow Street Properties alongside her husband, Mr. Ballard. Mr. Ballard is a realtor with Uptown Firm specializing in commercial and residential investment real estate. They are longtime Chattanooga residents who love to travel in their free time. With grateful hearts we sincerely offer our thanks to Daisy and Matthew for their gifts of time, effort and leadership with Journey 2020," said Tracy Wood, president and CEO of Hospice of Chattanooga. "Our grief support programs mean so much to so many families who need the compassion, love and hope Hospice of Chattanooga can give them." Journey 2020: An Evening in Bali features an elegant and fun evening of cocktails, silent auction, four-course dinner and program, and after party including dancing to The Downtown Band, casino games, and more. Individual tickets are $300, tables are $2000, and sponsorships begin at $5,000. All proceeds benefit Hospice of Chattanoogas grief support and counseling services available to anyone in Chattanooga and the surrounding 22 counties of southeast Tennessee, western North Carolina, and north Georgia that Hospice of Chattanooga serves. Tickets and tables may be purchased online at www.hocjourney.org or by calling 805-7119. Santelli's ability to build partnerships and collaborate for our success is unparalleled in the industry. Alera Group has appointed Tina Santelli as Vice President, Carrier Partner Management for Alera Group Employee Benefits nationally. In this role, Santelli will be responsible for leading key top-tier partnerships at Alera Group, strategically developing relationships with preferred carriers. She will be responsible for maintaining and strengthening existing carrier relationships, as well as identifying new strategic partnerships that will benefit Alera Groups clients across the country. With each of these partners, Santelli will focus on working collaboratively to provide business solutions that align with Alera Groups goals. Additionally, she will continue to increase Alera Groups value proposition by identifying the right combination of specialty benefits that enhance core service offerings. I am excited to have Tina working on Aleras behalf to lead our carrier partnerships, said Sally Prather, Employee Benefits Practice Leader of Alera Group. Her ability to build partnerships and collaborate for our success is unparalleled in the industry. Santellis previous experience includes serving as Vice President of Specialty Benefits with GCG Financial, where she provided clients with ancillary solutions. Before her time with GCG, she worked with Unum for 13 years on the sales and service side. As Vice President, Carrier Partner Management, Santelli joins Alera Group as the latest member of an industry-leading team of professionals who are dedicated to Alera Groups collaborative growth across the United States. For more information about Alera Group, visit http://www.aleragroup.com. About Alera Group Based in Deerfield, IL, Alera Groups over 1,900 employees serve thousands of clients nationally in employee benefits, property and casualty, retirement services and wealth management. Alera Group is the 15th largest independent insurance agency in the country. For more information, visit http://www.aleragroup.com or follow Alera Group on Twitter: @AleraGroupUS. Sarah Elizabeth Snapp was born Nov. 8, 1960, in Woonsocket, R.I., to John and Janice Forbes. She spent her childhood years in Rhode Island and Florida, moving to Twin Falls, Idaho, when she was a sophomore in high school. Sarah graduated from Twin Falls High School and went on to attend Boise State University and the College of Southern Idaho, where she earned an associate degree. Sarah loved and was passionate about many things. Her love for her family, the natural world, animals and art always shined through her actions. She cherished time with her children, husband, parents and siblings. She also loved time in nature, taking frequent trips to Yellowstone National Park. Her artistic eye was apparent in the photographs she took there, especially in those of her favorite animal, the gray wolf. Tending to wild birds in her backyard was another of Sarahs favorite pastimes. Sarah loved her pets like family and had multiple special furry friends over the years. Sarah had an immense love for other people, always making it a point to prioritize doing things like giving to those in need. She was a humanitarian and someone who had empathy for others. Sarah always had unwavering faith, despite the struggles that life gave her. Delhi will vote to elect a new assembly on 8 February, with anecdotal reports suggesting a bipolar contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital in the 2019 elections. Its overall vote share was an overwhelming 57%. The AAP, in fact, finished third in terms of vote share. The BJP also controls all three municipal corporations in Delhi. These polls were held in 2017, when the AAP was already in power. Having spent a full term in office, the AAP should also be facing the headwinds of anti-incumbency. These statistics should have made the BJP a clear favourite in the elections. Yet, it is being seen as the underdog. Its chances of edging past the AAP will largely depend on whether or not there is a consolidation of what the party thinks is a silent majority against the Shaheen Bagh protest. The sit-in led by women in this south-east Delhi neighbourhood has become the mascot of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA. The BJP has been branding all opposition to the CAA as being against national interest per se. Why is the BJP not being seen as the clear favourite in the Delhi polls? Also Watch l Delhi Election 2020: What is at stake for AAP, BJP & Congress There are two main factors which explain this. First is Delhis relative opulence vis-a-vis the rest of India. This makes the Narendra Modi governments flagship welfare schemes a bit ineffective in Delhi. Second is the AAPs conscious strategy of positioning itself as a purely governing and not an ideological alternative to the BJPs Hindutva politics. Let us look at them one by one. Delhi, compared to other Hindi belt states, does not have a significant number of people who live in abject poverty. According to the 2015-16 National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), the share of households belonging to the lowest wealth quintile lowest 20% of the population of India is much less in Delhi than in other states, just 0.2%. This also means that the share of people who would have benefitted from the flagship welfare programmes launched by the Modi government is much lower in Delhi. For example, under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana which provides free cooking gas connections to women in poor households, 77,000 connections were released in Delhi, which is just 2.2% of the number of households in the city-state, as per the 2011 Census. This is the lowest share of beneficiaries among all big states. See Chart 1: Share of households in the lowest wealth quintile in major states and share of households benefiting from the PM Ujjwala Scheme This constituency of extremely poor voters, who have also gained directly from the BJPs welfare push in the last five years, has been an important pillar of the BJPs electoral strategy in the past few years. (see https://bit.ly/2UnmwGX for a discussion in the context of Maharashtra) Because of Delhis unique economic position, there is a natural limit to this constituency. The AAP, on the other hand, is banking on gains from its own popular welfare model. The schemes include zero water bill up to 20,000 litres of monthly consumption, zero electricity bill up to 200 units of monthly consumption; and subsidies for those who consume up to 400 units; improvements in government schools and hospitals and opening of Mohalla clinics, free travel in DTC buses for women, caps on fee hike in private schools, etc. While most of these schemes are more likely to benefit the non-rich, they do not explicitly exclude the rich from availing of these benefits. The other benefit which AAPs welfare initiatives offer is that they work on self-selection, and therefore, are as easy for migrants as for others. Targeted welfare schemes are less likely to benefit migrants, as they find it difficult to navigate local administration structures which certify eligibility for such benefits. This multi-class welfare push, along with claims of corruption-free governance, is the main political pitch of the AAP to the Delhi voter. And, as of now, there is no allegation of corruption against the AAP government, which has caught popular imagination. The biggest proof of this is that no such thing features in the BJPs campaign narrative. Also, a large part of this push is identified with Arvind Kejriwal himself, as is the case with Narendra Modi at the level of the Centre. This has given AAP an extra bit of advantage. There is another set of statistics which makes Delhi elections a very interesting affair. AAPs support base seems to be made up of an extremely mobile set of voters, who are not hesitant to jump ship to not just the BJP, but also the Congress. AAPs 2015 victory would not have been possible without a section of both Congress and BJP voters changing loyalties. Similarly, its complete collapse in 2019 is a result of the 2015 base deserting it for both the BJP and the Congress. See Chart 2: Vote share in Delhi since 2013 elections While the Hindu consolidation behind the BJP is widely acknowledged, it is worth pointing out that the Muslim vote in Delhi consolidated in favour of the Congress rather than the AAP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This is best understood by an analysis of six assembly constituencies (ACs), which have seen at least one Muslim candidate from the Congress, BJP or AAP in the 2013 and 2015 assembly elections. These are Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Okhla, Seelampur, Babarpur and Mustafabad. The AAPs vote share in these six ACs rose from just 17% in 2013 assembly elections to 39% in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and then to 52% in the 2015 assembly elections. But the party polled just 13% votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election while the Congress partys vote share rose by 28 percentage points to 47%. Votes from these six ACs contributed 18% of the total votes received by the Congress in Delhi in the 2019 polls, the highest for the party since 2008 (comparison to previous elections is not possible because a delimitation exercise changed constituency boundaries). See Chart 3: Vote share of Congress, AAP and BJP in 6 ACs To be sure, the BJP managed to get 37% votes in these ACs in 2019. That these ACs comprise of both Muslim- and Hindu-dominated areas can explain this. For instance, even as the Congress won Matia Mahal AC in 2019 with 65% vote share, the BJP has a majority vote share in 120 of the 251 booths in this AC. That the Muslim voter is willing to desert the AAP for the Congress shows that the AAP is still not seen as the established secular alternative. This could actually be a conscious choice which the AAP has made. After the drubbing it received in the municipal elections in 2017, the AAP has steered clear of explicitly trying to champion the ideological positions against the BJP. It has supported decisions such as abrogation of Article 370 and no major AAP leader has physically participated in the protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University or Shaheen Bagh recently. This might have allowed the AAP to insure itself against the BJPs ideological attack, which could have driven away pro-BJP voters from the AAP. The Muslim voter, in this case, might not be willing to vote for the Congress, which is not even being seen as a contender in these elections. The BJP, thanks to the opportunity which the debate around CAA has given it, has been pushing the AAP to shed its perceived neutrality and adopt a critical stance vis-a-vis those who are opposing the BJPs ideological push. In doing this it is hoping to break away a section of not just Hindu voters of the AAP but also alienate Muslims, who might chose to desert a party which does not care about what has perhaps become the biggest political issue for Muslims in many decades. Delhi, as a city-state, is not comparable to the rest of India both in terms of demography and resources. Yet, the 2019 Delhi results offer an important political insight. If the AAP retains power in a comprehensive manner, it will mean that a governance driven, ideologically agonistic brand of politics can hope to counter the BJP. If the BJP manages to stage an upset or even come close to it, AAPs tactics of non-engagement with core-Hindutva is bound to be questioned. The parents of a four-year-old boy with childhood dementia say it's 'too late' to slow the disease. James Young, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, has been robbed of the ability to walk, feed himself or talk. His condition has rapidly gone downhill since the age of two, as doctors struggled to work out why he was having seizures and behaving oddly. Parents Diana and Dean Young say they were 'palmed off' with suspected diagnoses of epilepsy and autism. It wasn't until January this year they were finally told James has the rare Batten disease otherwise known as childhood dementia which affects an estimated 30 to 50 children in the UK. The couple, who say they are living a 'bad dream', believe that the severity of James' condition could have been avoided if he had been diagnosed earlier. The neuro-degenerative is incurable, but can be slowed. The life expectancy is just 12 years old, but a recently funded drug on the NHS could change that. Diana and Dean Young have revealed their heartbreak watching their son, James, four, suffer with Batten disease - otherwise known as 'childhood dementia'. They said their daughter, Gracie, nine, has been a 'saviour' helping her brother James, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, has lost the ability to walk, feed himself or talk Mr Young, 33, previously a kitchen and bedroom fitter, said: 'We both feel angry. Why James? Why us? We were supposed to have the rest of our lives together in our perfect family. 'Everything seems very dark and very uncertain. 'It's been terrible. I've cried every day since he was diagnosed. 'Diana and I both feel totally helpless. We know the disease is going to take over, we just don't know when. 'He's already deteriorated a lot. He can't walk without assistance and he can only say ten words or so and they're fairly unclear. 'The whole experience has been like a bad dream.' From an early age Mr and Mrs Young both thought there was something wrong with their son. Mrs Young, 29, said: 'We knew there was something not right. When James was two we thought he'd be talking and doing toilet training but he never really spoke. 'Trying to get him to go to the loo didn't really happen. It just progressed from there. 'He started developing behavioural problems. He would smash things and I remember him throwing apple juice at the TV once.' Because of his developmental issues, Mr and Mrs Young decided to have James tested for autism. But the test never took place. James' condition has rapidly gone downhill since the age of two, as doctors struggled to work out why he was having seizures and behaving oddly Because of the rarity of the condition, it took a long time to diagnose James. Mr and Mrs Young believe this has scuppered the success of his treatment. He is pictured on his birthday Eventually, children with Batten disease become blind, wheelchair bound, bedridden, and without cognitive function. James is pictured with his sister, Gracie Two days after their wedding in June 2019 the couple were forced to return to the UK from their honeymoon in Spain after James had a severe seizure. WHAT IS BATTEN DISEASE? Batten disease, also known as Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, is a rare genetically-inherited disease. It is caused by waste buildup in the cells which creates neurodegnerative effects including: Blindness Seizures Personality changes Dementia Loss of motor skills and the ability to walk, talk and communicate Because it is a rare disease, it is often difficult to diagnosed and untested at birth. There are 14,000 children worldwide that are diagnosed with the disorder. There is currently no known cure or treatment available for Batten disease. Advertisement James was initially diagnosed with Doose syndrome - an epileptic condition - in August 2019 before being finally diagnosed with Batten disease in January 2020. Batten disease is a disorder of the nervous system which begins in childhood. There are different forms of the illness depending on when symptoms begin. James has the CLN2 type, only recorded 300 times worldwide in scientific literature. Collectively Batten disease strikes an estimated one in 100,000 people worldwide including one or two of every 50,000 children in the US and up to six babies born in the UK a year. Common symptoms for most of the forms include seizures, eventual loss of basic skills, dementia and abnormal movements. The heartbreaking disease progressively gets worse, losing intellectual ability and language skills. They may also be confused or anxious - just like the elderly who are diagnosed with dementia. Eventually, children with Batten disease become blind, wheelchair bound, bedridden, and without cognitive function. Mr and Mrs Young said James is losing the ability to walk properly and feed himself unaided after being diagnosed. Mrs Young, who used to work in Debenhams, said: 'He's struggling at the moment. He's having a lot more seizures and his medication isn't really working. Mr Young said: 'We both feel angry. Why James? Why us? We were supposed to have the rest of our lives together in our perfect family. Everything seems very dark and very uncertain. 'It's been terrible. I've cried every day since he was diagnosed' James' older sister, Gracie, nine, helps him walk, eat his meals, and even reads him his favourite stories (pictured) 'He's struggling to walk and has tremors, even when he's asleep. 'It's been a total fight. 'When he was two we thought he had speech problems but when he hit three we knew there was something wrong. HOW DOES CERLIPONASE ALFA WORK? Cerliponase alfa in an active ingredient marketed as Brineura used to treat people with CLN2 Batten disease, an inherited condition in children that leads to progressive brain damage. Patients with CLN2 lack an enzyme required for normal brain development called tripeptidyl-peptidase1 (TPP1). The active substance in Brineura, cerliponase alfa, is a synthetic copy of TPP1 and is used as a replacement for the missing enzyme. Brineura has been shown in early studies to reduce the rate at which the disease worsens and causes speech and movement difficulties. Because there are so few people that would benefit from Brineura, it was labelled an orphan medicine, which is a medicine used in rare diseases, in March 2013. Advertisement 'We kept on getting palmed off for epilepsy but we knew there was something not right.' Because of the rarity of the condition, it took a long time to diagnose James. Mr and Mrs Young believe this has scuppered the success of his treatment. Mrs Young said: 'Because of the delays it's probably too late to stop the symptoms progressing now so we're stuck in a situation where hopefully we'll be able to prolong his life. 'Any treatment will just slow the progression of the disease, but not cure him.' No specific treatment is known that can reverse the symptoms of any form of Batten disease. James is being given the drug cerliponase alfa, marketed as Brineura. The NHS finally agreed to fund it in September after some children were given it as part of a trial. The NHS watchdog had previously rejected the drug which caused uproar among families of children with Batten disease. Studies have shown Brineura can slow down the progression of the disease and possibly prolong life. It is estimated that individuals could live for 60 years with treatment. James is receiving Brineura treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and is still smiling every day. But his diagnosis has had a devastating effect on the family and Mr and Mrs Young have had to leave their jobs to care for James. Mr Young said: 'When we got married we thought our lives would stretch out for ever and now it's all gone. 'We've had to leave our jobs at the minute to care for him full time.' James' older sister, Gracie, nine, helps him walk, eat his meals, and even reads him his favourite stories. Mr Young said: 'Gracie is like another mum to James. She's a saviour. 'She'll do anything she can to help. She'll read the Gruffalo with him, it's his favourite book and he loves reading it with her. 'Every time James wants a drink she'll go and get him one, she helps feed him at most meals too. 'She's constantly mothering him. She'll do anything she can to help like even turning the oven on before we cook dinner. 'She'll even try and help wash the dishes, she just wants to help her baby brother.' He added: 'Gracie knows that something is wrong with James but we haven't explained the full outcome to her. 'She's always positive and always keeps our spirits up.' James's family are raising money on GoFundMe to pay for their travel expenses while James has his treatment. You can donate here. The CBI on Wednesday registered an FIR against unidentified officials of Chhattisgarh for allegedly siphoning off about Rs 1,000 crore from funds meant for the rehabilitation and welfare of physically disabled people, officials said. The amount was siphoned off over a decade through sham transactions, they said. The CBI registered the case on orders issued by the Chhattisgarh High Court on January 30. Besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the agency has also invoked Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy (120-B), cheating (420), criminal breach of trust by public servant (409) and forgery (467) among others, the officials said. About 11 senior officers of the state are under the scanner, they said. The State Resource Centre (SRC), set up in 2004, was given the mandate to set up and operate Physical Referral Rehabilitation Centres (PRRCs) for the welfare of physically disabled people, the officials said. But no tangible activity or recruitment process was undertaken for the PRRCs and it is alleged that the institutions were only running on papers, they said. It is alleged in a PIL that some people were shown as employees even when some of them were working in other departments, the officials said. The SRC allegedly kept withdrawing money from the exchequer for the payment for PRRC employees when no one was actually paid, they said. Many payments were allegedly made in cash, thereby, avoiding banking transactions, the officials said. On October 1, 2018, the Chhattisgarh government, under then chief minister Raman Singh, had admitted in a submission that there was no precise information available at the PRRC regarding drawl of salary for payment to the employees, the high court had noted in its order directing a CBI probe. The finance department was requested for conducting an audit only after filing of the writ petition in 2018, a bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Parth Prateem Sahu had noted. "In the said audit irregular and illegal withdrawal of cash has been, prima facie, proved. Thus the allegation of the petitioner about the financial irregularity has been, prima facie, admitted in the state's memo of submission. The state has issued show cause notices to some of the employees, but no further action has been taken," the bench said. The report along with submission memo of the state partially admits of certain financial irregularities. However, no serious attempt has been made to unearth and find out who siphoned the amount, it said. The petitioner has alleged that the SRC is a society whereas PRRCs are government entities, making it impossible and questionable as to how the society manages a government department, the bench noted. "The respondent officers being high ranked, there is apprehension that the investigation may be influenced, therefore, having considered the law laid down and the observations made by the Supreme Court in the facts and circumstances of the case, we direct that the matter be investigated by the CBI in a fair and independent manner," it had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PRAYAGRAJ: Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the Lok Sabha, announcing the formation of a trust for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sent out a call for a nationwide drive to raise funds for the temples construction. The Hindu Samaj will contribute funds for the temple construction under the supervision of the newly formed trust, said VHPs senior office-bearers. Modi announced the formation of the trust, theShri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kehstra to construct the temple, as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year; the trust will have 15 members from different sections of the society, including a representative of the Dalit community. As proposed by VHP, the trust should now announce the start of a campaign to collect donations of 11 and a brick from every Hindu across the country, which will ensure the participation of every member of the Hindu community in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, said Surendra Jain, joint general secretary, VHP. Jain said he hoped the new trust would be built on the model put forth by the VHP because, he claimed, that has widespread acceptance of Hindus and cannot be ignored. On the possibility of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das being made president of the new trust, Jain said, We want this announcement to come from the government and not us. The Nyas was set up by the VHP in 1993 as part of the movement for the temple. VHPs Sangathan Mantri (organization secretary), Uttar Pradesh, Ambrish Singh said it was decided in the Dharam Sansad held during the Kumbh Mela in 1989 that the contribution of every Hindu was a must for the construction of the Ram Temple, after which Shila Pujan was conducted in nearly 2.75 lakh villages across the country during which Hindus donated bricks with Shri Ram inscribed on them. Now it is time for all Hindus to come forward and register their participation in temple construction through fund and brick donations, he added. He too expressed the hope that Das would be named president of the trust. The President of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (AKAP), an apex body of Hindu saints, Mahant Narendra Giri also welcomed the formation of the trust. He said now all formalities needed to be completed at the earliest so that the construction of a magnificent Ram Temple can start . He said that as per the Supreme Courts verdict, it is the prerogative of the Central government to appoint members to the 15-member trust. Still, he added, AKAP too, would like to see Das heading it. Since 1989, the VHP has collected around Rs 8.25 crore from 60 million people. The money has been spent over the past three decades in making preparations for the temple construction in Karsewakpuram, including carving stone pillars and bricks, besides getting a blue print from professional architects, said VHPs vice president Champat Rai. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Video PlayerClose BEIJING, February 4 (Xinhua) Chinese authorities on Tuesday deployed further measures to improve patient admission and survival rates and reduce infection and mortality rates in China's central province Hubei and its capital Wuhan amid efforts to curb the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. More measures will be taken to ensure the supply of medical resources and daily necessities, according to a meeting of the leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also head of the aforementioned leading group, presided over the meeting. Among measures to provide more beds to patients, a number of hotels, venues and training centers will be used as sites to carry out centralized treatment of suspected infections and patients showing mild symptoms or medical observation over close contacts, according to the meeting. A number of mobile hospitals and an additional 2,000 medical and nursing workers will be organized to support Hubei. To concentrate a superior force for patient treatment, authorities said, teams of quality medical personnel will be organized to take over the management of intensive care hospitals or wards. Authorities required efforts to improve the detection and diagnosis capacity, shorten the testing period and dispatch testing personnel and materials from disease control systems nationwide to support Wuhan, saying that qualified third-party institutions will be allowed to carry out nucleic acid testing. Regarding the improvement of the novel coronavirus diagnosis and treatment guideline, the meeting stressed that measures proved effective in clinical use should be included in the treatment guideline, calling for integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine in treating patients to improve effectiveness. Authorities underscored concentrating medical and protective resources on the frontline in the epidemic battle while ensuring the supply of daily necessities. The meeting called for timely solutions to problems in trans-regional transportation, improvement in the efficiency of supply distribution and ensuring market supply. Daily allocation of essential medical resources for curbing the epidemic should be further improved, according to the meeting. The meeting also required efforts to avoid a large-scale, concentrated travel rush after the Spring Festival holiday ends. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting. (Source: Xinhua) House Democratic women donned all-white outfits to celebrate the suffragists during the State of the Union address on Tuesday, in a nod to the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which forbade states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. The lawmakers shared a group photo before the speech. It was the third year in a row that they had coordinated outfits, using fashion to make a pointed statement on a night of wall-to-wall news coverage. Concerned that the states physical fitness test leads to body-shaming, bullying and discrimination, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a three-year pause on the assessment to study it and consider alternatives. Schools across California have used the Fitnessgram since 1996 to determine how fit students are using six criteria, including aerobic ability, body mass and flexibility, as well as abdominal, trunk and upper-body strength. Newsom included the three-year break in fitness testing as a trailer bill to his budget proposal, raising specific concerns about the portion of the test related to body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The test is given to students in grades five, seven and nine each spring, with about 50% of students last year considered fit or meeting the state standards in five of the six criteria, which are different for boys and girls. At issue is whether the test in its current form is discriminatory, principally in terms of non-binary students, as well as students with disabilities, said H.D. Palmer, California Department of Finance spokesman. Given the body of research on the impacts of bullying on transgender and special education students, this temporary pause will allow for a look to determine whether the current test can be modified or whether a new assessment should be developed. Oakland PE teacher Pj Johnson said shed love to see the test changed to better accommodate all children. Now that a lot of our students identify as other genders, there needs to be some sort of revamping of it to take some of the stress off them, said the Claremont Middle School teacher. Johnson said, however, she sees value in the Fitnessgram, which helps motivate students to improve their performance in the aerobic assessment or other categories. She started administering the annual test this week. Yet on Tuesday, she weighed and took the height of each student in a private setting, and the numbers on the scale caused some students to question themselves, she said. I told my kids, You cannot go by what the chart is telling you, she said. For right now, you be comfortable with you. You know youre an athlete. All that matters is how you feel, not these numbers somebody put on the wall that tells you where you need to be. The Fitnessgram needs to be revamped for sure, she added. If approved by the Legislature, the state would suspend the use of the Fitnessgram starting in 2021. Dispelling myths, breaking down stereotypes, and improving school climate is one way California is working to keep all students safe and healthy, consistent with the governors commitment to a California that respects all students, Palmer said. COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California. The value of the Fitnessgram has long been debated, with critics saying the test is a one-size-fits-all, even though children come in all sizes and shapes. In addition, the test has a high-stakes impact on high school students, who are required to take two years of physical education to graduate, starting freshman year. But if students dont pass five of six categories on the Fitnessgram in ninth grade, they must take PE again until they pass, possibly resulting in four years of PE instead of the required two. If passed, the proposal would only suspend the Fitnessgram. State requirements for physical education would remain intact. Students would still be taking a PE class that meets the required number of instructional minutes, and it would still be a graduation requirement, Palmer said. None of these existing requirements would change. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker Gray death drug: St. Mary's Parish Sheriff's Office Police in Louisiana have issued a warning over 'grey death' - a powerful drug combination that can reportedly cause severe illness and even death through skin contact alone. David Spencer, a spokesperson for St Mary Parish Sheriffs Office near New Orleans, said: The public recognises a lot of the drugs that we deal with. This is a new one." According to the sheriffs office, grey death is made from heroin that has been cut with fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and reportedly it has a potency more than 10,000 times greater than morphine. The unidentified super drug began to surface in the south in Alabama and Georgia. A minuscule amount of this drug, which has the appearance of small chunks of concrete, can kill, a statement from the sheriffs office stated. Grey death and mixtures similar to it are responsible for many of the overdoses that made up the opioid epidemic in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. The drug has been around since at least 2017. In order to be clear on our story, let us reiterate that this is the first time we have seen this drug by our agency. We are quite sure that the drug has been found in other places in Louisiana, but in our area and parish, this is a bit of a rare find for us, the sheriffs office posted in a Facebook statement. At the height of the opioid crisis, myths abounded of fentanyl that could kill with a single touch. In most instances, those claims were overstated, as touching heroin, even if it is laced with fentanyl, cannot kill a person. Grey Death is particularly powerful because it contains Carfentanil, which is often used as an elephant tranquillizer. Though health professionals disagree with the assertion that opioids can kill on contact, the SMPSO urged the public to avoid touching the drug if they encounter it and for first responders to take special care when responding to calls where the drug is involved. You would really hate to see somebody innocent touch this not knowing what it is or a child touch that now knowing what it is, Mr Spencer said. Story continues SMPSO deputies said they first encountered the drug during traffic stops in January. "[A SMPSO deputy] knew he had something. He just didn't know what it was," Mr Spencer told KATC3 News. "These guys handle this stuff all the time. they see drugs on a daily basis and for them to run in something they didn't know what it was it alarmed them. they started doing research immediately." Read more Billionaire drug firm boss guilty of bribing doctors to push fentanyl [February 05, 2020] Global Advance Wound Care Market and Advance Wound Care Management Market Size Analysis 2020 by Products, Demand Outlook, Growth Rate, Future Prospects, Company Profiles, Guide to 2024 Dallas, Texas, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Advance Wound Care Market 2020-2026: The global advance wound care market is majorly driven by the factors like rise in occurrences of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, growing technological developments, increase in geriatric population, increase in adoption of evidence-based treatments, and issues elated with the conventional wound healing procedures. In addition, growing awareness activities related to the advance wound care treatment as well as management helps to decrease the time of the hospital stay to cut healthcare expenditures, and increase in shift towards wound care products which improve healing outcomes are some other factors anticipated to increase the growth of the global advance wound care market. On the other hand, huge costs of advance wound care products is one of the major factors anticipated to hamper the growth of the global advance wound care market over the forecast period. Request a sample of Advance Wound Care Market @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/3565368 Likewise, the favorable reimbursement scenario is another factor contributing to the growth of the global advance wound care market. In addition to this, growing demand for innovative as well as advance wound management products will increase the expansion of the market. Thus, advance wound care is one of the significant parts of the disease monitor and surgical recovery which will drive the growth of the global advance wound care market into coming years. Increasing chronic illnesses such as diabetes will be escalating the demand for the global advance wound care market during the prediction period. Moreover, advance wound care service provide huge number of benefits over traditional wound care owing to the greater healing capacity, less pain, and others. Owing to the number of benefits like fast healing and less pain, many patients are shifting towards advance wound care in the recent years which also may be the major factors will contribute to the growth of the global advance wound care market into coming years. Browse the full report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-advance-wound-care-market-report-2019 The global advance wound care market is segmented into product type, channel, industry, and geographical regions. In terms of product type, the market is segregated into aeterial ulcer, pressure ulcer, burns, and surgical wounds. On considering the geographical outlook, the global advance wound care market is categorized into Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, and others. As per the industry, the global advance wound care market is divided into inpatient facilities as well as outpatient facilities. On considering the channel, the global market is fragmented into direct sales and distributr. 3M Company, Cardinal Health, LifeScience PLUS, Vivostat A/S, and Advanced Medical Solutions Group are some of the major players of this market. Direct purchase a single user copy of the research study @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/3565368 Major points from Table of Contents: Section 1 Advance Wound Care Product Definition Section 2 Global Advance Wound Care Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview Section 3 Manufacturer Advance Wound Care Business Introduction Section 4 Global Advance Wound Care Market Segmentation (Region Level) Section 5 Global Advance Wound Care Market Segmentation (Product Type Level) Section 6 Global Advance Wound Care Market Segmentation (Industry Level) Section 7 Global Advance Wound Care Market Segmentation (Channel Level) Section 8 Advance Wound Care Market Forecast 2018-2023 Section 9 Advance Wound Care Segmentation Product Type Section 10 Advance Wound Care Segmentation Industry Section 11 Advance Wound Care Cost of Production Analysis Section 12 Conclusion Brief Introduction of Global Advanced Wound Care Management Market: Increase in number of technological advancements, growing government initiatives, rising demand for secure and safe treatment, as well as aging population are some of the major factors that are expected to contribute to the growth of the global advanced wound care management market during the prediction period. In addition, the rising prevalence of various lifestyle illnesses leading to chronic wounds which may include venous leg ulcer, diabetic foot ulcer, and pressure ulcer is the other significant factor expected to increase the growth of the global advanced wound care management market over the forecast period. On the other hand, higher costs for the advanced wound care management for the innovative technologies may hamper the growth of the global advanced wound care management market into coming years. Request a sample of Advanced Wound Care Management Market @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/3653897 The global advanced wound care management market is witnessed a significant growth during the prediction period, owing to the several benefits offered by the advanced wound care services. In addition to this, increasing occurrences of several chronic diseases which needs timely medical care is also one of the crucial factors expected to boost the growth of the global advanced wound care management market over the forecast period. Owing to the growing occurrences of diabetes I and II particularly in emerged regions is rising demand for the advanced wound care products, this is expected to raise the expansion of the global advanced wound care management market into coming years. Browse the full report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-advanced-wound-care-management-market-report-2019-competitive-landscape-trends-and-opportunities The global advanced wound care management market is basically segmented into type, application, as well as geographical regions. On considering the type, the global advanced wound care management market is divided into antimicrobial dressings, moist wound dressing, therapy devices, and active wound care. According to the application, the global market is classified into ambulatory surgical, clinics & hospitals, and others. On considering the geographical outlook, the global advanced wound care management market is segregated into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. Out of these, the Asia Pacific market is accounted for the greater revenue generating regions for the advanced wound care market. Due to the number of players operating across the globe, the global advanced wound care management market is very competitive. Some of the leading players of the global advanced wound care management market are Hollistar Incorporated, Molnlycke Health Care AB, KCI USA Inc., ArjoHuntleigh AB, Ethicon US LLC, Convatec Group Plc, Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., BSN medical GmbH, and Smith Nephew Plc. Direct purchase a single user copy of the research study @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/3653897 Brief Table of Contents: 1 Advanced Wound Care Management Market Overview 2 Global Advanced Wound Care Management Market Landscape by Player 3 Players Profiles 4 Global Advanced Wound Care Management Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type 5 Global Advanced Wound Care Management Market Analysis by Application....continued About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: USA: +1 (972)-362-8199 | IND: +91 895 659 5155 Email ID: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A 40-month-old tigress in Odishas Satkosia tiger reserve which was relocated from Madhya Pradesh and had to be sent back to that state will have to stay longer in her current location over fears for her safety, a top official said Wednesday. Odisha chief wildlife warden, Hari Shankar Upadhyay told reporters that the process to shift tigress Sundari has been postponed for the time being as the existing tigers at the tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh may attack her. There are two tigers in the Ghorela tiger reserve and releasing Sundari is fraught with danger as they may kill her. Taking this into consideration, it has been decided that Sundari will be released into the new habitat in Ghorela only after shifting of these two tigers, said Upadhyay. In December last year, National Tiger Conservation Authority had asked Odisha government to send back the tigress from Satkosia accusing the Odisha forest and wildllife department of making a mess out of the monitoring and management of the relocated tigress. The tigress relocated from Bandhavgarh tiger reserve of MP under first inter-State relocation exercise of tigers was not monitored and managed as per the standard operating procedure set by it, the NTCA had alleged. That exercise was Indias first inter-state translocation of tigers but ended in a failure. Tigress Sundari was brought from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh in June 2018 as part of the inter-state tiger translocation project and released into Satkosia Tiger Reserve in August the same year. However it was shifted to a enclosure in the tiger reserve after it killed a 45-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man living inside the reserve in September 2018 triggering violence by locals who burnt the forest departments boats and beat house. OpenDev + PTG is a new collaborative event gathering developers, system architects and operators to address common open source infrastructure challenges. The OpenStack Foundation has opened registration for its next community event, OpenDev + PTG, to be held June 8-11, 2020, at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. OpenDev + PTG is a new collaborative event gathering developers, system architects and operators to address common open source infrastructure challenges. OpenDev Programming at the Event The OpenDev portion will include discussion-oriented sessions focused on exploration of specific problems that share common architectures, with the goal of collaborating around potential community-driven solutions. This OpenDev event will be organized around tracks spanning open source projects and communities, including Airship, Ansible, Ceph, Kata Containers, Kubernetes, OpenStack, StarlingX, and Zuul. Tracks at the OpenDev event include: Hardware Automation Large-scale Usage of Open Source Infrastructure Software Containers in Production Key Challenges for Open Source PTG Programming at the Event The Project Teams Gathering (PTG) portion will leverage the output of the OpenDev event, exploring specific software enhancements and integration points that can equip these projects with capabilities to enable the solutions developed in OpenDev. Participants in the PTG will be upstream contributors and leaders of a diversity of open infrastructure projects, both within the OpenStack Foundation community and beyond. Practices will be explored by project teams, SIGs and other working groups that will be provided dedicated space to get work done and maximize the efficiency of the time they spend in Vancouver. 2020 Open Infrastructure Summit The next Open Infrastructure Summit (formerly the OpenStack Summit) will take place October 19-23 at the bcc Berlin Congress Center in Berlin, Germany. The global event will bring community leaders and speakers from around the world and will provide an important opportunity for developers worldwideand especially in Europeto collaborate in person with developers from the global community. The Summit will also feature a PTG event to plan the next release of OpenStack as well as other open infrastructure projects. The Open Infrastructure Summit brings together influential business decision makers, infrastructure architects and open source developers from around the world and across more than 30 different open source communities. Professionals from many industries, including financial services, government, manufacturing, telecom and IT, rely on open infrastructure to run their business, and the Summit is where they collaborate. Sponsorship Information Sponsoring these events will help ensure the continued growth and success of open infrastructure projects. A sponsorship prospectus for OpenDev + PTG is now available, and the Summit prospectus will be available in the upcoming months. If your organization is interested in participating and supporting the open infrastructure community, please contact events@openstack.org. The 2020 open infrastructure event lineup is designed to meet specific community needs for events that allow productive collaboration and focus on desired outcomes, said Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OpenStack Foundation. The Vancouver event is designed to facilitate collaboration among developers to solve particular technical challenges, and the Berlin event is focused on bringing the voices of users and developers together to set priorities, hear keynotes on advanced use cases, and learn more about what the vendor community has to offer operators of open infrastructure. About the OpenStack Foundation The OpenStack Foundation (OSF) supports the development and adoption of open infrastructure globally, across a community of over 100,000 individuals in 187 countries, by hosting open source projects and communities of practice, including datacenter cloud, edge computing, AI/Machine Learning, CI/CD and container infrastructure. Notorious Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff has announced that he is dying from kidney cancer. The 81-year-old fraudster, who is currently serving a 150-year prison sentence in North Carolina, is seeking an early release on compassionate grounds. Madoff's lawyer wrote in a new legal filing Wednesday that his client has 'less than 18 months to live' due to end-stage renal disease. 'Madoff does not dispute the severity of his crimes nor does he seek to minimize the suffering of his victims. Madoff has expressed remorse for his crimes,' attorney Brandon Sample wrote in the filing in US District Court in Manhattan. 'Now, after over ten years of incarceration and with less than 18 months to live, Madoff humbly asks this Court for a modicum of compassion.' Sample argued that a prison term which was 'just and proportionate at the time of sentencing may become disproportionately severe based on changed circumstances, such as terminal illness'. Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff leaves federal court before he was convicted and sentenced to 150 years in prison for the biggest Ponzi scheme in US history Madoff has claimed that he is dying from kidney cancer and only has 18 months to live Madoff's lawyer wrote in a new legal filing Wednesday that his client has end-stage renal disease, and 'humbly asks this Court for a modicum of compassion' Madoff was sentenced in 2009 after pleading guilty to 11 federal felonies for swindling investors out of an estimated $65billion in the largest Ponzi scheme in world history. The disgraced financier confirmed in a telephone interview that he was 'terminally ill'. 'There's no cure for my type of disease. So you know, I've served. I've served 11 years already, and, quite frankly, I've suffered through it,' Madoff told the Washington Post, about his request for the early release. Few inmates have been granted such a request seeking compassionate release, reports the Post. The Federal Bureau of Prisons created the program in 1984, and since then, bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation has afforded prisoners the opportunity to appeal denials, which is what Madoff is seeking. His initial application was rejected in December. The Bureau of Prisons has confirmed, Madoff has less than 2 years left to live, according to his medical records, the Post reports. Madoff was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and hyperparathyroidism, among other health issues by a prison doctor. He is imprisoned at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina, where he was transferred due to his medical problems. The response to the compassionate release request will demonstrate the justice system's capacity for showing pity to a dying inmate, versus the gravity of the crimes committed. In Madoff's case, his conviction was based a multi-billion dollar fraud which collapsed in 2008, impacting thousands who lost their entire savings. Members of the Ponzi scheme who had received payouts were persuaded to return them, reports the Post. About $14.3 billion has been recovered or settled, with $12.9 billion distributed to investors, according to the trustee handling the recovery. The former Wall Street tycoon's wife also had to pay back almost $600,000, after a federal judge last year approved the settlement with a court-appointed trustee who's liquidating the fraudster's assets and raising money for those he deceived. US Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein in Manhattan authorized the settlement in May ending a decade-old lawsuit. The accord calls for Ruth Madoff, 78, who was never charged over her husband's Ponzi scheme and has denied knowledge of it, to pay $250,000 in cash and give up $344,000 of trusts for two grandchildren. She also agreed to surrender her remaining assets upon her death to Irving Picard, the trustee liquidating Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. The former socialite Ruth, who has been living a reclusive and far less glamorous lifestyle in the wake of her husband's arrest, is understood to have moved into a 989-square-foot townhouse in the 6,100-person town of Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Ruth Madoff is seen in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she has been living a reclusive and far less glamorous lifestyle in the wake of her husband's arrest US officials set up a special victim fund which is expected to pay back as much as $4 billion recovered by authorities, the Justice Department said in a statement. His victims have continued to suffer. Gregg Felsen told the Post that his savings were wiped out. Now 72, Felsen works as a photographer, shooting weddings and other events photographer in Palm Springs, California. He said he doesn't see himself ever retiring and that Madoff doesn't deserve to get out from behind bars. 'I never got a break; why should he get a break? He's terminally ill? I'm terminally broke,' said Felsen, who said he hasn't received any restitution. 'He ruined a lot of people's lives and changed them forever. He deserves no leniency whatsoever.' Four people connected to Madoff also have died, including his son Mark, who hung himself on the second anniversary of his father's arrest. Madoff's remaining son Andrew passed away from cancer in 2014. Madoff previously made an appeal to President Donald Trump to reduce his sentence last year. The lead prosecutor in the case against Madoff called the clemency request 'the very definition of chutzpah' after the petition was made public in July. Marc Litt told CNBC at the time: 'Bernard Madoff received a fair and just sentence one that both appropriately punished him for decades of criminal conduct that caused devastating damage to tens of thousands of victims, and sent a loud and clear message to deter would-be fraudsters. 'I'm confident that the career [Justice Department] attorneys responsible for evaluating such requests will reject it out of hand.' It is unclear whether Trump examined the request and the current status of the petition is unclear. Madoff suffered a heart attack in 2014, but his lawyer told ABC two years later that he was 'doing as well as could be expected'. Vehicles are parked outside the medical center at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina, where Madoff was transferred Bernie Madoff pictured in a 2008 mug shot. He was sentenced a year later after pleading guilty to 11 federal felonies for swindling investors out of an estimated $65billion in the largest Ponzi scheme in world history He told the Post he is currently on dialysis, and that he takes about 10 medications per day, including including amlodipine and diltiazem for high blood pressure, Lipitor for high cholesterol, and calcitriol, a form of vitamin D. The inmate also says he wears a back brace, sleeps on a bed wedge, wears medical shoes, and sleeps on a lower bunk. Madoff complained to the Post he suffers from leg cramps, and that he can barely sleep an hour at a time because of the cramping. His health condition requires a 24-hour nurse, according to prison records. In his comments to the Post, Madoff was apologetic, said that the loss of his sons was worse punishment than being in prison, and took responsibility for the harm he caused. 'You know there hasn't been a day in prison that I haven't felt the guilt for the pain I caused on the victims and for my family,' he told the Post. 'You know I lost both my sons, and my wife is not really well. So it's horrible. 'I was very close with my family. I made a terrible mistake. And you know I suffer with it. I'll suffer with it when I get out. 'The only hope that I have when I get out is to try and possibly see them my grandchildren and at least, you know, try and explain how my problems evolved.' The abuse of prescription and illegal opioids, such as morphine and heroin, is a major problem in the U.S., with devastating public health, economic and social consequences. That's why scientists are searching for new medicines to help break the cycle of addiction. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry have re-engineered the structure of vincamine, a plant-derived compound, so that it reduces morphine-seeking behaviors in mice. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 130 people died each day from an opioid overdose in 2017. To develop a drug to treat opioid addiction, Robert Huigens III, and colleagues wondered if they could use a natural product as a starting point to synthesize new compounds. Many plant-produced compounds have complex structures that can bind to therapeutically relevant biological targets. Huigens reasoned that by altering the structure of one such compound, vincamine -- an indole alkaloid from the leaves of the plant Vinca minor -- they might obtain a molecule that binds to new protein targets involved in opioid addiction, thereby blocking the drugs' "high" sensations. The team altered vincamine's chemical structure, producing a diverse library of 80 small molecules. They then screened seven of these molecules for the ability to bind to certain protein receptors and block their action. One of the molecules, which they refer to as "V2a," inhibited a protein called hypocretin receptor 2 (HCRTR2) that is involved in heroin dependence, whereas the parent compound, vincamine, had no effect. The researchers then tested this compound in mice, finding that pretreatment with V2a prevented mice from spending extra time in a chamber where morphine is administered. In another experiment, mice that had "recovered" from morphine addiction, and then were treated with V2a, did not relapse to morphine-seeking behaviors in response to stress, unlike mice that were not treated with the new molecule. The team also conducted molecular modeling experiments to visualize how the compound binds to HCRTR2, which could allow them to tweak the structure of the compound for even stronger binding and efficacy. ### The authors acknowledge funding from the University of Florida, the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Debbie and Sylvia DeSantis Chair in Natural Products Drug Discovery and Development and the National Science Foundation. The abstract that accompanies this study is available here. For more research news, journalists and public information officers are encouraged to apply for complimentary press registration for the ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS' mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder and STN), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS' main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org. Follow us on Twitter | Facebook Finnish English ORION CORPORATION FINANCIAL STATEMENT RELEASE 2019 5 FEBRUARY 2020 at 12:00 noon Orion Group Financial Statement Release for 2019 This is a summary or Orions Financial Statement Release for 2019. The complete report is attached to this stock exchange release and is available at https://www.orion.fi/en/Orion-group/investors/financial-reviews-and-presentations/ Net sales totalled EUR 1,051 million (EUR 977 million in 2018). Operating profit was EUR 253 (253) million. Profit before taxes was EUR 251 (248) million. Net sales and operating profit include the EUR 45 million milestone payment received from Bayer. Equity ratio was 77% (69%). ROCE before taxes was 30% (44%). ROE after taxes was 26% (45%). Basic earnings per share were EUR 1.43 (1.40). Cash flow per share before financial items was EUR 1.68 (2.32). The Board of Directors proposes payment of a dividend of EUR 1.50 (1.50) per share. Orion estimates that in 2020 net sales will be at a similar level as in 2019 (net sales in 2019 were EUR 1,051 million). Operating profit is estimated to be lower than in 2019 (in 2019 operating profit was EUR 253 million). KEY FIGURES 10-12/19 10-12/18 Change % 1-12/19 1-12/18 Change % Net sales, EUR million 274.5 262.4 +4.6% 1,051.0 977.5 +7.5% EBITDA, EUR million 69.5 79.7 -12.8% 308.9 293.9 +5.1% % of net sales 25.3% 30.4% 29.4% 30.1% Operating profit, EUR million 55.0 68.6 -19.9% 252.8 252.8 % of net sales 20.0% 26.1% 24.1% 25.9% Profit before taxes, EUR million 54.7 67.5 -19.0% 250.8 248.4 +1.0% % of net sales 19.9% 25.7% 23.9% 25.4% Profit for the period, EUR million 45.2 53.7 -15.9% 200.4 197.3 +1.6% % of net sales 16.4% 20.5% 19.1% 20.2% R&D expenses, EUR million 32.8 27.8 +18.1% 119.3 104.0 +14.7% % of net sales 11.9% 10.6% 11.3% 10.6% Capital expenditure, EUR million 14.5 35.4 -59.0% 42.6 64.8 -34.3% % of net sales 5.3% 13.5% 4.0% 6.6% Interest-bearing net liabilities, EUR million -139.1 -132.1 -5.2% Basic earnings per share, EUR million 0.32 0.38 -14.9% 1.43 1.40 +2.0% Cash flow per share before financial items, EUR 0.40 0.22 +84.6% 1.68 2.32 -27.4% Equity ratio, % 76.7% 68.8% Gearing, % -17.8% -17.1% ROCE (before taxes), % 29.9% 44.3% ROE (after taxes), % 25.8% 45.5% Average personnel during the period 3,251 3,179 +2.3% The Diagnostics business, sold on 30 April 2018, has been reported as a discontinued operation since the interim report 1-3/2018 and is not included in consolidated statement of comprehensive income. The return on capital and cash flow per share figures in the comparative period also contain discontinued operations, including the capital gain from the sale of Orion Diagnostica. President and CEO Timo Lappalainen: Darolutamide dominated the headlines in 2019 In 2019 Orion's net sales increased by 8% to EUR 1,051 million and operating profit was at previous year's level at EUR 253 million. The operating profit level was affected by planned additional investments in research and development as well as sales and marketing. All our business units reported an increase in net sales in 2019. Growth of the Proprietary Products business unit was boosted by the EUR 45 million milestone payment from Bayer, but it is worth noting that net sales increased even without that payment. The growth in sales of proprietary products was driven by the Easyhaler product family, and the budesonide-formoterol combined formulation in particular. The overall trend in net sales was also boosted by the sales and marketing efforts made to promote the product portfolio. The net sales of the Parkinson's disease drugs Stalevo and Comtess/Comtan remained at previous year's level as predicted following the reacquisition of their European sales and distribution rights. The sales of Simdax continued to develop well, but the sales of Dexdor turned to decline following generic competition, as expected. Growth in the Specialty Products division's net sales was mostly due to biosimilars, prescription drugs in Scandinavia and self-care products in Finland. Disruptions in product availability and tougher price competition in generic drugs had a negative effect on the business division's net sales in all markets. The prices of reference-priced prescription drugs in Finland continued to decline compared with 2018, but in 2019 the price decline appeared to be levelling off. At the same time, availability disruptions have increasingly affected our net sales. The Animal Health business division achieved its best net sales of all times so far, and sales by active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer Fermion and by Contract manufacturing also developed positively. Darolutamide, invented by Orion and developed in collaboration with Bayer for the treatment of prostate cancer, dominated Orion's media releases in 2019. The key results of the ARAMIS trial were published and marketing authorisation applications were submitted in the United States, EU and Japan, among others. As a highlight, in July the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing authorisation under the Priority Review designation to darolutamide for the treatment of non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, under the trade name Nubeqa. We have received many news on darolutamide also after the review period. New results from ARAMIS trial, published in January 2020, demonstrate that darolutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy show statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) in men with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer compared to placebo plus androgen deprivation therapy. Detailed data on the updated OS and other additional endpoints as well as an update on longer term safety will be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting. In addition, in January 2020 Bayer received marketing authorisation for darolutamide in Japan, where market launch is now pending price decision. The Human Pharmaceutical Committee of the European Medicines Agency gave a positive recommendation for darolutamide, so we anticipate the Commission's marketing authorization decision in the next few months. Orion is due to receive milestone payments for darolutamide from Bayer, EUR 8 million upon first commercial sales in Japan and EUR 20 million in Europe. We are continuing the Phase III clinical trial ARASENS with Bayer, evaluating the efficacy and safety of darolutamide in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) who are starting hormone therapy. Darolutamides commercial potential will increase significantly if the ARASENS trial yields positive results in around 2022. Besides ARASENS, Orion has another ongoing Phase III clinical trial investigating orally administered levosimendan (ODM-109) in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Patient recruitment for this REFALS trial was finalised in July 2019. The patients will be followed for a period of roughly one year, so the trial will be completed in the coming summer. We are conducting this trial alone and, if the findings are positive, it is possible that Orion will commercialise the product on its own not just in Europe but also in the United States. The ODM-208 and ODM-209 molecule development projects proceeded as expected in 2019. We have decided to expand these ongoing Phase I projects to ensure that we have sufficient data to make informed decisions regarding subsequent phases. With regard to other earlier phase development projects, we are looking for partners for possible next development phases of the ODM-203 and ODM-207 molecules. A year ago, we set ourselves the target of increasing Orion's net sales to EUR 1.5 billion by 2025. To achieve this, we would need to grow net sales at an average rate of 6 per cent a year from the 2019 level. However, growth will not follow a straight line. While darolutamide and ODM-109 are crucial, they are not the only sources of aspired growth. We estimate that Nubeqa will start to generate more substantial net sales growth starting from 2021-2022 and ODM-109, if successful, to have a significant impact on net sales growth from around 2022-2023. We see growth prospects in all our business units and we are actively seeking opportunities to grow through targeted product or company acquisitions. We are also seeking to grow by expanding our own sales network outside Europe. In the context of the REFALS trial, we have initiated an assessment on the prospects of launching the product in the United States on our own. We are also in the process of launching sales ventures in certain Southeast Asian countries. Orion's solid balance sheet enables investments in growth without jeopardising our ability to distribute dividends or our equity ratio. However, significant growth investments to be made in research and development and sales and marketing in 2020-2021 will have a reducing effect on annual profitability. Outlook for 2020 Orion estimates that in 2020 net sales will be at a similar level as in 2019 (net sales in 2019 were EUR 1,051 million). Operating profit is estimated to be lower than in 2019 (in 2019 operating profit was EUR 253 million). Basis for outlook in more detail Orion continues persistent actions to generate growth more rapidly than growth of the market in the long term. However, significant growth investments to be made in research and development and sales and marketing in 2020-2021 will affect annual profitability. At the same time, operating profit is burdened by intense price competition in the market and gradually expanding generic competition for certain proprietary products. It is estimated that this impact cannot be fully compensated by growing proprietary products in 2020. For example, sales of Nubeqa is expected to start generating more revenue only from 2021 onwards. The outlook does not include any income or expenses associated with possible product or company acquisitions. Net sales The sales of the Easyhaler product family will continue to grow also in 2020 due to combined formulations (budesonide-formoterol and salmeterol-fluticasone) launched in the past few years. Orion reacquired from Novartis the European sales and distribution rights for the Parkinson's drugs Stalevo and Comtan in December 2018 and April 2019, respectively. Except for Japan, Orion's arrangements with Novartis in other markets will expire during 2020 and in most of these markets, Orion is transferring the distribution to new partners. In a few Southeast Asian markets, Orion is planning to sell these products through its own sales organisations, which are being set up. After these changes, the sales of Orion's branded Parkinson's drugs (Comtess, Comtan and Stalevo) are estimated to remain at the same level as in the previous year. Generic competition for Dexdor started in Germany in 2017 and has since expanded to most countries in the European Union, turning down sales of the product. Orion has also been informed that marketing authorisation applications have been filed for a generic version of Simdax in Europe. It is, however, difficult to predict the impact of generic competition on the sales of Dexdor and Simdax in particular with any precision. The patent for the Simdax molecule expired in September 2015 and its other product protection will expire in September 2020. The expiry of product protection is not estimated to materially affect Simdax sales in 2020. Sales of generic products account for a significant proportion of Orions total sales. Disruptions in product availability and tougher price competition in generic drugs have had and will continue to have a negative effect on the business division's net sales in all markets. The prices of reference-priced prescription drugs in Finland, which is our biggest individual market, continued to decline in 2019 compared with 2018, but over the course of the year, the price decline levelled off. At the same time, the impact of availability disruptions on our net sales has intensified, and in 2019 their negative impact was roughly equal to that of the price decreases, at approximately EUR 10 million. The combined negative impact of price decline and product shortages is estimated to be slightly smaller in 2020 than in the previous year. Net sales of Orion's biosimilars (Remsima, Ritemvia and Amgevita) have fluctuated heavily in the past few years. Their net sales were EUR 57 million in 2017, EUR 25 million in 2018 and EUR 38 million in 2019. The changes are due to varying success in national or regional tendering competitions. Tendering competitions for this year have been challenging for Orion, and therefore the net sales of biosimilars are estimated to decline significantly in 2020. Collaboration agreements with other pharmaceutical companies are an important component of Orions business model. Agreements often include payments recorded in net sales that vary greatly from year to year. Forecasting the timing and amount of these payments is difficult. In some cases they are conditional on, for instance, the progress or findings of research projects, which are not known until studies have been completed. On the other hand, neither the outcome nor the schedule of contract negotiations is generally known before the final signing of the agreement. In 2019, milestone payments amounted to EUR 51 million, including the EUR 45 million milestone payment from Bayer for the commercialisation of the prostate cancer drug darolutamide in the United States. The outlook for 2020 includes milestone payments worth around EUR 35 million, the largest single payments among which are EUR 20 million for the commercialisation of darolutamide in the EU and EUR 8 million for its commercialisation in Japan. Expenditure Sales and marketing expenditure for 20192020 includes a EUR 12 million annual depreciation related to the acquisition of the European sales and distribution rights for the Parkinson's drugs Stalevo and Comtan. Orion paid a total of USD 28 million for the transfer of the sales rights in December 2018 and in April 2019, and the investment will be depreciated over two years. The outlook also includes an estimated expenditure of EUR 5 million for preparing the launch of the ALS drug as well as costs associated with Orion's potential branching out to the United States. Most of these costs will only materialise in the second half of the year, provided that upon completion, the results of the ongoing Phase III REFALS clinical trial are considered sufficiently positive for obtaining marketing authorisation in the United States. Because the registrations and launches of new products are projects that generally take more than a year, the increases in resources and other inputs required in 2020 were mainly planned during the previous year. Research and development costs are estimated to be roughly equal to those in 2019. The expenses from the Phase III REFALS clinical trial investigating levosimendan (ODM-109) for the treatment of symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will slightly decline from previous year, since the trial will come to an end in 2020. However, investments in earlier research phases are set to increase. Research and development expenses are partly the Companys internal fixed cost items, such as salaries and maintenance of the operating infrastructure, and partly external variable costs. External costs arise from, among other things, long-term clinical trials, which are typically performed in clinics located in several countries. The most important clinical trials scheduled for 2020 are either continuing from the previous year or at an advanced stage of planning, therefore their cost level can be estimated rather accurately. However, the accrued costs are materially affected by collaboration arrangements and how the costs arising are allocated between Orion and its collaboration partners. For instance, Bayer is paying the majority of the darolutamide research costs. Investments The Groups total capital expenditure in 2019 is expected to be higher than in 2019, when capital expenditure was EUR 43 million. Near-term risks and uncertainties The reacquisition of European sales and distribution rights for Stalevo and Comtan has generated additional sales for Orions branded Parkinsons drugs since 2019. With the expiration of the Novartis contract in 2020, the distribution of these products will be handed over to new partners in most non-European markets, with the exception of Japan. In a few Southeast Asian markets, Orion is also taking over sales on its own. Sales will continue to be negatively affected by continued generic competition. All these changes and impacts have been taken into account in the outlook for the current year. However, they still entail uncertainty that may materially affect the accuracy of the estimate made at this stage. The basic Dexdor and Simdax patents have expired and Dexdor's indication patent expired at the end of March 2019. The last product protection for Simdax will expire in 2020. Generic competition for Dexdor started in Germany in 2017 and has since expanded to most countries in the European Union, turning down sales of the product. Orion has also been informed that marketing authorisation applications have been filed for a generic version of Simdax in Europe. It is, however, difficult to predict the impact of generic competition on the sales of Dexdor and Simdax in particular with any precision. The expiry of product protection is not estimated to materially affect Simdax sales in 2020. Sales of individual products and also Orions sales in individual markets may vary, for example depending on the extent to which the ever-tougher price and other competition prevailing in pharmaceuticals markets in recent years will specifically focus on Orions products. Product deliveries to key partners are based on timetables that are jointly agreed in advance. Nevertheless, they can change, for example as a consequence of decisions concerning adjustments of stock levels. In addition, changes in market prices and exchange rates affect the value of deliveries. The structural exchange rate risk due to the US dollar has decreased in recent years because the share of Orions net sales invoiced in dollars has fallen to below ten per cent and at the same time the value of purchases in dollars has increased. The greatest exchange rate risk at present relates to European currencies such as the Swedish crown and British pound. However, the overall effect of the risk due to currencies of European countries will be abated by the fact that Orion has organisations of its own in most of these countries, which means that in addition to sales income, there are also costs in these currencies. Changes in the Japanese yen exchange rate have become more important as sales of Parkinsons drugs in Japan have increased. The exchange rate effect related to the Russian rouble has increased due to the strong volatility of the currency. However, Russian sales are not a significant portion of Orions entire net sales. Orions broad product range may cause risks to the delivery reliability and make it challenging to maintain the high quality standard required in production. The impact of availability disruptions on our net sales has increased in the past few years. Authorities and key customers in different countries undertake regular and detailed inspections of development and manufacturing of drugs at Orions production sites. Any remedial actions that may be required may at least temporarily have effects that decrease delivery reliability and increase costs. Orion's product range also contains products manufactured by other pharmaceutical companies and products that Orion manufactures on its own but for which other companies deliver active pharmaceutical or other ingredients. Possible problems related to the delivery reliability or quality of the products of those manufacturers may cause a risk to Orions delivery reliability. The single-channel system used for pharmaceuticals distribution in Finland, in which Orions products have been delivered to customers through only one wholesaler, may also cause risks to delivery reliability. In 2020, there is a heightened risk of strikes or other industrial action in Finland. If strikes or industrial action do occur, they may place Orion's delivery reliability at risk. Potential production and financial impacts will depend on the extent and duration of the action, which are difficult to predict. Research projects always entail uncertainty factors that may either increase or decrease estimated costs. The projects may progress more slowly or faster than assumed, or they may be discontinued. Nonetheless, changes that may occur in ongoing clinical studies are reflected in costs relatively slowly, and they are not expected to have a material impact on earnings in the current year. Owing to the nature of the research process, the timetables and costs of new studies that are being started are known well in advance. They therefore typically do not lead to unexpected changes in the estimated cost structure. Orion often undertakes the last, in other words Phase III, clinical trials in collaboration with other pharmaceutical companies. Commencement of these collaboration relationships and their structure also materially affect the schedule and cost level of research projects. Collaboration arrangements are an important component of Orions business model. Possible collaboration and licensing agreements related to these arrangements also often include payments to be recorded in net sales that may materially affect Orions financial results. In 20142019 the annual payments varied from EUR 5 million to EUR 51 million. The payments may be subject to conditions relating to the progress of research projects or sales or to new contracts to be signed, and whether these conditions or contracts materialise and what their timing is will always entail uncertainties. The outlook for 2020 includes milestone payments worth around EUR 35 million, the largest single payments among which are EUR 20 million for the commercialisation of darolutamide in the EU and EUR 8 million for its commercialisation in Japan. The spread of a new coronavirus creates uncertainty that can affect, among others, the supply and logistics chains. Proposal by the Board of Directors: dividend EUR 1.50 per share The parent company's distributable funds are EUR 468,363,703.16 or EUR 3.33 per share. This includes EUR 211,377,323.85 or EUR 1.50 per share, of profit for the financial year. These per share amounts are calculated excluding treasury shares held by the Company. The Board of Directors proposes payment of a dividend of EUR 1.50 (1.50) per share from the parent companys distributable funds. No dividend shall be paid on treasury shares held by the Company on the dividend distribution record date. On the day when the profit distribution was proposed, the number of shares conferring entitlement to receive dividend totalled 140,492,429, on which the total dividend payment would be EUR 210,738,643.50. The Groups payout ratio for the financial year 2019 would be 105.2% (63.8%). The dividend payment date would be 3 April 2019, and shareholders registered in the Companys shareholder register on 27 March 2020 would be entitled to the dividend payment. The Board of Directors further proposes that EUR 250,000 (250,000) be donated to medical research and other purposes of public interest in accordance with a separate decision by the Board and that EUR 257,375,059.66 remain in equity. News conference and conference call A news conference and a conference call for analysts, investors and media will be held on Wednesday, 5 January 2020 at 13.30 EET at Orion's head office, address Orionintie 1A, Espoo. Participants are requested to present a photo ID at the head office reception. A link to the live webcast will be available on Orion's website at www.orion.fi/en/investors . A recording of the event will be available on the website later the same day. To participate the conference call, please dial: Finland: +358 9 817 103 10 Sweden: +46 8 566 426 51 UK: +44 33 3300 0804 USA: +1 855 857 0686 PIN: 45651029# Orion calendar Annual General Meeting 2020 planned to be held on Wednesday 25 March 2020 Interim Report JanuaryMarch 2020 Tuesday 28 April 2020 Half-Year Financial Report January-June 2020 Friday 17 July 2020 Interim Report January-September 2020 Wednesday 21 October 2020 The Financial Statements and Report by the Board of Directors for 2019 will be published on the Companys website at the latest in week 10/2020. Espoo, 5 February 2020 Board of Directors of Orion Corporation Orion Corporation For additional information about the report: Jari Karlson, CFO tel. +358 50 966 2883 Tuukka Hirvonen, Investor Relations tel. +358 10 426 2721 or +358 50 966 2721 www.orion.fi/en/investors Publisher: Orion Corporation http://www.orion.fi/en http://www.twitter.com/OrionCorpIR Orion is a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company a builder of well-being. Orion develops, manufactures and markets human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company is continuously developing new drugs and treatment methods. The core therapy areas of Orion's pharmaceutical R&D are central nervous system (CNS) disorders, oncology, Finnish heritage rare diseases and respiratory diseases for which Orion develops inhaled Easyhaler pulmonary drugs. Orion's net sales in 2019 amounted to EUR 1,051 million and the company had about 3,300 employees at the end of the year. Orion's A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Attachment The creation of the ministry will allow to work much more effectively on the issues of reintegration of Donbas The decision was made to create the Ministry of Occupied Territories, according to the task of the president of Ukraine as the Presidents Office reported citing PM Oleksiy Honcharuk. It will allow us to work much more effectively on the issues of reintegration of Donbas and work with people who remained in the occupied territories or moved to the controlled territories becoming temporarily displaced persons," the Prime Minister said. Earlier it was reported that the Ministry of Veteran Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs will be separated and future Reintegration Ministry might be headed by profile vice premier. On August 29, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the creation of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs as earlier two ministries existed: on temporarily occupied territories and veteran affairs. Oksana Kolyada headed the new ministry. As we reported, National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine discussed and developed five scenarios of re-integration of the occupied areas of Donbas. President Zelensky has clearly reiterated that the return of the occupied territories by force is unacceptable; instead, political and diplomatic means should be used to reach peace in eastern Ukraine. Ways to make an ever-popular New Year's resolution a reality Getting started on a healthy program can be easy with some professional help. Their aim is to raise 200,000 for Goonj, an award-winning, India-based voluntary organisation which turns urban surplus into a powerful resource that rewards self-development of rural communities. Hyderabad: Philanthropists Alan, 73, and Pat Braithwaite from Britain started a 40-day journey on February 1 in a three-wheel, open-top two-seater Morgan, with the intention of covering 5,600 km from Mumbai to Kolkata, taking in Rajahmundry, Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, and Ajmer along the way. The couple took a break in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Their aim is to raise 200,000 for Goonj, an award-winning, India-based voluntary organisation which turns urban surplus into a powerful resource that rewards self-development of rural communities. The money will also fund academic research into the benefits of a circular economy to communities in India and beyond. M Braithwaite paid the Indian driver an unexpected compliment when he said that they are more skilful than those in Britain or in the West. Simple rule to be followed: You don't hit me, he said, acknowledging that traffic is very dense. Indian drivers are so patient and polite, if there is a hit or wrong turn they simply smile and move ahead, unlike in the UK where they show so much aggression. They are both appreciative of the hospitality of the rural Indian, the broad smiles that greet them everywhere and the tasty cuisine. Mr Braithwaite has ties to India; his mother was born in Belgaum and his grandfather was an officer in the erstwhile British government. After Independence, they moved back to Britain. His grandparents loved India and always missed it, he said. Ms Pat Braithwaite talked about her discovery of the rural women, and the hardships they face. She said people here are wonderful and the journey is very exciting. Jessica Simpson's book signing event was interrupted by a mob of angry animal rights activists. The protesters stormed New York City's highly trafficked Union Square Barnes & Noble to confront the star for wearing fur. It was a chaotic scene, as protesters chanted and held signs as event security escorted her from the event. Protest: Jessica Simpson's book tour was interrupted when she was confronted by a group of animal rights activists during an event at New York's highly trafficked Union Square Barnes & Noble. They later caught up with her when she went out to dinner Anti-fur: The protesters stormed New York City's highly trafficked Union Square Barnes & Noble to confront the star for wearing fur Jessica was whisked away behind a banner and was seen being consoled by her entourage and bodyguard. Luckily she had fans there to defend her. Many in the crowed were heard chanting her name and later when everything settled, the event went on as planned. Speaking out: Protesters chanted and held signs as event security escorted her from the event Fur wearer: Jessica is seen wearing a fur-trimmed jacket back in 2016 above But the night wasn't over for Jessica and the protesters. Later she and husband Eric Johnson headed to the restaurant Il Mulino for dinner, where they were met with more activists. There, the anti-fur advocates didn't hold back, calling Jessica an 'animal abuser,' 'murderer' and telling her 'shame on you.' Continuation: Later she and husband Eric Johnson headed to the restaurant IL Mulino for dinner, where they were met with more protesters Though Jessica has been known to wear fur in the past, she was clad in a sleek black look for the day. This group of protesters have been waging war against celebrity fur-wearers. They have previously disrupted events and appearances by stars Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen, Lil' Kim and Jennifer Lopez. Jessica's book Open Book is out now. Bay of Plenty Our Client is looking for an Assembler for their finishing department. This role is based in Tauranga and will be an immediate... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz A Pakistani native, who had once met al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, will be stripped off his US citizenship following his 2003 conviction of supporting the terror group and plotting to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge. Iyman Faris, a 50-year-old naturalized US citizen, was convicted in 2003 of providing material support to al-Qaeda. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Judge Staci Yandle of the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois on Monday entered an order revoking the naturalized US citizenship of the convicted terrorist. In its order revoking his US citizenship, the court found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization and unlawfully procured his citizenship through willful misrepresentation of material facts. The US Justice Department said that among other actions in support of al Qaeda, Faris had evaluated in 2002 the practicality of a plot to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge in New York using gas cutters, communicating his assessment to al-Qaeda via coded messages. In 2000, Faris had travelled to Afghanistan where he met bin Laden and other high-ranking members of al-Qaeda at the terror group's training camp. He had also researched information about ultralight airplanes for a senior al-Qaeda leader, and arranged for airline tickets to be issued to the al-Qaeda operatives. In its February 3 order, the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted the government's motion for summary judgment revoking Faris's US citizenship on multiple bases. The court found that Faris' admitted affiliation with al-Qaeda within five years after naturalizing established that he was not attached to the principles of the Constitution and well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States at the time he naturalized in 1999. The court also found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization based on his lies to immigration officers while under oath and his fraudulent entry into the United States in 1994 by using another person's passport and visa. Faris is currently serving his criminal sentence at the US Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, with a projected release date in August 2020. Because of the Court's order, Faris is no longer a US citizen and may be subjected to removal proceedings. Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice's Civil Division said that Faris' actions were unconscionable he pretended to support the US and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Osama bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the US." US Attorney Steven Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois said Faris is a traitor to the oath he took renouncing foreign allegiances and pledging to defend the Constitution and the American way of life. "He was a wolf in sheep's clothing who took advantage of American generosity with plans to terrorize and murder. He does not deserve the honour of being an American citizen, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A driver has to pay from his own pocket around VND1 million ($43) a day, comprising meals, parking fees and fuel to keep the cooling system running to preserve the fruits. With most drives owning the trucks, once they collect the fruits, they are responsible for selling them, collecting the money and earning their commission. A man has appeared in court charged with fifteen ATM frauds where the money a customer seeks to withdraw does not come out of the machine but is later stolen using an implement. Ovidiu Raducanu (35), from Pinebrook Glen in Huntstown, Co Dublin, appeared at Dublin District Court where he was charged with fifteen counts of theft from AIB ATMs in Crumlin, Killiney, Clonskeagh, Firhouse, Rathfarnham, Omni shopping centre Santry, Artane, Littlepace in Clonee, and Carpenterstown between January 6 and 10. The value of the withdrawals was 8,520. Judge Ann Ryan was told by detective garda Garvan Lennon that Raducanu made no reply when charged at Lucan garda station. Raducanu was arrested in the Dublin 15 area yesterday by gardai from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) as part of an investigation into so-called ATM transaction reversal frauds. He was detained in Lucan Garda Station for questioning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Judge Ryan granted bail on condition Raducanu sign on at Blanchardstown garda station three days a week, obey a curfew between 10pm and 7am, surrender his ID used for travel purposes, reside at his address in Pinebrook Glen, provide a phone number to Gardai on which he can be contacted 24 hours a day, and stay away from all ATMs. Raducanu will appear again before the court on March 18 and granted legal aid. The investigation into transaction reversal frauds was reported by a financial institution in the Dublin 18 area on January 13. It was reported that eighteen ATM machines were targeted resulting in the theft of money from customers accounts and damage to the ATMs. Transaction reversal fraud occurs when the amount of money sought by an ATM user isnt dispersed and suspects use an implement to retrieve the cash, thus damaging and shutting down the ATM machine. Labour MP Tracy Brabin today slammed critics of her off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons - demanding people 'listen to what women say not what we wear'. The shadow minister was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' and as if she had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin' after she wore the black dress in the chamber earlier this week. One Twitter user shared a photograph of the 58-year-old's outfit and asked: 'Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?' Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. Wearing a necklace bearing the Suffragette slogan Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere', she said: 'I was startled by the vitriolic nature of (the messages) but it's part of the territory as a politician. 'I am in a privileged position that I can brush this off but I feel it's my responsibility to call it out for those women that don't have that amplification. 'Because there are women around the world putting up with this day in day out.' 'I try not to take it too seriously and it seemed to hit a nerve. The amount of supportive comments I've had absolutely overwhelm the comments about my judgement and what I am wearing.' Ms Brabin added: 'Twas ever thus. Women are judged continually by how they look... it is unacceptable that we are raising out daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards.' In a withering assessment of those taking her to task over her clothing, she said: 'They are anonymous people often, keyboard warriors sat in their mum's back bedroom eating Pot Noodles and having a pop at people they don't know anything about.' Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Tracy Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back' Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin took matters into her own hands after being confronted over an an off-the-shoulder dress she chose to wear during a debate earlier this week One Twitter user shared a photograph of her wearing the controversial outfit and asked: 'Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?' Ms Brabin, 58, posted a sharply-worded response hitting back at the people who called her names for the dress The rebuke came after Ms Brabin delivered a stinging riposte on Twitter last night, saying: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not.... 'A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' Ms Brabin, who played Tricia Armstrong in the ITV programme between 1994 and 1997, replaced Jo Cox as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, after she was murdered by far-right extremist Thomas Mair in 2016. Ms Brabin admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress on Monday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. A Parliamentary Secretary replied claiming the Government is 'committed to being open in their dealings with the press and the principles of media freedom'. She added that: 'No journalists are barred from official media briefings hosted by the Prime Minister's official spokesperson.' The Government spokesman said it is 'entirely standard practice' to hold 'smaller meetings' as was the case on Monday. But it was her outfit, not the relationship between the Government and political journalists, which caught the attention of social media. Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box. Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box One person asked: 'Has she just fallen out of the pub?', while somebody else commented: 'She should be asked to leave'. One woman wrote: 'It was inappropriate dress for HofC or any workplace other than a nightclub. You looked silly.' But others leapt to her defence, with one supporter claiming she could 'wear a bikini' as long as he continues to fight for social causes. Another posted in support of her: 'Are people forgetting how Boris Johnson rocks up every day? Permanently scruffy, but I guess that's ok...' The 58-year-old received 17,506 votes in October 2016, despite turnout in her Yorkshire constituency being just 26 per cent - one of the lowest by-election turnouts since the Second World War. Ms Brabin was named Ms Cox's successor after all other main parties decided not to run against the Labour candidate as a mark of respect. The off-the-shoulder dress divided Twitter users, some of whom called her derogatory names and others who supported her Tracy Brabin is pictured playing Tricia Armstrong on Coronation Street in 1996 alongside co-star Michael Le Vell New MP: Tracy Brabin is pictured after winning the by-election for Labour in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, on October 21 2016 Who is Tracy Brabin? The Coronation Street actress who swapped TV for politics after murder of Labour MP Tracy Brabin was born in Batley, half of the West Yorkshire constituency she now represents in Westminster, in May 1961. She went to grammar school before studying drama at Loughborough University. Brabin became known for her role as a clumsy waitress called Sandra opposite Only Fools N Horses star David Jason in the ITV sitcom A Bit of A Do in 1989. She later bagged the role of Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street in 1994 where she stayed until 1997. The now-58-year-old also starred in EastEnders as Roxy Drake in the early 2000s. Tracy Brabin (pictured second from right) is pictured with the late Jo Cox (second from left) before her death and the by-election that saw her replace her as MP for Batley and Spen Her political interest was first made clear in 1997 when she wrote a newspaper article endorsing the Labour Party, telling of how her father-in-law died on a hospital trolley while waiting to see a doctor. In 1998 she appeared in a Labour Party political broadcast urging people to join. She was the lead member of a group of nine actors who wrote an open letter in The Observer newspaper claiming that while they opposed Britain's intervention in the Iraq War, they still supported the re-election of a Tony Blair Labour Government in 2001. The former actress, who also appeared in Emmerdale, expressed her interest in running for office after the death of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox in June 2016. The former actress played Tricia Armstrong (centre) in Coronation Street on ITV between 1994 and 1997 Tracy Brabin is pictured (left) as Roxy Drake in EastEnders alongside Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater in 2001 She was one of two women who threw their hat in the ring to replace Mrs Cox after she was shot and stabbed on the way to a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on June 16 that year. Brabin had canvassed for Labour in the Kirklees Council election of 2012 and had worked with Mrs Cox on her campaign against local library closures in the area. Brabin was voted in as Batley and Spen MP in October after all the other major parties promised they wouldn't contest Labour's seat as a mark of respect for the late Mrs Cox. A source told The Sun during the by-election campaign: 'Tracy worked very closely with Jo on a number of local issues and is keen to carry on her work. 'She's well known locally, she grew up around here and is seen as the best candidate by the local Labour party.' Macys Inc (M.N) said on Tuesday it plans to close 125 of its least productive stores over the next three years to tackle slowing mall traffic and will slash more than 2,000 corporate jobs as a part of a cost-savings effort, Trend reports citing Reuters. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company operated 867 stores according to a regulatory filing a year ago. It had 130,000 total employees at the time. Macys said it would close stores in lower tier malls, and explore new off-mall formats, as it looks to tackle plummeting mall traffic in the United States. The 161-year-old department store chain has been grappling with retaining existing shoppers and attracting new ones as consumers opt for online shopping. Since 2015, it has closed more than 100 stores and cut thousands of jobs. We will focus our resources on the healthy parts of our business, directly address the unhealthy parts of the business and explore new revenue streams, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gennette said in a statement. The 125 stores targeted for closure currently account for about $1.4 billion in annual sales, the company said. Annual revenue was $24.97 billion in fiscal 2019. The largest U.S. department store operator also said it expects annual gross cost savings of $1.5 billion by 2022, with $600 million expected in 2020. It forecast full-year net sales of between $23.6 billion and $23.9 billion, below analysts average estimate of $24.36 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. We think the pace of closures across three years is modest compared to years past, said CFRA analyst Camilla Yanushevsky. Shares of the company were trading roughly flat after market close on Tuesday. The company will host its investor day on Wednesday. Who came out on top in the last debate between the leaders of the three biggest parties before Election 2020? LEO VARADKAR Expand Close Fine Gaels Leo Varadkar pictured as he arrived at the RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate.Picture Credit:Frank McGrath 4/2/20 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fine Gaels Leo Varadkar pictured as he arrived at the RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate.Picture Credit:Frank McGrath 4/2/20 Style The Taoiseach was on the offensive, skewering Sinn Fein's lack of support for the Special Criminal Court and branding one of Martin's housing plans as a "SSIA boom-time scheme". Substance He was able to point to homeless figures of about 20,000 people in Northern Ireland. Factchecked, the number was rounded up, but it was a worthwhile expose of Sinn Fein's record in government. Best moment It was probably a pre-cooked line but Varadkar pulled out a zinger when he said handing the economy back to Fianna Fail would be "like asking John Delaney to take over the FAI again". Worst Moment Varadkar was unable to guarantee record trolley numbers would not be broken if Fine Gael is re-elected while claiming the policies of other parties would result in people waiting longer. Score: 7/10 Varadkar came out fighting and put in a strong performance. With Fine Gael sliding in the polls it was his last throw of the dice. It remains to be seen if it will be enough to see him returned to office. MICHEAL MARTIN Expand Close Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin pictured as he arrived at RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate. Picture: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin pictured as he arrived at RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate. Picture: Frank McGrath Style Martin frequently furrowed his brow and made his trademark claw-like hand gestures as he sought to press home his points. Substance Martin spoke with a sense of urgency and authority on the crucial issues of housing and health and was able to succinctly outline his party's plans, especially on hospital overcrowding. Best moment He skewered Sinn Fein's tax proposals, detailing how they would involve numerous new taxes to raise some 4bn. He said these were "magic numbers" and warned of the flight of capital. Worst moment Looked uneasy when the typos in Fianna Fail's manifesto were raised and was scrambling when Varadkar pointed out that his staff had signed a pledge to freeze rents. Also dropped his notes. Score: 6/10 Exuded experience - a good and bad thing in this election - and overall performed a lot better than he did in earlier TV debates. MARY LOU MCDONALD Expand Close Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald pictured as she arrived at the RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate.Picture Credit:Frank McGrath 4/2/20 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald pictured as she arrived at the RTE for the Prime Time Leaders Debate.Picture Credit:Frank McGrath 4/2/20 Style McDonald applied her usual robust style of debating and regularly sought to interject when her rivals were speaking. Substance She was light on detail when quizzed on her polices and focused her contributions on saying her party was an alternative to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Attacked their polices but did not offer many solutions. Best moment She tapped into the public mood for change and accused Martin of propping up Varadkar's government. She said it was "not credible" for Martin to claim to be a "face of change". Worst moment McDonald appeared exposed when questioned on the comment her party member Conor Murphy made about the tragic murder of Paul Quinn. Mr Murphy wrongly claimed the young man was murdered because he was involved in criminality. Score: 5/10 McDonald battled to be included in the RTE debate and in the end was outfoxed by both Varadkar and Martin. On this performance she won't win over many undecided voters. A ten-year-old girl is fighting for her life after she was brutally raped, beaten with stones and buried alive in India. The child is in a serious condition following the attack in Churu district, in the Indian state of Rajasthan in northern India on Monday night. The young victim had left her family home at around 9.30pm to buy chocolate from a local shop. A young girl was left fighting for her life after she was brutally raped, beaten with stones and buried alive in India (Stock image) Her parents grew concerned when she failed to return and launched a search. Police say an unemployed youth living in her neighbourhood lured the girl into a nearby abandoned house. He proceeded to rape her and beat her up with stones to her head, before trying to bury her alive, police say, according to The Times of India. The girl was discovered at around 10.30pm, unconscious and bleeding from the head. She was rushed to Churu district hospital where she remains in a serious condition. Police have arrested a 21-year-old suspect who lives in the area. Officer at Rajgarh policestation in Churu, Vishnu Dutt said: 'When the girl had gone to buy chocolates, the accused lured the minor to an abandoned house and raped her.' The attack comes amid a revived debate over sexual violence in India after several headline-grabbing cases in recent weeks. The burned body of a 27-year-old veterinarian was found in late November near the city of Hyderabad in southern India. Indians protest against rape and sexual violence in December following the case of a 27-year-old vet who was gang-raped and murdered in Hyderabad Police later fatally shot four men being held on suspicion of raping and killing the woman after investigators took them to the crime scene. It drew praise from people frustrated by the pace of the 2012 New Delhi case, during which six men gang-raped 23-year-old Jyoti Singh and caused organ damage by penetrating her with an iron rod. The brutal attack on Jyoti Singh sparked weeks of demonstrations and shone a spotlight on the alarming rates of sexual violence and the plight of women in India. Four men were convicted in 2013 and were due to be hanged simultaneously earlier this month in India's first execution since 2015. However their execution was recently postponed 'until further orders.' Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - ScoZinc Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SZM) ("ScoZinc" or the "Company") is pleased to report that Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. have completed their mill optimization study at our Scotia Mine that supports the possibility of a low-cost and low-risk return to full scale production. The President and CEO, Mr. Mark Haywood, stated, "Ausenco's detailed review of our processing operations over the last few months has confirmed our strategy that a low mill refurbishment cost is realistic and achievable within a reasonable time frame. Combined with the recently announced new Mineral Resource Estimate, which almost doubled the Scotia Mine's mineral resources, we are encouraged that the upcoming Pre-Feasibility Study will be a significant improvement on the past Preliminary Economic Assessments. We are also pleased to update our shareholders on a number of other corporate activities." Corporate Update: Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. (" Ausenco ") mineral processing trade-off technical study determined that the mill contained a number of production and maintenance bottlenecks whose removal will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the mill. Such bottlenecks included, inadequate grizzly design, inability of primary and secondary crushers and screens to correctly reduce rock sizes for efficient grinding, excessive dust generation inside the mill, undersized screens and general crushing circuit throughput restrictions, fine ore bin ore freezing and maintenance constraints, grinding circuit throughput and sizing constraints, re-grind mill disconnection, flotation circuit overload and poor particle separation and recovery, excessive concentrate moisture due to poor drying circuit system, insufficient and unreliable power supply, and insufficient and unreliable water supply. In evaluating the bottlenecks, Ausenco determined that a number of low-cost improvements could be made during a relatively short refurbishment period to significantly de-risk the processing operations. The main process flow improvements include the following: Addition of a two-stage crushing on the Run-Of-Mine pad to eliminate excessive dust and improve oversize handling, throughput and blending controls; Upgrades to fine ore bin with knife gates, vibratory feeder conveyors and air canons to improve operations and maintenance controls, and also prevent ore freezing during periods of very low outside temperatures; Replacement of the rod handlers and various chutes to improve operations and maintenance; Incorporation of the re-grind mill to improve zinc grades; Upgrades to the flotation circuits with more efficient pumps and agitators, inline sampling, and flotation cell level automation; and Upgrades to the concentrate drying circuit with efficient filter presses commonly used in colder climate operations and enable higher productivity with better moisture controls. ") mineral processing trade-off technical study determined that the mill contained a number of production and maintenance bottlenecks whose removal will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the mill. Such bottlenecks included, inadequate grizzly design, inability of primary and secondary crushers and screens to correctly reduce rock sizes for efficient grinding, excessive dust generation inside the mill, undersized screens and general crushing circuit throughput restrictions, fine ore bin ore freezing and maintenance constraints, grinding circuit throughput and sizing constraints, re-grind mill disconnection, flotation circuit overload and poor particle separation and recovery, excessive concentrate moisture due to poor drying circuit system, insufficient and unreliable power supply, and insufficient and unreliable water supply. In evaluating the bottlenecks, Ausenco determined that a number of low-cost improvements could be made during a relatively short refurbishment period to significantly de-risk the processing operations. The main process flow improvements include the following: The NI 43-101 technical report for the SRK Mineral Resource Estimate (" 2019 MRE ") announced in December 2019 has been filed on SEDAR under the Company's profile. The 2019 MRE is also provided on the ScoZinc website at www.scozinc.com. The Pre-Feasibility Study (" PFS ") is underway with a considerable amount of technical work and equipment pricing either completed or ongoing. Results are expected at the end of March 2020 with a SEDAR filing of the PFS in April 2020. Pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan, the Board of Directors has granted Mr. Mark Billings, a director of the Corporation, 40,000 Stock Options in the Company at an exercise price of CDN$0.52 each. All Mr. Billing's Options have a 5-year expiry term, with 25% of the Stock Options granted vesting immediately, and the remainder vesting in 25% increments every six months thereafter. The Company has entered into a debt settlement agreement with the former CEO (the "Creditor") and pursuant to the debt settlement agreement will, subject to receipt of approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, issue an aggregate of 150,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, at a deemed price of CDN$1.15 per common share, in consideration for the settlement of a total of CDN$197,190.04 in accrued liabilities owing to the Creditor (the "Debt Settlement"). The Company expects that the proposed Debt Settlement will assist the Company in preserving its cash for working capital. All securities to be issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period from the closing date. The Debt Settlement is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals including from the TSX Venture Exchange. About ScoZinc Mining Ltd. ScoZinc is an established Canadian exploration and development company that has full ownership of the Scotia Mine (Zn/Pb) and related facilities near Halifax, Nova Scotia. ScoZinc also holds several prospective exploration licenses nearby its Scotia Mine and in surrounding regions of Nova Scotia. The Scotia Mine is currently on care and maintenance, however the Company intends to re-start operations as soon as possible. The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "SZM". For more information, please contact: Mark Haywood President & Chief Executive Officer Simion Candrea VP Investor Relations Head Office Purdy's Wharf, 1959 Upper Water Street, Suite 1301, Nova Scotia, B3J 3N2, Canada Telephone +1 (902) 482 4481 Facsimile +1 (902) 422 2388 Email info@ScoZinc.com Web www.ScoZinc.com The Company's corporate filings and technical reports can be viewed on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further information on ScoZinc is also available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ScoZinc, Twitter at www.twitter.com/ScoZincMining, and LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/scozinc-mining-ltd. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This News Release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. In particular, the Company has not made a production decision with respect to ScoZinc's Scotia Mine. The Company has not completed a feasibility study or established the economic viability of the Project or proposed operations on ScoZinc's Scotia Mine, and no mineral reserves have been established for ScoZinc's Scotia Mine that would support a production decision. Mineral exploration projects which are put into production without first establishing mineral reserves and completing a feasibility study have historically had a higher risk of economic or technical failure. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from ScoZinc's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of metals, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in ScoZinc's Management's Discussion and Analysis. Although ScoZinc has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52165 Streaming giant Netflix has been accused of 'superhighway robbery' over its tax affairs. Dame Margaret Hodge hit out at the US company, and demanded the digital services tax should be extended to cover streaming services such as Netflix, so that 'tax abuse' will stop. The California firm has enjoyed hits with Sex Education, The Crown, featuring Olivia Colman and Marriage Story. Must watch: Netflix has enjoyed hits with Sex Education, The Crown, featuring Olivia Colman (pictured) and Marriage Story Hodge said it pocketed nearly 1million in tax relief in two years citing figures from a report by Tax Watch UK. She told the House of Commons: 'This is superhighway robbery. The UK taxpayer is being taken for a ride. We are handing over cash to Netflix while they stash their profits offshore.' Treasury minister Jesse Norman said the UK was tackling tax avoidance. He said: '[Netflix] are planning to invest something like 232million in Shepperton Studios, and that is not a trivial act.' He said businesses should be 'incentivised' to invest in the UK's creative economy. Netflix said: 'We comply with the rules in every country where we operate.' What books have shaken our favorite Latina authors to the core? There are books that have the power to change people's lives forever. These books helped us see life from a fresh perspective, expanded a horizon of possibilities or helped us reflect on our experiences in life. There are life-changing books highly-recommended by our favorite Latina authors. They may have transformed them at some point of their lives or inspired their careers in literature. Here are some of them, according to an article by Remezcla: 1. Yesika Salgado, author of "Hermosa," "Corazon" and "Tesoro," recommends My Wicked Wicked Ways by Sandra Cisneros. While wallowing in her first heartbreak at 17 years old, Salvadoran-American poet Yesika Salgado's U.S. history teacher, a young Chicano named Mr. Celis, handed her My Wicked Wicked Ways, a poetry book by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros. "I opened the page and found a mirror, a Latina who suddenly gave words to everything I thought couldn't be named," said Salgado. "I ended up keeping his signed copy all school year. When I returned it, I knew I wanted to write poetry that did to the world what Sandra did for me. I was no longer alone." 2. Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe, author of "Periodicos de Ayer," recommends The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States by Miriam Jimenez Roman. Like Salgado, Afro-Dominican poet Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe found her life-changing book in the academe. While doing her undergraduate thesis, a professor told her to read The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States, after which completely revolutionized the way she saw herself and the world. "I did not have the words or context for the marginalization and exclusion I often felt within non-Black Latinx spaces and non-Latinx Black spaces," said Rodriguez Del Obre. "With [this collection], I began to understand how my experiences were not anomalous but rather part of a collective and history passionately documented and explored." 3. Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of "Sabrina & Corina," recommends Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros. Denver, Colorado-based Mexican-American author Kali Fajardo-Anstine was inspired by a book of short stories which influenced her to write Sabrina & Corina, a story collection about Indigenous Latinas in the American West. "I took an introduction to a creative writing class and was floored when I read Woman Hollering Creek. Cisneros' stories felt familiar yet challenging and this space allowed me to imagine my own short stories," said Fajardo-Anstine. "I ended up writing a term paper on her use of the myth of La Llorona, contributing to my foundational interest in folklore in literature. Without [these stories], I don't believe I ever would have written Sabrina & Corina. I am eternally grateful for this classic collection by a Chicana master." 4. Elizabeth Acevedo, author of "The Poet-X," "The Fire on High" & "Clap When You Land," recommends The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Cisneros' works also deeply impacted Harlem, New York-raised and Washington, DC-based Afro-Dominican author Elizabeth Acevedo like many other Latina writers. For her, it was The House on Mango Street that allowed her for the first time to identify with a character as intimately as she did. "In middle school, my classmates and I read The House on Mango Street, and it was the first (and only) text we'd ever read centering a Latina," said Acevedo. "I was so moved by the fact that the main character sounded like me, and her community seemed like mine; it was life-altering. Through lyrical prose, unflinching honesty and dry wit, Cisneros created a classic that has inspired generations of Latinx writers." 5. Gabby Rivera, author of "Juliet Takes a Breath," "America Chavez" & "b.b. free," recommends Palante by Michael Abramson. Bronx-born Puerto Rican queer writer Gabby Rivera said the Palante changed her life and affirmed her identities. It also inspired her career in literature and comics and started her journey of unlearning the myths about Puerto Ricans, Latinos, queer people and New Yorkers that society has taught her. "Palante, a book full of essays and photos from the Young Lords, taught me that Puerto Ricans have always been ready to fight: for justice, safe housing, clean streets, food access, health care and for each other," said Rivera. "Palante taught me that Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican drag queen, trans activist and mother of the Stonewall Riots (alongside Marsha P. Johnson), was also a Young Lord. She led conversations on queerness, sexuality, gender, women's rights, anti-machismo, everything. So when they tell us that all this 'gender LGBTQ shit is new, isn't of us,' I know for a fact that's a lie. This book is the proof." Environmental Approval Received for the Maricunga Project Sydney, Feb 5, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium Power International Limited ( ASX:LPI ) ( FRA:24L ) ( OTCMKTS:LTHHF ) is pleased to announce its joint venture company, Minera Salar Blanco S.A. (MSB), has today received environmental approval for the Maricunga project in the Atacama Region of northern Chile.The Chilean Government's Central Environmental Committee has voted to approve the project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is one of the few EIA's approved in Chile during recent years and it will enable MSB to become the third significant lithium operation in the country with an anticipated 20,000 tonnes annual production for an estimated capital investment of USD563 million.Focus will now be on finalising the financial structuring for the construction of the project, including possible off-take agreements. Construction is expected to commence by the end of Q3 2020.The EIA was submitted by MSB to the Chilean Environmental Authority, Servicio de Evaluacion Ambiental (SEA), in September 2018 and was the culmination of more than two years of field and desk work.The process involved in-depth data gathering, a variety of environmental and engineering studies and monitoring campaigns carried out by experienced company management and consulting experts.The resulting EIA was a comprehensive 11,400-page document, which included complete environmental baseline studies, hydrological and hydrogeological modelling, human, archaeological and fauna and flora characterisation, and impact evaluation.The EIA also included a lengthy process of social engagement with the Colla indigenous communities in the area. In addition, significant consultation took place with regional authorities and local organisations, which are all interested parties in the EIA process.Since the initial submission of the EIA, a 15-month review process was undertaken by the Chilean environmental authorities, during which time three rounds of observations, clarifications and further assessments were resubmitted.MSB provided responses to the third and final review of the EIA by the environmental authorities in late November 2019, with the Environmental Evaluation Service recommending approval of the EIA on 27 January 2020. The Central Environmental Committee resolved to approve the project's EIA today. Upon analysis of the Environmental Approval documentation, further information will be disclosed if materially important to do so.Lithium Power International's Chief Executive Officer, Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, commented:"Receiving this regulatory approval is the final milestone in advancing our Maricunga project and reinforces our continued strong relationships with the Chilean Government. We are confident that the subsequent commencement of the construction will generate a positive impact both for the local communities and the country.""Discussions with a number of international financial institutions and potential off-takers are underway and will now be speed up to acquire the necessary funding for the construction."About MSBMSB is LPI's joint venture company based in Chile. MSB's Maricunga lithium brine project is Chile's highest grade and most advanced lithium project outside the Salar de Atacama.In January 2019, MSB submitted its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) prepared in accordance with both JORC and NI-43101 reporting standards. It supports 20,000 tonnes per annum production of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) over 20 years, providing a pre-tax NPV of USD1.302 billion.MSB submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in September 2018 and, after a comprehensive two-and-a-half year review period, it has now been approved.Construction of the Maricunga Project is expected to commence in Q3 2020.About Lithium Power International Ltd Lithium Power International Limited (ASX:LPI) is a pure-play lithium explorer and developer, focusing on developing and fast-tracking to production the high-grade Maricunga lithium brine project in Chile. LPI has a well-known performing technical team with the experience to take the Maricunga project all the way through the development stages to production. The regions that LPI is currently focused on are: 1. Maricunga JV (Chile) - Located within the "Lithium Triangle", Maricunga is Chile's highest grade and most advanced lithium project outside the Salar de Atacama. The project lies 170 km northeast of Copiapo and 250 km from the port of Caldera. 2. Pilbara (Western Australia) - LPI has three granted exploration tenements covering 203 km2 in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. The largest granted exploration tenement is the Pilgangoora tenement which is 2-3 km west of the Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) and Altura Mining (ASX:AJM) lithium deposits. 3. Greenbushes (Western Australia) - LPI has two granted exploration tenements covering 400 km2 in the Greenbushes area of southern Western Australia. The tenements are adjacent to the world's largest hard rock lithium mine owned and operated by Tianqi/Talison. 4. Centenario (Argentina) - Through its Argentinian subsidiary, Lithium Power holds a total of seven granted tenements in the Centenario lithium brine salar within the Salta province of the Puna Plateau. In total, the seven granted tenements cover an area of 68.46 km2. With the exception of the Maricunga JV, all tenements are 100% owned by LPI or LPSA (including rights to the Centenario tenements). As with all ensembles (and most shows with a big and shifting writers' room) the quality can vary widely from episode to episode, and even from scene to scene. That's the case here: whenever we're with Peter Krause or Angela Bassett, things are pretty exciting. When we're in the control room witnessing Jennifer Love Hewitt woodenly deliver platitudes, not so much. 9-1-1 loves to go large, and it doesn't get much larger than this. Before the opening credits roll minor spoiler a tsunami hits LA. That's right. A tsunami. Given the city's location, it's not a completely absurd idea. And it certainly creates the opportunity for multiple storylines, something this show, with its police-fire-medic-operator combo, requires in order to give all its characters something to do. Homeland SBS Viceland, 9.25pm The eighth and final season of Homeland gets under way tonight, fast-tracked from the US, and while it feels like a long, long way from season one (remember that? Damien Lewis' US soldier returns home as a secret suicide bomber?) there's a certain core or framework that's remained intact over the years. Its two most compelling players remain, of course: Claire Danes' vulnerable, brilliant, erratic superspy Carrie Mathison; and Mandy Patinkin's conflicted, morally flexible spy-runner and sometimes father figure Saul Berenson. This is a show that has always been open to and sometimes even seemed to predict the shifts and currents of global politics. Freeing itself of its original narrative moorings has done it nothing but good. It's also a testament to the thoughtfulness and intelligence of showrunners Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa that it has stayed so on the ball. This is also a series that has resisted the temptation of relying too heavily on the (admittedly significant) star wattage of its two leads. Over the years actors such as Rupert Friend and Miranda Otto, to name just two, have added wonderful depth and complexity. Now we have the pleasure of the company of the likes of Linus Roache and our own Costa Ronin in a story that has Carrie back from Russia but still struggling with the aftershocks and Saul now security advisor to the President and once again proving himself Worst. Substitute Father. Ever. UCG UniCredit: Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgi co-opted to the board of directors UniCredit today announces that on 5 February 2020 the board of directors - upon the proposal from the Corporate Governance, Nomination and Sustainability Committee - co-opted Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgi as independent non-executive directors in place of Fabrizio Saccomanni and Martha Boeckenfeld. Taking into account the article 2386 of the Italian Civil Code, their appointment will be submitted for approval to the shareholders meeting in order to integrate the Board, whose mandate will expire in April 2021. Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgi were selected by the board of directors in accordance with the "Process for selecting candidates for the posts of Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and board member" approved by the board on 6 July 2017 and available on the Company's website (https://www.unicreditgroup.eu/en/governance/board-of-directors/process-for-selecting-candidates.html). The board of directors concluded that Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgi - given their professional experience - are suitable candidates to hold the position as director of UniCredit. The board will benefit from a set of skills in the digital/technology sector, with a specific application to banking, that the board feels crucial for the implementation of the multi-year plan; the competencies of the board in banking business (with particular focus on retail commercial banking), strategic planning and international experience will be reinforced. Beatriz Lara Bartolome is considered a pioneer of innovation and digital transformation, with 16 years of experience in telecommunications sector and 9 years in banking; she participated in the evolution of significant transformational projects of international banking groups and multinationals, in particular she designed and implemented the innovation centre in BBVA. She has a masters degree in Physical Sciences from the Madrids Complutense University, and has complemented her studies in Management and Leadership with specific programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the IESE Business School. Diego De Giorgi is a senior corporate and investment banker, having built his career internationally. In the last 4 years he was the Head of Global Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, having been previously responsible for all Corporate and Investment banking activities for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Prior to this, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Global Investment Banking, at Goldman Sachs in NY and before that responsible for all relationships with EMEA Banks, Insurers and Asset Managers. After his graduation in Economics and Business Administration at Bocconi University, he gained a CEMS masters degree in International Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgi declared they meet the independence requirements envisaged by Clause 20 of the UniCredit articles of association, Article 3 of the Italian Corporate Governance Code as well as Article 148(3) of the Legislative Decree no. 58/1998 (Italian Consolidated Financial Act). Beatriz Lara Bartolome and Diego De Giorgis CV are available on the UniCredit website (www.unicreditgroup.eu). Milan, February 5, 2020 Contacts Media Relations Tel. +39 02 88623569; e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu Investor Relations Tel. + 39 02 88621028; e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu Chairman of the Save Romania Union (USR) Dan Barna reiterated on Wednesday that the USR PLUS Alliance supports the dissolution of Parliament and the organization of early elections, but that if no majority can be marshalled for this, the alliance is ready to participate in a government whose priority should be returning to two-round mayoral elections. "USR supports the dissolution of this Parliament and the organization of early elections. The current Parliament, dominated by a toxic majority, has proven its limits. Romania can no longer continue with it. We have taken note of the President's statements this evening regarding a possible new governing formula, if a majority for early elections cannot be formed. At the Cotroceni consultations tomorrow the USR delegation will inform the head of the state that the USR-PLUS Alliance is ready to participate with ministers in a government whose first goal should be adopting an emergency ordinance that sanctions the return to two-round mayoral elections," the USR leader wrote on Facebook.He stressed that this scenario stands "only if the PSD-leaning majority" in Parliament will make the organization of early elections impossible.Barna also reminded that the USR PLUS Alliance has a proposal for a Premier in the person of Dacian Ciolos, and that it also has competent persons for the position of minister.President Klaus Iohannis, speaking on Wednesday after the dismissal of the Ludovic Orban Government by no-confidence vote, emphasized that he strongly favors early elections, but that in absence of a will in this regard he wants a government that comes "with a reform agenda" to be voted in. AGERPRES by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 5, 2020 Google and its video service YouTube have joined Twitter in demanding that facial recognition startup Clearview AI stop scraping photos from their services. YouTubes terms of service explicitly forbid collecting data that can be used to identify a person, a spokesperson told CBS, which first reported the company's move. The tech platforms have also demanded that Clearview delete any photos it previously gathered. Clearview came to public attention two weeks ago, when The New York Times reported that the company scraped billions of photos from Twitter, Facebook and other companies, used technology to create a faceprint database, then sold that database to police departments across the country. advertisement advertisement News of the company's business sparked concern by privacy advocates and some public officials, including New Jersey's Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who told state prosecutors to temporarily stop using the technology company's program. Clearview CEO Hoan Ton-That said Wednesday morning that the company has a First Amendment right to access any photos it scraped. The way we have built our system is to only take publicly available information and index it, he said in an interview with CBS. It's not clear whether Google, Twitter and other tech companies can enforce terms of service that prohibit the scraping of online data. Last year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that LinkedIn couldn't rely on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act -- a federal anti-hacking law -- to prevent scraping by analytics company hiQ. LinkedIn has said it plans to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court. In 2015, the historian Ramachandra Guha wrote an essay in the Indian magazine Caravan that ruffled a lot of feathers. Guha remarked that while India had a right-wing party in power, the country lacked a serious right-wing intellectual ecosystem. A new book by the author and entrepreneur Jerry Rao argues that India in fact has a long, ancient tradition of right-wing thought. Raos book, The Indian Conservative: A History of Indian Right-Wing Thought, examines the contribution conservative ideas have madeand could make in the futureto the economy, politics, culture, society, and aesthetics of India. On this weeks episode, Milan Vaishnav (Director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and Jerry sit down to talk about the roots of conservative thought in India, the connection between Hindu nationalism and conservative tradition, and what the future holds for Indian secularism. He also has to forfeit 25 properties in Oregon and California and more than $16 million in Tesla stock. Here's how much time he'll serve. COLUMBUSOhios capital city celebrated the opening night of an illustrious performing arts company from New York on Feb. 4, 2020: Shen Yun Performing Arts. Business leaders, media professionals, and artists from Columbus attended the classical Chinese dance performance and gave the production high praise. Marketer Finds Shen Yun Very Organic [Shen Yun] was a beautiful way how dance represents life and life represents dance, said Jason Ohlson, a business owner in the field of marketing. Ohlson attended with his wife and the two described their appreciation of the performances artistry, historical elements, and its deeply spiritual dimension. Ohlson waxed poetic when it came to the way in which Shen Yuns dances and costumes interacted with the animated backdrops. I like the way that everything looks like a reflection of the landscape. It looks like a reflection of flowers. It looks like everybodys alive. Very organic. Very, very pretty, he said. Shen Yuns mission is to revive Chinas authentic, traditional culture through masterful and sometimes ancient performing arts and share it with the world. Thats why its performances depict heavenly beings, celestial realms, and the legend of the Creator as well as stories from ancient China and modern-day China. Chinas traditional culture has always believed that the divine plays a role in our everyday lives. While Ohlson said Shen Yuns overall storytelling effect is what struck him most, he appreciated the artists portrayal of faith very much. I think [Shen Yuns divine culture] aligns with a lot of, I think, most cultures. You have your higher power, you have to overcome yourself, overcome your own problems and a lot of times you have to, you know, tap into your spirit or your faith and it helps to rise up, he said. Director Felt Inspiration When the Divine Appeared On Stage David Smith is a director of theater and special events who attended the evening with two guests. He thought Shen Yun was beautiful and that it had excellent production value. The production levels are amazing. The video screen with the interaction with actors with the video screen, thats pretty fun. The costumes, the colors, the movements. The fabric, the way it moves. Its part of the dance, the way it happens. So that was beautiful, Smith said. Like Ohlson, Smith noticed the stories that portray the Creator coming back to earth and rewarding good people. I think everyone needs to look at the little [bit of] divine in themselves. Yes, it is there. We get caught up in the rat race of day to day affairs and dont even look beyond it; Hey, wait a minute there is something better, so, Smith said. David Smith and two guests attended Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 4, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Smith called Shen Yun beautiful, amazing, and said it makes you reconsider your day to day life. (Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times) He said Shen Yuns dance pieces that depict divine beings give you things to think about. It makes you reconsider your day to day life and whats going on and kind of thinking more about the inclusiveness in the world and everything, and not just about yourself but others. A few of Shen Yuns dance pieces tell about the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. Falun Dafa is an ancient spiritual discipline that teaches truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance and five energy-strengthening exercises. The Chinese Communist Party has carried out a campaign against its followers since 1999, perceiving its independence from the regime as a threat to the regimes legitimacy. I always felt that this is a shame, Smith said, in reference to the persecution. I actually followed Falun Dafa before and I think its wrong for people to Any other belief they have, especially when its something for the betterment of all the people, something not harmful, its actually helping everyone. And actually persecuting that, I dont understand why. Thats simply other people trying to control somebody. Shen Yun Is Overwhelming, Quilt Artist Says Social media influencer and quilting expert Sharon McConnell attended with her husband Patrick McConnell, a physician. They called Shen Yun beautiful, amazing, graceful, and wonderful. The beautiful costumes, the movements, I mean, the dancing is amazing. How graceful they are, said Patrick, who is a doctor at a childrens hospital. When she heard that Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing, Sharon said, Oh, yes, the way [the Shen Yun dancers] moved so gracefully. I was noticing how quiet their feet are. You dont hear, even when they jump you dont hear their feet. They are beautiful. Sharon did hear something that night that she thoroughly enjoyed: Shen Yuns beautiful music. Each year, Shen Yuns artistic director writes all-new original scores. Shen Yuns seven touring groups are each accompanied by a full live orchestra and a very unique one at that. This performing arts company is spearheading new frontiers in classical music by deftly combining select Chinese instruments with Western orchestration in order to tap into Chinese musics richly expressive and soulful sounds while delivering something highly accessible to music lovers everywhere. [The music] complements the dancing, Sharon said. The dancing is definitely the focus, like, you want to watch. I find myself wanting to watch one particular dancer, but then there is so much to see. Its overwhelming. Really cool. With reporting by Sophia Zheng, Yawen Hung, and Brett Featherstone. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Michael Pollan laughs and says, yes, he's on drugs while conducting this interview. Okay, he doesn't use those exact words, but he acknowledges that he has a "tall, takeout container" of half-caff coffee at his side as we discuss, via phone, his latest project, simply titled "Caffeine," available only as an audio book from Audible. Pollan, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," "The Botany of Desire," "In Defense of Food" and "How to Change Your Mind" - in which he has explored our complicated relationship with food, plants, drugs and many other things we take for granted - has turned his imposing analytical skills to caffeine, the most popular mind-altering chemical on the planet. "For most of us, to be caffeinated to one degree or another has simply become baseline human consciousness," Pollan writes, well, reads in "Caffeine." "Something like 90% of humans ingest caffeine regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world and the only one we routinely give to children, commonly in the form of soda. It's so pervasive that it's easy to overlook the fact that to be caffeinated is not baseline consciousness but, in fact, is an altered state." After others suggested the idea, Pollan decided to get off caffeine, cold turkey, to better understand the stimulant's effects on human consciousness. Last year, he abstained from coffee and tea for three months. As he notes in "Caffeine," the experiment nearly killed his enthusiasm for the book. "How can you possibly expect to write anything when you can't concentrate?" Pollan writes about his withdrawal symptoms, a state so intense that it's officially classified as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. When Pollan ended his caffeine fast, he promised himself to drink coffee and tea only on Saturdays. Our interview was on a Monday. So what happened? His Saturday-only policy was proceeding as planned, Pollan says, but then he went to Scandinavia on a book tour in December, when the days are shorter than the attention span of a tween on Twitter. "It was really dark," he says. "It got dark at 2:46 in the afternoon in Stockholm. I remember this. So people are like caffeinated till then, and then they switch over to alcohol, and that's basically how they survive. And I was jet-lagged on top of it, so I started having some caffeine then, and it did get me through that whole experience." "And now I've lapsed," he adds. These days, he has a half-caff every morning. Pollan's fall from the wagon is more testimony to the addictive nature of caffeine, a drug that the author argues helped advance civilization while, simultaneously, disrupting our sleep. The introduction of coffee and tea to Europe in the mid-17th century - at the time, alcohol was the drink that fueled and befogged workers - freed "people from the natural rhythms of the body and the sun, thus making possible whole new kinds of work and, arguably, new kinds of thought, too," Pollan writes. Caffeine would transform the world around us in ways large and small, magnificent and horrific. It would stimulate and focus the mind in a way that would influence the workplace, politics, social relations and "arguably even the rhythms of English prose," Pollan writes. But the cultivation of, and trade in, coffee and tea plants (and the sugar used in both) would also enslave countless people and lead to the East India Company opening an opium trade with China. The drug trade was good for British coffers, but it crippled a great empire. Once business executives discovered caffeine could improve worker production, coffee became capitalism's silent co-conspirator. Pollan delves into a Fair Labor Standards Act case from the 1950s in which a company, Los Wigman Weavers, made 15-minute coffee breaks mandatory, but refused to pay workers for the breaks. The courts ruled against Wigman, ushering in a law that requires employers to pay workers for short breaks. Historically, Pollan says, drugs that favor business have fared better under U.S. law than those that don't, though the increasing legalization of marijuana counters that trend. "I think there is a kind of a bias against drugs that interfere with the smooth working of the economic machine," the author says. "As soon as you get into jobs that involve machines or numbers, alcohol is a challenge. And we did try to ban alcohol, without success. I just think it's too deeply rooted in everyday life to take it on. But in general, you find that the drugs that increase productivity are the ones that are most supported in our society." With "Caffeine," though, Pollan wanted to separate what's good for civilization (and business) from what's good for humans as a species. He spent considerable time with sleep researchers, most of whom don't touch caffeine because of what it does to the body and the quality of one's shut-eye. Coffee, in particular, has become the solution to the problem that coffee has created, Pollan notes in the book. "There is no free lunch," Pollan says, laughing at the memory of his struggle without caffeine. "You know, these drugs give us something, and they take something, too. I think, on balance, the advantages exceed the disadvantages. I'm drinking coffee, and it's not just because I'm enslaved to it. I get a lot from it. I get a lot of pleasure, and I'm convinced it helps me with my writing. Getting off it certainly hurt my writing." Pollan says he started drinking coffee at age 10, more than 50 years ago, mostly as a way to bond with his father, who worked in New York City and would not return home to suburban Long Island until late at night. "So my time with him was in the morning when he was getting ready to go to work. I'd get up early so I could hang out with him, and I started drinking coffee because he drank coffee." In other words, until Pollan gave up caffeine last year, he had rarely, if ever, known an adult consciousness that was not altered by the drug. Perhaps not surprisingly, he prefers the clarity of mind that caffeine provides. Or what his wife, the painter Judith Belzer, calls the morning "cup of optimism." Although he prefers the caffeinated life, Pollan is not sure where he stands on whether coffee and tea have been good for humans in general. And even if he were clear, he probably wouldn't tell us, he says. "Caffeine makes us work harder. Is that good for us or not? What is good for a species?" Pollan says. "The kind of person caffeine made us, someone more likely to be striving and ambitious and highly productive, does that necessarily make us happier?" "The benefits are clear on the civilization ledger," he adds. "On the species ledger, it really depends if you see civilization as a plus or minus for the species. It does a lot for us, but it also has an enormous cost." Late last night, the Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Sergey Marabyan, examined the lawyers' appeal against the detention of former Minister of Finance and SRC Chairman Gagik Khachatryan. After the session, Yerem Sargsyan, member of the Khachatryans' legal team, told the reporters that state law enforcement bodies violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights in Khachatryan's case. My client insists that I do not publicize the topic of his health but today we are facing an extreme problem. After visiting Khachatryan at the penitentiary, medical specialists noted the need for medical assistance, after which my client was transferred to Astghik Medical Centre on January 15. On January 22, the medical consortium with the involvement of top specialists gave a clear instruction to treat Khachatryan in inpatient medical conditions. Naturally, the first obligation of the state was to ensure the appropriate conditions for treatment, however, on the same day, when they learned that Gagik Khachatryan needed medical supervision, they transferred him back to the penitentiary," Yerem Sargsyan said. He informed that after the above-mentioned case they applied to all the competent authorities (penitentiary service, relevant department of the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General's Office) demanding that the illegality be stopped and Gagik Khachatryan exercised his right by moving to the medical center at his own expense. There are some important things to note in regards to health: first, Gagik Khachatryan has undergone surgery in Germany three times since 2015. After the surgery in 2018, post-surgery treatment was abandoned halfway through to arrive in Armenia so as not to try hide away from the investigation. Second, consider his age. He is 64 years old and has been deprived of access to any treatment during his last 6 months in detention, receiving only painkillers. Now the question arises: What is the benefit of public authorities to violate a person's rights in this way? Experts have concluded that if Khachatryan fails to receive medical treatment, serious consequences can occur, the attorney said. The court's ruling will be announced on February 6, at 11:00. Britain to carry on with Ankara Agreement visa until 2021 The visa scheme is based on the 1963 Ankara Agreement between Turkey and the European Economic Community, a predecessor to the EU. A special visa by the UK government to Turkish businesspeople and their families will continue as normal until the end of the transition period which has kicked on with Brexit, according to Turkeys London ambassador. TURKEY WILL CONTINUE COOPERATION WITH THE UK AFTER BREXIT Umit Yalcin said those citizens living in the UK on a business document linked to the September 1963 Ankara Agreement would not see a change in their status while the UK EU transition period runs until the end of the year. "The UK has left the EU as of Jan. 31, 2020. However, it will abide by the EU rules until the period called the transition period until the end of this year. Therefore, the effect of constant regulations regarding the Ankara Agreement will remain as they are until the end of Dec. 31, 2020, Yalcin said. Yalcin said after the transition period, the U.K. is expected to put in place a new point-based immigration system that would encourage talented and qualified migrants to come to the country from the beginning of 2021 and our citizens will be able to apply for visas within the requirements of the new system" Yalcin explained that nearly 30,000 Turkish businesspeople entered the U.K. on the Ankara Agreement visa (ECCA businesspersons visa) since 2000 and more than 3,000 Turks benefited from it in the first half of 2019. We are dealing with our citizens rights in detail with a working group with the UK authorities, Yalcin said, giving hope for the post-transition period. By Express News Service KOLKATA: The students of Presidency University gheraoed vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia for 36 hours till Wednesday afternoon pressing a series of demands including reopening of Hindu Hostel and reinstating the transferred staff. The siege started around 1 pm on Monday with a sit-in demonstration outside the VCs chamber. The demonstration is spearheaded by the students union-backed by SFI, the CPI(M)s students wing. The Hindu Hostel was shut down in July 2015 for repair work and around 150 boarders were shifted to rented accommodation in New Town, which is quite far from the university. The university authorities failed to meet several deadlines for completion of the work. Some of the floors were opened since 2018 but three more wards remained incomplete and were never opened to the students. "The politics of confining the VC to release every demand is not justified. I would urge the students to reconsider their style of movement. These issues can be sorted out through dialogues, said state education minister Partha Chatterjee. General secretary of the students union Souren Malik said the movement had started with four demands related to reopening of the entire hostel. "We submitted seven deputations with the VC related to seven different issues, but no response came from her end, he said. We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Indiana Resources Limited (ASX:IDA). Do Insider Transactions Matter? It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year. View our latest analysis for Indiana Resources The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Indiana Resources insider Philip Hammond made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$202k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.03 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being AU$0.025). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Philip Hammond was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! ASX:IDA Recent Insider Trading, February 5th 2020 There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Story continues Does Indiana Resources Boast High Insider Ownership? I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 33% of Indiana Resources shares, worth about AU$1.5m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. So What Do The Indiana Resources Insider Transactions Indicate? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Indiana Resources shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Indiana Resources and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. To put this in context, take a look at how a company has performed in the past. You can access this detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow. Of course Indiana Resources may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Representative image The Union Cabinet on February 5 cleared the in-principle approval for development of major port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra. Vadhavan port will be developed on the landlord model at an estimated budget of Rs. 65,544 crore. A special purpose vehicle will be set up with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as the lead equity partner with at least 50 percent investment in the project. The SPV will develop the port infrastructure including reclamation, construction of breakwater and connection to the hinterland. The government plans to implement all business activities under the PPP model. The Vadhavan port has a natural draft of about 20 meters close to the shore. Development of the port will enable handling of container vessels of 16000-25000 Twenty Foot Equivalents (TEUs) capacity. Currently, India has 12 major ports at Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), VO Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia). India's largest container port is situated at JNPT in Maharashtra. The port caters to the hinterland of Maharashtra, Telangana and North Karnataka. Further, it serves the secondary hinterland of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, NCR and Punjab. With the development of the major port at Vadhavan, India will become one of the countries in the top-10 container ports in the world. L abour MP Tracy Brabin today hit back at "sexist" criticism over her dress as she told how it "slipped" off her shoulder when she leaned on the Commons despatch box with a broken ankle. Mr Brabin, who was branded a "hungover tart" and "slapper" for showing her shoulder while speaking in the House, said she had rushed to the chamber after attending a music event when she raised a "surprise" point of order. The shadow culture secretary spoke about the incident today in a series of TV interviews, while wearing a necklace emblazoned with the Suffragette slogan "Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere". She said the criticism was a case of "everyday sexism" and that she felt compelled to speak out about it because she is in a "privileged position". Tracy Brabin wore the dress in the Commons on Monday. / PA Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, she said: "The thing about the points of order, they come at you as a surprise, so you're not always camera-ready when you are in politics." She said the top of her outfit "did slip slightly, because I have broken ankle and I had to lean a little bit on the dispatch box". "To be honest, it's a huge distraction from what I'm saying and what's important about transparency and political standards working with the press," she added. The former Coronation Street actress said she could shrug off the negative comments but she felt a responsibility to "push back". She told BBC Breakfast: "I was startled by the vitriolic nature of (the messages) but it's part of the territory as a politician. "I am in a privileged position that I can brush this off but I feel it's my responsibility to call it out for those women that don't have that amplification because there are women around the world putting up with this day in day out. Ms Brabin wore a necklace with the slogan "Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere" when she appeared on BBC Breakfast (BBC Breakfast ) / BBC Breakfast "Women are judged continually by how they look... it is unacceptable that we are raising out daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards." Ms Brabin replied to a Twitter user on Tuesday after they shared a photograph of her wearing the outfit and asked: "Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?" She had tweeted: "Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not... A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. "Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder..." The Batley and Spen MP added in her interview today: "It does feel it's always a good way to demean women who are in positions of power - just talk about what they are wearing and how they look. "There's loads to discuss and I know if it was my predecessor, Tom Watson, nobody would be talking about the colour of his tie." She said she had been at a UK music event before going to the Commons. Ms Brabin said the criticism over her outfit will not make her think twice about what she wears in future. "Every day you go to work there are cameras in the chamber 24/7. I always show the House respect; if there was a problem I'm sure Mr Speaker would tell me," she said. "I absolutely don't know quite where it came from and I do think it's slightly absurd. You know, we are talking about shoulders, in the scheme of things, when there's so much to discuss it does feel a little silly." Former Strictly Come Dancing star Stacey Dooley was among those supporting Ms Brabin on Twitter, writing: "People can't be serious? "There's issues re institutional racism, crisis re food bank numbers, an underfunded NHS, homelessness and people are pissed she's got her shoulder out? Melania Trump wore a bespoke Dolce & Gabbana skirt suit to the State of the Union address yesterday. The outfit comprised a double-breasted jacket with a below-the-knee pencil skirt and mirrored the herringbone look the brand designed for its autumn/ winter 2019 collection. The silhouette is a signature for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who are favourites of the First Lady's. 49-year-old Trump previously wore a Dolce & Gabbana skirt suit for her official White House portrait, and also for a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth II last summer. First Lady Melania Trump in custom D&G yesterday (Getty Images ) / Getty Images For the 2018 State of the Union address, the FLOTUS opted to wear a white Dior trousersuit and a co-ordinating Dolce & Gabbana blouse, as she broke tradition by arriving at Capitol Hill without Donald Trump. Joining Melania in the first lady's box yesterday were several of the president's children, including Ivanka Trump who wore a black Givenchy dress. The State of the Union address is an annual message delivered by the President to Congress at the beginning of each calendar year in office. Yesterday's was President Trump's third. The message typically includes a budget message and an economic report of the nation, while also allowing the president to propose national priorities. The first lady's Dolce & Gabbana suit was similar to the tweed offering the Duchess of Cambridge wore last week for a visit to the Evelina London Children's Hospital. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Central government on Wednesday exuded confidence that the LIC listing will happen next fiscal, saying 8-9 months is needed for preparation of accounts. "I am certain that it will happen next year. It takes about 8-9 months for preparation of its accounts... what kind of legal tweaks that need to be made before an IPO of the insurance behemoth could be launched," Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty said at a CII event here. He also said an initial public offering (IPO) of LIC would also help to bring discipline into the organisation. "LIC is a richly deserved share for all those who want to invest. It will bring discipline in the organisation and marking it to the market will also bring in much needed depth. "I am quite hopeful that we should be able to finish it before March 31, 2021. The money, of course, will come through, that's less of an issue. It will be a substantial chunk that notwithstanding when you bring into public space such an organisation," he added. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her 2020-21 Budget, had said that LIC will be listed as part of the government disinvestment initiative. Currently, the government owns 100 per cent stake in LIC, the country's largest insurer, controlling more than 70 per cent of the market share. The insurer has a market share of 76.28 per cent in number of policies and 71 per cent in first-year premiums. LIC has many subsidiaries like LIC Home Finance, and also has the IDBI Bank in which it acquired controlling stake last year. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore. Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the government is readying "big ticket disinvestment" for the next fiscal with approvals in place for BPCL, Air India, Shipping Corporation and Concor. The government had revised downwards the budgeted disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh in the current Fiscal to Rs 65,000 crore. So far, it has mopped up Rs 34,000 crore and hopes to garner the remaining amount by March 31, 2020. Pandey said the government will achieve the Rs 65,000 crore disinvestment target in the current fiscal, adding the big-ticket divestment targets have been identified and the stake sale in Air India, Shipping Corporation and BPCL will take place next year. The stake sales of IDBI Bank where government will exit the bank and LIC listing will help in achieving the divestment target of Rs 2.1 lakh crore. A Cork man who carried out a robbery at the post office in Little Island was under intense pressure to repay a 50,000 drugs debt to Dublin criminals who threatened his home with a pipe-bomb attack. Detective Garda Edmond ODonoghue said the threats made against John Paul Carey, 32, of 9 Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire, County Cork, to repay this debt were very real. The detective said it was not just threats and that two gunshots were discharged at the home of one of Careys relatives. Det. Garda ODonoghue said the robbery was carried out by John Paul Carey at 9.20am on May 23, 2019. Two males entered Little Island post office. One had a firearm and the other had a wheel brace. They demanded money. They got away with 300 in 5 notes. They fled the scene in a black Mondeo driven by a third male. He was arrested later in the day at Glanmire shopping centre. He admitted the offence when interviewed. He was subject of a large drugs debt and was an active drug user funding his drug addiction and paying for a drug debt. When arrested he was in a car with two known criminals from Dublin paying over the money to them, Det Garda ODonoghue testified. The accused was remanded in custody from the date of the robbery in May last year. Judge James McCourt imposed a sentence of four-and-a-half years, backdated to last May, with the last two years suspended. The judge noted from defence submissions from barrister Paula McCarthy that the accused was progressing very well on a methadone programme, with greatly reduced requirements for the treatment. Judge McCourt also accepted the very significant threats against Carey to pay a drugs debt of 50,000. I dont know how you were ever going to pay it, the judge said. Also taken into consideration was his remorse and letter of apology to the woman working in the post office on the day who was trying to put the effects of the robbery behind her. In a reality TV moment during one of the United States' most formal occasions, President Donald Trump reunited a soldier with his family during the annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday. The wife and two children of Army Sergeant Townsend Williams were among Trump's guests at the address to Congress, and he began to tell their story -- in Williams' absence. "War places a heavy burden on our extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and her two children," Trump said, explaining that Williams' husband has been in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment. "Amy's kids haven't seen their father's face in many months. Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possile for all of our families to live in safety and in peace, and we want to thank you. Thank you, Amy," Trump said, prompting applause from the chamber. Williams stroked her son's hair while her daughter clutched her arm. "But Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment," Trump said, as the reality dawned on Williams and she put her hand over her mouth. The applause got louder. "He is here with us tonight, and we couldn't keep him waiting any longer" the president said. In his dress uniform, with campaign ribbons on his left breast, Williams slowly walked down the steps behind them, bent down, embraced his children and hugged his wife. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a cold Wednesday evening, the rain is pelting at the windows of the Slamannan Community Centre, where around 50 people have braved the weather to attend a meeting about soaring energy bills. They are residents of this and other rural villages near Falkirk, in Scotland, where households have seen their bills jump to more than 100 a week about 5,000 a year in a matter of months. Some families have been forced to use food banks so they can afford to heat their homes. The problems stem from a decision by Falkirk Council to install new, eco-friendly boilers in around 900 council properties over the past ten years, in a project costing 6 million. Claire Mackie is one of hundreds of residents in Falkirk, Scotland, who have seen their bills leap up after the council installed new eco boilers in social housing The homes were previously heated by coal fires and storage heaters. Instead, the Thermaflow boilers use electricity to heat water and warm homes which means residents don't need gas. Once households had one of the new boilers installed, they were offered access to Scottish Power's Domestic & Economy 2000 tariff, which was available only to those who had a certain type of boiler and who lived in a specific region of Scotland. On this deal, they were charged two different rates. They paid 7p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for their heating, and 12p/kWh for powering appliances and lighting. But the supplier has since hiked the prices, to 16p/kWh and 18p/ kWh respectively rates described by one expert as 'absolutely outrageous'. Struggling: Lisa McGregor has had to rely on the food bank to feed her five children Wendy and Brian Womble are another couple whose lives have been blighted by the eco boiler crisis in Falkirk On top of this, residents are now finding that they are barred from switching to another deal because the way their meters were set up means they are not compatible with most other tariffs on the market. So, to switch to a new deal, they would have to pay as much as 250 for an electrician to change their meter. Owen Sinclair, 42, has been forced to pay more than 100 a week after bills soared as a result of suppliers hiking up prices Some customers say their requests to switch are being blocked without explanation. Many are now stuck in deadlock, being passed back and forth between Scottish Power, Thermaflow and the council. The meeting at the community centre is being led by friends Claire Mackie, 39, and Fiona Gordon, 36, who both live in Slamannan, a village halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Fiona, who runs her own dog-walking business, bought her home with her husband in 2017. They had previously lived in the property as council tenants since 2008, and the Thermaflow boiler was installed in 2011. When the mother of two complained on Facebook about her bills jumping to 110 a week, she discovered neighbours were reporting similar rises. Claire, a marketing manager, had also seen her bills soar from 35 to 80 a week in October. So the pair decided to join forces to help the households affected and even set up a food bank for them. Claire Mackie (left) and Fiona Gordon are pictured at a meeting on sky-high eco boiler bills Mina Black, 60, and her husband Andrew are pictured with their extortionate eco boiler At the meeting, Claire updates the group on the council's pledge to spend 4 million replacing the heating systems where necessary. The group also discusses creating a template complaint letter to send to Scottish Power, and they plan to raise money for banners so they can hold a protest they already have more than 1,500 signatures calling for the energy giant to take action. It is not long before hands shoot into the air and residents begin detailing their own struggles with punitive bills and uncaring customer service staff. The soaring bills mean nursery nurse Lisa McGregor, 38, now spends as much on energy as she does on rent One middle-aged man at the back of the room asks if he can speak plainly, before describing the Big Six supplier as 'b*****ds'. The soaring bills mean nursery nurse Lisa McGregor, 38, now spends as much on energy as she does on rent. The single mother of five, from the village of California, is paying 400 a month to heat her home. The average Big Six customer pays 98, according to energy regulator Ofgem, which has called for a ban on gas boilers. It wants them ripped out from homes or upgraded by 2050 as part of government plans to reduce greenhouse gases. Pictured: Slamannan High Street in Falkirk, Scotland A public meeting led by friends Claire Mackie and Fiona Gordon in Slamannan is pictured packed with concerned residents Lisa, who works part-time, has tried to save money by turning on the heating for only three hours a day and having her young children share baths. But, despite the cutbacks, her bill has jumped from 70 to 100 a week since October. She says: 'I'm working in a professional role, but this heating system has crippled me financially and I've had to go to a food bank to feed my family three times.' Wendy, 48, and Brian Womble, 67, who live in Whitecross, say they are unable to have a bath and run the heating at the same time. Their Thermaflow boiler was installed before they moved into their property in 2013. But, in October, their bills rocketed from 70 to 100 a week. Retired engineer Brian says: 'We assumed it was only us having these problems until we saw other residents complaining online.' In a petition to the House of Commons last week, SNP MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk Martyn Day asked the Government to liaise with Scottish Power and resolve the issue. Mark Todd, of Energyhelpline, says that paying up to 18p/kWh is 'absolutely outrageous' and that a bill of this type would usually cost less than 800 a year in Falkirk. Fiona Gordon says: 'Scottish Power just doesn't seem to understand the magnitude of the situation. The council has said it has put money aside to help families, but it could take over a year before this happens.' A Scottish Power spokesman says: 'These customers are not prevented from switching, all suppliers have an obligation to provide a tariff to support these meter types. To address the root cause of the problem, that many customers are using high levels of energy, we're working with Falkirk Council and making a 1 million fund available for energy efficiency and insulation measures.' He adds that the firm has a new, cheaper tariff and an emergency credit fund for those affected. A council spokesman confirmed an independent contractor was visiting homes to review boiler performance, but had not yet identified any significant issues. George Curtis, of Thermaflow, insists the boilers are not to blame and puts the soaring bills down to energy providers hiking prices and residents using boilers incorrectly. A man and woman from the United Kingdom have been sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $100,000 each after their drunken escapades aboard a Los Cabos, Mexico-bound plane forced pilots to divert it to Winnipeg late Friday morning. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A man and woman from the United Kingdom have been sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $100,000 each after their drunken escapades aboard a Los Cabos, Mexico-bound plane forced pilots to divert it to Winnipeg late Friday morning. Ben Iontton, 25, pleaded guilty in provincial court Tuesday to mischief over $5,000 and assaulting a police officer while Natalie Walker, 34, pleaded guilty to causing a disturbance and mischief over $5,000. Iontton and Walker were not travelling together. Iontton started drinking excessively after boarding the plane in London, and was verbally abusive to flight staff for hours, Crown attorney Peter Edgett told Judge Lindy Choy. After flight crew members restrained Iontton in his seat, he yelled that he had a bomb and threatened to kill a pilot, Edgett said. So this guy disrupted our flight instead of being in mexico we are now stuck in canada for the night #tui #worststarttoaholiday pic.twitter.com/0H3YW18snY Lord Dewey Wingrave (@Deweybwoi91) January 31, 2020 Walker meanwhile, seated several rows away, had several in-flight drinks before dipping into her duty-free liquor. Walker yelled and swore at the flight crew and at one point, according to another passenger, pointed her legs in the air and pretended to give birth. Pilots diverted the flight to Winnipeg, where it landed at 11:35 a.m. and was greeted by RCMP officers who took the pair into custody. Iontton elbowed and kneed an officer as he was taken into custody. Air carrier TUI Airlines lodged passengers in Winnipeg hotels overnight. The flight disruption also delayed departing flights in Los Cabos, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for the airline, Edgett said. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Congress interim president and party leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday morning was discharged from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in the national capital. She was admitted to the SGRH February 2 and was diagnosed with a stomach infection, according to Dr D S Rana Chairman (Board of Management) at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. She has recovered from stomach infection and her condition was stable at the time of discharge. "Sonia Gandhi has undergone medical tests. She has been found to be suffering from stomach infection and is being treated for the same," Dr Rana had said on Monday. Live TV Accompanied by her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress leader had visited the hospital on February 2 (Sunday) after she complained of uneasiness. She was admitted for further check-ups. Sonia Gandhi did not attend the Union Budget presentation in Parliament on February 1. However, she was present on the first day of the Budget session on January 31 and led the party's protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Parliament premises. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 11:30 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062a6253 1 National Bali-Airport,China,Indonesia,tourism,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has ordered his Cabinet ministers to come up with a strategy to save Indonesias tourism, as it is being harmed by the countrys decision to impose travel restrictions on tourists from mainland China because of the new coronavirus outbreak. For the tourism sector, I request contingency plans, especially for Bali and North Sulawesi, both of which are destinations that have seen many visits by tourists from mainland China, Jokowi said in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The President said he also hoped the relevant stakeholders could take advantage of the current situation to attract foreign tourists from other countries who were looking alternatives to going on holiday after canceling plans to visit China. As Chinas coronavirus outbreak spreads to more than 20 countries, Indonesia has imposed a travel ban to and from China starting on Wednesday, preventing people who have stayed more than two weeks in China to visit or transit in the Southeast Asian country. Jakarta has also suspended visa-free and visa-on-arrival provisions for Chinese citizens, who made up the second-highest number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia, after Malaysia, last year. Read also: 'Don't overreact': Chinese envoy responds to Indonesia's travel ban amid virus fears Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio concurred that such a travel ban would create a big challenge for the countrys tourism as the number of Chinese tourists visiting the archipelago hit nearly 2 million last year. Statistics Indonesia revealed that from January to November 2019, 1.9 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia, representing nearly 13 percent of overall foreign tourist visits. Such travel restrictions mean that it will be harder for Jokowis administration to achieve the target of attracting 10 million Chinese tourists annually to Indonesia. Once again, our main priority is protecting the health of the Indonesian people. That is the main thing to consider at the moment, said Wishnutama. The coronavirus outbreak, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has affected Balis tourism, with the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies saying that thousands of Chinese tourists have canceled their trips to the resort island. Read also: 'We hope it will be over soon': Bali holds mass prayer as virus takes toll on tourism According to agency data, at least 15,000 Chinese tourists have had their trips to the island canceled amid the virus outbreak. The Indonesian Tour Guide Association in Bali has also reported that some 1,000 Chinese-speaking tour guides are currently unemployed as a result of the pandemic. Some of the unemployed tour guides have switched to other work, such as taxi driving, and others have chosen to return to their hometowns, he said. As of Wednesday, the coronavirus has killed 491 people in mainland China, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines and infected tens of thousands of people globally, Johns Hopkins CSSE reported. A Couple Was Denied Treatment by Five Hospitals in Wuhan A couple in Wuhan has symptoms of the novel coronavirus but they were turned away by five hospitals. Due to limited resources, the hospitals in the city only accept patients who have a confirmed diagnosis, and the couple said that more than 1,000 people are currently waiting to be tested. Ji Lin is a high school teacher. Her husband had a low-grade fever on Jan. 20. He thought it was a cold and took some medicine. It wasnt until Jan. 23, when the Wuhan Mayor announced that the city was under quarantine, that the couple realized that he might have the coronavirus. Shortly after the lockdown began, all major hospitals in Wuhan were crowded with people who had a fever and were seeking diagnosis and treatment. Chinese state media called on all patients who exhibit mild symptoms to stay at home, in isolation from other family members, so as to avoid infecting others at home or at the hospitals. Jis husband followed the advice and continued to self-medicate at home. On Jan. 30, he became lethargic, started coughing, and had an accelerated heartbeat. He went to Wuhan Puren Hospital for a CT scan, which showed fluid in both lungs. His CRP index (C-reactive protein index), an indicator of inflammation, was at an alarmingly high level. The next morning, he had difficulty breathing and his blood oxygen level dropped to 80. On the same day, Ji, who had been taking care of her husband, noticed she also felt unwell. Rejected by Five Hospitals Jis niece told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that Ji and her husband went to five hospitals on Jan. 30: They went to Union Hospital, Tongji Hospital, Puai Hospital, and Puguang Hospital. None of the hospitals would take their blood for diagnostic testing. They were told the supply of test kits was low and that they were considered to be suspected cases of Wuhan pneumonia. Hospitals will not give a patient a hospital bed if he hasnt been confirmed through testing. The patient has to isolate himself at home, she said. She further described the difficulties faced by patients rejected by hospitals. Over-the-counter medicines cant repress the fever, and it would be better to get comprehensive treatment at a hospital. In Wuhan, public transportation is not available. My aunt and uncle went to community hospitals where they were told they would be put on a waiting list. We then called 110 [Chinas emergency phone center], the line was busy for a long time. When the call was finally answered, the operator asked: Which hospital do you plan to go to? Have you made an appointment? We cant help you with transportation if you havent made an appointment. My aunt and uncle found themselves in a Catch 22. According to Jis niece, there are only ten hospitals in Wuhan that have the diagnostic testing kits. More than 1,000 patients are waiting for the testing, but these hospitals only make about 100 kits available each day. As a result, most patients who have similar symptoms are considered to be suspected cases. I believe 80 to 90 percent of those unconfirmed patients are Wuhan pneumonia patients, she said. Jis niece also revealed that Union Hospital recently had six hospital beds available, but they were immediately taken by medical personnel in the hospital, because they have already been infected from the patients. In other hospitals, patients need two qualifications to be admitteda confirmed diagnosis, and a document from the patients community hospital stating he or she is in serious condition, she explained. Wuhan Is Like a Ghost Town Jis sister also spoke to the Chinese-language Epoch Times about the overall situation in Wuhan: The entire city is like a ghost town, a death town. Take a look at the hospital reception areas and you will see how horrendous the situation is. So many patients. Many are receiving intravenous fluids, she said. I have personally heard of many deaths. My brother-in-laws cousin passed away a few days ago. Many elderly people have died of this disease. In a video released on Jan. 30 and posted on Twitter, a man with a Wuhan dialect shared his story as he sat outside his community office. He was obviously short of breath as he talked. My mother was hospitalized before the Chinese New Year (Jan. 25). I was diagnosed and confirmed yesterday, and I am home alone. As you all know, there is no public transportation in Wuhan. I came to the community office to consult with someone on how they can help me get to a hospital. Then, when I went to use the restroom, they locked the office door, which locked out all those who need their help, he said. According to the guidelines issued by Wuhan Health Commission, community hospitals and offices have the obligation to help those who may be infected with the virus. In another video shared on Twitter, a woman cried beside the body of her husband who had just passed away in a hospital hallway: Come find out whats happening in Hankou Hospital. The hospital refused to admit him and refused to provide him with decent treatment. He has been receiving an intravenous drip here (in the hallway), and just now he died. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, plans to convict President Donald Trump when the U.S. Senate votes on impeachment Wednesday. A spokesperson for Stabenow, who does not face re-election this year, said she will release a statement after the Senate vote, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, announced his intention to vote to convict Trump a day earlier, saying the facts presented in Trumps two-week-long trial leave no doubt the president abused his power to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival. The Senate is expected to acquit Trump on along party lines, with Democrats falling far short of converting enough GOP senators to gather the two-thirds vote needed to remove Trump from office. Stabenow addressed the Senate on Monday, Feb. 3 after House impeachment managers and White House lawyers made their closing arguments. The four-term senator said she would vote to convict Trump of two articles of impeachment -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- and that Trump illegally solicited election help from a foreign government. America is a nation of laws and no person, not even the president of the United States is above these laws, Stabenow said. Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has abused his power and acted as if he is above the law. He did this by holding up critical military aid to pressure a new foreign leader to investigate a political rival for his own political benefit. Then, he did everything he could to try and cover it up after he got caught. Stabenow also criticized the argument made by Trump legal counsel Alan Dershowitz, who said Trump cant be impeached if he does something that will help him get re-elected because he is acting in the publics interest. Stabenow said the White Houses legal counsel made up irresponsible legal arguments to protect Trump. Im alarmed at what they suggest President Trump could do next week, next month, in November or what any future president could do, Stabenow said. Is it now OK for the president of the United States to ask a foreign leader to investigate a member of Congress or any citizen if it helps him get re-elected, and thus in his mind, benefit the country? Stabenow said House impeachment managers made a strong case and slammed the Senate for blocking efforts to subpoena additional witnesses and documents. The American people and the people of Michigan strongly supported having additional documents and relevant witnesses, Stabenow said. Thats what a trial is supposed to be about. Yet the Senate did not hear from people who clearly have relevant information. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer briefly touched on the looming vote in her response to Trumps State of the Union speech Tuesday night. As we witness the impeachment process in Washington, there are some things each of us, no matter our party should demand,: Whitmer said. The truth matters, facts matter, and no one should be above the law. Its not what those senators say tomorrow, its about what they do that matters. Thousands of Hong Kong medical workers look set to continue their strike at public hospitals on , saying that recent quarantine measures announced by the city's government weren't enough to protect the city from the coronavirus epidemic. Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam announced on that all new arrivals from mainland China, including Hong Kong residents, would be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine to rule out infection with the coronavirus that has paralyzed central China since the beginning of the year. But Winnie Yu, head of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, said the move wasn't good enough. "These measures by the Hong Kong government won't work, because it is not a complete shutdown of the border," Yu told journalists. "Wuhan pneumonia carrier[s] may still be able to come into Hong Kong." Chief executive Lam said she had brought in subsidiary legislation by executive decree requiring anyone arriving in Hong Kong from mainland China, regardless of their nationality, to be subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days. "Even if they are entering from other places, if they have visited the mainland over the past 14 days, mandatory quarantine will still be applicable upon their arrival," the government said in a statement. However, the measures won't come into effect until midnight on, which the healthcare workers said would likely prompt a surge in arrivals ahead of the new restrictions. "The government has confirmed with the major suppliers that the supply of food products remains normal and there is no shortage of food," the government said. "There are sufficient stocks of staple foods including rice and pastas. There is no need for the public to worry." Schools remain suspended, civil servants are working from home where possible and non-essential government services have shut down, however. "The spokesman appeals strongly to members of the public to stay at home as much as possible, refrain from going to crowded places and pay attention to personal hygiene," the statement said, calling on employees to allow flexible working arrangements during the epidemic. It pledged a H.K.$10 billion fund to assist businesses affected by the curbs. 'She is wrong about this' Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki, who is also a medical doctor, called for a total shutdown of the border. "She insists on not shutting down the border even though she knows very well she is wrong about this," Kwok said. "The measures will only take effect from Feb. 8, but what about and the next day?" "People in the mainland are going to move heaven and earth to get to Hong Kong in the next couple of days, and they'll disperse across Hong Kong," he said. "How many Hong Kong will people have to die or bury their loved ones before the chief executive gives way?" A number of other labor unions said on that they could join the strike to get Lam to shut the border. Carol Ng, chairwoman of the Confederation of Trade Unions, said a strike by its members was "really imminent." "This is an issue that affects the whole of society and the quickest thing the government can do to address everyone's concerns is to temporarily close the borders," Ng told government broadcaster RTHK. She said other unions are starting to hold meetings about whether to take industrial action in support of the medical workers. Reported by Li Zhizhi, Jia Ao and Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. To access our in-house intelligence please request a trial here. Read this article and more for a 30 day period. Are you already an IFLR subscriber? Login here Advertisement A British cruise ship passenger stuck on board a quarantined 'floating prison' in Japan has today voiced fears over how his thousands of shipmates will cope with a two-week lockdown. David Abel and his 2,655 fellow passengers have been ordered to stay in their cabins aboard the Diamond Princess after ten passengers tested positive for coronavirus. Passengers are facing another 13 days stuck at sea to prevent the virus from spreading, and the Briton today described how luxury dinners had been replaced with rationed food delivered by staff in face masks. Mr Abel has been sharing updates with the world's media from his ninth-deck cabin - but said he would most like to be interviewed by Holly Willoughby. Other passengers have shared pictures of their food including bread rolls with cheese and meat, plates of chicken with rice, and a chocolate dessert - while one cabin had a sign on its door with a request for English Breakfast teabags. The ten infected people - two Australians, one American, three guests from Hong Kong, two from Japan and one Filipino crew member - were taken ashore by the Japanese coast guard and sent to nearby hospitals today. More than 200 others were anxiously awaiting their test results after they were selected for extra screening and medics in hazmat suits went deck-to-deck to test for the killer virus. The vessel today left Yokohama Bay, where it was anchored yesterday, and returned to the open sea to collect seawater - which can be converted for use in showers and drinking water. A patient who confirmed positive for new coronavirus is transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess for treatment on the mainland in Japan today Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger who tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port today Cruise ship Diamond Princess is off the shore of Yokohama today where passengers are facing a two-week virus lockdown Other passengers have shared pictures of their food, including bread rolls with cheese and meat and plates of chicken with rice, as staff in face masks delivered supplies on board the ship Passengers were given rations including yoghurt, fruit and bread as well as juice and hot drinks for breakfast this morning One cabin aboard the Diamond Princess had a note posted on the door with a request for English Breakfast teabags Health workers in protective gear carry suitcases from the Diamond Princess where ten passengers have tested positive for coronavirus and thousands of others are bracing for a two-week lockdown Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday after ten tested positive for coronavirus Officers in protective gears carry luggage cases after people who were transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess, arrive at a maritime police's base in Yokohama Cruise ship in Hong Kong is latest to be quarantined More than 1,800 people are being tested for coronavirus on a cruise ship in Hong Kong today after some crew members reported fever. The World Dream docked in Hong Kong after three former passengers were found to have had the virus. The ship was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday and is now being held in quarantine while everyone on board is tested. Pictures showed one man being moved off the ship and transferred to an ambulance by health workers in blue protective suits. A man is transferred to an ambulance in Hong Kong today after he was taken off the World Dream cruise liner Three people from mainland China who had been on board the World Dream from January 19-24 were found to have had the virus, Hong Kong's health department said. Most of the remaining passengers are from Hong Kong. The cruise operator, Dream Cruises, said the three 'confirmed' patients had left the ship in the mainland city of Ghangzhou on January 24. 'For the time being, we cannot conclude the likely time of finishing the quarantine measures,' said Leung Yiu-hong, an official at the city's department of health. Hong Kong has confirmed 18 coronavirus cases, including at least four that were transmitted locally, and saw its first death yesterday. Health workers have been on strike this week to demand that the border with mainland China be completely sealed. The city's chief executive Carrie Lam has resisted pressure to seal the border completely but said today all arrivals from mainland China will face a mandatory two-week quarantine. The outbreak has rekindled memories of the 2003 SARS crisis, another virus which began in China and killed nearly 300 people in Hong Kong. The health scare comes after months of violent anti-government protests in Hong Kong sparked by fears that its autonomy was being eroded by Beijing. Some pro-democracy protesters have come out in support of the hospital strike, with some demonstrations beginning to resemble the pro-democracy protests. Advertisement Japan placed the ship in quarantine after an 80-year-old man who left the ship in Hong Kong last month tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 400 people in China. All 3,711 passengers and crew were screened for the virus and 273 of them subjected to further tests, Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato said. They were selected because they had shown symptoms such as fever, had left the ship in Hong Kong or had had close contact with the 80-year-old patient. Of the 31 results received so far, ten people have tested positive. That leaves 242 people still waiting for results, as of this morning. Health minister Kato said he assumed the quarantine would last around 14 days - the estimated maximum incubation period for the virus. 'It's going to give me some free time. I think it's going to be a really good trial, a challenge for everyone on board,' said British passenger Mr Abel, who is travelling with his wife Sally. 'How do we cope with it? What are we going to do? How is our mental outlook going to be? 'It's just an extended two-week cruise, but it's not going to be a luxury cruise, it's going to be like a floating prison. 'But we've got the free time to mind do whatever it wants. It can either be creative and thinking positive things, or we can be dragging ourselves down into the gutter. I certainly won't be doing that.' Mr Abel, a diabetic, had earlier voiced the fear that he would fall into a coma if he did not get enough food, but later described himself as a 'happy bunny' after supplies were brought to the ship. Crew members wearing face masks have gone cabin-to-cabin to deliver food with a strict quarantine now in place. 'All the passengers on board this ship, we remain confined to our cabins. We can't even walk down the corridor,' said Mr Abel. 'For many passengers it's going to be absolute boredom. We are quite fortunate that we've got a cabin with a balcony. The people I feel really sorry for are those with inside cabins who've got no natural light, no fresh air.' Smoking has been totally banned on board, even for passengers with a balcony, he said. 'We are definitely no longer on a luxury cruise, where we had the superb benefit of eating from a dining room and a choice from the menu those days are over,' he said. 'It is going to be tough on rationed food, and with no alcohol. 'I am so grateful that the ship are taking care of us, its just such a contrast to the first few weeks of a cruise on the Diamond Princess. 'For the first time ever we've seen the crew wearing face masks, they haven't been wearing them until serving breakfast and lunch today. 'They knock on the door, they hand over the tray of food and when they are ready to collect the trays they come and knock on the door. It's very brief. 'It has changed beyond recognition but this is not the fault of Princess cruise line, they are complying with the Japanese health authority.' People are transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess to a patrol ship on Wednesday, after ten people on board the cruise have tested positive for coronavirus, in Yokohama, Japan Health workers in protective suits put up hoardings today as passengers who were diagnosed with the virus are moved Workers in protective gear are seen at the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama on Wednesday bringing patients from the cruise ship David Abel (pictured) and his 2,655 fellow passengers have been ordered to stay in their cabins aboard the Diamond Princess in a lockdown which is likely to last another 13 days Health Minister Kato said that officials would continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew for the potential development of symptoms, suggesting that more test samples could be taken. None of the 10 infected people, three of whom are Japanese nationals, had severe symptoms, public broadcaster NHK reported. Another passenger, a Japanese man in his 70s, told public broadcaster NHK that the drastic new quarantine measures had been imposed today after ten people tested positive. 'Until yesterday, we were able to spend time in common spaces and do things like play ping-pong. But from this morning, we have not been allowed to go out of our rooms,' said the man. 'I tried to go to a restaurant this morning for breakfast but I was told: Please eat in your room. So I have been waiting for room service. But it hasn't arrived yet.' Pictures on board the Diamond Princess showed masked health workers in blue plastic gowns walking down as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. Cruise operator Princess Cruises said the next two trips which were due to depart Yokohama on February 4 and February 12 had been cancelled. A spokesman said food and other supplies would be brought on board from other ships when the vessel returns to Yokohama. 'The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard,' the spokesman said. 'Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable. 'Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.' A small coast guard vessel leaves the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama today amid an ongoing virus lockdown An ambulance departs the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama after bringing virus patients from the Diamond Princess Ambulance workers in protective gears drive an ambulance which is believed to carry a person who was transferred from Cruise ship The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in Japan. The epidemic, which originated in China's Hubei province, has killed hundreds of people and infected more than 10,000 so far. Speaking yesterday, passenger Mr Abel claimed that some of his fellow passengers 'don't give a damn about personal health' and had increased the risk of infection with poor hygiene. In one case, an American tourist had blown his nose on a napkin and left it on a dinner table where waiters carrying food were likely to touch it, he said. It is not yet known exactly how the virus spreads. 'Nobody is able to book onward flights as we have no idea when the quarantine will clear,' said Mr Abel, who is travelling with his wife ahead of their 50th wedding anniversary and described himself as a 'captive' on the ship. 'The whole ship is in quarantine, we are in the middle of the bay, anchored, so nobody can get on or off this ship.' Health workers in protective gear wait for Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers to be transferred to the mainland The sun rises over the Diamond Princess on Wednesday anchored off the Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Cruise ship Diamond Princess is seen anchored off the Yokohama Port on Tuesday, after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus Describing the medical tests, Mr Abel said: 'We've had the medical guys come into our stateroom and it's taken all night, from midnight to 10am, for them to do four of the decks and there are 14 in total. 'They came in, took our temperature, asked three questions - have we got a cough, have we got a fever, do we take medication to lower temperature.' Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus. The only people in sight are personnel going from room-to-room to test the passengers for the virus, or to clean the ship's public areas. One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Another shows the ship's huge casino standing empty. Corridors and a huge atrium are left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks. The usually-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess is now empty and unmanned. An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan The once-lively reception area on board the Diamond Princess stands empty and unmanned Medical personnel are pictured going room-by-room as they check up on the passengers. According to a statement from Japan's health ministry, the guests' temperatures and overall conditions are being monitored One image shows a deserted cinema room on the huge liner, called the Diamond Princess, with no one in sight. Screening began on Tuesday for some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the cruise liner after a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. Despite the large number of people on the ship, photos from inside show usually-bustling communal areas are all but deserted as those on board are confined to their cabin rooms to prevent any possible spread of the virus Images show corridors and a huge atrium left empty save for medical officials wandering around in protective masks A man in protective clothing walks on the sixth deck of the Diamond Princess today where quarantine specialists are carrying out tests Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the ship had already been quarantined on Saturday at the port of Naha, but the 80-year-old man's diagnosis forced further checks. In addition, any passengers who got off in Hong Kong or had close contact with the infected man will be subject to tests for coronavirus. The 80-year-old patient 'did not visit a medical centre inside the ship while he was sailing with us', according to cruise operator Carnival Japan. 'According to the hospital where he is staying, his condition is stable and infection was not found among his family members who sailed with him,' they said. Medics today went deck-to-deck through the Diamond Princess to test for the virus Japan has already barred foreign nationals who have been to Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. People with passports issued in Hubei are also banned from Japan in a bid to contain the crisis. Visitors who display symptoms of the new virus when they arrive in Japan can also be denied entry. A total of 11 foreigners have been barred from entering so far, the immigration service agency said today. Japan has also flown more than 500 citizens out of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated. The disease is believed to have emerged in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals, spreading rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in late January. The virus has so far spread to more than 20 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. In addition, Hong Kong yesterday announced that a 39-year-old coronavirus patient had died in hospital - only the second fatality outside mainland China. Medical personnel pictured on the eighth deck of the cruise ship as they carry out tests on the passengers on board, who have been instructed to remain in their rooms With all the hubbub over the impeachment, the Iowa caucus debacle and the State of the Union, many of us have forgotten that the most important night in moviedom is about to happen. Sunday night the Oscars will be here! My sister and I heat up the telephone lines at every award show, dissing what the women are wearing, their hair and jewelry. It is so much fun. There are a few stars who you can count on to look beautiful or elegant, but so many of them must not look in the mirror before leaving the house But I digress. Lets get to who and what I think the Academy will choose as winners and who and what I think should actually win. Well start with Actor in a Supporting Role. I think the Oscar will go to Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but my vote goes to Tom Hanks for the Mister Rogers biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, although we have a nice guy playing a nice guy. Not much of a stretch for Hanks. Actress in a Supporting Role gets a little harder. I think Laura Dern will win for Marriage Story (And, just so you know, at the Golden Globes Laura Derns hair looked like a dog chewed on it). My vote goes to Margot Robbie for Bombshell. Robbie brought real emotion to her role. Actor in a Leading Role is a no-brainer, Joaquin Phoenix will win for Joker. Hes crazy as a bedbug in real life, as well as on the big screen. Id have to agree with the Academy on this one. Actress in a Leading Role was the most difficult category for me to judge. Although I think Renee Zellweger will win for Judy, I think each and every woman nominated deserves to win. Every woman put in an incredible performance. I loved Cynthia Erivo in Harriet. Scarlett Johansson was great in Marriage Story. Charlize Theron WAS Megyn Kelly in Bombshell. But, my favorite is Saoirse Ronan in Little Women. Ronan walked into a role that had been done before by Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson and Winona Ryder, to name a few of the myriad of women who have starred as Jo. Ronan was far and away the best. Animated Feature Film should be Toy Story 4, but Missing Link will probably win. The Academy probably will pick Sam Mendes as best director for 1917. He would be my choice, too, since Greta Gerwig wasnt even nominated for Little Women. She turned a worn out story into a vibrant new motion picture. Now, we come to the Best Picture category. Of the nine movies nominated, I predict 1917 will win the big one. It won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA Film Awards. I had trouble picking the best film, for me it was between two. I loved 1917, but I also loved Little Women. I thought it was a travesty that Harriet wasnt nominated. Tell me what you think. You can reach me at mary.cox@edwpub.net. Movie critic Mary Cox lives in Wood River and studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has worked in L.A. with various directors and industry professionals. She can be reached at mlcwriter1@gmail.com. Like Marys Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mlcwriter to contact her. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 20:00:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army succeeded to make progress in the countryside areas of both the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo in northern Syria, a war monitor reported Wednesday. The Syrian government forces captured four towns east of the city of Saraqeb in Idlib countryside, including the town of Tal Toukan, where a Turkish observation point is located, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The watchdog group said the progress east of Saraqeb, which is the army's current goal, has enabled the army to enter the southern countryside of Aleppo from eastern Idlib. It said the army captured three towns south of Aleppo. The Syrian army has for weeks been fighting the rebels in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo to secure the main highway linking Hama province in central Syria with Aleppo. This highway also connects with the Damascus-Hama highway, which will enable the army to secure the main road between Damascus and Aleppo without reroutes. Turkey is supporting the rebels and has several observation points in Idlib. A day earlier, activists said the Turkish forces deployed in Saraqeb, possibly in a bid to prevent the progress of the Syrian army. The tension has pushed the Syrian army to say in a statement that the Turkish forces will be fired at if the Syrian positions were attacked. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a day earlier that his country will not let Syria's government gain more ground in the opposition stronghold of Idlib province. Erdogan's warning came after eight Turkish military personnel were killed during an exchange of fire between Turkish forces and Syrian forces in Idlib. Nancy Pelosi didn't look quite like herself as Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union address on Tuesday night that featured more boasts than policy proposals. She fidgeted. She contoured her face. She waved her finger. She shook her head in what clearly was disgust. The California Democrat had been chatting with Vice President Mike Pence before the president arrived to address a joint session of Congress for a fourth time, this time as a candidate for re-election. Then, it happened. And everything about her changed. Mr Trump, as is custom, handed the vice president and speaker copies of his speech. Ms Pelosi took her version and extended a hand to Mr Trump, as is custom. The norms-busting president, shot her a brief scowl and refused to shake her hand. For the entirety of the lengthy address, Ms Pelosi clearly had something on her mind as her Democratic caucus jeered Mr Trump at every turn - when they were not sitting shocked and ashen-faced. Then, something else happened: Ms Pelosi tore the pages of her copy into pieces and tossed them on the dais in front of her before Mr Trump had even left the grand stage. The shocking moment represented a low point in the duo's combative relationship - and there may be no bottom. Here are three takeaways from a truly bizarre State of the Union night in Washington. 'Manifesto of mistruths' Slacked jaws across the capital city and country had not yet been restored to their usual positions when the barb-trading began. Pelosi's office fired off a tweet defending her decision to defile Mr Trump's speech at a moment she knew the cameras would be trained on his big finish. She wrote this over a picture of Mr Trump declining to shake her hand: "Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot." The speaker also issued a blistering statement that focused on Mr Trump's SOTU claims about healthcare, taking umbrage with his vow to protect citizens with pre-existing conditions. Ms Pelosi panned what she called his "manifesto of mistruths," adding his speech "gave no comfort to the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions or the families struggling to afford the prescription drugs the need." More than a bit out of character, Mr Trump had ignored her slight by late Wednesday morning. But the White House fired back, . "America saw an incorrigible child ripping up the State of the Union," White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters, adding Ms Pelosi appeared to be "muttering" to herself throughout the speech, suggesting the speaker is "at the end of her tether." Should Mr Trump win a second term and Ms Pelosi keep her gavel, their boiling bad blood seems an obstacle to deals even on issues they mostly agree, like lowering prescription drugs and overhauling the country's aging infrastructure. Trump's turn Perhaps no Democratic politician gets under Mr Trump's skin more than the speaker of the House. She needles him at press conferences and in media interviews. She can be sizzlingly sardonic in taunting tweets directed at him. Aides acknowledge the president views her as perhaps his most worthy adversary. But he flipped the script on Tuesday night. When the president snubbed her extended hand - in her chamber - he got under her skin like he never had before. She even flashed a bit of temper, saying tearing up his speech was the "courteous thing to do, considering the alternative." Yikes. 'No agenda' Mr Trump made a few calls for Congress to send him legislation or work with his administration on an issue - but far less than other presidents have while standing in the ornate chamber. To be sure, he was there to talk about what he's done for his conservative base to keep them energized to vote come November. From the top of the speech, he served up red meat for them. "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the US economy - slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements," he said. "Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American." "The people are the heart of our country, their dreams are the soul of our country, and their love is what powers and sustains our country. We must always remember that our job is to put America first," Mr Trump said. As he uttered the last words, Ms Pelosi, seated over his left shoulder, looked bewildered. The moment encapsulated the entire night, which ended with no menu of items on which lawmakers will start writing legislation. "There's no agenda here," one Washington observer said. "It's just about the election." Kendallville, IN (46755) Today On and off snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 9F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight On and off snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 9F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%. People work inside the "Wuhan Livingroom," which is converted into a hospital to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus, in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 4, 2020. Xinhua-Yonhap By Linda Lew China has converted a stadium and two convention centres in the central Chinese city of Wuhan into makeshift hospitals, creating 3,800 more beds for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms and suspected cases. Authorities are planning to build eight more of the temporary medical facilities and are mobilising medical teams and equipment reserved for emergencies in 20 provinces to go to Wuhan to staff the centres, according to official media. These provincial medical teams, or "mobile healthcare modules", are medical reserve personnel in each province for emergencies such as natural disasters. Each is equipped with medics, X-ray vehicles, outpatient clinics, and other mobile equipment. Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the National Health Commission's Medical Administration Bureau, said the government was hoping that by isolating patients and suspected cases with mild symptoms, the spread of the illness would decline. "By isolating and treating contagious patients in centralised areas, it can greatly reduce the risk of spread the disease in the community," Jiao said. Photo taken on Feb. 4, 2020 shows an interior view of the Hongshan Gymnasium in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Xinhua-Yonhap In addition to the 600 medics in these teams, the government is also sending 1,400 nurses from throughout the country to work at the new facilities. Due to a shortage of beds, a large number of patients have been told to isolate themselves at home. Jiao said it was also important to treat patients in the early stages as the high mortality rate in Wuhan showed that delayed treatment could worsen the severity and mortality rate of the illness. Qiu Haibo from the commission's expert panel, agreed, saying that "reducing the number of mild cases that develop into a serious or critical condition is a priority". Oshitani Hitoshi, professor of virology at Tohoku University in Japan, said it was impossible to stop the spread of the virus so it was better to try to reduce the severity of the cases. "I don't think containment is a feasible option for this virus Our goal should be to minimise the impact of the virus by saving severe cases," he said. He said it as understandable that the authorities had asked patients to isolate themselves at homes. Workers arrange beds in a convention center that has been converted into a temporary hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. AP "Unlike with Sars, it is not feasible to isolate all cases. It may pose a certain risk of household transmission. But there is no other option. We are in a similar situation with pandemic influenza," he said, referring to severe acute respiratory syndrome. The novel coronavirus, which began spreading in December, has killed 427 people and sickened more than 20,600 globally as of Tuesday, surpassing the toll from the 2002-03 Sars epidemic. However, more than 660 coronavirus patients have recovered. The NHC said the death rate for confirmed coronavirus cases was 2.1 per cent for mainland China and 3.1 per cent for Hubei province, where the first cases emerged. Most of the cases were mild, it said. The mortality rate for Sars was around 10 per cent. A Wuhan doctor seconded to one of the new medical centres said the operations of the facilities would be led by local doctors, with medical workers from other parts of the country providing support. "The doctor-to-patient ratio in the shelters does not need to be high. We will take in mild cases while Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals will focus on those in severe or critical conditions," he said. Aerial photo shows the construction site of Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 4, 2020. Xinhua-Yonhap Farmers may need to apply more nitrogen to crops this year following an exceptionally wet winter across most of the UK. According to AHDB, the extent of the moderate and high excess winter rainfall (EWR) zones is already much wider this year, compared with the long-term average. Historically drier areas of the country, particularly the middle and eastern parts of England, are the most likely to experience downward shifts in soil nitrogen supply (SNS) indices. To determine the precise impact on nitrogen management strategies, farmers have been urged to follow the guidance published in the recently revised AHDB Nutrient management guide (RB209). EWR is the amount of rainfall the land receives after the soil profile becomes fully wetted in the autumn and before the end of drainage in the spring. Ideally, the calculations also take account of water lost through any growing crop (i.e. via evapotranspiration) during this period, AHDB said. Because nitrate is soluble, any water moving through a field takes nitrate out with it. As this affects soil nitrogen supply (SNS), an understanding of EWR is essential for accurate nutrient management planning. To help farmers select the appropriate SNS look-up table in RB209, AHDB uses Met Office data to create EWR estimates, across 199 (40 x 40 km) UK regions, for the following categories: Low less than 150 mm EWR (annual rainfall less than 600 mm) Moderate 150 to 250 mm EWR (annual rainfall between 600 to 700 mm) High over 250 mm EWR (annual rainfall over 700 mm) Based on mid-season (1 October 201931 January 2020) estimates, most (about 83%) cropped regions currently fall in the high rainfall category. Sajjad Awan, AHDB crop nutrition specialist, explained: This winter has been phenomenally wet. Currently, only about 3% of cropped regions remain in the low-rainfall category. This is exceptional: long-term average data would put the typical low-rainfall figure closer to 25%. As several weeks of the EWR period remain, it would not be a surprise if all low-EWR regions are washed off the UK map by the end of March. In fact, without the drying effects of crops, no regions would fall into the low category at all, he said. With many farmers forced to leave land bare this winter, it is even more important to consider a lack of evapotranspiration. The current season is in stark contrast to the 2018/19 winter, which was relatively dry and allowed some farmers to cut back on the total amount of nitrogen applied to crops. SNS calculations take account of several other critical factors, such as the previous crop and soil type. At around 2 am on Tuesday, Dr Kumar went inside his cabin in the hospital and did not come out till 9 am. Swamy, an employee of the hospital, went to check on Dr Kumar and knocked on the door. As he did not receive a response, Swamy broke open the cabin door to find the doctors body hanging from the ceiling by a rope. (Photo: File I Representational) Hyderabad: Alleging harassment by a group of persons, a doctor and managing director of Vaishnavi Hospital located at LB Nagar, committed suicide in his cabin in the hospital during the wee hours on Tuesday. The doctor reportedly left a note naming seven persons, including a former sarpanch, as being responsible persons for his death, police said. According to the police, Dr Karnala Ajay Kumar, 40 years, was the MD of Vaishnavi Hospital situated at Omkar Nagar in LB Nagar. He was living at BN Reddy Nagar, along with his wife and two children. At around 2 am on Tuesday, Dr Kumar went inside his cabin in the hospital and did not come out till 9 am. Swamy, an employee of the hospital, went to check on Dr Kumar and knocked on the door. As he did not receive a response, Swamy broke open the cabin door to find the doctors body hanging from the ceiling by a rope. Swamy immediately informed Dr Kumars wife Swetha about the development and then intimated the police. A team of police went to the hospital and recovered the body of the doctor. A diary on the bed in his room was also recovered. On examination, it was found that the doctor mentioned some names, saying they were responsible for his death. I am thinking of leaving this world. As I am unable to bear the cheating of certain persons. Whenever I die, these are the people responsible for my death owner of the building, former sarpan-ch of Turkayamjal, a relative of the building owner and a colony president, the note which the police recovered read. Meanwhile, Ms Swetha said that building owner Karunaker Reddy haras-sed her husband to vacate the building and had filed a case in the court using his aides Shiva Kumar, former sarpanch of Tur-kayamjal, Megha Reddy, president of Saraswathi Nagar, Dr Ramesh, Kon-dal Reddy, Shiva Reddy and Yadagiri Reddy. For a month, my husband has been facing problems because of them. Earlier, they had cut the electricity supply to the hospital, threatened nurses to vacate the hospital and damaged my husbands image in society. Though Ajay had helped Dr Ramesh financially, he harassed my husband, Ms Swetha told police. A Syrian refugee stands with his children, aged five and two, at Bardarash camp in Duhok, Iraq, in October 2019. UNHCR/Hossein Fatemi Out of 1.4 million refugees estimated to be in urgent need of resettlement worldwide, only 63,696 were resettled through UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, last year. While the number of refugees resettled in 2019 increased modestly by 14 per cent when compared to the previous year, in which 55,680 people were resettled, a tremendous gap remains between resettlement needs and the places made available by governments around the world. Resettlement is not a solution for all the worlds refugees but it is a life saving measure to ensure the protection of those most at risk and whose lives often depend on it, said Grainne OHara, UNHCRs Director of International Protection. The largest number of UNHCR-facilitated resettlement departures last year were to the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany. Out of the more than 63,000 refugees resettled last year, the largest number originated from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar. Increasing refugee resettlement opportunities and other complementary pathways for admission, including through family reunification, work and study routes, is one of the key objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees. It is a tangible way for states to share responsibility and show solidarity with host countries supporting large refugee populations. To work towards increasing the number of resettlement places and admissions, as well as expanding the number of countries offering these programs, a Three-Year Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways was launched last year by governments, non- governmental organizations, civil society and UNHCR. While the Strategys target of 60,000 resettlement departures to 29 states in 2019 has been achieved, UNHCR is worried that based on current projections, fewer refugees will be resettled this year. In 2020, the goal is for 31 countries to resettle up to 70,000 refugees referred by UNHCR. Among UNHCRs priorities this year are to increase the number of resettlement places and the pool of countries admitting refugees on resettlement and other complementary pathways, as well as safeguarding the integrity of the resettlement program. UNHCR and IOM have launched a joint initiative, the Sustainable Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Initiative (CRISP), to implement activities required to reach resettlement and complementary pathway objectives and are appealing to States to provide the necessary financial support of USD 19.9 million. More information on UNHCRs resettlement data for 2019 is available here and UNHCRs Global Resettlement Data Portal with statistics since 2003 can be accessed here. For more information on this topic, please contact: TOKYO, Feb 5, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has concluded disaster cooperation agreements with Ofunato City on February 3 and with Rikuzentakata City on February 5, both in Iwate Prefecture.The local governments in the prefecture including these two cities as well as Yamada Town, with which MMC concluded the same agreement last month, suffered heavy damage caused by a tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Ever since those governments and the residents have been working together to strengthen their disaster prevention systems.MMC is promoting the DENDO Community Support Program, which aims to create systems that can quickly provide electric vehicles to the local government when disasters occur. MMC will continue accelerating cooperation with Iwate Prefecture and other local governments that have been affected by disasters.The purpose of this program is to reduce the time taken to confirm necessary information with local governments when disasters occur and to quickly provide disaster-affected areas with MMC's electric vehicles that can serve as power sources, such as the Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Since Iwate Prefecture has a high-level of disaster prevention awareness after the lesson it learned from the Earthquake, Iwate Mitsubishi Motor Sales has been working to facilitate understanding for the program. As a result, MMC has agreements with 10 local governments within the prefecture as of February 5. Since the launch of the program in August 2019, this is the quickest achievement among all prefectures in Japan*.After the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, MMC provided the affected areas with its electric vehicle i-MiEV to assist with recovery and rebuilding efforts. In addition, Outlander PHEV, which was later released on the market, has a function that can store the energy generated by its engine in its high-capacity drive battery as an external power supply when needed. With natural disasters growing increasingly severe in recent years, the value of these electric vehicles is being recognized. Last year in September, Outlander PHEVs proved to be helpful at social welfare facilities when Typhoon No. 15 caused extensive blackouts in Chiba Prefecture.Going forward, MMC will continue working together with local governments throughout Japan that prepare for disasters, while promoting the understanding and widespread use of EVs/PHEVs, as well as strengthening support systems for disasters.*As of February 5, MMC is partnered with 25 local governments in Japan.MMC has concluded disaster cooperation agreements with the following local governments in Iwate Prefecture (in order of when the agreements were concluded).December 2019: Shiwa Town, Iwate Town, Ichinohe Town, Ichinoseki CityJanuary 2020: Yamada Town, Hirono Town, Nishiwaga Town, Iwaizumi TownFebruary 2020: Ofunato City, Rikuzentakata City(MMC will conclude the agreements with Shizukuishi Town on February 6, and Hachimantai City on February 7.)About Mitsubishi MotorsMITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since the Mitsubishi group produced its first car more than a century ago, we have demonstrated an ambitious and often disruptive approach, developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies. Deeply rooted in MITSUBISHI MOTORS' DNA, our brand strategy will appeal to ambitious drivers, willing to challenge conventional wisdom and ready to embrace change. Consistent with this mindset, MITSUBISHI MOTORS introduced its new brand strategy in 2017, expressed in its "Drive your Ambition" tagline -- a combination of personal drive and forward attitude, and a reflection of the constant dialogue between the brand and its customers. Today MITSUBISHI MOTORS is committed to continuous investment in innovative new technologies, attractive design and product development, bringing exciting and authentic new vehicles to customers around the world.Source: Mitsubishi MotorsCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. [February 05, 2020] Sejong Telecom Selects Snet SWAN Powered By 128 Technology For Managed SD-WAN Service 128 Technology, the leader in Session Smart Routing, today announced that Sejong Telecom has selected Snet Systems, a leading network integrator headquartered in Seoul, Korea, to offer a highly reliable and secure managed SD-WAN service, called SWAN, powered by 128 Technology's Session Smart Router. Snet Systems and Sejong Telecom, a key telecommunication carrier with a nationwide optical communication network in Korea, will collaborate to provide enterprise customers with faster, more reliable access, traffic exchanges and lower costs in the cloud. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005677/en/ 128 Technology (News - Alert) today announced that Sejong Telecom has selected Snet Systems to offer a highly reliable and secure managed SD-WAN service, called SWAN, powered by 128 Technology's Session Smart Router. Snet Systems will provide its SWAN solution to Sejong Telecom, which will offer Snet its next generation communication infrastructure to explore new business opportunities. The two companies will cooperate to provide sales and technical support. They will also collaborate on joint domestic projects where Sejong Telecom participates as a new service. Snet Systems announced in October 2019 it would join the 128 Technology Solution Partner Program, which enables service providers to create new revenue streams by leveraging 128 Technology's 128T Networking Platform. Snet and Sejong Telecom will gain several key benefits, including better connectivity for mission-critical applications, enhanced security based on a "Zero-Trust" model, reduced operations costs from eliminating firewalls and VPNs and by reducing cloud rental costs, reasonable service pricing and better network functionality for edge locations. "We're excited to partner with Sejong Telecom, which has an excellent communication infrastructure," said Hyung-Woo Kim, executive director, Financial Public Infrastructure, Snet Systems. "The combination of Sejong Telecom's communication infrastructure, in addition to our SWAN solution, will result in a powerful offering to enhance our customers' productivity, bandwidth efficiency and profitability." "Leveraging Snet's SWAN solution, powered by 128 Technology, allows us to provide high-quality communications services that help organizations run their business more effectively," said Hyo-Sang Kang, head of telecommunication, Sejong Telecom. "Enterprises looking for an SD-WAN service that's reliable, secure, offers enhanced bandwidth and is built for the cloud, need look no further." "128 Technology's agile WAN connectivity is built for today's cloud-focused business applications and services. It includes enhanced performance and security compared to competing hardware-based approaches to SD-WAN," said Kaz Kuroda, Managing Director APAC, 128 Technology. "Partnering with 128 Technology will help Snet and Sejong Telecom future-proof their networks with a truly software-centric approach to SD-WAN." To learn more about 128 Technology's mission to set the network free, visit here. About Sejong Telecom Sejong Telecom Incorporated, established in June, 1992, is a key telecommunication carrier with a nationwide optical communication network. It provides wired, wireless communication services including dedicated line, circuit lease and data center, international/long-distance/local supplementary service, VoIP and MVNO Mobile service 'snowman'. It also provides integrated ICT services, such as payment, security, blockchain-based business, e-commerce, which are the results of business diversification using an existing communication infrastructure. We look forward to become the Great ICT corporation that 'leads innovation and shares values'. About Snet Systems Snet Systems is Cisco (News - Alert) Gold Partner since 2002 in Korea. We have years of comprehensive experience in architecting technology solutions that best fit a customer's requirements for a next generation network infrastructure. Snet Systems consults, designs, establishes, and maintains all infrastructure of network, security, unified communication, as well as data center solution, Cloud Service, Internet of Thing (IoT), SDN Application, and Mobile Network Solution. In addition, the company has a sustainable growth system through synergy management with its affiliates, Goodus, Goodus Data, Goodus Smart Solutions, and overseas branch offices in Indonesia, China, and Vietnam. About 128 Technology 128 Technology, a software-based networking company, is on a mission to radically reinvent companies' digital futures based on a new model for virtual networking called Session Smart. Session-smart networking enables enterprise customers and service providers to create a service-centric fabric that's more simple, agile, and secure, delivering better performance at a lower cost. Whether your enterprise is moving your business to the cloud, modernizing the WAN edge, seeking more reliable unified communications or pursuing an industrial internet of things (IIoT) initiative, Session Smart networking re-aligns networks with digital transformation initiatives. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass. along Route 128, 'America's technology highway', the company also has operations throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about 128 Technology, visit www.128technology.com and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005677/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 23:13:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GAZA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement's armed wing on Wednesday revealed that Israeli soldiers who has been holding captive since 2014 were injured during an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip in May 2019. Hamas's armed wing, al-Qassam brigades, said that "some Israeli soldiers" were hurt, but did not disclose any further information about their number or the degree of their injuries. "We are revealing a truth we've concealed since the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in May 2019, when the enemy bombed civil and security buildings, some of its soldiers were injured directly," said Abu Obeida, spokesperson of al-Qassam brigades. "We will not reveal their fate at this phase, and we promise our prisoners to do everything we can to free them," he added. Obeida criticized Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu for "misleading the Israeli public" when he freed an Israeli citizen imprisoned in Russia, while he "leaves behind his soldiers since 2014." Two years ago, Hamas declared that it has held four Israeli soldiers in captivity, without revealing any information about their fate, while Israel said they were dead. In 2011, Egypt brokered a prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, under which 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails. A Cork hospital is buying beds in private hospitals in a bid to reduce severe overcrowding in its emergency department. Mercy University Hospital's emergency department is currently coping with a high volume of very ill, high dependency patients needing to be admitted. The hospital's full escalation policy has been implemented, with all beds, including surgical beds, open to deal with the high demand. Where possible, MUH is buying capacity in private hospitals to treat some patients, a spokesperson for the hospital said. The HSE's winter plan allows for the purchase of short-stay beds in private hospitals to improve patient flow. People arriving at the ED are warned there may be long delays due to a high volume of patients needing medical care. According to the HSE's TrolleyGAR, there were 32 admitted patients waiting on trolleys in the hospital's ED on Tuesday the highest number so far this year. Nineteen patients were waiting for more than nine hours for a bed, with five waiting over 24 hours. The situation had eased slightly today when the number of patients on trolleys had reduced to 20. 11 were waiting for over nine hours and seven for more than 24 hours. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation 433 admitted patients were waiting on trolleys for beds in MUH last month, compared to 291 during the same month last year. The INMO's Trolley Watch shows that 568 patients waited for beds in the country's public acute hospitals on Wednesday. On Tuesday a 'trolley spike' was reached when 640 patients without hospital beds the highest figure since the record high of 760 was reached on January 6 and repeated the following day. The worst-hit hospitals today were University Hospital Limerick, with 63 patients requiring a bed. Cork University Hospital had 59 patients waiting and University Hospital Galway had 44. Every morning INMO members count how many patients are waiting in the ED for a bed and how many are waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital. Patients are often treated on trolleys in corridors but they may also be on chairs in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there is space. INMO general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, has set out the steps that need to be taken by the next government to ease overcrowding. Nobody should have to endure this in a modern health service," she said. According to the HSE, 420 patients were waiting for beds in the country's acute hospitals on Wednesday, a 52% increase on the same day last year. There were 222 patients in EDs waiting for over nine hours and 85 waiting over 24 hours. On the same day last year, there were 276 waiting, with 104 waiting for over nine hours. Vietnam presents a $45 billion opportunity for the private sector to invest in sustainable development The study identifies opportunities for the private sector to contribute to three infrastructure-focused goals between now and 2030: SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure across emerging markets. Open for growth In Vietnam, the greatest SDG investment opportunities are found in transport infrastructure and improving digital access, both key indicators of SDG 9, which encourages improvement in industry, innovation, and infrastructure. Opportunity2030 finds that to achieve universal digital adoption a combination of mobile phone subscription rates and internet connectivity will require private-sector investment of around $24.4 billion between now and 2030, and to significantly improve Vietnams transport infrastructure will require an estimated private-sector investment of $20.1 billion. The potential private-sector investment opportunity in the water sector is smaller, but as 11 per cent of Vietnams population still do not have access to clean water and sanitation (a key SDG 6 indicator), the investment will have a real impact. Helpnig to achieve universal access by 2030 will require an estimated private-sector investment of $1.3 billion. Nirukt Sapru, CEO Vietnam and ASEAN and South Asia Cluster Markets at Standard Chartered Bank, said, A series of ongoing market reforms is giving Vietnam a market-leading status in Southeast Asia, making it an increasingly an attractive place for investors. The government is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is working directly with the UN to align its development plans with the SDGs. Opportunity2030 provides an important map of the SDG opportunities for private sector investors looking to invest with impact and improve the lives of millions over the next decade. Opportunity2030 - Investment opportunity in achieving the SDGs in Vietnam, by sector indicator 0 SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Sector Water and sanitation Power Transport Digital access Current performance 89 per cent access to clean water and sanitation 100 per cent access to electricity LPI infrastructure score of 3.01 76 per cent digital access Target by 2030 100 per cent access to clean water and sanitation 100 per cent access to electricity LPI infrastructure score of 3.46 100 per cent digital access Total investment required to 2030 $13.1 billion n/a $57.3 billion $40.7 billion Potential private-sector investment opportunity $1.3 billion n/a $20.1 billion $24.4 billion Vietnam already has universal access to power so the investment opportunity to achieve this is not included in the countrys total investment opportunity figure. However, with a growing economy, there will be additional need for continual investment in affordable and clean energy to maintain access in a sustainable way. Opportunity2030: The Standard Chartered SDG Investment Mapis a macro-economic study that draws on global data sources and indicative private-sector participation rates to provide companies, institutional investors and other stakeholders with an overview of where their investments could have the greatest impact. It spans 15 of the worlds fastest-growing economies and estimates the potential private-sector investment opportunity to contribute to three of the most investment-ready SDGs (6,7, and 9). Within these SDGs, it focuses on four indicators water and sanitation services; power; telecommunications (digital access); and transport infrastructure. JERUSALEM Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian during clashes with demonstrators in the West Bank on Wednesday, the first death since tensions rose following the release of President Trumps Mideast plan, according to Palestinian officials. The shooting came hours after Israel struck Hamas militant targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire toward Israeli communities overnight. The teenager was killed in Hebron, where a few hundred hard-line Jewish settlers live in a heavily guarded enclave in the heart of a Palestinian city. Relatively small protests have broken out across the occupied West Bank since the Trump plan was unveiled last week, with demonstrators often throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli forces. The Palestinian health ministry said Mohammed al-Haddad was shot in the chest and succumbed to his wounds after being taken to a hospital. The Israeli military said troops fired at a Palestinian who had thrown a firebomb at them. It said dozens of Palestinians have taken part in violent riots in Hebron in recent days. The Palestinians have roundly rejected Trumps Mideast proposal, which offers them limited self-rule in scattered chunks of territory with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem while allowing Israel to annex large parts of the West Bank. Protesters have burned U.S. and Israeli flags as well as posters of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli military has said a soldier was lightly wounded by a firebomb at one protest. It says it has instructed troops to contain the protests and not respond forcefully, concerned that Palestinian casualties would set off further violence. In Gaza, the military said it targeted a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. There were no reports of casualties. The exchange comes amid an uptick in cross-border rocket and explosive balloon launches from the Hamas-controlled territory. The Gaza Strip has been relatively calm in recent months as part of an informal truce between its Hamas rulers and Israel, but tension has increased since Trump unveiled his plan last week. Under the plan, Israel would be allowed to annex all Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as well as the strategic Jordan Valley. The Palestinians were offered limited self-rule in Gaza, parts of the West Bank and some sparsely populated areas of Israel in return for meeting a long list of conditions. Aron Heller is an Associated Press writer. The days of simply relying on London to serve as your startup's global headquarters are gone, now that the U.K. has started untangling itself from the European Union. Just ask Nicole Sahin, who bootstrapped her company, Globalization Partners, to 200 employees. The company helps other corporates hire in countries where they don't have a physical presence; it's active in more than 170 countries. On Tuesday, Sahin announced that she'd raised $150 million in private equity for her company, at a $500 million valuation. The money comes from Wincove Private Holdings, TDR Capital, and Sands Capital. Sahin will use that money to broaden the company's footprint on the international landscape, hire sales and marketing teams in Europe and Asia, and increase her investment in technology. Thanks to Brexit, Sahin expects that landscape to look at lot different than it did back in 2012, when she started Globalization Partners. "The U.K.," she says, "is just taking a flying leap off the international stage. They want to be a small country on an island." When Sahin started Globalization Partners, she says, 90 percent of the time companies could expand into Europe by hiring a team in London. That didn't necessarily mean relying only on British expertise: "London is so diverse that you could hire an entire European team out of London," she says. With Brexit, this is no longer the case. And, she says, there is not an obvious replacement for London: "There is no longer a default headquarters for Europe." Ireland is probably the leading contender, which jump-started its popularity with low corporate tax rates. The Netherlands has done the same thing, says Sahin. Dublin is still "skyrocketing," but Amsterdam is also growing as a tech hub. In both countries, she says, the legal system is relatively easy for startups to navigate. She expects to see companies put a back office in Ireland or the Netherlands, and then hire a few salespeople in each country with a sizable target market. Sahin is somewhat surprised that startups' interest in France has increased. She says the legal system in France is "pretty unique" and "super bureaucratic." Personal tax rates are high. "It's hard for a person to want to go there and build from the ground up," she says. Individual industries, she says, might have different strategies. A fashion company is going to put its European headquarters in Italy or France, while a medical device company would likely choose Switzerland. A tech company would still likely choose Ireland. New Yorks governor signed a package of limousine safety bills Monday that was inspired by deadly crashes in 2015 and 2018. One of the bills would require that motor vehicles converted into stretch limousines by January 2021 have at least two safety belts for the front seat and one safety belt in the rear for each passenger. The bill would require all stretch limousines to be retrofitted to include those seat belts by January 2023. Another bill would require limo drivers carrying nine or more passengers to have a passenger-endorsed commercial drivers license. These far-reaching reforms deliver much-needed protections that will help keep dangerous vehicles off our roadways, crack down on businesses that do not prioritize safety and will give New Yorkers peace of mind when they enter a limo in this state, Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said. Relatives of some of the 20 people killed in a 2018 limousine crash in upstate New York have urged action on safety legislation so other families wont have to endure the grief they have. In that crash in Schoharie, New York, on Oct. 6, 2018, the Ford Excursion SUV, which had been modified into a stretch limo, blew through a T-intersection and slammed into an earthen embankment. The driver, 17 passengers on a birthday outing and two pedestrians were killed. The operator of the company involved in the crash, Nauman Hussain, has pleaded not guilty to 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter. He awaits trial in March. Just weeks before the crash, the limo had failed a state inspection that examined such things as the chassis, suspension and brakes. A 2015 wreck on Long Island killed four young women on a winery tour when the limo was T-boned while trying to make a U-turn. Lawmakers last year passed a budget that increased penalties for operating a limo without proper licensing or violating safety rules. They also authorized state police and transportation officials to seize the license plates of noncompliant vehicles. But lawmakers and the governor disagreed last year on several other bills that in part addressed the oversight of stretch limousines and their operators. The governor had proposed banning stretch limos but later dropped the idea. The bill signings Monday come several months after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended tighter safety belt and passenger seat standards for new vehicles that are stretched into limousines. The federal agency recommended lap-shoulder belts in all seating positions and urged that limousine seating systems meet minimum crash safety performance standards. Separate legislation before Congress would require new limousines to have lap and shoulder belts for each seat and would require each new limousine seat to meet new safety requirements. None of the 17 passengers in the Schoharie crash appeared to be wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the NTSB said, but determined the poorly designed belts would not have provided adequate protection. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation New York Mobile phones have changed the way we communicate, but people disagree on whether the devices are useful tools for education. Students can be easily distracted by their phones during class. Are they listening to the teacher or texting their friends? Are they taking a picture of a quiz to cheat? Maybe they are playing a game, or watching a video, instead of paying attention. School officials, teachers and parents all are trying to find out the best way to supervise students use of mobile or cellphones. In the Canadian province of Ontario, officials are restricting phone use during teaching time. However, there are exceptions for classroom activities, health and other emergencies. France passed a law in 2018 banning the use of cellphones in schools for students up to age 15, the age when they go to high school. Last July, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law. It says state public and charter schools can ban students from using smartphones in class and at school. It does not, however, say schools are required to completely ban the devices. The law asks school districts, charter schools and education offices to develop cellphone policies to prevent, or limit students use of the devices at school. There are exceptions, which include emergencies or issues related to health and well-being. One high school, in Californias Silicon Valley area, had a serious problem with students and their cellphones. Joanne Sablich, a French teacher, said students using their phones in class had been a real problem. They were checking their phones and texting-- going on social media, she said, and she would have to take the phone over and over and over." The schools vice principal, Adam Gelb, said some students were spending as much as 11 or 12 hours a day on their phones. So, the administration turned to technology for answers. San Mateo High School now locks up cellphones during the day in a special container. Each student must put their phone away in a small bag with a magnetic lock. It is called a Yondr Pouch. At the end of the day, students unlock the bag with another device. The bag is being used in schools in both the United States and Europe. The cost for the equipment is around $20,000 a year for a school, or $12 for each student. Teacher Joanne Sablich is happy. She sees a difference in students behavior. She said they are very engaged this year, instead of just looking at their phones. Other schools are choosing simpler answers to the problemthey ban cellphones in classrooms. One of these schools is Forest Hills school district, near Grand Rapids, Michigan. School officials decided this school year to ban cellphones throughout the day, including at lunch. Dan Behm is the superintendent of the district. He told the publication Education Week the reason why district officials put the ban in place. They wanted to provide a clean break for students and not have the frenetic energy that can happen if kids start texting each other or social-media posts start going, Behm said. They tried the ban last year as a test. Behm said they found that students said they were less anxious when they were not so attached to their devices. Education Week found that more than 30 schools, and in some cases school districts, have put in place some kind of restrictions during the current or last school year. Districts across the country also have their own versions of phone restrictions both formal or informal. One district choosing not to ban cellphones is Saint Marys Area School District in the state of Pennsylvania. Brian Toth is the superintendent of the small rural district. He told VOA, each teacher can decide whether, and when, to restrict students cellphone use. Toth said students have grown up with cellphones, and it is our responsibility to teach them proper use for tools within the classroom. He added that schools are teaching about cellphones and how to use them with social media and the Internet. It is part of changing education for kids, he said. As long as we teach them to use them responsibly. The technology is here, Toth said, schools should use it to help students, and not fear it. Im Anne Ball. And I'm Brian Lynn. Anne Ball wrote this story with information from Education Week and VOA news. Mario Ritter edited it. Do you think schools should ban cellphones? What do you think of this story? Write to us in the comments section below. Quiz - Should Schools Ban Mobile Phones? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story distract v. to cause (someone) to stop thinking about or paying attention to someone or something and to think about or pay attention to someone or something else instead charter school n. a school that is established by a charter, is run by teachers, parents, etc., and uses tax money but does not have to be run according to the rules of a city or state district n. an area or section of a country, city or town established by a government for official government business frenetic adj. filled with excitement, activity or confusion; wild or frantic anxious adj. afraid or nervous especially about what may happen: feeling anxiety proper adj. correct according to social or moral rules Apple has made it easier to access the iCloud.com website through mobile devices, especially the ones running Android or iOS operating systems. However, functionalities differ between various operating systems. The iCloud.com website, which offers access to various cloud services from Apple, now has a mobile-friendly design. Users can now access the website and use its services via Android devices as well as iPads and iPhones. It even brings an option to upload photos from the camera app or from the gallery. Apples cloud services can now be accessed via native browsers on Android and iOS devices. Smartphones get access to mobile-optimized landing pages that offer access to Find iPhone, Notes, Photos, and Reminders. Requesting the desktop version of the website does not change anything, though. On Android tablets and iPadOS devices, there is access to more services, including Calendars, Contacts, Find Friends, Find iPhone, Mail, Notes, Photos, and Reminders. On iPadOS, the website is reportedly showing the desktop version of the webpage. Earlier, accessing iCloud services wasnt possible on Android smartphones as well as on iPhones. The new mobile-optimized website can be useful for those who use both Android and iOS/iPadOS based devices. If you have a smartphone and if you use Apples iCloud service, head over to iCloud.com to see the new website. Our Take Ever since Apple started focussing on the revenue from its services businesses, it has been making them available on a wide variety of platforms. For example, Apple Music is available on Android, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, the web, Alexa, Android Auto, and CarPlay. The companys recently unveiled Apple TV+ video streaming service is available on TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony. It has even made it possible to use AirPlay 2 media casting service on LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio smart TVs. This makes sure that more people get a chance to use the companys services, thereby increasing the revenue. Advertisement A car broke through a security barrier on the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade, leading police on a chase before officers ended the pursuit and took two suspects into custody. Police said they are not treating the incident as terrorist-related at this time. The police chase broke out on the parade route at 8:12 am Wednesday, just hours before the victory parade at 11:30 am. Footage of the incident, filmed by parade attendees, shows the allegedly 'drunk' driver crashing the grey vehicle through barriers and speeding off down the parade route. Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) confirmed that a vehicle broke through the parade barrier on the north side of the route as thousands of fans were gathered on the sidewalks. The car speeds along the parade route chased by police cruisers. A car broke through a security barrier on the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade, leading police on a chase before crashing into other vehicles Police point their weapons at the suspects when the car comes to a halt One male suspect is detained by officers The motive for the incident is not yet known The second suspect is led away by police after the incident The vehicle (center) being chased by police No weapons were retrieved from the vehicle KCPD issued a statement saying a vehicle broke through the parade barrier on the north side of the route as fans were gathered on the sidewalks All officers on the route were immediately alerted and went in pursuit of the car. Clay County Sheriff's Deputies and KCPD deployed Stop Sticks, which the vehicle struck, police said in a statement. The Sticks flattened two tired but the car then proceeded south down the route for several blocks and turned at Pershing. The car was headed straight for the crowds of Chiefs' fans gathered for the parade. Officers performed a PIT maneuver to bring the car to a stop at Pershing near Union Station and Crown Center, KCPD said. Police confirmed that they had taken two people into custody and that the 'drunk' driver is under investigation for impairment. The suspects have not yet been identified but images of the two people being dragged from the car by officers show that at least one is male. Police said no weapons were recovered from the suspects or the car and that there were no indications of terrorist activity. No one was hurt in the incident and 'the parade route is once again secure', police said. The car was towed from the scene soon after the chase ended. The police chase broke out on the parade route this morning just hours before the victory parade The parade route (above). The car headed south down the route before being stopped by police close to Union Station Witnesses posted footage of the incident on social media. One video filmed by someone behind a barrier appears to show the start of the incident. The grey car is seen reversing erratically on the road as police point their firearms at it and shout for the driver to stop. The car then lines up and accelerates off down the route. In another video posted on Twitter multiple police cruisers are seen going in pursuit of the vehicle. One cruiser is seen hitting the car and it skids slightly but carries on. One video filmed by someone behind a barrier appears to show the start of the incident The silver grey car is seen reversing erratically on the road as police point their firearms at it and shout for the driver to stop The car then lines up and accelerates off down the route The second attempt to maneuver the car is then successful and it comes to a halt. Police officers are then seen surrounding the vehicle and pointing their guns. Aerial footage also shows the two suspects being pulled out of the car by armed police. An individual wearing a light grey colored top is seen being pulled from the driver's seat and pushed to the ground. The second person, who is seen in light trousers and a dark top, then looks like they are pulled out of the back seat. Police officers are seen surrounding the vehicle Aerial footage also shows the two suspects being pulled out of the car by armed police An individual wearing light grey hooded top is seen being pulled from the driver's seat and pushed to the ground The second person, who is seen in light trousers and a dark top, then looks like they are pulled out of the back seat The drama unfolds as fans arrive early for the parade The pursuit continued for several blocks down the route before ending near Union Station and Crown Center Police surround the vehicle after it came to a halt Officers run to the scene. The Kansas City Police Department confirmed that officers performed a PIT maneuver to end the pursuit Other footage shows the aftermath of the chase, with several officers searching the car. The motive for the incident is not yet known. According to AMBC, the police cruisers involved in the chase returned to their original positions along the parade to cheers from the crowds. KCPD posted on its Twitter page: 'Police pursuit on parade route. Officers have PIT maneuvered vehicle on Pershing between Main and Grand. #chiefsparade 'As far as we can tell, there are no injuries. Great work by our officers!' The aftermath: Several officers search the car Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, praised the quick-thinking of the officers Moments before the incident, police had led fans in cheers of 'Go Chiefs!,' the Kansas City Star reported Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, praised the quick-thinking of the officers. 'I want to commend the Kansas City Police Department for what was a very quick response in a situation that could have been much worse,' he told 41 Action News. He added that the pair had been on a 'joy ride'. Just moments before the car chase, police had led fans in cheers of 'Go Chiefs!,' the Kansas City Star reported. Crowds were gathered to welcome home the Chiefs after their victory in the Super Bowl Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs made a late comeback during Super Bowl LIV to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31 to 20. 'This is a celebration that is a long time in the making,' said Lucas during a news conference Tuesday in which he also urged fans to 'bundle up' as forecasters called for 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 centimeters) of snow along the route. Several local schools canceled classes and city staff not involved in public safety or other essential services have were freed of their duties to watch the parade. Meanwhile, the Kansas Legislature canceled that day's session, and lawmakers in Missouri planned a light work day. Many businesses also closed or operated on a reduced schedule. Kansas City police Major Chip Huth said law enforcement from 19 surrounding agencies would help to provide security for the masses. The weather will make it difficult getting home, warned National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Barham. He said the snowfall will start at relatively light and will be at its heaviest during the rally, falling at a rate of half an inch (1.2 centimeters) an hour. 'One of our messages is it probably won't be bad getting to the parade but there will be hazardous conditions leaving the parade,' Barham said. Footage of the incident, filmed by parade attendees, shows the silver grey vehicle crashing through barriers and speeding off down the parade route Police confirmed that two people had been taken into custody Chiefs' fans look on as police end the pursuit The silver grey vehicle that broke through barriers The championship parade celebrating the Chiefs' first Super Bowl win in 50 years ran along a two-mile route through the city. There was then a celebration rally at Union Station. KCPD published guidance on Tuesday for members of the public attending the parade. It advised people that the parade route would be shut from 2 pm Tuesday until 7 pm Wednesday. It also stated that 'hundreds and hundreds of officers' would be positioned 'along and around the route and at Union Station'. Police confirmed that there had been five arrests in total from the parade including the two in the car chase and one man who had fallen out of a tree. Crowds were gathered to welcome home the Chiefs after their victory in the Super Bowl Sunday Fans line up early to catch sight of the Kansas City Chiefs who made a late comeback during Super Bowl LIV to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31 to 20 New Delhi, Feb 5 : Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of speaking lies and asked the people to don't waste their time in listening to Union Home Minister Amit Shah as he does not talk any sense. Addressing his third rally in election-bound Delhi in Kondli assembly constituency for party candidate Amrish Gautam, Gandhi said, "I have been in politics for last 15 years. And listen to all my speeches. Did you find a single lie in my speech." "Similarly listen to Modi and Kejriwal, their speeches are full of lies." Taunting at Home Minister, Gandhi said: "Do not listen to Amit Shah. His speeches are full of rubbish." Seeking to back his claims of not uttering a lie, he said: "During the Congress rule, I said to waive off the farmers loan to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore after the farmers met us. "And within 10 to 15 days (then Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh signed the document." He also said that the garbage pile around the Kalyanpuri area will also be removed once the Congress government comes to power in Delhi. Two Australians are among the 10 on board a cruise ship who have tested positive for the deadly coronavirus after it went into lockdown on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed during question time in the Senate the Australians were infected as the cruise docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama, as there are fears the number could rapidly grow onboard the vessel. The 10 confirmed cases were among 31 results from 273 people tested so far, Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Wednesday morning. The Diamond Princess has been in lockdown since a Hong Kong passenger was confirmed to have coronavirus. Source: AP/ Twitter The nationalities of all 10 infected have not been confirmed. It is understood roughly half of the passengers on board are Japanese. There are around 3700 passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Corp ship altogether. It was not immediately clear how many people had been screened and how many would undergo testing for the virus. Health officials were testing people who had shown symptoms such as fevers or those who had been in close contact with such people, public broadcaster NHK reported. Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess. Source: Reuters There are fears the number of people infected with coronavirus could rapidly grow. Source: Reuters A health ministry official said not everyone would be tested with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits because it was too time-consuming and deemed unnecessary. The health checks began on Monday evening after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. Photographs and video posted on Twitter by a passenger with the handle @daxa_tw showed masked health workers clad in blue plastic gowns walking down empty corridors on the Diamond Princess as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck. People are transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess to a patrol ship, after ten people onboard the cruise have tested positive for coronavirus. Source: Reuters Carnival Japan, the local unit of the British-American cruise operator, said on Tuesday the turnaround of the ship had been delayed by about 24 hours. It was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. Story continues Carnivals Princess Cruises Japan said on Tuesday that cruises scheduled to depart from Yokohama and the western Japanese port of Kobe this week would be cancelled because of delays related to the coronavirus checks. The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in Japan. The epidemic, which originated in Chinas Hubei province, has killed hundreds of people and infected more than 10,000 so far. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. With just two days left for the Delhi Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that it is for the people of Delhi to decide on February 8 whether they consider him a "terrorist" or not. Speaking to ANI, Kejriwal, who is again contesting from the New Delhi constituency, said, "I have made so many students gain an education in the last five years by building schools. Does a terrorist make students educated? I have taken elder people to pilgrimage so how am I a terrorist? Still, if the people of Delhi think that I am a terrorist they should press the lotus button (party symbol of BJP) on February 8 but if they think that I have worked for Delhi, press the 'jhaadu' [broom] (party symbol of AAP) button." Resorting to sharing an emotional part of his life, he said, "I am extremely saddened. I haven't done anything for myself and my family during my entire life. I am devoted to this country. I have studied in IIT and my score was really good but even then I did not go abroad. Over 80 per cent of my classmates went abroad but at that time I decided to remain here and work for my country." Kejriwal, who is also an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor, said that he is a diabetic and yet sat on several hunger strikes to fight against corruption in the country. "I left the Income Tax Commissioner's job and joined Anna Hazare to fight against corruption. While staging the protest I went on a hunger strike against corruption despite being diabetic," he added. Kejriwal continued, "I'm a diabetic. I take insulin four times a day. If a person with diabetes is on insulin and doesn't eat anything for four to five hours, they collapse and can even die. In such a situation, I have done a hunger strike against corruption twice for 15 days." This emotional attack by Kejriwal comes after BJP leaders called him a "terrorist". Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday targeted Kejriwal, saying there is enough proof available to prove that AAP leader is a "terrorist". Listing out all the pieces of evidence one by one, Javadekar said, "Today, Kejriwal's party supports Shaheen Bagh. What is it that you support? Breaking Assam off from India, Jinnah's idea of independence? Standing at a place where slogans of breaking India are being raised is also terrorism." The voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies is scheduled for February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 05, 2020] Resource Label Group Expands California Presence with Acquisition of Axiom Label & Packaging Resource Label Group, LLC ("Resource Label") a full-service provider of pressure sensitive label, shrink sleeve and RFID/NFC technology for the packaging industry, today announced it has acquired Los Angeles-based Axiom Label & Packaging ("Axiom"), broadening its presence in California. Axiom represents the company's sixth acquisition in California. Resource Label, is a portfolio company of First Atlantic Capital, a New York-based private investment firm, and TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG. Mike Apperson, President & CEO of Resource Label, stated, "I am proud to welcome the talented team at Axiom to the Resource Label Group family. Axiom provides innovative solutions in labels, shrink sleeves and packaging applications that will broaden our product offering and strengthen our ability to meet customer's requirements. We look forward to working closely with the team to serve our growing customer base along the West Coast. " Located in Compton, CA (News - Alert), Axiom is a leading innovator and supplier of label and packaging solutions to California businesses and national brands. Axiom offers pressure sensitive, shrink sleeve, extended content and flexible packaging solutions that serve customers across a broad spectrum of industries including food, beverage, nutraceutical, personal care and health and beauty. "We are extremely excited to join Resource Label Group," said Kieron Delahunt, former CEO and founder of Axiom Label & Packaging. "Resource Label shares our vision in developing a world class organization that continually exceeds customers expectations. This partnership is key to supporting our vision and the growth plans for our business." Emilio Pedroni, Managing Director at First Atlantic Capital, added, "Axiom represents a valued addition to Resource Label with its outstanding group of dedicated employees and diverse client base. We are pleased to continue to support Resource Label's expansion, which includes fifteen acquisitions since or initial investment in 2011." About Resource Label Group, LLC Resource Label Group, LLC is a leading pressure sensitive label, shrink sleeve and RFID/NFC manufacturer with diverse product offerings for the food, beverage, chemical, household products, personal care, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, medical device, and technology industries. With seventeen locations across the U.S. and Canada, Resource Label Group, LLC provides national leadership and scale to deliver capabilities, technologies, systems and creative solutions that customers require. Resource Label is a long-standing portfolio company of First Atlantic Capital, a New York-based private investment firm, and TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG. Headquartered in Franklin TN, Resource Label Group, LLC is the parent company of Resource Label (Franklin & Memphis, TN), MidSouth RFID (Franklin, TN), Pamco Label (Chicago, IL), Fox Tag and Label (Providence, RI), Oxford Graphics (Boston, MA), The Label Company (Los Angeles, CA), A1 Label (Toronto, ON (News - Alert)), Taylor Made Labels (Portland, OR), LithoFlexo Grafics (Salt Lake City, UT), Advanced Labels NW (Seattle, WA), RayPress Corporation (Birmingham, AL), Cellotape / Landmark Label (Newark, CA), Gintzler International (Buffalo, NY & Austin, TX), Ingenious Packaging (Toronto, ON), Paragon Label (Napa-Sonoma, CA), Spectrum (News - Alert) Label (San Francisco, CA), Best Label (San Francisco, CA & Los Angeles, CA) and Axiom Label & Packaging (Los Angeles, CA). With seventeen manufacturing locations, Resource Label Group, LLC employs 1300 associates in the U.S. and Canada. For additional information, visit www.resourcelabel.com. About First Atlantic Capital Founded in 1989, First Atlantic Capital is a middle market private equity firm that leverages its extensive consulting and operational experience to acquire middle market companies, seeking to build them up to become market leaders. Since its inception, the firm has completed more than 70 acquisitions assembling 22 successful platforms in various industries that include plastics and packaging, food and beverage, consumer and industrial products and business services. Notable investments in the packaging industry include Berry Plastics, Ranpak, Captive Plastics, C-P Converters, and Resource Label Group. For additional information visit www.firstatlanticcapital.com. About TPG Growth TPG Growth is the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, the global alternative asset firm. With approximately $13.2 billion of assets under management, TPG Growth targets investments in a broad range of industries and geographies. TPG Growth has the deep sector knowledge, operational resources, and global experience to drive value creation, and help companies reach their full potential. The firm is backed by the resources of TPG, which has approximately $84 billion of assets under management. For more information, visit www.tpg.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005130/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a resolution to stand as a Constitutional Rights Protection County. The decision came during the regular meeting in the countys government center. See photos from the meeting at the bottom of this article The resolution was supported by the Iredell County Sheriffs Office. Sheriff Darren Campbell and Commissioner Gene Houpe submitted possible drafts in January. The resolution reads, Pursuant to the oaths taken, the Commissioners wish to express their deep commitment to protecting all constitutional rights of the citizens of Iredell County and oppose any law, regulation or other act that would unconstitutionally infringe on the rights of the law-abiding citizens of Iredell County. This resolution is one of many considered in counties across the state of North Carolina in recent weeks. Cherokee County was the first to pass such a resolution in December. The resolutions are in response to legislation Virginias Legislature considered and recently passed increasing gun control in the state. Airlines around the world have been cutting routes to the Chinese mainland since at least Jan. 23, saying the outbreak of a potentially deadly coronavirus has dented demand. It started as a trickle, with the likes of United Airlines announcing it would cut back some China flights. Then on Jan. 29, British Airways took the dramatic step of indefinitely suspending all of its flights to the mainland, citing advice from the U.K. Foreign Office. Indonesias Lion Air followed soon after. The next day, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health crisis. After that it was a flood: flights and routes were cut with abandon as a flurry of stepped-up travel warnings were issued. By Caixins count, 59 airlines from 44 countries and regions had announced they were suspending some or all flights to the mainland as of Tuesday. Alexander Sehmer of Falanx Assynt, a risk consultancy, said that because airlines were canceling flights due to commercial unviability, they were most likely to do so where local governments had restricted travel. In the US for example, where the government has advised against all travel to China and is barring entry to foreign nationals travelling from China, there will be significantly reduced demand for flights serving China, Sehmer said. On the other hand in somewhere like Pakistan, where there have been no confirmed coronavirus infections, and where the government has not issued any specific advice against travelling to China, there is less incentive to cancel flights. The Pakistani government is one of the few to have resumed flights to China. It did so on Feb. 3, after suspending them for three days. Contact reporter Flynn Murphy (flynnmurphy@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) We have an Instagram sensation amidst us, who's doing more than just being an Influencer, at a time like this! Meet Chinese bodybuilder, Yuan Herong, who has an impressive following on Instagram, thanks to her countless pictures wherein she's showing off her muscular body. But that's not all Herong is doing. At a time when her country is facing a dark reality also known as the coronavirus, Herong has gone face first, diving into protecting people from the virus, and we think the 'Hero' in Herong is aptly deserved. Instagram No, not just anyone can partake in helping people out if they're infected. Apart from being a talented athlete, Herong is also a doctor back in China and is now in the frontline, working against the deadly Coronavirus attack. The blogger wrote on Instagram to say: "The healers are all treated through traditional Chinese medicine and other symptomatic treatment. We will try our best to do a good job in prevention and treatment." She also shared a picture of her in scrubs saying how she must be in the frontline, helping those who've been affected by the deadly virus, adding that she was doing her best to help the epidemic'. Instagram Despite the global health emergency and Herong helping out with the epidemic, she is also training for a bodybuilding competition. "In order to prevent infection after work, I still insist on fitness at home. Use cabbage as dumbbell," she wrote. Another post on her profile on Instagram shows her feeling absolutely exhausted as she tells her followers "theres expected to be a turning point around the Lantern Festival, when experts predicted the number of people infected will be reduced, but the virus will mutate, adding so we cant be careless." Instagram Well, apart from building a terrific body the very gorgeous 'hero' is doing her bit to help her country survive one of the deadliest viruses found in human beings, and now has been declared a global emergency. We just hope there are more enthusiastic young people in China, who're fighting in the forefront to save their people from this disease. The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the newly-created trust for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, will have its office in Delhi's Greater Kailash locality, the Home Ministry said on Wednesday. In a notification, the ministry also said as directed by the Supreme Court, the Uttar Pradesh government has already issued the allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for construction of a mosque. While delivering its judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case on November 9 last year, the apex court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. The Supreme Court had also ordered that five-acre land will be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodha at an alternative site. The notification said a trust by the name 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' has been registered with its registered office at R-20, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi, 110048. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in the Lok Sabha that the Union Cabinet has given its approval for the constitution of the trust for the construction of the Ram temple. The trust will have 15 members, including a member from the Dalit community, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said. The ministry said the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993, came into force on January 7, 1993, and the divisional commissioner of Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya Division was appointed as the authorised person for securing possession of the area and its management. In compliance with the Supreme Court's November 9, 2019, directions, the government of India has approved a scheme that has made necessary provisions with regard to the trust's functioning, the notification said. The provisions include matters relating to management of the trust, powers of the trustees, including construction of the temple, and all necessary, incidental and supplemental matters, it said, adding that the scheme was approved vide order number '71011/02/2019-AY' dated February 5. The ministry said in compliance with the apex court's directions, possession of the disputed site's inner and outer courtyards shall be handed over to the trust. The Centre has the liberty to make suitable provisions in respect to the rest of the acquired land by handing it over to the trust for management and development in terms of the scheme framed by the central government, as per the Supreme Court's directions, it said. The Centre, after consultation with the Uttar Pradesh government, has decided to effectuate the allotment of a suitable land measuring five acres to the Sunni Central Waqf Board at a prominent place in Ayodhya, outside the land acquired under the Act, the ministry said. This has been done taking into account past communal disturbances, possible scenarios relating to law and order and concerns relating to communal harmony and security, it said. The large number of pilgrims visiting the land acquired under the Act throughout the year and keeping in mind the essential amenities that would be required to be provided for the increase in number of pilgrims who will be visiting the temple from all across the world in the future have also been considered, it said The allotment letter of five acres of land in Ayodhya to the Sunni Central Waqf Board has been issued by the Uttar Pradesh government, vide, 'GO No. 61 GI/6-Sanipra-2020- 200(14)/2019 TC', dated February 5, the ministry said. Therefore in exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 6 of the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993 and in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment, the Centre directs that all rights, title and interests in relation to the entire area acquired under the Act, including the inner and outer courtyards of the disputed site shall vest in trust, the home ministry said. Who needs the Russians when you have Lindsey Graham, the presidents own sons, Joe Bidens campaign, and Ilhan Omar all questioning the legitimacy of the Iowa caucuses? Faith in American elections took a big hit in 2016, thanks in part to Russian disinformation campaigns. But as Americans head into the 2020 presidential campaign, U.S. political figures are already undermining faith in the democratic process. The Iowa Democratic partys embarrassing faceplant on caucus night offered the perfect opportunity for conspiracy mongering. However, Sen. Bernie Sanders who accused the Democratic party of rigging the 2016 election to box him out and help Hillary Clinton win the nomination rejected those rumors. We should all be disappointed in the inability of the party to come up with timely results, but we are not casting aspersions on the votes that are being counted, Sanders said Tuesday. Theres no excuse for not having results last night, but that doesnt mean to say that the totals that come in will be inaccurate. Thats unfair, I think, to try to do. Sanderss comment was a swipe at Joe Bidens campaign, which reacted to the chaotic mess of Monday night by sowing doubt about whether the results could be trusted. We have real concerns about the integrity of the process, said Kate Bedingfield, deputy campaign manager for Joe Biden, on CNN Tuesday morning. Election integrity is obviously of the utmost importance. Iowa Democratic officials were saying theyre just trying to get it right. What reason do you have to believe that this isnt just a matter of getting it right, CNNs John Berman asked Bedingfield. If you have a process where you cant be confident that the results that are being reported are reflective of the votes people cast last night and the process, thats a real concern, Bedingfield said. People should be able to have faith that the process was fair. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) This reflected a dramatic turn of events. Sanders claimed just last summer that the 2016 election was rigged against him. As recently as last week, one of his closest advisers, Jeff Weaver, accused the Democratic National Committee of creating a rigged system by changing the rules to qualify for debates. Story continues But by Monday, Weaver was on MSNBC saying the 2020 election is not currently rigged. Other Democrats who support Sanders, however, speculated that the delay in releasing the Iowa results was part of a plot to hurt Bernie. Some made similar claims after the Des Moines Register canceled the release of poll results on Saturday due to a problem with its methodology. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has endorsed Sanders, retweeted a pro-Bernie writers breathless attempts to spin conspiracy theories with a sarcastic This cant be it! Now, there were still questions about the accuracy of the first batch of caucus results when they were released late Tuesday afternoon. I dont know if I trust this information, CNNs Chief Political Correspondent John King said on live television as Wolf Blitzer asked him to dig into county-by-county results. Troy Price, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, tried to tamp down concerns about the reliability of the caucus results. The underlying data, the raw data, is secure. It was always secure, Price said at a press conference. But on the Republican side, there was another form of conspiracy theory promotion. Prominent Republicans like Eric and Donald Trump Jr., the presidents sons, gleefully promoted the idea that the DNC was plotting against Sanders. Donald Trump Jr., center, speaks with his brother Eric, second from left, during a "Keep Iowa Great" press conference in Des Moines on Monday. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) Donald Trump Jr.s Twitter feed was an incoherent mix of accusations that the Democrats were conducting an elaborate scheme to steal the nomination from Sanders while at the same time he claimed that they are too incompetent to conduct a caucus effectively. Both cannot be true. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also chimed in about the reasons for the caucus results delay. What are the odds that it has nothing to do with a Bernie blowout and a Biden crash? Graham wrote. Erick Erickson, a conservative talk radio host and writer, was at least honest enough to admit what was really going on. I dont think Iowa sabotaged the caucus to hurt Bernie Sanders. But I really hope a lot of Bernie Sanders supporters think that, Erickson tweeted. But Bo Harmon, a Republican political operative, voiced concerns to Erickson about the corrosive impact on American democracy. I just fear [that with] Trump saying the elections are rigged, all the interference from Russia and others, now the Iowa debacle, neither side trusts the election results, doesn't honor them, Harmon wrote. It doesn't seem good. Erickson wrote back that he was being flippant with his original tweet but agreed with Harmons concern. Youre right, we have a serious situation with both the integrity of and faith in institutions that is increasingly bipartisan, he said. Paul Barrett, who has overseen the publication of reports on disinformation in the digital age at New York Universitys Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, compares what the Republicans are doing now to Russian interference four years ago. Republicans alleging without proof that the Iowa caucuses were rigged strikes me as domestically generated partisan disinformation, Barrett told Yahoo News. The most recent Stern report states that while Russian operatives and other foreign-based actors are all but certain to surface (or resurface) in 2020, a greater volume of disinformation probably will come from domestic U.S. sources. And once those types of conspiracies are floated or amplified by U.S.-based sources acting out of partisan motives, they can be weaponized and spread even further by bad actors whose goal is to attack American democracy. As for Biden questioning the legitimacy of the flawed Iowa process, Barrett said, I'm afraid that just smacks of desperation by a desperate candidate. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: For the first time, a person in New Jersey has been placed into mandatory quarantine over the threat of the coronavirus, the state health department confirmed Wednesday morning. The woman who is not a New Jersey resident flew from Hubei, China to Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, the department said. The woman did not show any symptoms of the virus, the department said. But because she was in Hubei the Chinese province where the virus originated as of Tuesday, the woman was ordered into a mandatory 14-day quarantine, the department said. The woman was taken to an undisclosed location in Essex County, where the New Jersey Department of Health will monitor her for symptoms the next 14 days. The risk of novel coronavirus transmission in New Jersey residents remains low, said Nicole Kirgan, a spokeswoman for the department. New Jersey has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. But 490 people across the globe have died from the virus and there are more than 24,000 confirmed cases throughout the world. Of those, 16,678 have been in Hubei. NJ Advance Media was the first to report on the quarantine Wednesday morning, citing an anonymous source familiar with the effort. The woman landed in Newark on United Flight 87 around 6 p.m. Tuesday, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday launched a task force to coordinate New Jerseys response to the threat. The state also created a website and a hotline 1-800-222-1222 to answer questions about the virus. At Princeton University, one student who recently traveled to China is still being assessed for coronavirus among the more than 100 who were required to self-quarantine over the weekend, school officials said. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. H ealth secretary Matt Hancock has said he expects to see more cases of the "very serious" coronavirus in the UK. Mr Hancock said today there were still just two cases confirmed across Britain, though the government was wary of further diagnoses. Commenting on those infected, he told BBC Breakfast: They remain in quarantine and are being treated. But the process around that has gone well. Theyve been in isolation and when they are being treated they are being treated by people who are themselves protected from catching the virus from them so that process has worked well. Wuhan, China: Convention Centre turned into a hospital for Coronavirus 1 /16 Wuhan, China: Convention Centre turned into a hospital for Coronavirus The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center on February 4th.2020 in Wuhan.Hubei Province,China. Wuhan epidemic prevention headquarters started converting three existing venues, including a gymnasium and an exhibition center, into hospitals to receive patients infected with the novel Coronavirus Getty Images Reuters AP REUTERS AP Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AP AP AP AP He spoke in the wake of Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urging all Brits in mainland China to leave if they can. Asked about how they might do so, he told BBC Breakfast: There are still commercial flights available. The principal that we are taking is that we want to take no chances with this virus. We want to take a science-led approach. The approach we have been taking is very much driven by the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. This is a very serious virus and having a very serious impact in china. There are two cases only here in the UK but we do expect more, so we are taking no chances. It comes as the government continues to look at evacuations for those stuck in the epicentre of the virus, in the Hubei province around the city of Wuhan. British nationals still stranded in the epicentre of Chinas coronavirus outbreak will be flown home on a "final" evacuation flight scheduled for Sunday. The Foreign Office confirmed on Tuesday night it was chartering another plane to bring Britons back from virus-hit Wuhan. Mr Hancock said people returning from other areas of China outside the Hubei province will not be quarantined and should instead remain at home to "self isolate" and call medics if they express symptoms. Since Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry announced their intent to step down as working members of the British royal family, the duchess, in particular, has kept a very low profile. Though she has been snapped in candid photographs out and about on Vancouver Island in Canada Markle has only made a couple of public appears at various charities in Canada. In contrast, following the news of Megxit Prince Harry remained in the U.K. for nearly two weeks while he sorted things out with his family. Though he and the duchess initially hoped they could remain part-time royals with progressive new roles, things didnt exactly pan out that way. When the prince remained in the U.K. to figure out the details of the split, the duchess flew to Canada to be with her infant son, Archie Harrison, and escape the vitriol of the British press and public. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want to have a peaceful life Despite the fact that they put their best foot forward, over the last two years, the British press and public never warmed to Markle. From the racist and sexist things that were thrown at her, it was clear that the duchess and in turn, Prince Harry, were struggling under the weight of it all. In fact, in an Oct. 2019 documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey Markle revealed that she was not O.K. Unfortunately, the royal familys policy is to have a stiff upper lip and to remain non-reactive. However, the Sussexes were suffering by playing that game. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly, Prince Harry said in a speech during a reception for his charity, Sentebale. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I havent always got it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. Meghan Markles mom, Doria Ragland supports the Sussexes decision Though many people in the U.K. seem to have a lot of opinions about Megixt people across the globe can clearly see how horrible the duchess was treated. In fact, Markles mom, Doria Ragland supports her completely. Doria says, Meghan is strong and will always be okay,' an insider told People. Apparently. Ragland is mostly obsessed with the fact that she gets to see more of her grandson. She says her grandson is the cutest, the source added. Doria Ragland rushed to Meghan Markles side after Megxit Markle literally fled the U.K. following news of the resignation to get back to her son. Baby Archie had remained in Canada with the duchess good friend, Jessica Mulroney. Her mother also met her there. Meghan had friends and her mom around while Harry remained in England, an insider told People. She definitely gets a lot of her strength from her mother. Now that news is buzzing that the Sussexes are headed to Los Angeles for the summer, were sure Markle is excited to spend even more time with her mom. DUBLIN, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Global Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) market registered revenues of about $200 million in 2019, growing at an average rate of 9% year-on-year. The objective of this Radar is to identify the key companies, their success factors, and opportunities for growth. The study compares different companies on a Growth Index and Innovation Index. 5G is expected to fuel demand for OTDRs with growth in all form factors including handheld, portable, and benchtop instruments. OTDR is also the fastest-growing segment in the overall fiber optic test equipment (FOTE) market. There is immense growth opportunity from all geographic locations with Tier I vendors selling both directly and indirectly in all major countries across the globe. The companies analyzed in this report include AFL, Aishwarya Technologies, Anritsu, EXFO, Fluke Networks, GAO Tek, IDEAL Networks, INNO Instruments, Photon Kinetics, ShinewayTech, VeEX Inc., VIAVI, and Yokogawa. One of the key functions that network equipment manufacturers are starting to include in their offerings is an OTDR function for simple fault location. With fiber inspection probes already making inroads, multi-functional OTDRs are on the rise. Market leaders have been launching smarter OTDR solutions to address customer needs for increased productivity and user safety. EXFO and VIAVI lead the market with more than a 65% market share between them. Handheld and portable instruments form the largest segment due to their ease of use, low cost, and light weight. There are several opportunities that lie ahead even for Tier II and Tier III companies thanks to their low cost. Product quality is gaining importance with the need for 5G testing. The Radar reveals the market positioning of companies in an industry using their Growth and Innovation scores as highlighted in the Radar methodology. The document presents competitive profiles on each of the companies in the Radar based on their strengths, opportunities, and a small discussion on their positioning. The publisher analyzes hundreds of companies in the industry and benchmarks them across 10 criteria on the Radar, where the leading companies in the industry are then positioned. Industry leaders, predominantly in the Innovation Index for this market, are recognized as best practice recipients. Key Topics Covered Industry Overview The Radar - Global Optical Time Domain Reflectometer Market The Radar Description of Companies Plotted C2A - Market Participant Profiles AFL Aishwarya Technologies & Telecom Limited Anritsu EXFO Inc. Fluke Networks GAO Tek & GAO Group Inc. IDEAL Networks INNO Instrument Inc. Photon Kinetics Inc ShinewayTech (Shineway) VeEX Inc. VIAVI Solutions Inc. Yokogawa Electric Corporation The Last Word Key Takeaways About The Radar 2 Major Indices, 10 Analytical Ingredients, 1 Platform C2A For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hyeavi Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Last month was the warmest January on record globally, while in Europe temperatures were a balmy three degrees Celsius above the average January from 1981 to 2010, the European Union's climate monitoring system reported Tuesday. Across a band of countries stretching from Norway to Russia, temperatures were an unprecedented 6C above the same 30-year benchmark, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported in a statement. New temperature highs -- monthly, yearly, decadal -- have become commonplace due to the impact of climate change, caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, scientists say. The five last years have been the hottest on record, as was the ten-year period 2010-2019. 2019 -- the second warmest year -- was only 0.04C below 2016, when temperatures were boosted by a powerful El Nino, a periodic natural weather phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean. The global record last month was 0.03C above the preceding warmest January, also in 2016. For Europe, last month was "about 0.2C warmer than the previous warmest January in 2007, and 3.1C warmer than the average January in the period 1981-2010," C3S reported. Records also tumbled in specific locations across the northern reaches of the continent. The village of Sunndalsora in western Norway, for example, hit 19C (66 Fahrenheit) on January 2, more than 25C above the monthly average, while the Swedish town of Orebro saw its warmest January day on the 9th since records began in 1858. Cross-country ski tracks were closed across large swathes of Norway and Sweden. Exceptional above-average temperatures extended over nearly all of Russia as well, and they were higher than normal over much of the United States, eastern Canada, Japan and parts of eastern China. Temperatures were likewise higher than normal in New South Wales in Australia, where massive bushfires devastated large areas of the state. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 -- which causes global warming -- are now at their highest level in at least 800,000 years. The United Nations said last year that manmade greenhouse gas emissions needed to tumble 7.6 percent annually over the next decade to cap global warming at 1.5C above preindustrial levels, the aspirational goal set in the landmark Paris Agreement. Current pledges to cut emissions put Earth on a path of several degrees warming by the end of the century. A Magistrates Court has allowed Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to access his bank accounts. Nairobi Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, ordered the Assets Recovery Agency to immediately unfreeze five bank accounts belonging to the embattled county boss. The magistrate noted that ARA was using expired court orders and that their actions were unlawful. She said the agency failed to approach the court for an extension when the orders expired in December last year. The continued freezing of the accounts will be highly prejudicial to the holders of the accounts and I, therefore, direct the unfreezing of the accounts by the agency, she ruled. Sonkos accounts were frozen on December 11, 2019, but Sonko challenged the orders that lapsed on December 23, 2019. Sonko, through his lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, said freezing his bank accounts was unjust, oppressive, unconstitutional and without merit. Kinyanjui argued that there is no evidence showing that monies held in his clients bank account are proceeds of crime and as a result, the order by the Asset Recovery Agency to freeze his accounts hampered his family life. The accounts are held Kenya Commercial Bank, Diamond Trust, Cooperative Bank I&M Bank, Sidian Bank, Bank of Africa and Equity Bank. The magistrate gave ARA 10 days to lift the freeze on Sonkos accounts. Lome, Togo (PANA) - The explosion of a fuel tanker in the city of Anie, about 190 km north of the capital, resulted in the death of six people on Tuesday, reliable sources told PANA here Wednesday Sales of jet fuel in China slumped by a quarter in the last week of January because of the coronavirus outbreak, an unnamed source from the oil industry told Reuters. The virus had a severe impact on the travel industry, and air travel specifically, but the impact on total January sales of jet fuel was surprisingly moderate: total jet fuel sales for the full month of January were only down by 0.2 percent from a year earlier, the source said. However, as the outbreak continues spreading, its effect on travel is bound to become more palpable. The number of people infected with the coronavirus has topped 24,000, with 492 confirmed deaths from it, according to CBS. Several countries, among them the United States, Italy, Australia, Russia, and Japan, have imposed strict travel restrictions to people coming from China, and more may follow. It was this impact on the travel industry that sparked the ten-day-long losing streak in oil prices that may continue, after prices took a breather today when scientists in Wuhan said they may have an effective treatment for the virus. Related: Bear Run Sends Oil Down For 10th Straight Session Chinese authorities are discouraging travel by air or road in and out of the most-affected regions and have imposed a lockdown on the 11-million-resident city where the virus was first detected. This has led to thousands of cancelled flights and consequently much lower fuel demand just as Chinese refiners got their first batch of 2020 fuel export quotas. But they may be in for more pain. Fears of weaker demand have weighed on refinery margins, and continued weakness could see some refineries cut run-rates in China. If we were to see this, it would likely be the independent refiners who are first to cut, given their focus on the domestic market, ING strategists said last Friday. Yet China will not suffer alone: the demand drop will spread to other Asian countries as well, compromising the continents status as the main driver of oil demand. In fact, expectations of weaker economic growth in China as a whole, as a result of the outbreak, has had analysts warning that the oil demand consequences from the outbreak could last for quite a while. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: T he House of Commons has broadcast its first sign language interpretation of Prime Ministers Questions, in what leading deaf charity officials have called a "welcome step forward." Parliament TV aired the British Sign Language (BSL) trial on Wednesday morning, in which an interpreter appeared alongside live footage of the Commons. Todays introduction of BSL interpreters builds on previous work to improve access for the deaf or hard of hearing. In 2019, interpreters translated Westminster Hall debates and a select committee evidence session in 2019. An interpreter translated all the action from today's session in Parliament / Parliamentlive.tv Speaking ahead of todays session, Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle expressed his delight at the move. He said: Everyone deserves to be able to follow our flagship event of the week so I am delighted that we will have sign language interpreters to make this a reality for deaf people. This initiative chimes with my commitment to make our parliamentary proceedings accessible and as clear as possible to everyone. I would like to thank all those who have worked to make this happen. Dr Roger Wicks, of Action on Hearing Loss described it as a welcome step forward." He said: We are delighted that the House of Commons is taking steps to improve the accessibility of Prime Ministers Questions for deaf people by trialling British Sign Language interpretation. A policeman has reportedly taken his life in a cell at the State Criminal Investigation, and Intelligence Department, CID, Yaba. The policeman identified as Eze was said to have been arrested after he allegedly shot dead a man. Eze was later brought in to the state CID for investigation and prosecution. According The Punch, the policeman was attached to a Dangote factory where he shot a man dead. READ ALSO RMD Petitions Lagos Police Commissioner Over Rape Of 4-Year-Old Girl Eze, however, hung himself in the cell around 2 am on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, is yet to confirm the report. Cover of the photo book 90 Nam ang Cong San Viet Nam (1930-2020), (90 Years of the Communist Party of Viet Nam). The 400-page book, published by the Vietnam News Agency Publishing House, features 600 photos on the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. (Photo courtesy of the publisher) , , , , A photo book featuring the Communist Party of Vietnam has been released to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Party on February 3, 1930-2020.The book, 90 Nam ang Cong San Viet Nam (1930-2020), (90 Years of the Communist Party of Vietnam), is published by the Vietnam News Agency Publishing House.It features 400 pages in Vietnamese and English.More than 600 black-and-white and color photos of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, selected from different sources and in different periods, are featured.Many photos and documents come from the Archives Department of the Central Party Committee, National Archives, Museum of Vietnamese History, Museum of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam News Agency.The book features the Partys establishment, leadership and developments between 1930 and 1945 and the oi moi (renewal) process between 1986 and 2020.The role, prestige, leadership capacity and combat strength of the Party in almost a century in the countrys history are highlighted.The book, 90 Nam ang Cong San Viet Nam (1930-2020), helps young generations to contribute the pride of patriotism and inspire the peoples pride and trust in the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, the countrys renewal process, and the building of a strong socialist Vietnam after reading, said reader Do Kim Thoa of Binh Thanh District in Ho Chi Minh City.- Looking for something to do this week? From tribute bands to a class on essential oils, here's a roundup of options to help you get off the couch and out into the world. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. The Rich Girls From the event description: The Rich Girls are a Dallas-based band dedicated to performing the music of Hall & Oates, Prince, Michael Jackson and more! When: Friday, Feb. 7, 9-10:30 p.m. Where: Legacy Hall, 7800 Windrose Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Wellness 101 From the event description: This is a free class about Young Living essential oils and products. Lots of products to see and smell. When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 3-4:30 p.m. Where: Scentimental Wellness, 5200 McDermott Road, Suite 135 Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams Tribute) From the event description: Summer of '69 is the premier DFW-based Bryan Adams tribute band. Made up of members who have been playing locally in other projects for over 35 years. Come out and enjoy the music from one of the most prolific songwriters and performers of our time. When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 9-10:30 p.m. Where: Legacy Hall, 7800 Windrose Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Northeast Dallas Teen Mardi Gras Bash From the event description: The Northeast Dallas Chapter Teens of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. invite you to their fourth annual Mardi Gras fundraiser. When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 9 p.m.-midnight Where: Plano Event Center, 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway Admission: $15-$20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. HANGZHOU, China, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SublimeChina.com, a leading travel organization with offices in China, Canada and the US, announces the temporary closure of most touristic attractions in China, as the government launches an aggressive plan to contain and defeat the coronavirus before summer. Popular tourist hotspots like the Great Wall of China are temporarily closed for tourists The government is deploying every effort to contain and eradicate the virus before summer "We would like to notify our dear western travelers that at this time, most of the scenic spots are closed in China to prevent the virus from spreading. The annual holiday has been extended to February 9th, and tourists, both local and foreign, are encouraged to stay home and avoid crowded places. It would be an unwise decision to travel to China for tourism these days given that the virus still hasn't been fully contained and the tourist hotspots are closed anyways. We would suggest tourists wait at least 2-3 months before booking a China tour or trip," says Eric Wang, travel expert at SublimeChina.com. The coronavirus has already caused a substantial impact on the tourism sector of countries popular amongst Chinese tourists such as Japan, Australia and Thailand as Chinese tourists have been urged by their government to stay home. SublimeChina's announcement reveals that the virus is also impacting the local Chinese tourism sector as some of the most popular tourist attractions like the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Potala Palace and many others are now closed. Several countries are also ordering their airlines to halt flights to China, in an effort to minimize the chances of the virus making it to their lands. "The good news is that the Chinese government announced the deployment of 52 medical teams and over 6,000 doctors and nurses to Wuhan to help fight with the virus and care for the infected people. Our government is making every effort to develop the vaccine to fight against the virus. It is estimated to be finished soon. We would like to tell our western travelers that the situation will get better soon and the virus will be controlled. Besides, our government has a rich experience in this matter since the war against SARS in 2003. I believe we will definitely do better than 2003 and the virus is believed to be defeated around 3-4 months when the weather turns warm," adds Mr Wang. Learn more and keep up to date with the reopening of the tourist hotspots by signing up for free at: https://sublimechina.com/coronavirus-information-update-center-for-tourists/ Media contact: Eric Wang [email protected] 004542344599 SOURCE SublimeChina.com Ukraine's president instructs Cabinet to start preparing Ukrspyrt for sale 13:40, 05.02.20 1316 Law enforcers, the government, and the President's Office must step up the fight against the Illicit trade in alcohol. HARTFORD Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday kicked off the short, 13-week General Assembly session by proposing a small spending increase and progressive legislative proposals that provide a stark contrast to President Donald Trumps conservative agenda in Washington. In a 43-minute speech to a joint session of the House and Senate, Lamont bragged that Wall Street rating agencies have given Connecticut higher marks because of the states robust emergency reserves and relative fiscal stability during his first year in office. Economic growth picked up last year, Lamont told a packed House chamber. That means businesses and young families are now giving Connecticut a second look. Theyre talking about Connecticut and were responding. For a while in Connecticut, it wasnt just Democrats and Republicans who were not talking to each other, it was that state government that was not connecting with business leaders, labor leaders, educators and the hospitals. We had a failure to communicate. The address was in sharp contrast to the Tuesday night State of the Union speech in Congress. Lamont stressed the importance of the social safety net and pledged he would again push for recreational marijuana for adult use, and touted the states goal to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2040. Recalling a recent conversation with a top submarine commander at an event in Groton, Lamont said the admiral planned to raise building sites farther up the banks off of the Thames River because of global climate change. If submariners are worried about rising tides, so should we, Lamont said during remarks that ranged from fiscally prudent to outright cheerleading. No more bad-mouthing Connecticut, he shouted to a bipartisan standing ovation. This is an amazing state. By contrast, when Lamont spoke about providing free community college for students, Republican lawmakers neither stood nor applauded although liberal Democrats oppose Lamonts plan to curtail the free tuition program, scheduled to take effect next fall, sharply. Highlights of Gov. Lamonts proposed budget * Fees on credit-card sales at state agencies to raise $4 million in the first full year. * A class of 200 new state troopers. * Retains current levels of municipal aid, and slightly increases funding for public schools. * A ban on flavored e-cigarettes and 50 percent wholesale tax on vaping products. * Support the importation of lower-priced pharmaceuticals from Canada. * A new tax-credit program for businesses that create 25 well-paying jobs over two years. * Creation of an online licensing system for trades professionals. * An increased response to the increase in Eastern Equine Encephalitis, including mosquito surveillance, testing and treatment. * The establishment of a Safe Drinking Water Council with a goal of reducing the impact of the hazardous chemical PFAS, includinhg the replacement of firefighting foam that uses the substance. * Reduce the nearly 24-cents-per-minute cost for inmate phone calls. * Plans for the legalization of cannabis for adult use by July 1, 2022. * Creates a "clean slate" law that would allow those convicted of lower-level misdemeanors to obtain clean arrest records if they avoid arrest for seven years. * Plans on $1.4 billion a year for capital projects that require long-term bonding, plus another $200 million for state universities. See More Collapse Republicans warned that Lamont wants to increase capital spending and is apparently abandoning his debt diet of last year that turned the heads of Wall Street investors. I think his budget is less people-friendly, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. This notion that youre either/or pro-business makes me crazy because they both should go hand-in-hand. Its the narrative they perpetuated throughout and I think thats really sad for the state of Connecticut. What stood out to me is the fact that he did a $1.8-billion tax increase from last year, and promised tax relief, and I didnt hear about that this year, said Senate Majority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. I didnt hear about the promises of no more fees. He re-instituted the 10-percent corporate tax. All that stuff is negative for the state of Connecticut. I heard about a debt diet that no longer exists. Hes breaking that promise. The size of last years tax increase is a matter of dispute. Counting only additional tax collections, not extensions of taxes scheduled to end, and only taxes in the current fiscal year, it was about $400 million. The corporate earnings tax was scheduled to end after this year, but Lamont wants it to continue, with $22.5 million in revenue in 2020-21. The State of the State speech marked the start of Lamonts second year of his four-year term, as well as the start of a General Assembly election cycle in which Democrats hold a 90-61 majority in the House and 22-14 in the Senate. Joseph Brennan, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said he was generally pleased with the governors focus on jobs and the economy in the second year of the two-year budget. Hopefully were turning the corner and the governor wants to be a cheerleader for Connecticut and wants to talk about positive things, but reality has got to match perception, Brennan said outside the House chamber. On balance its kind of what we expected. Brennan is concerned that $40 million in proposed revenue increases in Lamonts budget falls heavily on business, including the corporate tax surcharge. Thats problematic, Brennan said. I think we can get rid of it. The governors budget has to make its way through the legislative process that ends at midnight May 6. The proposal would hike spending in the budget year that starts July 1 by $122 million six tenths of 1 percent over the version of the budget approved last year, for total of $22.3 billion. Other key issues include school funding and the reimbursement levels for cities that host tax-exempt properties including hospitals and colleges, as Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, sees it. In response to Trumps cuts to Planned Parenthood, Lamonts budget includes an additional $1.5 million for non-profit womens health organizations that had been cut $2 million from Connecticuts share of federal Title X program. Trump ordered those cuts with the support of national anti-abortion advocates. Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, and two New Haven providers, the Cornell Scott - Hill Health Center and Fair Haven Community Health Care, would benefit from the restoration. The issue was already on the agenda for Democratic leaders in the legislature, including Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk. The Senate Democratic caucus has been very vocal in its support for Planned Parenthood funding and for womens health care, Duff said in an interview. These funds will replace money that has been cruelly stricken by the Trump administration that does nothing more than assuring health care for women who are very poor. I am glad the governor agrees with us and I look forward to working together to assure this funding is in our state budget. Lamonts signature truck-tolling legislation continues to hang in the balance. It failed to become the subject of a special session that the governor wanted before the regular session. While there is no scheduled date set for a debate or vote on highway tolls in the House and Senate, Democratic leaders expect to bring up the issue before the end of the month, possibly Feb. 18. As Lamont spoke, a small group of protesters from environmental groups rallied to oppose a planned gas-powered electricity generation plant in Killingly, which they said hurts Lamonts hopes to move the state to 100 percent fossil-free generation by 2040. Lamont can halt the plans, they insisted. By 7:30 a.m., parents opposed to mandatory vaccinations for their children had lined up along the Capitol Avenue sidewalk in front of the Capitol carrying signs protesting legislative plans to require them to inoculate their kids if they want to attend public school. Vaccine Makers are Exempt from Liability, said one sign. My Faith is in God Not Pharma, said another. About 300 protesters marched to the north entrance of the Capitol for a pre-session rally at about 9:30. Looney, the top Democrat in the state Senate, said the presence of the protesters would not affect pending plans for legislation to end the religious exemption for parents who do not want their children vaccinated, but still want them to attend public schools. The issue is that there should not be an exemption for anything except health-related reasons, Looney said. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Republican climate advocates said they werent surprised that Mr. Trump sidestepped direct mention of global warming. They said the president was trying to thread a needle by both promoting fossil fuels and declaring himself environmentally friendly ahead of the elections. No surprise at all, said Jerry Taylor, president of the Niskanen Center, a conservative think tank that supports a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions. Republicans, he said, are trying to solve a political problem, the perception that the party just doesnt care one bit about climate change. Ted Halstead, the chief executive of the Climate Leadership Council, a policy group backed by two former Republican secretaries of state, James A. Baker III and George P. Shultz, said he also believed electoral math was driving Mr. Trumps softening on the environment. He said he was hopeful the rhetorical shift would drive a substantive one. Theres a major Republican climate pivot, which is encouraging, Mr. Halstead said. The president is talking about a trillion trees, the House is talking about innovation. These are all encouraging steppingstones, but none of them are nearly enough. Mr. Taylor said he believed the shift was driven by cold-eyed Republican realists in Trumps re-election campaign and that he wasnt certain it would translate into progress in the battle against climate change. Solving the problem, he said, would require a lot more than policies to promote ever greater use of oil, gas and coal leavened by some trees. Venezuelas oil exports fell 14% in January, exporting less than 1 million bpd of crude and refined products for the month, according to Reuters. The 951,903 bpd that was shipped compares to 1.1 million bpd shipped in December, and 1.38 million bpd shipping a year ago January. Despite the falling off of crude exports for the troubled Latin American nation, its oil stocks in storage fell alsofrom 39.85 million barrels in September 2019 to 35.9 million barrels at the end of January according to Kpler data provided by Reuters. Most of the pre-January stock loss was due to extra crude shipments to India, who had previously stopped purchasing Venezuelan crude. Those shipments have since resumed. The oil-glut reduction bodes well for Venezuela, which was choking on its own oil with exports stifled by US sanctions. Venezuelas situation is still dire. Its oil exports slid in 2019 by one-third, according to Reuters, averaging a million barrels per day for the year, as the US attempted to squeeze the countrys finances to encourage the removal of socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. Maduro has managed to hang onto power, however, but not without great cost. Venezuelas oil problems began well before the US sanctions, with oil production falling from an average of 2.319 million bpd in 2015, to just 714,000 bpd in December 2019, due to mismanagement and corruption. Venezuelas main outlets for its crude oil consist now mainly of India, China, Russia, and Cuba. Last year, Venezuela PDVSA announced plans to boost its oil production for this year to 1.2 million bpdan increase of roughly a half a million barrels per day. The plan, however, lacked specificity. Last month, Venezuela was rumored to have discussed with Rosneft, Repsol, and Eni the possibility of giving up control of some of its state-owned oil assets. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A grumpy bulldog was disturbed by a pillow bearing such a remarkable resemblance that she started yapping and growling at the dog-shaped cushion. Video shows the adorable Pudge, now three, curled up in a semi-bow with her head resting against a grey couch next to a bulldog pillow. The little pooch becomes irate, growling incessantly, before letting out a series of piercing yelps, expecting the cushion to bark back. Instead, the cushion - which has a picture of a similar-looking bulldog printed on its front - remains still and silent, throwing Pudge into confusion. The video, filmed by loving owner Lindsay Weinstein in their home in Mashpee, Massachusetts, can be heard chatting with another. Lindsay then interrupts Pudge, asking: 'Pudge, what's wrong?' Pudge (pictured), now three, is seen curled up in a semi-bow with her head resting against a grey couch next to a bulldog pillow at home in Mashpee, Massachusetts Lindsay laughed: 'The pillow had been there for a couple of days but she didn't notice. At this one evening, she decided she didn't like it' The bulldog straightens up, looking directly into the camera, and lies back down on the couch looking away from the pillow, defeated Pudge continues yapping at the 'hostile' pillow, and is only brought out of her tirade when Lindsay calls again: 'Pudgy, what's wrong?' The bulldog straightens up, looking directly into the camera, and lies back down on the couch looking away from the pillow, defeated. Lindsay laughed: 'The pillow had been there for a couple of days but she didn't notice. At this one evening, she decided she didn't like it.' Pudge's standoff with the bulldog pillow was filmed last January. The Love Island girls are always ensuring they look their best by topping up their tans, applying their make-up and dressing to impress. Yet Jess Gale suffered somewhat of a fake tan fail, as she managed to turn her white pillow orange while sleeping on the sofa during the Casa Amor twist on Wednesday. Although she can usually be seen washing off her make-up before bed, it seems Jess had been reapplying her fake tan afterwards judging by the colour of her bedding. Oops! Jess Gale suffered somewhat of a fake tan fail, as she managed to turn her white pillow orange while sleeping on the sofa during the Casa Amor twist on Wednesday Behind Jess was a big orange spot, which appeared to be a combination of the blonde beauty's hair and fake tan mixed together. Jess had sweetly opted to sleep on the sofa while out of respect for her blossoming romance with Mike Boateng, while he was away with the boys at the second villa. After being chatted up by new arrival Ched Uzor, Jess made it clear she wasn't interested and instead opted to sleep by herself. Fake tan fail: Although she can usually be seen washing off her make-up before bed, it seems Jess had been reapplying her fake tan afterwards judging by the colour of her bedding What is it? Behind Jess was a big orange spot, which appeared to be a combination of the blonde beauty's hair and fake tan mixed together However Jess wasn't shown the same respect by Mike, who was quick to set his sights on Priscilla Anyabu after she made it clear she was interested in him. He left the Main Villa with a promising relationship with Jess last week before heading to Casa Amor. But Mike left his romance with the VIP hostess firmly behind him as he branded new girl Priscilla 'wife' material on Tuesday's Love Island. Reflecting on his growing interest in the operations manager, 25, the ex-police officer, 24, appeared to make a dig at his stunning ex Leanne Amaning as he insisted 'I pick personality over looks, otherwise I would have picked Jess from the start'. 'Issa wife': However Jess wasn't shown the same respect by Mike, who was quick to set his sights on Priscilla Anyabu after she made it clear she was interested in him Despite being involved in a love triangle with Luke Mabbot, 24, over Jess, 20, eager Mike laid it thick on Battersea native Priscilla as they engaged in a flirty conversation on the day beds. The model appeared to complement the hunk's funny side as he performed a short rap, before fumbling over his words. Admitting he was a bit apprehensive about approaching Priscilla, Mike said: 'When you see goddess walking down, you think she's going to be stush.' The OG Islander quickly put his eggs in her basket as he asked her whether she prefers basmati or long-grain rice. Awkward! The ex-police officer, 24, appeared to make a dig at his stunning ex Leanne Amaning as he insisted 'I pick personality over looks, otherwise I would have picked Jess from the start' Flirty: Eager Mike laid it thick on Battersea native Priscilla as they engaged in a flirty conversation on the day beds Oops! The model appeared to complement the hunk's funny side as he performed a short rap, before fumbling over his words 'That's key!' The OG Islander quickly put his eggs in her basket as he asked her whether she prefers basmati or long-grain rice 'Basmati!', she said enthusiastically. Punching the air with delight, the British-Ghanaian hopeful gushed: 'Issa wife! Stuff like that is key! You're quickly becoming my favourite person in here.' After getting to know Priscilla, the boys quizzed Mike on who has caught his eye. The muscle-bound contestant revealed he's gelled with the newbie well due to her personality while seemingly throwing shade at axed Leanne, 22, after he moved onto Jess following their shock split. He told the boys: 'Personality over looks... otherwise I would have picked Jess from the start.' [sic] She's keeping busy too! In the Main Villa, Jess, 20, caught the eye of newbie Ched Uzor Close: He left the Main Villa with a promising relationship with the VIP hostess last week before heading to Casa Amor 'I pick personality over looks, otherwise I would have picked Jess from the start': He later threw shade at axed Leanne, 22, after he moved onto Jess following their shock split Fans took to Twitter to highlight his 'rude comment' about the gorgeous girls, as they wrote: 'So Mike just dissed both Leanne and Jess for no reason. I'm tired #LoveIsland.' [sic] 'Mike baso saying that Jess is prettier than Leanne, do you wanna be anymore of a d***?!' 'How can mike say jess is prettier than Priscilla and Leanne .....What a fool #loveisland. 'AYYY MIKE RUDE HOW CAN HE SAY I GO FOR PERSONALITY OVER LOOKS SO THATS WHY HE DIDNT CHOOSE JESS FIRST#LoveIsIand. 'Out of order': Fans took to Twitter to highlight his 'rude comment' about the gorgeous girls 'Mike is rude did anyone just hear what he said?? #LoveIsland 'When Mike says I go for personality over looks - thats why I didnt go for Jess first time #LoveIsland ouch! 'Wait mike said he goes for personality over looks because if he went for looks he wouldve picked Jess out of order g #LoveIsland.' [sic] Donald Trump avoided the subject of his impeachment in his pugnacious 80-minute speech, but the scars from the battle were evident with fellow Republicans giving him standing ovations while rival Democrats, for the most part, remained seated. Washington: A bitter feud between US President Donald Trump and top Democrat Nancy Pelosi boiled over at his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, with Trump snubbing her outstretched hand and Pelosi ripping apart a copy of his remarks behind his back. Trump avoided the subject of his impeachment in his pugnacious 80-minute speech, but the scars from the battle were evident with fellow Republicans giving him standing ovations while rival Democrats, for the most part, remained seated. The Republican-led Senate was expected to acquit him on Wednesday of charges he abused his powers and obstructed Congress. Seeing Pelosi, the US House of Representatives speaker, for the first time since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago, he declined to shake her outstretched hand as he gave her a copy of his remarks before starting his speech. President Trump declines to shake Speaker Pelosi's outstretched hand at #SOTU2020 pic.twitter.com/oB7suIxNPT Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2020 Having not spoken to Trump since their last meeting, Pelosi appeared to be taken aback. She avoided citing the customary high privilege and distinct honour that usually accompanies the speakers introduction of the president to Congress. Members of Congress, the President of the United States was all she said in introducing Trump. When his speech ended, Pelosi stood and tore up her copy of the remarks he had handed her. Speaker Pelosi rips up a copy of President Trump's #SOTU2020 speech after address pic.twitter.com/rM2cgibjcu Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2020 As he began the speech, Republicans from both houses of Congress chanted four more years while he stood at the lectern in the chamber of the House with a presidential election almost exactly nine months away. Democrats sat silently and some could be seen shaking their heads as Trump declared, The state of our union is stronger than ever before. Pelosi, who dropped her opposition to impeachment and allowed Democratic lawmakers to seek the charges against him, sat stoically and grim-faced behind Trump and paged through a paper copy of his speech. Trump entered the chamber with Democrats experiencing some measure of chaos after technical glitches delayed the results of the voting in Iowa on Monday as the party seeks a nominee to face the incumbent Republican. Trump presented himself as a big improvement over Democratic President Barack Obama, whom he succeeded three years ago, saying he had bolstered US economic growth and increased jobs. In just three short years we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny, he said. The House impeachment managers, acting as prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial, were seated together at the front of the Democrats section. Healthcare an issue Many House Democratic women wore white for a second year in a row, a sign of the suffragist movement that won women the right to vote 100 years ago. Several Democratic lawmakers refused to attend the annual speech to protest Trump, such as liberal firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump, using the speech to lay out his vision for a second four-year term, said a Democratic plan to expand government-funded health insurance amounted to a socialist takeover that would bankrupt the country, cut benefits for those who have them now and provide care to illegal immigrants. Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed healthcare plans that would be entirely run by the government, a sharp departure from the current, private system in which millions of Americans receive medical insurance from their employers. Trumps lack of a healthcare plan has left him open to criticism that he has not put enough work into finding a way to reduce rising insurance costs that burden middle-class Americans. We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare! Trump said. Democratic women stood and chanted HR 3 - a reference to a Democratic bill that would lower drug costs. In the Democratic response to Trumps speech, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in excerpts of her remarks: Democrats are trying to make your healthcare better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away. Trump offered an upbeat portrayal of his presidency in hopes of persuading Americans to give him another four-year term in the 3 November election.He saluted surprise guest Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, and made cancer-stricken conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh an immediate recipient of the presidential Medal of Freedom, Trumps wife Melania pinning the ribbon around Limbaughs neck. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! Trump said. Trump also revived his arguments that migrants should be stopped from crossing the southern US border and that so-called sanctuary cities where migrants are protected are wrong. Pelosi could be seen shaking her head as Trump spoke of his views on immigration. After coming close to a broad conflict with Iran after he ordered the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, Trump said, We are working to end Americas wars in West Asia. On the eve of this years Iowa caucuses, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker jumped in the foray, addressing the issue with a tweet stating, If youre looking for a state whose people represent the diversity of America, look no further than Illinois. Its time for the most representative state in the country to be the first in the nation, then linking to a 2016 National Public Radio analysis. Shooting, gas shortages in Kurdish Iraq over contract spat Baghdad, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 A dispute between companies transporting liquefied petroleum gas across Iraq's northern Kurdish region has escalated into armed attacks and skyrocketing gas prices, government and industry sources said Wednesday. The crisis was sparked by competition over a contract to transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the northeastern field of Khor Mor to consumers in the autonomous region. "The Golden Jaguar company had for several years been transporting the gas and distributing it by truck," a source in the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) said. "As part of a rigid tendering process in 2019, it lost the bid to another firm called Sorgas, which pledged to begin shipment on February 1, 2020," this source told AFP. The official and two industry sources alleged that Golden Jaguar had links to the powerful Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) based in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah. Sorgas, meanwhile, was tied to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), a second KRG official said. The companies do not acknowledge any ties to the two political factions, which have been rivals for decades. When Sorgas began moving LPG on February 1, unidentified men attacked the company's headquarters and briefly detained its director in a bid to pressure him to drop the contract, KRG officials and industry sources told AFP. The director declined AFP's request to comment. The following three nights, unidentified gunmen fired on Sorgas trucks transporting LPG across the Kurdish region, the officials and industry sources said. No one was hurt in the shootouts, but the LPG in the trucks was lost, transfers temporarily halted and cooking gas prices more than tripled from 7,000 Iraqi dinars (nearly $6) to up to 25,000 Iraqi dinars ($20) per 15 kilogram canister. KRG authorities were in pursuit of the armed men who attacked the Sorgas facilities and trucks, KRG Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said in a statement on Tuesday. He said police units specifically trained to protect oil and gas infrastructure were being deployed at the field and along transport routes to prevent further incidents. But Suran Omar, a member of Kurdistan's parliament, said he believed the political dispute behind the incidents was still simmering. "In the Kurdish region, party officials invest in businesses -- there is no taking into account public funds or the daily life of citizens," he told AFP on Wednesday. LPG, also known as propane, fuels cars and heating appliances, and is often used for cooking. The shortages were still affecting citizens in northern Iraq on Wednesday. In Sulaimaniyah, prices had dropped slightly, but there were long lines at supermarkets as families scrambled to buy enough to be able to heat their homes and cook, an AFP correspondent said. A taxi driver in the Kurdish region's capital Arbil told AFP "I didn't buy gas earlier this week because I thought this crisis would be resolved. "But my wife had none left so I was forced to go to the market." "They were selling a gas tank for 25,000 Iraqi dinars and I was forced to buy it. The parties disagree and we're forced to pay the price," said the driver. The spat has also affected the war-ravaged city of Mosul, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Arbil, where waiting times at petrol stations had doubled. Kurdistan produces 1,000 tonnes of liquefied gas per day, 600 tonnes of which is consumed locally and subsidised by the regional government. A driver who for nearly 30 minutes refused to come out of his stolen car was taken into custody early Wednesday morning in south Houston. A Houston police officer spotted the vehicle and, with the help of several backup officers, pulled it over in the 3000 block of Tidewater Drive around 1 a.m. The car had just been taken in an aggravated robbery, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Michael Collins. Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like? As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning. OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a strong stand to protect the health and safety of California's youth, Kaiser Permanente today announced it is the first major health care provider to support California Senate Bill 793 by state Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products in the state. Under SB 793, flavored tobacco products include menthol cigarettes, flavored chewing tobacco products, and many vaping products. "Flavors are proven starter products for youth and have no place on the market whatsoever," said Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief community health officer for Kaiser Permanente. "Kid-friendly flavors mask the poison, entice kids to experiment with tobacco products and potentially addict them for life." The Food and Drug Administration reports that 70% of youth e-cigarette users cited appealing flavors as the primary reason for use; and according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 high school students are current e-cigarette users, a rate that has more than doubled in the last two years. Even more alarming is the rise in e-cigarette use among middle school students, which has tripled since 2017. The most current update from the California Department of Public Health shows that 199 vaping-related lung illnesses and four deaths have been reported in California since fall 2019. Dozens of young people have been admitted to intensive care units and even required mechanical ventilation. For many years, Kaiser Permanente health care providers have routinely cautioned patients, especially youth and their parents and guardians, about the harmful effects of nicotine products, which include: Risk of life-long addictions and an increased likelihood of becoming a smoker of traditional cigarettes. Potential for serious and even fatal damage to lungs. Harm to brain development. Other unknown long-term risks. "As health care professionals at Kaiser Permanente, we are proud to work for an organization that supports this stand against flavored tobacco products," said Renee Fogelberg, MD, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Adult Clinical Lead Tobacco Cessation, The Permanente Medical Group. "The more than 15,000 flavors available on the market today have enticed our youth and fooled others into thinking these items are safe. They effectively created a new generation of smokers, turning back the progress that has been made in the last few decades." Kaiser Permanente today also offered its continued support to efforts by Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration to curb the use of vaping products by youth altogether. "Kaiser Permanente applauds Governor Newsom's commitment to ban flavored tobacco products in the state by January 2021, his recent actions to make public health alerts and inform consumers, and newly proposed actions to further curb e-cigarette use by minors," Choucair said. "We are honored to join the broad coalition of advocates for these efforts, including physicians, advocacy groups and public health organizations, who are all committed to reversing this troubling and preventable threat to the lives of 9 million California young people." About Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, contact: Marc Brown, [email protected] SOURCE Kaiser Permanente Related Links https://kp.org Officials say police in North Macedonia have discovered dozens of migrants packed in a truck during a routine investigation. The case comes as many migrants and refugees use the Balkan route to reach the European Union. By Stefan J. Bos Police in North Macedonia announced that they found 36 migrants who entered the Balkan nation illegally from neighboring Greece. They were discovered packed in a truck during a routine check. Police said that the driver was detained. Police officers reportedly stopped the truck near the southern town of Strumitsa the previous day. They said the three dozen people in the vehicle included 21 Syrians, nine Afghans, three Pakistanis, two Iraqis, and one person from Cameroon. All passengers were transferred to a migrant detention center in the border town of Gevgelija, pending deportation to Greece. The case underscored growing desperation among migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty. The Balkan route from Greece through the Balkans and on to Europes wealthy heartland has been closed since 2015. But thousands still pay large sums to smugglers to make their way to more prosperous European Union nations. The North Macedonian prosecutors office said Wednesday it was filing charges in a separate case against a German man and an Italian woman suspected of smuggling migrants. They allegedly attempted to smuggle three men into the country from Greece this month in a car with German license plates. Ghanaian men Officials said the men from Ghana were given fake Dutch, Swedish, and German identity documents and that their final destination was Austria. Both suspected smugglers are in custody pending trial, and if found guilty, they could receive up to five years in prison. The case comes while in EU member state Hungary, which closed of the Balkan route with anti-migration fences, four Hungarian men were sentenced for human smuggling. The men received from three to five years of imprisonment. They allegedly brought migrants across the country from the south to the north-western border and occasionally into western European nations. It was day two of the unmitigated disaster otherwise known as the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads in the partial results. And I have some news about The Flyover and my future. Check-in My bad: After a chaotic and confusing caucus night in Iowa, the state Democratic Party attempted to do the bare minimum on Tuesday. Party Chairman Troy Price apologized and called the series of failures that led to no results being released as a stumbling block, which Im officially nominating for understatement of the year. Recap: Im not going to spend this entire newsletter rehashing everything that went wrong on Monday, but the chaos certainly doesnt deserve to be forgotten. You can find what I said about that in Tuesdays edition of The Flyover. For Petes sake: Around 4 p.m. Central yesterday, the party finally released a first round of results. With 62% of precincts reporting, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a slim lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, per the Associated Press. This magic moment: If Buttigieg does end up winning the Iowa caucuses, it may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory. The limelight was focused entirely on the disastrous reporting of results and Buttigieg, whose nationwide viability was largely dependent on a media bump from a strong showing in Iowa, never got his victorious moment. Conversely, the lack of focus on the actual race could end up being a blessing for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden, whose somewhat poor performances wont face an onslaught of scrutiny as the news cycle moves to Republican President Donald Trumps State of the Union address and his likely impeachment trial acquittal on Wednesday. Bern notice: Either way, the results dont look great for Sanders, who may end up doing worse than his narrow loss to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. But the Iowa results outside of the actual delegate allocation may become irrelevant from a momentum standpoint after a presumably much more smoothly run New Hampshire primary -- if he can pull out a victory. No such thing as bad press: Im not sure that saying applies here, considering the reaction to the snafu was overwhelmingly negative, the Des Moines Registers Robin Opsahl writes. Two of the top trending topics on Twitter were #IowaCaucusDisaster and #TomPerezResign. Duh Moines: That was the New York Posts front page Tuesday morning, and it highlights one of downer results that will come from the fiasco: people will apply their criticisms to the state as a whole. The caucuses are not a state-run function, but are instead run by the party. Blood in the water: The calls to bump Iowa from its first-in-the-nation status, or to at least switch from a caucus to a primary, were also widespread. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, already called for an end to Iowas and New Hampshires monopoly on the primary contests, per the Detroit News. Self-preservation kicked in in the Hawkey State, however, as top Republicans in the state actually came to the Democrats defense, per the Des Moines Register. Cleared For Landing With the Iowa caucuses over (almost), were doing some retooling of our politics coverage at cleveland.com. We need to devote our resources to the issues that are important to Ohio in the presidential election as the primary looms, and thats what Im going to be doing. That means this will be the last edition of The Flyover. When we started this newsletter last July, we wanted to be a voice for politics in the Midwest. Ive immensely enjoyed bringing daily political coverage from the Heartland to all of you, and I appreciate the support. Its been one of the most fascinating and fulfilling work assignments Ive ever had. What I need to do now, though, is dive deep into the issues that resonate in Ohio. Cleveland.com has a history of distinguished coverage of presidential elections in Ohio, and its my intention to continue that record. As we saw from the first votes this week, its bound to be an exciting year or at least a weird one. You can find my work in plenty of places, along with the work of my talented colleagues on the cleveland.com politics team. One place you can find my work is in our popular Capitol Letter newsletter. It has everything you need to know about Ohio politics, Statehouse developments and D.C. news that affects the Buckeye State, and its free. Subscribe here. Once again, passengers, thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. This Is Your Captain Speaking you are either following the bachelor or the caucus but either way you are watching a pete get attention he does not deserve -Comedian and actress Eva Victor, in a tweet poking fun at former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Peter Weber, the current Bachelor. News coverage of the Iowa caucuses coincided with this weeks episode of the reality series that I surprisingly enjoy. Enjoying The Flyover? Be sure and subscribe here. Email Seth at SRichardson@cleveland.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SethARichardson. President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to show symptoms of imprecision of governments determination to end brutal killing of innocent citizens by Boko Haram terrorists. Each time there is protest of the killings in the northeast Nigeria, the president seldom responds with firmness on governments commitment to end the killings or protect armless innocent citizens despite the billions of budgetary allocations to defence year in year out, besides the $1 billion said to be withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account for purchase of military equipment less than one year to the 2019 general elections. The president on Tuesday, scored his administration high on human rights issues and freedom of citizens in Nigeria, which he acknowledged was the harbinger of the mass protest organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the country on Sunday. The president in a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, did not indicate any clear commitment of the federal government to end the Boko Haram terrorism but dwelled on rhetoric of citizens civic duties in the polity. President Buhari in the statement remarked that the actions of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in recent days represented the right of all Nigerians to peaceful protest and expression of their views on matters of religion, ethics, politics and society. The president deliberately omitted the crux of the protest which is rising insecurity in the country. He was of the view that the origination of the protests is the shocking, unacceptable death of Pastor Lawan Andimi at the hands of Boko Haram. The President feels their pain, and that of his family, for his loss., the statement read. The President also expressed the belief, as does every member of his administration, both Christian and Muslim, as in the words of CANs placards: All life is sacred. President Buhari declared: Whether you are Christian or Muslim, all Nigerians and their beliefs must be respected. The duty of all of us is to uphold the rights of others to worship according their faith and to respect the rights of each other to do so freely in the spirit of brotherhood and respect and without interference. This means, however, that we must stop false claims that only serve to divide one community against the other. There is no place in Nigeria for those who politicise religion. This is the Presidents message to both Muslim and Christian communities alike, the statement further read. He maintained: In the light of this, the CAN-inspired prayers and street enlightenment in our cities are much welcome as sensitizers to the need for ALL CITIZENS irrespective of faith, religion or language to accept their duty and role in law enforcement, to prevent crime in all its manifestations, be it corruption, theft, terrorism, banditry or kidnapping. Without citizen involvement, there is no miracle with which less than half-a-million policemen can effectively protect a population of 200 million. Buhari admitted that CAN is right to arouse popular consciousness to this duty to the state. He stated that it is the added need for citizen-consciousness to stand up for the nation; insisting: Nigerians, only Nigerians can defend their nation against these abhorrent killings and all sorts of crimes worrying us as a nation. The president was obviously not addressing the security crisis troubling Nigerians and why he cannot account for the billions allocated to defence annually that have not been justified. Yet, he wants armless citizens to fight or defend Nigeria. The subtle import is that the president may be playing double standard with national security, tentatively boldening the terrorists. President Buhari further stated that from the prayers and advocacy of CAN, citizens need to take an important lesson, which is, that our people must rally around the flag. Together, they rise to defeat the enemy and defend the state. President Buhari decried that in Nigeria, some groups rally against the government instead of the enemy, noting that this is not right. It has the effect of playing into the hands of the enemy of the state, he added. We will not defeat the terrorists, nor speed the return for those citizens, young and old taken by them by division in our own ranks. To pull apart is to play into the hands of the terrorists: this is what they want, President Buhari said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Detained Senator Leila De Lima on Wednesday appealed to the Supreme Court over its junking of her case against President Rodrigo Duterte in relation to his verbal attacks against her. The SC on October 15 last year dismissed De Lima's petition for habeas data on the ground that the President is immune to any suit. However, De Lima in her motion for reconsideration argued that such resolution has "twisted the doctrine of presidential immunity out of all sense of meaning." The senator questioned the SC invoking Duterte's immunity to acts that have nothing to do with the President's official duties and responsibilities. The SC en banc resolution was made public on January 22. The Resolution gives President Duterte untrammeled and unbridled power to slut-shame, discriminate, insult, offend and bad-mouth the petitioner for as long as he sits on his presidential throne, she said in a statement. De Lima filed her habeas data petition a legal remedy that would supposedly protect her from Duterte's threats and tirades in 2016 months after Duterte assumed the presidency, citing the President's statements accusing her of corruption, illegal drug involvement and having an affair with her married driver. She added that Duterte's continued verbal attacks deprive her of her right to an effective remedy to violations, as protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. De Lima cited a recent speech of the President on January 23, a day after the SC released its resolution, where he insisted that De Lima is a criminal. "Di sila motuo nga si De Lima kriminal gyud. Nga nagkoleksyon gyud og kwarta para sa election niya," Duterte previously said. [Translation: They refused to believe De Lima is a criminal. That she was collecting money to use in her campaign] De Lima has been detained since 2017 on drug charges, which she and human rights groups believe were fabricated to silence her for being a staunch critic of the Duterte administration and the bloody war on drugs. Malacanang has repeatedly denied retaliating against De Lima, stressing that her drug charges are being tried by the country's independent courts, and that the constitutionality of her arrest and detention has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Senior Digital Producer Eimor Santos contributed to this report. T he proportion of London renters who come from European Union countries has slumped by almost a third since 2017, new figures reveal today. In 2017 almost 30 per cent of tenancy agreements in the capital were signed with EU citizens but by last year, after many months of turmoil over Brexit, this had fallen to 21 per cent. Over the same period the proportion of tenancies signed with British citizens has jumped from 46.5 per cent to 59 per cent. The data, from property technology company Goodlord, is one of the clearest indications yet that London has become far less attractive to people from the European bloc. The biggest drops were on the suburban fringes of London where many migrant workers from eastern Europe made their homes because of the relatively low cost of accommodation. The largest fall of all was in Ilford IG postcodes, where the proportion of EU renters collapsed from 34.9 per cent to 14.9 per cent over two years. There has also been a huge decline in Bromley BR postcodes, where the proportion of Europeans halved from 28.6 per cent to 13.9 per cent. The drops were far smaller in central London with west central WC postcodes seeing the proportion of European renters falling by just three percentage points, from 23.1 per cent to 19.8 per cent. Across all 20 London postcode districts the proportion of Europeans becoming tenants fell in 19 with just Dagenham DA postcodes seeing a small rise. Goodlord chief operating officer Tom Mundy said: The EU referendum result has had a clear impact on the letting markets in London and the UK at large. Weve seen the number of EU nationals signing leases steadily decreasing across the board, meaning UK residents now represent a greater proportion of tenants across the whole of London. This is a cause for concern as the talent and spending power of Europeans has looked elsewhere for a place to call home ever since the Brexit result was announced. Todays data follows figures from the Office for National Statistics last year showing that the number of EU citizens moving to the UK for work has halved since the referendum in June 2016. There are not many inducements for a group of teenage boys to get up at dawn -- especially in the summer. But watching the sun rise over Lake Victoria could definitely be one of them. But for the four Brunswick School juniors who journeyed more than 7,000 miles last month to the village of Kitongo in Tanzania, the trip was for more than a spectacular view. They went for the people. There, during a week-and-a-half stay, Ryan Hanrahan, Dayton Kingery, Jamie MacFarlane and Jack Muccia volunteered at an orphanage and school run by The Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children (JBFC). "My motivation for going to Tanzania was the possibility of an eye-opening experience in a place that I had never previously been, in which I could in some way impact or improve the lives of those who are less fortunate and have less opportunities than myself," MacFarlane said. "Plus, being able to do something like that with friends was a sure bet to create life-long memories and be really enjoyable." Advance work by Hanrahan was the trip's catalyst. He volunteered at the orphanage last year and was eager to recruit some of his classmates to join him on his return to northern Tanzania. The boys and their families then organized and funded the trip, independently from the school. "There were plenty of highlights of my trip, but the one that sticks with me the most was watching the girls during prayer at night," Hanrahan said. "The girls would get together and pray and sing before lights out. The prayer allowed me to really see and feel the family these girls have together." Joining the boys were Brunswick biology teacher Danny Dychkowski and Dan Griffin, the school's director of institutional communications. The boys were guests, but they were hardly indulged. They followed a rigorous daily schedule that included preparing and serving meals, painting and cleaning and a host of agricultural assignments such as knocking down termite mounds. And when they were not working with their hands, they spent a lot of time reading with the girls. Adapting to life in Kitongo was sobering. There, they encountered extreme poverty, where even electricity and running water are not taken for granted. And in the approximately four-dozen girls at the orphanage, they met a fiercely resilient group who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS, violence and other turmoil, but who soldier on in pursuit of an education and better life. "During this trip I realized how thankful I should be for the family and lifestyle I was born into," Kingery said. "Living in a wealthy community with little crime and few worries about money can really cloud your perception of the outside world. "Girls at the orphanage have been through the worst situations imaginable, losing a limb from a machete madman or losing the ability to walk on your feet because of a lack of money to buy medicine, and while any normal person would have given up, the girls just grow stronger with JBFC's help." But there were plenty of joyful moments, too. The boys had time to hang out with the girls and kids from the village, and have other adventures such as picking passion fruit to eat with the girls. There was even an opportunity at one dinner with a Kitongo family for Hanrahan, Muccia and Dychkowski to belt out an impromptu rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. "I think for these kids, besides the level of gratitude and humility this trip gave them, it gave them the opportunity to learn about farming and labor and a multitude of societal differences," Dychkowski said. "They have come out more globally aware." Now back home, the boys are keen to build on the successful trip and to return to Kitongo. MacFarlane has launched a fundraising campaign through crowdrise.com to support future work with JBFC. "Overall, I hope that our work and presence either motivated or enabled at least a handful of the girls to lead an educated life in a more developed part of Tanzania," MacFarlane said. pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott The University of Edinburgh has become the latest educational institution to vote on a beef ban in outlets run by its students' union. A motion to cease the sale of all beef products in Students Association cafes and restaurants was debated on 30 January. The motion also asked the students' union to halt the practice of giving out beef products as freebies at any events. At last week's meeting, the motion received 76 votes in favour, 73.5 votes against, and 5 abstentions. In order for this motion to pass it must receive at least 50% of votes in favour, which means it is now going to online ballot. Voting closes Friday 7 February. One argument made against the ban highlights how the Students' Association should be supporting local businesses by buying sustainable British beef. Another argument raises concerns that beef could be replaced with unsustainable meat-free products, many of which are made of soya not grown in the UK. Students against the ban say the transportation of these products will emit greenhouse gases. It follows similar circumstances at the University of East Anglia, which voted last year to ban beef from its student union outlets in a bid to become more environmentally friendly. However, this ban was overturned in December 2019 after students labelled the decision 'wrong and undemocratic', with many highlighting flaws in the justification for the ban. The University of Cambridge is another institution which voted, in 2017, to ban red meat from student union-led outlets. But a Freedom of Information request revealed some hypocrisy, as the uni had spent millions of pounds on over 17,000 flights in 3.5 years, the same length of time it had implemented a red meat ban citing a need to lower carbon emissions. In response, British farmers organised a letter to the universitys vice chancellor, which calls on the ban to be reversed in favour of purchasing sustainable, red meat from local farmers. Scott Morrison says he 'respectfully disagrees' with China's embassy over complaints about an inbound travel ban and the idea Chinese travellers should be compensated. 'There's a global virus and we are seeking to contain the virus,' the prime minister told reporters on Wednesday. 'Unfortunately there will be instances where there will be inconveniences for those who would have been in transit and travelling. Scott Morrison says he 'respectfully disagrees' with China's embassy over complaints about an inbound travel ban and the idea Chinese travellers should be compensated 'That's regrettable but you have to put Australia's national interests first.' China's deputy ambassador to Australia has criticised an apparent lack of consultation or advanced notice on the travel ban. Deputy Head of Mission Wang Xining suggested Chinese travellers who could not get into the country should be compensated. Australian officials tried to contact the Chinese government half an hour before the prime minister announced the travel ban on Saturday, but the call was not answered. Chinese authorities returned the call five minutes after the press conference had started, and were told about the travel ban. 'Every best effort was made by the Australian government to contact in good faith,' Mr Morrison said. The prime minister also pointed out nobody could rule out more restrictions within China in cities other than Wuhan. He encouraged Australians in China to consider their options for flights out of the country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 15:38 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062bb22c 1 Business coronavirus,outbreak,economic-growth,Airlangga-Hartarto,tourism,Trade Free Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto says that the now global coronavirus outbreak from China might become one of main challenges for Indonesias economic growth this year. During a projection of the numbers affecting Indonesias economic growth, the consensus is about 0.1 to 0.29 percent. We will see how we can adjust to this new challenge, Airlangga said in his speech during the Mandiri Investment Forum in Jakarta on Wednesday. He added that the outbreak had already affected two sectors that had become Indonesias economic growth drivers, namely tourism and trade. About 2 million tourists from China visit Indonesia every year. The number, however, is expected to decline because of a restriction on travel to and from China imposed by the Indonesian government recently. The implementation of the travel warning, which will stop Chinese tourists coming to the country, will definitely make an impact [on the tourism sector]. We will evaluate this in two weeks, Airlangga said. The minister said there might be a value chain disruption in the manufacturing sector, as the production of some goods was suspended in China because of the virus outbreak. Read also: Jokowi asks aides to assess coronavirus impact on economy, Indonesia-China trade The coronavirus outbreak is also expected to cause greater impacts on the global economy and trade than the SARS outbreak in 2003. When the SARS outbreak occurred, China only [contributed] 7 percent [to the global economy], so the impact could still be contained. However, they are [contributing] 20 percent today and this will create a greater effect, the minister said. He added that it was predicted that Chinas economic growth would decrease by 1 to 2 percent because of the outbreak. Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak has begun to take a toll on not only on Indonesias tourist industry but also on exports. He said Indonesias palm oil was among the affected commodities as the outbreak had caused a delay in the commoditys shipment to China, one of the major buyers. From us to them, it is mostly commodities such as crude palm oil and minerals. These exports have been affected, Hariyadi said. Meanwhile, our imports from China, most of which are manufactured products and household goods, have all slowed. (roi) A jealous husband in Thailand chopped off the penis of his wifes lover and stabbed him to death after he found out about their affair. 45-year-old Amornrak Jitkoh was angry after finding out that 57-year-old local policeman Jumrus Doljue had been going out with his fortune-teller wife, Nai. Viral Press According to Daily Mail, Jitkoh, to lure Jumrus out of his house, set his car on fire in Kalasin, in the northeast of the country. He then attacked him and stabbed him repeatedly. The police found the body with the penis hacked off and 23 stab wounds to his neck and body. According to the report, officers found the culprit a couple of days later, at a restaurant calmly eating a bowl of noodles. Viral Press He confessed to the killing and said that his wife had refused to end the affair and wanted to get divorced. I suspected he was having an affair with my wife since November 2018. Then in February 2019 my wife asked for a divorce. We still lived together until we had a fight last September that caused her to move away to her family's house, which I later discovered was next to the official residence for police officers, Daily Mail quoted him as saying. He further said, I went to talk to her but she still refused to stop her affair with the policeman so I went and talked to him. He was not willing to stop seeing my wife so I killed him. Police Lieutenant General Charoenwit Srivanich said the culprit will be charged with premeditated murder, arson and being armed in public. The Election Commission on Wednesday imposed a 24-hour campaign ban on BJP MP for his "terrorist" remark against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The ban on Verma, second in the last one week, came into force at 6 pm on Wednesday. This means, he will not be able to campaign for the February 8 Delhi assembly polls any further. Campaigning ends at 5 pm on Thursday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 16:03 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062bcf76 1 National endangered-animal Free East Java Police have dismantled a syndicate they accuse of selling endangered animals that allegedly operated in several areas in East Java. The suspects admitted running the business over the past two years, according to the police. Weve detained five suspects, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Luki Hermawan said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com. "They sold the animals through social media with price ranging from Rp 300,000 [US$21.80] to Rp 5 million." The syndicate is accused of having sold several species, from birds to mammals. A rhinoceros hornbill was allegedly sold for Rp 2.5 million, a slow loris for Rp 1 million, while a salmon-crested cockatoo, a species endemic to the Seram Archipelago in eastern Indonesia, for Rp 5 million. A rhinoceros hornbill is being kept in a cage at the West Kalimantan Natural Conservation Agency. (thejakartapost.com/Severianus Endi) The police, with help from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, reportedly confiscated 53 endangered animals 41 alive, 12 dead -- from the syndicate. The dead animals included eight cockatoos, two Javan lutung, an oriental pied hornbill and a wreathed hornbill. The suspects are to be charged under articles 21 and 33 of Law No. 5/1990 on natural resources and ecosystem conservation. The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction. (hol) Photo: Tajmia Loiacono/Unsplash From an audio expo to a Blink 182 tribute show, there's plenty to enjoy in Tampa this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Florida Audio Expo From the event description: Music lovers: Check out high performance audio gear. Also, meet the designers and engineers of world-famous audiophile brands and headphones. When: Friday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.- Sunday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m. Where: Embassy Suites by Hilton Airport Westshore, 555 N. Westshore Blvd. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Horse Jumper Of Love From the event description: This Boston-based trio's "slow, syrupy rock songs" have garnered praise from NPR. Catch the band during a live performance this Friday at Hooch & Hive. When: Friday, Feb. 7, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 8, 12 a.m. Where: Hooch & Hive, 001 W. Cass St. Admission: $12-$15 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Tampa Bay Walk 'n Roll to Cure Ataxia From the event description: Help us increase ataxia awareness, participation and donations. Hosted by Tampa Bay Ataxia Support Group, this event features a silent auction, vendors and more. When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Where: Phyllis P. Marshall Student Center, 4103 USF Cedar Circle Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Build Your Financial Future From the event description: Start off 2020 building a financial plan and start making better financial decisions. This workshop covers mutual funds, stocks, bonds, IRAs and more. When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Where: Oxford Exchange, 420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Floor 2, Conference Rooms Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets The Dude Ranch From the event description: Calling all Blink 182 fans! This Sunday, The Dude Ranch covers your favorite songs. Hailing from NYC, this tribute band consists of Gerard Canonico on guitar and vocals, Zach Falkow on bass and vocals and Micah Cowher on drums. When: Sunday, Feb. 9, 7-10 p.m. Where: Crowbar, 1812 N. 17th Streeet Admission: $10-$1 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Many fruit-laden trucks are stuck at border gates because Chinese traders have stopped buying fruit following the novel coronavirus outbreak, hurting Vietnamese farmers. In the northern border province of Lang Son, there were over 330 containers of unsold fruit Monday, 190 of them containing 3,500 tonnes of dragon fruits. Nguyen Cong Truong, Deputy Chairman of the province, said at a meeting Monday that prices of dragon fruit have dropped 88 percent from VND35,000 ($1.5) per kilogram before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday to VND4,000 (17 cents) now. Watermelon prices have also sharply fallen to VND2,000 (8.6 cents), and banana to VND5,000 (21 cents) per kilogram, he said. Hoang, a farmer in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, estimated that he will lose almost VND200 million ($8,600) on his two-hectare farm of watermelons with Chinese traders not buying them. Thanh Mai, a watermelon trader in the same region, said that she has not been able to export a single container truck to China so far this year, even though by the same time last year she exported seven. Lang Son Deputy Chairman Truong explained that as China, the largest buyer of Vietnamese agriculture produce, has banned the gathering of big crowds to contain the spread of the highly transmissible nCoV, many markets, restaurants and retail chains have downed shutters, leading to lower consumption of agriculture produce from Vietnam. "Containers with fruits keep arriving at the border gate even though China has stopped importing them. We have advised business and agriculture associations to distribute their produce locally." Pham Van Canh, Deputy Chairman of the southern province of Long An, said that 75 percent of the provinces dragon fruits are usually exported to China, but with at least two major buyers canceling orders for 500 containers, at least 20,000 tonnes are left in stock. The nCoV damage could be a prolonged one for Vietnamese agriculture. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh has said that all trading of agriculture produce and seafood between Vietnam and China could be negatively impacted by the novel coronavirus outbreak for the next six to eight months. As China will not resume border trading until February 9, Khanh proposed that the government allows a reduction in transport tariff during this time to minimize losses suffered by agriculture businesses. Other officials have proposed diversifying export markets. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that although China was a major buyer of Vietnamese produce, it would be risky to remain dependent on this market. "The ministry will send teams to promote trade in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Japan and Russia in the upcoming months to expand markets for Vietnamese agriculture produce," he said. Vietnams exports value of agriculture, forestry and seafood last year rose 3.2 percent from 2018 to $41.3 billion, of which China accounted for 27.8 percent, according to the agriculture ministry. United Airlines to train flight attendants to stop passengers from watching porn onboard Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment United Airlines is now training flight attendants to intervene when passengers watch pornography on their personal devices as part of an effort to curb the increase of porn viewing on airplanes, according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. United flight attendants alerted the nonprofit watchdog that their airline last month began providing new training on topics of pornography and sexual harassment. A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed to NCOSE that the new training is taking place. The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. Sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, intimidation or predation have absolutely no place anywhere in our society including, and especially, in our industry and on our aircraft, a United Airlines statement shared with NCOSE reads. In 2018, we strengthened our training for flight attendants to recognize, address and respond to instances of sexual harassment of any kind onboard our aircraft and will continue to adapt and enhance this training moving forward. NCOSE listed United Airlines on its 2019 Dirty Dozen List of mainstream companies and entities considered to be "facilitators of sexual exploitation in our society and culture." Among NCOSEs concerns was that United Airlines employees were ill-prepared to address the growing problem of viewing pornography on airplanes. NCOSE called United out for instances in which employees failed to intervene when men satisfied themselves while watching pornography in close proximity to others onboard. Uniteds statement shared with NCOSE declared that United Airlines recognizes the need to ensure that our policies reflect our values and safeguard those traveling with us. NCOSE Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach Haley Halverson said that in recent years, the number of passengers who watch pornography on their personal devices while on airplanes has increased dramatically. Because United Airlines has updated its training, NCOSE said it will remove United from its Dirty Dozen List. Many airlines have policies on paper that prohibit such content, but they are not adequately training their in-flight crews or support staff to ensure they are consciously aware the policy exists or know how to enforce it, Halverson said in a statement. When this lack of clarity and training existed, before they began in-person trainings, United aircrews previously resorted to giving alleged hush money or even openly joking about these cases of sexual harassment. This left passengers vulnerable and isolated to endure a toxic sexual environment without recourse. NCOSEs 2020 Dirty Dozen List will be released on Thursday. In December, United Airlines agreed to pay $321,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit backed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Under the terms of the settlement, United Airlines agreed to amend its policies to ban online sexual harassment. The lawsuit alleged that a senior United pilot repeatedly posted online lewd images of a flight attendendant with whom he previously had a consensual romantic relationship. He did not have her consent to share the images. The pilot, who is now retired, was reportedly sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after he continued posting the lewd photos and refused to remove them. Despite that, United Airlines reportedly took no disciplinary action against the pilot and even allowed him to retire with full benefits. A trucker gets the fright of his life as he narrowly avoids hitting three lorries as multiple vehicles spin out of control on an icy Oregon highway. Dashcam footage shows a semi-trailer coming up the road north of Klamath Falls, during a cold January, when a second one appears from behind it. The dark vehicle skids, veering off to its left and blocking the right-hand lane as the trucker hurtles along Upper Klamath Lake, near Shady Pine Road. Panicking, the trucker slows down and drops the f-bomb nine times in a row as he drives through a slim gap that appears between the two lorries. A third vehicle, previously hidden from view, is then seen skimming the edge of US Route 97, which stretches from California to Washington. The trucker is heard crying: 'F*** me dude! Jesus f***ing Christ! F***!' Dashcam footage shows a semi-trailer coming up the road north of Klamath Falls, Oregon, during a cold January, when a second one appears from behind it A smaller truck spins then uncontrollably in the middle of a line of traffic, causing other all vehicles to stop tentatively in their tracks. Seconds later, another semi-trailer skids, blocking the icy road. This chilling, white-knuckle scare occurred last January. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Teenager on ladder to dream career as a firefighter thanks to Coleg Cambria traineeship This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Feb 5th, 2020 A teenager is on the ladder to his dream career as a firefighter thanks to Coleg Cambria. Iannis Windmill is now an apprentice technician after successfully completing the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Traineeship Academy at the colleges Deeside site. Determined Iannis, 18, showed incredible commitment to the programme by commuting via train and bus from Llandudno to Connahs Quay every morning for six weeks. He then enjoyed 12 months with the Service achieving a Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service during that period before being interviewed for a full-time role in the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) department. Iannis was praised by Cambrias Work-Based Learning team, and the Services Professional and Service Standards Team Member Stephen Campbell for his dedication and diligence during the process. He will spend two years on the apprenticeship in the hope of securing a permanent position in the future. My dream has always been to become a firefighter, so when I saw the Coleg Cambria was in partnership with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and there was the opportunity to join this traineeship academy, I went for it, said Iannis, a former pupil at Ysgol Aberconwy. It was tough getting up every morning to catch trains and buses to Deeside but if you want something enough, youll do it. I really benefited from the course and my work placement, and for that to now be a full-time apprenticeship with the ICT team means I can continue to learn and grow as part of the Service. I would still love to be a firefighter one day, but for now I am really enjoying this job and would like to thank Cambria and the Service for all of their support. Mr Campbell praised Iannis for his attitude since arriving at the Llandudno base and said he was a real asset they could not afford to let go. Even from his first interview, you could see Iannis was one for the future, he said. When he came on the placement, we gave him the uniform and tried to give him a flavour of what we do, from audits of stations to administrative duties for Professional and Service Standards and eventually, the ICT team. That was where Iannis flourished and was a real asset, so when his time with us was almost up and other trainees we created the apprenticeship. Im delighted he was successful in the interview and that hes a part of the team. Alison Roberts, Review and Placement Officer at Coleg Cambria Deeside, said the relationship between the college and top regional partners including North Wales Fire and Rescue Service are further strengthened by learners like Iannis. She added: We are all so proud of Iannis; the commitment he showed in travelling to Deeside every day and on his placement proved he has the right approach and attitude to work-based learning. Courses like this one give young people a good grasp of the career they want to pursue, as well as vital experience and insight, so we are thrilled he has been offered this full-time position. Im sure Iannis will grab the opportunity with both hands and realise his ambition to become a firefighter in the future. A spokesperson for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: The Service is getting ready to promote its latest apprenticeship recruitment campaign in the new year, with two great opportunities including Firefighter Apprenticeships and Future Leadership Apprenticeships. Further details will be available on our website and social media pages. Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for more on work-based learning programmes at Coleg Cambria. Hyundai Motor says it will suspend production in South Korea because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has affected the supply of parts. In announcing the suspension, Hyundai became the first major automobile manufacturer to reduce operations outside of mainland China. In China, Hyundai and several other automakers have already followed government guidance and ordered factories to close. Those manufacturers include Tesla, Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Nissan and Honda Motor. Hyundai and Kia may be more affected as they import more parts from China than other global automakers, said Lee Hang-koo of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade. Many other businesses are preparing for losses from the viral outbreak. For some companies, the damage has been delayed, thanks, in part, to timing. The outbreak hit just when Chinese factories and other businesses were closed for the one-week Lunar New Year holiday. Now the holiday has ended, and worldwide shortages may be coming. In order to meet production targets for summer goods, experts say that Chinese factories would need to start increasing production by March 15. If Chinese factories were to stay closed through May 1, it would likely affect the back-to-school and autumn sales totals. Theres complete uncertainty, said Steve Pasierb, head of the Toy Industry Association, a trade group in the United States. This could be huge if it goes on for months, he added. The Chinese city of Wuhan is the center of automotive production. The viral outbreak has hit Wuhan and neighboring cities hard. The government has closed off the area, where more than 50 million people live. The factories where they work are closed. For now, United States automakers have not had to slow production because of a lack of Chinese parts. But David Closs says time is running out. I would say its weeks at the most, he told The Associated Press. One to two to three weeks. Closs is professor emeritus at Michigan State Universitys Department of Supply Chain Management. The partial closure of Wuhan has already slowed the production of televisions and raised prices, reported research group IHS Markit. The city has five factories that make instruments used in the manufacturing of televisions and laptop computers. David Hsieh works for IHS Markit. He noted in a report that these factories are facing shortages of labor and (important) components because of the efforts to contain the virus. Telephone maker Motorola has a production center in Wuhan. The company said that it has a flexible worldwide supply chain and many factories around the world, so it does not expect many problems. It also said it is worried about its workers. Motorola is owned by the Chinese electronics producer Lenovo. Apple chief Tim Cook told industry experts last week that his companys suppliers in China had been forced to delay reopening factories that closed for the Lunar New Year. Cook added that Apple is seeking ways to minimize supply chain problems. Most of the companys iPhones and other electronic devices are made in China. For now, economic experts are lowering their outlook for Chinas economy, the worlds second-biggest. Tommy Wu and Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics said China will have a 5.4 percent growth this year, not the 6 percent they had expected. But a more serious and long-lasting impact cannot be ruled out, they wrote Monday. Im Susan Shand. The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story outbreak n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease uncertainty n. the condition or quality of being unsure emeritus n. someone retired from employment, but permitted to hold an honorary position supply chain n. a system of many products from different places being used in a final product component n. an important piece of something flexible adj. willing to change or to try different things outlook n. expectancy By PTI NEW DELHI: BJP MP Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday used 'Shikhandi' barb in Lok Sabha against the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal as he alleged lack of action against violent anti-CAA protesters in the state. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is shown banners like "go back" when he visits the state, Rohingya Muslims from neighbouring countries are given "welcome" because they are seen as voters by the ruling party in West Bengal, he said. Participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Ghosh hit out at protests, including at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital, against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He claimed that protesters there were enjoying themselves feeding on "foreign biryani bought from foreign money". The BJP is opposed to this drama, Ghosh added. West Bengal suffered the worst during the anti-CAA protests as trains were burnt and rail tracks uprooted by protesters, the West Bengal BJP president said. "Unfortunately, these 'shikhandis' are in power there. The police did nothing. It did not use its baton nor did it file an FIR, let alone firing bullets. I opposed it. Now I am being defamed. I am a patriot," Ghosh said. Shikhandi was a transgender warrior in Mahabharata epic. ALSO READ | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee terms BJP as party of 'Dussasanas, offsprings of Tughlaq' He was used as a human shield to kill Bhishma in the battle. A reference to his name is often made to take a swipe at others for showing cowardice. Ghosh had recently courted controversy, saying anti-CAA protesters who indulged in violence were "shot like dogs"in BJP-ruled states. In Lok Sabha, he accused the TMC government of working against the Constitution and democracy, saying the BJP was not allowed to undertake rallies, including in support of the CAA, in the state. The decision to grant citizenship to minority refugees from neighbouring countries was a "historic" step, he said. WASHINGTON When the U.S. Senate decides Wednesday whether to convict President Donald Trump, New Jerseys two Democratic senators will be voting yes. In speeches on the Senate floor Tuesday, both Cory Booker and Robert Menendez said they were voting to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and chastised their Republican colleagues for refusing to do so. I believe that the day we fail to remove this president will go down in history as a day of constitutional infamy," Menendez said. "It will be remembered as a dark day for our democracy, for our national security, and for our constitutional order. I will vote for impeachment and removal not because I hate this president because I dont but because I love our country more, he said. "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and with this vote, I intend to do so. Booker, who ended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination last month, bemoaned the Senates refusal to obtain all the evidence it could before rendering a decision. Trump refused to turn over documents or allow administration witnesses to appear before the House, and all but two Senate Republicans voted against calling officials who witnessed Trumps actions to testify in their trial. The Senate shut its door to the truth even though it was in easy reach, Booker said in his floor speech. The worlds greatest deliberative body conducted an impeachment trial without demanding a single witness and without subpoenaing a single document. It makes no sense whatsoever that we should deny in this deliberative body the truth," he said The House in December made Trump only the third president in American history to be impeached. Voting almost exclusively along party lines, lawmakers said Trump held up congressionally approved aid to Ukraine in order to pressure that government into announcing investigations to help him win re-election in 2020. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said Trump broke federal law in doing so. This president has claimed authoritarian power that our Constitution was specifically designed to prevent, Booker said. He has declared himself unaccountable to and above the law. He has shred he very governing ideals of this great republic. Menendez said the Senate will have abandoned its role under the Constitution for refusing to hold Trump accountable. If we do not rein in this conduct, if we do not call it the abuse of power that it is, then we have failed to live up to the ideals of our republic, Menendez said. And I fear we have already let the American people and our Constitution down by failing to hold a fair trial." Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Last year, Pablo Escobars brother announced a foldable smartphone to compete with the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. The Escobar Fold 1 launched at a fraction of the cost of the foldable devices from Samsung and Huawei. At $349 (Approx. Rs 24,500), the Escobar Fold 1 was the cheapest foldable smartphone in the world. Two months later, Escobar Inc. is ready to launch the second iteration of the Escobar Fold. The Escobar Fold 2 is priced at $399 (Approx. Rs 28,500) and features significant improvements over its predecessor. The Escobar Fold 1 was more-or-less a rebranded Royole FlexPai, while the Escobar Fold 2 looks no different from Samsungs Galaxy Fold. However, the Royole FlexPai retailed for $1,320 (Approx. Rs 94,100), while the Galaxy Fold will set you back nearly $2,000 or Rs 1,64,999 if you buy it in India. However, both the Escobar Fold 1 and 2 severely undercut Royole and Samsungs foldable handsets. The website even touts the Escobar Fold 2 as the real Samsung killer phone. So, how is Escobar Inc able to offer such vast discounts on its foldable smartphones. Well, CNET says that the discounts are made possible by sourcing units from secondary factories in China. The company claims that it repackages the surplus Samsung and Royole stock before selling it. In a statement, Escobar Inc CEO Olof Gustafsson told CNET that the company plans to ship the Fold 2 in March. The company also announced it would keep the initial production run to 200,000 units. Gustafsson wrote, We take on the course that there is no need to re-invent the wheel. We are using similar assembly factories as Samsung, and other big guys are using in Shenzen, Mainland China and Hong Kong. Anybody can go there and buy a Galaxy Fold replica for less than $300. All the specs including display, battery, chipset, cameras, design, etc. of the Escobar Fold 2 are similar to that of the Galaxy Fold . In terms of pricing, the entry-level Escobar Fold 2 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will cost $399 (Approx. Rs 28,500), while the top-tier 12GB RAM and 512GB storage model will be priced at $549 (Approx. Rs 39,200). A ban on non-citizens travelling from or through China is leading to chaos in Australias university sector. Canberra, Australia More than half the Chinese students enrolled in Australian universities have found themselves stranded in their home country with a new academic year looming after the Australian government imposed a travel ban in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The new term begins in late February at most tertiary institutions and while many new students were expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks for orientation, existing students had returned home for the Lunar New Year. Out of 200,000 Chinese international students studying in Australia, 107,000 are still offshore, said Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia and chair of the International Education Global Reputation taskforce. Australia is on the front line of dealing with the [coronavirus] outbreak because of our geographical location and our earlier academic year start date, Honeywood said. Chinese students make up almost a third of all international students in Australia and if they are unable to travel to Australia to begin or continue their studies, Honeywood estimates tertiary institutions could lose as much as 8 billion Australian dollars ($5.3bn). Its crucial that we do everything we can to ensure students welfare, both in terms of limiting stress and providing distance learning, he told Al Jazeera. Institutions are keen to be as flexible as possible and were exploring options with the Chinese government to identify online learning options for students still in China. Ban imposed this month Australia is one of several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and New Zealand to introduce a travel ban for non-citizens who have been to China in the past 14 days, including people who have travelled through the country. Multiple airlines have also suspended flights to and from mainland China. From the start of the month, only citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members were being allowed to enter Australia from China. If youve come from mainland China at any time after 1 February, then youll be required to isolate for a period of 14 days, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the media on Saturday. For anyone other than Australians citizens, Australian residents, dependents, legal guardians or spouses, then youll not be permitted entry into Australia. Australia closed its border to arrivals from China on February 1 [File: Brendan Esposito/EPA] The rulings run counter to World Health Organization (WHO) advice that travel and trade restrictions are not necessary and could in fact make things worse. The number of people known to have the coronavirus exceeded 24,000 on Tuesday. Nearly 500 people have died. Wang Xining, the deputy head of mission of the Chinese Embassy in Australia, said the Chinese government was disappointed with Australias decision. We are not happy about this situation because they were not alerted there was not enough time to be alerted about the restriction, Wang told the media in Canberra. We are in touch with the universities and also with the education ministry to sort out a proper solution for these students. We hope their rights and interests will be safeguarded. An overreaction Many of the students themselves are also unhappy with the ban and say it is unnecessary. Its an overreaction, Abbey Shi told Al Jazeera by telephone. Shi is an international student from Shanghai, and the general secretary of the University of Sydney Student Representative Council. She believes that students are keeping themselves well-informed about the coronavirus. People feel very angry about the travel ban, because it has a lot of consequences for tenancy agreements, university fees, and other contractual obligations, [not to mention] welfare issues, Shi explained. Shi said that many international students have long-standing complaints about how they are treated by the Australian government and universities and the travel ban has simply added to their frustrations. Students know the sector is very commercialised in Australia, and we dont get a lot of support from universities in general. We just get treated as a source of income, she said. So theyre angry at how bluntly the decision has been made by the government and now universities are asking students to defer their studies. The Australian government has said it will review the travel ban every 14 days and retract it when the outbreak is deemed to have been contained. Honeywood said that institutions will do their best to assist students who need refunds for tuition fees and purpose-built student accommodation and are looking at options such as waiving deferral fees so new students can begin their studies in the second semester instead. The Department of Home Affairs has also indicated it would be willing to prioritise visa applications and remove fees for students whose Australians visas were cancelled. Students unconvinced The Australian National Universitys Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt said in a statement that the university understood there would be disappointment over the governments decision. About 20 percent of ANUs students are international students from China. If you havent yet left for Australia, this means you wont be able to get here for several weeks, Schmidt wrote. We know this will be a shock and want to reassure you that, as a member of our community, we still look forward to welcoming you on campus when you are able to travel We are committed to making sure you can still pursue your studies with as little disruption as possible. The University of Sydneys Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence advised students to please take care of yourselves and each other in a similar statement. Two-thirds of the University of Sydneys international students come from China; their fees contributed 534 million Australian dollars ($359m) to the institution in 2017 or 23 percent of its total revenue. No universities contacted by Al Jazeera were available to comment on their plans to support affected students. Shi, the University of Sydney student, said the information provided by universities had been minimal. She and her friends have set up chat groups to assist those stranded in China, sharing official information, helping reschedule flights, and linking them up with legal advice for tenancy agreements. Shi told Al Jazeera that distance learning was acceptable as an alternative if it was temporary, but was not a possibility for some students. The universities have systems in place for distance learning, but assessments are hard to conduct, she said. Plus many faculties just cant do distance learning, for example engineering and medicine which have lab classes. Ultimately, many students reaction is that theyll be paying huge fees for distance learning, and thats a bad deal. I went to a Science and Technology Studies (STS) conference in Melbourne recently and listened to a panel of social scientists share their work about psychological disorders. There was no doubt I had stakes in being there; I study embodiment and trauma and so I knew what I was hoping to hear. I sat, in anticipation, waiting to hear about embodied experiences, about mindly-bodily aches and pains and struggles and about the complexity of it all. But what I heard was a different kind of discussion, and I couldnt help but shed a few tears of frustration in the toilets afterwards. The speakers talked about addictions, diagnoses, and in particular, the notorious Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in terms I was most familiar with. I heard sour, frustrated voices saying, Video gaming and drinking constructed as addiction, why?, Pathological labels assigned to normal human behaviour, why?, and, Socially and politically incorrect ways of being, this is deviance, not disease. Sitting there hearing these arguments and rhetorical questions, I wondered about the theoretical traditions undergirding this well-established analytical lexicon. In one hour and with multiple blows, the legitimacy of psychiatric ideations and terminology came crashing down; this seemed to be precisely the point of the exercise to deconstruct the constructs. As a fresh sociology doctoral candidate, this all made sense to me, but I also felt like a fool for thinking that perhaps there might still be some use for and some merit in using biological data and psychiatric terminology to help fathom, or at the very least, shed light on the multiple forms of emotional suffering. There appears to be a fair amount of discomfort in critical mental health studies regarding psychiatric and biological terminology. Social scientists in this field have heavily critiqued what is normatively described as pathologising language in the DSM, as well as in Australian mental health discourse more generally. But my concern with the tendency to turn away from, be suspicious of or cut down psychiatric and biological narratives of mental distress is that it may in fact stonewall any opportunity to creatively and constructively engage the question: how do traumas perceivably get under the skin, transmute and affectively stay there? When a single strand of knowledge be that biological or social is sourced to speak on behalf of mental terrors and hardships alone, how can we locate trauma with analytical sophistication? How can we trace its movements inside and outside the body to the outside if our own disciplinary lexicon remains limiting? Since the early 2000s, the biological sciences have undergone some salient changes, particularly in response to the recent rise of molecular epigenetics, where conventional meanings of bodily borders, socialities and environments are taking on new configurations (Landecker, 2011). What can be said about this emerging field of research is that the barriers between bodies and environments are considerably more permeable than previously thought, which has garnered much interest from medical anthropologists and STS scholars. In his study on metabolism, food and chronic illness in India, Harris Solomon (2016:5) builds on the term absorption to conceptually grasp the possibility for bodies, substances, and environments to mingle, draw attention to each other, and even shift definitional parameters in the process. Metabolism conceived less as the biological conversion of nutritional substrates in this context and more as a regulatory interface between bodies and environments is rendered a political and empirical object of enquiry (Landecker 2011: 168). Drawing from what has been established in contemporary metabolic analyses, I respond in this essay to the claims I heard at the conference. I do so because I think there are, to use Solomons term, thicker ways to articulate the enduring and destructive effects of trauma. To do this, I raise the term cataclysms, (from the Greek kataklysmos, which joins the prefix kata down and klyzein to wash away), as an entry point into traumas material, embodied ontologies. By evoking the prefix cata meaning to descend my hope is that it may help us fruitfully engage with the conceptual narratives of embodied trauma emerging from the so-called postgenomic (or relational) sciences, and in particular, a new field of research called neuroepigenetics. I purposefully use cataclysms in the plural to move away from the idea of trauma as singular, disparate and only fathomable when rendered a construct. This idea of pluralising cataclysm comes from Annemarie Mol and other STS pioneers of empirical ontologies. I say cataclysms to make cataclysmic events micro, meso, macro not so much plural, but explicitly multiple, as different versions of a kind that are variously entangled, and potentially competing with one another. My purpose for doing this is to spur us into thinking about what kind of realities are good to live with, and which ones are worse (Mol, 2014). Accepting a multiplicity of what is cataclysmic in a very specific sense nudges us to question who and what receives care and who and what remains marginal. I draw on one idea fundamental to neuroepigenetics to help think trauma as biosocially temporal, impressionable and durable, namely, the prospect of molecular memory. Critical feminist, posthumanist, disability and queer studies show that knowledge of the body neednt be accepted as static or singular; nor should biological data be seen as the antithesis of our own worldviews. As Donna Haraway (1988: 579) reminds us, Feminists have to insist on a better account of the world; it is not enough to show radical historical contingency and modes of construction for everything. In what follows, I begin by charting some of the claims inherent to epigenetics and neuroepigenetics specifically, and conclude with a meditation on cataclysms. Epigenetics and neuro-epigenetics Neuroepigenetics is an infant subfield branching from the more recent overlap between neuroscience and molecular epigenetics. Epigenetics, put simply, is the modification of gene expression without changes in the DNA sequence itself. A useful and popular metaphor often shared amongst epigenetic researchers may help to get a sense of how this works. DNA is like a written score for a symphony, which contains the music for an entire orchestra. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as methylation for instance, serve as the conductor of this orchestra, harmonically switching genes on and off (de Sauvage, 2015). Here, gene expression the process by which the instructions in DNA are converted into products like proteins is not controlled just by DNA itself. Instead, all manner of environments external to DNA the nucleus, cellular cytoplasm, homely abodes and breathable air in our atmosphere for instance drive changes in gene expression, a point which challenges 20th-century gene-centric theories of heredity. Fundamental to epigenetic thinking is the notion that environments not only act as mediators of gene expression, but as exposures, which dictates that anything from food to greenhouse gas to stress can be potentially noxious when ingested, absorbed or experienced. There is no shortage of excitement in response to this seemingly radical paradigm shift in molecular biology. For some, demoting the gene and turning to environment and sociality signifies a major change in thinking. As Keller (2000: 69) asserts, epigenetic factors are so significant in organismic development and growth, they put the very concept of the gene into jeopardy. For leading scholars in the field, the epigenome may be the missing link to construct environments as exposures. Via epigenetics, life experience alters expression of genes, which, in turn, will influence the ways that neuronal circuitry develops in particular, the brains so-called stress response system, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis. As indicated by the prefix neuro, neuroepigenetics is specifically interested in how environmental influences cause epigenetic modifications in neurons, which may subsequently affect their function, lifespan and capacity to retain experiential memories not only in an individual sense but also across generations. Formally introduced by neurobiologist Jeremy Day and neuroscientist David Sweatt (2011: 321), neuroepigenetics can be defined as a subfield of epigenetics that investigates the molecular mechanisms and processes that allow for experience-dependent regulation of the epigenome in nondividing cells of the nervous system. Although still in its infancy, Day and Sweatt predict that neuroepigenetics has the potential to sharpen current knowledge about the impacts adverse and traumatic life experiences have on gene regulation, phenotype, and subsequent predisposition to mental illness. Evoking the controversial theory of the engram a (again, hypothetical) biophysical change in the brain that accounts for the material existence of memory Day and Sweatt (ibid: 1322) speculate that epigenetic mechanisms may be key for memory-making processes. Fascinatingly, epigenetic markers or the epigenome are said to act as the the molecular memory of by-gone stimuli, which allows a cell, brain and body to remember past events that an organism has experienced (Bonasio et al., 2010: 612). Focusing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), specifically, Day makes the claim that neuroepigenetic research shows a correlation between epigenetic markers, memory and traumatic experiences (University of Alabama 2015). PTSD has a complex history, and although I do not give a thorough account here, it is important to note that the question of what constitutes trauma has been a pivotal one for psychiatry. Like any good contemporary science fiction, an imagining of the human as open and infinitely biologically adaptable (and editable) appears part and parcel; Day suggests that by removing or altering epigenetic markers, memories of trauma could be manipulatedand even possibly erased. Epigenetics and Cataclysms There is no straight-forward, fault-free way to engage with scientific ideations like the ones I have outlined above. Nor is there a clear consensus about what neuroepigenetics will mean for the responsibility, care, provision and governance of mental health in Anglo-Western post-industrial countries like Australia. Bearing this in mind, it is safe to say that there is inherent potential for the field to alter and even reconfigure how we think and feel about the destructive possibilities of lived experience, especially when they are signified by changes in genetic expression. Neuroepigenetic speculations about body-environment relations, as well as the idea of molecular memory may offer conceptual creativity to build a framework of embodied trauma. A possible way to think about trauma as temporally durable, biosocial and vastly consequential is, I suggest, through the notion of cataclysms, a concept that is not far from some original ideas in epigenetics. Importantly, epigenetics and ideas of memory are deeply intertwined. Think, for instance, of Waddingtons epigenetic landscape. During research labours in the 1930s and 1940s, Waddington coined the term epigenetics to draw a connection between genotype the genetic constitution of an organism and an expressed phenotype the observable physical characteristics of an organism that arise from interactions between genotype and its environment. Waddington represented the impact of environmental cues on cell differentiation during development through the iconic epigenetic landscape where, as in the Greek root for cataclysm, the ball rolls downhill and cannot be reversed to their original position. In drawings of epigenetic landscapes, Waddington visualised cell differentiation as a process of canalisation which signified the relationship between environmental memories and the organism. Importantly, Waddington didnt necessarily believe that a return to pre-impressed biology was impossible. As Ferrell (2012: R462) explains, alternative fates remain present somewhere on the landscape and are potentially accessible; however, temporality cannot be reversed. This distinctive view of memory and plasticity says something interesting about trauma. It underscores the prospect of a vulnerable and temporally-bound kind of biology, where cataclysmic events can and do leave the memory of their presence. After all, a cataclysm literally refers to a watery demise; to the flooding of all Earth by rains and rising rivers. As the ball and the water run and impress themselves into the land, trauma is likely soaked up, assimilated and solidified into the flesh. Plasticity today may imply biologically-endowed changeability, yet epigenetic landscapes and cataclysms suggest that what saturates and stains may give shape to biological trajectories that bear residue of the past (Meloni, 2019). Waddingtons epigenetic landscape leads us to think human, non-human and more-than-human mutualities and interdependencies not just as political per se, but also as potentially destructive in an ongoing, temporal sense. This is because clearly trauma doesnt just get under the skin. It doesnt simply enter permeable mind-bodies with predictable effects. Most of the time, it breaks through, violates, assaults, dissolves, brutalises, pierces, ruptures and eats its way in. Neuroscientists and biologists may speak about the particularities of exchanges between genes, brains and socialities; about the ways in which a mind-bodys stress response system takes form as a responseto life external to the skin; about the possibility of reversing such impressions; and, more controversially, about finding the engram in its biophysical form. But thinking beyond biological specificity and measurability and turning instead to the traffic cascading between and amongst kinds of matter words from loved ones, racism and dopamine for instance give us a salient (though not entirely original) picture of body-environment interactions that can and do leave a horrific mess behind. The term cataclysms has definite value in a non-trivial reading of plasticity as stabilisation rather than as an opening of forms. Even more, the notion of cataclysms resonates with connections between plasticity and ideas of destructiveness and irrevocable alteration of forms (Malabou 2012). I raise cataclysms here as both a response to metabolic politics and to a tension I have felt lingering in critical mental health studies, because weight and validation needs to be given to the ambiguous, material and enduring configurations trauma takes, and how such configurations can shift (and shapeshift) through and in time and place. We might think of cataclysms like organic substrates as ontologically porous and watery; as spilling, weaving and protruding into each other. While trying to make sense of the inherent harms of climate change, hetero-patriarchy, capitalism and imperialism, I worry that we may incidentally turn away from addressing the ruins they leave and the clandestine connections between them when we pour all our energy into derailing powerful and problematic sources of knowledge. Without taking the term too literally, molecular memories suggest that what happens, what flows in, out and over the flesh may leave traces after the fall-out has passed. Conclusion: an ethic of care In Of Two Minds an ethnographic study of psychiatric training in the United States Tanya Luhrmann (2001) brings our attention to the multiplicity (and politics) of knowledge about mental illness. As Luhrmann (ibid.: 8) puts it, I dont think that any domain of knowledge mirrors the world as it is. The real issue for me is how one learns to look at mental illness through different lenses and the consequences of those ways of seeing. Like Luhrmann, I dont suggest that neuroepigenetic speculations or indeed, any domain of knowledge can alone conceptualise trauma , nor do I believe epigenetics and neuroepigenetics offer a radically new way of fathoming such a complex concept. But, perhaps, a more pragmatic way of moving forward means acknowledging what is at stake. To recognise what pains, ruptures and lingers under the surface means thinking openly about where history spills and stays, and what tools may help us to perceive these locations. It means stepping closer to devastation and focusing our gaze on what persists, on what is washed away in the flood and what grows in its absence, on what can be recovered and what cannot. If anything, perhaps the value (and danger) of neuroepigenetics lies in its rhetorical potential to strengthen an ethic of care for body-environment relations, and in its capacity to discursively locate and characterise a durable kind of bodily memory. Even if it is just for arguments sake. If I am to be openly partial, Id say that it is in our interest to lean in and grasp what may challenge, mobilise and ground our own ethics, because the extent, gravity and residue of what is unjust and damaging in its infinite forms calls for many kinds of recognition. Works Cited Bonasio, R, Tu, S & Reinberg, D (2010) Molecular signals of epigenetic states, Science 330, no. 6004, pp. 612-6. Day, JJ & Sweatt, JD (2011) Cognitive neuroepigenetics: A role for epigenetic mechanisms in learning and memory, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, vol. 96, no. 1, pp. 2-12. Ferrell, J (2012) Bistability, Bifurcations, and Waddingtons Epigenetic Landscape, Current Biology, vol. 22 (11) R458-R66. Haraway, D (1988) Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 575-599. Keller, E (2000) The Century of the Gene. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press. Landecker, H (2011) Food as Exposure: Nutritional Epigenetics and the New metabolism, BioSocieties, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 167-94. Luhrmann, TM (2001) Of Two Minds: The Growing Disorder in American Psychiatry. New York, Knopf. Malabou, C (2012) The new wounded: from neurosis to brain damage, 1st ed, Forms of living, Fordham University Press, New York. Meloni, M (2019) Impressionable Biologies: From the Archaeology of Plasticity to the Sociology of Epigenetics, Routledge, New York. Mol, A (2014) A readers guide to the ontological turn: Part 4, Somatosphere, Accessed November 4, 2019 Solomon, H (2016) Metabolic living: food, fat and the absorption of illness in India. Durham, Duke University Press. University of Alabama at Birmingham (2015) Editing the brain: How new epigenetic tools could rewrite our understanding of memory and more, ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 24, 2019 www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150121114604.htm Elsher Lawson-Boyd (Deakin University) is a PhD Candidate at the Alfred Deakin Institute of Globalisation and Citizenship, Deakin University. Her research is on emerging postgenomic models of trauma in neuroscience and epigenetics. Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr LinkedIn [view academic citations] [hide academic citations] Finnish English ORION CORPORATION STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 5 FEBRUARY 2020 at 12:15 EET Notice to the Annual General Meeting of Orion Corporation Notice is given to the shareholders of Orion Corporation to the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday 25 March 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Finnish time in Messukeskus Helsinki, Exhibition and Convention Centre, address: Messuaukio 1, Helsinki. The reception of the participants and the distribution of the voting tickets will start at 1:00 p.m. Coffee will be served after the meeting. A. Agenda of the Meeting, in the order of handling 1. Opening of the Meeting 2. Matters of order for the Meeting 3. Election of the person to confirm the minutes and the persons to verify the counting of votes 4. Recording the legal convening of the Meeting and quorum 5. Recording the attendance at the Meeting and the list of votes 6. Presentation of the Financial Statements 2019, the report of the Board of Directors and the Auditors report Review by the President and CEO 7. Adoption of the Financial Statements 8. Decision on the use of the profits shown on the Balance Sheet and the payment of the dividend The Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of EUR 1.50 per share be paid on the basis of the Balance Sheet confirmed for the financial year that ended on 31 December 2019. According to the proposal, the dividend is paid to Orion Corporation shareholders entered in the Companys register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date of the dividend distribution, 27 March 2020. The date of the dividend payment is 3 April 2020. 9. Decision on the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO from liability 10. Handling of the remuneration policy for governing bodies Handling of the remuneration policy for governing bodies approved by the Board of Directors. 11. Decision on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors The Company's Nomination Committee has announced as its recommendation that the following remunerations will remain the same as in the previous year and be paid to the Board of Directors: As an annual fee, the Chairman would receive EUR 84,000, the Vice Chairman would receive EUR 55,000 and the other members would receive EUR 42,000 each. As a fee for each meeting attended, the Chairman would receive EUR 1,200, the Vice Chairman would receive EUR 900 and the other members would receive EUR 600 each. The travel expenses of the Board members would be paid in accordance with the previously adopted practice. The aforementioned fees would also be paid to the Chairmen and to the members of the committees established by the Board, for each committee meeting attended. Of the above-mentioned annual fees, 60% would be paid in cash and 40% in Orion Corporation B-shares, which would be acquired for the members over the period 29 April6 May 2020 from the stock exchange in amounts corresponding to EUR 33,600 for the Chairman, EUR 22,000 for the Vice Chairman and EUR 16,800 for each of the other members. The part of the annual fee that is to be paid in cash corresponds to the approximate sum necessary for the payment of the income taxes on the fees and would be paid no later than 29 May 2020. The annual fees shall encompass the full term of office of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Company would pay the transfer tax related to the part of the annual fee of the Board of Directors paid in shares. The Nomination Committee has not given its recommendation for the remunerations to the Board of Directors, but the matter will be proposed by a shareholder at the Annual General Meeting. 12. Decision on the number of members of the Board of Directors In accordance with the recommendation by the Company's Nomination Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of the members of the Board of Directors be seven. 13. Election of the members and the Chairman of the Board of Directors In accordance with the recommendation by the Nomination Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that of the present members of the Board, Pia Kalsta, Ari Lehtoranta, Timo Maasilta, Hilpi Rautelin, Eija Ronkainen and Mikael Silvennoinen would be re-elected for the next term of office and M.Sc. (Econ. and Bus. Adm.) Kari Jussi Aho would be elected as a new member. Mikael Silvennoinen would be elected as Chairman of the Board. All proposed members have been assessed to be independent of the Company and its significant shareholders. Of the present members, Heikki Westerlund has been a Board member for an uninterrupted period of 10 years and for this reason he is not proposed for re-election. Mikael Silvennoinen has been a member of the Orion Board of Directors since 2014 and currently he is also the Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee and the R&D Committee. He holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and his principal occupation is Executive Chairman of IMS Talent Oy. More detailed information on Mikael Silvennoinen is available on Orion website at http://www.orion.fi/en . Personal information of Kari Jussi Aho: Born: 1960 Education and profession: MSc (Econ. and Bus. Adm.), MBA, business owner and entrepreneur Key work experience: Business owner and entrepreneur, 2020- Rukakeskus Group, full-time Chairman of the Board, 2004-2019 Pyhatunturi Ltd, Managing Director, 1987-2004 Rukakeskus Ltd, Marketing Manager, 1982-2002 Current key positions of trust: Vice Chairman of the Board: Confederation of Finnish Industries EK 2017-, Finnish Air Force support foundation (Non-profit foundation) 2010- Member of the Board: Aho Group Ltd 2006-, Aava Health Services Ltd 2016-, Economy and Youth TAT 2017- Other: Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, Delegation for Entrepreneurs, Chairman 2017-, Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, Suomalaisen omistajuuden tyoryhma (working group for Finnish ownership), Chairman 2017- Previous key positions of trust: Chairman of the Board: Aho Group Ltd 2006-2012 Vice Chairman of the Board: United Laboratories Ltd 2004-2009 Member of the Board: Cor Group Ltd 2007-2011, Haaga-Helia Ltd 2009-2014, Management Institute of Finland MIF Ltd 2012-2014 Member of the Supervisory Board: Orion Corporation 2001-2002 Member of the Nomination Committee: Orion Corporation 2006-2019 14. Decision on the remuneration of the Auditor In accordance with the recommendation by the Board's Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the remunerations to the Auditor be paid on the basis of invoicing approved by the Company. 15. Election of the Auditor In accordance with the recommendation by the Board's Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Authorised Public Accountants KPMG Oy Ab be elected as the Company's Auditor. 16. Forfeiture of shares in Orion Corporation on joint account The shares in the predecessor of the current Orion Corporation, Orion-yhtyma Oy (Business ID 0112283-5, as of 11 December 1997 Orion-yhtyma Oyj), were incorporated in the book-entry system in 1993. The shareholders were at that time required to declare their shares for registration on their book-entry account, in practice meaning exchanging paper share certificates for registrations on a book-entry account, at the latest on the registration date 29 October 1993. Those shares that had not been registered on a shareholders book-entry account at the latest on the registration date were registered on a joint account opened in the book-entry system, where they have been stored on behalf of the shareholders. Orion-yhtyma Oyj has later changed its name to Orion Corporation and on 1 July 2006 demerged into two companies, the current Orion Corporation (Business ID 1999212-6, hereinafter Orion) and Oriola-KD Corporation (Business ID 1999215-0, currently Oriola Corporation, hereinafter Oriola). In the demerger, the shareholders of the old Orion Corporation received as demerger consideration one share in each of the current Orion and Oriola per each share in the old Orion Corporation. The owners of paper share certificates were required to declare their ownership for registration in the book-entry system before the effective date of the demerger to avoid the shares to be given to them as demerger consideration being registered on a joint account. A shareholder has been able to transfer their shares from the joint account to their book-entry account by making a declaration for registration. A joint account is intended for temporary storing of shares until the shareholders declare their shares for registration on their personal book-entry account, and the rights of a shareholder (inter alia, to receive dividend) cannot be exercised until the shares have been registered on the shareholders book-entry account. A number of shares in Orion are nevertheless still registered on the joint account because the owners of such shares have not after the incorporation of the shares in the book-entry system in 1993 made a declaration for registration. Orions predecessor Orion-yhtyma Oy carried out in 1993 a share issue without payment (bonus issue) where shareholders were entitled to subscribe for new shares in Orion-yhtyma Oy free of charge so that five old Class A shares yielded two new Class A shares and five old Class B shares yielded two new Class B shares. As a result of the 1993 bonus issue, the shares corresponding to the subscription rights issued in the bonus issue with respect to which the shareholder did not use their subscription rights in connection with the bonus issue were registered on the joint account. Such shares in Orion are still registered on the joint account. The subscription rights in the 1993 bonus issue registered on a shareholders book-entry account still entitle to subscription of shares in the current Orion, and the due to the subscription ratio, the subscription rights can be used to subscribe for shares when there are at least five subscription rights. The shares registered on Orions joint account as at 27 January 2020, a total of 125,674 shares (64,478 Class A shares and 61,196 Class B shares), correspond to approximately 0.09% of the Companys total shares. Pursuant to provisions included in the Finnish company legislation in 2006, it has after the lapse of a transition period of ten years been possible for Orions Annual General Meeting to resolve that shareholders forfeit their rights to the shares on the joint account and to the rights that such shares carry. Due to the aforementioned, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve pursuant to chapter 3, section 14 a, subsection 3 and chapter 9, section 19 of the Companies Act that the right to shares in Orion and to the rights such shares carry be forfeited with respect to all shares regarding which a declaration for registration to a book-entry account and, with respect to any declaration for registration based on the incorporation in the book-entry system, also the share certificate or other reliable evidence of title, has not been presented to Orion at the latest on 25 March 2020. To the extent the declaration for registration is based on the incorporation in the book-entry system and the share certificate or other corresponding document has been lost, the declaration for registration must be made at the latest on the aforementioned date and the ruling on the cancellation of the share certificate or other corresponding document must be presented to Orion at the latest on 30 November 2020. The shares that are subject to the forfeiture become Orions property, and the provisions on treasury shares apply to such shares. More detailed instructions are presented on Orions website https://www.orion.fi/en/Orion-group/investors/messages-to-shareholders/joint-account-shares/ for those shareholders who have not previously made a declaration for the registration of the shares on their book-entry accounts based on the incorporation in the book-entry system or based on the exercise of the subscription rights registered on the shareholders book-entry account, and who wish to make a declaration for the registration of their rights to the shares in the book-entry system and for the transfer of the number of shares equivalent to their shareholding from the joint account to the shareholders own book-entry account within the above deadlines. The possible resolution of Orions Annual General Meeting on the forfeiture of the shares on the joint account and of the rights that such shares carry only concerns the shares in Orion. The corresponding rights in Oriolas shares and any possible forfeitures related to them are determined in accordance with resolutions possibly made by Oriola. 17. Closing of the Meeting B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting The unofficial English versions of the proposals of the Board of Directors, of the recommendation of the Nomination Committee, of the remuneration policy for governing bodies as well as this Notice to the Annual General Meeting are available on the website of Orion Corporation, at www.orion.fi. The Financial Statement documents of Orion Corporation, which include the Financial Statements, the Report of the Board of Directors and the Auditors Report, will be available on the above-mentioned website no later than 4 March 2020. The aforementioned documents will also be available at the Annual General Meeting. C. Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting 1.The right to participate and registration Shareholders being registered in the Companys register of shareholders, maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd, on 13 March 2020 have the right to attend the Annual General Meeting. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the Companys register of shareholders. Changes in the holding of shares that take place after the record date of the Annual General Meeting do not affect on the shareholders right to participate in the Annual General Meeting or the number of the shareholders votes. A shareholder, who intends to participate in the Annual General Meeting, shall register for the Meeting by giving a prior notice of participation to the Company no later than 19 March 2020 at 4:00 p.m. Finnish time. The notice can be given in either of the following ways: Electronically through Internet, at www.orion.fi/en By telephone to +358 20 770 6906 (MondayFriday 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.) By letter to Orion Corporation, Treasury, P.O.Box 65, FI-02101 Espoo, Finland. In the registration, a shareholder shall notify his/her name, personal identification code or the company code, address, phone number and the name and the personal identification of a possible assistant or proxy representative. The personal registering details submitted to Orion Corporation will only be used in connection with the Annual General Meeting and necessary registrations relating to it. A shareholder, his/her representative or proxy representative shall, on demand, be able to prove their identity and/or right to representation at the venue. 2. Holders of nominee-registered shares A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting on the basis of those shares as would entitle him/her to be registered in the shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, 13 March 2020. Additionally, the holder of those shares is requested to be temporarily entered in the shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd no later than 20 March 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Finnish time. For nominee registered shares, this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting. A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request early enough the necessary instructions concerning the temporary registration in the Companys register of shareholders, the issuing of proxy documents and the registration for the Annual General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The holder of nominee registered shares who aims to participate in the Annual General Meeting, must be temporarily entered by the account operator of the custodian bank in the Companys register of shareholders no later than the above-mentioned time. 3. Proxy representation and powers of attorney A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the Meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative shall present a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the Meeting. If a shareholder attends the Meeting by way of several proxy holders representing the shareholder with shares entered in different security accounts, the shares represented by each proxy holder must be identified when registering for the Annual General Meeting. Possible proxies are requested to be delivered to Orion Corporation, Treasury, P.O.Box 65, FI-02101 Espoo, Finland, or to the e-mail address treasury@orion.fi before the end of the registration period. 4. Other information Pursuant to chapter 5, section 25 of the Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to request information on the matters dealt with at the Meeting. On 5 February 2020, the date of the Notice to the Annual General Meeting, the total number of shares in Orion Corporation is 141,257,828, of which 36,107,240 are Class A shares and 105,150,588 Class B shares. The total number of votes is 827,295,388, of which Class A shares account for 722,144,800 votes and Class B shares for 105,150,588 votes. Espoo, 5 February 2020 Orion Corporation Board of Directors Orion Corporation Timo Lappalainen President and CEO Olli Huotari SVP, Corporate Functions Contact person: Timo Lappalainen, President and CEO, phone +358 10 426 3692 Olli Huotari, Senior VP, Corporate Functions, Secretary of the Board of Directors, phone +358 50 966 3054 Publisher: Orion Corporation http://www.orion.fi/en http://www.twitter.com/OrionCorpIR Orion is a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company a builder of well-being. Orion develops, manufactures and markets human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company is continuously developing new drugs and treatment methods. The core therapy areas of Orion's pharmaceutical R&D are central nervous system (CNS) disorders, oncology, Finnish heritage rare diseases and respiratory diseases for which Orion develops inhaled Easyhaler pulmonary drugs. Orion's net sales in 2019 amounted to EUR 1,051 million and the company had about 3,300 employees at the end of the year. Orion's A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Attachment CLAY, N.Y. -- Hinerwadels Grove, the Central New York landmark that hosted clambakes for more than a century until its closing in 2018, is up for sale. The 29-acre property at 5300 W. Taft Road, Clay is listed by JF Real Estate for sale for $3.4 million. John Hinerwadel Sr., a postal carrier, started Hinerwadels when he bought 34 acres on West Taft Road near Route 11 in 1914. He farmed part of it and used the rest of it to host clambakes, bringing in clams packed with ice in wooden barrels on trains from the Chesapeake Bay. Over the decades, Hinerwadels became a favorite location for politicians, unions, businesses and others to hold their summer clambakes and fundraisers. Governors, senators, mayors and state lawmakers often attended or held events there. But in October 2018, Vicky Hinerwadel, the founders great-granddaughter, announced on Facebook that she had been battling cancer for more than two years and was closing the clambake business due to her health at the end of its 104th season. Unfortunately, there is no 5th generation to carry on the tradition of our clambakes, she said. She died Jan. 20. The front of the Hinerwadel property along West Taft Road contains 10 acres of land zoned for commercial use and includes the restaurant infrastructure of the clambake facility with a full commercial kitchen. The rear of the property consists of 19 acres of undeveloped land zoned for single-family residential development. Martin McDermott, a salesperson with JF Real Estate, said the property has drawn strong interest from potential buyers because it contains almost 30 acres of developable land in the North Syracuse area. McDermott said it is highly unlikely that any buyer would try to resurrect the clambake business, given how seasonal it was. The mostly likely use of the site would be a residential development in the rear of the property and a new commercial development in front, he said. The commercially zoned land makes it particularly attractive to developers. According to the sales listing, 53,134 cars per day pass by the property. The Hinerwadel family continues to package its signature salt potatoes on the property and sell them in local stores. It is likely that operation would have to move if the property is redeveloped, McDermott said. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Have a question or news tip? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Drones are unmanned combat aerial vehicles that carry ordinances like missiles and bombs for deployment and strikes. Drones do not have an onboard pilot, and most are too small to allow that. Today, many countries across the world are harnessing drones to empower their military with a more sophisticated warfare technique. Learn about the countries leading the change in this article. A Brief History Of Drone Warfare The first mention of drones dates back to 1940 when Lee de Forest, an inventor, and engineer, presented an article on unmanned vehicles. The first tangible drone was assembled in 1973 by a Canadian Physicist and hobbyist John Stuart Foster who was able to make one that could stay airborne for 2hrs and could carry a 28-pound load. As it is with every significant invention, the military will always try to find ways of converting any useful technology into a weapon. It did not take long for the military to develop the technology into a lethal weapon that is now driving wars. Israel became the first country to utilize drones in combat in 1960 against Egypt. It was an unprecedented success that brought the world's attention to the new technology. The countries at the forefront of drone-led warfare include the following. Future Leaders In Drone Warfare United States Of America After witnessing what drones can do in the Israel-Egypt war, America immediately set in motion to further build and develop its drone technology. Now the US is at the top of the world as the most advanced country in drone technology. Every American service units employ the use of drones for precise strikes and communications relay. Some of the most successful drone strikes include the ones used against Iraq, Pakistan terrorists, the Al Qaeda in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and Afghanistan. The American drone stockpile is forecast to hit 1000 by the year 2028. China For a while now, China has tried to muscle itself to the top with varying degrees of success. Drone technology is one of the areas that China is trying to keep up with world leaders such as the USA. Massive investment in developing their drones has accelerated in the last decade in both state-funded defence enterprises and private contractors. The diversification has enabled Chinese military with so many options, which they are utilizing to counter terrorism within its borders. China is expected to have at least 68 heavy drones by 2028. China also is the leading manufacturer of drones in the world. Russia Russia lagged behind other military powerful nations to incorporate technology into their defences, and this changed in the early 2000s when they officially entered the golden age of drones. The Siberian region is a vast landmass that is hard to monitor and manage due to the extreme cold conditions. Drones have allowed Russia to accurately monitor the area as well as launch attacks against Ukrainian forces, although this is unconfirmed. Russia is projected to have at least 48 projects by 2028. India India is another populous country with a massive military. It has also been developing its long-range drone technology. In the 1990s, India used to source most of its drones from Israel, but they have been able to build their unmanned aerial vehicles locally. India currently has 100 drones in operation with another 54 planned to be added. Project Rostom is presently developing drones that travel at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour. Australia Australia unveiled a drone that was developed in secret by the Australian Air Force in collaboration with Boeing and the Australian Defense Department in a facility in Brisbane. The drone was the first locally-made drone, and it was the size of a traditional fighter jet. They have also been sourcing their standard drones from America, especially the on-demand MQ-9 Reaper. Australia plans to have 33 drones within the next decade. Egypt The country was among the first casualties of drone warfare, and it was only practical that Egypt also acquired drones to be on a level footing with adversaries in the volatile Middle East region. The Egyptian army sources its Chengdu Wing Loong drone from China which was unveiled in October 2019. The drones are mainly used to attack rebel militias in North Sinai. Egypt plans to increase its drones to 33. Turkey When Turkey unveiled its first drone prototype a decade ago, many people dismissed their efforts, but now their drone industry has grown so much that Turkey is exporting drones. Their most famous and highly sought Bayraktar TB2 drone has been used against Syrian Kurds against whom Turkey has been in a long-standing conflict. Turkey has almost 95 drones, with most of them locally developed. Others Other heavily militarized nations that have been developing their drones include Malaysia, which has about 26 drones, Indonesia with about 24, and Israel, which has 20 drones and plans to add more in the future. Israel is best known as a significant exporter of drones as it was the first nation to weaponize unmanned aerial vehicles. Benefits Of Using Drones Armed conflicts usually result in huge damages and death, and as technological advances continue to expand, militaries around the world continue to come up with lethal ways of dealing with their enemies. The most obvious advantage of using drones is that it eliminates personnel loss as pilot soldiers who used to fly to battlefronts are now able to fight remotely without exposing themselves. Another benefit is the cost when compared to fighter jets that were bigger and required a lot of fuel and maintenance, coupled with the risk of crashes and capture by enemies. Drones are much smaller and can utilize solar energy on the go. Due to their smaller size and low noise, drones are good for reconnaissance missions as they can go unnoticed, and their superior data collecting abilities make them a cost-effective option. Without the need of human pilots, drones can operate for longer hours without any disruption, and controls can also be switched between personnel without the need for stopping the drone. Finally, the most crucial reason why drones are much better than fighter jets, is that their accuracy is unmatched. They collect precise data which leaves almost no room for mistakes once a strike is launched. They can pinpoint targets from long distance without being noticed. Downsides Of Using Drones Drone strikes have massive civilian casualties since no warning is ever issued before an attack, and neither can people hear them coming from a distance away. It is rare to find survivors after a drone strike. Drones have also reduced ethical decisions that are the pillars of humanity during conflicts. They have made warfare too easy, and once drones go fully autonomous, then decisions will be made by machines and not humans. Drones can also be hacked and taken over by the enemy, which makes them counter-productive in such situations. The current drones also have minimal abilities when faced with extreme weather conditions, and mechanical failure is never far away once they are faced with circumstances like extreme heat or extreme cold. Finally, the cost of developing, operating, and maintaining a drone is high. In the US, for instance, the MQ-1 program was designed at the cost of $2.38b, and it took 24 years. A single unit of an MQ-1 drone costs $4.03m. Add the cost of training pilots, engineers, and maintenance, and you are looking at huge budgets, and this is the main reason why few countries have operational drone programs. YEREVAN, 5 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 5 February, USD exchange rate is down by 0.08 drams to 478.72 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 1.52 drams to 527.79 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.07 drams to 7.64 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.29 drams to 625.40 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price is down by 256.47 drams to 23984.88 drams. Silver price is down by 0.66 drams to 272.89 drams. Platinum price is down by 33.27 drams to 14837.12 drams. Many countries have banned the entry of Chinese nationals. Many have even cancelled visa on arrival for tourists amidst coronavirus scare. Thorough checks and examinations of people who have flown from China to any other place in the world are being made so that the situation can be contained. But one Chinese student may have put the lives of thousands of people in Australia at risk. EPA Daily Mail reports that a Chinese student snuck into Australia and bragged about how he flouted the coronavirus travel ban. He lied to immigration officials that he arrived from Hong Kong when he actually travelled to Sydney from mainland China and he boasted about it on texts. Australian government too passed measures barring passengers who have left or passed through mainland China from entering Australia. Reuters There are already 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia. The students name is reportedly Xiao K. He began his journey in China, changed planes in Hong Kong, then arrived in Brisbane. He revealed that he lied on his yellow incoming passenger card and bragged that he quickly crossed out 'China' as his place of departure and wrote 'Hong Kong' instead. The passenger claimed that he was not aware of the ban when he first boarded a plane at an unknown Chinese airport. Daily Mail But then before going through immigration in Australia, he exploited an airport loophole to change his arrival card. People arriving from China, are required to self-isolate for 14 days after they leave the country, but this student did not do that, potentially putting thousands of people at risk. The ban came on the same day as three cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Australia, taking the toll to 12. Deputy President William Ruto on Tuesday visited Kakamega Primary School in the aftermath of a tragic stampede that claimed the lives of 14 children. In his address, Ruto assured the affected families that the national government would foot the bill for the funeral of the pupils. He said this would be done in conjunction with the Kakamega County Government to give the children a worthy send-off. The DP also conveyed his condolences to the parents who lost their children on Monday evening. As a national government, and on behalf of all Kenyans, were here to stand with the people of Kakamega County, especially the parents who lost their children. We would like you to know that through this very difficult time, we are with you, he said. Adding: I have spoken to Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, the national and county governments will come together to ensure that whatever will be needed financially, and every other arrangement will be catered for jointly so as to ensure our children are given a worthy send-off. Dr Ruto further asked the parents to avail themselves as well as all the surviving children for counselling. I want to urge all parents that there will be doctors here, even if your child was not injured, many of them will still be affected in one way or the other including psychologically, so counselling is importantbecause these children have lost their schoolmates, classmates, deskmates and friends, he said. The DP also assured the parents that a commission of inquiry will be formed to probe the incident. Investigations are presently ongoing to enable us know what the problem was and where the loophole is so that we can make sure this tragedy does not happen again to this or any other school in Kenya. Losing 14 children is no joke. We are giving our security team the time to give us a full report so that so that we can ensure nothing that has happened in this school ever happens again, Ruto added. The DP also visited survivors who are recuperating at the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kakamega County. ADDIS ABABA, Feb.4 (Xinhua)--Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday inaugurated the Chinese built 254 Mega Watts (MW) Genale Dawa III hydro dam project. The Ethiopia Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, Seleshi Bekele and Ethiopia Minister of Innovation and Technology, Abraham Belay also attended the hydro dam inauguration ceremony. The hydro dam project built by the China Gezhouba Group Corporation cost around 451 million U.S. dollars with the majority of the money needed to finance the project sourced through loans from the China Export-Import Bank. Speaking to Xinhua, Moges Mekonen, Communication Director at Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP), said the 254 MW Genale Dawa III hydro dam is expected to fill a critical gap in Ethiopia's ongoing efforts to meet the energy needs of the country's estimated 110 million people. The 254 MW Genale Dawa III hydro project is located in southeastern Ethiopia, 630 kms southeast of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The energy sector is one of Ethiopia's priorities as the country envisages to become a light manufacturing hub in Africa and middle-income economy by 2025. Ethiopia recently unveiled a 10-year energy roadmap that aims to increase energy generation four-fold using various energy sources such as geothermal, hydro, wind, co-generation and solar power. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis unveiled a new pilot program with the state, Earthly Labs, Denver Beer Co. and The Clinic, aimed at reducing greenhouse gases through the use of local, recycled carbon dioxide. The program seems to be the first of its kind. How It Works CO2 produced in the fermentation process at Denver Beer Co. will be captured by innovative tech from Earthly Labs; then stored in tanks and released in the cannabis grow operation at The Clinic to create stronger, healthier plants. It's estimated that 100,000 to 150,000 pounds of CO2 will be recycled in one year. This is enough to save an estimated 1,500 trees based on emission reduction. The amount of CO2 captured at Denver Beer Co. is enough to serve all of The Clinics cannabis cultivation needs. Without this program, The Clinic would be using manufactured carbon dioxide shipped across the country on a truck, which has a much larger carbon footprint. This two-minute video outlines the program and process. Building sustainable business practices has always been a top priority at The Clinic, and we are proud to be part of such an innovative program, said Brian Cusworth, director of operations for The Clinic, a cannabis cultivator and dispensary chain. We know the country is watching Colorado to see how cultivators of legal marijuana address their environmental responsibilities to their customers, the community and the planet. Benzinga's Cannabis Capital Conference returns to Miami Feb. 24-25 with North America's largest B2B cannabis gathering, bringing together capital, cannabis executives, thought leaders and more! 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Lucknow The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved the allotment of five acres to the states Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque as ordered by the Supreme Court in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case on November 9 last year. The cabinet decision came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of the trust to build a temple at the disputed site, as required by the Supreme Court order. State government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said five acres were allotted to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Dhannipur village located in Sohawal tehsil, Ayodhya district. The land is located 18 km away from the district headquarters Faizabad, 200 metre away from the highway and has easy access. Its the best spot from the perspective of maintaining communal harmony as well as law and order, he said. A spokesperson of the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board said a meeting of the board would be held on February 24 to take a call on the offer. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulema-I- Hind, which represented the Muslim litigants in the court, have already rejected the offer. On November 9, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Hindu parties, and asked the government to create a trust to which the disputed 2.77 acres could be handed over for the construction of a Ram temple. It also ordered that five acres be given to the Muslim parties for building a mosque. Addressing a press conference after the state cabinet meeting, Sharma said the land has been allotted to the Waqf board in compliance with the Supreme Court order. The state government selected three spots for the mosque. The three alternatives were forwarded to the central government, which approved allocation of the land located in Dhannipur village on the Lucknow-Gorakhpur highway. The land is behind Raunahi police station and well connected with the highway, Sharma said. A state government officer, who asked not to be named, said the sadhus, saints and the mahants had demanded that the land for the mosque should be allotted outside the panchkosi parikarma -- the 15 km route that devotees take to pay their obeisance to Lord Ramin Ayodhya. Dhannipur is located 18 km from the district headquarters Faizabad. From Ayodhya, its distance is around 25 km, the officer added. Members of the Muslim and Hindu communities will not face any problem during festivities. There is a large chunk of vacant area near the five-acre land that can be used by religious congregations. The tehsil office and police station are also located near the spot, this officer said. The state government on December 9 , decided to expand the municipal limits of Ayodhya by including 41 villages.A second state government officer said the extra land was required for the construction of basic infrastructure and facilities in the temple town as the influx of pilgrims and tourists is expected to increase after the construction of the Ram temple. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In an ambitious new initiative, the Kenyan government is planning to assign each citizen a unique identification number that will be required to go to school, get health care and housing, register to vote, get married and obtain a drivers license, bank account and even a mobile phone number. In preparation, nearly 40 million Kenyans have already had their fingerprints and faces scanned by a new biometric system that ramped up last spring. Visaya Hoffie, 23, filed a petition at Manhattan Supreme Court seeking evidence from the day of her accident A Brisbane woman who had both legs amputated after a freak New York City subway accident plans to sue the city for negligence - claiming she was hit by two consecutive trains. Visaya Hoffie has filed a petition at Manhattan Supreme Court seeking video footage, photos and witness accounts from the night she fell onto the tracks of the 14 St PATH station last month. The 23-year-old suffered a broken back, several head wounds and severe cuts and bruises, in addition to losing both legs, after being run over by seven carriages. In an affidavit obtained by the New York Post, Miss Hoffie claims she was struck twice after being left on the tracks for an extended amount of time. 'After the first train left the station after running me over, I was left on the tracks for another considerable period of time until a second P.A.T.H. train came along and hit me again,' the document states. She also claimed the operator of the train should have been able to see her since she fell in a well-lit area of the tracks and was wearing bright-coloured clothing. Visaya Hoffie (left) wrote a heartfelt post on Instagram: 'Wearing the top that saved my life. Terribly missing my sister' Miss Hoffie, from Brisbane , is still recovering in intensive care Miss Hoffie went on to say she will be bed-ridden in hospital for the 'foreseeable future' as a result of the horrific accident. Earlier reports said the Australian-based artist avoided being hit by a second train due to her bright pink top that captured the conductor's attention. Her mother Pat Hoffie shared a photo of her daughter taken just moments before the incident wearing the shirt that she said spared her from being hit a second time. 'This image of her [Visaya] was taken hours before the accident,' she wrote in a Facebook post. 'The bright pink colour of her top is what alerted the engine driver of the second train to the fact that someone was lying across the track. 'When the first train had rolled across her unconscious body twenty minutes earlier, her black puffy jacket and black jeans had made her invisible to the driver. 'In the words of the investigating police, "it's a miracle she survived." Please pray that she continues to survive and to heal and to come home.' Miss Hoffie also took to Instagram last week to upload a photo of her outfit, captioned: 'Wearing the top that saved my life. Terribly missing my sister.' Miss Hoffie plans to launch legal action against the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), Port Authority, which oversees transportation, and the city of New York, once she builds her case. Information on the possible restoration of water supply in annexed Crimea is not true, said Anton Korynevych, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC). "In connection with the appearance of the latest speculation in the media regarding the possible restoration of water supply to Crimea and the related "visit of the commission from Kyiv," we note that this information is not true," Korynevych wrote on his Facebook page. He urged not to speculate at every step, to start doing real work and stop looking for treason everywhere. At the same time, Korynevych noted that on February 11-12, the parliamentary committee on human rights will travel to Kherson region to get acquainted with the issues of the occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. During the visit, it is also planned to visit the Kalanchak checkpoint. The Hilton group said Tuesday it will open a hotel under its newest luxury brand in Kyoto in autumn 2021, counting on a further upswell in lodging demand from tourists even after the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The timing of the planned opening for the first Asian hotel of LXR Hotels & Resorts might be a bit surprising as it will be launched more than a year after Japan hosts the worldas largest sporting event and the thousands of tourists it will attract from across the globe. But Feisal Jaffer, global head of LXR Hotels & Resorts, said in an interview last Friday in Tokyo that the Hilton group expects current inbound tourism to Japan to continue booming beyond the 2020 Olympics and that Kyoto needs more high-class luxury hotels. aThe 2020 Olympics is going to be a showcase for Japan around the world. We think this is great marketing,a Jaffer told The Japan Times. aWe donat think demand is going down after the Olympics. We think itas only going to increase.a The company is also betting on the 2025 Osaka Expo and a planned expansion of Kansai International Airport, a gateway to the Kansai region. The planned four-story hotel in Kyoto will feature 114 rooms at the foot of Mount Takagamine near Kinkakuji temple. It will be housed in Shozan Resort Kyoto, a sprawling estate that already has restaurants and a wedding facility. Hilton hopes to scoop up rising demand in Kyoto, where it believes there is still a shortage of high-end accommodations. The woman pulled from her Brisbane home as it went up in flames during the early hours of Wednesday has rallied in hospital, with her condition listed as stable. Police said the "suspicious" blaze at Chermside, on Brisbane's northside, broke out about 4.20am and emergency services found the Bundal Street house engulfed upon arrival at the scene. Paramedics resuscitated the female resident at the scene after flames engulfed the house. Credit:Nine News Queensland Neighbours saw someone inside the house as the fire took hold and firefighters pulled the 50-year-old female resident out. Paramedics resuscitated her at the scene before she was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition. A potentially disastrous security flaw has been found in WhatsApp, which allowed strangers to see a person's personal files. The exploit would have let someone see the information on a person's computer if they sent them a malicious link, security researchers said. The bug has since been fixed and is not thought to have been exploited. If someone was attacked by the bug, they would receive a link that may look legitimate, including the small preview that shows when someone sends a link on WhatsApp. But clicking it would have allowed the attacker to exploit a weakness in WhatsApp's Content Security Policy, which allowed users to send manipulated, malicious messages. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Once that happened, an attacker would have been able to gain access to the files stored on the person's computer. The issue affected people who use the desktop version of WhatsApp, which borrows from the mobile version of the app. Recommended WhatsApp dark mode finally arrives on Android The bug has been fixed in recent updates, and users have been warned to make sure that everything they are using to chat on WhatsApp the phone app, as well as the one being used on the desktop should be updated to avoid any issues. We regularly work with leading security researchers to stay ahead of potential threats to our users," a WhatsApp spokesperson said. "In this case, we fixed an issue that in theory could have impacted iPhone users that clicked on a malicious link while using WhatsApp on their desktop. "The bug was promptly fixed and has been applied since mid December. I assume you plan to follow up and make contact with this childs mother. I hope you do. This is a no-brainer. There is no need for you to try to explain your sons behavior to the mother of the child or discuss this further with your son until you are ready. You are both adults, and you both have the right to engage in whatever relationships you want. He may eventually acknowledge the child and come around in some minimal ways, but, as the son of a father who abandoned him and disappeared from his own life, he might not ever step up. WASHINGTON - A teenage girl with no hint of prior asthma or respiratory illness began to feel hoarseness in her throat and a feeling that she needed to clear her throat frequently. Within a few weeks, her hoarseness and throat-clearing worsened with early morning voice loss and feeling as if food were lodged in her throat. She started having trouble swallowing and began to avoid food all together. Her pediatrician prescribed loratadine for suspected allergies to no avail. Days later, an urgent care center prescribed a three-day course of prednisone. For a few days, she felt a little better, but went back to feeling like she was breathing "through a straw." After going to an emergency room with acute respiratory distress and severe difficulty swallowing, staff tried intravenous dexamethasone, ampicillin/sulbactam, and inhaled racemic epinephrine and arranged for transfer. When she arrived at Children's National Hospital, a multidisciplinary team continued the detective work with additional testing, imaging and bloodwork. Examining her throat confirmed moderate swelling and a partially obstructed airway draped with thick chartreuse-colored mucus. The teen had no history of an autoimmune disorder, no international travel and no exposure to animals. She had no fever and had received all her scheduled immunizations. "With epiglottitis - an inflammation of the flap found at the base of the tongue that prevents food from entering the trachea - our first concern is that an underlying infection is to blame," says Michael Jason Bozzella, D.O., MS, a third-year infectious diseases fellow and lead author of the case report published Feb. 5, 2020, in Pediatrics. "We tested her specimens in a number of ways for a host of respiratory pathogens, including human rhino/enterovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, Epstein-Barr virus, Streptococcus and more. All negative. We also looked for more atypical infections with bacteria, like Arcanobacterium, Mycoplasma and Gonorrhea. Those were all negative as well," Dr. Bozzella adds. She slowly improved during a seven-day initial hospital stay, though soon returned for another six-day hospital stay after it again became excruciatingly painful for her to swallow. Every throat culture and biopsy result showed no evidence of fungal, bacterial or viral infection, acid-fast bacilli or other malignancy. But in speaking with doctors, the teen had admitted to using candy-and fruit-flavored e-cigarettes three to five times with her friends over the two months preceding her symptoms. The last time she vaped was two weeks before her unusual symptoms began. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,668 people in the U.S. have been hospitalized for e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, as of Jan. 14, 2020. The Children's National case report's authors say the increasing use of vaping products by teenagers highlights the potential for unknown health risks to continue to grow. "This teenager's use of e-cigarettes is the most plausible reason for this subacute epiglottitis diagnosis, a condition that can become life-threatening," says Kathleen Ferrer, M.D., a hospitalist at Children's National and the case report's senior author. "This unusual case adds to a growing list of toxic effects attributable to vaping. While we normally investigate infectious triggers, like Streptococci, Staphylococci and Haemophilus, we and other health care providers should also consider e-cigarettes as we evaluate oro-respiratory complaints." ### In addition to Drs. Bozzella and Ferrer, Children's National case report co-authors include Matthew Allen Magyar, M.D., a hospitalist; and Roberta L. DeBiasi, M.D., MS, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. SC asks Kerala to suggest measures to safeguard ornaments of Sabarimala temple India pti-PTI New Delhi, Feb 05: Taking serious note of internal bickering and litigations in the Pandalam Royal family, which is the custodian of sacred ornaments of Sabaraimala temple, the Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Kerala government to suggest measures to safeguard the jewellery. The top court said the jewellery does not belong to any family but to Lord Ayyappa and it may appoint a responsible person for the custody of ornaments till the disputes are resolved. A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari asked senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Kerala government, to take instructions with regard to safeguarding the ornaments and listed the matter on February 7. "There is fighting going on and there is so much of litigation. What will happen if something goes wrong with the ornaments? These ornaments belong to Lord Ayyappa, which was given to him long back. Now there is a dispute in the family. Why not we should allow the ornaments to be kept in the safe custody of a responsible person," the bench said. It asked Gupta as to what does he think about giving the ornaments to a responsible person, who keeps them in safe custody. Gupta said that as the voices are being raised from within the family, the state can take a decision in this regard but at present he does not have any instructions. Raja Raja Varma, a member of Pandalam Royal family, has moved an application for impleadment in the pending matter and sought direction for handing over of the keys of strong room, where jewels are kept in custody of secretary of association 'Pandalam Kottara Nirvahaka Sangham', to senior members of the family. Varma has claimed that he has apprehension that President, treasurer and secretary of the association may do something wrong or misappropriate the sacred jewels. In his application, he said a legal notice was issued by him on January 3, to the secretary of the association as there was alleged mismanagement, maladministration and embezzlement of funds. Senior advocate K Radhakrishnan, appearing for Varma, said ornaments are in the hands of Pandalam Royal Family and are kept in the Palace and they are taken out once a year for Lord Ayyappa. The bench said, "The question is why should we allow the ornaments to be kept in the custody of a private individual. We should entrust it to some responsible person". It said an inventory of the ornaments should be prepared and they be kept in safe custody. The bench asked Radhakrishnan as to who has the keys of strong room where the ornaments are kept, to which he replied that secretary of the association has it. "You yourself have made allegation against the secretary, then why not we order the ornaments to be taken out and kept some where else," the top court said. Radhakrishnan claimed that the president, treasurer and secretary belong to a different sect of the Royal family and there is a strong move on their part to misappropriate the jewellery. He said that this move is very unfortunate and is causing great agony and pain to other senior members of Pandalam family. The bench asked Kerala government to apprise about the ground situation and whether there is any chance of any mischief with regard to the ornaments of Lord Ayyappa. At the outset, Kerala government sought some time to draft a separate law regarding the administration of the historic Sabarimala temple. The top court had on November 20 last year asked the Kerala government to come out with an exclusive legislation regarding the administration of the temple. It had asked the state government to place before it by third week of January next year the legislation, also covering the aspects of welfare of pilgrims visiting there. The state had earlier said it has formulated amendments to the law that would deal with the temples and their administrations which are presently being governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board. The draft law also proposes to give one-third representation to women in the temple advisory committee, the counsel said. Selma Moore, 101, Mandan, died Feb. 3, 2020, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at First Presbyterian Church, Mandan, with Rev. Deanna Reikow officiating. Burial will follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan and will continue one hour prior to service at the church. Selma was born Oct. 8, 1918, in New Salem, the daughter of John and Louise (Treude) Seeger. She grew up and received her early education in the New Salem area. Selma received her standard degree from the Dickinson Teachers College in 1941 and was awarded her B.S. degree from UND Ellendale Teachers College in 1963 with a major in elementary and minors in business education and English. She taught school for over 37 years. On Jan. 14, 1944, she married Lt. Leonard Moore at Trinity Lutheran Church in Riverside, Calif. Selma was active in church, teaching Sunday school classes and working with youth organizations. She was involved with Cub and Brownie scouting organizations as well as the Ladies Auxiliary and Retired Teacher's organizations. After retiring from teaching, her interest in helping children continued. She received a special volunteer plaque for her dedicated service at the Charles Hall youth program. She continued helping children in the summers at the Mandan Library. Lastly, volunteering by calling for Senior Citizens Golden Age activities. She looked forward to the inspiration of Christian Women's programs which she attended monthly. Left to share her memory is her son, Raleigh (Janice) Moore, Mandan; granddaughter, Teresa (Jeff) Swank, Mandan; grandson, Adam (Ari) Ehlis, Mandan; and great-grandson, Bridger Swank. She is also survived by sisters-in-law, Iris Seeger and Lavern Roth; as well as many nieces and nephews. Selma was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Leonard, sisters, Ida Gappert and Elaine Repnow; brothers, Erwin and Ewald Seeger; brother-in-law, Milton Repnow. Memorials are preferred to the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Charles Hall Youth Services, or Central Dakota Humane Society. Joining the bandwagon of actors who have taken a stand on the ongoing debate around Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), megastar Rajinikanth recently said that CAA is not against Muslims and that they will not be affected by it. "CAA is not against Muslims. Muslims will not be affected. If it affects them, I will come out and lead the protests," he said. "During partition some Muslims went to Pakistan but many Muslims stayed back calling this as their land. How can they be sent back? I will be the first to raise voice if harm falls their way. Some political parties are doing it for their own benefit." BCCL Responding to this, Congress parliamentarian Karti Chidambaram slammed him and said that he should not pretend about forming a new party and instead join BJP itself. "As expected parrots the script written by his puppeteers BJP," he said. No reason for @rajinikanth to pretend that he is going to form a new political party, might as well join the @BJP4India and spare us the charade. Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) February 5, 2020 While most people criticised his statement, there were some others who supported him as well. Exposed, good , he has shown his true colors. Dr. Zia Ahmed (@ziaahmedkhan) February 5, 2020 Atlast he's a hindu..... Muhammad yousaf (@myousafazan) February 5, 2020 Dear protestors, Now, even the great RAJNIKANT is stating that the #CAA is not against the MUSLIMS. They won't be affected by it. They are being misled. At least, now remove all your "insecurities & fears", withdraw your protests and accept the #CAA.#RajiniWithIndianMuslims The sensible Indian ( ) (@BolBawaBol) February 5, 2020 Well said sir. Rajinikanth is losing his popularity in Tamilnadu because of his sanghi views. People has identified his true colour will reject him straight away if he starts political party. Sathish (@tamizhansathis) February 5, 2020 He should have just continued to keep silent. Bhavani Janakiram (@bhowanijunction) February 5, 2020 How much money has he taken from BJP? Irfan Ali (@IrfanTweetChat) February 5, 2020 One of the best explanation in recent time.. Honest reply @rajinikanth sir #RajiniWithIndianMuslims pic.twitter.com/TxIa61mSuK Sabari Nathan (@asabarinathan) February 5, 2020 Rajinikanth urged the students to get detailed information before joining any protest as any police first information report (FIR) registered against them will spoil their future. He also told the students that if they don't do proper research, then the political parties will use them. When queried about the Sri Lankan refugees, Rajinikanth said they should be given dual citizenship. According to him, National Population Register (NPR) is very essential as it tells who are the foreignors and who are the Indians.Rajinikanth also said that he has not done any illegal business and is a prompt and honest tax payer. Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg appears at a campaign rally at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday night. Read more With a swath of Democratic presidential candidates consumed Tuesday with the confusing outcome of the Iowa caucuses, Michael Bloomberg came to Philadelphia to argue that hes the only one who can beat President Donald Trump. I got into this race 10 weeks ago because I was deeply concerned Donald Trump was on track to win the election, Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York mayor, told a large crowd of supporters Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center. His campaign estimated the crowd at close to 2,000 people. We have an angry, out of control, lawless president dividing the American people and abusing his office," Bloomberg said on the eve of Trumps expected acquittal in his impeachment trial. Well, Im running to bring America back together and start getting things done. Bloomberg spoke as results from Mondays Iowa Democratic caucuses remained uncertain after a breakdown in the partys vote counting and reporting. He said the partial results released Tuesday afternoon, 20 hours late, showed the need for a candidate who can both unite the broad spectrum of the Democratic Party and go toe to toe with Trump. The Republican turned independent turned Democrat decided at the outset of his campaign to forgo the early-voting contests. Hes focusing instead on the Super Tuesday states that vote on March 3, as well as states like Pennsylvania that vote in April. On Tuesday, he looked wise, lucky, or both after Iowa Democrats were unable to fully report caucus results. That false start dampened the significance of what is typically a key momentum-building moment in the presidential nominating process. It means under-performers could dodge bad news, the victor will enjoy less of a spotlight, and Bloomberg didnt miss much by not being there. Returns Tuesday from about two-thirds of the caucuses showed former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as the leaders, with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden well behind them. The New Hampshire primary is next Tuesday. After the rally, Bloomberg said hes always taken issue with Iowa and New Hampshire having outsize roles, given the relative lack of diversity in both states. It is not fair to this country as its composition has changed, and wed be better off with bigger states" like Pennsylvania, he said, while acknowledging how expensive it is to compete in larger states. Thats an issue Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, doesnt have. On Tuesday night, Bloomberg rented the entire Constitution Center and spoke from an elevated lectern in the center of the lobby to supporters surrounding him on the floor and on the upper level. The campaign spared no expense, with catered food, wine, a DJ, and lighting design cast onto the ceiling. Signs reading Philadelphia Will Get It Done a play on his Mike Will Get It Done TV ads and PA Likes Mike were hung around the grand hall. Addressing his wealth, which exceeds Trumps many times over, Bloomberg said: People ask me, Do you really want a general election between two New York billionaires? To which I say, Whos the other one? Former Mayor Michael Nutter, Bloombergs national political campaign chair, introduced Bloomberg following a speech by former Eagles linebacker Dhani Jones, who called Bloomberg Americas linebacker. While Pennsylvanias primary isnt until April 28, with so many candidates still running and a muddled outcome in Iowa, Bloombergs hope is that the early states will provide more confusion than clarity. That would allow him to rack up delegates on Super Tuesday, when 16 states and territories hold votes. He has spent more than $250 million blanketing later-voting states with TV ads. That includes more than $12 million spent so far on television and radio advertising across Pennsylvanias six media markets, according to the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics an unprecedented level of spending this early in the race. He is spending an average of more than $1 million a week on the airwaves in Pennsylvania. The deluge appears to be having an effect. A Franklin and Marshall College poll released last week showed Bloomberg, who launched his campaign less than three months ago, in fourth place in the state, with the support of 7% of registered Democrats. That put him ahead of both Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Buttigieg, who have been campaigning for more than a year. Hes enjoyed similar polling rises in other states where hes on TV, drawing the attention and ire of Trump. Bloomberg and Trump aired dueling ads during the Super Bowl, and Trump has taken to dismissing his fellow New Yorker on Twitter as Mini Mike. READ MORE: Think the 2020 Pennsylvania primary wont matter? Think again. Bloomberg has also been on a hiring spree in Pennsylvania, quickly building an almost 100-person field staff. He has a Philadelphia office in Old City, as well as offices in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. By next week, offices will open in Bucks County, West Chester, Ardmore, Media, and Greensburg. No Democratic candidate has campaign infrastructure on that scale. Al Barnes, a West Philadelphia resident, said he was impressed with Bloomberg and would likely vote for him. He just makes sense, Barnes said. Jordan Zucker, a senior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, was less convinced. I think Bloomberg realistically is the one that could beat Trump," Zucker said. "Im just concerned his appeal for youth voters, black voters, Hispanic voters is not going to be enough to push him forward. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to confer the status of Institution of National Importance (INI) to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). The Five IIITs in PPP mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur will now be able to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) or Master of Technology (MTech) or PhD degree. The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020. "The bill will declare the remaining 5 IIITs-PPP along with the existing 15 IIITs in PPP mode as 'Institutions of National Importance' with powers to award degrees. This will entitle them to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) or Master of Technology (MTech) or PhD degree as issued by a university or institution of National Importance," an official statement said. It will also enable the institutes to attract enough students required to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology," it added. The cabinet also approved ex-post facto to 21 posts of directors, one each in 20 IIITs (PPP) and one in IIITDM Kurnool (IIIT-CFTI) besides ex-post facto to 21 posts of registrars, one each in 20 IITs (PPP) and one in IIITDM Kurnool (IIT-CFTI). "The objective of the approval is for formalisation of IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur. These IIITs are already functioning as societies registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. They will now be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, similar to the other 15 IIITs established under the scheme in PPP mode," the statement said. "IIITDM Kurnool has been established as per the IIIT Act, 2014 and is functioning with the other 4 IIITs namely IIIT Allahabad, IIITM Gwalior, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIITDM Kancheepuram. The post of Director and Registrar in these IIITs are already existing and the present proposal merely formalises them without any additional financial outgo," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A disgraced detective who told an undercover officer that he wanted to rape an 11-year-old girl because he was 'into young' has been spared jail. Former Detective Inspector Dominic O'Brien, 52, had resigned from Sussex Police in 2006 over similarly explicit exchanges sent to the widow and 15-year-old daughter of a crime victim. Lewes Crown Court heard O'Brien was snared in 2017 by an undercover officer in an online chatroom who was purporting to be the mother of a young girl. Prosecutor Richard Barton said: 'He said his name was Dom. She said she was a 32-year-old woman with 11-year-old daughter. He said he was "into young." 'In the typed conversation with the operative he said he would "do both of you". He asked if the 11-year-old had any friends and if she was a virgin. 'There was a sexual, explicit conversation about what he wished to do to the 11-year-old.' O'Brien was traced by his computer IP address and arrested in December 2017. Former Detective Inspector Dominic O'Brien, 52, had resigned from Sussex Police in 2006 over similarly explicit exchanges with a 15-year-old girl and her mother In a prepared statement to police, O'Brien said he never had any intention of committing a sexual offence. Mr Barton described an 'aggravating feature' of O'Brien's conduct was his suspension from Sussex Police in 2003 after coming into contact with the mother and 15-year-old daughter of a crime victim. The senior officer bombarded the schoolgirl with messages and later confessed the sexual fantasies to her mother after warning the girl not to tell her about him. He resigned from Sussex Police in 2006 after his text messages were revealed. On Tuesday, Judge Mark Van Der Zwart gave O'Brien a six month jail sentence suspended for 18 months for his online contact with the police operative in 2017. The judge said: 'You pleaded guilty to attempting to publish an obscene article about the sexual abuse of an 11 year old girl. You asked to chat in private online rooms. That person was in fact a police officer. 'You told her you wanted to meet her and her daughter and precisely how the mother should assist you in how to rape the child. This was not pure fantasy to begin with. 'Anyone who discusses with another person about raping a small child and accepts it was not a fantasy at the beginning commits a serious crime.' O'Brien was also ordered to to 200 hours community work, 20 rehabilitation days and pay a victim surcharge and 450 costs. O'Brien, of Steyning, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to attempting to publish an obscene article on August 30, 2017. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 15:21 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b9c1c 1 World China-Indonesia,Trade-Minister-Agus-Suparmanto,live-animal,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,coronavirus Free In response to Beijings displeasure toward Jakartas decision to impose restrictions on importing goods from China, the government of Indonesia has clarified that they would only apply to live animals. We would like to thank the Chinese government for its feedback, although we have to clarify that we only prohibited trade involving live animals, presidential spokesman M. Fadjroel Rachman said in a statement on Wednesday. Read also: 'Don't overreact': Chinese envoy responds to Indonesia's travel ban amid virus fears Fadjroel also explained that Indonesia follows in several other countries footsteps in imposing a temporary ban on the live animal trade to and from mainland China. Previously, Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto stated that Indonesia would halt imports of live animals from China, adding the government was considering the possibility of banning imports of other goods from the country as well. We will obviously stop live animal imports from China and are still considering banning other products, Agus said on Monday. This statement drew criticism from Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian, who asked Indonesia to remain calm. In this situation, we need to be calm. Dont overreact and cause a negative impact on investments and the economy, Qian said, citing the World Health Organizations recommendation for other countries to refrain from restricting travel or trade with China. Responding to Qians statement, Fadjroel said he did not agree that Indonesia was overreacting in this case. Other countries also did the same as our government. We will keep it that way until WHO revokes certain bans related to coronavirus outbreak prevention, he said. PHOENIX, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, the premier learn-to-swim franchise concept, has announced rapid expansion plans for Arizona with goals to bring 10 locations to the state over the next several years, specifically targeting the greater Phoenix area. Arizona's first Goldfish Swim School is slated to debut in Scottsdale this June. Kickstarting franchise development is local entrepreneur Sherry Scott. The longtime resident of the Scottsdale community is bringing the first Goldfish Swim School to the state and is scheduled to open its doors this June. The swim school is situated at Scottsdale 101 Shopping Center (7000 E. Mayo Blvd). Community members are encouraged to sign their kids up for lessons during the pre-sale period beginning this April. Goldfish Swim School-North Scottsdale may be reached at 480-687-8710 or at www.GoldfishSwimSchool.com. Additionally, Sherry and her husband are owners of four pediatric dental offices throughout Phoenix and San Antonio. Together, they are passionate about giving back to the community and helping to improve the lives of children. "Instilling confidence in children is such a rewarding experience and we are grateful to have the opportunity to bring such an incredible and necessary business, like Goldfish Swim School, to the Scottsdale community," said Sherry Scott. "Swimming is a lifesaving skill every child deserves to have access to and Goldfish Swim School has found a way to make it fun and memorable for children." Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years, teaching more than 138,000 children each week how to be safer in and around the water. Each school offers swim lessons and programs using a proprietary philosophy, The Science of SwimPlay, to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment. Each school's number one focus and main priority is always the same educating children on water safety while teaching them how to swim and respect the water. The brand's commitment to innovation and keeping a keen eye on the ever-changing landscape of the space, has been a key factor of its success. With 100 locations open and operating across North America and an additional 129 in development, Goldfish Swim School is continuing its rapid franchise development through 2020 with eyes on Arizona. The state is home to large, metropolitan areas where swim safety is critically important. With such a large population of children and parents, on top of the ideal climate for pools, the greater Phoenix region proves to be an ideal target market for franchise expansion. "The positive business climate and community-focused neighborhoods directly align with the supportive atmosphere of our schools making the region an ideal expansion market for Goldfish Swim School," said Dan Israel, Vice President of Franchising at Goldfish Swim School. "We are searching for local entrepreneurs who share our passion for water safety and community engagement. As we continue to grow, it's more important than ever we partner with franchisees who believe in our mission and vision." The successful growth achieved by the brand has been touted in the franchise space, with two recent award wins. Goldfish Swim School ranked in the top 10 on Franchise Times' top forty Fast & Serious List. The annual ranking is calculated based on a proprietary 10-point formula to narrow down the smartest-growing franchise brands based on franchise sales, unit growth and more. Additionally, Goldfish Swim School ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, making it one of the most competitive rankings. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500 ranks Goldfish Swim School at No. 28, and first in the Swimming Lessons Category. The company is seeking qualified and engaged individuals who are involved with their community, have a passion for water safety, and are hungry to dive into the world of franchising. Today, with over 100 locations open and 129 in development across 35 states, the brand is on track for strategic franchise expansion. For more information on Goldfish Swim School and its franchise opportunity, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/franchise-opportunities/ or call 248-801-1850. About Goldfish Swim School Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay. Goldfish currently teaches more than 138,000 students per week to swim and be safer in and around the water. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. Recently, the brand was recognized by Entrepreneur in its 2020 Franchise 500 ranking, Franchise Times' 2020 Fast & Serious List, and Inc. Magazine's 2019 Top 5000. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with 100 schools open, and an additional 100+ in development in more than 35 states and Canada. Media Contact: Kelly McNamara, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300, [email protected] SOURCE Goldfish Swim School Related Links https://www.goldfishswimschool.com English French A complete range of emission-free traction drives Alstom signs first contract for battery-electric regional trains in Germany 5 February 2020 Alstom will manufacture, deliver and maintain until 2032 eleven Coradia Continental battery-electric trains for regional traffic on the Leipzig-Chemnitz route on behalf of VMS (Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen) and with the support of ZVNL (Zweckverband fur den Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig), the two authorities responsible for this line. The contract is worth approximately 100 million. Following this order, Alstom offers all types of traction systems on the market as well as the full range of emission-free drives, from efficient electric motors to hydrogen fuel cells and advanced battery traction. In 2014, Alstom had previously signed a contract with VMS for the delivery of 29 Coradia Continental electric regional trains (EMU). In order to bridge the 80 kilometres of non-electrified line between the cities of Chemnitz and Leipzig, the authority requested a battery-electric version (BEMU). The new trains will enter service in 2023. They will be built at Alstom's German site of Salzgitter, in Lower Saxony. The battery traction sub-system is designed and supplied by Alstoms traction centre of excellence in Tarbes. We are immensely proud to be providing the responsible authorities with a sustainable and perfectly-suited solution. Today, Alstom stands apart in being able to offer any form of emission-free traction currently on the market built into a proven solution. As a responsible company, Alstom has an intense focus on sustainable mobility, offering the best-fitting solutions that make it not only possible, but also cost-effective and attractive, says Gian Luca Erbacci, Senior Vice President of Alstom Europe. The Coradia Continental BEMU trains will be similar to those already in service on the Dresden, Riesa and Zwickau routes. The main difference: they will also have high-performance batteries on the roof. The train, based on the proven Coradia Continental, builds on Alstoms long experience in battery traction, gained with the Coradia iLint, Citadis trams and the Prima H3 locomotive. The Coradia Continental BEMU has a range of up to 120 kilometres and can be operated under catenary as well as on non-electrified sections. The three-car-trains will be 56 metres long and equipped with 150 seats. They will have a top speed of 160 km/h in battery mode. The capacity of the batteries (high-power lithium-ion) is calculated to ensure catenary-free operation of the line Chemnitz-Leipzig without any sacrifice in performance or comfort. Alstoms Coradia range allows operators and transport authorities to offer their passengers regional trains that meet their needs and expectations, while demonstrating exemplary reliability and cost-effectiveness. Alstom has tailored the Coradia range to operate with all available emission-free power systems, from electric to battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cells. The latter, the Coradia iLint, powered by fuel cells and offering performance comparable to a diesel train while emitting nothing but water, has been in passenger service in Germany for over a year. About Alstom Leading the way to greener and smarter mobility worldwide, Alstom develops and markets integrated systems that provide the sustainable foundations for the future of transportation. Alstom offers a complete range of equipment and services, from high-speed trains, metros, trams and e-buses to integrated systems, customised services, infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions. Alstom recorded sales of 8.1 billion and booked orders of 12.1 billion in the 2018/19 fiscal year. Headquartered in France, Alstom is present in over 60 countries and employs 36,300 people. Contacts Press: Samuel MILLER - Tel.: +33 (1) 57 06 67 74 Samuel.miller@alstomgroup.com Coralie COLLET - Tel.: +33 (1) 57 06 18 81 coralie.collet@alstomgroup.com Investor relations: Julie MOREL - Tel.: +33 (6) 67 61 88 58 Julie.morel@alstomgroup.com Claire LEPELLETIER Tel.: +33 (6) 76 64 33 06 claire.lepelletier@alstomgroup.com Attachment Texas native Wesley Batterton enjoys giving back in his spare time to strengthen his local community and create lasting bonds between individuals throughout the state; A regular volunteer with Texas 4-H, Batterton explains below the strong impact the organization has on children and communities everywhere0 MONTGOMERY, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Wesley Batterton was born in Houston, TX and attended Waller High School where he was an active member of the FFA raising show cattle. He attended the Stephen F. Austin State University, majoring in Business, and has served as a Sales Manager at a national MRO supply company in the multifamily industry. In his spare time, he volunteers with Texas 4H, which is America's largest youth development organization. Today, 4-H reaches nearly six million young people across the country and empowers them with lifelong skills through the help of volunteers like Batterton. "At 4-H, volunteers don't just teach the kids to grow and develop new friendships in their community, they also teach them leadership skills to last a lifetime," says Wesley Batterton. Collectively, the volunteers behind 4-H have spent over a century assisting young people who come from diverse backgrounds express their voice, develop leadership skills, and make a difference in the lives of neighbors in their communities. The organization is delivered by Cooperative Extension, which consists of more than 100 public universities across the country that together provide growing experiences for kids of all ages. Within the program, kids begin to learn about and take on critical societal issues like addressing community health inequities, engaging in civil discourse and advocating for equity and inclusion for everyone. "Kids in the 4-H program get early exposure to major topics affecting communities throughout the nation, which empowers their critical thinking skills and helps them develop an understanding of what it takes to be a leader and enact real change," says Wesley Batterton. Volunteers lead the kids into hands-on projects in some of the most pressing fields, such as health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. Adult mentors create a positive and safe environment that allows the kids to make individual decisions and voice their opinions. They're encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles in their schools, in after-school programs, in community clubs, and the regular 4-H camps in addition. With the help of volunteers like Wesley Batterton, the organization uplifts kids and communities in every county and parish in the country. Today, 4-H has a network of 500,000 volunteers and 3,500 4-H professionals who provide care, support, and mentorship to the millions of children within the program. "The reach of 4-H is unparalleled, giving kids from any background, culture, or upbringing to be a part of their communities and make a positive impact on the people within them," says Wesley Batterton. CONTACT: Caroline Hunter Web Presence, LLC +1 7862338220 SOURCE: Web Presence View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575448/Texas-4-H-Volunteer-Wesley-Batterton-Explains-How-the-Organization-Impacts-Communities-Across-the-Nation MALVERN, PA / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Virpax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Virpax"), a company specializing in developing pharmaceutical products for pain management, today announced that their Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Gudin, M.D., will present two abstracts at the 2020 Special Operations Medical Association's Training, Education, Scientific Assembly and Exhibition (SOMA) being held May 11-15, 2020, at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, NC. The posters will be presented during the Opening Reception on Tuesday evening, May 12, from 1800-1900. The first abstract, Topical NSAID Spray Film, A Novel Analgesic Formulation (Poster #14) explains how the Virpax proprietary 12-hour topical metered-dose spray film formulation (DSF100) is being studied to manage acute musculoskeletal pain. The second abstract entitled, NES100: A Non-Opioid Analgesic with a Role in Stress Resilience (Poster #15) describes how developing intranasal NES100 as an effective alternative to mu opioids could provide pain management options where maintenance of cognitive ability and stress resilience are important. About Virpax Pharmaceuticals Virpax develops branded pharmaceutical products for pain management by using cutting-edge technology to enhance patients' quality of life. The company is focused on becoming a global leader in pain management by developing and delivering innovative pharmaceutical products to its customers. For more information, please visit www.virpaxpharma.com. About SOMA Founded in 1987, the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA) is the only medical association in the world that brings together the unique blend of pre-hospital, tactical, wilderness, austere, disaster and deployed medicine. Their primary goal is to advance the art and science of special operations medical care through the education and professional development of special operations medical providers. SOMA provides a forum for military and civilian medical providers, academia and industry from around the world to meet and exchange ideas in their Scientific Assembly, through their official publication, the Journal of Special Operations Medicine (JSOM), and their Mini-SOMA Conferences. SOMA advances the science, technology and skills of unconventional medicine. Contact Shana Panzarella, Chief of Staff Virpax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 484-875-3195 info@virpaxpharma.com SOURCE: Virpax Pharmaceuticals View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575175/VirpaxR-Pharmaceuticals-Selected-for-Two-Presentations-at-the-2020-Special-Operations-Medical-Association-Exhibition A smartphone app designed to help announce the results of the Iowa caucus ended up crapping out and causing a massive delay by almost an entire day. The Iowa caucus traditionally uses gatherings of people in counties across the state to determine which candidates they want to back for the presidential nomination. They use a paper trail as a way of auditing the results. While Iowa may have only 41 delegates needed out of 1,990 to nominate a Democratic candidate, the results are nevertheless seen as a nationwide barometer for who might be named to the ticket. In an effort to modernize and speed up the process, the Iowa Democrats commissioned an app. But the app, built by a company called Shadow Inc., failed spectacularly. Some districts had to call in their results instead. Iowa Democrats spokesperson Mandy McClure described the app's failure as a "reporting issue" rather than a security matter or a breach. McClure later said it was a "coding issue." The results had been expected to land late on Monday but have now been delayed until Tuesday afternoon, according to the Iowa Democrats. Who could have seen it coming? Actually, quite a few people. "There was no need whatsoever for an app," said Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina in a tweet. Little is known about the app, which has been shrouded in secrecy even after it was profiled by NPR in January. The app was the first-of-its-kind to be used in a U.S. presidential nomination process, despite concerns that use of electronics or apps might open up the process to hackers. What is known is that details of its security were kept secret amid fears that it could be used by hackers to exploit the system. That's been criticized by security experts who say "security through obscurity" is a fallacy. Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf said on television Tuesday that the Iowa Democrats declined an offer from the agency to test the app for security flaws. And because of the secrecy, there's no evidence to show that the app went through extensive testing or if it did, what levels of testing and scrutiny it went through. Story continues Some say the writing was on the wall. Honestly, there is no need to attribute conspiracy or call shenanigans on what happened with the new app during the Iowa caucuses," Dan McFall, chief executive at app testing company Mobile Labs, told me in an email. "It's a tale that we have seen with our enterprise customers for years: A new application was pushed hard to a specific high profile deadline. Mobility is much harder than people realize, so initial release was likely delayed, and to make the deadline, they cut the process of comprehensive testing and then chaos ensues." Others agreed. Doron Reuveni, who heads up software testing firm Applause, said the app should have gone through extensive testing and real-world testing to see the "blind spots" that the app's own developers may not see. And Simone Petrella, chief executive of cybersecurity firm CyberVista and former analyst at the Department of Defense, said there was no need for a sophisticated solution to a simple problem. "A Google Sheet or another shared document could suffice," she said. "It is incredibly difficult and costly to build and deliver solutions that are designed to ensure security and still are intuitive to an end user," said Petrella. "If you're going to build a solution or application to solve for this type of issue, then you're going to have to make sure it's designed with security in mind from the start and do rigorous product testing and validation throughout the development process to ensure everything is captured and data is being directed properly and securely." The high-profile failure is likely to send alarm bells to other districts and states with similar plans in place ahead of their respective caucuses before the Democratic National Convention in July, where the party will choose their candidate for president. Nevada was said to be using the app next for its upcoming caucus in February, but that plan has been nixed. "We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus," the spokesperson said. "We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems and are currently evaluating the best path forward." In a tweet, Shadow Inc. expressed "regret" about the problems with the Iowa caucus, and that it "will apply the lessons learned in the future." Why an app was used for such an important issue is a question that many will be asking themselves today. At least on the bright side, Iowa is now a blueprint of how not to use tech in elections. Joey Bunch: "I've never understood Donald Trumps foreign policy, other than to negotiate from a position of strength, even if the position disregards what comes after. The Trump Doctrine is like a drawing up a football play in the dirt." The Chinese government has reported 20,438 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far and a death toll of 425. Five individuals, who were kept at the Armys Base hospital after showing symptoms of cough and cold, have tested negative for coronavirus. New Delhi: In a bid to prevent the spread of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in India, the government on Tuesday prohibited the entry of Chinese nationals into the country and cancelled all visas, including e-visas, issued to them. Chinese delegations that were to travel to India to participate in two mega exhibitions DefExpo 2020 and Auto Expo starting this week, will also not be visiting due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office under the home ministry has issued orders to all airlines not to take on board any passenger from China, including Chinese or other foreign nationals, who may be holding valid ETA-E-visa to board their aircraft for any destination in India. Air India, which has suspended flights to major Chinese cities, on Tuesday announced suspension of its flights to Hong Kong after it reported its first death from the virus. It is clarified that existing visas are no longer valid. Intending visitors may contact the embassy in Beijing or the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou to apply afresh for an Indian visa All those who are already in India (with regular or e-visa) and had travelled from China after January 15 are requested to contact the hotline number of ministry of health and family welfare Visa Section of the embassy/consulates of India in China can be contacted to ascertain the validity of visa before undertaking any visit to India, the Indian embassy in China tweeted. The Chinese government has reported 20,438 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far and a death toll of 425. The virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Five people, who were among those evacuated from Wuhan and were being kept at an ITBP facility in Delhi, were shifted to Safdarjung Hospital as a precautionary measure after they showed basic symptoms like cough and sneezing and some had a medical history. ITBP officials said that samples of all the people quarantined at the facility have been collected and are being sent to laboratories in AIIMS and Pune for further tests. Five individuals, who were kept at the Armys Base hospital after showing symptoms of cough and cold, have tested negative for coronavirus. The team of Army doctors and officers are interacting with the students on a regular basis to know their problems and keep them motivated. Residents are provided with TV facilities, carom and cards for indoor recreation, an Army official said. Many of them are also playing volleyball. Laundry is set up in the camp itself with the complete set changed every second day. The linen is dipped in hypochlorite and then washed with hot water and dried in the sun. Rooms are fumigated with a strong, high-level disinfectant. Toilets are being cleaned and disinfected thrice a day with WHO-approved high level disinfectants, he added. The government has decided to use aerobridges at dedicated gates of seven international airports (Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai) to screen passengers from China, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong for nCoV to ensure effective prevention, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. The decision was taken at a meeting held by health secretary Preeti Sudan to review the preparedness of states with the ministries or departments concerned on nCoV through video-conference. India has so far reported three positive cases of nCoV from Kerala. Ms Sudan said that screening of passengers was being done at all the 21 airports, international seaports and border crossings. A total of 89,500 passengers of 777 planes have been screened so far at 21 airports, she said. As many as 454 samples were tested, of which 451 were found to be negative and the remaining three positive, Ms Sudan said, adding that 3,935 passengers were under community surveillance in 29 states and Union Territories (UTs). The Union health secretary reiterated that new visa restrictions and advisories were issued in view of the emerging scenario globally and asked the states to raise awareness on those. The states bordering Nepal too are taking necessary measures and following up on the guidelines issued by the government on screening people and surveillance management. The World Health Organisation said that the outbreak of the nCoV, which has spread from China to about two dozen countries, does not yet constitute a pandemic. Communication Team Member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Owusu Banahene has alleged Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu is investigating the Airbus bribery scandal because of his 'hatred' for former President John Dramani Mahama. President Akufo-Addo has referred the Airbus bribery scandal to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for immediate investigations. A letter signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin stated that these investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities. Reacting to this on UTV, Banahene alleged that the only reason why Akufo-Addo referred the case to Martin Amidu was not because of his competence but "because of how he demonstrated hatred against Mahama". Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video London: Boris Johnson's government could scrap the annual licence fee that pays for the BBC amid a growing clash with the institution and an outbreak of hostilities between Downing Street and the media. In a shake-up that shares similarities with the tensions between the Coalition and ABC in Australia, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced a series of reviews which could ultimately end the BBC's status as a universal public service broadcaster via the possible introduction of a subscription-based model. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is interviewed on the BBC during the general election campaign. Credit:Getty She warned that the BBC had to change or die, comparing the 97-year-old icon to a defunct chain of video stores. "Public service broadcasting is too important to allow it to become a historical relic like Blockbuster," Morgan said in a speech that fuelled claims the government was inflicting "payback" on the BBC over its coverage of Brexit and the 2019 general election. Los Angeles, Feb 5 : Tom Hiddleston, who shot to Hollywood stardom playing Loki in the Marvel movies, will star in Netflix's upcoming political thriller "White Stork". In 'White Stork", Hiddleston will play politician James Cooper, whose parliamentary ambitions and personal life are thwarted when he becomes the subject of a vetting process by Asher Millan, reports variety.com. The series is created, written and executive produced by "Jericho" scribe Chris Dunlop and is directed by Kristoffer Nyholm. Hiddleston has most recently graced the big screen as Thor's nemesis Loki under the "Thor" and "Avengers" franchise. He is also set to lead Disney Plus series "Loki", which is currently being filmed. The British actor garnered critical acclaim back in 2016 for a star turn as night manager-turned-spy Jonathan Pine in hit "The Night Manager". "White Stork" was previously with AMC, and has been in development for several years. It was formerly titled "Spadehead". The series is currently produced by "Sex Education" makers Eleven. Before tonights State of the Union, the White House told reporters to expect a low-key presentation by the president. That was what we got, in stylerelatively subdued. The content, on the other hand, was dynamite. More than anything, the speech was a reminder of what an excellent record the president has to run on in November. In both domestic and foreign policy, his achievements are essentially unarguable. This puts the Democrats in a tough spot. Through the first half of the speech, President Trump reeled off one item of good news after another: Record low unemployment! Lowest black unemployment ever! Lowest Hispanic unemployment ever! Rising wages, especially at the bottom! Median net worth skyrocketing! And so on. The Democrats greeted all of this with stony silence. When Trump announced that in the last three years, 10 million people have gotten off welfare, the Democrats looked as though they were ready to cry. This comes across very poorly, I think. Would it really cost the Democrats anything to look as though they are happy about a good economy. I dont think so, but their hatred of the president is so all-consuming that their judgment is warped. Then, of course, there are the more controversial issuescontroversial with the Democrats, anyway, if not with the voters. Like illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. In the battle between law-abiding Americans and criminal aliens, the Democrats made it very clear whose side they are on. It seems that with each passing year, the SOTU becomes more theatrical. Citizens of various sorts are introduced from the balcony, families are reunited, orphans, war heroes and centenarians are saluted, and so on. Tonights show continued that trend, and many of the audience introductions were beautifully handled. The State of the Union is inherently the presidents show, and there isnt much the opposition party can do about it. But it was great to see Trump honor Rush Limbaugh, not only with an introduction but with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, conferred on the spot by the First Lady. Some would say that Trump took a bit of a risk by recognizing Limbaugh, who is much hated on the Left. But, while he is not in all respects a traditional conservative, Trump knows how to appeal to his partys conservative base. We saw that several times tonight. Trump knows that Rush is revered (rightly) by conservatives. With gestures like this one, Trump assures conservatives that he is, at heart, one of us. So it was a terrific night. I only wish more uncommitted voters were watching. Not only would they have been impressed by the litany of the administrations accomplishments, pretty much any normal person would have been put off by the Democrats antics. Their refusal to cheer obvious good news, the bizarre wearing of some kind of white uniform, the weird moment when a group of Democrats jumped up and started chanting something inaudible while pointing at the president, andabove allthe non-stop pantomime enacted by an obviously pained Nancy Pelosi, could only mean more votes for Republicans. The climax came when Pelosi, most likely at her wits end after listening to an hour and a half of cheers for Donald Trump, appeared to tear up her copy of the presidents speech, which she had been pretending to study assiduously throughout the evening. It was as good a symbol as any of the frustration that Democrats are feeling as their impeachment drive fizzles out and the presidential race gets underway in earnest, with nary a plausible Democratic candidate in sight. Subscriber content preview By KIM COOK Associated Press In their new book, Reclaimed Wood: A Field Guide (Abrams, 2019), woodworkers Alan Solomon and Klaas Armster close with an imagined recounting of one tree's story from sprout to salvage. The tale begins in the 1500s, when longleaf pine covered a vast area from North Carolina down to the tip of Texas and the Florida Panhandle the largest forested lands in North America, the authors say. Over the next few hundred years, their pine tree grows to 120 feet. Naturally fire-resistant, it survives storms, woodpeckers, hunters and the Civil War, until it succumbs to loggers in the 1880s. The tree is then brought to a mill, shipped to New York, and taken by horse cart along cobblestone streets to lower Manhattan. For the next couple of hundred years, its wood frames commercial lofts that hold hat shops and daguerreotype salons. After demolition in the mid-2000s, the pine boards are salvaged by builders to clad the floors of the Park Avenue Armory and make gym bleachers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. . . . The Tajik National Bank says terrorists who killed four foreign cyclists in the former Soviet republic in 2018 were financed via the Russian payment system Zolotaya Korona (Golden Crown). Jamoliddin Nuraliev, the first deputy chairman of the central bank, said on February 5 that after the bank became aware of the issue, a new payment system, the National Processing Center, took over the transmission of money transfers from abroad in early December. Two Americans, one Dutch national, and a Swiss citizen were killed in July 2018 by at least one assailant with a gun and knife after being plowed down by a vehicle in the Danghara district of the Khatlon region, about 150 kilometers south of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. Three other foreigners -- including one French citizen -- were also injured in the attack. Tajik security forces killed four people involved in the attack, which they later said was organized by the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT). The party's exiled leaders have rejected any blame and the Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing. A fifth suspect in the attack was found guilty of murder in November 2018 and sentenced to life in prison. The Zolotaya Korona payment system has been very popular in Tajikistan with more than 80 percent of remittances by Tajik labor migrants in Russia sent to their families through it. The National Bank said on February 5 that Zolotaya Korona could be included in the National Processing Center's operations if it finds a correspondent bank in Tajikistan that would agree to assume the risks linked to its operations. Popular Nigerian author and critic, Reno Omokri have reacted to an apology issued by The Church of England for saying sex is only for married heterosexuals. In January, a statement issued by the House of Bishops, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, stated that sex is only for straight married couples while declaring that Christians in gay or straight civil partnerships should be sexually abstinent. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York later apologized for the statement and said they acknowledge that the statement jeopardized trust. READ ALSO White Wedding Is Not Scriptural: Reno Omokri But Reno felt the Church of England was right in their initial statement and had no reason to apologize. He wrote in part: How can a church apologize for saying sexual intercourse may only occur between heterosexual married couples? See His Post Here: National carrier Air India recently evacuated 647 Indians from the coronavirus-prone Chinese city of Wuhan. With no fears, Air India crew members ensured they bring back the Indians from China. Praising them for carrying out the rescue operation, the union cabinet congratulated Air India and its staff saying they didn't fear about anything and prioritised their duties. More than 600 Indian students and citizens have been evacuated from #Wuhan following the #CoronavirusOutbreak. The #Cabinet appreciates @airindiain & its crew for the fearless service rendered and for putting 'duty' before self: Union Minister @PrakashJavdekar #CabinetDecisions pic.twitter.com/T6DnL9TtJ2 PIB India (@PIB_India) February 5, 2020 "Air crew spent around 12 hours with these people who have returned. Anyone else would have got scared and said 'why will I go to a place where there is so much infection and if I go there to bring people back, I may get infection'. No one said any such thing," Union Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar said after a Cabinet meeting. Air India's pilots and remaining crews gave priority to their duties and executed their job religiously. Therefore, the Cabinet today congratulated them and everyone welcomed them as a very important work has been done by Air India," he added. On February 1, 324 Indians were brought back from Wuhan by the first special Air India flight, while another batch of 323 Indians and 7 Maldivians were evacuated from the China city Sunday February 2 through a second flight. Union Cabinet's appreciation for the staff of Air India who travelled to Wuhan to evacuate Indians is indeed heart warming for the entire Air India family and would go a long way in inspiring Air Indians to keep going beyond the call of duty in serving the nation. Jai Hind Ashwani Lohani (@AshwaniLohani) February 5, 2020 Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani took to Twitter and said, "Union Cabinet's appreciation for the staff of Air India who travelled to Wuhan to evacuate Indians is indeed heart warming for the entire Air India family and would go a long way in inspiring Air Indians to keep going beyond the call of duty in serving the nation. Jai Hind." There are a lot of appreciation for Air India on Twitter after Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar congratulated the Airlines for their effortless work and selfless duty. All of us were busy making fun of the loss made by Air India. The govt even put up its entire shares for sale. But, when it comes to operating a flight to Wuhan to get all our fellow countrymen back, the govt has only one cushion.That Is @airindiain.Hatsoff pic.twitter.com/dWEeWF9hdp Ameya Khopkar (@MNSAmeyaKhopkar) February 3, 2020 Over 490 deaths have been caused due to the coronavirus outbreak with more than 24,000 reported cases in China so far. "Our 800 employees deserve the full credit for this prestigious industry award. The acquisition was an ambitious undertaking and our employees' hard work, dedication and perseverance created a successful outcome. I'm very honored that our company has been named ProSales Dealer of the Year," said Mike Hammond, president/CEO of Hammond. "It is very humbling to me where we're at today compared to what my grandparents, Skip & Verna Hammond, started from scratch back in 1953." ProSales praised Hammond for its successful unification of two corporate cultures and ERP business software system conversion. EBS was a 10-location coastal Maine-based building materials retailer with 300 employees based out of Ellsworth. In March of the past year, Hammond converted the EBS locations from their former ERP business software to Hammond's Epicor BisTrack system. Hammond also continues to lead the industry with their award-winning safety program. Hammond has more than 800 employees (Hammond with 500 employees and EBS with 300 employees) at 21 locations across Maine, including Auburn, Bangor, Bar Harbor, Belfast, Belgrade, Blue Hill, Boothbay Harbor, Brunswick, Bucksport, Calais, Camden, Cherryfield, Ellsworth, Damariscotta, Fairfield, Farmington, Greenville, Machias, Portland, Rockland and Skowhegan. Hammond has been a Maine-based, family-owned company since 1953 and recorded $251 million in sales revenue in 2019. The company is the largest LBM retailer in Maine and the 25th largest ProSales dealer in the country. Don Hammond, second generation and vice president of Hammond, has 53 years with the company and leads the lumber manufacturing operations, and his son, Mike Hammond, third generation and president/CEO of Hammond, with 34 years with the company, oversees all other aspects of the company. Mike Hammond's daughter, Sadie, joined the company as a sales associate in 2019 after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a BS in business administration. Hammond is listed as the third largest family-owned Maine business by Mainebiz magazine in 2019 (as ranked by the number of Maine employees). With headquarters in Belgrade, the company carries a full line of building materials, millwork showrooms, kitchen/bath/flooring showrooms and home planning design centers. They saw more than 6,500,000 board feet of eastern white pine and hemlock annually. The company is continually recognized nationally for their commitment to workplace safety, including receiving high honors from the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association and National Safety Council. In 2019, the company earned NSC's Industry Leader Award for the company's safety practices at the sawmill and planer mill. Hammond has also been honored multiple times by the NSC for working one million consecutive man-hours without a lost-time injury. To learn more about Hammond, visit www.hammondlumber.com. About Hammond Lumber Company Hammond Lumber Company was founded in 1953 by Skip and Verna Hammond with a single sawmill. Today, the fourth generation family business carries a full line of building materials, millwork, kitchen/bath/flooring, home planning design centers and a quality manufacturer of eastern white pine sawing more than 6,500,000 board feet annually, and is one of the largest independent building material retailers in the northeast. Committed to workplace safety, the lumber company has received numerous accolades, including the National Safety Council's 2019 Occupational Excellence Achievement Award. Learn more at www.hammondlumber.com. SOURCE Hammond Lumber Company Related Links http://www.hammondlumber.com Who is K Parasaran, from whose GK office Ram Mandir Trust will be run? Image Source: IANS News Who is K Parasaran, from whose GK office Ram Mandir Trust will be run? Image Source: IANS News Who is K Parasaran, from whose GK office Ram Mandir Trust will be run? Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday announced the formation of a trust for the construction of the much-awaited Ram Temple in Ayodhya. In this context, a notification by the Home Ministry said the office of well-known lawyer Keshav Parasaran would be the address of the "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra" office. Parasaran, 93, is a highly-decorated legal luminary. He has been an Attoney General of India, besides being a Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee. His office address -- R-20, Greater Kailash Part 1, New Delhi -- has been mentioned in the notification of the Home Ministry as the registered office address of the Trust. Even at the age of 93, he came up with spirited arguments for long hours in favour of Ram Mandir in the Supreme Court that gained everyone's attention. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had visited his house during a visit to Delhi, soon after the decision in favour of Ram Temple in November was announced. According to sources, Parasaran, who batted for the Hindu camp in the Supreme Court, has also been included in the 15-member Ram Mandir Trust. Who is Parasaran? Born on October 9, 1927 in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, Parasaran was the Attorney General between 1983 and 1989 in the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi-led governments. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government conferred the Padma Bhushan on him in 2003, while the Manmohan Singh government gave him the Padma Vibhushan in 2011. He was nominated by the President in 2012 to the Rajya Sabha. He, however, gained widespread attention by his passionate arguments in Ram Mandir case, while refusing to take a seat while arguing when he was offered one considering his age and following the conventional tradition of lawyers -- arguing while standing. Ahead of the November 9 verdict on Ayodhya, Parasaran had said his last wish was to get a proper seating place for Ramlalla legally. 'Advocate of Gods' Parasaran participates with great interest and enthusiasm in advocating lawsuits related to Hindu deities. He was the advocate of Lord Ayyappa in the Sabarimala case before the Ram temple case. He also contested the case of Ram Sethu during the UPA government. He is also known as 'Advocate of Gods' for taking up such cases. Vinod Bansal, spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad told IANS that Parasaran is a true "Ram bhakt" who played an important role by "standing in court for hours and arguing in favour of the temple". (Navneet Mishra can be contacted at navneet.m@ians.in) On Monday, addressing an election rally for the Delhi Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi caused surprise as he asserted that the anti-CAA sit-in protests at Shaheen Bagh, Jamia and Seelampur preponderantly poor Muslim pockets of the city were a well-designed experiment to fine-tune an effort to destroy the nations harmony, in short a conspiracy to prejudice Indias unity. This is a serious allegation against the most Gandhian of protests, a satyagraha, in the face of crude attacks by ministers and BJP leaders. Moved by the peaceful, round-the-clock sit-ins by the poorer sections of society, people in large numbers from more affluent classes travel many miles every day to show their solidarity with women with babies in arms one of whom recently lost her four-month boy who caught a chill who have been on protest continuously for over 50 days, probably a record. When the holder of the nations most powerful office chooses to attack the poorest sections of a religious minority, instead of giving them respect and hearing their grievances, he is, in effect, extending a carte blanche to communal elements. The atmosphere was already laden with tension. Three incidents of Hindutva-crazed men firing at protesters in the space of four days occurred last week. This was therefore a time for sobriety. Mr Modi appeared annoyed that protests were continuing despite repeated assurances by the government. The people may, in fact, like to know what these assurances are as these havent been publicised. In case the PM was referring to his Ramlila Maidan statement that the NRC had never been considered by the government and protests had been ignited on a false premise, this was shown to be factually incorrect. In this regard, statements by the Union home minister and portions of the Presidents address to Parliament have been widely quoted, casting doubts on the so-called assurances. If the PM has a well-founded basis for his angry denunciation of the Delhi protesters, the country has not heard anything about it. It may be recalled that in the campaign for the Gujarat Assembly polls in late 2017, Mr Modi had, without evidence, accused his predecessor Manmohan Singh, former vice-president Hamid Amsari, and a retired Army Chief, of conspiring with Pakistan to have the BJP defeated. As such, the PMs high-pitched rhetoric against the women of Shaheen Bagh is also likely to be treated with scepticism. Quite amazingly, on Monday, the BJP fielded Parvesh Verma as its lead speaker for the motion of thanks to the President for his address to Parliament. Only days earlier, this MP was ticked off by the Election Commission for declaring that Shaheen Bagh protesters would rape and kill (Hindu) women. In his Lok Sabha speech, this man accused the anti-CAA protesters of trying to break up India and claimed their aim was to assassinate the PM and the Union home minister. Such fevered imagination must be nipped in the bud before it ignites communal passions. [rating]4[/rating] Best known as a guitarist with Chicago post-rockers, Tortoise, Jeff Parkers latest solo release is a glowing celebration of his mother Maxine, who features on the cover. It works as companion piece to his 2016 tribute to his father, The New Breed. Opening the record with his own daughter Rubys deadpan chant on Build a Nest, Parker ranges far and wide over the next forty minutes, gliding through tight hip hop grooves, loose improv jams and more straight ahead modern jazz, often within the same track. Fusion Swirl begins with an urgent breakbeat and sinuous bassline, then takes a hard left with an introspective guitar coda. Gnarciss is a brilliant, boom bap riff on Joe Hendersons much sampled classic, Black Narcissus, with horns, strings and vibraphone working the theme. And the album culminates in the beautiful ten-minute piece, Max Brown, where a spare, loping drum groove allows ample airspace for the interwoven guitar, sax and bass lines. Its a fitting end to an exciting, uplifting set. Bohren & Der Club of Gore Patchouli Blue [rating]4[/rating] In contrast to their foreboding name, Bohren & Der Club of Gore produce a mellow, if edgy, music, the kind of uneasy listening you might enjoy late at night in a sketchy, red-lit basement lounge. The German trio have toured together for three decades, developing a species of slow motion jazz that, if your ears are open to it, casts a hypnotic spell. The title track of their tenth album, Patchouli Blue, neatly sums up the Bohren philosophy: brushed drum strokes keep glacial time, piano and guitar notes hang for an age over a deep, drifting organ, while a rich saxophone fills the cavernous space above. On another key track, Vergessen & Vorbei, tidal synth sequences wash against gorgeous Fender Rhodes chords, a 70s drum machine tapping out a basic rhythm in the background. The mood is both restrained and expansive, intimate and epic, and this album presents their unique sound in full effect. New Delhi A petition seeking directions to withdraw a road closure in the Kalindi Kunj -Shaheen Bagh stretch, which has been blocked since December 15, 2019 because of an anti-Citizenship( Amendment) Act protest, will be heard by the Supreme Court on Friday, a day before Delhi goes to the polls. The plea by Amit Sahni, an advocate, will be heard by a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph. Delhi assembly elections are scheduled for February 8. The ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh has become a campaign issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose leaders have repeatedly invoked the difficulties caused by the protest and ascribed anti-national motives to the protestors. Shaheen Bagh has become the epicentre of protests against the CAA, which seeks to fast-track the grant of Indian citizenship to so-called persecuted minorities from the Muslim-majority nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Some object to the law because of its exclusionary nature. Others fear that it will be used in tandem with a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). The government has clarified that there are no immediate plans for an NRC, although many of its leaders have said in the past that one is imminent. Sahni said in his plea that the road closure at Shaheen Bagh caused great inconvenience to the public. This has led to the wastage of precious time, energy and fuel besides overburdening the Delhi-Noida-Direct Flyway, Akshardham and Ashram routes, he added. The Kalindi Kunj road, Sahni argued, is a vital route since it connects three states -- Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana -- and the road closure has led to huge difficulties not only for the residents of the area but hundreds of thousands of commuters who are not able to use the road because of the blockade. Sahni stated that while people had the right to protest, this is subject to reasonable restrictions and protestors cannot be allowed to occupy public roads indefinitely. Sahnis plea was rejected on January 14 by the Delhi high court, which stated that it was the responsibility of the police to maintain law and order and the court cannot issue directions to the police on how to handle an agitation, protest or traffic at the place of protest. More than 140 petitions are pending in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of CAA. Right to protest is a fundamental right but it is not an absolute right. Right to protests must be reasonable. It must be clear to the protestors as to why they are protesting. The validity of CAA is pending consideration by the Supreme Court in more than 140 petitions. The Supreme Court will decide whether the CAA is unconstitutional or not. Tomorrow will people take to streets to protest against challenge to polygamy which is also pending before Supreme Court, advocate and Bharartiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay said. AAP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh blamed the BJP for the trouble being faced by commuters because of the road closure. We have repeatedly said Amit Shah being the home minister can get the road opened in minutes. But he wont do so because the BJP is thriving on the Shaheen Bagh issue in this election. The BJP has no real issue to talk about in this polls, thats why they are not opening the road, he said. Wondering where to find the best wine bars near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end wine bars in Milwaukee, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to satisfy your cravings. 1. The Capital Grille photo: the capital grille/yelp Topping the list is a location of the chain The Capital Grille. Located at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Kilbourn Town, the steakhouse and wine bar, which offers seafood and more, is the highest-rated high-end wine bar in Milwaukee, boasting 4.5 stars out of 284 reviews on Yelp. The Capital Grille offers steaks, seafood and a selection of more than 350 wines. On the food menu, look for the dry-aged steaks hand-cut by the restaurant's butcher. 2. Crazy Water Photo: Melissa S./Yelp Next up is Walker's Point's Crazy Water, situated at 839 S. Second St. With four stars out of 239 reviews on Yelp, the wine bar and New American spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. Crazy Water offers salads, seafood, duck and more. The selection of wines features red and white options from Italy, France and California. 3. Zarletti East Town's Zarletti, located at 741 N. Milwaukee St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy wine bar and Italian spot four stars out of 186 reviews. Zarletti specializes in Italian cuisine. The chef, Brian C. Zarletti, creates dishes inspired by his grandmother's cooking and his own travels in Italy. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. LOS ANGELES - As the wildland firefighters, fresh off a long flight from Australia, strode into a Los Angeles fire station Wednesday morning, Marvin Schober got his GoPro camera ready. Schober wanted to capture his 41-year-old brothers face as he realized his family was there to surprise him after nearly a month battling unprecedented fires half a world away. Those guys are superheroes, Schober said. His brother, Capt. Leonard Dimaculangan, was part of a crew of 20 firefighters 18 men and two women based at Angeles National Forest who had worked with the Victoria Rural Fire Service to fight southeast Australias devastating blazes. The fires have killed at least 33 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes since September. Dimaculangan, in a national forest uniform of a khaki shirt and green pants as well as a pin with the U.S. and Australian flags, was one of the last firefighters to enter the room. As he entered his mother clapped and his 11-year-old daughter, Promise, threw her arms around him. Im now going to ask him to help me with my homework, Promise joked. Usually his parents and Promise greet him after he returns from long-distance fires but his brother and sister surprised him as well. Its my support system, said Dimaculangan, who has been a federal firefighter for 20 years. Thats what I work for and hopefully I get to have some more quality time with them in the next couple days. More than 200 firefighters from federal agencies have been sent to Australia to fight bushfires there for the first time since 2010, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Firefighters from Australia previously deployed to Northern California in 2018 to help with wildfires. Angeles National Forest sprawls over more than 1,090 square miles (2,823 square kilometres) of the San Gabriel Mountains, which form a wilderness backdrop to metropolitan Los Angeles. Engineer Johnny Summers said Angeles firefighters will now spend the winter doing prescribed burns in the forest. The Angeles crews time was marked by tragedy when a tanker plane crashed last month, killing its three American crew members who worked for Canada-based Coulson Aviation. The Angeles firefighters said the crash occurred when they had a day off and they learned about the deaths at a briefing the next day. You know its part of the job and it might happen but you never think its going to happen, assistant engineer Hector Cerna said. Cerna said he was looking forward to seeing his wife and children after missing his 7-year-old sons birthday Tuesday. Hed promised the kids a trip to Legoland to celebrate and had brought back stuffed kangaroo and koala toys for extra presents. Putrajaya Malaysian authorities confirmed two more new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the country's total to 12. Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Putrajaya, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the new cases were Malaysians who evacuated from Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the center of the virus outbreak. "We would like to inform you of two new cases of 2019 novel coronavirus that were reported by our crisis preparedness and response center as of today. These two new cases were detected among Malaysians who were recently evacuated from Wuhan, China, through our humanitarian mission, which arrived here yesterday, February 4." Ahmad said the two Malaysians arrived on a special evacuation flight that landed on Tuesday. Senate acquits President Trump Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The United States Senate voted to reject both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, making him the third president in United States history to survive such a challenge. On Article I of impeachment, the charge of abuse of power, the Senate found Trump not guilty with 52 senators voting not guilty and 48 senators voting guilty. On Article II of impeachment, the charge of obstruction of Congress, the Senate found Trump not guilty with 53 senators voting not guilty and 47 senators voting guilty. The votes came after lengthy debate on the Senate floor. Senator Kamala Harris of California argued that the House managers made a compelling case for Trumps removal from office. They have shown that the president of the United States of America withheld military aid and a coveted White House meeting for his political gain, said Harris. Harris also denounced the Republican-controlled Senates handling of the impeachment trial, calling it a miscarriage of justice, arguing that Trump will escape accountability. Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri labeled the impeachment process as a partisan-driven effort from the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. We dont want partisan impeachment to become an exercise that happens when one party, not the party of the president, happens to have a majority of the votes, said Blunt. In their haste to put this case together, the House sent the Senate the two weakest articles of impeachment possible. The votes largely fell on party lines, save Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who announced his decision to vote guilty on the abuse of power charge by stressing that it was based on an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it. Last year, a whistleblower came forward claiming that Trump had unlawfully asked Ukraine to investigate the son of potential Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the corruption surrounding the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma that paid Hunter Biden $3 million to be named as a member of its board while his father was overseeing the U.S.'s Ukraine policy under the Obama administration. The request was seen by many to be the president asking for foreign interference in the 2020 election. The transcript of that conversation can be read here. Last September, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House was going to pursue a formal impeachment inquiry, citing the claims of the whistleblower and alleged mistreatment of the whistleblower. In November, the House Intelligence Committee held a hearing featuring sworn testimony from acting Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent, and former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Many considered the testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a Republican and former Trump campaign donor, to be especially damning against the president. Sondland told the Committee that he considered the phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to include a quid pro quo even though the president never said it. I know that members of this Committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a 'quid pro quo?' As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes, he stated, as reported by CBS News. Sondland also stated in his testimony that everyone was in the loop on the call and that everyone was informed via email on July 19, days before the presidential call. In December, the House voted to impeach Trump, approving the abuse of power charge in a vote of 230-197 and the obstruction of Congress charge in a vote of 229-198. Last month, the Senate held the impeachment trial, with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. Jay Sekulow, a lawyer with the conservative legal group the American Center for Law & Justice, was part of the defense team for the president and argued that the impeachment process was part of a years-long partisan effort to remove Trump from office. When the Russia investigation failed, it devolved into the Ukraine. A quid pro quo, when that didn't prove out it was bribery or maybe extortion, he declared on the first day of the trial. What are we dealing with here? Why are we here? Are we here because of a phone call or are we here, before this great body, because since the president was sworn into office, there was a desire to see him removed? Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, one of the House managers arguing for Trumps removal from office, stated that duty demands they find Trump guilty. I dont pretend that this is an easy process. Its not designed to be easy. It shouldnt be easy to impeach or convict a president, stated Crow. In America, no one is above the law, even though elected president of the United States. If you believe that the presidents efforts to use his official powers to cheat in the 2020 election jeopardize our national security and are antithetical to our democratic tradition, then you must come to no other conclusion that the president threatens the fairness of the next election and risks putting foreign interference between the voters and their ballots. During the impeachment trial, The New York Times reported on a leaked copy of a forthcoming book by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton which appeared to add evidence to the claim that Trump engaged in a quid pro quo. Although many believed that the Bolton manuscript justified further investigation, the Senate voted 51-49 last week against a resolution that would have added more witnesses to the trial. With the acquittal, Trump becomes the third president to have been impeached only to not be removed from office. Before him were Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. WASHINGTON (AP) Who's clapping now? On the brink of his Senate acquittal, President Donald Trump will be unleashing relentless optimism during his third State of the Union address, a speech designed to pivot from his impeachment to his drive for reelection. Trump is speaking from a position of strength, with nearly complete control of the Republican Party. The theme of his speech: "The Great American Comeback. It'll be a different experience for Democrats, nearly all of whom voted for Trump's impeachment in the House. Where Trump will point to GOP unity ahead of the 2020 elections, Democrats and their difficult nomination will be on display after a long night of uncertainty in Iowa's kickoff caucuses an unmitigated disaster, as Trump tweeted Tuesday. The contrast with Trump's State of the Union address last year will be stark. Then, Democrats were triumphant just a few days after taking control of the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had forced Trump to reopen the government. Her smirking clap, eye-to-eye with him, mocked the president of the United States in front of the world. What to watch during Trump's speech at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday: TRUMP AND PELOSI Trump walks into the House chamber Tuesday night between what he'll tout are two victories: Iowa Democrats' technical failure that delayed Monday's caucus results and his expected acquittal in the Senate on Wednesday. The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country, Trump Tweeted Tuesday morning, declaring himself the only big winner of the contest. Watch the body language as the steps to the podium just a few feet from Pelosi in the very chamber where he was impeached . Also in the chamber will be Chief Justice John Roberts, the presiding officer of Trump's Senate impeachment trial. Trump and Pelosi haven't spoken since Pelosi stood up, pointed at Trump across a table at the White House and bluntly suggested he is controlled by the president of Russia. All roads lead to Putin, she said, before stalking out. The extraordinary moment last October was captured in a now-famous photograph that Trump released and Pelosi slapped across the top of her Twitter page. At other times, she's questioned his "manhood" and he's called her crazy. Impeachment has only inflamed things. Pelosi last week said Trump will never have a true acquittal because the Senate did not hold a real trial with witnesses. But, she's said with relish, He'll be impeached forever. TONE The White House said last week to look for can-do optimism in the face of unjustified pessimism we are hearing from some in Congress." But how will he handle impeachment? White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said he'd seen the speech and I've not seen the word impeachment.' But, as the president likes to say, we'll see what happens. There's no guarantee that Trump will stick to his speech. The president will be in the same room as his accusers at a moment of impending victory. He has a strong and often-stated sense of grievance and is known for going off-script. Look for roaring applause and cheers from Republicans, who have almost completely stuck with the retribution-loving president. THE BIG PICTURE Trump is sure to use the speech to try to remind the country of what he's accomplished. The White House would not say whether it is modeling Trump's speech on President Bill Clinton's in 1999, amid his own impeachment trial. Clinton never mentioned the I-word. Look for Trump, like Clinton, to promote a strong economy. Trump is expected to lead with talk about what the White House calls a blue-collar boom. There have been gains in blue-collar wages under Trump, though some of those gains have faded as Trump's trade war hurt manufacturing. Watch to see if Trump can stick to the high road rhetorically, in his own style. Clinton ended his by asking the nation to envision a State of the Union speech 100 years from that night, from the mountaintop of the American Century. Let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time, but of their time; that we reached as high as our ideals. That we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness; that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love." At the time, some said his rhetoric was over the top. UKRAINE? Will Trump even mention Ukraine? Republicans have started to come out and agree that the president had inappropriately tried to get political help from that country while he held up military aid. The House impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his actions in response to the House investigation. The issue clearly puts Republicans in a bind. Several have said that House prosecutors proved their case, but even so, the wrongdoing didn't rise to the level of impeachment or removal from office. CORONAVIRUS Will he make any mention of the new coronavirus? Weve offered China help, but we cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus," Trump said Sunday. At the same time, the president has tried to avoid angering China by being too outspoken, according to confidants. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Under new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of 11 designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. MIDEAST PEACE Trump is focused on re-introducing himself to Americans as a president who has made the country and voters' lives specifically better. So listen for any mention of foreign policy and national security issues. Trump's Mideast peace plan is a good test. Trump said that his efforts to solve the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would gain support because its a win-win for both sides. In fact, Trumps plan favors Israel on key contentious issues and attaches nearly impossible conditions for granting the Palestinians their hoped-for state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plan as nonsense. If Trump says nothing about the plan during the speech, that could signal that Trump knows it's in trouble. IRAN Listen for how harsh Trump is on Tehran in the wake of Iran's bombing that injured U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The attack was retribution for the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In the month since, an uneasy quiet has settled over the region. Will Trump suggest he'll eventually want to sit down and talk with the Iranians, signal the door is closed for talks, or poke Tehran? The White House said to expect Trump's tone to be determined and forceful. IN THE ROOM There's always some suspense over who shows up and who stays away. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's campaign said late Monday it was unlikely that the Massachusetts senator will attend Trump's speech, coming the day after the Iowa caucuses. Another Democratic contender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, has an event in New Hampshire scheduled earlier Tuesday evening. Other legislators have their own reasons for attending or not. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said she'll attend to bear witness. That means that I do not clap. I do not acknowledge. I'm just there as a witness, she said. ____ Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report. ____ Follow Kellman at http://www.Twitter.com/APLaurieKellman An election night, Iowa-style voting debacle isnt going to happen in California on March 3. But that doesnt mean primary voters and anxious Democratic presidential candidates are going to know the winners that night, or even that week. California is a huge state with millions of voters, which is reason enough to ensure that nothing moves quickly. Combine that with a statewide commitment to ensure that the most people possible have their votes accurately tallied, and the result is a slow-moving count. Californians should be assured that elections officials across the state work diligently to ensure an accurate and secure vote count, Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement Tuesday. All aspects of every election from the printing and mailing to the counting of ballots are administered by professional elections officials, not political parties. Swiftness, however, is not the most important goal, he added. My ultimate responsibility is to the voters, Padilla said. Every voter deserves to know that their vote is counted and counted accurately. It may take California a little longer than other states to certify election results, but we prefer to take the time to get the vote count right. In Iowa on Monday night, people gathering the vote counts at Democratic Party caucus sites around the state tried to file results on a new, relatively untested software app. When it failed, state party officials were forced to fall back on old-fashioned alternatives such as gathering the results at phone centers, which were quickly overwhelmed. The result was that even partial returns were delayed until late Tuesday. The app wasnt hacked by outsiders, Iowa Democratic officials said. It just didnt work. Nati Harnik / Associated Press In California, however, the primary will be conducted the same as every other statewide election, using the same voting machines, the same reporting methods and virtually the same types of ballots, all of them tested and approved by the secretary of state. That required state and local testing provides a much-needed comfort margin on election day, said John Arntz, San Franciscos elections director. You dont want to have to cross your fingers going into an election, he said. We have a totally different reporting system from Iowa, and reporting (results) is part of the whole certification process run by the secretary of state. But accurate results arent necessarily rapid results. The special rules for the Democratic presidential primary virtually guarantee that the counting will continue well past election day. A typical election is simply about numbers, winner take all. In the 2018 governors race, for example, Democrat Gavin Newsom crushed Republican John Cox, 62% to 38%. While there were plenty of votes still uncounted on election night, that landslide margin made it easy to say quickly that Newsom would be the next governor. But the presidential primary is about delegates, and they can be split multiple ways. Joe Raedle / Getty Images From the primary, Democratic Party rules will award 144 delegates based on the statewide vote. But an additional 271 delegates will go to the winners in each of Californias 53 congressional districts. To add to the confusion, Democrats award those delegates proportionally. That means that every candidate who gets at least 15% of the vote, either statewide or in each congressional district, receives a percentage of those delegates. The winner of the Democratic primary is the candidate with the most California delegates, not necessarily the most votes. But it will be difficult to award those delegates until every vote is counted. And California has many votes that cant be counted until after election day. In 2018, new state rules allowed any mail ballot thats postmarked by election day and received by the Friday after the election to be included in the vote total. Mail ballots that are turned in at the polls on election day cant be counted immediately. And Californias typically large numbers of provisional ballots nearly 1 million in 2018 also require special handling. The bottom line? A Los Angeles Times study found that in 2018, only about 57% of the 12.1 million votes cast in California were counted on election day. In some cases, the votes were counted way after election day. In the Central Valley, Democrat TJ Cox of Fresno wasnt declared the winner of his race against Republican Rep. David Valadao until a full month after the election. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth After Brexit, EU centres on the Balkans for geo-strategic enlargement against backdrop of French objections. The European Union still aims to admit the Balkan nations of Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia into the bloc, new EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Wednesday, following Frances veto of the expansion. Varhelyi was unveiling a new methodology for admitting new members, aimed at mollifying Frances concerns about letting the six countries into the EU. He said enlargement was geo-strategic, a reference to a view that the bloc cannot stem its waning global influence without stabilising the Balkans. We continue to have full enlargement as a goal, he told a news conference after publishing the European Commission reforms, which were reported by Reuters news agency on Tuesday. EU membership is offered to the entire region, including Kosovo, Varhelyi said of the country that declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognised by five of the 27 EU members including Spain. In October, French President Emmanuel Macron halted the process of admitting new members, a decision the Commission said was a historic error. The following month, France, which says it supports accession for the Balkan nations in the long term, submitted a proposal for changes. The EU executive hopes to persuade France to lift its objections before a Zagreb summit with the Balkan states in May. The reforms outlined on Wednesday would give existing EU members the power to pause the process of admitting new nations, or even force countries to restart entry talks in some policy areas. It was not immediately clear if the changes were enough for Macron, but one EU diplomat urged Paris to allow membership talks to move forward with North Macedonia and Albania, who are next in line to open negotiations. The Commission has built a solid bridge for France. We are counting on Paris to walk over this bridge now, join the EU consensus and pave the way for the start of accession talks, an EU diplomat told Reuters. Serbia and Montenegro are the most advanced in their negotiations and could join the bloc later this decade. The United Kingdom left the EU on January 31 after a 47-year membership, becoming the first-ever country to leave the bloc. West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar requested the government on Tuesday that he would like to make some changes in the speech that the Trinamool Congress-led dispensation had prepared for his address to the state assemblys budget session on February 7. Earlier in the day, chief secretary Rajiva Sinha called on the governor at Raj Bhavan and held discussions for more than two hours. Additional chief secretary to the state government and secretary to the governor, Satish Chandra Tewary, was also present at the meeting. On Monday, state parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee and finance minister Amit Mitra, too, had called on the governor. According to a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Dhankhar had told Sinha that he wanted certain words in the speech to be changed. Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee government has decided to provide Dhankhar with a helicopter for his travel to attend the cultural fair in Sriniketan on Thursday. We had sought a chopper for the governor to travel to Sriniketan...It was approved, a Raj Bhavan official said. On several occasions last year, the government rejected Dhankhars requests for a chopper to travel to Sriniketan. Pakistan: The only drowned fish harbour of Pasni February 05,2020 | Source: The Baloch News The only fish harbor of Pasni is ineffective for last ten years. The trawling and haunting milieu at the stunning coast belt is rowdily congested with locally constructed and fashioned vessels of the fisherman getting equipped without having disposal of an anchorage system. The harbour which was constructed in 1989 is located east of the Pasni city. As soon as it get completed the construction company had admitted, owing to monsoon seasons and sand erosions or silting after period of almost five years it will require dredging and operational up keeping. A research paper published in the journal of Researchgate in November 2012 by five authors entitled, the issue of coastal erosion and accretion along Makran coast of Pakistan, made an effort to point out, any man made structural development along the Makran coast has resulted in a swift response both in terms of accretion and erosion. Farther they stated that, to speak technically, this type of a bay is created in an area where the net transport of sediment is almost equal to the volume of sediments going out of the bay. One of the supporting sentence in the matter of dysfunctionality of the Pasni harbour is that, in such environment where the erosion and accretion are equal, a small disturbance in the naturally stable condition might drastically change the physiography and hydrodynamics 0f the area. This is what happened at Pasni. Pasni is a mini medium sized area with a population of approximately 4, 00000 People. The source of majority of the peoples livelihood is fishing. The only fish harbour was comprised of an approach passage, harbour basin and the docking area. In a rough estimation somehow twenty to twenty four thousand people of Pasni are fishermen and mariners. Regrettably, these days it has been a complete decade the jetty is impracticable for fishing purpose. The secretary of the fisheries and managing director of Pasni Fish Harbour (PFH) while briefing over the evolutionary performance of PFH to Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan at the beginning of 2019, said despite of operational work at the harbour an amount of Rs1.5 billion was paid as remunerations to the employees and staff. To recuperate and uphold the harbour for the purpose of facilitation and comfortability of fishermen began in 2009 during the reign of then Chief Minister, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani whos cordially invitation brought a Japanese government assistance for the project. Asa result in 2010, the grant of Rs800 million was approved for the rehabilitation work of the harbour. The drowned Pasni Harbour was built during the tenure of General Ziaul Haq and the funds for the project were provided by the Asian Development Bank. Late renowned journalist Siddiq Baloch, while expressing his view in the daily Balochistan Express impugned the authorities of appointing a Chairman and Managing Director who reside in Quetta and Karachi respectively, however couldnt go to Pasni and look after the project from Karachi for supervisory operations. He further added, This was one of the causes as a remote control there appeared a structural fault and failure of navigational function just because of erroneous planning and designing. The current secretary of fisheries Managing Director PFHA said, the harbour needs regular dredging however due to dearth of the funds it has been entirely turned into a ground. It requires at least 3 meter water for berthing the boats but owing to steady silting it has dried up wholly and this has made the harbour ineffective. While talking to the author, local fishermen Chakar Wajo and Badayshah lamented that, We the poor fishermen of the area face sever hardships as the harbour is inoperative due to heavy silting. Neither the fishing trawlers which bring large catch nor the small vessels with a small catch are able to dock at the harbour. We the fishermen anchorage the trawlers few kilometers away from the coastline at the water and hired some people to bring out the weight which is desperately worrying the fishermen and some of the fishermen berth the yachts at a small inlet known as Juddy Hoor. Ihsan Baloch, a fishermen and only breadwinner of his family said, It is certainly something to misbehave and an act of antagonistic attitude towards us. The fishermen take days to months and when they return only Almighty Allah knows how seriously exhausted they are. If there was an operational harbour at Pasni it would be at ease for them but despite of the cries and requests still we lack the opportunity and availability of a harbour with traditional facilities. Balochistan Chief Minister has proposed the project of reconstruction of the silting harbour in a meeting of PFHA at some other place in the same area to protect the rights of fishermen on 18th February 2019. The meeting also reviewed to use the grant from Japan which has been provided for rehabilitation of the harbour earlier. No doubt, operational jetties not only provide jobs to the local people but also strengthen the economies. Mr Kamal said but unfortunately the concerned institutions and departments in Balochistan are not working effectively however the concerned authorities will be held on account. Beside relocation of the Pasni fish Harbour, another eight new jetties in coastal areas of Makran to be constructed has been reviewed by the provincial Govt. but most of the local fishermen annoyingly refusing any such beneficial project development for their comfortability. In August 2018, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing has assured that China will help for remodeling and dredging of the Pasni harbour site to address the issues of the fishermen. Aslam Bahootani, MNA Lasbela-Gwadar was also present. A master student from Pasni, Norouz Baloch requested the provincial government to take an action hastily as dysfunctionality of the Harbour has paralyzed the local fishing industry. A Presidential Commission ordered the Attorney General in late January to halt the High Court hearing of the case against the former Sri Lankan navy commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and former navy spokesman Rear Admiral D.K.P. Dassanayake until the commission has completed. Fourteen naval officers, including Karannagoda and Dassanayake, are accused of abducting and disappearing 11 Tamil youth, including students from Colombo and elsewhere, as the war intensified against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It is also alleged that they sought to extract ransom money. Newly-elected President Gotabhaya Rajapakse declared during the November election campaign that he would release officers and soldiers charged or convicted of crimes during the war. He established the presidential commission to examine the supposed discrimination of the previous government against members of the armed forces and to provide the pretext for letting them off the hook. However, Attorney General Dappula de Livera rejected the order, declaring that the commission had no statutory or legal authority to order him to refrain from performing his statutory functions. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry only has the power to report findings, give advice and make recommendations. The attempt to use the presidential commission to interfere in the work of the attorney general is a threat to basic democratic rights and legal norms. It undermines the principles of the independence of the courts and the separation of powers of the government and judiciary. Significantly, in the week immediately after the presidential election, security for Police Inspector Nishantha Silva of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was summarily removed and he was compelled to flee the country with his family. CID director Shani Abeysekara was demoted and interdicted. Silva had investigated the abduction case involving the two naval officers Karannagoda and Dassanayake, as well as several high-profile cases involving by military intelligence officers, including the abduction and murder of senior journalists, in which Rajapakse has been implicated. Not surprisingly Karannagoda and Dassanayake were among the first to take their case to the presidential commission, claiming they were the victims of political victimisation by the previous government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was defense secretary during the final stages of the war which concluded in 2019 with a series of brutal military offensives in which tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed. His brother was president and defence minister at the time. The case of the two navy officers is just one of the many abductions, disappearances and assassinations of hundreds of Tamils branded as LTTE suspects and a number of journalists and government critics. Death squads associated with the military operating from white vans carried out the extra-judicial killings. Investigations later revealed that the bodies were dumped at sea tied to concrete pillars. The CID investigations uncovered the existence of a unit established under Major Bulathwatte known as the Tripoli MI platoon which was tasked with the surveillance of journalists and behind the attacks and killing journalists. The navy was heavily involved in these abductions and disappearances. On March 22, 2007, Socialist Equality Party (SEP) member Nadarajah Wimaleswaran and his friend Sivanathan Mathivathanan went missing while returning from Punguduthivu Island to Kayts near Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. The navy has occupied the islets near Jaffna since early 1980s with a presence, including military camps and check points, on every island. It closely monitored ferry services and is notorious for the massacre of 36 Tamils on the Kumudini ferry sailing from the island of Delft in 1985. The evidence collected by SEP strongly points to the involvement of the navy in the disappearance of Wimaleswaran and Mathivathanan. They were last seen travelling on a motorbike along the long causeway from Punguduthivu Island to Kayts Island after passing through a navy checkpoint. Both were likely seized at the naval checkpoint at the Velanai end of the causeway and have not been seen since. The police and the human rights commission failed to conduct a proper investigation into the formal complaint filed by the SEP. Only a handful of cases have been seriously investigated and now the new Rajapakse regime is seeking to close them down. The claim that the presidential commission is necessary to investigate the victimisation of the military is absurd. The actions of the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government were an attempt to bury the issue of Sri Lankan war crimes that had become the focus of an international campaign. Maithripala Sirisena was a senior minister in the government of Mahinda Rajapakse and supported the war to the hilt. Ranil Wickremesinghe is the leader of the United National Party that started the communal war in 1983 and supported the brutal military offensives that led to the LTTEs defeat in 2009. As president, Sirisena did his utmost to protect the security forces from legal action over war crimes and atrocities. He opposed the arrest of accused military leaders and ordered the military not to provide the courts any internal information related to the cases. He also reportedly pressed for bail to be granted for jailed military commanders. Sirisena appointed Major General Shavendra Silva, who is accused of serious human rights violations, as army chief and promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General. He also reinstated Major Bulathwatte, who was in charge of the notorious Tripoli MI platoon, after the terrorist bombings on Easter Sunday last year. Under the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, a jury appointed to investigate the murder of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj, freed the six accused soldiers. Another jury has released six more soldiers, accused of slaughtering 25 Tamils in the eastern village of Kumarapuram in 1996. In another attempt to stifle legal action, the military recently requested the Jaffna university administration, via the University Grants Commission, to bar the dean of the law faculty Kumaravadivel Kuruparan from appearing in court cases against the military. Kuruparan was appearing in a habeas corpus case involving the disappearance of two dozen youth, allegedly the security forces, in Jaffna. The latest move to use the presidential commission to suppress the case against two senior naval officers is a warning of the measures that the government will use amid intensifying class struggles in Sri Lanka. The cover-up of old crimes is in preparation for future crimes against the working class. The author also recommends: Amid global war on journalism, Tamil journalists sent death threats in Sri Lanka [31 January 2020] WASHINGTON Should every new government building in the nations capital be created in the same style as the White House? A draft of an executive order called Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again would establish a classical style, inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, as the default for federal buildings in Washington and many throughout the country, discouraging modern design. The order, spearheaded by the National Civic Art Society, a nonprofit group that believes contemporary architecture has created a built environment that is degraded and dehumanizing, would rewrite the current rules that govern the design of office buildings, headquarters, and courthouses, or any federal building project contracted through the General Services Administration that costs over $50 million. For too long architectural elites and bureaucrats have derided the idea of beauty, blatantly ignored public opinions on style, and have quietly spent taxpayer money constructing ugly, expensive, and inefficient buildings, Marion Smith, the groups chairman, wrote in a text message. This executive order gives voice to the 99 percent the ordinary American people who do not like what our government has been building. Terrified passengers on board a Qantas plane feared they had been exposed to the deadly coronavirus after a woman fell ill as the plane touched down in Melbourne. The passenger was taken away to be quarantined after the QF94 flight from Los Angeles landed at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday morning. The plane then sat on the tarmac for 90 minutes after the woman was removed by crews from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. A woman was rushed into quarantine at Melbourne Airport after landing on a flight from Los Angeles Ashleigh, who was on board at the time, said travellers were worried they may have been exposed to the disease. '[It was] pretty concerning considering the hype about coronavirus,' she told Nine News. 'It was just a worry that if someone were infected on the plane that all those passengers would have been exposed to it.' She said that quarantine crews were investigating the plane and no passengers were able to leave. The plane was forced to sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half while crews from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service removed the ill woman It is understood the woman was later cleared and released from quarantine. She has been referred to a doctor regarding a cough she had. In Australia there are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Passengers are seen arriving Sydney International Airport on January 23 after departing Wuhan Dublin, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "World - Pepper - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global pepper market revenue in 2018 is estimated at $4.1B, a decrease of -1.7% y-o-y. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). In general, pepper consumption continues to indicate a strong expansion. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 when the market value increased by 26% against the previous year. The global pepper consumption peaked at $4.2B in 2017, and then declined slightly in the following year. Consumption By Country The countries with the highest volumes of pepper consumption in 2018 were Viet Nam (166K tonnes), India (86K tonnes) and the U.S. (68K tonnes), with a combined 41% share of global consumption. These countries were followed by Bulgaria, Indonesia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and the UK, which together accounted for a further 33%. In value terms, Viet Nam ($904M), India ($506M) and the U.S. ($374M) constituted the countries with the highest levels of market value in 2018, with a combined 43% share of the global market. These countries were followed by Indonesia, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and the UK, which together accounted for a further 33%. The countries with the highest levels of pepper per capita consumption in 2018 were Bulgaria (7,641 kg per 1000 persons), Singapore (5,288 kg per 1000 persons) and Viet Nam (1,724 kg per 1000 persons). Market Forecast 2019-2025 Driven by increasing demand for pepper worldwide, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next seven-year period. Market performance is forecast to decelerate, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +1.2% for the seven-year period from 2018 to 2025, which is projected to bring the market volume to 840K tonnes by the end of 2025. Production 2007-2018 In 2018, the amount of pepper produced worldwide stood at 752K tonnes, jumping by 5.1% against the previous year. In general, the total output indicated a conspicuous expansion from 2007 to 2018: its volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.2% over the last eleven years. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, pepper production increased by +55.4% against 2012 indices. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2016 with an increase of 11% against the previous year. Over the period under review, global pepper production reached its maximum volume in 2018 and is likely to continue its growth in the immediate term. The general positive trend in terms of pepper output was largely conditioned by a tangible increase of the harvested area and a resilient expansion in yield figures. In value terms, pepper production totaled $3.8B in 2018 estimated in export prices. Over the period under review, pepper production continues to indicate a remarkable increase. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2011 when production volume increased by 47% against the previous year. The global pepper production peaked at $4.6B in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, production remained at a lower figure. Production By Country The country with the largest volume of pepper production was Viet Nam (273K tonnes), comprising approx. 36% of total production. Moreover, pepper production in Viet Nam exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest producer, Indonesia (88K tonnes), threefold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Brazil (80K tonnes), with an 11% share. In Viet Nam, pepper production expanded at an average annual rate of +8.1% over the period from 2007-2018. In other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Indonesia (+0.8% per year) and Brazil (+0.2% per year). Harvested Area 2007-2018 In 2018, approx. 570K ha of pepper were harvested worldwide; stabilizing at the previous year. Overall, the pepper harvested area, however, continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2009 when harvested area increased by 8% against the previous year. The global pepper harvested area peaked at 622K ha in 2007; however, from 2008 to 2018, harvested area failed to regain its momentum. Yield 2007-2018 Global average pepper yield amounted to 1.3 tonne per ha in 2018, surging by 4.8% against the previous year. In general, the yield indicated prominent growth from 2007 to 2018: its figure increased at an average annual rate of +4.0% over the last eleven-year period. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, pepper yield increased by +53.3% against 2012 indices. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2013 with an increase of 22% y-o-y. Over the period under review, the average pepper yield attained its maximum level in 2018 and is likely to continue its growth in the immediate term. Exports 2007-2018 Global exports totaled 392K tonnes in 2018, picking up by 6.5% against the previous year. The total export volume increased at an average annual rate of +2.1% from 2007 to 2018; the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations being recorded in certain years. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2015 with an increase of 7.9% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global pepper exports attained their maximum at 398K tonnes in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, exports stood at a somewhat lower figure. In value terms, pepper exports stood at $2B in 2018. Over the period under review, pepper exports continue to indicate strong growth. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2011 with an increase of 43% against the previous year. Over the period under review, global pepper exports reached their peak figure at $3.4B in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, exports failed to regain their momentum. Exports by Country Viet Nam represented the largest exporter of pepper in the world, with the volume of exports finishing at 142K tonnes, which was approx. 36% of total exports in 2018. It was distantly followed by Brazil (73K tonnes) and Indonesia (36K tonnes), together achieving a 28% share of total exports. India (17K tonnes), Germany (16K tonnes), Sri Lanka (15K tonnes), Malaysia (12K tonnes), Mexico (8.4K tonnes), the Netherlands (7.5K tonnes), France (6.8K tonnes) and the U.S. (6.8K tonnes) took a minor share of total exports. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of exports, amongst the main exporting countries, was attained by France, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. In value terms, Viet Nam ($743M) remains the largest pepper supplier worldwide, comprising 36% of global exports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Brazil ($243M), with a 12% share of global exports. It was followed by Indonesia, with a 9.9% share. In Viet Nam, pepper exports increased at an average annual rate of +9.6% over the period from 2007-2018. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Brazil (+7.3% per year) and Indonesia (+2.9% per year). Export Prices by Country In 2018, the average pepper export price amounted to $5,214 per tonne, going down by -14.2% against the previous year. Over the period under review, the pepper export price, however, continues to indicate remarkable growth. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 an increase of 51% y-o-y. The global export price peaked at $8,660 per tonne in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, export prices remained at a lower figure. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was the Netherlands ($8,605 per tonne), while Mexico ($2,602 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by India, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Imports 2007-2018 Global imports totaled 414K tonnes in 2018, picking up by 8.6% against the previous year. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +2.9% over the period from 2007 to 2018; the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations being observed in certain years. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2013 when imports increased by 9.8% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global pepper imports attained their maximum in 2018 and are likely to see steady growth in the near future. In value terms, pepper imports amounted to $2.1B in 2018. Overall, pepper imports continue to indicate a strong expansion. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 when imports increased by 41% year-to-year. The global imports peaked at $3.3B in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, imports stood at a somewhat lower figure. Imports by Country In 2018, the U.S. (75K tonnes), distantly followed by Viet Nam (35K tonnes), Germany (32K tonnes) and India (31K tonnes) were the major importers of pepper, together creating 42% of total imports. The following importers - the United Arab Emirates (16K tonnes), the UK (13K tonnes), France (11K tonnes), the Netherlands (11K tonnes), Spain (10K tonnes), Japan (9.5K tonnes), Pakistan (8.2K tonnes) and Russia (8K tonnes) - together made up 21% of total imports. Imports into the U.S. increased at an average annual rate of +1.5% from 2007 to 2018. At the same time, Viet Nam (+21.5%), India (+8.8%), the UK (+5.4%), the United Arab Emirates (+3.9%), Spain (+2.9%), Russia (+2.6%) and France (+2.0%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Viet Nam emerged as the fastest-growing importer in the world, with a CAGR of +21.5% from 2007-2018. Pakistan, Japan and Germany experienced a relatively flat trend pattern. By contrast, the Netherlands (-2.7%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. From 2007 to 2018, the share of Viet Nam, India and the U.S. increased by +7.5%, +4.5% and +2.7% percentage points, while the shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period. In value terms, the U.S. ($391M) constitutes the largest market for imported pepper worldwide, comprising 18% of global imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Germany ($188M), with a 8.9% share of global imports. It was followed by India, with a 7.8% share. In the U.S., pepper imports increased at an average annual rate of +5.5% over the period from 2007-2018. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Germany (+4.8% per year) and India (+14.1% per year). Import Prices by Country In 2018, the average pepper import price amounted to $5,122 per tonne, shrinking by -18.3% against the previous year. In general, the pepper import price, however, continues to indicate noticeable growth. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2011 an increase of 45% against the previous year. Over the period under review, the average import prices for pepper attained their peak figure at $8,550 per tonne in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, import prices remained at a lower figure. Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was the United Arab Emirates ($8,027 per tonne), while Viet Nam ($2,485 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by the United Arab Emirates, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Data Coverage Market volume and value Per Capita consumption Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term Production in World, split by region and country Trade (exports and imports) in World Export and import prices Market trends, drivers and restraints Key market players and their profiles For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1tjkjz Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Photo credit: Michael Thompson From Popular Mechanics A Russian satellite called Kosmos 2542 made a series of maneuvers in late January to get closer to the National Reconnaissance Office satellite USA 245. A graduate student at Purdue University pointed out the move on Twitter. Experts believe the inspector satellite may be trying to collect intel of its own. Kosmos 2542, a Russian inspector satellite, synchronized its orbit with a U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite called USA 245 , and is now trailing the classified satellite from a distance of about 186 miles, MIT Technology Review reports. Michael Thompson, a graduate student in astrophysics at Purdue University, first raised the alarm about the set of maneuvers on Twitter . Experts believe the Russian satellite may be collecting intel about the U.S. spy satellite. Something to potentially watch: Cosmos 2542, a Russian inspection satellite, has recently synchronized its orbit with USA 245, an NRO KH11. A thread: pic.twitter.com/LqvYiIYBMd Michael Thompson (@M_R_Thomp) January 30, 2020 Prior to the repositioning, the two satellites were in the same plane, but had different orbital periods, meaning they orbited the Earth at the same altitude (in low Earth orbit, between 171 and 630 miles above Earths surface), but they only passed each other periodically, maybe every 11 to 12 days, according to Thompson. Then, on January 20, the Russian satellite used its onboard thrusters to perform the first of four maneuversthe rest occurred over the next three daysto position itself closer to USA 245. Raising even more suspicion, the two satellites are farthest away from each other in Earths shadow and at their closest when in the sunlightprime conditions for surveillance. Thompson notes that evidence is purely circumstantial at this time, but experts agree the move is suspicious. Story continues Things do move around in low Earth orbit, but to expend your valuable propellant in this way to perfectly position yourself to view another satellite like this to me is just beyond the pale, Thomas Roberts, who was an aerospace security fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told MIT Technology Review. Its not a coincidence. Kosmos 2542 launched from Russias Plesetsk Cosmodrome in November 2019, while USA 245 has been in orbit since the NRO launched it in August 2013. Russia maintained at the time of Kosmos 2542s launch that it would only monitor its own satellites, as part of a satellite inspection program. What Are Inspector Satellites? Inspector satellites are a type of satellite that are designed to surveil other satellites in orbit. This is not unique to Russia, space policy expert Brian Weeden, of the Secure World Foundation, told MIT Technology Review. It doesnt happen every day, but its a capability that China, the U.S., and others have been testing out over time. During the Cold War, for example, the U.S. developed a number of antisatellite programs like the Satellite Inspector (SAINT) project, which included a series of four such satellites ready for launch. These satellitesequipped with sensors to monitor radioactivitywould be on the front lines, ready to track and possibly destroy targets selected by the Department of Defense. These days, the technology is far more advanced. While experts wont speculate as to what Kosmos 2542 may have onboard, modern inspector satellites can analyze the instrumentsoften camerasaboard the satellites theyre following in order to pinpoint what those satellites might be targeting back on Earth. In 2015, a Russian satellite called Luch saddled up between two U.S. communication satellites and hovered near them for several months. China has also sent up inspector satellites, which the country says have been used to monitor its own equipment in geostationary orbit. One of the big concerns is that we dont have any agreed rules or norms about how these close approaches should be done, Weeden told the The Verge . That means an increased risk someone might get the wrong perception about whats going on, perhaps even mistaking it for an attack. Now, we watch and wait. You Might Also Like BOSTON - A convicted rapist from Massachusetts whose decades-long claims of innocence drew the backing of some high-profile supporters was released on medical parole Wednesday, a prisons official confirmed. Benjamin LaGuer, sentenced to life in prison in 1984 after being convicted of raping his 59-year-old neighbour in Leominster the previous year, was released from the North Central Correctional Institute in Gardner, according to Cara Savelli, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Correction. She could not disclose any additional information. LaGuer, 56, has terminal liver cancer, his lawyers have said in legal filings seeking compassionate release. Correction Commissioner Carol Micci had denied his release, saying he still poses a threat to society. LaGuers attorney asked a judge last month to reverse Miccis decision. An email was left with LaGuers lawyer, Jeffrey Harris, seeking comment on his release. A person who picked up the phone at Harris office said he was unavailable for comment. LaGuer has always said he was wrongfully convicted, claiming misidentification by the victim, tainted evidence, poor legal representation at trial and a jury tainted by racism. The states courts have repeatedly rejected LaGuers appeals, including the states highest court in 2007. Along the way, he drew some notable supporters, including late Boston University President John Silber, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and Deval Patrick, long before he became governor of Massachusetts and sought the Democratic nomination for president. Patrick had written letters to the state Parole Board and donated money for a DNA test on behalf of LaGuer. LaGuer had hoped the 2002 test would prove his innocence, but it further linked him to the rape. At that point, Patrick distanced himself from LaGuer. Patricks support of LaGuer became an issue during his first run for governor in 2006, when his Republican opponent, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, said Patricks support of LaGuer showed he was soft on crime and insensitive to victims. LaGuers release comes with conditions according to the state Parole Board, including a curfew, and electronic monitoring. She couldn't get the mobile app to work. And she couldn't get through to the state party. So Linda Nelson, the Democratic chairwoman in Pottawattamie County, chose her next best option - Facebook. "Help!" she wrote, describing how she kept getting an error message on the app she needed to report caucus returns to the Iowa Democratic Party, tasked with starting the process of choosing a presidential nominee. After years of preparation designed to prevent the chaos and confusion which marred caucuses in 2016, and after careful planning aimed at preventing the spread of conspiracy theories, Democrats began their high-stakes nominating contest under a cloud of uncertainty and dysfunction. Shortly before midnight, the Iowa caucuses were in a state of suspended confusion with precincts unable to communicate results, state party officials huddling with aides to the top candidates and, above all, a blemish on the process held out by the state as a model of civic engagement. The state party predicted results would arrive in time, and there was no suggestion of foul play, but the delay meant the global spotlight trained on Iowa illuminated yet another hiccup in the workings of American democracy. The chaos provided an opportunity for some to sow doubts about the credibility of the nominating process. Brad Parscale, manager of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, tweeted to suggest the process was "rigged". He followed with a formal statement, revelling in the confusion. "Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history," he said. Additional doubts were raised by senior Democratic campaign aides. A lawyer for Joe Biden's campaign addressed a letter to state party officials citing "considerable flaws in tonight's Iowa caucus reporting system". "The app that was intended to relay caucus results to the party failed. The party's back-up telephonic reporting system likewise has failed," wrote the campaign's general counsel, Dana Remus. "Now, we understand that caucus chairs are attempting to - and, in many cases, failing to - report results telephonically to the party." Mr Biden's deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, tweeted that the "integrity of the process is critical". ( Washington Post) Ive taught a wide variety of subjects: seventh-grade science, biology, fifth-grade science, fifth-grade math, elementary gifted and talented, and this year physics and environmental science. Each subject created a unique situation with its own difficulties, as with any job. However, this years challenge surpasses all others by about a zillion percent: cell phones. Cell phones drive me crazy and provide zero benefit to the learning environment. Students arrive in class already zoned into their device and respond angrily when asked to put that device away. They are constantly entertaining themselves with Snapchat, Clash of Clans, YouTube, texting, Google, TikTok the list goes on forever. The three that clash with my teaching the most are Snapchat, games and their own music. Watching my students respond to each other on Snapchat almost gives me a seizure. They scroll through each message snapping a picture of themselves over and over and over. The flashes are constant. How are they even communicating? It looks like they just have a need to be in constant contact without any real substance to the messages. My students play games with any extra time in their world or even instead of their world. They walk down the halls glued to their digital challenges. Just one more level, or hang on, I have to finish this attack are phrases I hear repeatedly when I ask students to put away their phones and participate in class. Perhaps the most disrespectful phone behavior is listening to music. I know it sounds minor, but many of my students never remove their earbuds. Never. They spend their day in a world of their own music. They listen during lecture, lab, in the hall, during a test ... constantly. Their life runs on its own soundtrack. While I battle all these distractions throughout the day, what has shocked me more than the devices themselves are the reactions from my students when asked to put their device away or remove their earbuds. Many respond with anger, defiance, and panic. I will not take out my earbuds. You cant make me. I need music to focus, and youre not allowed to touch my personal device. Ill think about putting it away when you start teaching. Over and over Im hit with, quite frankly, rude responses to my request of class participation. Kids have also cried, pleaded and begged to keep their device when Ive taken it (just for that class period). These responses are out of control and show addictive behavior. Im worried about them. I truly am. So, I banned cell phone use in my class for the second semester. I have a shoe organizer at the front of my classroom, and if students use their phone in class, I take it up (many times after a short plea of just one more chance), and deposit it in phone jail. I love the phone jail. Now my students will look at me when class begins. They actually discussed the lab with their classmates. Some students are even doing more of their assignments on time. Its been life changing. Of course, theyve found loopholes. They have music on their computers. YouTube and Netflix can still be streaming in the background while they work on assignments, but its a start. I love talking with my students instead of policing them. I hope they start to see the difference soon. As Ive observed my students over this school year, Ive noticed cell phones are not just a classroom problem. Watch people in restaurants (on dates!), at family gatherings, in work meetings, at church or in the grocery store. Weve become the society that the movie WALL-E depicted. If you havent seen it, catch a scene on YouTube. We need a change in perspective and a re-evaluation of our manners. Im sure Emily Post would not condone this disengaged behavior, and she shouldnt. We need to purposefully be present in our lives. Have live conversations. Feel the sun. Be bored. Let our minds rest. I think we can start by just putting the phone down. Try it. WASHINGTON - From the brilliant white suitcoat to the carefully assembled guest list to the health-care-focused talking points, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought on Tuesday to stick closely to the script she used a year ago, when she last hosted President Donald Trump in the House chamber. She stuck to it until the very end of Trump's third State of the Union address - when she stood up, picked up her copy of the speech and tore it neatly in half. It was a dramatic gesture, caught on camera, that encapsulated a tumultuous year in the relationship between the speaker and the president. Last Feb. 4, Pelosi, D-Calif., sat before the nation in triumph. Not only had Democrats retaken the House just months before, they had emerged victorious from a record-long federal shutdown - and through the standoff, Pelosi had cemented her leadership of a fractious party. The mood of the moment was captured in a single image: A coyly smiling Pelosi clapping sideways at Trump, as if stifling a snicker. This Feb. 4, however, the initial gesture of dominance belonged to Trump: As the president ascended the rostrum, he handed a copy of his speech to Pelosi, barely making eye contact. Pelosi extended her hand; if Trump saw it, he did not react. Leaving after the speech, Trump did not even turn in Pelosi's direction. The tables, after all, had turned. Trump arrived at Capitol less than 24 hours before a what was expected to be a historic acquittal on impeachment charges - an outcome that Democrats warned would unleash a monarchic president. A Gallup poll released Tuesday found his approval rating at a record-high 49%. And Pelosi's party was mired in recriminations and embarrassment after a disastrous delay in reporting the first voter results of the 2020 campaign. Explaining her decision to tear up the speech, Pelosi told reporters, "It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative." "The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people," she said later in a statement. The White House's official Twitter account, meanwhile, accused her of ripping up a list of touching moments from the speech, including recognition of a surviving Tuskegee Airman who was present in the chamber. "That's her legacy." Pelosi has not spoken to Trump since Oct. 16, when she walked out of a White House meeting after accusing Trump of a "meltdown," according to her spokesman. But earlier Tuesday, Pelosi had telegraphed that she had no interest in being part of any story outside of the Democrats' poll-tested, focus-group-approved safe space - highlighting the Trump administration's attacks on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. "Health care, health care, health care - the three most important issues in America's working families," she said in a tightly packed Capitol meeting room, addressing reporters with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and a half-dozen other top Democratic lawmakers. She fended off reporters' questions about the Iowa debacle and the looming acquittal. Pelosi then joined her fellow House Democratic women, all wearing suffragist white. They reprised a group photo they had taken the year before. The pose was the same, but the mood was different. Once the speech began, the atmosphere grew more tense - and the anger could be read on Pelosi's face. What began as a placid smile became a grimace as Trump worked his way through remarks that alternately touted his achievements, slammed his Democratic predecessor and called for hard-line policies that infuriated Pelosi's caucus. The speaker stood on occasion - to welcome Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, to praise a bipartisan expansion of paid family leave for federal employees, for rural broadband Internet - but her dismay was more often on display. When Trump claimed he would protect health insurance coverage for preexisting conditions, Pelosi shook her head - hours after calling on Trump to drop his support for a federal lawsuit that would eliminate those very protections. When Trump went on to pledge that he would "always protect your Medicare and always protect your Social Security," she shook her head again. When Trump announced that Janiyah Davis, a Philadelphia fourth-grader, would receive a school voucher, she stayed seated - inspecting the speech she would later shred. Ahead of the speech, some acknowledged that the swagger Democrats had felt a year ago - which Pelosi had embraced in the months after her party's midterm victory - has given way to a more reflective posture. "I think history will probably judge us in a positive light," said Rep. Daniel Kildee, D-Mich. "There's a permanent, indelible mark on this presidency for good reason." As far back as March, Pelosi had warned that impeachment had to be for "something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan." Republicans repeatedly read those words back to Democrats as Trump's party held its ranks together - even as the facts grew so damning that several GOP lawmakers publicly conceded Trump's alleged efforts to solicit investigations of his political enemies from a foreign power by withholding military aid and a coveted meeting were wrong, though not impeachable. While some griped about a tactical misstep here and there, few Democrats have openly criticized Pelosi's decision to pursue impeachment. One who did, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, left for the GOP in December. He could be found on the center aisle Tuesday, seeking out Trump as he entered the chamber. In recent public appearances, Pelosi has come to terms with her decision to move forward with impeachment more bluntly: Trump, she has said repeatedly, is "impeached forever." "No matter what the Senate does, it can never be erased," she said in an HBO interview last month. Republicans are hoping the impending acquittal proves to be an inflection point, a moment where their currently dim prospects of retaking the House majority - and unseating Pelosi - begin to reverse. "It is really clear to me that the American people are going to look at that and say, we just can't trust the Democrats with power," said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the Republican Conference chairwoman. "I mean, I'm sure she's trying to make a hard pivot away from impeachment." In a statement after the speech, Cheney declared that Pelosi "had a tantrum, disgraced herself, and dishonored the House" in her reaction. But even before the speech - as Pelosi stressed a message of cooperation, not combat, some of her closest allies presciently doubted whether that was even possible. "When it comes to prescription drugs, if we can work with him, we will work with him. On infrastructure, if we can work with him, we will work with him," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in an interview before Trump's speech. "But I think what we're going to hear tonight is bluster. I think that we're going to hear lies." The First High Criminal Court of Appeal recently upheld a six years imprisonment sentence issued last year against a Bahraini national for stealing a car, ramming into five cars and injuring two policemen. The Public Prosecution charged the 39-year-old on May 21 last year of assaulting public security personnel, carjacking and damaging five vehicles, including a police patrol vehicle. The case originated back in May 2019 when the defendant stole a car from Souq Waqf area in Hamad Town in broad daylight, while the owner of the car was inside one of the shops and left his car running for less than 10 minutes. After reporting the case to the police, search and investigation led to the vehicle on the next day. When a police patrol approached the defendant who was inside the stolen vehicle, he drove off and a car chase began, according to Prosecutors. Driving on Khalifa Bin Salman Highway towards the Capital, the only stop he faced was the traffic signals near Bahrain Financial Harbour junction. There, the two policemen blocked his way with the police patrol vehicle and asked the defendant to get out of the car. However, the defendant attempted to escape again, hitting the patrol vehicle, four other cars and both policemen who were on foot. The defendant was eventually controlled, handcuffed and taken to the police station. In the investigation, he claimed that he was under the influence of drugs prescribed to him by doctors at the Psychiatry Hospital, and told the policemen that he wasnt aware of his actions and doesnt remember anything. It was uncovered when the defendants criminal record was reviewed that there were 35 complaints lodged against him to the police earlier. These complaints included several assault cases, some against his own father, theft and carjacking cases. The court sentenced him last year to six years imprisonment and ordered him to pay for the damages he caused to the five vehicles he rammed into. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) President Rodrigo Duterte has approved giving thousands of housing units originally allocated for police officers and soldiers to families displaced by the Taal Volcano eruption, his spokesperson said on Wednesday. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte on Tuesday granted the request of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to offer 5,448 of these housing units located in Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, and Quezon. These homes will be given to the over 5,000 families living within the seven-kilometer radius of the restive volcano's crater. The government has barred people from returning to the island where Taal Volcano stands after Taal's steam- and magma-laden eruption on January 12. There are permanent settlements on the island, which is frequently visited by tourists despite it being categorized as a permanent danger zone even prior to its eruption. State volcanologists have warned residents not to go inside the seven-kilometer radius because there is a slim chance of survival for anyone who happens to be there when an eruption occurs. Alert Level 3 remains over Taal Volcano as state volcanologists continue to record weak emissions of steam-laden plumes and over a hundred volcanic earthquakes, which signifies magma is still moving under the crater. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump recognized the parents of Kayla Mueller, an American humanitarian aid worker who was kidnapped and imprisoned by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Tuesday during the State of the Union address. "In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria, Kayla was kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of Al-Baghdadi himself. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, Al-Baghdadi murdered young Kayla," Trump said after recognizing Carl and Marsha Mueller. "She was just 26 years old," he said. The president then recounted the night that U.S. Special Forces carried out the mission that led to Al-Baghdadi's life. "The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team, that so perfectly carried out the operation, had given their mission a name," Trump explained. "Task Force 8-14, it was a reference to a special day: August 14th, Kayla's birthday," he said, telling Kayla's parents that, "America's warriors never forgot Kayla and neither will we." The world's leading companies met in January to attend the TMI Awards ceremony. Among them TIS (Treasury Intelligence Solutions GmbH) from Walldorf. Over 40 international companies met in London on January 30th for the annual Awards for Innovation Excellence by Treasury Management International (TMI). This year, TIS is proud to be the winner of the "Technology Innovation Award" in the category "Customer Experience". The TMI Awards for Innovation Excellence are regarded as a global quality benchmark for the treasury. Over 100 participants from all over Europe, North America and Asia, including executives from the 40 winning companies, traveled to the award ceremony to engage themselves with other industry leaders and to exchange views on current issues and challenges relating to treasury and payments. The win of the TMI award for excellence in "Customer Experience" is also a perfect start to 2020 for the payment specialist from Walldorf, who celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Dr. Daniela Maruhn, Head of Customer Success at TIS: "We are very proud of winning this award. An outstanding customer experience is essential for our growth and our success. We live a customer-centered mindset and with our solution we implement best practice processes. The TMI award confirms our competence in product development and in customer support." About TIS: TIS (Treasury Intelligence Solutions GmbH), founded in Walldorf, Germany in 2010, is a global leader in managing corporate payments. The Financial Times named TIS as one of "Europe's Fastest Growing Companies" for 2019. Offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the TIS solution is a comprehensive, highly-scalable, cloud platform for company-wide payments and cash management. The TIS solution has been successfully used for many years in both large and medium-sized companies, including Adecco Group, Hugo Boss, Fresenius, Fugro, Lanxess, OSRAM and QIAGEN. More than 25% of DAX companies are already TIS customers. The high level of security and deep integration of the platform with existing ERP systems is certified by ISO-27001, SAP, SOC 1, SOC 2, and TISAX. Your world of Payments. ONE Login. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005456/en/ Contacts: Press Contact TIS: Treasury Intelligence Solutions GmbH Wassiliki Demiri Altrottstrae 31 69190 Walldorf E-Mail: Wassiliki.Demiri@tis.biz https://www.tis.biz (Newser) Love him or hate himand Tuesday's State of the Union address won't have moved many people from one camp to the otherPresident Trump knows how to work a crowd. While most Democrats remained silent, the president got cheer after cheer from Republicans during the heavily partisan address, which included flourishes like awarding Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the spot. John F. Harris at Politico calls it "the most defiant, most boastful, most ostentatiously theatrical, most overtly campaign-oriented, most am-I-hearing-this-right? outlandishthe most flamboyantly bizarreState of the Union Address of All Time." Some takeaways: No love lost with Pelosi. Trump and Pelosi hadn't been this physically close to each other since an ill-fated meeting in Octoberand tensions post-impeachment seemed even higher. He snubbed her handshake just before the speech, and she ripped up her copy moments after he finished speaking. During the address, Pelosi could be seen shaking her head. story continues below Economic Pinocchios . Trump boasted at length about the strong economy, though fact-checkers found numerous false claims and exaggerations. Aaron Blake at the Washington Post notes that Trump spoke of ending "years of economic decay," but on his watch, the economy has continued the progress that began under his predecessor. "Trump has a good story to tell on the economy," Blake writes, "but he insists on ... pretending that the economy he inherited was in some kind of free fall, which just wasnt the case." . Trump boasted at length about the strong economy, though fact-checkers found numerous false claims and exaggerations. Aaron Blake at the Washington Post notes that Trump spoke of ending "years of economic decay," but on his watch, the economy has continued the progress that began under his predecessor. "Trump has a good story to tell on the economy," Blake writes, "but he insists on ... pretending that the economy he inherited was in some kind of free fall, which just wasnt the case." A "reality show State of the Union." Morgan Chalfant and Brett Samuels at the Hill note that the address included several "made-for-TV" moments, including the Rush Limbaugh honor and the reunion of a military family. The flourishes were "uniquely Trumpian given his penchant for production value and headline-grabbing moments, and they produced lighthearted moments that softened what was otherwise a caustic evening," they write. Morgan Chalfant and Brett Samuels at the Hill note that the address included several "made-for-TV" moments, including the Rush Limbaugh honor and the reunion of a military family. The flourishes were "uniquely Trumpian given his penchant for production value and headline-grabbing moments, and they produced lighthearted moments that softened what was otherwise a caustic evening," they write. Attacks on socialism . Trump, continuing what is expected to be a major theme in his re-election campaign, slammed socialism both in the US and overseas, the New York Times reports. "To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care," he said. . Trump, continuing what is expected to be a major theme in his re-election campaign, slammed socialism both in the US and overseas, the New York Times reports. "To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care," he said. Policy proposals . The address was relatively light on policy proposals, but Trump did call for legislation to lower prescription drug prices, which led to chants from Democrats who have sent legislation to the Senate. Trump also called for more vocational training, a ban on late-term abortions, and a law allowing people to sue "sanctuary" cities if they are the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. "And that was pretty much that," writes Anthony Zurcher at the BBC. "If the president is going to campaign on any bold, new ideas, they'll have to wait for another night to be unveiled." . The address was relatively light on policy proposals, but Trump did call for legislation to lower prescription drug prices, which led to chants from Democrats who have sent legislation to the Senate. Trump also called for more vocational training, a ban on late-term abortions, and a law allowing people to sue "sanctuary" cities if they are the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. "And that was pretty much that," writes Anthony Zurcher at the BBC. "If the president is going to campaign on any bold, new ideas, they'll have to wait for another night to be unveiled." The elephant in the room. The Times notes that Trump made no mention of his impeachment trial, despite the fact that he was speaking on the eve of his widely expected acquittal. (Read more State of the Union Address stories.) Kim Brent / The Enterprise The Beaumont ISD and Port of Beaumont have teamed up well with a new program designed to give interested students the training they need to qualify for a seamans job. This program checks several important boxes for the benefit of the students involved and the entire region: It plays to our strengths. Southeast Texas has one of the greatest concentrations of public and private ports in the nation, as well as three operating or planned LNG export terminals. The Port of Beaumont alone is the fifth largest port in the country in terms of tonnage. These facilities obviously need workers with the right skills and training, and it makes sense for schools like the BISD or the Lamar Institute of Technology to provide that education. Most of these jobs pay well too with opportunities for advancement. Seamen start at around $34,000 per year, and thats not a bad salary for a young man or woman to begin with. An Phat Holdings has increased localisation ratio and high-tech In the framework of the conference to support and advise enterprises located in Hai Duong province, which was organised on February 4 with the participation of the Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, representatives of Hai Duong Peoples Committee, Samsung Vietnam, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade signed an MoU to implement consultation programmes for enterprises in the province. The event contributed to realising Resolution No.50 published by the government to develop the supporting industry, and especially improve the localisation ratio and use of high-technology. It was the first time that a consultation programme was organised for a single province with the participation of representatives of central and local authorities and enterprises. Hai Duong was the first province selected to organise the conference. Among the industrial clusters across the country, Hai Duong has massive potential, further improved by advantages in infrastructure and human resources. In recent years, the initiative to apply high-technology and increase the localisation ratio has been gathering steam and has become the number one priority in developing the supporting industry of the province and as such has garnered great support from Samsung Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue taking a look at the products of An Phat Holdings Especially, many enterprises in the province have joined the supply chain of large foreign-invested groups. These advantages contributed to Hai Duong being selected as the first province to organise the consultation conference for supporting enterprises. With the experience of 20 years, An Phat Holdings is the leading enterprises of the province in applying high-tech as well as increasing localisation ratio. The company has experience in co-operating with multinational groups like Samsung, Honda, Toyota, Yamaha, and Panasonic. It became a Tier 2 vendor of Samsung the worlds leading mobile phone manufacturer in March 2019 and has increase investment to upgrade manufacturing lines to become a Tier 1 vendor in the future. Besides, An Phat Holdings has received the trust of many other foreign-invested enterprises to manufacture complex products like cars, motors, and printers. The long-term goal of An Phat Holdings is to increase the localisation ratio of its products, develop new products with high-tech content, expand investment, and enhance its position in the global supply chain. In addition, the group has been continuously strengthening its production system, improving labour productivity, and standardising the quality management system according to the most stringent standards in the world, such as ISO:9000, 90001, 14001, and is aiming at to reach IATF16949 standards in the near future. Dinh Xuan Cuong, vice chairman cum general director of An Phat Holdings, addressing the MoU ceremony Speaking at the conference, Dinh Xuan Cuong, vice chairman cum general director of An Phat Holdings, said, With the target of increasing the localisation ratio, we will continue to increase the quantity and content of Vietnamese grey matter in the component products of mobile phones, automobiles, motorcycles, as well as washing machines, which requires methodical investment in capital, technology, and people. Regarding technology, we are proud to be the leading enterprise of the province in modernising production. Our production lines of moulds, phone components, and printers, among others, in Hai Duong province always meet international standards. In the supporting industry, An Phat Holdings has two subsidiaries in Hai Duong namely An Trung Industries and Vietnam Pattern Manufacture And Precision Mechanical Co., Ltd., which are focusing on manufacturing electronic components. Besides, it has another member company, Hanoi Plastics JSC, which manufactures parts for cars and motorcycles for partners like Honda, Toyota, and Piaggio, among others. Washington For companies bracing for losses from China's viral outbreak, the damage has so far been delayed, thanks to a stroke of timing: The outbreak hit just when Chinese factories and many businesses were closed anyway to let workers travel home for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday But the respite won't last. If much of industrial China remains on lockdown for the next few weeks, a very real possibility, Western retailers, auto companies and manufacturers that depend on Chinese imports will start to run out of the goods they depend on. In order to meet deadlines for summer goods, retail experts say that Chinese factories would need to start ramping up production by March 15. If Chinese factories were instead to remain idle through May 1, it would likely cripple retailers' crucial back-to-school and fall seasons. "There's complete uncertainty," said Steve Pasierb, CEO of the Toy Industry Association. "This could be huge if it goes on for months." Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak hit hardest, is a center of automotive production. It's been closed off, along with neighboring cities, isolating more than 50 million people and bringing factories to a standstill. So far, U.S. automakers haven't had to curb production for want of Chinese parts. But David Closs, professor emeritus at Michigan State University's Department of Supply Chain Management, said the clock is ticking. "I would say it's weeks at the most," Closs said. "One to two to three weeks." Hyundai Motors said Tuesday that it was suspending production in South Korea "due to disruptions in the supply of parts resulting from the coronavirus outbreak in China" and that it "was seeking alternative suppliers in other regions." The partial shutdown of Wuhan has already harmed the production of TV display panels and raised prices, according to a report by research group IHS Markit. The city has five factories making liquid crystal displays, known as LCDs, and organic light-emitting diodes, known as OLEDs, both of which are used for television and laptop monitors. China accounts for more than half of the global production of these display panels. David Hsieh, an analyst at IHS Markit, said in a report that "these factories are facing shortages of both labor and key components as a result of mandates designed to limit the contagion's spread," leading suppliers to raise panel prices more aggressively. Phone-maker Motorola, which has a facility in Wuhan, said that so far, it expects little impact because it has a flexible global supply chain and multiple factories around the world. Its priority has been the welfare of local employees, Motorola, which is owned by the Chinese electronics giant Lenovo, said in a statement. Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts last week that the company's contractors in China had been forced to delay reopening factories that closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Cook said the company is seeking ways to minimize supply disruptions. Some of its suppliers are in Hubei, the Chinese province at the center of the outbreak. Most of Apple's iPhones and other devices are made in China. In the meantime, economists are sharply downgrading the outlook for China's economy, the world's second-biggest. Tommy Wu and Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics have slashed their forecast for Chinese economic growth this year from 6 percent to 5.4 percent. They expect most of the damage to be inflicted in the first three months of 2020. "But a more serious and long-lasting impact cannot be ruled out," they wrote Monday. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Forecasters are contending with unknowns. No one knows how long the outbreak will last, how much damage it will cause or how policymakers will respond to the threat. "We're grasping for precedents," said Phil Levy, chief economist at the freight company Flexport who was an economic adviser in the administration of President George W. Bush. Some look back to the SARS outbreak, which paralyzed the Chinese economy for the first few months of 2003. But the damage from SARS faded quickly: China was booming again by year's end. And the world economy emerged mostly unscathed. But times have changed in ways that are not favorable to containing the economic damage. Back then, China was the world's workshop for cheap goods toys and sneakers, for instance. Now, China has moved up to sophisticated machine parts and electronics like LCDs. And it accounts for about 16 percent of global economic output, up significantly from just 4 percent in 2003. Levy said he was struck by how U.S. airlines reacted to the coronavirus: They suspended flights between the United States and mainland China for weeks American airlines through March 27, United through March 28 and Delta until April 30. The move doesn't just affect tourists, students and business travelers. Caryn Livingston, editor of Air Cargo World, noted that about half of air cargo has historically been transported in the bellies of passenger aircraft. "When you see them loading those big 747s, that's not just your luggage," Levy said. "That can be pallets full of electronics and other things." The health crisis coincides with an especially difficult time for China's factories. A 19-month trade war with the United States in which the Trump administration imposed tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese imports has already led U.S.-based multinational corporations to look for alternatives to Chinese suppliers. Many are moving to Vietnam or other low-wage countries to dodge President Donald Trump's taxes on Chinese-made goods. The Prague-based NGO People in Need has awarded its annual Homo Homini prize to Tajikistans jailed lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov for his commitment to defending basic human rights and to assure a fair trial to all citizens of his country. Yorov has been promoting human rights in Tajikistan for many years despite facing severe persecution as a result of his work. He did not hesitate to defend clients who were targeted by politically motivated charges, whose cases other lawyers were not willing to take, a statement said on February 5. As a result of doing his job, this prominent lawyer lost both his property and his freedom, it added. Yorov was sentenced in October 2016 on charges of issuing public calls for the overthrow of the government and inciting social unrest. His 23-year prison term was later extended by five years after he was found guilty of contempt of court and insulting a government official. Last year, his prison term was cut by six years as part of a mass amnesty. The lawyer has denied any wrongdoing, saying his trial was politically motivated because he defended members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, a group that was banned in 2015 as a terrorist organization. Western governments and human rights organizations have urged the Tajik government to release Yorov, who was awarded last year the Faiziniso Vohidova Human Rights Prize by the Association of Central Asian Migrants in Europe. The Homo Homini Award will be presented on March 5 to his brother, Jamshed Yorov, at the opening of the One World Film Festival, a human rights film festival held annually in the Czech Republic. The prize is awarded to people and groups in recognition of their contribution to the defense of human rights, democracy, and the nonviolent resolution of political conflicts. Past laureates include Azerbaijani lawyer Intiqam Aliyev, Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski, and Iranian activists Abdollah Momeni and Majid Tavakoli. NSW Health issued two separate alerts for measles on Tuesday, with a person who visited the University of Sydney campus last week and a flight attendant who spent January 26 at The Golden Sheaf at Double Bay the latest cases. One of the measles patients spent time at the University of Sydney campus while infected, and people who were at the Laneway cafe in the Wentworth building between 8am and 4pm on Janurary 28 should be alert for signs and symptoms, the department said. A woman with measles visited the Laneway Cafe inside the University of Sydney's Wentworth Building. Credit:Wolter Peeters Sydney Local Health District's Clinical Director of Public Health, Leena Gupta, said people with measles symptoms should stay home from school or work and not go out in public. "The measles virus is highly contagious and is spread through the air by someone who is unwell with the disease," Dr Gupta said. As anonymous complaints continue to pour in against him, Ludhiana improvement trust (LIT) chairman Raman Balasubramaniam has alleged that his own staff is conspiring against him. He alleged that the complaints started coming in as he started tightening the noose around staff and property dealers involved with LIT schemes. Balasubramaniam said the complaints are frivolous as only the names are mentioned in the letters but no address or contact number is given. An LIT official, requesting anonymity, said the chairman had allegedly caught a lower-rung staff member conniving with dealers for purchase properties at lower rates during e-auction. Following the revelation, the LIT cancelled the e-auction till the completion of investigation in the matter. In December last year, a complaint was sent to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra, accusing Balasubramaniam and a cabinet minister of favouring the Orient Cinema site allottee. It was stated that the chairman and the cabinet minister had purchased 50% share of the property. The complaint was filed by Rakesh Garg, a resident of Ram Das Nagar of Raikot but no proper address or contact number was given in the complaint. Another complaint in the same month stated that the chairman was allotting properties to a certain company at lower rates during e-auction. The chairman said that he has checked with the local bodies department and no such complaint has been lodged with the head office regarding allotment of properties. The complaint has only been floated in the media to pressure him, he alleged. I have gathered proofs against LIT officials who are hand-in-glove with the property dealers. They are complaining against me as I am tightening the noose around them, Balasubramaniam told Hindustan Times when contacted. The LIT chairman further said he will verify the address given in the complaint against him in the orient cinema case. The chairman said that an affidavit was attached to the complaint has been tampered with and it is clear the complainant was doing so to conceal his identity. He said that if it is found that the complaint has been lodged by some ghost resident, then he would lodge a police complaint in the case. The murder of Paul Quinn is an active live investigation and subject to an ongoing review by the Garda cold case squad, Garda HQ has said. The Garda Serious Crime Review Team issued a preliminary report last October with initial investigative recommendations but is continuing to examine the brutal killing. Gardai have followed more than 2,000 lines of inquiry and taken over 700 statements from people as part of their 13-year investigation into the sadistic murder of the 21-year-old. There have been 23 arrests to date, 19 of them carried out by gardai and four by the PSNI, but no charges have ever been brought. Mr Quinn, from Anamar, Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, was lured to sheds at Tullyvanus, Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, on October 20, 2007. He was attacked by a group of eight to 10 men, who broke every single bone in his body, while another 10 people are also suspected of providing logistical assistance. Mr Quinn's family and gardai believe he was targeted after he had a row with a relative of a local IRA man. His mother, Breege, and father, Stephen, and his siblings have been fighting for justice over the last 13 years. Breege Quinn mother of murdered Paul Quinn pictured at his grave-side in Cullyhanna. Pic: Ciara Wilkinson Gardai said last October that the Serious Crime Review Team had provided a preliminary report with recommendations to the investigation team, which was examining them. In a statement issued today, Garda HQ said: The murder of Paul Quinn remains an active live investigation. The investigation is currently subject of an examination by the Serious Crime Review Team in conjunction with investigating Gardai from Carrickmacross Garda station. It said it was not going to make any further comment on individuals who may or may not have provided information to an on-going investigation. During an RTE election debate last night, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that party colleague and Stormont minister Conor Murphy had spoken to gardai and the PSNI in relation to any information he had on the murder. Ms Quinn has been demanding that Mr Murphy give the names of IRA members in Cullyhanna he said he spoke to about the incident in 2007. Today, Mr Murphy told RTE news that the last time he spoke to police on either side of the border about the murder was 10 years ago, but said he was more than happy to do so again, if they wanted him to. Mr Murphy retracted comments he made in 2007 linking Mr Quinn to criminality and apologised to his family. In a 2008 report, the International Monitoring Commission, which was set up to inspect paramilitary activity, said it did not attribute the killing to the IRA nor were they aware of evidence linking it to the leadership of the organisation. But it said that the murder gang involved people associated with the IRA locally, including members of the organisation. Ian Acheson, the England-based counter-terrorism expert who gave countless interviews to newspapers and broadcasters across the world in the wake of this week's Islamist knife horror in London, can't disguise the emotion in his voice as he talks about another atrocity nearly three decades ago in Enniskillen. For Ian is from the Co Fermanagh town and his father Mervyn was the first ambulance driver to arrive on the scene of the Remembrance Day bombing in November 1987 and had to dig friends, alive and dead, from the rubble with his bare hands after the no-warning IRA attack. Ian who's also a poet, journalist, radio presenter, former prison governor and one-time prospective election candidates for the Ulster Unionists and New Labour, knew many of the 11 people killed on that dreadful day and he was so upset by the outrage that he flew home from his studies at Durham University to be with his family and friends. He was at the Cenotaph shortly afterwards for the re-run of the aborted Remembrance Day ceremony which was attended by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, though he can't remember her presence. The 51-year-old former Portora Royal School pupil says: "My abiding memory is looking down the street towards the courthouse and seeing an endless sea of flags from the Royal British Legion who had members there from every branch in Britain. "It was an extremely moving show of solidarity and I am still moved by the fact that so many people seemed to care about us." Ian went on to help Enniskillen Together, a charity which brought Protestant and Catholic children together in the town and he also led a trip to Romania. Ian doesn't think his late father was ever the same after the massacre and he adds: "If you were an ambulance driver in Fermanagh in the Seventies and Eighties you would have seen a lot already, but Enniskillen had a devastating effect on him." In a recent tweet Ian responded to a video of the aftermath of the attack which showed an ambulance after the bombing and he also addressed subsequent widely-reported attempts by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to blame the bombing on Britain's 'occupation' of Northern Ireland. In his tweet, Ian said: "If anybody is interested in why I find #Corbyn not only a risk to national security but also an odious fool, my father was driving that ambulance." Expand Close The scene of the Enniskillen bomb seconds after the IRA blast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the Enniskillen bomb seconds after the IRA blast Ian who describes himself on his Twitter page as an Irish unionist and 'not that big Ian' has had a remarkably varied career after leaving university, with his experiences of nearly 10 years in the prison service having made him a much sought after commentator on the way Britain's jails are run. After Sudesh Amman was shot dead by police on Streatham High Road just after he was released from jail, Ian consistently argued on TV and radio that root and branch changes were urgently needed in the handling of Islamist and right-wing inmates by the prison system to protect people from extremists once they were released back into the community. He told a radio interviewer this week: "I don't think if you were trying to construct an incubator for violent extremism and radicalisation you would do much more than create our current prison conditions where violent and credulous young men searching for excitement and meaning are in close proximity to highly charismatic Islamist and right-wing extremists who want to seduce them into a mindset that explains their grievances to them." Within minutes of his first broadcast his phone was red hot. "I had 150 calls that I couldn't even answer on the day," he explains. "They came from Seattle to Germany and all points in between." What made his interviews carry more weight than most was the fact that four years ago Ian carried out an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons and his report found that there were "serious deficiencies in every aspect of the management of terrorist inmates". Only eight of his 69 recommendations were finally accepted. Some of the Islamist prisoners who are currently in the British prison system represent threats similar to Amman and another freed terrorist, Usman Khan, who was responsible for the London Bridge killings last year, says Ian, whose life could have been so very different from the one he leads today. After university, a none-too-successful stint in Coutts's bank in England ended with officials "telling me that they weren't even sure I could count". At one point in the Maze I said I would like to walk down the H-blocks and talk to some prisoners. A senior officer said he would check if that was okay and I assumed he would ring up the control room but he actually went to the prisoners' O/C and asked if it was alright for me to go there Ian tinkered with journalism for a time. He'd always enjoyed writing and submitted articles to his local newspaper, the Impartial Reporter, before contributing his weekly "sometimes funny" take on politics for BBC Radio Ulster's Across the Line programme, whose producer Mike Edgar later linked up with him to present a documentary. "That was called the Forgotten Frontier," says Ian. "It was about Castlederg and the terrorist onslaught there, particularly against the unionist community. I think it had the distinction of being the only documentary that was ever censured by the council in Strabane for telling what I considered to be an inconvenient truth." Ian toyed with the idea of joining the RUC but was talked out of it by relatives who were in the force and instead he applied for and was accepted onto a graduate trainee course with the prison service across the water. He rose to the rank of governor where he had to cope with a number of serious incidents in jails including hostage negotiations and the threats posed by IRA terrorists behind bars. Working from service's headquarters, he had an input into an investigation into the armed escape of five IRA men and an armed robber from Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire in the early Nineties. One of the tasks was to establish if anything could be learnt from the experiences of the prison service in Northern Ireland to stop terrorist inmates manipulating staff. Even though Ian was from the province, what he saw on his visits to the Maze shocked him even more than he ever imagined they could. He says: "It was extraordinary to see how little control staff had over a terrorist prison. I'd been governor of Wandsworth prison in England where we were totally in charge of 1,600 prisoners. "At one point in the Maze I said I would like to walk down the H-blocks and talk to some prisoners. A senior officer said he would check if that was okay and I assumed he would ring up the control room but he actually went to the prisoners' O/C and asked if it was alright for me to go there." Ian's criticisms of the prison service in England and Wales have been scathing. "I've called their approach a mixture of arrogance and ineptitude. They think they can manage the Daesh generation and network of Jihadists the same way they quite badly managed the IRA prisoners in Britain in the Nineties. "What has been happening today has been foreseeable. And overseeing all that is the instability in general which is not confined to lower category prisons where governors are struggling day to day to manage all those other threats from organised crime to drugs and the violence that's associated with them. "Then there's overcrowding and insufficient numbers of staff which is creating an environment where violent extremism will flourish." In the wake of Streatham, the Government has announced it is introducing legislation to end the early release of Islamist prisoners. But Ian is cautious, though he accepts it's right the public should demand substantial sentences for terrorist offenders to reflect the gravity of their crimes. He says: "We shouldn't react with ill-thought through legislation. It's not about the quantity of years you add to a prisoner's sentence, it's the quality of the interventions and confinement which is much more important. If you don't do anything with these people they are going to come out as bad if not worse than they were when they went in. "Prisons are ideal places to magnify grievances and alienation to provide networks for people to reinforce beliefs and enable them to descend to the dehumanisation that is required to let the likes of Amman and Khan to do what they did. "We've got to change the way we manage terrorists in custody. We've got to become much more assertive and that was never the case in Northern Ireland. The Maze was just a great big concrete box to keep people in and nothing was done with the prisoners at all. In fact, there would have been resistance to moves like that. "But after the Maze escape, what kept people in prison I would say was the certainty that they would be shot dead by the Army if they tried to go over the top again." On leaving the prison service Ian was appointed director of the international prison charity Prisoners Abroad, supporting British citizens detained overseas. He later worked for the Government's Youth Justice Board and moved to the Home Office, and in 2016 he was appointed as executive director and chief operating officer for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He has now left public service to set up his own business - and though he's been approached to become a politician he has so far resisted. He says: "I am proud to say that I am an Irish unionist and while I am related to Arlene Foster's husband and I completely disagree with a lot of how the DUP see the world I think I understand her psychology after all that she went through. "David Trimble once had a surreal conversation with me about me standing in an election in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He told me I would be a great MP but it never happened. "I was also about to become a New Labour candidate in an unwinnable seat in the Blairite years but I dropped out after I was told what to say and think about some very important issues including Iraq and fox-hunting." Ian, who is married with two sons, has had articles published in the Spectator magazine about his experiences of growing up amid the Troubles in Fermanagh - and about Brexit. He has also had poetry published. He still has relatives in Northern Ireland and has done some advocacy work for the South East Fermanagh Foundation, who campaign on behalf of victims of the Troubles. "I've been supremely lucky to have avoided the personal trauma that many people endured like the family of Paul Maxwell, the young Enniskillen boy who was killed along with Lord Mountbatten in Mullaghmore," he says. "I used to play with his brother. "My wife will tell me that I am still slightly changed around the time of the Enniskillen anniversary every year. I don't think of myself as a terribly emotional person but It just brings back those feelings from 1987 after I heard the news in Durham and felt that I had to go home." There is no doubt it has been a dramatic time for the royal family, especially after dealing with Prince Andrew's car-crash interview regarding his connection to billionaire pedophile and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. With that said, the Duke of York's controversial interview has also affected his family, particularly Princess Beatrice who is soon going to be married. Furious Bea? Princess Beatrice's engagement with Edoardo Mapelli was announced in September 2019. Still, since the ongoing scandal with her dad and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal exit, Bea has yet to finalize her wedding venue. While the Palace was expected to make an announcement in the last week of January, the princess' wedding has fallen off the royal agenda amid the crisis the family is facing.. According to The Sun, the 31-year-old royal is furious that her wedding announcement is being delayed once again. Despite reports that the wedding will take place on May 29, the Palace is yet to comment and confirm the said schedule. "The decision has been delayed repeatedly because of all the issues, but finally, they have something that seems to work - and barring any problems that should be when it goes ahead," The Sun's source added. The insiders also claimed that the couple will indeed wed on May 29. "The press officers of all the palaces hope to portray the Beatrice wedding as the big event that brings the family back together again," the same source told the publication. More Than Just One Union While little attentoon has been given to it, Princess Beatrice's wedding is being deemed as an event that can potentially save the monarchy's reputation. According to Radar Online, Queen Elizabeth II is urging the royal family to come together and put on a united front at the wedding. As such, she has laid down strict instructions for royal family members to make a special effort. A source told Radar that aides know that it will be a tough job, but they have to do everything they can as it will not just save the wedding but fix the monarchy's reputation as well. In a report by the Daily Mail, Her Majesty reportedly offered Buckingham Palace as a reception venue. It is the Queen's offering to boost Prince Beatrice's "morale." "It was an extraordinary gesture as it will be the first wedding celebration at Buckingham Palace since William and Catherine were in 2011," the source said.. Moreover, according to the same Daily Mail source, Princess Beatrice was "delightful" and "very grateful to accept." This is in contrast to her sister Princess Eugenie, who married Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel in Windsor in 2018. While most of the family can be expected to attend, it is still too soon to tell if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend and if we will see Prince Andrew at the wedding venue. Princess Bea Irked The rumors about Princess Beatrice's wedding came after reports that Edo is getting close to his ex-girlfriend, Dara Huang. Edo shares a three-year-old son with his ex-girlfriend. According to New Idea, Edo reportedly got his hair cut by his ex-girlfriend in the past few months, which "apparently irked Bea." The Mail on Sunday also said that the princess "isn't so happy" with the fact that Edo and his ex are still on good terms. The source told the publication that at first, Princess Beatrice was very cool about their relationship, but the Princess of York would have preferred there is a little more distance between the former couple. Like any technology, business intelligence (BI) has come a long way since its inception. Capabilities and features are always advancing to keep up with evolving needs. Organizations aiming to harness data-driven decision making as a competitive differentiator must stay abreast of these developments. Sticking with legacy BI to avoid the expense of investing in newer, more advanced tools can actually cost your company more in the long run. Stubbornly deciding to use legacy BI systems is false economy. While you may save some money in the short-term on upgrade costs, you're ultimately missing out on the longer-term potential financial benefits. Here's more on what it means to go beyond the limitations of traditional business intelligence reporting and why it's so important to do so. Challenges of Traditional BI Reporting Let's talk about some of the key challenges of traditional BI reporting. First of all, legacy business intelligence systems often require IT and data specialists to act as intermediaries in some form. In other words, employees can lack direct and immediate access to ad hoc data insights. The result? Users may miss opportunities to ask questions, pick up on real-time patterns and get timely information when they need it most. This model can impose data latency as well as delays when users must wait to get their hands on crucial information - especially if the IT team has to create reports and pass them along to other teams. Another significant challenge associated with traditional BI reporting is its static nature. Rarely does a report or chart answer all questions at a glance. Without the ability to drill down for additional context, users are inevitably going to miss potential insights. Advanced Analytics: Accessible & Interactive Data Insights Today's agile and advanced BI platforms represent a huge advancement in BI reporting over the legacy players and their static limitations. It's the difference between employees having to make do with a "what you see is what you get" report most likely created by the IT team vs. employees being empowered to ask questions and get interactive answers on demand. Think about the immense impact such readily available data insights can make when used to influence decision-making. Truly forward-thinking companies are purposefully going behind traditional BI - harnessing the power of advanced analytics - rather than continuing to center their data strategies around reports alone. Here's how MarketWatch describes this phenomenon: "Advanced analytics and BI are highly complementary as the former can provide a more in-depth, explorative perspective on the data, while BI systems provide a more structured user experience in terms of dashboard visualization, reporting, performance management metrics, etc." Advanced analytics empower users to freely query data on their own terms and continue to dive down into the results through interactivity. They also capitalize on artificial intelligence algorithms capable of doing in seconds what can take human analysts hundreds of hours. They automatically uncover trends, anomalies and relationships hidden within data, then push that info to the decision-makers who can put them into action. She's jetted to the stunning island of Trinidad and Tobago with her sister Lauren. And Love Island star Amber Gill was proudly flaunting her physique in a fuchsia pink bikini as she documented her sunny getaway on Instagram Stories. The reality TV star, 22, looked sensational as she enjoyed a ride on a horse named Zimbu along the beach, after sailing to the island with her beautiful sibling. Scroll down for video Holiday! Love Island star Amber Gill, 22, was proudly flaunting her physique in a fuchsia pink bikini as she documented her sun-soaked getaway to Trinidad and Tobago As she sailed to the luxurious islander with her sister, Amber looked sensational in the form-fitting pink bikini. The star shared a slew of videos from her trip to the island, before watching the jaw-dropping sunset. Amber then shared an adorable video of her new friend Zimbu the horse, as she took a ride along the beach. Fun: The reality star documented her break on Instagram Stories which included a horse ride along the beach Gorgeous: After sailing to the island, Amber displayed her amazing figure in white shorts and a nude top as she stroked the beautiful horse named Zimbu Beautiful animal: Amber was a natural as she gently stroked her new furry friend ahead of a ride down the beach Cute: The Newcastle-born beauty finished her boho beach look with a matching straw hat as she gently led the horse down to the beach for the ride New furry friend: Amber documented her sunny break on Instagram after jetting to the Island with her sister Lauren Having fun? After climbing aboard the horse Amber shared another video of herself riding Zimbu with ease Getting herself into the holiday mood, the Newcastle-born beauty changed into a tight vest and matching white shorts as she gently guided her horse onto the beach for the ride. Clearly a natural, Amber looked right at home as she rode the mare through the ocean and across the sands. Amber rose to prominence when she was crowned the winner of Love Island last year alongside Greg O' Shea, but the couple split just weeks after leaving the villa. Flawless: The star displayed her effortless natural beauty as she went makeup free during the beach break Rising star: Amber rose to prominence when she was crowned the winner of Love Island last year alongside Greg O' Shea, but the couple split just weeks after leaving the villa Close: Amber was clearly enjoying the sunny break with her sister Lauren as they appeared in a fun social media video together Summer beauties: Lauren and Amber were larking about on the beach in the sunshine, as they documented their break on Instagram Stories Since then it's been reported that she is dating Chelsea player Fikayo Tomori, after she left a cheeky comment on one of his social media snaps. A friend of Amber's told the Sun: 'They've been on two dates in as many weeks in London... They've been chatting for quite a while now but only recently met properly. 'The fact she has posted a public display of affection, by flirting on Instagram, is a good sign too. She's not usually one to show her feelings so quickly.' Rumours: It comes following reports that Amber is dating Chelsea player Fikayo Tomori, after she left a cheeky comment on one of his social media snaps Sweet: During the horse ride Amber also shared a video of some of the mares frolicking around on the beach It comes after Amber exclusively told MailOnline last month that her love life is 'non-existent,' following speculation of a romance with her Love Island co-star Ovie Soko. 'My love life is nonexistent I'm not really bothered, I'm in Thailand I don't really need a boyfriend, I'm 22 having a good time,' she said. 'I'm just OK with where I'm at, I'm having the best time ever, the opportunities that have come my way are wild. Unless they're going to enhance my life I'm not really looking.' In a suspected case of human sacrifice, police in western Odisha district of Bolangir have recovered severed body parts of an 11-year-old son of a brick kiln worker who had gone missing on January 22. Police said on the evening of February 4, some villagers of Siletkani under Deogaon police station saw a dog eating the severed leg of a boy on Songarh riverbed. The limb was severely decomposed. Villagers alleged that the limb belonged to the missing boy of Ugrasen Bagarti, a brick kiln worker in Siletkani, who had gone missing on the morning of January 22, said Ranjan Bariha, inspector of Deogaon police station. After police launched a search with the sniffer dog, the other severed parts of the body, suspected to be that of the minor, were found. Police said the body parts have been sent for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. On January 22 morning, Babulal Bagarti, the 11-year-old son of Ugrasen had gone missing when the latter was busy making bricks. Despite a massive search, the family could not find him. Later they lodged a missing-person case alleging human sacrifice. Last month, a 28-year-old man in Bolangir district was arrested for sacrificing his 12-year-old sister to appease Goddess Durga. On December 24 last year, Subhoban Rana of Salebarat village murdered his sister Janani Rana. Rana was out on bail in another case of human sacrifice from 2018 when he had sacrificed his nine-year-old cousin brother to appease Goddess Durga. Odisha Rationalist Society, an independent body of rationalists, said at least 70 persons are killed every year in the state due to practices of witch-hunting and human sacrifice. Despite much progress, cases of human sacrifice and witchcraft does not seem to abate in largely backward villages of Odisha, said Debendra Sutar of Odisha Rationalist Society. Morocco has co-organized Tuesday in New York, along with Bangladesh and Italy a meeting on the prevention of hate speech, incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, part of the annual Interfaith Harmony Week. The event, held in collaboration with the UN Office for Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, was aimed at discussing the role of religious leaders and actors to address hate speech and prevent incitement to violence. It was also aimed at exploring synergies between the Fez Plan of Action and the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, as well as other relevant UN initiatives. Addressing the event, Moroccos permanent representative to the UN in New York, Omar Hilale, highlighted the long tradition of religious and spiritual tolerance in Morocco, where religions have coexisted for more than 12 centuries. Religious tolerance is part of the collective conscience of Moroccan society, as reflected by the coexistence of mosques, churches, and synagogues in different Moroccan cities, he said. The Moroccan ambassador underlined that the Kingdoms religious tolerance and fight against extremism have earned it international acclaim. He recalled in this vein that during his visit to Morocco in March 2019, Pope Francis commended Morocco for having provided solid training in the fight against all forms of extremism and all offenses against religions. Omar Hilale also recalled that Morocco has adopted several plans to ensure religious freedom and prevent extremism, mentioning in this connection the Rabat Action Plan that prohibits any incitement to racial or religious discrimination; the Marrakech Declaration on the rights of religious minorities in the Muslim world, signed in January 2016; and the Fez Action Plan on the role of religious leaders to prevent incitement to violence, launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in July 2017. Omar Hilale also mentioned the adoption by the UN of the Moroccan resolution on the fight against hate speech: Fight Against Hate Speech: Promotion of Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance. The resolution, first presented in July 2019, was co-sponsored by 90 UN member states. The Moroccan diplomat, who called on all stakeholders to find synergies with the UN system, also made recommendations that are likely to help the international community combat hate speech. The creation of a common platform that will merge all launched or underway initiatives remains important to reduce duplication, he said, suggesting the creation of a UN institute for international religious scholars who would provide training, supervision, and advice on how they could use their prominent role in their respective communities to promote a culture of peace, harmony, and coexistence. A large number of the UN Member States and civil society organizations attended the event. The mother of IRA murder victim Paul Quinn has called for Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy to resign, and to publicly apologise for a slur he made against her son. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald last night said her party colleague Conor Murphy "apologises and withdraws" remarks he made that 21-year-old Mr Quinn was involved in criminality. Ms McDonald came under intense pressure on the issue on the RTE leaders' debate and was challenged on her defence of Mr Murphy in an RTE interview 24 hours previously. She was also confronted with comments Mr Murphy made in 2007. She said she had spoken to Mr Murphy who was aware that the comments he had made "had caused hurt and that hurt has endured" for the family of Mr Quinn. An IRA gang is believed to be behind the brutal killing of the 21-year-old in Monaghan, every bone in his body was broken after he was lured to a shed near Castleblayney. A month later Mr Murphy suggested that Mr Quinn had been involved in criminality. Expand Close Stephen and Breege Quinn hold a picture of their murdered son Paul / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen and Breege Quinn hold a picture of their murdered son Paul This morning Breege Quinn called for Conor Murphy to resign from Sinn Fein. "I would like to see Conor Murphy resign from all positions in Sinn Fein. There is no compassion whatsoever, regardless of what position he has. He was an MLA when Paul was murdered. "He's a finance minister now. I would like to see him step down," she told RTE's Sean O'Rourke. "I will accept an apology from Conor Murphy, when he comes out on national television and apologises to us. "And when he has that done, I want him to go to the gardai and the PSNI and give them the names of the IRA men that he spoke to in Cullyhanna, and they reassured him that they didn't do it. "But he also said that everybody in Cullyhanna knew that Paul was a criminal. So, who do you believe Sean? "Why has he left us 13 years fighting, crying, and people are accusing us now of coming out when theres an election to look for justice for Paul. I want to tell them that I have been fighting morning, noon and night the past 13 years for justice for my son." She said she is prepared to speak with Mr Murphy if he makes a televised public apology. "If he makes it on national television and goes to the PSNI and gardai, which he hasn't done, we know for a fact he hasnt done it, then yes, we will speak to him." Ms Quinn added that her family are still trying to come to terms with Paul's death. "My husband hasn't gone anywhere since Paul died. Any functions anywhere, he doesn't go. The only place he goes, every day is to the grave, hail, rain or snow. And if it's lashing rain, hell park outside the grave," she said. Ms Quinn last night told Independent.ie that she wanted Mr Murphy to publicly apologise for his comments. "For almost 13 years Conor Murphy and Sinn Fein caused additional hurt to me and my family after the murder of my son. He made the slur against my son Paul publicly, and I want him to publicly withdraw it and apologise. "He also needs to clarify whether or not he gave IRA names to police." Read More Speaking on the debate, Ms McDonald said she had remembered Mr Murphy was "not quite as direct" when he made the remarks in 2007 in relation to the brutal murder of Mr Quinn in the same year. But presenter Miriam O'Callaghan quoted what Mr Murphy told the BBC in November 2007 - a month after Mr Quinn was murdered. "Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality, I think everyone accepts that. "As I say this is a very difficult situation as there is a family grieving and I don't want to add to their grief," Mr Murphy was quoted as saying by Ms O'Callaghan. Responding after these remarks were read out, Ms McDonald said those things "should not have been said" and that Mr Murphy "withdraws and apologises" for them. She said the remarks were wrong, withdrawn, and she was wrong to previously deny that Mr Murphy had said them. "I remembered Conor being not quite as direct on this matter," she said when asked about her comments during an interview with Bryan Dobson on RTE on Tuesday night. She said Mr Murphy had spoken to the PSNI and gardai about the case. Ms McDonald said Mr Murphy was going to apologise to Mrs Quinn. Photo: The Canadian Press The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan was built in 10 days. Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in Thailand showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it. Ten people from the cruise ship tested positive and were taken to hospitals, while all 3,700 crew and passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days, Health Minister Nobukatsu Kato said. More tests are pending. In Hong Kong, hospitals workers are striking to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely to ward off the virus, but four new cases without known travel to the mainland indicate the illness is spreading locally in the territory. The growing caseload "indicates significant risk of community transmission" and could portend a "large-scale" outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. Hospitals in Hong Kong said they had to cut some services due to striking workers' absences. More than 7,000 joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees' Alliance, the strike organizer. The territory's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Almost all land and sea links have been closed, but the striking workers want it shut completely. Important services, critical operations have been affected," Lam told reporters. So Im appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Lets put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things." With the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, cut off by rail, air and road to try to contain the virus, the U.S. and other countries were organizing more evacuation flights for their citizens still in the central Chinese city. The latest mainland China figures showed an increase of 65 deaths from the previous day, all the new deaths from Wuhan. The number of new cases increased to 24,324, a rise of 3,887 from the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. The 10 cases confirmed on the Japanese cruise ship raised that country's total to 33 cases. They were among 273 people tested because they had a cough or fever, which are symptoms of the virus, or had close contact with a man who got off the ship in Hong Kong and was infected. Some tests are still pending. The transmission to each person isn't clear, and the others may have gotten the virus when they got off the ship at other port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan, Kagoshima and Okinawa. The ship returned to Yokohama, near Tokyo, Monday. Thailand confirmed six more cases Tuesday, raising its total to 25. Two are motorcycle taxi drivers who had driven for Chinese tourists. Earlier a Thai taxi driver was also diagnosed with the virus. The cases are concerning because they suggest the virus can spread more easily between people than has been suspected. Altria Group (MO) sells cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, e-cigarettes, and wine under the Marlboro, Skoal, Copenhagen, and St. Michelle brands, among others, notes income expert Ben Reynolds, editor of Sure Dividend. The company also has a 10% equity stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), a 35% stake in e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, and a 45% stake in the marijuana company Cronos Group (CRON). More from Ben Reynolds: Top Picks 2020: Altria Group (MO) Altria has tremendous competitive advantages. It has the most valuable cigarette brand in the U.S., Marlboro, which commands greater than a 40% domestic retail share. This gives Altria the ability to raise prices to drive revenue growth, as it has done for many years. Thanks to Altrias stable growth, the company increased its dividend for the 50th consecutive year in 2019. Another benefit of Altrias business model is that it is highly resistant to recessions. Given Altrias own exposure to cigarettes and now, e-cigarette products, in addition to its sizable investment stake in AB InBev, it should hold up very well during the next downturn. Altrias biggest risk is the declining U.S. smoking rate, the impact of which was seen clearly in its results to start 2019. In response, Altria has invested heavily in non-combustible products that it believes carry fewer health risks, such as its $13 billion investment in e-cigarette leader Juul and its $1.8 billion investment in Cronos. Altria also recently invested $372 million to acquire an 80% ownership stake in Swiss tobacco company, Burger Sohne Grp., to commercialize its tobacco leaf-free on! brand of oral nicotine pouches. In addition, Altria recently announced a new $1 billion share repurchase program, which the company expects to complete by the end of 2020. See also: All-Weather Trio: Walmart, Dollar General and Grocery Outlet Altria stock trades for a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.2, compared with our fair value estimate of 11.5. As a result, Altria stock appears to be slightly undervalued, which could result in returns of 0.5% per year due to multiple expansion over the next half decade. Story continues Expected annual EPS growth of 4% over the next five years and the current dividend yield of 6.7% combine with anticipated multiple expansion to produce our estimate of 11.2% in annualized total returns over the next half decade. More From MoneyShow.com: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians in China to get on the last commercial Qantas flights out of the country and warned the government may not be able to rescue them if they become stranded during a growing coronavirus lockdown. Two evacuation flights out of Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic in Hubei province, have now left the country, but Qantas is still running commercial flights out of Shanghai and Beijing until Sunday. Shanghai is more than 800 kilometres east of Wuhan, where the disease began in December; Beijing is 1500 kilometres north of Wuhan. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester, second left, and Liberal MP Phil Thompson, right, at a press conference on Wednesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Australians who are in mainland China should not assume that Australia will be in a position to put flights as we have into Wuhan," Mr Morrison said in Canberra on Wednesday. "I would simply say that Qantas are running flights until 9 February and they should avail themselves of those opportunities." By Aditya Kalra, Sudarshan Varadhan and Aditi Shah NEW DELHI (Reuters) - South Korea's Kia Motors is discussing with the Indian state of Tamil Nadu the possibility of moving a $1.1 billion plant out of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh only months after it fully opened, due to policy changes last year, sources close to the talks told Reuters. Kia inaugurated the Andhra plant, its first in the world's fifth-largest car market, in December after two years of construction. It has an annual capacity of some 300,000 units and created 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. However, Kia is now in talks with the nearby state of Tamil Nadu, home to many major autoparts suppliers, about potentially relocating the plant, a senior state government official and a second source familiar with the discussions said. "(Kia) are facing problems (in Andhra Pradesh), they have been in preliminary negotiations with us ... There is a secretary-level meeting next week, we might have more clarity then," the official told Reuters on Wednesday. Kia said in a statement it has a long-term commitment to the Indian market and it aims to utilize the full capacity of its Andhra plant "before considering further expansion". "We do not have any plans to shift the manufacturing facility from the current location," it said, without commenting on any policy concerns or talks with Tamil Nadu, which are at an early stage. The Andhra Pradesh government said on Thursday in response to the Reuters story that it was continuing its "strong partnership" with Kia. It said in a statement that Andhra Pradesh enjoys a cordial relationship with Tamil Nadu, adding that the government had received assurances from a senior official in the neighbouring state that it was not in talks with Kia. The Tamil Nadu chief minister's office did not respond to a request for comment. Kia is being represented in the talks by executives at its sister company Hyundai Motor Co, which is India's second-largest automaker and has all its car production facilities in Tamil Nadu, the state official added. Story continues Hyundai did not respond to a request for comment. Kia has been troubled by a new Andhra state law on local hiring and by the new state government wanting to review the incentives given out by the previous administration to encourage the company to set up the plant, the second source and a third person with knowledge of the discussions said. Moving the plant to Tamil Nadu could also help Kia in reducing logistics costs as it would bring it closer to some of its parts suppliers, the second source added. It was not immediately clear how swiftly Kia could move production lines from a plant in one state to another, or what sort of disruption that would entail. The sources declined to be named as the talks are private. STATE POLICY CHANGES Kia started building the new plant in 2017 and formally inaugurated it in December, when it said the 23 million square foot facility would manufacture vehicles like its Seltos SUV for both the Indian and overseas markets. It said the facility would "become a vital part" of its global production network in the long term. But considering relocation within months of the inauguration highlights the challenges foreign investors face while dealing with policy changes at federal or state level in India. Kia was caught off guard in July after the new state government in Andhra mandated companies to reserve 75% of all jobs for locals from the state, making it much harder for the company to find suitable employees, two of the sources said. Kia has also been unnerved by the new state government's bid to review certain financial incentives - such as breaks on electricity tax and deferred land payments - given to the company by the previous administration, one of the sources said. After taking control of Andhra in 2019, a new government has decided to review agreements signed with several companies, including from the renewable energy sector, sparking concerns among foreign investors around sanctity of contracts in India. The Japanese ambassador to India, given Japanese companies interest in the region, told Andhra Pradesh not to renegotiate renewables contracts as it would hit business sentiment in the region, an Aug. 7 letter seen by Reuters showed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's federal government is separately working on a foreign investor protection law to safeguard against policy changes, Reuters has reported. "This is a problem for all companies including Kia ... the cost of moving the plant would be too high and would set the company back by about two years and they have made huge investments," said one of the sources aware of Kia's concerns. (Corrects headline to say the talks are over moving the plant out of Andhra Pradesh NOT to the state) (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Sudarshan Varadhan and Aditi Shah; Editing by Euan Rocha and Alexander Smith) The World Customs Organization organized, with the support of the Customs Cooperation Fund of Japan, a national workshop on Customs valuation and transfer pricing for the benefit of the Customs Administration of North Macedonia. The workshop was held in Skopje, North Macedonia from 27 to 31 January 2020. It was conducted by a Technical Officer for the WCO Secretariat and was attended by 23 participants from the Customs Administration, the Tax Administration and the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia. The five days programme consisted of refresher sessions on the provisions of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement and presentations on a number of key technical valuation topics. The WCO facilitator gave details of relevant instruments adopted by the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation (TCCV) regarding transfer pricing and demonstrated how transfer pricing information could be used during the review of related party transactions. The participants studied and discussed actively a number of case studies to deepen their understanding of the practical application of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement. The initiative by North Macedonia Customs Administration to invite representatives from the Tax Administration and the Ministry of Finance to this event provides a good example of cooperation between Customs, tax authorities and other relevant government agencies in the area of transfer pricing. Before the new Broadway season kicks into high gear, I wanted to highlight some of the exciting work happening off-Broadway. February's list of recommendations is all off-Broadway, with one concert event thrown in for musical superfans. It may be the dead of winter, but the theater in New York is scorching hot. Keone Madrid, Fabian Tucker, and Mari Madrid appear in Beyond Babel. ( Aidan Gibney) 1. Beyond Babel (running until March 25) Told through the burgeoning form of "narrative urban dance," this riff on Shakespeare finds Romeo and Juliet on opposite sides of a wall. Keone and Mari Madrid choreograph and lead the cast of this modern ballet. The Madrids are signed on to choreograph the forthcoming Britney Spears and Karate Kid musicals, and their distinctive brand of urban dance promises to majorly transform movement on the Broadway stage. This is an opportunity to see their work in an intimate off-Broadway setting before they become Broadway regulars. Kelley Curran, Jessica Frances Dukes, and Matthew Amendt star in Kate Hamill's adaptation of Dracula. ( Joan Marcus) 2. Dracula and Frankenstein (running until March 8) Classic Stage Company presents two new adaptations of classic horror stories in rep: Kate Hamill, best known for funny adaptations of Brit lit like Sense and Sensibility and Vanity Fair, sinks her teeth into Bram Stoker's Dracula. Jessica Frances Dukes plays Dr. Van Helsing, and Hamill plays the role of Renfield in an adaptation Hamill has described as "a feminist revenge fantasy." Meanwhile, Tristan Bernays has adapted Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for just two performers, in what promises to be an exhilarating demonstration of what can be accomplished in the theater. This is your midwinter monster mash. Douglas Sills and Alexandra Socha appeared in a scene from Mack & Mabel in the 2018 Encores! revue Hey, Look Me Over! They reprise their roles in the 2020 Encores! production of the full musical. ( Joan Marcus) 3. Mack & Mabel (February 19-23) The theater lost one of its most joyous voices in December: Jerry Herman, composer of Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles, died just before the New Year. Fans can celebrate his legacy by attending the Encores! production of his seldom-staged 1974 musical Mack & Mabel. Douglas Sills plays silent film trailblazer Mack Sennett and Alexandra Socha plays his muse, Mabel Normand, in this tribute to the early days of the silver screen. The show features the classic ballads "Time Heals Everything" and "I Won't Send Roses," which audiences might recognize from nights at Marie's Crisis. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy them in their natural habitat, with a big Encores! orchestra. Francis Jue, who starred earlier this season in Soft Power, plays Comrade Duch in the New York debut of Cambodian Rock Band. ( Tricia Baron) 4. Cambodian Rock Band (running until March 15) This award-winning play by Lauren Yee (The Great Leap) tells the story of Chum, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, who returns to Cambodia for the first time in three decades as his daughter prepares to prosecute the war criminal Comrade Duch (Francis Jue). The story flashes back to the 1970s to show a younger version of Chum, then a member of a rock band and a potential target for the regime's brutal cultural purge. The play is backed by an actual rock band that plays Cambodian hits from the '70s as well as songs by the California-based band Dengue Fever. Expect a lot of conflicting emotions to spring from this one. Kara Young, who appeared last season in The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd (pictured), stars in All the Natalie Portmans. ( Daniel J Vasquez Productions) 5. All the Natalie Portmans (February 6 March 15) With a title like this, how could you not be intrigued? The protagonist of the story isn't actually Queen Amidala, but 16-year-old Keyonna, who escapes the harsh reality of economic hardship through the cinematic fantasy worlds inhabited by her idol, Natalie Portman. But how will she react when all the Natalie Portmans start talking back to her? Kara Young, who has given excellent performances this season in The New Englanders and Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, stars as Keyonna in this imaginative new play from C.A Johnson. I'm quite excited about the costumes! Deirdre O'Connell stars in Dana H. ( David Gordon) 6. Dana H. (February 11 March 22) This new solo show from Lucas Hnath (A Doll's House, Part 2) tells the true story of his mother's abduction by a patient when she was working as the chaplain of a psychiatric ward. One of my very favorite actors, Deirdre O'Connell, plays Dana in this unique play that mixes live performance with recorded audio. Hnath triumphed earlier this season with the low-tech terror of The Thin Place, a play that was conceived during a working session for Dana H. His collaboration with the Vineyard promises to be one of the hair-raising highlights of the season. Key Tronic Posts Fiscal Q2 Revenue Down 5% Published: 05 February 2020 by Chelsey Drysdale by Chelsey Drysdale SPOKANE VALLEY, WA Key Tronic Corp. posted fiscal second quarter revenue of $116.7 million, down 5.1% year-over-year. Net income for the quarter ended Dec. 28 was $800,000, compared to net income of $1.6 million for the same period of fiscal year 2019. For the first six months of fiscal year 2020, revenue was $222 million, a decrease of 11.4% year-over-year. Net income was $2.4 million, down 25% compared to fiscal 2019. The lower than anticipated earnings for the fiscal second quarter were primarily a result of increased factory spending in the companys Juarez metal fabrication departments. This spending was necessitated by both new and existing customers exiting their manufacturing arrangements in China and ramping their production in Juarez. While the financial effect on Key Tronic was significant, the long-term relationship with these customers was strengthened by the performance of the Juarez facility under extreme pressure, the firm says. Additionally, the company incurred unfavorable foreign currency losses related to its unhedged portion of Mexican labor expenses due to a strengthening peso over the quarter. Moving into the third quarter of fiscal 2020, the need for increased factory spending has diminished, and we see potential revenue and earnings growth in coming periods, said Craig Gates, president and CEO. Furthermore, uncertainty over tariffs and trade tension between the US and China continues to drive a number of existing and new customers to accelerate their plans to transition from China facilities to our expanding facilities in Mexico and Vietnam. While this transition caused delays in production during the first half of fiscal 2020, we see it as a very positive trend over the longer term, as customers see the increasing advantages of our North American and Vietnam-based production. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, we continued to win significant new business from EMS competitors and from existing customers, including new programs involving consumer medical devices, Wi-Fi-enabled signage and temperature control devices. To prepare for growth in coming quarters, we have invested in the capacity of our Mexico, US and new Vietnam facilities, including a significant increase in our sheet metal capacity to address demand. We remain optimistic about our opportunities for growth in the second half of fiscal 2020 and beyond. For the fiscal third quarter, Key Tronic expects revenue in the range of $117 million to $121 million. TFW the word you are trying to masculinize already has "man" in it. pic.twitter.com/DLTG3MAqVS Robyn Pennacchia (@RobynElyse) February 1, 2020 Esquire writer Garrett Munce writes about how he noticed another handsome bro at a party and when he shook his hand, he saw he was wearing black nail polish. Munce was too! Omg. It was a broment. This led him to write an article for Esquire Magazine: 2020 is the Year of the Menicure and he even used a subtitle that reads, Do you even polish, bro? Of course.So when Ansel Elgort showed up wearing white nail polish with his velvet tuxedo at the Golden Globes, I didnt bat an eye, he writes. Hes been part of the Menicure Movement for a while, along with other stylish male celebrities like Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny (who favors gel manicures thankyouverymuch), and Pete Davidson (remember his fire engine red nails?).He continues adding, Like David Bowie and Kurt Cobain before them, these dudes appreciate a good colored cure, but whether these famous guys are driving the trend or just following it is unclear. What is certain is that men everywhere are more and more comfortable wearing nail polish. So comfortable, in fact, that nail polish brand Essie is launching a line of quick-dry polishes targeted to all genders, and New York City-based nail salon Sundays Studio now promotes menicure mondays.Read more at the source and see more photos of male celebrities with nail polish behind the cut. I added some celebs that werent included in the original article. :)Bad Bunny Ansel ElgortShawn MendesHagrid knew to cover his face. Bless.A$AP RockySnoop DoggPete DavidsonSeal by Steven Smiley | Pistons Correspondent | Wed, Feb 5th 11:12am EST Jerami Grant scored 17 points (6-for-11 FG) (3-for-5 3PT) (2-for-2 FT), pulled down four boards, along with two assists, a steal and a block during 30 minutes in the Nuggets' 127-99 win over the Trail Blazers. Fantasy Impact: Tuesday marked the tenth consecutive game that Grant has scored in double-figures after finishing with 17 in 30 minutes of a blowout win over Portland. He's taking advantage of some opportunities in the Denver frontcourt as they've had some unfortunate luck with some injuries, Paul Millsap (knee), Mason Plumlee (foot) and Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) who are all currently on the injury list. A Lisburn family will appeal after a bid to rebuild from the ruins of their ancestral home was rejected because what was left did not look enough like a house. William Briggs, whose family can trace their connection to the Ballymullan Road farm back 200 years, said it was "bureaucracy gone mad". The family want to build a one-and-a-half storey home in the style of the original farmhouse, with stables incorporating the existing stone walls Lisburn and Castlereagh councillors have now knocked back the application for a replacement dwelling because the surviving structure didn't have the "essential characteristics" of a home. The house hasn't been lived in since the 1970s, when the roof was removed. But Mr Briggs said it was still their home. He said: "We are sorely disappointed. My mum Jayne can rhyme off the generations and the history of who lived in the house." He added: "We have not given up." The planning committee had previously deferred a decision on the application so members could visit the site. President Trump promoted a ban on late-term abortion, defended prayer in public schools and celebrated the confirmation of 187 new federal judges during a State of the Union address Tuesday that spotlighted several issues championed by Christians and social conservatives. The speech drew repeated applause from Republicans in the chamber but less-frequent applause from Democrats and was capped by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tearing up her copy of the speech after Trump had finished. Most social conservative leaders, though, commended Trumps priorities. The president addressed the issue of abortion while recognizing a two-year-old girl, Ellie Schneider, who survived after being born at 21 weeks and six days and weighing less than a pound in a Kansas City hospital. She is one of the youngest premature babies ever to survive. Ellie and her mom, Robin, were in the gallery and received an ovation from the audience. Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life, Trump said. And thanks to modern medical wonders, 50 percent of very premature babies delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive. Its an incredible thing. Trump called on Congress to provide an additional $50 million to fund neonatal research. He then turned to the issue of abortion. That is why Im also calling upon members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies, he said. Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God. His administration also is defending religious liberty, Trump said. That includes the constitutional right to pray in public schools, he said. In America, we dont punish prayer. We dont tear down crosses. We dont ban symbols of faith. We dont muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith, we cherish religion, we lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the glory of God. On the issue of judges and judicial confirmations, Trump commended Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) for his leadership on the issue and said we have confirmed a record number of 187 new federal judges to uphold our Constitution as written. This includes two brilliant new Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And we have many in the pipeline, Trump said. The president endorsed school choice and urged Congress to pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunities Act, which would provide a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to scholarship funds. The Department of Education says it would inject up to $5 billion yearly into locally controlled scholarship programs, including for private schools. The next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American dream, Trump said. Yet, for too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools. To rescue these students, 18 states have created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships. The programs are so popular that tens of thousands of students remain on a waiting list. Trump recognized Janiyah Davis, a fourth-grader from Philadelphia who Trump said was hampered when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed legislation in 2019 that would have expanded a tax credit program that benefits private schools. Janiyahs mom, Stephanie, is a single parent, Trump said. She would do anything to give her daughter a better future. Then, to applause, Trump announced that Janiyah would be receiving a scholarship to the school of your choice. No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school, Trump said. Seconds after Trump finished his speech, Pelosi tore up her copies of the speech. Asked by reporters why she did it, Pelosi said, It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative, and, It was a manifesto of mistruths. She also said, I was trying to find one page with truth on it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I tore it up." Speaker Pelosi was asked what she thought of President Trump's State of the Union address. She responded that she "tore it up" and said: "I was trying to find one page with truth on it." #8NN pic.twitter.com/oTb11jG8I1 8 News NOW (@8NewsNow) February 5, 2020 But Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, called it a powerful and inspiring speech. [Trump] is not afraid to take the slings and arrows that come for standing up for these values. In the face of this barrage, President Trump gave a cheerful and unifying vision of what America can be, Perkins said in a statement. The president spoke very movingly about protecting the most vulnerable among us including unborn children. He championed the values that have made America a truly exceptional nation: strong families, religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, a strong military, and pro-growth economic policies. In my twenty-five years in the political arena, I've seen no president who has done more to advance the sanctity of life and to protect and restore religious freedom at home and abroad. Related: New Trump Rule Stops Obamacares Hidden Abortion Surcharge Trump Admin. Keeps Pro-Abortion Language out of U.N. Resolution U.S. Tells United Nations: There Is No International Right to an Abortion Its Official: Planned Parenthood to Lose $60 Million Under Trump Pro-Life Rule Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Pool Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill authored by Columbus Republican Rep. Steve Stivers that would set up a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program to teach veterans service dog training as a form of therapy. The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act authored by Stivers, an Ohio Army National Guard Brigadier General who served in Iraq, would partner with non-profit service dog training organizations to teach the skills to veterans affected by post-traumatic stress. Veterans who complete the program would be able to adopt their service dog if they want to continue with the therapy. Too many of the men and women who serve our country return home with unseen trauma, Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, a former Navy pilot. Service dogs soothe the invisible wounds of war. Stivers office says post-traumatic stress affects between 11 and 30 percent of veterans who served in conflict zones. Research conducted by Kaiser Permanente and Purdue University has shown that working with service dogs relieves symptoms, leading to better interpersonal relationships, lower risk of substance abuse, and overall better mental health, Stivers office said. Stivers said a soldier he commanded during Operation Iraqi Freedom told him that his service dog helped him fly on a plane for the first time in 10 years and to take his fiancee to dinner. "That is the impact this bill can have on the lives of our veterans, said a statement from Stivers. The bills Senate counterpart is pending before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and Stivers said he hopes it will be approved in quick order. He noted the bill passed the House two years ago but the Senate didnt act. We lose 20 veterans a day to suicide," Stivers said on the House of Representatives floor. "Congress has to work to address that situation. Read more coverage: Rep. Tim Ryan walked out of Trumps State of the Union speech, calling it fake like professional wrestling Ohios U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman defend upcoming impeachment votes (videos) Trumps State of the Union speech: Who are the guests from Ohio? Rep. Jim Jordan is raising big campaign bucks, Rep. Tim Ryan isnt: See what Northeast Ohio Congress members collected Sen. Rob Portman announces hell vote against calling impeachment witnesses Ohio Democrats decry Trump administration Medicaid change Senate should designate PFAS water contaminants hazardous substances, says Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Brown calls its brazen for Trump attorneys to chide Hunter Biden for using his famous dad to make money Bankrupt Murray Energy coal company still banks on Trump, FEC records show Democrats including Rep. Marcia Fudge back lawsuit to fight food stamp cuts Retired carpenter challenges Rep. Dave Joyce in GOP primary New Trump administration water plan draws strong reaction from both sides of the issue Rep. Tim Ryan is hitting the presidential campaign trail for Joe Biden Trump public charge immigration rule would codify discrimination, says Rep. Marcia Fudge Sen. Sherrod Brown accuses Mitch McConnell of a cover-up as impeachment trial begins Gun activists seek 'Second Amendment sanctuary designations in Ohio A Chinese doctor who was targeted by Beijing authorities after sounding the alarm about the new coronavirus during its early days has now being hospitalized with the deadly illness, according to a new report. On Dec. 30, Dr. Li Wenliang, 34, posted on the WeChat app a chilling warning among his medical-school alumni that seven people from a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan were quarantined in his hospital with a SARS-like illness, according to CNN. Evoking memories of the SARS epidemic that claimed hundreds of Chinese lives amid a government coverup in 2003, Li told CNN, I only wanted to remind my university classmates to be careful. But within hours of posting what hed intended to be a private alert, screenshots of his messages had gone viral. When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished, Li said from his Intensive Care Unit bed after he was diagnosed on Saturday. On the day that Li messaged his friends, Wuhan health officials informed medical facilities in the epicenter city that several patients from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market had contracted an unknown pneumonia. Any organizations or individuals are not allowed to release treatment information to the public without authorization, the citys Health Commission warned. The next day, Wuhan authorities publicly announced the outbreak and informed the World Health Organization. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella and other city officials recently hosted the Annual Town Hall meeting featuring the mayors state of the city address and his goals for 2020 at the Stafford Center. The citys finances and the school district were heavy on the mind of Mayor Scarcella. Over the last five years, Scarcella said the citys sales tax revenues have decreased while the expenditures have increased, drawing down financial reserves to the point it affected Staffords bond rating last year. Over the past four years, our elevated hiring has led to a substantial increase in these expenditures. In fact, so flagrant has been the acceleration in cost due to added personnel, the financial ratings firm Moodys investor service lowered our credit rating and put us on a watch list to attempt to assure our future fund balances are improved, Scarcella said. A continued escalation of this decline would result in further denigration of our financial credibility. Scarcella said the city currently maintains a general fund balance of roughly $20 million. Of that 90 percent is allocated to salaries for city staffers and first responders. Scarcella urged city directors to carefully monitor city spending and hiring. Stafford Municipal School District Stafford is home to Stafford Municipal School District, the only municipal school district in the state of Texas. Scarcella told city officials and guests at the town hall that SMSD has amazing potential and should be a district that students would fight to attend. The most pressing and compelling issue and one that is front and center is simply: how do we entice the hundreds of Stafford students who do not attend SMSD because they and their parents have not reached the comfort level with the district and for which the taxpayers of Stafford are paying large sums, to enroll here? Scarcella said and then moved on to his second goal for SMSD. How do we remove the hundreds of students, known as limited open enrollment students, who do not live in Stafford, pay nothing to attend SMSD, congest the campus and all the roads leading to it, yet are a major force in driving the programs, curriculum and culture of the district. It is the opinion of the many in the city that we must retake our fantastic district created exclusively for the children of Stafford, he said. The goals for 2020 also include spreading the word that Stafford residents pay zero property taxes, working to advocate for a community rail system connecting Fort Bend County residents to Houston employers, improving city services, rebuilding the citys fund balances while decreasing expenditures as much as possible and reclaiming the school district. Residents speak out Among those who spoke during the town hall meeting following the mayors comments were Ashish Ash Hamirani, who serves as trustee for Stafford MSD. Our district is going in the right direction and thats a very exciting thing for me and my wife as we are looking to start our family and send our kids to Stafford MSD, he said. Hamirani voiced his support and appreciation for Scarcella and other city officials and staffers and said he had witnessed first-hand the hard work Stafford elected officials had done over the last year to support Stafford students. Thank you for what you do for our district because I have no doubt that because of the path we are going in that people are going to start moving to our city with their families so that they can send their kids to Stafford MSD. Two members of the Planning and Zoning Commission also spoke at the public hearing. Commissioner Lana Hoesing said the issue that concerns her most was city tax revenues. Attracting Stafford families to enroll their children in Stafford MSD was also a concern. We are working hard to revamp our schools and bring our students back. Thats very important, she said. There are many people in the town that worked diligently to get this school started and I think we owe to them to bring it back up to standards. We have the ability to do that and we need to find a way. Commissioner Adam Sanchez addressed Scarcella and other city officials to express his admiration and appreciation. Thank you for showcasing the city in the greatest light and for making me proud to say that Im from Stafford, Sanchez said. The Stafford Town Hall meeting was held Wednesday, Jan. 29. knix@hcnonline.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:21:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Dong Huimin (R), a member of the medical team, says goodbye to her colleague before leaving for Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feb. 4, 2020. The second batch of a medical team comprised of 100 members from Gansu Province left for Wuhan in the early morning on Wednesday to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts there. (Photo by Du Zheyu/Xinhua) SOME OF the senators who voted Wednesday to acquit President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress claimed he had surely been chastened by his impeachment by the House of Representatives. We suspect they know better. Not only is Mr. Trump brazenly unrepentant for his attempt to extort Ukraines help for his reelection, but also he is likely to take the Senates vote as vindication and license for further improper actions. That makes it incumbent upon responsible members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to do what they can to protect the integrity of the November election, as well as that of the Constitution. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wished New Zealanders a happy 'Waitangi Day' as they celebrated the public holiday which marked the signing of a treaty between Maori chiefs and the British Crown in 1840. Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, who are currently in Canada, posted a message to their @SussexRoyal account this evening, along with five snaps from their tour of the country in October 2018. The couple shared the message marking the commonwealth country's national holiday despite giving up royal duties and stepping down from life in The Firm last month. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in their post that they wanted to mark the 'honour and diversity' of New Zealand. The Queen, 93, Prince Charles, 71 and Camilla, 72, Prince William, 37, and Kate, 38, also all shared messages to celebrate the national holiday. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured) have 'sent their best wishes' to the people of New Zealand as the nation celebrates Waitangi Day The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured), who are currently in Canada after stepping back from their royal duties, shared the message on their Sussex Royal account this evening Harry and Meghan's post (above) read: 'To all of our Kiwi followers, sending our very best to each of you on Waitangi Day,' Taking to their Instagram account second - pipped to the post only by the Queen's social media platform - Meghan and Harry shared several images from their 2018 tour, which they referenced as a 'special time'. The couple had announced they were expecting their son Archie shortly before visiting the commonwealth country. Photographs included in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Instagram post showed Meghan and Harry speaking to locals and wearing traditional Maori cloaks. Their full caption marking the holiday read: 'To all of our Kiwi followers, sending our very best to each of you on Waitangi Day. Kensington Palace, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton's Instagram account shared several photos (pictured) of the couple in New Zealand Kensington Royal's platform said the couple were sending their 'best wishes to all our followers in New Zealand' Prince William and Kate during a visit to New Zealand. They have wished a happy Waitangi Day to their followers today Kate speaks to school children during a tour of New Zealand. Kate and William said: 'Sending our best wishes to all of our followers in New Zealand.' 'As a commonwealth country and a realm, today we honour the spirit and diversity of New Zealand, and we feel particularly reminded of the special time we had there during our tour in 2018. 'The Duke and Duchess send their best wishes to all the people of New Zealand.' The post - which quickly racked up thousands of likes within minutes - also shared a saying in Maori, which roughly translated to the Duke and Duchess 'extending their heartfelt thanks to all New Zealanders'. Prince Harry and Meghan officially stepped back from life in the royal family last month, and are now residing in an opulent 10million ($14million) Vancouver Island mansion. The Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, sport traditional Maori garments during a visit last year. Clarence House's Instagram account shared the photo again toda The Royal Family Instagram account shared this picture of the Queen sporting a Maori cloak From the spring Harry and Meghan will stop using their HRH titles and withdraw from royal duties, including official military appointments. WHAT IS WAITANGI DAY Waitangi Day marks the date New Zealand's founding document - the Treaty of Waitangi - was signed in 1840, bringing an end to wars between the native Maori and arriving British. Since the weather is usually warm during the February 6 celebrating, New Zealanders usually enjoy picnicking, displays of waka (canoe) racing and spectacular views over the Waitangi Treaty Grounds which stretch down to the stunning waters of the Bay of Islands. Those descending from different parts of New Zealand participate in Waitangi Day celebrations differently. Advertisement However the couple will be allowed to maintain their private patronages and associations. Kate and William - whose Instagram account now has the same amount of followers as Meghan and Harry's, after previously being in front - also shared a message for those celebrating Waitangi Day. Alongside pictures from their many visits to the nation, the couple said: 'Sending our best wishes to all of our followers in New Zealand.' The Queen's social media account also shared a message for their New Zealand followers, writing: 'Today, communities across new New Zealand will be marking Waitangi Day. 'The national holiday commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, widely consider to be the document which founded modern New Zealand.' Several photographs were showcased alongside the note, including one showing the Queen wearing the kiwi feather korowai (cloak) given to her for her Coronation in 1953 when in Christchurch in 2002. The Queen as she is greeted by a Guard of Honour when arriving in Wellington in 2002 The Queen at the unveiling ceremony for the New Zealand War Memorial in London in 2006 Following in Kate and William's footsteps, the Clarence House post showed Prince Charles receiving a traditional hongi greeting The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, greets crowds in New Zealand during a tour of the country in November 2019 The Duke of Cornwall, 71, gently holds hands with a tiny baby when greeting wellwishers during his November 2019 tour of New Zealand Another pictured Her Majesty welcoming the All Blacks to Buckingham Palace in 2007, while a third showed the Queen at the unveiling ceremony for the New Zealand War Memorial in London in 2006. The final photo was of the Queen as she was greeted by a Guard of Honour when arriving in Wellington in 2002. The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall also joined the Royal Family in wishing New Zealanders a happy Waitangi Day. Following in Kate and William's footsteps, the Clarence House post showed Prince Charles receiving a traditional hongi greeting. It also captured Charles and Camilla in traditional garments as they met with locals during a tour in November 2019. The post read: 'Best wishes to all our New Zealand followers on Waitangi Day. Watch for highlights from The Prince and The Duchesss #RoyalVisitNZ, including a powhiri at Waitangi Treaty Grounds, last year. 'The Waitangi Treaty is regarded as New Zealands founding document, and enshrines the relationship between the Maori and the Crown.' : A 60-year old man was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by a court here for sexually assaulting a five-year old girl in his neighbourhood in 2018. First Additional Metropolitan Sessions JudgeSuneetha Kunchala found the accused, a retired bus conductor, guilty under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code. Besides the seven-year jail term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000. According to the prosecution,the girl who used to take tuitions from the accused's teacher-wife, was sexually assaulted on April 4, 2018 after he took her to his bedroom under the pretext of offering food. He had threatened the girl and asked her not to disclose it to anyone. The girl, a first standard student used to go for tuition at the house of the accused, where his wife, a teacher, used to conduct classes. The girl informed the matter to her mother who filed a complaint with the police following which a case was registered and the accused arrested. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House in Washington said on Wednesday it will welcome Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to visit U.S. President Donald Trump, the day after Trump used a national address to support Guaidos effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaido to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis, a statement said. It called Maduros government an illegitimate dictatorship and pledged to stand alongside the Venezuelan people to ensure a future that is democratic and prosperous. The Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Adnan Bostaji, is dead. The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria, which announced this in a statement on Tuesday, said that the envoy died in his sleep. With the deepest sense of sadness and complete submission to the Will of Allah, the Royal Embassy announces the passing away of his Excellency, the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, Mr Adnan Mahmoud Bostaji, the mission said. It said that his body was taken to Turkish hospital Abuja where he was confirmed dead by doctors. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said Mahmoud 's death is a great loss of a passionate friend of Nigeria and a fine diplomat who identified himself with the progress and development of our country. Pin his condolence message, Bihari described The late Adnan Mahmoud was one of the finest diplomats I have ever met and his humility was one of his endearing virtues. He said, The late Saudi Arabian Ambassador had dedicated himself sincerely to promoting the constructive and beneficial relationship between Nigeria and his country, and we cannot, therefore, forget his remarkable achievements in forging closer ties between the two countries. Surely, Nigeria will have fond and enduring memories of Adnan Mahmoud who, to the best of my recollection, was one of the greatest diplomats ever posted to Nigeria. He had worked assiduously for the progress and development of Nigeria and would never forget these significant contributions. May Allah bless and forgive his gentle soul. On behalf of my family, the government and people of Nigeria, I convey my condolences to the His Majesty, King Salman, the government and of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi over this irreparable loss. With its eyes set on the leadership position in the fast-growing SUV segment, South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India on Wednesday unveiled the next-generation version of its premium SUV Tucson at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida. The car will be launched on March 3. The SUV segment has been an outlier in an overall depressed domestic industry increasing its share in the market to 24 per cent in 2019. It is projected to cross the 30 per cent market in 2020 as more SUVs are launched in the market. Hyundai said its last few launches like the Creta mid-size SUV and Venue compact SUV have led to a 22 per cent growth in its SUV portfolio which now accounts for nearly a third of all Hyundais sold in India. "Tucson has redefined the features and performance and we at Hyundai being the most preferred SUV brand strive to upgrade our products to keep pace with the evolving needs of today's customers and their rising aspirations," said S S Kim, managing director and CEO, HMIL. "The new Tucson powered by a BS-VI 2 litre petrol and diesel engines will further strengthen our dominance in the segment." The diesel engine is mated to a new 8 Speed automatic transmission and has a peak power of 185PS and torque of 410 NM. The petrol engine delivers 152 PS power and 196 NM torque. The car boasts of a new advanced tyre pressure monitoring system, smart power tailgate, electric parking brake and first-in-segment power seats (Passenger - 8 Way) and Hyundai Blue Link and Wireless Charger. It also gets a panoramic sunroof and black interior colour theme with 20.32 cm HD Touch Screen Infotainment with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Hyundai iblue and voice recognition. On safety, it is equipped with 6 Airbag with Pretensioner, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, hill assist control, downhill brake control, brake assist, front and rear parking sensors and anti-lock braking system. The other cars that Hyundai is displaying at its stall in the Expo include the Nexo hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and the Kona electric SUV that it had launched in the country last August. It will unveil the next generation Creta SUV on Thursday. Also read: Auto Expo 2020 Live Updates: Maruti unveils concept Futuro-e, watch out for Renault Triber AMT, Tata Motors Also read: Auto Expo 2020: Renault launches TRIBER EASY-R-AMT By Express News Service Vidhu Vinod Chopra wants Shikara to be a vehicle of harmony and healing. More than a decade in the offing, the film tells a fictional account of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, wherein lakhs of people were forced to flee the Kashmir Valley in the wake of the 1989 insurgency. Here, the director discusses the events that shaped the film, shooting in real refugee camps, and why dialogue is crucial in resolving the Kashmiri Pandit issue. How difficult was it to revisit such a traumatic chapter of your life? It was not easy. I started work on this post my mothers demise in 2007. The Kashmiri Pandit exodus is a known issue but the complexities and the build-up of events are not known. This movie required significant research so that we could tell an absorbing story that is fact-based and helps in bringing this conversation to the fore. This was perhaps my most challenging project. I had to remain dispassionate yet make a compelling argument that the only solution to such hatred is love. The love between Shiv Kumar Dhar and Shanti Dhar (the chief protagonists - Shanti is also my mothers name, by the way) is a binding factor that forces us to think beyond hatred. Why the title Shikara? Shikara (houseboats) is a cultural symbol of Kashmir. The movie is about the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and while we did discuss various titles, Shikara, we felt, best represented the pristine and serene surroundings which were once a commonality in this place. We wanted a title that would instantly connect with people and hence the name Shikara. Tell us about your lead actors, Aadil and Sadia, and how you found them. I held auditions in Jammu, flew in the shortlisted people to Bombay, and auditioned them further. Thats how I found Sadia. Shes from Bhaderwah and was studying in Jammu. Of course, bringing her in had its own hurdles her father wouldnt agree, the family had inhibitions. I had to actually make long video calls to convince them. It helped immensely that I spoke in Kashmiri. For the role of the poet, I wanted a good voice. When I heard Aadils voice, it immediately reminded me of Amitabh Bachchans voice. And it, of course, helped that he was very aware of the Kashmiri culture because of his Kashmiri ancestry. You shot in actual camps and worked with real refugees. Authenticity was the key in order to draw out the correct emotions of a community displaced from their homeland. I was fortunate enough that I had the blessings of my mother and the support of the Kashmiri Pandit refugee community who helped me complete this movie. Without their help and contribution, this film would not have been possible. Given the sensitivity of the subject, are you confident people will get your motivations behind the film? I urge everyone to see the movie and judge for themselves. I have tried to depict the ghastly acts committed on a community and the journey of a Kashmiri Pandit couple during those challenging times. The movie has a message of love and that it should serve as a healer. The exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits has been widely politicised. Some say India has forgotten its own citizens and denied them justice. Others say their pain is exploited to create more hatred. How do you look at all this? It deeply saddens me and leaves me in anger and pain that successive governments, media, civil society, and intellectuals turned a blind eye to the Kashmiri Pandit issue. None of us thought that this issue would stretch for so long. The insurgency and our inability to handle the internal conflict within Kashmir kept the focus on Kashmir as a troubled state so the question of Kashmiri Pandits return was lost in the discussion. Had the Kashmiri Pandits returned, the region would have been better, more peaceful, and economically powerful because local people want communities to come together. The film is releasing at a time of intense political tension in India. In fact, only after watching the film will you realise how relevant it is to solving the Kashmiri Pandit issue. I am happy that I could bring the Kashmiri Pandit exodus to the fore. I am a firm believer that love conquers all, I also believe that dialogue in a conducive environment can help resolve any issue. Yes, injustice has been done and in the movie, it has been portrayed in the way it occurred ghastly, inhumane, and without any mercy. This was what we all went through, but I believe this hate has to end, and love and dialogue will help us do that. There have been calls to boycott the film after your recent statements. Are you afraid of repercussions? The other day, at some media interview, I said that it is about two friends who (should) apologise and move on and I was misunderstood. Let me clarify that position as well. I believe that wrong has happened and the people who did that cannot be spared and should receive the harshest punishment. But for us to ensure that we have a sustainable future, dialogue is crucial and that is when I said that people who were silent spectators, locals or leaders across the country need to apologise for putting the Kashmiri Pandit community through this horror and move on and resolve the issue. Shikara is your first Hindi film in more than ten years. Do you plan on directing again soon? Only if the subject excites me. Im not here to make a film just for the sake of it. If the story excites me then yes, definitely I will. The CFAC, founded by Kevin Xu, is dedicated to build a window for Californians which include business, institutes, and society to show their effort and support to worldwide individuals whose life have been impacted by the new virus. Currently, CFAC is joined by multiple alliances such as Bay Area Council (BAC) to form points of contact in different cities in China to provide communication with different agencies on allocating the resource and donation upon request. We will direct the inquiry to the accurate recipients who needs help in China. Axiom, the global leader in high-caliber, on-demand legal talent, today announced it has acquired Bliss Lawyers, a provider of premier flexible legal talent. The acquisition will expand Axioms extensive network to over 2,400 lawyers globally. An expanded network enables Axiom to more effectively help companies reimagine their legal departments, by providing access to the right legal expertise to achieve their business goals. Equally important, it also empowers more lawyers to reimagine their legal careers. Said Elena Donio, Axiom CEO: Bliss shares Axioms purpose: to unite top legal talent with the future of legal work. This acquisition allows us to do that in greater numbers and at greater scale. It will provide our clients with an even deeper bench of curated talent from which to find the right expertise for their legal matters. And, it will provide even more lawyers with access to all of the things that make Axiom so unique, including our diverse and inclusive culture, our roster of leading and innovative clients, and a technology platform with the promise to transform the lawyer experience. As part of the deal, Axiom will absorb Blisss legal talent network in full. Blisss three co-founders and Managing Directors, Garry A. Berger, Debbie Epstein Henry, and Suzie Scanlon Rabinowitz, will remain with Axiom, serving as executive consultants to the organization. Said Henry: Since our founding in 2011, it has been Blisss mission to revolutionize the delivery of legal services for clients and create new career paths for lawyers. We believe we can achieve that more meaningfully, on a global stage, and on a larger scale by becoming part of the Axiom team. Weve always said that disruptive solutions are born from a combination of innovation, value, predictability, trust, flexibility, talent development, diversity, and relationship building. Axiom excels at all. Were thrilled to join this market pioneer, leader, and inexhaustible innovator. Bliss is not only a strategic fit in terms of Axioms commitment to increasing its universe of lawyer talent, it is a cultural fit as well. In Axiom, Blisss lawyers will join a company committed to promoting a more inclusive legal community, as reflected by Axioms recently released Diversity Report, which revealed diversity statistics that eclipse legal industry standards. In addition, Axioms commitment to inclusion was recently recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which named the company a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ equality. Finally, the acquisition will also serve to accelerate the impact of Axioms technology investments, including Axiom for Talent, the companys newly launched consumer-grade platform for lawyers. Concluded Donio: More Axiom lawyers means more people experiencing our platform and practicing within an elite talent network. But it cant just be more; it has to be the right kind of more. Garry, Debbie, and Suzie have done an outstanding job identifying and nurturing the kind of exceptional talent that thrives in an on-demand model, and that consistently delights clients. Im thrilled to have the opportunity to work together. Combining our efforts is the right next step in our journey to reimagine legal work. JEGI, a leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software, and tech-enabled services sectors, was the exclusive financial advisor to Bliss Lawyers in this transaction. About Axiom Axiom, the global leader in high-caliber, on-demand legal talent, is disrupting the way legal teams and lawyers work. Axiom enables clients to access over 2,400 talented lawyers though a curated platform and build more dynamic teams to drive better business outcomes. Axiom empowers lawyers across industries and practice areas to thrive while pursuing more of the work they love. The company is deeply committed to gender equality and diversity and prides itself on having one of the most diverse employee populations in the industry. Axiom works with over half of the Fortune 100 companies, and currently operates in North America, the U.K., Central Europe and Asia Pacific. http://www.axiomlaw.com. Contacts Wendy Schechter, Articulate Communications (US) 914.764.3509 axiom@articulatecomms.com Holly Rees, Articulate Communications (UK) 44.782.179.7275 axiom@articulatecomms.com The states top elections official wants voters to know Oregon is doing everything possible to ensure the security of the states elections by working with county and federal agencies. There was some polling that took place a couple weeks ago that said 43% of the public dont think elections administrators are doing anything to secure our elections, said Steve Trout, state elections director in the secretary of states office. Thats the farthest thing from the truth. Trout addressed Oregons election security at a news conference in Salem on Tuesday with U.S. Attorney Billy Williams and Renn Cannon, Oregon FBI special agent in charge. They reviewed the work of Oregons Threat Information Gathering and Elections Resources, started a year ago to secure the states elections. Election security has become a white-hot political topic in the wake of Iowas caucus process in the nations first presidential primary. Results ordinarily announced after the caucuses on Monday night were delayed because of counting issues. There was no initial indication of hacking or other intrusions, authorities said. According to Cannon, there is a growing sophistication of cyber threats such as ransomware attacks like that of the recent breach on Tillamook Countys web systems. That left county officials without information technology for nearly two weeks while authorities negotiated with the attackers. Trout said the attack didnt affect voter registration systems or databases in Tillamook County because of quick action to deactivate the connection to the statewide system. Such successes have Trout, Cannon and Williams feeling confident the states elections system is secure. Trout couldnt point to new threats to Oregons electoral process that have emerged since the 2018 election. Instead, he said, one of the most acute dangers for voters in 2020 is misinformation. It also falls upon all of us individually as informed voters to be able to help make sure our elections are secure. We have to protect our democracy by not falling for misinformation or disinformation, looking at the facts and asking questions, he said. The briefing preceded a symposium scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Salem where county elections officials and candidates can learn about cyber threats and how to combat disinformation on social media. I can't think of a more valuable, more meaningful right than that of being able as a citizen of this country and this state to vote, Williams said. So that's why what we do is so important. We're all very excited about the symposium tomorrow evening, and what those in attendance are going to learn from the experts who will be speaking. The event at the Salem Convention Center is public, but space is limited, and preference will be given to county elections officials and candidates for office, organizers said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Peter Thiel. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images In mid-January, at the conclusion of a special meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society, the venerable free-market organization, after appearances by Condoleezza Rice and Niall Ferguson, Peter Thiel was slated to give closing remarks on Big Tech and the Question of Scale. The keynote was the latest in a series of public remarks and interviews in which the PayPal founder and Facebook investor showed his prominence in conservative politics. Thiel has long been a political donor; in 2016, he gave $4 million across various campaigns, including $1 million to a super-PAC supporting Trump, on whose behalf Thiel spoke at the Republican National Convention. Hes known to have funded right-wing hoaxer James OKeefe and has been an enthusiastic sponsor of organizations for activists and intellectuals, like The Stanford Review, a conservative publication he founded in the 1980s. Earlier this month, he announced an investment in a Midwest-focused venture-capital fund led by Hillbilly Elegy author and social conservative J.D. Vance. But unlike other major right-wing donors, Thiel seems intent on being known for his intellect as much as his wallet. Over the past year, he has played the role of outraged patriot, endorsing Trumps trade war and bizarrely accusing Google of seemingly treasonous behavior in its China dealings. He intermittently lectures at Stanford. Vanity Fair has written about his hot-ticket L.A. dinner parties, where guests (including, at least once, the president) hold deep discussions about the issues of the day. Last year, George Mason University professor and economist Tyler Cowen called Thiel the most influential conservative intellectual with other conservative and libertarian intellectuals. This emerging Republican macher is a far cry from the ultralibertarian seditionist who used to encourage entrepreneurs to exit the United States and start their own countries at sea. But Thiel is no stranger to inconsistency. For decades, he cultivated a reputation as a radical Silicon Valley anti-statist; in 2009, he wrote that Facebook, in which he was an early investor, might create the space for new modes of dissent and new ways to form communities not bounded by historical nation-states. Yet, six years earlier, he had co-founded the most aggressively statist company in the 21st century: Palantir, the global surveillance company used, for example, to monitor Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal. Can you really claim to uphold individual freedom if youre profiting from a mass-surveillance government contractor? Are you really a libertarian if youre a prominent supporter of Trump? It would be easy enough to chalk up the seeming contradiction of Thiels thought to opportunism or pettiness (he famously funded a lawsuit, in secret, to bankrupt Gawker, my former employer) or perhaps even a mind less ambidextrous than incoherent. But its worth trying to understand his political journey. Thiels increasing prominence as both an intellectual in and benefactor of the conservative movement and his status as a legend in Silicon Valley makes him at least as important as more public tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg. In fact, he still holds sway over Zuckerberg: Recent reports suggest Thiel was the most influential voice in Facebooks decision to allow politicians to lie in ads on its platform. What Thiel believes now is likely to influence the next generation of conservative and libertarian thinkers if not what the president believes the next day. How to square Thiels post-national techno-libertarianism with his bloodthirsty authoritarian nationalism? Strangely, he wants both. Todays Thielism is a libertarianism with an abstract commitment to personal freedom but no particular affection for democracy or even for politics as a process by which people might make collective decisions about the distribution of power and resources. Thiel has wed himself to state power not in an effort to participate in the political process but as an end run around it. If we wanted to construct a genealogy of late Thielism, one place to start might be a relatively little-read essay Thiel wrote in 2015 for the conservative religious journal First Things. Thiel is a Christian, though clearly a heterodox believer, and in Against Edenism, he makes the case that science and technology are natural allies to what he sees as the inborn optimism of Christianity. Christians are natural utopians, Thiel believes, and because there will be no returning to the prelapsarian paradise of Eden, they should support technological progress, although it may mean joining with atheist optimists, personified in the essay by Goethes Faust. At least Faust was motivated to try to do something about everything that was wrong with the world, even if he did, you know, sell his immortal soul to the Devil. Thiel suggests that growth is essentially a religious obligation building the kingdom of heaven today, here on Earth and that stagnation is, well, demonic the chaotic sea where the demon Leviathan lives. This binary appears frequently in Thiels writing, where progress is always aligned with technology and the individual, and chaos with politics and the masses. If Thiel has an apocalyptic fear of stasis, you can begin to see why his politics have changed over the past few years, as it has become less clear whether the booming technology industry has actually added much to the economy or to human happiness, let alone demonstrated progress. Where some of his fellow libertarians have moved toward the center, attempting to build a liberaltarianism with a relatively strong welfare state and mass democratic appeal, others have found themselves articulating a version of what Tyler Cowen, in a recent blog post, called state capacity libertarianism, a concept he says was influenced by Thiels thinking. In its essence, its the admission that strong states remain necessary to maintain and extend capitalism and markets. Where Thiel would differ with state-capacity libertarians like Cowen is that he isnt merely a believer in strong states in the abstract as agents of economic progress. He is purported to be a specifically American national conservative, at least per his conference-keynote schedule. Thiel has suggested in the past that such a conservative nationalism is the only thing that can provide the cohesion necessary to re-create a strong state. Identity politics, he suggested in an address at the Manhattan Institute, the free-market think tank, is a distraction that stops us from acting at the scale that we need to be focusing on for this country. MAGA politics is the only way to grow. This is the context in which it makes sense for a gay, cosmopolitan libertarian like Thiel to throw his support behind a red-meat conservative like Senate candidate Kris Kobach of Kansas. The technological progress Thiel associates with his own personal freedom and power is threatened by market failure and political chaos. A strong centralized state can restore order, breed progress, and open up new technologies, markets, and financial instruments from which Thiel might profit. And as long as it allows Thiel to make money and host dinner parties, who cares if its borders are cruelly and ruthlessly enforced? Who cares if its leader is an autocrat? Who cares, for that matter, if its democratic? In fact, it might be better if it werent: If the lefts commitment to identity politics is divisive enough to prevent technological advancement, its threat outstrips the kind of bellicose religious authoritarianism that Kobach represents. A Thielist government would be aggressive toward China, a country Thiel is obsessed with while also seeming, in its centralized authority and close ties between government and industry, very much like it. There is, of course, another context in which it makes sense for Thiel to join forces with social conservatives and nationalists: his bank account. Thiels ideological shifts have matched his financial self-interest at every turn. His newfound patriotism is probably best understood as an alliance of convenience. The U.S. government is the vessel best suited for reaching his immortal techno-libertarian future (and a lower tax rate), and he is happy to ride it as long as it and he are traveling in the same direction. And if it doesnt work out, well, he did effectively buy New Zealand citizenship. *This article appears in the January 20, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has assigned the military to quarantine 950 Vietnamese returning from China, where the coronavirus epidemic has killed more than 420 people, state media reported on Tuesday. The 950 people will be isolated at two military camps outside Hanoi for at least 14 days, reported the official Voice of Vietnam Radio. The report didn't say when they will return to Vietnam, but said they will arrive at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi and Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh province. "During the time of quarantine, anyone of them showing symptoms of fever will be transferred to a hospital for treatment," the report cited Nguyen Viet Thang, Hanoi's military chief medic as saying. The government said last week that cross-border trade between Vietnam and China was "not encouraged" and on Sunday announced it would ban all flights to and from China over coronavirus concerns. Vietnam confirmed an additional case of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, the health ministry said, bringing the country's total to nine cases. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Michael Perry) They share the same management company. So it was all hands on deck for Myleene Klass, Emma Bunton and Gizzi Erskine on Tuesday night as they celebrated the first birthday of manager Severine Berman's company The Muthaship at Soho House. The Hear'Say star, 41, looked sensational in a satin, snakeskin blouse with a sleek suit as she joined the former Spice Girl and the esteemed chef just hours after Myleene had paid tribute to Severine on social media for her birthday. Woo! Myleene Klass, Emma Bunton and Gizzi Erskine joined together on Tuesday night to celebrate the first birthday of manager Severine Berman's company The Muthaship at Soho House Myleene looked incredible in her sleek ensemble comprising of a dazzling shirt while she kept things sleek with the addition of a trouser suit. To best show off her youthful features, she pulled her hair back into a tight bun while her make-up was perfectly applied for her night out. The stunner was taking a night off mummy duty. Myleene shares daughters Ava, 12, and Hero, eight with ex-husband Graham Quinn. She also has son Apollo with partner Simon Motson. Simon has two children from a previous marriage. Emma meanwhile donned a pretty mini dress which showed off her lithe legs while she wore her hair in wavy lengths falling from a centre parting. Happy days: The Hear'Say star, 41, looked sensational in a satin, snakeskin blouse with a sleek suit as she joined the former Spice Girl and the esteemed chef just hours after Myleene had paid tribute to Severine on social media for her birthday Sleek: Myleene looked incredible in her sleek ensemble comprising of a dazzling shirt while she kept things sleek with the addition of a trouser suit Gizzi slicked her dark tresses back into a tight up do while she wowed in her favoured dark hues to pull off her usual edgy style. Woman of the hour Severine looked stunning in a shirt with a lurex thread paired while she wore her highlighted locks in voluminous curls. To celebrate the big day, the ladies shared a cake which they all blew out before posing with balloons to ring in the one year anniversary. Earlier in the day, Myleene shared a very cheeky birthday post for her best friend and manager Severine. She took to Instagram as she posted a collection of photos of the two pals together over the years, including a rather racy nude shot. Hot stuff: Gizzi slicked her dark tresses back into a tight up do while she wowed in her favoured dark hues to pull off her usual edgy style In the snap, Myleene and Severine posed with nothing on in front of a grande lake with their arms in the air. The radio presenter also shared the photo to her Instagram Story but protected their modesty with two peach emojis. Other fun pictures included Myleene and Severine having their locks highlighted in the hair salon, doing their own 'Thelma and Louise' carpool videos and playfully posing in selfies. For the first time ever, our community has created a path, through the Alamo Promise Program, to provide seniors in 25 participating high schools the opportunity to attend one of the Alamo Colleges with no-cost tuition and fees. With our partners support, the Alamo Colleges District can offer Bexar County youth graduating from participating high schools a free jump-start on their educational journey. Our community is committed to finding solutions that will end poverty, enhance economic and social mobility, and meet workforce demands. Through Alamo Promise, the Alamo Colleges is working to ensure access to education by covering the cost of tuition for up to three years for eligible graduating seniors from the San Antonio area. While attending a community college the first two years is more affordable than a four-year university, the reality is students still struggle with costs. Financial aid may not cover all classes, fees and books in one semester. Students struggling to pay for college often skip meals or forgo other essentials. Alamo Promise eliminates financial barriers to higher education, making a college degree a reality. Community college can lead to an associate degree that contributes to an increase in earnings of $9,400 each year beyond a high school diploma. Students who plan to pursue a bachelors degree can also save thousands of dollars by going through Alamo Promise and then transferring to a four-year university. We see great interest from students. Educator and parental support has inspired more than 6,700 seniors to take the first step and save their seat to attend one of the Alamo Colleges in the fall. However, these students will not be able to benefit from the program without completing every step of the three-step application process. Data show approximately 2,600 students still have the opportunity to complete all three steps to become a Promise Scholar. With everyones help, this promise can become a reality for our first group of students. We are reaching out to schools, and clear communication with our community will help us be transparent about this enrollment process. Help us spread the word by sharing the three Alamo Promise eligibility steps. These need to be completed for a student to be considered for the program. The deadline for all steps is Feb. 14. 1. Save your seat. The Alamo Promise Save Your Seat form opened last year for students graduating from 25 participating high schools. Students must fill out an online Save Your Seat form at alamo.edu/promise to confirm their interest. 2. File for financial aid. Students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, or Texas Application for State Financial Aid, or TASFA. This form is available at alamo.edu/promise. At this same site, anyone who needs help completing this form can sign up for a workshop or visit cafecollege for in-person assistance. 3. Apply to one of the Alamo Colleges. Students need to complete this online form at applytexas.org to be admitted at any of the five colleges in the Alamo Colleges San Antonio College, Northwest Vista College, St. Philips College, Palo Alto College or Northeast Lakeview College. Many organizations and leaders have supported this programs creation. Core partners such as the UP Partnership, San Antonio Education Partners and San Antonio Works have been with us since the beginning. The Alamo Promise steering committee, chaired by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and myself, have worked with leaders from across industries who are fully supportive of this program. Funders such as the Charles Butt Foundation and others such as Toyota, Frost Bank, Wells Fargo, plus individuals, are investing in the development of a more credentialed, high-potential San Antonio population. Together, weve created an accessible path for students to begin their higher education. Starting college classes without the pressure of debt can give these students and their families a boost and that may be all they need to break the cycle of generational poverty. The window to participate closes soon. Please reiterate this three-step application process to school administrators, counselors, educators, high school seniors and families who are interested in Alamo Promise. Guiding students through these three steps shouldnt be where we lose them. Lets do everything we can to spread this message. Send an email, share our social posts, and call or text a scholar you know. This life-changing opportunity should be a message that goes viral. Mike Flores is chancellor of Alamo Colleges District and chairs the Alamo Promise Steering Committee. He has served Alamo Colleges for more than 20 years. Students pass by Cole Hall as they walk to class at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., on Feb. 25, 2008. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Illinois University Drops Use of Standardized Tests in Admissions DeKalb-based Northern Illinois University announced that it will stop using standardized tests in its undergraduate admissions process and will instead admit every applicant with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Some evidence suggests the schools decision may be related to the fact that its having a hard time attracting students. Standardized testing has been part of the American educational experience since the 1800s, but its use expanded after the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, which began to require annual testing in all 50 states. Student achievement has slipped since then, leading some to blame the testing itself for students shortcomings. But others champion the tests, which they claim fairly and objectively measure students achievements. The move is meant to eliminate unnecessary and biased barriers, NIU President Lisa Freeman said in a statement. The policy change comes from our deep commitment to making a college education both accessible and equitable for a broad and diverse student population. Provost Beth Ingram added that a students grade point average would suffice in the future because it makes standardized testing scores irrelevant. She said the school was optimistic that the new policy would encourage good students to focus on getting the most out of their high school classes. As of the fall 2021 semester, high school seniors applying to the school wont have to forward standardized test scores, according to NIU. Standardized testing has long come under fire from both left and right, criticized as part of a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to education that fails to take into account students particular aptitudes and needs. Some complain that the testing regimen favors well-off students who can afford to take courses to prepare for the various tests. Some even say it laid the foundation for the college admissions bribery scandals of 2019, in which rich and famous parents paid large sums of money to get their children into college on fraudulent grounds. There is a similar hostility among parents and some education activists about Common Core standards. Past polling suggests that Americans nationwide are skeptical of Common Core, but the program, aimed at applying uniform standards for measuring academic progress across the country, remains in effect across most of the United States. But while NIU has been claiming that standardized testing is now obsolete, its enrollment figures, which have been dropping, tell another story, an analysis of state data by The Chicago Tribune suggests. Although the number of first-time freshman students enrolled at NIU has been steady for some years, overall enrollment has plummeted 32 percent since 2009. Two other state schools, Southern Illinois University and Western Illinois University, are now embracing test-optional policies after their enrollment rates fell dramatically. Enrollment at Southern Illinois University fell 42.5 percent since 2009, from 20,350 to 11,695 students. At Western Illinois University, enrollment came down 40 percent in the same period, from 12,679 to 7,624. The dropping of standardized tests in admissions by these state schools came after pressure forced the New York-based College Board in August 2019 to withdraw its proposed adversity score from the SAT, which is used in the college admissions process. The organization develops and administers K12 and post-secondary tests and curricula used to facilitate college admissions. That change, now abandoned, would have generated a score based on the socioeconomic background of the student writing the test. Parents, educators, and scholars such as Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute had protested the adversity score, saying it would institutionalize race as a factor in college admissions and would encourage admissions fraud. Thirty-three people were killed on Wednesday when a second avalanche buried more than 50 personnel from search and rescue crews that had been combing an avalanche zone in eastern Turkey, where five bodies were recovered only one day earlier, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. Crews were looking for two people who went missing during Tuesday evening's avalanche on a road connecting the Van province to its Bahcesaray district. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), whose crews were at the scene after Tuesday's avalanche, announced that 53 others were injured in the second avalanche, which occurred around noon local time. AFAD's Van Director Osman Ucar was among the injured. Gulsen Orhan, a former lawmaker for Van who currently serves as a chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was among those who escaped the second avalanche with injuries. The victims of the second avalanche include eight gendarmerie personnel, three village guards, three firefighters and nine civilians. More search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area, while snowfall and blizzards have hampered the efforts. Authorities said the death toll may rise. The AFAD said in a statement that 59 search and rescue experts were deployed to the disaster zone and more crews from the AFAD and the gendarmerie were being airlifted to the area from Ankara to help in the rescue efforts. "Twenty-eight ambulances were also dispatched, and a mobile base station is being set up for communication," the AFAD statement said, as bad weather continues to limit cellphone reception in the area. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters before leaving for Van that a minibus buried in the first avalanche was found some 5 meters below the pile of snow. "It is a rough terrain to use vehicles to clear the snow. Crews can work only using shovels and sticks," he said. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Van Gov. Mehmet Emin Bilmez warned that more avalanches could occur, cautioning locals to follow the instructions of the emergency personnel on site. The first avalanche buried the passenger minibus and a snow-clearing vehicle in the area around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The minibus was carrying passengers on a road between the province and its Bahcesaray district. Six people were rescued, while the driver of the snow-clearing vehicle managed to escape the avalanche at the last moment. Authorities said some members of search and rescue crews managed to dig themselves out of the massive heap of snow, while efforts were underway to rescue others. Winter conditions in eastern Turkey regularly hamper daily life. A large number of roads connecting remote areas to city centers in the region are currently closed due to heavy snowfall, while crews work around the clock to keep the roads clear. Bahattin Karagulle, who survived the first avalanche and was hospitalized, recounted to AA the moments of the first avalanche. Karagulle, who was operating a snow-clearing vehicle, said he came across a minibus while heading to Bahcesaray and saw an avalanche piling up behind them. "There was a strong blizzard and zero visibility. I told the minibus driver to go back, but he told me to try again to clear the road. Just as I started to clear it, the avalanche hit and the vehicle rolled over to (the nearby) stream. I waited there for about half an hour and thought people in the minibus would come to rescue me. When no one came, I tried to get out myself. I managed to break the window and got out. I looked for the minibus but did not see it," he said. Karagulle then started walking to a nearby village and found another minibus, telling its occupants about the avalanche. "They took me to the hospital and alerted authorities," he said. "It was such a big avalanche. It hurtled my vehicle, which weighs 19 tons. I don't know what happened to the minibus if it hurtled my vehicle," he said. Canada can now put a price tag on its bitter diplomatic feud with China. Exports to the Asian powerhouse plunged $4.6 billion, or 16 per cent, to $24.4 billion last year, according to data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada. Thats the first decline in shipments to China since 2014, and the largest drop in data going back to 1997. Relations with China havent been this fraught in half a century. The dispute started with Canadas arrest of top Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou at the end of 2018 on a U.S. extradition request, and worsened after China locked up two Canadians on accusations of spying and halted billions of dollars of agricultural imports in the months that followed. Last years export decline was led overwhelmingly by the drop in agricultural shipments, including canola, meat and other crops. But even as shipments to the Asian nation fell, Canadian purchases of Chinese goods continued to grow. Imports from China were up one per cent on the year. Though the U.S. remains Canadas largest trading partner, China is second biggest with two-way trade totaling $71.2 billion in 2019. Read more about: Britains most senior police officer has defended the undercover police officers who were following a terrorist when he launched an attack in Streatham on Sunday afternoon. Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by plain-clothed armed police. Dame Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was questioned over whether the attack could have been prevented by the London Assembly on Wednesday. They are conducting covert surveillance, so they are not of course providing man-to-man marking, she said. They are there covertly and that is a deliberate thing. It is inevitable that there could be a time delay before somebody totally unexpectedly does something. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Amman had grabbed the knife from inside a shop, but was already wearing a fake suicide vest in apparent preparation for an attack. Scotland Yard previously said the device had been concealed under his clothes, suggesting the officers did not see it until after he started stabbing people. Dame Cressida added: I wish I could assure the public that everybody who poses a risk on the streets could be subject to some sort of thing that would stop them being able to stab anybody ever, but it is clearly not possible. She spoke as assistant commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror police, called for people to report any suspicious behaviour and help stop radicalisation. The threat is, despite our best efforts, not diminishing, he wrote in the Evening Standard. With 3,000 or so subjects of interest currently on our radar and many convicted terrorists soon due to be released from prison, we simply cannot watch all of them, all the time. Undercover officers had been following Amman on foot through Streatham, where he had been placed in a probation hostel, for 40 minutes when he entered a shop on the High Road. He stole a knife and ran out while being chased by a member of staff, then removed the packaging and stabbed two passers-by, who survived. Scotland Yard said Amman was inside the shop for less than a minute, and that he was shot dead within 60 seconds of starting the attack. It came little after a week after he was automatically released from prison, half-way through a sentence for collecting and distributing material useful for terror attacks. Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' Amman had originally been arrested on suspicion of planning an attack in May 2018, after writing that he was armed and ready online, declaring support for Isis and encouraging his girlfriend to behead her non-Muslim parents. But he was charged with lesser offences on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and received a sentence of three years and four months. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the shooting of Amman, as is standard when any police operation ends in a death. Dame Cressida would not comment on whether he was subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (TPIM), which place enhanced restrictions on extremists who cannot be prosecuted because of national security issues, or deported. Recommended Streatham attacker was arrested for planning terror attack in 2018 Only five people in Britain are subject to a TPIM, according to official figures up to the end of November. The Streatham stabbing was the third terror attack in little over two months to be committed by a convicted terror offender, following the incidents at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. It sparked a vow by the government to bring in emergency laws that would stop the automatic release of terror offenders currently in prison and ensure they are assessed by the Parole Board. But ministers have been warned that unintended consequences of the hastily drawn-up plans, which could mean the board refuses to release terrorists on licence until their sentence expires. That would see extremists released from jail without conditions that currently restrict their movement, communications and association until the end of their sentence. Asked about the proposals, Dame Cressida said: If there are to be changes to the sentencing regime, the one thing we would be asking for is that people should still be released as they are under the current regime under strong conditions, licence conditions. Recommended Terrorist prisoners free to network and radicalise inmates in UK jails Downing Street said there would also be a full review of the maximum prison sentences for terror offences, including looking at whether offenders of all levels of seriousness should be held in jail indefinitely until the Parole Board assesses they are no longer a threat to the public. The plans have raised concerns over radicalisation inside British prisons, where recent cases have shown that terrorists are able to network and spread extremism. Ammans mother claimed he had been further radicalised inside HMP Belmarsh, where a former inmate told The Times he openly stated his wish to carry out a terror attack and conducted a mock Isis execution. There are already up to 800 flagged extremists in British jails - almost four times the number of terrorist prisoners - and there have been repeated official warnings about Islamist radicalisation including from the Parole Board and a government review. Figures suggest that around 50 terror offenders could be released from British prisons this year, with 224 inside as of the most recent count. Additional reporting by PA INDIANAPOLIS - Universal early screening for autism is recommended for all children but is not routinely performed. A new study from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine researchers, published in JAMA Network Open, reports that the system they designed and developed called CHICA (short for Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation), increased the autism screening rate at 24 months of age from zero to 100 percent. CHICA is a computerized decision support tool that can interface with any electronic health record (EHR) system. Responses to questions entered on a tablet computer by parents in the waiting room alert CHICA to produce personalized, evidence-based recommendations allowing the pediatrician to focus on what the specific patient really needs. CHICA may highlight the need for screening for autism, depression, diabetes, tuberculosis, or anemia, counseling for the parents on smoking or on proper child car seat installation. "The dramatic increase in autism screening by physicians during our trial was achieved because, with CHICA, we have completely automated the screening process, potentially making a difference for so many children and their families," said Regenstrief Research Scientist Stephen Downs, M.D., Jean and Jerry Bepko Professor of Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine, who led the study and is the founder of CHICA. "We know that children on the autism spectrum can be identified as young as 18 months; with CHICA we can get them evaluated and enrolled in early intervention programs which could improve their lives and save society millions, perhaps billions, of dollars." The likelihood of benefit for a child who is referred for applied behavioral analysis (ABA) after an autism diagnosis decreases with age. Currently, the mean age of autism diagnosis for all children in the United States is four and a half years, more than two and a half years later than optimal, according to Dr. Downs. "Autism rates do not vary by race or ethnicity, but autism is underdiagnosed or diagnosed later in life in underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S," he said. "Automating the screening process as we did with CHICA avoids these kinds of biases and decreases health inequities." A majority of the children in the study were African American or Hispanic. CHICA provides an action trigger, communicating with the child's EHR, analyzing the child's demographics, diagnoses and medications and then selecting the 20 highest-priority yes or no questions covering a wide range of primary care issues to ask the family in English or Spanish. CHICA analyzes the responses to these questions, conducts a tailored health risk assessment and determines the six most important prompts for the physician. These are assembled into a patient's current visit agenda for the doctor and stored for future decision support. CHICA also includes a library of handouts (autism, lead exposure, adolescent depression screening and infant car seat installation are among the topics covered) that can be printed as needed for dissemination to parents, based on the individualized issues of particular concern identified by CHICA. There is still much more work to be done. The new study also found that while CHICA increased screening to 100 percent, the continuation of the process, requiring a human (the physician) to follow through with a post-screening referral for diagnostic evaluation, turned out to be the weak link. In the study only slightly more than half (57 percent) of those children who screened positive for autism were referred for further evaluation. Dr. Downs believes that automating the referral process through CHICA provides a solution to the low number of physician referrals for appropriate further evaluation. "We built CHICA to optimize care. We call it an 'everything system' because it has a universe of guidelines and is able to sort out which ones are of most value to the specific patient and prioritize these items," he said. "But CHICA could also automate the referral process for diagnostic evaluation so more young children with autism are identified and can get early ABA therapy that can result in significant increases in IQ, even into the normal range with improved likelihood of mainstreaming in school." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in 2014 to be one in 59 eight-year-olds in the U.S. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that toddlers be routinely screened for autism during their 18- and 24-month doctor visits. "Effect of a Computer-Based Decision Support Intervention on Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening in Pediatric Primary Care Clinics" is published in JAMA Network Open. The cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted in urban pediatric clinics to determine whether computer-automated screening and clinical decision support built into an existing EHR system improves autism screening rates. Authors of the study, in addition to Dr. Downs, are Nerissa S. Bauer, M.D., MPH, formerly of IU School of Medicine and now with Axon Health Associates; Chandan Saha, Ph.D. and Susan Ofner, M.S., of IU School of Medicine and Aaron E. Carroll, M.D., M.S. of Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine. They note in the paper that, "Too often, there are insufficient resources available to make proper diagnoses of ASD and even fewer resources available to treat children with a diagnosis of ASD. Improving those factors will be necessary to improve the outlook of the many children in the United States who have ASD." ### About Regenstrief Institute Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe. Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission. About IU School of Medicine IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. About Stephen Downs, M.D. In addition to serving as a Regenstrief Institute research scientist and the Jean and Jerry Bepko Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Downs is the founder of Digital Health Solutions LLC, a faculty startup company that was created through the IU Office of Innovation and Commercialization. Digital Health Solutions LLC has licensed CHICA from Indiana University. The company is currently working with the Child Neurology Foundation to bring CHICA, which he created, to pediatric neurologists' offices across the country. He is the 2019 recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Practical Application of Medical Decision Making Research from the Society for Medical Decision Making. A Queen's University researcher described how seeing friends and relatives injured during extreme weather and natural disasters in his home town in Vietnam inspired his invention of a pioneering telecommunication system. Dr Trung Duong (40) grew up in the Unesco world heritage village of Hoi An in the south-east Asian nation, where regular disasters during October and November - including flooding, earthquakes and storms - cause havoc. Based at the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology in Belfast since 2013, Dr Duong was previously a recipient of the prestigious Newton Prize in 2017, which delivered 200,000 to help fund his research. Now coming to fruition, the researcher has developed a revolutionary system for alerting those most at risk from serious flooding and storms, using drones as cheap and portable methods of tracking weather. Already beginning to be utilised and making a difference in Vietnam, Dr Duong is modest about his achievement but ambitious for the future. He said: "I am from Vietnam and this place had a lot of disasters - storms, floods, hurricanes - especially in my home town. "When I was young, whenever we had storms or flooding all the schools closed so we were happy to have a day off. "However, when you saw the reality of your friends or relatives injured or even dying, it gives you the motivation to do this kind of work. "When the disaster happens we don't have electricity. The network can be brought down and that is really bad for communication methods. "We hope this will make a big difference to people's lives. With a drone you can fly, you get information immediately instead of using satellites for example." The system, known as Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network (CTTN), will see the drones flying over large surface areas, taking real-time measurements and providing information about weather conditions. It will also provide seamless internet connectivity in situations where the network has been destroyed. Dr Duong said there is a significant difference in cost between traditional monitoring stations - nearly 500,000 for 25 - compared to his system which is "100 times cheaper". "The research could make a real difference to people living in areas exposed to extreme weather and it will certainly make the work of emergency services much easier," added Dr Duong. "I describe myself as a scientist trying to help. I think the most important thing for us as scientists is to bring the theory into the practical, in order to help people. "Our next step in October and November is to test the system in some more practical scenarios." Iran sends flight to Wuhan, reaffirms support for China Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 12:23 PM Iran has sent a plane to retrieve dozens of students confined in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak. A plane belonging to Mahan Airlines left Tehran with a team of infectious disease doctors and special emergency response medics early Tuesday, adviser to the Iranian health minister Alireza Vahabzadeh told IRNA news agency. There are 70 Iranian students in Wuhan. They will be flown home on Wednesday and quarantined for 14 days in a special hospital in Tehran, Vahabzadeh said. On Monday, head of the Affiliation Center for Disease Control of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education Mohammad Mehdi Gouya said no Iranian student in Wuhan has been infected with the coronavirus. Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh said flights to China had been suspended after several lawmakers complained that Mahan Airlines was continuing to fly to the Asian country. Jafarzadeh said possible flights to China were being conducted in coordination with the ministry of health to transport Iranians residing in China and Chinese residing in Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Iran was willing to work together with China to combat the epidemic caused by the coronavirus. Zarif also lauded the Chinese government for taking "timely and resolute measures in a responsible and transparent manner" to fight the epidemic, saying they have prevented not only a deterioration of the outbreak within China but also across the world. The minister said Iran has provided China with some urgently needed medical supplies, and stands ready to offer more assistance. Wang thanked Iran for providing China with medical supplies at the critical moment of epidemic prevention and control. He also praised Zarif as the first foreign minister publicly voicing support for China, saying it showed the friendship of the two nations, Xinhua news agency reported. The Chinese foreign minister said his country has established a nationwide system to fight the epidemic, stressing that Beijing has full confidence and ability to win the fight against the virus. Zarif said Iran also believes China will overcome the epidemic. He said the Islamic Republic firmly opposes some Western countries' attempt to exploit the situation. China on Monday accused the United States of whipping up panic over the coronavirus with travel restrictions and evacuations. Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) had advised against trade and travel curbs. "It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations," she added, saying countries should make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments. China's ambassador for disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva, Li Song, said the international community needed to treat the new virus outbreak objectively, fairly and not "deliberately create panic" among the general public. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there was no need for measures that "unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade" in trying to halt the spread of the virus. "We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent," Tedros told the WHO executive board. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Trump administration plans to meet this month to discuss further curbing exports to China and its flagship telecoms company Huawei, two sources said, in a bid to resolve differences within the government over the possible crackdown. The gathering, currently scheduled for Feb. 28, will bring together high level officials for talks after the U.S. Commerce Department withdrew a rule aimed at further reducing foreign shipments to Huawei Technologies amid pushback from the Defense Department, one of the people said. The meeting, which is expected to include cabinet-level officials including Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo, is aimed at addressing how best to approach the blacklisted Chinese company and the broader war with China over technological dominance. Some U.S. policymakers favor close trade ties with Beijing while others see China and Huawei, the world's largest telecoms equipment maker, as serious threats to national security. "The administration has to decide how to match its rhetoric on China with policies to deny China key technology and industry," said Tim Morrison, a former senior director at the White House's National Security Council under President Donald Trump, who favors tougher rules. "Too many tools have not been brought to the President because the entire administration isn't yet in the fight. That must end," he added. U.S. companies have argued the measures that have been floated would harm U.S. business by driving customers to foreign competitors, while doing little to thwart Huawei. The agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Commerce Department in May placed Huawei on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. That allowed the U.S. government to restrict sales of American-made goods to the company and a small number of items made abroad that contain U.S. technology. Under current regulations, key foreign supply chains remain beyond the reach of U.S. authorities, which fueled frustration among China hawks and prompted a push to expand U.S. authority to block more shipments to Huawei. But a draft rule by the Commerce Department to expand its authority to block more shipments to Huawei - first reported by Reuters in November - was stymied by opposition from the Pentagon last month over concerns about harm to U.S. interests. The Treasury Department also pushed back against the measure, sources said. In an unusual move, Commerce withdrew the rule from the inter-agency review process, pending a meeting of principals to resolve differences. The gathering comes amid a deepening tech war between the United States and China. The Trump administration is trying to keep sensitive technologies that could be used to harm American interests beyond the reach of Beijing, by cracking down on exports and limiting Chinese investment in key U.S. sectors. Reuters reported in December that the Commerce Department was finalizing rules to limit tech exports to adversaries while the Treasury Department has issued new rules to beef up scrutiny of foreign investment in the United States. The iconic footwear maker L.L. Bean announced this week it will layoff 200 of its employees and close a call center in Lewiston. The layoffs, according to a statement from the footwear company, is due to a reorganizing process within the company. The company will also close its call center at the Peck Building in Lewiston in 2021. L.L. Bean bought the former department store building 33 years ago. The 130 call center employees have been offered similar jobs at its Portland call center. L.L. Bean has 3,500 year-round employees in Maine, including 2,000 in Freeport. It employs 5,200 people companywide. In January, L.L. Bean also considered leaving its long-time headquarters in Freeport before deciding to pursue a tax agreement. L.L. Beans director of Real Estate and Construction David Lockman said the company has opted to remain in Freeport where its been since 1912 after a lengthy discussion that included exploring alternative locations for L.L. Beans corporate headquarters. It also announced it will be opening a new store in New Hampshire that will open in the fall of 2020 and will employ approximately 50 people. L.L. Bean has been expanding in recent years in Massachusetts, currently with seven stores across the state. It opened its first store on Cape Cod in 2017, followed by its first store in Boston the following year. In Oct. 2019, L.L. Bean opened its first store in Western Massachusetts. The Hadley L.L. Bean has 10,000 square feet of sales floor in a new 15,000 square foot building situated to the front of the Mountain Farms property near Russell Road, Route 9, between Northampton and Amherst. Its part of a refresh at the plaza also home to a Whole Foods and a Walmart among other stores. The new buildings will also house a soon-to-open 110 Grill and a now-under-construction Five Guys Burgers and Fries. A victim of Jeffrey Epstein has blamed Prince Andrew for failing to stop the convicted paedophile from abusing women before he sexually assaulted her. Kiki, who at the weekend wrote an open letter to Prince Andrew countersigned by three unnamed 'Jane Doe' Epstein victims, addressed the Duke of York at the press conference today. Calling on Andrew to cooperate with the FBI in their investigation into Epstein, she said: 'There's no question that you had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein dating back to the 90s. 'My sexual assault occurred in 2004 when I was just 19. Of all people, you had the power to influence and to say something, yet you didn't. Years went by and you didn't.' Kiki (pictured right, with lawyer Lisa Bloom), who at the weekend wrote an open letter to Prince Andrew countersigned by three unnamed 'Jane Doe' Epstein victims, addressed the Duke of York at the press conference today She added: 'I can't help but think I could have been spared and potentially hundreds of other children and young women could have also been spared. 'Now's your chance to speak to the FBI and do the right thing.' The duke has denied witnessing any suspicious behaviour when with Epstein. The billionaire killed himself while in jail awaiting trial last year. Kiki said she and Epstein's other alleged victims wrote to the duke asking for his co-operation. 'So far he has not responded and as far as we know he has continued to stonewall,' she added. US lawyer Geoffrey Berman, who is leading the Epstein sex trafficking inquiry, has said the duke has 'provided zero co-operation', claiming his lawyers had been contacted by prosecutors and the FBI as part of the investigation. Andrew was reported to be 'angry and bewildered' at the claims, with sources telling the Daily Telegraph he was more than happy to talk to the FBI but had not been approached. Calling on Andrew to cooperate with the FBI in their investigation into Epstein, she said: 'There's no question that you had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein dating back to the 90s. 'My sexual assault occurred in 2004 when I was just 19. 'Of all people, you had the power to influence and to say something, yet you didn't. Years went by and you didn't' When the monarch's second son quit royal duties, he said he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency. Kiki called on the Queen to encourage the duke to co-operate. She said: 'I really feel empathetic for the Queen. I can't imagine what she's going through but I think that they should pressure him to do the right thing because that seems to be what they stand for.' Kiki broke down in tears on a US talk show last year as she described being assaulted as a teenager by Epstein at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Andrew was urged to 'get on a plane' and answer questions from the FBI as part of a reciprocal deal that would see US spy's wife Anne Sacoolas sent to the UK where she is accused of killing teen Harry Dunn. The demand was made in an extraordinary press conference in New York where Lisa Bloom, lawyer for alleged victims of Epstein, teamed up with Dunn family lawyer Radd Seiger in an attempt to break the stalemate that has ensnared both of their cases in political red tape. Now's your chance to speak to the FBI and do the right thing Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of an American intelligence official has been charged with causing teenager Mr Dunn's death after driving on the wrong side of the road outside a US military base in Northamptonshire last year. She fled the country on a private jet after being given diplomatic immunity. Mr Sieger had recently backed Ms Bloom's calls for intervention and said: 'If Prince Andrew has committed crimes in the US then he should return to face their justice system. But only if the USA reverse their decision on Anne Sacoolas'. 'To the extent that the United States wishes to have anyone from the UK extradited to the US, including Prince Andrew, then they will absolutely have to send Anne Sacoolas back first'. Kiki broke down in tears on a US talk show last year as she described being assaulted as a teenager by Epstein at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida The Foreign Office is still looking at alternative options including a trial of Sacoolas in absentia in the UK, issuing an Interpol red notice, which would mean she would be arrested as soon as she left US soil. America and Britain have traditionally agreed to extradition of people between the two countries unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Government could choose to reject more cases if it is unhappy with Mike Pompeo's decision over Sacoolas. The FBI, which investigates major cases on behalf of US attorneys who prosecute them in courts, has vowed to unravel Epstein's network. US attorney general William Barr has promised to bring charges against anyone who may have helped him. Prince Andrew has always denied any impropriety, or having any knowledge Epstein was a paedophile, with the FBI treating the duke as a witness rather than a suspect. If US prosecutors wanted to extradite Andrew, they would have to either obtain an arrest warrant or a grand jury indictment together with an arrest warrant, and make a request to the UK. The Home Office would have to decide whether it was a lawful request or whether an extradition should be refused, with the case going to a magistrates' court if it proceeds. Andrew would then have to decide whether to be extradited voluntarily or whether to challenge it. An alternative is that he could speak to the FBI in London, if he invited agents to see him. The Duke of York was last week threatened with a subpoena if he ever returns to the US - which looks increasingly unlikely. Last year the Duke of York pledged to 'help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations' into Epstein, his billionaire friend who killed himself. But speaking on the steps of Epstein's New York mansion in January, state attorney Geoffrey Berman accused the Queen's son of providing 'zero co-operation' and ignoring a request for an interview. Military personnel carrying firearms should not be permitted to attend freshers fairs because their presence could detrimentally affect the mental health of students, says Cambridge Universitys Students Union (CUSU). Stella Swain, welfare and rights officer at CUSU, proposed a motion to ban societies from bringing firearms to the fair. The motion, which was passed, stated that the presence of firearms and military personnel at the event illustrates implicit approval of their use, despite the links between military and firearms and violence on an international scale. Ms Swain added that the fair should not be seen as a recruitment opportunity for military organisations. The presence of firearms and military personnel at [a] freshers fair is alarming and off-putting for some students, and has the potential to detrimentally affect students mental welfare, the motion continued. Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Show all 10 1 /10 Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Young people march from the White House to Capitol Hill while participating in the national school walkout over gun violence. EPA Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Thousands of local students march down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the US Capitol during a nationwide student walkout for gun control. AFP/Getty Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence A student has the words,'don't shoot,' written on her hands as she joins with other students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after walking out of their school to honor the memories of 17 students and teachers that were killed. Getty Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students take part in a walkout at General McLane High School. AP Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students from Harvest Collegiate High School stand in Washington Square Park in New York to take part in a national walkout to protest gun violence. AFP/Getty Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students rally in front of the White House in Washington after walking out of school to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month's massacre of 17 people at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. AP Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Airport High School juniors Tony LaFata, 16, left, and Noah Doederlein, 17, stands for a moment of silence during a walkout at General McLane High School. AP Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Young people rally on the West Front of the US Capitol to participate in the national school walkout over gun violence, in Washington. EPA Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students from Passaic High School hold photos of some of the 17 victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. AP Students walk out of US schools to protest gun violence Students join hands as they take part in a student walkout in Lafayette. AP However, some people have disagreed with CUSUs stance, including Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan, who described the motion as pathetic. I would suggest this is nothing to do with the military as such. It is just yet another effort, as we have seen in so many of these student motions at various universities, to undermine British society, Kemp tole The Telegraph. Recommended Only a handful of black academics in top roles in British universities Without the Armed Forces these students wouldnt be able to study, they are only able to because the country has been protected and defended by the British Army," he continued. Many students from Cambridge University fought and died in the Armed Forces and for our country. "Students should have more respect for those who went before them, who made the ultimate sacrifice to allow them to study in freedom. A representative for CUSU provided The Independent with the following statement: "A motion was brought to CUSU Council proposing to restrict stallholders from bringing firearms to the annual Freshers Fair. The motion originally proposed that external staff from national organisations should not attend the Freshers Fair with student societies, as it is a student-focused event. "This part of the motion was removed before it was passed. The final motion only proposed to restrict firearms at the Freshers Fair event and did not constitute any sort of ban on military personnel, military organisations or military student societies. " New Delhi, Feb 5 : Comedian Kunal Kamra's Boston-based namesake was stopped from boarding an Air India flight earlier this week, days after the stand-up comic was banned by four airlines, including Air India, for allegedly 'heckling' a prominent television journalist. Boston resident Kamra, who was visiting his family in India, was reportedly stuck at the Jaipur airport as the airline confused him with the controversial comedian. "Comedian Kunal Kamra is banned from boarding Air India. It's mentioned in our system that's why his name was automatically rejected. But after verification of all the credentials of the pax, we allowed him to board the flight," an Air Indian spokesperson said. Comedian Kunal Kamra later took to Twitter and called the incident "collateral damage." Kamra, who gained popularity for his political jokes often aimed at the ruling party leadership, was banned by IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India and GoAir following the incident with the television journalist. The bans were announced in quick succession, overlooking official procedures. As per the guidelines, when an airline receives complaints of unruly behaviour from the pilot-in-command, the incident is referred to an internal committee which decides on the matter within 30 days. Moreover, the captain operating IndiGo's Mumbai-Lucknow flight in which the incident took place, later said that it did not qualify for a six-month ban. Captain Rohit Mateti reportedly said that Indigo didn't consult him before announcing the ban on the comedian. One of the things that greatly ails us as a nation is the character of the current president, in contrast to which stand the qualities of character of one of the Democratic presidential candidates: Where Trump is utterly lacking in integrity, she exhibits great integrity, and there is no quality more important for a President to have than integrity. Trump lacks moral compass. She is guided by ethical principles. He puts self-interest above the public interest. She puts service to the public good above self. He is a draft dodger and a coward. She served two tours in a combat zone and seems fearless. He uses U.S. troops as fodder, and pimps them to other countries. She is a soldier, respects soldiers, and understands that the gift they offer is sacred, not to be desecrated in regime change wars. He is an old white guy. She is young, and a woman of color. He wishes he was a king. She understands that a president is not a monarch. He runs up against and tries to smash the Constitution. She upholds it. He is conservative and authoritarian. She is progressive and a bit of a civil libertarian. He rolls back environmental protections to destroy our environment. She strives to protect the environment, and has long been an activist for clean water. He engages in clueless, reckless foreign policy. She advocates wise and sane foreign policy where we are not the worlds police, not warmongers, and we work with our allies. He brashly uses military force, even assassinates leaders of other nations. She believes wars should be for defense, not imperialism or regime change. He is divisive and hate-spewing. She seeks to heal our political divide, bringing a spirit of Aloha. His is a government for Republicans. Hers will be a government of, by, and for all the people. He aims for an economy good for the rich. She seeks a fair economy for everyone. He is physically and mentally unfit. She is physically fit and intelligent. He caters to the theocratic desires of the evangelical right-wing. She upholds first amendment freedoms. Saudi Arabia said it has signed an agreement with eWTP Arabia, an investment fund affiliated with Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba, to build a new headquarters in the upcoming media city in the capital Riyadh. Announcing this on twitter, Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said he had already signed an agreement with Jerry Li, founding partner of eWTP Capital, which is backed by Jack Ma, head of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, in this regard. An important first step to strengthen our partnerships and attract innovators from all over the world, Prince Badr, who is also the chairman of the new media city, said on Twitter. The minister also revealed that an agreement had been reached to build a new headquarters for Saudi-controlled media group MBC, as well as a new hub for MBC-owned sister news channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath. The media city will be in the embassies district of Riyadh, he added. Prince Badr said that it is part of a series of major projects that are sponsored by the Kingdoms leadership and that aim to benefit from Saudi Arabias wealth and capabilities. "The project cannot be restricted in one sector, but it has taken us to unlimited heights in all future, knowledge, media and cultural sectors," he remarked. Prince Badr pointed out that Riyadh was aiming to become one of the most innovative cities in the world. "The kingdom has the means and the will to forge ahead in achieving its goals backed by a wise leadership," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Micheal Martin has criticised the omerta surrounding the murder of Paul Quinn amid questions about what Sinn Fein figures know about the young man's brutal murder. The Fianna Fail leader was reacting after the mother of the murder victim, Breege Quinn, earlier called on Sinn Fein to apologise for suggesting her son had been involved in criminality. Ms Quinn also wants Conor Murphy, a senior Sinn Fein figure who is the North's finance minister, to resign and to make the apology on TV. Speaking in Dublin this morning after the RTE Read More: "I would urge everybody to listen to them. A grieving mother who wants to vindicate her son's name, and she's been a long time trying to be vindicate her son's name. "I think that it is extraordinary that it has taken 13 years. And it looks like an apology will be given for the manner in which Paul's name was sullied." Mr Murphy had said not long after the 21-year-old was beaten to death in 2007 a shed in Monaghan that he had been involved in criminality and smuggling, while former party leader Gerry Adams also said there was criminality involved. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has refused this morning to ask her minister in the North to resign but says she does expect an apology will be forthcoming. Nonetheless, Mr Martin said today that he believed the IRA were responsible for Mr Quinn's murder and the Quinn family had been let down for so many years. Asked what Sinn Fein members may know about the murder, Mr Martin responded: The omerta that followed was deeply concerning. It was a savage attack involving a lot of people. The Katy Independent School District dedicated its 16th junior high to Joe Maxwell Adams, a former trustee with a passion for this community and education, on Feb. 4. Opening its doors in the fall of 2019, Adams Junior High is located in the southwest quadrant within the Cross Creek Ranch subdivision. During his 27 years as trustee, he served eight terms, three superintendents, alongside more than 30 board members, and held every board position, including four terms as president. During his tenure, Katy ISD grew from 20,000 to 70,000 students, added 39 new schools, countless renovations and additions, including groundbreaking performing arts and ninthgrade centers. All of the progress was a result of $2.4 billion in voter-approved bonds supported by the board. I am happy, proud and overwhelmed to be selected for this honor, Adams said. A lot has changed since I first ran for office, but there are many things that have not changed. We are still a sought- after destination by families, fast-growing and a high-performing district. This happens when district leadership anticipates, plans and prepares for growth, passionate educators pass on knowledge and skills to students, and parents recognize that creating a legacy means the difference we make in the life of another is the only thing that endures, he added. Adams stepped out and volunteered not only for his children, who attended Katy ISD schools, but also chose each day to advocate for children in the entire district. As the founding director of the Katy ISD Education Foundation, Adams volunteered in numerous ways across the district. He was a Keep Encouraging Youth Toward Success mentor, read to elementary students through the Promise to Read program and was involved in the Katy ISD Junior Achievement program. Born and raised in Southeast Texas, Adams is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and Texas Aggie Band. Adams and his wife, Donna, have two children and seven grandchildren. At AJH, the goal is to create a culture of excellence through relationships, perseverance, authentic engagement and innovation. Just like their school motto, students are kind-hearted, fierce in mind and brave in spirit - because they are Vikings! Investing in stocks inevitably means buying into some companies that perform poorly. But long term Xinhua News Media Holdings Limited (HKG:309) shareholders have had a particularly rough ride in the last three year. Unfortunately, they have held through a 69% decline in the share price in that time. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 45% in a year. Furthermore, it's down 28% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. View our latest analysis for Xinhua News Media Holdings To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. During five years of share price growth, Xinhua News Media Holdings moved from a loss to profitability. We would usually expect to see the share price rise as a result. So it's worth looking at other metrics to try to understand the share price move. We note that, in three years, revenue has actually grown at a 7.9% annual rate, so that doesn't seem to be a reason to sell shares. This analysis is just perfunctory, but it might be worth researching Xinhua News Media Holdings more closely, as sometimes stocks fall unfairly. This could present an opportunity. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). SEHK:309 Income Statement, February 5th 2020 If you are thinking of buying or selling Xinhua News Media Holdings stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet. A Different Perspective We regret to report that Xinhua News Media Holdings shareholders are down 45% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 5.5%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 17% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Xinhua News Media Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Xinhua News Media Holdings (1 is potentially serious) that you should be aware of. Story continues For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Seven men have gone on trial in Paris for using a silicone mask to impersonate the French foreign minister and extort 50m from wealthy public figures, including the Aga Khan. (stock photo) Seven men have gone on trial in Paris for using a silicone mask to impersonate the French foreign minister and extort 50m from wealthy public figures, including the Aga Khan. The two main suspected fraudsters were accused of usurping the identity of Jean-Yves Le Drian to target 150 VIPs, from the owner of wine estate Chateau Margaux to the president of Senegal. The hustle, in 2015-2016, required targets to think they were being asked in Skype calls by then defence minister Mr Le Drian for help in paying ransoms for journalists held by Islamists. Most would-be victims smelled a rat, but three took the bait. Prosecutors said the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, made five transfers totalling 20m. Macky Sall, the Senegalese leader, saw through the hoax when the fake Mr Le Drian addressed him with the more formal French "vous". The two men know each other well and use "tu". ( Daily Telegraph, London) Please register or log in with Independent.ie for free access to this article Register Already have an account? Log In London stabbing attacker identified as terrorist on early prison release Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The man who was shot dead by police in south Londons Streatham area after he injured three people with a knife Sunday has been identified as 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, who had earlier been sentenced for terror offenses. Amman, who carried out an Islamist-related terrorist incident wearing a fake bomb vest on a busy street, was under police surveillance since he was released a week earlier having served half of a sentence for terror offenses, BBC reported. He had been sentenced in December 2018 to three years and four months in jail for sharing his extremist views with others, including encouraging his girlfriend to kill her unbelieving parents by sending her beheading videos, according to Sky News. He expressed support for the Islamic State terror group, according to The Guardian. He wrote, If you cant make a bomb because family, friends or spies are watching or suspecting you, take a knife, molotov, sound bombs or a car at night and attack. Amman, who is from Harrow in northwest London, had a fascination with dying in the name of terrorism, according to a notepad police recovered from his home, acting Commander Alexis Boon, head of the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said at the time of his conviction. Amman had scrawled his life goals in the notepad and top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to Jannah, the afterlife. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement after Sunday afternoons attack, saying, I want to pay tribute to the speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker preventing further injuries and violence and all of the emergency services who came to the aid of others. He said an investigation was underway, and the government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services. We are confident that this is an isolated incident, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi was quoted as saying. All the stabbing victims were said to be out of danger, police said. Terrorists seek to divide us and destroy our way of life. Here in London we will never let them succeed, said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. In November, police shot a terrorist on parole after he stabbed two people to death in central London. Also in November, British security services lowered their assessment of the risk of a major terrorist attack to substantial, which indicated that a terror attack was likely, according to The Wall Street Journal. The government had thought at the time that British jihadis were less likely to return from Syria after the defeat of the Islamic State terror group. Prime Minister Johnson said the country would review rules that allow people convicted of terror offenses to get early release from prison. Last year, around 74 convicted terrorists had been granted an early release from prison. [February 05, 2020] As March 4th Filing Deadline Nears with Anniversary of UH Embryo Destruction, Two New Cases Are Filed by Victims Less than a month remains for an estimated 200 victims to seek justice in the matter of the 4,000-embryo destruction at University Hospitals (UH) Fertility Clinic, according to Cleveland law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane (Peiffer Wolf). The window for filings closes on March 4, 2020, the second anniversary of the tragic losses for several hundred families. For more information, go to https://www.uhembryolawsuit.com/. Ahead of the fast-approaching deadline, Peiffer Wolf filed two new cases today in Geauga County Court of Common Pleas. The first involves a couple who lost nine eggs and has no children. The second case involves a Toledo-area couple who lost five embryos while trying to add a baby brother or sister to their family. Adam Wolf, partner and attorney, Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane, said: "For nearly two years, most of the facts and details in this matter have been buried by confidentiality. Through these two new cases, the opportunity to bring this information to light increases dramatically. We want to ensure that UH is held accountable for every victim and that these victims obtain compensation for their unimaginable loss. We want to make sure that something like this never happens again." Joseph Peiffer, managing partner and attorney, Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane, said: "Those who have not yet sought justice need to know this: There is still time to file your case against UH. Everyone processes their pain and trauma from the in different ways. Our clients filing today were devastated and needed considerable time to come to terms with their losses. Now, they are seeking justice." Between 150-200 UH embryo destruction cases already have been resolved. No financial or other terms of settlements have been released to date. ABOUT PEIFFER WOLF The law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane maintains offices in Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin, and New Orleans. Peiffer Wolf has handled multiple cases in which fertility clinics were accused of either destroying or losing eggs and embryos. This is a highly technical area of law and science and, individuals seeking legal representation would be well advised to look to a law firm that has successfully handled such cases in the past. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005642/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, February 5, 2020 In an effort to modernize the ad industrys guidelines for accounting for and dealing with new forms of digital advertising fraud commonly known as invalid traffic, the Media Rating Council (MRC) this morning released a draft of a new version of guidelines it originally set in October 2015. The need for an update reflects the rapidly changing nature of digital media and ad technology, which sometimes seems more of an arms race than a progression of industrial standards. The draft proposes updates covering new threats involving in-app, OTT and other rapidly emerging digital ad environments, as well as a "decision rate" calculation for evaluating the coverage of digital ad fraud detection services. When we first issued MRCs Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines Addendum in 2015, we indicated there would be a need to continually update the provisions contained in it in order to keep pace with a rapidly changing environment, MRC Executive Director and CEO George Ivie stated, adding that the proposed updates represented in the draft issued this morning are critical to helping to ensure that current IVT detection and filtration practices remain relevant as the nature of invalid traffic continues to evolve. advertisement advertisement Key updates include: Updates and clarifications of requirements for general invalid traffic (GIVT) and sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) detection techniques to reflect the evolved threat landscape, as well as enhancements to baseline GIVT requirements. The addition of a required decision rate calculation to provide data to users with a means of calculating a detection services IVT coverage levels, and to identify sources and inventory with low coverage. Expansion and formalization of traffic-sourcing detection and disclosure requirements. Guidance for IVT detection and filtration in logged-in environments, and guidance on account invalidation IVT techniques. Enhancement of business partner qualification requirements, including requirements on client access controls and stricter onboarding. Formal incorporation, inclusive of new updates, of previous interim guidance issued through MRC memos on data center traffic, human labeling, sampling, upfront techniques and in-app IVT. Expansion of guidance on upfront filtration to include pre- and post-bid approaches. Expansion of in-app guidance to also include over-the-top (OTT) environments. The MRC said it will welcome public comments through March 6, and expects to issue a final version of the updated guidelines early in the second quarter of 2020. Studies of indoor tanning that are financially linked to the industry are significantly more likely to downplay the risks and highlight perceived benefits of indoor tanning than studies without such ties, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers analyzed 691 articles on indoor tanning in scientific journals. Fifty had financial ties to the tanning industry. Of these, 78% favored indoor tanning, compared with only 4% of studies without financial ties to the industry. As with research funded by the tobacco and sugar industries, the new finding suggests that people should consider whether studies on indoor tanning and exposure to ultraviolet rays were supported by organizations with possible conflicts of interest. "Studies with financial links to the indoor tanning industry were much more likely to discuss perceived benefits of indoor tanning and to downplay the harms," said Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH, professor of dermatology, who sees patients at Stanford Health Care's dermatology clinic at the Hoover Pavilion. "The association is quite striking. We need scientific data to be independent of industry influence. I am concerned that funding sources may influence the conclusions of these papers." A paper describing the research will be published Feb. 4 in the British Medical Journal. Linos is the senior author. Lola Adekunle, MD, a postdoctoral scholar, and graduate student Rebecca Chen share lead authorship. A group 1 carcinogen In 2009, the World Health Organization listed the ultraviolet light used in tanning beds as a group 1 carcinogen -- its highest cancer-risk category. But many people cite perceived benefits of indoor tanning, including mood enhancement, the role played by ultraviolet radiation in the production of vitamin D and the achievement of a "base tan" believed to protect against more serious skin damage. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than one-third of adults in the United States and over half of college students have reported using a tanning bed at some point in their lives. Linos and her colleagues surveyed previously published scientific literature to identify articles focused on indoor tanning and health. The articles included reports on original research, reviews, case reports, editorials and opinion pieces, among others. A co-author of the study, research associate Lily Morrison, MPH, removed the funding information and conflict of interest statements from the papers before passing them to Adekunle and Chen, who evaluated each article's conclusions without knowing the funding source. They scored them on a five-point scale from strongly in favor of tanning to strongly critical of tanning. Without determining whether the content of the papers was accurate or false, the researchers than assessed whether studies with financial ties to indoor tanning came to different conclusions about the overall risks and benefits of the practice. They found that although only 10.3% of the studies had financial ties to the industry, these studies were significantly more likely than the remaining 89.7% to be classified as "favorable" to tanning. Conversely, studies with industry ties were less likely than others to come to conclusions critical of tanning. 'A misperception of benefits' "Although the number of papers with financial ties to the tanning industry was relatively small, these papers may have wide traction if used in legal challenges and promotional material," said Meghan Halley, PhD, a dermatology research fellow and co-author of the study. "Tanners getting these messages may develop a misperception of benefits." Linos added, "This is the first study to examine conflict of interest in indoor tanning literature, and it echoes what's been said about the influence of the tobacco and sugar industries on science. Researchers, public health experts and members of the general public should be aware of and account for industry funding when assessing the evidence related to the risks and benefits of indoor tanning." ### Another Stanford co-author of the study is medical student Victor Eng. Researchers from Erasmus University in the Netherlands, the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University also contributed to the work. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants DP2CA225433, K24AR075060, DP2CA225433-02, T32 AR7465, and R01AR073001). The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu. Print media contact: Krista Conger at (650) 725-5371 (kristac@stanford.edu) Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu) Malviya Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Malviya Nagar constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Malviya Nagar profile | Somnath Bharti of the Aam Aadmi Party has won the election from Malviya Nagar against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Shailender Singh with a margin of 18,144 votes. Bharti was up against former councillor Shailendra Singh Moti of the BJP and Congress candidate Neetu Verma, a former DUSU president. The constituency was a part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. Here is a brief profile of the constituency: Constituency Name: Malviya Nagar Constituency Number: 43 District Name: South Delhi Total Electors: 1,39,987 Female Electors: 63,370 Male Electors: 76,604 Third Gender: 13 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: The incumbent MLA is the high-profile AAP leader Somnath Bharti. He had defeated Congress leader Kiran Walia in the 2013 Assembly polls by a margin of over 11,000 votes. In the next election in 2015, he defeated his nearest BJP rival by a margin of over 16,000 votes. Prior to 2008, veteran Congressman Yoganand Shastri represented the seat for two consecutive terms. Although the AAP government doled out freebies ahead of the polls, the voters in this constituency were unimpressed. And if their mood is anything to go by, AAPs sitting MLA Somnath Bharti is in for a tough fight this year. An explanation for this sentiment could be the fact that this constituency has some upmarket areas such as Hauz Khas, Safdarjung Enclave and Malviya Nagar. People living in these areas appreciate their MLA but are against giving away public services for free. The voters also complain of lack of focus on infrastructural development despite the segment falling under a high-profile Parliamentary constituency. Arjun Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Humayunpur, Begum Pur, Malviya Nagar and Geetanjali Malviya Nagar are other areas that fall in this constituency. Demographics: Once populated by refugees from Pakistan in the 1950s, Malviya Nagar is now made up of up-scale areas that share boundaries with unauthorised colonies. Located in South district of Delhi, Malviya Nagar comes under the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. The Scheduled castes (SC) and Scheduled tribes (ST) ratio is 8.59 and 0, respectively of the total population. Mehrauli Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Mehrauli constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Mehrauli profile | Naresh Yadav of the Aam Aadmi Party retained the Mehrauli seat, winning by a margin of 18,161, according to the Election Commission website. Yadav received a total of 62,417 votes against BJP's Kusum Khatri who received a total of 44,256 votes. Congress Mohinder Chaudhary forfeited his deposit receiving just 6,952 (6.04 percent) votes. Well known for housing several historic sites, Mehrauli, is part of South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency went to the polls on 8 February and the counting of votes took place on 11 February. Here is a look at the constituency profile: Constituency Name: Mehrauli Constituency Number: 45 District Name: South Delhi Total Electors: 1,81,393 Female Electors: 78,091 Male Electors: 1,03,286 Third Gender: 16 Reserved: no Results in previous elections: Giving a narrow fight to his BJP rival, senior Congress leader Yoganand Shastri won the seat in 2008. However, he lost the seat in 2013 polls to BJPs Parvesh Singh by a margin of over 4,000 votes. In the 2015 polls, AAPs Naresh Yadav defeated BJPs Sarita Chaudhary by a margin of less than 17,000 votes. Demographics: Mehrauli is a predominantly rural constituency and was considered a Congress stronghold for many decades. According to reports, it is predominantly a Jat constituency, which is underlined by the fact that the Congress and BJP have named Jat candidates in the upcoming polls. The constituency covers half of Saket, Mehrauli, Kishan Garh and Vasant Kunj localities. SARAJEVO Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), warns that the United States would cut its assistance to Bosnia-Herzegovina if the country fails to tackle human trafficking. "If the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina is not capable of addressing the issues of human trafficking, the United States -- in less than one year -- will have to cut all of our foreign assistance to the Balkan country, Glick said in a February 5 interview with RFE/RL during a visit to Belgrade. That will have a tremendous impact on this country both in terms of its reputation as a place in which foreigners should come and consider investing as well as placing it in a category with some of the lowest levels of government, she added. Since 1995, Washington has provided more than $1.8 billion in assistance -- primarily through USAID -- to support democratic, social, and economic progress in Bosnia and to advance the country toward its goal of EU membership. Bosnias government used to take strong action to combat trafficking in persons, Glick said. But the country has now dropped in the international esteem and it is in danger of becoming one of the lowest levels of non-support to counter human trafficking. In its 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. State Department said the Bosnian government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. Cruise Origin Cruise The global autonomous vehicle industry is an $8 trillion market opportunity, according to General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit Cruise. Dan Ammann, CEO of the GM majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary, on Wednesday said that valuation includes autonomous ride-hailing services to compete against current companies such as Uber and Lyft at a potentially $5 trillion sector; $2 trillion for freight; and $500 billion each for data insights and in-vehicle experiences. "We're bringing an extremely disruptive, transformational technology to a multitrillion-dollar market opportunity," he said during an investor day for GM in New York, which was broadcast online. Ammann, who previously served as president of GM, and other executives have said before that the autonomous vehicle industry is a multitrillion-dollar opportunity, however they hadn't disclosed the specific market valuation. To "unlock the market opportunity," Ammann outlined how an autonomous vehicle lowers operating costs for companies that currently use human drivers, like Uber and Lyft, as well as advancements the company has made in bringing down costs related to vehicle production, software development and other factors. "Our goal in the simplest possible terms is to build a superior product," Ammann said. "It's to build a product that is better than what people have as transportation alternatives today." Cruise Automation COO Dan Kan (l to r), Cruise Automation CEO Kyle Vogt and General Motors President Dan Ammann Tuesday, November, 20, 2018 at Cruise Automation offices in San Francisco, California. Source: Noah Berger | General Motors Cruise unveiled that "product," known as the Origin, last month. The shuttle-like, all-electric autonomous vehicle features no manual controls such as a steering wheel or pedals. It offers wireless internet and device chargers that passengers can use while they ride, as well as three interior cameras that monitor the safety of people and their cargo on-board. The shared ride should be quiet, since the Cruise Origin is an all-electric vehicle, too. Ammann did not say when the company plans to launch a commercial autonomous vehicle business for passengers or cargo. Cruise last year delayed the launch of a commercial, self-driving vehicle service in San Francisco, which it had expected to deploy in 2019. The company said its vehicles required further testing. Finland's woman-led government has today announced plans to give fathers the same amount of paid parental leave as mothers. Paternity leave for new fathers is set to be extended to nearly seven months, the same as maternity leave. The centre-left government led by Sanna Marin, the world's youngest prime minister at 34, says the 'radical reform' is intended to promote equality and boost birth rates. 'This enables better equality between parents and diversity among families,' said health minister Aino-Kaisa Pekonen. Finland's centre-left government, led by 34-year-old prime minister Sanna Marin (pictured), has unveiled plans to give fathers the same amount of parental leave as mothers Half of the parental leave will be transferable between parents, while pregnant women are also entitled to a month of additional leave before their due date. Finland's coalition of five parties, all led by women of whom four are younger than 35, took office in December and has made gender equality a priority. Pekonen, the health minister, said a more equal distribution of domestic roles has been shown to reduce the risk of divorce. 'Over a longer term, it also improves equality in working life and in wages by directing fathers to use a larger proportion of parental leaves than before,' she said. Prime minister Sanna Marin (second right), 34, poses with the Minister of Education Li Andersson (left), 32, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni (second left), 32, and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo (right), 34, after Finland's new government was formed in December Prime minister Marin last month called for states and companies to do more to ensure women were treated fairly. Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, she said that gender equality 'doesn't happen by itself'. In addition to that, Finland wants to boost its birth rate after the number of newborns fell by around a fifth between 2010 and 2018. Just 47,577 babies were born in 2018 in a country of around 5.5million people. The health minister said countries such as Sweden and Iceland had seen increases in their birth rates after offering more leave for fathers. A previous centre-right Finnish government attempted to reform parental leave in 2018 but eventually rejected the idea as too costly. A 32-year-old man has been charged in last years shooting death of the St. Clair County district attorneys son. Michael Iervolino was charged Tuesday with capital murder, according to court records. He is charged in the November 2019 slaying of 20-year-old Sloan Boo Harmon. The deadly shooting happened about 11 p.m. just off the Brompton exit of Interstate 20. Authorities said Harmon was driving when he was shot. His car then wrecked at the Velaro truck stop on Kelly Creek Road. The vehicle had left the roadway and struck a utility pole. Harmon was the son of veteran prosecutor Lyle Harmon and had recently been named a distinguished honor graduate at a U.S. Air Force tech program. He was Airman 1st Class of the 117th Air Refueling Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard in Birmingham and student at Jefferson State Community College. The State Bureau of Investigation led the probe. According to charging documents filed Tuesday, Iervolino shot Harmon while Harmon was in a vehicle. Records do not list a motive in the slaying, but authorities have said the suspect and the victim did not know each other. Sloan Harmon was Airman 1st Class of the 117th Air Refueling Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard in Birmingham and student at Jefferson State Community College. "This is the son of a co-worker and dear friend to all of us that was tragically killed,'' St. Clair County Sheriff Billy Murray said shortly after the murder. This was a very good person. This was a good man that was headed to a good life. Iervolino and another man, James Dylon Stewart, 27, were initially charged with first-degree theft of property and unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle. St. Clair County sheriffs officials had said both men are considered persons of interest in Harmons slaying, but only Iervolino has been charged in the killing. The theft charges stem from Iervolino and Stewart being in a stolen car when Harmon was shot. They were captured during an all-night manhunt in St. Clair County. Iervolino had just been released from the county jail on an unrelated charged two days before Harmon was killed. A Moody police officer on routine patrol found Sloan Harmon and determined he had been shot. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The slaying launched an hours-long manhunt for the suspects. One of them was captured just before 7:30 a.m. the following day near Camp Winnataska Road in Pell City. Multiple law enforcement agencies took part. Iervolino - who has a lengthy criminal history in multiple Alabama counties - was found hiding under a trailer. He was arrested in Leeds in the week prior to Harmons slaying on a felony theft charge in connection to stolen credit and debit cards. He was released from the St. Clair County Jail just two days before the deadly shooting. He pleaded guilty more than a decade ago to drug possession and has had numerous arrests on charges in including assault, theft, unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and fraudulent use of a credit card. All of the judges in St. Clair County have recused themselves in the capital murder case, records show. The case is being prosecuted by Talladega District Attorney Steve Giddens. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. China and many other Asian countries are dealing with the mayhem caused by Coronavirus. The new virus strain has claimed hundreds of lives in mainland China and left thousands infected. We have seen numerous reports of how coronavirus might affect iPhone production. Now Foxconn has announced that it will quarantine iPhone workers for 14 days in order to deal with coronavirus. Suppliers had earlier warned that Coronavirus outbreak might hamper iPhone production in Hubei, Henan and Guangdong provinces. In other words, the outbreak could affect the planned production schedule. Foxconn is planning a quarantine that could last up to two weeks. This move will help Foxconn prevent the spread of coronavirus by employees who are returning to work. That being said, the manufacturer will resume work from Feb 10. Furthermore, workers arriving from outside Henan province will be quarantined for 14 days. Meanwhile, staff that is working within the province will be quarantined for 7 days. Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, makes the vast majority of the worlds iPhones from Zhengzhou, central China. The company has become a high-profile symbol of how the outbreak, which has killed about 500 worldwide, could disrupt the worlds supply of made-in-China electronics. It is learned that coronavirus might take up to 14 days to exhibit symptoms and become contagious. And this is the reason behind the 14-days of quarantine. Moreover, the Chinese government has instructed the factories to remain shut following the Chinese new year holidays. On the other hand, Apple suppliers including Foxconn, Quanta Computer and LG are expected to resume production on the same date. In one of his reports, Kuo says that iPhone shipments could plunge from as much as 10%. Despite quarantining employees Foxconn claims that coronavirus will have a very small impact on its production lines. [via Bloomberg A Singaporean couple who had recently visited a village in the same province as Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus epidemic, decided to livestream themselves to their own wedding from quarantine, in order to avoid spreading the dreaded virus. The newly-married Mr. and Mrs. Yu had a very unconventional wedding. Instead of being there in the flesh to greet and interact with their guests in the flesh, they decided to livestream themselves from a hotel room miles away from the wedding venue. The couple had visited the grooms mother in a village in Hunan, the same Chinese province as the city of Wuhan, where the Coronavirus epidemic reportedly originated from, and decided that it was best to quarantine themselves for 14 days, just to be sure. the problem was that canceling the wedding on such short notice wasnt really an option either, so they decided to compromise. Photo: China Press Thank you for coming to our wedding. We are so sorry we couldnt enjoy this wonderful moment there with you in person, but we are still very happy to see that you all here, the bride who wore a white wedding dress said from a hotel suite. The guests invited to the wedding all attended the special event, despite being announced about the absence of the newly-married couple. As the brides parents had also traveled to Hunan, they couldnt attend the wedding either, which only left the brides sister to entertain the guests in the flesh. Photo: China Press Apart from the traditional wedding dance, which was understandably omitted, all the other wedding traditions were respected, including the toast, which the newlyweds joined via livestream on a large screen that the wedding venue provided. He has more than 20 years of experience in health and benefits consulting. In addition to health and benefits consulting, Carson also has a background in professional liability, as well as property & casualty insurance. Prior to joining EPIC, he had served as senior vice-president of health and benefits and as vice-president with Aon and Hub International. Chauvin joins EPIC as an insurance producer based in the companys Concord, CA office. He will be responsible for risk management consulting and the design, placement and management of property and casualty insurance programs. Chauvin will mainly focus on private equity and M&A clients. Chauvin also has over 20 years of experience, specializing in risk management and business consulting. He has worked for clients in the technology, energy, healthcare, large retail, and real estate industries. Prior to joining EPIC, he served companies such as Alliant Insurance Services, Zurich North America and CNA Insurance. The first trailer for new Saw film, Spiral, has been released online. Chris Rock spearheads the project, whose full title is Spiral: From the Book of Saw. The comedian has collaborated with Lionsgate for a fresh interpretation of the film series and its villain Jigsaw, who traps victims in situations that demand the greatest of sacrifices to survive. Samuel L Jackson and Max Minghella also star in the film that sees a killer, inspired by Tobin Bells Jigsaw, targeting cops. The final moments of the trailer sees Rocks character chained up with nothing by a saw, harking right back to the first film starring Leigh Whannell and Cary Elwes. 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Show all 37 1 /37 37 horror films that are genuinely scary 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Funny Games (1997) Directed by: Michael Haneke. Funny Games places the horror in the familiar setting of home. It follows two young men who hold a family hostage and torture them with sadistic games. The result is far scarier than anything featuring ghosts, witches or demons. Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Amityville Horror (1979) Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg. The Amityville Horror is based on the true story of the Lutzes, a family who were run out of their home after being terrorised by paranormal phenomena in 1975. Just one year before, Ronald DeFeo Jr shot and killed six members of his family in the same house. James Brolin and Margot Kidder lead this film, which became one of the biggest hits of 1979. American International Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Audition (1999) Directed by: Takashi Miike . Japanese horror Audition (1999) follows a widower who meets a woman named Ayoma after staging auditions to meet a potential new partner. Soon, though, her dark past begins to surface, which equates to a pretty disturbing climax. Omega Project 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez . Although parodied to death, The Blair Witch Project popularised the found-footage format to terrifying degrees in 1999. People genuinely believed they were watching real clips of three student filmmakers being terrorised by a Maryland legend known as the Blair Witch. Artisan Entertainment 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) Directed by: Robert Wiene . Black-and-white silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) is considered the quintessential work of German Expressionism, but also one of the scariest films in cinema history. It follows a hypnotist (Werner Krauss) who uses a somnambulist to commit murders, and Wiene's shadowed sets and striking visual style combines to unsettle the viewer in ways most filmmakers only dream of managing. Decla-Bioscop 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Candyman (1992) Directed by: Bernard Rose. A contemporary classic of horror cinema, 1992 film Candyman which spawned two sequels and has a Jordan Peele-produced remake in the works follows a graduate student whose studies lead her to the legend of a ghost who appears when you say his name three times. TriStar Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Directed by: Ruggero Deodato. Extreme enough to warrant a ban in Italy and Australia, Cannibal Holocaust (1980) was one of the first films to embrace the found-footage format so much so that Deodato found himself charged with multiple counts of murder due to rumours that several of the film's death scenes were real. He was later cleared. United Artists Europa 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Descent (2005) Directed by: Neil Marshall. Released in 2005, The Descent follows six women who, upon exploring a cave, battle to survive against the creatures they find inside. It's these creatures that earn this British horror film's placement on this list. Pathe Distribution 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Exorcist (1973) Directed by: William Friedkin. One of the most controversial films of all time, The Exorcist which tells the story of the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) became the first horror to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in 1974. Warner Bros 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Halloween (1978) Directed by: John Carpenter. Sure, it may be dated, but John Carpenter's original Halloween film released in 1978 remains the daddy of all horrors. It re-defined the rule book and has been emulated in everything from Scream (1996) to Trick 'r Treat (2007). The tension, as babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) attempts to evade masked murderer Michael Myers, only heightens with every new watch. Compass International Pictures[ 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Hereditary (2018) Directed by: Ari Aster. Proving that horror is a force to be reckoned with, Hereditary became independent distributor A24's highest-grossing film around the world upon its release in 2018. It tells the story of a family who find themselves haunted after the death of their secretive grandmother and features a final act that left many of its viewers with sleepless nights. A24 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The House of the Devil (2009) Directed by: Ti West. The House of the Devil (2009) follows a student named Samantha who is hired to guard an isolated house with one rule: don't go upstairs. For most of the film's runtime, not much happens, which is what makes the action-packed final third so terrifying. Spoiler: she goes upstairs. MPI Media Group 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Innocents (1961) Directed by: Jack Clayton. Based upon Henry James' chiller The Turn of the Screw, the plot of 1961 psychological horror film The Innocents concerns a governess who watches over two children and comes to fear that their large estate is haunted by ghosts and that the youngsters are being possessed. 20th Century Fox 37 horror films that are genuinely scary It (1986) Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace. Forget the effects-laden remake this version of It, released as a miniseries in 1986, is the most terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's beloved novel to date. It follows a shapeshifting demon who takes the form of a sadistic child-killing clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry). Lorimar Productions 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) Directed by: Takashi Shimizu. Japanese horror maestro Takashi Shimizu who also directed the pretty scary 2005 remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar balances mystery with horror in Ju-On: The Grudge, a story based in a cursed house in Tokyo. Lions Gate Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Kill List (2011) Directed by: Ben Wheatley. To describe the horrors of Kill List is to ruin the film's surprises, but let's just say this: the final 20 minutes of Ben Wheatley's violent drama from 2011 features some of the most unsettling scenes in any film from this decade. Optimum Releasing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Lake Mungo (2008) Directed by: Joel Anderson. Taking the form of a mockumentary, the little-seen Australian drama Lake Mungo may have received a limited release in 2008, but its story of a family attempting to come to terms with the drowning of their daughter stays with viewers long after. Arclight Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Martyrs (2008) Directed by: Pascal Laugier. The polarising 2008 film Martyrs, often associated with the New French Extremity movement, is the kind of horror that leaves you needing a shower once the credits roll. It follows a young woman's quest for revenge on the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child. Anchor Bay Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Night of the Living Dead (1968) Directed by: George A Romero. Younger viewers may be desensitised by the more extreme horror films to have been released in recent decades, but the scares featured in Romero's Night of the Living Dead including the young girl zombie reveal remain some of the most chilling committed to celluloid. Continental Distributing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Nosferatu (1922) Directed by: FW Murnau. Alongside Cesare in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920), the character of vampire Count Orlok in 1922 film Nosferatu played by Mac Schreck remains one of the most spine-tingling in cinema history. Film Arts Guild 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Orphanage (2007) Directed by: JA Bayona. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, this acclaimed 2007 chiller follows the disappearance of a young boy in an orphanage, which brings many of the building's terrifying secrets to the fore. Warner Bros Pictures de Espana 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Others (2001) Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar. The Others (2001) is a towering achievement for Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar who wrote, directed and scored this Nicole Kidman-fronted tale about a woman trying to protect her children from supernatural forces. It's perhaps the scariest 12-certificate film of all time. Warner Sogefilms 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Paranormal Activity (2009) Directed by: Oren Peli. Could Paranormal Activity be the scariest film of all time? It's certainly one of them. Just when you thought found-footage had had its day, Oren Peli's small-budgeted festival favourite became one of 2009's biggest hits. Audiences lapped up the story of a couple who capture supernatural presences on a camera in their own home. Paramount Pictures[ 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman. Paranormal Activity 3 earns its place on this list for its final 10 minutes. Set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films, we see the cause of the curse that follows characters Katie and Kristi for the rest of their lives and it's down to a coven of witches led by their grandmother. Paramount Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary [REC] (2007) Directed by: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza. Played out in real-time, the claustrophobic Spanish horror film [REC] is one of the better examples of found-footage cinema. Released in 2007, it follows a reporter and her cameraman who follow firefighters to a Barcelona building and soon find themselves locked inside with its occupants who are displaying murderous behaviour. Filmax International 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Ring (1998) Directed by: Hideo Nakata. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the story of Ring by now: viewers of a cursed videotape die seven days after watching it. While the inevitable Hollywood remake in 2002 was better than it had any right to be, Nakata's original is as terrifying as horror films come. Toho 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Rosemary's Baby (1968) Directed by: Roman Polanski. Released in 1968, Rosemary's Baby follows a pregnant woman who suspects that an evil cult want to take her baby for use in their rituals. Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon's performances tip this psychological chiller into classic status. Paramount Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Shining (1980) Directed by: Stanley Kubrick. Forget the iconic "Heeeeere's Johnny" or that bath scene it's the smaller moments that make Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining a terrifying watch, notably the trippy final act that sees Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) lose his mind to the Overlook Hotel. Warner Bros 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Sinister (2012) Directed by: Scott Derrickson. Of all the Blumhouse horror films, 2012 release Sinister which features the demonic character Bughuul is the spookiest of them all. It stars Ethan Hawke as a true-crime writer who discovers a box of home movies depicting grisly murders in the attic of his new house. Momentum Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Sleep Tight (2011) Directed by: Jaume Balaguero. This little-seen Spanish horror follows a concierge who, believing he was born without the ability to feel happiness, decides to make life hell for everyone around him. Filmax 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Directed by: Tobe Hooper. The fictional Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), marketed as a true story, follows a group of cannibals including Leatherface who relentlessly hunt down a group of friends. Vortex 37 horror films that are genuinely scary 28 Days Later (2002) Directed by: Danny Boyle. Many might not reflect upon 28 Days Later (2002) as one of the world's scariest horror films, but its desolate depiction of a viral outbreak seems more real than any other. When merged with the fast-paced infected and the usage of John Murphy's song "In the House In A Heartbeat", it's hard to deny it such status. Fox Searchlight Pictures 37 horror films that are genuinely scary V/H/S (2012) Directed by: Various. Directed by six filmmakers, including Adam Wingard and Ti West, 2012 anthology film V/H/S is grimy horror of the tallest order. Look no further than David Bruckner's section "Amateur Night" following three friends who meet a mysterious girl who says nothing other than three small words: "I like you." Magnet Releasing 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Wailing (2016) Directed by: Na Hong-jin. Twist-filled horror drama The Wailing follows a policeman who investigates a series of mysterious killings and illness in the mountains of South Korea. If the journey fails to scare you, its destination will leave you lying awake at night. 20th Century Fox Korea 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Wicker Man (1973) Directed by: Robin Hardy. The Wicker Man is deemed the best British horror film of all time for a reason. It tells the story of a Police Sergeant who travels to an isolated island in search of a missing girl, only to find its inhabitants practising a form of Celtic paganism. British Lion Films 37 horror films that are genuinely scary The Witch (2015) Directed by: Robert Eggers. For the most part, it's not what you see in The Witch that terrifies, it's what you don't see. Eggers unsettlingly holds his camera a fraction too long in places as he retells the story of a Separatist family who encounter supernatural forces in the woods beyond their farm. A24 37 horror films that are genuinely scary Zero Day (2003) Directed by: Ben Coccio. The horrors are all too real in Zero Day, a film inspired by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The majority of the film is portrayed through the video diaries of two students who are planning to attack their high school. Avatar Films Ive been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004, Rock previously said about the project. I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place. The franchise has so far grossed nearly $1bn worldwide. The new film will be a completely new story set in the same world as the eight previous instalments. Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who produced the original franchise, will again serve as producers, with Darren Lynn Bousman, behind Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, on board as director. The screenplay is based on a story conceived by Rock, but was written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. Rocks take on Saw be will be released in cinemas on 15 May 2020. In this digital era, moment marketing has become a strong weapon in brands marketing arsenal. Along with new age brands, now legacy brands like Hajmola and Dabur, too, are joining the bandwagon. Through the years, Amul is one brand that has been consistently ruling the outdoor space with its moment marketing campaigns, wherein its lovable mascot, the Amul Girl, is seen in various in the moment situations, making a sharp and often witty observation. In this latest instance, Dabur India has sought to leverage comedian and actor Vir Das trip down brand nostalgia lane in his new Netflix Special, titled Vir Das For India. The Original, which premiered on January 26, 2020, sees Das getting nostalgic about brands like Parle-G, Old Monk with tongue firmly in cheek and calling Chyavanprash peanut butter if you hate your children! Das also talks about how Chyawanprash is the taste of the country, but how over the last 50 years nobody knows what is actually in Chyawanprash. This has proved to be just the opportunity for Dabur India to capitalise on for its Chyawanprash brand. Dabur joined the conversation by reaching out to Vir Das via social media, helping him with a full list of ingredients in Chyawanprash. But Dabur didnt stop there. They even sent Das a package of the different variants of Chyawanprash that they have, including date and chocolate flavours, referring to the point that Das made in his Special that Chyawanprash has always tasted terrible. Brand Dabur has been able to project its progressive and cool side with its organic interaction with Vir Das. Dabur has a little over 145 followers, compared to almost 400,000 followers of Vir Das. Seems like a win for Dabur! Will the other brands mentioned by Das like Parle-G and Old Monk, too, join the moment marketing fray? Its a wait and watch. Union Home Minister and leader is scheduled to address multiple rallies in the poll-bound Delhi on Wednesday. With polling scheduled for February 8, the campaigning in the national capital has reached to its peak. Shah who has been actively campaigning in Delhi for the last few days will also be addressing public rallies in Kondli, Trilokpuri, Krishna Nagar and Gandhi Nagar areas today. He has held multiple rallies and roadshows in Delhi to seek vote for party candidates. ALSO READ: Delhi election LIVE is holding a Janasampark Abhiyan across the city in a bid to reach out to every household and request them to vote for it in the upcoming election. The voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies is scheduled for February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. A farmer spent two nights sleeping in his field after dogs savaged his flock of sheep. And another landowner, who lost 13 lambs with many more injured, said a dog was shot dead after another recent attack. Farmers have made a renewed appeal to Irelands half a million dog owners to keep their pets under control, particularly at night. They claim nearly 4,000 sheep are killed or injured every year from attacks. Matthew McGreehan, who farms in the Cooley Mountains, Co Louth, who has 450 ewes, said: We had an awful lot of dog attacks here in Co Louth in the last few years. I lost 13 lambs there in November with a dog attack and there was an awful lot more injured. Just the day before yesterday there was a dog attack on two farms and only my brother was there [it would have been worse.] But the dog got away and attacked another farmers sheep but we got him. He was shot. We were very lucky to get him because he was on the rampage. He was on for doing a lot of damage. Its an awful sight to see. A dog just rips the sheep apart. Flock owners are allowed to shoot a dog worrying sheep but must report it to the gardai. Speaking to RTEs Ear to the Ground on Thursday Damien Hanratty talked of the shock of walking into a field to see four sheep where there should be 50. The farmer, who keeps more than 300 sheep near Togher, Co Louth, said his sheep were attacked in December and again after Christmas and he had to sleep in the field for two nights to keep them safe. There is one still missing from the first attack about five weeks ago. And they would have pulled the wool off four others. You can see where the sheep ran and lay down and the dog literally stripped the wool off them. There are scrapes off a few of them. After the first attack they spent every night here tight as they could lie. Once it got dark they came here to lay. Two nights after they were attacked again so I parked there and just sat there for the whole night and they spent the whole night here and never moved, Padraig McKeown, one of the countrys 49 full-time dog wardens, said he was often called out to kills. Not too far from here we had a field which was decimated by two Jack Russells. The friendliest dogs you will ever meet but they still killed five or six sheep in that field. Its unbelievable the damage dogs can do. A dog thinks its a game running around after them. But the dog doesnt even have to kill the sheep, running them around means all the lambs will be aborted. It will stress the sheep out, they will get stuck in ditches, so we always try to get to the area as quick as possible. Farmers claim owners are not aware of the carnage their dogs can do if they slip out at night. Damien Hanratty said: In five minutes, half an hour or an hour, they can do some amount of damage. Ear to the Ground is on RTE One Thursday February 6 at 7pm. Police escorted them from MLAs hostel to their residence. SRINAGAR: Former minister and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth president Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra were on Wednesday released from a makeshift jail, exactly six months after they were along with several hundred other mainstream politicians detained by the government ahead of the scrapping of the erstwhile states special status and splitting it up into two Union Territories. However, both of them were after being escorted by the police to their respective official residences in Srinagar from the citys MLAs hostel turned subsidiary jail placed under house arrest. The official sources said that PDPs two other leaders Sartaj Madni and Khursheed Aalam and National Conference (NC)s Ali Muhammad Dar are also being released from their detention MLAs hostel. But there are indications that the top leadership of these two parties may continue to remain in detention for some more time. On Tuesday, the authorities had also released former PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmed Mir, trader union leader and civil society activist Shakeel Ahmed Qalandar from detention. On January 16, five second-rung mainstream leaders including NCs Altaf Kaloo, Showkat Ganaie and Salman Sagar and PDPs Nizamuddin Bhat and Mukhtar Bandh were freed from the MLAs Hostel. This had come days after the J&K government revoked the detention of 26 persons including former Kashmir High Court Bar Association Nazir Ahmed Ronga under stringent Public Safety Act and ordered for their release from prisons within and outside the UT. Earlier on January 3, two PDP leaders Rafi Ahmad Mir and Abdul Majeed Paddar were released from house arrest. This was followed by the release of two more mainstream leaders and former MLAs Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen and Muhammad Ashraf Mir from the MLAs hostel. Ever since the first load of Russian steel arrived aboard the freighter Doric Warrier in March 2017, attempts to get a handle on the viability of the newly developed Port of Paulsboro reached dead ends. Not long after the ports opening, President Donald Trump announced tariffs on imported steel that would see the tonnage moving through the port reduced, but not eliminated. Now, nearly three years later, New Jersey taxpayers are finally getting a picture of a costly project that, so far, hasnt panned out in terms of job growth and allied economic activity. This comes in the form of the mildest of gripes, originating from Paulsboro Mayor Gary Stevenson. This has not yet been the big jobs producer, the big hope we all spoke about years ago, Stevenson said in a recent interview with N.J. Advance Media. I dont know if there are more than 25 jobs right there right now. My big hope is that all that was talked about years ago comes to fruition." Stevenson remains optimistic about the ports potential, so it would be unfair to say that hes soured on the facilities that were built along the Delaware River in his town. But, as a Democrat from the same crowd that pushed for the development of the wharves and marine terminal, Stevensons impatience is a break from the sunny company line. The ports creation was a welcome change from the former Brownfields site, 190 acres of oil storage tanks and similar facilities that had been vacant for half a century. Still, at an estimated cost of $255 million, its reasonable to question if the port offers good value for money spent or if it ever will. The borrowed money is supposed to be paid back out of fees generated by shippers, so its not a direct drain from taxpayers. Even without a detailed reading of the bond documents, the State of New Jersey must be obligated to make bondholders whole if the repayment schedule collapses. Dividing $255 million by the estimated 25 jobs yields a stunning but highly inaccurate cost of $10.2 million per position. The figure easily dwarfs the outrageous $215,000-per-job outlay that corporate tax subsidies have provided in Camden under certain New Jersey Economic Development Authority programs, according to the liberal advocacy group New Jersey Policy Perspective. Whats different is that, unlike the EDA programs, the $255 million is not just a giveaway to a private employer. It has provided improved local roads and bridges, as well as an infrastructure that can handle far more additional growth. Nobody expects the number of jobs offered at the Port of Paulsboro to be capped at 25. The question is, will we see 100 jobs, 200 jobs, or the 1,000-plus originally envisioned, in the near future? This is another area where Stevensons cautions resonate. He states that after three years, the port has yet to diversify its cargo beyond the import of Russian steel. Any port that relies wholly on the whims of the mercurial personalities of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump ought to have a clearly articulated Plan B to attract other businesses. What is that Plan B from the port corporation? The public hasnt seen one. Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester a big booster of the port as well as a former Paulsboro mayor holds out hope for the new facility to play a role in the manufacture or assembly of wind turbines needed for New Jerseys on-again, off-again plan for offshore energy generation near Atlantic City. Is that all there is? If so, we may be looking at a future white elephant. The port has to draw more business, and even examine some unconventional types of cargo. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Does it kill the chances (of Iowa staying first)? We dont know that yet. But Iowa always has an uphill battle defending its position as first in the nation, and what this reporting mess, these difficulties have created is an even more uphill battle for the next time around, said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University and author a book on the history of the caucuses. Donna Hoffman, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa, noted Iowa was first in the presidential nominating process before being first was a big deal. And ever since it became a big deal, other states have eyed the top spot, and countless officials and experts have argued Iowa should not serve as the leadoff state for myriad reasons. This latest incident will only provide more ammunition to those critics, Hoffman said. This delay in results will force a discussion of Iowa's position in the system and it could very well be one in which Iowa does not come out on top, Hoffman said. Virtually no one outside of Iowa thinks Iowa should always be first. Some have been gunning for the caucuses for years, and this is likely the catalyst that at the very least forces a serious discussion about what the nomination system in the Democratic Party looks like. ANN ARBOR, MI - Rev. Russell Fullers house on Iroquois Place in Ann Arbor is steeped with the passions of his 95-year life. The walls of the living room are lined with filled bookcases. The genres range from historical to spiritual to documents of Americas social issues of the last century. Its really hard to be in this house without him, his son Rusty Fuller said, and not to have him sitting in this chair reading books. He was always growing and always learning. This continuous learning process lasted until early January, when the Ann Arbor reverend suffered his second stroke. Five days later on Wednesday, Jan. 15, he died in his home surrounded by family. Reverend Russell M. Fuller Obituary When talking with his children, Fullers passions were all shared by his biggest one: his wife Barbara. She passed away in July 2014 from a nearly 10-year battle with Alzheimers, Rusty Fuller said. Barbara S. Fuller Obituary One of the few condolences the Fuller children said they have is that their parents are once again able to continue their seven-decade marriage together. Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1924, Russell Fuller met Barbara Stauffer at the University of Michigan during WWII. He volunteered for the Navy, which sent him to Ann Arbor to study engineering, while she studied religion. They immediately bonded over discussions of spirituality, their daughter Kit Fuller said. They married shortly after both graduated, getting hitched on Jan. 16, 1948. The spiritual conversations led the new couple to the Guild House, a Christian interfaith community at the university. Bringing people of all different beliefs into this place where you could talk about issues of faith, Kit Fuller said. Thats what eventually led him into the ministry. The work led Russell to the Disciples Divinity House at the University of Chicago. The rules of the house at the time prevented prospective ministers from living with partners, Rusty Fuller said, so Barbara found a way for them to stay close. Forget that, Barbara said according to Rusty. Were both going to school! We both want to learn this. Russell earned his masters in Divinity, while Barbara earned hers in Christian Ethics. This began a pattern of the two walking hand in hand throughout life. Both became ordained ministers in the Disciples of Christ, with Russell landing at Memorial Christian Church (now Journey of Faith) in Ann Arbor. Both did the chores around the house. Both traveled the world together. Lastly, both protested the social issues of the day, from civil rights to the Vietnam War to the AIDS crisis. He and mom lived with the assumption, Kit Fuller said, that they were doing their best and they were in this together. A portrait of Russell Fuller from an Ann Arbor News paper from July 23, 1978. Photo acquired from the Ann Arbor District Library. Copyright owned by the Ann Arbor News.MLive Media Group Many of the individuals leading these movements, from Coretta Scott King to several anti-war organizers, visited their home on Iroquois Place. Russell gave the invocation when President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at the University of Michigan. This social activism left an impression with Rusty and Kit. He felt it was important not just to talk about the issues from the pulpit, Rusty said, but to help and be advocates for other people. This house had more meetings with people coming and sitting, and we would be doing our homework in one room and hear a political argument or someone organizing a march in another room. Regarding the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Rusty said his father faced opposition from those he preached to at his church. He took on that role of saying these are people that we need to include, Rusty said of his father. These are people that we need to reach out to. ... We may have something that we can do to help you, but I can also learn from you like were going to work together on this. While some people in the church pushed back, Rusty said the Rev. Fuller always felt he needed to be inclusive of those dissenting people. This inclusive attitude played out when both Russell and Barbara founded the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice in Ann Arbor. They would invite not only Christian leaders from the city, but also eventually Jewish and Muslim leaders, to talk about issues of faith. Russell eventually laid Barbara to rest after her bout with Alzheimers in 2014. On his own, he started absorbing knowledge about issues with white privilege. He found a Sojourners book List entitled Reading the Classics May Save White Souls, Kit Fuller said. He read every one of them...he was always tackling something and learning about it and growing and wanting to push other people to think about these things. Rusty said hes amazed that his father, who tried to advocate for various social issues, still didnt feel like he did enough up until the day he died. Here is a guy who is so concerned about people that dont have privilege, Rusty said. All the things that he did...for him to be worrying about his own white privilege..." Rusty trailed off, but the message was clear: This is who his father was for 95 years. Sunny Sen Singapore-based social media platform BIGO Live will double its contracts with content creators in 2020, which could amount to at least $200 million, to have a wider footprint in India, the worlds second-largest internet market after China. By the end of 2020, the company would have 30,000 contracts with 30,000 content creators, Nagesh Banga, Deputy Country Manager of BIGO Service India, said. There are already 14,000 content creators receiving contractual fees from us, said Mike Ong, Vice President Government Relations of BIGO Technology Pte Ltd. We signing up content creators every day. The instant short-video app allows users to host and upload videos, mostly highlighting mundane everyday life, to reach a wider audience and create a larger network of online friends, called families in the BIGO world. Ong hopes that in 2020 some of these creators will springboard from BIGO to bigger screens. From a nobody, you can become a somebody Some of them will eventually go to bigger screens, he said. BIGO also pays these creators. On average, these content-creators, who sign a contract, make $1,000 a month, most of which is paid by BIGO. Some of the money also comes from the communities that a host builds on the app. If the entire amount the creators earn has to be paid by BIGO, the company will end up spending about $30 million a month by the end of the year. That is $360 million, annually. If even half of the content is monetised, BIGO is looking at $180-million tab. This is not part of the $100 million that we have committed last year, Ong said. In 2019, BIGO committed $100 million to build its India operations. Most of the money has gone into hiring and expanding the team from 200 to 1,000 people, setting up offices, getting talent-search agencies on board, among others. Ong believes once the content creators start making more money, BIGO will not have to pay them hefty amounts to join and create content. BIGO has partnered with 350 talent-search agencies to train content creators on on-screen presentation. In the Facebook universe things have to get viral, said Ong. Ours is different, it depends on the skills of the host. BIGO Live doesnt have advertisements but has a stream of broadcasters and has applied game mechanics brilliantly. There are novelty items, a levelling system, live events, gacha boxes, engagement rewards, appointment mechanics and much more. Its mind-boggling, writes Akash Senapaty, a product manager worked with companies such as Ibibo, Digital Chocolate and Zynga, in FactorDaily. But it is difficult to be successful in the digital space, said Ong. Many tried, most of them failed. So, what BIGOs edge? People can interact real time, form communities and create relationships We have disrupted what traditional social media used to do, said Ong. A University of Sydney pathways college for international students has delayed all its classes for two weeks as more than 100,000 Chinese students remain in China under a government travel ban. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said on Tuesday latest data showed 56 per cent of the 189,000 Chinese students in Australia's tertiary education sector remained offshore. "That's why weve all committed to provide maximum flexibility to ensure that those students who remain offshore, were doing everything we can to ensure they can either study online or study remotely," he said. Universities have rushed to accommodate stranded students ahead of official start dates as the industry braces for a $8 billion hit, while students across Australia are calling for a delayed start to semester. The National Youth Organizer for the National Democratic Congress, George Opare Addo says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) linking John Mahama to the Airbus corruption scandal is useless. However, George Opare Addo said the NDC is ready to be investigated by the NPP government. We are open and ready for any investigation, let them come and investigate us we are open to any investigation because we know we have not done anything wrong in relation to Airbus scandal, George Opare Addo told Kwame Tutu on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 We need to have the patience for the court to come out with full ruling, and also listen to the part of the accused people in the scandal. The legal practitioner accused the government of a smear campaign against officials of the NDC government who have been accused in the scandal. The US Court in the case titled United States of America versus Airbus SE as a defendant with Case No.: 1:20-cr-00021 (TFH) after investigating the matter has come out with some mind-blowing evidence in its deferred prosecution agreement it has just entered with Airbus SE. Between pages 66 and 70 of the 104-page document, the US Court took its time to explain how Airbus gurus in connivance with a top NDC elected government official supplied Ghana with aircraft in clear contravention of air travel regulations. Background At a news conference in Accra on February 3, 2020, Communication Director of the party, Yaw Buabeng Asamoa asked the former president to officially respond to the court documents. In the face of these facts, it is very necessary for president Mahama to come out and be heard publicly, Mr. Buabeng Asamoah said. He cannot continue to hide behind his party members including a former attorney general. Of course, we are all aware that he hates answering questions on corruption but he must answer because at this moment all fingers point to him and one of his brothers He was the President at the time and presided over this deal so he has to come out and tell Ghanaians if he was involved or not. ---KingdomfmOnline Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) Almost six years since 276 schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitories at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in northeast Nigeria, fresh recriminations have surfaced between the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Federal Government over their non-release by their Boko Haram abductors despite promises and negotiations for their freedom New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community. The home minister's statement comes a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust. There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit society, he tweeted. Shah congratulated Modi for such an unprecedented decision that strengthens social harmony. The home minister said the trust will be independent to take every decision related to the temple and 67 acres of land will be transferred to it. I fully believe that the waiting of millions of people for centuries will be over soon and they will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Shri Ram in his grand temple at his birthplace, he said. Shah thanked the prime minister for his commitment for construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram, who is a symbol of faith and unwavering reverence of India. Today is a day of immense joy and pride for the whole country, he said in another tweet. He said as per the Supreme Court order on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue, the central government has taken a historic decision to form a trust in the name of Lord Ram, showing its commitment towards the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya. While making the announcement for the trust in Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said the Union Cabinet also decided to transfer 67.703 acre land to the trust. The Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to give five acres of land to the UP Sunni Wakf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya matter, Modi said. UP government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the land is in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters. Storyful Supporters of world No.1 Novak Djokovic gathered outside a courthouse in Melbourne on January 10 as the player appealed against his deportation from Australia in the hope of staying to play in the Australian Open.According to court filings, Djokovics lawyers say he was granted a visa on November 18. An exemption certificate was issued by Tennis Australias chief medical officer on December 30, they said.The hearing on Monday was due to start at the Federal Circuit and Family Court at 10am but was delayed multiple times due to technical issues. According to local reports, Judge Anthony Kelly said a professor and an eminently qualified physician have produced and provided to the applicant a medical exemption.Further to that, that medical exemption and the basis on which it was given was separately given by a further independent expert specialist panel, established by the Victorian state government. And that document was in the hands of the delegate.And the point Im somewhat agitated about is, was what more could this man have done? Judge Kelly asked.Footage by Slobodan Bendjo shows fans waving Serbian flags and dancing outside the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne. Credit: Slobodan Bendjo via Storyful Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday made a strong attack on the BJP-led Union government and accused BJP members of being "pseudo-nationalists" who carried out an "ideological surgical strike" on Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts. He said the BJP members should not be "fake Hindus" but "real Hindus like us". Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha, Chowdhury said the government was being forced to backtrack on the contentious Register of Citizens (NRC) due to protests in different parts of the country on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Referring to the words of Mahatma Gandhi cited in the President's Address about refugees, Chowdhury said the Father of Nation had stated that "if nationalist Muslims also were forced to leave Pakistan, they can live in Hindustan". Chowdhury said BJP-led government referred to Mahatma Gandhi as "pujya Bapu" (revered father) but was cherry-picking his words and carrying out an "ideological surgical strike" on his thoughts. Chowdhury also referred to Swami Vivekananda in his speech. BJP members strongly objected to his remarks pertaining to Prime Minister Narendra Modi but Chowdhury said any person who pitches for the material world was "bhogi" while a person pitching for the spiritual world was a "yogi". "We are all bhogis. We are living in a material world," he said. He also cited Swami Vivekananda as saying 'our motherland was a junction of two great forces - Hinduism and Islam' and 'Vedanta brain and Islam body is only hope for India'. BJP members objected to his remarks. Chowdhury said Swami Vivekananda also said every human soul is potentially divine and the goal should be to manifest the divinity in every person "Do not become fake Hindu, become a true Hindu like us. Do not try to be fake Hindus. You are pseudo-nationalists, pseudo-humanists, pseudo-Hinduists," he said. Chowdhury said Modi had never said they want a secular India. "I challenge Prime Minister has never said we want a secular Hindustan," the Congress leader said. Referring to the preamble of the Constitution, he said it states "We the people of India and not "We the Hindus of India" or "We the Muslims of India". "The true spirit of the Constitution is that everyone feels that the country is his own. You want to destroy it," he said. The MP said instead of problems facing the country, the BJP leaders talk of Pakistan and Imran Khan. Chowdhury said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Population Register and Register of Citizens were seeing participation from people of all communities. "Since Independence, we are seeing for the first time that people are fighting to save their constitution. The government is backtracking due to fear of agitation by people. We should help the agitation being carried for protection of the Constitution. We will keep fighting. You want to divide the country. We have fire in the belly to save the constitution," he said. Chowdhury said that BJP leaders had earlier said that NRC will be implemented but had later made different statements. He said the government was also saying that documents will not be required for NPR. He asked if Kashmir has become an international issue due to the decisions of the government. Chowdhury said three former chief ministers were under detention in Jammu and Kashmir for the past six months. "You have a 56-inch chest, why are you afraid. You do not have moral power," he said. He said India had spent its diplomatic capital in explaining decisions such as CAA and Article 370 while China had been going ahead with its projects concerning CPEC. "What have you done about CPEC," he said and added that China was forging infrastructure links with Nepal and Bangladesh. Referring to remarks of Army Chief that the force will take appropriate action if it gets orders to take back Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, he asked if the government will bring a resolution that PoK should be liberated. "Do you have the courage?" he asked. He said even BSF can defeat Pakistan and stated that the government behaved like a roaring lion vis-a-vis Pakistan but whimpered like pygmy against China. He said China might get involved in any effort to take back PoK. He also cautioned the government against allowing a Chinese company in 5G trials. The Congress leader accused BJP of practising "co-optional politics" in relation to some national leaders of the past. Chowdhury said the government was not delivering on its promises concerning New India. "Poverty is increasing in New India, there is religious jingoism, mob lynching. This is chest-thumping government," he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Jon Healey Its all Hunter Bidens fault. And by all, I mean everything. Just imagine how the last few months would have played out had Biden not taken a seat on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, was leading the Obama administrations push for a less corrupt government in Ukraine. Look at each key event in the process that led to President Trumps impeachment in the House and likely acquittal in the Senate. By the fall of 2015, a number of U.S. and European officials were calling for Ukraine to remove its top prosecutor, Victor Shokin, because he was not pursuing corruption cases aggressively enough. The complaints included Shokins handling of the allegations against Burisma and the Ukrainian oligarch who founded it, Mykola Zlochevsky. That pressure campaign intensified in early 2016, culminating when Joe Biden per U.S. policy, with Congress in the loop insisted that Shokin be fired if Ukraine wanted to receive $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees. (The International Monetary Fund was also pushing for a more aggressive anti-corruption effort.) The Ukrainian government eventually complied. End of story, right? Nothing to see here. For his part, Trump may still have done some bizarre things with Ukraine policy. After all, his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had been forced to resign under a cloud because of his dealings in that country the New York Times triggered his departure by reporting that Ukraine had found evidence that Manafort had received millions of dollars in off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party there. As Reuters Andy Sullivan lays out here, Trumps personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and other supporters of the president viewed Manaforts downfall as the work of Ukrainians trying to meddle in the U.S. election. So theres a good chance Trump, bitter that his 2016 victory was stigmatized by Russias interference on his behalf, would have pressured the new Ukrainian administration to pursue his bizarre and nonsensical theory about Ukrainians hacking the Democratic National Committee server or his belief that Ukrainian government officials improperly aided Hillary Clintons campaign. (And by the way, writing an opinion piece laying out Ukraines concern about candidate Trumps comments on Russias takeover of Crimea is hardly improper. If it were, Trump has crossed that line multiple times with his tweets supporting foreign candidates such as Boris Johnson.) Trump may even have gone so far as to withhold the aid to Ukraine that Congress approved, in violation of the Impoundment Control Act. And that might even have led to a tell-all book by an irritated John Bolton after he was fired as Trumps national security adviser. But violating the ICA is hardly earth-shattering. What kicked things into impeachment territory was Trumps call for an investigation of Biden. And even someone as credulous and factual-gravity-defying as Trump wouldnt have demanded an investigation of Biden if there had been no conflict-of-interest hook to hang it on. Enter Hunter Biden, who made the jaw-droppingly stupid decision to accept a post on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company founded and tainted by an oligarch widely labeled as corrupt, while his father was the leading Obama administration point person on Ukraine. Even if Hunter Bidens sole interest had been to help Burisma adopt better governance practices and mend its ways Im offering that just for the sake of argument, not because theres any evidence to support that idea he should have known better than to lend his name to a company under investigation for money laundering. That decision allowed Giuliani and his Ukrainian sources to cast Joe Bidens actions in a sinister light, despite the overwhelming evidence that the elder Biden was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. (I remain puzzled why so many Trump supporters are indifferent to the fact that removing Shokin was not just the U.S. governments goal, but that of many of its Western allies.) It also allowed Shokin to claim, contrary to what other Ukrainian prosecutors and anti-corruption activists have told reporters, that he was investigating Burisma and set to interview the younger Biden at the time he was fired. That set the stage for Trump to ask a vulnerable foreign leader to investigate one of the presidents top political rivals. This request triggered enough concern among people listening in on the call that it prompted a whistleblower complaint, resulting eventually in Trumps impeachment in the House for abuse of power and obstructing Congress. Granted, Trump may well have avoided that fate had he acknowledged that his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was less than perfect, and that he should have taken his case against Biden straight to the court of public opinion rather than trying to get Ukrainian prosecutors to do his dirty work. That version of Trump doesnt exist in our universe. But just as Hunter Biden was the tripwire that triggered Trumps impeachment, so too was he the shadowy presence infusing the GOP defense of the president in the Senate. Time and again, Trumps attorneys and allies in the upper chamber pointed to the apparent Biden conflict of interest as a legitimate source of concern for the president. Trump wasnt demanding an investigation of a political rival; he was demanding an investigation into potentially corrupt activity by someone who, three years later, joined the presidential race. To be clear, I dont buy that argument for a moment. Ive explained why previously; suffice it to say that presidents legitimately concerned about corruption by U.S. citizens seek action by federal law enforcement agencies rather than trying to persuade foreign governments to announce their own investigations. But Hunter Bidens cash grab at Burisma gave Republicans enough material to cover the presidents actions in a layer of legitimacy. One of the numerous ironies here is that Hunter Biden may also have damaged his fathers presidential bid beyond repair. But we wont find that out for sure until long after the Senate has acquitted Trump. Jon Healey is the Los Angeles Times deputy editorial page editor. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Yi6.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 3 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the yi6 homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the yi6 homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the yi6 homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if yi6 has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the yi6 homepage on Twitter + the total number of yi6 followers (if yi6 has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the yi6 homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE ,3D,, - www.yi6.com3D DESCRIPTION yi63D,,,3D,3D KEYWORDS 3D , , yi6 , OTHER KEYWORDS The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. 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The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND New Orleans has racked up nearly $11.7 million in costs related to the partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel, and city officials say that while they plan to recoup that money from the projects developers, they havent seen a dime so far. Among the costs yet to be reimbursed are millions spent on the public safety personnel who have been a round-the-clock presence at the site since the 18-story buildings upper floors collapsed in October, killing three workers and injuring dozens more, Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano said Tuesday. The developers also have yet to pay the $70,000 for off-duty police officers they hired under a contract to provide security for a few weeks after the disaster, Montano said. New Orleans aims to complete Hard Rock Hotel implosion by end of March, sign contract soon New Orleans Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell said Friday that the city is on track to implode the partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel by the Kerry Miller, an attorney for 1031 Canal Street Development LLC, said the developers had covered police and fire support at the site when he went on Newell Normands radio show on WWL-TV last week. Another representative for the consortium said on Tuesday that Miller was referring to the costs of private details and not the overall public safety presence. The growing tab for the Hard Rock response is expected to lead to some belt-tightening among city officials over the next few months as they seek to accommodate the ongoing costs in this years budget. Along with the $7.1 million the city expects to spend responding to the cyberattack that it suffered in December, the unanticipated costs mean the city may have to hold off on big purchases to make sure it can keep on track with this years budget, Montano told the City Councils Budget Committee. We will be fine. Im confident of it, Montano told the council. But, he said, were going to be cautious and wait until closer to summertime for any major expenditures. The cost of the Hard Rock collapse has hit departments across city government. $14M in cyberattack, Hard Rock costs pinch New Orleans budget; city delaying big expenditures The multimillion-dollar costs of the cyberattack on New Orleans city government and the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel last year will mean t The repairs to North Rampart Street, which was damaged by one of the giant cranes brought down with explosives a week after the collapse, are expected to run to $1.2 million, with another $850,000 to cover the cost of damage to streetcars, light poles and other infrastructure. Fixing the roof of the nearby Saenger Theater is expected to run $750,000, and the venue lost about $100,000 from having to cancel performances of the musical "Wicked." The Regional Transit Authority, which had to relocate its main transfer hub from the Canal and North Rampart streets intersection next to the Hard Rock site to Duncan Plaza, has seen $3.2 million in costs for new and alternate routes and another $1.6 million in lost revenue. The rest of the costs are related to public safety at the site. So far, just the public safety presence at the site itself has cost $927,800, and additional personnel costs top $2.2 million, according to city figures. Then there are hundreds of thousands spent on equipment and other costs. The Cantrell administration has repeatedly said it will seek reimbursement from those responsible for the Hard Rock collapse, though Montano warned on Tuesday that could be a lengthy process. The first step is putting in claims with the insurance company covering the developers and other firms involved in the project. The city then will seek voluntary payments and finally will sue if necessary, he said. We are going to attempt and adamantly attempt that every penny is repaid, Montano said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Among the unpaid costs are the $70,000 bill for private NOPD details that the developers contracted for from Oct. 25 to Nov. 12. Montano said he did not know exactly when that bill would have been due but that it should have been paid by now. The developers did not respond to questions about that bill. But they suggested Miller was talking about a different set of expenses when he was on Normands radio show. 1031 Canal Street Development LLC has paid, and continues to pay, for security support at the site, along with fire watch protection for Saenger Theater events, according to a statement. Those payments have been made directly to the sheriffs deputies and fire personnel working on site. Councilman Jared Brossett, who chairs the council's Budget Committee, said it was disheartening that the developers hadnt paid their bills when the city is facing a long and growing list of costs. Its disappointing as we go through this tragic event together as a city and theyre not responsible enough to pay their invoices, Brossett said. Theres a more direct, but less complete, route to paying for the cyberattack. The city has an insurance policy that will cover $3 million in costs, roughly the amount the city has spent so far disinfecting computers and re-establishing its system. Its expected to cost another $4 million to buy new equipment, upgrade software and beef up the citys security tools and staffing, Montano said. The city had been eyeing those investments even before the Dec. 13 attack, but the incident has put them on an accelerated timeline, he said. More information on the cost of both incidents is expected to come when the councils newly formed Emergency Preparedness and Cybersecurity Committee meets, Brossett said. That committee will be at work at the same time as another new council committee looking at policy changes that could be made in the wake of the Hard Rock collapse. LaToya Cantrell slams City Council on radio, says 'political jockeying' hinders city's growth Hours ahead of a City Council hearing Tuesday on the Hard Rock Hotel's collapse and costs, Mayor LaToya Cantrell doubled down on her stance th The committees have been a point of contention between the City Council and Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has repeatedly demanded the council call off any plans for hearings. She lashed out again at the council in an interview with WBOK radio host Oliver Thomas on Tuesday morning, accusing council members of political jockeying and saying they had run to the media with information she had told them in confidence. "There will always be haters. Taylor Swift, haters gonna hate," she added, seemingly referencing both the council and the pop star Taylor Swift's hit song, "Shake It Off." "But you know what, people are going to love, and love transcends it all. And that's what I'm about." Hard Rock, cyberattack cost New Orleans millions; City Council to discuss expenses Tuesday The major topic that the New Orleans City Council faces at its monthly Budget Committee meeting is the hefty price tag of the Hard Rock Hotel For the moment, the city is absorbing the costs of the dual emergencies by paying out from the balance in its accounts and some money that would have gone to other capital expenditures, Montano said. So far, there has been no need to tap into the citys nearly $30 million rainy day fund, a special reserve set aside for crises, he said. But even Cantrells administration doesnt have a firm grasp of exactly how much money the city has on hand. In part, thats because the cyberattack has kept officials from accessing all of their financial software, Montano said. The attack also meant the administration extended the deadline for property tax payments by two weeks, meaning that officials still do not have a final total for one of the city's major revenue sources. As a result, Montano said he is treading carefully until the citys official audit is complete this summer, and he didnt even want to speculate on how much the city has in the bank. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:50:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory letter to Senegalese President Macky Sall on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In his message, Xi stressed that China stands ready to work with Senegal to fulfill due responsibilities as co-chairs of the FOCAC, and take the opportunity of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the FOCAC's founding to work with various African nations to fully implement the results of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, promote greater development of the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and build a closer China-Africa community with shared future. Xi thanked Sall for his letter of sympathy over novel coronavirus outbreak in China, stressing that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese people of all ethnic groups have strengthened confidence, stood together in times of difficulty, adopted scientific prevention and control measures as well as targeted measures, and are fully confident and capable of winning the fight against the epidemic. Previously, Sall has sent letters to Xi to congratulate the Chinese Spring Festival and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the FOCAC, and expressed his sympathy on and support for China's battle against the epidemic. A Cash 5 lottery ticket worth $650,000 was sold in York County on Tuesday, Feb. 4. According to the Pennsylvania Lottery the winning numbers are 11-18-28-32-40. The ticket was sold at Red Lion Elks Lodge, 323 W. Broadway in Red Lion. The lodge will receive $5,000 for selling the winning ticket. Cash 5 prizes are valid for one year. The ticket holder should sign the ticket and file a claim with the lottery office. According to the Lottery, more than 36,600 Cash 5 tickets also won prizes in the drawing. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The Bay Area is 6,500 miles from the virus-plagued city of Wuhan, China, but the fast spreading disease is making its presence known here. Four infected people are under close watch in Santa Clara County and San Francisco while public health officials rev up precautions from airport checks to hospital alerts. Its nervous time for medical experts worried that the coronavirus bug will surface and jump into the larger population. If that happens, containing the contagious disease will be hard as Chinese authorities have discovered. For now, the local situation is nothing close to China, where a populous region is on lock down, travel is banned and authorities are scrambling to build instant hospitals. Here the reaction is more listen and learn with a dose of preparation. Theres every reason to get ready. San Franciscos emergency center is on standby to hear from hospitals and medical experts at the first sign of trouble. Any mention of an unfamiliar fever should get full attention, especially if the patient recently returned from the Wuhan area. San Francisco International Airport has become a battlefront with customs authorities focusing on arriving flights from Asia. Stricter treatment is also in the offing with Travis Air Force Base in Solano County picked as a quarantine site similar to the military facility in San Bernardino County where some 195 Americans airlifted from Wuhan are segregated. Authorities are rightfully under pressure to keep the public safe and not underplay the early stages of the infection as China did. The outbreak isnt easing. Chinese leaders from President Xi Jinping on down are warning that the respiratory disease could get worse as the rising death totals indicate. Thats hardly reassuring as fatalities rise past 400 with thousands more sickened in a ring of neighboring countries. Theres plenty of instinctive caution built into the situation. San Francisco and the Bay Area are built on tourism, a free-ranging business world and tight living quarters. An outbreak here could be devastating and hard to control. Thats why its essential that public leaders prep for the worst and inform the public about the consequences if the virus shows up here. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. MIR ALI, Afghanistan -- Humaira, a 40-year-old Afghan widow, has been looking after her six children in a remote village in western Afghanistans Herat Province since losing her husband to drug smuggling in neighboring Iran a decade ago. She says her husband, Abdul Rahim, had joined a group of about a dozen men to venture into Iran. Weeks after their departure, we learned about their capture and death, she told Radio Free Afghanistan. Afghans make up a large number of those sentenced to death under Irans draconian drug laws. Humaira now survives by washing clothes for affluent members of her community. Now my children also do everything they can to help us survive, she said. We have no one who can help us. Humaira is one of dozens of widows in Mir Ali, a village in Herats rural Adraskan district. Some 50 families, out of a total 70, have lost men to smuggling in Mir Ali. The impoverished village is characterized by dusty streets lined with crumbling mud houses. It is locally known as the village of widows because it has lost most of its men to drug smuggling. With many sentenced to death in Iran or killed in border raids, some continue to languish in Iranian prisons. Some in the village simply do not know what happened to their relatives after they were recruited by drug smugglers years ago. Mir Ali is located near Highway 1, the major highway connecting the western city of Herat, capital of Herat Province, to the capital, Kabul, via the southern city of Kandahar. The village is only 100 kilometers from Afghanistans borders with Iran and Turkmenistan, which makes it significant for smuggling operations out of the southern Afghan province of Helmand, where most of the worlds illicit opium and heroin is produced. Iran has high addiction rates and, according the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the country is one of the primary transit routes for drugs produced in Afghanistan. In impoverished Mir Ali, most adult males are lured by the prospects of quick money by smuggling drugs into Iran. Many, however, never return. Saad Gul, an elderly woman in Mir Ali, first lost her husband to drug smuggling. Her two sons were later also killed while attempting the same. We now have no male guardian left, she told Radio Free Afghanistan. Zahra, another widow in the village, says she was left to look after her small children after she lost her husband 12 years ago. We are forced to live in abject poverty, she said. Everyone in the village has stories of misery and suffering. Whenever the remaining men in the village gather, they mostly exchange stories of suffering and loss and remember missing relatives and friends. No one helped these people. No one even tried to understand their problems, Abdul Ali Faqiryar, the district governor of Adraskan. Their husbands and children left for smuggling in Iran, but no one knows for sure what happened to most of them whether they are dead or alive. It is not clear whether the Afghan authorities have plans to raise the issue with Iranian officials. For Mir Ali residents, the village graveyard remains the most frequented place as families visit the graves of the men whose bodies they were able to retrieve. PULLMAN, Wash. - White-lipped peccaries have declined by as much as 87% to 90% from their historical range in Central America, signaling a population collapse of a key species in the region, according to a study published recently in the journal Biological Conservation. The research was conducted by a team of 50 scientists from 30 organizations including Washington State University, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and El Colegio de Frontera Sur. A pig-like animal that is an important food source for large animal predators and humans alike, the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) also plays a critical ecological role by dispersing seeds and creating water holes that benefit other animals. The study found that current IUCN estimates underestimated the population decline. The study results are a 63% drop from the current IUCN range estimates for the region. "White-lipped peccary populations are in more of a critical condition than previously thought," said lead author Dan Thornton of Washington State University. "While these results are sobering, they also offer a roadmap on how to conserve this iconic, ecologically important species." The researchers say that human influence and loss of forest cover are the primary causes of the decline, and that peccaries now remain in increasingly threatened pockets of forest mostly found along transboundary areas. Outside of transboundary landscapes, remaining populations were generally scattered and isolated. Due to their social behavior and anti-predatory defense of grouping together when threatened, white-lipped peccaries are highly sensitive to hunting. Their large area needs and reliance on widely dispersed fruit and water sources also makes this species highly vulnerable to forest loss and fragmentation. The study found that the largest contiguous blocks of habitat for white-lipped peccaries occur in several major transboundary reserves. This includes the Maya Forest of Guatemala, Mexico and Belize, the Moskitia Forest complex of Honduras and Nicaragua, the Indio Maiz and Tortuguero National Park complex of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the Darien/Los Katios National Park complex between Panama and Colombia. Although population estimates for white-lipped peccaries are difficult to calculate precisely, experts estimated that these same transboundary areas likely harbor the highest populations of remaining peccaries. For example, the entire Maya Forest, in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, hosts the largest white-lipped peccary population stronghold in Mesoamerica, with an estimated population of around 5000 individuals. The remote forests in the bi-national Moskitia, spanning Nicaragua and Honduras, may harbor around 3000 white-lipped peccaries. Of particular concern to the plight of white-lipped peccaries in Mesoamerica is the status of the Maya Forest of Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize, the Moskitia Forest of Honduras and Nicaragua, and the Darien Forest in Panama and Colombia, all of which are under particularly grave threat from human activities. For example, in the past 15 years, wildlands (those areas with limited human influence) have been reduced by 30 percent in the Rio Platano/Bosawas complex and by 25 percent in the Maya Forest. Ninety percent of recent deforestation is due to cattle ranching, and these two forests are at imminent risk of losing their contiguity due to expansion of both sugar cane and cattle ranching. "Based on this study, we believe that the white-lipped peccary should be uplisted to a higher category of threat in Mesoamerica from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered" in the IUCN Red List. We cannot afford to lose such an interesting species that has a unique social behavior of moving in large cohesive groups in a way that we still do not totally understand" said co-author Dr. Rafael Reyna of ECOSUR in Mexico and WCS Associate Researcher. Mesoamerica's 5 Great Forests, spanning from Mexico to Colombia, and covering an area three times the size of Switzerland, are the most critical bastions for peccaries and other wildlife, and also provide services such as carbon sequestration, clean water, and food security to five million people. WCS is part of an alliance of countries, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities committed to protect these remaining areas. "Without Mesoamerica's five great forests, the white-lipped peccary will almost certainly go extinct in the region, with cascading impacts on forests, other wildlife, and people" said study co-author Jeremy Radachowsky, Director of WCS's Mesoamerica and Caribbean Program. "We must all work together to protect these incredibly important forests." ### Sudan army agrees Burhan-Netanyahu meeting will boost security Khartoum, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 Sudan's military announced Wednesday it backed a surprise meeting held between the country's leader and Israel's premier in Uganda this week, saying the opening would help boost national security. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Entebbe on Monday in a meeting that was not pre-announced. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists -- including, for a period, Al-Qaeda -- during the rule of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted during mass protests last year. On Tuesday, Burhan briefed the sovereign council and key ministers about his meeting, saying he met Netanyahu "to protect the national security of Sudan". The military's support for Burhan on the matter came after top officers met at army headquarters in Khartoum. "There was a meeting at the army headquarters today, and those present... were briefed about the visit ... and its impact on Sudan's national security," military spokesman Brigadier Amir Mohamed Al-Hassan told AFP. "The army is in favour of this (Burhan-Netanyahu) meeting as it is in the interest of Sudan's national security." On Wednesday, Burhan met Sudanese editors to explain why he met Israel's premier. Burhan told the editors "the main thing that pushed him to take the decision to meet ... (Netanyahu) was to secure some key benefits for Sudan," said Hassan, without elaborating. "He said that brave decisions were needed in order to change the current situation in Sudan, to ease the economic pressures on Sudanese people, and also to change the internal and foreign policies of Sudan." - 'Positive direction' - Soon after Monday's meeting in Entebbe, Netanyahu's office said the Israeli premier believed that post-Bashir Sudan was headed "in a positive direction". It said he and Burhan had "agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries". Sudan has long been part of a decades-old official Arab boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians and occupation of Arab lands. In the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967 in which Israel occupied the Palestinian territories and seized the Golan Heights from Syria, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, no recognition, no negotiations with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official news agency WAFA, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his US allies of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". Bashir was ousted by the army last April after months of nationwide protests against his iron fisted three-decade rule. Sudan is now ruled by a joint military-civilian sovereign council headed by Burhan, which is tasked with overseeing the country's transition to full civilian rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma during an election campaign rally ahead of the State Assembly polls, at Dwarka in New Delhi on February 4, 2020. The national capital goes to the polls on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11. (Image: PTI) California State University, Northridge Presidential Search Committee to Hold First Meeting The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees is beginning the search for a new president of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) to succeed Dr. Dianne F. Harrison, who is retiring in June 2020. The first meeting of the Trustees Committee for the Selection of the President will be held in an open forum from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, in the CSUN University Student Union Northridge Center. The open meeting will be followed by a closed meeting. ADVERTISEMENT CSU Trustee Debra Farar will chair the committee. The other trustee members include: Larry Adamson, Maryana Khames and Lillian Kimbell, as well as Trustee Chair Adam Day and CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. The open forum will be web-streamed live (and web-archived) on the President Search webpage, where individuals may also provide their input. Board policy requires the chair of the CSU trustees to appoint an Advisory Committee to the Trustees Committee. The Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, as well as a member of a campus advisory board, all of whom are selected by the campuss constituency groups. Also on the Advisory Committee is a vice president or academic dean from the campus, and a president of another CSU campusboth selected by the chancellor. Both committees function as one unified group. Members of the Advisory Committee for the Selection of the President include: CSUN faculty members Michael Neubauer, Ph.D., professor of Mathematics and director, Liberal Studies, and Stevie Ruiz, Ph.D., assistant professor, Chicana/o Studies Mary-Pat Stein, Ph.D., president, CSUN Faculty Senate Hai-Ling Tang, web and digital support specialist, Oviatt Library/Collection Access and Management Services (staff representative) Mohammad Qahir Hotaki, vice president, CSUN Associated Students (student representative) Diana Vicente, president, CSUN Associated Students (student representative) Cindy Chernow, president, CSUN Alumni Association (alumni representative) Bob Myman, chair, CSUN Foundation Board (campus advisory board representative) William Watkins, Ed.D., vice president and dean of students, CSUN Division of Student Affairs Community representatives Carlos Fuentes and Milt Valera Tomas Morales, Ph.D., president of California State University, San Bernardino The purpose of the meeting in an open forum is to: review the role of the committee, receive comments and input from the public and campus community, explain the search process and confidentiality, confirm the schedule of meetings, discuss preferred attributes of the next president, review the descriptions and needs of the campus and presidential position, and discuss any other business related to the search process. ADVERTISEMENT Over the next several months, the committee will review candidates and conduct interviews. Bombardier has sold two Learjet 75 Liberty jets to Fargo Jet Center (FJC) in North Dakota. The aircraft will be converted to medevac layouts for Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR), an air ambulance service provider based in Warsaw, Poland. Following an international competitive tender, LPR selected the Learjet 75 Liberty, with FJCs proposed medevac interior, to serve its expanding operations. The Learjet 75 Liberty, Bombardiers newest Learjet, is due to enter service in 2020. The light jet will have the range 2,080 nautical miles (3,852km) to reach any European destination non-stop out of Warsaw. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The Learjet 75 Liberty aircraft, with its best-in-class spaciousness, speed and range, is an excellent choice for medevac missions, said Stephane Leroy, vice president of sales at Bombardier Specialized Aircraft. Learjet aircraft have long been a trusted platform for all types of special missions, and the Learjet 75 Liberty aircraft gives operators even more reasons to choose the worlds best light jet. FJC has extensive experience converting aircraft interiors for medevac use. It is expected to take delivery of the Learjet 75 Liberty from Bombardier in late 2020, then deliver the converted EMS aircraft to LPR in 2021. Spectrum Aeromed, also based in Fargo, has been selected as the air medical equipment provider on the project. The Spectrum Aeromed team will contribute to a highly customised dedicated air ambulance interior for both aircraft. It is a pleasure to be working with Bombardier, LPR and Spectrum Aeromed to develop one of the most capable light jet EMS aircraft in the world today, said Patrick Sweeney, CEO, FJC. Our team brings a unique skill set to this project through our extensive history in modifying aircraft for special missions. From initial conception to design, fabrication and installation, our experts will transform the interior of the Learjet 75 Liberty aircraft to meet LPRs specifications. In operation since 2000, LPR provides 24/7 air ambulance services throughout Poland via a fleet of 27 rotary wing and two turboprop aircraft. The addition of the Learjet platform will mark the expansion of LPRs operations to include jet aircraft. The acquisition of the new Learjet 75 Liberty aircraft fits perfectly into our strategic plans for growth in Poland and will provide the necessary combination of speed and range to drive the expansion of our operational capabilities and EMS transport availability into international operations, said Wojciech Wozniczka, director of key project management at LPR. The Learjet 75 Liberty meets the same rigorous certification requirements as commercial aircraft. It has a flat floor and room to accommodate up to three stretchers and sophisticated medical equipment, as well as seating for medical staff. In civilian configuration, the Learjet 75 Liberty features a six-seat layout, a standard pocket door, retractable side tables and stowable ottomans. It was the impregnable fortress of heritage labels. Behind its clapboard walls lay an unlikely grail. Let international designers like Junya Watanabe and Demna Gvasalia have their way with Red Wing, Filson and North Face. Nobody touches L.L. Bean. Until this week, that is. Though scores of others had tried without success to breach the resistance of a staid and privately owned Yankee institution, in the end what worked for the Midwest-born designer Todd Snyder was, he said, a healthy dose of Iowa nice. Thus, for the first time in its 108-year history, L.L. Bean will appear on a runway, as a core element of Todd Snyders fall mens wear show, the tent pole event of New York Fashion Week: Mens. The Ministry for the Environment has awarded a consortium led by Wellington based geospatial data and AI company Lynker Analytics a contract to determine the extent of forest loss in New Zealand over 2017 and 2018. The ministry assesses deforestation in New Zealand every two years to meet international reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. The consortium which includes UAV Mapping NZ and Carbon Forest Services will take aerial photography of every district in New Zealand and input the imagery into a machine learning algorithm for land cover analysis that will determine how an area has been used. Lynker Analytics managing director Matt Lythe said the process would generate detailed land cover information that could be used to make final determinations of overall land use at a block level. The detail and consistency of the information from the modelling will make the final land cover class very data driven and defensible, he said. Carbon Forest Services forestry expert, Ollie Belton, said the approach would enable the consortium to implement land-use classifications that align with both domestic and international rules on land-use, land-use change and forestry. We will be able to accurately assess whether or not each block has been re-planted, is naturally re-generating, has suffered natural damage or has been converted to grazing or another purpose, he said A press release announcing the contract win, which came from Carbon Forest Services, Lynker Analytics was described as a start-up. However it is a subsidiary of US based Lynker Technologies and opened in February 2019. In the announcement of that event, Lynker said: Based on [a] growing need for analytics Lynker initially considered Silicon Valley as a likely location to establish a team but instead turned to New Zealand, and specifically Wellington, as the ideal location that brings together creative people, a culture of innovation, and a national focus on the environment. Lynker Analytics managing director Matt Lythe said the mission of the new company was to unlock insights and relationships from complex environmental and business systems through advanced analytics. Lynker Analytics said it was developing a suite of deep neural network models that could be used to predict the future state of systems environmental, organisational or infrastructure. This suite of models is informed by a set of fundamental geospatial data layers that describe the environment such as climate, land use, topography and more [that] can simulate and predict the future condition of an external data set such as a power grid, water network or customer portfolio based on geospatial inferred relationships. By Yi Whan-woo The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Korea will host a briefing in Songdo, a business district in Incheon, Feb. 7, for an inaugural international investment event to be held from March 5 to 6 in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. The one-hour session will be held at POSCO Tower at 3 p.m. A counsellor on trade and investment at the embassy will outline the purpose of the forum, programs, topics of panel discussion, registration procedures and various other details of the 1st Tashkent International Investment Forum to Korean companies and investors. A Q&A session will follow. The forum, initiated by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and organized by the country's Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, is expected to draw up to 1,500 businesspeople worldwide. Taking into consideration the special strategic partnership between the two countries, Uzbekistan is expecting active participation from Korean investors. Many companies here have already registered, according to the embassy. It said the participants will be able to learn about new opportunities of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. The Central Asian country previously held international forum in particular regions, but this forum is the first international forum to be held in the capital of the country, with President Mirziyoyev participating. "His participation clearly shows the country's interest in establishing new partnerships and maintaining existing ones," the embassy said. Uzbekistan has been seeking to expand international investment, and during President Moon Jae-in's visit to Tashkent in 2019, the two countries agreed on creating joint ventures in leading sectors of the Uzbek economy. For more information, visit the forum's official website (tiif.uz) or send an e-mail to the embassy at uz.embassy.seoul@gmail.com. She found herself in the spotlight giving a speech on behalf of Brad Pitt at the BAFTAs in London on Sunday night. And during an appearance on Good Morning America Tuesday, Margot Robbie admitted she had been 'so panicked' about standing in for the hunky star. The situation had her so flustered that the Australian actress, nominated for two roles, forgot to prepare an acceptance speech for herself in case she won. Did a favor for a friend: On Good Morning America Tuesday, Margot Robbie admitted she had been 'so panicked' about standing in for Brad Pitt at the BAFTAs in London Sunday night Robbie, 29, told GMA that the whole deal with Pitt, who starred with her in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, was a very last minute thing. 'He, like the night before, was like Can you do my speech for me? I cant be there, and I was so panicked about his speech that I didnt even think about preparing one for myself,' she said. 'I was up for two, for both films in my category, and it wasnt until I was in the car on the way there that I was like Oh my gosh, I hope I dont win because I dont have anything to say,'' she added. Pitt won best supporting actor for his role in the Quentin Tarantino movie and is now favorite to repeat his success at the Oscars on Sunday. RIn the hot seat: obbie, 29, told GMA that the whole deal with Pitt, who starred with her in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, was a very last minute thing His words: Pitt asked her to read his speech if he won best supporting actor for his role in the Quentin Tarantino movie and so she found herself in the spotlight Distracted by duty: 'I was up for two, for both films in my category, and it wasnt until I was in the car on the way there that I was like Oh my gosh, I hope I dont win because I dont have anything to say,'' she joked MIA: Pitt, 56, couldn't make it to the London awards show 'due to family obligations.' He is favorite to win the best supporting actor award at the Oscars in LA on Sunday Robbie had been nominated twice in the best supporting actress category, for Bombshell and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but lost out to Oscar favorite Laura Dern for Marriage Story. Accepting Pitt's award, Robbie explained to the audience in London that the actor, 56, couldn't make it to the awards show 'due to family obligations.' His speech, though, raised eyebrows as he joked about Brexit - Hey Britain. Heard you just became single. Welcome to the club! - and about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the UK for Canada - saying he plans to call the award Harry because he was looking forward 'to taking it back to America'. Robbie was on GMA as part of her publicity tour for her new movie Birds of Prey in which she reprises the comic book role of Harley Quinn. With just days left for the Delhi election, Sadar Bazaar -- the buzzing wholesale market in north Delhi -- desperately awaits customers as piles of election merchandise lie unsold in the many crammed pint-sized shops. Famous for selling all kinds of election paraphernalia, starting from slogan-bearing T-shirts, flags and scarves to the latest 'mobile stickers' and umbrella with party symbols embossed on it, business at Sadar Bazaar is at its lowest this election season, thanks to the abysmal sales. The election for the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi will take place on February 8 and the counting of votes will be done on February 11. Sales of election merchandise have dipped by 60-70 per cent this time, shopkeepers said on Wednesday. "This should be the peak business season for shopkeepers selling election merchandise in Sadar Bazaar, but look at me -- or for that matter any other vendor here -- we all are sitting idle. "There is simply no demand. Things have never been this bad before," said Lakshay Nagpal from Muskan Enterprises, who has been selling election publicity material for past 15 years. Badges and flags cost around Rs 1.50 per piece, T-Shirts and caps -- depending on its quality -- ranges from Rs 40 - Rs 150 and Rs 1- Rs 30, respectively, he explains. Vikram Singh from GV Traders, who claimed to be selling the products at far lesser rates than its original manufacturing cost, said there is "zero demand" this time and he is seriously thinking of closing the business. "Back in the day, such was the demand that we used to open our shops early in the morning and close very late in the night. Now, I am mostly sitting at home because there are just no buyers. We sell election publicity material 365 days, but looking at how things are going, I guess I need to shift to seasonal business," said Singh. He argued that elections in the national capital, in comparison to elections in other states, have never been great for business. "The campaign done here is more extravagant and hi-tech and does not completely rely on traditional publicity materials like flags, balloons, bunting, festoon, banners and other goods. "Other states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab are more into these items. Plus not only the candidates, there are a lot of party supporters who buy these materials in hordes," he explained. While some blamed the downfall in business to the digitisation of election campaigning as many political parties were using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, for others the reason behind low sales was that the political parties were now distributing the election publicity material directly to their candidates after procuring it from somewhere else. "Earlier the candidates used to keep aside a certain amount to procure these election merchandise and subsequently purchase it from us. Now, it is the party head office which distributes them. "Of course, the party too would be buying them from somewhere but what they are buying is pretty less from what candidates earlier used to buy. Also, not all of them are buying from Sadar Bazaar," said Sanjay Jain from Aaroma Enterprises, who manufactured goods worth Rs 40 lakhs for the upcoming elections. That said, from whatever little business the shopkeepers here are making, a good chunk of it is coming from Aam Aadmi Party's merchandise, they claimed. "AAP's cap and scarves are best-sellers. BJP flags are a distant second and the Congress is just nowhere in the picture," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the DefExpo, India's biennial military exhibition that seeks to showcase the potential of the country to become a global defence manufacturing hub. Delegates from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers will attend the five-day mega exhibition, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said. As many as 856 Indian defence firms will also showcase their products at the event. The 11th edition of DefExpo promises to bring new technologies and solutions on a single platform for defence manufacturing firms from India and abroad. The main theme of the Expo is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. Reflecting on the government's focus on 'Make in India', the DefExpo 2020 would offer an opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in this edition of DefExpo, making it an important opportunity for countries to further strengthen defence ties with India, Singh has said. The fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference will also be held on the sidelines of the DefExpo with over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders expected to participate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Montanas senior U.S. senator, Democrat Jon Tester, said Tuesday hell vote to remove President Donald Trump from office because the president is absolutely and unequivocally guilty of both articles of impeachment. Fair elections are a foundational issue for this country, and to corrupt our election is something that we need to hold people accountable if theyve done it, and I will tell you that the prosecution proved that point beyond a shadow of a doubt, Tester said from the Senate floor Tuesday. The GOP-majority Senate is expected to vote Wednesday to acquit the president on two articles of impeachment, one claiming Trump abused his power by withholding aid to Ukraine until that country announced an investigation into a political rival and the other that Trump obstructed Congress investigation into his actions. Our Founding Fathers would be grieved by the careless use of this most powerful tool, Daines said. Impeachment is not a tool to overturn the results of a past election. It is not a tool to change the outcome of an upcoming election. After closing arguments from the House impeachment managers and Trumps defense team Monday, senators were given time Tuesday to make speeches. Tester and Daines remarks showed deeply divergent views of the Senate trial. For Daines, there was ample material to make an informed decision, in the form of recorded testimony from the House proceedings and addition information from House managers and Trump's attorneys. I sat in this very desk the past two weeks, listening to over 65 hours of trial proceedings, Daines said. During that time, we heard from 13 witnesses, viewed 193 video clips, over 28,000 pages of documentation, and senators asked over 180 questions. Tester, however, said the proceedings were lacking because there was no new testimony from those with firsthand knowledge of the president's actions, amounting to robbing the American people of their right to hold elected officials accountable. In this particular case there was very little transparency, and none if the president would have had his way, or information coming to this body during the trial, Tester said. Holding up two books full of his notes from the trial, Tester laid out his reasons for voting to remove the president. On the obstruction charge, Tester said the presidents actions kept the Senate from doing its job. On abuse of power, the Democratic senator said even Republicans dont dispute Trump withheld the aid. For Tester, its an abuse of power serious enough to remove the president from office. I am here to tell you if anybody in this country, especially the president of the United States, corrupts an election, and thats not an impeachable offense for the president of the United States, I dont know what is, Tester said. Based on the evidence that was available to me at this trial, I believe President Trump abused his power by withholding military aid from an ally for personal political gain and that he obstructed legitimate oversight by a co-equal branch of government. Daines said the impeachment articles were lacking because they did not accuse Trump of a crime. The trial in the Senate, to Daines, amounted to overreach by Democrats. Never before have we seen such a partisan presidential impeachment process, Daines said, pointing to when party lines were crossed in votes on the Nixon and Clinton impeachments. This is wrong and it has damaged our country. Citing newspaper headlines from before and right after Trump's election and swearing in, Daines said Democrats have been out to impeach Trump for three years as a way to overturn the 2016 election. Supporting this impeachment means ignoring the voices of Montanans who voted for President Trump in the last election, Daines said. And it means silencing Montanans who plan to vote for President Trump in the 2020 election. Tester said hes been critical of Trump when he felt it was necessary, from trade wars to pulling troops out of Syria, but that his removal vote will be based on the president's actions with Ukraine and holding information from Congress. Montanans expect him to hold government to account, Tester said. I was critical of the president, and we should be. That had nothing to do with the impeachment. But it absolutely has everything to do with our freedom of speech, Tester said. Both senators said they were concerned about what Trumps impeachment and expected acquittal will mean for the United States, though for different reasons. Daines thinks impeachment is now a weaponized process. This is wrong and it has damaged our country, Daines said. We now need to fear for future presidents, Democrats or Republicans, who will hold the oath of office in this newly hyperpartisan era, Daines said. Tester said an acquittal vote creates a troubling precedent for future presidents. If you think this president's gonna stop doing these actions, you're living on a different planet than I'm living on," Tester said. This will empower him to do anything he wants. And at some point in time, if we want to listen to what the framers said, at some point in time we're going to have to do our constitutional duty. It doesn't appear we're going to do it this time. Love 1 Funny 4 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 2 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. AFP via Getty Images Alleged victims of the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the family of Harry Dunn have joined forces to call for Anne Sacoolas to reuturn to the UK and the Duke of York to face questioning from the FBI in the US. Radd Seiger, spokesman for the teenagers family, contacted Lisa Bloom, the lawyer representing six of Epsteins alleged victims, saying there was a common thread in both cases. Ms Bloom said the parallels between the two cases are eerie and involved everyday teenagers who were victimised. Today we stand with the family of Harry Dunn and they stand with us. Both Ms Sacoolas and Prince Andrew must cooperate with law enforcement, she said. I call upon my government, the US to return Ms Sacoolas to the UK to face justice. Mr Seiger said it was terrible advice for Ms Sacoolas and the duke if they were being advised its all going to go away and they should just wait it out. Ms Sacoolas was charged with causing Dunns death by dangerous driving, but Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, rejected an extradition request last month. The 19-year-old was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on 27 August last year. Ms Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and fled to the US. Andrew has been accused by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein and alleges the duke slept with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17 still a minor under US law. Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations. In an interview with BBC Panorama, Ms Giuffre said she was left horrified and ashamed after an alleged sexual encounter with Andrew in London in 2001. She claimed she danced with him in Tramp nightclub, adding he was the most hideous dancer Ive ever seen in my life and his sweat was ... raining basically everywhere. During a Newsnight interview, the duke said the alleged encounter did not happen as he had spent the day with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, taking her to a party at Pizza Express in Woking. Story continues He also said he does not recall meeting Ms Giuffre, and had a medical condition at the time, after suffering an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when he was shot at, which meant he did not sweat. At the press conference in New York, Ms Bloom said Andrew needs to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein and his own behaviour, adding: In both countries everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. Mr Seiger said he reached out to Ms Bloom after realising there was a common thread running between these cases. He said: Its about evasion of justice. These are the two greatest allies in the world and they follow a rules-based system. No-one, no matter who you are... is above the law. We all break the rules from time to time but we dont get to walk away and hide. Mr Seiger said after meeting Kiki, an alleged victim of Epstein also present at the press conference, what you see every day is a strengthening and stiffening of resolve. In a message to Andrew, Mr Seiger said: If you have nothing to hide get on a plane and meet with Kiki, and help her and help other victims... theres no other way. Additional reporting by Press Association Read more Trump impeachment lawyer has nothing to hide over Epstein allegation Prince Andrew angry at claims he will not help Epstein probe Ghislaine Maxwells attorney says hackers breached her computer System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0481947258)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04818501d8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0481947258)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04818501d8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f04819965d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04818501d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04818501d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f048145f798)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f048145e558)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f048145e558)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Preeja Prasad By Express News Service BENGALURU: Victims of the IMA ponzi scam have been approaching the Vanitha Sahayavani helpline located on the premises of the Bengaluru city police headquarters, seeking assistance to buy food. Thousands of middle-income families have lost their life savings in the IMA scam unearthed a year ago.Several victims have come to us, some asking money to buy food. But we are helpless since the case is under investigation. The victims have taken up daily-wage work such as construction painting, driving, etc., to survive, said Iqbal Ahmed, a senior counsellor at the helpline. One of the victims, Fathima (name changed), has been working as a domestic help at a house on Tannery Road. She lost Rs 2.3 lakh - her life savings. I cannot even hold a wedding for my daughter. I was forced to ask my son, a Class 9 student, to take some time off from school to look for part-time work. We need to sustain ourselves too. My 60-year-old husband eloped with a 20-year-old girl and I have to put food on our plates, she said. But the misery doesnt end there. The helpline saw two cases where men in their late 30s turned to paint thinner to deal with the stress of financial burden as they cannot afford medication. The lower middle-class families who are victims here have lost anywhere between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh. The scam has ruined them, Ahmed added. One of the men has three daughters and ended becoming a substance abuser to deal with the depression and the strain of supporting his family, Ahmed said. While counselling is being conducted at the helpline, cases are not being registered as the victims approach the centre seeking money for livelihood. Senior IAS officer Harsh Gupta, who is the Competent Authority for IMA Group of companies, informed the Karnataka High Court that an app has been developed for filing claims. The helpline will soon start informing victims to file for claims online once the app is launched. NEW HAVEN A state resident has pleaded guilty to fentanyl distribution and gun possession charges, according to federal officials. Arcadio Dones, also known as Gordo, 45, of Hartford, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison. The case unfolded after law enforcement received information that Dones was distributing fentanyl from a restaurant parking lot in Hartford and on three occasions in September 2018, investigators conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from Dones, federal officials said in a release from the office Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, citing court documents and statements made in court. Dones was arrested on Sept. 27, 2018 and a court-authorized search of his home revealed a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, more than 200 rounds of ammunition, approximately 200 grams of fentanyl, more than one kilogram of cocaine, a drug ledger, numerous items used in the processing and packaging of narcotics for street sale, $2,110 in cash, and other items, the release said. Investigators also seized more than $2,200 in cash from Dones person and vehicle. Dones criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics, firearm, aggravated battery, robbery and larceny offenses and it is against federal law for anyone previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, according to federal officials. Arterton scheduled sentencing for April 29. Dones has been detained since his arrest, according to federal officials. The case was been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. I am the treasurer of a 300-year-old bowling club. In October, I received a water bill for 1,335.29 (1,220.72 actual plus 114.57 estimated). Bills had previously been about 30 per quarter for a kettle and toilet used several evenings per week in the summer. In the winter, I turn off the water at the mains and drain the pipes, leaving the tap open to prevent bursts. Sinking feeling: A bowling club treasurer was faced with a water bill for 1,335.29 after a tap was left to run over the winter months Last winter, someone either accidentally or maliciously turned our water back on (our stopcock is located several yards outside the property). I appealed to our supplier, Water Plus, for leniency, but was told in no uncertain terms that 'any water going through the meter must be paid for'. Our entire annual membership income, at 1,260, is less than the bill. I am now being put under pressure to pay up, with threats of debt collection and additional fees. B. J., Powys. Tony Hazell replies: Water Plus showed little sympathy for your status as a community hub and rejected your offer to pay 600. You've increased membership fees to 50 a year, but tell me you are concerned that numbers will drop because older members either cannot or will not accept further requests for money. Some members want you to dispute the issue further. However, it is you who would face debt collectors, not them! I pushed Water Plus and it offered a 200 goodwill payment plus a 200 charitable donation. I would have liked it to go further. You have 'reluctantly' paid 821 (after the 114 estimate was removed). Members have rallied round with cash and fundraising ideas and you've taken action to avoid repetition of this event. A Water Plus spokesman says: 'We provided a goodwill payment and a charitable donation, and offered an extended, 24-month payment plan to further reduce the impact on the bowling club.' Your plight highlights the invidious position that clubs such as yours, with small incomes dependent on membership fees, can find themselves in because they are treated as businesses. However, as a business customer, you should be able to choose your water supplier details are at open-water.org.uk. Anyone with a water company dispute in England and Wales who has hit a dead end can complain to the Consumer Council for Water at ccwater.org.uk. In Scotland, complaints should go to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, at spso.org.uk. I gave Virgin a month's notice - it cancelled after three! I gave Virgin Media one month's notice to cancel its broadband and TV services in June 2019. It eventually cancelled the service three months later and claimed there was 291.26 outstanding. I have been in regular contact with Virgin but have now got a letter from a debt collector. M. T., Reading. Tony Hazell replies: You sent me a full chronology of your attempts to contact Virgin, which included emailing, writing to the complaints department, the director of sales services and the customer services director. No one can say you did not make every attempt to resolve this complaint before coming to me. Since I stepped in, Virgin Media's executive team has tried to contact you on numerous occasions but didn't hear back. Perhaps you have been away. The good news is that it has cleared your balance and called off the debt collectors. Straight to the point I bought a washing machine from Currys five years ago. Recently, the door came off. Currys says it does not have the spare part to fix it. It has offered me 53.61 towards a new machine, but I resent having to pay another 250. S. S. J., Nottingham. Currys says you were originally offered a partial refund as the spare part was not in stock. But it has now sourced an alternative part and will repair the machine for you. *** My wife is a district nurse and was visiting an elderly patient on an emergency call when she was issued with a parking ticket. The warden told her that if she appealed, the ticket would be rescinded. But Harrow Council has not done so, despite my wife providing a letter from her employer verifying that she was on-call. M. D., Hampshire. The council says it has no record of why the car was parked on a yellow line nor received any evidence that there was an emergency. An independent tribunal also refused your appeal. You must pay 110 within 28 days of ticket issue. *** What can I do to stop nuisance calls to my landline? I am an EE customer. M. D., by email. You can block up to ten numbers with EE's Choose To Refuse service. To bar the last call received, dial 14258 and, when asked to confirm, press the star button twice. To bar other numbers, dial 14258, enter your Pin and follow the instructions. If you need help, call EE on 0800 956 6000. Why has my HSBC life insurance investment tanked? I inherited a small sum and an HSBC staff member insisted I invest in its Navigator Flexible Protection Plan for 20 per month. This provided life insurance of 5,225. In 2010, a letter said my policy had failed a review and I would need to pay an extra 10.96 per month. I refused. In 2014, I was told that my life insurance had fallen to 3,949. I am 82 years old, but have no health problems, so could be paying out 20 per month for the next ten years. H. I., Leicestershire. Tony Hazell replies: You didn't tell me that your case is with the Financial Ombudsman Service. As I've explained many times, I cannot investigate cases that are with the Ombudsman, not least because firms will not talk to me about them. The Navigator Protection Plan is a whole-of-life policy which uses a mixture of investment and insurance to provide life cover. Premiums can be increased or life cover reduced as you grow older. You rejected the former and so have experienced the latter. Unlike cheaper term insurance, there is no end date to the cover. HSBC says you have experienced no increase in premiums since 2011. It refused to comment on the commission and fees it has collected on your account. Read into this what you will. Whole-of-life cover is claimed to have specialist uses, such as in inheritance-tax planning, but it can be poor value, often offering more to sellers than to buyers. Whether or not your case succeeds at the Ombudsman will depend on how the sale was conducted, if the product was properly explained to you and whether it was appropriate for your needs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow on Wednesday (February 5). The 11th edition of the expo begins today and will continue till February 9. On the last two days, it will be opened for public. Modi is expected to reach the venue at 1.30 pm and he will be accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The heads of the three Armies will also be in attendance. PM Modi will watch the Army's live demo and the Indian Air Force's air show which will showcase the strength. Before the Prime Minister returns to Delhi, Defense Minister will hold a meeting with foreign delegations at the expo venue. Modi is also scheduled to meet with senior diplomats and military chiefs of other countries participating in the event. Live TV The theme for this year is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on `Digital Transformation of Defence`. According to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry, this event promises to bring new technologies and technological solutions, where defence manufacturing companies from India and abroad will showcase their products on a single platform. As many as 1028 companies will participate in this year's event. While Defense Ministers and Army Chiefs of 135 countries have been invited, out of which representatives of 70 countries have confirmed their participation. (With inputs from Vinod Mishra) Vice President Mike Pence speaks at St. Francis de Sales School in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos were at the school for an event about school choice. Read more Vice President Mike Pence used a visit Wednesday to a West Philadelphia Catholic school to advocate for school-choice programs, describing Pennsylvania as leading the way in the movement and saying that all children should have the right to pick the schools they want. No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school, Pence said at St. Francis de Sales School, where he was joined by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Pences call to expand programs that provide scholarships for children to attend private schools came on the heels of President Donald Trumps State of the Union address, and as Trump aims to repeat his 2016 upset victory in Pennsylvania this fall. Pence and DeVos were expected to appear at a Women for Trump campaign event outside Harrisburg later Wednesday, with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. The vice presidents remarks in Philadelphia echoed Trumps speech promoting school choice a conservative touchstone that could appeal to his base, but a movement that opponents contend is eroding traditional public education. His comments also struck a nerve in a city where the School District has been battered by competition from charter schools and faces ongoing asbestos hazards. How dare Vice President Pence and Betsy DeVos be in this town today and not deal with the asbestos in these buildings, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said, standing outside Hopkinson Elementary, the eighth Philadelphia school building to be closed because of damaged asbestos. Weingarten said money from the federal government, as well as state and local dollars, is needed to fix Philadelphia schools environmental crisis. At St. Francis, a school run by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pence said the Trump administration was committed to broadening school choice and will continue to push a federal tax-credit program proposed by DeVos that would fund scholarships, similar to the model Pennsylvania already uses. He pointed to two parents in the crowd whose children attend St. Francis with the help of scholarships through Pennsylvanias tax-credit programs. Republicans in Pennsylvania have pushed for the expansion of the programs, which grant tax credits to businesses and individuals who donate to organizations that give scholarships to students, arguing that students should have the right to choose any school and avoid those considered low-performing. Public education advocates warn against weakening the public school system, forfeiting tax revenue that could be used for traditional schools. Pence and DeVos attacked Gov. Tom Wolf for vetoing legislation last year that would have greatly expanded the states largest scholarship program. At the time, Wolf said the proposal lacked fairness and accountability for tax dollars being spent, and said the states structurally deteriorating public schools should be the priority. Wolf ultimately approved a smaller, $25 million increase in the budget. The K-12 scholarship programs total $185 million this year. More than 50,000 Pennsylvania students receive scholarships; conservative advocates say an additional 50,000 students have sought them. Among them was a Philadelphia fourth grader, Janiyah Davis, who was in the audience for Trumps speech Tuesday. Davis, who is receiving a scholarship that will be personally funded by DeVos, traveled with her mother and Pence from Washington to Philadelphia on Wednesday but didnt accompany them to the school. READ MORE: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos personally funding opportunity scholarship for Philly girl cited by President Trump Behind Pence as he spoke were students, clad in blazers and plaid jumpers, seated on several rows of risers and holding small American flags. In the audience were more students, school staff, charter school and choice advocates, including state House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny). Sister Mary McNulty, St. Francis principal, said 87% of the K-8s approximately 500 students receive scholarships. Yearly tuition is $5,200 for one child and $4,000 per child for families with more than one enrolled, according to the school. The scholarships mean everything to me, McNulty said. She said she gladly hosted Pence and DeVos, whose visit was arranged through the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the states Catholic dioceses, because she supports the idea of a federal scholarship proposal: If this would go to the federal level, we could help so many more families. READ MORE: Pa. House Speaker touts Betsy DeVos tax credit plan for school scholarship donations Outside the school were dueling demonstrations with competing agendas just feet from one another. On the corner of 47th and Windsor Streets were dozens of labor union workers gathered with signs, demanding the reopening of the bankrupt, shuttered Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. The White House has become involved in efforts to keep the site an oil-processing facility. Carolyn McCoy held a sign that read: Move the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery to Mar-a-Lago, a reference to the presidents South Florida resort. McCoy, 65, who lives two blocks from St. Francis, said she had to make her voice heard on environmental issues like the PES refinery, as well as support of the public school system, which she sees as under attack by the administrations school-choice-heavy platform. Not to mention that Pence, who has been condemned by the LGBTQ community, chose to come to one of the most queer-friendly neighborhoods in Philadelphia. He chose a neighborhood thats really going to react to his antigay words and actions, she said. Chelsea Downs, 35, another West Philly resident, said she was frustrated by Pences mere presence: Its pretty infuriating. Some in West Philadelphia on Wednesday opted for a quieter resistance. In addition to the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren lawn signs that dotted the streets, others put up special signs greeting Pence. Al Airone, whose home was on Pences motorcade route, hung a simple cardboard sign on his porch that read: Dump Pence and Trump. I have no problem with disruption in the neighborhood. This is a welcoming place, said Airone, 72, who said he is a member of St. Francis de Sales Parish. I have a problem with the person. Its the policies of the whole administration. Staff writer Kristen A. Graham contributed to this article. With the Christmas break behind us and that list of New Years resolutions posted to the fridge, its around this time that we start looking to the year ahead. Whenever I visit a work place, visit a local charity, or attend a function on the Hibiscus Coast or Rodney, one of the issues you raise with me most often is housing. Whether its housing availability, affordability or quality, there is no denying that the housing crisis we inherited persists. And its having a big impact on many families. Ive been thinking about how New Zealanders might reflect on this governments first term come the next election; how New Zealand is a different place today than it was a little over two years ago. And for me, this governments strong record on state housing is one thing that sets it apart. Before we came into office, the previous government sold off 7000 state houses. Despite selling some of those to community providers, they left office with the public housing stock 1500 homes smaller than when they started. When this government took over, we immediately stopped the sell-off of state houses something weve now cemented in law. Over the past two years, weve ramped up the building of state houses across the country, adding 3600 homes to our stock. We have another 2400 homes under construction, and 13,000 more in the pipeline. Plus were now building state homes in the provinces for the first time in decades. We know that there is still much to do and were hard at work getting on with it. We also recently announced the plan to lift capital investment to the highest level in more than 20 years. Part of this is new, much-needed investment, that will give almost every state school in New Zealand a funding boost to upgrade their facilities, whether thats the school hall, classrooms or playground. Schools in Rodney are getting cash injections of between $50,000 to $400,000 for urgent school property improvements and I know, from my visits to local schools, that there are many projects and upgrades that this money will get started. In looking once more to the year ahead, I want you to know that I will continue to speak up for the interests of people here in Rodney. Our little corner of the world is pretty dear to me, and its local people who keep me working hard every day, fighting for the things that matter to our community. Happy New Year! (@FahadShabbir) Bolivian Authorities have denied media reports claiming that coronavirus was detected among three tourists, who were hospitalized with high temperatures after having visited the Uyuni salt flats, the Bolivian El Deber newspaper reported on Wednesday BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) Bolivian Authorities have denied media reports claiming that coronavirus was detected among three tourists, who were hospitalized with high temperatures after having visited the Uyuni salt flats, the Bolivian El Deber newspaper reported on Wednesday. On Tuesday, local media outlet El Potosi reported, citing the governor of the southern Bolivian department of Potosi, Omar Velis, that three Chinese tourists staying at a hotel near the Uyuni salt flats were hospitalized and isolated. However, the case actually involved Japanese tourists who were indeed suffering from high temperatures, but did not visit China in the past 14 days, according to El Deber, who cited Bolivian Health Minister Victor Hugo Cardenas and Alfonso Tenorio, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Bolivia. The novel coronavirus outbreak, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has since killed nearly over 490 people with nearly 25,000 confirmed cases worldwide. Last week, WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern as most nations began evacuating their citizens from the affected area. Coronavirus Travel Ban: Chinese Students Urge Australian University to Delay Start of Semester Chinese students at the University of Sydney in Australia have launched a petition to delay the start of their semester over fears that they may be unable to return in time following a travel ban due to Novel Coronavirus. It comes after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Feb. 1 announced that travelers who have left or passed through China will be denied entry, with the exception of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family. However, all travelers among this group will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. The petition, set up by the University of Sydney Student Representative Council (SRC), Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association, and the University of Sydney Union, calls for a delay to the start date of the upcoming semester from its original date of Feb. 24 to March 9, and a delay to the census date to April 14. It also asks for online courses to be provided to students who are unable to return to Australia on time. Student newspaper Honi Soit reported that the petition has so far gained over 4,000 electronic signatures from international students, and at least five Chinese student societies have expressed their support for the petition, including the Sydney University Chinese Student Association, Chinese Law Student Society, and China Development Society. SRC International Student Office Bearer Kigen Mera told the outlet that the ramifications of missing a semester of study for international students can be very sophisticated, and that students in China will need to extend their student visas to catch up. Some of us already paid rent and other financial expenses for next semester, which will go to waste if we are to commence as usual, Mera added. Despite the petition, the university said it will be sticking to the original semester start date of Feb. 24, meaning that returning Chinese students risk being absent for two weeks and may face added academic pressure. This news means that a significant number of our students may not be able to join us for the start of semester as hoped. Naturally, many of our students will find this news upsetting and will be looking to the university for support, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr. Michael Spence said in a statement. The university said it has offered its Chinese students reassurance that we will do all we can to help them continue their studies and that we look forward to welcoming them as soon as they are able to travel. We will shortly be communicating with both continuing and commencing students from China to better understand their individual needs. According to Financial Review, there were 164,716 Chinese students enrolled in Australian higher education last year, and the recent ban by the Australian government is expected to eliminate as much as $6 billion off university revenues. Health experts have been comparing the Novel Coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), all belonging to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses which are believed to have originated from animals before spreading to humans. The first people infected by the virus are believed to have visited or worked at a seafood market in the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began in December. Australia now has 13 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus after an 8-year-old boy from Wuhan was isolated in a Queensland hospital, where he remains in a stable condition. The child was a member of a tour group traveling in Australia in late January and two others from the same group, a man, 44, and a woman, 42, also had the virus, health officials said. The Centre on Wednesday constituted an independent 15-member Trust to oversee the construction of a "grand and magnificent" Ram temple in Ayodhya, an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha four days before the expiry of a 3-month deadline set by the Supreme Court. The announcement of a "broad scheme" for developing a Ram temple and formation of a Trust named 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra' was made by the prime minister, shortly after a meeting of the Union Cabinet presided by him gave its approval. In a rare occasion, Modi spoke in the Lok Sabha as soon as the House convened at 11 am, telling members he wants to share information on a "very important and historical subject for the country." "This topic is close to my heart like millions of countrymen and I consider it my great fortune to talk about it," he said. Since Parliament is in session, the government decided to inform the House on the important decision taken by the Cabinet. Union minister Prakash Javadekar said it would be incorrect to link the Cabinet decision to the Delhi Assembly polls this Saturday. Modi said the Cabinet decision was in line with the direction by the Supreme Court in its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case on November 9 last. The apex court settled a long-festering religious issue and allowed building of a temple at the disputed site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. It also fixed a 3-month deadline for the Centre to form a Trust. On the basis of the Supreme Court directive my Government has today given the approval for a broad scheme for the building of a grand and magnificent Ram temple at the birth place of Lord Ram at Ayodhya and constituted an independent trust named 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra' to oversee its construction. "This Trust will be empowered to take independent decisions on construction of the temple and other related subjects. the prime minister said. The Trust, which will have its registered office in Delhi, will have a representative from the Dalit community. The names of the Trustees were not released yet. The prime minister also said that on the directions of the Supreme Court the Centre has requested the Uttar Pradesh Government to allocate 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf board, and it has acceded to the request. The apex court while settling the Ayodhya dispute asked the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot in a "prominent" location in the Hindu holy town for constructing a new mosque. Modi said that keeping in mind the construction of the temple and the spirit of the devotees who would come to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla in future the Government has taken another important decision to transfer the whole of the approx 67.703 acre acquired land to the new Trust. "We all know the historical and spiritual significance that is attached to Lord Ram and Ayodhya, in the Indian ethos, spirit, ideals and culture. "Let us all support construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said, amid shouting of "Jai Shri Ram" slogans from the treasury benches. The UP government gave the allotment letter to the Sunni Waqf board for the land in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 km from the district headquarters, state government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told reporters in Lucknow. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier in the day. "I thank PM Modi for constitution of a trust for construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. This trust will be fully independent and capable of taking all decisions on temple construction. Jai Shri Ram," the chief minsiter tweeted in Hindi. In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the Trust will have its registered office in Greater Kailash locality, an upscale area in south Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said there will be 15 trustees in the new body and one of them will be from the Dalit society. Shah congratulated the prime minister"for such an unprecedented decision" that strengthens social harmony. "I fully believe that the waiting of millions of people for centuries will be over soon and they will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Shri Ram in his grand temple at his birthplace," he added. Shah thanked the prime minister for his commitment for construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram, "who is a symbol of faith and unwavering reverence of India". "Today is a day of immense joy and pride for the whole country," he said in another tweet. Modi also used the announcement in the Lok Sabha to reach out to different sections against the backdrop of the ongoing protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Modi said in India, be it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis or Jains, everyone is a part of one "broad family". "Development must take place for every member of the family. Our government is moving forward with the mantra of 'sabka sath sabka vikas' so that everyone is happy," he said. Seeking to emphasise the importance of the announcement, Modi repeated twice "Aayee Aayee" (Come come) before urging all members to support in one voice the construction of the Ram Temple. Modi said after the verdict on the Ayodhya issue was pronounced, people displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. "I salute the 130 crore people of India." Replying to a question at a post-Cabinet meeting briefing, Javadekar said the decision on the temple in Ayodhya has nothing to do with Delhi Assembly polls. "The whole country is not under elections. Let us not confuse the situation,"he said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray congratulated the prime minister for implementing the apex court's decision. VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje hoped that the Ram temple would be built on the model proposed by the Hindu body earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to stay the Bombay High Court order upholding a Maharashtra law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta said the matter has been pending for long and required detailed hearing. It fixed March 17 to hear at length a batch of pleas filed for and against the Maratha quota. "We are fixing the date of March 17, so that the issue can be heard at length. We are also making it clear that no adjournments will be granted. All replies and counter replies to be filed before the next date of hearing," the bench said. At the outset, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for some of the petitioners challenging the quota for Marathas, said the state cannot grant such reservation beyond the set limit. He sought a stay of the Bombay High Court order which upheld the state law granting quota to Marathas with some modifications. The bench said Wednesday it will not hear the matter on merits and to grant any interim reliefs, it needs to hear the pleas at length. It said there is already an interim order passed by the apex court that any appointments made will be subject to the outcome of the batch of petitions. The apex court had on July 12, 2019, decided to examine the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra law granting reservation for Marathas in education and jobs, but refused to stay the Bombay High Court order upholding the statute with some modifications. The apex court said however that the aspect of the HC verdict allowing the quota with a retrospective effect, from 2014, would not be made operational. "We make it clear that the order of the High Court on reservation will not have retrospective effect," the apex court had said when one of the lawyers alleged that the state government has passed an order applying the quota to nearly 70,000 vacancies with effect from 2014. The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018 was enacted to grant reservation to the Maratha community people in jobs and admissions. The high court held that 16 per cent reservation was not justifiable and ruled that quota should not exceed 12 per cent in employment and 13 per cent in admissions. The bench was hearing five petitions including those filed by J Laxman Rao Patil and lawyer Sanjeet Shukla challenging the high court order which upheld the constitutional validity of the quota. The Bombay High Court, in its June 27, 2019, order, had said the 50-per cent cap on total reservations imposed by the Supreme Court could be exceeded in exceptional circumstances. It had also accepted the Maharashtra government's argument that the Maratha community was socially and educationally backward, and it was duty-bound to take steps for its progress. The high court had said though the reservation was valid, its quantum -- 16 per cent -- was not justifiable and it should be reduced to 12 per cent and 13 per cent, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. Shukla, a representative of 'Youth for Equality', in his petition, said the SEBC Act breached the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation fixed by the apex court in its landmark judgment in the Indira Sahwney case, also known as the 'Mandal verdict'. The framing of the SEBC Act for Marathas was done under "political pressure" and in "full defiance" of the constitutional principles of equality and rule of law, the plea said. "The high court erred in concluding that the mere fact that other OBCs would have to share their reservation quotas with the Marathas (if the Marathas were simply included in the existing OBC category) constitutes an exceptional circumstance warranting a breach of the 50 per cent ceiling limit set by Indira Sawhney," it said. It said the high court's order upheld a 65-per cent reservation in Maharashtra (there being no community hailing from far-flung or remote areas), which was contrary to the nine-judge bench decision of the Supreme Court in the Mandal case. According to the 102nd amendment to the Constitution, reservation can be granted only if a particular community is named in the list prepared by the President. On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill granting the 16-per cent reservation to Marathas. The community, which accounts for roughly a third of Maharashtra's population, is politically dominant. The report submitted by the State Backward Classes Commission was based on quantifiable and contemporaneous data and was correct in classifying the Maratha community as socially and educationally backward, the high court had said in its verdict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking cognisance of the recent cases of atrocities against women in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered the home department to take immediate and stern action against the perpetrators. An official statement issued on Wednesday also quoted Thackeray as saying that women safety is the "topmost" priority of his government. Those from the police department found to be derelict in duty will not be spared, he warned. The chief minister's order comes in the wake of setting ablaze of a female college lecturer by a stalker in Wardha's Hinganghat area on Monday. In another gruesome incident, a Dalit woman was set afire by a man in a village in Aurangabad district on Sunday midnight. "The government will stand behind women and provide them necessary legal protection and assistance to ensure their cases are presented before the court with all the evidences after immediate registration of FIR and speedy probe," the statement said. The chief minister asked the home department, handled by his alliance partner NCP, to check feasibility of setting up all-woman police stations in each of the district so that women can register complaints about atrocities against them without hesitation. He said the government has prioritised setting up of fast-track and special courts to see perpetrators in such cases are punished at the earliest, according to the statement. Thackeray also pitched for empowering the state women's commission, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GRAND RAPIDS, MI The owner of the Cottage Bar and One Trick Pony, two popular bars and restaurants in downtown Grand Rapids, announced that hes retiring and selling the establishment. My most important goal and first order of business is to find a new owner and curator who appreciates the history of these iconic restaurants someone who will carry on their legacy and honor my longtime and loyal staff, Dan Verhil said in a statement. The Cottage Bar bills itself as the oldest continually operating bar in Grand Rapids. The Cottage Sandwich Shop, the first iteration of the Cottage Bar, was opened in 1927 by Earl and Marie Coon, and catered to employees at surrounding factories. The Coons obtained a liquor license in 1934 and renamed the restaurant the Olde Cottage Bar and Grill. The Cottage Bar and One Trick Pony are located adjacent to one another, at the corner of La Grave Avenue SE and Fulton Street. One Trick Pony opened in 1996. The Cottage Bar has been in my family for 53 years, Verhil said. For me, its been a fabulous 40-year run. I have appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the West Michigan restaurant and music scene, to local charities and to the community at large. Verhils father, John, bought the Cottage bar in 1967. He was the third owner of the business, which is known for its burgers and other pub fare. Verhil took over as owner in 1980. As I make this transition, I look forward to visiting with and thanking the wonderful colleagues, customers, partners and community members who I have come to know as friends, he said. I trust they will continue to support and enjoy these heritage restaurants long into the future. Read more: Police locate car carrying suspect who shot at officers unmarked vehicle High water levels force popular Lake Michigan beer festival off beach What will change - and what stays the same - in Michigans next budget process WHO says coronavirus outbreak 'not yet a pandemic' Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 6:40 PM The World Health Organization (WHO), which belatedly announced a global health emergency after the outbreak of a deadly coronavirus in China and beyond, says the outbreak does not yet constitute a "pandemic." Sylvie Briand, head of WHO's Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness division, made the assertion at a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday as she addressed the spread of the new disease. "Currently we are not in a pandemic. We are at the phase where it's an epidemic with multiple foci, and we will try to extinguish the transmission in each of these foci," Briand told reporters. She stressed that there was no evidence to substantiate the claim that the virus was mutating. And she said face masks alone would not halt the coronavirus transmission. "For people who have no symptoms, the mask will not necessarily protect them 100 percent because if they don't apply other measures, it's not sufficient," Briand said. Chinese authorities have adopted drastic measures to halt the transmission of the deadly virus, and other countries have also taken steps to avoid its spread. "We hope that based on those measures in Hubei but also in other places where we have had spill-over, we can stop transmission and get rid of this virus," Briand said. The virus has claimed more than 420 lives in China since its outbreak in central Hubei Province in December last year, while total infections in the country have jumped to 20,438. The flu-like virus has already spread to more than 20 countries, with at least 151 cases scattered around the globe. On Tuesday, three more Asian countries Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand confirmed infections among citizens who had not travelled to China. Wealthy countries slammed for failing to share virus data Another WHO official said some wealthy countries were "well behind" in sharing data on coronavirus cases, calling for more global solidarity to combat the virus. "Of the 176 cases reported outside China so far, WHO has received complete case report forms for only 38 percent of cases. Some high-income countries are well behind in sharing this vital data with WHO," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, said at a technical briefing on the virus for the UN agency's executive board. The new coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and its symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. Some countries, including the United States, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Vietnam, have denied entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. WHO initially refused to declare a global health emergency even as infection cases inside China were increasing dramatically. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address / -- ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile Internet, today officially announced that a series of new 5G terminal devices including the new-generation 5G Smartphone ZTE Axon, diversified 5G MBB products such as 5G CPE, 5G Module will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress 2020. In addition, ZTE will also introduce the latest ZTE Blade product, as well as other industry-leading technologies, which will give consumers an outlook of a smarter and connected life in the 5G era. ZTE launched its first 5G flagship smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro at MWC2019 and completed the commercial use and batch delivery of the first 5G flagship smartphone in more than 10 countries around the world in 2019, which is also recognized as the first 5G smartphone available in Northern Europe, Middle East and China. In addition, ZTE has cooperated with more than 20 operators around the world in 5G terminal devices cooperation. In 2020, ZTE will introduce nearly 10 5G handsets worldwide and launch a total of 15 or more 5G terminal devices. In China, ZTE will focus on 5G products, with multiple products covering RMB 1,000 to RMB 3,000 to be available in 2020. With the theme of "Towards 5G Business Success", ZTE will be committed to demonstrating its outstanding achievements in 5G innovations and end-to-end 5G solutions from the two dimensions of "5G Networking Practice" and "5G Business Exploration". From February 24 to February 27, please join ZTE at Mobile World Congress 2020 in 3F30, Hall 3, FIRA GRAN VIA. To date, ZTE has obtained 35 commercial 5G contracts in major markets, such as Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA). ZTE commits 10 percent of its annual revenues to research and development and takes leadership roles in international standard-setting organizations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Express News Service BENGALURU: World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus epidemic as an International Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In this context, the state government has strengthened all surveillance and control measures against the disease. So far, 81 travellers from corona-affected countries have been identified and 58 are under home isolation, among which four Chinese passengers have left the country and two are admitted in an isolation hospital. Till date, 69 swab samples of symptomatic patients have been sent for testing, among which 44 are reported negative. The Department of Health and Family welfare helpline is active 24 hours to guide people on nCoV. So far, 9,296 passengers have been screened at Bengaluru airport. The Karnataka government has placed border districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru under the novel coronovirus surveillance, following three positive cases in the neighbouring Kerala. One Sandip Kelsangad (39), who returned from China recently and was quarantined in Karnataka Institute of Medical Science, Hubballi, has been tested negative. US actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo urged Europeans on Wednesday to be "heroes" in the fight against chemical pollutants in the world's waterways, the central theme of his latest film "Dark Waters". In it, Ruffalo plays the lawyer Robert Bilott, who waged a long legal battle against chemical giant DuPont in a class action suit brought by some 70,000 people in West Virginia whose water was contaminated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The substance, a so-called persistent organic pollutant used notably in the manufacture of non-stick cooking pans, is suspected of being carcinogenic and an endocrine distruptor. At a press conference at the European Parliament alongside Bilott and "Dark Waters" director Todd Haynes, Ruffalo, who produced the film, said the cause was finally getting off the ground after four decades of inaction. "It has been tough for us to get things moving on a federal level, even with this film," he said, urging Brussels to take up the baton and strengthen regulations against PFOA and similar chemicals. "You guys are the heroes now, youve got to be the heroes," said Ruffalo, whose campaign against PFOA is called "Fight Forever Chemicals". The "Avengers" star, who met earlier with European Parliament speaker David Sassoli, said he hoped "Dark Waters", which is to open in France and Belgium on February 26 and Britain on February 28, "could help start to educate people." "Right now, people are being poisoned, and they dont even know about it," said Ruffalo, who has also joined the fight against fracking. Asked about the nomination by two Swedish lawmakers of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ruffalo said: "Id love her for the Nobel Prize. Greta, good luck!" Johanna Sandahl, head of the European Environment Bureau grouping green NGOs, told the news conference: "PFAS pollution is out of control in the US and in Europe," adding that current regulations were insufficient. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA. A fisherman is seen on the Mekong River bank outside Nong Khai, Thailand on Jan. 10, 2020. (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters) Thailand Scraps China-Led Project to Blast Open Mekong River BANGKOKThailand has scrapped a Chinese-led project to blast rapids on the Mekong River that had been opposed by local people and environmental groups, a government spokeswoman said on Feb. 5. China initiated a plan to dredge the Mekong River in 2001 to make room for large ships to carry goods from its landlocked southern province of Yunnan to ports in Thailand, Laos, and the rest of Southeast Asia. The plan had been opposed by conservationists and communities in Thailand living along the Mekong River. They feared it would harm the environment and benefit only China. The Thai cabinet agreed to scrap the dredging plan during a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The communities affected and non-profit groups were against the plan, fearing it would affect the way of life, and China also had no funding for it So we ended the project, said Trisulee Trisaranakul, a deputy government spokeswoman. It didnt take off yet. We were only doing environmental and social impact assessments, she told Reuters. The Chinese embassy in Bangkok was not immediately available for comment. A Thai cabinet document said that China had in any case informed countries on the Mekong River last year that it was not planning to pursue the project, but work had continued on stretches of the river in Laos and Burma (also known as Myanmar). The Mekong flows from China, where it is known as the Lancang River, through five southeast Asian countries. During the ASEAN meeting in Thailand on Aug. 1, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern over Chinese dam building, dredging and other activities on the Mekong River. We see a spree of upstream dam building which concentrates control over downstream flows, Pompeo said. The river has been at its lowest levels in a decadea problem linked to Chinas decision to shut off water upstream. China also has plans to blast and dredge riverbeds. China operates extra-territorial river patrols. He also noted a push to craft new Beijing-directed rules to govern the river that would usurp the role of the regional Mekong River Commission. The Mekong River is vital to Southeast Asia, where more than 60 million people rely on and its tributaries for food, water and transport. The worlds 12th longest river, it runs nearly 3,107 miles (5,000 kilometers) from the Tibetan Plateau and down into mainland Southeast Asia before emptying into the South China Sea, in Vietnam. By Panarat Thepgumpanat. The Associated Press contributed to this report. London, United Kingdom Following two recent attacks in London by convicts who had been let out of jail early, the government has promised to amend early prison release rules for terror offenders. Currently, a prisoner serving a determinate sentence is normally released automatically halfway through their sentence. If their sentence is longer than one year, they would be released on probation. But emergency legislation, which the government hopes to introduce in days, would mean terror offenders would not be considered for early release before serving at least two-thirds of a sentence. They would then be assessed by the Parole Board and if judged to still pose a threat to society, would remain in prison. On Sunday, 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, who had been serving a three-year sentence for the possession and distribution of terrorist material, carried out a stabbing attack in Streatham, south London, while wearing a fake suicide vest. He had been released from prison a week earlier and was under 24-hour police surveillance. The attack resulted in police killing Amman after he injured three people. In November, 28-year-old Usman Khan killed two people in a stabbing attack at London Bridge. He was also wearing a fake suicide vest and was also shot to death by police. He had been released earlier in the year having served half his sentence over a failed bomb plot. ISIL claimed responsibility for both attacks. For more than a decade, the government's counter-extremism and counter-extremism strategies have been widely criticised as disproportionately targeting Muslims and their communities. Chris Allen, associate professor in the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, a day after the violence in Streatham: The idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life. Those already jailed could see their sentences changed retrospectively to deny them early release, Johnson said, a move that would likely be challenged by legal experts. On the same day, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told parliament: Automatic half-way release is simply not right in all cases. He promised longer and tougher sentences for serious terrorist offenders while keeping the worst locked up for a mandatory minimum 14-year term. Prisons would be overhauled under the plan and probation would involve tougher monitoring including lie detector tests. 160310080855190 The government would also double the number of counter-terrorism probation officers. But rights groups and experts have condemned the plan as an ineffective solution that does little to increase public safety and risks harming civil liberties. Clare Collier, Liberty advocacy director, said: The governments response to recent terror attacks is a cause of increasing concern for our civil liberties. From last months knee-jerk lie detector proposal [to] the threat to change peoples sentences retrospectively which risks breaking the law, continuing to introduce measures without review or evidence is dangerous and will create more problems than it solves. Its clear the UKs counter-terror system is in chaos and desperately needs proper scrutiny and review. There are currently about 200 terror convicts in UK prisons who could be affected by the changes. Other critics said extending prison time would have a limited effect on deradicalising convicts. Benjamin Ward, UK director at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera: Whether someone serves the full duration of their sentence or a portion, at some point they will be released. The key to this is about deradicalisation, looking at whats happening in prisons. PM Johnson himself acknowledged the UKs deradicalisation system had problems, telling reporters on Monday the instances of success are very few, while specifically referring to people who succumb to Islamism. Experts warned the new rules could create a two-tiered, discriminatory prison system in which Muslims are treated differently. Ceasing automatic release for one group of offenders in light of a small number of cases where such offenders have gone on to reoffend creates an unfair and biased system for both offenders and victims, Mandeep Dhami, professor at Middlesex University London, who has worked in two British prisons and studied mediation in prison settings, told Al Jazeera. Describing the UK governments response to tackling extremism as woefully inadequate, she added: There are other groups of offenders who also reoffend after automatic release and their victims should ask why the government does not wish to protect them from violent crime. Similarly, creating a system that appears to favour some offenders will only serve to further alienate those people who feel disenfranchised and who may be drawn to extremist ideologies that point to systemic social biases. A policewoman near the scene of an incident at London Bridge on November 29, 2019, after Usman Khan killed victims Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones in a stabbing attack [Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA-EFE] As well as Johnson, Michael Gove, a senior cabinet minister, said in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday: There is a big difference between those people who are Islamist extremist terrorists and those convicted of other offences. Regarding the attempt to apply new rules retrospectively, Chris Allen, associate professor in the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester, told Al Jazeera: Undermining the rule of law has the very real potential to feed into extremist narratives that suggest that Britain and the West more broadly is against Muslims and the religion of Islam. While the introduction of emergency measures that seek to retrospectively rewrite the terms and conditions of existing convictions is worrying, even more so is the potential for the construction of a two-tier criminal justice system where terror-related convictions become demarcated and disproportionately dealt with in comparison to other similar crimes. Meanwhile, there is a growing far-right threat in the UK. In September last year, Neil Basu, the UK head of counter-terrorism, said far-right terrorism was the fastest-growing problem, as he reported several foiled plots some of which were designed to kill people. For more than a decade, the governments counter-extremism and counter-extremism strategies have been widely criticised as disproportionately targeting Muslims and their communities, said Allen. While the growing threat of the extreme right wing has, in recent years at least, helped push back on some of those criticisms, stating and more importantly, acting on the basis that Islamist extremists or terrorists are now worse than other extremists will hand a victory to the extremists who seek to divide us. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the economy and said that Modi will not take any blame on the fate of economy so he should "sack the Finance Minister" instead. Rahul Gandhi tweeted "Dear PM, The economy has imploded & you must be racking your brains on how to avoid the blame. Use the useless Budget presented by clueless Nirmala Ji. Sack her & dump the entire blame on her. Problem solved." Congress has been raising the issue of economy in many ways after the Budget presentation. Rahul Gandhi has asked the government how it will provide jobs to the youth. It alleged that to divert attention from the real issues government is using diversionary tactics. Accusing the government of being in a denial mode amid the economy facing grave challenges, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had said after the Budget that the people didn't deserve such a Budget for voting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power. "The government is in complete denial that the economy faces a grave macroeconomic challenge and the growth rate has declined in the six successive quarters. There is nothing in the Budget that could make us believe that growth will revive in 2020-21," Chidambaram had said. "The claim of 6-6.5. per cent growth, next year is astonishing and irresponsible. The government has given up on reviving the economy and accelerating the growth rate. It's not promoting private investment or increasing efficiency and creating jobs," the Congress leader said. Maesaiah, wife of Lesothos Prime Minister Tom Thabane, is to be charged with murder over the 2017 killing of the prime ministers former wife, Lipobele, police have said. Mr Thabane, 80, married his present wife two months after Lipolelos death. The latter was murdered two days before Thabanes inauguration for a second term in 2017 and two years after a court ruled that she (Lipolelo) was the lawful first lady and entitled to benefits. Lipolelo was 58. Senior members of the governing All Basotho Convention (ABC) party have accused the prime minister of hampering investigations into the killing. Last month, hundreds of opposition supporters marched through the streets of Maseru as the prime minister was questioned by the police, demanding he steps down with immediate effect. The Associated Press reports that Thabane, who had fled the country has returned to Lesotho and handed herself to police in the capital, Maseru. Deputy Commissioner of Police Mokete Paseka told AP on Tuesday that Thabane would spend the night in custody and only be taken to the court once the director of public prosecutions has prepared the charge sheet. Thabane said that he would step down after evidence allegedly linked him to the murder of his estranged wife, Lipolelo, in June 2017 She has been charged with murder alongside eight others who are in Lesotho and South Africa, Paseka told reporters, adding that the investigation had been satisfactorily completed. He said police had a strong case against the first lady, who was unable to appear in court on Tuesday due to logistical reasons. An arrest warrant for the first lady was issued the day she fled the country after she refused to report to police for questioning in connection with the murder. She was picked up on the border with South Africa following an arrangement between her lawyer and the police. Believe it or not, an MLA in Goa told in the state assembly that tiger, which is India's national animal should be "punished" for eating cows when humans are punished for the same. The utterly bizarre demand was made by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Churchill Alemao while the assembly was discussing the recent poisoning of tigers in Goa on Wednesday. BCCL/FILE "What is the punishment for a tiger when he eats a cow? When a human being eats cow, he is punished," Churchill Alemao said. As far as wildlife is concerned, tigers are important but as far as human beings are concerned, cows are important, Churchill Alemao said. "The human angle in the entire episode should not be ignored," Churchill Alemao said. He was talking about a shocking incident in the state last month when four tiger carcasses were found a day apart from each other in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary near Golavli village in Sattari. The tigers were allegedly poisoned to death by residents of a nearby village after the tiger killed some cattle. Responding to the calling attention motion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that locals had killed the tigers as the wild cats had attacked their livestock. "A compensation would be paid within three or four days to farmers who have lost their cattle to animal attacks," Pramod Sawant added. Well, we are trying to put some sense into the nonsense Alemao said. 1, You CANNOT tell a wild animal what to eat, and what not to. 2, Since the 'de-facto punishment' for killing cows, is lynching, that account to murder - which is a crime. 3, Tiger is India's national animal and is listed as endangered - Killing of tigers is a crime punishable by more than three years in jail. 4, Killing of cows or beef consumption is not a crime in Goa and even the BJP government had reassured adequate supply of beef in the date. 5, This is probably the only time in Indian history a Christian man has demanded punishment for cow killing. As per a census conducted by the central wildlife authorities, the presence of five tigers was recorded in Goa. The number could vary as the tigers often travel back and forth between the Goa and adjoining areas of Karnataka. BCCL Following the four tiger deaths which shocked the state, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he has asked the state forest department to identify the villages that lie within the territory of big cats. However, Goa Health minister and Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane opposed the demand by environmental activists to declare Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary a tiger reserve and suggested that there should be a tiger corridor to facilitate the movement of the big cats from Karnataka. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed confidence that the American authorities will be able to put an end to the AIDS epidemic in the country by the end of the decade. And because Congress was so good as to fund my request, new cures for childhood cancer, and we will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America by the end of this decade, he said in his State of the Union address. Trump noted the Washington administration had launched new ambitious initiatives aimed at improving the medical care of Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease and those struggling with mental health problems, as well as looking for new drugs for childrens treatment cancer. Trump announced the launch of an initiative aimed at halting the spread of HIV and childhood cancer in the country by 2030 during his previous address to Congress. Healthcare professionals will work in 20 states in the country for the first five years, where HIV infections are mostly reported. Then, specialists will deal with the spread of infections in other states. WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in response to President Trump's remarks regarding immigration in the State of the Union Address: "Over the past nine months, President Trump demonstrated that chaotic borders and rampant abuse of our humanitarian policies do not amount to an uncontrollable phenomenon that the American people must simply learn to accept. In his State of the Union Address this evening, the president rightfully noted the significant success his administration has achieved in reasserting some measure of control along our southern border through the exercise of executive authority. It is now up to Congress to carry out its responsibility to ensure long-lasting solutions to illegal immigration, including funding a border wall, and to close gaping loopholes that have led to large-scale asylum abuse. "The presence of Jody Jones in the House chamber, whose brother was murdered by an illegal alien, was a poignant reminder to Congress, state and local officials, and the American people of the devastating human cost of so-called sanctuary policies. These policies protect law-breakers, including violent criminals, from being removed from our country, resulting in needless tragedies. Sadly, stories like Mr. Jones' are far too common. More than half of all Americans live in such jurisdictions and it is up to Congress to work with the president to end these policies. "The president once again called for replacing an outdated, family-based immigration system with one that is merit-based and serves the national interest. Doing so would modernize our overall approach to legal immigration and ensure that those who are selected to immigrate here have the skills and talents they will need to succeed in today's America. However, it is essential that any legislation he sends to Congress to do so does not include any form of amnesty, an overall numerical increase, or controversial guest worker provisions that would increase the number of workers competing toe to toe against Americans. "Throughout his address, the president emphasized a 'blue-collar boom' happening right now. As FAIR has consistently noted, the only way to truly protect blue-collar American workers and sustain this 'boom' is through an E-Verify mandate to ensure that they do not lose jobs or wage increases due to unscrupulous employers who hire illegal aliens." Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 ABOUT FAIR Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 2 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Related Links http://www.fairus.org (Photo : Screengrab from Youtube (Escobar Inc official)) Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, the brother of the late drug czar Pablo Escobar of Colombia, is now setting his sights on taking over the smartphone markets of Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung by offering a clone of the Samsung Galaxy Fold at a very low price: a tiny $400 only. Roberto Escobar had earlier introduced the Pablo Escobar Fold 1 smartphone to the public, possibly trying to provide competition to the Apple company. This new release is for the Pablo Escobar Fold 2 folding phone, which is reportedly made in Hong Kong (though its design is said to have come from US counterparts). Read Also: Which Folding Phone is the Best? Escobar Fold 1 Claims the Throne Clone parts have exact replica of Samsung Galaxy Fold It seems that the Galaxy Fold clone launched into the market by Roberto Escobar has almost all of the exact same specifications as the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Here are the specific specs: Main display measuring 7.3 inches 4,380 mAh battery Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor Android 10 OS However, differences do exist, such as the following: Samsung Galaxy Fold has six cameras whereas the Escobar phone only has five Samsung Galaxy Fold costs $2000 while the Escobar phone is priced at just $400 Roberto Escobar, whose company is named Escobar, Inc., authorized clone production of only 200,000 units for now. He claims that his phone version has been tested thoroughly, with parts sourced from Chinese factories in Shenzen. The clone is fitted with 8GB RAM and a storage of 128 GB. A larger version of the Pablo Escobar Fold 2 has more RAM at 12GB and storage of 512 GB - it is priced at $549. The Pablo Escobar Fold 2 will be formally launched to the public in March 2020. It is believed that Escobar, Inc. will accept pre-orders, though. Read Also: 'Narcos' Doesn't End With The End Of Escobar: Netflix Series Renewed For Seasons 3 And 4 Escobar, Inc. aims to snare low-priced smartphone market with clones It seems that Roberto Escobar is serious about this entry into the low-priced smartphone market. Aside from Samsung, the Pablo Escobar Fold 1 smartphone he had earlier released was meant to challenge more established smartphone manufacturers such as Huawei and Motorola, by offering low prices to the public. This is not ridiculous because the prices of these large smartphone makers are as follows: Samsung Galaxy Fold - $1,980 Huawei Mate X - $2,400 Motorola Razr - $1,500 The Pablo Escobar Fold 1 was priced at just $350, plus it was said to be compatible with any network, unlocked. It had the following features too: 16-megapixel camera 20-megapixel camera Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Series chipset 7.8-inch AMOLED FHD Plus screen Android 9.0 (Pie) With consumers struggling in today's economy, it isn't surprising then that the Fold 1 was eventually followed by the current Pablo Escobar Fold 2. It remains to be seen though whether the public will favor either the lower-priced Escobar Galaxy Fold clone or opt to stay with the originals of the more established smartphone manufacturers. The success of the Escobar Galaxy Fold clone and possible popularity may be considered a major victory for Escobar, Inc. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Married at First Sight, My Kitchen Rules all dipped in the ratings last night. Married at First Sight won its slot at 1.07m viewers and topped the demos, nearly double Australian Survivor on 562,000. For MKR it was humiliating, landing 5th in its slot behind both ABC and SBS at just 402,000. That trailed Griffs Great Australian Rail Trip / 7:30 on 484,000 / 460,000 respectively, and was just eclipsed by Great Australian Railway Journeys on SBS at 404,000. It was also a record low for an MKR premiere episode across 5 cities. This comes despite Seven News winning its slot at 984,000 to Nine News 825,000. The gap was also improved after 9pm when Thomas Markle: My Story (448,000) won over 7News: Hellfire: The Battle of Cobargo (302,000). Full ratings analysis resumes next week. OzTAM Overnights: Tuesday 4 February 2020. Amended. The Vocational Development Center has developed a program to provide workplace experience and workforce readiness skills for students with disabilities. Todays Skills, Tomorrows Workforce was launched on Jan. 22 with eight Adult Transition Program students from Council Bluffs, Lewis Central and Tri-Center Community School Districts, said Mark Stromer, Iowa operations director at VODEC. The Adult Transition Program aims to provide a bridge from high school to independence for students 18-21. Students as young as 16 will be accepted for the workforce program. We are excited about the opportunity for our students to learn the skills necessary for life after high school while being embedded in a real work environment, Superintendent Vickie Murillo said. While we strive to enhance students skills within our classrooms, the opportunity for students to learn while doing is something that we feel the Todays Skills, Tomorrows Workforce program will provide. Participants will be in the program for one term one semester or trimester, depending on the school district, Stromer said. At the end of the year, were going to evaluate that, he said. The next six months will tell us a lot. School officials sought out VODEC as a partner for the program, said Daryn Richardson, services development director. Council Bluffs School District approached us and said we need a program where students are working in businesses in the community, he said. Theres a big need for students to gain this kind of experience. Sometimes employers are hesitant about students with disabilities, and we can show employers what great workers they are. Chad Bartlett, assistant director of special education at Council Bluffs Schools, acknowledged the need for such a program. Student needs are ever changing, but one thing that has been consistent is the need to enhance the transition from school to adult life, he said. In the Council Bluffs Schools, we are always looking for workplace opportunities for our students, and building upon an existing partnership with VODEC is a perfect way to help meet the needs of our students. Lewis Central was also interested in participating, Richardson said. They had students they had already identified for a program like this, he said. The schools do a really good job of identifying which students would benefit from this. The initial group of students works at the YMCA Healthy Living Center in Council Bluffs doing customer service and janitorial work, Richardson said. We would like to see if we can get into a little food service, he said. Participants work two hours a day two to four days a week and spend two hours in a classroom on Friday discussing how things went and how they could go better, as well as learning job-seeking skills, Richardson said. The goal is for them to be able to keep a job, he said. Up to 12 students can work at each site, Stromer said. Participants are paid minimum wage with funding from VODEC. We provide the supervision, he said. In March, Planet Fitness will also become a work site for the program, Stromer said. There will be one VODEC staff member for every six students. Theyll probably do mostly the customer service and the janitorial services there, Richardson said. VODEC is working to get other work sites lined up. In Omaha, weve been successful at hospitals, Richardson said, adding that there are a lot of non-medical jobs at hospitals. I want to make sure students get jobs quickly after graduation, he said. From the time they graduate to the time theyre employed, we dont want them to lose skills. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai spoke about the data relating to the foreign nationals claiming to be refugees during the parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday. He said that the data regarding such individuals is not maintained centrally. Rai informed that this is not possible as India is not a signatory to the UN Convention that dictates the status of refugees in a country. MoS Home on data related to refugees Speaking about the data related to refugees belonging to Hindu, Buddhist, Parsi, Christian and Sikh religions from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh currently residing in the country, Rai said in the Parliament, "India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereon." Read: 'CAA is about Citizenship to refugees,' says MoS Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste "All foreign nationals including refugee seekers are governed by the provisions contained in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Citizenship Act, 1955. Data relating to foreign nationals claiming to be refugees and residing in India is not maintained centrally," he added further. Read: All refugees to be given citizenship under CAA: WB BJP chief The Citizenship Amendment Act The Citizenship Amendment Act is the first formal India law that seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Read: CAA to GST: Manish Tewari slams centre claims its laws & resolutions 'destroyed India' Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 6 years. Several parties in the North East such as the All Assam Students Union (AASU) have been vehemently opposed to this Act. To ameliorate their concerns, the Centre has exempted a major part of the North East from the ambit of the CAA. The opposition has been contending that the Bill discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. (With ANI Inputs) Read: 'NRC being smuggled into NPR': Manish Tewari establishes links between the two A jihadi who stabbed two shoppers in Streatham over the weekend was devoted to a notorious 'Sheikh of hate' who was booted out of Britain for inciting racial hatred at his south London mosque, it has been revealed - as it's also found the November London Bridge attacker was also a follower. Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by police on Sunday after grabbing a knife from a shop and attacking two bystanders in Streatham High Road, south London. A third person was injured by flying glass during the gunfire. He had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his sentence less than a fortnight ago. The attack, in which Amman wore a fake suicide vest in a bid to become a 'martyr', had startling similarities to the killing spree carried out by Usman Khan, 28, another former prisoner, who fatally stabbed two Cambridge graduates, Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, in a knifing rampage at Fishmongers' Hall on November 29, 2019. Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal, the 'Sheikh of Hate', was convicted of three charges of soliciting to murder and jailed for nine years in 2003. It has now been revealed he had links to two recent London terror attackers Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by police on Sunday after grabbing a knife from a shop and attacking two bystanders in Streatham High Road, south London. The attack had startling similarities to the killing spree carried out by Usman Khan, 28, another former prisoner who fatally stabbed two Cambridge graduates in London last year Both men, according to The Times, had links to Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal who has been accused of inspiring hundreds of jihadists, including the 7/7 bombers who killed 52 people in London in 2005. It was found that Khan had el-Faisal's number in his mobile phone when he was arrested for links to a London Stock Exchange terror attack in December 2010. And it was also found that Amman had texts attributed to el-Faisal when he was arrested while planning his own attack. The revelation comes after two terrorist sympathizers were convicted in December for spreading the hate speeches of the Islamist preacher. Mohammed Kamali, 31, and Mohammed Abdul Ahad, 38, published sermons given by notorious terror recruiter el-Faisal. The speeches 'glorified' terrorist organisations including Al-Qaeda and ISIS and 'encouraged' listeners to commit or prepare for acts of terrorism, the Old Bailey heard. El-Faisal, now 56, claimed he was reflecting the words of the Koran but the 'Sheikh of Hate' was convicted of three charges of soliciting to murder and jailed for nine years in 2003. Kamali and Ahad were among a network of 'volunteers' who published el-Faisal's speeches on a website called 'Authentic Tauheed' between 2012 and 2014. Armed police shot dead terrorist Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and a female nursery teacher and another man Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman is pictured as a young boy while holding a vacuum cleaner in his living room. Speaking today, his father revealed he told him to 'be a good boy' before his attack An Old Bailey jury convicted Ahad of four charges of disseminating terrorist material and one of possessing articles useful for terrorism. Kamali was found guilty of four charges. Preacher el-Faisal was deported from Britain in 2007 after his release. He had earlier been banned from teaching at his Brixton mosque. He is currently wanted for terrorism offences in the US and is fighting extradition from Jamaica. The news comes as a woman attacked by Streatham terrorist Amman revealed she escaped harm because he tried to stab her with a knife still in its plastic packaging. The woman, 36, originally from the Dominican Republic, told the BBC the incident was 'horrific' and 'like a movie'. In an interview translated from Spanish, she said she is struggling to walk the streets again after the traumatic experience. Amman, 20, was shot dead by police on Sunday after grabbing the knife from a shop and attacking two bystanders in Streatham High Road, south London. A third person was injured by flying glass during the gunfire. He had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his sentence less than a fortnight ago. It comes as Amman's father Faraz Khan said he did not realise his son had been radicalised in prison and 'never thought he would go this far'. The woman, referred to as Rosa although it is not her real name, said she was in a shop in Streatham High Road when Amman pushed her and tried to knife her. She told the BBC: 'He came in and took a knife and he looked like he was leaving the shop. The owner thought he was going to stop by the cashier to pay. 'But... he pushed me, he tried to open and remove the plastic packaging from the knife, but he didn't manage. 'He pushed and he stabbed me but the knife was still covered with plastic.' Members of the public helped restrain Usman Khan during his attack on London Bridge in November last year Rosa described the incident as 'spending 15-20 minutes in hell' and said she has not been able to sleep since. Amman had been staying at a nearby bail hostel, while under 24-hour police surveillance. Security services regarded him as an 'extremely concerning individual', a source told the PA news agency. It is thought that police monitoring intensified in the days before the attack as his behaviour grew more concerning. While in Belmarsh high-security prison, Amman reportedly told a fellow inmate that he wanted to murder an MP and copy the killing of Jo Cox, according to the Times. Mr Khan, who left the UK for Sri Lanka three months ago, told Sky News: 'I spoke to Sudesh one day before he passed away. I didn't know he had become radicalised. 'He was reciting the Koran to me and he was translating that to me. 'He's never spoken to me about these kind of things. He would never talk to me about naughty things. 'I heard they found a lot of things and I saw them on the news, but I never thought he would go this far.' Mrs Luftner (pictured left with a colleague) was stabbed as she cycled home from coffee with her friends and reportedly yelled 'He's stabbed me!' outside Cash Converters Monika Luftner, 51, was 'extremely lucky' to be alive after Sudesh Amman, 20, knifed her in the back, friends said Meanwhile, one of Amman's victims has been named in reports as teacher Monika Luftner. In a statement, St Bede's Catholic Infant & Nursery School in Lambeth said a member of staff was making a 'good recovery after experiencing a shocking attack'. The Government is now pressing ahead with plans for emergency laws to keep terrorists behind bars for longer, by ending automatic release halfway through a sentence. There are 224 terrorists in prison in Great Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist-extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September. As many as 50 terrorists could be freed from jail this year, figures suggest. On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said emergency legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release, at which point their case would be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists at the Parole Board. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board The new law is expected to be passed by the time Parliament goes into recess on February 13, despite warnings that this could prompt legal challenges from those already serving sentences set under previous rules. Senior Cabinet minister and former justice secretary Michael Gove told Sky News that terrorists should be imprisoned indefinitely 'if necessary'. However, Downing Street acknowledged that there was nothing to prevent prisoners being automatically released until the emergency law is passed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official spokesman would not say if any terrorists were due for release before the new law comes in. The Government did not rule out derogating - effectively suspending - the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to apply the new measures. About 50 terrorists are released from prison each year, according to officials, and the figure is expected to be similar in 2020 unless rules change. Home Office data shows 41 convicted terrorists were released from jail in the year to June, as well as 12 suspects who had been held in custody but not sentenced. The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State, Rev. John Hayab, says the bombing suspect arrested while attempting to blow up a Winners Chapel Parish in Kaduna State on Sunday identified himself as Mohammed Sani when he was apprehended by the church. Hayab claimed after the church handed him over to the police, the suspects name suddenly changed to Samuel Nathaniel. He, therefore, said there was a need for the matter to be thoroughly investigated. The CAN chairman said this during an interview with The Punch. The cleric said, The church was in session when the young man came in, dropped his bag and exited as if he was going to the toilet, but didnt come back in time. Some church members became suspicious. The church had put security measures in place such that they monitor everything going on in the church and they even have CCTV cameras. They discovered that what was in the bag looked like explosives, so they called the police. Let me state clearly that it was not the police that arrested him. It was the church that arrested him and then handed him over to the police. The police came to pick him up at the church. At the time he was interrogated at the church, he told the church that his name was Mohammed Sani, but when he was handed over to the police, the police told everyone that his name was Samuel Nathaniel. Hayab said the mix-up in the name of the suspect had further given credence to the claims by the United States that Nigeria remained a terrorist-prone country because of a lack of database. He said the religion which the suspect practises should not be the focus of public discussions but the act of terrorism. The cleric said the police had failed to effectively investigate and profile suspects, adding that a few weeks ago, the force also arrested a hoodlum and erroneously paraded him as a pastor. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates (@ChaudhryMAli88) ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Feb, 2020) H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, alongside Saqr Ghubash, Speaker of the Federal National Council, attended today a ceremony hosted by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity to mark the one year anniversary of the historic Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. The Document was signed by Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmed Al Tayeb, during the Papal visit to the UAE Capital in February last year. Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar addressed the audience in video messages, in which they reiterated their commitment to the aspirations of the Human Fraternity Document. They also expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for the great support provided to the Higher Committee of Human Fraternitys efforts. In his speech in the event, which was held in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Abdullah said, "We were honoured to host the signing of the Document of Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. "This is a reflection of our commitment to its values which are well founded in our national and international strategy. The Document of Human Fraternity has also been included in our school curricula, and we will continue to support initiatives intended to spread the values of tolerance and understanding among all people, including the work of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. "We are honoured to host the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, and we encourage countries and international agencies to include the Documents values and objectives in their development programmes and initiatives. "Im also honoured to announce the continuation of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, which was launched last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and was bestowed on Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb and Pope Francis, in recognition of their efforts to empower communities and inspire individuals on issues of fraternity and peace. "The annual award will recognise those who unite for the good of humanity and reach out to one another in service of promoting human fraternity across the world. "The Document says, This Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will. "This is an invitation to everybody, regardless of their race or religion, to rally around values of Human Fraternity. "We encourage everybody to uphold and adopt these values, especially the younger generations that helped in the emergence of this event." Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance was also present at the event as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, and Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development. Jameela Al Muheiri, Minister of State for Public Education was also present alongside Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, members of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, faith leaders, cultural leaders and students attending from around the world. During the event, the Higher Committee members took part in a panel discussion, updating on their strategy to realise the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity, including an emphasis on engaging youth and educators. The Committee also facilitated a forum, which took place in Abu Dhabi earlier in the day, bringing together over 150 students, religious leaders, and cultural leaders from around the world to engage in dialogue and hear from leaders of initiatives that exemplify human fraternity. The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity includes nine members from the UAE, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the US, and Bulgaria. The members are: Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, Chairman of the Higher Committee, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See, Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, General Secretary of the Higher Committee and former Advisor to the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmad Al Tayeb, Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation, Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Personal Secretary to Pope Francis, Professor Mohamed Hussein Mahrasawi, President of Al Azhar University, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture Abu Dhabi, Dr. Sultan Faisal Al Remeithi, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO, and Yasser Hareb, an Emirati writer and tv presenter. The Committee will encourage initiatives that serve humanitarian causes tailored to global leaders and to vulnerable populations in those communities. With its global focus, the Committee aims to galvanise action on issues of peace and human fraternity across art and media, community, policy-making and education. The Higher Committees core mission is to inspire the values of human fraternity among people of different faiths, backgrounds, and nationalities across the world. It is acting on the aspirations outlined in the Document of Human Fraternity by holding meetings with religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and others to encourage actions that will create a more peaceful world for all humankind. Most recently the Committee met the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and other senior UN representatives, to present plans for the Abrahamic Family House, one of the first projects the Committee is advising on, and discuss the groups future plans. Following the meeting, the Secretary General agreed to share the Human Fraternity Document with the 194-member states of the UN so they can benefit from the principles and values it sets out. In this context, members of the Higher Committee met last December with Antonio Guterre Secretary-General of the United Nations and a group of VIPs in the international organisation to brief them about the Committee's initiative of the Abrahamic Family House and discuss the committee's long-term vision. Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China, on Feb. 4, 2020. (cnsphoto via Reuters) Wisconsin Confirms First Case of Coronavirus, 12th Overall in US The 12th U.S. case of coronavirus, a mysterious new virus that has triggered lockdowns across China, was confirmed in Wisconsin by state health officials on Wednesday. The Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security said the latest patient came into contact with the virus while they were traveling in mainland China within the past two weeks. According to health officials, the Wisconsin patient is in isolation, reported NBC26 and Fox6. The patient was evaluated at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, the states capital, but health officials said he didnt require hospitalization, according to the reports. Officials told Fox6 that the patient was placed on home isolation. A Chinese girl wears a plastic bottle as makeshift homemade protection and a protective mask while waiting to check in on a flight at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing, China, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) In a press conference, health officials said the patient is doing well, adding that the risk to the broader public is low, CNBC reported. So far, other than Wisconsin, six cases have been confirmed in California, while single cases have been confirmed in Washington state, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Arizona, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20 countries around the world have confirmed coronavirus cases. Two patients in San Benito County, California, were rushed to a San Francisco hospital on Monday, the city confirmed in a statement. Officials in Riverside County, California, said a child who was being quarantined along with about 200 other American evacuees from China was taken to a hospital after showing signs of a fever, but health department officials said its not clear whether the child has the virus. But in China, its a much different story as Chinese authorities have placed quarantine and lockdowns in Wuhan and a number of other cities, while locals and even medical staff have described alleged cover-ups by the regime and have said the situation on the ground is far worse than what Beijing is telling the rest of the world. In one instance, a Chinese man who filmed dead bodies in a Wuhan hospital said he received a visit from local officials who confiscated his cellphone and two computers before he was detained. The Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,000 people sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on Feb. 4, 2020, a day after it arrived with passengers feeling ill. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images) Outside of China, in an extraordinary incident, 10 passengers on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan were confirmed to have contracted coronavirus after an infected man got on board. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Wednesday that these new cases were confirmed on the Diamond Cruise ship. The ship, which has 3,700 passengers on board, will be docked off Yokohama for 14 days for quarantine. P olice cannot watch all the dangerous extremists on Britains streets because there are too many, the most senior counter-terrorism officer warned today. Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the scale of the challenge meant that officers needed the publics help to stop future attacks. He said this included raising the alarm about suspicious conduct and remaining vigilant wherever you go because attacks can happen anywhere, at any time as Sundays stabbings in Streatham showed. Mr Basu praised the courage, quick reactions and sense of duty of the officers involved in halting attacker Sudesh Amman, and said much earlier intervention was also critical. He said this meant that people should trust their instincts and report any concerns immediately to prevent people becoming radicalised in the first place. Police shot dead Sudesh Amman, a freed terrorist convict, as he began stabbing passers-by in Streatham High Road / PA With 3,000 or so subjects of interest currently on our radar and many convicted terrorists soon due to be released from prison, we simply cannot watch all of them all the time, Mr Basu warned today in an article for the Evening Standard. Part of the solution must be ensuring those who pose the greatest threat to our society are removed from it, and so my colleagues and I are supportive of the Governments plans to strengthen our ability to keep the most dangerous terrorists locked up for longer. But all parts of the system are responsible and, crucially, that includes communities themselves. We need your help to stop vulnerable people from being drawn down the path that leads to the awful violence we saw on Sunday. Mr Basus comments are his first since armed police shot dead Sudesh Amman, a freed terrorist convict, as he began stabbing passers-by in Streatham High Road . Police at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road / PA Two people including nursery teacher Monika Luftner were stabbed in the 60 seconds between Amman, 20, beginning his attack and officers opening fire. A team of about 20 officers had been following him round the clock since his release from Belmarsh Prison a week earlier after he had served half a 40-month sentence for terror offences. Ammans attack was the second in London by a freed terrorist prisoner in just over two months following the double murder carried out at Fishmongers Hall in November by Usman Khan. There was also a third terrorist incident at Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire last month, when four prison officers were injured, one badly, in an attack allegedly carried out by jailed extremist Brusthom Ziamani, 24, and another inmate. Mr Basu said Sundays attack was a vicious incident which highlighted how the terrorist threat was not diminishing. Monika Luftner, 51, was the first victim knifed by Sudesh Amman Expressing sympathy for the victims and others affected by the attack, he added: I am in no doubt the quick reactions of our covert officers prevented many more people from being injured, and they exemplified the courage and sense of duty our officers have shown time and time again to protect the public from the terrorist threat. But he emphasised that community support was essential if the danger was to be reduced. Communities defeat terrorism, and public information and action, including being vigilant, saves lives, he said. We need people to trust their instincts and trust us with that information, and not just signs of suspicious activity or behaviour. That means vigilance wherever you go. Sundays incident is proof that attacks can happen anywhere, and at any time. Sundays attacker had his heart set on martyrdom before he was even convicted, but there was, earlier in his life, an opportunity to divert him from hatred and violence. That is why early intervention ... is key. We need families, friends, colleagues and communities to recognise early intervention is not ruining someones life but saving it, and potentially that of others, too. Streatham stabbing: Terror surveillance not man-to-man marking, warns police chief The Government has responded to Sundays attack by announcing emergency legislation to ensure that existing terrorist prisoners serve at least two thirds of their sentence and are only freed before its completion if they convince the Parole Board that they are safe to release. The new law, which ministers hope to have in force by the end of next week, will replace the current system which allows some terrorists to be freed automatically after half their sentence, even if they are still thought to be dangerous. About 220 terrorist convicts awaiting release would now serve for longer once the new legislation is in place. Ammans father, Faraz Khan, who lives in Sri Lanka, has claimed that he did not know that his son had become radicalised. He said he had spoken to Amman the day before the attack when his son had been reciting the Koran to him. Amman was originally jailed in December 2018 after admitting 13 offences involving the possession and distribution of terrorist material. NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday promised to make Delhi a modern, bustling, 24x7 city by allowing markets to remain open round-the-clock, but at the same time the party announced that it will introduce a patriotic curriculum in the citys government schools if voted back to power. The AAP, which is facing a tough fight from the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 70-member Delhi Assembly, tried to beat the saffron party at its own game by making a nationalistic pitch in its manifesto released four days before Delhi goes to vote. The AAPs 28-point manifesto promises that the party will come up with a Deshbhakti curriculum that, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said, will help induce a sense of nationalism, love for Indias armed forces and respect for the tricolour. Though AAP leaders did not elaborate what exactly will be taught in the name of patriotism, the mention of the armed forces suggests that the AAPs nationalism wont be very different from that of the BJP. But it will be more expansive, inclusive AAPs 2020 manifesto begins with a vow to serve and uphold, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The AAP, however, has chosen to do away with a categorical assurance of being committed to the well-being of minorities as it had done in 2015 when the party spoke up against attacks on places of worship and inflammatory speeches. The recent communal tension witnessed in Delhi is totally out of sync with the social fabric of the city. We stand firmly against attacks on places of worship and inflammatory speeches across Delhi, the party had said in its previous, 70-point manifesto. But this year, when the BJP has made inflammatory speeches and targeting the Muslim community the mainstay of its election campaign, AAP has tried to counter the BJPs nationalism rhetoric but not offered any assurance to protect minorities. Among the partys game-changing poll promises thats of particular interest to the trading community are round-the-clock markets in the Delhi and expanding the Metro network to make it the worlds largest. Last month, Maharashtra government announced that markets will remain open in Mumbai 24x7. The first phase of Delhis 24x7 experiment will be in some key commercial areas, AAP leaders said. The AAP, in an attempt to attract Delhis 30-40 lakh Poorvanchali voters, has promised to pursue the inclusion of Bhojpuri into the eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The main focus of AAPs 2020 manifesto is to provide quality education, health, clean water and 24-hour electricity. Arvind Kejriwal said that after working on development issues for five years, it was time to take Delhi to the next level. Sisodia said that his partys vision was to run a government to help every citizen of Delhi to live a dignified life. Advertisement A person in New Jersey has been placed under mandatory quarantine after traveling from the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China. The woman, who is not a resident of the state, flew from Hubei Pronvince to Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday on a United Airlines flight, according to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). She did not show any symptoms of coronavirus but, because she traveled within the province where the virus originated, health officials told her she had to be placed under quarantine. The NJDOH said the woman is staying at an undisclosed location in Essex County where she will be monitored and screened for the next two weeks. Officials stressed that despite the quarantine order, the risk to the state is low. 'The risk of novel coronavirus transmission in New Jersey residents remains low,' Nicole Kirgan, a spokeswoman for NJDOH said. There are no confirmed cases in New Jersey but there are 12 confirmed cases in the US, including the most recently confirmed in Wisconsin on Wednesday. There are now more than 24,000 confirmed cases worldwide, in at least 25 countries and territories, and nearly 500 people - all except two outside of China - have died. A woman has been placed under quarantine after flying from Hubei Province, China - where the coronavirus outbreak originated - to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday. Pictured: A United Airlines flight takes off at Newark, December 2019 There are currently 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, with the most recent confirmed on Wednesday in an unidentified Wisconsin patient The twelfth case of coronavirus has been confirmed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services but not by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient was in Beijing sometime in the last two weeks, but its unknown if he or she traveled elsewhere in mainland China. Health officials said at a news conference that the patients was 'doing well' and 'in isolation at home' but few other details were given. As of Wednesday, 10 people in Wisconsin have been tested for coronavirus with seven testing negative and three people with results pending. The state department said the ill person poses no immediate danger and the risk to the public, both in Wisconsin and the general US population, is 'low.' The twelfth case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wisconsin in a patient who recently traveled to Beijing. Pictured: Medical staff in protective suits treat a coronavirus patient at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, January 27 More than 24,500 cases have been confirmed in at least 25 countries and territories around the world and 493 people - all but two outside of China - have died QUARANTINED CHILD HOSPITALIZED WITH A FEVER A child who was among the 195 Americans on the first flight evacuated from Wuhan, and who are now quarantined at March Air Reserve in Riverside, California, has been hospitalized with a fever, Aside from a fever, the child had other symptoms, according to Jose Arballo, Jr, a spokesman from the Riverside County Department of Public Health. Samples were taken and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing, with results expected to return shortly. Results are expected soon. If the child is confirmed to have coronavirus, they would be the 13th in the US and the seventh diagnosed in California, but the first case among the quarantined passengers. But, if the results are the negative, the child and his parent will return to March Air Reserve Base. Arballo Jr says the child is 'in good spirits' but would not elaborate further. On Wednesday, two additional evacuation flights carrying 500 Americans from Wuhan arrived in California: one at Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento and the other at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Just as with the first flight, the passengers will be placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine at their respective locations. This is the first time the CDC has mandated a quarantine in 50 years. Two more evacuation flights are expected to arrive later this week, one at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and the other at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. A child on the first flight of Americans that were evacuated from Wuhan, and who are currently quarantined in Riverside County, California, has been hospitalized with a fever. Pictured: Personnel in protective clothing approach the flight that evacuated Americans after it arrived at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, January 29, 2020 Aside from a fever, the child had other symptoms. Samples were taken and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing. Pictured, left and right: Officials in hazmat suits met passengers as they stepped off the plane and onto awaiting buses CORONAVIRUS TESTS SHIPPED TO MORE THAN 100 US LABS The CDC have shipped coronavirus tests to more than 100 labs after getting emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), officials said on Wednesday. Its test, previously only authorized for use at CDC's own lab was green-lit last night for distribution to any CDC-authorized lab with a certain classification, though it's unclear how many of these there are in the US. Each of the first 100 or so labs will get two test kits, capable of screening 700 to 800 patient samples, said Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Kits are expected in time for broader testing to start next week. 'The availability of this test is the starting place for greater commercial testing for [2019-nCoV],' said Dr Messonnier, and suggested that states may start reporting more confirmations faster soon. 'We've been preparing for an outbreak like this for years...[this is] the beginning of what could be a long response.' Under the emergency use authorization, the 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR diagnostic panel can be used in patients who meet the CDC criteria for coronavirus testing. As of Wednesday - in addition to the 11 confirmed US cases - 167 people have tested negative, 82 tests are pending, and the CDC is following 36 'people under investigation.' Dr Messonnier said on Wednesday there are no new cases confirmed in the US, but that she expects there will be. A deluge of those diagnoses may be on its way soon, as four additional planes repatriate Americans who had been trapped in Wuhan and as the newly-approved tests reach more labs. 'Negative results do not preclude 2019-nCoV infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or other patient management decisions,' the FDA said in a Tuesday evening statement. Only one of the 11 identified cases so far was someone detected in airport screening. The CDC have shipped coronavirus tests to more than 100 labs after getting emergency approval from the FDA. Pictured: Medical staff in protective suits treat a coronavirus patient at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan, January 28 Each of the first 100 or so labs will get two test kits, capable of screening 700 to 800 patient samples. Pictured: Medical workers in protective gear help a suspected coronavirus patient get out of an ambulance in Wuhan WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARES CORONAVIRUS A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY The World Health Organization (WHO) announced LAST WEEK that it was declaring the deadly coronavirus outbreak spreading from China to be a global health emergency. The warning, officially known as a 'public health emergency of international concern' and defined as an 'extraordinary event', is the highest alert the UN health agency can issue. Just one week ago, the organization decided to hold off the declaration as there was no evidence of human-to-human evidence outside of China. However, in the week since, the number of cases surged ten-fold. 'The main reason for this declaration is not for what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, said at a press conference. 'Our greatest concern is for the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, which are ill prepared to deal with it.' He added that the declaration didn't mean a 'vote of no confidence in China' and, in fact, congratulated the Chinese government for taking 'extraordinary measures' to contain the outbreak. This marks the fifth time the WHO has made such a declaration since the rule to do was implemented in 2005: for the influenza pandemic of 2009, a resurgence of polio 2014, the Ebola crisis in 2014, the outbreak of Zika virus outbreak in 2016 and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019. Such a declaration does not give the WHO more money, but officials can make recommendation on travel or trade was well as mobilize public and political action. Last week, the World Health Organization announced in a press conference (pictured) that it was declaring the deadly coronavirus outbreak to be a global health emergency An FCT High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday sentenced a 38-year-old man, Eric Chigbor, to death by hanging for killing his wife. The police charged Mr Chigbor with culpable homicide. The judge, Charles Agbaza, who found Mr Chigbor guilty of killing his wife, Jessica said the prosecution was able to prove with cogent evidence that the convict intentionally killed the deceased. The judge rejected the defendants plea of not guilty, noting that based on the evidence before him, such plea was not plausible and that the prosecution was able to establish all the ingredients of culpable homicide as provided for in section 220 of the penal code. He said the offence contravened sections 220 of the penal code and is punishable under section 221. Mr Agbaza, in his judgment, held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. He said, In the circumstances, the court finds the defendant guilty of the charge of causing the death of Jessica on February 3, 2015. He is accordingly convicted. Before the court pronounces sentence on the defendant, and noting the plea of the defence counsel and the response of the prosecution counsel, note that the plea of allocutus has no place here, in view of the mandatory nature of the sentence provided under the law, which the defendant is charge, having been found guilty. Consequently, with the mandatory position of the law as provided by section 221 of the penal code law. In the light of the above, the punishment for the offence of culpable homicide which the defendant has been convicted of, the defendant is hereby sentenced to death. This will serve as a deterrent to others because of the rising wave of either wife or husband beating resulting to death in our society. The court does not have discretion to impose any other punishment, much as it may, the law must be fulfilled at all times and in all situations. The defendant having been convicted for the offence of culpable homicide under Section 221 of the penal code as charge is sentenced to death, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul, the judge said. The judge concluded by informing the convict that he had right of appeal to the Appeal Court within 30 days. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict, who resided with his deceased wife at No 10 off Sabongari Road, Bwari, Abuja took his wifes corpse to the hospital in the early hours of February 3, 2015 and told the Mortician that the deceased committed suicide by taking Sniper. Other witnesses, including neighbours, mortician and the police gave different evidence. The convict, a bakery worker, had admitted during examination that he used to quarrel with his wife, a corps member at the time, but had never laid his hands on her. He said he had come back from work the day she died to meet the door to his apartment open and when he walked in, he saw his wife on the bed and when he called her, she did not respond. He said his wife committed suicide because she was indebted to some people and she was hypertensive. A pathological autopsy carried out suggested that the deceased had a heart condition which may had deteriorated as the result of the matrimonial crisis she was going through. Neighbours however said he was constantly beating her and he would lock the door to avoid them from interfering. The mortician said there were bruises on her face and other parts of her body when she was brought to the hospital. (NAN) Advertisements The event is designed to generate discussion on how the global finance and insurance industry can work more effectively with governments, humanitarian and non-governmental organisations. As losses from natural catastrophes continue to reach record levels, the goal is to close the gap between the insured and uninsured to protect global communities and build scalable solutions through shared experiences. The conference is hosted by Aon in partnership with the City of London, The British Red Cross, ClimateWise, Insurance Development Forum, AXA XL, Pool Re, MSAmlin and Renaissance Re at London's Guildhall. Speakers include Cyrus Ardalan, Chairman International Finance Facility for Immunisation; Lord Bilimoria, Vice President CBI; Greg Case, CEO, Aon plc; Marisa Drew, CEO Credit Suisse Impact Investment and Advisory; Nick Dyer, Director General for Economic Development and International at the UK Department for International Development; Dr. Abbas Gullet, former Secretary General Kenyan Red Cross; David Lomas, Managing Director BlackRock; Julian Richardson, Insurance Specialist Department for International Trade and William Russell, Lord Mayor of the City of London. Today's event opened with a video message from The Prince of Wales: https://aon.io/HRH-ProtectionGap Greg Case, CEO, Aon plc, said: "The protection gap places an immense financial strain on governments, businesses, communities and individuals. Yet, financial impact is only one aspect of the toll these disasters inflict. We also must consider the profoundly troubling humanitarian and social impact lives lost, communities compromised and businesses, as well as individual livelihoods, disrupted. "Considering the magnitude of the challenge, a solution is beyond the ability of any individual, organization or even sector. We have absolute conviction, though, that, collectively, we can make a difference. Our hope is that we will forge a shared commitment to new ways of collaborating that will allow us to build resilience at scale." Aon's Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight: 2019 Annual report found that 2019 was another year of devastating natural disasters around the globe with economic losses of USD232 billion. Only USD71 billion of this was covered by insurance, leaving the protection gap the portion of economic losses not covered by insurance of 69 percent. Over the last decade, natural catastrophes resulted in economic losses of USD2.98 trillion and insured losses of USD845 billion, creating a protection gap of 72%. The decade also highlighted the significant protection gap that persists in developing and emerging countries. No part of the world was more vulnerable to this topic than in Asia, where just 12 percent of economic losses USD151 billion out of USD1.23 trillion were covered by insurance. In Latin America and Africa insurance take-up rates were in the low single-digits, meaning that virtually all losses were uninsured and local populations were entirely dependent on federal or international financial support for recovery. The development of new insurance schemes, such as parametric insurance, insurance risk pools, or catastrophe bonds, will be important new ways to improve risk mitigation in the most vulnerable areas. Simon Meldrum, Innovative Finance Specialist, British Red Cross, added: "Our vision is of a world where every community is resilient to the impact of the climate crisis, both today and in the future. With a presence in almost every country in the world, we see first-hand the humanitarian impact of increasingly volatile weather. We are also one of the biggest organisations in the world responding to natural disasters and people in crisis. In addition, we are working in disaster risk reduction through our Climate Centre and other specialists across the Red Cross. We are now starting to explore new ways of working with private sector partners and pilot some exciting initiatives such as insurance linked securities or catastrophe bonds because we believe that cross-sector collaboration with governments, the insurance sector and non-governmental organisations will be critical to shifting the dial in the humanitarian response." About Aon Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. Follow Aon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aon_plc Sign up for News Alerts: http://aon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=58 Media Contact: Tom Blackwell, FTI Consulting +44(0) 203 727 1051 / [email protected] Alexandra Lewis, Aon +44(0) 207 086 0541 / [email protected] SOURCE Aon plc Related Links https://www.aon.com/ Theres only one political body that is more incompetent than the Iowa Democratic party. That body was delivering what could be its last State of the Union speech on Tuesday. For the fourth year, Donald Trump pretended to address Congress like his presidential predecessors, with some kind of legislative agenda worthy of the chief executive of the most powerful country on the planet. But our reality-TV president has shown a stubborn resistance to playing anything like the normal role of a commander-in-chief. This time last year, he threatened war if Congress continued to investigate his many varied scandals, crimes and impeachable abuses. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he said in a nonsense rhyme that sounded like the vaguely ominous threats of a childish bully armed with nuclear weapons. It just doesnt work that way! Strangely enough, the investigations continued all the way to impeachment, and the Democrats still voted for his new North American free trade legislation. So his assessment of politics was as perfect as his call with the Ukraine president. Trump is supposed to be a straight shooter but his State of the Union speeches are as unruly as his tweets. Two years ago he said his administration was working on a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. The next year he said that countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. This time around, he insisted he was building the worlds most prosperous and inclusive society. That was shortly before he recounted a gruesome spree of deadly violence by one immigrant. As someone famously said, it just doesnt work that way. In case you were wondering how Trump was going to demagogue his way through the next eight months of an election, you can now rest easy. He has identified the enemy, and it is something called free government healthcare for illegal aliens. Like some Frankenstein amalgam of spare body parts, Trump is fabricating an entirely new Republican party by sewing together its most nightmarish fears. Its only a matter of time before he declares a war on Islamist atheists. Story continues Sitting behind Trump was his chief tormentor. Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, was dressed in white, along with several dozen Democrats marking the centenary of womens voting rights in the United States. Trump showed his respect for the institution of Congress by refusing to shake Pelosis outstretched hand before he launched into his annual exercise in teleprompter reading. For most of Trumps speech, Pelosi adopted the posture of a schoolteacher reviewing the grade paper of one of her worst students. Socialism destroys nations, said Trump after welcoming Venezuelas opposition leader, Juan Guaido. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul. Pelosi shook her head as she mouthed the words to herself over again. Freedom unifies the soul. Can a soul be divided and shattered like a horcrux? How does freedom put a soul back together? And most importantly, did this speech get reviewed before it passed the presidents lips? Trump's ideas about freedom are as strange as his devotion to Vladimir Putin Trumps ideas about freedom are as strange as his devotion to Vladimir Putin. With a grand flourish, he awarded the nations highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom, to the spectacularly racist hate-monger known as Rush Limbaugh. Trump said he was giving him the medal in recognition of all that you have done for our nation [and] the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire. The fact that Limbaugh is now stricken with cancer does not erase a career of spewing the opposite of an inclusive society, especially through the Obama years. At this point we should spare some thoughts and prayers for the people with the worst job in the White Houses west wing. Working as a speechwriter for Donald Trump is as thankless a job as trying to style his hair: theres not a lot to work with. You start out with the doorstopper volumes of great presidential speeches, and you end up writing a line that sounds like youre driving a bulldozer. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, said Demolition Donald, and we are never ever going back! This is the kind of rhetorical flourish a speechwriter crafts when the facts fail them. Trump constructed his big speech around some economic statistics his team had cherrypicked about the active workforce. Somehow he failed to say that economic growth has slowed to 2.1% for the last two quarters. When economic growth under Obama was around this level, back in 2012, Trump himself thought this was less than great. The economy is in deep trouble, said the man with a tweet for all occasions. The sick joke of the Trump presidency is that its becoming increasingly hard to tell the difference between funny strange and funny haha. After bragging about getting his NATO allies to help pay their fair share, Trump pointed to his greatest military innovation. Just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, he declared, we created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Space Force. At this point the cameras turned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who looked like he could barely stifle his giggles. It has long been unclear how much of this presidents entourage is engaged in a daily stifled giggle. On the eve of his impeachment acquittal, so many of the jurors listening to Trumps state of the union treat him like a man-child whose conduct cannot be judged by normal adult standards. I believe that the president has learned from this case, Senator Susan Collins of Maine told CBS News. The president has been impeached. Thats a pretty big lesson. Yes, thatll teach him. Now he knows he can ignore congressional budgets, use military aid for his own personal gain, and coerce a foreign government to interfere with an American election. This is a special place, Trumps America. Its the kind of country where senators can openly surrender their principles and power out of fear for their own reelection. Its the kind of country where half of Congress can cheer race-baiting radio stars and a president who demonizes immigrants. And its the kind of country where a presidents speechwriters can just give up on the whole speechwriting thing to list a bunch of randomly famous American names to wind up one final Trumpian state of the union. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and so many more, Trump said as his speechwriting staff threw in the towel. This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. One day they will learn the name of Donald Trump too. Hes the guy who put kids in cages, watched TV all day, and made a Space Force. He got caught lying and cheating but there were no referees, so he never stopped. The leader of Germany's Christian Democrats battled to recover control after a state leader lined up alongside the far right in a key regional vote. Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right CDU on Wednesday voted alongside the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany to put a candidate from the pro-business FDP into power in the eastern region of Thuringia. The unprecedented alliance provoked outrage from across the political spectrum and put on the spot CDU party leader and Merkel's heir apparent, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who had sworn off any cooperation with the AfD. AKK, as she's known, disavowed the state party's decision and urged Thuringia to hold a new election. "This is not a good day -- not for Thuringia, not for Germany's political system," she told reporters during a visit to Strasbourg, Deutsche Presse Agentur reported. Meanwhile protesters gathered in front of CDU headquarters in Berlin. The leader of the FDP, Christian Lindner, said his party would never cooperate with the AfD and instead would seek to form an alternative coalition government. The shock vote in Thuringia reveals how the AfD has upended German politics with its presence in all of Germany's 16 states. The euroskeptic populists gained momentum on wide-spread discontent with Merkel's immigration policy, which opened the door to more than 1 million mostly Syrian refugees. Merkel's junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, lost no time in calling out political treachery. They said Merkel's party, which denied there was any planned cooperation with the AfD, crossed a red line in backing a candidate with help from the far right. "It's a catastrophe," Diana Lehmann, an SPD lawmaker from Thuringia, said in a text response. "It's more than breaking a taboo. The FDP and the CDU are making the AfD palatable." Lars Klingbeil, the SPD's general secretary in Berlin, called the development a "low point in Germany's postwar history." The political reverberations also threaten to push Merkel's coalition with the SPD to a breaking point, the latest clash in the last two years that has driven a wedge between the governing parties. The AfD, which has shaken up Germany's political establishment with its attacks on Merkel's migration policy, came in second place in the Oct. 27 state election in Thuringia. The state's premier, Bodo Ramelow of the anti-capitalist Left party, no longer had a majority to lead a coalition with the state SPD and the Greens. Wednesday's vote was intended to install Ramelow for a second term at the head of a minority government. After failing in two rounds to secure an absolute majority, Ramelow was poised to win with a simple majority. Instead, the FDP nominated Thomas Kemmerich as its candidate, with the backing of the CDU. It was at that moment that the AfD, which had nominated its own candidate, swung its votes behind the Free Democrat, upending what was intended to be Ramelow's re-election. In October, the FDP had barely garnered enough votes to make it into the state legislature. "This premiership election in Thuringia is the first important piece in the mosaic of a fundamental political change in Germany," the AfD's co-leader, Joerg Meuthen, said in a statement. "The socialist specter and the post-communist tenure of Ramelow has come to an end." The CDU leader of Thuringia, Mike Mohring, said he expects Kemmerich to maintain a "clear separation" from the AfD even though the far-right party helped elect him to office. He said there was no collusion between the CDU and AfD. Students of University College Cork (UCC) have paid almost 11,000 in fines as part of a new crackdown on antisocial behaviour. The new approach, involving university authorities and students themselves, has also seen the number of complaints from the public about antisocial behaviour linked to UCCs Rag Week and Freshers Week events drop over the last two years. The news emerged during a meeting of the Cork City joint policing committee (JPC) where details of UCCs Campus Watch scheme were outlined. Gary Mulcahy, UCC student services and community relations officer, briefed JPC members on how his office has been working with students to address the problem of student-related anti-social behaviour in and around the university precinct since 2018. He said a 10-point standards of conduct charter was introduced for students, including that the university is not brought into disrepute and that they show respect for local residents and members of the public. A three-strikes resolutions process was introduced for students accused of alleged breaches of those standards: Stage one, an informal resolutions process, provides for a warning or a 50 charitable contribution. Stage two is a formal resolution process and includes a fine of up to 1,000. But stage three, the final stage, deals with students on their third strike, or with the more serious alleged breaches, and involves decisions made by senior academics. The outcome can include fines of up to 5,000 or expulsion from the university. It has also involved talks with incoming students on the dangers around drug and alcohol use, the impact of convictions on their ability to travel or apply for visas, the fines for drinking on the streets, and their responsibilities around the management of house parties. Mr Mulcahy said a total of 11,600 has been paid in fines or charitable donations by students who have been dealt with through the resolutions process. And he said complaints about antisocial behaviour around Rag week dropped from 37 in 2018 to 25 in 2019 a 33% decrease while complaints around Freshers Week dropped 60%, from 49 in 2017 before the disciplinary process was introduced to 20 in 2018 just a month after Campus Watch was introduced. Mr Mulcahy said university authorities are listening to the concerns of the public, and they are taking a hardline and action on the issue. However, he emphasised that the number of students involved in such antisocial behaviour represents less than 1% of UCCs overall 25,000-strong student body: But they are the ones we can see. We also aim to highlight the good the overwhelming majority of the others are doing. Sinn Fein TD Donnchadh O Laoighaire welcomed the progress but described activity around the so-called Christmas Day drinking binge, especially around Bandon Road last November, as pandemonium. I would ask UCC to focus additional resources on this period, he said. Independent councillor Thomas Maloney also welcomed the crackdown, and added: Cork Institute of Technology could take a leaf out of UCCs book. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evaded questions on Ram Temple trust, which would oversee the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra' nearly three months after the Supreme Court ruling in the decades-old case. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the temple trust will have 15 trustees. According to sources, no one from BJP will be part of the trust. A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had in November ruled unanimously in favour of Ram Lalla. It said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7-acre will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of Ram Temple at the site. The court had asked the government to give 5 acre land to Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for construction of a mosque. Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly accused Congress of delaying the judgement in the Ayodhya case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SKOPJE -- North Macedonia and Albania have both reacted positively to a new proposed methodology for admitting new member states, expressing hope that it will clear the way for Skopje and Tirana to begin formal membership talks this year. "The purpose of today's proposal is to re-establish a credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans," Oliver Varhelyi, commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement, said on February 5 as he presented the proposals in Brussels. The plan would give member states a stronger role in accession talks and calls for more incentives for well-performing aspirant states. Meanwhile, backsliding or delays on required reforms could lead to a pause or reversal of the accession process, or even force EU hopefuls to restart entry talks in some policy areas. Reforms were demanded by France blocking the start of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania last year and demanding changes to the bloc's enlargement process. North Macedonia's foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov, said the proposed methodology would contribute to a "stronger political dimension of the process, as well as its dynamics, predictability, and credibility." "More benefits for reformers and more sanctions for backsliders, based on a credible, objective assessment of progress is a step forward, " Dimitrov said. The minister also expressed confidence that the proposed plan would result in the opening of accession talks between Brussels and Skopje in the coming weeks. Albania's acting foreign minister, Gent Cakaj, said his country "stands ready to pursue substantive reforms and radical transformation in line with the principles of the new methodology." Tirana "looks forward to opening accession talks within 2020," Cakaj wrote in a Facebook post. French President Emmanuel Macron's office welcomed the proposed new rules as "an important first step" toward further enlargement. The proposed plan is to be discussed by EU member states to have it ready for approval at a Brussels summit in March. If approved, the new methodology would automatically apply to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia -- but not to Serbia or Montenegro, which have already started accession talks with Brussels. With reporting by Gjeraqina Tuhina and Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels Fall Election About Personal and National Sovereignty Commentary As the Democrats try to sort out the hash they made of the Iowa caucusessimilar to the impeachment of President Donald Trump, a political mess entirely of their own makinga larger question looms over the fall election: Will the United States remain a republic, or will it molt into a plebiscitary democracy? In the teeth of a constant battering from the left that seeks to call nearly every aspect of the American system of governance into question, the real question to be decided this fall is not Trump versus the Democrats Your Name Here. Rather, its about the Constitution versus an entirely different political structure that may still go under the name of the United States of America, but, in fact, would be an entirely different country, bearing no more resemblance to the America of the Founders than modern Rome does to the Roman Republic. None of these pressing political issues, including Trumps evanescent impeachment, the critical function of the Electoral College, the proper role of the Senate, and the chaotic but yet somehow always predictable way in which one of the major parties insists on choosing its standard-bearer, is occurring in a vacuum. From the so-called Progressive Era of Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilsonan era that brought us the income tax, the direct election of senators, and Prohibition, as well as female suffrage, in the form of constitutional amendmentspresidents of both parties have gradually steered the country away from its founding principles and toward a more democratic nation that, curiously, has served only to increase the power of an elite class in Washington. Two world wars hastened the concentration of power in the federal District of Columbia, and by the time the United States emerged victorious in 1945, the notion that America ought to be ruled directly from Washington, and the political distinctions among the states should be minimized as much as possible, had become widely accepted. The contradictory result has been an increasingly fractious country, more so than any time since the 18481861 run-up to the Civil War. This time, however, the rupture turns not on the issue of slavery but on personal and national sovereignty. Federalism and Progressive Fury The failed Trump impeachment has brought all this into focus, as the left has turned its rage from the Electoral Collegewhich gave Trump his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, despite his loss of the overall popular voteto the Senate itself. It infuriates the progressives that Wyoming, with only three electoral votes (the minimum), has the same number of senators as mighty California, with 55 electors. That, however, is a feature, not a bug. The 13 British colonies that broke away from the mother country in the late 18th century and united to form a republic were not unified in anything except their desire for liberty. New England had been settled by a different class of English emigres than Virginia, and their economies evolved differently, with manufacturing in the North, and agriculture and slavery in the South. In order to bring all 13 into the fold, compromises had to be made, and one of themequal representation in the Senatewas critical to enticing the smaller states to join the new Union. Thus also was the Electoral College born. The vote for president was never intended to be cumulative and thus heedless of colonial or state boundaries. Rather, it was to be individual statewide contests that would express the overall will of a Republic, not that of a phantom democracy that would allow heavily populated states to run roughshod over the smaller and newer states. Indeed, many of the western states, with small populations at the time of admission, would never have joined without an equal say in one body of the Congress. This principle enrages the progressives, who would have America be more like the European states: countries ruled centrally from an important capital city, whose elite institutions (Oxbridge in Britain, and the Sorbonne and the Ecole Nationale dAdministration in France) control the destiny of their nations via their graduates. The European Union, from which the United Kingdom has just seceded bloodlessly, was stealthily designed to be the culmination of central government over as wide an area as possible until such time as global governance ever becomes feasible. A decentralized country of partially sovereign states like America is anathema to their vision of an intellectual and economic oligarchy. The election of Trump, however, has put that notion on hold for now, as have Brexit and the growing influence of nationalism and populism across Europe and elsewhere. An Argument With America The prospect that Trump might well be reelected this fall is infuriating to those who think, as Marxists do, that history has an arc and a side. The Senates dispassionate egalitarianism, as well as the Electoral Colleges regard for state boundaries and regional sentiments, has become intolerable; hence, their constant talk of our democracy, when what they really advocate is anarchic mob rule subject to the whims of the momenta state of political affairs, as history shows, that inevitably leads to dictatorship. And if you doubt their true intentions, just look at how convoluted and undemocratic their rules for the Iowa caucuses were. Tammany Hall may be long gone, but its corrupt spirit lives on in every blue precinct in the land. All this explains the Democrats quixotic attempt to impeach the president over essentially nothing: Faced with the looming prospect of a sound electoral thrashing in November, the bonzes who control the party (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and their rabid donor base) had to do something. They knew they couldnt eject Trump from office, not with that pesky undemocratic Senate and its requirement of a two-thirds majority for conviction. But they could and did smear him by extending the sham Russia investigation to the former Soviet republic of Ukraine; by seizing upon an innocuous phone call during which exactly nothing of importance happened; by holding a kangaroo court in the House, where they have a temporary majority; and then by demanding that the Senate prove the Houses case for it. And all, right on schedule, just 10 months or so before the next election. That it has failed so singularly ought to be a sign to the left that history doesnt take sides. In short, the Democrats may hate Trump, but their real animus is directed against a system that prevents them from stampeding the public into a hasty and ill-considered action that would have negated the free will not just of the voters, but of the 50 states. Their argument, in short, is not with Trump or even the Republican Party, but with America herself. Remember that when you go to the polls this fall. Michael Walsh is the author of The Devils Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, both published by Encounter Books. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Medical workers in Hong Kong are staging a second consecutive day of strikes Tuesday as the Chinese territory reports its first death from a coronavirus that has killed 425 people in mainland China. Hong Kong shut down nearly all land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight local time after more than 2,000 medical workers walked off the job Monday demanding that all border crossings be closed completely. Hong Kong was hit hard by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2002-03. Hong Kong health authorities have identified the victim as a 39-year-old male with a pre-existing illness who had recently visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Meanwhile, the Chinese gambling territory of Macau announced Tuesday that it will temporarily shut down all casino operations for two weeks to help curb the spread of the virus. The total number of confirmed cases of people sickened by the new coronavirus in China has soared above 20,000. There are about 150 confirmed cases in 23 other countries. On Sunday, the Philippines reported the first coronavirus death outside of China. A new study published Monday in the journal Nature said experts from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which specializes in the study of viruses, say the new virus is 96 percent genetically identical to a virus found in bats in southern China's Yunnan province. The study said the new coronavirus is 80 percent genetically similar to the SARS virus that killed more than 800 people in 2002 and 2003. A credit union volunteer broke down crying today as she told a murder trial of the moment she thought a robber was going to kill her after she witnessed the fatal shooting of a garda. Bernadette McShane was sitting in her car when she heard a loud bang and saw Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe fall to the ground. She said: "When I saw the man running towards me I thought he was coming to kill me because I had seen too much." Aaron Brady (aged 28) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det. Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location. Ms McShane told prosecution counsel Dean Kelly BL that she worked as a volunteer for the Lordship Credit Union. On the Friday night in question, she counted the money and cheques from the tills and gave it to her colleague Pat Bellew who was to travel to Dundalk with a garda escort to a safety deposit box. The unmarked garda car arrived at about 21.25. In the carpark, Ms McShane got into her car and she saw Mr Bellew begin to pull off in his own car. As Ms McShane started her own car she heard two loud bangs. She said: "I thought they were fireworks and turned to look to where the other cars were parked and I saw men running." Aaron Brady. File image She said she saw one of the detectives falling to the ground and at first thought it was a "duck reaction, like he was jumping to avoid something." She added: "When he didn't move I realised it must have been a gunshot." She saw people running all around the car park towards the detectives and towards Mr Bellew's car. One of the men started running towards the witness. Ms McShane began to cry before continuing: "At that stage, when I saw the man running towards me I thought he was coming to kill me because I had seen too much." The man smashed her car window, she said, and shouted: "Give me the fucking money." When she told him she had none he demanded her handbag which she threw towards him. He then told her to open the glove box, which she did, revealing there was nothing inside. She heard a voice from somewhere saying, "Are you right there lads?" and the man ran off and jumped over the front wall of the credit union. When Mr Kelly asked her for information about the man she had seen, she said: "I was afraid to look but I did see a man there in dark clothes with a balaclava. But my fear was that if I looked and took in too much information he might kill me because I would know too much. She thought she saw a walkie talkie in the man's hand but she couldn't be sure. She said the man was not slim but "on the bulky side" and he was agile in the way he jumped over the wall. She couldn't place his accent although she knew it wasn't a strong Belfast or north Antrim accent. The man she heard saying "are you right there lads" had a different accent but she couldn't place it. The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of eight men and seven women. Company marks 60th anniversary of investing to connect Canadians TORONTO, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications announced today it contributed $14.1 billion directly to the Canadian economy in 2019 through investments in Canadian jobs, content, communities and networks. As a proud Canadian company, Rogers has a deep history and legacy of investing in Canada, said Joe Natale, President and Chief Executive Officer. Over the past 60 years we have invested to bring Canadians the best networks in the world. 5G is now here and we are once again investing to bring Canadians this new innovative technology on Canadas only national network. Over the past 60 years, Rogers has invested tens of billions of dollars in network infrastructure across our vast country and re-invests 80 per cent of its profits back into Canada every year. Recently, the company announced it started the rollout out of Canadas first 5G network to over 20 markets this year. This multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment is essential to Canadas digital economy and Canadas global competitiveness. We have some of the best networks in the world thanks to the right regulation, policy and investments, added Natale. Looking ahead, we need long-term policy that strikes the right balance between driving affordability and fuelling investment. In 2019, Rogers invested $683 million to create and produce Canadian stories through local news, live sports, television, film and multilingual programming. It also contributed over $60 million to help local communities thrive with a focus on helping youth reach their potential. 2019 by the numbers: $14.1 billion contributed to the Canadian economy $2.8 billion invested in capital expenditures $2.1 billion invested in our people and culture $1.1 billion paid in taxes and government fees $683 million invested in Canadian content and programming Over $60 million contributed to local communities More than 25,000 volunteer hours Over 25,000 employees working in every major Canadian city Story continues About Rogers Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com SOURCE Rogers Communications Canada Inc. English For further information: media@rci.rogers.com, 647-747-5118 Evacuees at risk of carrying the coronavirus will be under tight security when they arrive later this week at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, guarded by federal marshals and cut off from those who live and work on the base, officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that no one who has been found to be sick will set foot on the installation. Up to 1,000 people being flown from China to the United States will be screened for the deadly virus after arriving at Travis AFB in California, where anyone showing fever or other symptoms will be taken to a hospital. Only healthy passengers will then be housed at Travis or fly on to Lackland or two other locations to be observed by CDC personnel for two weeks the incubation period for the virus, agency spokeswoman Amy Rowland said. The evacuees are not going to be off the base at all, she said. Just where the evacuees will stay at Lackland wasnt made public. If any fall ill, theyll be taken to a hospital, but Rowland and local health authorities could not say what facilities would treat them. About 30,000 military, civil service and contract personnel work at Lackland, the home to Air Force basic training and which teaches a variety of technical specialties. The accommodation (for the evacuees) is away from anyone else who would be on the base for those regular activities, Rowland said. The federal marshals are there and they are going to be ensuring that passengers dont leave the area that is designated for them to complete the 14-day quarantine period. The CDCs National Center for Respiratory Diseases director, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, said the State Department, which brought some of its personnel out of China on Thursday, plans to extract more. The first evacuees arrived at March Air Reserve Base in Ontario, Calif., but the CDC said the additional flights will go to Travis. Messonnier said the CDC has sent teams of specialists there and to the three other Defense Department installations where evacuees will be quarantined: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; Fort Carson, Colo.; and Lackland. Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox The CDC said medical staff would monitor the health of those people, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms. The quarantine will last until 14 days after the planes leave Wuhan. Medical care will be readily available at the first onset of symptoms, Messonnier said. We do not believe these people pose a risk to the communities where they are being temporarily housed as we are taking measures to minimize any exposure. Coronavirus has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization and President Donald Trump, who late last week barred non-U.S. citizens who recently visited mainland China from entering the United States. Exceptions to the ban include immediate family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The ban does not apply to Hong Kong and Macau. Americans returning within 14 days of having been in China or Hubei province will be screened at one of 11 U.S. airports and subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The CDC said its working with state officials to decide where to quarantine passengers. If symptomatic, they will be transferred for further medical evaluation and placed in isolation for two weeks. On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus evacuees headed to San Antonio China reported the number of infections of the disease, officially the Novel coronavirus, had surpassed 20,000. Eleven cases had been confirmed in the United States as of Monday, with five new cases over the weekend that include a patient in Massachusetts and four more in California. Four of the five patients had a travel history to Wuhan. One patient in California is a close household contact of another patient in California. This is the second instance of person-to-person spread in the United States, Messonnier said. We expect to find additional cases of novel coronavirus infection in the United States given the explosive nature of this outbreak in China and our very aggressive public health response. Now Playing: While insisting the risk to the American public is low, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency from the coronavirus that began in China and announced it will bar entry of foreign nationals who pose a transmission risk. (Jan. 31) Video: Associated Press As of Monday, 167 people in the U.S. had tested negative for infection with the virus and another 82 had tests pending, but Messonnier cautioned that while a negative test most likely means a person is not infected, it may mean that an infection has not developed enough to be detected by the test. This is a new virus. And the best timing and right type of sample to determine if someone is infected with this new virus has not yet been determined. Messonnier said the travel restrictions on mainland China were imposed out of an abundance of caution. The intensity of transmission in Hubei province; the expansion to other provinces in China; the continued community transmission; the growing volume of exported cases to countries around the world; the continued reporting of deaths, including the first death outside of China; and reports of person to person spread outside China, including the United States, are all cause for concern, she said. In San Antonio, the city is coordinating with federal officials to provide transportation through local emergency medical services if any of the evacuees are sent to a hospital, said Dawn Emerick, director of the Metropolitan Health District. Plans for handling an evacuee who tests positive for the virus are still evolving, Emerick said. . If an evacuee were to test positive for it, Emerick said, CDC would likely take the lead. Metro Health would provide support, including coordination with EMS agencies and hospitals to ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to protect paramedics and health care workers. This is a federal response, our federal partners are the lead on that, she said. However, Emerick emphasized the probability of a case surfacing here was low. The evacuees who are being brought to Lackland are asymptomatic and its possible some of them will have reached the end of their 14-day quarantine period by the time they arrive, she said. Anita Kurian, who leads Metro Healths communicable disease division, said the general public currently is not at a high risk. The risk of infection is dependent on the exposure. Right now, what weve seen is, folks who have contracted the infection are folks who have come into direct contact with somebody who already has the virus, Kurian said. The highest risk right now that we see are among health care workers and close contacts. Still, Metro Health is conducting weekly calls with hospitals and health care providers, in partnership with Texas Department of State Health Services Region 8 and the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, which manages area trauma and emergency services. It is also checking in each Friday with city officials. Rowland, the CDC spokeswoman in San Antonio, said her agencys workers will be the only people around the evacuees in quarantine. So these people are isolated from the community, even the base community where theyll be accommodated, she said. Theyre going to have no encounter or no interactions whatsoever with the base community. These people are only interacting with public health officials. And nobody boarding a plane is ill. Every single person boarding a plane is a healthy individual. sigc@express-news.net Governor. Tom Wolf addresses the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's inaugural "Independence Dinner." at The Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Friday, November 1, 2019 Read more Gov. Tom Wolfs latest budget proposal includes a $204 million tuition assistance program that could enable more than a quarter of the students who attend Pennsylvanias 14 state universities to graduate debt-free. The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program is largely aimed at students from lower-income families already eligible for federal Pell grants and state assistance, but also could help some middle-income families. It would cover remaining tuition, fees, and room and board costs. About 25,000 students could benefit from the initiative annually, said J.J. Abbott, the governors spokesperson, hours after Wolf cited it in his address before the legislature. Both in-state and out-of-state students would be eligible to apply. Those who accept the money would have to agree to remain in the state after graduation for at least as many years as they received the grant funding, or would have to pay it back. State officials say the effort not only would help students avoid debt and keep young talent in the state, but also would assist state universities with their struggle to attract and retain students. The 14 universities have lost about 20% of their enrollment since 2010 as the number of high school students falls and competition rises. READ MORE: Enrollment falls again across Pennsylvania's state universities Wolf has proposed getting money for the scholarship program from the state Horse Race Development Trust Fund, specifically money dedicated to the horse owners and breeders purse account and restricted racing programs," an idea that already has drawn detractors. Sen. Andrew E. Dinniman, ranking Democrat on the Senate education committee, whose district includes West Chester University, said he had serious concerns" about the possible impact on the horse farms and racing industries in Chester County. Its also unclear whether the proposal will win approval from Republican legislators, who are the majority. Mike Straub, a spokesperson for the House Republicans, said the horse fund has been included in other proposals over the years. We agree with efforts to improve enrollment across our state universities, he said, and well take a closer look at this proposal and [the] impact moving money away from the horse fund may have on tracks and casinos, and thus what impact might be felt in terms of gaming tax revenues. READ MORE: Online education in Pennsylvania could get more competitive Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, called the proposal a watershed investment in the success of Pennsylvanias students. The state system had asked for a 2% boost nearly $10 million in its yearly appropriation and an additional $20 million to help with redesign of the system. Wolfs budget doesnt increase funding for the system, but does include nearly $13 million for a redesign. Wolf also proposed no new funding for the states community colleges and the four-state related universities: Temple, Pennsylvania State, Lincoln, and Pittsburgh. The commission that represents Pennsylvanias 14 community colleges was disappointed with the proposal. We hope the General Assembly recognizes the invaluable educational and training programs our institutions provide and include a much-needed increase for community colleges in the 2020-21 fiscal year budget," said Elizabeth Bolden, its president and CEO. The 14 universities in the state system are Bloomsburg, California, Clarion, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester. SpotlightPAs Cynthia Fernandez contributed to this article. The province is paying out millions to parents as a result of escalating teacher strikes but more than three quarters of those eligible for the child-care compensation have not applied. As of Tuesday, the province had received 342,856 applications since announcing mid-January it would compensate parents between $25 and $60 per child, depending on their age, for each day schools, or school-based child-care centres, are closed because of a strike. Thats less than a quarter of the roughly 1.45 million eligible across Ontario to receive the reimbursement an offer criticized by some as bribe money. According to the Ministry of Education, the first direct deposit was made Friday on Tuesday, it didnt have a dollar figure for how much was paid out last week. But that first round of payments was just for 90,748 children so at the very minimum, at least $2.2 million was paid, based on each child receiving the lowest amount of $25 for one day of action. With each day of labour unrest, sparked by contract negotiations between teachers unions and the Ford government, the number of applicants has been growing. Education Minister Stephen Lecce launched the initiative on Jan. 15, saying his government recognizes the impact of union escalation on families and that unions expect hard-working families to bear the costs of their cyclical labour action. Since, there has been a steady increase in applications, but when unions announce an escalation of job action, the ministry sees a jump in numbers. The latest ministry figures come in the midst of a disruptive week with the provinces three largest unions engaged in strike action. Unions say key issues include more resources for students with special needs and their opposition to the governments plan to introduce two mandatory e-courses in high schools and to boost class size averages to 25 students, which would result in lost teaching positions and fewer courses. But the government says the sticking point is salary, with the province offering a 1 per cent increase, while unions want cost of living, or about 2 per cent. On Tuesday, Ontarios 45,000 elementary and secondary teachers in English Catholic schools, represented by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, hit the picket lines for a second time in recent weeks, resulting in Catholic school closures provincewide. And public high school teachers represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation its membership includes 60,000 educators walked off the job in select boards, including York Region, which closed all high schools. As of Tuesday evening, both those unions said they had no plans for future walkouts. Meanwhile, the union representing the provinces 83,000 public elementary teachers, early childhood educators and education professionals, will continue rolling strikes impacting various boards this week its members will strike twice, including a provincewide walkout Thursday. Public boards including Toronto and York will also be affected Friday so elementary schools there will shut down. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario will keep up with rotating strikes next week, including another provincewide one scheduled for Feb. 11. The strikes have left some parents scrambling for child care. Sam Hammond, president of the elementary teachers union has called the governments Support for Parents compensation program a way of trying to bribe parents to get their support. One application, per child, must be submitted so a family with three kids submits three applications. Parents apply once and identify their childs school board. The ministry then tracks the number of days that child is impacted by strikes and calculates the payout. Theres no need to prove financial hardship. The province will pay $60 per day for children in a school-based child-care centre, $40 for those in kindergarten, $25 for those in Grades 1 to 7 and $40 for those with special needs up to Grade 12. You can apply online and there are paper applications at constituency offices. According to the ministry, 1.45 million children are eligible. An additional 42,000 children not yet enrolled in school, may be eligible if their school-based child-care centre is closed. The funds come from unpaid teachers salaries on strike days. If all four teachers unions representing English, French, public and Catholic educators hit the picket lines for a day, that full withdrawal of service would amount to $60 million in salaries. And if everyone eligible for compensation requested it, the total payout for a day would be $48 million. (All four unions are engaged in work-to-rule campaigns but just three have walked off the job.) Once parents get their first payment via direct deposit, they receive subsequent payments weekly. Those who prefer to be paid by cheque will receive one lump sum at the end of the labour unrest. Funding will also be retroactive parents have up to four weeks after a negotiation is reached to apply. Toronto parent Rachel Huot, who has children in Grades 3 and 6, says she suspects the low number of applicants is because this government is not connected to parents at all even when it comes to accessing funds for child care. Parents are spreading the word, said Huot, part of the grassroots Ontario Parent Action Network. I know of a parent outside Toronto whos made flyers and is ... going to talk to parents at the school to let them know the money is available. Shes also heard of parents weighing whether to apply, trying to figure out how to balance being really angry that the government was not making a deal and not reversing cuts, and also their own child-care needs. We do absolutely support and encourage parents to access the child-care money to help ease financial costs, said Huot, who helped set up five strike camps in Toronto for Thursday and Friday, as a way to help parents with child care. On picket lines and on social media, some have said they planned to apply for the funds and then donate them to schools, school boards and unions. At the Toronto District School Board, spokesperson Ryan Bird said while some parents may have donated to their school directly some are also giving it to the board. Centrally, we are aware of a small handful of parents who have donated money through our online donation portal and have indicated that it is money from the strike-related financial support from the provincial government, he told the Star. And at the Toronto Catholic board, spokesperson Shazia Vlahos said no one has said they are specifically donating dollars received from the province, but a few online donations have been made to support teachers. Online, a petition called Take My Bribe Money & Put It Back Into Education!, has more than 34,000 signatures. When asked about it by reporters Jan. 20, Lecce blamed the job escalation on unions and said, No parent in this province exacerbated this problem. No child in this province created this problem. I feel very strongly that moneys best positioned in the pockets of working people in this province. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) A section of students at the Presidency University here continued their protest for the third day on Wednesday as vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia remained in her chamber overnight. The students iterated they would not prevent the VC from leaving, but continue with their sit-in outside her chamber till their demands were met. A university official said, Lohia had returned to the main campus at 3 pm on Tuesday and was in her room ever since. After confined to her room by the agitating students for 16 hours since Monday, Lohia had made an exit through the side door of her chamber on Tuesday morning. Over 100 protesting students were singing popular choir songs and raising slogans outside the main door of the VC's chamber. Among others, the agitators were demanding that the repair works in three of the five wards of the 130-year-old Hindu Hostel be completed without any delay and eight sacked hostel employees be reinstated immediately. The protesting students sat on the verandah outside the main door, raising slogans such as 'Tai to Boli kaman dago,kaman dago/VC-r ghare kaman dago,' (Direct your volley of canon fires towards VC's room), 'Ei VC, Registrar aar nei darkar' (We don't need such a VC, a Registrar any more). "Yes, I am back at the university," she told PTI when contacted on Tuesday. "I can't talk to you now," the VC said, when asked if there was a possibility of holding dialogue with the students. One of the protestors, Subho Biswas said, "We will continue to sit outside the VC's chamber till our demands are met." The students also demanded that the VC express regret in writing over the issue of female students allegedly been prevented from taking part in a convention on the day of Saraswati Puja in the campus, due to the hostel renovation. Another student, Debnil Paul, on Tuesday evening said they do not want to disrupt academic or administrative work of the varsity. "We have met some of the faculty members and told them we are not at war with our teachers, and are hopeful they will communicate our stand to the higher authorities and act as the bridge," he had said. A university official said, the authorities were willing to talk to the students on any issue but normalcy should return first. He said, while the three under-renovation wards can be opened only after obtaining safety clearance by the PWD, the eight casual employees were retrenched on disciplinarian grounds. "But we are open for discussion on all issues, after normalcy returns," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Parliament has urged cabinet to expedite action on the proposed Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) Bill for submission and consideration. The bill has gone through the Attorney- General's department and currently at the level of cabinet for consideration according to a report of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism of Parliament. The Committee noted that the passage of the proposed bill will give the GSA financial autonomy to effectively carry out their mandate. The house made the appeal to cabinet when it adopted a report of the committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism on a statement made in Parliament by Hon Ato Panford MP for Shama on 19th April 2019 on the challenges posed by imported sub-standard electrical cables , gadgets and accessories which referred to the Committee for consideration and report to the House. Parliament also recommended as contained in the report of the Committee that the Ministry of Finance should restore the 15% share of the 1% Destination Inspection Levy to the GSA without being capped to enhance their operations. Speaking to Journalists at Parliament House on the recommendations made by parliament, the CEO of the Ghana Standards Authority Prof Alex Doodoo stressed the need for government to adequately resource the GSA to perform its duties effectively. Source: Emmanuel Akorli/PeaceFM Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video There had been concerns over the staging of the event, scheduled to run over February 11-16, after a virus outbreak in China prompted measures by several nations, including the wealthy city-state, to rein in the spread of infections. Citing industry sources, Reuters reported earlier that a meeting of international aviation officials due to be held in Singapore on the eve of Asia's largest aerospace and defence event had been cancelled because of virus worries. Experia Events Pte Ltd, the organisers of the airshow, said the cancellation of the aviation leadership summit will allow many of the aviation executives to work out responses to the virus outbreak. The summit involves 300 aviation executives, comprising government officials, civil aviation authorities, airport operators and airline executives. T he Brazilian government is encouraging teenagers to delay having sex in a bid to curb the country's high teenager pregnancy rate. The campaign, called Adolescence First, Pregnancy After, was launched to curb's Brazil's teenage pregnancy rate, which minister say is the highest in Latin American. Officials from the Brazilian health ministry and the ministry of women, family and human rights are now encouraging teenagers to delay the start of sexual relationships. Since launching the project, the government has been targeting their young audience on social media using the hashtag #tudonoseutempo (All in good time). Damares Alves, an evangelical pastor and the minister for women, family and human rights told the campaign launch: We have been talking about this for a year, because we need to change the numbers that are set. "We talked and had the courage to talk about delaying the onset of sexual life, including this topic in the whole range of preventive methods that already exist. The Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights nd the Ministry of Health launched the campaign on Monday. / Willian Meira / MMFDH "It is not a moral issue, nor just one of behaviour. There are many things that divide and separate us, but life needs to unite us." The government said they will continue to give out information on contraceptives, encourage teens to talk to their families and seek out health advice. But critics say more needs to be done in improving sex education in schools. Brazilian Minister of Human Rights and Family Damares Alves speaks during a press conference about how to prevent pregnancy in adolescents / AFP via Getty Images But Danie Sampaio, a birth-support activist in Sao Paulo told the BBC that information - not abstinence - is the answer. "We need to talk more with women to break down taboos and beliefs that constrain women, beliefs that are just passed on by their mothers and grandmothers," she said. Brazilian Minister of Human Rights and Family Damares Alves and Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta / AFP via Getty Images Helena Bertho, editorial director of Azmina feminist magazine, also told the broadcaster: "The focus should be on making sex education work better but it's going in the other direction." The Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta addressed the claim that the campaign was intended to impose sexual abstinence. He said: "This was an interpretation, because at no time was talk about prohibition. What has been said is: there is time for everything - adolescence does not match pregnancy . "We are not going to put them in a herd, as if they were moved only by sexual instinct." Damares Alves added: This campaign is a start, we are listening to everyone. We also want to talk about the other consequences of early sex. Senator Mitt Romney says he will vote to convict Donald Trump on one of the impeachment charges he faces, marking a break in the Republican Party ranks just hours before the vote is to be held. Mr Romney announced his intentions during a speech on the Senate floor, where he said he would vote to convict the president for the abuse of power charge he faces, but acquit him on the obstruction of Congress charge. In doing so, he will be the first senator in US history to vote for the removal of a president of his own party in an impeachment trial. It appears unlikely that the announcement would significantly alter the likelihood that Mr Trump will ultimately be acquitted on both charges. But, it does denies the president and his allies the ability to cast the effort against him as a solely partisan exercise. "The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust," Mr Romney said during the speech, in which he invoked his sense of duty to argue that the Senate vote will be in-turn judged by the American people and history books. At times, he appeared to hold back tears when mentioning his being "profoundly religious" and that he had sworn an "oath before God". "What he did was not perfect," he continued, referencing the president's claims that his actions were flawless. "No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 1 /6 All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters The Senate will vote on Wednesday afternoon on the articles of impeachment that were delivered from the House following their vote to make Mr Trump the third president in US history to be impeached. Shortly after Mr Romney's announcement, the White House abruptly cancelled a planned open press meeting in the Oval Office between the president and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. The development was billed as a change of plans, and reporters have said it appeared organised. But, that abrupt cancellation was still met with speculation that the two decisions may be connected, and that the president was not interested in speaking to the press shortly after the surprise announcement. Officially, the White House did not immediately comment on Mr Romney's announcement, and Mr Trump's Twitter account remained silent. Mr Romney was among a handful of senators who had been watched to see how they would vote, and is the only Republican so far to indicate he would vote to convict. That group of watched senators includes Democrats as well as Republicans, virtually all of whom represent a state considered to be competitive. Alabama senator Doug Jones, who faces a long-shot re-election bid, said earlier on Wednesday that he would also vote to convict the president. Susan Collins, a key swing state senator from Maine, has meanwhile announced she will vote to acquit the president. But Mr Romney's decision also highlights the dangers of breaking from one's party during this impeachment trial, with immediate rebuke to him online with political observers calling for his dismissal from the Republican Party. Months before Mr Romney, congressman Justin Amash similarly found himself under fire for rebuking the president, and ultimately announced he would leave the Republican Party last year. "Mitt should be expelled from the @SenateGOP conference," wrote Donald Trump Jr, the president's adult son, on Twitter after the floor speech. Regardless, Mr Trump will almost surely be acquitted, with a removal order only becoming possible when a super majority of senators vote in favour. That would mean Democrats would need to convince around 20 Republicans to break rank and vote with them to impeach. There is no contact between Ukrainian and Iranian investigators in the case on the downing of Ukraine International Airlines PS752 flight over Tehran, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka has said. "Cooperation within the crime investigation: we don't have such contact with the Iranian side. We don't understand why," he told reporters following his participation in a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement on Wednesday. He also said that the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) had several contacts with the Iranian representatives, however they never developed into a dialogue and were held through representatives of Ukraine's Interior Ministry and embassy. "It is hard for me to link this with something. This might obviously prove the Iranian side's reluctance to help us with the investigation into the crime. Possibly, there are other reasons," he said. Riaboshapka also said that Ukraine has prepared a project of creating a joint investigation team with the countries whose citizens also were on board of the PS752 flight. "As of today, let's say, expectations to form a joint investigation team are not very big. Thus, we rely more on international legal aid and diplomatic channels," he said. But, for investors, it is still a golden opportunity to get into stocks. The muted Budget has not altered the broader trend of the market which is still on the upside, suggest some experts. Budget 2020 failed to meet market expectations. Some experts are even calling it a missed opportunity to revive growth in Asias third-largest economy. The market will remain polarized in favour of consumption, IT, BFSI and oil and gas. Experts advise stock-specific approach with a focus on fundamentally strong companies with visibility of cash flows and good corporate governance. Budget for FY21 has been disappointing as it is a lost opportunity to revive growth. While we were positive when the corporate tax rate was cut, we now believe that it was a costly mistake and that similar reduction in personal income tax would have gone a long way in demand revival in the economy, Prabhudas Lilladher said in a report. "FM had all the leeway to go for higher fiscal deficit and create space for more capex and major push for reforms and consumption demand, but the intent seems to be missing," it said. The Nifty50 breached its 200-DMA and bounced back, but given the fact that market expectations were high from Budget, some volatility or consolidation cannot be ruled out in the near term. The market is fairly valued and as the Budget print becomes clear, investor focus will again shift back towards earnings and valuations. Any dip towards 11000 will be a good buying opportunity as the 1-year target for Nifty50 is placed above 13000, say experts. The 200 DMA acts like a Lakshman Rekha most of the times and if markets have strength then they pull back from that level. During events like Budget, it is difficult to take a call whether 200 DMA holds. Market expectations from the budget were high on some kind of sector-specific stimulus (housing, infrastructure) and capital market reforms (abolishment of LTCG on equities) which have not materialised and to that extent, there could be near term disappointment, Rusmik Oza, head of fundamental research at Kotak Securities Ltd told Moneycontrol. This time we also need to keep in mind that any further escalation of the Coronavirus epidemic can be negative for Indian equities. After a few days, the focus will go back to earnings and valuations. As of now the Nifty-50 is trading at 18x Fw PE which is fairly valued but leaves less room for any major re-rating, he said. Oza further added that the risk-reward ratio turns very favourable closer to 11,000 levels of Nifty-50 as our one year Nifty-50 target works to 13,400 levels. In that case, Investors can look to accumulate stocks in declines and turn aggressive buyers. We have collated a list of stocks for the long term from various experts which are their top picks post Budget 2020: Expert: Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research Limite Investment Advisor Apollo Hospital: This Budget provides for increased healthcare and social security hence this stock will turn out to be a dark horse. Sterlite Technologies: Budget 2020 aims to provide digital connectivity to 1000 villages thus this manufacturer of optical fiber would be a good pick to buy on. Ajanta Pharmaceuticals: This Budget provides for increased healthcare and social security hence this stock will turn out to be a dark horse. Relaxo Footwear: Increase in the custom duty will boost the profitability of this segment and thus it is a good buy in the near and long term. IRCTC: Railways have got a favorable budget including PPP provisions for development and thus IRCTC will be able to achieve a beneficial top line. Bata India: Increase in the customs duty to give a boost to the domestic sector and will boost the profitability of this segment and thus it is a good buy in the near and long term. Being a sector leader, this scrip is expected to outperform its peers. Expert: Dinesh Thakkar CMD, Tradebulls Securities HUL, Nestle India, Britannia Industries: IT, MNC & Non-Banking PSU Stocks could do well especially the ones which also have the impetus of high dividend yield as Dividend Distribution Tax has been abolished from companies side. Many high dividend-paying companies were shying paying high dividends due to DDT but now with DDT gone, demand for high paying dividend companies will go up thus increasing their stock price. Stocks like HUL, Nestle, Britannia Industries could do well as personal income tax rate has been reduced so extra savings will get converted into increase consumption thus benefiting FMCGs. TCS, Coal India, and ONGC could also do well from hereon. Expert: Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking Bajaj Finance: BFL is the largest consumer electronics, digital products & furniture lender in India, focused on affluent consumers. The Consumer finance business is the largest segment and contributes 39 percent of the total AUM (consolidated) of Rs 1,45,092 crore as of Dec 31st, 2019 followed by Mortgages, SME, Commercial and Rural at 30%, 13%, 9%, 9% respectively. Consumer finance loans are high-churn, short-tenor and high-IRR products (24%-25%) which compensates for higher acquisition costs. BFL is a leader in this segment driven by a mix of Consumer durable finance, Digital product finance, Lifestyle product finance apart from 2W & 3W loans (the majority of which is sourced from Bajaj Auto). Expert: Kuldeep Tomar, Director, Advisorymandi.com Avanti Feeds: With the vision of expanding the fishing production, the finance minister has announced for raising fish production to 200 lakh tonnes in FY20-21. Inorder to increase the required feed of the fishes for their sustainability, the Avanti Feeds is going to be major beneficiary for this year. The company is the leading manufacturer of Fish feeds prawns and shrimp processor and has marked its presence in aquaculture by delivering quality products. Dixon Technologies: An effective surge in the import duty of printed circuit boards of mobile phones is going to restrict the imports of the same globally. Dixon Technologies bears a charter of major printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer in India and increment in the import duty at their critical product is going to deliver high revenues in the books of the company. Tata Consultancy Services: India largest company as per free-float market capitalization is going to be the flavor of the town this year as the removal of Dividend Distribution Tax is going to bring a lot of investors who believes in having a bird in their hand rather than bush. The company is known for distributing hefty dividends to their investors and removal of the related tax will push it to distribute more dividends. Siemens: The conversion of conventional electric metres to prepaid smart ones with in a time period of three years is going to be a turnaround story for the company. Market penetration of the product is very low in current scenario and government is looking to cover the whole economy. So, the stock deserves exceptional returns this year. Mahindra Logistics: The upcoming release of National Logistics Policy which will bifurcate the roles of State Government and Central Government and the associated regulators is going to simplify the nomenclature of logistics sector. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. After some delays, Raising Canes Chicken Fingers restaurant finally opened Tuesday morning. Despite the low temperatures and cold wind, a line of customers had waited since early morning for a taste of the popular fast-food chain. Inside, the restaurant staff made announcements to the press and guests before its ribbon-cutting with the Midland Chamber of Commerce. Before the doors were opened to customers, Mike Spano, area leader of restaurants for West Texas, talked about the restaurants history and its traditions. There are original pieces to every location, so we incorporate local pieces from high schools and colleges and organizations, he said. But we also have signature pieces, such our Elvis and the three disco balls. As we grow in the community, we want to add to the wall. He welcomed the management team and then followed up with a $1,000 donation from the restaurant to the West Texas Food Bank. Mayor Patrick Payton spoke briefly in order to not hold up the customers waiting outside. They are giving me some looks out there, he said to the crowd and to Spano. How long have we heard Canes is coming to Midland? Thanks for being here and congratulations to your entire team. The door was open to the first customer, Kristina Perez, who arrived at 8 a.m. but luckily waited at the correct entrance. Some customers said they had been there since 6 a.m. I think they were in their cars in from the cold, but I decided to wait over at this door because it looked like the main entrance, she said. Im pretty excited and stoked. And it tastes good. The restaurant filled and there was a line continuously out the door. Customers were welcomed by a cheering squad of Raising Canes team members. Sam Silvas, area leader of marketing, spoke about dealing with the delays -- such as having no power -- that pushed back the opening. Obviously, there were some adjustments with those delays, but we stayed very engaged and we hired a great team who were also focused, and now were excited to be here, she said. We knew it was going to be a big deal but to actually see it happening, its beautiful. Takeaways from the restaurant were simple ones. -- The interior has two entrances but for its first few days or weeks, lines are likely expected to fill the entire waiting space while tables are equally filled with customers. However, Spano said they pride themselves on getting customers orders filled fast. -- The parking lot is a typical size for this restaurant but for the time being, parking will likely extend to H-E-Bs lot and to the Red Oak Shopping Center lot. -- A midday visit to the restaurant had a line of cars extending out into the street -- vehicles either intending to go through the drive-thru or into the restaurant and not counting any H-E-B customers. This also resulted in backup at the service road light off Loop 250 at State Highway 191. -- For those uninitiated to Raising Canes, expect a limited menu. Combos feature three, four or six chicken fingers with sauce, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and a drink. There is also a sandwich combo with three chicken fingers, fries and drink. The restaurant also features a tailgate menu from 25 to 100 fingers available. Drinks include Coca-Cola soft drinks, sweet and unsweet tea and freshly squeezed lemonade. -- Sign up for a Caniac Club Card at the register. The customer appreciation program is immediately generous with a free Box Combo for signing up. President Trump's SOTU speech Tuesday night was spectacular on every level. It was unabashedly pro-American, pro-law-enforcement, pro-border security, pro-religious freedom, pro-life, pro-school choice and pro-the American job and economic comeback, and then some; there was so much more, all of it positive, optimistic. This president has indeed begun to make America great again. Despite the Democrats' fervent attempts to see him removed from office, President Trump has succeeded beyond all expectations for the good of the nation. This is what so enrages the left; the man has done in three years what they have promised their voters for sixty-plus years but never accomplished -- on purpose. The left has always promised what they never intended to deliver. Their plan for decades has been to keep us all down, begging them, the federal government, for sustenance. Their plan has always been to convince us we cannot thrive without their intervention in our lives and by intervention, they mean they will tell us how to live, breathe, eat, drive, work, etc. Our left is authoritarian, fascist. And they are also as ungracious as any group of people who have ever held office in America. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yet again embarrassed herself. This is a woman without an iota of grace or class. She has been determined to see President Trump unseated since the day he won the election. She is the wicked witch of the House; all-powerful but losing her grip on her caucus and her sanity; she is melting. She sat grim-faced, working her mouth in odd ways as always, trying to distract from the content of the speech by shuffling papers to make the point that she was not listening. She was purposefully rude. Her behavior should be mortifying to her colleagues but they all behaved in like manner. As the president listed the many successes of his administration so far, the Democrats sat on their hands, refusing to applaud nearly all of the terrific things that have taken place these past three years. They made a point of appearing dismissive of the man and his words. They are very angry that it has been a non-ideological Republican who has achieved so much for so many, doing things Democrats have always promised but never fulfilled, stealing their thunder. Trump's economic policies have brought all demographic groups more jobs and higher wages. No wonder his approval among African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, and youth has grown. They are all better off since he was elected. He has elicited more money for NATO, passed USMCA and begun to even up trade with China, his initial reason for running for the office of president. The most egregiously infuriating aspect of the night was the persistent despicable behavior of the Democrats who were in the room. They acted like small children, infantilized by their hatred of this president and their belief that Americans must be taken care of according to their specifications. They demeaned themselves with their pathetic behavior at an event like this SOTU speech by refusing to acknowledge any of this president's victories. A few of the usual suspects walked out during the speech, a feeble attempt to demonstrate their contempt. They are obviously both angry and embarrassed that their misguided attempt to impeach the president failed. But they should take their rage out on Reps. Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler and Pelosi who truly failed them, not the president. All those Democrats who sat by and watched the Schiff show systematically destroy their own party are to blame for their own demise. Trump will be re-elected in a landslide, with black, Hispanic, gay, and former Democrats in support. He actually is making America great again. And for that, the Democrats sat stone-faced, furious, throughout the speech. They made one thing manifestly clear: They are anti-American, anti-self-reliance, pro-crime, pro-illegal immigration, pro-sanctuary cites for illegal criminals, anti-Second Amendment and anti-American people. Americans have just endured three years of the Democrats' inability to accept the results of the 2016 election and the torment of the costly and phony Russia hoax as well as the Mueller investigation, which was in fact a cover-up scheme. Then Schiff brought us the long-planned Ukraine nonsense. We have all watched Schiff's descent into madness; he is in need of a rubber room with his final ravings, and yet his colleagues still refrain from stopping him from making an ever bigger fool of himself. They have remained silent as he has made their party a laughingstock. Not a single Democrat has had the courage to shout that this wanna-be emperor has no clothes. Schiff's obsession with removing Trump from office is clearly a sign of his mental instability. Trump is going to sell Alaska to Russia! Bring on the straitjacket and an incapacitating agent. When the president's speech was over, Pelosi furiously ripped up her copy of it on camera. Is there a better, more telling act of her anger and disrespect for the office of the presidency? She is a harridan, a blight upon her city, her party and the country. The American Democrat party has become something it was never meant to be: it has morphed into a radically fascist party of autocrats. Certainly not all of them fall into this category but those who do not are cowards. Clearly they are afraid of the tyrants who control the party so they sit quietly by in fear of losing their seats. As we watched them all refuse to applaud the many successes of this administration and the members of the audience Trump celebrated, we should all realize that these people are not on the side of America or Americans. As Pelosi so ungraciously ripped up her copy of the speech on camera, she proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the Democrat party is no longer pro-American, pro-freedom nor pro-democracy. This SOTU speech was a transformative moment. Now we know that only one party represents the American people. The Democrat party as currently constituted, should ship out to Venezuela where they would feel right at home. Image credit: YouTube screen grab A new coming-of-age teen drama is set to air on Netflix towards the end of the month. I Am Not Okay With This is a new sci-fi based on Charles Forsman's comic book of the same name. With The End of the F***ing World director Jonathan Entwistle at the helm and the producers of Stranger Things on board, I Am Not Okay With This has a pretty impressive pedigree already. Here is everything you need to know about the drama. Netflix I Am Not Okay With This release date The series will drop on Netflix on Sunday, February 26, so there is still some time to wait until it launches. It consists of seven half-hour episodes. Who is in the cast? IT and Sharp Objects actor Sophia Lillis stars in the main role of teenager Sydney, who the series follows. Ellis will be joined by fellow IT cast member Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Stanley Barber and Sofia Bryant (The Good Wife) stars as Dina. Kathleen Rose Perkins (Fresh Off the Boat) will play Maggie, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong (The Mission, Falling Water) plays Liam and newcomer Richard Ellis has been cast as Brad Lewis. Is there a trailer for I Am Not Okay With This? There sure is, but it certainly doesn't tell us a lot. Must-see films arriving in February 1 /5 Must-see films arriving in February Birds of Prey February 7 Suicide Squad was an asbolute mess, but the DC movie did give us one good thing Margot Robbies Harley Quinn. The supervillain is back in action for the sequel full name Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). It sees Harley Quinn form an unlikely partnership with heroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to save Gotham from the terrifying crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). Parasite February 7 One of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year arrives this month, with Bong Joon-hos Palme dOr-winning Parasite coming to UK cinemas on Feb 7. Its hot property at this years Oscars with nominations including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film and Best Director. The thrilling satire is vitriolic and visceral, following a poor Korean family who illicitly enter the lives of a rich household by claiming to be highly-educated tutors, before stumbling on something they never could have imagined. Alamy Stock Photo The Kings Man February 14 Kingsman came out of nowhere in 2014 to become one of the most entertaining British action films in years. A 2017 sequel followed, and now director Matthew Vaughan is heading back in time for a prequel. Ralph Fiennes stars in the movie which is set in the early 1900s, and explores the origins of the secret organisation in the lead up to WWI. Expect espionage, epic action and excellent suits. Greed February 21 Steve Coogan is donning a ridiculous set of false teeth for this comedy mockumentary about a high-street fashion tycoon watch the trailer, and take a guess which disgraced businessman its based on from Michael Winterbottom (A Cock and Bull Story, The Trip). Isla Fisher and David Mitchell also star in the film, which along with Armando Iannuccis The Personal History of David Copperfield, could be one of the funniest of the year. All we get is a shot of Stanley Barber pulling up alongside Sydney as she walks down the road, only for him to struggle winding the window of his battered car down as they both stand awkwardly trying to think of something to say. It then cuts to a shot the same car driving through a small town. What is I Am Not Okay With This about? Another busy week in the Unicameral Legislature ended along with the month of January this past Friday. After a full week of hearings in the Agriculture, Business and Labor, and Health and Human Services Committees, extensive floor debate and many lunch or evening events, I capped off the week by speaking at the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. Senators receive a tremendous amount of information from a wide range of resources hoping to educate us about important issues. We hear from constituents like you reading this column and other individuals from around the state. We also are invited to events nearly every day of the week facilitated by organizations looking to spread the message of the work they do throughout the state. This week I or my staff attended informational sessions sponsored by the National Guard Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, Voices for Children, the Nebraska Bankers, Nebraska Cattleman, American Bikers Aiming Towards Education, and the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce. These informational sessions are important functions of our roles as State Senators as we seek to be as informed as possible about how our decisions will affect all of Nebraska. Though Ive developed specialties in the committees Im a part of (listed above) I do appreciate learning more about other areas of policy. I especially appreciate hearing directly from constituents in Legislative District 16 when they come to Lincoln on their own, as a part of some of these organizations, or by contacting our office through phone or email. Two of my bills, LB 312 and LB 381 came up for debate last week. Both bills were carried over after being introduced in the last session. LB 312 would expand opportunities for licensed dental hygienists, specifically in rural areas. We have a shortage of hygienists in rural Nebraska and my hope is this bill will expand access to care throughout the state. The bill was placed on Select File where we will discuss it once more before moving it on to Final Reading. LB 381 would allow the state to move to a per-diem reimbursement process for state employees. Its estimated this bill would save the state substantial amounts of time and money by streamlining efficiencies in process and allowing state employees to spend time on more impactful work duties. This bill was placed on Final Reading where it will be voted on one more time before being sent to the Governor for his signature. We continue to move through bills in committee as efficiently as possible. I encourage you to come testify at a public hearing for any bill you think is of particular interest or importance to you. This 60-day session is going fast and senators have been encouraged to make decisions on choosing a priority bill for the session. Ive narrowed down my potential choices and hope to make a decision soon. As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell. To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org. Sen. Ben Hansen represents District 16 in the Nebraska Legislature. He can be reached at 402-471-2728 or bhansen@leg.ne.gov. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP's central government and said that it would "sell off" everything and what will remain are the detention camps. "BJP will lose Delhi elections. They are losing states but they are shameless. They will sell everything and what will remain are the detention camps," Mamata said at a political workers' meeting of Trinamool Congress here. "They are privatizing Air India, LIC and are even thinking of privatizing Indian Railways. Our money is not secure today," she added. The West Bengal Chief Minister further said that BJP is creating violence in the state and people should keep an eye on their activities. "For the last six years, BJP is in the (central) government but they have not given anything to Bengal. Several of my party workers have been murdered in Nadia. If the BJP thinks that just by creating violence it can win Bengal, the public must keep an eye on them," she said. She hit out at Union Minister Anurag Thakur for his "goli maro" comments, allegedly made against the anti-CAA protesters. "In Shaheen Bagh, women are sitting on protest and even in our state, they are protesting. Earlier, a central minister said that go and shoot them. After saying this how can he hold his position (in Union council of ministers)? It doesn't happen in a democracy that you go and shoot people," she said. "Yesterday in the Lok Sabha, the government said that NRC will not happen. They keep on changing their words. If NPR is the first step to NRC then why will we agree to it?" she added. Banerjee has refused to implement Population Register (NPR) in West Bengal, calling it the first step towards the highly contentious Register of Citizens (NRC) which requires people to prove their citizenship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Foreign Ministry believes that it is necessary to continue putting pressure on Teheran Open source Foreign Ministry of Canada published the appeal on the results of the phone talk between the representatives of Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sweden and the UK with the demand to Iran to observe the international norms and pass the black boxes of downed Ukrainian plane for decryption as the ministry reported. All countries are concerned with Irans failure to release the black boxes. Annex 13 to the Convention on Civil Aviation requires this take place without delay. Iran must release the black boxes immediately as a demonstration of continued willingness to have a full and transparent account of this event, the statement said. Besides, the Canadian side noted that the Transport Minister and Foreign Minister expressed their concern on this issue officially to the International Civil Aviation Organization. The partakers of the talk also agree that it is necessary to continue put pressure on Teheran to secure closure, accountability, transparency and justice for the victims of flight PS752. Furthermore, all participants are committed to finding common ground on legal options for negotiations with Iran regarding its responsibility in this act in order to bring justice, including equal compensation to the families of the victims of flight PS752, the Foreign Ministry noted. Earlier, Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins stated that Ukraine can count on France's assistance if there is a demand for the transportation of PS752 black boxes to France. According to the French ambassador, he has officially informed Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the readiness of Paris to help. January 8, Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines, flight PS752 with 176 passengers aboard crashed in Tehran, not far from Imam Khomeini airport. 11 citizens of Ukraine died in the crash of Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines (PS 752 flight). President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the passenger plane crash in the Iranian capital left no survivors. On January 19, the bodies of the Ukrainians, who died in a plane crash in Iran, were delivered to Ukraine. The farewell ceremony took place at Boryspil Airport from 13.00 to 19.00. We are lucky here in Arlington, the region is lucky, and the state is lucky that we have Mr. Dorsey on the WMATA board, Garvey said at the Jan. 25 meeting. He is an excellent board member and provides outstanding service at no small cost to himself. We really appreciate his work. Enjoying going for long walks, doing yoga together and relaxing with Archie Said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are 'enjoying living a quiet life' in Canada Source told People that the royal couple feel 'a weight has been lifted' for them The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are 'enjoying the quiet life' in Canada and feel that 'a weight has been lifted off their shoulders' after leaving the royal family, a source has told People magazine. Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, are currently living in a 10 million Vancouver Island mansion as they plan their new life outside of The Firm, having stepped back from royal duties in January. A source told People magazine the couple felt their decision to leave had been hanging over them for a long time, but now they feel a 'weight has been lifted off their shoulders'. Another source revealed the couple had quickly adapted to life outside of Britain, saying: 'They are enjoying living a quiet life...They are real homebodies who love to chill out with Archie and the dogs.' A source has revealed Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, are enjoying 'the quiet life' and feel 'a weight has been lifted' now that they have left the royal family (pictured, Prince Harry in Canada with baby Archie) The Duke and Duchess have been residing in the opulent 10million [$14million] Vancouver Island mansion they have used since American Thanksgiving last year. They are said to be 'loving' their life in Canada now they have made their decision to step back from royal duty. A source revealed: 'This decision [to leave] had been weighing on them for a long time, and they are relieved to have it done. A weight has been lifted off their shoulders.' And another source said that Prince Harry 'didn't care' about giving up his royal titles as part of the Megxit deal which was negotiated with the Queen, 93. The source said the Duke and Duchess are enjoying life at home and have become 'homebodies' in Canada as they relax with their son and their dogs (pictured, Meghan Markle with her dogs Guy, and Bogart in 2016) Instead, the couple are believed to be enjoying their time since stepping back from royal duties and making the most of life in Canada. They said they'd been enjoying taking long walks and doing yoga, while Meghan has been cooking. Last month, photographs showed the Duchess carrying her son as she walked through a park near the enormous mansion while wrangling her black Labrador Oz and beagle Guy. The Duchess was visibly enjoying walking in picturesque Horth Hill Park during her stay on Vancouver Island. The couple are believed to feel 'a weight has been lifted' from their shoulders after they decided to quit the royal family (pictured, shortly before the announcement in January) She and Harry took a hike there on New Year's Day, before he flew back to London to sort out the details of their split from the Royal Family. It is now expected they will spend most of their time in North America, meaning Archie will have little contact with his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis or his aunt and uncle, Kate and William. But while they're enjoying their time in Canada, the couple are also laying the groundwork for their own charity foundation. Another friend said the couple were on 'full throttle' and suggested they had big plans for the next year, with 'a lot happening in 2020'. The couple are currently residing at the 10 million mansion on Vancouver Island and are said to be enjoying life in Canada It doesn't seem that the pair will be returning to the UK anytime soon, as last month, it was reported that the couple are 'hoping' to spend their summer in Los Angeles. It was also said that Meghan has been 'actively looking' for a manager or agent for future projects - two years after giving up her acting career to Marry Harry. Meghan quit her role in the US legal drama Suits in 2017 after becoming engaged to the Duke of Sussex and joining the Royal Family as a working member. But the couple have since stepped back as senior royals as they 'work to become financially independent'. As controversies continue over the true identity of the suspect of last Sunday alleged attempt to bomb the Living Faith Church, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, the father of the victim, Mr. Samuel Ezekiel has declared that his sons name is Nathaniel Samuel. He is of Jawara tribe, from Bauchi state. In an interview with DAILY POST in his rented house at Damishi village in the outskirts of Kaduna, in Chikun local government area, the father in the presence of the Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, chairman, Rev. Joseph Hayab, who has also gone to the house to make findings, confessed, Nathaniel was born in 1991. He has been a drug addict in spite of all efforts to make him understand the danger of what he is doing. He has found himself taking drugs and l have been struggling to put him in a right way but he has not been able to understand what l am telling him. That is all l know about him. When asked if Nathaniel has been staying at home, the father responded, It has been long since he left the house and when he came back last weekend, l asked him what was wrong with him seeing him becoming a different person entirely. I discovered that his words were not consistent. He will say one thing and before you know it, he will tell you a different thing. Nathaniel could not tell me where he was coming from because he is not consistent in all that he says. I have been advising him on how to live a good life but he seems not to understand what l am telling him. He came and left last Saturday in the morning. Since he left that morning on Saturday, l did not hear anything about him until on Sunday when l heard what he did and then l was not at home. I learnt policemen came to my house in my absence but before l came back to the house, they had all left. Till date, nobody has come to my house to ask me what happened. It is only this morning being Tuesday, 4th February, 2020, that SSS from Chikun local government came to interview me on what happened and l explained to them what l have just told you. My concern is the lives of those he wanted to destroy if it is true that he carried bomb to the Church. Since l know Nathaniel, he has never been a Muslim but l tell you because of the drugs he takes, l had to take him to Psychiatric hospital, Kaduna for treatment. I could not cope with the expenses because l was not financially able to meet up, l had to take him back home. On his part, the state CAN chairman, Rev. Hayab said, When the matter came up as l said in the previous interviews, there were conflicting reports; report that he said his name is Mohammed Sani, another report that his name is Nathaniel Samuel. What we are concerned with is- was there proper background investigation to know who he is and exactly what is his name is? Now, we clearly stated that we are not interested about his name, tribe, religion and where he comes from but we are interested in the act of criminality that he would have committed and felt should be addressed. Part of our work as CAN is to go beyond making noise, and that is why we went to finding out who is this Nathaniel or Mohammed. Luckily, he said, ln our investigation, someone told me about his father and where his family lives. The good news is that l drove here and fortunately, the father of Nathaniel is someone that l, Rev. Joseph Hayab knows for many years. The story you hear from the father is the challenge of his son, Nathaniel and l believe in Nigeria, we can solve problems by doing a proper background checking. I am sad that the policemen who came to the father of Nathaniel could not be patient to wait to hear the true story of the boy in question, inpatient and sometimes lack of professionalism could cause some problems in the society. Rev. Joseph Hayab appealed to Nigerians to use the situation of Nathaniel to learn. Let us not rush to judgment. We need to really find out if what he was arrested with is actually a bomb, if he has a mental problem and he is holding something that is harmful so that we clear ourselves from a situation of killing one another, he explained. Credit: Daily Post. There is no proposal under consideration to absorb Air India employees in any other government department after the airline's disinvestment, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday. The Central government on January 27 issued a preliminary information memorandum (PIM), initiating the process to divest its entire stake in the national air carrier. "Presently, there is no proposal under consideration for absorption of employees of Air India in any other department post disinvestment," Puri said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of activists at a conference of the Jammu and Kashmir Unity Foundation (JKUF) on Wednesday expressed hope that the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two union territories would lead to a balanced development and peace in the region. The seminar on the topic "unheard voices of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh" here brought together the unrepresented communities including Dogras, Gujjars, West Pakistan refugees, Kashmiri Pandits and Ladakhis, a release issued by the JKUF said. It said the prominent speakers in the seminar were president J and K Ex-Servicemen League Maj Gen G S Jamwal, prominent Muslim intellectual and peace activist Capt (retd) Sikandar Rizvi, chairman Panun Kashmir Ajay Chrungoo, president West Pakistani Refugees Labha Ram Gandhi and senior Ladakhi leader Lobzang Angchuk. "The panelists in unanimous voice said the abrogation of Article 370 is a historical moment and it has dismantled a hegemonic order controlled by Kashmiri Muslims. They said Jammu and Kashmir was never governed on a principle of participation and equality," the statement said. It said the panelists also alleged that the patriotic segments of the population of Jammu and Kashmir belonging to all communities had always been "discriminated and marginalised which led to the growth of separatism and pan-Islamic fundamentalism". "It is an imperative necessity that the new order created by reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir state into two union territories will usher in an era of equality, participative democracy, balanced development and peace," the panelists said. Referring to the abrogation of Article 370 provisions and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories in August last year, president JKUF Ajaat Jamwal said it is time to take stock of things so that the "revolutionary changes" percolate down to the grassroots and governments in the UTs and the Centre are made aware of the currents, cross currents and undercurrents at people's level. "We are all aware that lot needs to be done to clear the mess of the previous hegemonic political order during the past 72 years in the erstwhile state. It is critical government listens to the unheard marginalised people of the UTs. If it is done properly, that will be a sure way of moving into a period of progress, development and peace," he said. Rizvi said the partition of India in 1947 and its impact on Jammu and Kashmir and the "genocide" of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan were "monumental tragedies" which were ignored and denied. "This denial and criminal inability to respond on the part of the political class and the governments of the day led to the growth of separatism and communalism in Jammu and Kashmir. It is high time we correct this approach so that a secular, egalitarian political order emerges in which all people reap the fruits of progress on the principle of equality," he said. Angchuk alleged that the Ladakh region has faced "utmost neglect" during the past 72 years and whatever tourism potential has been exploited is not just an iota of what the region can offer. "Kashmiri leadership exploited the people of Jammu and Ladakh and no opportunities of jobs, employment, development, tourism were provided to us," he alleged, adding Union Territory for Ladakh was the persistent demand of the people of the area and now "we hope to proceed on a path of unprecedented development". Chairman Panun Kashmir Chrungoo said, "The genocide inflicted on Hindus of Kashmir is reversed, measures are taken to prevent the impending genocides in Jammu province and last but not the least, the Dogras are given their due place in the political order of UT." "For the new order to succeed, a free and fair Census of Jammu and Kashmir is a critical necessity because the previous Census in 2011 was nothing less than a fraud," he alleged. Labha Ram Gandhi said the West Pakistani refugees are "experiencing a period of the liberation". "We have suffered for a long time. We have been humiliated for a long time. Now finally we are equal citizens of this nation and we will leave no stone unturned to nourish peace, progress and prosperity of UT," he said. Sohail Malik, youth leader from border district of Poonch, said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir has great hopes in the new political order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 21 people were killed in Bahcesaray, Turkey's province of Van, today when they were struck by a second avalanche as emergency crews worked to rescue victims buried in the snow from a separate avalanche the night before, Turkey's Interior Minister said. Another 15 people were believed to be trapped in the snow, mayor of a Bahcesaray Meki Arvas said. Emergency teams were searching for their colleagues, of whom are members of Turkey's state disaster response agency and its medical rescue team. Arvas said that a rescue team of 300 people had been working to rescue those trapped from the avalanche that swept through the area on Tuesday night, killing five people. Around noon, the rescue team was hit by the second avalanche, broadcaster NTV reported. The Interior Ministry said 30 people had been rescued from the steep slope and were hospitalized. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that 11 rescuers' bodies were retrieved from the snow. The victims included eight military police officers and three government supported village guards. Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said a firefighter was also killed. The first avalanche buried a snow-clearing vehicle as well as a minibus but the operator and all passengers managed to escape alive. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:30:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Wednesday gave the rebels in Syria's Saraqeb city in the northwestern province of Idlib a chance to lay down their weapons and surrender, according to the state news agency. The Syrian army said in a statement the rebels are besieging the civilians in Saraqeb and the Tal Toukan area, noting that these armed men have the chance to lay their weapons down and embark on a reconciliation with the government. The statement said this is the last chance for the rebels. This comes as the Syrian army has made strides in the battle against the rebels in Idlib countryside and has become close to Saraqeb. The main goal behind the Syrian military operation that has been dragging over the past few weeks is to secure the Damascus-Aleppo road. The progress toward Saraqeb comes days after the Syrian forces captured the city of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib, which was the first big achievement toward securing the main Damascus-Aleppo highway. I am hopeful that building iRR into NES Financials Opportunity Zones solution will ensure that funds achieve their impact objectives in communities where theyre needed most. Specialty financial administrator NES Financial announced that it has expanded its social impact reporting capabilities in collaboration with Howard W. Buffett and his advisory firm, Global Impact LLC. Buffett, who is also a professor at Columbia University, recognized the need for a customizable reporting tool that would effectively measure the quality and quantity of impact delivered by a project on a per dollar basis. He developed Impact Rate of Return, or iRR, as an innovative approach to performance measurement and management that enables organizations to calculate how efficient their financial allocations are at accomplishing social impact in Opportunity Zones across the United States. The iRR formula is modeled after the calculation for Net Present Value. Residents and businesses in over 8,700 Opportunity Zones across the United States are counting on investors, developers, and community leaders to bring much-needed economic growth to their neighborhoods in a responsible and measurable way, said Buffett. I have spent the last decade-plus developing a methodology and formula to measure social impact, and have worked with clients from all sectors to help them achieve their impact goals. I am hopeful that building iRR into NES Financials Opportunity Zones solution will ensure that funds achieve their impact objectives in communities where theyre needed most. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by bipartisan Congressional legislation in 2017 to help incentivize economic development and growth in communities previously overlooked by investors. The initiative has grown considerably, with recently released final Treasury regulations and multiple legislative proposals to provide meaningful reporting. Opportunity Zones provide a new incentive to motivate folks in the private sector to invest in low income communities. With cutting-edge measuring capabilities, Opportunity Zone investors can move capital where it is needed most and OZ Funds can achieve the outcomes communities deserve by embracing robust social impact reporting, said U.S. Senator Tim Scott, who championed the Investing in Opportunity Act and recently introduced the expanded bill on Opportunity Zone reporting requirements. Opportunity Zone Funds are qualified private-sector investment vehicles that invest at least 90 percent of their capital into Opportunity Zones (OZs) designated economically distressed areas located across the U.S. The tax incentives associated with OZ funds were developed to foster long-term investment into these areas, with benefits accruing to investors currently and with additional benefits accruing at 5-, 7- and 10-year milestones. The NES Financial Opportunity Zone Fund Administration Solution is the only purpose-built OZ fund administration solution that addresses all the elements of the program and leverages technology to streamline fund administration to enhance the OZ fund experience and attractiveness for investors, facilitate compliance, and ultimately, help the Opportunity Zones program do the good it was meant to do. Impact investors care about real and objective quantitative results, said Reid Thomas, EVP of NES Financial. The iRR tool will help fund managers and investors assess social impact in Opportunity Zones across the country and can be easily implemented as part of our current solution, while now providing up-to-date impact reports for OZ funds. About NES Financial NES Financial is a specialty financial administrator which serves sectors characterized by high administrative complexity, increased transaction security needs, and challenging regulatory compliance requirements. The companys purpose-built solutions streamline the administrative processes of these markets simplifying specialized financial transactions, curtailing fraud and abuse and helping ensure the utmost in security, transparency and regulatory compliance through each step of an investments life cycle. NES Financial, recognized on the San Francisco Business Times top Bay Area fintech list, has defined industry best practices in each of the markets it serves from 1031 exchanges and EB-5 visa funding, to private equity and the landmark Opportunity Zones program. NES Financial services more than 300 funds, administers over $20B annually, and has worked with more than 700 EB-5 projects. For more information, visit nesfinancial.com. About Global Impact LLC Global Impact LLC is an advisory firm that advocates for a more informed, inclusive, accountable, and effective approach for accomplishing greater global impact. The company provides management consulting for impact-oriented program and project strategies, leveraging its proprietary Impact Rate of Return methodology. The firm has been serving clients for over a decade, and works with organizations spanning the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. The companys advisory services are based on the Social Value Investing framework, delivering analysis on the combined financial and social performance of grants and impact investments. The firm utilizes its unique toolsets in order to estimate, track, and report on a broad range of social, environmental, and economic impact. WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Realtors President Vince Malta responded to last night's State of the Union address after President Trump reiterated his support for the opportunity zones program and for bipartisan infrastructure reform. NAR also stressed its ongoing defense of the Department of Labor's Association Health Plans rule following the President's pledge to expand new health care options for American families. "NAR has worked closely with the administration and Congress to ensure successful implementation of Qualified Opportunity Zones and today that program is spurring valuable real estate development in countless underserved communities," said Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco. "Realtors were pleased to hear the President reiterate this commitment, and we look forward to working with the administration in support of these and other bipartisan priorities including infrastructure modernization. "In addition, as legal fights surrounding the DOL's Association Health Plans rule continue, NAR maintains our commitment to defending all potential coverage options for independent contractors, small business owners and the 1.4 million Realtors nationwide. "Ultimately, there is no factor more important to American prosperity, health and stability than its housing market. While we push for numerous policy solutions in 2020, fostering a climate in which the U.S. housing market can continue to strengthen and thereby help further expand the economy will remain NAR's top priority." The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. SOURCE National Association of Realtors Coronavirus surveillance: Regenstrief team creating unique codes for disease tracking INDIANAPOLIS -- As public health leaders from around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, work to contain the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, a team at Regenstrief Institute, an international leader in health information technology, is providing help to track cases of the illness. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a global public health emergency. The Regenstrief team is creating a series of codes to identify the lab tests used to screen patients for the virus. The codes are part of a terminology system, created and maintained at Regenstrief, that is used around the world to identify laboratory and other health observations. The new codes will make it easier to track cases of the 2019 novel Coronavirus in the United States and across the globe. With more complete tracking, health leaders can study the virus and create strategies to address and contain the outbreak. The team also created codes during the Zika and SARS outbreaks, among others. "With novel viruses that appear to be easily transmittable, such as the coronavirus, it is vitally important that all identified cases be reported quickly for public health tracking," said Regenstrief Research Scientist Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S., a global health expert who, through her work at Regenstrief, assists with leading efforts to create and administer the global system that tracks results. "These codes will facilitate the identification of cases, not just from system to system, but from health department to health department and even country to country." The coronavirus was first identified in China. Thousands of people have gotten sick, and illnesses are being reported in a growing number of other countries including the United States. The codes to identify 2019 Novel Coronavirus laboratory testing are part of a universal coding system called Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), which was created at Regenstrief. The international system identifies health measurements, observations and documents. Health systems often have their own format for recording when someone is tested for or diagnosed with a virus or infection, which makes sharing and tracking information between systems difficult. LOINC uses standard terms, allowing data to be collected and facilitating interoperability. This is especially important when outbreaks of diseases occur. ### About Regenstrief Institute Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe. Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission. About LOINC LOINC was created in 1994 at Regenstrief Institute in an effort to facilitate interoperability in healthcare. There was a growing trend to send clinical data electronically between healthcare entities, a practice that is integral today. Today, the LOINC coding system contains more than 92,000 terms for everything from a serum alpha 1 antitrypsin level to a zygomatic arch x-ray report. For each concept, LOINC covers many other rich details, such as synonyms, units of measure, and carefully crafted descriptions. More about Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S. Theresa Cullen M.D., M.S., is the associate director of the Global Health Informatics program and a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute. She also is the interim director of strategic planning and communications for LOINC. In addition to those roles, she is an associate professor of clinical family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A court has found that payment providers working with binary options schemes are liable for the misdeeds of their clients in a judgment that could have implications for troubled tech group iSignthis and potentially Australias big banks. The Federal Court found on Wednesday that companies providing services to vet customer information or to facilitate customer payments could be held responsible for the breaches of their clients. One Tech Media has links to exotic locations such as the Seychelles and Belize, where the laws about corporate governance are nearly non-existent. The finding was part of a judgment handed down by Justice Jennifer Davies in relation to the operators of binary options website TitanTrade, One Tech Media, and the payment companies that aided the international scheme's unconscionable and dishonest conduct. "The evidence plainly showed, in my view, that the paying agency services were an essential part of the trading in binary options through the website," Justice Davies said. Three years ago, the barbarians of ISIS held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS the bloodthirsty killer known as al-Baghdadi is dead. (Applause.) We are joined this evening by Carl and Marsha Mueller. After graduating from college, their beautiful daughter Kayla became a humanitarian aid worker. She once wrote, Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love. I find God in suffering. Ive known for some time what my lifes work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering. In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria, Kayla was kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of al-Baghdadi himself. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, al-Baghdadi murdered young, beautiful Kayla. She was just 26 years old. On the night that U.S. Special Forces Operations ended al-Baghdadis miserable life, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team that so perfectly carried out the operation had given their mission a name: Task Force 8-14. It was a reference to a special day: Aug. 14 Kaylas birthday. Carl and Marsha, Americas warriors never forgot Kayla and neither will we. Thank you. (Applause.) Every day, Americas men and women in uniform demonstrate the infinite depth of love that dwells in the human heart. One of these American heroes was Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake. On his second deployment to Iraq in 2008, Sergeant Hake wrote a letter to his 1-year-old son, Gage: I will be with you again, he wrote to Gage. I will teach you to ride your first bike, build your first sand box, watch you play sports, and see you have kids also. I love you son. Take care of your mother. I am always with you. Daddy. On Easter Sunday of 2008, Chris was out on patrol in Baghdad when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. That night, he made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Sergeant Hake now rests in eternal glory in Arlington, and his wife, Kelli, is in the Gallery tonight, joined by their son, who is now a 13-year-old and doing very, very well. To Kelli and Gage: Chris will live in our hearts forever. He is looking down on you now. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you both very much. The terrorist responsible for killing Sergeant Hake was Qassim Suleimani, who provided the deadly roadside bomb that took Chriss life. Suleimani was the Iranian regimes most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq. As the worlds top terrorist, Suleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault and went on to assault U.S. forces in Iraq. Was actively planning new attacks when we hit him very hard. And thats why, last month, at my direction, the U.S. military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Suleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever. (Applause.) The day-long delay in the reporting of voting results from Monday nights Iowa Democratic caucuses is an unprecedented event, even by the sordid standards of American capitalist politics. For some 20 hours after an estimated 175,000 people had participated in caucus meetings, the Iowa Democratic Party refused to report a single vote, claiming technical difficulties in the app used to report the precinct caucus totals to party headquarters. When partial vote totals were finally released at 4 p.m. Tuesday, local time in Des Moines, it was for only 62 percent of the nearly 1,800 precinct caucuses. State party chairman Troy Price refused to explain how the 62 percent had been selected, or what distinguished these from the 38 percent not yet reported. He brushed aside repeated questions about when a final count would be ready. Whatever the specific intentions of the Iowa state party leaders, every action they have taken in the caucus crisis has been to the detriment of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and to the benefit of former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg. The former naval intelligence officer has been declared the winner of the caucuses by the media because, in the results tabulated for 62 percent of precincts, he placed first in the obscure category of state delegate equivalents, the metric highlighted by the state party. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters in Des Moines, Iowa, February 3, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais] In the same tabulation, Sanders won the most votes, both in the initial count and in the second round after unviable candidatesthose with less than 15 percent supporthad been eliminated. Moreover, much of the unreported vote is from college and factory towns where the Vermont senator posted his best results. It is quite possible that Sanders will also lead in delegate equivalents once a final count is reported. In previous Iowa caucuses, results were tabulated and made public within two hours of voters arriving at the precinct. The candidates proclaimed the winner in the last four contested Iowa caucuses all went on to win the partys nomination: Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, Barack Obama in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. But there were no media headlines Monday night and Tuesday morning about Bernie Sanders winning the most votes in Iowa in 2020. Nor were there blaring headlines about the debacle for former Vice President Joe Biden, once the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, who finished a poor fourth in the tally reported Tuesday afternoon. Biden may actually finish as low as fifth in the final count, since Senator Amy Klobuchar trailed him by only a small margin. It is impossible to say at this point exactly what is behind the delay in reporting from Iowa. However, the claim that all that is involved is a glitch in a reporting appproduced by a highly-connected Democratic Party technology companyraises more questions than it answers. The media, which readily swallows incredible tales about Russian meddling in American politics, was quick to denounce any questioning of the motives for the delay as a conspiracy theory. The whole process is highly suspect and suspicious, ripe for political manipulation. The delay in the Iowa results, moreover, followed by only a couple of days the cancellation of a final poll by the Des Moines Register, after the Buttigieg campaign complained that at least one caller for the telephone survey had omitted their candidates name. The highly influential poll was expected to show a sizeable Sanders lead across the state. It would be naive to separate the alleged technical glitches in the Iowa vote reporting from the broader political context. The weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses were dominated by a concerted campaign against Sanders, which included the intervention of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and other figures in the party establishment, as well as the corporate media, all claiming that the nomination of a self-proclaimed democratic socialist would have disastrous consequences. This anti-Sanders campaign demonstrates that the Democratic Party establishment is just as hostile as Donald Trump to the rising militancy in the working class and the growing support for socialism among both working people and youth. It is not Sanders himself, but this shift to the left among the broad masses that is a nightmare for all factions of the capitalist ruling elite. The Democratic primary campaign has seen the formation of two groups of candidatesa left wing headed by Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren, and a right wing comprised of Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar. Each has drawn the support of about half the partys prospective voters. The US ruling class makes use of the two groups of candidates for different purposes. The Sanders-Warren wing is to contain the leftward movement among workers and youth and divert it back within the confines of the two-party system. The Biden-Buttigieg-Klobuchar wing is to wield the real power within the party, take the nomination, and serve as the replacement for Trump if the ruling class determines that such a change is necessary. The evident crisis of the Biden campaign has led to increasingly heavy-handed efforts to develop some other alternative for the right-wing faction: the huge fundraising for Buttigieg, the media boomlet for Klobuchar, and, most importantly, the entry into the race of billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whose entire campaign is aimed at supplanting Biden and blocking the nomination of Sanders or Warren. Significantly, after the scale of the Biden debacle in Iowa became clear, Bloomberg, who has already spent more than $300 million on campaign ads, announced that he would double his ad buys and double his paid staff in the run-up to the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses on March 3. Bloomberg could well spend $1 billion of his $58 billion fortune to secure for himself enough delegates to play a major role in the Democratic nominating convention. The events surrounding the Iowa caucuses demonstrate the bankruptcy of Sanders claim that it is possible to reform the Democratic Party and even turn it into a vehicle for social reform and a weapon to combat the political influence of the billionaires. The truth is that, no less than the Republican Party, the Democratic Party is a political institution of the capitalist class. There is no more chance of reforming the Democratic Party than of reforming the CIA, the Pentagon or Wall Street itself. The role of Sanders in 2020 is not fundamentally different from the part he played in 2016, when his insurgent campaign ended in his endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the chosen candidate of the bankers and the CIA. His response to the attempt of the Iowa Democratic Party to rig the caucus result was notably low key. He told reporters that it was not fair to suggest that the procedure followed by the state party might be suspect. His closest campaign aide, Jeff Weaver, denounced the Biden campaign for questioning the conduct of the state party. I do want to urge people in the interest of not discrediting the party, that folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results, last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Those results should be rolled out as we get them. The complacency being promoted by the Sanders campaign is staggering. The fact is that on February 4, no one knew the results of the first contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. One can easily envision a situation where on November 4, only nine months from now, the results of the US presidential election as a whole are unknown, or under challenge, or being openly defied by a president who has repeatedly declared his intention to stay in office well beyond the constitutional two-term limit. What is most significant about the crisis over the Iowa caucuses is what it says about the level of crisis within the state apparatus. The United States seems incapable of running an election. As the Democratic Party primaries begin, the Trump impeachment is about to end, a process that has revealed extraordinary conflicts within the ruling class over foreign policy. Underlying everything is a level of social antagonism that cannot be adjudicated electorally. Social tensions are so extreme that the traditional mechanisms of democracy are breaking down. Whatever the outcome, whoever is selected as the Democratic Party nominee, it will resolve nothing. Every effort of the working class to advance its interests within this process is futile. There is only one campaign in the 2020 elections that seeks to alert the American people to these dangers and mobilize the working class and youth in a political struggle against the capitalist class in defense of jobs, living standards and democratic rights, and in opposition to imperialist war. That is the campaign of the Socialist Equality Party and its candidates Joseph Kishore for president and Norissa Santa Cruz for vice president. She is best known for work as a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2004 to 2017. And Alessandra Ambrosio gave a glimpse at what helped her soar to supermodel status as one of the highest-paid models last decade on Tuesday. The Brazilian-born beauty nearly stopped traffic while out taking care of some errands in the Santa Monica neighborhood of Los Angeles. Head turner: Alessandra Ambrosio nearly stopped traffic in a midriff-revealing crop-top sweater while out taking care of errands in the Santa Monica neighborhood of Los Angeles As heads turned, Ambrosio, 38, strutted along the bustling streets while giving more than a hint of his midriff in a white crop-top sweater. The sweater was light enough that gawkers could see the outline of her undergarment and toned figure underneath. She also donned a pair of dark pants that had a bow-shaped belt line that flipped over, enhancing the view of her fab figure. Rounding out the ensemble, Ambrosio wore brown leather boots, dark sunglasses, and had her brown tresses styled long, straight, and with a part in the middle. Flirty: The former supermodel's sweater was light enough that gawkers could see the outline of her undergarment and toned figure underneath On this day, Ambrosio's beau Nicolo Oddi was nowhere in sight. They have been dating since July 2018. The 5ft 9in beauty shares a daughter Anja, 11, and son Noah, seven, with former fiance Jamie Mazur, whom she split with in March 2018 after more than 10-years together. During her hugely successful career she modeled for high-profile brands such as Armani exchange, Next, Chistian Dior and Ralph Lauren Going strong: The supermodel has been dating fashion designer Nicolo Oddi since July 2018 Her 17 year working relationship with Victorias Secret included being the first spokeswoman for their popular PINK line of lingerie. To put her career in perspective: in 2012 she was ranked number six on Forbes' list of highest-paid models, estimated to have earned $6.6 million in one year. Imran Aliev, who had criticized Chechnya's leader, was stabbed repeatedly in a hotel room. An outspoken blogger from Chechnya who had criticized the Russian region's leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been found brutally murdered in France, several of his acquaintances have said, in the latest killing of a Chechen dissident in Europe. Imran Aliev, 44, was found dead late last week in a hotel room in the city of Lille. He had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck. Accounts of Aliev's murder were confirmed by a Chechen opposition journalist who knew Aliev, and by one other Chechen living in Europe who asked not to be named because of concerns for his safety, according to The Guardian. The police have not yet named any suspects, although police sources have told French media that they suspect the motive may be political. Chechens living in exile who have fought or spoken out against Kadyrov the ruthless Chechen leader appointed by Vladimir Putin have often been targeted for assassination. Last year, a former Chechen rebel commander was shot twice in the head in a targeted killing in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten. The suspected assassin is Russian. Read alsoRussia reviving ISIS threat in Europe OSINT group Aliev, who settled in Belgium after leaving Chechnya, was described as an eccentric and divisive figure who often published YouTube videos critical of the Chechen government under the pseudonym Mansur Stariy, or Old Mansur. He had also sparked conflicts by targeting natives of Ingushetia and Dagestan, regions that neighbour Chechnya, in profanity-laced tirades that had earned threats on his life. Those who knew Aliev expressed surprise that he had been targeted because he was seen as a marginal figure suffering from debilitating health issues. The trail of assassinations of prominent Chechens in Europe and the Middle East stretches back more than a decade, and includes former rebel commanders and government critics. Increasingly, the attacks have targeted people who posed no real political danger to Kadyrov, but merely took to Instagram or YouTube accounts to voice their dissatisfaction with Chechnya's leaders in Grozny. "I have no doubt that [Aliev] was on a list of people who have been sentenced to death," said Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a video blogger living in Europe who has received threats from allies of Kadyrov for his criticism on YouTube of Chechnya's government. New Delhi, Feb 5 : A new levy of 1 per cent tax deducted at source (TDS) on e-commerce transactions proposed in the Budget 2020-21 could hurt the working capital of small businesses, Amazon India Country Manager Amit Agarwal said on Wednesday. Speaking at an industry event here, Agarwal said that the government should focus on removing friction and bottlenecks in doing business in India. "Just look at the most recent Budget. There is an introduction of tax collection at source. These seem like harmless papercuts but could really impact the working capital of small businesses," Agarwal said. He further advocated a clear focus on skilling, grassroots entrepreneurship, driving equal opportunity through greater women's participation, as well as artificial intelligence (AI)-backed solutions. He exuded confidence that the bold economic reforms of the last few years and India's rising tech clout globally, backed by the success of Aadhaar, UPI and other initiatives, will help the country scale new highs. In her second Union Budget presented on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman proposed a new levy of 1 per cent TDS on e-commerce transactions. The provision, however, is applicable where the seller's gross amount of sales during the previous year via e-commerce amounts to more than Rs 5 lakh. Kolkata police on Wednesday evening arrested two men accused of involvement in running over a 50-year old man late last night in the city and seized the ambulance they were driving. The case, however, took a new twist with the daughter-in-law of the victim claiming today that the men in the ambulance had tried to abduct her minutes before running over her father-in-law. While the police was trying to verify the fresh claims, it succeeded in arresting the 26-year old driver of the ambulance and his suspected accomplice, a 20-year old resident of Bishnupur in the South-24 Parganas district. Around midnight on Tuesday, a resident of Christopher Road in Tangra area of the city was hit by an ambulance on Govinda Khatik Road in the same locality, while returning home after attending a marriage ceremony. He was taken to the state-run NRS Hospital with multiple injuries but could not survive. On Wednesday morning, his daughter-in-law lodged a complaint with Tangra police station alleging the same ambulance had tried to abduct her minutes before. Those boarding the ambulance shouted lift her, lift her the moment it approached me. As I shouted, my father-in-law and uncle-in-law, who were a few metres ahead of me, came rushing to my rescue. While my uncle-in-law dragged me to a safe distance, the ambulance hit my father-in-law and sped away, the woman told journalists on Wednesday after lodging the police complaint. The police had registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the driver of the unidentified ambulance. Before starting a fresh FIR on the basis of the womans complaint, we need to understand why she did not make this allegation on Tuesday night itself, said a police officer involved in the investigation. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Murli Dhar said, A complaint has been received. The case is being investigated. Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) on Monday said that a vulnerability in its android application might have been exploited by "state-backed actors" in Iran, Israel, and Malaysia. What Happened The vulnerability made it possible for anyone to generate random phone numbers and match them to Twitter users by using a functionality that is meant to allow new users to find people on the platform they know using their phone numbers. It was discovered by security researcher Ibrahim Balic, who managed to match 17 million phone numbers to Twitter users, TechCrunch reported December last year. Twitter now said that it had concluded an investigation launched into the matter after it "became aware" of the issue on December 24. The social media company said that while the accounts exploiting the vulnerability were spread across the world, there was a "particularly high volume of requests coming from individual IP addresses located within Iran, Israel, and Malaysia." "It is possible that some of these IP addresses may have ties to state-sponsored actors," it added. Why It Matters Twitter said that it had fixed the glitch so that no specific user names are returned in response to phone numbers being entered into the search box on its platform. It also said that it had suspended user accounts involved in such behavior. There has been an increased focus on internet giants when it comes to protecting the privacy of users. As noted by TechCrunch, earlier Twitter has often admitted to data privacy violations, including using the phone numbers provided by users for two-factor authentication on its platform to serve targeted ads. The Jack Dorsey-led company has also admitted to sharing more data with third-parties than needed. Price Action Twitter's shares closed 1.82% higher at $33.07 on Monday. The shares traded slightly lower at $32.88 in the after-hours market. 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Fishing bans in place in Fiji are to protect marine biodiversity: Executive head by Elenoa Turagaiviu February 05,2020 | Source: FBC Bans put in place by the Fiji Ministry of Fisheries to better protect our marine biodiversity still remain. This was reiterated to villagers on Yadua Island in Bua by Roko Tui Bua Ratu Waisake Tuisese yesterday. The bans include the use of underwater breathing apparatus, harvest, and sale of beech-de-mer, the ban on Kawakawa and Donu between June to September and poaching. Tuisese says these bans are imposed to improve the sustainability of the marine biodiversity in our fishing grounds. He is encouraging villagers and those living along the coast and the maritime islands to support this initiative. Tuisese was at Yadua Island to handover a solar freezer to the fishermen on the island. 2018-19 Fijian Broadcasting Corporation Limited Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. New York, NY, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tech-based franchise development CEO and now Multi-Unit Franchisee, Joshua Kovacs, has his sights set on bringing gourmet coffee to offices throughout Northern Virginia and DC. Xpresso Delight and Kovacs inked a deal to acquire franchise rights from an existing franchisee in DC as well as expand into Northern Virginia, Kovacs home state. This new deal will see the 200+ Unit brands continued expansion throughout the DC Metro area and into the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ram Dasari, the previous DC franchisee, successfully sold his business to Kovacs in January 2019 after little more than a year in operation. My strategy was to build up a recurring revenue business and then exit. Im excited to close a deal with Joshua Kovacs and look forward to his success in the DC Metro, said Ram. Joshua Kovacs, CEO of Oakscale Franchise Development, is well acquainted with the Xpresso Delight brand. His development leadership has seen the brand evolve its franchise model and bring on 21 new franchise units in just over a year. I have worked in the franchise industry non-stop from the time I was 18, contributing to the growth of really exciting industry leading brands from a variety of sectors including Engineering For Kids and The Halal Guys. I have never been more excited about a brand as I have been with Xpresso Delight. The economics of the franchise and vision of their CEO Nigell Lee just made too much sense for me to sit on the sidelines, said Joshua Kovacs. Nigell and the team are outstanding executives, and their vision for gourmet coffee in the workplace is about as addictive as their coffee. Weve already hit the ground running and established a new account in our first week of operation. I'm excited to have a great team in place to operate the DC territory. Joshua partnered with his father, Mike Kovacs, and long time friend Tyler Burdett. Joshua will manage the business from New York City while Mike and Tyler manage local operations in DC. They have ambitions to grow the business to 140 Xpresso Delight machines in just 3 years. Tyler Burdett, a previous Operations Manager for Wawa and now General Manager for Xpresso Delight DC offered his thoughts on the opportunity: Story continues As someone with experience providing coffee to hundreds of thousands of people on their way to work, it made complete sense to get into the leading business that is bringing great coffee into the workplace. Xpresso Delight is offering an industry leading product that is easily 10 years ahead of others in this space. Xpresso Delight is the worlds largest coffee service franchise with 200+ franchise units sold worldwide. Listed as one of the top 20 Franchises of 2019 by Franchise Help, Xpresso Delight provides an automated cafe service to offices, capitalizing on the dynamic market shift toward companies providing better amenities for employees. Xpresso Delight is looking for qualified franchise partners in the U.S. The brand has 23 franchises sold in the United States, primarily along the East Coast and most recently in Chicago. Over the next five years, the brand intends to have strong franchise partners in each of the 50 major business cities, including Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, and Miami. Xpresso Delight has exclusively partnered with Oakscale, a New York-based franchise development company, for its development strategy and efforts. Attachment Joe Sexton Oakscale 9165242046 joseph@oakscale.com A new handheld 3D printer can deposit sheets of skin to cover large burn wounds -- and its "bio ink" can accelerate the healing process. The device, developed by a team of researchers from the University of Toronto Engineering and Sunnybrook Hospital, covers wounds with a uniform sheet of biomaterial, stripe by stripe. The bio ink dispensed by the roller is composed of mesenchymal stroma cells (MSCs) -- stem cells that differentiate into specialized cell types depending on their environment. In this case, the MSC material promotes skin regeneration and reduces scarring. The project is led by PhD candidate Richard Cheng, under the supervision of Professor Axel Guenther, and in close collaboration with Dr. Marc Jeschke, director of the Ross Tilley Burn Centre, and his team at Sunnybrook Hospital. Their successful in-vivo trials on full-thickness wounds are reported in the journal Biofabrication. The paper is a major step forward for the team, which unveiled the first prototype of the skin printer in 2018. The device was believed to be the first device of its kind to form tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place in two minutes or less. "Previously, we proved that we could deposit cells onto a burn, but there wasn't any proof that there were any wound-healing benefits -- now we've demonstrated that," says Guenther. The current method of care for burns is autologous skin grafting, which requires transplantation of healthy skin from other parts of the body onto the wound. But large, full-body burns pose a greater challenge. Full-thickness burns are characterized by the destruction of both the outermost and innermost layers of the skin; these burns often cover a significant portion of the body. "With big burns, you don't have sufficient healthy skin available, which could lead to patient deaths," says Jeschke. Since 2018, the printer has gone through 10 redesigns, as the team moves towards a design they envision surgeons using in an operating room. The current prototype includes a single-use microfluidic printhead to ensure sterilization, and a soft wheel that follows the track of the printhead, allowing for better control for wider wounds. Next, Cheng says that they ultimately want to "further reduce the amount of scarring, on top of helping with wound healing. Our main focus moving forward will be on the in-vivo side." Jeschke believes the handheld skin printer could be seen in a clinical setting within the next five years. "Once it's used in an operating room, I think this printer will be a game changer in saving lives. With a device like this, it could change the entirety of how we practice burn and trauma care." The key verdict is the one rendered by the court of public opinion. According to the venerable Gallup Organization, Trumps approval rating was a dismal 39 percent around the time news broke of his shady dealings with Ukraine. The last president below 40 percent at that point in his first term was Jimmy Carter, who was bounced after one term. By the end of the impeachment debacle, though, Trump was at 49 percent the highest level of his presidency so far and at least three points higher than President Barack Obama could claim in early February of his reelection year. Its the reign of remakes and looks like John Abrahm too has joined the brigade in 2020. According to reports, John Abraham will star in the remake of the 2015 hit film, Vedalam, starring Thala Ajith, Shruti Haasan, Lakshmi Menon and Rahul Dev. John Abraham will be seen in the lead role in this action-packed film and will start shooting for it soon. Reports say that though the female actors are not finalised the makers are looking out for strong performers to play the leading parts. As per reports, The team will go on recce in a couple of months. The idea is to shoot on real locations to capture the local flavour. A small portion will be canned outside the city as well. Bhushan Kumar will produce the film. This year, there are a series of remakes waiting to release on the big screen. After the success of Kabir Singh, Shahid Kapoor will be seen in the remake of Jersey. Akshay Kumar will star in Laxxmi Bomb, which releases this Eid. And now John Abraham is all set to step into Thala Ajiths shoes and make 2020 one action-packed year for Bollywood lovers. The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Ahmed Amshi as the chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission. President Muhammadu Buhari had, in December 2019, sought his confirmation and of other members of the commission. The Senate also confirmed members of the commission. They include Babagana Modu (member), AbubakarTutare (member), Hakeem Akamo (member), Tunrayo Akintomide (member), Atanmeyo Francis (member) and Bassey Etuk (member). Others are Yusuf Shinkafi (member), Sani Saidu, (member), Julius Ucha (member), Awual Aliyu (member) and Muazu Bisha (member). The lawmakers, however, stood down the confirmation of Nnamdi Anyaehie who was appointed as a member of the commission. The chairman of the Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Ibrahim Shekarau, informed the Senate that the said nominee did not a show up for screening because he declined the nomination. He recommended that the executive appoint somebody else to fill his spot. For the other nominees, he said the committee was satisfied with their performance and experience. The Senate also confirmed the nomination of Adeolu Akande as the chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Uche Onwude as a member. This was sequel to the presentation of the report of the Senate committee on communications which recommended that they be confirmed. The celebration, held in Abu Dhabi, was attended by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in support of the Committee's efforts towards realizing the aspirations of the Document of Human Fraternity. Commencing the event, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam addressed faith leaders, cultural leaders and students attending from around the world in video messages in which they reiterated their commitment to the aspirations of the Human Fraternity Document. In their addresses, they also expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for the great support provided to the Higher Committee's effort. In his speech in the event, Sheikh Abdullah said, "We were honoured to host the signing of the Document of Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirate's capital, Abu Dhabi, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. This is a reflection of our commitment to its values which are well founded in our national and international strategy. The Document of Human Fraternity has also been included in our school curricula, and we will continue to support initiatives intended to spread the values of tolerance and understanding among all people, including the work of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. "We are honoured to host the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, and we encourage countries and international agencies to include the Document's values and objectives in their development programmes and initiatives. "I'm also honoured to announce the continuation of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, which was launched last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and was bestowed on the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb and Pope Francis, in recognition of their efforts to empower communities and inspire individuals on issues of fraternity and peace. The annual award will recognise those who unite for the good of humanity and reach out to one another in service of promoting human fraternity across the world. "The Document says, 'This Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will.' This is an invitation to everybody, regardless of their race or religion, to rally around values of Human Fraternity. We encourage everybody to uphold and adopt these values, especially the younger generations that helped in the emergence of this event." During the celebration event, the Higher Committee members took part in a panel discussion, updating on their strategy to realize the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity, including the Higher Committee's emphasis on engaging youth and educators. Focusing on future generations has been one of the organization's central aims since it was established, and a number of youth representatives attended the celebration event. In addition, the Committee has been instrumental in facilitating a forum, which took place in Abu Dhabi earlier in the day, bringing together over 150 students, religious leaders, and cultural leaders from around the world to engage in dialogue and hear from leaders of initiatives that exemplify human fraternity. Looking ahead, while engaging with young leaders and students to instill the values of human fraternity will be a key focus for the organization, the Committee will also encourage initiatives that serve humanitarian causes tailored to global leaders and to vulnerable populations in those communities. With its global focus, the organization aims to galvanize action on issues of peace and human fraternity across Art & Media, Community, Policy-Making, and Education. The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity includes nine members from the UAE, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the US, and Bulgaria. The members are: Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See; Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, General Secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity; Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation; Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Personal Secretary to His Holiness Pope Francis; Professor Mohamed Hussein Mahrasawi, President of Al-Azhar University; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture Abu Dhabi; Dr. Sultan Faisal Al Remeithi, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders; Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO; and Yasser Hareb, an Emirati writer and TV presenter. The Higher Committee's core mission is to inspire the values of human fraternity among people of different faiths, backgrounds, and nationalities across the world. It is acting on the aspirations outlined in the Document of Human Fraternity by holding meetings with religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and others to encourage actions that will create a more peaceful world for all humankind. Most recently the Committee met the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and other senior UN representatives, to present plans for the Abrahamic Family House, one of the first projects the Committee is advising on, and discuss the group's future plans. Following the meeting, the Secretary General agreed to share the Human Fraternity Document with the 194-member states of the UN so they can benefit from the principles and values it sets out. About the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is an an independent body of religious leaders, educational scholars and cultural figures from across the world whose purpose is to inspire the values of human fraternity among all people. The committee will steward the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity across the world by holding meetings with religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and others to encourage actions that will create a more peaceful world for all humankind. The Committee will also work alongside legislative authorities to inspire national legislation that reinforces the values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. It will also oversee a variety of initiatives that aim to deliver on the aspirations of the Document of Human Fraternity, such as the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith center to be built in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity currently includes nine members from the UAE, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the US, and Bulgaria. For more information, please visit www.forhumanfraternity.org Link to Press Pack Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086600/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086601/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086602/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_3.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086603/Celebration_of_Human_Fraternity_4.jpg SOURCE Higher Committee for Human Fraternity Related Links https://www.forhumanfraternity.org/ VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 4, 2020 / Chemesis International Inc. (CSE:CSI)(OTCQB:CADMF)(FRA:CWAB) (the "Company" or "Chemesis"), is pleased to announce, further to its news release dated January 27, 2020, that the Puerto Rico Department of Health (the "DHPR"), as a result of the previously announced favourable judgment from the Puerto Rico Superior Court, San Juan (the "Decision") (please see the news release dated January 17, 2020), has reinstated all cannabis cultivation and cannabis manufacturing licenses (the "Licenses") held by its subsidiary, Natural Ventures PR, LLC ("Natural Ventures"). The Decision, which is still under appeal, found that such abeyance of the Licenses was invalid and unconstitutional and nullified such action. The Company notes that, at the current time, the Licenses have been reinstated to being operational, and that Natural Ventures is permitted to carry out the licensed activities under the Licenses. The Company will provide further updates as appropriate. On Behalf of The Board of Directors Edgar Montero CEO and Director About Chemesis International Inc. Chemesis International Inc. is a vertically integrated U.S. Multi-State operator with International operations in Puerto Rico and Colombia. The Company focuses on prudent capital allocation to ensure it maintains a first mover advantage as it enters new markets and is committed to differentiate itself by deploying resources in markets with major opportunities. The Company operates a portfolio of brands that cater to a wide community of cannabis consumers, with focus on quality and consistency. Chemesis has facilities in both Puerto Rico and California. The Company is positioned to win additional licenses in highly competitive merit-based US states and will expand its footprint to ensure it maintains a first mover advantage. Investor Relations: ir@chemesis.com 1 (604) 398-3378 Social Media: Chemesis.facebook Chemesis.twitter Chemesis.instagram DesertZen.instagram GreenSpiritRX Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to statements regarding the Company's business, products and future of the Company's business, its product offerings and plans for sales and marketing, the outcome of the appeal, its plans to continue to develop dispensaries in Puerto Rico, and its ability to obtain licenses in additional jurisdictions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance and developments to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks that the Decision may be successfully appealed by the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the appeal may not be resolved promptly, that the Company's products and plan will vary from those stated in this news release and the Company may not be able to carry out its business plans as expected, including, but not limited to, in relation to developing dispensaries in Puerto Rico, and its ability to obtain licenses in additional jurisdictions. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information in this news release. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and makes no reference to profitability based on sales reported. The statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release SOURCE: Chemesis International Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575266/Chemesis-International-Inc-Provides-Corporate-Update Superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday threw his weight behind the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and asserted that the legislation did not pose any threat to Muslims while backing the National Population Register exercise as "very essential." In his first reaction after the amendment to the Citizenship Act and nation wide protests against it, the top actor also sought to dispel misgivings about the National Register of Citizens saying the government was yet to make up its mind about it. On the CAA, the 69-year-old actor wondered as to how Muslims, who chose to stay back in India following partition will be sent out of the country. While a chunk of the Muslim population chose Pakistan, others decided to continue to live and die in India since it was their nation of birth, the "janma bhoomi" and they have all their rights in the country, he asserted. "A scare is created as if the CAA is a threat to Muslims. How it is a threat to Muslims ? CAA is no threat to Muslims, if they face trouble (due to the law), I will be the first person to raise voice for them," he told reporters here. Notably, the actor, who is expected to foray into politics has taken a stand contrary to that of his friend and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan, who has staunchly opposed the CAA. READ: DMK Workers Protest Against Rajnikanth's Statement MNM is among the parties who have filed petitions against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the apex court. Rajinikanth, who is likely to float his party ahead of the Assembly elections next year also pointed out that the central government has assured that Indian people will have no problem in view of the Citizenship Amendment Act. The government has said that no citizen will lose their citizenship and the law was only about bestowing citizenship to those from our neighbouring countries, he pointed out. Asked on the CAA not granting citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils in India, he said the Tamil refugees who have been here for about three decades must be given dual citizenship. "Tamil refugees who are here must be definitely given dual citizenship," he said echoing the stand of the ruling AIADMK government. The DMK, main opposition in Tamil Nadu, has been citing non-inclusion of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees as one of the reason for its opposition to the CAA. Alleging that some political parties were instigating people against CAA for their selfish interests, he also blamed religious leaders for supporting protests against the law and dubbed it "very wrong." Cautioning students against taking part in protests, he urged them to think, and solicit advise from their professors and elders before participating since political parties may try to "use them." In the event of police filing FIRs against students (if they took part in protests and in case of any unlawful happenings in that connection), their future may be affected which needed to be borne in mind, he said. Backing the National Population Register exercise, he said the drive is "very, very essential," and added that it was very important and the Congress-led government had also done it in the past. Asserting that the NPR process should be taken up, he asked whether it should not be ascertained who the residents of India were and who were not. On National Register of Citizens, he said, "it is not implemented yet and they (the Centre) are thinking about it; its contours will be known when they come up with a draft (framework) for it." Update: Peter Williston was convicted late Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2020 A former Birmingham police lieutenant charged with raping his stepdaughter said he only slept with her to solve a problem she presented to him. Peter Williston, 50, is charged with first-degree rape. He took the stand in his own defense Wednesday. I recognize it was disgusting and inappropriate, Williston said during his testimony. I was an adult. I should have known better. Jefferson County Deputy District Attorneys Jessica Hebson and Jason Wilson argued Williston, who resigned from the Birmingham Police Department after his arrest in 2018, used his authority as the victims stepfather-- and as a law enforcement officer-- to force the then-teen to have sex with him. The stepdaughter testified Tuesday that the sexual encounters began when she was 14 and in the ninth grade. The former cop said he first met the victim when she was three and he was dating her mother; Williston and the victims mother married when she was six years old. Williston admitted to having sex with his stepdaughter, but said he didnt start the relationship until she was 16--the age of consent in Alabama. Williston also said the sexual relationship was a mutual agreement between he and the teen. Williston said his stepdaughter, now a 26-year-old mother of three, approached him when she was 16, in the spring of 2010, about a problem she was having at school. Williston said he offered to assist her with that problem, and the two entered into a mutual agreement that Williston would assist his stepdaughter with any sexual needs she had, he said. If the victim had sex with Williston, he said, she wouldnt have to worry about her problem at school. He was 40 years old at the time. I knew that it was not the best thing to do, Williston said. The step daughter had testified Tuesday that the sexual abuse began several days after she and her then-boyfriend were alone in the basement and things got serious. After forcing her to break up with the boy, she said, Williston came to her. He said he wanted to have sex with me so I wouldnt have sex with other people and get pregnant, she testified. The stepdaughter took several days to think about the arrangement, Williston testified, but later told him that if the sexual encounters would solve her issue, she would be interested. They first had sex several days later. Williston said he and his stepdaughter only had normal, standard sex, and did not use any sex toys or devices, or have oral sex. The relationship lasted until the fall of 2010, Williston said, and they had sex once a week or once every two weeks until that point. He first told prosecutors he was never physically or sexually attracted to his stepdaughter, but then said after she turned 16, there may have been occasions when he was attracted to her during sex. The relationship stopped because the stepdaughter told Williston her problem was solved and she didnt want to continue, he said. Williston said he never forced her to have sex with him, and he never used his position as a police officer to force her to have sex. The victim wasnt afraid of him, Williston said, but was only afraid of her mother finding out. In 2012, Williston said the stepdaughter told her mother about the sexual relationship. He admitted that, in one conversation about the relationship with his wife, he stormed off. I didnt storm off because of the anger (at the stepdaughter or wife) I stormed off because of anger towards myself, Williston said on the stand. The stepdaughter still lived in the family home with Williston, her mother, and Willistons two children after revealing the sexual relationship to her mother. After she graduated from high school that May, Williston said she continued to live at home and gave birth to her first child. She eventually moved out in 2013, relocating to Georgia with her husband and child. The victim, her husband, and children returned to the Williston household years later, after her husband left the military because of an injury. She reported the incidents to Morris police in May 2018 because she said she feared for the safety of other juveniles in the home. Several of Willistons claims during his testimony directly conflicted with the victims testimony from Tuesday; she said the sex started when she was 14 and lasted until 2011 and that it happened several hundred times. The victim has never claimed Williston physically hurt her. Williston was a 17-year-old veteran of the Birmingham Police Department when he was arrested in June 2018. He was taken into custody after being discharged from UAB Hospital, where he was admitted for several days and underwent psychiatric evaluation amid suicide concerns after charges against him became public. Before being placed on leave, Williston was serving as the interim commander of the citys East Precinct. Prior to that, Williston served as the departments public information officer. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace is presiding over the case. Before testimony Wednesday, he upheld the states rape shield law that prevents any evidence or testimony concerning the victims prior sexual behavior or relationships. Attorney Scott Morro is representing Williston. The defense rested its case after his testimony Wednesday, and the case is expected to be given to the jury by Wednesday afternoon. DES MOINES, Iowa - Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders sat atop the field Tuesday in partial returns from the Iowa caucuses, which left the contest unresolved and the Democratic presidential race in turmoil more than 24 hours after the votes were cast. The results reflected just 62% of returns, owing to a computer malfunction and other difficulties, with no word from the state party when the final outcome would be known. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., narrowly led Vermont Sen. Sanders 27% to 25% in state delegates awarded - the standard measure of victory in Iowa - followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 18%, former Vice President Joe Biden with 15% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar with 13%. No other candidate had double-digit support. In a separate measure, Sanders led Buttigieg in the popular vote by 1,190 ballots, followed by Warren, Biden and Klobuchar. ADVERTISEMENT The results, should they stand up, would be a setback for Sanders, who nearly won the state four years ago and appeared to have the most momentum, and a big victory for Buttigieg, who a year ago was a political unknown with a hard-to-pronounce name and no political success beyond his hometown. "It's just an extraordinary validation for our belief that we can unify people," Buttigieg said Tuesday on CNN after a New Hampshire campaign stop. "It amounts to a remarkable victory for our campaign and message." For now, however, Iowa's full impact - like the outcome - remains to be seen. As the place where the first ballots of the 2020 campaign were cast, the state was supposed to add clarity to the Democratic contest by thinning the field and hinting at the direction - ideological, generational - voters wished to pursue. Instead, it compounded the confusion and unleashed a fresh round of finger-pointing and acrimony. Candidates and their supporters were furious at the Iowa Democratic Party for its handling of the results. Iowa Democrats were angry at the national party for insisting on new ways of reporting the outcome. Opponents of Sanders blamed him for the mess, noting he demanded changes after losing Iowa to Hillary Clinton. Backers of Sanders accused the party establishment of plotting once more to thwart him. For many Democrats, it was a worrisome sign of unraveling at a time they hoped to start narrowing their choices to determine who could best take on President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENT "Democrats need to take a long, hard look at what happened," said Carrie Giddens, a professor of political writing at American University and a veteran of two Democratic campaigns in Iowa. "If we don't learn from last night, from low turnout to the computer debacle, we have the potential to be in trouble for November." Not surprisingly, Trump and fellow Republicans took glee in the upheaval, suggesting the breakdown was symptomatic of the party's larger failings. "The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster," the president tweeted. "Nothing works, just like they ran the Country." Free-spending Democratic billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is skipping Iowa and other early-voting states to focus on California's March 3 primary and beyond, saw opportunity. The former New York City mayor announced a dramatic expansion of his staff and an increase in his already voluminous TV advertising. "After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever," said Sabrina Singh, a Bloomberg spokeswoman. "No one has made the sale or even come close to it." With no clear winners, or losers, candidates stepped into the vacuum and sought to use the disarray to their advantage. Before the party issued its partial returns, the Sanders and Buttigieg campaigns released their own favorable tabulations. Tom Steyer, the billionaire political activist, could hardly suppress a broad grin on MSNBC even as he acknowledged "the system had a very bad night." Although he finished far back in Iowa's partial returns, he said the race had cracked "wide open." While the candidates moved on to New Hampshire, which holds the first primary next Tuesday, Iowa Democrats struggled to figure out what went wrong and deal with the aftermath. ADVERTISEMENT "It is horrific. It is embarrassing," said Kurt Meyer, the Democratic Party chairman for three rural counties in northern Iowa. "I know a lot of people across the country and I have gotten lots of emails, lots of texts, lots of calls, lots of Facebook messages saying what the hell is going on?" At a brief news conference Tuesday, state chairman Troy Price apologized, said the counting delay was "unacceptable" and committed to an independent review. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the state's Republican governor and two U.S. senators joined Democrats in defending the state's privileged place at the start of the campaign calendar, which has served Iowa tremendously well, both economically and politically, for nearly a half century. "It's an entire industry, not just a political event," said Craig Robinson, a GOP strategist who helped run the 2008 Republican caucuses. "I'm afraid we might have seen the end of it. It's always a fight to keep it, even when we nail it." At the center of the mishap was a computer application intended to help tally results, which will apply toward allocating delegates to the summer's national nominating convention. Democrats throughout the state reported problems working with the app and difficulty phoning in results. In Nevada, which votes next after New Hampshire on Feb. 22, party leaders insisted Iowa's troubles would not be repeated, though the formula for determining the winner is far more complex than the one used here. "We will not be employing the same app or vendor," Democratic Chairman William McCurdy II said. "We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems, and are currently evaluating the best path forward." Iowa party officials were required to report three sets of numbers: how many people supported each candidate, how many supported each candidate once laggards were dropped and voters realigned, and the number of delegates each candidate netted. "What happened is partly our fault," said Dave Nagle, a former congressman and Iowa Democratic Party chairman, who has spent nearly 40 years defending the caucuses. "But part of the fault lies with the (Democratic National Committee). The DNC asked to us to do more than we could and we foolishly agreed to do it so we could stay first." Unlike elections run by government officials, the caucuses are staffed by volunteers. The more complex reporting system appeared to overwhelm many of them and spotty cellphone service contributed to the problem. John Grennan, co-chair of the Poweshiek County Democrats, said the difficulties were no surprise given the trials beforehand. "They had all these issues," Grennan said. "We were supposed to be getting invitations to use it. The invites would never arrive." The communications that Grennan did receive were confusing, he said. Others leading their caucuses reported error messages when attempting to upload results; some were unable to get the app installed at all. Compounding the anger at Iowa - a perennial target of jealousy for its early-voting position - was the troubled history of recent caucuses. In 2012, Republicans wrongly crowned Mitt Romney the victor on caucus night. More than two weeks later, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was declared the winner but by then Romney was on his way to the nomination. Four years later, Democratic Party leaders were unable to track down tallies in several precincts, meaning they could not officially name Clinton the winner until more than half a day after the caucuses ended. Iowans are used to attacks on the caucuses, but many were resigned to finally losing the fight and surrendering the lead-off role when the balloting begins in 2024. Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political scientist who has written extensively about the caucuses, suggested all may not be lost. "Forty-eight states dislike the position of Iowa and New Hampshire," he said. "But until they can agree on which would replace them in the process" it may be difficult to elbow either aside. --- (Times staff writers Seema Mehta in Des Moines and Jeff Bercovici in Los Angeles contributed to this report.) --- (c)2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Miuccia Prada and her staff must undergo sensitivity training as per an agreement with the fashion brand and the New York City Commission on Human Rights Italian fashion powerhouse Miuccia Prada, her husband and the entire Prada staff will undergo sensitivity training after the company was blasted for featuring blackface imagery in a New York City window display in 2018. As per a tentative settlement agreement with the New York City Commission on Human Rights, Prada will provide sensitivity instruction - including 'racial equity training' - for all New York employees. Executives in Milan are also expected to undergo the coaching as their decision making had impacts for the New York store, the New York Times reports. That means besides the 70-year-old fashion icon, her husband - Prada chief executive Patrizio Bertelli - will undergo training. Carlo Mazzi, Prada's chairman, must also participate. 'We share the New York City Commission on Human Rights' commitment to ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented and respected, and we are pleased that our diversity and inclusion initiatives are aligned with their vision for a more equitable, inclusive industry,' said a spokeswoman for Prada. In December of 2018, civil rights lawyer Chinyere Ezie took Prada to task when she shared the 'offensive' window display on social media The images continued inside the store as various images were included on purses and other accessories At the time of her post in 2018, Ezie claimed that she had asked a Prada employee about the blackface and she said that she was told that 'a black employee had previously complained about blackface at Prada, but he didn't work there anymore' Ezie shared that the store was filled with the jarring imagery 'Prada is gratified to have been able to collaborate with the New York City Commission on Human Rights on a mutually agreeable conclusion.' The commission - tasked with overseeing the city's human rights laws as they apply to housing, retail establishments and other areas - has been in talks with Prada over the past year. The two signed the settlement deal on February 4. In December of 2018, civil rights lawyer Chinyere Ezie took Prada to task when she shared the 'offensive' window display on social media. The images continued inside the store as various images were included on purses and other accessories. Prada's husband - Prada chief executive Patrizio Bertelli (left) - will undergo training. Carlo Mazzi (right), Prada's chairman, must also participate. The incident would occur just months before the infamous Gucci sweater was slammed for its seemingly blackface-looking cut-out. At the time of the backlash, Prada took to Twitter to apologize for the characters and shared that they were 'imaginary.' They denied discrimination and shared that they abhorred 'racist imagery.' Prada was sent a 'cease and desist' letter from the commission in December 2018 after they saw Ezie's tweets. On January 4, Ezie filed an official complaint with the commission. At the time of the backlash, Prada took to Twitter to apologize for the characters and shared that they were 'imaginary' They denied discrimination and shared that they abhorred 'racist imagery' A Prada spokeswoman said they were 'surprised' to hear from the commission at the time, given how they had worked to address the issue. 'We closely collaborated with the NYCCHR and proactively addressed many of their recommendations well in advance of our agreement being finalized,' the spokeswoman added. Company's who have been slammed for racial insensitivity Companies facing backlash for their insensitive imagery has become an increasing norm in the last few years. While the initial Prada incident happened at the end of 2018, another fashion brand faced the full wrath of social media at the beginning of 2019. In February of 2019, Gucci was forced to 'deeply' apologize after they were slammed for selling a $890 balaclava knit top. Many branded the sweater 'blackface for millennials.' The balaclava sweater from Gucci Just a few months later in April, Ancestry.com was forced to apologize for a 'tone deaf' advert they created that showed a runaway slave leaving with her 'white lover.' Advertisement In February 2019, Prada announced the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, chaired by director Ava DuVernay and the artist Theaster Gates. The spokeswoman said that this was 'created from conversations with the Prada Group leadership and longtime collaborators well before we interacted with NYCCHR.' Ezie said that she had 'positive' conversations with the brand since January of last year, even meeting with Carlo Mazzi in March. Her lawyer, Uzome Eze, was present during the conversation and confirmed Ezie's recollection of the events. The spokeswoman from Prada denied the claim and said that they had employees worldwide who 'represent over 100 nationalities in 40 countries.' At the time of her post in 2018, Ezie claimed that she had asked a Prada employee about the blackface and she said that she was told that 'a black employee had previously complained about blackface at Prada, but he didn't work there anymore.' Besides the training, Prada must also appoint a diversity and inclusion officer within the next 120 days at the director level. Candidates must be approved by the commission. This employee will be responsible for 'review Prada's designs before they are sold, advertised or promoted in any way in the United States.' The advisory council created by Prada will continue to be in existence for the next six years as well. Prada is to report their progress to the commission, every six months for the next two years. A year from now, Prada will need to share 'the demographic make-up' of its staff at every level, while summarizing 'Prada's past and future activities aimed at increasing the number of people from protected classes under-represented in the fashion industry.' The settlement is being deemed 'highly unusual' by those familiar with the commission and the depths of its power. 'Since she took office, one of the things the commissioner has been focusing on is anti-black racism,' Sapna V. Raj, the deputy commissioner of the law enforcement bureau of the commission, said about Carmelyn P. Malalis. Malalis is the commissioner and chair of the commission, having been appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014. She has been instrumental in fighting discrimination against hair in the city. 'She was very interested in the kind of justice we get, so it's not just about money for the city but about changing the culture of a brand,' Raj said. Raj speculated that the deal was in the millions. Taking a strong view of Delhi Police DCP Rajesh Deo sharing with the media investigation details linking the Shaheen Bagh shooter to AAP, the Election Commission on Wednesday said his statement was "totally uncalled for" and barred him from election duty. The poll body also observed that the investigation had "political connotations" and Deo's conduct has "consequences" for "free and fair elections". On Tuesday, Deo told reporters that Kapil Baisala, who had opened fire at the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest site in Shaheen Bagh on Saturday, was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This prompted the AAP to approach the poll body against the police officer. "The Commission has considered the matter in detail and is of the considered view that the above-referred statements referring to a political party at this stage even as the investigation is still going on has the effect of adversely impacting the elections. "This action was totally uncalled for. The conduct on the part of Rajesh Deo has consequences on the holding of free and fair elections," the poll panel said in a letter to the Delhi Police commissioner. The commission has asked the Delhi Police to file a compliance report by 6 pm on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Canada's Ottawa rushed to the rescue of a screaming child after receiving reports of the child being in possible distress, however, what they found on the spot left many social media users amused. The Ottawa police immediately rushed to check out a report of a child calling for help on January 27. The complainant informed the police that they could hear sounds of a child screaming from a wooded area near his property. They reached the spot and searched but could not find any child. But to their utter surprise, they found a goat with its head stuck in a fence helplessly bleating. READ: Canada Travel Tips: 5 Ways To Travel Around Canada For Every Type Of Traveller Police's Statement The police released a statement on February 3, which read, "Police were called to a rural address in the west end early evening on January 27, when a resident heard what he believed was a child calling for help. All the complainant could say was the sound was coming from a wooded area in the north end of his property. Officers searched in the dark but didnt hear anything, nor did they find a child in distress. They went to check with neighbouring houses and at one residence, spoke with a woman who could account for all three of her children." READ: Canada: One Dead, 5 Tourists Missing After Snowmobile Plunges Into Freezing Water "Her husband came in while police were there and reported his goat had been screaming earlier. When he checked, he found the animal with its head stuck in the fence. The farmer said the sound could be mistaken for a child screaming. He led the officers to the area and sure enough, it was exactly where the complainant reported the sound coming from. All kidding aside, police are reminding residents to report suspicious activity immediately so we can check it out. Its always better to be safe than sorry." According to the Ottawa police, a farmer at a house nearby told the cops that his goat got stuck in a fence and said that the sound could be mistaken for a child screaming. When the officers went to check out, they found the goat trapped exactly where the complainant confirmed the sound coming from. Aw, poor thing I hope hes okay (@flutterpolitely) February 4, 2020 But it was just a kid. p (@spoontazz) February 3, 2020 READ: Only In Australia: Police Rush To Man's House Believing There's An Emergency, Find Him Trying To Kill A Spider READ: Florida Woman Calls 911 As Neighbourhood Parrot Screams 'let Me Out' BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI If Republicans have any appetite for reining in domestic surveillance that they describe as a massive violation of the civil liberties of Donald Trumps associates, it wasnt on display when FBI Director Christopher Wray made his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the damning Justice Department inspector generals report into the Trump-Russia investigation. Thats a real issue in light of next months expiration of several intrusive surveillance measures contained in the 2001 PATRIOT Acts Section 215. One of those measures, the business records provision, permits broad FBI collection of records from service providers about an investigative target without that target ever knowing about it. But few Republicans at Wednesdays hearing who pronounced themselves offended by FBI surveillance abuses in the Trump-Russia probe, known as Crossfire Hurricane, told Wray that they will cost him Section 215. It was reminiscent of how Trump and House intelligence committee Republicans spent 2017 railing against surveillance on Trumps allies before reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Acts single most expansive provision in January 2018. Wray, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, was in for rough treatment from the panels Republican members. Hanging over his head was Inspector General Michael Horowitzs findings that the FBI misrepresented information to the secret surveillance court relevant to continuing its surveillance on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. But Wray had a script and he stuck to it. He refused to characterize any aspect of Horowitzs investigation when legislators of both parties attempted soliciting a soundbite that could help or hurt Trump. Instead, he reiterated variations on a theme: Horowitzs report described conduct that is unacceptable and unrepresentative of the FBI as an institution. Several of the panels Republicans, having read Horowitz describe FBI officials misrepresenting their basis for continuing surveillance before a court that almost always hears exclusively from the government, found that frustrating. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) decried the FBIs systemic issues. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) referenced the FISA Courts Judge Rosemary Collyer, who said the Horowitz report calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable. More bluntly, Californias Tom McClintock told Wray, I dont trust your agency anymore. Story continues But that lack of trust ends where the PATRIOT Act begins. The committees ranking Republican, Rep. Doug Collins (GA), said we must reauthorize the expiring PATRIOT provisions, even as Collins was a rare Republican who contextualized the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as a congressional response to the intelligence agencies unconstitutional surveillance of peaceful protesters and others. Wray took Collins opening to agree that the PATRIOT provisions were not related to the Carter Page case. Thats true. But it overlooks Judge Collyers broader point about how the Page case indicts the FBIs trustworthiness in its other, voluminous surveillance applications to her court. And FISA court-authorized surveillance isnt the outer limit of the FBIs surveillance powers. In October, it was revealed that the court found the FBIs warrantless searches for Americans data captured in National Security Agency dragnets were so massively overbroad as to threaten constitutional freedoms. Collins, to his credit, persisted in asking Wray if there needed to be a macro-level examination of FISA. But Wray brushed that off. The director said he was leery of any kind of change that would have any unintended consequences. That was about it for most Republicans on the committee. They wanted instead for Wray to commit to firing FBI officials, often denounced by Trump, involved in the Trump-Russia investigation, most of whom have already departed the bureau. I hope youve considered there might be criminal culpability, Biggs told Wray. A lot of people in my district have totally lost confidence in the FBI, said Arizonas Debbie Lesko, who further suggested that that maybe you [could] make it public when agents involved in the Russia investigation get disciplined. A partial exception came from Armstrong, who noted that FISA reauthorization was coming up, as did Jim Jordan (R-OH), but Jordan quickly veered away from endorsing PATRIOT Act expirations. A more substantial exception came from Virginia Republican Ben Cline, who pointed to the March PATRIOT expirations and said, It is paramount that we ensure American civil liberties and due process are in no way inhibited. Wray told Cline that returning to the higher, pre-PATRIOT Act standards, which demanded that the FBI possess specific, articulable facts that domestic surveillance targets were agents of a foreign power, would be a sad day for America. Civil libertarians expressed their own frustration that legislators focused their ire on the small cohort of Americans tied to Trump whose liberties were jeopardized while ignoring the untold millions of Americans who for a generation have lived with their privacy at risk from their own security apparatus. Ranking Member Collins asked FBI Director Wray whether peoples civil liberties are now protected under FISA. As any civil liberties advocate will tell you, the answer is an emphatic no, said Sean Vitka, counsel for digital-rights group Demand Progress. The DOJs Inspector General report did reveal disturbing issues that need to be resolved, but Congress, and in particular the House Judiciary Committee, is wrong to remember Carter Page but forget the millions of innocent people who have been wrongfully spied on under this and previous administrations. Vitka backs a bipartisan bill proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) that puts substantial restrictions on information the FBI can collect and use under Section 215 and expands safeguards on related surveillance authorities. In fact, the House Judiciary Committee should make it clear to surveillance hawks that nothing weaker than the Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act will advance to the floor under its watch, he said. Jake Laperruque, of the Project on Government Oversight, said concerns about the Carter Page FISA warrants aided momentum for surveillance reform like the Wyden bill. If the members talking about Crossfire Hurricane now want their complaints to be taken seriously, Laperruque said, this is the type of reform legislation theyll need to support. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is asking for the publics help to locate a 16-year-old boy who has been reported missing from Mariners Harbor. Davon Meyers was last seen on Jan. 31 around 8 a.m. leaving his Holland Avenue home, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Police described Davon as black, standing about 58 tall and weighing about 130 pounds, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He was seen wearing a black bubble jacket, red track pants, a black T-shirt and white sneakers. Police supplied the photo of Davon to the media. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Security researchers on Wednesday warned that cyber criminals could exploit an Internet of Things (IoT) network - smart light bulbs and their control bridge -- to launch attacks on conventional computer networks in homes, businesses or even smart cities. The researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered vulnerabilities in the communication protocol used by Philips Hue smart lightbulbs -- a marquee smart home device that relies on the Zigbee protocol. The research, which was done with the help of the Check Point Institute for Information Security (CPIIS) in Tel Aviv University, Israel was disclosed to Philips and Signify (owner of the Philips Hue brand) in November 2019. Signify confirmed the existence of the vulnerability in their product, and issued a patched firmware version (Firmware 1935144040) which is now via an automatic update. For the study, the researchers focused on the Philips Hue smart bulbs and bridge, and found vulnerabilities (CVE-2020-6007) that enabled them to infiltrate networks using a remote exploit in the ZigBee low-power wireless protocol that is used to control a wide range of IoT devices. The researchers used the Hue lightbulb as a platform to take over the bulbs' control bridge and ultimately, attacking the target's computer network. The more recent hardware generations of Hue lightbulbs do not have the exploited vulnerability, the study said. "Many of us are aware that IoT devices can pose a security risk, but this research shows how even the most mundane, seemingly 'dumb' devices such as lightbulbs can be exploited by hackers and used to take over networks, or plant malware," said Yaniv Balmas, Head of Cyber Research, Check Point Research. "It's critical that organisations and individuals protect themselves against these possible attacks by updating their devices with the latest patches and separating them from other machines on their networks, to limit the possible spread of malware. In today's complex fifth-generation attack landscape, we cannot afford to overlook the security of anything that is connected to our networks," Balmas said. In an attack scenario that the researchers unravelled, the hacker controls the bulb's colour or brightness to trick users into thinking the bulb has a glitch. The bulb appears as 'unreachable' in the user's control app, so they will try to 'reset' it. The only way to reset the bulb is to delete it from the app, and then instruct the control bridge to re-discover the bulb. The bridge discovers the compromised bulb, and the user adds it back onto their network. The hacker-controlled bulb with updated firmware then uses the ZigBee protocol vulnerabilities to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow on the control bridge, by sending a large amount of data to it. This data also enables the hacker to install malware on the bridge - which is in turn connected to the target business or home network. The malware connects back to the hacker and using a known exploit (such as EternalBlue), they can infiltrate the target IP network from the bridge to spread ransomware or spyware. "We recommend users to make sure that their product received the automatic update of this firmware version," Check Point said. Actor Swara Bhaskar, one of the vocal critics of new citizenship law, claimed on Tuesday that the BJP-led Centre was making all efforts to polarise people, but those who have been able to see through its 'divisive plans have rejected the party's narrative'. Bhaskar, while participating at a session at the 44th International Kolkata Book Fair, said citizens do not initially realise when their freedom is curtailed, as they try and adjust to the changes. "It starts with someone telling us what to eat, what to read and which clothes to wear when you visit the house of God... it starts with small things," she said. People in this country, however, have come to realise that the Constitution was in danger and many have rejected the 'divisive narrative' of the government, she claimed. "That is why places like Shaheen Bagh and Park Circus are abuzz with protests. Students and women are now coming out on the streets with their own narratives," she said. The 31-year-old actor thanked the anti-citizenship law agitators for 'awakening the conscience of the country' and asserted that the protests should have commenced earlier, when incidents of lynching were reported from several states. Swara Bhaskar Targeted With The Most Dirty Comments On Her Picture & It's Too Shameful To Read! "I find it interesting (that) women who were silent when men from their community were lynched...took to the streets upon finding out that the Constitution was in danger. They are protesting not to serve own interests, but for the future of the country's children," she claimed. To a question about BJP leaders berating the anti- Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters, Bhaskar said, "We are in a state where law enforcement agencies are of the view that unarmed students, sitting in a library, pose greater threat than gun-toting youths," Bhaskar, who had visited Jamia Millia University to express solidarity with the agitators, said. Slamming trolls, who 'threatened to behead actor Deepika Padukone', she rued that none of them have been arrested. "This is a country where vandals and criminals can threaten to behead Deepika Padukone, but no action is taken against them. Children performing in an anti-CAA play, however, can be slapped with sedition charges along with parents and teachers," she added. Police in Karnataka has recently registered a sedition case against the principal and other authorities of a school in Bidar district for allowing students to stage a drama which allegedly 'portrays Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light'. A hooded mugger dragged a woman to the floor before punching and kicking her in a brutal attempt to steal her handbag at a Barcelona underground station. CCTV footage shows a woman standing by underground turnstiles in Navas station before a robber grabs her handbag and viciously pulls her down. The red-hooded mugger drags the victim, who clings onto her handbag, around the floor to the base of a flight of stairs, in a bid to steal her possessions. When it appears that this strategy is failing, the attacker then proceeds to kick her, and punch her in the head, hoping she'll let go of her handbag. He even appears to slash her in the face with an item from his pocket. The mugger then drags the woman off the screen at which point the video, which captured the incident at around 11.05pm on January 31, ends. CCTV footage shows a woman standing by underground turnstiles in Navas station, Barcelona, before a robber grabs her handbag and viciously pulls her down Local reports said she had left the area afterwards without alerting the authorities. But the regional Mossos d'Esquadra force, the autonomous police force of Catalonia, confirmed that they were now investigating the case. A spokesman said: 'The incident has been reported to us and we are investigating. It was an attempted robbery because the mugger did not manage to take anything.' He even appears to slash her in the face with an item from his pocket Tube operator Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona condemned the attack, adding: 'We are collaborating with the Mossos d'Esquadra in the investigation.' Social media users commenting on the footage congratulated the victim for her bravery, although one said: 'It could have cost her her life.' Another added: 'If they cut the mugger's hand off that would solve the problem.' Last October one man died and two others were seriously injured after a mass fight with weapons that included machetes, which ended up with some of the blood-covered casualties agonising on Barcelona's metro. Two men, one wearing a Barcelona FC tracksuit top, were filmed lying semi-conscious in a pool of blood at a station identified as La Sagrera tube station next to bloodstains along the platform. The orgy of violence, suspected to have been between rival Pakistani gangs, began in Badalona, on the other bank of the small Besos river. Some of the casualties ended up heading for the metro to escape the area. (Newser) President Trump delivered his third State of the Union address less than 24 hours before the Senate was due to decide his fate in his impeachment trial. The president, speaking to a joint session of Congress, including the senators who are expected to acquit him on Wednesday, was greeted by Republican chants of "Four More Years." He declined to shake Nancy Pelosi's hand. "My fellow citizens, three years ago, we launched the great American comeback," he said. "Tonight I stand before you to share the incredible results." The president praised the strong economy and promised a "blazing bright" future. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never ever going back," he said. More: Revived US economy. "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the US economyslashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements," said Trump, who claimed that the US economy is better than it has ever been. The AP notes that the economy is definitely healthy, though it has continued on an upward trajectory that started under former President Obama. story continues below "Where the action is." "The fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is, and the United States of America is, indeed, the place where the action is," said Trump, hailing the return of manufacturing to the US and the USMCA, the replacement for NAFTA. "Unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason I decided to run for president," Trump said. "The fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is, and the United States of America is, indeed, the place where the action is," said Trump, hailing the return of manufacturing to the US and the USMCA, the replacement for NAFTA. "Unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason I decided to run for president," Trump said. Venezuela's "true president." There was bipartisan applause when Trump introduced Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, one of his State of the Union guests, and called him the "true and legitimate president," the Guardian reports. There was bipartisan applause when Trump introduced Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, one of his State of the Union guests, and called him the "true and legitimate president," the Guardian reports. Space Force . Trump praised the creation of Space Force, introducing Ian, a 13-year-old from Arizona, who "aspires to go to the Air Force Academy, and then he has his eye on the Space Force." And behind Ian was his 100-year-old great-grandfather: Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. . Trump praised the creation of Space Force, introducing Ian, a 13-year-old from Arizona, who "aspires to go to the Air Force Academy, and then he has his eye on the Space Force." And behind Ian was his 100-year-old great-grandfather: Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. Health care. Trump vowed to defend Medicare and Social Security, then denounced Democrats for "socialist" health care plans. "One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans," he said. The New York Times considers the claim "weighted, but mostly true." Trump vowed to defend Medicare and Social Security, then denounced Democrats for "socialist" health care plans. "One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans," he said. The New York Times considers the claim "weighted, but mostly true." "HR3!" After Trump challenged Congress to send him legislation to lower drug prices, Democrats chanted the name of the drug price reduction bill the House passed in December that is now "untouched" in the GOP-controlled Senate, the AP reports. After Trump challenged Congress to send him legislation to lower drug prices, Democrats chanted the name of the drug price reduction bill the House passed in December that is now "untouched" in the GOP-controlled Senate, the AP reports. Medal for Limbaugh . Trump not only announced that Rush Limbaugh would be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he had Melania Trump bestow it on Limbaugh during the address. . Trump not only announced that Rush Limbaugh would be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he had Melania Trump bestow it on Limbaugh during the address. A "very powerful wall." Trump denounced "sanctuary city" policies and boasted of border wall progress. "As we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built," he said. "We have now completed over 100 miles and have over 500 miles fully completed in a very short period of time." Trump denounced "sanctuary city" policies and boasted of border wall progress. "As we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built," he said. "We have now completed over 100 miles and have over 500 miles fully completed in a very short period of time." Democrats walk out . Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan walked out of the chamber during the speech, saying he had "had enough" and it was all as fake as professional wrestling, the Guardian reports. He was soon followed by Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who left after the president hailed Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. . Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan walked out of the chamber during the speech, saying he had "had enough" and it was all as fake as professional wrestling, the Guardian reports. He was soon followed by Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who left after the president hailed Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. An "Oprah moment." In what critics described as an "Oprah moment," Trump introduced a military spouse and her two children, and then revealed that her husband, Sgt. First Class Townsend Williams, was back from Afghanistan, the BBC reports. There were chants of "USA" as the family was reunited in the gallery. (Moments after Trump finished his remarks, Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of his speech .) Like with (Police drummer) Stewart Copeland. If you try to emulate him, youre going to fail, she says. His style is unique. So I thought going 180 degrees away from him in terms of my own drumming would be a way to make the songs mine, to put my signature on them. The Police project differs considerably in style and scope from Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John. That record was a lot more complicated because some of the songwriting is more complex and sophisticated, Hatfield says. Its got a lot of chords, and the melodies are all over the place. Olivia Newton-Johns stuff was a lot more challenging for me, more like a mathematical puzzle. Some might find the Aussie pop-country idol an odd object of Hatfields worship, but she says that, growing up, I had mad love for her. I felt a very powerful reaction to her voice. It comforted me. Whenever I needed to escape, I just listened to her. Hatfields original material is not so comforting. Pussycat, which was also released in 2017, is an especially angry record, inspired in part by the election of President Donald Trump. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Wednesday that China should join the United States in trilateral arms talks with Russia. "The president believes that it shouldn't just be the U.S. and Russia. We think that China is going to need to become involved in any serious arms control negotiation, so we're going to work on those talks in the coming months and year," Robert O'Brien said in Washington. He told a group of 50 foreign ambassadors that U.S. officials would travel to Beijing to discuss reducing the "existential" threats of nuclear war and nuclear proliferation. "The days of unilateral American disarmament are over," O'Brien noted in remarks that focused on the Trump administration's foreign policy. Trump last year said he discussed a new accord on limiting nuclear arms with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hoped to extend that to China, but Beijing has so far refused to take part. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that Russia would take part in potential trilateral talks but that he wouldn't "force China to change" its position. Artist Cruz Ortiz whose legacy in San Antonio includes West Side murals, a towering work of public art, political posters, pizza boxes and pushcarts is leaving for Houston to further his career and care for his family. Ortiz, 47, co-founded San Anto Cultural Arts, a nonprofit known for its mural program. He has shown his work in museums and galleries around the world. And thanks to his commercial work including a San Antonio Spurs-themed box for Papa Johns Pizza his art is familiar to people who might never have set foot in a gallery. Its funny, we feel like its really down the street, Ortiz said of Houston. He was speaking by phone from Mexico City, where he was exhibiting his work at the Art Fair. It could have been Berlin. Ortiz is known for his distinctive Chicano-pop style, which often incorporates Spanglish text along with Tex-Mex imagery. His impending departure was announced in a news release. He and his family will move as soon as they sell their property here, said Olivia Flores Ortiz, his wife and CEO of their commercial design studio, Burnt Nopal. There are many reasons for the move, both professional and personal. Houston is a larger art market, which positions Ortiz better professionally, he said. It also puts him in the same city as Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, the gallery that represents him. And Houston has more direct flights to other cities than does San Antonio, another check in the plus column for Houston, given how much traveling Ortiz does. The family has been weighing a move for a few years, Flores Ortiz said. We looked at a lot of cities Mexico City, Los Angeles, Marfa, El Paso and really gave it a lot of thought, but Houston is where Cruz is from. He has a lot of family there. He has a great gallery, she said. The No. 1 seller for me, a proud San Antonian, was that Texas Childrens Hospital (in Houston) offers Rett (Syndrome) treatment. The couples 11-year-old daughter has the syndrome, which impairs speech, mobility and the ability to eat and breathe. There is no cure. The Rett Center at Texas Childrens Hospital is the only specialty clinic in the state where affected families can receive care, according to Rettsyndrome.org, a nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness of the condition and support research. If you know anything about it, it just significantly progresses with age, Flores Ortiz said. We could handle it, I felt like, for as long as we did, but now, I need more help, more resources. This was a win/win for our family. On ExpressNews.com: Artpaces Visibilities looks at works by women On a professional level, relocating to Houston is a way for Ortiz to continue developing as an artist, she said. Theres a handful of collectors here, and were so grateful for them, but we need to cast a bigger net, Flores Ortiz said. Not only that, but professionally, Cruz is looking for those mentors. Hes mentored so many here in San Antonio that I think he feels like, at this point in his career, hes the one who needs to be the mentee. Gallerist Nancy Littlejohn has represented Ortiz for a year and a half. He had been on her radar for a while before they began working together, she said. I think his images are very powerful, she said. I love painting, personally, and Cruz is just an absolute master, and he has something important to say. Hes a very important artist. He is well-known on the national art scene, she said, and is on the cusp of breaking through in an even bigger way. Moving to Houston, one of the biggest art markets in the country, will help with that, she said. To be in a major city that cultivates and nurtures artists on so many levels, its just important, she said. We have a major symphony, a major opera, major museums, and with the huge contemporary expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, and, of course, the Contemporary Arts Museum has a new director and the Menil (Collection) has the brand-new drawing center that just opened. Were hitting on all cylinders. Ortiz has had solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, the University of Texas at Austin and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara, Calif. His work has been included in exhibits at the Louvre in Paris, the San Juan Triennial in Puerto Rico and the traveling exhibit Phantom Sightings, created by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has received national attention for politically oriented work for Democrats, including works created for the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Julian Castro. And he has created imagery for national commercial brands, including bottle art for Absolut Vodka and those Spurs pizza boxes. In addition to co-founding San Anto, Ortiz created the Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby. His work can be seen locally at Ruby City, where his 2017 portrait of Jesse Amado is on exhibit as part of a suite of depictions of artists. His 70-foot-tall public sculpture Dream Song Tower is at Interstate 35 South and Zarzamora Street. On ExpressNews.com: Torch of Friendship artist giving another work to SA Im always sorry to see artists decamp from San Antonio because our community thrives on their creativity and tremendous contributions, said Mary Heathcott, executive director of the Blue Star Contemporary art space. However, knowing how invested Cruz Ortiz and Burnt Nopal is in our community, Im sure the 200 miles that will now separate us will not mean that he wont continue to be a part of San Antonio. Riley Robinson, executive director of Artpace San Antonio, also expects Ortiz to continue playing a role in the city. I think hes been a real fixture in the community, and I think hell stay a fixture in the community even though hes going to move to Houston, Robinson said. I still think were going to have a lot of Cruz Ortiz out and about in San Antonio. Other San Antonio artists have relocated to Houston, including Dario Robleto and Vincent Valdez. Robinson noted that a lot of artists who leave the city come back. And there always are new artists moving here. A lot of people put a number on how many artists are in San Antonio and think that number cant grow, he said. And that number has been growing really steadily. And youve just got to go out and look for more artists that you like, and you can keep Cruz in your portfolio and add more. San Antonios art scene is only growing. Ortiz intends to complete his current term on the board of Artpace, where he has shown his work and where he was in residence in 2005. And his wife plans to continue serving on the boards of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Evas Heroes, a nonprofit founded by actress Eva Longoria to enrich the lives of people with special needs. Im going to be around, Ortiz said. Ill still be going to Liberty Bar, still eating the garbanzo plate and the (Ensalada) Emiliano. Im not going too far away. dlmartin@express-news.net Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 Paintings and historical archives bearing witness to Indonesia and Russias close friendship are on display for two weeks as an exhibition in Jakarta has kicked off to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between the partners. Eighty-five paintings by 10 Russian artists and some rare photographs taken from Indonesias National Archives (Arsip Nasional) are exhibited at the National Gallery of Indonesia from Feb. 317. The Necklace of the Equator, jointly hosted by the Russian Embassy in Jakarta and the Foreign Ministry, showcases Indonesian culture through the eyes of the artists, most of whom lived in or visited the archipelago some 20 years ago. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login A four-alarm fire damaged multiple Castro residences and businesses on November 16. | Photo: Michael Mallory/Facebook A little over two months ago, a devastating four-alarm fire damaged four businesses in the heart of the Castro and displaced seven residents from their homes. Hoodline readers will recall the blaze broke out in the early morning hours of November 16, sending over 100 firefighters to the scene. (It's still unclear what caused it; SFFD spokesperson Jonathan Baxter did not return a request for comment on the investigation.) The fire ultimately spread to four buildings on the block, from 452 to 464 Castro. All were three-story buildings with residences on top and businesses below. Seven people and two pets were displaced from the residential units above Q Bar and Osaka Sushi, at 456-458 Castro St., and both took significant damage. Men's clothing store Body (450 Castro St.) and Mediterranean restaurant Cafe Mystique (464 Castro St.) also sustained less serious damage from the fire. Now, as the residents and businesses begin to recover, we're checking in on their status. Residents were displaced from the units above Osaka and Q Bar. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline Residents Last month, residents of 456-458 Castro were allowed back in to salvage what remained of their personal belongings. Michael Mallory, who's lived at 456 Castro since 2003, tells Hoodline he's temporarily living in Parkmerced with his two other roommates. The move "happened almost immediately," said Mallory, who took residence on December 3. With the assistance of the city's Human Services Agency, Mallory and his roommates continue to pay their controlled rent, with the city picking up the rest of the tab. Mallory tells Hoodline that the demolition of 456 Castro is imminent. Construction could be completed in as little as six months, at which time the residents will be able move back in. Damage inside Mallory's apartment at 456 Castro. | Photo: Michael Mallory/Facebook Troix Boyd and Paul Kilfoil, two other residents affected by the fire, have been sharing updates on their individual GoFundMe pages. Boyd says he's also found temporary housing through the Human Services Agency. Kilfoil is currently living with his partner, Brian Stevens. Story continues "We are also incredibly grateful for the support, generosity, and empathy that we have received from our community/family," said Kilfoil. Multiple fundraising events were held at local businesses, and neighbors set up GoFundMe pages for the residents and employees affected by the fire. "Im living proof that life can and will throw you curveballs," Boyd said. "But if you stay strong, stay connected, reach out, accept help when offered, pray or meditate, and hold on to hope, you can get through anything." Businesses In December, all four businesses affected by the fire received financial assistance from the city's Small Business Disaster Relief Fund, which awarded them a total of $35,000. The money is intended to help replace inventory and equipment, as well as keep employees on the payroll during renovations. Mayor London Breed, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and business owners affected by the fire. | Photo: rafael Mandelman/Facebook Cafe Mystique and Body were the two businesses least affected by the fire, sustaining only moderate water damage. But their fates were not the same. While Cafe Mystique quickly reopened, Body announced it would close after 40 years in business. The fire was the last straw for Body owner Petyr Kane, who said he was already facing a temporary closure for a mandatory earthquake retrofit and struggling to negotiate a new lease. The store closed at the end of 2019. Cafe Mystique quickly reopened. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline Body is now closed. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline Osaka Sushi remains closed, and it's unclear if the restaurant will return. Hoodline's attempts to reach owners Jimmy Hwang and Nam Kim for comment have been unsuccessful. However, public records indicate a permit was filed last month to begin removal of fire-damaged debris at 460 Castro. Construction costs are estimated at $60,000. Things are moving even more quickly at Q Bar, which has already begun demolition and hopes to reopen later this year. "We got no fire damage all the damage we had was due to water damage," co-owner Cip Cipriano told Hoodline. "That water is nasty." Q Bar hopes to reopen this year. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline The fire "was devastating," Cipriano said. "I already got all the tears out." But he and co-owner John "JB" Bellemore are trying to view the setback as an opportunity to perform the remodel they've wanted since taking over the bar last April. Before the fire, it was hard to justify closing for two months to remodel, Cipriano said. Cipriano declined to say too much about the remodel, explaining that he and Bellemore want to keep it a surprise. But they plan to keep the same basic footprint, while changing the space around a little. "We want to make it more user-friendly," said Cipriano. Reopening in time for Pride appears to be a possibility, but "we don't want to jinx it," he said. Construction has already begun inside Q Bar. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline Cipriano, who's been in the nightlife industry for 28 years, says it's been his lifelong dream as a gay man to own a Castro bar. "This fire happens and life just shits on you," said Cipriano. "That being said, as upset and devastated as I was, it still didn't compare as to how happy I was that none of my staff or the [building] residents were injured." Cipriano encourages those interested in supporting Q Bar's employees to attend its "Q Bar in Exile" events. "Cake at The Cafe," on February 9, will serve as the official afterparty for Academy of Friends 40th Anniversary Gala. Other "Q Bar in Exile" events include a monthly edition of hip-hop party Bump at Underground SF (424 Haight St.) and occasional Q Bar happy hours at Lookout (3600 16th St.) "I'm looking forward to reopening and working with best staff in the business," said Cipriano. "I have a blast working with my staff, and I really miss my customers." Wuhan's Huoshenshan Hospital receives first 50 coronavirus patients Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/4 20:03:41 Huoshenshan Hospital, the first makeshift hospital in Wuhan special for patients infected with the novel coronavirus, admitted its first batch of 50 patients in serious condition on Tuesday morning. The patients, who previously received treatment in Wuhan's designated hospitals, were transferred in 10 first aid ambulances to the newly constructed Huoshenshan Hospital. Some frailer patients were pushed into the wards in wheelchairs or in hospital beds, accompanied by medical personnel, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday They will receive full treatment from a military-supported medical team in the hospital. More than 10 experts in the fields of infectious diseases, respiratory and critical care medicine were arranged for their diagnosis and treatment. "To ensure the scientific treatment of patients to be transferred, we have a set of strict procedures from admission to careful diagnosis and treatment," Zhang Sibing, president of the Huoshenshan Hospital, told the media on Monday. Netizens hailed the news, hoping that patients can receive better treatment at the hospital and recover soon. "Seeing how fast and well-organized the hospital has been put into use really boosts my confidence about Wuhan's future in fighting against the ongoing epidemic," a Wuhan resident commented on Sina Weibo. The hospital conducted thorough inspections of all kinds of functions on Monday, including medical treatment, hospital management and docking with local government and other authorities. The PLA medical team have tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital had been receiving training and assessment for the overall work process since they arrived in Wuhan on Sunday, Zhang noted. The construction of the hospital, which has a capacity of 1,000 beds and covers 34,000 square meters, was completed on Sunday. Within the hospital, the wards are well-equipped with air conditioners, ventilation facilities and disinfection equipment, reports said. Every ward has two beds, one separate bathroom with a built-in toilet, wash pool, water heater, shower and other facilities. Televisions and air purifiers have also been installed, according to media footage on Monday. The hospital also enjoys full 5G coverage within a radius of 500 meters, which can meet the needs of nearly 20,000 people to access the internet. The full operation of Huoshenshan Hospital will greatly relieve the pressure that hospitals face in treating patients, said Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan in an interview with CCTV on Sunday. Leishenshan Hospital, another specialized treatment hospital with 1,500 beds and spanning 75,000 square meters, is expected to be put into use on Wednesday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: The Avenue/Yelp Want the intel on Washington's most talked-about local spots? We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to analyze which eateries have been getting extra notice this month. To find out who made the list, we first looked at Washington businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends. Read on to see which spots are riding a trend this winter. The Avenue photo: the avenue/yelp Open since 2018, this traditional American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Avenue saw an 8.3% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis The Avenue's review count increased by more than 400%. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to The Avenue increased by 40% over the past month. Here's more about the business, from its Yelp page: "The Avenue is a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant and bar dishing up elevated American classics in a lively, brick-walled setting." What's the business known for? "We specialize in great food, comfy atmosphere and friendly patrons. Join us for a casual lunch, watch your favorite team with a cold drink at one of our three bars, or a delicious brunch over the weekend. We offer three private party rooms to host your next social event too," its Yelp page says. It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Little Pearl has seen a 6.1% increase in reviews, and Red Derby has seen a 0.9% bump. Story continues Located at 5540 Connecticut Ave. NW in Chevy Chase, The Avenue's dinner menu features pork tenderloin, pan-seared cod, shepherd's pie and filet mignon. The Avenue is open from 11:30 a.m.10 p.m. on Monday-Friday and 10:30 a.m.10 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Saturdays and Fridays, so go on Wednesdays if you want to avoid the rush. Mission photo: lily h./yelp Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Mission in Navy Yard, the bar and Tex-Mex restaurant, which opened in 2018, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data. While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Mission in Navy Yard bagged a 7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong four-star rating. Regarding specialities, "Known for our vibrant bar scene, daily happy hour, spacious private event and outdoor spaces and delicious Tex-Mex food. Our spaces are created to be welcoming for brunch, happy hour, dinner and private events, as well as those looking to rewind in a vibrant weekend late-night atmosphere," its Yelp page says. There's more that's trending on Washington's bar scene: Prather's on the Alley has seen a 6.6% increase in reviews, and El Centro has seen a 0.9% bump. Open at 1221 Van St. SE, Mission offers taco varieties that include green chile duck confit, chipotle chicken and braised chorizo. Other options are Mexican stir fry, fajitas, adobo marinated salmon, tamales al pastor and carne asada steak. Mission Navy Yard is open from 5 p.m.midnight on Monday-Wednesday, 4 p.m.1:30 a.m. on Thursday, 4 p.m.2:30 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.2:30 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.midnight on Sunday. The Bar @ Milk & Honey photo: monet b./yelp Brightwood's The Bar @ Milk & Honey is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch spot by the numbers. The popular restaurant, which offers seafood and more and opened at 5832 Georgia Ave. NW in August 2019, increased its new review count by 7.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.1% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch." Interested so far? Here's more about the business from its Yelp page: "Winner of the Food Network's hit show 'Chopped' and winner of D.C.'s Best Main Dish, celebrity chef Sammy Davis introduces a unique concept entitled 'global cuisine.' It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Unconventional Diner has seen a 4.9% increase in reviews. Belgian waffles, crab cake Benedict, Caribbean-style whole red snapper, blackened salmon and grits and jerk lamb with garlic hash are among the menu items at The Bar @ Milk & Honey. The restaurant is open from 10 a.m.8 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.6 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.) This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. LUCKNOW: Four people including a realtor and a businessman have been taken into custody in connection with the sensational murder of Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha (VHM) head Ranjeet Bachchan, said police officials privy to the investigation. Officials said that all four of them were taken into custody on Tuesday night and were questioned for several hours. They said three people including the property dealer were taken in custody from Bachchans native district Gorakhpur while the businessman was detained from the adjoining district of Rae Bareli. All four suspects are still in the custody and are being further quizzed, they added. Police are facing problem to zero in on the exact cause behind Bachchans murder as he had several disputes and rivals due to his involvement in multiple things like dealing in real estate, fixing marriages and providing jobs as well. He was also into the family feud over his two marriages, said an additional SP rank official associated with the probe. He said that three people, picked from Gorakhpur were being quizzed in connection with Bachchans property disputes while Rae Bareli businessman was being questioned in connection with dispute related to fixing of one of his family members marriage. The official said the Gorakhpur realtor and his two associates had strong motive to eliminate Bachchan but so far there were no concrete evidences against him to prove his involvement. He said that the police team was further verifying their links with a criminal gang of Gorakhpur. Meanwhile, one police team of crime branch has been camping in Agra after CCTV footages showed two suspected shooters fleeing towards west Uttar Pradesh after committing the crime. Besides, two teams of UP Special Task Force (STF) are also trying to identify the suspected shooters to nab the mastermind behind the murder. Bachchan, 40, president of VHM and a resident of Gorakhpur, was on a morning walk along with his maternal cousin, Aditya Srivastava, when a man fired at them on the pavement of the Globe Park in Hazratganj at around 6.15 am. The attacker had fled after firing at Ranjeets face, killing him on the spot. His cousin was injured in the shooting. MANZINI As preparations for the proposed civil servants strike actions are ongoing, the public sector workers have sent yet another warning to government. This is contained in the submissions which they made during their last joint mobilisation meeting which was organised by the public sector associations (PSAs) and was held at the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Centre on Monday. Their warning was that their focus would no longer only concentrate on disrupting operation of schools. They said members of the two other trade unions who would be part of the proposed strike actions; National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) together Swaziland National Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP), would play a major role in their sectors. To be specific, they said members of NAPSAWU, who are working at the Central Transport Administration (CTA) depots should ensure that during the strike action, there would be no one to refuel government cars. Likewise, members of SNAGAP who are stationed at the countrys revenues will ensure that there will be no transaction taking place, they said. Strike The civil servants said all along, their main focus during strike actions, was to disrupt the operation of schools. However, they said they had noted that this strategy was no longer working in their favour as government seemed not to feel the pinch because at the end of the year, pupils passed. They said it was time to implement a new strategy that would make government fill the pressure within a few hours of their planned strike actions. If we can do this right, there can be no need to strike for more than a day because government can adhere to our demands on the first day, they said. They said their demands were clear as it was 7.85 per cent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) for 2017/18 financial year, 6.55 per cent for last year (2018/19) and 5.5 per cent for the current year (2019/20). We have heard about a possible offer of three per cent salary adjustment in April 2020, but that is not what we want and it is not what we deserve, they said. Unfortunate Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service, Sipho Tsabedze said as government, they were in an unfortunate situation. Uma ute imali vele usuke usenkingeni (if you do not have money, you are automatically in trouble), the PS said. He also said as government, they also sympathised with the public sector workers because if the country was economically stable, things would not have reached this far. In fact, he said the workers were going to be given the money they wanted. However, he maintained that under the prevailing economic situation, there was nothing government could do because there was no money. He said if the workers wanted to engage in a strike, government did not have a way of stopping them. However, he warned them to organise their strikes and meetings by the book. Permission This is to say they should call their meetings during their own spare time. If they want to hold a meeting during working hours, they should ask for permission first, the PS said. On another note, the PS pleaded with civil servants to be patient and cooperate with government so that they could pass this trying time. He said this was because when they engaged in a strike action, the economy would be affected even more. He said once the economy of the country improved, they would engage them in talks on how they could be compensated. Once again, he said government had made a commitment that during the 2020/21 financial year, it would try by all means to offer them something. In fact, he said government promised that even if the economy would not improve as projected, it would at least offer them three per cent salary adjustment. Warned It is worth noting that PSAs have also warned government to brace itself for abnormal behaviour from public sector workers. They said Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, was correct when he said; An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behaviour. On that note, they said they would not act normal in an abnormal situation. It is worth noting that today and tomorrow, SNAT members will be voting for or against the proposed strike action over 2018/19 CoLA, where they are demanding 6.55 per cent. Donald Trump gave Juan Guaido the head of state treatment Wednesday at the White House as he greeted him at the South Portico entrance before walking through the colonnade together and entering the Oval Office. Despite the visit, which a senior administration official said was to put to bed any rumors the U.S. was snubbing Guaido, press were shut out of the bilateral meeting. Traditionally, a handful of press are permitted inside the Oval Office during these sort of bilateral meetings for photographers and cameramen to provide a photo-op and reporters to ask both leaders questions. The White House announced Wednesday morning it would welcome the Venezuelan opposition leader, who the U.S. recognizes as the interim president, to visit with Trump the day after the president used gave a shout out to Guaido during his State of the Union address. 'The visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaido to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis,' a statement regarding the visit said. Donald Trump welcomed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to the White House Wednesday and gave his the head-of-state treatment Photographers were able to capture the two walking through the colonnade to the Oval Office together but press was not permitted in the room during their bilateral meeting Guaido is recognized by the U.S. and several other countries and the interim president of Venezuela, even after his unsuccessful efforts to overthrow Nicolas Maduro's regime. Guaido also attended Trump's State of the Union as a guest Tuesday evening The statement referred to Maduro's government an 'illegitimate dictatorship' and pledged to 'stand alongside the Venezuelan people to ensure a future that is democratic and prosperous.' Guaido appeared as one of Trump's guests at the address last night and voice the U.S. supporting Guaido's effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro an ultimately unsuccessful endeavor. But that didn't stop the president from treating Guaido like he treats other foreign leaders when the visit the White House. Guaido, president of the opposition-held National Assembly, is recognized as Venezuela's rightful president by dozens of countries including the United States. For nearly three weeks, he has been on an international tour aimed at drumming up support. At Tuesday's divisive State of the Union address Trump praised Guaido as a 'very brave man who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans.' Guaido received a standing ovation from U.S. Congress members of both the Democratic and Republican parties. 'As we restore American leadership throughout the world, we are once again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere,' Trump said during his third State of the Union speech. 'The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro,' he said, railing against the tyrannical president. 'Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people,' Trump continued. 'But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken. Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaido.' Maduro has overseen an economic collapse in the once-prosperous OPEC nation, and has been accused of corruption and human rights violations. He has blasted Guaido, calling him a U.S. puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. During his speech, Trump called Guaido the 'legitimate' president of Venezuela. 'Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans,' Trump said of Guaido He also called Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (pictured) a tyrant. 'Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people. But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken,' he assured When a reporter asked why Guaido had been invited to the State of the Union as the president's guest, a senior administration official said the opportunity seemed like a good one to bring Guaido to Washington. 'I mean, obviously, you know, sometimes the media is always looking for what narrative to create, and ebbs and flows,' the official said, very aware he was addressing the media. 'And it's actually been fun watching, in the last couple of weeks, everybody a lot of people in the media writing Juan Guaido's obituary political obituary because, you know, somehow he had gotten snubbed by President Trump, and creating all these narratives.' The official said these reports of some sort of contention between Trump and Gaido were false even though no images were captured of the two shaking hands upon the opposition leader's arrival at the Whtie House Wednesday afternoon. 'We had wanted all along to put that narrative to rest once and for all,' the senior administration official told reporters ahead of the bilateral meeting. Lego lovers, its time to get building. Legoland is coming to the Holyoke Mall in a road show to promote the upcoming launch of the newest Legoland resort in New York. The Legoland New York Resort Road Show will arrive at the mall from Fri., Feb. 14 to Mon., Feb. 17 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m. The road show will include Legoland characters, a simulated Dragon Coaster ride, building with Lego Master Model Builders, huge models and more. Its all to promote the opening of the new Legoland resort in New York opening on July 4. The new park will be the largest one yet with 50 rides, shows and attractions. Massachusetts has its own Legoland in Somervilles Assembly Row, featuring models of Boston, as well as small rides and a cinema. Related Content: THE House committee on family relations on Wednesday, February 5, approved three measures that seek to legalize divorce in the Philippines. House Bill 100, authored by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, will be combined with two other bills authored by Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas and Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez. A similar measure was approved by the House on third and final reading under the 17th Congress, but failed to get the support of the Senate. Lagman said it was the farthest that any bill of this nature reached the legislative mill. What was even more astounding was the fact that representatives crossed lines to support measure, even after President Dutertes spokesperson announced that the President does not suppprt any bill allowing the dissolution of marriage, Lagman said. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano earlier said that although he personally does not believe divorce to be the solution to troubled marriages, he will allow free and open debate on the divorce bills. Some believe that divorce is the solution, some, like me, do not believe, but we are not stopping any of the committees from discussing all of these bills, Cayetano said. (SunStar Philippines) Officials at Michigan State University have issued an apology after a Black History Month gift shop display caused an outcry. The tribute was in a store at MSU's Wharton Center for Performing Arts. It featured dolls of prominent historical African American leaders hanging from a wooden display tree by tags some say resembled nooses. MSU student Krystal Davis-Dunn called the display "a painful reminder" of historic injustice. She also told WILX, "The lack of culture and humility is very evident on campus that things like this continue to happen". The display was taken down Jan. 31 and MSU Spokesperson Emily Gerkin Guerrant has acknowledged that it was insensitive. She adds that "MSU remains committed to creating a culture that is inclusive and safe for all faculty, staff, students and visitors". Last October, Iyanna Cobbs, a Black student at MSU, discovered a toilet paper noose hanging from her Bryan Hall dorm room door. School officials say those responsible claimed it was a prank and "not intended to resemble a noose" A teenager is fighting for his life in hospital after being stabbed in a broad daylight attack in north London. Police and paramedics were scrambled to Broadlands Close, Highgate, at 4pm on Wednesday. A Met Police spokesman said a victim, believed to be 16, was found suffering stab injuries. "He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital," he added. A police officer stands outside a block of flats in Highgate after a teenager was stabbed nearby / NIGEL HOWARD "His condition has been assessed as life-threatening." No arrests have been made and police have launched an investigation. Hyundai shuts production line over virus outbreak South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor was forced to halt operations at one of its assembly lines on Tuesday because of non-availability of components following the coronavirus outbreak in China. Hyundai Motor also warned of a wider suspension of production if the supply chain stops altogether. The virus outbreak in China had disrupted procurement of wiring components, a Hyundai spokeswoman said. "For now, the production line for the Genesis sedans at the Number 5 plant in Ulsan has been temporarily suspended," she said. She could not say when production might resume, but said the company was discussing possible suspensions of operations at more plants with its labour union. "The situation doesn't look good," she said. Hyundai has seven domestic plants and several overseas, including some in China. Tuesday's move comes after the carmaker cancelled overtime factory hours at the weekend to produce its flagship Palisade sport utility vehicle, although production of those resumed on Monday. The virus first hit that the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a centre for the auto industry, cutting off parts supplies within and outside China. Besides the auto industry the virus that has spread to more than 20 countries and resulted in 415 deaths in China alone, has prompted widespread business shutdowns and cancellation of flights by airlines around the world, disrupting business and travel. From Macau and South Korea to Singapore, businesses are enforcing temporary closures as coronavirus cases escalate. More businesses across Asia are suspending operations and an international aviation summit has been cancelled in an attempt to curb the spread of the new coronavirus from China. Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, said on Tuesday it had asked all casino operators to suspend operations for two weeks to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus. A daughter says she is 'tortured' as her mother's killer is released exactly 15 years after he broke every bone in her body in a horrific murder for which he was jailed for life. Shirley Oliver, 42, was beaten, strangled, stamped on and left for dead when she was attacked by two brutal brothers in 2005. Christopher Jones, now 36, and brother Stuart Jones, 46, were jailed after breaking every bone in Shirley's body in the horrific murder. The brothers were handed life sentences but given minimum terms of 13 and 15 years for the attack in Canton, Cardiff. Stephanie Davies (left) says that the release of the man who killed her mother (right) is an insult as he is set to leave custody 15 years after her death Christopher Jones was released two years ago but brother Stuart Jones is being released today. Shirley's daughter Stephanie Davis, 36, said: 'I cannot put into words how angry I feel to discover that Stuart Jones is going to be released on 5 February - the exact day of the day he murdered my mother. 'It is beyond belief and an insult to the grief we have been through as a family. Our day will be full or torture and pain and his will be one of celebration. 'My family has been destroyed and knowing he is going to be released on the actual day he took my mother's life. How can this be allowed to happen?' Shirley was killed after accepting a lift home from a nightclub from the brothers believing she was safe. She got into a car with the brothers and an argument broke out and she was strangled from behind while her hands were held down. Stephanie said: 'My mother knew these men. She made them tea and cooked dinner for them. They were not strangers she knew and trusted them like family. 'They gave her a lift because she had lost her partner and was going home - but she never saw home again. Stuart Jones (pictured, left) killed Shirley Oliver in an attack perpetrated by him and his brother Christopher (right) 'She was the most gentle sweet person. She wouldn't harm a fly. I miss her every moment of the day, we all do. 'I wonder every day what her last thought was or if she was asking for help and I keep thinking how I wasn't there to save her and that I will never get to tell her how she was the most beautiful mum in the world.' Stephanie, from Cardiff, says she now lives in fear that she will cross paths with her mother's murderers. She said: 'My family has been ripped apart and our lives devastated forever because of what those monsters did to our mother. Shirley Oliver (pictured) was beaten and left for dead after her killers stamped on her and broke every bone in her body 'They strangled her and stamped on her body and murdered her in the most brutal and cruel way. I cannot imagine how much she suffered. Every year has been a struggle but we go on for mum. 'Knowing those two monsters are free in the world again devastates me. They may have finished their sentence but ours as a family will never, ever end because of them. 'My mother will never see her grandchildren or know she became a great grandmother. I feel I should have got more justice for my mum - the system let me down and there was no support. 'I just can't fight anymore though. I feel empty and I don't know how to go forward. My mother was my best friend and because of them I will never see her again.' The Ministry of Justice has been asked to comment. At the time of Christopher Jones' release, the prison service said: 'This was a tragic case and our deepest sympathies remain with the family and friends of Shirley Oliver. 'All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment before being considered for day release and we're legally obliged to ensure life sentence prisoners have the chance to demonstrate they're safe for release. 'Over 99 per cent of temporary releases are completed successfully and most failures do not involve offending. Those who break the rules of day release can spend a lot longer behind bars.' Daniel McConnell and Mick Clifford have been on the campaign trail and they deliver their verdict here. All this week, ahead of Election 2020, we will be taking a look at all of the runners and riders in each of the five Cork Constituencies. We will be examining the lie of the land in each area and crucially delivering our verdict as to who we think will fill the 18 seats from Cork in the 33rd Dail. Today, we are looking at the Constituency of Cork-East . This is a four-seat constituency and there are 13 candidates competing. The four out-going TDs Pat Buckley of Sinn Fein, Sean Sherlock of Labour, Minister David Stanton of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail's Kevin O'Keeffe are all seeking re-election. In addition to the above named, the others contesting the election are: Conor Hannon of Aontu Thomas Kiely, Independent Mary Linehan Foley, Independent James O'Connor, Fianna Fail Pa O'Driscoll, Fine Gael Shane O'Grady, Independent Sean O'Leary, Independent Liam Quaide, Green Party Frank Shinnick, Irish Freedom Party So last time, each of the four main parties, if you can still call Labour a main party, took one seat each. Sean Sherlock defied the national trend against his party and held his seat while Pat Buckley retained the seat which had been held by Sandra McLellan who stood down in somewhat acrimonious circumstances internally within Sinn Fein. David Stanton, the junior Justice Minister and Fianna Fail's Kevin O'Keeffe are also both looking to retain their seats. McConnell's verdict What Cork East does, the country decides, said John Paul Phelan. This is a patchwork of a constituency, rather than one unified area. Different geographical areas like Youghal and Middleton in the North East of the Constituency, you have Fermoy and Mitchelstown and then Mallow and Cobh. So we have two nothern TDs and two Southern TDs at Present. So this is one of the hardest constituencies to call with more than one party being hampered by internal struggles and disagreements. This time, I see it as Kevin O'Keeffe, scion of the great Ned O'Keeffe should be safe. David Stanton from the Middleton area should also get elected but Pa O'Driscoll does not seem likely to have enough to get elected. So no second seat. Labour's Sean Sherlock should just have about enough to keep his seat, despite his low key manner. The final seat is a run off between Buckley and Fianna Fail's youngest candidate James O'Connor, who may get a bounce from the wave of Micheal for Taoiseach and also from Fine Gael transfers. So I am calling it, the four seats for Cork East will be Kevin O'Keeffe, David Stanton, Sean Sherlock and James O'Connor at the expense of Sinn Fein's Pat Buckley. Watch back on episode 1 and 2 here... Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GPG) (OTCQB: GPTRF) (FSE: GPB) ("Grande Portage" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that its non-brokered private placement announced on January 30, 2020 has now closed with the issuance of 4,290,537 Units at a price of $0.12 for gross proceeds of $514,864 with all securities issued having a four-month hold period which expires on June 6, 2020. As previously announced, each Unit in this offering consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one half of a share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole warrant entitles the Unit holder to purchase one (1) additional GPG common share at a price of $0.16 per share at any time within 18 months of the closing. The Company will pay an aggregate of $8,611 in cash and issue 75,845 Finders Warrants in connection with this offering. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at $0.16 per share for 18 months from the date of closing. The Finder's Warrants are issued on the same terms and conditions as the private placement Warrants. The net proceeds of the offering will be used to advance exploration activities at the Company's Herbert Gold property, located in southeast Alaska, as well as for general working capital. About Grande Portage: Grande Portage Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the Herbert Gold discovery situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Herbert property. The Herbert Gold property system is open to length and depth and is host to at least six main composite vein-fault structures that contain ribbon structure quartz-sulfide veins. The project lies prominently within the 160km long Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced nearly seven million ounces of gold. The Company's recent Mineral Resource estimate is quoted at a base case mineral resources cut-off grade of 2.50 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) and consists of: An indicated resource of 606,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 10.03 g/t Au (1,880,500 tonnes); and An inferred resource of 251,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 14.15 g/t Au (553,429 tonnes). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Klassen" Ian M. Klassen President & Chief Executive Officer Tel: (604) 899-0106 Email: Ian@grandeportage.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED UNDER THE POLICIES OF THE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52164 Sam Payne, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has disclosed that the National Democratic Congress opposition to the EC compilation of new voters register is an attempt to stir chaos in this year's elections. According to him, the NDC is preparing the grounds to reject the election results and is using the EC as their ploy. "I have already said concerning the NDCs demonstration against the compilation of the new voters register is a calculated agenda to reject election 2020 results. All the demonstrations are just to prepare the grounds to reject the 2020 election results and the most interesting aspect is the people they bused to Tamale, Kumasi are the same people who demonstrated in Accra yesterday, he said on Peace FMs Kokrokoo. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (Natural News) The extreme liberalism that has overwhelmed most European countries is now beginning to overwhelm common sense and public safety, as one British detectives claims indicate. As reported by the UKs Telegraph, at least one Asian grooming gang, which is just a fancy term for rape, was permitted to continue roaming the streets of London to terrorize young females after British cops were told to find other ethnicities to investigate. Seems like law enforcement in the international city of London is subjective based on skin color, tone, and country of origin. Way to go, Mayor Sadiq Khan. This process of looking the other way has long since gotten out of hand and has even turned deadly, the paper said: At least 57 young girls are thought to have been exploited by a pedophile network of around 100 suspected perpetrators based in south Manchester in the 2000s. The gang, mainly comprised of Asian men, hooked their victims on drugs, groomed, and sexually abused them. One girl, aged 15, died after being injected with heroin by a 50-year-old man. After a two-year investigation that was requested by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham into the failings of social workers and police to protect and defend the victims, a report found that girls were victimized in plain sight. In addition, the report noted further the epic failing of police and other authorities charged with enforcing the law and protecting the public from such stalking animals, citing fears over hurting someones feelings because of their Asian ethnicity. The report said that police officers knew about many sensitive community issues when it came to patrolling south Manchester in 2002 and 2003. High-ranking police officials told investigators that concerns over creating additional ethnic tensions in the community did not influence patrol decisions, however, the impact nevertheless clearly had to be considered by senior authorities, the report noted. Ignoring violent sexual crime over racism fears will lead to the fall of a society Investigators also quoted an unnamed detective constable who was involved in arresting and jailing one child sex offender not of Asian ethnicity. What had a massive input was the offending target group were predominantly Asian males and we were told to try and get other ethnicities, the detective was quoted in the report as saying. This sounds a lot like the rising number of Left-wing prosecutors in major cities throughout the United States, aided and assisted with money from chaos-breeding billionaires like George Soros, who purposely ignore crimes committed by minorities, all under the phony guise of criminal justice reform. Its not reform to let people who are guilty of serious crimes like child rape off the hook; such acts are criminal in and of themselves. The Telegraph noted further that Operation Augusta, which was launched in 2004, managed to uncover systemic exploitation of children who were already in the public healthcare system in Manchester and around the Rochdale area. (Related: NY Times FINALLY gets around to reporting on Swedens immigrant gang problem a year after bashing Trump for pointing it out.) But clearly, the report written by child protection specialist Malcolm Newsam CBE and former senior police officer Gary Ridgway is damning in that it cites examples of how cops were forced to look the other way in order to avoid offending a certain ethnic group. Such negligence eventually led to the death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia, who was overdosed on heroin by a 50-year-old man after she was abused, sexually, for years. She died in 2003, the investigators found. Maggie Oliver, a former police detective-turned-whistleblower, said she felt vindicated by the report after investigating scores of related rapes and murders over the years. Girls were lost to the wind. What has been the cost of all these lives? We will never be able to put a number on how many lives have been lost, she said, as the Telegraph reported, adding that laws need to be changed. Sources include: Telegraph.co.uk NaturalNews.com TheNationalSentinel.com iStock(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. has now confirmed 12 cases of the coronavirus in U.S. patients. Six patients are located in California, two in Illinois and one individual each in Massachusetts, Washington state and Arizona. Nine of the patients had traveled to China, and two contracted it through human-to-human transmission, in both cases between a husband and wife. Authorities in Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, imposed quarantine-like restrictions on the city of 11 million Jan. 21, as they raced to stop the spread of a new coronavirus that's popping up in countries around the world. Those restrictions were later extended to additional cities, cutting off travel to millions of people during the busy Chinese New Year travel period. In Wuhan, where hospitals are struggling to keep up with the influx of patients seeking treatment, the city fast-tracked a new 1,000-bed hospital, which started receiving patients this week. The hospital was finished less than 10 days after the city began construction on the facility. A second fast-tracked hospital is slated to be completed Feb. 5, and should start taking patients the following day. As the situation rapidly unfolds, here's what you need to know: What are the new coronavirus' symptoms? Symptoms of the new coronavirus are similar to pneumonia, and can range from mild symptoms, like a slight cough, to more severe symptoms, including fever and difficulty breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some patients who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus had lesions on their lungs, which were uncovered through X-rays. How is the virus transmitted? Chinese health authorities confirmed Jan. 20 that the virus has been transmitted between humans. While many of the original reports of the virus in Wuhan were among people who worked at or visited a seafood and live-animal market, cases among people who weren't connected to the market have mounted in recent weeks. That market was closed and fumigated on Jan. 1. Since then, several countries outside of China, including the United States, have reported instances of human-to-human transmission of the virus. For now, the World Health Organization believes that the disease's incubation period is between two and 14 days, a wide range. A report in the Lancet, published Jan. 24, suggested that people who contract coronavirus might be able spread the disease before they develop symptoms. Doctors in Germany published a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine Jan. 30 reporting the case of German patient who contracted coronavirus from his business partner. She was visiting from China and didn't have symptoms during the course of her stay. It's not yet known how common asymptomatic transmission of the disease might be. Adding to concerns are cases of the disease in health care workers in Wuhan, which health experts previously said was a key population at risk for being sickened, as they were during previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS. The new coronavirus is in the same family as SARS, MERS and the common cold. Coronaviruses often circulate among animals and can jump from animal to human. In rare cases, those viruses can mutate and spread from person to person. How many people have been affected? As it stands, 20,478 cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in China. Additional cases have been reported in at least 23 countries, including in the United States. At least 425 deaths have been reported in China, and two death outside of mainland China, one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. What should I know about the coronavirus cases in the US? The first case of coronavirus reported in the U.S. was in a patient in his 30s from Washington state, the CDC announced Jan. 21. Laboratory testing at the CDC in Atlanta confirmed the patient was infected with the disease. Although the patient had traveled to Wuhan, he said he did not visit the market at the center of the outbreak. After being hospitalized, the patient was discharged in February and is in isolation at home, according to health officials in Washington. "We understand that some people are worried about this virus and how it may impact Americans," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "The immediate risk to the U.S. public is low at this time," Messonnier said. Additional cases have since been reported in Illinois, California, Arizona and Massachusetts. How is the world responding? Countries around the world have stepped up airport screenings, and in some cases, closed their borders in response to the rapidly evolving outbreak. The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern last week and airlines around the world suspended flights to China. In the United States, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines suspended all U.S. flights to China in rapid succession last week. This week, American Airlines announced that it would suspend flights to Hong Kong, due to "declining demand." On Jan. 31, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in the United States and announced a temporary travel ban. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Chinese delegation who were coming to take part in the biennial Defence Exhibition, DefExpo 2020, have cancelled their visit due to the coronavirus scare. Last week the news surfaced that the delegates coming from the coronavirus-affected countries for DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh will undergo proper screening. "We are aware about coronavirus. We will have made necessary arrangements. We will follow the standard operating process. Screening will be done as part of the national efforts," Union Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar had said on January 31. Ajay Kumar made this statement while explaining the procedure about the DefExpo 2020. China skips on DefExpo The decision of dropping out from attending Defence Expo 2020 to be held in Lucknow between February 5 and February 9, amidst the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 400 lives in China. Further he added, the number of companies registered for participating in the DefExpo 2020 has reached the count of 1,000. 165 foreign companies will be taking part in the event this year. In the previous year 2018, 702 companies had participated. Defence Ministers and Service chiefs of 40 countries have given confirmation on taking part in the DefExpo 2020. The booked exhibition space by exhibitors for the DefExpo 2020 has gone up by 60 per cent to over 53,000 square meters, compared to around 26,774 during the last edition. How is DefExpo 2020 Lucknow coming up. AFP Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow is getting ready to host the 11th edition of biennial Defence Expo 2020 which is happening from February 5th to 9th. The premier event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 1,000 exhibitors will be taking part in the event including 165 different foreign companies from the US, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Australia and more, making this event the largest ever defence show. This is an initiative of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who also represents the constituency in Lok Sabha. The theme of this event DefExpo 2020 India is 'The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub which will cover the entire classification of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests. This event especially aims at bringing state of art technologies which are in the defence sector under one roof and providing numerous opportunities for the government, private manufactures and startups. Also, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state would get immense benefits from this mega defence expo in the form of attracting big investors and will provide large scale employment generation too the state. The city and the state is prepping up to gain maximum benefits from DefExpo. This year in the city of Lucknow, exhibition area has also gone up around 60 per cent to over 42,800 square metres which can be compared to 26,774 square metres during DefExpo 2018. The event can be seen live over various media platforms. Export Bahrain, the national export promotion agency, has signed an agreement with SACE, the Italian Export Credit Agency, to increase exports between the two countries, said a report. Under the agreement, Export Bahrain and SACE agreed to exchange information on business opportunities to further promote exports, including utilising the exchange of knowledge to aid capacity building, added the Bahrain News Agency report. Zayed R Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, SME Development Council chairman, and Michal Ron, managing director and head of International Business of SACE, signed the agreement during HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Ministers official visit to the Italian Republic. The agreement will create promising growth opportunities for Bahrainis and Italians alike by expanding SMEs' global market reach and spurring job creation. Export Bahrain brings together resources from local and international partners to further strengthen SMEs international sales strategies and their ability to compete in the global market. Export Bahrain continues to support the expansion of non-oil exports by broadening the range of business development services on offer to include export financing, export credit insurance, export shipment solutions, market intelligence, business to business facilitation, deal support, and advisory services, added the report. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said his government will not tolerate atrocities against women and stressed on swiftly bringing the perpetrators in such cases to justice. He said the state cabinet on Wednesday discussed Andhra Pradesh's Disha Act which mandates disposal of cases of atrocities against women within 21 days and handing out the death penalty in certain cases. "In Maharashtra, cases (of atrocities against women) should not be prolonged like in the Nirbhaya case in which execution of the guilty is still pending," he said. Thackeray said he has asked top police officials to ensure culprits in such cases are punished at the earliest. "I have directed the DGP to ensure the accused (in such cases) are dealt with sternly. If needed, beat them up and prosecute them in the quickest possible time," he said at a function here in the evening. The Chief Minister's comments came in the wake of two incidents of atrocities against women reported in the last four days. On Monday, a female college lecturer was set ablaze by a stalker in Wardha district's Hinganghat area. In another gruesome incident, a Dalit woman was set afire by a man in a village in Aurangabad district on Sunday midnight. "Atrocities against women will not be tolerated in Maharashtra," Thackeray asserted. Meanwhile, the Hinganghat and Aurangabad incidents came up for discussion during the cabinet meeting chaired by Thackeray earlier in the day, official sources said. "It was stressed upon to take immediate and stern action against the perpetrators. The home department is also thinking about a law to deal with such cases and ensure speedy justice for women," the sources said. Separately, an official statement issued on Wednesday quoted Thackeray as saying that he has ordered the home department to take immediate and stern action against the culprits in criminal cases where women are victims. He also said women safety is the "topmost" priority of his government and warned those from the police department found to be derelict in duty will not be spared. "The government will stand behind women and provide them necessary legal protection and assistance to ensure their cases are presented before the court with all the evidences after immediate registration of FIR and speedy probe," the statement said. The chief minister asked the home department, handled by his alliance partner NCP, to check feasibility of setting up all-woman police stations in each of the district so that women can register complaints about atrocities against them without hesitation. He said the government has prioritised setting up of fast-track and special courts to see perpetrators in such cases are punished at the earliest, according to the statement. Thackeray pitched for empowering the state women's commission, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia Establishes Siberian Quarantine Center for Coronavirus By Charles Maynes February 04, 2020 Russia's government took additional measures to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus across the border from China, with a Kremlin task force announcing a quarantine location for at-risk patients just days after two cases were reported. Both of the infected are Chinese nationals living inside Russia. "We're all interested in the results of our fight with the new virus being as effective as possible," President Vladimir Putin said while addressing the global outbreak during a working visit to the city of Cherepovets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Echo of Moscow news radio that Putin was receiving regular updates from a government working group set up to prevent spread of the disease. "All necessary measures are being taken," Peskov said when asked if Putin was satisfied with the task force's efforts to date. People evacuated The comments came as a Russian Defense Ministry plane evacuated 80 people from the epicenter of the virus in Wuhan, China. A second Russian military plane was reportedly en route late Tuesday to collect the roughly 70 people remaining, a group that, while mostly Russian, included citizens from neighboring Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and Armenia. In Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced that those returning would undergo a mandatory two-week precautionary quarantine in Siberia's Tyumen region. None of the evacuees, Golikova noted, were at this point showing symptoms. Yet an official from a government consumer protection group was also quoted as saying that the Siberian medical facilities would be secured by fencing and patrolled by Russian National Guard, presumably to prevent escapes. "People will live in their own rooms, without leaving them. All measures are necessary for biological safety," said Svetlana Popova, a doctor with the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare. "Everything will be done according to the rules." Russians in Wuhan The Tass news agency quoted Russian Embassy officials as saying 341 Russians were living in Wuhan, suggesting some Russians may not be immediately evacuated. Meanwhile, new Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin now in his third week on the job after Putin announced a government shake-up last month announced that foreigners discovered to have the disease would be deported. On Tuesday, Mishustin also postponed a high-profile global economic summit in Sochi until further notice because of the coronavirus. Russia has also announced it would close travel routes in and out of China with Russian flights now limited solely to the national Aeroflot carrier routes between Moscow and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Flights are limited to a sole terminal in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, providing a lone choke point for health officials to monitor people for coronavirus symptoms. Some Russian charter companies had been offering additional air service routes at least to Russian passengers. That caused outrage after the private Ural Airlines refused to honor tickets to 70 passengers from Central Asia attempting to board a flight out of Xian, about 800 kilometers from Wuhan, to Yekaterinburg. The company has since ceased offering the service. The RBK daily newspaper also reported the government was considering a ban on export sales of medical masks. Stocks reportedly were low after a run on orders by consumers, since news of the coronavirus broke. Price hikes were also reported amid the deficit. In St. Petersburg, a February 11 performance by a Chinese national opera and dance troupe at the city's famed Marinsky Theater was postponed until a "more favorable time." All these measures came atop previous efforts to essentially seal Russia's 4,300-kilometer-border with China with a ban on auto and foot traffic, as well as issuance of tourist visas to Chinese tourists introduced by the Kremlin last week. Measures Despite the measures, Russia's Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy admitted his ministry had no choice but to hope for the best but prepare for "possible wide spread of the infection." Health Ministry officials also noted that the coronavirus threat coincided with flu season a consistently serious risk to global health in any year. Accordingly, two regions Ulyanovsk and Samara said they were closing schools and public events until week's end amid a spike in flu. Officials from both said coronavirus had not factored into the move. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington could help Iran's economy, if Tehran asked about it. "In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians raise their voices against their oppressive rulers," the U.S. leader said during his State of the Union address. "We can help them make a very good and short time recovery. It can all go very quickly, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them," the Hill cited him as saying. "The Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death and destruction," Trump stressed. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) highlighted the achievements made by the United States economy under his administration. "Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results," Trump said during his third State of the Union Address, in Washington DC. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsising of America's destiny," he said. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back!" the President said, using the national address to again undermine his predecessor, under whom the US economy began its recovery after the 2008 financial crisis. Trump was speaking from the very chamber where he is expected to be acquitted by the Senate in the impeachment trial a day later. According to Fox News, Trump, earlier on Tuesday, had told reporters that it will be "extraordinarily low key." The President highlighted a strong American economy, defeats of American enemies abroad and his plans on health care and infrastructure -- all making the case for his re-election in November. He said that the average employment rate during his administration is lower than any other administration in US history. "If we hadn't reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration the would not now be witnessing this great economic success," he says, to some boos from Democrats, who are upset with his ding at the Obama administration. "This is a blue-collar boom." On the military, he cited increased spending, increased NATO contributions from allies, and also the creation of the Space Force. Addressing the trade deals with China and other North American countries, Trump noted that (North American Free Trade Agreement) NAFTA trade deal First major trade deal. He added, "unfair trade is perhaps the biggest reason I decided to run for president" and further appreciating the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USCMA) deal signed into law last month. "I said we will put massive tariffs on China's to confront their massive theft of America's jobs. Our strategy has worked. Days ago we signed the new groundbreaking agreement with China that will defend our workers protect our intellectual property bring billions of dollars into our treasury and will open vast new products grown here in the USA," he stressed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Daniel Hannan is a writer and columnist. He was a Conservative MEP from 1999 to 2020, and is now President of the Initiative for Free Trade. Our first Brexit was an altogether nastier affair. In 1570, the Pope proclaimed Elizabeth, the pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime to be a heretic, and released her subjects from their loyalty to her. England was on its own, facing a hostile Europe. Europe had more immediate problems, though. In 1571, threatened by Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean, Catholic states formed the Holy League. England, of course, did not join them. Indeed, to unfeigned horror across Continental Europe, Elizabeth opened negotiations with the various Muslim rulers who, as she saw it, were enemies of her enemies. The Turkish Sultan responded enthusiastically to her overtures, sending back sincere greetings and abundant salutations, rose-tinted, and offering England trading concessions (capitluations as they were known) that lasted until 1923. The Moroccans entered into a lively alliance with the English, joining to attack Spanish shipping. Even the Shah of Persia wrote fondly to the Queen stressing, in particular, the dislike of religious iconography that Protestants of that era shared with Muslims. Contemporary English literature portrayed Islam with a warmth unthinkable in the rest of Europe. The King of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice and, even more, Othello, were essentially sympathetic characters. On the continent, by contrast, Moors were played as cartoon baddies. I mentioned some of these things at a meeting yesterday of a wonderful and under-reported organisation called Muslims for Britain. We go back a long way together, I argued. Disraeli liked to say that Britain was as much an Asian as a European country. The British Army of 1918 looked much more like the Britain of 2018 than like the population of these islands at that time. Muslims for Britain came into existence during the 2016 referendum to turn out the Leave vote among Brits from Islamic backgrounds. Unlike most of the referendum campaign groups, it has stayed in business, aiming to provide a voice for patriotic Muslims who dislike Labours patronising tone, and who are interested in the free-market tradition within Islam. (I wrote about that tradition, the tradition of Ibn Khaldun, on ConHome a couple of years ago.) It is run by three outstanding Brits of Pakistani heritage, Iftikhar Awan, Aftab Chughtai and Atifa Shah. Its fourth founder, Saqib Bhatti, is now the Conservative MP for Meriden. There are two groups of people for whom the very existence of Muslims for Britain is an affront two groups which think of themselves as bitter rivals but which, in reality, share the same outlook. One is made up of blood-and-soil nationalists who cannot accept that there is such a thing as a British Muslim. This group is tiny: a handful of angry young men trolling the internet from their bedrooms. The second group is much larger and louder, and is made up of people who think of themselves as progressives. For them, the important thing about British Muslims is not that they are Muslims but that, in most cases, they are brown-skinned. They are therefore in an approved victim group and have no business loving their country. Their patriotism is presumed to be a form of false consciousness, a delusion bred by white patriarchal power structures. As I say, the two groups regard themselves as enemies. But their essential world-view is the same. Both believe that we are defined by birth, caste, race and physiognomy. The identitarian Right and the woke Left are not opponents at all. The true opponents of both are classical liberals, who elevate the individual over the collective and insist that we are defined, not by how we look, but by what we do. Nor for a hard thing that needs saying. Liberalism, which has been the dominant ideology in the Anglosphere for some three centuries, does not come naturally. Human beings are tribal creatures, evolved in kin-groups. The idea of collective merit and collective punishment lies deep in our genes. The morality of the Old Testament, in which whole peoples are raised or razed, comes much more naturally to us than modern individualist ethics. In its contemporary form, tribal thinking is manifested in the notion of shared retributive justice. Person A did something bad to Person B, possibly before any of us was born. So now Person C, who happens to look a bit like Person A, owes something to Person D, who looks a little like Person B. When you say it like that, of course, it sounds downright superstitious. But, when you strip away all the mumbo-jumbo about intersectionalism and privilege and critical theory, that is what youre saying. If the doctrine doesnt bear too much analysis, it is precisely because it appeals more to our tribal DNA than to our rational minds. Hence the tendency to shout down critics: You dont get to express an opinion on this, white man! Again, to see how absurd that defence mechanism is, ask yourself whether there are topics on which black people should be barred from expressing an opinion. The woke Left has inverted what used to be a liberal anti-racist ideal. It has gone from arguing that we should be treated the same to arguinhg that we should be treated differently. That rarely ends well. A common response to identity politics is to harrumph about political correctness gone mad. But that response is inadequate. We are facing a determined challenge to the Enlightenment, based as it is on the primacy of reason and the defence of personal autonomy. The academics and theorists behind identity politics often call themselves post-modernists meaning that they believe truth is dependent on power-structures rather than on some intrinsic standard yet their creed would be more aptly described as pre-modernism. It is a reversion to the old tribal idea: this people good, that people bad. It fundamentally challenges the notion that we are all individuals, responsible for our own behaviour. As the Quran puts it: No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another (53:38). Defending that ideal, and the open society that it sustains, is the common task of all of us, wherever our grandparents were born. Lose it and we lose the essence of modern civilization. Jaipur, Feb 5 : Rajasthan police have suspended two cops - Girdharilal and Balbeer, on charges of dereliction of duty after a rape accused ran away from the police custody. The accused was arrested on Tuesday around 4 p.m. for raping and smashing the head of a minor girl with an intention to kill her in Churu. He ran away from the police the same day around 6 p.m. The news of his escape spread like a wild fire and police department was on its toes. The adjoining boundaries of the district were sealed. A massive manhunt was launched to nab the culprit. Churu SP Tejaswaini Gautam, with additional team members and dog squad reached the spot and conducted raids, and finally managed to catch the rape accused after three hours. Eventually, two cops deputed at Sudalpur station were suspended with immediate effect for dereliction of duty. The accused Akram Kaazi was arrested for raping the minor who had gone out to buy chocolates for herself. Later, he attacked the minor with stones to kill her and buried her under stones. The worried family members searched for her when she did not return after a long time. She was taken out from under the stones and was found to be bleeding profusely. Currently she is being treated at a hospital in Churu. But many of the people who cause problems are likely the ones who could benefit from a long-term city partnership with a mental health service provider. The very wrong energy policy being pursued in the U.S. and even more so in Europe has its roots in a 1987 report from the United Nations. The report called Our Common Future is normally referred to as the Brundtland Report after Harlem Brundtland, a Norwegian Politician, and chairman of the committee that wrote the report. Mrs. Brundtland in the introduction to the report states that: "We became convinced that major changes were needed, both in attitudes and in the way our societies are organized." Scandinavian reformers always believe that they are a model for the rest of the world. By 1987 Norway was already well on the way to becoming an extremely wealthy country due to its offshore oil fields. It's not that surprising that Norwegians may perceive accidental geological wealth as proof of their moral superiority. Nor is it surprising that the Norwegians opted not to preserve the oil for future generations. The failure of Scandinavian ideology is most evident in Sweden where massive third-world Moslem immigration has devastated the country. The Brundtland Report takes a dark view of the world and sees its dark view as a good reason to rearrange the world along Scandinavian lines. The key finding of the Brundtland Report is this: "Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This is the theory that mankind is raping the Earth, plundering its resources, spreading pollution, and overwhelming the Earth's ability to support the population. This was and still is a theory embraced by those that don't like things as they are and wish to turn society upside down in the hope that they will like what results better. Venezuela is a present-day example of what results. The Brundtland Report is often considered to mark the beginning of the modern sustainability movement. The problem with sustainability is that empirically it is just wrong. A business school professor, Julian Simon, wrote the book: The Ultimate Resource 2. His theme is that human ingenuity is the ultimate resource. We don't need to starve our economy by saving resources for future generations. Economic history shows conclusively that every resource scare is fixed by human ingenuity. Simon gives many examples. Good examples are energy shortages fixed by fracking or the impending famine fixed by genetic engineering in agriculture. Simon put his money where his mouth was. In 1980 he made a celebrated bet with the prophet of famine and resource depletion, Stanford Professor Paul Ehrlich. He bet that over 10-years any depletable resources to be chosen by Ehrlich would cost less in real terms. Ehrlich took the bet and lost in every case. The items Ehrlich chose were copper, chromium, nickel, tin and tungsten. Renewable energy is mostly applied to the generation of electricity. Electricity in the U.S. is generated by using coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and hydroelectricity. About 7% comes from wind and solar. Coal is well suited for generating electricity. We have vast resources and modern plants are nearly pollution free. But coal is being driven out of business by the Sierra Club that has a long running hysterical campaign against coal. Although they blame coal for every medical malady imaginable, the real reason the Sierra Club hates coal is that it emits carbon dioxide when burned and they believe that a great global warming disaster from CO2 is looming. Natural gas is gradually displacing coal because fracking has made it cheap and the plants are cheap to build. Natural gas can be burned very efficiently and cleanly in combined cycle plants based on gas turbines. But the Sierra Club does not like natural gas either, even though the natural gas industry gave them millions in the hope of hurting its competitor, coal. Nuclear electricity does not emit CO2 or noxious substances. The fuel is extremely cheap, costing much less than already cheap natural gas. But, in the U.S. the nuclear industry has been driven to the wall by attacks from the environmental movement. Essentially, they have destroyed the industry with legal and political attacks, making it impossible to build new plants. Nuclear is prospering in Asia where they are short of indigenous fuel supplies. The environmental attacks are based on exaggerating controllable hazards such as radiation, bomb making and nuclear waste disposal. The promoters of renewable electricity advocate wind and solar electricity. There are other types of recognized renewable electricity but those are niche resources and are not scalable. Hydroelectricity is generally banned because the advocates of renewable electricity don't like dams. Wind and solar are scalable and you can have as much as you are willing to pay for. Many states have established mandatory goals for what percentage of their electricity should be renewable. The leaders in what is a bizarre pursuit and the percentage of electricity expected to be renewable by 2030 are New York -70%, California -60%, and Nevada, Maryland and New Jersey, each at 50%. The catch is that it is easy to insert 5% or 10% wind or solar into the electric grid. The existing natural gas plants can compensate for the erratic and intermittent nature of wind or solar. The technical bottom line is that when the wind or solar starts being a bigger part of the grid, say 15% for solar and somewhat higher for wind, you run into difficulties. Solar and wind surge. For example, midday solar may be 5 times as large as the average solar energy. For wind the surge may be 3 times larger than the average wind energy. If the surge production exceeds some threshold it has to be curtailed for grid stability reasons. The bottom line is that to achieve 50% renewable electricity, electricity storage has to be added to the system to smooth out the surges. The only remotely practically technologies for storage are pumped storage, a closed loop hydroelectric system, or batteries. These are very expensive, and you end up with renewable electricity costing $200 per megawatt hour compared to running existing natural gas plants for $20 per megawatt hour. It's ridiculous and pointless. Wind and solar, by the way, are extremely expensive methods of reducing CO2 emissions compared to the alternatives. Much of the waste and futility of renewable electricity is masked by federal subsidies amounting to about 75% of the cost of the plants. However, it seems that congress is losing its appetite to subsidize useless energy. The current subsidies are scheduled to decline and so far, congress is deaf to industry begging for a continuation of generous subsidies. Norman Rogers is the author of the book: Dumb Energy: A Critique of Wind and Solar Energy (Amazon). His website RenewableFairyTales.com goes into more detail concerning renewable energy. At least 138 people deported to El Salvador from the US in recent years were subsequently killed, Human Rights Watch says in a new report that comes as the Trump administration makes it harder for Central Americans to seek refuge here. A majority of the deaths documented by Human Rights Watch in the report being released Wednesday occurred less than a year after the deportees returned to El Salvador, and some within days. The organization also confirmed at least 70 cases of sexual assault or other violence following their arrival in the country. Guatemalan border patrol agents stand guard before the Salvadorean migrant caravan cross a bridge on their way toward the US on January 20, 2020 in Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, Guatemala Migrants deported from the United States are seen outside the air force base upon their arrival in Guatemala City on December 12, 2019 The violence underscores the risk faced by people forced to return by US law that mandates deportation of non-citizens convicted of a range of crimes and Trump administration policies that discourage asylum seekers, said Alison Leal Parker, the group's U.S. managing director. 'Our concern is that many of these people are facing a death sentence,' Leal Parker said. Between 2014-2018 the U.S. deported about 111,000 Salvadorans back to their homeland, which has long been in the grip of fierce gang violence. Since mid-January, thousands of people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have gathered at the border waiting for a safe-conduct from the Mexican Government to cross the country to the United States The U.N. reported last year that killings in El Salvador, a majority of them linked to gang conflict, have declined from a peak of more than 6,000 in 2015. But the country still has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Meanwhile, the number of Salvadorans seeking asylum in the United States grew by nearly 1,000 percent between 2012 and 2017, many citing threats from gangs. Only about 18 percent are granted asylum. Human Rights Watch confirmed the 138 deaths during that period through official records, interviews with families and media accounts but believes the actual toll is much higher, in part because some aren't recorded due to the stigma of having been deported from the U.S. The number of assaults is likely low also because of under-reporting in the country of 6.5 million. An undated file photo shows a local leader of the Mara Salvatrucha gang showing a hand sign in a cell at the detention center in El Salvador. The majority of deaths in the South American country are from gang conflict Cesar Rios, executive director of the Salvadoran Migration Institute, a non-governmental organization, said no one in the country tracks the deaths of deportees but that he found the data credible, saying it reflects the reality that many are moving back to communities in the grip of the gangs. 'We can say that deporting people to these areas is very difficult and dangerous,' Rios said. President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his administration, and that has included a policy of forcing asylum-seekers from Central America to wait in Mexico while their claims are evaluated or sent back to their homelands if their claim is rejected. A tourist from United States gestures as the caravan of Salvadorean migrants passes by on their way toward the United States on January 20, 2020 in Sonsonate, El Salvador Many of those asylum-seekers could previously have been released on parole in the United States for a decision that could take a year or more. The Department of Homeland Security says it's trying to make the process more efficient and crack down on fraudulent claims. But Leal Parker and other critics say this report, and previous efforts that have documented violence against Salvadorans waiting in Mexican border town for their claims to be processed, show the risks of the Trump administration policy. 'We are deeply concerned by the Trump administration's effort to literally eviscerate the right to seek asylum in the United States,' she said. Human Rights Watch urged the administration to repeal the policy that requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico along with the agreements that allow Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Hondurans to be settled in other countries of Central America while seeking refuge. They also want the attorney general to reverse restrictions that made it harder for them to claim U.S. asylum because of threats posed by gangs or gender-based violence. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Sixty-three Filipinos are among the patients under observation in the country for possible infection with the novel coronavirus, the Department of Health said Wednesday. This is the first time that the agency reported the number of Filipinos under watch amid the oubtreak of the new coronavirus called 2019-nCoV. Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said aside from the 63 Filipinos, 54 Chinese patients and 16 other foreigners are considered "persons under investigation." All in all, the DOH puts the number of perons who have been placed "under investigation" for the virus at 133, including those who have died or tested positive. The figure has risen from 105 the other day. There are now three patients all of them Chinese visitors who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the country, Health authorities said there are so far no confirmed cases of local transmission. The latest case is a 60-year-old female. A 38-year-old Chinese woman was earlier confirmed to have the virus, while her partner, a 44-year-old man, died due to acute respiratory disease caused by the virus. Another man who was under observation died in San Lazaro Hospital due to complications from pneumonia not related to the virus. The DOH's tracker showed that that 114 patients are isolated in hospitals, while 15 have been discharged. Domingo said those discharged are still "under strict monitoring." Thirty-two of the patients have history of travel from Wuhan, a Chinese city where the virus originated. Domingo said the Filipinos either had close contact with infected patients or traveled from Hong Kong prior to the temporary ban imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte on visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Authorities are still working on contacting all passengers who boarded the same flights as the Chinese couple who tested positive for the novel coronavirus after they arrived in the Philippines in January. Domngo said authorities have gotten in touch with 203 of these passengers 188 of them home quarantined after not showing any symptoms. Of the remaining 15 who showed signs such as fever, cough, and cold, 14 have been isolated for close monitoring while the other one has refused treatment, Domingo said. "'Yung isa nag-rerefuse magpa-admit so nagpapatulong na kami sa LGU saka sa pulis (The other one refuses to be admitted so we are now asking help from the local government unit and the police)," he said. The 15 passengers also include three health workers who showed flu-like symptoms, Domingo said, adding that they are in stable condition. READ: How to protect yourself from coronavirus The DOH is appealing to passengers from the following flights to contact authorities: Cebu Pacific 5J 241 from Hong Kong to Cebu (Jan. 20, 21) Cebu Pacific DG 6519 from Cebu to Dumaguete (Jan. 21) Philippine Airlines PR 2542 from Dumaguete to Manila (Jan. 25) The DOH was earlier criticized after it revealed Tuesday that it has accessed only 17 percent or 58 of the 331 passengers who may have come in contact with the infected Chinese couple. The upholstery fabric for a new sofa or armchair is a big investmentyou dont want to be second-guessing it a few months after the piece arrives on your doorstep. Choose the wrong material and youll find yourself battling snags and stains. Make a mistake on the color or pattern, and the whole room suffers (or youll wind up splurging to have the piece reupholstered). So before you pick your new upholstery fabric, read on to find out what you should consider in terms of durability, comfort, and style. Here's how to zero in on a fabric choice youll be happy to live with for years. What Is Upholstery, Anyway? Upholstery is the materialswhich include fabric, padding, webbing, and springsthat make up the soft coverings of chairs, sofas, and other furniture. The process began in the Middle Ages and grew in popularity during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Over the years, a wide variety of materials have been used, from hay to horsehair to wool. Modern upholstered items use metal springs and foam for greater durability. While the interior materials may not be visible, they make a big difference in whether the piece is comfortable . And though fabric can always be changedand may need to be, depending on wear and tearchoosing high-quality inner layers will help make sure the piece will last for years to come. Photo: Courtesy of Hem How to Choose the Best Upholstery Fabric for Your Sofa (or Chair, or Headboard) As you shop for an upholstery fabric, let your practical needs lead, advise Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, cofounders of the home-furnishings company that shares their names. First, consider how you live and who will use the piece, says Bob. This will help guide you on the type of material to choose. You may love the look of that silk velvet, but it will quickly get destroyed in a house with kids or pets. Pieces in high-traffic areas, such as family or living rooms, will need durable fabrics, while furniture that doesn't get as much wear and tear, such as a bedroom settee or headboard, can sport any type of textile. Story continues A big mistake people make, Bob says, is not considering how a fabric or leather may age over time. Check the label and ask questions at the showroom to find out about the materials content and cleaning needs, then think about how much maintenance youre prepared to do to protect your selection. How will it look in five years? asks Bob. Will you still love the leather as it develops a nice patina from everyday living? Will you vacuum the upholstery fabric regularly? Will you close the drapes when away or not using a room to avoid some of the fading that naturally occurs from exposure to sunlight? Photo: Courtesy of Campaign The Best Upholstery Fabrics for Homes with Kids and Pets Growing up, my brother and I werent allowed in the living room; it was for company only, says Mitchell. Today, though, there are plenty of upholstery materials that match good looks with durability. For children and petsand maybe red-wine loverswe like the easy care of a faux suede or the durability of a Sunbrella indoor-outdoor fabric, he says. Were also big fans of slipcovered upholstery. And distressed leather is greatyou dont have to worry about the occasional scuff or scratch. If you have a busy household, stay away from delicate or textured options, like silk, which could pull and arent as forgiving when it comes to stains. Photo: Courtesy of Anthropologie How to Pick a Luxurious Upholstery Material If messy children and pets arent a worry, you can really flaunt your freedom, says Mitchell. His top decadent picks: fluffy Tibetan wool (it feels so indulgent, but its not a great place to eat peanut butter crackers) and Belgian linen. While linen is very durable, in lighter colors it doesnt offer the level of stain resistance that a kid-friendly household might need and may not have a crisp, wrinkle-free look after a lot of lounging, he says. If you're worried about upkeep (or cost), you can always use these luxe fabrics on pillows, which can be swapped out once they've seen better days or a new trend comes along. Photo: Courtesy of Urban Outfitters Don't Forget to Consider the Piece Itself Take the shape of the furniture into consideration when you're choosing a fabric. (Your upholsterer will thank you.) If youre upholstering a curvaceous piece, Bob recommends sticking to solid-colored fabrics. Patterns or textures with a distinctive direction may not upholster well. A pattern that looks great on a bolt of fabric may not look great once it is chopped up and put back together on your sofa, particularly if it's a tricky, ornate shape. Take the size of the furniture into account, too. We like larger pieces, such as a sofa, in a rich solid color or classic neutral so you wont tire of it over time, says Bob. Liven things up with smaller piecesfor instance, a great statement chair in a bolder shade or pattern. Think about the other furnishings in the room as wellespecially the other upholstered pieces. You'll want to make sure the colors, textures, and patterns work well together. Photo: Courtesy of West Elm Try Before You Buy The easiest way to be sure youll like an upholstery material on a certain frameand like how it feels when you sit on itis by going with something you see in the store," says Bob. If you fall in love with a fabric thats not shown on the floor, ask for a swatch you can drape over a furnishing to get a better idea of how it will look. If you go with a custom option, make sure you see a large swatch of any patterned fabrics so you see the full motif and its complete color palette. A little due diligence will help you avoid a big (and disappointing) surprise once the piece arrives. Photo: Courtesy of Coyuchi Think Outside the Swatch You're not limited to the fabrics in the store, especially if you have a great upholsterer in your Rolodex (or some serious DIY skills). Consider unconventional materials such as vintage blankets or kilim rugs. Bonus points if you pair a bold choice of fabric on a traditional piece such as a wingback chair or camelback sofa. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest BrahMos Aerospace takes part in the 11th edition of DefExpo India 2020 event at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. A Brahmand photo LUCKNOW (BNS): In an impressive display of its missile making capabilities, BrahMos Aerospace, the producer of world-class BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system, is exhibiting the air, land, sea and sub-sea variants of the universal weapon at the 11th edition of DefExpo India 2020 which started today in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. BrahMos Aerospace is participating in the mega event with the central theme of Make In India, focusing on the vital contributions made by the public and private sector industries in making BRAHMOS a formidable weapon. One of the major highlights is the BRAHMOS Coastal Defence System consisting of the land-attack BRAHMOS variant, in addition to the BRAHMOS Land Mobile Complex and BRAHMOS Ship-based Weapon Complex consisting the ship-to-land and ship-to-ship variant of the weapon which are on display at the BrahMos pavilion. Also on focus is a replica of BRAHMOS on the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft alongwith the indigenous BRAHMOS air-borne launcher and other equipment manufactured by BATL for Defence and Space applications including systems and sub-systems manufactured by Indian industries associated with BrahMos. The remarkable journey of the India-Russia Joint Venture (JV) BrahMos and its achievements have become the best role model to emulate the flagship 'Make in India' programme. BRAHMOS is the world's fastest and deadliest precision strike weapon to neutralise high value land and sea-based targets. The versatile weapon which can be fitted in ships, mobile launchers, submarines and aircraft has been successfully operationalised in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. The advanced BRAHMOS air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), after undergoing a series of successful test firings from the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter platform, was successfully inducted in the Indian Air Force (IAF) with the commissioning of the Tigersharks squadron of the frontline Su-30 fighter armed with the formidable weapon on January 20, 2020 at the Thanjavur air base in Tamil Nadu. BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile with a fine combination of speed, precision and power, has three times more velocity, 2.5 to 3 times more flight range, 3 to 4 times more seeker range and nine times more kinetic energy than any existing subsonic cruise missiles. The multi-platform, multi-target cruise missile, carrying a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg, is capable of flying at a top speed of around Mach 3 for destroying targets as deep as 300 kms. BRAHMOS has also achieved historic milestones in the Make In India programme by successfully launching the BRAHMOS missile with major sub-systems, thus proving the competency of the missile with advanced features. In terms of futuristic developments, the Hypersonic BRAHMOS-II (K) is being envisioned to travel at a speed of Mach 5 to 7. Work is also advancing on the smaller, lighter variant of the weapon -- BRAHMOS-NG (next-generation) The universal BRAHMOS with its multi-role, multi-platform, multi-mission attributes has emerged as the foremost weapon system for modern-day network-centric warfare operations. Today, with numerous launches from various platforms, each achieving technological prowess with continuous upgrades, BRAHMOS has become a system par excellence. A 19-year-old man from Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch on February 3, for duping a teen off lakhs of rupees. According to a Hindustan Times report, the victim, a 16-year-old resident of South Mumbais Girgaon, was cheated of Rs 5.45 lakh after being lured to a fake shopping portal created by the accused. The report noted that several expensive gadgets were listed at throwaway rates to trap victims. The accused -- identified as Dev Anilkumar Shukla -- told the police that the victim tried to purchase five high-end gadgets, including an iPhone 11 Pro Max and a Oneplus 7 pro, from a fake portal named Amazon Seller Private Limited that was created by the accused. Shukla had put up an advertisement on Instagram listing the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max for a nominal Rs 18,000 and OnePlus 7 Pro for Rs 15,000. The 16-year-old boy was lured by the prices and got in touch with the seller to make the purchase. He had used his mothers debit card and PayTM to make a transaction worth Rs 38,000 for the two cell phones. However, when he did not receive the phone in the stipulated time, the conman informed him that no one was available when the delivery person had arrived. The accused sought Rs 35,00 was from the teen by stating the offer period is no longer valid, and that the price of the phones have increased. Eventually, the class 9 student was tricked into thinking he bought several gadgets, including an Apple Watch, and ended up paying Rs 5.45 lakh to Shukla in installments over a span of three months. After nabbing him, police learnt that the Kanpur youth has used the same modus operandi to dupe at least ten people in the past. Warning about such tech savvy fraudsters, a crime branch officer said: Nowadays, scamsters create fake websites with good designs to make them look authentic and professional. A server at a Fort Bend County bar was arrested and a patron was believed to be on the run Wednesday after authorities linked them to the drunken driving death of a 17-year-old boy. The duo Edith Melendez and Bicente Castillo are accused of supplying about a dozen pitchers of beer to slain teen James Russell OCanas and his 19-year-old friend, Lee Cruz Trevino Jr., who authorities said was behind the wheel of their car that crashed on Jan. 12 near Rosenberg. Alison Baimbridge, of the Fort Bend District Attorneys Office, said the two teens had been drinking at Brewingz in Rosenberg with Trevinos older brother, Castillo. Melendez served the beer and at no point did she try carding the underage teens, Baimbridge said, adding that surveillance footage in the bar showed the three guzzling beer and at one point drinking it straight from the pitcher. Castillo and Trevino purchased the alcohol in cash, she said. The two teens left the bar at some point and Trevino, of El Campo, made it about 18 miles before losing control of the car around 1 a.m. in the 900 block of Lum Road, police said. He slammed into a tree and the car caught fire. According to authorities, a good Samaritan who lived next to where the wreck happened saw the burning car and pulled the unconscious driver, Trevino, out the window to safety. The witness, Martin Montalvo, was handed a lifesaving award later that month for the deed. After the rescue, Trevino came to and bolted from the scene. He did not attempt to help his passenger, Baimbridge said. Trevino returned to the wreck several hours later and was arrested, she continued. Trevino, who was charged at the time with reckless driving and criminal negligent homicide, was released two days later from the Fort Bend County jail after posting a $50,000 bond. Melendez was apprehended Tuesday night at her workplace, said John Herman, chief deputy of Fort Bend County Constable Precinct 4. She has been charged with the misdemeanor offenses of serving alcohol to a minor and over serving an intoxicated person. Her court records were not immediately available. A warrant was also issued for Castillo, but he could not be immediately found at his El Campo home. It was then believed he had gone to his construction job in Clute, but officials said he could not be found there either. His wife tipped him off and hes in the wind, Hermann said. According to court records, Castillo also helped Trevino post bond from the jail. Trevino is slated on Feb. 24 to appear in court. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission opened an investigation into the Brewingz location on Jan. 15 after the constables office reported what happened, spokesman Chris Porter said. So far, the chain restaurant and bar has not been cited with any alcohol violations. In 2019, TABC issued 15 citations in Fort Bend County for alcohol sales to minors. In neighboring Harris County, the state agency issued 124 citations, Porter said. DGAP-News: ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 4, 2020) - ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) ("ZEN" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the grand opening of its Guelph facility for small scale pilot plant production and Research and Development. James Jordan will be leading the work at the facility and is promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer. In other company human resource review, Colin van der Kuur is now our Head of Research while Monique Manaigre becomes our Senior Government Relations and Account Manager. Shares for Debt Settlement ZEN announces the issuance of shares in connection with its previously announced shares for debt agreement with Alphabet Creative. The Company issued 47,222 common shares at a deemed price of $0.36 per common share in settlement of a debt of $17,000 owed by the Company. The common shares issued in connection with the shares for debt agreement will be subject to a hold period until May 1, 2020 in accordance with applicable securities laws. About ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. ZEN is an emerging graphene technology solutions company with a focus on the development of graphene-based nanomaterial products and applications. The unique Albany Graphite Project provides the company with a potential competitive advantage in the graphene market as independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada have independently demonstrated that ZEN's Albany PureTM Graphite is an ideal precursor material which easily converts (exfoliates) to graphene, using a variety of mechanical, chemical and electrochemical methods. For further information: Dr. Francis Dube, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (289) 821-2820 Email: drfdube@zengraphene.com To find out more on ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd., please visit our website at www.ZENGraphene.com. A copy of this news release and all material documents in respect of the Company may be obtained on ZEN's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.ca. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. More particularly, this news release contains statements concerning the acceptance of the engagement of Storyboard by the TSX Venture Exchange and the anticipated monthly fees payable to Storyboard. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although ZEN believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. ZEN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Corporate Logo To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52046 Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser,to view the associated documents http://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52046 News Source: Newsfile 04.02.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de In the most recent involvement of the Nigeria police I counterterrorism operation, no fewer than 250 Ansaru terrorists lost their lives in an offensive by the Special Operatives of Operation Puff Adder backed by the Special Forces of the Police Airwing. According to police authorities, the special units stormed one of the largest operational camps of the Ansaru Terror Group (also housing other bandits and kidnappers) located in Kuduru Forest, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna early Wednesday. The operation was carried out by a combined team of operatives of Operation Puff Adder made up of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS) and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The operation was necessitated by actionable intelligence linking terror and criminal elements in the super camp to series of terror-related violence, kidnappings, gun-running, cattle rustling and other heinous crimes across the country, said Force PRO Frank Mba. During the operation, a Police Bell helicopter, which provided aerial and intelligence cover for the ground troops came under attack from the bandits using sophisticated anti-aircraft rifles and GPMG. Mba said the pilot and the co-pilot, however, demonstrated uncommon courage and expertise as they safely landed the aircraft at the Air Force Base, Kaduna. They were thereafter evacuated for medical treatment. Both officers who sustained non-life threatening injuries are currently receiving treatment and are in stable condition, he said. Inspector General of Police Muhammad Adamu has since assured citizens of safety and sustained intelligence-led operations against bandits across the nation. PV: 0 Last week, the largest Christian adoption agency in the United States announced it will end international adoptions. More than 15,000 children had been adopted since the late 1970s through Bethany Christian Services. Bethanys decision was not because they didnt believe in the program but because of their desire to serve children in their own communities, said Kristi Gleason, the vice president for global services at Bethany, in a statement. The future of adoption is working with local governments, churches, and social services professionals around the world to recruit and support local families for children and to develop and improve effective, safe in-country child welfare systems. To that end, part of these efforts has meant turning away from institutionalized care, or orphanages. One of the leaders in this effort has been Ukraine, says Micala Siler, the executive director of A Family for Every Orphan. From what I've seen in Romania and Ukraine firsthand most recently, because of the hard work of Christians to change cultural mindsets and help refine government system, these countries have the foundation to be countries without orphanages in the next 15 to 20 years. said Siler. Siler joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss the bigger reasons why theres been a move to move children from orphanages to familial situations, how adoption culture is growing in countries around the world, and the difference Christians have made in this conversation. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Read LifeWays research on American Christians and adoptions Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola Highlights from Quick to Listen: Episode #198 When we're talking about adoption and adoptees, who we're actually talking about? Micala Siler: Thats a bit of a loaded question because how we define the word orphan really makes a big difference. In a recent USAID document, they defined single orphans as children who've lost one parent and then double orphans as children who had lost both parents. But then there's a whole spectrum of social orphans, who basically just don't have a parental figure caring for them in a family setting. So who's eligible to be adopted today is generally children without living parentsboth are deceasedthey're the ones who are first eligible to be adopted. And then children whose biological parents rights have been severed for whatever reason. It could be the social factors such as they were doing drugs and they just never were able to get themselves rehabilitated and to a point where they could care for their children successfully what could have been any other number of factors. So generally it's children who've gone through a formal process of having their parental rights severed from them or children who don't have living parents. In most of the countries, or at least the countries that you're working in, is there always like the same kind of legal framework as far as severing parental rights? Is there always this kind of like intricate legal component that is present there? Micala Siler: It's less formal in some of the less developed countries, as far as their legal practices and their social welfare services. I can speak mostly to Ukraine since I've been here for about six months now and we've been working here for the past 10 years. I can talk to the fact that it is different. Their process for determining the rights of parents. Sometimes different countries have different levels of supporting parental rights versus the child's rights, so they might go through a very different process in determining that parent no longer has legal rights to their child. Article continues below In countries that have a developed social welfare system that leads to adoptions and foster care, they generally do have some formal process for severing the rights of biological parents. So what has changed? And what's been the driving factors on some of this change that we're seeing in adoption practices? Micala Siler: There are so many factors that influence the development of the infrastructure for adoption and foster care in any country. One thing that I've noticed in our time with A Family for Every Orphan is that a lot of countries who've had international adoptions happening in them start to see adoption as a viable solution. There are also requirements in order for countries to be part of, for example, the European Union, they have to have some sort of child protection laws and they have to be part of the Hague Convention now, which has regulations on the process for legally adopting a child, whether it's international or within the country. Some of these regulations have helped to prod governments forward in developing their social welfare services, in developing models of best child welfare practices, that we've already benefited from in the United States and other countries like the United Kingdom or Germany. I think that would be the reason that there's been a shift. As a country is working through a lot of other problems, this particular issue may have taken a back burner while they're trying to figure out other parameters for legal institutions and everything else. Is it generally a shift from adoption to foster care? Or is it a shift from international adoption to in-country adoption? Micala Siler: I think what we're seeing in Ukraine specificallysince I can talk to that most firsthandis that it's both. The issue is that adoption is limited. It's basically a discrete number. The number of children that can be adopted out of the system is only as high as the number of children who have an adoptable statusso were talking about their parental rights have been severed or they have to be defined as a double orphan. In Ukraine, there are only 6,000 children in the system with this adoptable status. The issue that you run into is that you need an alternative form of care to provide a family-based solution for children who dont have this status. And that's where foster care is incredibly importanteither as a temporary solution for children whose rights they're trying to determine or as a solution for children who will have a difficult time being placed long term for any number of reasons. It could be children with special needs that may not be as easily adoptable in some developing nations, where they don't have the services to support caring for a child like that in your home environment. Is there a difference between the families that are passionate about adoption versus the families that are interested in foster care? Micala Siler: Its hard to categorize all of the families into one personality or one community. But I think trends are showing that these families often have ideals or values that would lead them to want to care for children. And generally, Christians have the concept of caring for orphans placed on their hearts and minds from a very early age. It says in James 1:27, Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. I think a lot of Christians have taken that as a value that they are required to somehow care for orphans, whether it's through adoption or foster care. And so those are the families who are willing to foster, then, of course, their values are going to be in line with the families who are willing to adopt. Article continues below One problem that we have seenand this was reiterated when I was in Romania recentlyis that having an incentive for families to foster is often necessary because there are families that are very good, have very strong values, and very good philanthropic hearts and want to help children, and they want to do it for the right reason, but they just need a little bit of assistance to be able to provide the resources to the children that they don't have otherwise on their own income. But there is a problem with some families doing it simply for money. How do you incentivize a program like that, or provide aid to families who are doing it for the right reasons, without then bringing in a group of families that may not have been as well equipped, or the best-case scenario for a child to be living with, simply because they really like to make a few extra dollars on the side? So that is a problem that they're addressing in Romania. How to incentivize it and provide the support necessary, but also to make sure that the families who are in those situations are the best possible case for each child, and that they're doing it for the right reason. How do international NGOs play into some of those conversations? Micala Siler: I can say that one way that they're doing it in Ukraine is that there's a movement here called Ukraine Without Orphans that is a national Christian movement of organizations and churches that have all recognized the need for working together to help provide families for children. As just an example, they are going into churches and speaking on the necessity of having families adopt and foster. And so you're seeing Christian families coming forward with values based on biblical principles of caring for other people for no other reason than the fact that they love Jesus. And so when a lot of Christians are stepping forward and trying to provide this type of care, these church leaders can often vet the families that are coming forward as willing to adopt or foster. In Ukraine, they've been able to use this opportunity in a setting where a lot of the laws and systems hadn't been established yet. They were able to be part of writing the policies and the infrastructure for vetting families and for setting up systems. And so churches were actually involved in developing some of the social welfare system. This is true in the United States as well. You've had churches in Texas and Colorado come forward with these plans for social welfare services and providing homes for foster children. They've reduced the number of children in foster care who've now ended up getting adopted permanently by a huge percentage. But a lot of times these churches and Christian NGOs were able to bring to the government something that was needed and that the government could say, We recognize that you have a good concept, you have a good policy, have a good packet or We'll provide some of the development of this system, if you get good results, then we can work together. And so it's using the platform of the church or even the platform of non-faith based NGOs to basically provide the government with a resource that they didnt otherwise have, and then help implement a program that can really impact children down the road for a long time. What about countries that don't necessarily have foster care or adoption type programs? What do they have instead? Article continues below Micala Siler: What we're seeing a lot in Africa specifically, and I know there are other cultures in South America and Asiathe Philippines is another examplethere's a very much of a culture of caring for children, especially by extended relatives. And so you might have a four-times removed relative, but it's culturally the norm that he would provide family or some sort of care for that child. And so while it may not be a formal practice in many of these places, there's still often a culture of needing to care for the most vulnerable and needing to care for children. And so while some of these countries don't have that in place, they do have these informal systems of trying to get children into families that could help them. But sometimes that backfires too, and sometimes the children's rights are not well protected. There are many cases of countries where they have a lot of children who are basically trafficked as slaves or servants or anything else in order to get them off the streets. For an organization like your own is the hope in those countries to do something that's a little bit more formalized or do you want to create a system that seeks to preserve the best parts of that type of highly relational, less formal system that these countries have? Micala Siler: Well, in every country that we work with, one of our prerequisites is that they have to be willing to have a very collaborative spirit with the government leaders. If there's not a collaborative spirit in working on a formal process, there's concern that children will be put in very vulnerable situations. I think that's a very important aspect. Having some form of trying to develop a system or trying to have formal child welfare practices that are in that are on good sound methodology is really critical if you're going to support programs or projects for children in another country. Weve done some reporting on how orphanages globally are closing as more orphans are placed within home families. Is there any place where orphanages are still part of the ecosystem or has the tide completely gone out on an orphanage model? Micala Siler: It's interesting that you asked that question because I actually just had a conversation about that with another NGO leader the other day. He works for a really great organization called Orphan Outreach. We were talking about how especially when a country is going through a de-institutionalization process, it would be dangerous to just completely empty the orphanages and have children go somewhere besides an institution where there's some sort of regulation or some sort of a health check. It would be absolutely dangerous, and putting children in much more vulnerable situations if there wasn't any type of an orphanage or institution system during the process of de-institutionalization. While they're going through this process, there's a time and a place to have institutional care. And if we're honest about it, we don't call them orphanages in the U.S., but there are larger foster homes and there's still residential care for certain categories of situations that children are in. While we don't have orphanages and we don't want to be a culture of institutions, there are times when having the option for institutional care is very important. I've heard of stories where even in the U.S. they were unable to find foster families on an immediate emergency basis that there were social workers sleeping in a hotel room with several children while they tried to find an emergency placement type of situation. This is in the U.S. We have to be very careful not to demonize institutional care, as long as there's a mindset that we want to do it for the best interest of children in the long term. And with putting children into families, we've seen so many statistics and so many pieces of information that have promoted the idea that growing up in a healthy family is really the best place for a child. But that being said, we have to be very careful not to be polarized on the issue, that there is a place for orphanages in this process of de-institutionalization across the globe. And we have to have to be sensitive to that and careful that we don't do it too quickly so that it puts children in very serious and dangerous situations. Article continues below What drove the move away from orphanages in the first place? Micala Siler: Well, in the last 20 years there have been a lot of studies on what happens to children after institutional care. And so this is one thing that we've become very involved in. And sometimes in the best case scenario, children will still have these very severe results or significant issues once leaving the orphanage. For example, in Russia, they had statistics that show that about 50% of children had grown up in institutions were prone to a life of crime, 10% ended up committing suicide. You had about 40% of girls getting involved in some form of prostitution. There were studies in Romania that were done on children while they were in the institution, where they compared three different baby homes and they provided different models of care in each of these three, and the ones that were structured to be most like a family showed very significant differences in their abilities, in their social IQ, their emotional development, their cognitive and physical development even. There's been some scientific proof as to why a family is a better situation than an institution. At the same time, when we're talking about does an institution have a place ever in this conversation, I think that's a different conversation because an institution might be necessary for a period of time while you're trying to transition a country to be able to safely put children into families. How do you guys try to bring out the best of what the foster care system can do with regards to this family situation? And are there any things that you have learned from the American system and it's particular dysfunctions, and try to correct in other countries? Micala Siler: That's another really interesting question and conversation because it is something that we're very aware of, especially when talking to our Ukrainian partners. So our Ukrainian partners have a very different perspective on, and definition of, what foster care is. So foster care is much more long-term in general in Ukraine. It's similar in Romania where it's a much more long-term arrangement. But what it also means is that the child was first in an institution for a period of time, during those critical times when we might consider it in the U.S. to be an emergency placement into a foster home. A lot of the volatility and the moving around we see in the U.S. often has to do with children going back for a period of time to biological parents that were trying to rehabilitate. And then potentially being pulled back out. This was the case for several of the foster children in my own familyI grew up as a foster sister. My parents were foster parents. Sometimes we saw that happen when children were pulled out of our family to be placed either with an extended relative for a period of time or they were placed back into their biological family situation. And then sometimes that went south, and they were replaced into another foster family or had the potential to come back to our family. So there is a lot of volatility in the foster care system, and I've definitely witnessed that firsthand. Article continues below What I think other countries are trying to do, and sometimes more successfully, is to make them more permanent placements. But then, for example, in Ukraine, they don't have a very good system set up for emergency foster care, on that initial stage when it's been determined that a family is unsafe for a child to live in. They don't have this list of foster families on call to say, Can you take this child for this short period of time while we figure out and assess the situation better? Either reunite them with the family or make a move to get them into a more permanent situation. So I think you're seeing less volatility because they have more of an inclination to go straight to the residential or institutional care. But I can't speak to a lot of countries and what they're doing. I do know that in America there's a lot of experts working around that issue as well. That's going to be something that we're contending with as long as there's that issue of children needing a safe place to go for a short period of time. What are some of the ways that American Christians are still going to be able to engage deeply with international orphan care? What can American Christians do beyond writing checks of support for international adoptive families and support families? Micala Siler: A lot of people, a lot of donors, that we deal with would like to have more of a personal connection. I know that I can speak from my own personal perspective that there's a desire to be very connected to the children that you're trying to support and help. One thing that's important for all of us to do is to become more educated, especially if there's a region or a country that we have a lot of interest in. Its important is to get a lot of good information and to try to research as much as possible, and understand the situations that they're facing. The more we have opportunities to travel to those countries and meet with leaders who are working on these problems at a national level, in organic organizations that live in a particular country that's trying to address domestic adoption and the legal infrastructure for foster care and everything else. The more information we have about that, the more we understand what they're going through, the more that we can help to make connections for them, or help to facilitate discussion, or work on their behalf to support the efforts that they're making or the progress that they're making on these issues. That's one avenue or one step. We can't underestimate the power of prayer as well in this whole problem of trying to solve how children should best be in families. I know that personal desire to want to reach out and actually touch the children and be able to do something for them is critical. And so I think another way might be to itespecially if people are interested in mission types programsmaybe they look for organizations that are doing something, especially with foster and adoptive parents. Theres a huge support and community that they need behind them in order to do it well, and especially in developing nations where they don't have a lot of money, don't have a lot of resources. And I'm not talking about just writing checks, I'm talking about somehow getting personally involved with these organizations that are providing support to local adoption and foster care projects. If there are ways to come to a country, to visit with those children, or to provide them with opportunities to go to trauma training or camps. Article continues below Or stay in touch via letters. This is something that some of our donors have done. They've stayed in touch with individual families that have made this big leap of faith to adopt children into their family. It's been a really special relationship and process as they hear the encouragement of other people from across the world. With this trend away from international adoption, is there a feeling of angst among international adoptive families? Do these families need extra care right now? Micala Siler: I certainly hope not. Jedd Medefind, the leader of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, just wrote a piece kind of in response to the decision that Bethany House Christian Services made with some takeaways that we can have as Christians. And it was along the lines of like, it's very important for us as Christians not to be polarized on this issue. We need to recognize that adoption by any family, especially a family who has the best interest of a child in mind, is much better than the alternative. We have to recognize that there is a need for international adoption. There are many children that would have a very difficult time getting adopted locally within their respective countries of origin. In response to your question, I really hope that there's not a new situation that adoptive families of internationally adopted children are finding themselves in. I really hope that we can, as Christians remain unpolarized on this issue and supportive of all families who've taken this great plunge to care for children. International adoption is always going to have a place, and I really hope that organizations won't stop supporting that effort if it's something that they've been doing already. Bethany Christian Services decision to do that did reflect some of the same values that our organization has. We're excited about their affirmation of our shared values of partnering with national leaders and empowering local families to bring children to their homes. At the same time, I do hope that organizations will continue to facilitate international adoptions that already have been doing that. While developing domestic adoption is so critical to helping as many children as possible, international adoption has and will continue to have a very important role and providing loving families for thousands of children every year who would not be adopted otherwise. And so I hope that no family who's adopted internationally would ever feel that this is somehow a black mark against what they've done. I would hope that they feel that they've done their very best in providing a child who would not otherwise have a family with a family. And that's the most important thing that as Christians, we need to see and to support and being encouraging of. Should we expect more organizations to make the same decision regarding international adoption that Bethany recently made? Micala Siler: I do think with some of the regulations that have come down on international adoptionboth been from the U S and other EU countries to try to prevent any sort of corruption or child trafficking and then there have also been some of the developing nations who placed restrictions on international adoptionit has caused a decrease in the number of opportunities for people to adopt internationally. And the cost has also increased because of some of the legal and bureaucratic work that's required to break through the barrier of international adoption. So it may be a trend that we'll see in the future with other organizations. But as I said, I do really hope that we'll continue to see international adoption as a viable option and that there will be good regulations surrounding it so that it can continue as an option or alternative for domestic adoption when they're in children who would have a very difficult time being placed in their own country. Article continues below When I say that, Im referencing children who may have large sibling groups or children with very special needs, where their country may not have the capacity to support treatment of those special needs within their communities currently. Children like that, I really hope for their sake and for the sake of many other children who are older in the adoption system, that they would have an opportunity to be adopted internationally as well. Any other predictions about how things might change in the next century with regards to these children being taken care of? Micala Siler: It is my firm belief in the next century, we're going to see significant progress in de-institutionalizing orphan care around the world. And when I say deinstitutionalization, this is a kind of a term that they've been throwing around a lot in Ukraine and other EU countries. They're trying to develop systems that can provide family-based care for children. And I do think that from what I've seen in Romania and Ukraine firsthand most recently, that because of the hard work of Christians to change cultural mindsets and help refine government system, these countries have the foundation to be countries without orphanages in the next 15 to 20 years. And I hope that they've had to be example of countries like Ukraine that have become kind of world leaders for other developing nations on this particular issue, that we will see a change in the number of adoptions happening domestically and the number of institutions that are closing because their community's willing and able to support foster care, adoption, and all of the preventive services needed to keep children with their biological families. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Samir Ali - Trend: The scale of projects to modernize roads in the light of state programs for the development of Baku and Azerbaijan's regions is expanding every year under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Spokesperson of State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads Anar Najafli told Trend. According to Najafli, the agency is successfully implementing projects to improve and modernize road infrastructure. Thanks to this, Azerbaijan ranks 27th in the world in terms of road quality and first among the CIS countries. "Naturally, much remains to be done. In particular, the priority is the repair of country roads. Thanks to the attention and care of the head of state, road infrastructure is brought into line with international standards," Najafli said. "In 2019, at the expense of foreign creditors, work was continued to expand the 130.15 kilometer-segment of the M-2 Ganja - Georgia border highway to four lanes, toreconstruct the Ujar-Zardab-Agjabadi highway with a length of 70.5 kilometers, the 58.12 kilometers long section of the M-5 Yevlakh - Shaki highway, as well as the 59.8 kilometers long R-32 Bahramtapa-Bilasuvar highway," the spokesperson said. "The project on expanding the segment of the M-2 Ganja - Gazakh - Georgia border to four lanes is being implemented as part of a loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. About a third of the work has already been completed. The project to expand the road of the first technical category was launched in February 2019, and is expected to be completed in 2021," the spokesperson added. "Another project is also ongoing under a loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - the reconstruction of the 59.8 kilometers long R-32 Bahramtapa-Bilasuvar highway. The road is being built according to the second technical category. Construction work began in February 2019, and will be completed this year as scheduled," Najafli said. Anar Najafli noted that the project on the reconstruction of the Khaldan - Shaki circle segment of the M-5 Yevlakh - Zagatala - Georgia border highway and the Shaki circle - Shaki highway (12 kilometers) is being implemented as part of a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank. "Construction work on the 46.21 kilometers long Khaldan - Shaki circle segment of the second technical category, and the Shaki circle - Shaki highway of the third technical category were launched in March 2019, and the project is planned to be completed in 2021. More than half of the work has already been completed,"Anar Najafli said. The agency spokesperson added that at the expense of the funds provided within state investments of Azerbaijan's state budget for 2019, construction of the new four-lane Baku-Guba-Russian border highway with a length of 92 kilometers, as well as construction work on the 132nd-197th kilometer section of the M-1 Baku-Guba-Russian border highway is ongoing. ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that ''if the Syrian regime will not withdraw by February from the areas in which Turkish monitoring positions are located in Idlib'', stopping its offensive against the rebel stronghold in northeast Syria, ''Turkey will need to act'', addressing his AKP party after the two armies clashed Monday in the area. ''We will continue to respond to any air or land attack and nobody can criticize us for this'', continued Erdogan, explaining that he expressed his concern Tuesday night in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a supporter of Bashar al Assad. Erdogan added that he will meet again with the Russian president after their respective delegations discuss a possible solution for Idlib. ''Agreements on Syria are not respected. The ceasefire can't be unilateral. The attack against our soldiers - the Turkish leader also said - has been an important passage for Turkey in Syria''. The Syrian defense ministry for its part said that Turkey supports terrorists in Syria, according to sources quoted by pro-government media in Damascus. The report referred to militias fighting in the northwestern region of Idlib against loyalist forces, directly or indirectly backed by Ankara. Syrian authorities will respond to any attack from Turkish forces against the government army of Damascus in the region of Idlib, warned the defense ministry source. ''The (government) army is undertaking the patriotic task of defending the territory and defeating armed terrorist organizations that have attacked and are continuing to attack the civilian population in the area''. UTSA's Forough Askarirad will study in Urbino, Italy, and Arlae Gamez Luna will study in Berlin. FEBRUARY 5, 2020 Eight students across UTSAs colleges have been selected by the U.S. Department of State for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a program designed to make studying abroad and its career advantages more accessible and inclusive for American students. The Gilman scholarship affords students the opportunity to gain critical skills overseas and expand their career options and ability to make an impact in their home communities. The program especially supports first-generation college students, students in the STEM fields, ethnic and racial minority students, students with disabilities and students who are veterans. Two of the individuals selected for the Gillman scholarship are Honors College students in the Terry Scholars Program. This award is so important, in that it gets UTSA students studying, doing internships and engaging in service and research abroad early on in their studies. ANDREW CHAPMAN, Director of UTSA's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards Forough Askarirad, a sophomore, was awarded $3,000 to study psychology in Italy through UTSAs Urbino Program. She demonstrated in her application that studying psychology there will foster new intercultural communication skills that will serve her in her future career as an immigration attorney. Askarirad, a first-generation student who arrived in the United States as a child from Iran, speaks English, Farsi and Arabic. Shell now add Italian to her list. I am incredibly excited to be learning the Italian language, Askarirad said. I have always had a great love for languages, and I want to be able to learn as many as I can. I am looking forward to being fully immersed in Italian culture. Arlae Gamez Luna was awarded $3,500 to study in the summer at the Free University of Berlin, where she will take courses in migration studies and German language. She chose her program in Germany in order to expand her knowledge about European migration. A junior studying political science, Gamez Luna researches the migration of unaccompanied minors to the United States. Traveling to Germany this summer fits into her future research plans to apply for a Fulbright grant so that she can do a comparative study between the two countries and their immigration policies. Gamez Luna came to the U.S. in 2013 from Mexico, having spent 10 years in a convent working with impoverished and immigrant communities. Other UTSA students who are recipients of the award will be studying in different programs across the globe. Aashish Mavani, Meredith Shuman and Celeste Jones will travel to Urbino, Italy, as Gilman scholars to study music and psychology. Outside of the Urbino program, three other students to win the award this spring are Sydney Brown, who will be traveling to Botswana to study community health; Lauren Camacho, traveling to Kyoto, Japan, to study Japanese; and Aldo Pinedo. In total, UTSA students were awarded $21,500. Explore the Gilman award and UTSAs Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. Andrew Chapman, director of UTSAs Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, said he hopes that next semester UTSA will have even more Gilman scholars, noting that the application process is simple and designed for students who may have never applied for a scholarship. There is no GPA requirement and no letters of recommendation required. This award is so important, in that it gets UTSA students studying, doing internships and engaging in service and research abroad early on in their studies so that by the time they are juniors and seniors, they are positioned for future success, he said. Askarirad noted that the application process was a great learning experience. Applying for the Gilman scholarship taught me a lot about how to tell my story and hone in on the events in my life that have shaped me as a person, she said. This process has also opened up doors to other potential opportunities and shown me that there is a large network of people at UTSA who are always ready to help and guide you! Students who plan to study abroad this summer or next fall on programs of 21 days or more can apply for the Gilman scholarship. The deadline for applications is March 3, 2020. The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, which opened this fall in the Honors College, advises all UTSA students on the Gilman scholarship application, among other national award opportunities. Oregon, like other Pacific Northwest coastal states, has significant seismic risks the Cascadia earthquake fault being one of them.About 10 years ago, the state developed an Oregon Disaster Resilience Plan. Over the years, elements of the plan have become priorities, like providing matching funds for the seismic mitigation of schools. Now in 2020, Gov. Kate Brown has taken the leadership position of proposing legislation, Senate Bill 1537 The governor testified before thespeaking to the needs identified in the bill language. Gov. Brown Testimony And, there are others who follow her.The bill has a number of elements in it. I will highlight only a few of them:These instruments are needed to provide a wider geographic coverage of the state and will allow the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system to function more accurately, with the potential to save lives. Some funding comes from the federal government, but it is not enough to have a robust warning system.: The state of Oregon is only as prepared for disasters as the level of readiness of its people to be on their own for two weeks, post-disaster. The Cascadia Rising 2016 Earthquake Exercise highlighted how long it will take before meaningful assistance begins to arrive in Oregon from outside resources. The national standard is woefully short for disasters like the Cascadia region earthquake. Residents of Oregon need to understand that government will not be able to support them in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The effort to get 250,000 residents disaster-ready is a very ambitious goal. The work that this bill will enable is understanding how to message disaster preparedness and also measure the effectiveness of that messaging.All of the proposed elements of the bill, that also includes updating the resilience plan, staging areas for emergency response and the assessment of dam safety are appropriate and will provide meaningful benefit. If you stop to meet the families and talk to the mothers, you will learn many of them are there because they fear for their childrens lives in their own country. If you had come last week, you would have heard the story of a 14-year-old girl who was raped in her home country and is now five months pregnant. Her mother knows that the man who raped her child is looking for her. You might have also heard about a man who heroically saved a young girl from being kidnapped and who now fears that the men he thwarted will come back and hurt him. And finally, you also would have seen another mother who had just returned from her asylum hearing after having been told her asylum request was denied. SUGAR LAND It would be easy to miss the grassy site where the remains of 95 African-Americans, likely subjects of Texas notorious convict-leasing system, were dug up and then reinterred. Although citizens and officials spent months debating the fate of the remains, officials with the Fort Bend Independent School District ended up quietly reburying them on a site that lacks fencing, signage or a memorial marker. Nearby is the sleek, new James Reese Career and Technical Center, the construction of which led to the remains discovery. Questions linger over whether the school district can operate a cemetery the district backed out of a plan to have Fort Bend County oversee the site but district officials stress that they are working to line up a community partner to take it over and honor the remains appropriately. School district spokeswoman Amanda Bubela wrote in an email this month that a permanent fence is in the design phase, along with markers. A fence once surrounded the site where the remains were found, but Bubela said it was temporary. She could not provide an update on the search for a community partner. Still, some have expressed frustration at the school districts decision to go at it alone, especially after a months-long effort led to passage of a bill in the Legislature authorizing the county to operate the cemetery. We worked with all stakeholders to shepherd a bill signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott to remain on the right side of history by allowing the County to maintain a cemetery, Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in a written statement. I am disappointed that Fort Bend ISD decided to pursue a unilateral route instead of collaborating with the community to ensure the lives of those 95 tortured souls are finally put to rest in a proper and respectful manner. Plans originally called for the district to pay $1 million to the county and convey part of the cemetery for reinterment of the remains and an additional 10 acres for a memorial park. The bill was signed into law by Abbott last June. However, the deal fell apart last summer after the school district and county differed on whether court oversight was needed during the reinterment process. Those buried at the site are believed to have been part of the convict-leasing system that emerged after the end of slavery and largely targeted black men. Prisoners were contracted out to plantations, railways and businesses to perform cheap labor across the state. The remains discovery in 2018 at the school district construction site drew national attention and spurred a debate over DNA testing and reburial, as well as how to mark a shameful chapter in Sugar Lands history. A Houston Chronicle reporter asked the Texas attorney generals office late last year whether the school district was legally authorized to operate a cemetery. However, an official Attorney General opinion can only be requested through certain officials authorized by state law. State Rep.Senfronia Thompson asked for an official Attorney General opinion in December 2019. State Rep. Ron Reynolds said the school district acted in bad faith when it moved forward with operating the cemetery without the county or a nonprofit as a partner. I think the community demands answers and transparency, accountability and we really need to be brought up to speed what Fort Bend ISD intends to do regarding the Sugar Land 95, said Reynolds, a Fort Bend Democrat. But Tanya Marsh, a Wake Forest University law professor and expert on cemetery law, said the school district is on solid legal footing to oversee the site because theyre just maintaining it and doing basic upkeep, which they would do whether human remains were buried there or not. Marsh said a community partner would only be needed if the school district decided to spend additional money to memorialize the graves. When human remains are discovered, Marsh said, the property owners only legal obligation is either to reinter the remains where they were found or in another cemetery. I think this is a special case. Obviously, people care about it so much because of the historical context in which those bodies ended up in the ground in the place they did and the manner in which they did, Marsh said. It doesnt make any sense to me to say that (that) should be the school districts responsibility. They werent responsible for it. They just happened to buy the landwhere the bodies were. That seems like a real community question about whats the right way to deal with this painful aspect of history. The school district maintains it is legally permitted to operate a cemetery despite a ban on using education funds for that purpose. But state law permits any owner of property upon which an abandoned cemetery is discovered (including a school district) to maintain ownership of the cemetery after its discovery, the school district said in response to questions from the Chronicle. In other words, a landowner does not automatically lose, and is not legally required to transfer ownership of, a cemetery upon its discovery. District officials said they can elect to transfer the cemetery to an entity that is legally authorized to take ownership of it, which would include a municipality, county, or a perpetual care cemetery. So long as the District owns the cemetery, it will maintain the cemetery as it has a legal and moral obligation to maintain, the district said in December. Last November, the school district privately reinterred the remains after holding a ceremony to honor them, which was interrupted by protesters. Fort Bend ISD said it plans to hold another public ceremony led by students in the spring to honor the remains. Reginald Moore, a local advocate who first warned the school district that it would likely find remains at the planned career center site, said in a statement that Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Charles Dupres insistence that the district has the right as a property owner, to do whatever it pleases with the bodies of the Sugar Land 95 is insulting and immoral. For over a year after the discovery of the Sugar Land 95, FBISD has insisted that it had no legal right to operate a cemetery, only to reverse course after it became clear that the community was going to hold them accountable and demand that the Sugar Land 95 be properly honored and laid to rest, Moore said. Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton wrote in a statement that after all the effort that has been put into the Sugar Land 95 memorial project, it is unfortunate that progress may have ceased. He said he still hopes to see a deal worked out between county officials and the school district. There should be a proper memorial as a means of restorative justice for the victims and our community, said Middleton, who was elected in 2018. The memorial will strengthen our community and demonstrate the tremendous growth and enlightenment our community has experienced since the days of convict leasing. brooke.lewis@chron.com MPs in the House of Commons do not have a formal dress code. (PA) When Labour MP Tracy Brabin wore a shoulder-revealing dress in the Commons, she faced fierce criticism for her sartorial choice. The shadow culture secretary defended her choice of outift but critics said it was not appropriate attire for Parliament. But are there any actual clothing rules for MPs while sitting in the Commons? What were the past traditions? Until 1998, MPs were forced to wear a top hat when raising a point of order, but this was scrapped by the leader of the House at the time, Ann Taylor. She said during a debate on the modernisation of parliamentary procedures: "I know some members may feel that they look particularly fetching in the opera hat, but it really does make the House of Commons look ridiculous. What about clothing? According to Erskine May, the bible of dos and donts for MPs, members should dress in business-like attire. MPs are also not permitted to wear any military insignia or uniform inside the chamber, while those voting in a division should not in principle have their face covered. Liberal Democrat Tom Brake was questioned for not wearing a tie in the Commons (Getty) Do male MPs need to wear ties? Erskine May once again states that business attire need not include a tie, something that former Speaker John Bercow made clear in 2017. He told MPs that ties were no longer essential after Liberal Democrat Tom Brake asked a question in the Commons while tieless. Mr Bercow said: "It seems to me that as long as a member arrives in the House in what might be thought to be business-like attire, the question of whether that member is wearing a tie is not absolutely front and centre-stage. "Do I think it's essential that a member wears a tie? No. MPs must wear 'business-like attire' inside the Commons. (Getty) Who decides what is business-like attire? Again, Mr Bercow said it was up to the chair to decide what is seemly and proper, adding that female MPs were also free to wear ties if they chose. So is there a formal dress code? No. Erskine May says it remains custom for male MPs to wear a jacket and tie, but the Speaker has not enforced the practice in all circumstances. Story continues Parliaments website states: "The Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men. Labour MP Harriet Harman wore a feminist T-shirt during Prime Minister's Questions in 2014. (PA) Green MP Caroline Lucas was told to remove a slogan T-shirt during a debate in Westminster Hall. (Parliament TV) Has anyone fallen foul of the chair in recent years? Yes most notably Green MP Caroline Lucas, who was reprimanded by the chair in 2013 for wearing a No More Page Three T-shirt during a debate in Westminster. She was asked to stick to the more formal dress code if she wanted to continue in the debate. Harriet Harman managed to avoid a similar reprimand when she wore a T-shirt saying this is what a feminist looks like on it during Prime Ministers Questions in 2014. Tsukuba, Japan - Voluntary motor movements rely on the corticospinal tract (CST)--a group of neuronal fibers in mammals that connect each side of the brain to the opposite side of the spinal cord, and ultimately to muscles. It contains about 1 million fibers, the majority of which cross sides where the brain meets the spinal cord. This is why, for example, the left side of the brain controls your right hand. New experiments in mice by researchers at the University of Tsukuba have found that normal crossing of these fibers during development, and subsequent motor coordination during adulthood, rely on two key enzymes - Sulf1 and Sulf2. During development, growing fibers made from neuronal axons are steered from the brain to their proper destinations by guidance molecules. Although the CST is the longest fiber tract and guidance molecules are particularly vital for its proper development, we still do not know all the key players. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan recently found that mouse embryos lacking Sulf1 and Sulf2 genes exhibit defects in axon guidance. Now, in work published in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, the team has shown that Sulf1/Sulf2-deficient mice also show abnormal postnatal CST development. "We tested this in a breed of mice that can survive Sulf1/Sulf2 knockout after birth. This let us examine postnatal development of the CST for the first time," study lead author Prof. Masayuki Masu says. "Sulf1/Sulf2 knockout resulted in anatomical abnormalities in the CST, especially at the pyramidal decussation and in the spinal cord projection. The mice showed abnormal motor function as a result." Usually, most CST fibers cross sides at the bottom of the brainstem at the pyramidal decussation, named for the pyramid-shaped structures that they form there. These crossing fibers connect to muscles of the extremities, particularly the arms, legs, hands, and feet. The researchers found that many axons did not cross sides in the Sulf1/Sulf2 knockout mice, although they did end up in the equivalent muscles on the opposite side. The result was that both sides of the brain were connected to muscles on both sides of the body, and this reduced fine motor skills, but did not seem to affect gross movements. "The anatomical anomalies seen in the mice were accompanied by impaired fine motor movement, such as skilled reaching and grasping," study co-author Prof. Akira Tamaoka says. "Stimulation of one side of the motor cortex evoked bilateral responses in the forelimb muscles. Under normal conditions, this should result in responses on just one side of the body. Knowing how abnormal CST development affects motor skills in mice could help us understand human motor disorders such as congenital mirror movement - in which voluntary movements of one side of the body are mirrored by involuntary movements of the other." The results of this study indicate the importance of Sulf1 and Sulf2 and may provide some insight into how the left and right sides of our bodies are controlled by separate sides of the brain. Future work should investigate why eliminating Sulf1 and Sulf2 did not prevent all fiber crossings and whether any characteristics of abnormally uncrossed fibers can predict dexterity in mice or other animal models. ### Tokyo, Feb 5 : Japan's health ministry announced on Wednesday that at least 10 among 3,700 passengers on a cruise ship that had passed through Hong Kong and is stationed in quarantine in Yokohama had contracted a coronavirus strain that has killed hundreds. Japanese authorities said medical tests were performed only on 31 of the approximately 2,700 passengers and 1,000 crew members of the ship and feared the number of infections could increase, Efe news reported. The 10 infected passengers have been hospitalized and none have serious symptoms, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a Wednesday news conference. The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been moored at Yokohama port since Monday, when Japanese authorities denied it from docking and ordered it be quarantined after confirming one passenger was infected with the coronavirus. The victim was a man in his 80s from Hong Kong, who disembarked there last week - one of the stops of this cruise that sailed January 20 from Yokohama - and also passed through Okinawa and Kagoshima ports in southwest Japan. The death toll from the illness caused by the new coronavirus strain - which originated in Wuhan, China - has climbed to 490 and infected 24,324 people, China's National Health Commission said Wednesday. Until now, all but one of the deaths - which occurred over the weekend in the Philippines - have occurred in China. Though about 20 countries have confirmed cases, China has accounted for about 99 per cent of infections. The coronavirus symptoms are similar to those of a cold but may be accompanied by fever and fatigue, dry cough and dyspnea (shortness of breath). Japan's health ministry sent a medical team and quarantine officials on board the cruise Monday and tested 273 crew members and passengers believed to have been in close contact with the Hong Kong citizen, Kato said, adding that they would leave in the next few hours. The government announced it was looking to expand preventive measures to contain the spread in Japan, where more than 30 cases have been detected, including those of Diamond Princess. Since Saturday, Japan has banned the entry of foreign nationals who have visited Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan, as well as Chinese citizens whose passports have been issued there. The country has considered "expanding the regions" of China whose citizens are temporarily prohibited from entering the country, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a Tuesday parliamentary committee. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step bloc of the Armenian parliament is proposing to terminate the powers of Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan and the other justices. The bills copy is published at the parliament website. The tenure of the Constitutional Court Chairman and Members appointment before the initiation of Chapter 7 of the Constitution is being terminated. Nominations for the vacant positions of Constitutional Court justices are done respectively by the Cabinet, the President and the General Assembly of Judges, reads the bills text. As for the reasons of introducing the bill, the ruling bloc has noted that the crisis around the Constitutional Court has several aspects now which pose serious challenges for Armenias democracy, sovereignty and legal qualities. The bill mentions that there are obvious substantial differences of the positions of judges appointed in the past and those being elected under Chapter 7 of the 2015 Constitution. It says that there is significant difference between the terms of tenure of justices elected under the 2015 Constitution and those appointed earlier. Whereas newly elected judges serve for 12 years, the previously appointed members, who have been appointed under the 1995 Constitution (two members) will serve in office until 70 years of age, while judges appointed by the 2005 Constitution (5 members) until 65 years of age. In other words, in order to present the situation more descriptively, for example one Constitutional Court member can be in office in this judicial composition for 33 years (from 1996 to 2029), while a newly elected judge is limited to 12 years in office. The purpose of the bill is to resolve the crisis of the lack of trust for the Constitutional Court by the society and the branches of the government and to form a Constitutional Court envisaged by Chapter 7 of the Constitution. The My Step bloc also mentions deficit of democratic legitimacy of the Constitutional Court which is caused by the high court itself, due to continuously having ignored the guarantees of the people of electing their authorities during presidential and parliamentary elections in the past. The ruling bloc called the high courts actions as disastrous. It is a reality that currently the Constitutional Court, with this composition of members, has the lowest approval rating among public governance bodies and the restoration of this approval is impossible in the event of preserving the same composition. The National Assembly of the 7th Convocation, as a supreme body vested with primary democratic mandate formed with the steady preservation of all guarantees of the right of free election in the past 20 years and Paragraph two of the Constitution, which has the powers of making Constitutional changes, is hereby aiming at giving a final and fundamental solution to the issue of forming the Constitutional Court under the rules of Chapter 7 of the 2015 Constitution. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan By SA Commercial Prop News Map of West Africa FirstRand Bank Ltd, said the property unit of its investment banking arm raised R2,3 billion for its Real Estate Development Fund aimed at developing real estate assets in West Africa. The money will be used to supply the strong demand for high-grade retail and commercial property, Johannesburg-based RMB Westport said in an e-mailed statement. Nigeria, Ghana and Angola have been earmarked as key jurisdictions in which to develop retail and commercial property. RMB Westport opened its doors in 2008 when Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) through its Real Estate Investment Banking division entered into a joint venture with the Westport Property Group to combine west African property development skills capital and investing expertise to enable the construction and development of high-grade retail commercial and industrial property assets in key growth nodes of sub-Saharan Africa. An increasing proportion of Africas population is moving into urban areas as economic growth quickens, with houses and malls being built in major cities including Accra, Abuja and Luanda, the capitals of Ghana, Nigeria and Angola respectively. OMalley says the discovery of oil in Ghana will likely lead to a further increase in investor interest and subsequent demand for office and industrial space. RMB Westport is no newcomer to Africa. Some of RMB Westports biggest projects (at various levels of completion) include: Icon House and Accra Financial Centre (A-grade buildings in Ghana); Ikeja City Mall (the largest shopping mall in Nigeria); Osapa Retail (Phase I) and Project Wings (Office and retail property in Nigeria) and recently the Junction Shopping Centre (retail property in Accra Ghana). Africa currently has the worlds highest rate of urbanisation. This migration along with Africas growing middle-class further reinforces the need for high grade office space and retail buildings in urban areas. The city of Luanda was for example built for a population of 300 000 and currently has over six million inhabitants adds Alan Wilson CFO of Westport. Wilson says that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently forecast Nigerias economy to grow by 6.9% a rate which if sustained will eventually lead to Nigeria overtaking South Africa as the largest economy in Africa. We believe that regulatory reforms in Nigeria along with its sheer population size oil wealth and strong economic growth trend make it a market that is difficult to ignore adds Wilson. Although many property developers and financiers play in this highly competitive industry RMB Westport believes their delivery of property development projects on time and on budget will continue to stand them in good stead. The team has extensive experience in real estate development in Africa over a number of years. Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Ltd, is a leading investment bank in South Africa and boasts an exceptional track record of activity in other African countries, with strong market positions in its four primary businesses financial markets, investment banking, advisory and principal investments. Tata Motors has always been at the forefront in contributing to nation building by providing innovative and sustainable mobility solutions for aspiring Indians. Today, at the countrys largest auto show, the AutoExpo 2020, the company takes great pride in showcasing an all-new range of passenger, electric and commercial vehicles with a focus on Connected, Electric, Shared and Safe. With a firework of 4 global unveils, a pre-production preview and a commercial launch; Tata Motors raises the bar by bringing innovative products, engineered and made in India for India. With a hall, spanning across 6000 sq. mtrs, the Tata Motors pavilion is divided into 4 thematic zones - Live, Play, Move and Build Zone. Each of these zones has been designed to reimagine the scope of what Tata Motors can offer, complemented by digital engagements to excite our visitors, from all age and choices. Commenting at the launch, Tata Sons Group Chairman, N Chandrasekaran said, The theme of our pavilion is a thoughtful representation of what India needs, how Tata Motors can contribute, and how we as the Tata Group are taking the lead in providing a transformative ecosystem solution in India. We are proud to offer one of the largest range of BSVI portfolio and this shows our commitment towards a clean and green environment. Tata Group has taken lead in driving the Governments vision of electrifying India and building a comprehensive and sustainable ecosystem, by leveraging the Groups rich experience and diversified competencies. The recently launched Tata uniEVerse is a holistic approach addressing all aspects of e-mobility solutions, from infrastructure to charging network and phase wise manufacturing plan, to provide our consumers a future ready sustainable and efficient e-mobility environment. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD, Tata Motors Ltd. said, Were super excited to showcase our new and upgraded products across passenger, electric and commercial vehicles, as they are not only BSVI ready, but they go beyond in terms of value, technology, features, experience, to meet the mobility aspirations of our customers. Each product at the Tata Motors pavilion is a careful, practical and emotional work of art, designed to provide more delight to its customers. The pavilion is designed on CESS, our four technology pillars that are revolutionising the mobility agenda. We are confident that our pavilion will offer the visitors and our customers, a unique sense of belonging and a feeling of pride, for what we have always stood for Connecting India, responsibly and sustainably. The Stars of the Show The all-new BSVI range of Commercial Vehicles Tata Motors unveiled the all-new Winger, setting new standards in the commercial passenger segment in terms of style, safety, comfort and space. The new Winger is an all-rounder with superior aesthetics, better economics and comfortable ergonomics, making it an absolute winner in its category. Tata Motors also unveiled the New Tata Prima 5530.S Facelift the epitome of engineering and the flagship of Tata Motors extensive commercial vehicle line-up. It comes with a power-packed drivetrain of ISBe 6.7L, 300HP, BSVI engine and G1150 gearbox, known for its robust durability and reliability. It is designed specifically to deliver high performance, unmatched fuel efficiency and better TCO. The company displayed 14 all-new BSVI range of products across segments covering sub 1 ton to 55 ton GVW, with 140+ type approvals and 19 engines (including alternate fuels options), thus providing a vast array of product offerings to its customers. The NEW FOREVER Passenger Vehicles Tata Motors showcased the NEW FOREVER range of its Passenger Vehicles today with 12 exhibits exemplifying the IMPACT DESIGN 2.0 across Cars and Utility Vehicles. Two path-breaking concepts based on the versatile ALFA ARC, Agile Light Flexible Advanced Architecture, were unveiled. The HBX Showcar as a natural extension of the H2X Concept - readying for production, Capturing the spirit of adventure. The Sierra EV Concept a legacy reborn, with modern, progressive look into the future of SUVs. The Sierra EV Concept is fully electric and goes beyond a SUV. Tata Motors also unveiled the Hexa Safari Edition a soul-stirring combination of two of our most loved SUVs the iconic Safari and the ultra-capable Hexa. Derived from the Land Rovers legendary D8 platform, and customised as Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture (OMEGA-ARC) for India, Tata Motors launched the much-awaited Harrier 2020, which comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission, mated to the next-generation 170PS BSVI Kryotec diesel engine. The feature-loaded SUV comes with a host of new features like panoramic sunroof, powered driver seat, amongst others. The Harrier 2020 comes with One India, One Price starting at INR. 13.69 lakh for the manual version and INR. 16.25 lakh for the automatic version. Bookings are open and the car would be available at the dealerships later this month. Tata Motors also showcased its new flagship SUV the Gravitas, in its production spec, scheduled to be launched later in H1FY21.The Gravitas is a true personification of Power, Indulgence and Capability. Representation of the largest range of Electric Vehicles portfolio Tata Motors today showcased the single largest portfolio of EVs in India, with the newly-launched Nexon EV Indias Own Electric SUV, the Altroz EV a modern city car, resetting the rules for the industry, catering to maturing customers. In the commercial vehicles space, the company displayed the Tata 4/12m Low Floor Entry Electric Bus the first full-electric drivetrain. It is a state-of-the-art solution for urban transport requirements. The Tata Ultra T.7 Electric was also on display, as Indias first-ever intermediate commercial electric truck. The Ultra T.7 Electric is designed to foster the agile goods movement across all business applications, making it the best fit for city transportation requirements. Tata Motors has made significant contributions to the countrys automobile sector in the last 75 years. By showcasing sustainable and green solutions at the AutoExpo 2020, Tata Motors will drive the future of mobility in India. Dunkaroos to finally return to the United States. In a press release on Feb. 3, General Mills confirmed the return of the widely popular snack, Dunkaroos. According to Jeff Caswell, president of snacks at General Mills, the return is thanks to an increasing demand from Dunkaroos fans. "We know theres a lot of love for Dunkaroos, and fans everywhere have been asking for it". Dunkaroos were first introduced in 1992, where they became an instant hit in children's lunch boxes across the United States. They were later discontinued in 2012 due to a drop in popularity amid a rise in health-conscious childrens snacks. Now, the most-requested Dunkaroos flavor will be made available again. Vanilla Cookies and Vanilla Frosting with Rainbow Sprinkles. Dunkaroos are expected to hit snack aisles sometime during the 2020 summer Google's lead data regulator in Europe has finally opened a formal investigation into the tech giant's processing of location data, more than a year after receiving a series of complaints from consumer rights groups across Europe. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced the probe today, writing in a statement: "The issues raised within the concerns relate to the legality of Googles processing of location data and the transparency surrounding that processing." "As such, the DPC has commenced an own-volition Statutory Inquiry, with respect to Google Ireland Limited, pursuant to Section 110 of the Data Protection 2018 and in accordance with the co-operation mechanism outlined under Article 60 of the GDPR. The Inquiry will set out to establish whether Google has a valid legal basis for processing the location data of its users and whether it meets its obligations as a data controller with regard to transparency," its notice added. We've reached out to Google for comment. Update: The company has now sent this statement, attributed to a spokesperson: People should be able to understand and control how companies like Google use location data to provide services to them. We will cooperate fully with the office of the Data Protection Commission in its inquiry, and continue to work closely with regulators and consumer associations across Europe. In the last year, we have made a number of product changes to improve the level of user transparency and control over location data. BEUC, an umbrella group for European consumer rights groups, said the complaints about "deceptive" location tracking were filed back in November 2018several months after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018. It said the rights groups are concerned about how Google gathers information about the places people visit which it says could grant private companies (including Google) the "power to draw conclusions about our personality, religion or sexual orientation, which can be deeply personal traits." Story continues The complaints argue that consent to "share" users' location data is not valid under EU law because it is not freely given -- an express stipulation of consent as a legal basis for processing personal data under the GDPR -- arguing that consumers are rather being tricked into accepting "privacy-intrusive settings". It's not clear why it's taken the DPC so long to process the complaints and determine it needs to formally investigate. (We've asked for comment and will update with any response.) BEUC certainly sounds unimpressed, saying it's glad the regulator "eventually" took the step to look into Google's "massive location data collection". "European consumers have been victim of these practices for far too long," its press release adds. "BEUC expects the DPC to investigate Googles practices at the time of our complaints, and not just from today. It is also important that the procedural rights of consumers who complained many months ago, and that of our members representing them, are respected." Commenting further in a statement, Monique Goyens, BEUC's director general, also said: "Consumers should not be under commercial surveillance. They need authorities to defend them and to sanction those who break the law. Considering the scale of the problem, which affects millions of European consumers, this investigation should be a priority for the Irish data protection authority. As more than 14 months have passed since consumer groups first filed complaints about Googles malpractice, it would be unacceptable for consumers who trust authorities if there were further delays. The credibility of the enforcement of the GDPR is at stake here." The Irish DPC has also been facing growing criticism over the length of time it's taking to reach decisions on extant GDPR investigations. A total of zero decisions on big tech cases have been issued by the regulator some 20 months after GDPR came into force in May 2018. As the lead European regulator for multiple tech giants -- as a consequence of a GDPR mechanism which funnels cross-border complaints via a lead regulator, combined with the fact so many tech firms choose to site their regional HQ in Ireland (with the added carrot of attractive business rates) -- the DPC does have a major backlog of complex cross-border cases. However, there is growing political and public pressure for enforcement action to demonstrate that the GDPR is functioning as intended. Even as further questions have been raised about how Ireland's legal system will be able to manage so many cases. Simplest way to show that Ireland will be unable to enforce #GDPR: They don't even have enough judges for appeals of 4k* cases/year.. Ireland (4,9 M) has 176 judges (1 per 28k) Austria (8,5 Mio) has 1700 judges (1 per 5k) Germany (83 Mio) has 21339 judges (1 per 3,8k) pic.twitter.com/h9oj5VjOsu Max Schrems (@maxschrems) February 2, 2020 Google has felt the sting of GDPR enforcement elsewhere in the region; just over a year ago the French data watchdog, the CNIL, fined the company $57 million for transparency and consent failures attached to the onboarding process for its Android mobile operating system. But immediately following that decision Google switched the legal location of its international business to Ireland, meaning any GDPR complaints are now funnelled through the DPC. (Newser) Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, the most endangered Democrat in this November's elections, said Wednesday that he will vote to convict President Trump when the Senate impeachment trial reaches its climax, the AP reports. In remarks on the Senate floor, Jones said the sum of the evidence produced "a picture of a president who has abused the great power of his office for personal gain, a picture of a president who has placed his personal interest well above the interest of the nation." Jones' announcement was significant for Democrats, who are hoping their party will present a united front by unanimously voting to remove Trump from office. That would deny Trump and his GOP allies a campaign season talking point that the Senate's virtually certain acquittal of Trump was bipartisan. story continues below Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are among other Democrats being closely watched for their votes later Wednesday. It would take 67 votes in the Republican-dominated Senatetwo-thirds of senatorsto remove Trump. No Republicans have indicated so far that they will vote to convict. Jones faces reelection this fall in a heavily Republican state that Trump carried by 28 percentage points in 2016. In an upset, Jones narrowly won a special election for a vacant seat in 2017 against Republican nominee Roy Moore. Jones, who will need to win support from independents and some Republicans to win reelection, had long indicated that he'd been troubled by Trump's actions pressuring Ukraine to seek harmful information on political foe Joe Biden. (Read more Trump impeachment stories.) Hanoitourist is among 93 State-owned enterprises that are preparing for privatisation in 2020. Companies that are expecting to equitise this year include telecommunications groups MobiFone and VNPT, Saigon Jewellery Co (SJC), and tourism firm Hanoitourist. They are among 93 companies that must complete the equitisation process by the end of 2020 under Decision 26/2019/QD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister in August 2019. Institutional investors are being drawn to SOEs because of their earnings growth potential. An unnamed Japanese firm was reportedly interested in buying shares in Dong Nai Food Industrial Corporation (Dofico) and multi-sector group Khanh Viet Corporation (Khatoco), tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn reported. Dofico has 3 trillion VND in charter capital and 2 trillion VND in average annual revenue. The Japanese firm said it was confident the firm would progress if the State sold its stake fully or partly to private investors. Dofico and Khatoco must cut their State ownership to between 50 percent and 65 percent through equitisation. According to the Ministry of Finance, the plan was unlikely to be completed in 2020 as most companies, especially large-cap firms, had failed to finish business evaluations regarding the huge amount of land under their authority. This is because evaluations are restricted by Decree 126/2017/ND-CP issued in November 2017 regulating the way a State-owned or a limited liability firm is transformed into a joint-stock business. The finance ministry is working to help the Government amend the decree to resolve land-related problems for both businesses and government agencies. If a draft decree to replace the Decree 126 is released as early as possible in 2020, it may help SOEs launch on the stock market. Chairman of Thanh Thanh Cong Group Dang Van Thanh said at a meeting between the Prime Minister and the business community late last year, it was the Government's responsibility to resolve these problems to speed up the equitisation process. The money from selling State stakes could be invested in building infrastructure while companies would receive support from private investors to boost their performances, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 13:34 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062b1556 1 News Muslim,Muslim-travel,Muslim-travelers,travel,online-marketplace,halal-destination,halal-tourism,halal-tourism-destination Free Online travel marketplace Travalal has launched to cater to Muslim travelers. There are more than 240 million Muslims or around 42 percent of Southeast Asias total population. The Muslim population in Southeast Asia is a huge market and has yet to be [developed] by the industry, Travalal founder and CEO Joyo Diharjo said in a statement. With that in mind, Travalal has partnered with 85 travel agents from across Indonesia to offer a variety of services for Muslim travelers, including umrah (minor haj) packages, tourist attractions, halal restaurants, as well as portable Wi-Fi and tickets for public transportation. Read also: Singapore could be Asias next halal destination To avoid fraud, Travalal has verified its travel agents by checking their credibility and integrity. The company's website is equipped with a payment gateway to ensure that travel agents will only receive payments after the travelers' packages are completed. Joyo added that Travalal used Software as a Service (SaaS), a system that allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the internet. The software has various features, including a Sales Management Dashboard, Data User Management, Statistics and more, allowing travel agents to share information about the best umrah packages or hotels for travelers. (jes/wng) Prime Minister Ludovic Orban accused, on Wednesday, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of taking out loans, while in government, "on the backs of children and grandchildren", loans that they will have to pay for. "In three years you loaned without starting any highway project, you hid them in a strategy and prognosis commission so Valcov [former adviser of PM Dancila - e.n.] writes 'public-private partnership' to invented companies and you did nothing but bury those projects blocking the economic development of Romania. So you loaned, for three years, 225 billion (RON, ed. n.) for nothing, so you can cover the budget holes that you caused and which, in reality, have proven bigger than the terrible lies you presented in the Budget Law for 2019. You speak of emergency ordinances? You, who gave an emergency ordinance to amend the Law of fiscal-budgetary responsibility, so the Prime Minister and Finance Minister have no obligation to issue an own-responsibility statement regarding the accuracy of the data that are at the basis of the Law on the state budget and the Law on the state social insurance budget?" asked rhetorically the Prime Minister in Parliament, at the debates regarding the censure motion.He also said that the PSD took mayors by force."Who gave ordinance 55, was it not the PSD? Who took 500 mayors on the eve of the presidential elections in 2014? Was it not the PSD? Yes, they didn't take them for free, but by offering bribes through the PNDL 1 [program]. (...) Lied to by omission, when you don't lie outright, defying common sense and the truth and data and figures. (...) The loan we took out in far better conditions obviously saves money for Romanian citizens. You took out on the backs of your children and grandchildren that they will have to pay back, so you can eat up the money in subsidies, in siphoning of public money, so you can put money towards payments that have no economic basis. That is not the way to run Romania. Romania is to be run by supporting investments, supporting those who work, those who assume responsibility in investments, supporting the private business environment. I see that a minister coming from the private environment stinks for you. Aren't you ashamed? An astute surgeon," said the Prime Minister.Ludovic Orban stated during the debates that "lies and bad words were uttered"."I will repeat the message again: I know you have trouble reading but, before speaking on a subject, I remind you that you must read it. I see you haven't even listened to me regarding the ordinance. The PSD Government introduced co-payment and the additional financial contributions, we delayed the entry into force by one year of the co-payment and the additional financial contributions. Moreover, it's forbidden for both public and private hospitals to ask a cent more to the patients in the said programs that benefit from the services provided in those hospitals," Orban mentioned. AGERPRES Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 10:40 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062a2674 1 Business Wimboh-Santoso,OJK,Financial-Services-Authority,Jiwasraya,insurance,non-banking-financial-services-industry,Reform,house-of-representatives Free The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is planning to reform the regulation and supervision of the nonbank financial industry following the revelation of alleged corruption at ailing state-owned insurer PT Asuransi Jiwasraya. OJK chairman Wimboh Santoso said on Tuesday the reforms would strengthen the country's financial sector, adding that the authority would need support from the government, business players and the World Bank. "We will reform the regulations and supervision by enhancing precautionary measures, improving risk management and developing risk-based supervision," Wimboh told House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing financial affairs in Jakarta. The authority, he said, would accelerate the reforms starting this year and aim to conclude them by 2022. Read also: Private insurers unfazed by insurance scandals despite trust concerns Wimboh announced the reform plans in front of President Joko Jokowi Widodo during the financial services industry's annual meeting in Jakarta in January, saying the overhaul has been planned for a long time before Jiwasrayas financial problems surfaced. Jiwasraya announced in October 2018 that it had failed to pay out maturing JS Saving Plan policies worth Rp 802 billion (US$58.7 million). It was also unable to pay holders of policies worth Rp 12.4 trillion that were supposed to be paid in December last year, prompting the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) to launch a corruption investigation. The AGO in January arrested five people, including the insurer's former boss and two businessmen, for their suspected roles in alleged corruption at Jiwasraya. Wimboh on Tuesday told lawmakers that the OJK would also prepare a regulation to establish a policy guarantee agency and a more sophisticated information system to better supervise the industry. Latest News New Orleans, Louisiana - Daniel Davis, 44, a former major at Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) in Angola, Louisiana, was found guilty by a jury Thursday in federal court for his participation in the beating of an inmate who was handcuffed, shackled, and not resisting and for failing to intervene to stop his subordinates from participating in the same beating. In a previous trial in January 2018, Davis was convicted of conspiring with other officers to cover up the beating by devising a false cover story, submitting false reports documenting that cover story, tampering with witnesses, and lying under oath. Davis was also previously convicted of this beating in November 2018, but was granted a new trial based on juror misconduct. Four other officersformer LSP Captains James Savoy, John Sanders, and Scotty Kennedy, and former Sergeant Willie Thomashave all previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the beating and cover up. At Daviss trial, Captains Sanders and Kennedy testified for the government and described the abuse and the extensive cover up. After hearing testimony over the course of three days, the jury convicted Davis of willfully depriving the inmate of his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The evidence showed that Davis initiated the beating by yanking the inmates leg chains, causing the inmate to fall face-first onto the concrete breezeway. At that point, Davis and the other officers punched, kicked, and stomped on the inmate, leaving the inmate with a dislocated shoulder, a hematoma, a collapsed lung, and broken ribs. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights protect all people in our nation from unlawful abuse by the government, and the Department of Justice will continue to prosecute officers who willfully violate the Constitution by abusing their power over those in custody, said Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. This officer violated his oath and the law, and the Department of Justice will not tolerate this kind of criminal misconduct by correctional officers. U.S. Attorney Brandon Fremin stated, Corrections officers are charged with the duty of protecting the public, not abusing those who have been lawfully incarcerated. This district contains several penal institutions, and this should serve as a warning to those who would abuse their power that federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will relentlessly pursue those who violate the public trust. I commend all of the agencies responsible for this conviction, and want to thank them for their partnership in this important matter. Correctional officers have an obligation to protect inmates serving their sentences as ordered by the court, said Bryan A. Vorndran, FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge. Daniel Davis abused his authority by inflicting physical harm upon an inmate that was restrained and non-combative. His actions are a disgrace to all correctional officers who serve ethically and continue to maintain high moral standards throughout our correctional facilities. I commend the men and women of the FBIs Baton Rouge Resident Agency Office, Louisiana Office of the State Inspector General, and the Department of Justice Civil Rights trial attorneys for their commitment to uphold the constitution and protect all Americans. This is a just verdict, said Louisiana Inspector General Stephen Street. We cannot and will not tolerate the abuse of the considerable power afforded corrections officers. Whenever it does occur, it is critical to hold offenders criminally accountable in order to protect the integrity of the system. The jury did exactly that with Mr. Davis, and it was worth the time and effort to obtain this result. Thanks again to our federal partners at the FBI and DOJ. No date has been set for Daviss sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment on the conspiracy and perjury counts, 10 years of imprisonment on the excessive force count, and 20 years of imprisonment on each of the remaining obstruction counts. This case was investigated by the FBIs Baton Rouge Resident Agency Office and the Louisiana Office of the State Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Zachary Dembo and Anita Channapti of the Civil Rights Divisions Criminal Section. Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick A. Menner Jr., of the Middle District of Louisiana also assisted in the case. The International Energy Agency has made a notable contribution to a new energy efficiency report by the Brazilian government's energy policy research office, highlighting the cooperation between the two organisations in this important field. The Energy Research Office (EPE), which supports Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy through studies and research on energy planning, today (1/31) released its Atlas of Energy Efficiency in Brazil - Indicators Report. The study tracks progress on energy efficiency in key sectors of the country's economy. In addition to highlighting recent activity, it includes a retrospective view on the evolution of policies and trends over the past few decades. This is the EPE's third dedicated energy efficiency monitoring report. This year, the report contains a new international benchmarking chapter, developed jointly with the IEA. The chapter compares energy efficiency indicators for the industrial, residential and transport sectors in Brazil with those of other selected countries. It provides insights into factors affecting consumption levels and patterns in each sector, offering a deeper understanding of how to advance energy efficiency in Brazil and other countries. The analysis is the result of close cooperation between the IEA and EPE, reflecting the value of detailed technical exchanges in helping inform decision-making. In 2019, Brazil became the first country in Latin America that is not a member of the IEA to complete the Agency's efficiency indicators questionnaire. This enabled the IEA to include Brazil in its annual publication of energy efficiency indicator highlights, and the related database. (Brazil is one of eight IEA Association countries, which work closely with the Agency on important energy issues.) The cooperation on the Atlas of Energy Efficiency and on data and statistics represents a milestone in the relationship between the two institutions. It signals the opportunities that continued cooperation can provide to advance energy efficiency for the benefit of citizens and the economy. The IEA looks forward to continuing to collaborate with Brazil, which is a priority country in the Agency's Clean Energy Transitions Programme. You can access the report in Portuguese here. An English version will be available next week. [February 05, 2020] LeadingReach Expands Leadership Team to Support Unique Approach to Solving Healthcare's Interoperability Challenge LeadingReach, a leading provider of care coordination and healthcare communication technology, today announced five new hires, including four top additions to the executive leadership team. With industry experience from top health systems, electronic medical record (EMR) and CRM companies, the new executives will help to further differentiate the LeadingReach Network as an alternative interoperability solution for healthcare. As value based care initiatives like improving quality of care and reducing costs for patients and employees take center stage, solving healthcare interoperability has become the industry's number one challenge. This new hire announcement comes among a series of milestones the company has achieved over the past few months, including the news that the LeadingReach Network has reached a critical mass of over 27,000 active healthcare organization members. The new strategic appointments to join the LeadingReach executive team: Earl Reddell, Vice President, Engineering. An EMR vet with over 25 years' experience in the software industry and over 20 years in healthcare IT, Earl helped build one of the first EMR at e-MDs. In his role at LeadingReach, Earl helps set the direction for the company's technology, including developing new strategies to help providers overcome interoperability challenges and improve patient care coordination. An EMR vet with over 25 years' experience in the software industry and over 20 years in healthcare IT, Earl helped build one of the first EMR at e-MDs. In his role at LeadingReach, Earl helps set the direction for the company's technology, including developing new strategies to help providers overcome interoperability challenges and improve patient care coordination. Amanda Beita, FACHE, Vice President, Enterprise Development . With a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge from her time leading process improvement projects for leading healthsystems in Texas. In her role, Amanda works with health system executives to optimize their use of the LeadingReach Network and technology to ensure they're driving significant value. . With a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge from her time leading process improvement projects for leading healthsystems in Texas. In her role, Amanda works with health system executives to optimize their use of the LeadingReach Network and technology to ensure they're driving significant value. Mason Hering, Vice President of Marketing . Having spent the past decade at Zoho (News - Alert) where he helped the company become established as one of the most respected CRM vendors in the industry, Mason understands the value that can be achieved by bringing CRM processes to healthcare. A crusader against the fax machine, Mason aims to educate healthcare professionals on the importance of a fully connected care continuum through LeadingReach. . Having spent the past decade at Zoho (News - Alert) where he helped the company become established as one of the most respected CRM vendors in the industry, Mason understands the value that can be achieved by bringing CRM processes to healthcare. A crusader against the fax machine, Mason aims to educate healthcare professionals on the importance of a fully connected care continuum through LeadingReach. Jason Siegel, Vice President of Enterprise Sales . With 25 years of B2B sales experience, most recently 10 years in sales leadership at Greenway Health, Jason recognizes the importance of technology to improve healthcare operations and the shortcomings of EMRs as it relates to interoperability. At LeadingReach, Jason is tasked with building strategic relationships with major health systems, ACOs, and CINs across the country. . With 25 years of B2B sales experience, most recently 10 years in sales leadership at Greenway Health, Jason recognizes the importance of technology to improve healthcare operations and the shortcomings of EMRs as it relates to interoperability. At LeadingReach, Jason is tasked with building strategic relationships with major health systems, ACOs, and CINs across the country. David Dalrymple, Product Specialist. With an impressive background in health information exchange (HIE) integrations, EHR implementations, clinical application management and compliant process design for major industry players like athenahealth, Greenway Health and Fenway Community Health, David works closely with LeadingReach leadership and customers to gather feedback and requirements to ensure the platform continues to meet their evolving needs. "Establishing strong company leadership has always been of the utmost importance to us," said Curtis Gattis. "By combining top talent and extensive experience from the healthcare, health technology and business sectors, we are now enabled to rapidly scale the company in a way that allows us to work in lockstep with our customers on product strategy." "It's exciting to join the healthcare technology sector at a time when a diverse group of industry leaders, companies and individuals have joined the quest to improve the delivery, cost and quality of care for patients," said Amanda Beita, VP of Enterprise Development at LeadingReach. "LeadingReach is at the forefront of this movement and has proven to be an efficient, reliable and results-oriented vehicle to spur change across an industry that has otherwise sat untouched for years." The LeadingReach platform was developed in response to the healthcare industry's need for an EMR agnostic communication solution that enables physician collaboration across offices. Today, LeadingReach combines a rapidly growing provider network with healthcare-specific CRM tools, secure team-based chat and HIPAA secure document exchange to empower care coordination teams to track patients and communicate more effectively regardless of EHR or existing IT infrastructure. "I am proud to work alongside such a strong team of individuals who combine passion with purpose every day to solve healthcare's communication challenges," said Clint Smith, co-founder of LeadingReach. "Our missionary vs mercenary approach to team building allows us to solve critical challenges in healthcare with a patient over profit focus." About LeadingReach Ranging from the largest health systems in the country to independent offices for PCPs, urgent care, specialists, ancillary services, TPAs, call centers, and dental providers, LeadingReach helps care teams more effectively communicate with each other while monitoring and facilitating care transitions. The company's low cost, high-value software solutions empower healthcare professionals to ensure patients get the right care, from the right providers, faster, easier and more cost-effectively than ever before. For more information, visit http://www.leadingreach.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005067/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will on Wednesday (January 5) pronounce verdict over the plea filed by the Centre challenging a sessions court's order which stayed the death warrants issued against the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, who has been hearing the case, is expected to give the verdict on the matter at around 2:30 today. The High Court verdict will also decide if all guilty can be hanged together or those whose mercy petitions have been rejected can be executed earlier. On February 4, the counsel for Nirbhaya's parents made an urgent mentioning before Justice Kait, seeking early disposal of Nirbhaya matter. "Justice Kait responded that he held a hearing on Saturday and Sunday which shows that the court understands the urgency of the matter and it also assured that he will pass the order at the earliest," said Jitendra Jha, counsel for parents of Nirbhaya. Live TV The Centre, by its plea filed through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, had challenged the January 31 order of Additional Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court, Dharmendra Rana. The ASJ, in his order, had said, "Without commenting upon the dilatory tactics adopted by the convicts, it would suffice to state that seeking redressal of one`s grievances through the procedure established by law was the hallmark of any civilized society. The courts of this country cannot afford to adversely discriminate any convict, including death row convicts in pursuit of his legal remedies, by turning Nelson`s eye towards him." The Solicitor General, while arguing the matter before the high court, contended that the lower court order provides a "perverse and misleading interpretation" of Rule 836 of the Delhi Prison Rules. "This error goes to the root of the issue. It deserves to be stayed. Every convict is enjoying defeating the judicial system in the country. Convicts are exploiting the process of law," Mehta said. "There is a deliberate, well calculated well thought to design to frustrate the process of law... He also submitted before the court that the four convicts can be hanged separately. The Supreme Court has rejected the curative petition of three of the four guilty in the case. Whereas, mercy petitions of two convicts - Mukesh and Vinay have been rejected by the President. At the moment, the mercy petition of Akshay is pending with the President's office. Repeated submission of new mercy petitions by the convicts and due to their pendency has led to the court stopping the execution of their death warrants at least twice. The Nirbhaya convicts were scheduled to be hanged at Tihar Jail on February 1. However, the pending mercy petition of the third convict Vinay at the President's office deferred the execution process once again. The servicemen of the Azerbaijani Army will take part in the military parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to be held on May 9 in Moscow, according to the statement posted on Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's website. Azerbaijan will be represented at the solemn ceremony by flag-bearers and a parade crew consisting of 75 servicemen of the Azerbaijani Army. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Rossiya-24 TV channel on December 30 that he will also arrive in Moscow on May 9. "Next year I plan to be in Moscow on 9 May. I have received an invitation from [Russian President] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I usually celebrate this date with veterans in Baku, but this time I will be in Moscow in the same way as five years ago, when we celebrated the 70th anniversary of our Victory," the head of state said. The Azerbaijani President noted that his country honors the memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War although, let me tell you quite frankly, this wasnt the case in the early years of independence, unfortunately. When a group calling itself the Popular Front came to power through a military coup, they canceled the 9 May holiday, war veterans were subjected to persecution and moral terror. Almost the same is happening in some countries now. He noted with regret that in the early years of independence, "when a group calling itself the Popular Front came to power through a military coup, they canceled the 9 May holiday, war veterans were subjected to persecution and moral terror, almost the same is happening in some countries now." "Only after Heydar Aliyev returned to power was historical justice restored. Veterans began to enjoy the support of the state again, 9 May was declared a national holiday and we have been celebrating this holiday since 1994. It is a non-working day," Ilham Aliyev stressed. "The memory of the Great Patriotic War and those who died for their homeland out of more than 600,000 people who participated in the war from Azerbaijan 300,000 were killed is sacred for us. We honor and remember this," he noted. The head of state also recalled that attempts to rewrite history or glorify fascism are "totally unacceptable." Britains beleaguered builders enjoyed the biggest month-on-month improvement in their fortunes for nearly two years in the wake of the General Election. Research group IHS Markit said that its index of activity in the construction sector where scores below 50 show decline and above 50 show growth rose from 44.4 in December to 48.4 in January. Although the latest score indicated that the industry is still in decline, the pick-up from the previous month was the largest since April 2018. Research group IHS Markit's index of activity in the construction sector where scores below 50 show decline and above 50 show growth rose from 44.4 in December to 48.4 in January That was when the construction sector began to crank back into action following the Beast from the East winter storms. IHS Markit said: A number of firms noted that clients willingness to spend had picked up after the General Election, which should translate into rising workloads over the course of 2020. The UK formally left the EU at the end of January, and is now in a transition period which will end at the turn of the year. Mark Robinson, chief executive of construction services firm Scape Group, said: Now, with clarity around Brexit, clients are happy to spend again, which has translated to an increase in contract awards. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Prudential Vietnam is coming out with additional protection to safeguard protection against the coronavirus outbreak The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread rapidly in China with many other cases reported in many other countries, including Vietnam. On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus outbreak a global health emergency. With a commitment to support customers against unexpected risks of life, Prudential Vietnam has launched a special healthcare programme for customers infected with the virus in Vietnam from February 6 to April 30, 2020. The programme offers an additional cash benefit for customers based on the duration of isolated treatment in the hospital. If the duration of treatment is from three to nine days, Prudential Vietnam will offer financial support equivalent to VND10 million ($435). If the duration of the treatment exceeds 10 days, Prudential Vietnam will provide financial support equivalent to VND20 million ($870). The programme is applicable to individual customers who are policyholders and policy beneficiaries of both basic products and attached rider(s) issued by Prudential Vietnam. Prudential's commitment is We DO for a wealthier and healthier Vietnam This programme is specifically designed to offer extra financial protection and coverage for customers against the coronavirus. Customers infected by the virus will still be entitled to the existing benefits of their policies, including total and permanent disability benefit, critical illness benefit, hospital care benefit, and death benefit, in accordance with the policy terms and conditions. This programme underscores Prudential Vietnams focus to address the healthcare needs of Vietnamese people and reinforces its we DO for a wealthier and healthier Vietnam commitment. Clive Baker, chief executive officer of Prudential Vietnam, said, We believe this timely and comprehensive initiative will bring our customers peace of mind when facing health challenges in the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak. This is also aligned with Prudential Vietnams efforts to support Vietnamese in their fight against disease as well as their desire to lead a healthier life. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrostatic Precipitator market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.8 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 3.9%. Dry ESP, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 4%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$6.1 Billion by the year 2025, Dry ESP will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798479/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 3% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$66 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$53.1 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Dry ESP will reach a market size of US$358.3 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 6.1% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$511.7 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Amec Foster Wheeler PLC; Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc.; Balcke-Durr GmbH; Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.; Ducon Technologies, Inc.; Feida Group; FLSmidth & Co A/S; Fuel Tech Inc.; Fujian Longking Co., Ltd.; General Electric Company; Hamon Corporation; IS SaveEnergy AG; KC Cottrell Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd.; PPC Industries, Inc.; Siemens AG; Sinoma Technology & Equipment Group Co., Ltd.; Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.; Thermax Global; Trion IAQ Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798479/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Electrostatic Precipitator Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Electrostatic Precipitator Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Electrostatic Precipitator Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Dry ESP (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Dry ESP (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Dry ESP (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Wet ESP (Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Wet ESP (Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Wet ESP (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Hardware & Software (Offering) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Hardware & Software (Offering) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Hardware & Software (Offering) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Services (Offering) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Services (Offering) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Services (Offering) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Power & Electricity (End-Use Industry) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 17: Power & Electricity (End-Use Industry) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 18: Power & Electricity (End-Use Industry) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Metals (End-Use Industry) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Metals (End-Use Industry) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Metals (End-Use Industry) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Cement (End-Use Industry) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Cement (End-Use Industry) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Cement (End-Use Industry) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Chemicals (End-Use Industry) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Chemicals (End-Use Industry) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Chemicals (End-Use Industry) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Other End-Use Industries (End-Use Industry) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 29: Other End-Use Industries (End-Use Industry) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 30: Other End-Use Industries (End-Use Industry) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 31: United States Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the United States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 33: United States Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: United States Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the United States by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 36: United States Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 37: United States Electrostatic Precipitator Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-Use Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 39: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 40: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 41: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 42: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 43: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 45: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 46: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 48: Canadian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 49: Japanese Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 50: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 51: Japanese Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: Japanese Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 53: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 54: Japanese Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 56: Japanese Electrostatic Precipitator Market in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 57: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Shift in Japan by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 58: Chinese Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 59: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 60: Chinese Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 61: Chinese Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 63: Chinese Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 64: Chinese Demand for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 65: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Review in China in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 66: Chinese Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Electrostatic Precipitator Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 67: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 68: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 69: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 71: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 72: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 73: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 74: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Europe in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 75: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 76: European Electrostatic Precipitator Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 77: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: European Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 79: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in France by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 80: French Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 81: French Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in France by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 83: French Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 84: French Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 85: Electrostatic Precipitator Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 86: French Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 87: French Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 88: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 89: German Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 90: German Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 91: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 92: German Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 93: German Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 95: German Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 96: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 97: Italian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 98: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 99: Italian Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 100: Italian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 101: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 102: Italian Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 103: Italian Demand for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 104: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 105: Italian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 106: United Kingdom Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 108: United Kingdom Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 109: United Kingdom Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 110: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 111: United Kingdom Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 112: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 113: United Kingdom Electrostatic Precipitator Market in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 114: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 115: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 116: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 117: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 118: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 119: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 120: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 121: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 123: Spanish Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 124: Russian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 125: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Russia by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 126: Russian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: Russian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 128: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Russia by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 129: Russian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: Russian Electrostatic Precipitator Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-Use Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 132: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 133: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 134: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 135: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 137: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 138: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 139: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 140: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 141: Rest of Europe Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 142: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 143: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 144: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 145: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Asia-Pacific by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 146: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 147: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Asia-Pacific by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 149: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 150: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: Electrostatic Precipitator Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 152: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 153: Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 154: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 155: Australian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 156: Australian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Australian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 159: Australian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Australian Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 162: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 163: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 165: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 166: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 167: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 168: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 169: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 171: Indian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 172: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 173: South Korean Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 174: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 175: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 176: South Korean Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 177: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 178: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: South Korean Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 180: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 181: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 182: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 183: Rest of Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 185: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 186: Rest of Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 188: Rest of Asia-Pacific Electrostatic Precipitator Market in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 189: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 190: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 191: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 192: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 193: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 195: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 196: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 197: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 198: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 199: Latin American Demand for Electrostatic Precipitator in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 200: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 201: Latin American Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 202: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 203: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 204: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 205: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 206: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 207: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 208: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 209: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 210: Argentinean Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 211: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Brazil by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 212: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 213: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 214: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Brazil by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 215: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 216: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 217: Electrostatic Precipitator Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018-2025 Table 218: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 219: Brazilian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 220: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 221: Mexican Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 222: Mexican Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 223: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 224: Mexican Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 225: Mexican Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 226: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 227: Mexican Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2009-2017 Table 228: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 229: Rest of Latin America Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 230: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Latin America by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 231: Rest of Latin America Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 232: Rest of Latin America Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 233: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Rest of Latin America by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 234: Rest of Latin America Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 235: Rest of Latin America Electrostatic Precipitator Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 236: Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-Use Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 237: Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 238: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 239: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 240: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 241: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 242: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 243: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 244: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 245: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Historic Market by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 246: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 247: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 248: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use Industry for 2009-2017 Table 249: The Middle East Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by End-Use Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 250: Iranian Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 251: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 252: Iranian Electrostatic Precipitator Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 253: Iranian Market for Electrostatic Precipitator: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 254: Electrostatic Precipitator Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the complete Table of Contents Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798479/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Many people experience peace of mind from getting their children vaccinated, according to new research from the University of Bristol. However, this benefit is currently being ignored when health bodies weigh up vaccine benefits to make decisions about whether or not to introduce vaccines or expand their coverage. The qualitative study, published in Vaccine, found that peace of mind should be considered in the health economic framework used by decision makers, but that more research is required to further define and quantify peace of mind. Many different factors are considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), who advise UK government on vaccines, but peace of mind is not currently one of them. Researchers found that whether a person experienced peace of mind from vaccination depended on their knowledge of the benefits of having a jab. The reassurance they experienced was from knowing that when an individual was vaccinated it would offer some level of protection against a disease. While peace of mind from vaccinating their children was important to some participants of the study, it wasn't for others. Parents who benefitted tended to think that vaccination was intrinsically beneficial, but people who simply considered vaccination as a routine health intervention said that they did not receive peace of mind benefits. Even though these peace of mind benefits are only experienced by some parents, the added value to their health could still influence decisions on whether or not a government should fund a vaccine. The research suggests decision makers need to consider these benefits. The researchers also found that peace of mind varies over time. Reassurance from the knowledge of benefits, or from healthcare providers, could be diminished by short-term unease about believing a child could be in pain or distress when receiving a jab. Certain vaccines brought less peace of mind if an individual either hadn't experienced the disease or if they had experienced of a mild form of the disease as a child but without complications. Discussion from one focus group reported the longer a vaccine had been introduced, the more safe it felt to them. Participants were more cautious about vaccinations that they considered to be 'newer' or vaccinations that they had little personal experience with. There were exceptions to this for severe illnesses such as meningitis. The MenB vaccine, although considered relatively 'new' by some participants, provided increased reassurance because of the perceived severity of the disease. Dr Gemma Lasseter, lead author, Research Fellow and Programme Manager at the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation of Interventions at the University of Bristol, said: "Our research, funded by the Meningitis Research Foundation, shows that vaccine associated peace of mind was important to some members of the UK general public when making vaccination decisions for themselves or their children. This peace of mind varied in magnitude, duration and over time. These findings are important because they indicate that the current economic approach used to make funding decisions about healthcare interventions in the UK may need to be refined to take peace of mind into consideration in the future." Dr Hannah Christensen, co-author and Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, said: "When policy makers decide which health interventions are made available free at the point of use in the NHS they consider the benefits and costs, to assess whether the intervention provides value for money. This research shows us there is a benefit, in terms of peace of mind after vaccination, that could contribute to these policy decisions. Given the benefit appeared quite variable between people, and was influenced by a person's attitudes and beliefs about vaccinations, the challenge now is to work out how we can appropriately capture the 'value' of this peace of mind benefit so that it can contribute meaningfully to the vaccine decision-making process." Vinny Smith, Chief Executive at Meningitis Research Foundation, the charity that funded the research, said: "This study now highlights that current government vaccine decisions miss some important benefits of immunisation. When considering the introduction of new vaccines, we want the government to take into account important health benefits, such as the reassurance that comes from knowing that your child is protected from death and disability." "Parents know how dangerous and concerning meningitis is, and consistently rate it as a more serious illness than other preventable diseases. When the MenB vaccine was first introduced in September 2015 it was provided to young babies, but older children were not eligible for the vaccine on the analysis at the time of cost against benefits. Subsequently, the tragic death of a two year old from MenB in 2016, led to a surge in demand for the vaccine and an online petition calling for wider access. We have been calling for government to address the unfairness of the vaccine rules, which, if addressed, may have made the vaccine accessible to all children under the age of five." "This study also gives us an insight into beliefs about vaccines can change. More time for conversations between healthcare professionals and parents could help address incorrect beliefs about vaccines and increase knowledge of the benefits." ### For enquiries or interviews contact Sophie Beyer, Media Relations Manager for Meningitis Research Foundation Sophieb@meningitis.org 0333 4056251 / 07875 498047 For interviews with the Bristol academics please contact Joanne Fryer or Caroline Clancy-Cottle, Media Managers at Bristol University press-office@bristol.ac.uk and 0117 3940227 / 07747 768805 Copies of this paper are available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact Elsevier's Newsroom at newsroom@elsevier.com or +31 20 485 2719 Notes to Editors About Meningitis Research Foundation Meningitis Research Foundation is a leading UK, Irish and international charity working to defeat meningitis wherever it exists. We fund and support vital scientific research. We campaign and provide information to the public, health professionals and researchers that promotes prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, and raises awareness of the diseases. We also provide direct support and ongoing personal help to individuals and families affected, whether they are living with impairment caused by the diseases or coping with the death of a loved one. See http://www.meningitis.org About the MenB vaccine The meningococcal B vaccine is recommended to be given at 2, 4, and 12 months as part of a child's routine immunisation schedule and uptake of the vaccine is high. In recent years the UK Government has been under pressure to address the cost-effectiveness approaches used by the JCVI for assessing the benefits of childhood vaccinations. In April 2016 the largest health petition at the time, signed by 823,345 members of the public was submitted to Parliament calling for the Government to widen the provision of the MenB vaccine (more information available on request). https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/meningitis-b-vaccine-inquiry/ About the NIHR HPRU in Evaluation of Interventions at the University of Bristol The Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Evaluation of Interventions, based in Population Health Sciences at the University of Bristol, is part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and a partnership between University of Bristol and Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with University College London, Cambridge Medical Research Council (MRC) Biostatistics Unit and University of the West of England. We are a multidisciplinary team undertaking applied research on the development and evaluation of interventions to protect the public's health. Our aim is to support PHE in delivering its objectives and functions. Our focus is on the PHE priority area of infection. Follow us on Twitter: @HPRU_EI The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR: funds, supports and delivers high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy. The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR supports applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using UK aid from the UK government. About Vaccine Vaccine is the pre-eminent journal for those interested in vaccines and vaccination. It is the official journal of The Edward Jenner Society and The Japanese Society for Vaccinology and is published by Elsevier http://www.elsevier.com/locate/vaccine "Understanding the role of peace of mind in childhood vaccination: A qualitative study with members of the general public" Lasseter G, Al-Janabi H, Trotter CL, Carroll FE and Christensen H. DOI: doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.12.009 will be published in Vaccine, Volume 38 (2020) published by Elsevier http://www.elsevier.com/locate/vaccine Assam: Fishing, agriculture impacted by burning river in Upper Assam: Residents by Anupam Chakravartty February 05,2020 | Source: Down to Earth A four-day fire on the Burhi Dihing, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, at Pandharaghat village, 450 kilometres east of Guwahati, has affected fishing and farming, locals said. The riverine ecosystem in the region enables fishing and farming of food grains. The area is part of rice bowl Sasoni, a region that encompasses the Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts of Upper Assam. Comprising 85 villages, Sasoni is crisscrossed by oil pipelines and small rivulets that join the Burhi Dihing, which then flows into the Brahmaputra. On the morning of January 28, 2020, the central tank farm (CTF) of public-sector Oil India Ltd (OIL) shut off all inlets from various oil wells, or outlets, in the region. Within a few hours, authorities observed leakages at five different points within the periphery of the CTF as pressure started building on all the pipelines. By the end of the day, two leakages were also observed in the delivery pipelines. According to a February 3 press statement, crude oil leaking out of at least one pipeline started to spillover and it began to trickle down to one of the rivulets that join the Buri Dihing. By January 30, a large amount of crude oil had leaked onto the river. The press release states that some miscreants may have set the oil slick on the river on fire. The fire started on January 31, according to media reports. We were ready to evacuate from the village. The river was burning 200 metres from our houses. We do not know how to stop a river when it is on fire, Anil Das, a fish farmer from Pandharaghat, said. This is a season for fishing. The river water is clear and catching fish is easy as compared to the monsoon months. But with this oil still floating on the river, all the fish have moved upstream, he added. The administration was slow in its response and the reason might have been political, residents said. They deliberately did not visit the area for two days because we have been protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act and supplying food grain to the protestors. It was only February 2 that a team finally came to inspect the river, Rajen Dutta, a resident of Pandharaghat, said. An OIL spokesperson informed the media on February 3 that the fire had been contained. However, according to locals, much of the oil slick has travelled downstream. As we moved further downstream, we observed that the oil slick was settling down next to the banks. In some places, we saw small, pebble-sized crude oil concentrates floating in the water. In places, we also saw fires which are moving towards the ground burning the dried grasses and shrubs, Angshuman Mishra, a Duliajan-based environmental filmmaker, said. On February 3, the Dibrugarh district administration formed a team led by the Tengakhat circle officer, State Pollution Control, Fisheries department and experts from OIL. OIL officials are yet to estimate the quantum of the oil that may have been leaked on to the river and its floodplain. Local journalists said the pipelines carrying crude in the area are at least 60 years old as Naharkatia and Sasoni are some of the oldest oil concessions in Dibrugarh district. The oil pipelines here are very old. Some of them are at least 70 years as oil drilling in the area has been going since the 19th century, Pranjal Bhuyan, a local journalist from Tengakhat town, located close to the affected region, said. The wife of a fat cat international banker is set to find out whether her challenge to the UKs first unexplained wealth order (UWO) has been successful. Zamira Hajiyeva, who spent more than 16 million at Harrods in a decade, is attempting to overturn a UWO obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA) against a property in Knightsbridge, central London, which was purchased for 11.5 million in 2009 by a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, was the chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan from 2001 until his resignation in 2015, and was later sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for fraud and embezzlement. The home of Jahangir and Zamira Hajiyeva in Walton Street, Knightsbridge, was purchased in 2009 for 11.5m (Kirsty OConnor/PA) But Mrs Hajiyeva, 56, argues that her husbands conviction, which she says was the central feature of the NCAs application for the UWO, was the result of a grossly unfair trial and should be discharged. The Court of Appeal, led by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, is due to give its ruling on Mrs Hajiyevas case on Wednesday. At a hearing in London in December, Mrs Hajiyevas barrister James Lewis QC argued that Mr Hajiyevs conviction was a flagrant denial of justice. He submitted that shorn of Mr Hajiyevs conviction, it is wholly unrealistic to suggest that the NCA could have sought and obtained the UWO. Zamira Hajiyeva is challenging the UKs first unexplained wealth order at the Court of Appeal (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mrs Hajiyeva was the first person to be made subject to a UWO, a new power brought into force in January 2018 under so-called McMafia laws named after the BBC organised crime drama and the book which inspired it. A UWO allows the NCA to seize someones assets if they believe the owner is a politically exposed person (PEP) someone from outside the European Economic Area in a position of power that makes them liable to bribery or corruption and they are unable to explain the source of their wealth. Story continues But Mr Lewis argued that Mr Hajiyev was not a PEP, and said the NCA had seriously mischaracterised Mr Hajiyevs job by describing him as a government official. Jonathan Hall QC, for the NCA, said Mrs Hajiyevas interpretation of the law was unsustainable, and submitted that the International Bank of Azerbaijan was a state-owned enterprise and that Mr Hajiyev was a PEP. He added that the fresh evidence upon which Mrs Hajiyeva sought to rely showed she was under investigation in Azerbaijan for fraudulently spending significant sums on air tickets, jewellery, tuition fees, beauty products, restaurants and hotels. A piece of jewellery that was among 49 items belonging to Zamira Hajiyeva seized from Christies in 2018 (NCA/PA) In a High Court ruling in October 2018, dismissing Mrs Hajiyevas initial attempt to overturn the UWO, Mr Justice Supperstone said that three separate loyalty cards were issued to Mrs Hajiyeva by Harrods, where she spent more than 16 million between September 2006 and June 2016. Court documents later released to the media revealed that Mrs Hajiyeva blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree. The NCA subsequently seized jewellery worth more than 400,000 from Christies over suspicions about how the items were purchased while the auction house was valuing the jewellery for Mrs Hajiyevas daughter. In September, Mrs Hajiyeva fought off an attempt to extradite her to Azerbaijan to face fraud and embezzlement charges on the grounds that she would not get a fair trial. Li, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, had shared his concerns the same day that Chinese authorities confirmed they were investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia. Officials at the epicentre in Wuhan - the capital of Hubei province, where millions are now trapped in an unprecedented lockdown - sent an "urgent notice" to all hospitals about the existence of "pneumonia of unclear cause". The notice ordered all departments to immediately compile information about known cases and report them up their chain of command. But it did not mention SARS or a coronavirus. Li had posted a snippet of an RNA analysis finding "SARS coronavirus" and extensive bacteria colonies in a patient's airways, according to a chat transcript that he and other chat members later shared online. On January 1, the Wuhan Public Security Bureau issued summons to Li and the others accused of fanning rumours. The detentions were reported on Xinwen Lianbo, a newscast watched by tens of millions. The police followed up in the state-run Xinhua News Agency with a chilling warning. Loading "The police call on all netizens to not fabricate rumours, not spread rumours, not believe rumours," the Wuhan authorities said, adding that they encouraged web users to "jointly build a harmonious, clear and bright cyberspace". As authorities cracked down, the outbreak was quickly worsening amid an information vacuum. Wang Guangbao, a surgeon and popular science writer in eastern China, later said speculation about a SARS-like virus was rampant around January 1 within medical circles, but the detentions dissuaded many, including himself, from speaking openly about it. "The eight posters getting seized made all of us doctors feel we were at risk," Li said. In Hong Kong, authorities stepped up measures against a mysterious virus on January 4. At the time it had five possible cases of a viral pneumonia that had also infected at least 44 people in Wuhan. Loading Li was released by Wuhan police on January 3 after signing a document acknowledging he committed "illegal acts". The doctor, who did not immediately respond to The Washington Post, later explained to CNN that his family would "worry sick" about him "if I lose my freedom for a few days". CNN reported that he was able to leave the police station within about an hour. He hurried back to work to see sick patients - and worked "normally" for a while, he wrote on Weibo, tending to patients with the new coronavirus. Then, on January 10, he got a cough. The next day, Li wrote, he had a fever, and by January 12 he was in the hospital. Tests for the virus he'd been scrutinising came back negative, but he was having a hard time breathing and moving. China had yet to declare an emergency. That would come on January 20, as more than 400 million Chinese people prepared to travel home to mark the Lunar New Year. A renowned pulmonologist appeared on state media to announce that the new virus was transmissible between people, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for quick information-sharing and "resolute efforts" to contain the virus. Within days, all of Wuhan and several nearby cities - an area with more than 50 million people - were locked down. Authorities raced to accommodate ballooning numbers of patients, working to erect entire new hospitals. By late January, officials were also acknowledging mistakes. The Supreme People's Court's rebuked police for punishing Li and his fellow doctors. Wuhan police said in a statement a day later that the eight people summoned had committed only mild transgressions, spreading "unverified information". Officials gave "education and criticism" and did not fine or detain people, the police said. Li, who emphasised that his licence has not been revoked, said he's been cheered in the hospital by "netizens' support and encouragement." His last post on Weibo, the February 1 announcement of his latest test results, drew tens of thousands of comments. "Dr Li, you are a good doctor with conscience," read one well-wisher's message with more than 100,000 upvotes. Another person counted Li among eight "prophets". "The people of the whole country are in solidarity with you," the commenter said. BURLINGAME, Calif., Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AeroCentury Corp. (NYSE American: ACY) (the Company), an independent aircraft leasing company, announced three recent sales of turboprop aircraft, consummated in furtherance of its ongoing objective of refreshing its portfolio by lowering the average age of its portfolio and reducing its exposure to older aircraft. In December 2019, the Company sold a Dash 8-300 (MSN 236) that had been on lease to Wideres Flyveselskap in Norway for 15 years. Widere is the largest regional operator serving the Nordic region, utilizing over 40 Dash 8 aircraft. In January 2020, the Company sold a Saab 340BPlus aircraft (MSN 454) that was delivered to Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos S.A. (TAG Airlines) in Guatemala, which the airline will use to expand its Saab fleet serving the local region. Also, in January 2020, the Company sold a Fokker 50 aircraft (MSN 20202) to its lessee, Skyward Express Limited, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Skyward is a longtime Fokker 50 operator, serving both scheduled and chartered passenger operations. In years past, the Saab 340 and Fokker 50 aircraft types were the predominant aircraft types in the Companys portfolio. The Company has had a long association with both aircraft types, which arguably constituted the Companys most successful programs, having given the company access to customers throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The recently sold Saab and Fokker aircraft were the last of their respective types in the Companys portfolio. The Companys portfolio currently consists of 20 aircraft, comprising Embraer ERJ-145/175 and Bombardier CRJ-700/900/1000 regional jets as well as De Havilland Q400/Q300 turboprop aircraft. About AeroCentury: AeroCentury is an independent global aircraft operating lessor and finance company specializing in leasing regional jet and turboprop aircraft and related engines. The Company's aircraft and engines are leased to regional airlines and commercial users worldwide. Hal Lyons Chief Financial Officer (650) 340-1888 A 28-year-old man has been kept in an isolation ward of a government hospital here after he showed symptoms of novel coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday. "Jamaluddin, hailing from Utraula here, has been kept in an isolation ward after showing symptoms of coronavirus. We are taking care of him," Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr A K Singal said. Jamaluddin is a medical student in China and had returned to India 15 days ago. His sample has been sent to King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Singal added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A private building contractor has been slammed for failing to report the discovery of 42 skeletons that could date back to Anglo Saxon times. The skeletons, some of which had their hands tied behind their backs, were found buried in shallow graves on former farmland in Buckingham in December. Brio Retirement Living Holdings, which plans to build 72 retirement flats on the site, commissioned an archaeological survey as a condition of winning planning permission. However, on discovering the skeletons, it had them quietly removed by excavators without reporting to them council, inciting the ire of local authorities. This could be a find of such historical significance that work should stop until a complete understanding of the site is ascertained,' said Robin Stuchbury, Councillor for Buckingham South. 'It is of great historical significance to Buckingham and it should not be hushed up.' The site in Buckingham, Bucks where remains of 40 bodies including some with their hands tied behind their backs have been found buried in shallow graves It is thought the grisly remains could belong to Danes who were executed by the Anglo Saxons during a failed invasion in the 11th century. The fact that some of the skeletons still have their hands tied behind their backs suggests they were prisoners of war, according to Mr Stuchbury. We havent seen anything of this nature in Buckingham before, Mr Stuchbury told MailOnline. Buckingham was an Anglo Saxon town and it was on the boundary of the Daneland. Anything with such a mass amount of bodies suggests to me it could be a St Brice's Day murder. The possibly momentous historical find was at a site off of Brackley Road in Buckingham on the edge of the town Building work has been put on hold since the discovery and the developers have sent the remains to an archaeological firm who is due to publish a report into the origin of the skeletons St. Brice's Day massacre was the killing of Danes on 13 November 1002 by order of the King of England thelred the Unready. Other possibilities may be that the remains date from the English Civil War in the 17th century or possibly even criminals who were hanged on the gallows. WHO WERE THE ANGLO-SAXONS? The Anglo-Saxons were a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th Century AD. They were made up of Germanic tribes who emigrated from continental Europe, as well as indigenous Britons who adopted their cultural practices. The Anglo-Saxons were fierce warriors, and tribes often battled one another for territory. They ruled over Britain from 500 years until 1066 when they were conquered by the Normans. Advertisement Mr Stuchbury said the developers were 'never very forthcoming' when the remains were found. The fact is, we have a right to know. This is part of our history,' he said. 'I am worried, and all the residents are worried who are interested in it.' Bill Chapple, council member for Buckinghamshire, also said that the skeletons may be Anglo Saxon and likely date back at least 1,000 years but until the report comes back the town won't know for sure. 'When we get the carbon dating back, then we can put more information out,' he said. 'We dont know how they died, we dont know what gender they are, we dont know whether they had illnesses or the way they died. 'Its an exciting discovery its exciting for Buckingham.' It is thought the skeletons could date from Anglo Saxon times or from during the English Civil War or possibly even criminals who were hanged on the gallows Brio Retirement Living Holdings, which had been battling since 2016 for planning permission to build on the site that currently consists of farmland and old barns, finally won on appeal last year. The company, which is part of property firm Places for People, commissioned an archaeological investigation of the site as a condition of winning planning permission. Places for People is yet to reply to MailOnline regarding whether excavation work is still taking place at the site since the bodies were removed. The investigation is being carried out by archaeology firm Network Archaeology, which has offices in Buckingham and Lincoln, and is in the process of writing up a report. Network Archaeology didnt respond to a request for comment regarding the availability of the report or when the skeletal remains date from. All of the skeletons have now been removed, leaving just empty holes in the ground that were their graves, but the site is now secured. Ground work for the new development of 72 retirement flats on former farmland in Buckingham, Bucks has been put on hold Buckinghamshire County Council told MailOnline that the post-excavation analysis is currently underway to determine who the people were and how they died. 'The analysis is a detailed and painstaking process, and is expected to take some months,' the council said in a statement. 'There will definitely be an announcement once we have the experts' report.' It is not known whether there were any artefacts buried with the bodies that could help date the time of their deaths. 'Councillors were concerned about the lack of a published archaeological report, and agreed to continue to seek this from the relevant authorities,' Paul Hodson, Town Clerk for Buckingham Town Council, told MailOnline. 'The council views this find as part of Buckinghams heritage the history of the area is one of the strong attractions of Buckingham.' Local historian Ed Grimsdale at Buckingham Old Gaol Museum and Buckingham Society told MailOnline: 'When Buckingham was established it was a frontier town between the expanding Kingdom of Wessex and the Danish-occupied lands to its north and east. 'King Aethelred the Unready ordered that Danes living in "his" country should be executed. 'Were it proven that all of the 42 bodies were executed prisoners from Anglo-Saxon time, our find would be the largest yet discovered in England.' Coronavirus 'not something to joke about,' says Ontario passenger charged after flight forced to turn back An Ontario man who caused a WestJet flight to turn around and fly back to Toronto claims his intent was to create a viral video when he suggested on the plane that he may be sick with the new coronavirus. "It certainly wasn't a smart thing to do," James Potok, 28, of Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto, said on Tuesday. Potok, who describes himself as a frequent flier and an up-and-coming hip hop R&B artist, apologized to the 243 passengers aboard Flight 2702 to Montego Bay, Jamaica. But Potok, who has been charged with mischief and breach of recognizance, claimed he didn't actually say he had the coronavirus. Halfway into the flight, he said he pulled out his camera, stood up, then asked if he could get everybody's attention. "I said: 'I just returned from a flight from Hunan province.' I might have said: 'This is the capital for coronavirus.' And then I said: 'I don't feel too well.' And I looked around. I saw the reception of the people. They didn't seem too happy about it. I don't blame them. And I stopped recording and I sat back down in my chair," Potok said. Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, is located in Hubei province. Watch: James Potok explains what he said on the flight, and what happened next Asked why he performed this stunt, he said: "Well, it was really just to create a viral video, to get something that, in my opinion, would have gone onto 6ixbuzz," a Toronto social media site. Potok said he wanted to create a video that viewers would watch and share. He added he has done something similar before. Once, he said he stood up on a plane and made an announcement, saying (American rap singer) Lil Wayne just dropped his new album, then Potok said he stopped recording and sat down. According to Potok, that video did go viral. 'It wasn't the best thing to do' Asked if Monday's stunt was different, given that the coronavirus has killed more than 400 people and sickened thousands, Potok agreed. "Yeah, it definitely is different, in retrospect, thinking about it," he said. Story continues "It wasn't the best thing to do. Me, as an entertainer, we always look for a reaction from people. I didn't get the reception that I was looking for. I didn't get the reaction that I was looking for." He said a woman seated across from him asked: "You're joking, right?" He replied: "Yes, of course." CBC But Potok did get a reaction from a masked flight attendant, who marched him to the back of the plane and put him in a row by himself and made him wear gloves and a mask. And he did get a reaction from Peel Regional Police, who maintain a division at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Peel police officers arrested and charged him. 'People don't take it lightly' Potok said he felt guilty when he discovered the plane was turning around and he had ruined the vacation plans of 243 people. "That bothered me." He said he never intended to induce fear. "I am extremely sorry. I am completely remorseful to everybody that I damaged their plans. To WestJet, I am apologetic, very sorry for the situation at hand. Me being an entertainer, there are things to say and things not to say. This was probably something in retrospect I should not have said. "Coronavirus is not something to joke about. People don't take it lightly." Peel police have a slightly different version of events. They say that at nearly 1 p.m., a man on a WestJet flight from Toronto to Montego Bay stood up on the plane and announced he had been to China and had the coronavirus. "The announcement was shared with the flight crew and a decision was made to return the flight to Pearson Airport," Peel police said in a news release on Tuesday. Police said medical staff assessed the man when the plane returned to Toronto shortly after 2 p.m. He was deemed to be free of symptoms. Potok is due to appear in a Brampton courtroom to face the two charges on March 9. Potok said the breach of recognizance charge stems from an unrelated charge, for which he received a peace bond, and he was supposed to keep the peace. Police say causing an international flight to return is not keeping the peace. Crews followed protocols, WestJet says WestJet said in a statement that "out of an abundance of caution," the flight crew followed all protocols for infectious disease on board. The airline said the flight was diverted due to an "unruly guest." The airline said two additional flights were scheduled Tuesday morning one leaving Toronto and one returning from Montego Bay. This new identity is a step into the future for the company. Were starting off a new decade with an engaging and polished look that matches the high level of service weve always provided our clients. Expert Institute, the leading online platform connecting law firms with expert witnesses, announced today the launch of a company-wide rebrand featuring an updated logo, a new website, and a name change: the company dropped The from its former moniker, now known as Expert Institute. This new identity is a step into the future for the company, said Michael Talve, CEO and Managing Director of Expert Institute, were starting off a new decade with an engaging and polished look that matches the high level of service weve always provided our clients. Expert Institutes rebrand initiative coincided with recent changes to the companys technology offerings, namely, the development of Expert iQ, its first software solution. Expert iQ is a proprietary expert management platform that enables attorneys to manage their expert witness casework, schedule conference calls, and communicate directly with experts. The Expert iQ platform is set to formally launch at the end of the month. Expert Institutes new branding rollout also coincided with the opening of its Milwaukee office, now its third national location. The Milwaukee office serves as a hub for research and software development. This rebrand afforded Expert Institute the opportunity to adopt a bright, bold website design. The sites angles and curves echo its history of cutting through tradition. Human-centric photography alongside animated iconography speak to the companys primary objective: building a data-driven approach to expert consulting. "Im extremely proud to be part of this world class organization and thrilled to see it successfully launch a bold new brand identity, one that reflects, and embraces, our mission to empower firms with the worlds leading expertise, said Expert Institute President, Bill Sherman, who joined the company in October 2019. The visual identity was developed through a collaborative process with Chicago-based design firm, Firebelly, which specializes in socially conscious branding and strategy. Together, the teams created a visual identity system that draws upon the same kind of strong, unconventional connections that drive Expert Institutes business. I'm honored to be part of an organization that continues to operate at the forefront of an industry. Our new brand identity captures the innovative, and forward looking vision we've always embodied as a business. Michael Morgenstern, Senior Vice President of Marketing About Expert Institute Founded in 2011, Expert Institute is a technology-driven platform for connecting lawyers seeking technical expertise with qualified experts in every field for consultative support, expert witness testimony, and case specific guidance. Expert Institute combines a vast database of expert intelligence with a talented case management team capable of custom-recruiting experts to fit the specific needs of our clients. Contact Senior Vice President, Michael Morgenstern at morgenstern@expertinstitute.com for more information. HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Southern Governor, yesterday launched "no smoking" campaign to coincide with 'International Day against Cancer' in the presence of Colonel Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Director-General of the Southern Governorate Police Directorate and Dr Maryam Al Hajri, Assistant Undersecretary with the Health Ministry and a number of senior officials. The inauguration ceremony began with the display of an awareness film on how to combat the scourge of smoking, followed by a detailed explanation by Ali Al Aradi, Public Health Specialist at the Ministry of Health, where he explained the health issues resulting from smoking and the methods of proper control. The event also included an exhibition explaining the information about the effects of smoking and its relation to other diseases and the impact of passive smoking on non-smokers. It also briefed about the latest drugs that help to quit smoking. RESTON, Va., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology company, will participate in the Cowen 41st Annual Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference in New York, NY. Roger Krone, Leidos chairman and chief executive officer, will present an overview of the company's strategy and participate in a question and answer "fireside chat" on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 at 9:15 a.m. ET. A live audio webcast of the event will be available on the Leidos Investor Relations website at http://ir.leidos.com, where related materials will be posted prior to the presentation. A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation at the same link listed above for 30 days afterward. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 36,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $10.19 billion for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2018. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. SOURCE Leidos Holdings, Inc. The Feb. 1 news article Bolton faces potential legal battles in standoff with White House over book provided much-needed discussion of the arbitrary and capricious nature of the governments pre-publication review process. Having submitted many book-length manuscripts to the Central Intelligence Agency, I have learned that books from senior officials that praise the CIA get very quick review and approval. Former CIA directors such as Robert Gates and Leon Panetta are never challenged. If you are an agency critic, however, you can wait as long as one year to get approval. Government censors rarely provide an explanation for their redactions, and authors have no system for challenging these decisions. Moreover, the censors are far more concerned with information they find embarrassing to a particular agency rather than concerning themselves with genuine national security secrets. As a result, the public is deprived of relevant information on many national security issues that require discussion and debate. Congressional committees and media outlets are similarly deprived. General view of the main street in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) General view of the main street in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege and Stephen Quinn parents of Paul Quinn at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege and Stephen Quinn parents of Paul Quinn at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege and Stephen Quinn parents of Paul Quinn at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege and Stephen Quinn parents of Paul Quinn at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege mother of Paul Quinn arrives at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege mother of Paul Quinn arrives at Paul's grave in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) General view showing the grave of Paul Quinn in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) General view showing the grave of Paul Quinn in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) General view showing the grave of Paul Quinn in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) General view showing the grave of Paul Quinn in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Breege and Stephen Quinn parents of Paul Quinn at home in Cullyhanna on February 5th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) The devastated mother of murder victim Paul Quinn has said that a long-awaited apology from Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy is "not enough". Breege Quinn was speaking after Mr Murphy finally apologised for branding her son a criminal in the wake of his murder by an IRA gang in 2007. At her remote home in Cullyhanna, Mrs Quinn digested the news of the apology she had fought so hard for. Listening to the words of the Sinn Fein MLA and Stormont Finance Minister she remained unmoved. "He hasn't apologised to us," was her initial reaction, but she later told the Belfast Telegraph she welcomed the move. "I have yet to see Conor Murphy on national television apologising for the hurt he has caused to Breege and Stephen Quinn by blackening our son's name. "Until I hear those words it's not enough." Mr Murphy's apology was later aired on RTE news at 6pm. Mrs Quinn said that her fight for justice was far from over. "He can say he wants to meet with us all he likes. He's not welcome at my home until I have justice for Paul. People in the courts and behind bars for what they did to Paul," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "All these years the Sinn Fein line has been to give information to police." Mrs Quinn said that Mr Murphy's comments "have torn our family apart." He can say he wants to meet with us all he likes. He's not welcome at my home until I have justice for Paul. People in the courts and behind bars for what they did to Paul Earlier Mr Murphy said he regretted making the comments in the wake of the murder. "I have consistently condemned the killing of Paul Quinn, I have said that those responsible for this murder are criminals and they deserve to be brought to justice," the Sinn Fein MLA told RTE on Wednesday afternoon. "I have consistently called for anyone that has information that will help lead to their apprehension to bring it to the investigating authorities on either side of the border. "Remarks that I made at the time of his killing are a matter of regret, I am sorry that has added to the grief that the family have felt and I want to apologise to them for that, I want to withdraw those remarks and of course my offer to the family to have dialogue with them on the issue remains open and I hope to be bale to meet them in the near future to discuss this." Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy has apologised to the family of Paul Quinn for remarks he made about the 21-year-old after he was murdered in October 2007 | Read more: https://t.co/wxh9l03OAs pic.twitter.com/KIiEBglJIk RTE News (@rtenews) February 5, 2020 Paul Quinn (21) was beaten to death by an IRA gang in a brutal attack at a farmhouse in Oram, Co Monaghan in October 2007. He had previously clashed with a local IRA commander's son. Sinn Fein has always denied IRA involvement in the murder. After Mr Quinn's death Mr Murphy told a BBC Spotlight programme that he had been involved in criminality and fuel smuggling. Mr Quinn's mum Breege campaigned for years to have Mr Murphy retract his comments which she described as a slur on her son. Mr Murphy had always declined to apologise until the issue returned to prominence ahead of this weekend's General Election in the Republic of Ireland. Initially Mr Murphy and Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald claimed the MLA never made the comments, but were forced to change tact after the Spotlight footage re-emerged. Remarks that I made at the time of his killing are a matter of regret Conor Murphy UUP leader Steve Aiken, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and TUV leader Jim Allister have all suggested that Mr Murphy should consider resigning his position in the Stormont Executive . However, Mrs McDonald was adamant the new Finance Minister will remain in post. Asked if she'd consider removing Mr Murphy from his position, the Sinn Fein leader said "there's absolutely no question of that". Speaking at a meeting of Stormont's Executive Committee on Wednesday afternoon First Minister Arlene Foster said the apology was the right thing to do. Asked by UUP committee member Mike Nesbitt if she was happy to continue to work with Mr Murphy as Finance Minister, Mrs Foster said that Sinn Fein nominate their ministers and it was a matter for them. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill said that it was "right and proper" for Mr Murphy to apologise. "Paul Quinn was not a criminal. Paul Quinn was murdered by criminals," she said. Beijing: The death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak rose to 490 on Tuesday while the total number of confirmed cases mounted to 24324, Chinese health officials announced on Wednesday. By the end of Tuesday, a total of 490 people had died after being infected and 24,324 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions, China's National Health Commission reported. It said 65 deaths were reported on Tuesday, all from Hubei province and its capital Wuhan. Also, 3,887 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported on Tuesday, it said. Also on Tuesday, 431 patients became seriously ill, while 262 were discharged from hospital after recovery. The commission added that 3,219 patients remained in severe condition and 23,260 people were suspected of being infected with the virus. A total of 892 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery, it said. Over 2.52 lakh who were in close contacts with patients had been traced with over 1.85 lakh others still under medical observation, it added. By the end of Tuesday, 18 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), including one death, 10 in the Macao SAR and 11 in Taiwan, it said. As the novel coronavirus, regarded as the most virulent in recent years, showed no signs of abatement, China has intensified its efforts to contain its spread by opening more hospitals in Hubei province to exclusively treat its patients. A 1000-bed makeshift hospital was opened on Monday. Another 1,300-bed hospital is set to be ready on Wednesday. Both will be run by hundreds of military medical personnel. Authorities in Wuhan on Tuesday said they would build eight more mobile cabin hospitals to treat the patients, China Daily reported. All the Chinese cities including Beijing have been reporting daily increase in the cases of the virus, which has no cure yet. The virus has now spread to over 20 countries. The Philippines reported the first overseas death from the virus on Sunday while 176 cases have been reported from abroad so far. India has reported three cases of the coronavirus. All the three patients from Kerala recently returned from the affected Wuhan city. India on Tuesday further tightened visa rules by cancelling the existing visas for Chinese and foreigners who had visited the country in the last two weeks . On February 2, India temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the outbreak. Currently, 647 Indians and seven Maldivians, who have been evacuated from Wuhan and Hubei are in 14-day quarantine at a medical camp in Manesar, near Delhi. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the media here that 16 foreigners in China have been infected with the virus. She, however, declined to provide details of their nationalities in her Tuesday media briefing, citing privacy concerns. According to reports, those infected included four Pakistanis and two Australians. Wuhan has thousands of foreigners as it is an education hub. Hundreds of Pakistani have been pleading to their government to evacuate them citing successful evacuation by the Indian government. China has struggled to contain the virus despite implementing unprecedented measures, including virtually locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei. While the virus cases increased by the hour, Chinese health officials attributed the spiralling rate of cases and the death toll to shortages of hospitals mainly in Hubei and its provincial capital Wuhan. Also Chinese officials have converted the national auditorium and gymnasium in Wuhan into a hospital to exclusively treat growing number of coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that the outbreak of the deadly virus does not yet constitute a "pandemic". In its report on Tuesday, they WHO said dramatic measures taken by China to rein in the virus has prevented significant spread abroad. The UN health agency's chief also called for greater global solidarity, accusing some governments of wealthy countries of being "well behind" in sharing data on virus cases. "While 99 percent of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases," the UN health agency's chiefs aid in a technical briefing to the WHO's Executive Board in Geneva. Earlier, the WHO categorised the coronavirus as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Colbert I. King made an interesting point in his Feb. 1 op-ed, This Black History Month, lets focus on the present. However, I opine that he did not go back far enough in history to support his premise. Nearly 300 years ago, in the early part of the 18th century, a group of families from Maryland and Virginia migrated to the eastern shores of North Carolina in search of new farmland, establishing the community of Harlowe. New Delhi/Islamabad, Feb 5 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, for the first time, acknowledged the finality of the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir state and revocation of its special status by the Modi government. Though Prime Minister Khan described New Delhi's move a "fatal mistake," he said India "could not step back" from the decision that was taken on August 5 last year. He was speaking at a special session of the legislative assembly of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) to express solidarity with Kashmiri separatists. Islamabad had designated the day as 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'. Pakistani media quoted Khan as saying, "On that day Modi made a fatal mistake, one that he could not step back from. Hopefully Kashmir will now move towards independence," he added. Imran also acknowledged that the issue "drifted" after it was raised at the UN General Assembly, due to Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led sit-ins against his government last year, the Dawn reported. Interestingly, Prime Minister of PoK Raja Farooq Haider warned Khan against accepting US President Donald Trump's offer of mediation on the Kashmir issue. He argued that the mediation would favour India. "We are with you and will not let Pakistan's flag come down in Kashmir," Haider told Khan. Prime Minister Khan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur and chairman of special committee on Kashmir Syed Fakhar Imam. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston The first one was issued to President Zelensky. Ukrainian citizens starting February 5 will be able to get ID cards with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). The relevant service was presented by the Interior Ministry and the State Migration Service on Wednesday, as reported by the Ministry's Communication Department. The new service is absolutely free, offering a number of advantages for both government bodies and businesses. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the ID card is issued based on the Unified State Register, being reliably protected and containing biometric data, with data shared between all registries. "The president of Ukraine has joined 4.4 million owners of modern ID cards. He was the first to use the new service of the Interior Ministry he received a QES in an ID chip. Now any owner of an ID card may get a QES," the minister added. Read also"This is only the beginning": Zelensky announces the launch of electronic drivers license, e-registration Avakov said the ministry would present in two weeks a photo and video fixation of traffic violations and an electronic mirror of a passport. The service is available for citizens of Ukraine who have reached the age of 18. The validity period of the QES key certificates will be 24 months. The ministry notes the QES registration and introduction in the ID card chip is not mandatory and is carried out at citizen's request. Head of the State Migration Service Maksym Sokoliuk reiterated that the service had been introducing biometric IDs since 2015. To date, over 15 million biometric passports have been issued. "We have introduced a new ID card in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, respectively, we signed agreements with Turkey and Georgia on unhindered crossing with ID cards. Negotiations are underway with other countries," he said. The president of Ukraine became the first citizen of Ukraine who used the free service. Using an electronic signature, citizens are able to get access to government information systems and use electronic services. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday it has served new search warrants in the long-cold case of missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Around 2 a.m. on Memorial Day weekend 1996, the 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman headed back to her residence hall after attending a frat party. Smart was accompanied by three fellow students. Two peeled off before reaching her dorm, walking back to their own residences. The third, Paul Flores, later told police he dropped her off on campus at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Perimeter Road in San Luis Obispo. Smart was never seen again. The new search warrants are for "specific items of evidence" in four locations: two in San Luis Obispo County, one in Los Angeles County and one in Washington state. "The search warrants are limited in scope, and sealed by the court," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "As a result, we are precluded by law from disclosing any further details about them." Last week, law enforcement confirmed they also have "two trucks in evidence" that belonged to the family of Flores, a suspect in Smart's murder since the time of her disappearance. Since 2011, the Sheriff's Office has recovered "140 new items of evidence," conducted 91 in-person interviews and submitted almost 40 pieces of evidence to be reexamined using modern DNA-testing methods. They've also served about two dozen search warrants during that time, although they did not specify what or who those warrants were directed toward. The case catapulted back into the public eye last month when Smart's mother Denise told the Stockton Record she had been contacted by an FBI agent who cautioned her to "be ready" for imminent news. The FBI later said the individual who spoke with Denise Smart was an ex-agent not affiliated with the current investigation. Although Smart's body was never found, she was legally declared dead in 2002. The Sheriff's Office has consistently declined comment, as they consider it "an active and on-going investigation." Katie Dowd is an SFGATE Senior Digital Editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd [February 05, 2020] SaltStack to Showcase Award-Winning Innovation for Security Operations at RSA Conference 2020 LEHI, Utah, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SaltStack, the creators of intelligent automation software for security operations teams, returns to RSA Conference 2020 in San Francisco where SaltStack SecOps was named one of the hottest products in 2019 by CSO Online. Attendees can visit SaltStack February 24-27 in booth #3129 conveniently located in the corridor between the north and south expo halls. Visit the SaltStack booth to get a live demonstration of new versions of award-winning SaltStack solutions for infrastructure automation and security operations. Version 6.2 of SaltStack Enterprise , SaltStack Comply , and SaltStack Protect will deliver much anticipated new features for the automation and orchestration of continuous compliance and vulnerability remediation. Schedule an innovation roadmap discussion at RSAC with Thomas Hatch, SaltStack founder and CTO, and other product and engineering executives, to learn about SaltStack advances in artificial intelligence for IT operations and security operations. Schedule a SaltStack roadmap discussion or a demo for your team here . As an RSA Conference 2020 sponsor, SaltStack is able to offer a limited quantity of complimentary expo passes. Visit the SaltStack event page for RSA Conference to get more details and register now. Women of Security founding sponsor SaltStack is proud to be a founding sponsor of the Women of Security meetup community for women working in the cyber security industry. Join SaltStack at the WoSEC Crashes RSAC tea party and launch event on February 25. WoSEC is an organization dedicated to building a community for women and girls in the information security industry to create meaningful, lasting connections and relationships. Award-winning SaltStack at RSA Conference 2020 SaltStack will celebrate a number of achievements with the cyber security community at RSAC. First, SaltStack was named a finalist in two 2020 SC Awards categories including, " Best Enterprise Security Solution ," and " Best Risk / Policy Management Solution ." SaltStack will attend the SC Awards Gala where winners will be announced the evening of February 25. SaltStack has also been nominated in four Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Awards 2020 categories including "Compliance," "InfoSec Startup of the Year," "Patch and Configuration Management," and "Vulnerability Assessment, Remediation, and Management." Winners of this award will be unveiled during expo hours beginning on February 25. "RSA is a unique event that brings together a vast combination of expertise, talent, and perspective from the international cybersecurity community. Its energy is palpable," said Marc Chenn, CEO of SaltStack. "SaltStack is excited to contribute to RSA in such a significant capacity this year. We're thrilled in particular to be showcasing our new automated SecOps solutions and to be so actively involved with WoSEC and the cyber security community at large. RSA Conference 2020 promises to be special." SaltStack has recently garnered widespread acclaim for the SaltStack SecOps suite of products, being named Best SecOps Security Solution by the Tech Ascension Awards and Best Vulnerability Management Solution of the Year by the Cybersecurity Breakthrough Awards. Notably, Cyber Defense Magazine honored SaltStack SecOps across several categories in its 2020 Global Awards, including Most Innovative Vulnerability Assessment, Remediation, and Management Solution , Most Innovative Compliance Solution , and Most Innovative Patch and Configuration Management Solution . SaltStack also received the Editor's Choice Award for InfoSec Startup of the Year by the Cyber Defense Global Awards as well as Cyber Security Startup of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards. About SaltStack SaltStack intelligent IT automation software is used to help the largest businesses in the world manage and secure their digital infrastructure. Known for its powerful event-driven infrastructure automation engine, SaltStack is designed to control, optimize, and secure the inherent complexity of Web-scale while providing efficient, collaborative solutions for ITOps, SecOps, NetOps, and DevOps teams. https://www.saltstack.com Press Contact Dex Polizzi Lumina Communications 646-741-8358 [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/saltstack-to-showcase-award-winning-innovation-for-security-operations-at-rsa-conference-2020-300999361.html SOURCE SaltStack Description GIS 05 February, 2020: The close partnership between Mauritius and Reunion Island will help both countries to better understand and tackle challenges in the Indian Ocean region. This statement was made, this afternoon, by the newly appointed General Yves Metayer, Commander in Chief of the French Armed Forces in the Southern Indian Ocean (FAZSOI) and Commander of the Defense base in Reunion-Mayotte, following a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. General Yves Metayer highlighted that from 17 to 22 November 2019, the Mauritius Police Force and the FAZSOI underwent a training in Mauritius as part of a bi-national cooperation on counter-narcotics enforcement. This first type of exercise, named Phoenix, has made it possible to develop the interoperability of French and Mauritian forces to facilitate any possible joint intervention in the southern Indian Ocean area, he said. General Metayer added that this type of activity contributes to strengthening the ability of the FAZSOI and their regional partners to collectively meet common challenges, that is, securing maritime space in the Indian Ocean, the fight against terrorism, and its sources of funding. Programme during his visit During his two-day visit in Mauritius, from 4 to 5 February 2020, General Metayer also met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Sooroojdev Phokeer, the Police Commissioner, Mr Mario Nobin, the Head of the European Union Delegation in Mauritius, Ambassador Vincent Degert, and the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Commission, Mr Hamada Madi Bolero. Officer of the Legion dHonneur and Commander of the national order of merit, General Metayer was awarded the Cross of Military Valour with a citation. The French Armed Forces in the Southern Indian Ocean The armed forces in the southern Indian Ocean zone guarantee the protection of the national territory and facilitate regional cooperation from Reunion Island and Mayotte. The FAZSOI are part of the forces of French sovereignty based in overseas territories. The defense base of the FAZSOI, created in January 2011, provides joint support missions to directorates and operational units of the Ministry of Defense stationed in Reunion Island and Mayotte. A passenger plane skidded off the runway after landing at Istanbuls Sabiha Gokcen airport on Wednesday, breaking into three pieces, killing three people and injuring dozens of others, the authorities said. At least 157 people were hospitalized, Fahrettin Koca, the minister of health, told reporters in televised remarks. No one was in critical condition, he said. Kerem Gun, a chief physician at one of the hospitals treating victims, told the broadcaster NTV that most of the injured people had broken noses and head trauma. The plane was dragged about 160 feet, then fell about 100 feet down a slope, Gov. Ali Yerlikaya of Istanbul said in a news conference from the scene. Soltage LLC, a leading independent power producer, and Basalt managed funds announce their entrance into the Oregon power market with a 40 megawatt (MW AC) solar portfolio. The first 10 MW solar facility was energized in December and the remaining 30 MW are under construction and planned to be placed in service prior to Summer 2020. The portfolio was acquired from NewSun Energy, a leading Pacific Northwest energy developer. Today (2/4),, a leading independent power producer, andannounce their entrance into thepower market with a 40 megawatt (MW AC) solar portfolio. The first 10 MW solar facility was energized in December and the remaining 30 MW are under construction and planned to be placed in service prior to Summer 2020. The portfolio was acquired from NewSun Energy, a leading Pacific Northwest energy developer. This acquisition anchors a $100 Million portfolio investment in the Oregon market, and is being funded via Helios, an investment vehicle set up by Soltage and Basalt to own and operate solar power projects across the U.S. Hyperion, the first vehicle, was fully deployed in 2019 and currently owns and operates 125 MW across 35 solar facilities. The first asset energized in this portfolio is a 10 MW solar facility located in Harney County, Oregon. This facility will transmit electricity via Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) transmission system to Portland General Electric (PGE). PGE is purchasing the power under a 16-year power purchase agreement, which will help the utility provide renewable power to its nearly one million customers. "We are pleased to announce our entrance into the growing Oregon solar market to supply PGE's customers with clean, locally-produced renewable energy," said Jesse Grossman, Soltage Co-Founder and CEO. "This investment fits our mission of originating and investing in best-in-class renewable investment opportunities, and deploying more distributed utility-scale solar on the grid." The portfolio also includes projects in development in both Harney and Lake County, Oregon. These projects have directed significant investment into these counties and have leveraged local and regional contractors, employees and consultants for development and construction. These projects are expected to continue to provide substantial county tax revenues to rural Central and Eastern Oregon over the lifespan of the assets. "We are excited to grow Basalt's renewable asset portfolio while we continue to expand the partnership with Soltage," said Rob Gregor, Managing Partner of Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP, exclusive investment advisor to Basalt. "This investment continues Helios' mandate to invest in renewable energy across the US." "NewSun Energy appreciates the help of all of the people, companies, communities and state agencies that have supported efforts to bring new solar on-line, particularly BPA's team, and the counties of central and eastern Oregon," said Jake Stephens, CEO and Founder of NewSun Energy. "NewSun is proud to help Soltage and Basalt enter this important regional market and work with BPA to establish the first direct-connected solar facility on its system" The projects contribute to the proliferation of solar in Oregon. The state's Renewable Portfolio Standard requires that 50 percent of electricity used in the state come from renewable energy sources by 2040 and total solar installations in Oregon are projected to grow by nearly 60 percent over the next 5 years. About Soltage Soltage is a leader in the development, financing, and operation of distributed utility-scale solar assets for commercial, industrial and municipal customers across the United States. Soltage has developed more than 100 solar energy projects with more than 300 MW total distributed generating capacity under construction and management. Soltage is backed by a group of investors including Prudential Capital Group and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.soltage.com About Basalt Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP is the exclusive investment adviser to Basalt managed funds. Basalt I and Basalt II are infrastructure equity investment funds focusing on investments in utilities, power, transport, and communications infrastructure in the United States, Canada and Europe. Helios is an investment by the second flagship Basalt fund, Basalt II. Other Basalt II investments include DB Energy Assets, Detroit Thermal and Black Bear Transmission in the United States, and North Star, Mareccio Energia, Caronte and Tourist, Manx Telecom, and Connect Fibre in Europe. For more information, please visit www.basaltinfra.com. About NewSun Tucson, AZ-based NewSun Energy LLC, founded in 2015, is a leading Pacific Northwest (PNW) energy developer, with over a GW of development and construction under way and has its primary PNW office in Bend, OR. Its co-founders Jake Stephens and Andrew McMahan have over 30 years of experience in solar and power infrastructure development, including work on multiple world- and market-leading projects and technologies. NewSun Energy is committed to long-term reinvestment back into the communities and regions where it develops projects, particularly in education, science, the arts, and the environment. [February 04, 2020] Global Docking Station Market 2019-2023 | Increasing Demand for Docking Stations for Material Handling to Boost Growth | Technavio Technavio has been monitoring the docking station market and it is poised to grow by USD 712.11 mn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005790/en/ Technavio announced its latest market research report titled global docking station market 2019-2023. (Graphic: Business Wire) Increasing demand for docking stations for material handling has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, challenges with slow growth of PC segment might hamper market growth. Request a free sample report Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Docking Station Market is segmented as below: Product PCs Smartphones Tablets End-User Enterprise Residential Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South America To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free samle: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR31129 Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our docking station market report covers the following areas: Docking Station Market size Docking Station Market trends Docking Station Market industry analysis This study identifies increasing Focus on Design Enhancement of Docking Stations as one of the prime reasons driving the docking station market growth during the next few years. Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the docking station market, including some of the vendors such as ACCO Brands, Acer Inc., Dell (News - Alert) Technologies, HP Development Company, L.P. and Lenovo. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the docking station market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist docking station market growth during the next five years Estimation of the docking station market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the docking station market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of docking station market vendors About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005790/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WASHINGTON -- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory meteorologist Jeffrey Reid is at the forefront of research studying the role of aerosol particles, and the relationships between the particles with monsoon meteorology, clouds and the sun's radiation. Aerosol particles floating through the environment harbor big mysteries to scientists globally. The particles range in size from bundles of molecules (10nm) to a grain of sand, and are capable of surfing through the air for thousands of miles. Small and seemingly insignificant on their own, the particles travel as inanimate swarms, influencing the earth's weather and climate in ways scientists do not yet fully understand. Reid served as the mission scientist for the international field campaign, The Cloud, Aerosol and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex), the largest airborne field campaign to date in Maritime Southeast Asia. The NASA-initiated campaign studied tropical weather and aerosols in the South East Asian Region last year from August to October. As the mission scientist, Reid was responsible for managing the daily operations of the science and flight teams. His efforts ensured the team of more than 150 scientists efficiently and safely collected data despite extreme weather conditions and challenging geophysical features. CAMP2Ex was a partnership with NASA, NRL, the Manila Observatory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and various academic organizations. Researchers on the campaign sought to collect data to answer three key questions: - Do aerosol particles influence weather and precipitation in tropical environments? - Do these influences feed back into the aerosol lifecycle? - How do the aerosol and cloud influence the radiation energy budget of the region? Filipino scientists were especially interested in the ramifications of monsoonal meteorology on regional hydrology, oceanography and air quality. With its unique geological features and annual weather extremes, the Philippine Archipelago is an ideal location for scientists to conduct this research. Sitting astride the Pacific Typhoon Belt, 20 to 21 cyclonic storms affect the Philippines annually, and five to six of these storms typically strike the string of islands. These storms have devastating local impacts, but are also an integral part of the meteorology of the Indian Ocean through the Pacific Ocean. "Being able to predict [major weather events] with greater accuracy and lead time has obvious benefits, not the least of which is keeping people safe," said Hal Maring, NASA CAMP2Ex program scientist. "We want to get a better understanding of how aerosol particles produced by biomass affects the earth's radiation budget directly and indirectly, and how they interact with clouds relative to precipitation," he said. "If we are going to do climate prediction with greater fidelity, those processes need to be understood." Their research has international implications for weather forecasting. According to Reid, the information collected from the Philippines could be used to develop models to predict major weather events around the world, including those in the United States. This capability would prove valuable for the Navy, which maintains a constant forward deployed presence. The hydrological and aerosol cycles: how a speck creates a storm The hydrological cycle, more commonly known as the "water cycle" is a continuous process of evaporation and precipitation. According to Reid, aerosol particles are an important part of this cycle, because they serve as the nuclei for forming cloud droplets. Aerosols are produced a variety of ways. Some are human-made pollution, such as car exhaust, biomass burning and industrial emissions. Others occur naturally, like those made up of dust from the Sahara or salt from the ocean. Every cloud droplet has some airborne particle at its core, according to Reid. That means as the number of pollution particles in the atmosphere change, so too do the number of cloud droplets -- as well as their radiative properties, how long they last, and, ultimately, precipitation. "Chemical reactions happen within those cloud droplets," he said. "So the feedback between emissions, photochemistry, [affecting] how clouds are changed and how the clouds are changing these aerosol particles is complex. We roughly know general types of relationships, but we don't know specifics." "Some particles get rained out, and some get dumped outside of the cloud. Then they are even bigger and more effective at making larger cloud droplets and it gets recycled back into the clouds. In some cases particles inhibit precipitation. In others they can intensify storms" International collaboration for a step forward in predicting extreme weather events A research campaign of this magnitude took extensive coordination between the U.S. and Philippine government and its public, private, and academic organizations. During the campaign, one of Reid's focuses was building collaboration between the researchers and their Philippine counterparts. In the year leading up to the campaign, Reid and his meteorology and oceanography (METOC) forecasting team worked with the forecasting and flight teams to practice creating forecasts for flight planning. By the time the campaign kicked off, team members had experience producing forecasts and flight plans using actual meteorological data from the vicinity of the Philippines. "[The forecasts] provided us legitimate prototype plans for us to share with the Philippines to facilitate getting diplomatic clearance as well as basing and overflight permission," Maring said. During the campaign, Reid, Maring and members of the METOC and flight teams met early in the morning to determine the best locations to fly NASA's P-3 Orion and SPEC Learjet for data collection. Preparing for science flights took hours. "The ground crew prepped the plane, and we would double and triple-check the meteorology, and triple-check the flight plans," Maring said. "Some of the instruments took hours to warm up." According to Marring, their Philippine colleagues led the air quality portion of the study, utilizing the instruments on the P-3 to characterize air quality, including suspended particulate matter. "We were able to get a flight dedicated solely to collecting air quality data in and around the Manilla Megaplex which included measuring upwind and downwind," Maring said. "We were able to make measurements from near the surface, (approximately) 350 feet to over 20,000 feet." Mission conditions were perfect for this kind of study, according to Reid, providing the wide variety of environments for which the science team was looking. Researchers observed massive smoke plumes from Borneo with megacity pollution alongside pristine air masses and developing tropical cyclones. Meanwhile, researchers with the Office of Naval Research were also collecting climate data from their Sally Ride research vessel off the coast of the Philippines. For the past five years ONR and their collaborators have been monitoring how regional weather impacts weather across the globe as part of the Propagation of Intra-Seasonal Tropical OscillatioNs (PISTON) program. "Southeast Asia is a boiling pot for evaporation and convection," Reid said. "Water vapor enters the atmosphere in Southeast Asia and can eventually work its way to the United States. We can pass the information collected here to a mission like PISTON that takes the data and looks at long-range transport and weather all over the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, PISTON observation and modeling efforts support the CAMP2Ex analysis. Ultimately, the science of both missions is tightly coupled." Researchers, however, will have to wait for the results. "The region is so complicated we will be analyzing the data for at least another five years," Reid said. "Ultimately we believe this data will stand the test of time." ### About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL headquarters is located in Washington, D.C., with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Key West, Florida, and Monterey, California, and employs approximately 2,500 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel. Authorities pursuing a fresh lead in a cold case missing persons investigation searched a site in Deptford Township Tuesday night, officials confirmed. While investigators provided no additional details about the matter, a resident on Fox Run Road posted on social media Tuesday that her property was an active crime scene. She described an area of 4.5 acres behind her familys house and said the site extends back to State Highway 55. Apparently they found something back there, but no details at this time, she wrote. She urged residents to let police do their work. Please be respectful and let them do what they have to do so they can leave! Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. It's been a problem for more than 20 years, but the EU is finally looking at how to update its rules on government spending. The European fiscal rulebook has divided northern and southern Europe since the laws were established in 1993. Southern nations argue that the rules are too complex to implement, and northern countries believe the problem is a lack of enforcement rather than the rules themselves. So, the European Commission, which oversees the implementation of the fiscal rules, announced Wednesday steps to update its fiscal rulebook. Currently, EU member countries should not have public debts above 60% of their annual GDP (gross domestic product) nor government deficits above 3% of their GDP. The plan now is to discuss ideas with think tanks, academics and market participants until the end of the year, to form a picture on how to ramp up compliance with these rules given that countries such as Italy and France have often disrespected them. "We need to consult first of all the member state governments, the European Parliament, but I have to say also financial institutions, social partners, academia because our rules are now 10 years old and we passed through rather different economic times and updating these rules is really a very relevant task," Paolo Gentiloni, the European commissioner for economic affairs, told CNBC Wednesday. The EU's fiscal rules were revised in 2011 to step up surveillance in the aftermath of the sovereign debt crisis. A relaxation of the rules? "The challenge is to promote a more active fiscal policy towards growth," Gentiloni told CNBC, as the EU faces sluggish economic prospects and, potentially, a less active monetary policy. One of the biggest issues is the high level of public debt. The average government debt for a member state reached 85.9% in 2018 across the euro zone, according to the latest data from the European statistics office. Though this figure has come down since 2015, it is much higher than the 60% threshold stated in the rules. More importantly, the countries with the highest level of expenditure are in southern Europe. In Greece, public debt stood at 181.2% of its GDP in 2018. This was followed by Italy with 134.8%; Portugal with 122.2%; and Cyprus with 100%. Furthermore, Spain and France were also among the top five indebted nations in Europe. "The Commission's position is no secret: Economy Commissioner (Paolo) Gentiloni in particular thinks that the rules are too hawkish and too complicated, and that they hamper slower-growing member states' efforts to revive their economies and to invest in the energy transition," Constantine Fraser, an analyst at the research firm TS Lombard, told CNBC. European governments, including Italy's, believe that countries should be allowed to spend more to boost their economies. More fiscally-prudent countries, such as The Netherlands, disagree with any relaxation of the rules. Analysts are therefore skeptical on whether the European Commission will fix this long-standing problem. What can be achieved? Children from across 29 states and union territories in India were recently sworn in as 'Ministers' at the annual Inclusive Children's Parliament here. A total of 75 child parliamentarians of ages 11 and above drawn from the 29 states and UTs committed on Tuesday to create an inclusive India with their formula of "the last child as their first priority" administered by former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar. The children all belonging to the NINEISMINE" campaign, an advocacy movement led by children, participated in a nine day training workshop that kickstarted with a panel discussion titled 'Children in the Republic' where child-rights experts discussed issues related to laws, schemes, budgets and more all linked to themes of the rights of children. The Children's Parliament's annual parliamentary session concluded with the children addressing the press and reviewing the Budget 2020 through a press interaction entitled 'We the Children'. The young advocates also collated a report which will be submitted to the Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the United Nations as part of India's Voluntary National Review (VNR) in relation to India's 'Leave no one behind' report on the 17 Global Goals. The Global goals which are also known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. India, along with 192 other countries, had committed to the SDG goals in September 2015. Countries submit voluntary national reviews to help UN evaluate the status of a country's adoption strategies to meet the SDG goals. Apart from the 17 goals that include no poverty, zero hunger, gender equality and others, the children parliamentarians of the NINEISMINE campaign insist that there is an 18th goal which they call "All rights for All children". Also during their national parliament, child parliamentarians prepared a report on the status of child rights in the country, which will be submitted to the Commission on the Rights of the Child. To prepare for the report, children from different states shared their stories, challenges and recommendations to their government. In the report one child advocate, Samarpita (name changed) from Rajasthan shared her experience of being forced to get married at the age of 12. She also appealed to the government to immediately declare her marriage and all child marriages as null and void. The child advocates also pressed for ending all forms of child labour. An example is that of Swaman and Smita both from Assam who are visually and developmentally impaired respectively who shared their stories for ending all forms of discrimination and making society more inclusive and barrier-free. Meira Kumar the former Lok Sabha Speaker who was the chief guest of the event shared that she was really moved by the stories of these young citizens. "I am spellbound by the work of these children. I am happy to be a part of this children's parliament, as it runs so smoothly," said Kumar. She insisted that the child parliamentarians invite the current Speaker of the lower house of India's Parliament and all the MPs to come and see how smoothly a parliament is meant to function. Shailab the Program Director at Haq- Centre for Child Rights was among the experts who were present for the session. "Child participation should be an urgent priority and that NINEISMINE as a child-led movement should work unceasingly towards making it important for both the central and state governments, if not every village panchayat (council) of India," he said. The NINIEISMINE campaign, of for and by the children of India is convened by PRATYeK but has a large network of NGOs from across the country. Over the years, organising and children's Parliaments across the country. It envisions 100 child parliamentarians from across the country interacting with national Parliamentarians in Parliament by November 2020. Meanwhile, at the conclusion of the NINEISMINE children's national parliament, the children used sign language to gesture the national anthem as a symbol of their commitment to amplifying the voice of the unheard child of India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haiti's Ministry of Public Health announced Tuesday heightened screening measures at the country's main international airport to limit the potential spread of a virus from China. The ministry will set up a screening area at the Toussaint L'Overture International Airport in Port-Au-Prince, as well as an area to quarantine passengers suspected of carrying the new coronavirus. The Director General of the Public Health Service, Dr. Laure Adrien, stressed at a press conference there are no known cases of coronavirus in Haiti, but the ministry wants to actively address the threat from the fast spreading infection. Haiti's poor public health infrastructure and tightly packed neighborhoods make the island vulnerable to a fast-spreading infection like the coronavirus, and once established in the country would be hard to contain and treat. Authorities will target passengers coming from affected countries in Asia for special screening and monitoring once they arrive in the country.Agents from the ministry will be on hand at the airport to immediately screen such passengers for infection before allowing them into the country, and in some cases will quarantine the affected passengers in a holding area set up at the facility. (Image Credit: AP) I dont even know if they know what they dont know. SEAN BAGNIEWSKI, the Democratic chairman of Polk County, Iowa, describing state party officials while a problematic smartphone app and communications breakdowns threw the states caucuses into disarray. Its not a secret that many people for decades have talked about the fact that the democratic process starts with the least diverse state in the country one of the least. It doesnt make any sense. Were a party of diversity, were a party of big tents, where we should be is in a state like Illinois, where youve got urban and rural where youve got people coming that are the whole demography and the greatness of our country. It doesnt make sense that we start in places like Iowa and New Hampshire that have so little diversity but can absolutely, categorically reshape and shape I should say in how the contests play out. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:22:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian pilot Antonio Caminada has found a way to rest, exercise and even enjoy his time while in quarantine at a hotel in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. The 59-year-old pilot has been working for China Eastern Airlines since 2018. He was asked to stay in quarantine for he operated a flight on Jan. 22 from Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, also the epicenter of the novel coronavirus epidemic outbreak. "I flew from Wuhan to Shanghai on Jan. 22, and after several other short flights, I brought a flight to Chengdu on Jan. 24," he said. At first, Caminada decided to go back home to Bangkok as permitted by the company, but when he was waiting for his flight at the airport on Jan. 26, the health department decided to bring him to quarantine, after Caminada filled out a health declaration stating his travel to Wuhan. Though quarantined in a hotel room, Caminada has found a way to rest and pass the time. "We pilots fly a lot and don't have time to get enough rest, so I'm taking this time to rest. I'm reading, watching TV and movies, and talking with friends who I didn't contact for a long time via phone," he said. "I made a list of what I needed. I love fruits and asked the staff to help me buy some fruits and chocolate. Immediately, they bought these for me," he said as he pointed at the five bags of fruits and a box of chocolate on the table. "I had very good conversations with the staff here when I have any request or problem," he said. "I would like to express thanks to the way everybody has been treating me here. I'm really grateful." "At first, I was a little bit frustrated because I was willing to go back home. But after this short period of frustration, I'm really enjoying this period of time. I'm exercising and eating three meals every day, so everything's with no complaints at all," he said. He expressed his understanding of the exceptional measures taken and appreciates what China had done to fight against the epidemic. "I'm very impressed by the way the Chinese people and the Chinese government are dealing with such a situation. The response was very, very fast and I never saw this anywhere in the world," he said. If his temperature and health condition are good, Caminada will finish his quarantine on Thursday and fly back home to reunite with his wife and daughter. But he said it is a pity for him that he didn't have a chance to see pandas during such a long stay in the hometown of pandas. "I will do it next time. I'm very curious about China. It's a huge country and I would like to travel around," he said. Southwest Airlines launched a fare sale with some tantalizingly low intra-California fares available through midnight Wednesday. To score a $29 one-way fare, you must book your trip by midnight today (Feb. 5) and travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday in each direction. Travel dates are Feb. 25 through May 20, 2020. If you're a Bay Area resident hoping to make a trip to Southern California this winter or spring, this may be the time to book. A quick search for flights reveals that $29 one-way fares are still available for travel from San Francisco to Burbank and Ontario. Trips from San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego are $39. There are also deals out of Oakland and San Jose. Other airlines are offering similar deals, as a search on Google Flights for San Francisco to Los Angeles with a Tuesday, March 10, departure, and a Wednesday, March 11, return, turned up $77 round-trip fares on Delta, American and Alaska. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. Five employees at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose were sent home and told to remain isolated after they were exposed to the coronavirus at the end of January, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said Tuesday. The employees must remain isolated until Feb. 11. More people than live in Manchester and Birmingham combined around 1.8 million people are at risk of flooding in the UK, a comprehensive report has revealed. Torrential rain and overflowing rivers saw vast swathes of the Midlands and Yorkshire devastated by flooding at the end of 2019. It took the total amount of properties hit by flooding in the last 12 years to almost 100,000. Worryingly, the report from The Climate Coalition also states around 90,000 homes are projected to be built in high flood risk areas over the next five years. The report found climate change was a driving force behind the increasing flood threat in the UK. Scroll down for video Pictured, flood-water in a street in the village of Fishlake near Doncaster, northern England, on November 11, 2019 following heavy rain and the River Don bursting its banks In two recent studies, researchers found the likelihood of extreme rainfall happening in the UK had increased by approximately 40 per cent because of climate change. 'The rush to build is leading to ridiculous short-termism like building on flood risk land,' said Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance. 'If you are looking to live in a home for 20 to 30 years you should know it is safe from climate risk.' But in reality, a huge amount of homes in the UK are directly affected by flooding and climate change continues to threaten more. In November 2019, a month's worth of rain fell in a single day in some parts of South Yorkshire and badly affected around 1,800 homes and businesses. In October, parts of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and the East Midlands registered in excess of 170 per cent of their average monthly rainfall in October. The Climate Coalition is also calling on the UK Government to take measures to achieve its net zero target as soon as possible. Dr Neil Jennings from the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London says: 'There are so many benefits that will come if we get the living and home bit right. 'People will associate climate action with something that brings them homes they can afford to heat and not ones that make them ill.' Despite this, many people do not have adequate insurance to protect themselves from flooding. Association of British Insurers (ABI) says it received more than 2,250 claims from flooded properties and the average pay out is likely to be in excess of 30,000. The Climate Coalition, which includes well known charities such as WWF, RSPB and the National Trust, published the report and is urging the government to strengthen flood defences. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: 'Adapting to the inevitable changes in our climate is vital, and we are taking robust action to improve the resilience of our people, economy and environment, including by investing 2.6 billion over six years to better protect our communities from flooding and erosion. 'Tackling climate change and the impact on our environment is both a national and international priority. Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone, southeast of London, on December 23, 2019 after flooding following heavy rain 'The UK is already leading the way by delivering on our world-leading target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 'We will ask our partners to match the UK's ambition at this year's COP26 talks in Glasgow.' The report, titled Home Truths shines a light on exactly how climate change is impacting properties in the UK. Gareth Redmond-King, Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK, said: 'As time ticks past, so the impacts of the climate crisis edge ever closer to home including right up to, and into our homes, as this report sets out so starkly. 'We know what we need to do and we have the tools we need to do it the time to act is now. 'We must move faster to slash emissions from our homes, to protect them from the impact of the climate emergency including the devastating floods we saw last year.' VANCOUVER, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Columbus Gold Corp. (CGT: TSX, CGTFF: OTCQX) ("Columbus") is pleased to announce the closing of a non-brokered private placement (the "OCIM Private Placement") for gross proceeds of CAD$1.25 million, fully subscribed by OCIM Finance ("OCIM"). The OCIM Private Placement is for 7,812,500 units at a price of CAD$0.16 per unit. Each unit is comprised of one common share of Columbus (a "Share"), and a half warrant. Each full warrant entitles the holder, on exercise, to purchase one Share at a price of CAD$0.24, for a period of 18 months from the closing date of the OCIM Private Placement. There are no finders' fees associated with the OCIM Private Placement. Securities issued in the OCIM Private Placement are subject to a 4 month hold period expiring June 4, 2020. The proceeds of the OCIM Private Placement will be used for exploration and general working capital purposes. The Sandstorm Private Placement On October 21, 2019, Columbus announced a non-brokered private placement (the "Sandstorm Private Placement") to be fully subscribed by Sandstorm Gold Ltd. ("Sandstorm") for gross proceeds of CAD$2.5 million in two equal tranches. The Company announced the closing of the first tranche of the Sandstorm Private Placement on October 25, 2019, raising gross proceeds of CAD$1.25 million. The Sandstorm Private Placement was closed on January 31, 2020, with only the first tranche completed as there remained outstanding conditions to be satisfied to proceed with the closing of the second tranche. Columbus and Sandstorm have mutually agreed to consider an additional investment by Sandstorm in the Company once these conditions have been met. About Columbus Columbus is French Guiana's leading gold exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-quality projects in a highly prospective and underexplored segment of the Guiana Shield. Its objective is to discover economic gold deposits that can be developed following the highest international standards for Responsible Mining. Columbus holds a major interest in the world-class Montagne d'Or mine development project. It is also advancing the Maripa gold exploration project, where past drilling had returned excellent near surface results, including 36 metres of 4.3 g/t gold. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, Rock Lefrancois President & CEO Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements in this and other press releases include but are not limited to statements and information regarding: its plans, or modifications thereunder, to develop Montagne d'Or; the construction and development plans for the Montagne d'Or gold mine, including anticipated timing thereof; the satisfaction of additional requirements to the construction of the Montagne d'Or gold mine, including but not limited to, the submission and processing of mine permit applications; the timing and rendering of a decision regarding the development of the gold mining industry in French Guiana; private placement plans; and the earning into of the Maripa and Rhea gold exploration projects and related exploration objectives and plans. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Some of the known risks and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in the Annual Information Form of Columbus Gold Corp., available on SEDAR under Columbus' profile at www.sedar.com. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Columbus undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. SOURCE Columbus Gold Corporation Related Links www.columbusgoldcorp.com Increased access to financial assistance just became reality this month with the release of a new application. That follows another huge move in encouraging students to apply for assistance. I have previously cheered Illinois new requirement calling for every high school student to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid application starting in the 2020-21 academic year and how critically important it is for underrepresented students to take part in the financial aid application process. Those learners often fall through the cracks because of financial issues. Now lets talk about the new aid application. For the first time in Illinois, eligible undocumented students and transgender students who are disqualified from federal financial aid will now be able to apply for all forms of state financial aid. Thanks to the Retention of Illinois Students and Equity (RISE) Act, a new law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last June, college will be possible for more students across the state. We thank the leadership of Gov. Pritzker, State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, State Sen. Omar Aquino, and many advocates who drafted the bill for this effort. Now available through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid is for state aid only, providing a pathway to apply for Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grants for qualifying undocumented students and for transgender students who are not eligible for federal financial aid because they did not register for selective service. Most students in Illinois will continue to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, rather than the Alternative Application, to simultaneously apply for federal, state and institutional aid, including MAP grants. Information about the application is available on the ISAC website (www.isac.org) or directly on the ISAC page about the RISE Act/Alternative Application: www.isac.org/AlternativeApp. Seventeen years ago, Illinois became one of the first states to legislate in-state tuition for undocumented high school students, which meant that students who met certain criteria would pay in-state tuition rates instead of international-student rates, which can be very expensive. Since then, Illinois has taken significant steps in ensuring that undocumented students who do not qualify for federal student aid have alternative opportunities to pay for school. In 2012, we saw the passage of the Illinois DREAM Act which created a privately-funded and administered scholarship fund for undocumented college students. Now, thanks to leadership by the governor, higher ed champions in the legislature, and advocacy efforts from the Illinois Board for Higher Education and ISAC, we can help more students get the help they need to pay for school. Illinois is not only providing pathways for all students, we appreciate Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly for allocating an additional $50 million in MAP grants and an additional $10 million in AIM HIGH Scholarships. Undoubtedly, students lives will change for the better and in turn Illinois will continue to be a leader for smart, sensible immigration policies that grow the economy, create jobs, and keep families together despite the gridlock in Congress and the White House. I, along with my colleagues from IBHE, certainly look forward to this future. John Atkinson is chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, a steering committee member of the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, and executive vice president and managing director of Willis Towers Watson in Chicago. He lives in Burr Ridge. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Moderate Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted Wednesday to convict President Trump when the Senate voted on the verdict of the impeachment trial. I must vote yes on the articles of impeachment, Manchin said in a statement. I take no pleasure in these votes, and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren. The West Virginia Democrat, who this week suggested censuring instead of impeaching Trump, said his decision was truly difficult and one he reached reluctantly, adding that he has always wanted every president to succeed. The greatest fear the Framers had was foreign intervention into our fragile democracy and they warned us of the tremendous harm toxic partisanship could have on our democratic system, Manchin said. Sadly the partisan episode that unfolded in the United State Senate betrays the duties entrusted to this body by the Constitution. The centrist senator, known for breaking with his party on occasion to vote with Republicans, added that he was disappointed in the refusal of Republicans to allow more witness testimony and documents during the trial. Sinema, a moderate Arizona Democrat who was long considered a swing vote on impeachment, said she felt an obligation to vote to convict Trump due to her loyalty to the Constitution. Sinema has broken with Democrats on net neutrality, among other issues. Today, I vote to approve both articles, as my highest duty, and my greatest love, is to our nations Constitution, Sinema said in a statement. The facts are clear; security aid was withheld from Ukraine in an attempt to benefit the presidents political campaign. While White House attorneys claim this behavior is not serious, it is dangerous to the fundamental principles of American democracy to use the power of the federal government for personal or political gain, she said. Worse, they failed to assure the American people that this behavior will not continue and that future national security decisions will be made free from personal interests. Story continues On the obstruction of Congress charge, Sinema condemned the administrations wholesale refusal to participate in the investigation, which she says sets a dangerous precedent, upending the balance of power. Sinema concluded with a lament that the impeachment process has injected bitterness into the national discourse. The greatest threat we face, from forces both foreign and domestic, is the attempt to divide us as a people with vitriol and hatred, she wrote. It is our duty as Americans to reject these attempts and remember who we are a diverse people united in love of country, of freedom, and of liberty. More from National Review PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northwest Natural Gas Company, dba NW Natural, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN), has co-sponsored a first-of-its-kind national study that shows the immense availability of renewable natural gas and its potential to drastically curb greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against climate change. Renewable natural gas has similar climate benefits to wind and solar energy and is produced from local organic materials like food, agricultural and forestry waste, wastewater, and landfills. With advancements in conditioning equipment, now the gasses from these waste streams can be cleaned up and put into NW Naturals existing pipeline network - one of the tightest, most modern in the U.S. - to serve homes and businesses. The national study, conducted by ICF Consulting and supported by other utilities through the American Gas Foundation, estimates that there is enough potential renewable natural gas supply to serve the vast majority of all residential, business and industrial use nationwide. In fact, the report concludes there is enough supply that can be produced at a competitive cost using known technologies to meet a 95% reduction in emissions associated with natural gas use from the residential sector. As we work together to reach our climate goals, we need both the electric and the natural gas system to decarbonize and innovate. We cant afford to leave any solution off the table, and this study clearly shows the crucial role that the existing gas network can play in delivering a low-carbon future, said David H. Anderson, president and CEO of NW Natural. The national ICF study supports similar research focused on Oregon. Last year, the Oregon Department of Energy released its first inventory of technical potential and estimated there are enough sources in the state of Oregon to produce nearly 50 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of renewable natural gas. Thats equivalent to the total amount of natural gas used by all Oregon residential customers today. Read the study. Story continues Renewables for the pipeline system can also include renewable hydrogen, which is made from non-storable wind, solar and hydropower. Renewable hydrogen can also be used for vehicles, industrial use, or blended into the natural gas pipeline system. When you combine lower use from energy efficiency with renewable natural gas and renewable hydrogen, you now have a pathway to carbon neutrality in the gas system, said Kim Heiting, NW Natural senior vice president of operations. There is a lot of work to do, but these innovations can transform the way we use our existing infrastructure. Its a strategy were excited to see emerging in Europe, and the vision forward were pursuing. NW Natural plans to help close the loop on waste and put homegrown renewable natural gas into its pipeline system to be delivered to the transportation sector through several projects in 2020: at the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant; at the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission facility in Lane County; and a privately developed large digester project also in Oregon. There are more than 110 renewable natural gas facilities in operation today in the U.S. and Canada. NW Natural recently worked with lawmakers and the governor to pass a landmark bill for the State of Oregon: Senate Bill 98 is the first of its kind in the nation and allows utilities to acquire renewable natural gas for homes and businesses under a price limit to ensure affordability. While currently in regulatory rulemaking, NW Natural has been pursing potential renewable natural gas supply and expects to begin procuring it for customers later this year. The renewable supply exists, the technology now exists and we already have a tight, modern delivery system in place, added Anderson. Our focus is to drive these new innovations forward for a substantial climate benefit. ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and through its subsidiaries has been doing business for more than 160 years in the Pacific Northwest. It owns NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), and other business interests and activities. NW Natural is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately 2.5 million people in more than 140 communities through more than 750,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores. NW Natural Holdings subsidiaries own and operate 35 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity with NW Natural operating 20 Bcf in Oregon. NW Natural Water currently provides water distribution service to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. When current outstanding transactions close, NW Natural Water expects to serve approximately 62,000 people through approximately 25,000 connections in the Pacific Northwest and Texas. Learn more about our water business at nwnaturalwater.com. Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com. Media Contact: Melissa Moore, 503-818-9845 pager, msm@nwnatural.com By PTI MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act, but asserted his government will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens to be implemented as it would "impact people of all religions". Throwing out Bangladeshi and Pakistani migrants out of the country was an old demand of the Shiv Sena, the chief minister said in the third and concluding part of his interview to party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "I can confidently say the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country. But, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going to impact Hindus as well," the Sena president said. India has the right to know the number of minorities from neighbouring nations who applied for Indian citizenship after being persecuted in their home countries, he said. "When they come here, will they get homes under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana'? What about the employment and education of their children? All these issues are important and we have the right to know," he said in the interview to Saamana's executive editor and Sena MP Sanjay Raut. "As chief minister, I should know where will these people be relocated in my state. Our own people don't have adequate housing. Will these people go to Delhi, Bengaluru or Kashmir, since Article 370 is now scrapped?" he wondered. ALSO READ | Maharashtra village passes resolution against CAA, NRC, threatens to launch movement Several Kashmiri Pandit families are staying like refugees in their own country. The CAA is not to throw citizens out of the country, Thackeray said. "However, the NRC will impact Hindus and Muslims and the state government will not allow it to be implemented," he asserted. "Under the NRC, all citizens will have to prove their citizenship. In Assam, 19 lakh people could not prove their citizenship. Of these, 14 lakh are Hindus," Thackeray claimed. In a veiled attack on his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who will lead a rally in support of the CAA and NRC in Mumbai on February 9, the chief minister said the NRC is not yet a reality and there is no need for a 'morcha' in support of or against it. "If the NRC is enforced, those who are supporting it will also be affected," he said. Under the NRC, even Hindus will have to prove their citizenship. "I will not allow the law to be enacted. Whether I am chief minister or not, I will not allow injustice to anybody," he said. The chief minister also took a veiled dig at the Centre's decision to give the Padma Shri award to Pakistani- origin musician Adnan Sami. "A migrant is a migrant. You can't honour him with the Padma award. Throwing out illegal migrants was the stand of (late Shiv Sena supremo) Balasaheb Thackeray," he said without naming anyone. Thackeray opens up on alliance with NCP, Congress, PM Modi "I will definitely go to Delhi when I need to", Thackeray said when asked why he has not visited the national capital after taking over the reins of Maharashtra in November last year. "There is no such compulsion. I don't have any anger or ill will. I will definitely go to Delhi when I need to," Thackeray said. Shiv Sena chief made this statement while replying to a question about him not visiting the national capital to pay a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister and the President, after being sworn-in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. When asked if he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi among others, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said: "Why not? I will definitely meet Modi, Sonia, Advani and other people." On December 6, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune while receiving him at the airport. The Prime Minister had come to Pune to attend the conference of Director Generals and Inspector of Police on December 7 and 8. It was the first meeting between them after Thackeray's ascension to the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Thackeray became the chief minister after Shiv Sena broke ties with its long-term ally BJP to join hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. Thackeray also said that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar does not behave like a "remote control", adding that he himself takes guidance from Pawar if he comes across any issue. Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress are a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra government. "There is no question of remote control etc. We are three separate parties. I am the head of my party and yes, I got the hint of your question... Do you want to ask about Sharad Pawar? Sharad Pawar does not behave like a remote control... If he has some suggestions, he definitely gives it," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Thackeray said, "...His (Pawar) experience is tremendous. He definitely guides me through his experience. I also take his guidance if there is an issue. But he too has a speciality... If you explain something well to them, then in a moment he says okay, you are right." The Chief Minister further stated that there is no need to worry at all as "along with the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Maharashtra also has a bright future." Speaking about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Thackeray said that he is a "good colleague". "He is aware of issues, has experience. In the last election, we have commented strongly on each other. But now, while coming together and running the government, we are handling each other," he said. Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar does not behave like a "remote control", adding that he himself takes guidance from Pawar if he comes across any issue. Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress are a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra government. "There is no question of remote control etc. We are three separate parties. I am the head of my party and yes, I got the hint of your question... Do you want to ask about Sharad Pawar? Sharad Pawar does not behave like a remote control... If he has some suggestions, he definitely gives it," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Thackeray said, "...His (Pawar) experience is tremendous. He definitely guides me through his experience. I also take his guidance if there is an issue. But he too has a speciality... If you explain something well to them, then in a moment he says okay, you are right." The Chief Minister further stated that there is no need to worry at all as "along with the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Maharashtra also has a bright future." Speaking about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Thackeray said that he is a "good colleague". "He is aware of issues, has experience. In the last election, we have commented strongly on each other. But now, while coming together and running the government, we are handling each other," he said. (With ANI Inputs) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:11:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A newborn in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, was confirmed to have been infected with the virus just 30 hours after being born, a local hospital said Wednesday. The infant, born on Feb. 2, is the youngest person recorded as being diagnosed with the virus. The mother had also tested positive for the virus before she gave birth, said the Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Medical experts said it may be a case of mother-to-child transmission of the novel coronavirus. The baby, weighing 3.25 kg at birth, is now in stable condition and under observation. The Senates acquittal of President Trump on Wednesday in his impeachment trial was predictable, given the partisan map of the GOP-controlled Senate. All Republicans but Utah Sen. Mitt Romney voted to acquit Trump of abusing his power, and they all voted not guilty on the charge that he obstructed Congress. All Democratic senators voted to convict on both counts. Equally predictable is how Trumps acquittal will probably affect most voters not much at all. Im initially skeptical that it will be a game-changer or that it will fundamentally alter the landscape, said Nathan Gonzales, publisher of Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analyses of federal races. Is it a top five issue? Not to the voters we are talking to, said Justin Myers, CEO of For Our Future, a progressive, labor-funded super PAC that is planning to spend $80 million in seven battleground states in the November presidential election. The activist base, of course, is going to talk about impeachment, Myers told The Chronicles Its All Political podcast. But once you get to the people who dont vote often, people that arent watching the news constantly, that arent reading a newspaper on a daily basis, people that are just worried about putting food on the table and taking care of their children and their spouses and their family, theyre not paying attention to whats happening in D.C. For many of them, what youll hear is that it doesnt matter who is in the White House because my life is still going to be the same, Myers said. The acquittal wont even move many voters in hotly contested House races in California. House races are fought largely over local issues or kitchen-table concerns like health care or the cost of prescription drugs. The cake has already been baked, said Dave McCullough, a Republican strategist who is advising several GOP House candidates in California. Everybody already has an opinion of the president. The impeachment results will only impact the fringe. That said, McCullough believes that an acquittal will only strengthen the presidents position and be a real embarrassment to the Democrats and Democratic candidates. Theyve been trying to impeach him from day negative-one. For most Americans, impeachment is a nothing burger. Public opinion barely changed from the time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry in September. On Oct. 1, 45% of Americans overall including 40% of independent voters supported removing Trump from office, according to a tracking poll at FiveThirtyEight.com. On Jan. 31, 48% of Americans overall and 42% of independents backed removal. Likewise, Trumps approval rating was almost motionless through that period: It was 42% on Oct. 1 and 43% on Jan. 31. Yet, some lawmakers will continue to hear about their acquittal vote long after Wednesday. Republican senators facing re-election in battleground states, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Martha McSally of Arizona and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, will get an earful. On Friday, the left-leaning organization Indivisible, which has 2 million members nationally in 5,000 chapters, launched a protest campaign it calls Payback Project. It is aimed at those five Republicans plus four others, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, even though most analysts view his seat as safe. They have created a permanent stain on their record that they will be answering to until the election, Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg said in an interview. Targeted Republicans know that they cast an unpopular vote and theyre hiding from the public, not holding meetings, and were going to hold them accountable, Greenberg said. Republican senators are at a greater risk of feeling the fallout from their impeachment vote because only GOP senators are running in toss-up races, according to Inside Elections. Alabama Sen. Doug Jones is the sole Democrat who is facing re-election in a race that leans Republican, according to Inside Elections. Jones voted Wednesday to convict Trump, and he will be soon be hearing even more from the presidents supporters about it. The Republican National Committee is spending $11 million on attacking Democrats who campaigned on working with the GOP, like Jones, but voted to impeach or convict Trump. Doug Jones sealed his fate by abandoning Alabamians and falling in line with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, said Kevin Knoth, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. Alabama, he said, supports President Trump and will remember this betrayal in November as they tell Jones goodbye. Some voters will hold GOP senators responsible for not allowing witnesses to testify during the Senate trial, said Addisu Demissie, an Oakland consultant who ran New Jersey Sen. Cory Bookers Democratic presidential campaign. A Quinnipiac University national survey last week found that 75% of registered voters including 49% of Republicans and 75% of independents said witnesses should be allowed to testify. While impeachment may motivate only a small number of voters, in some of these Senate races, 1 or 2 percent could be the difference, Demissie said. However, it is difficult to know whether voters will remember a process that played out in early February, with spring, summer and fall and a thousand news cycles to go until the election. Who knows? We have nine months before people start voting, Demissie said. There will be twists and turns and unlikely events that we have no idea of yet. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2020 -- Software and Service is a leading technology solution, providing technical software solutions and maintaining long-term relationships with clients. The software and services are easily accessible to unstructured data through data analytics to achieve security goals. How customers and prospects view your existing business and products, benchmark view point to know if it is matching customers' needs or not. Know possibility and uncover untapped opinions of Software and Service Market. Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Software and Service Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Software and Service Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Acumatica (United States), Deltek (United States), Epicor Software Corporation (United States), IBM Corporation (United States), Infor (United States), NetSuite (United States), Microsoft (United States), Oracle Corporation (United States), Totvs S A (Brazil), SAP SE (Germany), Oracle Corporation (United States) and Totvs S A (Brazil) Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/111129-global-software-and-service-market Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report: 1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report? Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report Acumatica (United States), Deltek (United States), Epicor Software Corporation (United States), IBM Corporation (United States), Infor (United States), NetSuite (United States), Microsoft (United States), Oracle Corporation (United States), Totvs S A (Brazil), SAP SE (Germany), Oracle Corporation (United States) and Totvs S A (Brazil) ** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc. 2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need? Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey. ** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost. 3) Can we get more level of segmentation to meet our market intelligence objective? 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Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/111129-global-software-and-service-market Market Drivers - Increasing Cloud Computing - Growing Demand for Business Process Automation Market Trend - Technological Advancement in the Software and Service Industry Restraints - Higher costs of Licensing Opportunities - Higher Requirement of Customized Software - Increase in the Number of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses - Increasing Demand from the Developing Economies Owing to Growth in all Industry Challenges - Changing Requirements in Businesses To comprehend Global Software and Service market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Global Software and Service market is analyzed across major global regions. 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Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/111129-global-software-and-service-market Major Highlights of TOC: Chapter One: Market Overview Chapter Two: Executive Summary ---------- Free of Cost Chapter Three: Market Dynamics ------ USD400 Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis ------ USD400 Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power Chapter Five: Global Software and Service, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400 Global Software and Service Application (Large Enterprise, Small & Medium Enterprises), By Service (Support & Maintenance, Consulting, Managed Services), By Software (Human Resource, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales & Marketing, Others) Global Software and Service Region North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others) Chapter Six: Global Software and Service - Manufacturers/Players Analysis ------ USD1200 Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2017-2018), Peer Group Analysis (2018), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix Chapter Seven: Global Software and Service, by Market Segmentation and Region (value, volume**) (2019-2024) ------ USD1400 ------ Sections same as Chapter Five ------ Chapter Eight: Company profiles / Competitive Landscape [12 Players] ------ USD1250 Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer ** If applicable Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. AMA also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia. A special committee should be created to oversee the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers, Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Sara Howard told the Legislature's Executive Board on Tuesday. The resolution (LR298) to create the legislative committee described it as nine members from four committees and an at-large member. It was introduced in response to deteriorating conditions and circumstances at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Geneva over the summer of 2019. The special committee would produce a report by Dec. 15 and then be dissolved, Howard said. "They would really look at how things are going as the department recovers from the crisis in Geneva and as they implement any changes that we decide to make to the YRTCs in statute this year," she said. Nebraska Ombudsman Julie Rogers described for the board the complex nature of 35 youths the Geneva center served in August, when the crisis was discovered. More than half of them are now being served at the YRTC in Kearney. They came from 10 counties and included youths from three Native tribes. Nine had one or two previous commitments to Geneva; one was born when her mother was there. Ages ranged from 14 to 18 years old. Ten had been adjudicated as state wards, and 14 others had a history of being state wards. Four were in the legal custody of a tribe. Thirty-three out of the 35 had a documented history of being abused or neglected, including being sex-trafficked. All 35 of the youth were diagnosed with a behavior disorder and/or a mental health disorder; 27 had been prescribed one or more psychotropic medications at some point during their commitment. Rogers said her office is looking into what caused the deterioration of the physical campus and programming at the center. Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward said he was "extremely disappointed" that decisions were made in the past to make radical changes to a program that had worked so well. And the idea that the state can't staff these facilities properly in rural Nebraska, as HHS has said, is a "bunch of gobbledy-goop," he said. "It's not true," he said. "We have quality people who are willing to live in Geneva, Nebraska, and surrounding areas. I think that's a misnomer. If anything, we ought to be looking at ways to enhance rural Nebraska." Department CEO Dannette Smith opposed the resolution, saying she has been in frequent communication, overcommunication even, with leaders of the Health and Human Services Committee and others. A special oversight committee is duplicative and unnecessary, she said. "Everyone agrees that changes are needed within the YRTC system," she said. "We are making those changes." She said an oversight committee could hinder the department's ability to move swiftly and expeditiously in managing the necessary changes to the YRTCs. She told Kolterman that even before she arrived in Nebraska a year ago, there were difficulties in maintaining the Geneva staff, both front-line and clinical staff. Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers told Smith the Legislature has to conduct oversight in the way it deems necessary. "The Legislature is the steward of the people's money," he said. "This is such a serious area because it affects our children. ... I think the more eyes that are watching, the better. The more opinions that are expressed by people that will be genuinely concerned, the better." The Executive Board also heard a bill (LB1144) that would require an annual review and physical inspection of all state-run institutions such as the YRTCs, Beatrice State Developmental Center and the regional centers, by the Ombudsman's Office and other reports by the Office of Juvenile Services and HHS to the Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare. That would include notices of violations of the Prison Rape Elimination Act, assaults, escapes, attempted suicide, self-harm, property damage such as sprinklers being pulled use of mechanical restraints and significant medical events. Howard described an escape incident at the Kearney YRTC by a 16-year-old and 17-year-old who went through a tunnel and school window. The two stole a car and were caught in Seward, where they were picked up to be taken back to Kearney. When the driver stopped for gas in York, one of the boys assaulted the driver in a bathroom. The boys then stole that vehicle but ran out of gas and were intercepted by York police officers and returned to Kearney. "That's the type of incident that we would like the inspector general to be aware of when it occurs," Howard told the committee. She would also like to be notified of staffing and of leadership changes to the YRTCs, because when the crisis occurred last summer, there was confusion among senators as to who was in charge of the centers. Rogers, the ombudsman, said it was embarrassing, to say the least, that the office did not know the crisis the Geneva YRTC was going through. "Our office is only as good as the complaints and the information we receive," Rogers said. Knowing what information to request and tracking issues as they happen would give the office a part in solving problems before they become a crisis. Mark LaBouchardiere, director of facilities for the department, opposed the bill, saying the YRTCs already report many of the incidents included in the bill, and more reporting takes staff time away from the youths. Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSLegislature Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Amid the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, AIMIM leader and spokesperson Waris Pathan on Wednesday made a sensational admission pertaining to the protests happening in Mumbai's Nagpada area. The AIMIM leader openly confessed about his involvement as an organiser in the anti-CAA protests at Mumbai Bagh - dubbed the city's 'Shaheen Bagh'. READ: AIMIM Chief Owaisi Accuses Govt Of Oppressing Students, Asserts "We Are With Jamia" AIMIM leader Waris Pathan's confession on anti-CAA protests in Mumbai During his interaction with Republic TV's Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on the primetime debate, Pathan stated that he organised the protests in Mumbai. Pathan's confession comes after the Shaheen Bagh protests spiralled into similar protests in different parts of the country. Talking about his contribution to the protests, Pathan said that: "One more Shaheen Bagh has come up in my constituency of Nagpada. Many women are coming out every night and protesting. I am one of the organisers," said Waris Pathan READ: Appointed AIMIM Spokesperson By Owaisi, Waris Pathan Says 'will Speak Up For Minorities' As soon as Pathan confessed, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao slammed and confronted him for his involvement. Waris Pathan asserted that he was proud to have been one of the politicians who spearheaded the movement in Mumbai: "Yes I am one of the organisers of the Mumbai protests and I am proud of it," added Pathan Moreover, the AIMIM leader also added that he visited other locations across the country where anti-CAA protests have been happening. "I have visited over seven locations where protestors are happening. From Mumbai I even went to Delhi, Pune and even Mumbra. I stand with the protestors." concluded Pathan READ: Congress, AAP, Left & AIMIM In Tug-of-war As Politicians Overrun Shaheen Bagh Protest Opposition leaders at Shaheen Bagh However, the AIMIM leader is not the first politician who associated himself with the anti-CAA protests. Earlier on January 14, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar showed up at Shaheen Bagh on the day when Delhi Police were likely to engage in a meeting with the protestors on an indefinite sit-in, in a bid to clear the road-blockade. In his address to the protestors, Mani Shankar Aiyar commended the women at Shaheen Bagh in the protest against the Centre over the Citizenship Act (CAA). Aiyar also claimed that CAA was brought-in to trouble the people and questioned the government's motive and intent behind the Act. Not soon after, however, Aiyar's own intent was called into question after it emerged that he had only landed from Pakistan a day earlier and had met Imran Khan's aide there. Numerous other Congress leaders have landed up there. READ: BJP's Prakash Javadekar Moves EC Over AAP's Alleged Link With Shaheen Bagh Shooter Reporting on the coronavirus has been hampered by controls implemented by the local and national authorities. Both media reporting and attempts by experts to highlight the potential crisis at its onset in early January have allegedly been censored. RFA reported that when unusual pneumonia cases were discovered in Wuhan on January 1, eight doctors who shared information on the cases were targeted by the authorities for allegedly spreading rumours. Police are said to be investigating the doctors for a number of alleged illegal acts including fabrication and disruption to social order. On January 14, the Hong Kong government sent a number of journalists to Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus, to investigate occurrences surrounding the virus. The BBC reported that while some journalists were allowed into Wuhan hospital, police detained several others and confiscated travel documents, as well as press passes. Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), a Hong Kong broadcasting company said one of their journalists was taken to the police room in the hospital for questioning, and asked to delete the materials shot in the hospital. In another incident, a local reporter was censured over posts made on Chinese social media platform Weibo on January 24. Reporter Zhang Ouya of the Hubei Times newspaper had called in his Weibo post for a change of senior leadership in the Wuhan government, but was later asked to delete the post by the Hubei Times. The newspaper issued an apology to the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee following the posts removal. On January 26, the Hubei Provincial Government, which oversees the city of Wuhan, held a press conference on the coronavirus with contradictory information given by a number of leaders. The governor of Hubei Province, Wang Xiaodong, initially stated that the province produced 10.8 billion masks annually, but later reduced this to figure to 1.08 million during the same press conference. A number of other contradictory statements were also made with Wang saying that "protective equipment such as medical clothing and masks are scarce", while mayor of Wuhan, Zhou Xianwang, said the shortage of protective equipment "has been solved." The IFJ said: In times of emergency, the provision of accurate and timely information to media remains critical. We urge the Chinese government to ensure clear information and updates are provided to both the public and journalists from the medical experts working in Wuhan. The blocking of information by any government or entity effectively denies the publics right to know. The IFJ stands in solidarity with journalists around the world and defends their right to provide factual reporting on the coronavirus. Beijing: Ten people on a cruise liner in the port of Yokohama, Japan, have tested positive for coronavirus, Japan has confirmed, a figure that could rise as more results come in and authorities continue to monitor thousands of passengers and crew. The 10 infected people will be transported to a medical facility, Japan Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said, while the remaining around 3700 people will remain quarantined on board the Carnival Corp ship for 14 days. "I want to take sufficient care of the health of passengers and crew and make every effort to prevent the spread of the virus," Kato said at a media briefing. Everyone on board the Diamond Princess had received initial health screening, Kato said, a process that identified 273 people for testing. Of that smaller group, 31 results had been received so far, revealing the 10 confirmed cases. SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SafetyPay , one of the leading digital alternative payment platforms providing solutions across Latam and Europe, reached an initial 5-year agreement with Feedzai, the market leader in managing financial crime with AI, to offer an extra layer of protection against fraud risk for SafetyPay customers. SafetyPay's platform allows non-card holders and fraud-wary consumers to participate in the online marketplace via bank transfer or cash without sharing their information online. The platform opens the door for e-commerce merchants to tap into a larger consumer base by accepting alternative forms of payment. Meanwhile, Feedzai monitors patterns in payment transaction activity and compares against a customer's historical data to authenticate transactions. With a shared goal of making banking and commerce safe, the partnership with Feedzai enhances SafetyPay's security, harnessing AI to protect customers across borders from fraudulent risks in real-time. "Secure payments have been a core focus for us since SafetyPay was founded more than a decade ago," said Gustavo Ruiz Moya, CEO, SafetyPay. "We constantly strive to leverage the latest technology to protect our customers both consumers and merchants and offer them the best experience when they buy and sell online. Our partnership with Feedzai further solidifies SafetyPay's commitment to enabling fraud-free transactions." The first stage of the partnership will be rolled out in 2020 with Feedzai monitoring SafetyPay transactions in Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Spain, with the opportunity to expand to other markets as SafetyPay scales. SafetyPay currently partners with 380 banks in 17 countries worldwide, across Latin America, Europe and North America. "We are working hand-in-hand with SafetyPay's platform to minimize and prevent fraud risk for its customers around the globe, all while providing a frictionless payment experience. Feedzai will monitor transactions for SafetyPay customers and continue to support the company as it expands its reach," said Nuno Pires, Senior Vice President, LATAM. "We are proud to collaborate with a platform like SafetyPay that has a similar mission in mind to empower more people to participate in the digital economy with security and ease." For more information, please visit https://www.safetypay.com/ . About SafetyPay The company was founded as an e-commerce payment platform to enable alternative payment methods, with a focus on cross-border transactions. As a multinational financial institution, SafetyPay has the mission to encourage payment inclusion to all Latam population by giving access to pay in e-commerce merchants, and enable abroad merchants the opportunity to make cross border sales. Gustavo Ruiz Moya, CEO of SafetyPay, developed and implemented a business plan with a focus on the positioning of the company for long-term growth, implementing strategic initiatives as consolidating the largest non-card payment network that enables cash payments, bank transfers and crossborder transactions to purchase online, focus on greater scale and penetration in Latin America and Europe, work on developing new cash solutions and establish new agreements with banks, retail networks, PSPs and gateways. Today, SafetyPay operates the largest network of banks and cash collection points in Latin America, the result of 10+ years effort, with a presence in 17 countries consolidated with 380 bank partners and 180,000 collection points. Our platform has a robust technology and infrastructure that can support growth without significant investments. About Feedzai Feedzai is the market leader in fighting financial crime with AI. We're coding the future of commerce with today's most advanced risk management platform powered by big data and machine learning. Founded and developed by data scientists and aerospace engineers, Feedzai has one mission: to make banking and commerce safe. With more than 500 employees and 60% year-on-year growth, Feedzai is considered to be the best in class by Aite and one of the most successful AI companies by Forbes . The world's largest banks, processors, and retailers use Feedzai's fraud prevention and anti-money laundering products to safeguard trillions of dollars and manage risk, while improving customer experience. SOURCE SafetyPay At a meeting in Londons St. Pancras New Church on Monday night, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer provided new information about the efforts of the British government and the establishment media to hinder his defence of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Melzer delivered a powerful contribution at the event, organised by academic Deepa Driver and held under the banner of Free the Truth. Other speakers were former British diplomat and whistleblower Craig Murray, Lisa Longstaff of Women Against Rape and Eva Joly, who previously served as an investigative magistrate and representative of the French Greens in the European parliament. Melzer addressing the meeting Melzer explained that since releasing his finding in May 2019 that Assange had been subjected to an unprecedented nine-year campaign of persecution by Britain, Sweden and the US, resulting in medically verifiable symptoms of psychological torture, his inquiries and recommendations had been ignored. States refused to investigate or engage in a dialogue about my findings, even to respond to the questions I am mandated by them to ask, he stated. The UN official revealed that behind the scenes, British authorities had actively sought to undermine him. Melzer said: They went to see the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights to complain about me. They dont seem to realise that I am independent. I am appointed directly by the Human Rights Council. But the ambassador in Geneva seems to have told her that he is not happy with the way I conduct my mandate. Incidentally, I heard they also told my employer in Glasgow that they were not too happy with how I conducted my mandate. That the British government is simultaneously stonewalling Melzers inquiries and apparently conducting a campaign against him underscores the flagrant illegality of the entire US-led vendetta against Assange. Melzer is employed at the University of Glasgow as a professor of international law, independently of his role as a UN official. The only reason for the British authorities to contact the university would be to pressure it to act against Melzer over the principled position he has taken in the Assange case. Such conduct recalls the attacks by the British and American governments on UN experts who publicly condemned the lies about weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the illegal invasion of Iraq. Melzer defiantly declared: I refuse to be intimidated. I conduct the mandate that the United Nations has given to me according to the best of my morality and my judgement. It is a violation of my independence to try to circumvent official procedures and to try to undermine my credibility and standing with the United Nations and my employer. And I will certainly not back down. The rapporteur noted that some critics had accused him of overstepping the line and claimed that the treatment of Assange had nothing to do with torture. In reply, Melzer asked: How does it have nothing to do with torture when a man exposes evidence of government war crimes and torture and no one is being prosecuted for it? His assessment that Assange had suffered torture was based on an extended consultation last year involving two medical experts, Melzer explained. The diagnosis was arrived at under the Istanbul Protocol, the international standard for identifying symptoms of torture. Assange, Melzer warned, was being publicly destroyed before our eyes, in a slow motion operation intended to intimidate everyone else in the world who could have the dangerous idea of copying WikiLeaks. If extradited to the US, he had no prospect of receiving a fair trial. Melzer noted that while Assange faced 175 years imprisonment under US charges, the maximum sentences handed down to those convicted of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia was 40 years. Assange, however, had not killed or harmed anybody, but had merely published true documents. Melzer responded to claims that he had lost his neutrality, asking: Am I supposed to be impartial between a torturer and the tortured? No. I am meant to be neutral and objective in investigating a case, and not to have any presumptions before I have investigated. But once I have found that someone has been tortured, of course I am not neutral. I will defend them. It was not just the government that was seeking to undermine support for Assange. Melzer revealed he had been asking the BBC for an interview for nine months. He had offered to appear on the Hard Talk program to discuss Assanges case, but had been rebuffed with the claim that it would not be newsworthy. At the same time, BBC reporters continued to slander Assange. One claimed last month that Assange evaded justice when he exercised his right under international law to seek political asylum in Ecuadors London embassy in 2012. Melzer asked: In 1940, Hannah Arendt, arrested for anti-state propaganda, successfully escaped the Gestapo and Vichy internment and received asylum in the US. Did she evade justice? He recalled other cases of dissidents escaping persecution, including by seeking asylum in foreign embassies. Melzer noted that these lies were part of a broader attempt to suppress discussion about the dire implications for democratic rights of Assanges threatened extradition. A panel on the Legal, Systemic and Reputational Implications of the Assange Case had been scheduled at Chatham House on Tuesday. The prominent London policy institute cancelled the event, without providing a reason, forcing it to be moved to the Frontline Club. Melzer warned that the Assange case had revealed a broader assault on civil liberties. As soon as establishment power is threatened, we do not have the rule of law, he stated, concluding that it was really urgent to strengthen our voice in Assanges defence. Craig Murray delivered a contribution from the perspective of a whistleblower who had exposed the British Labour governments collusion in US-sanctioned torture and extraordinary rendition operations in Uzbekistan. He recounted the case of Clive Ponting, a British civil servant who publicly exposed the lies of the Thatcher government used to justify its aggression against Argentina in the Falklands War of 1982. Ponting was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, but was acquitted by a jury of his peers. The British authorities had not prosecuted Murray in the early 2000s, the former ambassador said, for fear of a similar result. Murray said that if he leaked government information now, however, he would be hauled before a secret court in a trial presided over only by a judge. Under draconian national security provisions, the media would be prohibited from reporting the case. The attempted prosecution of Assange was even more extraordinary, given that he was a publisher and not a whistleblower. What they are doing to Julian is the equivalent of prosecuting Lionel Barber, the editor of the Financial Times, for publishing what I leakedit would be the death of journalism. Eva Joly warned that the US was seeking to apply its repressive domestic laws on a global scale. She stated: Julian Assange must not be extradited and only a very massive mobilisation of ordinary people and of people from the law community can stop it because it has been programmed for years that he should be sent to the US. Lisa Longstaff reviewed the way in which false accusations of sexual misconduct in Sweden had been used to deprive Assange of his legal and democratic rights and tarnish his reputation. The concocted Swedish investigation had nothing to do with justice for rape, but was part of an attempt by the US and its allies to abolish the freedom to report crimes by the state. Longstaff hailed Chelsea Manning, the courageous whistleblower who is imprisoned in the US for refusing to provide false testimony against Assange, calling her one of the most principled people we know of. She insisted that we must do all in our power to get her free too. Assanges father, John Shipton, thanked all of those in attendance and encouraged them to intensify the campaign for his sons freedom. Thanks to a raw political bargain with Senator Collins and two convoluted statements by Senators Alexander and Murkowski, the Senate has rejected calling for additional witnesses and is on the verge of a not guilty vote in Donald Trumps impeachment trial. I believe Collins committed herself to Majority Leader McConnell to vote against more witnesses if he needed her vote, but received his permission to vote for more witnesses if he did not need her vote without fear of being primaried in her quest for re-election from Maine. Alexander declared his belief that the House Democrats had proven their case in two articles of impeachment against Trump, which did not rise to the level of impeachable offenses. Murkowski expressed her contempt for the partisanship of the impeachment process implying that the Democrats were largely responsible for it, declared that the Congress had failed the American people, and then voted as a partisan Republican against more witnesses. For the time being at least, the impeachment clause has been nullified. There can hardly be more impeachable offenses than seeking collaboration with a foreign government to influence the outcome of a US election and defying totally the legislative branch (Congress) in its Constitutional exercise of checks and balances against the Executive branch. Separation of powers with checks and balances is the essence of our constitution. Also nullified along the way has been the emoluments clause prohibiting a president from personally profiting from his use of the executive power. While Trump did not succeed in getting the cooperation he sought from the president of Ukraine in smearing a major domestic political opponent, Joe Biden, he did succeed in putting into the minds of many Americans the question of whether Biden used his influence as Vice President to benefit his son in service to a then corrupt Ukrainian regime. Moreover, Trump put forward the absurd theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that had interfered in our election of 2016 on Clintons behalf, not Trumps. We can expect at least one more year of Trumps outrageous and divisive abuses of power and certainly not any overtures toward unity. He thrives on division and conflict and lies. Then, in November we will have an election. At this point no one can predict the result. Daniel C. Hudson Ridgefield Researchers from a key Chinese lab have applied to patent a US-made drug they found to be effective in pre-clinical tests in treating the novel Coronavirus. The research led by the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) found that two drugs - remdesivir and the generic chloroquine - could inhibit or check the Coronavirus. The WIV, as reported by HT earlier, is the only institute in China to have a bio-safety level 4 laboratory, a lab, which is equipped to deal with the deadliest pathogens in the world including Ebola and the Coronavirus family. Researchers from top Chinese institutes including the WIV and the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences made the patent application on January 21, an announcement made on the WIV website on Tuesday said. The researchers also published a paper in the medical journal Cell Research on Tuesday, explaining the efficacy of the two drugs. Our findings reveal that remdesivir and chloroquine are highly effective in the control of 2019-nCoV (novel Coronavirus) infection in vitro. Since these compounds have been used in human patients with a safety track record and shown to be effective against various ailments, we suggest that they should be assessed in human patients suffering from the novel coronavirus disease, the papers recommendation said. Remdesivir has been recently recognised as a promising antiviral drug against a wide array of RNA viruses (including SARS/MERS-CoV5) infection in cultured cells, mice and nonhuman primate (NHP) models. It is currently under clinical development for the treatment of Ebola virus infection, the paper pointed out. Chloroquine is a cheap and a safe drug that has been used for more than 70 years and, therefore, it is potentially clinically applicable against the 2019-nCoV, it added. China is already capable of manufacturing chloroquine and now wants to start using remdesivir to treat Coronavirus patients. The WIV statement said it made the patent application out of national interest and will not exercise its patent rights if foreign pharmaceutical firms work together with China to curb the outbreak thats already killed close to 500 people and infected nearly 25000. The manufacturer of remdevisir, Gilead, is already in talks with the Chinese government and is learnt to be shipping enough doses to treat 500 patients initially. It may go into clinical trials in China as early as next week in patients with moderate and severe symptoms of the novel Coronavirus, Merdad Parsey, Gileads chief medical officer told Bloomberg. With the support of the ministry of science and technology, the national health commission and the state food and drug administration, the antiviral drug remdesivir has completed the registration and approval of clinical trials, and the first batch of cases is now in place. The first group of severe pneumonia patients infected with the new coronavirus will be given the drug on February 6. EL PASO, Texas, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Companies, Inc. ("Hunt") has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its majority interest in Pinnacle Property Management Services, LLC ("Pinnacle") to Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK). Hunt invested in Pinnacle in 2014. Today, Pinnacle manages more than 169,000 units across 839 properties for a variety of top multifamily owners including institutional, private and foreign investors, financial institutions, pension funds, private partnerships, sole owners, and government housing groups. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of all applicable antitrust approvals. Hunt Companies, Inc. Hunt, based in El Paso, Texas, is a diversified, family-owned holding company that invests in operating businesses, real estate assets and infrastructure assets. Since its founding in 1947, Hunt's size and scope have grown substantially while gaining considerable expertise across multiple real asset sectors. Hunt's reputation is built on integrity and performance. Hunt is committed to a culture of transparency for employees, clients, investors, and the communities it serves. Hunt and its affiliates employ over 3,000 employees across the United States and Europe. Learn more at www.huntcompanies.com . SOURCE Hunt Companies, Inc. Related Links http://www.huntcompanies.com Days after two China-returned students in Odisha were suspected to be infected with novel coronavirus, another was admitted to the isolation ward of a government medical college and hospital on suspicion of the infection on Tuesday night. The engineer, resident of Odishas Jagatsinghpur district, had returned on January 24 from China where he worked in a private firm in Hong Kong, said Odisha director of public health Dr Ajit Mohanty. We kept him under observation at the isolation ward of SCB Medical College and Hospital over suspicion of being infected by the virus, he said. Besides, 10 other persons are still under home surveillance. Apart from the one cited above, two students, one man and another woman, who returned from China were admitted to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack over fear of coronavirus infection. However, the male medical student tested negative and was discharged, while the test reports of the woman who studied at a university in Wuhan are yet to be received, public health officials said . Her husband is also under observation. At least 10 other people, who recently returned from China and Thailand to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Balasore, are under home isolation for 14 days now. Director of Medical Education & Training CBK Mohanty said special beds for coronavirus treatment in SCB hospital have been increased to 150 from 84. Each DHH in the State has been asked to reserve 5 beds for coronavirus-suspected patients. Meanwhile, a government homeopathic medical college in Bhubaneswar claimed to have innovated a preventive cure for the coronavirus infection and has triggered a massive rush to buy the medicine. Doctors in Dr. Abhin Chandra Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital in Bhubaneswar have been distributing a preventive medicine called Arsenicum Album 30 to contain the outbreak of the novel virus. There is already a scare of Birdflu in Bhubaneswar. With coronavirus spreading in the world, we are all scared. As there are no allopathic medicines, someone told me that a homoeopathic medicine is available, said Ujjwal Sahoo, a local businessman. AK Mohapatra, a homeopathic doctor at the medical college said the medicine is purely based on symptoms. Central Council For Research in Homoeopathy has prescribed us the medicine. So we are advising the Arsenicum Album to the patients as a preventive medicine as well as a cure for the disease, he said. DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) today confirmed receiving a $5 million investment term sheet intended to fund the prospective acquisition of cannabis infused beverage, edible and topical operations. The proposed investment terms outline an up to $5 million debt facility whereby funds would be drawn as needed to fund acquisitions. The drawn funds would be secured by the acquired asset and the debt could be repaid in stock at $0.10 per share. Management today indicates that PURA anticipates closing on the investment facility next week. PURA also anticipates making its first formal acquisition offer within the next 10 days. For more information on Puration, visit http://www.purationinc.com. Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Contact: Puration, Inc. Brian Shibley [email protected] +1-(800)-861-1350 SOURCE Puration, Inc. Related Links https://www.purationinc.com Arvind Kejriwal is poised to return to power with a simple majority. Even if the BJP wins 20 to 25 seats, it will be seen as a victory, says R Rajagopalan. IMAGE: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on an election roadshow in New Delhi, January 30, 2020. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo With a day left for campaigning to end in the Delhi assembly election, it is a no-holds-barred clash between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, with the likely outcome being AAP's return to power with a reduced majority. In the 2015 election, AAP won an astounding 67 out of 70 seats, with the BJP bagging the remaining 3. The Congress, which was consigned to the dog house after 15 years of rule in Delhi, is likely to stay there this election too. The consensus is there is no visible wave in Delhi, and the election is a clash between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's charisma and Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's electoral magic. Opinion polls give AAP a simple majority when the election results are declared on February 11. Civic issues have always dominated Delhi elections, with regularisation of unauthorised colonies being a perpetual poll issue for decades. Modi put an end to it by handing over pucca registrations for 2 million families. With AAP hoping to capitalise on its citizen-friendly initiatives like free metro tickets, free bus tickets, zero payment for electricity bills and zero payment for water bills below 200 units, the BJP threw a curve ball by narrowing the focus to Shaheen Bagh, where anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rallies have been going on for weeks, blaming its continuation on the AAP government. It was a clever move by the Modi-Amit Anilchandra Shah duo to distract the campaign from AAP's 'muft bijli-muft paani' and pin down Kejriwal on Shaheen Bagh. Kejriwal had to do a quick rethink to counter that, which he did by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa at a public meeting on Monday, February 3. One thing is certain: The Congress is extending silent support to AAP. While the minorities are bound to vote for Kejriwal, the Congress has once again shot itself in the foot in its desperation to keep the BJP out. AAP has engaged Prashant Kishor's election campaign strategists, and reports suggest that AAP is spending less on street campaigns and invested more on social media this election. The BJP has deployed its top leadership, from Modi down, in the campaign. It has also brought cadres from the six south Indian states. The logic, according to Shah's associates, is that this could appeal to the significant 'Madrasi' (read South Indians) communities who have made Delhi their home. Even if the BJP wins 20 to 25 seats, it will be seen as a victory. For it will make the peaceful conduct of the Delhi assembly difficult for Kejriwal. When the Election Commission announced the Delhi election dates last month, AAP's political graph was on an upward trajectory, buoyed by the good work it has done on the ground. But as the momentum peaked came the Shaheen Bagh blockade which served as a speed-breaker for its effort to win a second term. Amit Anilchandra Shah took advantage of the inconvenience posed to commuters who are forced to take longer routes to their destinations as the Shaheen Bagh area is shut for traffic and turned it into a communal issue. India's home minister even declared that each vote for the BJP meant a vote for the removal of the 'dadimas' (grandmothers) in Shaheen Bagh. On the ground the BJP has seen to it that Kejriwal's popular freebies and AAP's election campaign has been hobbled by public sentiments against the Shaheen Bagh blockade. Amit Anilchandra Shah has conducted door to door campaigns in the national capital, canvassing against the Delhi government. He has also held roadside meetings to launch attacks against AAP. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar ratcheted the campaign this week by terming Kejriwal a 'terrorist'. Clearly, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to dethrone Delhi's popular chief minister. Regardless, AAP is poised for victory with a reduced number of seats. The BJP's consolation will be an increase in seats from the 3 the party won 5 years ago. R Rajagopalan is a senior political correspondent in New Delhi. He can be contacted at news@rediff.co.in A man looking to make some extra cash to pay off his daughter's expensive college tuition was busted transporting $2.6 million worth of marijuana in a highway in Colombia. National Police agents conducting a checkpoint on a road connecting Girardot and Bogota discovered 1,500 kilos of cannabis hidden inside an oil tanker truck last Thursday in the department of Cundinamarca. Video of the operation recorded by the cops showed the moment one of the police officers climbed down into the nearly empty tanker and went through some of the 1,700 plastic bundles that were stacked with the drug. The driver, along with his 40-year-old wife and his 18-year-old daughter, were all arrested. Their names were not released to the public by the police. Police in Colombia arrested last Thursday a man driving an oil tanker truck with a marijuana shipment worth $2.6 million. The 43-year-old man said he took the job because he wanted to make extra money to be able to pay his daughter's college tuition A member of Colombia's National Police lifts a hatch before climbing down into the tanker where 1,500 kilos of cannabis were split into 1,700 plastic bundles Police seized 1,500 kilos of marijuana worth $2.6 million last Thursday on a highway in Cundinamarca, Colombia 'This demonstrates the cynicism of some traffickers when using their own family as a facade to circumvent the controls of the authorities,' the Colombian National Police said in a statement. ''Seeing that he was caught, the suspect exclaimed that he was lending [his services] for the transport of this drug in order to subsidize the university studies of his daughter, who unfortunately was captured due to her parents' irresponsible decisions.' A member of Colombia's National Police cuts through a kilo of marijuana Authorities also confiscated a small 0.095 grams of cocaine and 0.775 grams of cocaine paste. Officials said the drugs were destined to be delivered to Bogota for distribution. Authorities arrested a 43-year-old man (third from left) who was driving an oil tanker truck in Colombia with 1,500 kilos of marijuana. He said he decided to take the risky job due to subsidize his 18-year-old daughter's (second from left) college tuition. The girl and her 40-year-old mother (second from the right) were also apprehended The 1,500 kilos of marijuana have a street value of $2.6 million in the United States A special court in Delhi on Wednesday asked the Delhi police to file a status report on a complaint filed against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Pravesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja issued a notice to DCP, New Delhi district, and sought their response on not filing FIRs against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for allegedly delivering hate speeches in Delhi recently during the campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls. The court was hearing a plea filed by CPI-M leaders Brinda Karat and KM Tewari in the matter, who sought filing of FIRs under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the two BJP leaders. The CPI-M leaders approached the court after their written complaints to the Commissioner of Police and the SHO, Parliament Street, had failed to elicit any response. The two leaders had written to the Commissioner on January 29 and subsequently on 31, while the letter to the SHO Parliament Street was sent on February 2. In their complaint, Karat and Tewari had sought filing of FIRs under Sections 153A/ 153B/ 295A/ 298/ 504/ 505/ 506 of the Indian Penal Code among others, against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma. Last week, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had put a 72 hours ban on campaigning by Union Minister Anurag Thakur and a 96 hours ban on BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma. Thakur had raised the slogan "Desh Ke Gaddaro Ko, Goli Maaro Saalo Ko" (shoot the traitors) several times while addressing a public meeting here in Rithala on January 27. On the other hand, Verma had in a controversial statement said, "Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think and make a decision. They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. There is time today, Modi Ji and Amit Shah won't come to save you tomorrow...". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A report on the global impact of think tanks has ranked the Acton Institute among the worlds most influential thought leaders. The University of Pennsylvania released its 2019 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report last Friday. This year, the annual report which was designed to identify and recognize centers of excellence in all the major areas of public policy research opened the ratings to all 8,248 think tanks in its database. The report has recognized the Acton Institute since 2010, and, once again, Acton ranked well in the categories with which it has become most closely identified. In Top Social Policy Think Tanks, the category Acton values most dearly, the report rated the Acton Institute in the top 20 worldwide. This year, the Acton Institute moved up one spot to number 12 behind the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, but ahead of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI, 14) and the UK-based Civitas (31). The report ranked the Acton Institute number nine in the world for Best Advocacy Campaign. Acton finished in the top 25 globally for Best Think Tank Conference, ahead of the Council on Foreign Relations. Despite competition from think tanks with much greater size and funding, the Acton Institute rated in the top third (31) of the Top U.S. Think Tanks in 2019 behind the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER, 25) but ahead of the Pew Research Center (32) and the Economic Policy Institute (35). The United States has more think tanks than any other single country, with 1,871. India is a distant second, with 509. There are 31 think tanks in Michigan alone. Top free-market think tanks outside the United States included the Fraser Institute (Canada, 18), Transparency International (Germany, 20), the Adam Smith Institute (UK, 58), and the F.A. Hayek Foundation (Slovakia, 128). The report states that hundreds of expert panelists assist James G. McGann of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the universitys Lauder Institute in the evaluation process each year. You can read the full report here. The report reflects the Acton Institutes growing recognition as the worlds premier think tank addressing the relationship between markets and ethics, especially within an ecumenical religious context. Your kind donation helps us improve our impact and efficacy this year and in the years to come. (Photo credit: The Acton Institute headquarters in Grand Rapids,Michigan. Rudy Malmquist / The Acton Institute.) Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation Regulatory News: Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE) 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE) Information closing date Total number of shares forming the share capital Total number of voting rights January 31, 2020 567,266,539 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 602,155,309 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 589,706,844 Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of January 31, 2020 (34,888,770 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of January 31, 2020 (12,448,465 shares). (2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of January 31, 2020). Veolia Environnement Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France Adresse postale/Correspondence address: 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France tel.: +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45 www.veolia.com A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 2,836,332,695 euros 403 210 032 RCS PARIS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005631/en/ Contacts: Veolia YEREVAN. The trial of the criminal case of the 10 members of the Sasna Tsrer armed group has resumed today at a Yerevan court of first instance. Currently, defendants Armen Bilyan and Smbat Barseghyan, who are charged with murdering police officers, are still in custody. The motions rescheduled in previous sessions are being considered at todays hearing. The court is in the process of completing the trial and making additions to the motions. The court went to the consultation room to render a decision The defendants were questioned at the several previous hearings. After the revolution in Armenia in 2018, and based on the personal pledges submitted by MPs, the pretrial measure of custody that was in force for seven other members was commuted and they were released, while Sasna Tsrer member Pavel Manukyan was set free on a 1mn-dram bail. In protest of the then authorities, the Sasna Tsrer armed group took over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan and held hostages, but later surrendered in July 2016. Three police officers, however, were killed during the two-week standoff. Criminal charges have been brought against 32 people in connection with this incident and related developments. Company announces strategic partnership with local healthcare pioneer DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Imaging, a global leader in advanced medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment, made its official launch in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region at Arab Health 2020, Jan. 27-30. The company also announced strategic partnerships with Mohamed and Obaid Al Mulla Group, one of the largest group companies in Dubai, and American Hospital Dubai, the premier private healthcare provider in the Middle East. "The Middle East and Africa region is a robust and fast-growing market with an ever-expanding medical demand. We are pleased and honored to make our debut at Arab Health this year. We are officially open for business in the MEA region," said James Xia, co-president of United Imaging. He added, "United Imaging's goal is to provide premium products and services for customers around the globe. In order to better serve the MEA region, we have established a regional headquarters in Dubai with an experienced marketing and customer service team, which will provide customer-centric services to address the specific needs of customers in this region. United Imaging devices have already been installed at several top hospitals in Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco and South Africa." Under the strategic partnership agreements, United Imaging's High-performance PET/CT uMI780 will be deployed at American Hospital Dubai. More installations and extensive cooperation on clinical and scientific research are already well underway. Sherif Beshara, CEO of Mohamed and Obaid Al Mulla Group, said, "In line with our commitment to abide by the overarching goals set by the UAE's foresighted leadership, we continue to partner with globally reputed companies that would assist us to improve the quality of healthcare we provide using their products and services. This partnership will make American Hospital Dubai an important clinical application reference site and help us to better serve the patients from the UAE and across the region." At Arab Health 2020, United Imaging brought its full portfolio of advanced medical imaging devices PET/CTPET/MRMRCTDR, and AI products including the world's first Total-body PET/CT uEXPLORER and the latest 75 cm Ultra-wide Bore 3.0TMR uMR Omega, which launched at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago in December 2019. The Total-body PET/CT uEXPLORER is a revolutionary molecular imaging product that extends the axial FOV from about 20-30 centimeters to nearly 2 meters, and accomplishes total-body imaging in a single bed position in as little as 20 to 30 seconds. It also allows for fast and continuous tracking of tracer distribution in blood vessels, organs, and tissues throughout the body. With these cutting-edge capabilities, the uEXPLORER opens new research opportunities that have not been possible with traditional PET/CT technology. The uEXPLORER has been deployed at the newly established EXPLORER Molecular Imaging Center at University of California, Davis, in the U.S. and Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, China. The newly launched uMR Omega is the world's first ultra-wide 75-cm bore 3.0T MR, the widest bore in the market, which leads the industry on improving the MR experience. The increased bore size, imaging FOV, and table capacity help better serve broad-shouldered, bariatric, and pregnant patients. As the additional space give patients a first-class experience, the calming light environment also helps reduce anxiety for patients in the enclosed space during a medical exam. In addition, the widest bore size will provide superior positioning convenience for off-center scans such as shoulder, hip, knee, and breast examinations, fully meeting all kinds of clinical needs. About United Imaging At United Imaging, we develop and produce advanced medical products and IT solutions that cover the entire process of imaging diagnosis and treatment. Founded in 2011 with global headquarters in Shanghai, our company has subsidiaries and R&D centers across China, the United States, and other parts of the world. Our U.S. R&D facility opened in 2013 in Houston and was further established as the U.S. headquarters in 2018 with our service team and commercial organization in place. With a cutting-edge digital portfolio and a mission of broader access to healthcare for all, we help drive industry progress and bold change. For more information visit our global website: https://www.united-imaging.com/en/home/ Related Links www.united-imaging.com SOURCE United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. A third worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement the company is deeply saddened by the workers death. Pennoyer did not say when the worker died. The worker was injured in the Jan. 29 blowout at a Chesapeake Energy well site near Deanville, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Austin. One worker died at the scene while another three were airlifted to hospitals in Austin and Houston. A second worker died on Jan. 30. The condition of the other injured worker was not immediately known. No identities have been released, but Pennoyer said the four were employed by contractors who were replacing drilling hardware on the well. A blowout is an eruption of oil or gas from the wellhead that can erupt in flames if there is an ignition source, such as a spark. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, Pennoyer said. Chesapeake Energy is based in Oklahoma City. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas Energy Oil Gas BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- State leaders and heads of international organizations have recently expressed their support for China's battle against the novel coronavirus and commended China's measures in preventing and controlling the epidemic. Pakistani President Arif Alvi said that China's effective measures against the outbreak have been widely recognized by the international community, expressing confidence that the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, will definitely overcome the challenge. Myanmar President U Win Myint said that he believed the Chinese people, in a united and cooperative spirit and under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, will successfully control the spread of the epidemic. Expressing his gratitude for China's efforts to guarantee the safety of Cambodians in China, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said his country will stand with China through thick and thin and the two will overcome the epidemic together. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said his country stands firmly with China. Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that the island state highly appreciates the openness, transparency and responsibility that China has shown in the battle against the epidemic. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said his country appreciates and supports China's decisive measures to prevent and control the epidemic outbreak. He hopes that Kazakhstan and China can strengthen coordination and overcome the common threat as early as possible. Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov thanked the country for taking good care of the Kyrgyz nationals in China and expected China to defeat the epidemic at an early date. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon wished all patients infected with the coronavirus a quick recovery and expressed confidence that the measures taken by the Chinese leadership and the government to contain the outbreak will achieve its anticipated outcome. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said his country is willing to work with China to tackle the epidemic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the Azerbaijani people stand united with the Chinese people and his country is willing to provide all necessary assistance to China. Italian President Sergio Mattarella wished those who contracted the virus a quick recovery. Italy stands ready to provide China with all forms of support that are conducive to dealing with the epidemic, he said. Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country highly appreciates China's quick and decisive measures. The bravery and solidarity manifested by the Chinese people have won respect from around the world, including in Poland, he said. Czech President Milos Zeman said his country stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chinese people to combat the epidemic and will provide aid within its capacity to the Chinese side. Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said she believes the Chinese side can get the epidemic under control soon, and that the Croatian people stand ready with the people of China. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia highly appreciates the national strength that China has displayed while encountering a daunting challenge. He firmly believes that China, under the leadership of President Xi, will conquer the epidemic. Maltese President George Vella said the Maltese people will go all out to support the Chinese government in fighting the epidemic. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said the Egyptian government and people will staunchly support China. He believes that China is capable of defeating the epidemic quickly. The Egyptian side will spare no effort to support China. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said China winning the battle against the coronavirus is just a question of time. President of Guinea Alpha Conde said his country will always remember the precious assistance and selfless help that China offered while Guinea was combating the outbreak of Ebola virus. He believes that the Chinese people will defeat the epidemic. President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said China's strong ability to mobilize and its open and transparent attitude to the international community means there's hope of completely controlling the epidemic. President of Seychelles Danny Faure said his country appreciates the triumphalism and strength of the Chinese government and people in face of the epidemic as well as China's commitment and efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. Mr. Ghosn made the big mistake of being openly, flamboyantly, swaggeringly greedy, jetting around in private planes to grand homes all over the world and renting the Palace of Versailles for his wedding party. He also challenged Japanese corporate culture at Nissan by replacing the traditional system of privileging seniority with a more meritocratic one, where high achievement including his own would be richly rewarded with bonuses. Mr. Ghosn was far better paid than Japanese corporate bosses, and this alone marked him as an outsider. I can recall at least two precedents that might put Mr. Ghosns downfall in perspective. One was the rise and fall of an unusually colorful Japanese businessman, Hiromasa Ezoe. An energetic figure from a modest social background, Mr. Ezoe started with an advertising company and jobs-information magazine in the 1960s. It grew into a business empire called Recruit. But despite his new wealth, Mr. Ezoe could never penetrate the intricate old-boys network of Japanese business and political elites. So he tried to bribe his way in, by offering politicians, government officials and executives all manner of sweet deals that were not exactly above board. The Recruit scandal broke in 1989. Stories about Mr. Ezoes shady behavior started appearing in the press. The public prosecutors decided to act with customary zeal. Mr. Ezoe was arrested. Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita and members of the cabinet who had benefited from Mr. Ezoes largess were brought down with him. The problem was not so much the corruption itself, which was hardly unprecedented, but the fact that an outsider had attempted to crack the establishment by throwing around too much money, too brazenly. Mr. Ezoe had become too big for his boots. Then there was the case of Kakuei Tanaka, another go-getter social outsider, who made his fortune in real estate in the murky postwar years when black marketeers and gangsters thrived. Mr. Tanaka rose quickly to the top of the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party and became prime minister in 1972. His path was greased by grand construction projects, driven less by necessity than by political expedience, and financial bribes. Like Mr. Ezoe, he tried to buy the establishment with openly flaunted wealth. His rival in the party was his precise opposite: the smooth, wily, well-connected former bureaucrat Takeo Fukuda. In any event, Mr. Fukuda won the so-called Kaku-Fuku War. Mr. Tanakas downfall was sparked by allegations of shady land deals, some of them made in the name of his mistress, a former geisha. He had to resign. Mr. Tanaka might well have been guilty as charged, as was Mr. Ezoe and possibly as is Mr. Ghosn, although in the absence of a trial we might never know. But the main reason for Mr. Tanakas disgrace was political. The party establishment around Mr. Fukuda had been waiting for an opportunity to take him down. Mr. Tanaka had rocked too many boats, and he had spent too much money. As a foreigner, Mr. Ghosn is even more of an outsider than Mr. Ezoe or Mr. Tanaka. But his sins are comparable to theirs: the hubris of money, made and spent ostentatiously, and challenging the way things are done. Traditionally, in cases of corporate misbehavior, Japanese executives will claim that they acted for the good of the company. Mr. Ghosn was accused by his former colleagues of lining his own pockets, which left him with few defenders. To allay fears due to the rapidly-spreading coronavirus, major U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines DAL, United Airlines UAL and American Airlines AAL have suspended all flights to China. Notably, the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China. On the earnings front, Alaska Air Group ALK and Hawaiian Holdings HA reported better-than-expected earnings per share for fourth-quarter 2019. However, Allegiant Travel Company ALGT lagged earnings estimates. Apart from releasing fourth-quarter results, Alaska Air Group announced a 7.1% hike in quarterly dividend to 37.5 cents per share. Additionally, European low-cost carrier Ryanair Holdings RYAAY reported impressive results for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 (ended Dec 31, 2019) backed by robust traffic in Christmas/New year. (Read the Last Airline Stock Roundup here). Recap of the Past Weeks Most Important Stories 1. Alaska Air Groups fourth-quarter 2019 earnings per share of $1.46 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5 cents. Moreover, the bottom line surged 94.7% year over year on low fuel costs. Revenues came in at $2,228 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,220.5 million. The top line also increased approximately 8% year over year. Passenger revenues contributing 92.3% to the top line were up 8% on a year-over-year basis. (Read more: Alaska Air Group Beats on Q4 Earnings, Hikes Dividend). Alaska Air Group currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 2. Hawaiian Holdings fourth-quarter earnings (excluding 8 cents from non-recurring items) of 99 cents per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 87 cents. However, the bottom line edged down 1% year over year. Although quarterly revenues of $708.1 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $709.3 million, the figure inched up 1.5% year over year. Meanwhile, operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM: a key measure of unit revenues) in the quarter slid 2.1% year over year. Average fuel cost per gallon decreased 6.8% to $2.05 in the December-end quarter. RASM is expected to decline 4.5-7.5% in the March-end quarter. (Read more: Hawaiian Holdings Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Slip Y/Y). Story continues 3. Allegiants fourth-quarter 2019 earnings of $3.72 per share fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.87. However, the bottom line surged 45.3% year over year, driven by lower fuel costs and higher revenues. Total operating revenues increased 11.9% year over year to $461.1 million on the back of a 10.8% rise in passenger revenues. Moreover, the top line surpassed the consensus mark of $460.2 million. The company still expects earnings per share between $16.5 and $19 for 2020. (Read more: Allegiant Travel's Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Up Y/Y). 4. Ryanairs profit after tax in third-quarter fiscal 2020 came in at 88 million as against a loss of 66 million witnessed in the prior year. The top line increased 21% to 1.91 billion on the back of a 6% rise in traffic to 36 million. Additionally, the load factor improved to 96% from the prior years 95%. Ryanair reported a 13% increase in revenue per guest rose backed by 9% higher fares in the December-end quarter. The carrier still expects fiscal 2020 profit after tax in the 0.95-1.05 billion range. Fiscal 2020 revenue per guest is expected to be up 3-4%. Fuel bill for fiscal 2020 is anticipated to rise 440 million from the fiscal 2019 levels. Non-fuel unit costs are projected to rise by roughly 2%. Meanwhile, Ryanairs January traffic report was impressive, with the metric (including 0.5 million from its LaudaMotion unit) increasing 5% year over year to 10.8 million. Additionally, the load factor increased to 92% from 91% a year ago. Ryanair operated more than 62,000 scheduled flights in January. 5. In response to the coronavirus outbreak Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines suspended all flights to and from China. In fact, the State Department issued an advisory asking Americans not to travel to the country. Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines have reportedly suspended service to mainland China from Feb 6 through Apr 30, Mar 28 and Mar 27, 2020, respectively. Additionally, due to weaker-than-expected demand following the coronavirus outbreak and also political unrest, American Airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong through Feb 20. Performance The following table shows the price movement of the major airline players over the past week and during the last 6 months. Whats Next in the Airline Space? Investors keenly await January traffic reports from multiple carriers. Further, corona virus-related updates and the resultant impact on air travel will be awaited by investors. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Click to get this free report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Express News Service KADAPA: The onion farmers, who cultivated Krishnapuram (KP) variety of onions, are a happy lot with the Centre announcing that it would lift ban on export of this variety in a couple of days. The farmers said that the Centre following soaring prices of onion due to scarcity, imposed a ban on exports last year. The farmers cultivated KP variety of onion in 6,350 acres in Kadapa and Kurnool districts. They exported about 1.9 lakh quintals of KP variety of onion to Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Asian countries from Chennai port. Interestingly, due to small size and pungency, there is not much demand for KP variety of onion in the domestic market. However, there is huge demand for this variety of onion in the neighbouring countries. The State government purchased 800 tonnes of KP variety of onion, but later stopped purchasing it. It may be mentioned that the onion farmers, led by leaders Madan Mohan Reddy, Venkatarami Reddy, Dasaradharami Reddy and Dastagiri, have camped in Delhi and met Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, MPs and officials concerned to lift ban on export of KP onions. Marketing Department AD Raghavendra Kumar said that the government purchased KP variety of onion at `5,000 per tonne and sold it to public through rythu bazars. As the consumers were not keen on buying KP onions, we stopped it, he added. Terming the protests over the amended citizenship law as 'spontaneous', Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday alleged that the Constitution is under threat from the ruling BJP New Delhi: Terming the protests over the amended citizenship law as "spontaneous", Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday alleged that the Constitution is under threat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is "destroying" the social fabric of the nation. Members from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), DMK, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also voiced concern over the detention of NC leader Farooq Abdullah since 5 August last year when Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped, and questioned the government's intent. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Upper House, the ruling BJP defended the government's decisions on Jammu and Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying they have strengthened the nation and democracy, and slammed the Opposition for backing protests like in Shaheen Bagh. "Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Constitution and we the people of India are under attack.... Every day under the present government is 30 January when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered. Ecosystem of the nation is being destroyed and days are not far off when the word Taliban will not be alien here," RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha said. He said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were "spontaneous" including in Shaheen Bagh and the situation was so alarming that "5-6 states had passed resolution against CAA and NRC". He apprehended that the days were not far-off when the fight between the Centre and states will reach the streets and added that "a majority in Parliament is not a licence for a majoritarian in Parliament". Majeed Memon (NCP) asked what kind of terror was created by former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah that he was detained since 5 August and could not attend Parliament. The National Conference leader is an MP from Srinagar. He charged that the President's speech did not portray the true picture of the country and appeared like a political manifesto of a political party. Memon said the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir is yet to undergo judicial scrutiny. DMK's Vaiko termed 5 August, 2019 as the "blackest day" in the history of India saying three former chief ministers were detained and added that it was a pre-mediated conspiracy of "Hindutva forces". Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the BJP government has strengthened the social fabric of nation and believed in "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" (Development for All). He took a dig at the Congress, saying this is a strong government unlike in the past when "there used to be a prime minister and super prime minister and super PMO". He said electricity connection has been provided in all villages, 11 crore toilets were built and loot in the corridors of power was nipped. Naqvi charged the Congress with echoing Pakistan on surgical strike and supporting anti-CAA agitation like in Shaheen Bagh. "A conspiracy has been hatched and fear is being created in the minds of people, and women and children are misguidedon CAA," the minister said, adding he never expected a seasoned leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad to say that that the whole country will turn into Shaheen Bagh. "Bogus bragging brigade was out to create confusion and fear among masses," he said, adding the Congress was disturbed by the massive mandate to the BJP but it should respect it. The Opposition by states to the CAA was not good and a senior Congress member himself said that it was not proper, the BJP leader said. Secularism and tolerance were in the DNA of the BJP government and it believed in inclusive and sustainable development, he said, adding that minority share in government jobs under Narendra Modi government has increased to 9 per cent from 4.9 percent. Naqvi stressed that Muslims need not fear the CAA. He said Muslim population has increased from nine percent of population at the time of Independence to 19 percent in 2011 census. BK Hariprasad (Congress) accused the Modi government of failing on all fronts. He also criticised the government's policy on disinvestment of public sector units. The current regime has brought policies which discriminate against a particular religion, he said. He also hit out at a BJP MP for his controversial remarks on Mahatama Gandhi, calling him a loose cannon and a "fool of the first order". Participating in the debate, BJP MP Vijay Goel said he is a "proud Hindu" and RSS volunteer. Taking on the Congress for objecting to scrapping of Article 370, Goel challenged the Opposition party to announce they will bring back the provision if voted to power. He said as the Opposition parties have failed to defeat Narendra Modi, they have taken to protests on streets as seen at Shaheen Bagh. The Modi government has succeeded in its motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas', but the Opposition parties were not able to digest it, and hence were resorting to protests, he said. He also alleged that the man who fired at Shaheen Bagh was a worker of Aam Aadmi Party. Abdur Wahab (IUML) alleged that the present government has converted India into a police state and has created fear among people, especially poor and minorities. Jose K Mani (KC-M) said the President's address did not talk about the slowing economy. The House also witnessed a brief exchange of words between Congress MPs and BJP member Rakesh Sinha when the latter said that an NCERT text book of Class XI before 2001 used objectionable reference to Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur. Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, in his maiden speech, said the President's speech did not portray the true picture of the nation where unemployment was growing. He also said the government has failed to address the issues of farmers. He alleged the current regime was promoting corporate culture and introducing PPP model in education to benefit industrialists. A Department of Public Health and Social Services medical surveillance team has cleared two individuals on the cargo ship Kota Harum of possible symptoms from the novel coronavirus, Port Authority of Guam General Manager Rory Respicio confirmed Wednesday evening. The container ship arrived Wednesday morning at the Guam commercial seaport and two crew members who were ill prompted an assessment by the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services. As of 8:50 p.m., Respicio gave an update that the crew members on the cargo ship received clearance from Public Health. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The U.S. Coast Guard also had ordered the crew not to disembark from the container ship as a precaution and as part of the Trump administration guidelines on foreigners aboard ships and planes bound for the United States in light of the coronavirus global emergency. The Singapore-flagged container ship made stops in Taiwan on Jan. 29 and in Hong Kong on Jan. 30 before it arrived in Guam waters. Transportation and Telecommunication Minister Kamal Ahmed said that Bahrain International Airshow 2020 (BIAS 2020) marks a decade of success. This is an evidence of the success of Bahrains economic vision in making Bahrain a centre of investment in various economic sectors, the minister who is also the deputy chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee for the organisation of the biennial event, the minister said as he and Salman Al Mahmeed, the Chief Executive officer of Bahrain Airport Services (BAS), signed an official ground handling service sponsorship deal. We are proud of the participation of Bahraini companies operating in the sector and of their continuous support for the exhibition, he said. Mr Al Mahmeed said that BAS was proud to be the official sponsor of the ground handling services for BIAS 2020. The company is always keen to highlight the bright image that the Kingdom of Bahrain deserves, he said. Supporting BIAS is part of the companys commitments to a set of initiatives and annual action programs to make the Kingdom of Bahrain an attractive centre for investments in the aviation sector. BIAS 2020 will be held at the Sakhir airbase on November 18-20 under the auspices of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the supervision of HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Personal Representative of His Majesty the King and Chairman of the BIAS Supreme Organising Committee. Iran finds 3 editors guilty of defamation and spreading false news 02/05/20 Source: Committee to Protect Journalists Washington, D.C., February 3, 2020 - Iranian authorities should immediately drop the false news and defamation charges against the editors of three news outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. cartoon by Hadi Heidari Yesterday, Branch 6 of Tehran's Media Court, which is under the judiciary, found three local editors-in-chief--of the semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the Bultannews news website, and the energy news website NeftEMA--guilty of "spreading false news and defamation," according to reports by the official judicial news agency Mizan and by the Human Rights News Agency, a website run by Iranian exiles. Neither the court nor the news reports disclosed the names of the editors. Ahmad Momenirad, the spokesperson of Iran's Media Court system, did not disclose any details surrounding the cases or the potential sentences the editors may receive, according to the Mizan report. CPJ could not determine whether the journalists are being held in custody. "If the Iranian government has a credible case against the editors of ISNA, NeftEMA, and Bultannews, they should try them openly and publicly," said Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "Closed door trials of journalists cannot be considered fair or impartial and the Iranian judiciary has a history of holding opaque judicial proceedings that lack credibility." Mizan quoted Momenirad as saying that the ISNA and Bultannews editors were eligible to be spared from sentencing, but he did not explain why. According to a report by ISNA, the case is related to a complaint filed by the National Iranian Gas Transmission Company, a subsidiary of the Iran Oil Ministry, against NeftEMA, accusing the website's editor-in-chief of "spreading misinformation, defamation, and insult." In 2019, Iranian authorities sentenced journalists to years in jail on charges of spreading misinformation and disturbing public opinion, as CPJ documented at the time. Iran had 11 journalists in jail at the time of CPJ's most recent prison census on December 1, 2019. The double murder trial of a man accused in the 2013 slaying of a Metairie couple whose bodies werent discovered for more than a week got underway in a Jefferson Parish courtroom Tuesday morning with jurors viewing graphic photos of the crime scene. Melvin Miller, 27, of Baton Rouge, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder as well as obstruction of justice and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities say Miller ambushed Milan Boudreaux, 26, and her boyfriend, Akeem Boudreaux, 22, in the couples Edenborn Avenue apartment in Metairie, shooting them both in the head. Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office investigators suspect the killing occurred on the night of Feb. 5, 2013, the last time the victims were seen. +4 Handcuffed man accused of stealing SUV and leading a chase is still on the run, officials say Authorities are still searching for a possibly handcuffed man accused of stealing a St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office vehicle and leading de Nine days later, concerned friends went to the apartment and discovered the couples badly decomposed bodies. Homicide detectives described a gruesome scene to jurors. During opening statements, Millers defense attorney, Juan Bernal, told the jury that the state has no direct evidence from the couples apartment no fingerprints, DNA, weapon or witnesses that implicates Miller in the murders. Inconsistent statements to authorities dont prove that someone is a killer, he said. If you cant exclude every logical possibility of innocence the law is to find Melvin Miller not guilty, said Bernal, who is defending the case with attorney Marquita Naquin. But Assistant Jefferson Parish District Attorney Doug Freese previewed the states case against Miller, telling jurors that cellphone records placed him near the couples apartment on the night authorities believe Milan Boudreaux and Akeem Boudreaux were killed. Miller called Milan Boudreaux twice that night, authorities said. Whats more, Miller was found in Baton Rouge with Milan Boudreauxs missing silver Pontiac GT, her iPhone and her computer, according to Freese. Detectives used automated license-plate recognition cameras to track the vehicle. Freese also mentioned recorded jailhouse phone calls between Miller and his girlfriend, Jasmine Alexander, that he said help establish Miller's guilt in the case. Alexander, 36, of Baton Rouge, was charged with obstruction of justice in a murder investigation. She pleaded guilty in October 2015 and received a five-year, deferred prison sentence. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up When considered together, all of the evidence points to no one but Miller, the person in possession of the victims property, according to Freese. It was, indeed, this man, and he should be found guilty, Freese told jurors. Forensic pathologist Dr. Marianna Eserman was the first to take the witness stand. Esermans shocking autopsy photos revealed that the couples dog, a 6-month-old Labrador mix, had eaten the flesh from Akeem Boudreauxs head and chest, leaving just a skull and bare sternum and ribs. The injuries occurred after Akeem Boudreaux was dead, Eserman testified, and were typical of what happens when an animal is left to fend for itself under similar circumstances. There was a 2-inch bullet hole on the left side of Akeem Boudreauxs skull and an exit wound on the other side, Eserman said, adding that the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Milan Boudreaux died of a gunshot wound to the head, as well. The couples mothers, Tyra Boudreaux and Melva Williams, sat together on the front row of the courtroom during opening statements. But the two women left the courtroom just before Eserman took the witness stand, avoiding the grim photos of the dead bodies. Both mothers briefly testified. Tyra Boudreaux was frail and moved slowly onto the witness stand with the help of a cane. She introduced herself to jurors as Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Truhe showed photos of Tyra Boudreauxs son on a viewing screen. Milan Boudreaux's mother, Williams, 63, was next. She told jurors that Milan Boudreaux, a transgender woman, had been designated male at birth and named Morris Alexander Williams. Though her friends called her Milan or Mimi, she allowed relatives to use her longtime family nickname, Alex, Williams explained. In the days after Milan Boudreauxs murder, her sister, Morsi Williams, described Milan's relationship with her parents as difficult. But on Tuesday, Melva Williams was in court to represent her child. The trial is expected to continue Wednesday before 24th Judicial District Court Judge Scott Schlegel. Yang Xiayu poses with his mother, a military medic in Shanghai who has been dispatched to Wuhan, Hubei province, to combat the novel coronavirus. [Photo provided to China Daily] School students' stories about their medical-professional parents responding to the call to work win praise nationwide An essay written by a teenager garnered many likes online recently. The writer, Yang Xiayu, told how his mother, a military medic, had traveled to Wuhan, Hubei province, to help combat the novel coronavirus, online news portal The Paper reported on Friday. Xiayu is a sixth grader at No 2 Experimental School affiliated to Shanghai Normal University in the city's Putuo district, and his mother is a chief orthopedics nurse at No 905 Military Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The essay was a winter break assignment, and Xiayu said he wrote the story because he was moved by his mother's response to the call to serve. Yuan Jianzhou, the school's vice-president, said Xiayu's essay was one of 191 the school received. It was so touching that his Chinese teacher submitted it to the Shanghai Morning Post's WeChat account, which published the essay online and received many touching responses, such as "This mother sets the best example for her child" and "Thumbs up for this hero mother." Liu Jun, an education officer in Putuo, said the district had recently called for essays documenting this "unusual winter holiday", and students began submitting stories about people's fights against the outbreak. Some wrote about their medical-professional parents, some wrote about donating masks and money, and some wrote about social workers' efforts to prevent transmission of the illness. The essays documented this unusual holiday-a hard time eased by the deeds of many individuals, Liu said. Below are two essays written by students An unusual winter holiday By Yang Xiayu, Class 4, Grade 6, No 2 Experimental School affiliated to Shanghai Normal University Jan 24 was Lunar New Year's Eve. The ringing of the phone woke me up from a sweet dream. As I opened my drowsy eyes, mom was already on the phone: "Yes, director, I am on holiday with my family in Changzhou (a city in Jiangsu province). What time? Okay, we will be on our way at once." Click! Mom turned on the bedroom light, and jostled my dad and me awake. "Quickly, we have to pack up and go back to Shanghai now. I need to report for emergency work for Wuhan at 11 am," she said. Dad grumbled, "It's only 5 am-why can't you let me have a good holiday!" The sudden light made it hard for me to open my eyes as I snuggled into my duvet and complained: "Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and we have a family dinner with great-grandfather and aunties. I want to receive lucky money when we pay visits to relatives. I haven't celebrated Spring Festival in the countryside for years!" As she pulled me out of bed and helped me to dress, Mom said, "My baby, I will explain to you on the way. Now, get up and pack up your stuff." In the wake of our noise, grandpa and grandma, who were sleeping in the next room, got up. One started preparing breakfast, while the other started packing things and making phone calls. At 7 am, we had a simple, quick breakfast and put our luggage in the car, leaving stuff that didn't fit in. It was raining and foggy, and the sky was still dark. Mom dragged me into the car, despite my crying for New Year visits, and Dad started the engine. The rain became heavier and the road was blanketed with fog. The windshield wipers worked at the highest frequency, but we could only see about 50 meters ahead. Sometimes, Mom urged Dad to drive faster, but at others she warned him to slow down. That made me carsick, and I felt awful about this Spring Festival. The rain stopped as we drove on the highway to Shanghai, and Mom finally had time to turn around and talk to me. "I know you are not happy, but do you know why Mom has to give up her holiday and go to Wuhan? Because there is a new type of virus in Wuhan-hundreds of people are infected and thousands are in quarantine," she said. "Is it more serious than flu?" I asked. "Definitely. Remember when 16 classmates couldn't go to school last month because they had the flu? This pneumonia-like virus is more dangerous. In 2003, a similar virus called SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) broke out in China, infecting thousands and claiming 700 lives globally. You were not born then." I felt so upset when Mom showed me photos of the SARS outbreak: people wore masks, doctors and nurses put on hazmat suits, and few people walked on the streets. "Mom, must you go?" I asked, worried. "Yes, I am a chief nurse, and I am a military medic. My job is to heal the wounded and help the dying," she said. "Now Wuhan is in danger-it is your father's hometown, and your mom must go and help save it." When we arrived in Shanghai, Mom rushed inside our home. After just 10 minutes, she was downstairs again with a small bag. Looking at her, I was about to cry. I knew she wouldn't be with us for a long time and I wouldn't be able to eat her cooking. She was going to brave the dangerous virus. She hugged me and patted my head. As she left she said, "Be a man." I nodded. Grandpa cooked noodles for our Lunar New Year's Eve dinner. There was little festive feeling, and I didn't even want to watch the Spring Festival Gala on television. Outside, there were no sounds of traffic or firecrackers. Time seemed to stop. At 8 pm, Mom called. "Watch the news on (China) Central Television," she said, hanging up before we could answer. I turned on the television. It was broadcasting footage of reinforcements by military medics from Shanghai to Wuhan, and Mom was on the screen. Wearing the blue uniform of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Mom and 150 other Navy medics were on their way to an airplane. The cargo plane had its back door wide open, and Mom and her comrades rushed to board, quietly and orderly. Their faces were solemn and anxious, and the only sound was that of shoes hitting the ground in unison and the orders given by the commander. Finally, the airplane taxied to the runway and took off into the night sky. Wuhan, tonight you will no longer be on your own! Mom and her comrades are coming! After watching the broadcast, I was no longer upset and I fell asleep, thinking: Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Life will continue, Mom will triumph and Wuhan will be safe again. An ordinary family's contribution By Zhan Yuxiao, Class 1, Grade 8, No 2 Experimental School affiliated to Shanghai Normal University As the final exams finished, the first semester of the academic year drew to an end. But the weather wouldn't cool down. December was unusually warm, with temperatures rising and falling dramatically from time to time-there seemed to be something special about this winter. At home, everything carried on as usual. As in previous years, we spent the Spring Festival holiday in my mother's hometown of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. The celebrations in Yangzhou started as early as a week before the big day. Walking on the streets, you could easily feel that the festival was just around the corner. The whole city was immersed in a joyful holiday mood. Everything was just like it used to be-the views, the buildings, the happy family gatherings. It was only after two days that the news broke: a new coronavirus had broken out in a seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei province. Panic sparked by the virus was all over the place. TV and social media were broadcasting breaking news every day-the number of confirmed infections had risen by a few hundred in a single day; the virus could be transmitted by humans. Suddenly, surgical masks were sold out, fever clinics were overcrowded and doctors rushed to Wuhan. As I browsed the worrying headlines, I secretly hoped that my Dad wouldn't go. After all, he wasn't in the Fever Clinic Department. Lunar New Year's Eve is a time for family reunions. We prepared dinner together. I was so happy that Grandpa taught me how to cook Yangzhou meatballs. After dinner, we watched the Spring Festival Gala on TV. Everyone was happy, except for Dad. He kept checking his phone, his looks becoming more and more solemn. On the morning of Lunar New Year's Day, Mom and Dad announced that it was time to return to Shanghai. Before I could digest what was happening we were driving on the highway, and trees and streetlamps flashed outside the car window. I couldn't shake off all the questions in my head. Why were we going back so suddenly? Dad is not a doctor in the fever clinic, after all. There were already confirmed cases in Shanghai and the news said tourists from Hubei had all been settled in a hotel, so there were still risks. How could Mom disregard all these factors and agree to return? She is the one who always makes health the family's top priority. When we got closer to home, I noticed something was different. The usually busy shopping mall was quiet. At the gates of residential communities, doctors in protective suits and volunteers wearing surgical masks were conducting checkups on passersby. That was when I realized the virus had spread from Wuhan to other places, so Dad had to cancel his holiday and return to work. While most people stay home during the crisis, doctors and nurses have to do their jobs, even when it means facing the disease. When Dad was about to leave home, he turned around. I recalled what I had read online and said: "Avoid going out. Wear a mask if we have to." Dad paused and broke into a smile: "That's my good boy. Dad will help the other doctors save lives. You will now help take care of our family." Mom put a mask over Dad's mouth. "Just go. I will be here," she said. I feel so proud. My dad is just an ordinary man, but he's also a doctor willing to take risks to save lives. My family is just an ordinary family, but we are willing to make sacrifices for the whole of society and make our contribution, just like the families of many other doctors. It is said that life is easy only because others shoulder all the difficulties. In this unusual winter break, I came to understand that every ordinary family contributes indispensable strength to society. As the illness rages, it is my dad and his fellow doctors and nurses who are holding up the sky for this country. Tilak Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Tilak Nagar constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Tilak Nagar Assembly Elections 2020 | Jarnail Singh, AAP candidate and incumbent MLA from Tilak Nagar Assembly constituency defeated his closest rival, BJP's Rajiv Babbar by 28,029 votes. While Singh has a vote share of 62.2 percent, Babbar has 34.28 percent of the votes polled. The Tilak Nagar Vidhan Sabha constituency, which is part of the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, has for long been a BJP bastion before the AAP breached the fortress in the 2015 polls. Due to large the Sikh population, Tilak Nagar is considered a hostile seat for the Congress. Hence, the fight for the seat was expected to be largely between the AAP and BJP. The AAP re-nominated the incumbent MLA who is also a local, Jarnail Singh, for a third term, while Rajeev Babar, son of local strongman OP Babbar, contested on a BJP ticket. The constituency, which has the best gender ratio among voters across Delhi, went to the polls on 8 February. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Rajeev contested the seat in 2013 and 2015 also, but failed to make it to the Assembly. Here is brief information about the constituency: Constituency name: Tilak Nagar Constituency number: 29 District name: West Delhi Total electors: 1,46,940 Female electors: 70,855 Male electors: 76,079 Third gender: 6 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Singh is the incumbent MLA. Between 1993 and 2013, OP was the BJP representative of the constituency, except for the period between 1998 and 2003 when Jaspal Singh of the Congress represented the seat. Demographics: Like other areas in the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, Tilak Nagar has a significant population of Sikhs. Most of these Sikhs, as well as Punjabi Hindus, migrated from Pakistan in the aftermath of the Partition. If you are a comedy fan and a Netflix user, you are in for a treat. It is about that time for Netflix to cycle its content and the comedic options are nothing to scoff at. From Movies to Tv series, from classics to Netflix originals, there are a ton of hilarious options to choose from. Advertisement Dark Comedies - Russian Doll Co-created by Parks and Rec star Amy Poehler, this dark comedy takes its influence from Groundhog Day but adds some dark and satirical twists. In this series, a young woman (Natasha Lyonne), must find a way to survive her own birthday party but keeps dying over and over again. This Netflix original is interesting, hilarious, and a little twisted. If you are a dark comedy fan, this is the show for you. - Private Life Private Life touches on the sensitive topic of infertility and the desperation felt by those still trying to conceive closer and closer to menopause. Giving an often-hushed topic a darkly comedic view makes this movie one of the most interesting new releases in the comedy genre. If you want to feel and be moved while you laugh, this is the choice for you. Romantic Comedies - The Kissing Booth When Elle (Joey King) runs a kissing booth and experiences her first kiss, she doesn't expect it to be with her secret crush. This coming of age tale is based on Beth Reekle's novel of the same name. If you like to reminisce on the purity of the awkwardness that is being a teenager, let The Kissing Booth transport you to a time when friendship pacts and silly drama consumed your world. - Nappily Ever After After a disaster at the salon awakens a woman to her true values, a soulful barber helps her piece her life back together. This unique and intimate comedy, starring Sanaa Lathan, gives a pure look at what it means to reinvent yourself. If you want to laugh, cry, and feel - this is the movie for you. Stoner Comedies - American Pie and American Pie 2 This is one of those "not new, but new to me," options. The American Pie movies are stoner comedy classics, and they just found their way to Netflix on February 1st. If you are the kind of person who likes easy laughs and a little bit of raunchy comedy, watch Jason Biggs in his most iconic role. - Game Over, Man If you are a fan of Kyle Newacheck's Workaholics, this is the pick for you! Kyle and the boys from Workaholics: Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, and Anders Holm came together again to bring us this Netflix original. It is a raunchy comedy about doing what it takes to make it and desperately trying to shine in the face of absurd adversity. Classic Comedies - Pretty in Pink What is there to be said about this Brat Pack classic? Molly Ringwald shines in this classic romantic comedy feature a young James Spader and baby-faced Jon Cryer. If you've never experienced the non-stop-smile inducing joy of a John Hughes film - this is a first you don't want to miss out on. - Monty Python and The Holy Grail The mother of all British comedy movies - Monty Python and The Holy Grail just might be the most quotable movie of all time. It is such a well-known piece of comedy that if you haven't seen it, we guarantee you still know many of its jokes! Whether you are re-watching or watching for the first time, there is never a dull moment in Camelot. Family Comedies - The Incredibles 2 This movie is one of the most anticipated sequels of all time. In fact, the wait for this movie was so intense that the months leading up to its release sparked a slurry of gatekeeping memes like the internet had never seen before! If you didn't get a chance to see this one in theatres, don't worry! Netflix has you covered. We think you will enjoy this hilarious follow up to a Disney - Pixar classic. - Hotel Transylvania 3 Adam Sandler has really stepped into his role as a father and family filmmaker with a bang. Though he seems to always have a new project releasing, the Hotel Transylvania series has been one of the most consistently successful. The third edition to his unique take on a monster movie is unsurprisingly just as funny as it's two predecessors. If you are looking for an easy watch, or a movie to see with the kids, this is the film for you. Daughter of Sheikh Abdullah, whose family ruled Kashmir for decades, accuses India of erasing her fathers legacy. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir Khalida Shah speaks poignantly about her late father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the most influential leader of modern Kashmir, whose disputed legacy makes him a hero to some and a villain to others. For decades, Sheikh Abdullahs birthday on December 5 was a state holiday in Indian-administered Kashmir. But it has now been erased from the calendar by New Delhi, which stripped the Muslim-majority region of its limited autonomy six months ago. It is definitely hurtful, Shah, 84, told Al Jazeera at her home in the main city of Srinagar, where she has been under house arrest since August last year as part of a government crackdown against Kashmiri politicians. Her brother Farooq Abdullah and nephew Omar Abdullah, both former chief ministers, have been in detention since August. Shah said her family became enemies with people for siding with India [Al Jazeera] Indian government is trying to erase the history of Kashmir by doing this, she said referring to the removal of Abdullahs anniversary celebration by Indias governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On August 5 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had campaigned against special status for Kashmir, decided to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A of the constitution, the constitutional provisions secured by Abdullah 70 years ago. Article 370 allowed Kashmir to have its own flag, a separate constitution and the freedom to make laws. Changing demographics and erasing history Kashmiri activists fear the removal of the special status will likely open the door for demographic changes in the Muslim-majority region, as outsiders can now buy land and settle in the Himalayan region. Many were also angered by the Modi governments decision to cancel the Martyrs Day holiday observed on July 13 in remembrance of 22 people killed during protests against Kashmirs Hindu monarch in 1931. Angry at Indias recent actions in Kashmir, Shah said her family became enemies with people for siding with India. Three generations of the Abdullah family ruled the region for most of the last seven decades. Sheikh Abdullahs rise began in 1931 when he led the people of Kashmir in resistance of the Dogra monarch at the time, Hari Singh, making him an instant hero. The Kashmir leader, who fought for self-rule, later backed Hari Singhs decision to join the Indian union on the condition a plebiscite would decide the future of the Muslim-majority region. While Abdullah had been close to Indias powerful political leaders, including its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, he remained an ardent critic of Pakistans founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In the years after his death in 1982, as armed rebellion against Indian rule started to take roots and pro-Pakistan voices became emboldened, many considered him a villainous figure and saw his politics as a betrayal of the Kashmiri cause. Erasing the Kashmiri peoples history India and Pakistan, who claim Kashmir in full but govern only parts of it, gained independence from British rule in August 1947. Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, by which he agreed that the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir would accede to the Indian Union, in October 1947. Under the Instrument, New Delhi only controlled the regions foreign affairs, defence and communications. Over time, however, New Delhi diluted Kashmirs autonomous status. 191230065243012 Experts say the Indian government is working to impose their version of history in Kashmir. The government has declared October 26 as Accession Day to commemorate the signing of the Instrument in 1947. Hindu right-wing in India lays territorial claims on Kashmir by systematically erasing historical experiences of Kashmiri people, Muhammad Junaid, a Kashmiri academic based in the US, told Al Jazeera. They want to deny the existence of long history of Kashmiri struggle against the Hindu Dogra feudal state as well as [for] freedom from Indian control, he said. He also said the events that reaffirm the existence of Kashmiris and their struggles for emancipation are seen as affronts to Hindu nationalism by New Delhi. They want to forcibly suppress peoples memories, especially those that hold the centre of Kashmiri identity and impose their own version, Junaid told Al Jazeera. BJP defends Kashmir move But Ashok Koul, chief spokesman of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, defended the Modi governments Kashmir move, insisting these steps wont harm anyone. History should be put in the right perspective for the new generations. The government knows what are the right things for this society, he said referring to the abrogation of Article 370. Shah, the daughter of Sheikh Abdullah, termed the events in 1931 as the base of Kashmirs struggle. The flag of Kashmir, which no more exists, is the sign of their blood, [those] who were killed on that day on July 13. Idris Kant, a Kashmiri historian, said July 13 has an immense symbolic value to it, reminding Kashmiris that they continue to be occupied people. On January 26, celebrated as Republic Day, authorities in Kashmir announced a change in the language on police medal for meritorious service, removing the words Sher-e-Kashmir or Lion of Kashmir a reference to Sheikh Abdullah from it. I want to tell India they cannot erase the legacy of my father from Kashmir as everyone remembers him here, she said. History can never be erased. February 12: The Giants have announced the signing, adding that right-hander Reyes Moronta has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Moronta underwent shoulder surgery late in the 2019 season and is expected to miss substantial time in 2020. Flores will earn $3MM in 2020 and 2021, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 2022 club option is valued at $3.5MM and comes with a $250K buyout. February 4, 7:00pm: Flores contract with the Giants is a two-year deal worth more than $6MM guaranteed, tweets MLB Networks Jon Heyman. The Giants will also have a club option for a third season. 2:40pm: The Giants and free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores have agreed to a multi-year deal, ESPNs Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The Giants will need to make a 40-man roster move in order to create space for him. Wilmer Flores | Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports width=200 height=300 /> The 28-year-old Flores spent the 2019 season with the division-rival Diamondbacks but was limited to 89 games by a foot injury that sidelined him from late May until late July. When healthy, Flores turned in a strong .317/.361/.487 batting line with nine home runs and 18 doubles in 285 plate appearances. While most of Flores power output came against left-handed pitching (.337/.367/.615), the longtime Mets utilityman also hit for average and got on base against righties, albeit without much extra-base pop (.304/.358/.404). The exact manner in which Flores fits into the Giants infield rotation isnt clear. He can back up Brandon Belt at first base and Evan Longoria at third base, although its likely that non-roster invitee Pablo Sandoval will also be viewed as a backup at the corners. Flores could log semi-regular reps at second base, with Donovan Solano serving in a traditional utility role, although that doesnt leave regular at-bats for young Mauricio Dubon at the position. Dubon, though, has been working out in the outfield and could earn himself a lengthy audition in center field, which would help to create additional playing time for Flores at second base. Bringing Flores aboard on a multi-year agreement doesnt bode well for 2019 Gold Glover Yolmer Sanchez, who agreed to a minor league contract with San Francisco just last week. Sanchez reportedly passed on big league offers for the chance to earn himself regular playing time at second base with the Giants, but the acquisition of Flores doesnt help his chances any. Looking further ahead, the Giants still have Belt, Longoria and Brandon Crawford all signed to guaranteed contracts through at least 2021, so theres no creation of an everyday spot for Flores on the horizon. Thats nothing new for Flores, however. Hes typically appeared in more games and logged more plate appearances than your average bench bat but has also only topped 500 plate appearances once in seven Major League seasons. 05.02.2020 LISTEN Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 5, 2019 (ECA) -UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to attend the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union to be held from 9-10 February at the headquarters of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. Mr. Gutteres is expected to address the Summit, whose theme for the year is, "Silencing the Guns; Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa's Development." The Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with member states, participate in some side events and address a press conference on Saturday, 8th February. Meanwhile, the UN in Ethiopia is finalizing arrangements for side events organized in collaboration with the African Union on the margins of the Summit. These include a high-level, early morning meeting on Gender Equality and Women's empowerment in Africa and the Launch of the Africa Women's Leadership Fund (AWLF) on Saturday 8th of February. Also scheduled is the signing of the UN-AU Joint Framework on Human Rights and a High-level Forum on Agenda 2063 to discuss the AU report on Evidence-Based Reporting for Collective Reflection and Action on Agenda 2063. A highlight of the week is the Launch of the book, "SHE Stands for Peace, 20 years, 20 journeys" which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security. A side event on Unlocking the full potential of Africa's Blue Economy - A continental strategy for joint action - will also take place on the margins of the Summit. Furthermore, the Economic Commission for Africa will hold the Third edition of the African Business Forum a day after the Summit on 11th February. The high-level Forum will hold on the theme Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity. The President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria is also scheduled to attend the Summit. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals daughter has hit out at the BJP for calling her father a terrorist ahead of the February 8 assembly elections. Harshita Kejriwal, 24, said BJP leaders remarks were a new low in politics as she listed the work done by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi in the last five years. Her comments came after the Bharatiya Janata Partys lawmaker Parvesh Verma first used the term for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader during a campaign trail in January while talking about the anti-citizenship act protesters in Shaheen Bagh. Watch | Delhi polls | A new low in politics: Kejriwals daughter and wife hit out at BJP Then Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday that Kejriwal had called himself an anarchist and there is not much of a difference between an anarchist and a terrorist. Harshita took on the criticism levelled by the BJP and went about demolishing the argument. They say politics is dirty but its a new low. Is it terrorism if health facilities are made free and brought to people? Is it terrorism if children are made educated? Is it terrorism if electricity and water supply are improved? she asked. My father has always been in social services. I still remember he used to wake us - my brother, mother, grandparents and I - up at 6am, make us read the Bhagwad Gita and sing Insaan se insaan ka ho bhaichara song and teach us about it. Is this terrorism? she questioned. Harshita Kejriwal added that the outcome of the Delhi assembly polls on February 11 will provide a fitting answer to the critics. Let them level allegations, let them bring 200 MPs and 11 CMs. Not only us, but 2 crore common people are also campaigning. They will show them on 11th February if they cast votes on the basis of allegations or the work done, she said. The BJP has attacked Kejriwal over a host of issues, especially Shaheen Bagh, with several leaders of the party led by Union home minister Amit Shah describing the protests at the southeast Delhi colony as being against the national interests. The AAP had swept the polls by winning 67 of the 70 seats in the last assembly elections in 2015. The BJP is looking to get some hold on Delhi after winning just three seats that year. Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha session, the Ministry of External Affairs informed the house about India participating in the development of the first phase of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar, in cooperation with Iran. The Ministry also informed that an Indian Company named India Ports Global Ltd has taken over the port's operations since December 2018. MEA in Lok Sabha: India is participating in the development of the first phase of Shahid Behesti Port in Chabahar in cooperation with Iran. Indian company, India Ports Global Ltd, has taken over port operations in December 2018 & has successfully handled over 5 lakh tons of cargo pic.twitter.com/4TBedqlJIT ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2020 In a written reply, MEA informed that the development of the Shahid Beheshti port will also include exports from Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port which began in February 2019. Informing further the MEA also wrote in its reply that India has spoken to America about the matter and the US has shown an understanding of the importance of the Chabahar Port operations as it provides basic supplies to Afghanistan. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a written reply in Lok Sabha: The U.S. has shown understanding of the importance of the Chabahar Port operations for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and to provide Afghanistan with economic alternatives. https://t.co/aN9iOHu7x1 ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2020 READ | 'Iran, India should work together to expedite Chabahar Port development': Javad Zarif About the Alternate Indo-Afghan trade route The Chabahar Port complex, backed by India, on Iran's coast along the Gulf of Oman is being developed to provide an alternative trade route between India and Afghanistan. In 2018, Iran and India had signed an agreement worth $85 million to develop the Chabahar Port. In May 2016, India and Iran signed a bilateral agreement under which India would refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti Port, and reconstruct a 600-meter long container handling facility at the port. Under the agreement, India would build a 600-meter (1,969 feet) cargo terminal and a 640-meter container terminal. However, only a portion of the two berths has been finished because of deteriorating relations between the US and Iran after the election of US President Donald Trump in November 2016 that culminated with the reimposition of economic sanctions in 2018. In December last year, India took over operations of part of Shahid Beheshti Port. READ | Over Rs 17,300 crore allocated to MEA; 100 crores earmarked for strategic Chabahar Port READ | India, Iran agree to accelerate work on strategic Chabahar project The Election Commission on Wednesday rapped a Delhi Police officer on the knuckles for his statements to the media that the man who caught last week after firing in the air near Shaheen Bagh and his father had joined a particular political party. The poll panel said the officers action was uncalled for and ordered the Delhi Police that Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Deo should not be assigned any work related to the Delhi election. The Commission has considered the matter in detail and is of the considered view that the above-referred statements referring to a political party at this stage even as the investigation is still going on has the effect of adversely impacting the elections. This action was totally uncalled for. The conduct on the part of Rajesh Deo has consequences on the holding of free and fair elections, the EC said in a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner. The poll panel directed that, A warning shall be issued to Rajesh Deo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime (SIU & ISC) communicating therein the displeasure of the Commission on his conduct and and copy of the same be placed in his CR Dossier. It went on to say, It shall be ensured that Rajesh Deo is not assigned any work/matter related to the ongoing elections to the Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi The EC also sought a compliance report by 6 pm on Thursday. On Tuesday evening, Deo had said the shooter Kapil Gujjar and his father, Choudhary Gaje Singh, joined AAP in early 2019 in the presence of senior party leaders. He had claimed that the association of the father and son with AAP emerged when police retrieved deleted photos and videos from Gujjars cellphone. Deo had also said that the two had admitted to being members of AAP. But Kapils family refuted the police claim and said that they do not have any connection with the AAP. The AAP had said it was a conspiracy and the party would complain to the Election Commission. Vietnams third patient recovering from pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a hotel receptionist in south-central Khanh Hoa Province. The Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases confirmed on Tuesday that L.T.T.H., a 25-year-old resident in Van Ninh District, had been discharged after making a full recovery. Doctors said they had performed three tests on H. and the results all showed she is no longer infected with the virus, said Nguyen Dong, director of the infirmary. I hope that everyone will not be too afraid of the epidemic as the disease can be cured, H. remarked. H. works as a receptionist at a hotel in Nha Trang, a popular beach city in Khanh Hoa Province. On February 16, H. was in close contact with Li Ding, 66, and his son Li Zichao, 28, who were both Chinese nationals, while checking them in at the hotel. The father and son were admitted to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on January 22 and tested positive for the novel coronavirus. H. first developed symptoms including coughing and fever on January 18. She was sampled by the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang and the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City on January 24, and was quarantined at the Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases from January 27 until Tuesday. About 30 people who previously had close contact with H. have been closely monitored. All of them were in good health as of Tuesday. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused 492 deaths and infected more than 24,500 people globally, most of whom in mainland China, as of Wednesday. Vietnam has confirmed ten infections so far, including seven Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. One of the Chinese patients, Li Zichao, has fully recovered after being quarantined for treatment at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and was discharged on Tuesday morning. A Vietnamese patient in north-central Thanh Hoa Province had also recovered on Monday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A credit union volunteer broke down crying today as she told a murder trial of the moment she thought a robber was going to kill her after she witnessed the fatal shooting of a garda. Bernadette McShane was sitting in her car when she heard a loud bang and saw Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe fall to the ground. She said: "When I saw the man running towards me I thought he was coming to kill me because I had seen too much." The trial heard from a second credit union volunteer who said she thought the driver of a car used by the raiders was a woman. Aaron Brady (28) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location. Ms McShane told prosecution counsel Dean Kelly BL that she worked as a volunteer for the Lordship Credit Union. On the Friday night in question she counted the money and cheques from the tills and gave it to her colleague Pat Bellew who was to travel with a garda escort to a safety deposit box in Dundalk. The unmarked garda car arrived at about 21.25. In the carpark Ms McShane got into her car and she saw Mr Bellew begin to pull off in his car. As Ms McShane started her own car she heard two loud bangs. She said: "I thought they were fireworks and turned to look to where the other cars were parked and I saw men running." She said she saw one of the detectives falling to the ground and at first thought it was a "duck reaction, like he was jumping to avoid something." She added: "When he didn't move I realised it must have been a gun shot." She saw people running all around the car park towards the detectives and towards Mr Bellew's car. One of the men started running towards the witness. Ms McShane began to cry before continuing: "At that stage, when I saw the man running towards me, I thought he was coming to kill me because I had seen too much." The man smashed her car window, she said, and shouted: "Give me the fucking money." When she told him she had none he demanded her handbag which she threw towards him. He then told her to open the glove box, which she did, revealing there was nothing inside. She heard a voice from somewhere saying, "Are you right there lads?" and the man ran off and jumped over the front wall of the credit union. When Mr Kelly asked her for information about the man she had seen, she said: "I was afraid to look but I did see a man there in dark clothes with a balaclava. But my fear was that if I looked and took in too much information he might kill me because I would know too much." She thought she saw a walkie talkie in the man's hand but she couldn't be sure. She said the man was not slim but "on the bulky side" and he was agile in the way he jumped over the wall. She couldn't place his accent although she knew it wasn't a strong Belfast or north Antrim accent. The man she heard saying "are you right there lads" had a different accent but she couldn't place it. In cross examination the witness agreed with Fiona Murphy SC for the defence that in her statements to gardai she said that the man she saw was five feet eight or nine inches and had a Dublin accent. In a follow-up statement she said she is not great with accents but was sure it wasn't a northern accent. When a Dublin garda said, "give me the fucking money" it reminded her of the way the raider had said it. Mary Hanlon told Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution that she is the treasurer and a volunteer for the Cooley Credit Union which has two sub offices in Carlingford and Omeath. Part of her job was to collect cash from the three offices on a Friday evening to bring it to the safety deposit box in Dundalk. Along the way she would be joined by someone from the Lordship Credit Union who was also going to lodge cash in the safety deposit box. Ms Hanlon had a bag with more than 27,000 in it on the night. They arrived at Lordship at 21.26, the time when Ms Hanlon called Pat Bellew of the Lordship credit union on her mobile phone to tell him she was in the carpark with the garda escort. She remained in her car and said she did not notice anything until she saw Mr Bellew's car lights come on. Ms Hanlon moved towards the carpark gates but intended to wait until Mr Bellew was behind her and the unmarked garda car behind him. As she pulled up to the gate a car pulled in front of her, blocking the exit. She said: "I thought they were going to make a phone call or something like that." She thought the driver of the car was an Irish lady, she said, with blonde hair and a beanie style hat on. She remembered thinking, "you stupid bitch, why are you parked there," but she was waiting for Mr Bellew so she didn't flash her lights or try to get the person to move. The driver was staring straight ahead and never looked in the direction of the witness. Ms Hanlon thought the car was a Volkswagen Passat and she had a good view of it with her lights on. The witness was using a bluetooth device to talk to her friend when she heard two loud bangs on her left side and behind her. She said: "With that, very quickly, a fella ran out between my passenger door and the side wall of the car park." She hung up the phone and her car radio started up automatically. She saw a man with a long gun by his side which she believed to be a shotgun. He was wearing green combat trousers. Another man had a long bar, "something you might use to ram a door", the witness said. She believed that the banging noise she had heard was the gardai firing at the raiders and when she saw the raiders get into the car and leave she believed the gardai had run them off. None of the raiders came to Ms Hanlon's car or interfered with her in any way and she did not hear any of them speak. She realised some time later that Gda Donohoe had been shot when she got out of her car and saw his wounds. She looked away. "I didn't want to dwell on it," she said. Pat Bellew told Mr Grehan that he was getting ready to join the convoy with Ms Hanlon and the gardai when he noticed a number of people coming over the back wall of the credit union just behind his car. One of them came to his car and Mr Bellew heard an "enormous bang and my driver's door glass smashed." The raider reached across Mr Bellew towards the front passenger seat where he had put the evening's takings. The man then ran around the front of the car and opened the passenger door. Mr Bellew said: "I wasn't staring at him, I didn't want to." The man took the bag and some envelopes and then opened the back doors where Mr Bellew had left a laptop bag which he later discovered was missing. Mr Bellew didn't hear the robber say anything. When he realised the raiders were gone he got out of his car and saw Detective Garda Joe Ryan who appeared "agitated" and seemed to be struggling to get through to garda control. When Mr Bellew saw Det Gda Donohoe on the ground he presumed he was dead. Mr Bellew had a cut on his face from the smashed glass and was treated by emergency personnel at the scene. The jury also heard from Stephen Toal who told Mr Grehan he was driving in Lordship at about 9.25pm on the same night and saw what he believed to be a Volkswagen Passat overtake him going "extremely fast". A passenger in Mr Toal's car, Felix Smith, said the car sounded like it was going as fast as it possibly could in third gear. He said: "I said to Stephen, look at that eejit, he won't have that car long." The driver appeared to be able to handle the car, he said, as when it arrived at the Ballymascanlon roundabout Mr Smith thought the car would skid on the wet road but the driver jammed on the brakes and pulled into the inside lane and waited for the roundabout to clear. The trial continues in front Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of eight men and seven women. GODFREY You dont need to travel to New Orleans or even Soulard in St. Louis for an authentic Mardi Gras celebration, when you can observe the festivities right here. New Orleans-style jazz will fill the Ahlemeyer Atrium in the Trimpe Building at Lewis and Clark Community College at 6:30 p.m. on Shrove or Fat Tuesday, Feb. 25. Sponsored by Hayner Public Library and LCCC, the event will laissez les bon temps rouler (Let the good times roll!), featuring Bud Shultz and the You Cant Beat Experience Jazz Band with its Fat Tuesday celebration program. Band leader, clarinetist and saxophonist Bud Shultz will be joined by trumpet player Don James, trombonist Jim Owens, pianist Bob Picker, drummer Gary Morris and bassist George Koprivica, for the show. The auditorium will be decorated and set up with cabaret-style seating. Soft drinks and light refreshments will be on hand. If you dont have beads dont worry. There will be plenty at the celebration, as well as parasols for second liners in the Dixieland parades everyone will be invited to join. Youll hear tunes, like, Clarinet Marmalade, Thats A Plenty, Louisiana Fairytale, Bourbon Street Parade and When the Saints Go Marching In; hymns, like, Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Precious Lord Take My Hand, and more contemporary music, like, Georgia On My Mind and Crazy. In the South, Mardi Gras is the closing of the period of time called Carnival and is the last fling before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Parties and parades abound in the Gulf Coast, beginning in January. Groups of party lovers, known as krewes decorate floats and organize festivities. More Information If you go: What: Fat Tuesday celebration with You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band When: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25 Where: The Ahlemeyer Atrium, Trimpe Building, Lewis and Clark Community College, Godfrey Info: Admission is free but reservations are recommended, by calling 800-613-3163. Sponsored by LCCC and Hayner Library. See More Collapse Admission is free to the Godfrey event, but reservations are recommended, by calling 800-613-3163. Background: It beggars belief that the Cabinet of an important country like Ghana met, sat, deliberated and agreed that the country's CEO, Mr. President himself, should launch some imported ambulance, probably bought with loans or donated funds. With all the pomp and the pageantry that befits his office, the president duly launched them on January 28, 2020. The Heads of some Districts Assemblies also decided to follow suit, and re-launch the launched ambulances in their wards. We are yet to ascertain whether the Heads of the receiving hospitals will also do their own Christening. Femi Yes. Femi, are you there? Obviously, I am here. How else will I be chatting with you? Sorry, the line is not very clear. Are you there? Sure, I am here. Shoot? What noise do you have in the background? I am hearing some heavy highlife music. Can you try to lower the din? Lower what, you! We are having a big party and you want me to go and lower the music. Lower what? Anyway, why are you not here? Hey! You are confusing me. What are you celebrating? What is the occasion? You! Where have you been? Where are you? We are here painting Kasoa red, lots of drinks, eatables, fine fine women with enough good news to make you dizzy with desires. You don't want to know what you are missing We? Who, please? The Kasoa Vanguards of our great party, The New Patriotic Party. Ghana's Best award-winning party? Award-winning? Which award have you won? What is the occasion? You are not up to date, my friend. No one, no other party comes even close to our great party. Our Visionary president, Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done what no president in the history of Ghana, no, make that Africa, has ever done. Talk about sheer visionary. Talk about Revolutionary. Talk about compassion. Talk about political sagacity cum economic erudition cum social interactivity Wow! That is a load of potent grammar. Sorry, I have not been listening to the news, what did he do? Wow! My friend, try to stay current. Mark the date, January 28th, Twenty-twenty. The day that will go down in history as one in which a president in Africa single-handedly launched over 300 ambulances! Ambulances? Where have you been, Femi Akomolafe. Our noble, energetic, revolutionary, visionary, and glorious president, the Magnificent Akufo-Addo, is keeping one of his campaign promises to the good people of Ghana One District, One ambulance. Let all the naysayers, all the critics go and hug the nearest transformer! Please did I get you right that you and your party folks are joining the president to celebrate the launch of ambulances? And what is wrong with that? Why do you sound so crestfallen? Sorry, but I find it difficult to believe that I am hearing this from a person like you? Who bewitched us in Africa? What do you mean by that? Something dastardly must have happened to our brains to see people like you, with all your education and exposure, and after sixty years of self-governing ourselves, coming out to dance on the streets because our president is launching imported ambulances, probably procured through foreign donations or loans. I feel sad! Our contemporaries in China are wowing the world with the speed with which they built a 1,000-bed hospital, and we are here jubilating over imported ambulance! Why can't we find better employment for our time? Why can't we, in the word of Shakespeare, make our ambitions of sterner stuff? Why do we also find joy in the abysmally mediocre things? Why are we thrilled by middling things? Why should the president of Ghana, or any president for that matter, be involved in the launch of ambulances? Why should even a Minister waste his time on such inane matters? Pray, why did the man find the time for such mundane stuff? It would be a different matter were the ambulance to have been built, even assembled in Ghana I should have known better than to tell you; you are truly a Killjoy No! Damn it, I am not a killjoy or kill anything? I just find it insane that the launch of imported ambulances is enough to send us into a frenzied rhapsody of celebrations. We went to town to lambast Mr. Trump for calling us the SH word, but here we are behaving in manners that will make the rest of humanity question out sanity Which humanity are you talking about, my friend? Because some people are too cold-blooded to know how to celebrate or dance for joy is no reason for us to follow them. We are the Sun people; we are born to enjoy ourselves Oops. No one will begrudge you if you were to be having your stupid merriments at your own expense, my friend. The problem is that the rest of humanity, those you so glibly dismissed as cold-blooded do their best to help you balance your national budget, they donate every manner of donations to our governments and institutions, and they also make possible the financial facilities that allow you to party like there is no tomorrow. When do we wake up in this land and learn that there is more to life than rolling out the big drums in celebration on every occasion? Have you ever asked yourself what will happen if the rest of humanity were to have our lackadaisical approach to life where everything is about celebration and zero production? That is totally unfair; who told you that we are not productive? Are you? Of course, we are. See, we have our own ways of doing things but that is no reason for your generalization and reason for you to compare us to other people. We are different. Of course, we are different, but we live in a world where we must abide by the same economic principles as the rest of the world. We cannot have our cake after eating it... Does that mean that we must be all work and no play? You are being funny. Where is the work? All I see are celebrations and merriments on an insane scale That is totally uncalled for and grossly unfair. Because Killjoys like you refused to see it does not mean that we are not working Don't make me laugh, my friend. If we are working, we will not still be struggling with the basics of life that other human beings take for granted. I talk of basic things like generating and distributing electricity to light our homes and the few disarticulate industries we have. I talk about treating and piping water to homes so that our people can stop sharing drinking water with cows There you go again with your sweeping generalisations. Is it every Ghanaian that drinks water with cows, and is it every house in this country that lacks electricity You are getting it wrong, my friend. The very fact that a single citizen of our blessed republic drink water from the same stream with cows, that a single citizen sleep in darkness should be something that causes us great shame in this age and time! We live close to the Equator and we should be able to get enough electricity form all the energy that is being wasted around us. I don't consider it a generalization to question why, after sixty years of independence, we cannot supply our people with potable water Do you argue that you will find a society, a country without its own challenges? Even today, mighty China is struggling with the Coronavirus? Wow! You certainly know how to compare Apple with pepper! Of course, every country faces its own peculiar problem. I do not argue that there is a country without a problem. What I say is that few countries struggle with providing their people with water and electricity, not to mention food and shelter. I argue that we spend more time in celebration than in production Says who? Says you, yourself. Today is January the 28th 2020, a Tuesday, and dancing away with your fellow party colleagues to celebrate with the president who is in faraway Accra to commission imported ambulance. I am sure that many party diehards like you in other parts of the country will also be dancing and drinking away in solidarity with the president. Says the fact that we declared a public holiday for Farmers when a good chunk of our budget goes into food import. By the way, I thought you were a hardcore CPP stalwart, when did you join the NPP? You! Get out of there! Na CPP man go chop? Wow! What happened to join ideological convictions I beg leave me alone. Ideology dey put garri for table? Man must eat, oooo. Bengaluru, Feb 5 : Two arrested women from Bidar's Shaheen Group of Institutions were yet to get bail in a case of holding an anti-National Register of Citizens skit, in which school children abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a police official said on Wednesday. "The headmistress and a parent arrested in the case are yet to receive the bail. Their next hearing is on February 10," told Bidar district Superintendent of Police D. L. Nagesh to IANS. Fareeda Begum, 50, the headmistress of the school where the play was enacted, and Nazbunnisa, 36, mother of the student who allegedly abused Modi, continue to be in the jail. Nagesh said Begum and Nazbunnisa may be out of the jail if they procure interim bail. The Bidar Superintendent of Police has assumed charge on February 1 evening, he was not in-charge of the district police when the incident occurred. Karnataka government transferred his predecessor, T. Sreedhara, to the intelligence unit in the capital Bengaluru. As he newly assumed charge only four days ago, Nagesh said the Child Welfare Committee is yet to talk to him about the case. "I think the Child rights panel spoke to the previous SP. I have taken over after this incident has happened," said Nagesh. He denied that the police questioned the students five times and no student was repeatedly questioned. "When the police went to the school for the first time on January 27, no student was available and no student was questioned. Questioning in the sense, the interaction was done with the students only thrice, not repeatedly with the same students," said Nagesh. Meanwhile, another junior police officer said the Shaheen Group of Institutions was not cooperating and the investigation was still continuing. "Police have to visit the institution multiple times even for basic information. We are not questioning, we are examining," said the official. He said the investigation involved not only students but also witnesses, teachers and others. All the students involved in the anti-NRC play were juveniles. In the anti-NRC drama, former SP Sreedhara had said the children used abusive language against Modi, and they said the Muslims were being thrown out of India and openly called for the defiance of the law. With its head office in Shaheen Nagar in Bidar and managed by the Allama Iqbal Educational Society, the Shaheen Group of Institutions runs a string of institutes from kindergarten to undergraduation in the state. FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators in favor of Obamacare gather at the Supreme Court building in Washington By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared sympathetic to claims made by health insurers seeking $12 billion from the federal government under a program set up by the Obamacare law aimed at encouraging them to offer medical coverage to previously uninsured Americans. The justices considered a challenge by a group of insurers of a lower court's ruling that Congress had suspended the government's obligation to make such payments. The insurers have said that ruling constituted a "bait-and-switch" that would enable the government to withhold money the companies were promised. The court's four liberal justices, in addition to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, all asked questions indicating they are inclined to vote for the insurers. "Why doesn't the government have to pay its contracts just like everybody else?" said Justice Stephen Breyer. Moda Health Plan Inc and other insurers sued in an effort to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the payments. The program in question was designed to help insurers recover from early losses they suffered after the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under Democratic former President Barack Obama. The law, dubbed Obamacare, has enabled millions of Americans who previously had no medical coverage to obtain insurance, including those with pre-existing medical conditions. Unlike other court cases involving Obamacare, this dispute before the justices concerns only payments to insurers and does not directly challenge the law itself. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito seemed most supportive of the government. "Has there ever been a case where this court has, in effect, required Congress to appropriate ... billions of dollars for private businesses?" he asked the insurers' lawyer, Paul Clement. Other insurers involved in the case include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Maine Community Health Options and Land of Lincoln Mutual Health Insurance Company. Story continues If the Supreme Court sides with the insurers, it could result in a significant one-time cash infusion for major companies such as Humana Inc , Anthem Inc and Centene Corp , according to a note by Evercore ISI. Shares of all three were up slightly on Tuesday. Payments would have come through the law's risk corridor program designed to mitigate insurers' risks from 2014 to 2016, when they sold coverage to previously uninsured people through exchanges established under the ACA. Under the program, insurers that paid out significantly less in claims on policies sold through the exchanges than they took in from premiums provided some of their gains to the government. Insurers that paid out more were entitled to government compensation for part of their losses. Roberts questioned whether any of the insurers would have participated in the program if the payments were not available. "Its a good business opportunity for them because the government promised to pay," he said. Republicans, who have opposed Obamacare from the outset and numerous times sought to repeal it in Congress, have called the risk corridor program a "bailout" for the insurance industry. From 2015 through 2017, Congress each year passed appropriations bills that included language barring HHS from using general funds to pay the government's risk corridor obligations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled 2-1 in 2018 that Congress effectively repealed its obligation to pay the insurers. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Bill Berkrot) By Park Si-soo An Irish pilot was found dead at a hotel on Yeongjong Island near Incheon International Airport, police said Wednesday. A hotel clerk found the body of the pilot, 50, in his room at 5:36 p.m. on Feb. 3. Incheon Jungbu Police Station said the clerk entered the room because it was past the checkout deadline. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of death. Police said the pilot checked in alone on Feb. 2. All the room's windows were locked when the body was found, they said, citing witnesses. Investigators found no sign of foul play. "We are investigating with the highest possibility put on sudden death," an investigator said. "Therefore, we are looking into the history of the diseases he suffered." Sometimes you just can't ignore the craving for a juicy, made-to-order hamburger topped with a flaky, buttery bun. Houston has plenty of burger joints to choose from, but which has the best burger that makes it worth your wallet and the calories? Lucky for you, Chron.com combed through Yelp reviews to find the most reviewed restaurants with the best burgers across the Greater Houston area, from Katy to The Woodlands to Galveston. New Delhi/Beijing, Feb 5 : A person infected with the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV, may not necessarily show any symptoms at all, as per the latest medical reports in China. China's health authorities claim that several people have been diagnosed as carriers and transmitters of the Coronavirus even as they showed no symptoms. The symptoms of the Coronavirus, which has killed over 425 people and infected over 21,000 people in China so far, are common cold and breathing issues. Li Xingwang, chief infectious diseases expert at Beijing Ditan Hospital told the Chinese media that "most of the dormant carriers were related to and had caught the virus from patients with symptoms." The dormant carriers, he said, have the virus and can transmit it. "The amount of virus correlates to the severity of the illness, which means these patients carry less of the virus and their ability to transmit disease is weaker," Li said. "If there are dormant carriers, then it is an epidemic of much larger scale than it is being reported. As China's capacity to conduct tests on a greater number of people has increased rapidly in the last one month, more cases of infections are coming forward. But tests are not being conducted on those who don't have symptoms," one of the students in Beijing told IANS on phone. Authorities in New Delhi confirmed that the 650 people who were evacuated from Wuhan by the government and are undergoing 14-days quarantine process, haven't been asked to do the swab tests required to diagnose the infection. "They are under observation at two centres in the national capital region. If anyone shows symptoms, he will be referred to the AIIMS for a test," an official at one of the centres said. In new treatment and diagnosis guidelines released by Beijing on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said people with mild symptoms should be quarantined and treated as well. The guidelines also said that airborne and digestive tract infections were found in patients faeces. A key meeting chaired by China's Premier Li Keqiang was held in Beijing on Tuesday to adopt measures to enable all patients with or without symptoms to access treatment. (Aarti Tikoo Singh can be contacted at aarti.t@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, Feb 5 : Researchers have revealed that using e-cigarette or vaping may cause breathing and swallowing problem in teenagers. According to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, a teenage girl with no hint of prior asthma or respiratory illness began to feel hoarseness in her throat and a feeling that she needed to clear her throat frequently. Within a few weeks, her hoarseness and throat-clearing worsened with early morning voice loss and feeling as if food were lodged in her throat. She started having trouble swallowing and began to avoid food all together. Examining her throat, pediatrician confirmed moderate swelling and a partially obstructed airway draped with thick chartreuse-colored mucus. The teen had no history of an autoimmune disorder, no international travel and no exposure to animals. She had no fever and had received all her scheduled immunisations. But in speaking with doctors at Children's National Hospital in the US, the teen had admitted to using candy-and fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes three to five times with her friends over the two months preceding her symptoms. The last time she vaped was two weeks before her unusual symptoms began. "With epiglottitis - an inflammation of the flap found at the base of the tongue that prevents food from entering the trachea - our first concern is that an underlying infection is to blame," says study author Michael Jason Bozzella. "This teenager's use of e-cigarettes is the most plausible reason for this subacute epiglottitis diagnosis, a condition that can become life-threatening," said Kathleen Ferrer, a hospitalist at Children's National and the case report's senior author. "This unusual case adds to a growing list of toxic effects attributable to vaping. While we normally investigate infectious triggers, like Streptococci, Staphylococci and Haemophilus, we and other health care providers should also consider e-cigarettes as we evaluate oro-respiratory complaints," Ferrer added. According to the researchers, every throat culture and biopsy result showed no evidence of fungal, bacterial or viral infection, acid-fast bacilli or other malignancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,668 people in the US have been hospitalised for e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, as of Jan 14, 2020. The Children's National case report's authors said the increasing use of vaping products by teenagers highlights the potential for unknown health risks to continue to grow. OTTAWA, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX.CGY) today released its quarterly results for the three-month period ended December 31, 2019. First quarter 2020 highlights: Revenue at $99.2 million, representing Calians sixth consecutive quarter of record revenue Adjusted EBITDA (1) at $8.4 million at $8.4 million 73rd consecutive profitable quarter New contract signings of $87 million Dividend of $0.28 per share The Company reported revenues for the quarter of $99.2 million, representing a 24% increase from the $79.9 million reported in the same quarter of the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA(1) for the first quarter was $8.4 million or $1.04 per share basic and $1.03 per share diluted, an increase from $5.7 million or $0.73 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year (Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter included a favorable impact of $0.7 million from the adoption of IFRS 16). Adjusted net profit,(1) which excludes non-cash items related to our recent acquisitions, was $5.3 million or $0.67 per share basic and diluted for the quarter; this compares to $3.8 million or $0.49 per share basic and $0.48 diluted in the same period of the previous year. Net profit for the first quarter was $4.3 million or $0.55 per share basic and $0.54 per share diluted, an increase from $3.4 million or $0.43 per share basic and diluted in the same period of the prior year. "It is exciting to report another record quarter of consolidated revenue. Reflecting our growth, this is now our sixth consecutive quarter of achieving record revenue, stated Patrick Houston, CFO. The stability of our diversified business was evident in the quarter as Advanced Technologies, Health and IT posted solid revenue and EBITDA growth compared to the prior years first quarter. We have received very positive feedback regarding our reporting aligned to four segments, which we introduced at the end of our 2019 Q4 and full-year results. The four segments of Advanced Technologies, Health, Learning and Information Technology are highlighting our focus going forward and have helped simplify the Company for our shareholders, said Kevin Ford, President and CEO. On that note I was pleased to see the results of our diversified engine at work during the quarter. The Advanced Technologies segment posted very positive organic revenue growth of 68% from the same period a year earlier, with top line contributions from our large ground systems project and new mobile wireless product. Health revenues rose 10% from a year earlier as demand increased on our clinician services and psychological assessment services. IT similarly posted 9% revenue growth on stronger sales for our cyber security practice, Ford said. Learning revenues declined slightly, reflecting pace of demand on our core training contracts and a focus on securing new business, continued Ford. While first-quarter consolidated revenue grew 24% year-over-year, we also just announced a strategic acquisition for the Health segment in support of our growth objectives. On January 31 we announced the acquisition of health services companies Allphase Clinical Research Services Inc. and Alio Health Services Inc. (collectively, Allphase/Alio). The companies serve the pharmaceutical and medical device industry and the broader health care sector with clinical trial services, specialty medication support, community care and other services, all enabled by an innovative health care delivery management software application. This acquisition supports all four pillars of our growth framework. It diversifies our customer base into pharmaceuticals, home care and hospitals, and supports Calians innovation agenda with services enabled by sophisticated software. Continued investment in R&D, M&A and our own internal innovation will be critical to our long-term profitable growth and continued push into global markets. Our recent filing of a shelf prospectus is an important step in providing flexibility as we continue on our growth agenda, stated Ford. Based on currently available information and our assessment of the marketplace, we expect revenues for fiscal 2020 to be in the range of $380 million to $410 million, adjusted EBITDA per share in the range of $4.25 to $4.55, and adjusted net profit per share in the range of $2.50 to $2.80. For Calians Financial Statements, MD&A and other disclosures, please visit our IR webpage at https://www.calian.com/en/investor-relations ; for more information contact us at ir@calian.com. About Calian Calian employs over 3,400 people in its delivery of diverse products and solutions for private sector, government and defence customers in North American and global markets. The Companys diverse capabilities are delivered through four segments: Advanced Technologies, Health, Learning and Information Technology. The Advanced Technologies segment provides innovative products, technologies and manufacturing services and solutions for the space, communications, defence, nuclear, government and agriculture sectors. The Health segment manages a network of more than 1,800 health care professionals delivering primary care and occupational health services to public and private sector clients across Canada. Learning is a trusted provider of emergency management, consulting and specialized training services and solutions for the Canadian Armed Forces and clients in the defence, health, energy and other sectors. The Information Technology segment supports public- and private-sector customer requirements for subject matter expertise in the delivery of complex IT and cyber security solutions. Headquartered in Ottawa, the Companys offices and projects span Canada and international markets. For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com or contact us at ir@calian.com Kevin Ford President and Chief Executive Officer 613-599-8600 Patrick Houston Chief Financial Officer 613-599-8600 Media inquiries: Simon Doyle 613-599-8600 x 2205 DISCLAIMER Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Companys most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. Calian Head Office 770 Palladium Drive Ottawa Ontario Canada K2V 1C8 Tel: 613.599.8600 Fax: 613-592-3664 General Info email: info@calian.com CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION As at December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2019 (Canadian dollars in thousands) December 31, September 30, 2019 2019 ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash $ 14,395 $ 17,135 Accounts receivable 69,576 63,977 Work in process 52,075 39,221 Inventory 3,691 3,147 Prepaid expenses 4,958 5,403 Derivative assets 866 96 Total current assets 145,561 128,979 NON-CURRENT ASSETS Capitalized research and development 3,875 3,216 Equipment 10,820 10,965 Application software 1,033 1,013 Right of use asset 18,133 - Investment and loan receivable 670 452 Acquired intangible assets 15,810 16,699 Goodwill 33,702 33,702 Total non-current assets 84,043 66,047 TOTAL ASSETS $ 229,604 $ 195,026 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Line of Credit $ 26,195 $ 13,000 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 41,952 45,058 Contingent earn-out 6,526 800 Provisions 1,201 1,129 Unearned contract revenue 8,754 8,778 Derivative liabilities 354 143 Lease obligations 2,549 - Total current liabilities 87,531 68,908 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Lease obligations 17,470 - Contingent earn-out - 5,519 Deferred tax liabilities 5,532 5,525 Total non-current liabilities 23,002 11,044 TOTAL LIABILITIES 110,533 79,952 SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY Issued capital 33,727 32,515 Contributed surplus 1,595 1,817 Retained earnings 83,709 81,608 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 40 (866 ) TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY 119,071 115,074 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY $ 229,604 $ 195,026 Number of common shares issued and outstanding 7,970,764 7,929,238 The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF NET PROFIT For the quarters ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three months ended December 31, 2019 2018 Revenue Advanced Technologies $ 40,043 $ 23,814 Health 30,010 27,350 Learning 15,108 15,850 Information Technology 14,083 12,907 Total Revenue 99,244 79,921 Cost of revenues 78,989 63,077 Gross profit 20,255 16,844 Selling and marketing 2,777 2,463 General and administration 8,658 8,415 Research and development 414 279 Profit before under noted items 8,406 5,687 Depreciation of equipment and application software 572 495 Depreciation of right of use asset 671 - Amortization of acquired intangible assets 889 280 Other changes in fair value (101 ) - Changes in fair value related to contingent earn-out 207 142 Profit before interest income and income tax expense 6,168 4,770 Lease interest expense 110 - Interest expense (income) 63 (32 ) Profit before income tax expense 5,995 4,802 Income tax expense current 1,979 1,356 Income tax expense deferred (317 ) 91 Total income tax expense 1,662 1,447 NET PROFIT $ 4,333 $ 3,355 Net profit per share : Basic $ 0.55 $ 0.43 Diluted $ 0.54 $ 0.43 The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For the quarters ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 (Canadian dollars in thousands) Three months ended December 31, 2019 2018 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net profit $ 4,333 $ 3,355 Items not affecting cash: Interest expense (income) 63 (32 ) Changes in fair value related to contingent earn-out 207 142 Lease interest expense 110 - Income tax expense 1,662 1,447 Employee share purchase plan expense - 35 Share based compensation expense 273 200 Depreciation and amortization 2,132 775 Other changes in fair value (101 ) - 8,679 5,922 Change in non-cash working capital Accounts receivable (5,678 ) 4,470 Work in process (12,854 ) 759 Prepaid expenses 288 401 Inventory (544 ) (320 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (974 ) (6,511 ) Unearned contract revenue (24 ) (1,964 ) (11,107 ) 2,757 Interest received (paid) (191 ) 33 Income tax paid (1,281 ) (1,812 ) (12,579 ) 978 CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES Issuance of common shares 717 - Dividends (2,232 ) (2,176 ) Draw on line of credit 13,180 12,000 Share repurchase - (81 ) Payment of lease obligations (614 ) - 11,051 9,743 CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES Investments and loan receivable (100 ) - Business acquisitions - (11,299 ) Capitalized research and development (658 ) (494 ) Equipment and application software (454 ) (393 ) (1,212 ) (12,186 ) NET CASH (OUTFLOW) INFLOW $ (2,740 ) $ (1,465 ) CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD 17,135 21,842 CASH, END OF PERIOD $ 14,395 $ 20,377 The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to most comparable IFRS measures These non-GAAP measures are mainly derived from the consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. The exclusion of certain items from non-GAAP performance measures does not imply that these are necessarily nonrecurring. From time to time, we may exclude additional items if we believe doing so would result in a more transparent and comparable disclosure. Other entities may define the above measures differently than we do. In those cases, it may be difficult to use similarly named non-GAAP measures of other entities to compare performance of those entities to the Companys performance. Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of the Companys financial reports with enhanced understanding of the Companys results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of the business. Adjusted EBITDA excludes items that do not reflect, in our opinion, the Companys core performance and helps users of our MD&A to better analyze our results, enabling comparability of our results from one period to another. Adjusted EBITDA Three months ended December 31 December 31 2019 2018(1) Net profit $ 4,333 $ 3,355 Depreciation of equipment and application software 572 495 Depreciation of right of use asset 671 - Amortization of acquired intangible assets 889 280 Lease interest expense 110 - Changes in fair value related to contingent earn-out 207 142 Interest expense (income) 63 (32 ) Other changes in fair value (101 ) - Income tax 1,662 1,447 Adjusted EBITDA $ 8,406 $ 5,687 No restatement performed in Fiscal 2019 or 2018 figures due to the entity applying the modified retrospective approach on implementation of IFRS 16 which occurred in fiscal 2020. Adjusted Net Profit and Adjusted EPS Three months ended December 31 December 31 2019 2018(1) Net profit $ 4,333 $ 3,355 Other changes in fair value (101 ) - Changes in fair value related to contingent earn-out 207 142 Amortization of intangibles 889 280 Adjusted net profit $ 5,328 $ 3,777 Adjusted EPS Basic 0.67 0.49 Adjusted EPS Diluted 0.67 0.48 No restatement performed in Fiscal 2019 or 2018 figures due to the entity applying the modified retrospective approach on implementation of IFRS 16 which occurred in fiscal 2020. The Company uses adjusted net profit and adjusted earnings per share, which remove the impact of our acquisition amortization and gains, resulting in accounting for acquisitions and changes in fair value to measure our performance. These measurements better align the reporting of our results and improve comparability against our peers. We believe that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-GAAP measures in the evaluation of issuers. Management also uses non-GAAP measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess our ability to meet our capital expenditure and working capital requirements. Adjusted profit and adjusted earnings per share are not recognized, defined or standardized measures under the International Financial Reporting Standards. Our definition of adjusted profit and adjusted earnings per share will likely differ from that used by other companies (including our peers) and therefore comparability may be limited. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for or be considered in isolation from measures prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. Investors are encouraged to review our financial statements and disclosures in their entirety and are cautioned not to put undue reliance on non-GAAP measures and view them in conjunction with the most comparable International Financial Reporting Standards financial measures. The Company has reconciled adjusted profit to the most comparable International Financial Reporting Standards financial measure as shown above. ____________________ (1) Caution regarding non-GAAP measures: This press release is based on reported earnings in accordance with IFRS. Reference to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) means IFRS, unless indicated otherwise. This press release is also based on non-GAAP financial measures including EBITDA, adjusted net profit and adjusted net profit per share. These non-GAAP measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of our financial reports with enhanced understanding of our results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of our business. Refer to the MD&A for definitions of these metrics and reconciliations to the most comparable IFRS measures. (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. plans a quarantine of up to two weeks for any employee that returns to work at its main iPhone-making base, a precautionary measure to curb the novel coronavirus that may hurt Apple Inc.s production. Apples most important manufacturing partner still intends to officially resume work Feb. 10 after an extended Lunar New Year break intended to combat the outbreak. But Hon Hai said in a statement Wednesday that workers returning from outside Henan province, site of its main factory in Zhengzhou, will be sequestered for 14 days. Any staff reporting to work who reside within the province itself will be isolated for 7 days, the company added. Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, makes the vast majority of the worlds iPhones from Zhengzhou, central China. The company has become a high-profile symbol of how the outbreak, which has killed about 500 worldwide, could disrupt the worlds supply of made-in-China electronics. --With assistance from Mark Gurman. To contact the reporter on this story: Debby Wu in Taipei at dwu278@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan, Colum Murphy For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Manchester attackers brother was prevented from buying chemicals to make a bomb after a friends father warned it could be used to make explosives, a court has heard. Hashem Abedi, now 22, is accused of helping his brother Salman obtain the ingredients and construct the device that killed 22 victims at Manchester Arena. The Old Bailey heard he contacted several friends, relatives and acquaintances in efforts to buy quantities of sulphuric acid, which is a key component of TATP an explosive that was also used in the Paris attacks in 2015. Some allowed their online shopping accounts to be used to buy it, after Mr Abedi told them allegedly false stories that it was needed for a car battery or a generator at their familys Libyan home. The jury was told that one associate attempted to buy 76 worth of sulphuric acid for Mr Abedi on Amazon in March 2017, but that the purchase was declined through lack of funds. Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC said the man then asked his father for help, but his father refused, explaining that acid could be used to manufacture explosives, and the purchase was not made. Mr Penny added: He ignored further calls which were made to him by the defendant over the coming days. The court heard that Mr Abedi had already obtained five litres of acid, and later contacted a friend who ordered 10 litres at a cost of 140. Mr Penny said there was also a direct connection between the defendant and the first order of hydrogen peroxide another bomb component. The hearing was adjourned shortly after noon on Wednesday after Mr Abedis defence lawyers informed the court that he was in pain and feeling too unwell to remain in court. Judge Jeremy Baker told the jury: It is important that Mr Abedi is able to concentrate on the opening by Mr Penny and for that reason Ive arranged for some inquiry to be made about his condition, to ensure that if he needs any medical intervention he receives it promptly. The judge said it would be appropriate to continue the hearing in his absence and adjourned it until Thursday morning. The court previously heard that Mr Abedi is just as responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing as his brother, because of his assistance in building the device. Prosecutors said that although it was Salman who blew himself up amid young Ariana Grande fans flooding out of a concert on 22 May 2017, his brother was just as guilty as if he had selected the target and detonated the bomb himself. Salman Abedi killed 22 people in an attack at Manchester Arena (Handout) Mr Penny told jurors that explosion was the culmination of months of planning, experimentation and preparation by the two of them, and that the death and carnage caused was a shared goal of the brothers. Mr Abedi is accused of obtaining and experimenting with metal for constructing a bomb and obtaining a car and property in Manchester where the device could be manufactured and stored. He denies all offences and told police that he believed Salman required the acid for family reasons. Mr Abedi, originally from Manchester, denies 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiring with his brother to cause explosions. The trial continues. Altman Vilandrie & Company has promoted Douglas Barnett to Principal. Douglas has quickly established himself as a leader within the firm while delivering value for our TMT clients. Altman Vilandrie & Company, a leading strategy consulting firm focused on the communications, media, and related technology sectors, has promoted Douglas J. Barnett to Principal. Barnett, who joined the firm in 2019, advises the firms Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT) sector and private equity clients on a range of business strategy and investment issues. Douglas has quickly established himself as a leader within the firm while delivering value for our TMT clients, said Altman Vilandrie & Company COO Steve Conway. His deep experience in analytics and helping clients navigate complex investments has created a place for him on our management team. At Altman Vilandrie & Company, Barnett has led a wide range of engagements with a focus on M&A due diligence, sales and operations strategy, product/service portfolio rationalization, and market entry planning. His areas of expertise include internet infrastructure, cloud services, IT technology, and telecom/IT hardware. Barnett has more than 10 years of strategic advisory experience in TMT, including global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman and a Boston-based boutique advisory firm. Barnett earned a B.A. in Economics from Amherst College. About Altman Vilandrie & Company Altman Vilandrie & Company is a strategy consulting group that focuses on the telecom, media, technology and investor sectors. The companys consultants are experienced in strategy, marketing, finance, M&A, technology, regulatory and operations disciplines. Based in Boston, with offices in New York City and San Francisco, Altman Vilandrie & Company enables clients to seize new opportunities, navigate mounting challenges, improve business performance and increase investor value within complex and converging industries. Ninety percent of the boutique firms operator clients are large- to mid-cap companies including service providers, technology and software developers and media companies. Altman Vilandrie & Companys financial clients include many of the largest and most prominent investors in the telecom, media and technology markets. I was born in Dungannon in 1996 and in my early years I was an incredibly shy person. Combine that with having a great distaste for speaking in front of people and anyone would be forgiven for thinking the chances of this child becoming a teacher were slim. Fast-forward about 10 years and I find myself freshly evacuated from Wuhan in the Hubei region of China, leaving my friends and job as an English teacher (ironically) behind, a necessary measure, however, to escape from the increasingly serious coronavirus situation. After completing my computer science degree at the University of Chester, I discovered that working with people and explaining things were two personal strengths of mine, so my next quest, as it were, was to find a job where I could utilise both of these skills. Teaching was something I had always considered and, when browsing for jobs, I saw an advert online for the company EF, one of the largest private education companies in the world, who wanted foreign teachers to work in their Chinese training centres, specifically those for young children. I deliberated on the idea, as it would grant me access to teaching without having any formal teaching qualifications, but at the cost of moving to the other side of the world. I discussed the idea with my family and they supported my eventual decision to take the plunge and go for it. Four months later, I was on a plane heading to Wuhan, the city that I had chosen, ready to dive headfirst into a country with barely any language training. I don't remember being nervous. I was more excited than anything else and I was going with my good friend Joshua Drage, who, at that point, I had known for nearly 20 years, so there would be one familiar face at the very least. Expand Close With young Chinese students / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp With young Chinese students Upon first arriving in Wuhan, the weather was damp and dreary, so I already felt like I hadn't left home, but it didn't set the best initial impression. In the taxi journey to my apartment, I got my first experience of Chinese driving, where the laws and regulations are seen more as rough guidelines by the majority of motorists. "Who needs to go to a theme park for thrills when you can be on these roads?" my foreign correspondent told me with a laugh, to which I only managed to muster a nervous smile in return. As a foreign teacher in China, your standard of life is incredibly high, so most of us can manage with one or two peculiarities. The base salary is quite generous and the living costs are very low, which makes for a very comfortable quality of life. When I first saw my apartment (provided by the company), I was impressed; it looked very professional and was bigger than anything I had been living in during my university days. It also had a Western-style bathroom, so if you ignored the Chinese writing on the door and the complete lack of radiators, you wouldn't know that it was an apartment in China at all. I spent just over a year in Wuhan, mainly commuting to work and spending time with the other foreign workers, visiting sites and having games nights. A typical day there would comprise of waking up, spending most of the morning and afternoon watching TV or reading, then finally heading in to work at around 4pm. I had heard stories of many Chinese food markets and several foreigners had told us, "That's not really our (foreigners) sort of thing" and recommended avoiding them. Over the year, though, I did interact with the Chinese people on a daily basis, mainly with parents and children that we worked with, and, overall, they were very pleasant people, even with our limited knowledge of the language. There are obvious cultural differences, however, and, at times, frustration would arise at work, or play, but, upon reflection, I think that's most likely a normal occurrence in every single office on the planet. We were first made aware of the coronavirus around late December, as the office members began discussing it with our boss, due to a sudden drop in student attendance prompting concern. The staff members began disinfecting the air in the classroom, alongside scanning every child's temperature and washing their hands before permitting them to stay for a lesson. Expand Close Working as an English language teacher / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Working as an English language teacher A few weeks later and the situation had worsened severely. There was talk of Wuhan shutting itself down as a city and many foreign members of staff had planned to go abroad for their spring festival holidays. Now, there was the strong possibility they would not be able to return. In the end, most of the teachers took their holiday plans and got on a plane; one of them is now stuck in Thailand, but seemingly loving every second of it. Having to stay at the beach for a longer period of time certainly sounds a lot more appealing than being stuck in the north west of England. My time in Wuhan was enjoyable for the most part. I don't particularly miss Wuhan the city that much. I loved my job and the city was just where I had to be to perform it. However, I met many great and talented people there, who unfortunately are now stuck in mainland China with no way to get out. I sincerely hope that both they and their families remain safe and healthy. If and when the coronavirus gets neutralised, I would still advise caution to anybody thinking of returning. It's one thing for the virus to be "announced" as defeated in a PR statement and a completely different thing to be legitimately countered and eradicated. For me, personally, I would only return to a more modern city, like Shanghai, or Hangzhou, and, even then, it would be after a considerable period of time, following a declaration that the virus was no longer being considered a threat. Luckily for Josh and myself, we have received offers to continue our teaching careers through the online medium to ensure we still have a good income, combined with the ability to continue gaining experience - an opportunity that we both eagerly snatched when it presented itself. For the rest of us, we now spend 14 days in quarantine at the Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral. I'm happy to be back in the UK, a sentiment I believe to be shared with all of the other British nationals who were evacuated a few days ago, and I would like to express my appreciation for all those involved in the process of getting us here. Quarantine is an interesting concept. On the one hand, it's very comfortable and the NHS staff are performing an excellent job looking after us. But, on the other hand, you can't leave and that lingering feeling puts a dampener on the inhabitants' mood at times. We all try to maintain good spirits, though. I have a PS4 and a TV in my room, alongside the laptop I brought from China. Most days, Josh and I play online games together, with our friends Robert McMinn and William Parr, who we know from our time at the Royal School Dungannon. They are doing their best to help us get through the 14 days with long gaming sessions and top-quality Irish banter, something I sorely missed when I was living in China and am wholly appreciative of now. The trial is one of the most closely watched proceedings in recent history, seen by many as a critical moment in the #MeToo movement, the global reckoning prompted in October 2017 after several women went public with allegations that Mr. Weinstein had sexually harassed or assaulted them. In the New York case against Mr. Weinstein, prosecutors do not have any physical or forensic evidence to support the womens allegations. In Los Angeles, prosecutors have obtained Ms. Youngs dress, which will likely be tested for the producers DNA, the lawyers said in court. Ms. Young told the prosecutors that two days ago, she found the dress she wore that night. Ms. Young said she met Ms. Salinas, a Mexican model, at a dinner during Oscars season in 2012 at the Restaurant at Mr. C in Beverly Hills. The women exchanged contact information, she said. A year later, Ms. Young said Ms. Salinas reached out to set up a meeting with Mr. Weinstein. They agreed on Feb. 19, 2013, and met at a bar in the lobby of the Montage Beverly Hills, a luxury hotel. Mr. Weinstein, she said, showed up 10 minutes later. Ms. Young said she quickly started discussing her ideas and script, but Mr. Weinstein appeared distracted: He was on his phone. He was not really paying attention to me, she said, and kind of kept pushing off everything I said.Suddenly, Mr. Weinstein said he had to prepare for an event with the director Quentin Tarantino and told the women to follow him to a suite at the hotel, Ms. Young said. On the way there, she said, Mr. Weinstein asked if she was interested in appearing on Americas Next Top Model, but she declined, saying she preferred acting. Once they entered the room, I kept walking, following Harvey, Ms. Young said. I walked in through the bedroom, and into the bathroom. She said she did not realize she had walked into a bathroom. Ms. Young said that in a mirror, she could see Ms. Salinas shut the bathroom door, trapping her. Mr. Weinstein then blocked Ms. Young from exiting by opening a shower door, she said. Mr. Weinstein turned on the water, quickly undressed and stepped in and out of the shower. The man accused of robbing a downtown Kelowna bank last week claims he doesn't remember the alleged incident at all. Police swarmed the downtown core Wednesday afternoon after receiving reports of a robbery at the TD Canada Trust on the corner of Ellis Street and Leon Avenue. An RCMP helicopter circled over the downtown while dozens of officers used police dogs to search for the suspect. "All available RCMP resources flooded the immediate area to search for the suspect," said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy, spokesperson for the Kelowna RCMP. Shortly after the robbery, police arrested 48-year-old Jason Miles nearby, in the Pandosy Avenue and Leon Avenue area. Miles initially appeared in court last Thursday, and appeared again for a scheduled bail hearing Tuesday. Instead, his lawyer Michael Stephenson requested a psychiatric assessment be conducted, to determine if Miles can be found not criminally responsible by way of a mental disorder. Stephenson said Miles has viewed a video of the alleged robbery, and can't understand why he would have done what he's accused of doing. He said Miles has no memory of the alleged incident. Miles is charged with robbery and disguising one's face while committing an offence. Miles says he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but has not provided medical documentation of the diagnosis to his lawyer. He will remain in custody while he's assessed by a psychiatrist. He's scheduled to next appear in court on March 3, after the assessment is complete. Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group Company Limited (HKG:564), which is in the machinery business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$4.59 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$3.72. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group's current trading price of HK$3.72 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Groups outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. View our latest analysis for Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group What is Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group worth? Good news, investors! Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group is still a bargain right now. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Groups ratio of 4.88x is below its peer average of 9.98x, which suggests the stock is undervalued compared to the Machinery industry. Another thing to keep in mind is that Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Groups share price is quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again. What kind of growth will Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group generate? SEHK:564 Past and Future Earnings, February 5th 2020 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. Though in the case of Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group, it is expected to deliver a relatively unexciting earnings growth of 5.6%, which doesnt help build up its investment thesis. Growth doesnt appear to be a main reason for a buy decision for Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group, at least in the near term. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since 564 is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 564 for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy 564. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group. You can find everything you need to know about Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. President Donald Trump walks to Marine One en route to Ohio for a rally, at the White House in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) DOJ Says Congress, State Grand Jury Subpoenas for Trumps Financial Records Are Unconstitutional The Justice Department has filed briefs, arguing to the Supreme Court that the House of Representatives and a New York investigations subpoenas seeking to gain access to President Donald Trumps financial records are unconstitutional. Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in the two separate friend-of-the-court briefs filed on Monday that the Constitution and the separation of powers protect presidents from any process that could risk impairing the independence of his office or interfering with the performance of its functions. He argues that when the House committees and the Manhattan District Attorneys Office sought to gain access to Trumps financial records, their actions had posed a serious risk of harassing the president, distracting him from his constitutional duties. The cases at hand reached the Supreme Court after appellate judges upheld three cases appealing lower court decisions that require Trumps accounting firm Mazars USA and two banks to comply with the subpoenas issued by the House and a New York district attorney in a grand jury probe. Two of the cases stem from subpoenas that were issued earlier in the year by three House committeesFinancial Services, Intelligence, and Oversightas part of their probes into allegations of the presidents dealings. Meanwhile, the third case deals with a criminal investigation in Manhattan. The Supreme Court has consolidated the two House-related cases and will hear both House-related and New York cases on March 31. The top court will consider whether the Constitution allows the three House committees to issue subpoenas to third parties for the personal financial records of a sitting president. The court will also decide on whether a state grand jury is allowed to issue a subpoena to third parties for the financial records of a sitting president. In the House-related cases, Francisco argues that the committees have not shown a legitimate legislative purpose for the information they are seeking. Article II provides an immunity from any process that would risk impairing the independence of his office or interfering with the performance of its functions, he wrote (pdf). That risk is particularly palpable when the Presidents political adversaries control one or both chambers of Congress. For that reason, the Framers deliberately sought to insulate the President from congressional interference in particular. Francisco adds that as a threshold, the full House should unequivocally authorize a subpoena against the President. He adds the purpose should be set out with specificity and that the House must demonstrate that the information sought is critical to the legislative purpose. He said the House fails to meet the heightened requirements for seeking information from the president. The four reasons offered in support of the Mazars subpoena betray an impermissible law enforcement objective, and the boilerplate statement that the subpoena furthers multiple laws and legislative proposals is far too vague to enable, much less withstand, meaningful scrutiny of its legitimacy, he wrote. Likewise, the Deutsche Bank and Capital One subpoenas seek information that is not demonstrably critical to any legitimate legislative purpose. One committees investigation was into closing loopholes in money laundering laws, the others into foreign interference in elections. That two committees issued carbon-copy subpoenas for markedly divergent purposes strongly suggests that neither is the true purpose. Moreover, the resolution on which the committees rely does not even mention foreign interference in elections, and there is no reason why investigating potential changes to money laundering laws should focus on the President in particular, he said. Francisco made similar arguments in his filing in the New York grand jury case. In that case, District Attorney of New York County Cyrus Vance Jr. issued a subpoena to Mazars requesting Trumps financial records in connection with a criminal case. Vance is investigating hush money allegedly paid to two women during the 2016 presidential campaignadult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Trump has denied the affairs and any other wrongdoing. Trump sued Vance in September in an attempt to block the subpoena. The district court denied Trumps application for an injunction over the subpoena and dismissed the case in October, prompting the presidents lawyers to file an appeal. The department argues that state prosecutors should not be allowed to issue such subpoenas because they could be used to harass the President in retaliation for the Presidents official policies. Such subpoenas could also subject the President to significant burdens, threatening to divert the Presidents time and energy from his singularly important public duties, Francisco wrote (pdf). He argues that local prosecutors have strong incentives to respond to the interests of their own communities rather than to consider the effects of the subpoenas on the nation as a whole. And unlike federal prosecutors, local prosecutors are not subject to the centralized supervision of the Attorney General, he wrote. Allowing state grand-jury subpoenas for the Presidents personal records thus opens the door for communities to use such subpoenas to register their disapproval of the Presidents policies. India is a paradise for minority communities, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Wednesday as he slammed Opposition parties for provoking Muslims not to participate in the latest NPR and Census exercises that start this year. Participating in the motion of thanks to Presidents address the in Rajya Sabha, Naqvi emphasised that Pakistan is a hell for its minority communities as their population had dwindled to just 2% whereas in India the minorities grew from 9% to 19% . A conspiracy has been hatched and fear is being created in the minds of people, and women and children are misguided on CAA...Tolerance and secularism is in the DNA of the majority population in this country,the minister said. Naqvi stressed that Muslims need not fear the CAA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the debate in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday. In Lok Sabha, Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury termed the NRC and CAA as a sinister design and added that people are coming out to save the Constitution from the BJP. The Congress leader also accused the BJP of being You are pseudo humanist, nationalist and Hindu and advised them to become a true Hindu like Congress. Many Opposition leaders reiterated their demand that the former CMs of J&K should be released from detention. Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan said that Opposition leaders should meet Union home minister Amit Shah to clear their doubts about the law. Coming down heavily on the Opposition, he said freedom of expression doesnt mean people should start supporting divisive forces. He also demanded the enactment of women reservation bill. Arun Banskota is Appointed President This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's prospectus supplement dated February 28, 2019 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated September 18, 2018. OAKVILLE, ON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. ("APUC" or "the Company") (TSX/NYSE: AQN) announced today the appointment of Arun Banskota to the newly-created position of President. Mr. Banskota will work closely with Chief Executive Officer Ian Robertson and other members of the Executive Team to transition into the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2020. The APUC Board of Directors and Mr. Robertson recognize the importance of succession planning and view the appointment of Arun Banskota as a natural progression for the Company's continued success and growth. "Arun brings to APUC a unique combination of experience in renewable energy development, construction, financing, energy marketing and operations, with proven P&L responsibility and a results-driven leadership style," said APUC Chairman Ken Moore. "This experience, together with his hands-on knowledge of the role of disruptive technology innovation in the marketplace, puts APUC in a very strong position to build on the outstanding growth and financial performance achieved over the past three decades." Mr. Banskota was previously Managing Director, Global Power, El Paso Corporation, where he had P&L responsibility for a 6,500 MW global portfolio of 32 power plants, project development and approximately 10,000 employees. He was also on the leadership team for a large-scale solar power company and has successfully managed project development and financing for solar, wind, and natural gas projects. Mr. Banskota served as President and CEO of EVGo, a high growth start-up division of NRG created to build scale and presence in the emerging electrical vehicle sector. Most recently, as Vice President, Data Center Global Services and Energy Team at Amazon.com, he was responsible for the planning, engineering, and delivery of datacenter capacity for Amazon Web Services, an extremely high growth global market-leader of cloud services. "I look forward to working with Arun to ensure a seamless management transition," said CEO Ian Robertson. "I am extremely proud of what APUC has achieved over the last 30 years and our five-year, $9.2 billion capital plan positions APUC for continued success and growth in the years ahead." Following the transition, Mr. Robertson is expected to continue to contribute to the Company through a collaborative investment platform focused on identifying and partnering with APUC on growth and development opportunities. Pending Chief Financial Officer Retirement APUC also announced today that David Bronicheski, Chief Financial Officer, is retiring in the fall of 2020, and that Arthur Kacprzak, Vice President, Treasury and Treasurer, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer. "After 12 years as CFO for one of North America's fastest growing utilities, I have chosen to retire later this year to spend more time with family," stated David Bronicheski. "I am proud of our finance and treasury team which I believe is one of the finest in the industry and which will continue the strong financial policies that have contributed to Algonquin's success." About Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. APUC is a diversified international generation, transmission and distribution utility with approximately US$11 billion of total assets. Through its two business groups, APUC is committed to providing safe, reliable and cost effective rate-regulated natural gas, water, and electricity generation, transmission and distribution utility services to approximately 801,000 connections in the United States and Canada, and is a global leader in renewable energy through its portfolio of long-term contracted wind, solar and hydroelectric generating facilities representing over 2.5 GW of net installed capacity and more than 500 MW of incremental renewable energy capacity under construction. APUC delivers continuing growth through an expanding global pipeline of renewable energy, electric transmission, and water infrastructure development projects, organic growth within its rateregulated generation, distribution and transmission businesses, and the pursuit of accretive acquisitions. APUC's common shares, Series A preferred shares, and Series D preferred shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols AQN, AQN.PR.A, and AQN.PR.D. APUC's common shares, Series 2018A subordinated notes and Series 2019A subordinated notes are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols AQN, AQNA and AQNB. Visit APUC at www.algonquinpowerandutilities.com and follow us on Twitter @AQN_Utilities. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements included in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws in each of the provinces of Canada and the respective policies, regulations and rules under such laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). The words "will", "expects", "intends" and similar expressions are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specific forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding succession planning, including the expectation that Mr. Banskota will transition into the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2020, and statements regarding the establishment of a collaborative investment platform involving Mr. Robertson. These statements are based on factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including assumptions based on historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Since forward-looking statements relate to future events and conditions, by their very nature they require making assumptions and involve inherent risks and uncertainties. APUC cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, these risks and uncertainties give rise to the possibility that actual results may differ materially from the expectations set out in the forward-looking statements. Material risk factors include those set out in APUC's most recent annual and interim management's discussion and analysis and most recent annual information form. Given these risks, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of their dates. Other than as specifically required by law, APUC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise. SOURCE Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. Related Links http://www.algonquinpower.com The Osun State Agency for Community and Social Development Project (Osun-CSDP) today organised a capacity building training for journalists in the state on the appropriate manner and language of reporting community and social development projects, particularly the CSDP interventions in the state. The training which took place at Ben-Ber Foundation in Osogbo, the state capital was attended by top journalists from reputable media organizations in the state including the radio and television stations, newspapers as well as the online media platforms. Some of the journalists at the training include Adetoyese Shitu Alamu, Funsho Adedigba, Joshua Dada, Sanya Fadipe, Gbenga Faturoti, Moshood Sulaimon, Florence Babasola, Femi Olanipekun, Stephen Olayiwola, Ayobami Agboola, Maryam Olaniyi, Jare Tiamiyu among others. The General Manager of Osun-CSDP, Mrs Funmi Abokede while addressing the participants explained that the training was aimed at developing the capacity of journalists in the state to report community and social development projects of the agency. Abokede noted that the training was also an avenue to enlighten and sensitize the newsmen on the appropriate and acceptable language of operation of CSDP and to also present the scorecard of Osun-CSDP to the journalists. The GM used the occasion to commend Osun State Government and the World Bank for their support towards making life better for the less privileged in the state including those that are vulnerable such as children and persons that are living with disabilities. She commended the state Governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola for passionately ensuring that the poor and indigent indigenes and residents of Osun in their various communities also benefit from government and enjoy dividends of democracy through CSDP interventions. Abokede noted that the Osun-CSDP which started in 2009 under the administration of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has made significant impact on the lives of the people in various communities across the state. She added that the agency is striving to aid development in the state in alignment with the development agenda of the administration of Governor Oyetola whose commitment to community development and better life for the people of the state remained a propelling factor for Osun CSDP. Abokede said CSDP has adopted Community Driven Development (CDD) approach and urge the journalists in the state to disseminate appropriate information to the people on the activities of the agency. The CSDP GM also tasked the newsmen to visit CSDP projects independently, speak with beneficiaries and do reports that would further educate them on the need to take ownership of projects in their various communities so that they would maintain the projects very well for the sake of sustainability. The former Chairman of the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) in the state, Mr. Gbenga Faturoti who was among the participants lauded Osun-CSDP for assisting communities to enjoy social amenities. WASHINGTON The impeachment trial may be over, but the fallout is not. President Donald Trumps acquittal Wednesday on two impeachment articles formally ends a four-month saga that threatened to end his presidency and stoked partisan divisions in Congress and across the country. The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit Trump on the charge of abusing his power and 53-47 on the obstruction of Congress count, handing him a victory that will enable him to finish his first term and energize his reelection campaign as he asks voters to give him another four years. But the impeachment drama could have a lasting impact on Trump and other players: Donald Trump Trump can, and in all probability will, celebrate his acquittal on the campaign trail. He has bellowed for months that Democrats used impeachment to try to overturn the 2016 election because they cant beat him at the polls. "They can't win an election, so they're trying to steal an election," Trump said during a campaign rally last month in New Jersey. Expect to hear more of that argument as he makes what is essentially an impeachment victory lap at campaign appearances across the country. Even post-acquittal, Trump will carry the stain of impeachment. He is one of only three presidents in U.S. history to be impeached and the only president to seek reelection after being impeached. Democrats will try to turn his impeachment into an issue in Novembers election. But conservative political commentator Scott Jennings predicts that it's Democrats who will be hurt at the polls by the impeachment drama. "This is where Democrats did not want to be another moment where they promised to take down the president and another failure," said Jennings, who worked in the White House under President George W. Bush. "I think it has already energized the president's base." There already are signs that impeachment benefited Trump politically. Trumps approval rating jumped by 6 points since last October and matched the highest of his presidency in a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week. The poll found that 44% of Americans approve of Trumps overall job performance and 51% disapprove. Those still arent great numbers most Americans hold a negative view of Trump but they are a significant improvement over his 38% approval mark in late October. Story continues Impeachment also appears to have energized GOP voters. Sixty-six percent of Democrats reported anxiety about the upcoming election compared with 46% of Republicans in a poll last week by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. GOP voters were more likely than Democrats to declare excitement about the race, and the share of enthusiastic Republicans appears to be rising, pollsters said. Voter enthusiasm could shift again in the coming months, so its hard to predict how much impeachment will be a factor when voters head to the polls in November, Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak said. By the time the 2020 election comes around, impeachment will have been nine months in the past, Mackowiak said. I doubt impeachment will make much difference at all in the 2020 election. If it does, it will matter only in that it unified Republicans behind Trump even more strongly. Kent Syler, a political scientist at Middle Tennessee State University and former Democratic congressional aide, said, "Impeachment will further energize both party bases, if thats even possible, but will not change the current political narrative for most voters. Republicans will see Democrats as 'Trump-hating' overreachers who will do anything to overturn the election. Democrats will see Republicans as Trump enablers who are continuing to tolerate and cover up his bad behavior." Say what? Here are questions senators asked during Trump's impeachment trial Joe Biden Trump isnt the only presidential candidate who could feel the weight of impeachment even after its over. Former Vice President Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate, had a supporting role in the impeachment drama, which was triggered by Trump's campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at a caucus night campaign rally on Feb. 3, 2020, in Des Moines with Jill Biden. Though no evidence was uncovered that Biden did anything wrong, "he was contaminated by the Trump impeachment, said Ross Baker, professor of political science at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Nationally, Biden maintained his status as the overall Democratic front-runner during the impeachment trial. But in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders jumped ahead of him, according to some polls. "Polarized voters are willing to overlook a lot, but its safe to say that the Ukraine issue has not helped Joe Biden," Syler said. "His greatest appeal to Democratic primary voters is his perceived strength against Donald Trump. Any issue that impacts that perception could cost him votes and send Democrats looking for alternative candidates like Mike Bloomberg." The Biden campaign said the impeachment trial did not harm the former vice president. Other senators seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in particular Sanders, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts were not hurt by the impeachment trial because of their ground game in Iowa. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado put most of his focus on New Hampshire. Democratic candidates will try to use impeachment to their advantage, Baker said: "Theyre all coming back with a lot of ammunition." Look for Democrats to ridicule Alan Dershowitz, a member of Trump's impeachment trial defense team, who argued that presidents cannot be removed from office for an action they believe could help get them reelected. Days before the Iowa caucuses, Biden alluded to Dershowitzs comments at a rally in Waukee, Iowa. In what sounded more like a general election speech rather than a primary speech, Biden slammed Trump's policies and his character. Political self-interest will not be confused with the national interest, Biden said. And no one not even the president of the United States will be above the law. Parsing impeachment: Impeachment trial questions answered: Is President Trump 'impeached for life?' Senator Susan Collins, R-ME, and Senator John Barrasso, R-WY, on their way to the Senate chambers before the Senate acquitted President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Senate races Impeachment will almost certainly intensify the battle for control of the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 51-47 majority. Democrats need to pick up just four seats to take control, and two dozen of the 35 Senate seats on the ballot this year are held by Republicans. Vulnerable Republican senators, such as Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Martha McSally of Arizona, will have to explain their votes to constituents. Collins in particular has been under scrutiny during Trumps impeachment trial. One of a handful of moderates in the Senate, Collins angered Democrats and independents when she voted in 2018 to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite allegations by three women that he sexually assaulted them. Her vote to acquit to acquit Trump will probably shadow her through the remainder of her reelection campaign and once again put her on the defensive. "Impeachment is this elections Brett Kavanaugh hearings," Syler said. "Voters are reminded why partisanship matters, and the eroding political center gets even smaller. If you are a moderate Democrat running in a red district or state, or a moderate Republican running in a blue district or state, your job just got tougher." On the Democratic side, the most vulnerable senator up for reelection this year is Doug Jones of Alabama. Jones won the seat in a special election in 2017 triggered by the departure of Republican Jeff Sessions, who resigned when he was appointed attorney general by Trump. Alabama is tough political terrain for any Democrat, and Republicans are eager to win back the seat this year. GOP candidates include Sessions, who was forced out of the attorney generals job by Trump but remains popular in Alabama. Jones had just a slim chance of winning reelection even before the impeachment vote, Jennings said. His vote to convict Trump on both impeachment articles sends that chance "to zero-point-zero percent, Jennings said. Impeachment concerns: GOP senator 'disturbed' by McConnell's 'total coordination' with the White House for impeachment trial House races Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa House Democrats havent heard the last of impeachment either. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., resisted efforts by some in her party to impeach Trump but finally allowed an impeachment inquiry following reports that Trump had held up millions of dollars in security aid in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. To Republicans, hers is the face of the Democratic-led impeachment and one that will appear in campaign ads in congressional districts across the country as the GOP tries to win back the House majority in November. House Democrats risk a voter backlash due to the perception that they invested their entire majority on impeachment, getting almost nothing else done," Mackowiak said. Pelosi and other impeachment leaders such as Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, represent solid Democratic districts and are not in danger of losing their seats in this fall's elections. Other Democrats could have a tougher road to November. Thirty-one Democrats represent districts that Trump win in 2016. All but three voted in favor of both articles of impeachment against Trump a decision that could complicate their path to reelection. Reps. Abby Finkenauer of Iowa, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Ron Kind of Wisconsin and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia are just a handful of the Democrats whose votes to impeach Trump could become an issue in this falls elections. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose southern New Jersey district Trump won by 5 points, voted against both articles of impeachment. Then he ditched the Democratic Party and became a Republican. Trump returned the favor by making a campaign appearance in Van Drews district and showering him with adjectives like courageous and principled. He shares our values, Trump said. Hell no doubt find other choice words to describe the Democrats who voted to impeach him. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment: Fallout will linger even after trial has ended Nine people were arrested after Greenpeace members temporarily shut BPs London HQ. The eco activists protested to coincide with chief executive Bernard Looneys first day on the job. Around 100 people took solar panels to the building but were prevented from fixing them to the pavement. Around 100 Greenpeace protesters took solar panels to BP's London HQ but were prevented from fixing them to the pavement. Nine people were arrested Others attached themselves to oil barrels plastered with the BP logo, to block staff. Protester Richard George said: BP are trying to block the transition to clean energy on a global scale. Looney, who was visiting staff in Germany yesterday, is set to unveil a major shake-up of the energy giant, including introducing new climate goals, next week. In a post on social media site Instagram yesterday, he wrote: 'Day 1 of my new job! Today I take up the position of CEO of BP and I couldn't be more excited :) 'The journey starts right here in Germany, where I'll be getting a first-hand look at some of our downstream sites and meeting our fantastic people.' In a statement, BP said: 'BP's new chief executive Bernard Looney is visiting employees in Germany today, but he understands the frustration and anger of protesters in London.' Advertisement Donald Trump used the guest seats he commands at the State of the Union to highlight the achievements - and please the constituencies - he sees as the key to his re-election campaign Tuesday night. He invited the family of a man who died during an illegal immigrant's crime spree, a gold star widow whose husband was killed by a roadside bomb which the Pentagon said was linked ultimately to Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general whose death Trump ordered, and a mother and her two-year-old daughter who was born severely premature but is now thriving. Each one was designed to hit home some of his themes: strong borders, military strength and locking down the religious right's vote. Here is how the White House described them: THE PTSD VETERAN WHO OVERCAME DRUGS AND IS POSTER BOY FOR TRUMP'S 'OPPORTUNITY ZONES Tony Rankins, Cincinnati, Ohio After serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan, Tony Rankins suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and became addicted to drugs. He lost his job and his family, served several prison sentences, and ended up living out of his car. A company called 'R Investments' helped train Tony in carpentry, painting, brick work, and other construction trades. Today, he works in an Opportunity Zone in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his new job has helped him overcome drug addiction and reunite with his family. Applauded: Afghanistan veteran Tony Rankins receives a standing ovation. He was invited to highlight Trump's opportunity zone policies Support: Tony Rankins overcame PTSD and drug addition and was invited to the Capitol as a guest of the president SECOND IN COMMAND OF BORDER PATROL AS TRUMP HAILS HIS WALL Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz, Del Rio, Texas Deputy Chief Ortiz has helped protect America's homeland for nearly three decades. Prior to joining U.S. Border Patrol in 1991, Ortiz served in the United States Army. In 2019, he became Chief Patrol Agent of the Del Rio sector, which made him responsible for all Border Patrol operations in 41 Texas countiesincluding 210 miles of border between the United States and Mexico. Recently, Ortiz was promoted to Deputy Chief of U.S. Border Patrol, the second in command for more than 20,000 agents and professional staff. His awards include the Superior Civilian Service Medal, among the Department of Defense's highest civilian honors. THE MAN WHOSE BROTHER WAS KILLED BY AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DURING A 24-HOUR CRIME SPREE Jody Jones, Farmersville, California On December 17, 2018, Jody's brother, Rocky Jones, was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in Tulare County, California. The criminal alien who committed this brutal murder had previously been arrested for violent crimes and had been deported twice. The criminal alien was arrested in December 2018 for the sixth time, but because of California's sanctuary state policy, he was released from jail. A few days later, the criminal alien went on a 24-hour 'reign of terror,' injuring several people, robbing a gas station, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase, and killing 51-year old Rocky, who was known as a kind and gentle soul. Rocky leaves behind a precious daughter and 4 brothers who are still grieving the loss of their loved one. Crime spree: Gustavo Garcia was in the course of a 24-hour crime spree when he killed Rocky Jones - among his crimes robbing a convenience store at gunpoint Victim: Rocky Jones was killed by Gustavo Garcia, who had twice been deported. Jones was killed as Garcia fled police in a high-speech chase Left behind: Jody Jones fought back tears as Donald Trump spoke about his brother Rocky's death THE BABY BORN AT 21 WEEKS AND SIX DAYS WHO IS SEEN AS A POSTER GIRL FOR THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT AS SHE 'BEATS THE ODDS' Ellie and Robin Schneider, Kansas City, Missouri Ellie was born at just 21 weeks and six days. She is one of the youngest babies to survive in the United States. With the help of an incredible medical team and the prayers of her parents and their community -- Ellie kept beating the odds, exceeding milestones, and fighting for life. Today, Ellie is a happy, healthy two-year-old girl who brings endless joy to her mother, Robin, and her entire family. A living miracle: Ellie Schneider was born at 21 weeks and six days and is now two. Her place in the speech was intended to highlight his case to evangelicals and religious Christians that he is pro-life Proud parents: Ellie Schneider. She was born weighing 14 oz. and 10.4 inches long, to Joel and Robin of Kansas City, Missouri THE MOM AND DAUGHTER MAKING THE CASE FOR 'SCHOOL CHOICE' IN THE INNER CITIES Janiyah and Stephanie Davis, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Janiyah is a fourth grade student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She loves art and math, but for too long she has been assigned to low-performing schools. Her mom, Stephanie, is a hard working single mother who is hoping for the expansion of school choice to be able to send Janiyah to a school that best serves her needs. THE GOLD STAR WIDOW WHOSE HUSBAND WAS KILLED BY IED LINKED TO IRAN'S SOLEIMANI Kelli and Gage Hake, Stillwater, Oklahoma Kelli Hake was at home with her one-year-old son, Gage, when she received the terrible news that her that her husband, Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake, had been killed serving on his second tour of duty in Iraq. While on patrol, Sergeant Hake's Bradley fighting vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb supplied by the Iranian terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani. Kelli and Gage directly suffered from Soleimani's campaign to kill and maim U.S. service members. Last month, President Donald J. Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani as he was once again trying to initiate attacks on American service members. Never forgotten: Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake was 26 when he died in Iraq in 2008, the victim of an IED which the White House says was linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, led by Qassem Soleimani. His widow Kelli, was in the gallery; the soldier left behind son Gage Guests: Kelli sits in the First Lady's box and wipes away a tear as her husband is praised by the president - while their son Gage comforts her VETERAN WHO IS BUILDING A CONCRETE PLANT IN AN OPPORTUNITY ZONE - WHICH WILL HELP SUPPORT F-35s Paul Morrow from Montgomery, Alabama Paul is a United States Army veteran. After leaving the military, Morrow started a successful contracting business and today is building a new concrete plant in an Opportunity Zone in Montgomery, Alabama. This new plant will help support several brand new F-35 jets that are stationed in the region. THE PERSECUTED COP WHO FLED VENEZUELA AND WAS 'WELCOMED' AT IMMIGRATION Ivan Simonovis from Caracas, Venezuela Ivan was the Chief of Police in Venezuela's capitol city and esteemed as the nation's top cop. He was imprisoned in 2004 for protecting protesters and was held in captivity for nearly 15 years by the Chavez and Maduro regimes. He escaped from Venezuela in 2019 and was brought to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where immigration agents welcomed him to the United States. The cliche is that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The maxim animating The Age of Entitlement, Christopher Caldwells much-talked-about book covering America since the Sixties, is something more like: Extraordinary claims should be floated on every other page, often implied rather than stated outright, and backed up only minimally. The tome is astonishing in scope, yet underwhelming on most of the particulars. It covers countless topics, from feminism to war, but treats the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as the unexpected force behind everything that has gone wrong with America a development that replaced the U.S. Constitution with a new, unwritten constitution oriented around minority interests that hardly anyone realized theyd signed up for. Caldwell is correct that there were significant constitutional problems with several major civil-rights milestones, but he whiffs when it comes to identifying them, and his arguments that the 1964 law is to blame for other changes in American life are mostly weak. Still less does he offer any plausible alternative path that the country might have taken or might take today. * * * Caldwell is hardly the first person to broach these topics. For decades now there has been a weighty debate over the constitutional justifications for Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that desegregated public schools, and the Civil Rights Act of a decade later, which desegregated many private businesses. Interestingly, liberal legal commentators tend to be the ones who most readily admit that these developments were not faithful to the original meaning of the Constitution after all, if these sacrosanct pillars of American law required judicial activism and a living constitution, those in turn must be good things. Conservatives, meanwhile, have struggled to reconcile their support for Brown and basic civil-rights laws with their dedication to constitutional originalism. Story continues The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, prohibits states from denying American citizens the equal protection of the laws or the privileges and immunities of citizenship. To modern ears, that might sound like states arent allowed to discriminate on the basis of race at all. But theres a very strong case that this is not how the amendment was understood at the time it was drafted. As Jack Balkin has written, legislators and courts back then embraced a tripartite scheme for classifying rights: civil, political, and social. The 14th Amendment protected civil rights, which then referred to such things as the rights to own property and make contracts; it did not protect political or social rights. We know it didnt protect political rights because if it had, we wouldnt have needed the 15th Amendment to give blacks the right to vote. And on the matter of school segregation specifically, likely best classified as a social matter in this breakdown (though the boundaries of that category were never exactly settled), theres a strong hint of what the 14th Amendment meant in the fact that the Congress that put it forward itself operated a segregated school district in Washington, D.C.: It would have been bizarre for Congress to ban school segregation in the states while running segregated schools itself. Further, as Earl M. Maltz has noted, segregated schools were prevalent in the swing-voting lower North, and the politicians who drafted the 14th Amendment certainly were not aiming to disrupt those voters arrangements. Nor were those states themselves, when they ratified the amendment. To be fair, there are arguments on the other side of this, too. Most prominently, Michael McConnell has pointed out that many members of Congress who supported the 14th Amendment also supported using it to ban school segregation in the 1875 Civil Rights Act. (They failed to get that provision in.) But on balance, the reading of the 14th Amendment advanced in Brown seems dismayingly out of step with the original meaning of that amendment. What about the 1964 act? That, too, is hard to justify under the 14th Amendment, which authorizes Congress to police the laws that states may make or enforce, not the practices of private businesses. Instead, Congress relied on the interstate-commerce clause, whose scope had drastically expanded since the Founding, such that just about any type of business activity could be considered interstate commerce. (One notorious case from the New Deal era, Wickard v. Filburn, allowed Congress to regulate wheat that farmers grew to feed their own animals, because their reliance on this food rather than food purchased elsewhere had an effect on interstate commerce.) Thats how Congress, soon with the Supreme Courts blessing, managed to regulate the customer-service policies of businesses throughout the country. For someone who professes fealty to the original meaning of the Constitution, this is a hard pill to swallow; the federal government is one of enumerated powers, and no such power, as originally understood, authorizes the 1964 act. * * * You may notice Ive gone through all this without reference to Caldwells book. Thats because these arguments, though entirely standard in the academic debate on this topic, are almost completely different from the ones Caldwell focuses on while casting doubt on Brown and the 1964 act. And the arguments he presents instead are far inferior. On Brown, he leans heavily on the thoughts of liberals who had misgivings about the decision in the years immediately afterward, especially a 1959 lecture from Harvards Herbert Wechsler. Wechsler was a legal superstar in his day, and his thoughts on Brown have continued to attract some attention over the years, but they are frankly unimpressive. Lets take a deeper look at them. Caldwell writes that Wechsler showed in devastating detail that Brown would have been impossible under any faithful reading of what the drafters of the Fourteenth Amendment had meant by equality. But in fact Wechslers treatment of that issue was cursory and dismissive. The problem, he wrote, was not that history does not confirm that an agreed purpose of the fourteenth amendment was to forbid separate schools or that there is important evidence that many thought the contrary; the words are general and leave room for expanding content as time passes and conditions change. Wechsler then proceeded to pooh-pooh the obvious justification for Brown, that schools were segregated for the purpose of stigmatizing and separating black students. Some of his points here were interesting, though they seem to come from an alternative universe where it could pass the laugh test that school segregation under Jim Crow existed for some other purpose: Does [this argument] not involve an inquiry into the motive of the legislature, which is generally foreclosed to the courts? Is it alternatively defensible to make the measure of validity of legislation the way it is interpreted by those who are affected by it? In the context of a charge that segregation with equal facilities is a denial of equality, is there not a point in Plessy in the statement that if enforced separation stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority, it is solely because its members choose to put that construction upon it? Does enforced separation of the sexes discriminate against females merely because it may be the females who resent it and it is imposed by judgments predominantly male? Is a prohibition of miscegenation a discrimination against the colored member of the couple who would like to marry? Then Wechsler claimed that the real core of the issue was freedom of association a thought that Caldwell seems to endorse. However, as Wechsler spelled out, neither segregation nor desegregation enabled freedom of association in public-school classrooms; one forbade the association of whites with blacks while the other required it. One might think this illustrates how ridiculous it is to see the segregation policies of state-run schools through the lens of free association at all. If you take this approach seriously, the conclusion is that public schools in themselves violate the publics rights unless parents are given full school choice. (I happen to like that conclusion, but its wildly out of step with American history.) Wechsler, though, thought the dilemma forced Brown supporters to come up with an argument that the forced association of blacks and whites was more in keeping with free association than is the banning of interracial association, and he said he couldnt think of one. That is not too compelling. Admittedly, the freedom-of-association argument is considerably less frivolous in the context of the 1964 Civil Rights Act where it also plays the leading role in Caldwells narrative because that law requires private business owners to associate with customers they dont want around. But Caldwell badly overstates this problem with the law, claiming that it constituted a partial repeal of the First Amendment. In discussing later developments in gay rights, he even asserts that freedom of association is the master freedom . . . the freedom without which political freedom cannot be effectively exercised. This is a major part of his overarching theme that civil rights in essence replaced the U.S. Constitution with a new, unwritten one. As it turns out, though, freedom of association is not in the Constitution to begin with. It exists only to the extent that its implied by the other rights the First Amendment protects those to free speech, free exercise of religion, peaceable assembly, and petitioning the government for redress of grievances. Certainly the government cant stop people from, say, forming or joining religious or political organizations, but how exactly does anything in the Constitution affirmatively protect a right to operate a business thats open to the public while refusing to serve a certain type of customer out of rank bigotry? There needs to be an argument here, ideally one that grapples with the fact that no freedom of association prevented states from mandating segregation at private businesses, and with the fact that at least some specific types of private businesses (inns, theaters, common carriers such as railroads) have had a common-law obligation to serve all comers since the U.S. was founded. Libertarians such as Richard Epstein have attempted this in the past, though often from a law and economics perspective that isnt exactly originalist. But Age of Entitlement provides little in the way of a case for the existence of a right of businesses to discriminate. There is a stray assertion, late in the book, that at least pinpoints a specific First Amendment provision as the source of the freedom Caldwell thinks has been lost: The 1964 act had withdrawn the right to freedom of association long implicit in the freedom of assembly. But in what sense are the day-to-day operations of a business a peaceable assembly of the kind referred to in the Constitution? Caldwell also discusses Robert Borks opposition to the 1964 act, most prominently articulated in an article for The New Republic, and says Bork noted its potential to endanger First Amendment freedoms. But in that piece Bork explicitly declined to characterize his free-association arguments as constitutional ones: We are treated to debate whether it is more or less cynical to pass the law under the commerce power or the Fourteenth Amendment, and whether the Supreme Court is more likely to hold it Constitutional one way or the other. Heretical though it may sound to the constitutional sages, neither the Constitution nor the Supreme Court qualifies as a first principle. The discussion we ought to hear is of the cost in freedom that must be paid for such legislation, the morality of enforcing morals through law, and the likely consequences for law enforcement of trying to do so. That is, free association was something readers should think about besides the constitutional issues with the legislation, which involved the question of which enumerated power allowed Congress to act in this area. Caldwell also makes assorted references to property rights as a basis for a right to discriminate. But these passages, too, are missing an argument connecting them to the text of the Constitution, which says only that the government may not deprive Americans of property without due process of law. Congress exceeding its enumerated powers is bad, but its not the same as trampling on a fundamental master right to establish a new constitution. * * * Nevertheless, what are we to do with the fact that these cornerstones of the victory against Jim Crow lacked a firm grounding in the Constitution? I have a dog in this fight, as I published a long article about it a decade ago. I argued that these departures from proper policymaking procedures were justified by the severity of the wrong they sought to address. Their use in the context of Jim Crow does not justify unconstitutional lawmaking elsewhere, any more than the Civil Wars success in ending slavery justifies killing half a million Americans to change other laws. Countless activists have sought to pin their newfangled causes to the coattails of the civil-rights movement, but none of them have a real claim to such deference, because none of them are being treated like blacks in the Jim Crow South. If they want change, they can win it through the normal process of convincing the public, passing laws, and amending the Constitution when necessary. Caldwell says that things just cant work that way: Once you give up the Civil Rights Act of 1964, youve given up everything else too, from affirmative action, to political correctness, to gay rights, to mass immigration, to frivolous lawsuits alleging discrimination, to a definition of racism that just keeps getting broader and broader. He writes that while such changes were not in the Civil Rights Act, they could easily be induced from it. Affirmative action was deduced judicially from the curtailments on freedom of association that the Civil Rights Act had put in place. The national debt comes from desegregation too, somehow. Even Roe v. Wade was a function of the new constitutional possibilities in the Civil Rights Act. Caldwell mocks conservatives who argue that the colorblind ideals of the civil-rights movement were later hijacked: This is just what civil rights always meant. Now, it is certainly true that the act was a massive undertaking, that it exposed businesses to unprecedented levels of federal oversight and private lawsuits to boot, that it provided a hook for judges and future Congresses who sought to warp its contours, and that, as noted, later activists of many stripes would use it as a model. If the act had not passed or had taken a radically different form, these developments would have gone differently as well. But the more strident Caldwells assertions become and the farther they drift from these direct and undeniable consequences, they less plausible they are. I dont buy for a second, for instance, that basic civil rights logically require a cavalcade of other developments. Its entirely logically consistent to open public schools and businesses to people of all races while refusing to accede to these other things, especially those that themselves involve discrimination on the basis of race. Caldwells own polling numbers suggest thats what the public wanted. Conservatives fought for it. We just didnt win, at least not always. And speaking of the gap between public opinion and public policy, Caldwell treats it as evidence that the Civil Rights Act was destined, by its own terms, to take on a life of its own and unleash everything else. But the U.S. is not a direct democracy; it is a representative democracy with an overweening judicial branch and an overly powerful administrative state, problems that certainly grew after the 1960s, though theyd started growing well before, especially during the New Deal. Ive already noted how the Supreme Court turned the commerce clause into the do-whatever-you-want clause; around the same time, Congress dramatically beefed up the administrative state and also undermined freedom of association via labor laws that allowed a majority of a workplace to force the entirety of the workplace to financially support a union, which is to say a political organization. Theres a limit to what elites can get away with, as seen in the end of busing, the advent of state-level affirmative-action bans, and a Supreme Court majority that could soon threaten affirmative action more fundamentally which deserve more space in Caldwells book. But in the modern American system, elites can substitute their own judgments for the publics to a large extent. Indeed, if Congress hadnt passed civil rights, its entirely conceivable the Supreme Court would have done it instead. In this sense, the Civil Rights Act was not the but-for condition behind everything else; the priorities and power of American elites were. After the act, civil rights indeed were not hijacked. But different supporters had different opinions on what to do next, those who wanted to take things much further had the most power, and the more moderate popular majority got angry enough to push back only selectively. Thats lamentable, but its not really a new constitution. And while various acts of congressional overreach and judicial activism did change the Constitution over the course of the 20th century, civil rights for blacks were only one example of this far broader trend and they were the most easily justifiable example, at that. * * * And what was the alternative to the 1964 act anyway? Caldwell spends a lot more time talking about the fallout from civil rights than about the conditions that necessitated them, but even he cant deny the horrifying nature of Jim Crow. And frustratingly, in keeping with his overall tendency to inject his opinions into his narration rather than actually lay out arguments, he never quite says that it shouldnt have been passed, or what should have been done instead. I suppose ideally the U.S. would have explicitly laid out a constitutional amendment giving Congress the power to regulate the racism of private businesses, an amendment that could have contained limitations as well, though who knows how long Jim Crow would have lasted before enough support for that built up. Another notion he floats without quite endorsing it is the repeal of civil-rights laws now, on the idea theyve served their purpose. He writes that they were once seen as a transitional measure and laments that Republicans, decades later, could not acknowledge (or even see) that the only way back to the free country of their ideals was through the repeal of the civil rights laws. This isnt a novel thought; getting rid of nondiscrimination law was also put forth in Dinesh DSouzas controversial 1995 book The End of Racism, and its similar to Epsteins thinking as well. Yet there is good evidence that some businesses do continue to discriminate against blacks, and the suggestion is dead on arrival anyhow. Like it or not, the most that principled conservatives and libertarians can hope for from their politicians and judges is the approach I laid out in 2010, and the one the Right has mostly stuck to: Concede the legitimacy of Brown and basic nondiscrimination policies, and fight like hell against affirmative action and the rest of it. More from National Review WASHINGTON The technological meltdown that turned Monday's Iowa Democratic caucuses into fodder for comedians and conspiracy theorists has cast an untimely pall over the improving methods by which Americans vote. For nearly 20 years, since Florida's hanging chads delayed the 2000 presidential election results for 35 days, federal, state and local officials have invested billions of dollars in voting machines, registration databases, training programs and more. Ironically, the end result has been a return to paper ballots, along with a trend toward early voting that has siphoned some of the stress from Election Day. Polls show voters have faith in how their ballots are counted, though they fear hackers and foreign actors. Since the Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, more states have switched to paper ballots, says David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. Congress has also appropriated $800 million to help states strengthen their election infrastructure. "Elections are mostly better run than ever before," Becker said. "The chances that you go to vote and that you have a really positive experience are overwhelmingly high." That has not prevented critics, including President Donald Trump, from claiming that millions of votes are cast illegally. On Tuesday, Trump's sons and campaign director hinted that the Iowa caucuses were rigged to hide what Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Twitter called "a Bernie blowout and a Biden crash." The reality is more mundane a coding error in an app being used for the first time that led to a breakdown in the reporting of results, followed by backup phone lines getting jammed. And it reflected only the mistakes of a political party that runs elections once every four years. Iowa caucuses: The results so far Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price addressed media questions Tuesday about the delayed results from Monday's caucuses. "If you've (wondered) why we don't have online voting or what's wrong with paperless voting machines, you have your answer," says Larry Norden, director of the election reform program at the Brennan Center for Justice. "Relying solely on software to tally votes is not a good idea." Story continues After two decades of fits and starts, states increasingly have returned to paper either hand-marked ballots or iPad-like devices that spit out paper records. Only Louisiana relies solely on touch-screen machines that once were the rage, and their days are numbered. Iowa caucuses: Buttigieg holds slim lead over Sanders after new wave of Iowa results released updates A Pew Research Center poll taken just before the 2018 midterm elections found 82% of Americans were confident their votes would be counted correctly, and 72% felt similarly upbeat about votes cast elsewhere. But Iowa's mishap and the exaggerated reaction to it on social media does present a threat. "The Russians just want us not to trust each other and be divided," Becker says. "They want us to think that election was rigged." "It discourages people from participating in the political process, and we need the opposite of that," says Paul DeGregorio, former chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. "They don't trust the process, and that's unfortunate." Says Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who previously served as a Republican state senator: "I cannot think of many more despicable things to do than scaring voters in your political self-interest." Post-Florida reforms For years, election officials have tried to tame technology to their task, with limited results. Months before George W. Bush and Al Gore emerged from the 2000 election in a virtual dead heat, Arizona Democrats held the nation's first online primary. Voters cast ballots from work, home, public libraries, even the local Safeway. It never caught on nationally. Voters were confused when told to do things like enable their computer's cookies, and they had to risk the chance that their selections would not be secret. "It's still very much in the future," says Wendy Underhill, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We really aren't there yet." Then came Florida. Poorly designed ballots and punch cards resulted in undercounts and overcounts, making it nearly impossible for officials to determine many voters' intentions. And then came Ohio four years later, which tipped the election to Bush over John Kerry. Long lines at the polls and problems with voting machines and provisional ballots led to complaints from Democrats. In between those two elections, the Help America Vote Act pushed nearly $4 billion from Washington to the states for election improvements. Congress appropriated another $800 million in recent months. For all the investments, states have come to believe more in paper than machines, particularly as a way to verify votes and conduct post-election audits. In 2016, 75% of voters used paper; since then, Georgia, South Carolina and most of Pennsylvania have come on board. By November, more than 90% of ballots will be cast on paper. You cant hack paper, says Brian Corley, supervisor of elections in Pasco County, Florida. Still, you can make mistakes. "Inevitably," says Kimball Brace, president of Election Data Services, "the American public knows how to screw up their ballot." Is the Iowa caucus dead: Chaos and partial results puts Hawkeye state's status in question 'We should be happy' States and counties have made other changes in recent years in hopes of combating threats to election security. Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Hawaii hold all their elections by mail; Utah will do so this year. Ballot-marking devices are being improved so that voters can touch a screen and then review a paper ballot. Los Angeles County is at the forefront of that technology, which helps voters who have disabilities or need instructions in other languages. Thirty-nine states now use electronic poll books to check voter registrations, allowing them to redirect voters in the wrong polling place or check to see if they've voted early or by absentee ballot. California, Colorado and Texas are moving toward systems that allow voters to cast ballots anywhere in a county, rather than a specific polling place. A long line of voters queued up outside a Cleveland elementary school during the 2004 presidential election. In California's Orange County, all 1.6 million voters will receive a paper ballot by mail this year. Paper is the best option to ensure the integrity of the election," says Neal Kelly, the county's registrar of voters. "Thats not a view shared by all of my colleagues, but thats the reason that were moving in this direction." Electronic machines that record votes directly still are used in many states for voters with disabilities such as vision impairments, as well as for military and overseas voters. Despite the progress, officials caution that problems at the polls will continue, though not as severe as Iowa's Monday mishap. Even there, they see a silver lining. "Sometimes, it just takes a while to count things," says Michael McDonald, a University of Florida associate professor who maintains a database on U.S. elections. "We should be happy with that. We don't want inaccurate results." Contributing: Brett Murphy This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa caucus results: App a problem, but voters can trust US elections Theres a breath of fresh -- um, water in the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) Art Gallery, an exhibit featuring photography and video works linked to Lake Huron. The exhibitfilled with vivid blues and greens, spattered with beautiful multifaceted reflections, and including soothing sounds of flutes and breathy wavesis entitled "Breathing in Place," and it was created by Suzanne Szucs, an instructor of art at RCTC. The exhibits title references the physicality of holding a camera, since each breath moves it. Szucs grew up near the Great Lakes, and the fear, excitement, and wonder that they engendered in her from a young age have served as an inspiration for her works. For the last two years, she has been capturing photographs and videos of water to create her exhibit. For Szucs, the exhibit is about identity. "Having spent many years making work that addressed identity, gender and body issues, I began making work in the landscape, and specifically the body in the landscape," she says. "I became interested in how an individual body had a reaction and response to a greater one in this case these giant lakes that literally appear to breath for the earth, reflecting our breath and body on a global scale." In part, the sheer diversity of images Szucs has created (though they arent all represented in this exhibit, she has about 50 finished pieces) seem to connect with what she calls the "multiplicity of identity." Purposefully hanging her large, rectangular, prints a little lower than standard helps Szucs accentuate their relationship to the body and identity. "When I started making prints, cropping them into the vertical format, I realized that I was sizing the images like bodies they are torso-shaped, nearly human life-sized. So, when a viewer stands in front, there is a corporality to the images that the viewer might not even realize," says Szucs. ADVERTISEMENT The way her photographs of moving water freeze time is something that appeals to her. "Ive always been interested in how photographs capture moments that we cannot actually stand back and see," she says. The attempt to capture images of water that include moving light and reflection add an element of "randomness and accident" that Szucs embraces as part of her creative process. A digital single lense reflex (DSLR) camera video kit and a digital handheld recorder helped Szucs capture her images. They were part of a purchase made to support a Media Arts course Szucs developed. "The DSLR allows me to go back and forth between video and still photography very easily, and I do a lot of coverage that way," she says. "That use and knowledge of the equipment, I can take back into my teaching." Szucs exhibit displays two video works focused on Lake Huron. They continue a line of her creativity that has already presented Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Ontario. "All the major videos have an interaction of a woman in the water a woman of a certain age, middle age, which is when women start being treated as invisible in our society," says Szucs. For her Huron videos, the woman takes on the form of a shadow cast on moving water. Szucs sees this as being connected to "our current cultural anxiety" and linked to a "subtext of drowning." The two video works in the exhibit share a confined space, which created some interesting challenges for their audio components. Working with musicians, Szucs has created two separate, layered audio tracks for each video installment that include everything from bassoon to actual respiratory sounds and the noises created by lakes. She made sure these tracks were in the same key so they wouldnt be too discordant when heard simultaneously. "This is the first time I have used actual tunes -- sea shanties inspired by the shipwreck connection and the acknowledgement of the Great Lakes as great maritime bodies," she says. It wasnt always easy for Szucs to travel to Lake Huron to capture the images so essential to her creativity, but shes already looking forward to completing a video focused on Lake Erie, so she can exhibit all her Great Lakes videos in the same space. They say that at least half of the average human body is composed entirely of water, so your body should feel right at home communing with all the beautiful water in Szucs "Breathing in Place" exhibit. {{tncms-inline content="

What: “Breathing in Place”

Where: Rochester Community and Technical College Art Gallery, 851 30th Ave. SE, Rochester

When: There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The exhibit is open to the public 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday through Feb. 28.

" id="2944fff4-5975-4aac-b4f4-ca967ff99ead" style-type="fact" title="If You Go" type="relcontent"}} What: "Breathing in Place" ADVERTISEMENT Where: Rochester Community and Technical College Art Gallery, 851 30th Ave. SE, Rochester When: There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The exhibit is open to the public 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday through Feb. 28. Hong Kong: Elector inquiry letters issued The Registration & Electoral Office (REO) has appealed to electors who received inquiry letters to reply as soon as possible by May 2 via post, fax or email. From today until April, the REO will issue inquiry letters to 90,000 electors to confirm or update their registered addresses. By replying to the letters, electors can maintain their voter registration status and vote in the Legislative Council General Election to be held in the third quarter and at subsequent public elections. If the REO does not receive a valid reply from an elector under inquiry, the name of the elector will be included in the omissions list to be published on or before June 1. Electors included in the omissions list have to reply to the reminding letter or lodge a claim before June 25 as well as obtain the approval of the Revising Officer before they can maintain their voter registration status, be included in the final register of electors to be published in July, and be able to vote in the Legislative Council General Election to be held in the third quarter. The REO had also issued enquiry letters on December 13 last year to 70,000 electors selected through random sampling, with the original reply deadline as specified on the letter falling on January 31. In view of the temporary suspension of Hongkong Post postal services from January 29 to February 2 due to the situation arising from the novel coronavirus, the REO has extended the enquiry letter reply deadline to February 14. Electors who have received the enquiry letters can also submit their replies through email or fax in addition to by post. Call 2891 1001 for enquiries. Click here to check the voter registration measures. This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 08:01:47|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Pete Buttigieg speaks at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 1, 2020. Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders are leading in the first set of Iowa Democratic caucus results released Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua) DES MOINES, United States, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders are leading in the first set of Iowa Democratic caucus results released Tuesday afternoon. With 62 percent of Iowa precincts reporting, Buttigieg is leading with 26.9 percent, followed by Sanders standing at 25.1 percent. Buttigieg, speaking to supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, said the results represent "an astonishing victory" for his campaign. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, with 18.3 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively, round out the top four. Senator Amy Klobuchar, taking the fifth place, garners 12.6 percent. No other candidates register in double-digit support. It's unclear when the full results will be released. The partial results were announced almost a day after the Democratic caucuses in Iowa Monday night, the first nominating contest of the 2020 presidential primary. An announcement of the results was delayed due to a "coding issue" in a mobile app used to collect data for the Democratic events, according to Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Troy Price. "This was a coding error in one of the pieces on the backend, but the raw data, the data that has come in, is secure," Price told a press conference. The state party official also apologized for the reporting of the Iowa caucus results, which has caused confusion and discontent. "The reporting of the results and circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses were unacceptable," Price said. "As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this." Iowa, a Midwestern state, held Democratic and Republican caucuses Monday night, bringing tens of thousands of Iowa's registered voters to churches, public libraries, and school gyms for discussions of their presidential preferences. Sitting President Donald Trump won the Republican caucuses, in which participants cast a vote to indicate their support, in a largely symbolic vote as he was facing no significant challenge. On the Democratic side, there are 11 contenders seeking the party's presidential nomination. In Iowa, they were vying for the state's 41 pledged delegates to the party's national July 13-16 convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a gathering for the party's delegates to choose its presidential nominee. Though the delegates of Iowa only account for only 2 percent of the 1,991 national delegates a candidate needs winning to be the Democratic nominee, a strong finish across the state could help him or her stand out. FFA Architecture and Interiors Jackman Malboeuf Villareal Watson Yun-Nordstrom Portland-based FFA Architecture and Interiors hired Sonya Yun-Nordstrom, Jack Watson and Veronica Villarreal as architectural staff and Joe Malboeuf and Lara Jackman as project architects. Yun-Nordstrom holds a bachelor of arts degree in architecture from Portland State University. She has worked in architecture for almost four years and is providing design support on an office tenant improvement for the Portland Bureau of Transportation's Parking Enforcement Division and renovations for Mt. Scott Community Center. Watson holds a bachelor of arts in architecture from Portland State University. He is providing support on facilities assessments for the cities of North Plains and Tigard. Villarreal is supporting FFA's interiors team with corporate office tenant improvement projects. Malboeuf has 14 years of industry experience. He is on the design teams of the Chemeketa Community College Agriculture Complex and the facility study for Monmouth City Hall. Jackman has seven years of experience. At FFA, she has been on the design teams for a condition assessment of Portland Parks & Recreation's historic Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center and the TIs for PBOT's Parking Enforcement Division. She won AIA Portland's 2017 Chris White Scholarship for Emerging Professionals. FFA provides architecture, planning and interior design. Whether it was summer holidays, a string off less bad domestic economic data releases or simply that hes naturally optimistic, RBA governor Philip Lowe has certainly raised some questions as to whether the bank will cut official interest rates again. All the signals hes provided over the past two days suggest hes not in the mood to add to the three rate cuts delivered last year, a view at odds with most private sector economists and financial markets. In his speech to the National Press Club delivered today, Dr Lowe made it clear what will happen in order to cut interest rates again: no progress in lowering unemployment. If the unemployment rate were to be trending in the wrong direction and there was no further progress being made towards the inflation target, Dr Lowe said. Gareth Aird, senior economist at the Commonwealth Bank, believes wrong direction not only implies higher unemployment, but steady unemployment as well. We suspect its [any direction other than down] because sideways from where we are today will not be good enough if wages and inflation are to lift so that the central bank hits its inflation target, he said. Along with what could make the RBA cut again, Dr Lowe also provided a big hint as to what could prevent rate cuts in the future outside progress in achieving the banks inflation mandate. Lower interest rates could also encourage more borrowing by households eager to buy residential property at a time when there is already a strong upswing in housing prices in place, he said. If that occurs, this could increase the risk of problems down the track. So there is a balance to be struck here. So financial stability concerns are emerging from a potential lift in household debt levels, as they were between 2016 through to 2018 which contributed to the bank holding Australias cash rate steady for a record length of time. Given the sluggish performance of the broader economy and the RBA's reluctance to cut interest rates further, one has to ask why APRA who sits on the Council of Financial Regulators alongside the RBA, ASIC and Treasury decided to loosen macroprudential measures designed to reduce risks associated with growing household indebtedness last year? Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday expressed happiness over the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, the trust to facilitate the construction of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya, and termed it a "historic decision." Yediyurappa said the prime minister has honoured the "sentiments of billions of people not only in Bharat but also across the globe," he said. "Karnataka fully and totally stands by the Centre in this noble task," the Chief Minister said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community. Earlier in the day, the prime minister announced in the Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust. While delivering the judgment on November 9, the Supreme Court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Digital platform Instamojo has acquired Getmeashop, the e-commerce platform from Times Internet focused on small units, in an all-stock deal under which the Times Group firm becomes an investor in the Bengaluru-based startup. The all-stock deal is valued at USD 5 million, of which almost 80 per cent is the acquisition cost paid by Instamojo backed by Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures among others, and the rest is being paid by Times Internet, which will also get a board seat in Instamojo, sources told PTI. Through this maiden acquisition, Instamojo, set up in 2012, seeks to expand its digital solution offerings to empower its over 1 million merchant base, Instamojo said in a statement on Wednesday. Instamojo is a one-stop shop for small entrepreneurs, founded by Sampad Swain, Akash Gehani and Aditya Sengupta. Instamojo early this year raised series B funds from Gunosy Capital, the Japanese payments firm Anypay. In November 2014, it had raised USD2.6 million in series A funding from Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures, 500Startups and others. Prior to that, it had raised around USD 5 lakh from 500 Startups, Blume Ventures and angel investors Rajan Anandanan among others. Instamojo helps small and medium enterprises to start, manage, and grow their businesses online. It also offer credit products and logistics services. "With this acquisition, the Instamojo suite of offerings will expand to enable business owners with web presence tools to start, manage and grow in the rapidly growing tech ecosystem," Sampad Swain, the co-founder of Instamojo said. With digitisation challenges faced by MSMEs are beyond just digital payments as they also face problems in accessing credit, competition from e-commerce platforms and cash-flow issues, he noted. Getmeashop is a SaaS platform helping MSMEs adopt and leverage technology without any prior technical know-how. On integrating with Instamojo, Pushkal Srivastava, founder of Getmeashop said, with a common mission to enable MSMEs, this partnership which gives us distribution specific to the target segments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg Opinion) -- This column will not render a verdict on whether the White House decision last week to suspend immigration from Nigeria the worlds seventh most-populous nation and five other countries was mainly an expression of bigotry from an administration led by a man who once likened African nations to latrines, or if it was a legitimate reaction to security concerns. It will, however, tell you some things you might not know about Nigerian immigrants in the U.S. To start, theres a fair number of them (which is why Im focusing on Nigeria and not Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan or Tanzania, the other five countries hit by the new ban). An estimated 374,311 Nigerian-born people were living in the U.S. in 2018, which put the country in 27th place as a source of foreign-born Americans, behind Pakistan and ahead of Japan. These and a lot of the numbers to follow are based on the American Community Survey that the U.S. Census Bureau sends out to 3.5 million households every year, so theyre subject to margins of error (19,648 for the number cited above), plus the inevitable strengths and limitations of self-reported statistics. For example, the Census Bureau says there were an estimated 462,708 people of Nigerian ancestry in the U.S. in the 2018, but thats based on what people put on the survey, not the sort of genealogical investigation that would surely reveal that there are millions of Americans whose forebears were brought across the Atlantic against their will in past centuries from the region of West Africa that is now Nigeria. Still, for our purposes the census survey is probably better, in that it restricts the scope mostly to recent immigrants and their kids. The members of this group have more than doubled in number since 2007, and they are for the most part doing quite well. The median income for households led by someone of Nigerian ancestry, for example, was $68,658 in 2018, compared with $61,937 for U.S. households overall. Here are a few other informative comparisons: Story continues Nigerian-Americans are more likely to have jobs than the rest of us, and much more likely to have college degrees. Theyre also much less likely to own their homes, and slightly more likely to be below the poverty line although theyre less likely to collect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits commonly known as food stamps. Nigerian-Americans are younger (median age is 31.6, compared with 38.2 for the U.S. overall), more likely to live in big cities (at least, thats how I interpret the relatively high share of public transportation users), more likely to work in education and health care (there are a lot of Nigerian-American doctors) and slightly more likely to be married. The percentage of Nigerian immigrants 16 and older with jobs ranked them 10th among immigrant groups in the U.S. in 2017 (the Census Bureaus new data portal is still going through some growing pains that prevented me from assembling these rankings for 2018). Nigerian immigrants also came in 10th place for the percentage with college degrees. Australia, Bulgaria and Nigeria are the only countries to make it into the top 10 on both rankings, which to me indicates a sort of integration sweet spot. Nigerians who come to the U.S. usually speak English before they get here, they tend to be well educated or in the process of becoming so, and they dont seem to have much trouble getting jobs or otherwise fitting in. I dont think these are the only things immigrant success should be judged by, and theres something more than a little creepy about passing such judgments upon people by their country of origin. But since immigration policy in general and the new immigration bans in particular do just that, it does seem relevant that Nigerian-Americans are clearly among the most successful immigrant groups in the U.S. Also relevant is that Nigerians feature prominently on the Department of Homeland Securitys rankings of people who stick around longer than their visas allow. Here are the numbers for business and pleasure visas: Among those with student and exchange-program visas, the numbers are smaller, with 1,664 Nigerian students suspected of overstaying their visas in fiscal year 2018. But that makes for an even higher share (18.6%) of those that U.S. authorities had expected to depart. (Nigeria has been moving up in the ranks of countries sending students to U.S. colleges and universities, to 11th place in 2018-2019, according to the Institute for International Studies.) One way to look at this data is that Nigerians need to be kept out of the U.S. or theyll never leave. This has in fact been the reaction of the current administration, which in March of last year suspended a visa-interview waiver program that allowed Nigerian applicants for some visas to apply by mail, and in August jacked up visa fees for Nigerians. Big surprise: The number of Nigerians visiting the U.S. fell by 21% in the first 10 months of last year, the biggest drop of any country, according to Quartz Africa, which has been all over this story. Another way to think about the visa-overstay phenomenon, though, is that the U.S. isnt supplying nearly enough immigrant visas to Nigerians. The demand is clearly there, and Nigerian immigrants have a track record of great success here. I would guess that those who stick around after their visas expire are less successful than those who come on immigrant visas, but in theory at least they too are represented in all the above statistics from the American Community Survey, which dont differentiate by visa status. And yes, if the U.S. allowed a big increase in the number of immigrants from Nigeria, their education levels and success rates might fall. But banning immigration from Nigeria outright, as the administration has now done, seems like a pretty big step in the wrong direction. This step was taken, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf said Friday, because Nigeria and the other five countries subject to the new ban lack either the will or the capability to adhere to new screening and vetting criteria imposed by the U.S. government since March 2017. Now, I am perfectly willing to believe that the Nigerian response to U.S. demands has been somewhat shambolic, especially given how some Nigerian officials reacted to the news. The travel ban is a wake-up call, a rude one at that, on the need for us to be alive to our responsibility to our people and ensure that we have citizenship integrity, Ajibola Basiru, chairman of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Diaspora Affairs, told the Punch (a leading Nigerian newspaper) over the weekend. At the moment, we are a nation of anonymous citizens. We dont have records of our citizens and anybody can claim to be a Nigerian. The Nigerian government will now surely react with more alacrity to the U.S. push for information-sharing, and may well succeed in getting this latest visa ban revoked as occurred with neighboring Chad in April 2018. But resolving this situation ought to be a policy priority for the U.S. as well. Nigerian immigrants are great. We need more of them, not fewer. (Corrects sixth and seventh paragraphs of article published Feb. 4, as well as the description on the charts titled High-Employment Immigration Groups and High-Education Immigrant Groups, to reflect that the data are reported by country of birth.) To contact the author of this story: Justin Fox at justinfox@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stacey Shick at sshick@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Justin Fox is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. He was the editorial director of Harvard Business Review and wrote for Time, Fortune and American Banker. He is the author of The Myth of the Rational Market. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 Trend: In accordance with the Annual Plan approved by the Azerbaijani minister of defense, a familiarization visit to the Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski was organized for military attaches of foreign countries accredited in the country, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Sixteen representatives of the military attaches apparatus of thirteen states were presented a general briefing on the history of establishment and activity of the military lyceum. They also got acquainted with the educational process at the Lyceum. The military attaches expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense for organizing the visit at a high level. About 250 Americans traveling from China were expected to land in the Bay Area Tuesday night or early Wednesday and be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield for up to two weeks while being monitored for signs that they are infected with the new coronavirus. The evacuees will stay at Travis Westwind Inn, where they will under go regular checks for fever and other symptoms of respiratory illness, according to a spokesman for U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield. China is in the midst of a massive outbreak of the new coronavirus, which has spread to more than two dozen other countries including the United States. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 23,000 people have been infected, and nearly 500 have died. Eleven cases have been reported in the United States, including four in the Bay Area. Travis was selected as one of four military sites to quarantine Americans returning from China, while the virus spreads widely there. The virus has an incubation period of up to 14 days, so travelers will be kept isolated from others until that time is up and they are not showing symptoms of illness. Those who do get sick will be moved to medical facilities, where they will be treated in isolation rooms. The Travis-bound flight is the second to return from Wuhan, China the epicenter of the outbreak since the United States instituted major border restrictions limiting travel from China. Last week, 195 Americans who had been evacuated from Wuhan were quarantined at an air base in Riverside County. On Tuesday, a child who had been quarantined in Riverside County was taken to a nearby hospital after developing a fever. The child is being tested for coronavirus but results have not yet been reported. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Garamendi was notified this week of plans to route the second flight to Travis, which is in his district, said Eric Olsen, a spokesman for the Congressman. Olsen said that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services are leading the quarantine arrangements. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com President Donald Trump's legal team opened its defense Saturday by focusing -- mainly -- on pushing back against the two articles of impeachment levied against him: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who led the team, maintained a calm, measured demeanor -- in marked contrast to the accusatory, aggrieved tone he and his colleagues adopted during last week's highly charged procedural debate. Don't be lulled by the legalistic veneer offered by Trump's team on Saturday. They're already spinning deception, and likely setting the table for more inflammatory attacks to come. The arguments Trump's lawyers advanced Saturday largely fall flat, running the gamut from marginally convincing (at best) to transparently flimsy, outright misleading and disingenuous. Here's a rundown of the primary arguments we heard from the Trump legal team on day one of its three-day opening presentation. Argument 1. The Ukrainians didn't know about the freeze on aid and felt 'no pressure' from Trump. On the first point, there is compelling evidence that the Ukrainians knew of the freeze on nearly $400 million in foreign aid as early as late July 2019. As for the second point, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated publicly he felt "no pressure." But of course he said that -- he had to. What was he going to do? Publicly announce he feared Trump, potentially alienating the leader of the world's most powerful country as Ukraine struggles to establish democracy and fend off Russia? I've prosecuted more extortion cases than I can remember and, in my experience, victims almost never say they felt pressure -- precisely because they fear the consequences of standing up to the extorter. Zelensky later hinted at this, stating, "But you have to understand. We're at war. If you're our strategic partner, then you can't go blocking anything for us." Indeed, the withheld aid comprised nearly 10% of Ukraine's entire military budget, while that nation was at war with a neighboring power, Russia. It is misleading and disingenuous of Trump's attorneys to cling to this patently ridiculous defense. Argument 2. Trump is an intrepid, dedicated, international corruption-buster. This one relies on sleight of hand. As President, the argument goes, Trump had the right to take steps to prevent corruption in Ukraine, a recipient of foreign aid. Fine -- he would have been within his right to fight corruption. But that's simply not what happened. In fact, Trump pushed Zelensky for two, and only two, investigations -- one on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and another into a discredited theory that Ukraine, not Russia interfered in the 2016 election. And the evidence makes clear that Trump seemed to care less about the actual investigations than the public announcement of investigations -- which would serve his own political goals, and not actually combat corruption. Tellingly, Trump has a dismal record on fighting corruption, and has repeatedly tried to cut spending on anti-corruption programs in Ukraine and other countries. When asked in October 2019 to name any corruption case he had ever pushed for beyond those involving his political opponents, Trump responded: "We'd have to look." Over three months later, he's still looking. Argument 3. Evidence of the corrupt exchange (or 'quid pro quo') was largely speculative and based on presumption. This argument has some merit. Indeed, much of the evidence introduced in the House was based on the presumptions -- usually reasonable and well-founded and based on experience, but presumptions nonetheless -- from witnesses including former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor, Alexander Vindman, a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. But, first, that argument ignores firsthand evidence including, most importantly, the damning rough transcript of the July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky in which Trump stated, "I would like you to do us a favor though..." Second, the "no direct evidence" claim underscores the need to hear from witnesses who would have firsthand knowledge of Trump's intent, including former national security adviser John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney, who heads the Office of Management and Budget and serves as Trump's chief of staff. Trump's defense team made other arguments, too. Here's the lightning round: --They're trying to overturn the election: No, the Constitution provides for both elections and impeachment to remove corrupt officials from office --Schiff ran an unfair, secret process: No, the process afforded Trump ample due process --Trump was unfairly investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller and was cleared: To the extent Mueller is even relevant at all here, he found that the Trump campaign welcomed, encouraged and "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts" --What about the whistleblower? Irrelevant, and in any event, the whistleblower described Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky with remarkable accuracy. Notably absent from Saturday's presentation were some of the more inflammatory, dramatic arguments that seem likely to spark the most controversy. We haven't seen appearances from constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz or former independent counsel Ken Starr yet. No laughable, disproven arguments that impeachment must be based on a statutory crime (though that likely will come when Dershowitz takes the podium) have been introduced so far. There haven't been any assaults on the Bidens (for now). Those fireworks may be coming on Monday and Tuesday, but for now the defense has kept its powder dry. For now. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Starcore International Mines Ltd. (TSX: SAM) ("Starcore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has started a surface exploration drilling program of 3000 meters on the Santa Elena target (see press release January 13, 2020), in Queretaro, Mexico. The Company is conducting an exploration program that will consist of 10 holes between 200 to 400 meters each targeting the Santa Elena vein, which is thought to be a mirror of the San Martin vein(s), a typical epithermal gold-silver deposit characterized by low sulfation. "The Santa Elena vein offers an excellent exploration target and is close to our current milling infrastructure," said Salvador Garcia, Chief Operating Officer of the Company. The structure of Santa Elena is a tabular body of silicified massive breccia of quartz between the shales in the foot wall with the limestone breached on the hanging wall. Both belong to the Soyatal Formation of the Upper Cretaceous. The mineralization at the San Martin mine was previously thought to be associated with a dome of rhyolitic composition, and that the structure was repeated towards the east portion of that dome. New studies have detected that mineralization is associated with the stratification of the rocks. The new geological model shows the similarity of Santa Elena and the current operation area of San Martin geometrically correspond to a classic anticline, with Santa Elena being the western part of the crease flank. Photos of the new model can be viewed here. Salvador Garcia, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. About Starcore Starcore International Mines is engaged in precious metals production with focus and experience in Mexico. This base of producing assets is complemented by exploration and development projects throughout North America. The company is a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility and advocates value driven decisions that will increase long term shareholder value. You can find more information on the investor friendly website here: www.starcore.com. ON BEHALF OF STARCORE INTERNATIONAL MINES LTD. Signed "Salvador Garcia" Salvador Garcia, Chief Operating Officer FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: EVAN EADIE Investor Relations Telephone: (416)- 640-1936 x 203 Toll Free: 1-866-602-4935 Email: eeadie@starcore.com The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed, nor does it accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52111 Government is working out plans to secure an insurance cover for all front line workers who will be attending to coronavirus related cases in the occurrence of an outbreak in the country. Although the virus has claimed over 400 lives with over 20,000 reported cases from China and 26 other countries, there is no confirmed case in Ghana yet. Addressing the media, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu said the planned move is to aid in tackling the spread of the coronavirus in case of an outbreak. We are in this together and therefore we call on the private sector to give their full support to national efforts in this period, he said. Government has also set aside GHS2.5 million to respond in the event of an outbreak. The money is meant as start-up funds towards the implementation of the initial response for Ghanas national preparedness plan. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has initiated plans to procure 10,000 pieces of personal protection equipment for the use of all our frontline workers. ---citinewsroom The Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Transport, has announced new rules for digital taxi-hailing firms. Transport CS James Macharia announced the rules on Tuesday, stating that digital taxi owners will now be required to acquire three-year renewable licences to continue operations. All international digital taxi firms are required to pay an application and renewal fee of Sh500,000. Drivers on other hand will have to part with Sh500 for application and renewal of digital hailing service driver badge. Only firms that are legally recognised in Kenya and have a valid binding agreement between the operator and the vehicle owner are viable for a licence. Additionally, any person applying for a licence for a digital hailing service vehicle must have a tax compliance certificate from KRA, a standard form of contract between the driver and the owners of the vehicle and a certificate of registration as a body corporate. A digital hailing service operator must ensure that any vehicle whose digital hailing licence is suspended or revoked by the authority, cannot access the digital hailing platform during the period of suspension or revocation upon communication from the authority, Macharia said. The CS added that owners of the firms must ensure that all vehicles under the digital hailing service platform have valid insurance covers. He said all vehicles must have a valid certificate of worthiness affixed at the back. Moreover, before commencing a trip all taxi drivers must provide their passengers with information about the vehicle make and model, registration number, drivers name photo and the estimated fare rates. In the new rules, drivers are also prohibited from working for more than eight consecutive hours in one day. On commission limitation, operators should not charge a commission of more than 15 percent per trip or levy charges above the commission. Guest Commentary By Sylvain Charlebois Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is going into marketing. It wants you to buy Canadian, as much as you can. The buy Canadian campaign is about to start, sometime this summer, and the federal government intends to spend $25 million over five years to promote Canadian food products and instill pride in Canadians for what our country can bring to our tables. This is a great idea, in theory, but promoting Canadian products may not be quite so simple. The idea is to tell the story of our food sector and highlight the advantages of Canadian-made food products. The initiative also intends to provide transparency so Canadians can understand how our products are made. The focus is to build public trust in our food sector and promote Canadas brand, if it can be defined. The Canadian government is now looking for a marketing firm to promote Canadian food products and honour the mandate put forward by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. To deliver on such an important task, the firm will need to rely on how we see Canadas brand in food. Other than a few bureaucrats in Ottawa and elsewhere, its unclear if a consensus has been reached on the matter. Many will have varying opinions and will require some clarification. Secondly, it is unclear if the buy Canadian initiative will support products of Canada or products made in Canada - there are subtle but important differences. A product of Canada means that all the noteworthy ingredients of a food product are Canadian, and that non-Canadian material is insignificant. However, a made in Canada product suggests that the last step of processing occurred in Canada, regardless of whether its ingredients came from abroad or not. These two labels have left Canadians confused as to what food products are truly Canadian. The buy Canadian campaign could support one, the other, or both of these labels. Regardless, Canadians could end up wondering what the campaign is actually supporting. Naturally, this could be about products of Canada, but given our Nordic climate and that we cannot grow everything all year round, some made in Canada products are worthy of support and the processing required does generate some important manufacturing jobs here at home. But consumers need to know the difference. What can complicate things is the buy local movement legacy built by provinces. Many provinces have been at it for years - in some cases, decades. FoodLand Ontario, Canadas Food Island in Prince Edward Island, and Aliments Quebec in the province of Quebec have all been quite successful in promoting local products to their own constituents. Because of these programs, buying local, for many Canadians, is about buying within a province, or close to the city where they live. At this point, adding a federal layer of marketing would only add more noise. And promoting buy Canadian in some parts of the country, like Quebec for example, may not be the greatest of ideas. Just ask Walmart. Their buy Canadian campaign was a disaster in la Belle Province. Perceived protectionism can also become an issue with this campaign. As a trading nation, Canada cannot be seen as a country which gives an unfair advantage to domestically grown and produced food products. The Americans lost their case at the World Trade Organization when COOL (country of original labelling) was implemented and promoted a few years ago. Canadian cattle and hog producers will certainly remember. And then we have Canadian cuisine. It is highly unlikely that poutine, shepherds pie, Nanaimo bars, the mighty donair, Hawaiian pizza, and butter tarts that are intrinsically Canadian, would be part of this initiative. These are Canadian recipes that have endured the test of time. Thinking outside the box, perhaps it is high time we promote Canadian cuisine and inspire our food industry to do more in years to come. Innovation, for all intent and purposes, takes different forms; its not just about carrots, tomatoes, Canadian beef, or wheat. Promoting Canadian food should be about consumers, and not solely about farmgate issues. Farmers feed cities, but so do processors, distributors, grocers, and the foodservice industry. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada does not have the greatest reputation when it comes to serving the food industry. Farmers are critical of our food systems, but other elements of the supply chain should not be forgotten. If this initiative is about promoting the industry and providing transparency, then processing, distribution, and service need to be in scope. In the end, if this program isn't implemented properly, it has the potential to become a complete disaster. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Photo: CTV News A photograph taken at the scene of a collision between a Yellow Cab and another vehicle in Vancouver could become a crucial piece of evidence against the driver of the Yellow Cab. The photograph obtained by CTV News Vancouver shows a Yellow Cab with the door open and its airbags deployed, the driver's face is hidden but you can clearly see what appears to be a bottle of Bacardi by his foot. The incident happened Monday night at 8:30 p.m. near Cambie Street and 37th Ave. in Vancouver. Police have recommended charges against the driver. The Yellow Cab driver has impaired driving charges being recommended against him, said Const. Tania Visintin with Vancouver police. The cab had a badly damaged front end and Yellow Cab has yet to make a statement. Police indicate that two people were treated on scene but both were cleared of any injuries. -with files from CTV News Vancouver The Victorian government has insisted publicly releasing bushfire fuel load maps would provide a "to-do list" for arsonists, with one senior minister saying he would rather be suspended from Parliament than release the information. Premier Daniel Andrews has shot down the latest call to produce the maps from the state opposition, which has claimed lives are at risk because communities are unaware of fuel load hazards. The state opposition says fuel load maps would help communities prepare for bushfires. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Andrews said Forest Fire Management authorities provided advice on "many different occasions" not to publicly release the fuel load maps. Not doing so was also a "commonsense thing", the Premier said on Wednesday. "The first point is that common sense tells you we're not going to be providing to the criminal element a list of places where they should concentrate their effort. WASHINGTON As President Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he highlighted several people of color for promotions and giveaways and referred to policies popular with minority voters. It was an aggressive continuation of a strategy that he and his advisers believe should be a central part of his re-election effort: courting African-Americans, even if the odds look stacked against him and polls show that most black voters believe he is making the countrys racial issues worse. The administration welcomed five black guests in the first ladys box this year, days after Mr. Trumps re-election campaign aired an ad at the Super Bowl featuring Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old African-American woman who was granted clemency last year. Polls show that Mr. Trump has an uphill battle to win over black voters a Washington Post/Ipsos poll released last month showed that more than 80 percent of black respondents said they believed Mr. Trump was racist but he still used his annual address to try to gain some ground. Gesturing to the guests, Mr. Trump highlighted the story of Charles McGee, 100, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, a squad of African-American pilots in World War II. Mr. Trump said he had pinned stars to promote Mr. McGee to brigadier general earlier on Tuesday in the Oval Office. RTHK: Injuries but no deaths after plane splits in two More than 50 people have been injured after an airliner skidded off the runway at an Istanbul airport and split to two, but officials said no-one had died. The Boeing 737 had flown into Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport from the Aegean city of Izmir in very wet weather, broadcaster NTV reported, showing images of the badly damaged plane and a fire inside. The blaze was later put out by firefighters. Television footage showed people climbing through a large crack in the plane and escaping on one of the wings at the rear of the aircraft. The plane, operated by Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, had 177 passengers on board, state broadcaster TRT reported, and was believed to have six crew members. Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said there were no deaths, and that the majority of passengers were able to get off the plane themselves. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. For a month last summer, Raquel Zelayandia traveled to Mexico to try the nations best tacos. Zelayandia and her family are opening Taqueria del Pueblo within the Worcester Public Market that will specialize in two kinds of tacos: birria and tripe. The idea to open within the public market evolved from a lineage of family recipes creating tasty tacos. However, the Zelayandia family didnt want to leave any stone unturned or Mexican taco untasted. I got to talk to chefs. They were more than happy to give us tips, Zelayandia said. I got to know real tacos. Zelayandia spent two weeks in Mexico City and another two weeks in Puebla. She traveled with more than a mission to just eat tacos. She hoped to absorb the atmosphere of the Mexican taqueria - a space where customers can quickly grab tacos that are still made of quality ingredients. We want to make sure that every taco is made properly with a lot of attention, Zelayandia said. The trip to Mexico also highlighted the importance of homemade hot sauces to accompany the tacos. Zelayandia said some of the taquerias she visited in Mexico were known more for their sauces. Everybody had their own recipe, Zelayandia said. Every taqueria had different types of hot sauces, which I love. Some people even went to a taqueria because they love that hot sauce specifically. The hot sauce at Taqueria del Pueblo comes from three decades of family tradition. Theyll offer sauces at three levels, including mild and one for those who crave extreme heat. Zelayandias parents came to the United States from El Salvador about 30 years ago. She and her brother were born in Worcester. The public market, set to open Thursday, allows the family an opportunity to share their culture and passion through tacos. My mom loves to cook, Zelayandia said. That was something I said, youve got to bring your home recipe and share it not with us, but to the public Related Content BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov will visit Azerbaijan to participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council), which will be held in Baku on February 6, a source in the Kyrgyz embassy in Baku told Trend on Feb. 5. The Kyrgyz foreign minister will visit Azerbaijan as the head of the Kyrgyz delegation. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Uzbekistan joined the organization in 2019. The organization's goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn BOISE A proposed license plate would allow Idahoans to publicize their anti-abortion views to other motorists. The Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would create the Choose Life specialty license plate. The plate is intended to provide an option for those who wish to proudly express their support for unborn children. We strongly believe Idaho is pro-life, said Kerry Uhlenkott of Right to Life Idaho. This is just a beautiful testament for that. The plate would be available starting in 2021. It would cost $35 for the initial plate and $25 for each renewal, in addition to standard registration fees. A portion of the money would provide grants supporting life-affirming pregnancy resource centers in order to help pregnant women choose life for their babies and to encourage adoption as a positive choice for women with unplanned pregnancies. Choose Life Idaho President David Lange said the group came up with the idea and went through proper legal steps to create a non-profit and develop the plate. They received some counsel and advice from Choose Life America, which advocates for the anti-abortion plates nationwide. The plates are available in 32 states and more than a million have sold since 2000, according to the groups website. The effort has raised $28 million. Members from anti-abortion groups, life-affirming clinics, and the Catholic church also spoke in favor of the bill. Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, supported the bill but cautioned speakers about the possibility of a pro-choice license plate. I want to make clear that we all understand what were doing here and that we do open the door for competitors to request their recognition on a license plate, Winder said. Once that happens and we open this door, it will be impossible to close. The bill was approved on a party-line vote and heads to the full Senate. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Palm Harbor, FL, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- CEO Vincent Risalvato has made a statement about the company. Vincent Risalvato, CEO, Pennexx, has issued a statement on the companys web site. You may review at: http://pennexx.net/ceo-feb-5-2020.html The company is focused on expanding its beta launch and will continue to keep you up to date, says CEO Vincent Risalvato. Sunny Sweet, Chief Marketing Officer, is in the process of finalizing the new logos for Pennexx and Your Social Offers. The CEOs statement explains how customers can earn rewards for sharing their positive experiences with their friends. This sharing will support rapid growth for the merchant while rewarding customers loyalty. It also offers a platform, for the customers and merchants, to offer altruistic deeds to support the community. In his statement, Vincent Risalvato provides more light on his success and outlines some of the strategy of the companys decision to release updates to the public while under development. He also thanks everyone involved. He says he is looking forward to making further announcements after our launch has taken us to the next level. About Pennexx Foods Inc. (PNNX: OTCMKTS US). Pennexx, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a holding company within the Software/Internet Industry that is focused on social media, prepaid debit cards, BitGift TM, artificial intelligence, targeted marketing and consumer rewards. Safe Harbor Act: This release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may," "future," "plan" or "planned," "will" or "should," "expected," "anticipates," "draft," "eventually" or "projected." You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report. For additional information, visit our website at www.Pennexx.net or call 866-928-6409. We are also on Twitter @Pennexx. Wright (I Am My Own Wife) said that the project originated with Hayes himself, but he found it similarly intriguing. Oscar was the first comic to speak about his own mental health issues, Wright said. He was both Americas closest approximation to Oscar Wilde and, in a way, the first shock jock. He sent seismic waves through the Eisenhower era. Four planes will arrive at four different military bases in the U.S. this week, carrying American passengers from Wuhan, China, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The big picture: Upon landing, the CDC will evaluate the passengers and issue quarantine orders starting from the day the flights took off through 14 days thereafter. Already, one plane landed in the U.S. last week. The total number of passengers has not yet been released. The flights, two landing Wednesday and the other two Thursday, will arrive at: Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The plane landed Wednesday with 178 people, per a CDC official. None of the passengers showed symptoms except a child who had a fever on the flight. They have been taken to a health facility. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. Go deeper: What you need to know about the coronavirus Children learning water survival and swim stroke development at British Swim School. British Swim School's passionate owners make a difference in their communities by providing life-saving water survival and stroke development lessons. British Swim School, the premier survival and stroke development swim lesson provider, recently ranked in Entrepreneur magazines Franchise 500, the worlds first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, making it one of the companys most competitive rankings ever. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500 ranks British Swim School as #203 for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power. We at British Swim School are honored to be recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the best franchising opportunities in 2020, said British Swim School President Brian Garrison. As a recession-resistant, technology-resistant, low investment franchise concept with a robust marketing system and support, we help our passionate owners make a difference in their communities by providing life-saving water survival and stroke development lessons. We are excited for continued growth as we expand throughout the United States and Canada. Over its 41 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. British Swim Schools position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity. "The 500 companies on this list all have something in common: They understand what consumers want now, says Entrepreneur editor in chief Jason Feifer. They may be an upstart in a brand-new category, or they may be a brand like Dunkin thats ranked highly on our list for decades. But either way, making our list means theyre forward-thinking, nimble, and closely in touch with their customers needs because, in an ever-changing business environment, thats what a franchise must do to thrive." The key factors that go into the evaluation include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order. To view British Swim School in the full ranking, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2020 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 14. ### About British Swim School British Swim Schools mission is teaching water safety and survival skills to children as young as 3 months old. Rita Goldberg founded British Swim School in 1981 and developed the unique and highly effective teaching methods that are a recognized trademark of the brand today. Acquired by Buzz Franchise Brands in early 2019, British Swim School is the latest addition to the Buzz Franchise Brands family, which includes pool cleaning and maintenance company Pool Scouts and residential cleaning company Home Clean Heroes. British Swim School currently operates over 215 schools across the United States and Canada. For more information about British Swim School, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com. To learn more about the benefits of British Swim Schools franchising opportunities, visit https://franchise.britishswimschool.com/. For more information about Buzz Franchise Brands, visit https://www.buzzfranchisebrands.com/. (Newser) California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause physical education tests for students for three years due to concerns over bullying and the test discriminating against disabled and non-binary studentsa move that comes as a growing percentage of students are scoring not healthy. The proposal was tucked inside Newsoms education budget bill for next year, and a rep for the Department of Finance says the state has fielded complaints that the current exam's measurement of body mass index is discriminatory to non-binary students. A measurement calculated from weight and height, BMI screenings require students to select "male" or "female," he said. During the proposed suspension, the state would study whether the current test should be modified or redrawn anew. story continues below Physical education classes would remain a requirement for graduation, however. Annual state reports of the fitness test since the 2014-2015 school year show a steady decline in the share of students scoring healthy, according to a review by the AP. Students' scores have particularly dropped in the category of the fitness test that measures "aerobic capacity"which can be tested in a one-mile run or by other methods. Other categories also test for flexibility and exercises like push-ups. In the last five years, the percentage of fifth graders scoring healthy in the aerobic category has dropped by 3.3 percentage points. In seventh and ninth grades, the drops are 4.4 points and 3.8 points, respectively. (Read more physical fitness stories.) Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban's center-right minority government has been dismissed after losing a no-confidence vote brought by the leftist opposition. The no-confidence motion was put forward on February 5 by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD), who were themselves ousted by parliament in October, and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR. The PSD and UDMR had criticized Orban for pushing to alter electoral laws without public debate ahead of a mayoral ballot scheduled in late spring. Lawmakers voted 261-139 to dismiss the government, comfortably above the 233-vote threshold needed. It was the first test of parliamentary support for Orban's minority cabinet since taking power on an anti-corruption ticket in November. The PSD and the UDMR hold 228 seats in parliament, which indicates that a number of lawmakers from the center-right USR and center-left Pro Romania parties voted against a government that they initially supported in November. Early elections are likely to be called by June at the latest. If the vote had failed, Orban's cabinet would have had a green light to reintroduce electing local officials in two rounds of voting instead of the current first-past-the-post system introduced in 2012. Both PSD and the UDMR would have stood to lose a high number of local positions if local officials will again be elected in two rounds. However, Orban's Liberals, who have upped their popularity ratings from 30 percent to some 47 percent since November, have a better chance to form a coalition government after snap polls rather than wait until regular parliamentary elections due later this year. Orban said after the vote, "The government has fallen, but it has fallen on its feet." PSD has seen its popularity halved over the same period of time to about 20 percent. With reporting by RFE/RL's Romanian Service, g4media.ro, digi.24.ro, and Reuters Haiti - Croix-des-Bouquets : Armed attack against the town hall, version and official reactions Tuesday morning Rony Colin, the Mayor of Croix-des-Bouquets, accompanied by the deputy mayors, lawyer Gedine Cetoute and professor Jonas St-Juste, went to the Tozwn Hall to observe the damage caused to the building after the attack on Monday by armed individuals identified as members of the Gang "Bad Dogs" led by Adler Corrielus, aka "Bob Anel" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29935-haiti-flash-heavily-armed-individuals-attack-the-town-hall-of-croix-des-bouquets.html and talk with the staff. According to the official version of the Town Hall of Croix-des-Bouquets "[...] The Office of Mayor Rony was particularly targeted. An employee of the Municipal Administration was hit by a projectile in his hand during the assault on these bandits who seem to have had a very precise and planned mission. They entered the town hall. With their firearms and stones, they shattered several windows of the building, terrorizing employees and taxpayers. The latter were stripped of their personal effects including : suitcases, wallets, telephones, among others. The thieves notably took away important documents, vandalized the Town Hall and stole a large sum of money from taxpayer contributions. After committing their crime, they chained and padlocked the barriers giving access to the building. When they left, they fired in all directions, ransomed passers-by, merchants and street vendors in the area. Which created a great panic. All these events took place in the total indifference and passivity of the police authorities." The mayor and his assistants exchanged with the employees on the course of the events and expressed their solidarity with the employees and presented their sympathies to the employees and taxpayers victims. Elected officials paid tribute to the courage and professionalism of the staff who, despite the traumatic attack of the previous day, presented themselves at their post to ensure the normal functioning of all the services of the municipal administration. Mayor Colin assured staff that measures will be taken to strengthen security at the Town Hall level and informed that he had asked the police and judicial authorities to assume their responsibilities and the Government Commissioner to the Court of First Instance of Croix-des-Bouquets, Me Maxime Augustin, to put public action in motion against the perpetrators and accomplices of this armed attack. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29935-haiti-flash-heavily-armed-individuals-attack-the-town-hall-of-croix-des-bouquets.html HL/ HaitiLibre Many analysts fear that the crisis over the vote could stretch for weeks, because the audit will be carried out by the same election commission that opposition candidates had accused of mismanagement and of favoring Mr. Ghani. Mr. Ghanis supporters, in return, accuse the opposition of playing an obstruction game, challenging his victory so they can get a share in the government. The political crisis continues amid sensitive peace negotiations to end the long war in Afghanistan. Taliban officials and American negotiators have been meeting for weeks trying to finalize a peace deal that was torpedoed by President Trump last September just as the two sides were ready to sign. The United States is demanding that the Taliban significantly reduce its attacks before the two sides make their agreement final. A deal between Washington and the Taliban, which would also involve the gradual withdrawal of the remaining American troops, would open the way for negotiations between the insurgents and other Afghans, including Mr. Ghanis government, over power sharing. President Trump has made no secret of his desire to significantly reduce the American troop presence in Afghanistan whether there is a peace deal or not. In his State of the Union speech, he said peace talks were continuing and reiterated his desire to end the war. Donald Trump was acquitted on the two articles of impeachment against him on Wednesday, bringing a four-month fractious trial and inquiry to a close. The final outcome was an almost certainty in the Republican-controlled Senate where it would have taken a two-thirds majority to remove him from office. The president took to Twitter to respond, re-upping a video from June of last year that showed Trump winning election after election, ending up as president forever. The final slide in it reads: 'Trump4Eva.' He also said he'd make a statement from the White House on Thursday. 'I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Countrys VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!,' he tweeted. And White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham put on a statement slamming the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats. This was yet another witch-hunt that deprived the president of his due process rights and was based on a series of lies, she said. The president is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past, and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president remains a 'threat' that the House will continue to combat through its lawsuits against the administration and with the public. 'Sadly, because of the Republican Senates betrayal of the Constitution, the President remains an ongoing threat to American democracy, with his insistence that he is above the law and that he can corrupt the elections if he wants to. The House will continue to protect and defend the checks and balances in the Constitution that safeguard our Republic, both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion,' she said. President Trump responded to impeachment vote by tweeting a 'Trump 4Eva' video During the final portion of the trial, which lasted around 45 minutes, Chief Justice John Roberts presided over the the two votes - one for each article - and instructed senators to vote 'guilty' or 'not guilty,' which is different from the usual 'yeah' or 'nay' lawmakers say. Silence reigned during the votes, the only sound being the clerk of the Senate calling the roll and the senator responding. At the end of each vote, Roberts pronounced Trump 'not guilty as charged.' On the first article, abuse of power, 48 senators voted guilty and 52 found the president not guilty. For the second vote, on obstruction of Congress, 47 senators voted guilty and 53 voted not guilty. With the votes concluded, Roberts gave the final judgement. 'The Senate having tried Donald J. Trump - president of the united States - upon two articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives and 2/3 of the senators present not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein, it is therefore order and judged that the said Donald John Trump be hereby acquitted of the charges in the said articles,' Roberts pronounced. Donald Trump was acquitted on the two articles of impeachment against him The Senate vote on Wednesday brought the four-month impeachment process to a close Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, when the trial was over, said it was time move ahead. 'Its time to move on,' he said at a press conference in the Capitol. 'This decision has been made. As far as Im concerned its in the rear view mirror.' And then he returned to the Senate floor to conduct business as usual, moving forward on judicial nominations. The trial, which was contentious at times, ended on a courteous note. McConnell and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer both spoke to thank staff, the teenage Senate pages, and U.S. Capitol Police for the work during the trial's long hours, when the Senate was in session up to 12 or 13 hours a day. Additionally, the Senate awarded Roberts the Golden Gavel, which is a trophy given to senators after theyve spent 100 hours presiding over the chamber. McConnell noted Roberts hit that bench mark during the trial. Senators applauded Roberts after McConnell announced the honor. I know that my colleagues join me in thanking Chief Justice Roberts for presiding over the Senate trial with a clear head and steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands, McConnell said. We know full well that his presence as our presiding officer came in addition to and not instead of his day job across the street. So the Senate thanks the chief justice and his staff who helped him to perform this unique role. Like his predecessor, Chief Rehnquist, the Senate will present him the golden gavel for his time to preside over this body, and we typically award this to the senators who have put in 100 hours, but we can all believe that the chief justice has put in his due and then some. Thank you very much, Roberts said. He also offered his own words of thanks, making the longest speech of his tenure in the Senate during his closing remarks. The Senate awarded Chief Justice John Roberts the Golden Gavel for his service A Senate page brings Justice Roberts the golden gavel award He thanked the Senate leaders, the staff, and Capitol Police. He also thanked the Senators. 'And thank you, all, for making my presence here as comfortable as possible. As I depart the chamber, I so so with the invitation to visit the court by long tradition and in memory of the 135 years we sat in this building. We keep the front row of the gallery in our courtroom open for members of Congress who might want to drop by to see an argument or to escape one. I also depart with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter. You have been generous host, and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances, Roberts said. And then he gaveled the trial to a close: I move that the Senate sitting as the court of impeachment on the articles against Donald John Trump adjourn sine die. Despite the outcome being pre-ordained, there were some surprises in the final hours leading up to the 4 p.m. vote - namely the decision of Republican Senator Mitt Romney to break ranks with his party and vote to convict the president on the abuse of power charge. He was the only Republican to do so in a move that stunned Capitol Hill. 'The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a "high crime and misdemeanor,' Romney said ahead of the vote. 'Yes, he did.' He voted to acquit on the obstruction of Congress charge. But Romney's decision will deny Trump a talking point he desperately coveted - that all Republicans stood by him in his hour of need. The White House has bragged that all House Republicans voted with the president - an assertion they won't be able to make about the Senate. McConnell indicated Romney would face discipline from him for his face. 'We dont have any dog houses here. The most important vote is the next vote,' he said when asked how long Romney would be in the dog house. Schumer applauded Romney and charged other Republicans would have voted the same if they weren't afraid of the wrath of the president. 'Donald Trump has them all very fearful,' the Democratic leader said. 'Theyre always afraid of Donald Trump. He brokers no descension.' Democratic House manager Adam Schiff arrives to the Senate floor for the vote Chief Justice John Roberts arrives in Capitol to preside over the vote Democrats, meanwhile, did not lose a single vote despite speculation that red state Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama could side with the president. To do so would have allowed Trump to brag about a bipartisan acquittal. He was denied that talking point too. All three announced Wednesday they would vote to convict. And it remains to be seen what political consequences remain for the lawmakers. Only Jones is up in the November election. And the senators running for the Democratic presidential nomination - Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren - all voted to convict on both articles. Romney acknowledged he would face the fury of the president for his decision and he pre-taped an interview with Fox News, that ran shortly after his speech on the Senate floor, to explain his decision. The president is a frequent viewer of Fox News. Romney, a deeply-religious Mormon, cited his faith as the reason behind his decision. At times he choked up on the Senate floor during his remarks, pausing and taking deep breathes before he continued. The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a senator juror, I swore an oath before god to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before god as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced, he said in his remarks on the Senate floor. Mitt Romney announced he will vote to convict Donald Trump on the abuse of power charge Mitt Romney cited his faith as the reason and said he expected feel President Trump's wrath for his decision Romney explained his reasoning behind the abuse of power decision, saying he was convinced President Trump acted as he did because it involved Joe and Hunter Biden, Trumps political rivals. There's no question in my mind that were there names not Biden the president would never have done what he did, Romney said. The senator has a hot-and-cold relationship with the president. He railed against Trump's candidacy during the 2016 Republican presidential party but embraced him when Trump won the Oval Office. The two men have agreed and disagreed on various issues. Romney handled the impeachment trial carefully and was one of two Republicans who voted with Democrats to call additional witnesses. That vote failed in the Republican-controlled Senate. Romney's announcement stunned Capitol Hill Mitt Romney and Donald Trump had dinner together at Jean Georges in New York shortly after Trump won the 2016 election Romney told Fox News' Chris Wallace that he was prepared for the consequences of his decision. He next faces voters in 2024. Trump endorsed Romney in his 2018 election. I do believe he should be removed from office,' he said. Wallace pointed out to him: 'You realize this is war. Donald Trump will never forgive you for this.' I know in my heart that I'm doing what's right,' Romney responded. 'I understand there's going to be enormous consequence. I don't have a choice in that regard. That's why I haven't been anxious to be in the position I'm in. When I heard there was going to be an impeachment investigation, as I heard the evidence coming forward, I dreaded the responsibility I have. But I was not willing to abdicate the responsibility given to me by the constitution, nor to ignore my conscience out of personal and political significance considerations. I had to follow my conscience.' This is the most difficult decision I've ever made in my life. There's been nothing that compares to this, he added. Mitt Romney taped an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace Wednesday morning to explain his decision The Republican-controlled Senate met at 4 p.m. to vote on Trump's fate Romney acknowledged he could lose his next election campaign over this but said losing the presidency was the worst thing that had ever happened to him so he was at peace with his decision. He noted, too, that his life in Washington D.C. was about to get 'lonely.' READ THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST DONALD TRUMP In 1,414 words, the articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives lay out two charges against President Donald Trump. Article I: Abuse of Power Using the powers of his high office, President Trump solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Presidential election. He did so through a scheme or course of conduct that included soliciting the Government of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations that would benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of a political opponent, and influence the 2020 United States Presidential election to his advantage. President Trump also sought to pressure the Government of Ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official United States Government acts of significant value to Ukraine on its public announcement of the investigations. President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit. In so doing, President Trump used the powers of the Presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process.' Article II: Obstruction of Congress As part of this impeachment inquiry, the Committees undertaking the investigation served subpoenas seeking documents and testimony deemed vital to the inquiry from various Executive Branch agencies and offices, and current and former officials. In response, without lawful cause or excuse, President Trump directed Executive Branch agencies, offices, and officials not to comply with those subpoenas. President Trump thus interposed the powers of the Presidency against the lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, and assumed to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the 'sole Power of Impeachment' vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives. In the history of the Republic, no President has ever ordered the complete defiance of an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct and impede so comprehensively the ability of the House of Representatives to investigate 'high Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' This abuse of office served to cover up the President's own repeated misconduct and to seize and control the power of impeachment -- and thus to nullify a vital constitutional safeguard vested solely in the House of Representatives. Advertisement It's going to get very lonely. The consequences are significant. They are enough that it made it very difficult process for me. There's not been a morning since this process began that I slept beyond 4:00 a.m., he said. Well, a friend of mine once said that the worst thing that ever happened to them politically had already happened. The worst thing that already happened me politically was losing the presidency in 2012. I have broad enough shoulders to be able to weather personal changes in my career, political or otherwise. What I don't have is the capacity to ignore my conscience, he added. Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager for the Democrats, praised Romney's decision. 'Having proven Trump guilty, I asked if there was just one Republican Senator who would say enough. Who would stand up against this dangerously immoral president. Who would display moral courage. Who would do impartial justice as their oath required and convict. And there is,' he wrote on Twitter. Ahead of the vote there was the question of whether any Democratic senators would break party lines and vote to acquit the president. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama all hail from states Trump won in 2016 and retains strong popularity. But Jones said Wednesday morning he will vote to convict the president on both counts of impeachment. 'After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the President for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,' he said in a statement. Sinema and Manchin announced shortly before the vote they would vote to convict on both articles. 'Today, I vote to approve both articles, as my highest duty, and my greatest love, is to our nation's Constitution,' Sinema said in a statement. 'I reach this conclusion reluctantly,' Manchin said in a statement. 'I take no pleasure in these votes.' Manchin proposed censuring Trump - a move that would let the Senate express its disapproval of his actions in the Ukraine without formally removing the president from office. Several Republican senators have said they don't approve of Trump's actions but don't find them to rise to the level of an impeachable offense. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska criticized the president on the Senate floor Monday night but said she would vote for his acquittal when the chamber votes on a verdict in his trial. 'The president's behavior was shameful and wrong. His personal interests do not take precedent over those of this great nation,' she said. The White House on Tuesday dismissed the censure idea, arguing the president has done nothing wrong. 'The answer to that is no because the president did nothing wrong,' deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters at the White House. Trump, in a July 25 phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked him to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. The president said this was out of concern for corruption in that country - Hunter Biden at the time sat on the board of a powerful Ukrainian gas company. Democrats claim he was trying to get a foreign government to help him win re-election. As for senators, they are scheduled to leave town after the vote and won't return to Washington D.C. until next week. The vote may end the impeachment trial but it's not likely to ease tensions between Republicans and Democrats, which were on full display Tuesday night during the State of the Union Address. House impeachment managers Adam Schiff, Jerrold Nadler, Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, and Val Demings sat together at State of the Union address Adam Schiff hugs Nancy Pelosi before the speech began Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama are being watched for their votes The bitter feud between President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi boiled over during the speech, with Trump snubbing her outstretched hand and Pelosi ripping apart a copy of his remarks behind his back. Trump delivered the astonishing snub to Pelosi as he started his speech by ignoring her as she offered him a handshake, which set the tone for a full-throated condemnation of his political enemies and his presidential predecessors in front of a divided Congress. He simply turned away as the Speaker took her copy of his speech, then stood in front of a chamber which echoed with cries of 'four more years' from Republicans. That moment set the tone for the rest of the night and was reflective of the atmosphere in Washington since September, when Pelosi announced the House would formally open an impeachment investigation into the president. WASHINGTON Delivering the Democrats response to President Donald Trumps State of the Union address, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer described the difference between the two parties as pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better, Whitmer said.Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away. Her focus on policy issues came after an acrimonious State of the Union address that began with a refusal by Trump to shake House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand and ended with the speaker ripping up the text of the president's speech. Whitmer ended her remarks by referencing the vote the Republican-led Senate is expected to take Wednesday to acquit Trump of the two articles of impeachment approved by the Democrat-controlled House. "The truth matters. Facts matter. And no one should be above the law," she said. "Its time for action. Generations of Americans are counting on us. Lets not let them down." But on the eve of the conclusion of Democrats' effort to remove Trump through impeachment, Whitmer's speech showed how the party is trying to pivot to issues like health care that helped them take back the House in 2018. Lawmakers brought more than 80 patients, doctors and health care advocates from across the country to sit in the spectators gallery as Trump spoke. Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivers the State of the State address at the State Capitol in Lansing, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Health care. Health care. Health care, Pelosi said before the speech. The three most important issues for Americas working families. Freshman Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, who delivered the partys Spanish language response, accused Republicans in her state of refusing to lift a finger to improve access to health care. Texas is one of the largest states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. A pending lawsuit, which Trump supports, aims at undoing Democrats landmark 2010 health care law. The law stopped health insurers from denying coverage to sick people. Sitting behind Trump as he spoke, Pelosi wryly smiled as Republicans stood to applaud when the president promised to protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Story continues Many other Democrats laughed, booed and crossed their arms while the president talked about health care. Reps. Julia Brownley, D-Calf., and Norma Torres, D-Calif., both lifted their arms into a giant shrug. As the president said he was combating pharmaceutical companies, Democrats started to loudly laugh. Rising to their feet, some Democrats loudly shouted and cut off the presidents speech for several seconds as they chanted H.R. 3, legislation aimed at reducing drug prices that passed the House last year and has not been taken up in the Senate. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) speaks during a press conference on September 6, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. Trump accused Democrats of pushing a "socialist takeover" of health care through a single-payer system that would replace private health insurance plans. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' advocacy of "Medicare for All" is one of the main issues fueling his presidential campaign. Whitmer, who opposed Medicare for All in her competitive 2018 primary, described her own challenges with the health care system. Soon after being elected to the state House at age 29, Whitmer got married, had a baby and took care of her dying mother. She had to figure out how to keep nursing her infant and fight the insurance company that refused to pay for chemotherapy for her mother while learning how to do her new job. It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces, our health care system and our child care system. And it changed me, Whitmer, 48, said. I lost patience for people who are just talk and no action." Whitmer pitched Democrats as the party trying to solve problems, whether thats climate change, gun violence, stagnating wages or crumbling infrastructure. Bullying people on Twitter doesnt fix bridges. It burns them," Whitmer said in her remarks, delivered from her daughters' public school in Michigan. "Our energy should be used to solve problems. Trump and congressional Democrats have both said fixing infrastructure is a top priority. But neither side has said how they would pay for it. In Michigan, Whitmers proposal for a 45-cent gas tax increase was rejected by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Whitmer recently announced a $3.5 million borrowing plan that does not require legislative approval. Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan and editor of a book on State of the Union addresses, said Whitmer drew sharp political contrasts on major issues like health care and infrastructure, which were responsible for Democratic congressional gains in 2018 and need to be replicated for success in the 2020 election. But Kall thought it was a mistake for Whitmer to end on the upcoming impeachment vote. "The endgame is already a forgone conclusion tomorrow, and recent public opinion polls show Americans are at best divided on the question of removal from office," Kall said. Whitmer's 2018 election was seen as an early test of whether Democrats could come back in a state that gave Trump a surprising though narrow victory in 2016. Trump beat Hillary Clinton by a margin of less than 11,000 votes as part of the sweep of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that earned him the White House. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to carry Michigan since 1988. "Michigan invented the middle class, so we know if the economy doesnt work for working people, it just doesnt work," Whitmer said in her criticism of Trump's handling of the economy. Besides taking back the governor's mansion in 2018, Michigan Democrats also kept the Senate seat on the ballot and flipped control of two congressional districts and the secretary of state and attorney general offices. All winning Democrats in those races were women. Democrats choice of two women Whitmer and Escobar to deliver the responses to Trump reflects the partys female-driven enthusiasm. As they have before, many Democratic women including Pelosi wore white. This is a sign of women empowerment and unity, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., said before the speech. It is important for everyone, including the president, to understand that we play an important role here in the Congress and elsewhere. Contributing: Christal Hayes, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of the Union: Gretchen Whitmer goes after Trump on health care In a saga that continues for Macy's (NYSE:M), the department store chain is planning to close one of its major offices in San Francisco and 125 of its stores. This is another chapter in the company's efforts to drastically cut costs sales decline. What's happening As first reported by Business Insider, Macy's will close the office in April. The San Francisco location includes tech and online groups as well as Macy's product and digital revenue divisions. Right now, there are over 1,000 workers there, 880 full time employees and 200 contract workers. A portion of them will have the option of being transferred to other company offices in New York or Atlanta, and the rest will lose their jobs and receive severance pay. The retailer will also shutter 125 of its stores, which is approximately one fifth of its total retail footprint. What it means for the company Macy's saw 11 quarters of declines before sales came back up in 2017, but then it saw revenue decline 3.5% in the third quarter of 2019 as the retail giant struggles to remain relevant in a new retail climate that increasingly favors online shopping. The company's huge stores are outdated for the age of shopping-in-your-palm, and it has been shrinking store footprints in an effort to optimize space and cut costs. Macy's originally laid out a plan to close 100 stores in 2017, and went through with 63 closures the following year. It closed 30 more since then, bringing the total close to the intended amount, but company is planning to close an additional 28 Macy's locations and one Bloomingdale's location in the coming year. The company's share price lost almost 40% of its value in 2019 but gained on the news of the closure, which many investors are interpreting as a step in the right direction. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Pan Global Resources Inc. (TSXV: PGZ) (OTC: PGNRF) (the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on exploration in the Escacena and Aguilas projects in Spain. This includes new geophysics and geochemistry results at Escacena and results from drilling at the Torrubia North target in the Aguilas Project. Recently completed geophysics and soil geochemistry surveys at Escacena have outlined several new targets. Follow-up drilling is set to commence shortly at Escacena's La Romana copper target. The new drill holes on the northern continuation of the Torrubia trend at Aguilas confirmed broad zones of alteration and multi-stage breccia containing strongly copper mineralized breccia clasts. Highlights Escacena geochemistry and geophysics identifies new targets : A large zinc plus lead soil anomaly and coincident North-dipping IP plus EM conductor anomaly at Canada Alta Multiple IP chargeability and low resistivity responses on 3 lines and continuous over 800m of strike at the Canada Honda gravity anomaly Follow-up drilling at the La Romana target in Escacena to commence shortly Torrubia North drilling confirmed wide zones of breccia and alteration: Strong copper mineralization in breccia fragments Narrow drill intervals with anomalous copper and gold, including peak assay values up to 0.78% Cu and 3.48 g/t Au Tim Moody, Pan Global President and CEO states: "We are very pleased the new results in the Escacena Project show multiple new targets. Exploration will now focus on accelerating the follow-up drilling at the La Romana target. The reconnaissance drill holes at Torrubia North intersected wide zones of multi-stage breccia and alteration with anomalous copper and gold. The presence of strong copper mineralized clasts within the breccia in several drill holes is further evidence of an early high-grade copper stage and exploration potential on the Torrubia trend." Escacena Project In early 2019, Pan Global completed two Induced Polarisation ("IP") and two gravity profiles over the Canada Honda gravity target and one line of IP and two lines of gravity over the La Romana gravity target. On 23 October, 2019, the company reported results for the first three drill holes testing shallow IP chargeability anomalies, including hole LRD-02 at the La Romana target with 20.55m at 1.5% Cu equivalent from 37m, including 7 meters at 3.43% Cu equivalent. The high copper grades near to surface indicates open-pit potential at La Romana. The Cu intersection in drill hole LRD-02 is coincident with a strong gravity high, IP chargeability anomaly and down-hole EM conductor. New exploration results reported here include ground gravity, IP, TEM and soil geochemistry surveys. The results are summarized in Figure 1. Figure 1 - Escacena Investigation Permit target summary To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5190/52141_4611688f44fefa3a_001full.jpg The new ground gravity surveys include 120 stations on a 200 by 200m grid in the Northwest of the permit area and 115 stations every 50m along lines 250m apart over Canada Honda and Canada Alta targets. The results were integrated with historical gravity data. The results enhance the Canada Honda target and indicate several additional untested gravity anomalies. Further modelling and investigation of these targets is required. A 1.4 km line of dipole-dipole IP and adjacent 1.4 km line of TEM were completed over the western peak of the Canada Honda gravity target. The results include three separate East-West oriented IP chargeability and resistivity-low anomalies across all three IP lines completed to-date, indicating potential continuity over approximately 800m of strike. The new results highlight a strong chargeability anomaly (>25 mV/V) coincident with a shallow TEM conductor and lead and zinc soil anomaly at the Encina target. The conductor is interpreted as a tabular North-dipping body some tens of meters deep, representing potential metal sulphide mineralization. The low resistivity anomalies on the two eastern-most IP lines represent potential deep semi-massive to massive sulphide. A total of 625 soil samples were collected, including: 127 Soil samples collected over a 2.7 by 1.8 km area, on a 200 by 200m grid at each gravity station in the West of Escacena. Soil sampling over the Canada Honda and Encina targets with samples collected every 40m along 100m spaced North-South lines. Soil sampling over the La Romana gravity target, with samples collected every 40m on 2 North-South lines, 200m apart. The soil sample results highlight a large lead and zinc anomaly (>200 to 1386 ppm Pb+Zn) over a 1.2 by 0.5 km area at the Encina target with peak values of 755 ppm Zn and 588 ppm Pb. The Pb-Zn anomaly overlies volcanics that dip North beneath a thrust fault towards the Canada Honda gravity target. The soil geochemistry results also include locally anomalous Cu (up to 405 ppm) and Au (up to 349 ppb) over the Canada Honda gravity target. The samples were analyzed using a combination of commercial laboratory and Vanta portable XRF. Land access was recently agreed and allows follow-up drilling to commence at the La Romana target. A total of five drill holes are planned (total 900m), testing down dip and along strike from hole LRD-02. Drilling is expected to commence in February. Aguilas Project The Aguilas Project includes nine Investigation Permits, covering approximately 16,300 hectares in northern Andalucia, Spain. The main targets are major cross-cutting fault zones in the Pedroches Batholith, including the Northeast oriented Torrubia copper trend and the Northwest oriented Zumajo Pb-Ag (Zn) mine trend. In May 2019, the company reported results for the first eight drill holes on the Torrubia trend and confirmed wide zones of breccia and Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) style mineralization over several kilometers strike length. This included 16m @ 0.30% Cu, 30.5ppm Co, 0.6 g/t Ag, 0.05 g/t Au in drill hole TOR-01, including 0.8m @ 2.65% Cu, 125ppm Co, 3 g/t Ag, 0.004 g/t Au and 0.7m @ 1.85% Cu, 240ppm Co, 2.1 g/t Ag, 0.02 g/t Au, and 0.7m @ 0.55 g/t Au. Results are reported here for reconnaissance drill holes completed in late November, 2019 at the Torrubia North target. The drilling program was designed to test a 1.9km long copper anomaly with up to 1,980 ppm Cu in soils, 8.4% Cu in boulders, up to 1.2% Cu in outcrop and evidence of ancient shallow mine works. This includes seven wide-spaced diamond drill holes (TN-01 to TN-07) for a total of 964.4m. The drill holes were spread over approximately 1.6 km of strike with hole spacing from 150 to 600 m and average hole length of approximately 138 m (range from 106.3 to 162.1m). See Table 1 and Figure 2 for drill hole locations and collar details. Best results; TN-01: 2.7m @ 0.4% Pb, 1.3g/t Ag from 74m and 7.5m @ 0.13% Cu from 124.5m TN-02: 1.3m @ 0.22% Cu, 0.24% Pb, 2.4g/t Ag from 90.8m TN-05: 2.4m @ 0.23% Cu from 45m, including 0.4m @ 0.78% Cu TN-06: 3m @ 1.16 g/t Au, 0.6g/t Ag from 74m, including 0.8m @ 3.48 g/t Au, 1.5g/t Ag The drill holes extend the Torrubia trend and confirm a steep west-dipping zone of multi-stage breccia over 10 to 68 meters thick with strong hematite, quartz and carbonate alteration. The breccia is weakly anomalous in Cu in each drill hole reflecting potential dilution by later quartz-carbonate breccia events and more recent faulting. Several drill holes intersected strongly copper-mineralized clasts within the breccia (Figure 3). These provide evidence of an early copper-rich stage and exploration potential along the Torrubia structure and at depth. High gold values in hole TN-06 are associated with quartz pyrite veins, indicating a separate gold stage. Less than 25% of the Torrubia trend has been investigated to date and additional work is required to determine local scale controls on the Cu mineralization. Further investigation of the Au potential is also required. Table 1 - Torrubia North drill hole collar information Hole_ID UTM X (ERTS) UTM Y (ERTS) Z (ERTS) Azimuth (T) Dip (deg) Length (m) Recovery % TN01 373647 4246700 657 125 -55 159.6 98.8 TN02 374505 4248080 689 125 -60 162.1 95.5 TN03 374447 4247942 693 125 -60 152.4 95.8 TN04 374362 4247807 683 125 -60 138.7 86.8 TN05 374057 4247134 677 125 -60 106.3 90.93 TN06 374263 4247608 671 125 -55 114.5 98.62 TN07 374184 4247492 660 125 -55 130.8 92.21 Figure 2 -Torrubia North soil copper anomaly map and drill hole locations. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5190/52141_4611688f44fefa3a_002full.jpg Figure 3 - Drill core from the Torrubia North target with examples of breccia clasts containing strong copper mineralization associated with red and black hematite alteration. (a) Drill hole TN-01 showing a chalcopyrite-hematite fragment within a multi-stage, polymictic, quartz-carbonate matrix breccia; (b) inset - clast with coarse chalcopyrite; (c) Drill hole TN-02, breccia fragment with strong chalcopyrite and secondary Cu minerals and host within mainly quartz; and (d) drill hole TN-05, with abundant red hematite clasts containing chalcopyrite and secondary Cu, within a largely carbonate matrix. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5190/52141_4611688f44fefa3a_003full.jpg QA/QC Drilling was subcontracted to an independent drilling company. Typically, all holes were collared in PQ to approximately 10m and continued in HQ. Drill hole collar positions were surveyed using a Differential GPS Leica 900 with centimetric precision. The trajectory of each borehole was surveyed using a Mag Cruiser Sensor Module SM1 series 1801. Core was logged and processed at PGZ's secure core storage facility at Villanueva de Cordoba. Average core recovery for the program varied from 90.9% to 98.8%. Nominal sample intervals varied from approximately 0.5 to 2m. Samples were half core and competent drill core was cut using a bench water cooled diamond saw and fractured unconsolidated material was manually split. Core was photographed before and after cutting. Samples were hand delivered to the ALS Sample preparation facility in Seville, Spain and crushed and pulverised using method CRU-31, SPL-22Y, PUL-31 protocol. Samples were analysed in the ALS analytical facility in Loughrea Ireland using ICP-AES 4 acid digest, ME-ICP61, Au-ICP22 (50g Fire assay) and over grade samples re-asayed using atomic absorption spectrometry (OG). Quarter core duplicates were inserted at a frequency of 1 per 50 samples and Certified reference materials inserted at a frequency of 1 per 30 samples. No notable issues were observed with the duplicates or standards, however local issues were observed between drill hole recovery and grade in highly fractured material. All sample reject and pulp material and remaining drill core is stored at the PGZ warehouse. About Pan Global Resources Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain, and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development. The company has committed to operating safely and with respect to the communities and environment where we operate. On behalf of the Board of Directors www.panglobalresources.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: info@panglobalresources.com Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52141 The Islamic State on Wednesday claimed the attack on security forces in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir in which a soldier was martyred and three terrorists killed. Three terrorists were killed and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in a brief shootout at Lawaypora area on the outskirts of Srinagar. The brief gunfight broke out after the terrorists fired upon the Naka party in Lawaypora area on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, the Islamic State terrorist organisation said, "Caliphate soldiers clashed with elements of the infidel Indian police in the area Lawaypora in Kashmir, with machine guns, which led to the death of an element. However, the Amaq News Agency of the Islamic State didn't mention two of its terrorists and an over-ground-worker killed in the attack. Also, as per the police the terrorists had only one or two pistols with them, but no assault rifles and machine-guns. Live TV The terrorists were travelling on a scooter and were asked to stop by the Naka laid by the CRPF at Lawaypora. The terrorists opened fire and in the shootout, a CRPF personnel was martyred and two terrorists killed. The third terrorist managed to flee in an injured condition but was captured by security forces and taken to hospital for treatment. He later succumbed to his injuries. The terrorist killed has been identified as Zia ul Rehman from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Khateeb from Hizbul Mujahideen and the third one was Omar Fayaz from Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK). This indicated that terrorists of different outfits are working together. While Zia was involved in the looting of weapons from an MLCs house, Khateeb, from south Kashmir's Bijbehara, is the cousin of ISJK chief commander of ISJK Mugees. Mugees has already been killed and he had started ISJK in Kashmir. Interestingly, the operation was led by female officer Santu Devi of 73 battalions of the CRPF. She handled the whole operation and successfully managed to kill the terrorists. Giving details of the operation DGP J&K Police Dilbagh Singh said, "As you all know that there was a Naka Party on the outskirts of Srinagar at Lawaypora. The terrorists were on a two-wheeler, and when stopped by the CT of CRPF. They took out a gun of their pheran (long gown) and shot the CT." The CRPF ADGP, Zulfkar Hassan said, "One scooter carrying three persons was coming towards our Naka led by 73 battalions they were stopped as they were without helmets. The last person on the scooter got down and took a gun from inside a pheran and shot the CRPF Jawan on the head. Our jawans managed to retaliate. We lost one soldier. CT Ramesh Rajan got martyred fighting bravely. I congratulate the party who did the operation." Security forces further said, "Pakistan is trying hard to send terrorists to Jammu and Kashmir but we are alert and killed around 20 till now and arrested more than two dozens terrorist and their sympathisers." Recently Pakistan had sent Jaish, the dreaded terrorist group, with the plan to carry a big attack somewhere in Jammu and Kashmir. But alert forces eliminated them all. They were highly trained and well equipped. They also had the latest communication system, had ICom sets with them and were in touch with their handlers at Pakistan through VPN. By IANS NEW DELHI: Amid the chaos over the Citizenship Amendment Act in the country, official statistics revealed that in the last decade more than 21,000 foreigners obtained Indian citizenship. These people became Indians under the government of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as the current Modi government. The details were provided by the Home Ministry on Tuesday in the reply to a query in the Lok Sabha. The Home Ministry was asked to provide details about the foreign nationals who obtained Indian citizenship. It is also sought to know if Muslims from overseas could now be provided Indian citizenship. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said: "In the last 10 years, a total of 21,408 foreign nationals were provided Indian citizenship." Providing year-wise statistics, he said that in the year 2010, a total of 232 people got Indian citizenship while 435 in 2011, 553 in 2012, 563 in 2013, 617 in 2014 and 15,470 in 2015 got Indian passports. These apart, the Indian government decided to grant citizenship to 1,106 people in 2016, 817 in 2017, 628 in 2018 and 987 in 2019. The minister also told the House that 53 enclaves of neighbouring Bangladesh were included in India under the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Pact 2015. Following which 14,864 Bangladeshis were given Indian citizenship under Section 7 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Replying to a query over citizenship to foreign Muslims, Rai said: "All the legal migrants could be provided Indian citizenship irrespective of their religion under the Citizenship Act 1955 after completing all the formalities". There is no change in the current process to obtain Indian Citizenship, he added. The minister also provided information about Bangladeshis who were living in India illegally and were later deported. "Actions were taken to send back the illegal Bangladeshis and 308 people in 2016, 51 in 2017 and 445 in 2018 were deported," he said. BRUSSELS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei said here on Tuesday that it has decided to set up 5G manufacturing bases in Europe, so that to "truly have 5G for Europe made in Europe." Abraham Liu, Huawei's chief representative to the European Union Institutions, said in the company's spring reception that the company has already had candidate places in mind, and "that is an ongoing process." When asked by a Xinhua reporter whether this decision would improve Europe's confidence in the security of Huawei's products, former European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding replied "yes, of course", since the manufacturing would be "under European rules, and so that will really be a boost to credibility." SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, BOARD30, the only fully-comprehensive and energizing resistance band training program announced the official launch of its studio ownership opportunity. Riding the momentum of last year's pivotal re-branding from Da Vinci Bodyboard to BOARD30, the brand is poised for significant domestic and international growth in 2020. BOARD30 is the only 30-minute, full-body workout that is solely-focused on resistance band training to engage, build and strengthen every muscle in the body. The unique, first-of-its kind fitness concept offers classes that fit any schedule, centered on a unique, patented Bodyboard. Members can expect a fun, welcoming, and music-fueled environment that fosters a workout that builds the body up without breaking it down. Through its resistance training program, BOARD30 challenges each member with a high-energy, low-impact fitness regimen that cannot be found anywhere else. BOARD30 has already shown signs of impressive growth and differentiation within the $30B fitness industry. In 2019 alone, the brand opened new locations in cities across the nation, including Denver, Colorado, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho. This past year, BOARD30 also inked deals for new studios across the United States and Asia and has plans to open several locations in early 2020, including: Boston, Massachusetts Nashville, Tennessee Albuquerque, New Mexico Austin, Texas St. Petersburg, Florida Denver, Colorado two studios two studios Tokyo, Japan two studios Originally licensed as a proprietary product to be sold to gyms, world-class spas and health facilities across the globe, the Da Vinci Bodyboard was developed in 2013 by Floery Mahoney, serial entrepreneur with decades of fitness industry experience. Since then, the product itself has developed a cult-like following, garnering the attention of top models and professional athletes. After years of research, Mahoney saw the need for resistance band training not only as part of a daily workout, but as a full workout itself. Today, the concept has grown from a product-based business, to a full-studio license opportunity in just five years, thus leading to a refreshed brand name, BOARD30. "Resistance band training is something that has never been seen as an effective standalone workout, but it absolutely should be. Our unique and comprehensive training regimen offers a workout that participants could never get from any other training plan," said Floery Mahoney, Founder and CEO of BOARD30. "We are thrilled to open up our licensing opportunity to passionate, like-minded entrepreneurs to share our unique concept with communities across the globe." As an established business woman, Mahoney began her fitness career in 1999 when she opened the first Pilates studio in Vermont followed by a plethora of other ventures, such as owning and operating a successful restaurant and artisan chocolate shop. In 2018, Mahoney was selected by the Tory Burch Foundation, which supports the empowerment of women entrepreneurs, to become a member of its fellowship program. This highly-prestigious honor comes with access to entrepreneurial education and mentorship, workshops and networking. Floery has taken the knowledge she learned as a Tory Burch Fellow and used it to drive BOARD30 to where it is today. BOARD30 is actively seeking licensee partners who are qualified, passionate and fitness-oriented entrepreneurs to become a part of its community. BOARD30 offers a low-maintenance business model that does not require full-time employees and is managed through the all-encompassing App, MINDBODY. The average investment for a BOARD30 studio ranges from $70,000 to $150,000. To learn more information about the licensing opportunity with BOARD30, please visit https://board30global.com/own-a-studio/. ABOUT BOARD30 Founded in 2013 by Floery Mahoney, serial entrepreneur with decades of fitness industry experience, BOARD30 is a fully-comprehensive, 30-minute resistance band training program that builds the body up with high energy, low-impact exercises that engage the entire body. The lifestyle-friendly brand offers classes that fit nearly any schedule and a sound business model with low-overhead costs and low initial investment. Headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this globally recognized brand is poised for massive growth with a proven business model and patented, proprietary technology that is customizable for all fitness levels. For more information, visit https://board30global.com/. SOURCE BOARD30 Related Links http://www.board30global.com An anti-India event, planned by the Pakistani embassy, was cancelled by a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital, sources said on Wednesday. The event was to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel on Wednesday to coincide with the 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'. As per sources, the hotel refused to host the event after which the Pakistani mission on Tuesday wrote to Afghan foreign ministry to protest against the cancellation of the booking, claiming that it was done on the "instructions given by the Afghan government." "Keeping in view the friendly relations between the two countries, the embassy hopes that cooperation will be extended by the Afghan government to this Embassy to host its political, economic, and cultural events at suitable place," the letter said. Pakistan every year observes February 5 as the 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'. Meanwhile, a large number of people protested against Pakistan outside its embassy here. The protesters carrying placards like 'down with Pakistan' and 'Pakistan is enemy' were demanding release of Manzoor Pashteen, the chief of Pashtun Tahfuz Movement - a movement for protection of ethnic Pashtun people in Pakistan. Pashteen, the 27-year-old activist, was arrested along with nine supporters in Peshawar last month and sent to a jail on a 14-day judicial remand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Downing Street said that a decision on the divisive project was not expected this week as Boris Johnson's government continues to be at odds over whether to go ahead A decision on whether to keep or axe the controversial High Speed Two rail link has been put back to next week, it was revealed today as ministers were warned that the full coast of the project could hit 150billion. Downing Street said that a decision on the divisive project was not expected this week as Boris Johnson's government continues to be at odds over whether to go ahead. But it is due to be announced before the next Commons' recess starts a week on Friday. Critics inside and outside Westminster want the scheme to connect London with northern cities to be axed on financial and environmental grounds. Today the TaxPayers Alliance reiterated its opinion that it is too expensive and should be abandoned. The estimated worst-case cost of HS2 is currently estimated at 106billion, but the TPA suggested it could eventually reach 150billion. In a letter to Boris Johnson it urged a rethink, writing that 'given the undoubtedly rising costs, it is prudent to consider the deliverability of the project'. 'We are concerned that it may be difficult to deliver in its current form, despite significant increases in budget,' it added. Critics inside and outside Westminster want the scheme to connect London with northern cities to be axed on financial and environmental grounds. Leading figures in Downing Street, including Dominic Cummings, believe it is a white elephant and should be axed Ministers have warned that abandoning the high-speed rail proposals would cost billions in compensations as well as leaving some of the UK's major construction companies on the brink of financial uncertainty. But leading figures in Downing Street, including Dominic Cummings, believe it is a white elephant. But politicians in the Midlands and north are urging him to continue with a project that they say will revitalise the economy. The Whitehall spending watchdog last week said that HS2 is over budget and behind schedule because its complexity and risks were under-estimated. The National Audit Office (NAO) warned that it is impossible to 'estimate with certainty what the final cost could be'. It published a report urging the Government and HS2 Ltd to be 'transparent and provide realistic assessments' in relation to the high-speed railway. A Government-commissioned review led by former HS2 Ltd chairman Doug Oakervee leaked earlier this week stated that the project's bill could reach 106billion. But HS2 was only allocated 56billion in 2015. Phase One between London and Birmingham was due to open in 2026 but full services are now forecast to start between 2031 and 2036. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat visits stalls during the 11th edition of DefExpo, in Lucknow on February 5, 2020. The main theme of the Expo is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on the 'digital transformation' of Defence. (Image: PTI) Since my son, Martyn Hett, was killed in the Manchester Arena terror attack in May 2017 I have been actively campaigning to help prevent such an incident happening again. I am therefore deeply saddened by the terrorist attack that took place in Streatham on Sunday. The injured victims and their families are in my thoughts, and I hope they make a swift recovery. Once again, I was inspired by the members of the public who came together to help care for those at the scene. Their actions, alongside the brave and quick response of the police officers, reflect the very best of us. What continues to strike me, as the terror incident dominates the front pages, is the need to increase our focus on the resilience and solidarity shown by these individuals and the service they have done for our society, rather than on the cowardly and fame-hungry perpetrator of the attack. I will not use the name of the Manchester Arena attacker who took my sons life and the lives of 21 other innocent people. I will not give him what he wanted. Similarly, we must be careful not to glorify the actions of the twisted individual who attempted to take the lives of people going about their everyday business on a busy local high street at the weekend. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 November 2021 Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 23 November 2021 The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London PA UK news in pictures 22 November 2021 The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 21 November 2021 London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services PA UK news in pictures 20 November 2021 Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 19 November 2021 A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste' PA UK news in pictures 18 November 2021 The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh PA We must not fall into the trap of giving these deluded and evil people the air time they crave. It is natural that we may ask who they are and why they did it, but in exploring these questions we must be careful with our words. The Streatham attacker wanted to destroy our peace and disrupt our freedoms. He wanted the world to know him. If we repeat his name and reprint his motivations, then we are fulfilling his final wish. Although it is not the intention, plastering his photo and every detail of his life across the media will propel him to an almost celebrity status in our collective memory. Instead, when we think of this incident, and the other horrific terror attacks on our country, we must remember the names of those who lost their lives or were injured, and those who tried to save and assist them. We must talk of how we came together in the aftermath; how we carried on; how we supported one another to recover and rebuild. We do not need to remember the names of the hateful cowards who tried to tear us apart. We all have a responsibility to think about how we discuss these awful incidents and the impact our words can have, particularly on the younger generation. After my son Martyn was killed, I felt compelled to speak to young people to spread a message of tolerance, positivity and kindness. When I visit schools across the country, in an average group of 100 teenagers around two-thirds say they have seen terrorist material online. It is critical that parents work together with teachers, youth workers and the whole community to combat the disturbing messages our children can be so easily exposed to. While our response to the Streatham attack, just like others before it, was one of unity a display of strength in our communities there is more we can do to improve how we talk about it in the coming weeks and months. So I challenge you to forget the attackers name and, instead, remember how the very best of our society shone through last Sunday. This is one of the ways, I believe, that we can help stop such an incident happening again. Figen Murray is the mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena terror attack in May 2017 The 14-year-old Christian girl did not appear in court because she fears for her life. The judge has set a new hearing for 4 March to give police more time to check medical records. Age is the key factor in the case since forced conversions are not a crime. Islamabad (AsiaNews) The Sindh High Court on Monday dismissed a petition to have the marriage and forced conversion of a Catholic girl overturned because both are valid under Islamic law since a girl can marry after she has her first period. Huma Younus (pictured, right), 14, was abducted last October and forced to marry a Muslim. For her lawyer, Tabassum Yousaf, this is shameful. Speaking to AsiaNews, she explained that the hearing lasted only five minutes. They didn't allow us to see her even for a second, but we shall not stop until we get justice. If necessary, we will take the case to the Supreme Court. Huma was seized from her home when her parents were away and taken 600 kilometres away. Her family lives in Zia Colony, a district of Karachi, whilst her husband-abductor is from Dera Gazi Khan, Punjab. Tabassum says that the girl's parents havent stopped crying because the court, in just a few words citing the Sharia, has justified the violation of their daughter's body since she has already had her first period. The court battle has been going on for months with constant delays and excuses cited so as not to present the underage girl into court. Even in the hearing two days ago, Huma was supposed to be present but did not show up, her lawyer said. Why didn't they show her to us? Why don't they want her to testify? In fact, there were many other girls in court. The judge said she didn't come because she fears for her life. But they allowed her to file an affidavit, the lawyer explained. In the latter, Huma claims that she has married of her own free will, but the document lacks the number of the identity card issued when people reach the age of 18. From a legal point of view, the husband claims that his wife is an adult; on the other hand, the family insists that she was born on 22 May 2005. For the family, the whole case revolves around a key factor, age, since forced conversions are not illegal in Pakistan. Sindh province passed the Child Marriage Restraint Act, which bans child marriages, but has failed to enforce it. What is more, there is a major flaw in the law, that is, the marriage is not annulled if the minor's consent has been given. Although child marriage is allowed in Pakistan, more and more people are speaking out against the practice to protect children. Meanwhile, a bill to ban child marriage across the country is stuck in Parliament". The next hearing in the case is set for 4 March, Tabassum said. The judge gave police more time for medical tests to determine the girls age. We presented right away all the papers from the government, the town hall and the church. Why didnt they ask for this before? Not one forcibly converted girl has been returned to her home, said the despondent lawyer. For Huma, this doesnt bode well. As time goes BY, the less we will know about her fate. Statistics tell us that if pressure is not put on the kidnapper, the minors fate is always the same: she is forced into prostitution or ends up in the hands of human traffickers. "If we don't succeed in the High Court, we shall go further. It is unfair that Christians are not recognised in their country. Yet we have made a great contribution to its development. (A.C.F.) Panic and anxiety are inevitable in the face of a major global health challenge, but overreacting and letting irrational fears take control will not only do more harm than good, but will worsen the epidemic and make it easier to lose confidence. In China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Government have directed and mobilized resources in the fight against the coronavirus. Community workers in cities and villages across the country and especially in and around Wuhan are doing their best to protect millions of people. The Peoples Liberation Army has sent teams of military medical staff to Wuhan to help fight the virus. We see the construction of makeshift hospitals and the conversion of buildings into temporary hospitals. Enterprises have stepped up the production of essentials such as face masks. People from all levels of society are lending a helping hand at this time of need. The strength of Chinas system is on full display as the nation battles this virus. While the coronavirus is a serious threat, there is another type of harmful virus that is spreading along with the coronavirus. Racism and xenophobia are making people blame the Chinese people for this virus and making the Chinese people feel that they are the virus. A lot of troubling news and commentary has appeared in recent days. For example, Thai daily Khao Sod reported on Monday that a restaurant owner in the northern province of Chiang Mai put up a sign barring Chinese customers from eating at the restaurant. Then, the next day on Tuesday, the daily reported that a Chinese tourist and her child nearly had to sleep on the streets in the resort town of Hua Hin because no hotel would take them. The above-mentioned reports are just a couple of examples, but racist sentiment targeting Asians and especially Chinese is popping up in places all around the world. At a time of fear and uncertainty, it is vital to remain rational. First, viruses do not respect borders. Although the Chinese city of Wuhan is the epicenter of the outbreak, which according to the latest official figures has infected over 24,000 people and killed around 500 people, this virus is not a Chinese virus. It originated in China and has spread quickly, but this is a global fight. Second, it is wrong and dangerous to associate certain populations with something like the coronavirus. The coronavirus is dangerous, but the fear that is fueling this anti-China racism can have dangerous consequences for the entire world. We must do more to deal with the outbreak of anti-China sentiment during this crisis. Fortunately, people are trying to bring attention to this problem. For example, a video on social media that has gone viral shows a young Chinese man in Italy standing in crowded areas with a blindfold and a face mask next to a sign that reads, Im not a virus, Im a human. Eradicate the prejudice. People in the video give him a warm hug and the reaction online has been quite positive. Let us not let the coronavirus spread fears and stereotypes and let us have confidence in China, which is doing everything it can do to fight the coronavirus. The coronavirus is certainly something that we should fear and take guard against, but the anti-China racism that is spreading along with the coronavirus is even more terrifying and potentially dangerous. North Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) ("Lion One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a robust structural network has been revealed at the Company's 100% owned and fully permitted Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. Controlled source audio magnetotelluric ("CSAMT") surveys conducted in late 2019 clearly show structural controls of known lode systems and reveal numerous new untested targets. Highlights CSAMT reveals a deep-rooted, E-dipping structural corridor controls the N-S striking Tuvatu lode system opening up potential for drill expansion of these lodes beyond 1 km depth and helping focus the search for a feeder. At least three untested structural corridors identified west of the Tuvatu lode system and two to the east, all similarly deep-rooted like the Tuvatu lode system. Like the Tuvatu lode system, the less explored, E-W striking West Tuvatu lode system is clearly controlled by a deep-rooted, S-dipping structural corridor opening up potential for drill expansion of these lodes beyond 1 km depth. The structural intersection of the N-S-oriented Tuvatu lode system and E-W-oriented West Tuvatu lode system creates a robust drill target. Deep-rooted structural corridors revealed elsewhere under the Navilawa caldera such as at Banana Creek where a major structural intersection underlies an area displaying strong gold geochemical anomalism. "As hoped, our recent CSAMT results have provided a detailed picture of the underlying structural architecture of the Tuvatu alkaline gold system," commented Dr. Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to Lion One. "We can readily see evidence of structures we think were critical conduits for gold-bearing fluids during time of mineralization. This has generated a multitude of new drill targets. In the vicinity of the Tuvatu deposit, we can discern structures that will allow us to better plan holes in search of feeders at depth, we readily see new structural zones that have yet to be drill tested, we see structural intersections that may have served to localized mineralization, and importantly, we see many new untested structures elsewhere within the Navilawa caldera. In short, we now have a long list of new structural drill targets that we think have the potential for hosting significant gold-bearing lode deposits." CSAMT Interpretation CSAMT is a geophysical technique that measures electrical resistivity of rocks in the subsurface down to depths of approximately 1.2 to 1.5 km. Fluids that generate alkaline gold systems such as Tuvatu result in subtle wall-rock alteration patterns commonly restricted to the immediate vicinity around mineralized structures. Therefore, such alteration is too restricted to be directly reflected in CSAMT data. CSAMT data generally highlight contrasting bedrock types. Abrupt changes in resistivity, or gradients, result when two rock types with differing electrical resistivity are juxtaposed against one another, either by faulting or, as is true at Tuvatu, by intrusion of magma into other pre-existing rock types. Resistivity gradients may also reflect areas where abundant fractures have allowed groundwater to penetrate resistive rocks generating areas of lower resistivity. When interpreting CSAMT data from alkaline gold systems, resistivity gradients are the main focus. It is generally viewed that such gradients reflect zones where faults and fractures may be present, ones that potentially host mineralization. Figure 1 shows a plan map of the Navilawa caldera highlighting a series of seven CSAMT sections illustrating numerous drill targets as follows: Figure 1: Plan map showing the Navilawa caldera and the positions of interpreted CSAMT sections discussed in this news release. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_002full.jpg Figure 2: Interpreted CSAMT section A-A'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_004full.jpg Section A-A' (please refer to Figure 2): The deep-rooted, steeply E-dipping structural corridor that hosts the N-S-trending Tuvatu lode system is readily evident as a sharp resistivity gradient extending beyond 1 km below surface. Lion One believes there is potential this gradient may also point to a deep-tapping feeder structure that funneled gold-depositing fluids upwards into the Tuvatu lode system, a high-value target. Also evident are five other deep-rooted resistivity gradients, three west of the Tuvatu lode system and two east. Each of these gradients is considered a new, highly prospective drill target. The two gradients immediately west of the Tuvatu lode system may host feeders for the West Tuvatu lode system. Figure 3: Interpreted CSAMT section B-B'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_005full.jpg Section B-B' (please refer to Figure 3): As in section A-A' approximately 150 m to the south, the deep-rooted, steeply E-dipping structural corridor that hosts the N-S-trending Tuvatu lode system is readily evident in Section B-B' appearing as a sharp resistivity gradient extending beyond 1 km below surface. Recent diamond drill holes, TUDDH493 and TUDDH494 are illustrated in blue. Hole TUDDH493 encountered multiple mineralized intervals including 4.29 m grading 33.22 gpt Au (please refer to the Company's press release dated December 18, 2019 for additional information) within the Tuvatu lode system. Drilling of hole TUDDH494 has been put on hold at a depth of approximately 748 m due to the capacity of the diamond drill to continue drilling HQ-sized core beyond this depth. Lion One has ordered 1,500 m of smaller NQ-sized drill rods and plans to complete this hole to target in the future. In the meantime, the next deep hole, seen in yellow, has recently been initiated. As is the case in Section A-A', Lion One believes there is potential the Tuvatu lode gradient may also point to a deep-tapping feeder structure that funneled gold-depositing fluids upwards into the Tuvatu lode system, a high-value target. Four other deep-rooted resistivity gradients, two west of the Tuvatu lode system and two east, are readily evident, and each is considered a new, highly prospective drill target. The gradient immediately west of the Tuvatu lode system may host a feeder structure for the West Tuvatu lode system. Figure 4: Interpreted CSAMT section C-C'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_006full.jpg Section C-C' (please refer to Figure 4): This section is north of the E-W-trending West Tuvatu lode system. Interestingly, the Tuvatu lode system closely tracks a gradient that is west of the zone of high resistivity rather than east of this zone as seen in Sections A-A' and B-B'. Unlike the deep-rooted gradient seen in Sections A-A' and B-B', this gradient terminates at a depth of approximately 300 m where a new, moderately E-dipping feature can be seen. Importantly, the steeply E-dipping structure situated immediately east of the Tuvatu lode system has yet to be drill tested in this area. Lion One considers this a high priority drill target. Also evident is an untested, moderately E-dipping gradient located west of the Tuvatu lode system. Figure 5: Interpreted CSAMT section D-D'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_007full.jpg Section D-D' (please refer to Figure 5): A sharp, near-vertical gradient is readily evident below the West Tuvatu lode system. This represents an important, newly identified target at Tuvatu, the potential position of a root structure that fed the near-surface lodes. Two subtle gradients are evident south of this feature, the southern most of which nearly reaches surface in an area south of Tuvatu where Lion One has identified multiple gold-bearing surface showings. Lion One considers it possible that fluids ascended from a deep source linked to the larger West Tuvatu lode structure feeding gold to this area. Figure 6: Interpreted CSAMT section E-E'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_008full.jpg Section E-E' (please refer to Figure 6): Like in Section D-D', a sharp, near-vertical gradient is readily evident below the West Tuvatu lode system. This section is positioned immediately west of the Tuvatu lode system so is effectively viewing a long section along these lodes. Lion One believes the intersection of the aforementioned gradient and the N-S-oriented gradient that defines the Tuvatu lode system could be a very important target. A series of three subtle gradients are evident south of the West Tuvatu lode system, and one is seen to the north. These gradients are all viewed as highly prospective, especially where they intersect the Tuvatu lode system. Figure 7: Interpreted CSAMT section F-F'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_009full.jpg Section F-F' (please refer to Figure 7): Two pronounced resistivity gradients are evident under the Banana Creek area where recent stream sediment samples returned strongly anomalous gold values (please refer to the Company's press release dated November 7, 2019 for additional information), one dipping steeply to the west and the other dipping moderately to the east. Lion One views these structures as highly prospective drill targets. A more subtle W-dipping gradient is evident near the west end of the section. Figure 8: Interpreted CSAMT section G-G'. See Figure 1 for location and text in this news release for a discussion. Scale in the lower right is in meters. To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52112_bf082edb04a4fa2b_010full.jpg Section G-G' (please refer to Figure 8): A pair of subtle steeply-dipping gradients are evident in section G-G', and probably share a conjugate relation with structures seen in Section F-F'. Such structures are viewed as possible feeder structures that tapped deeply sourced gold-bearing fluids that gave rise to lodes within the Navilawa caldera. CSAMT surveys at Tuvatu were undertaken by Zonge Engineering and Research Organization (Aust) Pty. Ltd., Adelaide, Australia under the supervision of Tom Weis, professional geophysicist, contracted by the Company. Qualified Person The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed, prepared, and approved by Mr. Stephen Mann, P. Geo, Managing Director of Lion One, who is a qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI-43-101). About Tuvatu The Tuvatu gold deposit is located in on the island of Viti Levu in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji. The mineral resource for Tuvatu as disclosed in the technical report "Tuvatu Gold Project PEA", dated June 1, 2015, and prepared by Mining Associates Pty Ltd of Brisbane Qld, comprises 1,120,000 tonnes indicated at 8.17 g/t Au (294,000 oz. Au) and 1,300,000 tonnes inferred at 10.60 g/t Au (445,000 oz. Au) at a cut-off grade of 3 g/t Au. The technical report is available on the Lion One website at www.liononemetals.com and on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. About Lion One Metals Limited Lion One's flagship asset is 100% owned, fully permitted high grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project, located on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. Lion One envisions a low-cost high-grade underground gold mining operation at Tuvatu coupled with exciting exploration upside inside its tenements covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, an underexplored yet highly prospective 7km diameter alkaline gold system. Lion One's CEO Walter Berukoff leads an experienced team of explorers and mine builders and has owned or operated over 20 mines in 7 countries. As the founder and former CEO of Miramar Mines, Northern Orion, and La Mancha Resources, Walter is credited with building over $3 billion of value for shareholders. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Lion One Metals Limited "Stephen Mann" Managing Director For further information Contact Investor Relations Toll Free (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250 Email: info@liononemetals.com Website: www.liononemetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52112 1. Yes. The downtown area needs a good draw. Some quality taverns would be a plus. 2. Yes. Too many storefronts are vacant. Bars could help to bring in needed revenue. 3. No. Putting a number of bars downtown is just asking for trouble. Dont change things. 4.No. Several churches have located downtown. Putting bars close by would be a bad fit. 5. Unsure. It would depend on how the law is written and what standards are enacted. Vote View Results By Peter Nurse Investing.com - Oil prices pushed higher Wednesday, helped by reports of a breakthrough in the fight to combat Chinas coronavirus, coupled with expectations that the group of major producers will cut production levels. By 9:00 AM ET (1400 GMT), U.S. crude futures were up 2.8% at $50.98 a barrel, while futures in U.K. Brent, the global crude benchmark, were up 2.9% at $55.54 a barrel. Overnight, WTI futures had fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time in over a year. Earlier Wednesday, reports emerged that a Chinese university had found a drug to treat people with the new coronavirus as well as researchers in the UK saying they made a "significant breakthrough" in finding a vaccine. Neither has apparently been tested yet. And the World Health Organisation was quick to pour cold water over the reports, with a spokesman in Geneva stating: There are no known effective therapeutics. But the market remains optimistic. Technical experts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, are continuing to meet at the cartels Vienna headquarters to evaluate the diseases impact on demand. The view of these experts may help determine whether the alliance convenes a ministerial meeting later this month, instead of in March as currently scheduled. Saudi Arabia is pushing for an additional production cut of at least 500,000 barrels a day, according to some OPEC+ delegates, but Russia is reluctant to make deeper moves. Even if these cuts are agreed, the impact they might have upon oil prices is debatable. BP (LON:BP) stated Tuesday that the coronavirus could cut demand by up to 500,000 barrels a day for the year, while OPECs own analysis indicates a modest drop of around 400,000 barrels a day for about six months. If we assume that OPEC numbers are correct, and then factor in the supply losses we are seeing from Libya at the moment, and assume that these last through until the end of Q1, 500,000 b/d of additional cuts should be almost enough to balance the market over Q1, said analysts at ING, in a research note. Story continues Whilst over Q2 we would likely need to see current cuts of 1.7 million b/d rolled over through until at least the end of June, ING added. Elsewhere, consultants Wood Mackenzie cut their estimates for first-quarter global demand by 900,000 barrels a day to 98.8 million b/d. Ann-Louise Hittle, Vice President, Macro Oils, noted that the estimated fall in Chinese demand - of 200,000 b/d to 13 million b/d - is the first year-on-year decline in the countrys demand since 2009. Later Wednesday sees the release of official government figures detailing the extent of U.S. stockpiles, with a gain of 2.8 million barrels expected. The American Petroleum Institute showed Tuesday U.S. inventories rose by about 4.2 million barrels. Related Articles Oil Climbs From One-Year Low With OPEC+ Split on Output Cuts Gold Prices Trade Higher Amid Continuing Coronavirus Worries Oil Prices Gain Despite Rising Inventories, China Demand Concern The Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has received from various political parties in sealed covers the details of donations received by them via Electoral Bonds. The poll panel, through an affidavit, told the apex court that it has received sealed covers from various political parties (national, state and registered unrecognised parties), and also annexed a list showing the status. The Supreme Court had last year asked all political parties who have received donations through electoral bonds to submit details to the Election Commission of India in a sealed cover. In an interim direction, the top court had ordered, "All the political parties who have received donations through Electoral Bonds to submit to the Election Commission of India in sealed cover detailed particulars of the donors as against the each Bond; the amount of each such bond and the full particulars of the credit received against each bond, namely, the particulars of the bank account to which the amount has been credited and the date of each such credit." The Commission has also annexed the list of political parties who have submitted their annual audit reports to the poll panel which shows audited annual accounts of the political parties. The Commission's affidavit came on an application filed by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking stay on the implementation of the Electoral Bond Scheme, for the purpose of donations to political parties, notified by the Central government on January 2, 2018. Last month, a bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde had refused to stay the implementation of Electoral Bonds but sought response from the poll panel. The application was filed in the earlier pending PIL of ADR which had challenged the validity of the scheme and sought that either the issuance of electoral bonds be stayed or the names of donors be made public to ensure transparency in the poll process. Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for ADR had contended that ruling party has been gaining thousands of crores in anonymous funding. Bhushan had told the court that a stay was sought on account of certain facts coming to light and the RBI had flagged concerns with the scheme. He contended that the scheme could lead to funnelling of black money and lead to money laundering. The application had sought direction to strike down certain amendments made through Finance Act, 2017 and earlier Finance Act, 2016, both passed as money bills, and which have "opened doors to unlimited political donations, even from foreign companies and thereby legitimizing electoral corruption at a huge scale, while at the same time ensuring complete non-transparency in political funding." "Electoral Bonds Scheme has opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate donations to political parties and anonymous financing by Indian as well as foreign companies which can have serious repercussions on the Indian democracy. The Finance Act of 2017 had introduced the use of electoral bonds which is exempt from disclosure under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, opening doors to unchecked, unknown funding to political parties. The said amendments have also removed the existing cap of 7.5 per cent of net profit in the last 3 years on campaign donations by companies and have legalised anonymous donations," the application stated. The application had further contended that these bonds are in the nature of bearer bonds and the identity of the donor is kept anonymous. "Political Parties are not required to disclose the name of the person/entity donating to a party through electoral bonds. Since the bonds are bearer instruments and have to be physically given to the political parties for them to encash, parties will know who is donating to them. It is only the general citizens who will not know who is donating to which party. Thus, electoral bonds increase the anonymity of political donations," the plea added. "The requirement of the donor companies to disclose details in their Profit & Loss account about the name of the political party to which a donation has been made is also removed. Only the total amount of donations to political parties has to be disclosed without naming the political party." The electoral bond scheme was notified by the central government on January 2, 2018. According to the ADR website, over 12000 electoral bonds worth Rs 6128 crore were sold between March 2018 and October 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After city council approved Costco's site plan in December, the retail giant has now applied to build the new shopping center. City of Midland Director of Planning and Community Development Grant Murschel said Costco has submitted an application for a building permit, and city staff are currently reviewing the application. However, he said there is no timeline yet for breaking ground. Three thugs have been jailed for a total of 28 and a half years over the 'cowardly and unjustified' killing of an Uber Eats driver, after a judge revealed the identity of a 16-year-old killer who sprinted 60 metres to punch him. Iderval Da Silva died after being punched and kicked by youths outside a cafe in Battersea, west London, in May last year when he had tried to stop them from stealing his moped. Tay Clovey, 16, was ordered to be detained for 11 and a half years for murder. Reporting restrictions would ordinarily have been placed upon reporting the name of the teenager, but Judge Mark Dennis ordered that his name be revealed as he claimed 'the public are particularly concerned about youth homicide and street crime'. Jaden Richards, 20, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years for the murder. A 17-year-old boy, who was found guilty of manslaughter but cleared of murder, was also jailed for four years. Jaden Richards, 20, (left) has been found guilty of his murder and was today sentenced for 12 years. Tay Clovey, 16 (right), was ordered to be detained for 11 and a half years for murder Iderval Da Silva (above) died after being punched and kicked by youths outside a cafe in Battersea, west London, in May last year Mr Da Silva, 46, was left unconscious on the floor after the attack and died three days later from a bleed on the brain. The victim's son Caique Keven Silva told the court of his anguish following his father's death and said he found it 'difficult to explain' how the loss of his father has affected him. 'Part of me still thinks that this hasn't really happened, that it is only a nightmare from which I will wake up at any time. 'The news left me shocked to my core and I immediately made arrangements to fly to London.' Mr Da Silva was left unconscious on the ground and died three days later from a bleed on the brain. Pictured is his bike after the shocking attack He said he had been 'crushed' when he arrived in London to be with his father and had to see him in the 'lifeless state' the teenagers had left him in. 'He was not responding to me when I spoke to him, when I hugged him or when I held his hand.' Caique Keven said his father would be 'sorely missed' by all who knew him in Brazil and in the UK, adding that his father had been 'there for people, never thinking of himself'. 'No one deserves to lose their father in the way I lost mine.' While passing sentence, judge Dennis said: 'There is no reason to think that any of you were immature for your age at that time, nor that you would not have known that such an unnecessary and cowardly assault was both wrong and wholly unjustified.' Scooter food delivery riders held a rally Parliament Square in solidarity after Mr Da Silva's murder One of the witnesses, who had been at the cafe at the time said Mr Da Silver had been trying to stop the youths from taking his moped. 'I saw him get up pretty quickly and he ran towards this moped bike. I thought: 'what's going on?' 'They were exchanging punches with each other. After about three punches, I saw three other guys come like wild fire.' 'I thought, 'this is going to be war and I just froze.' She described how the youths started kicking Mr Da Silva before another three teenagers ran in from the opposite side of the fight. Mrs Graham said one of the killers kicked Mr Da Silva twice while he was on the ground. Described only as the 'stomper' in court, the young man then slowly lifted his right foot and stamped on Mr Da Silva's head. She said: 'The man was already on the floor and he kicked him on the side and then in the head. 'When he stomped on his head, I saw the man's body curl up and he just stayed there. There was pandemonium going on. Everyone got mixed up in the crowd and then they scattered, and it was just the man and his bike on the floor. 'It was horrifying because he was bleeding from the mouth. 'I was feeling so unwell. At that point I thought the man was already dead because of that kick. 'It was so shocking, and I just went numb and I said to myself, 'Oh my god, I think he is dead.' Another witness, Natalie Ferreira, told how her mother rushed in to try and help Mr Da Silva escape, but to no avail. Ms Ferreira said: 'As my mum was trying to help him (Mr Da Silva), he had both arms up as he tried to gain his balance. My mum was grabbing him. He was still getting hit. 'She was trying to get him away from the boys. She was screaming, 'help, help him'. She was asking other people round to help him.' Following the trial Jasire Frazer, 18, from Wandsworth, and a 17-year-old were cleared of murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter. Another 17-year-old boy was cleared on the judge's direction midway through the trial. Detective Inspector Tariq Farooqi led the investigation. He said: 'Our thoughts today remain with Iderval's son, friends and family who will have to live the rest of their lives without him. 'This was a truly horrific and unwarranted attack in broad daylight. The group were ferocious and heartless in the way they attacked him. 'Iderval's family have described him as a person who was always there for people, never thinking of himself. He taught Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, and he ultimately wanted to teach this to help get young people off the streets and give them something to focus on. His murder has denied him that opportunity. 'I only hope that the findings of guilt and the sentences today give the family and the community some solace.' Colorado Springs City Council deadlocked Monday over the appointment of Stephannie Fortune to fill Councilman Richard Skorman's seat on the board. Who among the 7 finalists should be appointed? You voted: India should be cautious at ports about imports of agri, food and marine products from China amid outbreak of deadly coronavirus in the neighbouring country, trade experts say. The experts said port authorities should follow properly all the protocols related with sanitary (related to animals) standards. "As this deadly coronavirus is spreading at a fast pace, India should be cautious while importing agri, food and marine products rom China," Professor at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Rakesh Mohan Joshi said. Sharing similar views, Trade economist and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University Biswajit Dhar said this is an opportunity to upgrade infrastructure at ports on the back of spread of the virus. "Sanitary standards should be followed and maintained properly," he said. He added that although there is no fool-proof theory that this virus is spreading through non-living things, but "we should not take any chance". Dhar said the government should also provide protective gears or masks to workforce working at ports, particularly those handling agri, food and marine product consignments coming from China. "This is also an opportunity for us to upgrade infrastructure at ports with regard to sanitary standards," he added. China is a key trading partner of India. The bilateral trade between India and China has dipped to USD 87 billion in 2018-19 from USD 89.71 billion in 2017-18. While India's exports stood at only USD 16.75 billion in 2018-19, imports aggregated at USD 70.31 billion. The trade deficit between the countries was USD 53.57 in 2018-19. India is pushing hard to increase its exports to bridge this ballooning trade gap. When asked whether India should put restrictions on imports of these items from China, another expert said this will not be "good idea", instead "we should take precautionary steps to deal with the situation and government departments should consult commerce ministry before considering any measure". China has expressed hoped that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province. The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490, while the number of confirmed cases has touched 24,300. The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency after coronavirus cases were reported in several parts of the globe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Alliance News) - TransGlobe Energy Corp on Wednesday said it achieved production in 2019 at the higher end of its expectations, and has set its guidance, estimates and budget for its total output in 2020. For December, total output averaged 15,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, and for the year total production averaged 16,000 barrels per day, reaching the top of its output guidance range set between 15,500 to 16,000 barrels. TransGlobe ended the year with total gross proved reserves of 25.4 million barrels of oil equivalent, down 1.3% from the end of 2018, however, proved & probable reserves rose by 3% to 45.3 million barrels, and proved, probable and possible reserves increased by 2% to 63.3 million barrels. The posttax net present value of future net revenue was USD288 million, 11% lower year-on-year due to reduced gas locations and commodity pricing in Canada, and higher royalties in West Bakr, Egypt. Looking ahead, TransGlobe set its capital budget for 2020 at USD37.1 million, with Egypt's portion coming to USD23.7 million, and Canada's USD13.4 million. The Egypt programme for 2020 has the primary focus of sustaining production in the Eastern desert - which contains one well in West Bakr and two wells in north west Gharib - as well as evaluating the South Ghazalat development lease in the Western Desert. Canada's work programme for 2020 consists of four horizontal wells targeting the Cardium light oil resource at Harmattan, as well as providing additional maintenance and development capital. Looking ahead, TransGlobe's production outlook is expected to range between 14,500 and 15,500 barrels per day, with a 93% weighting to oil and liquids. "We are pleased with the results of the 2019 drilling program and we aim to build upon this success in 2020. The 2020 plan is focused on the most value accretive projects within the portfolio to maximize free cash flow to fund future value growth opportunities and bolster the current production base," said Chief Executive Officer Randy Neely. "In Egypt, the focus is on growing production in the Eastern Desert while we continue to evaluate the potential of the South Ghazalat acreage. In Canada, the focus is on developing South Harmattan where we have made a potentially significant discovery of resources in a new, effectively undrilled area, where we already have a significant footprint," Neely added. Shares in TransGlobe Energy - which is based in Calgary, Canada - were untraded on Wednesday, last quoted at 97.5 pence in London. Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. More than 16 years after his body was found in a central Pennsylvania stream, a court battle has ignited over access to re-discovered documents tied to the mysterious death of a federal prosecutor. The fight is between Lancaster Newspapers and newly-elected Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams. Lancasteronline is reporting that it is pursuing court action to gain access to coroner records relating to the December 2003 death of Jonathan Luna, a federal prosecutor based out of Baltimore. Local prosecutors and the county coroner consider Lunas death to have been a homicide. His throat was slit and he was stabbed 36 times. Federal investigators said the 38-year-old Luna committed suicide. LNPs latest bid to see the Luna coroners records began after they were discovered Friday in the basement of a county government building. Although a county judge ruled in August that the Luna documents should be public, Adams immediately moved to have the re-discovered records sealed on grounds that their release could hinder the investigation of Lunas death, LNP reports. A county judge approved Adams request, but LNP says it is contesting that ruling and seeking he public release of the records. For most of their history, these companies scoffed at traditional media. Cant measure it, cant convert viewers into customers, not enough real-time data. Yet here are the 21st centurys most dominant brands behaving like their counterparts of the late 20th, using TV as a key tool to build image and consumer loyalty. Taking a half-step back, this development is a bit rich given that other than Microsoft, these are companies whose businesses are working, through digital advertising dominance and streaming content, essentially to destroy the modern TV industry. Fast Company Start with one work, "Glory Be!" This small, deeply inky intaglio print by Dox Thrash, made in the first years of World War II, shows a half dozen people looking and pointing upward. This is a religious moment, silhouettes before a wild ivory-white background that almost looks like fire, and we see the striving emotive possibilities of such a fervent meeting with just the large effect of shapes and light. Nearby is a drawing with more detail, a mirror image version that was the study for the print. The print has more power because it shows less, and it does so with material richness. This was made with a new process, the carborundum mezzotint, invented in part by the artist as an innovation based on traditional mezzotint. The new show at the Hyde, "Dox Thrash, Black Life, and the Carborundum Mezzotint," circles around this technique. These prints, the real high points of Thrash's career, might be outnumbered by watercolors, drawings, and etchings, but the show gives a fuller measure of this African-American's contribution to 20th-century American art. The contribution lies foremost not in the carborundum process, as important as that is, but in the content of the artist's work. There are simple evocations of everyday life like "Churning Butter," presented in two different mezzotint versions, and there are portraits, several of them bold and brooding, using a variety of techniques. The many portraits alone recall for me how often I've heard African-American students remark how bracing and positive it is for them to see images photographs or paintings that represent them. It matters more than you might imagine. "Saturday Night" is a carborundum relief etching from 1944-45, a complex version of the usual method that adds greater linear clarity to the broader textural effects of the mezzotint. In it we see a woman preparing for a night out, and its plain but elegant tenderness recalls Degas and Cassatt. "The Champ" is an aquatint depiction of the boxer Joe Louis, with surfaces writhing in dark black and warm brown details that plunge into sadness and intensity. The portraits, figure studies, and scenes with houses and buildings build a picture of a world that was underrepresented, and is vigorously given moody depth with these new techniques. It was in December 1937 that Thrash first stumbled on the beginnings of his novel mode of intaglio. He used a rough carborundum powder to rub a copper plate, and the surface with all its shards of metal that he said "stick up like hills" allowed for selective burnishing and then inking and printing. The complexity of tones possible, depending on the amount of burnishing, made for a 20th-century aquatint that gave dark, deep prints favoring tonal effects over specific details. Look into the darkness of "Cabin Days," where both the sunset sky and the foreground fence and driveway embrace the key detail in the center, a service star in the window of the simple cabin. Thrash was born in Georgia and joined the great northward migration of African-Americans in midcentury, going first to Chicago and serving in World War I before eventually making Philadelphia his home. It was there, with the help of the WPA, that he joined the Fine Print Workshop in 1937, and his career solidified as he worked on his new printing process. It's natural to compare Thrash to more famous black artists like Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, since they or their families were all part of the Great Migration, but Thrash was a generation earlier, a breakthrough artist more closely aligned to the Harlem Renaissance and what was called the New Negro movement, which defined black Americans objectively, against stereotypes. Thrash's portraits give dignity and honesty to his subjects, and his depictions of buildings or occupations do not avoid the poverty and difficult lives people faced. If Thrash is less convincing in his watercolors, the subjects are still significant: a baptism at the shore, row houses and a rail yard, and a series of portraits. But the prints the etchings, lithographs, aquatints, and most of all his specialized mezzotints are bold and beautiful, laying bare a part of the world receding fast into history. William Jaeger is a frequent contributor to the Times Union. Marchek will be in this position until they appoint board of directors of Ukrzaliznytsia The Cabinet of Ministers appointed Zeljk Marcek as the interim head of the board of the joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia. The text of the government order stated this. According to the decree, the government temporarily assigned these responsibilities to Marchek until the appointment of the board of directors of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC in the established manner. On the website of Ukrzaliznytsia it is indicated that Marchek became a member of the board in 2016. Prior to that, he was the HR Director of Dniprospetsstal, HR Director of the Starlightmedia Group and an independent member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrrosmetal. For almost 30 years he held executive positions at McDonalds Corporation in Ukraine, Romania and Yugoslavia. He also took part in the project of reforming the HR direction at the Nova Posta company. As we reported before, The Cabinet of Ministers created a working group to discuss the details of the future cooperation of Ukrzaliznytsia with the German railway operator Deutsche Bahn It included representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ukrzaliznytsia, the specialized transport committee of the Verkhovna Rada, key business associations and trade unions. Donald Trump has hailed his wifes Be Best campaign in a major speech for the first time but notably neglected to mention the anti-online-bullying aspect of her project. There had been speculation that the president would overlook Melania Trumps campaign as he has done in previous speeches. But in his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, he said: Every young person should have a safe and secure environment in which to learn and grow. For this reason, our magnificent First Lady has launched the Be Best initiative to advance a safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-free life for the next generation, online, in school, and in our communities. Thank you, Melania, for your extraordinary love and profound care for Americas children. However, one of the three pillars of the Be Best initiative is online safety and efforts to prevent cyberbullying something her husband has been repeatedly accused of as he targets his enemies in Twitter tirades. Ms Trump launched the initiative in 2018, 16 months into her husband's presidency. Be Best started trending on Twitter in December after Mr Trump attacked environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, who was then 16. Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia Show all 5 1 /5 Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia A wooden statue of Melania Trump has been erected in the first ladys home country of Slovenia REUTERS Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia The conceptual statue depicts Ms Trump standing in the blue outfit she wore to her husbands inauguration REUTERS Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia The monument is set in the fields near the town of Sevnica REUTERS Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia Locals have complained that the wooden sculpture does not look like Ms Trump at all AFP/Getty Images Melania Trump wooden statue prompts complaints in Slovenia The statue was commissioned by US artist Brade Downey and created by artist Ales Zupevc AFP/Getty Images After she was named Time magazines person of the year, he tweeted: So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! Ms Thunberg, now 17, quickly turned the tables on the US president, changing her Twitter bio to describe herself as a teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend. During the State of the Union address, after being acknowledged by the president, Ms Trump was given the task of presenting the Medal of Freedom to conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 Trend: The Cabinet of Ministers has explained the details of the Decision on Amendments to the Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity of Azerbaijan, Rates of Import Customs Duties and Rates of Export Customs Duties, Trend reports on Feb. 5 referring to the Cabinet of Ministers. The regular work is carried out and concrete steps are being taken in connection with the development and support of non-oil production, import substitution, improvement of the business environment, and attracting foreign investments into the country in accordance with the presidents instructions, said the report. A joint car production plant of Azermash OJSC and Iran Khodro OJSC (Khazar Automobile Plant of AzKron LLC) opened during the Azerbaijan-Iran Business Forum in the Neftchala Industrial Site with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in March 2018. At the next stage, it is planned to export the cars of this plant to the CIS, the Middle Eastern and African countries. As part of the abovementioned work, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted this resolution to increase the competitiveness of cars which are produced in the country. For this purpose, the resolution envisages exemption of car parts imported into the country for the complete car assembly process from duties. During the preparation of the draft, the Constitutional Law of Azerbaijan "On Normative Legal Acts", the Law of Azerbaijan "On Customs Tariffs", and the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan on the approval of the "Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity of Azerbaijan, Rates of Import Customs Duties and Rates of Export Customs Duties" #500 dated November 17, 2017, as well as a number of other legislative acts were thoroughly analyzed. As expected, this resolution will have a great impact on increasing the competitiveness of cars, which are produced in the country, both in the local and foreign markets and will also create favorable conditions for the creation of new industrial enterprises in this country. An opening brief has been submitted on behalf of Jimcy McGirt, the Indian inmate whose U.S. Supreme Court case is poised to resolve the sovereign status of millions of acres in Oklahoma. McGirt, a 71-year-old citizen of the Seminole Nation , has been sentenced by the state to serve 500 years in prison, as well as life without parole, in connection with the sexual assault of a child. But his legal team told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that Oklahoma can't prosecute him. The argument is based on the location of McGirt's alleged crimes. Since they occurred within the reservation promised to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation by treaty, and since Congress never disestablished those lands, the state lacked jurisdiction over him, his attorneys said. "Congress, in short, never legislated to disestablish the Creek reservation," the team led by attorney Ian Gershengorn wrote for the opening brief in McGirt v. Oklahoma . "And because the Creek reservation endures, the federal government not Oklahomahas jurisdiction over petitioners alleged crimes." Jimcy McGirt is currently serving time in the Oklahoma correctional system for crimes committed in 1997. Source: Source: OK Offender / OK Department of Corrections McGirt's attorneys further answer a question raised by the Supreme Court during consideration of Sharp v. Murphy , a similar case arising from state prosecution of a tribal citizen. The justices, before they punted and failed to issue a decision in Murphy, wondered whether Oklahoma could still exercise criminal authority on Creek lands even if the reservation still exists. The answer, according to McGirt's legal team, is no. Congress never granted Oklahoma jurisdiction over crimes committed by Indians in Indian Country, the attorneys said. "Under the Major Crimes Act, the United States has exclusive jurisdiction over qualifying crimes on 'any Indian reservation' or 'Indian country' within 'any State,'" the 54-page brief reads. "Nowhere did Congress exempt Oklahoma from this rule." Additionally, the brief addresses alarmist arguments advanced by the Trump administration regarding federal prosecution in Oklahoma. During consideration of Murphy, the Department of Justice said it would be unable to handle crimes committed by Indians on lands promised not only to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation but also to the Cherokee Nation , the Chickasaw Nation , the Choctaw Nation and the Seminole Nation . Collectively, an estimated 19 million acres is at issue. "There is no credible claim that the federal government cannot handle the additional prosecutions," the brief asserted. "And if the Justice Department prefers not to do so, it will find an attentive audience in Congress." The state of Oklahoma will be able to respond to McGirt's opening brief. Once it is received by the Supreme Court, McGirt will get a chance to file a reply to the state. Other interested parties are also able to submit briefs. Both McGirt and the Oklahoma filed blanket consents, opening the doors for just about anyone to present their views about the controversy. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Trump administration have already told the court that they plan to do just that. On Tuesday, they were given permission to file longer than usual briefs, according to an entry in the Docket No. 18-9526 A date for oral arguments in McGirt has not been set. The earliest one could occur is sometime in April, as the Supreme Court currently has hearings scheduled through April 1 The Supreme Court's current term, which began in October, is expected to conclude by the end of June, giving the justices only a couple of months to hear arguments and come up with a decision, assuming they stick to their usual schedule. In comparison, the court had several months to mull over Murphy. Oral arguments took place on November 27, 2018 , and were quickly followed by an unusual request for supplemental briefs focused on state jurisdiction in Indian Country. A map created by the U.S. Department of the Interior shows the boundaries of the Creek Reservation intact in 1914. Additional maps, dating from 1900 through 1917, submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court as part of McGirt v. Oklahoma, show the existence of similar boundaries. Despite the submissions, the justices failed to issue a decision in Murphy seven months later, at the end of June 2019. Speculation centered on the absence of Justice Neil Gorsuch , who did not participate in the case and was therefore unable to use his extensive experience in Indian law to help his colleagues come to consensus. This time it's different. Gorsuch will be participating, presumably leaving the justices with the standard options. They could side with McGirt, opening him up to federal prosecution for his crimes, or rule in favor of Oklahoma, leaving him behind bars for the rest of his life. The outcome would presumably have an impact on Patrick Dwayne Murphy, the Indian inmate whose case sent the Supreme Court down its current path. He's been sentenced to death by the state of Oklahoma for a murder that occurred on lands promised to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. If the Supreme Court rules for McGirt, Murphy could instead federal prosecution for the murder of a fellow Creek citizen. The death penalty might not be on the table as a result. Indianz.Com on SoundCloud Jam out with the justices! Listen to lawyers! No, really, these are important U.S. Supreme Court cases Join the Conversation Related Stories Maunakea, Hawaii - An international team of astronomers led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found an unusual monster galaxy that existed about 12 billion years ago, when the universe was only 1.8 billion years old, or 13 percent of its current age of 13.8 billion years. Using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii, the team found that the galaxy, dubbed XMM-2599, formed stars at a high rate and then died. Why it suddenly stopped forming stars is unclear. The study published today in the Astrophysical Journal. "Even before the universe was 2 billion years old, XMM-2599 had already formed a mass of more than 300 billion suns, making it an ultramassive galaxy," said Benjamin Forrest, a postdoctoral researcher in the UC Riverside Department of Physics and Astronomy and the study's lead author. "More remarkably, we show that XMM-2599 formed most of its stars in a huge frenzy when the universe was less than 1 billion years old, and then became inactive by the time the universe was only 1.8 billion years old." The team used spectroscopic observations from Keck Observatory's powerful Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE), to make detailed measurements of XMM-2599 and precisely quantify its distance. "It's exciting to see one of our most in-demand instruments successfully characterize such a rare, ancient galaxy with a short life span," said co-author Percy Gomez, an astronomer at Keck Observatory. "It took many hours-long observations, some as much as nine hours each, to determine XMM-2599's distance and mass. It's fulfilling to be a part of a team that continues pushing Keck and MOSFIRE to probe deeper into the mysteries about the origins of massive galaxies and protoclusters." "In this epoch, very few galaxies have stopped forming stars, and none are as massive as XMM-2599," said Gillian Wilson, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCR in whose lab Forrest works. "The mere existence of ultramassive galaxies like XMM-2599 proves quite a challenge to numerical models. Even though such massive galaxies are incredibly rare at this epoch, the models do predict them. The predicted galaxies, however, are expected to be actively forming stars. What makes XMM-2599 so interesting, unusual, and surprising is that it is no longer forming stars, perhaps because it stopped getting fuel or its black hole began to turn on. Our results call for changes in how models turn off star formation in early galaxies." The research team found XMM-2599 formed more than 1,000 solar masses a year in stars at its peak of activity -- an extremely high rate of star formation. In contrast, the Milky Way forms about one new star a year. "XMM-2599 may be a descendant of a population of highly star-forming dusty galaxies in the very early universe that new infrared telescopes have recently discovered," said Danilo Marchesini, an associate professor of astronomy at Tufts University and a co-author on the study. The evolutionary pathway of XMM-2599 is unclear. "We have caught XMM-2599 in its inactive phase," Wilson said. "We do not know what it will turn into by the present day. We know it cannot lose mass. An interesting question is what happens around it. As time goes by, could it gravitationally attract nearby star-forming galaxies and become a bright city of galaxies?" Co-author Michael Cooper, a professor of astronomy at UC Irvine, said this outcome is a strong possibility. "Perhaps during the following 11.7 billion years of cosmic history, XMM-2599 will become the central member of one of the brightest and most massive clusters of galaxies in the local universe," he said. "Alternatively, it could continue to exist in isolation. Or we could have a scenario that lies between these two outcomes." The team has been awarded more time at the Keck Observatory to follow up on unanswered questions prompted by XMM-2599. "We identified XMM-2599 as an interesting candidate with imaging alone," said co-author Marianna Annunziatella, a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. "We used Keck to better characterize and confirm its nature and help us understand how monster galaxies form and die. MOSFIRE is one of the most efficient and effective instruments in the world for conducting this type of research." ### The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA. ABOUT MOSFIRE The Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE), gathers thousands of spectra from objects spanning a variety of distances, environments and physical conditions. What makes this large, vacuum-cryogenic instrument unique is its ability to select up to 46 individual objects in the field of view and then record the infrared spectrum of all 46 objects simultaneously. When a new field is selected, a robotic mechanism inside the vacuum chamber reconfigures the distribution of tiny slits in the focal plane in under six minutes. Eight years in the making with First Light in 2012, MOSFIRE's early performance results range from the discovery of ultra-cool, nearby substellar mass objects, to the detection of oxygen in young galaxies only two billion years after the Big Bang. MOSFIRE was made possible by funding provided by the National Science Foundation and astronomy benefactors Gordon and Betty Moore. It is currently the most in-demand instrument at Keck Observatory. ABOUT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two, 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes on the summit of Maunakea on the Island of Hawaii feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at Keck Observatory, which is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain. The United States has announced an additional $40 million (N14 billion) aid to Nigeria to address the humanitarian crisis arising from decades of the Boko Haram insurgency. The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who made the announcement in Washington DC on Tuesday, said this was in addition to nearly 350 million dollars (N122.5 billion) in assistance provided by the U.S. last year. Mr Pompeo spoke during a joint media briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, after the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) meeting hosted by the Department of State. The foreign minister (Mr Onyeama) and I also discussed today the massive humanitarian crisis that the conflict with Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa and other religious and ethnic violence. We know that these issues are hard. We know that theyre complicated. But, I strongly encourage the Nigerian government to do more to protect its civilians, including religious communities and the humanitarian organisations seeking to assist them. To aid in this effort, Im pleased to announce today an additional 40 million dollars in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria, adding to the nearly 350 million dollars that we provided last year, he said. The BNC is a platform for the Nigerian and U.S. governments to expand cooperation and advance shared goals in the areas of trade and investment, development, good governance and security. Mr Pompeo said the two-day meeting also featured discussions on security cooperation between both countries, especially Nigerias recent purchase of 12 U.S.-made A-29 fighter planes worth $500 million. The sale of the aircraft, according to him, is in support of President Muhammadu Buharis vision of building a security force with the best training and modern weaponry. He said the U.S. would hold Nigeria to the pledge of ensuring that the countrys military operates with the highest standards of respect for human rights. On his part, Mr Onyeama described the security challenges facing the country as an existential threat, but was quick to note that they were being addressed with respect for human rights. Of course, we are faced with other security issues within Nigeria, and we know that some of them cause disquiet amongst our partners and we are addressing a number of those. And in addressing those internal challenges, and especially in the security area, we absolutely make it clear and strive to uphold human rights. We have the greatest interest in protecting and respecting the human rights of our population and we do that, he said. Permafrost collapse is speeding climate change: study Paris, Feb 4 (AFP) Feb 04, 2020 Permafrost in Canada, Alaska and Siberia is abruptly crumbling in ways that could release large stores of greenhouse gases more quickly than anticipated, researchers have warned. Scientists have long fretted that climate change -- which has heated Arctic and subarctic regions at double the global rate -- will release planet-warming CO2 and methane that has remained safely locked inside Earth's frozen landscapes for millennia. It was assumed this process would be gradual, leaving humanity time to draw down carbon emissions enough to prevent permafrost thaw from tipping into a self-perpetuating vicious circle of ice melt and global warming. But a study published on Monday in Nature Geoscience says projections of how much carbon would be released by this kind of slow-and-steady thawing overlook a less well-known process whereby certain types of icy terrain disintegrate suddenly -- sometimes within days. "Although abrupt permafrost thawing will occur in less than 20 percent of frozen land, it increases permafrost carbon release projections by about 50 percent," said lead author Merritt Turetsky, head of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research in Boulder, Colorado. "Under all future warming scenarios, abrupt thaw leads to net carbon losses into the atmosphere," she told AFP. Permafrost contains rocks, soil, sand and pockets of pure ground ice. Its rich carbon content is the remains of life that once flourished in the Arctic, including plants, animals and microbes. This matter -- which never fully decomposed -- has been frozen for thousands of years. It stretches across an area nearly as big as Canada and the United States combined, and holds about 1,500 billion tonnes or carbon -- twice as much as in the atmosphere and three times the amount humanity has emitted since the start of industrialisation. Some of this once rock-solid ground has begun to soften, upending indigenous communities and threatening industrial infrastructure across the sub-Arctic region, especially in Russia. The evidence is mixed as to whether this not-so-permanent permafrost has started to vent significant quantities of methane or CO2. Projections are also uncertain, with some scientists saying future emissions may be at least partially offset by new vegetation, which absorbs and stores CO2. But there is no doubt, experts say, that permafrost will continue to give way as temperatures climb. - 'Fast and dramatic' - In a special report published in September, the UN's scientific advisory body for climate change, the IPCC, looked at two scenarios. If humanity manages -- against all odds -- to cap global warming at under 2C, the cornerstone goal of the 2015 Paris climate treaty, "permafrost area shows a decrease of 24 percent by 2100", it concluded. At the other extreme, if fossil fuel emissions continue to grow over the next 50 years -- arguably an equally unlikely prospect -- up to 70 percent of permafrost could disappear, the IPPC said. But both scenarios assume the loss will be gradual, and that may be a mistake, Turetsky suggested. "We estimate that abrupt permafrost thawing -- in lowland lakes and wetlands, together with that in upland hills -- could release 60 to 100 billion tonnes of carbon by 2300," she noted in a comment also published by Nature. One tonne of carbon is equivalent to 3.67 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which means this would be equivalent to about eight years of global emissions at current rates. "This is in addition to the 200 billion tonnes of carbon expected to be released in other regions that will thaw gradually," she said. Current climate models do not account for the possibility of rapid permafrost collapse and the amount of gases it might release, the study notes. Abrupt thawing is "fast and dramatic", Merritt said, adding: "Forests can become lakes in the course of a month, landslides can occur with no warning, and invisible methane seep holes can swallow snowmobiles whole." Coronavirus fear remains on Christmas Island as authorities reassure locals they are safe from infection by James Carmody February 05,2020 | Source: ABC The local government on Christmas Island has moved to try to reassure concerned residents they will be safe from infection after more than 200 Australians brought home from the coronavirus centre of Wuhan were quarantined on the island. About 240 Australian citizens and permanent residents were flown out of Wuhan on an evacuation flight on Monday, including 84 children under 16 and five infants under two. They were first brought to the Australian mainland but then flown on smaller planes to Christmas Island, where they are expected to spend two weeks at a repurposed immigration detention facility. Island administrator Natasha Griggs told Christmas Island residents via a Facebook post that the evacuees would be kept completely separate from the community while they were quarantined. "Those quarantined will not be moving around the island or accessing any services including health services used by Christmas Island residents or visitors," she wrote in the public post. Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone last week called on the Commonwealth to find a more "humane" solution for repatriating Australians and suggested quarantine could be safely achieved on the mainland. Christmas Island lies more than 1,500 kilometres from the Australian mainland and is geographically much closer to the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. 2020 ABC Theme(s): Others. There was confusion in the counting of votes in the Iowa caucus of the Democratic Party for the president 2020 race. Its purpose was to identify their candidate for the White House and the partial results from the chaotic first vote indicate Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders as frontrunners. The party revealed data has arrived from 62% of precincts. It shows Pete Buttigieg on top with 26.9% while Bernie Sanders follows him with 25.1%. The other two in the top four are Elizabeth Warren with 18.3% and Joe Biden with 15.6%. One of them would challenge President Donald Trump in the election to be held in November. Initially, there were more than two dozen hopefuls and it is gradually reducing. .@PeteButtigieg choked up while addressing supporters after a majority of Iowa caucus results showed him in the lead: "It validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs...that if you believe in yourself and your country, there's a lot backing up that belief" pic.twitter.com/U1zvQG3JQF CBS News (@CBSNews) February 5, 2020 BBC reports that the state party has yet to make an official declaration of the results. Delay is because of some technical malfunctions. The popular vote count paints a different picture. It shows Sanders ahead of Buttigieg with Warren in third place and Biden at fourth. There is still a long way to go with a number of nationwide state-by-state votes. These are the primaries and caucuses, and Iowa was the first. The Democratic Party candidate for the White House will be finally announced at the party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July. What went wrong in Iowa caucus of President 2020 Democratic Party chairman of Iowa is Troy Price. While interacting with the media he said that the fiasco was "simply unacceptable." The incident has left a blot on Iowa and it is possible that it might have serious repercussions. Discuss this news on Eunomia He apologized for the confusion and explained that it was a technical glitch. "This was a coding error," is how he described it. He went on to assure that the data was secure and promised to have a thorough review. There had been fears of external involvement and state party officials have confirmed that such was not the case. Breaking News: Partial results for the Iowa caucuses show Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders ahead and Joe Biden falling well behind the other top-tier candidates https://t.co/Y2M1wMMc32 The New York Times (@nytimes) February 4, 2020 BBC goes on to add that voters had gone to the caucus sites that included libraries, high schools, and community centers to cast their votes. There is curiosity about the frontrunner Pete Buttigieg who is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, which is a comparatively small city with a population of slightly more than 100,000 people. He has handled various assignments. He was a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan and was attached to a well-known global management consultancy firm. Given his age, he is only 38, some feel he lacks the experience necessary to hold the post of the president. It is the President 2020 election fever According to Sky News, there were upsets in the results of the Iowa caucus. Earlier Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were top contenders for President 2020. The baton has now gone to Pete Buttigieg who is in the top position and Joe Biden in the fourth. This year many members of the Democratic Party wanted to have a go at denying Donald Trump a second term in the White House. However, most of them lacked the ability to impress the voters and had to bow out of the President 2020 race. There were a few women among the contenders and only Elizabeth Warren continues to remain. The voters had to select the candidate of their choice from a field of 11 and there was a delay in declaring results. A spokeswoman said - "This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion." The next round would be in New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders said - "Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." Tough fight for Democrats in President 2020 The tenure of Donald Trump has been one of ups and downs. There were issues like the US-Mexico border wall, and travel bans apart from wooing the North Korean supremo Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear ambitions. Then there was the stand he took on the Paris climate accord. The question now is whether he will return to power and complete the unfinished work. The Democratic Party candidate who challenges him will have a tough fight on hand. According to the prosecutor general, the only variant when Ukraine may reach the progress is the diplomatic ways Ukraines Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka Open source Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine failed to establish direct communication with law enforcement bodies of Iran as 112 Ukraine reported citing Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka. I personally appealed to the prosecutor general of Iran with the request on the provision of the international legal aid three times, particularly, we asked to provide, besides that evidence, some evidence required by the investigation and on the basis of which people were detained in Iran. Recently, the information was issued that three-four people detained in Iran for the commitment of this offense; they stay in preliminary detention facility. Unfortunately, there is no direct communication with law enforcement bodies of Iran, Ryaboshapka said. According to him, the only variant when Ukraine may reach the progress is the diplomatic ways. The prosecutor general noted that Ukraine appealed to the countries, which citizens also deceased in the crash, with the offer to create the investigation team. We prepared the draft agreements on the creation of the joint investigation team; this issue is under consideration. Moreover, we work with colleagues to exchange information, which is possessed by the law enforcement bodies of these states. Black boxes' or recorders, we also work in this direction but we do not possess the response from law enforcement bodies or bodies of judicial power of Iran but we work with our foreign diplomatic department to take these boxes to Ukraine and decrypt them here,' the prosecutor general added. Earlier, Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins stated that Ukraine can count on France's assistance if there is a demand for the transportation of PS752 black boxes to France. According to the French ambassador, he has officially informed Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the readiness of Paris to help. January 8, Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines, flight PS752 with 176 passengers aboard crashed in Tehran, not far from Imam Khomeini airport. 11 citizens of Ukraine died in the crash of Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines (PS 752 flight). President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the passenger plane crash in the Iranian capital left no survivors. On January 19, the bodies of the Ukrainians, who died in a plane crash in Iran, were delivered to Ukraine. The farewell ceremony took place at Boryspil Airport from 13.00 to 19.00. The Mobile detective who is hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida in critical condition is showing signs of improvement, says the Mobile County Sheriffs Office. Detective Corporal Tim Anderson was hospitalized with the flu that turned into a rare form of pneumonia late January. According to Tim Andersons wife, Kelly, he was initially given a 5 percent chance of survival and did not get a flu shot. The Mobile County Sheriffs Office told AL.com that Anderson is now getting better but is still days away from any great amount of progress to be visibly seen. Andersons family provided an update on his condition on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. Anderson underwent a successful CT scan Tuesday morning and x-rays are showing small lung improvements. The results of the CT scan show a large amount of fluid in the pleural cavity that needs to be drained. Doctors are inserting chest tubes in Anderson to drain the fluid, which should give more room for lung expansion. A GoFundMe page that was made to help support Andersons family in covering expenses for travel, lodging, meals and medical expenses on January 25. The page has since raised over $16,000, which is 80 times more their initial goal amount of $200 when the page was created. As the country braces itself to go to the polls, with Sinn Fein surging and the Tories triumphant in the UK, we are teetering on the edge of collapsing Anglo-Irish relations which are vital to harmony on both islands. As I write, Sinn Fein is currently the most popular political party in the opinion polls and on Saturday Ireland will decide if a party with links to the IRA in recent history will hold a share of power in government. Across the Irish Sea, Boris Johnson's isolationist Tory government is ruling Britannia and, rather than the unity we had taken for granted, a wave of ultra-nationalism is now feeding false hope to the disaffected in both countries. Those who have been left behind in the shadow of economic recovery are the driving force behind this new divisive politics. We have no control over the UK but the electorate can dictate what future we want in Ireland. And on polling day we must all examine our consciences before marking X on a ballot paper. Fine Gael has made some disastrous mistakes in office. The housing crisis has affected an entire generation, locked out from buying their own homes, while many are unable to even afford the basics of rent, forced to live in crowded family homes. The health system is creaking at the seams with our older people lying on trolleys and thousands of children languishing on waiting lists. There is little point in repeating the mantra of a 'future to look forward to' as an election slogan when many see no future at all, while boasting of almost full employment is wasted on the ears of those who struggle to afford rent and cannot save for this promised future. Meanwhile, many have rightfully been angered by the jingoistic posturing of the Brexiteers and politicians, more like parody caricatures, such as Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Cummings. Their politics has only served to be disruptive in the UK, and Ireland and has further encouraged the spread of ultra- nationalism on the two islands, once applauded internationally for embracing the ideology behind the European Union and the Good Friday Agreement, mechanisms to bridge nations, not just economically but culturally and socially. I am the product of the two nations, born in Manchester to Irish parents, and I fear a rise of this poisonous brand of nationalism. I'm blessed not to have lived through the Troubles but my family did and we have also experienced anti-Irish and anti-British sentiment on both sides of the Irish Sea from the uneducated few. I identify with both countries equally and I'd hate to witness any further hostility between my two nations. Sinn Fein is currently promising to build 100,000 council homes over five years, at a cost of 6.5bn. The party vows a refundable tax credit to cut rent by 1,500 annually. It has given an assurance to freeze rents for three years and to revert back to a State pension at 65, costing 368m. Such promises are intoxicating to those left behind in this recovery but they need to remember the connotations of Sinn Fein culturally and historically. And promises of a fairer housing system and more left-leaning landscape may well be impossible to fulfil against the Brexit backdrop. This is a party which has always refused a seat in Westminster and which had until recently been part of a non-functioning Assembly in Northern Ireland, a stalemate with the DUP lasting three years. Yet as an electorate we are supposed to trust it can communicate even-handedly with the British government? While housing, employment and health are vital issues today, Brexit is a spectre waiting in the wings and many voters seem to be forgetting this because of the immediate concerns of housing and health in their own lives. But Brexit is indeed a threat coming down the tracks. It has already helped revive Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups with disaffected youths. Journalist Lyra McKee was murdered in April last year in Derry amid rioting among such youths in the nationalist area of Creggan. The New IRA admitted responsibly for the murder. We must not forget Lyra or the more than 3,500 killed in the Troubles. We cannot forsake the pain of families still suffering and searching for answers. Can a party with such recent historic ties to the IRA, with such a fractious relationship with the UK government and the DUP in Northern Ireland and without real-time experience of steering economic policies here claim to be capable of charting Ireland through what is set to be one of our most challenging periods, maintain peace and prosperity and keep hard fought for Anglo-Irish relations intact? I would suggest not, though the message delivered so far by the electorate is that change must come and political leaders must heed this cry. But those who recognise how recent the violence and instability was on this island, and how it spilled into Britain, must also realise it can happen again and there is a need for even-handed politics to maintain relations with the UK. We cannot risk being dragged back into a past no one wants to be reborn. A Russian woman has died in Georgia after her car was pushed into a ravine as a result of an avalanche in Stepanstminda, Kazbegi municipality on the Kobi highway late yesterday. The individual who died was a Russian citizen. There were two other people in the car, Agenda.ge reported. One Georgian citizen was injured after the accident, while an Armenian citizen is safe. Defendants at the court (Photo: VNA) Three defendants who have not appealed are Truong Minh Tuan (former minister of information and communication), Pham Dinh Trong (former head of the Department of Enterprise Management under the Ministry of Information and Communications), and Pham Nhat Vu (former Chairman of the AVG Board of Directors). In their appeals, the defendants asked for clemency and reduced punishment, but none of them claimed innocence. The Hanoi Peoples Court held the first instance trial of the case from December 16 - 28, 2019. The case involved 14 defendants, including two former ministers of information and communication, Nguyen Bac Son and Truong Minh Tuan, who were jailed for life and 16 years in prison, respectively for receiving bribes and violating regulations on the management and use of public investment capital, causing serious consequences. Former Chairman of the Mobifone Member Council Le Nam Tra and former Mobifone General Director Cao Duy Hai were given 23-year and 14-year imprisonment sentences, respectively, for both charges. For nine defendants on charge of violating regulations on the management and use of public investment capital, causing serious consequences, the court pronounced that former head of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC)s Department of Enterprise Management Pham Dinh Trong will stay behind bars for five years; Director of the AMAX investment consultancy and valuation company Vo Van Manh three years and six months; and appraiser Hoang Duy Quang three years. Member of the Mobifone Member Council Phan Thi Hoa Mai and Hung and three other Mobifone Deputy General Directors Pham Thi Phuong Anh, Ho Tuan and Nguyen Bao Long were sentenced to two years and six months in jail. Mobifone Deputy General Director Nguyen Dang Nguyen got a two-year jail sentence. Former Chairman of the AVG Board of Directors Pham Nhat Vu was given a three-year imprisonment sentence for giving bribes. In 2015, the MIC-run MobiFone bought 95 percent of AVG for 8.9 trillion VND (382.7 million USD), many times higher than the actual value of the struggling firm. The deal caused a loss of over 6.59 trillion VND (283.3 million USD) to the State. J.M. Wilson has hired Andy Knibloe, as an assistant transportation underwriter in its Portage, Michigan, office. Knibloe is responsible for assisting underwriters on a wide variety of transportation risks, quoting new and renewal business, corresponding with carrier underwriters, and assisting independent agents. He comes to J.M. Wilson with 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, previously working in personal lines and property/casualty claims. Knibloe has received his Associate in Claims (AIC) designation from The Insurance Institute of America. Founded in 1920, J.M. Wilson is a managing general agency and surplus lines broker providing independent insurance agents access to specialty markets. Source: J.M. Wilson Topics Underwriting Michigan After decades in the wilderness, Stanleys time has finally come round again. Color Out of Space is recognisably the work of the same filmmaker, an eccentric but disciplined storyteller whose fascination with madness and disintegration is accompanied by a deadpan sense of the absurd. Hue's next? The colours of the movie change as the alien force takes control. Some of us have long been hoping for the return of South African writer-director Richard Stanley, whose 1990 first feature Hardware was at once a post-apocalyptic horror film, a blackly comic satire of post-punk bohemia, and a heretical allegory in which a killer droid somehow doubled for Jesus Christ. The source material is a 1927 horror story by H.P. Lovecraft, whose vision of a cruel universe ruled by malignant forces seems more popular than ever just now (in itself a rather worrying sign of the times). Stanleys adaptation retains the outline of Lovecrafts plot and some of his heavily ominous language, while reimagining the characters for the present day. Newly arrived in the woods of Massachusetts are the Gardners, an ordinary American family with some reasonably ordinary problems. Following a mastectomy, Theresa (Joely Richardson) fears her husband Nathan (Nicolas Cage) no longer finds her attractive. The resulting unease also affects their children: young Jack (Julian Hilliard) barely speaks, teenage Lavinia (Madeleine Knight) practises witchcraft a little too seriously, while middle child Benny (Brendan Meyer) has taken to smoking pot with a local weirdo played by Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame. But all these problems dwindle into insignificance when a meteor crashes in their front yard, possibly summoned by Lavinias spells. This proves to be a vehicle for an abstract alien entity - the "colour" of the title - that has the power to cause mutations and to warp reality itself. A man has died days after he was was struck by a vehicle that swerved across the road and into a parking lot after a crash on Tucson's north side, officials say. John Gordon Dear, 70, was hospitalized immediately after being hit in the Jan. 19 crash. In the crash, a 2006 Toyota Tacoma was making a from Prince Road onto First Avenue and collided with a 2007 Dodge Charger. The Charger then veered across Prince and into a parking lot at the intersection, striking Dear, police said in a news release Wednesday. Dear died Feb. 1, police said. Both drivers stayed at the scene of the wreck and cooperated with the investigation. No citations have been issued in the crash, which remains under investigation. Contact reporter Stephanie Casanova at scasanova@tucson.com. On Twitter: @CasanovaReports Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The recent apprehension of several people is a message. This is what former director of the National Security Service of Armenia Davit Shahnazaryan told reporters today. The real reason why those people were apprehended is because Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is sending a message to the circles of Westerners whom he is accountable to and who helped him come to power so that he can do what he has been planning to do with respect to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for a long time, and the message was that he is ready to establish dictatorship in order to do what he is doing against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and that he has the leverages for that, including the police who lay well-known public figures on the asphalt for no good reason. Of course, he also solves other issues on the side and constantly tries to change the agenda. The police chief has assumed responsibility. He will unconditionally serve and make police officers serve the interests of Pashinyan and his family, Shahnazaryan said. Gritty may be cleared from assault allegations, but he doesnt seem to have learned his lesson in a comedic bit on the latest episode of Conan.. The quick sketch pulled from recent headlines about the mascot. Earlier this week, police said that there was no evidence that the Philadelphia Flyers mascot physically assaulted a 13-year-old boy in November. The boys father, Chris Greenwell, had said that the mascot had punched his son in the back at a special fan photo shoot event. On the Feb. 4 episode of his show, Conan OBrien congratulated the mascot on being cleared of any wrongdoing. In case you didnt know, Gritty is a friend of our show, OBrien told the studio audience before bringing out an actor dressed as the mascot and asking him how he was feeling about the police case being closed. Im truly humble and relieved that this is all behind me," the mascot said, before dancing. Gritty then refused to leave, eventually getting in a fight with a stage manager who tried to escort him off the stage. The mascot then repeatedly punched a boy who wanted an autograph. It wasnt the best stage fight choreography, with even OBrien noting that the camera angles werent really hiding the fact that it was faked. Yeah, use the angle thats more realistic, he droned as Gritty continued to fight all who encountered him. You can watch the bit in the video below. In case it wasnt clear, it wasnt the real Gritty on Conan, although the costume was pretty good. Besides, we think Gritty would be more likely to throw cake... not punches... if he was being chased by security. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Penguin small talk follows some of the same principles as chatter amongst people, scientists have found. The flightless birds are known for exhibiting a number of traits shared with humans including monogamous relationships, same sex partnerships and, according to some studies, prostitution. Now a new study from the University of Torino has found the animals obey some of the same rules of linguistics as humans. The animals follow two main laws - that more frequently used words are briefer (Zipf's law of brevity), and longer words are composed of extra but briefer syllables (the Menzerath-Altmann law). Scientists say this is the first instance of these laws observed outside primates, suggesting an ecological pressure of brevity and efficiency in animal vocalisations. California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Show all 11 1 /11 California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Grand Prize winner Black grouse in Tromso, Norway Audun Rikardsen California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Terrestrial Wildlife Brown bear dips for fish in a nature reserve in Russia Mikhail Korostelev California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Aquatic Life Marine iguana grazes off the coast of the Galapagos Islands Pier Mane California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Winged Life Winged carpenter ants walk over the discarded wings of termites, who have left them behind as they look for a mate Piotr Naskrecki California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Finalist: Terrestrial Wildlife A trio of polar bears walk by a whale skeleton following a recent, fresher meal in Kaktovic, Alaska Daniel Dietrich California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Art of Nature Salar de Antofalla, one of the world's largest salt pans in Argentina Chiara Salvadori California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Human/Nature Andre Bauma, head caretaker at the Senkwekwe Centre for orphaned gorillas, is embraced by one of his orphans James Gifford California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Finalist: Aquatic Life Blanket octopus of Anilao, Philippines Jinggong Zhang California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Finalist: Terrestrial Wildlife Koala on Kangaroo Island, South Australia Julie Fletcher California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Finalist: Terrestrial Wildlife Gemsbok in the Namib-Naukluft Desert, Namibia Buddy Eleazer California Academy of Sciences Natural World photography competition Winner: Landscapes, Waterscapes and Flora Senja Island, Norway Armand Sarlangue Information compression is a general principle of human language. According to the study published in the Biology Letters journal, display songs of the endangered African penguin conform to both Zipf's law of brevity and Menzerath-Altmann law. The research was led by the Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle of the University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne. Dr Livio Favaro, of the University of Torino and colleagues say this is the first evidence of conformity to the universal principles of compression in the vocal sequences of a non-primate species. Researchers recorded and analysed 590 ecstatic display songs from 28 adult African penguins, belonging to three different colonies in Italian zoos, during the breeding periods in 2016 and 2017. They found the words used most often by the flightless birds were the shortest, while the longest words were made up of extra but shorter syllables. The study sets out: "Our results demonstrate that ecstatic display songs of the African penguin follow Zipf's Law of Brevity and the Menzerath-Altmann Law. "This is the first compelling evidence for conformity to linguistic laws in vocal sequences of a non-primate species. "As predicted, we found that the duration of the syllables was inversely correlated with the frequency of occurrence." The authors add: "We suggest that relationships between element duration, frequency of use and song size are mainly a consequence of vocal production constraints interacting with selective pressures for intersexual mate choice and territorial defence in dense colonies. "Importantly, our results suggest for the first time that information compression can coexist with other sources of selection in a non-primate species with a small and relatively fixed vocal system." Additional reporting by PA. The CISF has taken over the security of a Uttar Pradesh-based supercritical thermal power plant and has deployed over 300 personnel at the facility, a senior official said on Wednesday. The induction of an armed security unit of the force and a separate fire wing took place on Monday at the Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Ltd (NUPPL) located at Ghatampur in Kanpur. "310 personnel -- 206 for security duties and 104 as part of the fire wing -- have been deployed at the power plant. The induction took place on February 3," a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) spokesperson said. NUPPL is a joint venture between the Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Ltd (a Union government enterprise) and the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. It is a coal-based supercritical thermal power plant with a capacity of 1,980 MW. "In the light of the increased threat perception to coal-based supercritical thermal power plants situated across the country, NUPPL is inherently vulnerable to threats from anti-nationals," the spokesperson said. The ceremonial induction of the contingent was done by CISF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Prabodh Chandra and NUPPL CEO K Mohan Reddy. The CISF commandos, under the command of a Deputy Commandant-rank officer, will provide round-the-clock security in a quick response team (QRT) pattern as part of which they will keep vigil from vantage positions at the facility, using sophisticated assault weapons and will have vehicles for swift movement. They will ensure that terror threats to the power plant are kept at bay and thwarted, a senior official said. The special fire unit will secure the facility against any blaze-like incidents. The paramilitary force, with a strength of around 1.62 lakh personnel, is the primary federal force to provide armed security cover to vital installations in the government and private domain of the country, apart from being the national civil aviation protection force. With the latest induction, the force has 347 units to guard in the country, the spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 01:40:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN disarmament chief on Wednesday warned that the destabilizing accumulation, illicit transfer and misuse of small arms and light weapons continue to initiate, sustain and exacerbate armed conflict and pervasive crime. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN undersecretary-general of disarmament affairs, told the Security Council that small arms and light weapons are "the weapons of choice" in intra-state conflicts and for terrorism, organized crime and gang warfare. She noted current and past crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Mali, which all "have been aggravated by the widespread availability and uncontrolled flow of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition." She said that currently nine UN peacekeeping and political missions across the globe address conventional weapons-related issues, including small arms and light weapons control and weapons and ammunition management. In situations of conflict and post-conflict, she said, the majority of acts of violence are carried out with small arms and light weapons. Also, with an estimated 1 billion small arms in circulation worldwide, the use of these weapons in lethal violence, whether in conflict or non-conflict settings, is prevalent, she said. With regard to the source of illicit weapons, Nakamitsu said diversion remains a major source of weapons and their ammunition for gangs, criminal organizations and terrorist groups. She explained that those weapons and their ammunition originate from poorly-managed state-owned stockpiles and battlefield capture or loss following state collapse. Moreover, she cautioned there are also ample diversion opportunities along the supply-chain from manufacture through end-use. Illicit arms flows and possession have been causing serious security problems in the Sahel, parts of Central Africa, Libya, South Sudan and Haiti, she said. The President of the United States, Donald Trump recently dominated over two other GOP presidential candidates in the Iowa caucus 2020. He attained victory over his two Republican Party contenders by getting 97 percent of the total votes and eight percent of the precincts. Joe Walsh, the former representative of Illinois, acquired 1.40 percent of the total votes. Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, got 1.20 percent of the total votes. Less than thirty minutes after the state-wide caucusing of Iowa, Republicans starting at 7 pm, the results were revealed. According to an article from MSN, President Donald Trump's lead in the results of the Iowa caucus 2020 was also predicted in the preliminary entrance survey from the caucuses of the Democrats. The results revealed a close fight between the Democratic Party's Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg. Walsh Reacts to the Iowa Caucusing Results Walsh shared a statement made by his campaign leader. She shared that she received numerous reports that in multiple Iowan precincts, including those in Urbandale, voters were requesting to speak on behalf of Joe Walsh. However, they were prevented from sharing a statement. He reveals that the situation was a "very concerning' matter. Upon facing defeat on Monday against President Donald Trump, Walsh's representative Charles Siler revealed that the Republican presidential candidate is still keeping his options open. Siler revealed that Walsh's campaign efforts will be moving to New Hampshire. He shared that Walsh had invested a relevant amount of time campaigning in New Hampshire since his presidential race announcement. Siler believes the difficulties with the campaign, but he stressed that their efforts are for the betterment of the nation. He also added in his statement their campaign team's distress on the cancellation by the GOP of many potential candidates from other states. According to Siler, Walsh believes that Trump is a high threat to the republic. The candidate stated that the current president of the country is the type of leader that the founders of the party feared. Weld Reacts to the Iowa Caucusing Results On the other hand, Weld shared a photo on social media where he was conversing with many Iowa caucus 2020 attendees. His caption in the photo said that the Iowa caucus is a "great American tradition. He shared that he was honored to be part of the event. His post included the hashtag '#IowaCaucuses." Trump Reacts to the Iowa Caucusing Results In the Iowa caucuses in 2016, Trump placed second by four percent of the total votes. According to a recent news report from Fox News, the spokesperson of the Republican National Committee, Rick Gorka, said that President Trump has a significant number of supporters from Republican voters. It was highly expected that Walsh and Weld did not pose a threat to Trump for the primary season. The reason for this claim is that before the caucuses in Iowa, Trump's campaign team members were scattered in the region to converse and promote the current president of the country. The official campaign Twitter account of President Trump tweeted a comment on the results of the Iowa caucus 2020. The account praised the Unity of the Republican Party. Hours before the actual Iowa caucusing, Trump supporters, including his sons, senior administration officers, and Republican Congress members, had visited Iowa to express their support of the current president of the United States. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Representatives of the High Council of State in Libya, elected to participate in the Geneva Political Dialogue to resolve the Libyan crisis, have stressed the need to clarify the results of the military and economic meeting before engaging in the political process planned in two weeks in the Swiss capital Phuket Town road to close for resurfacing PHUKET:Phuket City Municipality has announced that Virapong Hongyok Rd in Phuket Town will be closed to traffic on Friday (Feb 7) and Sunday (Feb 9) as work is carried out on renewing the road surface. constructiontransport By The Phuket News Wednesday 5 February 2020, 10:50AM Virapong Hongyok Rd, which runs from Phang Nga Rd to the Nimit Circle (also called the Seahorse Circle) near Phuket Grocery, will be closed from 1pm-2:30pm on Friday, and from 8am -midday on Sunday. A section of Anuphas Phuketkarn Rd will also be affected will the roadworks are being carried out. In its announcement, Phuket City Municipality apologised for any inconvenience caused. For more information call the municipalitys hotline at 1132. Returning evacuee confirmed as Taiwan's 11th Wuhan coronavirus case ROC Central News Agency 02/04/2020 09:54 PM Taipei, Feb. 4 (CNA) Taiwan reported Tuesday its 11th case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), confirmed as one of 247 nationals evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan the previous day. Speaking at a press event, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung () said the news of another confirmed case was not entirely unexpected. The government will do everything to help people get back to their normal lives, Chen said. According to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the latest victim is one of three who displayed symptoms of the novel coronavirus on arriving at Taoyuan International Airport late Monday on a China Eastern Airlines charter flight. One was found to have a fever, while two had sore throats. They were immediately rushed to hospital isolation wards, while other evacuees were placed in quarantine at three separate facilities across Taiwan. On Tuesday, one of the three was confirmed to have contracted the 2019-nCoV virus, bringing the number of cases in the country to 11. Meanwhile, the other two tested negative for the disease. The CECC said everyone who has been quarantined will have their temperature taken twice a day during the 14-day quarantine period and be sent to hospital if they show suspected symptoms of the novel coronavirus. As of Tuesday evening, over 400 people have died of the coronavirus and more than 20,000 have been infected, with the vast majority of the cases occurring in China. (By Chen Wei-ting and Ko Lin) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 12th coronavirus case confirmed in the US originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Wisconsin health officials confirmed the 12th coronavirus case in the United States on Wednesday. The patient, who recently visited Beijing and was exposed to known cases of coronavirus while traveling, tested positive for coronavirus and has not been hospitalized, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The individual is isolated at home and is in good condition. Health officials will monitor the patient's close contacts, as well as the health care workers who cared for the individual, for signs of illness. "The risk of getting sick from 2019 novel coronavirus in Wisconsin is very low," Jeanne Ayers, a state health officer, said in a statement. The new case marks the 12th confirmed case of the novel virus in the United States. MORE: PHOTOS: Coronavirus outbreak sparks global health emergency While this was announced, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shipping newly approved coronavirus tests to health labs across the country Wednesday so states can begin their own coronavirus testing. Previously, all samples from patients were being tested at the CDC in Atlanta. PHOTO: A member of the medical staff holds a test tube after taking samples taken from a person to be tested for the new coronavirus at a quarantine zone in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, in China's central Hubei province, Feb. 4, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images) The new diagnostic tests will "greatly enhance our national capacity" to test for the virus, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a news conference Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the tests for emergency use Tuesday. The tests are being shipped to 100 approved labs in the United States, with 200 test kits initially mailed out in the United States and another 200 test kits sent internationally. Each kit can perform diagnostics on roughly 700 to 800 patient samples. The U.S. public health system relies heavily on states, Messonnier explained. "Their ability to detect and confirm this virus is critical," she said. At present, 206 people in the U.S. have tested negative for coronavirus and 12 have tested positive. The remaining tests are pending. Story continues MORE: American man anxiously awaits family to return from Wuhan, China, amid coronavirus outbreak The United States has evacuated a number of its citizens from China amid the health crisis. Two charter flights from the Chinese city of Wuhan, carrying a total of approximately 350 passengers, landed at the Travis Air Force Base in Northern California on Wednesday. One of the planes refueled at the base before continuing on to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar San Diego, according to a statement from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christian Mitchell. Upon arrival at the final destination, all travelers will be screened by CDC medical personnel and placed under a federally mandated 14-day quarantine. The U.S. Department of Defense "will work closely with our interagency partners and continue to provide support to the situation as requested," Mitchell said. PHOTO: Workers with sanitizing equipment walk up a flight of stairs as they disinfect a railway station during the coronavirus outbreak, in Kunming, Yunnan province, China, Feb. 4, 2020. (CNS via Reuters) Two additional evacuation flights from Wuhan are expected arrive later this week, and passengers will go through a similar screening and quarantine process when they land at military bases in San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska. The passengers who were quarantined last week after returning from Wuhan are expected to be released Feb. 11, as long as they and their immediate family members remain healthy. "As of today, based on what we know about this virus, the far outside of incubation period is 14 days," Messonnier said. In Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization stressed that the international community has a small window of time in which to contain the novel coronavirus at a Wednesday news conference. MORE: Hyundai suspends South Korean production as coronavirus fuels parts shortage "Invest today or pay more later," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO. The WHO is requesting $675 million over the next three months, with the bulk of those dollars supporting countries with underdeveloped health infrastructures to prepare for the risk of coronavirus. As part of its emergency response plan, the organization is sending gloves, respirators, isolation gowns and diagnostic tests from their warehouses to countries affected by the outbreak. Tedros also highlighted the $100 million that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to fight the global coronavirus outbreak. "This pledge from the foundation will help us in speeding up the research," he said. PHOTO: Countries with Confirmed Coronavirus Cases (ABC News) There is not yet a proven effective treatment for the new coronavirus. In Japan, fears about how the new coronavirus could affect the 2020 Olympic Games, which are slated to take place in Tokyo this summer, have bubbled to the surface, with a top Olympic official saying that organizers were "extremely worried" about coronavirus disrupting them. In the meantime, at least 10 people aboard a cruise ship moored in Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said. MORE: US prepares for possible coronavirus pandemic as death toll rises Since arriving at the Japanese port of Yokohama on Monday, the Diamond Princess has been quarantined at sea while all passengers and crew on board undergo health screenings. The 10 people who tested positive for the newly identified virus have been taken ashore to a hospital in the coastal prefecture of Kanagawa, according to a statement from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. "Quarantine of the cruise ship continues to be implemented," the ministry said. A spokesperson for Princess Cruises, which operates the ship, said that those who tested positive include three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, two Australian guests, one American guest and one crew member from the Philippines. There were 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members aboard the Diamond Princess. Approximately half the guests are from Japan, and there are over 400 passengers from the United States on the ship, according to the cruise line spokesperson. PHOTO: People are transferred to a patrol ship from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama on Feb. 5, 2020, after a number of people on board tested positive for the new coronavirus. (Kyodo/Reuters) The Diamond Princess will remain under quarantine in Yokohama with everyone on board for at least 14 days, as required by the Japanese health ministry, the Princess Cruises spokesperson said. "The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought on board," the spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday night. "Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ships crew is working to keep all guests comfortable." MORE: Coronavirus outbreak in China driving global oil prices down "Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government," the spokesperson added. The California-based company has already already cancelled the next two Diamond Princess cruises departing from Yokohama. PHOTO: Personnel clad in protective gear, tasked to provide care for suspected coronavirus patients on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, are seen at the Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama on Feb. 5, 2020. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images) American author Gay Courter and her husband Phil, who are among those on board the quarantined ship, told ABC News they have been "confined" to their room, a mini suite, and the crew has halted room service. "As far as jail cells go, it's pretty elegant," Courter said in an interview Tuesday. "It'd be a lot more pleasant if we can get food." "Right now, the ship is in crisis mode," she added. "This is very serious and scary." MORE: Here are the coronavirus symptoms to watch out for amid outbreak Courter, whose 1995 book "I Speak For This Child: True Stories of a Child Advocate" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, said she and her husband are running low on their prescription medications. Courter is diabetic and takes insulin. "I don't have 14 days' worth," she said. "We need to get out of here while we're still healthy." PHOTO: Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship and tested positive for the new coronavirus, in Yokohama, Japan, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kyodo Kyodo/Reuters) The first cases of the new coronavirus were detected back in December in Wuhan, China, which has since become the epicenter of the epidemic. By early Thursday local time, Chinese state-run media was reporting 28,018 confirmed cases and 563 deaths on mainland China. Two people have also died in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines. More than 200 cases have been confirmed in more than two dozen other nations and territories, including the 12 cases in the United States. The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. MORE: PHOTOS: Coronavirus outbreak sparks global health emergency The new coronavirus causes symptoms similar to pneumonia that can range from mild, such as a slight cough, to more severe, including fever and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. ABC News' Marilyn Heck, Luis Martinez, Jessica Mendoza, Joseph Simonetti, Karson Yiu and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.5 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: One of the Iranian citizens who flew back to the country from China, has symptoms of a new coronavirus, Trend reports referring to the information portal of Irans Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Management at the ministry Mohammed Mehdi Gouya noted that special medical care was provided to this person. About 80 Iranians live in Chinese Wuhan city, 50 of them returned voluntarily in the morning of Feb.5. Iranians coming from China will be quarantined for 14 days. Gouya said that all flights from Iran to China, as well as from China to Iran, were suspended, but all necessary measures will be taken to bring back Iranian citizens residing in China, if they want. Nine persons with suspected coronavirus infection signs were registered in Iran. In all cases, the results of analyzes were negative. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat, Haryana, has become one of the largest law schools in the world with 104 new faculty members joining it for the spring 2020 semester thereby increasing the total faculty strength of JGLS to 328, the university said on Wednesday. With this addition, the faculty-student ratio of JGLS has improved to 1:9 from 1:12. The 104 new faculty members include 2 Professors, 3 Associate Professors, 27 Assistant Professors, 38 Senior Research Associates and 34 Research Associates. "Jindal Global Law School has made a huge commitment through these 104 new faculty hires. This has substantially expanded its faculty and will give more opportunities for learning to the students of JGU," C. Raj Kumar, VC, JGU and Dean, JGLS, said in a statement. "The decision to hire such a large number of faculty members for one law school is unparalleled in the history of legal education in India and augurs well for the aspiration to maintain excellence in legal education," he added. More than half (52 per cent) of all the faculty members in JGLS are women and nearly 55 per cent of the new faculty members who joined are women. While 62 per cent of the new faculty members have LL.M. degrees from leading international universities such as the University of Oxford and Harvard University, 88 faculty members of JGLS have Ph.D. degree from various leading international, central and state universities. This month marks the 10th anniversary of Rick Hess Straight Up, making it a propitious time to revisit some favorites from the past decade. For each of the Top 20 which run this month, Ive offered a quick reflection or thought as to why it remains a personal favorite. Ive been making fun of 21st-century skills since the 20th century. Even so, I was struck in late 2018 by a particularly insipid end-of-year letter by one education leader which went on at great length about nothing, with much of the nothing devoted to the import of 21st-century skills. That struck a chord, resulting in the introduction of the inimitable Paul Banksley in the predictions column for 2019. I foresaw that Banksley, an out-of-work vacuum cleaner salesman, would redefine the whole pursuit of 21st-century skillsby focusing on 22nd-century skills. In a charming development, one gifted reader started the @realpbanksley Twitter feed, which moved me to imagine this sit-down with the big man. Now, onto number 18 , originally published on January 14, 2019. The other day, I had the privilege of sitting down to talk 22nd-century skills with Paul Banksley, TED talk phenom, founder of Tomorrows Are for Tomorrow, and Nobel favorite . Mr. Banksley, or @realpbanksley , as hes known to his hard-core fans, was kind enough to carve out 17 minutes for me, allowing me to tag along in his limousine as it ferried him from one packed D.C. appearance to the next. Here are some of the highlights of my chat with educations visionary-in-chief. I asked if he could offer the backstory on how he became Americas hottest education icon. People do seem to find me fascinating, so Im happy to share this again. Id been laid off from my job selling vacuums and was sitting around the house watching television, yelling at my kids, and playing Fortnite. Anyway, one of my kids was doing a homework assignment on 21st-century careers and skills. All of the sudden, she looked up and asked me what came after the 21st-century. I was stumped. After I got killed in Fortnite, I went and looked it up. Turns out, its the 22nd century. Occurred to me, those careers and skills would be better than 21st-century stuffafter all, they were one higher. So I made a YouTube video on my phone. From there, things just took off. I was curious how the TED talk happened. He told me, Once my YouTube video took off, the TED people came calling. Over the phone, I told them about 22nd-century skills. All they wanted to know was how soon I could become a member of the TED family. I didnt even need to write my TED talk out. I just spoke my truthabout the fact that the 22nd-century is coming, that its important, and that well need skills for it. Oh, and that people will live in the future. And what can I say? It blew up. Given that he didnt grow up as an education guy, I asked how he gained the knowledge that has made him such a transformative figure. He waved his finger in a no-no gesture. The mistake, he said, is to focus on knowledge. This is the future, man. I turned off Fortnite and spent a night putting Google to work. I learned all about education and schools and teaching and realized its all sales. Knowing stuff is OK, but its the pitch that makes the sale. And since the computers know everything, schools should be teaching kids how to pitch. Thats the 22nd century, man. I just got there a little early. I asked how the fundraising came together for Tomorrows Are for Tomorrow. He told me, A lot of these funders had apparently been hunting for something bold, innovative, and committed that could help actionize thinkiness and promote co-creative, dynamic classrooms. One of them saw a few of my hashtags and asked me to fly out. We sat down, and I told them that we needed to stop talking about 21st-century skills . . . and to start focusing on 22nd-century skills. It blew their minds. Then they mentioned that equity was a big priority for them. After I explained that nothing is more equitable than 22nd-century skills, they were hooked. I asked what he thought of those calling for more subversive teaching. He observed, You know the best way to teach subversively in the 21st century? I shook my head no. He smiled, Its by teaching 22nd-century skills. I cant deny that my mind was just a little bit blown by the insight. He continued, We need to scrap antiquated ideas. In the future, computers will know stuff for us. Thats why we need a forward-looking focus on what kids actually respond to, like Fortnite. It will take some time for 22nd-century skills to come to fruitionsome predict itll be 81 yearsbut Im confident well get there. I asked if there are any other folks that he finds particularly inspiring. He said, Im especially taken with Anthony Mackay, the new CEO of the National Center for Education and the Economy. I mean, this guy is a boss. The other week he wrote this. With that, Banksley fished around in his jacket pocket and pulled out a worn page. He read from it. Just listen to this. Mackay says , NCEE will continue to contribute to global knowledge generation and mobilization as we seek to design learning systems for the Third Industrial Agean artificial intelligence (AI) future in which human-centered learning will be crucial to our sustainability. He looked up and said, I mean . . . Wow! I noted that he seems to be one of the leading thinkers in the push to rebrand STEM as STEAMED (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, and Everything Delightful). You know, he said, one of the things I have always understood is the power of trendy jargon to change lives. And I found myself thinking, Why are we putting limits on our learning? If theres delightful stuff out there, it should be part of our brand. And, it works. I can tell you that weve spent a couple million on polling, and parents and educators support delightful things by enormous margins. I observed that he seems to have a real knack for hashtags. He said, I like to think of hashtags as more than hashtags. To me, theyre like little poems, except theyre written with a hash. I did note that critics complain that 22nd-century skills arent concrete or clear enough. I asked if that ever bothers him. He said, Is a Kardashian bothered by a math problem? Of course not. The critics just dont get it. Its like I used to say when I was selling vacuumswhat matters is whether it busts the dusts, not whether a dogs fleas say please. When I chuckled appreciatively, he added, Its clear those people have never heard of Google or Wikipedia. I mean, you and I could build a nuclear reactor right now by asking Siri for directions and then ordering on Amazon, if this back seat had enough room. Our time together was as magical as I wouldve hoped. I walked away, to quote one of Banksleys favorite hashtags, #TRULYinspirED. The Worry Monster Teddy features a zipped mouth to eat all worries (Photo:Groupon) A mum-of-three has discovered a way to ease her five-year-old daughters anxiety - and, unusually, it comes in the form of a monster. Natalie Vaughan, 34, from Pontypridd, bought the toy from The Works for her daughter Mia, who she describes as not a very confident little girl. She later posted photographs of the blue polka-dotted creature known as the Worry Monster on a Facebook group designed for people to share bargains - and its resonated with other parents. Explaining how the plush toy works, she wrote: Your little one writes down their worries on paper, folds it up and pops it in the monsters mouth. They zip up his mouth and he eats away the worry! Natalie and her five-year-old daughter Mia (Photo: Natalie Vaughan) READ MORE: Children showing signs of stress and anxiety, parents say Natalie told Yahoo Style UK: My daughter worries that people might not like her, that her friends dont like her clothes, whether her homework is correct - and about things like her cat running away. Mias not a very confident little girl. Even though I tell her how beautiful she is everyday, and if someone doesn't like you its OK, as not every one will! Mia now uses her worry monster teddy twice a week to feel better, and is always excited to wake up and see it. Natalies Facebook post about the monster, whose motto is 'We eat your worries', has been liked more than 3000 times, with more than 1000 comments posted at the time of writing. One person wrote: I'm a primary school teacher and I've had one of those in my classroom since the day I qualified. Kids love it. Some classes have taken to it more than others but they all know it's there if they need it! Natalie Vaughan's Worry Monster (Photo: Natalie Vaughan/Facebook) Another branded the ted a brilliant idea for children who find it hard to talk. According to The Works, the worry monster teddy is recommended by psychologists and teachers to act as a waste bin for the fears, troubles and woes that children arent always keen to share with their parents. One Facebook user commented: Wish these were about when my children were small. Story continues READ MORE: How music therapy can help anxious children The toy comes in different colours and sizes and is even available as a keyring to add to book bags. Another worry monster fan explained: My son used to have recurring nightmares about bombs dropping (think he must have seen something on the news to trigger it). So I bought one of these in the hope it may help. He wrote his note about his dreams and has not had one since. Best 10 I ever spent. The worry monster teddy can be bought from The Works for just 8.00, where its received a 4.8 out of 5 star rating. Its also available to purchase from Amazon in different colours from 9.95. Stevo Timothys Farmer Michael is a popular character, but he also sparks snobbery from the comedy community, and praise from those who dont get that his views might not be real, writes Ed Power Stevo Timothy was participating in a soup run for the homeless in Galway a few months ago when he was recognised by a group of exuberant young men fresh from the pub. One of them got into my car with his phone and goes, here, say something funny. The rest had me surrounded, he recalls. The only thing I could do is pick up my crutches and tell him to leave. The crutches are a consequence of a motorcycle accident over a decade ago that left 37-year-old Timothy temporarily paralysed from the waist down and required him to use a wheelchair for many years. Over-enthusiastic fans meanwhile are a fact of life for the Galway native since he became one of Irelands viral comedy sensations via his alter ego Farmer Michael. I didnt have a clue it was going to become so big, says Timothy, who this year embarks on his largest tour yet, including a headline date at Cork Opera House on March 15. I made some videos for the craic in my car. I had them on my phone for ages. I was actually apprehensive about even putting the videos up. And then I did and it exploded. Michael is a fond but not uncritical caricature of an certain sort of Irish person: flustered by everyday life, overwhelmed by modernity, not too bothered about political correctness. In the videos he engages in baffled and increasingly frenzied back-and-forths with his wife, Kathleen portrayed by Timothys girlfriend Sinead McGrath (25). Stevo was always a joker and a messer, says McGrath, whose background is in horse training. I was always quiet and shy, never able to break out of that. This new career has brought me into my true self. Michael and Kathleen are a comedy phenomenon. A video in which Michael challenged Conor McGregor to a fight received an endorsement from McGregors father, Tony. Later, McGregor himself sought out the comedian to profess his fandom. The boxer Tyson Fury is another convert. He went to so far as release a video proclaiming his admiration. Even more extraordinary than their celebrity fanbase is they sheer popularity of their videos on social media. A skit entitled Theres no gays in Ireland Kathleen has notched up 1.8 million views. Another, Irish people cant cope with black people, has nearly a quarter of a million. And just to be clear these pieces are meant as satire: they arent intended as serious commentary about minority rights or racism. FOREIGN APPEAL The duo arent simply beloved in Ireland. The majority of their audience is in the UK and America and they have toured to sold out venues across England and Scotland. I always thought of myself as a comedian but I hadnt pursued it, says Timothy. I did a master of ethics [at NUIG] but I didnt want to end up studying philosophy all my life. So I was studying accountancy. I didnt like it. Then the videos came along and I dropped out. Bringing viral comedy to the stage is challenging. Timothy and McGrath frame their live show as an extended version of the conversations they shoot in the car. They sit opposite one another and engage in banter, just as in the videos. Initially they avoided doing skits they had already put out online. It was quickly made clear that their audience expected the hits. One if their big break out moments was a piece recorded on the fly as the Beast from the East winter storm approached in 2018. Michael sits in his car, surrounded by loaves of bread. He spirals deeper and deeper into panic as Kathleen attempts to calm him. It works for people in Ireland in that they recognise he is a very West of Ireland character, says McGrath. But people all over Ireland, the UK and America can relate because they all know a farmer Michael in real life. We all know an uncle or dad who is inherently racist or homophobic, nods Timothy. He thinks hes entirely in the right. TOO BLIND TO SEE Farmer Michael obviously isnt what you would call woke. Timothy intended him as a satire of a strain of small town backwardness we might think of as Irish but is in fact universal. He is surprised and distressed to discover not everyone gets the joke. Sometime they think Michaels views are my personal views, he says, shaking his head. A fella came up to me at a meet and great and said, I love your videos I hate the [ethnic slur] too. And I was thinking, oh my f***ing god. And then there are people who think that Im racist against the Irish because I dont support the far right. People can be a bit miffed when they find out he isnt like Michael in real life, agrees McGrath. Theyre going, How come you talk normally? One person they have touched on only briefly is Donald Trump, because of the feelings it provokes in their audience. You have all these Trump supporters going, Well said Michael, not realising Im pulling the piss, he sighs. You see all the comments underneath and people are arguing about Trump all over again. That said, the majority of their audience understand that the pair are lampooning prejudice rather than stoking it. If there is any real negativity it is usually from the comedy community. Many comics look down on Michael and Kathleen as pandering and lowest denominator. And they feel that in real life the duo simply havent paid their duos. We get a lot of snobbery, says Timothy. Some comedians wouldnt see value in what we do. They think, sure he just sits there in the car shouting at his wife. They dont watch the videos, dont see the little throwaway comedy. Whats funny is that a lot of the comedians that have looked down on us have are now doing their own videos online. We didnt come from a stand-up background, adds McGrath. Within three years we were doing our first Vicar Street show and selling out all over Ireland. Perhaps people are a bit bitter about it when theyve been doing 10 years of open mics. We always appreciate that those people work very hard. We never want to tear anyone down. - Michael and Kathleen are at Cork Opera House on Sunday, March 15 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan has increased the value of assets allocated to battle coronavirus - from 1.5 billion tenge ($3.9 million) to 3.5 billion tenge ($9.2 million), Kazakhstans Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov said, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media. According to Smailov, the assets were allocated for expenditures due to Kazakh citizens evacuation from China, procurement of medicine and required equipment. He also added that Kazakhstan is not planning on restricting import and export of goods from and to China as of now. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then nearly 500 people have died. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden and Finland. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh KAMPALA The Ambassador of Burundi to Uganda, Ms Epiphanie Kabushemeye Ntamwana, has appealed to the Ugandan government to support her countrys upcoming electoral process. The ambassador made the remarks while meeting Ugandas Minister of State for International Affairs, Mr Henry Okello-Oryem, in Kampala on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Ms Kabushemeye briefed the Minister on the political developments in Burundi, notably, the schedule of elections of the next President, Legislature and Senate. The Ambassador appealed for Ugandas political support as the country makes the democratic transition in its political leadership, which will be fully funded by the government of Burundi. Me Okello-Oryem thanked the government of Burundi for its commitment to honest democratic succession, a process that is fully owned and sponsored by Burundi itself. He assured the Ambassador that Uganda remains committed to supporting Burundi as it has always done. Burundis ruling party on January 26, 2020 picked General Evariste Ndayishimiye to replace current President Pierre Nkurunziza as their presidential candidate in an election due in May this year. CNDD-FDD party picked Ndayishimiye at an extraordinary party congress held in Bujumbura. Nkurunziza has already announced that he will not seek a new election term and Ndayishimiye, who also heads the department of military affairs in the presidents office, is also an ally to Nkurunziza. Ndayishimiye, 52, has previously served as interior and security minister and chief of the presidents military and civilian cabinet. He was a key signatory of the 2003 ceasefire that ended Burundis civil war. Related Srinagar: Three terrorists were killed and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was martyred in an encounter at Lalepora near Narbal chowk, Srinagar on Wednesday morning. All three were on a scooter and fired at troops of the 73 Battalion of CRPF who were on their Naka duty at around 5 am on Wednesday. The alert personnel of CRPF promptly took positions and retaliated, leading to on the spot neutralisation of two of them. The third succumbed to his injuries while taking treatment in the hospital. Arms/ammunition and grenades carried by the terrorists were recovered from the spot. In the process, CRPF lost one of its brave hearts, Constable GD Ramesh Ranjan, aged 30 years who hails from Ara in Bihar, received a bullet injury on the head and attained martyrdom. He contributed to the elimination of hardcore terrorists. The jawan fought valiantly before making supreme sacrifice at the altar of duty. CRPF is proud of its valiant soldier and deeply grieves the loss of one of our family members and firmly stands with the martyrs near and dear ones in this hour of extreme grief. Director-General of Jammu & Kashmir Police, Dilbagh Singh said, "Militants belonging to different outfits in Kashmir are jointly carrying out attacks on the security forces." Citing Wednesday morning encounter, Singh said the three militants who were killed have been identified as Zia ul Rehman belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Khateeb belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen and Fayaz Umar who later succumbed to his injuries belonged to JKIS. "Three people were riding a scooter, the person sitting in the rear got down and resorted to firing, one CRPF man was hit in the head but he fired back," Zulfikar Hassan, Additional DG CRPF said. Dilbagh Singh said there was a heavy rush on the highway but security forces maintained great caution to ensure there was no collateral damage. Singh said this year many successful anti-militancy operations were carried out and many militant modules were busted. "20 militants have so far been killed this year, he said. On January 31, three Pakistani terrorists were also killed in an encounter at Nagrota, on the outskirts of Jammu after a police team was randomly checking a vehicle near a toll post. Mangolpuri Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Mangolpuri constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Mangolpuri Assembly Elections 2020: Rakhi Birla of the Aam Aadmi Party won the election from Mangolpuri against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Karam Singh Karma with a margin of 30,116 votes. A reserved constituency, Mangolpuri saw a straight contest between the AAP's Rakhi Birla and the BJP's Karam Singh Karma. Birla, a social worker-turned-politician, became known as a giant killer after she defeated former Congress minister Raj Kumar Chauhan in the constituency. A former journalist, in 2013, she was the youngest minister in the Kejriwal cabinet. Birla has a Master's Degree in journalism from the National Broadcasting Academy in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar. Interestingly, Chauhan, who had joined the BJP in 2019, rejoined the Congress just days before the first list came out. Karma, a prominent Valmiki leader, defected from the AAP in 2019. Ahead of the polling on 8 February, here is a look at the constituency: Constituency Name: Mangolpuri Constituency Number: 12 District Name: West Delhi Total Electors: 1,78,940 Female Electors: 82,818 Male Electors: 96,113 Third Gender: 9 Reserved: For SC Results in previous elections: Former minister Raj Kumar Chauhan was the MLA until 2014. In the 1998, 2003 and 2008 elections, Chauhan won his seat by securing over 50 percent of the votes polled in the constituency. However, in 2013 and 2015 polls, he was defeated by AAPs Birla. Demographics: Railway crossing across the densely-populated area is a major issue. People living in unauthorised colonies and Jhuggi Jhopdis (JJs) form a significant chunk of the electorate. The constituency covers the areas of Rohini and Mangolpuri. Crime is a huge problem in Mangolpuri. If Delhi is known as the 'crime capital' of India, Mangolpuri must shoulder a lot of the blame, as per a report in Hindustan Times. In 2018, Mangolpuri recorded over 800 criminal cases till October that year compared to south Delhi's Defence Colony registering 125 cases and Tughlaq Road recording fewer than 90 courses during the same period. Christian writer Lysa TerKeurst, author of Its Not Supposed to Be This Way and 20 other inspirational books, shares her personal struggles in such an open fashion that people hurt right along with her and open up about their own pain. Ive yet to encounter a person who doesnt experience hardship, TerKeurst said in an interview with AL.com. Everyone has hardships. Everyone has something theyre going through. Were really united in our tears. We cant always relate to perfection in others. TerKeurst will be the featured speaker at The Word Alive Lifeway womens conference April 3-4 at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Vestavia Hills (NOTE: canceled due to COVID-19). Shell talk a lot about forgiveness. In 2017, TerKeurst announced publicly that she was separating from her husband, Art, and pursuing a divorce because of his infidelity and substance abuse. That same year, she underwent surgery for breast cancer. Then in December 2018, she and her husband reconciled and renewed their vows. It was a really special time, she said. I wasnt sure that day would ever come. Everyone can relate to struggles, hardships and imperfections, devastation and tears. Update: TerKeurst announced Jan. 2, 2022, on social media that she and Art are planning to divorce. But most people dont talk about it publicly when they struggle in their marriage. Surprisingly, Im still a private person she said of sharing her personal life so openly. Im just not secretive. Different people have a different threshold for being vulnerable. When you tell everyone, you dont have to keep track of who youve told and who you havent. She doesnt share deeply personal information to gossip, she said. Its not that we want to tell everything about ourselves, she said. I share just enough to glean the experienced wisdom. What I really desire to share is Gods truth. Its less about my story than what Gods sharing through it. Thats what I want to do, share Gods truth. TerKeaursts visit for the Lifeway conference wont be her first visit to Birmingham. Shes been here quite a bit, especially since her daughter married into the family that founded the states largest church. Shared grandson with Pastor Chris Hodges In 2016, her daughter Ashley married David Hodges, former college pastor at Church of the Highlands, and one of five children of founding pastor Chris Hodges. Ashley, a fashion blogger, moved to Birmingham. David, Hodges middle son, then worked as youth minister at Hillsong Church in Los Angeles in 2017, but the couple moved to Charlotte and he began working as a personal trainer. They were out in California for a year, they had a baby, they wanted to be close to me and her siblings, TerKeurst said. Ashley owns her own business, so she can work from anywhere, TerKeurst said. David got his certification to be a trainer in the fitness industry. Hes very much wanting to help people get healthier. David also has an interest in leading Bible studies, she said. Hes looking at ministry opportunities, TerKeurst said. Update: David and Ashley were granted a divorce in Union County, North Carolina, on Oct. 11, 2021. Their move to Charlotte means TerKeurst gets to see her grandson more often. Their son, Ryser, is now 18 months old, she said. He started walking. Hes probably one of the best babies Ive ever been around. TerKeurst, a mother of five, said raising kids is a challenge. Parenting is something you never quite master, she said. Aside from being family, TerKeurst has been a guest speaker at the Re-create womens conference for the Church of the Highlands in Birmingham. I love Pastor Chris and Tammy, she said. I wish they had campuses in Charlotte. When they stream services, I watch it. I love the 21 days of prayer. I do feel like I get to participate. Im really close friends with them. She praised Hodges work with the Association of Related Churches, which plants churches in the United States and other countries. They have an influence with so many churches through the ARC organization, TerKeurst said. Chris spends a lot of time equipping other organizations. I see him so much sharing every bit of the wisdom he has from his experience at the Church of the Highlands. I watch him giving that away to so many churches across the globe. Focus on the Bible The Lifeway conference is centered on the Bible, not on her personal testimony, she said. The focus is very much Gods word, TerKeurst said. People know this is not a conference about Lysas story, or where Im going to share my opinion. Were going to be digging into Gods word. The Bible relates to everyones life and situation, she said. We all have a story were living and a story were telling ourselves, TerKeurst said. Were all kind of on a journey, believing more and relying more on Gods word, or believing less and relying less on Gods word. This conference will give women a fresh passion for Gods word. Life is not about living without struggle, but living with struggle, she said. I want to help them match the struggles theyre going through and match it with the truth of Gods word, she said. The focus for this conference is on forgiveness, what the Bible says and doesnt say about forgiveness. Forgiveness is a cornerstone part of the Christian faith. Not many of us have been taught what the Bible teaches about forgiveness. She had to choose to forgive her husband, and other people face the same type of difficult decisions on forgiving or not forgiving those who have hurt them, she said. Because we go through things where weve been deeply hurt, forgiveness seems like something we should do one day, when were ready, TerKeurst said. Not everyone is ready to make that jump. Im very sensitive to that, she said. For those who feel, Im not sure if Im ready to forgive all that will be held tightly, she said. Women that attend, their heart is going to feel very safe. But there is a path to forgiveness, she said. God has provided a way for forgiveness to be possible, TerKeurst said. In some relationships its not possible to sit down and have closure with that person; maybe they dont want to, or its not safe, or they passed away, she said. Forgiveness doesnt just happen when the other person is ready. Our decision to forgive isnt dependent on what the other person does. If we forgive what the other person has done, that hurt us deeply, the hurt doesnt matter. Hurting people is never okay, she said. Its not okay, she said. Thats not what were saying. Were going to spend a lot of time defining forgiveness and what the Bible always says. Forgive and forget is not actually in the Bible. If we wait until we forget, we might never forgive. Its a gift that God has given us to keep our hearts free from the restraints of bitterness. Unforgiveness keeps us tied to the pain. Forgiveness is a bridge across the hurt, she said. Weve been hurt enough, she said. When we decide to forgive, thats the way past the hurt. The heart is prone to turn hurt to hate. And we can turn it to become grace. Its not supposed to be an occasional thing we do when were hurt. Forgiveness is something were supposed to do every day. Its how we keep our heart swept clean. Forgiveness is an essential part of the Lords prayer, she noted. We can ask ourselves every day, Have I gotten rid of the bitterness, and the slander, and pursued kindness and compassion, and forgiven as the Lord has forgiven me? TerKeurst said. The best time to forgive is before youre ever offended, and next best time is right now. Forgiveness is not validating what the other person is done, or saying its okay, or that my hurt doesnt matter. Its a step into cooperating with his grace. When we have been forgiven much, were supposed to allow it to flow through us. It is the pathway through which the healing of all the hurt is made possible. Its quite a gift from God. Thats what makes it possible. Its really what we have allowed God to do for us. The Ukrainians will be able to travel without a visa for 90 days Open source Ukraine has signed the visa-free agreements with Mongolia and Argentina as Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk reported on Telegram. The government approved two protocols between the government of Ukraine and governments of Mongolia and Argentina, which provides the increase of term of visa-free stay of citizens of Ukraine in the territory of two countries twice, Honcharuk wrote. Thus, the Ukrainians will be able to travel without a visa for 90 days for 180 days. Earlier, Ukraine signed visa-free agreements with Ecuador and Colombia. As we reported, Foreign Ministry of Ukraine works with Mexico, Grenada, China and overseas departments of France on the provision of the visa-free regime to Ukraine. On December 22, 2019, a visa-free regime between Ukraine and Northern Macedonia came into force.The agreement provides for the simplification of travel of citizens of Northern Macedonia and Ukraine without visa requirements, provided that the duration of their stay does not exceed ninety days for each period of one hundred and eighty days. OTTAWACanada has asked for international help to pressure Iran to give up the black boxes recovered from the wreckage of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, says Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. He and Transport Minister Marc Garneau have met the leaders of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is based in Montreal, to try to break a logjam over the data recorders. Iran retrieved the data recorders but doesnt have the equipment to extract the information from them. Champagne said Canada wants the black boxes sent to France for analysis, while Iran has asked other countries to lend it the gear so it can do the analysis itself. Obviously were standing up for the families well always do that. Not only were standing up as Canada, but I think now the world is watching and saying, Hold on for a minute, theres an international convention to which Iran is a party to, and now they have to abide by that. And thats why were going to the UN body, Champagne said. Champagne said he would be having a telephone conversation with the Iranian foreign minister Wednesday afternoon. We are going to be talking about the black box. Obviously, we are going to be talking about the investigation, we are going to be talking about compensation, Champagne said. Iran admits its air defences shot missiles at the plane in January, saying troops mistook the civilian airliner for something hostile. Tensions were high: Iran had just fired ballistic missiles at American and coalition bases in neighbouring Iraq in retaliation for the U.S.s killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. All 176 people aboard the Ukrainian plane, including 138 who were headed for Canada, were killed when it crashed outside Tehran. Fifty-seven of them were Canadian citizens and 29 more were permanent residents. Many were students and academics returning to Canada after spending the December break in Iran. Because the crash was in Iran, its own aviation authority has command of the investigation, but its supposed to follow ICAO guidelines for conducting it. Among other things, those say that black boxes should be opened and analyzed without delay. Now were close to a month and were going to be making sure the Iranian regime understands, Champagne said. Taking a dig at the BJP, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said his reading the Hanuman Chalisa has hurt leaders of the saffron party. In a tweet in Hindi, the Delhi chief minister also said he wanted BJP leaders to also read the devotional hymn addressed to Lord Hanuman everyday. They will find peace and their language will also improve, Kejriwal said, attacking his rival ahead of the February 8 Delhi polls. "Me reading the Hanuman Chalisa is hurting BJP leaders," he said. During an election rally in northwest Delhi's Kirari on Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Now Arvind Kejriwal has started reciting the 'Hanuman Chalisa'. In coming days, you will see Owaisi reciting the same. This will certainly happen." On Monday, Kejriwal told a channel that he does not need BJP's endorsement on being a Hindu. He also recited the 'Hanuman Chalisa' on stage. Results of the polls will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections entering the last leg, political parties are all set for what is going to be a high-octane contest. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is personally overseeing the poll campaigning in Delhi, is believed to be hold meetings with constituency coordinators till around 2 am in the party office, receiving feedback on the campaign and the partys prospects. The BJP has not yet named their chief ministerial candidate. Although it was earlier announced that the saffron party will fight the Delhi assembly elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is Shah who has become the face of the campaign. A report in The Times of India suggests that PM Modi has taken a back seat after an initial Delhi rally, where he claimed that the government has had no discussion on a nation-wide NRC. This has made Shah the face of the campaign, a clear departure from 2013. Shah is seen addressing smaller gatherings in constituencies, trying to establish a connect with the voter, something not achievable by mass rallies. Read Also: Amit Shah takes a leaf out of Kejriwal's poll strategy Besides, he has been engaging with the party cadre on a daily basis, which has boosted their morale. Shah has also been active on social media, not only tweeting proactively, but also monitoring party tweets and interacting with cyber warriors, which have been deployed at several rungs, to counter opposition, especially from the ruling AAP government in Delhi. At the time of the announcement of the election dates, the saffron partys campaign seemed to be floundering. But Shah seemingly immersive himself in the rallies, has taken the stakes high for the BJP. He even addressed a joint rally with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Burari, one of Delhis largest constituencies, in an attempt to settle speculations that absence of massive rallies and PMs lacklustre participation is because of a perceived upper hand of AAP in Delhi. Sources told the newspaper that after completing the official assignments, Home Minister Amit Shah takes to campaigning, holding three-to-four roadshows every day. A party functionary said the meetings to discuss the party strategy start late in the evening and go on way past midnight. Addressing a crowd of 5000 or 50,000 irrespective of the venue, Shahs strategy primarily is focussing on attacking incumbent chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, highlighting the performance of central schemes under PM Modis leadership, and accusing the opposition of appeasement politics in the context of protests against the citizenship act, particularly in Shaheen Bagh, in Delhi. Read Also: Will its polarising pitch help BJP? Meanwhile, the ruling AAP has decided to carry out 8,000 public meetings in the last leg of campaigning before the February 8 polls. Kejriwals party has also decided to organise 3,000 nukkad nataks and flash-mob performances across Delhi and target at least 50 lakh families with their door-to-door campaign. "AAP volunteers will knock on the doors of 50 lakh families living in Delhi within 7 days. Two AAP volunteers have been mobilized to carry out this work 20,000 volunteers, which is 300 per assembly, from existing party structure in Delhi and 5,000 new volunteers, mostly students and young professionals who have volunteered for re-electing Arvind Kejriwal as the chief minister of Delhi again," a party leader told CNN News18 By Easton Sanders Feb. 04, 2020 | 11:03 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY At their Tuesday meeting, the McCracken County Fiscal Court received public input on the proposed insurance premium tax. Over 60 McCracken County citizens attended to hear about the proposal and to hear from the speaking public, with approximately 20 people signing up to voice their concerns during the meeting. The meeting kicked off with McCracken County Judge Executive Craig Clymer giving a presentation on why he believes they should implement the new taxes. His presentation covered the following information: The county having spent from savings for over a decade. The counties bond rating decreasing due to poor financial condition. The tax rate being 14 percent lower than in 1990. The PVA property evaluation conundrum. Deferred costs such as paving, equipment, & property maintenance. Research into comparable counties. The effect of the pension crisis on the county. When it came time for the public to speak on the issue, the resounding sentiment was one of displeasure. With many saying the county needed to find alternative ways to pay county debt and fund the various programs. One McCracken County resident shared his thoughts on how the county could move forward without imposing a tax. Matt Baker believes the solution could be found in medical marijuana. He said, "I'm offering a way to fix all this, not raise any taxes, help our community, help the opioid epidemic, help cancer patients, and to help ourselves like we used to, when we knew our neighbors, when everybody helped each other." Paducah mayoral candidate George Bray praised the transparency of the meeting, but says not all of the questions were answered. "I think the meeting was good from the standpoint that it invited transparency, but I think there are still lots of unanswered questions. A lot of participants in the audience still have more questions." Bray continued, "I think the burning question is exactly how much money will the proposed insurance tax actually generate? That question wasn't answered. I make the assumption that the Judge and County Commissioners don't know that." When asked his thoughts on the outcome of the meeting, Commissioner Eddie Jones believes it helped answer some of the questions many citizens had. "Nobody enjoys talking about this, but a lot of questions were answered. I appreciate Judge Clymer's format and the way it brought transparency to the public, of this process." On closing, Clymer reminded the public that the discussion is ongoing, and there is another public hearing scheduled for Monday, February 10 at 5 pm for those that were unable to make it to the first meeting. On the Net: News Houston, Texas - The former chief of Antiguas Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) has pleaded guilty for his role in connection with the Stanford International Bank (SIB) Ponzi scheme. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement. Leroy King, 74, of Dickerson Bay, Antigua, was the last remaining defendant in the SIB scheme. Thursday, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and one count of obstruction of justice for his role in obstructing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into SIB. He was extradited to the United States in November 2019. King is a dual citizen of the United States and Antigua. Beginning in approximately 2002, he served as the administrator and CEO of the FSRC, an agency of the Antiguan government. As part of his duties, he was responsible for Antiguas regulatory oversight of Stanford International Bank Limiteds (SIBL) investment portfolio, including the review of SIBL financial reports and the response to requests by foreign regulators, including the SEC, for information and documents about SIBLs operations. In or about 2005, the SEC began investigating R. Allen Stanford and Stanford Financial Group (SFG) and made official inquiries with the FSRC regarding the value and content of SIBLs purported investments. From 2005 through February 2009, Stanford, James Davis, King and others conspired to obstruct the SECs investigation of SFG, SIBL and their related entities. From at least 2003 through February 2009, Stanford made regular secret corrupt payments of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to King in order to obtain his assistance in hiding the truth about SFG and SIBL from the SEC and other regulatory agencies. Over the course of the conspiracy, Stanfords cash payments to King totaled approximately $520,963.87. Stanford also provided King tickets to both Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas (2004) and Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan (2006). Stanford also provided King with repeated flights on private jets Stanford or SFG entities owned. King later denied the SECs request for help, and he wrote that the FSRC had no authority to act in the manner requested and would itself be in breach of law if it were to accede to your request. In reality, the FSRC did have this authority and failed to exercise such because of the payments and other benefits Stanford gave to King. A federal jury found Stanford guilty in June 2012 for his role in orchestrating a 20-year investment fraud scheme in which he misappropriated $7 billion from SIB to finance his personal businesses. He is serving a 110-year prison sentence. Five others were also convicted for their roles in the scheme and received sentences ranging from three to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas accepted the plea and set sentencing for April 24. The FBIs Houston Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Trial Attorney Brittain Shaw of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the government of Antigua for its cooperation and assistance. EAST LANSING, MI -- The economy under President Donald Trump isnt working for working people, said Gretchen Whitmer in delivering the Democratic response to his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. She questioned Trumps economic accomplishments, pointing to stagnant wages and people who dont have jobs that provide health care or pay well. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by, or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans or perscription drugs, Whitmer said. Whitmer delivered the Democratic response in the student union at East Lansing High School, accompanied by her family and watched by more than 300 guests, including lawmakers and community members. In his speech, Trump touted the great economic success the country has experienced in recent years, including low unemployment rates, increased wages and renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement -- something he said would benefit auto jobs. He said the country had to put America and American people first. The only victories that matter in Washington are victories that deliver for the American people, Trump said. Ahead of the presidents speech, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said Michigan was undeniably important in the presidential election. He said the 2018 ticket in Michigan focused on a practical platform that responded to peoples needs, and also touted the tickets diversity. We chose diverse and reflective leadership in an era where from Washington, we heard about division and racism and hate and bigotry," Gilchrist said. Whitmer in her 10-minute, nationally-televised remarks also touched on issues like health care and infrastructure. Ahead of the speech, she said U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had asked her to focus on the Democratic vision for America. Related: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to focus on dinner-table issues in State of the Union response Related: 5 things to know about Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she takes the national stage We will always protect Americans with pre-existing conditions, Trump said during a portion of his speech that focused on health care. He highlighted his signing of an executive order requiring price transparency so Americans arent blindsided by medical bills. He said some in attendance are advocating a socialist takeover of our health care system," but promised we will never let socialism destroy American health care." Whitmer spoke about her own experience caring for her mother, who died of brain cancer, at the same time she was taking care of her newborn daughter. It was hard. It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces, our healthcare system, and our child care system. And it changed me, Whitmer said. She touted her experience helping to expand Medicaid in Michigan under the Affordable Care Act, and said overall, Its pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away. Trump in his speech also called for improvements to the nations infrastructure, an issue Whitmer has long touted on a state level in Michigan. She proposed raising the gas tax by 45 cents last year, but after butting heads and getting nowhere with the Republican-led legislature, announced a plan to put out $3.5 billion in bonds to complete projects on state roads last week. Whitmer said her signature campaign promise to fix the damn roads came from the people she represented. During my campaign, people told me to fix the damn roads because blown tires and broken windshields are downright dangerous. And car repairs take money from rent, child care, or groceries, Whitmer said. And we - the Democrats - are doing something about it. Whitmer nodded to the future by referencing young people throughout her speech, from her daughters who attend the high school she spoke from, to those fighting for gun control and climate change, to Monte Scott a 13-year-old from Muskegon Heights who filled the potholes on his street. Together, we have boundless potential, and young Americans are proving that every day by taking action, Whitmer said. Community members hold signs in support of the Abington police on Tuesday. New Abington School Board member Tamar Klaiman sparked a social media firestorm by commenting recently that black and brown students were more likely to be shot by police, particularly school resource officers. Police supporters have expressed outrage. Read more Several hundred people packed the Abington Senior High School auditorium Tuesday night as the Board of Education tried to tamp down backlash over remarks by one of its members that students of color were much more likely to be shot by school police. As they criticized Tamar Klaimans comments and as Klaiman again apologized board members navigated their part in the national debate over race and policing, touched off in Abington during an otherwise routine meeting last month as the board reviewed a proposed amendment to a policy on school police. We should not be trying to solve the problems of the world around us, board member and former board president Raymond McGarry said to applause. If thats what you want to do, run for a different office or become a political activist. He and several other board members dismissed Klaimans statements as incorrect, inflammatory, and offensive to Abington police, who have two school resource officers working in district schools. The crowd many of whom held signs reading Support Abington Police gave Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy a standing ovation, and cheered loudly in support of police. Board President Shameeka Browne had to silence the crowd at the beginning of the meeting, as Klaiman said she had faced vile personal attacks in the wake of her comments. Shut up! one man yelled. Other people expressed support for Klaiman during the meeting. Klaiman was part of a slate of new board members elected in November and installed last month. The group pledged new transparency for a suburban district rocked by its handling of a $25 million donation from billionaire Stephen Schwarzman an episode that exposed frustrations in the community and contributed to changes in leadership in the 7,000-student district. As board members discussed an updated policy on school resource officers Jan. 21, Klaiman expressed concern that the officers were armed. Theres a lot of evidence that anyone carrying a firearm in a district building puts kids at risk, particularly students of color, said Klaiman, a parent and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She said that black and brown students are more likely to be shot by police officers, especially school resource officers, than other students. Later in the discussion about the districts policy, Klaiman said, Police officers also shoot people pretty regularly. The comments erupted on social media, drawing condemnation from a national police group and prompting an online petition to demand her resignation that had more than 1,600 signers as of Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, Klaiman said she was deeply sorry for her comments and supported the Abington police and its school resource officers, who work very hard to gain the trust of students. But Abington is not immune to circumstances outside our community, Klaiman said, including racial bias that may impact feelings of safety for students of color when encountering police. Murmurs arose in the crowd. That feeling carried over into comments from people who lined up at microphones to speak Tuesday and continued to ask Klaiman to resign. A woman who said she was the daughter of a retired Philadelphia police detective called Klaimans comments hateful." Mike Murphy of the Upper Moreland Police Department said he was very much insulted that [Klaiman] would make statements related to police officers routinely and unjustifiably shooting students, or people of color, or anybody. Molloy who said he accepted Klaimans apology addressed the crowd along with Deputy Police Chief Kelley Warner, who gave a presentation on the role of school resource officers in the district. These past two weeks have been a terrible distraction and not the way to begin a difficult conversation about guns in schools and disparate discipline for students, Molloy said. READ MORE: Black students punished more than white students in public schools, government watchdog says A number of community members said they wanted to have that conversation. Larry Jones, a former Abington commissioner who runs a charter school in Philadelphia, said he was really disappointed that we have tried to make a complex and nuanced situation simple. While Jones said he supports Abington police, "Im a black man, and I have been criminalized in my time on this Earth. ... I fear for my son, and that is real. Another man, who is white, said Klaimans comments may have been distasteful to some, but they have opened up a discussion they needed to hear," and urged her to stay on the board. McGarry said the district had previously hired an equity officer who began this week and will be examining issues of bias and diversity. One girl said, I see African Americans getting shot on social media. That makes me scared of the police. Mandatory 14-day quarantine of all people arriving, over the coronavirus threat, will not begin until Saturday. A mandatory 14-day quarantine of all people arriving in Hong Kong, including its own citizens, from across the border, will not begin until Saturday. It followed public pressure for authorities to close the border with China over the new coronavirus epidemic. Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown sent this report from Hong Kong. While reading out her Budget speech, Sitharaman said that this Budget is woven around three prominent themes which are 'Aspirational India', 'Economic development for all' and a 'Caring Society' Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting Budget 2020-2021 on Saturday made an important point. She said that people of India have unequivocally given their jan-aadesh in 2019 for not just political stability but also reposed faith in our economic policies. While reading out her Budget speech, Sitharaman said that this Budget is woven around three prominent themes which are 'Aspirational India', 'Economic development for all' and a 'Caring Society'. These themes sum up the philosophical core of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) evolved over the years and expressed in terms of Prime Minister Narendra Modis exhortation of Sabka Saath, SabkaVikas, SabkaVishwas and concept of Antyodaya. While the concept of Antyodaya, translating into rise of the last person has been conceptualised by Deen Dayal Upadhyay and followed by generations of BJP leaders and karyakartas, the narrative of Aspirational India bears an imprint of Prime Minister Modi. In her speech, Sitharaman defined 'Aspirational India as "in which all sections of the society seek better standards of living, with access to health, education and better jobs. I believe the power that will catapult India in achieving this will be the youth of the nation. And, for this reason, youth has been the focal point of numerous development projects initiated under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and development of youth has also been central to the development narrative in the last six years. In the current Budget too, development of the youth has been ensured by giving substantial importance to education and training of youth and creating new avenues for utilizing the potential of the young workforce. As highlighted in the Budget, by 2030 India is set to have the largest working-age population in the world and the fact remains that they not only need literacy but also jobs and life skills. For this a robust education system is required that can train and equip this young workforce to meet the ensuing challenges. Keeping this in mind it has been decided that the New Education Policy will be announced soon. The Budget clearly states that It is felt that our education system needs a greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers, innovate and build better labs. Therefore steps would be taken to enable sourcing External Commercial Borrowings and FDI so as to able to deliver higher quality education. One of the criticisms of the Indian education system has been that it doesn't contribute significantly to employability and the students of the general stream has been the worst hit by this. Accepting that students in the general stream (vis-a-vis services or technology stream) need their employability improved, it has been decided that about 150 higher educational institutions will start apprenticeship embedded degree/diploma courses by March 2021. The government also proposes to start a program whereby urban local bodies across the country would provide internship opportunities to fresh engineers for a period of up to one year. And, most importantly to ensure equal access to education and provide quality education to students of deprived sections of the society as well as those who do not have access to higher education, there is a proposal to start a degree level full-fledged online education program. This shall be offered only by institutions that are ranked within the top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking framework. A National Police University and a National Forensic Science University are being proposed in the domain of policing science, forensic science, cyber-forensics that shall create news avenues of employment for the youth. In her speech, Sitharaman said, Entrepreneurship has always been the strength of India. Even today, young men and women have given up greener pastures elsewhere to contribute to Indias growth. They are risk-taking and come up with disruptive solutions to festering challenges. Equally, established old industries are resetting themselves in a changing global and domestic situation. We recognize the knowledge, skills and risk-taking capabilities of our youth. He is no longer the job seeker. He is the creator of jobs. She added the (we) wish to create more opportunities and remove road-blocks from his path. And to do so the government has proposed to set up an 'Investment Clearance Cell' that will provide end to end facilitation and support, including pre-investment advisory, information related to land banks and facilitate clearances at Centre and State level which will work through a portal. Economic Survey 2020 points out that, general education improves knowledge of the people while skill training enhances their employability and equips them to tackle requirements of the labour market. In this context, an important achievement has been training of 69.03 lakh youth under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) as of November 2019. According to the India Skills Report 2018 by UNDP in association with Wheelbox, the employability score is all-time high at 45.60 percent in 2018 as compared to 38.12 percent in 2016. Schemes like PMKVY do not provide short-time support, rather tend to works as an enabler helping the young population to be self-reliant in the long run. And, most of the youth-oriented schemes that have been launched in the last six years have focused on this aspect and this will lead to the real empowerment of the youth. (The writer is MLA Noida and General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh) Advertisement Melania Trump wore a black for a second year in a row to the State of the Union address - a color that comes among the battles her husband faces on Capitol Hill and in the political arena. The first lady donned a black skirt, with a black jacket featuring a double row of big buttons down the front. It was a custom skirt suit by Dolce & Gabbana and a similar version sailed down the Fall 2019 runway, only in herringbone. Donald Trump's speech comes the day before the Senate will vote on a verdict in his impeachment trial. While the president is expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled chamber, the past four months of his presidency have been taken up with the investigation and trial. And Melania Trump's appearance comes as she prepares to take on a major new role in her husband's re-election campaign - going out on the trail and fundraising for him. Melania Trump wore black to the State of the Union speech for a second year in a row She sat next to radio host Rush Limbaugh in her box. Her outfit was a custom skirt suit by Dolce & Gabbana and a similar version sailed down the Fall 2019 runway, only in herringbone The first lady entered the speech to heavy applause. Joining Melania in the first lady's box, situated above the House chamber were the president's oldest children and their significant others Dressed to impress: Melania Trump's appearance comes as she prepares to take on a major new role in her husband's re-election campaign - going out on the trail and fundraising for him Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric and Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos before the speech Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host who is prominent supporter of President Trump, received the place of honor next to the first lady. Limbaugh announced this week he has advanced lung cancer. Joining Melania in the first lady's box, situated above the House chamber were the president's oldest children and their significant others. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Eric and Lara Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos. Ivanka Trump wore a black Givenchy dress; Guilfoyle wore a bright red dress, and Tiffany Trump donned a pale blue dress. The first lady also hosts the couple's guests to the speech in her box. One guest is Afghanistan Army veteran Tony Rankins, a recovering drug user who is now a construction worker in a so-called 'opportunity zone' in Cincinnati, Ohio. Another is Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz. Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host who is prominent supporter of President Trump, received the place of honor next to the first lady First Lady Melania Trump gives Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address Melania Trump leaving the White House Tuesday night Melania Trump in the presidential car known as the Beast on her way to Capitol Hill Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Lara Trump and Tiffany Trump take their seats ahead of the speech In 2019, the first lady donned a black, military-style coat for the president's speech. Her outfit, first glimpsed when she steps in her box on the upper level of the House chamber, has caused controversy in the past over her choice. In 2018, she stunned in a white suit. But the choice led fashion critics to question if she was paying homage to the suffragettes, for which white has become a symbol for, or, even more, was she mimicking Hillary Clinton, who famously wore pantsuits when she campaigned against Donald Trump. Melania Trump's white was notable because Democratic female members of Congress were wearing black in solidarity with the #metoo movement. This year - as they did last year - those lawmakers are wearing white in a nod to the suffragettes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic female lawmakers are wearing white to the State of the Union speech - as they did last year - in honor of the suffragettes Melania Trump's State of the Union outfits in 2017, 2018, and 2019 Melania's first State of the Union outfit, a beaded black Michael Kors skirt suit, caused an outage over its $10,000 price tag. The first lady's stylist, Herve Pierre, told WWD last year that Melania Trump takes these occasions seriously and plans her outfits accordingly. He often scours looks for her and purchases items off the rack. And he warned people not to read too much into her choice of clothing. 'As long as I find the right outfit, the designer is almost irrelevant,' he said. The first lady's appearance Tuesday night comes as she prepares to take on a greater role in the president's re-election campaign, including hosting a pair of fundraisers for him. 'I'm looking forward to campaigning and fighting for Americans and our great nation. Thank you very much,' the first lady told the president's supporters at the Red, White and Blue gala at Mar-a-Lago Saturday night, as seen on a video from the event posted to social media, as the crowd cheered her on. She'll also be raising money for the president's November re-election bid in two posh - and wealthy - locations. Melania Trump is stepping into the campaign spotlight for her husband She has been a reluctant presence on the campaign trail but did introduce Donald Trump at his June Florida rally where he formally announced his re-election bid In 2016, Melania Trump virtually disappeared after her July convention speech was revealed to have lifted passages from a speech given by Michelle Obama Melania Trump is listed as the host of a March 18 fundraiser in Beverly Hills and for a March 25 event at Mar-a-Lago, according to invitations obtained by Politico. The fundraisers will jointly benefit the president's campaign and the Republican Party. The Trump campaign did not respond to DailyMail.com's inquiry about the first lady's 2020 plans. Her shy public presence hasn't reduced her popularity among Republican voters, who cheer loudly when the president mentions his wife during his campaign stump speeches. And Melania Trump could help the president with women voters and in key swing areas in Midwest states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. First ladies, in general, tend to be big draws on the fundraising circuit and the campaign trail. They balance the dual appearance of being non-political while being close to presidential power. Michelle Obama was in high demand during her husband's White House tenure and had some Democratic elders frustrated at her reluctance to campaign. Melania Trump has shown the same hesitation for the rough and tumble game of politics. She introduced her husband at his June rally in Florida last year when he formally announced his bid for a second term. 'It has been my honor to serve as first lady of this incredible country for the past two years. And I'm excited to do it for six more,' Melania Trump said in her first - and thus far only - campaign appearance for the 2020 election. Melania Trump was a rare presence for her husband in the 2016 campaign and did no campaigning for Republicans in the 2018 midterms, despite her high popularity among the party faithful. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 280 CapMarkets, an innovative, technology-driven fixed income company providing best execution support and price transparency to advisors, institutions and issuers, has been named one of 2020's "Best Places to Work in Financial Technology" by Arizent, previously known as SourceMedia. This annual survey and awards program, created in 2017 as a project of Arizent and Best Companies Group, is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in the financial technology industry. Companies recognized on this year's list operate in and serve firms and consumers in a wide range of financial services, including banking and mortgages, insurance, payments and financial advisory. To be considered for participation, companies must provide technology products, services, or solutions that enable the delivery of financial services. Companies must also have been in business for at least one full year and employ at least 15 people in the U.S. "We are thrilled to be honored by Arizent as one of the Best Places to Work in Financial Technology," said Gurinder Ahluwalia, Co-Founder and CEO of 280 CapMarkets. "In such a competitive industry, a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative company culture is vital for making employees feel they are a part of something they can believe inand this honor is a testament to what we have created in an industry ripe for modernization." The 280 culture is driven by a set of core values, including teamwork, integrity, humility, accountability, diversity, and respect. To learn more about the 280 culture, listen to CEO Gurinder describe our mission: https://www.280capmarkets.com/executive-summary/ 280 CapMarkets currently has open technology roles for experienced professionals. Please visit our website to learn more: https://www.280capmarkets.com/careers/. The 2020 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology list was published by Arizent brands American Banker , National Mortgage News , PaymentsSource , Financial Planning and Digital Insurance . "The competition for talent in technology is intense and companies named to Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology are setting the standard in terms of cultures that help people thrive," said Richard Melville, Group Editorial Director at Arizent. Companies from across the United States entered a two-part survey process to determine Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data, and determined the final ranking. For more information on Arizent's Best Places to Work in Financial Technology program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkFinTech.com. About 280 CapMarkets 280 CapMarkets delivers pricing power, market clarity, and best execution which level the fixed-income playing field for independent advisors. Our innovative BondNav technology platform gives advisors access to institutional pricing, market insights, and analytics to evaluate bond offerings from multiple sources, and identify the best available price. We combine our tech savvy with the expertise of our full-service capital markets team to serve as a conflict-free extension of an advisor's practice, driving profitability and growth while working to obtain price improvements and best execution on every trade. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle, the 280 CapMarkets organization includes a dynamic team of engineers, technologists, traders, and capital markets experts. For more information, visit www.280capmarkets.com and follow @280capmarkets. Media contact: Andrew Murray 973-850-7370 [email protected] SOURCE 280 CapMarkets Related Links https://www.280capmarkets.com By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The Centre on Tuesday said that it would take a call on permitting the export of Krishnapuram onion to other countries in a day or two. Krishnapuram onion is an unique variety of onion which is not used domestically but exported to countries like Hong Kong, Singapore and other places. Responding to lifting of export ban on KP onion raised by YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the matter was under the consideration of the Centre. In a day or two, we will permit the export of (KP) onion from AP, Piyush Goyal assured. Earlier, Vijayasai Reddy said the Centre could justify ban on export of onion from the country in view of the unprecedented rise of prices. However, the ban on export of KP onion is not justified, he said. Vijayasai Reddy said the KP onion is a variety raised in 5,000 acres of land in and around YSR Kadapa and Prakasam districts. KP onion is not for domestic use and is exclusively grown for export purpose. This onion is not used in the country due to its small size and pungency, he said adding that the blanket ban on export of onion issued in September 2019 covered KP onion also, thereby adversely impacting thousands of farmers as they could not sell the onion in domestic market also. Vijayasai Reddy reminded that a similar variety of onion called rose onion was now allowed for export, but inactivity prevails on the issue of KP onion and requested the commerce minister to look into the issue. A busy area of central London has been shut down for a second consecutive day, after police found another part of an unexploded World War II bomb. Soho's Dean Street was blocked off and workers were told to leave their offices again following the discovery on Tuesday. Construction workers first came across the bomb near the Soho Hotel on Monday, prompting a sizable portion of the neighborhood to be shut down by police and hundreds of people to be evacuated. "Another part of yesterday's WW2 ordnance has been discovered," police tweeted Tuesday afternoon. The cordon had previously been lifted, but the second discovery prompted a smaller area to be blocked off once more. The entrance to the Soho Hotel was among the areas shut down, with dozens of officers and a number of vehicles controlling the perimeter of the cordon. Soho is a lively part of the UK's capital, housing a number of businesses, restaurants and bars. During the war, German air raids dropped more than 12,000 metric tons of bombs on the British capital and killed nearly 30,000 Londoners, according to the Imperial War Museum. Most of that damage was done during the Blitz between 1940 and 1941. Deployed members of Operation Nunalivut, a Canadian Armed Forces operation to show an Arctic presence, disembark a CC-177 Globemaster aircraft at Resolute Bay airport in Nunavut on March 2, 2018. (Petty Officer Second Class Belinda Groves, Task Force Imagery Technician) Canada Unprepared for Military Aggression Via Arctic, Say Defence Experts Modernizing outdated North Warning System not funded as part of defence budget News Analysis No sooner had a gathering to discuss modernizing the defence of North America taken place than two Russian strategic bombers approached Canadian airspace from the Arctic. The menace underscores the message to the Canadian government and public that the country is at greater risk than it has been in decades. North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) reported the Russian activity on Jan. 31, just two days after the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) hosted a major defence conference in Ottawa. NORAD positively identified two Tu-160 Blackjack Russian Bombers entering the Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace. 1/3 North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) January 31, 2020 They [the Russians and Chinese] have the weapons systems and we are increasingly seeing the intent, so we havent caught up to that yet, University of Calgary political science professor and conference panelist Rob Huebert said in an interview following the incident. The Russian aircraft stayed in international airspace and didnt enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace, but it nevertheless highlighted the threat. Huebert says whats been holding Canada back is a decades-long multi-faceted problem of attitudes. Canada is accustomed to playing the away game instead of the home game, meaning it prefers to face its threats as far away from its borders as possible. Thus the protection of the North American continent requires a change of mindset given the advanced capabilities of the Russians and Chinese. Its also naive on Canadas part to think it can simply talk to Russia and China and get them to play nice. We have to be a lot more honest with Canadians, Huebert said. A government can favour certain initiatives, and the current one has shown it can generate broad public buy-in for its environmental initiatives. But even if the public isnt clamouring for better military capabilitiesas seen in the lack of interest the topic garnered during the election run-upexperts say the government can no longer ignore the military threat from Russia and China. What this government has shown no willingness to deal with is a much more comprehensive understanding of security that encapsulates both environmental security and military security, Huebert said. For example, the Liberals didnt put forth their Arctic policy until a day before the election was called. People have to recognize there is a real threat Canadian governments have put a lower priority on defence spending for decades, and that has left a consistent drop in capability compared to potential rivals. A case in point is that Canada opted in 2005 to not be a part of the U.S. ballistic missile defence program. Contrast that attitude with the Russians or the Chinese and their imperialist goals. 42 Radar Squadron deploys its mobile installations during Exercise Amalgam Dart 15-2, a program for training Canadian and American military personnel in aerospace detection and defence, in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, on May 27, 2015. (Corporal Patrick Drouin, 4 Wing Imaging) Russia wants to destroy us and China wants to own us, said John Sanford of the U.S.s National Maritime Intelligence Integration Office, at the CGAI forum. A power play is shaping up between the United States, China, and Russia, and the Arctic is the epicentre of the military conflict. That makes it Canadas business, according to defence experts. People have to recognize there is a real threat, said conference opening speaker Commodore Jamie Clarke, Norads deputy director of strategy. We are defending our entire way of life. At risk is Canadas economy and infrastructure, not to mention that of the United States. At the heart of the matter is an outdated detection and deterrence system with no comprehensive replacement in the works. Clarke was unable to provide a timeline for an upgrade to 1980s-era Cold War-style defence systems in the north. New money is needed for Norad modernization, confirmed Jody Thomas, Deputy Minister of National Defence, who also spoke at the conference. Funding for the multi-billion dollar project was not set aside in Canadas 2017 defence policy, titled Strong, Secure, Engaged. We cant miss generations of technology the way we have been since World War II ended, she added. Its time to bring the North Warning System (NWS), a network of long- and short-range radars across the Canadian Arctic that detects foreign aircraft and incoming missiles, up to the 2020 level of technologyand then decide whats next. Modernization is not a one and done proposition, she said. Hypersonic Threat Russias hypersonic missile threat is being called a game-changer. The low-flying, manoeuvrable weapons can travel much faster than the speed of sound, and the NWS simply cant defend against it. Defence experts are advising developing detection capabilities from spacea must for tracking such cruise missilesgiven the need for covering wide areas. National defence has to reorder its priorities to move NWS modernization forward, says James Fergusson, director of University of Manitobas Centre for Defence and Security Studies. He calls for a greater integration of air, ground, and space capabilities and an overhaul and streamlining of the procurement process. Aerial electronic sensor operators make final adjustments to the communications systems used during Operation Nunalivut in Hall Beach, Nunavut, on Feb. 22, 2017. (PO2 Belinda Groves Task Force Imagery Technician) The number one defence priority for Canada as well as the United Statesthats homeland defence, Fergusson told conference attendees, adding that Arctic defence is the only real gap that exists in the U.S.-led deterrence against potential adversaries. Defence analysts say the Cold War started up again in 200708 when Russia announced it was going to resume long-range bomber patrols. China has a keen eye on the Arctic with its Polar Silk Road and is using scientific research as a screen for military ambitions, say experts. No Longer Protected by Our Geography The Arctic remains vulnerable, as the single multilateral forum for itthe Arctic Councilhas no mandate to talk about security and defence. It remains an inhospitable place, but with ice melting and new technology, it is becoming more accessible. National Defence notes that there were fewer than 1,000 flights on polar routes in Canadian airspace 2003, but in 2016, there were over 14,000. Not only is the Arctic strategically located, which is most evident when looking at the globe from the top, where the distances between Russia and Canada are much shorter, but it also hosts vast reserves of minerals and fossil fuels. We are blessed in this country by geography and isolation, Thomas said, adding, however, that [we are] no longer protected by our geography. Huebert says officials dont always tell the public when Russia buzzes Canadian airspace, and that the Jan. 31 manoeuvre isnt out of the ordinary despite the prior reported incident coming last August. Theres a cat-and-mouse game afoot where if Canada were to let the Russians know every time theyre spotted, the violators would figure out when theyre not detected, he explains. Russia, as an Arctic hegemon with power projection, they do it because they can, he said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo just announced the appointees to his dream team tasked with solving one of the states biggest hurdles this year: the rising cost of Medicaid. Including the two previously announced co-chairs, 21 members make up the state Medicaid Redesign Team. Thats a decline in the number of members compared with the Medicaid Redesign Team convened in 2011, which ended up including 32 members. Many of the appointees on the latest Medicaid Redesign Team are from the Cuomo administration or otherwise have a friendly relationship with the governor. Two top state legislative staffers are on the team as well, but unlike last time, the state lawmakers chairing the health committees are not included. Critics have noted other apparent omissions in the teams membership. No physicians, pharmacists, federally qualified health centers or nursing homes were included. One consumer advocate was included. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who lead the health committees in the state Legislature, both expressed disappointment that NYC Health + Hospitals, the citys public hospitals system, was left out especially given that New York City is expected to be hit particularly hard under the governors proposal to shift Medicaid costs onto localities. As they say, if youre not at the table, youre on the menu, Gottried said in a statement. A week earlier, he and Rivera had criticized the governor and his administration for not providing updates about the selection for the team. I think that this entire process is cloaked in secrecy right now, Rivera told City & State. Freeman Klopott, a spokesman with the New York State Division of the Budget, responded in a statement: This is an idea being pushed by people who are against the process before it has even begun and want to criticize its conclusions before they are reached. We should be focused on getting the business of the (Medicaid Redesign Team) going so that it can deliver recommendations that will ensure the long-term fiscal stability of the Medicaid program. The (Medicaid Redesign Team) is a broad selection of professionals who are undeniably experts in their fields and membership is largely consistent with the first (Medicaid Redesign Team) convened in 2011. To suggest otherwise is just a poor attempt at undermining it for personal political interests. Here are some of the notable members of the Medicaid Redesign Team, who have about a month to report back their plans to save cash in the health program: Michael Dowling & Dennis Rivera Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, and Dennis Rivera, the former leader of 1199SEIU, which represents health care workers, are returning as co-chairs for their second time leading the Medicaid Redesign Team. Dowling leads the largest health system in New York, which makes it no surprise why hes a major part of the team. Cuomo also has a strong relationship with the 1199SEIU, which Rivera has also previously led. Interestingly, current 1199SEIU President George Gresham and Greater New York Hospital Association President Kenneth Raske were not named to the new task force, even though they were both part of the original group. The New York Times reported last fall that the state quietly authorized increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates after the hospital association donated more than $1 million to the state party, which underscored the power of the hospital association, whose deep pockets and long alliance with an influential union, 1199 S.E.I.U., make it a fearsome presence in Albany. Gottfried argued at a recent budget hearing that the decision to keep the same co-chairs was fixed from the start. Steven Bellone The county executive of Suffolk County was the only local elected official to make it on to the new Medicaid Redesign Team. Bellone also happens to be a staunch ally of the governor, which cant be said for many other local leaders, such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who have been critical of the governors Medicaid proposals. In 2011, by contrast, Linda Gibbs, then the New York City deputy mayor for health and human services, was an appointee. Mario Cilento Mario Cilento, president of the New York state AFL-CIO, hasnt always been behind Cuomo. The union remained neutral in the 2014 gubernatorial election but that relationship has changed since it lent its support to Cuomo in 2018. Our governor truly understands and respects and appreciates that value of organized labor, Cilento said at an event that year. Robert Megna Robert Megna may no longer be the director of the state Division of Budget, but he has maintained close ties to the governor throughout the years. Currently a top official at the State University of New York which manages a number of medical centers and hospitals Megna has often stepped in to help with the states financial challenges on Cuomos behalf. LaRay Brown Brown is in charge of the governors nearly $700 million initiative to improve health outcomes in Central Brooklyn in her role as CEO of One Brooklyn Health. Shes no stranger to being on a Cuomo task force either she has served as a member of his health care transition team and Medicaid Redesign Team work groups in the past. Howard Zucker, Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, Ann Sullivan and Theodore Kastner All four commissioners have been appointed by Cuomo throughout the years to lead state agencies addressing health, mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse. Gonzalez-Sanchez also served on the last Medicaid Redesign Team. Paul Francis Francis comes straight from the Cuomos office, as his deputy secretary for health and human services. Having served under three governors, Francis has been in his current role since 2015. Steven Corwin The president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian has donated at least $35,000 to Cuomo between 2013 and 2018, according to state Board of Elections records. Donna Colonna Colonna leads Services for the UnderServed, a New York City-based nonprofit helping those with disabilities, and has previously offered insight as part of a Medicaid Redesign Team work group in 2011. The rest of the appointees to the Medicaid Redesign Team are: Thomas Quatroche, president and CEO of Erie County Medical Center; Christopher Del Vecchio, president and CEO of MVP Health Care; Pat Wang, president and CEO of Healthfirst; Emma DeVito, president and CEO of VillageCare; Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health; T.K. Small, director of policy at Concepts of Independence; Todd Scheuermann, secretary of finance in the state Senate; and Blake Washington, Ways and Means secretary in the state Assembly. -with reporting from Zach Williams Correction: The state AFL-CIO remained neutral in the 2014 gubernatorial election; an earlier version of this story misstated the union's position that year. T.K. Small is a comsumer advocate; this story originally stated that there were none on the Medicaid Redesign Team. I think were going to be able to find a way to go forward. I dont want to presume the character and scope of that, he said. But I think we all realize theres a significant threat from Daesh and if we take our foot off the pedal its going to come back. Tuna seen at a port in Binh Dinh Province, south central Vietnam. Photo by Shutterstock/Tran Thi Hai Yen. Vietnams tuna exports to the U.S. rose 38 percent last year, with that country remaining by far the biggest buyer of the fish. They were worth $316 million, accounting for 44 percent of Vietnams total tuna exports, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). The big increase year-on-year was due to the U.S.-China trade war, which caused American importers to look for sources other than China. Vietnam was the second largest exporter to the U.S. after Thailand, VASEP said. There were also rising American demand for canned tuna, it added. Vietnams tuna exports to ASEAN member countries rose 7 percent to $54 million, with Thailand and the Philippines being the two top buyers. Despite fluctuations in tuna demand in Southeast Asia last year, Indonesias imports from Vietnam surge by more than 800 percent. In the Middle East, Israel remained the top buyer of Vietnamese tuna though its purchases fell by 39 percent to $38 million. Vietnams tuna exports rose 10.2 percent to over $719 million last year, and is expected to grow 15 percent this year, VASEP forecast. The wife of a fat cat international banker has lost her challenge over the UKs first unexplained wealth order (UWO) at the Court of Appeal. Zamira Hajiyeva, who spent more than 16 million at Harrods in a decade, attempted to overturn a UWO obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA) against a property in Knightsbridge, central London, which was purchased for 11.5 million in 2009 by a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, was the chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan from 2001 until his resignation in 2015, and was later sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for fraud and embezzlement. Mrs Hajiyeva, 56, argued that her husbands conviction, which she says was the central feature of the NCAs application for the UWO, was the result of a grossly unfair trial and should be discharged. Giving judgment in London on Wednesday, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, sitting with Lord Justice Davis and Lord Justice Simon, dismissed Mrs Hajiyevas appeal. Lord Burnett added that Mrs Hajiyevas application for permission to appeal against the courts judgment had been refused. The home of Jahangir and Zamira Hajiyeva in Walton Street, Knightsbridge, was purchased in 2009 for 11.5m (Kirsty OConnor/PA) In a statement after the ruling, Sarah Pritchard, director of the NCAs National Economic Crime Centre, said: This is a significant result which is important in establishing unexplained wealth orders as a powerful tool helping us to investigate illicit finance generated in, or flowing through, the UK. As a new piece of legislation we anticipated that there would be legal challenge we are pleased that the court has upheld the case today. It will set a helpful precedent for future UWO cases. Andy Lewis, head of asset denial at the NCA, added: Unexplained wealth orders, and other asset denial tools such as account freezing orders, are hugely powerful tools that are enabling us to investigate illicit finance and discourage it happening in the first place. Story continues We will continue to seek opportunities to use these orders to tackle illicit finance and fight serious and organised crime. Mrs Hajiyeva was the first person to be made subject to a UWO, a new power brought into force in January 2018 under so-called McMafia laws named after the BBC organised crime drama and the book which inspired it. A UWO allows the NCA to seize someones assets if they believe the owner is a politically exposed person (PEP) someone from outside the European Economic Area in a position of power that makes them liable to bribery or corruption and they are unable to explain the source of their wealth. At a hearing in December, Mrs Hajiyevas barrister James Lewis QC argued that Mr Hajiyevs conviction was a flagrant denial of justice. He submitted that Mr Hajiyev was not a PEP, and said the NCA had seriously mischaracterised Mr Hajiyevs job by describing him as a government official as the International Bank of Azerbaijan was not a state-owned enterprise. The Court of Appeal ruled that, if the bank was a state-owned enterprise, Mr Hajiyev fell within the definition of a politically exposed person because he was its chairman, and that Mrs Hajiyeva was also a politically exposed person because she was a family member of Mr Hajiyev. The court added: The evidence was clear that the (Azeri) state had more than a 50% shareholding in the bank. On the facts of the case, the judge was entitled to conclude that it had ultimate control, and consequently Mr Hajiyev was a politically exposed person, being a person who had been entrusted with a prominent public function as a member of the management of a state-owned enterprise. Mr Lewis had also argued that the High Court was wrong to rely on Mr Hajiyevs conviction, which he said followed a grossly unfair trial in Azerbaijan. But the Court of Appeal found that Mr Hajiyevs conviction for fraud and embezzlement was only one of the strands relied on by the NCA. A piece of jewellery that was among 49 items belonging to Zamira Hajiyeva seized from Christies in 2018 (NCA/PA) It stated that the NCA had also relied on evidence of Mr Hajiyevs status as a state employee and the unlikelihood that, as such, his legitimate income between 1993 and 2015 would have been sufficient to generate funds used to purchase the property. The judgment added that an August 2011 report from Werner Capital which was intended to show that Mr Hajiyev was a high-net worth individual with an assessed net worth of over 72 million US dollars had in fact posed more questions as to the source of his wealth than it answered. In a High Court ruling in October 2018, dismissing Mrs Hajiyevas initial attempt to overturn the UWO, Mr Justice Supperstone said that three separate loyalty cards were issued to Mrs Hajiyeva by Harrods, where she spent more than 16 million between September 2006 and June 2016. Court documents later released to the media revealed that Mrs Hajiyeva blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree. The NCA subsequently seized jewellery worth more than 400,000 from Christies over suspicions about how the items were purchased while the auction house was valuing the jewellery for Mrs Hajiyevas daughter. In September, Mrs Hajiyeva fought off an attempt to extradite her to Azerbaijan to face fraud and embezzlement charges on the grounds that she would not get a fair trial. Technavio has been monitoring the docking station market and it is poised to grow by USD 712.11 mn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005790/en/ Technavio announced its latest market research report titled global docking station market 2019-2023. (Graphic: Business Wire) Increasing demand for docking stations for material handling has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, challenges with slow growth of PC segment might hamper market growth. Request a free sample report Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Docking Station Market is segmented as below: Product PCs Smartphones Tablets End-User Enterprise Residential Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South America To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR31129 Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our docking station market report covers the following areas: Docking Station Market size Docking Station Market trends Docking Station Market industry analysis This study identifies increasing Focus on Design Enhancement of Docking Stations as one of the prime reasons driving the docking station market growth during the next few years. Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the docking station market, including some of the vendors such as ACCO Brands, Acer Inc., Dell Technologies, HP Development Company, L.P. and Lenovo. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the docking station market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Docking Station Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist docking station market growth during the next five years Estimation of the docking station market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the docking station market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of docking station market vendors About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005790/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg warned of 'carbon emergency' at an environmental summit in New Hampshire a day after he was revealed to be ahead in the delegate haul out of Iowa in what his campaign hopes will provide a big boost. But the presidential candidate, who is riding high after the state party in Iowa finally released some results, had to suffer having his ride blocked by a fringe candidate who wears a boot on his head. The Rhodes scholar and former McKinsey consultant fielded arcane policy questions from students and academics at a youth policy summit hours after he addressed cheering supporters to chants of 'Pete, Pete, Pete!' after being announced as leading the delegate haul out of Iowa. That announcement was delayed by nearly a day after a faulty app led to a debacle in the counting and release of election results, with still only 62 per cent of the count in. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during the New Hampshire Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 Team Buttigieg is hoping to get a bounce in support after the results, although the caucus results debacle prevented leading candidates from fully seizing the opportunity to emerge as Iowa heroes. When he left the event, the former mayor got brought back down to earth when fringe candidate Vermin Supreme momentarily blocked his black SUV. The perennial candidate who wears a boot on his head repeatedly yelled out: 'Boot, boot, head!' claiming Buttigieg was infringing on his own hame. Inside a Concord auditorium, Buttigieg got quizzed on Indian tribal claims, carbon emissions, and nuclear energy, where he stated his view that nuclear must remain part of the solution in the immediate term. 'I think this is not a time to be dogmatic because the carbon emergency has reached crisis proportions,' he told a crowd of a few hundred attendees packed into an auditorium for the multi-candidate event. Buttigieg fielded questions from New Hampshire students at the event He spoke hours after attending an evening rally in Concord following Iowa results showing him ahead in delegates Buttigieg spoke about carbon policy and nuclear energy Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld also spoke Weld said very beautiful people' who 'must have been 'even more beautiful than Ms. Ocasio Cortez' made her take nuclear power out of her green new deal proposal He said nuclear energy which has gotten a close second-look after the Fukushima disaster 'has a place' in the short and medium-term. But he said there was not a 'satisfying' to questions about safety and storage of nuclear fuel in light of the risks of inaction on taking on climate change, which is impacted by carbon in the atmosphere. 'I dont believe that we should be adding new nuclear,' he said, saying that he didn't favor taking nuclear 'off-line' unless better alternatives were identified. 'We shouldn't have a meat cleaver solution,' he said. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who is running a dramatically up-hill battle against President Trump for the GOP nomination, also attended, touting his own efforts in office to clean up Boston Harbor. Weld also addressed nuclear energy, sand said: 'I think its going to be around for a long time.' Then he brought up Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her Green New Deal. She said 'very beautiful people' who 'must have been 'even more beautiful than Ms. Ocasio Cortez' made her take nuclear power out of her proposal. Buttigieg also got a question from Jedidiah Crook of Keene State College, who told the former mayor: 'Your city, South Bend, lies on Miami and Potowatomi territory' and wanted to know about 'genocidal erasure' of Native Americans. Buttigieg, who famously taught himself some Norwegian and knows multiple other languages, responded: 'You mentioned the Potowatami tribe, which is the main generational original steward of the land where my city now sits.' Then Buttigieg told him the earlier name of his city in the Pakagon Potowatomi language, saying it referenced its early time as a trading center. Buttigieg said his hand will be sore from reversing Trump executive orders, after Trump has made numerous actions to role back Obama environmental regulations. He also referenced his plan to use the tax code to discourage carbon. 'Thats why carbon pricing carbon tax is so important,' he said. 'We need to intro a carbon pricing dividend,' pointing to potential impacts on poorer Americans. His campaign web site says he will 'enact a price on carbon and use the revenue to send rebates to Americans.' His campaign has said the government would spent up to $2 trillion on his climate change plan. Latinos are paid better in Massachusetts than across the country, but they still earn less than their non-Latino counterparts regardless of educational background, according to a new study. Latina women, meanwhile, earn even less due to the gender pay gap. Phillip Granberry, a researcher and author of the study published by the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said the report takes a closer look at Latinos in the labor force, but does not answer the question of why such wage and employment gaps exist. The interesting thing I think is what the study doesnt answer. What we tried to do was look at wages, the differences between men and womens salaries, part-time versus full-time employment and what we found is even if you have a bachelors degree or higher and you work in a high skilled occupation there is still something going on with wages and its hard to explain, he said. Researchers found that in Massachusetts, 69.2% of Latinos participate in the labor force compared to 66.1% of non-Latinos. Participating in the labor force is defined by people 16 years or older who are either employed or looking for employment. Unemployment rates for Latinos in the state are at 6.4% compared to 4.2% for non-Latinos but Granberry said the slightly higher unemployment rate is accompanied by their slightly higher labor force participation. Even if Latinos are not working at the moment, many are actively looking for employment and are therefore part of the labor force, he said. As for educational qualifications, the study reveals Latinos are paid less than non-Latinos with the same educational background. Nationally, the median income for Latinos with bachelors degrees was $54,604; for non-Latinos, it was $68,761. In Massachusetts, Latinos with bachelors degrees earn about 40% less than non-Latinos the median income for each group was $57,638 and $80,895, respectively. The gap is significantly higher than the national figure of 26%. What the wage gap means The study found that Latina women are often heads of household and, in Massachusetts, 39% of Latinas are the main or only provider for their families. Because of a wage gap between men and women, that presents problems for future generations, Granberry said. The median income for Latino men working full-time in Massachusetts is $40,448 but for women, its $35,392. For non-Latino men and women, median incomes are $67,750 and $55,615, respectively. What does it say about Latino children? That they have higher rates of poverty. These households many of which have a woman as the main or sole provider are still making lower wages even if they have higher education," he said. The wage gap has implications not only for the present, but for the future. Latina women are further impacted by the gender wage gap that exists for all women, not just women of color. Its not really a surprise, said Gladys Franco, a community organizer and activist who recently participated in the 4th-annual Pioneer Valley Womens March, held last month in Springfield. We know the gender pay gap affects Latina women because women make less money than men in general. We have also known for a long time that minorities make less money than their white counterparts. A look at full-time workers by age, meanwhile, shows additional gaps. In Massachusetts, the median income for Latinos between the ages of 25 to 54 is $40,448. While that figure is $5,000 higher than the national median for Latino workers, its still $24,000 less than the median income of non-Latino workers in Massachusetts. Chart by Greg Saulmon / The Republican A major role in the labor force State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, is the chairman of the Legislatures Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. He said the group has worked closely with the Gaston Institute to make sure these statistics are tracked, in order to better serve the Latino community. We are going to play a major role in the labor force as the population continues to grow. As a caucus we are working to have parity when it comes to employment opportunities as well as contractual and business opportunities," he said. Some of the issues that can help create better parity are to make sure that not only corporate America understands the need to provide opportunities for Latinos, but that government does as well." Gonzalez said oversight is needed to ensure government departments at the state and municipal levels provide transparency reports that show what their diversity goals are. He said the reports should look at whether goals are being met, and demonstrate consequences for not meeting the goals or offer explanations for why they are not being met. The study showed the median income for Latinos in management positions across the country is $62,712; for non-Latinos, its $89,996. Latino workers in occupations such as sales had a median income of $35,098 versus $56,979 for non-Latino workers. You cant just have one or two positions of Latinos in management and highlight those as accomplishments. Diversity has to occur at every tier of management, Gonzalez said. He said more of an effort is needed to educate human resources departments about recruiting Latino candidates for available jobs. There are some efforts being made to help Latinos and Latinas obtain higher paying jobs, start their own businesses and become homeowners, he said. The caucus is working on a plan to establish 1,000 minority-owned new businesses in the state and 1,000 minority first-time home buyers. We are currently working on a timetable for that, but we need the cooperation of government and banks, he said. The enthusiasm is there, but there is a lack of access to capital and if we continue to use the method banks use now we will never get there. We have to be able to provide financial assistance, loans to grant programs to get people in a position to be able to change their financial circumstances in a sustainable way." Franco said some organizations offer financial literacy courses for women. The Womens Fund of Western Massachusetts offers a salary negotiation course for women, with the next one scheduled for March 31. I have not been able to participate in one of those yet, but to be honest it is something I am interested in because salary negotiation is not something I am comfortable doing and thats the case for many women and also Latinos in general, she said. Lorna Rivera, director of the Gaston Institute and Associate Professor of Womens, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Latino Studies at he University of Massachusetts Boston, said the report is just the beginning. This report suggests we need to address disparities in the labor market for Latino communities and understand the root causes of these inequalities, she said. Granberry said the findings show there is a much larger problem. Every way we looked at an explanation for why Latinos make lower wages we couldnt find one," he said, adding that it wasnt due to age, education, or whether individuals were born in the United States or another country. We want to draw attention to this and our mission is to have the Latino Advisory Commission at the state level look at these findings and be concerned by this and want to know why. The full report can be seen here. The Air Force research crew on the WC-130J Super Hercules airplane was cruising at 28,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, preparing to deploy 25 weather-sensing devices over a long band of water vapor known as an atmospheric river when the hazards of air travel got in the way of science. Lt. Col. Jeff Ragusa, a pilot with the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters, was on the second of 12 missions to study atmospheric river storms and was ready to drop the sensors when fuel suddenly began leaking from a tank, forcing the aircraft to turn back. It was a minor setback in a major new study that climate scientists at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography expect will advance human understanding of the weather phenomena and help California prepare better for the violent storms they can bring to the state. The idea is to work on improving forecasts of the most important storms, because they supply so much of the water that we depend on and cause most of the major flooding on the West Coast, said Marty Ralph, a research meteorologist and director of the Scripps Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. Storm forecasts are important for transportation, water management, flood control, agriculture many different things. Now Playing: The Air Force Hurricane Hunter squadron flies over Pacific to study an atmospheric river, but a fuel leak intervenes. Video: San Francisco Chronicle The Hurricane Hunters squadron, based out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., is known for its daring flight into the eyes of hurricanes. It was chosen for a six-week deployment out of Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield because of its extensive experience navigating through some of the worlds strongest storms. Im guessing the folks in California would like to know if the weather coming in is going to water their plants or create a mudslide hazard, Ragusa said. Were right now helping them figure out whats going on, so the research aspect of this makes it pretty exciting. The squadron, and another flight crew out of the Coast Guard Air Station in Barbers Point, Hawaii, has been gathering weather data the past two weeks 650 miles west of San Francisco, about half-way between the West Coast and Honolulu. To collect data, the flight crew uses an air cannon mounted to the floor of the plane to shoot small measuring devices called dropsondes, which are attached to tiny parachutes, into the swirling clouds. As they fall, the dropsondes transmit data two times every second about the water content, temperature, wind speed and direction of the atmospheric river. The information is relayed to teams of scientists from Scripps, the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 10-hour research missions fly in predesignated zones along giant triangle grids roughly equidistant from San Francisco to Hawaii to Seattle. The California and Hawaii crews have been deployed over different sections of the same weather pattern, providing valuable data for meteorologists, water districts and resource managers. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Atmospheric rivers, called ARs by acronym-loving scientists, are streams of moisture essentially rivers in the sky that form in the tropics and are pushed by trade winds toward the west and east coasts, and Europe. They have inundated the West Coast with torrential rain and flooding, buried the Sierra and Cascades in snow and are believed to be responsible for flooding in Asia and frigid polar vortexes in the Midwest. Such storms, which usually dump a lot of water in a short amount of time, have delivered as much as half of Californias annual precipitation during wet years and caused 90% of the flooding in the state over the past 40 years, Scripps officials have said. The more powerful ones can carry as much water as a Category 5 hurricane. A total of 45 atmospheric rivers of varying strength hit California during the winter of 2016-17, when one storm dropped so much water that releases from Oroville Dam caused a torrent that damaged its spillway, forcing authorities to evacuate nearly 200,000 people downstream. An economic analysis published in December by Scripps and the Army Corps of Engineers said atmospheric rivers have caused an average of $1.1 billion in flood damage annually over the past 40 years the hardest-hit place across 11 Western states was Sonoma County. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. But the situation isnt all bleak. Experts believe atmospheric rivers could be beneficial to crops, aquifers, reservoirs and for wildfire management. But that would require improved forecasting and water management, especially considering predictions that atmospheric rivers are going to get larger and stronger in the future. Photos by Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Thats why Scripps, in collaboration with federal researchers and the Air Force, sent three storm research flights over the Pacific in 2016. Research planes also intercepted six storms in 2018 and six more in 2019, dropping dozens of weather sensors each year. The plan is to double the number of flights this winter. Ralph said atmospheric rivers can usually be predicted three days out, but there is substantial uncertainty about where, and how hard, they are going to hit. Landfall can be 200 miles or so north or south of where scientists predict the atmospheric river will hit. The research flights, he said, are attempts to document where the storms originate and how they behave once they get going. Imagine youve got a ball and a hill slope, and you want to roll the ball down the hill and predict where it is going to end up, he said. The most important part of that prediction is knowing where the ball is starting on the hill. So these flights are, in principal, trying to find out where these storms are starting. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite President Donald Trump begins to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of the Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters) Trump Praises US Economy, Avoids Impeachment, in State of the Union Address President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union, touting the burgeoning U.S. economy in a key moment just months away from the November election. Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results, Trump said. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny and the United States is moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back, he added. Trump, speaking to both the House of Representatives and the Senate, delivered the address in the same chamber where he was impeached late last year. The Senate on Wednesday will surely vote to acquit him on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, as no Republicans have signaled that they would vote to convict. Behind him on the dais was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who made the announcement of the impeachment inquiry in late September, and Vice President Mike Pence. Rush Limbaugh at the State of the Union Address on Feb. 4, 2020. (White House) Other than members of Congress, the Supreme Court justicesincluding presiding impeachment officer Chief Justice John Robertswere in the audience. In the speech, Trump used his podium to offer an optimistic and hopeful message in light of the partisan bickering in Washington. He didnt mention the word impeachment once. The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the worlds most prosperous and inclusive societyone where every citizen can join in Americas unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in Americas extraordinary rise, the president said. Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are seen at their seats before President Donald Trumps State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) The president touted NAFTA-replacement U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), his trade deal with China, tax cuts, and highlighted more factories being built in the United States. In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce, he said, referring to former President Barack Obamas two terms. But, In just three years of my Administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce, the president remarked. USMCA was signed last week by Trump after being approved by both the House and the Senate. Trump in his 2016 campaign said that implementing a new deal to replace NAFTA, which was signed during the Clinton administration, would be one of his priorities, and he will likely be pointing out its replacement at campaign events in the coming months. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTAonly to do absolutely nothing, referring to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement that he updated with Canada and Mexico, he said. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement into law. The White House invited a number of guests to the address, including a Border Patrol deputy chief, a former Venezuelan police chief who was held in detention for 15 years before escaping, military veterans, the wife of a soldier who was killed in Iraq by forces associated with Iranian commander Qassem Soleimaniwho was killed in a U.S. drone strike earlier this yearand others. Socialism also was a target during the address, with the president describing it as a destructive force that is eroding both the U.S. economy and values. We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare, he said. Trump also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced he has advanced lung cancer. First Lady Melania Trump presented him with the medal during the speech. The president also honored Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who attended the State of the Union as Trumps guest. He received a standing ovation from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. Mr. President please take this message back that all Americans are united with Venezuelans in their righteous battle for freedom, Trump said to Guaido. These were among incidents reported by the Loudoun County sheriffs office and the Leesburg and Purcellville police. For information, contact your police or sheriffs department. GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - Only two hours before Lionel Desmond used a rifle to kill three members of his family and himself, the former soldier appeared coherent and focused when he purchased the weapon at a sporting goods store in eastern Nova Scotia. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The home of Lionel and Shanna Desmond in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S., is shown in this undated police handout aerial photo. A psychiatrist who assessed Lionel Desmond two days before he fatally shot his family and himself says the former soldier showed no signs he was planning to hurt anyone when he arrived at the hospital in Antigonish, N.S., on Jan. 1, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - Only two hours before Lionel Desmond used a rifle to kill three members of his family and himself, the former soldier appeared coherent and focused when he purchased the weapon at a sporting goods store in eastern Nova Scotia. The fatality inquiry investigating the deaths, which completed its seventh day of hearings on Wednesday, was shown a silent, 20-minute surveillance video recorded inside Leaves and Limbs Sports in Antigonish around 4 p.m. on Jan 3, 2017. "He appeared to be calm and composed," said Dr. Faisal Rahman, a senior psychiatrist at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, upon seeing the video. Two hours later, the mentally ill retired corporal killed his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter with a rifle inside the family's home in nearby Upper Big Tracadie. The commissioner overseeing the inquiry, provincial court judge Warren Zimmer, asked for the video to be shown because he wanted Rahman to assess Desmond's demeanour and actions, saying he was looking for any signs of psychosis or agitation. Rahman is a key figure in the inquiry because he conducted a clinical evaluation of Desmond when he arrived at the hospital on Jan. 1, 2017 two days before the killings complaining he was distressed after arguing with his wife Shanna the night before. Earlier this week, Rahman testified that Desmond was pleasant, forthcoming, composed and showed no signs of psychosis or thoughts of suicide or homicide during a 30- to 40-minute interview. However, he said Desmond admitted the argument was part of a long-standing pattern of conflict with his wife, which had included calls to police in the past. As well, Rahman said Desmond revealed he had struck a table and startled his daughter, but he denied abusing his spouse. Rahman said he was also aware that Desmond had been diagnosed with PTSD in 2011 after he served in the army during a particularly violent stage of the war in Afghanistan in 2007. Desmond spent the night at the hospital, mainly because his wife told him he should not come home and he had nowhere else to go, Rahman said. The 33-year-old former infantryman left the hospital the next day and returned on Jan. 3, 2017 the same day as the killings to make an appointment with another psychiatrist. When Rahman was asked to explain how an otherwise calm, coherent and forward-thinking man could suddenly transform into a murderer, the psychiatrist said it was clear Desmond's "status" had changed during the intervening period. But it was clear from the video that Desmond's outward disposition had not changed by the time he reached the sporting goods shop. "He appeared to be engaged with the business owner," said Rahman. "He was able to concentrate ... and he was decisive ... when browsing and looking around." However, Rahman said the expression on Desmond's face appeared to be "relatively flat" compared with the rather animated expressions he used during their talk two days earlier. Tara Miller, the lawyer representing Desmond's family, told the inquiry that Rahman was not aware of certain things about Desmond as the two men spoke at the hospital, and she said the doctor faced some barriers getting information about his patient. "We know that, based on your interview with Lionel, it appears he either under-reported on incorrectly reported things to you," Miller told the inquiry. She said Desmond did not disclose he had used his cellphone on Jan. 1, 2017, to conduct extensive research about firearms, and that he had a valid firearms licence. As well, Desmond had insisted he was not having any suicidal thoughts, but that was in contrast to a report from a Veterans Affairs counsellor who found Desmond had recently experienced "frequent suicidal ideation." Rahman said getting medical documents from the federal Veterans Affairs Department was difficult. Miller also noted that Rahman wanted to speak to Desmond's wife that night, but there was nothing he could do when Desmond said he didn't want that to happen. Rahman said privacy legislation prevented him from reaching out to her, adding that he couldn't override the law unless her safety was at risk. "In his case, according to my assessment, the safety aspect did not trump his personal health information (rights)," he said. Rahman was also unaware that Desmond had sent several texts to his wife while he was at the hospital, one of which said: "I'm sorry I put my hands on you, I would never hit you." Miller asked if that comment would have raised concerns about possible domestic violence, and Rahman agreed. Part of the inquiry's mandate is to determine if the health-care providers who interacted with Desmond were adequately trained to recognize the signs of intimate partner abuse. As well, it will look into how Desmond was able to obtain a firearm. By Michael MacDonald in Halifax This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. Social media star Mother Pukka has told how she launched her campaign for flexible working hours for all, after she was charged 1 for every minute she was late picking her kids up from nursery. Appearing on today's Lorraine, Anna Whitehouse, 35, from London, who is also known as blogger Mother Pukka, revealed how she used to feel guilty for leaving work at 4.59PM when she worked for a previous unnamed employer. She would then end up being reprimanded for her timekeeping when she arrived at the nursery. The mother-of-two and her husband, journalist Matt Farquharson, were prompted to launch their campaign for flexible working for all, so that both mothers and fathers can play an equal part in juggling their careers and parenthood. Social media star Mother Pukka has told how she launched her campaign for flexible working hours for all, after she was charged 1 for every minute she was late picking her kids up from nursery. She is pictured with husband Matt Farquharson Heart Radio presenter Anna Whitehouse,35, London, who has two young daughters (pictured) , told how after leaving work at 4.59 she, was forced to apolaise to her co-workers, and was still reprimanded for her timekeeping when she arrived at the nursery Anna said: 'We launched Flex Appeal, which is our campaign fighting for flexible work hours for everyone. 'It was in a moment where I was coming back from work and I'd left work at 4.59 and said, "I'm so sorry I have to go and pick up my child". 'Can you imagine saying sorry for picking up your child? And I got told off by nursery - they're lovely wonderful people - but there's a structure to it. 'I was charged a pound a minute and I was sat on one of those tiny chairs meant for an infant, being told off and I thought - "This isn't my fault". 'That was when we pushed back together, saying, "This is isn't for mummies who want to see more of their Weetabix-covered children - this is for dads who want to be dads". Anna told Lorraine how though the nursery are 'lovely' she was 'told off' and became frustrated by how difficult it was to find a balance as a working mother Anna and her husband Matt co-parent children Mae and Eve. They are pictured leaving the Lorraine studio today Anna and Matt, who met in 2005, moved to Dubai within 45 days of meeting, travelled the world and landed in Holland, where flexible working is the norm. Upon returning to the UK in 2015, they said they faced 'a brick wall' and struggled to juggle their work-life balance. Previously speaking to Stella Magazine, Anna explained what pushed her to become a voice for the thousands of parents that could benefit from more flexible hours. Anna argued the current system in the UK is outdated, with a lack of flexible working options pushing women out of the workforce. 'I was so stressed, apologising all the time for leaving meetings, for being late for pick-up. I thought, "It's not my fault". It just wasn't working,' she said. 'Why have we accepted a system that was built in the Industrial Revolution? It's out of date.' Anna , 38, and Matt , 42, split parenting duties 50:50 and are Insta-famous thanks to their campaign for more flexible working hours for parents Since leaving her job, Anna has been busy for the past three years with her Flex Appeal campaign, which advocates for better access to flexible hours The mother-of-two ended up quitting her previous job after her request for more flexible working hours was denied by her employer. She has spent the past three years with her Flex Appeal campaign, which advocates for better access to flexible hours. She co-parents Mae and Eve with husband Matt, who takes his fair share of playdates, nappies and packed lunches. Anna and Matt went on to speak about the pressure put on married couples, and how many struggle with unrealistic expectations placed on couples after their big days. Matt told: 'No one really talks about that part. 'I think we got to the stage where a lot of people get to, you've done the grown up list, you've got a job you have kids, maybe you've got married and there the story typically ends. 'That's where the fairy tale finishes but actually you've got 40 years ahead of you.' Anna added: 'You say on the wedding day it's the best day of your life, but what happens after that. 'It's like you've peaked, you go from I do to do death do us part and it's like what happens in between.' The couple have since launched book 'Where's My Happy Ending?: Happily ever after and how the heck to get there' and a podcast of the same name, which explores the topic. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Washington, D.C., February 5, 2020 Iranian authorities should cease raiding journalists homes and should return all material confiscated in recent raids, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 26 and February 3, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Irans political paramilitary force, raided the Tehran homes of journalists Maziar Khosravi, Yasaman Khaleghian, Moloud Hajizadeh, and Yaghma Fakhshami, according to news reports and a person familiar with the cases who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. The agents confiscated documents and reporting equipment from the journalists homes, but did not make any arrests, according to those sources. The raids came in the weeks before Irans parliamentary elections, which will be held on February 21, according to news reports. Raiding journalists homes in the run-up to an election shows that Iranian authorities are intent on stifling discussion and intimidating critics, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. If authorities want to show that the countrys elections are open and fair, they must allow journalists to work without fear that their homes will be raided and their equipment confiscated. On January 26, intelligence agents raided the home of Maziar Khosravi, a former political reporter and editor at the reformist newspaper Shargh Daily, according to a report by the exile-run news website IranWire. He is currently the editor-in-chief of the reformist Faraz Online digital newspaper, which often publishes content critical of the government, according to an interview the journalist gave to BBC Persian in September 2019. Agents searched his home and confiscated Khosravis personal belongings, but did not state a reason for the raid, according to IranWire. The person who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, who is close to Khosravi, said, the agents had an arrest warrant for Khosravi, but changed their minds last minute. Instead they are taking him every day for interrogations. Khosravi was active on Twitter in the days before the raid, according to IranWire, but his account has since been suspended. Also on January 26, intelligence agents raided the home of Yasaman Khaleghian, a freelance reporter who writes about social issues, according to a report by Iran International, a U.K.-based broadcaster. Authorities confiscated laptops, phones, books, notebooks, and her press credential during the raid, according to that report. Khaleghian worked as a reporter at the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) until March 2019, when she was fired after writing about a rape case and a deadly fire, according to Iran International. The agents did not arrest her or declare a reason for the raid, according to the person close to Khosravi, who is also familiar with Khaleghians case. On February 3, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps agents raided the home of Moloud Hajizadeh, a reporter who covers womens issues at Taadol Newspaper, according to a report by the International Federation of Journalists, a trade organization. The agents took Hajizadeh to Taadol Newspapers offices and conducted a further search there, the report said. The agents confiscated Hajizadehs laptop, phone, and press credential, but did not arrest her or declare a reason for the raid, according to that report. Authorities previously detained Hajizadeh in summer 2019 and released her on bail after charging her with disturbing public opinions, according to a report by the exile-run Human Rights Activists News Agency. On December 3, 2019, she was sentenced to two years in prison, but has not been summoned to begin that sentence, according to that report. Also on February 3, intelligence agents raided the home of Yaghma Fakhshami, a former reporter at the news website Didban Iran, and confiscated documents and his laptop and phone, according to the person who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, who is also familiar with Fakhshamis case. The person said that the agents did not arrest Fakhshami or declare a reason for the raid. Authorities previously arrested Fakhshami for his work in 2017, as CPJ documented at the time. The person who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity said that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps agents told all four the journalists that they would be contacted for further questioning in the coming days. CPJ emailed the press office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which is responsible for supervising the Iranian press corps, but did not immediately receive a response. Iran had 11 journalists in jail at the time of CPJs most recent prison census on December 1, 2019. The residence of the lead counsel for the Hindu parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case, K Parasaran, will be used as the office of the trust set up to construct a Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. The office of the newly-formed Ram Temple trust will be set up at the house of two-time Attorney General of India and the lead counsel for the Hindu parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case K Parasaran. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, announced the formation of the trust which goes by the name Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The notification issued by the Ministryof Home Affairs mentions, "...a Trust by the name 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' has been registered with its registered office at R-20, Greater Kailash Part -1, New Delhi, 110048." According to the website of Supreme Court Bar Association, this is the residential address of Parasaran. Parasaran, as the lead counsel for the Hindu parties in one of the longest running land dispute cases, successfully argued for the possession of the entire disputed land in the case heard by the Supreme Court. The apex court ruled in favour of the deity "Ram Lalla Virajman" on 9 November 2019. During the hearing, the 92-year-old senior lawyer had told the apex court that it must do "full and complete justice" in all matters and added that his last wish was to finish the Ayodhya case. K Parasaran former Attorney General of India and an erudite Hindu scholar Described as the pitamaha of the Indian Bar Association, Parasaran is an erudite Hindu scholar and often has quoted from the Hindu scriptures in his arguments in the Ayodhya case. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 2003 and the Padma Vibhushan, the civillian honour that is second only to the Bharat Ratna, by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2011. He was then nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2012. Born in Tamil Nadu's Srirangam in 1927, he comes from a family of lawyers. His father Kesava Aiyengar was a lawyer and a Vedic scholar who practiced at the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court. Now, Parasaran's three sons, Mohan, Satish and Balaji, are also lawyers. Parasaran started practising in the Supreme Court in 1958. During the Emergency, Parasaran was the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu and was then appointed as the Solicitor General of India in 1980. He served as Attorney General of India from 1983 to 1989. A report by News18 said, "Assisted by a team of young associates, it was Parasaran's spiritual relationship he felt with Ram that kept the nonagenarian lawyer going. He worked on each and every aspect of the case before the hearing began every day at 10.30 am and after the day wrapped up at 4 pm or 5 pm." Earlier on Wednesday, the MHA notification also said that the Uttar Pradesh government had already issued the allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board, one of the Muslim parties to the case, for construction of a mosque, as directed by the Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning told the Lok Sabha that the Union Cabinet had given its approval for the constitution of a trust for the construction of the Ram temple. Making a statement in the Lower House soon after the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi said, "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra'. I salute the 130 crore people of India," he said. Seeking to emphasise the importance of the announcement, Modi repeated twice "Aayee Aayee" (Come come) before urging all members to support in one voice the construction of the Ram Temple, amid "Jai Shri Ram" slogans from treasury benches. The Supreme Court earlier had directed the government to form the trust within three months with 9 February as the deadline. Home Minister Amit Shah said the trust will have 15 members, including one from the Dalit community. With inputs from agencies 05.02.2020 LISTEN The Minority in Parliament is demanding the withdrawal of the agreements on the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam over value for money audit issues. Three agreements amounting to US$993 million are currently before the House pending approval. Earlier, the Minority resisted the approval process before Parliament went on recess in 2019 to pave way for the requisite due diligence on the deal. In a Citi News interview, however, Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governs Agbodza said the House must not approve the agreement in its current state. All that the Majority should do is to come to Parliament and withdraw the whole thing, relay and direct it to the appropriate committees. I am not even sure why the Majority is insisting on doing the wrong thing. It is not possible for any committee in Parliament to approve a billion-dollar contract in three different tranches within an hour. How are we going to do that, I think it is totally wrong. We cant be in a rush to develop our country. We cant ignore the laws. Already, the Minority has said that the cost of the electrical generation components for the proposed Pwalugu Dam is too expensive and must be renegotiated. But the Ministry of Energy has questioned the basis on which the Minority in Parliament claims that the cost quoted for the construction of the Pwalugu multi-purpose dam had been inflated. About the dam The Pwalugu Multipurpose project will consist of three main components, namely the construction of a hydropower plant; the construction of a solar farm; and the establishment of an irrigation scheme covering an area of some twenty-five thousand (25,000) hectares. The Pwalugu reservoir can accommodate up to 120,000 cages of 25 square metres each of fish, with an average yield of two tons per cage, making possible the continuous development of the country's aquaculture and fisheries sector. The project is set to be the single, largest investment ever made by any Government in the Northern sector of the country. The Volta River Authority says the project will commence in April 2020. The entire project will be executed by a Chinese construction firm, Power China International and supervised by the Volta River Authority over a period of five years. ---citinewsroom A man who was arrested last week for walking around a far North Side neighborhood naked was picked up by the police again Tuesday, this time for stalking charges, according to an arrest affidavit. Gilbert Ramos Jr., 33, was charged with stalking after allegedly performing a lewd sex act in front of a woman's front door on the far North Side, the affidavit said. The woman called the Bexar County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday and said she had video footage from a doorbell camera of Ramos fully nude on her porch, where he laid on his back and started to masturbate, the affidavit continued. Regarding Attention shoppers: Break-ins have moved (Feb. 2): Diamond Heights Safeway shoppers arent the only ones who feel less safe now that we have a new district attorney. District Attorney Chesa Boudin claims that his office prosecutes 84% of car break-in cases that come his way. Maybe he used to, but he admits to not prioritizing such cases. If he has prosecuted any, Id like to hear about it. How lovely that he wants to create a fund to help the crime victims but thats not his job. A district attorneys role is to investigate alleged crimes in cooperation with law enforcement and prosecute all indictable offenses. Boudin has no experience in prosecution and has fired those in his office who do, replacing them with public defenders like himself. And we know how cooperative he is with law enforcement. We dont need two public defender offices. Kristin Anundsen, San Francisco Cant ignore homeless tragedy The state needs to declare an emergency and shelter the homeless. They cannot wait for permanent solutions. Whatever it takes. The homeless need shelter and mental health help. We also need help for car and RV dwellers. Too many children are growing up homeless. How can we ignore this tragedy? Elizabeth Peter, San Mateo How to not lose hope Regarding No faith in the system (Letters, Feb. 3): I share your feelings about the national government. One of President Trumps gifts is causing people to feel hopeless. It works in his favor because hopeless people are less likely to take action against him. But there are many things we can do to feel better. Youve already done something good by writing a letter to your newspaper. There are other things to do instead of staring, depressed, at your television or phone. Join a march. Volunteer at a polling place. Drive older folks to vote on March 3. (Note to Uber and Lyft: How about giving free rides to polling places on voting days?) Beyond the realm of politics, go out for a walk in your beautiful town. Meet a friend for coffee. Clean out a cluttered closet. Read a book. Life goes on regardless of politics. When you enjoy life, Trump loses. Mary Gardner, San Francisco Blame marketers of opioids Regarding opioid use, no one is arguing that opioids are not effective for short-term pain relief, but the science shows they are not good for long-term or chronic pain relief. Anyone paying attention to the news knows that over the years, opioids have been killing by the hundreds of thousands, and that pharmaceutical companies are now paying billions as a result of their bogus marketing. But it should be noted that the medical field has known since the days of the Romans that opioids are highly addictive. The time release formula that supposedly made them non-addictive was easily subverted by crushing the pills. Now the drugs may be harder to get for people who really need them and the ones to blame are the people who marketed and then dispensed it like it was candy, all for a buck, and we should blame companies and not people who are addicted. Because when it comes to drug addiction, if people really could control what their brains think, theyd be able to lose weight, at will. James Masciandaro, San Bruno Put the millions to good use Im angry after reading Bloomberg: California, here I come (Feb. 4) that long-shot billionaire 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is spending tens of millions of dollars in ads in order to win delegate-rich California on Super Tuesday in early March. If Bloomberg truly wants to do something useful with his money in the Golden State, how about investing in some much-needed affordable housing for its burgeoning homeless population? Gregory Smithson, San Carlos Fix the boondoggle now Regarding Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike lane puts teachers in a big jam (Page 1, Feb. 3): It is clear from Rachel Swans unbiased article about the new bike lane of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge that the bureaucrats and politicians need to correct this boondoggle now, not wait four years! It was poorly conceived and poorly designed, and meets the needs of a few elite cyclists with political clout, leaving 85,000 teachers, service workers, and other middle- and lower-paid workers to continue to endure at least an extra 20 minutes in their daily commute to work. The article indicates only 160 cyclists use it during commute weekdays. This cost well over $32 million, so each of these elite and indirectly well-connected cyclists are costing we taxpayers $200,000! Talk about subsidies! No, the powers that be those that should not be fired or recalled from office for this boondoggle have to act now. Remove that ridiculous barrier, and open the third lane to cars. If you want to open it to bikes during a few hours midday, and on weekends, I would think that would satisfy all but the most egocentric and elitist cyclists. But do it now and do not wait four years. Elliot Smith, San Geronimo Early birds get SMART trains Regarding Keep the SMART train rolling (Editorial, Feb. 4): As much as I love having the SMART train available very close to my home, SMART still wraps up service so early in the evening that I cant use it. Im not alone in working nontraditional hours, and having the ability to get to Santa Rosa or Petaluma for my work would be ideal. Im sure others would love to patronize the theater and restaurants by Railroad Square and other stops and have a safe trip home after. But alas, no train. Ive been told in the past it was due to a lack of operators? Who knows what the truth is now. Its 2020. RTE and RTE 2FM are to join forces with Irelands leading recycled fashion and design competition, Junk Kouture. The brand-new partnership is announced as Junk Kouture celebrates its ten-year anniversary. As the grand finale in the 3Arena on Thursday, April 30 edges closer, the new partnership with RTE will see RTE 2FMs podcast queens, Laura Fox and Emma Power, hosts of popular Unlocked with Laura and Emma, present the Junk Kouture regional events and grand finale, while RTE 2FM DJ, Tara Stewart will provide the party atmosphere on the night, unleashing her musical prowess on the decks and on stage at 3Arena. Junk Kouture enables students all over the country to embrace the principle of sustainable living whilst unleashing their inner creative genius, as they fashion haute couture designs out of trash and discarded materials, says Dee Forbes, Director-General, RTE. This partnership with Junk Kouture allows us to keep issues of sustainability and climate consciousness front-of-mind with younger audiences, which is an ongoing focus for us. The new partnership will see the introduction of an RTE 2FM Junk Kouture Wildcard, where one lucky entrant from each of the five regions will be chosen by Irelands national music station to compete alongside 75 other national finalists. Those teachers and students who unluckily missed out at their regional final will wait with bated breath for that all-important knock on the art room door, as Tara Stewart reveals if theyll be heading to the 3Arena. In April, post-primary school students from across the country will once again strut their stuff on the catwalk at the final in their bid for Junk Kouture glory, wearing haute couture outfits made entirely from recycled rubbish. As President Donald Trump was finishing his state of the union address to US congress Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was behind him, rose to her feet and ripped up a copy of his remarks, in which the president had sought to move beyond the impeachment trial and make a case for his re-election. The speech was a manifesto of mistruths, Pelosi told reporters when asked later why tore up the speech. She did not say more but Trump might have irked her when he ignored her hand held out for a handshake as he handed her and Vice-President Mike Pence, who co-chaired the joint address, folders containing copies of his prepared speech. Pelosi did not wait long to respond to the slight, unless it was unintended and Trump did not see her outstretched arm. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, she announced the president, drily, dispensing with the more flowery phrases of the traditional version: Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States. The two leaders have not spoken directly for months, and exchanged harsh words through tweets and public remarks, specially after Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry against him last September. That led Trumps impeachment in December making him only the third president ever impeached. The senate is expected to acquit him in a partisan vote Wednesday, blocking his removal from office. The Trump-Pelosi exchange will remain likely the most enduring impression of the 2020 State of the Union address, which was also Trumps third. Second, touted by his aides as a Great American Comeback address, Trumps speech , which was long at over 75 minutes, was tailored to highlight the achievements of his administration with an eye on the upcoming re-election bid in November. One of the longer parts of the speech was devoted to the economy. I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been, he said. He went on to cite job numbers, dipping unemployment among minorities, women and veteran. Third, and for relevance to people outside the United States, he reiterated his intention to reform the immigration system and shift it from family-based to one based on merit. Indians have been beneficiaries of both systems We are working on legislation to replace our outdated and randomized immigration system with one based on merit, welcoming those who follow the rules, contribute to our economy, support themselves financially, and uphold our values., Trump said, and went on to reiterate his commitment to strong measures to end illegal immigrations and spoke about the wall he has been building along the border with Mexico. Fourth, on national security and foreign policy, Trump spoke about his groundbreaking peace plan for West Asia. We must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and give millions of young people the chance to realize a better future, he said. He spoke also of his intention to finally end the endless war in Afghanistan. Citing the killing of Islamic State found Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and s Qassem Soleimani, the US president said, Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. Fifth, and last, trade remains a major concern, as India would note while its official work with American counterparts to wrap up a trade agreement in time for President Trump to sign when he visits India later this month. Trump said in his opening lines of the speech that fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements remains a priority, and that it was the single biggest reason he ran for president. He spoke of standing up to China and the recently signed phase-one of a trade deal by the two countries and a bill he signed into law last week to replace an earlier trade pact with Mexico and Canada. 2.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rudy Giuliani said that Trump should launch an investigation of Joe Biden right after Senate Republicans acquit him on the two articles of impeachment. Transcript of Giuliani provided to PoliticusUSA by NPR: Rudy Giuliani: Biden should be investigated. Absolutely, 100%. Steve Inskeep: And the President of the United States Rudy Giuliani: For the crime of multiple bribery. Steve Inskeep: And the President of the United States should be involved in that? Rudy Giuliani: Hes the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. He certainly shouldnt back away from it. Steve Inskeep: Have you been talking to him about this? Rudy Giuliani: I havent talked to him about this case in quite a while but I would have no problem with him doing it, in fact Id have a problem with him not doing it. I think he would be saying that Joe Biden can get away with selling out the United States, making us a fool in Ukraine. The fact that Trump and Giuliani are going to push on with their bogus investigation into Joe Biden is a direct byproduct of the Senate Republican cover-up of Trumps illegal behavior. Mitch McConnell has emboldened Trump and Giuliani, and while Donald Trump will forever be an impeached president, that is not going to stop him from trying to cheat to win the 2020 election. The next step is for Trump and his corrupt Attorney General William Barr to use the DOJ to legitimize their Russian propaganda. The only way to end the Trump/Giuliani crime wave is to indict Rudy Giuliani and vote out Donald Trump. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Le Van, the man who made headlines two years ago after it was discovered he had been sleeping with his dead wife for five years, has confirmed he is still sleeping with his beloved, and authorities cant do anything to stop him. The story about Le Vans bizarre sleeping habit broke out at the end of 2009. Vietnamese papers posted photos of a man sleeping with a human-shaped gypsum statue that contained the body of his dead wife. we covered the story and you can read about it here, but long story short, the man couldnt cope with the loss of his soul mate so he dug up her remains, put them inside the statue and continued sharing a bed with her. It was one of the strangest news of 2009, but I was sure that once word got out, local authorities would somehow convince Le Van to bury the remains of his beloved wife. I was wrong. Reporters from the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper recently visited Le Vans house in Quang Nam, and were surprised to find the creepy gypsum statue containing the remains of his wife still on their bed. The 57-year-old man said he sleeps with his dead wife to train to return to his previous incarnation. I was not a human being in my previous incarnation. I committed a sin in my previous incarnation, so I must be a human being in this incarnation. In this incarnation I have to train myself to return to the previous incarnation, That doesnt make a lot of sense to me, and neither does allowing his little boy to share a house with his mothers bones encased in gypsum. Apparently, the local government urged Le Van to bury his wifes bones after media reported his story in 2009, but he simply refused and they dont have the power to force him. He clearly didnt pay much attention to the till death do us part part of their wedding ceremony. via Vietnamnet WASHINGTON Saying the president committed "an appalling abuse of the public trust," Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney voted to convict President Donald Trump on the first article of impeachment, becoming the first senator ever to vote against his own party's president in an impeachment trial. "This verdict is ours to render," Romney said in his speech on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the historic vote. "The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a 'high crime and misdemeanor.' Yes, he did." Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, was elected to the Senate in 2018 from Utah. Romney acknowledged that his vote would not affect the outcome of the trial. The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit on the first article, and 53-47 on the second. Romney voted to acquit on the second charge, obstruction of Congress. Opponents needed 67 of the 100 senators to remove Trump from office. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, arrives before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Trump can tout the acquittal, but Romney's defection makes it harder for the president to claim total vindication from impeachment which he often describes as a partisan witch hunt and a "hoax." If any GOP senator were going to defy the president, it was Romney. The Utah senator has often clashed with Trump, calling him a "fraud" and a "phony" when Trump was running in 2016 for president. "Well, I think he and the president had a little bit of a complicated relationship to start with, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the third most powerful Republican in the Senate, said after Romney's announcement. The House impeached Trump on Dec. 18 on two articles abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to the president's efforts last summer to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations of political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for releasing nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid. Story continues Impeachment explained: A diagram of events in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump Trump has denied he did anything inappropriate, saying he an obligation to make sure the country was adhering to anti-corruption agreements before he would commit U.S. tax dollars to them. But in his speech, Romney didn't buy that explanation. "The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders," he said. "The presidents purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust." Lone ranger: Mitt Romney: a solitary GOP voice battling Trump for the soul of the Republican Party Romney acknowledged the scorn he faces from fellow Republicans who are fiercely loyal to Trump and do not tolerate dissension. "In some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced. I am sure to hear abuse from the President and his supporters," he said. "Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?" Later, during a call with reporters, Romney said he was bracing for the impact. I will accept whatever consequence is sent my way and recognize thats part of the job. People dont expect me to be a shrinking violet," he said. "Im feeling the weight of the responsibility for the vote Ive taken and know that it will have impact on me and my family for a long, long time to come. Early on in his floor speech, Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, choked up as he discussed about his deeply religious roots. "I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced," he said. "I was not wrong." As he predicted, criticism from the president's allies came swiftly. The presidents oldest son called for Romney to be thrown out of the party. Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so hes joining them now, tweeted Donald Trump Jr. Hes now officially a member the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP. "#RecallRomney" began trending on Twitter within minutes of his speech. So was #CountryOverParty. "This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last," tweeted Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican Party who is also Romney's niece. "The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him. This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him. I, along with the @GOP, stand with President Trump. Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) February 5, 2020 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., however, refrained from dumping on Romney when asked by reporters after the vote if theres still room in the party for the Utah senator. I was surprised and disappointed, McConnell said. But we have much work to do for the American people. And I think Sen. Romney has been largely supportive of most everything we have tried to accomplish. Other Republicans rushed to his side. John Weaver, who worked on the GOP presidential campaigns of John McCain and John Kasich, said Romney put country over party. No one fought harder against @SenatorRomney in primary battles in the past than I, Weaver tweeted. No one is prouder to stand with him now. Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manner, noted that he had asked if there was just one Republican senator who would say `enough.'" And there is, he tweeted. Biden reaction: 'You do not know what you're talking about': Joe Biden irked by reporter's questions about Hunter, Ukraine Romney said he wanted to hear from witnesses in the hope that they would be able to introduce reasonable doubt, in my mind at least, and thereby remove from me the awful responsibility of having to vote to impeach. He said he contacted the White House lawyers to ask if they could at least provide affidavits from former national security adviser John Bolton, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and others with first-hand information about Trump's actions. Again, hoping that I would not have to reach the conclusion that I reached, because I understand that the consequence of my decision is substantial and goes against my personal interest, my political interest and my heart, Romney said. I dont want to have to have the leader of my party receive the vote I have to give today. Contributing: Savannah Behrmann, Christal Hayes This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate impeachment trial: Mitt Romney votes to remove President Trump Inspiration Stage introduced Matilda JR for the first time to attendees of the annual Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta on Jan. 18. iStage was honored to be selected to perform three Matilda JR numbers on the festivals main stage in the New Works Showcase Saturday night for the festivals almost 7,000 attendees. When Inspiration Stage was asked to pilot the brand-new junior version of Matilda at the Sugar Land Auditorium in October 2018, we were thrilled, says Mandy Seymore-Sensat, Inspiration Stages artistic director. Performing some of our favorite numbers on the main stage for the entire festival Saturday night was a huge honor. We are humbled by the confidence the iTheatrics and JTF leadership has in our theater to perform such an exhilarating introduction of this exciting new junior adaptation. iTheatrics adapts main stage Broadway musicals so they can be performed by kids in school and after-school settings. They create these adaptations for a distinguished list of clients, including MTI, one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies. After the Jan. 18 introduction of Matilda JR. at JTF, the new Matilda JR. adaptation will become available for all theaters to license. The iStage troupe performed three numbers from the musical in the closing performance of the New Works Showcase. The opening, School Song, thrilled the audience with its fast-paced choreography and creative staging, followed by When I Grown Up, which brought the audience to tears with its touching presentation. The finale, Revolting Children brought the entire 7,000-member audience to its feet, dancing and clapping along with the performance. Ending with such a powerful and thrilling song got the audience on their feet and dancing, said Seymore-Sensat. It was an amazing way to end the always-exciting New Works Showcase. Inspiration Stage was one of only six companies selected to present in the New Works showcase, out of a total 127 attending companies. Senior Evan Blackwell (George Banks) was honored with an exclusive award one that was bestowed on just three recipients at this years festival. The adjudicators recognized Blackwell with the Freddie G Inspiration Award, an award given to performers who touched the hearts of the adjudicators in a very special way. Blackwell, a 17-year-old Ridge Point senior in Sienna Plantation was thrilled with the recognition. I was so touched and so honored to be recognized this year in this way at my last JTF ever. he says. Senior year is a time of uncertainty, of wondering where youre going to go, whether youll be happy and be doing what you want to do. Receiving this award was, to me, a sign that yes, I can do it, and yes, things will be okay. This honor felt like the perfect end to this magical weekend, and I could not imagine a better way to end my five years as a JTF alumni. Blackwell and Madison Willett (Mary Poppins) were also selected as the Inspiration Stage company All-Stars by the adjudicators. Six Inspiration Stage youth also received Golden Tickets special invitations to audition for the opportunity to appear in iTheatrics instructional guide choreography DVDs distributed with its Broadway Jr. series of shows. Two iStagers received callbacks for the third, ultra-competitive round of auditions Jaxon Daniel and Gentry Claire Lumpkin. Final winners will be contacted in March if they are invited to film in New York City. In February, Inspiration Stage will take a different company to JTF West in Sacramento to perform Into the Woods JR for adjudicators. In other iStage news, Summer Camp 2020 has just been announced with 25 youth summer camps for kids ages 5 through 19. Camps include Moana JR., Frozen JR., Aristocats KIDS, Willy Wonka KIDS, Aladdin KIDS, Little Mermaid JR. and more. For information and to sign up, visit https://inspirationstage.com/Summer/. Inspiration Stage is located in the historic Sugar Land Auditorium at 226 Lakeview Drive. Visit https://inspirationstage.com/shows/for details. Aiven, a startup that combines the best open source technologies with cloud infrastructure, today announced that it has raised $40 million in Series B funding. This brings the total funds raised to $50 million. The round was led by Silicon Valley-based IVP, whose notable investments include Datadog, Dropbox, GitHub, HashiCorp and Slack. Existing investors Earlybird VC and Lifeline Ventures, as well as family offices of Risto Siilasmaa, chairman of Nokia, and Olivier Pomel, founder of Datadog, also participated in the round. Organizations of all sizes are moving to the cloud and leveraging open source software as the backbone of their data infrastructure. While larger companies have the resources and expertise to manage these deployments internally, most companies require some level of third-party support to effectively utilize open source. Aiven democratizes access to the latest open source technologies by offering fully-managed services for popular open source projects like Apache Kafka and Cassandra, Elasticsearch, M3 and PostgreSQL in the public cloud. Aiven now serves over 500 businesses worldwide, including Atlassian, Comcast, OVO Energy and Toyota, and is available on all major public clouds. This investment is evidence of a growing appetite from enterprises for open source data technologies, said Oskari Saarenmaa, CEO and co-founder at Aiven. Aiven is able to close that gap by offering a platform that abstracts away all the complexities of operating those technologies so our customers can focus on their business applications and driving the bottom-line. With the new funding, well be able to expand our product roadmap and work more closely with our customers globally to help them utilize open source technologies at scale. Aiven experienced tremendous growth in 2019. The company tripled its revenue run rate, added 200 new customers, doubled headcount and opened two new offices in Berlin and Sydney. The new round of financing will enable Aiven to expand its presence in the U.S. and accelerate Aivens mission of empowering developers and democratizing access to the latest open source technologies. Aiven will use the proceeds of the round to triple headcount, add new open source technologies like M3 and Flink, and introduce new enterprise grade features. IVP General Partner Eric Liaw will join Aivens board of directors. The increasing adoption of open-source infrastructure software and public cloud usage are among the incredibly powerful trends in enterprise technology and Aiven is making it possible for customers of all sizes to benefit from the advantages of open source infrastructure, Liaw said. In addition to their market potential and explosive yet capital-efficient growth, we were most impressed to hear from customer after customer that Aiven just works. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers is a testament to their hiring practices and the strong engineering team they have built. Were thrilled to partner with Aivens team and help them build their vision of a single open-source data cloud that serves the needs of customers of all sizes. For the first time in five years, enterprise software companies raised more venture funding than consumer technology companies more than $30 billion. Capitalizing on this trend, Aiven has emerged as a leader in providing organizations with the best open source database and data processing technologies in the cloud. The Series B will allow Aiven to provide new cloud services for customers and continue empowering developers to focus on their core products, not the underlying infrastructure. To learn more about Aivens capabilities, visit https://aiven.io/. About Aiven Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland and with offices in Berlin, Germany and Sydney, Australia and Boston, MA, Aiven is a SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified cloud data platform provider, operating managed open-source database, event streaming, cache, search, and graphing solutions for over 500 customers worldwide. You can visit https://aiven.io for more information or follow Aiven on Twitter: @aiven_io. About IVP With $7 billion of committed capital, IVP is one of the premier later-stage venture capital and growth equity firms in the United States. Founded in 1980, IVP has invested in over 400 companies with 113 IPOs. IVP is one of the top-performing firms in the industry and has a 38-year IRR of 43.1%. IVP specializes in venture growth investments, industry rollups, founder liquidity transactions, and select public market investments. IVP investments include such notable companies as Casper, Coinbase, Compass, Glossier, Grammarly, HashiCorp, The Honest Company, Klarna, LegalZoom, Personal Capital, Rubrik, Tanium, TransferWise, UiPath, and ZipRecruiter. For more information, visit http://www.ivp.com or follow IVP on Twitter: @ivp. Media Contact Bridget Devine Walker Sands Communications bridget.devine@walkersands.com (312) 561-2492 Kyle Buzzell Aiven kyle@aiven.io We received assurances that the situation would be changed in Georgia, Senator Jim Risch says - GeorgianJournal The Bear Clan Patrols James Favel is used to travelling around Winnipegs North End, but hes not quite as accustomed to visiting the Middle East. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Bear Clan Patrols James Favel is used to travelling around Winnipegs North End, but hes not quite as accustomed to visiting the Middle East. Thats about to change. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES James Favel of the Bear Clan patrol has been invited by the United Nations to participate in the next World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi. On Saturday, the leader of the community watch group and do-it-all organization will board a flight for Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where hes been invited by the United Nations to participate in the next World Urban Forum. "I havent left the country since I was eight years old, and I went to Fresno and Mexico City," he said Tuesday. "This is a little bit different." Favel had no plans to board an international flight destined for the UAE, and the UN didnt originally have him in mind, either. First, they extended an invitation to the leaders of Lethbridges SAGE Clan Patrol, an Albertan sibling of the Bear Clan. When neither Martin Heavy Head Jr., nor his father could make it, they suggested Favel as a replacement. The Winnipeg leader received a letter on Saturday from Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the UNs under-secretary general and the executive director of UN-Habitat, telling him to pack his bags. "I was pretty floored," he said. "I know there are a couple of highnesses sitting at my table, and thats pretty neat." The forum will focus on issues related to urban development, housing, culture and innovation, all under the theme of "Cities of Opportunities." Attendees like Favel will have the opportunity to conduct a brief presentation about their organizations. "We get five minutes to convey the best parts of what we do as Bear Clan," he said. Its a tight time-frame to talk about the virtually endless work the organization has done since its founding in 2015. "Right now, Im just focused on getting my speech together. Im going to rely heavily on my notes," he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Favel plans to touch on ideas of working proactively and not reactively, and creating access to resources free of barriers through community collaboration. "But the biggest and most important part of the trip will be to listen and absorb," he added. Speakers from around the world will talk about what theyre doing in a traditional authorities roundtable, and Favel is excited to bring some new ideas home. He and one of the patrols directors, a member of the Winnipeg Police Service, will fly out Saturday morning, and are scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi on Feb. 14. "The opportunity to present on the world stage is very neat, and I hope I do it justice," he said. "I still find it kind of baffling that people find what I have to say interesting," he said. ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca Goa Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Laxman Behare on Wednesday said Hindu Dharma is a must to save the eternal values of the world. "The RSS has been putting efforts to take India to newer heights in the world. The organisational structure of Hindu dharma is a must to save the eternal values of the world. The Sangh is trying to establish those values in society since the past 94 years," said Behare addressing a press conference here. He said the world is facing an "acute shortage of contentment" due to turbulence in the commercial world and social structure of the society. "Due to turbulence in the commercial world and social structure of the society, the world is facing an acute shortage of contentment and looking towards Bharatiya (Indian) philosophy as it is the only answer to every problem," he said. Speaking to ANI, Bahare said Bhaiyaji Joshi, the general secretary of RSS, will visit Goa on February 8 and 9, 2020. "Joshi has invited all 40 MLAs, Goa Archbishop and others to create awareness about the RSS and its workings among people," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leon Valley City Manager Kelly Kuenstler asked city leaders Tuesday night to appoint the suburbs police chief to serve as her successor on an interim basis, and to work to resolve the dysfunction that has plagued the city in recent months. Over objections from several residents, the council voted 4-1 to negotiate an 18-month contract with Police Chief Joe Salvaggio to serve as the interim city manager. City Councilor Will Bradshaw voted against the proposal, saying most residents dont want Salvaggio running the city for that long a period. I think its sad that our council will not listen to citizens, Bradshaw said, suggesting that Kuenstler negotiated a new contract in October so Salvaggio would benefit. I believe that this was planned, that she knew she was going to leave, he said. A few residents spoke in glowing term of Kuenstlers integrity and professionalism and said she followed through on initiatives of past councils, including the addition of four parks serving Leon Valleys 11,500 residents. Im going to hate to see you go, said resident Richard Blackmore, who thanked Kuenstler for looking out for the citizens. Kuenstler, who submitted a letter of resignation last week, said the political volatility needs to subside before Leon Valley can attract a quality manager to permanently fill the position. Because of the dysfunctional reputation that this city currently has, youre not going to get great applicants, she told the council Tuesday night. I want you to get a really good city manager. Kuenstler, whose contract provides for a 60-day notice prior to leaving, said she gave a 90-day notice in an effort to ensure there is smooth transition for the citizens of Leon Valley. But after staging a grueling forfeiture hearing last year that resulted in a city councilmans removal from office, and with residents having since mounted a successful petition drive to recall two other council members, Kuenstler said the city may need to get through an election or two with an interim manager in place, as voters decide who can best guide the community forward on the council. I would beg this body to work on improving the quality of the image of Leon Valley, of the image up here, at the dais, before a national or even a statewide hunt for this position is undertaken. Not for me, not for you, but for them for the citizens. I beg you to do that. They deserve it, Kuenstler said. She said she initially asked Assistant City Manager Crystal Caldera to take the interim managers job, and made very strong attempt at convincing her. But Caldera said she declined so she could balance her career and family duties. Kuenstler also approached two senior directors who dont have any desire. While Salvaggio serves as interim city manager, Assistant Police Chief Ruben Saucedo will assume the role of interim chief. Kuenstler said the 18-month period will allow two elections to occur, helping stabilize the city politically. Salvaggio, a former San Antonio police captain whose 29-year Army and Air Force career included support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, holds a masters degree in public administration from UTSA. Right now, we need consistency in the city departments and we need strong leadership, Kuenster said, vowing to make sure a 2020-21 budget is in a very rough draft form before I leave. Erick Matta, a member of The Change Leon Valley Project, which gathered signatures for recall petitions targeting City Councilors Donna Charles and Monica Alcocer, said he was very troubled that Kuenstler talked about how divided the council is. The division, if anything, plenty of us see, is coming from the city manager herself, Matta said, shifting his glare toward Kuenstler. And for her to think that its OK to dictate the future as she walks out the door and wash your hands, wash your hands, of the mess that youve played a role in creating, is outrageous. Plenty of us are happy to see you walk out the door, Matta added. Kuenstlers resignation comes amid political infighting that has been roiling the suburban community for at least a year. Last year, City Councilor Benny Martinez was removed from office in a 2-1 council vote after a lengthy forfeiture hearing conducted under the citys charter. The hearing centered on complaints from several city employees who said Martinez abused his power and undermined Kuenstlers authority. Martinez has accused Kuenstler of orchestrating the complaints against him, but she has denied that. The Change Leon Valley group has since gathered signatures on petitions seeking the recall of Charles and Alcocer, who both voted in August to have Martinez removed from office. Kuenstler told the council and residents at Tuesdays meeting that the recent unrest was not the reason Im leaving. I actually have had several opportunities that Ive actually passed on in an effort to try to hang in here and make sure that certain things got accomplished. And I feel like, as far as a city manager, Ive done that, and Im ready to go onto new things, she said. Alcocer, one of the councilwomen targeted in the recall, spoke of reconciliation before calling for a council vote on the proposal to appoint Salvaggio as interim city manager. She asked residents to refrain from a tone of animosity directed at city leaders and to be open to allow goodness to come to our city. Be kind, be good to one another. Stop the ugly comments, she said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA YEREVAN. Last year was unprecedented in the number of emergencies, said Feliks Tsolakyan, the Minister of Emergency Situations of Armenia. According to him, practically, there has been growth in all types of emergencies in the country. The minister spoke in detail about the fires. Thus, in 2019 there were 10,237 fires registered against 6,500 in 2018. Tsolakyan added with regret that one firefighter was killed and another one was injured last year. The minister noted that last year there were a large number of forest fires in Armenia, and the bitter experience has shown many problems. Among them Tsolakyan mentioned the lack of roads in the countrys forests. According to him, the cause of forest fires is often the human factor. Tsolakyan emphasized the need for preventive work and, first of all, the creation of roads in the forests of Armenia. As per the minister, another important issue is that of emergency helicopters, and this issue is being discussed with Russia. Sudan's military announced Wednesday it backed a surprise meeting held between the country's leader and Israel's premier in Uganda this week, saying the opening would help boost national security. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Entebbe on Monday in a meeting that was not pre-announced. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists -- including, for a period, Al-Qaeda -- during the rule of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted during mass protests last year. On Tuesday, Burhan briefed the sovereign council and key ministers about his meeting, saying he met Netanyahu "to protect the national security of Sudan". The military's support for Burhan on the matter came after top officers met at army headquarters in Khartoum. "There was a meeting at the army headquarters today, and those present... were briefed about the visit ... and its impact on Sudan's national security," military spokesman Brigadier Amir Mohamed Al-Hassan told AFP. "The army is in favour of this (Burhan-Netanyahu) meeting as it is in the interest of Sudan's national security." On Wednesday, Burhan met Sudanese editors to explain why he met Israel's premier. Burhan told the editors "the main thing that pushed him to take the decision to meet ... (Netanyahu) was to secure some key benefits for Sudan," said Hassan, without elaborating. "He said that brave decisions were needed in order to change the current situation in Sudan, to ease the economic pressures on Sudanese people, and also to change the internal and foreign policies of Sudan." Soon after Monday's meeting in Entebbe, Netanyahu's office said the Israeli premier believed that post-Bashir Sudan was headed "in a positive direction". It said he and Burhan had "agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries". Sudan has long been part of a decades-old official Arab boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians and occupation of Arab lands. In the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967 in which Israel occupied the Palestinian territories and seized the Golan Heights from Syria, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, no recognition, no negotiations with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official agency WAFA, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his US allies of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". Bashir was ousted by the army last April after months of nationwide protests against his iron fisted three-decade rule. Sudan is now ruled by a joint military-civilian sovereign council headed by Burhan, which is tasked with overseeing the country's transition to full civilian rule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Autoclave seized on Chinese ship by India could have been for nukes in Pakistan Six months on, three former CMs of J&K remain detained India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 05: The three ex-chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir continue to remain in detention and there is no indication about their release as yet. It has been six months since Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah have been detained, following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. In the aftermath of this decision, nearly 350 politicians have been detained. However, many were released on November 25, 2019. Big drop in locals joining terror groups in J&K NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 Out of the 40 former legislators detained, 33 were shifted from the MLAs' Hostel on November 17. Many others who were under house arrest have been released. The decision to detain Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act came under heavy criticism. At first, he was detained for a period of three months and then the same was extended by another three months. Islamic State Poised for Comeback, US Defense Officials Report By Jeff Seldin February 04, 2020 U.S. defense and intelligence officials say the special forces operation that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria last October has done little to hinder the terror group. Instead, the Defense Intelligence Agency warns the organization's command and control structure, as well as many of its clandestine networks remain intact, and recent turmoil in the region due to Turkey's incursion into northeastern has played to its advantage. "ISIS exploited the Turkish incursion and subsequent drawdown of U.S. troops to reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad," according to Defense Department Principal Inspector General Glenn Fine in a new report, using an acronym for the terror group. And should the U.S. be forced to pull troops from Iraq following protests there, "ISIS would likely resurge," Fine added, citing additional DIA analysis. Rallying around a new IS leader The findings come less than a week after U.S. defense officials revealed the true identity of Baghdadi's replacement, cautioning he appears to have IS positioned to eventually make its presence felt in the region, and perhaps on the world stage. Presented to the world as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, defense officials confirmed to VOA last week he is actually Hajji Abdallah, a religious scholar who helped engineer the campaign to slaughter Iraq's Yazidi religious minority. While some global intelligence agencies have doubted whether Qurashi can serve as an effective leader, U.S. officials have seen little evidence of a drop-off. Under Qurashi's leadership, IS has retained a "continuity of operations, global cohesion and at least its current trajectory," the DIA told the inspector general. Separately, U.S. counterterrorism officials tell VOA they believe Qurashi has done enough to keep IS from splintering. "ISIS supporters worldwide have rallied around the new caliph," a senior counterterrorism official said, pointing to the social media campaign of IS fighters and followers pledging allegiance to Qurashi. A speech issued last week by the new IS spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, likewise rallied followers around familiar themes of endurance and survival. Still, U.S. defense and intelligence officials caution that IS has not been overly ambitious, telling the inspector general the terror group has limited itself to carrying out a series of small-scale attacks, both in Iraq and in Syria, while making no attempts to hold or retake territory. "ISIS appears to have sufficient weapons, explosives, operatives and funding to carry out its present level of operations, but assessed that it likely faces significant constraints in expanding beyond that for the next 12 to 18 months," said the inspector general report released Tuesday, citing intelligence from U.S. Central Command. There are also signs that the collapse of its self-declared caliphate and ongoing pressure from the U.S.-led coalition has taken a toll on IS's ability to project strength. In contrast to the assessment by defense intelligence officials, officials with Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) argue it has been unable to take advantage of Turkey's incursion into northeastern Syria, protests in Iraq or even hostilities between the U.S. and Iran. "ISIS really hasn't been able to exploit any gaps or seams," Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Alex Grynkewich recently told Pentagon reporters. "ISIS is a little bit more on the lack of capability and capacity side than strategically patient," he added. Another analysis by U.S. Central Command suggested IS propaganda, while serving to rally the most dedicated of the group's followers, has also been less effective than in the past. Concerns about an evolving IS Some analysts are wary of writing off IS so easily, even if just in the near term. "There aren't attacks in some areas because ISIS doesn't need to attack," according to Jennifer Cafarella, research director at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). "The phrase that has been used is ISIS is owning the night in many villages in the Ninewa Plains and in the disputed internal boundaries (with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq)," she said. "That's a bad sign." Other analysts worry the U.S.-led coalition may be underestimating IS's ability to innovate. "I don't think IS would necessarily emerge in the same way they did before," said Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Their outbreak from 2012 to 2015 was different than their outbreak from 2003 to 2006. So, I would expect whatever happens going forward will look different again because the context and situation is different." And, there is plenty of intelligence to suggest IS remains a threat. U.S. counterterrorism officials warn the terror group still commands at least 14,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria. State Department officials say the number could be closer to 18,000, up from an estimated more than 10,000 this past May, just months after the caliphate collapsed. A recent intelligence report from the United Nations likewise warns anywhere from half to two-thirds of the more than 40,000 foreign fighters who flocked to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS "are still alive," many of them unaccounted for. The financing of terror IS financing is also a concern, according to the U.S. inspector general report, as many of the terror group's revenue streams remain intact. "ISIS continues to generate revenue by extorting oil smuggling networks in northeastern Syria," the report said, citing intelligence from the U.S. Treasury Department. While oil revenue has shrunk considerably since the collapse of the IS caliphate, U.S. officials say IS fighters continue to rake in profits from kidnapping and extortion plots, from looting, and by using front companies to move money around. U.S. and U.N. officials estimate, even now, IS may have close to $300 million in reserves. U.S. officials also warn getting visibility into what IS is doing has gotten more difficult now that the U.S. has pulled forces from the area. "The withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas of northeastern Syria diminished (the Treasury Department's) insight into ISIS's fundraising and cash storage activities, as well as its ability to assess trends," the inspector general report found. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The definitions of bullying and harassment could mean anything from #MeToo-ish to merely boorish. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that experienced politicos who have worked with the committee described a toxic culture rife with power struggles, backbiting and mismanagement. The two officials who have been put on leave, executive director Liz Gilbert and chief of staff Adam Alonso, were also accused of focusing on accumulating power rather than promoting Milwaukee, the Journal Sentinel reported. As of this writing, neither Gilbert nor Alonso has commented on the allegations. Beijing Deaths from the new virus rose to 490 in mainland China Wednesday and the number of new cases increased to 24,324 as China moved patients into newly built or converted hospitals in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan. In Hong Kong, hospital workers are striking to demand that the border with mainland China be shut completely to ward off the virus, which caused its first death in the territory. But four new cases of the virus without known travel to the mainland have been reported, indicating community transmission. The growing caseload in Hong Kong "indicates significant risk of community transmission" and could portend a "large-scale" outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. More than 7,000 health workers joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees' Alliance, the strike organizer. Hospitals said they had to cut some services due to the absences. Japan said Wednesday 10 people on a cruise ship have tested positive for the new virus and were being taken to hospitals. Health Minister Nobukatsu Kato said all the 3,700 people and passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days under Japanese law. The 10 are among 273 people tested after one man who got off the ship in Hong Kong was confirmed to have the virus. Hong Kong was hit hard by the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a virus from the same family as the current outbreak. Trust in Chinese authorities has plummeted following months of anti-government protests in the Asian financial hub. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The territory's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Almost all land and sea links have been closed, but the striking workers want it shut completely. "Important services, critical operations have been affected," including cancer treatment and care for newborns, Lam told reporters. "So I'm appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Let's put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things." With Wuhan cut off by rail, air and road, the U.S. government was organizing additional evacuation flights for its citizens still in the city Thursday. The mainland China figures indicated an increase of 65 deaths and 3,887 new cases from the previous day's tally. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, the one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The expert in the law replied, The one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, Go and do likewise. Luke 10:36-37 Its easy to assume no one in modern society would pass by someone ailing on the side of the road. But we can all recall a time when we witnessed someone pulled off to the side of the freeway alone. We so often dont pull over to help. Sometimes, out of a healthy fear of very real and opportunistic evil in the world. Other times, we choose not to put ourselves in danger on account of another accord. Further still, we are all consumed by the amount of time we have in each of our days. The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us to take time to notice, and inconvenience ourselves to stop and sacrifice our precious minutes and resources to love our neighbor the way were called to as Christians. God has purposed us to love one another. Let's take a look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. Who Is the Good Samaritan in the Bible? And What Happens in the Parable of the Good Samaritan? But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. Luke 10:33-35 The Good Samaritan is a character in one of Jesus New Testament Parables. When questioned by a Jewish lawyer who he should consider a neighbor, Jesus picked a Samaritan to be the heroine of the story. This is significant because Jews hated Samaritans. The NIVSB confirms, Jews viewed Samaritans as half-breeds, both physically and spiritually. Samaritans and Jews practiced open hostility, but Jesus asserted that love knows no national boundaries. As Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, he said, You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22) The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible says Samaritans believed in the one God of Israel and claimed to be true heirs of his promises (they) rejected the history of Israel after Joshua, and changed the Ten Commandments to include the requirement to worship on Mount Gerizim which the Judeans (Jewish) destroyed. The Samaritans believed in God but didnt fully understand and know Him. Jesus rebuked them for what they got wrong, but all the more powerful when we consider the love the Samaritan man showed versus that of the priest and Levite who fully understood God and could call themselves Gods chosen people. Why Did Jesus Tell the Parable of the Good Samaritan? On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Luke 10:25 Jesus taught in parables and communicated in a way they understood. People like the lawyer questioning Jesus were akin to answering inclinations with questions. Thus, Jesus replied to his inquiry with,What is written in the Law? he replied. How do you read it? Luke 10:26 His concern was for their souls, not in arrogantly winning an argument He already held the heavenly victory too. His compassion for those who questioned Him is possibly one of His most remarkable characteristics. He had the patience to honor their curiosity, even when deviously tried to trap or trick Him. And who is my neighbor? Luke 10:29 The priest and the Levite passed by the suffering man on the other side. Significant, because Jesus illustrated living a legalistic life and following religious rules is nothing if we purposefully pass by a hurting soul. Love is leveling. Anyone can choose to help someone. Jesus shattered their perception of class and division by illustrating that love is love. We arent called only to love other Christians or others like us. We are called to love period. How Can Christians Apply the Parable of the Good Samaritan Today? Here are 5 ways Christians can use the parable of the Good Samaritan for inspiration today. 1. Be Noticers We live in a fast-paced world where it is easy to overlook the needs of others, wrote Courtney Whiting, "But if we learn from this parable, we will be careful to be aware of those who are around us. We can take notice of the people God places in our lives, both those who encourage and help us and those who need our help and encouragement. The neighbor were called to love is often not the one we choose but one God chooses for us, writes Jon Bloom In fact, this neighbor is often not one we would have chosen had not God done the choosing. Scripture says the man on the side of the road appeared dead, a condition that would make a religious authority ritually unclean (Leviticus 21:1-3). The priest in the parable let his holiness hold him back from helping. He didnt want to be stained by the stuff of life, writes Pastor Rick Warren, When we live a lifestyle of avoidance, we try to keep all our relationships superficial. If we can keep everyone at arms length, we can pretend we dont see their pain and their needs. If we dont get involved, we can avoid getting hurt or inconvenienced. 2. Prayerfully Prepare for these Moments Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, Come back tomorrow and Ill give it to you- when you already have it with you. Proverbs 3:27-28 A disciplined life of prayer will allow to see people from Gods perspective and fight any fear holding us back from taking immediate action. Pray for people, wrote Anne Dahlhauser in 10 Ways to Love Your Neighbor," Ask God for love for your neighbors. When we pray for eyes open to see people in need, God is faithful to reveal them. When we do take notice of someone in need, its not just our action that needs to be immediate in aid, but our prayer. It's only humanly possible to help someone to a certain extent, so we need to cut God into the moment through prayer. Vaneetha Rendal Riser reflects in her article, How to Pray When Life Falls Apart, I need to remember his limitless power when my situation looks insurmountable. 3. Dont Hesitate In Christ we are given a right standing before God (justification), and we are propelled in love for God and others by the new power of his Spirit in us (sanctification), writes Jonathan Parnell, "This affects the way we see those around us. Instead of weighing our options and wondering if we have time to stop and help, trust God to stretch minutes when we are convicted to help. The Samaritan man wasnt prepared with a medical kit in case he crossed paths with someone who needed bandaging. He gave of what he had, choosing to invest in the struggling stranger. We may quote scripture and recite platitudes on love and God, but unless we are willing to get involved in the lives of others, we are only blowing smoke, wrote Joe Plemon, But he [the Good Samaritan] didnt. As the scriptures say, he had compassion and he acted on it. Given the man was robbed, the Samaritan probably put himself in danger of meeting the same fate. Love is something you do, writes Pastor Rick Warren, Love doesnt just say, Im sorry for this guy. Isnt it a shame? Isnt that too bad? Love seizes the moment. 4. Reflection and Gratitude Resist the cultural urge to frame those struggling as soft or weak. Suffering from the consequence of their own decisions doesnt afford us a license to love them any less. Weve all made bad decisions, suffered through our own consequences, or been hurt at the hands of another. Let gratitude for the people God had in place to pull us through fuel our love for them now. Remembering keeps us humble, reminds us to be grateful, and spurs us to pass it on. Instead of convincing ourselves we dont have the time or the means to help, focus prayerfully on allowing God to show us how He wants us to love those suffering around us. John Bloom wrote, if our restlessness is due to the disillusionment of having to deal with difficult, different people and defective programs, then perhaps the change we need is not in the church community but in our willingness to love our neighbors, the ones God has given us to love. 5. Generosity It is a sin to despise ones neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21 Christians are called to live generous lives, both in meeting the physical needs of others and in our outpouring of compassion for our neighbors. The Samaritan man gave what he had. We are all too often led by a cynical mindset of short supply. However, God promises the more we share the more we have. Proverbs 14:31 says, Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Benching worry to care for others first models trust in God. He asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves and is the great Provider we can trust in to make it happen. Proverbs 28:27 assures us, Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. The goal is not to get something in return for helping one another, but trusting God enough to let go of what we have in order to do so, being a good steward of what Hes provided us with. 10 Bible Verses About Loving Our Neighbors Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the enters of the others. Philippians 2:3-4 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 4:25 Do not say to your neighbor, Come back tomorrow and Ill give it to you- when you already have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Proverbs 3:28-29 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. Romans 15:2 The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 19:19 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40 A Prayer to Love Others Jesus, Not only did you come down to earth and live among us, but you choose to communicate on a level we can understand. Thank you for parables and stories we can apply to our daily lives, in order to understand a mere fraction of Your glory. We are humbled by your forgiveness and grace for the times we do indeed walk clear around those who need help. Convict us to stay alert, in prayer, and ready to love those You place in our paths. In Your Name, Amen. Further Reading The Good Samaritan - Bible Story The Parable of the Good Samaritans Deeper Meaning Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Jan Wijnants [Public domain] Defendants listen to the court's verdict. (Photo: VNA) Among them, former Chairman of the Da Nang Peoples Committee Van Huu Chien asked the appeal court to consider the situation in Da Nang 15 years ago when the violations took place, claiming he was only implementing a policy adopted by the standing board of the municipal Party Committee and the municipal Peoples Council. Chien was sentenced to 12 years in prison for violating regulations on managing and using State assets, causing losses and wastefulness, and violating land management regulations at the first-instance trial that took place in Hanoi from January 2-13, 2020. Another former Chairman of the Da Nang Peoples Committee Tran Van Minh also insisted he followed the citys policies. Minh was given 12 years in prison on the same charges as those for Chien. Phan Van Anh Vu, former Chairman of the 79 Construction JSC and Bac Nam 79 JSC, who received 30 years in prison, also appealed the sentence. According to the indictment at the first-instance trial, Minh and Chien held key leading positions of Da Nang city and were in charge of State property management and use and land management. The two defendants violated laws and ordered their staff to complete procedures of selling State-owned buildings and illegally transferring land lots to Vu. These actions were repeated for many times in a long period, the indictment said. With the help of the two former chairmen and other leading officials who signed and followed the orders, Vu was able to acquire various State-owned buildings and land lots located in prime locations at a much lower price or without auction from 2006 to 2014. Their actions caused losses of more than 22 trillion VND (947.5 million USD) to the State. Between 2002 and 2017, Vu used his own name and those of his relatives to establish, contribute capital to and directly manage five real estate companies, aiming to purchase many property projects as well as public houses and land lots in Da Nang without auctions, at prices lower than those set by the municipal Peoples Committee, personally pocketing a specially huge amount of money. The Hanoi Peoples Court handed jail sentences to 21 defendants in the case, who were found guilty of violating regulations on managing and using State assets, causing losses and wastefulness and violating land management regulations. The only defendant who does not appeal is Nguyen Van Can, former Chief of the Office of the Da Nang municipal Peoples Committee. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a phone call with Indonesian President about the ASEAN's cohesiveness and responsiveness with the coronavirus President Joko Widodo highly appreciated the Vietnamese government for taking quick and synchronised measures to prevent the spread of the disease, believing that under the close direction of PM Phuc and with Vietnams proven medical capacity, the country is fully capable of successfully preventing this disease. Meanwhile, PM Phuc expressed his appreciation of Indonesia as one of the countries that have rapidly implemented measures to prevent the disease before detecting a case of novel coronavirus (nCoV) so far. The two leaders agreed that ASEAN member countries should actively co-ordinate in the spirit of the ASEANs theme "Cohesive and Responsive", aiming to find common solutions, share responsibility for dealing with common regional diseases. ASEAN countries have valuable experiences from co-ordinating to tackle the SARS in 2003, so it is necessary to continue to be more proactive in fighting against the nCoV epidemic. PM Phuc said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, as the chairman of the ASEAN Coordinating Council, sent a letter to ASEAN countries, rousing the spirit of co-ordination and joint action against the nCoV epidemic. Vietnam has proposed the ASEAN to establish a Joint Ministerial Working Group with the participation of agencies on transport, immigration, border control, as well as consular issues and will soon organise online meetings to timely share information and co-operate with ASEAN member countries, showing the ASEAN's solidarity. Indonesian President Widodo fully endorsed and appreciated the proposals of PM Phuc. The two leaders also agreed to strengthen co-ordination not only in the ASEAN but also between the ASEAN and China, including consular support for citizens of ASEAN countries affected by the epidemic, especially for those stuck in the epidemic area. Four Democrats from diverse legal backgrounds -- albeit none with judge on their resumes -- are seeking their partys nomination for the local appellate court seat vacated by Melody Stewart last year after she was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court. The seat on the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from lower courts in Cuyahoga County, is now held by Ray Headen, named to hold it temporarily by then-outgoing Gov. John Kasich. Headen is unopposed in the Republican primary, so will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November. The Nov. 3 winner will then serve out the rest of the term to Jan. 1, 2023. All four Democrats would bring assets to the job, but the standout is Lisa Forbes, 56, a partner in the Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease law firm, where she has been a litigator for more than 22 years. Forbes is deeply knowledgeable about appellate law and practice; active in volunteer work in the legal profession; and engaged in the community, serving on the board of the Centers for Families and Children since 2008 and on the affiliated Circle Health (former Free Clinic) board since 2017. She displays the calm, open, respectful demeanor needed in a judge. Its also notable that Forbes -- who received four Excellent ratings and one Good from the five local bar associations in the Judge4Yourself judicial ratings coalition -- is willing to give up a lucrative private legal practice (and presumably take a pay cut) to seek the job. Ohio appellate judges will make about $163,000 this year, based on a judicial salary chart at the Ohio Supreme Court. I really felt called to serve, Forbes told our editorial board. Forbes said she would aim for greater transparency in the legal reasoning of appellate court opinions. Also in this race is Gabriella Rosalina, 47, who has spent her entire legal career at what is now Russo, Rosalina & Co. The firm includes her father, Basil Russo, a former Common Pleas Court and appellate court judge and former member of Cleveland City Council, and her husband, Joseph Rosalina. Rosalina, who sometimes goes by Gabriella Russo Rosalina, says she decided to leave the Russo part of her name off the ballot, wanting to be elected in her own right, she said, rather than by exploiting the name game of popular local ballot names. That was an impressive call. Rosalina, who is very quiet-spoken, says she gravitates to the research and writing that are key features of appellate work and would bring to the local appellate bench the background of a general practitioner, the all-around lawyer not often represented on the local bench, she said. Also running is Alyson Monroe Brown, 31, a judicial staff attorney in Common Pleas Court who has been a practicing lawyer for less than 6 1/2 years -- barely over the six-year minimum to serve as a judge in Ohio. She is a lawyer to watch, however, articulate and engaged, with ideas for improving the judicial system. Her proposal to make oral arguments at the appellate level more accessible to criminal defendants who cant attend in person by using video and audio recording was seconded by all the other candidates, presuming no cost impediments. Perennial judicial candidate James W. Satola, 58, who has run six times previously for Common Pleas Court judge, and likely will keep trying, is also in the race. Ironically, the appeals court may be more in his wheelhouse of writing and legal scholarship, but he lacks the depth of experience of Forbes. Lisa Forbes is the best candidate in the Democratic primary for the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals, unexpired term. Cuyahoga County Democratic voters should elect her. Early voting for the March 17 primary starts Feb. 19. The four candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals judgeship for the unexpired term ending Jan. 1, 2023 -- Alyson Monroe Brown, Lisa Forbes, Gabriella Rosalina and James W. Satola -- were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Feb. 4, 2020 as part of its endorsement process. Listen to audio of this interview below. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Follow option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. Other resources for voters: Judge4Yourself judicial ratings in Cuyahoga County. Judicial Votes Count, submitted information from judicial candidates statewide. League of Women Voters vote411.org voters guide. It was wonderful to read the story on the selection of two Lehigh Valley historic sites as part of Preservation Pennsylvanias at-risk program for 2020. I want to thank Preservation Pennsylvania for recognizing the vulnerability of theses important pieces of the history of the Lehigh Valley, especially the stone arch bridge on Meadows Road in Lower Saucon Township, an irreplaceable engineering marvel that has stood for 160-plus years. Its frustrating to know not only how Northampton County has failed to properly maintain the bridge for so many years, but that Lower Saucon Townships request to preserve it is being ignored. I grew up in that area and that bridge has been part of my life for so many years that I cant imagine it not being there, but apparently thats what Northampton County is willing to settle for replacing the bridge instead of repairing it. If that happens, County Executive Lamont McClure and Northampton County Council have to take some blame especially Councilman John Cusick, who made the ignorant statement that the bridge is not historic. McClures not listening about the preserving the bridge (even as a pedestrian bridge), so the history of an area he represents is not lost, cant be ignored. Northampton County can do better. The question is, when will they? Stephanie Brown Lower Saucon Township Editors note: To speed up the process on the now-closed bridge, Northampton County put it on the local Transportation Improvement Program list to qualify for federal and state funds. Preliminary engineering work is underway, but two months ago a draft 2021-24 TIP by PennDOT pushed the Meadows Road Bridge back to 2029. The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is asking PennDOT to move the bridge project up to 2026. Officials have said the preliminary engineering needs to be completed to determine if the bridge will be repaired or replaced. (Natural News) A cohort of 44 Catholic professors from Kings University College in London, Ontario, is demanding that the school issue a public apology for allowing the pro-life film Unplanned to be screened on campus. Even though abortion is forbidden within the Catholic religion, these professors contend that the film created furor and fear within the student and faculty bodies because some found its screening offensive. In their demand letter, these 44 faculty members openly condemn Kings University College for its public endorsement of an anti-abortion stance. They further express great concern about the viability of our institution as we work to recruit and maintain excellent students, staff and faculty. In other words, its just not cool in 2020 to be pro-life, even if youre a Catholic. Its also not okay to show movies to students and faculty that might persuade them to become pro-life because murdering unborn babies is the epitome of progress. Responding to this demand letter, Principal David Malloy expressed that Kings University College does not have any official position on abortion, despite claiming to be a Catholic institution. The presentation of the film and the belief of life beginning at conception is the stance of Campus Ministry and not of Kings as a whole, he further explained in an official statement. Kings employees, faculty and students do not need to prescribe to the tenets of the Catholic Church. Kings does not have a position on abortion. For more related news about abortion, be sure to check out Abortions.news. Unplanned filmmakers say theyre sorry it even has to be explained to Catholic professors that fetal dismemberment is intrinsically evil That professors at a Catholic institution would take issue with the presentation of a film exposing the abortion industry for what it is says a lot about the moral decline of modern society. Unplanned, in case you didnt know, is a powerful film about the life of a former Texas Planned Parenthood manager by the name of Abby Johnson who quit her job back in 2009 after discovering the truth about abortion its murder and renouncing her former career. You can learn more about the film at this link. Its creators, Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, upon hearing about this fiasco at Kings issued an apology of their own but not in the way you might think. In a sarcastic rebuttal of these professors demands, the duo told LifeSiteNews that they are only sorry that it has to be explained to the professors of a Catholic university that fetal dismemberment is intrinsically evil. We sincerely hope that among the professors calling for the apology, there are none from the theology or philosophy departments, they added. While LifeSiteNews was unable to reach the Diocese of London for an official response, it did get a hold of Michael Bechard, the pastor and chaplain for Kings University Campus Ministry, who stated that his organization supports without reservation the sanctity of life from conception until natural death. He further explained that Unplanned was screened as part of the Veritas Series for Faith and Culture on campus, prompting a challenging but necessary conversation where individuals with varying points of view were allowed the opportunity to express their thoughts on the movie and on the complex realities surrounding abortion. This same Veritas Series for Faith and Culture also hosted a pro-LGBT Jesuit by the name of James Martin, who gave a presentation about Showing Respect and Welcome to LGBT People in the Church. Fire them or remove it from the list of Catholic colleges, wrote one LifeSiteNews commenter in response to this news. How did a so-called Catholic college get 44 people on [its] payroll that object to Catholic teaching? asked another. Read DemonicTimes.com for more news about the Catholic Church being run by demons. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com For a while I think there was this thought that you have these candidates running different kinds of grass-roots campaigns and doing this organizing, and thats going to bring new people into the caucus, Psaki said. That didnt happen. We dont need to panic or wet our beds here, but we need to take a look at what that means. The latest whispers out of Maranello are "more encouraging" than they were a few weeks ago, according to well-known Ferrari insider Leo Turrini. On his Quotidiano blog in mid January, Turrini revealed that "the indications from the simulator and the wind tunnel" about Ferrari's 2020 car "have not impressed the engineers". But the long-time Italian journalist says the latest rumblings out of Maranello are better. "The indications of the last week are more encouraging," Turrini said on Quotidiano. "So far it's not all smooth, but as I explained already, there is still time." Turrini said Ferrari went into the winter determined to improve its 2019 car, as it was very fast in a straight line but less impressive in the corners. "Apart from the results, the goal is to have a simpler machine which is not exposed to sudden changes in performance depending on the tracks," he said. As for the engine, which according to some suffered as a result of a spate of FIA clarifications in the second half of last season, Turrini said all is well. "At Maranello, they are convinced that they have no problem with the performance of the power unit," he said. "(Mattia) Binotto is very sure at least that it is not inferior to Mercedes and Honda." Finally, Turrini played down fears about Ferrari's warring drivers, who clashed on occasion in 2019. "The relationship between Vettel and Leclerc is less bumpy than could have been feared after the turbulence of 2019," he said. (GMM) An Afghan media watchdog has urged the government to take note of a demand for more media freedoms after numerous local media outlets issued a joint statement denouncing the "deterioration" of access to government-related information in the country. Sayed Ikram Afzali, the head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said on February 5 that adequate legislation guaranteeing the media's ability to work and access information exists, but that the government has refused to provide enough funding and support to implement the law. In a joint statement unveiled at a protest rally in Kabul on February 4, 30 media outlets including privately owned national TV channels, local broadcasters, and newspapers blamed the "carelessness" of the government for endangering media freedom in recent years. The protest was supported by media-freedom and human rights watchdogs, the UN mission in Afghanistan, and Western embassies in Kabul, which said access to information for citizens will make Afghan democracy stronger. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has responded by calling on "all the government organizations to cooperate and share information with the citizens." Abdullah said that "freedom of speech and freedom of media is one of the most important national achievements of the people of Afghanistan," adding that "honoring and respecting this achievement is the responsibility of government officials." In their statement, the media outlets said that all government institutions had "shortcomings" when it comes to providing access to information, but cited the Supreme Court, the Attorney General's Office, the National Directorate of Security, the president's office, the Finance Ministry, the central bank, and the Defense Ministry as being "the worst ones." The statement comes against the backdrop of relentless violence across the country. Afghan forces, backed by U.S. allies, continue to battle Taliban militants who currently control or hold sway over nearly half of Afghanistan. The Taliban launches frequent attacks targeting government forces and officials, as well as those seen loyal to the government. The United States is engaged in on-again-off-again talks with the Taliban, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 18-year war that would allow the U.S. to bring home about 13,000 American soldiers. Throughout my tenure as the chief information commissioner, I have witnessed the medias access to information being restricted by key government institutions, said Afzali. Unfortunately, the trend continues." Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, head of the Nai Supporting Open Media group, said the situation is critical. If there is no access to information, then the nature of the media as a tool of freedom of expression will vanish," Khalvatgar said. Afghanistan ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. In January, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported that five journalists were killed in 2019 in the country. In a statement, Amnesty International asid the Afghan government "has a responsibility to not just protect journalists but provide access to information in line with Afghan laws and the countrys international obligations on the right to freedom of expression. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders criticized the Afghan authorities' "failure" to fully implement the law on access to state-held information. The European Union office in Afghanistan also called for the law to be "implemented in full," saying the "free flow of information is crucial for any democracy &progressive society." The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said that "open and healthy societies promote access to information for citizens," which it said was "vital" for accountability and fighting corruption, improving government performance and efficiency, encouraging investment, and empowering citizens in public life. Over the last four years, Texas has added more voters in the 22 counties along Interstate 35 than in the states 232 other counties combined. Since 2016, Texas voter rolls have grown by almost 2 million voters. More than 1 million of those voters live in communities along the I-35 corridor, sometimes likened to a blue spine. That slice of Texas geography extending northeast from the border through San Antonio and Austin and all the way to Dallas has become steadily less conservative and more Democratic. It has helped make Democratic candidates more competitive in statewide contests over the last two election cycles. In 2018, Democrats flipped 12 seats in the Legislature in districts along I-35, and a strong Democratic showing along the corridor helped Beto ORourke come within 2.6 percentage points of defeating incumbent Republican Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate race. It would have been the Democrats first victory in a statewide election in Texas since the 1990s. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox At the same time, voter registration numbers have dropped or remained flat in Republican-leaning counties in the Panhandle, South Texas and East Texas. Texas Democrats are rising and showing our strength from South to North Texas, said Cliff Walker, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. Growing voter registrations 10 Texas counties with the biggest vote registration gains since 2016 1. Hays, 31% 2. Williamson, 26% 3. Comal, 24% 4. Brazos, 24% 5. Travis, 23% 6. Rockwall, 23% 7. Denton, 22% 8. Parker, 21% 9. Collin, 21% 10. Guadalupe, 20% Primary 101 Voting Early voting begins Feb. 18. To cast ballots in person, registered voters must bring an acceptable form of photo identification. Those are: a Texas driver's license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by the Department of Public Safety, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas handgun license, a U.S. military identification card, a U.S. citizenship certificate containing a photo or a U.S. passport. Voters can bring printed materials, such as a sample ballot, into the booth, but may not use cellphones or photographic devices while casting ballots. Voters Guide Everything you need to know about this year's election, only on HoustonChronicle.com and ExpressNews.com. See More Collapse Walker said the I-35 corridor is loaded with rapidly diversifying suburbs and college-educated adults who have gravitated to the Democrats over the last four years. But none of that means Texas is about to turn blue, said longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove. They dont have a shot as long as Republicans use this as an opportunity to get our act together, Rove said. Republicans have to be more aggressive about registering voters and mobilizing volunteers, he added. The influx of new residents combined with the Democrats more aggressive voter registration efforts have allowed the party to find more voters that side with them in elections, said University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus. The problem Democrats had for the longest time was that they didnt have enough people to even talk to, Rottinghaus said. But now, he said, as the counties along I-35 change, Democrats are able to identify voters who better align with their issues. Mike Fisher/Staff Artist Texas is one of a few states in which voters do not register with a political party when they sign up to vote. But demographic characteristics and recent voting trends show that voters along I-35 have shifted from voting mostly Republican to mostly Democratic over the last 4 years. An Austin-area surge The biggest surge of new voters has come in two counties on either end of Austin. Williamson County, just north of Austin, has seen a 26-percent increase in registered voters since 2016. Just south of Austin, Hays County experienced a 31-percent increase. ORourke carried both counties in the 2018 Senate race. After Williamson and Hays, the biggest gains in registration were in Comal, Brazos and Travis counties. All three have seen increases of more than 23 percent since 2016. In Bexar County, the number of registered voters increased 16 percent, making it the 26th fastest-growing county in Texas for voter registration. Harris County the states most populous saw a 14-percent increase. By contrast, in 82 Republican-leaning counties, mostly in the Panhandle, West Texas and East Texas, registered voter rolls have grown 2 percent or less over the last four years. In 55 of those counties, the numbers have declined by a total of more than 7,000 voters. (The latest registration totals from the Division of Elections dont include thousands of new voters likely to have registered since January. Updated figures are expected in about two weeks.) GOP responds Republicans have answered Democratic registration efforts with their own drive to sign up voters. A super PAC created last year called Engage Texas reported that it has raised more than $11 million for a registration campaign. A second group organized by the Republican Party of Texas, called the Volunteer Engagement Project, has promised to add 100,000 more voters to the rolls this year, with help from Rove. The 22 counties along I-35 are a big reason Democrats have been gaining ground in Texas elections. In 2014, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, won those 22 counties by more than 350,000 votes. But in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the corridor by more than 115,000 votes en route to posting the best statewide showing for a presidential candidate in Texas in more than 20 years. In 2018, Democrats made further gains in the corridor. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lost those counties by 440,000 votes in narrowly defeating ORourke. That nearly 800,000-vote swing along the blue spine helped make the race closer than any U.S. Senate race in more than 20 years in Texas. Cruz was able to overcome the shift along I-35 thanks to three key areas of Texas. Cruz targeted the Texas Panhandle, a half-dozen counties in East Texas and the Houston suburbs as he closed his campaign. And those conservative voters delivered, providing Cruz with almost 250,000 more votes than ORourke slightly more than Cruzs margin of victory statewide. The I-35 corridors clout was felt beyond the Cruz-ORourke contest. Five Republican candidates for Congress in those 22 counties, almost all of them heavy favorites, won with less than 51 percent of the vote. In the Texas House, Democrats flipped 12 seats previously held by Republicans, 10 of them in districts along I-35. In the Texas Senate, Democrats flipped two seats, both along I-35. However, the shift along I-35 has not changed the fact that every statewide elected official in Texas is a Republican. The margins grew tighter in 2018, as Republicans Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller all won 51 percent of the vote or less. Four years earlier, all three of those Republicans won 58 percent or more. Double-digit gains Overall, Texas has been adding voters faster than it has been adding people. Since 2017, the states population has grown about 5 percent while the number of registered voters has risen 8 percent. The increase has been dramatic in urban areas such as Harris County. The countys population has grown 4 percent since 2014, while voter registration has jumped 14 percent. In Bexar County the population has grown 11 percent since 2014, while voter registration has increased 19 percent. Early voting in the Texas primary starts on Feb. 18 and runs through Feb. 28. Election Day is March 3. While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Asian American Medical Group Limited (ASX:AJJ) share price has gained 18% in the last three months. But that cannot eclipse the less-than-impressive returns over the last three years. In fact, the share price is down 46% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return. See our latest analysis for Asian American Medical Group Given that Asian American Medical Group didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth. In the last three years Asian American Medical Group saw its revenue shrink by 7.2% per year. That is not a good result. The stock has disappointed holders over the last three years, falling 18%, annualized. And with no profits, and weak revenue, are you surprised? Of course, sentiment could become too negative, and the company may actually be making progress to profitability. The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). ASX:AJJ Income Statement, February 4th 2020 If you are thinking of buying or selling Asian American Medical Group stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet. A Different Perspective Asian American Medical Group shareholders are down 46% for the year, but the market itself is up 22%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 4.1% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Asian American Medical Group (including 1 which is can't be ignored) . Story continues We will like Asian American Medical Group better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Xavier School of Management (XLRI) has been able to secure 100 percent placement for the outgoing batch in just two days. The average salary rose by Rs 1.95 lakh year-on-year to Rs 24.3 lakh per annum. The final recruitment process saw participation from 108 recruiters with 362 domestic and international offers. "This year's placement season has once again witnessed remarkable success in spite of the longish economic slowdown. Interest in XLRI's students has been tremendous, with top companies coming for recruitment," said P Christie, Director, XLRI-Xavier School of Management. The institute said that 43 percent of the batch got pre-placement offers. Here, the median salary offered to the batch saw an increase to Rs 23 lakh per annum from Rs 21 lakh per annum in 2019. The business school received multiple domestic offers at Rs 50 lakh per annum from the BFSI sector. The highest international offer stood at Rs 58.5 lakhs per annum from the sales and marketing domain. KPMG and Pricewaterhouse Coopers made the highest number of offers among the regular recruiters. New finals recruiters included companies like Arga Investment Company, Tolaram Group, MH Alshaya, Myntra, Power Finance Corporation, Delhivery, JCB, Thoucentric, Welspun, Diageo, Varroc, CK Birla, amongst others. The top segments based on roles offered were Consulting, Sales & Marketing, and BFSI. Consulting firms extended offers to 26 percent of the candidates. Consulting was the biggest draw this year with firms such as McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co., The Boston Consulting Group, Accenture Strategy, Deloitte, PWC, EY, KPMG, AON, Korn Ferry, Vector Group, Everest Group, Thoucentric Consulting, Infosys and others participating in the process. As far as FMCG is concerned, firms such as P&G, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Colgate Palmolive, Asian Paints, Samsung, among others participated in the process. As far as companies in the pharmaceutical sector is concerned, firms such as Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Astra Zeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, among others participated in the process. Giants in the automotive segment such as Maruti, Bajaj and JCB also participated. In the BFSI sector, firms like Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Avendus Capital, Shannonside Capital, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered, ICICI, Power Finance Corporation, Belden, Edelweiss among others were part of the final placements. Roles in General Management were offered by conglomerates such as Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra, Capgemini ELITE, Reliance Industries, Xiaomi, RPG, Hinduja, ACT and others. The firms in IT/e-commerce segment included Microsoft, Amazon, Ola, Media.net, Flipkart, Oyo Rooms, Tech Mahindra, HCL, TCS, EXL, and others. The names of a few recruiters mentioned in an earlier version of this article have been removed as requested by the institute. Juan Guaido, Venezuela's embattled opposition leader, will attend Tuesday night's State of the Union address as part of an overseas tour designed to breathe new life into his push for power, Bloomberg first reported and Axios has confirmed from a Trump administration official. Why it matters: Guaido visited Europe and now the U.S. in defiance of a travel ban imposed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros government. The U.S. recognized Guaido as Venezuelas rightful leader about 13 months ago, but his effort to dislodge Maduro has become increasingly desperate. Go deeper: After seeing serious damage from feral hogs, the city of Pasadena is going all out to control the destructive animals. At its Feb. 4 meeting, City Council voted to allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife to set traps for the creatures. We have some property along Armand Bayou that is being damaged by feral hogs or wild pigs, said Jed Aplaca, Pasadenas parks and recreation director. ON HOUSTON CHRONICLE.COM: In The Woodlands, a senior community fights back against feral hogs He referred to a major push by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to address the issue as hogs continue to spread throughout much the state. Theyre a big problem, he said of the hogs. I think Texas has the biggest problems with feral hogs in the United States. The hog damage occurred in January at a grassy area in Big Island Slough, 9800 Red Bluff Road. PLAGUE OF PIGS: Feral hogs, a familiar Texas pest, are roaming north When they first tore it up, you could see where they were rooting out and rooting up the grass, Aplaca said. It really looked bad. It is not odd that the park was damaged by the animals. There are several thousand acres of natural area along Armand Bayou; so its a perfect place for them to be, Aplaca said. Feral hog issues are common this time of year. Its one of those things where all of a sudden they will pop up at a certain time of the year, Aplaca said. Its usually in the wintertime when they dont have as much food to eat. They eat acorns and and after they run out of food, you will see them in open spaces. Theyll dig up peoples yards if they live close to a wild area where there are hogs. TRAGIC CASE: Sheriff: Feral hogs to blame for woman's 'rare' killing in Anahuac Aside from being a nuisance, the damage caused by feral hogs can affect the rest of the ecosystem, Aplaca said. They are really bad for the environment because they compete with other native wildlife for a lot of things, he said. The hogs cause erosion and create wallows that collect water and serve as breeding areas for mosquitoes, Aplaca said. This is not Aplacas first experience with the beasts. When I worked in Houston, we trapped hogs there, too, he said. Really, trapping and removing them from the property is the most effective way (of handling the situation) because you can remove a sounder thats what a pack of hogs is called. MORNING REPORT: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox Corral traps can catch every member of a sounder, he said. Thats what we are trying to do. Aplaca warned that the hogs, which can weigh as much as 400 pounds, can be dangerous, noting that a Chambers County woman was killed by the animals last year. The hogs have been seen roaming outside of areas of dense foliage. Ive heard reports of people seeing them down Red Bluff during the evening, Aplaca said. John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com. Attendees wander around the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 25, 2019. LG Electronics said Wednesday it will withdraw from the 2020 MWC event due to worries over coronavirus. AP-Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul LG Electronics has decided not to join the Mobile World Congress (MWC), a mobile trade fair scheduled to be held in Barcelona from Feb. 24 to 27, as worries surrounding new type of coronavirus continue to grow, the company said Wednesday. The South Korean tech firm said it will not open its promotion booth at the world's largest mobile fair due to the spread of Wuhan coronavirus, but added it will keep its scheduled business meetings with buyers at the exhibition. In Barcelona, LG was supposed to unveil its new premium smartphone lineup, along with other products, but decided to cancel the unveiling due to the spread of the new virus. The company added it will create another opportunity to introduce its mobile products. "LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization as the virus continues to spread outside China. With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain," the company said in a statement. "In lieu of its participation in the MWC, LG will be holding separate events in the near future to announce its 2020 mobile products," the company added. Given Chinese telecommunications equipment firm ZTE announced the same day that it will withdraw from the event, their decisions may trigger a domino effect that will lead to other firms pulling out of the fair. LG Uplus, a telecommunications affiliate of LG Group, also cancelled a media conference which was to be led by its CEO Ha Hyun-hwoi. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing and data strategy firm Schireson Associates announced today that it has acquired two leading independent creative and brand strategy agencies, Stun Creative and Blackbird, to form "Known," a new marketing company engineered for the unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing marketers today. The combination of these companies already represents significant capabilities and scale, with combined 2019 revenues of approximately $100 million. Known (www.known.is) is anchored by two decades of groundbreaking market research and data science capabilities, which uniquely empower its marketing strategy and acclaimed creative groups, who are producing some of the most innovative, cutting-edge creative work in culture today. The result is marketing that is predisposed to succeed and be persistently optimized, directly impacting clients' bottom lines. The combined capabilities uniquely position Known to deliver marketers the advanced, end-to-end solutions they need, in the most efficient, effective and transparent ways. Including strategy, full creative, media planning and buying, and more. "We see this as a generational opportunity to actually respond to the needs of marketers today, and we're delighted to be on the side of change," said Kern Schireson, who will serve as Known's Chairman & CEO. "Marketing is ready for a new standard of innovation, quality, and transparency. It's our mission to deliver that." Schireson returned to Schireson Associates last month, after spending five years as Viacom's Chief Data Officer. He is widely regarded as having led the transformation of advanced advertising for television. "We're lucky to have developed partnerships with some of the most amazing clients in the world, who are constantly working with us to develop solutions that set a new standard," he continued. "Now, bringing together the amazing talent that has made Schireson, Stun and Blackbird so successful, all with a single mission and vision, puts us in a truly amazing seat." Three Leading Marketing Firms Here are some more details on the companies which now make up Known: Schireson Associates is a leading marketing and data strategy consulting firm built on a foundation of world class data science, engineering, market research and advanced analytics. Clients like Microsoft, Google and Viacom have counted on the firm's unparalleled team of PhD data scientists, engineers and strategists to solve complex business challenges since 2002. Jeff Kingsley , who has been serving as Chief Operating Officer of Schireson, has been named President & COO of Known. is a leading marketing and data strategy consulting firm built on a foundation of world class data science, engineering, market research and advanced analytics. Clients like Microsoft, Google and Viacom have counted on the firm's unparalleled team of PhD data scientists, engineers and strategists to solve complex business challenges since 2002. , who has been serving as Chief Operating Officer of Schireson, has been named President & COO of Known. Three-time "Agency of the Year" Stun Creative is the Emmy, Clio and Cannes Lions award-winning LA-based agency and production company, renowned for two decades of original content and advertising campaigns for clients like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, CNN, The NFL, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Dove Men + Care, Nickelodeon, Princess Cruise Lines , Fandango, Hulu, Snapchat and many more. Stun provides creative development and execution in all media, including production, post-production, digital, social, animation, key art and design. Its Principals, Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein , have been named Presidents of Known Studios. is the Emmy, Clio and Cannes Lions award-winning LA-based agency and production company, renowned for two decades of original content and advertising campaigns for clients like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, CNN, The NFL, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Dove Men + Care, Nickelodeon, , Fandango, Hulu, Snapchat and many more. Stun provides creative development and execution in all media, including production, post-production, digital, social, animation, key art and design. Its Principals, and , have been named Presidents of Known Studios. Blackbird, the brand strategy and business innovation agency, was launched in 2017 with a client roster that includes Disney, Rockefeller Center, AT&T, Pepsi, WarnerMedia, Universal Music Group, IMAX, Citi, Fandango and more. Its Founder and CEO, Ross Martin , will serve as President & CXO of Known. The seamless combination of these groups, now functioning as one team, is already helping brands unlock the potential of their businesses in new ways. Dozens of clients have already begun to leverage the combined new suite of capabilities. "After 20 years of telling award-winning brand stories at Stun, we are now able to truly elevate our creative work on a foundation of data science and advanced analytics," said Stun Creative Co-Founders Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth. "We couldn't be more excited to be embarking on this amazing new chapter launching Known." "Helping brands realize their potential at Blackbird has been one of the greatest joys of my career," said Ross Martin, Blackbird founder and CEO, "and this is the next step in that journey. Marketers are done guessing what works and what doesn't. Brands are taking control and demanding better. We are excited to be leading that evolution." "Known is built and scaled to provide enterprise-wide solutions for our clients across every marketing function," said Jeff Kingsley, President & COO of Known. "Every service and product we offer is designed to align with the values, objectives and interests of our clients, setting a new standard for performance and transparency in media and advertising." Private Equity Investment In early 2019, Schireson partnered with funds managed by Intermediate Capital Group plc ("ICG") to provide capital to accelerate the company's growth and facilitate its strategy. The capital provided by ICG allowed Schireson, and now Known, to aggressively pursue these opportunities and deliver a new kind of marketing solution to the market. For more information, visit www.known.is PRESS INQUIRIES CONTACT Anita Powell: [email protected] 646-671-8861 SOURCE Known Related Links http://known.is By Trend There are plans to plant much more trees this year in Azerbaijan than in 2019, with the participation of volunteers and the public support, Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Firdovsi Aliyev told Trend Feb. 5. The head of state of Azerbaijan declared 2020 the Year of Volunteers, the deputy minister noted. The Ministry is already taking certain steps in this field; a task force has been created, and an action plan has been submitted to the relevant structures. Aliyev added that everyone needs healthy environment, and therefore everyone should participate in its maintenance. Calling on everyone to actively participate in the landscaping campaigns, the deputy minister noted that citizens can take initiatives and propose to organize such actions in one or another territory. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources is interested in the public support in this matter, Aliyev said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the Government is taking no chances with British citizens at risk of coronavirus as the Foreign Office scheduled its last evacuation flight from China. On Tuesday, the Foreign Office urged all British nationals to leave China after the outbreak continued to claim lives. Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Mr Hancock said the advice was a science-led approach based on the severity of the virus and its impact in China. Asked how logistically Britons are expected to return to the UK, he told BBC Breakfast: There are still commercial flights available. The principle that we are taking is that we want to take no chances with this virus. We want to take a science-led approach. The approach we have been taking is very much driven by the advice of the chief medical officer. This is a very serious virus and having a very serious impact in China. There are two cases only here in the UK but we do expect more, so we are taking no chances. Mr Hancock is due to chair a Cobra meeting on coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday evening, eight British nationals and their dependants left the virus-hit city of Wuhan on a flight to Auckland, New Zealand. Diplomat Danae Dholakia said the Air New Zealand flight was delayed to allow the final passenger, a four-year-old British child, to get clearance to fly. (PA Graphics) Paul Maloney, who works for the British Council in China, praised the British Embassy in Beijing for getting his family, including his young son Theo, an emergency passport in order to travel. So grateful to @ukinchina for their Herculean effort to get my family home from China. They got us an emergency passport in half a day. So they could travel home, he wrote. It was announced late on Tuesday that the UK Government will charter a final flight from China to bring British nationals back to the UK this week. Story continues The plane is expected to leave in the early hours of Sunday morning local time and will land at RAF Brize Norton, the Foreign Office said, adding that they want to ensure that all British nationals in Hubei province contact their team to register if they want to leave on the flight. So grateful to @ukinchina for their Herculean effort to get my family home from China. They got us an emergency passport in half a day. So they could travel home. Theos looking forward to see his Grandma now pic.twitter.com/yWvV5MQXQ9 Paul Maloney (@paul_maloney) February 4, 2020 The PA news agency understands that 165 Britons and their dependants remain in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, while 108 people have requested assistance to leave as of the early hours of Wednesday. A total of 94 UK nationals and family members have already been evacuated to Britain from Wuhan on two flights which arrived on Friday and Sunday. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak continues to rise with Chinese authorities reporting 490 victims and an increase in the number of cases to 24,324. Also in China, the Global Times newspaper reported that a newborn baby in Wuhan has been diagnosed with coronavirus, leading medical experts to suggest the virus can somehow be transmitted between mother and baby. Mr Hancock said two patients confirmed to have the virus in the UK remain in quarantine, while a Briton has tested negative after falling ill on a flight back from China. Speaking of the Chinese nationals, he said: Theyve been in isolation and when they are being treated they are being treated by people who are themselves protected from catching the virus from them so that process has worked well. He added a man who fell ill on an Air France flight has now tested negative. In Japan nearly 3,000 passengers, including two Britons, were quarantined on board a cruise ship after 10 passengers tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday morning local time. Among those stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship Yokohama Bay, near Tokyo, are David and Sally Abel. Mr Abel, of Woodford Halse in Northamptonshire, described how he felt like a prisoner after being quarantined on board. We cannot open the door and walk around the ship we are not allowed outside the cabin, he told BBC Radio 4s World At One. I dont feel too bad about it because weve got a rather nice cabin, with a balcony, so we can open the door during the day time and have fresh air, and if the weather is good we can sit on the balcony and enjoy the view and the sunshine. The passengers that are getting the really bad deal are those that have got the inside cabins where theyve got no natural light and no fresh air. Quarantine officials on the Diamond Princess cruise ship (David Abel/Facebook/PA) He continued: Most definitely the cruise has ended and we are now similar to being prisoners, if you like, because we are confined to our cabin. The food that we have enjoyed for two weeks has been fantastic a la carte, every meal now we are not getting any choice of food. Its pretty basic. Mr Abel said the ship had been on anchor in the middle of the bay for the last two days, but would be allowed to dock in Yokohama to take on extra provisions. The Department of Health said on Wednesday that 468 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus. Of almost 1,500 people who arrived on direct flights from Wuhan in January, all have either left the UK or are now outside the 14-day incubation period for the virus. The World Health Organisation said it is still early in the outbreak, but coronavirus does not yet constitute a pandemic. Meanwhile, the University of York confirmed that a student who contracted coronavirus returned to his apartment but did not come into contact with other residents. Elsewhere, Public Health England (PHE) confirmed a Belgian woman on board the same French flight that brought back UK citizens from China on Sunday has tested positive for the new strain. Nick Phin, PHEs National Infection Service deputy director, said: All of the individuals who were on this flight are currently in supervised isolation and are being monitored for symptoms. KABUL More than four months after Afghans cast their votes for a new president amid a raging war, the crisis over the elections results deepened as officials on Wednesday ordered a partial audit of a decisive share of ballots. Despite cries from opposition candidates of irregularities in the September vote, the countrys election commission in December declared incumbent president Ashraf Ghani in the lead, with a margin of less than 1% over the minimum 50% required for victory. National Women's Business Council This Roundtable will serve as the springboard for the Councils policy recommendations to Congress, the President, and the Administrator of the SBA. The National Womens Business Council (NWBC) will hold its first #LetsTalkBusiness Roundtable of the year in partnership with the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration on February 27, 2020 in San Juan. High-level government officials, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) resources partners, lenders, women business owners and entrepreneurs, and other key stakeholders will convene to discuss one of the Councils key policy initiatives: Access to Capital & Opportunity. The discussion will feature remarks from Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced and center on issues impacting women business owners and entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico, particularly in the wake of ongoing recovery efforts following devastating natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria and the most recent earthquakes. Participants will also be asked to share with NWBC Council Members in attendance how financial education and creditworthiness impact an entrepreneurs ability to access credit or capital to start or grow an enterprise. The group will also dedicate some time to exploring these important topics within the framework of recent federal disaster recovery efforts and available lending tools to small business owners. This Roundtable will serve as the springboard for the Councils policy recommendations to Congress, the President, and the Administrator of the SBA. To attend this event, register HERE. The National Womens Business Council (NWBC) is an independent federal advisory committee established to provide advice and policy recommendations to the U.S. President, Congress, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) on issues related to womens business enterprise. In doing so, the Council regularly convenes women business owners and entrepreneurs from across the country to connect their voices to policymakers in Washington, DC. Media are invited to attend and can RSVP directly to NWBC Communications Manager Temren Wroge at Temren.Wroge@sba.gov. Event Details: Date: Thursday, February 27, 2020 Location: Puerto Rico Convention Center, 100 Convention Blvd. San Juan PR 00910-1188 Time: 9:00 AM 12:00 PM AST If life under quarantine was inconvenient or lonely, few were complaining. At least one person reportedly tried to leave the Riverside base before being stopped by officials, but evacuees said the group had settled into a routine. Jarred Evans, 27, a football player from New York City who has been living in Wuhan for two years, said that staying at the base in Riverside for the full 14 days was the most important thing we can do for the American people and the safety of our friends and family and community. Mr. Evans, who played for the Chinese National Football League champions, the Wuhan Berserkers, said that his group of evacuees had received daily updates about their health. Another evacuee in Riverside described a genial atmosphere, despite the tense circumstances and lack of outside contact. There were Zumba classes, small business courses and a Super Bowl party on Sunday, complete with pizza, chicken wings and two big TV screens in a courtyard. A nonprofit organization, he said, had provided toys for children, as well as gourmet coffee and toiletries. Everybodys O.K. here!, Matthew McCoy, a theme-park designer who was on the first government-arranged flight out of Wuhan last week, said in an email. We keep up with the news, other peoples work, and we all help each other as a group. Days in quarantine on military bases were expected as part of a strict protocol federal officials have put in place for the first time in about half a century to slow the spread of the outbreak. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, part of the C.D.C., said she did not believe the evacuees posed a threat to the communities where they were being quarantined. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijans State Oil Company (SOCAR) and British BP may sign a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for investment blocks in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistans Energy Minister Alisher Sultanov met with British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Tim Torlot on February 4 to discuss the implementation of investment projects in the oil and gas industry with the participation of British companies and organizations, Uzbekistans Energy Ministry reported. Currently, specialists from Uzbekistan, together with BP and SOCAR, are exploring the possibilities of conducting exploration work at the three investment blocks. In February 2020, SOCAR and BP specialists will visit Uzbekistan to discuss the main PSA conditions for these blocks. Uzbekneftegaz, BP and SOCAR signed two memorandums to explore the possibility of conducting joint exploration and development of fields in Uzbekistan and a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibilities of exploration in the investment blocks of Uzbekistan in May 2018. In May 2019, the companies signed an agreement on geological exploration at four investment blocks in the Aral Sea. The document provides for geological exploration in the Uzbek part of the Aral Sea, Samsko-Kosbulak and Baiterek investment blocks of the Ustyurt region. Exploration works will be carried out step by step, according to the schedule approved by the parties. Moreover, SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz reached an agreement on joint oil and gas operations in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as in third countries in June 2017. In 2016, SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz signed a memorandum providing for cooperation in the field of exploration and development of oil and gas fields and other potential areas for the development of the energy sector. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Get the local news in these turbulent times straight to your inbox at 3 p.m. daily Get the local news straight to your inbox at 3 p.m. daily Sign up now> Burma UN Security Council Fails to Agree on Statement Urging Myanmar to Follow ICJ Measures in Genocide Case A Rohingya refugee touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh border at Shah Porir Dwip in September 2017. / REUTERS YANGONThe UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday failed to agree on a statement calling on Myanmar to follow the International Court of Justices order to prevent killings and other atrocities against Rohingya Muslims. On Tuesday, during a closed-door meeting of the UNSC, Myanmars ally China as well as Vietnam, which like Myanmar is a member of ASEAN, objected to the statement, The Associated Press reported, citing diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity. The ICJ in late January issued four urgent measures related to compliance with the Genocide Convention and the implementation of those measures. The Gambia filed a case at the court in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya. As the case could take years, The Gambia requested the court order preliminary measures against Myanmar. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in late 2017 after the governments security forces launched clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in response to a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on police outposts. UN investigators said the operations had genocidal intent. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied the accusations. Despite the disagreement on Tuesday, the UNSCs European Union members issued a joint statement urging Myanmar to comply with the ICJs provisional measures, which is required under international law. Accountability of perpetrators of human rights and humanitarian law violations is a necessary part of this process, the statement says, while calling on Myanmar to address the root causes of its conflicts, in Rakhine State, but also in Kachin and Shan States as well as create conditions for the voluntary and safe return of the Rohingya to Myanmar. You may also like these stories: Myanmars Lawyers Made Feeble Case at ICJ: Legal Expert ICJ Gives The Gambia, Myanmar Just Six Months to Prepare Pleadings in Genocide Case Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight ... may actually be a high-tech satellite owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Musks controversial plan to seed the sky with a network of satellites to create the worlds most advanced broadband internet system that would, among other things, help connect remote communities such as the Canadian Arctic, is well underway. Last week, SpaceX, his company, launched its fourth batch of satellites into orbit. There are currently more than 2,000 satellites spinning around us many visible to someone standing on Earth as moving blips of light. SpaceX plans to add another 12,000 satellites over the next few years, creating a constellation of satellites called Starlink. And theyre just one company. Looking at the night sky may be one of the few things uniting everyone on Earth and astronomers around the world are currently fighting Musks plan, which they say will stifle science and change the sky as we know it. SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, January 29 at 9:09 a.m. EST, or 14:09 UTC, for its fourth launch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. I think of it as being like, if you just suddenly said, Hey ... in order to make a profit, Im going to just destroy all flowers and make them so that people cant see flowers anymore, explained Sharon Morsink, a physics professor who oversees the observatory at the University of Alberta. You could say, Well, OK, maybe we didnt really need the flowers, but theres a certain quality of life that youre losing from that. Concerns from the scientific community about the brightness of the satellites arent lost on SpaceX, and the company has begun testing a dark coating on some of their satellites, which they hope will make the satellites less visible. Still, some astronomers are reportedly mulling legal action over the plan, as experts in space law say we have yet to come up with a global way to regulate the new private satellite space race. I think the point to be made here is its a national process rather than an international one. Even though the impacts are global, said Michael Byers, a professor of international politics at the University of British Columbia. Right now, if you want to follow in Musks footsteps and launch a satellite into space, the process is pricey, but fairly straightforward. First, you have to seek approval from the launch country, which gives you a licence for your satellite. SpaceX launches out of Florida, and has been given the green light by the American Federal Communications Commission. Next, your satellite has to be registered with the International Telecommunications Union, which will assign you a specific slot if youre planning to put your satellite into high orbit. This is not legally binding, but countries tend to follow assignments so their satellites dont interfere with each other. The lower orbit where Musks satellites will be doesnt have assigned slots. Lower orbit tends to be less popular, however, agencies are concerned that could change, necessitating more oversight. Once these concerns have been met, youre off to the space races. There are also some global organizations that keep an eye on things up there, among them, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Created in the 1950s after the launch of Sputnik, the worlds first artificial satellite, the agency was set up to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity. It released a new set of guidelines last year. Theres also the Inter-Agency Space Debris Co-ordination Committee, which has representatives from national space agencies and militaries around the world, and tries to stay on top of space garbage. But questions such as how many satellites should be in the sky, how to police satellite traffic and what should be done about light pollution which is what makes it difficult to see the stars in the sky are still sorted out informally. As more tech companies look skyward, Byers says countries are scrambling to sort out a better regulatory system. Its a challenge for these international mechanisms to keep up. Musk is the great disrupter. Just like he disrupted global transportation with electric cars, hes now disrupting global communications with Starlink and that could be a very good thing, he said. Hes forcing established institutions to get moving, to grapple with the new world hes creating. Byers said its also important to not lose sight of the fact that these satellites will be a game-changer for remote communities around the world, including the Canadian Arctic, which could receive consistent internet access for the first time. Satellites arent cheap in 2018, a company executive estimated Starlink would cost $10 billion or more. Still, there are a handful of other well-heeled technology companies who have started or announced plans to join SpaceX in its endeavours. Global communications company OneWeb is eyeing its own constellation of satellites, launching its first six last year. Its next batch of 34 satellites is scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan later this week. Amazon announced plans for its own network of satellites this summer. All this new traffic in space raises very real scientific concerns, Morsink explained. For example, there are astronomers who are currently looking for objects near the Earth, things like asteroids, which could smash into the Earth and caused mass extinctions sort of like what happened to the dinosaurs. But if there are thousands of satellites crowding their field of vision it becomes impossible to keep track of any new or moving objects. As the sky gets busier, it will also be harder for amateur astronomers to understand whats going on, Morsink said. Even the average person gazing skyward will see a drastically different sky. Ram Jakhu, an associate professor at McGills Institute of Air and Space Law, said that currently, when somebody seeks approval to launch satellites into space, they are mostly evaluated based on whether they harm the environment or human health, or if they interfere with other satellites. He said the challenge in creating new rules will be in making sure everyones interests are represented not just those of billionaires who own satellite companies. After all, the satellite communication industry is very vocal, very powerful, very rich, and people need communications. Its especially notable that astronomers are currently struggling to be heard, he said, given that companies like SpaceX would not exist without them and the scientific history and understanding of space they pioneered. Everything cannot and should not be looked at only in the sense of dollars and cents. With files from The Associated Press Read more about: Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen in Jacksonville has raised enough money to replace its aging, leaking roof. Fundraisers to fund roof repairs on the building that dates to 1991 have been ongoing since 2016, but they were not raising enough. Then Polly Pulley, pastor and program director at Spirit of Faith; Jacksonville chiropractor Dennis Doyle; and Alan Bradish, Jacksonville Police Department chaplain and pastor at First Christian Church in Winchester, came together to discuss a different tactic. A letter was sent out explaining just how badly a new roof is needed and how much it would cost and the effort raised $8,000 in three days. Then the donations just kept coming. Banks and churches got involved. People walked in the door and donated to the kitchen, too. The whole community just really came together and made this happen, Pulley said. Efforts already were at $43,000 of the $50,000 goal when an anonymous donor contacted Mayor Andy Ezard and pledged to write a check to get the fundraising effort to its goal. We wanted the community to know that it has been a successful campaign and theres an individual who has pledged the balance of what is needed once final gifts come in, Bradish said. Were excited and wanted people to share in that excitement and know that we have reached the goal. With a new roof, the kitchen will be able to continue providing vital services to the communitys residents, Pulley said. It really feels great because its been a project that we started in 2016, so its been heavy on my heart for that long, you know, she said. I believe in the impossible, so finally seeing it come to terms it is just overwhelming. Its a wonderful feeling, and to know that we have so many wonderful people in the community that came together and just made this happen. Its a lesson in faith, Bradish said. The community has responded so favorably. The soup kitchen provides needy individuals in the community with a free evening meal four days a week. A team of volunteers helps prepare food in the soup kitchen and run its after-school reading program. United Way helps to fund the kitchen, but those funds could not be used to fix the roof. Churches also donate food to the effort. A celebration is being planned for the completion of the fundraiser. It will be announced at a later date. The first votes in the 2020 presidential election were cast by Iowa caucusgoers on Monday, with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg coming out on top so far with more than half of the states precincts reporting after a tumultuous night for Democrats. The Iowa Democratic Party noted Tuesday that only 62% precincts from all of Iowas 99 counties had reported; the results are not yet final. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden headed into Caucus Day nearly tied for the lead in the most recent poll amid a five way fight that also included Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. But Buttigieg is currently ahead with 26.9% support from Iowa caucusgoers. Sanders so far is at 25.1% support, followed by Warren at 18.3% and Biden in fourth place at 15.6%. Klobuchar totaled 12.6% so far. The released results came after almost 24 hours of confusion and consternation among candidates, party officials and voters overnight and into Tuesday, as officials said a mix of reporting inconsistencies occurred, requiring a host of manual counts across the early voting state. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price told reporters the confusion was unacceptable, and he apologize for the delay. Out of an abundance of caution, to protect the integrity of Iowa Caucuses, the party took steps to review and confirm the data and a transparent investigation will follow, Price said. The raw data was always secure, he added when asked how he could be trusted. This was a coding error in one of the pieces on the back end. Also in the hunt but consistently polling below 5% support among likely caucusgoers were Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. Yang so far totaled 1.1% support and Steyer garnered 0.3%. Popular vote counts show Sanders leading thus far with 28,220 votes, followed by Buttigieg at 27,030, Warren at 22,254, Biden at 14,176, Klobuchar at 13,357, Yang at 1,124 and Steyer 222. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has surged in recent national polls, did not directly compete in Iowa. In most of the 1,600 precincts throughout the state, candidates had to meet a 15% support threshold. Supporters of candidates who didnt make that cut had the option of throwing support behind a viable candidate, or pooling support with a non-viable group to make another candidate qualify. According to Real Clear Politics, Biden has led national polling averages since he entered the race in April. But the latest poll from Morning Consult shows Bloomberg tied with Warren for third place behind Biden and Sanders. Sanders and Buttigieg have bounced leads back and forth in Iowa, but Sanders and Biden were the latest frontrunners in polls just days before the caucus. While Buttigieg claimed early victory in an early morning speech Tuesday, a move that frustrated other candidates and voters, the eventual winner will pick up steam heading into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, Feb. 11. In 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the Iowa caucuses and eventually locked up the Democratic nomination. The Democratic candidates will debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday. People walk past a Canada Goose billboard in Beijing on December 15, 2018. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images) Canada Goose is in the midst of an aggressive expansion focused heavily on China, and may be one of the retailers feeling the weight of the coronavirus outbreak. Many brands with Chinese locations have reduced store hours or closed some locations entirely. Nike said Tuesday it temporarily closed about half of its company-owned stores in China as a result of the outbreak, which it expects will have a material impact on its operations. Canada Gooses stock is down about 4 per cent since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the United States. On Wednesday, Wells Fargo senior analysts Ike Boruchow and Tom Nikic lowered price estimates for retailers with meaningful exposure to China, including Canada Goose. Boruchow downgraded Canada Gooses expected full year profit from $1.72 per share to $1.63 per share due to the ongoing uncertainty in China regarding the coronavirus. While the company does not have any locations in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the virus outbreak, Wells Fargo says that 14 per cent of Canada Gooses sales are exposed to the Chinese market. Canada Goose did not respond to a request for comment regarding its business in China. The luxury parka retailer is scheduled to report its third-quarter results on Friday. Investors and analysts will look for any insight into how the coronavirus has impacted sales at Canada Goose locations in China in recent weeks. The company has three stores in mainland China, and another two locations in Hong Kong. Canada Goose is currently embarking on an international expansion plan focused on the Asian market, which has been a critical region for luxury brands. In the last quarter, the company posted strong overall results, but investor concern over weak sales in Hong Kong, where political upheaval and protests occurred, weighed on its stock performance. At the time, chief executive Dani Reiss pointed to strength in China as a bright spot for the company. The results [in Asia] are showing dividends, notwithstanding obviously what is going on in Hong Kong, Reiss said on a conference call with analysts in November. Were hoping that will resolve itself in a positive way for everybody. But in the meantime, China is great, demand is strong, and with Chinese consumers, our brand is really resonating with them. In southern Africa, dinosaurs and synapsids, a group of animals that includes mammals and their closest fossil relatives, survived in a "land of fire" at the start of an Early Jurassic mass extinction, according to a study published January 29, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Emese M. Bordy of the University of Cape Town and colleagues. The Karoo Basin of southern Africa is well-known for its massive deposits of igneous rocks left behind by extensive basaltic lava flows during the Early Jurassic. At this time, intense volcanic activity is thought to have had dramatic impacts on the local environment and global atmosphere, coincident with a worldwide mass extinction recorded in the fossil record. The fossils of the Karoo Basin thus have a lot to tell about how ecosystems responded to these environmental stresses. In this study, Bordy and colleagues describe and identify footprints preserved in a sandstone layer deposited between lava flows, dated to 183 million years ago. In total, they report five trackways containing a total of 25 footprints, representing three types of animals: 1) potentially small synapsids, a group of animals that includes mammals and their forerunners; 2) large, bipedal, likely carnivorous dinosaurs; and 3) small, quadrupedal, likely herbivorous dinosaurs represented by a new ichnospecies (trace fossils like footprints receive their own taxonomic designations, known as ichnospecies). These fossils represent some of the very last animals known to have inhabited the main Karoo Basin before it was overwhelmed by lava. Since the sandstone preserving these footprints was deposited between lava flows, this indicates that a variety of animals survived in the area even after volcanic activity had begun and the region was transformed into a "land of fire." The authors suggest that further research to uncover more fossils and refine the dating of local rock layers has the potential to provide invaluable data on how local ecosystems responded to intense environmental stress at the onset of a global mass extinction. Bordy adds: "The fossil footprints were discovered within a thick pile of ancient basaltic lava flows that are ~183 million years old. The fossil tracks tell a story from our deep past on how continental ecosystems could co-exist with truly giant volcanic events that can only be studied from the geological record, because they do not have modern equivalents, although they can occur in the future of the Earth." ### In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0226847 Citation: Bordy EM, Rampersadh A, Abrahams M, Lockley MG, Head HV (2020) Tracking the Pliensbachian-Toarcian Karoo firewalkers: Trackways of quadruped and biped dinosaurs and mammaliaforms. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0226847. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226847 Funding: This work was supported by grants to EMB from the National Research Foundation-DST Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences [COE PAL grant number COE2019-OP04], National Research Foundation of South Africa [NRF CPRR grant number 113394; NRF AOP grant number 98825], as well as COE PAL bursaries to AR and MA. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. The Iowa Democratic Party's disastrous delay in reporting the results of the state's 2020 presidential caucuses has made analysis difficult, but there are a few things that can be gleaned from the partial results and entrance polling released so far. For Bernie Sanders, the data is a mixed bag. First, it's clear that turnout was not unusual or high. Officials say it was about the same as 2016 and well below 2008 levels when Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton. First time caucus-goers made up only 35 percent of the vote this year according to the entrance polling, compared to 44 percent in 2016. These facts are a real blow to Bernie Sanders' theory of electability. The campaign has stressed Sanders' supposedly unique ability to appeal to new voters, third-party voters, and infrequent voters. If that was true, we should have seen a big increase in the low-turnout caucuses, where even a small increase in total numbers would make a big difference. Sanders' campaign had months to hyper focus his volunteer army on the state of Iowa so supporters could directly make the campaign's unique appeal to these groups, yet these gains seemingly failed to materialize. As expected, given the generational divide in ideology among Democrats, Sanders did very well with young caucus-goers, handily winning in several college-town precincts. But again, youth turnout seems to have been only slightly higher than previous cycles. The good news for Sanders is that, while turnout was not especially impressive, the partial results indicate he likely won the popular vote in Iowa. More importantly, Joe Biden performed terribly. Biden is going to end up taking 4th or even 5th place. Biden's base is older people who are the most reliable voters, yet even in a normal turnout race that was not enough to save him. This is a very bad sign that could significantly undermine confidence in the national polling frontrunner. There's clearly still a path for Bernie Sanders to become the nominee and to win the general election. But it appears to be the path of a normal Democratic candidate. It doesn't seem that Sanders is expanding or reshaping the electorate. Instead, he has done what most every nominee before him has done; he built a coalition of traditionally Democratic voters union members, Latinos, and liberals. This coalition makes up a large share of the traditional Democratic primary electorate and can give Sanders a plurality, particularly if his main rival fades and votes fracture among several candidates. Sanders is not changing who is joining the party, but he does have a message which fits where many in the party are already. Story continues If Sanders does win the nomination, polling shows him doing reasonably well in the general election. He could very well beat an unpopular President Trump, but the Iowa results suggest he will beat him in the same way almost any Democratic nominee would. Not with a unique ability to turn out voters but by riding the general anti-Trump wave we saw in 2018 to win just enough swing states. Of course, this is just one race of many, so we will need to see more data before we know for sure if the Sanders revolution is for real. But if there was any place where one would expect a ground game focused on infrequent voters to make a big difference, it would be Iowa. Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, who was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here and diagnosed with a stomach infection, has shown improvement in her condition and is stable. Dr DS Rana, Chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said on Tuesday, "Sonia Gandhi was admitted on February 2, and was diagnosed to be suffering from a stomach infection. There is an improvement in her condition and she is stable." "Sonia Gandhi has undergone medical tests. She has been found to be suffering from stomach infection and is being treated for the same," Dr Rana had said on Monday. Accompanied by her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress interim president visited the hospital on Sunday after she complained of uneasiness. She was admitted for further check-ups. Sonia Gandhi did not attend the Union Budget presentation in Parliament on February 1. However, she was present on the first day of the Budget session on January 31, and led the party's protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Parliament premises. Patralekha Chatterjee focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com The young men who breezily sauntered down the road shouting explicitly violent slogans were eventually bundled into a police van and taken away. Love has its stories, poems, songs. Now, hate has found its chant. It is desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maaro saalo ko (shoot the traitors). With the Delhi Assembly polls just around the corner, bullet talk has been tripping off the lips of those who see traitors everywhere among students, housewives, ordinary working women and men who raise their voices against government policies and laws. This hatred is no ordinary hatred. It is deep. It is visceral. Most significantly, its a hatred that thrives as public spectacle, aided by television and social media. Those who hate or chant the hate slogans dont wish to be quiet. They are brazen, unabashed about their beliefs and crave for their moments of fame on television. On Tuesday, a group of young men supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act marched down the road in front of Delhis Jamia Millia Islamia, chanting Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalo ko. They carried the tricolour and also chanted "Jai Shri Ram". Jamia and its neighbourhood, Shaheen Bagh, have been the focal points of the public protests against the Narendra Modi governments new citizenship law. A Jamia student who was part of the anti-CAA protest told reporters the group stopped at the barricade where the main protest is on, and chanted Goli maaro.... in full view of the police present at the spot. The young men who breezily sauntered down the road shouting explicitly violent slogans were eventually bundled into a police van and taken away. But eyewitnesses said they had nearly half an hour to spew hate in broad daylight, in full view of the public and police. The young men continued to chant their hate slogans even inside the police van. How are students (Muslims and Hindus) gaddar (traitor). If not, then why sloganeering, by pointing fingers at them? television journalist Saahil Murli Menghani tweeted from the site. The young men enamoured by hate songs are not breaking new ground. They are taking their cues from leaders of the ruling BJP and its brand of hardline Hindutva. Last month, the Election Commission was forced to order removal of minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur and BJPs West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma from the partys star campaigners list for the Delhi elections following their statements violating the model code of conduct. Mr Thakur was issued a notice by the EC for participating in a rally where the same chants rent the air. Mr Thakur repeatedly chanted Desh ke gaddaron ko and the crowd responded with Goli maaro saalo ko. The minister later told the media he merely asked people what should be done with traitors to the country. Parvesh Verma, the BJP MP for West Delhi, was pulled up by the EC for saying These people can enter your homes. They will take your sisters and daughters, rape them and kill them, in a scarcely-veiled reference to Shaheen Bagh, a working-class Muslim neighbourhood, where protests have been dominantly secular led by ordinary women. Mr Verma later pooh-poohed the EC ban. He told a TV channel the public was his only judge, and no institution could ban him. Neither Mr Thakur nor Mr Verma showed the slightest remorse for their patently divisive words reeking of hatred for people whose only fault is that they dont see eye to eye with the government. The BJP fielded Mr Verma to defend the governments CAA stand in Lok Sabha. The BJPs Kapil Mishra also shouted the same Desh ke while leading a march in support of the new law. He is the party candidate from Model Town constituency for this weekends Delhi elections. Mr Mishra claims he meant arsonists, not all protesters. Campaigning for the same poll, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, a BJP star campaigner, also spliced his speeches with references to goli (bullet) Jo hamla karega, toh phir boli se nahi, usko police ki goli samjhane ki karya karegi (Police bullets, not words, will make miscreants understand). Hate as a public spectacle was also on full display when a gunman fired at the Jamia protest site, injuring a student. Before opening fire, the gunman shouted at those protesting against the CAA Yeh lo azaadi. The gunman was live streaming the shooting incident on his Facebook page. This deep hatred of those who think differently, who are of different faith and the fascination for converting a crime into a spectator sport reminds one of the savage killings in New Zealand last year. A lone gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 while livestreaming the attacks on Facebook. This new avatar of hatred, where spectacle is the key, is the cutting edge of an India that is getting more and more polarised along sectarian lines, with divisive rhetoric rending the air with support of the countrys ruling party. Clearly, the prospect of the spectacle providing 15 seconds of notoriety attracts some youth whose lives may otherwise be bleak. In 2017, Shambu Lal Regar uploaded a terrifying video from Rajasthan of him hacking and burning a Bengali Muslim migrant labourer, Afrazul Khan. Now this prospect of hate as a spectacle is mobilising more people to polarise India further. The immediate reason for this hate crescendo is clear: BJP strategists think polarisation works in their favour and its the most effective way to win the Delhi Assembly polls. We shall know on February 11 if it has succeeded. What is this campaign of hatred doing to India? Is it possible to have development for all, which the BJP claims to offer, if the countrys existing faultlines get deeper and it is divided further along religious and caste lines? Will goli maaro the anthem of hate win? Despite the grim scenario, there are signs of hope. Walking down the same road in Jamia where just hours earlier some people had chanted Goli maaro, I found a young man singing a song of love to Pyara Hindustan. There were mothers and grandmothers in the crowd; students sat huddled on a mat on the pavement, reading. The universitys Zakir Husain Library had been vandalised when the police stormed the Jamia campus on December 15, beating up students and firing teargas shells inside. At the pavement library that has come up as a protest of its own kind, a placard states: Our library might have been vandalised but this cannot stop us from reading. The scholars looked unafraid. Fear is not winning everywhere. A Congolese photographer who lost her arm in a militia attack has told BBC News Swahili how she came to start her own photography company. Patience Dositha, who owns Abled Photography, is now based in Kenya. She left the Democratic Republic as a child after her mother was killed in attack, and her father badly injured begged a passerby to take Patience to safety. Patience was taken to Rwanda by the woman who rescued her, but after finishing school she was kicked out by her adoptive siblings as their mother had died. She then met a family friend who drove transit lorries across East Africa, and convinced him to smuggle her into Kenya. "On arrival he gave me five dollars to get me started off, and after few days I was broke and had to sleep outside and eat leftovers from the bins," she told the BBC. One day, Patience heard a man speaking Kinyarwanda on the phone and followed him, waiting for him to disconnect his call. She introduced herself and asked if he could accommodate her. The man said he worked as a guard told her he would consult his wife. The next day, he took Patience in. Patience later reached out to the International Rescue Committee who paid for her to attend a photography course. After her studies, Patience started her own photography company. "Some people doubt my photography skills because I have one hand, but when I take a photo of them they love my work and end up calling me to take more photos," she told the BBC. "I want to grow my company to become internationally recognised." Patience says she hopes her own story will encourage other immigrants and people with disabilities not to lose hope. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Romney, who was the Republican nominee for president against Barack Obama in 2012, has been a fierce critic of Trump's dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign. Romney was one of just two GOP senators to vote in favor of allowing additional witnesses and documents in the Trump's impeachment trial. The other senator, Susan Collins of Maine, announced Tuesday that she would vote to acquit Trump on both articles. On the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Romney said that "the grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and so egregious" that it warrants impeachment. Romney concluded: "Yes, he did." "The president's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust," Romney said. "What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values," Romney continued. "Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." Romney acknowledged that his vote will not change the outcome of the trial, in which Trump is virtually guaranteed to be acquitted. The GOP holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate; It would take 67 votes convict Trump. But he said that the pressure to side with Trump was nonetheless immense. "In the last several weeks, I've received numerous calls and texts, many demanding with their words that I stand with the team. I can assure you that thought has been very much on my mind," Romney said. "I support a great deal of what the president had done. I voted with him 80 percent of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and political biases aside." The reaction from Trump's supporters was swift and severe. "Mitt Romney's actions today are wildly out of step with his own constituents," the Republican National Committee told NBC in a statement. "President Donald Trump is more popular in Utah than Mitt Romney." Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told CNBC, "The President did nothing wrong and the Republican Party is united behind him." Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., claimed in a tweet that Romney is "forever bitter that he will never be" president. "He's now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP." Trump JR TWEET GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel who is Romney's niece also criticized her uncle's decision. "This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last," she tweeted. "I, along with the @GOP, stand with President Trump." McDaniel TWEET The White House nor the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment on Romney's announcement and Trump Jr.'s call for the senator's expulsion from the GOP. Romney had already received a backlash from other Republican Party figures after he voted Friday for new witnesses in the Senate trial. Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, tweeted at that time that Romney was "formally NOT invited" to this year's Conservative Political Action Conference. Schlapp TWEET Read Romney's full remarks as prepared for delivery. The Constitution is at the foundation of our Republic's success, and we each strive not to lose sight of our promise to defend it. The Constitution established the vehicle of impeachment that has occupied both houses of Congress for these many days. We have labored to faithfully execute our responsibilities to it. We have arrived at different judgments, but I hope we respect each other's good faith. The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a Senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise "impartial justice." I am a profoundly religious person. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the President, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong. The House Managers presented evidence supporting their case; the White House counsel disputed that case. In addition, the President's team presented three defenses: first, that there can be no impeachment without a statutory crime; second, that the Bidens' conduct justified the President's actions; and third that the judgement of the President's actions should be left to the voters. Let me first address each of those defenses. The historic meaning of the words "high crimes and misdemeanors," the writings of the Founders and my own reasoned judgement convince me that a president can indeed commit acts against the public trust that are so egregious that while they are not statutory crimes, they would demand removal from office. To maintain that the lack of a codified and comprehensive list of all the outrageous acts that a president might conceivably commit renders Congress powerless to remove a president defies reason. The President's counsel noted that Vice President Biden appeared to have a conflict of interest when he undertook an effort to remove the Ukrainian Prosecutor General. If he knew of the exorbitant compensation his son was receiving from a company actually under investigation, the Vice President should have recused himself. While ignoring a conflict of interest is not a crime, it is surely very wrong. With regards to Hunter Biden, taking excessive advantage of his father's name is unsavory but also not a crime. Given that in neither the case of the father nor the son was any evidence presented by the President's counsel that a crime had been committed, the President's insistence that they be investigated by the Ukrainians is hard to explain other than as a political pursuit. There is no question in my mind that were their names not Biden, the President would never have done what he did. The defense argues that the Senate should leave the impeachment decision to the voters. While that logic is appealing to our democratic instincts, it is inconsistent with the Constitution's requirement that the Senate, not the voters, try the president. Hamilton explained that the Founders' decision to invest senators with this obligation rather than leave it to voters was intended to minimizeto the extent possiblethe partisan sentiments of the public. This verdict is ours to render. The people will judge us for how well and faithfully we fulfilled our duty. The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the President committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a "high crime and misdemeanor." Yes, he did. The President asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The President withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The President delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The President's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust. What he did was not "perfect" No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine. In the last several weeks, I have received numerous calls and texts. Many demand that, in their words, "I stand with the team." I can assure you that that thought has been very much on my mind. I support a great deal of what the President has done. I have voted with him 80% of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history's rebuke and the censure of my own conscience. I am aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced. I am sure to hear abuse from the President and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me? I sought to hear testimony from John Bolton not only because I believed he could add context to the charges, but also because I hoped that what he said might raise reasonable doubt and thus remove from me the awful obligation to vote for impeachment. Like each member of this deliberative body, I love our country. I believe that our Constitution was inspired by Providence. I am convinced that freedom itself is dependent on the strength and vitality of our national character. As it is with each senator, my vote is an act of conviction. We have come to different conclusions, fellow senators, but I trust we have all followed the dictates of our conscience. I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the President from office. The results of this Senate Court will in fact be appealed to a higher court: the judgement of the American people. Voters will make the final decision, just as the President's lawyers have implored. My vote will likely be in the minority in the Senate. But irrespective of these things, with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. I will only be one name among many, no more or less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. They will note merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the President did was wrong, grievously wrong. We're all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that is distinction enough for any citizen. Over five crore farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 2.51 crore farmers have not got even the second instalment and 5.16 crore of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 9 crore farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 7.62 crore or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 6.5 crore farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 3.85 crore beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by this PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 4.74 crore farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 4.22 crore received the first instalment, 4.02 crore the second and 3.85 crore the third. There was no mention why nearly 50 lakh, 70 lakh and 90 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 3.08 crore farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 2.66 crore and 2.47 crore beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 40 lakh and 61 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 1.19 crore beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 73.66 lakh farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 7.56 crore the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 16.97 lakh farmers registered during this period, 14.02 lakh got the first instalment, 13.72 lakh received the second and 9.87 lakh the third. Of the 42.34 lakh registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 36.98 lakh got the first instalment, 31.53 lakh the second and 27.67 lakh got the third instalment. As many as 23.83 lakh farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 18.79 lakh got the second and 18.43 lakh the third. A total of 26.13 lakh beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 9.57 lakh out of 19.64 lakh farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 1.22 lakh out of 1.98 lakh registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 9.78 lakh farmers out of the 17.18 lakh registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 lakh registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. The state party turned to the tech company late last year, finalizing a contract in the fall, and kept the plans under wraps, according to Democratic officials and outside consultants who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. When Iowa Democrats participated in a November simulation run by the Defending Digital Democracy Project at Harvards Belfer Center an effort to test the security of the upcoming caucuses they were still finalizing plans with the firm, according to an individual who was present at the exercise, held in Des Moines. MILFORD, New HampshireFour years ago, 12 percent of people who voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary ended up voting for Donald Trump in the general election, according to two surveys. That defection rate is not unusual; the same percentage of Republican primary voters that year ended up voting for Hillary Clinton, political scientist Brian Schaffner explained to NPR. But keeping Democrats unified after a sprawling and increasingly contentious primary season will be essential if the party is to retake the White House in November. So far, signs are not promising: A poll conducted in January by Emerson Polling found that only 53 percent of current Sanders supporters say they will definitely support the eventual Democratic nominee, even if it is not Sanders. By contrast, at least 85 percent of Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren supporters say they will support any Democratic nominee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With that in mind, I set out to talk to Sanders supporters in New Hampshire about what happens after the primary here next Tuesday: which other candidates they like, who they dont like, and whether theyre ready to hold their noses in November no matter who gets the nomination. Most of these conversations took place at a Sanders rally here on Tuesday evening, where doors opened just as the Iowa Democratic Party released initial results showing Sanders and Buttigieg essentially tied in the caucus results. These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. Rick Dumais, 38, IT professional, Amherst Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? Yes, Im very committed. I think Im classified as a super-volunteer. I even did something I wasnt comfortable with: The campaign asked if I had room in my home to house a field organizer from out of state who needed a place to stay. I said yes. Id never lived with a stranger before, but Im doing it. Advertisement Advertisement If Bernie is not the nominee, it would be very hard for me to vote for someone else. Rick Dumais, 38, IT professional, Amherst Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? What happened [in Iowa] is really frustrating. I heard stories that dont seem right: changing caucus locations for no reason, this strange app no one knew about, keeping it a secret. We learned that Pete Buttigieg was partially funding the app, and a supporter was programming it. Then Pete comes out and says, I won with no evidence. So I have concerns that the national party and the DNC will do things like that with the intentions of making things harder for Bernie. If that proves to be the case, and something happened to cause Bernie not to be the nominee, it would be very hard for me to vote for someone else. [Ed. note: Theres no evidence the Buttigieg campaign was funding the app.] Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who is your favorite Democratic candidate other than Bernie? I really like Tulsi Gabbard. Shes not perfect. But I love what Tulsi stands for. What about your least favorite? Probably Pete at this point. Hes doing this for all the wrong reasons, and I dont understand why the establishment loves him. Jennie Rowntree, 26, unemployed, Nashua Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? I have a chronic illness and just got started on Medicaid. Bernies big for me because of Medicare for All. Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Oh, definitely. We need to get rid of Trump. At this point, of all the Democratic candidates, theres only one who Im like, Please, no. Advertisement Advertisement Whos that? Tulsi Gabbard. Who is your favorite Democratic candidate other than Bernie? It would be Pete, definitely. Its weird to go there from Bernie, whos so left-wing. But Pete is so eloquent and has so many good ideas. Kayla Marr, 25, bartender, Manchester Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? For sure. Health care is my main situation. Im about to turn 26 [the cutoff for young adults staying on their parents health insurance plans], so its key. Bernie has been so true and consistent for his whole life. Advertisement Advertisement Tulsi Gabbard is my favorite candidate besides Bernie, because shes very real. Kayla Marr, 25, bartender, Manchester Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Oh, Id vote for any Democrat, absolutely. Who is your favorite Democratic candidate other than Bernie? Tulsi, because shes very real. Maybe shell get more traction in the next four years. Advertisement What about your least favorite? Mayor Pete, as of today. Nusar Milbes, 28, EEG technologist, Manchester Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? I just moved here three weeks ago from California. If Im able to vote by Tuesday, 100 percent Bernie. Hes the only one addressing the root issue, which is neoliberalism. That addresses the overwhelming majority of wealth concentrated in the 1 percent, the prison-industrial complex, the military. Im Muslim and Palestinian, and Id like him to be more left, but hes as left as I can expect. Advertisement Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Most likely, especially if Im here. In California, I probably wouldnt, unless its like Tulsi Gabbard. Advertisement Who is your favorite Democratic candidate other than Bernie? I dont mind Elizabeth Warren, shes pretty good. Im not as familiar with the others as Id like to be. Id just really like it to be Bernie. Advertisement What about your least favorite? I dont like Kamala Harris, but shes out. [Laughs] Definitely not Joe Biden. I never even liked Barack Obama. Id vote for him, but he was still in that Democratic neoliberal mindset. The military increased, and he never closed Guantanamo. He joked about drones. William Kearney, 26, restaurant worker, Nashua Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? Im all in. I started following him in 2016. Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Yeah. I wont feel great if its Biden or Bloomberg. Warren would probably be my No. 2. If Yang had a bigger following, hed probably be my No. 2, but hes pretty much out. I dont like Pete. A moderate wont energize the race. And, its not my thing, but did you see the video of the woman in Iowa who wouldnt vote for him when she found out hes gay? I dont have faith in the American people. Advertisement [Kearneys friend Ryan Keller enters the conversation. Keller is 25 and lives in Massachusetts.] Keller: Im not voting for anyone but Bernie. Why would I vote for someone who doesnt care about me and whats important to me? The way I see it, its a form of privilege to take the time to go and vote for someone who wont change anything. Its ludicrous. If the party refuses to support what I want, I dont see a reason to support the party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kearney: You have that luxury in Massachusetts. Keller: Yeah, my vote has never been in a swing state. Kearney: Ive lived all over, but this year, being in New Hampshire has been really great. Whitney and Evan Dudzik, both 34, Merrimack Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? Whitney: No. Im voting for Elizabeth Warren, but Bernie is a close second. Advertisement Evan: Im probably voting for Bernie, and Warren is my No. 2. Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Both: Absolutely. Who is your least favorite Democratic candidate? Whitney: Biden and Amy. If it ends up being really close [in Iowa] between Biden and Bernie, and Warren slips, I would vote [in the New Hampshire primary] for Bernie. I dont like it; I want Warren. But I want Bernie over Biden. Anica Naprta, 54, doctor, Amherst Are you voting for Sanders on Tuesday? Yes, for sure. I like that he supports Medicare for All, thats very important to me. Also that he supports less expensive, or even free, education. Hes the person who promotes social justice on all different levels. Im from Croatia; I came here in 92. Thats another reason. I love this country, and what is happening in this country, it hurts me. I never felt like a foreigner here. I was accepted from Day 1. America is a great country. Im a revolutionary, and [Bernie] is, too. Would you vote for the Democratic nominee if it doesnt end up being Sanders? Yes. Trump is a dangerous man. I have seen what dangerous men can do. Irish people advised to leave China face a scramble to get out on increasingly scarce flights. The Department of Foreign Affairs advised people to leave amid the coronavirus crisis unless their presence in the country was essential. The message posted on the department's website, which is still dated January, says it "advises citizens to contact their travel agency or airlines regarding available routes out before any further restrictions may be imposed". However, those who have family, work and home obligations are expected to stay in China despite the lockdown in many areas and the infection of more than 20,000 with the virus and a death toll of 427. For those who want to leave, flying out of the epicentre of the virus outbreak in Wuhan is impossible. A department spokesman did not respond to queries on whether it will help with repatriation. Airlines around the world are reducing or stopping their services to the Chinese mainland. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have grounded their flights due to the outbreak. Several others are continuing to operate flights, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, and Shenzhen Airlines. Those which have reduced their services are Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, LOT Polish Airlines and Philippines Airlines. Three Irish nationals travelled on a rescue flight last week organised by the British air force to bring more than 100 people to the UK from Wuhan. Millions of dollars that were sent from the estate of disgraced billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein into a bank he owned - but appeared to never have operated as a business - has raised questions from a judge overseeing a court case over his remaining assets. In a hearing yesterday in the Virgin Islands over the disgraced financier's remaining assets, Judge Carolyn Hermon-Purcell told lawyers representing his estate she wasn't satisfied with their account of large sums being sent to a bank first set up by the pedophile in 2014. The judge has been tasked with assessing Epstein's assets and possibly creating a victims' fund for the women he assaulted. In documents presented to the judge, transactions show a series of multi-million dollar payments from Epstein's estate to his bank, Southern County International, after his death. Despite the territory approving the bank's operation in 2014, the bank showed no signs of having been operational in the years before Epstein's death. In August last year, when Epstein was found hanged in his jail cell, the bank - which was specifically opened to manage offshore payments and investments - had just $693,157 in assets. At a hearing yesterday regarding Jeffrey Epstein's remaining assets, it was discovered that millions of dollars had been sent from his estate to his bank on the US Virgin Islands after the financier's death. This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry, shows Jeffrey Epstein In December 2019, Epstein's estate transferred $15.5 million to the bank. The bank sent back $2.6 million, leaving $12.9 million. There was then a withdrawal of nearly all funds before the end of the year, leaving the balance at around $500,000. Judge Hermon-Purcell said: 'Theres no explanation for it.' The payments were listed among everyday bills, for things like cable payments. Epstein's lawyers said the transfers were made in error but Judge Hermon-Purcell has demanded Epstein's estate provide further details on the accounting irregularities. In his 2014 application for the license to run the bank, which his criminal history shouldn't have allowed him to obtain, he described himself as one of the 'pioneers' of investment. He added that he would like to chase the 'dynamic discipline of international banking.' The pedophile also owned a 75-acre island in the US Virgin Islands, which became his high-security getaway after he bought it back in 1998 Epstein died in August at MCC Manhattan (above) while awaiting trial on charges he sexually abused dozens of girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida The application he was approved for allowed him to run one of the US Virgin Islands' first international banking institutions. This was an international bank, which would allow him to deal with offshore clients and investments. To be the owner of a bank, one must undergo extensive background checks and it's a surprise that the application was approved with Epstein's prior history of sexual assault, according to the New York Times. The bank renewed its license every year up until Epstein apparently killed himself. Despite the renewals, there has been no indication that the bank was operating as a business in the the time it was open. Many of the victims were allegedly aspiring models from South America and he used fake modeling visas to fly them across international borders to his two islands - known as Little Saint James (above)and Great Saint James - a lawsuit claims His cell is seen above after his death. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York City medical examiner, but his attorneys have contested that finding In January, a lawsuit filed by the US Virgin Islands posthumously accused Epstein of sexually abusing and trafficking hundreds of girls and young women on his private Caribbean island as recently as 2018 and had a database to keep track of their availability. The lawsuit, filed against the millionaire pedophile's estate last month claimed Epstein used his two private islands in the U.S. territory to engage in a nearly two-decade conspiracy to traffic and abuse girls as young as 11 or 12. Many of the victims were allegedly aspiring models from South America and he used fake modelling visas to fly them across international borders to his two islands - known as Little Saint James and Great Saint James - the lawsuit claims. Epstein's net worth is estimated at $634 million - tens of millions of dollars more than first thought. At the time of his death last August, the disgraced pedophile's estate was said to be worth $577 million, but the revised sum ($57 million more) is now laid out in a new quarterly accounting document obtained Monday. In the six months since he died, Epstein's executors have liquidated four of bank accounts and sold off his fleet of luxury cars to bolster the worth of his estate. Epstein, who grew up in a working class Brooklyn family, was a financier, but there is still some mystery as to how he managed to acquire such astronomical sums of money. According to the new documents, the executors have sold five of Epstein's cars including a $195,000 Bentley, a $133,200 Mercedes and three Chevrolet Suburbans worth a total of $112,000. The identities of the purchasers have not been disclosed. Epstein's estate also closed four bank accounts associated with his companies. The accounts held more than $500,000 in cash combined. The document also reveals that Epstein did his main banking through two banks in Puerto Rico - 1 First Bank and Banco Popular. An MoU was signed between HAL and Israel's Elbit Systems during the DefExpo-2020 on Wednesday to assess the feasibility of joint development of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The MoU is aimed at assessing the feasibility of a joint development of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV for maritime and land-based military operations, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said in a release. This will promote mutually beneficial cooperation between HAL and Elbit in terms of technology, manufacturing, marketing and maintenance of the UAV globally, it said. The MoU was inked by Director (Engg and R&D), HAL, Arup Chatterjee; and VP (Business Dev & Marketing), Elbit Systems, Roy Zentnerin, in the presence of the CMD, HAL, R Madhavan. The proposed UAV has a tremendous potential in carrying out maritime military missions with higher efficiency compared to a manned helicopter. Deploying a VTOL UAV will bring down the huge costs associated with inducting operating and maintaining manned helicopters on the deck. It will also benefit the Indian armed forces for a routine surveillance mission or operating in unsafe areas both during day and night, which otherwise would have to be carried out by manned helicopters. It may also open up new business avenues for HAL culminating in both domestic and export orders, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manoj Ghamandayan, 21, has little memory of the month he was hospitalised and nearly died. It started out as a fever in the first week of October 2019. Then he began to have trouble breathing. Soon, Ghamandayan, an undergraduate Arts student from Haryanas Jhajjar district, was admitted to Sunflag Global Hospital in Rohtak. He was diagnosed with dengue, a viral infection spread by the Aedes mosquito and scrub typhus, a bacterial infection. To help him recover, the hospital hooked him to multiple devices: a mechanical ventilator to aid breathing, a catheter for draining urine, and a central line to pump medicines into his body. But Ghamandayan got sicker. During his two-week stay at the hospital, he caught three healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or infections that patients catch at hospital. Invasive devices like ventilators, central lines and catheters pose the risk of HAIs because they breach the bodys protective barriers. For example, a ventilators breathing tube could easily transfer bacteria from a nurses hands to the patients lungs, triggering pneumonia. Ghamandayan came down with two bacterial infections, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumanii, and a fungal species called Candida. These pathogens were superbugs i.e, resistant to multiple antimicrobial drugs which make them hard to treat. His family moved him to New Delhis Sir Gangaram Hospital, where his doctor, Atul Gogia, deployed two last-line antibiotics called colistin and meropenem both expensive, with toxic side effects. Yet these drugs are the only hope for patients when all else fails. Ghamandayan eventually got better and was discharged nearly a month after he was first hospitalised. In all, he had spent 6 lakh on his treatment. Many in India face a similar fate they get admitted to hospitals with seemingly treatable illnesses, only to contract HAIs caused by superbugs. Few Indian hospitals track their HAI rates, which is why it is hard to get a countrywide picture of this problem. But several stand-alone studies show that India has higher rates compared to richer countries like the US. For example, a study by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium, which surveyed data from 40 hospitals in 20 cities in India, between 2004 and 2013, found that for every 1,000 days that patients were hooked to ventilators in Indian cardiac Intensive Care Units, there were around 11 times as many pneumonia cases as in American hospitals. The rates of infections in Indian hospitals are just unacceptably high, says Ramanan Laxminarayan, a public-health expert at Washington DCs Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP). But thats just part of the problem. Many of the bugs that cause these infections have learnt to tolerate powerful antimicrobial drugs. Unpublished 2019 data from a 20-hospital surveillance network run by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) shows that key hospital bugs, like Acinetobacter baumanii and Klebsiella pneumoniae, have grown widely drug-resistant. Patients infected with any of these bugs often have to be treated with last line drugs, which are both expensive and toxic. Many of them succumb: A 2018 study, carried out in 10 Fortis Group hospitals found that patients with multidrug resistant infections were almost thrice as likely to die as those with susceptible ones. While there are no India-wide estimates of how many people die due to antimicrobial resistance, Laxminarayanan pointed out that a bulk of the deaths take place in hospitals. So, if I were to prioritise measures to tackle drug resistance, infection control in hospitals would be number one. To be sure, HAIs have always been a risk to hospitalised patients globally. But increasing antimicrobial resistance is throwing a new spanner in the works; it is turning previously curable maladies into death sentences. The problem is that infection-control is not easy. It requires hospitals to aggressively push a range of best practices, including frequent hand washing, and caution while setting up devices like ventilators and catheters. Not enough hospitals check these boxes. No time to scrub Each morning, a medical intern at Kochis Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences heads off on a sleuthing exercise. She has one job to count the number of doctors and nurses washing their hands. Wearing a face mask, so its hard to recognise her, she walks over to a different ICU each day. Here, she watches quietly as workers go about their daily jobs. When a doctor forgets to use an alcoholic hand-rub before touching a patient, the intern makes a note. When a nurse forgets to wash her hands before inserting a urinary catheter, she makes a note of that too. There really is no excuse, because every ICU bed has a bottle of alcoholic hand-rub next to it. At the end of the month, the data collected by such interns is used by Amritas infection-control committee to calculate each ICUs hand-hygiene compliance the number of people who follow the hand-hygiene rulebook fully. When this number drops in any ICU, the hospital management has a chat with the staff. Theres a compelling reason behind Amritas strict emphasis on washing hands. Data from the hospitals 16-year-old infection-control programme has consistently shown, as multiple other studies have, that hand-hygiene is the most powerful way to curtail HAIs. Whenever an ICUs hand-hygiene is good above 85% we find that infection rates are low, says Anusha G, a microbiologist who heads Amritas infection-control committee. Yet, many hospitals dont enforce this enough. A spot check of Chennais Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital and Mumbais Lokmanya Tilak Municipal hospital both large public hospitals with over 1,000 beds revealed a lack of soap in several toilets. Officials from both hospitals said it was hard to replace soap in patients toilets, given the large crowds. Running at 150% In December 2019, 100 infants died at Rajasthans J K Lon Hospital. The babies succumbed to unknown causes. A government probe absolved the hospital of negligence and concluded that the children were already critically ill when they came to the government facility. Over 40 of them suffered from low birth weight, while others were premature and had pneumonia or congenital defects, says Vaibhav Galriya, secretary to Rajasthans medical education department. There were many different reasons why the children died. But Galriya also admits to stark infection-control failures. For instance, the hospital was not checking children frequently enough for signs of infection. Further, more than one child was placed in a baby warmer a device used to maintain the temperature of newborns. This meant that 70 babies were sharing 53 cribs on at one point, according to Galriya. The hospital is working at 150% capacity, he says. Such a set- up would have allowed any hospital bug to spread like a wildfire. The situation is not uncommon across crowded Indian government hospitals. Private hospitals have the luxury to turn away patients, which allows them to follow a fundamental tenet of infection-control maintaining distance between patients. But nearly all the government hospital officials I spoke to said that they were frequently forced to place more than one person per bed. Delhis Safdarjung hospital has 2,800 beds, but often accommodates up to 7,000 patients. One patient is lying with a head on this side of the bed, and the other is lying with the head on the other side, said Sunil Gupta, who was Safdarjungs medical superintendent until December 2019, and is now with The National AIDS Control Organisation, describing the press of patients on any given day. Safdarjung and other government hospitals in India are bound by a so-called no-refusal policy, which means that they cannot turn away patients. From the point of view of infection control, overcrowding is our biggest problem, Gupta said. Safdarjung has an infection control policy, but implementing it is tough, doctors there said. Tough act to follow If overcrowding is a strain on government hospitals, even private hospitals dont have it easy. Hospitals that have strong infection-control programmes told me it is not just a medical challenge, but a behavioural one: for example, it requires motivating healthcare workers to wash their hands several times a day. This is the toughest part of the job, says Sanjeev Singh, who helped set up the 16-year old infection-control programme at Kochis Amrita. Money, material and manpower have no value unless I am able to change the behaviour of people, he said. To get Amritas management onboard, Singhs team demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of the hospitals infection-control programme. It showed that every dollar spent on infection control in Amritas cardiovascular surgery unit in 2009 and 2010 led to $236 in savings. This benefited both the hospital and the patients: if patients spent less time hospitalised due to fewer HAIs, the hospital earned more by treating more patients in the same time. Of course, hospitals must also be willing to spend on sterilisation facilities, on soap and alcohol hand rub, and on recruiting enough nurses to tend to all patients. When patients contract rare drug-resistant bugs, they must have enough rooms to isolate them. Tracking how many patients catch HAIs in the hospital is critical too, because it helps decide if the facilitys infection-control efforts are working. A 2013 survey of 20 hospitals led by ICMR scientist Kamini Walia, found that only 60% were tracking their HAI rates, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, each year. A similarly low number of them had guidelines for isolating patients with drug-resistant infections. When people say infection control, they are usually talking about high-tech isolation precautions etc. But if you look at data, 1 in 6 hospitals in the world dont even have running water. So how will they follow infection control? asks Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease specialist who spearheaded the Chennai Declaration, a 2012 resolution by the Indian healthcare community to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Given the massive variations among hospitals, one way out of Indias infection-control problem is for more healthcare facilities to be accredited. Accreditation means that an independent body, such as the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), puts its stamp of approval on the quality of care provided by a hospital, including its efforts to curtail infections. CDDEPs Laxminarayan is batting for accreditation to be made mandatory. But this may a tall order: in the last 14 years, since NABH was set up, only 638, or less than 1% of the estimated 80,000 hospitals in the country, have been accredited. scary Scenario One of the biggest problems Indian hospitals face today is a bacterium called Klebsiella pneumonia. Klebsiella consumes many patients, microbiologist Chand Wattal, who heads the infection-control programme at Sir Gangaram Hospital, said. According to ICMRs surveillance data, nearly 61% of infections caused by the bacteria are not affected by drugs called cephalosporins. In such cases, doctors turn to carbapenems; 40% of all Klebsiella infections are resistant to that. Finally, doctors are left with colistin, which is what Ghamandayan was administered. While Ghamandayan was not infected with Klebsiella, the hospital bug he had contracted was also resistant to carbapenems. Both colistin and carbapenems can hurt the kidneys. For carbapenem-resistant patients, the combined cost of colistin and higher doses of carbapenems can be as high as 26,000 per day, estimated V Ramasubramanian, an infectious disease specialist and a member of the infection control committee at Apollo Hospital, Chennai. In the end, these multidrug-resistant infections are over ten times more expensive, he said. What happens when colistin begins to fail? Data from ICMRs network shows that nearly 15% of Klebsiella in the networks hospitals are already colistin resistant. In such patients, doctors sometimes find alternative drugs that work, but this isnt guaranteed. This means that such patients die nearly half the time. In ICUs, Klebsiella is almost a death sentence, said Wattal. Back in Jhajjar, Ghamandayan is thankful that he escaped a similar killer super-bug. Perhaps he recovered because he was young and otherwise healthy. Luckily for him, the colistin worked. As antimicrobial resistance worsens in the country, such stories will get rarer. Priyanka Pulla is a science writer. The reporting for this article was funded by the European Journalism Centre. Jill TrunnellWhile details are few at this point, it looks like Kenny Chesneys new record is on track for a late spring release, according to his label. Kenny is giving his fans some insight into the making of the album, however. We have songs with the most rocking guitars and massive drums, he reveals, but I have a song with just [multi-instrumentalist] Mac McAnally and John Hobbs -- who played piano on so many records -- and me. Just listening to those two play, you can hear how much music means to them, too. Its powerful. The Tip of My Tongue hitmaker also says the songwriting process for this record was more laid-back. For the writers, the way we did it wasnt so much Lets get some songs..., as it was, Lets get together! Kenny explains. We talked a lot. We laughed a lot. We remembered a lot. It was more about how much we all loved music, diving into talking about how music shaped us. A lot of songs got written after people went home for the night, he adds, because they were inspired, which is how Nashville was when I first got there. Stay tuned for more details about Kennys next record in the coming weeks. He kicks off his 2020 Chillaxification Tour April 18 in Arlington, Texas at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Boston police arrested a 17-year-old man on Monday after he allegedly led police on a chase, dropping a loaded weapon and a small bag of cocaine during the pursuit. Just before 3 p.m. on Monday, officers patrolling the area of Greenwood Street and Ellington Street encountered three individuals known to them from prior interactions. When police approached one of them a teen he immediately clutched his waistband and ran. Police arrested the teen near 150A Ellington Street. Officers found a loaded weapon in the path of the flight. Police also found a small bag of what appeared to be cocaine. The teen will be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm and possession of class B drugs, police said. Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2020 -- According to the research report the "Simulators Market by Type (ATC, FMS, Driving, Vessel Traffic Control), Solution, Platform (Airborne, Land, Maritime), Technique (Live, Virtual & Constructive, Synthetic Environment, Gaming), Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Simulators Market is estimated to be USD 21.5 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 27.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2019 to 2025. The growing demand for pilots in the aviation industry and the acceptance of virtual pilot training to ensure aviation safety are some of the significant factors attributing to the growth of the simulators market during the forecast period. The need for cost-cutting in pilot training and the reduction in military budgets of developed countries are driving the growth of the market Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=110549963 The military training segment projected to grow a higher CAGR from 2019 to 2025 Based on application, the military segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. High costs involved in military training, and risks that they pose to human life have led defense forces of different countries across the globe to adopt computer simulation models, computer wargames, and simulators while training their personnel. With continuous advancements in technologies related to simulation, operational costs of military training have reduced, thereby leading to the increased use of simulators in military training. The live, virtual & constructive segment projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2019 to 2025 Based on technique, the live, virtual & constructive simulation (LVC) segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Several defense organizations worldwide are increasingly adopting LVC training environments in their training programs. This technique saves money and pushes the boundaries of conventional training. With the reduction in military budgets in various developed economies, there is a demand for low-cost LVC military crew training solutions, which is anticipated to fuel the growth of this segment during the forecast period. Browse in-depth TOC on "Simulators Market" 200 Tables 47 Figures 244 Pages The simulators market in North America is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2023 to 2030 Based on region, the North America region is expected to witness substantial growth during the forecast period, especially in the US and Canada, due to the presence of major simulator manufacturers, such as CAE Inc. and L3Harris Technologies, Inc. The rising orders to replace the old navy fleet with new ones from countries such as the US and Canada and the rise in export of goods are other significant factors driving the demand for new ship commanders and crew, which, in turn, is increasing the demand for simulators to train them. According to Boeing Pilot Outlook by Region 2019, the North American region is expected to require more than 212,000 commercial airline pilots from 2019 to 2038. This, in turn, is expected to boost the demand for simulators for pilot training in the region during the forecast period. Enquiry before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=110549963 The simulators market has been gaining traction over the past few years, due to the presence of several established companies as well as startups. Some of the major players in the simulators market include CAE Inc. (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), Thales Group (France), Saab AB (Sweden), Indra (Spain), and Flight Safety International (US). Please Explore Relevant Reports: Flight Simulator Market by Platform (Commercial, Military, UAV, Helicopter Simulator), Type (Full Flight, Flight Training Device, Full Mission, Fixed based), Training (Virtual, Line), Solution (Product, Services) and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 Military Simulation and Training Market by Application (Airborne Simulation, Naval Simulation, Ground Simulation), Training Type (Live Training, Virtual Training, Constructive Training, Gaming Simulation Training), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com A badly designed app is causing chaos in Iowa. That shouldn't shock anyone. If you think everyone who designs software is a genius, remember that software developers created Healthcare.gov, Windows 8 and iCloud. And they redesigned Snapchat. User interfaces are tricky, and they too often take intuition for granted. Bugs happen. And developers are human, eager to rush their products out the door -- often before they've been adequately tested. That appears to be what happened at Iowa's caucuses Monday night. Precinct chairs were supposed to enter primary election results into a new election app, but many had trouble getting the app to work. That held up the tabulation of results, and just about every voter, candidate and campaign staffer in Iowa went home disappointed, confused and anxious. App design is hard. It needs to translate abstract concepts into intuitive gestures and taps. You can only display so much on a smartphone screen. Placing additional features and settings off screen where they can be easily found is a tricky business. Developers also need to rigorously test their apps to ensure they've squashed bugs that can crop up in thousands of lines of code. But a well-designed app is only part of the challenge app makers face. They need to ensure the servers and systems supporting the app are robust, particularly during high-traffic hours of the day -- like when thousands of people are entering election results at the same time. All of this is hard work, even for America's deepest-pocketed tech companies. Amazon's app crashed on Black Friday in 2018. Windows, MacOS and Android fall victim to some alarming bug seemingly every other month. Apple has spent eight years trying to fix Maps. The problem with Iowa's app was foreshadowed during a test in the days before the caucuses, in which precinct managers said they were having trouble using the app, according to Polk County Democratic Chairman Sean Bagniewski. So last Thursday, Bagniewski told people who couldn't get the app to work to call in their results to the Iowa Democratic Party as a backup. Bagniewski suggested that the app may have been rushed out the door. "When you have 1,700 precincts in one state, it should be a couple-month-long process of training folks, testing out the app, making sure it is downloaded, and that wasn't happening here," Bagniewski said. An app to record Iowa's complex caucus results isn't an inherently bad idea. But it should have been tested more rigorously, particularly when it's responsible for something as important as choosing the next president of the United States. The disastrous rollout of Healthcare.gov should have served as a warning to the folks making Iowa's caucus app. President Obama's signature healthcare initiative went "live" with online open enrollment in October 2013. The Healthcare.gov website was supposed to handle tens of thousands of people at once, but in a trial run days before its launch, just a few hundred enrollees crashed the site. It launched anyway and became a laughingstock when people were unable to enroll in Obamacare. Bad launches aren't exclusive to government software. Microsoft seems to have an every-other-release problem with Windows, in which painful bugs and poorly conceived features wreck the world's most popular PC operating system. Remember Windows 95, Me, Vista and 8? With Windows 8, Microsoft hid the desktop in a sea of floating tiles, confusing just about everyone who was brave enough to try it. Snapchat's redesign failure in 2017 could soon be taught as a cautionary tale in business school. The goal was to make the app easier to use, but it achieved the exact opposite. The new Snapchat mixed stories with direct messages and separated publishers from friends. Snapchat said it lost millions of customers because of the change. And does anyone really know how to use iCloud? If so, my email is linked to my name at the top of this article, and I'm eager to learn. -- CNN's Eric Bradner and Dan Merica contributed to this report But they are about to become a thing of the past. The department is retiring handwritten memo books by Feb. 17 in a transition to a digital version an app on officers department-issued iPhones. Instead of making entries by hand, whether with flowery script from ink-dipped pens in Victorian-era New York or ballpoints today, officers will type in their notes, which the app will send to a department database. The transition represents a major shift in the way the department regards this daily record keeping by more than 30,000 of its uniformed members, and it will vastly revamp how the department can access memo book information. In addition to the books historical importance, entries can become important legal documents. Department officials say the transition will help eliminate possible abuses, such as faking entries, and having to sort through indecipherable handwriting. After arrests, officers have long turned over relevant entries on crime scenes and on statements made by suspects or witnesses, for example to prosecutors, and were expected to bring their books to court if they were called to testify. The memo books largely stayed with the officers, who were required to safeguard them even after retirement, since the books could be subpoenaed as evidence in future criminal, civil and departmental trials. Terrorist Sudesh Amman boasted of wanting to carry out an atrocity 'worse than London Bridge' weeks before he was released from prison, it emerged last night. He was shot dead by police on Sunday after stabbing two passers-by during a knife rampage in Streatham, south London. A security source said the authorities had been powerless to prevent his release from prison ten days earlier, despite evidence that he was bent on a murderous attack. Ministers are now in a race against time to change the law and stop the automatic release of six terror offenders in the coming weeks. Boris Johnson wants a new law in place by February 27, and Downing Street warned Parliament yesterday not to obstruct it. No10 said further releases would take place if the House of Lords delayed the legislation as one offender is due to be freed automatically the following day with five more set to be freed in March. Terrorist Sudesh Amman (pictured on CCTV in Streatham, south London, moments before his attack) boasted of wanting to carry out an atrocity 'worse than London Bridge' weeks before he was released from prison The first to hit the streets is thought to be a 42-year-old who tweeted support for Islamic State and stirred up religious hatred. One Cabinet minister said: 'Whether the Lords want to pick a fight over this is a question for them. I think it would be unwise. 'If they were to block this from going through them it would leave prisoners free to be released.' A security source said Amman's release on January 23 had highlighted on a gaping hole in Britain's defences against terrorists, telling how Amman boasted in December of wanting to carry out an attack 'worse than London Bridge' a reference to the atrocity last November in which knifeman Usman Khan killed two and wounded three. While in prison, Amman said he wanted to join IS on his release to ensure 'everyone will come under the black flag' associated with the terror group. He is also said to have regretted that he had not killed a British soldier. Earlier this week, it emerged that Amman had told fellow inmates at Belmarsh prison that he wanted to kill an MP. 'It was clear that we were dealing with a very bad man,' the source said. 'People looked at every conceivable way of keeping him in prison police, the security services, prison authorities, everyone. A police officer kneels down and looks at what appeared to be a suicide vest on Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman's body during the dramatic incident on Sunday afternoon 'But under the law there was simply no way to keep him locked up. 'That is precisely why he was under 24-hour armed surveillance. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police on Streatham High Road on Sunday 'No one was under any illusion about how dangerous he was. 'In terms of monitoring, the state was doing the maximum it can, but it wasn't enough to stop him. 'That is why we need a change in the law to prevent people like Amman who are a clear threat to the public being released in the first place. We cannot allow this to happen again.' No10 declined to comment on the identities of the six terrorists due for automatic early release. But sources said the first on February 28 was Mohammed Zahir Khan. The Sunderland shopkeeper was jailed for four and a half years in May 2018 after admitting encouraging terrorism, dissemination of a terror publication and stirring up religious hatred. Khan called for Shia Muslims to be burnt alive. Those due for release in March include Mohammed Ghani, of Barnet, north London, who was jailed for 28 months last May for threats to kill police, and Mohammed Khilji, of north-west London, who put beheading videos on WhatsApp. The source said Amman's attack highlighted an issue over terrorists with short jail terms, adding: 'There aren't many terrorist offenders who will be in that kind of scenario, but if there are that's too many. That's what we're looking to fix.' The military based the drills on real situations constantly occurring in the Donbas war zone. . Battalion tactical live fire exercises to repulse the offensive of a conditional enemy and go for a counteroffensive were held in the northern part of Ukraine on Tuesday. "On February 4, the final phase of the battalion tactical live fire exercises was held in the north of Ukraine," the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The military based the drills on real situations constantly occurring in the Donbas war zone "The infantry unit defends the entrusted area, the enemy tries to penetrate defenses, and, having faced a rebuff, retreats to previous positions. But the ending in the latest drills differed from the previous ones. Having repulsed the enemy attack, our units go for a decisive counteroffensive and push the enemy further back, beyond its previous positions." Commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces Oleksandr Syrsky noted the success of the drills. Read alsoExperts on children's "upbringing" in occupied Donbas: This somehow resembles "Hitler Jugend" "We draw some conclusions. We've been working out relevant topics on the contact line. Moreover, you could see that for yourselves. The exercise began with the action by groups of snipers, who quite effectively hit enemy targets and provided for the start of the action by the brigade," he said. Artillery, tanks and infantry were involved in the exercises. Commander of the 30th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ivan Haraz reiterated his unit's readiness for active hostilities. "Even Moscow is well aware of our brigade. Our unit is one of the most combat-ready ones in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since we carefully select our personnel and remain extremely responsible for our own professional and moral readiness," he said. A vast iceberg which calved off an ice shelf three years ago is about to reach the open ocean. The A-68 iceberg calved from the Larsen C ice shelf in 2017, at which point it weighed up to a trillion tonnes, and measured 2,300 square miles, a quarter of the size of Wales. Since then it has drifted from Antarctica, edging towards the limit of the continents sea ice. Iceberg A-68 in close up (Wikimedia Commons) Experts say that it has lost very little of its record-breaking bulk since breaking away. But A-68 may be no more once it reaches rougher seas, experts told the BBC. READ MORE Prof Adrian Luckman from Swansea University, UK said: "With a thickness to length ratio akin to five sheets of A4, I am astonished that the ocean waves haven't already made ice cubes out of A68. Not long before it breaks free of the pack ice https://t.co/mA13oC0B5r Adrian Luckman (@adrian_luckman) January 24, 2020 "If it survives for long as one piece when it moves beyond the edge of the sea-ice, I will be very surprised. The huge crack had been spreading across the Antarctic Larsen C ice shelf for many years, but it began accelerating in 2016. The ice shelf is about 1,100ft thick and floats on the edge of West Antarctica. The calving occurred sometime between Monday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 12, when a 5,800-square kilometre (2,200-square mile) section of Larsen C (ice shelf) finally broke away, Swansea University said in a statement. The calving of the huge iceberg reduced the size of the ice shelf by 12%. Scientists from the European Space Agency wrote in 2018: Sea ice to the east and shallow waters to the north kept this giant berg, named A68, hemmed in. Story continues So for more than a year it wafted to and fro, but never left its parent ice shelfs side. Strong winds blowing from Larsen C have finally given it the push it was waiting for. In early September 2018, these winds pushed the southern end of the berg out into the Weddell Gyre. This clockwise drift of ocean waters and sea ice flowing north past the Larsen shelf, which can be seen in the animation as a flow from right to left, has rotated A68 out into the Weddell Sea. Here it is freer to float away and be carried further north into warmer waters. SALINE, MI -- A school district official has called an outburst at a race forum in Saline the type of bigotry that goes against the values of Saline Area Schools The Saline Board of Education and administration take the issue of student and adult behavior seriously," Superintendent Scot Graden wrote in a letter sent to parents Tuesday night. Gradens letter was in response to an exchange Monday morning at a diversity and inclusion meeting when a parent was describing the hate his sons received while students. Another parent, later identified as Tom Burtell, asked him, Then why didnt you stay in Mexico? Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools Tom Burtell declined to speak to a reporter after the Feb. 3 meeting. Why didnt you stay in Mexico? School diversity and inclusion meeting turns volatile Hate, prejudice, and racism have no place in our schools or our community, Graden wrote in the letter. ...This type of bigotry goes against all of the values and beliefs of our school system. The letter states the Board of Education wants to ensure Saline is a welcoming community. Graden said the district has a diversity, equity and inclusion committee and staff are trained on social justice practices, among other steps to support a more culturally inclusive curriculum. But he acknowledged more work is needed. However, its very clear that there is a great deal of additional work that we need to do to educate our students, staff, and community on the painful impact that racism has on our society, Graden wrote Feb. 4. Saline Area Schools plans to host another community conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at Liberty School, 7265 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline. This is an opportunity for us the staff, students, and community of Saline Area Schools to stand for anti-racism, respect, and inclusion of all students, Graden wrote. MORE IN SALINE: Tense moment at meeting on racial climate illustrates problem at Saline Area Schools Son calls out fathers racist comment after Why didnt you stay in Mexico? outburst Students weigh in on culture at Saline Area Schools after racist group Snapchat Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools Our reputation as a city is that we are racist, Saline parent says Just as shareholders in horse and buggy manufacturers in the late 1800s maintained they sold more vehicles than car makers, today's outspoken Tesla critics argue the company is grossly overvalued because it sells a fraction of the number of vehicles made by Ford or GM. This might sound extreme but its fair to say these people are missing the point. Tesla's new Gigafactory in Shanghai. Credit:Bloomberg The car industry is undergoing a radical transformation and this presents challenges for those companies manufacturing the increasingly usurped petrol engine. These firms have billions of dollars in sunk capital invested in facilities that produce petrol-driven cars. Sure, most are now dipping their toes into electric vehicles, but their hearts remain fuel-driven. WASHINGTON The U.S. Navy conducted more freedom of navigation operations in 2019 than in any year since the U.S. began more aggressively challenging Chinas claims in the South China Sea in 2015. The Navy conducted nine FONOPs in the South China Sea last year, according to records provided by U.S. Pacific Fleet. The FONOPs are designed to challenge Chinas claim to maritime rights and dominion over several island chains in the region, which have put the U.S. and its allies at loggerheads with China. Patrols by U.S. warships come within 12 miles of features claimed by China, including features that the Asian nation has converted into military installations. The patrols are meant to signal that the U.S. considers the claims excessive. China views the patrols as irritating and unlawful intrusions into its waters. Navy conducts years first FONOP in South China Sea The Obama administration authorized two FONOPs in 2015 and three in 2016. The program has escalated under the Trump administration, with the Navy conducting six in 2017 and five in 2018. However, during Trumps first two years in office, Navy transits of the Taiwan Strait dropped precipitously from 12 in 2016 to five in 2017, then just three in 2018. The Taiwan Strait transits picked up again in 2019, with nine transits conducted through the year. In a statement, Pacific Fleet spokesperson Lt. J.G. Rachel McMarr said the Navy was committed to continuing to demonstrate its willingness to challenge excessive claims. U.S. forces routinely conduct freedom of navigation assertions throughout the world, McMarr said in a statement. All of our operations are designed to be conducted in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events. The uptick in FONOPs hasnt caused China to back down on its South China Sea claims, but that isnt precisely the intention, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Story continues FONOPs narrowly assert the rights of foreign military vessels in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Glaser said. These operations have been effective in implementing DoDs policy of ensuring that the US military can fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. What they have not accomplished is getting China to soften its stance in the region, Glaser continued. FONOPs have proved insufficient in preventing Beijing from exercising coercion and expanding its influence, including blocking its neighbors from accessing oil, gas and fish in their own waters, she said. FONOPs are therefore necessary, but not enough to defend Americas broader interests in enforcing international rules and strengthening our relationships in the region. FONOPS continue The Navy conducted its first FONOP of 2020 on Jan. 25, sending the littoral combat ship Montgomery past Chinese claims in the Spratly Islands. During that operation, China sent two fighter-bombers scrambling overhead to intimidate the Montgomery, according to the countrys state media. The U.S. Navy frames these FONOPs as challenging excessive claims by all powers in the region, and the Jan. 25 patrol was officially aimed at China, Taiwan and Vietnam. Specifically, the Navy challenged the notion that innocent passage through claimed territorial waters requires previous notification. But China has been by far the most aggressive in its claims, going so far as to build island fortifications armed with anti-ship and anti-air missiles, according to the Pentagons 2019 report on China. The U.S. military views that as a creeping violation of freedom of navigation, which some warn China might ultimately use to try to gain unfair advantages in global commerce. The uptick in FONOPs, tensions over protests in Hong Kong and Taiwans ability to self-rule, and increasing clashes between China and Vietnam in recent months have combined to create increasing unease in the region, said Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University. In the South China Sea, both the U.S. and China have beefed up their presence, he said. U.S.-China military ties have worsened as a result of Trumps signing of the Hong Kong acts and Beijings retaliation. Clashes between China and Vietnam seem growing, with Vietnam complaining about Chinas repeated intrusions into what Hanoi calls its [exclusive economic zone]." U.S. President Donald Trump in November signed a law supporting anti-government protests in Hong Kong. In the Taiwan Strait, tensions have grown," Zhu added. "With Tsai Ing-wens reelection, Beijing may feel reunification is more distant and something has to be done to arrest Taiwans further drifting away. So the overall situation has deteriorated. This post has been updated to reflect two additional FONOPs reported by U.S. Pacific Fleet, and to add additional context. More cities locking down in China over virus outbreak fears Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 6:55 AM More Chinese cities are putting in place restrictions on movement in a cautionary measure to prevent or slow down the spread of a new coronavirus epidemic in China and beyond, as Hong Kong records its first death from the disease. The authorities imposed restrictions on movements in the city of Taizhou, parts of Hangzhou City including the district that is home to the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba and some districts of Ningbo City on Tuesday, affecting about 12 million people in total. The new measures include allowing only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities. Meanwhile, hospital staff in Hong Kong said that a 39-year-old male patient who had been suffering from an underlying illness and had visited the Chinese city of Wuhan the epicenter of the outbreak last month died from the new coronavirus on Tuesday morning. His death marks the second fatality outside mainland China after a 44-year-old Chinese man died in the Philippines on Sunday after travelling there from Wuhan. The virus has killed more than 420 in China so far, while total infections in the country have jumped to 20,438. The flu-like virus has already spread to more than 20 countries, with at least 151 cases scattered around the globe. Medical workers in Hong Kong are on a second day of a strike to demand the closure of all the city's borders with mainland China, a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam decided to leave three remaining checkpoints open. "As Carrie Lam refused to close the border, more (deaths) might come... We are not threatening the government, we just want to prevent the outbreak," Cheng, a 26-year-old nurse taking part in the strike, said. Lam has rejected calls to seal the entire border, saying such a move would be "impractical." There are 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong, including one that was transmitted locally. Some countries, including the United States, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Vietnam, have denied entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. Cruise ship passengers quarantined in Japan More than 3,700 people on board a cruise ship were placed under quarantine by Japanese officials on Tuesday after a Hong Kong man who sailed on the vessel in January tested positive for the coronavirus. The 80-year-old man arrived in Japan and boarded the Carnival Japan Inc-run ship, Diamond Princess, in Yokohama on January 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25. Japan, which has 20 confirmed coronavirus cases, began denying entry to foreigners who have been in China's Hubei Province where Wuhan is located on Saturday. Vietnam to quarantine citizens returning from China Vietnam has assigned the military to quarantine 950 citizens coming back from China, state media reported as a new coronavirus case was confirmed in the southeast Asian country on Tuesday. The 950 people will be isolated at two military camps outside the capital, Hanoi, for at least 14 days. Vietnam's Health Ministry said a new case of the virus had been confirmed, bringing to nine the number of coronavirus cases in the country. Taiwan bans foreign travelers from mainland China Taiwan, which has reported 10 cases of the virus, said on Tuesday that it would deny entry to any foreigners travelling from China. The government of the autonomous Chinese territory said in a statement on Tuesday that any foreigners who had been to China during the past 14 days would be denied entry starting next Friday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The council of judges allowed the prosecution on Wendesday afternoon to present evidence about opposition leader Kem Sokhas daughters that was sourced from an anonymous Facebook account, which routinely posted documents and photos related to the so-called color revolution. The Facebook account, called Kon Khmer, frequently posted documents, photos and leaks in the run up to the commune election, Kem Sokhas arrest and dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party in 2017, targeting the partys members and pushing the concocted color revolution narrative. This is the first time evidence from the questionable source was presented in court, which has in the past few years been reproduced by pro-government local media outlets, especially government mouthpiece Fresh News. The prosecution peppered Kem Sokha again whether the Human Rights Party had any links to foreign nations or if it had received foreign funding. However, prosecutor Vong Bun Visoth pivoted to Kem Sokhas daughters Kem Monovithya and Kem Samathida asking if they had helped him meet foreign nationals and governments. The opposition leader refused to answer questions about his daughters, saying there was no link between them and his political work. Even Hun Sen said if you want to have a fight do it individually. Do not involve families, he said. Please do not involve my family. Vong Bun Visoth then referred to documents and information sourced from the Kon Khmer social media page about Kem Sokhas daughters being educated in the U.S. and a photo of Kem Monovithya probably with Jackson Cox, who was the country director for the U.S.-funded International Republican Institute. The photos were not displayed clearly in court, despite there being a projector system, with lawyers only holding up A4-size printouts of the photographs in court. Kem Sokha quickly objected to the source of the information and queried if the prosecution or court had validated the source of the information. I want you to investigate the actual evidence. I am not going to answer questions about information sourced from Facebook, he said. However, the presiding judge Kuy Sao ignored Kem Sokhas objections and said the information was part of the case file and had been considered by the investigating judge. So, there is nothing wrong with this [information], Kuy Sao said. However, the prosecution seemed to then drop that line of questioning and, for the third time, questioned Kem Sokha about a 2012 meeting he had with former U.S. State Department official Daniel Baer, prior to the 2012 commune elections. The prosecution has consistently used this meeting to suggest that it was a secretive meeting with Kem Sokha to secure funding for his Human Rights Party. This has been the only proposition put forth by the prosecution when debating Kem Sokhas political work from late 2007 to 2012 to suggest a link to the United States, which allegedly aided in the color revolution. As the presiding judge decided that this timeframe of Kem Sokhas career, 2007 to 2012, had been adequately examined, he allowed the defense to detail the new evidence it had submitted to the court on Tuesday. Meng Sopheary explained that 16 pieces of evidence from Kem Sokhas tenure at the CNRP had been submitted to the court, consisting of eight short video clips and eight photographs. As discussion about the new evidence commenced, the hearing turned into a finger-pointing match between the prosecution and government lawyers on one side and the defense on the other side. The government lawyers started to nitpick at the evidence presented by the defense, complaining about the official stamps and signatures used by defense lawyers to validate their evidence. The back-and-forth started to get heated and turned into a nearly two-hour long argument, despite the presiding judge Kuy Sao frequently saying that the trial was being prolonged and that he did not want to waste time. Meng Sopheary also said in court that the defense had not received documents used by the prosecution during cross examination, seemingly referring to the Kon Khmer evidence. It was not clear if the defense had not received all the contents of the case file or only some of the documents, but the judges said that additional copies of the evidence in the case file would be given to the defense. The trial will enter its eighth day on Thursday and will continue to examine the evidence presented by the defense. After four weeks of hearings, not a single witness has been invited to provide testimony in the trial so far. Close Mitt Romney to break from Republicans and vote to convict Trump on impeachment Surrounded by his cheering allies at the White House, Donald Trump celebrated his acquittal in his impeachment trial after after appearing at the National Prayer Breakfast brandishing aloft newspaper front pages announcing Wednesday's landmark decision. The president also used the occasion to attack House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Utah senator Mitt Romney, the lone Republican to vote "guilty" with Democrats after excoriating the president in the blistering Senate speech. Wednesday's Senate vote on the two articles laid against him by the House of Representatives abuse of power and obstruction of Congress was split largely along party lines with only Mr Romney daring to break ranks, denouncing the presidents appalling abuse of public trust in an emotional speech from the floor that earned him the ire of a vengeful Republican Party, with members calling for his expulsion and likening him to Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold. At her weekly conference, Ms Pelosi criticised Mr Trump's rally-like State of the Union address as a "the compilation of falsehoods" and said she now-famously ripped up a copy of his speech to "clearly [indicate] to the American people that this is not the truth" as the president's allies applauded his remarks. In preparation for his remarks, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham ominously told Fox News that Mr Trump planned to talk about how horribly he was treated and that maybe people should pay for that, suggesting a threatening remainder of his term in office following his opponents' failure to remove him. The White House also issued anti-Romney talking points attacking him as a self-serving politician with a history of flip-flopping. Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty Mr Trump called the Russia investigations against him as "bulls***" and attacked former FBI Director James Comey, among several targets in his address (Ms Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Robert Mueller, the FBI's "top scum" and "crookedest and most corrupt", among them). The remarks went quickly off the rails, from reenacting the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise to praising Congressman Jim Jordan's looks, briefly addressed the leaked Access Hollywood tape in which he gloats about assaulting women, and leading standing ovations for his legal defence team and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Meanwhile, the results of the Iowa Caucus, the first state to host an election in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race, are nearly complete, with 97 per cent of the vote totals showing a razor-thin delegate win for Pete Buttiegieg and a majority vote victory for Bernie Sanders, who collected more votes than his opponent. Despite the vote totals being incomplete, Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez has pressured Iowa's party officials to review the results, following significant delays and inconsistencies after an app failure forced officials to review the vote totals manually. The candidates are now campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary on 11 February. The president will hold a rally in the state on 10 February. Follow our coverage as it happened: One person was killed as a result of the hard landing conducted by a plane of the Turkish Pegasus airline in Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, while the number of injured people climbed to 157, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the aircraft, en route from Izmir to Istanbul with 183 people on board, overran the runway during landing in poor weather, caught fire and broke into three parts. Turkish Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan previously said that no one was killed in the incident, and it was also reported that 139 people sustained injuries. "Unfortunately, one of the passengers died, and 157 people were injured," Koca told reporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three resorts of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, which currently operate five resorts in the Maldives, have received the Green Globe certification - OBLU Helengeli (Nov 2019); OZEN by Atmosphere at Maadhoo (Nov 2019) and OBLU Select at Sangeli (Jan 2020). This certification is considered one of the first globally-operating programs for the conservation of people and nature, with a local focus. The certification was designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry and has been in existence since the early 1990s. For Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, sustainability means managing the resorts in accordance with the company's guiding principles, which are to be aware of and take responsibility for global environmental issues, a company statement said. The resorts have been managed in a sustainable manner from the very beginning, and considerable steps have been taken to minimise the impact that operating the resorts has on the environment. For example, all resorts use glass bottles for drinking water, which is processed in the resort's own facilities. Plastic straws are banned and floating solar panels - currently only at OZEN by Atmosphere - produce their own electricity to power the resort. Solar panel power generation will be introduced in all resorts in the near future. Guests are actively encouraged to preserve nature and the surrounding underwater world, to help further protect the environment. In addition, the Maldivian culture and heritage is shared at the resorts, to ensure it is known and protected. The Green Globe certification process is complex and rigorous. We dedicate special teams of staff at each resort to ensure that the resort adheres to the certification criteria. The responsible teams have to work through more than 300 certification criteria comprehensively, taking into account various factors such as sustainability, protection of cultural heritage, social and economic considerations and environmental protection, said Giri Venkata, chief operating officer and president of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts. "As the Maldives is one of the most endangered tourist destinations in the world, environmental conservation and sustainability has always been a key element to our operations and integral in all that we do. Since the establishment of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts in 2013, we have worked to become more and more sustainable. We are thrilled to be part of the Green Globe community, with three resorts currently certified, and the others well on their way. I am very proud of all the resort teams who have worked immensely hard to achieve this certification," he added. TradeArabia News Service HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Evolution Petroleum (NYSE American:EPM) ("Evolution" or the "Company") announced today financial results and operating highlights for its fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2019 (the "current quarter"). Highlights for the Quarter: Acquired oil producing assets in Hamilton Dome Field in Wyoming for $9.3 million of cash, net of a $0.2 million post-closing adjustment. Paid 25 th consecutive quarterly cash dividend on common shares and declared the next dividend payment of $0.10 per share, payable on March 31, 2020. consecutive quarterly cash dividend on common shares and declared the next dividend payment of $0.10 per share, payable on March 31, 2020. Generated total revenues of $9.4 million for the quarter, up 2.5% from the prior quarter. Reported net income of $1.8 million, marking the 17 th consecutive quarter of positive reported net income. consecutive quarter of positive reported net income. Ended the quarter with $20.9 million in cash; the Company has a $40 million undrawn credit facility and notably remains debt free. "We successfully closed the acquisition of the Hamilton Dome field on November 1, 2019 and seamlessly incorporated the interests into our overall operations, with minimal disruptions or costs" said Jason Brown, President and CEO. "This was a solid first step in the Company's strategy to diversify and grow our asset base. Hamilton Dome is meeting our projections of production, price realization and cash flow without a material increase in our overhead. Similar to other oil and gas producers, our overall performance during the quarter was impacted by lower price realizations, and further impacted in our case by the short-term effect of repairs to the oil sales pipeline from Delhi, which more than offset increased volumes. This is a good example of why we are pleased with the Hamilton Dome acquisition as a second source of cash flow and are committed to further acquisitions that will support our dividend. The current weakness in oil and gas prices presents an opportunity to acquire long-life production with upside potential at a very attractive price per BOE and validates our decision over the recent years to retain substantial liquidity with no debt. I am proud that we continue to generate earnings and positive cash flow during low commodity price environments as demonstrated by twenty-five consecutive quarterly dividends and seventeen consecutive quarters of positive earnings." Financial and Operational Results Evolution reported total revenues for the quarter of $9.4 million versus $9.2 million in the prior quarter, a 2.5% increase, based on an 11.2% increase in total volumes, offset by a lower average realized oil price of $53.38 per barrel compared to $59.32 per barrel in the prior quarter. This decline was partially offset by an increase in the average realized NGL price of $14.92 per barrel of oil equivalent ("BOE") compared to $11.54 per BOE, in the prior quarter. The current quarter revenues benefited from approximately $1.1 million in oil revenue sales for the recently acquired Hamilton Dome field, representing Evolution's share of sixty-one days of production. The Hamilton Dome oil production trades at a discount to West Texas Intermediate based on its specific gravity and sulfur content. At the Delhi Field, the current quarter's lower average realized oil prices were further impacted by approximately $0.4 million for temporary trucking and handling charges due to the planned repair to a section of the oil sales pipeline. This effectively eliminated the LLS premium in the quarter, shifting a positive basis to a small deduction. The pipeline repair project commenced in mid-November and was completed in late January, and all Delhi oil sales are back on pipeline as of February 1, 2020. Total net production in barrels of oil equivalent per day ("BOEPD") increased 11.2% to 2,124 BOEPD in the current quarter compared to 1,910 BOEPD in the prior quarter. The quarterly results include sixty-one days of production from the Hamilton Dome field, or 292 net barrels of oil per day ("BOPD"), based on sixty-one days of production divided by ninety-two days in the quarter. Production costs were $4.2 million in the current quarter, an increase of 37% from $3.1 million in the prior quarter. Production costs increased by $0.9 million due to the addition of the Hamilton Dome Field effective November 1, 2019, inclusive of some atypical workovers performed in the field in December. Additionally, Delhi had higher CO 2 and other production costs of $0.2 million. Purchased CO 2 volumes were 83.6 million cubic feet (MMcf) per day, up 19.9% from 69.7 MMcf per day in the prior quarter. General and administrative ('G&A') expenses increased by $0.1 million, or 7.3% to $1.4 million for the current quarter, compared to the prior quarter. Increased G&A expenses are primarily attributable to normal variations in professional service expenses often incurred during our second fiscal quarter. Net income for the quarter was $1.8 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, compared to $2.8 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in the previous quarter. Capital Spending During the current quarter, Evolution incurred $10.7 million on capital projects consisting of $9.3 million for the acquisition of Hamilton Dome field, a $0.9 million non-cash asset addition related to Hamilton Dome asset retirement obligations, and $0.5 million at the Delhi field, primarily for the NGL plant and completion of the water curtain project. The current expectation for net capital spending for the remainder of fiscal 2020 is approximately $0.5 to $0.7 million for conformance and capital workovers at Delhi field, and $0.1 to $0.2 million for capital workovers at Hamilton Dome. The Delhi operator reported that capital was deferred for the Phase V project until 2021. Evolution anticipates all funding for the Company's share of capital expenditures at Delhi and Hamilton Dome will be met from cash flows from operations. Liquidity and Outlook Working capital decreased by $10.0 million from the prior quarter to $21.7 million. The decrease in working capital is primarily due to the acquisition of producing oil field assets in the Hamilton Dome Field in Wyoming for $9.3 million in cash and the payment of $3.3 million in common stock dividends during the quarter. The Company ended the quarter with $20.9 million in cash, no debt and an untapped $40 million reserve-based credit facility. The Company continues to be well positioned to fund further development of its producing assets throughout fiscal 2020 and 2021 while retaining enough financial resources to capitalize on new growth opportunities and funding for the dividend program. Cash Dividend on Common Stock The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.10 per share of common stock, which will be paid on March 31, 2020 to common stockholders of record on March 16, 2020. This will be the twenty-sixth consecutive quarterly cash dividend on the common stock, which has been paid since the quarter ended December 31, 2013. To date, the Company has paid out $66 million or $2.01 per share back to stockholders as cash dividends. Maintaining and ultimately growing the common stock dividend remains a Company priority. Quarterly Conference Call Evolution Petroleum Corporation will host its earnings conference call for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Central). The call will be hosted by Jason Brown, President & Chief Executive Officer and David Joe, Chief Financial Officer. Details for the conference call are as follows: Date: Thursday, February 6, 2020 Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern Call: 844-369-8770 (toll-free United States & Canada) Call: 862-298-0840 (toll International) To listen live via webcast over the internet, click the link https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2188/32893 or go to our website at http://www.evolutionpetroleum.com/. A replay will be available two hours after the end of the conference call through March 6, 2020 and will be accessible by calling 877-481-4010 (toll-free United States & Canada); 919-882-2331 (International) with the replay pin number of 57679. About Evolution Petroleum Evolution Petroleum is an independent energy company focused on delivering a sustainable dividend yield to its shareholders through the ownership, management and development of producing oil and gas properties. The Company's long-term goal is to build a diversified portfolio of oil and gas assets primarily through acquisition, while seeking opportunities to maintain and increase production through selective development, production enhancement and other exploitation efforts on its properties. Evolution's largest asset is our interest in a CO 2 enhanced oil recovery project in Louisiana's Delhi field. Additional information, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, is available on its website at www.EvolutionPetroleum.com. Cautionary Statement All forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding current expectations, potential results and future plans and objectives of the Company involve a wide range of risks and uncertainties. Statements herein using words such as "believe," "expect," "plans," "outlook," "should," "will," and words of similar meaning are forward-looking statements. Although our expectations are based on business, engineering, geological, financial and operating assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and we can give no assurance that our goals will be achieved. These factors and others are detailed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our periodic documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Company Contact: Jason Brown, President & CEO David Joe, SVP & CFO (713) 935-0122 Evolution Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations (Unaudited) Three Months Ended December 31, Six Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Revenues Crude oil $ 8,974,237 $ 10,515,875 $ 17,819,741 $ 21,913,327 Natural gas liquids 406,634 532,243 712,578 1,441,870 Natural gas 744 - 1,511 - Total revenues 9,381,615 11,048,118 18,533,830 23,355,197 Operating costs Production costs 4,234,605 3,452,168 7,324,694 6,910,598 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 1,461,049 1,603,633 2,910,803 3,152,093 General and administrative expenses 1,436,197 1,258,570 2,774,550 2,563,832 Total operating costs 7,131,851 6,314,371 13,010,047 12,626,523 Income from operations 2,249,764 4,733,747 5,523,783 10,728,674 Other Enduro transaction breakup fee - - - 1,100,000 Interest and other income 52,941 59,858 119,070 106,429 Interest expense (29,345 ) (29,345 ) (58,690 ) (58,690 ) Income before income taxes 2,273,360 4,764,260 5,584,163 11,876,413 Income tax provision 508,442 859,695 1,026,425 2,176,047 Net income available to common stockholders $ 1,764,918 $ 3,904,565 $ 4,557,738 $ 9,700,366 Earnings per common share Basic $ 0.05 $ 0.12 $ 0.14 $ 0.29 Diluted $ 0.05 $ 0.12 $ 0.14 $ 0.29 Weighted average number of common shares Basic 32,988,737 33,167,159 33,057,691 33,134,726 Diluted 32,988,737 33,176,503 33,061,555 33,147,775 * For the three months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, non-cash stock-based compensation expenses were $236,190 and $254,111, respectively. For the six months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, non-cash stock-based compensation expenses were $568,203 and $469,484, respectively. Evolution Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (Unaudited) December 31, 2019 June 30, 2019 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 20,935,968 $ 31,552,533 Receivables 4,008,414 3,168,116 Prepaid expenses 518,396 458,278 Total current assets 25,462,778 35,178,927 Oil and natural gas properties, net (full-cost method of accounting) 68,814,569 60,346,466 Other property and equipment, net 21,914 26,418 Total property and equipment 68,836,483 60,372,884 Other assets, net 331,608 210,033 Total assets $ 94,630,869 $ 95,761,844 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities Accounts payable $ 2,985,901 $ 2,084,140 Accrued liabilities and other 548,676 537,755 State and federal income taxes payable 246,972 130,799 Total current liabilities 3,781,549 2,752,694 Long term liabilities Deferred income taxes 11,362,943 11,322,691 Asset retirement obligations 2,493,741 1,560,601 Operating lease liability 112,870 - Total liabilities 17,751,103 15,635,986 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity Common stock; par value $0.001; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 33,106,988 and 33,183,730 shares issued and outstanding, respectively 33,107 33,183 Additional paid-in capital 41,306,353 42,488,913 Retained earnings 35,540,306 37,603,762 Total stockholders' equity 76,879,766 80,125,858 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 94,630,869 $ 95,761,844 Evolution Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Six Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 Cash flows from operating activities Net income $ 4,557,738 $ 9,700,366 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation, depletion and amortization 2,910,803 3,152,093 Stock-based compensation 568,203 469,484 Settlements of asset retirement obligations (26,773 ) - Deferred income tax expense (benefit) 40,252 506,297 Other 32,149 9,648 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Receivables (840,298 ) 507,689 Prepaid expenses (60,118 ) (70,048 ) Accrued liabilities and other 875,929 (144,638 ) Income taxes payable 116,173 13,364 Net cash provided by operating activities 8,174,058 14,144,255 Cash flows from investing activities Acquisition of oil and natural gas properties (9,337,716 ) - Capital expenditures for oil and natural gas properties (1,080,874 ) (5,048,987 ) Capital expenditures for other property and equipment - (2,066 ) Net cash used in investing activities (10,418,590 ) (5,051,053 ) Cash flows from financing activities Cash dividends to common stockholders (6,621,194 ) (6,634,896 ) Common share repurchases, including shares surrendered for tax withholding (1,750,839 ) (138,638 ) Net cash used in financing activities (8,372,033 ) (6,773,534 ) Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (10,616,565 ) 2,319,668 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 31,552,533 27,681,133 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 20,935,968 $ 30,000,801 Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information: Six Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 Income taxes paid $ 1,100,000 $ 1,862,919 Non-cash transactions: Change in accounts payable used to acquire oil and natural gas properties 39,361 (1,094,249 ) Oil and natural gas property costs incurred through recognition of asset retirement obligations 871,076 31,268 Supplemental Information on Oil and Natural Gas Operations (Unaudited) Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 September 30, 2019 Variance Variance % Oil and gas production Crude oil revenues $ 8,974,237 $ 8,845,504 $ 128,733 1.5 % NGL revenues 406,634 305,944 100,690 32.9 % Natural gas revenues 744 767 (23 ) (3.0) % Total revenues $ 9,381,615 $ 9,152,215 $ 229,400 2.5 % Crude oil volumes (Bbl) 168,117 149,107 19,010 12.7 % NGL volumes (Bbl) 27,260 26,516 744 2.8 % Natural gas volumes (Mcf) 356 356 - n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOE) 195,437 175,682 19,755 11.2 % Crude oil (BOPD, net) 1,827 1,621 206 12.7 NGLs (BOEPD, net) 296 288 8 2.8 Natural gas (BOEPD, net) 1 1 - n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOEPD, net) 2,124 1,910 214 11.2 Crude oil price per Bbl $ 53.38 $ 59.32 $ (5.94 ) (10.0 )% NGL price per Bbl 14.92 11.54 3.38 29.3 Natural gas price per Mcf 2.09 2.15 (0.06 ) (2.8) % Equivalent price per BOE $ 48.00 $ 52.10 $ (4.10 ) (7.9 )% CO 2 costs $ 1,410,213 $ 1,284,767 $ 125,446 9.8 % Other production costs 2,824,392 1,805,322 1,019,070 56.4 % Total production costs $ 4,234,605 $ 3,090,089 $ 1,144,516 37.0 % CO 2 costs per BOE $ 7.22 $ 7.31 $ (0.09 ) (1.2 )% All other production costs per BOE 14.45 10.28 4.17 40.6 % Production costs per BOE $ 21.67 $ 17.59 $ 4.08 23.2 % CO 2 costs per mcf $ 0.77 $ 0.84 $ (0.07 ) (8.3 ) CO 2 volumes (MMcf per day, gross) 83.6 69.7 13.9 19.9 DD&A of proved oil and gas properties $ 1,419,333 $ 1,417,754 $ 1,579 0.1 Depreciation of other property and equipment 2,182 2,322 (140 ) (6.0 ) Amortization of intangibles 3,391 3,391 - n.m. Accretion of asset retirement obligations 36,143 26,287 9,856 37.5 Total DD&A $ 1,461,049 $ 1,449,754 $ 11,295 0.8 Oil and gas DD&A rate per BOE $ 7.26 $ 8.07 $ (0.81 ) (10.0 )% Crude Oil Revenues Crude Oil Volumes (Bbl) Crude Oil Price per Bbl Other Production Costs The current quarterly results above and the current year to date results that follow include those of our interest in the Hamilton Dome field commencing November 1, 2019. $ 1,124,695 26,850 $ 41.89 $ 922,736 n.m. Not meaningful. Supplemental Information on Oil and Natural Gas Operations (Unaudited) Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 Variance Variance % Oil and gas production Crude oil revenues $ 8,974,237 $ 10,515,875 $ (1,541,638 ) (14.7 )% NGL revenues 406,634 532,243 (125,609 ) (23.6 )% Natural gas revenues 744 - 744 n.m. Total revenues $ 9,381,615 $ 11,048,118 $ (1,666,503 ) (15.1 )% Crude oil volumes (Bbl) 168,117 163,361 4,756 2.9 % NGL volumes (Bbl) 27,260 23,701 3,559 15.0 % Natural gas volumes (Mcf) 356 - 356 n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOE) 195,437 187,062 8,375 4.5 % Crude oil (BOPD, net) 1,827 1,776 51 2.9 % NGLs (BOEPD, net) 296 258 38 14.7 % Natural gas (BOEPD, net) 1 - 1 n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOEPD, net) 2,124 2,034 90 4.4 % Crude oil price per Bbl $ 53.38 $ 64.37 $ (10.99 ) (17.1 )% NGL price per Bbl 14.92 22.46 (7.54 ) (33.6 )% Natural gas price per Mcf 2.09 - 2.09 n.m. Equivalent price per BOE $ 48.00 $ 59.06 $ (11.06 ) (18.7 )% CO 2 costs $ 1,410,213 $ 1,504,930 $ (94,717 ) (6.3 )% Other production costs 2,824,392 1,947,238 877,154 45.0 % Total production costs $ 4,234,605 $ 3,452,168 $ 782,437 22.7 % CO 2 costs per BOE $ 7.22 $ 8.05 $ (0.83 ) (10.3 )% All other production costs per BOE 14.45 10.40 4.05 38.9 % Production costs per BOE $ 21.67 $ 18.45 $ 3.22 17.5 % CO 2 costs per mcf $ 0.77 $ 0.90 $ (0.13 ) (14.4 )% CO 2 volumes (MMcf per day, gross) 83.6 76.3 7.3 9.6 % DD&A of proved oil and gas properties $ 1,419,333 $ 1,571,321 $ (151,988 ) (9.7 )% Depreciation of other property and equipment 2,182 4,143 (1,961 ) (47.3 )% Amortization of intangibles 3,391 3,391 - - Accretion of asset retirement obligations 36,143 24,778 11,365 45.9 % Total DD&A $ 1,461,049 $ 1,603,633 $ (142,584 ) (8.9 )% Oil and gas DD&A rate per BOE $ 7.26 $ 8.40 $ (1.14 ) (13.6 )% n.m. Not meaningful. Supplemental Information on Oil and Natural Gas Operations (Unaudited) Six Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 Variance Variance % Oil and gas production Crude oil revenues $ 17,819,741 $ 21,913,327 $ (4,093,586 ) (18.7 )% NGL revenues 712,578 1,441,870 (729,292 ) (50.6 )% Natural gas revenues 1,511 - 1,511 n.m. Total revenues $ 18,533,830 $ 23,355,197 $ (4,821,367 ) (20.6 )% Crude oil volumes (Bbl) 317,224 322,267 (5,043 ) (1.6 )% NGL volumes (Bbl) 53,776 48,102 5,674 11.8 % Natural gas volumes (Mcf) 712 - 712 n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOE) 371,119 370,369 750 0.2 % Crude oil (BOPD, net) 1,724 1,751 (27 ) (1.5 )% NGLs (BOEPD, net) 292 261 31 11.9 % Natural gas (BOEPD, net) 1 - 1 n.m. Equivalent volumes (BOEPD, net) 2,017 2,012 5 0.2 % Crude oil price per Bbl $ 56.17 $ 68.00 $ (11.83 ) (17.4 )% NGL price per Bbl 13.25 29.98 (16.73 ) (55.8 )% Natural gas price per Mcf 2.12 - 2.12 n.m. Equivalent price per BOE $ 49.94 $ 63.06 $ (13.12 ) (20.8 )% CO 2 costs (a) $ 2,694,980 $ 2,988,782 $ (293,802 ) (9.8 )% Other production costs 4,629,714 3,921,816 707,898 18.1 % Total production costs $ 7,324,694 $ 6,910,598 $ 414,096 6.0 % CO 2 costs per BOE $ 7.26 $ 8.07 $ (0.81 ) (10.0 )% All other production costs per BOE 12.48 10.59 1.89 17.8 % Production costs per BOE $ 19.74 $ 18.66 $ 1.08 5.8 % CO 2 costs per mcf $ 0.80 $ 0.93 $ (0.13 ) (14.0 )% CO 2 volumes (MMcf per day, gross) 76.6 72.9 3.7 5.1 % DD&A of proved oil and gas properties $ 2,837,087 $ 3,088,063 $ (250,976 ) (8.1 )% Depreciation of other property and equipment 4,504 8,286 (3,782 ) (45.6 )% Amortization of intangibles 6,782 6,782 - - % Accretion of asset retirement obligations 62,430 48,962 13,468 27.5 % Total DD&A $ 2,910,803 $ 3,152,093 $ (241,290 ) (7.7 )% Oil and gas DD&A rate per BOE $ 7.64 $ 8.34 $ (0.70 ) (8.4 )% n.m. Not meaningful. SOURCE: Evolution Petroleum Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575119/Evolution-Petroleum-Announces-Results-for-the-Fiscal-2020-Second-Quarter-Ended-December-31-2019-and-Declares-Quarterly-Common-Stock-Dividend Britain will charter what it said was a "second and final" flight this weekend to evacuate nationals from China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak. The civilian aircraft will leave Hubei's capital Wuhan on Sunday bound for the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton in southern England. Medics and Foreign Office officials will be on board to provide support if necessary. "We have been working round the clock to help British nationals leave Hubei province, on UK, French and New Zealand flights," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "The Foreign Office is chartering a second and final UK flight with space to help all British nationals and their dependants remaining in Hubei to leave. "I encourage all British nationals in Hubei to register with our teams if they want to leave on this flight." Britain has advised all its nationals in China to leave. Some 83 British citizens returned from Wuhan on a UK government-chartered flight from Wuhan to Brize Norton on Friday. They were then sent into 14 days' isolation at a medical facility in northwest England. So far, there have been two confirmed cases in Britain, two relatives who had recently been to China. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC television that the pair remained in quarantine. "There are two cases only here in the UK but we do expect more, so we are taking no chances," he added. Hancock said people returning from China would not be quarantined and should instead "self-isolate" at home and call medics if they show symptoms rather than go to a hospital, for fear of spreading the virus. Eight British nationals and six of their family members left China on a flight to New Zealand on Tuesday. More than 24,000 people have been infected in China. The virus has already killed nearly 500 people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the aim to provide internet to individuals and corporates across Bengaluru, Wi-Fi Dabba will deploy around 100 supernodes in 2020. The low-cost internet service provider (ISP) will offer speed of up to 1GBPS with pre-paid plans that cost as low as Re 1 per GB. The supernodes Wi-Fi Dabba will not use fiber and will bring down the cost to one-tenth of fiber cable installation. It will use lasers that make a mesh over the city using a proprietary technology that has been completely built in-house. These lasers will be eye-safe and can communicate over distances of up to 2 km with no latency. The supernode will include weather sensor, CCTV, and other devices to monitor the conditions around it. Karam Lakshman, CEO and CTO of Wi-Fi Dabba said, "Supernodes are revolutionary not because of what they cost but how they compare in price with legacy technology. Fibre is the key word in the ISP fraternity currently, but it is also the most expensive part of the ecosystem. To be an ISP, one needs to buy lots of fiber, which is both expensive and delicate and needs permissions to initiate the infrastructure proceedings and manage a huge maintenance crew for all the localities. On the contrary, supernodes will cost us 1/10th of what it would cost to set up a legacy ISP that uses fiber." Also Read: JioFiber: Should you buy 100Mbps, 250Mbps, 500Mbps or 1Gbps package? Wi-Fi Dabba has developed proprietary hardware, software and networking as they do not rely on third-party hardware, software or infrastructure. It also helped the Bengaluru-headquartered company save on vendor margins. Currently, they are working towards creating a virtual topology map of Bengaluru that'll be helpful in pre-emptively deciding the most optimal locations to install the supernodes. Shubhendu Sharma, COO, Wi-Fi Dabba says, "India is currently the fastest growing economy and internet connectivity is pivotal to the development of any and every sector. We firmly believe in net neutrality and internet access is a fundamental human right. The concern is not moving from one technology to another but to empower every internet user with flawless speed and have maximum coverage; be it for watching a live stream or having a business video call in any corner of a corporate building". Founded in 2017 to offer "Super Cheap, Super Fast, Internet access", Wi-Fi Dabba has installed over 1,000 hotspots in Bengaluru offering internet connectivity at Rs 2 for 200 MB. It provides connectivity to over 10,000 co-living spaces in the city. The company aims to expand its services across Bangalore and tier-III and tier-IV towns in Karnataka and Maharashtra. As Wi-Fi Dabba aims to raise series A funding, it is in talks with institutional investors in the US and India for the same. Also read: Reliance Jio Fiber: Wi-Fi Mesh, separate broadband ID for guests, other features you may have missed An Oscars voter has revealed why she picked Adam Driver over Joaquin Phoenix for Best Actor. The voter is one of three who spoke anonymously to the Los Angeles Times ahead of the ceremony. Identified only as a female writer in her forties, shes one of more than 8,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Asked to reveal her picks for several major categories including Best Actor, the voter explained why her preference went to Driver, whos nominated for Marriage Story, rather than Phoenix, whos in the running for his turn in Joker. I thought Joaquins performance in Joker was fantastic. Complicated. Upsetting. Moving, the voter said. But heres a perhaps strange calculation Im making. Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Show all 9 1 /9 Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders The Irishman Robert De Niro stars in Martin Scorsese's gangster epic. Netflix Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Joker Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous villain of Todd Phillips' psychological character study. Warner Brothers Entertainment/Fuji Film Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Little Women Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet in Greta Gerwig's Little Women. Sony Pictures Entertainment Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Marriage Story Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play a couple getting a divorce in Noah Baumbach's film. Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Brad Pitt plays a stuntman in Quentin Tarantino's film. Andrew Cooper/Sony-Columbia Pictures via AP Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Le Mans '66 Matt Damon and Christian Bale star as Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles in James Mangold's racing drama. AP Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Parasite A shot from Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. CJ Entertainment Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders Jojo Rabbit Taika Waititi's film has divided critics. Twentieth Century Fox Oscars 2020 Best Picture contenders 1917 Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay in Sam Mendes's First World War film. She then said that she decided to consider both actors skill in a more general manner, instead of focusing on each of the films theyre nominated for. I think that Adam Driver could have played Joker just as well as Joaquin Phoenix, but I dont think that Phoenix could have played Drivers character in Marriage Story, she added. I thought Driver knocked it out of the park in a much less showy, more internal role. Id be happy with Phoenix winning too, though. The Best Actor category is one of the most crowded ones this year. In addition to Driver and Phoenix, Leonardo DiCaprio is nominated for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Jonathan Pryce for The Two Popes, and Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory. You can view a full list of nominations here. The Russian Air Force on orders from President Vladimir Putin is currently in the midst of evacuating some over 150 Russian nationals from China and sending them to be monitored for coronavirus symptoms in a region of Western Siberia. Russian citizens and people from other countries evacuated from China will be temporarily accommodated in the Tyumen Region where they will be placed under quarantine, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters on Tuesday, official news agency TASS reports. This also after the first two cases of coronavirus in Russia were confirmed last Friday. Two Chinese nationals have already been quarantined in Tyumen and the far eastern Zabaykalsky region, and are expected to recover. Tyumen Region is in Western Siberia, and was among the first regions of the harsh and remote eastern areas of Russia to be settled starting in the 16th century. During pre-revolutionary Russia and into Soviet times, the region historically served as a place of exile, including as part of the gulag system of labor camps in the north. Some 147 people will be flown by the Russian Air Force from Wuhan and Hubei Province to the Tyumen area where they are expected to be monitored by medical authorities for at least 14 days. We are preparing ourselves for a possible wide spread of the infection, Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy said, according to the Interfax news agency. Two Russian military planes were due to help evacuate 130 Russians stranded at the epicentre of the outbreak in Chinas Hubei province, officials said. Reuters Russian authorities over the weekend restricted direct flights to China and shut the massive land border with China, which extends for 2,600 miles, which will no doubt have significant economic impact for both countries, given China remains Russias largest and most important trading partner. Our citizens as well as citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union and Ukraine will be accommodated in the Tyumen Region as the best prepared region where they will be placed under quarantine, Deputy Prime Minister Golikova said in her statement Tuesday. She indicated further that an evacuee list is still being finalized between the foreign ministry, the Russian Embassy in China, and the Chinese government. On Monday, Russias Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being (Rospotrebnadzor) revealed that more than 4,000 total people who had contacts with suspected coronavirus infected individuals remain under medical supervision in Russia. Since December 31, Rospotrebnadzor examined 29,651 flights, and 1,627,142 people, discovered 379 people with diseases, who previously were in China for 14 days. Currently, more than 4,000 people who contacted with suspected coronavirus patients remain under medical supervision, an official statement from the health agency said. Several suspected coronavirus infections have occurred in North Korea even though it shut all its borders, sources claim. The infections most likely spread through porous parts of the border with China that see plenty of smuggling and other clandestine traffic. The regime has even banned foreign diplomats from entering or leaving the country and indefinitely suspended services in hotels and shops in Pyongyang. Two suspected cases occurred in Sinuiju, a source told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. He said he heard the news from his family in Sinuiju over the phone. They said one of the patients had been placed in isolation at a motel there and the other lives in the city's Paekun-dong area. The regime also quarantined several patients with suspected coronavirus in Musan, North Hamgyong Province on Sunday, another source told the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday. They are locals who engaged in smuggling between the North and China, according to the source. Liaoning, the Chinese province across the river from Sinuiju, had 74 confirmed infections as of Tuesday, and Jilin Province over the border from Musan 42. Thomas Kemmerich, newly elected Free Democratic Party premier of Thuringia, in Erfurt, Germany on 5 February. Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters Chancellor Angela Merkels party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), caused an uproar in Germany on Wednesday after it teamed up with the far-right Alternative for Germany to back the election of a new leader in the state of Thuringia. Thomas Kemmerich from the pro-business Free Democrats beat the incumbent by one vote to become the premier of the eastern state. It is the first time that the AfD has been a kingmaker and helped a state premier to power. The CDUs co-support of the candidate has been slammed as scandalous, and taboo-breaking by politicians across the spectrum, who are accusing the Christian Democrats of normalising the far-right party. The CDU has repeatedly said it would never cooperate with the radical anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim party, which entered the German parliament after the last election. Social media erupted on Wednesday afternoon, with the Social Democrats, Merkels junior coalition partners in the federal government, expressing disgust. SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans tweeted that it was a scandal of the highest order. Merkels vice-chancellor, the finance minister Olaf Scholz (from the SPD) also weighed in on Twitter, writing: The events in Thuringia break a taboo in the history of political democracy in the Federal Republic. This has effects far beyond #Thuringia. This poses very serious questions for us at the top of the federal government. Social Democrat general secretary Lars Klingbeil said on Twitter: A day on which a state premier is elected into power with the votes of CDU, FDP and AfD is a low point in Germanys postwar history. Todays events in Thuringia will further damage the already unstable, strife-torn government in Berlin, with the risk that it finally falls apart. People demonstrate in Erfurt, Thuringia, with a poster reading, 'Fascists are NEVER partners', in front of the state parliament after the election of Thomas Kemmerich as state premier on 5 February. Photo: Bodo Schackow/via Getty Images The new state premier Kemmerich has ruled out forming a ruling coalition with the AfD in Thuringia. In his speech after the vote, he invited the CDU, SPD and Greens Party to work together with him. Those who voted for Kemmerich have chosen a bitter opponent to all that shows even a hint of violence be that right or left or fascism, he said. Story continues Bjorn Hocke, the AfD leader in the state, is one of the most radical of the partys leaders. Hocke heads up an extreme side-wing within the AfD, and has called for an end of Germanys culture of atonement for the Holocaust, and all the suffering it caused the world under Hitler and the Nazis. The rise of the AfD is linked to the alarming rise in far-right extremism and hate speech in Germany, something the government is trying to police and root out with great difficulty. READ MORE: Germany to create 600 jobs to tackle far-right extremism It's a black day, Bernd Riexinger, co-chair of the Left party told Deutsche Welle. The CDU and FDP have clearly acted as stirrup-holders for the AfD. Demonstrators gathered outside the parliament in Erfurt, the state capital, to protest after the announcement of the vote. Germanys front pages were also quick to condemn the vote in Thuringia. The AfD now has its first premier, said political magazine Der Spiegel. The Kemmerich vote is a shame, said the Suddeutsche Zeitung broadsheet. Iranians are making fun of an Iranian official for posting a picture of an astronaut suit adorned with an Iranian flag that seems to be a photoshopped version of a children's Halloween space costume. Iranian Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi issued the image on February 4 with the hashtag #bright_future. Without any explanation at the time, it was unclear if he was trying to fool people into believing it was an actual Iranian-issue space suit or just a joke. Azari Jahromi's vague tweet was quickly met with derision, criticism, and humorous memes by Iranians on social media amid allegations the minister was, in fact, trying to trick his countrymen into believing the image was an actual suit for the government's ambitious but not-ready-for-prime-time space program. He later clarified that the image was "the picture of a dream, the dream of walking on the moon." He added that he found the many jokes posted online to be "interesting." Speaking at a Tehran event titled Space Technologists' Gathering, Azari Jahromi said his tweet "was the introduction to good news." "The suit wasn't really important because we haven't made an Iranian space suit, yet work is being done to create a special outfit for Iranian space scientists," he backpedaled. That didn't stop the torrent of jokes. "He bought a Halloween space costume [for] $20, removed [the] NASA logo while sewing an Iranian flag on it. He's promoting it as a national achievement," a user said in reaction to the image. Some posted memes to mock the minister, including a video of an astronaut dancing to Iranian music with the hashtag #The_Dance_of_Iranians_In_space #Bright_future. Another user posted a photoshopped photo of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin wearing the suit Azari Jahromi had posted on Twitter. Azari Jahromi -- an avid Twitter user who's been blacklisted by Washington for his role in censoring the Internet in Iran, where citizens are blocked from using Twitter and other social-media sites -- has been promoting Iran's space program in recent days while announcing that Tehran will launch a satellite, Zafar ("Victory" in Persian), into orbit by the end of the week. Azari Jahromi said on February 4 that his country had taken the first step in the quest to send astronauts into space. "The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has ordered manufacturing five space capsules for carrying humans to space to the Aerospace Research Center of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology," he was quoted as saying on February 4 by the semiofficial Mehr news agency. Iran had two failed satellite launches in January and February of last year and a third attempt later in the year resulted in the explosion of a rocket on the launch pad. But Azari Jahromi said on Twitter on February 3 that Tehran was not afraid of failure and that "we will not lose hope" of having a successful space program. Do Monkeys Get Space Suits? Iran does have a recent history of sending creatures into orbit, much to the consternation of animal-rights activists around the world. In 2010, a Kavoshgar-3 rocket was launched by Iran with a rodent, two turtles, and several worms into suborbital space and they reportedly returned to Earth alive. A Kavoshgar-5 carrying a monkey was launched into suborbital space in 2011 but it was said to have failed, though there was no information about the unidentified monkey on board. Iran sent another monkey up on a Pishgam capsule two years later that it said was successful. However, no timing or location of the launch was ever announced, leaving many to doubt it had taken place. A second monkey, named Fargam, was said to have made a similar trip into suborbital space nearly a year later. Iran's planned satellite launch this week comes amid heightened tensions with the United States, which has accused the Islamic republic of using its space program as a cover for missile development. Iranian officials maintain their space activities do not violate United Nations resolutions and that there is no international law prohibiting such a program. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have increased since the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions that have devastated Iran's economy. In early January, the United States assassinated Iran's top military commander, Qasem Soleimani, in a drone attack. Tehran retaliated a few days later by launching a missile strike on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) A 60-year-old Chinese woman has been confirmed as the countrys third case of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, the Department of Health said Wednesday. The Chinese national arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan, China via Hong Kong on January 20. She also went to Bohol, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said in a briefing. Domingo said the patient initially tested negative for samples taken on January 24. This was confirmed both by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City and the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in Australia, he said. However, authorities decided to test the samples that were obtained on January 23 which came out positive. "The picture is that the patient was infected but was getting better and nagnegative na siya [she tested negative] on the 24th and a week later siya nadischarge [she was discharged]," explained Domingo. He said the patient already returned to China on January 31 after it was confirmed that she tested negative for the virus. When the woman arrived in the country, she was already feeling unwell, Domingo said. She stayed in her hotel room and was admitted to the hospital the next day. On the other hand, her companions did not feel experience any sickness, he added. "Remember this, January 20, so medyo open pa wala pang ban ng [it was still open, there was no ban on] flights anywhere and we had very limited information on the nCoV and it was really tracking patients with fever so this patient had no fever when she was passing through our airport," the health official said. Finding traces Domingo said they will only conduct contact-tracing on the patient's flight from China going to the Philippines since she no longer had the infection during her trip back home. Airline company Cebu Pacific said it has already reached out to the crew members of the flight the woman boarded going to Cebu. "It looks like they are all okay but we will be verifying that," Cebu Pacific Spokesperson Charo Lagamon told CNN Philippines' Newsroom. As for contacting the passengers, she said the company already left the lists, including that of passengers in the flights of the other two positive 2019-nCoV patients, to DOH and the Bureau of Quarantine. DOH in Region 7 also said it has begun checking the staff of the hotel and hospital where the woman stayed. DOH-7 Regional Director Jaime Bernadas said the woman and her four companions immediately took a ferry boat at Pier 1 in Cebu City after arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The boat traveled to Tagbilaran City, Bohol. DOH is also looking for the woman's fellow passengers on the boat, Bernadas said. Delayed announcement Domingo revealed that the DOH learned of the positive test results on Monday evening but he said they were unable to announce it to the public since they had to attend the Senate hearing the next day. He said there are also some cases in China wherein patients eventually tested negative even after initially testing positive for 2019-nCoV. "Mae-eliminate mo 'yung virus from your body as your immune system mounts 'yung [the] defense against it so unless it's completely eliminated from your body and it's negative that's when you can send the patient home," he explained. The couple who arrived in the country two weeks ago from Wuhan the Chinese city at the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV outbreak are the Philippines' first two confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus. Domingo said the first case, a 38-year-old Chinese woman, no longer has fever, cough and colds but recent tests showed she is still infected with 2019-nCoV. "Wala na talaga siyang sakit [She was no longer sick] for the past week, no fever, no cough, no colds. However, the latest test that was done itong [this] last 48 hours was still positive pero [but] there were signs na 'yung [the] viral load niya bumababa [has gone down]," he said. Domingo said they cannot allow her to return to China yet as long as she still has the virus. The second case, a 44-year-old Chinese man, who along with his partner visited Dumaguete, Cebu and Manila, died from health complications Saturday making him the first 2019-nCoV fatality outside of mainland China. The second death outside the worlds most populous country was recorded in Hong Kong, one of Chinas special administrative regions. The global death toll from the 2019-nCoV was at 490 as of Wednesday morning, with more than 24,000 cases of infection recorded in at least 28 countries and territories, including mainland China, according to the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering that tracks coronavirus cases across the world. The number of deaths from the 2019-nCov has overtaken that from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in China in 2003, which left 349 dead, CNN reported. But the new virus that in some cases can lead to fatal acute respiratory disease, has a lower mortality rate of about two percent compared to around 10 percent for SARS and 35 percent for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, health experts said. A 50-year-old Dalit woman was set ablaze by a man when she tried to resist his move to enter her house in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, officials said on Wednesday. The woman, who suffered about 95 per cent burns in the incident that took place in Andhari village of Sillod tehsil on Sunday midnight, was battling for life at a government hospital here. Her condition was "critical", authorities at the hospital said. The accused, Santosh Mohite (50), also a resident of the same village, was arrested late Tuesday night, an official at Sillod (rural) police station said. The woman, who is married and has two daughters, lived alone in her house and Mohite tried to enter the place around 11 pm on Sunday, the official said, adding that the motive behind his act was yet to be ascertained. When she tried to prevent his move, Mohite forcibly entered the house, poured kerosene kept in the premises over her and set her on fire, he said. He then locked the door from outside and ran away, the official said. On hearing cries of the woman, some of her relatives staying in the vicinity rushed to the place and took her to a local hospital, from where she was referred to the government- run Ghati Hospital in Aurangabad city. "Her condition is critical. She has suffered 95 per cent burns. She is presently on oxygen support," the hospital's medical superintendent Suresh Harbade told PTI. Meanwhile, the accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 452 (house-trespass with preparation for causing hurt to any person) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). He has also been charged under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police said. In a similar incident, a 25-year-old woman college teacher was set on fire by a stalker in the state's Wardha district on Monday. Her condition was stable but critical, a doctor said on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) jFor Stephanie Sewell, being a human rights defender is synonymous with her mission to combat colourism: discrimination based on skin tone within African descent communities. Its a further level of racism within a race said Sewell. Based on shades of your skin, in some spaces, youre perceived as either being prettier or of a higher social class. And it is usually the lighter ones who are perceived to be of a higher class than those who are darker skinned. Sewell is a 2019 UN Human Rights African Descent Fellow. The programme aims to strengthen the skills of participants to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights of people of African descent and their respective countries. Fellows learn about the different human rights mechanisms, and how to use them to enhance development of legislation, strengthen collaboration of civil societies with governments and to undertake local awareness raising activities. Colourism might seem an unusual subject to be associated with human rights, but Sewell said that prejudice against darker skin tones has led to human rights challenges. Sewell recently launched a campaign in Jamaica to raise awareness of colourism and other human rights issues. The campaign, called @DarkSkinInJA, uses social media to highlight the double standard and discrimination that happens to people with darker skin colour in Jamaica. For example, the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) lists colour prejudice as one of the human rights concerns its members have noted in interactions between patients and medical staff. In a booklet issued in June 2019 called Health Care The Rights Way: Centering Human Rights in Patients Care, the association noted that patients with lighter complexions are treated more favourably than those with darker hues when seeing medical attention at public hospitals and clinics. In addition, the prejudice encourages harmful practices such as skin bleaching, which 11 percent of the countrys population undertake, according to a 2017 government survey on lifestyle. It extends to education, where dress codes often are aimed at reducing the more natural characteristics of those who are darker skinned, Sewell said. She pointed to a recent case of a primary school where a child with a dreadlock hairstyle was refused entrance because of grooming rules. I think its just disappointing, to think that in Jamaica, the home, the birth place of Rastafarianism. . . home of Marcus Garvey who preached about black pride, that the schools still try to enforce the same colonial standards of beauty, she said. The fellowship will give Sewell a chance to increase the reach of her human rights campaign in Jamaica and to embrace her growing role as a human rights defender. The fellowship gives me much more exposure to what the UN mechanisms are. . . increase human rights awareness in Jamaica and just generally get the message out there better, she said. I think for a very long time, human rights has been deemed to be issues that the Western world had been pushing and not so much in the Caribbean. But when you start to look at the nitty gritty, the fact that education is a right, health is a right, you realize you cant help but (see the need to promote and protect human rights and therefore) be a human rights defender. At its core, its something I do believe in. This year marks the half-way point in the observance of the Decade for People of African Descent. Learn how more about the Decade and the events. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on a 3-day official tour to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata starting February 7 to hold interactions with industry leaders and various stakeholders on different themes of Budget 2020. On February 1, Sitharaman had presented her second Union Budget on behalf of the NDA-2 government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.In the longest Union Budget speech in history, Sitharaman talked about tax regime, finance, agriculture, irrigation, water, sanitation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, women, digital connectivity among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jackson, Mississippi, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Minute Loan Center is a leading provider of alternative financial support and a proponent of supporting the needs of the local community. As a gesture of support and in celebration of the New Year, the team at Minute Loan Center, Jackson, Mississippi donated $500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi. Our team here at Minute Loan Center of Jackson elected to donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters because of their impact on our local community, shared Christine Jenkins, manager of the Jackson, MS - Minute Loan Center. Growing up in a hard part of town, I have seen for myself the effects a role model can have on a kid, both at home and in the community. Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children in Jackson, Mississippi realize their full potential and build their futures. They nurture children and strengthen communities through mentorship. The vision of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi is to provide successful relationships for all children who need and want them, contributing to better schools, brighter futures and stronger communities for all. BBBSMS serves children and youth ages 5-15 who could benefit from a positive role model in their lives. Its mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. There are over a centurys worth of volunteers, donors and advocates that together support the cause. We thank you (Minute Loan Center of Jackson, Mississippi) for your support and desire to defend potential, stated April Banks, BBBSMS State Program Manager. Minute Loan Centers National Director of Operations, George Gutenberg announced that The Minute Loan Center of Jackson, Mississippi is one of the first locations nationwide to participate in the launch of the Going the Extra Mile program. Each quarter in the New Year, multiple Minute Loan Center locations across the United States will be making charitable donations to organizations within their communities. This is a way for all Minute Loan Centers to honor and strengthen the communities that support each location by Going the Extra Mile. ### About Minute Loan Center: www.MinuteLoanCenter.com Minute Loan Center is a pioneering alternative finance company helping people in a pinch get short-term funds, perfect credit not required. Operating in Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Utah, MLC is a community lender with decades of experience serving our neighbors. We lead the way with products designed around customer success and additional services such as MLC Coupons and First Avenu to help people live their best life. #MinuteLoanCenter #Loan #FastCash Our location in Jackson changed its name to Minute Loan Center from Easy Money Group and relocated to Metro Crossing, 4836 Highway 18 W, Jackson, MS 39209. Our phone number is 601.352.4455 and our phenomenal service remains the same. About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi: www.bbbsms.org For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child, is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nations largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles), ages 5 through 15, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. #BBBSMS Store Location: Minute Loan Center Christine Jenkins Manager Jackson, Mississippi Metro Crossing 4836 Hwy 18 W Jackson, MS 39209 601.352.4445 Attachments Take note you canvassers and politicians with blisters, coughs and sore legs from the door-to-door campaigning. One of the country's youngest candidates is taking inspiration from more senior politicians - albeit across the Atlantic - who don't moan or ease up in their campaigning. Green party Mayo candidate Saoirse McHugh said, after three weeks on the hustings, she has gained a new found respect for US president Donald Trump and his likely presidential election opponents, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. I am physically shattered every night from canvassing around the constituency and then I see these guys in America who are over forty years older than me and who have been campaigning for nearly two years at this stage. "Not alone do they have to get through one constituency they have to cover a massive country and all of them are in their seventies, Sanders is nearly eighty actually, so I look at them and go 'Wow'." TAKEAWAY 2 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visiting St Josephs College, Lucan, today with local Fine Gael candidate Emer Higgins. Pic: Douglas O'Connor Nobody reads manifestos Sean, you know that. Thus spoke Fine Gaels Regina Doherty in advance of the campaign. But yesterday the Taoiseach met a youthful audience that does read them, though unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for Mr Varadkar, none of them can vote. The politics class of St Josephs College in Lucan gave the Taoiseach a grilling on subjects ranging from the National Childrens Hospital to the rise of the far right, to a plea for guarantees that the schools extension will finally be delivered after 15 years of waiting. Theyve sat down and read everything, and they have questions, Mr Varadkar was told. Theyve read them all? Really? was the incredulous response. You could understand why he told the crowd shortly afterwards that he wouldnt be cutting the voting age to 16. TAKEAWAY 3 Journalists were licking their lips at the prospect of quizzing Tipperary TD Alan Kelly at a party event in Dublin yesterday. But it was announced at the last minute that, as the Tipperary election vote was likely back on and with the funeral of Cllr Marese Skehan, he had made a quick dash back to his constituency. All those thorny questions about Kelly's leadership ambitions will have to wait, probably much to the relief of leader Brendan Howlin. But given Labour's dwindling opinion poll numbers, they could come sooner rather than later after the general election. Kelly has said nada about the party's leadership in recent months, but the firebrand TD was conspicuous by his absence at Labour press events during the election campaign. WELL SAID I do, but not in this election. Leo Varadkar, in answer to a schoolgirls question do you think its important that in the future we have a female Taoiseach?. He did add however that he hopes that a few glass ceilings that have yet to be broken, such as the positions of Finance Minister and Ceann Comhairle, will see their first female occupants in the aftermath of the election. TWEET OF THE DAY GOOD DAY Other party leaders reminded voters about the omerta surrounding the IRA and its victims and the fact that Sinn Fein are in denial about past events. They haven't gone away you know. SLIPPING FROM POLE POSITION Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rips a copy of President Donald Trump's speech after he delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Pelosi Explains Why She Ripped Up Trumps Speech House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) explained why she tore up a copy of President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech after he delivered it to both chambers of Congress on Tuesday night. The move has drawn criticism from a number of conservatives, Republicans in Congress, and Vice President Mike Pence. Pelosi confirmed in interviews with reporters afterward why she tore it up. Pelosi told reporters that she tore up the speech because it was a manifesto of untruths. The moment came during a time of considerable tension between Pelosi and the president, just weeks after House Democrats voted to impeach Trump. Pelosi and the president reportedly havent met in several months. The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people. The American people expect and deserve a President to have integrity and respect for the aspirations for their children, she said in a statement on Tuesday evening. Pelosi stood up and clapped when Trump spoke of the need to take down Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro while introducing opposition leader Juan Guaido, who stood in the gallery. She also stood up and clapped when Trump spoke about infrastructure spending. According to her statement, Americans are most concerned with the state of health care in the United States, but Trump in his speech, she claimed gave no comfort to the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions or the families struggling to afford the prescription drugs they need. In his speech, Trump said that 130 lawmakers have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded health care to millions of illegal aliens, and 132 lawmakers have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system. Pence, who sat next to Pelosi on the dais behind Trump, told Fox News that he didnt see her do it; I found out just a few moments later. He said the move was a new low and beneath the dignity of a joint session of Congress. The contrast here was a president who spent an hour and a half making a speech about America, Pence remarked, adding that Pelosis actions were symbolic of the resistance against Trump. He stressed that the American people see through it Pelosis move to tear up the speech. I think what [Americans] got last night was a speech that lifted up the country and celebrated the incredible progress that weve made in our economy [and] rebuilding or military, Pence said. I just know it was a great blessing to people all across America, he added. Pence echoed claims that were made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other prominent Republicans in Congress. The House Speakers office has not responded to a request for comment following Pences Wednesday morning remarks. Australia Confirms 13th Case of Coronavirus in Country Sputnik News 19:41 GMT 04.02.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Australia confirmed the 13th case of coronavirus in the country as the health authorities of the northwestern state of Queensland said on Tuesday that a child from China tested positive for the disease. "There has been a third novel coronavirus case confirmed in Queensland [13th in Australia]. An 8-year-old boy, a Chinese national from Wuhan (Hubei Province), has been confirmed to have novel coronavirus", Queensland Health posted on their official Facebook page. The statement also said that the child was in the same tour group with two adults, confirmed in late January to have had the virus. The boy was in a stable condition and remained in isolation at the hospital located in the coastal city of Gold Coast, according to the state's health authorities. The coronavirus outbreak began in December and quickly spread across China and beyond. More than 20,000 people are currently infected and over 420 have died, most of them in China. The symptoms of the new coronavirus are typical of common cold or flu: fever, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Description GIS - 05 February, 2020: The first phase of the new state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Vacoas, equipped with upgraded modern equipment and evidenced-based specialised medical service, will be operational in the near future. The construction of the second phase is expected to be completed in about 12 months, said the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal. The first phase of the new state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Vacoas, equipped with upgraded modern equipment and evidenced-based specialised medical service, will be operational in the near future. The construction of the second phase is expected to be completed in about 12 months, said the He was speaking yesterday, at the Cancer Unit of Victoria Hospital, where he visited patients suffering from cancer, along with the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah and other personalities. The visit was organised in the context of International Cancer Day 2020. Government, the Health Minister said, aims at providing latest medical technology and quality healthcare to citizens through the provision of best healthcare services. He underlined that the country has already a well-established structure for cancer, but still needs to upgrade and modernise with the ongoing technological development. He reiterated Governments commitment to enhancing public healthcare services by investing massively in the provision of modern equipment and facilities as well as upgrading existing healthcare infrastructures. Dr Jagutpal also recognised and lauded the effort, hard work and dedication of the personnel of the Cancer Unit, adding that attending to the needs of cancer patients is not an easy task. According to him, it requires utmost care, patience, commitment and the willingness to serve so as to deliver quality and effective services. Good communication and customer care are equally important tools to facilitate the lives of the patients as well as providing them with the most favorable environment, he added. For her part, Minister Koonjoo-Shah recalled that International Cancer Day is observed every year on 4 February to raise awareness about cancer and the contribution of one and all in the fight against cancer so as to bring a decrease in deaths caused by this disease. It is also an opportune time to raise awareness among people who are not aware of the disease and to impart knowledge about treatments, prevention, research and of coping up with the disease. She urged the population to go for cancer screening as early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances for successful treatment. One of the six pillars of the Chester County Historic Courthouse on North High Street will shine in blue light on January nights beginning Tuesday evening in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. A delegation from Botswana Vision 2030 was briefed during a visit to the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) about Bahrains experience on the Organisational Performance project (Takamul) and ways to integrate it with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, the Government Action Plan and national strategic initiatives. The delegation was informed about the system used for monitoring and assessing performances, conveying reports and enabling all employees, regardless of their capacities and titles, to use it. Opportunities and challenges in using the system were reviewed with the delegation. SpaceX has won a NASA contract to launch an Earth science satellite that has fended off cancellation from the Trump administration three separate times. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will loft the PACE satellite (its name is short for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) ) spacecraft into orbit in December 2022, NASA announced. The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida using a Falcon 9 whose first stage has launched at least one mission in the past. "SpaceX is honored to continue supporting NASA's critical scientific observational missions by launching PACE, which will help humanity better understand, protect and preserve our planet," Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, said in a company statement. It's been a long road to get PACE ready for launch. The Trump administration tried to cancel the ocean-watching mission in budget proposals for 2018 , 2019 and 2020 to save money. But PACE which was named one of the top priorities in the National Research Council's 2007 Earth science decadal survey has persisted. In all three cases, Congress voted to include additional funds to support the mission. Most recently, in December 2019, Congress authorized $131 million for PACE in fiscal 2020, according to SpaceNews . NASA's overall fiscal budget for 2020 is $22.629 billion, a five percent increase over 2019. NASA's budget in 2020 represents approximately 0.48% of all U.S. government spending, according to the Planetary Society . PACE focuses on examining the oceans, clouds and aerosols (small air particles) of Earth . This will allow the mission to figure out the diversity of phytoplankton, which are tiny plant-like organisms in the ocean that are the base of the food chain. These organisms are at the base of the food chain and can help scientists understand how climate change is affecting the environment and Earth's species. PACE will orbit Earth at about 1.5 times the altitude of the International Space Station; the science mission will be at about 420 miles (675 kilometers), while the space station's orbit is typically 250 miles (400 km) in altitude. The top tool of PACE is the Ocean Color Instrument, which continues work from previous ocean-color studies . PACE will examine the ocean's color in wavelengths ranging from long ultraviolet to short infrared, NASA says. Since PACE will be in a sun-synchronous orbit, this will allow for consistent daylight conditions for imaging making it easier to compare different regions, or the same region over long periods. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum traveled to Libya's Benghazi where he met with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and other top officials in the Tobruk-based government, media reported Wednesday CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum traveled to Libya's Benghazi where he met with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and other top officials in the Tobruk-based government, media reported Wednesday. Al-Arabiya broadcaster reported, citing its source, that Boukadoum discussed Libyan settlement and explored the possibility of setting up a reconciliation meeting in neighboring Algeria between the warring parties. Boukadoum also met with the foreign minister of Libya's interim government, Abdel Hadi al-Hwaij, the interim government's information office reported. Algeria's newly elected government has become more active within international diplomatic efforts to settle the Libyan conflict. Most recently, the country hosted a meeting of foreign ministers from countries bordering Libya. Algeria was also represented at the Berlin Conference on Libya by its president. Libya has been split between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord and LNA since at least 2015. When Etobicokes Royal Myanmar, the only restaurant serving Burmese food in the GTA that I knew of, closed in November, I was on a search for another place that served mohinga, the national dish of rice noodles in a rich, aromatic soup thickened with pureed fish. I put out the call on Twitter but the responses told me the next closest spot is on the New York side of Niagara Falls (Mandalay Restaurant and Bar) or better yet, head to Buffalo, NY where there are more than a dozen spots to choose from because of its local refugee population. As if by luck, I was alerted to the opening of Popa in mid-January, a new Burmese restaurant in the Bayview Village shopping centre that, according to the press release, also serves dishes from Bali and the Chinese autonomous region of Macau. Its owners, restaurateurs Hemant Bhagwani and Trevor Lui are well-known in the restaurant industry. Bhagwani, who designed the menu for Popa, also owns Goa Indian Farm Kitchen at the mall and was the founder of the Amaya Indian quick service chain, while Lui opened Taiwanese-style Kanpai Snack Bar and runs his own food media company. I was elated, but it made me wonder why in a city as multicultural as Toronto, where we have regional Thai, Chinese and Indian restaurants, Burmese cuisine seems overlooked. Where do Torontonians of Burmese descent go when theyre too tired to cook for themselves but are craving mohinga? It turns out that to get a taste of Burmese cooking in Toronto, one had to be in the know within the community. A Saturday afternoon snowstorm could not stop me from trying July Htaiks home cooking in East York. Htaik previously owned a Burmese food stall called Delightfully Delicious at the shipping container market at the corner of Dundas St. W. and Bathurst St. but closed after a year in July 2018 following an injury. I had taken a chance and contacted Htaik through the old Delightfully Delicious business page on Facebook. Surprisingly, Htaik responded. When I lamented the lack of options in Toronto, she invited me to her home for a meal with her family. We take pride in our cooking, says Htaik as she sets up the dining table. We like salty, oily curries and strong flavours. She no longer works in the restaurant industry but has since helped cook for community events. At the table, Htaik adds fresh herbs, sliced boiled egg and fried garlic to her mohinga, a breakfast dish of rice noodles in a garlic and lemongrass-scented, chowder-like broth made from pureed cooked fish. Plates of silky Shan tofu, made from chickpea flour and turmeric that yield a gorgeous golden hue, are served both plain and fried. A clean broth made from simmering moringa leaves and fish heads is served with steamed rice, a plate of greens and meat curries. When I tell Htaik that Im not averse to spice, she adds extra sliced chilies to the laphet thoke, a fermented tea leaf salad. Her mother, Htoo Htoo Than, insists that I try dipping some vegetables in ngapi, a catch-all term for a fermented fish paste. Its powerful, salty fermented goodness with the same umami punch that makes miso and stinky cheeses so wonderful. To understand Burmese cooking is to understand the countrys long and complicated history. With Thailand and Laos to the east, China to the north and India to the west, the countrys food is heavily influenced by its neighbours. Indian cooking can be seen in their samosa soups and the heavy use of turmeric, for example. Noodles and soy overlap with Chinese cooking. Ingredients such as fermented shrimp and fish pastes, lemongrass, fish sauce, tamarind and lime can also be found in Thai cuisine. The former British colony also has more than 130 government-recognized and unrecognized ethnic groups that shape the diverse cuisine. Rohingya are the most well-known unrecognized group on an international level. Even a national dish like mohinga will have many regional variations. Htaik says her version incorporates elements from her hometown of Rangoon (now known as Yangon) with more chili powder and the addition of chopped banana stems (the flower stalk of the banana plant) for added texture in the soup. As for the countrys name, in 1989 the ruling military government at the time officially changed it from Burma to Myanmar. It occurred the year after a deadly student-led, pro-democracy protest. Nowadays, some people use the names interchangeably, while others prefer one or the other due to the political connotations. The Stars style is Myanmar but weve used Burmese for this story since were referring to traditional cuisine, rather than geography. The uprising in 1988 resulted in thousands of Burmese fleeing the country. Outside of Myanmar, the largest community of Burmese people is in Fort Wayne, Indiana where more than 10,000 people reside, resulting in a Little Burma neighbourhood with dedicated restaurants, shops and grocers catering to the diverse Burmese residents. I dont think a lot of people know where Burma is, says Htaik when asked why she thinks the cuisine isnt more well-known in Toronto. Burmese food wasnt as popular until recently because it was a country closed off to the rest of the world. Some ingredients essential for Burmese cooking are hard to find in Toronto. Htaik says she could only find banana stems at one grocer in Rexdale. When its unavailable, she substitutes it with jarred lotus root. Catfish is also the fish most Burmese people use for mohinga, but when Htaik cant find it she substitutes it with tilapia or even tuna. Daw Molly is also one of the go-to people in Toronto for making foods for Burmese community gatherings. The retired lawyer fled Myanmar during the uprising in the late 80s and landed in India. There, she learned how to cook from other Burmese refugees over the next 20 years before moving to Toronto 11 years ago. Molly also says finding certain ingredients can be a challenge, such as having to search the Thai section of grocers for the kind of fish paste she needs for her curries or dried fish for grilling and frying. Theres also fermented tea leaves to make the staple dish of laphet thoke and dried roselle leaves, a sour and tart vegetable thats fried with garlic and chilies or made into curries. For those, Htaik and Molly say they order it from Fort Wayne. If somebody gives me roselle leaves, its the happiest moment, says Molly over the phone from her home. Whoever gives it to me, I try to treat them and cook for them. From her experience, Htaik says the costs of running a restaurant in Toronto is a barrier for many Burmese people, especially when serving a cuisine locals arent familiar with. We had a restaurant in Moncton that mixed together Thai, Japanese, Malaysian and Burmese food, she says, adding that they would drive to Montreal to find certain ingredients when the restaurant ran from 2010 to 2015. Its hard to just stand on Burmese food and build up a clientele with that, especially when the food takes a long time to properly make. Bhagwani and Lui are hoping to raise the profile of Burmese food with Popa A lot of people ask what the food is. Is it Indian? Chinese? Thai? says Bhagwani, who also created the menu. I tell them its none of that, but its a true marriage of different cultures. The restaurant is named after a dormant volcano in central Myanmar and billed as a Burmese, Balinese and Macanese restaurant (Macau is a former Portuguese colony that is now an autonomous region of China). Bhagwani designed an initial menu of the Burmese dishes he first tasted while in Delhi three years ago. Two months ago, he flew to Yangon, Myanmars largest city, to research recipes. Share your thoughts: Before the restaurant opened, Bhagwani and Lui came to the Stars test kitchen to prepare a few dishes slated for the menu. Among them were the Shan tofu and mohinga, made from pureed catfish, that I also ate at Htaiks home. They also served pyaa jo kyaw, a lentil-based fritter with Indian influences and Rakhine mohinga, a spicier variation on the noodle dish from Myanmars western coast. Bhagwani and Lui arent Burmese (Bhagwani is of Indian heritage and Lui Chinese), but the owners say there is a lot of overlap between the cuisines and the important thing is to respect Burmese cooking by understanding its ingredients and history. The easy route would be to make khao soi our number one Burmese dish because Torontonians are already familiar with it in Thai restaurants, says Lui. But we want people to try the tea leaf salad and mohinga first. I love its creamy, salty and tart flavours; its perfect. Htaik and her family havent eaten at Popa yet, but are looking forward to it. I just want Burmese cuisine to be promoted, says Htaik. For me, the goal is to just have people know what it is. Itll get there one day, thats my dream. And then Ill have lots of restaurants to choose from. All 124 exhibit booths at the 2020 National Medicare Supplement Insurance Summit are now sold reports the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI) organizers of the industry conference. "We increased the number of available spaces from 84 to 124 for this year and they are all gone," notes Jesse Slome, AAMSI's director. "We expect a packed auditorium for the three day event." The 12th national Medigap insurance industry conference will take place May 13-15, 2020 at the Schaumburg Convention Center, which is located a few miles from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. "While we plan a great series of sessions and speakers, we know that walking the exhibit hall and meeting face-to-face with the many insurance companies, insurance distributors and lead generation companies is a prime reason many people attend.." Slome adds. The 2020 Medigap Summit will bring together industry leaders who market, price and support the sale of Medicare Supplement insurance. Early registration discounted prices end February 14 according to AAMSI. "This conference has historically sold out in advance of the date and while we have a significantly larger facility this year, the industry's growth means another sell out is definitely possible," Slome predicts. Conference information can be viewed online via the Association's website. "While the 2020 Medicare Supplement conference exhibit hall is sold out, there are still some sponsorship opportunities remaining available," Slome shared. To learn more about the Association's conference and to see companies that will be exhibiting at the 2020 event, visit the Association's website at www.medicaresupp.org/2020-medigap-conference-expo/. The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance is an advocacy and informational organization that supports the industry and insurance professionals who market Medicare insurance options. The Association organizes the annual Medicare insurance conference that includes a free sales day for insurance agents. Proposed legislation would change new North Dakota ethics laws that apparently conflict with a voter-passed constitutional amendment for state government ethics. Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, D-Fargo, provided fellow members of the Legislature's interim Judiciary Committee on Tuesday with two bill drafts related to procedures and authority of North Dakota's new Ethics Commission and transparency in political spending. The committee is studying the 2018 ethics measure that bore the new five-person panel and other ethics mandates. The committee did not discuss and took no action on the bill drafts. Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, who chairs the committee, said it will meet three more times before the 2021 Legislature convenes. Bill drafts require review at two interim committee meetings. The next Legislature could potentially consider the legislation Hanson proposed, if the committee approves resulting bills. Hanson, who is seeking a second term, said her bill drafts are meant to resolve apparent conflicts between constitutional and new statutory language, such as authority of the Ethics Commission, and so-called "dark money" in elections, or secretive campaign contributions. The bill drafts offer new statutory definitions, lay out recordkeeping and reporting elements of the ultimate and true source of funds and rewrite areas of state ethics law such as complaint procedures. So in other words, these changes prevent any kind of infringement of the constitutional authority of the Ethics Commission," Hanson told the committee. Klemin said the committee at its next meeting in March will review Hanson's bill drafts after time to look them over. Ethics Commission Chairman Ron Goodman, who is a retired judge, declined to comment on the bill drafts as he hadn't seen them. Ellen Chaffee, a chief sponsor of the 2018 initiated measure, said she appreciates Hanson's efforts. "Clearly these things need to be resolved, and this will give everyone a chance to decide point for point and have it all in one place rather than one at a time," Chaffee told the Tribune. The 2019 Legislature considered two competing bills to implement the Ethics Commission and passed Republican majority leaders' framework and a $517,000 two-year budget. A Democratic-NPL-sponsored bill was amended into a measure that bore the ongoing study. The Ethics Commission has discussed the conflicts between the constitution and state ethics laws, including a confidential whistleblower hotline mandated by the constitution but at odds with a new state law prohibiting the commission from investigating anonymous complaints. The commission has discussed requesting an attorney general opinion. The Judiciary Committee also heard from Ethics Commission Executive Director David Thiele, who updated lawmakers on the work of the commission, whose members were appointed by Gov. Doug Burgum and Senate leaders in August. The commission has drafted a mission statement and code of ethics and is working to establish rules and a complaint process, Thiele said. The board has so far rejected two complaints, citing a lack of jurisdiction. The Ethics Commission next meets Feb. 20 in Bismarck. Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. A 26-year-old man has been arrested after doing doughnuts and standing on top of his car shouting in the middle of the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets. Footage captured by a passer-by shows a man in a red, white and black jacket and cap standing on the top of a silver car stopped in the middle of the intersection in front of Flinders Street Station about 1.50pm. Passersby watch the incident unfold on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets. "This guy's come tearing down the f---ing road, doing doughnuts and he's now there [on top of his car]," a witness said. About 2.10pm police requested that people avoid the area but they have since said the operation is under control. Flinders Street reopened shortly after 3.30pm. Jilted lovers can get their revenge this Valentines Day during the San Antonio Zoos Cry Me A Cockroach event. Equal parts eww and aww, the fundraiser helps mend the brokenhearted by giving them the opportunity, for the low price of only $5, to name a cockroach after their ex and then have the not-so-guilty pleasure of watching, either in person or by live stream, as the tasty morsel is fed to one of the zoos hungry, hungry insectivores. For $25, you can also name a rat after that once-special BF or GF who done you wrong, and then watch as the sub-in for your snake of an ex is fed to a literal snake. To name a roach or rat, visit sazoo.org/valentine. Involuntary singles also will receive a certificate they can send to their ex, alerting them that a cockroach named in their honor will be eaten on Valentines Day. Rodents and roaches are routinely fed to many of our animals as enrichment treats, said Jennifer Pue, the zoos director of public relations. These are the kinds of foods they eat out in the wild. The feeding frenzy by the zoos birds and reptiles will take place some time on Feb. 14th, with the exact times still to be decided. If you cant make it, youll be able to watch on the zoos Facebook page, @SanAntonioZoo, or at sazoo.org/you-blew-it. Related: San Antonio restaurants serving Valentines Day lunch, dinner and desserts in 2020 Couples who are still lovebugs havent been forgotten, though. They can enjoy a four-course prix fixe meal and a glass of wine during the Valentines night Wild at Heart dinner at the zoo for $90 a person. Entrees are a choice of veal osso bucco or seared barramundi. There are seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and reservations, required, can be made at the sazoo.org/experiences/wildatheart. The squeamish will be comforted to hear that all the roaches used are sourced from outside companies and maintained by the reptile department until feeding time. Rodents come from a mouse farm and are delivered to the zoo frozen. San Antonios isnt the only zoo to bug out on Valentines Day. The Bronx Zoo lets visitors name a Madagascar hissing cockroach for a loved (or former loved) one for as little as $15 a pop. On ExpressNews.com: 4 easy Valentines Day candies to make at home for your sweetheart The El Paso Zoos promotion is free, although donations are accepted. This year El Paso raised the ick factor when zoo director Joe Montisano pledged to eat one roach for every $1,000 raised. So far, hes set to dine on three of the creepy critters. Told of Montisanos culinary challenge, Pue laughed and said San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow hadnt heard about it, but that shed mention it to him. Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini Delhi High Court on Wednesday stated that that death warrant of all convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case should be executed together. The Delhi prison rules does not state whether when the mercy petition of one convict is pending, the execution of the other convicts can take place and from the trial court to Supreme Court all convicts have been held by a common order and a common judgment, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait observed while passing the order. High Court dismissed the Central government and Tihar Jail authorities plea challenging the Patiala House court's order, which stayed the execution of the four convicts in the case. It also observed that the convicts indulged in a heinous offence of a bone-chilling rape and murder of a girl and that criminal appeals by all convicts were dismissed by the courts. Moreover, the court observed that the review petitions were filed after long wait and convicts are taking shelter of Article 21 which is available to them till their last breath. A single-judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait had on Sunday kept the order reserved in the matter after special hearing of two days. Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Centre, alleged that the convicts were deliberately delaying the execution, adding that any delay in death sentence will have a dehumanising effect on the convicts. A Delhi court last week stayed till further orders the execution of the four convicts -- Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma -- which was earlier scheduled to take place on February 1. The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutal murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people, including a juvenile, in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday reviewed the preparation for Friday's function, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to celebrate signing of the Bodo peace accord. The programme is being held to express the gratitude of the people of Assam, especially those belonging to Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD), to the prime minister for the agreement. Sonowal reviewed the progress with Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, Bodoland Territorial Council Chief Hagrama Mohilary, All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) president Pramod Boro and senior officials. Talking to reporters here, Sonowal said the both the Bodo peace accord and the prime minister's visit are historic. He alleged that the Congress government at the Centre did not dare to take such a step nor initiated any approach to bring peace in the state and the North East despite ruling for over 50 years. "Both Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have given maximum importance for the rapid growth and development of the area, which will usher in a new horizon for the overall growth and development of the whole country," Sonowal said. The prime minister will address the gathering to hail the historic Bodo agreement, signed in New Delhi on January 27. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal while addressing the Congress's election meeting in Delhi Jangpura. Rahul Gandhi said that in every place in Delhi, the work done by Congress is visible, Congress worked to make Delhi but BJP and AAP did nothing. Rahul Gandhi said that the biggest challenge today is to get a job, it is necessary to get employment for the youth, but on this, PM Modi and Delhi's CM Kejriwal can tell what they have done. Suspected of corona virus found in Pakistan, people under house arrest Regarding the NDA government at the Center, Rahul Gandhi said that, PM Modi took your money and gave it to Adani and Ambani. It is not the leadership of Narendra Modi, but rather the government of Adani and Ambani. The economy of the country has been broken by demonetisation and GST. Modi government is busy selling everything, maybe these people will sell Taj Mahal too. Rahul further said that the Congress built the metro and flyover in Delhi, BJP and AAP have won the election only by lying about Congress. Gandhinagar Assembly seat: interesting battle between Guru and disciple, AAP's 'Deepu' will take on Congress's 'Lovely' If anyone has worked in Delhi, it is only Congress. BJP and AAP only know marketing and are doing the same. Rahul has said that some people are talking a lot about Pakistan. Our candidates are so courageous that they go to Pakistan and raise slogans of Hindustan Zindabad they get imprisoned. Does any BJP leader have the courage to go to Pakistan and shout slogans of Hindustan Zindabad. Delhi Assembly Election: Son of veteran Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi joins BJP Pregnant women infected with the deadly Wuhan coronavirus may be able to pass the illness on to their unborn children, scientists in China have suggested after finding a newborn had been infected. The death toll for the virus has continued to increase since the strain was first observed in December 2019 with some 490 people killed in China, where 24,324 cases have been reported. Now a newborn child has been confirmed to be among the reported cases having tested positive for the virus just 30 hours after their birth on 2 February at Wuhan Children Hospital. Doctors have since raised concerns the illness could have been passed from mother to child in the womb, potentially setting the virus termed 2019-n-CoV by scientists apart from other coronaviruses that have led to global health crises like Sars and MERS. "This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission," said the chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospital's neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under 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flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. 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The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty The hospital went on to confirm a second case involving an infant with a child showing symptoms 16 days after their birth. Both the babys nanny and mother were found to have contracted the illness in the days following its birth on 13 January, with the infant showing signs of infection on 29 January. Neither of the two infants are in a critical condition, according to doctors. Recommended Woman on flight from China with Britons tests positive for coronavirus "Whether it was the baby's nanny who passed to the virus to the mother who passed it to the baby, we cannot be sure at the moment," Mr Zeng said. But we can confirm that the baby was in close contact with patients infected with the new coronavirus, which says newborns can also be infected." Meanwhile in Singapore a six-month old was among four new cases confirmed in the country, taking the nation's total infection figure to 28. It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) played down media reports on Wednesday of "breakthrough" drugs being discovered to treat those infected across 21 nations including China. A Chinese TV report said researchers at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat the virus, while Sky News announced researchers had made a "significant breakthrough" in developing a vaccine prompting a jump in oil prices. Asked about the reports, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV (virus) and the WHO recommends enrolment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety." Additional reporting by Reuters Office landlords are still reaping the benefits of the banking royal commission with government departments, lawyers and compliance consultants the fastest-growing tenants across the country. The sector accounted for the lion's share of office leases signed in the past year, followed closely by the tech industry. Flexible office space also remains in demand but the pace of expansion has declined after the failed 2019 proposed WeWork float. The Property Council of Australia's latest office market report for the six months to January shows Sydney and Melbourne are sitting at record low vacancy levels of just over 3 per cent. An artist's impression of 80 Collins Street, Melbourne. Office vacancy rates fell in five of the eight capital city markets surveyed, while more than one million square metres of new office space prepares to come onto the market this year. Dockless electric scooters waiting on sidewalks for commuters to hop on and then abandon wherever they please dont appear to be part of Torontos transportation future. Next month, city experts will reveal hotly awaited recommendations for e-scooter use during a five-year provincially sanctioned pilot project that will let municipalities create most of the rules. Senior project manager Janet Lo gave a preview Monday to members of the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee. Those members later called the devices an unacceptable threat to the safety of disabled Torontonians. Lo said work on the report continues. but staffs preferred model would see riders pick up and leave e-scooters only in designated spots potentially Bike Share Toronto stations, or on-street vehicle parking spots converted to scooter use by Toronto Parking Authority (TPA). What we are suggesting is the designated-parking model ... The high density of bike share stations they are planning for 625 makes it easy for people to be able to walk to them and access these shared micromobility options, Lo said. This addresses the sidewalk clutter and obstructions issue. Thickets of dockless e-scooters became eyesores and safety hazards in U.S. cities including San Francisco, which last March ordered two app-based services to collect devices that had been deployed without city permission. Lo noted that city now forces approved firms to use lock-to scooters that are parked locked to a stationary object, further reducing clutter. Staff will recommend to councillors that TPA, which operates Bike Share Toronto, become the citys umbrella agency for all micromobility options, Lo said, noting its plan to add 300 e-bikes as a pilot project. Lo did not respond to a request Tuesday to elaborate on TPAs possible e-scooter role, nor did she reveal where staff will recommend Torontonians be allowed to ride the devices. The Canadian heads of the two biggest e-scooter companies, Bird and Lime, said Tuesday they could operate with specified parking spots downtown, but they would need a lot of them. We see a two-zoned system as ideal for Toronto, said Limes Chris Schafer, with riders in suburbs able to leave scooters at the sidewalks edge wherever is convenient, and in designated parking spots downtown, either on the street or on sidewalks if width permits. This allows for an organized program that also balances the convenience riders appreciate in cities around the world, he said in an email. Bird Canadas Stewart Lyons is also advocating e-scooter parking spaces downtown and a more free-floating model outside the core. We have no problem with a more defined parking system. We have that in Montreal, but we need a lot of (spots), maybe every 80 to 100 metres, Lyons said, adding that restricting the spots to Bike Share stations would be insufficient. At the meeting, Lo heard from disability advocates who dont want the devices in Toronto at all. Electric scooters pose an immediate and serious danger to people with disabilities, as well as others. Thy should not be allowed, said David Lepofsky, chair of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. Lepofsky, a lawyer who is blind, said vehicles that can zip silently at 24 km/h are dangerous to people like him when they are moving, and a tripping and obstruction hazard when they are parked. Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, chair of the accessibility advisory committee, marvelled at injury statistics collected from July to mid-October during Calgarys ongoing pilot project. Hundreds of scooter-related hospital visits included 33 that required ambulance trips, Lo said, including riders who suffered head and facial injuries and at least one pedestrian. Wong-Tam drafted a motion, passed unanimously by committee members, urging council to reject calls to legalize e-scooter services. If they are legalized, the committee said, rules must be guided by public safety in robust consultations with people living with disabilities. MIAMI, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sushi Sake, a late-night, Asian-cuisine hotspot is heading into 2020 seeking to expand the family-business nationwide through franchising. Angel and James Aguayo, brothers and co-founders of Sushi Sake, have spent the last decade consistently growing the restaurant and have impressively never had to close a Sushi Sake. When the first location opened in 2009, the brothers' goal was to bring high quality, late-night, Asian fusion dining to the Miami neighborhood they called home. Since, it has grown to 15 locations, the new decade is all about expanding the restaurant's South Florida swag and Latin-infused Japanese concept to the rest of America. The sushi franchise anticipates opening 5 new locations in 2020, with five locations currently in different stages of development. Jose Schwank, Vice President of Franchise Development, notes the growth plan is to expand through franchising in key Florida markets before opening restaurants across the Southeast and Texas. "We are looking for qualified franchisees in the hopes of opening a total of 10 restaurants in Jacksonville, 10 in Tampa, eight in Orlando, five in Florida's capital city over the next several years," said Schwank. "After that, the Carolinas and Georgia are primed for growth. What's great is that we offer two different build out options for our franchisees: a neighborhood sushi bar and then a higher end teppanyaki house/sushi bar combo with a larger footprint." For both models, prospective franchisees are attracted to Sushi Sake's ambiance, flavor, and colorfully, sophisticated food presentation. The franchise also has an impressive profit margin: Sushi Sake's average unit volume is $1.8 million for a 2,000 square foot sushi bar and jumps to $4.3 million for the teppenyaki model. On top of enviable finances, Sushi Sake offers franchisees a simple business model with a proven formula. It provides the training, support and systems so that franchisees have everything they need to run their business and open their doors. "Sushi Sake is the sushi lover's go-to destination in South Florida," said Angel Aguayo, co-founder of Sushi Sake. "Our devoted guests have driven our growth, and our new franchisees will only help to bring our brand into a new decade of success." About Sushi Sake: Started in 2009 by Angel Aguayo and later joined by brother James Aguayo, the duo has complemented each other's skills to take the brand where it is today and are both aligned on a vision for the spotlight as the nation's top Japanese restaurant franchise. The franchise opportunity offers simple operations and a management team with a strong commitment to franchise success and decades of restaurant experience. Sushi Sake is initially targeting Florida, Texas, Illinois and New York for growth, and is available in both urban and suburban markets. Potential franchisees can be single or multi-unit operators, and should possess an entrepreneurial spirit, leadership skills and an outgoing personality. For more information on Sushi Sake and the franchise opportunity, visit www.sushisakemiami.com/franchise. Media Contact: Cody O'Hara, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300 or [email protected] SOURCE Sushi Sake Related Links http://www.sushisakemiami.com/franchise Seoul/New Delhi, Feb 5 : With the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus showing no signs of slowing down, Chinese tech major ZTE and South Korean giant LG Electronics have decided to withdraw their participation from the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 event in Barcelona later this month. While LG has become the first major South Korean company to give MWC 2020 a miss, others may soon follow suit, considering the threat that the virus poses, according to industry watchers. "LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation as the virus continues to spread outside China," the company said in a statement. "With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain," it added. This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders, LG said, adding that it will be holding separate events in the "near future" to announce its 2020 mobile products. A ZTE spokesperson told The Verge that the company was cancelling its press conference at MWC partly due to practical issues like travel and visa delays and also because "(we) tend to be an overly courteous company, and simply don't want to make people uncomfortable". Telecom industry insiders said that the withdrawal of LG and ZTE from MWC is a significant development. However, they added that it remains to be seen if they would have a cascading effect on the show. MWC organiser GSMA said that it is monitoring and assessing the potential impact of the coronavirus on its MWC20 events held annually in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles and as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. "The GSMA confirms that there is minimal impact on the event thus far. MWC Barcelona 24-27 February 2020, will proceed as planned, across all venues at Fira Gran Via Fira MontjuAc and La Farga L'Hospitalet, including YoMo and Four Years From Now (4YFN)," GSMA said in a statement on Wednesday. According to a report in Yonhap, other South Korean companies, including automaker Kia Motors Corp. are looking at the possibility of withdrawing from MWC 2020. Samsung Electronics Co., SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. said they will run their MWC exhibition booths as planned but hinted that there could be a change of plans if the situation gets worse. SK Telecom, South Korea's largest mobile carrier, already announced that it will cancel a scheduled press event at MWC 2020. The annual gathering for the mobile industry drew nearly 110,000 visitors last year, with 6 percent of them coming from China, the fourth largest after Spain, the US and Britain, according to data from the GSMA. The toll from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China has climbed to 490, with 65 new fatalities, while the total number of confirmed cases has gone up to 24,324, the Chinese health authorities confirmed on Wednesday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Justice Oyejide Falola of the Osun State judiciary has reacted to a petition filed against him at the National Judicial Commission (NJC), a body saddled with protecting the image and integrity of the judiciary in Nigeria. Mr Falolas reaction is contained in his formal response to a query issued him by the NJC over allegations of judicial misconduct, conspiracy and involvement in a fraudulent scheme levelled against him by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olanrewaju Ogunlesi. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained the document in Abuja on Monday. In the response, the judge claimed the senior lawyer and those who petitioned the NJC were working to destroy his career for no just cause. A financial institution Polaris Bank which is a defendant in a matter decided by the judge, had petitioned the NJC, accusing Mr Falola of acting against the rules governing judicial practice in the country. The bank also alleged that the judge shared from the proceeds of his order. The financial institution urged the NJC to investigate the allegations of misconduct against the judge, saying taking appropriate sanction against him would serve as deterrence to others. How it all started In an earlier report by this newspaper, a counter-affidavit deposed to by the banks counsel, Mr Ogunlesi, alleged that the judge, Mr Falola, gave judgement over the Polaris Bank case based on precedent that did not exist, conspired with some lawyers and other court officials to execute a garnishee order without appropriate recourse to the law, and allegedly shared over N16 million carted away from Polaris banks branches in Osun state with others. The counsel said as soon as he established the fact that the judgement was fraudulent, he contacted Mr Falola through another lawyer, Lukman Ogunsetan. The controversy that led to the allegations against Justice Falola began when the trio of Quadri Lateef, Hamzat Oladimeji and Rafiu Oladimeji, allegedly obtained an injunction at the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, mandating a certain Gabriel Omeka to pay them the sum of N283, 174, 000 over an alleged business deal involving a company, AMD Global Concept Investment. The Kwara State judgement was purportedly delivered by Justice Afolayan of the Kwara State High Court on December 4, 2015. But the bank said the balance of $1,199,968.50 claimed to be in Mr Omekas account was a product of wire fraud. Polaris said the customer fraudulently inflated his balance when the bank reportedly experienced system breach between December 2 and 3, 2018. The bank claimed that the authentic balance in the account was $23.50. A report by the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Ibrahim Zango supported the banks claim. The Police further confirmed the arrest of some accounts holders of the bank, authenticating the system failure and the corrupt practices that arose. Justice Oyejide Falola. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official website of Osun State judiciary .. http://osunjudiciary.gov.ng/.] However, Mr. Falola ruled based on Mr Omekas submission that the balance in his account was genuine, arguing that the customer provided evidence of the transfer of the funds. On July 19 last year, Justice Falolas order was executed at two Polaris Bank branches in Osogbo. In executing the order, the bank claimed that in addition to movable items taken away, its property was vandalized while cash (later estimated as N16,445,720) was also carted away. In a sworn counter-affidavit, Mr Ogunlesi said he conducted a search and affirmed that there was no judgement of the Kwara State High Court which the Hon. Justice Falola acted upon. The SAN said he confronted Mr Falola with his findings. Mr Ogunlesi said after their discussion in his office, Mr Falola undertook to personally return the money. Justice Falola denies allegations But in his reaction to the petition, Mr Falola denied the allegations levelled against him, saying; Throughout the proceedings, the issue of bias, fraud or such other forms of malfeasance were never raised before me. All of us mentioned in that paragraph, together with Lukman Ogunsetan and the Registrar of the High Court of Justice, Ikirun and all the bailiffs that took part in the execution of my ruling have been invited by the Osogbo office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He said Mr. Ogunsetan told ICPC that he (Falola) did not prostrate for Mr Ogunlesi, and that I did not admit sharing any money. That I only told Lanre Ogunlesi SAN in his presence that counsel to the first garnishee signed for the money. The judge said Mr Ogunsetans position was further confirmed by the counsel to the applicant in the matter, Omoyeni Odusola, who he noted also told ICPC that he collected the total amount from the bailiff and signed for it. That he had also written a reply to a letter from Osun State Judiciary that the money is with his client intact; that they are on appeal, and that, indeed, his client, apart from the appeal, has instituted fresh action against Polaris Bank, the judge added. Advertisements Mr Falola also said another lawyer, J.P. Jones also informed the ICPC that he did not share any money with me and that he stood by the content of his rejoinder to Mr Ogunlesis media publications. He added; Odusola said he has written Petitions to Legal Practitioners and Privileges Committee (LPPC) and Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against Lanre Ogunlesi SAN, for lying on oath, misleading the vacation Judge and for deposing to counter affidavit personally, in a case he is a counsel, and uploading to the press a life issue (Motion pending before the court). And that Mr. Ogunsetan whom Mr Ogunlesi used to reach him, has sent several WhatsApp messages to him, to confess and apologise, saying he was used to set me up. That the content of the counter-affidavit deposed to by Mr Ogunlesi, which invariably is the bedrock of this petition is full of lies and extraneous factors that have nothing to do with the Garnishee proceedings. Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad I am a judge with honour. I am hardworking and I guide my integrity jealously. Lanre Ogunlesi SAN, on behalf of Polaris Bank, boasted that he had ended the career of many judicial officers. I urge my lordship (chief justice of Nigeria) to stop him this time around. The NJC is yet to determine the matter. The election also set the ground for a clash between federal parties who maintain that the right-wing AfD should be boycotted and local branches, which have been known to take a more pragmatic stance. The federal leadership of the Christian Democrats was quick to rebuke the actions of its state-level parliamentarians on Wednesday. Human right activist, Femi Falana has stated that he knows a former Igbo governor who once had a killer squad that helped him terminate his political opponents. Speaking recently at the University of Ibadan, he added that the killer squad was headed by a police officer who was assigned to him as a security detail. He made the statement with respect to the proposed move for the creation of state police. Shehu Garba says the protests organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over the killing of Pastor Lawan Andimi, chairman of the body in Adamawa State, isnt out of order.Shehu, Presidential Muhammadu Buharis aide on media and publicity media aide, in a statement on Tuesday, said the president felt the pain of the body whose protests was borne out of the shocking, unacceptable death of Pastor Andimi at the hands of Boko Haram. Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has described the statement of President Muhammadu Buhari that 90% of Boko Haram victims are Muslims as untrue. The former minister expressed that the overwhelming majority of communities that the terrorist group and militias target are occupied by Christians. The former minister went further to express that killing ot Christians in Nigeria has now turned to a common blood sport. The Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Nigeria has denied media reports that it suspended its visa services in Nigeria following the outbreak of Coronavirus in China. The Press Officer, Embassy of China, Sun Saixiong, pointed this out on Tuesday in Abuja. The Embassy stressed that its visa section is in full operation and very effective. Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has called on the Federal Government to fix the road linking Ekiti and Ondo States. According to the former governor, the road is now in such a deplorable state that motorists now avoid it. He said the road was of great economic importance to the economy and people of Ondo and Ekiti states. Nigeria has been identified as one of the top priority countries which either have direct links or a high volume of travel to China by the World Health Organisation, WHO. This was made known in a statement by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, who listed 12 other top priority countries like Algeria, Angola, Cote dIvoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. President Muhammadu Buhari says 90 percent of victims of Boko Haram victims are Muslims. Buhari said the insurgents seek to divide Nigerians on the basis of religion and there is no room for that. He said this while speaking in an article on Christianity Today on the death of Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government area of Adamawa state on Monday. Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, told newsmen in Abuja on Monday, that a cure has been found for coronavirus. Pingjian, while addressing a press conference in Abuja, said Chinese scientists are working to develop a vaccine for the virus, assuring that the epidemic would lose its momentum in the next two weeks. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, says motorcycles were banned in several parts of the state following a review of available statistics on accidents and crimes. Sanwo-Olu, who was reacting to a statement he made while speaking at The Platform in October, said his administration would harmonise okada operations and develop a regulation system for better accountability. Bishop David Oyedepo has laid a curse on terrorists behind several killings in the country. Recall that a suspected suicide bomber was arrested inside the Living Faith church in Kaduna on Sunday, the founder of the church, Bishop Oyedepo has cursed the Boko Haram sect and Miyetti Allah group over the attempted bombing. President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the US Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House. A majority of senators expressed unease with Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. But the final tallies 52-48 favoring acquittal of abuse of power, 53-47 of obstruction of Congress investigation fell far short. Two-thirds guilty votes would have been needed to reach the Constitutions bar of high crimes and misdemeanors to convict and remove Trump from office. The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosis House to Mitch McConnells Senate, reflecting the nations unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency. What started as Trumps request for Ukraine to do us a favor spun into a far-reaching, 28,000-page report compiled by House investigators accusing an American president of engaging in shadow diplomacy that threatened US foreign relations for personal, political gain as he pressured the ally to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the next election. No president has ever been removed by the Senate. A politically emboldened Trump has eagerly predicted vindication, deploying the verdict as a political anthem in his reelection bid. The president claims he did nothing wrong, decrying the witch hunt and hoax as extensions of special counsel Robert Muellers probe into Russian 2016 campaign interference by those out to get him from the start of his presidency. The Wednesday afternoon vote was swift. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding over the trial, senators sworn to do impartial justice stood at their desks for the roll call and stated their votes guilty or not guilty. On the first article of impeachment, Trump was charged with abuse of power. He was found not guilty. The second, obstruction of Congress, also produced a not guilty verdict. Only one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, the partys defeated 2012 presidential nominee, broke with the GOP. Romney choked up as said drew on his faith and oath before God to announce he would vote guilty on the first charge, abuse of power. He would vote to acquit on the second. Both Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 drew cross-party support when they were left in office after an impeachment trial. President Richard Nixon resigned rather than face revolt from his own party. Ahead of voting, some of the most closely watched senators took to the Senate floor to tell their constituents, and the nation, what they had decided. The Senate chaplain opened the trial with daily prayers for the senators, including one Wednesday seeking integrity. Influential GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who is retiring, worried that a guilty verdict would pour gasoline on the fire of the nations culture wars over Trump. He said the House proved its case but it just didnt rise to the level of impeachment. It would rip the country apart, Alexander said before his vote. Other Republicans siding with Trump said it was time to end what McConnell called the circus and move on. Trump ally GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said it was a sham designed to destroy a presidency. Most Democrats, though, echoed the House managers warnings that Trump, if left unchecked, would continue to abuse the power of his office for personal political gain and try to cheat again ahead of the the 2020 election. During the nearly three-week trial, House Democrats prosecuting the case argued that Trump abused power like no other president in history when he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, ahead of the 2020 election. They detailed an extraordinary shadow diplomacy run by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that set off alarms at the highest levels of government. After Trumps July 25 phone call with Ukraine, Trump temporarily halted US aid to the struggling ally battling hostile Russia at its border. The money was eventually released in September as Congress intervened. When the House probed Trumps actions, the president instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to the obstruction charge. One key Democrat, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones perhaps the most endangered politically for reelection in a state where Trump is popular announced he would vote to convict. Senators are elected to make tough choices, Jones said Questions from the Ukraine matter continue to swirl. House Democrats may yet summon former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about revelations from his forthcoming book that offer a fresh account of Trumps actions. Other eyewitnesses and documents are almost sure to surface. In closing arguments for the trial the lead prosecutor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appealed to senators sense of decency, that right matters and truth matters and that Trump is not who you are. The presidents basic lack of character, his willingness to cheat in the election - hes not going to stop, Schiff told The Associated Press on Wednesday, predicting more revelations would become public. Its not going to change, which means that we are going to have to remain eternally vigilant. Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump when she took control of the House after the 2018 election, dismissively telling more liberal voices that hes not worth it. Trump and his GOP allies in Congress argue that Democrats have been trying to undercut him from the start. But a whistleblower complaint of his conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy set off alarms. The call had been placed the day after Mueller announced the findings of his Russia probe. When Trump told Pelosi in September that the call was perfect, she was stunned. Perfectly wrong, she said. Days later, the speaker announced the formal impeachment inquiry. The result was the quickest, most partisan impeachment in US history, with no Republicans joining the House Democrats to vote for the charges, though one GOP congressman left the party and voted for impeachment and two Democrats joined Republicans to oppose. The Republican Senate kept up the pace with the fastest trial ever, and the first with no witnesses or deliberations. Trumps legal team with star attorney Alan Dershowitz made the sweeping, if stunning, assertion that even if the president engaged in the quid pro quo as described, it is not impeachable, because politicians often view their own political interest with the national interest. McConnell, who commands a 53-47 Republican majority, braced for dissent, refusing efforts to prolong the trial with more witnesses, arguing the House should have done a better job. Some GOP senators distanced themselves from Trumps defense, and other Republicans brushed back calls from conservatives to disclose the name of the anonymous whistleblower. The Associated Press typically does not reveal the identity of whistleblowers. Trumps approval rating, which has generally languished in the mid- to low-40s, hit a new high of 49% in the latest Gallup polling, which was conducted as the Senate trial was drawing to a close. The poll found that 51% of the public views the Republican Party favorably, the first time the GOPs number has exceeded 50% since 2005. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TORONTO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Putting women on the board is not only the fair thing to do, it leads to better financial reporting, research from the University of Toronto shows. The study of more than 6,000 American-listed companies found that firms with a mix of women and men on their boards outperformed those where boards had no women or only one, with fewer financial reporting restatements and a lower incidence of fraud. Diversity was key. The improvements levelled out once boards approached gender parity. That suggests that the difference may come from a broadening of perspectives around the board table and not because women brought superior skills or other characteristics, said the study. "If women are better at something than men, then we should see that, as we add more women to the board, each additional woman should produce more value. But that's not the case," said study author Aida Sijamic Wahid, an associate accounting professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the Rotman School of Management. Increasing the number of women on corporate boards was floated by regulators to reduce conformist board thinking after the 2001 collapse of energy giant Enron in an accounting fraud scandal. It's why Prof. Wahid chose to focus on financial reporting as an indicator of board performance. "I wanted to go back to the original issue behind why we even began thinking whether boards needed to be more diverse," Prof. Wahid said. She dug into data for 6,132 firms from 2000 to 2010, including information on board directors, financial restatements and restatement irregularities. The benefits of more women continued to increase up to about three female directors before starting to diminish, with an average total board size of about nine directors. Only about 20 companies, mostly in apparel or cosmetics, had boards with a majority of female directors at any time during the decade. The percentage of firms with at least one female director dropped during the period, from 56 percent to 54 percent. The percentage of women on boards that had any women increased from 7.6 percent to 9.1 percent. The results held for the periods before and after tightened rules on corporate governance via the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Although it's been nearly two decades since gender diversity on boards was raised post-Enron, boards have been slow to adopt it and research has been inconclusive. The state of California, in a controversial move, is requiring all publicly traded companies to have at least one woman on their boards by the end of this year and between one and three female directors by 2021. "We're still not there when it comes to diversity and gender diversity," said Prof. Wahid. "The issue has created certain pressures from investors, they're the ones moving the needle. But many firms are very slow to respond to it." The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Business Ethics. For the latest thinking on business, management and economics from the Rotman School of Management, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Research/NewThinking. The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada's commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca SOURCE Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Related Links http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca A Malaysian journalist was charged Wednesday with causing public alarm with Facebook posts about the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China, as authorities warned against online "rumour-mongering". The virus has so far killed almost 500 people and infected 24,000 others in China, and spread to more than 20 countries including Malaysia, which has 12 cases. It has also unleashed a flood of misinformation online, from misleading death tolls to vaccine conspiracies, and several Asian countries have arrested people for spreading false information. Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias, a Malaysian newspaper journalist, denied three charges in a Kuala Lumpur court of breaking laws that ban statements which cause public fear and alarm, according to court documents. The documents did not say what she posted on Facebook, but local media reported the posts were related to the virus. One raised the alarm about the arrival of 1,000 Chinese tourists in the northern state of Penang on a cruise ship despite officials having given assurances they had all undergone medical examinations, reports said. The 40-year-old faces up to two years in prison for each count if found guilty. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas lashed out at online "rumour-mongering" related to the virus and warned more people would be charged in coming days. "Lies about the origins, scale and magnitude of the disease must not be permitted because they endanger public safety," he said in a statement. He said such lies could be "inflammatory" in a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation has a mostly Muslim population, but is also home to a substantial Chinese minority and issues related to race are sensitive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed EastGate Biotech (OTC Pink: ETBI) ("the Company"), a company that focuses on innovative technological developments and produces and distributes innovative drug compounds and healthy nutraceuticals that are based on natural therapies absorbed by the body. CEO of the Company, Anna Gluskin, and President of the Company, Rose Perri, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly. Jolly began the interview by asking Gluskin about the Company's current projects, including Phase 3 clinical trials in Pakistan. Gluskin shared that the Company will be entering Phase 3 clinical trials for their product Insurgin, a liquid insulin mouth rinse solution. "The registration in Pakistan will give us a chance with another ten or eleven countries which recognize Pakistan registration," explained Gluskin. "Every single step is getting us closer to distribution and registration in the region." Gluskin then explained that the registration of the product is a lengthy process due to bureaucratic challenges, however the Company expects this process to be complete within six months. The conversation then turned to the outbreak of the Coronavirus and its effect on the Company. Gluskin shared that the Company is currently working on a preventative and therapeutic solution for the Coronavirus, which would have a positive effect worldwide if successful. Jolly then commented on a recent press release regarding the marketing rights of Anaferon, and asked about the capabilities of the drug. "Anaferon is an antibacterial and antiviral medication, which in some countries is considered non-medicinal," explained Gluskin, adding that the Company's primary goal is to distribute this drug to China to assist with the Coronavirus outbreak. Perri then expanded on the Company's partnership in Pakistan. "They were established in 2002, so they have a long history already," said Perri. "Their focus is on biology transfer," she added. "The managing director has a real talent for analyzing trends in the healthcare business and finding innovative products," said Perri. "What really excites me about our partnership is that we have the same common view - we believe innovation can be found anywhere in the world." To close the interview, Gluskin expressed her confidence in the potential of the Company despite its small size, and commented on the Company's dedication to its investors. To hear EastGate Biotech's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7496606-eastgate-biotech-discusses-their-phase-3-clinical-trials-and-recent-coronavirus-agreement Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About EastGate Biotech EastGate Biotech focuses on innovative technological developments and produces and distributes innovative drug compounds and healthy nutraceuticals that are based on natural therapies absorbed by the body. We utilize advanced nanotechnologies and alternative delivery systems that take difficult to deliver compounds and deliver them using our nanotechnology platform which ultimately increase the bioavailability to the body. Using our methods of delivery provides healthy alternatives to conventional pharmaceuticals that all-too-often create dangerous side-effects and unexpected consequences for those trying to attain and maintain a healthy lifestyle. EastGate's wholly owned subsidiary Omni Surgery and Anti-Aging Centre is the first of many surgery centers to come under the Omni umbrella as we plan to roll up existing business under the Omni brand and expand our footprint globally. Cautionary statement on forward-looking information All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the provisions for "safe harbor" under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. The words "anticipates", "plans", "expects", "indicate", "intend", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "focus", "guidance", "initiative", "model", "methodology", "outlook", "potential", "projected", "pursue", "strategy", "study", "targets", or "believes", or variations of or similar such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", or "should", "might", or "way forward", "will be taken", "will occur" or "will be achieved" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies. The risks, estimates, models and assumptions contained or incorporated by reference in this release, include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by EastGate with the SEC, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. EastGate undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Rose Perri 1-647-692-0652 Email: information@eastgatepharmaceuticals.com Website: www.EastGateBiotech.com About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. SOURCE: Stock Day Media 602-441-3474 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52145 New Delhi: At least seven shops were gutted in a fire that broke out in Rabindra Nagar market area of West Bengals Siliguri early Wednesday, reported news agency ANI. At least five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. No casualties have been reported yet. More details are awaited. The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), on Wednesday, chided the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over its recently held street protests over rising insecurity and killings across Nigeria. In a statement signed by the NSCIAs deputy of administration, Yusuf Nwoha, the group said it was insincerity, wickedness, falsehood and hypocrisy to allude that Boko Haram is a gimmick to eliminate Christians. It is rather discomfiting and heart-rending that some misguided elements in our country have resorted to the dangerous game of playing politics with security, it added. The general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye, and other Christian leaders had taken part in a prayer walk in parts of the country to protest the rising killings. Although the ruling All Progressives Congress had earlier chided the Christian group over the walk, the presidency, in a terse reaction, had said it was the right of any group (including CAN) to peacefully protest over any issue. But an unimpressed NSCIA, in its statement, said the Christian leaders were only playing to the gallery. Political mercenaries and religious combatants united by rapacious greed and chronic hatred have occupied the public space with putrid writings and toxic speeches. For the sake of fleeting popularity and Twitter-trending, some public figures with ulterior motives offer themselves as willing tools in the hands of disgruntled politicians to play politics with insecurity without remembering that when the fire they are stocking becomes an uncontrollable conflagration, there would be nowhere for them to play their politics as the nation would have been consumed. It is a failure of education that people goaded by ambition cannot see the big picture and the danger inherent in their actions. In essence, rather than see the monstrosity that insecurity has become as a national challenge that requires collective action, agents of destabilisation seek to score cheap political goals and engage in self-indicting propaganda. One of them is the recently organised street show by some religious leaders who give political colouration to grinding insecurity fueled by hypocrisy and hubris, the statement read in part. But the same group also condemned the high level of insecurity in the country and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take immediate measures to address the threat. The level of insecurity in the country has reached an unacceptable crescendo that declaring a state of emergency on it appears not only necessary but also pressing. The time to arrest the insecurity in the land is now and we repeat our call to President Muhammad Buhari to combat the current spike in insecurity with candid decisiveness. Prayer walk PREMIUM TIMES reported how CAN has held peaceful protests in the capital city and parts of the country to call the governments attention to the rising spate of killings across the nation. The Christian group had earlier called on all Christians across the country to embark on a prayer walk on Sunday to protest the gruesome killing of the CAN Chairman in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Lawan Andimi, by Boko Haram terrorists. Although the federal government has condemned the beheading of the cleric, the CAN said the government has not done enough to protect Christians. CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, during a briefing with journalists in Abuja last week Thursday said the prayer walk was aimed at using prayers to curb the activities of terrorists and criminals who have been orchestrating killings across the country. He also said (in)actions by the federal government had given such criminals the latitude to carry out crimes unchallenged. He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to overhaul the security apparatus in the country to curb the killings. WASHINGTON - The latest on the presidents State of the Union speech (all times local): 11:25 p.m. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has used Democrats response to President Donald Trumps State of the Union address to swivel from impeachment to working-class voters worries, saying her party is focusing on easing health care costs and other pocketbook concerns. Whitmer mentioned Trumps impeachment trial only briefly near the end of her nearly 11-minute speech Tuesday night. She sprinkled in passing references to his behaviour, such as Bullying people on Twitter doesnt fix bridges it burns them. But she spent the bulk of her address touting Democratic efforts on health care and peoples struggles to pay their bills, issued that helped her party win House control in 2018. Its pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away, Whitmer said from East Lansing High School. Her remarks were overshadowed by an extraordinary gesture moments earlier by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Seated directly behind Trump in the House chamber, Pelosi marked the end of his address by theatrically tearing her copy of his remarks in half. ___ 11:15 p.m. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says President Donald Trump must think the American people are gullible to believe his health care pledge in his State of the Union speech. Sanders spoke Tuesday night from Manchester, New Hampshire, not long after Trump wrapped up his address at the U.S. Capitol. The Vermont senator seized on the Republican presidents vow to protect the health insurance coverage of people with preexisting conditions. Really? How gullible do you think the American people are? Sanders said, noting that the Trump administration and a Republican-led Congress came within one vote of repealing the Obama administrations health care law. The law largely prevents private insurers from denying coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Sanders is among the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Trump in the general election in November. He is campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of the states first-in-the-nation primary on Feb. 11. ___ 11:05 p.m. The White House and President Donald Trumps reelection campaign are lashing out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ripping up the presidents State of the Union speech. No sooner did Trump finish his address Tuesday night than Pelosi tore it in two, right on the dais behind him. The president had appeared to snub the House speaker before his speech when she extended her hand to him, and he turned back around without acknowledging it. Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for Trumps reelection team, responded: She might as well rip up any plans for attracting independent voters. Pelosi and the Democrats sat on their hands through all of the good news for Americans in that speech. Its a sad place to be when good news for America is bad news for Democrats. The White House accused Pelosi of disrespecting Trumps guests of honour by ripping up the speech. Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service members reunion with his family. Thats her legacy, the White House tweeted. ___ 10:45 p.m. And then she tore up the speech. No sooner did President Donald Trump finish his State of the Union address than House Speaker Pelosi ripped it in two. Right there, on the dais behind him. Trump was barely done, turning to greet the crowd of lawmakers Tuesday night, when Pelosi, without a moments delay, turned the papers in her hand. And she ripped. And then she took some more pages. And she ripped again. Asked afterward in the halls of the Capitol why she did it, Pelosi responded: It was the courteous thing to do. She added: It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative. ___ 10:40 p.m. Among the made-for-TV moments in President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech: The military husband of one of Trumps guests returned home from deployment and surprised his family. Amy Williams, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was in attendance Tuesday night with her two children, 6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan. Trump told the crowd that Williams works full time and volunteers helping military families. Over the past seven months, her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams has been deployed to Afghanistan, his fourth trip to the Middle East. Trump thanked her, then told her he had a surprise: Her husband had returned from deployment and was at the Capitol. Sgt. Williams walked down the stairs in his uniform to greet a shocked Amy Williams, and he hugged his children. He then hugged his wife. Trump delivered the address Tuesday amid his impeachment trial. He spoke about the gains he says his administration has made, but he did not mention the impeachment. ___ 10:25 p.m. A protester has interrupted President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech by shouting at him to do something about gun violence. The protester appeared to be Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jamie, was among 17 people killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. Guttenberg is a well-known visitor to Capitol Hill advocating for gun violence prevention. He interrupted a section of Trumps speech about support for the Second Amendment, and he was removed from the House visitors gallery. Guttenberg was the guest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosis. He tweeted his thanks to her earlier Tuesday for the invitation and her commitmentto dealing with gun violence. ___ 10 p.m. When President Donald Trump called on Congress during his State of the Union speech to send him legislation to lower prescription drug prices, House Democrats had a ready response. H.R. 3! H.R. 3! chanted Democrats, jumping to their feet Tuesday night, holding up three fingers. That was a reference to the House-passed bill that requires the federal governments Medicare program to negotiate for lower prices on insulin and other must-have drugs Americans rely on. The legislation is formally named the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, after the late House Oversight Committee chairman from Maryland. Trump derided the ailing Cummings Baltimore-area district as a rat and rodent infested mess last summer, when the chairman was conducting oversight on the presidents immigration policies and child and family detentions at the border. The drug price reduction bill was passed by the House in December on a largely party-line vote. It is one of many major bills sitting untouched in the Republican-controlled Senate. ___ 9:55 p.m. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honour. President Donald Trump announced the award during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. First lady Melania Trump presented the award to Limbaugh. The two sat next to each other in the House visitors gallery. A bearded Limbaugh stood and saluted President Trump as the award was announced. Limbaugh, a staunch Trump supporter, announced Monday that he is battling advanced lung cancer. Trump said the diagnosis was not good news, but added: What is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Trump thanked Limbaugh for decades of tireless devotion to our country and said the award recognized the millions of people a day Limbaugh speaks to and inspires, as well as his charity work. ___ 9:40 p.m. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido helped usher in a rare moment of unity at President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech. Democrats and Republicans applauded Tuesday night as Guaido stood as Trump called him the legitimate president of the South American nation. Guaido is the leader of the opposition-led National Assembly in Venezuela. He was a last-minute surprise invited guest of Trumps. The U.S. and more than 50 other nations believe the 2018 reelection of President Nicolas Maduro was illegitimate and say Guaido should be considered president under the Venezuelan constitution. Trump in his speech called Maduro a tyrant. ___ 9:25 p.m. The White House says Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is the designated survivor for President Donald Trumps State of the Union. The designation refers to the practice of ensuring that one Cabinet secretary does not attend the annual speech in case of a national emergency or devastating tragedy. The designated survivor would lead the government if other officials are killed or incapacitated. Bernhardt was named interior secretary last year, replacing Ryan Zinke, who resigned. ___ 9:20 p.m. Did President Donald Trump decline to shake Speaker Nancy Pelosis hand? At the start of the State of the Union address Tuesday it appeared that Pelosi extended her hand to Trump, a gesture amid the divisive impeachment proceedings. The president was presenting folios to Pelosi and Vice-President Mike Pence as he arrived for the evening speech when it appears she reached for the shake. At the same time, Trump turned away from her to face the audience of lawmakers gathered for the annual address. Pelosi gave a look. The speaker led House Democrats in impeaching Trump last month on charges he abused power and obstructed Congress in the Ukraine matter. The Senate is poised to acquit him Wednesday of the two articles of impeachment. ___ 9:15 p.m. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh is an honoured guest of President Donald Trumps for his State of the Union address. Limbaugh was seated next to first lady Melania Trump in the congressional gallery for Tuesdays speech. He has been a steadfast supporter of President Trump and his policies over the years. Limbaugh announced on his nationally televised radio program on Monday that he is battling advanced lung cancer. According to multiple news reports, Trump informed news anchors earlier Tuesday that he will bestow Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the coming months. That is the highest civilian honour in the nation. ___ 9:05 p.m. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is attending President Donald Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday night on Capitol Hill. The invitation comes as Guaido has been trying to win face time with Trump, his most important international ally. Guaidos visit to Miami on Saturday rounded out a two-week world tour that took him first to Colombia, then across Europe and Canada, where he held meetings seeking more international help to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office. Venezuela has been a top priority in Latin America for the Trump administration, which a year ago was the first among 60 governments to throw its weight behind Guaido. ___ 8:35 p.m. The House is lit for television ahead of President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech, and members of Congress are showing off their priorities. Many Democratic women are wearing white Tuesday to align themselves with suffragettes a century after women won the right to vote. Some also are wearing green Equal Rights Amendment pins ahead of an expected House vote on the issue this month. Look, too, for red-white-and-blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change. Many Republicans got to the chamber early to snag aisle seats. The coveted positions allow them to shake hands on camera with the president as he makes his way down the aisle. This year, Trump is speaking on the eve of his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress when dealing with Ukraine. The acquittal vote will resolve impeachment in Congress, but voters will have the final say this election year. Every member of the House, a third of the Senate and Trump himself are up for reelection. ___ 8:30 p.m. President Donald Trump will tell the American people that the country has achieved a Great American Comeback in his State of the Union address. Thats according to early excerpts released by the White House on Tuesday, shortly before the president was scheduled to travel across Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol for the address. The speech comes after the president became the third in the nations history to be impeached and as his trial is still underway. But he will make the case that, despite the division, the country is better off now than four years ago and that he has kept his election promises as he makes his pitch to voters in an election year. Trump says he will lay out a vision where every citizen can join in Americas unparalleled success and touch on issues including the economy, education, health care, trade and national defence. He plans to say, We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! ___ 7:55 p.m. Two prominent House Democratic freshmen are boycotting President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech over his conduct. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who are both front and centre as members of the Squad, said hours before the address Tuesday that theyre skipping it. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that she would not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution. Pressley, meanwhile, said shes boycotting because Trump consistently demonstrates contempt for the American people, contempt for Congress & contempt for our constitution. Other Squad members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan were expected to attend the joint session of Congress. The four freshmen are all congresswomen of colour, and they voted to impeach Trump. They have been labeled The Squad in part for their criticism of Trump, and the president frequently rails against them. DETROIT -- On Tuesday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons hosted students from high schools across the city to showcase their creative sides. The high school seniors visited the Detroit Institute of Arts to participate in the 15th Annual Black History Month Scholarship Event with Rick Mahorn. Twenty-five seniors presented an original interpretation (poster or poem category) of the contests theme, The Past. The Present. My Future. in front of their peers, teachers and a panel of prominent members in the Detroit community who selected the winner. Three winners from each category received scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The event was one of four held in honor of Black History Month with the goal of showing the importance of equality, diversity, inclusion, respect and teamwork. Well you know, equality is the main thing that we had out, Pistons Community Ambassador, Earl Cureton, said. We took it a step further than that and be a little bit more creative. That way (the students) have to go back and study the past, the present leaders that we have here in the city of Detroit and around the world, and then envision those things going into the future. Cureton served on the judging panel along with Fox 2 news anchor Hilary Golston, Detroit radio DJ Dr. Darrius, local rapper B. Free among many others. Judges chose the winner based on how closely they stuck to the theme of The Past. The Present. My Future, their adherence to the two-minute time limit and their stage presence. The winner of the $25,000 grand prize, Deena Allen plans to use the money toward room and board next year. The Cass Technical High School senior will attend Wayne State University in the fall. She plans to double major in performance arts and forensic psychology. I think what Im gonna end up doing is, of course, Ive always been like an actor and things like this, but forensic psychology I think is a lot about helping people and helping get justice and thats really important to me, the 17-year-old said. So its kind of falling more into my like activism side of things. So I think thats going to be a pretty decent blend together. Allen knows about blending things together. Her fathers family is from the state of Georgia and her maternal side of the family has a Muslim background. Her entire life shes had to navigate between the two cultures and shes seen how her neighborhood and peoples views have changed. She began writing her poem when she was around the age of 12. Now five years later, she worked up the courage to perform it to the world. She used her multi-cultural background as fuel for the words she would share. Before the competition, however, she learned that she would be performing in front of over 500 people. It was terrifying, she said. Oh, I actually did have a lot of stage fright but, I think, um, its easier to speak when its something that youre passionate about and its something that you actually mean, so that took a lot of the edge off. And I feel like, it was a great platform to actually get my voice heard on, and not only that but maybe inspire others to do the same. That type of growth was an important part of the competition Cureton said the students will take with them. He said that shell continue outgrowing that fear and Tuesday afternoons contest will be a fond memory. More importantly for Allen, the research and sharing her poem helped her to realize what she wants to be when she grows up. I also just want to be an advocate for people who cant advocate for themselves and people who believe that they dont have a voice and show them that they really do and that their voice means something and actually has power, Allen said. In recent years, we have taken a much more expansive look at the Harlem Renaissance, said Venetria K. Patton of Purdue University, who co-edited the 2001 anthology Double-Take: A Revisionist Harlem Renaissance Anthology. The race narrative is still an important aspect of the Renaissance. But there were questions of sexuality, of gender, of how to position oneself in an environment that didnt see you as equal, that have historically received less attention. [ Read our review of Claude McKays Romance in Marseille. ] Why? During the Renaissance, mainstream narratives of the movement were shaped by its complicated relationship with white readers. The Renaissance was made economically possible partially through the patronage of wealthy white individuals like Charlotte Osgood Mason, and could therefore be constrained by their interests and their prejudices. Led by figures like Du Bois, many of the Renaissances participants saw the movement as a way to address white audiences, and encourage them to re-evaluate black lives as being equal, according to Jean-Christophe Cloutier, co-editor of Amiable With Big Teeth. Efforts to redirect the movement to black audiences, and to write about a wider array of concerns, were largely relegated to the Renaissances queer subculture. McKay belonged both to that subculture and to the movements mainstream. His 1928 novel Home to Harlem was the first American best seller by a black writer. But despite being seen as one of the Renaissances guiding lights, McKay Jamaican, bisexual, a Marxist who grew disenchanted with communism before the rest of his cohort also brought an outsiders critical gaze to the movement. He was concerned not only with whom their target audience should be but also with how they depicted class politics, particularly in a queer context. Maxwell, one of the editors of Romance in Marseille, notes that the novels most overt gay characters include a black female prostitute and a dock worker socialist white male stud. That was a remarkable departure from conventions of the Renaissance, in which most queer relationships were depicted in a genteel context of gay male instruction, as Maxwell put it. Holcomb, the books other editor, pointed out that Romance in Marseille depicts great freedom in working-class queer life. The queer characters are not portrayed as being exotic or subcultural, he said. Theyre just ordinary working people. McKays vision of a black cultural movement that transcended national, class and sexual barriers was not unique. Several of his contemporaries who similarly challenged the Renaissances norms have also experienced recent revivals. Two novels by Ann Petry (including The Street, her revolutionary novel of black, female working-class life) were reissued by the Library of America in 2019. Jeffrey C. Stewarts 2018 biography The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke brought renewed attention to the other most significant gatekeeper of the Renaissance, looking specifically at the influence of his queerness. There Is Confusion, by Jessie Redmon Fauset, the longtime editor of the official N.A.A.C.P. magazine The Crisis, whose work was often disregarded because of her gender, is being reissued on Feb. 11, the same day Romance in Marseille will be released. And two previously unpublished books by Zora Neale Hurston have come out in the last two years. The reported resident vote on replacing our rooftop signage is accurate. I have no further comments, Barr wrote. The Palm Beach Post reported that the signs had fallen apart when they were removed in 2017, so replacing them might have required an extra $75,000 cost. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 19:27 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c8bec 1 National China,coronavirus,Visa,visa-application,overstay,tourists,Airlangga-Hartarto,Wuhan-coronavirus Free Indonesias immigration office will not penalize Chinese tourists and workers who have overstayed their visas as a result of a recent travel ban, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has said. The government has temporarily halted all flights coming to and from China as part of ongoing efforts to prevent a deadly new coronavirus from entering the archipelago. We will allow them to overstay [their visas] for up to one month, Airlangga told reporters on Tuesday. Airlangga said that in support of government policies related to immigration, the government would create hotlines for nine ministries, including the Transportation Ministry, Health Ministry and Manpower Ministry. It would also create hotlines for the Finance Ministry, especially in regards to matters related to its Customs and Excise Directorate General, as well as the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM). The Chinese consul general in Denpasar, Bali, Guo Haodong, previously said that China respected Indonesia's travel ban, but around 5,000 people were at risk of being stranded on the island as a result. Besides suspending flights, Indonesia has also suspended visa-free and visa-on-arrival provisions for Chinese citizens, who made up the second-highest number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia last year, behind only Malaysia. (syk) Rushing an impeachment case through the House without due process and giving the Senate a half-baked case to finish set a dangerous precedent. If the Senate were to convict, it would risk making this kind of quick, partisan impeachment in the House a regular occurrence. That would serve only to further deepen the divides that seem to permeate every part of our society today. People certainly see this divide in Congress. Many believe their elected representatives on both sides of the aisle have lost sight of whats important and are focusing on politics and partisanship rather than results for the American people. While the Senate is where this impeachment process will end, it is also the Senate that is best suited to help turn the page and begin a new chapter. We can do that by demonstrating that we can work together and address the issues our constituents care most about. I believe it is possible for both parties to come together for consensus solutions on these three issues: Lowering Prescription Drug Costs. Researchers are producing life-changing medicines, but all that progress does us no good if theyre unaffordable. Its gotten so bad that some Americans have to choose between paying their mortgage or rent and being able to afford expensive prescription drugs. In the Senate, three committees have approved legislation intended to help lower out-of-pocket costs for senior citizens, crack down on the high prices set by drug manufacturers and end surprise billing practices that have devastated families with shocking medical bills. The House has its own plan. The president wants to get this done and there is no reason we should not be able to find common ground here. Improving Skills Training. Everywhere I go in Ohio, employers tell me they need workers who have the skills to fill available jobs well-paying work as welders, coders and health care technicians, all of which require skills training. Im working with Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, to pass legislation called the JOBS Act to ensure that Pell grants can be used to cover short-term training programs for these careers. That would help fill well-paid, in-demand jobs and get more people off the sidelines and into our economy. This legislation is bipartisan, and ready to go. What are they thinking? Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images Things sand dunes are famous for: being very big, and very changeable. Being hard on your knees when you climb them. Being chaotic in wind (same). Things sand dunes are not famous, or even known, for: being talkative, or generally forthcoming about their emotions. Indeed, as large piles of sand, dunes would not appear to have emotions. Yet new research suggests sand dunes can nonetheless communicate with one another. According to CNN, sand dunes let their neighbors know when they need space, unlike some people for example, your roommate, who has not responded to any of your texts about rent, although you can hear them pinging away on their phone through your shared wall you may know. Anyway: Dunes travel and shape-shift, the small ones moving more quickly than the large ones. Regardless of size, they rarely occur in isolation, but usually form vast dune fields, per a paper from researchers in the University of Cambridges Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. What does any of that say about inter-dune dynamics, though? To find out, Ph.D. candidate Karol Bacik put two identically sized sand piles next to each other in a water-filled rotator machine, thinking they would move at the same speed. Eventually, they did, but at first the front dune moved more quickly, generating a wake that appeared to hold the back dune at bay. They would move away from each other, as though they didnt like each other, Bacik told CNN. The dunes ultimately wound up on opposite sides of the tank, much like you and your roommate, stewing on opposite ends of your apartment. Previous theories of dune movement have posited that individual sand piles keep crashing into one another and piling up, or exchanging mass. This new theory suggests that dunes might repel each other, pushing one another away when they require more space. Granted, I am not a sand dune, but I feel there are bigger or clearer signals one could send? Then again, think about the roommates whove let you know they dont want to talk to you right now by locking themselves in your shared bathroom for hours-long night baths, refusing to answer when you knock on the door. Or the ones who leave angry Post-It reminders in shared spaces, punctuated with smiley faces to let you know that theyre definitely not mad but you need to never move their special mug again. Maybe we would all do better to be at least as communicative as sand dunes. Just no pushing, okay? Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Progress has been made in recent weeks in the grassroots effort to preserve the Mount Tabor Church on Cedar Avenue in the borough of Mount Holly Springs. The Mount Tabor Preservation Project will file paperwork this winter to obtain tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization through the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, said Lindsay Varner, community outreach director with the Cumberland County Historical Society. Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to have graduate students from Lock Haven University prepare a study to gauge the viability of the church site as a future education and tourism destination, Varner said. The study could be a vital tool in a campaign to raise an estimated $500,000 through grants and donations to not only stabilize and restore the church but to develop it into a community asset, she said. A structural engineer and restoration expert has examined the church and prepared a scope of work estimated at $400,000, Varner said. The additional $100,000 takes into account the need for parking, public restrooms, interpretative signage and safety features that match and enhance the church decorum, she said. The borough recently assumed ownership of the long-abandoned church that once served a local African American community. Until recently, the main obstacle to preservation efforts has been a lack of definitive ownership. That is no longer an issue. Nonprofit status Mount Tabor Church traces its history back to Elias Parker, a former slave who moved from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Mount Holly Springs after serving with the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. A Baptist minister, Parker was also a mason and carpenter who built the church on Cedar Avenue. The congregation was active until about 1970 when many of the worshipers moved away to follow work. The Mount Tabor Preservation Project counts as its membership former congregants and descendants of congregants. In 2016, the church was identified as a significant preservation opportunity through the Heart & Soul Initiative, a story-telling project administered through the Cumberland County Historical Society. Since then, volunteers have held clean-up days, put the church contents in safe keeping and started to create awareness with bus groups and videos that have been distributed nationwide. Project supporters attended a council meeting in December to discuss the next steps with borough officials. Both sides agreed that a formal structure needs to be in place defining the relationship between the borough as property owner and the Mount Tabor Preservation Project. Talks were held to consider the options that included the formation of a nonprofit friends of organization where the Mount Tabor Church and cemetery would be leased to the volunteers to manage. There was also talk of the borough creating a municipal authority that would focus solely on the preservation of the church and the cemetery. Project leaders had to figure out the best structure to use for securing grants, Tom Day said Thursday. They have been getting a lot of legal advice from different organizations. In a phone interview Friday, Varner said the Mount Tabor Preservation Project plans to pursue tax-exempt status as a 501.c3. A board has been organized with Carmen James, a former congregant, as its president. James is working with an attorney to prepare bylaws, articles of incorporation and other paperwork to include in an application to the IRS. The governing board of the Mount Tabor Preservation Project has a meeting scheduled for late February. The board plans to review and approve the bylaws and articles before James officially submits the paperwork as early as March, Varner said. The IRS could render a decision on the nonprofit status this spring, Varner said. Though the group would follow the pattern of a friends of organization, the plan is to retain its current name to stay consistent with the way donations have been made so far, Varner said. Lock Haven study Project leaders have maintained close ties to Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historically and architecturally significant resources. This connection led the project to an opportunity to work with graduate students from Lock Haven University. Lock Haven has a cultural heritage management track as part of its masters in business administration curriculum, Varner said. Arrangements are being made to have the students travel to Mount Holly Springs to begin a study that would examine the long-term feasibility of developing the Mount Tabor Church site into an education and tourism resource. Part of this study would examine the ways in which the church and its cemetery could be integrated into already established heritage trails and other state and regional networks that detail the history of African Americans, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad and local industry, Varner said. Many of the blacks who settled in Mount Holly Springs were drawn there by manufacturing jobs, she said. Email Joseph Cress at jcress@cumberlink.com. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. President Klaus Iohannis assured, after the dismissal of the Orban Government by censure motion, that "the institutions are solid" and "the governing is moving forward". "It is not the case to think that we will now enter into a complicated situation. I am the guarantor that the Romanian institutions will continue to work for Romanians," Iohannis told on Wednesday evening a press statement at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace. AGERPRES SALISBURY Rowan-Cabarrus Community College English department Chairwoman Jenny Billings has been honored as an Innovator of the Year Star Act for 2019 by the North Carolina Association of Community College Association of Distance Learning. Billings was selected in recognition of the Office Hour Initiative, which makes faculty available during nontraditional hours and online so that students who have jobs, families and other responsibilities outside the classroom can access help when needed. The OHI also requires students who fall into certain at-risk categories to meet with faculty so that they can get back on track for success. The first of its kind, the concept has garnered a following of other schools and increased student attainment. It was created in response to feedback from students who noted that faculty members were their best resource at the college, but they were not meeting with them often. I am extremely proud and appreciative of Dr. Jenny Billings for her dedication to our students and creativity in finding ways to enhance the student experience. She is very deserving of this recognition, said Carol Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. Supplier News 5 February 2020 PITTSBURGH - Aptech Computer Systems, the industry standard for hospitality financial systems, announced Twenty Four Seven Hotels updated its Enterprise Accounting for 23 properties to the PVNG Cloud Back Office system. Twenty Four Seven Hotels is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a portfolio that includes Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt brands. Aptech is an IBM Premier Solution Provider as well as a Prophix Premier Business Partner offering web-enabled business intelligence, budgeting, and hotel accounting software systems that are 100% hospitality specific. Click here for more on Aptech's products and services. Twenty Four Seven Hotels upgraded all 23 properties from Profitvue to Aptech's PVNG hotel accounting software in late 2019. Twenty Four Seven Hotels' Vice President of Finance and Accounting Samuel Grant said, "All our properties are on PVNG now and the upgrade went smoothly. My staff loves the system. PVNG is easy to use and its cloud platform enables me to manage and review financial processes from anywhere on a mobile device. This makes it a very efficient system and gives us greater latitude in our financial operation." PVNG is an advanced enterprise financial system with an easy to navigate architecture. PVNG's robust functionality emerged from Aptech's legacy application, Profitvue, used by thousands of hotel operators. PVNG supports one property or a large multi-brand, multi-property portfolio. PVNG uses the most current technology platform incorporating AP, AR, GL, Statistics, Financials, and a Bank Reconciliation, all with easy to use, familiar browser navigation. "Each of our properties is a separate entity and PVNG lets us provide separate financials for each," said Grant. "Aptech's support is excellent and we expect to have our custom ownership reports for each property finalized soon. I have used Aptech's systems for many years and value their professional service." Aptech Director of Customer Service & Support, Sam Costa, said, "Twenty Four Seven Hotels is a respected life-style brand that has expanded quickly in the past 15 years. Aptech began providing their back office financial systems in 2005 when they had 3 properties. We are proud to have supported Twenty Four Seven's highly specialized services in hotel management, investment and development." About Twenty Four Seven Hotels An entrepreneurial and spirited hospitality company, Twenty Four Seven Hotels delivers highly specialized services in hotel management, investment and development. After a decade of focusing on upscale select-service hotels, Twenty Four Seven Hotels firmly established itself in the growing lifestyle hotel market segment with the 2016 opening of the first Moxy hotel in the United States. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, our growing portfolio surpassed 25 hotels in 2017, comprised of 3,500 rooms. Concentrated in the Western U.S. markets we have several new developments under way in our ongoing franchise partnership with global hospitality brands including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Cambria. For more information on Twenty Four Seven Hotels, visit www.247hotels.com About Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. Aptech Computer Systems, Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only provider of a fully integrated enterprise accounting, business intelligence and planning ecosystem to the hospitality industry. All of its clients are companies like yours, which own or manage hotels. Its solutions help customers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data for faster goal achievement. The company is renowned for introducing business intelligence into the hotel industry, and offers a solid resource of hospitality professionals. Aptech is an IBM Software Value Plus partner and Premier Solution Provider, as well as a Prophix Premier Business Partner. Incorporated in 1970, Aptech's state-of-the-art back office, true business intelligence and enterprise planning solutions are 100% hotel specific. Solutions include PVNG, Execuvue and Targetvue. Clients comprise over 3,500 properties - including large chains, multiple-property management companies and single-site hotels. Execuvue is registered to Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective holders. For more information please visit www.aptech-inc.com. A former associate principal at Evergreen High School pleaded guilty Tuesday following allegations that she had sex with a student at the school. Sadie R. Pritchard, 42, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. She was arrested in June 2018 on suspicion of three counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Sentencing was scheduled for April 10. Both gross misdemeanor charges carry a maximum of one year in jail, according to court records. The victim told police May 22, 2018, about having sexual intercourse with (the) vice principal, Sadie Pritchard, at Evergreen High School, an affidavit of probable cause reads. Pritchard started following the student on Instagram around October 2017 and offered to help with homework, according to the affidavit. The contact turned flirtatious, leading to the exchange of nude photos, the affidavit said. Starting in December 2018 and lasting roughly six weeks, Pritchard and the student allegedly had three or four sexual encounters during school hours in her office. Other encounters allegedly took place in what the affidavit referred to as a testing room. Pritchard also repeatedly gave the student upwards of $1,000, according to the affidavit. The student denied that the payments were made for sex or to prevent disclosing the encounters. The student reportedly ended the relationship after thinking about it and becoming mad, the affidavit said. Emails found by the Evergreen Public Schools human resources director revealed that Pritchard would request that the student be pulled from class and report to her office, according to the affidavit. She also allegedly asked teachers to change grades to a pass/fail status in an effort to improve the students GPA. Pritchard had hired an attorney by the time of her arrest and did not agree to an interview with police. In 2013, Pritchard admitted to the school districts human resources director at the time that she talked to students on her private cellphone and gave them money and gift cards. A disciplinary letter blamed Pritchard for a lack of professional judgment and inexperience, instead of any inappropriate or nefarious intention. Pritchard was placed on administrative leave in May 2018 as soon as the school received an initial report she acted inappropriately with a student, according to school district spokeswoman Gail Spolar. She resigned later in the month. Spolar said the Vancouver Police Department was immediately called when the school learned about the alleged behavior and that the school district fully cooperated with investigators. At the time of her arrest, Pritchard was one at least five Evergreen Public Schools educators that had been investigated since 2015 for inappropriate or sexual behavior with students. In August, Jerry Miller, a physical education teacher at Ellsworth Elementary School who had worked in the district since 1986, was arrested after allegedly molesting a student at the school. His trial is set for next month. The Columbian Alexander Klein/AFP/Getty Images Oil reversed five days of losses as the potential for an OPEC+ production cut overshadowed an uptick in U.S. crude inventories. Futures climbed 2.3% in New York on Wednesday, gaining the most in a month. Oil markets earlier jumped more than 4% before easing gains as a meeting of OPEC+ officials in Vienna failed to reach a consensus on how to address the impact of the coronavirus. The group extended talks to a third day. Former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson said at an energy conference in Houston that his experience in the private sector gave him an appreciation for the value of an interconnected world and he brought that philosophy with him to the Trump administration as secretary of state. Tillerson, who served about a year in President Donald Trumps State Department after 41 years in the energy industry, said he believes global connections between people and nations is to everyones benefit, whether for national security or trade or other economic reasons. But that view was not shared by many people in the White House including the president himself, said Tillerson, speaking at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston. Tillerson, who called himself a long-time proponent of free trade, said the U.S. economy is strengthened by its trading partners and efficient supply chains, which ultimately benefit consumers with lower prices and higher quality products. The United States, he added, is strong because it has so many allies around the world. Tillerson said he hoped that Trump would remind those allies during Tuesdays State of the Union address that the United States has their backs. These alliances and friendships are critical to the survival of democracy in the United States, said Tillerson. Theyre friends and allies because they know they can count on us and we have always been able to count on them in times of conflict and in times of tragedy, he said. Our adversaries do not have that. Tillerson had a short, but rocky tenure in the administration. Tillersons statements on U.S. policy were at times contradicted by Trump. Tillerson told the oil executives that it wasnt an easy transition joining government service after his 41 years at ExxonMobil, which he described as a well-oiled machine with discipline and processes. Tillerson was fired two years ago by Trump in a tweet. Several months later Tillerson said in a speech at a charity event in Houston that he was pushed by Trump to take illegal actions. Trump shot back in a tweet that Tillerson was as dumb as a rock and lazy as hell. But its a high honor to serve, said Tillerson, who said he has no regrets. Id do it again in a minute, he said. lynn.sixel@chron.com twitter.com/lmsixel This month marks my fifteenth year in the real estate business. While that may seem like a long time, I feel like Im just getting started. I say that because this is my ninth year in truly doing what I love. Let me provide a little background into what I mean. The first six years of my real estate career were spent figuring out the business and understanding all I could about real estate. Then, about nine years ago, my sister and niece moved back to Chattanooga. At the time, my niece was three and so excited to move into a house with stairs. She loved climbing up the stairs, never thinking about them and just racing up to get to her room and her space. What I loved since that time is that I feel like I now truly get the chance to help my clients establish roots. These roots can help set their family on solid ground for many years to come. Now I see the impact that the stability of a home has for my clients and community. Recently reflecting over that time got me thinking about the importance of having an address. Sure, an address means you have a home, but it is so much more than that. It is a sense of belonging to a community. It means you are part of the fabric and being of people knowing where they come from and playing a role in where they are going. An address is used every day, and most of the time we dont even think about it. Yet, have you ever stopped to think of all that you cannot do unless you have an address? An address is needed to open a bank account and to register to vote. And address is needed to get a drivers license and to register kids for school. An address is needed to get a passport and to have a safe place that you call home. As we move into a new decade, we as a community face the challenge of ensuring the dream of a home to all. This home and this address are more important than we can realize, as it ensures the security of the future. As realtors engage with other community players to think about zoning codes, building codes, and land usage, let us keep it in the framework that all people want to have an address. As a community, we need to come together to ensure that the future makes available for everyone who desires to have a home an address to which they belong. The Emir of Anka and Chairman, Council of Chiefs in Zamfara, Attahiru Ahmad, has advised the federal government to reconsider its decision to ban illegal mining in the north-western state. The monarch gave the advice on Tuesday while receiving the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Zamfara, Aliyu Alhaji-Garba, and officials of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, who paid him a courtesy visit. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the NSCDC officials, in collaboration with the federal ministry of mines and steel development, were in Anka to meet with local miners. Instead of a total ban, government should sensitise illegal miners and also give them close monitoring to ensure they complied with the rules and regulations of the trade. Though illegal mining has negative implications, especially on health, environment, ecology and security, government should also be considerate. The total ban will result in massive unemployment which may escalate insecurity already bedeviling the state, the monarch said. He lamented that most of the mining companies in the state were not helping their host communities. The emir assured his visitors of total support and cooperation from the emirate and traditional rulers toward reviving and modernising the mining sector. Earlier, Mr Alhaji-Garba had said that the sensitisation was aimed at ensuring that mining activities were done in line with the rules and regulations guiding the activity. We want all illegal miners in the state to acquire the licence from the federal government. This is one of federal governments policies toward diversifying the nations economy. Zamfara is one of the states in the country blessed with abundant mineral resources, government is working with stakeholders to ensure that the resources are harnessed in line with best practices, he said. He said that the NSCDC had a mandate of providing security for licensed mining companies and monitoring the activities of illegal mining in the state. In his remark, the Plan Officer of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Abunumah Samuel, said that about 80 per cent of mining activities in Nigeria was carried out by artisanal miners which were generally illegal. He said that the federal government wants to make sure that all artisan miners acquired licences so that they would pay revenue to government. NAN reports that illegal mining activities have continued to persist in Zamfara in spite of the ban on the crude trade. (NAN) IZ/CHOM/ETS Gold prices rose on Wednesday, recovering from a sharp drop in the previous session, as safe-haven demand was boosted by worries over a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak in China. Spot gold gained 0.6% to $1,561.62 per ounce by 0801 GMT, after declining 1.5% on Tuesday a the biggest since early-November. U.S. gold futures climbed 0.7% to $1,565.60 per ounce. "There's an increase in demand (for gold) because of flight to safety with the coronavirus and concerns about (economic) growth," said John Sharma, an economist at National Australia Bank (NAB). "We are still witnessing deaths and quarantine problems. As long as deaths are around, there'll still be increasing demand for gold." The death toll in China passed 490, as two U.S. airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong following the first fatality there and 10 cases were confirmed on a quarantined Japanese cruise ship. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The virus would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from the Phase 1 trade deal that is set to take effect this month, the White House's top economic adviser said on Tuesday. Underpinning the metal further was a private sector survey that showed growth in China's services sector slowed for a second straight month in January. "Gold tested and failed numerous times ahead of $1,590 an ounce over the last week. It implies that the Wuhan situation would need to escalate sharply to give gold the necessary momentum to rise above $1,600 an ounce," Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA, said in a note. Gold hit a four-week high of $1,591.46 an ounce earlier this week, before paring gains as risk appetite improved after China took measures to cushion the economic impact of the outbreak. Asian stocks gained as China readies more measures to support its economy jolted by the outbreak. "If confidence continues to increase that the worst is behind us, gold will continue to suffer a a daily close below $1,550 sets up a much deeper potential correction," Halley said. The metal may retest a support at $1,549 per ounce, with a good chance of breaking below this level and falling towards the Jan. 14 low of $1,535.75, said Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Among other precious metals, palladium rose 1.5% to $2,470.77 an ounce, after touching a near two-week peak of $2,478.00 earlier in the session. Silver climbed 0.7% to $17.70, while platinum inched up by 0.1% to $964.09. MAFS groom Mikey Pembroke has revealed what he really thought of his TV bride Natasha Spencer when they married at first sight on Tuesday's episode. Appearing on Hit 96.9 Goulburn Valley's breakfast show on Wednesday, the Sydney-based star, 29, said he was worried he'd been matched with an older woman. 'I shouldn't say this, but she looked like she was 35 coming up the aisle,' he candidly told his radio pal Josiah Shiala about his 26-year-old TV wife. Scroll down for video 'She looked like she was 35 coming up the aisle': MAFS groom Mikey Pembroke (above) was shocked to discover bride Natasha Spencer was only 25 Mikey explained that he was nervous and intimidated around Natasha on their wedding day, which was filmed in early September. 'She looked like she was 35 coming up the aisle, and I thought "Geez, I've got my work cut out for me!"'he joked. His long-time pal interrupted, saying: 'But you don't really discriminate. You like 'em young and old mate. 35 ain't too bad, I thought you were goign to get stitched up mate, but I reckon she was gorgeous.' 'I was just taken back a bit': Mikey said despite Natasha only being 25 at the time of their wedding last September, he thought she was 10 years older when he saw her approaching Mikey tried to explain himself further: 'I think that's just like when you think in your mind "yeah, I'm going to get a partnered with someone my age, someone I can relate to", and when I saw her, she was only 25... I was just taken back a bit.' 'I was like "Jesus, I'm a bit out of my depth here." She was pretty intimidating and it definitely shut me up, which is unusual, as you know,' he continued. Financial analyst Natasha also told Today Extra on Wednesday she thought Mikey looked 'so disappointed' when he laid eyes on her for the first time. 'When I walked down the aisle and he didn't smile at me, I was like, put me back in the car!' Natasha said. 'When I walked down the aisle and he didn't smile at me': Natasha told Today Extra on Wednesday she thought Mikey looked 'disappointed' when he laid eyes on her for the first time As for their relationship going forward, operations manager Mikey said: 'There's going to be a lot of clashing down the line.' 'Well, this experiment is a crazy thing,' he cheekily said, dodging questions of whether he will be involved in a partner-swapping scandal this season. Married At First Sight continues on Wednesday from 7:30pm on Nine The University of Manila (UM) is a private university in the heart of the Sampaloc District in Manila, Philippines. It was founded on October 5, 1913, by three siblings. They named their school Instituto de Manila after the city of Manila, and Apolinario G. de Los Santos was elected as the first director of the school. Image: facebook.com, @University of Manila Central Student Council Source: UGC The University of Manila offers a fun and engaging environment for the learners. It connects people from various backgrounds and cultures. It provides top-notch higher learning that helps in ensuring that the students thrive to succeed in the career path they've chosen. University of Manila: location University of Manila's campus is located in 2401 Taft Avenue Malate, Manila. The school is on a 5.45 ha of land. It has 19 buildings in total (9 are classrooms and 10 are used for the administrative and auxiliary functions). Courses offered The University of Manila courses are highlighted below: Teacher Education Bachelor of Elementary Education Bachelor of Secondary Education Business AB in Economics BS in Accountancy Social Science AB in Political Science BS in Criminology BS in Foreign Service Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management Administration Tourism Language Engineering BS in Civil Engineering BS in Industrial Engineering Humanities AB in History IT, Computer Science & Programming BS in Computer Science Image: um.edu.ph Source: UGC The UM has 6 masters courses: MA in Education Master of Business Administration MA in Political Science Master of Public Administration MA in History Master of Laws The UM provides 2 Doctrine courses: Doctor of Education Doctor of Public Administration The UM offers 9 certificate courses: Certificate in Bookkeeping Certificate in Computer Secretarial Building and Construction Specialist Certificate in Political Science and Technology Associate in Hotel & Restaurant Management Certificate in Hotel & Restaurant Management Certificate in Library Technician Associate in Computer Science University of Manila College of Law is also known to offer bar exams and enrichment programs as a refresher course. READ ALSO: Bulacan State University courses, contact, admission, history Requirements Here are the requirements for admission: Resides in Manila Graduate of 2019, both SHS and Freshman High school graduate on or before 1st June 2015 Parents should be registered voters and taxpayers of Manila Physically fit Should pass the admission test Requirements for admission for SHS and freshman Completely and properly filled admission form Present original copy of a birth certificate Parents latest voters affidavit or voters ID Report card with complete grades Certificate of good moral character 2 pieces of 11/2 and 11/2 with a name tag, it should have a white background For PEPT, ALS, NFEA&E, one as to present a certificate of passing report card. Tuition fee Here is a breakdown of the University of Manila tuition fee: Bachelors degree : 18,000-20,000 per year : 18,000-20,000 per year Master's degree : 10,500-22,500 per year : 10,500-22,500 per year Doctorate degree: 73,000 per entire program READ ALSO: Polytechnic University of the Philippines: courses, fees, and admission Notable alumni There is no information about the University of Manila notable alumni. Careers The University of Manila careers are announced on the official site. The information on the website is inclusive of the qualifications needed and other requirements. When you find an opening, send the application to the HR of the campus. Contact information Below is the University of Manila contact information that one should use to reach out to the institution. University of Manila's address : 546 Dr M.V. de Los Santos St. Sampaloc, Manila : 546 Dr M.V. de Los Santos St. Sampaloc, Manila University of Manila's website : um.edu.ph : um.edu.ph Email: umnla.edu.ph@gmail.com Now you have exhaustive information on University of Manila's courses, contact, and fees. Enroll today to kickstart your career. READ ALSO: Batangas State university portal faculty, student, registration Source: KAMI.com.gh WASHINGTON San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier walked out of President Trumps State of the Union speech midway through the address, joining several other Democrats who left the House floor before the president finished. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who sat behind Trump throughout the 78-minute speech Tuesday night, tore up a printed copy of the text once the president was finished. It was the final tit-for-tat of the evening between the two when Trump ascended to the dais, he appeared to snub Pelosis attempt to shake his hand. Pelosi welcomed Trump with a stripped-down version of the speakers traditional introduction to the joint session of Congress. Speakers usually say it is their high privilege and distinct honor to introduce the president, but the San Francisco Democrat omitted those words. The chilliness between Trump and Democrats was hardly a surprise. Pelosi launched the House inquiry that led to Trumps impeachment. The two reportedly have not spoken since a White House meeting in October in which Democrats say the president called Pelosi a third-grade politician. Speier told The Chronicle that her exit was a response to Trumps behavior toward Pelosi, as well as his general demeanor during the speech, which she said was filled with falsehoods and unfair attacks on California over its sanctuary policies and laws granting health care to some undocumentd immigrants. First of all, he didnt shake the speakers hand, Speier said. It built up over the course of over 45 minutes or so. ... I had the luxury of walking out. (Speaker Pelosi) didnt. Asked about Pelosi tearing up the text afterward, Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee said, Its exactly what she should have done. The White House pointed out that the text included several Trump tributes to notable Americans. Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy, the White House said in a tweet. Pelosi tweeted that the speech was a manifesto of mistruths, and in a separate tweet included an image of her trying to shake Trumps hand. Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople, Pelosi wrote. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. Speier left the House chamber after Trump called for passage of a law banning late-term abortions. That was the straw that broke the camels back, at least my back, she said, adding that she had considered leaving earlier. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Speier, who has attended 12 State of the Union speeches, said Trump has transformed the traditionally cordial and aspirational event into a partisan rally. She likened it to a game show where he handed out prizes and medals. Several other Democrats also walked out during the speech, including Reps. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey. Ive had enough, Ryan tweeted. Its like watching professional wrestling. Its all fake. Pascrell tweeted, I cant stand a liar. This mans presidency is a national tragedy. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @dustingardiner Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Officials from the Philippines and Kuwait have signed an agreement on the proposed standard employment contract for Overseas Filipino Workers in the Gulf State, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the technical working groups of both governments have finalized a harmonized template contract which comes in the wake of a total ban on deployment of Filipino workers to the foreign country. The deal was sealed during the joint committee meeting of the two countries at the start of the month. Okay naman, nagkasundo, nagkapirmahan to harmonize standard contract of employment, Bello told reporters in a chance interview at the Senate. [Translation: It was okay, we agreed, signed to harmonize the standard contract of employment.] The template contract for OFWs is contained under a provision of a 2018 labor deal between the two countries an agreement crafted to protect the welfare of Filipino workers in the Gulf State. Labor officials earlier attributed the delay of its finalization due to disagreements on certain rules in the provision. Bello said the standard contract contains regulations endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte including allowing Filipinos to keep their passports and cellphones, setting one day off with pay, as well as designating working and sleeping hours for the OFWs. The need for a specific employment contract resurfaced following the death of Jeanelyn Villavende, a household worker killed by her Kuwaiti employer. Villavendes case along with other reported maltreatment and deaths of OFWs also prompted the Labor Department to impose a total ban on workers' deployment to Kuwait. Bello earlier said the directive may be lifted if Kuwaiti courts take appropriate action on Villavendes case. The ban, however, stays in the meantime as the department awaits status reports on the cases of OFW deaths. "We asked for status report at saka 'yung (and the) validation ng sinabi nila they (suspects in Villavende's case) were formally charged," Bello said. CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eavor is pleased to announce the full completion and 3rd party validation of the Eavor-Lite demonstration project near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Eavor's technology, known as "Eavor-Loop" captures geothermal energy to produce steady and dependable heat and electrical power without emissions of any kind. Unlike traditional geothermal power plants, an Eavor-Loop works at drilling depths which have geologically common parameters and characteristics; enabling implementation almost anywhere in the world. This technology represents the opportunity to transform the world's energy stack, redefine how energy is produced and address climate change. In parallel with the successful demonstration, Eavor has assembled a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar prospect pipeline. Eavor is now working with strategic partners and investors to begin first commercial projects. "Eavor's innovative technological solution has been built, developed and demonstrated upon the foundations of the world-renowned drilling industry and energy services sector in Western Canada; together considered to be the "Silicon Valley" of energy services. The net result is that the Eavor-Loop solution is now poised to provide a uniquely scalable source of emissions-free baseload power to the world." - John Redfern, President and CEO, Eavor Technologies Inc. The Eavor-Lite demonstration project broke ground on August 2nd, 2019, when two Precision Drilling rigs commenced simultaneous operations in Clearwater County, Alberta. As part of the world's first drilling program, multi-lateral horizontal drilling intersections were made safely and successfully on September 1st & 11th, 2019. The drilling phase was completed on-time and on-budget on September 16th, 2019, 46 days after it began. Construction of the surface facilities and pipeline began on October 1st. On December 3rd, 2019 the facility was commissioned and then switched to "thermosiphon mode" on the morning of December 4th, 2019. The flowrate and temperature have remained steady and consistent since then. During construction many private tours were conducted for international and domestic delegations of government regulators, scientists and private corporations from 11 different countries. These tours allowed our potential partners to witness the Eavor technology that will power the world's first fully functioning closed-loop energy extraction system: Eavor-Loop. Eavor is preparing for another round of tours which may be arranged by connecting with Eavor directly. The Eavor-Lite demonstration was designed to prove out 3 key categories of intellectual property: Drilling and intersecting a multilateral Eavor-Loop Complete the system using Rock-Pipe technology and pressure test Validate thermodynamic performance and demonstrate thermosiphon TNO, the Netherlands Organization for applied scientific research, operating out of their head office in Utrecht, Netherlands has provided an independent assessment of the Eavor-Lite project. This report is currently being updated with the recent field results and will be made available to interested parties under non-disclosure agreements. "With all the elements of Eavor-Lite being successfully completed, and independently validated by 3rd parties, Eavor is now in full swing to commercialize the technology worldwide." - Robert Winsloe - EVP, Sales & Marketing Eavor Technologies Inc. would like to acknowledge our key vendor partner Precision Drilling, contributing partner Shell International Exploration and Production, via its New Energies Research & Technology program, as well as our financial partner; Vickers Venture Partners. "Precision Drilling has been involved with Eavor Technologies since close to its inception and we are thrilled to have contributed to the successful Eavor-Lite demonstration project. Eavor-Lite presented the opportunity to utilize Precision's High Performance, High Value services to drill the multi-lateral and connected horizontal wells, which was an important technical objective for Eavor and an outcome we were confident we could deliver. Precision is a strong supporter of Eavor and understands the importance of developing innovative sustainable alternative energy sources. We look forward to providing our services for the commercial implementation of Eavor's geothermal energy technology." - Kevin Neveu - President and CEO, Precision Drilling Corporation "In searching for the next breakthrough in geothermal energy, we at Shell brainstormed what was holding geothermal energy back. We recognized that Eavor-Loop, and its conduction-only closed-loop design, may have the potential to address many of these concerns. That is why we collaborated with Eavor on their Eavor-Lite demonstration project - and look forward to learning from the results." - Malcolm Ross - Geothermal Focus Leader, Shell New Energies Research & Technology "We have been working with Eavor through the construction phase of Eavor-Lite and are very pleased with its outcome. We remain convinced that Eavor can change the energy industry as we know it by ending the traditional energy balancing act between scalable baseload solutions and intermittent green solutions. Eavor instead delivers what the world truly needs; scalable, green, baseload energy." - Dr. Finian Tan - Vickers Venture Partners' Chairman It is further acknowledged the support Eavor received from the Government of Canada and Government of Alberta via SDTC, NRCan, AI and ERA; totaling $8.7 million in grant funding towards the Eavor-Lite facility. "Eavor Technologies has opened new doors to a sustainable future for Canadians. With the successful demonstration of dependable, scalable and emissions-free geothermal energy, Eavor is challenging the industry to rethink the limitations of clean energy solutions. SDTC is proud to invest in the industry innovators at Eavor and to support their continued success as they commercialize the technology worldwide." - Leah Lawrence, President & CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada "ERA is pleased to work with our partners to advance promising technologies toward commercialization. Eavor Technologies' innovative approach to heat and power production could unlock geothermal opportunities both within and outside of Alberta, demonstrating to the world that we are taking real action to deliver global solutions." - Steve MacDonald, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta. "The Eavor-Loop shows how we can grow and transform our existing industries in ways that help the environment and the economy. Eavor is a compelling example of the value added through strategic partnerships in the field of innovation and energy." - Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates Eavor-Lite The Eavor-Lite demonstration facility is a full-scale prototype of the technology built to de-risk the key technical components of Eavor's proprietary Eavor-Loop technology. The project is located east of Rocky Mountain House, near the town of Eckville, AB, in an area with average geothermal gradient and bottom hole temperatures. The target circulating formation is the Rock Creek, a quartz sandstone. Eavor-Lite is comprised of an Eavor-Loop with two ~1700m multilaterals, 2 vertical wells approximately 2.5 km apart that are connected on surface with a pipeline, and a test facility. The circulating fluid picks up heat in the subsurface loop, exits at surface, and the thermal energy is discharged in an aerial cooler within the test facility. The layout of the multilateral junctions, multilateral wellbore intersections created using Eavor's Rock-Pipe protectant, and thermodynamic performance are the same as a commercial design. About Eavor Technologies Inc: Eavor's solution Quick facts The Eavor-Loop technology harnesses the Earth's natural heat kilometers underground to be used at surface for heating or electricity generation. While the geothermal energy production is not new, Eavor's technology is highly scalable and holds the promise to be a significant global energy source which does not have the intermittency issues of traditional renewable power systems. The Eavor-Lite demonstration project is designed to showcase Eavor's unique and proprietary design elements. The demonstration project began drilling in early August and tests the technology at near-commercial scale. The facility, now complete, serves as a testbed and proxy for commercial Eavor-Loop implementations globally. Related Information www.eavor.com https://eavor.com/eavor-lite/ https://vimeo.com/301259525 Not for Distribution to United States Newswire Services or for Dissemination in the United States VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Golden Opportunity Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Golden Opportunity") (CSE:GOOP) is pleased to announce that it has signed an Option to Purchase Agreement with Northbound Capital Corp. and 1544230 Ontario Inc. for certain mineral property claims in the Detour Lake District, Ontario, Canada. Key Take Aways: Located in the Detour Greenstone Belt, host to the Detour Gold Mine Complex, the Fenlon Gold Project recently discovered by Wallbridge Mining, the Balmoral Resources Ni-Cu Discovery, the past and current producing Casa Berardi Mine and the past producing Selbaie VMS Mine Only Detour Gold and Aurelius Minerals have any significant land holdings in the area and the Northbound Capital claim block is contiguous to both Claim block hosted within a postulated gabbroic intrusive which makes an excellent host for gold mineralization Proximal to the Zone 58N Gold Deposit and the Lipton Gold Zone Golden Opportunity cautions investors mineralization on the above mentioned properties is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on the Northbound claim block. Zone 58N Source: Detour Gold Corporation News Release dated 2018-Jul-25; Detour Gold Mine Complex Source Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. CIBC Western Institutional Investor Conference Presentation January 29-31, 2020; Lipton Source: Mineral Deposit Inventory for Ontario MDI000000000800 Lipton Lake Keith Anderson, chief executive officer, commented: "We are very excited to be entering into this option agreement with Northbound Capital. Not only are we optioning a property in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt precious metals, we're surrounded by significant discoveries." He added "We are planning to implement an aggressive exploration program in the coming months. With the price of gold and other precious metals heading higher, our timing couldn't be any better." About the transaction The Company has agreed to pay $20,000 and issue 1,500,000 shares on signing and has further agreed to issue 1,500,000 shares, pay $75,000 cash and incur an aggregate of $650,000 in Exploration Expenditures over the next three years to earn a 100% interest in the Property. The Company has the option to purchase a 2% NSR for $1,000,000 About Golden Opportunity Resources Corp. Golden Opportunity is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets in Canada. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC) a Qualified Person under NI43-101 and a Director of Golden Opportunity. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Keith Anderson Chief Executive Officer, Director For further information, please contact: Keith Anderson Chief Executive Officer, Director (604) 786-7774 Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's option to acquire the Maple Bay Project, the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated August 30, 2019 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this presentation or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. SOURCE: Golden Opportunity Resources Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575081/Golden-Opportunity-Resources-Signs-Option-to-Purchase-Agreement-for-Detour-Lake-Property India on Wednesday dismissed reports in Pakistani media that it was trying to breach the Indus Waters Treaty, terming them "false" and "far from reality". Commissioner (Indus) in the Jal Shakti Ministry P K Saxena said the reports were an attempt by Pakistan to divert the attention of its public from the "real issues of gross mismanagement" of water resources. "The reports of India's attempt of breach of Indus Waters Treaty has been rejected as false and far from reality. The building of perception that the water scarcity in Pakistan is because of India, bears no relation whatsoever to the reality on the ground," Saxena told PTI. The reports state that following the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, the Indian government has stepped up efforts to breach the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) to pave the way for construction of dams on the water flowing into Pakistan. The reports also stated that Indian diplomats have started quietly lobbying like-minded UN members. They claimed that Delhi is circulating a draft stating that it needs to act on several options, including construction of new dams in its territory, to counter environmental impacts of climate change, including fog, in its neighbouring countries. According to the Indus Water Treaty between New Delhi and Islamabad, the usage of water of the Indus and its five tributaries flowing from India to Pakistan have been divided. Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are eastern flowing rivers, while Indus, Jhelum and Chenab flow towards the west. It is India's right to design the projects on western rivers within the limiting conditions imposed by the treaty, Saxena said. Of the total 168 million acre feet (MAF), India's share of water from these three rivers is 33 MAF, which is nearly 20 per cent. India uses nearly 93-94 per cent of its share under the Indus Water Treaty. The rest of the water remains unutilised and goes to Pakistan. "Pakistan uses nearly 90-93 per cent in agriculture against average of 70-75 per cent and about two-thirds of water is wasted due to traditional practices," he said. Out of the Pakistan's share of 135 Million Acre Foot (MAF), about 30-35 MAF flows down the sea and more than 30 MAF is what Pakistan calls system loss which is nothing but a "theft by the influential", he added. "This wastage of water is twice the India's share in the Indus waters," Saxena added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Public sector companies owe the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) around Rs 2.65 lakh crore, with GAIL India alone owing around 65 per cent of the total amount, Minister of State for Telecom and IT Sanjay Dhotre told Parliament on Wednesday. The department has raised a demand notice to recover the due from 10 public sector undertakings (PSUs), he added. In response to a question raised by MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh that whether a huge amount of the DoT is due on Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers, GAIL, Rail Tel, Power Grid and other public sector companies, Dhotre said "Yes, sir." According to details shared by the minister, five public sector units owe DoT over 99 per cent of the total demand raised. This includes a demand of Rs 1,72,655.73 crore from GAIL India, Rs 48,489.26 crore from Oil India, Rs 22,062.65 crore from Powergrid Corporation of India, Rs 15,019.97 crore from Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals and Rs 5,481.52 crore from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation of India. The DoT has also raised a demand of Rs 842.02 crore from NICSI, Rs 307.26 crore from RailTel Corporation of India, Rs 90.22 crore from Software Technology Parks Of India, Rs 47.09 crore from Ernet India Ltd and Rs 65.44 crore from Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV. In a separate reply on payment of dues by telecom operators, Dhotre said the government has directed the licence holders to make the payments in accordance with the Supreme Court's order dated October 24, 2019, and submit requisite documents within the stipulated time frame. "Action in accordance with licence agreement is taken against the telecom service providers (TSPs) if they fail to pay the dues to the government," Dhotre said. He was replying to a question on whether the government proposes to terminate licences of TSPs in view of their failure to pay the dues to the government to the tune of Rs 93,000 crore. The apex court had given three months to telecom companies from October 24 when it pronounced judgment on statutory dues. The Supreme Court has held that non-telecom revenues have to be considered for calculating statutory dues. Telecom companies owe the government around Rs 1.47 lakh crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues that include Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee, and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. After the rejection of review petitions by the apex court, telecom companies have moved fresh pleas with regard to working out a new schedule of payment of their dues. Leading telcos Bharti Airtel and Vodafone had last month told the DoT that they would not pay their total AGR dues of Rs 88,624 crore by January 23, the deadline, and will comply with the outcome of modification petition filed before the Supreme Court. Reliance Jio, the largest telco in terms of subscriber base, however, paid Rs 195 crore to the DoT to clear all adjusted gross revenue dues accounted till January 31, 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While the other defected and defeated members of defunct APM were still shadow-chasing and preoccupied with empty boasts, Mafe, less than a month after the election of Prince Dapo Abiodun, specifically on April 2, 2019 announced his return to APC on the floor of Ogun State House of Assembly. Visitors to Belfast Zoo yesterday said they would be "gutted" if the facility was to be closed, as controversy rages over the future of the attraction. While the zoo was understandably relatively quiet on a chilly Tuesday afternoon in February, there was still a steady stream of visitors making its way past the elephant, gorilla and zebra enclosures. Housing more than 600 animals, the zoo has been in the public eye in the last few days after a Sinn Fein motion from Conor Maskey to transform it was heard at Monday's Belfast City Council meeting. A petition to save the north Belfast attraction was launched last week in anticipation of the debate and has gathered almost 2,000 signatures from members of the public. Paul Wilson (24) from Belfast said that he had been to the zoo before, but not since he used to make regular visits as a child. "I used to come as a kid and I have always loved this place," he said. "I heard and saw on the news it was supposed to be closing down, so I came here to help it out a bit. "I saw it on the news a bit about petitions and politicians wanting to close it down. "I would like to see it stay, I love the place. "It is good to see a different array of animals and learning a lot more about animals that I would never really see. "It is just good to spend a bit of time to see how the animals get on and see the different things that there are. "All the animals are class. I think it is a great thing for Belfast to have, it can bring loads of tourism, which is a benefit. Expand Close Andean bear Spook in his enclosure / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andean bear Spook in his enclosure "They should put more money into it, even though it isn't very busy today. My friends and family don't come up very often, but it is one of those things, it is a good day out." Asked if he had a message for those proposing to close or change the zoo, Paul thought they should "wise up". Anjanee Shields (27) from Donegal and Ciaran Dunn (32) from Derry were visiting Belfast yesterday and decided to take a trip to the zoo. Anjanee explained that she had not been since she was a child and was impressed by it, in comparison to other zoos she had seen. "I really love it. It is really good, really, really good," she said. "We started from the top of the zoo and we have seen the bears, the lions, elephants, giraffes, penguins - all the good animals. My favourite is the giraffe. "There are good enclosures for them and they are really treated well, so I don't see why they should have to close it. I think it definitely is a good thing for Belfast. "I would say it deserves more funding. A lot goes into it. I was saying how tidy it was. We have gone to other zoos and they were not as good." Ciaran added that he thought the animals in Belfast had "enclosures a lot more spacious and open than other zoos we have visited" and remarked that the animals "at least had a safe environment here". Katie Varga (30) is originally from Hungary but now lives in Belfast. She was showing a tourist friend around the sites of the city and made sure the zoo was one of them. "It is a good attraction and it has a really nice view, which is why I like coming here. It is quiet today but I am enjoying it," she said. "I didn't hear that there was any discussion of them closing it. I would be very sorry if they did that. I think it should stay open. "I think they should put more money into it." Kelly Martin (28) from Belfast was with her family while enjoying a day off from work. She was impressed with what was on show after not having visited in a number of years. "I have been up to the zoo before but not for a very long time, maybe about five years ago. It has been really good today. It is nice because it is quiet," she said. "We have seen everything at this point today, including the monkeys and farm animals. "The lions are the best animal. My son Charlie loves the lions. "I think they should probably put more money into it. Walking round, you see quite a lot closed, so maybe it would be a good idea if they could put a bit of money into it." Rebecca McQuillan (25) from Magherafelt and Adam Osborne (29) from Portavogie both enjoyed the variety of animals and pleasant surroundings. "I think it definitely is a good thing for Belfast to have. "It brings more tourists in as well," Rebecca said. "I would definitely not be happy if they closed the zoo." COLUMBIA, S.C. - Black lawmakers in South Carolina are calling on former Vice-President Joe Biden to disavow statements from a longtime friend and campaign surrogate that they say are racist. About half of the 45-member Legislative Black Caucus held a news conference on Wednesday blasting Democratic state Sen. Dick Harpootlian for remarks they contend insinuated that their groups chairman had been bought by Biden rival Tom Steyer because he was paid for his work for Steyers campaign. They said Biden, who is running for president and is a top contender in the upcoming South Carolina primary, should distance himself from Harpootlian following the comments. We ask that he do it publicly, and that he do it now, House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford said. His refusal to do so will not go over well in the black community, and it certainly will not go over well with members of the Black Caucus that are standing behind me. Harpootlian denies that his comments were racially motivated. Biden spokeswoman Paige Hill said Wednesday that Harpootlian does not speak for the Biden campaign. The fight broke out just over three weeks before South Carolinas presidential primary, the first voting contest in the South. The majority of South Carolinas Democratic voting electorate is black, a demographic that overwhelmingly supports Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. Biden is working to find his footing after a struggling showing in Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday. Harpootlian tweeted earlier Wednesday about Federal Election Commission filings showing Black Caucus Chairman Jerry Govan receiving almost $50,000 from Steyers campaign in just more than a months time and called the billionaire Steyer Mr. Money Bags. Is he pocketing the dough or redistributing the wealth? Harpootlian asked, referring to Govan. Harpootlian also told the Post and Courier newspaper of South Carolina: He told me he was with Joe Biden until Mr. Moneybags showed up. He continued: This is what happens when billionaires get involved, whether its Donald Trump or Tom Steyer. They just buy things. They dont have to persuade anybody, they just buy them. After the news conference, Harpootlian told reporters that he was not a Biden campaign spokesman and hadnt consulted the campaign before making any comments. I am not racially motivated in any of this, Harpootlian said. I will not be silenced by those who use race as a shield from criticism. ... This is an effort to shield themselves by saying this is racist. Late Wednesday, Steyer accused Harpootlian of having a horrid track record of disrespecting and disparaging African Americans. In a statement provided to The Associated Press, he went on to call Harpootlians comments Trump-like dirty campaign tactics that the Biden campaign should not tolerate. The Steyer campaign said earlier that Govan was being compensated $10,000 per month, an amount it called consistent with the salaries of other members of the team in South Carolina. The FEC filings show Steyers campaign paid Govan $43,000 for work from Oct. 31 to Dec. 4. Steyers team contends that Govan came on board in September so the amount would essentially account for back pay. Govan was announced as a senior adviser to Steyers South Carolina campaign in October, raising some eyebrows among those who found it curious a campaign would be paying a state lawmaker while receiving his endorsement. Democrats seeking their partys nomination have been lobbying caucus members for support for over a year now, their endorsements possibly avenues into support with black voters. Steyer has since been endorsed by other South Carolina lawmakers, including state Sen. John Scott, another member of the Black Caucus. Govan previously supported Biden, serving as an adviser and co-chairman of his 2008 presidential campaign in South Carolina. ___ Associated Press writer Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report from Columbia. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. DES MOINES For two magical hours, the new and improved 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus worked almost exactly as intended. People caucused Monday night in less time than four years ago, when participants grumbled that the process was too long. There was less infighting among the groups aligned for their candidates. Indeed, many caucusgoers and their precinct chairs wrapped up caucus night saying they felt good about the changes put in place to make the selection process simpler and more inclusive. And then the precinct chairs tried to report their results to the Iowa Democratic Party and everything ground to a halt. University of Iowa students divide into preference groups while they caucus, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa. "Everyone who was in the room caucusing should have left with a smile on their face," said Dan Callahan, chair of the Buchanan County Democrats. "It was efficient. It was fun. We did what we were supposed to do we built a party platform and we picked a presidential candidate. "It was after everybody left that the problems started." In county after county across Iowa, the same thing happened, according to interviews with 20 Democratic Party chairs around the state. All the corrective changes the party had put in place to shore up the credibility of the Iowa caucuses quickly were overshadowed by zero results reported nearly 24 hours after caucusing began. Iowa caucuses: Live Democratic results and alignment tallies More: Iowa Democratic Party chair apologizes for delay in results reporting, which he says was 'unacceptable' The Iowa Democratic Party has blamed the delay on a coding issue in a new smartphone app used to report results. But precinct chairs said an overwhelmed reporting hotline that was intended as a backup was also at fault. Troy Price, state party chair, said in a statement the "underlying data" collected on the app reported only partial data. The error was caught early Monday as precinct caucus results started coming in, and the Iowa Democratic Party ran them through accuracy and quality checks. Story continues Price added that precinct chairs have reported data accurately, but it took time to hand count and finalize the results. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Iowa Democratic Party has released 70.82% of the results. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg led U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont by just more than 1 percentage point a virtual tie but both had been awarded 10 of Iowa's national delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. Failure on two levels Monday's failures could not be blamed on just one thing. First, precinct chairs who opted to use the app were having trouble submitting data and/or completing the entire process. Many reported the app crashing when they got to the final step sending a photo of the math worksheet. In several counties, precinct chairs opted not to use the app, citing wireless connections in rural areas, lack of smartphones or downloading trouble in the days leading to caucus night. This meant precinct chairs either chose to or were forced to call in their results which led to the second failure. The Iowa Democratic Party did not have enough people manning the phones to handle an influx of calls, despite that being the standard process in past years and despite hearing concerns of the apps functionality days before caucusing started. "The big problem was they didnt have a good Plan B in place in case there was a problem with the app," said Betty Brummett, co-chair of the Taylor County Democrats. "They weren't set up to handle 1,600 people trying to call in at the same time." Why didn't the app work? Party chairs surveyed by the Des Moines Register said there was little-to-no training on how to use the new app by the Iowa Democratic Party. Instead, volunteers were instructed to test using it on their own. Because of its secure nature, it was not downloaded on an app store like games or other social networking apps are. Instead, volunteers had to apply to download it, then follow multiple security prompts, including inputting a PIN that changed every few days. "I think the feeling that we wanted to make sure it was secure and no ones hacking into it just added enough complexity to make it hard for people to navigate," said Bret Niles, chair of the Linn County Democrats, which covers Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second-largest city. Some were locked out of the app completely on caucus night. Others, who had successfully practiced on the app in the week leading up to caucus night, watched it crash when they attempted to input data. David Mansheim, former chair of the Butler County Democrats, said precinct chairs in his county got all the way through the process before it shut down. Steve Drahozal, chair of the Dubuque County Democrats, said he received an error message that he had omitted some numbers when, in double-checking, it revealed he hadn't. "It looked like it was going to work until it didnt," Mansheim said. "Which things often do when you put them under stress." He said one of his county's eight precinct chairs was able to report results using the app. The rest resorted to calling. In some areas, such as rural Buchanan County, precinct chairs never planned to use the app to begin with. Many of the volunteers still use flip phones and live in areas "with limited WiFi and intermittent cell coverage," Callahan said. In far southeast Van Buren County, none of the county's precinct leaders have smartphones, said Twyla Peacock, county chair. She told party leaders about that issue well in advance and said they were directed by the Iowa Democratic Party to call with results. "I'm 77 years old, and some of these technology things are foreign to me. I prefer the old way," Peacock said. "If we had done it the old way, instead of trying to get into the next century, we would have turned out fine." The Iowa Democratic Party said there's "every indication" the app was secure; there was no cyber intrusion or hacking of the system. How long were phone wait times? County chairs reported wait times between 15 minutes and 2 hours. It appears the earlier results were called in, the quicker precincts could wrap up reporting. But around 9 p.m., a bottleneck formed. After waiting on hold with the Iowa Democratic Party for 45 minutes to report results via telephone, Elesha Gayman asked her precinct chairs in Scott County to drop off their results in person so she could call it in as a group. She gathered what she had 39 of 63 precincts and called the Iowa Democratic Party at 1:30 a.m. It took about 90 minutes to make that report, Gayman said, noting that under a rule change for 2020, each precinct had to report three sets of numbers: The number of caucusgoers for each candidate in the first alignment; The number for each candidate in the second alignment, after non-viable candidates were eliminated; And the number of state delegate equivalents assigned to each candidate based on those results. "It's not just like you're calling in one number it's first alignment, second alignment and the state delegates. And they're putting in a whole math formula to back that up," Gayman said. "I do think that's important for transparency to have that information, but it just makes it that much harder to report quickly." Al Charlson, chair of the Bremer County Democrats, said he waited on hold for an hour Monday before his phone call dropped. He waited another hour before he could get results in. Because of the wait, several precincts waited to report until Tuesday. Representatives from the Iowa Democratic Party fanned across the state to pick up hard copies of results throughout the day. "The minimum wait time was an hour. Some waited up to two hours," said Mansheim of Butler County. "One went to bed and phoned it in the morning." In Union County, where several caucus precincts were in one building, chairs resorted to splitting phone duties. "One person got through to the hotline after about 30 to 45 minutes," said Tiffany Gale, chair of the Union County Democrats. "After he reported his results, he passed the phone to someone else, and they reported. Thats how we did it." She said the telephone reporting system took about 10 minutes, after the initial wait time to get through. What did work? Several people praised the efficiency of the new caucus process limiting caucusgoers to only a first and second alignment instead of the unlimited reshuffling in previous years. They also praised the new presidential preference cards, which caucusgoers used to write down their choices and sign their names. It's those cards that have given the Iowa Democratic Party confidence in the integrity of its results. "Because of the required paper documentation, we have been able to verify that the data recorded in the app and used to calculate State Delegate Equivalents is valid and accurate," Price, the state party chair, said in a statement. "I personally loved the presidential preference card because it was just nice to have that visual," said Thaddeus Hawley, chair of the Adair County Democrats. "In the end, the paper trail will save us." But in the hours without any caucus results, the drumbeat of calls to replace Iowa as the lead-off state which started months ago grew more persistent. More: Iowa Republicans defend state Democrats after caucus mishaps Concerns over diversity and inclusion have risen to the forefront this caucus cycle as a presidential field that was at one point the most diverse in history has winnowed to a mostly white pool of candidates. The problems with Monday's results have shifted the focus back to Iowa's arcane rules and complex process. Several county chairs still believe the caucus process is viable, particularly given the state's new rules. If the Iowa Democratic Party can stick to new rules and figure out reporting, 2024 could present a successful caucus cycle, Hawley said. Regardless, Niles, out of Linn County, said he fears reporting failures will jeopardize the state's first-in-the-nation caucus status. "I could see where if there were questions before, this is going to make it even harder to defend that," he said. "With all the effort and time and money that went into these campaigns and all the training Im disappointed, going through all this effort to have this big moment, and now that moment has passed without results." Register reporter Barbara Rodriguez and USA Today network reporters Kevin McCoy, Rebecca Morin, Dennis Wagner and Donovan Slack contributed to this story. Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa caucus results: What really went wrong on Iowa caucus night Four people have been indicted in federal court after they held illegal immigrants against their will and extorted their relatives, according to authorities. READ MORE: Tip leads to rescue of several immigrants held against their will in west Laredo An indictment filed on Jan. 28 charged Jesus Antonio Cardona, Ana Laura Hernandez, Yanette Lizette Carranco and Jose Salinas with one count of conspiracy to conceal, harbor or shield an undocumented immigrant and three counts of conceal, harbor or shield an undocumented immigrant for financial gain. If convicted, each could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. All remain in federal custody. They have arraignment Tuesday in Courtroom 2A before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga. The Webb County Sheriffs Office broke the case. We responded to that call because people were contacting us directly. They were being held without their consent, and (the assailants) were extorting money from them. ... If you violate the law, you are going to pay for the consequences, Sheriff Martin Cuellar said. The case unfolded at about 4:50 p.m. Jan. 7, when the Sheriffs Office conducted a welfare check and encountered three people. Sheriffs officials requested assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol to identify the three people suspected of entering the country illegally. The day before, the Sheriffs Office had received information from family members of the immigrants saying that they were being extorted and held against their will. Relatives contacted the Sheriffs Office again and provided GPS coordinates of the location where the immigrants were being held. Once at the residence, authorities requested assistance from Hernandez to search the residence, and it was denied. After hearing the commotion inside, deputies conducted a welfare check and determined there was no imminent threat inside. Authorities then obtained consent from neighbors of an adjacent property, which led to the discovery of three immigrants detained in the backyard. An immigration inspection of the immigrants revealed they were from Mexico. They were taken to the Laredo South Border Patrol Station for further processing. Once there, further investigation revealed that they were held against their will and extorted, according to an arrest affidavit. Cardona was identified as the driver of a white Impala who transported them to the apartments and the house where they were discovered. Cardona would also drop off food every day. Hernandez was identified as the person in charge of the smuggling scheme, court documents state. She would make phone calls to relatives and ask them to pay more money. The affidavit identified as the caretaker of the home. Carranco was the daughter of Hernandez. Carranco told an immigrant her name in an attempt to make a money transaction under her name. Carranco would also help her mother to make phone calls and demand more money from relatives, states the affidavit. READ MORE: Laredo woman allegedly broke into bedroom to assault ex and his girlfriend Salinas was the person who told the immigrants to hide in the restroom when authorities arrived. Salinas later took them outside to hide in the neighbors backyard. Timothy Knight Tribune Publishing CEO Timothy Knight is heading out the door, and will be replaced by company chief financial officer Terry Jimenez. Knight joined Tribune Publishing as president in 2017 and was named CEO in January 2019 following the departure of Justin Dearborn. Jimenez, who came to the company from IBM in 2016, has also served as president of Newsday Media Group and controller at the Chicago Tribune. Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge fund known for extreme cost-cutting and layoffs at newspapers it acquires, purchased a 32 percent stake in Tribune in November. Following that investment, two Alden representatives were added to the companys board. In a Feb. 3 memo to Tribune employees, Knight said that the company needs to realign its costs to the current revenue reality. Tribune Publishing reported revenue of $236 million in last years third quarter, down from $255.8 million for the same period in 2018. On Jan. 13, the company offered its latest round of voluntary buyouts to staffers, with any staffer with eight or more years of service being eligible. HOLA!USA, which targets affluent U.S. Latinas, is discontinuing its print operations in favor of focusing its attention on the digital and social media spaces. The brand, which offers its content in both English and Spanish, also plans to expand its existing platforms, which include social media channels and the HOLA.com sites, by launching a YouTube channel and dedicated podcast later this year. It will also make additional hires in digital, e-commerce, video production and social. HOLA!USA says its online audience is 80 percent female, with an average age of 32 and HHI of $85,000 per year. Spanish company HELLO! & HOLA! Media, Inc. currently publishes 29 international editions in 10 languages across five continents. George Cheeks ViacomCBS has appointed George Cheeks president and CEO of CBS Entertainment Group. Cheeks replaces Joe Ianniello, who became acting CEO following the exit of Leslie Moonves in 2018 in the wake of sexual harassment charges. Cheeks comes to CBS from NBCUniversal, where he was most recently vice chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios. Before coming to NBC, Cheeks was executive vp, business affairs and general counsel for Viacom Music and Entertainment Group and also served as head of standards and practices for Viacom Media. Ianniello had long been Moonves top deputy, and aided the former CBS chief in his battle with CBS controlling shareholder Shari Redstone over control of the company. Cheeks will assume the CEO slot effective March 23. FILE PHOTO: Different types of 4G, 5G and data radio relay antennas for mobile phone networks are pictured on a relay mast operated by Vodafone in Berlin By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone will remove Huawei technology from the core of its European networks following Britain's decision to restrict the Chinese company's role in 5G and new EU guidelines on the firm's equipment, Chief Executive Nick Read said. Britain last month allowed Huawei a limited role in new mobile networks - defying U.S. pressure for an outright ban on security grounds - but excluded it from the core and imposed a 35% cap in the less-sensitive radio network. Huawei has repeatedly denied U.S. allegations that its equipment could potentially be used by Beijing for spying. "We have now decided, as a result of the EU toolbox and the UK government's decision, to take out Huawei from the core," Read told reporters on Wednesday. "This will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million euros." Read said Vodafone would only have to make minor adjustments to comply with the rules in Britain, where it has not deployed Huawei in its core. Vodafone does use Huawei in its core in Spain and in some smaller European markets. Read welcomed the British approach, which he said was evidence based and differentiated between different parts of the network, but he opposed caps on the use of particular vendors by operators. "It hugely impacts customers and the quality of networks if we are forced to do an accelerated swap," he said. "Although this isn't an issue in the UK I wouldn't want this for Europe." He said it could lead to delays of anything between two and five years depending on which countries decided to impose a cap. "The U.S. is racing ahead, China is racing ahead," he said. "We can't hold back our 5G deployment and therefore I think caps would be restrictive on that basis." Read did not specify which of Vodafone's big continental markets - Germany, Italy and Spain - could be affected. "I'm not hearing European markets saying they want caps, I'm saying were we to go that route, it has consequences," he said. Story continues BT , Vodafone's rival in its home market which is already stripping out Huawei from its core, will have to spend 500 million pounds to comply with the UK cap. The costs is to remove radio equipment from some locations and switch contracts to rivals like Ericsson and Nokia . In Germany, Vodafone's largest European market, lawmakers are still arguing over Huawei. Read said Vodafone was working to increase the number of vendors, centered on its OpenRAN initiative, which aims to standardize the design of software and hardware. EUROPE A SLOG Earlier on Wednesday, Vodafone reported third-quarter organic service revenue growth of 0.8%, an uptick from the second, helped by continued recovery in South Africa. Europe, however, remained a slog for the world's second biggest mobile operator, with revenue down 1.4% year-on-year, the same rate seen in the previous quarter. "We expect a further gradual improvement in service revenue growth in Q4, led by Europe," Read said. Shares in Vodafone reversed early gains to trade down 1% at 1149 GMT. Read is focusing Vodafone's operations on Europe and sub-Sahara Africa, and last month the company agreed to sell its 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt for $2.4 billion to Saudi Telecom Company. The group also wants to generate more value from its network infrastructure. It has appointed senior managers for its European tower company, Read said, and was preparing for a potential public listing in early 2021, most likely in London or Frankfurt. Vodafone reiterated its full-year guidance of adjusted core earnings of 14.8-15.0 billion euros, and free cash flow before spectrum costs of about 5.4 billion euros. (Editing by James Davey/Kirsten Donovan/Jane Merriman) Eurostar bosses are planning to run high-speed trains to new further-away countries such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed yesterday. He said ministers are helping the company launch dozens of 'seamless' services from London to European cities and holiday destinations. Currently the furthest Eurostar takes passengers is the south of France around 800 miles from London. But it is expected to extend its reach to cities like Rome (1,165 miles) and Lisbon (1,360). Trains to eastern Europe are planned further down the line. Mr Shapps said: 'We are fully committed to expanding international rail routes as a Government and Eurostar is too. Eurostar announced its London to Amsterdam service this week at St Pancras station (pictured) 'Among those destinations mentioned to be added in the future is Bordeaux...Spain, Portugal, Geneva and beyond into the rest Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Frankfurt. 'Ultimately, we want to see seamless connections, with continental high-speed networks to destinations lighting up across the departure board.' Eurostar currently runs direct services to Paris, Marseille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam on a fleet of 27 trains travelling at around 180mph. But the company is hoping to expand its reach dramatically following a planned merger with Franco-Belgian high-speed train firm Thalys set for completion in 2021. This would put it in direct competition with low-cost airlines. It would also be seen as a more attractive option for travellers concerned about the harmful environmental impact of flying. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said ministers are helping the company launch dozens of 'seamless' services from London to European cities and holiday destinations The mega-network codenamed Project Green Speed would connect London with a vast swathe of mainland Europe. Eurostar, based in London, launched its first service in 1994 and is currently 55 per cent owned by French national rail firm SNCF with a Canadian investment company holding 30 per cent. Mr Shapps' announcement came as Eurostar yesterday launched its first direct Amsterdam to London train. The company has been running direct trains to the Dutch capital since 2018, but passengers wanting to return had to take a train to Brussels, go through customs and change. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Rs 1,400 crore follow-on-public offer by public sector electronics and telecom gear maker ITI was withdrawn by the company, citing market conditions. The FPO was was supposed to close on Wednesday. "The company has decided to withdraw the issue, due to the prevailing market conditions, in consultation with the Book Running Lead Managers to the Issue, being BOB Capital Markets Ltd, Karvy Investor Services Ltd and PNB Investment Services Ltd," ITI Ltd said in a communication to exchanges. The issue remained undersubscribed despite two extensions in the share sale period. ITI Ltd had earlier extended the closing date of the offer twice and also revised the price band but the issue was subscribed 0.62 times as of 4.45 p.m. on Wednesday. ITI Ltd had planned to raise a,1,400 crore from the issue. The shares of the public sector company closed 4.5 per cent higher at Rs 84. With manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru, Naini, Rae Bareli, Mankapur and Palakkad along with an R&D centre in Bengaluru, ITI has a diverse suite of products including manufactured products like Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), Managed Leased Line Network (MLLN) products, Stand Alone Signalling Transfer Point (SSTP), Wi-Fi Access Point, Radio Modem, SMPS, Set Top Box, defence products like multi-capacity encryption units, bulk encryption Units (BEU), Terminal End Secrecy Devices (TESD), passive infrastructure products such as optical fibre cable, HDPE duct, antenna, and diversified products such as smart energy meters, smart cards, solar panels, and mini personal computers. The pain felt as if my life was leaving my body and no one could do anything to help me,' says Ana Remigio, 45. 'I had awful joint and muscle pain in my hands, wrists and toes, as well as terrible fatigue, headaches and pain in my breasts. 'Sometimes I couldn't get out of bed. I was desperate. When my daughter started to walk, I remember screaming in pain if she stepped on my foot even though she was tiny.' Ana, who lives in North London with her husband, Joao, and children Sam, 22, and Jo, 12, lived with this debilitating pain for more than a decade. Doctors proclaimed themselves at a loss to explain it but, after reading about her symptoms online, she became utterly convinced that they were caused by her breast implants, so much so that last year she paid to have them removed privately. Ana, a social media manager, had the implants inserted in 2001 and experienced no problems until after Jo's birth six years later. 'I breastfed her, which the cosmetic surgeon had said would be totally safe, but that's when my health problems started,' she says. Ana, who lives in North London with her husband, Joao, and children Sam, 22, and Jo, 12, lived with this debilitating pain for more than a decade 'I was referred to a rheumatologist, I had mammograms and ultrasound scans which showed nothing. 'I was told I was probably suffering the start of osteoarthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome or a reaction to some kind of past trauma. 'Then, at one point, a young doctor turned to me and said: "Do you think about illness a lot?" ' Ana felt he was accusing her of making it all up. 'I knew I wasn't imagining it. I was so angry. I'd already had a baby, I knew what motherhood felt like and I knew what being tired felt like. This was on a completely different level.' A rational and intelligent woman, Ana is one of thousands worldwide who say they are victims of a mysterious condition that they call Breast Implant Illness (BII). They report similar symptoms including fatigue, chest pain, hair loss, headaches, chills, photosensitivity, chronic pain, brain fog and sleep disturbance which many believe to be caused by some sort of immune reaction to the presence of a foreign object in the body, and which, for many, cleared up once the implants had been removed. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is now receiving 500 to 600 reports of breast implant problems a year. Yet BII isn't a recognised medical diagnosis, and there are no tests to prove its presence in the body. Instead, many doctors put the symptoms down to a combination of factors, ranging from separate autoimmune conditions to depression, menopause and what's known as 'mass sociogenic illness', where stress and fear about the potential harm caused by implants lead women to believe, and quite genuinely feel, that they are experiencing terrible pain. I knew I wasn't imagining it. I was so angry. I'd already had a baby, I knew what motherhood felt like There's no suggestion women are 'faking it' but many experts believe their problems are psychological. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), for example, says in official guidance: 'A small proportion of women who have breast implants self-identify as having a number of symptoms they believe arise from the presence of implants.' And Graeme Perks, former president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), said of one case last year: 'If you feel better [after removal] I'll believe you, but I have to say it's in your head, it's not in your breasts.' There have been precious few major studies carried out to establish the facts. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration complained that implant makers had failed to complete promised studies or to follow patients' recovery for long enough. Ana finds this attitude towards the pain that blighted years of her life understandably very difficult. A rational and intelligent woman, Ana is one of thousands worldwide who say they are victims of a mysterious condition that they call Breast Implant Illness (BII) She now feels she was given false information about the safety of her implants: 'I did a lot of research and was told the implants had a lifetime guarantee, that it was impossible to rupture them and that if anyone opened my grave long after I was dead, all they would find would be my bones and the silicone implants. So I went ahead with the operation.' But, in 2007, she started to feel very unwell. Then, in 2012, she found an online group for women who were worried about BII, many of whom said they were bedridden. Ana initially felt her symptoms weren't severe enough to qualify but her health continued to decline until, in 2018, she felt she could no longer doubt what was happening to her. 'My hands were so weak I struggled to open a jar or lift the kettle. The doctors didn't believe me, my husband couldn't pay the bills on his own; I was worried about what was going to happen to my family,' she says. 'I wrote to my GP to ask for my implants to be removed on the NHS. She hadn't heard of BII, but she was sympathetic and sent me to a breast specialist.' However, there, Ana says, she was repeatedly turned away. She even took copies of BII studies to appointments, but says her concerns were dismissed by consultants at London's top hospitals. There was no way NHS funds would be used to remove her implants, she says she was told. NHS policy on removal varies across the country, although many trusts will consider operating only if there's a significant problem, such as breast pain, rupture or infection. Last year, the BAAPS called for women to be made aware of the controversy before having surgery. Ash Mosahebi, professor of plastic surgery at University College Hospital, London, says: 'I don't think silicone causes autoimmune disease, but there's some evidence [it's associated with] these symptoms. The difficulty is that there's no test. You can't prove or disprove it.' Plastic surgeon Professor Jim Frame, of Anglia Ruskin University, says more research is needed. 'We can't say this condition doesn't exist because we know there's a large number of women who get better by taking the implants out, but all the publications on it have been in low-grade journals.' Experts and manufacturers have already had to admit implants can cause cancer. Last November, a joint statement from three leading surgical bodies said there was a one-in-24,000 chance of developing a rare type of blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma from breast implants. Malene El Rafaey, a 41-year-old former model. Malene, who lives in Esher, Surrey, with her partner, Oliver, 25, says she saw doctors 'at least 20 times' It's the latest of many scares about breast implant safety. In 2010, for example, French firm PIP was found to be filling implants with industrial silicone, making them more prone to rupturing. Tests didn't show any other serious health risks, but many women chose to have them replaced with medical-grade silicone ones. Among them was Amanda Carter, 48, who'd had the implants since 2002 without issue. After the replacement in 2012, however, she rapidly developed severe symptoms that she believes were caused by autoimmune problems. 'I put on 8 st and had to have half my thyroid removed,' says Amanda, a former executive PA who lives in Durham with her husband, Darren. 'I was in a very bad way. I had to have lots of rest every day and lost all ability to function normally.' Chronic fatigue forced her to give up work, yet it took another seven years for her to link all this to the breast implants, which were removed last February. 'I paid 2,000 to have them taken out by an excellent surgeon in Istanbul,' she says. 'Within three weeks, I wasn't spending my days in bed any more. If there's a common thread, it's autoimmune disease. 'We have 2,500 UK sufferers in our online BII group, but there are thousands more worldwide.' It sounds compelling that so many women are convinced BII exists but some doctors believe their symptoms are actually being fuelled by such internet forums. Several studies have investigated whether BII is based in the mind, rather than the body. But results are frequently contradictory. Her problems began after the birth of her daughter, Skarlett, in 2010, five years after the implants were inserted A report by Central Michigan University says the development of psychological interventions for women with breast implants warrants 'serious consideration'. Another school of thought holds that there must be some physical explanation for the symptoms we just haven't found it yet. Specialists in autoimmune diseases have labelled the illness a type of Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA). They believe breast implants made from silicone may trigger a major allergic reaction in genetically susceptible people. Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld, of Tel Aviv University, says his research has identified nine antibodies he believes cause the syndrome. The theory is now being tested on mice, and scientists hope to announce their findings in May, leading to a possible test for BII. I paid 2,000 to have them taken out. Within three weeks, I wasn't spending my days in bed any more 'Powerful pressure groups [are] keeping these implants in use, but I wouldn't recommend anyone puts them in their body,' he says. A major conference on breast implant safety is being held at Leeds Beckett University in June. One of the speakers is Professor Jan Tervaert, who has studied implants for over 25 years. He, too, hopes to produce a diagnostic test in 'three to five years'. 'Our studies show women with breast implants have a 25 per cent chance of developing some form of autoimmune disease,' he says. 'We demonstrated in an analysis of 25,000 cases that the symptoms go away on explantation [implant removal]. That doesn't prove [symptoms] are due to implants, but it certainly suggests it. 'You have to ask, when do we stop using these things?' While the medical debate rages, women who desperately need answers are being ignored. Among them is 41-year-old former model Malene El Rafaey. Malene, who lives in Esher, Surrey, with her partner, Oliver, 25, says she saw doctors 'at least 20 times' before having a 10,500 implant removal and breast lift in 2017. Her problems began after the birth of her daughter, Skarlett, in 2010, five years after the implants were inserted. 'Although I had been told I could breastfeed with implants, I couldn't,' says Malene, who is also mother to 20-month-old Mason. 'I got horrific mastitis which was honestly more painful than giving birth. Then I developed eczema on my face. 'My eyes were completely dry and itched all the time. It got worse and worse, almost as if I could feel my face swelling every time I touched anything. 'I had lumps in my armpits, rashes on my face, arms and hands, and blisters all over my toes. 'Although I had been told I could breastfeed with implants, I couldn't,' says Malene, who is also mother to 20-month-old Mason 'My breasts were incredibly painful and by 2017 I was sure I had cancer and was dying. I couldn't believe this would be the rest of my life. 'I think my implants were literally killing me, poisoning me. I have felt great since I had them taken out. Now I want to make sure other women know this is happening.' Ana Remigio, too, believes it's vital women are warned about BII however it's defined. 'Women aren't being told everything they need to know and many of them are being lied to,' she says. My eyes were completely dry and itched all the time. It got worse and worse She had her implants removed last year at a private clinic. An examination revealed one of them was leaking gel from a large tear that had not been seen in scans. Doctors say this isn't necessarily harmful, though it can cause issues, for example if the gel forms lumps. Ana still has some residual joint pain, but most of her symptoms disappeared almost immediately. Amanda Carter says she believes repeated consultations with affected women will cost the NHS far more than the bill for simply removing implants on demand. 'Implants went out of fashion a bit after the PIP scandal, but now they're more popular than ever thanks to the Instagram generation,' she says. 'I think we're going to see a huge increase in these issues.' A man has gone on trial accused of sexually assaulting four girls in a Leinster creche. The 29-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday charged with 23 counts of sexually assaulting the girls - all children - on dates between February 2015 and December 2016. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. The offences allegedly took place in various locations within the creche, as well as on a bus owned by the creche, the court heard yesterday. The trial is expected to run for three weeks. Judge Pauline Codd told the jury of seven men and five women that they must not disclose anything about the identity of the parties involved in the case outside of court. Contempt She warned them against seeking out any information about the case on the internet, or elsewhere, as it could be misleading, inaccurate or "downright false". "If you were to do so it would be contempt of court and it would cause the entire trial to collapse," Judge Codd said. She also urged them not to be influenced by any media reporting of the case, saying that is only "one version of events". The jury was told there are legal issues to be dealt with today. They will return to court tomorrow, when the trial is expected to open. In relation to the first child, the man pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. Clothes In relation to the second child, he pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sexually assaulting her. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting the third child by touching her private parts through her clothes. He further pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting the fourth child by touching her private parts through her clothes. Bengaluru : Joint Action Committee, Shimoga, comprising of several organisations, on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register at Idgah Maidan in Shivamogga city. Protesters said that they will continue their protest round the clock like the one in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, where agitation is going on for over 40 days now. They also held placards that read "Reject NRC, CAA and NPR". "Sit-in protest like the one in Shaheen Bagh is now being held in every nook and corner of India. We will continue our protest 24x7 until the government withdraws the law and talks to us. We are not going to show papers to anyone," a protester said. BENZIE, MANISTEE COUNTIES -- As the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II nears, a community in the Netherlands is preparing a celebration to honor fallen American soldiers, including two from the area. Buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the town of Margraten are 8,301 American soldiers who died liberating the Netherlands, and an additional 1,722 names are listed on the Walls of the Missing, according to the Faces of Margraten website. During the yearly Faces of Margraten tribute, which began in 2015, photos of those buried there are displayed by their graves, putting a face to the names of the soldiers buried there. Each year, the Fields of Honor Foundation, which started the tribute, reaches out, worldwide, to try and find more photos and information on the fallen buried in Margraten. This year, the foundation hopes to have 7,500 photos total for the tribute. Included in those photos will be those of Frankfort resident Joseph Nickson and John Janicki, of Manistee. The photos and information on Nickson and Janicki were collected by Susan Linton, a Central Lake resident who is helping the Fields of Honor Foundation search for 38 Michigan residents who are buried at Margraten. Nickson was a graduate of Frankfort High School in 1932, and salutatorian of his class. His photo was taken from his graduating yearbook, where his seemingly presentiment salutatorian speech was also printed. "The seemingly hard struggle through school is only a preparation for greater and more difficult things," Nickson wrote. Janicki entered the service in 1941, and was a member of the Seventh Armored Division. He was first listed as missing in action in 1944, but was later declared officially dead, when his obituary ran in the Manistee News Advocate on Nov. 6, 1945, where his photo could be found. He was 27, and survived by three brothers and one sister. Linton recovered Janicki's information with the help of Mark Fedder, executive director of the Manistee County Historical Museum. Nickson's information and photo came from the yearbook archives of the Benzie Shores District Library. Linton worked with Stacy Pasche, library director, to find the information. "Sue contacted me around the start of the new year," Pasche said. "She had contacted somebody through Ancestry.com and that person contacted me. I found the photo and sent it to them." Pasche said the library often gets requests for genealogical information, but often refers those requests to the Benzie Area Genealogical Society. However, Pasche said she knew she had the specific information Linton was looking for. "It is kind of the little things libraries do every day that have greater impact than we're aware of," Pasche said. "We think about everything we do here as an institution. These small acts of information finding that have a larger impact. I'm glad we could accommodate this." She also said enjoyed learning about the Faces of Margraten. Linton said she started searching for information on the Michigan Soldiers late in 2019, after a request from an organization she was part of The Second Schweinfurt Memorial Association. The Fields of Honor Foundation was reaching out to other memorial organizations to spread a wider search net for information on the soldiers buried at Margraten. "They put a map of us online and they asked if we knew any of the people," Linton said. "I downloaded all the people from Michigan. The list gave their names, serial number, date of death and county they enlisted from." Linton said she's found 20 of the 30 Michigan soldiers buried at Margraten, including Nickson and Janicki. "I have found pictures through historical societies, libraries, legion halls and the VFW," she said. As for how Linton got involved with the Second Schweinfurt Memorial Association and the Fields of Honor Association in the first place, she said her father was involved in the Second Schweinfurt Raid, and his plane was shot down. Her father survived and was eventually recovered by Allied forces. A man from Beek, also in the Netherlands, contacted Linton in 2016 and asked for information on her father for a memorial for her father's plane and his crew members, which was shot down over the town. Linton used letters in a box of WWII items her father saved to help look up family members of the men on his airplane, and in 2017, there was a ceremony in Beek that involved 31 members of the crew's family, 400 townspeople and representatives from NATO and the American Embassy in the Netherlands. "It was far beyond what I imagined," said Linton. It was through her contacts in Beek that she learned of the Margraten cemetery. The Faces of Margraten celebration will be held from May 2 through 6 in Margraten. For more information on the Faces of Margraten, visit www.thefacesofmargraten.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 00:19:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Syrian military personnel are seen in the town of Tal Toukan, the countryside of Idlib province in northwestern Syria on Feb. 5, 2020. The Syrian army succeeded to make progress in the countryside areas of both the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo in northern Syria, a war monitor reported Wednesday. (Str/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Wednesday captured several areas in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, including the Tal Toukan area where a Turkish military base is located, a military source told Xinhua. The Idlib-based military source, asking not to be named, said the Syrian army will continue in the operation in Idlib until securing the road connecting the capital Damascus in the south with Aleppo province in the north via Idlib. "The victories and progress are ongoing and we will keep going forward until capturing the highway," the source said. The army's progress toward Tal Toukan comes as part of the overall progress happening in Idlib, as the army is advancing toward the strategic city of Saraqeb. Earlier in the day, state news agency SANA said the Syrian army gave the rebels in Saraqeb city a chance to lay down their weapons and surrender. The Syrian army said in a statement the rebels are besieging the civilians in Saraqeb, noting that these armed men have the chance to lay their weapons down and embark on a reconciliation with the government. The statement said this is the last chance for the rebels. The main goal behind the Syrian military operation that has been lasting over the past few weeks is to secure the Damascus-Aleppo road. The progress toward Saraqeb comes days after the Syrian forces captured the city of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib, which was the first big achievement toward securing the main Damascus-Aleppo highway. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 18:56 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c7360 1 Business AWR-Agriculture-War-Room,Agriculture-Ministry,Syahrul-Yasin-Limpo,Pentagon,data,Statistics-Indonesia,imports,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan Free The Agriculture Ministry rolled out on Tuesday a new control center dubbed the Agriculture War Room (AWR) to better track data and survey crop productivity. The AWR monitoring system will generate information on paddy fields, the fertilizer supply and harvest areas using advanced technologies like satellites, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. "With this instrument, we want agriculture to be more advanced, independent and modern to attain satisfying results," Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said during the systems launch. "So this room will be like the Pentagon in the United States. We wage the war from here," added Syahrul, referring to the US Department of Defense headquarters building. The AWR will help provide more accurate data as the ministry has long dealt with data that conflicts with data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and agricultural associations. The differences oftentimes trigger debates about whether or not Indonesia needs to import certain agriculture products. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil and House of Representatives Commission IV chairman Hasan Aminuddin, among other officials, also attended the launch. "If this is managed well, we won't have to make a fuss over rice imports or any other imports," Luhut said. Here's a look at the life and career of Peter Bogdanovich, director of such classics as "The Last Picture Show" and "Paper Moon," who died Thu Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) walks through Statuary Hall with other senators to the House Chamber for President Donald Trumps State of the Union address in the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Romney to Vote to Convict President Trump Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), said he will vote to convict Republican President Donald Trump. The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The presidents purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, Romney, 72, said on the Senate floor in Washington on Feb. 5. Romney, who said he supports a great deal of what the president has done, is the only Republican to commit to voting to convict Trump, 73. Romney did not say on the floor which of the articles hed vote for, or whether hed vote for both, but he told media outlets that hed vote to convict on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, but vote against the second article, obstruction of Congress. The vote is symbolic because of the 53-47 Republican majority in the chamber and the high bara supermajorityrequired to convict the president and remove him from office. No president has ever been removed from office through impeachment in the history of the country. I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the president from office. Voters will make the final decision, Romney said on the Senate floor. Romney, the GOPs 2012 nominee, has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Trump, getting the presidents endorsement in 2018, but frequently criticizing Trump after winning in the midterm elections. Romney was one of two Republican senators to vote last week to subpoena witnesses in the impeachment trial, a bid that fell short when Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced she would vote against calling witnesses. Romney said that he took an oath before God to hear the case before deciding how to vote. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House chamber on Feb. 4, 2020. Trump delivered his third State of the Union address on the night before the U.S. Senate is set to vote in his impeachment trial. (Leah Millis-Pool/Getty Images) I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I know from the outset the task of judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision Id ever face. I was not wrong, he said. Romney said that no evidence Joe Biden or Hunter Biden committed any crime was presented by Trumps legal counsel during the Senate trial. The presidents insistence that they be investigated by the Ukrainians is hard to explain other than a political pursuit, he said. Trumps 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky included the president asking his counterpart to look into the Bidens. Trump noted that Joe Biden in 2018 recalled how in 2016 he pressured Ukraine to oust a prosecutor who was probing Burisma. Hunter Biden worked for Burisma from 2014 to 2019. Trump and both Bidens have denied wrongdoing. Three other moderate Republicans said they would vote to acquit Trump in recent days, despite reservations about what he did. Trumps actions, Murkowski, 62, said on the Senate floor on Feb. 3, were shameful and wrong. But removing the president from office would be the political death penalty. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), 79, said during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press over the weekend that he would also vote to acquit. He said Trump would think twice in the future after the presidents call with Zelensky was placed in the spotlight. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), 67, days after she voted with Romney to call witnesses in the triala motion that failed 49-51said she would vote to acquit. I believe that the president has learned from this case, Collins told CBS News on Feb. 4. The impeachment by the House served as a pretty big lesson for Trump, Collins claimed. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future. New Delhi signed $5bn deal for state-of-the-art missile defence system in 2018 amid US sanctions threat. Russia will begin delivering S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021, state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted a Russian official as saying on Wednesday. India signed a $5bn deal for S-400 missiles in 2018, drawing warnings from the United States that such an acquisition would trigger sanctions as part of a wider programme against Russia. The contract is being implemented on schedule. The first shipment is due by the end of 2021, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Vladimir Drozhzhov said at the Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow, India, according to RIA. In November, the same agency cited the general director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, as saying deliveries would start in September 2021. Sergey Chemezov, the head of Russian conglomerate Rostec, said last November New Delhi has made an advance payment of $800m for the anti-aircraft missile systems, considered one of the worlds best. Moscow has long been the main supplier of military equipment to India accounting for 62 percent of its total weapons imports during the last five years, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute. In the past three years, New Delhi has bought Russian arms worth $15bn, according to Drozhzhov. The order portfolio has exceeded $15bn over the past three years. If we talk about the volume of contracted products, that is, since 1991, this volume has amounted to about $70bn, he said. However, in recent years, New Delhi has inched closer to the US and Israel for weapons supply. The US has warned that India could face sanctions if it goes ahead with the S-400 deal. It has issued similar threats to Turkey over its purchase of the missile defence system. Under a US law, known as the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the purchase of defence equipment from Russia can be subject to sanctions. However, the president can opt to issue a waiver. S Samuel C Rajiv, a defence analyst and associate fellow at New Delhis Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), said the danger of sanctions is real, but pointed to the case of Turkey, which is yet to be sanctioned by the administration of President Donald Trump. The sanctions [threat] hangs on India but going forward it is difficult to predict how things will pan out but it would be difficult for Americans to impose sanctions on India because its going to impact the US-India defence relationship, he told Al Jazeera. The office of Indias Defence Secretary refused to comment on the report. A Defence Ministry spokesperson could not be immediately reached out for a comment. Bilal Kuchay contributed to this report from New Delhi, India Michael Perrault was arrested last week and charged with simple battery, family violence and cruelty to children in the third degree A Georgia police officer whose wife was found dead days after accusing him of domestic violence claims she shot herself dead while the two were arguing. Amanda Perrault, 44, was found at her home on Monday with a single gunshot to her head, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said. Her husband Michael Perrault, 43, told authorities that he and his wife were arguing when she pulled out a gun and shot herself. He did not call 911 but instead called his boss, the Eatonton police chief, who then alerted the relevant authorities. Amanda's death wasn't immediately ruled a suicide or a homicide. She had told friend Carrie Tegeder to keep pictures of her alleged abuse 'in case anything ever happens to me'. She also told friends Micheal took out a life insurance policy against her without her knowledge. Sheriff Howard Sills told The Daily Beast: 'He says it's a suicide, but we're looking at it with the utmost scrutiny.' Sills added: 'I've either got a suicide or a murder. That's what I have. I mean it's just that simple. It could be either way.' Amanda Perrault, 44, was found dead at her home on Monday. Husband Michael Perrault told authorities that he and his wife were arguing when she pulled out a gun and shot herself On the day of her death Amanda has changed her Facebook profile picture to this image Michael Perrault was arrested last week and charged with simple battery, family violence and cruelty to children in the third degree. He had been a Eatonton police officer since 2018 and was placed on administrative leave after the arrest. Perrault told authorities he didn't hit his wife, but the couple's eight-year-old daughter said she saw her father shove her mom out of the entryway of the home. Sills said Amanda Perrault, who called her husband 'super jealous', had red marks on her neck and chest. Amanda had earlier written to friends saying: 'Have a nice place but living in a prison. Going to delete these msgs He may still see them But keep them for me pls. 'I'm good for now, I promise. Held my own for 8 yrs with him.' On the day of her death Amanda has changed her Facebook profile picture to an image from their wedding. When authorities arrived at the couple's home Monday, Sills said Michael Perrault was 'very distraught.' Perrault was questioned but not arrested. Michael Perrault told authorities he didn't hit his wife, but the couple's eight-year-old daughter said she saw her father shove her mom out of the entryway of the home Sills said he's asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to assistance in the case. He added: 'We responded to the scene immediately, and we found his wife dead of a single gunshot wound in their bedroom. He told us they had been arguing and that she produced a handgun and killed herself.' Michael Perrault did not call his wife's parents following her death. They told The Daily Beast he had returned to the family home in the wake of his arrest as Amanda 'said he had nowhere else to go'. When you buy and hold a stock for the long term, you definitely want it to provide a positive return. But more than that, you probably want to see it rise more than the market average. But Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (NYSE:MNR) has fallen short of that second goal, with a share price rise of 25% over five years, which is below the market return. Looking at the last year alone, the stock is up 6.8%. View our latest analysis for Monmouth Real Estate Investment While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Monmouth Real Estate Investment's earnings per share are down 12% per year, despite strong share price performance over five years. The strong decline in earnings per share suggests the market isn't using EPS to judge the company. Given that EPS is down, but the share price is up, it seems clear the market is focussed on other aspects of the business, at the moment. In fact, the dividend has increased over time, which is a positive. It could be that the company is reaching maturity and dividend investors are buying for the yield. We'd posit that the revenue growth over the last five years, of 18% per year, would encourage people to invest. The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). NYSE:MNR Income Statement, February 5th 2020 We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Monmouth Real Estate Investment What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Monmouth Real Estate Investment the TSR over the last 5 years was 60%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! Story continues A Different Perspective Monmouth Real Estate Investment shareholders are up 12% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. The silver lining is that the gain was actually better than the average annual return of 9.9% per year over five year. This suggests the company might be improving over time. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Monmouth Real Estate Investment that you should be aware of before investing here. Monmouth Real Estate Investment is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Police in Amboli , about 500 km south of Mumbai, have arrested a 31-year-old man working in an international call centre who allegedly stole the handbag of TV actress Sonia Bajaj on January 25 when Bajaj had gone to watch a movie at a mall in Andheri west. Abdul Latif, a resident of Versova, was arrested on Monday for the theft, police said. According to Bajajs complaint to police, she had gone for the 11:15 pm show and while watching the movie she kept her hand bag on the next seat which was empty. When the movie ended and lights were turned on, the handbag was missing. She searched behind and under the seat and asked the other audience who was seated in her row but could not trace the handbag. She then informed the theatre officials who in turn carried out a thorough search but could not locate the bag. Bajaj then lodged a complaint against an unknown person with Amboli police on January 26. Bajaj kept two iPhones and a gold framed sun glasses worth Rs 45,000 in her handbag. An officer said that, We scanned CCTV footage while people entering and leaving the theatre but due to the crowd, identifying the accused was not easy. We were assuming that accused may have left during show and hence started scanning CCTV footage of entry and exit points from 11:15 pm to 1:50 am and around 1:31 am before show get over we noticed one suspect who was seen walking out at a fast pace holding a womans handbag. The suspect is seen in CCTV entering the theatre premises riding triple seat on a bike but after the offence he is seen leaving the premises alone on the bike while his two friends left after the show got over and were seen hailing an autorikshaw. Assistant inspector Rajendra Kalamkar said that, We then searched the accused with the help of his bike registration number and arrested him on February 3. We recovered all stolen valuables from him and booked him under section 380 of Indian Penal Code, The accused was later released on bail. The Queen was all smiles this morning as she visited a pumping station on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk to mark its grand reopening. The engagement was Her Majesty's second of the year after she returned to work earlier this week following a six week winter break. The monarch, 93, is officially opening Wolferton's new pumping station almost exactly 72 years after her father, King George VI, opened the original station on February 2, 1948. She wrapped up warm in a green coat and tied one of her signature stylish floral scarves around her head to brighten up her otherwise dark outfit and shield herself from the cold. The Queen was all smiles this morning as she visited a pumping station on the Sandringham Estate to mark its grand reopening History repeating: The Queen's father, King George VI, opened the original station on the Wolferton Pumping Station site in 1948 The Queen officially opened the new station with Philip Camamile, Chief Executive at Water Management Alliance The plaque and photos that mark King George VI's original visit in 1948 Wolferton Pumping Station allows the surrounding 7,000 acres of marshland, which sits below sea level, to be drained, dried out and farmed. It sits within the Sandringham Estate, on land designated by King George VI who took a personal interest in the scheme. Today the land at Wolferton is some of the most productive on the estate, and produces organic crops including wheat, barley, oats and beans. Over the past 18 months, Wolferton Pumping Station has been rebuilt to create a cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly station which best protects its local wildlife, including nesting birds on the neighbouring marshes. Carrying her trusty Launer handbag and sporting her trademark black court shoes, the Queen greeted officials on her arrival at Wolferton Pumping Station The monarch wrapped up warm in a green coat and tied a stylish floral scarf in shades of green around her head to shield herself from the cold One's a little chilly! The Queen appeared to feel the cold on a bracing Norfolk morning The Queen opened the new pumping station with Philip Camamile, pictured right, who is chief executive at Water Management Alliance A channel of water flows into the marshland behind the royal as she listens to the management at Wolferton Pumping Station explain how the site operates Her Majesty listens intently as she is shown around Wolferton Pumping Station in Norfolk (pictured left) and overlooks the dyke (pictured right) Today the land at Wolferton is some of the most productive on the estate, and produces organic crops including wheat, barley, oats and beans. The Queen appeared engaged as she was given a guided tour Queen Elizabeth II presses the button to start the pumps with Phil Camamile and Gary Howe of the Water Management Alliance During the visit, Her Majesty toured the new station before meeting a group of long serving staff, all of whom have worked for the company for over 20 years All systems go! The Queen leaves the building after pressing the button to start the pumps during her visit to Wolferton Pumping Station in Norfolk. Over the past 18 months, Wolferton Pumping Station has been rebuilt to create a cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly station The Queen signed the visitor's book (pictured) and unveiled a new plaque on her departure During the visit, Her Majesty toured the new station before meeting a group of long serving staff, all of whom have worked for the company for over 20 years. The Queen also viewed the plaque unveiled by King George VI in 1948, before signing the visitor's book and unveiling a new plaque on departure. Later, the Royal Family went on to share several snaps of the Queen's visit on their Instagram stories, alongside images of King George's original visit. Photographs of King George's original visit, as well as the Queen's trip to the pumping station today, were later shared on the royal family Instagram page In one of the images, the Queen can be seen standing alongside her father King George and sister Princess Margaret. In one of the stories, which was shared as a collage, King George could be seen turning the pumps on, an action which the Queen replicated today. The writing on the image read: 'As her father had done before her, the Queen started the pumps which allow the surrounding 7,000 acres of marshland to be drained, dried out and farmed.' Earlier this week Her Majesty was introduced to Britain's new 100million F-35B Lightning stealth fighters on her first public engagement of the year. The Queen, 93, travelled to RAF Marham in Norfolk earlier this week where she was respectfully greeted by officers for her first official engagement of 2020 A guard of honour awaited the Queen's arrival and welcomed her at the start of her engagement on Monday The Monarch, who is the honorary is Honorary Air Commodore, was welcomed by a guard of honour She visited their base at RAF Marham in Norfolk, a short hop from her Sandringham home, in her role as honorary air commodore of the base. It was her first official outing since the announcement that her grandson the Duke of Sussex, 35, and his wife Meghan Markle, 38, would be stepping back from royal duties. The monarch also lunched with 50 people from across the ranks who have been closely involved in the F-35B project, which was designed to deliver 138 aircraft over the coming decades. Lucknow, Feb 5 : Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a trust for Ram temple construction, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has approved a proposal to allot five acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for construction of a mosque as directed by the Supreme court. The proposal was approved by the state Cabinet here on Wednesday morning. The proposed land for the mosque is in Raunahi, about 20 kilometres from Ayodhya on the Lucknow-Ayodhya route. The government spokesman said that the proposal was in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict on November 9 that said that five acres of land is to be given to the Muslim side for mosque construction. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya, when asked about his reaction, raised his hands and shouted "Jai Shri Ram, ho gaya kaam". He said that the process for temple construction had begun with the Prime Minister announcing the trust in Delhi and Adityanath allocating land for the mosque. The Sunni Waqf Board spokesman meanwhile said that the decision on this issue would be taken at the Board meeting. Meanwhile, security of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chief trustee of the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas was beefed up on Wednesday. WASHINGTON - Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, sealed a place in history Wednesday by voting to convict President Donald Trump of abuse of power, becoming a lone voice of dissent in a Republican Party that otherwise has marched in lockstep with the president throughout the impeachment proceedings. Romney voted against the second article of impeachment, which accused the president of obstruction of Congress. But on the first article, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee said he found the evidence against Trump overwhelming and the arguments by the president's defense ultimately unconvincing. Romney's decision, announced in a deeply personal speech on the Senate floor, where he spoke of his faith and constitutional duty, sparked an immediate and intense outcry among Trump's supporters - fury that Romney acknowledged is unlikely to fade. Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, called for Romney to be "expelled" from the GOP, while many of Trump's congressional allies cast him as a bitter and irrelevant relic of a Republican establishment that has all but crumbled before Trump in recent years. Romney stood by his decision as Republican criticism mounted Wednesday, maintaining that Trump abused his office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival. "I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me," Romney said in his floor remarks, calling Trump's conduct "grievously wrong." Romney added, "We're all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that is distinction enough for any citizen." Romney's vote - coming after other centrist GOP senators such as Lamar Alexander of Tennessee decided to acquit Trump even as they scolded him for acting inappropriately - was hailed by many Democrats as an example of unflinching political courage from a Republican they have long battled. After Romney's speech, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, walked off the Senate floor in tears and remained speechless for several seconds. "He literally restored my faith in the institution," Schatz said. Presidential historian Jon Meacham said Romney is an "emblem of what so many of us feared was an entirely vanished kind of moderate voice that is guided by reason and not passion. What he did was in the tradition of Dwight Eisenhower, his own father, and George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford." Romney's father, the late George Romney, was a prominent Republican who was known for being guided by his Mormon faith and a commitment to public service and civil rights during his time as Michigan governor. Romney does not speak often of his father, but is inspired by his example far more than he discusses publicly, friends said Wednesday. "There's no question that the president asked a foreign power to investigate his political foe," Romney said in an interview with The Washington Post ahead of his floor statement. "That he did so for a political purpose, and that he pressured Ukraine to get them to help or to lead in this effort. My own view is that there's not much I can think of that would be a more egregious assault on our Constitution than trying to corrupt an election to maintain power. And that's what the president did." The crux of the case against Trump was the allegation that he withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president. Romney was one of two Republican senators who supported the effort to summon witnesses and documents. He was the only Republican who crossed party lines on Wednesday to join Democrats in voting to convict Trump on the first charge, abuse of power, while voting to acquit on the second, obstruction of Congress. Inside the Senate GOP cloakroom, Romney's decision was greeted with disappointment but little surprise. Ever since Romney was elected to the Senate in 2018, the 72-year-old senator has parted ways with his party at times and has occasionally criticized Trump - an approach that has won him few allies in a chamber where Trump's political capital and favor is a prized commodity. "He's made it very clear from the beginning, even on the witness vote, that he was going to go his own way," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said. "This is one of those historical votes where everybody has to do what they think is the right thing." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared ready to move on from the trial and did not threaten Romney. "I was surprised and disappointed, but we have much work to do for the American people, and I think Senator Romney has been largely supportive of most everything we've tried to accomplish," McConnell said. For Romney, breaking with Trump carried not just political consequences in a party he once led as its standard-bearer but familial dynamics. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, the daughter of Romney's older brother, is one of the president's loyalists - and she firmly stood by Trump on Wednesday. "This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last," McDaniel tweeted. The RNC also sent an email to reporters Wednesday taking aim at Romney, under the subject line, "Mitt Romney turns his back on Utah." Other Trump allies were far harsher in their response to Romney. "He's now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled" from the party, Trump Jr. tweeted. Romney knew his vote to remove the president from office would bring consequences. Already, there is a bill in the Utah legislature that would allow voters to remove a sitting senator. Last week, the Conservative Political Action Conference disinvited Romney to its annual event. He expects worse in the days ahead. When Romney was in Florida last weekend, a person at the airport called him a traitor, and someone else later told him to "get with the team," followed by an epithet. "It's going to be there a long, long, long time," he said in the interview. "And you know, the president's going to, you know, use me in rallies. I mean, he likes theater, and I can be part of that. So it's going to be tough." Recently appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., facing a tough intraparty primary fight from Rep. Douglas Collins, R-Ga., has already used Romney as a foil, attacking him last week for supporting the call for witnesses. Romney said his decision to vote to convict the president was "the hardest decision" he has ever had to make and one that he hoped he would never have to make. "When [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi indicated we're now going to pursue impeachment, my heart sank in dread," he said. For a time, he thought - or at least hoped - that Trump's request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an investigation into the Bidens during a July 25 phone call represented little more than a throwaway line. As more information came out, Romney came to a different and more worrisome conclusion: that the president had committed a potentially impeachable act. "He's the leader of my party," Romney said of Trump. "He's the president of the United States. I voted with him 80% of the time. I agree with his economic policies and a lot of other policies. And yet he did something which was grievously wrong. And to say, well, you know, because I'm on his team and I agree with him most of the time, that I should then assent to a political motive, would be a real stain on our constitutional democracy." Romney said he hoped the president's defense team would present evidence during the trial that would exonerate the president. He said he even contacted the White House Counsel's Office, through a fellow senator, asking whether it would provide affidavits from officials such as former national security adviser John Bolton or acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to no avail. "I was hoping beyond hope that the defense would present evidence, exculpatory evidence, that would remove from me the responsibility to vote where my conscience was telling me I had to vote," he said. "And that's one of the reasons, by the way, that I wanted to hear from Bolton, which is I hoped he would testify and raise reasonable doubt." Romney dismissed arguments that a president could be impeached only if there were a statutory crime, calling that "absurd on its face," and saying he could not think of "a more egregious assault on our constitutional system than corrupting an election and getting a foreign power to do it for you." What Trump tried to do, he said, is "what autocrats do in tinhorn countries." He also dismissed the arguments that the president was justified in asking Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. He said the former vice president might have been guilty of a conflict of interest, but added that a conflict of interest is "a matter of judgment, but it's not a crime." As for Hunter Biden, he said, "He got a lot of money for his father's name. That's unsavory. But again, it's not a crime." Romney acknowledging that Trump threw up "a barrage of efforts" to keep the House from receiving documents or testimony from key administration officials with firsthand knowledge, but decided against supporting the obstruction charge. "I don't think that was an appropriate approach, necessarily," he said, "but [Trump] did follow the law, and the House did not take the time to go to the courts as I think they should have." Some of Romney's Republican colleagues have suggested that the issue should be left to the voters in this year's election, rather than having the Senate render judgment. Romney said his reading of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers led him to conclude that the Senate must make the decision. "The Constitution doesn't say that if the president did something terribly wrong, let the people decide in the next election what should happen," he said. "It says if the president does something terribly wrong, the Senate shall try him. And so the Constitution is plain." Romney said he made his decision knowing that the president would be acquitted by the Senate. Were mine the deciding vote" to remove Trump from office, he said, "I hope I would have the strength of character to cast that vote. That would be the right thing to do." He added at another point, "No one wants to vote to remove a president of the United States, and I sure don't." Romney said the question of Trump's fate now will go be decided in the November election. "It's going to go to the people, and they will make the final decision," he said, adding that he is "highly confident" the president will be reelected. "Given the strength of the economy and the record established so far, I believe he gets reelected. And I think if they [Democrats] nominate [Sen.] Bernie [Sanders of Vermont] or [Sen.] Elizabeth [Warren of Massachusetts], he'll get elected in a landslide." Yet in a later season of a political life that began at the side of George Romney, Romney said he kept coming back to questions of duty and faith. "Again, how do I say before God, 'I agreed to render impartial justice and let the consequences for me personally outweigh my duty to God and my duty to be to the country that I love'? " Romney said, explaining how he settled on his vote. "That's simply putting my head down and saying what was done was perfect - there's nothing to see here. [It] was not something I could do." - - - The Washington Post's Paul Kane and Mike DeBonis contributed to this report. BAGHDAD - At least eight anti-government protesters were shot dead and 52 were wounded in clashes with followers of a radical Shiite cleric in southern Iraq on Wednesday, Iraqi medical officials and activists said. The violence comes as new divisions have emerged among protesters and supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who initially threw his weight behind the uprising. But he then re-positioned himself toward the political establishment after political elites selected Mohammed Allawi as prime minister-designate, a candidate he endorsed. Since then al-Sadr has issued a dizzying array of calls to followers, asking them to return to the streets days after withdrawing support from protests. The often contradictory orders have exacerbated existing tensions between anti-government demonstrators and his followers, with some activists claiming al-Sadrs followers had threatened them to toe the clerics line or leave protest sites. Clashes took place between protesters and followers of al-Sadr in the holy city of Najaf in southern Iraq, two witnesses said. According to activists, al-Sadrs supporters stormed the sit-in site and torched protest tents. Demonstrators attempted to prevent them from entering, using sticks, and were wounded when shots were fired. At least eight protesters were killed by gunfire and 52 others were wounded, according to two hospital officials and a morgue official. Anti-government protesters who took to the streets on Oct. 1 in Baghdad and southern Iraq to decry rampant government corruption, poor services and unemployment, have rejected Allawis candidacy. At least 500 have died under fire from security forces in the movement, now in its fifth month. In a tweet, the prime minister-designate said the painful developments should be an incentive for the current government to carry out its duty to protect protesters until a new government that fulfills the ambitions of all Iraqis is formed. Anti-government activists blamed al-Sadrs militia, Saraya Salam, or Peace Brigades, for the killings. All the tents were burned in the square and it is in the control of al-Sadrs followers now, said Fadi al-Hussein, a protester. The police did nothing. We left the square. Safaa al-Tamimi, a military spokesman for Saraya al-Salam, said unknown groups attacked protesters in Sadrayn Square in Najaf with grenades. He told Iraqi News agency INA that the unidentified groups attacked peaceful protesters, including supporters of al-Sadr. He accused parties he did not name of trying to foment strife. Najaf province governor Louay al-Yasiri announced that Thursday would be an official day off in the province. By Oliver Griffin BOGOTA (Reuters) - Ride-hailing company Beat hopes rival Uber will return to Colombia, but meanwhile, it will capitalize on the void it left and try to fill it, the company said. Colombia's ride-hailing sector was thrown into disarray in December after Uber was ordered to cease operations following a court ruling that it had violated competition rules. San Francisco-based Uber left the country last week and has since said it is considering taking the dispute to international arbitration. Local entrepreneurs have railed against what they say are out-dated regulations that threaten Colombia's status as a popular destination for investment. President Ivan Duque said at Davos that technology firms were welcome in the country but had to play by the rules. "Something that motivates Beat is competition," Mauricio Lopez, Beat's general manager for Colombia, told Reuters late on Monday. "The fact that the market leader has now left definitely puts a limit on that competition (but) that space has to be occupied." He said Beat, its rival ride-hailing apps like DiDi and traditional transport sectors would look to grow their offerings in Uber's absence. Beat, part of Daimler and BMW's joint venture Free Now, counts some 70,000 drivers in the Andean country, making Colombia one of its most important markets in Latin America. Before its departure, Uber had some 88,000 drivers and 2.3 million active users in Latin America's fourth-largest economy. It said on Monday initial calculations suggest damages resulting from its dispute with Colombia will exceed $250 million. "We would like (Uber) to come back," Lopez said. He said the priority for the ride-hailing industry, the government and traditional transport sectors is to nail down regulation that will allow old and new industries to co-exist. "I believe all parties must push for this regulation, not just the technology platforms," Lopez said. "Within that scope we should also revise regulations that affect traditional transport models." Story continues Lopez said while Beat is operating in an uncertain environment, conversations regarding new regulations with the government are progressing more quickly than previously, though disagreements remain. "It is not an easy debate," he said. Lopez said Free Now invested $1 billion in its Latin American operations in 2019, much of it in Colombia, though he would not give an exact figure. Future investments could be affected by regulatory uncertainty, he said. "It's certainly true the present situation could cause friction for those decisions," he said. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Dan Grebler) YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan Zoo said February 5 one of its camels has died. Acting Director of the Yerevan Zoo Vladimir Simonyan told ARMENPRESS they dont know why the animal died yet. We are waiting for the lab tests, he said, adding that he will give updates as soon as information becomes available. Two years ago, a bezoar ibex of the zoo was found dead outside the facilitys limits. Then, in 2019, three kangaroos were mauled to death by stray dogs. The Yerevan Zoo was in the media-spotlight for quite a while regarding the incidents. The current acting director was appointed after the then-director stepped down amid the scandal. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan HONG KONG, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Outset Global (outsetglobal.com), the world's leading independent outsourced trading solutions firm, announced today a significant expansion to its global offering via the hire of a large and experienced local Asian equities trading team. The hires of Paul Fitzgerald, Chris Chappel, and James Donovan build on the launch of Outset Global's Hong Kong office in 2019 and the hire of Jeremy Weemhoff in 2018. Today's announcements demonstrate Outset Global's commitment to providing its clients with the highest-quality global outsourced trading solution, driven by strong local expertise. Paul Fitzgerald joins Outset Global as a Managing Director in Hong Kong. Prior to joining the firm, Paul worked at MS in Hong Kong as Head of Asian Equities Sales Trading and Asia Block Trading. He served nearly 15 years at Morgan Stanley in senior roles, working with regional and global Asset Managers and Hedge Funds, and contributing to a top tier institutional business. Prior to his tenure at MS, Paul spent over 10 years at Salomon Brothers/Citigroup in London in a sales-trading role in which he covered UK and European institutions for the Asian equity markets. Chris Chappel joins Outset Global as a Managing Director in Hong Kong. Prior to joining the firm, Chris worked at large investment banks, including Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, and Macquarie Bank. Chris has been based in Hong Kong for nearly two decades, and brings with him over 15 years of experience across the Asian equity markets. James Donovan joins Outset Global as a Managing Director in London. James' prior extensive experience in Hong Kong will provide Outset Global clients across North America and Europe a vital link to the Asian equity markets. Prior to joining the firm, James spent five years at Citigroup in Hong Kong in cash, derivatives, and Delta 1 sales-trading. Prior to his tenure at Citi, James worked at UBS in London, on the APAC derivatives sales desk and in Hong Kong as a cash equities sales-trader. Jeremy Weemhoff has worked at Outset Global since 2018 as a Managing Director in the US. He will continue to service clients across the Asian equity markets in live hours. Prior to joining Outset Global, Jeremy spent nine years as a global asset trader at Access Global Trading. He will provide important global connectivity to Outset Global clients across the globe trading the Asia markets. Raymond McCabe, co-founder of Outset Global, said, "Our hires of Chris and Paul in Hong Kong, and James in London, are a testament to the quality of talent Outset Global provides to our global client base. Investors' growing demand for a high-quality Asian solution drove us to launch our Asian equities business in 2018 with Jeremy Weemhoff's hire. We believe the best global solution for our clients comes from strong local solutions. To achieve this, a local presence in Asia is more important than ever, and our commitment to broker access and talent means it couldn't be anywhere but in Hong Kong. Our investment in the Asian equity markets marks an important next step in Outset Global's growth, and in our commitment to providing our clients the highest-quality global solution in the industry." About Outset Global Outset Global, the world's leading outsourced trading solutions firm, provides bespoke trading services to hedge funds, asset managers, and family offices, equipping them with a cost-effective solution for their trading needs. Outset creates an efficient, accretive model that can simplify and streamline trading operations while at the same time increasing market reach. Importantly, we are independent and broker-neutral, helping the client achieve "best execution" and meeting their needs without compromise. The result for our clients is cost efficiency, reach, and true flexibility in execution and commission management. Media Contact: Massimo Bufalini Phone: 212 390 0904 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg SOURCE Outset Global Related Links http://outsetglobal.com Coronavirus in US, 11 cases confirmed Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 5:22 AM The United States says 11 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in five states, and that health officials are awaiting test results on dozens more possible cases. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said six of the coronavirus cases have been confirmed in California. Illinois has announced two cases, and officials in Washington State, Arizona and Massachusetts each reported one diagnosis. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said "We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread." Nine of the patients had traveled recently near Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. At least two of those people were believed to have lived in Wuhan, while others were US residents who had visited China. Those patients, a 57-year-old woman in California and a man in his 60s from Illinois, were believed to have contracted the virus from spouses who had returned from Wuhan. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) outlined enhanced screening plans for family members of US citizens and Green Card holders returning from China, who may face a 14-day quarantine if they had been in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also says it is currently monitoring at least 82 people for potential infection with the virus. China announced Tuesday that there were 3,235 new confirmed infections by the end of Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 20,438. The country's National Health Commission said the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 425 as of the end of Monday, up by 64 from the previous day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A policy think tank with a special focus on empowering the youth with analytical thinking skills to contribute to governance and economic policies of the country has been launched in Accra. The think tank named Kandifo Institute seeks to provide the youth with a platform and mentors to groom them with ideals and values to enable them to effect change required for development. It also seeks to undertake research in the areas of leadership, governance and economic policy to initiate pertinent development discourse and to mobilise resources to undertake specific promotional activities in such areas. Launching the think tank on Wednesday, Mr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the Executive Director of the institute, said making the youth the focus in the pursuit of the institutes goals was key as it would create space for them in the development discourse and engagement and imbue in them the needed skill, knowledge and ability to take control of the future and drive development. He explained that attaining development depended on effective appreciation, understanding and practical combination of the elements of governance, leadership and economic issues. He urged government to build a nation on the pillars of strong leadership, good governance and a resilient economy, stating that they were essential in attaining the desired development agenda. The problem is that governance, leadership and economic policy analysis had been taken lightly and limited to news and political campaign instead of cogent technical delivery to satisfy targeted audience, including the youth. There is, therefore, the need to initiate a new process to influence the expectation of citizenry in the areas of governance, leadership and economic policy, set an agenda for the establishment of new values, which reflect freedom, prosperity, introduce a new culture of relationship between the ruled and the ruling based on accountability and devise new means of accomplishment for the youth, he said. Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, Chief Linquist to Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Omanhene of Juaben Traditional Area and Chairman of the occasion, lauded the timing of the launch of the institute, stating that it had come at a time when the country and the African continent were craving for good leadership, better economy and good governance. He said so much effort had been made across the countries on the continent, including Ghana, to institute viable democracies that were based on rule of law, separation of powers, established electoral systems and vibrant press. He noted that despite the successes chalked by some countries in such areas, more could be achieved if emphasis were laid on bettering the economic lives of the people through job creation, improved service delivery and increase in income. He commended the Executive Director for initiating such a think tank with the youth in focus to build their analytical intellect and to help solve challenges that confront Ghana and the continent at large and to drive development. Professor Baffour Agyemang Dua, the Chief Executive Officer, John Agyekum Kufour Foundation on his part urged the think tank to be courageous and steadfast in the delivery of its work to ensure that it effected the change needed for national development. The institute in the past four months has organised four leadership hives and reached out to over 1,000 young students and initiated nine initiatives such as leadership hive, economic hive, governance hive, lets go lower, Democratic Election Think Tank Centre, among others. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Air India's debt has been rising for last three years as it has been incurring losses for reasons such as increase in competition, especially from Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), high interest burden and operating costs, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday. In 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, the debt figures for disinvestment-bound Air India were Rs 48,447 crore, Rs 55,308 crore and Rs 58,255 crore respectively, Puri said. The main reasons for increase in debt burden is due to "losses suffered on account of various reasons such as high interest burden, increase in competition especially from the LCCs, adverse impact of exchange rate variation due to weakening of Indian Rupee and high operating costs," Puri said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. The Central government last month issued a preliminary information memorandum (PIM), initiating the process to divest its entire stake in the national air carrier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DES MOINES - The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a union with 775,000 active and retired members, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination Wednesday. The endorsement is a welcome bit of good news as the Biden campaign seeks to recover from a likely fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, after more than a year of leading national polls in the Democratic primary race. "Vice President Biden has been a longtime friend of working families and the IBEW," said the union's International president, Lonnie Stephenson. "Joe has a long record of standing up for union members, and we believe it's in the best interest of IBEW members to elect him our next president." The union decided to endorse Biden at its annual officers' meeting Tuesday. The IBEW did not take sides this early in the Democratic nominating fight in 2016 or 2008, said Mark Brueggenjohann, a spokesman. Stephenson cited Biden's support for "a realistic plan to combat the ongoing threat of climate change without putting energy security or working families at risk." For the union, that includes both investments in green energy and continued investment in oil and gas extraction, a major source of employment for the union's members. Biden, unlike Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Biden opposes a ban on domestic fracking. The union was one of several labor groups last year to raise concerns about the Green New Deal proposal by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., saying it was vague and not based on an "engineering-based approach." "We will not accept proposals that could cause immediate harm to millions of our members and their families," the letter co-written by Stephenson said. "We will not stand by and allow threats to our members' jobs and their families' standard of living go unanswered." Biden was an early recipient of union backing this year, with the prominent support of the International Association of Fire Fighters, who have provided grass-roots support for him at rallies. He also received the backing of other major industrial unions, including the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers and the Amalgamated Transit Union. The first set of results from the Iowa caucuses Tuesday, with more than 60 percent of precincts reporting, showed Biden with 15.6 percent of state delegate equivalents in the state, compared with 26.9 for former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; 25.1 percent for Sanders; and 18.3 percent for Warren. Last year at the annual general meeting of Reliance Industries in July, chairman Mukesh Ambani said that IoT (Internet of things) would fuel the growth of the company in the future. But we who'd have guessed it'll start with the auto sector. Jio is all set to unveil its connected car technology at the India Auto Expo today, making it the country's first telecom company to enter this particular arena. Not a lot of companies are doing what Jio has planned for the future, at least when it comes to connected cars. Reuters Entering the connected car space will not only allow Jio to expand its foothold but also give it a first-mover's advantage in the space. Jio has already established itself as a strong player in the telecom sector and looks like it's now time to disrupt the IoT industry. So what exactly is Jio doing here? Well, the company isn't making a car. No, that's not happening. Instead, Jio is building a solution that'll take advantage of the upcoming 5G revolution. We're talking about things like a tracking system, a cloud platform for data management and more. IEEE The possibilities of useful functions are endless when it comes to a connected car. You can do things like use your smartphone to start the engine when you're about to head out, have your windows frost-free and interiors toasty and comfy before you leave. And that's just the beginning. You'll also be able to remotely lock the car or flash headlights - the possibilities are endless. Simply put, connected cars are great and there'll be no turning back once you get on-board. It's not long before we start seeing this technology evolve and open up new possibilities. We're super excited about this future and can't wait to get a hands-on experience. Source: Livemint Our new DELRIN SC698 resin can help manufacturers improve the smoothness and precision of device operation to encourage patient compliance. Its ultra-low friction, strength and stability help reduce effort and improve consistency when patients self-administer their medications. DuPont introduced today a new DELRIN acetal resin that features the lowest coefficient of friction (COF) in the companys portfolio of materials for medical devices. The DuPont DELRIN SC698 resin with integrated lubrication can help improve patient comfort and ease of use by ensuring smooth actuation of high-load drug delivery devices like inhalers, injectors and pumps. Further, its strength, stiffness and dimensional stability can help increase the injection precision of wearables and inserter devices. Healthcare sectors like home-based care and chronic disease management call for drug delivery devices that patients can use easily and comfortably, said Jennifer Gemo, Global Strategic Marketing Leader, DuPont Transportation & Industrial. Our new DELRIN SC698 resin can help manufacturers improve the smoothness and precision of device operation to encourage patient compliance. Its ultra-low friction, strength and stability help reduce effort and improve consistency when patients self-administer their medications. Further, DELRIN SC698 resin can be custom-colored to make devices more visually appealing to patients and to emphasize features and functionality. This innovative material is the latest example of DuPonts ongoing investment in new solutions for changing industry requirements. DuPont is exhibiting at Pharmapack 2020 (stand #E28), Feb. 5-6, 2020, in Paris, France, and at MD&M West 2020 (booth #3001), Feb. 11-13, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. DuPonts technical experts are on hand at both shows to discuss this innovative new material solution in more depth. Lowest Friction for Easier Operation Patient compliance and good outcomes depend on using a drug delivery device as prescribed, and on achieving dose-to-dose accuracy and consistency. DuPont DELRIN SC698 resin can help meet both requirements. Its combination of very low COF and excellent mechanical properties (high strength, dimensional stability) help facilitate device actuation and ensure consistent, precise drug delivery each time. Enhanced Wear Resistance DELRIN SC698 resin is a highly crystalline homopolymer offering strength, stiffness and fatigue resistance. Together with ultra-low friction, these properties deliver excellent wear performance over time and repeated use to promote an extended useful life. In addition, the materials high impact resistance helps protect against damage from drops. Support for Device Miniaturization The strength, rigidity and dimensional stability of DELRIN SC698 resin allows designers to create thin-wall, complex and miniaturized designs without sacrificing performance. Other benefits for healthcare manufacturers include integrated lubrication, which avoids the need for secondary operations to add lubricity, and system cost reduction opportunities through high-volume injection molding. Special Control The SC designation in DELRIN SC698 resin stands for special control. DuPont SC resin grades undergo an extensive amount of testing and offer a great degree of manufacturing control and broad regulatory compliance. About DuPont Transportation & Industrial DuPont Transportation & Industrial (T&I) delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to the transportation, aerospace, electronics, healthcare, industrial and consumer markets. T&I partners with customers to drive innovation by utilizing its expertise and knowledge in polymer and materials science. T&I works with customers throughout the value chain to enable material systems solutions for demanding applications and environments. For additional information about DuPont Transportation & Industrial, visit the Home Page. For more information related to T&I and the healthcare industry, click here. About DuPont DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. More information can be found at http://www.dupont.com. The information set forth herein is furnished free of charge, is based on technical data that DuPont believes to be reliable, and represents typical values that fall within the normal range of properties. This information relates only to the specific material designated and may not be valid for such material used in combination with other materials or in other processes. It is intended for use by persons having technical skill, at their own discretion and risk. This information should not be used to establish specification limits nor used alone as the basis of design. Handling precaution information is given with the understanding that those using it will satisfy themselves that their particular conditions of use present no health or safety hazards and comply with applicable law. Since conditions of product use and disposal are outside our control, we make no warranties, express or implied, and assume no liability in connection with any use of this information. As with any product, evaluation under end-use conditions prior to specification is essential. Nothing herein is to be taken as a license to operate or a recommendation to infringe on patents. CAUTION: Do not use DuPont materials in medical applications involving implantation in the human body or contact with internal body fluids or tissues unless the material has been provided from DuPont under a written contract that is consistent with the DuPont policy regarding medical applications and expressly acknowledges the contemplated use. For further information, please contact your DuPont representative. DuPonts sole warranty is that our products will meet our standard sales specifications in effect at the time of shipment. Your exclusive remedy for breach of such warranty is limited to refund of purchase price or replacement of any product shown to be other than as warranted. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, DUPONT SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY OTHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. DUPONT DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. # # # 2/5/2020 DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , or are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted. Coronavirus Cases Top 20,000 as Epidemic Spreads to Other Cities 2020-02-04 -- Health officials in China on Tuesday said that more than 400 people had died of coronavirus infections by Tuesday evening, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases globally, as local governments continued to announce lockdowns in cities and counties with the spread of the epidemic outwards from Wuhan. A total of 20,520 coronavirus cases were confirmed globally, with the number of cases in the central province of Hubei, of which Wuhan is the capital, still the highest, at 13,500. Of the 426 officially recorded deaths from coronavirus, 414 have been in Hubei, where the authorities have scrambled to open a 10,000-bed emergency hospital built using prefabricated buildings in just 10 days. A second hospital is still under construction. But as the number of confirmed cases grows in other major cities, local governments are shutting schools and public facilities in places hundreds of miles from Wuhan. Authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou this week deployed large numbers of riot police after angry local residents clashed with police after being denied access to their own homes. The authorities announced a total lockdown of the city, which has seen hundreds of cases of novel coronavirus -- named nCoV-2019 (Wuhan) by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the central Chinese city at the epicenter of the epidemic. The Wenzhou municipal authorities announced that stringent measures would be brought in from Feb. 2-8, with long-distance transportation to the city suspended and police checkpoints on the streets looking for suspected cases, according to video clips seen by RFA. The scenes were in sharp contrast to reports from Wuhan, where the number of cases is suspected to be many times more than the official figures because fever patients are routinely turned away by the city's overwhelmed hospitals. Residents returning from Wuhan were forcibly cut off from their homes by the authorities on Sunday and Monday, sparking clashes and the deployment of hundreds of riot police, according to social media video sent to RFA. "The reason there are so many cases [of coronavirus] in Wenzhou is that there are a lot of people here who do business in Wuhan, and they all came home for Lunar New Year," a Wenzhou resident surnamed Chen said in a video sent to RFA. 'Critical stage' in Wenzhou By the end of Monday, the eastern province of Zhejiang, where Wenzhou is located, had reported 724 confirmed cases of coronavirus, while the worst-hit province of Hubei, of which Wuhan is the capital, reported 11,177 confirmed cases and 350 deaths during the same period. Wenzhou ruling Chinese Communist Party chief Chen Weijun told an emergency meeting on Sunday that the epidemic's spread was still at a "critical stage" and officials who fail to take responsibility will be punished. Two health officials in one district of the city have already been fired for "dereliction of duty," state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. City officials say that some 170,000 people from Wenzhou live and do business in Wuhan, and there are 7,375 Hubei-based members of the Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce, Reuters reported. State broadcaster CCTV said that an estimated 48,800 people had returned to Wenzhou from Wuhan and other parts of Hubei. "Things are very inconvenient right now, because only one person is allowed out every couple of days from each household to buy food and daily necessities," Chen, who heads a clothing company in Wenzhou, said. She said many people in Wenzhou were taken by surprise at the sudden announcement and the restrictions to their daily lives. Major highways in the city and expressways leading out of the city have been sealed off, and movie theaters, swimming pools and other public facilities shut down, she said. A Wenzhou resident surnamed Quan told Reuters that the city is famous for its private entrepreneurs, and its residents are used to being highly mobile. "Wenzhou is a place that is well known for its businesspeople who do business abroad and since Wuhan is in the centre (of China), there are a large number of Wenzhou people doing business in Wuhan and around in the country," Quan said. Now, the city's businesses won't be allowed to reopen until Feb. 18, while schools will stay closed until March 1, one of the longest suspensions in the country. "It's pretty heartbreaking," Toby Ye, a student from Wenzhou, told Reuters. "It's a different city from the one I'm used to." Travel restrictions Authorities in Zhejiang's Songyang county have implemented similar measures, in a bid to control the spread of the virus, according to an official notice posted to the social media platform WeChat. "Travel restrictions for residents will be in place from midnight on Feb. 4, 2020," the notice said. "Each family ... may assign one family member to go out to purchase daily necessities every other day," it said. "Nobody else will be allowed to go out, other than for epidemic prevention and control work, seeking medical treatment, or to work in markets, supermarkets and pharmacies," the statement said. It said the measures would be enforced using the nationwide "grid" system that breaks up districts into grids with a few households in each square for tighter monitoring and surveillance. "The timing of the end of the restrictions will be announced at a later date," the notice, signed by the "Coronavirus Pneumonia" Prevention and Control Command Center of Songyang County," said. Hong Kong authorities reported the city's first death from coronavirus, that of a 39-year-old man who had previously traveled to Wuhan. In Macau, the authorities have shuttered the city's iconic casinos in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus there. The city's chief executive Ho Iat-seng said the government will also temporarily shut down, leaving only emergency services on duty. Ho called on all residents to stay home and only go out to buy food. Meanwhile, the democratic island of Taiwan has closed its borders to anyone who has visited mainland China in the past two weeks, with the exception of its own nationals. "Starting Feb. 7, 2020, foreign nationals who have visited or resided in the PRC over the past 14 days before they arrive in Taiwan will be prohibited from entering Taiwan (including those who are eligible for visa-free treatment, landing visas, and e-visas, as well as those carrying valid visas)," Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Tseng Yat-yiu and Chung Kuang-cheng for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content February not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CARROLLTON, GEORGIA , Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of West Georgia has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for its institutional commitment to community engagement through teaching, research and public service with the Community Engagement Classification. UWG is one of only 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the elective classification in 2020 and will join the ranks of only 359 institutions nationally. Additionally, the university is one of only 44 institutions nationwide that received the classification for the first time. Dr. Stuart Rayfield, interim president of UWG, said the classification is a testament to the countless hours and high quality of work put in by UWG faculty and staff over the past few years to apply for the distinction. Connecting the people of West Georgia to the resources of the university is integral to our mission, Rayfield said. We are dedicated to building on our existing strengths and developing distinctive academic, research, and co-curricular programs and services that respond to identified regional, state, and global needs. This distinction shows that what weve been doing is being recognized. UWG will host a campus-wide celebration for the achievement on Monday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Campus Center. The Carnegie classification is awarded following a process of self-study by the institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee. The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 14 years, with classification cycles taking place in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2020. These classified institutions are doing exceptional work to forward their public purpose in and through community engagement that enriches teaching and research while also benefiting the broader community, said Matthew Johnson, executive director of the Swearer Center for Public Service, which leads the national review committee that assesses each applying institution. The universitys application was coordinated by Dr. Melanie McClellan, who served as director of the Office of Community Engagement until 2019, when the application was submitted. McClellan assisted by Amanda Wright, UWGs assistant director of community engagement chaired a working group that collected information across the universitys schools and colleges and public service and outreach units to highlight the diverse ways the university engages with the community. In 2017, we read through the Carnegie application line by line and asked ourselves how we would answer the rigorous questions if we were applying for the classification at that time, McClellan said. From that process, we identified the top priorities to focus on both as the Office of Community Engagement and as a university as a whole. Then, we started working to address those needs. Several of those needs were identified in the division of academic affairs. Dr. David Newton, associate vice president of academic affairs, who served on McClellans advisory group, said that three key components were identified that would need to be addressed for UWG to apply for the classification. Those needs were a definition of and criteria for service learning, which a team of faculty led by Dr. Tami Ogletree developed; criteria in promotion and tenure guidelines for community-engaged scholarship; and measurement tools to assess the campus work on community engagement. UWGs Faculty Senate actively supported these efforts. Receiving this distinction is significant for academic affairs because, beyond the excitement around the recognition, this has established a legacy of community engagement at UWG that we can build upon and develop further in the future, Newton said. We are now more than ever inspired to enhance our work on campus to build and sustain relationships with members of the communities we serve. The application was due in April 2019, when Dr. Micheal Crafton was the interim president of UWG. Crafton officially hit the button on the 104-page applications submission. To maintain the classification, UWG must re-apply to the Carnegie Foundation in 2026. The process itself was enlightening and inspiring for everyone involved, as the team had to do an amazing amount of inquiry and inventory-building, Crafton said. Its always a surprise to see just how much a campus does in a community to make the world a better place. Now, the bar is set even higher; once we have the designation, we have to live up to it. Dr. Amber Smallwood, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences, also served on McClellans working group. She lauded the universitys Office of Community Engagement for serving as a supportive resource and driving force throughout the application process. Serving humanity and doing public good is central to the mission of the College of Social Sciences, so I was thrilled to be part of this work examining what we do in terms of community-engaged scholarship, Smallwood said. Community engagement isnt just one extra thing you do. Instead, its a way of doing everything you do in a meaningful way and in collaboration across our campus. Smallwood credited the spirit around UWG for being an important part in earning the distinction. This classification puts us in a category of institutions that are recognized for their emphasis on affecting students and the community and disciplines in a meaningful way that has a broader impact, Smallwood said. Its remarkable that on our first attempt to show our passion, engagement, and continuous improvement, we earned the distinction. That really speaks to how ingrained community engagement is in what we do at UWG. McClellan said a significant part of the Carnegie application is to not just show what the university does in its community, but also show the reasoning behind each community-engaged activity. To accomplish that, we had to bring together people from all across campus, from completely different backgrounds, so that we could understand and appreciate each others work, McClellan said. This is really an honor for the community at large because this is not just service done to or for the community; rather, this is service and engagement done with the community, and thats a huge difference. For more information on the Carnegie Foundation, visit www.carnegiefoundation.org. For more information on UWGs efforts in community engagement, visit www.westga.edu/community. Attachments Ireland's data protection commissioner has launched an inquiry into the processing of personal data of users of the Tinder dating app, it said on Tuesday. "The identified issues pertain to MTCH Technology Services Limited's ongoing processing of users' personal data with regard to its processing activities in relation to the Tinder platform, the transparency surrounding the ongoing processing, and the company's compliance with its obligations with regard to data subject rights requests," the regulator said in a statement. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR) rules give regulators the power to impose fines for violations of up to 4% of a company's global revenue or 20 million euros, whichever is higher. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Indian Air Force (IAF) will be getting more Tejas Ligh Combat Aircraft (LCA) soon as the government is gearing up to manufacture the 83 Mark 1A versions of the indigenous jet with improved and enhanced capabilities. The IAF is already in the process of inducting 40 Tejas aircraft (20 in Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) and 20 in Final Operation Clearance (FOC) version with 16 fighters and 4 trainers in each), stated Minister of State, Defence, Shripad Naik in a written reply to S Muniswamy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Kolar in Karnataka, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (February 5, 2020). IAF already has 16 Tejas fighters in its 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) based at Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu. Naik revealed that production of 16 Tejas fighters in IOC was completed in March 2019 and the production of 16 fighters in FOC and 8 trainers has been undertaken by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The force will resurrect the 18 Squadron (Flying Bullets) after receiving more Tejas aircraft. The 18 Squadron (Flying Bullets) used to operate the ground-attack Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27ML and was number plated in April 2016. Tejas Mk1A has incorporated several new features to enhance its combat capabilities. The combat aircraft has been fitted with advanced and powerful avionics, active electronically scanned radar array, weapons, electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite and also has the air to air refuelling capability to extend its fighting range. The flight testing of Tejas Mk1A has been planned to be completed by 2022. Tejas Mk1A will be used as a stepping stone to develop the Tejas Mark 2 medium combat aircraft (MCA) with a more powerful engine for more thrust and more weapon-carrying cap[ability. HAL had displayed a model of Tejas Mk2 at Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru. Designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and HAL, the Tejas LCA is a single-crew, single-engine, supersonic, delta wing, multirole light fighter. NORTH KANSAS CITY (dpa-AFX) - CompuGroup Medical SE (CMPVF.PK) and Cerner Corp. (CERN) have reached an agreement regarding the acquisition of parts of Cerner's IT Healthcare portfolio in Germany and Spain. The purchase price amounts to 225 million euros. The customer base of the acquired business includes 251 hospitals in Germany and 65 hospitals in Spain. Also, the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of CompuGroup Medical SE have resolved to propose to the shareholders' meeting a change of the legal form of the company into a partnership limited by shares. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SOMERSWORTH, N.H. - Facing questions about his campaigns viability, Joe Biden escalated his criticism of his top Democratic rivals on Wednesday, suggesting both Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg were risky choices for a party desperate for a return to the White House. Biden conceded that he was disappointed by his sagging performance in the leadoff Iowa caucuses, calling it a gut punch for his campaign. As he turned his attention to New Hampshire, he sought to reenergize his campaign by drawing sharper contrasts with those who led in Iowa, including casting Sanders a self-described democratic socialist as a drag on others in the party. If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party, every Democrat in America up and down the ballot, in blue states, red states, purple states and easy districts and competitive ones, every Democrat will have to carry the label Sen. Sanders has chose for himself, Biden said. Biden was equally blunt about his assessment of Buttigieg, saying he didnt think the Democrats standard-bearer against President Donald Trump should be someone who hasnt been elected to a higher office than mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a city of about 100,000. Its a risk, to be just straight up with you, he said. The tough talk comes as Bidens third presidential bid enters a critical stretch. He needs to bounce back from what partial results suggest could be a fourth place finish in Mondays Iowa caucuses. Biden trailed Buttigieg and Sanders, according to partial returns. He was also trailing Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that hell reclaim clear front-runner status in the race once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt, said Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, Tennessee, who added that he hadnt even considered such a possibility heading into Mondays caucuses. Thats a bad night, no matter how you spin it. Most precarious for Biden: Some of the would-be donors he could win over with a strong showing are giving new looks to Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor whose entire strategy of sitting out the four early nominating states is pegged to the possibility that Biden falters. Bloomberg, one of the worlds wealthiest men with a net worth approaching $60 billion, isnt asking for money. Hes simply looking for support that could cut off financial lifelines to Biden, whose campaign reported just $9 million cash on hand to start the year. Thats patronage Biden needs to remain competitive with Buttigieg, as well as Warren and Sanders, who have raised massive sums from small-dollar online contributors who have been far less generous to Biden. Alex Sink, a Democratic donor who hosted Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, said many donors are holding back, waiting to see how Biden does. They are also keeping an open mind about Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Sink last week to attend an event in Tampa. I was anxious to do it because, like so many others, Im curious and interested and worried about who our candidate will be and how we are going to beat Trump, she said. Most of my friends dont know yet who they are voting for. In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden insisted he had a good night in Iowa. But he was more frank Wednesday during the event in Somersworth. I am not going to sugarcoat it, we took a gut punch in Iowa, Biden said. But look, this isnt the first time in my life Ive been knocked down. Biden aides have said for months that he didnt have to win in Iowa or on Feb. 11 in New Hampshire because he was better positioned in Nevadas Feb. 22 caucuses, South Carolinas Feb. 29 primary and a slate of March 3 primaries, when more than a third of Democrats national delegates are at stake. That never meant, however, that Biden could sustain a bad showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The approach was also an expensive one, requiring deep campaign reserves to finance advertising and staffing in Nevada, South Carolina and delegate-rich states like California and Texas. Biden has a campaign footprint across the March primary map, with paid staff or volunteer offices in 13 states. But his cash flow raises questions about how much he can bolster his existing operation. His uneasy financial situation is underscored by an affiliated super PAC that spent more on Iowa ads than the campaign itself, but still has struggled to raise money and has little left over after Iowa. Will he have as much money as Bernie Sanders? Probably no. But it doesnt matter all you need is enough gas to finish the race, said John Morgan, a Florida plaintiffs attorney and one of Bidens top fundraisers. Freeman and Morgan agreed that Biden needs to finish in the top three in New Hampshire and ideally as the top moderate. That reflects what had been the quiet hope of Bidens team heading into Mondays Iowa caucuses. They didnt necessarily expect to win outright. But they hoped that they could emerge from Iowa as the clear alternative to Sanders, a democratic socialist and leader of the lefts progressive base. An effectively two-person race between Sanders and the former vice-president, Biden confidants believed, would open the financial spigot, firm up his advantages among nonwhite voters and win over skeptical white moderates now aligned with Buttigieg or Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Thats my conversation with people: If Bernie Sanders is the nominee, would you vote for him? Morgan said. If not, then back Joe. Biden took the same approach Tuesday on the campaign trail, hammering Sanders as directly as he has in weeks. Its time to get real about health care, he said as he compared his proposal to expand existing insurance markets with a public option with Sanders Medicare for All idea. Sanders has been pushing single-payer insurance for 30 years now, Biden said, and hasnt moved it an inch. The problem, Freeman said, is that a lacklustre start in Iowa makes the Biden-Sanders juxtaposition a much harder sell. I dont think any of those conversations are happening today with potential new donors, he said. ___ Slodysko reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Hunter Woodall in Somersworth, N.H., and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. This is the shocking moment a white parent asked a Latino dad, 'Why didn't you stay in Mexico?', during an inclusion meeting to confront racist social media posts by students at a suburban Detroit high school on Monday. The gathering came about after white students posted racist messages to three black classmates via Snapchat last month. Adrian Iraola, a native of Mexico and a citizen of the United States, was sharing the racist comments his two daughters and son had endured because of their Mexican heritage years ago in the Saline Area Schools district. Iraola, who owns Mexican restaurants in Ann Arbor, described the impact the hateful rhetoric played in his son's educational development. His son drew motivation from being called names such as taco, enchilada and nacho, Iraola said, ultimately fueling him to earn a masters degree from Johns Hopkins University. 'I remember when I went to his bedroom to say good night and he was crying because of the abuse that he was enduring in this school system,' Iraola said. '... Embrace who you are because the bumps and bruises can make you a better person if you have the strength and the faith that can take you where you want to go.' Tom Burtell, who has six children attending schools in the district, interrupted him and said, 'Then why didn't you stay in Mexico?' Iraola responded that he lives in America because it is 'the greatest country in the world.' Adrian Iraola was asked why he did not decide to 'stay in Mexico' by a white parent while he shared the racist treatment his son once faced while attending school in Saline, Michigan. The incident took place Monday night as parents met at Liberty School after racist messages where hurled on Snapchat toward three black students at Saline High School Adrian Iraola (left) was the victim of a racial remark made by Tom Burtell (right) during an inclusion meeting at a school in Michigan on Monday night. Burtell asked, 'Then why didn't you stay in Mexico?' when Iraola spoke about the discriminatory treatment his three U.S.-born children experienced in the Saline Area Schools district Matthew Burtell, a 2014 Saline High School alumnus and Tom Burtell's son, condemned his father's 'racist and xenophobic behavior' in an interview with MLive.com interview Tuesday. After seeing video of the exchange, he said it gave him 'a sinking feeling.' 'It's of vital importance to call out racism wherever you see it,' Matthew Burtell said. 'We can't stand idly by - as children, as brothers and sisters, as friends and as people interacting with each other in daily life - when someone says or does anything racist. Its all of our responsibilities and it shouldn't have to get to this.' Another town hall participant, Brian Wright, who is black, said Tom Burtell's remarks were 'indicative of what our kids are experiencing.' Some of the other parents shouted at Tom Burtell to leave the meeting. Tom Burtell (pictured with the microphone) was reprimanded by his son Matthew Burtell, a 2014 Saline High School alumnus, after he heard of the racist comment his father made earlier this week during a meeting at Liberty School in Saline, Michigan Parents discuss their experiences and opinions on racism in the Saline community and schools during a school diversity and inclusion meeting community meeting at Liberty School in Saline, Michigan on Monday. Officials at at Saline High School learned January 27 of the messages, which included slurs derogatory toward black people, were posted in a Snapchat group that was given the name 'Racist' with two gorilla emojis after black students joined. In addition to the anti-black slurs, one non-black student posted messages including 'WHITE POWER' and 'THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN.' Some of the individuals, either members of the chat or who were invited into the chat, abandoned the group after the hates messages posted, according to MLive.com. Adrian Iraola (right) was talking about the hateful rhetoric directed at his son (left) during his school years in the Saline, Michigan, educational system when a white parent told the Latino father-of-three 'why didn't you stay in Mexico?' Adrian Iraola was at the receiving end of a racist attack while sharing the racial rhetoric his children endured while attending schools in Saline, Michigan Scot Graden, the district's superintendent, said the students' social media remarks are still under investigation. But he noted that the district already has plans underway to address future racist incidents. 'We started a committee last January, so, a little over a year ago in an effort to really address some of the issues of systemic racism in our community and in our society and try to figure out ways we can improve,' Graden said. 'And while we are working and getting a lot done and we share that with the community, clearly theres a lot of work to do. And a lot more we can do.' An international team has completed the most comprehensive study of whole cancer genomes to date, significantly improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and signposting new directions for its diagnosis and treatment. An international team has completed the most comprehensive study of whole cancer genomes to date, significantly improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and signposting new directions for its diagnosis and treatment. Published today in Nature, more than 700 researchers have analysed more than 2600 samples from 38 cancer types ranging from common cancers like colorectal and breast cancers, to rare cancer types including pancreatic and brain cancers. This analysis has enabled researchers to create the first complete atlas of genomes to compare the cancers and find the common mutations between them. The atlas has been created by an effort known as PCAWG - the Pan Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes or the Pan-Cancer Project - which has been a collaborative effort of groups from the International Cancer Genome Consortium who agreed to put thousands of sets of patient genome data together and reanalyse these samples using cloud computing. University of Melbourne Professor Sean Grimmond, who holds the Bertalli Chair in Cancer Medicine, led the Australian efforts which contributed approximately 10 per cent of primary samples from a broad range of tumours including pancreatic, melanoma, neuroendocrine, and ovarian cancer. Researchers found on average any given tumour has four to five key mutations - changes to the genetic blueprint - that are responsible for driving that disease. Those mutations can vary a great deal for each cancer type. Previously researchers were aware of one or two drivers. Researchers say understanding that number and realising the complexity in each patient is an important step in working out where else to look when diagnosing cancer patients. Professor Grimmond said this atlas provides a solid foundation to understand which genes and which pathways may be damaged in each cancer type. "This research will help identify what types of genetic test are needed for each cancer type - filling in potential existing gaps that we did not even know were there," Professor Grimmond said. "It demonstrates better than ever before how similar damage can cause cancer in different tissues - implications mean that for example a breast cancer drug could be effectively used to treat an oesophageal cancer." The atlas also provides insight for challenging cancers where the tissue of origin is not known by identifying patterns of damage across various cancer types. "If we don't understand where a cancer comes from, we can't even rely on traditional clinical approaches to treatment," Professor Grimmond said. Having a harmonised dataset enables international researchers to learn from one cancer treatment and applies those findings to another using a cloud computing portal. Researchers say further research with much larger datasets are required to enable precision medicine to truly become a reality. Dr Peter Campbell, member of the Pan-Cancer Project steering committee and Head of Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK said: "This work is helping to answer a long-standing medical difficulty, why two patients with what appear to be the same cancer can have very different outcomes to the same drug treatment. We show that the reasons for these different behaviours are written in the DNA. The genome of each patient's cancer is unique, but there are a finite set of recurring patterns, so with large enough studies we can identify all these patterns to optimize diagnosis and treatment." Dr Tom Hudson, Chief Scientific Officer at AbbVie and a founder of the International Cancer Genome Consortium said: "The completion of this project represents the culmination of more than a decade of ground-breaking work in studying the cancer genome. When we launched ICGC in 2007, an initiative of this magnitude was unprecedented. I am thrilled that the scientific community has come together to produce this comprehensive study, which enhances our understanding of cancer and fosters the development of new medicines for cancer patients." The Australian research groups involved include the University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, QIMR Berghofer, Garvin Institute, University of Queensland, and Melanoma Institute of Australia. ### Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has said she will not ask Northern Ireland's Finance Minister Conor Murphy to step down or remove him from his position after he alleged that murder victim Paul Quinn was involved in criminality. "Absolutely not," she said. On Wednesday Ms McDonald said that she believes that anyone who has information about the "barbaric" murder of Mr Quinn should contact authorities. "Conor has clarified the fact that he is withdrawing his statement, comments he made over a decade ago and he has apologised for them," Ms McDonald added. "That's the right thing to do, it's the decent thing to do. "I know that he will be hoping to meet with the Quinn family to talk to them. "That family have been through a horrible ordeal, I mean I can't even imagine, to lose their son in such a brutal way." She added that Mr Murphy had spoken with authorities at the time of the murder but has not done so since and she believes that Mr Murphy will be in contact with the Quinn family in the coming days to pass on his apologies for the remarks. Family ask why it took 13 years for Sinn Fein climbdown Paul Quinn was branded a smuggler and criminal by Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy. His mother Breege Quinn welcomed Mary Lou McDonald's remarks on RTE on Tuesday that Mr Murphy would apologise and withdraw his remarks. However, she said he must do it on national television and step down as a government minister. Breege Quinn said she will not meet Conor Murphy until he apologises publicly for branding her son a criminal. She had called on Sinn Fein to remove Mr Murphy from his government position saying he "wasn't fit for the job". "Why did it take 13 years," she told the BBC. She said she went to bed "happy" on hearing Mary Lou McDonald's comments stating her son was not a criminal. She added: "Conor Murphy still has to do his part, he has to come out publicly and apologise to us - and I mean publicly, on national television - because that is where he put the slur on our son and for 13 years we have endured and cried and fought for justice to get the truth. "We have got the half truth and I thank Mary Lou for her part last night, and Conor Murphy, we are waiting for him to publicly apologise and go to the gardai and PSNI and give the names of the IRA people he said he spoke to in Cullyhanna." Asked about comments made by Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy after the murder of Paul Quinn, @MaryLouMcDonald says Mr Murphy apologises for those remarks, he withdraws them, and will speak directly to Paul Quinns mother and family | Live #GE2020 blog: https://t.co/mjahvjVWlx #rtept pic.twitter.com/f6tEkJ2R8H RTE News (@rtenews) February 4, 2020 She continued: "We could have justice tonight if Conor Murphy decided to give it to us. "If he doesn't do that, I will not be meeting him. "He got assurances from the IRA. Who were the IRA? He didn't go to Cork to speak to them, he spoke to them in Cullyhanna." Mrs Quinn said Mary Lou McDonald's remarks had provided some comfort to the family. "The fact she said Paul was not a criminal, I could go to bed last night and sleep, that gave me comfort - of course it did," she said. "We knew Paul wasn't a criminal. Criminals are very wealthy people, poor Paul didn't have 10 pence." BBC Spotlight footage shows Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy labelled IRA murder victim Paul Quinn a criminal Conor Murphy had previously insisted claims he described Paul Quinn in such derogatory terms were "totally without foundation". When asked about the issue in an election interview with RTE's Bryan Dobson on Monday, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said: "I've spoken to Conor Murphy about this issue before. "He is very clear that he never said that. That that is not his view." But the Belfast Telegraph has uncovered footage from a BBC Spotlight documentary a month after the 21-year-old south Armagh man's murder. In an interview that was broadcast on November 13, 2007, Mr Murphy said: "Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality and I think everyone accepts that. "As I say this is a very difficult situation because there's a family grieving here and you don't want to add to that grief by saying things about their son." He has denied saying something that he is recorded on tape as saying. It is bad enough that he blackened Paul's name. But then for him to insist he never did so is despicable Breege Quinn The DUP welcomed Sinn Fein's change in position. MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the family deserved justice. "Last St Patricks Day, Arlene Foster met with Breege and took their case to Capitol Hill to ask people like the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Richie Neale to use their influence with republicans," he said. "We welcome the words from Mary-Lou but that apology should be made publicly by Conor Murphy just as the original allegations were. All information should also be given to the police so the perpetrators can be brought to justice. Expand Close Stephen and Breege Quinn holding a photo of their murdered son Paul PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen and Breege Quinn holding a photo of their murdered son Paul "The Quinn family have had additional hurt visited on them by the constant denials about remarks that were made about their son." The matter was also raised in the House of Commons by DUP MP Paul Girvan who said - to "ensure stable government in NI" and community confidence - if Mr Murphy had information about the murder he should make it known to the PSNI and An Garda Siochana. Secretary of State Julian Smith condemned the "horrendous" murder and urged anyone with information to contact police. Paul Quinn was beaten to death by an IRA gang in a farmhouse in Oram, Co Monaghan. Every major bone below his neck was broken in the brutal attack. He had previously clashed with a local IRA commander's son. His mother Breege has repeatedly asked Mr Murphy to withdraw his "slur" against her son. Mr Murphy has denied that he ever branded Paul a criminal. He told The Irish News on October 19, 2017, that claims he did so were "totally without foundation". Mrs Quinn last night said: "Since my son was murdered, Sinn Fein has behaved terribly. Far from comforting my family, they have added to our pain and suffering. "Conor Murphy is a senior Executive minister in Northern Ireland. "He has denied saying something that he is recorded on tape as saying. It is bad enough that he blackened Paul's name. But then for him to insist he never did so is despicable. Expand Close Finance Minister Conor Murphy (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Finance Minister Conor Murphy (Liam McBurney/PA) "We didn't make it up that Conor branded Paul a criminal. We are not liars. Those words came from his mouth. "He should have retracted his words long ago and issued an apology." Ms McDonald last night said that Mr Murphy would withdraw his remarks and say sorry to the Quinn family. When his quotes were read out to her by interviewer Miriam O'Callaghan during RTE's Prime Time leaders' debate, the Sinn Fein president described them as "wrong". She said: "Those things should not have been said. Conor withdraws them and apologises." Mrs Quinn said that Mr Murphy must make a public apology to her family. "He blackened Paul's name in public, and he must apologise the same way. A private phone call or chat won't do," she added. TUV leader Jim Allister also called on Conor Murphy to resign. He commended the Quinn family for their "fearless resolve". He has tabled an urgent question in the Assembly asking why the minister "continues to hold office in light of developments relating to his stance on the murder of Paul Quinn?" The SDLP Policing Board member Dolores Kelly said that while she did not want to make politically point score from the matter, "it was clear Conor Murphy should contact the police". Asked if her party would continue to sit in the Executive with Mr Murphy, she said: "Let's wait and see what Mr Murphy does today." by Mathias Hariyadi Dili had asked to quarantine them. The provincial authorities refused on the basis of considerations and contributions from various tour operators on the island. As of today, the suspension of flights to and from China enters into force. Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The provincial administration of Bali has rejected East Timor's request to quarantine 17 students on the island who are waiting to be repatriated from China due to the coronavirus epidemic. The group needed to pass through the international stopover to return to Dili, the East Timorese capital. From midnight today in Indonesia the suspension of flights and flights to and from all regions of mainland China entered into force, a measure adopted by Jakarta to counter the spread of coronavirus in the country. Three days ago the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, said that national borders are closed for all visitors who have been to China in the previous 14 days. During a press conference with local media in Denpasar, the head of the Health Department of Bali province, I Ketut Suarjaya, yesterday announced that the Governor had decided to reject the request for assistance from East Timor. This had come on previous day, through the Indonesian embassy in Dili. The decision to deny the transit to 17 students was made on the basis of considerations and contributions from various tour operators operating in Bali. Local authorities have also asked the latter to collect and provide data of all visitors of Chinese nationality in the island's tourist facilities. Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman for I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, announced yesterday that "164 of the 247 regular flights from Bali to China will be suspended". 55 planes for Hong Kong and 28 for Taiwan will be able to take off. Bali's Indonesian Tour Guide Association (HPI) reports that the viral epidemic has hit tourism hard on the island: nearly 1,000 Chinese-speaking tour guides are currently unemployed. Some moved on to other jobs; others have chosen to return to their hometowns. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has set the Cabinet of Ministers the task to make proposals for the implementation of the "Investment nanny program" before the end of February. At a meeting with the president on Tuesday, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk informed that an investment atlas and Investment Support Office had already been established to work with foreign and domestic investors. He added that the Ukrainian companies had already addressed the government, declared their intention to invest more than $100 million and asked for an "investment nanny." New Delhi In light of the ongoing protests that entered into its 52nd day on Wednesday against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the possibility of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in south east Delhis Shaheen Bagh, all 40 polling booths in the area have been categorised as critical by the Delhi election office. We are ensuring that there is no fear among voters at Shaheen Bagh. The police are alert and so are paramilitary forces so that no untoward incidents take place during the polls, said Ranbir Singh, chief electoral officer, Delhi. He further said that security personnel will carry out marches and patrolling in the area to boost confidence of the voters. The chief electoral officer also said that he had paid a visit to Shaheen Bagh in the last few days and said at present there were no hurdles in the area against elections taking place smoothly. Hundreds of people, mostly women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA and possibility of NRC. Last week, a man had fired two rounds near the protest site, which has become the epicentre of protests across India. While no injuries were reported in the incident, security was tightened at the location on orders of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. There are 13,751 polling booths set up at 2,688 locations in Delhi. Out of these, 3,704 booths are categorised as critical in 516 locations. The chief electoral officer explained that paramilitary force will be deployed at each of the polling booths, along with regular police deployment. Further, web casting would be carried out at critical booths through a surveillance room in the CEOs office. The legislative assembly elections in Delhi are scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 8. Emphasising on the security measures to be undertaken on the day of polling, Singh said that 1,00,024 security personnel would be deployed across the city, which would include 38,874 Delhi Police and 19,000 Home Guards. The chief electoral officer also said that ahead of the polls during the period of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the law and enforcement agencies had made total seizures worth nearly Rs 51 crore, which includes cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies. Ends THE Irish legal system could become the "jurisdiction of choice" for dispute resolution in the EU following the UK's departure from the trading bloc, according to the head of law firm Eugene F Collins. The firm's managing partner, Mark Walsh, said Ireland's legal system was now unique within the EU after the UK left the bloc last week. "The Irish common law system is now the only one of its kind within the EU and that makes Ireland a prime destination for dispute resolution in the aftermath of Brexit," he said. That echoes comments made by Ireland's chief justice, Frank Clarke, in 2018 when he also said Ireland could become an international centre for dispute resolution following Brexit. For international litigation, Ireland's English-speaking common law system, combined with its recognition in the EU, could be increasingly attractive in disputes. The common law system in use in Ireland sees courts rely on precedence, where it exists, to resolve cases where plaintiffs and defendants disagree as to what the law is. The system is also used in the UK, the United States, Australia and a large number of other countries outside the European Union. While Malta also relies on common law, it incorporates other legal elements into its system too. Eugene F Collins has just appointed lawyer Paul Dempsey as a partner in its dispute resolution department. Maura Connolly, head of dispute resolution at the law firm, said that there had been an "increased focus" on alternative dispute resolution in the Irish market. Ms Connolly said the firm had been involved in multi-million-euro claims involving hedge funds, commercial property and large-scale insurance disputes. Under the Mediation Act 2017, solicitors are obliged to advise clients to consider mediation to attempt to resolve disputes before issuing proceedings. Ken Murphy, the director general of the Law Society of Ireland, has also previously said that Ireland could become a global dispute hub in the future. "It is already clear that some legal work - particularly litigation and commercial court cases - that would previously have been undertaken in the UK is now seeking EU bases," he said in 2018. "As the principal common law jurisdiction left in the EU post-Brexit, Ireland is well-placed to benefit from this," he added, warning that investment was needed in the Courts Service to position Ireland as the leading international dispute forum. Alex Johnson II is a busy guy. At 1:30 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, hes camped out at a table in the back of Allan Brothers Coffee behind his laptop, Bluetooth on, pen running across the page. Hes been going since 5 a.m. Johnson is the first to admit his appearance can be a bit intimidating. Hes a big guy. Hes a Navy veteran. Hes black. And that shouldnt matter, but in Albany despite best efforts for some it still does, and it shapes some of his decisions and too many of his interactions. Before becoming a city councilor, he was (and still is) a business owner, selling insurance coverage around the state. Hes amassed an army of loyal customers who often refer him to friends. One referral led him to knock on a womans door. She opened the door and I said, 'Hello, Im Alex Johnson II and we have an appointment to talk about Medicare, he said. She looked at me through the screen door and said, Im sorry. I dont do business with n*****s. At this point in the story, he pauses to chuckle, lean forward and recall his response. I said, OK, if I see one, Ill let them know. The story, every time its told, provokes the same reaction from Johnson. He laughs. Not because its funny but because its absurdly real. Eventually the womans friend made a phone call and an apology was forthcoming she would do business with Johnson. But he had a caveat: Research other insurance companies, and if his rate was the best, hed shake hands. She became my client, he said, the last of his laugh fading away. Johnson does this often: laughs in the face of the absurdity tied to the minutiae and stubborn nature of government, the unreasonableness of racism and the state we often find ourselves in today. He laughs. In a way that makes you feel like hes in on the joke hes not really part of the establishments hes infiltrated. Big governments in small towns that think nothing before reaching into their neighbors pockets to fund more and more and provide less and less? Johnson will hold up votes and send policies to the mat because they would mean taking one more dollar from his elderly clients that they cant afford, or because they'd do away with the only safe, sanitary place women experiencing homelessness have to solve a problem bestowed upon them by nature and biology. Insurance companies that sell plans to seniors that cost more than theyll ever cover? Johnson doesnt play that. Hell sit at any table in any kitchen and find the rate that makes the most sense, even if it means less money lines his own pocket. Hell meet people where they are. Empower them and send them on their way. Ironically, its how he was tricked into running for the Albany City Council. Ray Kopczynski had been a councilor for years. He was active in the community and on local advisory groups. He also happened to be Johnsons neighbor. It was when the marijuana stuff was going on, Johnson said. He asked me to read through some things and tell him what I thought. Johnson ended up attending the council meeting. He wasnt impressed with some of the seated councilors and told Kopczynski he thought new blood was in order. Thats when Kopczynski told him he wouldnt be running for his seat again. But who, Johnson asked, was going to replace him? He said, I was hoping you would," Johnson said. "And I just thought, Man, you got me. Empowered with information, Johnson went on his way right to the dais, as councilor for Ward 2. In his first year, his vote has swung from one side to the other depending on the issue and how it would affect his constituents. The biggest issues to come before the council in his first year have been the matter of allowing accessory dwelling units in Albany and whether or not a local church was allowed to provide a portable toilet on its own property. For Johnson, it came down to people. I went to 19 funerals last year of people who died alone in a small room when they could have been at home with their family, he told the council in January as it argued over possible traffic jams caused by the increased number of living spaces. It's asinine to me to hear arguments about traffic when that's someone's grandparent." Hes voted to override Mayor Sharon Konopa's veto on the issue twice since taking office. And, during the last year, he said over and over and over again that the city had no business prohibiting the church from having a portable toilet on its own property without a permit when the city itself had portable toilets in various locations also without permits. Because for Johnson, its about whats right. That's a value he grew up with, one that was reinforced during his years in the U.S. Navy. I turned 18 in boot camp, he said, noting that he joined because, as a young man from a rural California town, he wanted to see something. And the things hes seen in his first year as councilor have confirmed for him that theres still work to do. At the African-American Youth Leadership Conference in April, he came away with a list of concerns from students. His email account is usually full, as are his social media message folders, and his "coffee with the councilor" events draw a crowd as well. You have to listen, he said. People will tell you. Love 6 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 US president says he wants to end Americas longest war, as his administration engages Taliban in peace talks. US President Donald Trump has renewed his pledge to bring back US troops from Afghanistan as his administration aims to end the United Statess longest war. We are working to finally end Americas longest war and bring our troops back home, Trump said on Tuesday during his State of the Union address to US Congress that touched on few foreign-policy points. I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent, Trump told the joint session of Congress. It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are war-fighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all, he said. The US president offered his blessing for continuing negotiations with the Taliban armed group, which has been fighting the US-led NATO troops and the Afghan forces since 2001 when the Afghan group was deposed from power. The talks between the two sides have failed to make headway in recent weeks, with Washington insisting on reduction in violence as a condition to reach a deal. Taliban accuses US of delaying talks On Tuesday, the Taliban accused the US of hampering the peace negotiations after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said demonstrable evidence of a reduction in violence was necessary, Reuters News Agency reported. Mr Pompeo should not shift the blame. Our stance is principled and united, and our policy is not shaky like the opposite side, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on messaging service WhatsApp. Trump has long questioned the wisdom of keeping troops overseas and has described the war in Afghanistan launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks as a drain on blood and treasure. But last year he abruptly said he had cancelled a previously unannounced summit at the Camp David presidential retreat with the Taliban because of an attack that killed an American soldier. He later allowed veteran US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad to resume the talks, which had taken place for months in Qatar. Under a draft deal, the US will withdraw troops, and the Taliban will promise not to allow armed groups to use Afghanistan as a base as well as to open talks with the West-backed government in Kabul. Little on foreign policy The Taliban has more recently proposed a limited reduction in violence, an easing of position after previously refusing any halt to attacks it sees as leverage. Trumps speech focused little on foreign policy, with no mention of North Korea, a year after Trump used the State of the Union to announce his second summit with the nuclear-armed states leader, Kim Jong Un. The US leader only briefly mentioned his plan for the Middle East, which he unveiled last week next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after more than a year of delay. On Iran, Trump highlighted his pressure campaign against Tehran and boasted of the controversial strike he ordered last month that killed Irans top general, Qassem Soleimani. Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly, Trump said. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. Trump in 2018 withdrew from an internationally-backed nuclear deal negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, and imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at reducing Irans regional clout. SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Showdigs, a unique solution for property managers looking for on-the-ground assistance with vacancy showings, today announces its launch in Denver, Colorado. Showdigs has previously launched in the Seattle and Portland rental markets. Marc Cunningham, owner of Grace Property Management in Denver, Colorado, has been able to grow his company without the previous location limitations, now that Showdigs agents can quickly get to places that his staff can't. Cunningham says, "We like that Showdigs is flexible, and it's not all or nothing. Your leasing person calls in sick for a day. No problem, Showdigs can take care of it for you. You don't want to show on the weekends, no problem, just have Showdigs do weekend showings. There's tremendous flexibility." Showdigs was founded in March 2018 by Kobi Bensimon, a real estate technology veteran who was the co-founder and CEO of ActiveBuilding, a real-estate start-up that redefined the experience for apartment renters in the US and was successfully acquired by RealPage in 2013. Ohad Ron, formerly of WAZE, leads the product team. There are several reasons why property managers struggle to do showings themselves. Distance from the property, business with tenant and owner needs, vacation or sick leave, and seasonal upswings all top the list of motivations. Showdigs utilizes a growing network of licensed real estate agents in their metropolitan coverage areas in order to satisfy the demand for showings from property managers. Additionally, the company uses online scheduling software to make it faster and easier for prospective tenants to book showings. Bensimon is optimistic about choosing Denver for their next expansion. "After launching and growing in the Pacific Northwest, we picked Denver as our first city in the Midwest. There is a lot of migration into the city. It's a growing area with a lot happening in the rental markets, and property management companies are looking to optimize their processes." Press Contact: [email protected] About Showdigs Showdigs is a location-based app that gives renters access to on-demand property tours. The company's online platform crowdsources from a network of local real estate agents to provide immediate showings for potential tenants, making the process simple and cost-efficient for property managers. Showdigs is privately held and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Learn more at www.showdigs.com SOURCE Showdigs Related Links https://www.showdigs.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:22:34|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close HOUSTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government and people have made every effort to control the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei has said. Delivering a speech at Georgia State Senate meeting on Monday, Cai said since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Chinese government has been taking the most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and control measures with a high sense of responsibility for people's health and well-being. "The whole country is working together and all walks of life are mobilizing their resources," Cai said. He told the audience that in the fight against the epidemic, China has demonstrated the strength of its governance system. "For instance, the construction of Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan city, a dedicated hospital with 1,000 beds, was completed in a few days and many other hospitals are under rapid construction." The Chinese diplomat said that the fight against the coronavirus outbreak shows again that we live in a shared community where people are highly interlinked and interdependent. "We should work together to fight the epidemic. Many countries have expressed understanding and support to China through various means." Cai said many international organizations, countries and ordinary people have donated medical supplies to China. "I firmly believe that with the support of all friends around the globe, we are not far from winning the battle," he continued. Cai said it's understandable that people have concerns or fear, adding that facts and science should rise above rumor and speculation. "The WHO continues to have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak and opposes travel or trade restrictions on China. Overreacting or spreading fear certainly runs counter to WHO advice and global efforts against the coronavirus," he added. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted Wednesday that Donald Trump would outlive the US president's controversial proposals for Israeli-Palestinian peace. "This plan will certainly not work and it will die before Trump," Khamenei told a gathering in Tehran to mark the February 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled Iran's US-backed shah. "The Americans negotiated with the Zionists on something that doesn't belong to them," Khamenei said in a speech aired on state television. "We believe the Palestinian militant organisations will rise up and carry on the resistance," he said, adding that Iran "considers it its duty to support Palestinian groups". Ali Akbar Velayati, who advises Khamenei on foreign policy, has dismissed the peace proposals unveiled on January 28 as an effort to "sell and dismantle Muslim lands". The US plan, unveiled in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seen as overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, has been rejected by the Palestinians, Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It grants the Jewish state full control over the disputed city of Jerusalem and gives it a US green light to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank, including the strategic Jordan Valley. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) tech2 News Staff Flipkart is playing host to a four-day Apple Days sale starting today. The sale, which will continue till 8 February, will feature offers and discounts on your favourite iPhones and Apple products. Flipkart is also offering a discount of up to Rs 7,000 on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. iPhone XS (Review) is selling at a starting price of Rs 54,999 down from Rs 59,999. It is available at a discount of Rs 5,000. The 256 GB and 512 GB variants are now selling at Rs 72,999 and Rs 1,04, 900 respectively. You can get a discount of Rs 6,000 on HDFC Bank Credit and Debit cards on the purchase of iPhone 11 (Review) as well, selling at a starting price of Rs 64,900 and iPhone 11 Pro, selling at a starting price of Rs 99,900. During this Flipkart sale, iPhone XR (Review) is selling at a price of Rs 49,990 and you can get a discount of Rs 5,000 on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. The 128 GB and 256 GB storage variants are currently priced at Rs 54,900 and Rs 82,000. In addition to this, iPhone 7 Plus (Review) has also got a price cut of Rs 4,000 and is now selling at a starting price of Rs 33,999. Currently priced at Rs 34,999, iPhone 8 (Review) is also on sale, at a discount of Rs 5,000. The iPhone 6S is also selling at a discount during the Apple Days sale. The 32 GB iPhone 6S model is now selling at a starting price of Rs 23,999. Arctic.ru editors discussed the reprocessing of nuclear waste buried in the Arctic and the Russian Far East with Anatoly Grigoryev, chief of international technical assistance projects at the Directorate for International Programs and Projects in the Area of Radioactive Waste (RAW), Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and Decommissioning of Nuclear- and Radiation-Hazardous Sites (DNRHS), Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation. The interview took place on the sidelines of the 9th International Forum The Arctic: Today and the Future. You were speaking about the processing of nuclear waste at the panel meeting. Could you enlarge on the existing technologies and their history? In 1998, the Russian Government issued a resolution identifying the Atomic Energy Ministry of Russia as the public contracting authority and coordinator in charge of the comprehensive disposal of nuclear submarines and surface ships with nuclear propulsion plants as well as remediation of radiation-hazardous sites. At that time, there was a shortage of technologies, resources and experience with regard to handling these facilities. Problems were dealt with as they came into being. There was no systemic approach. Faced with these degrees of uncertainty, we nevertheless had to take definite technical decisions. But it was a long time ago. Since then we have become really experienced when it comes to this job and we are able to create the proper conditions for the safe remediation of radiation-hazardous sites. We have developed technologies for treating uranium-beryllium and uranium-zirconium fuel. Today, we can send all fuel located in the North-West to be safely reprocessed at plants. But there are numerous problems not only with the types of fuel but also with its physical condition. Submarine reactor fuel is normally in a fairly decent state and it is easy to unload. In other words, there is no damage to a fuel assembly's fuel element jacket and pick-up head. But during the long compulsory interim storage, individual fuel assemblies, for various reasons, develop defects that pose serious dilemmas as regards the preparations for their removal. These FA flaws called for additional efforts to develop a separate technology for handling this defective fuel at storage outlets and to modernize the reprocessing facilities. This also took some time. It was only in 2014 that we, supported by international donors, overhauled the radwaste system at the Mayak Production Association. Somewhat earlier on from that point in time, we developed and manufactured new devices, tools and packing for transportation for storage facilities in the North-West and got the supervisory authorities to approve the new defective fuel handling technologies. So, this was how we solved the problem of defective fuel. At first, the operations to send defective fuel to Mayak were tried out at the Gremikha facility. Rosatom later used the findings of the trials in the Russian Far East. Removing the defective fuel was the final stage in the set of works to relieve the Far Eastern region of the stockpiles of spent nuclear submarine fuel. The results of this endeavor were reported to the President of Russia in 2014. It is a very important achievement. The job at hand is to remove spent nuclear fuel from the North-Western region. What northern sites are most dangerous now? The first and biggest of these sites is Andreyev Bay, where nuclear fuel from no less than 100 submarine reactors was delivered. Moreover, this fuel had to be handled on two occasions. At first, it was accommodated in a regular storage facility but then reloaded to adapted tanks for liquid radioactive waste after the 1989 local nuclear accident. The plans were to remove this fuel for reprocessing five or eight years later. The second site is Gremikha near Murmansk. It is Russia's only storage facility for Alpha-class submarine reactor cores with liquid heat-transfer metal. The fuel assemblies there contain uranium-beryllium fuel composition. The third facility is Atomflot's technical site in Murmansk. It stores 50 containers with uranium-zirconium fuel from nuclear icebreakers, which were delivered from the Lotta Floating Maintenance Base. The fourth facility is the storage on the Lepse Floating Maintenance Base, which is now at the Nerpa ship-maintenance yard, a branch of the Zvyozdochka Ship-Repairing Center. Are these sites working? Any results yet? For example, we started removing nuclear fuel from Andreyev Bay in 2017. Over these two and a half years, 29 percent of the total amount of SNF, or about 1 million curies out of the available 3.5 million curies, has been removed. A meeting of the heads of Rosatoms SevRAO North-Western Center and the Murmansk Region Duma with the captain of the Rossita, which was held prior to the dispatch of the ninth batch of nuclear fuel from the Andreyev Bay storage in 2019. Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation The Lepse Floating Base is a rather tricky case. A special shelter, a special machine-tool and remotely controlled equipment have been created to reload nuclear fuel. As of now, 35 percent of nuclear fuel totaling about 220,000 curies has been reloaded. This is a lot of radioactivity that was potentially dangerous for Murmansk. Russian specialists have developed a technology that made it possible to handle this fuel safely. In 2018, a reloading facility was opened at Nerpa, which ensures all the necessary work conditions. The Lepse Floating Base loaded with nuclear fuel was transferred from Murmansk to Nerpa, where a separate package block was formed with nuclear fuel storage. It is this package that is deployed inside the shelter. Another package, one with nuclear solid waste, was sent to the nuclear reprocessing center at Saida for subsequent dismantling and reprocessing. The Serebryanka Floating Maintenance Base with another batch of nuclear fuel reloaded from Lepse is leaving Nerpa, a branch of the Zvyozdochka Ship-Repairing Center in Murmansk, for Atomflots accumulation site for subsequent reprocessing. Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation As of this moment, Atomflot has reloaded two batches and sent them outside Nerpa. The plans are to finalize this job in 2021 and eliminate the nuclear-hazardous site. Oleg Kryukov, Rosatom's Director for State Policy in the Area of RAW, SNF, and DNRHS, is right to call things by their proper names: We have created an industry to securitize nuclear-hazardous sites in the Murmansk Region. Today, we can plan the pace at which the rest of the nuclear material will be reloaded and sent for reprocessing, transportation chains to be used, and the final result. This will make it possible to guarantee that the whole of the Murmansk Region will be brought into a nuclear safe condition within a certain timeframe. In 2019, spent nuclear fuel was handled at three sites, the highest reloading and removal rate since 2004 in the North-Western region. In 2020, the amount of reloading will be increased and will reach its peak. We will soon solve the North-West's nuclear waste problem. Participants at various meetings and conferences have been discussing how best to rehabilitate submerged and submersed assets. This problem is not easy to solve and it is costly. Given its extensive expertise, Rosatom is ready to rehabilitate any refloated nuclear-hazardous asset. But it should be taken into account that refloating and transportation of submerged and submersed assets is not within the scope of their work. Are there any statistics on the number of submersed nuclear assets? Of course, there are records on the number of submersed assets. Extensive data are contained in the book Nuclear Legacy on the Bottom of the Arctic Ocean published by the Nuclear Safety Institute (NSI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Emergencies Ministry of Russia keeps a register of submersed assets. According to experts, the submersed nuclear-hazardous assets number 18,000. In 2014, the European Commission commissioned a number of international organizations to conduct feasibility studies and draw up a plan of action for the safe and reliable handling of radiation-hazardous facilities submerged in the Arctic seas. Experts estimate that a total of 17,000 submersed facilities with radioactive waste have assumed a safe status in a natural way; this means that nature has done its noble job and protected itself. Six out of the remaining 1,000 facilities have been identified as extremely hazardous, based on the assumption that they pose a certain threat. These are nuclear submarines, reactor rooms and compositions with nuclear reactors. International experts and representatives of the Russian federal executive authorities discuss the effort to develop the INS/2013/MC.04/13 project concerning the submersed facilities at a final conference in Moscow. Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Furthermore, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Norway, jointly with the NSI of the Russian Academy of Sciences have considered options for handling these facilities, namely, whether they should be refloated or not, whether monitoring should be conducted for an endless number of years, and so on. All the options have been outlined to enable an individual decision for each of the facilities. What are the expert estimates? What are the consequences in the worst-case scenario? Russian scientists and experts have carried out extensive research and calculated the forecast of how things are likely to develop. They have also modelled consequences of emergencies and environmental impacts. Their conclusion is that these facilities represent no real danger, nor will they pose one for decades, remaining only potentially hazardous. But we must not rule out the possibility of premeditated negative actions against these facilities. Besides, there is an ethical aspect as well: It is our duty not to shift the burden of responsibility to the coming generations. According to the final report, solving the problem of the most hazardous facilities may require 256 million euros and approximately eight years from the moment of the decision-making on the launch of the project. Presumably, funding for this job might be contributed by international donors. For nearly 100 years, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have held a tight grip on political power. When one goes into government, the other goes out and bides its time on the opposition benches until its number comes up again. This seamless transfer of power has bred a sense of entitlement - to a receptive audience, to votes and to seats in Leinster House. Fine Gael, after nine years in office, is suffering most from this affliction. Its disengagement from voters is evident in the campaign it has mounted - focused on Brexit and the economy instead of the issues most important to the electorate, housing and the cost of living crisis. This disconnection from the people it was elected to serve was apparent in an interview of Leo Varadkar by Sean O'Rourke on RTE on Monday. Questioned on the failure of the Government to deliver an affordable housing scheme, a nonplussed Taoiseach drawled: "There will be about 2,000 [constructed] in the next couple of years." No definitive deadline, no sense of urgency, no ambition. Given the scale of the housing crisis, 2,000 affordable homes barely scratches the surface. Anyone listening to the interview living in rented accommodation, paying exorbitant sums for the privilege, or in box rooms in their parents' homes because they can't afford to move out, will likely have been screaming at the radio. Mr Varadkar may be unaware of this, but Fianna Fail has promised to deliver 50,000 affordable homes if it is elected. Sinn Fein has pledged 30,000. The 2,000 figure he cited is derisory in comparison. Why would anyone for whom housing is the most important issue vote for Fine Gael on this basis? Mr Varadkar seems to think he can rely on the past misdeeds of Fianna Fail in office to secure a third term. He may be in for a shock. Fianna Fail, after its near decimation in the 2011 election and its longest ever stint in opposition, has been more chastened of late and has at least managed to discern that housing is the major issue of the campaign. But, its Confidence and Supply Agreement with Fine Gael has sullied it in the minds of many voters, who now see little discernible difference between the two big parties. The emperor, it transpires, has no clothes. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael threw shapes at each other occasionally over the past few years, but mostly got on just fine and managed to set out annual budgets with little difficulty or hostility. Both parties were too busy with their phoney war to notice Sinn Fein making inroads into their core vote, having now captured majority support among young and middle-aged voters and those in Dublin and Leinster. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have long viewed Sinn Fein, because of its links to a paramilitary and violent past, as too toxic to thrive in the Irish political system. For some voters, this is certainly the case. They will never vote Sinn Fein. But, more than 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, that number is getting smaller. Young people, who don't have any memory of the Troubles, don't have the same aversion. Like it or loathe it, Sinn Fein was among the parties instrumental in creating peace on this island and that peace has held for more than two decades. In that time, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have exhorted Sinn Fein MLAs to go into government in Stormont and share power with the DUP. If Sinn Fein is good enough for government in Northern Ireland, why is it not also suitable for government here? The position adopted by both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is logically inconsistent and the electorate knows it. Instead of persistently raising Sinn Fein's links to paramilitarism and the IRA's horrific violence as a bar to coalition with the party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail need to acknowledge time has moved on. Yes, there are questions Sinn Fein needs to answer, particularly in relation to the murder of Paul Quinn, which happened in 2007 and not in some dim and distant past, and oversight of ministerial decisions by advisers outside Stormont. But reflexively trying to brand a party in which young, competent spokespeople, with no links to terrorism, have taken centre stage as some kind of front for IRA murderers ignores two decades of change. More importantly for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, a large segment of the public are just not buying it, meaning their attacks only serve to bolster Sinn Fein support as they are viewed as unfair. If Fine Gael and Fianna Fail really want to make a dent in Sinn Fein's support, they need to start treating the party seriously and focus on the present and not the past. They need to concentrate on the policies, published in its manifesto, which they say will beggar the country and explain why. Their criticisms will need to be cogent, as an analysis of all parties' manifestos by an independent arbiter, economist Stephen Kinsella in 'The Currency', rated Fine Gael's first, Sinn Fein's second and Fianna Fail's third. If Sinn Fein is profligate in advocating 2.4bn a year in tax cuts, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will need to explain why their mooted cuts, of 2.81bn and 1.85bn, are prudent. If the contention is that Sinn Fein will never deliver 100,000 public homes, Fianna Fail will need to explain why and expand on how it intends to deliver the same amount. Fine Gael will need to undermine both parties' pledges and reassure voters its more modest targets are the most realistic approach. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have alleged Sinn Fein's combined 3.8bn in tax increases will cripple business. A tax on intangible assets held here by multinationals, which Sinn Fein says will raise 722m, has come in for particular criticism. Yet, according to Mr Kinsella, this is "an excellent idea" which will "fund the Exchequer handsomely" while the measure was also recommended by Seamus Coffey of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will need to address this discordance and convince voters their tax plans for business make more sense. Ultimately, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail need to come to terms with the fact the days of two-party domination in this country are over. They are no longer in competition only with each other - they need to work harder. Sinn Fein may not make it into government after this election but is inexorably moving in that direction. Unless Fine Gael and Fianna Fail manage to convince voters the party cannot be trusted to govern. by Sara Guaglione , February 5, 2020 Group Nines food and travel brand Thrillist is partnering with educational and branded travel provider Academic Travel Abroad, Inc. to curate international trips. "At Thrillist, we have such a rich travel database, which has grown over the years, so it made sense for us to create our own curated trips leveraging our hyper-local knowledge for our fans," stated Ocean MacAdams, Thrillist president. The partnership marks Thrillists first time offering international travel experiences. The first two "Thrillist Trips" available for 2020 are a five-day excursion to Mexico, Mole and Mezcal: a Taste of Oaxaca, and eight days in Morocco with The Best of Marrakesh: Day to Night. The maximum group size is 25 people. The Mexico and Morocco trips start at $2,995 and $3,450, respectively, but doesn't include airfare. advertisement advertisement We tapped into our massive, engaged community of global travelers to identify the most desirable travel destinations and activities that people have been seeking out, MacAdams stated. He adds the partnership "extends our travel editorial while also generating new revenue for our brand." Thrillist conceives the trips and itineraries based on its audience data. It also handles the marketing of the trips, promoting the excursions across email, social and other platforms. Academic Travel Abroad helps with the logistics on the ground to curate itineraries. Thrillist plans to add eight to 10 new trips for 2021. Recently, other publishers have gotten into the curated travel and tour business, developing a new revenue stream based on their expertise and audience in the space. Lonely Planet announced a partnership with Intrepid Travel last month to offer more than 300 sustainable group tours worldwide. It is Lonely Planets first move into the tour business. Vox Medias Eater brand teamed up with Black Tomato to create travel packages centered around food, with new destinations released each month. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 20:42:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 348 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Company" or "Emerald Bay") reported today that the Company has spudded the fifth well, #4HC, on the Duval County Ranch Company ("DCRC") "E" lease.The DCRC properties were acquired by the Company, with partners HugoCellR and CWS Energy Resources, in August, 2019. The properties consist of five leases totaling 896 acres, and pertain to the shallow depths from just below the Mirando Sand (approx. 2,600') to the surface.The first phase of development at DCRC has been on the 320 acre "E" lease, and #4HC will be the fifth well drilled to date. The first four wells are currently producing 55 bbls/day of oil, and it is anticipated that the #4HC well will add approximately 15-20 barrels of oil per day. The partnership has plans to drill an additional 4-6 wells on the "E" lease this year.About Emerald BayEmerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at:For further information, please contact:Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000Email: info@ ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. This is the first ever nanorobot to combine two functions: cancer diagnostics and treatment. Made of DNA fragments, the nano-sized robot detects a pathogenic RNA strand in a gene and destroys it so cancer cells stop multiplying. And it will cost just $20! A group of researchers from ITMO University has come up with the concept of a new drug against cancer: a nanorobot made of DNA fragments, which can potentially be used not only to destroy cancer cells but also to locate them in the body. The research is published in Chemistry - A European Journal. The development of effective cancer treatment drugs without severe side effects is now one of the most important tasks faced by chemists, pharmacists, and biologists. Scientists have high hopes for gene therapy, which combats mutations that occur in cells. "DNA is the foundation of the cell, it contains its genetic material, which is needed to encode proteins that are vital for the existence of the cell," shares Ekaterina Goncharova, a co-author of the research. "When a cell becomes cancerous, it leads to the change in the genome, after which it begins to synthesize "bad" proteins, not the ones that our body needs. As a result, the cells begin to multiply uncontrollably and the tumor grows bigger and bigger." However, if the production of disease-related proteins is blocked, the cancer cells will no longer be able to multiply and will start to die out. DNA enzymes called deoxyribozymes can, under certain conditions, cleave bonds in an RNA strand. The researchers decided to use this property and created the so-called nanorobots based on artificially synthesized deoxyribozymes. "Our DNA-based nanorobot consists of two parts: a detection one and a therapeutic one," explains Ekaterina Goncharova. "The therapeutic part destroys a pathogenic RNA strand: the more we destroy it, the less harmful protein is produced. The second part of our robot allows us to detect pathogenic cells: if there is an "incorrect" RNA molecule in the cell, our substance binds with an chemically modified oligonucleotide, which is artificially introduced into the cell, cleave it, and a fluorescence occurs." Another significant advantage of the newly proposed concept is its price. The creation of such a nanorobot for laboratory research costs just about USD 15 to 25. At the moment, the experiments have been carried out in chemically created environments using the KRAS gene, which serves in most oncological diseases as a "molecular switch" for the induction of cell division. The nanorobot was able to detect a pathogenic RNA strand and destroy it. These experiments will be followed by experiments on living cells and, potentially, on animals. One of the most important problems that the researchers have to solve is how to deliver the nanorobot to the affected cells. The work on such a drug delivery system is currently carried out at various laboratories, including ITMO University. ### Reference: Bifunctional RNA-targeting deoxyribozyme nanodevice as a potential theranostic agent. Aleksandr A. Spelkov, Ekaterina A. Goncharova, Artemii M. Savin, Dmitry M Kolpashchikov. Chemistry - A European Journal. 13 January 2020. ITMO University (St. Petersburg) is a national research university and Russia's number-one higher education institution in the field of information and photonic technologies. The university is a leader of Project 5-100, the Russian academic excellence program. ITMO is the alma mater of winners of numerous international programming competitions such as ICPC (ITMO's team is the world's one and only seven-time ICPC champion), Google Code Jam, Facebook Hacker Cup, Yandex Algorithm, Russian Code Cup, and Topcoder Open. The university's priority research areas include IT, Photonics, Robotics, Quantum Communications, Solution Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Translational Medicine, Urban Studies, Art & Science, and Science Communication. In 2016, ITMO University received the UNESCO Medal "For the Development of Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies" for its unique environment that unites science, education and innovations. Since 2016, ITMO University has been a constant feature in the world's top 100 universities in Computer Science according to the Times Higher Education (THE) subject ranking. In 2019, the university made its debut in the world's top 100 universities in Automation & Control, and strengthened its position in Nanotechnology (top 300) and Materials Science (top 400) in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) of Shanghai Ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities, ARWU). According to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) subject rankings for 2019, ITMO University is one of the world's top 300 universities in Engineering & Technology and Physics & Astronomy; it also became the only Russian university to be featured in the QS Art & Design subject group (top 200 universities). In 2019, ITMO University was featured in the world's top 500 higher education institutions according to THE and QS World University Rankings, and represented in 13 subject rankings published by ARWU, THE and QS. IT's MOre than a UNIVERSITY! A settlement in western Afghanistan has become known as the "village of widows." Some 50 women in the village of Mir Ali in Herat Province's Adraskan district have lost their husbands, with many killed or executed after smuggling drugs across the Iranian border. EAST ALTON Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday overrode Gov. J.B. Pritzkers veto of a bill local business leaders said was needed to protect Madison County aviation jobs. Last fall House Bill 3902, co-sponsored by state Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, reinstated Illinois sales tax exemption for aircraft materials which had expired on Dec. 31, 2014. The bill passed in the House 113-0; the Senate approved it 48-1 with two members not voting. The tax exemption was in place since 2010, but it expired without regulatory or other official bodies taking note, Bristow said. Aviation repair companies consequently did not collect the tax from jet owners during that period. In November, state Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, said it would be absurd to ask businesses to recover those taxes retroactively. On Nov. 25, Pritzker vetoed the bill, saying the past due taxes from Illinois private jet companies amounted to about $50 million, including interest and penalties. Giving private aircraft companies tens of millions of dollars in past due tax forgiveness is not the right fiscal decision for our state as we face billions in debt associated with unpaid bills, a multi-billion-dollar structural deficit, and critical needs in schools and public safety services, Pritzker said in his veto letter. On Tuesday, House members voted to override Pritzkers veto 107-0, with two members voting present. The Senate has 15 days to call the vote for an override. As in the House, a two-thirds vote is required for an override. Today, the Illinois House sent a strong, bipartisan message that we value good-paying jobs in our state and will do what it takes to protect them, Bristow said. With major concerns about people and businesses leaving Illinois, it is our responsibility to protect industries and jobs, including the more than 3,400 jobs in aviation repair across our state. Bristow said the bill will protect more than 3,700 jobs at 14 aviation facilities in 12 communities across Illinois. She added 36 other states have similar laws on the books. Despite Pritzkers threat to veto House Bill 3902, local lawmakers and business leaders had argued for the legislation, saying it would help keep Illinois aviation repair businesses competitive with those in neighboring states. West Star Aviation in East Alton is one such firm, providing maintenance and repair services for private aircraft. West Star Aviation CEO Jim Rankin had said the legislation greatly helps our more than 500 employees and would allow the firm to remain in Illinois. I came to Springfield to put local jobs, people and families over politics, even if it means standing up to a governor of my own party, Bristow said. While some party leaders may not have wanted me to do this, I overrode the veto of the governor because he chose to misrepresent this issue and play politics with legislation that directly impacted hundreds of local jobs in the Metro East that people depend on to support their families. Ronda Sauget, executive director and CEO of the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois which had lobbied heavily for the bill, said Tuesdays vote was very good news. The House had such a positive vote on the aviation legislation, she said. In addition to West Star Aviation, Sauget said the bill will affect a number of companies at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia including Gulfstream, which has a large workforce there. In all, about 1,200 to 1,500 jobs will be affected, she said. There are extremely high-paying, manufacturing kinds of jobs, she said. We want to maintain this manufacturing sector. Rebecca Anzel of Capitol News Illinois contributed to this story. Vijayawada, Feb 5 : Strongly defending his decision to shift the administrative capital of Andhra Pradesh from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday exuded confidence that the capital city would be able to compete with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai in a decade. Stating that the state has no financial capability to develop a grandiose capital like Amaravati, he said by announcing three capitals to ensure decentralisation, he has done what a father would do. "I have done what a father would do. I am bestowed with the responsibility of being father of the state. I have down my fatherly duty to the best of my ability," Reddy said defending the decision to distribute the capital's functions among Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool. The Chief Minister explained the rationale behind his move at Education Conclave organized by 'The Hindu' here. He was replying to a query from 'The Hindu' Chairman N. Ram. Reddy said if he had not taken the decision, it would have badly affected the future generations. "As the Chief Minister I am answerable to the next generation, which expects jobs and engine of growth. They come out of college with degrees in hands looking for jobs. Where will they get. I don't have funds to complete a grandiose capital like Amaravati," he said. Jagan, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said while providing basic infrastructure in Amaravati alone would have cost Rs.1.09 lakh crore as per the estimates of the previous government, Visakhapatnam can be developed as the capital by spending only 10 per cent of this amount. "Imagine what would it (Amaravati) contribute. It would be just a drop of water in an ocean. It would not even be visible whereas Visakhapatnam or Vizag is already number one city in Andhra Pradesh. It has all the infrastructure already in existence. Out of this one lakh crore, even 10 per cent of this amount if I were to put in Vizag at least if not now, if not in 5 years, at least in 10 years we would be competing with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai," he said. He claimed that by breaking the seats of governance into three parts, he tried to justice to all. He clarified that Amaravati continue to have the Legislative Assembly. "It has not been deprived of anything. The growth will take place in the natural course." He said Vizag would become executive capital, where the Chief Minister and Ministers would sit and the Secretariat and heads of department would operate. Kurnool in Rayalseema would be the judicial capital. He reiterated that Naidu and his "cronies" bought huge chunks of lands in Amaravati after Naidu became the Chief Minister and before announcing the capital. He said to develop basic infrastructure on 53,000 acres of land pooled by the previous government, it required Rs.1.09 lakh crore at the rate of Rs 2 crore per acre. Stating that the state has no capability to pump in such huge money, he pointed out that the Centre provided Rs 1,500 crore which was peanuts. "I don't expect anything beyond this." Jagan said the Rs 1.09 lakh crore required for Amaravati would have become Rs 3-4 lakh crore with interest added to it. Stating that his predecessor Chandrababu Naidu spent only Rs 5,677 crore on Amaravati in five years, he said if this government was to go ahead with Amaravati, the state would have no proper capital even after five years. He disagreed with Naidu that Amaravati has the land bank. He said after leaving the lands as per National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms, it would have been left with just 5,200 acres. He also pointed out that Amaravati is neither in Vijayawada nor in Guntur but in the virgin land with no infrastructure, not even two-land access road. The monumental blunder of demonetization, a flawed GST and putting the squeeze on banks were the three major errors committed by the government that sent the economy into a tailspin, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Wednesday. Addressing students at the Shri Ram College of Commerce here, the former finance minister also said that the country was heading towards another "listless" year in terms of economic growth. "We will limp along. But if there is a crisis -- problem in the Middle East, a war or a trade war between the US and China, is there a plan B that the government has?" he asked. Pointing out that the government has itself set a "pessimistic" target of 10 per cent nominal growth, Chidambaram said the real growth would at best be around five per cent. "The growth rate has declined for the last six quarters. If the 7th quarter also shows decline then it means that the slide persists and we are yet to see light at the end of the tunnel, we are still in the tunnel," he said. Chidambaram said it is the Opposition that has been giving the reasons for the economic slowdown when the explanation should have come from the government. Giving various economic figures, he said all the numbers point towards a "limping economy". Explaining the reasons for the economic "decline", Chidambaram said the "monumental blunder" of demonetisation, the hurried and flawed implementation of the Goods and Services Tax which led to "chaos", and "putting the squeeze" on banks so much that the bankers stopped lending, were the "three major errors because of which economy has gone into a tailspin". All the key sectors such as mining, manufacturing, electricity, coal, crude oil and gas are performing poorly, he said, adding that the visible signs of the slowdown are most apparent in the automobile sector. Chidambaram said most importantly the economy was demand-constrained which was also pulling down investment and needed to be vitalized. He said the government's move to revive demand by cutting Corporate Tax was flawed as what was needed was to put money in the hands of the people. Instead of the cutting corporate tax, if they had given relief in GST, that would have left money in the hands of millions and that would have led to investment, he said. He said one way of putting money in the hands of the people was to put more money in schemes such as MGNREGA and PM-KISAN. But, unfortunately the government has announced cuts in the budget of such schemes for the next fiscal, he said. The government has missed a huge opportunity to revive the economy, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DES MOINES The Iowa Supreme Court will not review evidence in the case of a man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts in 2018, an order filed Tuesday said. The lawyers for Cristhian Bahena Rivera argued that much of the evidence prosecutors plan to use at trial should be suppressed because his cooperation was coerced and he wasn't initially read his legal rights. A district court judge last month concluded that Rivera's statements were voluntary and key evidence is admissible but Rivera's lawyers appealed, leading to a delay in Rivera's first-degree murder trial. The trial had been scheduled to begin this week. Rivera's lawyers are reviewing Rivera's legal options. "We are disappointed that Justice (Edward) Mansfield declined this invitation to review these important issues at this time," defense attorney Chad Frese said, Attorney General spokesman Lynn Hicks said the state is ready to prosecute as soon as the judge can reschedule the trial. Investigators say Rivera, 25, stalked Tibbetts while she was out for a run in Brooklyn, Iowa, and stabbed her to death. Tibbetts, 20, disappeared on July 18, 2018. After a massive police and volunteer effort to find her, authorities say cristRivera led them to her body. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Aesthetics bruh, love it Reply Thread Link I love the shoot. Reply Thread Link I felt like there was a moment when Selena and Miley we're positioned as being the successor to Britney which LOL they couldn't even touch peak Britney Reply Thread Link They were and like, it's sad we haven't had someone come close to taking the baton lol. Tinashe almost seemed like, MAYBE she would and then....:( Reply Parent Thread Link miley got closer than selena ever did. selena's mega famous but britney was on a whole other level. there was a solid 7 years where she was talked about on the daily. miley had that for like a year or two. but none of these upstarts has touched that level of fame/controversy like britney at her peak. Reply Parent Thread Link They sure were. I fell for it too. Reply Parent Thread Link Psh they fuckin wish. Sad huh, gags was the last big pop star. Reply Parent Thread Link This shoot is actually nice. Interview? Zzzz as usual Reply Thread Link she's so boring Reply Thread Link I like that they didn't retouch the pictures. They didn't remove her scar on her leg or the veins on her boobs Reply Thread Link I like her album, it grew on me. Vulnerable and Let Me Get Me are catchy. Ring sounds like this horrible Camila Cabello song: https://youtu.be/jrj9b3p7jsk Reply Thread Link i read somewhere that "ring" is the next single, i hope it's not true Reply Parent Thread Link Oof i hope not. Reply Parent Thread Link I liked this shoot and interview. Also liked that she spoke about immigration. Its definitely frightening, but I think sometimes you have to do the things that scare you in order to shake people up. My goal was to simply humanise my people, because they were being called aliens, criminals, and I cant even imagine what these kids being separated from their families are going through. Its something that is going to traumatise them for the rest of their lives. And it just seems animalistic; it is scary but I think it needs to be talked about, so thats where my heart was coming from when I signed on to do a project (Living Undocumented) that addressed such a big issue Reply Thread Link The photos are bad lmao oh dazed... Reply Thread Link i have nothing to say except that i had classes with the photographer my first three semesters of college. glad someone got somewhere with their degree. lol. Reply Thread Link glad someone got somewhere with their degree as someone with a film degree... can relate, lol Reply Parent Thread Link Definitely dazed. Reply Thread Link LOL ok dazed cool that she'll release more Spanish stuff Reply Thread Link she looks like she breathes exclusively through her mouth Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link Are those oven mitts in the first photo? Reply Thread Link pretty sure they're supposed to be mickey mouse gloves Reply Parent Thread Link With Sinn Fein dominating the polls, a key question of this election is how did we get to where we are? Put another way, Fine Gael has now been in government for nine years - how have the key metrics of democracy moved in that time? There are two ways to do this - to look at where the Government started in the dark recession days of 2011 versus the present day, and to look at its record in the recovery era since 2016. Health Waiting Lists: 2014 - 416,481 2019 - 619,997, up 49% Trolleys figures: 2011 - 336 2020 - 760 (+126%) Irelands creaking health service is best exemplified by two figures - waiting lists and trolley numbers. Figures for waiting lists only go back so far as December 2014 - at that time the overall figures, inpatient and outpatient, were 416,000 per the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Trolley figures three weeks before the February 2011 election were 336 across the country, according to the the INMO. Pitching to the electorate ahead of February 2016s vote, the central planks of Fine Gael's health policy were: Carry out a bed capacity review Have 93% of patients processed in emergency departments in less than four hours by 2021 Spend 250 million on reducing hospital waiting lists and trolley figures Dismantle the HSE and open the new National Childrens Hospital Recruit 4,400 frontline service staff, including 600 consultants, doctors and dentists Negotiate a new consultants contract Provide free GP care for the under-18s A bed capacity review was carried out in January 2018, and called for 7,150 extra hospital beds to be provided by 2031. Taking that 13 year timeframe as a proxy, that would infer 1,100 new beds to be provided by 2020. The most recent open beds report from the department, dated last February, suggests that capacity increased by 73 inpatient beds in 2017 and 228 in 2018 - a metric far short of what was called for. Roughly 60% of patients are currently processed within six hours, some way adrift of the promised figure. Just under 270 million had been spent on attempting to reduce waiting lists up to October 2019, roughly 18 months ahead of target. However, outpatient waiting lists have ballooned from 384,000 to 553,000 over the past four years, an increase of 44%, while record figures for patients on trolleys of 760 were recorded on consecutive days earlier this month - the figure as of 31 January 2016 was 341. The HSE is still very much in existence, while the new Childrens Hospital has become one of the current Governments main vulnerabilities. Its currently scheduled to be open by 2023 at a cost of more than 2 billion - marking it as one of the most expensive buildings in the world. The HSE has had a recruitment embargo in place since early 2018, while there are currently roughly 750 vacant consultant posts. A new consultant contract was announced by Health Minister Simon Harris last December - however it has yet to be negotiated. Free GP care for the under 18s was not achieved - it has taken its place in the full back line in Fine Gaels current manifesto. Mark: D Housing and homelessness Homeless figures 2014 - 2,858 2019 - 9,731 (+240%) The number of homeless people in Ireland was first recorded on an ongoing basis in 2014, roughly when the current crisis was first noted. In December of that year, the figure countrywide was 2,858. Data for 2011 exists per that years census, which notes a figure of 3,808 in April 2011 - however that figure does not rely on self-identification as homeless. In February 2016, Fine Gael pledged to: Increase annual housing output to 25,000 by 2021 Build 35,000 social housing units by 2020 Develop a cost rental option for low-income households in order to improve security of tenure Introduce a vacant property levy to discourage the hoarding of land Introduce rent review limits of two years Create 40,000 construction jobs by 2021 in order to boost supply Ensure that there is no need for rough sleeping, a fact the manifesto deemed to be not acceptable Housing output for the first three quarters of 2019 was just under 18,000 per the most recent Rebuilding Ireland report, which would see the achieved figure just shy of the 25,000 commitment when extrapolated for a full year. However, put in context, fully 76% of that figure comprised people availing of housing supports like HAP, which has led to allegations those schemes serve mainly to enrich private landlords. Meanwhile, using Rebuilding Irelands own metrics just 14,059 social homes were constructed between 2016 and the third quarter of last year, 40% of the Governments own target. While cost-rental options were actioned, the first such scheme will not be delivered until 2021. A vacant property tax was indeed brought in from January 2017 at a rate of 7%. Rent review limits have been capped at 24 months since 2016. The most recent figures from the CSO indicate that just 14,600 construction jobs were created between the start of 2016 and the first quarter of last year. Meanwhile, perhaps most significantly, homeless figures have risen dramatically over the past four years, from 5,715 in January 2016 to 9,731 at end December 2019, an increase of 70%. Mark: C- Justice and Crime Homicides: 2011 - 78 2019 - 54 (-31%) Burglary: 2011 - 25,904 2019 - 16,580 (-36%) A recent spate of horrific gangland murders has put crime to the forefront of many voters minds. However, Taoiseach Mr Varadkar has stated that while such grisly killings make for eye-catching headlines, the actual murder rate in Ireland has significantly decreased in recent years. In the 12 months to March 2011, 78 homicides were carried out in Ireland, together with 25,904 burglaries. Current statistics remain under reservation due to inconsistencies in garda records. Prior to the 2016 election, Fine Gael pledged to: Raise Garda numbers to 14,000 by 2021 Create an armed support unit for Dublin comprising 55 gardai, and the establishment of Garda community teams to operate in rural communities Tackle rising insurance costs by reviewing the effectiveness of the injuries board Establish a Judicial Council Reform the direct provision system for accommodating asylum seekers The murder rate fell by roughly 50% between 2007 and 2017 to a rate of 0.9 per 100,000 per the most recent UN homicide study. However, the rate jumped from 0.7 in 2015. Garda numbers as at end October 2019 stood at 14,108. The Dublin armed support unit was set up as a force of 60 in early 2016 and officially launched in December of that year as Irelands sixth armed regional unit. Two major reports on the insurance crisis have been published by the Personal Injuries Commission, which found that payouts for soft tissue injuries in Ireland are four times their UK equivalent. However, reform has yet to be enacted. Membership of the Judicial Council committee, tasked with setting personal injury payout guidelines, has been identified by the Chief Justice. However, the council has yet to meet. No reform of the direct provision system has taken place. Mark: C Tax and the Economy Unemployment: 2011 - 444,299 2020 - 120,200 (-73%) Budget: 2011 - 17.7 billion deficit 2019 - 1.4 billion surplus In February 2011, there were 444,299 people on dole queues. The national budget deficit meanwhile was 17.7 billion in 2011 as the financial crash left the economy on its knees. In 2016, Fine Gael pledged to: Add 200,000 jobs to the economy and bring the unemployment rate below 6% by 2020 Increase the minimum wage to 10.50 per hour Abolish the Universal Social Charge Encourage 70,000 emigrants to return home Apply an additional levy of 5% on those earning more than 100,000 Increase the threshold for inheritance tax to 500,000 Eliminate new government borrowing by 2018 The total number of people in work increased by 246,100 between the first quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of last year, to a final employed figure of 2,326,900. The current unemployment rate is 4.8%, although it rises far higher when localised for certain rural jurisdictions. The minimum wage in Ireland at present is 9.80 per hour, despite a recommendation from the Low Pay Commision that it be raised to 10.10 in the last budget. The controversial USC has been reduced in scope over the past four years, but it nevertheless remains very much in existence. Roughly 110,000 people returned from abroad since 2016. However, even more people emigrated - net outward migration for Irish nationals was 14,200 over the past four years. No high earner tax has yet been implemented, though Sinn Fein for example has proposed one of its own in its current manifesto. The current inheritance tax threshold per Octobers budget is 335,000. National debt rose by 5 billion between 2017 and end 2018, marking the country out as having one of the highest debt per capital levels in the developed world. However, the countrys budget has run to a surplus each year since 2017, after a decade of running deficits in the wake of the financial crash, though much of this was attributable to inflated corporation tax receipts, which can disappear as easily as they manifest. Much of the decisions made in recent years have been taken with Brexit in mind - the UK had not yet voted to leave the EU at the time of the last election. The Government has received much praise for the perceived sensible and non-sensationalist manner in which it has handled the complex Brexit process. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of CRPF jawan Ramesh Ranjan, who was killed in an encounter with militants near Srinagar. Kumar condoled the death of Ranjan, who hailed from Godhna Road in Bhojpur, and declared that his last rites will be held with full state honours. Three bike-borne militants had opened fire on a CRPF team in Parimpora area earlier in the day. Ranjan succumbed to injuries while two of the assailants were killed in retaliatory firing. The third militant was captured in an injured condition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The emerging price stability in the US generic market and the robust domestic growth are likely to support cash generation for most large pharma firms, leading to a margin improvement, according to a report. The US, the world's largest drug market, is also the largest export market for domestic pharma companies with nearly a half of their forex income coming in from there. Having made considerable investment into R&D and also capacity, the domestic pharma companies will cut down on capex this fiscal, a report by India Ratings said on Wednesday. The agency has also maintained the stable outlook for the sector in FY21. Demand-supply situation in the US generic drug market favours complex generics, said the report, which also expects most large domestic pharma firms to aggressively invest in new product platforms to strengthen their market-readiness. Though this investment will constrain cash flows and hamper the deleveraging progress, new product launches and the overall price increase trend will ensure stable volume growth in the domestic market. With this forecast, we maintain our stable outlook for the sector in FY21, said the note. In the domestic market, it sees the chronic therapies market maintaining faster-than-market growth than the acute therapies segment. Another positive for the market is the de-risking product portfolios from potential price controls and enhancing the presence in the chronic segment to drive investments for domestic market-focused drug makers. The report expects active pharma ingredients supply originating from China to remain stable in FY21 despite the disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Any threat from China has the potential to impact manufacturing of critical drugs in the country. Domestic pharma companies have seen a significant spike in the USFDA scrutiny in 2019, which had issued 19 warnings to them in the year as against 11 in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman YouTuber donning a burqa was detained on Wednesday at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh after anti-CAA protesters caught her asking "too many questions", police said. The woman was identified as Gunja Kapoor, they said. She describes herself as the curator of YouTube channel 'Right Narrative' on her official Twitter handle. According to police, the protesters turned suspicious after the woman asked "too many questions" to them. She was caught by some of the women protesters after they identified her as YouTuber Kapoor. The incident led to a commotion at Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a senior police official said. The woman was taken to Sarita Vihar police station where her identity was ascertained, he said. Some of the protesters alleged that she was recording videos on her mobile phone. Kapoor is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Byrne had told Wilkie he was frustrated that Powers, who is not in a role requiring Senate confirmation, was assuming more and more responsibility, essentially usurping his authority, people close to Byrne said. Byrne discussed his concerns with other senior leaders, who agreed with his assessment but were wary of alienating Wilkie and Powers, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. [February 05, 2020] AmeriHealth Caritas Launches In Reach, a New Publication Dedicated to the Vital Issues of Health Care for the Nation's Most Vulnerable AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care, announces the launch of In Reach, a groundbreaking new publication providing insights and analysis on the issues facing people with limited access to the social supports essential to well-being. In Reach advances critical discussions on health care trends, emerging industry issues, and cost-effective and innovative solutions that help break down barriers to quality care and change lives for the better. Each issue of the publication will examine how social determinants such as education, transportation, employment, food security, safe environments and housing impact overall health and a person's ability to achieve maximum independence. In Reach will also feature essays, stories and research that are top of mind among providers, government officials, caregivers, health care experts and community organizations involved in the care and support of vulnerable populations. <> "We created In Reach as an opportunity to both start and advance conversations about what the reality is for those living in poverty or with a disability, and what is needed to help them find a better quality of life and achieve maximum independence," said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and CEO Paul A. Tufano. "Through real-life examples and expert insights, the journal illustrates how access to quality health care transforms lives, and how it can help millions of people achieve their American dream - how those dreams can be in reach for everyone," said Tufano. The publication can be accessed online at www.amerihealthcaritas.com or by contacting the company directly. About AmeriHealth Caritas AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation's leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 12 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves approximately 5 million Medicaid, Medicare and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with more than 35 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. AmeriHealth Caritas is part of the Independence Health Group in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005808/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The DPP wants the Supreme Court to increase an eight-and-a-half-year sentence imposed on a man who raped his wife. The Central Criminal Court had imposed an effective 10-year sentence for the May 2014 rape and the DPP appealed to the Supreme Court when that was reduced to eight-and-a-half years by the Court of Appeal The DPP argued the Appeal Court erred in apparently regarding the rape as an offence "in isolation" rather than part of a pattern of violent and abusive behaviour. The appeal concerns the rape sentence only and not concurrent sentences imposed for threats by the man to kill the woman and a hammer attack by him on her some days after the rape. The Supreme Court heard submissions on the sentence today following its significant earlier judgment in the case which addressed sentencing in rape cases, particularly of marital rape involving a pattern of violent and abusive behaviour. The Chief Justice, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, presiding over the five-judge court, said it will rule on the sentence at a later date. In its earlier December judgment, delivered by Mr Justice Peter Charleton, the Supreme Court set out principles for sentencing in rape cases and the sentencing bands for such cases. It said rape ordinarily merits a substantial "headline" sentence of about seven years before mitigation is considered and a custodial sentence "is all but inescapable". A category of cases merit a headline sentence of 10-15 years, before considering mitigation and suspension issues and violence in the home, breach of trust, domination and a background of abuse are "aggravating circumstances". Some cases would require up to life imprisonment and particular emphasis would be placed on the harm rape does to the victim, the court added. The case involves an Irish woman and African man who married some years ago and had a child before their relationship deteriorated. On May 2, 2014, after a major row involving an altercation, they agreed to separate. On May 25, 2014, during a row in the kitchen, the man produced a knife, threatened his wife he would cut open her face, ordered her upstairs and raped her. He told her, if she rang gardai, they would not arrive in time to save her. She pretended reconciliation, left the next morning and got protection orders. He rang and threatened to kill her the next day and, over ensuing days, confronted her at work, the creche and at a shopping centre. On August 6, 2014, her mother let him into her parents' home where he produced a hammer from a bag, struck the woman several times on the head and also hit her mother on the head. He fled after neighbours intervened and was later arrested. The woman suffered three deep lacerations and she and her mother were taken to hospital. The man was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of charges related to the hammer attack, rape and three threats to kill and concurrent sentences were imposed. A 14-year headline sentence was imposed for the rape, reduced by two years suspension and two years for mitigation, resulting in total prison time of 10 years. The Court of Appeal reduced the headline rape sentence to 12 years, less two for mitigation and 18 months for suspension, making the overall sentence eight years and six months. Today, Ronan Munro SC, for the man, argued the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to adjust the Court of Appeal sentence, it would be unfair to do so and the sentence contained no error of principle. The relationship between the man and woman was positive in the early years of the marriage, they had a child together and there was no suggestion of violence before the events in 2014, he said. The man is a father and not the only person impacted by his imprisonment, counsel added. He was of good behaviour in prison and the court should not close off all hope to him. Seamus Clarke SC, for the DPP, argued the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to adjust the sentence. The rape should have been viewed as part of a pattern of violent and abusive behaviour but it appeared to have been viewed by the Court of Appeal in isolation, he said. The DPP considered the Central Criminal Court had chosen the correct headline sentence. It is increasingly common to improve the performance of older aircraft with new or updated electronics. This is often used to turn unarmed aircraft and helicopters into very capable combat aircraft. Its not just installing the electronics that enable pilots to launch a rocket or fire a machine-gun, but new fire control and systems that make the weapons easier to use and more effective. A recent example of this is a new combat electronics system, created by an Israeli firm, for the 1.5 ton, two-seat MD-530G light scout helicopter. Initially, the MD-530G could only be armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine-gun pod and one or two 70mm rocket pods (seven or 12 rockets each). The helicopter can carry two weapon pods, one under each stub wing. It is increasingly common for these small helicopters to be equipped with a laser designator and laser-guided missiles like Hellfire. Noting that many smaller helicopters carry and fire 70mm unguided rockets, it is an easy fix to enable those same launchers to also carry and fire laser-guided APKWS 70mm rockets. In effect, the rocket launcher can handle APKWS 70mm rockets as well as unguided ones. APKWS are basically 70mm laser-guided rockets that have a laser seeker and moveable fins for guidance added to turn it into mini-Hellfires. Most 70mm rockets are now APKWS rather than upgraded unguided rockets. These rockets weigh 13.6 kg (30 pounds) with a 2.7 kg (six pound) warhead and a range of about six kilometers. The Israeli enhanced IWS (Integrated Weapons System) includes a WMS (Weapons Management System), HDTS (Helmet Display and Tracking System) and MMS (Mission Management System). All this new gear makes it easier for the pilot to use the missiles day or night while maneuvering the helicopter at low altitude. The WMS lets the pilot know how many missiles or machine-gun rounds remain and integrates with the night vision system that displays on the helmet visor what the night vision (infrared) sensor sees. The pilot can display navigation and weapons system information. There is also a touch screen display that shows a moving map of what the terrain is as well as information on known enemy positions and the presence of friendly or enemy aircraft. This data is obtained via the digital communications link to other aircraft and ground units. Sort of a battlefield Internet. The WMS also enables the helicopter to carry four 5o kg Hellfire missiles which have a larger warhead than APKWS and a range of eight kilometers. Unless facing modern tanks, the APKWS is preferred because the helicopter can carry a dozen of them, or two dozen if no machine-gun pod is carried. There is also a hybrid pod that carries three APKWS missiles in launch cells at the bottom of a machine-gun pod. The MMS and touch screen display are designed to provide maximum timely information with a minimum of pilot effort. This makes operating the fire control less of a chore or distraction. The MD-530G is the latest version of the MD-530F armed scout helicopter. The G model, even without the Israeli system, has better electronics. With the Israeli IWS the MD-530, which began as a civilian version of the U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) MH-6, becomes the equivalent of the MH-6. Used for scouting and commando operations the MH-6 (and the similar AH-6) were developed from the 1960s era OH-6 light reconnaissance helicopter. Entering service in the 1980s, the MH/AH-6, or "Little Bird" is a 1.6 ton helicopter with a crew of two and a top speed of 280 kilometers an hour. Sortie length can be as long as three hours but more often are one or two hours. The MD-530G is a little lighter than the MH-6 and has the same cruise (240 kilometers an hour) and top speed as the MH-6. The MD-530G can stay in the air for 2.5 hours using an auxiliary fuel tank while the MH-6 can do that on internal fuel. The MH/AH-6 was designed so it could be armed with two 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine-gun pods, or two 70mm rocket pods (seven or 12 rockets each) or four Hellfire missiles. The current MH-6 model is often equipped with a day/night targeting system, including a laser designator and laser-guided missiles. Without weapons, the MH-6 can carry six troops (usually Special Forces operators) externally. The MD-530G cannot carry six commandos externally and there are several more differences that are not obvious. Nearly 5,000 MD-500 type helicopters have been built so far and they are particularly popular with police and military aviation. Because of that the MD-530 model has been regularly re-militarized to the point that the IWS equipped MD-530G becomes an MH-6 equivalent. Not identical, because the MH-6 has a lot of features that were added to support commando operations. For the many owners who used their MD-530s as armed scout helicopters, the IWS MD-530G is close enough in capabilities to be considered an MH-6 equivalent. The central government has taken a decision to provide ownership rights to 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi due to poor living conditions there, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. "Land and colonisation are state subjects, maintenance of data on poverty and slums is a state subject. Therefore, the Delhi government is answerable, but the Delhi government has chosen not to. Therefore, we have taken the action," he said. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the Housing and Urban Development Minister said out of Delhi's population of two crore, 40 to 50 lakh people live in unauthorised colonies. "The conditions there are really crying out for attention and the government has responded by giving 'malkana haq' to these 40-50 lakh people," he said Another 10 lakh people are living in JJ Clusters in Delhi, and the government is providing 'Jahan jhuggi wahin makaan' as part of a conscious policy, he said Families living in slums in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities having million plus population are rehabilitated under In-Situ Slum Redevelopment components of urban housing schemes, Puri said in his written reply. So far, 7,31,844 and 6,45,961 houses have been completed and delivered in the two cities respectively to slum dwellers, he said. He said 'Land' and 'Colonisation' are State subjects and it is the responsibility of the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments to collect data, frame policies and implement schemes for rehabilitation of families living in slum areas and unauthorised localities. "However, the Government of India through its programmatic intervention has been assisting States/UTs both technically and financially to address their housing shortages. "In pursuance to Government of Indias vision of facilitating Housing for All by 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has been implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) Mission since June 2015 to provide Central Assistance to States/UTs for providing all weather pucca houses with basic civic amenities to all eligible urban households including slum dwellers under In- Situ Slum Rehabilitation component of PMAY-U Mission," the minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four women who drove into a forbidding desert and left food and water for migrants crossing illegally into the United States were following their religious beliefs, not violating federal laws, a federal judge has ruled, reversing their criminal convictions. Judge Rosemary Marquez of the United District Court in Arizona decided last week in favor of the women, members of the organization No More Deaths, a faith-based group in Tucson that aims to alleviate suffering at the border. The depth, importance and centrality of these beliefs caused defendants to restructure their lives to engage in this volunteer work, Judge Marquez said in a 22-page ruling that was released on Monday. She also appeared to rebuke federal prosecutors for trying to argue that leaving behind food and jugs of water in the desert would have the effect of encouraging more migrants to cross the border. Ever since the arrest of a 17-year-old boy for opening fire at students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) outside Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon, one of the most puzzling questions everyone had was 'how did a teenager get the gun?' According to the Delhi Police, the juvenile had bought the country-made pistol and bullets from an illegal arms dealer in Jewar paying Rs 10,000 for it. He reportedly told the seller that he wanted the gun for celebratory firing during a cousins wedding. REUTERS His father told The Times of India that he was surprised how his son had managed to buy a pistol. He would usually have only around Rs 100-200 in his possession and on Thursday too, he would have had maximum Rs 500 in his possession, he said. Reuters reported that three days before the shooting incident, on WhatsApp he asked for several thousand rupees from a classmate, without revealing why. According to the family, the 17-year-old boy left his home on Thursday morning after telling his grandfather he was going to school and would return in the evening, and join them for a cousins wedding. Instead, he took a bus and travelled all the way up 80 km away in New Delhi, strolled around among protesters in Jamia for hours before pulling out his gun and opening fire. REUTERS Despite him spewing communal venom on social media for some time, his family, neighbors, and classmates say they are clueless on how he got radicalized. According to those who know him, the shooter was a quiet and ordinary boy, who had a liking for wrestling. Family members said the boy usually split his time between school and home, which adjoins his fathers small sweet shop and mostly kept to himself. In recent days, he had become even more withdrawn, spending a lot of time on his phone. We tried talking to him but we couldnt get him to open up, said his father. Im still not able to understand what happened, added the boys grandfather, wrapped under a blanket in their family home in a crowded lane dotted with shops and Hindu temples. REUTERS On his two Facebook accounts, which have been deleted, he posted calls for Hindus to unite. Some posts featured him posing with weapons In social media posts and conversations with some classmates, he spoke of restoring Hindu pride and expressed admiration for a right-wing activist whom police have accused of fomenting violence. He wanted to do things for Hindus, he had that in his heart, classmate Shivam told Reuters adding that For years, he had said he was going to do something big. Some classmates said they were aware of his support for Hindu nationalism for at least three years, partly from his social media posts. The classmates said he idolized right-wing activist Deepak Sharma, whom police accused of instigating violence against students from Afghanistan at a north Indian university in 2018. REUTERS At least two social media profiles of the boy - on Facebook, and WhatsApp had Sharma in the main display picture. Sharma said he remembered meeting the boy and recognized a photograph with him. I am not in touch with him, Sharma told Reuters. Though the boy claimed to be a member Bajrang Dal Praveen Bhati, a local leader denied the boy was a member of the group. Unsurprisingly there are those in his village who support the shooter. Hours after the shooting, small groups of people walked past the boys house in Jewar, shouting Hindu slogans in support of his actions. What he did was unconstitutional, but we are with him, a neighbor declining to be named told Reuters. S ir Antony Gormley has praised BTS for bringing a new audience to the self-serving art world as he unveiled an installation in New York in collaboration with the South Korean boyband. The London artists sculpture, which opens today in Brooklyn Bridge Park, is formed of 11 miles of continuous looping aluminium tubing. New York Clearing, which Sir Antony describes as a drawing in space, is part of Connect, BTS, a global project involving 22 artists that is sponsored by the seven-member group. As well as New York, it spans Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul and London, where Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen has created a digital forest at the Serpentine Gallery. Sir Antony, 69, told the Evening Standard at a preview: The fact is that the art world is a very self-serving and certainly insular world in which maybe individual freedom is traded to the highest bidder. And I am really interested in BTSs offering of this bridge to a whole new, you could say, audience for the art of our time. I think thats great. Since the bands creation in 2013, BTS stars RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook have topped charts around the world and attracted millions of fans. Sir Antony, however, had never heard of the group until he got a call in November inviting him to participate in their project. I didnt know anything about the whole K-pop phenomenon, but Ive done a very quick kind of self-education, he said. BTS: The world's biggest boyband - In pictures 1 /46 BTS: The world's biggest boyband - In pictures November 19, 2017 BTS perform during the 2017 American Music Awards Getty Images March 19, 2014 BTS attend the 100th episode of MBC Show Champion 2014 in Seoul AFP/Getty Images December 31, 2017 BTS performs onstage during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images for dcp January 15, 2020 Ariana Grande shares a picture of her with BTS Instagram August 10, 2014 BTS attends the Mnet America show Danny From LA KCON 2014 - Day 2 in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images August 10, 2014 K-pop group BTS arrive on the red carpet during the K-CON 2014 in Los Angeles, CA, USA AFP/Getty Images January 22, 2015 BTS arrive for the 24th Seoul Music Awards n Seoul, South Korea Getty Images January 28, 2015 BTS arrive for the 4th Gaon Chart K-POP Awards 2015 at the Olympic Park in Seoul Getty Images May 21, 2017 BTS accepts the Top Social Artist award onstage during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV, USA Getty Images November 19, 2017 BTS perform during the 2017 American Music Awards Getty Images November 19, 2017 BTS pose in the press room at the 2017 American Music Awards Invision/AP November 19, 2017 V and Jungkook of BTS perform during the 2017 American Music Awards Getty Images November 19, 2017 BTS perform during the 2017 American Music Awards Getty Images December 31, 2017 BTS attends Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images for dcp December 31, 2017 BTS performs onstage during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images for dcp May 20, 2018 BTS perfrom during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images May 20, 2018 BTS attend the 2018 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images May 20, 2018 BTS perfrom during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images May 20, 2018 Tyra Banks with BTS attending the 2018 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images May 20, 2018 BTS accepts the Top Social Artist award during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images October 14, 2018 BTS performs during a Korean cultural event as part of South Korean President official visit in France AFP/Getty Images October 14, 2018 BTS performs during a Korean cultural event as part of South Korean President official visit in France AFP/Getty Images October 14, 2018 BTS members stand on scene after they performed during a Korean cultural event as part of South Korean President official visit in France AFP/Getty Images October 14, 2018 BTS performs during a Korean cultural event as part of South Korean president official visit to France AFP/Getty Images October 14, 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in greets the members of South Korean pop group BTS during a Korean cultural event as part of South Korean President official visit in France AFP/Getty Images December 14, 2018 V, Suga, Jin, JungKook, Jimin, J-Hope and RM of BTS attend the 2018 Mnet Music Awards in Hong Kong Getty Images January 15, 2019 BTS attend the Seoul Music Awards Getty Images May 1, 2019 BTS perform onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards Getty Images May 15, 2019 Kim Tae-hyung, Park Ji-min, Jungkook, Suga, Kim Seok-jin, RM and J-Hope of BTS perform on "Good Morning America" Getty Images May 1, 2019 South Korean boy band BTS poses in the press room with their awards during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards AFP/Getty Images December 6, 2019 BTS attends 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2019 Presented by Capital One at the Forum on December 6, 2019 in Los Angeles Getty Images December 31, 2019 BTS performs during the Times Square New Year's Eve 2020 Celebration in New York Getty Images January 26, 2020 BTS attends the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Getty Images for The Recording A January 26, 2020 BTS perform with Lil Nax X AT the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Getty Images Jan 29, 2020 South Korean boy band BTS with James Corden on The Late Late Shaw He has not met the band but has spoken to them twice by video call and describes them as thoroughly bright, intelligent and wanting to make the world a better place and heal some of the pain. In the context of British and US politics, Sir Antony said to participate in such an international project felt necessary. He added: The idea that the only way that were going to have a viable and just and planet-saving future is by celebrating and using the connections weve got. I deeply regret everything to do with Brexit and I deeply regret, in a way, the kind of identity politics and nationalism which is now seemingly happening in America, in France and places like Hungary to equal measure. However, Sir Antony said London remains a world leader for art. London is the best place to be an artist. Its still the primary place of exchange culturally, globally that means, he said. The New York sculpture is part of Sir Antonys Clearing series and was inspired by a version exhibited in his Royal Academy retrospective last year. Chinas Communist leaders are never at a loss for hyperbole. President Xi Jinping, according to state media, for example, told a top meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday that China has launched a peoples war on the Coronavirus epidemic. We, in India, might associate peoples war with the far-left movement in Chhattisgarhs Bastar but here, in China, peoples is pretty much mainstreamed: The central bank is peoples, the currency is peoples and even the armed forces is peoples to name a few of the peoples family assets. On the streets of China, people have also taken up the fight against the pathogen now. The only preemptive weapon, of course, is precaution. Masks are now ubiquitous among the few walking the deserted streets of Beijing; its the same in other cities, I hear from friends. All shopkeepers I have met in the past 10 days are wearing them too. Apartment administrations Beijing has thousands of apartments -- have geared up in different ways to contain the infection from spreading. Security guards conduct temperature checks on visitors at gates, brandishing thermometres as laser-guided weapons, elevators are armed with tissue boxes, their controls covered in, hopefully, virus-proof plastic and so on. Instruction manuals about the virus have been pasted in and outside elevators, spelling out the symptoms and requesting residents to report if ill. A security guard came to my apartment last week to enquire whether any family member had been to the outbreak epicentre of Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, this month. He was wearing a mask. Beijing public transport corporation has taken measures such as cleaning and disinfecting buses, ventilating the air inside, measuring the temperatures of staff members and ensuring that staff members work with face masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Public transport is running normally in Beijing. Whats abnormal is the number of people on them. Normally, at the end of the Chinese New Year holidays, buses and subway trains gradually fill up. Not this year. They are running near-empty. People could also be part of a well thought out war-time strategy sit far from each other on them these days. At subway stations, passengers get their temperature checked by security personnel in protective clothing. (I took a photo of one on my mobile phone recently but had to delete it at his request.) His gait was uncomfortable. But his grit must have been solid. Its a peoples war, after all. Sudan army agrees Burhan-Netanyahu meeting will boost security Khartoum, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 Sudan's military said Wednesday it backed a surprise meeting between the country's leader and Israel's prime minister in Uganda this week, saying the opening would help boost national security. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Entebbe on Monday in a previously unannounced meeting. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists including Al-Qaeda during the three-decade rule of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, ousted amid mass protests last year. On Tuesday, Burhan briefed the sovereign council and top ministers about his meeting, saying he took the step to meet Netanyahu "to protect the national security of Sudan". The vote of support for Burhan from the military came after top officers met at army headquarters in Khartoum. "There was a meeting at the army headquarters today, and those present in the meeting were briefed about the visit of the army's commander to Uganda and its impact on Sudan's national security," military spokesman Brigadier Amir Mohamed Al-Hassan told AFP. "The army is in favour of this (Burhan-Netanyahu) meeting as it is in the interest of Sudan's national security." Soon after the meeting Netanyahu's office put out a statement saying that said he believed that post-Bashir Sudan was headed "in a positive direction". It said he and Burhan had "agreed to start cooperating leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries". Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians and occupation of Arab lands. In the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967 in which Israel occupied the Palestinian territories and seized the Golan Heights from Syria, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, no recognition, no negotiations with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official news agency WAFA, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his US allies of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". WASHINGTON House and Senate science committee staffers here last week defended NASA authorization bills that have shaken up the space community. Staff members supporting the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation spoke about each legislature's bill on Jan. 30 at the 23rd annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Neither bill allocates money; instead, they outline a vision for NASA policy. The House bill, which was introduced on Jan. 24, centers NASA's Mars exploration goals , targeting a human landing in 2033, and directs the agency to trim down its lunar exploration plans. This legislation removes the mandate for NASA to land humans on the moon in 2024 , reinstating the previous deadline of 2028, although permitting NASA to move faster should that be safe. Any lunar activities, the bill says, should be directly related to preparing NASA to send humans to Mars. Related: NASA's Artemis moon program just photobombed a spacewalk (photo) The bill does not "preclude activities related to Artemis ," NASA's lunar exploration program, Pam Whitney, a Democratic professional staffer for the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, said during the panel. The bill "focuses on a path from the moon to Mars and [ensures] that everything in the program [builds] on what is necessary to get to Mars," she said Her colleague Tom Hammond, senior policy advisor for space and aeronautics, echoed the statement, further emphasizing that Mars has been in multiple administration's sights, stretching back at least to NASA authorizations from 2009. "[The bill is] the most forward-leaning on authorizing Gateway, authorizing landers, authorizing transport vehicles for future Mars exploration," Hammond said. Gateway is the NASA concept of a home base in lunar orbit for humans traveling to and from the moon. But in the House's version of the bill, Gateway would instead serve as a test bed for Mars technologies. Neither House committee staff member addressed the most contentious part of the bill, which directs NASA to take ownership of developing landers to shuttle humans between Gateway and the moon. That's in direct contrast to the agency's plans to solicit the private sector to lead the creation of these vehicles. (The House committee did not respond to a request for comment about this directive.) "I am concerned that the bill imposes some significant constraints on our approach to lunar exploration," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a blog post responding to the House bill. "Without the dynamic participation of commercial partners, our chances of creating a sustainable exploration program are significantly diminished." However, Whitney said that the "bill has explicit language directing NASA to use commercial logistic services to the maximum extent practical and also authorizes the commercial lunar payload services program, commercial cargo and commercial crew." Joel Graham, a professional staff member on the Senate committee who also spoke during the panel, said that "we fully support the goal of getting to Mars eventually. "NASA is working on things that will help us live and work on the Red Planet someday," Graham said. However, "we just don't have the ability to put people in the spacecraft and send them to Mars ." That's why, he said, the Senate bill wants to keep NASA's focus on "our national goals, our national priorities right now," which should be sending humans to the moon for extensive missions in order to prepare them for a life on Mars, the Senate's science committee believes. However, both authorization bills agree on one thing: NASA doesn't need to land humans on the moon until 2028. "We had several hearings with Administrator Bridenstine and asked to see the full budget request for Artemis , but he said that wouldn't be coming until February this year," Alicia Brown, a professional staffer for the Senate committee, said during the panel. "We're looking forward to seeing that so that we can really understand what [a 2024 landing] is going to take." Follow JoAnna Wendel on Twitter @JoAnnaScience . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Car crash victims are facing bills of tens of thousands of pounds after being misled by firms posing as reputable insurers. Websites are paying online search engines to appear at the top of their rankings when drivers search for their insurer's details following a crash. So when shellshocked drivers call the number on the advert, they assume they are speaking to their insurer. Websites are paying online search engines to appear at the top of their rankings when drivers search for their insurer's details following a crash But Money Mail has learned that many have actually been put through to a 'middle man' - a claims management firm. Motorists may then be passed to another firm, which organises a replacement car. Victims mistakenly believe this is a courtesy car paid for by their insurer. In fact, they are liable for hire costs, which can spiral into tens of thousands of pounds. Insurer Direct Line says one customer had his car held for more than one year and incurred costs of 50,000. My 'free' courtesy car turned into a 27,500 courtroom battle... Car crash victim Matthew McNally was left facing a 27,500 bill after he was thought to have been misled by a Google advert, according to court documents obtained by Money Mail. Matthew, 39, had been involved in a multi-vehicle crash in March 2018. It is believed he then used Google to search for his insurer's number, but was instead put through to a claims management company. Matthew was then transferred to another firm, Spectra Drive, which arranged the recovery of his Ford S-Max and hire of a Nissan Qashqai. At the hearing in December last year, Portsmouth County Court heard that Matthew thought he was getting a free courtesy car, which should have been covered by his insurance policy with Hastings. He added that Spectra told him he wouldn't incur any charges. But, in fact, he had been given a credit hire car, and after leasing the vehicle for 128 days, Matthew had racked up a bill of almost 27,500. Michael then attempted to claim this cost back from the at-fault driver's insurer, Aviva. But Aviva, the third-party insurer, successfully challenged the bill on the basis that Matthew wasn't aware that he was liable. The judge ruled that the claims management company had 'misled him [Matthew] into believing he was speaking to his insurers'. Although Spectra was not a party to the proceedings and did not give evidence, the judge found that the firm had altered a contract signed by Matthew, describing it as 'a dubious and suspicious practice'. The judge then took the unusual step of adding Spectra to the proceedings and the company now faces the prospect of paying Aviva's legal costs, which could be up to 15,000. The judge made no ruling against Spectra and did not rule on whether the firm had acted illegally, but Aviva argued in court that Spectra had 'duped' Matthew and its actions may well have been 'fraudulent'. Fraser McAndry, partner at Keoghs, which represented Aviva, says: 'This case clearly demonstrates the huge risk to innocent customers and motorists of getting caught up in Google ad-spoofing. 'It can lead to them being duped into, potentially, being liable to the credit hire company for thousands of pounds of charges that they had no idea they were incurring. 'Unfortunately, Keoghs deal with many hundreds of suspicious credit hire claims each year, and I fear many other motorists will fall into the trap and potentially face paying huge fees if they don't take the necessary precautions.' A spokesman for the Credit Hire Organisation [CHO], the trade body for the UK credit hire industry, says: 'We appreciate the Daily Mail bringing this issue to our attention. 'Spectra Drive is a member of the CHO. The CHO has a process in place to audit new members to ensure they conform with appropriate practices and behaviours. 'In light of the information about this particular case and the issues it raises, we will be undertaking a thorough investigation to determine whether Spectra should be a member of the trade body.' Spectra was contacted for comment. Hundreds of people could be getting caught out every month, according to industry sources. Insurance firms Ageas and Axa say the problem is now so intense that they face a bidding war with other sites for terms such as 'Ageas + motor'. Matt Crabtree, complex and organised crime manager at insurer LV=, says: 'We've got the young and old getting caught out. The public cost of these scams is massive.' Money Mail found several websites, including motoraccidentclaim.co.uk, reportyour claim.co.uk and report-claims.co.uk, which appear at the top of smartphone Google searches above genuine insurers. I could be left 6,000 out of pocket Susan Ryan is liable for a bill of 6,000 after making a claim with a firm she thought was acting for her insurer. The 58-year-old had been left in shock after a driver smashed into the front of her car in Anerley, South London, in August last year. Susan says she used her smartphone to look up contact details for insurance firm LV= and called a number that came at the top of Google. Susan Ryan is liable for a bill of 6,000 after making a claim with a firm she thought was acting for her insurer. She had called a number that came at the top of a Google search She presumed she was speaking to her insurer, but had instead been put through to a claims management company, whom she claims told her LV= farmed out nofault claims to credit hire company Spectra Drive. LV= says it doesn't work with Spectra. Susan noted in her diary that she would be getting a courtesy car. The pensioner says she then received a call from Spectra, which arranged a replacement car. LV= only got wind of the claim after the AA billed it for recovery costs in December. Shortly after, Spectra sent Susan a letter saying the car she had been given was a credit hire car, not a courtesy car, and it would pursue her for the costs if she stopped co-operating with it or its lawyers, DGM solicitors, which is run by two directors of Spectra. Susan says this is the first time she became aware that she was liable for charges. Susan, from Beckenham, South London, says she was 'concerned' that she might be liable to pay a bill of 6,000 after leasing the car for almost three months. A claim is yet to be made. There is no suggestion that Spectra acted illegally, nor is it known whether it was aware of what had been said between Susan and the firm that dealt with her initial call. Spectra was contacted for comment. A call recording obtained by this paper shows a call handler at registermycarclaim.co.uk refusing repeatedly to say if they worked for Aviva. Experts say firms only started using the tactic in 2017 but cases have sky-rocketed since. Last year the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) received more than 300 reports in relation to online ads that appeared to falsely represent genuine insurers, but says the number of unreported cases is likely to be higher. Have you been a victim of car crash click-bait? Tell us what happened. Email us at moneymail@dailymail.co.uk, or write to us at Money Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT Customers caught in the scheme face extortionate costs because car hire and car storage is charged at a daily rate on average around 100 and 30 respectively. It is believed that car insurance customers also pay an extra 30 per policy, per year, due to claims management companies. Mike Brown, head of counter fraud intelligence at Direct Line, says: 'These companies intentionally mislead at a stressful time for those looking for assistance.' A Google spokesman says: 'When people come to Google looking for financial advice, we want to ensure the ads they see are from organisations offering genuine services. 'We take immediate action to prevent misrepresentative ads.' On April 2, St. Ann's Warehouse and Good Chance will bring The Jungle back to St. Ann's Warehouse, where the production had its American premiere last season in a coproduction with the National Theatre and the Young Vic. Ammar Haj Ahmad and Ben Turner will return to St. Ann's, reprising their roles from the American premiere. Newly repurposed for touring, the show's North American tour will kick off in Washington, DC, where it will be copresented by Shakespeare Theatre Company and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company from August 25-September 13 at Sidney Harman Hall. Additionally, a new Good Chance Theatre Dome will open in partnership with Tijuana's Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (IMAC), providing a place for community-building and creative expression for asylum-seekers on the Mexico-US border (April 14-June 13). Written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, The Jungle is an intense remembrance of the bulldozed camp in Calais, France, where thousands of refugees who had escaped drought, war, and strife in countries in Africa and the Middle East waited for their "good chance" passage to Britain. With minimal resources in the squalid, sprawling landfill-turned-makeshift-camp, immigrants and committed volunteers built a warm, self-governing society with restaurants, shops, a school, a church, a sauna from nothing. Good Chance and St. Ann's Warehouse will announce additional North American tour dates and full casting for St. Ann's Warehouse soon. The production is directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin. Allegion (NYSE: ALLE) is a global pioneer in seamless access, with leading brands like CISA , Interflex , LCN , Schlage , SimonsVoss and Von Duprin . Focusing on security around the door and adjacent areas, Allegion secures people and assets with a range of solutions for homes, businesses, schools and institutions. Allegion had $2.7 billion in revenue in 2018, and sells products in almost 130 countries. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. VENYU Customer and Partner Ecosystem Map Weve reimagined everything from our services to our name. EATEL Business launches new data center services along with the rebirth of its namesake brand, VENYU. Over the past few years weve seen our customers needs evolve and the demand for our services, particularly cyber security, increase, says Noah Boudreaux, General Manager. We take a consultative approach. We listen. We learn. We solve. As part of this, weve expanded our focus on building strategic and scalable IT ecosystems. Weve reimagined everything from our services to our name. The new services are designed to connect and protect enterprise technology operations, including: GEO Diversification, an optimized hybrid cloud solution Network Power, state-of-the-art edge computing Scalable Solutions, providing more adaptability and continuity for growing operations Dedicated Consultants, a white-glove approach to ensuring client success In addition to new and expanded services, the company is also bringing back its original brand VENYU. The VENYU brand is iconic and has a legacy of being an innovator, says Boudreaux. Many of our customers still refer to us as VENYU. Its part of our DNA and better speaks to our vertical. Were excited to breathe new life into our namesake brand. As part of the rebrand the company is launching a new website and brand promise. To learn more, please visit the new website at http://www.venyu.com ABOUT VENYU Founded in 1994, VENYU is a premier provider of cloud hosting, data center and data protection services. Our network spans coast to coast with data centers and partners in Louisiana and across the country. By building strategic and scalable IT ecosystems, our mission is to keep your business connected and protected. Let us pray. Seriously and collectively, let us pray that God soon speaks to state Rep. Rodney Garcia, who continues to make national headlines for his bigoted, off-the-wall views which aren't only un-American, but downright illegal. Yesterday, we said Garcia, who advocated for socialists to be either executed or jailed, shouldn't run for election. We weren't alone; the leadership in the state House of Representatives called for him to step down after it previously asked him to disavow his remarks. And, the Montana Republican Party condemned Garcia. Good for them for standing against one of their own whose views were not only indefensible, but abhorrent. Instead of backing off, Garcia tripled down saying the only way he'd resign is if God asked him to. It appears he filed to run for a State Senate seat the same day he was in Helena, making comments about socialists. Let's get this straight: Garcia wouldn't back off comments that Americans should kill one another for their beliefs, and then he has the gall to bring God into his politics? Lord, please save us from this lawmaker. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan have discussed holding a joint business forum in Kyrgyzstan with the participation of business circles of the two countries this year. The issues were discussed during the meeting between the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kyrgyzstan Hidayat Orujov and Kyrgyzstans Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov, Kyrgyzstans Foreign Ministry reported. During the meeting, the parties discussed the further development of economic, cultural and humanitarian ties. The [Kyrgyzstans Foreign] Minister noted the importance of preparing upcoming visits at both ministerial and presidential level, the report said. The construction of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan friendship park and a secondary school in Bishkek were also on the agenda of the meeting. The political, cultural and humanitarian between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan have been growing in recent years. As for economic cooperation, the figures indicate that Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan do not fully use the potential of trade and economic cooperation and the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to only $5 million in 2018. Last year, Kyrgyzstans First Deputy Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov said that Azerbaijan is Kyrgyzstans important partner in the Caucasus. He noted that the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with fraternal Azerbaijan is one of the priorities in the foreign policy of Kyrgyzstan. Earlier this month, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for the construction of the Friendship Park of Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan. The agreement on the construction of the park was reached following talks between the heads of two states on the sidelines of the 6th and the 7th Summits of Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States held in Cholpon-Ata in 2018 and in Baku in 2019. The park will occupy the area of 5.5 hectares. Along with other infrastructure, fountains, artificial pools, an outdoor amphitheatre, and playgrounds will also be installed in the park. Apart from the park, Azerbaijan will also build a secondary school in the Kok-Jar housing estate in Bishkek. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Thousands of Australians are facing evacuation from China and could be placed in isolation in mining camps and hotels if the coronavirus crisis worsens. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton revealed the government is weighing up 'every scenario possible' as the number of infected people worldwide climbs to 24,500. The government will consider quarantining evacuees in mainland mining camps and hotels if Christmas Island becomes full, he told the ABC on Wednesday. 'We have been worried about cruise ships. We are worried about what happens if further provinces are shut down, and whether we face the prospect of trying to assist people to depart literally in the thousands. The federal government is considering quarantining evacuees in mainland mining camps and hotels if Christmas Island becomes full, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said About 240 Australians were evacuated from Wuhan earlier this week before being taken to Christmas Island 'So we're looking at different facilities because we don't have that number, that capacity on Christmas Island.' Earlier this week, 243 Australians arrived in the country after being evacuated from Wuhan, and all but two were taken to the Indian Ocean territory to be quarantined for two weeks. A further 35 will soon be transferred from Auckland to the tiny island off the northwest coast of Western Australia. Evacuees are being kept at the Christmas Island immigration detention facility, which is located well away from the main population centre, and has a capacity of 2,700. There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus infection among the evacuees and authorities say there is no risk of residents being exposed. Fourteen people have been infected with the disease in Australia - four in Queensland, four each in NSW and Victoria, two in South Australia. A man who travelled with three people who have been confirmed to have coronavirus was reported to be the fourth person in Queensland to be diagnosed with the virus on Wednesday night. Passengers wearing protective masks arrive at Sydney International Airport on January 23 The 35 Australians on board a New Zealand flight were taken directly to Christmas Island, a former off-shore detention facility. Pictured: Australians already under quarantine on the island The 37-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan - the epicentre of the virus - was travelling ina tour group with a 44-year-old man, 42-year-old woman and an eight-year-old boy who have been diagnosed with the virus in Queensland. Queensland Health on Wednesday night said all four people are in a stable condition in Gold Coast University Hospital. Five other people who were a part of their tour group also remain in isolation in the same hospital. It comes as coronavirus testing will be expanded in Queensland with private pathologists now authorised to collect samples from anyone who may have been exposed. Pathologists across the state will send samples to be tested by Forensic and Scientific Services in Brisbane, Health Minister Steven Miles told parliament on Wednesday. Testing is only effective once a patient has symptoms. As of Wednesday morning, over 24,000 people across the globe had the virus, and 490 people had died. By Josh Smith and John Geddie SEOUL/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - At least three Asian businessmen who attended a meeting of more than 100 international delegates at a Singapore hotel have contracted coronavirus, while others are showing symptoms, authorities said on Wednesday. The cases are further evidence the virus is now spreading through human-to-human contact outside China. Malaysia on Tuesday said its first infected citizen - a 41-year-old man - had attended the meeting, which included delegations from China where the virus originated, in mid-January. South Korea also reported two confirmed cases of its citizens who visited the same business conference in Singapore on Wednesday. The cases are linked to a company business meeting involving 109 participants at the Grand Hyatt Singapore hotel on Jan 20-22, which included 94 overseas participants, Singapore's health ministry said. Of the Singapore attendees, four have also reported symptoms and been referred to its National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Authorities have not commented on the company or industry involved. A spokesman for the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Gerald Kheng, said the hotel had been deep cleaned after it was first informed of the incident by Singapore's health ministry on Tuesday but said it was not aware of any other cases among guests or staff. Singapore - one of the worst hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 28 cases of coronavirus, including some local transmission cases. The city-state says no evidence has emerged of widespread community spread but it announced new precautionary measures on Tuesday including halting group activities such as school assemblies. Several firms in Singapore have suspended business and media events, including a big travel fair, but the Singapore Airshow is set to go ahead next week albeit on a smaller scale. The World Health Organisation has said cases of human-to-human transmission outside China are deeply concerning and could signal a much larger outbreak. The death toll from the epidemic neared 500 on Wednesday. (Reporting by Josh Smith and Sangmi Cha in Seoul, Joseph Sipalan in Kuala Lumpur and John Geddie in Singapore; Additional reporting by Joori Roh in Seoul; Editing by Angus MacSwan) 'Irrespective of their politics, people feel happy.' 'One of the best compliments I have received is that I have made it from Kashmir to Karnataka.' IMAGE: Javid Parsa, 31, owns Kashmir's only restaurant chain. All Photograph: Kind courtesy Javid Parsa When Javid Parsa arrived in Srinagar from Delhi on Tuesday, February 4, he went straight to his food outlet Parsa's in Budgam near the airport. He sat with his graphic designer to design posters that could be put up on electric poles on the highway telling customers that the outlet had reopened five days ago. The abrogation of Article 370 and the clampdown had forced Javid to shut all his nine popular outlets across Kashmir that served kathi rolls and biryani. The primary outlet reopened after four months in December. Located in the only mall in Srinagar's Lal Chowk, business is down 50 per cent. Three out of the nine outlets have not reopened yet. One of the most followed Kashmiris on social media, Javid, 31, is the son of a carpenter. He left Amazon to become a successful food entrepreneur. The medium of promotion used by Parsa's is the Internet which accounted for nearly 50 per cent of sales. The deals and promotions of the day were posted by separate handles of each outlet. 2G Internet was restored in Kashmir a week ago, but the continuing ban on social media sites has prevented business from picking up. Since a small ad in a newspaper could cost a minimum of Rs 60,000, Javid has gone back to classic and traditional marketing methods. IMAGE: For a business which got 50% business through online promotions, Parsa's is going back to traditional tools for reaching customers due to 4G and social media ban. When the Budgam outlet reopened, he covered his car with banners and placed it outside the shopping complex on January 28, the day after Internet was restored. Two of his franchise partners have gone back to Delhi and taken up temporary jobs for a fraction of the one lakh rupee profit they would make from an outlet in Kashmir. "Whatever I earned from my three outlets in Delhi, Bangalore, Noida, I have invested in the losses I am facing in Kashmir. In a franchisee model, the outlets are owned by different individuals, hence the loss also got distributed," Javid tells Archana Masih/Rediff.com over the phone on Tuesday evening from his Budgam restaurant. Parsa's serves a fusion of Hyderabadi, Bengali and Kashmiri cuisine; within Kashmir it does not serve any Kashmiri food. A week after re-opening his Lal Chowk restaurant, Javid hosted 100 young people for an interaction in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370. He invited psychologists, peace builders, writers, journalists, and young businessmen to talk about what had happened with each other. Parsa's outlets also have libraries where patrons can donate and borrow books. IMAGE: Javid Parsa at his flagship outlet in Srinagar. "Kashmiris have always been prepared for the worst. Whatever we have been facing for the last 50 years has made us strong as a community. People always find ways to fight back and rise again," he says. "If monetary goal is the only thing you are looking for, then Kashmir is certainly not the right place. You have to have love for the land and the people." "Survival is the basic challenge for a businessman in Kashmir. There could be an indefinite shutdown anytime. I make the most of each normal day that comes. You never know whether it will be the same tomorrow or not." There are many businesses in Kashmir that have not opened at all, and many are out of the map, he says. 50% of his staff comes from Kolkata and Bihar who left after the August 5 shutdown. Many have returned, others he has tried to accommodate in the restaurants outside Kashmir. Determined to get his business back on track and about to open a couple more Parsa's outlets outside Kashmir, Javid says every strata and section of society has been affected in a different way in the last six months. "There is both a monetary and emotional loss. Article 370 was the cord that bound us with India all these years. Kashmir's special status was a promise given by the Government of India," he says. "The poorest, the daily wagers are just struggling to survive and get their lives back on track. For bureaucrats and government servants it doesn't matter because they got their salaries even if they did not show up at work." Two of the Parsa's outlets that have not reopened as yet are placed inside education institutes which are the first to see a shutdown when there is trouble in Kashmir. "Students have suffered the most," he says. "Their degrees got delayed by a semester. Those applying for courses, scholarships lost a year." Giving an example of what ordinary Kashmiris had to encounter, he cites his own example when he drove 600 kms from Srinagar to Jammu just to get an OTP on his mobile phone! "I had to file returns for an important project for which I had to show the tax statement of last year. I drove to Jammu just to get the OTP because I had not selected the e-mail option for OTP, it was only linked with my mobile." "On reaching Jammu, I got the OTP, sent it to my CA who was at the counter and filed my return." "I was so angry that I did not step out of the car in Jammu and just drove back. That's a simple example of how life got affected." IMAGE: The Parsa's outlet in Noida. The chain has 3 restaurants outside Kashmir and will open one in Pune shortly. Javid also played a Samaritan's role in helping people connect with loved ones when all communication was suspended in Kashmir. He had a booked a ticket for Bengaluru before the abrogation and used his ticket as a curfew pass to get to Srinagar airport. Once he reached Bangalore, he was flooded with messages asking for help. He built a network to help students struggling with mess fees, examination fees and help over a thousand people connect with each other. An extra fridge was kept at Parsa's Bengaluru outlet to stock medicines like insulin etc because people knew if they went to Parsa's they would find someone going to Kashmir to carry them back to their relatives. "There were so many heartbreaking stories. A mother and father went to Haj where the mother died and there was no way to convey the news. The children went to the airport to receive the parents and found out that mom had died and had been buried in Saudia," says Javid giving a slice of the human cost of the situation in Kashmir. "It is less about politics and more about humanity. The manner in which they isolated this small piece of land from the rest of the world is the most inhuman act I have seen in my life," he says. "I have grown up in the 1990s (when terrorism was at its peak in Kashmir), but never been so angry, I always thought there was a reason behind these problems and better times are going to come, but I don't see that anymore." One action that deeply upset him was the evacuation of Amarnath yatris and tourists before announcing the abrogation. "The moment they left, you abrogated 370 and put a blanket ban on every single source of communication. How could you do this so heartlessly? It clearly shows that we don't belong to you," he says in anguish. IMAGE: Javid Parsa left Amazon to start a food chain in Kashmir. Two months after the abrogation of Article 370, in the middle of the communication blockade, Javid's sister got married. The guest list was pared down from 500 to 50 and attempts were made on 11 consecutive days to meet the cook in downtown Srinagar to discuss the wedding menu -- with no luck. "On the 12th night, when curfew was relaxed, we could eventually meet him," Javid remembers. "We did not change the wedding date. It was like a sign of resistance that we have chosen this date for happiness and won't let anyone alter the date -- that's what our grandfather said." "Respecting what our community was going through, it was not a lavish wedding." Six months later, people reach out to ask him how he coped with the business shutdown, how he restored his business, and also for emotional support. "There is a lot of uncertainty. The government is not formed yet. Restrictions are so tight that people do not get a chance to talk, debate, protest or raise their voice." "The definition of normalcy is too complicated in Kashmir now." Around a hundred people in his network are seeing counsellors, because business has suffered and students could not apply to universities or secure scholarships abroad. The government says things are normal, but it is far from that, he says. On flights back home, he has been seeing more bureaucrats and security personnel than Kashmiris or tourists. As someone who has studied and lived in five Indian states, he has encountered a mixed response from other Indians. IMAGE: Javid distributed around 3,000 visiting cards to prospective collaborators at the Zomaland event organised by Zomato in Bengaluru. "There are good and bad people are everywhere. When a Bangalore auto guy came to know that I hadn't spoken to my father for 15 days, he said, 'How could they do this to our own people?'" "Then there are those who call to congratulate that 'You are integrated now'. There were jokes objectifying our sisters and mothers. I don't blame society, but the mindset of people." "I have a different relationship with the rest of India. I have lived outside, led a student's union and interacted with many people due to my business, -- unlike many Kashmiris who haven't been outside." He has come across scores of wellwishers who express happiness that a Kashmiri chain is expanding outside the valley. "Irrespective of their politics, people feel happy," he says. "One of the best compliments I have received is that I have made it from Kashmir to Karnataka." New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday lashed out at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs over illegal occupation of 575 government houses and directed to deduct a day's salary of the department's secretary, who was present in the court but was unable to answer the queries. Chief Justice D.N. Patel said: "When the matter is related to government, you seek adjournment. You will expedite the proceedings only when your salary is deducted." The Court adjourned the matter after ordering to deduct Rs 10,000 cost from the salary of Durga Shankar Misra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. When Misra's counsel protested, the court said, "you are concerned about your Rs 10,000 but not about government's crores of rupees." A power plant belonging to Transmission Company of Nigeria (TRC) located at Ring Road in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, is currently on fire. The fire incident has attracted the attention of security agents, firefighters and other residents who are trying to quench the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained as at the time of this report. Although there are speculations that the power plant belongs to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), our correspondent gathered that the power plant belongs to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Frank William, Regional Communication Officer, Oyo Region of IBEDC, confirmed that the power plant belongs to TCN and not IBDEC. This is a fire outbreak at TRC Plant in Ring Road Ibadan. I can confirm for you. But, it does not belong to IBDEC. It is under Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr William told PREMIUM TIMES. Firefighters are there and I can confirm that there is high level of damage control. The head of the fire service in Oyo State, Mashood Adewuyi, also confirmed the incident. Mr Adewuyi told PREMIUM TIMES that he and his officials are at the scene of the incident trying to put out the fire. Wednesdays fire incident at TRC plant is coming barely 24 hours after a fire outbreak was recorded along the Akala Expressway Elebu area of Ibadan. Many shops of houses were damaged in the earlier fire. President Donald Trumps historic impeachment trial ended Wednesday afternoon with an acquittal on both charges, though one Republican broke ranks with conservatives to vote to remove him from office. The acquittal, which had long been expected, was the final chapter in a bitter debate over whether Trump had betrayed the Constitution in lobbying Ukraines government to investigate his political rivals. In December, the House of Representatives impeached him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In the final vote, the Senate found Trump not guilty on the charge of abuse of power by a 52-48 vote, with Utah Sen. Mitt Romney as the lone Republican to vote to convict. The Senate found Trump not guilty on the charge of obstruction of Congress by a 53-47 vote. At least 67 guilty votes were needed to convict the president and remove him from office. The votes almost completely along party lines, though Romneys defection was a blow to conservative unity took place after Senate Republicans voted down a motion last week to hear additional testimony from witnesses such as former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who reportedly claimed he could corroborate the case against Trump. I believe that attempting to corrupt an election to maintain power is about as egregious an assault on the Constitution as can be made and for that reason, it is a high crime and misdemeanor, Romney said earlier Wednesday in a floor speech explaining his vote to convict. I have no choice under the oath that I took but to express that conclusion. No U.S. president has ever been convicted by the Senate after being impeached. Like Trump, Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were acquitted, while President Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached for the Watergate scandal. Trump, 73, has maintained his innocence throughout the impeachment process, often labeling it a sham, and insisted he did nothing wrong at all with Ukraine. Conservatives have also dismissed the impeachment as a purely partisan revenge scheme by Democrats after their 2016 loss. Story continues In recent days, however, even some Republican Senators who acquitted Trump conceded he had acted improperly. RELATED: What You Need to Know About Donald Trumps Historic Impeachment Trial and How It Will Play Out Rep. Adam Schiff speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate on Jan. 22. | AP/Shutterstock Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow speaks at a news conference during the Senate impeachment trial on Jan. 24. | Alex Wroblewski/Getty Democrats said a months-long House investigation found that Trump had withheld some $400 million in military aid to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rival Joe Biden and Bidens son Hunter. The House impeachment managers analogous to prosecutors argued at Trumps Senate trial that his efforts to bribe Ukraine into launching investigations against Biden, one of the leading Democratic candidates in the 2020 election, was an effort to invite a foreign government to interfere in an American election. If acquitted, they said, Trump may be emboldened to act even more corruptly in the future. Trump and his defense team, in response, said that he did nothing wrong and that it was within his presidential purview to investigate possible corruption. Whats more, the defense contended, Democrats were really only seeking to remove the president from office ahead of his 2020 re-election bid. RELATED: Republican Senator Says Shes Disturbed By Mitch McConnells Coordination with Trump on Impeachment Trial The heated debates over the course of the two-week impeachment trial once caused Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who was overseeing the proceedings, to scold both sides about their tone. I think it is appropriate for me to admonish both the House managers and the Presidents counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the worlds greatest deliberative body, Roberts said. One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse. The disdain between the political parties was showcased Tuesday night during a surreal State of the Union in which Trump addressed the same lawmakers who were seeking to remove him from office because of his alleged offenses. Both he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traded symbolic jabs: first, when he appeared to skip her handshake offer before his speech and later when she tore up a copy of his remarks as soon as he was done talking. It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative, Pelosi told reporters afterwards, calling it a dirty speech. The White House criticized the gesture as disrespectful. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signs the resolution to transmit the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate for trial. | Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock The Senate trial was controversial from the start, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in December that hed work in total coordination with the White House to ensure Trump was quickly acquitted. The Republican senators comment angered Democrats and disturbed some conservatives. There were some surprises over the course of the trial, including when The New York Times reported that Bolton, a former Trump aide, alleged in his upcoming memoir that the president explicitly linked military aid for Ukraine to the countrys willingness to investigate the Bidens. However, the Democratic minority in the Senate was unable to overcome Republican resistance in order to allow witnesses and new evidence at the Senate trial. In effect, the proceedings only included extensive arguments from each side with everyone else in the chamber forced to sit silent followed by written questions submitted by the senators. RELATED: Donald Trump Impeached by House of Representatives Over Ukraine Scandal Pelosi, who called for the initial impeachment investigation in the House, said the lack of witnesses in the trial meant that there wasnt a way to fully, or accurately, acquit Trump. You cannot be acquitted if you dont have a trial, she told reporters in a news conference last week. You dont have a trial if you dont have witnesses and documentation and all of that. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, laid into the Senate on Wednesday as lawmakers gave their closing remarks on the trial, which Democrats continued to argue was ending without hearing all of the evidence available. We have become a body that does nothing, he said, describing the group as pathetic and lazy for not allowing additional witnesses to testify. We cant even bring ourselves to have witnesses and evidence as part of a fair trial. Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono warned Wednesday afternoon that the Senate, in acquitting Trump, would be complicit in his next scheme. Hours later on Twitter, Trump declared his acquittal a VICTORY for the country. Ankara: Two avalanches in eastern Turkey have killed 38 people, most of them buried by the second fall while working to rescue victims of the first. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Authority said 33 people were killed when the second avalanche hit while they were searching for two more victims of the first snowslip, which killed five people, after rescuing eight others. Speaking to reporters in Van on Wednesday local time, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 75 people had been injured, adding that around 700 additional emergency rescue personnel were dispatched to the area. Rescuers dig in the snow around at least three overturned vehicles following the second avalanche. Credit:AP Some 300 emergency service workers were called to a highway near the mountain- surrounded town of Bahcesaray in Van province, which borders Iran, after an avalanche struck late on Tuesday. Around noon on Wednesday, the team was struck by the second avalanche. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 19:30 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c956d 1 National Wishnutama,tourism,Tourism-and-Creative-Economy-Ministry,Chinese-tourists,domestic-tourists,Bali-tourism Free About 2 million Chinese tourists visit Indonesia per year, says Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama. Minister Wishnutama has estimated that Indonesia is at risk of losing about US$4 million as a result of flight cancellations to and from mainland China amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. We still need to further assess [the possible losses]. But as we know, there are 2 million Chinese tourists in the country every year, each of whom spends an average of $1,400. It means well probably lose about $4 million, Wishnutama said after a private meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday. Read also: [UPDATED] Suspected Wuhan coronavirus in Indonesia: What we know so far To recoup the losses, he said the government would focus on attracting domestic tourists to popular destinations across Indonesia. The ministry planned to lobby a number of airlines to offer flight packages to domestic destinations, he added. I, along with Transportation Minister [Budi Karya Sumadi], will discuss the matter with about 30 airlines that are probably able to reroute to domestic destinations and, therefore, support local tourism, Wishnutama said. He said the government would entice domestic tourists to visit Bali, among other regions, as the island had already begun to report declining foreign tourist arrivals from China after the government decided to halt all flights to and from the East Asian country on Wednesday at midnight due to the coronavirus outbreak. Read also: Govt to lure more citizens to visit local destinations as tourism copes with virus fears We have received reports of vacant rooms at otherwise popular hotels in Bali. However, we have yet to know [the full extent of the impact], Wishnutama added. As of Wednesday, the coronavirus had killed 491 people in mainland China, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines and had spread to more than 20 countries, Johns Hopkins CSSE reported. Three years ago, WikiLeaks published thousands of pages of secret documents about how the CIA hacks into overseas targets, revealing its ability to compromise smartphones and turn certain televisions into listening devices. The breach, known as the Vault 7 leak, was the largest disclosure of classified CIA information in the spy agencys history and caused catastrophic damage to national security, the government said. This week, Joshua Schulte, a 31-year-old computer engineer who worked at the CIA, began trial in federal court in Manhattan to defend against charges that he was the leaker. When the documents went public in March 2017, WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization, said in a statement that the source of the information wanted to raise policy questions that need to be debated in public, including whether the CIAs hacking capabilities exceeded its mandated powers. Prosecutors, however, say Schulte was a disgruntled CIA employee who stole the documents as retaliation because he felt management did not take his workplace complaints seriously. He quit the job in 2016, four months before the WikiLeaks disclosures. For the CIA, it was the ultimate act of betrayal from one of their own, said David Denton, Jr., an assistant U.S. attorney, in the governments opening statement Tuesday. The trial will delve into the CIAs shadowy cyberoperations, as prosecutors seek to retrace the steps that they say Schulte took to extract the documents. Schulte worked in the CIAs Engineering Development Group and designed hacking tools, including malware that targeted the computers of suspected terrorists. Schulte and his team, who were considered to be elite programmers, worked in a secret building protected by armed guards, Denton said. The trial witnesses will include covert CIA employees who will testify under pseudonyms. This prosecution is significant, said David Miller, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan and a former CIA lawyer. Its not an everyday occurrence that theres a federal criminal trial involving the testimony of multiple current and former CIA employees. During the testimony of CIA witnesses, reporters will not be allowed to describe their physical appearance. Their identities are so sensitive that prosecutors told Schultes lawyers they could not even search for the witnesses on the internet in a way that would link their real names with the CIA. Schulte faces 11 criminal counts, including stealing classified information from the CIA and lying to the FBI. He has pleaded not guilty. On Tuesday, Schultes lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, said in her opening statement that the CIA was under tremendous pressure to hold someone accountable for the embarrassing leak and targeted Schulte. She said that the vulnerabilities in the CIAs computer system were widely known and that hundreds of employees and contractors had access to the same server as Schulte. Nicole Hong is a New York Times writer. LIMA, Ohio Three men were killed in an early-morning shooting at bar and police are now searching for a suspect. A warrant on suspicion of murder has been issued for Deontray Forrest, 24, according to a news release from Lima police. Forrest is a Lima resident. Officers were called to Levels Lounge just after 2 a.m. Wednesday. Police say two victims, Terell McGraw, 28, and and Devontae Upshaw, 24, were found dead inside the bar. Timothy White, 25, was found dead on a sidewalk outside the bar. All three men are from Lima. Police did not release information on a possible motive or if a weapon was recovered. No other injuries were reported. Anyone with information can contact the Lima police at 419 227-4444, Det. Sgt. Jason Garlock at 419-221-5291, Det. Sean Neidemire at 419-221-5295, or Lima / Allen County Crime Stoppers at 419 229-7867. To comment on this story, visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page. Read more from cleveland.com: Akron man leads officers on chase with stolen UPS truck, police say Police arrest suspect in shooting death of Akron woman Man shot outside RTA rapid station in East Cleveland Cleveland man charged in deadly Thanksgiving crash had PCP in his system, indictment says Two Cuyahoga County men among 14 accused of soliciting sex from Stark County investigators posing as teens Man attacked and tried to kidnap two women on Cleveland Metroparks hiking trail, authorities say Australia now has 14 confirmed cases in NSW, Queensland and South Australia He was in the city visiting family for Chinese New Year when the outbreak hit Daniel Ou Yang, from Sydney, documented his escape from Wuhan in China An Australian real estate agent documented his escape from Wuhan - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak - showing deserted streets and an eerily empty airport terminal. Daniel Ou Yang, from Roseville in Sydney's Upper North Shore, had been visiting his family for Chinese New Year when the outbreak turned the city into a ghost town. Mr Ou Yang is one of 35 Australians who landed in Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight on Wednesday evening. They were taken directly to Christmas Island, a former off-shore detention facility, to join the 72 people taken there on board a Qantas fight from the coronavirus epicentre. Mr Ou Yang filmed himself fleeing the city of 11 million people, showing once-bustling streets completely deserted apart from China Health vehicles. Daniel Ou Yang, from Roseville in Sydney, filmed himself at the empty airport terminal. He is one of 35 Australians who landed in Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight on Wednesday evening The Sydney real estate agent filmed himself on the emergency Air New Zealand flight with a face mask on He then captured himself arriving at the airport wearing a black face mask. But aside from passengers waiting to board Mr Ou Yang's flight, the terminal appeared empty. 'There is a lot of people - all these people waiting to be evacuated,' he said to the camera. 'We are going to be tested for our temperature to make sure none of us is sick or showing any symptoms.' The real estate agent then admitted he held concerns over spending the next two weeks in quarantine on Christmas Island. 'I've definitely had my concerns and my thoughts holding me back from being on this flight,' he said. 'But, in the end I just said, 'you know, I had to do it, I had to get on this flight, get home to my life my family over there as well. '[Christmas Island] is not a bad facility. They separate you family by family. 'So for me, if it's just myself, I suppose have my own room for 14 days, have a bed, have air-con.' Mr Ou Yang is one of 35 Australians who landed in Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight on Wednesday evening The 35 Australians on board the flight were taken directly to Christmas Island, a former off-shore detention facility. Pictured: Australians already under quarantine on the island So far, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus infection among the men, women and children already on Christmas Island. A team of specialist doctors and nurses is closely monitoring the evacuees. Up to 600 Australians initially registered for the evacuation flights home but some have decided to remain in Wuhan. It is not clear how many will join the next flight. Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the plan was for passengers to be isolated in small family groups on Christmas Island. Australia now has 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus across New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Australians still in China have been urged to take the next possible commercial flight back home. Signs of cancer can sometimes appear decades before the disease is diagnosed, scientists have found. Researchers discovered that genetic mutations which fuel the growth of tumours often occur years before the cancer is discovered. One in five mutations can be considered early events in a tumour's development, meaning they could occur as young as childhood. This suggests children could one day be screened for genetic mutations to prevent them from becoming ill. Dangerous changes occurred 'particularly early' - up to 50 years before - in ovarian cancer. It used to be called the 'silent killer', as it is often too late by the time women notice symptoms like bloating and loss of appetite. The study looked at 47million genetic changes in more than 2,500 human tumours, across 38 cancer types. The international team of researchers said it was 'extraordinary' that some changes have occurred years before diagnosis, even in tissue that appeared normal. Signs of cancer can sometimes appear decades before the disease is diagnosed, scientists have found (stock image) Dr Peter Van Loo, from the Francis Crick Institute in London and one of the researchers involved in the Pan-Cancer project, said: 'We've developed the first timelines of genetic mutations across the spectrum of cancer types. 'For more than 30 cancers, we now know what specific genetic changes are likely to happen, and when these are likely to take place. 'Unlocking these patterns means it should now be possible to develop new diagnostic tests that pick up signs of cancer much earlier.' 'It is science fiction currently but one could envisage one day detecting cancer in children and treating them by killing the problematic cells.' Cancer occurs when errors, or mutations, get introduced into healthy cells as they grow and divide. While most do not significantly alter our cells, some are harmful and are associated with the growth of tumours. ONE IN EIGHT CANCERS MAY BE CAUSED BY A VIRUS Up to one in eight cancers may be caused by a virus, scientists have said today. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center investigated the DNA of more than 2,600 tumour samples from patients with 38 different types of cancer. They found 13 per cent contained traces of viruses, according to the findings in Nature Genetics. A total of 25 different virus types were found in 356 patients. Viruses are already known to directly or inderictly trigger cancer. For example the HPV virus - transmitted through sex and close skin contact - causes almost 100 per cent of cervical cancers. In the latest study, as suspected, the known viral pathogens that drove tumours were also the most common: Some five per cent of the cancer genomes investigated contained Epstein-Barr viruses (EBV), which are known to cause a number of different types of cancer, in particular lymphomas and gastric and nasopharyngeal carcinomas. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was found in 62 of the 330 cases of liver cancer. Human papillomaviruses, most commonly HPV16, was found in 19 of the 20 cervical cancers and 18 of 57 head and neck cancers. Cancer occurs when errors, or mutations, get introduced into healthy cells as they grow and divide. The researchers, led by Peter Lichter, said the viruses integrate into the host genome. Then, they cause mutations which steer cells to become cancerous. Advertisement These DNA errors continue to accumulate in cancerous cells, so a tumour can ultimately be made up of cells with many different genetic mutations. It is thought that one in two people will develop cancer at some point in their life, according to the NHS. The most common types are breast, lung, prostate and bowel cancer but there are more than 200 in total. Current guidelines advise people to check for lumps and bumps, unexplained bleeding and changes to bowel habits, as these could be early signs of cancer. However, the latest research raises the possibility that people who will go on to have cancer could be identified years in advance. The researchers looked at how many times a single change had been replicated and copied across chromosomes. These are known as 'driver mutations'. They are among billions of mutations which occur that go on to cause cancer. They were able to determine the order in which the mutations happened and the relative timing between them. Just over 20 per cent of mutations were considered early events in a tumour's development, with some of these changes taking place years, even decades, before the cancer was found. Dangerous changes occurred 'particularly early' in ovarian cancer, as well as two types of brain tumours, glioblastoma and medulloblastoma. On average, ovarian cancer was found to have started 10 to 20 years before women's tumours were found and removed. But in one or two cases, it appeared as if the cancer had started in women 40 to 50 years before their cancer started. Alexandra Holden, Director of Communications at Target Ovarian Cancer, said: 'To get a crucial early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, women currently have to know the symptoms, understand their family history, and get to the GP fast. 'The possibility to detect potential ovarian cancer in childhood one day will bring hope to thousands of people that in future we could beat this devastating disease.' Looking across the 28 cancers, the early mutations which appeared to drive them happened mostly in nine genes. This could make a treatment easier to find. As well as researchers from the Francis Crick institute, the team involved 1,300 scientists from the Welcome Sanger Institute, the European Bioinformatics Institute and the universities of Oxford, Glasgow and East Anglia. Dr Peter Campbell, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and a member of the Pan-Cancer project steering committee, said: 'With large enough studies we can identify all these patterns to optimise diagnosis and treatment.' Professor Karen Vousden, Cancer Research UK's chief scientist, said: 'This large and ambitious project has provided an enormous amount of data that is helping us to better understand how cancer develops. 'Cancer is a global problem and international collaborations like this are vital to accelerate research. 'These findings show that, underlying the incredible complexity of cancer, there are some common genetic changes that turn healthy cells into cancer cells. 'This could one day be used to develop new ways to treat cancer or detect it earlier, helping more people to survive.' The comprehensive analysis took ten years and is detailed in six papers published in Nature. It is part of a wider collection of 22 papers published in other Nature Research journals. In a separate paper, the international team also found that cancers are likely to have many different mutations which enter their DNA at the same time. For example, 22 per cent of the 2,500 tumours studied were found to have experienced an event called chromothripsis, where a DNA strand breaks in many places at once and the pieces are rearranged incorrectly. This process was found to be an important and critically early event in the evolution of most cancers, particularly in melanomas. Around 363,000 new cancer cases are reported in the UK every year, according to Cancer Research UK, with the disease causing 165,000 deaths annually. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asserted that India has set up a goal to increase its defence exports to USD 5 billion in the next five years. Speaking at the five-day DefExpo event, India's biennial military exhibition, in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, PM Modi said that the defence exports from India reached Rs 17,000 crore in last years, adding that its target now is Rs 35,000 crore in five years. "Our mantra is Make in India, for India, for the world. In 2014 the export of defence equipment from India was about Rs 2,000 crore. In the last 2 years, it has gone up to Rs 17,000 crore. In the next five years our target is export of USD 5 billion, which is about Rs 35,000 crore," the Prime Minister said. Live TV The PM also questioned as to how can the world's second-largest population, the world's second-largest army and the world's largest democracy, depend on imports alone for this long? India is building several defence equipments like artillery guns, aircraft carriers, submarines, light-combat aircraft, and combat helicopters, he said. He also added that the number of defence licenses issued in the last five years has risen to 460 from 210 in 2014. "There are two major requirements for the development of modern weapons - the high potential of research and development and the production of those weapons. Our government has made it a major part of our national policy in the last 5-6 years," added PM. The prime minister said the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and the Department of Military Affairs will boost the overall defence production. "With the formation of the Chief of Defense Staff and the Department of Military Affairs, the process of demand and manufacturing is going to get easier. A definite benefit will be to the industries associated with the defence sectors and all investors will be willing to invest in this sector," said PM Modi. India is not only a major market globally but a vast opportunity for the world as well, he said, asserting that Uttar Pradesh is going to be one of the biggest defence manufacturing hubs in India. Lack of proper policy initiative in the last several decades made India the biggest importer of defence platforms, he added. "Earlier in defence manufacturing, the private sector faced many problems in the testing infrastructure. Avenues have now been opened for this and a policy of Transfer of Technology has been framed for Indian industries in DRDO without charge," added the PM. PM Modi highlighted the misuse of technology, terrorism and cyber threat as challenges facing the world and said defence forces are eyeing new technology considering new threats. India is not behind others, he added. He said a roadmap had been finalised to use application of artificial intelligence in the defence sector. The PM asserted that India's presence in the outer space going to get stronger in the coming years. "India's space technology is playing an important role in protecting 130 crore Indians from governance to security. I am proud that India has developed indigenous technology in this matter. Today ISRO is exploring outer space for India, for the whole world, and the DRDO is building a wall of defence to protect these assets from the wrong forces," added the PM. "Our defence preparedness is not aimed at any country as India is a reliable contributor to world peace. It's our responsibility to ensure the security of not only India but countries in the neighbourhood as well," he said. Two Republicans competing for Texas 22nd Congressional District have sparred in recent days over the states so-called sanctuary cities ban, one of the sharpest rifts to emerge in the jam-packed primary contest. In a new TV ad, longtime GOP donor Kathaleen Wall accuses Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls of fighting a Trump administration effort by ICE to catch criminal illegal aliens. The ad also cites a Houston Chronicle story from 2017 in which Nehls expresses opposition to an element of Texas sweeping ban on sanctuary cities. Incredibly, Nehls refuses to ask the immigration status of potential criminals, the ad narrator says. Worse still, Nehls opposed a ban on sanctuary cities signed into law by Gov. Abbott, saying it went too far. Nehls flatly denied Walls claims, accusing her of misrepresenting his remarks by taking them out of context. In a Facebook post Sunday his first public rebuttal to the ad Nehls said labeling him pro-sanctuary cities is like calling President Trump pro-impeachment. Let me set the record straight: I have never and will never support sanctuary cities, Nehls said. I support President Trump 100%, I support building the wall, and I support deporting criminal illegals. If you hear otherwise, its fake news. The ad takes direct aim at Nehls record on border security his central campaign issue with less than a month to go in the 15-candidate GOP primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who is retiring at the end of his term. Four Democrats also are running for the seat, which covers most of Fort Bend County and parts of Brazoria and Harris counties. Nehls, elected sheriff in 2012, frequently condemns Congress for failing to secure our southern border, and on his campaign website says he has lock(ed) up over 2,500 criminal illegals and work(ed) with ICE to process them for deportation. The first part of Walls ad refers to Nehls decision in 2017 not to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a program that trains sheriffs deputies as de facto immigration agents. The 287(g) program, named for the Immigration and Nationality Act section that created it in 1996, allows deputies to check inmates immigration status and help initiate deportation proceedings on those in custody for other suspected offenses. In an August 2017 news conference, Nehls said he viewed the program as redundant and a waste of public funds, because his office already participated in an ICE immigrant ID-checking program called Secure Communities. Nehls estimated it would cost Fort Bend County about $500,000 to train and employ deputies for the 287(g) program. About halfway into Walls ad, the narrator alleges that Nehls opposed a ban on sanctuary cities, a reference to the 2017 bill that would create civil and criminal penalties for officials who do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The ad cites a May 2017 Chronicle story in which Nehls says he does not think the law should criminally penalize officials. "I don't support sanctuary cities, I've made that very clear," Nehls said in May 2017. "But some of the language in this bill, I don't agree with. Adding the criminal penalty to sheriffs and others, it's an overreach by state officials and state government." Later that year, Nehls said he agreed with nearly everything in the newly-enacted law except for a controversial amendment authored by state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, that allows law enforcement officers to question a detained persons immigration status, a provision that covers routine traffic stops. Officers previously could inquire about immigration status only after an arrest. In the story, Nehls also is quoted saying the bill is actually dangerous for law enforcement, in my opinion, because when you make that traffic stop you don't know what this person is thinking. Nehls said he expected the law to produce more confrontation on the side of the road. Overall, Nehls contended, Walls ad creates an inaccurate perception that hes soft on immigration. I am the most vocal supporter of a wall with beautiful gates, Nehls said. I've been an advocate for President Trump and his border security plan, and getting the bad hombres out of this county and this state. So, she's taking the truth and trying to spin it into a lie, and she ought to be ashamed of herself. On Monday, former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi who has endorsed Wall said on Twitter that Nehls is lying about his record. He linked to a KHOU story in which Nehls is quoted saying SB 4 creates an us vs. them attitude, and bashed Nehls for his stance on ICEs 287(g) program, writing, Seriously, this guy is in the wrong primary. In response to the criticism, Nehls said no one in this race, including Kathaleen Wall, can claim theyve done more, or anything close, to addressing illegal immigration. Wall, for her part, said she is the only candidate in this race that supports the presidents agenda 100 percent. Im never going to apologize for that. Like Nehls, Wall has centered her campaign around Trump and border security. She has self-funded her congressional bid with $1.6 million through the end of last year, including an ad buy on cable for the anti-Nehls spot. Nehls launched his own TV ad Tuesday touting his record on immigration and 2nd Amendment rights. jasper.scherer@chron.com Which state will be titled as the funniest capital of India? UP or Bihar? Vigo Video Comedy Mahasabha, a popular comedy talent show, announced the finalists. UP Ke Ustaad and Bihar Ke Lal will be seen in a gruelling battle for supremacy to win the coveted title of the Comedy Capital of India. Judged by popular actors and comedians Paritosh Tripathi and Monalisa, the Grand Finale episode will be streaming exclusively on Voot app on February 5. Vigo Video Comedy Mahasabha has grown into a widely popular comedy series on web and has had thousands of viewers across the country hooked on to it. On the Grand Finale episode, the audience will be treated with hilarity and varied comic acts by Uttar Pradesh ke Ustaad - Akhbar Ahmed, Rishiraj Mishra and Royal Raza and Bihar Ke Lal - DK Nayak, Rocky Superstar, and Nishu Tiwari. The finalists are all set to take the comedy quotient a notch higher. Excited about the finale, the UP Ke Ustaad said, "We are absolutely thrilled to be the finalists. It has been a challenging but an amazing journey so far. All the contestants are immensely talented with different set of comic skills. May the best team win the title of Vigo Comedy Mahasabha." "We are very happy that our state is in the final. Vigo Comedy Mahasabha has given us a tremendous opportunity to showcase our talent to such a large audience. We are really hopeful to win the coveted title of 'The Funniest Capital of India', said the energetic Bihar Ke Lal. Vigo Video's unique show Vigo Comedy Mahasabha is a hunt for the 'Comedy Capital of India' that featured 12 Vigo comedy creators across 4 states: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Kolkata. The Show has given a platform to some of the most talented Vigo creators to showcase their talent and connect with larger audiences. Vigo Video is an engaging platform for the next generation of storytellers and connects with like-minded users sharing similar interests. Within a short span of time, the brand has transformed into a community building and relationship moulding platform, and created a strong and unique identity amongst users. In a gaffe, a Turkish helicopter featured on posters displayed at the DefExpo here to showcase the government's flagship Make in India initiative. The picture of the T129 military helicopter were put up by the Uttar Pradesh government, officials said,. Pakistan has reached an understanding with Turkey for procuring the T129 helicopters. When contacted, officials played down the goof-up, calling it just a graphic representation, and added that nothing more should be read into it. The five-day DefExpo -- India's biennial exhibition of military platforms and weapons -- is being attended by 38 defence ministers and top executives of 172 foreign defence majors and 856 Indian companies. The main theme of the Expo is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Rasana Gasimova Election campaign in Azerbaijan is very calm, which is confirmed by the absence of any serious violations of law during the period of the campaign, the CIS observer mission stated in their interim report dedicated to the preparations for the snap parliamentary election to be held on February 9. As part of the monitoring of the election campaign, long-term observers from the CIS got acquainted with the work of the district and precinct commissions ... Lower-level election commissions are taking necessary measures to prepare and conduct the elections in accordance with the requirements of the law, the report said. The report covers the observation period from January 19 to February 3. The report, published on the website of the CIS Executive Committee, noted the openness of the work of Azerbaijans Central Election Commission, collegial discussion of the issues under consideration, holding meetings with the participation of international observers and media representatives. According to the mission, some 2431 applications for participation in the election campaign were submitted to the district commissions. The required documents and signature sheet were handed over by 1774 people. Of these, 98 refused to participate in the election campaign prior to registration, and CEC denied registration to 48 applicants. The decisions of the district commissions of 25 applicants were appealed to the CEC, the complaints were satisfied in 9 cases. Of 1,637 registered candidates, 312 withdrew their candidacies. Thus, 1325 candidates apply for 125 deputy seats, which is almost twice as many as in the last parliamentary elections held in 2015. Of these, 246 were nominated by political parties, 11 - by initiative groups of citizens, and 1068 - on their own initiative, observers said in their report. CIS observers noted that the participation in the election campaign of so many candidates for a deputy mandate indicates openness of the electoral system, the country's political pluralism and the possibility of real choice for voters. The mission will present its final conclusions and assessments on the results of monitoring the election campaign in Azerbaijan in the final document after the elections, the report concluded. The pre-election campaign of parliamentary candidates started on January 17. The decision to hold snap parliamentary elections came after the parliament asked the president to dissolve it and to reschedule early elections during its session held on December 2. The parliaments decision to dissolve itself was initiated by the ruling YAP party during the parliaments session on November 28. The proposal to dissolve the parliament and call for early elections is aimed at supporting the recent personnel reforms implemented by the Azerbaijani president. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Sauce on the Side. | Photo: Kristen S./Yelp Looking to sample the best salads around town? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top salad spots in St. Louis, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fulfill your urges. Consumers in the St. Louis area tend to spend more in the winter at restaurants than any other season of the year, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a software provider that also helps companies build a small business marketing strategy. The average amount spent per customer transaction at St. Louis-area restaurants rose to $29 for the metro area in the winter of last year, 3% higher than the average for the rest of the year. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Turn Restaurant Photo: Michael S./Yelp First on the list is Turn Restaurant. Located at 3224 Locust St. in Covenant Blu-Grand Center, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers salads and sandwiches, is the highest-rated salad spot in St. Louis, boasting 4.5 stars out of 115 reviews on Yelp. 2. Sauce on the Side Photo: Zach H./Yelp Next up is Forest Park Southeast's Sauce on the Side, situated at 4261 Manchester Ave. With 4.5 stars out of 174 reviews on Yelp, the beer bar and Italian spot, serving salads and more, has proved to be a local favorite. 3. Teatopia Photo: Reggie Q./Yelp Gravois Park's Teatopia, located at 2606 Cherokee St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the tea room, which offers salads, juices and smoothies and more, five stars out of 58 reviews. 4. Elaine's Classic American Sandwiches Photo: Zack G./Yelp Over in Benton Park, check out Elaine's Classic American Sandwiches, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 55 reviews on Yelp. You can find the spot to score sandwiches, salads and soups at 2311 Cherokee St. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. An Indonesian woman was on Wednesday acquitted of blasphemy charges for taking her dog into a mosque in Indonesia, international media reported. Suzethe Margareth was prisoned in 2019 but have been released after doctors suggested psychiatric treatment for her. She was released after a panel of three judges at Cibinong District Court in West Java absolved her of the charges owing to her mental conditions. Angered Muslim worshipers The defendant cannot be convicted because of her inability to take responsibility as she has psychiatric disorders, presiding judge Indra Meinantha Vidi said in the ruling. She added that whatever she did was part of her mental illness. In July last year, a video that took the internet by storm showed a dog running around the mosque in West Java district of Bogor in the Muslim-majority country. The video also featured a visibly upset Margareth arguing with shocked worshipers. Following the incident, angered Muslims since pressured the govt to bring the case to court leading to her sentence. The dog also died a day later after it was hit by a car after being chased by animal welfare groups. Read: Indonesia Sends Face Masks To Nationals In Hubei Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Read: Indonesia Deports American Journalist Over Visa Regulations Blasphemy is reportedly a crime in Indonesia which can result in at least five years of prison. Human rights group have for long called for the abolishment of the law, which is used for prosecuting minorities in the country. Global Human Rights organisation Amnesty International has called the incident unfortunate and absurd. The group's executive director in Indonesia, Usman Hamid told international media that the state's priority should be her well being. Her actions may have felt insensitive, but these issues can be resolved peacefully, it is not a matter for the courts. Read: World's Fattest Kid From Indonesia Becomes 'a Symbol Of Hope' After Losing 110kg Read: Protest Against Indonesian Quarantine Location In 2018, a court in Sumatra sentenced a woman who complained about the volume of a mosques loudspeakers to 18 months in prison for blasphemy. She was released on parole in May. Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples in Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016 riot following reports of the womans comments. Former Vice President Joe Biden finally admitted that his fourth place showing in the Iowa caucuses wasn't great. 'We took a gut punch in Iowa,' he told a crowd of supporters in Somersworth, New Hampshire Wednesday, using the same phrasing to describe the whole tumultuous process, as the full caucus result hasn't been released. 'The whole process took a gut punch,' the ex-veep said. Biden promised, 'I'm not going anywhere,' adding, 'I'm going to fight for this nomination,' as the Democratic establishment has gotten concerned about the rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, who they fear won't be able to beat President Trump. In Iowa, Biden wasn't just beat by Sanders - who came in second using the traditional measure of percent of delegates earned, but first in vote totals - but was bested by former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, how came in first in delegates, and by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. On Wednesday, Biden went after both Sanders and Buttigieg more forcefully then he ever did while campaigning in Iowa. 'We took a gut punch in Iowa,' admitted former Vice President Joe Biden, adding 'The whole process took a gut punch.' The original frontrunner of the Democrats is trying to make up for his fourth place finish in Vice President Joe Biden took on Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg in a new way in New Hampshire Wednesday after he got trounced in Iowa Vice President Joe Biden attracted more than 100 people in Somersworth, though his campaign only set up two rows of chairs Vice President Joe Biden's supporters wait in line to enter his event Wednesday at a venue in Somersworth, New Hampshire Biden pointed out how Sanders has attacked him for 'having baggage.' But Biden argued that Sanders had the biggest baggage of them all, by proudly using the term democratic socialist. 'If Sen. Sandrers is the nominee ... every Democrat will have to carry the label Sen. Sanders calls himself,' Biden argued. The former vice president also pointed to Trump's State of the Union speech last night where the president took time to denounce Socialism. 'Donald Trump is desparate to pin the socialist lable on our party,' Biden said. As for the 38-year-old Buttigieg, 'He calls me a part of the old failed Washington.' 'Oh really?' Biden mused. Biden asked the crowd what was a failure when he, under President Obama, passed Obamacare, guarded the country from economic collapse, inked the Iran nuclear deal and signed onto the Paris climate agreement. 'I have great respect for Mayor Pete and his service to this nation, but I do believe it's a risk - to be just straight up with you - for this party to nominate someone who's never held office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people in Indiana,' Biden said. He made sure to refer to both Sanders and Buttigieg as 'good' men. Earlier in the speech, Biden also went after Sanders - and Warren's - much touted Medicare-for-All proposal. 'I promise you, it's not going anywhere,' Biden said, pointing out that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Franciso liberal, wasn't even on board. 'How's it going to get done?' Biden's event Wednesday attracted a handful of environmental protesters that he both talked to and ignored as they tried interrupting him on several occasions. 'Don't be like the Trumpers,' he said at one point to two protesters holding up signs asking him to rid the country of fossil fuels. The crowd, defending the former veep, chanted 'we love Joe.' The Wednesday event was well-attended, though by the set-up it was clear that the campaign wasn't taking any chances that Biden would address a near-empty room. The campaign had only put out two rows of chairs around the speaker's podium and blocked off big sections of the 1899 Ballroom and Function Hall for press. But there was interest in seeing Biden, causing potential voters to stand along one side of the repurposed chuch or in the back behind the row of television cameras. New Hampshire voters have often given down-and-out candidates a boost. Both Clintons have had their campaigns salvaged by the state. In 1992, it was New Hampshire that gave then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton 'comeback kid' status, when he got third place in the primary. Back then, that provided Clinton enough momentum to eventually win his party's nomination. In 2008, after Sen. Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses and former Sen. John Edwards came in second, New Hampshire gave Hillary Clinton her first win. While vying to be the first female major party nominee, then-Sen. Clinton had tried to keep her gender out of it, but at a campaign stop in Portsmouth on the eve of the Granite State primary, a voter's question got the former first lady to tear up. Marianne Pernold Young asked Clinton, 'How do you do it?' 'It's not easy,' Clinton replied. 'You know, I have so many opportunities from this country,' she said, getting emotional. 'And I just don't want to see us fall backwards.' That moment of vulnerability, as political lore goes, got Clinton over the top. Biden's challenge in New Hampshire is that, unlike Iowa, he's competing on the home turf of not just one, but two of the candidates who bested him in Iowa. Sanders, who represents nearby Vermont, won the state of Hillary Clinton in 2016. Now Warren of Massachusetts will also have home field advantage. The title above may be shocking and disheartening to many of us, but it's a reality check on what could happen. The 2020 election will be one of the most important elections in the history of America (as was Abraham Lincolnswho was a Republican fighting slavery). Most are not aware that President Trump barely won in many swing states, with margins as low as 1.2 percent in Florida and a very narrow 0.23 percent in Michigan. I hope you realize how narrow this is. The 2016 election caught Democrats off guard, but they wont let that happen again. My concern is that the 2020 election will catch Republicans off guard this time. Complacency may lead to apathy when the economy is good and the president's approval rating is high. We cant become comfortable thinking that Trump will easily take it again. God wants us to trust in Him, not in opinion polls and the economy. Be clear on this: amid voter fraud, ballot harvesting, and media giants railing against Trump, only a sovereign act of God can bring about re-election. Also be sure that every trick in the book will be unleashed, from sandbagging to illegal voting. As we just saw in Iowa, the person counting the votes is more important than the voters. They will do whatever it takes to acquire victoryyou can count on that. (For those interested in more information on this topic, I recommend Stephen Strangs new book, God, Trump, and the 2020 Election.) Many are angryvery angry. A video released in January showed a man identified as a campaign organizer for Senator Bernie Sanders saying cities burn if President Trump wins. He also predicted violence against police at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Where is the outcry? How is this OK? This is what is brewing beneath the surface. We as believers must be different but no less committed. Instead of burning cities, we should be on fire ourselveson our knees in prayer, on our feet at the ballot box, and passionately supporting those candidates who will fight for the unborn and for the freedom to pray in schools and who are willing to stand for what is right. Related: How Can You Follow Jesus and Support Donald Trump? As I said in a 2019 op-ed, Americas Microwave Christianity Must Change, many churches have a form of microwave Christianity. Service times last just over an hour, prayer is glanced over, worship is designed to entertain the masses, and the Word is confined to a 12-minute sound bite neatly sandwiched between a funny anecdote and a softly spoken appeal to emotion with every eye closed. How many pastors are guilty of trying to avoid offending their audience and seeking to be motivational rather than convicting? If we truly want to see revival, the face of the present-day church needs to change, starting with the pulpits. Granted, there are wonderful churches, but as a whole, we have drifted significantly off course. For example, do you ever wonder how a Christian (let alone a pastor) can embrace gay marriage and encourage it? Listen to this Fox News interview I did to find out. People are bored, they say, so our services need to be more appealing. They are not wrong in sensing the problembut they have the wrong solution. Church is boring because the power of God has vanished from many congregations; there is a lack of desire in the pulpit as well as in the pew. Like Samson, they dont realize that the Spirit of the Lord has departed (Judges 16:20). But there is hope. We can once again position ourselves to seek God: You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). To seek in this context means to find what is missing. The Hebrew word for seek has a very strong meaning. Imagine losing your child in a crowded mall. Your entire heart would be engaged. How would you spend your time? Where would your energy be concentrated? Have you ever sought the Lord in this way? Are you seeking Him this way now? Pastors and Christian leaders, we must again passionately seek God as if our nation and the future of our children depend on itbecause they do. Where is the weeping? Where are the early morning prayer meetings? Where is the fasting? In 2016, I remember many nights of prayer and early morning worship services with zero gloating. I remember seeing desperate Christians cry out to God because of the hellish direction of our Republic. We seasoned our lips with humility as we earnestly fasted and prayed for God to intervene. We must recapture that againand soon. Pride in our hearts can be deception (see Obadiah 1:3). Dont get me wrong. Many are doing exceptional things, such as calling a million young adults to fasting, motivating pastors, and mobilizing communities by building a grassroots approach. Praise God for that, but we need revival. We need an awakening. No, politics wont save America, but to implement change and help others, we must take action. Would you have remained silent in the 1800s over slavery? Of course not. We are blessed to be governed by the will of the people, hence, the political process. If we truly wish for our nation to seek God, we need the Lord to bring revival, to stir the hearts of the people again. As I said before, men must lead the chargestop the silly video games, get off Facebook, and kill your porn habit. Youre called to lead, love, and die, if necessary, for your family. We are the reason that the nation is deteriorating. We are the reason the family is breaking down. We must stop blaming everyone from God to the government and start taking responsibility. We must humble ourselves, initiate prayer meetings, and begin seeking the heart of God. Leonard Ravenhill rightly noted that the Cinderella of the church of today is the prayer meeting. The prayer meeting, if she exists at all, is relegated to a dark corner somewhere in the church on an off night so that there is little expectation that anyone will pay her any attention. She goes about unnoticed, unloved, and uncelebrated, yet she is the one who keeps the house clean. Its time for Cinderella to go to the ballto get dressed for our King and seek His face for grace and mercy, to intercede on behalf of our nation. We must respond with humility and repent of our sins. We must be grateful and thankful because we are blessed beyond measure. Pastors, it's time to stop worrying about who will be offended by your sermons (watch the sermon, When The Weak Are Destroyed By The Powerful here). Its time to stop tip-toeing through the lilies of political correctness. Its time to seek powerful sermons rather than popular ones. Some people will leave your churchit is true. Truth divides, and those seeking to have their itching ears tickled will move on to less convicting pastures. But the strength of the church is in her purity, not in her numbers. Start a prayer meeting and make it the heartbeat of the church. Even if only a handful of people show up, God is looking for faithfulness, not numbers. He doesnt need the majority; He is the majority. Prayer can no longer be a footnote at the end of a sermonprayer must be the priority across the landscape. Remember, it only took 12 men empowered by Gods Spirit to change the world. We must return to prayer, real prayer that shakes heaven. Our gun safes are full, but our prayer closets are empty. The 2020 election is yours to lose. God help us. Follow me on Facebook for motivation and encouragement as we move forward into 2020. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Joe Raedle/Staff Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the WCF Radio Network. More can be found at ShaneIdleman.com, including free downloads of his eBooks. Visit him on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to his new podcast, Idleman Unplugged. You can also follow Pastor Shane on the new free speech platform Parler. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched an initiative to pardon gay and lesbian Californians prosecuted for having sex with someone of the same gender, starting with a civil rights leader convicted nearly 70 years ago. Newsom announced an executive order Wednesday establishing the new clemency initiative focused on people who were convicted of consensual same-sex encounters, which he said would right an egregious wrong. The order was signed in conjunction with a posthumous pardon for Bayard Rustin, a key strategist in the civil rights movement. In 1953, he and two other men were arrested in Pasadena after they were found having sex in a car. Police described the incident as an attack for sexual gratification. Rustin pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor lewd vagrancy charge and served 50 days in jail. In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically, Newsom said in a statement. Gay and African American legislators had urged the governor last month to pardon Rustin, who died in 1987. Rustin became a close adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 1950s, introducing King to Mahatma Gandhis teachings on nonviolence resistance and helping plan the 1963 March on Washington. But his arrest and life as an openly gay man forced him to remain in the background, as opponents tried to use Rustins criminal record against the movement. Rustin was a great American who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a San Diego Democrat and chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement. This pardon assures his place in history. Newsom said that under the executive order, his office would seek to identify people who had been targeted for their sexuality with charges like vagrancy, loitering and sodomy and clear their records. A state law criminalizing consensual sex between adults of the same gender was repealed in 1975. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who chairs the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, called the initiative a huge step forward in our communitys ongoing quest for full acceptance and justice. Generations of LGBT people including countless gay men were branded criminals and sex offenders simply because they had consensual sex, he said in a statement. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff Editors note: This story was updated to add comments from a spokeswoman for Dickinson College. A sit-in at Dickinson College by students demanding changes to the way the college handles sexual misconduct cases will continue at least another night, said student organizer Rose McAvoy. But students met with college President Margee Ensign Tuesday and got a positive reception to many of their demands, McAvoy said. While McAvoy said Ensign agreed to about 10 of the students 17 demands, but further negotiations are needed regarding the remaining demands and the details of how any changes will be implemented. We came into this knowing that getting all 17 demands would be difficult, so thats not necessarily our end-all be-all, McAvoy said. But she said the sit-in would continue until a signed agreement is in place spelling out the details. College spokesperson Christine Baksi agreed the talks were productive. I can tell you that progress has been made as President Ensign today had several meetings and conversations with student leaders, she said in a statement released Tuesday night. The protest remains peaceful, and the conversations are productive. The sit-in at the colleges Holland Union Building began Monday with more than 250 students -- about 10 percent of the student body taking part. About 100 students spent the night in the building, and McAvoy said Tuesday evening that about the same number would participate that night. McAvoy, a senior whose family lives in Orlando, Florida, triggered the protest when she went public last week in a column in the student newspaper, The Dickinsonian,with her personal story of being sexually assaulted and how the college handled its investigation into that assault in late October 2017. She detailed problems with the investigation that included its length (seven months), what she felt was lack of support and punishment for her attacker of a semesters probation that she says called into question how seriously Dickinson viewed the situation. She and her fellow protesters are pushing for a list of demands that include: COMMERCE, Texas A man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a double murder that police say appeared to target his ex-girlfriend in a campus dormitory. Also killed was a sister of the intended victim. A 2-year-old boy also suffered wounds, school officials at Texas A&M University-Commerce said. Police said Jacques Dshawn Smith, 21, was arrested on a charge of capital murder in the shooting deaths Monday of Deja Matts, 19, and Abbaney Matts, 20, at Pride Rock residence hall on the campus in Commerce, about 65 miles northeast of Dallas. Officials said Deja Matts, of the Dallas suburb of Garland, was a freshman at the university pursuing a bachelors degree in public health. Officials said Smith is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts. Neither Abbaney Matts nor Smith were students at the school. Law enforcement officers gather outside of Pride Rock residence hall following a shooting, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, at Texas A&M University-Commerce in Commerce, Texas. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via AP) ORG XMIT: TXDAM402 The wounded 2-year-old was Abbaney Matts son. The child has been released from the hospital and is being cared for by family, officials said. Prior to announcing the arrest of Smith Tuesday afternoon, police had not identified a shooter or said they were seeking a suspect in the shooting. Police had said it appeared to have been a targeted, isolated event. Police said an arrest warrant for Smith was obtained through the use of surveillance and witness tips. It was unclear where Smith was being held or if he had an attorney. The university has canceled classes until Thursday and said counselors are available for students. On Tuesday, police released audio of the 911 call they received Monday morning from a student who said shed returned to her dorm room after class and found a hole in her wall with a nick in her calendar directly across from it. So it looks like something was shot through the wall and hit my calendar. And the wall is like all broken apart, she said. She said she tried to look for an object that would have fallen once it hit but she couldnt find anything. In October, two people were killed and a dozen others injured in an off-campus shooting at a homecoming and Halloween party involving Texas A&M-Commerce students. CONTRIBUTING: Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect arrested in Texas A&M University-Commerce shooting GRANITE CITY The Gori Law Firm has expansed its practice with an office at 2862 Madison Ave., Granite City. We have a large number of clients in the Granite City area, so it makes sense to open a new location for their convenience, said Sara Salger, managing partner of The Gori Law Firm. We also have a tremendously skilled team of attorneys who constantly strive to bring results to those suffering as a result of asbestos exposure, flooding, medical malpractice, and workplace injuries. With the addition of this new location, we are even better suited to accomplish that goal. Donald Trumps State of the Union address was bookended by two dramatic encounters with the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, beginning with the president appearing to reject her handshake and ending with Pelosi dramatically ripping up a copy of his speech. The night got off to an awkward start when Pelosi the most senior Democrat in Congress, who initiated the impeachment inquiry into Trump extended her hand as the president approached to take his place at the podium. But Trump snubbed her, turning away without accepting it. Pelosi, who was seated along with the vice-president, Mike Pence, behind Trumps podium in the House chamber, merely smiled and sat down. It was the pairs first encounter since October, when Democrats had walked out of a meeting with Trump on Syria after he called her a third-rate politician. After the president concluded his 78-minute address, Pelosi ripped up the paper copy of his speech she had in front of her with a pointed flourish. Asked by reporters why she tore up the speech, she responded: It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative. Elaborating later, she called the speech a manifesto of mistruths and said Trumps words gave no comfort to families looking for better healthcare options and he was not truthful about his healthcare policies. The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people. #SOTU https://t.co/7rUFbhWDDQ Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 5, 2020 The White House accused Pelosi of disrespecting some of the people Trump has singled out during his address, including one of the last surviving Tuskegee airmen, the first black military aviators who served in the second world war, and a serving military officer who was reunited with his family in a surprise reality TV-style moment. Story continues Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy. The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020 And Trumps allies were quick to condemn Pelosi. The Republican National Commitee quickly began circulating the video Pelosi tearing up the speech, as some political commentators predicted the clip would soon find its way into a Republican attack ad. Longtime congressional reporters said Pelosis destruction of the speech underscored what an unprecedented State of the Union it was, pointing out Republicans campaign-style cheers of four more years as Trump stood before them. The tension between Pelosi and Trump overshadowed Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and Texas congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who delivered the official Democratic responses to the State of the Union. Escobar delivered her thoughts in Spanish, addressing the subject that Trump had studiously avoided impeachment. Sabemos que el presidente Trump violo su juramento al pedirle a otro pais que interfiriera en nuestras elecciones, she said, which translates as: We know that President Trump violated his oath by asking for foreign interference. The presidents third State of the Union speech fell on the eve of his likely acquittal by Republican loyalists in the Senates impeachment trial, a process kickstarted when Pelosi announced the House impeachment inquiry more than four months ago. Trump was impeached in the House in December. In another testy moment on Tuesday night, Pelosi also ignored the traditional introduction of the president as he walked into the chamber. Eschewing the usual language, in which the House speaker says, Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States, Pelosi simply introduced Trump by saying: Members of Congress, the President of the United States. Donald Trump declines to shake Nancy Pelosis hand before his State of the Union address. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock The scene on Tuesday night in Washington presented a potentially uncomfortable juxtaposition for Trump, considering the State of the Union is held in the same room where the House voted to impeach him in December. Pelosi had reportedly warned her caucus members to remain dignified if Trump veers into taunting them over the impeachment trial. Several well-known House Democrats, including the congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, opted to boycott the event altogether, citing Trumps contempt for Congress and our constitution. It wasnt the first time Pelosi has made waves during Trumps State of the Union. A clip of her clapping in a sarcastic manner during Trumps 2019 State of the Union speech went viral, prompting a slew of memes and praise for her world-class skills in the art of the subtle diss. She has won a reputation for being able to get under Trumps skin in a series of other incidents ranging from spats over policy to using air quotes when talking about Trumps mind to saying that she prays for the president. The Public Prosecution Service of the Netherlands has said that indictments against four suspects in the case on the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in Donbas in the summer of 2014 have been issued back on June 19, 2019. The procedure of serving writs of summons is being carried out so that the suspects become aware that they are summoned to court. A representative of the Public Prosecution Service of the Netherlands, who is in charge of the investigation into the MH17 case, Brechtje van de Moosdijk, gave such an explanation to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent on Wednesday, while commenting on reports on the issue which have been circulated by the media recently. "The indictment took place already on June 19, 2019. What happens after the indictment, is that the so called "writ of summons" is issued to the defendants, so that they are aware that they are summoned to court," she said, adding that this procedure takes a while. "At the court hearing at March 9, 2020 the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service will outline the steps followed to the judges," she said. As reported, on June 19, 2019, the Public Prosecution Service of the Netherlands made public the names of four suspects in the MH17 case: Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko. Recently it became known that two Dutch lawyers will defend Oleg Pulatov in court. No information about defenders of the rest of the suspects has been reported yet. The trial will start on March 9, 2020 at the Schiphol Judicial Complex regardless of whether the suspects and their defense lawyers will be present or not. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 traveling from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) was downed over Donbas on July 17, 2014. None of the 298 people on board survived the crash. Later it became known that the plane was downed by a surface-to-air missile fired by a Buk air defense system from the territory uncontrolled by the Ukrainian government. Sanders vulnerabilities, Chait writes, are enormous and untested. No party nomination, with the possible exception of Barry Goldwater in 1964, has put forth a presidential nominee with the level of downside risk exposure as a Sanders-led ticket would bring. Chait bolstered his critique of those arguing for full-throated support of the most liberal policies by citing the success of moderates and the defeat of more radical candidates in flipping seats from Republican to Democrat in the 2018 congressional elections. The recruitment of moderates by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Chait writes, was a good strategy to win the House. Democrats flipped 40 seats. Tellingly, while progressives managed to nominate several candidates in red districts Kara Eastman in Nebraska, Richard Ojeda in West Virginia, and many others any one of whose victory they would have cited as proof that left-wing candidates can win Trump districts, not a single one of them prevailed in November. Our Revolution went 022, Justice Democrats went 016, and Brand New Congress went 06. The failed technocratic 26-year-old bourgeoisie shills who were doing it wrong somehow accounted for 100 percent of the partys House gains. Sanderss ascendancy in the nomination fight places the Democratic Party in a double bind. Not only is he potentially a dangerously weak general election candidate but, if an Anybody-But-Bernie movement materializes and successfully defeats him at the convention, Sanders supporters more than backers of any other major candidates are likely to bolt on Election Day and vote for either a third-party candidate or even Trump (as many Sanders supporters did in 2016), or sit out the contest altogether. In 2016, more than 7 million votes were cast for third-party candidates, more than enough to have given the election to Hillary Clinton. A January 22-23 Emerson College survey asked Democratic primary voters will you vote for the Democratic nominee even if it is not your candidate? 87 percent of Joe Biden supporters said yes, as did 90 percent of those backing Elizabeth Warren and 86 percent of those aligned with Pete Buttigieg. 53 percent of Sanders supporters said yes, 16 percent said no, and 31 percent said they were undecided. If that were not enough, Sanders loyalists have been primed by their belief that in 2016 the Democratic National Committee backed Hillary Clinton and view the Democratic establishment with deep suspicion as evidenced by the displays of anger and resentment toward party leaders at two Sanders events earlier this month in Iowa. As Michael Tomasky pointed out in a Daily Beast article on Feb, 4, Iowa Caucuses on the First Day of Whats Poised to be the Ugliest Democratic Primary Fight Ever, if Sanders becomes the clear front-runner and the party establishment tries to block him, the story line will be that party establishment corporatist hacks are moving heaven and earth to thwart the pure insurgent, the man of the people. The Sanders army will push it, and so will Trump and Fox News and the Republican Party, because they want Sanders as their opponent. Fox is going to run more poor Bernie stories than Jacobin. There are election analysts, including a number of conservatives, who say that they believe that Sanders would be a credible nominee with a good chance of beating Trump. In Dont Believe Anyone Who Says Bernie Sanders Cant Win, David French, who used to write for National Review and is now published in The Dispatch, argued on Jan. 30: Every single factor that caused reluctant Republicans to hold their noses and vote for Trump will apply to reluctant Democrats. Binary choice, theyll hear. Judges, theyll declare. And, unlike 2016, when a host of people on both sides of the aisle thought there was no way that Hillary Clinton would lose to Donald Trump, not a single member of the Democratic coalition will be complacent. Theyll attack the election with fierce moral urgency. Now imagine, French continued, not just a theater full of young, hopeful faces. Imagine stadiums. Imagine that enthusiasm and sense of hope magnified by a mainstream media (especially online) that will march happily behind Bernies banner. French concluded: We coldhearted analysts and nerds always seem to underestimate the power of victory and hope. If Bernie wins the nomination, he would have triumphed over impossible odds and a small army of scoffers. Just like Trump. If Bernie wins, his core base voters will start to believe that their dreams can be a reality, and theyll stand with him even if he shoots a man on Fifth Avenue. Along similar lines, Drew Holden, a Republican consultant, wrote Of course Bernie Sanders can win, on Feb. 3 in The Washington Post: All of these criticisms ignore Sanderss considerable strengths. He commands a passionate, dedicated and active army of volunteers and small-dollar donors. Sanderss message, whether you agree with it or not, is consistent and resonates deeply with millions of Americans. On the liberal side, Matthew Yglesias took on the assignment of making the best case for Bernie Sanders in Vox: Bernie Sanders can unify Democrats and beat Trump in 2020: The Vermont senator is unique in combining an authentic, values-driven political philosophy with a surprisingly pragmatic, veteran-legislator approach to getting things done. This pairing makes him the enthusiastic favorite of non-Republicans who dont necessarily love the Democratic Party, without genuinely threatening whats important to partisan Democrats. Toward the end of his essay, however, Yglesias sounds more skeptical. At the end of the day, Sanderss record is not nearly as scary as many establishment Democrats fear. His revolution rhetoric doesnt make sense to me, but hes been an effective mayor and legislator for a long time, Yglesias writes, adding Some of his big ideas are not so hot on the merits, but its not worth worrying about them because the political revolution is so unrealistic. Most political scientists I contacted this week saw greater disadvantages for the Democratic Party in a Sanders nomination than in the possible selection of other leading candidates. The National Industrial Court has ordered the Nigerian Army to reinstate another senior officer, Muhammed Suleiman. This is the fifth such judgement since the military authorities illegally dismissed several officers in 2016. Justice Sanusi Kado delivered the judgement on Wednesday at the headquarters of the industrial court in Abuja. The judge held that the compulsory retirement of Mr Suleiman, a Colonel, had no basis, is null and void and of no effect. He said the army has not proved anything that would warrant the dismissal of the claim by Mr Suleiman. Mr Suleiman, like several others, was never queried nor indicted by the army before he was arbitrarily forced out of service. The judge ordered the army to reinstate the officer and pay him all his entitlements up to the date of reinstatement. Before Wednesdays judgement in Mr Suleimans case, the industrial court had previously asked the army to reinstate four other affected officers. Last year, Nwokoro Ijeoma, a major general, and Danladi Hassan, a colonel, separately won their cases against the army. On January 14 and 16 this year, the court also ordered the army to reinstate two other officers, Abdulfatai Mohammed and Thomas Arigbe, both lieutenant colonels. Details later When Iranian-born German academic Erfan Kasraie received an email from The Wall Street Journal requesting an interview, he sensed something was amiss. The 12 November note purportedly came from Farnaz Fassihi, a veteran Iranian-American journalist who covers the Middle East. Yet it read more like a fan letter, asking Mr Kasraie to share his important achievements to motivate the youth of our beloved country. This interview is a great honour for me, the note gushed. Another red flag: the follow-up email that instructed Mr Kasraie to enter his Google password to see the interview questions. The phoney request was in reality an attempt to break into Mr Kasraie's email account. The incident is part of a wider effort to impersonate journalists in hacking attempts that three cybersecurity firms said they have tied to the Iranian government, which rejected the claim. The incidents come to light at a time when the US government has warned of Iranian cyber threats in the wake of the US air strike that killed Iran's second most powerful official, major-general Qassem Soleimani. The 20 worst countries for press freedom Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 worst countries for press freedom The 20 worst countries for press freedom 20. Tajikistan Due to government pressure worsened by an economic crisis, most independent news outlets have closed, many journalists have fled the country and those who remain self-censor. Tajikistan has dropped 12 places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 19. Libya Due to the instability of recent years, journalists are at great risk when working in Libya. One journalist has been killed so far this year in the country. Libya remains in the same place as 2018 in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 18. Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has further damaged press freedom in Egypt. The government often bans media outlets and has blocked over 500 websites. There are currently 25 journalists in jail in Egypt making it one of the worst countries for imprisoning journalists in the world. Egypt has dropped two places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 17. Somalia Three journalists were killed in Somalia in 2018 while a further three survived or eluded attempts on their life. Journalists also risk torture or the closure of their media outlets at the hands of the government. Despite this, Somalia has risen four places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 16. Equatorial Guinea The media in Equatorial Guinea is closely controlled by the government. Coverage of the Arab Spring, fighting in Mali and Syria and the fall of Burkina Faso's president was completely banned. Despite this, Equatorial Guinea has risen six places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 15. Azerbaijan Independent journalists are often detained and later jailed if they do not submit to beating, blackmail or bribes. The government also blocks access to independent media websites. Azerbaijan has dropped three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 14. Bahrain Journalists, particularly photographers, are often jailed, sometimes for life. In detention, journalists have been mistreated and even stripped of their citizenship. It is difficult for foreign journalists to access the country. Bahrain has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 13. Yemen The ongoing war in Yemen makes working there risky for journalists. The Houthi rebels are holding at least 16 journalists and Al-Qaeda holds one. Yemen has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 12. Cuba The Cuban government has maintained control over the media since the now-deceased Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Privately-owned media is prohibited by the constitution. Improved access to the internet and the election of Miguel Diaz-Canel as president in 2018 are thought to spell hope for the future of press freedom in the country. Cuba has risen three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 11. Iran Iran has been one of the world's most oppressive countries for journalists ever since the revolution of 1979. Journalists are often handed lengthy jail sentences in unfair trials. Iran has dropped six places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 10. Laos The government of Laos exercises complete control over the media. Use of the internet is heavily regulated by the state and less than 10% of the population are online. Since 2016, foreign news outlets have only been able to set up offices in the country on the condition that they submit all content for censorship by the ruling Lao Revolutionary people's party. Laos has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 9. Saudi Arabia Independent media are not permitted in Saudi Arabia. Saudi journalists working abroad are kept under close surveillance as demonstrated by the murder of New York Times reporter Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in October 2018. Critical journalists are often jailed on arbitrary terms and likely subject to torture. Saudi Arabia has dropped three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 8.Djibouti No private media operate in Djibouti. The government uses state media solely for propaganda purposes. La Voix de Djibouti, the only independent media outlet dedicated to the country, operates from Belgium, but it is blocked online in Djibouti. The country remains in the same place as 2018 in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 7. Syria Due to the ongoing civil war, working as a journalist in Syria is extremely dangerous. At least ten journalists were killed in 2018, three of whom were victims of murder. All parties involved in the conflict are hostile to journalists. Despite this, Syria has risen three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 6. Sudan Journalists bore the brunt of the regime's crackdown on protests that have been ongoing since December 2018 with over 100 in jail at the time of Omar al-Bashir's overthrow. The situation for journalists has not improved since the military coup in April as the new rulers quickly moved to shut down the offices of Al Jazeera and banned its staff from working in the country. Sudan has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 5. Vietnam All major outlets are tightly regulated by the government. Independent journalists are persecuted and jailed under laws outlawing "activities aimed at overthrowing the government, anti-state propaganda and abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state." Vietnam has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 4. China While state owned media are allowed in China, they are closely controlled by the government and the most widely circulated new source in China is entirely state owned. The internet is tightly regulated. Over 60 journalists are currently detained and held in poor conditions, two recently died from cancers that were left untreated after their capture. China has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 3. Eritrea Independent media is not permitted in Eritrea. Reporters without Borders believe that there are at least 11 journalists in jail here but the government will not confirm this nor will it allow the suspected prisoners any access to their families or lawyers. Despite this, Eritrea has risen one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 2. North Korea Kim Jong Un's regime exercise near total control over all media and communications. More foreign media have been allowed access the country in recent years albeit under extremely strict conditions set by the government. Despite this, North Korea has risen one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 1. Turkmenistan All media in Turkmenistan are controlled by the government. The few internet users can only access a strictly censored web. Journalists are harassed, arrested and tortured. Authorities have recently taken to removing satellite dishes around the cities, ostensibly to make the cities prettier but in reality to cut off citizen's potential to access uncontrolled news coverage. Turkmenistan has dropped two places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. In a report published on Wednesday, London-based cybersecurity company Certfa tied the impersonation of Ms Fassihi to a hacking group nicknamed Charming Kitten, which has long been associated with Iran. Israeli firm ClearSky Cyber Security provided Reuters with documentation of similar impersonations of two media figures at CNN and Deutsche Welle, a German public broadcaster. ClearSky also linked the hacking attempts to Charming Kitten, describing the individuals targeted as Israeli academics or researchers who study Iran. ClearSky declined to give the specific number of people targeted or to name them, citing client confidentiality. Iran denies operating or supporting any hacking operation. Alireza Miryousefi, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations, said that firms claiming otherwise are merely participants in the disinformation campaign against Iran. Reuters uncovered similar hacking attempts on two other targets, which the two cybersecurity firms, along with a third firm, Atlanta-based Secureworks, said also appeared to be the work of Charming Kitten. Azadeh Shafiee, an anchor for London-based satellite broadcaster Iran International, was impersonated by hackers in attempts to break into the accounts of a relative of hers in London and Prague-based Iranian filmmaker Hassan Sarbakhshian. Mr Sarbakhshian - who fled the Islamic Republic amid a crackdown that saw the arrest of several fellow photojournalists in 2009 - was also targeted with an email that claimed to be from Ms Fassihi. The message asked him to sign a contract to sell some of his pictures to The Wall Street Journal. Mr Sarbakhshian said in an interview that he was suspicious of the message and didn't respond. Neither did the ruse fool Mr Kasraie, an academic who frequently appears on television criticising Iran's government. "I understood 100 per cent that it was a trap," he said in an interview. That's not surprising given the hackers' sloppy tactics. For instance, they missed the fact that Ms Fassihi had left The Wall Street Journal last year for a new job at The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal declined to comment. Ms Fassihi referred questions to The New York Times, which in a statement called the impersonation a vivid example of the challenges journalists are facing around the globe. US officials and cybersecurity experts see Iran as a digital threat. Earlier this month, the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued alerts about the threat of Iranian cyberattacks following the controversial US attack that killed Soleimani. Microsoft, which tracks attempts to undermine election security, in October accused Charming Kitten of targeting a US presidential campaign; sources told Reuters at the time that the campaign was Donald Trump's. Homeland Security and FBI spokespeople declined to comment on the recent impersonations identified by Reuters. Certfa, ClearSky, and Secureworks said they could be tied to Charming Kitten through a study of the tactics, targets, and digital infrastructure involved - including servers, link shortening services, and domain registration patterns. Reuters Two men were arrested by the Pune police while one person was booked by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police for uploading illicit content, involving children, on the internet. The incidents were brought to light based on tip-offs received from the cyber crime cell of the Director General of Maharashtra Police office. They have sent multiple urls from Pune area. As and when the urls are getting tracked, we are sending cases to respective police stations. Two cases have already been registered. More will be registered soon, said Sambhaji Kadam, deputy commissioner of police, cyber crime and economic offences wing. The two arrested by Pune police have been identified as Rajkaran Saroj, 24, and his younger brother Manojkumar Saroj, 19, both residents of Guruwar peth. They were produced in a local court and remanded to one day in police custody on Wednesday. They say that they got the visuals from somewhere else and uploaded it on a video website. From what theyre saying, we will have to investigate whether they shot the videos or not, said PN Pisal, official from the Khadak police station. The person booked by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police has been identified, only by his social media profile, as Imanur Biswas. A case under Section 65(b) of Information Technology Act and Section 14(1) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act was registered at the Khadak police station in Pune police and Wakad police station in Pimpri-Chinchwad police jurisdiction. Police inspector (crime) Uttam Chakre of Khadak police station and police sub-inspector S Maner of Wakad police station, respectively, are investigating the cases. The source of these videos will be investigated by the police. American Airlines said Tuesday it has suspended flights to Hong Kong through Feb. 20 due to weak demand , and United Airlines will do the same next weekend. Interest in travel to Hong Kong was already weakened by months of anti-government protests in the city, and has fallen off more recently as the coronavirus outbreak spreads in China. On Tuesday, officials in Hong Kong reported the first death from the virus in the semi-autonomous territory, fanning fear that the virus is spreading locally. China reported 425 deaths and more than 20,000 confirmed cases, up sharply from figures the day before. United, American and Delta Air Lines all announced they would suspend flights to mainland China shortly after the State Department issued an advisory last week telling Americans not to travel there. However, American continued to fly to Hong Kong from Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth, and United kept flights from San Francisco. Delta had not served Hong Kong. Several hours after Americans announcement on Tuesday, United said it too would suspend Hong Kong flights beginning Saturday and running through Feb. 20. It cited the continued drop in demand. In another sign of fading interest in traveling to Hong Kong, Disney said Tuesday that attendance and hotel stays in Hong Kong were down because of recent events. The company didnt elaborate. The photography award that celebrates the lighter side of nature is back for 2020. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, now in its sixth year, is open for entries. Along with the funny pictures, the competition's organisers hope to draw attention to environmental issues and promote wildlife conservation. Entries will be accepted until 31 May, with the organisers expecting more photographers than ever to submit their funniest pictures. Wildlife television presenter Kate Humble, comedian Hugh Dennis and renowned nature photographer Will Burrard-Lucas are all returning as judges of the contest. After the judges cast their final votes, whoever is crowned Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year will win a week-long safari trip in Kenya. As this year's competition commences, The Independent has compiled some of the best pictures from previous years in the gallery above. Microsoft has announced price increases for its Office 365 Personal and Home products in South Africa. Starting from 19 February 2020, the annual subscription fee for Office 365 Personal will be increased from R899 to R999. It will also be available at a monthly rate of R99. Additionally, the annual subscription fee for Office 365 Home will increase from R1,199 to R1,399, or R139 per month. Users will be charged these new prices unless they choose to cancel their subscription before 19 February. The company said the increases were implemented to address changing market conditions. The Office 365 Personal package includes the Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Outlook programs, in addition to the OneDrive cloud storage service and Skype video calling application. The Microsoft Office 365 price changes are detailed below: Package Old Price New Price Office 365 Home R1,199 R1,399 Office 365 Personal R899 R999 Microsoft piracy in Africa Microsoft previously told MyBroadband that piracy of its software is worse in South Africa and other African countries than in other parts of the world. Only a third of PCs shipped to Africa include genuine software, which makes the region a prime target for malware attacks and data breaches. Microsoft EMEA vice president of consumer and device sales Bradley Hopkinson said the company wants this to change. We have high aspirations to bring piracy almost to zero across Africa. We see a world across Africa where we can get genuine Windows in excess of 80% and even higher, Hopkinson said. To address this, Microsoft launched its Windows PC Affordability in Africa Initiative, which aims to reduce the prevalence of Microsoft software piracy in the African market. Now read: Microsoft issues new Windows 7 patch By Laman Ismayilova When it comes to animation, it is equally enjoyable for both kids and adults. In Azerbaijan, this visual art of making a motion picture arises interest in native and foreign viewers thanks to the country's first International Animation Festival (ANIMAFILM). The large-scale event receives worldwide recognition for its contribution to this art form. Since 2018, the festival introduces a variety of works expanding the scope of animation. The festival, headed by film director Rashid Aghamaliyev brings together talented artists and their films to display their talents. In his interview with Azernews, Rashid Aghamaliyev shared the amazing story behind the festival. Like all of us, Aghamaliyev showed a great interest in animation from a very young age. His childhood passion revived after a major obstacle. "My interest in animation revived a couple of years ago when I was in the hospital after a heart surgery. So, I started watching cartoons out of boredom," he said. However, his childhood passion has grown into large-scale festival, one of its kind in Azerbaijan. Looking back, one can see how far the festival has come since its establishment. Last year, the festival aroused great interest among spectators. "Our main goal is to contribute to the development of national animation. We have created a platform for professionals working in this field, as well as for ordinary viewers. We hold this festival for the second year in a row, show dozens of interesting cartoons and bring together animation professionals from abroad... said Aghamaliyev. Last year, the festival was attended by animation professionals from France and Greece. Moreover, the festival organizers created ANIMAFILM School, where they are teaching children and adults animation. "ANIMAFILM School will operate year-round. The first lesson was held in December last year and aroused great interest in both children and adults. Permanent lessons will begin from the end of February, classes will be free and anyone can sign up for them. It is enough to inform us by email: [email protected]," the festival's director said. The 2nd ANIMAFILM Baku International Animation Festival started its work with a large conference devoted to Azerbaijani animation - its past and present. The history of Azerbaijani animation was also highlighted in a book. The total number of authors was 13 people, including Honored Art Worker Aydin Kazimzade, film historian and writer Sevinj Azimova, Aygun Aslanova, Aliya Dadasheva, Kamala Rzayeva, Andrey Hovanec, Dadash Mammadov, Leyla Novruzi, Elchin Orujev, Gennady Tischenko and Rashid Aghamaliyev himself. "As I graduated from the film studies department, I always wanted to write a historical work about the Azerbaijani cinema. I had plenty of time in the hospital and I began to study the history of Azerbaijani animation and found that nothing had been written about it yet. So the idea of the book was born. However, very soon I understood that I couldnt finish it all by myself. So, I asked for help from other film experts, both Azerbaijani and my friends from the Czech Republic, Iran, Turkey and Russia. And we started working on the book in a large team. As a result, we got a 400 pages publication, which tells about the history of Azerbaijani animation from the 30s of the last century to the present days," he said. "In a word, this book has become an international project. The book Azerbaijani Animation is not an encyclopedia or a catalog, but a publication written in a popular scientific style that will be interesting to both professionals and a wide range of readers, including children. The book is published in Azerbaijani and Russian. Thanks to the research of Azerbaijani and European film experts, the reader will learn a lot about the development of this art form in Azerbaijan. The book first published unique materials provided by Azerbaijani film directors and artists," he added. Now, the preparations for the 3rd ANIMFILM festival are underway. The festival will take place in Baku on October 14-18. The theme of the festival will be French animation. The event is supported by the Azerbaijan Union of Film-makers, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, French Institute, the French Embassy and the Czech Embassy in Azerbaijan. Speaking about his favorite films, the film director noted the works of Yuri Norstein (Tale of Tales), Michael Dudok de Wit ( The Red Turtle), and Jiri Trnka (The Hand). I am also inspired by a lot of young film directors who send their works to the festival. While selecting films for the festival, I have to watch 500-600 works a year. That's why I become very picky... But several films are sure to remain in my memory and most often they win at international festivals. The film "Daughter" by Daria Kashcheeva, who is the winner of our festival, proves that", said Aghamaliyev. As for himself, the film director prefers deep thoughtful films. He is also a big fan of stop-motion technique which breathes life into motionless objects. "I really like animation, I want animation industry to be established in our country and I hope to make my contribution to the development of this beautiful art form in Azerbaijan. I believe that animation and art in general can bring many wonderful moments to our lives," he concluded. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Love Island reject Sophie Piper has insisted she is not in a relationship with her reality TV beau Connor Durman. The pair were thrown together in an awkward reunion on spin-off show Aftersun on Monday night, after Sophie was flown back to London from South Africa having being dumped from the villa. Connor had been booted off the show a week prior, having been coupled up with Sophie. Not a thing! Love Island reject Sophie Piper has insisted she is not in a relationship with her reality TV beau Connor Durman And during a radio interview on Will Njobvus radio show on Capital XTRA alongside fellow evictee Leanne Amaning, Sophie was sure to clear up the relationship status. 'No we are not together at all!' Sophie, 21, declared. 'We are just seeing each other! It's a situation-ship. I will get to know him, go on dates with him.' She added: 'He's met both of my sisters at Aftersun the other day. I've met his sister. They think he's lovely. They approve.' One of Sophie's sisters is presenter Rochelle Humes - although this was not referenced during her time in the villa at all. Giddy: During a radio interview on Capital XTRA alongside fellow evictee Leanne Amaning, Sophie was sure to clear up the relationship status Reunited: Sophie and Conner were thrown together in an awkward reunion on spin-off show Aftersun on Monday night, after Sophie was flown back to London from South Africa after being dumped from the villa Clearing things up: 'No we are not together at all!' Sophie, 21, declared. 'We are just seeing each other! It's a situation-ship. I will get to know him, go on dates with him' Sophie also has an identical twin sister called Lili. Rochelle had kept tight-lipped about her younger sibling's on-screen romance throughout her time on the show. But the 30-year-old called Connor 'lovely' and gave her sisterly seal of approval on Tuesday. Sophie and Leanne were in great spirits as they headed to their radio interview, both in black jackets and clutching refreshments. They giggled together as they walked along, despite their short-lived Long Island journeys coming to abrupt ends. She added: 'He's met both of my sisters at Aftersun the other day. I've met his sister. They think he's lovely. They approve' Recoupled: Love Island's Sophie Piper has revealed her This Morning presenter sister Rochelle Humes has already met 'lovely' Connor Durman and given her seal of approval Sophie strutted along in leather trousers and a cream jumper, while Leanne donned an electric blue dress. Both were preened to perfection, despite recently de-boarding long-haul flights. Saturday's star Rochelle wished her sibling luck before she jetted off to South Africa by sharing a sweet note her six-year-old daughter Alaia-Mai had penned for her auntie on Instagram. Since the tender message, Rochelle has kept staunchly silent about her baby sister's Love Island shenanigans. Tight lipped: Rochelle has kept staunchly silent about her baby sister's Love Island shenanigans, after being reunited with her two years ago after 23 years of estrangement Rochelle was reunited with Sophie and twin Lili at a Christmas party two years ago following 23 years of estrangement after father Mark Piper walked out of the family home and never returned when she was three-years old. In a strange twist of fate, Love Island winner Kem Cetinay, a close friend of Sophie's, helped bring the siblings together at the festive bash after a chance meeting with Rochelle at an industry party. Clearly a protective big sister, Rochelle has avoided getting embroiled in the online commentary about Sophie's island experience, but made sure to meet her new beau as soon as possible. Sophie has had her fair share of drama during her South African stay, most notably fending off the advances of Mike Boateng, 24, after love rival Connor was booted off the island. 'Go Sophie you are the best': Rochelle's six-year-old daughter Alaia-Mai wrote her auntie Sophie a good luck message ahead of her Love Island debut Cute: Sophie's identical twin sister Lili Piper took to Instagram to share a video of the pair cosying up following their reunion on Love Island's Aftersun on Monday Reunited: The couple visited Westfield Stratford following Aftersun appearance Sophie and Conner couldn't contain their delight at seeing each other again and giggled their way through the interview with show host Laura Whitmore, 34, on Monday's Aftersun. Despite the palpable air of amour, Sophie told The Sun that after the show the pair slept in different hotel rooms and are still waiting to enjoy their first date. 'Obviously we've both been so busy, but he's coming back down to London tomorrow so hopefully I'll see him again then,' she said. A lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels has appeared in federal appeals court in an attempt to bring back a defamation lawsuit she file against Donald Trump for a tweet in which he appeared to call her a liar. A judge threw out the case in October 2018 and ordered Daniels to pay Trump's attorney's fees, saying the tweet where he accused Daniels of 'a total con job' was protected by free-speech laws. The April 2018 tweet came after Daniels revealed a sketch of an unknown man who she claimed threatened her in a parking lot in 2011 in an effort to quiet her from speaking about her alleged affair with Trump. 'A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!' Trump's tweet read. The president's lawyer was also present in Tuesday's hearing, arguing that Trump's 2018 tweet is nothing more than a 'hyperbolic statement'. A federal judge threw out porn star Stormy Daniels' defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump in October 2018 and ordered her to to pay his attorney's fees. But now Daniels' lawyers are appealing the ruling Daniels sued the president for this April 2018 tweet in which he appeared to call her a liar Trump's lawyer Charles Harder defended the judge's ruling to throw out the case and claimed that the president's tweet was in no way a factual claim that Daniels was lying. Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement days before the 2016 presidential election 'It's important for the full context to be considered,' Harder said before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California. 'This was a hyperbolic statement being made by the third party. And the president made a hyperbolic statement accompanying that and retweeting it.' Harder also pointed out similar features between the sketch of the alleged man who threatened Daniels and Daniels' ex husband. Two of the three judges asked Harder about Trump's 'nonexistent man' comment, asking whether Trump's statements could be seen as an attack on Daniels' honesty. 'It's an opinion,' Harder said. 'When he says ''nonexistent'' and he says ''con job,'' he's saying, ''I don't believe this. I'm not buying it. My opinion is I think she has a credibility issue or she has a veracity issue. I don't believe her story.'' 'It's the modern day equivalent of calling B.S. or saying bunk or malarkey or hooey or garbage or I don't buy it.' Judge Kim Wardlaw, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, suggested that Trump might not have been acting as a pundit but as a person denying claims that suggested wrongdoing on his part. Judge Kim Wardlaw, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, asked Harder: 'But, in essence, isn't what President Trump is saying, he's saying Ms. Clifford is lying about being threatened by Trump or his agent? Isn't that a fact that can be proven true or false?' Harder replied that Trump never directly called Daniels a liar in the tweet. Harder went on to describe the lawsuit as part of a political attack by Daniels and her former attorney, Michael Avenatti, who has since been indicted on fraud and extortion . Daniels' new lawyer, Clark Brewster, argued that Trump knew about the threat made to Daniels' years ago. 'It was negotiated at the time and known by Trump at the time that this man had accosted and threatened an assault upon her,' Brewster said. 'It was in the contract, but then [he] claimed, I don't know anything about it.' Brewster also accused Harder of attmepting to smear Daniels by discussing her career in porn films in court. 'He went on to talk about how many movies Ms. Clifford appeared in,' Brewster complained. 'All the smearing that couldn't be done in front of the judge below, and he's done it here.' In April 2018, Daniels appeared on ABC's The View and unveiled the sketch of a man who she says accosted her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 Daniels said the man approached her as she was getting her infant daughter out of the car to attend a mommy-and-me exercise class Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement days before the 2016 presidential election. In April 2018, Daniels appeared on ABC's The View and unveiled the sketch of a man who she says accosted her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011. Daniels said the man approached her as she was getting her infant daughter out of the car to attend a mommy-and-me exercise class. 'I noticed him because he was sort of well-dressed and nothing about him alarmed me,' she said in her first live television interview after the hush money payment given to Daniels by President Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen was unveiled. The lawsuit came after Trump tweeted about a composite sketch of a man Daniels says threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about an alleged affair 'I really thought he was somebody's husband not wanting to be in whatever his wife was doing.' When she noticed his reflection in her car's window she expected him to ask for directions. Instead the man threatened the adult film actress and her daughter, telling her to 'forget about this story, leave Mr. Trump alone.' Upon unveiling the sketch, Stormy's lawyer, Avenatti, said they would pay a $100,000 reward for the identity of the man, and asked for tips to be sent to IDTheThug@gmail.com. 'We want to get to the bottom of who this is, and we think we know who this is, but we want to confirm it,' Avenatti told The View's audience. Avenatti divulged more details about the mystery man during ab appearance with CNN's Jake Tapper at the time. The lawyer explained that Daniels had looked at photos of a number of individuals 'we believe indirectly' worked for Trump and Cohen, Avenatti said. 'She has reviewed, Jake, a number of photographs over the last few weeks, couple weeks, actually and we've narrowed it down,' the lawyer said. He didn't mention whether the drawing was made before or after Daniels saw the photos. Tapper asked why Avenatti and Daniels wanted the public's help if they already narrowed it down. 'What we're hoping for is someone saw something or heard something. Ideally one of these individuals would have bragged about it to a member of the public,' Avenatti said. Daniels told 60 Minutes that she did not report the encounter to police at the time because she was scared. She also pointed out that if she had gone to the police a public record would have been produced and she likely would have had to explain that she had a previous alleged sexual encounter with Trump, which is why the threat took place. A former Labour Party senator has been accused of stealing from a top private members' club in Dublin. James Heffernan (40) app-eared before Judge Deirdre Gearty at Dublin District Court facing charges in connection with two separate incidents. He was accused of theft of a coat valued at 80 and a book entitled Dail Eireann Parliamentary Debates 1923 valued at 225 from the Stephen's Green Club last August 7. Det Sgt Eugene McCarthy told Judge Gearty he charged him with those offences before court yesterday. He said Mr Heffernan, of Main Street, Kilfinan, Co Limerick, replied: "There's no hope that jacket was worth 80. Tell them I'll swap them a jacket." He said "Give it back" in relation to the book theft. There was CCTV evidence, the court was told. The DPP had directed that the case could be dealt with at district court level. After noting the allegations were as set out on the charge sheet, Judge Gearty accepted jurisdiction. Evidence Mr Heffernan also faced public order charges over an alleged incident at Lincoln Place in Dublin 2 on January 14. How- ever, there was no video evid- ence of this. Defence solicitor Brian Keenan was granted an order for disclosure. Mr Heffernan did not address the court. He was granted legal aid after the judge was handed a statement of his means. His solicitor said he was not working and was on social welfare. There was no objection to bail. Mr Heffernan was ordered to appear again in four weeks when he will be expected to indicate a plea, or have a trial date fixed if he intends to contest the case. The qualified primary school teacher and former member of Limerick County Council was elected for Labour to the 24th Seanad in 2011 but lost the party whip the following year when he voted against budget cuts. He joined the Social Democrats in 2015 and was an unsuccessful candidate for the party in the 2016 general election. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrells statement, the European side does not want to use the mechanism to resolve nuclear disputes regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Head of Iran's presidential office Mahmoud Vaezi said. Borrell was informed about Iran's position during his visit to Iran, Vaezi added, Trend reports referring to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) company. Irans 5th step taken to reduce the number of commitments in JCPOA was a very important step, the head of Iran's presidential office added. The European side tried to react, but Irans position is firm. Borrell stressed that the European side wants to build good relations with Iran in all spheres, the head of Iran's presidential office said. The European side says that the nuclear agreement is being protected and there is no better deal yet. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell met in Tehran on Feb. 3. Borrell also met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. The UK, France and Germany issued a statement regarding Iran's suspension of its obligations within JCPOA and announced that they launched a process to resolve nuclear disputes. If problems are not solved in this process, the matter will be discussed at the UN Security Councils meeting. In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions against Iran in November of the same year. In order to preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal stated in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed. On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories having not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal. On Sept. 5, Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA. Iran no longer faces any restrictions on its nuclear program. Evacuated Taiwanese in quarantine, three in hospital ROC Central News Agency 02/04/2020 12:51 PM Taipei, Feb. 4 (CNA) Three of the 247 Taiwanese evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan late Monday have been put into isolation wards around Taiwan while the others have been quarantined at three facilities, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday. The evacuees were examined for three hours at Taoyuan International Airport after their China Eastern charter landed at 11:40 p.m., and one was found to have a fever, two had sore throats, and one child, accompanied by a parent, had a stomach ache, the CECC said. The people with a fever and sore throats were sent to hospital isolation wards, and the parent and child were also being checked at the hospital, according to Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (), who heads the center. Of the remaining evacuees, 69 were sent to a facility in central Taiwan, 28 were sent to a venue in Wulai, and 145 were quarantined in Linkou District in New Taipei, and they were settled in their temporary homes by 6 a.m., Chen said. The child with the stomach ache and parent were later determined to not have the coronavirus and were also quarantined, though it was unclear which facility they were sent to. All of the people who have been quarantined will have their temperatures taken twice a day during the 14-day quarantine period and be sent to hospitals if they show suspected symptoms of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Chen said. They have been assigned separate rooms and will be required to stay in their rooms most of the time, Chen said, and he assured the public they will not be allowed to go outside and come in contact with others. He also said the airport was not at risk of the spread of the coronavirus because the plane carrying the evacuees taxied directly to an isolated aircraft maintenance area, and all passenger luggage and the buses transporting them were disinfected. Before Monday night's evacuation, there were said to be roughly 500 Taiwanese nationals stranded in Wuhan, which, as the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, has been put in lockdown. There had been speculation more Taiwanese would be evacuated Wednesday, but Tsai Chih-ju (), an official with Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said at Tuesday's press briefing there were no plans for such a flight. As of Tuesday morning, more than 400 people have died of the coronavirus and more than 20,000 have been infected, with the vast majority of the cases occurring in China. (By Chen Wei-ting, Chang Ming-hsuan and Lee Hsin-Yin) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Setting the stage for his re-election bid, President Donald Trump in a self-congratulatory State of the Union speech on Wednesday underlined the economic gains of the US under his leadership, asserting that the American Dream is back and is stronger than ever before. The years of economic decay are over...Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige, Trump said on the eve of his likely acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial. He said in just three short years, his administration has shattered the mentality of American decline and rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. The president asserted his countrys economy is the best it has ever been. The American Dream is back - bigger, better, and stronger than ever before, he said. Asserting that the US is moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, Trump, the first president to run for re-election after being impeached, said jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging and the country is thriving and highly respected again. Americas fortunes are on the rise its future is blazing bright, he said. From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the United States economy -- slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements, Trump said. The president said the agenda of his administration is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. Since my election, we have created seven million new jobs -- 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country. If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to Americas great economic success, Trump claimed. He noted that the unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history. African-American youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. African-American poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years -- and last year, women filled 72 percent of all new jobs added. The veterans unemployment rate dropped to a record low. The unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time low, Trump asserted. Underling that workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest unemployment rate recorded in US history, he claimed that record number of young Americans are now employed. Tata Motors is actively looking to set up exclusive outlets for its electric vehicle portfolio but has not yet taken a final call over the issue, a top company official said on Wednesday. The home-grown auto major recently ventured into the personal electric mobility space with the launch of the electric version of its most-selling compact Sedan Nexon recently. Besides, the car maker also plans to roll out four more EV models in the next two years. "It should be possible. it makes sense. We will try to see when we have at least a minimum range of vehicles (EVs), we will start some exclusive experience. We have some thought on it," Tata Motors electric vehicles business head Shailesh Chandra told PTI at the Auto Expo here. He said this also requires some investment, which the company is open to. When askedby when the company was expecting to come up with such exclusive dealerships, Chandra said, "It may take a year or more". "At the right time, we will comment when we are going to come up. A decision has to be taken,"he added. At the time of the Nexon EV launch, the company had announced the vehicle will be sold through the 60 Tata Motors dealerships across 22 cities. Besides, it has also been leveraging its network of consumer retail stores Croma for providing a digital experience by a new store-in-store concept. Hesaid Nexon EVhas been taken very well as it offers a strong value proposition, adding Tata Motors is not far from any other global EV player when it comes to EVs than its vehicles with IC engines. What could help more in EV sales in the country is that apart from the push, now there is a pull factor from the customers as well, he said. "In the Indian market, we can be more successful because of the conglomerate's power," he said. The company is closely working with other group companies such as Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Autocomp, Tata Motors Finance and Croma to create an e-mobility ecosystem, Tata uniEVerse, for faster adoption of EVs in the country, Tata Motors had said earlier. When as what about the cost benefits that Tata Motors have accrued by taking other group companies on board in the making of Nexon EV, Chandra said that there are certain realisations that the company has got but they are going to benefit it in the long-term. "Benefits are yet to come but it ( the tie-up with group companies) should not be seen only from the cost perspective but also from the volume perspective, " he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of the young man allegedly caught with a suspected improvised explosive device at the Living Faith Church in Sabon Tasha area of Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State says he(suspect) is a Christian. Nathaniel Samuel, had sparked an argument about his religion after he was arrested for allegedly trying to bomb a Living Faith Church in Kaduna. His father, Samuel Ezekiel, confirmed that his son is a Christian, and not a Muslim as being speculated on social media. Daily Trust reports that when they visited the suspects house at Marabar Demishi village located few kilometres from Maraban Rido in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state met his father, Samuel Ezekiel, a Jarawa by tribe from Bauchi state, alongside the Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab confirmed that his son is a Christian. According to him, his son was born in 1991 and schooled in the state, adding that his mother was from Nasarawa state even though she no longer live with them. Read Also: MURIC Reacts Over Attempt To Bomb Living Faith Church Asked if his son bears Mohammed Sani as being speculated, he said, No! Not even for a single day has he been a Muslim. He also expressed his shock when he found out that his son carried a bomb into a church because he wondered what would have happened to the lives of people in the church. If he was alone, I dont care but for the lives that are in the church, I begin to wonder. I shed tears, Daily Trust quoted him as saying The state police fire marshal was called in to help determine the cause of a fire that resulting in one death on Tuesday evening, according to fire officials. Citizens Fire Company Chief Tim Yingst said when firefighters first arrived at the apartment building, sometime after 5 p.m., fire could be seen on the second floor and there were still people evacuating the building. Firefighters went into the building to help those evacuating and it was during the searches that they got to one of the second-floor apartments and found one person dead. The person has not been identified, but Yingst said the fire originated in that persons apartment. The apartment building, in the 100 block of Third Street, in the village of Boiling Springs, has nine units inside, Yingst said. There were two apartments on the second floor that sustained fire damage, as well as one on the third floor, Yingst said. The remaining apartments sustaining smoke damage. The apartment building is not livable. Firefighters were able to rescue a dog that was stuck in an apartment without anyone home. Everyone but the person who died on the second floor got out safely. Eight people from five families were displaced, and the American Red Cross has been called to assist. Yingst said because the building is older, his men had to work through stairways and aisles were really small, as well as tight chopped up apartments. Yingst estimated about 50 firefighters were on scene, across eight different departments. The fire was called as a second alarm. Updates on the cause of the fire are expected to come from Pennsylvania State Police, and information on the victim will come from the Cumberland County Coroners Office. Read more on PennLive: live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Yes Bank CEO Ravneet Gill has reportedly approached Cantor Fitzgerald, IDFC Securities and Ambit to raise $2 billion to bolster its capital buffers. The President of Cantor Fitzgerald, Anshu Jain, was the co-Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank until 2015 when Ravneet Gill worked as the bank's India operations head before he moved to Yes Bank last year. According to a Bloomberg report, Gill had told a business daily that Jain was one of the mentors in his career. Shares of the bank have been volatile over worries on whether it can get the necessary funds to secure its capital adequacy. The board of directors of Yes Bank had in January, approved raising of funds up to Rs 10,000 crore, in one or more tranches, by way of issuance of securities on private placement basis. Also Read: Yes Bank ex-director writes to RBI, seeks removal of Ravneet Gill The bank has been trying to raise funds but has not yet decided on an investor, and has held discussions with many potential investors. It recently decided not to proceed with the offer from Erwin Singh Braich/SPGP Holdings for a proposed investment in the bank, but the board is willing to favourably consider the offer of $500 million of Citax Holdings and Citax Investment Group in next board meeting. It has been selling stakes in companies it lent money to, including Sical Logistics, and Rosa Power Supply Company, the subsidiary of Reliance Power. Yes Bank acquired more than 10 percent stake in Sical Logistics and nearly 30 percent in Reliance Power subsidiary by the invocation of pledged shares after their default on payments. WASHINGTON Nigerias top diplomat said on Tuesday that he was somewhat blindsided by the Trump administrations ban on Nigerian immigrants but that he had been assured by American officials that visa restrictions could soon be lifted. Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerias foreign minister, said that his government was already working to address security concerns that Trump administration officials said had prompted the decision, announced last week, to reject visas for Nigerians seeking to immigrate to the United States. We were somewhat blindsided with the announcement of the visa restrictions by the U.S., Mr. Onyeama told journalists at the State Department. But, he said, we know and the U.S. officials have also confirmed that we have been able to tick most of those boxes. He said that included efforts to directly share personal data including immigrants criminal histories, stolen passport information and suspected links to terrorism with the United States and Interpol member countries. Shooter Abhishek Verma emerged winner at the men's 10m air pistol T2 event at the National Trials for rifle and pistol disciplines here on Wednesday. Abhishek shot 243.8 in the finals to outgun Shravan Kumar of Uttar Pradesh who shot 243.4. Surinder Singh of Punjab came third. Shravan had a good day overall coming in second in the Junior category of the same event as well, where Vijayveer Sidhu of Chandigarh claimed the title with a final round score of 243.4 to Shravan's 242.5. Earlier, Abhishek had reached the final courtesy a score of 578 in the qualification. That effort meant he was fourth out of eight to qualify. Gaurav Rana of the Air Force shot 581 to top the board with Shravan's 580 making him third to qualify. Ayushi Podder of West Bengal also won the Women's 50m Prone T2 trials with a score of 621.7. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Once-bustling Sydney suburbs have been turned into virtual ghost towns amid fears of the deadly coronavirus spreading, with struggling businesses shutting up shop for good. Chatswood, in Sydney's Lower North Shore, and Eastwood in the north-west - which have large Chinese populations - are bearing the brunt of the hysteria surrounding the disease, with some shops reporting that trade has slumped more than 70 per cent since the outbreak. Fourteen people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia - four in Queensland, four in NSW, four in Victoria and two in South Australia. Worldwide it has killed 490 people worldwide and infected more than 24,000. Star Capital Seafood Restaurant on Chatswood's normally busy Victoria Avenue opened seven years ago but owner Michael Lam has decided to close the doors for good Star Capital Seafood Restaurant has been in operation for seven years but is closing on Sunday At midday on Wednesday there was only one table of five at Star Capital Seafood Restaurant Chatswood in Sydney's Lower North Shore has become a virtual ghost town with many residents wearing masks The only shops that appear to be making money amid the health scare are chemists selling face-masks and hand-sanitiser. Owners of pharmacists and vitamin stores said they were busier than ever with some saying the demand for face masks has jumped by 300 per cent. Michael Lam, owner of Star Capital Seafood Restaurant on Chatswood's normally busy Victoria Avenue, has shut down his restaurant after seven years. Mr Lam told Daily Mail Australia he made the decision following weeks of poor sales as well as the Prime Minister's move to ban non-citizens from flying to Australia from China. 'Business has become terrible, usually by 11.30am the place is full and now we are lucky to get four or five people,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'As soon as the Prime Minister said flights from China were stopping, I decided to close.' Mr Lam said he had already been thinking about retiring, but Mr Morrison's announcement prompted him to make the decision earlier. 'This week we have been selling lobsters for $88 per kilogram, but last week they were $130 a kilo,' the business-owner said. 'The locals aren't coming out so we cannot sell, it's very, very bad.' Universities, schools, student accommodation providers, hotels, restaurants, tourist operators and airlines have been hit by ban, which may last for longer than a fortnight if the outbreak worsens. Education industry officials said the travel ban could cost their industry alone up to $8 billion in the worst case scenario. Local councils are pleading with customers to return to the usually bustling centres. A worker at Tim's Barbeque Chatswood, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed that business wasn't very good in the area Chinese restaurants in Chatswood are practically empty as the suburb has turned into a ghost town Staff at Chatswood BBQ Kitchen said the situation was dire. 'There has been a big drop in business the last week,' worker Lee said. 'The manager says he wants to cry - there's no business and it's bad...and I've been noticing there's less people around.' A worker at Tim's Barbeque Chatswood, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed that business has taken a hit. 'It's very quiet in the area...business is not as good.' But pharmacists and vitamin stores are busier than ever. Lara, who works at Mr Vitamins in Chatswood, told Daily Mail Australia they remained busy, with sales for cold and flu products booming. Just a few doors down at Chatswood BBQ Kitchen, staff said it is the same (Manager, Raymond, pictured) 'The manager says he wants to cry - there's no business and it's bad...and I've been noticing there's less people around,' worker Lee said. 'We've sold heaps of hand-sanitiser but lots of people are after cold and flu vitamins,' she said. 'At our other store we ordered 400 face-masks and sold out instantly, when I last checked there were two left.' Pharmacists and health stores along the street were much the same, as scores of people have rushed to get their hands on face masks. Maria at Shands Compounding Chemist said the pharmacy sold out of face masks before 10.30am. 'We're trying to get them in as much as possible...we have a delivery every day but they sell out in an hour,' Maria said. 'Some people are buying boxes of 50 at a time.' Maria said the chemist had also sold out of hand-sanitiser and alcohol swabs. Despite small shop-owners admitting their business has dropped, pharmacists and vitamin stores are busier than ever Lara, who works at Mr Vitamins in Chatswood, told Daily Mail Australia they remained busy, with sales for cold and flu products booming 'People are buying three to four boxes of products at a time, it's been busy here - more so than usual,' she said. Pharmacy manager at the chemist, Jerome, said the demand for face masks and sanitary products was 'definitely noticeable'. 'There is an increase in sales but it's hard to say the percentage...I'd say there is a 300 per cent increase in demand for masks,' he said. It is a similar story in Eastwood where some shop owners have reported a downturn over more than 70 per cent since the coronavirus outbreak. Manager at Happigo Supermarket, Bobby, said the drop in sales was 'very quick' and business has been bad for nearly two weeks. 'The Chinese community has become very quiet...there's not many people on the street,' he said. 'People are scared of the coronavirus.' Maria at Shands Compounding Chemist said the pharmacy sold out of face masks before 10.30am (Worker Clara pictured) Manager at Happigo Supermarket, Bobby, said the drop in sales was 'very quick' and business has now been bad for one-and-a-half weeks Both areas are usually booming with a dense Chinese population, but the only stores that appear to be making money are chemists A worker at J & T BBQ, who wished to remain anonymous, also said business has been bad for the past three weeks. Owner of Nuzar Spicy Hot Pot, Jason, told Daily Mail Australia he had opened his shop just one-and-a-half weeks before the coronavirus outbreak occurred. 'The fear is spreading faster than anything...my business was here two weeks when it happened and my sales just dropped,' Jason said. 'My location is one of the best in the area, which comes with the highest rent... I can't even afford to pay my staff at the moment.' Jason said on Sunday he made a profit of only $200, and doesn't think it is going to get any better in the coming weeks. Ryde councillors are now launching an emergency 'Return to Eastwood' PR campaign to regenerate the area. Owner of Nuzar Spicy Hot Pot, Jason, told Daily Mail Australia he had opened his shop just one-and-a-half weeks before the coronavirus outbreak occurred Pharmacists and health stores along the street were much the same, with all of them being sold out of face masks Of the eight chemists and pharmacies on Victoria Avenue in Chatswood, not a single one sold masks Mayor Jerome Laxale and deputy mayor Simon Zhou have put forward a motion to promote local businesses to get owners back on their feet. The 'Eastwood Small Business Hardship' motion has called on the general manager to set up a $500,000 Small Business Hardship Fund to help Eastwood Town Centre. Part of the money will go towards subsidised gift vouchers to revamp the local economy. Mr Laxale said the main focus of the campaign was to educate people about coronavirus in the area to avoid misinformation being spread. 'Eastwood has been targeted with false information. The fact is Eastwood is safe and we want to educate the public and get the right facts out there,' he told the Northern District Times. 'The last three weeks it's been a ghost town and it's an incorrect perception of Eastwood. It's not good for local businesses and local employees. 'People are staying away from Eastwood and there is nothing out there to say Eastwood is not safe. I'm calling on the local MP Victor Dominello and the Premier to do the same.' There have been 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, and more than 24,000 cases and more than 490 deaths globally. The cases have occurred in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Ryde councillors are now launching an emergency 'Return to Eastwood' PR campaign to regenerate the area South Africa: Department of Health set to relocate offices The Department of Health is set to move from its headquarters in the Pretoria central business district (CBD) to an alternative building. This follows an urgent meeting held between Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, Deputy Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, the departments Acting Director General, Dr Anban Pillay and senior management. The purpose of the meeting was to give the Minister a comprehensive progress report on the relocation of the department and employees to an alternative building. The meeting comes after another held between Mkhize and Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille in December 2019, where both Ministers resolved that relocating the department was a matter of urgency. According to the department, staff members have not been present at work for the full working hours, as determined by the employer. This is due to the concerns raised regarding the state of the building. During a meeting, Mkhize emphasised that the safety of the workers is paramount. As the department, we must lead in the fields of employee wellness and occupational safety, including fostering a tenable working environment. I am making an appeal to public servants to heed the call to serve, as we will heed the call to protect them from a harmful working environment, Mkhize said. After the presentation of a report, Mkhize directed the management of the department to go ahead with the implementation of the relocation plan, and engage Public Works to finalise the sourcing of the new building and ensure that the specifications presented by the department are complied with. The department will inform its employees on the developments and engage them on an interim arrangement, which includes them coming back to work and being present for the full designated employment hours, pending the finalisation of the relocation. Public Works is also expected to provide the estimated timeframes for the completion of the relocation process, so that this can be communicated to employees. Management is expected to continue engaging employees, including organised labour, by keeping them informed on developments and challenges, and ensure inclusive consultation through appropriate forums. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. India's obsession with fair skin isn't new. For ages, the society has been partial towards women who have an apparent dark skin tone. Companies selling fairness products have had a fair run in the market, but won't be able to continue the same if a government proposal is implemented. Cracking down on the unfair obsession with fairness and companies selling fairness products, government has proposed to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The government, in a draft bill, has proposed to slap a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment up to five years for advertisements promoting pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, deafness, improvement of height, hair loss or greying, obesity, among others, according to a report by Money Control. Under the new draft of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and up to two years imprisonment has been proposed in the case of first offense. In the case of a subsequent conviction, imprisonment may extend to five years and the fine, up to Rs 50 lakh. The current law proposes imprisonment up to six years, with or without a fine and up to one year for a second time conviction. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it is proposing the amendment in order to keep pace with changing time and technology. The draft bill also proposes an expansion of definition of an advertisement. It says, "any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents: Provided that label or wrapper is an advertisement only if it contains any information or claim other than provided in the rules. In the draft bill, the ministry has proposed to prohibit advertisements of medicines and products purported to cure any of the 78 diseases, disorders or conditions it has specified. Post-primary schools could be hit with another teachers' strike before Easter in the campaign for an end to pay inequality for newer entrants to the profession. Leaders of the two unions representing second-level teachers have both said they could not rule out another stoppage within weeks. The threat of further disruption follows a one-day strike by members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), which closed more than half of post-primary schools, forcing about 200,000 pupils to stay at home. In all, 387 schools were closed and the strike also hit colleges of further education and institutes of technology as 19,000 members stayed out of work. The dispute has its roots in pay cuts imposed after 2010. While much of the gap has been closed, TUI president Seamus Lahart said a second- level teacher employed after February 1, 2012, was paid 14pc less on appointment and 10pc less over the first 10 years of their career, amounting to a loss of more than 50,000 at a time when they most needed the money. Meanwhile, TUI general secretary John MacGabhann said it may engage in further industrial action before Easter. He said the union would reflect on the effectiveness of yesterday's action - and a political lobbying campaign in which it is involved - before deciding the next step. Mr MacGabhann also referred to uncertainty on when a new government might be formed, and said that would influence deliberations. The other second-level teachers' union, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), was not directly involved in yesterday's stoppage but did stage a solidarity protest outside the Department of Education. The ASTI has announced a ballot of its members seeking support for industrial action, including strike, with a result due on March 20, two weeks before schools close for Easter holidays on April 3. ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie said the prospect of industrial action before Easter could not be ruled out. The wording on the ballot paper commits the ASTI to take action only in conjunction with one or both of the other teacher unions, the TUI and the primary teachers' union, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO). While ASTI support for action seems likely, the tight timeframe between the ballot and Easter holidays, and the need to agree a date with another union, may be a constraint on a pre-Easter stoppage involving its members. Both the ASTI and TUI will have to consider the impact of any action on the heavy schedule of orals and practicals for the State exams, starting on March 27. However, with its mandate for action already in place and no obligation to join forces with another union, there is no constraint on TUI being back on the picket lines before the end of March. The INTO has not yet balloted on action and has no immediate plans to do so, which means after Easter would be earliest it could be involved in a stoppage. But if schools escape further action before Easter, there may be disruption in the final term. While the worst effects of yesterday's stoppage were felt mainly in the education and training boards and community and comprehensive schools, where the TUI is the dominant or main union, it also closed 52 schools in the voluntary secondary sector. John Curtis, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents the voluntary secondary sector, said they would be "concerned that there would be any further action, especially as we move towards the orals". CRANSTON, R.I., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On 5th February 2020, Swarovski will expand its reach within the U.S. market via the launch of its brand store on Amazon U.S. The launch follows the success of its existing partnerships with Amazon globally, with brand stores already active in key European markets and Japan. This collaboration is part of Swarovski's approach to ensuring customers are always placed at the very heart of its business and retail strategies. While its physical stores will continue to play a fundamental role for the business, one of Swarovski's key priorities for 2020 is to further grow its online presence and e-commerce efforts. Marking the start of a special year for Swarovski, the online store will serve as a new destination for Swarovski products and style inspiration in the U.S., launching with its Spring/Summer 2020 Collection. Robert Buchbauer, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO Consumer Goods Business at Swarovski, commented, "I am delighted to announce Swarovski's collaboration with Amazon Fashion one of the world's leading fashion destinations. This partnership is a very important moment for our brand and kicks off a special year for Swarovski, as we celebrate our 125th anniversary. Working collaboratively with Amazon Fashion will pave the way for a variety of new and exciting opportunities for us in 2020 and beyond." Swarovski's strategic relationship with Amazon U.S. a key global player in the digital fashion industry will form a core part of the brand's global omnichannel retail strategy, to develop its digital presence and deliver an enhanced customer experience across all digital touchpoints. The new brand store will enable Swarovski to scale-up its operations across the U.S., helping the brand to expand its reach. "By leveraging the efficiency of Amazon's global logistical network, we will be able to meet the needs and expectations of our consumers. In the current digital age, we must show them agility and passion and I am confident that this partnership will allow us to do that," continued Robert Buchbauer. Michele Molon, EVP Omnichannel and Commercial Operations at Swarovski, added, "The digital sphere is constantly growing, and as such, we are always on the lookout for fresh and daring ways to connect with our consumers. Amazon is a leading global authority in e-commerce and by leveraging its extensive expertise, combined with our unique brand proposition, we are excited to see what this new collaboration will bring. Based on the success of our existing brand stores in Amazon's other markets, we strongly believe that we're in a great position to extend our reach across the U.S." Swarovski will offer Amazon customers a diverse range of products, a testament to the brand's craftsmanship, expertise and cutting-edge techniques, as well as a seamless online experience. In turn, Amazon will help take Swarovski to the next level via an expanded digital footprint. Founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895, this year Swarovski is celebrating its 125th anniversary and its legacy of exquisite craftsmanship, mastery and innovative design. As a tribute to this milestone, the brand has launched an exclusive 125th Anniversary Collection, which sees best-selling Swarovski creations reimagined in its signature blue. The Collection, which showcases Swarovski's imitable style and sparkle will also be available to Amazon U.S.'s costumers. The Swarovski brand store will be available on Amazon U.S. from February 2020. To learn more about Swarovski, follow us on Instagram , Facebook or visit Swarovski.com . ABOUT SWAROVSKI Swarovski sparks delight and delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and sells the world's highest quality crystal, genuine gemstones, Swarovski Created Diamonds and zirconia, finished products such as jewelry and accessories, as well as interior design and lighting solutions. Now celebrating its 125th anniversary and run by the fifth generation of family members, the Swarovski Crystal Business has a global reach approximately 3,000 stores in around 170 countries, more than 29,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.7 billion euros in 2018. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2018, the Group generated revenue of about 3.5 billion euros and employed more than 34,500 people. A responsible relationship with people and the planet has always been an integral part of Swarovski's heritage and is embedded today in the company's well-established sustainability agenda. In addition, the global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 500,000 children on the world's greatest rivers. The Swarovski Foundation was set up in 2013 to honor the philanthropic spirit of Daniel Swarovski and works to support culture and creativity, promote human empowerment and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact. www.swarovskigroup.com SOURCE Swarovski Related Links www.swarovskigroup.com The United States State Department is denying entry to foreign nationals who have recently been to China, is screening American citizens who arrive home from China as well as asking them to self-quarantine for 14 days. It has told American citizens not to visit the country at all. Major airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and all three major American carriers have halted all flights to China, while the cruise line Royal Caribbean is denying boarding to any person who has traveled to, from or through China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days. Travel companies such as those airlines are motivated both by pressure from employees and by the falling demand for flights. Flying empty planes to and from China is, after all, not profitable. But what has motivated the response from governments? It doesnt appear to be evidence. Measures like screening at airports, quarantining cruise ships or flights with confirmed cases and isolating communities at the center of an outbreak can be effective, said Erin Sorrell, an assistant research professor at Georgetown University who studies emerging infectious diseases. However, she and other experts say the available evidence suggests that total border shutdowns are not an effective means of containment of respiratory viruses. Resources are better used, she argued, treating sick patients and developing vaccines and other countermeasures. Sadly, one doesnt have to look far for evidence of these top-down decisions morphing into outright racism within the general population, a trend that has a long history in the narrative of outbreaks such as this one. Coronavirus shares something in common with other kinds of civil disruption, natural disasters or emergencies that affect localized travel industries: Its destructive power lies not in the actual risk but in the perception of that risk. Numerous experts have said that the majority of people who contract coronavirus will experience it as a respiratory infection they will fully recover from. But the extreme reactions the canceling of flights, closing of borders and level-four travel warnings seem more appropriate for something much worse. Therein lies a familiar unfairness. When it comes to travel, the perception of risk is rarely meted out objectively. Consider the level-two travel warning imposed by the State Department last month in the wake of the continuing Australian wildfires. It advised travelers to consider postponing their trips because of extremely poor air quality and the threat of evacuation in the monthslong fires. Just a few days later, it was reduced to level one, reportedly in response to the direct appeal of Prime Minister Scott Morrison to the Trump administration. Similarly, in the 2017-18 flu season, when the United States had a particularly bad outbreak, the respiratory virus resulted in an estimated 61,000 deaths and 45 million symptomatic cases but no travel warnings. Chocolatier Rhoda Kirwan wants lovers to consider buying Fairtrade for Valentines Day. Ms Kirwan studied fashion design in college and opened a ladies tailoring business, before a 10-year stint with a software company while her children were young. She then took a cookery course at Dublin Cookery School, she specialised in chocolate-making and trained with Vancouvers Ecole Chocolat. Now she runs her own business, Rhoda Cocoa, using ethical ingredients, such as single-source, fairly-traded cocoa, as well as ensuring her packaging is sustainable. Rhoda lives in Co Wicklow with her husband, childrens app developer, Emmet ONeill, and their two sons, Sam, 19, and Isaac, 17. While I was studying, a section of our course was on slave labour within the chocolate industry and how people were being abused and exploited. I wanted to be able to stand over the chocolate I was making. Being a small producer myself, I can relate to how important it is to make a living and not be exploited. I wanted to ensure that I was using chocolate that was coming from people who got a fair price for all the work they put in. Its a very labour-intensive process and its all done by hand, Ms Kirwan says. Within the chocolate industry, an awful lot of people dont know that theres still slavery in chocolate. "A lot of people just buy the brands that stand out when you go into a supermarket, but I think its up to the producers to educate people. When you do tell people about the importance of being aware of where your chocolate is coming from, the reaction is phenomenal. "As a small producer, you sometimes feel you cant compete with the huge brands, and Im working by myself a lot of the time. But when people understand that Im a small business, that this chocolate is locally produced in small batches, using sustainable ingredients, they will sit up and listen. My chocolate bars had a plastic sleeve on them and thats been a bone of contention for a long time, but Im now switching to a fully compostable sleeve. I have an online shop and I send a lot of chocolate in the post. Once I have the new sleeve on the bars, all my packaging will be recyclable or compostable. "I dont use bubble-wrap anymore: I pack out boxes with paper, the boxes are recyclable. Im pushing on those things from a business point of view, but were forging forwards with trying to make changes at home, too. Sam is in first year in college, studying new media studies, and he absolutely loves it. Isaac is in fifth year in Newpark Comprehensive. Weve instilled all the basic stuff we grew up with into the kids: Turning the lights off, not leaving the water running. But a lot is also down to how we buy our groceries. We try to buy locally from small shops, like greengrocers and local butchers, but were also trying to reduce our meat intake; Sam has just become vegetarian and Im pescatarian. "Were always trying to buy from sustainable sources and buy food thats in season, as well, she says. Rhoda Kirwan and Emmet ONeill with sons Isaac and Sam, and Mac the dog, at their home in Bray, Co Wicklow. Rhoda runs her business, Rhoda Cocoa, with a commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients such as single-source, fairly-traded cocoa. Picture: Garry ONeill We havent bought clingfilm in years; we just use containers to store things. We try to be forward-thinking in how we cook, by doing things like cooking for a couple of days at once, instead of buying ready meals to slap in the oven. I know all that takes time and not everyone can afford that time, and it is challenging, because both Emmet and I work full-time. But the boys are older now and are on board with this stuff and can help out with cooking and that kind of thing. Its hugely challenging to keep plastic waste down; if you go into the supermarkets, you see just how things are packaged, and I know myself, from working in the food industry, what a challenge it is to tick all boxes; by that I mean, you have to ensure that your packaging is safety-compliant and suitable. "For me, chocolate isnt considered a high-risk food, but for meat and dairy producers in this country, I know thats a huge challenge, when youre trying to produce something sustainable. A few years ago, we bought a diesel car, on the basis that it was better for the environment, only to realise that that advice changed, and we were disgusted. At the moment, we have a hybrid, and were just waiting for the infrastructure in Ireland to improve, so we can move to a fully electric car. "The boys primarily use public transport. Were lucky that we live on a good bus corridor so they can make their own way to college and school. I do give them a lift the odd morning if the weather is really bad, but I also use that time to chat with them; with teenagers, that time can be really important. Journeys like that are short and in the hybrid, youd be in electric mode for most of that. Things like shampoo and deodorant can be sticking points in the house; personally, Ive started buying an organic shampoo in a reusable bottle. A lot of soap has palm oil in it; Ive a friend who is a soap and liquid soap maker. Even though its more expensive, I buy my soap from her, and the liquid soap comes in a glass bottle, which I bring back to her and she reuses them. In college, Sam is writing scripts and making podcasts. He wants to make political documentaries; impactful things that change the world. I think the boys see that theyre in a position to make a change. "The way we approach life is that you dont give up on things and you keep forging forward. They grew up in a positive environment. Social media and the media can impact them in a negative way and worry them. Sometimes the media hype things but dont give enough of a background to ensure that theyre not worrying people. But in relation to environmental concerns, both the boys seem like theyre on a pretty positive path. Over the years I think Ive become more of an optimist when it comes to the environment. Ive always had a tenacity to my nature and have worked hard to get where Ive wanted to go, so I think Im optimistic by nature, and I do have optimism that we do have the ability to make change. I think we just have to educate people to have that mindset. In the court, on Tuesday jurors presented naked photos of Harvey Weinstein, without an explanation as to why and how many. A photographer hired by the Manhattan District Attorney's office testified of taking the pictures back in 2018. Weinstein's lawyer, Donna Rotunno, in a statement claimed that the photos were introduced for "no other reason than to shame Mr Weinstein." Jessica Mann, who accused of Weinstein raping her, testified on Friday about Weinstein's physical appearance, she said, when she first saw him, he had no testicles and appeared to be "deformed" or "intersex." Mann testimony has been attacked based on their complex on and off relationship, and it is suspected the pictures were shared to corroborate her testimony about Weinstein's physical appearance. Other than Jessica Mann and another woman, Mimi Haleyi has accused him of assault, to which Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. If charged he will be given a sentence life in prison for predatory sexual assault. Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. It also began the #MeToo movement as more victims came forward with allegations against predatory men in business and politics. The Sopranos's Annabella Sciorra Testifies Against Harvey Weinstein ALSO READ: Disney+ To Launch In India With Hotstar In March 2020; Expected Subscription Price A British regulator on Wednesday banned advertisements by Ryanair that gave "misleading" claims over the Irish airline's "low" level of carbon emissions -- a move welcomed by environmental campaigners. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the no-frills airline's September radio, television and print advertisements broke the UK regulator's rules on environmental claims and on misleading consumers. Ryanair boasted that it "has the lowest carbon emissions of any major airline". ASA said it had called on Ryanair "to ensure that when making environmental claims, they held adequate evidence to substantiate them and to ensure that the basis of those claims were made clear". In reaction, Ryanair said it was "disappointed and surprised" and maintained that it is the "greenest" airline in Europe -- adding that it had successfully run the same advertisement in ten European nations. Environmental pressure group Transport & slammed Ryanair for so-called greenwashing -- a term used by critics to describe corporate efforts to mislead consumers to believe a company's products or practices are more environmentally sound or friendly. "Ryanair should stop greenwashing and start doing something to tackle its sky-high emissions," said the campaign group's aviation manager Jo Dardenne. "This ruling is a reminder that the aviation sector's climate impact is soaring." Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said its own probe had also uncovered doubts over Ryanair's carbon offsetting scheme. "Millions of travellers want to make greener choices when they go on holiday, so the regulator is right to crack down on companies that make this more difficult with misleading information," he said. Wednesday's ban came one day after the Sustainable Aviation industry alliance -- which does not include Ryanair -- vowed to slash carbon emissions to zero over the next 30 years, in line with UK government targets. The alliance includes planemakers Airbus and Boeing, engine-maker Rolls-Royce, London's Heathrow airport and airlines BA and EasyJet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nothing goes without saying, and I have said and written many times that my father, Harry Weinstein, was crucial to my cooking and eating life. If you have browsed this blog over... Read more Pelican Builders founder Robert Bland envisions a future in which a city long known for its sprawl morphs into a more traditional metropolis with a skyline dotted with high-rise residential buildings. And the fact that hell turn 93 in July doesnt appear to be diminishing the New Orleans natives enthusiasm. Houstons going to be a New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Its happening now, and its going to happen more rapidly, said Bland. People dont want to commute. They want to live where the action is. Indeed, Bland, who started developing high-rise residential projects in Houston almost 50 years ago, is helping spearhead a building boom of sorts for Pelican, whose name is a nod to his Louisiana roots. The company, with financing from Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle Group, completed The Wilshire just inside the West Loop about a year ago and generated about $135 million in sales revenue selling out its 96 luxury-condominium units. On HoustonChronicle.com: replace this text with your teaser head and add hyperlink This spring, the developer expects to complete the first of its 33 condominiums at the Revere at River Oaks, which recently topped out. Meanwhile, the 67-unit, 17-story Hawthorne, which is slated to start construction in the Tanglewood district by late March and is scheduled for completion in early 2022, is approximately 20 percent pre-sold, according to Bland. The Hawthorne will be Pelican Builders 12th high-rise condominium project. A lot of people are moving here, and theres just a lot of regional interest in high-rise residential, said Rick Birkinshaw, senior associate at Houston-based Kirksey Architects, which has worked with Pelican Builders on The Wilshire, The Hawthorne and The Revere. Its mostly urban infill, which is where people want to live. Stocking up Pelican, which declined to disclose development costs for the Wilshire, citing its agreement with Carlyle Group, continues to add inventory to a Houston market where both the number of homes sold and average prices continue to rise. Last year, the number of Houston residential properties sold rose 4.3 percent from 2018 to a record 102,593 units, including 86,205 single-family homes, the Houston Association of Realtors reported in early January. Last years median sale price rose 4.6 percent to $251,000, while in December alone the number of homes priced at more than $750,000 spiked 13 percent from a year earlier, according to HAR. Houstons median home price has risen about 20 percent during the past five years and jumped 64 percent in the past decade, HAR said. On HoustonChronicle.com: replace this text with your teaser head and add hyperlink At the same time, the number of high-rise condominium developments to hit the market in recent years has been notably high for the Houston area, according to Laurie Personette-Null, CEO of Houston-based real estate brokeage Personette Group. In addition to Pelican Builders projects, fellow high-rise condominium developer Randall Davis Co. completed its 75-unit Astoria in Uptown in 2016, finished its 109-unit Arabella on San Felipe in 2018, and is slated to break ground on The Paramount, which will have 50 units, by mid-year in River Oaks. Meanwhile, Interfin, led by longtime luxury-residence builder Giorgio Borlenghi, completed its 46-unit Belfiore in Uptown in 2016. Probably six high rises have been built within the last five years, which is very unusual, said Personette-Null, whose firm has represented the Pelican Group on home sales at previous products but doesnt currently market any of its properties. Its definitely picked up from where it was. Mass approach Such critical mass is what Bland envisioned when he began developing high-rise condominiums shortly after moving to Houston in 1972. A civil-engineering student at Tulane University, Bland served within the Navys construction battalion during the Korean War and eventually helped build Naval bases all over the world, including facilities in the Philippines, Spain, Pakistan and Iran. By the 1960s, Bland had moved into the private sector, building high-rise residences and, notably, working with R.P. Farnsworth & Co. during its 1963 construction of what was then the Puerto Rico Sheraton (now the San Juan Marriott Resort), which, at 525 rooms, was the Caribbeans largest hotel at the time. Such experience with high-rise projects spurred Bland to build the Woodway, which he says was either Houstons second or third high-rise condominium development when it was completed in 1974. Such bets are risky, however. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox At 665 square miles, Houston has by far the largest land area of the biggest 10 U.S. cities by population, with double the area of New York City, triple that of Chicago and 36 percent more space than the notoriously spread-out Los Angeles. Such sprawl has lent itself to the propensity for single-family homes or, in more densely populated areas, townhomes, making the idea of living in a high rise a fairly exotic one for many of the locals. The benefit of a high rise diminishes without mass transit, said Personette-Null. In Houston, you cant get anywhere without a car unless you live in downtown, where you have limited mass transit. Additionally, high-rise developments require the financial commitment to build anywhere from 30 to 100 residential units at a time. Bland estimated that lenders will require that about 25 percent of a projects units be presold before funding a project, while Personette-Null pegs that number closer to 40 percent, adding that its not uncommon for some of those buyers to change their minds before the projects finished. If you take a city block to build 20 townhomes, you can build three at a time, Personette-Null said. Once you start a high-rise, youre betting on the overall market because youre two to three years from delivering it. For townhomes, if youve got a pickup truck and a hammer, you can do it. High rises are different, said Bland, adding that his goal is to have a high-rise project 85 percent sold out by the time its finished. Its not an easy process. Market swings That process became all the more difficult during the 1980s, as the combination of oil-price declines and the savings and loan crisis caused about 200,000 Houston homes to go vacant by 1986 and pushed annual Harris County foreclosures to about 30,000 in 1987 from fewer than 5,000 five years prior, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallass Houston branch. As a result, Personette-Null noted that high-rise condo development in Houston came to a virtual standstill between 1985 and 1995 because of the inability to secure financing. This forced Bland to move his business to Florida for about seven years in order to stay solvent before returning to Houston for good. The 1980s was just a horrible financial fiasco for Houston. Every savings and loan in the state of Texas closed, he said. I literally had to go to Florida to put food on the table. Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox Since then, Pelican Builders has complemented its high-rise projects with townhome developments and gated communities, three of which are under construction in Houston. In all, Bland has developed about 700 townhomes, in addition to about 900 high-rise and mid-rise residences throughout the area. Still, Bland remains faithful to high-rise condominiums as a growth source for the company. With asking prices at the Hawthorne ranging from $1.2 million to $3.5 million and a four-bedroom, four-bathroom penthouse at the Revere being recently offered for $3.48 million, Bland, like his fellow high-rise condominium developers, is counting on a mix of empty-nesters looking to simplify their lives and younger, more affluent professionals seeking a more vibrant living environment to ensure ongoing demand. Additionally, Pelican Builders is leaning on the reputation Bland built over the past 48 years. From a design standpoint, Pelican Builders is known for taking a more traditional approach than its competitors. Pelicans stuff is more traditional - things like crown moldings. Its very appealing to a lot of empty-nesters, said Personette-Null. Evolving amenities From an amenities standpoint, Birkinshaw, of Kirksey Architects, said Pelican has evolved with the rest of the luxury-condo sector by adopting more of a hotel feel by including plenty of public gathering spaces along with its on-site, concierge-like services. Pelican likes to do large balconies, added Birkinshaw, who has worked with Pelican since 2014. Theyre more like outdoor rooms. Then, theres the reputation of Bland himself, whom Birkinshaw praised as a confident decision-maker. Robert has a great deal of integrity. He doesnt give a rats tail about warranties, said Personette-Null. If you bought a high-rise unit from him 10 years ago, hell right whats wrong. As for Pelican Builders, Bland remains as sanguine about the companys future as he is about demand for the high-rise condominiums it builds. He said he works almost full-time, while Birkinshaw noted that Bland offers his opinion on most major decisions. Still, Bland reserves much of the companys credit for Pelican Builders president Derek Darnell, who joined the company in 2002 of whom he said the heir apparent is top-of-the-line. Im very fortunate. Im in the office every morning at 7:30, said Bland. Youve got to be an optimist, or you cant be in this business. Sudan's leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Tuesday his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day was driven by his responsibility to protect the country's national security. Burhan's first remarks about the meeting in Uganda, talks that surprised even Sudan's cabinet, came after he briefed the northeast African country's ruling sovereign council which he heads. "I took this step from the standpoint of my responsibility... to protect the national security of Sudan and achieve the supreme interests of the Sudanese people," Burhan said in a brief statement released after he met the council and top ministers. On Monday, Netanyahu's office said he had met Burhan in the Ugandan capital Entebbe, in a previously unannounced move. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists including Al-Qaeda during the decades-long reign of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, ousted amid mass protests last year. The Palestinian leadership has denounced the meeting as "a stab in the back", just days after the Israeli leader and US President Donald Trump unveiled a controversial peace plan, widely seen as skewed towards Israel. "I stress that examining and developing relations between Sudan and Israel is the responsibility of the concerned institutions, as according to (Sudan's) consitutional declaration" signed following Bashir's ouster, Burhan said. "I also confirm that Sudan's principled stance on the Palestinian issue and the right of its people to an independent state is and will remain firm, in keeping with Arab consensus and Arab League resolutions." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he met the leader of Sudan during his visit to Entebbe in Uganda. By SUMY SADURNI (AFP) Netanyahu's office said Monday that he and the Sudanese general had "agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries". It said Netanyahu believed post-Bashir Sudan is headed "in a new positive direction" and that he had also expressed this view to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "Burhan is eager to help his country modernise by taking it out of isolation and putting it on the world's map," it said. The Uganda meeting came after Sudan said Pompeo had invited Burhan to Washington for an official visit, the first such invitation to a Sudan ruler in more than three decades. The United States still classifies Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, a legacy from the rule of Bashir who in the 1990s hosted Osama bin Laden. 'Stab in the back' Late on Monday, Sudanese government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Salih said the cabinet had only learned of the meeting at Entebbe through media reports. "We, the members of the cabinet, were not notified or consulted about this meeting," Salih said in a statement. Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel over the Jewish state's treatment of the Palestinians and occupation of Arab lands. In the wake of the 1967 war in which Israel captured Palestinian lands, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, recognition or negotiations with Israel. Since then, Egypt and Jordan have recognised Israel, and relations have been easing between Israel and Gulf Arab states in part due to shared concern over Iran's role in the region. The Palestinians have been seeking a united front since Trump last week unveiled his Middle East plan. Palestinian protesters stick their footwear on posters depicting US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netantyahu during a recent demonstration against Trump's Middle East peace proposal in the Gaza Strip. By SAID KHATIB, SAID KHATIB (AFP/File) The initiative gave the Jewish state the US green light to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as the Jordan Valley, a key territory Palestinians see as their future state. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official news agency WAFA, the organisation's chief Saeb Erekat accused Washington and Netanyahu of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". The Sudanese Communist Party, which is part of the umbrella protest movement that led to the ouster of Bashir last April, echoed that condemnation. "What happened at the meeting between Burhan and Netanyahu is a stab in the back of Sudanese people's struggle against imperialists and also their continuous position in supporting the Palestinians," party spokesman Fathi Fadoul said in a video broadcast on the party's Facebook page. "We also condemn the statement from the cabinet. The cabinet has to say directly what its position is about the meeting rather than saying it was not notified about it." (Newser) It is still technically possible for President Trump to be convicted and removed from office Wednesdaybut bookies are giving better odds on Elvis Presley being found alive. Acquittal by a vote along party lines is widely expected when the Senate votes at 4pm, though there is still a "small sense of suspense" over whether there will be defections from either party, the Guardian reports. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, seen as one of the few possible GOP swing votes, said Tuesday that she would vote to acquit. The Maine lawmaker said Trump's behavior was "wrong" and she would have considered voting for a resolution to censure Trump if the House had started with one instead of "leaping to impeachment," reports Politico. story continues below GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski also confirmed that she would vote to acquit, despite Trump's "shameful" conduct. She added, however, that the Senate "should be ashamed by the rank partisanship that has been on display here." Republicans hold 53 of the Senate's 100 seats and convicting Trump would require 67 votes. Republican Sen. Mitt Romney is now believed to be the Democrats' only hope of a bipartisan vote in favor of conviction on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. On the Democratic side, Sen. Joe Manchin has suggested censuring Trump instead, which could be a sign he plans to vote to acquit, the AP reports. Sen. Doug Jones, another possible swing vote, says he will announce his vote early Wednesday. (Read more Trump trial stories.) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Donald Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday, in a pointed political gesture after listening tight-lipped to the president tout his achievements to Congress. The tension between Trump and his Democratic nemesis was palpable from the outset, as Pelosi extended her hand for a handshake -- and the president failed to return the favor. Seated in silence behind the president in the House of Representatives, Pelosi frowned, repeatedly shook her head and smiled disbelievingly until he finished speaking and Republicans erupted in applause -- at which point she rose and very visibly tore up the papers in front of her. Also Watch | Iran must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons: Donald Trump Asked afterwards by a reporter to give a reason for her gesture, Pelosi replied: Because it was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives. And in a follow-up tweet, the 79-year-old Pelosi said Democrats would never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done. Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House six weeks ago, and the flashpoint with Pelosi comes one day before the US Senate is all but certain to vote to acquit him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. During the impeachment crisis, Trump, 73, has repeatedly assailed the speaker for her impeachment hoax, branding her nervous Nancy and crazy Nancy on Twitter. Pelosis gesture capped a night where the countrys bitter political divide was on full display, as Trumps address earned a triumphant reception from the Republican half of Congress -- but sullen silence, boos and jeers from the Democrats present. Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrat in the Senate, said that the speech was more like a Trump rally than a speech a true leader would give. It was demagogic, undignified, highly partisan and in too many places, untruthful, he said. The White House was quick to hit back at Pelosi, saying she had insulted the Americans honored in Trumps speech, from a veteran airman to a premature baby or a mourning military family. Thats her legacy, it said. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham doubled down, tweeting: Tearing the speech up is not going to tear up the accomplishments of this President. His fellow Republican Senator Marco Rubio said Pelosi had embarrassed herself by ripping up the speech. So pathetic, he added on Twitter. A former Long Branch woman plotted the murders of her husband and sister 25 years ago and had her son and an acquaintance carry out the killings before collecting $200,000 in life insurance and moving to Florida, prosecutors said during an hour-long detention hearing on Wednesday for the mother and son. In Superior Court in Freehold, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Doyle used statements made by suspects Dolores Morgan, 66, and her son, Ted Connors, 47, and those close to the pair to convince the judge to keep the two locked up pending trial. Both were charged last month in the December 1994 killing of Morgans sister, Ana Mejia, and the May 1995 death of Morgans husband, Nicholas Connors, both in Long Branch. Also charged is Ted Connors friend, Jose Carrero. Shortly after the killings, the mother and son along with Ted Connors then-girlfriend travelled to the Dominican Republic. Connors girlfriend later told police that during the trip, Morgan remarked, We already have two deaths on our hands. We cant afford another. We cant afford the police snooping around our house again, according to Doyle. (Morgan) has done nothing but hide her involvement and manipulate the system to ensure she was protected, Doyle said. The pair fled to Florida within a year of the murders to start new lives, she said. A confession Carrero gave to police led to the trio being arrested in January. He appeared in court in late January and agreed to remain in jail pending trial. During Morgans arrest in Palm Beach County, Florida, Doyle said she told an officer there: "Do you have kids? Hes the reason Im here... My sons best friend (Carrero) gave police all the information because he was there. Ted Connors appears before Superior Court of Monmouth County Judge Paul Escandon on Feb. 5, 2020.Noah K. Murray | For NJ Advance Connors recently admitted to police he was a drug dealer in the 1990s in Long Branch and his mother was aware of it. Connors told police he had lost money because Mejia was arrested with her boyfriend in a drug case in 1994, giving him a motive to kill her, Doyle said. But Connors attorney, Jonathan Petty, argued numerous people involved in dealing would have had motive to murder Mejia, who was perceived as a possible snitch in the drug investigation. Petty said a search warrant was executed at her apartment a week before her murder and police found a kilo of cocaine and more than $130,000. When authorities found her dead, shed been stabbed 23 times and had baby formula smeared around her mouth and nose, authorities have said. Petty argued that Carreros recent two-hour statement and confession was the result of investigators feeding him answers. He just keeps getting the answers wrong, Petty said. He consistently flubs details." Morgans attorney, Jason Seidman, said his client has been cooperative with police since the beginning of the investigation 25 years ago, and once agreed to work with police and record a conversation while wearing a wire. Doyle also pointed to financial gain as being the motive for killing Nicholas Connors. A day after Morgan found her husband shot in their Long Branch home, she contacted an insurance company to make a $200,000 claim, Doyle said. The late father of two had hired a private investigator to find Mejias killer and may have been zeroing in on Morgan and Ted Connors as suspects, Doyle argued. Killing for money and drugs, the states position, you cannot get more violent, she said. A row of Mejias family members sat in the second row of the courtroom, in front of Connors and Morgans relatives. At one point, while Morgans defense attorney painted described Mejias drug charge and being a perceived snitch, one of Mejias relatives rushed out of the courtroom crying. At the conclusion of the tense hearing, Judge Paul X. Escandon ordered the mother and son held in jail pending trial, citing overwhelming evidence." Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Aurora Cannabis Inc.'s (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB) River production facility in Bradford, Ontario, has received European Union Good Manufacturing Practice certification, the Canadian cannabis company said Monday. In addition to the EU GMP certification, Aurora announced that German regulators gave the company the required approval to restart sales after a December 2019 suspension on specific products. Benzinga's Cannabis Capital Conference returns to Miami Feb. 24-25 with North America's largest B2B cannabis gathering, bringing together capital, cannabis executives, thought leaders and more! Why It Matters For Aurora The EU GMP certification of the Bradford site gives Aurora three licensed facilities in Canada. The site joins the Edmonton-headquartered brand's other two EU GMP-approved sites in Mountain View County, Alberta and Markham, Ontario. Aurora has 10 licensed facilities in Canada altogether. The Aurora River facility is designed to serve large-scale production, with 17 grow rooms that can produce up to 28,000 kg per year. Aurora said the latest achievement for the brand increased international medical market production capacity by 230%. The recent certification enables the company to allot additional dried flower and extracted products to the worldwide market. "The EU GMP certification of our River facility further validates our strategy focused on purpose-built facilities, designed and constructed exclusively for the production of high-quality, pharmaceutical grade cannabis," CEO Terry Booth said in a statement. In Germany, pharmacies have received instruction to begin selling Aurora products once again, the company said. The stock was trading 4.77% higher at $1.98 at the time of publication Monday. Related Links: Aurora Cannabis Analyst Says Stock Will Go Up In Smoke, Sets Zero Price Target Aurora Cannabis Trades Down As Q1 Loss Balloons, Company Reels In Construction, Expenses 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. The changing lifestyles amongst retirees are paving the way for a new trend in the prime housing market dubbed "rightsizing", according to the latest report from Knight Frank. Downsizers, who typically want to escape the hustle and bustle of the urban setting, are now seeking easily maintainable prime properties close to city-centre locations. "With this new active retiree lifestyle, they seek simplicity, and to feel the vibe from living close to the action. Downsizing the living areas is not part of this movement, but their new home request is to be the right size for them, with amenities to match their lifestyle," said Michelle Ciesielski, head of residential research at Knight Frank. A smaller property with house-like proportions is one of the top 12 features being considered by active retirees when buying a prime residential home. They also tend to seek a minimum of three-bedroom configuration in prime suburbs. The graph below shows the other top must-have features retirees look for in a home: Ciesielski said the rightsizing trend also appeals to other demographics, especially amongst entrepreneurs and growing families. As the demand for these medium-density homes increases, prices are expected to increase by as much as 10% this year. Of all housing markets in Australia, the Gold Coast recorded the highest proportion of three-bedroom homes at 70%, followed by Brisbane at 61%. "Both city pipelines show a further increase in the portion of total dwellings being built by the end of 2022 to 81% and 87% respectively," Ciesielski said. The share of three-bedroom medium-density dwelling is expected to increase in Melbourne and Perth. On the other hand, the slice of the same housing in Sydney is projected to decline from 50% to 44%. Ciesielski said this could put upward pressure on prices. "This shortfall will impact prices given the proximity to activity hubs and amenities ranks third most important for those looking to downsize and these regions are best suited to this lifestyle," Ciesielski said. According to the figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last month, there is a lack of approvals for medium-density housing options like townhomes and duplexes across the country. The tables below show the expected proportion of medium-density homes in selected prime suburb regions: Taking serious note of internal bickering and litigations in the Pandalam Royal family, which is the custodian of sacred ornaments of Sabaraimala temple, the Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Kerala government to suggest measures to safeguard the jewellery. The top court said the jewellery does not belong to any family but to Lord Ayyappa and it may appoint a responsible person for the custody of ornaments till the disputes are resolved. A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari asked senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Kerala government, to take instructions with regard to safeguarding the ornaments and listed the matter on February 7. "There is fighting going on and there is so much of litigation. What will happen if something goes wrong with the ornaments? These ornaments belong to Lord Ayyappa, which was given to him long back. Now there is a dispute in the family. Why not we should allow the ornaments to be kept in the safe custody of a responsible person," the bench said. It asked Gupta as to what does he think about giving the ornaments to a responsible person, who keeps them in safe custody. Gupta said that as the voices are being raised from within the family, the state can take a decision in this regard but at present he does not have any instructions. Raja Raja Varma, a member of Pandalam Royal family, has moved an application for impleadment in the pending matter and sought direction for handing over of the keys of strong room, where jewels are kept in custody of secretary of association 'Pandalam Kottara Nirvahaka Sangham', to senior members of the family. Varma has claimed that he has apprehension that President, treasurer and secretary of the association may do something wrong or misappropriate the sacred jewels. In his application, he said a legal notice was issued by him on January 3, to the secretary of the association as there was alleged mismanagement, maladministration and embezzlement of funds. Senior advocate K Radhakrishnan, appearing for Varma, said ornaments are in the hands of Pandalam Royal Family and are kept in the Palace and they are taken out once a year for Lord Ayyappa. The bench said, "The question is why should we allow the ornaments to be kept in the custody of a private individual. We should entrust it to some responsible person". It said an inventory of the ornaments should be prepared and they be kept in safe custody. The bench asked Radhakrishnan as to who has the keys of strong room where the ornaments are kept, to which he replied that secretary of the association has it. "You yourself have made allegation against the secretary, then why not we order the ornaments to be taken out and kept some where else," the top court said. Radhakrishnan claimed that the president, treasurer and secretary belong to a different sect of the Royal family and there is a strong move on their part to misappropriate the jewellery. He said that this move is very unfortunate and is causing great agony and pain to other senior members of Pandalam family. The bench asked Kerala government to apprise about the ground situation and whether there is any chance of any mischief with regard to the ornaments of Lord Ayyappa. At the outset, Kerala government sought some time to draft a separate law regarding the administration of the historic Sabarimala temple. The top court had on November 20 last year asked the Kerala government to come out with an exclusive legislation regarding the administration of the temple. It had asked the state government to place before it by third week of January next year the legislation, also covering the aspects of welfare of pilgrims visiting there. The state had earlier said it has formulated amendments to the law that would deal with the temples and their administrations which are presently being governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board. The draft law also proposes to give one-third representation to women in the temple advisory committee, the counsel said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) >>> Successful treatment for nCoV patient in Thanh Hoa >>> Eighth nCoV case confirmed in Vietnam returns from Chinas Wuhan The 30-year-old, residing in Minh Quang Commune, Tam Dao District, is among a group of eight workers from Japan-invested Nihon Plast Co., Ltd. undergoing a training course in Chinas Wuhan City, the point of origin and centre of the nCoV epidemic. He returned to Vietnam on January 17 on a China Southern flight, the same flight as his group, in which four others previously tested positive for the novel virus. He is being isolated and receiving treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District, Hanoi, and is now in stable condition. Thus far, Vietnam has recorded nine positive cases for nCoV, including the five above-mentioned workers with the other cases being two Chinese nationals (a man and his son, with one already having recovered), a Vietnamese hotel receptionist who had contact with the Chinese duo, and a US citizen that transited Wuhan on his flight to Vietnam. However, two among the infected have officially been declared negative following isolated treatment. In addition to a female nCoV patient was discharged from hospital in the central province of Thanh Hoa yesterday after successful treatment, Li Zichao - one of the first two Chinese nationals that tested positive for nCoV being treated at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City - was also discharged on Tuesday morning. Assoc. Prof., Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the MoHs Administration of Medical Examination and Treatment, said that Li, 28, is the son of the Chinese father infected with the corona virus. They are the first nCoV infections discovered in Vietnam. Li Zichao (far left), one of the first two Chinese patients infected with nCoV to be treated at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, is discharged from the hospital on Tuesday morning, February 4, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Lam Ngoc) The patient was treated with an antipyretic drug in an isolated room being kept open wide to create a natural airflow and high temperature with sunshine. Li gargled antiseptic solution to reduce the life of corona virus. To date, the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute has completed testing the deadly virus for the patient three times. All three samples tested are negative, showing that the patient is completely healthy, without any nCoV symptoms suspected and was discharged from the hospital this morning. Information from Cho Ray Hospital said that Lis father, Li Ding, 66, is still in treatment at the hospital. His first medical sample test gave a negative result for nCoV. Dr. Khue said that the patient's health has improved well without any sign of fever for six days and he has been back to normal activities. However, Li should be monitored further for other symptoms of nCoV infection because the patient has many complex background diseases, including type II diabetes, surgery for a right lung tumour and a stent-treated coronary artery disease. According to the MoH, the deadly virus originating from Wuhan, China, has now spread to other 26 countries and territories worldwide, with 19,843 confirmed cases and 426 deaths as of 6 am this morning. To cope with the spread of nCoV, the National Steering Committee for nCoV Prevention and Control held a meeting in Hanoi on February 3 under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also the head of the Steering Committee, to discuss nCoV preventive measures. The National Steering Committee against nCoV met in Hanoi on February 3, 2020, to discuss measures to prevent the virus from spreading in Vietnam. (Photo: VGP) The Steering Committee members agreed that the situation regarding the disease is still complicated in China and could spread to many countries. For every Vietnamese citizen, the most effective way to proactively prevent and control nCoV at this time is to strictly follow the recommendations of the health sector about using face masks, maintaining personal hygiene and avoiding gathering and contact in crowded places. As for the concerned authorities, the strongest measure now is to strictly control those who enter Vietnam from the epidemic areas, while organising isolated zoning and quarantine for suspected infections and implementing effective solutions to prevent the epidemic from spreading to the community. In a related development, against the complex nCoV situation, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a guiding document on Monday afternoon, asking for isolation for all entry cases, including foreigners, who have come from or passed through any of the 31 provinces and cities of China within the past 14 days. The PM requested strict implementation of isolation measures, as well as detoxification and disinfection for families and accommodation establishments adjacent to isolated facilities or where patients are isolated. The PM also asked the MoH to thoroughly zone and wipe out epidemic outbreaks right at the site of infected or suspected nCoV cases. For those coming from or having travelled through Hubei Province, China, within the last 14 days, they must be treated as infection cases. Thanh Thuy International Border Gate in Ha Giang Province temporarily suspends import and export activities. (Photo: NDO) At a meeting on the nCoV prevention and control on February 3, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan underlined the need to build field hospitals in response to the nCoV spread. He asked relevant sides to consider the locations and sizes of such hospitals, expected to be located in Cu Chi and Nha Be Districts, to match the disease situation and ensure their efficient operation. The HCM Municipal Department of Health said by the end of February 3, the city had recorded three nCoV cases, 12 tested negative for the virus, and 15 were put under health quarantine as they had had close contact with the infected people. Nhan asked local authorities to promptly carry out solutions to contain the virus spread, including temporarily isolating people from nCoV-affected areas and increasing communications to raise public awareness of disease prevention. The same day, Hanoi authorities also hosted a meeting to discuss the nCoV prevention and control. So far, Hanoi has not recorded any nCoV infections. Among the 29 suspected cases, 27 have tested negative for the virus and the other two have been isolated and are being monitored. At the meeting, Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung directed that from February 4, Hanoi will continue to implement disinfecting measures at public agencies, hospitals and public places, which is considered the most effective measure to avoid cross-contamination. As the risk of nCoV spreading is very high, it is necessary to increase communications and ban wildlife trading businesses in the city. On February 3, a hospital specifically designated for the handling of suspected cases of nCoV was put into operation in Mong Cai City, in the northern border province of Quang Ninh. The city plans to carry out detoxification and disinfection throughout the city. On the same day, a delegation from the MoH led by Deputy Minister Truong Quoc Cuong inspected the production of equipment for nCoV prevention and control in a number of production units in Hanoi. MoH leaders said that at present, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is contacting South Africa, Egypt and India to find raw materials to meet the needs for domestic production. A mission from the Ministry of Health inspects the production and supply of medical masks in Hanoi on February 3, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Hai Ngo) Against the complex situation of nCoV spreading, hundreds of thousands of medical masks have been distributed free of charge to people and tourist in crowded places across the nation. The local authorities and businesses have also donated face masks to Chinese localities bordering Vietnam. On February 3, the Ministry of Education and Training sent an official dispatch to the local Departments of Education and Training, schools and affiliated units to guide students to leave school to prevent the nCoV spread, as well as proposing preventive measures for them during the temporary leave against the epidemic. As of 8 am on February 4, 54 provinces and cities have decided to leave students out of school. Most localities let students of pre-school and high-school levels leave school until February 9. A school being disinfected in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province. (Photo: NDO) The 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case was put on fast track, yet more than seven years have passed, and the mother of the victim is still crying for justice. Amid Shaheen Bagh protests, budget and upcoming Delhi elections, an important development has gone quite under the radar that may have far-reaching consequences and leave an indelible mark on Indias polity. As the date of execution of the four convicts in the 2012 gangrape-murder case keeps getting postponed, the delay subverts justice, denies retribution and incentivises vigilante action of the kind we witnessed in Hyderabad encounter killings. On Sunday, the Delhi High Court reserved its order on a plea challenging the stay on the execution of the convicts who raped, tortured and inflicted catastrophic injuries on the 23-year-old Delhi student, on the night of 16 December, 2012. Grievously injured, she died a few days later. The crime shook the nation and forced the government to enact tougher new laws, including introducing death penalty in rarest of rare cases, widening the definition of rape, adding stalking, spying and acid attacks to a list of specific crimes against women; and require jail time for police who fail to register assaults or who commit them themselves. All this sounds good, but the problem lies in implementation. The 2012 victims case was put on fast track, yet more than seven years have passed, and the victims mother is still crying for justice. The four convicts Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay and Akshay were given the death penalty by the Supreme Court in May 2017. One of the convicts committed suicide while serving jail time while the sixth, a minor during the execution of the crime, was let off after serving three years in a correctional home. What we have here, therefore, is a case where four convicts who unleashed one of the brutal crimes that posed a challenge to Indias moth-eaten criminal justice system, successfully employing through their legal team every option in the book to delay execution of the sentence and frustrate all attempts at administering of justice. For instance, while Mukesh has exhausted all possible options including clemency from the President of India, three of his fellow convicts are yet to exhaust theirs, and they are coordinating their moves in a way so that execution remains repeatedly (and perhaps indefinitely) postponed. It is important to stress here that the all these are happening within the constitutional and legal framework, and the death row convicts are legitimately exercising their rights which the Indian states legal system allows them to. For instance, while the convicts were to be hanged till death on 22 January, the date was postponed till 1 February as Mukesh filed his mercy plea. Even as that date was finalised and a black warrant issued, a Delhi trial court passed an order postponing the execution of sentence sine die till further orders. The Tihar jail authorities, according to reports, appealed for the separate hanging of the convicts, the court turned down the plea, maintaining that if an appeal or an application is made by one convict, the execution of sentence shall be postponed in the case of co-convicts as well. Worth noting here that while Mukesh has exercised all his legal rights, Akshay hasnt sought clemency yet while Pawan has not yet moved any curative petition before Supreme Court. Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana, in his order, observed that without commenting upon the dilatory tactics adopted by the convicts, suffice it would be to state that seeking redressal of ones grievances through procedure established by law is the hallmark of any civilised society. The courts of this country cannot afford to adversely discriminate any convict, including death row convict, in pursuit of his legal remedies, by turning a Nelsons eye towards him. Following this development, the Centre filed a plea against the stay on execution, and an order on that was reserved by Delhi High Court on Sunday. Worth repeating here that even death row convicts have legal rights, and it is part of the judicial process to allow them the benefit of a lengthy appeal and review process. Taking of life by the state even in nations where the provision exists is not an easy decision, and these safeguards are inevitable and necessary. And yet these rights militate against the rights of a victim, the need for natural justice to be served and seen to be served, and in a state where inordinate delays are caused due to apathy, lack of state capacity and artificial barriers to justice, these delaying tactics by the convicts act as a force-multiplier and take away the retributive, deterrent nature of justice. What answer does the State has when the victims mother, who has been doing the rounds of courts for the last seven years to ensure that perpetrators of the heinous crime face the consequence of their actions, breaks down before the media and says the convicts will never be executed? Here, the delay renders the punishment meaningless. As Vrinda Bhandari writes in Firstpost, For the law to govern, the system through which it is administered must measure up adequately when mapped against the three dimensions of justice substantive justice on merits, timeliness in the disposal of cases, and proportionate use of the States resources. The delay and barriers to justice lead to denial of civil-political rights, corrodes the link between crime and punishment, highlights the gap between rule of law and judicial procedure and ultimately, erodes public faith in Indias criminal justice system. In his article Death Delayed Is Retribution Denied, Russell L Christopher of University of Tulsa argues while quoting scholars Carol and Jordan Steiker, extending the time between sentence and execution undercuts two of the most pressing pro-death-penalty arguments: deterrence and retribution. The combined effect of procedural delays, the pendency of cases in courts convoluted procedures and inconsistent application of the law results in cynicism among the public over Indias criminal justice system, and this paves the ground for vigilante justice. The Hyderabad case, where four men accused of gang-raping and charring to death a 27-year-old vet were killed in an encounter with police in December last year, saw cross-section of Indians from ordinary people, politicians, celebrities to sportspersons greet the extrajudicial killings with celebrations and support for men in uniform. Among those who congratulated the Hyderabad cops was the Delhi victims mother Asha Devi, who called the news ointment to her wounds. At least one daughter has been served justice. I thank the police. I have been shouting for seven years, punish the culprits even if it needs to be done by breaking laws and then see how the society changes for good, she was quoted as saying. There are no easy answers or quick fixes to ethical, moral, legal and institutional crises that India faces over its criminal justice system. Administrations so far have proven to be inadequate and lacking in vision and political will to carry out deep-seated reforms in judicial, police and criminal justice spheres. Asha Devis nightmare wont end anytime soon. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-05 13:35:02 More than 875 International, Domestic exhibitors to woo Gulf countries (GCC) buyers at INDIAWOOD 2020 Media coordinator Vishal Shukla, vishal@chavimindpie.com The 11th edition of INDIAWOOD, organised by NurnbergMesse, is the regions biggest knowledge sharing show for furniture manufacturing machinery, raw materials, panels, hardware, components and accessories. It will be held from February 27-March 2, 2020 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru, India. The five-day mega show will focus on carpentry, skilling, innovation, automation and digitalization with the aim to drive Indian furniture manufacturing and woodworking industry and establish India as one of the top manufacturing destinations in the region, in sync with Government of Indias Make in India vision. The Five dayshow expects heavy business enquiries from GCC states. Spread over 65,000 sq. meters plus area with 5 dedicated themed halls and 12 country pavilions from Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Sweden, USA, INDIAWOOD 2020 will host more than 875 exhibitors from over 50 countries. We are delighted to present the 11th edition of INDIAWOOD, which has witnessed remarkable growth. The 2020 edition is expected to bring more exhibitors, visitors and newer technology and innovations to the forefront and will continue to remain the most important meeting place for the woodworking Industry in Indian subcontinent, said Peter Ottmann, CEO, NurnbergMesse GmbH. Embraced by top international companies like BIESSE, FELDER, GRASS, HAFELE, HETTECH, HOMAG & many more from various product categories, INDIAWOOD 2020 is all set to fuel the potential of the Indian wood working industry and establish the highest benchmarks in the exhibitions area. Furniture and kitchen manufacturers, saw millers, board manufacturers, fittings and component manufactures, traders, architects, builders and interior designers have pre-registered for the event with great enthusiasm. The show attracts visitors from all across the country and neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East. To enhance the visitor experience, INDIAWOOD provides a customized & personalized visitor badge upon pre-registering; furthermore visitors can also set business meetings through the INDIAWOOD APP. There shall be skill development programs by the Furniture & Fittings Skill Council of India. INDIAWOOD is the all-encompassing forum for business, networking and insights on market and technology across the woodworking fraternity. From up skilling the carpenters to discovering innovative solutions to forging strategic brand alliances, INDIAWOOD 2020 is the place to be., shared Sonia Prashar, Chairperson & Managing Director, NurnbergMesse. www.indiawood.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005 Healthcare workers are the most in-demand in Australia, surprising new figures reveal. Last year, job advertisements for pharmacists increased by 180 per cent to make chemists the most sought after workers in the country. Meanwhile, demand for pharmacy assistants also grew significantly by 170 per cent. As a whole, the health sector experienced the strongest wage growth, rising by 3.2 per cent on average compared to 2.2 per cent in other industries. Last year, job advertisements for pharmacists almost tripled by 180 per cent to make chemists the most demanded workers in the country. Meanwhile, demand for pharmacy assistants also grew significantly by 170 per cent (stock image) Job website Indeed compiled advertisement statistics to determine which industries and professions were most in-demand, in data provided to Business Insider. In addition, advertisements for mental health technicians, registered operating room nurses, support coordinators and midwives all increased by 50 per cent or more. 'In only one Australian sector, healthcare and social assistance is pay growth strong relative to what was once considered normal,' Indeed economist Callam Pickering told the publication. Healthcare jobs took up eight of the top 15 jobs compiled by Indeed. Although the healthcare sector experienced strong wage growth, three other industries supplied more positions to the Australian job market. In first place, the professional and technical services industry saw the creation of more than 98,000 positions (stock image) Although the healthcare sector experienced strong wage growth, three other industries supplied more employment positions to the Australian job market. In first place, the professional and technical services industry saw the creation of more than 98,000 positions. In second place, the education and training industry generated 70,000 brand new jobs for Australian educators. Meanwhile, administrative and support services created over 60,000 opportunities and the healthcare sector created 50,000 in fourth place. The education and training industry generated 70,000 brand new jobs for Australian educators to come in second place (stock image) According to Indeed, the manufacturing sector was the worst hit industry as it lost 77,200 positions in 2019. Mr Pickering attributed the loss to a large number of temporary positions created in the manufacturing industry in 2018. When the employment contracts ended in 2019, it resulted in a large loss of jobs. However, overall over the past two years the industry has only decreased slightly. According to Indeed, the manufacturing sector was the worst hit industry as it lost 77,200 positions in 2019 (stock image) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has accused Fianna Fail and Fine Gael of using issues in Northern Ireland to make political capital. Speaking on Wednesday morning after Tuesdays Leaders Debate on RTE, Ms McDonald pointed to Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkars criticism of Northern Irelands public services as an example. She said: You saw in the debate last night, the issues around public services in the north, weve been shouting about this from the rooftops; the cutting of the block grant, a decade of Tory austerity, has been devastating for the health and public services. I am on the RTE debate tonight because of all of you. You stood up and made your voices heard and the political establishment backed down. I hope I do you proud! #Time4Unity #GE2020 pic.twitter.com/lkwwsIYbhj Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) February 4, 2020 Then (Fianna Fail leader) Micheal Martin or Leo Varadkar use that to suggest that the Assembly is in some way comparable to the Dail, when they know London holds the purse strings I think thats dishonest. Mr Varadkar appeared on Newstalk Radio on Wednesday morning where he repeated his argument that Northern Ireland is different from the Republic, and at one point compared Stormont to a local authority. Hes talking out of both sides of his mouth, Ms McDonald said in response. Its not fair to say the Assembly is the equivalent of a local authority, but it doesnt have fiscal powers, so when we talk about the damage to the health service, were saying: Yes, what are you going to do to help us?' Ms McDonald noted that her issue was not on the current controversy surrounding Sinn Fein minister Conor Murphy and his comments on murder victim Paul Quinn: There are issues that are electoral, and there are issues that are way beyond that, as far as Im concerned, she said. Without a shadow of a doubt they do (use Northern Ireland for political gain) but not in this instance, I just want to make this very clear, I am not suggesting that in respect of the Quinn familys campaign for their son. My main concern, and I mean this, is that Breege Quinn and the wider family are given some peace from the apology from Conor (Murphy) and beyond that, I dont think you should think about things like this in terms of how itll affect of polling, I think thats crass, I dont think circumstances like this should be politicised. Ms McDonald went on to add that the main Irish political parties often use Sinn Feins political history in Northern Ireland during the election campaign to score points. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald took part in the Leaders Debate on RTE (Niall Carson/PA) There are some in the Irish political establishment who reach for the north, only and solely to damage Sinn Fein, to dredge up peoples real suffering, as a way to score political points, and I think thats, at this stage, beneath all of us, she said. We have to build for the future and there is nothing to be gained from selectively reaching for the past. What we need to do is give the people who suffered through the Troubles the space, the supports and the mechanisms to get as much closure as is possible, and that goes for all people across the community. When asked if it makes her uncomfortable when called upon to apologise for IRA activities in the past, as McDonald herself was only 20 and not a member of Sinn Fein at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, she says that she understands her role. The thing that frustrates me is that down here, as we call it, there is sometimes no appreciation for the huge progress that has been made in the north, she said. People are partitionist when they wish to be. But Im the leader of Sinn Fein, and its right that you will questioned and tested and challenged, but I think all of us have a duty to mind the peace process and thats not compatible with consistently using the north and the past as political capital. PHOENIX Legislation quickly passed last year to enable seven Arizona children to continue attending a private New Mexico school using the states voucher program would expand to cover all children living on the states American Indian reservations under a contentious proposal approved by a Senate committee Tuesday. Proponents called the legislation a narrow fix focused on a handful of children attending a school across the state border from Window Rock, Arizona. Opponents, including leaders of a group that blocked a statewide expansion of the private school voucher program called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, called it a slippery slope that would allow a massive expansion. Republican Sen. Sylvia Allen called her legislation a simple bill about helping some children to be able to continue to go to the school that the previous Department of Education had given a waiver to allow them to go to. Its not about expansion of ESA, its not about all the other things we turned this into, Allen said. The proposal is billed as a permanent fix to a one-year waiver enacted last year after the superintendent of public instruction discovered that seven students were attending the Hilltop Christian School in Tse Bonito, New Mexico, less than a mile from the Arizona state line. Superintendent Kathy Hoffman, a Democrat, set off a firestorm among school voucher backers last year. Thats when she sent letters to parents telling them they had to repay tuition the state had paid because state law requires school vouchers only to be spent to attend Arizona schools. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey hailed the temporary law and repeatedly said he wants a permanent fix. The emergency fix only applied to those children currently attending the school. But the permanent proposal that passed Allens Education Committee on a 6-3 party-line vote Tuesday and now moves to the full Senate covers any child living on an Arizona reservation if they attend a school within 2 miles of its border. That one weird situation was on one tiny part of the state, said Dawn Penich-Thacker, a spokeswoman for Save Our Schools Arizona, a group that backed a 2018 referendum where voters soundly rejected expanding vouchers to all Arizona students. This bill says that any state with whom we share a reservation, which is all of them, including Mexico, would be able to use these tax dollars in their state at their private schools. That analysis was backed by a supporter of the bill, Sydney Hay, a longtime voucher supporter. She testified that the proposal didnt expand Arizonas voucher program, since any child living on a reservation already qualifies, while noting that it wasnt limited to just those children currently enrolled. The bill allows for other children because to be constitutional it cant be special legislation that only deals with certain people, Hay said. So other children in the same circumstance may be able to attend this school. But again theyre children who are eligible by virtue of living on tribal land. Thats just the slippery slope that Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai fears. The Democrat represents part of the Navajo Nation. I think right now its simply a vehicle to start the empowerment scholarship expansion beyond the borders of Arizona, she said in an interview. It will set a precedent and then that will be worked on to expand, expand, expand, until theres no end. There is a reason school voucher opponents, who say allowing public dollars for private schools siphons cash from public schools, fear an expansion. The original 2011 program applies only to disabled students but was expanded over the years to include several other groups, including all children living on reservations. Republican Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, who supported the universal voucher repeal, said she was coming down on the side of the bill being a minor tweak. In my opinion this bill is not an ESA expansion it is not she said before voting yes. It is a clarification. Hollianne Bruce, the lone epidemiologist assigned to the control of communicable diseases in the countys public health office, jumped into action. Declining to wait for a C.D.C. team to arrive from Atlanta, she dialed up the patient, who had been taken to an isolation unit at a hospital. Seeking to establish a rapport, Ms. Bruce told him she knew he was not feeling well. She apologized for the disturbance. But she impressed on him how he might help save lives by sharing where he had been in recent days and with whom he had come into contact. We dont know a lot about this virus, she told him. Wed like to ask you some questions. The man, who had been taken to the hospital the night before in a covered gurney intended for Ebola patients, agreed to help. It would be the first of several conversations he would have with Ms. Bruce, some by phone, others over a walkie-talkie as she stood outside his sealed room. Once, at his request, she bought him lunch at a nearby Panda Express. The coronavirus may be a global health emergency, but containing it is a local responsibility. Across the United States, where at least 12 more cases have since been confirmed, it is health officials at the county and municipal levels who are scrambling to isolate the sick, learn where they have been and monitor those who have come into contact with them. Read more here on what the campaign in Snohomish to contain the outbreak. After traveling to China, some Americans are staying indoors. At Home Independent Living, Inc. announced today that it received national recognition from two of the most prestigious organizations in the home care industry. At Home Independent Living, Inc. once again received the distinguished Best of Home Care Provider of Choice & Employer of Choice Awards from Home Care Pulse, the leading firm in quality assurance for the home care industry. Additionally, At Home received the "Caring Star of 2020 Award for Service Excellence in home care, which is based on consumer ratings and reviews on Caring.com, the industrys leading consumer resource website for home care services. At Home Independent Living is proud to be the only agency in Syracuse, NY to receive both national recognitions in 2020. As a recipient of these awards, At Home Independent Living, Inc. distinguishes itself as a high-quality performer in the national home care industry. These awards are only granted to the top-ranking home care providers based on client and caregiver satisfaction surveys and certified client reviews. At Home Independent Living is ranked among a small handful of home care providers across the country who have proven their ability to provide an exceptional working experience to employees and the highest quality care to their clients. These accomplishments show At Home Independent Living, Inc.s long-term dedication to excellent care and continuous improvement. Dean Bellefeuille, President and owner of At Home Independent Living, Inc., stated, First - It is imperative to our business to be able to demonstrate some tangible measures for individuals to use to assist them in choosing an agency to care for themselves or their loved ones. Reliability, consistency, and a client-first approach are not necessarily easy to demonstrate to potential clients, so our partnership with Home Care Pulse provides a mechanism for us to gauge our services to allow for an impartial measure of what our current clients and employees identify as our strengths. Second - The unbiased perceptions and information we receive from the monthly surveys has allowed us to identify areas for improvement, make adjustments and measure the effectiveness of corrective measures on a monthly basis. Third - The certified reviews represented through our relationship with Caring.com from our current and past customers provide an opportunity for potential clients researching home care options to determine and select the best agency for their needs. We could not be more pleased with these awards and we will continue to strive for excellence in all our services. At Home Independent Living, Inc. has shown an extensive record of consistency, earning the Home Care Pulse Best of Home Care award 10 years in a row along with the Leaders in Excellence award, presented to agencies in the top 5 percent for overall quality of service, three times. In addition, for both 2019 and 2020, At Home was further recognized with the Caring Star Award for Service Excellence from Caring.com. The Best of Home Care Awards highlight the top-performing home care businesses in the nation. Home Care Pulse believes that by honoring these providers, families looking for in-home care for a loved one will be able to recognize and choose a trusted home care provider. Our goal at Home Care Pulse is to empower home care businesses to reach their goals and deliver the best home care possible, says Erik Madsen, CEO of Home Care Pulse. We are happy to recognize At Home Independent Living, Inc. as a Best of Home Care award winning agency. Weve been impressed by their commitment to their clients and caregivers, as well as the quality of the overall care they provide. They really stand out in their market as a top home care provider. Caring.com reviews help Americans research and select the best senior care providers for aging or ailing loved ones. In multiple research studies, family caregivers have indicated that they turn to the Internet and consumer reviews when narrowing their options among home care agencies in their area, and have relied on these perspectives as much as or more so than suggestions from professionals such as doctors or hospitals. Originally published in January 2012 as the first of its kind in senior living and expanded to home care in 2017, the Caring Stars annual list has become a go-to guide of the best home care agencies nationwide. To be considered for the award, Caring Stars agencies met a set of rigorous criteria based on ratings and reviews from seniors and their family members. Caring.com senior care experts also conducted a reviews-integrity audit and took other quality-assurance measures before determining the Caring Stars of 2020. Congratulations to At Home Independent Living for being among these highly-rated agencies achieving such significant praise from their customers in online reviews, Caring.coms CEO Jim Rosenthal said. They stand out as among the best in the nation for 2020. To find out more about At Home Independent Living, Inc.s commitment to excellence, please visit http://www.athomeindependentliving.com or call 315-579-HOME "4663". About At Home Independent Living, Inc. At Home Independent Living, Inc. is a locally owned, family operated private duty homecare agency servicing Syracuse, NY and the surrounding suburbs. It was founded in 1984 with a mission of providing resources to allow the elderly and the disabled to live independently and safely at home. In addition to providing reliable, compassionate caregiving services, At Home Independent Living, Inc. offers assistance and guidance to the areas veterans and their families to secure services through the Veterans Aid & Attendance pension benefit. As a community resource, individuals, families and home care professionals can take advantage of free online training classes, educational materials as well as presentations to local caregiver support and senior groups. Further information can be found at http://www.athomeindependentliving.com About Home Care Pulse Home Care Pulse is the home care industry's leading firm in satisfaction research and quality assurance. On behalf of home care businesses across North America, Home Care Pulse gathers unbiased satisfaction ratings from clients and caregivers and detailed feedback to ensure the best in-home care possible can be provided. Powerful online reports allow businesses to identify needs and take action to increase satisfaction, reduce caregiver turnover, and address client needs. For more information, please call Home Care Pulse at (877) 307-8573 or visit homecarepulse.com. About Caring.com With millions of website visitors, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource and referral service for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Founded in 2007 and applying cutting-edge technology to its social mission, Caring provides caregivers extensive senior care content and comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States. Caring.com is also the #1 site for consumer reviews of senior living and in-home care providers, with about 250,000 reviews currently published and thousands added every month. Through a toll-free referral helpline at (800) 973-1540, Carings Family Advisors support families and seniors across the nation in researching and selecting the most appropriate senior living and senior care services for their specific situations. For more information about their organization and the quality senior care information, resources and guidance offered, please visit caring.com/about. Erdogan warns Assad regime forces on Idlib attack In retaliation for the Mondays deadly attack, Turkey struck over 50 targets and killed 76 Syrian regime troops. The Assad regime must fall back from Turkeys observation posts in northwestern Syria this month or Turkey will force the issue, said the Turkish president on Wednesday. "TURKEY WOULD CONDUCT OPERATIONS IF NEEDED" "If the Syrian regime will not retreat from Turkish observation posts in Idlib in February, Turkey itself will be obliged to make this happen," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his party's lawmakers in parliament. "Turkeys air and land forces will move freely in all operation areas [in Syria] and in Idlib, and they will conduct operations if needed," he added, amid speculation of fresh Turkish moves in northern Syria. The Syrian regime is violating the cease-fires reached in Idlib, said Erdogan, citing an attack this Monday that martyred seven Turkish soldiers. "The attack on our soldiers the day before was a turning point in Syria for Turkey," he said. Erdogan added that every attack on Turkish soldiers or its allies will face retaliation, without any warning, regardless of the source of the attack. In its military operations, "Turkey's main principle is not to hurt lives or the property of innocent people," he said. Mondays Assad regime attack in Idlib, northwestern Syria, martyred seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor working with the Turkish military, and injured 13 people. President Donald Trump touted his removal of Irans Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the Iraqi and Syrian battlefields during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Soleimani was the Iranian regimes most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq, said Trump. As the worlds top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women and children. Trump invited the wife and son of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake who was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad in 2008 as his guests at the annual address. The president alleged that Soleimani had provided the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris life. He also outlined broad conditions for Iran to meet for the United States to lift sanctions, calling on Tehran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death and destruction and start working for the good of its own people, while deriding Iranian leaders as too proud or too foolish to ask for US help. The president also invited the parents of Kayla Mueller, a humanitarian aid worker executed in Syria by the Islamic State in 2013. Trump touted the territorial defeat of the IS caliphate, noting, The bloodthirsty killer known as al-Baghdadi is dead. Why it matters: The White House has sought to rebuff Democratic attacks on the legality of the Soleimani strike by noting his role in providing roadside bombs to Iraqi militias as the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. Still, Trump doubled down on his claim that Soleimani was actively planning new attacks when we hit him very hard. While most Republicans have defended the strike as an act of self-defense, Democrats say they have not seen compelling evidence to indicate that Soleimani was planning an imminent attack. And while Trump did not face much pushback on the Baghdadi raid, the Pentagon released a report on Tuesday indicating that the IS leaders death did not disrupt the terrorist groups command structure and operations. Whats next: Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has said that he has enough votes to pass an Iran war powers resolution that would limit Trumps authority to attack Iran except in cases of self-defense. Still, it remains a largely partisan endeavor and Kaine likely does not have enough votes to override Trumps inevitable veto. Know more: Trump did not mention Saudi Arabia in his address, but Democrats still want to keep the heat on him for shielding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Congressional correspondent Bryant Harris has the back story on how Khashoggis fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, ended up at the State of the Union. Southern superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday said he will be the first person to come in the support of the Muslim community if the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) affected them in anyway. He also said that the political parties for their own self-interest and religious leaders were joining the protesters, which was wrong. Answering reporters over his silence on the CAA, Rajinikanth said the Central government has clearly said that Indian citizens will not be affected by the Act. He said Indian Muslims have stayed back here in their "janmabhoomi" during the partition in 1947, and how could they be sent back. "If something like that happens, I, Rajinikanth will be the first person to voice in their support if they were affected," he said. Rajinikanth urged the students to get detailed information before joining any protest as any police first information report (FIR) registered against them will spoil their future. He also told the students that if they do not do research, then the pollical parties will use them. Queried about the Sri Lankan refugees, Rajinikanth said they should be given dual citizenship. According to him, National Population Register (NPR) is very essential as it tells who are foreigners and who are Indians. Rajinikanth also said that he has not done any illegal business and is a prompt and honest tax payer. Labour leader Brendan Howlin has ruled out a coalition with any party that refuses to agree to rent freezes, throwing a potential post-election coalition option with Fianna Fail off course. Both Labour and Fianna Fail have agreed they would work together in government again if the Dail numbers allowed. But the latter has firmly ruled out any freezing of rents for legal reasons. Quizzed about the priority of one of the five red lines for his party on stopping any rent rises for at least three years, Mr Howlin reiterated there would be no cooperation with others who were against that. I'm not ruling out coalescing with any individual [party]. I'm saying if those policies aren't implemented, we are not on first base and we won't be involved in a government. If we can't freeze rents and ensure that we don't stop the biggest factor in creating homelessness, we're not interested. Equally, he stood by the other red lines Labour are prioritising to join up with any other party to form a government-after election day. If we can't invest the quantum of money we are talking about in building houses, we're not interested. If we can't implement a single health system...we are not interested. Mr Howlin conceded that there were no income tax cut proposals from his party, but that is because they do not want to make pledges that won't be kept with voters. We want change, but change that can be delivered, added Mr Howlin. However, the prospect of Labour working with Fianna Fail after the votes are counted could be in doubt. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, throughout the campaign, has ruled out rent freezes, based on legal advice received by his party. Mr Martin says such a ban cannot be guaranteed and it would be wrong to promise this to voters. This means the two parties could clash in any post-election talks about forming a government because of disagreement over freezing rents. Elsewhere, amid sliding polls for Labour, Mr Howlin declined to specify the minimum number of TDs that would need to be elected for his party in order for them to enter coalition talks. Polls currently put Fianna Fail heading towards 60 seats. But it would need the help of Labour, among a number of parties, if any type of rainbow coalition could be formed and achieve majority control of 80 or more seats in the Dail. Labour has seven seats, but the low opinion poll figures throw into doubt Mr Howlin's ambition to double the number in this election, especially with a surge in support for Sinn Fein. Mr Howlin believes that many voters still have to make up their minds. However, he also signalled that making up a government without Fine Gael or Fianna Fail would be challenging if not impossible. I don't see how that would add up without everybody else [in the Dail in a coalition]. He said such an option would be a very difficult amalgamation. By AFP KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian journalist was charged Wednesday with causing public alarm with Facebook posts about the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China, as authorities warned against online "rumour-mongering". The virus has so far killed almost 500 people and infected 24,000 others in China, and spread to more than 20 countries including Malaysia, which has 12 cases. It has also unleashed a flood of misinformation online, from misleading death tolls to vaccine conspiracies, and several Asian countries have arrested people for spreading false information. Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias, a Malaysian newspaper journalist, denied three charges in a Kuala Lumpur court of breaking laws that ban statements which cause public fear and alarm, according to court documents. ALSO READ: World Bank calls for global effort against coronavirus as death toll nears 500 The documents did not say what she posted on Facebook, but local media reported the posts were related to the virus. One raised the alarm about the arrival of 1,000 Chinese tourists in the northern state of Penang on a cruise ship despite officials having given assurances they had all undergone medical examinations, reports said. The 40-year-old faces up to two years in prison for each count if found guilty. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas lashed out at online "rumour-mongering" related to the virus and warned more people would be charged in coming days. "Lies about the origins, scale and magnitude of the disease must not be permitted because they endanger public safety," he said in a statement. He said such lies could be "inflammatory" in a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation has a mostly Muslim population, but is also home to a substantial Chinese minority and issues related to race are sensitive. The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has appointed Senator Enyinaya Abaribe into the Senate ad-hoc committee on the current security architecture of the country. The committee was inaugurated by the Senate President on Tuesday. Senate President Lawan, inaugurating the committee in Abuja, mandated the 18 members to recommend ways to improve the nations present security situation. The appointment and inauguration of the Senate ad hoc committee on security challenges in the country, were done one week after Senator Abaribe called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over failure to guarantee security in the country. The call was made at the Senate plenary which was devoted to deliberations on the security situation in the country. The resolution was made at the plenary to set up a committee on Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent Need To Restructure, Review and Reorganise the Current Security Architecture. The Senate President urged the committee members to be rigorous in their assignment in order to deepen the understanding of the nature of the security crisis. He told the committee members to have a realistic assessment of the problem and proffer workable solution, noting that the Constitution guarantees protection of the life and property of every Nigerian and the governments commitment to upholding same. It is well known that Security Sector Governance (SSG) aims at elaborating rules that set standards for state and human security by applying the principle of good governance to the security sector. The Legislature also further seeks a Security Sector Reform (SSR) that will transform the security sector and assign roles and responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with democratic norms and the principles of good governance. These principles include respect for the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and public tr According to the Senate President, Nigeria must initiate the process to formulate or re-orient the policies, structures, and capacities of institutions and groups engaged in the security sector, Senate President Lawan had declared. Lawan also appealed to the security agencies not to hoard information but provide all necessary cooperation for the committee to discharge its duties effectively. We dont want a situation where security agencies will hoard information from us. What we are trying to do is to support our security agencies to function optimally, he said. Chairman of the committee, the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, assured that despite the challenges of limited time and funds, the committee would strive to lay the desired solid foundation for peace and security. Members of the committee include the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi; Senator Mohammed Ndume, Senator Aliyu Wammako, Senator Dauda Jike, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senator Ibn NaAllah, Senator George Sekibo, and Senator Ibrahim Gobir. Others include Senator Suleiman Kwari, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator Stella Oduah, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, and Senator Abdullahi Adamu. Sen. President Lawan appoints Sen. Abaribe, into Senate Committee on Security Challenges The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has appointed Senator Enyinaya Abaribe into the Senate ad-hoc committee on the current security architecture of the country. The committee was inaugurated by the Senate President on Tuesday. Senate President Lawan, inaugurating the committee in Abuja, mandated the 18 members to recommend ways to improve the nations present security situation. The appointment and inauguration of the Senate ad hoc committee on security challenges in the country, were done one week after Senator Abaribe called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over failure to guarantee security in the country. The call was made at the Senate plenary which was devoted to deliberations on the security situation in the country. The resolution was made at the plenary to set up a committee on Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent Need To Restructure, Review and Reorganise the Current Security Architecture. The Senate President urged the committee members to be rigorous in their assignment in order to deepen the understanding of the nature of the security crisis. He told the committee members to have a realistic assessment of the problem and proffer workable solution, noting that the Constitution guarantees protection of the life and property of every Nigerian and the governments commitment to upholding same. It is well known that Security Sector Governance (SSG) aims at elaborating rules that set standards for state and human security by applying the principle of good governance to the security sector. This makes security provision, oversight, and management more effective and more accountable, within the framework of democratic civilian control. The Legislature also further seeks a Security Sector Reform (SSR) that will transform the security sector and assign roles and responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with democratic norms and the principles of good governance. These principles include respect for the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and public tr According to the Senate President, Nigeria must initiate the process to formulate or re-orient the policies, structures, and capacities of institutions and groups engaged in the security sector, Senate President Lawan had declared. Lawan also appealed to the security agencies not to hoard information but provide all necessary cooperation for the committee to discharge its duties effectively. We dont want a situation where security agencies will hoard information from us. What we are trying to do is to support our security agencies to function optimally, he said. Chairman of the committee, the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, assured that despite the challenges of limited time and funds, the committee would strive to lay the desired solid foundation for peace and security. Members of the committee include the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi; Senator Mohammed Ndume, Senator Aliyu Wammako, Senator Dauda Jike, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senator Ibn NaAllah, Senator George Sekibo, and Senator Ibrahim Gobir. Others include Senator Suleiman Kwari, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator Stella Oduah, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, and Senator Abdullahi Adamu. PV: 0 Ecuadorian President Claims Only Ugly Men Are Accused of Harassment Ecuadors President Lenin Moreno has issued an apology via Twitter regarding his recent comments demeaning the seriousness of sexual harassment. On Friday, at a conference in Guayaquil, Moreno spoke about the dire issues men face in a slowly progressing world when it comes to believing victims. Men, he said, are permanently subjected to the danger of being accused of harassment. Moreno then went on to say that women are biased around reporting incidents of abuse. Better looking men are less likely to be denounced, whereas ugly men arent. So, if youre good looking, youre pretty much off the hook in Morenos mind, because OBVIOUSLY women take it as a compliment rather than harassment if the person is above an 8/10. ADVERTISEMENT Women often report harassment, it is true, and it is good that they do so, he starts. That is to say, that the harassment is when it comes from an ugly person. But if the person is good looking... they usually do not think it is harassment." Footage was released online from the conference and Morenos comments were heavily criticized online. One person wrote how embarrassing it is for the country to have a president like Moreno. Another tweeted by Women of The World wrote: He said what!? Que verguenza para el pais tener como "presidente" a Lenin Moreno https://t.co/Kz2xxowq9L Marco Navas (@MarcoAnibal) January 31, 2020 He said what!? Lenin Moreno, Ecuador's President had some questionable things to say about harassment: https://t.co/CepokYISwT via @nytimes Women in the World (@WomenintheWorld) February 3, 2020 These responses prompted Moreno to apologize in a statement on his Twitter page. The president wrote that regarding his statements, he never intended to minimize such a grave thing as sexual assault and how he was sorry if it was understood as such. Lastly, he claimed he rejects all forms of violence against women. Not once did he backtrack on his previous claims about better looking men, however. En mi comentario sobre el acoso, no pretendi minimizar un asunto tan grave como la violencia o los abusos. Me disculpo si se entendio asi. Rechazo la violencia contra la mujer en todas sus formas! Lenin Moreno (@Lenin) February 1, 2020 Image Courtesy of Wikimedia More on BUST Murder Of Mexican Feminist Sparks Outrage, Reflects Deeper Issue In The Nation Spanish Feminists Fight Government To Neutralize Bias In Gendered Language Watch These Powerful Feminists Take A Stand Against President Pinera Mayzie is a recent graduate from Tenerife (yes, from that Ed Sheeran song) who is trying her hardest to live her best life in New York City. She's a messy Virgo who loves cats. Follow her barely ever updated Instagram @mayzie_caitlin or her website https://mayziecaitlinhopkins.com/ Haiti - FLASH : The Ministry asks the hospitals of the country to prepare for the Coronavirus The Ministry of Public Health urges public and private hospitals to prepare for a possible entry into Haitian territory of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) originating from the city of Wuhan in the Province of Hubei (East of China) including the balance sheet dated Wednesday, February 5, 2020 is: 24,597 people infected (confirmed cases), 494 dead and 959 people recovered. Monday a reassuring but cautious note from Dr. Marie Greta Roy Clement, the Minister of Public Health recommends to directors and officials of public and private health institutions in the country to strengthen universal precautionary measures within their institutions, particularly in the presence of severe influenza-like illness, to ensure immediate notification and medical treatment of any suspected case. Adding that all the institutions will be informed of the specific directives if the current situation changes. Tuesday, February 4, health authorities claimed to have put in place for several days, security measures for travelers arriving at Toussaint Louverture International Airport https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29893-icihaiti-coronavirus-toussaint-louverture-international-airport-under-surveillance.html In addition, following the instructions of Minister Clement, Dr. Ernst Robert Jasmin, Health Director of the North, met Monday with officials of Cap-Haitien International Airport for the establishment of epidemiological surveillance of the coronavirus. Authorities recognize that coronavirus (2019-nCoV) poses a threat to the national health system, which does not have all the technical means necessary to detect the epidemic, even if it will receive support from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States." Tuesday, Laure Adrien, Director General of the Ministry of Health said "Many people ask if we are ready to deal with such an epidemic ? Obviously not, I will be very hypocritical to tell you that we are ready [...] but we are preparing up to our means" explaining that hospital institutions have been identified to serve as a place of quarantine and a medical tent is being prepared installation within the airport itself stressing that the Ministry had enormous difficulty in obtaining infrared thermometers The precarious hygienic and health conditions, the insufficient health coverage and the density of the population in Haiti, present the ideal characteristics for the propagation of a possible epidemic. Although no case of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been identified in the Caribbean region, the fear of a new contagious disease is taken very seriously by the Haitian authorities. International experts in epidemiological surveillance know that it is very difficult to control a global epidemic when the borders are porous as in Haiti and despite the good faith of the medical authorities. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29947-icihaiti-dr-towards-the-establishment-of-a-sanitary-cordon-at-the-border.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29926-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29923-haiti-coronavirus-emergency-meeting-of-caribbean-health-ministers.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29919-haiti-flash-chinese-banned-to-go-out-of-a-plane-to-port-au-prince.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29879-haiti-health-chinese-coronavirus-the-ministry-of-health-is-reassuring.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29858-haiti-flash-chinese-coronavirus-haiti-is-preparing-and-activating-its-alert-system.html S/ HaitiLibre Vikaspuri Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Vikaspuri constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Vikaspuri Assembly Elections 2020 | AAP's Mahinder Yadav has raced ahead of BJP's Sanjay Singh in the Vikaspuri constituency, with the former getting 5,265 votes and the latter getting 3,472 votes. Yadav and Singh's vote shares are 56.97 percent and 37.57 percent respectively. Situated in West Delhi, Vikaspuri is one of the biggest constituencies in terms of electorate in the Union Territory. AAP candidate Mahinder Yadav is looking to win a third term in the Assembly, while BJPs Sanjay Singh will try to wrest the seat from the ruling party in his second attempt. This year, the Congress has fielded Mukesh Sharma from Vikaspuri, which began as a Punjabi resettlement colony in West Delhi before undergoing growth in the 1990s, as per reports. The constituency goes to the polls on 8 February. The AAP would seek to retain power on the back of the development agenda it pursued in the last five years. On the other hand, the BJP, which controls the Centre as well as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), would look to dislodge the AAP from power. The Congress, meanwhile, would look to put up a tough fight after its improved performance in the recently concluded state elections in Haryana and Jharkhand. Here is a brief profile on the constituency: Constituency Name: Vikaspuri Constituency Number: 31 District Name: West Delhi Total Electors: 3,25,246 Female Electors: 1,41,905 Male Electors: 1,83,313 Third Gender: 28 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Created in 2008, the constituencys first representative was Nand Kishore of the Congress party. Since 2013, Mahinder Yadav of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the incumbent MLA. In the 2013 polls, he defeated his nearest rival, BJP's Krishan Gahlot by a narrow margin of 405 votes. Yadav proved mettle in the 2015 Assembly polls when he defeated BJP candidate Sanjay Singh by a massive margin of over 77,000 votes. Demographics: Primarily dominated by the Jats, Vikas Puri also has significant Punjabi and Yadav communities. The Vikaspuri Vidhan Sabha is located in South-West district of Delhi and comes under the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. The Scheduled castes (SC) and Scheduled tribes (ST) ratio is 13.76 and 0, respectively of total population. As per the voter list of 2019, there are 3,25,246 electorates and 374 polling stations in this constituency. Ethiopian Airlines is spending an estimated $5 billion to build the largest airport in Africa. It could also become Africa's busiest airport, capable of handling more passengers than the current busiest hub in Johannesburg, South Africa. In an interview with the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said that the airline completed its 2025 goals seven years ahead of schedule. The airline is now moving onto its 2035 vision, which includes the massive new airport. %image1 Ethiopian Airlines is currently operating flights out of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, the countrys capital. The airport looks very beautiful and large, but with the growth that we are [seeing] every year, in about 3 or 4 years, we are going to be full, Gebremariam told ENA. That being said, they are moving ahead with building the airport, which they are calling Absera. The Absera Airport will take up about 13 square miles of land in the town of Bishoftu, almost 40 miles south of Addis Ababa. The airport will be able to accommodate about 100 million passengers per year. The airport wants to become an airport city, complete with duty-free shopping malls, hotels, and training centers. The airline has not yet announced when the new airport will open, but it says that it will rival the scale of the new Istanbul Airport, which is projected to become the worlds largest airport when construction is complete in 2028. Currently, Africas busiest airport is O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. In 2018, about 21 million people passed through its doors. Asserting that the pace of defence corporation between the United States and India is accelerating, US Ambassador Kenneth Juster on Wednesday said that industry partners of the two countries are playing a key role in the growth of Indo-US military relationship. Speaking at the Defexpo-2020, Juster said, "I had the pleasure of travelling back to Washington DC last December to attend the second US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue between Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and Indian ministers (Defence minister) Rajnath Singh and (External Affairs Minister) S Jaishankar." "Two things from the ministerial dialogue stood out. First, the pace of defence cooperation between the US and India is accelerating. Second, our respective industry partners are playing a key role in the growth of our defence relationship," Juster added. India and the US are working together to meet the common goals and serving the common interest. "As the bilateral defence relationship grows, our embassy is dedicated to continuing to work to facilitate cooperation among the government and industries," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A murdered drug dealer with '$50,000 on his head' was preparing to flee a day before he was locked in a toolbox with an associate and thrown in a lagoon, a court has been told. Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru's decomposing bodies were found in February 2016 after police dragged the large metal box from Scrubby Creek south of Brisbane. The pair had allegedly been lured to a unit and assaulted by a group of men in Kingston 18 days earlier after Mr Breton disclosed to a school friend he had a photo of a drug dealer on his phone. 'This is a photograph of Stou Daniels the prosecution says is what the trial is all about,' prosecutor David Meredith told Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday. Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru's (pictured) decomposing bodies were found inside the large metal box after police pulled it from a creek south of Brisbane The pair had been lured to a unit and assaulted by a group of men in Kingston 18 days earlier after Mr Breton (pictured) disclosed to a school friend he had a photo of a drug dealer on his phone In the hours after they arrived at the two-storey home, the pair were bashed with a pole, bound and gagged, witness Lelan Harrington told the jury. 'I heard (one of the men associated with Daniels) cock the gun ... then I heard a scuffle,' he said. 'Then I heard the music go up ... loud thuds and Cory screaming while his mouth was covered. 'Cory was asking me how could I clear his name. 'I couldn't believe what was going on.' The allegations have surfaced at the murder trial for Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, 28, who prosecutor David Meredith alleges drove the box with the pair inside to the creek beside the Logan Motorway and helped drag it to the water's edge. Tahiata denies it. But Mr Harrington said he spotted Tahiata at the unit the same day as the toolbox was loaded onto the green Toyota Hilux ute, that the Crown says was used to carry it to the creek. He said he also saw Tahiata with Daniels and Trent Thrupp, who Mr Meredith said pushed the toolbox into the water as Tahiata watched. The allegations have surfaced at the murder trial for Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, 28, who prosecutor David Meredith alleges drove the box with the pair inside to the creek beside the Logan Motorway and helped drag it to the water's edge In the hours after they arrived at the two-storey home, the pair were bashed with a pole, bound and gagged, witness Lelan Harrington told the jury The court heard, the night before Mr Breton was called to the unit he confided to Mr Harrington that he was preparing to flee Brisbane. 'Cory told me someone had 50 grand on him and he was going away up north,' he said. The trial also heard from a former convenience store owner, Phat Tan Khuu, who said he sent Mr Breton the photo in question of Daniels after enquiring of him who he bought his drugs from. '(He said) he got them from Islanders. I just asked him if this was the guy and he replied yes. It was on my security camera ... I took a screenshot,' he said. Mr Breton later replied: 'Yeah he's a big-timer. Not a person to f**k with. LOL.' The court has heard that as Tahiata and Thrupp dragged the toolbox to the water Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru screamed and begged for their lives. Tahiata then allegedly handed Thrupp a claw hammer so he could punch holes in the box to help it sink. Tahiata's actions were a 'breathtakingly evil act' that encouraged Thrupp to cause the death of Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru, Mr Meredith said. The court heard Tahiata barely knew Ms Triscaru and didn't know Mr Breton at all. He murdered them because he was asked to, not because he had a motive himself, Mr Meredith said. Tahiata initially denied involvement in the killings but on February 10 confessed and took police to the site. The following day, they used a mobile crane to pull the box from the water. The trial continues. Children of Eden, which I first saw in London in 1991, features one of Schwartzs lesser known but best loved scores. Theater nerds and show choirs long have warbled the title number and, if you check out YouTube, youll find many renditions of Lost in the Wilderness, one of the many numbers in the show featuring the signature melodic verve of the composer of Wicked. Among Schwartz fans (and there are very many of those), it is an article of faith that Children of Eden, which suffered poor reviews in London, still should have gone to Broadway. And since the show is based on Biblical stories, that opens up a whole other market of faith-based fans. The Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Lawan Abdul-Madari, has been removed. Mr Abdul-Madari was on Wednesday replaced with Kabiru Hassan-Dashi. The impeachment notice was moved by the member representing Bunkure local government in the house, Uba Gurjiya. Mr Gurjiya moved the motion on behalf of 23 of the 28 All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers in the house. Mr Gurjiya was sworn in as a lawmaker on Tuesday during the plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Abdulazeez Garba-Gafasa, following his victory during the recent rerun elections in the state. According to him, the decision to remove the majority leader followed the agreement of 23 of the 28 APC lawmakers in the 40-member parliament. READ ALSO: The impeachment motion was seconded by another APC member representing Bagwai/Shanono, Ali Shanono. Following the adoption of the motion, the legislators unanimously adopted the motion and called on the majority leader to step aside. After the removal of the majority leader, an APC lawmaker representing Sumaila Constituency, Hamza Masu, nominated the deputy majority leader as the majority leader. The nomination was seconded by some of the members and adopted by the assembly. The lawmakers did not mention any specific reason for their actions. However, during the last sitting, the former majority leader had a confrontation with his colleagues, where he vehemently opposed the nomination of a local government education secretary supported by other lawmakers. The lawmakers later went into a closed-door session to discuss the Kano State Education Development Support (Establishment) law as moved by the new majority leader, Mr Hassan-Dashi, and seconded by Mr Shanono. Moroccan producers of raspberry have received the green light from the US health and agricultural authorities to export their output to the American market which has grown significantly over the past few years. The announcement has just been made by Moroccos food safety agency (ONSSA). Moroccan raspberries secured access to the American market after extensive negotiations with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Agriculture Department, ONSSA said. After harvesting ripe and firm raspberries, the fruit needs to be packed in plastic containers authorized by ONSSA. The US regulations also require that the Moroccan raspberries be accompanied with phytosanitary certificate issued by the national food safety agency, affirming that the commodity is conform with the US rules. The opening of the American raspberry market to Moroccan producers will bolster the Kingdoms exports of red fruits, a sector which is gaining momentum thanks to the Green Morocco plan, which seeks to make of agriculture a main growth engine. The North African Kingdom exports annually more than 140,000 tons of red fruits to over 40 countries, including those of the European Union. Raspberries contain different vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the body. Some of the health benefits associated with Raspberry include brain power, heart health, diabetes management, digestion and detox, healthy eyes, obesity management among others. Raspberries are a rich source of antioxidants, which help boost the immune system in many ways including helping to protect the body from cancerous growth. [February 05, 2020] Staples Connect: Retail Reimagined Staples (News - Alert) US Retail today announced Staples Connect, a reinvented store with coworking, podcasting and community event spaces where professionals, teachers and students alike can connect and grow together. This new store concept is built around the ever-evolving needs of the retail customer with a focus on community, hands-on learning and solutions. Staples Connect has come to life in six stores - Cambridge (186 Alewife Brook Pkwy), Somerville, Needham, Boston, Brighton and Danvers (250 Independence Way) - while some elements of Staples Connect can be found in stores throughout Massachusetts. More than just a place to make a transaction, Staples Connect is a destination dedicated to continued curiosity, growth and development. "We recognize that the way people shop is changing, and with the launch of Staples Connect we are adapting to fit the needs of our customers," said Mike Motz, Chief Executive Officer, Staples US Retail. "Our customers are teachers, students of all ages, small business owners and side hustlers. Research shows that much of what they are seeking is real human interaction with members of their community and industry, which is key to productivity and growth. At Staples Connect, we do more than just supply your success through product offerings, we wholeheartedly support it." The new Staples Connect store illustrates a commitment to lifelong achievement at every stage. New elements of each fully transformed store includes: SpotlightSpace: A free in-store event space designed as a platform for the personal and professional development of the community. In the nearly 500 square foot space, customers can connect and learn by hosting or attending events such as speaker sessions, workshops, seminars, meetings and more. For a full list of events, visit StaplesConnect.com/events. Podcast Studio: Through a collaboration with iHeartRadio, the Staples Connect Podcast Studio provides dedicated space for story tellers and small businesses to record and let their voices be heard. The space features a soundproof room with professional equipment for up to four people, with a dedicated specialist available in-store to help you along the way. Staples Studio: A collaborative coworking space that provides entrepreneurs, small businesses and students access to private or shared offices, community kitchens, meeting rooms and brand-new technology. Staples Studio is now available on a membership basis, and members have access to seven Studio locations and an on-site manager. Perks include unlimited meeting room use, unlimited black and white printing, TSA PreCheck enrollment, 10% off supplies and services, free parking (excludes Government Center location), free podcasting access and a fully stocked breakroom. SolutionShop : The store layout features a new way of shopping, focused on building solutions for home offices, small businesses and classrooms. Every Staples Connect store features a variety of services to help achieve your goals as part of the SolutionShop, including: Print & Marketing Services Tech Services TSA PreCheck enrollment Professional services offered by selected partners including marketing, tax & finance and legal Significant updates to assortment and merchandising strategy including nearly 1,000 new products and 40 new brands such as Apple (News - Alert) , Sonos and Bose . : The store layout features a new way of shopping, focused on building solutions for home offices, small businesses and classrooms. Every Staples Connect store features a variety of services to help achieve your goals as part of the SolutionShop, including: (exclusions apply) and $50 in Staples gift cards for the first 100 people in each store. Please see the terms and conditions for more information. Also to support future leaders within the community of the stores, Staples Connect made donations to local educators, including Boston public schools through a partnership with DonorsChoose.org, City Sprouts in Cambridge, the Needham Education Foundation and the Somerville Education Foundation. Staples Connect teamed up with four of Boston's founders to share their personal stories of success with other aspiring entrepreneurs on grand opening day. All events are free to attend and will take place on Feb. 5 at 6:30 pm at Staples Connect stores: * Joanne Chang, Founder of Flour at Staples Connect Boston at Staples Connect Boston George Foreman III, Founder of Everybody Fights at Staples Connect Somerville at Staples Connect Somerville Andy Levitt, Founder of Purple Carrot at Staples Connect Needham at Staples Connect Needham Brogan Graham, Cofounder of November Project at Staples Connect Cambridge (186 Alewife Brook Pkwy) *Advance signup is required. Please visit the Eventbrite page to reserve your seat. About Staples Connect Staples Connect is a reimagined retail store with coworking, podcasting and community spaces where professionals, teachers and students can connect and grow together. Introduced in Greater Boston in 2020, Staples Connect has six retail stores along with certain elements of coworking, podcasting and community space available in select Staples Stores throughout Massachusetts. In addition to the hands-on learning and community elements, Staples Connect offers the products and services business customers, teachers, students and parents have relied on since 1987. For more information about Staples Connect and to stay up to date on weekly deals and events, please visit us in store or online at staplesconnect.com. Visit StaplesConnect.com to learn more, connect with the community and find an event near you, or stop in to one our reimagined stores in Boston, Cambridge (186 Alewife Brook Pkwy), Somerville, Needham, Brighton and Danvers (250 Independence Way). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005343/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Massachusetts Project Lead The Way student presenting STEM project at a One8 Foundation, Mass STEM Hub Showcase Our administration is committed to closing the opportunity and achievement gaps in STEM fields for students across the Commonwealth, said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. Partnerships with organizations like Project Lead the Way allow us to provide children with opportunities to learn hands-on... The One8 Foundation along with the Baker-Polito Administration today announced over $1.9 million in school grants to expand computer science, engineering, and biomedical science education for K-12 students at 82 schools in 49 districts across the Commonwealth. Grantee schools will bring innovative applied learning to students through Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization focused on improving computer science, engineering and biomedical science learning for PreK-12 students and teachers. The state grant of $775,000, along with over $1.13 million from the One8 Foundation, goes to schools to support professional development, curriculum, and equipment. Of the 82 schools awarded grants, 51 schools are implementing their first Project Lead The Way course and 32 schools are adding programs or expanding course offerings. The grants will reach an estimated 25,000 students in the Commonwealth. The grants seek to expand the number of students able to engage in rigorous applied STEM courses. Additionally, the grant program gives priority to schools in districts that are building STEM pathways across all grade levels. With the funding 15 districts will now offer multi-school K-12, 6-12, or K-8 pathways, including 5 districts that will now be 100% access district with PLTW available in all buildings. The STEM Career Pathway Capacity Grant is overseen by the Executive Office of Education in conjunction with the STEM Advisory Council and the Governors Workforce Skills Cabinet. We are thrilled to support educators across the Commonwealth to bring applied learning and STEM education to their schools in a way that has students learning rigorous STEM content and then applying it to solve real world problems, said Joanna Jacobson, President of the One8 Foundation. Our administration is committed to closing the opportunity and achievement gaps in STEM fields for students across the Commonwealth, said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. Partnerships with organizations like Project Lead the Way allow us to provide children with opportunities to learn hands-on, real-world STEM skills and put them on a pathway to success in the classroom and beyond. To thrive in our evolving world, students must have in-demand knowledge and transportable skills, said Vince Bertram, PLTW president and CEO. We are proud to partner with the Governors Office, the One8 Foundation, and Mass STEM Hub to expand access to engaging and inspiring learning experiences for Massachusettss students. We are excited to be working with PLTW and the state to increase student access to high-quality STEM and applied learning programming, said Katherine Skrivan, Mass STEM Hub Director. We are looking forward to working closely with teachers and leaders to support their implementation of this proven program. About One8 Foundation and Mass STEM Hub The One8 Foundation propels and supports outstanding leaders with compelling ideas that deliver scaled, sustainable social impact. Education is one of the One8 Foundations strategic giving areas, with a focus on preparing students for a rapidly changing high-tech world through applied learning and STEM education. Mass STEM Hub is a program of the One8 Foundation and its mission is to provide schools with access to and support for applied learning and STEM education that builds knowledge and skills students need to succeed in a rapidly changing, high tech world. One8 Foundation and Mass STEM Hub have helped scale Project Lead The Ways K-12 curriculum in engineering, computer science and biomedical science to over 45,000 students in Massachusetts enabling students to learn how to take theory to practice with real world problem solving. To learn more, visit one8.org and mass-stemhub.org. About Project Lead The Way Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a mission-driven organization that is transforming the learning experience for millions of PreK-12 students and thousands of teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTWs teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. Approximately 12,200 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org. About the STEM Advisory Council In order to sustain economic prosperity and growth, the STEM Advisory Council seeks to build a deeper, more diverse human capital pipeline to fill the growing demand for talent by MA employers, while creating new opportunities for young people and adults to pursue rewarding and productive careers requiring STEM expertise. Consistent with this purpose, the Council works with the Administration to align and leverage public programs and resources, while engaging private-sector partners, in order to accelerate progress and achieve maximum impact. Building on earlier initiatives, the Governors Advisory Council on STEM is authorized by Section 218 of Chapter 6 of Massachusetts General Law. For more information, please visit mass.edu/stem/home.asp The following schools will take part in the grant: Agawam - Benjamin J Phelps Agawam - Clifford M Granger Agawam - James Clark School Agawam - Roberta G. Doering School Agawam - Robinson Park Amesbury - Amesbury Middle Attleboro - Attleboro High Bellingham - Bellingham High School Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public (District) - Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School Billerica - Billerica Memorial High School Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical - Blackstone Valley Blackstone-Millville - Blackstone Millville RHS Boston - O'Bryant School Math/Science Boston - William McKinley Boston Preparatory Charter Public (District) - Boston Preparatory Charter Public School Canton - Canton High Carver - Carver Middle/High School Chicopee - Gen John J Stefanik Clinton - Clinton Elementary Clinton - Clinton Senior High Dartmouth - Dartmouth High Douglas - Douglas Elementary School Douglas - Douglas High School Dracut - Brookside Elementary Dracut - George H. Englesby Elementary School Dracut - Greenmont Avenue Dracut - Joseph A Campbell Elementary Dracut - Justus C. Richardson Middle School Dudley-Charlton Reg - Charlton Elementary Dudley-Charlton Reg - Dudley Elementary Dudley-Charlton Reg - Heritage School Dudley-Charlton Reg - Mason Road School Fall River - Mary Fonseca Elementary School Fall River - Matthew J Kuss Middle Fall River - William S Greene Georgetown - Georgetown Middle School Granby - East Meadow Hadley - Hadley Elementary Hampden-Wilbraham - Green Meadows Elementary Hampden-Wilbraham - Mile Tree Elementary Hampden-Wilbraham - Soule Road Hampden-Wilbraham - Stony Hill School Holbrook - Holbrook Middle High School Holyoke Veritas Prep Holyoke KIPP Academy Boston Charter School (District) - KIPP Academy Boston Charter School KIPP Academy Lynn Charter (District) - KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School MATCH Charter Public School (District) - MATCH Charter Public School Mendon-Upton - Henry P Clough Mendon-Upton - Memorial School Mendon-Upton - Miscoe Hill School Milford - Brookside Milford - Memorial Milford - Milford High Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical - Minuteman Regional High North Adams - Drury High North Middlesex - Ashby Elementary North Middlesex - Hawthorne Brook North Middlesex - Nissitissit Middle School North Middlesex - North Middlesex Regional North Middlesex - Spaulding Memorial Northampton - Northampton High Norwood - Dr. Philip O. Coakley Middle School Quabbin - Quabbin Regional Middle School Quaboag Regional - Quaboag Regional High Ralph C Mahar - Ralph C Mahar Regional Revere - Rumney Marsh Academy Revere - Susan B. Anthony Middle School Seekonk - George R Martin Seekonk - Seekonk High Somerset Berkley Regional School District - Somerset Berkley Regional High School Southern Berkshire - Mt Everett Regional Uxbridge - Taft Early Learning Center Uxbridge - Uxbridge High Veritas Preparatory Charter School (District) - Veritas Preparatory Charter School Wachusett - Mountview Middle Ware - Stanley M Koziol Elementary School Ware - Ware Junior/Senior High School Ware - Ware Middle School West Springfield - West Springfield High Westport - Alice A Macomber Westport - Westport Elementary Woburn - Woburn High Worcester - Forest Grove Middle [February 05, 2020] Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco Announce 2020 Citywide Youth of the Year Winner and Finalists Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco today announced Kionna F., from the Sunnydale Clubhouse, as the 2020 Citywide Youth of the Year. As the San Francisco Citywide Youth of the Year, Kionna will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and continue on to compete in Boys & Girls Clubs of America's California Youth of the Year competition. "I'd like to congratulate Kionna as this year's San Francisco Citywide Youth of the Year winner and applaud all our finalists for their exceptional work and dedication to their financial futures," said Peter Crawford, Charles Schwab's executive vice president and chief financial officer, board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs San Francisco and Youth of the Year Luncheon co-chair. "We are inspired by Kionna's commitment to academic success, community service, and financial education. Kionna's story of determination exemplifies why Schwab is honored to support Boys & Girls Clubs in helping our country's youth take steps toward a secure financial future." Today, more than 800 local Bay Area leaders, government officials, community members, families and other supporters joined to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the eight Youth of the Year finalists at the 12th annual Charles Schwab Youth of the Year Luncheon, which is the culmination of a four-month leadership development program. During the event, each finalist shared their personal story and journey, highlighting their experience with Boys & Girls Club and Charles Schwab's Money Matters program, which is designed to help teens expand their knowledge of money management and learn life-long skills that lead to financial independence and well-being. The Youth of the Year Program acknowledges the remarkable lives of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco members who have overcome challenging circumstances and distinguished themselves wth excellent contributions to family, school, community and their Boys & Girls Club. Below is the full list of this year's finalists who will receive a college scholarship. Read more about each of these impressive young leaders: Adriano M. (Visitacion Valley Clubhouse) David R. (Excelsior Clubhouse) Erica S. (Willie Mays Clubhouse) Kenny V. (Tenderloin Clubhouse) Kionna F. (Sunnydale Clubhouse) Masiyah E. (Columbia Park Clubhouse) Poppy G-Z. (Camp Mendocino) Terrell D. (Don Fisher Clubhouse) "Financial literacy is an essential life skill for all young people that they will carry with them throughout life. This year's finalists are remarkable young leaders and will continue to play an essential role as 'financial role models' by sharing their knowledge among peers, family and community," said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation and board chair elect of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Through Money Matters, we are committed to championing financial education within local Boys & Girls Clubs across the country - and right here in my hometown of San Francisco." About Charles Schwab Foundation Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More information is available at https://www.schwabmoneywise.com/public/moneywise/foundation. Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation. Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities. About Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (www.kidsclub.org) is a community-based organization that offers youth ages six to 18 high-quality programs in first-class facilities. With a 129-year track record of meeting the needs of San Francisco children and families, primarily from at-risk circumstances, we welcome 1,850 youth each day to our 14 locations, including eight Clubhouses, four School-Based Clubs, a city park, and Camp Mendocino, a 2,000 acre residential summer camp in Mendocino County. By focusing on the following four elements of our success equation: academic success, healthy lifestyles, good character & community engagement, and job readiness with earning potential, we prepare our Club members to be "ready for life" by age 18. (0220-0470) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005879/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Shari Harris, Publisher When Terra Culley became a part-time dispatcher nearly 24 years ago, she had no idea it would lead to her penning monthly newspaper columns that now have been compiled into a book. November 29 was the release date for Beyond the Voice of 9-1-1 Dispatch. It is a collection of some Xiaomis Redmi brand has been teasing a new product for about a week now. Today it has released a new teaser video along with the tag #Power has a new look! and #MorePowerToRedmi!. #Redmi2020 promises to bring you more. More things to love, more things to enjoy and more things thatll make you proud to be a #Redmi user! Were bringing #MorePowerToRedmi! Are you ready? pic.twitter.com/TXmHeuij7L Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) January 30, 2020 Last week Xiaomi India head, Manu Kumar Jain teased the product related to power, and it could be the rumored Redmi 9. #Redmi has always been synonymous with POWER! Power-packed phones Powerful processors Powerful user experience Im excited for the things @RedmiIndia will be bringing in 2020! #Redmi2020#MorePowerToRedmi is almost here. Can you guess what is this? #Xiaomi pic.twitter.com/6rDu9QAQ3Q Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) February 3, 2020 Earlier rumors said the Redmi 9 will be powered by Mediatek Helio G70 and will launch in Q1 2020, but with the latest Helio G80 launch, it could use this processor. Other details are unknown, but it will likely retain the 5000mAh battery and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Redmi 9 is said to be introduced sometime later this month. We should know more details soon. Temperatures will slowly drop throughout Wednesday after a cold front pushed through Southeast Texas overnight. Houston will be in the 30s by tonight, according to the National Weather Service. For context, temperature gauges at Bush Intercontinental Airport reached 79 degrees around 3 p.m. Tuesday. MORE FROM JAY R. JORDAN: Houston temps to plunge from 80s to 30s, 'wintry mix' possible with cold front Parts of Texas have already experienced accumulated snowfall after the front pushed through, including in the Texas Panhandle where meteorologists recorded at least 10 inches of the white stuff. But if youre expecting to see snow in Houston soon, were sorry to disappoint: NWS predicts that snow will only fall in communities west and northwest of Houston north of the Columbus-to-Huntsville-to-Trinity line later tonight. While snow is out of the mix, Houston is predicted to experience light rain showers and an occasional thunderstorm overnight Wednesday, however. But before that comes, expect cloudy skies and chilly temperatures Wednesday. Thursday will feature clearing skies and high temperatures in the 50s. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com OTTAWA - With hundreds of foreign nationals flown out of Wuhan, China, over the last week by their home countries, politicians and people across the country have wondered why Canada is so far behind them in its own rescue efforts. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Health Patty Hajdu responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Tuesday, February 4, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - With hundreds of foreign nationals flown out of Wuhan, China, over the last week by their home countries, politicians and people across the country have wondered why Canada is so far behind them in its own rescue efforts. Canada's first flight to Wuhan was delayed by weather and Canadians aren't expected to fly out until Thursday night, local time, at the earliest. The region has been under expanding quarantines since Jan. 23 as China tries to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. Why is Canada taking longer than other countries to retrieve its citizens? The United States flew three planeloads of Americans out of Wuhan in the last week, the last two having left China as recently as Tuesday, according to a statement by the U.S. State Department. France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have also managed to repatriate at least some of their citizens from the quarantined city over the last week. "If the Conservatives were in power those Canadians would already be back on Canadian soil," Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said in question period Wednesday. Health Minister Patty Hajdu admitted her government had a "slow start" to organizing its flight to Wuhan. The problem, according to officials, was a lack of information in the early days of the quarantine, which was exacerbated by the fact that Canada does not have a consulate in the area. Few Canadians had registered with Global Affairs that they were in Wuhan before the outbreak, Hajdu said. As recently as nine days ago, the government thought only two Canadians wanted help getting out and figured it would be fastest and easiest to find room for them on the planes of other allied countries. But in the days that followed the government was inundated with more and more requests for help. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne arranged for Canada to charter its own flight to evacuate citizens from Wuhan last week, but arrangements with Chinese officials have taken time. With commercial airlines reassessing the financial sense of flights to and from China, Champagne and Hajdu have urged Canadians who can leave the country to buy tickets out as soon as they can. Why doesn't Canada have a consulate in Wuhan? There's no direct answer to that except that Canada does not have consulates in every city. Wuhan is the ninth-biggest city in China. The United States has seven consular posts in China, including one in Wuhan. Canada has five, with the closest to Wuhan about 850 km away by road in Shanghai. They're in four of China's five biggest cities, plus one in Hong Kong. But while other countries had staff on the ground when the quarantine was put in place, Canada did not. Canada has added consular services in Wuhan now and promises that Global Affairs has a better handle on the number of Canadians in the area and their needs. Why hasn't the government committed to sending a second plane? Though officials repeat daily how fluid the number of people who want to leave is, Champagne said about 370 have now asked for help and the government has 211 on its list for the first flight. The government secured a second plane to pick up any Canadians left behind once it realized the magnitude of the demand. But Champagne hasn't committed to actually sending that second flight. "My mission is only to make things as easy as possible for Canadians who want to get out," he said Wednesday. Later in the day, he added that Canada had secured space on an American plane to take "a few dozen" more Canadians out a few hours after the Canadian charter leaves. While the number of people saying they want to leave Wuhan is greater than the number of seats on the first flight, the government also expects about 20 per cent of expected passengers won't show when the plane does arrive, based on previous experiences with evacuations. Why are evacuation flights only happening at night? The airspace above Wuhan is closed and Chinese authorities are only offering small windows of time at night to foreign countries trying to retrieve their citizens. During the day, the airspace is used to fly in food, as well as medical supplies and personnel, Champagne said. That's why the original Canadian flight to Wuhan scheduled for Thursday morning, which was held up in leaving Vietnam by four hours, was put 21 hours behind schedule. When the plane missed its narrow window to fly into Wuhan, it had to be rescheduled for the following night. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. She starred on one of the most popular sitcoms ever, but it turns out she's also a capable musician. Courteney Cox revealed a skill for tickling the ivory Tuesday when she posted a video of herself playing a piano. The 55-year-old Friends star was joined by a friend on acoustic guitar as they made their way through a note-perfect rendition of Alicia Keys' new song Underdog. Rocking out: Courteney Cox, 55, revealed a skill for tickling the ivory Tuesday when she posted a video of herself playing a piano to Alicia Keys' Underdog Courteney looked sleek in a black shirt with her sleeve rolled up, which she mixed with a relaxed pair of jeans. The actress had her jet-black tresses parted down the middle and cascading over her shoulders in gentle waves. She and her guitar accompanist were working on a duo instrumental version of Alicia's song, though it seemed as if they'd had some practice by the time they filmed. Courteney didn't venture into any virtuosic passages, but she had the chords down pat while gazing at the sheet music. Low key: Courteney looked sleek in a black shirt with her sleeve rolled up, which she mixed with a relaxed pair of jeans Family affair: Courteney played chords for the song along with her friend on acoustic guitar. She had the original recording playing, which was co-produced by her partner Johnny McDaid The musicians rocked out while playing Alicia's original track in the background. 'My friend just taught me my favorite new song #underdog by @aliciakeys co-written and co-produced by my Johnny!' she wrote, referencing her longtime partner Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol. Courteney has been with the rocker from Northern Ireland since the tail end of 2013. The couple announced their engagement in the summer of 2014, which they quickly called off, though they remained together. Going strong: Courteney has been with the rocker since the end of 2013. They announced their engagement in the summer of 2014, which they quickly called off, though they remained together Despite the difficulties of a long distance relationship (Courteney lives in Malibu and her beau is based in London), she said their relationship was better than ever while a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2019. 'Isn't that strange? We broke off our engagement and he moved to England, then we got back together, and it's actually better than it was before. Everything is better,' she gushed. 'Not because he's in London, although the distance after that breakup we were apart for six months that really showed us a lot, and it's just better.' Making it work: Despite the difficulties of a long distance relationship (Courteney lives in Malibu and her beau is based in London), she said their relationship was better than ever while a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2019; shown February 2019 Johnny presumably wasn't around, otherwise he might have joined in on the track he produced. But he and Courteney were seen out in Malibu late last month for a rip to the swanky Japanese restaurant Nobu. Courteney shares a 15-year-old daughter Coco with her ex-husband David Arquette, whom she was married to from 19992013. Not to be: Courteney's Friends castmates were reportedly planning a reunion special for HBO Max back in November, but David Schwimmer shot down the idea last month; pictured with (L-R) Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry Not feeling it: David, 53, said he would be open to an one-off, chatshow reunion in an interview with The Guardian, or even a reboot with actors of color Back in November, she and her Friends castmates were back in the headlines when it was revealed that a Friends reunion special was in the works for the upcoming streaming service HBO Max. But David Schwimmer, who played her on-screen brother Ross, seemed to shoot down the idea in an interview with The Guardian last month. 'I just don't think it's possible, given everyone's different career trajectories,' he said. 'I think everyone feels the same: why mess with what felt like the right way to end the series? I don't want to do anything for the money,' he continued. However, the Band Of Brothers actor left open the possibility if he was approached with a higher-quality script. Otherwise, he preferred an 'all-black Friends or an all-Asian Friends,' or an interview-style reunion with his old castmates. Job Title: Brand Manager Organization: Movit Products Limited Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Reports to: Head Category Management Uganda About US: Movit Products Ltd is a Ugandan personal care company based in Kampala, manufacturing personal care products. Its brands include Movit, Radiant, Baby Junior, Skin Guard, Pine and NAN. The company was founded in 1997, by Simpson Birungi as a makeshift workshop in Namasuba, Wakiso District. In 1999 the first Movit product, Herbal Baby Jelly, was put on the market. Over the years, Movit, the companys flagship name, has grown into one of Ugandas top cosmetics brands with distribution links in both East Africa and the COMESA regions. Other known products from Movit include the Body Milk Lotion, Junior Petroleum Jelly, Movit No base Relaxer and many more Job Summary: This role is responsible for optimizing sales for a particular group of products through Vendor Management, Pricing, Marketing, Planning and management of Inventory to ensure that their company is providing the market with the products that consumers desire. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Analyze data or insights to determine industry and consumer trends Devise long-term development strategies for product categories Develop exit strategies for unsuccessful products Foster trust relationships with vendors to achieve better pricing and quality of services Place appropriate orders to ensure product availability that meets consumer demands Determine the positioning of a product category to maximize visibility Liaise with execution teams to determine competitive pricing and promotional activities of a product category Collaborate with buyers and merchandisers to expand product categories Make forecasts for product demand to ensure the sustainability of inventory Assume responsibility of budget development and revenue for category To deliver the P&L and activity plans for a category Development of marketing- & category plans that seizes opportunities on all 6P (proposition, product, promotion, pack, price, place) & 5C (consumer, connect, commerce, content, community). Translate marketing plans into a volume plans & optimize commercial opportunities. Feed into S&OP cycle and AP processes. Ensure a single-minded communication message is created for all campaigns in line with the brand building communication plan, consistent with category needs. Champion competitive behavior & -mindset throughout the business and translate it into marketing activities to grow brand share. Identify & clearly define the key category and customer risks / opportunities generating the relevant insight needed to resolve these Lead the category planning process across categories, highlighting growth opportunities and identifying business targets through category, shopper & market analysis Contribute/take responsibility for specific NPD / Category projects and use data to help define the ultimate in store vision for each activity /category. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The ideal candidate must hold Bachelors degree in Accounting, Business Administration or Business-related field Possession of professional qualification in Marketing would be an added advantage. At least five (5) years working experience in a similar position. Experience working with different departments on development and analysis of cost standards Understanding of data analysis and forecasting methods Excellent communication and people skill How to Apply: To apply, please send your CV and cover letter with 3 work related referees to the address or e-mail below. Emails that exceed 2MB will not be considered. Email: application@ppg.co.ug While we thank all applicants for your interest, only those that qualify will be contacted. Any form of lobbying will lead to automatic disqualification. Deadline: 13th February 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline During a meeting with Korean President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Hun Sen stressed that the bilateral relations are continuously developing as reflected by the signing of the double taxation avoidance deal and an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters last November. Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Seoul (Photo:Yonhap) He asked Moon to encourage more Korean firms to do business in the Southeast Asian country. The PM also noted that Cambodia began exporting mango products to the RoK at the start of this year. Moon agreed that the bilateral ties are continuing to strengthen on the basis of the firmer systemic foundation. The two nations also launched a joint study on the possibility of a bilateral free trade agreement last November, he said. Two-way trade rose to 1.3 billion USD in 2019 from 870 million USD two years earlier, according to the Korea International Trade Association. Moon said the RoK will cooperate with Cambodia on its plan to host an Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit later this year. He also requested Cambodia's support for the RoK's hosting of the second P4G summit in June./. Politicians have been talking tough about crime. Some progressive measures have been promised but none that will win a great number of votes writes Michael Clifford For many political entities, there appears to be one overriding theme in relation to justice during election campaigns. Talk tough. Tough on crime, tougher on criminals. Maybe here and there throw in something to show youre tough on the causes of crime, but the main thing is to be so tough that you are reaching out to feel the voters anger. In this election, the big three formerly the big two until Sinn Feins ascent in opinion polls are mad as hell in their attempts to feel the anger. Fianna Fail, for instance, wants you to know that they will change the law to allow in evidence the opinion of a chief superintendent as to the guilt of a suspect. Fine Gael are sticking it to the criminals by increasing the number of prison places. And Sinn Fein is allocating money to the prison service specifically to tackle the problems of gangs in prisons. The last proposal sums up a lot of the verbiage in this area at election time. The Shinners manifesto pledges to increase prison service annual funding by 19.5m to enable disruption of activities and recruitment by organised criminal gangs. Note the figure to be allocated. Its next to impossible to discover where they came up with such a specific sum. Was it that in the overall spend plans a sum just short of 20m was sitting around and somebody thought it would send a good signal to use that against prison gangs? Note also that its not a case of allocating the money to prison service management to determine how best it might be spent, but is instead for a specific electorally-friendly get-tough policy. To be fair to the Shinners, they are also the only party to propose the establishment of a sentencing council. This would provide for input from civil society into sentencing guidelines, cutting down on controversial sentences that undermine confidence in the system. Fianna Fails most controversial proposal is the plan to introduce the evidence of a chief super in trials involving gangland crime. This was first announced in the wake of the horrific murder of Keane Mulready Woods last month. A similar power was used under the Offences Against the State Act to identify members of paramilitary subversives. Keane Mulready Woods The opinion of a superintendent that a defendant in court was a member of a terrorist organisation was repeatedly used during the Northern troubles. Expanding the power in this manner could be tricky. In the first instance, it would be open to constitutional challenge. There is also the problem that chief supers knowledge of individuals activity would come through to them second hand from a subordinate. Guards in senior management are rarely in touch with what is happening on the ground simply because they have enough to be getting on with in their management roles. So a court would effectively bereceiving an opinion second hand. Both Micheal Martin and party justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan have said that if there is a constitutional problem they would put the matter to a referendum. This is highly unlikely. Chalk this measure down as one that will disappear into a black hole through, if necessary, a process of review of some nebulous legal opinion. The aftermath of the death of Mr Mulready Woods also prompted Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald to state that the party would review its long-standing opposition to the non-jury Special Criminal Court. Any such review is absent from the partys manifesto which prompts speculation that the apparent shift was a top-of-the-head measure to close off any talk that the party is soft on crime at a sensitive time. Fine Gael would appear to be concentrating so much on the economy it forgot to throw out a few promises to remind people it was once the law-and-order party. The only pledge to demonstrate their toughness is to increase prison capacity at a time when the preponderance of penal thinking involves restricting the use of prison. Another theme common to both Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein is the setting up of new garda units. This would involve imposing these operational units on the garda commissioner, irrespective of his plans to modernise the force. For instance, Fianna Fail wants a dedicated transport police, while Sinn Fein is promising a unit to tackle insurance fraud. The Soldiers of Destiny also have provision for a rural crime unit in its manifesto. When asked about this unit at the manifesto launch, Mr Martin appeared to water its status down to a forum, which is basically a talking shop. However, in the seven-way TV leaders debate on RTE, he appeared to be describing it as an actual unit within An Garda Siochana. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris must find all of this amusing. If he is forced to set up any of these units, even against his better judgement, will he also have to provide a minimum number of staff? Garda Commissioner Drew Harris Otherwise, he might just go along with the political policing and staff the new units with skeletons or dullards. Fianna Fail has also managed to resurrect a measure that once upon a time was the first thing you reached for to sate anger. The party has a proposal for a mandatory minimum sentence for offenders caught with a knife. The Law Reform Commission has opined that these kind of sentences are completely useless in cutting down on crime, but quite obviously Fianna Fail feels that it still sounds the business and thats all that matters. Some of the smaller parties are attempting to tackle crime through evidence-based research rather than the channel of anger. The Labour party wants to deal as much with the causes of crime and proposes to develop supports to keep young people in marginalised communities on the right track. The Social Democrats is putting an emphasis on community policing. And People Before Profit is pledging to reach for the stars by ending the system in which the higher courts are only accessible to the wealthy and also putting a stop to the state forking out 500m to private legal firms. For the greater part, justice and crime are not major issues in this election. The savage murders at the outset of the campaign including that of Cameron Blair in Cork prompted some of the parties to reach for an eye-catching measure. Since then, normal fare has resumed. There are one or two progressive measures promised, but nothing that is going to win votes in any great quantity. Party promises Sinn Fein Bring strength of An Garda Siochana to 16,000 Increase Prison Service annual funding by 19.5m to enable disruption of activities and recruitment by organisation gangs Create a sentencing council to issue sentencing guidelines to the judiciary Establish new Garda Youth Diversion projects Fianna Fail Bring Garda strength to a minimum of 16,000 at a cost of 115m Legislate for law in which the belief of a chief supernitendent as to the involvement of an individual in gangland activity will be admissible in evidence Introduce a mandatory minimum 12-month sentence for carrying a knife in public Establish rural crime unit and a specific public transport police within Garda Fine Gael Increasing Garda numbers Increasing prison capacity Continue with policing strategy to protect rural Ireland, particularly through Operation Thor Facilitate and promote further links between gardai and communities Labour Establish local commissions to deal with violent drug gangs Develop supports to counteract social and economic marginalisation that underlies involvement of young people in the drug trade Expand the role of the Criminal Assets Bureau Establish a gun crime commission to learn from other jurisdictions the best way to eliminate gun crime Social Democrats Invest in community policing Fully implement the Policing Service for the Future plan Make sure hiring of gardai reflects make-up of population Hire, train and empower gardai to handle white collar crime and fraud Green Party Implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing Relocate basic training modules at cadet level to existing third-level institutions and limit the training delivered in Templemore Increase the number of gardai working in community policing Bring forward legislation providing for an agreed cap to prisoner numbers in all institutions and review current out-of-cell time for prison populations Stadia Base, the free tier option that Google announced last year, is due out soon. The head of Stadia, Phil Harrison, echoed this exact sentiment in a recent interview with Protocol. In that same report, Xbox boss Phil Spencer noted that he sees Googles Stadia service as the biggest competitor to Xbox. According to Harrison, the option for users to try the service on the Stadia Base plan will arrive within a few months. More specifically, Harrison says itll be available over the next few months, which is more or less the same exact thing. Advertisement He doesnt name any specific dates, but he does give a general time frame. The question is whether or not over the next few months is too late. The Stadia Base option should already be available Stadia launched in November of 2019. And the only way to gain access was to purchase a Founders bundle or a Premiere bundle. With those you got three months of Stadia Pro for free for 90 days. A service plan that youll end up having to pay $9.99 a month for. That 90-day time frame is ending soon though. For anyone who claimed their Stadia Pro access the day of launch, which was November 19, Stadia will cost $9.99 a month in just a couple of weeks. Advertisement With no option to continue using Stadia if you dont resubscribe. Its more understandable from a consumer standpoint, that Google wouldnt have the free option ready for anyone who hasnt already tested Stadia via the bundles. But for those who have already paid money, unless they want to pay the $9.99 a month until Base is available, all of their now acquired games will be unplayable. Now over the next few months could be a wide-cast net, as Harrison may not want to immediately divulge that Google plans to launch Stadia Base sooner rather than later. But it also makes sense that Google wouldnt launch this tier of the platform until at least one month of paid subscriptions goes by. Advertisement Competition from GeForce NOW could force Googles hand Stadia still has a loyal following of users. That much is evident if you browse through the official subreddit. But it would be foolish to overlook the fact that some of the people who have been dedicated since the beginning are a little unhappy with the way things have gone so far. At least to some degree. The good thing, is that Harrison has now confirmed that Base is sort of just around the corner. And with the arrival of GeForce NOW, which NVIDIA just launched out of beta yesterday, it may force Google to launch Base in the earlier part of that next few months. Time will tell of course. Whatever Googles reasons for holding off on it, Stadia Base would no doubt get some people to try it out that havent yet given it a chance. Which is probably not a bad thing for Google. Signs franchise agreement with Alberta-based restaurateur, Samira Shariff, to bring CPKs signature California-style pizzas to Canada for the first time California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) today announced plans to bring its signature California-style pizzas, pastas, salads and more to Canada for the first time. In partnership with accomplished and longtime Alberta restaurateur, Samira Shariff, the elevated casual dining brands first Canada location will open in Edmonton in the coming months, the first of five locations planned in the province over the next eight years. As part of its accelerated global growth focus, CPK intends to further expand in Canada, including to Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. Founded in Beverly Hills, Calif. in 1985, CPK is celebrating 35 years of colliding unexpected flavors and high-quality ingredients to create uniquely craveable dishes, like the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, a #1 global seller, and CPKs industry-first, vegetable-powered Cauliflower Pizza Crust. From artisan, California-style pizzas, to creative salads, better-for-you options like Power Bowls and Cedar Plank Salmon, and handcrafted beverages made with fresh, globally inspired ingredients, CPK is known for culinary innovations that lead the trends, served in a relaxed yet vibrant setting anchored by CPKs hearth pizza oven and open kitchen, where guests can watch their meals prepared from scratch. At CPK, we take great pride in sharing our passion for California-style pizza, fresh and creative ingredients and best-in-class hospitality with our guests around the world, said Jim Hyatt, CEO of CPK. Weve had our sights set on expanding into Canada for many years now, to bring CPK a little closer to home for all of our Canadian guests whove become loyal regulars at so many of our U.S. locations, whether joining us on vacation or business travel. Now, were confident we have the right, deeply experienced partner in Samira Shariff to spearhead our entry into the market. Samira Shariff brings nearly 40 years of experience building successful restaurant brands in Alberta as a multi-unit franchise owner and operator in Edmonton. In addition, her son Naheed brings more than 25 years of experience in restaurant franchising and will serve as CEO of CPKs Alberta footprint. On behalf of Samira and our team, we couldnt be more excited and proud to be partnering with California Pizza Kitchen as their first franchisee to bring the brand to Canada, said Naheed Shariff. Every time weve visited the U.S. over the years, our family has always made a point of eating at CPK. What we admire about the brand is its continuous evolution, forward thinking with modern tastes, from experimenting with new flavors and ingredients, to being leaders in better-for-you options, such as gluten-free and veggie-based Cauliflower Pizza Crust. We think CPKs creative California vibe and innovative menu will resonate with Albertans and offer something completely new in the market. Giorgio Minardi, Executive Vice President of Global Development & Franchise Operations at CPK, continued, Were very proud to welcome Samira and Naheed to the CPK family as our first franchise partners in Canada. Their enthusiasm for our brand coupled with their deep experience developing successful polished casual and fast-casual restaurant brands in Alberta make them the perfect partners to bring CPK into Canada for the first time. We look forward to a successful partnership with the Shariffs and to welcoming our Canadian guests to dine with us in Edmonton in the coming months. In addition to developing the Alberta market, CPK plans to open additional markets in the country, including Vancouver and Toronto. The signing of the Canada franchise agreement kicks off CPKs global growth efforts in 2020 and beyond, with additional plans to increase its presence in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Europe. CPKs global footprint includes more than 240 locations in 10 countries and U.S. territories, which includes 40 international franchise locations as well as 16 domestic franchise locations in airports, casinos and stadiums throughout the United States. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Restaurant industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Restaurant News Resource Are you a business owner who identifies as LGBTQ+? If so, then you know that discrimination can run rampant, and there arent always legal protections. Part and parcel, the LGBTQ+ community also struggles with financial instability, experiencing particularly high rates of poverty and homelessness and commanding lower incomes than the general population. Nevertheless, you can still succeed as an LGBTQ+ business owner, and here are seven helpful financing options to get you started. 1. Join the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is a national organization serving as the voice of over one million American LGBTQ+ business owners, and it offers a certification program to majority-LGBTQ+-owned businesses. The NGLCC Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI) is a tool for businesses to connect with top corporations in America, many federal government agencies and other certified companies. The SDI certifies lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-owned business enterprises dubbed LGBTBEs working to provide opportunities for them to get exposure to government and corporate procurement processes. SDI includes registration in NGLCCs exclusive database, which is searched by corporations and other LGBTBEs for product and service needs. Related: The Story Behind the Nation's First LGBTQ+ Accelerator 2. Join your local LGBT business chamber of commerce LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs can take advantage of resources within their local chamber of commerce, as the NGLCC has local branches in 30 states and Washington, D.C. These branches will connect you with local businesses and resources, including banks. 3. Try community development financial institutions Community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, are private organizations fully focused on lending to low-income or disadvantaged people and businesses in their communities. A CDFI can be a bank, credit union or loan fund, or take the form of venture-capital funds. 4. Try for angel investors Does your business have high-growth potential? If so, then angel investors may be interested. Gaingels co-invests with other venture-capital firms to influence social progress via investing in companies with LGBTQ+ leadership. They also invest in some growth-stage businesses where they can influence the addition of LGBTQ+ C-suite talent. Also, consider Pipeline Angels. This firm invests in women and non-binary femme entrepreneurs and holds an angel-investing bootcamp. Their pitch summit is by invitation and allows women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs to present their for-profit social ventures. Lastly, Republic concentrates on diverse entrepreneurs of all genders, and looks outside of California and New York for businesses to invest in. Investing in Republic is open to anyone for as little as $25. 5. Check with the Small Business Administration The Small Business Administration (SBA) supports a network of LGBTQ+-owned businesses, with the hopes of fostering economic empowerment in the LGBTQ+ business community and providing access to SBA programs and services. Several district offices maintain a strategic alliance with the LGBTQ+ business community. 6. Be sure to join StartOut StartOut is a nonprofit organization serving LBGTQ+ entrepreneurs and businesses that's looking to increase the number, diversity and impact of LGBTQ+ business owners. Events include educational opportunities, networking and awards ceremonies. StartOut Rising extends StartOuts reach to cities where they do not yet have a chapter and offers local LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs the opportunity to network via MeetUp. 7. Seek out and qualify for supplier diversity programs Beyond the NGLCC Supplier Diversity Initiative, there are other places where being an LGBTQ+ business owner means your company is considered to be diverse. In 2015, Massachusetts became the first state to include LGBTQ+-owned businesses in its supplier diversity program. Marriott has a supplier diversity program that includes LGBTQ+ in its definition of diversity. So do Ford and IBM. Per the Human Rights Campaign, 193 of the Fortune 500 have such programs. So do the California Public Utilities Commission, the city of Baltimore and the city of Cleveland. Check with local businesses and governments. Bonus suggestion: traditional funding LGBTQ+ business owners can, and should, always try for the same kinds of funding as other companies. Options include microlenders, venture capital, crowdfunding, term loans and merchant-cash advances. Many providers will open their wallets for businesses that meet several fundability criteria. These include being incorporated, having a professional email address and building good business credit. As times continue to change, there is every possibility that even more financing options will open up, and LGBTQ+ business owners can finally thrive on the same playing field as their peers. Related: Building the Next Stage of Fintech 7 Helpful Financing Options for LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs A 'Shark Tank' Alumnus Reveals How to Use Psychology to 'Sell' Customers and Investors on Your Company Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved In addition, the possible exchange of visits at the level of parliamentary speakers has also been discussed Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko called on to the Czech Parliament to recognize Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. He wrote about it on his Twitter page. "I have appealed to the Czech parliament to recognize Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people," Pristayko wrote. Ukraines Foreign Minister also noted that he had discussed the prospects of intensifying inter-parliamentary dialogue with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Radek Vondracek, including the possible exchange of visits at the level of parliamentary speakers. As we reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainians would never be able to forget and forgive Holodomor. "In our history there are pages that are very painful to remember, but which cannot be forgotten. Crimes that prove that cruelty and cynicism have no limits. Disasters that a normal person does not wish even to his enemies. These tragedies are so great that humanity has not yet invented words to describe the pain that Ukrainians experienced. Today we honor the memory of the victims of Holodomor - the crime of genocide committed by the totalitarian Stalinist regime against our people, the people of Ukraine," the president said. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images En espanol | During his third State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump called on Congress to send him bipartisan legislation that would cut the soaring price of prescription drugs. Get a bill to my desk, and I will sign it into law immediately, Trump said. I have been speaking to Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and others in Congress in order to get something on drug pricing done, and done quickly and properly. Grassley, a Republican, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are sponsoring legislation that would cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients and would also require drug manufacturers to pay a rebate to Medicare if they raise prices more than the rate of inflation. The bill has passed the Senate Finance Committee, which Grassley chairs, but has not yet been voted on by the full Senate. In the House of Representatives, lawmakers last year passed the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which also would put a cap on out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare enrollees. That measure, which AARP has supported, would also direct Medicare to negotiate prices for many high-priced, life-saving medications. Congress disrupts proceedings; Opposition stages walkout after ruckus. New Delhi: The Lok Sabha erupted on Tuesday over controversial remarks on Mahatma Gandhi made by BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde with Congress members disrupting proceedings in the entire first half resulting in a walkout by the Opposition in the end. As soon as the House convened in the morning, Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Abdul Khaleque gave adjournment motions in the House and demanded an immediate discussion. Amid ruckus, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till noon. When the House reassembled at noon, Congress members trooped into the well shouting slogans and with placards of BJP Party Godse Party and Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahein. At this the Speaker said: People have elected us to debate and discuss. Please let the House run. He also rejected all the adjournment motions. However, the protests continued and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Mr Hegde has "insulted" Mahatma Gandhi, who was respected by people across the globe. He also said that they were expecting a response from parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on the controversial remarks but they (the ruling party) are "helping" people who hate Mahatma Gandhi. I have no expectations from people who are doing Godse politics, the West Bengal MP added. To this, Mr Joshi said BJP members are real bhakts and followers of Mahatma Gandhi while the Congress is a follower of nakli (fake) Gandhi like Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. Following this ruckus, all Opposition, including Congress, DMK, NCP and later Trinamul Congress walked out from the House. Mr Hegde had recently said in Bangalore that freedom fighters, who did not sacrifice anything, made the country believe that it attained Independence through Upavas Satyagrah, Gandhis preferred mode of agitation. Didnt name Bapu in my speech: Anant Kumar Hegde Facing flak for his controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde on Tuesday, in a written reply to the party leadership, asserted that he made no mention of Mahatma Gandhi in his speech and said the remarks attributed to him are incorrect. Mr Hegde, sources said, sent a detailed reply to party president J.P. Nadda, and the partys disciplinary committee, which had issued him a show-cause notice on Monday. The party MP claimed that he did not name or insulted Mahatma Gandhi his speech and reports about his speech are incorrect. He also said that he did not use words like nautanki or drama to describe the freedom struggle led by Gandhi. A section within the BJP is of the view that Mr Hegdes remarks were distorted. Speaking in Kannada at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday to commemorate Veer Savarkar, an iconic Hindutva figure, Mr Hegde said freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained Independence through Upavas Satyagrah, Mahatma Gandhis preferred mode of agitation by undertaking fast. Such people became Mahapurush (great person), said Mr Hegde. The Gandhi-led freedom struggle was an adjustment with the British, he said, suggesting that contribution of freedom fighters who were not associated with the Congress were undermined. A batch of test kits for the new coronavirus has arrived at the customs border of Ukraine, Director General of the Directorate for Public Health of the Health Ministry of Ukraine Andriy Skipalsky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday. "The test kits, which have been delivered to Ukraine, are sufficient for checking 25-30 cases. Meanwhile, we have an agreement with the World Health Organization on the supply of another batch of test kits in the near future, following which this number will double or triple," he said. Skipalsky also said that eleven suspected coronavirus cases have been disproved and two more patients were undergoing a medical examination. Human Rights Watch report comes as the Trump administration makes it harder for Central Americans to seek asylum in US. At least 138 people deported to El Salvador from the United States in recent years were subsequently killed, Human Rights Watch said in a new report that comes as the Trump administration makes it harder for Central Americans to seek refuge in the country. A majority of the deaths documented by Human Rights Watch in the report, released on Wednesday, occurred less than a year after the deportees returned to El Salvador, and some within days. The organisation also confirmed at least 70 cases of sexual assault or other violence following their arrival in the country. As asylum and immigration policies tighten in the United States and dire security problems continue in El Salvador, the US is repeatedly violating its obligations to protect Salvadorans from return to serious risk of harm, HRW wrote. The violence underscores the risk faced by people forced to return by US law that mandates deportation of non-citizens convicted of a range of crimes and Trump administration policies that discourage asylum seekers, said Alison Leal Parker, the groups US managing director. Our concern is that many of these people are facing a death sentence, Leal Parker said. Between 2014 and 2018 the US deported about 111,000 Salvadorans back to their homeland, which has long been in the grip of fierce gang violence. The United Nations reported last year that killings in El Salvador, a majority of them linked to gang conflict, have declined from a peak of more than 6,000 in 2015. But the country still has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Meanwhile, the number of Salvadorans seeking asylum in the US grew by nearly 1,000 percent between 2012 and 2017, many citing threats from gangs. Only about 18 percent are granted asylum. The risk she faced was being killed HRW confirmed the 138 deaths during that period through official records, interviews with families and media accounts but believes the actual toll is much higher, in part because some are not recorded due to the stigma of having been deported from the US. The number of assaults is likely low also because of underreporting in the country of 6.5 million. The report cites the case of Camila Diaz Cordova, a 29-year-old transgender woman who applied for asylum in the US in August 2017 to escape death threats and extortion by multinational gang Barrio 18. After her deportation in November 2017, she returned to sex work in San Salvador, the capital, where she was kidnapped and beaten to death by the police, according to a close friend of Diaz Cordova and Salvadors attorney general. By losing her bid for asylum or refuge in the United States, or anywhere else, the risk she faced was exactly that: being killed, the friend of Diaz Cordova said in an interview. People deported from the United States get off a bus at an immigration facility in San Salvador, El Salvador [File: Jose Cabezas/Reuters] Many other deported migrants say their lives are in danger back home. Luis, 41, worked nearly 20 years in California until he was deported in 2015 after failing to appear for an immigration hearing. Luis, who did not wish to use his full name due to fear of reprisals, found work as a bus driver on the outskirts of San Salvador but was perceived as an outsider and a threat by local gangs. Gang members shot at him and a bullet struck the bus once, though Luis escaped unscathed. They said if they saw me again, they would take me out, Luis told Reuters news agency. The threats have subsided since he began making payments to gangs to be able to drive through their territory, he said. Cesar Rios, executive director of the Salvadoran Migration Institute, a non-governmental organisation, said no one in the country tracks the deaths of deportees but that he found the data credible, saying it reflects the reality that many are moving back to communities in the grip of the gangs. We can say that deporting people to these areas is very difficult and dangerous, Rios said. President Donald Trump has made his hardline immigration policies a centrepiece of his administration. That has included a policy of forcing asylum seekers from Central America to wait in Mexico while their claims are evaluated or sent back to their homelands if their claim is rejected. Others are sent to Guatemala to seek asylum there instead, despite rights groups warning the country does not have the means to host asylum seekers. Many of those asylum seekers could previously have been released on parole in the US for a decision that could take a year or more. The Department of Homeland Security says it is trying to make the process more efficient and crack down on fraudulent claims. But Leal Parker and other critics say this report, and previous efforts that have documented violence against Salvadorans waiting in a Mexican border town for their claims to be processed, show the risks of the Trump administration policy. We are deeply concerned by the Trump administrations effort to literally eviscerate the right to seek asylum in the United States, she said. HRW urged the administration to repeal the policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico along with the agreements that allow Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Hondurans to be settled in other countries of Central America while seeking refuge. They also want the attorney general to reverse restrictions that made it harder for them to claim US asylum because of threats posed by gangs or gender-based violence. Seven killed as rival protesters clash in Iraq's Najaf: medics Najaf, Iraq, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 Seven people were shot dead on Wednesday in Iraq's shrine city of Najaf after supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr raided an anti-government protest camp, medics told AFP. All the dead suffered bullet wounds to the head or chest, the medics said, and dozens more were wounded. Tensions have been high at protest camps across the country since Sadr backed prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi, who was appointed on February 1. Sadr had initially backed the regime change demonstrations when rallies first erupted in October but split with them over the selection of Allawi. The core protest movement sees the premier-designate as being too close to the political elite. Sadrists, typically identified by their blue caps, have stormed protest camps and harassed rival, mostly-young demonstrators, who have taken up chants against Sadr. On Wednesday, Sadr supporters flooded the main anti-regime tent city in Najaf and skirmishes erupted before security forces intervened to separate the two sides. In the melee, tents where protesters had slept for weeks as part of their sit-ins were burned down. Allawi took to Twitter to comment on the bloodshed, saying: "The painful events taking place now push me to ask my brothers in the current government to fullfil their tasks by protecting the protesters." He has until March 2 to form his own cabinet, which will be subject to a vote of confidence by parliament. In Diwaniyah, another protest hotspot, hundreds took to the streets on Wednesday to condemn Sadr and his supporters, AFP's correspondent there reported. Violence broke out earlier this week in the southern city of Kut, where one protester was stabbed to death after Sadrists attacked an anti-government rally there. Sadr then apparently tried to calm the tensions, urging his followers through a Twitter post to focus solely on making sure schools and government buildings shut by months of protests would reopen. "The 'blue hats' have a duty to peacefully secure schools and service centres, not to defend me or suppress the voices that chant against me," he said. Donald Trump is among the winners of Mondays Iowa caucuses. So is former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who decided not to compete in the first contests of the presidential nominating process. The billionaire businessman escaped the headache that unfolded on Monday night as Iowa Democratic Party officials completely botched their quadrennial process. Texas voters, too, are arguably among the beneficiaries of the debacle up north in that it raised the stakes for this states primary, which will be held on Super Tuesday, March 3. With one of the largest delegations in one of the most diverse states in the country, Texas was already going to be critical in the nomination process, said Manny Garcia, the executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. Now that candidates may not experience the momentum and historical effects of Iowa results, Texas is even more important. Iowa Democrats had yet to announce the full results of the caucuses as of Tuesday evening, due either to technical problems with a new app or human problems with the volunteer precinct chairs who had earnestly attempted to use it. But the outcome had already been rendered mostly irrelevant by the delay. Iowa is a small state, which sends just 41 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. It has an outsized influence on the entire presidential primary season simply because Iowans vote first. In the absence of any contrary evidence, the Democrats who competed in the state quickly declared themselves pleased by their performance and moved on to New Hampshire, which holds its primary Tuesday. But New Hampshire is a small state, too, and like Iowanot representative of the nation as a whole, much less the national Democratic electorate. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of Nevada and South Carolina, where Democrats will hold caucuses and a primary, respectively, later this month. So, to Garcias point, Texas is even more important to the presidential nominating process than it was at the beginning of the week. The state will send 228 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer, apportioned based on the results of its primary, along with 21 Democratic National Committee members and 13 Democratic members of Congress. Beyond that, Texas is the kind of state where the 2020 presidential contenders can potentially notch an important symbolic victory by proving their ability to compete effectively in a diverse electorate. Thats good news for former Vice President Joe Biden, who still leads the field in most national polls but seems to have underperformed in Iowa and trails Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in polls in neighboring New Hampshire. A new poll from the University of Texas at Tyler and the Dallas Morning News shows Biden in first place in Texas, with 35 percent; he had the support of 50 percent of African-American respondents and 33 percent of Latinos. Thats compared to 18 percent for Sanders, his closest rival and 5 percent for South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who had a strong showing in Iowa, based on the partial results. Sanders is also worth keeping an eye on, according to Ali Hasanali, the secretary of the Fort Bend Young Democrats. I would not be surprised if Bernie Sanders won Texas, he said Tuesday of the democratic socialist senator. Thats an audacious prediction, given that Texas Democrats tend to favor centrists. In the states 2016 primary, for example, Hillary Clinton beat Sanders by more than 30 points. But Hasanali argued that Sanders campaign has shown real prowess in organizing voters from ethnic and religious minority groups, and would be the most likely beneficiary of higher-than-expected turnout; those are fair points. Certainly, Sanders has a chance to outperform expectations in Texas, which could give him a boost during a primary schedule that extends to early June. Bloomberg and Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren are also poised for strong showings in the Lone Star State. Bloomberg decided to skip the early state contests to focus on the Super Tuesday states, including California and Texas. Thats a decision that looks shrewd in retrospect; while all the other candidates were crisscrossing the frozen prairies, Bloomberg has been blanketing the airwaves and building a robust organization in Texas and other states. His campaign is on track to have 150 staffers and 19 field offices in the state, according to communications director Lizzie Lewis. This has been Mikes strategy all along to focus on states that are left out of the primary process, that represent the diversity of America, Lewis said. As for Warren, whos tied for third place with Bloomberg in the UT-Tyler poll, shes contesting Texas with the help of high-profile surrogates including Julian Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and U.S. housing secretary who endorsed her after suspending his own bid for the nomination last month. All of these candidates will probably spend some time in the state in the coming weeks. We can probably even expect a few appearances from candidates such as Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, both of whom are vying with Biden for the moderate vote. Its bittersweet to think that our relevance, as voters, is partly due to the bungling in Iowa. But the candidates whove been paying attention to Texas Democrats all along may find that their foresight will produce dividends. We expect all campaigns to earn the vote of working Texans, because winning in Texas has now become the pathway to winning the nomination, Garcia said. erica.grieder@chron.com A north Philadelphia man has been ordered to stand trial in the shooting deaths of two men at a suburban campground last fall, and his attorney The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a district judge in Bucks County on Tuesday held 41-year-old Miles Jones for trial and scheduled an arraignment in county court in March. Prosecutors say an Oct. 10 argument at an annual get-together at Homestead Campground in West Rockhill Township, just outside of Quakertown, ended in the shooting deaths of 41-year-old Eric Braxton and 46-year-old Arthur Hill. Defense attorney Ken Hone contended that the shootings were in self defense. But Deputy District Attorney Edward Louka argued that Jones acted with murder on his mind. Any fair-minded observer following closely the unfolding events in Ghana's public arena today as the nation enters the general election year can objectively testify that former President Mahama and his hijacked National Democratic Congress (NDC) are opportunistically pursuing political campaign of 'chooboi, eii'. In the politics of 'chooboi, eii', a person or a leader/party exploits and lines up likeminded group of citizens or people with relative propensity for mob actions, including inclination to lawless ways of contributing or approaching societal issues, such as economic, political/electoral, educational, and the like. The exploiters of the 'chooboi' political game plan as former President John Mahama and his NDC core cheerers are currently executing nonchalant fashion involves using the gullible citizens, as well as applying subtle manipulation of some of the socio-economically dissatisfied educated class in the population. The main goal under this 'yen tie obiara' mob strategy is to win political power not only by playing on the people's genuine social or economic anxieties and political emotions, but also to appeal to people's basest instincts that lack reasoning and critical thinking. Why do some leaders/politicians engage deeply in the politics of?Keep in mind these leaders or public office seekers like Mr. John D. Mahama and his followers who are using mob or 'chooboi' tactics to attempt to win elections often do not have any far-reaching campaign message. And even if they have message, it's all based on rehash party platforms from the 'same old, same old' stuffs, as Americans would say. Here is an honest question for all: which fair-minded Ghanaian at present is not aware the country's major opposition party led by Mr. John Mahama does not have offbeat or viable alternative policy as election year campaign message except 'chooboi, eii' or our-way-or-the-highway political approach? Certainly, many of us know in the 'chooboi' universe, sorting out issues of national importance or embarking on the campaign of vigorous ideas and reasonableness is not one of the standard practices. And, there is a cynical reason for this approach or behaviour. Think about it: Former President Mahama has been in various sensitive elected positions in this country to the point that he has reached his wit's end in power and also run out of fresh ideas. But this is not the typical, selfless politician who truly accept the age-old philosophy that life is like a play stage where people play their part and leave as the audience are clapping loud for the performer Just listen to the ex-president's utterances carefully; none of his public policy positions is creatively new. So, the default strategy is to muddy the political waters as much as possible such that the gullible Ghanaians and those who appear to be peeved for reasons best known to themselves may not know which parts of the mud-spattered waters are shallow or prone to drowning. For some sad reasons, it seems like some of the NDC's flagbearer's 'chooboi' campaign mantras are gaining some tractions among a sizable pack of vociferous Ghanaians, because as Mr. Mahama had pointed out when he was in charge of the nation's Presidency, the average Ghanaian tends to be forgetful of the past socio-political and economic hardships. It is troubling that in our culture, a person in authority can 'violently slap' the face of the less powerful citizens and get away with it often by buying the victims' silence or just let the incident disappears through Ghanaian culture of forgetfulness. Evidently, Mr. JD Mahama, Ofosu-Ampofo, Asiedu Nketia and many others duly understand the Ghanaian amnesia culture; and they are cynically exploiting it to their advantage. It really is unfortunate; suffice it to say, ex-President Mahama and his hijacked NDC's easily manipulative campaign strategy seems to have audience with a good number of Ghanaians, including some of the all-knowing media clannish group.This action plan exposes a large group of Ghanaians who are not sincerely willing to think outside the box and hence shake off the yoke of mediocrity entrapped in the 'chooboi, eii' subculture. Probably, what makes this afore-stated cultural mindset thrives is that the phenomenon appears to have normative content to it; which serves to feed on or reinforce the mindset/behaviour that portrays what ought to be as opposed to what the actual realities are. For example, the fact that a bunch of Ghanaians are in denial that Mr. Mahama himself was in power about four years ago and he put Ghana's economy in a quasi-bottomless pit. What else can he offer again? The NDC presidential aspirant and his loudest noisemakers are running around the country misinforming and confusing the people of the 'golden age' of Mahama past government, but they will never tell or help the vulnerable Ghanaians understand that it is one thing to destroy something easily, and entirely different thing to try to build the destroyed structure. No well-constructed house can be built in a day but destroying the same well-built house can happen in one day. The reality is that any fool or a person can destroy a piece of property in a split seconds via the science of implosion, but one is yet to see the technology that builds a well-propped house in one day. Heaven knows the previous Mahama administration miserably screwed up the beloved Ghana's economic structures, but barely within four-year period Mr. Mahama is smooth talking Ghanaians to believe that his successor (Nana Addo) is too slow fixing the huge mess he (JDM) left behind. Let anyone who cares take this to the bank: Ex-President Mahama is not really interested in seeing many Ghanaians think critically, because thinking beyond his 'chooboi, chooboi eii' plan will expose his deceptions and manipulations and that will dent any chance he and his party may have in the upcoming general elections. It is why the former president and his cheerleaders, including some 'confused' brothers and sisters in Ghana will use the 'chooboi, eii' bandwagon to create exaggerated scenes all over the place as if every move the current president takes or Electoral Commissioner Ms. Mensa makes will bring unquenchable inferno into the country. As already demonstrated, one of the manufactured 'scenes' include supporting or attempting to occupy the Electoral Commission's enclaves across the country because as a 'drama' leader himself, ex-President Mahama clearly knows millions of Ghanaians like to see melodramatic or confrontational events, although they tend to forget about them quickly within two weeks' time, even if it will last that long. Clearly, some of us strongly believe Ghanaians deserve far better than former President John Drama(ni) Mahama's politics of 'chooboi, eii' campaign! Bernard Asubonteng is a US-based writer and a political science lecturer By Bernard Asubonteng Sushmitha Ramakrishnan By Express News Service CHENNAI: After a special court for POCSO cases, on Monday, sentenced five of the 15 persons convicted in the 2018 Ayanavaram child sexual assault case to life imprisonment, child rights activists say that publicity of the verdict may embolden people to come forward and report crimes. However, there is a lot to be learnt from the way the case was handled, they said. Even as the incident has been largely considered as gang rape, the public has wrongly assumed that all accused were involved in equal measure of sexual assault. However, the varying sentences delivered to the 16 convicts in itself suggests that the convicts were involved in different acts. What constitutes a gang rape? Based on a reading of the charges against the convicts, only five of them have been charged under the Section 6 of the POCSO Act. This means that only five of the convicts were involved in aggravated penetrative sexual assault. Further, 11 of the 15 were charged under Section 10 of the Act which states the punishment for aggravated sexual assault. Many were charged for other kinds of sexual harassment as well, which need not even involve physical contact. Fair and equal access to justice: While many have welcomed the Courts ruling, the premise of the case also has to be analysed, said Vidya Reddy, executive director of Tulir, a Chennai-based organisation working to redress child sexual abuse. She said that while incidents of child sexual abuse are extremely common, this case, like the Nirbhaya incident, had caught the public attention as the child lived in a gated community in the capital city of the State. While the police were able to arrest 17 people in a matter of a few days, there are still several cases in which it takes a while to arrest the accused, despite the identification by the victim, she commented, adding that she found it a strange coincidence that all 17 were blue-collar workers. Even as it has been more than a year since the case first came into the limelight, its details are yet to surface on the public forum. Relative to many other cases of sexual assault, the Court has expedited the case. Why is the delivery of justice different for people from different demographics? Compensation scheme: The victim shall be provided with `6 lakh as compensation and an interim compensation of `1.5 lakh should be awarded, said the judge. While according to POCSO Act, the interim compensation should be awarded at the start of the trial, Why is the Court awarding an interim compensation at the tail-end of the case when it should be awarding final compensation? asked Reddy. Sherin Bosko, founder of Nakshtra Rape Crisis Centre, said the court could have however, increased the compensation as the family has spent a lot on relocation from the apartment and on seeking legal services.But, compared to the compensation received by victims in other cases, I think this is relatively high. She, however, said that the judgement was fair and shouldnt have been any lighter.Often, people think that a strong judgment will decrease reporting, but I think otherwise. Only strong punishment will decrease the crime rate, she added. Are crimes against women and children increasing? The Ayanavaram incident had triggered a state of panic among many, as they feared that their children were suddenly unsafe in their own homes, said A Narayanan, the director of Change India, a Chennai-based centre for advocacy and research of child rights. "Even as there are increasing number of cases of crime against women and children are being reported,it is does not translate to an increase in crime against women and children," he said. He elaborated that with higher awareness and better penetration of education, more cases are likely to come to limelight. He said in order to embolden more to report the crimes committed against them,only when there is overall sensitivity to nature of the incident, trust on the police, public prosecution and fair and equal justice from the judiciary, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) Filipinos may soon be allowed to work in Kuwait again, as the Department of Labor and Employment seeks a partial lifting of the deployment ban to the Middle Eastern country. On Wednesday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said, "I am considering lifting to the board the partial lifting of the ban with respect to semi-skilled and skilled workers and professionals and, probably ha, balik manggagawa." The country approved a total ban on the deployment of workers to Kuwait in January, following the release of the local autopsy results on Jeanelyn Villavende, a Filipina domestic worker allegedly killed by her Kuwaiti employers in December. Exempted from the ban, however, are skilled workers and professionals categorized as balik-manggagawa or employees who took time off for vacation and holidays. Bello said the accused in Villavende's death are already facing trial, he added he is hoping they will be convicted for murder and rape charges. News of a possible partial lifting came after the Philippines and Kuwait signed an agreement on the proposed standard employment contract for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Gulf State. The template contract for OFWs is contained under a provision of a 2018 labor deal between the two countries an agreement crafted to protect the welfare of Filipino workers in the Gulf State. Labor officials earlier attributed the delay of its finalization due to disagreements on certain rules in the provision. Bello said the standard contract contains regulations endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte including allowing Filipinos to keep their passports and cellphones, setting one day off with pay, as well as designating working and sleeping hours for the OFWs. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The speaker of the house of representatives (parliament), Aguila Saleh, Tuesday proposed that the choice of representatives of the Libyan Parliament to the Libyan political dialogue sponsored by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), must come from "its members and elected under the dome of the House" Greater Noida, Feb 5 : Auto Expo 2020 -- the 15th edition of Asia's largest automobile show in terms of visitor footfalls -- kicked-off here on Wednesday amid coronavirus fears as one in four participants was seen wearing a mask. Although Chinese presence was minimal at the motor show, people decided to protect themselves. "We are from South Korea and due to the global impact of coronavirus, we do not want to take any chance. Though I wear a mask whenever I travel, this time, we are taking extra precautions," Jong who works with Hyundai South Korea told IANS. The Auto Expo opened for a select gathering on Wednesday and would formally open to the public from Friday. "This is not normal that so many people are wearing masks at Auto Expo. Though people from China are not seen but Chinese companies are participating so prevention is better than care," said Dilip Yadav, an executive with First Partners. The show features more than 15 start-ups, telecom, alternate fuel, electric vehicle and social media firms. "The reason why most of us are seen with the masks are the same. We are aware of the ongoing coronavirus scare. Though stalls of Chinese companies are being manned by their Indian employees/representatives, we still can't take any chances," said Gagan Choudhary, Editor of GaadiFy. Once the motor show is thrown open to the public from Friday, one can see more masks around. The 15th edition of the Auto Expo is being jointly organised by ACMA, CII and SIAM from February 7-12 for the general public, at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida. The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 24,324 by the end of Tuesday, the commission said, noting that a total of 490 people had died of the disease. Hong Kong reported its first death from the virus on Tuesday. The Indian government has banned all India-bound airlines from boarding any passengers from China and cancelled all existing Indian visas to Chinese nationals, in view of the rapid spread of novel coronavirus outbreak. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) WASHINGTON In his State of the Union address, President Donald J. Trump explicitly attacked New York Citys "sanctuary city" policy limiting local compliance with federal immigration authorities. Trump also supported legislation that would allow residents of sanctuary cities or states who are victims of violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to sue those jurisdictions. In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed, Trump said in his speech. Albany is a so-called sanctuary city, and has remained firm on its position to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities despite pressure from federal officials. City code does not require local law enforcement to gather information about citizenship or immigration status when investigating criminal activity. New York City and Ithaca have similar policies in place, while several other New York counties have declared their jurisdictions will not honor detention orders from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or similar entities, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. The scope of these "sanctuary" policies vary across the country, and can govern what information localities share with ICE, whether localities detain non-citizens at the request of the federal government, and what access federal immigration officials have to state and local properties. Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the sanctuary city of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman, Trump said in his address. The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE's detainer request, his victim would be alive today. Reeaz Khan, a 21-year-old arrested for the killing in Queens, was an unlawfully present Guyanese national, according to ICE. On Monday, the federal government sued to force New York City to hand over more information about Khan, the New York Daily News reported. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Brunswick, said Tuesday that sanctuary city status helps law enforcement prevent crime by making it easier to gather information from immigrants and other populations. Ive been briefed by our law enforcement on the importance of having a sanctuary city status, Gillibrand said. Because New York is still the number-one terror target in the country, its very helpful to our FBI, CIA and NYPD that there are no communities off-limits for where they can go for intelligence or support and for fighting crime and terrorism. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. That work "has resulted in at least two dozen terrorist attacks being prevented, Gillibrand added. Trump called politicians who back sanctuary policies "radical." One of Trump's guests at the State of the Union was California resident Jody Jones, whose brother was killed by an undocumented immigrant released due to the state's sanctuary law, the White House said. Trump said in his speech the immigrant had five previous arrests. "Jody, our hearts weep for your loss, and we will not rest until you have justice," Trump said. U.S. Sen. Thom Thillis, R-N.C., has introduced the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act. The bill would allow individuals, or their parents, spouses or children, who are victims of murder, rape or felonies committed by illegal immigrants who have benefited from sanctuary city or state policies, to sue that jurisdiction in a civil legal action within 10 years of the crime. The bill is co-sponsored by 13 other Republicans. CAIRO - Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the U.N.-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor. Both sides in Libyas civil war receive equipment and backing from foreign countries. But Turkey, which has long trained and funded opposition fighters in Syria and relaxed its borders so foreign fighters joined IS, has in recent months been airlifting hundreds of them over to a new theatre of war in Libya. The U.N.-supported government controls only a shrinking area of western Libya, including the capital, Tripoli. Its facing a months-long offensive by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter who is allied with a rival government based in Libyas east. The United Nations recognizes the government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, as Libyas legitimate government because it was born out of U.N.-mediated talks in 2015. Sarraj is backed by Turkey, and to a lesser degree, Qatar and Italy. Hifter receives backing from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world, and many of these countries are apparently jockeying for influence in order to control Libyas resources. Libyan militia leaders in Tripoli told The Associated Press that Turkey has brought more than 4,000 foreign fighters into Tripoli, and that dozens of them are extremist-affiliated. The two commanders spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. The commanders also highlighted differing opinions within the Libyan militias about accepting Syrian extremists into their ranks. One said the fighters backgrounds arent important, as long as theyve come to help defend the capital. The other said some commanders fear the fighters will tarnish the image of the Tripoli-based government. Turkey-backed militias in northern Syria have been known to include fighters that previously fought with al-Qaida, IS and other militant groups, and have committed atrocities against Syrian Kurdish groups and civilians. The U.N. has repeatedly condemned the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into Libya. But the organization has not directly responded to reports and accusations by Hifters side that Sarrajs government and Turkey are apparently using IS- and al-Qaida-linked extremists as mercenaries. Turkey has not confirmed or denied reports of Syrian fighters being sent to Libya to support Sarraj, and the Turkish military did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a televised interview last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: As a combat force, we will have a different team there. They wont be from within our soldiers. Those different teams and the combat forces will work together. But our high-ranking soldiers will co-ordinate. He did not elaborate. Rumours of Turkey-backed Syrian fighters in Libya have swirled for weeks. Foreign leaders and commentators have pointed to videos circulated online that appear to show Syrians in Tripoli. In one video, a man with a Syrian accent films the dormitories where he and other fighters are living, saying Thank God, we arrived safely in Libya. Another clip shows a plane full of fighters, some wearing fatigues and speaking with Syrian accents. Turkeys Libyan allies and Syrian opposition leaders have denied any organized efforts to send combatants to Libya. But in January, Sarraj told the BBC that his government would not hesitate to co-operate with any party to defeat this aggression by Hifters forces. Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AP that his war-monitoring network has determined there are at least 130 former Islamic State or al-Qaida fighters among the approximately 4,700 Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries sent to fight for Sarraj. He said the IS militants had joined the so-called Syrian National Army, a patchwork alliance formed by Turkey from different factions who battled the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Most of the groups are loyal to Turkey, and the SNA was used as shock troops last year in Turkeys offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria. In theory, a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey remains in place around Tripoli but Libyas warring sides have traded accusations of violations, and the shaky truce is threatened by clashes. Representatives from Sarraj and Hifter began meetings in Geneva on Tuesday to work toward a more permanent cease-fire. The Observatory also quoted a Syrian fighter from Idlib province who applied to go to Libya as saying he was motivated by the financial benefits offered by Turkey. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute who closely follows Syrias armed groups, said the promise of payment, Turkish citizenship or the prospect of fleeing to Europe were the main motives of Syrian fighters sent to Libya. None of them are committed to the fight in Libya due to personal conviction or ideology, she said. A Libyan official at the prime ministers office said Syrian fighters have been in Libya since early August. At first, he said they were only facilitating the work of Turkish military experts. But as the fighting escalated in mid-December, the number of Syrian fighters arriving in Libya increased. These fighters now immediately deploy to the front lines, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to talk to reporters on the subject. The Tripoli authorities and U.S. officials have also accused Hifter of relying on hundreds of Russian mercenaries. Sudanese armed groups from the Darfur region recently joined the fighting on both sides, according to a report by U.N. experts. The influx of Syrian, Russian and Sudanese mercenaries has threatened to prolong the war and cripple international efforts to establish a long-term cease-fire. Last month, a summit in Berlin brought together the major international stakeholders in Libya, but with few concrete results. Nicholas Heras, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said Turkey is focusing on Libya to establish a sphere of influence in the Mediterranean. However, the Turks do not want to risk significant casualties to their own forces when the Turkish military has built a proxy force of Syrian fighters that can reinforce the Libyan fighters, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 Trend: On 21 January 2020, final conference of the EU-funded project Support and Strengthening Capacity of the WTO Department of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the WTO Accession Negotiations took place. The project started its activities on 23 January 2018. The project partner was the Ministry of Economy. Other beneficiaries included several Ministries, Committees, and State Agencies, among others. During two years of its activity, the project assisted the Government of Azerbaijan in improvement of the trade-related legislation and its compliance with WTO rules and the best international practices, provided assistance to the negotiating team in WTO accession negotiations, contributed to strengthening the institutional capacity of the Trade Policy and WTO Department of the Ministry of Economy, in particular in preparation for the WTO accession negotiations and raised public awareness on the WTO and trade-related issues. The project was implemented by the consortium consisting of DMI Associates (France) and Ekvita (Azerbaijan). The final conference of the project was organized by EU delegation, DMI Associates and Ekvita to present the activities implemented and the results achieved by the project. Officials of the Government of Azerbaijan, including representatives of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, private sector and academic institutions participated in the conference. Representatives of the consortium, Ms. Celeste Van Den Broeck, Director of DMI Associates and Mr. Ilgar Mehti, Director of Ekvita opened the conference and welcomed the guests. Ambassador H.E. Mr. Kestutis Jankauskas, Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, emphasized the importance of technical assistance in trade policy area to help the Government of Azerbaijan in implementation of its reform agenda and economic diversification aspirations. He expressed his satisfaction with the work of the project in filling this gap and successfully providing the necessary assistance. Mr. Jankauskas stated the importance of playing by the WTO rules in building bilateral economic relations and attracting foreign investors. He also voiced the need for more public awareness to overcome the misperceptions about the WTO and potential effects of WTO accession to Azerbaijan. Mr. Sahib Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, praised the continous EU-Azerbaijan cooperation. He said that there was a solid legal framework for the bilateral economic relations to improve. Mr. Mammadov also referred to investment inflows from the EU and the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and different EU member States. He gave a brief overview of the projects work from the perspective of the Ministry of Economy and emphasized the significant work done in strengthening the capacity of the officials of the Ministry. Ms. Maika Oshikawa, Director of Accessions Division of the WTO confirmed that the economic and institutional reforms are seen as a major benefit by the countries seeking accession to the WTO. She noted that WTO accession can act as an effective external anchor in locking in the reforms undertaken. She drew parallels between 36 acceded countries and Azerbaijan and highlighted the similarities with some of these countries in being resource-based economies and previously economies in transition. Ms. Oshikawa referred to studies showing faster economic growth and improved position in ease of doing business rankings of the countries after their accession to the WTO as well as the long-term welfare and GDP gains from the WTO membership. She gave an overview of Azerbaijans accession process to date, informed on possible next steps and expressed her belief that 2020 can be a good opportunity for Azerbaijan to enter the final phase of its WTO accession process. Mr. Marius Bordalba, Team Leader of the project during the first year of its implementation, informed the participants about the commencement of the project and high expectations from all sides. He praised the cooperativeness of the Beneficiary and lines agencies and noted that the projects approach from the start was creativity and sustainable engagement with all relevant stakeholders. He described in detail the projects objectives, main directions of activities and the assistance provided during the first year. He referred to the advice provided in different areas of trade regulation, including trade remedies, agriculture, intellectual property based on the WTO requirements and best regulatory practices. He highlighted the importance of daily assistance to the Ministry of Economy and projects help in the implementation of Strategic Roadmaps upon additional requests. He also touched upon WTO accession-specific activities, including the assistance on preparation of replies to WTO Members questions and other accession documents. Ms. Alicia Greenidge, Team Leader of the project since May 2019 and senior international trade advisor, stated that the projects activities also aimed at improving bilateral trade relationships of Azerbaijan, increasing the competitiveness and easing Azerbaijans integration to global markets. She noted that different activities such as roundtables, that were designed on key issues that may affect Azerbaijan now and in the future as a WTO Member, and academic events provided a forum for different constituents, including various State agencies, private sector representatives and academia to engage with each other. She emphasized the significance of the awareness-raising activities and materials prepared by the project in better informing the public and overcoming misperceptions about the WTO. Ms. Greenidge believed that the technical assistance provided by the project will make Azerbaijan more equipped with understanding the flexibilities existing in the WTO and enormously help in the accession negotiations. The conference continued with a panel of projects experts presenting the relevant activities and results thereof. Mr. Ilkin Aliyev, key expert of the project, presented the updated www.wto.az web portal, went through the structure and different sections of the portal and emphasized its significance in terms of public awareness-raising on the WTO. The portal contains relevant trade-related laws and regulations, translations of the WTO Agreements into Azerbaijani language, information about the WTO, Azerbaijans WTO accession process and the latest news thereon. Mr. Marius Bordalba, in his role as a senior expert on trade remedies, reported on the activities done in the areas of trade remedies, including the review of Azerbaijans trade remedies legislation, recommendations provided to the relevant State bodies, preparation of manuals, brochures and leaflets on the use of trade remedies in Azerbaijan. Mr. Laurent Manderieux, senior international expert on intellectual property rights, informed the participants about the projects contributions to amendments to intellectual property legislation in Azerbaijan, especially on protection of medical test data as well as the activities to raise awareness on border protection of IP rights and Geographical Indications based on the best practices. Ms Aray Kassabekova, senior expert on trade in goods and former negotiator on Kazakshtans accession to the WTO, shared Kazakhstans experience on excise taxes and negotiations on agricultural subsidies. Ms. Alicia Greenidge, in her role as a senior international expert on trade in services, presented the activities implemented in different service sectors, especially postal services and financial services and touched upon the main issues discussed with the relevant government agencies, including recent regional developments in banking and financial services. More information about the activities of the project as well as all relevant information and documents concerning Azerbaijans WTO accession process can be accessed at www.wto.az web portal. First Nations chiefs in the Atlantic region are asking the federal government for emergency help to deal with requests for legal and mental health support from former students submitting claims in the Indian day schools settlement process. John Paul, executive director of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat (APC-FNC) and a former day school student himself, said the claims process has created "a tsunami" of former students asking for help from community health centres, which he said have been overwhelmed and are already under-resourced. Community members have been "run ragged," he said, helping former students navigate the legal terminology and detail required in the application forms, while at the same time providing emotional and cultural support. "In Atlantic Canada alone, it involves 7,560 people," he said. "That's a lot of people in communities that are going to have to reopen wounds that have been buried for decades." Indian day school students were left out of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, because the day schools were operated separately from residential schools. The nationwide Indian day schools class action settlement, which includes more than 120,000 former federal day school students, was approved by the Federal Court in August. The claims process began on Jan. 13. The settlement offers former students a range of compensation between $10,000 and $200,000, based on abuse suffered. Survivors claiming more severe forms of abuses and harms must complete a written narrative, provide evidence of attendance and relevant documentation such as medical records. Those who do not have the required support documentation are expected to complete a sworn declaration signed by the claimant and a notary, elected official, or other professional. The first page of the application directs people in emotional distress to the Hope For Wellness helpline, and to a second hotline for legal help with the claims form. Story continues 'A third trauma' Paul said for communities that have been through the residential schools settlement claim process and the inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, "This is a third trauma, added on." The APC-FNC sent letters on Jan. 31 to the Prime Minister's Office, the federal departments of Crown Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services, and Gowlings WLG, the legal firm handling the nationwide class settlement, requesting "immediate additional legal, financial and mental health resources." Nic Meloney/CBC Paul said the law firm responded, but did not offer any additional mental wellness resources. He said they had not heard back from the federal departments or prime minister. Gowlings WLG told CBC News that the only mental health support resources they are promoting to communities are provincial and territorial phone lines, many of which were previously established, like the federal government's Hope For Wellness Hotline. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada had not provided comment by the time of publishing. Leroy Denny, chief of Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia and a former day school student, prompted APC-FNC to adopt a motion to lobby for emergency assistance. "We were just overwhelmed it's very difficult to deal with," he said. Denny said his band, which is the largest Mi'kmaq community in the region, had to hire extra staff. He said that staff in all areas were trying to help day school students, but most were under-equipped to deal with the subsequent emotional trauma. "We're just the administrative people ... They need the professional mental health care workers." Denny said he's been in touch with government officials over the past week and expects to have some of the community's expenses covered, but is still hoping for the process to improve. "It looks like it's under control for now, but we identified that we need more people. Hopefully we get some help," he said. Concern also for workers' health The Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq (UNSM) oversees various mental health programs for six Mi'kmaq communities in the province, and has a team focused on supporting former day school students. Todd Vasallo, a psychotherapist with the mental wellness team, said because the claim forms require detail to classify and match a student's experiences with a compensation value, a professional needs to be there in-person, to listen and offer counselling as they relive traumatic memories. "These are things that cannot really be accomplished with a 1-800 number, or speaking to someone over the phone hours later," Vasallo said. Submitted by Buddy Young Richard "Buddy" Young, a former Eskasoni day school student, has been working with Vasallo as one of the UNSM's cultural support workers, who offer community-specific assistance like spiritual support and Mi'kmaw to English language translations. "It's a lot of weight and pressure," Young said, about the roles he and other community members have taken on. "They're not trained in mental wellness or mental health," he said. "So it's causing trauma for them, just by hearing people's stories and narratives. It's vicarious trauma." Young said he's concerned about the workloads that people in the health programs are facing. Many are already "maxed out" with residential school survivor cases. Young said he thinks it's clear that the federal government and law firm didn't consider the wider impacts. "One single hotline number is not enough." The spread of the Wuhan coronavirus shows no signs of slowing, as China reported another major spike in both confirmed cases and deaths in the region at the heart of the epidemic. The total number of confirmed cases in China stands at 20,438 as of Tuesday morning, including a 1-month-old baby in southwestern Guizhou province, an increase of 3,235 on the previous day -- an over 18% jump. The death toll is now at 425 in China, an increase of around 65 from Sunday. China's National Health Commission said Tuesday that the death rate from the virus stands at 2.1% nationwide. The figure is higher for Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, at 3.1%. A spokeswoman for the commission said 80% of victims were over the age of 60 and 75% had some form of underlying condition. Outside of China, the prevalence of the virus remains far lower, but at least 207 cases have been reported in over two dozen countries and territories. Two people have died outside mainland China since the outbreak began. One in the Philippines, and another in the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong, which reported on Tuesday that a 39-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan last month had died. Several countries, including the United States, are denying entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. Meanwhile, the UK has advised British nationals in mainland China to leave the country if they are able, and is advising against "all but essential" travel to China. In a meeting with top officials Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the virus outbreak a "major test of China's system and capacity for governance," as the extended Lunar New Year holiday and growing concerns began to take a toll on the country's economy. According to state media, Xi demanded "resolute opposition against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake in the prevention work," adding that those who disobeyed would be punished. His comments could be an indication that frustration is growing over the failure to rein in the virus, and the slow initial response by Wuhan officials, some of whom have already offered to resign over their handling of the crisis. Xi also called for an improvement in the country's emergency management system, an "overhaul of environmental sanitation," improvements to public health, and a "crackdown on illegal wildlife markets and trade." Worldwide crisis Even as cases of the virus are reported worldwide, the majority of patients have a link to China, either tourists or people returning home from a visit to the country. Person-to-person transmission of the virus has been confirmed, however, including among some patients overseas, and countries are scrambling to ensure it does not spread further afield. On Monday, authorities in Japan quarantined a cruise ship at a port in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, after an elderly male passenger on the vessel was found to be infected with the virus when he disembarked in Hong Kong in late January. Japanese health authorities said around 2,500 passengers and some 1,000 crew members are on board the Diamond Princess, which returned to Yokohama after stops in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Japanese prefectures of Okinawa and Kagoshima. At least seven people on board said they feel ill, though none have been confirmed to have the virus. The cruise ship will remain in Yokohama port overnight, city officials announced Tuesday, with no one allowed to leave the vessel while officials test the group. Japan is one of around a dozen countries which have evacuated citizens from Wuhan, which remains on tight lockdown along with much of surrounding Hubei province. Italy repatriated 56 nationals on Monday, as the US said it would send additional flights to evacuate hundreds of Americans who remain in Hubei. Closer to China, the semiautonomous city of Macao announced on Tuesday that it will suspend operations of gambling and related industries for half a month in an effort to contain the virus. The outbreak has had a devastating impact on tourism in the gambling enclave, which relies heavily on mainland Chinese visitors. Gambling is illegal on the mainland and Lunar New Year is usually a particularly busy time for Macao's casinos. But not this year -- tourism to the city has dropped 73.6% year-on-year, the Macao government announced on January 29. The self-governing island of Taiwan said on Tuesday that it will implement entry restrictions for foreign nationals who have been to mainland China starting on Friday. The restrictions mean that any foreign national who has visited or lived in mainland China in the past 14 days will be denied entry to Taiwan, barring exceptions for those needing to enter for "special reasons," according to the island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And Hong Kong on Monday announced further closures to its borders with the mainland. All but three crossings, including the two busiest land borders, are now closed. The announcement by the semiautonomous city's leader Carrie Lam came after health care workers began strike action Monday to demand the city be fully sealed off from the mainland. Memories of the deadly 2003 SARS outbreak run deep in Hong Kong, where many businesses have sent workers home to avoid spread of the virus. Unions said strike action will continue Tuesday unless further action is taken by Lam. Economic pain With the virus outbreak in its third month with no signs of slowing, cities across China have announced further efforts to try and stop it. Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang province, on Monday reportedly announced some of the tightest quarantine measures outside Hubei. People returning to the city from outside Hangzhou could face up to two weeks in quarantine, while all public places will be closed for the foreseeable future, according to local media. The stringent restrictions and extended holidays across much of China are beginning to impact the country's economy, however. China's stock markets posted major losses on Monday, their first day open following the Lunar New Year break. The losses on the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets wiped out a combined $445 billion in value. Monday was Shanghai's worst day since 2015, and Shenzhen's worst since 2007. The value of the Chinese yuan also fell, while global oil prices have suffered amid fears that the virus outbreak will destroy demand in China, the world's largest crude importer. Authorities in China have already announced a 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) injection into Chinese markets to help maintain "reasonably ample liquidity" in the banking system and keep currency markets stable. The net amount of cash flooding into the market will be closer to 150 billion yuan ($22 billion), according to Reuters, as more than 1 trillion yuan worth of other short-term bond agreements matured Monday. Hong Kong is also bracing for further difficulties. The city was already in a technical recession after more than six months of anti-government protests and the US-China trade war, and many analysts fear the effects of the virus could wipe out many businesses. While the national economy is already suffering, it's unclear how long Chinese workers can remain at home, with many facing several weeks out of work since the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday. Many migrant workers will have traveled home for the festival, potentially leaving them trapped in their provinces and unable to return to the east coast, where most major manufacturing areas are. Treating the virus The coronavirus outbreak is not being considered a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) officials who are hopeful that transmission of the virus can be contained. The agency acknowledged on Tuesday that it is challenging to contain the virus because of global mass movement, but trust that the control measures in place will stop transmission. "We believe it can be done with containment measures currently in place," Sylvie Briand, director of the Infectious Hazards Management Department at the WHO, said on Tuesday. Amid all the misery, there are some small signs of hope. Officials in Thailand said Monday that a second patient has been treated with a new combination of HIV and flu drugs, after doctors said the cocktail had been successful in treating a 71-year-old woman from China with the virus. Officials have yet to provide an update on the success of the treatment for the second patient. Thailand's Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that the 71-year-old had the most severe symptoms of all those in care in the country. While he cautioned against placing too much expectation on a tiny number of cases, Anutin said he hoped "other academic, medical or research institutions can take this treatment result and find more facts as much as they can do." "And if it turned out the dosage and method of treatment we applied could cure every case, it will be beneficial to humanity, " Anutin added. Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical firm with an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir that is used to treat the Ebola virus, said late Friday it is working with Chinese health authorities to see if the medication can combat the symptoms of coronavirus. The company said in a statement that remdesivir has demonstrated some success in treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) -- two viruses similar to the Wuhan coronavirus -- in animals. A purpose-built hospital dedicated to treating the virus also opened in Wuhan Monday. The institution was constructed in under a week, and a second is due to open Thursday. Both will only handle coronavirus patients, helping to take the pressure off the severely stretched Wuhan healthcare system. Chinese health officials said that the average time needed for a patient to recover is nine days. However, in Hubei province, the average recovery time is currently at 20 days because there are more severe cases. The death rate has also been higher in Hubei because of a lack of hospital beds and large number of cases creating delays in treatment. The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called the situation in Libya a scandal. Speaking in a press conference in which he was critical of countries that last month met in Berlin to push for progress in Libya peace talks, the UN boss said he is deeply frustrated with whats happening in Libya. They committed not to interfere in the Libyan process and they committed not to send weapons or participate in any way in the fighting, Guterres said at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The truth is that the Security Council (arms) embargo remains violated. Guterres called the mediation efforts of UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame the only good news there. High-ranking military officers from both sides in the Libyan civil war have held UN-sponsored talks in Geneva for the first time in an attempt to build a lasting ceasefire, Ghassan Salame, has said. The talks, likely to last all week, represent progress since for days Khalifa Haftar the general who leads the self-styled Libyan National Army, based in the countrys east had refused to attend. Salame said the goal of the talks was to turn a nominal truce into a lasting and sustainable ceasefire, covering the removal of heavy weaponry. He said he was working to bridge the gaps between the two sides on the terms of a ceasefire first agreed in principle at the behest of Turkey and Russia. The talks between the two sides were not face-to-face on the opening day, Salame said. The UN security council is still working on a resolution demanding the ceasefire is respected, Salame said. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Local merchants painted a dangerous picture of downtown Santa Fe during a meeting Tuesday evening, and called on the mayor and the Police Department to clean up the part of town they say is the economic driver of the city. About 50 merchants gathered at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center to share concerns with Mayor Alan Webber and top brass from the Santa Fe Police Department in light of recent robberies and other low-level crimes that have happened in the downtown area. Some complained of verbal harassment from panhandlers, burglaries and break-ins, having to clean up vomit and feces, finding drug paraphernalia scattered about, as well as excessive noise coming from local bars late at night. While some people who spoke at the meeting said they understood that the Police Department was understaffed, they said the downtown area should have a stronger police presence because of the tourism dollars it generates for the city. Im walking down San Francisco Street and it looks like trash, said Nick Maryol, owner of Tia Sophias restaurant. This area is the reason people come to Santa Fe. It needs to be protected like its an asset. This is the moneymaker. Others were frustrated with police response times, and some said officers never showed up at all. Melissa Moore, manager of Collected Works bookstore, and property manager of Casitas de los Cornell apartments at Water and Galisteo streets, said she is constantly dealing with defecation and vomit. Moore also complained about the volume of music coming from the nightlife trifecta of Evangelos, The Matador and Crowbar, all of which are near Galisteo and San Francisco. The late-night noise has an effect on people who want to live and work downtown, she said. One merchant said he has seen unspeakable things on the Plaza, though he declined to elaborate for the group. In response to complaints it had already received, the Santa Fe Police Department has initiated an operation it calls Downtown Focus. Police started on the initiative last month by gathering data for an action plan; that plan is expected to be executed starting Feb. 22. A police bicycle team will also patrol the area seven days a week. Police have also stationed a Mobile Video Trailer equipped with cameras at the southwest corner of the historic downtown Plaza. What you all are saying is unacceptable, and we understand that, and trust me when I say this is one of our priorities, SFPD patrol Capt. Matt Champlin told the group. Mayor Webber attributed the problem partly to a lack of behavioral health services, which he said were gutted by former Gov. Susana Martinez. Youre witnessing the result of that being torn apart, Webber said. Webber also said the city is working on rewriting the citys noise ordinance. SFPD Chief Andrew Padilla and Deputy Chief Paul Joye were in attendance, along with City Councilors Renee Villarreal, Signe Lindell and Michael J. Garcia. Merchants have organized another meeting this one focusing on issues pertaining to the Railyard and Guadalupe Street business districts for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, also at the convention center. The merchants plan a follow-up meeting in about six weeks. The economic offences wing of Navi Mumbai crime branch arrested two people from Punjab for allegedly cheating unemployed people with promises of jobs abroad. At least 21 people have filed complaints with the police against the accused. The duo has been identified as Navneet Sukhpal Singh alias Narendra, 32, from Amritsar, and Happy Nishan Singh alias Hira, 25, a resident Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, originally from Gurdaspur in Punjab. They were arrested on Monday. The police had arrested Manjit Singh, 26, in the case in August 2018. Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Pravin Patil said, The case dates back to 2018, when the arrested accused launched a company Yash Technology in Kharghar. They advertised jobs in Russia, Thailand and other foreign places to unskilled workers. People applied for various jobs including that of welder, electrician, painter among others. The accused collected money from them as a fee for services. Three months later, they shut their office and fled in August 2018. Patil said, We have received complaints from 21 people, who have collectively lost 6.5 lakh in the job fraud. The accused collected small amounts from a lot of jobseekers. There are more victims who have been cheated. Our team is investigating to find out details of the job racket. The duo has been remanded in police custody till February 10. The governor urged lawmakers to toughen penalties for repeat violent offenders who use illegal guns and for those who seriously injure or kill witnesses as a way to intimidate them. He also wants more transparency and accountability from judges one proposal calls for the publication of detailed, judge-by-judge information on sentences handed down for violent crimes across the state. President Zelensky said the leaked audio of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran showed that Iran knew immediately it had shot down the plane despite denying it for days. Iran's civil aviation authority said on Tuesday it would keep working with other countries investigating the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last month, and called on all parties to avoid politicizing the issue. On Monday, Tehran blamed Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation, Reuters reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said on Sunday that the leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran showed that Iran knew immediately it had shot down the plane despite denying it for days. Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement on Tuesday that it was not given any warning about missile activity in the hours before the Ukrainian airliner was shot down. It said it would continue investigating the crash "and the cooperation with the countries involved in this accident will continue as before". "Of course the expectation from all parties is to avoid politicizing this accident and obstructing the technical and specialized investigation," it said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors. On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error" and that those responsible would be held accountable. On February 2, intercepted communications between Tehran Airport's air traffic control tower and the second pilot of Iran's Aseman Airlines flight at the time of the crash of flight PS752 were released by TSN.Tyzhden. A handful of old-timers in Beaumont were witnesses to rock and roll history 47 years ago this week and they likely don't remember a darn thing about the night. But what they saw changed the course of Texas rock for decades. On this date in February 1970, ZZ Top played at a Knights of Columbus Hall on old U.S. 90, a gig booked by Beaumont radio personality Al Caldwell of KLVI, who would later also broadcast the band's first recordings. This would be the bands first show together with their now-iconic lineup of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard installed. Gibbons started the band in late 1969 and the pieces soon came together. FARRAH HAD IT: The hidden Houston connection to a classic R&B radio hit Houston fans will get to see ZZ Top back in action next month as the band is slated to play RodeoHouston on Tuesday, March 21 at NRG Stadium. The band turned in a raucous set last weekend at Super Bowl Live festivities in downtown Houston. Back in 2015 bassist Hill told Chron.com via email that he had to borrow a pivotal piece of stage equipment to play the show. "I had to borrow a bass for that gig. I didn't actually own one. It was the Knights of Columbus Hall and though I didn't meet any knights or royalty, there were a lot of cool people who came out to hear us play," Hill wrote. "And so it began..." In those early days they also played a handful of proms and sanctioned high school parties, probably warping hundreds of young Texans for decades to come. THE VERY FIRST TOP: The story of ZZ Tops first album A picture of the band at the Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School prom in Orange made the rounds years back over on Reddit. Its probably the closest picture one will find of the band when it was just a few months old. A yearbook club error had them billed as Zee Zee Top in the photo. A year or so after that first gig in Beaumont the band released its debut album simply titled ZZ Tops First Album on U.K. label London Records. US presidents address was full of rhetoric to appeal to his base, but he avoided impeachment on eve of Senate vote. US President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address on Tuesday, the eve of his expected impeachment acquittal, in the US Senate. The mood in the House of Representatives reflected the divisions running across the country. Republicans cheered as Trump was introduced, with some chanting four more years while Democrats stood silently. On the foreign policy front, Trump said the US is working to end Americas wars in the Middle East. He boasted about his decision to order the killing of top Iranian Commander Qassem Soliemani. That decision escalated tensions between the US and Iran, with many fearing an outright war. Iran retaliated by attacking two Iraqi military bases housing US troops. After Trump initially said no troops were injured, the Department of Defense announced dozens of US soldiers had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. President Donald Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address [Tom Brenner/Reuters] Trump also reiterated his vow to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. When he plans to do that, however, remains unclear. US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week that there has been no significant progress` in his talks with the Taliban. Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching an understanding with the group on reduction of hostilities, but did not offer any timeframe. Trump also touted his newly-unveiled Middle East plan, which has been vehemently rejected by Palestinians. And he received loud applause after reminding the country that ISIL (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed last year in a US military operation in Syria. Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS the bloodthirsty killer alBaghdadi is dead! Trump said. Economy Trump spent much of his speech highlighting a strong economy, whose period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. He spoke of low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! Trump declared. What Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from Obama. Economic growth was 2.3 percent in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade prior, in the first year of Obamas eight-year presidency. Trump stressed the new trade agreements he has negotiated, including a phase-one deal with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement he signed last month. Trump gestures near Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence during his State of the Union address [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] Throughout his presidency, Trump has frequently touted his stewardship of the US economy. As recently as two weeks ago, he claimed it was in a rather dismal state until he and his administration turned it into a roaring geyser of opportunity. But the numbers do not support the geyser narrative. There are signs the record US economic expansion now in its 11th year is getting long in the tooth. Job creation is slowing. And the US economys modest 2.3 percent growth was well short of the 3 percent growth Trump had predicted following a $1.5 trillion tax cut package he and his fellow Republicans pushed through Congress in 2017. Trumps trade war with China weighed on US manufacturing last year as businesses held back on investment. And, while factory activity bounced back in January amid the signing of a phase-one trade deal between Washington and Beijing, US tariffs still remain in place on some $360bn worth of Chinese goods. The coronavirus outbreak and the ongoing troubles for Boeing surrounding the 737 MAX could also present headwinds to growth, analysts say. Awkward moment at awkward time One of the big questions of the night was whether Trump would directly mention his impeachment. He chose to stay away. The House impeached the president at the end of last year for abuse of power related to his dealings with Ukraine and obstruction of Congress for refusing to participate in the impeachment inquiry. The Senate started its trial more than two weeks ago and a final vote is scheduled for 4pm local time (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Trump shared an awkward moment with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who kicked off the Houses impeachment inquiry in September following a whistle-blower complaint that centred on Trumps efforts to get Ukraine to launch investigations into his political rival. At the start of Trumps speech on Tuesday night, Pelosi appeared to move to shake the presidents hand, a significant gesture amid the impeachment proceedings. US Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi look on during Trumps State of the Union Address [Doug Mills/Reuters] The president was presenting folios to Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence as he arrived for the evening speech when it appears she reached to shake his hand. At that moment, Trump turned away from her to face the audience of lawmakers gathered for the annual address. Later on Twitter, Pelosi tweeted that Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/ELJqR9q4xD Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 5, 2020 After the address was over, Pelosi ripped up her copy of the speech a move the White House criticised. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rips up US President Donald Trumps speech following his State of the Union [Joshua Roberts/Reuters] Trump is only the third president to be impeached. He has denied any wrongdoing. While some Republicans have acknowledged Trump did something wrong, they have argued that it did not amount to an impeachable offence. Trump is headed towards an all but certain acquittal on Wednesday in the Republican-led Senate. Trump appeals to base As expected, Trump also dedicated a section of his speech to American values, discussing efforts to protect religious liberties and limit access to abortion as he continues to court the evangelical and conservative Christian voters who form a crucial part of his base. He attacked the Democrats over their healthcare plans, labelling them socialist. He brought up his signature campaign issue immigration, at times making untrue or misleading statements. Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again, Trump claimed, falsely. My administration has ended catch-and-release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed. Under previous administrations, Mexican citizens who crossed irregularly were quickly returned to Mexico over the border, while other nationals were held in detention until they were deported. Some migrants from other countries were released in the US to wait out their immigration cases. Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of the US Congress in the House Chamber [Leah Millis/Reuters] Despite Trumps claims that all irregular migrants are now promptly removed, there is a million-strong immigration court case backlog, which means many migrants wait up to three years before a court hearing where a judge determines whether they will be deported. After a judge rules that a migrant be deported, travel papers must be obtained, which often leads to further delays. As for ending the so-called catch and release policy, Trump expanded that policy last year during a surge in migrants entering the country, releasing thousands who flooded shelters along the border. The surge has since passed, so fewer people are being held and fewer would need to be released. An effort by immigration officials to detain children indefinitely was blocked by a judge, so children are still released into the country. In a gesture that left nearly everyone including its recipient looking dumbfounded, Trump announced he was giving right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh the nations highest civilian honour. Limbaugh, who announced this week that he had advanced lung cancer, appeared stunned, his jaw visibly dropping as Trump made the announcement. Others sat in silence as First Lady Melania Trump draped the medal around his neck on the spot. Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country, Trump told Limbaugh, who often promotes conspiracy theories on his radio show. Boycott, walkouts At least 10 Democratic lawmakers, including some who have been attacked by the president, boycotted the address in a sign of protests. After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalise Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a series of tweets announcing her decision. This is a deeply personal decision for each member to make, and a choice I did not take lightly. I will be hopping on Instagram Live later this evening to connect with my constituents and follow up with their questions about #SOTU. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2020 Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Representative Ayanna Pressley, who also boycotted, were the subjects of racist attacks by the president last year that resulted in the House voting to condemned his comments. Trump had told the pair and two other congresswoman of colour Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to go back to their countries. All four are US citizens. Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women in Congress, attended the address, wearing traditional Palestinian and Somali clothing. This is what America looks like, Omar tweeted. This is what America looks like pic.twitter.com/4NCDdxJsql Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 5, 2020 Tlaib, along with some other Democratic representatives, said they walked out of Trumps speech, calling it shameless. I walked out of that speech. The lies, the bigotry, and the shameless bragging about taking away food stamps that people depend on to liveit was all beneath the dignity of the office he occupies. Shame on this forever impeached president. Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 5, 2020 Dozens of other congresswomen wore white, in honour of women suffragettes. House Democratic women stand before the State of the Union address. [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] [Daylife] Other Democrats wore red, white and blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change, saying Trump has rolled back environmental safeguards and given free rein to polluters. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stands on stage at an event in Hamtramck, Michigan [File: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/AFP] Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her partys official response and drew a contrast between actions taken by Democrats and the presidents rhetoric. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market, Whitmer said. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. A U.S. citizen has died in government custody, Customs and Border Patrol announced Wednesday. Border patrol agents arrested the 32-year-old man Tuesday afternoon "after he was identified as a suspect in an alien smuggling incident," BuzzFeed News reports via a CBP statement. "At around 6:00 p.m., during processing at the Brackettville Station, the man began exhibiting signs of distress," the statement continued. "EMT-certified agents" began tending to the man, and an ambulance took him to a local hospital around 6:40 p.m. "He was pronounced deceased by medical personnel at 9:37 p.m. CST," per the statement. The agents who arrested the man were assigned to a Brackettville, Texas, station, which is near the Del Rio, Texas, port of entry. More stories from theweek.com How Trump's New York trusted traveler ban will punish the most conservative parts of the state How history will view Trump's impeachment Fox News' Brian Kilmeade is really mad that Romney would 'bring religion' into his impeachment decision Nine films are in the running for the coveted best picture prize at the Oscars. We take a look at the contenders. The Irishman Martin Scorseses exhaustive return to the criminal underworld transplants toxic masculinity from the mean streets of New York to 1950s Philadelphia, where an epic tale of brotherhood culminates in the disappearance of labour union leader Jimmy Hoffa in July 1975. Bruised egos collide and sinews throb in claustrophobic close-up as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino posture and snarl through decades of fraternal bonding with predictable intensity and fury. Jojo Rabbit New Zealand writer, director and star Taika Waititi confidently walks a tightrope between heartbreak and hilarity in a deeply affecting coming-of-age story adapted from Christine Leunens novel Caging Skies. Jojo Rabbit navigates delicate changes in pacing and tone to recount one episode of suffering during the Second World War through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy, who claims the Fuhrer as an imaginary friend. A stellar lead performance from young London-born actor Roman Griffin Davis illuminates every frame. Joker The Jokers wild in director Todd Phillipss profoundly disturbing character study. His relentlessly grim portrait of mental illness and societal neglect burrows deep beneath the translucent, bone-stretched skin of Batmans adversary, several years before the Caped Crusader dons a cowl. Joaquin Phoenixs ferocious and uncompromising performance gambols through a fug of delusions and horrifying self-realisation that gives birth to an anarchistic revolutionary with nothing to lose. Le Mans 66 (Released in the US as Ford vs Ferrari) Welsh actor Christian Bale achieves another extreme body transformation, dropping 70lb in weight to portray daredevil driver Ken Miles in director James Mangolds crowd-pleasing drama of triumph on four wheels. Bale jump-starts a winning on-screen partnership with Matt Damons automotive designer while Mangold shifts sweetly through the gears, hitting top speed with a thrilling showdown between constructors Ford and Ferrari at the 1966 edition of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. Story continues Little Women Writer-director Greta Gerwigs handsomely mounted adaptation of Louisa May Alcotts 1868 novel sells the authors morality largely word for word through pithy observational humour and boundless affection for the spirited protagonists. The script remains faithful to the source text and abides by literary tropes but Gerwig also indulges in post-feminist revisionism to set her Little Women apart from previous incarnations and strike a rousing chord in the MeToo era. Marriage Story Writer-director Noah Baumbach draws inspiration from his divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh to compose a bruising portrait of a marriage in crisis, which pits a successful stage director (Adam Driver) against his actress wife (Scarlett Johansson) for primary custody of their young son. Incendiary lines of dialogue explode with devastating precision as warring spouses search for glimmers of hope in the smouldering rubble of their relationship. 1917 Practice makes nail-bitingly tense perfection in Sam Mendess thriller, inspired by stories of The Great War told by the directors grandfather. Shot in real-time in several exquisitely staged single takes, which have been stitched together by editor Lee Smith into a continuous fluid shot, 1917 pushes lead actors Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay to the physical limit as we accompany them on a breathless race against time to prevent a bloodbath on foreign soil. Once Upon A TimeIn Hollywood Quentin Tarantinos valentine to the golden age of Hollywood unspools the exploits of a fictional actor and his stunt double against the real-life backdrop of the Manson family murders in the summer of 1969. Fact and blood-soaked fantasy are rumbustious playmates in Tarantinos script, which is energised by terrific performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as the fading stars, who stare down their inevitable decline with a combustive mix of weariness and frustration. Parasite Writer-director Bong Joon-ho mines a mother lode of deliciously cruel intentions in a wickedly entertaining, genre-bending satire, which gleefully inhabits the cavernous divide between South Koreas haves and have-nots. The tone careens wildly from slapstick and scabrous social commentary to full-blooded horror as Joon-ho tightens the screws on his desperate characters, setting in motion a jaw-dropping second act that will be glimpsed through trembling fingers. Japanese enterprises are expanding investment in Vietnam. (Photo: congthuong.vn) In 2019, the foreign investment sector continued to be a highlight in Vietnams economic picture, with a total investment capital of USD38 billion and disbursement of USD20.4 billion for the first time. Japan ranked second in the list of foreign direct investors to Vietnam, with 4,385 investment projects worth over USD59 billion in registration capital. Many Japanese enterprises have been closely connected in Vietnam's economy, notably big names such as Toyota, Honda, Panasonic, Canon and Sumitomo. Apart from the industrial sector, Japanese investors have entered other areas such as retail, finance - banking and food, with notable names like AEON and Uniqlo. It proves that Japanese investment is gradually expanding and increasingly visible in the Vietnamese economy. . According to a survey conducted by Japans NNA Company, Vietnam was voted by Japanese enterprises as the most promising investment destination in 2020 in Asia, surpassing both India and other countries in Southeast Asia. In 2020, the Vietnamese Government is interested in improving national competitiveness, renovating investment and business models with the goal of increasing the investment and business environment by 10 levels. It is submitting to the National Assembly to revise the Investment Law and the Corporate Law to institutionalize Politburo Resolution 50-NQ/TW which reconfirms the viewpoint that the foreign-invested economic sector is an important component of the Vietnamese economy, and it is encouraged and facilitated for long-term development in cooperation and healthy competition with other economic sectors. The Vietnamese State respects and protects the legitimate and legal rights and interests of investors; and ensures harmony of interests between the State, investors and employees in enterprises. At the recent Japan - Vietnam economic, tourism and labor forum, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue emphasized that Vietnam is ready to create favourable conditions for investors, including Japanese businesses. In particular, the Vietnamese Government not only wants Japan to be the leading investor, but also the best investor in Vietnam. On a larger scale, Vietnam is a member of the Mekong sub-region that has agreed to cooperate with Japan in three connections: transport infrastructure, energy; soft infrastructure and institution, trade and investment facilitation; and human connectivity in connection with digital connectivity. According to a report of the Japan External Trade Organization, in 2019, 66% of Japanese enterprises investing in Vietnam were profitable; and 64% of enterprises said that they had plans to expand their business in Vietnam./. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Lucknow, Feb 5 : On the first day of DefExpo2020 on Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held meetings with his counterparts from five countries - the UAE, the UK, the Maldives, Kyrgyzstan and Oman - to strengthen military cooperation. Singh and UAE's Minister of State for Defence Mohammed Al Bowardi expressed satisfaction at various dimensions of the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries and exchanged views on further strengthening it. In the meeting with UK's Minister for Defence Procurement James Heappey, the Defence Minister underlined the growing ties between the two countries. The discussions, while touching on various aspects related to defence cooperation, also focussed on opportunities to further enhance defence engagements between the two countries. They have agreed to meet again on Thursday to continue the discussions. In the talks with the Maldives' Defence Minister Uza Mariya Ahmed Didi, Rajnath Singh sought cooperation in the field of defence industry as it forms an important part of strategic partnership between both the countries. The Maldivian minister expressed her country's gratitude for India's assistance over the years and recently in bringing back Maldivian students from China's Coronavirus-affected Wuhan. She underlined the opportunities that exist to further enhance defence cooperation especially in the maritime domain, to which Singh responded positively. Kyrgyzstan's Defence Minister, Col Erlis Terdikbayev met Singh and discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to defence cooperation. In a significant decision, both leaders agreed that the Joint Exercise involving the Special Forces of India and Kyrgyzstan named Khanjar VII shall be held soon in India. It was also decided that the first Joint Working group between the two countries on Defence Cooperation would be held within the next two to three months. Holding the last and fifth meeting of the morning with Omani Defence Minister Badr Saud Harib Al Busaidi, Rajnath Singh stressed that defence cooperation was the key pillar of bilateral relations between the two countries. Both Ministers discussed measures to further strengthen defence partnership, by enhancing joint maritime security exercises. Singh expressed the willingness of India's defence industry, especially Defence PSUs, to work more closely with Oman. BROOKSTON, Ind. (WLFI) When you think about the Great Outdoors you think of the Dan Akroyd and John Candy comedy, but take a second and think about the great outdoors; mother nature. Breathing in fresh air, making s'mores and camping with friends and family are first to mind when you think about being outside. Camp Tecumseh has been the place for that for the last 96 years. The around 600 acre site is already getting ready for its centennial celebration, but before that happens renovations have to be done. "I mean it's bare right now because it's winter in Indiana, but it's still beautiful," said Camp Tecumseh's Marketing Director, Sam Hirt. There is nothing more beautiful than mother nature. "We encourage people to live in the moment," said the CEO of Camp Tecumseh, Scott Brosman. "That while you are here that you do not have all those distractions that you do at home. Brosman said renovations are going to be good for the camp. "It's for the future," said Brosman. He said $10 million worth of renovations are needed around the almost 600 acre property. "It is what we need and what's necessary to really develop our facilities into long lasting," said Stacey Seeger. Stacy Seeger is in charge of fundraising at Camp T. "Our campers very often tell us that Camp Tecumseh is their favorite place on Earth," said Seeger. Ninety-six-year-old Camp Tecumseh is undergoing renovations to make way for future campers and outdated buildings. Construction has already started for staff housing and cabin housing, but by the fall of 2020 a new dining hall will start being built. The new one will seat 550 people, while the old one holds around 300 people. "It's been a longtime coming," said Brosman. "It really should just improve the experience for all that come out," said Seeger. More than 36,000 people come out every year to experience camp, outdoor adventures or retreats. "What we are doing now is going to impact thousands of kids for hopefully another 100 years," said Brosman. Currently Camp T has fundraised more than $7.8 million. The campaign started two and a half years ago. The goal is to raise $10 million by the end of this summer. Brosman said why he continues to make Camp T the best it can be. "The people, the people, the kids, the staff and all of the participants and watching how camp changes their lives and now watching them grow and come back with their own kids," said Brosman. If you want to contribute to Camp Tecumseh and its fundraising efforts click here. Journalist Daler Sharipov (32), accused of inciting ethnic, racial, and religious discord in his journalistic work, has been held in detention since January 28. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) decries the recent international trend in arresting journalists based on unsubstantiated extremism charges and calls for the immediate release of Daler Sharipov. After his arrest, a court ruled on January 30 that the journalist will be placed in pre-trial detention for two months, awaiting his trial on suspicion of inciting ethnic, racial, and religious discord, according to reports. He could face five years in prison if found guilty. The Prosecutor Generals Office claims in a press release that Sharipov is responsible for spreading over 200 articles and commentaries containing extremist content between 2013 and 2019, as reported by the AFP on February 2. The statement added that the journalist had published copies of an unidentified text related with the Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned in Tajikistan in 2006. Daler Sharipov reports about domestic politics and is a well-known critic of the Tajik authorities. He writes for independent outlets about the difficulties Muslims face in practising their religion in the country. Tajikistan also recently refused to fully accredit journalists of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in a clear attack on press freedom. In the past six months, the IFJ has reported on several cases of journalists being arrested and detained based on extremism or terrorism charges. Journalists were detained in Kashmir, Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, with the last case ending in a five-year prison sentence. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger, said: We deplore the action of imprisoning independent journalists as a means to silence them. We urge the Tajik authorities to secure Sharipovs release and to ensure that independent journalists can continue reporting freely. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) meets with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday met with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Iran, according to U.S. State Department. The two discussed the IAEA's monitoring work in Iran, nuclear security, and the importance of the IAEA to U.S. security interests, State Department's Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. Pompeo and Grossi pledged to stay in close contact on nuclear issues of concern, the statement added. The meeting came days after Washington's sanctions against the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its head while renewing waivers allowing foreign companies to continue work at Iranian nuclear sites. Since its unilateral exit from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Washington has been mounting pressure on Tehran through a series of sanctions. Iran has maintained a tough stance and scaled back its nuclear commitments in response. In early January, Iran announced the fifth and final step to end its commitments to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which is the restriction on the number of centrifuges. But Iran also said it will continue its cooperation with the IAEA. Political analyst Gunja Kapoor on Wednesday was detained by Delhi Police for a short period, after protestors at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh alleged that she was wearing a 'burqa' and filming them at the agitation site. Elaborating on the incident, Police said that Kapoor was detained from the protest site and was later released. "She manages a Youtube channel and has come here to speak to women. She claims that she was wearing a Burqa for more comfort among the women protestors", police said. Protesters, including a large number of Burqa clad Muslim women, are sitting on an agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Register of Citizens and Population Register since December last year. On February 1, a man Kapil Gujjar opened fire in the air at Shaheen Bagh protest site. He was later detained by police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Eight Kazakh citizens were evacuated from Chinas Wuhan to Russia and Uzbekistan, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Kazakhstans Minister of Foreign Affairs. Kazakh citizens were evacuated at the request of Kazakh side on the night of Feb. 5. A student of Yanbian University who previously was not permitted to leave due to high body temperature is among the evacuated. Five Kazakh citizens will remain in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) for two-week period under medical staff supervision, whereas another three Kazakhs will stay in Tyumen city (Russia) Before boarding the plane Kazakh citizens undergone additional medical testing and no high body temperature or coronavirus symptoms were detected, the report said. Earlier this month, Kazakhstan has already evacuated 83 citizens from Wuhan, including 80 students. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then nearly 500 people have died. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden and Finland. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh [February 05, 2020] Zendesk Relate to Convene CX and CRM Leaders in Miami in March Today, Zendesk, Inc. (NYSE: ZEN) announced it is bringing its annual global user conference, Relate, to Miami on March 3-5, 2020. The event gathers thousands of attendees for three days of education on how companies can build positive, long-term relationships with their customers. To reserve your spot, use code JoinRelate20 to register here. "Consumers today are demanding that every experience and touchpoint is the best they've ever had, and they want to interact seamlessly and conversationally on channels they're already using," said Sarah Reed, Senior Director, Content and Event Marketing, Zendesk. "At Relate, we'll explore the ways to not only meet these changing expectations but innovate and anticipate for the future consumer, to create the best consumer experinces in our rapidly evolving modern landscape." At Relate, CEO Mikkel Svane will deliver a big picture view of how innovation, psychology and technology will impact the customer experience industry. Additionally, he will be unveiling Zendesk's latest CRM, CX and platform offerings. Other speakers who are making waves in customer experience include: Guy Raz, Host, Co-Creator, and Editorial Director, TED Radio Hour and How I Built This Sara Blakely, Spanx Founder & Chief Executive Officer Gus Balbontin, Former Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet Jade Simmons, Rockstar Concert Pianist, Best of SXSW (News - Alert) Performer Jesse Itzler, Author of Living With A SEAL, Co-Founder of Marquis Jet, Owner of the Atlanta Hawks Sarah Robb, O'Hagan Executive, Activist, and Entrepreneur John Wie, Director, Customer Experience, Logitech (News - Alert) The agenda features six tracks and over 60 sessions where attendees will learn how to be a better leader, employee, Zendesk user and master in customer experience. The sessions cover AI and the future of self-service, seamless conversational support, change management for the CX revolution, how to scale without sacrificing support and more. Relate will also offer three courses during a Zendesk Training Day with product demos and hands-on exercises to enhance admin skills and support career growth opportunities for CX future leaders. More information can be found on the Zendesk Relate website. About Zendesk The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Zendesk is a CRM company that builds support, sales, and customer engagement software designed to foster better customer relationships. From large enterprises to start-ups, we believe that powerful, innovative customer experience should be within reach for every company, no matter the size, industry or ambition. Zendesk serves more than 150,000 customers across a multitude of industries in over 30 languages. Zendesk is headquartered in San Francisco, and operates 17 offices worldwide. Learn more at www.zendesk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005595/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] I had wanted to write a more comprehensive post on the Brexit state of play, but (sorry for whinging) I have a sprained thumb, which is making everything hard, particularly typing. So well just stick to a couple of observations and hope our Brexit mavens pile on. Neither side is acting much like it wants a deal. Perhaps this is just a weird posturing phase resulting from the EU trying to figure out how to contend with the theatrical and deliberately provocative Boris Johnson. Or it may be the EU taking the gloves off now that the UK is no longer in its club. Die in a ditch Johnson maintains he wont ask for an extension and wont take EU rules. Wellie, in contrast to what the British press would have you believe, even Canada, which Johnson insists is his current model for the UK-EU trade deal, did in fact agree to treaty provisions that are functionally equivalent to the level playing field that Michel Barnier featured prominently in his draft negotiating guidelines and he reiterated were required for a no-tariffs, no-quotas treaty. Oh, and the UK also signed up for them in the Political Directive. Yes, that document is legally non-binding, but as weve pointed out, in negotiations, retrading parts of a non-binding letter of intent usually comes at a cost, including potentially cratering an agreement There is also a lot of consternation on the UK side about Barnier in many (but not all) respects taking what has been seen as a maximalist position, particularly in putting forth a negotiating process of seeking an overall deal, so that various issues could be traded off against each other. The UK wants much more of an each issue its own deal approach, as Switzerland has. The EU has indicated for some time its not amenable to having a ton of bilateral agreements. Taking a very high level view, what Barnier appears to be doing as his default is working forward from the Political Declaration. If you were dealing with a rational counterparty, it would be entirely logical to say, We agreed to these general ideas, all Im doing is following them. And the Political Declaration envisaged the soft Brexit that Theresa May wanted to achieve. It goes on about having a close relationship and also mentions that the trade agreement could be negotiated under Article 217, which is also referred to as an Association Agreement (the other avenue for negotiating a trade pact with a third country is under Article 207, under which the EU has reached both simple free trade agreements and comprehensive economic trade agreements as it did with Canada. The wee problem is that that very Political Declaration set forth a very different sort of relationship than Johnson campaigned for, both when he became PM and in the later general election. And the EU is very rule and procedure driven. Even if Barnier were to want to accommodate Johnson now insisting on a very different agreement than the UK signed up for, hes likely have to go back to his principals and get them on the same page. The signs for the last year if not two is that EU leaders are sick of how much time Brexit has consumed and they think they have more important things to do. So Id hesitate to attribute the seeming maximalist position of the negotiating guidelines as some sort of Barnier scheme as much as him seeing his options with EU leaders limited by the Political Declaration. And remember, this text is a draft and past Barnier drafts have wound up getting important edits, so well have a much better reading of where his principals are soon. Having said that, Barnier has been more testy, not in his tone of voice but with the speed and pointedness with which he has slapped down the Government of late. For instance, from the Guardian in late January: The EU has rejected Boris Johnsons claims that there will be no checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after Brexit, with Michel Barnier warning such checks are not dispensable. Days after the prime minister said there would emphatically be no checks on trade across the Irish Sea, the EUs chief negotiator told an audience in Belfast that the UK had agreed to them as part of a creative and flexible solution to the Irish border question. There was no provision for ignoring them in the legal test of the withdrawal agreement, Barnier said in a speech at Queens University. In agreeing the [Northern Ireland] protocol, the UK has agreed to a system of reinforced checks and controls for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. The text is very precise. I always tell the truth, Barnier said Calling Johnson a liar, while accurate, isnt the sort of jibe the Barnier of recent years would normally allow himself. This may reflect the general antipathy among EU leaders for Johnson, who they (not incorrectly) regard as significantly responsible for Brexit, as well as an unprincipled opportunist. The UK also seems very unhappy that Barnier is insisting on the CJEU as being the arbiter of EU law: Should a dispute raise a question of interpretation of Union law, which may also be indicated by either Party, the arbitration pane l should refer the question to the CJEU as the sole arbiter of Union law, for a binding ruling. The arbitration panel should decide the dispute in accordance with the ruling given by the CJEU I find it hard to fathom how Brexiteers talking themselves into thinking this would come down any other way. Needless to say, the gap between the two sides now is so large that as Clive put it: Not even worth having a discussion on the shape of the table, given how far the EU and the UK apart are. At the moment, there aint no table. Fish fight. Someone has to clue me in. The UK and EU are making fish a do or die issue, each putting it on a short list of must haves when the fishing industry is a trivial part of both economies. Watch @afneil absolutely skewer the hapless Andrew Bowie MP on Brexit negotiations and fishing rights. Fishing accounts for 0.04% of our economy. To make it the be-all-and-end-all of Brexit is nuts. [And they didnt even discuss market access for fish.]pic.twitter.com/OIgy1syvKV Mike Galsworthy (@mikegalsworthy) January 30, 2020 The bone of contention is that the UKs territorial water have most of the fish that both UK and EU land. But most of the fish the UK consumes (about 80%) is from Norway, mainly the cod for fish and chips. By contrast, most of the fish pulled from UK waters (as well as shellfish like scallops and langoustine) go to the EU. And in the first round of the spat, which took place outside the negotiating table, the UK fishermen lost: So it looks like the 4-day 1st war of Brexit is officially over: Brexiters got all excited on Brexit day as Guernsey banned French fishermen. Everything was fine till Guernsey fisherman went to process their fish in France. France refused, the fish rotted & now the war is over. Nick (@nicktolhurst) February 4, 2020 Seems like the French boats will have to file some paperwork and it's business as usual. Maybe that's how this ends for GB as well next year. Some minimal bureaucracy to show that UK "took back control" and nothing more. CC @APHClarkson https://t.co/xEjey3PvAV Arnold Platon (@Arnold_Platon) February 4, 2020 Now here is the even nuttier part. The EU is willing to trade getting access to the UKs fish for making concessions on the vastly bigger and far profitable financial services industry, which per the Financial Times accounted for 7.1% of the UK economy in 2018. I am not making this up. Not only is the EU dumb enough to make this offer, but the UK, which really needs those services exports, is saying its going to die on its hill of fish instead. The Financial Times points out that fishing is the mainstay of many coastal towns, and I can see knock-on effects (loss of summer tourist business if these towns start having boarded-up sections) but this still seems blown way out of proportion. Here is the theory of the case, again from the Financial Times: A dragged out fight over fish would be in neither sides interests. But it may be extremely difficult to avoid: the UK and the EU have opposing positions, little room for manoeuvre and even less time. Britain and Brussels will have only 11 months after Brexit day to negotiate a new relationship and avoid a hard exit when the countrys transition arrangements expire at the end of 2020. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has vowed that fishing will be treated as an essential economic interest for our country that must be defended in the talks. It is a position that has been adopted by the entire EU, which insists that existing reciprocal access to fishing waters and resources should be maintained. Brussels insists that any move by Britain to reduce access to its fishing waters will be met with an overwhelming response: the loss of much needed market access rights for UK fishermen, and potentially even the breakdown of trade negotiations, creating the risk of a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020. For the EU, everything in the future relationship negotiations is linked, says one senior European diplomat. Its not just the French, there are seven or eight member states highly interested in this. The UK is going to have to compromise [on access for EU fishing fleets]. This sounds all well and good until you come to grips with significance. As Wikipedia puts it: Fishing is a relatively unimportant economic activity within the EU. It contributes generally less than 1% to gross national product. The European Commission website shows the fishing industry employed 180,000 people in 2017. Roughly 218 million people were employed in the EU in 2018. Lets say roughly 215 million were employed in 2017. That means the fishing industry provided 0.08% of EU jobs. Could someone please make sense of this for me? Or per the last tweet above, is this fishy business all posturing and really no issue? Zambias President, Edgar Lungu, has addressed Bishops of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe who are meeting in Lusaka for their first-ever Sub-Regional Consultative Meeting of Catholic Bishops. Paul Samasumo Vatican City President Lungu expressed his appreciation for the work of the Catholic Church when he addressed the Bishops in Lusaka. The Zambian President, on Monday, paid a courtesy call on the Bishops of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe meeting under the auspices of the Sub-Regional Consultative Meeting of Catholic Bishops for the first time. Church, a dependable partner President Lungu said the Catholic Church was a dependable partner for the government in social service delivery, advocacy for development, inclusive governance, as well as respect for human rights and democracy. Referring specifically to the Zambian situation, the President said his government was grateful for the social services the Catholic Church was providing in the country. In fact, the Church has also been a proponent of peace and unity among its congregants, and the entire nation. The Church has made significant strides by reaching out to all of this country, addressing the needs of our people in a holistic approach. The evidence is there for all to see. One can, thus, go to any corner of this country, both in rural and urban areas and witness the commendable work the Church is doing in addressing the needs of our people. There are not many areas where one would not find a school or health facility run by the Catholic Church. Therefore, my government is deeply grateful and appreciative of the positive role that the Catholic Church has been playing to complement governments efforts in national development, the President said. Bishops of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe to enhance collaboration The Bishops of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe are meeting for three days under the theme, Enhancing Pastoral Collaboration of the Church in the Sub-Region. The idea is to chart a strategic path for increased levels of pastoral collaboration among the three countries. Apostolic Nuncio says God continually visits his people In his homily at the opening ceremony Mass, in the Lusakas Cathedral of the Child Jesus, Zambias Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, Archbishop Gianfranco Gallone said the gathering of Bishops from the three countries was a sign of God visiting his people. Today, this divine visit takes place here in Lusaka where He sees us gathered for a more dynamic action of evangelisation and for a better pastoral and missionary collaboration in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The Nuncio said all this was being done bearing in mind what Pope Francis said his document, Evangelii Gaudium, where the Bishop is always urged to foster missionary communion. The three countries have deep cultural and historical ties In a Lumen TV television interview, with Mwenya Mukuka, Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretary General, Fr. Cleophas Lungu said the three countries felt drawn to each other because they have a lot in common historically, culturally and ecclesiastically. We must acknowledge three factors. Fundamentally, we have strong historical links; we have a lot in common in terms of culture This meeting is coming as fruition of interaction that has been going on at a smaller scale. Third, we have realised that our three countries share more or less similar challenges economically, politically as well as pastoral challenges, Fr. Lungu said. Fr. Lungu further said, the three-day consultative meeting was a way of mapping-out future collaboration among the three countries. Geographical borders will not stop us from seeking solutions How can the Church in the region become more become effective in terms of pastoral activities? How can people of this region become more united; how can we be more and more in solidarity with each other not just in the Church but also in our societies? These are the questions that the Bishops will be are reflecting upon, Fr. Lungu said. He added, These (geographical) borders necessary as they maybe do not inhibit the opportunity of coming together as one family the family of God. They do not stop us from sharing our challenges and seeking solutions together, Fr. Lungu explained. In general, every day parlance, the neighbouring countries of Zambia Malawi and Zimbabwe are considered Southern African countries. A team of British scientists are preparing to dive into the darkest depths of the Indian Ocean - into a so-called 'Midnight Zone' where life thrives despite scarce light. Scientists from the Nekton Mission plan to survey wildlife and gauge the effects of climate change in the unexplored area. A unique submarine called 'Limiting Factor' made with a 3.5-inch (9cm) thick titanium hull will carry two scientists at a time into the unknown marine world to at least 3,280ft (1,000m) below the surface. The robust machine can withstand immense pressures and also carries up to 96 hours' worth of emergency oxygen in case of disaster. Limiting Factor has previously descended down as far as 36,000ft (11,000 metres) deeper than Mount Everest is tall when it reached the bottom of the Mariana trench. In this photo taken in January 2020 and provided by Nekton, scientists lower the 'Limiting Factor' submarine into the Mediterranean Sea, part of sea trials before the next stage of the mission Working with the Seychelles and Maldives governments, the five-week expedition is targeting seamounts - underwater mountains that rise miles from the sea floor. 'What we do know is that beneath 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), there's no light down there, but a lot of animals ... are bioluminescent. It's life that glows,' says Nekton mission director Oliver Steeds. 'The area that we're going to be researching, it's one of the most bio-diverse parts of the world's oceans. So what we're going to find there is unknown,' Mr Steeds recently told The Associated Press before sea trials. Last August, the 'Limiting Factor' completed the Five Deeps Expedition, diving to the deepest point in each of the world's five oceans. Pictured, a diver helps a crew member on-board 'Limiting Factor' submarine (right). A team of scientists is preparing to dive deep into the depths of the Indian Ocean - into a 'Midnight Zone' where light barely reaches, but life still thrives Scientists from the British-led Nekton Mission (pictured, conducting tests in the Mediterranean ahead of their trip to the Midnight Zone later this year) plan to survey wildlife and gauge the effects of climate change in the unexplored area 3,000ft below the surface A submarine called 'Limiting Factor' Pictured in the Mediterranean ahead as part of ongoing tests, is made with a 3.5-inch (9cm) thick titanium hull will carry two scientists at a time into the unknown marine world. It also carries up to 96 hours' worth of emergency oxygen in case of the worst case scenario 'There are only five vehicles in the world that can get below 6,000 meters (19,685 feet), and only one that can get to the bottom half,' said expedition leader Rob McCallum. 'So everything we do is new. Everything we see is virtually a new discovery.' Using sampling, sensor and mapping technology, scientists expect to identify new species and towering seamounts. They are also hoping to see evidence of humanity's impact on the undocumented realm, such as from climate change and plastic pollution. Last May, when 'Limiting Factor' descended to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the ocean's deepest point, its pilot spotted a plastic bag. 'When we actually think of the living space on the planet for species, over 90 per cent of that living space is in the ocean and most of that ocean is unexplored,' says Dan Laffoley, a marine expert for the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 'So it's absolutely critical, at this time when we see such large changes occurring, that we get people down there, we get eyes in the ocean and we see what's happening,' he said. Scientists will combine their observations with those conducted last year during a seven-week Indian Ocean mission. They plan to present their findings in 2022. Deputies ordered the suspect to drop the machete but he continued to advance aggressively toward the deputies, and one of them fired his gun, Bevens said. The man was shot and died at the scene, he said. HOUSTON - A 5-year-old boy from Guatemala who fractured his skull in an accident and suffered bleeding around his brain is not being properly treated at an immigration detention centre in Texas for what could be a traumatic brain injury, family members and advocates alleged. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement defended the care given to the 5-year-old, whom the agency detained with his parents and 1-year-old brother in January, about a month after the boy fell out of a shopping cart. The children and their mother are in custody at the family detention centre at Dilley, Texas, where the 5-year-old continues to have headaches and complains when he hears normal levels of sound, according to his aunt and Dr. Amy Cohen, an advocate working with the family. ICE said Wednesday that multiple neurological exams conducted at Dilley revealed no medical issues but that the boy was hospitalized on Tuesday and Wednesday for additional evaluation and imaging to rule out any concerns. The agency said the boys MRI was normal and there were no signs that he had bleeding in his skull. He will soon be taken back to Dilley, ICE said. Cohen provided the AP with records from the hospital that initially treated him after the injury. The records say the boy had an epidural hematoma, which is bleeding between his brain and skull, as well as a temporal bone fracture and a mild traumatic brain injury. Testing done now doesnt mean that he isnt having complications from the bleed that he did have, Cohen said. Before they were detained during what the family thought was a routine check-in, the boy had been scheduled for an appointment with a neurologist, Cohen said. He has begun wetting himself at night, his aunt said. The Associated Press is withholding the names of the boy and his family because they fear imminent deportation to Guatemala, where the boys mother says she was threatened. The mother has alleged that medical staff at Dilley told her the injury took place too long ago to be causing symptoms now, according to Cohen and the aunt. The mother is having him wear diapers intended for her younger child because he loses control of his bladder, the aunt said. She says they dont pay much attention to her, the aunt said. They dont let her explain to them that my nephews case is bad because of the accident that he had. They dont give her the chance. The boy was hospitalized Tuesday, a day after the Associated Press first contacted ICE about the case. In a statement, the agency said medical staff at Dilley conducted a neurological exam that did not reveal any issues, and the child denied any dizziness or visual changes. ICE also said no medical issues were found when the boy underwent a routine exam on Jan. 23 or during a follow-up neurological exam on Jan. 27, when it says the mother reported her son was eating and sleeping well and getting along well with peers. A 1-year-old child was detained at Dilley before she died of a hemorrhage, according to the law firm representing her mother, Yazmin Juarez. The attorneys allege Juarezs daughter, Mariee, contracted a respiratory illness that was misdiagnosed and mistreated at Dilley. The agency defends the medical care it provides at Dilley and its other detention centres and says medical care is available at all hours to detainees. But the Trump administration has been sharply criticized for its treatment of migrant children, including wide-scale family separations and packing families into cells well beyond their capacity with limited food and water. At least six migrant children have died after being detained by U.S. agents since President Donald Trump took office. Its astonishing to me that people are continuing to tolerate the physical conditions and the cruelty that children are being subjected to in detention, said Cohen, executive director of the advocacy group Every Last One. According to ICE, the boys mother was apprehended in May 2019 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization. She was released and required to report to the agency monthly, but after she did not appear for an immigration court hearing in November, a judge ordered her removal from the U.S. The womans husband is being held at a different facility in California, according to the boys aunt. ICE said the mother may soon be deported. The agency says the mother did not mention her sons head injury when they were detained on Jan. 21. Cohen and the boys aunt say the mother said she reported the injury that day. The boys aunt and Cohen say theyre worried that his symptoms will quickly worsen. I fear for his immediate health and safety and for his long-term health and safety, because we know that traumatic brain injuries in children can have devastating consequences for the rest of their lives, Cohen said. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has not made his stance clear on the possibility of carrying out the pattern of the new coalition government formed in Maharashtra at the level. On being asked if the alliance experiment pattern in Maharashtra will be extended at the level, will Thackeray be a part of it, he said: "We will see...things have begun at the State level. Until we get to know if the nation has learned something from this or not, it's difficult to say anything." "The change that has taken place in Maharashtra will show the direction to the country. A few people want this government to work but a few do not want so, but it all depends on the will of the public," he added. The current Maharashtra government is an alliance named Maha Vikas Aghadi, whose constituents are the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Earlier in November last year, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena had snapped ties with its old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after differences over the government formation in Maharashtra and joined hands with NCP and Congress to form a non-BJP government in the State. Later, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of the alliance in Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PHOENIX (AP) Election officials in Arizona's most populous county on Wednesday presented a point-by-point rebuttal of claims made in a partisan review of the 2020 election that former President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have used to promote the myth that Trump lost because of fraud. Donald Trumps February 5 State of the Union address, which Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi originally cancelled due to security concerns, came three months after Democrats won back a majority in Congress. During those months, tensions between Trump and Pelosi amplified. At a December 11 Oval Office meeting, Trump, Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued in front of television cameras over immigration, government funding, and Novembers election results. Trump said he would be proud to shut down parts of the government in his fight for a border wall. On January 9, weeks into what would become the longest shutdown in US history, Trump stormed out of a closed meeting with congressional leaders when Pelosi again refused to fund the wall. So when New York Times White House photographer Doug Mills was appointed pool photographer for the State of the Uniona designation that meant he would be the only photographer allowed on the House floor during the eventhe planned to follow both Trump and Pelosi with care. By the time the State of the Union was over, a photo Mills captured early on in the address had already circled the globe, a viral phenomenon that encapsulated the raw conflict between two very public adversaries. Mills spoke with CJR by phone from outside the White Houses West Wing about that night and the responsibility that comes with photographing Trumps presidency. His words have been condensed for length and clarity. ICYMI: Meet the 26-year-old who has been laid off three times Sign up for CJR 's daily email I knew there was this tension, and I was the only news photographer on the floor last night. I was trying to keep my eye on the handshake. Its traditional that the President hands the Vice President and the Speaker of the House a copy of his speech so they can read along, and they shake hands. That was cordial, and Pelosi really contained herself at first. But then when Trump brought up unity, said that the two parties were going to start working together, she jumped up out of her seat. Her look said, OK, you said it, this is on you to deliver. If I had missed that moment, maybe been shooting with a different lens, I wouldnt have slept that night. Many photographers took the same picture, it was just from a different angle. In mine, Pelosis right over his shoulder, so you see her lips, her mouth. Its better to be lucky than good. I was very lucky to be on the floor last night. There are great photographers in this town. Im sure any of them would have gotten the same shot. I was using a mirrorless camera. As you push the shutter, you see what youre getting. I knew what Pelosi was doing right away. From the floor, I sent my disk to an editor upstairs. I said Hey, theres some pretty nice frames of Pelosi gesturing in there. She texted back, Got it, looks great, got it. I didnt think anymore about it. I just kept shooting. My phone started blowing up while I was still working. Reuters had been the first to tweet it out. My photos were pool, meaning everyone had access. My phones going so hard, I thought my battery was going to go dead. Then I started getting direct messages on Twitter about it. But Im just concentrating on shooting the rest of the speech. When I got upstairs, one of the guys in the press gallery said, My son just contacted me and said your photo is going viral. Gosh, it had probably been 45 minutes since I took it. Someone else called it global viral. I was like, What is that? I woke up the following morning to hundreds of notifications. Then people started texting me the memes. Maybe the response is so strong because everyone was expecting some sort of moment between the two of them. Its been such a chilly relationship since she became speaker. If I had missed that moment, maybe been shooting with a different lens, I wouldnt have slept that night People told me this is the womens movement clap. Some people thought it meant something like the Dems are back now, Ive got my eye on you. Others on the right thought it was disrespectful. On Twitter, people called it the f-you clap. Oh my gosh, I dont want my name on that. Some of the impact of the photo is because hes controversial, hes not a politician. Interestingly enough, the country did not elect a politician this time. A politician would not speak when they were attacked, they might just blow it off. Thats the last thing this guy does. If someone attacks, he avenges himself. I really felt I photographed the real Trump during the midterms. I got lots of images that spoke to his not wanting to lose. This president uses the media to his advantage a lot. Hes pretty photo savvy. When he gets onstage, he knows where we are. Not that he plays to us, but he knows that we are there. Theres no doubt hes giving a message when he comes out yelling and pointing. I mean, he gets up there and pulls audience members up onstage quite often. He did it during midterms. Someone at the White House today said pictures dont lie. It was a moment, it was there. No matter what picture you take, both sides will have a way of describing whether they like it or hate it. Thankfully, the press has retweeted my pictures. I dont have an agenda. I just try to make the best picture I can at each event I go to. I could never work at The New York Times with an agenda. Ive been covering the White House since 1983, since Reagan. I have no axe to grind. I plan on staying here, its not a four-year term for me. Each president is different. My job is to be fair, record it. Its a photographers job and duty, good or bad. I make sure New York Times readers see the correct image. One of the things I always say about Trump is that we have more access than we had to the last five presidents Ive covered. Were allowed to stay in the meetings longer. Its a photographers dream. Being around him the last two years, Ive gotten to know his tendencies, but hes not really predictable. He keeps us all on our toes, its so exciting. During the shutdown it was like the old days with less access. Plenty of photographers and journalists were happy to have a break. Its consuming, covering Trump. Its a daunting task. Its draining, its nonstop. You look for your days off, you look forward to them. ICYMI: A reporter was harassed by Roger Stone for years. It ended in a violent confrontation. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Amanda Darrach is a contributor to CJR and a visiting scholar at the University of St Andrews School of International Relations. Follow her on Twitter @thedarrach. SACRAMENTO A Bay Area lawmaker has a plan to improve voter participation in California: Require that everyone cast a ballot. Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, introduced a bill Tuesday that would require all registered voters to return their ballots, either by mail or to a vote center, even if left blank. The measure, AB2070, would leave it up to the secretary of state, Californias chief elections official, to decide how to enforce the law. Levine said California has done everything it can to make it easier to vote including automating voter registration through visits to the Department of Motor Vehicles and eliminating the need to mail in ballots with a stamp but turnout could still be better. About 64% of registered voters participated in the 2018 election, the highest midterm turnout in nearly four decades. Were missing a huge swath of voters who are affected by what we do, Levine said. Too many Californians are opting out and having decisions made for them and to them that are not in their best interest. Levine compared his proposal to jury duty, where people are subject to fines or even incarceration if they dont show up. Even without the possibility of punishment, however, he said he believes that requiring Californians to vote will boost participation. We need to change the culture in such a powerful way that not only are we eliminating every barrier to a citizen to vote, but also raising the expectation that they actually cast a ballot, Levine said. His bill would make California the first state in the nation with compulsory voting. It is already the law in 30 countries, not all of which enforce it. Australia, for example, has required citizens 18 and older to vote for nearly a century, with fines of up to 80 Australian dollars for missing an election. In Belgium, where voting has been mandatory for almost 130 years, citizens can be struck from the voter rolls for a decade if they skip too many elections. Both countries report turnout above 90% of registered voters. Former President Barack Obama endorsed the idea of compulsory voting in 2015, suggesting it could be a way to counterbalance the influence of money in politics. But political scientists are split. While some see it as a way to promote the notion that everyone is equal in a democracy, critics worry that mandatory voting would dumb down the electorate by forcing uninformed citizens to participate. Others dismiss it as an attempt by liberals to scrounge up more support among young people, poor people and other infrequent voters who skew Democratic. Jason Brennan, a professor of political philosophy and applied ethics in the business school at Georgetown University, argues that any benefit from coercing citizens to vote is outweighed by the infringement on their liberties. We should instead ask how we induce people to vote smarter, Brennan wrote in a 2014 book about compulsory voting. Democracy tends to be a good thing. That does not mean the state should shove it down our throats. The question of whether such a system would even be constitutional has not been tested. Some scholars suggest that compulsory voting could violate provisions of the Constitution, including the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Emilee Chapman, an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University who supports the idea of mandatory voting, said that while the Constitution protects the right to vote, no case has ever clearly established that it also guarantees a right not to vote. She said California lawmakers would have to sort through potential unintended consequences of a mandatory system: Requiring participation in every federal, state and local election could be overly burdensome and high penalties would disproportionately punish the poor. Some people who dont want to vote all the time might be discouraged from registering altogether. But compulsory voting has proved to be by far the most effective method for getting a bigger and more representative electorate, Chapman said, because youre also sending a positive message that youre valuing the voices of everyone, not just the people who typically opt in. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff This week, several planes carrying passengers from Wuhan China will arrive in three states. These locations are Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, and Eppley Airfield in Omaha, NE. These planes will be met by a team of CDC personnel deployed there to assess the health of the passengers. The passengers have been screened, monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff and during the flight. CDC staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms. These passengers will be issued quarantine orders upon arrival at their designated quarantine location. This legal order is intended to protect the travelers, their families, and the community. This quarantine order will begin on the day the flight left Wuhan and will continue for up to 14 days. Medical care will be readily available at the first onset of symptoms, if needed. CDC will work with the state and local public health departments to transport any passenger exhibiting symptoms to a hospital for further evaluation. CDC is committed to protecting the health and safety of Americans. We continue to believe the immediate risk of coronavirus exposure to the general public is low, however, CDC is undertaking these measures to help keep that risk low. CDC is taking these measures to fully assess and care for these passengers to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities. The following statement will be distributed by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) to thousands of students at orientation events at campuses across Australia and New Zealand. As campuses across Australia and New Zealand open, students and young people are confronted with two stark alternatives: capitalist barbarism or international socialism. The new decade of the 2020s has been ushered in amid a profound crisis of the capitalist system, with unprecedented social inequality, sweeping attacks on democratic rights and the threat of nuclear war and environmental catastrophe. Workers protest pension cuts in France in January 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Daniel Cole] These conditions have provoked mass struggles involving millions of workers and youth in Lebanon, Iraq, Bolivia, Chile, India, Algeria, Sudan, Hong Kong and France. There have been mass strikes by autoworkers, teachers and healthcare workers in Mexico, the US, New Zealand, South Korea and the Netherlands. The scope of the vast and widening gulf between rich and poor, which is driving these struggles is unprecedented. The capitalist profit system has led to the accumulation of wealth by an increasingly tiny, wealthy elite at the expense of the living standards of billions of people. In its annual report on inequality, Oxfam revealed, at the beginning of 2020, that the worlds 2,153 billionaires now control more wealth than the 4.6 billion poorest people. Meanwhile, the worlds top 1 percent collectively has twice as much wealth as 6.9 billion people, nearly the entire worlds population. This staggering level of inequality and social polarisation is being accompanied by the drive to war, as the capitalist classes of different countries seek domination over each other for resources, spheres of influence and markets. The criminal act of US President Donald Trumps administration in assassinating Iranian General Qassim Soleimani has threatened to propel the world into a devastating conflict involving not just the US and Iran, but nuclear-armed Russia and China as well. An 18-year-old in 2020 has lived their entire lives with US imperialism at war in the Middle East. The illegal wars over resources and influence have intensified and expanded under both Republican and Democratic administrations. These conflicts are metastasising into a broader war, with the US ruling elite seeking to arrest its historic decline as the worlds dominant power by targeting Russia and China, which it perceives as its greatest rivals. In Australia, every establishment partyLabor, Liberal-National coalition and Greens alikehas supported the US war drive and associated attacks on free speech. War abroad is always accompanied by war against the conditions and democratic rights of the working class at home. For that reason, successive Australian governments have supported the US-led persecution of journalist and founder of WikiLeaks, publisher Julian Assange, who is languishing in the maximum-security Belmarsh prison in the UK and faces a hearing this month to sanction his extradition to the US. If Assange is rendered to the US, he faces a life sentence of up to 175 years on trumped-up espionage and conspiracy charges. He has been hunted by the most powerful countries in the world for nine years for his role in publishing the leaks made by courageous whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who has, herself, been reimprisoned in the US for refusing to testify against Assange. Resolution in defence of Julian Assange at an IYSSE meeting at the University of Melbourne in August 2019 The treatment of Assange and Manning is a warning to all workers and youth. Under conditions where the US and its allies are preparing ever greater war crimes, they are seeking to set a precedent: This is how they will treat anyone who exposes the truth about imperialist wars and conspiracies around the world. The 2019 AFP raids, on Murdoch journalist Anika Smethurst and ABC offices, testifies to the assault on freedom of speech in Australia. Moreover, the vicious treatment of Chinese students and nationals by the political and media establishments, who have vilified them as agents of foreign influence of the Chinese Communist Party, has set in motion a xenophobic campaign to sow nationalism and prepare the ideological conditions for war. The bushfires that have swept across the entire Australian continent in the last few months are a microcosm of the deep economic and social crisis afflicting the country. Thirty-three people have been killed, some 3,000 homes have been destroyed, an estimated 12 million hectares of land has been affected and over a billion animals have perished, in the worst fire crisis in the countrys recorded history. This has been decades in the making. The fires have exposed the criminal indifference with which the Australian ruling elite treats the lives of ordinary people. Governments, Labor-Green and Liberal-National coalition alike, have under-resourced emergency services, refused to carry out much needed infrastructure projects, like the burial of hundreds of kilometres of powerlines, and have refused to act to mitigate bushfires or take any action on climate change. The Greens, supported by the fake left parties, provide no way forward. They and their supporters like Socialist Alternative promote the illusion that the financial and corporate elite can be pressured to implement the vast changes necessary to avoid climate catastrophe. It is glaringly clear, however, from the experience of the international climate change rallies last year, that no amount of pressure will override the profit interests of capitalist corporations that are leading to the destruction and degradation of the planet. One hundred major corporations generate 71 percent of the worlds emissions, and reap vast profits from doing so. They must be expropriated out of private hands. If the wealth of the 2,000 richest people in the world were expropriated for the needs of society as a whole, billions would be available for health, education, housing, aged care and jobs for millions of people. Whether it be climate change or other weather-related disasters or epidemics, such as the coronavirus, capitalism and its division of the planet into competing nation states is incapable of responding to these crises of its own making. Scientific and medical breakthroughs and discoveries are kept secret from other nations so they can be patented and create profits. There is growing hostility to capitalism among millions of young people and a turn toward socialism, but hostility is not sufficient. The fight against capitalist barbarism must be armed with an historically-grounded analysis and political perspective to fight for socialism. As the youth and student movement of the world Trotskyist movementthe International Committee of the Fourth International and the Socialist Equality Parties around the worldthe IYSSE fights for genuine socialism. The IYSSE is based on the scientific perspective first elaborated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels over 150 years ago, for which the leaders of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, fought and defended through the implacable struggle, led by Trotsky and the Fourth International, against the bureaucratic degeneration of the Soviet Union under Stalin. Any attempt to rehabilitate the parties of the ruling class is doomed to fail. Nationalist and capitalist politicians like Bernie Sanders in the US and Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, despite their occasional anti-capitalist rhetoric, oppose a socialist solution to the crisis facing mankind. The pseudo-left, such as Socialist Alternative in Australia, who prop up the thoroughly corporatised trade unions, support imperialist war and promote illusions in dead-end protest and pressure politics. Their perspective is not in the interests of the international working class and socialism, but focused on promoting identity politics divisions over race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. They seek to prevent the building of a unified movement of the working class, of all backgrounds, against capitalism. Genuine socialism is based on the principles of social equality, internationalism, anti-imperialism and the interests of the working class, the vast majority of the population. Genuine socialism is revolutionary. The capitalist system cannot be reformed. If workers and youth are to be successful in overthrowing the capitalist system and replacing it with an egalitarian world, free from imperialist war and poverty, they must build a Marxist revolutionary party grounded in the lessons of history. The IYSSE is fighting to turn students and young people to the building of such a party, based on the independent political movement of the working class for a revolutionary socialist program. We urge all students who agree with the fight for socialism to join the fight to build this movement today! Sign up as a member of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality! Build the IYSSE where it exists and form new chapters at your school, university, TAFE and workplace! Take up the fight for international revolutionary socialism! Three men who are members of an Iranian separatist group, the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, have been jailed in pre-trial custody in Denmark until Feb. 27, suspected of spying for an unnamed Saudi intelligence service. The three members of the London-based group were arrested Monday in Ringsted, 60 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Copenhagen, for the suspected spying on people and companies over a period of six years from 2012. They appeared before the nearby Roskilde City Court where judge John Larsen on Tuesday ordered the hearing held behind closed doors, meaning no details were made public. Heavily armed police officers with machine guns guarded the courthouse in Roskilde, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Copenhagen. The men who can't be named under a court ban, pleaded not guilty. The men are facing preliminary charges of espionage under a milder paragraph that could give them up to six years in jail. On Monday, the Saudi ambassador to Denmark, Fahad bin Maayouf Al Ruwaily, was summoned to the Danish foreign ministry, In the same case, another man was arrested Monday in the Netherlands the historic Dutch city of Delft for allegedly plotting one or more terror attacks in Iran and for membership of a terrorist organization. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's civil aviation authority said on Tuesday it would keep working with other countries investigating the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last month and it called on all parties to avoid politicizing the issue. Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down the airliner on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people onboard. They later admitted they had done so by mistake while on high alert hours after they had fired at U.S. targets in retaliation for a U.S. strike that killed Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani. On Monday, Tehran blamed Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said on Sunday that the leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran showed that Iran knew immediately it had shot down the plane despite denying it for days. Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said in statement on Tuesday that it was not given any warning about missile activity in the hours before the Ukrainian airliner was shot down. It said it would continue investigating the crash "and the cooperation with the countries involved in this accident will continue as before". "Of course the expectation from all parties is to avoid politicizing this accident and obstructing the technical and specialized investigation," it said. (Reporting By Parisa Hafezi and Babak Dehghanpisheh) Belgium Confirms First Case of Coronavirus - Authorities Sputnik News 12:55 GMT 04.02.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The patient is one of nine people who returned to Belgium from Wuhan on Sunday. All other evacuees tested negative for the virus. Belgium has confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus after a Belgian who had recently returned from China's Wuhan, the outbreak's epicentre, tested positive for the disease, Belgium's Federal Public Service (FPS) said on Tuesday. The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in December in Wuhan and has since spread to over 20 countries. The epidemic has already left over 420 people dead and over 20,000 infected. Belgium is the ninth European country to have confirmed a coronavirus case on its soil. The other European countries that reported the virus are France, Germany, Finland, Italy, the UK, Sweden, Russia and Spain. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov initiated a three-nation tour of Latin America today, with his first stop in Cuba, to be followed by visits to Mexico and Venezuela. The tour comes on the heels of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos swing through four former Soviet republicsUkraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistanand a meeting with the foreign ministers of five Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Pompeo dedicated the tour to denouncing both Russian and Chinese influence and pressuring host governments to distance themselves from Moscow and Beijing. He attempted to play the human rights card, posing as a defender of Chinas Uighur and Kazakh minorities. The effect was somewhat diminished by Washingtons placing Kyrgyzstan on the Trump administrations travel ban in the midst of the trip. In response to Pompeos bullying, Uzbekistans Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov issued a statement stressing that the countries of Central Asia would really not like to feel on ourselves unfavorable political consequences in relation to some competition in our region between large powers. The back-to-back tours in regions that Washington and Moscow each regard as their own backyards, the contemptuous phrase employed by US imperialism to describe the lands to its south, are an indication of growing global war tensions. The main focus of Lavrovs trip is Venezuela. Before leaving Moscow, the Russian foreign minister issued a direct warning against a US military intervention to overthrow the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro. The use of military force against Venezuela, he said, will humiliate the entire region, all of Latin America, and the entire Caribbean. The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that such an intervention would provoke a civil war. Whether these warnings are merely pro forma or reflect real concerns based upon Russian intelligence regarding Washingtons plans in Venezuela is unclear. The regime change operation mounted around the person of Juan Guaido has proven a failure. The previously virtually unknown figure in the right-wing, US-funded Voluntad Popular party swore himself in as interim president in January of last year and was immediately recognized by Washington as the legitimate government of Venezuela. He has steadily lost support, however, since his failed attempt to instigate a military coup last April. In recent weeks he has been reduced to appealing for support from the billionaires gathered in Davos and from the right-wing exile community in Miami. The Trump administration has continued to maintain its position that all options are on the table in relation to Venezuela. One indication that military planning for intervention is underway came at the end of last month with a joint exercise staged by US and Colombian troops. Paratroopers from the two countries conducted a simulated assault to seize another countrys airport, the kind of operation that would be carried out in any direct military intervention to overthrow the Maduro government. Lavrov also denounced the punishing US sanctions against Venezuela, a virtual economic blockade that is tantamount to a state of war. Russia has provided a limited means of circumventing the sanctions. The Russian state-owned energy giant Rosneft has acted as a middleman, buying oil from the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA and then selling it onto the world market. The Russian firm is also providing badly needed fuel, including gasoline and diesel, which Venezuelas own refineries are unable to supply. Thus far, Washington has not targeted Rosneft with sanctions for violating the embargo against Venezuela. Maduros bourgeois nationalist government has indicated in recent weeks that it is preparing to privatize significant sections of PDVSA and open up Venezuelan oil to more direct and widespread exploitation by transnational oil companies. One company that would be in a position to reap profits off this shift is Chevron, which already holds a large stake in the Petropiar oil project in the Orinoco oil belt. The US Treasury Department has repeatedly waived sanctions so that the company can continue its lucrative operations in Venezuela. Oil workers in Venezuela have charged that in preparation for a more sweeping privatization, PDVSA is carrying out mass layoffs and forced early retirements. Lavrovs talks in Caracas may well include negotiations to ensure the interests of Rosneft in the face of a coming incursion by Chevron, Total and other transnationals. The Russian foreign ministers trip also comes less than a week after the chief of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Craig Faller, testified before the US Senate Armed Services Committee on January 30, describing Maduros administration as an illegitimate government that is destroying the fabric of society and a safe haven for terrorists. He classified it as the most direct threat to peace and security in the Western Hemisphere. Presenting SOUTHCOMs annual Posture Review, Admiral Faller made it clear that the US targeting of Venezuela was bound up with a broader view of Latin America as a battleground in the great power conflicts between US imperialism and its two nuclear-armed rivals, Russia and China. He classified Russia and China as malign state actors that are part of a vicious circle of threats that deliberately erode stability and security in the region. Faller centered his fire on China, which he indicted for becoming the regions number one investor and creditor while moving to overtake the US as its principal trading partner, with China-Latin America trade increasing by 19 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. He said that 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries had joined Beijings One Belt One Road Initiative and that 25 of the regions 31 countries were hosting Chinese infrastructure projects. He also noted that the Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE had ongoing projects in 16 countries and were becoming the predominant force in the development of the regions telecommunications. Faller told the Senate panel, I ask myself the question, why would China want to buy an island and lock up a 99-year lease for most of the coast of El Salvador, right here, within a two-hour flight of the continental United States? They are trying to achieve a positional advantage right here in our neighborhood. And thats alarming and concerning to me and drives a sense of urgency with which I look at this competition. He charged Russia with having projected power in our neighborhood, establishing a military footprint in Venezuela and using Cuba to collect intelligence in close proximity to the United States. Faller hypocritically referred to the mass upheavals in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Bolivia as a sign that citizens are exercising democratic rights to uphold their constitutions, while in the same breath claiming that Cuba and Russia were responsible for instigating social unrest. In the end, the strategy of US imperialism and SOUTHCOM in Latin America is based upon the use of military force to prop up bourgeois regimes under siege from popular uprisings against social inequality and to counter the erosion of Washingtons regional hegemony, turning the region into a battlefield in a global war against its great power rivals. Accenture opened a new Innovation Hub in Hyderabad, where clients can co-innovate with Accenture by ideating, rapidly prototyping and then scaling disruptive products and services for the digital economy. The latest addition to Accentures global innovation network, the Hyderabad Innovation Hub is spread over 300,000 square feet where clients can co-innovate and co-create solutions with more than 2,000 Accenture professionals with expertise across multiple industries and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, security, extended reality, automation and blockchain. Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services, said, Our research shows that organizations are struggling to achieve their innovation goals, due to the lack of an enterprise-wide strategy for technology investments and adoption. Through our leading advanced technology capabilities, we help clients scale their technology investments and bridge the innovation achievement gap. Our Innovation Hub in Hyderabad has the pieces our clients require to accelerate value creation through enterprise-wide, game-changing innovation. One of the highlights of this innovation hub is that it houses Accentures first Nano Lab in the Asia-Pacific region, offering clients a window into the latest breakthroughs in applied research from Accenture Labs worldwide. The Nano Lab showcases uses for a range of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, extended reality and security, and allows clients to connect with researchers located in Accenture Labs globally through immersive sessions and workshops. The Innovation Hub in Hyderabad will join others in Bengaluru, India; Recife and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Toronto, Canada; Shenzhen, China; Helsinki, Finland; Tokyo; Zurich; Perth, Australia; Singapore; and 11 Innovation Hubs in the United States, including Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Detroit; Houston; New York; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington, D.C., to seamlessly bring the best of Accentures innovations to clients across geographies and industries. Emergency legislation to prevent a repeat of the Streatham terror attack must complete its passage through parliament by 27 February in order to prevent the automatic release of an offender thought to pose a risk to the public. The new law will be introduced in the Commons on Tuesday and is expected to clear the Lower House by recess on 13 February, but it must then go through all stages in the House of Lords in just three days to meet the timetable. The schedule will put pressure on peers to rush the legislation through and may spark protests over the need for scrutiny of measures that will retrospectively remove the right to automatic early release after half a sentence is served. The timetable represents a delay to the schedule announced on Monday by the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, who said then that he hoped to introduce the bill this week and complete all stages by recess. Sudesh Amman was freed from jail under automatic early release just days before he stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, in a terror attack that ended with him being shot dead by police. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters The emergency legislation will ensure that terror offenders are considered for release only after serving two-thirds of their sentence and will be required to serve their full term if the parole board deems them a threat to the public. The offender in question is reported to be Sunderland shopkeeper Mohammed Zahir Khan, who was jailed for four-and-a-half years in May 2018 for posting messages and material that was supportive of IS on social media. The father-of-one, originally from Birmingham, had served long sentences in the past for drugs supply offences and moved to the north east to make a break from gangs. A further five terror offenders are understood to be due for automatic release on reaching halfway through their terms during March. The new legislation will begin its process through the Lords on 25 February on parliaments return from its half-term break, and complete all stages by 27 February. There are no terrorist offenders who are due to receive automatic release before that date, a Whitehall official said. Sudesh Amman (PA) If the legislation is passed by 27 February, we can prevent the automatic release of any further terrorist suspects who might pose a threat to the public. This is emergency legislation which we believe is vital for protecting the public, and we are sure the Lords will wish to carry out its scrutiny quickly, allowing royal assent by 27 February. We cannot continue to be in a position where the state has no power to block the release of terrorists who continue to pose a threat to the public. Josh Brolin doesn't just play guys with strong personalities. The 51-year-old actor showed off his mettle Tuesday defending himself after a user questioned why he posted a scantily-clad social media post of wife Kathryn Boyd in lingerie. The Oscar-nominated Milk actor quoted late novelist Anais Nin in the caption as he made clear his strong feelings of love for his wife of three years. The latest: Josh Brolin, 51, showed off his mettle Tuesday defending himself after a user questioned why he posted a scantily-clad social media post of wife Kathryn Boyd, 32, in lingerie to Instagram. The couple was snapped in 2018 in LA 'I want to love you wildly,' the quote read. 'I dont want words, but inarticulate cries, meaningless, from the bottom of my most primitive being, that flow from my belly like honey. 'A piercing joy, that leaves me empty, conquered, silenced.' In the shot, the 32-year-old beauty was sitting in white lingerie while holding up a rose. At least one user took exception to the racy display, writing to Brolin, 'Why show your wifes body off on the internet its not good, God wants her to cover her body and not expose her body.' Strong words: The Oscar-nominated Milk actor quoted late novelist Anais Nin in the caption as he made clear his strong feelings of love for his wife of three years Reply: The actor was quick to hit back at a critic questioning the content of his posting But the topic wasn't up for debate with the actor, who was curt in his reply to the user: Brolin, who plays Thanos in the Avengers films, responded, 'I just spoke to God and God asked me to please ask you to shut the f*** up and go take a shower.' The 5ft10 Santa Monica, California native and Lane, an Atlanta native, celebrated their third anniversary last fall, as they tied the knot in September of 2016 in Cashiers, North Carolina in front of a crowd that included his father James Brolin and stepmother Barbra Streisand. The actor and model welcomed their first child, daughter Westlyn, in November of 2018. He's father to son Trevor Brolin, 31, and daughter Eden, 26, both from his marriage to actress Alice Adair from 1988 until 1994. Josh was also previously married to actress Diane Lane from 2004 to 2013. Happy life: Brolin and his family posed for a shot Kathryn posted to Instagram last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced in Lok Sabha the formation of a trust to construct a Ram Temple in Ayodhya as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year. Making a statement in the lower house soon after the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi said, "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra." Since Parliament is in session, the government decided to inform the House on the important decision taken by the Cabinet. The prime minister said that after the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came out, the people of India displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. "I salute the 130 crore people of India," he said. "Let us all support construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya," he said, amid "Jai Shri Ram" slogans from treasury benches. The Supreme Court had directed the government to form the trust within three months and the deadline was ending on February 9. Modi said in India, be it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis or Jains, everyone is a part of one "broad family". "Development must take place for every member of the family. Our government is moving forward with the mantra of 'sabka sath sabka vikas' so that everyone is happy," he said. Seeking to emphasise the importance of the announcement, Modi repeated twice "Aayee Aayee" (Come come) before urging all members to support in one voice the construction of the Ram Temple. Modi said after the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came out, people displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. I salute the 130 crore people of India. It has also been decided to transfer 67.703 acre land to the trust, he said, adding the Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to give five acres of land to the UP Sunni Wakf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rudy Giuliani expects President Trump to be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday, and thinks he should celebrate by investigating a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. "I would have no problem with him doing it," Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, told NPR. "In fact, I'd have a problem with him not doing it. I think he would be saying that Joe Biden can get away with selling out the United States, making us a fool in the Ukraine." Giuliani continues to believe in a debunked conspiracy theory that Biden wanted a Ukrainian prosecutor ousted because he planned on investigating the gas company Burisma; Biden's son Hunter was once on its board. "I believe that it would be one of the great corrupt events in American history if this case is not investigated at the highest levels of two governments," Giuliani said, referring to the United States and Ukraine. Trump's impeachment was triggered by his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Alexander Zelensky, during which he asked Zelensky to launch an investigation into Biden. The House impeachment managers say Trump froze military aid to Ukraine as a way of pressuring Zelensky into announcing investigations. Several Republican senators have said Trump acted inappropriately, including Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who told NBC's Chuck Todd what Trump did was "wrong" and "improper, crossing the line." Giuliani pushed back, saying they "don't understand the facts. Lamar is wrong, and Lamar is a good friend of mine, and he's a fine man except he doesn't know all the facts." More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think turkey syria REUTERS/Murad Sezer US and Russian troops in northwestern Syria are caught between increasingly hostile Turkish and Syrian government forces, which have exchanged fire and air strikes in the past 36 hours. The exchanges of fire have led to dozens of casualties in an escalation in a very tight area of operations already filled with a slew of combatants, a NATO official in the region told Business Insider. An area along the M4 highway, which runs parallel to the Turkey-Syria border, is patrolled by US, Russian, Kurdish, Syrian regime, Iranian regime and Turkish government troops, as well as a gaggle of variously aligned Syrian militias. The official, who asked not to be named, said that with Russian advisors deeply embedded in the Syrian regime forces, the Turks were keen to avoid expanding the conflict to include the Russian military. "The tight spaces linked by a handful of roads means the entire area is filled with armed guys bumping into each other," the official said. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. US and Russian troops operating in northwestern Syria are caught between increasingly hostile Turkish and Syrian government forces that have exchanged small arms fire and air strikes in the past 36 hours. The exchanges of fire have led to dozens of casualties in an escalation in a very tight area of operations already filled with a slew of combatants, a NATO official in the area told Business Insider. A NATO official told Business Insider that US troops had been ordered to block the movement of Russian troops through the checkpoints it controls to prevent further confusion of each military's location inside the area. Hundreds of US special operations forces remain in Syria despite last fall's announcement that the Trump administration would withdraw the anti-ISIS mission. Just days after Trump's announcement, Turkish troops invaded to confront an autonomous pocket of Kurdish fighters along the shared border. Story continues The Turkish invasion turned a relatively peaceful Syrian Kurdish controlled enclave that had been freed from ISIS occupation into a confusing matrix of rival militaries and militias. Turkey syria kurds conflict Hisam el Homsi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images It is now patrolled or controlled by combinations of US, Russian, Kurdish, Syrian regime, Iranian regime and Turkish government troops, as well as a gaggle of variously aligned Syrian militias, mostly deployed along the M4 highway that runs parallel to the Turkish Syrian border. Sunday and Monday's direct clashes between Turkey and Syria came after Syrian forces tried to take part of the M4 highway from a Turkish trained and equipped militia. Syrian regime troops backed by Russian and Iranian special forces have been pushing into the last rebel held enclave in Idlib Province to the west of the corridor, known in Kurdish as Rojava, for months. After Syrian shelling killed at least five Turkish soldiers, Ankara unleashed a round of airstrikes early Monday morning that they claimed killed 75 Assad loyalist troops. While these casualty numbers cannot be confirmed amid Syria's opaque conflict, the clashes represent the worst confrontation between Turkey and Syria since the start of the Syrian revolution nine years ago. "The Turks were on the de-escalation [telephone] line yesterday with the Russians trying to make sure the fight didn't expand to include their guys," said a military official from a NATO country who was briefed on the incident. The official, who asked not to be named, said that with Russian advisors deeply embedded in the Syrian regime forces, the Turks were keen to avoid expanding the conflict to include the Russian military. Russia also maintains independent "peacekeeping patrols" in Rojava in areas of operation shared with US forces. "Nothing about the Russian mission includes 'get dragged into a shooting war with the Turks,' so they were quick to move their guys out of the way," the official said. "But the tight spaces linked by a handful of roads means the entire area is filled with armed guys bumping into each other." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was keen to keep Russia out of the skirmishes also, saying: "I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocutor here is not you but the Syrian regime, and do not stand in our way," He made the comments to reporters before flying to Ukraine Monday, according to Turkish state media organisation TRT. Social media reports from the M4 area showed US troops refusing to allow a Russian military police patrol to pass through their checkpoint, in what the NATO official described as a "tactical lockdown" of the areas around US forces. "On any normal day it feels like everyone in the [area of operations] could start shooting at each other but once the Turks and Syrians started firing directly on each other's positions, it became clear that allowing potentially hostile forces freedom of movement could further complicate things," they said. "So for now, there's gonna be a lockdown for force protection reasons." Read the original article on Business Insider Brussels: The European Union has rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal for securing peace in the Middle East and expressed concern about Israel's plans to annex more Palestinian land. Trump's plan, which was unveiled last week, would foresee the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but it falls far short of minimal Palestinian demands and would leave sizable chunks of the occupied West Bank in Israeli hands. In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell underlined the bloc's commitment to a two-state solution, based along the 1967 lines, with the possibility of mutually agreed land-swaps, made up of the state of Israel and "an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable state of Palestine." European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell suggest mutually agreed land swaps instead of the annexation of territories planned by Israel. Credit:AP Borrell said the US initiative "departs from these internationally agreed parameters." The sudden outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia has not only tested China's response, but also highlighted foreign attitudes and perceptions towards China. It is not particularly surprising that American politicians such as the U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross have taken advantage of the situation and exposed the hegemonic nature of the country by being extremely selfish and irresponsible. In an interview on Jan. 30, Wilbur Ross said that while the emerging coronavirus in China is a very unfortunate, very malignant disease whose victims deserve empathy, he also saw the potential for a positive impact on jobs in the U.S. and Mexico. Soon after, the Commerce Department, which was attempting a face-lift, issued a further statement, saying it was trying to take responsibility for the safety of U.S. companies in China and hinting at what it called Beijing's "poor record" of covering up risks. Aside from the moral questionability of taking advantage of others' troubles, Ross's argument is also untenable on a purely factual level. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, made it clear that if there was a real health and life risk to American businesses, a proliferation of guns and a nationwide measles outbreak were a bigger source of risk than the new coronavirus. Quite apart from shooting incidents, which have been a long-standing problem of the U.S., there were 1,282 cases of measles reported nationwide from Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019, 73 percent of which are related to the recent measles outbreak in New York. To put it another way, of course, for officials like Ross, it is in a sense impossible to reverse China's predominance in global manufacturing in any conventional way and bring U.S. manufacturers back home. Their only hope lies in the new coronavirus. Pompeo claimed the Communist Party of China (CPC) was a threat, which is easier to understand: for politicians such as Pompeo, without the leadership of the CPC, China will be doomed and the U.S. will be able to take advantage of the situation. Pompeo's comments are not new, and largely follow the line of Steve Bannon, a former campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. In a speech in 2019, Bannon became noted for articulating his vision of an ideal China that was Hong Kong before its return to China in 1997, where the industrious and courageous Chinese people, under Western rule, were constantly creating value for the U.S.-centric west. The success of the CPC has led to the destruction of some Westerners' hopes, so the rise of China under the leadership of the CPC is, of course, the greatest threat to American hegemony. The truth is, no hegemonic order can last for a long time. The likes of Ross, Pompeo and Bannon know this better than anyone else. They are well aware of the limited opportunities and time window available to suppress China's rise. As a result, anxious feelings dominate their hearts, while unexpected remarks become the external manifestation of their internal emotions, which occasionally go out of control. The rise of China, an oversized country under the strong leadership of the CPC, is an unstoppable historical process. While there will be tests along the way, including this new coronavirus outbreak, the ultimate victory must be China's. To borrow a phrase, the only thing to fear is fear itself. As for the American politicians with evil intentions, time will see their defeat, and history will record their ugliness. The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak increased to 490 on February 4. China's National Health Commission has announced that the total number of confirmed cases jumped to 24,324. The commission said that 65 deaths were reported on February 4 all coming from Hubei province and its capital Wuhan. As many as 3,887 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported on February 4 itself, the commission said. On the same day, while 431 patients became seriously ill, 262 were discharged from hospital after recovery. The commission added that 3,219 patients remained in severe condition and 23,260 people were suspected of being infected with the virus. A total of 892 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery, it said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Over 2.52 lakh who were in close contacts with patients had been traced with over 1.85 lakh others still under medical observation, it added. By the end of February 4, 18 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), including one death. As many as 10 cases were reported in Macao SAR and 11 in Taiwan, it said. As the novel coronavirus, regarded as the most virulent in recent years, showed no signs of abatement, China has intensified its efforts to contain its spread by opening more hospitals in Hubei province to exclusively treat its patients. A 1,000-bed makeshift hospital was opened on February 3. Another 1,300-bed hospital is set to be ready on February 5. Both will be run by hundreds of military medical personnel. All the Chinese cities including Beijing have been reporting daily increase in the cases of the virus, which has no cure yet. The virus has now spread to over 20 countries. Beyond China Outside of China, it was the Philippines that reported the first overseas death from coronavirus on February 2, while 176 cases have been reported from abroad so far. Coronavirus in India India has so far reported three cases. All three patients from Kerala had recently returned from Wuhan. India has further tightened visa rules by cancelling the existing visas for Chinese and foreigners who had visited the country in the last two weeks. On February 2, India temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the outbreak. As of now, 647 Indians and seven Maldivians, who have been evacuated from Wuhan and Hubei are in 14-day quarantine at a medical camp in Manesar near New Delhi. China has struggled to contain the virus despite implementing unprecedented measures, including virtually locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei. While the virus cases increased by the hour, Chinese health officials attributed the spiralling rate of cases and the death toll to shortages of hospitals mainly in Hubei and its provincial capital Wuhan. Also Chinese officials have converted the national auditorium and gymnasium in Wuhan into a hospital to exclusively treat growing number of coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on February 4 that the outbreak of the deadly virus does not yet constitute a "pandemic". In its report, the WHO said dramatic measures taken by China to rein in the virus has prevented significant spread abroad. The United Nations (UN) health agency's chief also called for greater global solidarity, accusing some governments of wealthy countries of being "well behind" in sharing data on virus cases. "While 99 percent of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases," the UN health agency's chiefs aid in a technical briefing to the WHO's Executive Board in Geneva. Earlier, the WHO categorised the coronavirus as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). (With inputs from PTI) A 27-year-old woman duped 15 holiday makers into paying 16,020 for a dream trip to Disneyland Paris which she stole to get married to a man she had met in Turkey. Chantelle Ashley from Stoke-on-Trent had previously arranged successful trips to the theme park without any issue. However, she took the cash to fund her wedding on the understanding that she and her husband would receive enough gifts of cash during the lavish reception to cover the trip. Chantelle Ashley, pictured outside Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, ripped off 15 people who paid her money to arrange a dream holiday to Disneyland Paris. The registered carer used the cash to pay for her wedding to a man in Turkey Ashley had previously arranged two successful trips to Disneyland Paris, pictured. Stoke on Trent Crown Court heard some clients began paying in cash to her account almost 12 months before the trip was due to take place Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Ashley, 27, returned to the city following her wedding without any cash to cover the Disneyland trip, leaving 15 customers and their families heartbroken. She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months having admitted 15 counts of theft. She was also ordered by the court to pay 16,020 compensation to her victims. The court heard the defendant was a genuine travel organiser who had arranged bona fide trips to Disneyland Paris between 2014 and 2016. The scam trip was advertised in January, 2017 and had been due to leave on December 13, 2017. Prosecutor Timothy Ashmole said: 'The defendant received 16,020 from 15 individuals. 'One customer paid a deposit and made regular payments to the defendant's account. But it soon became apparent the trip was not going to happen. 'Another paid 1,144 by direct transfer to the defendant's account. The advert stated it was ABTA-backed but that was not strictly true.' She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months at Stoke on Trent Crown Court, pictured, having admitted 15 counts of theft. She was also ordered to attend a 15-day rehabilitation activity as well as completing 220-hours of unpaid work The 15 victims have lodged compensation claims. Barry White, mitigating, said the defendant is 'exceptionally remorseful' and apologetic. He said she was taken advantage of after she got married in Turkey. Mr White added: 'She is very sorry for what she has done. This is somebody who can be rehabilitated. 'She is the registered carer for her mother. The offences came about because of outside interference from other people.' The suspended sentence includes a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 220-hours unpaid work. Judge David Fletcher told Ashley: 'You caused 15 people and many more besides, as many had children, a massive amount of financial loss. They also suffered a huge amount of emotional turmoil. 'I accept your intention was to do what you had done successfully on previous occasions - to provide people with a positive holiday experience at Disneyland Paris. What happened was your involvement with this person in Turkey, the marriage to him, and the pressure you were placed under by him and his family to pay for what seems like a lavish wedding ceremony. 16,000 is a lot of money. 'You, of your own volition, knowing what you had done and the police had been speaking to members of your family, made arrangements to come back and face the music. 'You were naive. Life is not a Disney film. You were duped, you were cheated and you were taken advantage of. 'You have been cruelly misled and, as a result of that, you cruelly affected the lives of many people. This is not a fantasy world. This is the real world. 'You have been treated very badly by a group of people. They are not interested in you. You should not be interested in them.' Iraq's premier-designate Mohammad Allawi has met with dozens of representatives of the protest movement rocking the capital and Shiite-majority south since October, a participant in the meetings said Wednesday. The protesters have been demanding an overhaul of the ruling elite and have rejected Allawi as a product of the political class they have been protesting against for months. When he announced his designation on February 1, Allawi extended a hand to the protesters and urged them to keep up their demonstrations. "Since the beginning of the week, Mohammad Allawi has held a string of meetings with several dozen representatives of protesters from the eight provinces taking part in the uprising," said Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi security expert present at the meetings. According to Hashemi, Allawi pledged to release Iraqis detained for demonstrating, compensate the families of those killed in protest-related violence and work with the United Nations to implement the demonstrators' demands. Allawi, 65, served as communications minister twice since the US-led invasion of 2003 but stepped down both times, citing corruption in the government. Rooting out graft in Iraq -- the 16th most corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International -- has been a key demand of protesters. Hashemi said Allawi promised the demonstrator delegations that he would take on embezzlement and the bloated public sector by changing up to 170 "acting" government officials and 450 directors-general in the ministries. The PM-designate also said up to two ministers in his cabinet, which he has until March 2 to form, would be activists themselves and that demonstrators could have a say in up to five ministerial nominations. It will be subject to a vote of confidence by parliament and if it passes, Allawi will formally take up his role as prime minister. Until then, he is not able to implement executive decisions, including many of the reforms he is pledging. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hamilton, Feb 5 : New Zealand stand-in skipper Tom Latham said partnerships all throughout their run chase helped them win by four wickets against India in the first ODI here on Wednesday. After coming close on three occasions to beat India in the ongoing tour, New Zealand were finally able to cross the line and taste victory as they defeated the Men in Blue at Seddon Park. Seasoned campaigner Ross Taylor anchored New Zealand's chase of 348 by scoring a brilliant hundred. He was well supported by Henry Nicholls (78) and Latham (69) as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. "A great performance from the guys, it was nice to keep our composure at the end and get across the line," Latham said. "For us it was about building partnerships. The total was a little more than what we would have liked to chase. But we managed to get off to a good start and keep wickets in hand," he said. "We saw how hard it was to defend with the left-right combination. It's nice to make winning contributions." Latham said Kiwis were not good with the ball as they allowed India to get to 347/4. But in the end, they won with 11 balls to spare. "The way Ross played was fantastic. We weren't quite where we wanted to be with the ball. So we got to improve and hopefully we will play the perfect game at Eden Park," Latham added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Dublin, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Opportunities and Trends in the Global Refining Market, Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The market is forecast to grow from 99.7 million barrels per day in 2018 to nearly 106.5 million barrels per day in 2023, at a CAGR of 1.3%. This study addresses the future and present market opportunities across the globe, as well as challenges faced in a rapidly changing environment. It forecasts refinery expansion as well as provides regional splits for refinery growth. Market metrics are provided for the United States and Canada, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Russia & CIS, the Middle East, China, and other APAC countries. Key Issues Addressed What is the status of the global refining market? Which are the emerging regions? Which are the regions where new capacity additions are taking place? What are some of the various trends impacting the global refining market? How much new capacity is coming online and in which regions? What are the investment trends in the global refining market? The global refining market is characterised by a high demand for petrochemicals and fuels for automobiles, which will keep the market growing for the next decade. Expanding population, increasing affordability, higher automobile penetration, lower oil prices, and increasing investments by companies in the developing regions of the world will aid in new refinery construction and upgrade of old facilities. Increasing automobile penetration will drive the demand for gasoline and diesel, mainly in Asia and Africa, which drives the need to expand refinery capacity to cater to expanding demand. Asia is expected to be the key hub for refinery expansion, as the region invests heavily in new capacities and upgrading old ones to meet domestic demand and take advantage of export opportunities. China and the Middle East are expected to lead the way for refinery expansion, followed by India and Southeast Asia. These regions are expected to drive global growth, as they add more consumers to the market, which will drive demand for oil-based products. Satisfying domestic demand is a key concern for most countries, as demand exceeds supply in many developing regions, especially in the Middle East, where countries and companies are focusing more on downstream activities after years of focus on upstream. Middle Eastern companies are also looking at other geographies to invest in new refinery capacity, as they are keen to tap into growing global demand for petrochemical products. South and Southeast Asia and Africa will be key beneficiaries of such Middle Eastern investments. Africa will see the highest growth in refinery expansion on the back of a low base, as the region tries to move away from imports and be self-sufficient. Many such refinery programs are expected to get strong local government support in Africa. North America will see large expansion and upgrade programs, as it tries to accommodate more shale oil in its refineries and also cater to export markets of Europe and Asia. Russia and CIS are expanding refineries to cater to the main export market of Europe and Asia. The market will see headwinds in the form of increased penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), which will decrease fuel demand as well as pollution concerns, which will see a shift away from diesel and other polluting fuels. Many countries and cities are expected to completely eliminate or limit fossil fuel vehicles and replace them with EVs. The move toward stricter emission requirements for diesel gensets is expected to lead to the installation of more gas-based gensets. Increasing usage of biodiesel and alternative types of fuel will impact oil consumption, as countries move toward more green fuels. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary Key Findings 2. Market Overview Research Scope Key Questions this Study Will Answer 3. Drivers and Restraints - Total Refining Market Market Drivers Drivers Explained Market Restraints Restraints Explained 4. Forecast and Trends - Total Refining Market Refinery Capacity Forecast Refinery Capacity Forecast Discussion Percent Refinery Capacity Forecast by Region Refinery Capacity Forecast by Region Refinery Capacity Forecast Discussion by Region 5. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action Growth Opportunity 1 - Refining Equipment and Services Growth Opportunity 2 - Investments by Upstream Majors Growth Opportunity 3 - Single Refinery Product Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth 6. Conclusion For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4ngsfh Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Turkish President Recep Erdogan, on his recently panned White House trip, faced bipartisan outrage from Congress. While Trump's blessing of Ankara's offensive into Syria has drawn condemnation aimed at his administration from both the president's fiercest critics and even his allies, this recent Turkish move is just one of many that signals how far Ankara has moved away from its traditional NATO allies. The National Interest reports in its article Forget About the F-35: Could Turkey Quit NATO? that inside-the-beltway liberal multilateralists fear that President Trump will remove the United States from NATO. However, at this stage, it's a vastly better bet that Ankara will exit the 70-year-old alliance. Thats because, under Erdogan, the union has stopped serving Turkey's national interests. At the same time, geopolitical trends have indicated that Turkey has shifted from west to east. A country leaving the alliance would not be unprecedented, as Charles De Gaulle took France out of NATO in 1967. The culmination point for Ankara in its relationship with NATO was the Turkish air force's 2015 shootdown of a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 fighter and the killing of a crewmember by aligned Turkmen militia members on the ground. At the time, concerned observers commented this could be a "1914" moment that would cause the Syrian conflict to evolve into a more massive war. However, when the U.S. refused to reinforce the Turkish narrative of the incident, Erdogan responded by apologizing and pledging to repair relations with Russia, which Moscow reciprocated. Leaving NATO would allow Turkey to be strategically unrestrained by the United States and Europe. Erdogan would no longer be in the awkward geopolitical position of having to deal with Washingtons and Brussels outrage while belonging to organizations led by them. Ankara would also shed itself of an institution that has failed to serve its post-1989 interests. The move would free Turkey from having to meet any future commitments to the alliance and give it maximum strategic flexibility to leverage its influence in the Middle East, Central Asia, and even Africa while worrying less about western criticism. Turkey would also be freer to foster its emerging partnership with Russia by channeling Moscow's technical assistance to its fledgling defense industry, allowing it to buy more Russian-made military equipment such as the S-400 air defense system. Turkey has found Russian defense suppliers more reliable, as they do not care about President Erdogan's human rights record. A Turkish diplomat has already told Defense News, "Our arms imports from those countries are limited. None has a monopoly on any system which we can easily procure from other suppliers. Non-Western suppliers are keen to replace Western manufacturers." On the commercial front, Ankara would be unrestrained to embrace Chinas Belt and Road project. The Erdogan regime currently stands out among other NATO states that embrace democracy and have an aversion to Russia. Freed from the alliance, the AKP Party's neo-Ottoman desires to achieve high power status once again for Turkey could be realized. Similarly, Turkey would be held less accountable for such controversies as to its long-standing policy of denying the Armenian genocide. Despite President Trumps assurances of a warm relationship with his Turkish counterpart, most of Washington feels differently. Trump ally Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) co-sponsored a bill backing economic sanctions on Ankara for its unilateral offensive against the Kurds. Doug Bandow of the non-interventionist CATO Institute notes, The only serious potential security threat to Europe today is from Russia. Yet Turkey cannot be trusted to take NATOs side in a conflict. Ankaras foreign policy now diverges greatly from that of the Western states, and its relationship with Russia, including cooperation in Syria, would discourage it from challenging Moscow there or elsewhere. While the Center for American Progress asks, How much further will Turkey deteriorate and distance itself from the alliances norms? And should the Western bloc start planning for the worst-case scenario? The distance and deterioration have already begun. The Pentagon has kicked Ankara out of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program over its purchase of Russian S-400 batteries, while all but three members of the House recently voted to recognize the Armenian genocide. (Congress in the past had been hesitant to recognize the World War I-era atrocities in order to avoid offending Turkey.) In Erdogan's strategic designs, withdrawing from NATO would harken to Turkey's historical position as a balancer between east and west, allowing the country to gain from both. Professor Christopher Coker of the London School of Economics comments, "Turkey is de westernizing, And that it is becoming a Middle East state proud of its Ottoman past like Hungary, it is well on the way to becoming an illiberal democracy with an Ethno nationalist base." This vision excludes NATO membership because it is a liberal western organization that promotes the collective defense of democracy. For the above reasons, an exit from NATO cannot be ruled out as an evolutionary next step for the new Turkey. OTTAWA - Canadians are being encouraged to leave China while they still can as the federal government and counterparts around the world struggle to evacuate citizens from the centre of the novel coronavirus outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Canadians are being encouraged to leave China while they still can as the federal government and counterparts around the world struggle to evacuate citizens from the centre of the novel coronavirus outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease. Federal cabinet ministers issued the call for all Canadians on non-essential business to leave China on Wednesday as the government's first attempt at evacuating about 200 people from the Chinese city of Wuhan hit a snag due to bad weather. The federal government was also facing questions over how it planned to get other Canadians out of the quarantined city, even as it announced having secured several dozen additional seats on board a U.S.-chartered aircraft. And government officials were reaching out to 251 Canadians stranded on a cruise ship in Japan. The Japanese government quarantined the vessel after a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, was discovered on board. "We have our mission in Tokyo, which has been in touch with the Canadians passengers to offer them consular assistance," Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said. "And we will look to the cruise line, in this case, to repatriate those Canadians when the quarantine ... is finished." Nearly 500 people have died and tens of thousands have been infected, the vast majority in China but increasingly outside the country as well, since the outbreak in Wuhan was first reported to the World Health Organization in December. In response to the outbreak, the Chinese government has imposed the world's largest-known quarantine, locking down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and the surrounding Hubei province. Major airlines have also started to suspend flights to and from China. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne speaks with the media following a cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Tuesday, February 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld It was in that context that Champagne and federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu issued separate calls for Canadians who could to leave China on commercial flights while they remain available. "Those kinds of things raise some concerns about the ability for Canadians to be able to return in a timely fashion," Hajdu said. "The message to Canadians is: listen, should you not have to be in China, it would be best to come back on a commercial flight." The encouragement came as a government-charted flight that was set to take 211 Canadians from Wuhan early Thursday morning local time was delayed. Crosswinds kept the plane from leaving Vietnam in time to make the narrow period China has allowed each day for evacuations. "We've missed the window by about four hours due to winds," said Champagne, who revealed that 373 Canadians had asked the government for help getting out of Wuhan a number that has continued to grow since the outbreak started. "The Chinese authorities to my knowledge have not allowed any country to evacuate their people in the daytime because they're using the airspace in the daytime to bring food and medical supplies. So all of this happens in the nighttime." The airplane will now leave Thursday night local time, 21 hours later than anticipated. The foreign affairs minister denied Canada's tense relationship with China over the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was affecting Ottawa's evacuation efforts, which have been noticeably slower than the U.S. and some other countries. Hajdu instead suggested those countries were at an advantage because they had diplomatic missions or large business interests in Wuhan. She also noted most Canadians in the area had not registered their presence with Global Affairs Canada until after the start of the outbreak. Meanwhile, Canada's ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, said some of the 650 embassy staff in Beijing were aware of a potential problem well before it hit headlines. "A number of people in our Beijing embassy ... were identifying this as a potential issue. We've been rolling since before it came out." Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne makes his way to update reporters on the the evacuation of Canadians from China following caucus in Ottawa, Wednesday, February 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Barton, in Ottawa to testify before a Commons committee, said he wants to "get the hell back" to help embassy staff serve Canadians in that country. The flight delay was a good thing for at least one Canadian family hoping to get out of Wuhan. Kate Schellenberg said her twin brother Michael, his wife Summer Wu and their one-year-old son Felix were informed they had a spot on the plane out to Canada, but had trouble getting to the airport because the Chinese government required a special permit to leave nearby Honghu. Champagne also revealed that the U.S. State Department had offered to evacuate "a few dozen" Canadians from Wuhan on one of its own flights, which will leave several hours after the Canadian flight and return to the U.S. via Vancouver. Those Canadians on board both flights will eventually be ferried to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in southern Ontario, where they will be monitored for two weeks to see if they have contracted the coronavirus. There may be room for additional passengers who arrive in Canada from Wuhan at the motel on CFB Trenton where the first round of evacuees will be placed in mandatory quarantine, Maj.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu told the Commons' health committee. If not, the Armed Forces will take stock of available accommodations at Canadian forces bases across the country. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. As for any Canadians left behind who still want help getting out of Wuhan, Champagne said the government is weighing its options and will decide whether it should send a second chartered flight to pick them up and return them home or turn to another ally. Hajdu insisted the risk of the disease to Canadians remained low. "We still are in a situation where our officials are working extremely well together, as evidenced by how quickly we're being able to detect cases and keep people healthy," she said. "But I also want to ask that people who are travelling from the Hubei region consider isolation at home to help us with that global effort to contain that spread for 14 days." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. With files from Laura Osman As 2020 begins, climate scientists and activists are referring to the 2010s as a lost decade in combating climate change. If governments and activists dont change their approach to climate diplomacy, the next decade is at risk too. To make progress, we must do betterand remember what diplomacy is all about. Everyone agrees that Decembers 25th UN Conference of the Parties in Madrid was a failure, but few seem to understand why it failed or what the potential path to success might be. The popular narrative is that the leadership vacuum created by the Trump administration coupled with obstructionism by major emitters (Australia, Brazil, China, and India) discouraged other countries from action. There is some truth to that, but this framing ignores the history of negotiations and misreads the Paris Agreements meaning and value. This confusion fuels well-intentioned but misdirected efforts to reach unattainable goals. Publicly shaming America and other nations is counterproductive; instead, more effort should be made to accelerate voluntary international cooperation. This was the animating spirit of the Paris Accord and, indeed, the entire post-Kyoto Protocol history of climate diplomacy. International agreements are the concrete manifestation of a perceived alignment of interests. They are always driven by, and rest upon, self-perceived national interests. Even legally-binding treaties cannot force states to behave in ways contrary to their national interests. This is why nations are allowed to withdraw from agreements like Paris. Climate advocates argue that the logic of national interests should not apply to climate agreements because all governments have a shared interest in combating climate change, but this is naive. While governments have shared interests in many things like promoting global prosperity or preventing terrorism, differing national interests drive solutions based on tensions among competing goals like economic growth and emissions reductions. Perceived fairness can also prevent actionable agreements. No government wants to pay more or get less than its peers and doing so generally requires political support. Wealthy developed nations are responsible for most present-day greenhouse gases, while developing giants such as China and India are likely to create most future emissions. All might agree that there should be justice in the allocation of climate policy costsbut each government sees justice differently. Disagreements like this undermined the Kyoto Protocol (the Senate approved, 95-0, a resolution opposing any climate treaty that let China and India off the hook)and it was Americas rejection of Kyoto that put the world on the path to Paris, an agreement grounded in a more realistic approach to climate diplomacy. The Paris Agreement circumvented these national interest obstacles by abandoning efforts to negotiate justice in favor of a simple agreement that each nation make voluntary commitments based on what its domestic politics supported. Thus, developing nations shared the burden, in some fashion, a key requirement of domestic politics in many developed nations. Rather than relying on shaming nations into actions contrary to their interests, as Kyoto tried to, Paris provided a platform for pragmatic, voluntary action. The Paris Agreement became a symbol of shared commitment and measuring progress rather than instrument to force specific emissions reductions. Unresolved arguments at COP-25 over emissions accounting rules illustrate show negotiators have forgotten the logic of Paris. Since Paris achieved consensus by allowing each nation to determine its own emissions targets, tighter emissions accounting rules cannot ensure deeper emissions reductionsinstead, they simply lead to less ambitious targets. Notwithstanding climate change consequences, few governments have decided they can accept substantial economic and social costs to eliminate domestic emissions. All practical evidence suggests that this wont change. So how can we move forward constructively? Where moralistic criticism has failed, a renewed focus on shared self-interest in practical cooperation might succeed. We can work to reduce tensions between reducing emissions and other national priorities, especially economic growth, by fostering greater global collaboration in the advancement of low-cost zero-emission energy. Whether nations meet targets of any climate agreement depends primarily on their ability to deploy technologies that satisfy their energy needs while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. Nations that are able to do so will meet their targets; those that cant will not. International agreements can increase the reputational cost of failurebut likely not enough to overcome more fundamental concerns. The opportunity for action, therefore, lies in cooperative efforts to reduce the friction in global systems for energy technology research and development, trade, and investment. This means taking steps to accelerate low and zero emissions energy research, including intensifying international research collaboration and protecting intellectual property rights, facilitating investment, expanding trade and harmonizing standards that speed up construction of new energy projects. Making low and zero emissions energy cheaper and more easily available will do far more to prevent further climate change than unresolvable disputes over which governments are and are not doing their fair share. Paul J. Saunders is President of Energy Innovation Reform Project, a non-partisan non-profit organization working on energy and climate issues. He was a State Department Senior Advisor during the George W. Bush Administration. JERSEYVILLE Special license plate decals orders are now being accepted for license plate stickers benefitting the Kids Shouldnt Have Cancer Foundation in memory of Jonny Wade of Jerseyville. Wade was 8 when he died from brain cancer on Christmas Eve 2015. In his memory, his family is seeking to end pediatric cancer through their Kids Shouldnt Have Cancer Foundation. In August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 946 authorizing the sale of the license plate decals for $25 to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer. To confirm the sale of decals, the foundation begun in Wades memory needs at least 2,000 people to sign up for the license plate decal before its release. To do so, people must download a form from https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/vsd702.pdf and return it, along with a $10 check, to the Illinois Secretary of States Office. This is such an important endeavor in our quest to conquer pediatric cancer and we cannot do this without you, said Wades mother, Kimberly Wade, founder of KSHCF. I encourage everyone in the state of Illinois to support this effort as we work to save the lives of children affected by cancer. The decals will have an issue fee of $25; $10 will go to the awareness fund. The yearly renewal fee will also be $25, with $23 going to the fund. You pay this fee every year for the decal, along with the universal specialty license plate, and a big portion of that goes to the University of Illinois, said state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield. Theyve got a Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center, and thats what its going to go to. For more details, visit kidsshouldnthavecancer.org. The manufacturing sector is envisioned to be heavily influenced by artificial intelligence-based technologies with the extraordinary increases in computational power and data volumes. Data-driven methods use sensor data, such as vibration, pressure, temperature, and energy data to extract useful features for diagnosis and prediction. A central challenge in manufacturing sector lies in the requirement of a general framework to ensure satisfied diagnosis and monitoring performances in different manufacturing applications. In a new research article published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, Prof. Ye Yuan from the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation and Prof. Han Ding from the State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, jointly proposed an end-to-end diagnostic framework that can be used in diverse manufacturing systems. This framework exploits the predictive power of convolutional neural network to automatically extract hidden degradation features from noisy time-course data. The proposed framework has been tested on ten representative data sets drawn from a wide variety of manufacturing applications. Results reveal that the framework performs well in examined benchmark applications and can be applied in diverse contexts, indicating its potential use as a critical corner stone in smart manufacturing. Considering that the potential time dependency existing among the reconstructed samples, this paper uses three standard cross-validation methods (random subsets, contiguous block, and independent sequence) to evaluate the performance of the framework. This paper also interprets how the CNN model learns from temporal manufacturing data and the robustness of the proposed framework is also discussed. ### This research received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91748112 and 5135004). See the article: Ye Yuan, Guijun Ma, Cheng Cheng, Beitong Zhou, Huan Zhao, Hai-Tao Zhang, Han Ding, A General End-to-end Diagnosis Framework for Manufacturing Systems Natl Sci Rev 2019; doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwz190 https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz190 The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China. Last month, Chinese authorities confirmed that they had identified a new virus, coronavirus, which belongs to a family of viruses that include the common cold, and viruses such as SARS. The Government has declared coronavirus a notifiable disease, which gives officials powers to quarantine infected people if required. Local schools notified returning students of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education guidelines including advising students and staff who recently travelled to China to stay away from school for the virus incubation period of 14 days. If a student attends school while showing symptoms the Principal can preclude them if they believe they may have a communicable disease. Some schools are also providing bacterial wipes and hand sanitiser. As Hibiscus Matters goes to print there are no confirmed cases in New Zealand. More information about the virus and advice for travellers can be found on the Ministry of Health website. If you have a concern about your child, contact Healthline at 0800 611 116 or your GP. Healthline has translators and Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff available. A court in Mumbai on Wednesday rejected anticipatory bail plea of Urvashi Chudawala, a Tata Institute of Social Studies student who is facing a sedition case for shouting slogan in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event. Additional sessions judge Prashant Rajvaidya rejected Chudawalas application for pre-arrest bail. The court also refused to grant her interim protection from arrest to enable her to move the high court. Prosecution, while opposing relief for her, had claimed that Chudawala was supporting a person who is officially enemy of state. According to the police, during a rally of the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer community at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai last week,Chudawala shouted the slogan Sharjeel Tere Sapno Ko Hum Manzil Tak Pahuchaege (Sharjeel, we will realise your dreams). With two words and a question mark, Elon Musk dropped a hint Tesla Inc. may build another U.S. factory, days after President Donald Trump suggested the chief executive officer owed the country another manufacturing plant. Musk posted Giga Texas? and started a Twitter poll late Tuesday, referring in shorthand to gigafactory, a term he coined years ago to describe a big plant. As of Wednesday afternoon, 80% of about 260,000 respondents voted Hell yeah. The remainder clicked Nope. The euphoria that preceded Musks post Tesla closed Tuesday at $887.06, up 112% from where it started the year has given way to record sell-off. The stock plummeted as much as 21% Wednesday, its biggest intraday decline. The downward move followed several Wall Street analysts issuing cautious reports on the shares. Trump weighed in on the hype around Tesla last month, calling the South Africa-born CEO one of our great geniuses and comparing him with Thomas Edison and the inventor of the wheel. Musk, 48, became a U.S. citizen in 2002, the year before Tesla was founded. Hes going to be building a very big plant in the United States, Trump told CNBC in the Jan. 22 interview from Davos, Switzerland. He has to, because we help him, so he has to help us. Tesla just completed construction of its newest plant in China and started delivering locally assembled Model 3 sedans to consumers in January. Its also planning a factory near Berlin and targeting 2021 for the start of production. In 2014, Tesla announced plans to build a massive battery manufacturing plant, setting off fierce competition for what was then one of the countrys biggest economic-development prizes. The company narrowed the finalists to five states Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas and Nevada prevailed. The Texas Enterprise Fund, created by the states legislature under former Governor Rick Perry, has become one of the largest payers of economic-development incentives in the nation. Texas offered $2.3 million to entice SpaceX, the rocket company Musk founded and runs, to locate a launch facility in Brownsville, on the Gulf Coast near the Mexican border. Teslas chip team is based both in Palo Alto, California, where Tesla is headquartered, and in Austin. The press office for Texas Governor Greg Abbott hasnt responded to inquiries following Trumps comments and Musks tweet. Teslas sole auto-assembly plant in the U.S. is in Fremont, California, where the company makes the Model S, X and 3 and is about to start producing the Model Y. Musk unveiled another upcoming model, the Cybertruck, in November, and hasnt yet said where it will be built. Texas is the top state for pickup sales in the country and home to General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. truck factories. Musk must seek pre-approval from a Tesla lawyer for sending certain tweets about the company as part of an amended settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to his August 2018 gambit to take Tesla private. The agency accused him of running afoul of the accord a year ago, leading to a revised deal that made clearer what he can and cant post without running the information by an attorney. Beauty blogger and entrepreneur Michelle Phan hit back at the racist comments she's received amid the global coronavirus scare, reminding followers 'I'm American'. Phan, 32, tweeted her disgust at comments she received accusing Asian people of 'starting all sorts of diseases' because they 'eat creatures left, right and center'. In a series of tweets, the YouTuber slammed the comments stating that 'people are still dumb as rocks'. Phan was born and raised in the United States to parents who were refugees from Vietnam, not China, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated. Michelle Phan, 32, slammed the racist comments she's received since the outbreak of the coronavirus reminding followers 'I'm American' in response to their anti-Asian remarks On Saturday, February 1, the 32-year-old business woman tweeted her disgust at comments she's received regarding the coronavirus outbreak and accusations that Asian people are guilty of starting diseases because they 'eat creatures'. She tweeted a screenshot of a conversation with a follower stating 'I snapped'. 'Why do you Asians eat creatures left right and centre???? Dead or alive... all body parts!!!!! That's why your starting all sorts of diseases!!!!,' the person wrote on Phan's Instagram. The beauty blogger responded: '@0011love1100 Why do you settlers give out smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans, wiping out 95% of their population?' In response, several Twitter users added to the xenophobic comments, telling Phan to 'stop eating bats'. 'I'd like to remind the Chinese, eating rats, bats, and anything else that moves, results in disease,' one user replied. 'I'd also like to remind the poster, that being a manufacturing powerhouse doesn't excuse mainstream animal abuse by a nation.' Another responded: 'You guys should just stop EATING everything that moves. 'You put the world in this position.' Boston-born blogger and entrepreneur Michelle Phan has 8.9 million YouTube subscribers Phan, 32, posted a screenshot of a racist conversation left on her Instagram account Phan continued to tweet a further three times about the racism she was dealing with because of the coronavirus outbreak. 'I'd like remind the people who've been racist towards Asians because of the coronavirus. 90% of everything you own was made in China including your phone. Bye,' she wrote. In a further tweet, she reminded commenters that she is American writing: 'Why are some of you telling me to go back to eating bats? I'm American you ignorant f---s.' In a final tweet, Phan added: 'I can't believe we're in 2020 and people are still dumb as rocks. I take that back, I shouldn't insult rocks.' Phan is an American make-up artist and notable YouTube personality with more than 8.9 million YouTube subscribers. She also co-founded the make-up and beauty product subscription service Ipsy, which describes itself as the world's largest beauty community of 3 million+ monthly members. The 32-year-old entrepreneur was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. Her parents are both refugees from Vietnam, not from China, where the coronavirus is thought to have originated. There are currently ten confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Vietnam, one less than in the US. Phan was not alone in pushing back on the racist comments being made as a result of the increasing coronavirus panic. In France, Asian people began using the hashtag #Jenesuispasunvirus, 'I am not a virus', to speak out about the racist comments they have faced. In an email to NBC, Robert Fullilove, professor of sociomedical sciences at New York's Columbia Medical Center, stated that panic can lead to a temptation to blame the 'other'. 'If anything, I am tempted to predict that xenophobia will rise in significance to precisely the degree to which our sources of information all of them, not just media give us stuff to panic about,' Fullilove said. Since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, at least 259 people have died and more than 10,000 have been infected. There are currently eleven total coronavirus patients confirmed in the US. A further 36 are 'people under investigation,' 82 tests are pending and 167 people have tested negative. The second case of human-to-human transmission in the US was confirmed in California on Saturday. On Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration extended the use of a coronavirus detection tool to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-qualified laboratories across the country. The move is meant to speed diagnosis and containment of coronavirus patients to control its spread in the US. [February 05, 2020] Telecom Services Market and Telecom Consulting Market Decoded in a Novel Business Intelligence Report with Growing Demand, Competitive Dynamics, Driving Factors, Business Overview and Forecast 2026 Dallas, Texas, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Telecom Services Market 2020-2026: Telecommunications services are compiled services directed to receive and send messages via electronic devices. The range of these services is extensive. Need for transparent communication matrix with clientele has spurred adoption of advances telecommunication services in enterprises to facilitate wholesome two-way communication in real time. Technological advancement comprising e-learning and access to high speed internet services are anticipated to further perk up growth in global telecommunication services market in the coming years. Value addition is an integral part of telecommunication services. Unlike standard services, value additions enable voice telephonic services, telex and the like. Request a sample of Telecom Services Market @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4066050 Matured economies such as Europe and North America are likely to remain core growth spots in global telecommunication services market owing to dominance of industrial veterans as well as easy access to high speed internet connectivity. Advances in 5G connectivity is likely to further reinforce growth in global telecommunication services market in the coming years, predicts Orbis Research in its freshly added research report titled, 'Global Telecom Services Market Report 2019, Competitive Landscape, Trends and Opportunities' Soaring investments in wireless and satellite communication and aggressive investments on the part of market participants are expected to collectively underpin growth upsurge. Commencing with a crisp market definition and followed by market overview and executive summary, the report further evaluates market specific information based on which report readers in global telecom services market, progressing into market segmentation on the basis of which type and applications are enumerated as core market segments. By type global telecom services market is segregated into double, triple, and quad play. In terms of applications the global telecom services market is segregated into commercial and residential. The report sheds information on various aspects such as Porter's five forces analysis and SWOT analysis that significantly influence onward growth in global telecom services market. Browse the full report on Telecom Services Market @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-telecom-services-market-report-2019-competitive-landscape-trends-and-opportunities A thorough analytical review of regional hubs of global telecom services market has been elucidated in the report to render substantial cues on prominent growth strategies mediated by front line players across geographical expanse comprising Europe, North America, Central and South America, MEA and APAC. A dedicated record of competitive landscape has also been discussed atlength in the report to equip report readers with optimum understanding on leading vendors as well as their winning business strategies that incur magnanimous revenue potential in global telecom services market. Some of the leading players in global telecom services market include AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Orange, Verizon, China Mobile Ltd, and America Movil amongst several others. Direct purchase a single user copy of the research study @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/4066050 Major points from Table of Contents: 1 Telecom Services Market Overview 2 Global Telecom Services Market Landscape by Player 3 Players Profiles 4 Global Telecom Services Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type 5 Global Telecom Services Market Analysis by Application 6 Global Telecom Services Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2014-2019) 7 Global Telecom Services Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2014-2019) 8 Telecom Services Manufacturing Analysis 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers 10 Market Dynamics 11 Global Telecom Services Market Forecast (2019-2026) 12 Research Findings and Conclusion 13 Appendix New Study on Global Telecom Consulting Market 2020-2026: The global telecom consulting market is growing at a significant pace in the recent years. Telecom consulting is a process which evaluates the communication requirements of an organization or business and implements and effective telecommunication service. In addition to this, increasing investment in growing infrastructure, increasing technological advancements, growing adoption of innovative technologies, and increase in advancement of next-generation networks are some of the leading factors that are anticipated to contribute to the growth of the global telecom consulting market over the forecast period. Request a sample @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4025185 Likewise, increasing developments of cloud services, bandwidth, as well as mobile networks are some other factors expected to generating several lucrative opportunities during the prediction period. Moreover, telecom consulting service provides huge number of benefits such as save time, reduced costs, offers several options for business requirements and many others. However, these advantages also anticipated to increase the growth of the global telecom consulting market into coming years. Telecom consulting is one of the significant parts of the business or organization growth in devising strategies such as accessing service and information, and social networking. On the other hand, reduced demand from emerged regions is one of the main factors that may hamper the growth of the global telecom consulting market during the prediction period. The global telecom consulting market is segmented into product type, geographical regions, industry, and channel. In terms of product type, the market is divided into smart grid, 4G/LTE/TTH, cloud services, mobile broadband, and others. On considering the industry, the global telecom consulting market is fragmented into local service as well as international service. In terms of channel, the global market is categorized into distributor and direct sales. Browse the full report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-telecom-consulting-market-report-2019-competitive-landscape-trends-and-opportunities According to the regional outlook, the global telecom consulting market is divided into Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. Out of these, North American telecom consulting market witnessed highest revenue generating region owing to the huge adoption of high network connectivity as well as voice over communication across the region. Leading players operating in the global telecom consulting market are adopting huge number of growth strategies to gain their market position. Agreements, collaboration, decision making, research & development, merger & acquisition are some of the major strategies implemented by the providers of this market. Some of the leading service providers of the global telecom consulting market are Ericsson, IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Alcatel-Lucent, Gartner, Mckinsey, Tellabs, and many others. Direct purchase a single user copy of the research study @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/4025185 Table of Contents Highlights: 1 Telecom Services and Consulting Market Overview 2 Global Telecom Services and Consulting Market Landscape by Player 3 Players Profiles 4 Global Telecom Services and Consulting Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type 5 Global Telecom Services and Consulting Market Analysis by Application....continued About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: USA: +1 (972)-362-8199 | IND: +91 895 659 5155 Email ID: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The exhibition of the work, on loan from its anonymous German buyer, finished last Sunday, transforming attendance figures at this normally straight-faced German museum. During those 11 months the Staatsgalerie attracted 180,000 visitors, about double the usual, according to Charlotte Mischler, the museums head of communications. It stayed open until 10 p.m. for the last five days to cope with demand. This is quite a turnaround. Fifteen years ago Banksy, a young upstart street artist from Bristol, England, was smuggling his works into museums as pranks. Now, they can be the official stars of the show, accompanied by guided tours and lectures. How has Banksy, the archetypical artist-provocateur, gotten here? None of it has happened by accident. Banksys rise and rise is the result of years of meticulous control of his message, his market and, most importantly, his mystique. The enormous popularity of Banksys brand of urban art has given the cultural establishment, increasingly jittery about perceptions of elitism, plenty to think about. The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart has asked the question: Is Banksy a historically significant artist? If he is and for many that is a very big if what will be his legacy? Ahmednagar (Maharashtra): A small village named Islak in the outskirts of Ahmednagar town on Wednesday passed a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) during a gram panchayat meeting on Republic Day. Mahadev Gawli, a villager, who proposed the resolution during the meeting in the village with a population of just about 2,000, told ANI that they will launch a non-cooperation movement if the Centre refuses to roll back the new citizenship law and NRC. "Out of the 2000 people here, 45 per cent of people belong to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and downtrodden sections. They do not have documents to prove their citizenship. We have sent a dossier to the Centre suggesting to make changes in the new law. If not done, we will organise a non-cooperation movement from here," he said. Yogesh Gerange, a member of the Gram Panchayat, said, "The majority of the population here are tribals. They do not have caste certificates and are not able to get the benefits of the scheme launched by the government. They all have given assent on the resolution against CAA and NRC. These people will not be able to submit documents." President Muhammadu Buhari has said seeing the wreck caused by the Boko Haram insurgency as a national threat and not a religious battle is a step towards winning the war. Mr Buhari said this in a tweet on Tuesday, on the heels of the vicious beheading of Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Michika local government area of Adamawa State. The president maintained that the terrorists have hatched plans to turn Nigerians back against each other along religious lines, and a slight walk down that line is a win for the terrorists. The president has, on other occasions, urged Nigerians to unite in the fight against terror which has lingered for over a decade. The government, at first, had described the group as being technically defeated but, now describes the group as now-failing in their activities. He said contrary to the narrative being spread that insurgents target Christians, about 90 per cent of their victims are Muslims. He added that 2014 kidnap of 276 Chibok girls, shooting inside mosques and murder of two prominent imams are proofs to his assertion. Contrary to those falsehoods, Christianity is not contracting under pressure in Nigeria, but instead expanding, Mr Buhari wrote. Neither is it the case that the terrorists are targeting only Christians; the reality indeed is that some 90 per cent of all Boko Harams victims have been Muslims. Those who seek to divide and undermine us are putting their energies into spreading various falsehoods, such as that Christianity is under threat in Nigeria, and that Boko Haram is primarily targeting Christians. It is very tragic that there is a tiny, if vocal, minority of Nigerian religious leadersboth Muslim and Christianwho appear more than prepared to fall for the divisive antics of terrorists and to blame the opposite religious side. In recent months, the insurgents have intensified their strikes, especially in Borno and Yobe States. Apart from killing the CAN chairman in Adamawa State, the insurgents also recently released a clip of how they shot a student of the University of Maiduguri in a gruesome manner. This has pushed some senators to demand the resignation of the president. The House of Representatives has also demanded the sack of all service chiefs, a quartet of military commanders who have been accused of incompetence but had remained unchanged despite public outcry. The possibility of showing the military chiefs the exit door would later be swiped aside by the National Security Adviser. Instead of the sack, the president in his statement preached against disunity among Nigerians. We cannot and must not allow them to divide good Christians and good Muslims from those things that bind us all in the sight of God: faith, family, forgiveness, fidelity, and friendship to each other. There is no place in Nigeria for those who seek to divide us by religion, who compel others to change their faith forcibly, or try to convince others that by so doing, they are doing good. Photo: Emilio Delgado walks into the VIP room of the Alley Theatre with a wide smile on his face. As he shakes hands, he looks intently with the kind of warm expression that suggests the question, How are you doing today? When Delgado sits down and begins to speak his voice gravelly and sonorous, his words precise and deliberate he tells stories of growing up along the U.S.-Mexico border with a style that draws you in like a campfire tale. Its no surprise, of course, that Delgado embodies an inimitable combination of gravity and affability. When it comes to Latino actors on TV, he remains a giant. Working for 44 years as the charismatic business owner Luis on the television show Sesame Street, Delgado is perhaps the most important Mexican American actor to ever appear on a childrens program. Now, hes in Houston to star in Quixote Nuevo, at the Alley Theatre through Sunday. Written as an adaptation of Don Quixote, the play is the first-ever story on the Alley main stage to focus on Latino experience. Delgado is the titular protagonist as Jose Quijano, an aging man living in a city on the Texas-Mexico border. Told that he is headed to an assisted living facility, Quijano decides to escape his home and embark on a fantasy-filled quest. Its the perfect role for Delgado. Because Quixote Nuevo adapts Cervantes story for the Chicano experience, Delgado, who himself grew up on the border, fit naturally into the character. Thats an aspect of Chicano culture thats in this play, he says. The play, 95 per-cent of it is in English, but theres the cultural aspect of Mexican-ness, of Chicano-ness, thats in there. Theres a way of speaking that pops in there. Its peppered with words, phrases, exclamations in Spanish. Its interesting that it has this aspect of Mexican American culture. And so, for the members of the production who shared that cultural identity, the characters made sense right away. We hit the ground running with that border mind,' Delgado says. Delgado was born in Calexico, Calif., but grew up in his grandparents house south of the border, in Mexicali, Mexico. As a schoolboy, he crossed the border on a daily basis. He spent his days speaking English, attending school in California and listening to rock n roll. He spent his nights speaking Spanish, listening to mariachi and watching Mexican movies about cowboys with horses and big hats, singing with their guitar, he says. Its an expansion of personality when you have both cultural contexts, he says. And it helped his career as an actor. At a time when opportunities were few and far between for Latinos, Delgado could nab voiceover jobs. I could do voiceover material without an accent. I could do different accents in English as well as different accents in Spanish, he says. It expanded my opportunities. But he remained keenly aware that Latinos either were invisible in TV and film or were portrayed as criminals and lowlifes. Id been trying all my professional life to be somewhere I can change that, whether I was talking about it or trying to get into a project that showed Latinos in a good light, he says. Thats why Sesame Street was such a good thing. For the first time on television, they showed Latinos as real human beings. We werent dope addicts. We werent maids or prostitutes, which were the way we were being shown in television in film, he continues. Here, on Sesame Street, there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans. The role of Luis, as a recurring character on Sesame Street, meant Delgado landed one of the pioneering jobs in the history of Latino representation in American TV. But Delgado says much progress still needs to be made. What needs to happen is Latinos have to move into the power structure of Hollywood, which we havent quite done yet, he says. Theres hope, definitely. Im working with this young cast such incredibly talented performers and actors. Theres an amazing amount of Latinx talent. After all, Delgado says hes often approached by Latinos who thank him for his role as Luis viewers who had never seen Latinos portrayed as complex human beings on TV. Delgados starring role in the Alleys Quixote Nuevo is another step in the right direction, he says. Its culturally oriented to being Mexican American. Theres a personal significance, he says. Its a fabulous thing. And its not only for Latinos and Latinas. Its about people and family and finding your way and falling in love. Its for the whole world. wchen@chron.com Quixote Nuevo When: Through Sunday Where: Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Details: $41-$71; 713-220-5700, alleytheatre.or The proposed measures aim to bring stricter norms to curb holding of illegal cash and mismanagement of unaccounted cash seized by the probe agencies during investigations. To further discourage cash economy, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money has proposed a cap on keeping cash at home and suggested that seized unaccounted cash by law and enforcement agencies be deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI). The proposed measures aim to bring stricter norms to curb holding of illegal cash and mismanagement of unaccounted cash seized by the probe agencies during investigations. Given the fact that unaccounted wealth is being held in cash, which is further confirmed by huge cash recoveries by law enforcement agencies, proper cash management can only succeed if there is a limitation on cash holding, the team said. At present, federal agencies deposit unaccounted cash seized to the dedicated bank account of respective agency with State Bank of India where challan has name and permanent account number of assessees in whose name the amount gets deposited. The recommendation has been made by the panel of retired judges and bureaucrats in its recent meeting held in Ahmedabad with central agencies, including income-tax, Enforcement Directorate, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. The panel raised concerns over cash economy and malpractices like bribe during seizure of unaccounted cash. The panel is learnt to have discussed certain instances reported during demonetisation where a major chunk of cash was mismanaged and diverted. In the first full financial year after demonetisation (FY18), 67.91 per cent of unaccounted cash was made up of Rs 2,000 notes. It was a bit lower at 65.93 per cent in FY19. If implemented, experts say, this could be stringent for those businesses and even rural India where people keep cash at home. Also, this could open litigation if the seized cash would go to CFI before finalisation of case. In 2017, the government had introduced a cash transaction limit of Rs 2 lakh per day. However, there was no limitation on cash holding. The SIT was constituted to ensure the government uncovers which Indians have hidden untaxed money in India and foreign bank accounts. To understand the functionality of the CFI, an official said the fund, created under Article 266 of the Indian Constitution, includes the revenues received by the government and expenses made by it. All expenditure incurred by the government is met by the CFI. However, no money can be withdrawn for meeting expenses until the government gets the approval of Parliament. The governments Annual Financial Statement has three parts: CFI, Contingency Fund of India, and the Public Account of India. Of these, CFI is the most important component of the statement. States also have their own consolidation funds. (Alliance News) - Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has accused Fianna Fail and Fine Gael of using issues in Northern Ireland to make political capital. Speaking on Wednesday morning after Tuesday's Leaders' Debate on RTE, McDonald pointed to Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar's criticism of Northern Ireland's public services as an example. She said: "You saw in the debate last night, the issues around public services in the north, we've been shouting about this from the rooftops; the cutting of the block grant, a decade of Tory austerity, has been devastating for the health and public services. "Then (Fianna Fail leader) Micheal Martin or Leo Varadkar use that to suggest that the assembly is in some way comparable to the dail, when they know London holds the purse strings a I think that's dishonest." Varadkar appeared on Newstalk Radio on Wednesday morning where he repeated his argument that Northern Ireland is different from the Republic, and at one point compared Stormont to a "local authority". "He's talking out of both sides of his mouth," McDonald said in response. "It's not fair to say the Assembly is the equivalent of a local authority, but it doesn't have fiscal powers, so when we talk about the damage to the health service, we're saying: 'Yes, what are you going to do to help us?'" McDonald noted that her issue was not on the current controversy surrounding Sinn Fein minister Conor Murphy and his comments on murder victim Paul Quinn: "There are issues that are electoral, and there are issues that are way beyond that, as far as I'm concerned," she said. "Without a shadow of a doubt they do (use Northern Ireland for political gain) a but not in this instance, I just want to make this very clear, I am not suggesting that in respect of the Quinn family's campaign for their son. "My main concern, and I mean this, is that Breege Quinn and the wider family are given some peace from the apology from Conor (Murphy) and beyond that, I don't think you should think about things like this in terms of how it'll affect of polling, I think that's crass, I don't think circumstances like this should be politicised." McDonald went on to add that the main Irish political parties often use Sinn Fein's political history in Northern Ireland during the election campaign to score points. "There are some in the Irish political establishment who reach for the north, only and solely to damage Sinn Fein, to dredge up people's real suffering, as a way to score political points, and I think that's, at this stage, beneath all of us," she said. "We have to build for the future and there is nothing to be gained from selectively reaching for the past. "What we need to do is give the people who suffered through the Troubles the space, the supports and the mechanisms to get as much closure as is possible, and that goes for all people across the community." When asked if it makes her uncomfortable when called upon to apologise for IRA activities in the past, as McDonald herself was only 20 and not a member of Sinn Fein at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, she says that she understands her role. "The thing that frustrates me is that 'down here', as we call it, there is sometimes no appreciation for the huge progress that has been made in the north," she said. "People are partitionist when they wish to be. "But I'm the leader of Sinn Fein, and it's right that you will questioned and tested and challenged, but I think all of us have a duty to mind the peace process and that's not compatible with consistently using the north and the past as political capital." source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The Winnipeg School Division board is ignoring 11th-hour advice from the province to postpone a byelection to save taxpayers money, due to the impending education review. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Winnipeg School Division board is ignoring "11th-hour" advice from the province to postpone a byelection to save taxpayers money, due to the impending education review. On Monday night, trustees voted in favour of moving forward with the scheduled March 21 byelection despite receiving notice late last week from senior officials from Manitoba Education to reconsider the date. Work has been underway to organize a byelection to replace two school trustees who left the positions after winning their respective campaigns in the Sept. 10 provincial election. "At the 11th hour, one could even say it was well past the 11th hour, we received notice from the ministry to consider delaying the election," said Chris Broughton, chairman of the WSD board. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) "At the 11th hour, one could even say it was well past the 11th hour, we received notice from the ministry to consider delaying the election," said Chris Broughton, chairman of the WSD board. "The problem with that is the election has effectively already started. The City of Winnipeg has already incurred costs, theres already been advertising of the election date, and theres already candidates out campaigning." Its unclear how much the byelection is expected to cost. Typically, the figure corresponds with the number of eligible voters in an area. (Broughton said the price tag will likely be "in the neighbourhood" of "a couple hundred thousand dollars.") Broughton said the division and provinces correspondence about the byelection dates to when now-NDP MLAs Mark Wasyliw and Lisa Naylor former trustees of Ward 3 and 4, respectively were elected. The division was advised to continue with the byelection as usual on multiple occasions, Broughton said, adding trustees had heard from the province on the file as recently as early January, prior to the latest message. "Given there is no legislated requirement to hold the byelection at a fixed time, the department strongly suggested that the division delay the byelection," a provincial spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The spokesperson cited the pending K-12 education review report, which "may include recommendations on the governance structure of the school system, including the future of trustees... Holding a byelection with the imminent release of this report is an unwise expenditure of public money." The province did not respond directly to a question about prior correspondence with the WSD on the matter. Since the K-12 review was announced in January 2019, school division employees have speculated the province will undertake major changes, such as amalgamation. There are currently 37 public school boards in the province, each with a number of democratically-elected trustees. Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen has repeatedly hinted at amalgamation, raising the subject during the same news conference in which he announced the review the first of its kind in a half-century. The final report is expected to be made public at the end of March. Alan Campbell, Manitoba School Boards Association president, said it is his understanding the division carried out its mandate under the Public Schools Act, while under the impression it was doing so in favour of the government. The pending K12 education review report "may include recommendations on the governance structure of the school system, including the future of trustees... Holding a byelection with the imminent release of this report is an unwise expenditure of public money." Provincial spokesperson Boards are required to fill a vacancy by holding an election "as soon as reasonably practicable," as per the legislation. It also states the senior election official must consider voter participation, as well as the availability of election officials and voting places, in deciding on a date. Campbell said while all members of the association interact with the province on an individual basis, its unfortunate the Winnipeg School Division believed it was being proactive on this matter. "I cant recall a scenario where the provincial government has offered guidance or strong encouragement to hold off on an election. Thats not to say it hasnt happened," he added. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Campbell suggested discussion needs to take place between the division, government, and City of Winnipeg clerk on what to do next. "To me, it amounts to election interference," said Broughton, adding he has inquired about why the reviews results would affect a byelection, but has yet to hear back from the province. "Were really perplexed by this sudden change of direction from the province, and it leaves me with a conclusion that the education review is meaningless. The review is really meant to validate the plans that they already have." maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative Democratic congresswomen at the 2020 State of the Union. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images For the second year running, a cohort of Democratic congresswomen opted to wear white to the presidents State of the Union address. According to Vox, the outfit choice was intended to celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted white women the right to vote when it was ratified in 1920. In 2020, the Democratic Womens Caucus, which organized the sartorial choice, wants the uniform to send a strong, unified message of persistence in fighting for the people. Taken altogether, the color coordination presents a striking visual; an opportunity for the 90 members of the DWC to present their dissent without words, Suzanne Leonard, a Simmons College professor and director of the graduate program in gender and cultural studies, told Vox. Were ready in our suffragette white for tonights State of the Union. #WomenUnited pic.twitter.com/prl9Gz1Nqs Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) February 4, 2020 Last year, the Democratic women of Congress also wore white, in solidarity with the women of the suffrage movement who refused to take no for an answer, Representative Brenda Lawrence said ahead of last years address. To an administration that has closed its eyes to women, we will be seen. They did the same at the presidents 2017 address to a joint session of Congress, to unite against any attempts by the Trump administration to roll back the incredible progress women have made in the last century, Florida representative Lois Frankel said at the time. A number of lawmakers wore green ERA Yes! pins as well, underscoring their support for the passage of an Equal Rights Amendment. Meanwhile, Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the two members of the so-called squad of progressive representatives in attendance Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley having opted to boycott the event sent an even more pointed message to the president. Trump has targeted both women with white-nationalist, xenophobic rhetoric, once advising them to go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. At the State of the Union, Tlaib opted for a white thobe, while Omar tweeted, Our presence is resistance. I am wearing my Ayeeyos Cambuur garbeed and bringing the Arawelo spirit to the peoples house. "There is no right or wrong way to protest." --@ayannapressley I'm joining my sisters in Congress in wearing white--my white #PalestinianThobe--to #SOTU. Being #unapologeticallyMe is my way of protesting this #ImpeachedPresident. pic.twitter.com/S8bHJPyDpz Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 4, 2020 Yes sis, our presence is resistance I am wearing my Ayeeyos Cambuur garbeed and bringing the Arawelo spirit to the peoples house. #firsts #RepresentationMatters #SOTU https://t.co/xOkZRB432y pic.twitter.com/a7GHiEo1uY Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 5, 2020 Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. 05.02.2020 LISTEN Ghanaian tech blog, Mfidie.com, will celebrate its 3rd Anniversary on 4th February 2020. The blog is known for providing useful articles and tips on technology in Ghana and beyond. When it comes to writing about tech in Ghana, Mfidie.com remains on the lips of many Ghanaians. In the early parts of 2017 when the blog came alive, it has managed to capture the hearts of many, who were clearly looking for just what was offered - a tech blog focused on the everyday person with communication in clear language. Since its launch, Mfidie.com has delivered almost a thousand insightful articles on a wide range of topics relating to the tech ecosystem in Ghana , consumer tech for Ghanaians and helpful tips on how to use some of the most common apps. Mfidie.com is different from other blogs in the tech niche because it focuses on addressing real-life tech issues for the people who need it most. You dont have to be a tech lover to read and understand the content on the popular tech blog. Shepherd Yaw Morttey, the blogs founder said that the blog had satisfactorily delivered its mission to satisfy the millions of Ghanaians who have wanted quick and workable tech information and solutions. By serving over 2.5 million users and garnering over 9 million views, the tech only focused blog is the biggest in Ghana. This has been made possible by close to 10 volunteering writers and contributors to the blog as well as the readers who continue to encourage these writers and give feedback. Happy Anniversary to Mfidie.com as it continues to be a leader in telling Ghanas tech stories. About Mfidie.com Mfidie.com is Ghanas biggest tech news websites run by a team of tech and non-tech individuals who have come together to ensure a budding online space for Tech Enthusiasts and to raise the level of Tech awareness in Ghana by publishing verified tech news, real-time reports, breaking news and opinions and articles. With its origins in 2015 as a questions and answers group, before finally transitioning into a tech blog in 2017, the blog serves not just tech enthusiasts, but also for the general Ghanaian populace and for anyone interested in tech, in and outside of Ghana. Arvind Kejriwal: The Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener is looking to come back for a second term. Riding on what AAP calls a 'positive' campaign of development, the part hopes to better its 2015 tally a difficult task, since it won 67 of the 70 Assembly seats in the nation capital. Kejriwal is contesting from New Delhi constituency. (Image: Reuters) Atishi: Contesting from Kalkaji constituency, she has been an advisor to Delhi Education minister Manish Sisodia and has been credited with bringing reforms in the education system in the national capital. A graduate from the University of Oxford, Atishi had lost to BJP's Gautam Gambhir during the Lok Sabha polls last year. Alka Lamba: An AAP rebel, who went back to the Congress fold after having left the party in 2014, Lamba is contesting from the high-profile Chandni Chowk Assembly constituency. Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga: Contesting from the Hari Nagar constituency, Bagga is one of those BJP workers who has come up by concentrating more on the party's online reach over the course of years. Bagga is also the spokesperson of the party, and is known to wear his patriotism on his sleeve, which is evident in his social media posts. Manish Sisodia: Contesting from Patparganj, Sisodia, according to a survey, is New Delhi's highest-rated politician, beating even his boss, Kejriwal, by three places. He is the Deputy CM of Delhi, and has reportedly been instrumental in AAP's claim of bettering the national capital's education system. Kapil Mishra: The former AAP member and minister in the Delhi government, Mishra switched over to the BJP and is contesting from Model Town. An aggressive critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's alleged communal politics during his AAP days, Mishra was recently banned by the Election Commission (EC) for comparing the Delhi elections to an 'India-Pakistan' encounter. Arvinder Singh Lovely: Lovely, a former minister in Delhi government, has risen through the student political circles of Delhi and will be contesting from Gandhi Nagar constituency. (Image: Twitter/ @ArvinderLovely) TOKYO, Feb 5, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced that it has been named to FORTUNE Magazine's 2020 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" for the second year in a row.This year, 680 companies were nominated from 30 countries as the "World's Most Admired Companies," of which 330 were selected (15 of which were Japanese companies). Fujitsu was selected in the category for the IT Services industry and was highly-evaluated in areas including Global Competitiveness, Social Responsibility and Innovation.Conducted through a partnership between Fortune Magazine and Korn Ferry(1), the annually published "World's Most Admired Companies" list is determined based on a survey of a combined 15,000 executives, directors at global companies, and analysts. Companies are evaluated based on nine categories: Innovation, People Management, Use of Corporate Assets, Social Responsibility, Quality of Management, Financial Soundness, Long-Term Investment Value, Quality of Products/Services, and Global Competitiveness. Companies that receive high evaluations in these categories are selected for inclusion in the list.As a truly global ICT company, Fujitsu will continue to contribute even further to the development of a sustainable planet and society, promoting corporate activities from a perspective of Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG).(1) Korn Ferry Established in 1969 in the United States, Korn Ferry is a global management consulting firm that works to develop talent and make organizations more effective. It has over 8,600 employees providing services in over 50 countries.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 132,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (Code: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.0 trillion yen (US $36 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019.For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization "AOI" Abdel Monem El Tarras had talks in Cairo on Tuesday with a delegation of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation on means of boosting joint cooperation, the AOI said in a statement. According to the AOI statement , he talks took up means of enhancing cooperation in the field of auto manufacturing and environment-friendly means of transport. He underlined the necessity of pumping new investments in the car industry in Egypt and honing the skills of workers in this sector. He noted also that the AOI was working for expanding cooperation and partnership with major international companies for increasing investments in Egypt. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors CEO Takao Katopraised the Egyptian government's incentives to businessmen working in Egypt. He expressed hope for more cooperation in the field of technology settlement in Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Prosecutors are seeking to dismiss charges in a high-profile sexual assault case against a Southern California orthopedic surgeon and his girlfriend who were accused of kidnapping, drugging and raping several women in 2018. Dr. Grant William Robicheaux, 39, and Cerissa Laura Riley, 32, were accused of targeting women on dating apps, in multiple cities, and then drugging and sexually assaulting them while they were unconscious or incapacitated. But the Orange County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday said there isn't evidence to prove such a case against them. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said his office would seek to dismiss all charges against the couple and claimed his predecessor, Tony Rackauckas, mishandled the case. Robicheaux had appeared on the Bravo TV reality show "Online Dating Rituals of the American Male," and Spitzer, who was running against Rackauckas when the charges materialized, accused Rackauckas of using the high-profile case for political gain during his campaign run. Prosecutors initially said there were more than 1,000 videos to support the case, but on Tuesday Spitzer claimed said there was "not a single piece of evidence or video or photo that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted." The couple was charged with 17 counts each, with Robicheaux being charged in connection with seven victims and Riley in connection to five. They both pleaded not guilty. Spitzer, elected in November 2018, said he ordered a new team of prosecutors to examine the case once he took over. They reviewed the charges and concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, he said. "What happened to their lives and how this case materialized is nothing short of a travesty," Spitzer during a press conference Tuesday. "I didn't create this situation, but it's my responsibility to fix it." "This office will always be fair. We will never try to manufacture evidence, manipulate evidence, put on a case or do anything that's not respectful of both the victims and the defendants," he added. He apologized to the alleged sexual assault victims in case, although he noted that some of the women only came forward after hearing the allegations to simply support other women. "There's nothing more difficult to now explain to victims that because of governmental overreaching they were used to enhance the facts of the case," Spitzer said. "It was the misstatement of 1,000 victims that brought more than 100 phone calls into this office it was the misstatement by this governmental agency that led to more people coming forward." He said his office plans to go to court "as soon as possible" to seek dismissal on all the charges. A lawyer for one of the victims, identified only as Jane Doe No. 4, said he would like an independent review of the case. He said his client would be devastated if the case was dismissed because, she maintains, she was sexually assaulted. Philip Cohen, an attorney for Robicheaux, said the doctor's life was ruined and his career will never be repaired. The medical board took away his license after he was accused. He said it's highly likely Robicheaux will be taking legal action. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Nathaniel could not tell me where he was coming from because he is not consistent in all that he says. I have been advising him on how to live a good life but he seems not to understand what l am telling him. He came and left last Saturday in the morning. Since he left that morning on Saturday, l did not hear anything about him until on Sunday when l heard what he did and then l was not at home. I learnt policemen came to my house in my absence but before l came back to the house, they had all left. HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian who was taking part in a violent protest on Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, witnesses and medical officials said. Mohammed al-Hadad was the first Palestinian killed in unrest since Trump unveiled his plan last week to accolades from Israel but condemnation from many in the Arab and Muslim world. Witnesses and medical officials said al-Hadad was shot as he took part in a protest in Hebron, a Palestinian city with Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli troops were pelted with rocks. The Israeli military spokesman's office said in a statement that soldiers "identified a Palestinian who hurled a Molotov cocktail at them (and) responded with fire in order to remove the threat". The Palestinians, who have long shunned the Trump administration, accusing it bias towards Israel, say the peace plan falls far short of their demands for territorial and other rights. Washington deems many of those demands unrealistic. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:32:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia-U.S. relations should be based on the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in each other's affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Wednesday. "Peace and security on the planet largely depend on the state of relations between Russia and the United States, their stability and predictability," Putin said during a ceremony attended by ambassadors of 23 countries, including the United States. Russia is ready for a meaningful dialogue with the United States in the fields of arms control, maintaining strategic stability, fighting terrorism and peacefully resolving regional crises, Putin said. He added that he believes the return of bilateral cooperation to a normal and constructive channel would be in the interests of not only Russia and the United States, but the whole world. By Stephanie Nebehay and Se Young Lee GENEVA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine for China's coronavirus on Wednesday as airlines, carmakers and other global companies counted the cost of the fast-spreading outbreak. Hundreds of experts will gather in Geneva next week, on Feb. 11-12, in an attempt to find a way to fight back against the outbreak by speeding research into drugs and vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. A multinational WHO-led team would go to China "very soon", it added. It stressed no known effective treatment existed to combat the virus, dismissing various reports of "drug breakthroughs". China said another 65 people had died in the previous 24 hours, in the highest daily total yet, taking the overall toll on the mainland to 490, most in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan, where the new virus emerged late last year. There have been two deaths outside mainland China - in the Philippines and Hong Kong - both following visits to Wuhan. The virus had disrupted air travel, with more than two dozen airlines suspending or restricting flights to China and several countries, including the United States, banning the entry of anyone who has been in China over the previous two weeks. Hong Kong said all visitors from mainland China would be quarantined for two weeks, while Taiwan banned the entry of mainland residents from Thursday. The disruption spread to cruise ships this week, with about 3,700 people facing at least two weeks cut off aboard a liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed 10 passengers had tested positive for the virus. Passengers on the Diamond Princess posted pictures online of officials in masks and gowns conducting health checks and an empty deck. "This is not a good situation," British passenger David Abel said in a video shot in his cabin and posted to Facebook. Story continues In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew were confined to their ship docked in the city for tests after three people on board had tested positive earlier. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways <0293.HK> asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, saying conditions were as grave now as during the 2009 financial crisis. American Airlines Group and United Airlines said they would suspend flights to and from Hong Kong after this week, a step that would leave no U.S. carriers flying passengers to the Asian financial hub. About half of the air cargo carried globally is in the belly of passenger jets rather than dedicated freighters. FACTORY DISRUPTION Nearly $700 billion was wiped off mainland Chinese stocks on Monday with many factories shut, cities cut off and travel links constricted, fuelling worries about global supply chains. Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday. Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> will suspend production in South Korea because of a disruption to the supply of parts, it said, becoming the first major carmaker to do so outside of China. Global carmakers have already extended factory closures in China in line with government guidelines. These include Hyundai, Tesla , Ford , PSA Peugeot Citroen , Nissan <7201.T> and Honda Motor <7267.T.> Planemaker Airbus has prolonged a planned closure of its final assembly plant in Tianjin, China, it said. Taiwan's Foxconn <2317.TW>, which makes phones for global vendors including Apple , aims to gradually restart factories in China next week but could take at least a week or two more to resume full production, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. German sportswear company Adidas said it was temporarily shutting a "considerable" number of its stores in China. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the epidemic would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from a Phase 1 trade deal set to take effect this month. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the virus was adding to economic doubts. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty," she said in Paris. HUMAN-TO-HUMAN SPREAD Evidence of human-to-human spread outside China surfaced after an international business gathering in Singapore in January was linked to virus cases reported in Malaysia and South Korea, but authorities did not comment on its nature or the industry involved. Singapore - one of the worst hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 28 cases of the new coronavirus. Across mainland China, there were a total of 24,363 coronavirus infections, according to the WHO. Nearly 230 cases have been reported in some 27 countries and regions outside mainland China, a Reuters tally based on official statements shows. "The relatively small number of cases outside China gives us a window of opportunity to prevent this outbreak from becoming a broader global crisis," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. The WHO has declared the flu-like virus a global emergency and says facemasks are important in curbing transmission if someone is showing symptoms. Pregnant women may be able to pass it to their unborn children, according to Chinese state media. Asked about various reports of "drug breakthroughs", WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV." Russia said it would take between eight and 10 months to develop a vaccine, Interfax reported. Scores of Russians began two weeks of quarantine in Siberia on Wednesday after being flown from Wuhan. Beijing has criticised as an overreaction U.S. travel curbs that bar foreign nationals who have visited China. About 350 Americans, the latest to be evacuated from Wuhan, landed in California on Wednesday. For a graphic on Online package of China virus news: https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH/0100B59Y39P/index.html For a graphic on Tracking the novel coronavirus: https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html For a graphic on Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS: https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS-COMPARISON/0100B5BY3CY/index.html (Reporting by Lusha Zhang, Ryan Woo, Roxanne Liu and Se Young Lee in Beijing, Yilei Sun and Winni Zhou in Shanghai, Tom Westbrook in Singapore, Jamie Freed in Sydney, Matthew Tostevin in Bangkok, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Hong Kong and Taipei newsrooms, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Susan Heavey and Makini Brice in Washington, Writing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie; Editing by Alex Richardson and Pravin Char) PASADENA, TEXAS, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In partnership with Good Reason Houston, San Jacinto College has launched the Harris County Promise at San Jacinto College, a program for local high school seniors to earn a tuition-free higher education credential. Harris County Promise is a partnership between local independent school districts, higher education institutions, and Good Reason Houston aimed at increasing college credential and degree attainment for the region. Data shows that 65 percent of todays jobs require more than a high school education, but only 21 percent of students in Harris County earn a postsecondary credential. Harris County Promise provides an incredible opportunity for high school students and their families, said Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor. The Promise and college staffs will partner to provide additional support for our students to enroll in college, stay on a path to completion, and ultimately earn their certificate or associate degree. The Promise program launched last month in seven high schools across three school districts with three community college partners. The participating high schools in the San Jac Promise program are from Pasadena ISD. Seniors at Dobie, Sam Rayburn, and South Houston High Schools are eligible for the tuition-free program, which requires that students be Texas residents and complete four steps to enroll, regardless of GPA or family income. Promise at San Jac is starting with students from the Pasadena Independent School District because PISD is already working with Good Reason Houston on another initiative, stated Dr. Allatia Harris, San Jacinto College vice chancellor for strategic initiatves. We selected these three schools because they represent some of the lowest and highest college-going rates. We will be studying the data to determine how we can efficiently grow the Promise program to get more students on a path to meaningful careers. After leveraging any financial aid awards and grant funds, as well as third-party scholarships, the students who meet the requirements will receive a scholarship from the San Jacinto College Foundationto cover the remainder of their tuition and books. Students will be required to take a minimum of 12 hours each fall and spring semester and must complete the credential within three years with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Staff will be available at the College to assist students throughout their time at San Jacinto College to ensure that they complete their credential or associate degree on time. We know in a fast-changing world, our students need more skills to remain competitive in todays job market, said Dr. DeeAnn Powell, Pasadena ISD Superintendent. This program helps our students receive the degree or technical certification needed to succeed in the workforce and beyond. Modeled after similar successful programs across Texas and the country, Harris County Promise aims to solve the opportunity gap and increase college completion, particularly among low-income students. While Harris County Promise launched with seven high schools, the program plans to expand to more high schools and four-year colleges in the future. For more information about the Harris County Promise at San Jacinto College, visit the San Jacinto College website. About San Jacinto College Surrounded by monuments of history, industries, and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poors and Moodys. San Jacinto College is a 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Top 10 institution, a 2017 Aspen Prize Rising Star Award recipient, and an Achieving the Dream Leader College. The College serves approximately 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually, and offers eight areas of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. San Jacinto Colleges impact on the region totals $1.3 billion in added income, which supports 13,044 jobs. For more information about San Jacinto College call 281-998-6150, visit sanjac.eduor join the conversation on Facebookand Twitter. ### Attachment Uttar Pradesh health authorities are monitoring over 700 people who have returned to the state from coronavirus affected countries. Till date, 704 travellers from affected countries have been identified and tracked by the health department's district surveillance units, a senior health official told PTI. However, there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in the state. According to the health department, as many as 553 people who have come back from China were under observation till Wednesday. The samples of 12 new travellers were collected by authorities on Wednesday. These include three from Meerut, two each from Bareilly and GB Nagar, one each from Balrampur, Pilibhit, Agra and Lucknow districts and all samples have been sent to King Geroge's Medical University in Lucknow, he said. In Balrampur district, a 28-year-old medical student who had recently come back from China has been kept in isolation at a government hospital there. A 24-hour control room has been set up at all district headquarters with a toll-free helpline number 1800-180-5145 at the state headquarters as well. As many as 820 isolation beds have been reserved across the state for travellers who are returning from China, the official said. All medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh have also been asked to be in a state of readiness. The health department said 466 travellers have been screened at airports till now and 2,02,097 persons have been examined at border checkposts so far. The coronavirus outbreak has affected 24 countries and India has confirmed three cases from Kerala. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We expect nothing less than a seamless administration of its examinations, which is why we require vendors to ensure their equipment is vigorously tested to prevent technological issues and any undue burden caused to firefighters devoting their time to participate, and those who cover their shifts, the Fire Department statement continued. "We understand and appreciate the amount of time and effort that our firefighters spent studying for this exam and we are working diligently with the City and vendor to reschedule the remaining exam component to the extent necessary as quickly as possible. ANN ARBOR, MI -- Testing mobility technologies along Michigan Avenue between Ann Arbor and Detroit is being discussed in regional transit circles, but officials have been tight-lipped on the details. Establishing Detroit-to-Ann Arbor transit infrastructure has long been part of regional transit talks, from proposing a new commuter rail across Washtenaw and Wayne counties to establishing an hourly bus route between the two cities. The Michigan Avenue testing corridor -- though it isnt clear what that would entail -- appeared on an Ann Arbor City Council agenda last month before being removed. It wasnt discussed at the meeting. The short-lived agenda item was a resolution supporting Gov. Gretchen Whitmers initiative for local and state jurisdictions to create a regional mobility corridor. Whitmers office and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have not responded to requests for elaboration on the initiative. The regional corridor, according to the council resolution, would be an avenue for live testing and deploying autonomous, electric, connected and shared mobility technologies, and digital infrastructure along Michigan Avenue, Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Street. It was unclear if that could simply mean installing sensors along those roads for autonomous vehicle testing, or if more disruptive plans are involved. The initiative was later brought up during a Ford Motor Company presentation at the Detroit Policy Conference. Ford teased a plan to work on a Michigan Avenue Mobility Corridor with Detroit and the state on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Imagine creating a regional asset that links Detroit to Michigans other centers of innovation, research and testing, like the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti and Mcity in Ann Arbor, said Mary Culler, development director for Fords Michigan Central Station, in a policy conference speech. We are actively working with the City of Detroit and State of Michigan to explore this opportunity via a new Michigan Avenue Mobility Corridor. This corridor could attract mobility innovators from all over the world and open up new economic opportunities for communities and businesses along the route. But the plan remains in conceptual stages, said Ford spokesperson Christina Twelftree, who deferred inquiries to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Spokespeople for the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity said they could not comment on the matter because the plans remain in preliminary stages. Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Chair Jason Morgan said local officials met in 2019 to examine the idea, but quickly tabled discussions in order to gather feedback from additional leaders and the community. It could be something to come in the future, Morgan said. Other elements of the preliminary plan listed in the Ann Arbor council resolution include: Being open to all original equipment manufacturers and mobility operators Accelerating real-world autonomous, connected, electric and shared-use models Efficiently complementing traditional road and transit investments Providing robust data security and privacy protections Building on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) while remaining future proof Building the corridor upon public education and transparency. Public funding is not anticipated for the initiative, according to the resolution. Hourly Ann Arbor-Detroit bus service could launch in March Washtenaw, Wayne and Oakland counties look to exclude Macomb in transit vote Regional transit planners to present $10B in ideas at Ann Arbor meeting The on Wednesday opposed a plea in the Madras High Court by ousted leader V K seeking relief in a long-pending tax dispute citing the Rs one crore limit for appeals, saying a prosecution is pending before an economic offences court. The department raised the objection when its appeal against an order of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) quashing a reassessment order related to 1994-95 assessment year came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice R Suresh Kumar. Sasikala's counsel submitted that the amount claimed by the IT department was less than Rs one crore, the limit set by the Central Board of Direct Taxes for appeal on tax disputes in high courts vide its August 8, 2019 circular, and hence she was entitled for relief. The matter related to the assessment of the income of Sasikala, close aide of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, for 1994-95. Orginally it was assessed for Rs 28.86 lakh. But later in March, 2002 the Commissioner of Income Tax passed a reassessment order based on a report of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in which it was alleged there was concealment of information by regarding purchase of some immovable properties including 80 acres of land. This was challenged by before the ITAT which held that no additions can be made to assessment based on the DVAC report as the anti-corruption agency had only registered a complaint and the matter has not attained any finality. The I-T department moved the high court against the ITAT order. On Wednesday, the department submitted that the Rs one crore limit would not apply to this case as the prosecution against Sasikala was pending before the Economic Offences Court. Its counsel sought two weeks time to ascertain the status of the prosecution before the lower court, following which the bench adjourned the matter till then. Sasikala is now serving a four year imprisonment in a Bengaluru prison in a corruption case. Many Democratic women are wearing white at the 2020 State of the Union as Donald Trump gives his address to the nation. The colour is in tribute to women's suffrage, a century after they won the right to vote in the US. Speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi is among those wearing white. The Nineteenth Amendment which says all US citizens have the right to vote regardless of their sex became part of the constitution in August 1920. Several Democrats did this at last years address in a silent but powerful protest against gender inequality. As well as wearing suffrage white, some in attendance have green Equal Rights Amendment pins on ahead of an expected House vote on the issue this month. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty Others are sporting red-white-and-blue-striped lapel pins to highlight climate change. Several notable Democrats are boycotting this years State of the Union, many of whom wore white last year. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she would not be attending the ceremony because of President Trumps lawless conduct and subversion of the Constitution. None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it, Ms Ocasio-Cortez posted on her Twitter account. In addition to her Ayanna Pressley, Al Green, Earl Blumenauer, Steve Cohen and Joe Wilson have all said they are not attending. Additional reporting by agencies The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay on Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest in the party's 2020 primary season. North Iowa appeared to be following the statewide trend. Based on available numbers, Buttigieg is winning six North Iowa counties (Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Hancock, Kossuth, Winnebago and Wright) while Sanders and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar are both winning two (Butler and Franklin for Sanders and Mitchell and Worth for Klobuchar). None of those 10 counties are fully reported as of press time. Butler County Sanders was the lone candidate in Butler Countys seven reporting precincts to pick up two full delegates and he was the only candidate with 80 or more total caucusers. Trailing Sanders was Warren who had 1 delegate and 68 total caucusers which was just two behind Bidens total of 70. Butler was one of Buttigiegs weaker county showings in the area. Though he did receive a delegate, he actually lost a caucuser between rounds, which was uncommon for him in the available county data. Cerro Gordo County Buttigieg came out on top with 5 delegates and 302 caucusers while Klobuchar overperformed and took second place with 4 delegates and 244 caucusers. Biden and Sanders finished in a tie for third with 3 delegates, though Sanders lost caucusers between the first and second votes. Buttigieg added the most caucusers between expressions while entrepreneur Andrew Yang lost the most with 54 people dropping off. Floyd County Buttigieg again finished in first with 77 caucusers and 1 delegate in the countys four reporting precincts. Klobuchar took second in total caucusers with 73, but tied with Biden, who had 65 caucusers, and Sanders with 33 caucusers, for one delegate. The largest shift between rounds happened for Klobuchar who added 10 caucusers. Franklin County Bernie Sanders had the strongest showing in Franklin Countys seven precincts with 59 total caucusers and 1 delegate going with the Vermont senator. Between votes, Sanders picked up eight caucusgoers. Buttigieg finished in second with 41 caucusers, which was good for one delegate, but he was unable to add a single voter between the two rounds. Amy Klobuchar also picked up a delegate with 26 caucusers. Biden and Warren tied for most voters lost between rounds with four each. Hancock County With nine precincts reporting, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders and Biden garnered the most support with 81 votes and two delegates, 70 votes and one delegate, 42 votes and one delegate, and 41 votes and one delegate, respectively. Warren garnered 18 votes but no delegate. Buttigieg campaigned in Britt back in November 2019 and received support from Mayor Ryan Arndorfer in September 2019. Kossuth County Buttigieg led Kossuth County with 134 votes and three delegates with 14 precincts reporting. Biden and Klobuchar followed with 111 votes and two delegates, and 81 votes and one delegate, respectively. Sanders secured 37 votes and one delegate, while Warren garnered 23 votes and no delegates. Mitchell County Amy Klobuchar came out as the big winner in Mitchell Countys 10 reporting precincts with 92 caucusers after the final vote, which gave her two delegates. Between rounds, she picked up a dozen total caucusers. Buttigieg, Biden and Warren also netted a single delegate. Winnebago County Buttigieg won two delegates in Winnebago Countys seven reporting precincts, with 97 total caucusers. With 34 fewer voters, Warren took second in the county and one delegate. Winnebago was one of the rare areas where Sanders lost caucusers between rounds. He had 40 people committed in the first expression but that winnowed to 33 in the final expression, still good for one delegate. Klobuchar also had one delegate in the final count. Worth County For the four reporting precincts in Worth County, Klobuchar was the only candidate to get a delegate. Buttigieg finished in second and was .04 away from hitting the needed delegate number to round up. In the available precincts, which does not seem to include Northwood, Sanders and Biden combined for 15 total votes. Wright County Buttigieg was the only candidate in Wright Countys eight reporting precincts to net two delegates and get support from at least 100 caucusers. Sanders was second with 65 caucusers which gave him one delegate. The largest shift between rounds happened to Warren who started out with 32 caucusers but that dropped down to nine caucusers in the final expression so she was unable to garner any delegates for the county. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62% of precincts in the state. Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, becomes the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. His early strength reflects his aggressive political pursuit of rural and small-town voters, including some Republicans, who prefer a more moderate approach to address the nation's political problems. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg declared, his voice filled with emotion, while campaigning in next-up New Hampshire. While campaigns were eager to spin the results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the Iowa contest. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the specific timeline -- even whether it would be a matter of days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent press conference. The party told campaigns Tuesday that the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion." For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LOS ANGELESThe new Rock Life Naturals line of CBD intimate and wellness products is now available from Rock'N Products. Rock Life Naturals is designed with an attitude to enhance life from the bedroom to overall wellness using the highest quality CBD and ingredients, said Rock'N Products President Keith Caggiano. The products use new ground breaking nanotechnology cannabinoids allowing the body to absorb it better and faster for greater overall customer satisfaction. The collection offers CBD in a sensual range exclusively for the adult industry: massage oils, flavored personal lubricant, a new CBD-infused version of the award-winning Rock On erotic sexual enhancer shots, as well as, popular wellness items. The Rock Life range of products are designed with the Rock Life marijuana hand logo and mantra prominently displayed with attractive packaging and display options for retailers. The Rock Life team set out to use the highest quality ingredients, standards and state-of-the-art in cannabis manufacturing and technology. The line uses new nanotech CBD to offer the highest absorption rate and bioavailability. The line contains Rock On CBD erotic and energy shots, massage oils, flavored lube spray, roll on, CBD flower, joints, gummies and vape cartridges applications with more products scheduled this spring. The Rock Life CBD and natural wellness line is available for select distribution For more information about Rock'N Products and the Rock Life Line, visit RockLifeNaturals.com or contact Rock'N Products at (310) 823-5100 or [email protected] A toddler with curly black hair is tucked in bed, sucking on a milk bottle. Good morning sweetheart, says a voice in Arabic behind the camera. Theres lots of airstrikes today, right? But we havent been hit, yay! The little girl waves back sleepily. Her name is Sama, and the voice belongs to her mother, Syrian journalist and filmmaker Waad al-Kateab. The next scene shows an aircraft flying ominously overhead and a shell of a building destroyed by airstrikes. Its September 2016, and Aleppo has been under siege from the Syrian regime and Russian military forces for three months. That moment between al-Kateab and her infant daughter amid the chaos of the Syrian conflict is just one example of the intimacy depicted throughout For Sama. Directed by al-Kateab and British filmmaker Edward Watts, the documentary follows five years in al-Kateabs life as she falls in love and becomes a mother while recording the attacks on her city. For Sama, which won a BAFTA on Feb. 2, is one of two documentaries covering the war in Syria that have been nominated for this years Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The other is Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyads The Cave, which follows a women-led medical team at an underground hospital in Eastern Ghouta. While most films about war have broadly tended to focus on the more physical, combative side of conflict through the experiences of soldiers, For Sama and The Cave depict wars human cost from the perspectives of women living through it. The womens perspective, whether its a journalist, a soldier or a civilian, I think thats something we just literally havent seen as much of, compared to the story of the single male soldier, says Stacey Peebles, associate professor of English and director of film studies at Centre College in Danville, Ky., and the author of Welcome to the Suck: Narrating the American Soldiers Experience in Iraq. Story continues Waad al-Kateab filming the ruins of a building destroyed by bombing in besieged east Aleppo, October 2016 | FRONTLINE/ For Sama War and conflict have always been common subjects in storytelling, from Homers Iliad in Ancient Greece to the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. They have also been a focus of filmmakers since the advent of cinema. Early efforts to capture the realities of war proved challenging, as filmmakers documenting the battlefields of World War I faced the obstacle of cumbersome camera equipment. While technology had developed by the time of World War II in terms of better equipment and the emergence of special effects, Peebles says storylines often followed a good guys vs. bad guys formula. Throughout the 1940s, several Oscar-nominated documentaries were produced by government departments and agencies, including the United States Office of War Information. The government had a real interest in Hollywood making certain kinds of films where they funded filmmakers, like Frank Capra and the Why We Fight series, Peebles says. There was a certain kind of symbiosis there. The Vietnam War marked a turning point. Ever since then, war films have often been more complicated, says Peebles. It took awhile for people to know how to tell a Vietnam War story because the conflict itself was received so differently in the United States, and nobody in Hollywood really knew how to make that movie. The 1974 Oscar-winning documentary Hearts and Minds, along with 1979s Oscar-nominatedThe War at Home, presented a much more critical view of U.S. military action in Vietnam, while the narrative movies Coming Home (1978), The Deerhunter (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979) did not follow traditional storylines of heroism and overcoming adversity. In the media and humanitarian sectors, experts have identified the rise of compassion fatigue when it comes to the war in Syria, noting that the West has become increasingly desensitized to coverage of the long-running conflict. Al-Kateab and Watts faced similar concerns. We were told by so many people that no one would come to watch a Syrian film, that people are tired of Syria and want more entertaining subjects, says al-Kateab, who amassed over 500 hours of footage from 2011 to 2016. When large scale protests erupted in Aleppo in 2011, al-Kateab was in the fourth year of an economics degree and felt drawn to record evidence of what was happening around her, just using her camera phone at first. We were just trying to do our roles as protesters. We were just trying to organize ourselves as a movement, at a time when the regime was denying everything that was happening, she says. Later, with professional handheld equipment, she filmed everything she could, as her husband Hamza, a doctor, treated wounded civilians in a makeshift hospital. In partnership with British television network Channel 4 News, al-Kateabs video dispatches from Aleppo went on to receive almost half a billion views online and won 24 awards, including the 2016 International Emmy for breaking news coverage. It was only after Aleppo fell that al-Kateab brought her extensive archive of footage to Channel 4, which then connected her with Watts. Al-Kateab says the people around her were initially irritated by her insistence on filming everything, from the traumatic recovery of bodies massacred by the regime from a river, to the normal routine of cooking dinner. It was after her close friends, hospital volunteers Gaith and Omar, were killed in an airstrike and by a tank shell that the power of the footage that she had collected became clear. We didnt know when we would be killed. Because of that, I was just filming everything. We really believed that this was the only way to tell the story because we never thought that we would make it out. For Sama concludes with Al-Kateab, Hamza and Sama escaping from Aleppo to Turkey; in May 2018, the family claimed asylum in the U.K. with the support of Channel 4 News and now live in London. Waad and Hamza al-Kateab with Sama in Aleppo. | FRONTLINE/ For Sama Throughout For Sama, the audience witnesses challenges as al-Kateab lives them. Her narration shares her internal dilemmas as she becomes pregnant; later on, the barrier between filmmaker and subject often fades as al-Kateab films her interactions from behind the camera with grieving mothers, exhausted hospital staff and children traumatized by the daily bombing. Id never captured that, and I do wonder if theres something in male filmmakers that draws them to the front line more, says Watts, who worked with al-Kateab on the film for two years and has made documentary films for more than a decade. I think what Waad has managed to capturewhether its a female sensibility, or maybe its just a human sensibilityis that full spectrum of human life. This film shows you how people live, and that is the essence of the tragedy of war. In The Cave, the impact of war on civilians and first responders is especially resonant in one particular scene, filmed in March 2018, when Dr. Amani Ballour and her team start receiving a rush of patients at their underground hospital suffering from mysterious symptoms of an unidentified illness. The medical team soon realizes that the coughing and wheezing patients, many of them children, have been targeted by the regime in a chemical attack. At several points during the film, Fayyad follows Ballour as her colleagues look to her for instructions and she must make difficult decisions in her role as hospital manager. Im responding to the terrible reality around me. My job is the right outlet for my anger, Ballour says in the film. Yet, as in For Sama, The Cave also shows quieter moments in between crises: the celebration of Ballours 30th birthday; the voice messages she receives from her family; a nurse preparing vats of rice for the staff. The Cave also shows the discrimination that Ballour faces, even from those she is trying to help: at one point a man asking for medicine for his relative demands to see a male manager at the hospital, rather than Ballour. Let them say what they want but I want to change this image, she later says in the film. Women can contribute. I have qualifications to contribute to something. For Fayyad, it was one challenge to navigate a war zone and evade capture by Syrian regime authorities, and another to encourage his subjects to open up. I think what we did was a miracle, said Fayyad, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2017 film, Last Men in Aleppo, in an interview with Variety. We werent just facing the Syrian regime or the Russians, we were facing a conservative community. Al Ghouta, Syria - Dr Salim (L) holds a light for Amani (R) to blow out during her birthday celebration in the hospital. | Images courtesy of National Geographic These films are doing something that a lot of films about war are not doing, even just on an emotional level, says Peebles. I can watch Apocalypse Now, and I can get lost in the cinematography, but here, there is no emotional buffer or safety zone, and I think thats great. Its a different experience than a lot of people are used to in war films. For al-Kateab and Fayyad, filmmaking is also a way of recording crimes committed by President Bashar al-Assads regime during the war. Whatever the regime tries to say through propaganda, I have the evidence that happened, al-Kateab says. No one can argue about this when they watch the film. In October 2019, she launched a fundraising and awareness campaign about the vulnerability of hospitals in conflict zones, based on her familys experience at the Al-Quds hospital in Aleppo. She says shes been overwhelmed by the amount of support the film has received, especially given that she didnt start filming with the intention to make a documentary. For Sama didnt start as a film, there was no script or things we wanted to capture. I lived through that situation. I was a mum, and I was one of that community, so I really understood and could see all the details of that life. Filmmakers today have greater access to technology, as al-Kateab did starting out with her phone camera, more distribution options through streaming services, and the ability to build support for their films through word of mouth on social media. We talk about the democratization of filmmaking because of the digital revolution, Peebles says. I think that accessibility is a really big deal. While Fayyad was established, with an Emmy and Oscar nomination to his name as he sought to tell a story about Syrias first responders, al-Kateab was new to filmmaking, living in the heart of a hospital herself. Widening accessibility means broadening the perspectives from which stories about war are told. Whether intentionally or not, stories like American Sniper and The Hurt Locker are always tapping into old ideas about honor, duty and sacrifice, says Peebles. When you see the unfiltered devastation that war causes, not just for the soldiers that fight the war, but everyone else it leaves behind, its very hard not to put at least an asterisk on the statement that war can be a noble and righteous thing. This illustration picture shows a saliva collection kit for DNA testing displayed in Washington DC on December 19, 2018. - Between 2015 and 2018, sales of DNA test kits boomed in the United States and allowed websites to build a critical mass of DNA profiles. The four DNA websites that offer match services -- Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, My Heritage -- today have so many users that it is rare for someone not to find at least one distant relative. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) DNA profiling company Ancestry.com has narrowly avoided complying with a search warrant in Pennsylvania after a search warrant was rejected on technical grounds, a move that is likely to help law enforcement refine their efforts to obtain user information despite the company's efforts to keep the data private. Little is known about the demands of the search warrant, only that a court in Pennsylvania approved law enforcement to "seek access" to Utah-based Ancestry.com's database of more than 15 million DNA profiles. TechCrunch was not able to identify the search warrant or its associated court case, which was first reported by BuzzFeed News on Monday. But it's not uncommon for criminal cases still in the early stages of gathering evidence to remain under seal and hidden from public records until a suspect is apprehended. DNA profiling companies like Ancestry.com are increasingly popular with customers hoping to build up family trees by discovering new family members and better understanding their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. But these companies are also ripe for picking by law enforcement, which want access to genetic databases to try to solve crimes from DNA left at crime scenes. In an email to TechCrunch, the company confirmed that the warrant was "improperly served" on the company and was flatly rejected. "We did not provide any access or customer data in response," said spokesperson Gina Spatafore. "Ancestry has not received any follow-up from law enforcement on this matter." Ancestry.com, the largest of the DNA profiling companies, would not go into specifics, but the company's transparency report said it rejected the warrant on "jurisdictional grounds." "I would guess it was just an out of state warrant that has no legal effect on Ancestry.com in its home state," said Orin S. Kerr, law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in an email to TechCrunch. "Warrants normally are only binding within the state in which they are issued, so a warrant for Ancestry.com issued in a different state has no legal effect," he added. Story continues But the rejection is likely to only stir tensions between police and the DNA profiling services over access to the data they store. Ancestry.com's Spatafore said it would "always advocate for our customers privacy and seek to narrow the scope of any compelled disclosure, or even eliminate it entirely." It's a sentiment shared by 23andMe, another DNA profiling company, which last year said that it had "successfully challenged" all of its seven legal demands, and as a result has "never turned over any customer data to law enforcement." The statements were in response to criticism that rival GEDmatch had controversially allowed law enforcement to search its database of more than a million records. The decision to allow in law enforcement was later revealed as crucial in helping to catch the notorious Golden Gate Killer, one of the most prolific murderers in U.S. history. But the move was widely panned by privacy advocates for accepting a warrant to search its database without exhausting its legal options. It's not uncommon for companies to receive law enforcement demands for user data. Most tech giants, like Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, publish transparency reports detailing the number of legal demands and orders they receive for user data each year or half-year. Although both Ancestry.com and 23andMe provide transparency reports, detailing the amount of law enforcement demands for user data they receive, not all are as forthcoming. GEDmatch still does not publish its data demand figures, nor does MyHeritage, which said it "does not cooperate" with law enforcement. FamilyTreeDNA said it was "working" on publishing a transparency report. But as police continue to demand data from DNA profiling and genealogy companies, they risk turning customers away a lose-lose for both police and the companies. Vera Eidelman, staff attorney with the ACLUs Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said it would be "alarming" if law enforcement were able to get access to these databases containing millions of people's information. "Ancestry did the right thing in pushing back against the government request, and other companies should follow suit," said Eidelman. A 21-year-old man had to be rescued - from a child's high chair - after his friends made him a bet he could not fit in it. It took three people - who were all laughing uncontrollably - to pull Jamie Brammah out of the chair at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield. Jamie, a carer from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was at the shopping centre with his pals to watch the BAFTA-winning war film 1917. Jamie Brammah, a carer from Barnsley, South Yorkshire was at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield when he agreed to try and fit in the high chair in exchange for a milkshake But the group had arrived two hours early and went to the food court to kill time before the film started. Jamie's pal Luke Jackson said he would buy him a strawberry milkshake from McDonalds if he could fit in the toddler's high chair. Jamie obliged - but ended up getting stuck, much to the delight of his mates who were on hand to film the hilarious moment. Two security guards had to pull on the bottom of the chair while friend Luke Jackson pulled him out by his arms Luke, a HGV driver, said: 'He was thirsty and didn't have much money on him so I said I would buy him a strawberry milkshake if he could fit into the high chair. 'He said he could fit into one of quite easily - and it took three people to get him out. 'Two security guards came over and had to pull on the bottom of the chair while I pulled him out by his arms. 'It was hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing. 'The security guards told us off and said we were on our last warning, but they couldn't stop laughing either.' Luke and the staff members took care to not hurt Jamie, whose legs were bruised in the incident. Jamie Brammah ended up with bruises but no pain following the prank Luke, 22, added: 'The security said we've got to stop messing about, but they were laughing their heads off, it was so funny. 'They were telling me not to pull him too hard in case I hurt his legs. 'He ended up with a couple of bruises on his legs, but he wasn't in pain. 'We were still laughing about it the next day. 'We thought at one point we might not have been able to get him out and they would have had to have called the fire brigade to cut him free. 'I passed my phone to my brother Josh and told him to film it because it was so funny. 'Jamie was laughing his head off, he was proper stuck.' The constitution of the Kano State Primary Healthcare board by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje will go a long way in promoting healthcare delivery for millions of citizens in Kano State, an expert has said. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the development Research and Projects Centre, implementers of the Partnership for Advocacy in child and family health, PACFaH@Scale project in Abuja. The statement, which was signed by the Executive Director of the Project, Judith Ann-Walker, commended Governor Ganduje for fulfiling the promise he made when the group led an advocacy visit for the constitution of the board last year. Recall that last year, we led an advocacy visit to the governor where the need for the constitution of board was requested as a very significant measure that is required to move the states healthcare delivery forward, the statement said. Ms Ann-Walker further asked the governor to follow up the constitution of the board with all other requirements needed for the implementation of the primary healthcare under one roof policy. She described Kano State as a significant player in the health sector where if policy commitments are implemented, health indices in the country will significantly improve. We thank the governor for fulfilling this commitment and we urge the new board to hit the ground running by ensuring that the state maintains it proactive engagement in providing quality healthcare services for its citizens, the statement added. It could be recalled that Governor Umar Ganduje had last year, when the coalition of PACFaH@Scale advocates paid him an advocacy visit, promised to constitute the board to ensure PHCUOR policy is fully implemented in the state. The appointment of substantive board will go along way in improving healthcare delivery in the state, according to the statement. The governing board is under the chairmanship of Sarkin Yaki (the District Head of Ajingi and the former Chair of KECCoH). Some of the members include Dayyabu Muhammad (former and ES, SPHCMB and a member of KECCoH) and Binta Jibin (a staff of the SMoH under the Director Public Health and Disease Control). Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra claimed on Wednesday that the juvenile who shot at and injured a student at an anti-CAA protest gathering near the Jamia Millia Islamia University last week was a voter of the Jewar Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh. At a press conference, Chopra also cited the voter identity card number of the accused and sought a probe into the matter by a government agency. The accused fired at a group of anti-CAA protesters near Jamia Millia, injuring a student, on January 31. Police caught him and sent him to protective custody. "This person voted in the last Lok Sabha election. His name is registered as a voter in the electoral roll of Jewar Assembly constituency," Chopra said, citing the accused's voter photo identity card number. "If it is true, which forces are trying to protect him? Terming him a juvenile, he is being let off. This should be probed by a government agency," he said. The Congress leader also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing them of trying to "polarise" the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls. "They are bent on spoiling the peace before the polls," he alleged. Chopra also demanded a probe into the firing near the Shaheen Bagh protest site by Kapil Baisala on February 1, who the police claimed was associated with the AAP. He appealed to people to maintain peace and said if anything happened to the women protesters at Shaheen Bagh, no one would forgive the BJP and the AAP. Chopra also demanded Union Home minister Amit Shah's resignation and "sacking" of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the shooting incidents near anti-CAA protest sites in the national capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Wed, February 5 2020 Police arrested a man, identified as SF, 57, on Jan. 23 in Cianjur, West Java, for allegedly kidnapping his teenage neighbor four years ago. The girl, who is now 15 years old and pregnant, was returned to her parents. The girl was 11 when she was reported missing by her parents on Feb. 26, 2016, and was in advanced pregnancy when she was found by the police. Cianjur Integrated Care Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children operations head Lidya Indayani Umar told The Jakarta Post that the victim was reintroduced to her parents but is currently being sheltered in the agencys rehabilitation center for trauma healing and childbirth preparation. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login An international human rights commission criticised the government of President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday for blocking its members from boarding a plane for Venezuela, where they planned to investigate alleged abuses Caracas: An international human rights commission criticised the government of President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday for blocking its members from boarding a plane for Venezuela, where they planned to investigate alleged abuses. Paulo Abrao, executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said the delegation will press ahead with its work, instead meeting victims and civil rights groups on the Colombian border with Venezuela. "This attitude demonstrates the government's fear of exposing itself to international scrutiny and an attempt to hide abuses," Abrao told The Associated Press by telephone from Panama City. The rejection had been expected in large part because the commission had been invited by the country's congress. The legislature and Maduro mutually consider one another illegitimate. The three members of the group posted a picture on Twitter holding their boarding passes at the airport gate in Panama. They said Maduro's government told the Panama-based Copa Airlines not to allow them on the flight to Caracas. Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly had invited the group, which is a branch of the Organization of American States, the Washington-based body representing more than 30 nations in the Western Hemisphere, whose leaders have been among the fiercest critics of Maduro. Maduro's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted Friday that they would be blocked. "Venezuela has not invited or accepted a delegation visit from the IACHR," Arreaza said, adding that the visit is not authorised. Maduro's government in 2017 started a two-year process to leave the OAS, saying that it is a pawn of the United States, which is also a member. The OAS itself has joined the US and more than 50 other nations in withdrawing recognition of Maduro on grounds his reelection in 2018 was illegitimate. It recognised congressional leader Juan Guaido as acting president. Maduro, however, controls all the mechanisms of government, including the military and courts, and he recognises an alternative version of the National Assembly led by a minority of lawmakers allied with him. The delegation had planned to make a five-day visit inside Venezuela. Abrao said that instead, the investigators will talk with anyone who wants to meet them in the Colombian border town of Cucuta. They will also hold teleconference meeting so people elsewhere have access to them, Abrao said, adding that the findings will be part of a report on human rights in Venezuela published in March. Maduro's government did not immediately respond to Abrao's comments. Guaido has yet to return to Venezuela following an international tour rallying support to oust Venezuela's socialist government. King Tides Return This Weekend to Oregon, Washington Coast; Warnings Possible Published 02/04/2020 at 9:30 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Manzanita, Oregon) This weekend brings the last round of king tides to the Oregon coast and the Washington coast, and what are already exceptionally high tides look as if theyll be even larger because of some sizable wave action offshore. Saturday through Monday will again mean some of the highest tides of the year, and more caution should be exercised especially considering the massive disregard for warnings during Januarys event. (Above: Newport gets by tidal surges in the '30s). (BREAKING NEWS: Lincoln City has canceled its special glass float drop for the weekend, resuming on Tuesday) This time around, tide tables are predicting ranges like seven to nine-foot high tides in many bay areas, which does not necessarily translate into that height coming onshore. It does, however, mean the water levels will be quite high. Adding to that are storm / wind conditions offshore that will be causing larger-than-normal swells and thus bigger waves breaking onto beaches in both Washington and Oregon. This could bring more beach or surf warnings from weather officials. The National Weather Service is calling for offshore swells as large as over 20 feet on the northern half of the Oregon coast on Saturday, and often near 20 feet for the weekend from the southern Oregon coast through the Washington coastline. Largely, king tides are the result of a more intense interaction between the moon and the Earth. According to the Oregon King Tides Photo Initiative: Tides are caused by the gravitational influence of the sun, the moon, and the earth on the earths oceans. When the orbits and alignment of the earth, moon and sun come into a particular relationship, the tidal range is at its greatest; low tides are especially low and high tides are especially high. Indeed, minus tides of around negative one foot will be common at low tides for this event. The highest tides generally occur in the morning to early afternoon, depending on where you are along the Pacific Northwest coastline. Times vary greatly: see the Oregon King Tides site and the Washington Coast King Tides site. On the northern half and southern half of the Oregon coast, the NWS said expect large swells. The weekend points to steeper seas due to stronger winds and added moderate to high wind waves, the NWS said. For the northern half, conditions seem a little more severe offshore. The NWS is looking at combined seas of 23 feet on Saturday and 17 feet on Sunday. The southern portion of the coast will get about two to four feet less on those days. The NWS said not all models are yet in agreement how intense the wave action will be out to sea. It has as yet made no prediction for period swells, which is an indicator for sneaker waves if that is a high number. Along the Washington coast, the area is looking at similar conditions. Another strong Pacific frontal system will arrive Friday night and Saturday with seas building to 15 to 20 feet, the NWS in Seattle said. See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tour The Oregon King Tides Photo Initiative urges extreme caution while photographing these high tides: stay off slippery trails near the beach and always be aware of your surroundings, it said. See beach safety advice here: Getting the Message to Oregon Coast Storm Watchers: Why It's Not Working Words of Caution for Beach Safety Stay off Beaches During the Warning Periods Stay far from any jetties Stay far back from rocky ledge areas like at Yachats or Depoe Bay Watch waves from a distant, elevated area Heed any parking lot closures your vehicle could get ruined More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted shliach [shlee-akh] noun pl shluchim\ 1. emissary 2. representative Related forms shlichut or shlichus noun 1. the mission carried out by the shliach fem shlucha pl shluchot Tonight begins the Jewish calendar date of 10 Shvat, the 70th year since the unfolding of the Lubavitcher Rebbes vision. On that date (January 28) in 1950, Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn, sixth in the dynasty of Chabad Rebbes, passed. His son-in-law (and distant cousinhimself a direct descendant of the third Chabad Rebbe), Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, succeeded him. The Rebbes leadership would come to be defined primarily by his project of shlichut, in which he made every individual an emissary, a shliach. In the following interview, the Rebbes senior emissary to Argentina considers the burden and the privilege of the life of a shliach. TO BE A SHLIACH [emissary] Interview with Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt The first shliach (emissary) we encounter in Jewish history appears in Genesis: Abraham sends his servant Eliezer on a mission to find a wife for his son Isaac. Eliezer is worried, afraid that he may not be successful in fulfilling his mission, so Abraham reassures him: G-d before whom I walk will send his angel with thee and prosper thy way . . . Chabad emissaries (shluchim) look to Eliezer as the paradigmatic shliach: receptive to his masters bidding, dedicated and determined to act on his behalf, he saw himself as a conduit, empowered by Abraham to succeed, regardless of the difficulties along the way. Chabad shluchim answer to an unusual calling in which the emissaries have so thoroughly integrated the Rebbes vision that it is now their own. In the ideal, they strive to be as Eliezer, clear of personal desires competing for their attention and distracting them from their mission. If the calling is lifelong, the work on their interior selvesas they strive to vacate their own ego and become open to the Rebbes influence and empowermentis no less a lifelong aspiration. Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt began his shlichut in 1987, building up Jewish life in Argentina, where there are today roughly some 200,000 Jews. Thanks to his no-excuses, lets get the job done approach, Argentinas Jewish population is served by 35 Chabad centers in 10 cities that have opened under his leadership. As well, nine Jewish day schools, a nationally acclaimed foster care program, three soup kitchens, among a host of educational and humanitarian programs to the tune of a $12 million annual budget, are making a measurable difference in the lives of Argentinas Jews. It is telling that among the 70 Chabad shluchim in Argentina, many have returned to their roots through Rabbi Grunblatt and his outreach activities. From him, they learn that not for the faint of heart is the commitment to a life of shlichut; that serving as the Rebbes representatives is a privilege that comes with demands and expectations that must be faithfully honored. In a 2014 interview with me, Rabbi Grunblatt shared his ideas about serving as the Rebbes emissary, and the attitudes and rigors that inform him, intellectually and practically, as he continues to execute his mission. You werent raised in a Chabad home yourself. How did you come to Chabad? My parents were very religious; my father was from an Hungarian Chasidic family. I was a young student at Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim run by Agudat Israel in Buenos Aires in the 1960s. This was not a Chabad school but we had a Rosh Yeshiva and a maggid shiur who was a Chabad emissaryRabbi Berel Baumgarten, of blessed memory. So he taught you Chasidut? Not directly. He embodied a lebedike [lively], energetic yiddiskheit. Id seen a lot of rabbis, but his yirat shomayim (fear of Heaven) was with a lebedikeit, [liveliness]; his davening had a different quality about it, the way he concentrated on his prayersit made a tremendous impression on me and only years later, did I understand what it was that I saw. He also had the kind of open home Id never seen anywhere else. Everyone was truly welcome. I remember coming in once and hearing hard rock music blaring. It wasnt him or his family that was playing this music, it was a kid who was welcomed to stay there. And then at some point you actually went to a Chabad yeshiva? Yes. My mother wanted me to go to university after high school, but I really wanted to learn in yeshiva. So when I was about 15, Rabbi Baumgarten and an uncle of mine went looking for a suitable yeshiva for me in the United States. But in 1969 there was no yeshiva that was willing to take me at my age without big money, except for Chabad. It was the only yeshiva that accepted me unconditionally, without any tuition, which my parents could not afford. What did you discover intellectually, spiritually, when you came to study in Chabad? There were two concepts of Chabad Chasidut that were utterly astonishing to me. The first was the idea that the Jew has a G-dly soul. I was 15 at the time, and I came from a religious home, but the idea that the Jew has a chelek eloka memaal mamash, a vital part of the divine within him, that blew my mind. The other concept that had a huge impact on me was that idea that G-d recreates the world, ex nihilo, constantly. This was something Id never heard before and completely captured my imagination. What is the minimum take-away for every student that attends one of the Chabad schools in your network? We have various schools catering to different demographics, and we work differently with students who come from traditional homes, and those who come from non-observant homes. For all of them, we want the experience to be positive. Regardless of the school, we aim to impart a strong commitment to live a life of Torah and mitzvahsobviously, each according to his/her circumstances. Secondly, we want to create a context of pride and happiness in their Jewish identity and Jewish engagement; we place a strong focus on ahavat Yisrael and a deep sense of responsibility towards others. Today there are so many organizations that are involved in Jewish outreach. What distinguishes the work of the Rebbes emissary? As an emissary of the Rebbe, until you achieve the objective, your work isnt over. If you havent helped the Jewish person in your circle, if they are not standing on their feet, if you didnt get done what you need to get done, you didnt finish. This is not a job; if you dont have the product, you havent done it. Moreover, a Chabad shliach cannot allow himself to be limited by anything when it comes to achieving the objective. Theres an expressionin Spanish its a three-world phrase, in English its two words, that I tell people who work with me: No excusesdont come to me with excuses. There are obstacles? Climb over them. How did the Rebbe differ from his predecessors in his approach to the mission? The Rebbe continued what the Rebbes before him started, but as the seventh Rebbe, he brought it to its culmination and thats where we see a difference. Earlier Rebbes focused on strengthening Judaism and building Jewish communities, and on the study and prayer of the individual, but the Rebbe wanted us to uncover G-dliness in every mundane aspect of our lives and in every interaction we have with another human being. The end goal for him was that we bring Moshiach, and that meant we would have to elevate our reality at even its lowest levels. This was the idea of going out to the streets to find individuals one by one to give them the opportunity to do a mitzvah without any precondition. This was unique to the Rebbe, and was the result of his focus on the idea of drawing down the Shechina from the highest realms into the lowest worlds btachtonim. Also, he challenged us to get past the obstacles that generally limit how much we can achieve. I think the Rebbe empowered us a lot more than previous Rebbes did. There were great Chasidim and community activists in previous generations, but they didnt have the same input from their Rebbes as we had. Shluchim today are achieving the kinds of things that are, unquestionably, beyond our personal capacitytheres an energy that allows us to transcend our limitations and it comes from the Rebbe. Its been said that in his vision for the mission of Chabad and his shluchim to seek out every Jew and draw him and her back to their roots, the Rebbe may have sacrificed the rich contemplative, intellectual tradition of Chabad in which Chasidim traditionally spent many hours steeped in prayer, meditation and study. Yes, theres no question that we are making a sacrifice. But theres also no question that the Rebbe insisted that on the micro-dimensionthat every shliach, not to mention every Chasid, dedicate time every day to his own personal avoda [divine service] through prayer and to his own consistent study of Chasidut. I am sure that every shliach can take one-to-2 hours a day for his own avodah, to learn and davven. Furthermore, it is my responsibility as a shliach to see to it that the people I have a relationship with study Chasidut before davening. We were taught that with each passing day, we must climb one step higher, and the same is true for our people. I tell my community members: Youve taken one step up and now you have a broader vision, but this is good for today. Tomorrow youve got to go up another step. Not everyone moves at the same speed, but everyone has to keep moving. If the work of a Chabad shliach is to seek out Jews and teach them to do mitzvahs, why spend so much time studying complex theological concepts and parsing esoteric Chasidic texts? If you dont know the value of a mitzvah according to Chasidut Chabad, then spending hours seeking a Jew out on the street to give him the opportunity of the mitzvah of tefillin would be unsustainable. When you understand what is achieved by a mitzvah, how a neshama is bound to the infinite, to the En Sof, only then do you appreciate that theres no price, no time, no investment that is too much for this effort. Theres no way you can put the kind of effort that we put into thissometimes hours and hours to find a solitary Jew for a mitzvah of a few minutesif you dont have the appreciation intellectually and spiritually, of its value. It just makes no sense if you dont understand that. And you cannot have this kind of appreciation if you are not a serious student of Chabad Chasidut. Youve had notable success in Argentina, and among other things, people say that you are a very good fundraiser. But you are also a scholar, so I imagine that there are probably other aspects to your mission that are more spiritually rewarding to you than raising funds. I dont ask for money. I make friends. And by that I mean people who see the value of the Rebbes ideas and want to take these ideas and advance them. You dont build a strong institution because you have a lot of money; you build a solid institution because you have a lot of friends who believe in it. Then theythe peoplebuild your institution. So, as the Rebbe once said, fundraising is a means to draw people in. This is rewarding, and this is healthy. And incidentally, they open their doors to me not because Im asking for money but because Im offering them yiddishkeit. People are really hungry for spiritual nourishment. I find that this is more apparent today than it was years ago; peoplewell-to-do peopleare hungry for something meaningful. This morning I was sitting with a group of prosperous businessmen who were happy, really happy, to spend their morning studying a mishna in Pirkei Avot. The knowledge of life that you have in the study of Torah, and the depth that Chasidut Chabad brings to itit is simply enlightening. Today there are young shluchim who have never seen the Rebbe. Do you notice a difference between them and the shluchim of an earlier generation who spent time in the Rebbes presence? I see many young shluchim who bring real dedication and devotion to their shlichus and this is really impressive. But I believe it is important and beneficial for shluchim who did not have the benefit of growing up with the Rebbe, to apprentice with shluchim who did. If you didnt get the taste of mesirut nefesh, selfless dedication for the Rebbes shlichut, it would be difficult to be devoted in the same way as those of us who grew up near the Rebbe and were personally guided by him in our shlichut. You set out on your shlichut in 1978 with the Rebbes guidance, and over the years you communicated with the Rebbe and got responses from him to many of your questions. How have you compensated for that during these past twenty years? From a practical point of view, there are situations that are difficult to resolve without the clarity the Rebbe gave me. But after all is said and done, and we have been through a lot of very hard times, I feel the Rebbes continued guidance in my shlichus. And his blessings continue to impact us. Again and again, I am surprised by unexpected opportunities that open upopportunities that seemed impossible, and whenever that happens, I feel the Rebbe is looking out for us, his shluchim. What are your long term goals for Jewish life in Argentina? Obviously, I want to help Jews have a better life here, spiritually and materially. But Im not doing any of this to make it comfortable for us to stay here. Im in this to help bring an end to the galut (exile). Join Ely Gold for an Informative and Interactive Live Electronic Town Hall Meeting on February 6, 2020 at 11:00 am EST Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will hold an Electronic Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 11:00 am EST, hosted by O&M Partners out of New York. Mr. Trey Wasser, President and CEO will discuss Ely Gold's recent news flow and outlook and will be available for questions after the call. If you wish to participate in the interactive call, please follow the link below. There will also be an audio of the session available after the Town Hall Meeting http://om.smatter.com/om-partners-town-hall-webinar.php?w=7099413944312858881&s=ELY About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 36 Deeded Royalties and 22 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647 964 0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the contemplated acquisition of the Target Royalty (as defined above) (including the requirement for certain TSX Venture Exchange approvals), significance of the forecast contribution of the Target Royalty to Ely Gold's treasury, the Company's intention to seek a shareholder approval at its 2020 annual general meeting, its current assets, Company acquisitions of additional royalty interests. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks that the Company may not secure the required regulatory approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52129 By Express News Service PERAMBALUR: The Prime Ministers scheme of providing Rs 6,000 a year to farmers is out of reach for 71-year-old S Ramasamy, thanks to a mismatch in his Aadhaar details. Ramasamy from Mettangkadu village in Kurumbalur of Perambalur district has been running from pillar to post to claim the Rs 6,000 under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. All his efforts have been in vain as his Aadhaar number has another persons details linked to it. Ramasamy has filed a petition with the collectors office to set things right. He said he received his Aadhaar in 2011 and only been using the card as proof of address. He went to the taluk office and Agriculture department to register for the scheme. His application was denied on the grounds his Aadhaar details were incorrect, much to his surprise. He went to the Aadhaar centre in the Perambalur municipal office, wherein the database was found someone elses photo and personal details, including biometrics, linked to Ramasamys card. Ramasamy said, The authorities rejected my application because of the Aadhaar issue. Aadhaar number has been made mandatory for everything, but when there is a fault, they do not attempt to fix it. I visited many offices to resolve the issue but the authorities were indifferent. I took help to contact the Aadhaar support centre but they said such a problem can only be fixed by their Bengaluru office. He added, I am illiterate and it took some effort to find something was wrong with my Aadhaar card. How do they expect me to go to Bengaluru? It is not my fault the Aadhaar number shows someone elses photo. I am left out of the Prime Minsters scheme for no fault of my own. When contacted, the personal assistant to Collector-General AG Rajarajan said, Such problems cannot be rectified here. There is no option to make corrections on a local server. Everything is centralised. But we will contact the Bengaluru centre. Passengers wear face masks as they rest at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Feb. 4, 2020. Updated at 9:27 a.m. ET on 2020-02-05 Southeast Asian nations reported an eruption of new cases of the deadly coronavirus on Tuesday, with Malaysia confirming its first citizen case and neighbors Thailand and Singapore detecting more cases of the illness that has killed hundreds in China. As of Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had recorded 20,647 confirmed cases from 25 countries, including 20,471 in China. Thailand still had the highest number of cases outside China, with 25, while Singapores rose to 24 on Tuesday. Malaysia had so far recorded 10 cases and the Philippines, which announced the first virus death outside of China on Sunday, had reported three cases, according to WHO. Chinas National Health Commission reported 64 deaths on Monday, taking the countrys toll to 425. The latest reports on the virus from selected South Asian and Southeast Asian nations: Malaysia Malaysia confirmed two new cases on Tuesday, including that of a 41-year-old man who became the nations first citizen to be infected with the coronavirus. The announcement brought the total number of cases in the nation to 10. Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the man from Selangor state had attended a business meeting in Singapore with Chinese colleagues, including one from Wuhan. He returned to Malaysia on Jan. 23, and on Jan. 29 he received treatment at a private hospital because of fever and cough, Dzulfefly told reporters. The other new case of the flu-like illness involved a 63-year-old man from Wuhan, who has been in Malaysia since Jan. 18, he said. A statement from Singapores health ministry on Tuesday confirmed six additional cases of the virus, bringing to 24 the number of confirmed cases in the city-state at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Three of the local transmission cases can be traced to contact with recent travelers from Mainland China. The fourth case is a close contact of one of the local transmission cases, the statement said. The remaining two were from among the group of Singaporeans who were evacuated from Wuhan on Jan. 30, it said. The four cases that involved human-to-human transmission included an Indonesian maid of a Singaporean woman working in a health product shop patronized by Chinese tourists, the statement said. Noor Hisham Abdullah, director-general of Kuala Lumpurs health ministry, said Tuesday that the 10 cases in Malaysia included a 4-year-old Chinese girl who had recovered from the virus and was allowed to return home. She is now is good health and has been allowed to return home, Noor said in a statement. This case shows that the 2019-nCoV infection is treatable and that the patient can recover completely, he said, referring to the assigned name of the 2019 novel coronavirus. Thailand Thailand said it detected six more cases on Tuesday, bringing its total to 25. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Thai Department of Disease Control, told reporters in Bangkok that four of the six new cases involved Thais, including two rental-car drivers who had picked up Chinese passengers. The other two are a Chinese couple who had returned from a recent trip to Japan, he said. Five out of six new patients announced today have improved, and when the lab results show a negative, they will be allowed to leave the hospital, Suwannachai said. One of the four Thais, a 70-year-old with pneumonia, was currently in serious condition, Suwannachai said, without elaborating. Authorities said 17 of the total 25 people carrying the virus remained hospitalized. The Buddhist-majority nation on Friday identified a taxi driver as its first case of human-to-human transmission. Meanwhile, a Thai Air Asia flight arrived on Tuesday at the U-Tapao airport with 138 Thai nationals evacuated from Wuhan, officials said. News photos showed the repatriated Thais waving from buses, which would take them to a naval facility east of Bangkok, where officials said they would be quarantined for 14 days. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that six of the evacuees were sent to hospitals after exhibiting high fever upon arrival. They were checked for symptoms and high fever, he said. Elsewhere, a 42-year-old South Korean woman has been diagnosed with the virus after returning home on Jan. 19 from a tour in Thailand, according to a statement from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thai authorities could not confirm if the South Korean contracted the virus while visiting Thailand, since Seoul authorities have also detected 16 cases, Suwannachai said. The woman sought treatment on Jan. 25 after experiencing chills and other symptoms, but only tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, South Korean officials said. Bangladesh Bangladeshs decision on Sunday to suspend the issuance of visas-upon-arrival to Chinese nationals in the wake of the virus has sparked complaints from Taiwan. Dhakas blanket ban has resulted in some Taiwanese being refused entry to the South Asian country, Taiwans foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters Tuesday. She said the ministry had contacted the Bangladeshi government, informing Dhaka authorities that Taiwan is not part of the Peoples Republic of China. Taiwan, which has reported 11 cases of the virus, established the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Bangladesh in 2004, but shut it down five years later. On Saturday, Bangladesh repatriated 312 of its nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, but so far has not confirmed any cases. The repatriated Bangladeshis were expected to be kept at a quarantine unit in the capital. Indonesia Although it has not confirmed any case of the coronavirus so far, Indonesia has imposed a travel ban to and from China starting midnight on Wednesday, amid efforts to prevent the infection from spreading in its archipelago. Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian warned that such a ban, including Jakartas move to suspend its visa-free and visa-upon-arrival policies for Chinese nationals, could hit Indonesias tourism industry. We need to be calm, Xiao told reporters Tuesday. Dont overreact and cause a negative impact on investment and the economy. China is one of the biggest sources of investment and tourism revenue for most Southeast Asian nations, whose top officials had earlier shied away from imposing travel bans. Xiao said about 2 million Chinese tourists visit Indonesia last year, representing 13 percent of the Southeast Asian nations total tourist arrival for that period. We hope that Indonesia can be rational, he said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters on Sunday that visitors who have been in China for 14 days would be barred from entering or transiting the country. On Tuesday, Indonesia rejected East Timors request to quarantine its 17 citizens scheduled to be evacuated from Wuhan. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, vice governor of the island of Bali, earlier told reporters that the East Timor government had asked Jakarta to quarantine 17 students in Bali for up to three weeks when they land on the island. But Ketut Suarjaya, chief of the islands health office, said an official letter rejecting East Timors request had been sent through the Indonesian embassy in Dili. Philippines The Philippines, where the first recorded death outside China occurred over the weekend, has also imposed travel restrictions, banning the entry of all foreign nationals travelling from China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos on Monday not to engage in xenophobia, a day after his government reported the death of a Chinese man, who was already infected when he traveled to the Philippines in January. This mentioning the Chinese and blaming them is xenophobia, Duterte told reporters. Stop this xenophobia thing. He said that Chinese nationals flying in from outside China would be allowed to enter the Philippines, as health authorities said they were awaiting confirmation on whether 48 other patients currently under observation were infected. WHO has declared the flu-like illnesses that started in China late last year a global emergency, but experts say much is still unknown about the deadly virus, including its mortality rate. No new countries reported cases of 2019-nCoV in the 24 hours since the previous situation report, the WHO said in its latest Situation Report on Tuesday. Wilawan Watcharasakwet in Bangkok contributed to this report. Russian Constitutional Court clarifies employers rights when giving jobs to foreigners RAPSI 17:20 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) Russias Constitutional Court has explained that committing a foreign citizen to work not included in a contract, or different from that defined in a notification for the migration service, or to be performed at a different address cannot be qualified as an administrative offence, the courts fresh decision reads. The Court decision stems from a case, where an entrepreneur from the town of Cheboksary petitioned to clarify if certain provisions of the Administrative Offences Code, Labor Code, and the law on the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation answered the Constitution; the decision also takes into account earlier judicial practice. In 2019, the entrepreneur was fined 200,000 rubles (about $3,000 at the present exchange rate) for the fact that a foreign citizen employed by her as a driver, of what the migration service was duly notified, worked also part-time as a seller at her shop without such a notification. A lower court ruled that the migration service was to be informed about each job a foreign employee was given. Later, the ruling was upheld by a higher instance. The Constitutional Court explained that although the Labor Code prohibited requiring an employee to perform duties outside his or her labor contract, it did not preclude that an employee could be committed to do a work not in the contract on the paid basis with a written agreement on the part of such an employee. The same was true as concerned foreign citizens, the Court said, adding that the challenged legal provisions answered the Constitution as they did not oblige employers to inform regulatory authorities about any changes in labor contracts. The applicants case was to be retried, according to the Constitutional Court. Sen. Paul Uses Senate Floor Speech to Pose Question Blocked by Chief Justice Roberts Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Feb. 4 posed a question in the Senate that Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read out loud last week in the chamber during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. In his question, Paul named a former National Security Council official widely alleged to have been the whistleblower regarding a phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, which ultimately led to the presidents impeachment in the House. The president is expected to be acquitted on Feb. 5 by the Senate of the two charges brought by the House. According to Paul, the great irony of the impeachment trial has been that Democrats accused the president of using his governmental office to go after his political opponent, while they used the impeachment process to go after their political opponentPresident Trump. In fact, as you look at the way it unfolded, they admitted as much. As the impeachment proceedings unfolded, they said we didnt have time for witnesses, we had to get it done before Christmas because we wanted it done and ready to go for the election, Paul said. According to Paul, in his Senate speech, the attacks against Trump began six months before he was elected. Controversial Question In his speech, Paul used a visual display stating his earlier question that had been rejected by Roberts, who was serving as the presiding officer in the impeachment trial. The question read: Manager Schiff and Counsel for the President, are you aware that the House Intelligence Committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella when at the National Security Council together, and are you aware and how do you respond to reports that Ciaramella and Misko may have worked together to plot impeaching the President before there were formal House impeachment proceedings? Paul was widely criticized for allegedly outing the whistleblower in his question. Paul, however, said that his disallowed question didnt talk about anybody who was a whistleblower. It did not make a statement believing there was someone who was the whistleblower. I simply named two peoples names. Because I think its very important to know what happened, Paul said. The senator also questioned why he was unable to ask the question, as there had been no official confirmation of the whistleblowers identity and Pauls question didnt claim that Ciaramella was the whistleblower. Additionally, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the impeachment managers, who, along with President Trumps counsel, claimed not to know the identity of the whistleblower. At the same time, Paul noted that, based on his refusal to read his earlier question, it seemed apparent that Roberts did know who the whistleblower was. If he [Schiff] doesnt know who he [the whistleblower] is, if the presidents counsel doesnt know who he is, how does the chief justice of the United States know who the whistleblower is? I have no independent confirmation from anyone in government as to who the whistleblower is. So how am I prevented from asking the question when nobody seems to admit that they even know who this person is? he said. According to Paul, there are news reports saying these two people, one of them who works for Adam Schiff and one of them who worked with this person at the National Security Council, that they knew each other and had been overheard talking about impeaching the president in the first month of his officein January of 2017, they were already plotting the impeachment. So far, the allegations remain officially unconfirmed. Paul also questioned the use of the whistleblower statute in this particular case, noting that, if six people, who all worked together at the National Security Council, knew each other and gamed the systemknowing that they would get these protectionsthey gamed the system in order to try to bring down the president, we should know about that. If they had extreme bias going into the impeachment, we should know about that. I think the question is an important one and I think we should still get to the bottom of it. Were people plotting to bring down the president. According to Paul, Ciaramella and Misko also knew the Vindman brothers who were still in government. So youve got two Vindman brothers over there who know Eric Ciaramella, who also know Sean Misko, who also knew two other people working on Adam Schiffs staff. Alexander Vindman, who serves on the National Security Council, testified against Trump during the House impeachment proceedings. By having such protection, such overzealous protection, we dont get to the root of the matter of how this started, Paul said. Because this could happen again. When the institution of the bureaucracy, when the intelligence communitywith all the power to listen to every phone conversation you havehas political bias and can game the system to go after you, thats a real worry. FISA Spying Paul says the impeachment trial of President Trump is a culmination of a series of other failed events. Initially, the spying didnt work, the Mueller investigation didnt work, they went seamlessly into the impeachment, he said. For the first time, its not just American civil liberties that are being abused by our intelligence agencies, its an entire presidential campaign. this is why you want to limit power, Paul, a longtime critic of the FISA Court and government surveillance, noted. He also called out the surveillance warrants issued against Trump campaign adviser Carter Page by the FISA Court. We had something truly devastating to our republic happen. We had, for the first time in our history, a secret court decide to investigate a campaign. Paul noted that the FISA Court has subsequently admitted that they were lied to regarding those warrants, and stated that the FBI has now been proven to have lied 17 times. As previously reported, a declassified Jan. 7 order released by Presiding FISA Court Judge James Boasberg, revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has determined that two of the four FISA surveillance applications on Page were not valid. The FISA Court wrote that it had received notice of material misstatements and omissions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications made on Page, apparently with respect to the final two FISA renewals. The court also noted that the DOJ had made the assessment that regarding the two applications, there was insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that [Carter] Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power. Additionally, a Dec. 2019 report released by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz provides further support for Pauls claims by identifying at least 17 significant errors or omissions in the Page FISA applications, and many additional errors in the Woods Procedures. Horowitz noted that these errors and omissions resulted from case agents providing wrong or incomplete information to the OI (Office of Intelligence) and failing to flag important issues for discussion. The IG report highlighted the material failures of FBI leadershipnot only the operational team, but also of the managers and supervisors, including senior officials, in the chain of commandwith regard to the FISA warrant application on Page. Paul noted that we have half-a-dozen people at the top level of our intelligence community who have admitted to having extreme bias, and then mentioned some of the texts between former FBI Agent Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, including their infamous insurance policy text, which was sent on Aug. 15, 2016, and read: I want to believe the path you threw out in [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabes] office that theres no way he gets elected but Im afraid we cant take the risk. Its like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40. Paul said, You remember James Clapper, the one who came to the Senate, and when asked by Senator Wyden, Are you storing, are you gathering, information from Americans by the millions and storing it on government computers, James Clapper said no. He lied to Congress. Were now finding out that the FISA investigation was predicated upon 17 lies by the FBI, by people at high levels who were biased against the president. And it turns out it was an illegitimate investigation. Everything they did about investigating the president was untrue, and abused government to do something they never should have done in the first place. Paul says the FISA Court should be restricted from ever investigating campaigns, and noted that regular courts should be used insteadand only in extraordinary circumstances. The Senate's 53-47 vote on the second article of impeachment brought the proceedings to an end. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday acquitted President Donald Trump of both charges in his impeachment trial as it found him not guilty of obstructing Congress, as had been charged by the House of Representatives. In the second of two impeachment votes, the Republican-controlled Senate cleared the Republican president of Democrats' accusations that he obstructed Congress' investigation into whether he acted improperly in withholding U.S. security aid to Ukraine, Reuters said. The Senate's 53-47 vote on the second article of impeachment brought the proceedings to an end. Read alsoTrump lawyers: President did "absolutely nothing wrong" on Ukraine VOA The businessman-turned-politician, 73, survived only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history just like the two other impeached presidents in his turbulent presidency's darkest chapter. Trump now plunges into an election season that promises to further polarize the country. Trump was acquitted largely along party lines on two articles of impeachment approved by the Democratic-led House of Representatives on December 18, with the votes falling far short of the two-thirds majority required in the 100-seat Senate to remove him under the U.S. Constitution. The Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden, a contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 3 election, Reuters said. Republican Senator Mitt Romney joined the Democrats in voting to convict. No Democrat voted to acquit. WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told Democrats on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's State of the Union address was a "pack of lies" and she felt "very liberated" ripping up the pages of his speech on national television. The California Democrat, in a dramatic gesture after Trump finished speaking Tuesday evening, shredded a copy of his words while standing on the dais behind him. On Wednesday morning, a visibly irritated Pelosi told her colleagues in a closed-door meeting that she was looking for "one page I could spare that didn't have a lie on it" and couldn't find it - and she had no regrets about what she did. "He disrespected the chamber he was in . . . to use it as a backdrop for a reality show . . . to give a speech that had no connection with reality," she said. "It was a pack of lies . . . About a quarter through it I thought, 'You know - he's selling a bill of goods like a snake oil salesman.' We cannot let this - we cannot let this stand.' " Multiple Democratic officials in the room described her comments, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk frankly. Pelosi's clear frustration comes as Trump has experienced perhaps one of the best weeks of his presidency. He is the third president to be impeached and has been the subject of six months of intense scrutiny for pressuring Ukraine to help him politically, yet his approval ratings have risen to 49 percent in the latest Gallup Poll, his highest ever. The Republican-led Senate is poised to acquit him on two charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Meanwhile, Democrats were still scrambling after the chaotic Iowa caucuses Monday night, in which the party has been unable to declare a winner due to vote counting woes. The inconclusive outcome leaves Democrats with a jumbled mix of candidates and no clear front-runner to take on Trump in November. Trump turned his prime-time speech into something of a reality show. He gave out a scholarship to a young black student, he reunited an Afghanistan-based military sergeant with his wife and two small children, and he awarded conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump also used his address to take credit for the nation's economic success, criticize Democrats on immigration policies and claim that he will protect Americans with preexisting health conditions - a vow at direct odds with his effort to gut the Affordable Care Act, which includes the guarantee that patients can't be denied that coverage. The performance irritated Democrats, who have worked for more than a year to try to hold Trump accountable only to see his numbers rise in recent weeks. But Pelosi and her caucus were even more upset because Trump claimed some of their policies as his own, even though his administration has pursued the opposite. Pelosi complained to her colleagues, telling them "we saw the president of the United States shred the truth right in front of us." In fact, she reminded them, Trump is in court right now trying to end Obamacare, "he's taking away disability benefits from people on Social Security," and he's "dismantling Medicaid." "She, like all of us here, are genuinely horrified by the pack of lies that he unveiled last night," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said of Pelosi's anger. "I mean, he says he wants to protect people with preexisting conditions. He's been spending three years trying to take those protections away. . . . Look, we need to remind people what his record is, and the fact that he just is a pathological liar." Indeed, Pelosi's fury resonated with her members, who gave her a standing ovation. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., argued that the State of the Union was no venue for a "political campaign" and that the Limbaugh award was "nutty." "I don't think it was a planned moment," Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., said of Pelosi ripping up the pages, "but her instinct for where the caucus is at is unerring. It did capture the way people are feeling." The rising tensions between Pelosi and Trump come as House Democrats find themselves at a crossroads: Do they continue investigating a president they believe is trampling the Constitution, despite voter fatigue on probes and impeachment? Or do they slow their investigations and try to refocus their energy on policy issues that resonate with voters nine months before the election. Democrats often say they can do both - but they're also dogged by a reality that any Trump investigations overshadow everything else on Capitol Hill. Pelosi's leadership team has signaled a desire to focus on policy. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., used a weekly news conference to discuss a host of legislative proposals that have been stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate. And yet impeachment investigators also say they have a duty to keep digging on Trump, probing his financial interests, allegations that he used his office for self-enrichment and that he obstructed justice. As he left the caucus meeting Wednesday morning, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Democrats would likely subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton, who details in a forthcoming book that Trump told him he was leveraging military aid to Ukraine on investigations of his political rivals, the allegation at the heart of the House impeachment charges. Other Democrats, however, have cautioned that no decision has been made. Nadler argued to reporters that Democrats needed to continue investigating the Ukraine matter and the broader probe into the 2016 campaign despite the pending Senate acquittal. "I think when you have a lawless president, you have to bring that to the fore, you have to spotlight that," Nadler said. "You have to protect the Constitution, whatever the political consequences." Between investigating and legislating, Democrats appear genuinely torn. The Democratic split screen was on full display within 30 seconds of one another in a news conference Pelosi's lieutenants held after the morning caucus. "As far as I'm concerned, the shredder wasn't available and so she did what she needed to do," Jeffries said of her ripping apart Trump's speech. A few breaths later he pledged to keep working with the president. "We are going to work with President Trump whenever and wherever we can on behalf of the American people, but disagree when we must," he said, suggesting the president's values would "decimate the middle class." Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, is slated to continue negotiations with administration officials on financing a massive infrastructure bill later this week, but said Tuesday's speech roiled those waters. "I think that the State of the Union also ought to be a call to purpose, and last night I think that there were very few specifics, and in fact I thought that he walked back his commitment to infrastructure last night," he told reporters. Could he keep working with Trump on infrastructure? "I don't know," Neal said. "It'll be difficult, that's for sure." In a short span of five years, Ava Ashna Chopra has taken giant strides from being a wannabe, still adolescent upcoming model, to being the face of global sartorial brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein and Max Mara, to name just a few. The Singapore-based model of Indian origin, Chopra remains the first and only Southeast Asian model to grace the cover of LOfficiel in Europe and has also appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan Malaysia for their inaugural couples issue with Indonesian superstar Miller Khan. She graced the front cover of LOfficel Latvia in Europe and remained there for two successive months, turning heads globally, on the spread. The New York University graduate represents a new wave of talent coming from multi-ethnic backgrounds, who have managed to break into the elite band of international fashionwear. She has gone from walking the ramp for shows in as diverse places as the Middle East and Asia, to booking the couples release front cover of Cosmopolitan Malaysia with Indonesian star Miller Khan, to turning heads in the European market. Donning garments for Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Christian Louboutin and Max Mara among a couple of other luxury brands, the young supermodel has managed to mark her space on the ramp world. Chopra wants to inspire youth worldwide to achieve their dreams in the field of global fashion, irrespective of their geographical origins or backgrounds. She first arrived on the world stage with Reza Khan, nephew of superstar Feroz Khan at the IIFA awards, and followed that by being spotted at Soho House. However even back then in 2015, this young ramp walker was as sure footed as they come, as she had her own event management company to boot. Called Act for Hope, their inaugural event titled Camera, Catwalk and Canvas, brought under one roof the best names related to Indian showbiz and fashion. It raised awareness for the Concern India Foundation. The generous trust helps youngsters and women who are victims of abuse. During this period she dabbled in films too, as is evident from her participation in behind the scenes activities of films like Acceptance and Supreme Gentleman, directed by her childhood friend Ryan Matthew Chan. Rumour mills are agog that Chopra may be involved with co-production agreements between Los Angeles and Asia through Iskandar Malaysia Studios. An avid wildlife supporter who patronises WildAid , Chopra has been creating awareness among buyers, asking them not to buy products unlawfully obtained by exploiting wildlife. A recent campaign she stood up for was about bringing awareness about consumption of shark fin soup. Discouraging the consumption of the delicacy, quite popular in South east Asia, the campaign was specially aimed at making people of that region aware about cruelty to sharks. The well known face in the region, she used her popularity to the hilt, to nail the message among people. Chopra is known for her effervescent style and likes to embody the characters she loves on the big screen when it comes to fashion. She has been quoted on Tatler saying, Movies are such a significant inspiration for me. Ill watch a film and my style will take after the character that Im focused on! If I watched Breakfast at Tiffanys, all Id wear for the coming week are little black dresses and pearl necklaces. The fashionista has been seen wearing the latest designs of Off-White, Christian Louboutin and Dolce and Gabbana and likes to play with what she wears and switch things up as a way of self expression. But behind the glamourous facade, there is a determined individual, who shows us that any young person, from any part of the globe can succeed in their field of choice if they give it their all. Disclaimer: This is a company press release. No HT journalist was involved in the creation of this content. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Nano One Materials Corp., (TSXV: NNO) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) (FSE: LBMB) today announced that it is increasing the size of its non-brokered private placement previously announced on January 30, 2020, by up to an additional $5,000,000 to a total of up to $10,000,000. The financing will now consist of a total of up to 8,695,652 units (the "Units") at a price of $1.15 per Unit for total gross proceeds of up to $10,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share at a price of $1.60 for a period of 36 months from the closing date. The proceeds of this private placement will be used for corporate development, facilities expansion, technology advancement, and general working capital. In connection with the private placement, the Company may pay finder's fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The shares issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of closing of the private placement. Closing of the private placement is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Nano One Materials Corp. Dan Blondal, CEO For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 420-2041 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca. About Nano One Nano One Materials Corp has developed patented technology for the low-cost production of high performance lithium ion battery cathode materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage and consumer electronics. The processing technology enables lower cost feedstocks, simplifies production and advances performance for a wide range of cathode materials. Nano One has built a demonstration pilot plant and is partnering with global leaders in the lithium ion battery supply chain, including Pulead, Volkswagen and Saint-Gobain to advance its lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNM) cathode technologies for large growth opportunities in e-mobility and renewable energy storage applications. Nano One's pilot and partnership activities are being funded with the assistance and support of the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Automotive Supplier Innovation Program (ASIP) a program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Nano One also receives financial support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of battery materials. www.nanoone.ca Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements related to the private placement, the use of proceeds, size and pricing of the private placement, payment of finder's fees, receipt of requisite corporate and regulatory approvals and statements related to financial contributions from SDTC. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation,: the Company's failure to find suitable purchasers for the private placement, the Company's failure to receive all necessary regulatory approvals and management's discretion to reallocate the use of proceeds. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE THIS NEWS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES AND THE COMPANY IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52153 Downing Street is facing calls for an inquiry after political journalists walked out of a briefing on Boris Johnsons Brexit plans in protest at an attempt to exclude colleagues from rival titles. Labour have accused No 10 of adopting Trump-like tactics in a bid to stifle critical coverage. But Downing Street insists there is nothing unusual about choosing to brief particular journalists on particular occasions. A coalition of strategic industry leaders including Cardinal Health, Novartis Pharma AG, and Kite, a Gilead Company (Gilead Sciences, Inc.) joins the companys existing investor syndicate to accelerate commercial reach and new product innovation. Driven by an industry-leading team, Vineti offers an enterprise software platform that orchestrates the scale-up and wide distribution of transformative, personalized therapies for cancer and other serious diseases, from clinical to commercial phases. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vineti, Inc., the leading digital platform of record for personalized therapeutics, today announced the closing of a $35 million Series C investment to support further enhancement of the companys automation and analytics offering, new software product development, and global commercial expansion. The financing is led by Cardinal Health, with participation from Novartis Pharma AG and Kite, a Gilead Company (Gilead Sciences, Inc.), as well as existing Vineti investors Canaan Partners, Threshold Ventures (formerly DFJ), Section 32, LifeForce Capital, Casdin Capital, and Hive Ventures, along with other undisclosed entities. A representative of Cardinal Health will join Vinetis Board of Directors, and representatives of Novartis and Kite will join as board observers. The new capital will be used to further expand Vinetis platform which is the only platform of record currently enabling both clinical and commercial personalized therapeutics, such as CAR T and allogeneic cell therapies into other high-value, high-complexity therapeutic supply chains. The funding will also support Vinetis continued expansion in Europe and Asia-Pacific, providing a global solution to industrialize personalized therapies in clinical through to commercial stage. Vinetis coalition of new investors demonstrates the industrys collective support for scaling the enabling infrastructure required to bring transformative personalized therapies to patients world-wide, as well as recognition that the latest wave of personalized therapeutics requires built-for-purpose platforms and tools to ensure safety, access and cost-effectiveness at scale. Vineti has emerged as the platform and partner of choice in these rapidly expanding markets. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration anticipates that it will approve 10 to 20 advanced therapies a year beginning in 2025. The agency also expects to receive up to 200 clinical trial applications for cell and gene therapies per year, starting now. The more than 1,050 advanced therapy clinical trials now underway worldwide could enroll almost 60,000 patients , according to the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. Those of us with experience in personalized therapeutics understand that innovative technology is required to support breakthrough science, said Joe DePinto, President of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. Mr. DePinto, a veteran of the cell and gene therapy industry, will join Vinetis Board of Directors. Cardinal Health has led the industry in partnering with manufacturers to bring cell and gene therapies to market. Our investment in Vineti reflects our continued commitment to targeted medicine and our excitement about collaborating with other industry leaders to support the growth of this exciting field. Through their investments in Vineti, Novartis Pharma AG and Kite, a Gilead Company (Gilead Sciences, Inc.) will also be supporting the growth of enabling technology critical for the broad industrialization of personalized therapeutics. We are excited to partner with Vineti on its journey to provide the essential technology infrastructure required to scale personalized therapies, said Neil Tiwari, Managing Director of dRx Capital & CDO Venture Capital, a Novartis investment vehicle. This requires enterprise-grade solutions that work broadly across the industry as a whole. A successful platform is one that engages all stakeholders: innovators, manufacturers, regulators, clinicians and payers, as Vineti is designed to do. Kite is committed to continuous innovation in platform services and logistics support to improve the cell therapy experience for patients and healthcare professionals, said Charles Calderaro, Global Head of Technical Operations at Kite. We are proud to have played a foundational role as Vineti's first biopharma partner as we prepared for the launch of our first CAR T cell therapy and, looking forward, we are equally pleased to support Vineti through this venture investment as it continues to develop enabling software and systems that aid in the commercialization of cell therapies with potential to benefit patients. The Vineti software platform is built to move transformative new personalized therapies into mainstream medicine at scale while safeguarding patient safety and regulatory compliance, enabling standardization, and reducing COGS. The platform connects healthcare providers, suppliers, and biopharmaceutical pioneers in a powerful digital network with real-time access to data. Vinetis cloud-based, fully configurable platform acts as the flexible and transparent smart plumbing across the value chain to assure Chain of Identity and Chain of Custody within the most complex supply chain, logistics, reimbursement, and patient-monitoring workflows in the history of biologics. The platform will support clinicians and patients in hundreds of leading medical centers world-wide in 2020. We have entered the critical window as an industry to define the standards that will ensure continued growth, said Amy DuRoss, CEO and Co-Founder at Vineti, Vineti was built for purpose to serve pioneers in personalized medicine who share this same commitment to industrialization and to redefining what is possible in the next wave of therapeutics. We are humbled and honored to grow Vinetis leadership with such a world-class syndicate of partners aligned on our shared vision for industrializing personalized medicine. The Vineti platform is available directly from Vineti. Biopharmaceutical developers, potential technology partners, patients, and clinicians can learn more at www.vineti.com . About Vineti Vineti is the first commercial, configurable cloud-based platform to expand patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies. Vineti was co-founded by GE and the Mayo Clinic to solve the key challenges that patients, medical providers, biopharmaceutical companies and regulators face in the delivery and commercialization of individualized therapies. Now a fully independent company, Vineti offers a digital platform of record to integrate logistics, manufacturing and clinical data for personalized therapies. The Vineti software solution aligns and orchestrates the cell and gene therapy process and improves product performance overall. The Vineti platform supports the full continuum of patient-specific therapies, including cancer vaccines and autologous and allogeneic therapies. The platform can also be harnessed for drug products requiring companion diagnostics or REMS programs. Vineti is currently serving patients, healthcare providers, and researchers in hundreds of leading medical centers and manufacturing centers world-wide, on behalf of a growing number of biopharmaceutical partners. In 2019, the World Economic Forum honored Vineti as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Vineti is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in Bethesda, Maryland and Yerevan, Armenia. For more information, please visit http://vineti.com . Media Contact: SPRINGFIELD Developer Gordon Pulsifer and his First Resource Development Co. will draw up more detailed plans for the historic Knox building now that theyre one step closer to owning it. The Springfield City Council passed Monday night a final vote selling the city-owned portion of the property and an adjacent Springfield Redevelopment Authority-owned vacant lot for $11,000. Now we start working on it, Pulsifer said Tuesday. Drawing plans. Well have engineers, structural engineers, site engineers working on how we are going to lay out the property. Weve already started that. We have some preliminary drawings, concepts. But those are the steps: take over the property, lay it out, unveil a final plan. First Resource Development plans to spend $57 million to create 114 apartments at the Knox building at 53 Wilbraham Road. Fifty-four of the apartments would go in the front portion of the 66,000-square-foot former automobile factory, which the city took for back taxes in 2009. First Resource has a purchase and sale agreement in place to buy an adjacent portion of the Knox building thats in private hands. "It's going to look brand new, that's what it's going to look like," Pulsifer said. - Gordon Pulsifer, president of First Resource Development Co. , explains his vision for the Knox building Monday at a meeting of the Springfield City Council in City Hall. He plans to build 114 apartments in a $57 million project. (Jim Kinney/ The Republican) The purchase from the city still needs to go through the closing process, said Brian Connors, deputy director of economic development. That process generally takes 30 to 60 days. Pulsifer and his colleagues will also come back to the City Council for a special use permit based on the number of apartments planned. Pulsifer said Tuesday that the application for a special use permit could be ready a few months from now. In July, hell be ready to go out and start applying for funding. Construction could begin in two years and be completed a year after that, in 2023. Pulsifer has a vision for the whole neighborhood, from the old Indian Motocycle factory and former Mason Square fire station, where First Resource in July will finish a $35 million, 60-unit apartment project, to the former Massachusetts Career Development Institute, which burned in a 2017 arson fire. The city owns the MCDI site. Immediate plans dont include a separate part of the old Knox building owned and occupied by Luster-On Products, 54 Waltham Ave., a manufacturer of metal surface preparation and finishing systems. A portion of the roof has collapsed at the long-vacant Knox building at Wilbraham and Waltham streets in Springfield's Mason Square. First Resource Development Co. has plans for a $57 million, 114-apartment rehab of the property. (Patrick Johnson / The Republican)Patrick Johnson Pulsifer said he will finance the Knox apartments through state and federal low-income housing tax credits, state and federal historic preservation tax credits, and permanent debt with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. Under those financing programs, some of the units will have their rents restricted as low as $500 or $600 a month. On the rest of the apartments, a restriction under the tax credits will limit rents to $1,000 to $1,200 a month. Thats the upper limit of what the market in Springfield will bear anyway, Pulsifer said. The funding programs also bring with them additional federal Section 8 housing vouchers that wouldn't otherwise be available in the city. "I know that's a help to the community," he said. "I know they run out of vouchers." First Resource has waiting lists for all its apartment buildings, he said. There is tremendous demand, he said. The Knox building is a tangible reminder of Springfields days as a center of the automobile industry, before Henry Ford and others made Michigan the hub of car production. Knox built cars, trucks, fire trucks and farm tractors from 1900-24 and shared talent and resources with the longer-lived Indian Motocycle next door. The Knox factory was built in stages from 1900-10 and once featured its own internal railroad line. The city has tried repeatedly to find a developer to rehab the long-vacant landmark. First Resource Development, based in Hanover, owns 80 residential buildings in Springfield, including the Outing Park complex in the South End. City councilors on Monday praised the work Pulsifer and First Resource does managing its other properties. We know the rep of First Resource and what theyve done, said Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez. Best of luck, you have my support. Morocco's military takes delivery of 3 Israeli-made Heron reconnaissance drones: Report Iran Press TV Tuesday, 04 February 2020 6:10 PM The Moroccan military has reportedly received three Israeli-made and long-endurance Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the Northern African country maintains informal but close intelligence ties with the Tel Aviv regime. The French website Intelligence Online reported that the drones, worth some $48 million, were sold to the Arab nation via France. The report added that Morocco received the UAVs, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, via French defense company Dassualt, which markets Heron drones under the brand name "EADS Harfang" on January 26 a long delay after their purchase back in 2014. The website said Morocco took delivery of the drones after they were decommissioned from the French military, which used them for surveillance operations in Afghanistan. The Moroccan military plans to deploy the UAVs to monitor terror groups in the southern part of the country and the Western Sahara area. Back on February 19, 2019, Morocco's Justice and Development Party condemned attempts by a number of Arab states and Persian Gulf kingdoms to normalize diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime. "The people who normalize relations with the Zionist entity are dwarfs controlled by America and the Zionist entity. They cannot escape their destiny in the dustbin of history," Naziha Maarij, a leader of the Islamic party, said in an exclusive interview with the Palestinian Arabic-language Shehab news agency at the time. "The people of Morocco have a neighborhood in occupied [Jerusalem] al-Quds, which they will not abandon. It is a neighborhood that has included Moroccan religious scholars, mosques, and ancient history," she added. The Moroccan politician further noted, "Normalization with the usurping Israeli Occupation amounts to a haram (religiously forbidden) act, because it amounts to conspiracy against the fighters who have offered everything to guard our faith and our sanctities." The comments came after a report published by Israeli Channel 13 television network said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a "secret meeting" with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita last September. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The growth of co-working spaces is helping use up surplus office space but Perth still rates as the worst capital city in the nation for vacancies, a new report by the Property Council has revealed. The Perth CBD office vacancy rate fell to 17.6 per cent in January 2020, down from 18.4 per cent six months ago. WeWork opened two office spaces in Perth last year. It was the sixth consecutive fall in vacancy, measured every six months, but the citys rate still sits well above the Australian average of 8.3 per cent. In the past six months, 32,738 square metres of office space was leased, most of that coming from the higher end of the market. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 20 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Feb. 5, Trend reports. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz [February 05, 2020] OneCity Health Partners With NowPow to Address Food and Housing Insecurity Among NYC Health + Hospitals' Patients OneCity Health, the NYC Health + Hospitals Performing Provider System under New York State's Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, today announced the launch of two new programs to address food and housing insecurities among patients of the City's public health system. The Food and Nutrition Service Networks and Housing Navigation Network will connect patients to available services that are traditionally fragmented and difficult to navigate. Three lead community-based organizations (CBOs), BronxWorks, Public Health Solutions (PHS) and RiseBoro, will be awarded a total of $4.3 million to organize a network of 26 smaller CBOs to assist with outreach and referrals to available services, such as Safe Haven beds and eviction prevention services for those facing housing insecurities, and food pantries and SNAP enrollment for those facing nutrition challenges. The contracts will run through December 2020. "OneCity Health is bringing health centers and community partners together to provide services that can address whole-person care as part of our ongoing effort to transform the health care delivery system under DSRIP," said CEO of OneCity Health and Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals Israel Rocha. "By helping patients access and more easily navigate resources like affordable foods or housing, we can create a seamless experience for patients to address both their clinical and social needs. A critical part of the DSRIP program has been building the underlying infrastructure that can facilitate these connections and get patients to the right resources. We are excited to partner with NowPow who will provide the referral platform for these programs." A housing and/or food navigator from one of the 26 CBOs will be stationed in all 11 NYC Health + Hospitals acute-care facilities and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Belvis and Morissiana, where they will receive patient referrals from on-site social workers and clinical teams. The patients will be screened to assess for housing instability, food insecurity, and other social service needs. Navigators will use a standard form to determine a patient's need. Utilizing NowPow, a social service directory and referral platform, navigators will check for eligibility and then match and connect patients with the community resources that can best meet their identified needs. NowPow allows the navigator to identify these community resources. The housing and food navigators will also have information tables set up at the facilities where patients can self-refer. "It's exciting to expand our partnership with OneCity Health and NYC Health + Hospitals to support new innovative programs that will immediately impact many New Yorkers and continue to gather knowledge about community referral outcomes to inform future investments and policies," said Rachel Kohler (News - Alert), CEO, NowPow. "We are proud to see our platform being used to bring communities together to foster stronger collaborations and better care." To learn more about the lead CBOs that were awarded funding by OneCity Health, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/pressrelease/onecity-health-awards-community-partners-4-3m-to-address-food-and-housing-insecurities/. Approximately 5,500 New Yorkers will be connected to food and nutrition services, while an additional 420 will receive assistance accessing housing services through these partnerships. The NowPow web-based social directory will help navigators search for services that meet the cultural and linguistic needs of NYC Health + Hospitals' patients referred for housing and/or nutrition support services. Through NowPow's tracking and evaluation functions, navigators will know if their client received the service and follow up appropriately depending on the circumstance. Recognizing that a lack of access to healthy, affordable food and stable housing is a key driver of poor health outcomes, OneCity Health has focused on connecting NYC Health + Hospitals patients to social services that address these needs. Disruptions in food availability are associated with poor health outcomes and increased health care utilization. Housing homeless people has consistently been shown to improve health outcomes, including reducing psychological distress, substance use complications, and intimate partner violence. Recent implementation of PHS' FNS Bundle model through OneCity Health's Innovation Fund in the Bronx resulted in 871 families being registered for food and nutrition programs, with nearly 60 percent of participants screened being enrolled in one or more food and nutrition services. The proportion of families in need of emergency food resources who were able to access such resources rose from six percent to 56 percent. According to the New York City Neighborhood Atlas, approximately 5.3 million New York City residents are housing insecure. Food Bank NYC estimates that more than 1.2 million New York City residents are food insecure. About NowPow NowPow enables whole person care across whole communities. NowPow's personalized community referrals make it easy to connect people to just the right community resources so everyone can stay well, meet basic needs, manage with illness and care for others. NowPow's multi-sided referral platform powers caring for people across all of life's ages and stages and across networks of all sizes and sectors. NowPow's unique population health solution also provides deep community resource and referral insights to support process improvement, network health and quality, and care access and experience. Find more information at www.NowPow.com. About OneCity Health OneCity Health is the NYC Health + Hospitals-sponsored Performing Provider System (PPS), formed under the auspices of the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program. Comprising hundreds of healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and health systems, OneCity Health is the largest PPS in New York State. About NYC Health + Hospitals NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook (News - Alert) at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter (News - Alert) at @NYCHealthSystem. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005762/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Researchers created an algorithm that successfully predicted consumer purchases. The algorithm made use of data from the consumers' daily activity on social media. Brands could use this to analyze potential customers. The researchers' method combines powerful statistical modeling techniques with machine learning-based image recognition. Associate Professor Toshihiko Yamasaki and his team from the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo explore new and interesting ways to make use of data such as social media data. Some applications they develop are useful for entities like companies to improve their effectiveness in different ways, but in particular in how they reach and influence potential customers. "I posed two questions to my team: 'Is it possible to calculate the similarity between different brands based on the way customers engage with them on social media?' And, 'If so, can brands use this information to improve the way they market themselves?'" said Yamasaki. "And with some time, effort and patience, they came back with a simple but confident answer: 'Yes!'" But the way their team deduced this was anything but simple. The computational analysis of social media data is often called mining, as the term suggests it is a monumental and laborious task. For this reason, researchers in this field make use of various computational tools to analyze social media in ways that human beings cannot. "In the past, many companies improved their marketing strategies with the use of customer surveys and projections based on their sales data," explained lead researcher Yiwei Zhang. "However, these are time-consuming and imprecise. Now we have access to and expertise in tools such as machine learning and complex statistical analysis." The team began its work by gathering publicly available social media data from followers of selected brands. They used proven image recognition and machine-learning methods to analyze and categorize photos and hashtags relating to the brands' followers. This revealed patterns of behavior of consumers towards different brands. These patterns meant the researchers could calculate the similarity between different or even unrelated brands. "We evaluated our proposed algorithm against purchase history and questionnaires, which are still useful to provide context to purchase information," continued Zhang. "The experimental results show that credit card or point card companies could predict customers' past purchasing behavior well. Our algorithm could accurately predict customers' willingness to try new brands." This research could be extremely useful for new promotions of brands that make use of social media networks. It could also be used by shopping centers and malls to plan which stores they include or for stores themselves to choose which brands to stock. And the research could even help match brands with suitable social media influencers to help better advertise their products. "To visualize what has not been visible before is always very interesting," concluded Yamasaki. "People might say that professionals already 'see' these kinds of patterns, but being able to show the similarity between brands numerically and objectively is a new innovation. Our algorithm is demonstrably more effective than judging these things based on intuition alone." ### DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has expressed support for the temporary closure of Baguio-based Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to visitors and outsiders amid the threat of 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). "The DND supports the decision of the Philippine Military Academy to temporarily close its grounds to visitors and outsiders in light of the 2019-nCoV situation, Lorenzana said in a message to reporters Tuesday evening. This is in step with the decision of the city mayor of Baguio, the Honorable Benjamin Magalong, who imposed a mandatory city-wide lockdown for tourists and visitors," he added. At the Philippine National Police (PNP) Academy in Silang, Cavite, the PNP has also suspended visitations. All personnel entering the camp are also required to wear face masks. "They are also subjected to temperature check at the gate before allowed entry," PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac said. Lorenzana said the PMA leaderships decision is prudent as they deemed it necessary in order to avoid situations where the health and safety of the cadets, PMA alumni and their families would be compromised. The academy earlier said it is temporarily closing its grounds in Baguio City to visitors. However, it added that cadets' parents and relatives may visit with the supervision of PMA health practitioners. Lorenzana also suggested the postponement of the annual PMA alumni homecoming which was scheduled on February 15. "Unless the city mayor reverses his decision before February 14, then I suggest that the PMA homecoming be moved to a more auspicious date in the future," he said. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, who is also a PMA alumni, seconded Lorenzanas suggestion. "The (nCoV) threat has not been contained yet and we have to exercise on the side of caution or prudence," he said. "It's the call of the mayor and PMA superintendent and I support their positions. The three-week suspension is enough as it complies/satisfies with the incubation period. If ever the Alumni Homecoming is postponed, its the (PMA Alumni Association) and PMA who shall determine the new date," he added. (SunStar Philippines) Arrangement will enable the UK's largest private hire taxi company to accelerate growth plans VEEZU has today announced an exciting new finance facility with Santander and Tosca Debt Capital to enable it to further grow its positioning as the UK's largest multi-region private hire taxi company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005313/en/ Nathan Bowles (Photo: Business Wire) The arrangement will fully refinance Veezu's capital structure to enable it to bolster its market-leading positioning. Veezu, which was founded in 2013, operated with more than 4650 active driver-partners during 2019, delivering more than 13 million private hire journeys per year, equating to an overall transaction value in excess of 120million. This performance places Veezu as the largest PHV taxi company in the UK. On completion of the refinance, Veezu also confirmed the appointment of Alan Peterson OBE as Chairman to further support the company's growth plans. Mr Peterson, who is currently non-executive chairman of HSS Hire Group and BBI Diagnostics Group has been involved in a number of public and private businesses in the UK, Europe and North America over the past 25 years. Chair or CEO roles have included those at Pattonair Aerospace, Enterprise Group, Azelis Holding SA, Refresco BV, Rockware Group and Meyer International PLC. Nathan Bowles, CEO at Veezu, said: "We are grateful to Santander, Gambit Corporate Finance, Tosca Debt Capital and Osborne Clarke for the time they have taken to understand our business and the belief they have shown in our growth strategy. This latest refinance supports our ambition to grow our presence in our existing operating regions and to broaden our position as the UK's number one hyperlocal journey provider. We were also very pleased that Alan Peterson decided to commit to the Veezu business having worked with us over the past 12 months. Alan's experience and direction has been invaluable over the past 12 months, the management team here at Veezu are looking forward to working closer with him to deliver the vision we have set for 2020 and beyond. Peter Abel, Director of Growth Capital at Santander UK, has supported Veezu in this latest aspect of the company'scontinued drive for expansion and said: "Veezu has established a loyal customer base in the UK thanks to a series of successful acquisitions and organic growth over the last decade. We have worked with Veezu for five years and have seen the company increase its profitability tenfold over that period capitalising on technological advancements and improving its range of customer services. This funding will further support this trajectory and increase the presence of Veezu in new regions across the UK as well as its existing South Wales, South West, West Midlands and Leeds areas." Gambit Corporate Finance LLP acted as lead advisors on the transaction. Gambit were responsible for initiating the transaction, negotiating terms with Veezu's exiting shareholders and advising Veezu on raising its facilities from Santander and Tosca Debt Capital. Jason Evans, Partner, Debt Advisory at Gambit, worked alongside Partner, M&A, Geraint Rowe, Manager Sam Forman and Director Simon Marsden. Mr Evans said: "Veezu has a best-in-class management team which, under Nathan's strategic leadership, has delivered an exemplary growth track record and is a true market-leader in its sector. "Veezu is recognised as the predominant independent consolidator in the UK private hire vehicle market and we are delighted to have acted on the refinancing in what is an exciting and evolving sector. "Our extensive knowledge of the funder market has delivered a tailor-made debt solution enabling a reorganisation of Veezu's shareholder base and providing the financial backing for the next stage of its strategic growth, converting its significant acquisition pipeline." Oliver Reece, Investment Director at Tosca Debt Capital, commented: "We are delighted to partner with Veezu for the next phase of its growth. Nathan and the team have a clear vision for the future and are well-placed to capitalise on a number of exciting opportunities to take the business to the next level." Osborne Clarke LLP acted as legal advisors in the agreement, dealing with banking documentation and shareholder arrangements. Osborne Clarke partner Al Livingstone; Partner Simon Spooner; Associate Director Chris Yeo and Associate Hannah Stevens formed a corporate team to partner with Partner Michael Carter; Senior Associate in Incentives Rhiannon Jones, Partner Tom Bussy and Senior Associate Tom Berisford from Osborne Clarke LLP's Banking side. Mr Livingstone said: "We were delighted to support Nathan and the company on this refinancing which allows the business to move forward with the next stage of its expansion." Mr Bowles concluded: "Veezu will continue to provide unrivalled customer experience to passengers through significant investments in technological advancements and best-in-class service which will also provide additional opportunities and benefits for our driver-partners to maximise their earning potential. "We have built a reputation for attracting the best talent and investing in our office and hub employees to co-ordinate the delivery of millions of journeys while keeping the towns and cities in which we operate, moving safely and efficiently. Compliance and safety have and always will remain front and centre for us and this will remain the case." Ends About Veezu Veezu is the UK's largest multi-region taxi and private hire company with more than 4650 active driver-partners. The company is currently operating in 12 locations across the UK. Veezu has four major service hubs throughout the UK, each operating under established local brands A2B Radio Cars in the West Midlands, Amber Cars in Leeds, Dragon Taxis in South Wales and V Cars in the South West. The business was founded in 2013 and now delivers more than 13 million private hire journeys per year, equating to an overall transaction value of 120million The company has also made sustainability part of their business plan, investing more than 1.5million in low emission cars. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005313/en/ Contacts: Lydia Lambert llambert@effcom.co.uk 02920 838 315 Alastair Milburn amilburn@effcom.co.uk 07813 857328 Lake Geneva Scouts BSA Troop 239 is sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church and meets Tuesday evenings. During the warmer months, the Troop meets at a local outdoor conservancy with more than 240 acres of beautiful Wisconsin land to explore and utilize. During the colder months, the Troop meets at Immanuel Lutheran Church. In 2019, Troop 239 had five scouts reach the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Troop 239 is active in the community. Some of the more recent community involvement projects include a traditional flag retirement ceremony at Trinity Lutheran Church, where the Troop honored Veterans while retiring flags. The Troop participates in Lake Geneva Winterfest by cleaning the Riviera and selling their amazing fresh, hot apple cider donuts, deep fried Oreo and other snacks. Similarly, the Troop participates in Lake Genevas Art in the Park and Oktoberfest. Over the summer, the Troop participated in a Thrivent sponsored Day of Generosity, where area parks were cleaned up. Each year, Troop 239 attends summer camp, in 2019, they visited Canyon Camp in Stockton, Illinois. They also visited Northern Tier, a high adventure canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters. In 2020, the Troop is headed to Philmont Scout Ranch for a two week high adventure backpacking trip, as well as going to Ed Bryant Scout Reservation in Mauston for summer camp. Coming up on April 4th, the Troop is hosting its second Annual Bunny Trail 5K run/walk fundraiser. Visit http://bunnytrail5k.com for registration and details. COLUMBUS, OhioOhios foster-care system should do more to recruit caregivers, give foster parents more of a say in whether children should stay in their care, and create state registries for foster-care services and children who need to be adopted, according to initial findings from a task force created by Gov. Mike DeWine. The 20-page report, which was released Wednesday after the task force held 10 hearings around the state, also stated that the panel heard recommendations to, among other things, create an ombudsman to oversee caseworkers, do more to prevent kids from entering the foster system in the first place, and offer more legal and financial help to kinship caregivers (extended family members or close family friends who take in children). Task force members also heard about a need for two statewide registries -- one listing children eligible for adoption, and another offering information on various services that potential adoptive or foster-care parents need during the screening process, such as nearby home inspectors. Both would be unrelated to state records allowing adoptees to request their original birth certificates. In its initial findings, the task force zeroed in on seven core action areas: prevention, workforce issues, casework practice, kinship care, foster care, adoption, and the justice system. Some of the feedback the task force received was contradictory: for example, some advised the panel to give kinship caregivers preference when officials decide where to place a child, while others recommended not giving them preference. DeWine, speaking with reporters Tuesday, highlighted two specific aspects of improving foster care: giving caseworkers more training and less overwhelming caseloads, and elevating the status of foster parents so that theyre treated equally with extended family members when its being decided where a child should be placed. The most important thing is always the best interests of the child, the governor said during the Associated Press annual legislative preview forum in Columbus. And so, that focus on the child is something that you'll see in this report. The Childrens Services Transformation Advisory Council plans to continue collecting feedback until it issues its final recommendations to the governor in May, according to Wednesdays report. During his first year in office, DeWine has frequently convened advisory panels like this one on a number of issues, using their recommendations to make policy changes or to push state lawmakers to pass legislation. DeWine created the task force last November to examine what the governor called a foster-care crisis in Ohio. There are currently about 16,000 foster children in Ohio, up from 12,000 in 2013 an increase thats due in large part to opioid-addicted parents. The task force initially scheduled seven hearings in various areas of the state. However, they added three additional meetings in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati after hearing criticism that the panel wasnt visiting Ohios largest population centers. Last year, the governor successfully pushed state lawmakers to boost state childrens services funding by a record $220 million in the current two-year budget. However, DeWine said Tuesday that he will seek even more money, as well as recommend new legislation to the Ohio General Assembly regarding foster care. We simply have to do more, he said. Heres the full report about the task forces initial findings: Read more politics stories: Proposed $13 minimum wage ballot issue clears Ohio panel, can begin collecting signatures Rep. Tim Ryan walked out of Trumps State of the Union speech, calling it fake like professional wrestling Ohios U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman defend upcoming impeachment votes (videos) Top Ohio House Democrat blasts male legislative leaders for differing treatment of bills addressing sexual assault Kimberly police officer Nick ORear was fatally shot Tuesday night during a pursuit on Interstate 65 South, according to authorities. ORear, 33, was a father of two with a third child on the way and had been a Kimberly police officer for a year or less. Everybody loved him, Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock said. He was a tremendous asset to our community. ORear was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday morning. His death marks the first time a Kimberly police officer has ever been killed in the line of duty. "You have a life taken away for no reason,'' the mayor said. It is senseless. It is sad. The death of the Kimberly officer is the first law enforcement line of duty death in Alabama in 2020. Statewide, six police officers were shot to death in the line of duty in 2019. A Monroe County deputy also died in 2019 when he lost control of his patrol vehicle and hit a tree. ORear began his law enforcement career at the Ashville Police Department before joining Kimberly roughly a year ago. He had recently trained to be K9 handler and was partnered with Stella, a drug-sniffing dog. "He was a very good person, a very good officer,'' said Warrior Police Chief Ray Horn. In fact, we tried to hire him away from Kimberly. That goes on a lot here we all work really close together. It was one of Horns officers who initially tried to pull over the suspect, which launched the pursuit. ORear quickly responded to help. "He was always the first one to jump up on the interstate to help,'' Horn said. Asked about the welfare of his own officer after the Tuesday-night ordeal, Horn said, Hes having a hard time with it. He was very close to losing his life also. Were live in Kimberly, Alabama for a press conference about the incident that left a Kimberly police officer fatally shot Tuesday night. Posted by al.com on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Gov. Kay Ivey has spoken with the officers parents, her office said Wednesday morning. I am profoundly grieved to hear of the passing of the Kimberly Police Officer who was shot in the line of duty last night. The safety of our citizens and the rule of law is forefront on the minds of our officers who willingly risk their lives on behalf of ours. His sacrifice will never be forgotten," Ivey said. Four people were taken into custody in connection to the shooting. Only one of the four - Preston Johnson, 37 - has been charged in ORears death. Johnson faces capital murder charges because the victim was a law enforcement officer and because the shots were allegedly fired from inside a vehicle and into another vehicle, said Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr. Johnson also faces a charge of attempted murder of a Warrior police officer and firing a gun into that officers vehicle. The other three detained are not likely to be charged, authorities said, because they picked Johnson after he wrecked the car police said was used during ORears shooting. The handcuffs used to arrest Johnson belonged to Walker County sheriffs Sgt. Kevin Emberg. On Wednesday, Emberg asked Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith to officially retire those handcuffs. His request was accompanied by a photo of the handcuffs with the suspects name and the officers official date of death handwritten on them. The handcuffs used to arrest Johnson belonged to Walker County sheriffs Sgt. Kevin Emberg. On Wednesday, Emberg asked Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith to officially retire those handcuffs. His request was accompanied by a photo of the handcuffs with the suspects name and the officers official date of death handwritten on them. (Walker County Sheriff's Office) Johnson was booked into the Jefferson County jail on a charge of capital murder of a police officer at 5:39 Wednesday morning, according to the jail booking log. Johnson is being held without bond, the jail log states. The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday when Warrior police attempted to stop a vehicle. When the vehicle would not stop, Kimberly police joined the chase. Authorities said the Kimberly officer got in front of the suspects vehicle and thats when shots were fired. A Warrior resident who lives near the shooting scene said she heard 10 to 12 shots in rapid succession. ORear was struck while driving and crashed his cruiser a short distance away. He was rushed by Warrior firefighters to UAB Hospital with a large police escort. Family members of slain Kimberly police officer are here for press conference that is about to begin pic.twitter.com/RsOuVc42OO carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) February 5, 2020 Warrior police Lt. Corey Archer said a suspect and three other individuals were taken into custody on U.S. 78 near Dora. Jefferson County deputies, Adamsville and Sumiton police were among those at the arrest site. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Shortly after 1 a.m., before the four were detained on U.S. 78, the SBI issued a blue alert in connection to the shooting. The alert was later cancelled when officials said the suspect, 37-year-old Preston Chyenne Johnson, was in custody. (Some court and jail records spell his middle name Chyenne; others Cheyenne.) Officer O'Rear Preston Chyenne Johnson may be traveling in a black 4-door 2003 BMW 325ISA with Alabama tag 2495AS2 and missing a bumper, the alert stated. Preston Chyenne Johnson is believed to be a serious risk to the public. Preston Chyenne Johnson was last seen traveling southbound on Interstate 65 around mile marker 281 on February 4, 2020." At some point after the shooting, Johnson crashed the BMW and called someone to pick him up in a GMC pickup, which he was in when detained on U.S. 78, authorities said. The truck was towed from the scene early Wednesday morning. Johnson reportedly had a large amount of money on him when he was taken into custody. Authorities were able to find the crashed BMW, as well as multiple other items of evidence. ATF agents, task force officers and a K9 team responded to the crime scene to assist the SBI with the investigation and to help recover any possible ballistic evidence. ATF explosive detection K9s are trained to detect minute quantities of explosive residue including smokeless gun powder. These dogs can find firearms, cartridge casings and even other items which were in close proximity when firearms were discharged, said David Hyche, ATFs assistant special agent in charge in Alabama. The K9 teams frequently locate these items in wooded areas and are often able to find these items after considerable time has passed and during or after a rain. "When an Alabama law enforcement officer is murdered, we all come together as one family regardless of which badge we wear,'' Hyche said. This is becoming far too common an occurrence in Alabama. This is the scene where the shooting happened. https://t.co/RCR1qLjrUa pic.twitter.com/dKgqAeOZqL carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) February 5, 2020 Johnson has a lengthy criminal history, according to state and federal court records. According to state court records, Johnson was arrested in Cullman County on Oct. 31, 2019 on charges of possession of drugs with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police found him with 13 grams methamphetamines, suboxone, baggies, and scales. Records state Johnson was also in possession of a stolen Corvette. Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry at the time told AL.com that Johnson also had an AR-15, which he was forbidden to have because he is a convicted felon. That case had a hearing set for March 2, records state. The Cullman County District Attorneys Office on Wednesday filed a motion to revoke Johnsons bond on those drug charges. Though he had been arrested on 20 different charges dating back to the early 2000s, and convicted of at least six felony charges, he was released on his own recognizance just five days after his Oct. 31, 2019 arrest. While on bondthe defendant has been booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a charge of capital murder of a Kimberly police officer, wrote Cullman County Assistant District Attorney Jefferey H. Roberts. In addition to those pending 2019 cases, Johnson pleaded guilty in 2017 to drug possession with intent to distribute and sentenced to 75 months in jail. His attorney asked he be able to take part in a diversion program, however a judge denied that request. In 2011, Johnson pleaded guilty to drug possession. He was sentenced to 15 years with 18 months to serve. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to drug possession and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to theft of property and received a 15-year suspended sentence. He pleaded guilty to forgery in 2001 and received a three-year sentence. A man holds a flag in honor of a slain Kimberly police officer. In addition to Johnsons criminal history in state courts, Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2012 on a charge of being a felon in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol during a June 20, 2009 arrest in Winston County. The indictment cited Johnsons previous criminal convictions: a June 6, 2001 conviction in Cullman for possession of a forged instrument; an Aug. 15, 2001 conviction in Cullman County for second degree forgery; and a May 17, 2005 conviction in Cullman County for first degree theft of property. Johnson pleaded guilty to the gun charge. He was sentenced to a year and one day in prison and a supervised release term of three years. Johnson was arrested on January 11, 2016, for violating the terms and conditions of that supervised release. The next month, a federal magistrate judge sent him to federal prison for 12 months and a day. According to the federal magistrates order: After being placed on supervised release, defendant Johnson admitted to use of methamphetamine in January 2015. He was later placed in the Color-Code Random Urinalysis Program for drug testing. Defendant never showed up for the first drug test. He failed to report for drug testing in June, July, August, September, and October 2015. Defendant Johnson failed to appear for his test in August 2015 after having been specifically told to attend. Defendant Johnson is also supposed to report to his U.S. Probation Officer each month. He reported in October 2015, but he has failed to report since that time. Weve had numerous dealings with him over the years and our community is familiar with him, Sheriff Gentry said of Johnson. My heart and prayers go out to the family of the Kimberly officer, he added. Law enforcement officials from around the state are mourning ORears death. This tragedy is yet another heartbreaking reminder of the dangers all law enforcement face while we enjoy the safety they provide us,'' said Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jay Town. "We must ask ourselves how we can all join together to bridge the respect deficit for law enforcement that is directly and indirectly leading to violence against our brave men and women of the badge. Enough is enough. One of ORears co-workers, Kimberly police Sgt. Shawn Jones, said its tough but those on the force are handling as best they can. "The danger is always there,'' Jones said. We know that going in. Chief Horn said ORears death is on the minds of other officers as they report for their shifts. His message to them is this: Just be safe. Go ahead and do your job the best you can, but the No. 1 rule is go home at night. "You have to be a very special person to do this job,'' Horn said. Its not for everybody. AL.com managing producer Kent Faulk contributed to this report. It Proves Trump Is Clean as a Whistle The impeachment was a monumental waste of time, but it did prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Trump has not committed any illegal offenses while in office. In fact, it shows we really have to stretch to find anything he has done that could even be called inappropriate. How so? Try a simple thought experiment: if the House Dems were aware of any illegal activity by Trump, don't you think they would have used that as a basis for their impeachment? The fact that they that chose a phone call to Ukraine, with no direct witnesses, in a situation that even they agree did not violate any laws, clearly shows that they have absolutely nothing illegal to pin on Trump. It was not for lack of trying. Keep in mind that the entire Democrat political apparatus has spent the last three years desperately trying to find something anything to destroy Trump. Impeachment was their big chance, possibly their only opportunity to Get Trump while they still controlled the House. The fact that they focused on such an inconsequential action by President Trump shows how desperate they are. And if the best they can come up with is an innocuous Ukraine phone call, we know they don't have anything else they can point to that could conceivably be called illegal. Even if we do accept the premise that Trump's Ukraine call was in any way inappropriate (which is highly debatable), the idea that the House Dems chose Ukraine as their hill to die on shows how little they have, even if we are looking at merely inappropriate (not illegal) actions. And Trump did actually provide the aid, despite the supposed quid pro quo, and without Ukraine taking any actions on Biden. Can you spell "nothingburger"? The Deep State Is Alive and Well and Dedicated to Defeating Trump The House trial gave us an up-close portrait of several swamp-dwellers. They are dedicated to trying to take down Trump and are more than willing to use every instrument at their disposal, no matter how illegal or intrusive. Incredibly, Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch monitored the communications of American journalists, including Sean Hannity and Sara Carter. Adam Schiff did the same to his colleague Devin Nunes. NSC member Alexander Vindman tried to "correct" the transcript of the presidential phone call to cast Trump in a less flattering light. For his part, Inspector General Michael Atkinson clandestinely changed the rules to allow whistleblowers to file a complaint using only hearsay evidence. Without his changes, the complaint would not have met even the minimum requirements to be brought to the House. On the witness stand, these Deep Staters revealed themselves to be even more entitled and arrogant than we imagined. Yovanovitch referred to the U.S. embassy residence in Ukraine as "my house." When asked who sets U.S. foreign policy, she replied, "We do," correcting herself only after it was pointed out that the president sets foreign policy under our constitution. A puffed up Vindman wore his uniform to the trial and insisted he be referred to by his full military title how could anyone get more "entitled" than that? You can bet there are many more Deep State agents where they came from, all with a fierce loathing of Trump. Their one saving grace is that they do not appear to be terribly intelligent. After all, they are the ones that chose Ukraine as their hill to die on. Seriously, who cares about Ukraine? Next Week Will Bring Something Else The Impeachment fiasco was just the latest in a nonstop series of Democrats' attempts to overthrow the Trump presidency. They started long before the 2016 election, with the Obama administration's illegal spying on the Trump campaign and the bogus Russia investigation. It continued after he was elected, when they tried getting vote recounts (only in states that Trump won) and attempted to influence the electors to recast their Electoral College votes against Trump. This was closely followed by the Russia collusion hoax, which led to the Mueller investigation. When Mueller came up empty, we were treated to several weeks of "Trump is a racist," because he tweeted criticisms of Democratic congressmen. The impeachment nonsense followed soon after. Now that it too has failed, you can be assured that the Dems are not finished; they will continue to bang their head against the Trump wall. Look for the next effort to take down Trump to start next week if they wait that long. Jay Latimer is an international businessman, writer and investor who has worked in investment banking for several multinational banks in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing. Image: Donkey Hotey via Flickr. GREATER LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Mayor John Dennis has declared Feb. 1- 8 National Gun Violence Survivor Awareness Week in West Lafayette. But Moms Demand Action leaders hope all of Greater Lafayette participates. Although suicides are the most common gun deaths in Indiana, violent gun crimes are more likely to happen between people who know each other according to Lafayette Police. http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/263 There are a lot of people out there who actually identify as survivors, said Jennifer Haan, Moms Demand Action State Chapter Co-Lead. 58-percent of Americans to be exact. Haan said in Indiana, more than 900 people die each year from gun violence. Suicide ranks number one in both adults and children, the following is homicide. And unintentional shootings rank high for children as well. But what about the incidents that don't get reported? Domestic violence and those sorts of issues are often under the radar, said Haan. Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly calls it a crime of passion. They're very volatile situations, said Flannelly. Emotions are running very high, people aren't necessarily acting rationally. And when guns are involved it can become deadly. When you introduce a firearm into that, people can make a decision in a moment that they would regret for a lifetime, said Flannelly. According to Every Town for Gun Safety, an average of 52 women are shot and killed every month in domestic violence situations involving an intimate partner. Haan said this awareness week isn't just for recognizing those who've lost their lives. It's also the people who have lost a loved one because somebody took their loved one's life with a gun, said Haan. She said Moms Demand Action does believe in the right to own a gun, they're mainly pushing for better laws and regulations. This is something that is a crisis and it's unacceptable and it's something that we can combat with some easy gun violence legislation that doesn't put any kind of impediment on a responsible gun owner, said Haan. One bill they have their eye on this session is Senate Bill 263. It will require teachers to take specialized training before being able to carry a gun in school. Teachers can currently carry guns in schools in Indiana - if a school board approves - without any training. The Moms Demand Action activists are concerned it's normalizing teachers needing guns instead of schools investing in more resource officers. Parents at a California elementary school are voicing their frustration with Disney after a school fundraising event resulted in a hefty fine. The PTA at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley, Calif., showed the 2019 remake of 'The Lion King' during an event last year, CNN reported. Five months later, the organization received a message from Swank Movie Licensing USA, which manages Disneys copyright claims. The group told parents they owed $250 for screening the film "without the proper license". The Emerson PTA said it was not aware it needed a Public Performance license required by U.S. copyright law in order to show the movie. Parents were particularly frustrated that they now have to return almost one-third of the $800 they raised that night. Lori Droste, a Berkeley City Council member, finds it "appalling" that Disney is having a copyright enforcer "chase after" the PTA. "What I thought about what just the irony of having a multi-billion dollar company essentially ask a school to pay up.". The PTA at Emerson isnt putting up a fight though. David Rose, the groups president, told KPIX-TV that he plans to pay the fine, a cost the organization hopes to get back through online donations. "The event made $800, so if we have to fork over a third of it to Disney, so be it. You know, lesson learned" Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. Im told it pays to advertise, so please subscribe to this fine newsletter. Its time to set YouTube free. Since 2006, when Google paid $1.65 billion for the tiny video startup, YouTube has belonged to the search operator. Even when Google Inc. renamed itself Alphabet in 2015, it kept YouTube as part of Google rather than setting it up a standalone subsidiary. On Monday, for the first time, Alphabet revealed just how much money YouTube was making: $15 billion from ads alone. YouTube also sells internet-TV subscriptions; that figure was lumped into another line on Alphabets financials, so YouTubes true size is even bigger. Instagram, which Facebook bought in 2012 for a cool $1 billion (the final purchase price wobbled along with Facebooks stock price, but lets stick with the round number for now), could be even bigger than YouTube. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Instagram brought in more than $20 billion in advertising revenue in 2019, making up more than a quarter of Facebooks $70.7 billion in revenue for the year. Jeff Chiu / Associated Press 2018 Legal thinkers, regulators and Democratic presidential contenders have been calling for some kind of big-tech breakup to rein in the internet giants. The newly released financial figures point to the cleanest, simplest way to do that. The company line is that being part of a bigger whole brings benefits. Facebook argues that Instagram benefits from its expertise fighting spam, fraud and abuse. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has said that the video service makes use of Googles machine learning prowess to identify clips that violate its rules. I call B.S. thats short for BillionS. Nurtured within Facebook and Google, Instagram and YouTube have more than enough revenue to pay their own way. Freed of their parent companies, they might well be more able to experiment with new abuse-fighting techniques. Google and Facebook might be forced to innovate, too. Without YouTube, Google could find itself motivated to find other places to sell video ads, which would help a range of video producers. Facebook would have to improve its photo-sharing features, as advertisers increasingly flock to Instagrams commerce-friendly photo feed. (Maybe try something besides copying Snapchat for a change?) The other complaint Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made is that if American internet companies are constrained, Chinese firms will take their place. Hes wrong there, too. Instagram and YouTube would instantly be among the biggest internet companies, and surely America would be better off with more multibillion-dollar tech companies rather than fewer. The next rung of social media companies do not look like fierce contenders. Analysts estimate that Twitter will report about $2.5 billion in annual revenue for 2019; Snap Inc., which makes Snapchat, had $1.7 billion, while Pinterest is forecasting around $1.1 billion for the year. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle 2018 One other aspect of an Instagram spinoff appeals to me. The company was started by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in San Francisco, and returned in 2018 with an office in 181 Fremont, though its still housed in Facebooks Menlo Park office. CEO Adam Mosseri lives in San Francisco. What if an independent Instagram were to take its place among San Franciscos tech companies and give Zuckerberg a run for his money? I like that picture. Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com Quote of the week Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes If somebody doesnt know that what theyre about to try to share on Twitter is altered, or theyre unaware of that, we want to try to give them that information. Twitter safety chief Del Harvey, explaining the companys new policy against manipulated videos known as deepfakes Coming up Speaking of Twitter and Pinterest, both companies report earnings Thursday, along with Uber. What Im reading Ryan Mac on the curious silence among tech companies that vocally opposed President Trumps travel ban after its expansion to more countries. (BuzzFeed News) Carolyn Said on a plan by Uber and Lyft drivers to use AB5 to get back pay from the ride-hailing companies. (San Francisco Chronicle) Roland Li on WeWorks departure from its West Coast headquarters in Salesforce Tower. (San Francisco Chronicle) Tech Chronicle is a thrice-weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle Days after a tip from a psychic brought a large group of residents out to a Bridgeton field to search for missing 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, the city police chief took to Facebook to assure residents that investigators are relying on a fact-based search for the child. Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari acknowledged, however, that investigators have followed up on some tips provided by psychics, but only when the information might have some slight possible connection to the case. Its been more than 4 months since Dulce was reported missing during a family outing at Bridgeton City Park last fall. Police conducted numerous searches of the park and surrounding areas and the case remains a daily top priority with the Bridgeton Police Department, Cumberland County Prosecutors Office, New Jersey State Police and FBI, Gaimari said. An Amber Alert was issued and police released a sketch of a man they want to speak with in connection with the case. A reward stands at $75,000. Investigators are reviewing huge amounts of video for possible leads, continuing to interview potential witnesses and tapping into county, state and federal resources to aid in the search, the chief said. Online, some have criticized investigators for not doing more to find the child, but the case remains front and center, Gaimari said Tuesday, adding that while the child has not been found, he feels significant progress has been made. Law enforcement understands that the lack of information on the whereabouts of Dulce or the definite circumstances surrounding her disappearance causes apprehension in the community and among those close to her and the family, Gaimari said, but we have to remain focused on the task at hand and rely on a factual-based investigation to attain an eventual conclusion. He cautioned against anyone falling prey to some of the erroneous and unsubstantiated information flowing through social media. The community organized search last Sunday focused on an area behind Buckshutem Road School, where Dulce attended kindergarten. Police were not involved in the search, but Gaimari said last week that the area in question was previously checked and staff members at the school were vetted. Gaimari stressed that police cannot follow up on random information provided by psychics because that would take investigators away from legitimate avenues of investigation. Anyone with information about Dulce is asked to call the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Tips may also be phoned in to 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, then select option 8. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with Bridgeton in the message line. Dulce Maria Alavez was reported missing from Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Ilse Blair January 27, 1918-August 29, 2019 Ilse Presch, Ilse Baer, Ilse Blair daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, had an extraordinary life, straddling two centuries, full of turmoil and change. Ilse was the second child, born in Berlin, to Nathan and Elli Presch, her brother Karlheinz born in 1915, Ilse on the January 27, 1918, as the Great War was nearing its end. Ilschen, as she was known, was part of a large prosperous Jewish family: there could be 32 people for Passover with much competition about who made the best matzo balls. Ilse was an exceptional student. Her German teacher would give her top marks with no one directly below her, as he maintained she was so much better than the rest of the class. This was an intense, uncompromising, independent girl who adored reading and always wanted to be a writer. She spent most of her free time composing poetry and creating stories. As the black clouds of Nazism swirled around them, Nathan Presch spoke to his adored 15-year-old daughter. He told her that her dream of becoming a journalist must be forsaken. Rather, she would have to be a dressmakers apprentice so she would have a trade to carry with her to other lands. Shattered, Ilse wrote the poem Leaving, the last lines of which, loosely translated, were: My dreams are now no more/ And I must leave for unknown shores/ The hopes we once had/ Will never come to pass./ Fate has presented the reckoning/ And we have paid. Authorities in China warned Wednesday they faced a severe shortage of hospital beds and equipment needed to treat a growing number of patients stricken by the new coronavirus, as cities far from the epicentre tightened their defences. Central Hubei province reported 3,156 new infections, its biggest single-day jump in the outbreak that has spiralled into a global health emergency with cases reported in over 20 countries. Among those new cases was a newborn, who was diagnosed just 30 hours after being born. Despite authorities building a hospital from scratch and converting public buildings to accommodate thousands of extra patients, there was still a "severe" lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, an official in Wuhan, the quarantined city where the virus first appeared -- and where doctors are now overwhelmed with cases. There was also a shortage of "equipment and materials," he told reporters, adding that officials were looking to convert other hotels and schools in the city into treatment centres. As the number of confirmed infections nationwide exceeded 24,000, a growing number of cities have imposed a range of restrictions far from Hubei, as authorities battle to contain the virus that has killed nearly 500 people. Millions of people, from the eastern industrial heartlands to near the northern border with Russia, have been ordered to stay indoors as authorities battle to curb the outbreak. Global concerns have risen after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency last week. The WHO called for USD 675 million (613 million euros) in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly "at risk". The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to USD 100 million. New cases emerged abroad, with 10 people testing positive for the virus on a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan with thousands on board. Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be scanned for fevers, while Vietnam, which has detected 10 cases, joined a growing list of countries banning arrivals from China. And Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said anyone arriving from the mainland will face a mandatory two-week quarantine from Saturday. In Hangzhou, some 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Shanghai, fences blocked streets near the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba -- one of the world's most valuable companies -- as a fighter jet circled overhead. The building appeared to be shut down, while deliverymen moved in and out of nearby fenced-in residential areas to drop off groceries. Many people were also seen going out. The firm is based in one of three Hangzhou districts subject to new restrictions that allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities. "Please don't go out, don't go out, don't go out!" blared a message on a loudspeaker urging people to wear masks, wash their hands regularly and report any people who are from Hubei -- reflecting a common fear that people from the province might infect others. At least three other cities in Zhejiang province -- Taizhou, Wenzhou and parts of Ningbo -- have imposed the same measures, affecting 18 million people. In the central city of Zhumadian, authorities said one person would be allowed to leave each household only every five days. Residents of the city of seven million were also offered cash rewards for informing on people who came from neighbouring Hubei province. Authorities in Beijing said restaurants could no longer accept reservations for parties from Wednesday. The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January. The Ministry of Public Security said "political security" was the "top priority" in confronting the epidemic. "We should take strict precautions against and crack down on all kinds of disruptive activities by hostile forces," security minister Zhao Kezhi said in a briefing. The statement came days after the top leadership admitted "shortcomings" in its handling of the outbreak -- local authorities in Hubei have been criticised for initially downplaying the situation. The death toll has steadily increased, rising to 490 in China on Wednesday. But officials have noted that the death rate, at around two percent, is well below the mortality rate of SARS, which killed some 800 people in 2002-2003. Two fatalities have been reported outside the mainland, in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Several governments have imposed travel restrictions while major airlines have suspended flights to and from China. United and American Airlines said Wednesday they have added Hong Kong to their China flight suspensions. Thousands of Chinese tourists risked being stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government suspended flights to and from mainland China. China has reacted angrily against travel bans, noting that the WHO does not advise imposing them. It has accused the US of spreading "panic" in its response to the coronavirus, including its ban on Chinese travellers, and on Wednesday, it took another swipe at Washington. "Panic is more deadly and contagious than any virus," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All residents of the multistory residential building in Malabar Hill of Mumbai where a fire broke out earlier on Wednesday have been rescued safely, fire officials said today. One fireman was admitted to a hospital after he suffered from asphyxiation. Chief Fire Officer of Mumbai Fire brigade said that the firefighting team faced difficulty in the rescue operation as the building was located in a dead-end. "The building is located in a dead-end and narrow access was challenging for fire persons to deploy resources. More overbuilding fire fighting system was not in working conditions hence fire fighting was carried out using fire fighting jets of fire appliance. With great efforts team rescued all the residents safely without injuries," said the officer. Twelve fire fighting vehicles have been deployed to douse the fire and rescue operation is still underway. The fire broke out at around 8 pm in the residential building with ground plus 14 floors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Trend A presentation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will be held as part of the Oil and Gas Turkmenistan 2020 International Roadshow scheduled for Feb. 24-25 in Dubai (UAE), Trend reports referring to the Turkmengaz State Concern. It is planned to consider the possibilities for partnership in the implementation of the next stage of the development of the giant Galkynysh field to provide natural gas to the transnational TAPI gas pipeline and other investment projects, the report said. As many as 200 delegates representing 80 companies and agencies from more than 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the event. On the sidelines of the roadshow, business negotiations with interested parties are envisaged. The prospects of business partnership in a number of areas will be discussed during the event. They include the development of deposits on licensed shelf blocks in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, attracting investments to the introduction of new technologies that contribute to the optimization of production in mature fields, attracting investments in hard-to-develop fields, as well as gas chemical projects. Turkmengaz, Turkmennebit (Turkmen oil) state concerns and the Turkmengeologiya (Turkmen geology) state corporation act as organizers of the roadshow with the assistance of the Turkmen Forum, and Gaffney, Cline & Associates. The construction of the Turkmen section of the TAPI pipeline was launched in December 2015. The design capacity of the pipeline may reach 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the city of Fazilka in India. The construction of the Afghan section of the pipeline was initiated in February 2018, while the construction of the Pakistani section is planned to be launched in 2020. The Turkmengas State Concern is the leader of the TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd. international consortium. It acts as the main financier and manager of the project. The consortium also includes Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistans Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited Company and Indias GAIL Company. Turkmenistan exports gas to China and Russia. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Samir Ali - Trend: The number of people suspected of having coronavirus and placed under quarantine in the department of infectious diseases of the Clinical Medical Center No. 1 in Baku has reached seven, Trend reports referring to a joint statement by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Healthcare and the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance Feb. 5. This number includes an Azerbaijani citizen (born in 1992), receiving education in Beijing (China), who came to Azerbaijan with his wife (born in 1993). Both were examined by doctors, and the couple had no complaints. The number of those placed under quarantine also includes two Azerbaijani citizens (born in 1998) studying at one of the Chinese universities. They have normal body temperature and no complaints. An Azerbaijani citizen receiving education in Shandong (China) (born in 1997) also has no complaints, and he had no contact with the infected. An Azerbaijani female student (born in 1997), studying in Zhejiang (China), also has normal body temperature and no complaints. She will undergo medical examination. Another Azerbaijani student (born in 1994) studying in Beijing also has normal body temperature. He was examined by doctors, and he also has no complaints. These persons arrived in Baku by transit flights from Dubai, Istanbul and Moscow. No problems have been identified in connection with the health of those in quarantine. At the end of the quarantine period, they will be discharged. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December of 2019 and since then nearly 500 people have died, while over 600 have managed to recover. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. The virus is spreading at a rapid pace, however the recovery rate for the infected has increased recently. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden, Finland. The Syrian armys ongoing military operation in the northwestern province of Idlib has resulted in a number of strategic gains for President Bashar al-Assads government. On Jan. 28, the Syrian army recaptured Maaret al-Numan, a strategic town south of the city of Idlib, from rebel and terrorist groups. The achievement was seen as an important step to regain full control over the M5 highway that connects Damascus with Aleppo. As has been the case with the previous rounds of the Syrian armys operations in Idlib, the recent advances were made possible by Russian air support for the Syrian forces. However, what has been new this time is the active presence of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces on the battlefield that has been reported. The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a report Jan. 26 containing leaked radio communications from Iran-backed Afghan fighters known as the Fatemiyoun Division showing their involvement in the ongoing battles in Idlib. The newspaper said the estimated number of Fatemiyoun forces in Idlib is between 400 and 800. Earlier in January, there were media reports, citing Turkish intelligence, that several Iran-backed groups in Syria had been deployed to the Idlib and Aleppo fronts. On Jan. 27, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the combined forces of Russia, the Iranian regime, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime for conducting a massive assault on Idlib and western Aleppo. Despite its persistent military and political support for the Assad government, the Islamic Republic had refrained from getting involved in the previous rounds of the Syrian armys operations in the countrys northwest. As such, Tehrans decision to assist the Assad government in its current military campaign in Idlib could be considered an important development. If we are to discuss the reasons behind Irans change of course regarding Idlib, first we should take into account the situation that emerged after the Jan. 3 assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani by the United States. Removing Soleimani, the mastermind behind the Islamic Republics regional strategy, resulted in speculation that Iran would start to lose influence in Syria. Such a possibility appeared to cause concern even for Assad, who quickly decided to dispatch his intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk to Tehran to talk with Iranian officials about their coordination during the next stage. As such, Irans recent involvement in Idlib could be seen as both trying to send a message to its rivals that its power and influence in Syria have remained intact, and reassuring Assad that he can still count on Tehrans support where and when needed. This reassurance effort was also evident when the Fars news agency affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) published a report Jan. 26 underlining the role of the Quds Force in preventing the collapse of the Assad regime since the early stages of the Syrian uprising. This was the first time a semi-official Iranian news agency had written about the role of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria before the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in 2013. Another factor contributing to a change of Irans viewpoint toward Idlib could be the changing priorities of Turkey in Syria and the region. At least since the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018, a major reason behind Tehrans hesitation to get directly involved in the Syrian governments military moves in the northwest was its concern not to lose Ankara as a partner in circumventing the revived US sanctions. Turkey has been opposing the Syrian governments military campaign in Idlib, supporting most of the rebel groups stationed in the area. However, there have been growing signs recently that Turkey is shifting the main focus of its regional policy from Syria to Libya, with hundreds of Turkish-backed rebels being deployed from Syria to the North African country to assist the Government of National Accord, which is struggling against an insurgency led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter. Meanwhile and for the first time since 2011 Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkeys National Intelligence Organization, met with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mamlouk in Moscow on Jan. 13. The meeting was seen as a possible starting point for a change in Ankaras approach toward Syria. However, the latest clashes between the Syrian and Turkish militaries in Idlib, which resulted in the death of at least six Turkish soldiers, are a sign that Ankara and Damascus are still far from any kind of rapprochement. However, Irans policy change in Idlib might have been based on the calculation that Turkey is either unwilling or unable to sustain an active presence in that area. The increasing American and Israeli pressures on Iran in Syria might be another factor affecting Tehrans approach toward Idlib. Over the past several years, Irans main geographical concentration has been on Syrias southern areas, from Daraa in the southwest to Deir ez-Zor in the southeast. However, with the heightened Israeli strikes against Iranian interests in those areas and with tensions between Tehran and Washington in the region being on the rise after Soleimanis assassination, Iranian officials might have changed their strategic calculations on the makeup of their forces in Syria. In order to make it harder for the Israelis and Americans to target its interests, Iran might have decided to dispatch at least some of its forces to other areas, including Idlib. This way, Iran would also gain more influence on the ground in Syria, creating further obstacles for the Americans and Israelis who want to root out Tehrans presence in Syria. Irans involvement in Idlib appears to also have something to do with Irans grand regional plan following the killing of Soleimani, that is, attempting to expel US forces from the region. As the main concentration of the US forces in Syria is in the areas east of the Euphrates river controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, Tehran wants the Syrian government operation in Idlib to be concluded successfully as soon as possible so that the next step in realizing Assads promise to liberate every inch of Syrian territory could be started in the east of the Euphrates. Referring to this issue, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a press conference Jan. 30 that the Syrian government and its allies from the resistance front will go from Idlib to the eastern Euphrates to expel the Americans. All these points would mean that Iran is taking a more geographically dispersed, more offensive posture in Syria in order to adapt itself with the rapidly changing situation in Syria and the whole region. As such, Irans involvement in Idlib marks an important turning point in its strategy toward the Syrian crisis. NCoV battle 'a major test' for Chinese officials Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/5 0:18:42 Local authorities respond to deadly pneumonia in different ways Fighting the deadly coronavirus has become a major test not only for frontline doctors and nurses in China but also for local Chinese officials as it has been a crucial moment to reevaluate the effectiveness of urban governance, and major gaps among provinces and municipalities still remain due to the lack of scientific and comprehensive management. Over 21 million people live and work in Beijing and about 7.9 million of them come from other regions in China. As the Spring Festival holidays ended, the capital city is now seeing growing numbers of people returning and getting back to work while such massive migration makes virus prevention and control work much more challenging. Authorities reported 20,438 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection nationwide as of Tuesday, with the death toll rising to 425. There have been 632 cases of recovery and 2,788 cases in critical condition, official data shows. East China's Zhejiang was the first province to enact the highest level public health emergency response, followed by provinces like South China's Guangdong, which all even before Central China's Hubei province - where the novel coronavirus originated from - took the same move. Later, major first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai launched a Level I emergency response, allowing local authorities to regulate essentials and ramp up preventive measures to combat the public health crisis. Such immediate response among some provinces and municipalities shows the effectiveness of provincial-level authorities in dealing with the deadly pneumonia. Such divergence in responses to a major public emergency has also become a parameter of urban management and governance, becoming a major test for Chinese officials. Yao Gaoyun, mayor of Wenzhou, a city in Zhejiang, the most coronavirus-hit province outside Hubei, became a new internet celebrity in recent days after he showed up at a TV interview with the state broadcaster on Sunday night. The 52-year-old official responded to various questions related to the disease prevention and control work in a highly logistical way, providing abundant data and clearly outlining how local authorities should fight this battle. His honesty was in contrast to Wuhan mayor who appeared to know little about the situation, after he was confused with the number of face masks at a daily press conference. Fighting the nationwide pneumonia battle has also become a major test for officials in different provinces, which would also redefine the competitiveness of different cities, analysts said. The novel coronavirus epidemic has turned into a crisis of high uncertainty and complexity, which requires China's emergency management system to set up a top-level organ to coordinate works and provide greater flexibility in emergency management at the local level, Wang Hongwei, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of Public Administration and Policy in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "Different provinces and municipalities have come up with their own measures to contain the disease. If those policies could adapt to the local situation and work out, they are good policies," he said. Diverse measures Wei Jie, a villager in Zhoukou, Central China's Henan Province, told the Global Times on Tuesday that her village started to check people who had worked or studied in Wuhan as early as January 22, requiring them to stay at home. Such strict preventive measures were implemented even before the lockdown of Wuhan. Authorities in Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan, began sending phone messages to all residents, asking them to reduce going out, cancel family reunions, avoid gathering and wear masks starting January 24. As the epidemic escalates, some residential complexes in Luoyang, another city in the province which is about 140 kilometer from Zhengzhou, adopted a curfew to control unnecessary outdoor activities, especially late returns usually caused by banquets or visiting friends. Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province and the epicenter of the SARS crisis in 2003, was another city that was praised by Chinese netizens during the current epidemic for its quick and practical reaction. Like Beijing and Shanghai, Guangzhou also faces mounting pressure as the return travel rush looms. The Guangzhou government issued health guidance to visitors from Hubei including Wuhan as early as January 22, requiring them to register their travel information and wear masks when taking public transport. Four days later, Shenzhen, another mega city in Guangdong, issued a similar guidance. As of Tuesday, 271 confirmed cases were reported in Guangzhou and 224 in Shenzhen. Although first-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou accounted for a small number of confirmed cases, some analysts predict that they are likely to face growing numbers of infection after people return to work. Since January 23, Guangzhou officially started to look for, record and track down visitors from Hubei, especially Wuhan, as local authorities have accumulated experience in dealing with public health crises since the SARS, which first occurred in the province more than 17 years ago. Analysts also noted that Guangzhou's abundant medical resources are another reason for its outstanding performance, while the overall recovery rate in the province remains relatively high. There are 4,598 medical institutes in Guangzhou, 5,298 in Shanghai, 3,806 in Shenzhen and more than 11,000 in Beijing, media reported. There are more than 3,200 hospital institutes in Wuhan while about 11 million people live in the city, according to media reports. Improved governance Remaining on high alert, Beijing begins the mandatory 14-day work from home for those who return to the capital from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei, while the application of high-tech products has been deployed across the city to check body temperature. And each community enacted inch-to-inch searches and registration of those coming back from Wuhan and Hubei. President Xi Jinping said at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Monday that the epidemic is a major task for the country's governance. "We must sum up the experience and draw a lesson from it," Xi said, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Liu Yuanju, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law, highlighted Shanghai's effort to contain the virus, as the municipality, supposed to be another hotspot of the virus outbreak as it is home to a large number of migrant workers, has not imposed extreme measures which may cause inconvenience to residents, and the number of infected is moderate compared to other large Chinese cities. He said it is important for different local government departments to keep close exchanges of ideas and experiences during such a special time. "In some provinces and cities, because of prevailing formality for formality's sake and lower-level officials' obedience to their superiors, regional governance relies heavily on certain groups of people, such as the mayor," said Liu. He explained this could lead to a one-sided decision-making process. A city's management is about making comprehensive, scientific and consistent policies, said Liu, citing some governments which forbid people who don't wear masks from entering supermarkets. "The government should think about those who cannot purchase a mask due to a shortage. What if the person is more in need of food? Some local governments should sort things through before making policies, instead of implementing a policy without considering the consequences," he said. During the outbreak, Chinese media has been extremely active, while such unusual supervision of traditional and new media has put many prefectural and municipal officials under the spotlight, amplifying their manners, analysts said. Officials in Wuhan and Huanggang have been harshly criticized, and under such pressure of public opinion, it is unlikely that Chinese officials would slack off, and the mounting pressure is expected to play a positive role in helping improve city management. In addition, the central government now attaches great importance to local governance, and those who fail to fulfill their duties will be held accountable by the government, which will also help the country catch up to modern governance. The Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China made a critical reflection on Tuesday, looking into shortcomings exposed in the local governance system and governance capacity amid the coronavirus outbreak after President Xi's speech on Monday. The experiences of other countries also deserve attention, Chinese experts said. For example, the US and Japan have set up a disease surveillance feedback system and have made pre-arranged plans for public health emergencies based on the system. Once an epidemic breaks out, a top-down reaction system can be activated quickly to limit the epidemic impact. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By misleading regulators about the results, ArcelorMittal has not only likely violated federal law, but it has jeopardized the public health of local residents and compounded the severity of your original wrongdoing. ArcelorMittal must begin to earn back the trust of their neighbors and those who rely on our waterways, but that cannot happen unless and until ArcelorMittal takes corrective, decisive action, they wrote. Manitoba farmers started last years growing season with dry conditions and feed shortages and ended with excess moisture and crops still in the field. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba farmers started last years growing season with dry conditions and feed shortages and ended with excess moisture and crops still in the field. In the middle of it all a carbon tax on natural gas and propane used to dry grain and heat livestock barns and farm buildings also kicked in. At the annual general meeting of Keystone Agricultural Producers that started Tuesday, KAP president Bill Campbell said, "It has been an incredibly trying year for farmers and producers across the province." Crown land management, trade issues, forage insurance and risk management programs were all topics on the agenda but producers were most vocal about the carbon tax. Manitobas original climate and green plan had agricultural producers use of fuel for essential on-farm operations like drying grain and heating livestock barns exempt from the carbon tax, but when it became clear that the federal plan was to supersede the provincial one, it added a significant cost for many producers. Murray Klassen, a board member of Manitoba Chicken Producers, said a 42 per cent tax on natural gas and propane that producers are now paying to heat their barns means a hit of $9,500 per year for the average Manitoba producer and will go up to $20,000 when the carbon tax reaches $50 per tonne of CO2. "Chicken producers were exempt in the Manitoba climate and green plan, but that didnt tickle Trudeaus ears," Klassen said. "We need to keep the pressure on. Its not just chicken producers. Anybody that has a barn has to heat the barn in order to make a living. We spend the majority of our time heating barns in winter. And I am told we live in the coldest province in the country so were even at a disadvantage to our provincial neighbours." Blaine Pedersen, Manitobas minister of agriculture and resource development, was borderline belligerent in defending his governments agricultural policies from the recent Crown land auction to its climate change plan, to planned elimination of the education property tax (over the course of the next 12 years). "We have asked the federal government to take another look at the Manitoba Climate and Green plan... and we are looking for you support," he told the couple hundred KAP members in attendance. "We are committed to removing onerous tax burdens that affect productivity and competitiveness." He warned farmers, however, that the federal government was effectively looking for any excuse to impose the federal program on Manitoba. Campbell echoed the arguing point that Manitobas Conservative government has been saying for some time regarding its home-grown climate plan. But rather than focusing on the green hydroelectric power generated here, he said that Manitobas food producers have been engaging in all sorts of green and efficient productions techniques for some time. "Prior to the carbon tax we had been doing those things (to become more productive and decrease the carbon footprint) because its better for soil health, better for our animals and it provides a safe healthy product for consumers," he said. "Now we have been asked to pay a disproportionate amount of climate mitigation. We need to be acknowledged for what we have been doing." One of the messages at the AGM is that KAP and its members need to do a better job of raising the awareness, especially with urban consumers, of Manitoba agricultural producers efforts to maintain a safe and sustainable food production system. "We have seen a decrease in commodity prices and were also dealing with geopolitical trade issues," Campbell said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We are seeing less value for our products than we have seen in the last 20 years. There is a tremendous squeeze on agriculture." Every industrial sector has its own issues to deal with, but when the U.S. imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, for instance, manufacturers were able to increase prices. But most of Manitobas agricultural sector is dependent on prices set by the global market and is not able to increase prices. Klassen said chicken producers have a cost of production formula but regardless of that he said they are not keen to raise prices for consumers. "We have to be cognizant of that fact," he said. "It is not our goal to increase the price of food. That seems to be the play... making food more expensive." martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday appealed people not to believe messages circulating on social media about 'cure' for the coronavirus infection. These messages have no scientific basis, he said. A message about a concoction of garlic cloves, curry leaves and cow urine, said to be prescribed by doctors and the "health department" for treating the virus infection, is circulating on social media. "The health department has not issued any such messages. People should not believe such misleading messages and rumors," the minister said. The health department has issued an advisory recommending that people should eat fresh, clean and fully cooked nutritious food, wash hands frequently and cover the mouth with a handkerchief while coughing, he said. "There is no specific drug for coronavirus but it is treated on the basis of symptoms. So people should not believe false messages," Tope said. The coronavirus epidemic, declared as a global health emergerny by the World Health Organisation, has killed over 400 people in China since last month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington: Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) displayed a US President in command of his party, full of confidence and with a credible plan to win a second term in office. Trump's speech to the House of Representatives was, as always, stridently partisan and peppered with mistruths. But it was also unusually disciplined and, for long stretches, presidential - a reminder of what a formidable rival he will present for Democrats in November. Trump is on a roll right now, and it showed. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT). Credit:AP This week Trump's Gallup approval rating hit 49 per cent, the highest it has been since he took office. A stunning 94 per cent of Republicans approve of his job performance. Side, the only real estate brokerage that exclusively partners with high-performing agents, teams and independent brokerages to transform them into boutique brands and businesses, is pleased to announce that Donnie Pingaro, Sides Managing Broker of Florida, has been appointed as Co-Chair of the 2020 Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) National Convention. AREAA is a nonprofit professional trade organization dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities by creating a powerful national voice for housing and real estate professionals that serve this dynamic market. As one of the premier real estate events of the year, the AREAA National Convention is focused on education, networking, and professional development. The annual convention aims to help people understand the economic framework as well as the major issues affecting the Asian community in the US and Canada. This years convention will take place on October 8 through October 10, 2020, at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage with leaders in the real estate industry through a series of exclusive breakout sessions and panels. Industry leaders will be addressing the latest market trends, as well as networking sessions to make valuable connections. I am honored to be named the Co-Chair of such a leading industry event where 2,000 of the greatest minds gather to discuss matters that are close to the Asian American community, said Donnie Pingaro, Sides Managing Broker of Florida. The AREAA National Convention serves as an important platform for these critical conversations in developing the next generation of business and community leaders. As a broker with over 27 years of real estate experience, Pingaro has led and guided some of the largest agent teams in the state of Florida. Prior to joining Side, he founded ISG Asia in 2016, home to the largest Mandarin-speaking sales team in Florida. Pingaro currently serves as a National Board Member at AREAA, the largest Asian trade association nationwide comprised of 41 North American chapters with over 17,000 members, and has also previously served as Vice President at AREAA Global. Pingaros expanded role further emphasizes Sides commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion in the real estate industry. Side believes that diversity in all aspects drives positive change, solutions and innovation for its partner agents. Samantha Tov, co-founder of Portfolio Real Estate and Side partner agent, has been an AREAA member since 2009, and served as President of AREAA Greater Sacramento from 2018 to 2019. Side has played a key role in equipping me with the right tools and managing all back-end operations, allowing me to focus on meeting the diverse needs of my community while growing my business, said Tov. About Side Side transforms high-performing agents, teams and independent brokerages into successful businesses and boutique brands that are 100% agent-owned. Side exclusively partners with the best agents, empowering them with proprietary technology and a premier support team so they can be more productive, grow their business and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.sideinc.com. The human capacity for self-delusion is exceeded only by the politicians capacity for self-justification. Aspects of both might be at play here. And Collins, as I mentioned, is not alone. There was Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, on CNNs State of the Union: I think that he knows now that, if he is trying to do certain things whether its ferreting out corruption there, in Afghanistan, whatever it is he needs to go through the proper channels, Ernst said. Uh huh. Trump. Proper channels. Right. michael barbaro So it is 8:40 p.m. Tuesday night. I have just arrived in Washington, D.C. from Des Moines, Iowa, where I was covering the Iowa caucuses. That was a mess. Now we are in The Timess Washington bureau to cover President Trumps final State of the Union of his first term. And Im standing outside a giant conference room, where about two to three dozen reporters and editors are gathered to watch, analyze and fact-check the presidents speech. And we are headed into that room to kind of observe it all and to eat the barbecue that has been laid out there. [music] michael barbaro a lot of brainpower. (WHISPERS) Elisabeth, just to let you know were here. elisabeth bumiller I know. Everyones under instructions to behave themselves. michael barbaro No, behave normally! elisabeth bumiller Oh no. [LAUGHS] Oh no. [music] michael barbaro So the center of this room is a giant television screen tuned to CNN, which is carrying a view of the House chamber and lawmakers walking in, shaking each others hands and taking their seats. And it is panning up to show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence looking friendly, surprisingly friendly. How long is this speech going to be? maggie haberman Were anticipating about an hour and a half. michael barbaro O.K. maggie haberman But thats before the possible ad libbing, so we dont know. The short answer is we dont know. michael barbaro O.K. maggie haberman But long, we expect it to be long. michael barbaro So well see you at 10:52. maggie haberman 10:53. michael barbaro [LAUGHS] maggie haberman 10:54? michael barbaro Thank you, Maggie. maggie haberman Goodbye. archived recording Madame Speaker, the President of the United States. [music] michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: The presidents third State of the Union address. Maggie Haberman on what it tells us. Its Wednesday, February 5. Maggie, it feels very hard to separate this State of the Union address from the moment in which its being delivered the day after Iowa kicked off the 2020 election to pick Donald Trumps Democratic opponent. And the day before the president faces a verdict in the Senate impeachment trial, which has put together quite a backdrop. maggie haberman Absolutely. And if you did not know that this was the State of the Union address, it felt like a campaign rally at the very beginning. archived recording [APPLAUSE] maggie haberman The president walks into the House chamber, and theres a very MAGA feeling right away, as Republicans are clamoring to try to shake his hand. michael barbaro MAGA, Make America Great Again? maggie haberman Make America Great Again, the presidents slogan. The president then goes to the podium, and he hands Nancy Pelosi text of his speech. And she engages in what is a typical gesture, which is extends her hand to shake his. And he turns his back to her. And she quickly pulled her hand back, but the tone was then set. michael barbaro Right. And that was the moment where it felt like impeachment suddenly was present. maggie haberman Yes. Impeachment was basically hanging over the entire event like a curtain. And it never lifted. And then, Pelosi had her own dig. Traditionally, speakers of the House introduce the president by describing themselves as having the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States. michael barbaro Right. maggie haberman Thats not what Pelosi did this time. archived recording [APPLAUSE] archived recording (nancy pelosi) Members of Congress, the president of the United States. [CHEERING] maggie haberman She said, Members of Congress, the president of the United States. And that was all Donald Trump got. michael barbaro And so basically, none of the honor, none of the pleasure, none of the distinct honor and pleasure. maggie haberman None of the words that are normally described as being attached to the dignity of this office. She chose not to do that. archived recording [CHANTING] Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! maggie haberman And then there was this return to the campaign theme, where even before he started speaking, Republicans in the chamber started chanting four more years. michael barbaro O.K. So after that score settling, the speech begins. archived recording (donald trump) The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the worlds most prosperous and inclusive society. maggie haberman Thats right. And the president pretty quickly launched into essentially an advertisement for why he should be re-elected. archived recording (donald trump) From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy. maggie haberman It was that the future has never been so bright. He was speaking in very grand terms about America. archived recording [APPLAUSE] archived recording (donald trump) Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth and most of all, pro-American. maggie haberman He described himself as essentially creating a much better America than the one he found. archived recording (donald trump) If we hadnt reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success. [CHEERING] maggie haberman And then he launched into exactly why that was. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. archived recording (donald trump) Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. michael barbaro And much of what he seemed to be talking about here is the economy. maggie haberman Thats right. He talked about creating enormous numbers of jobs since he took office. He described it all as record-breaking. He talked about the unemployment rate being incredibly low. archived recording (donald trump) The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. maggie haberman He talked about helping specific groups of people archived recording (donald trump) The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years. maggie haberman specifically women archived recording (donald trump) The unemployment rate for African-Americans maggie haberman specifically African-Americans, specifically Hispanic Americans and Asian-Americans. archived recording (donald trump) and Asian-Americans has reached the lowest levels in history. [APPLAUSE] maggie haberman These are groups, not coincidentally, whose support he would like in his re-election. michael barbaro So hes seizing on economic data that specifically targets key constituencies for his re-election. maggie haberman Correct. These are key demographic groups where he has seen his support since 2016 really go down, and where he needs to see it go back up. He doesnt have to win them overall as blocs of voters, but he does have to shave off just enough from Democrats in specific states where he can win. And his advisers have told him the economy is his strongest calling card for re-election. And he clearly had that in mind as he stuck to this speech. archived recording (donald trump) In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million people, working-age people, have joined the workforce. [APPLAUSE] michael barbaro And can the president take credit for all the economic data points he rattled off? And were they all accurate? maggie haberman There was definitely some fudging of numbers here or there. But the overall picture that he painted was as if he came in right after the fiscal crisis. It was actually Barack Obama who came in after the fiscal crisis and who did start the economic recovery. Now this president has continued it. There is no question that he is overseeing a booming economy. But where it started, and how it got to where it is now, is a story where he paints it in an overly rosy light for himself. archived recording (donald trump) This is a blue collar boom. michael barbaro So he kind of excises the eight years of Barack Obama. maggie haberman Correct. We go a bit from 08 to now, as if there was nothing in between except for his presidency. michael barbaro O.K. So where does the president go next? archived recording (donald trump) Janiyahs mom Stephanie is a single parent. She would do anything to give her daughter a better future. maggie haberman So then he started pointing to people who were in the crowd, in the gallery, attending as guests of him or the first lady. archived recording (donald trump) But Janiyah, I have some good news for you. Because I am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over. maggie haberman And he took it to a different level that we havent seen before, which was much more the reality TV level, and the showman, and the star of The Apprentice. There was a young girl who was given a scholarship, part of a new program that the White House is launching. archived recording (donald trump) And you will soon be heading to this school of your choice. [CHEERING] maggie haberman This emphasized school choice. It emphasized his concerns about public schools. And she happened to be young and African-American. archived recording (donald trump) Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. maggie haberman The blow away moment for a lot of people was he pointed to Rush Limbaugh archived recording (donald trump) Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. maggie haberman the conservative radio host who announced this week that he has lung cancer, advanced lung cancer michael barbaro Right. maggie haberman who clearly looked frail standing next to the first lady. archived recording (donald trump) I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our countrys highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [CHEERING] maggie haberman And the president not only announced that he was giving him the Medal of Freedom, which is an incredibly high honor archived recording (donald trump) I will now ask the First Lady of the United States to present you with the honor, please. maggie haberman He had the first lady literally put the medal on Rush Limbaugh. archived recording [CHEERING] I dont think weve ever seen one given at the State of the Union before. archived recording (donald trump) Rush and Kathryn, congratulations. Thank you, Kathryn. maggie haberman And this was really tapping into this base of conservative radio listeners, conservative media ecosystem supporters who the president has, and who he has relied on since 2016. archived recording (donald trump) [APPLAUSE] War places a heavy burden on our nations extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. maggie haberman And then there was the most gut-wrenching one, which was the president pointed to the wife of a soldier who was in the gallery. And he told her that he knew that her husband had been overseas. archived recording (donald trump) For the past seven months, she has done it all while her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment in the Middle East. Amys kids havent seen their fathers face in many months. maggie haberman And the big reveal was archived recording (donald trump) But, Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight we have a very special surprise. maggie haberman the doors to the gallery opened. archived recording (donald trump) I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight. [CHEERING] And we couldnt keep him waiting any longer. maggie haberman And he came down the stairs, and there he was. michael barbaro The soldier. maggie haberman The soldier. And there was this surprise reunion that he was now home. archived recording (donald trump) Welcome home, Sergeant Williams. Thank you very much. michael barbaro Right, which is the stuff of kind of daytime television, Oprah-style, heart-wrenching, beautiful reunions of soldiers and their spouses, but not typically State of the Union. maggie haberman Oprah was literally what was going through my mind, and I think a lot of other peoples minds, when we saw this taking place. archived recording [CHANTING] USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! michael barbaro You know, up to this point, Maggie, this is a pretty upbeat and positive speech at times, whether you thought it was over the top and like reality TV, or not maggie haberman Thats right. michael barbaro and very genuine moment of tenderness. maggie haberman Thats right. There were moments of tenderness. There were moments of humanity. There were moments of what was clearly genuine heartfelt emotion on the part of the people in the gallery. The president stuck to the teleprompter. He didnt go off on his tangents as he often does. It was generally a pretty positive speech up to a specific point. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. [music] michael barbaro Maggie, you said that the State of the Union was positive up to a point. What was that point? maggie haberman That point was when he started going after Democrats in the chamber, and Democrats outside the chamber who are running against him for president. michael barbaro And how did he do that? maggie haberman He started going after socialism, which has been a word hes been using a lot. archived recording (donald trump) The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. michael barbaro Right. Theres a point where the president reaches out into the audience archived recording (donald trump) Here this evening is a very brave man. michael barbaro and points to Juan Guaido, who is a legislative leader in Venezuela archived recording (donald trump) Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. Mr. President michael barbaro and says, you are the legitimate leader of that country. And then all of a sudden, he mentions socialism in a way that doesnt necessarily seem like its about Venezuela so much as perhaps the United States. maggie haberman Correct. He says, Socialism destroys nations. archived recording (donald trump) Socialism destroys nations, but always remember, freedom unifies the soul. maggie haberman Now thats a reference to Venezuela. Then he starts talking about health care in the U.S. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. archived recording (donald trump) A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative and high-quality health care system on Earth. maggie haberman And what hes talking about, without saying it explicitly, but hes talking about the debate within the Democratic primary for president about the type of health care system the U.S. should have. archived recording (donald trump) But as we work to improve Americans health care, there are those who want to take away your health care, take away your doctor and abolish private insurance entirely. [BOOING] maggie haberman Hes talking about folks like Bernie Sanders, the Democratic socialist, who believes in an expansive government health care program. And President Trump was arguing against that, but in a very, very forceful way. archived recording (donald trump) 132 lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million very happy Americans. maggie haberman Its a clear attack on all the lawmakers sitting there. archived recording (donald trump) To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know we will never let socialism destroy American health care. [CHEERING] michael barbaro So after laying out a blueprint for his re-election, it feels like this part of the speech is kind of frontal assault on the left wing of the Democratic Party and the left wing presidential candidates who hes going to face, potentially. maggie haberman Hes very much laying out the message of why it is that those people are not safe choices. He doesnt know who his opponent is going to be yet, but he is trying to paint every Democratic candidate with the brush of socialism. And that is what you are going to see for the next nine months. And this was the beginning of that path. michael barbaro Whats interesting about this speech, as a political document in the moment were in the beginning of the 2020 election is that the president is not just seemingly appealing to conservatives with giving Rush Limbaugh a medal, for example, or attacking presidential candidates in the Democratic Party as radical left wing figures. He also seemed to be reaching out to moderates, with specific policy proposals. maggie haberman Right. archived recording (donald trump) To protect the environment, days ago I announced that the United States will join the One Trillion Trees Initiative, an ambitious effort to bring together government and private sector to plant new trees in America and all around the world. maggie haberman There were a trillion trees. There was the child tax credit. archived recording (donald trump) 40 million American families have an average $2,200 extra, thanks to our child tax credit. [APPLAUSE] maggie haberman There was prescription drug prices. archived recording (donald trump) And I was pleased to announce last year that for the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down. [APPLAUSE] maggie haberman Those were middle-of-the-road, moderate proposals that would appeal to suburban voters who have been turned off by him. And then there was this very hard pivot to immigration, where he talked about ICE agents making arrests. archived recording (donald trump) Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 criminal aliens, charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults and 2,000 murders. maggie haberman He referred to quote-unquote criminal aliens. He talked about protecting the borders. archived recording (donald trump) Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the sanctuary city of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman. The killer had been previously arrested for assault. But under New Yorks sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICEs detainer request, his victim would still be alive today. maggie haberman This was some of the harshest rhetoric in his speech. But juxtaposed against everything else he said, it was almost like a menu of options where different voters could hear what they wanted to hear, in his words. michael barbaro What do you make of that, going from a child tax credit and planting a trillion trees, to harsh language about undocumented immigrants? maggie haberman This is a pretty nonideological president. He doesnt have a clear through-line on what he thinks. And he has consistently since we have covered him in the campaign prior to his becoming president he has often said things that appear contradictory. But they allow different people to hear what they want in what hes saying. And if there was one thing that made them comfortable, hes going to hope theyll ignore the rest. michael barbaro So Maggie, we started off talking about how the context here was election and impeachment. So I want to return to the idea of impeachment. Correct me if Im wrong. The president managed to get through a 90-minute speech without either mentioning impeachment or making any veiled references to impeachment. maggie haberman It was really striking, Michael. We had heard earlier in the day that the president was not going to mention impeachment in this speech. He had apparently told the network anchors at a lunch he held with them at the White House that he wanted to speak about it after the vote on Wednesday. But it was really striking that he kept from mentioning it. Hes so known for going off script. He never did. michael barbaro Why not? maggie haberman I think because its not something hes proud of, and I think because he wants to keep it separate from this, which is supposed to be the argument for re-electing him. And impeachment is not part of that. This was a laundry list of accomplishments. And this was a case for why his opponents arent as good as he is. And if you take away all of the tweeting, and the things he says, and the attacking his rivals if you took all of that away, he would be much higher in terms of approval ratings than where he is now. But where he is today is 49% in the Gallup poll. Thats pretty high for where hes been. He doesnt need to bring that down by reminding people that he was impeached. So he doesnt bring it up. But at the end of the speech archived recording (donald trump) Our spirit is still young. The sun is still rising. Gods grace is still shining. maggie haberman it sort of felt like Nancy Pelosi did. michael barbaro What do you mean? archived recording (donald trump) The best is yet to come. [APPLAUSE] Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much. maggie haberman As the president was taking in his final applause and said thank you, she immediately started putting together the pages of his speech that he had handed her. And she started systematically tearing them up as the cameras rolled. archived recording [APPLAUSE] michael barbaro And what did you read into that moment? maggie haberman Well, I read into that moment that she was pretty angry about how he had acted. I think she was pretty angry about the speech. And I think she wanted to telegraph that. Shes going to face some blowback for that. I think she already is. But I think it was a moment that her members for the most part agreed with. michael barbaro Right. In the final moment of this State of the Union, its like were seeing the spectacle of what this presidential race and the next seven, eight, nine months are going to look like. President Trump, it seems, may not want to be talking about impeachment. He wants to just move on and run on a record. And Democrats, people like Nancy Pelosi, they want to be talking about things like impeachment. maggie haberman Nancy Pelosi likes to say that even with a Senate acquittal, which we expect to happen, clearly, hes impeached for life. Thats on his record forever. The president will try not to talk about it, or hell try to talk about it when it serves him. Hell try to use it to gin up his supporters and get them going at rallies. But in general, this is not a topic he wants to go near. And I dont think shes going to let him not talk about it. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. And so of course will his Democratic opponents. maggie haberman Right. His Democratic opponents are not about to let this go. And impeachment might be over as a trial, but its not going to be over as a concept for the next nine months. [music] michael barbaro Thank you, Maggie. maggie haberman Thank you, Michael. michael barbaro Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. On Tuesday night, after a major delay, Iowa Democratic Party officials released results from 71% of the precincts that participated in Mondays caucuses. archived recording (pete buttigieg) A little later than we anticipated, but better late than never, official, verified caucus results are coming in from the state of Iowa. And they show our campaign in first place. [CHEERING] michael barbaro Those partial results showed former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with a narrow lead over Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Elizabeth Warren was in third place. Former Vice President Joe Biden was in fourth. And Senator Amy Klobuchar was in fifth. archived recording (pete buttigieg) A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea. A campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the current president with a better vision for the future. [CHEERING] michael barbaro The next Democratic contest will be held in New Hampshire next week. And the Senate trial of President Trump will reconvene today at 4 p.m., at which point senators are expected to acquit him on two articles of impeachment in a party line vote. [music] The UN Security Council will meet Thursday for an emergency session on Syria following clashes between the Turkish and Syrian military, diplomats said Wednesday. They said the meeting, which will be open to the public, was requested by the United States, France and Britain. The UN envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is expected to report on the situation in Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province where the two armies clashed on Monday, the diplomats said. More than 20 people were killed in the exchanges of fire, threatening to further destabilize the Idlib region, already suffering a humanitarian crisis. An offensive by the Damascus regime, backed by Russian air power, against the last stronghold of jihadist and rebel opponents has drawn strong warnings from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "If the regime does not pull back, Turkey will be obliged to take matters into its own hands," Erdogan said in Ankara Wednesday. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a "cessation of hostilities" between Turkey and Syria, calling the fighting an "extremely worrying" escalation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Controller Ben Rosenfield said Tuesday they have "made progress" in a public corruption probe stemming from a federal criminal charge against Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. "We are going to follow the evidence wherever it leads," Herrera said in a statement. The two officials said, however, they are limited in the information they can disclose because the investigation is ongoing. Herrera said his staff is looking into alleged wrongdoing, seeking to identify officials, employees, contracts and government decisions that may be implicated in violations of local law. The Controller's Office staff, meanwhile, is reviewing public works contracts, purchase orders, and grants for possible red flags and process failures, Rosenfield said. The two staffs are working together to identify whether stop payments or cancellations are justified on any open contracts and purchase orders. Nuru and restaurant owner Nick Bovis are each charged with one count of honest services wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help in obtaining a restaurant concession. The scheme never came to fruition, according a criminal complaint unsealed on Jan. 28. The complaint also alleges that Nuru was engaged in four other corrupt schemes, but he is not criminally charged with any of those alleged schemes. Nuru and Bovis are both free on $2 million bonds and are due to appear before a federal magistrate for bail reviews on Thursday. Mayor London Breed said in a statement, "While the investigation into the allegations against Mohammed Nuru is ongoing, we do know a serious breach of the public trust has occurred. "I encourage the City Attorney and Controller to follow every lead, every dollar, and every complaint, and to make policy recommendations to help prevent future wrongdoing. If laws were violated, we will hold people accountable," the mayor said. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Former National Organiser for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) over its plans to compile a new voters register. Mr. Adams on Eyewitness News said the ECs decision to compile a new electoral roll is not justified, given that the same register has performed various functions over the past years. The Electoral Commission has no workable justification for wanting a new register because this register has performed the functions of every biometric register and a credible one for that matter. The register has successfully taken the names of persons who registered through limited registration as has always happened. The register has successfully transferred votes of persons who want to move their votes from where they registered to other polling centres. That has happened successfully. The register has been used to conduct many elections including a referendum and District Level Elections. A register that has been able to perform all these functionsyou come back to tell us that you do not have access to dataThis is one of the lies they are putting out there, Kofi Adams said. Mr. Adams, who is also the NDCs parliamentary candidate for the Buem constituency, intimated that the party is exploring various options including a possible legal suit against the EC over its plans to compile a new voters register. Nothing is left out in this game. We are considering everything that is democratically and constitutionally right to get the government to do what is most reasonable and in this case, keeping what is working and that is the register that has worked so well for us. ---citinewsroom Events on the other side of the world threaten to disrupt dairy markets, as Tuesdays global dairy trade (GDT) price index fell 4.7%, attributed to the coronavirus outbreak in China, where the death toll passed 420 this week. But weather devastation in New Zealand, the worlds main dairy exporter, may also disrupt markets. China is the EUs top destination for skim milk powder exports, and the EUs No 2 market for butter exports, so the GDT commodity price fall in worrying, amid coronavirus outbreak concerns. However, Chinese buyers were reported to have remained active at similar levels to recent GDT auctions, leading some analysts to predict the coronavirus impact on dairy markets and prices will be short-lived. Instead, the weather in New Zealand could become a bigger factor. There is the possibility of a drought in some areas of the North Island of New Zealand, even as floods have cut off more than 100 dairy farms in the South Island. New Zealand is estimated to supply 19.3% of the dairy products which go on the worlds export markets, and disruptions in the countrys supply therefore have major effects on market trends. In the countrys North Island, milk production is falling behind compared to last season, as farmers dry off herds a few weeks earlier than usual, after at least three weeks of 25 to 30C temperatures without rain stopped grass growth. The upper North Island has widespread and expanding meteorological drought conditions, and mostly dry conditions are forecast to continue. Meanwhile, flooding has ravaged Southland-South Otago, causing power cuts and cutting off milk collection tankers. Reduced dairy supplies from New Zealand could have an exaggerated effect on current markets due to global milk supplies growing by less than 0.5% for most of 2019, and this trend being likely to continue with growth of less than 1% through 2020 and possibly into 2021. IFA sources said this week: Subdued international milk output, coupled with somewhat better international demand, boosted by cheaper dairy products, is the main reason why, despite concerns over Brexit, and other international trade difficulties, dairy prices have not fallen as much as expected during 2019, and have even started to improve, especially for SMP, since August or so. On the coronavirus outbreak in China, IFA sources said: It is only to be expected that the movement of goods, indeed demand for goods, will be affected by the lock down. What impact this might have on the global market for dairy will obviously depend on how soon the situation can be brought under control, then resolved. Meanwhile, Irish dairy farmers were able to take heart from Dairygolds offer to its milk suppliers of a 31.75 cent per litre (cpl) fixed milk price commencing March 1 next and ending on November 30, 2022. Inclusive of VAT and balanced scorecard and sustainability bonus payments, at 3.3% protein and 3.6% butter fat, the price equates to 35.86 cpl when adjusted for Dairygolds 2019 average annual milk solids. The board of Dairygold also last week approved a milk bonus of 0.5c per litre including VAT on all milk supplied in 2019. It will be paid with the January milk payment. Dairygold chairman John OGorman said; The movements in global dairy supply and demand in recent months have created a more balanced market with firmer returns across mainline dairy commodities, especially protein products. As a co-operative with a good 2019 performance we are happy to reflect that upturn directly in the form of a milk price bonus. The string of brilliant recordings that Gil Scott-Heron made from the 1970s to the early 80s represent one of the most important runs of resistance music created by any artist in modern history the call-to-consciousness proto-rap anthem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised; the allegorical ballad Winter in America. Perhaps only Bob Marley rivals him, and Marleys music was resistance of a different sort: less politically literate, dreamier. Im New Here was recorded in the late-aughts, in a series of trans-Atlantic sessions between Scott-Heron and the record producer Richard Russell, an executive at the record label XL, who is based in Britain. It was Scott-Herons first album in 40 years not to feature a full band; instead it centered on the spare, gunmetal beats that Mr. Russell draped around Scott-Herons voice, fostering a sense of both claustrophobia and remove. Mr. McCraven let those electronic tracks go. I wanted to support his voice, and then try to do something of my own along with it, he said. So he went straight for Scott-Herons vocal stems, then brought in other young jazz musicians to record some live tracks with him. Using his trademark production approach, Mr. McCraven spliced up the music theyd laid down mixing in some old recordings by his father, the drummer Stephen McCraven, and ending up with a bristling crosstown junction of hip-hop, Afrobeat, European folk music and jazz. The resulting album, Were New Again, which XL will release on Friday, doesnt recreate the loose Caribbean funk sound of Scott-Herons classic bands. Mr. McCravens instrumentals are a cosmopolitan tangle founded in samples and syncretism that belongs firmly to the fast-advancing 21st century. Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain (Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc. tamped down expectations for sales growth next quarter, saying the payoff from the introduction of smartphones capable of using new high-speed wireless networks will take longer than anticipated. The chipmaker, which has tied its success to the roll out of fifth-generation, or 5G, networks, gave a sales forecast for the second fiscal quarter that topped analysts estimates. But revenue will be little changed in the following three-month period ending in June, Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala said Wednesday on a conference call after earnings were reported. Analysts had predicted Qualcomms revenue would increase quarter over quarter through the year. Shares, which had initially gained in extended trading, fell about 2% on the remarks. Consumers have been hanging on to handsets longer as technology advances slow. Qualcomm and the rest of the industry are arguing that 5G will reverse that trend. While 5G networks are beginning to roll out, much of that demand wont come until the introduction of new smartphones in the September quarter, Palkhiwala said. We expect the next inflection point with the launch of additional 5G flagship handsets to be in the fourth quarter and extend into fiscal 2021, Palkhiwala said on the call. We expect our third fiscal quarter performance to be in line with our second fiscal quarter. Revenue will be $4.9 billion to $5.7 billion in the fiscal second quarter, which ends in March, the San Diego-based company said in a statement. Analysts, on average, estimated $5.1 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Fiscal first-quarter sales and profit also beat estimates. The company has factored in the possible disruption of the coronavirus in China, the biggest market for smartphones, on consumer demand, Palkhiwala said. Qualcomm shares declined to a low of $86.68 in extended trading after closing at $90.91 in New York. The stock has gained 79% in the past 12 months. Story continues In the first quarter, net income fell to $925 million, or 80 cents a share, from $1.07 billion, or 87 cents, a year earlier. Excluding certain items, profit was 99 cents a share, compared with an average estimate of 85 cents. Revenue rose 4.9% to $5.08 billion in the period, which ended Dec. 29. Analysts on average had predicted $4.83 billion in sales. It was the first year-over-year sales growth in six quarters. The chipmaker is the largest provider of technology underpinning modern phone networks, making its results a key indicator of industry demand. Qualcomm predicted that as many as 1.85 billion phones will be sold in 2020, a return to growth after a decline last year. The company gets the bulk of its profit from licensing patents that it says cover the fundamentals of modern phone systems. Qualcomm charges a percentage of the selling price of each handset, payable by phone makers regardless of whether they use its chips. The companys modems and processors provide it with the majority of revenue. Technology licensing revenue jumped 38% to $1.4 billion in the fiscal first quarter, but the company projected a decline to $1 billion to $1.2 billion in the current period. The chip division generated $3.6 billion, falling 3.2% from a year earlier. Qualcomm predicted sales will reach as much as $4.5 billion this quarter. The company is emerging from years of legal disputes and regulatory proceedings that threatened its licensing model. It still has to reach an agreement in a patent-fee standoff with Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. and overturn a sweeping U.S. antitrust decision through an appeal that is due to start next week.Qualcomm settled a broad-ranging legal dispute with Apple Inc. and the iPhone maker agreed to resume using Qualcomm chips. But a Federal Trade Commission case alleged unfair business practices and Qualcomm has been ordered to renegotiate patent licenses. The company has won a stay on that decision. Other branches of the U.S. government have said they support Qualcomms position against the FTC and the lower court, sparking optimism it will succeed. Separately, Qualcomm disclosed in a filing that it received a request for information on Dec. 3 from the European Commission, which is investigating whether the company engaged in anti-competitive behavior by exploiting its market position in baseband processors to help it in the 5G radio-frequency chip market. Qualcomm said its in the process of responding. The company has increased its efforts in RF chips, which help convert radio waves into data that can be processed by other parts of a phone. It competes in the market with Broadcom Inc., Qorvo Inc. and Skyworks Solutions Inc. While Qualcomm has touted its success in RF in new handset models, 5G phones are still a fraction of the total smartphones sold. (Updates with EU investigation in the final two paragraphs) To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Jillian Ward For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. MIAMI, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The premier franchise event in the southern U.S. is making the strategic move home to its debut city, Miami. Ranking among the top U.S. cities for economic growth, Miami will become the epicenter of small business opportunities as thousands of entrepreneurs gather for Franchise Expo South at the Miami Beach Convention Center Feb. 20-22. The event is set to bring together franchisors and prospective franchisees eager to join the rapidly growing and successful $700+ billion franchise industry. Franchise Expo South is returning to, Miami where businesses are growing at one of the fastest rates in the country. Among all large U.S. metros, Miami ranked eighth in annual business establishment growth at two percent more than double the national average. Miami's strong economy paired with its growing and diverse population makes it a phenomenal city to host the 2020 event to a lead-rich environment, introducing vast franchise opportunities to potential franchise candidates. "Miami's bustling city is the perfect market to host Franchise Expo South as we aim to inform attendees of the ins-and-outs of franchise business while driving them, their business, and future businesses to success," said John Erich, Director of Marketing for MFV Expositions, producer of Franchise Expo South. "Our strategic move to Miami will open the doors to new opportunities for both franchisors and prospective franchisees as we aim to offer eager business prospects the chance to grow to unimaginable heights through franchising. There's no better way to get that process started than one-on-one interaction, and we cannot wait to hear the success stories and the newly closed deals that result from this show." This year's event will feature nearly 200 exhibitors ranging from emerging start-ups to well-known, established brands including restaurants, fitness clubs, auto repairs, pet supply stores, and more. Investments will range from $10,000 to $1 million+. In addition to the expansive display of franchise opportunities, there will be comprehensive educational programs including over 20 complimentary seminars and three in-depth workshops. Topics include "Franchising Your Business," "Minorities in Franchising How to Start or Grow a Franchise Business," "A Day in the Life of a Home-Based Franchise Owner," among others. Additionally, SCORE Miami, a team of experienced business mentors and advisors, will be on hand providing insights and knowledge to small business owners and entrepreneurs wishing to start a business. "As the industry takes off, expos are the best place to find people who are seriously looking for a new business. It's sort of like a one-stop-shop shopping mall. If somebody has the desire to get into business, how do they know what they want? They can come to the franchise expo, meet us, and meet all the people here to be able to make an informed decision," said Marla Topliff, president of Rosati's Pizza. "We're there to guide them through the process as far as I'm concerned the expo is one of the most valuable tools for franchisees and development." For those interested in attending, registration costs $10 in advance and $20 at the door. Those who register at www.FranchiseExpoSouth.com and use promo code FPR can receive a complimentary pass to attend the show. On-site registration is also available, but pre-registration is recommended. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the show app, Franchise Expo Matchmaking, available for download on Apple and Android devices. The app not only provides basic show information, but allows attendees to schedule meetings with exhibitors and create their own conference schedule to maximize time for the best expo experience. Last year, attendees from 33 states and 27countries flooded the convention center, and this year is expected to follow suit as franchising continues to prove itself as one of the strongest business models available. About MFV Expositions For 30 years, MFV Expositions Comexposium, has been the world's largest producers of franchise expos. Known for its highly successful U.S.-based franchise events and overseas shows, the company offers high-quality face-to-face opportunities for franchisees and franchisors looking to grow the industry. In addition, MFV also offers access to online franchise opportunities through web-based resources. Please visit www.betheboss.com for more info. SOURCE MFV Expositions Related Links https://www.betheboss.com The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, says following federal governments effort to encourage local production, Nigeria may stop fish importation in 2022. The minister made this known while receiving a delegation from the National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN) led by its National President, Gabriel Ogunsanya, in Abuja on Tuesday. Mr Nanono said time had come for Nigeria to look inward to tap into the huge potential in fisheries and aquaculture for local consumption and export. He noted that measures were already been put in place by the government to actualise the plan. According to him, this is an area that we can join hands to promote fish production. We have to seriously reduce importation of fish into the country. Last year, we issued about one million licenses. This year, I virtually cut it into half. I hope next year we will further cut it so that in the next two years we may rely entirely on what we produce here. Since you are producers and probably processors it is important to take note of your development in the fish sector towards this, he said. He further said, In the next years, probably we will not allow importation of fish into the country. I know people are saying we can only rear catfish, tilapia and a few other species but most of the white fish they do not do well here. But I know for a fact that the consumption of catfish is very high in this country both the fresh one as well as the smoked one. In fact, I was made to understand that it now has export market. So, if you put your head together and work hard, the future is very bright for fish producers in this country, he said. The minister assured the association of the governments readiness to assist where necessary to move the industry forward. Earlier in his remarks, the President of NFAN, Gabriel Ogunsanya, while commending the minister for his commitment to moving agriculture to the next level, called for assistance in some areas. He urged the Minister to involve members of the association in training programmes of the ministry and other relevant agencies. He said, we need a letter of introduction to CBN, NIRSAL, BOI, BOA for timely intervention to boost the fish industry production business in Nigeria. We also pray for the minister to guarantee loans and credit facilities for the purpose of business expansion. The association also needs a letter of introduction to the 36 state governments and the FCT, Abuja. We also kindly pray that the minister looks into reactivating dormant fishery terminals, fish markets, hatcheries and develop brood stock bank for identified fish species and privatise the for utilisation of NFAN members. The president equally urged the minister to direct research institutes to embark on demand-driven researches to benefit the entire industry. He also called for measures to be put in place to support commercial fish production from along the value chain for both local and export markets. Mr Ogunsanya also urged the minister to involve the association in the policy formulations for the fish industry. He called for establishment of a liaison office space to ensure closeness to our mother ministry and smooth interface with your management. Advertisements On the gains of the association so far, the president said, it had made some progress in the last few years He said, the National Fish Association of Nigeria is the umbrella body for all fisheries and aquaculture industry value chain in Nigeria. It has the mandate and responsibility of bringing together every farmer and industry operator groups to obtain or share useful business information and training. The association was established by the Federal Government to play such roles along other things. We have carried out several advocacy enlightenment and training activities and programmes for both the existing and upcoming fish farmers, producers and processors. We have undertaken business development promotion engagements with MDAs and development partners including the CBN, NIRSAL, NEPC, SON, Quarantine and Raw Materials Research Council. Also, between Sept. and Oct. last year, we met with the AUIBAR Consultant on fisheries from Nairobi as well as the Cultivating New Frontier in Agriculture (CNFA), the prime implementing partners of USAIDs Feed the Future Project in Nigeria. All efforts in this regard are geared toward repositioning the industry and better the lot of the farmers and stakeholders. (NAN) China's largest SUV maker Great Wall Motors on Wednesday announced its foray into the Indian market with a commitment of $1 billion (Rs 7,000 crore) and a full portfolio of products that includes SUVs from its Haval brand across different segments and electric vehicles under the GWM brand. Great Wall is the second major Chinese auto manufacturer to enter India after MG Motor's debut last year. The first of Great Wall's vehicles, expected to be H9 SUV will go head to head with Toyota Fortuner, will be launched in 2021. In January, the company had signed an agreement with General Motors to acquire the latter's Talegaon factory with an annual capacity of 1.37 lakh units in Maharashtra. "India has become one of the world's fastest growing major economy, and the auto market is promising, making it a preferred investment destination for most auto companies. At this 15th edition of the Auto Expo 2020, we are introducing our global intelligent SUV brand - HAVAL and plan to cover the complete range of SUVs, which will be the preferred choice of the young, dynamic and new generation consumers of India," said Hardeep Singh Brar, Director (Sales & Marketing), GWM. The company's investment in India includes vehicle research and development, production of power batteries and electric drives, vehicle and component manufacturing and will provide estimated 3,000 direct employment in a phased manner. Founded in 1984, GWM has invested more than $1.5 billion for research and development of technologies such as new energy, intelligent network connection and autonomous driving and building exclusive platforms and product line-up for new energy vehicles. At the Auto Expo in Greater Noida, the company displayed its full range of products including the Haval: H9, F7, F7x, F5 and electric cars iQ (401 kilometer range) & R1 (351 kilometer range). It also unveiled the Haval Concept H Plug-in Hybrid Electric SUV and the Vision 2025 Pure Electric SUV. As the domestic passenger vehicle industry is witnessing a steep downturn, Chinese automakers have turned their attention to the market. India is poised to become the third largest vehicle market in the world by 2025. Also read: Auto Expo 2020: Maruti unveils e-Futuro electric SUV concept car as it gets set for electrification Also read: Auto Expo 2020: Kia unveils compact SUV Sonet; to compete with Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon Also read: Auto Expo 2020: MG motors unveil Marvel X SUV Prateek Pant There were a lot of expectations in various quarters as the Finance Minister presented her second budget in the second innings of this Government. The budget was presented in an extremely tough environment, with GDP Growth at an 11-year low and fiscal deficit under serious stress. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and diehard optimists were hoping for an encore of 1991. Capital markets were looking at measures aimed at reviving growth, stimulating private investments and boosting consumption. They were also looking forward to specific measures for the markets that would revive the animal spirits. Markets disappointed The budget had a lot on intent and provided a blueprint for the next five years. However, it fell short on providing impactful stimulus to kickstart the economy. The capital markets were disappointed as the budget lacked any significant measure to stimulate demand and did not provide any relief on the Long-Term Capital gains (LTCG) tax. The government had hoped to collect Rs 40,000 crore from the taxation of LTCG when this was originally launched. However, market sources indicate that the actual numbers are nowhere close to it. Revival of sentiments in the capital markets could significantly add to the coffers of the government by robust divestment proceeds of PSEs rather than the traditional thinking around LTCG taxation. The government is hoping to raise an unprecedented Rs 2.1 lakh crore through divestments in FY2020-21 on the back of the IPO for Life Insurance Corporation (LIC); however, it needs supportive capital markets. The FM has delivered on the promise of removing the dividend distribution tax (DDT) paid by corporates, while making it taxable in the hands of the receiver. This is positive for the high cash flow generating high dividend paying companies as it will reduce the tax leakage while distributing profits. This will also reduce the cost of capital of foreign promoters. However, this is a negative development for high net-worth individuals as the dividend, which was taxed at 15 per cent will now be taxed at the slab rates that are likely to be higher in most cases. The budget did not have announcements to revive the largest job creating sectors real estate and automobiles. Leading up to the budget, the FM had announced an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore for the real estate sector to revive distressed projects; however, there were many more expectations around reviving investor demand. Complex slabs The biggest announcement of the budget to revive demand was to simplify and reduce the tax burden on middle-class Indians. However, the government appears to have complicated the tax slabs. Under the proposed tax regime, there are seven slabs of different rates as against four slabs earlier. The exemptions and deductions available in the old tax regime are not available should the taxpayer opt for the new tax regime. For a person earning Rs 15 lakhs per annum, our back-of-the-envelope calculation gives a lower tax liability in the older tax regime if he/she opts for most of the exemptions. Thus, the question arises as to whether the change is really bringing down the average tax rate for Indias middle class. In addition, there is a moral hazard if millennials are being incentivized to spend rather than save as they join the workforce. Investors looking to diversify their domestic portfolio with overseas exposure would face additional tax compliance. The budget has been proposed to levy a 5 per cent tax collection at source for LRS Remittances of over Rs 7 lakh. For salaried employees at higher income brackets, the budget has proposed a combined upper limit on Employers contribution towards EPF, NPS and Superannuation funds at Rs 7.5 lakh. Any additional contribution over this limit would be taxable. There is still some ambiguity around the newly introduced NRI Tax and its applicability. However, whats clear is the definition of non-resident. While it was possible to be classified as non-resident earlier by staying out of the country for 183 days, this has now been enhanced to 245 days. This could have major implications on individuals working in Merchant Navy, IT sector projects and NRI entrepreneurs. The FM acknowledged wealth creators and has put forth a proposal for a taxpayers charter with an assurance of respect to them. If we club some of the measures that the government had announced through this financial year, including the corporate tax cuts, this budget may look a lot better. (The writer is Head of Products and Solutions, Sanctum Wealth Management) Seamus Mallon had this to say about Gerry Adams, who is adulated by Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Fein: "I just can't be in the same room with him. I don't want to be. There is just something about him that I recoil from. He has his hand in too many awful events." Mary Lou McDonald's Sinn Fein has never apologised, never mind atoned, for any of these "awful events". Micheal Martin has made it clear he cannot bear to be in government with Sinn Fein, as long as it continues to condone these same awful events. But, far from praising a politician with principles, most of the media seems to resent Martin taking a moral stand against coalition with Sinn Fein. That media agenda was set by RTE, the primary patron of political pundits who toe the Montrose line to stay on the invitation list. Last Friday, Sean O'Rourke's panel rounded on Martin for rejecting Sinn Fein. Neither presenter, nor panel, made any attempt to look at the merits of Martin's stance. Later, Bryan Dobson, who had smiled benignly at Leo Varadkar in a light interview last week, stared stonily at Micheal Martin, asked second-rate questions and seldom let him finish a sentence. Dobson's failure to delve into Martin's moral problem with Sinn Fein reflected RTE's reluctance to deal with the three main reasons for rejecting Sinn Fein in government. First, it is now widely accepted that Sinn Fein is influenced by an outside group which includes members of the IRA army council. Second, as long as Sinn Fein condones the Provisional IRA campaign, its presence in the Republic's government would make the state retrospectively complicit in IRA atrocities. Finally, it would remove credible objections to the recurring IRA, which could reasonably hope for a similar absolution. Luckily for the future of Irish democracy, Micheal Martin's reservations are shared by most politically alert people in the Irish Republic and supported by the heavyweights on his shadow front bench. Unlike Fine Gael chief whip Regina Doherty, Fianna Fail's Dara Calleary, Jim O'Callaghan, Michael McGrath, Lisa Chambers and Barry Cowen have been rock-solid in rejecting Sinn Fein. Incredibly, our gullible commentators seem to believe that Sinn Fein, in government, would give us a green Shangri-La. But what I see are dark shadows and dangers. Let me list them as follows. Unlike our gullible Generation X, these gardai know the Provisional IRA has never gone away and is still pursuing its historical agenda at many levels The army council of the IRA still exists and actively pursues the same agenda: to control the levers of state power, north and south. The army council views Sinn Fein as its political arm and expects the ard comhairle to act accordingly. The army council's influence on Sinn Fein is supplemented by the party's militaristic code of decision-making, which allows deceptively minor functionaries to act like political commissars. The army council will urge Sinn Fein in government to seek ministries such as education, and communications, to legitimise their sectarian war against the Irish people. The army council would ask Sinn Fein ministers in government to seek access to police intelligence and affect policing policy. Goodbye to a crackdown on the crime empires of former comrades along the border. The army council, which influenced the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly, will also influence when Sinn Fein pulls the plug on its coalition partner. The army council will influence Sinn Fein in ramping up pressure at home and abroad to end partition, regardless of the wishes of Ulster unionists. The army council will influence Sinn Fein to keep up Irish government pressure, even if it creates conflict on the island. The army council believes such a crisis will lead to a British withdrawal, but it's much more likely to lead to prolonged sectarian violence. Lest you think the above thesis far-fetched, I sent it through channels to some retired senior members of the Garda who specialised in subversion. They thought it a generally accurate analysis of the Provisional IRA's project to secure state power, north and south. Unlike our gullible Generation X, these gardai know the Provisional IRA has never gone away and is still pursuing its historical agenda at many levels. But, thanks to their craven dependence on RTE, many journalists now feel it's a social faux-pas to support Micheal Martin's concerns about Sinn Fein in government. When you get away from the metropolitan media, however, you find most people privately support Martin's stance. Irish people with a moral compass think a party that still weasels about the murder of Tom Oliver is not likely to be squeamish about abusing state power. My fear of an IRA-influenced Sinn Fein with state power is rational and rooted in lived experience. Like most of my family, I was reared a republican, but I clearly recall the first two murders that caused my lasting moral revulsion against the Provo IRA. On September 16, 1974, Martin McBirney, a Protestant lawyer married to a Catholic, was shot dead at breakfast at his home in Belfast. McBirney was a Labour democrat. His play on Daniel O'Connell was broadcast a few weeks before his murder. On that same day, the IRA shot dead a Catholic judge, Rory Conaghan, in front of his eight-year-old daughter, in their home on the Malone Road. They did this despite Justice Conaghan having a record in awarding damages against the Army and RUC for assaults arising from internment. In spite of Sinn Fein still defending that foul murder campaign, most of our media spent the past three weeks castigating Micheal Martin for daring to draw attention to it. In doing so, Martin is following in the footsteps of Eamon de Valera, who loathed the later IRA and used the full force of the state to crush it. Most Irish people still respond to that rarest of political virtues: responsible moral leadership Luckily for democracy, the media is out of touch with middle Ireland, which won't give Sinn Fein a mandate for government until it cleans house. Come election day, the silent moral majority will reward Martin for acting with good authority by supporting his view that Sinn Fein is not just another normal political party. Most Irish people still respond to that rarest of political virtues: responsible moral leadership. As Christianity retreats from the public sphere, people want politicians who can act as moral guardians. Micheal Martin has remodelled the Fianna Fail party in accordance with his own ideals of decency, civility and moral integrity. His honest personality and republican pluralism is the foundation of a new public trust in Fianna Fail. I believe Martin's republican tolerance will be reciprocated by the real Arlene Foster revealed by Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show by simply asking her the right questions, in the right way, and letting her finish her replies. My prayer for Ireland is that on Sunday, February 9, it will keep the wrong ones out and let the right ones in. Eoghan Harris is a Dublin-based political commentator The Crown fans are speculating there could be an appearance by Grace Kelly in the upcoming fourth series. The US-born Princess of Monaco attended the 1979 funeral of Lord Mountbatten of Burma, which will feature in the next series of the hit Netflix show. Scenes for the Westminster Abbey service were recently filmed at Winchester Cathedral, with Helen Bonham Carter (Princess Margaret) and Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher) both seen in costume. Princess Grace of Monaco attended the 1979 funeral of Lord Mountbatten of Burma, which will feature in the next series of the hit Netflix show. Pictured, Princess Grace (centre) with Prince Rainier III of Monaco (right) and Prince Albert of Belgium (left) during the service Speculation that the princess could appear in The Crown was met with excitement by fans It has prompted theories about who else might feature in scenes of the funeral, which was attended by dignitaries from around the world - and Princess Grace is a popular choice with reporters and fans alike. Princess Grace and her husband Prince Rainier III of Monaco stood alongside Prince Albert of Belgium to pay their respects. An actor has been spotted in costume as Prince Albert, prompting speculation from some outlets, including Harper's Bazaar and Tatler, that the camera will focus on that portion of the congregation. While the lack of casting announcement means it is less likely Grace Kelly will be a featured character in the series, it is possible fans might catch a glimpse of her distinctive ensemble in the crowd. Princess Grace looked typically chic in a black hat, black coat and a pair of tinted glasses for the funeral (pictured with Prince Rainier) - and her outfit would be easy to spot in a crowd shot Princess Grace looked typically chic in a black hat, black coat and a pair of tinted glasses for the funeral. Just two years later Princess Diana flew to Monaco to attend Princess Grace's funeral. Series four covers the period of Margaret Thatcher's reign as Prime Minister and her relationship with the Queen. Gillian Anderson will play the role of Mrs Thatcher. Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles with Princess Grace at a reception in aid of the Royal Opera House, in March 1981, months before the wedding of Charles and Diana The actress, 51, will portray the former Prime Minister during her 11-year tenure from 1979 to 1990. The series will likely cover events including South Africa's Apartheid legislation, the Falklands War and 1984/5 miners' strike, as well as the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, also filmed at Winchester Cathedral. The Crown series four is currently filming and a premiere date has yet to be set. WASHINGTON Standing before a Congress and nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to extol a Great American Comeback on his watch, three years after he took office decrying a land of American carnage under his predecessor. The partisan discord was apparent for all to see as the first president to campaign for re-election while facing impeachment vigorously made his case for another term: Republican legislators chanted Four More Years and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trumps speech as he ended his address. Americas enemies are on the run, Americas fortunes are on the rise and Americas future is blazing bright, Trump declared. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! Offering the nations economic success as the chief rationale for a second term, Trumps speech resembled a lower-volume version of his campaign rallies, offering something for every section of his political base. But while he tweets daily assailing his impeachment, Trump never mentioned the i-word in his 78-minute speech. Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trumps side, created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of Trump a year ago. This time, she was even more explicit with her very public rebuke. Trump appeared no more cordial. When he climbed to the House rostrum, he did not take her outstretched hand though it was not clear he had seen her gesture. Later, as Republicans often cheered, she remained in her seat, at times shaking her head at his remarks. Trump, the former reality TV star, added a showbiz flavor to the staid event: He had wife Melania present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, to the divisive conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced he has advanced lung cancer. He stunned a young student in the gallery with a scholarship. And he orchestrated the surprise tearful reunion of a soldier from overseas with his family in the balcony. The president entered the evening on a roll, with his impeachment acquittal imminent, his job approval numbers ticking upward and Wall Street looking strong. Trump spent much of the speech highlighting the economys strength, including low unemployment, stressing how it has helped blue-collar workers and the middle class, though the period of growth began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And what Trump calls an unprecedented boom is, by many measures, not all that different from the solid economy he inherited from Obama. Economic growth was 2.3% in 2019, matching the average pace since the Great Recession ended a decade ago in the first year of Obamas eight-year presidency Several Democratic lawmakers, including California Rep. Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced in advance of the speech that they would be skipping it, with the high-profile New York freshman tweeting that she would not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution. Jonathan Lemire is an Associated Press writer. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Toni Collette visits SiriusXM Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images) Toni Collette and Netflix are back at it again. The Unbelievable star is teaming up with the streaming service for a new drama series titled Pieces of Her. Based on the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name, the story follows Andy Oliver and her mother, Laura (Collette), after a random act of violence sets off an unexpected chain of events in their sleepy Georgia town. When figures from her mother's past start to resurface, 30-year-old Andy is forced to go on the run and embarks on a dangerous journey across America, drawing her toward the dark, hidden heart of her family. Written by Homeland's Charlotte Stoudt, the show currently has an eight-episode order and an all-woman creative team joining Stoudt as executive producers, including Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland), Minkie Spiro (The Plot Against America), and Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies). Spiro has also been tapped to direct all eight episodes, though there's currently no release date attached. Though Laura seems like a markedly different role from Collette's Detective Grace Rasmussen - who investigates a serial rapist with Merritt Wever's Detective Karen Duvall on Unbelievable - we have no doubt the Golden Globe-nominated actress will hit it out of the park! NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- Local businessman, Symeon Tsoupelis, Jr. was honored for his many years of community service. The Amicable Lodge #664 of Free and Accepted Masons, which serves the town and village of New Hartford, presented the Dewitt-Clinton Masonic Award for Community Service to Symeon. The award is the highest award for a non-mason and is given to people who excel and make a difference where they live. Master of Amicable Lodge #664, Masons, Daniel Williams, spoke on Symeon's accolades. "He's instrumental in the hospitals, he has done a lot with cancer research, the United Way UCP," Williams said. "You name it, he's done it in our area. He's probably one of the greatest supporters in our area right now." Symeon has some good company. The last local person to receive this award, was our local Olympic medalist, Erin Hamlin. Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company (Kotak Life) today announced the launch of its voice assistant KAYA AI-driven conversational assistance to get instant solutions. Kotak Life At Your Assistance (KAYA) has been developed by Kotak Life and Haptik one of the worlds largest conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform developers. KAYA provides 24X7 assistance and easy instant solutions to consumers thereby enhancing customer experience by resolving queries about premium payment, policy renewals, policy statements, policy information and bonus / fund value. Presently, Kotak Lifes customer service department handles a huge number of customer queries on a day-to-day basis. KAYAs integration into customer service department significantly reduces human dependency and call waiting time, and importantly, ensures queries do not go unattended. Kirti Patil, Chief Technology Officer, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Co. Ltd. said, KAYA is a major milestone in Kotak Lifes digitalization journey. KAYA has reduced the wait time for our customers by as much as four times, and has reduced human dependence to resolve a large number of routine queries. With its self-learning architecture, KAYA can connect to various sections of the support team for a smooth customer experience. KAYA, with a comprehensive understanding of the complex processes, is self-learning and is also equipped with advanced agent chat solution, where complex queries outside its scope are seamlessly transferred to Kotak Lifes customer support teams. Quite a few processes were re-imagined and re-designed to provide simplicity for customers. Kartik Poddar, Business Head, Haptik said, Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) is really transforming the customer support function by providing real time, accurate and emphatic resolution at scale. We are delighted by KAYAs immediate impact as she resolves large number of queries while offering consistent experience to each caller. Together, we will keep evolving the virtual assistant KAYA as she becomes the epicenter of customer engagement at Kotak Life. Users can start conversations with KAYA on Kotak Lifes website. Pennsylvania State Constables lead Miles K. Jones, 41, into Bucks County District Court in Quakertown on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Jones, of North Philadelphia, is accused of killing Eric Braxton, 41, and Arthur Hill, 46, both of Philadelphia, at an Upper Bucks County campground last fall. Read more After an argument with his girlfriends family, Miles Jones walked away seething, according to police. This isnt over. Nobodys safe, they quoted him as saying as he stormed off to his car, parked nearby at an upper Bucks County campground where the family was holding its annual reunion. He came back with a 9 mm handgun and opened fire on Eric Braxton, 41, who tried to stop him, investigators said. He shot Arthur Hill, 46, in the back as he tried to flee the chaos with his son, they said. The victims, both from Philadelphia, were fatally wounded. Jones, 41, of North Philadelphia, faced his victims families in a Quakertown courtroom Tuesday, a little more than three months after that deadly altercation at the Homestead Campground in West Rockhill Township. Prosecutors have charged Jones with two counts of criminal homicide, possessing a gun without a license, possessing an instrument of crime, and 13 counts of reckless endangerment. This was his first arrest, according to investigators. After a two-hour, standing-room-only hearing, District Judge Lisa Gaier held Jones over for trial on all charges, and hell be arraigned in County Court in March. Jones attorney, Ken Hone, contended that the shootings were in self-defense. Deputy District Attorney Edward Louka disputed that, saying Jones acted with murder on his mind. For someone who supposedly didnt want anyone dead, he couldnt have acted more contrary to that intent, Louka said. He had no regard whatsoever for anyones life that night. Police officers responding to reports of gunfire at the campground on Oct. 19 found Jones dazed, sitting on the ground near a cluster of tents, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. Jones had been invited to join his girlfriend who has not been identified by police her family, and their close friends on their yearly camping trip, investigators said. It was Jones first time at the outing. Just before 2 a.m., after most of the 15 campers had retreated to their tents for the night, Hill and his two sons heard screams coming from the tent that Jones was sharing with his girlfriend, the affidavit said. They found Jones standing outside the tent, trying to push it over as his girlfriend screamed for help from inside. Jones shoved Hill when he tried to intervene, and Hills son punched Jones in the face, knocking him down. The group told Jones to sit in his car and cool off. He did, making a threat as he left that all you ... gonna pay for this, according to the affidavit. Minutes later, Jones started walking toward the group again, and Braxton tried to intercept him. Jones demanded that Braxton get out of his way, investigators said. When he refused, they said, Jones shot him once in the chest at point-blank range. The group scattered, with Hill and his sons running from the scene. As they fled, one of Hills sons heard him cry out and watched as his father fell to the ground, a gunshot wound in his back, according to the affidavit. One of Hills sons made a frantic 911 call as he hid in the woods nearby, his voice kept low, fearful that Jones was chasing him, according to a record of the call played in District Court on Tuesday. When he went back to check on his father, the young man broke down. Hes not breathing, Hills son said through his tears. Hes not breathing. Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday voiced concern over the detention of NC leader Farooq Abdullah and attacked the government over the CAA and NRC, saying it was destroying the social fabric of the nation. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Upper House, the ruling BJP defended the government's decisions on Jammu and Kashmir and the amended citizenship law, saying they have strengthened democracy and the nation, and slammed the opposition for backing protests like in Shaheen Bagh. Members from the NCP, DMK, TDP and RJD said the Constitution was "under threat" and the protests against the CAA were spontaneous. They questioned the government's intent behind detaining Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, since August 5 last year when Article 370 was scrapped. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan's leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Tuesday his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day was driven by his responsibility to protect the country's national security. Burhan's first remarks about the meeting in Uganda, talks that surprised even Sudan's cabinet, came after he briefed the northeast African country's ruling sovereign council which he heads. "I took this step from the standpoint of my responsibility... to protect the national security of Sudan and achieve the supreme interests of the Sudanese people," Burhan said in a brief statement released after he met the council and top ministers. On Monday, Netanyahu's office said he had met Burhan in the Ugandan capital Entebbe, in a previously unannounced move. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists including Al-Qaeda during the decades-long reign of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, ousted amid mass protests last year. The Palestinian leadership has denounced the meeting as "a stab in the back", just days after the Israeli leader and US President Donald Trump unveiled a controversial peace plan, widely seen as skewed towards Israel. "I stress that examining and developing relations between Sudan and Israel is the responsibility of the concerned institutions, as according to (Sudan's) consitutional declaration" signed following Bashir's ouster, Burhan said. "I also confirm that Sudan's principled stance on the Palestinian issue and the right of its people to an independent state is and will remain firm, in keeping with Arab consensus and Arab League resolutions." Netanyahu's office said Monday that he and the Sudanese general had "agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries". It said Netanyahu believed post-Bashir Sudan is headed "in a new positive direction" and that he had also expressed this view to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "Burhan is eager to help his country modernise by taking it out of isolation and putting it on the world's map," it said. The Uganda meeting came after Sudan said Pompeo had invited Burhan to Washington for an official visit, the first such invitation to a Sudan ruler in more than three decades. The United States still classifies Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, a legacy from the rule of Bashir who in the 1990s hosted Osama bin Laden. - 'Stab in the back' - Late on Monday, Sudanese government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Salih said the cabinet had only learned of the meeting at Entebbe through media reports. "We, the members of the cabinet, were not notified or consulted about this meeting," Salih said in a statement. Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel over the Jewish state's treatment of the Palestinians and occupation of Arab lands. In the wake of the 1967 war in which Israel captured Palestinian lands, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, recognition or negotiations with Israel. Since then, Egypt and Jordan have recognised Israel, and relations have been easing between Israel and Gulf Arab states in part due to shared concern over Iran's role in the region. The Palestinians have been seeking a united front since Trump last week unveiled his Middle East plan. The initiative gave the Jewish state the US green light to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as the Jordan Valley, a key territory Palestinians see as their future state. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official news agency WAFA, the organisation's chief Saeb Erekat accused Washington and Netanyahu of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". The Sudanese Communist Party, which is part of the umbrella protest movement that led to the ouster of Bashir last April, echoed that condemnation. "What happened at the meeting between Burhan and Netanyahu is a stab in the back of Sudanese people's struggle against imperialists and also their continuous position in supporting the Palestinians," party spokesman Fathi Fadoul said in a video broadcast on the party's Facebook page. "We also condemn the statement from the cabinet. The cabinet has to say directly what its position is about the meeting rather than saying it was not notified about it." A 25-year-old Middletown man sexually assaulted a girl he met online after he and his mother traveled to Oklahoma to see the teenager, authorities said. Frank Bisso began chatting with the girl online in August 2017 while playing an online video game, Middletown police said in a statement. The then 23-year-old Bisso and his mother Augustina Bisso went to the then 13-year-olds Oklahoma home the following month before the younger Bisso made two more trips to the state later in the year, authorities said. The girl - who had since turned 14 - accompanied Frank Bisso back to New Jersey following the final visit in November 2017, Lt. Paul Bailey said. Thats when the relationship between the two turned sexual, according to Middletown police. Bisso came onto the radar of authorities in March 2019 when his mother tried to register the girl for school in Middletown, police said. At that point, officials launched an investigation, finally arresting both Bissos on Jan, 24. Frank Bisso was charged with sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, hindering apprehension and conspiracy to hinder his apprehension. Augustina Bisso was charged with hindering apprehension and conspiracy to commit hindering or apprehension. Middletown police warned parents to speak with their children about who they interact with online. The Middletown police asks parents to be mindful of and monitor your childrens online activity, it said in a statement. Have a discussion with your children about socializing with online gamers and especially people outside of their normal peer groups. Meeting anyone in person who you know only from online interactions poses a potential hazard and children are especially vulnerable in these situations. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.5 Trend: Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Baghdad Amreyev, the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, Trend reports citing Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. During the meeting the sides exchanged views on a number of issues on the agenda of the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States to be held in Baku on 6 February 2020. At the meeting the sides also discussed the other issues related to the activities of the Turkic Council. Preston Chyenne Johnson, 37, was charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a police officer a few hours after the shooting took place on Interstate 65. An Alabama police officer was fatally wounded in a shooting during a chase, a mayor said, and a suspect was charged with capital murder Wednesday. Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock said a city police officer, whose name was not immediately released, was killed in a confrontation that began on Interstate 65 around 10pm Tuesday. Jefferson County jail records showed that a man publicly identified as a suspect in the shooting, Preston Chyenne Johnson, 37, was charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a police officer a few hours later. Police tried to stop a vehicle on the highway and the driver wouldn't pull over, AL.com reported. A patrol car from the town of Kimberly joined in and the officer was shot. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment but later died. 'I am saddened to bring this update: Another officer has lost his life in the line of duty,' Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. 'Please pray for his familyincluding a son and a daughterand his fellow officers.' Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's office said she had called and spoken with the parents of the slain officer Three other people also were arrested, according to police in Warrior, but it wasn't clear whether additional charges were filed. Officials planned an afternoon news conference to discuss the shooting. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's office said she had called and spoken with the parents of the slain officer. 'The safety of our citizens and the rule of law is forefront on the minds of our officers who willingly risk their lives on behalf of ours. His sacrifice will never be forgotten,' she said in a statement. Johnson has been arrested multiple times on drug possession and other charges over the last decade, court records show Seven officers were killed in the line of duty in Alabama last year. The chief federal prosecutor for north Alabama, U.S. Attorney Jay Town, sent a tweet expressing sorrow over the Kimberly officer's death. 'The violence against law enforcement is maddening,' Town said. Johnson has been arrested multiple times on drug possession and other charges over the last decade, court records show. His latest arrest took place in October when he was found in possession of a stolen vehicle. It wasn't immediately clear whether Johnson had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Appointment 5 February 2020 Fairmont Dubai announces the appointment of Samuel Saravanan as director of engineering. Saravanan's technical and leadership expertise were deployed in key engineering leadership roles within Dubai's vibrant hospitality sector - most recently, as chief engineer at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort. He brings to the senior leadership team a fantastic complement of experience, perfected over a 24-year career, across multiple industries and geographic locations. His previous assignments range from theme parks and healthcare facilities to modest and large-scale hospitality operations in his motherland India and abroad. Samuel's journey includes associations with other prominent brands like Fortis Healthcare, Haden Facilities Management and Marriott International to name a few. His prior tenure with Accor included successful senior unit leadership appointments as Complex Chief Engineer with Accor properties in Singapore and Dubai. By Trend Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov will participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of Turkic Council countries, which will be held in Baku on February 6, Trend reports with reference to Uzbekistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Uzbek delegation headed by Kamilov will hold bilateral meetings with representatives of other countries in Baku. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Its goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday warned Filipinos particularly netizens against the spread of misinformation on the novel coronavirus, saying fake news peddlers can face possible prison time. We will not hesitate to file charges against anyone found spreading false information, PNP said in a statement. Authorities said those found spreading false information may face jail sentences of six to 12 years, pursuant to Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Possible violations include Section 6 of the measure or the Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances, it added. PNP also cited Presidential Decree No. 90 (Declaring Unlawful Rumor-Mongering and Spreading False Information) as a possible violation for fake news sources. However, the decree, which was issued during the martial law era under late former President Ferdinand Marcos, was already repealed through Executive Order No. 65. It also remains unclear if the group of violators will include those sharing or passing on social media posts. Meanwhile, PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Spokesperson Jeck Gamad said officials are now in the process of validating alleged fake news posts online. Kung sakali po na nalalaman natin na 'di totoo 'yung kumakalat na mga balita, agaran po nating nire-report sa (Facebook), Gamad said. [Translation: If we find out that the news are not true, well report it immediately to the platform.] The National Bureau of Investigation is also set to investigate the supposed fake news on the virus, which has left over 490 people around the world dead in its wake. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, for his part, said he welcomes possible freedom of speech arguments against the departments directive. I expect that freedom of speech issues will be raised, but as lawyers we all know that there are limitations to this constitutional right, including the greater interest of the public, Guevarra said in a message. CNN Philippines Correspondent Gerg Cahiles and Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. 05.02.2020 LISTEN Children are normally welcomed at birth with joy and happiness and you normally hear midwives telling the expectant mother "congratulations, you have a bouncing baby boy or girl" and it's all smiles from the mother after the excruciating pangs of labour that might have lasted for between 8 to 15 hours. Children are an integral part of every society and apart from the joy they bring the couple, they also ensure the continuity of the human race. One important element that possibly most people have lost sight of is that, the children we give birth to carry our DNA and genes and also perpetuate our blood line after we are dead and gone. Indeed in the Akan traditional milieu, if a family gives a daughter's hand in marriage, and for more than six months, there are no signs of pregnancy, the head of family could go and ask what the problem could be? Society has moved on and the Akan traditional values and ethos have evolved and also some of our values and ethos have been badly damaged by acculturation and so called modernity. Due to these challenges of our modern society, the head of family's power has waned over time or possibly current head of families in the Akan setting either do not know what is expected of them or have just allowed certain aspect of their responsibility to die down all in the name of societal evolution. This evolution we have allowed to happen with it being hinged on our values and ethos and gradually the extended family which use to be the fulcrum around our society revolved is gradually breaking apart. I vividly remember telling my brother KWAKU KISSI that " the joy of having a baby is inexplicable, unless you experience it yourself". He has confirmed to me when he had his first child. The pressures of modern life and the breakdown of our social living especially the family is having a great toll on how our children are cared for. Now, the upbringing of children which hither to was a communal responsibility has now become the burden of parents and teachers when the kids are in school, in between no one cares. The kids must manage themselves. And I'm very sure this has accounted for the loss of three precious lives in Elmina on Sunday and were discovered on Monday 16th April, 2018 in the morning when the car owner only got a shock of her life, when she found three lifeless bodies in her car parked in her house. The story as reported on Radio Central's morning show and also read from the dailies on Tuesday 17th April, 2018 recounts that the three children were left to attend church( which is about 400 meters) away from their home and never returned.The ages of the children are given as Maame Akua, 6-years; Fii, 5-years and Nana Yaw, 3-years. These questions need some attention as to how those kids lost their whether before or after church service: 1. How come their parents allowed them to go to church unattended to? 2. If the parents didn't want to attend church, why not allow the kids to stay home with them? 3. Is it that, the parents of these innocent children wanted the kids out of home so they could have some time for other things? 4. Could it is it also be that, the penchant to appear training the child to know God might have accounted for this tragedy? Apart from the Elmina tragic death of innocent children being trapped in a car, these are some few examples of similar incident involving children being trapped and dying under similar circumstances. On January 16th 2014 which was a Thursday, and as reported by Ghana web, two children, aged two and four, lost their lives through suffocation after they were trapped in their fathers car at Asofa, a part of Achimota in Accra. Another sad moment was reported by myjoyonline which quoted Daily Guide has the headline "Four kids trapped to death in refrigerator" and this occurred on the 16th day of October, 2014. This tragedy struck a couple at Bechem in the Brong-Ahafo Region Tuesday afternoon when all their four children were found dead in an abandoned deep freezer in front of their house. The kids are believed to have been trapped in the refrigerator and suffocated to death.The deceased children, namely, Tanko, 12; Isaac, 6; Arafat, 6 and Atika, 2, were found dead in the mini unserviceable freezer after they were reported missing by their parents.In that same year on the 18th February, two kids were also trapped to death in a car at a mechanic shop at Labadi in Accra. Two years latter on Wednesday, 2nd March, 2016, Ghana web reported another harrowing story where two children were burnt to death at Agormanya-Blotsi in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern region.The incident occurred at about 9:30pm on Tuesday. According to an eyewitness, the two children were trapped in the blaze whiles their parents were away from home. From the above sighted cases, it can be inferred that all the children who lost their lives under such circumstances were on their own without any care giver or were out of home playing. If that is the case then how do we place these Biblical injunctions on us as believers? "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in ones youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3-5. If children are a heritage from the Lord, then how come we allow them to die needlessly? More so in the book of Proverbs 17:6 "Childrens children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children". ...kill not your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them. (Quran 6:151). Islamic teachings about children depicts the high importance as this quote illustrates " according to the guidelines of the Quran and the Prophets (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) traditions. The Prophet (s) said:Allah (SWT) will ask every caretaker about the people under his care, and the man will be asked about the people of his household (Nasai, Abu Daud). Children rights are enshrined in Islamic teachings and parents are admonished to train children as such. Parents must be conscious and take an active role in guiding their children and families on the path of truth. The Prophet Muhammad (s) said: Every one of your (people) is responsible, and everyone is responsible for whatever falls under his responsibility. A man is like a shepherd of his own family, and he is responsible for them (Bukhari and Muslim). Taking into consideration what the Bible and the Qur'an says about children and the responsibility same religion imposes on us who believe in those religions then how come we make petty mistakes and lose the lives of our kids just like that? From my personal observation especially in Cape Coast, it looks as if most people don't care a hoot about what happens to their kids and I'm sure, that observation wouldn't be far from right from what is happening around the country. Parenting is optional, so if two adults decide to indulge in sexual activity and the ultimate happens, one cannot be absolved from not taking responsibility for their safety. Accidents happen, but where the sheer negligence on the part of parents especially fathers result in either the death of any child or perpetual deformity to any child in our dear country should be treated as a serious offence. If one reads our constitution, art 28 clause 1 paragraphs (a) states that " every child has the right to the same measure of special care, from its natural parents, except where those parents have effectively surrendered their rights and responsibilities in respect of the child in accordance with law" and (b) every child, whether or not born in wedlock, shall be entitled to reasonable provision from the estate of its parents and (d) children and young persons receive special protection against exposure to physical and moral hazards. From the foregoing, it is explicitly clear that the protection and maintenance of children are proudly enshrined in our constitution, which even makes exposing children to moral harm an offence. So, if a parent for any reason allows his child to go to church, school or any other social gathering without any measure of protection and anything happens to that child, should the parent be left of the hook or be charged with negligence or dereliction of parental duty? If we analyse the Elmina situation critically, without holding brief for the lady into whose car the children met their untimely death, can the parents of these children be absolved from blame, looking at what the law says? Wouldn't it also be that, because we're losing our communal spirit and the break down of our family system, we're gradually becoming individualised where "each one for himself and God for us all" might contribute to such neglect of our kids? Because in the olden daysna child was born into a society, family before parents but now the reverse is the case. In sum, from the religious, cultural and social perspectives as discussed earlier, children are of paramount importance to parents, families and the the society as a whole. We must all be each others keeper and parents in particular must not feel too busy and allow other things other than the upbringing of their children to occupy their time. If we all see children as our progenitors and see them as the best property on earth, then we would factor their interest in all facet of our life. This needless deaths of our children must stop. D. C. Kwame Kwakye GBC, Radio Central Cape Coast 0244 976 550 Party put up posters with slogans like Kursi ke pyare, Bihar ke hatyare. Patna: With Assembly elections slated for this year, the opposition RJD Tuesday coined a new campaign slogan to expose the failures of the state government. Posters of chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi were put up in Patna bearing slogans like, Kursi ke pyare, Bihar ke hatyare (interested only in retaining the chair, they are the killers of Bihar). The RJD further accused the ruling alliance of running the state government by stealing power. The opposition party had released a similar poster Monday which showed chief minister Nitish Kumar behind a chair while people raised questions on deteriorating health services, the education system and development. RJD leaders on condition of anonymity said, The posters and slogans have been put up in Patna to expose the failures of the state government which was formed by stealing power. They also took a jibe at the term double engine coined by the NDA at the Centre and in the state and claimed, The state government has failed on all fronts. This double engine is destroying Bihar. Look around and you will find incidents of loot and murder. People of Bihar are aware of the scenario and will not forgive chief minister Nitish Kumar this time. In Bihar, the Assembly polls are expected to take place in November this year. Chief minister Nitish Kumar who is also the JD(U) president has already been declared as the face of the NDA in the state. The JD(U) leaders in Patna slammed the RJD for raising questions on the good governance policy of chief minister Nitish Kumar and the state government. In a statement, JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said, The fifteen years of RJDs rule in Bihar was like a nightmare. The party will never return to power in Bihar. Nitish Kumars vision has benefited every class in the state. A housing developer is facing a protest in a picturesque Cotswold village over plans to build a housing estate on top of a 2,000-year-old Roman villa. The 'important discovery' was made by archaeologists working on behalf of Bovis Homes as they excavated in Cam, Gloucestershire. Among the find were the remains of an underfloor heating system, a circular bath, wall plaster and decorated tiles. However the developer, who owns the land, has angered locals by insisting the villa does not qualify for preservation. Christie McLean has started a petition in a bid to save the site which had garnered more than 3,500 signatures within two days of launching. This roman villa was discovered by archaeologists working on behalf of Bovis Homes as they excavated in Cam, Gloucestershire Bovis Homes is facing a protest in a picturesque Cotswold village over plans to build a housing estate (pictured) on top of the 2,000-year-old Roman villa She told the BBC: 'Everybody is in awe of it. There are some historical landmarks around here but nothing as obvious. 'We are hoping with the petition and more voices that [Bovis] can adjust their current plans.' BBC presenter and archaeology expert Professor Mark Horton described the site as 'a very important discovery'. But he said protesters were limited in their options due to Bovis having full planning permission for build on the site. Historic England could visit the villa to inspect its remains, which could eventually lead to a recommendation to the secretary of state, however this would mean paying compensation to Bovis. A Bovis Homes spokeswoman said: 'Archaeological investigations are a key part of new-build developments and we are proud to fund this work to find out more about Cam's history as we build for the future. 'The archaeologists carrying out this work report back to the county council and regularly update us and Stroud district council on progress, recording and removing artefacts, and detailing the finds they make.' The historic impeachment trial of President Donald Trump formally began on a Thursday in January, when Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in to preside over the affair. Over the course of three tumultuous weeks, senators and the country listened to hours of arguments from House impeachment managers and lawyers for the president. Senators got to pose questions. They rejected motions to call witnesses. And then they moved to a vote on the two articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of Congress that had been approved in December by the House of Representatives. Here's a look at some of the memorable moments of the trial: First-day fracas As the marathon first-day rule-setting session dragged into the wee hours, tempers began to flare, which required the constitutionally anointed adult in the room, Roberts, to step in. As the clock ticked toward 1:30 a.m., House impeachment manager Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued passionately in favor of a Democratic amendment that would allow for witnesses to be called, including former national security adviser John Bolton. It was one of 11 amendments Democrats offered, all of which were shot down, mostly on party-line votes. Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said that if senators voted against subpoenaing Bolton, they would be part of the cover-up. Either you want the truth and you must permit the witnesses or you want a shameful cover-up. History will judge and so will the electorate, he said. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone took umbrage and demanded that Nadler apologize to the Senate, the president and most of all, you owe an apology to the American people. Mr. Nadler came up here and made false allegations against our team. He made false allegations against all of you. He accused you of a cover-up, Cipollone told the senators. The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you for the way you've addressed this body. This is the United States Senate. You're not in charge here. Story continues The fiery back-and-forth prompted Roberts to scold both sides. "I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president's counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body," Roberts said. "One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse." Sleeping senators, shaking heads: What you can't see on TV at impeachment trial Goose, meet gander Several days later, Nadler, D-N.Y., challenged the oft-repeated Republican argument that impeachment must allege a violation of statutory law. To make his point, he played a 1999 video of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., an ardent Trump supporter, who was a manager 20 years ago in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. Back then Graham offered his interpretation of Constitutional impeachment phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors," whose meaning has been debated during the Trump investigation. Whats a high crime? Graham asked in the well of the Senate. How about an important person hurting somebody of low means? Its not very scholarly, but I think its the truth. I think thats what they meant by high crimes. Doesnt even have to be a crime. Its just when you start using your office and youre acting in a way that hurts people, youve committed a high crime. It was a classic "gotcha" moment. Not to be outdone, Trump's defense team drew from the same playbook. As the defense concluded its side of the opening arguments, Cipollone said that lowering the bar for impeachment and removal from office would set a precedent that would leave presidents vulnerable to a Congress led by a different party. To prove his point, he too set the WABAC Machine to 1999 and played a series of videos from Democrats decrying Clinton's impeachment . One of them was from, wait for it, Nadler, who at the time warned against an impeachment of Clinton supported by one party. No Republicans have supported Trumps impeachment. Such an impeachment will produce the divisiveness and bitterness in our politics for years to come, and it will call into question the very legitimacy of our political institutions, Nadler said. You were right, Cipollone said to laughter in the Senate chamber. But Im sorry to say, you were also prophetic. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said the consequence of being in politics for a long time was sometimes contradictory positions. Thats the irony of being here a long time, and all the different dynamics you might be part of, Braun said. Adam Schiff's speech The Senate trial wasn't exactly a showcase for soaring oratory, but it had its moments. One was the concluding remarks by lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as his team wrapped up their opening arguments during the first week of the trial. "If the truth doesnt matter, were lost," said Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. "Framers couldnt protect us from ourselves, if right and truth dont matter. And you know that what (Trump) did was not right ... here, right is supposed to matter. Its whats made us the greatest nation on earth. No Constitution can protect us, right doesnt matter any more. And you know you cant trust this president to do whats right for this country. You can trust he will do whats right for Donald Trump. Hell do it now. Hes done it before. Hell do it for the next several months. Hell do it in the election if hes allowed to. This is why if you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed. Because right matters. Because right matters and the truth matters. Otherwise, we are lost." His words went viral. By the next morning, the hashtag #RightMatters was trending on Twitter, and videos of the speech had been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. Even opposition Sen. James Inhoffe, R-Okla., conceded to reporters that Schiff is very, very effective." The glow didn't last. On Friday morning, Schiff drew a backlash from even moderate GOP senators when he referenced a CBS report that quoted an anonymous Trump confidante who reportedly warned that if Republican senators voted against Trump, "your head will be on a pike. Trump tweets, and tweets, and ... For someone who kept tweeting about how boring the proceedings were, Trump sure seemed to be watching it a lot at least when he wasn't rallying the base in Michigan, New Jersey and Iowa or signing his signature U.S.-Mexico Canada trade agreement. We know this because he told us repeatedly at about 280 characters at a time via his favorite social media platform. On the first day of opening arguments by House impeachment managers, Trump bested his personal record for most tweets as president in a single day with 142, which beat his old record of 123 set only a month earlier. Of course the new record might have an asterisk because Trump started the day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which is six hours ahead of Washington. Most of Trump's posts consisted of retweets of Republican lawmakers deriding the impeachment process. He also shared posts from the Republican National Committee and campaign videos that were tweeted from the account of Dan Scavino, Trump's social media director who handles many of his posts. He kept it up through out the trial, often repeating familiar themes. "Washington Dems have spent the last 3 years trying to overturn the last election and we will make sure they face another crushing defeat in the NEXT ELECTION. Together, we are going to win back the House, we are going to hold the Senate, & we are going to keep the White House!" one read. Washington Dems have spent the last 3 years trying to overturn the last election and we will make sure they face another crushing defeat in the NEXT ELECTION. Together, we are going to win back the House, we are going to hold the Senate, & we are going to keep the White House! pic.twitter.com/VshQceiwUA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2020 A wing and a prayer The Senate impeachment trial consisted of a lot of droning. A. Lot. Even by Senate standards. Fortunately, each day started with the dulcet baritone of Senate Chaplain Barry Black as he opened each session with the daily prayer. In this image from video, as presiding officer Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts listens Senate chaplain retired Navy Adm. Barry Black gives the opening prayer during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) ORG XMIT: DCJE102 With a voice that even the All-State commercial guy would envy, Black, a retired naval rear admiral and a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor, used the platform to wish Roberts a happy birthday on one day, but mostly he exhorted the Senate to do what's best for the country. "As our lawmakers have become jurors ... help them remember that patriots reside on both sides of the aisle, that words have consequences and that how something is said can be as important as what is said," he intoned on the first day of opening arguments. "Give them a civility built upon integrity that brings consistency in their beliefs and actions." Whether any senators paid heed is anybody's guess, but it sure was a great way to start each session. Rejecting Rand Paul Nearly 200 question cards from the Senate were passed up to Roberts during the two-day question phase of the impeachment trial. Roberts swiped right on all but one of them. It was submitted by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Roberts read the card, then said, The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted. He offered no explanation, but speculation immediately turned to whether Paul had tried to out the name of the whistleblower whose initial concern about the propriety of a phone call between Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky led to the impeachment investigation. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Paul walked out of the chamber after Roberts declined the question. He told reporters his question didnt name the whistleblower although his question, which he wrote in a tweet, mentioned the name of an official some Republicans have speculated is the whistleblower. Paul trends: #ArrestRandPaul trends on Twitter after he walks out The question revived allegations from some Trump allies that the whistleblower conspired with a House committee staff member to reveal information that would lead to the presidents impeachment. Paul did not offer evidence for the claim. It was an incorrect finding to not allow a question, Paul said, but he declined to say why he did not try to force a vote to overrule Roberts. Before the question, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opened the question session by assuring Roberts that the Senate would respect his "unique position in reading in reading our questions." I want to be able to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue," he said. Later, when senators each got 10 minutes to speak before the acquittal vote, Paul read his question verbatim, including the name of the person Roberts refused to read. Bolton's bombshell Despite complaints from Trump that his defense team's Saturday morning opening day time slot was "Death Valley" for television ratings, they breezed through in just two hours and signaled that they'd use nowhere near their allotted 24 hours of speaking time. Then came the Sunday surprise. The New York Times reported that a forthcoming book by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton contained explosive revelations, namely that Trump personally told Bolton he had ordered a hold on $391 million in military aid to Ukraine until its president agreed to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. National security adviser John Bolton. The disclosure put wind in the sails of Democrats' efforts to call witnesses in the trial, something the Republicans had successfully thwarted. As the trial wore on, McConnell, wrestled with keeping more than three Republicans from siding with the Democrats on the issue. House impeachment managers argued that Bolton's claims directly contradicted key elements of Trump's defense and that a fair trial required his testimony. Who is John Bolton? Trump's former national security adviser became a focus in impeachment trial Trump denied Bolton's account in a tweet and later in front of reporters at the White House. He and his defense team have argued that he withheld aid to get Ukraine to address its longstanding corruption problems and that it was unrelated to his desire for Ukraines president to announce an investigation into Biden. Quote, unquote I would not put people in Gitmo through this to Wednesday that would be violating the Geneva Conventions. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., after it looked as if the impeachment trial would drag out past its expected conclusion "This is not a banana republic. It's the democratic republic of the United States of America. It's wrong." House impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on soliciting a foreign government's interference in elections "If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." Trump impeachment defense attorney and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz "Richard Nixon once made this argument: 'When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.' He was forced to resign in disgrace. In America, no one is above the law." Hillary Clinton on Twitter in response to Dershowitz "I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense." Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., explaining why he voted against calling witnesses The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming ... and the president has led a clear path for them to interfere, once again, in our election as they are currently doing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment trial: Moments include Schiff, Paul, Roberts, tweets American President Donald Trump delivered his yearly State of the Union address Tuesday. He gave credit to himself and his administration for what he called the Great American Comeback. Republicans welcomed Trump to the House of Representatives with the cheers of four more years. Ahead of his speech, the president appeared to reject the offer of a handshake from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. Trump said Tuesday, In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny...We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back! The nationally televised speech was delivered in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. Lawmakers in the House voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of justice late last year. The speech took place one day before the Republican-led Senate will likely vote to acquit him of the charges. Trump noted the nation's strong economy, low unemployment rates and rising stock markets in his three years as president. He said that he has delivered tax cuts and new trade agreements. He promised to continue to protect gun rights and said he aimed to name more conservative judges to the Supreme Court. And, he said he would not let socialism destroy American health care. During the hour-long speech, Trump introduced 13-year old Iain Lanphier. The young boy hopes to join the U.S. Space Force, a newly established branch of the military created under Trump. Sitting near Lanphier on Tuesday was his great-grandfather Charles McGee. He is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots who fought in World War II. McGee received his general star from Trump just hours earlier. Trump also had a surprise for Janiyah Davis, a fourth-grader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the State of the Union address with her mother. Trump announced a special scholarship to help her go to the school she wishes to attend. The move was meant to bring attention to the presidents support for an education movement known as school choice. Later in his speech, Trump asked his wife, first lady Melania Trump, to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The medal is the countrys highest civilian honor. Trump also reunited a soldier with his family. Townsend Williams had been on his fourth deployment in the Middle East. His wife, Amy, and their two children were in attendance for the State of the Union but did not know Williams was there, too. Trump said, Welcome home, Sergeant Williams to the cheers of USA! USA! in the chamber. On foreign policy, Trump said, We are supporting the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to restore democracy. He then introduced opposition leader Juan Guaido, who received loud applause from lawmakers in both political parties. Trump called Guaido the true and legitimate president of Venezuela. The president ended his speech saying, The sun is still rising. God's grace is still shining. And my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come. As Trump ended his address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen tearing up a copy of the presidents speech. When asked by reporters why she had torn up Trumps speech, Pelosi said, It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered the Democratic answer to the State of the Union. She noted the differences between the presidents words and actions taken by Democratic leaders. When the President says the economy is strong, my question is, strong for whom? Whitmer said. Strong for the wealthy, who are reaping rewards from tax cuts they dont need. The American economy needs to be a different kind of strong. Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story shatter - v. to break suddenly destiny - n. what happens in the future impeach - v. to charge with a crime while in office obstruction of justice - phrase, is the crime of trying to stop official from learning the truth acquit - v. to decide that someone is not guilty scholarship - n. an amount of money given to a student to help pay for education host - n. a person who talks to guests on radio or television show applause - n. a show of approval in which people clap their hands together legitimate - adj. permitted according to rules or laws courteous - adj. very polite alternative - n. a choice or option A night before President Donald Trump looked to be acquitted on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusettss 7th District said a powerful grassroots movement was underway to evict the occupant of the White House." Pressley, the first African American woman representing Massachusetts in Congress, said shes seen first-hand the effects of racist, xenophobic" policies from an administration that emboldens white nationalism and promotes bigotry. She said she visited a border detention center where detainees were poorly cared for, and she cited a hearing with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who refused to say out loud that housing was a human right. I see right through (Donald Trump), said Pressley, who boycotted the annual speech before both houses of Congress on Tuesday. The American people see right through him. But she added that defeating Trump, who touted American economic prowess in his speech, was not enough, and called on progressives to join forces and find ways to forge progress. She said she learned from her mother, an organizer, who said, When we organize, we are powerful. Pressley said working in partnership with political parties, organizers and communities, progressive lawmakers would advance a Green New Deal that will transform our economy while addressing head on the affects of climate change;" support organized labor by making it easier to join a union and provide greater protections to workers; bump the minimum wage to $15 an hour; and welcome and defend immigrants, not demonize and deport them. Other Massachusetts Democrats and liberal groups weighed in after the speech as well. Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said the real state of the union was that the federal government has enacted the cruelest policies in modern American history. Nearly 60,000 people seeking refuge in our country have been forcibly sent to dangerous border cities in northern Mexico, Rose wrote. Over 200 abortion opponents in Congress, emboldened by this administration, have asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade entirely. And, President Trump has renewed calls for voter ID lawspolicies that already disenfranchise tens of thousands of people in 36 states. Sen. Ed Markey, whos up for re-election against U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, said the presidents address was lie-laden. What he didnt say gun safety, climate change, clean energy, diplomacy, equal justice, reproductive rights, asylum, mattered more than what he said, Markey argued. Kennedy, who delivered the response to Trumps state of the union two years ago in Fall River, argued the Trump administration has never judged its own success by the success of our neighbors, it has only sought to consolidate power at the expense of those it silences. From climate change to health care to civil rights to economic justice to gun violence to democratic reforms, we have fought for all Americans regardless of the color of their skin, the god of their prayers or the votes they cast, Kennedy said. Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah PM Modi inaugurates 'biggest ever' DefExpo in Lucknow, focus on 'Make in India' India oi-Deepika S Lucknow, Feb 05: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated DefExpo 2020, with the aim to showcase India's potential as a global defence manufacturing hub. The main theme of the Expo is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. Inaugurating the 11th edition of DefExpo here, Modi said a country of the size of India cannot entirely depend on imports and added the number of defence licenses issued in the last five years has risen to 460 from 210 in 2014, the year he first came to power. India is building several defence equipments like artillery guns, aircraft carriers, submarines, light-combat aircraft, and combat helicopters, he said. "Our mantra is Make in India, for India, for the world. In 2014 the export of defence equipment from India was about Rs 2,000 crore. In the last 2 years, it has gone up to Rs 17,000 crore. In the next five years our target is export of USD 5 billion, which is about Rs 35,000 crore," the prime minister said. India is not only a major market globally but a vast opportunity for the world as well, he said, asserting that Uttar Pradesh is going to be one of the biggest defence manufacturing hubs in India. Lack of proper policy initiative in last several decades made India the biggest importer of defence platforms, he added. Modi cited misuse of technology, terrorism and cyber threat as challenges facing the world and said defence forces are eyeing new technology considering new threats. India is not behind others, he added. He said a roadmap had been finalised to use application of artificial intelligence in defence sector. The prime minister said the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and the Department of Military Affairs will boost the overall defence production. "We are going to enhance our presence in the outer space in coming years," he said, adding that the DRDO is putting up effective protection for India's assets in outer space created by ISRO. "Our defence preparedness is not aimed at any country as India is a reliable contributor to world peace. It's our responsibility to ensure security of not only India but countries in the neighbourhood as well," he said. He invited foreign defence manufacturers to "come and invest in India. The 11th edition of DefExpo promises to bring new technologies and solutions on a single platform for defence manufacturing firms from India and abroad. Delegates from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers attended the five-day mega exhibition. As many as 856 Indian defence firms also showcased their products. Reflecting on the government's focus on 'Make in India', the DefExpo 2020 would offer an opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. Delhi needs govt that will give direction, not play blame game: PM Modi It will be for the first time that the 19-seater aircraft will be used by a state government for civilian purposes. Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in this edition of DefExpo, making it an important opportunity for countries to further strengthen defence ties with India, the defence minister said. The fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference will also be held on the sidelines of DefExpo with over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders expected. with PTI inputs Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk is one step closer to finally giving Australia a world-leading internet connection, after years of crippling outages and slow speeds. The SpaceX CEO plans to send thousands of satellites into space to provide ultra high-speed internet. The project has been given the green light to operate in Australian airspace and communicate with its base stations. It comes as Australia's internet speed plummeted to 68th in the world, lagging behind the likes of Kosovo, Estonia and Vietnam. Average download speeds reached just 41.78 megabytes per second in Australia -almost half the global standard of 73.58Mbps. Elon Musk (pictured with his girlfriend Grimes) is the CEO of SpaceX, and has vowed to deliver the world high-speed internet access at a low cost SpaceX's satellites are designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit (pictured is a simulation of the satellites in orbit) But Musk's ambitious Starlink plan could soon give Australians access to low-cost, high-speed broadband. If successful, it could deliver speeds of 1 gigabits per second - 10 times faster than the maximum possible speed available on the National Broadband Network (NBN). Few customers ever even reach NBN's top speed because of networking issues. Musk's plan was approved by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), as it overcame the latest hurdle in a series of bureaucratic stages. WHAT WENT WRONG WITH AUSTRALIA'S BROADBAND NETWORK? The National Broadband Network (NBN) was rolled out by the Australian government in 2009 to provide high speed broadband access to Australian households But it has been plagued by problems and was met with significant delays. In 2013, the new Coalition government suspended the first stage of the large-scale fibre-to-premises NBN rollout to reassess the scale of the project. In 2014, it announced the types of connection would vary depending on where you lived. When it was finally available in some places, critics complained it was slow and expensive. It is now over budget, but due to be completed in June 2020. Advertisement SpaceX, which is also planning a space tourism project, wants to blanket the earth in a constellation of satellites to deliver broadband internet services. The NBN roll-out has been plagued by problems since it was announced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2009. He announced the government would try and bypass the existing copper network by constructing a new, faster, national network. 'High-speed broadband will spur innovation and enhance our economy's growth and productivity in the long term,' Mr Rudd said at the time. In 2011, the goal was set at fibre-to-the-premises for 93 per cent of Australian homes. But when the Coalition come to power in 2013, incoming prime minister Tony Abbott promised a scaled-down version of the NBN. It would be based on fibre-to-the-exchange instead of direct fibre-to-the-home, in a bid to save on costs and reduce delays. Musk revealed new details (pictured) about the Starlink venture, saying the terminals used to connect to the train of satellites will look like 'a thin, flat, round UFO' SpaceX's plans to release thousands of the satellites into orbit over the next year (pictured) If Musk's project goes to plan, all homes will be able to get high-speed internet access with a small handheld terminal which customers plug in, and point towards the sky. While many of the satellites are already in orbit, they have to be approved by base stations back on earth. It has now been added to the ACMA's list of approved foreign companies allowed to communicate on frequences in Australia's airspace. This means SpaceX may soon be able to bring ultra high-speed broadband to the country. Called Starlink, the project could be the world's most ambitious communications network ever. In October 2019, Musk a tweet with the hopes of silencing his critics by using the Starlink satellite (pictured) Hours later, Musk wrote this tweet to show his followers that his ambitious technology did in fact work (pictured) Speaking about the plan last month, Musk explained that the terminals used to connect to the train of satellites will look like 'a thin, flat, round UFO on a stick'. Musk also shared some simple instruction on how to use the 'user terminal' - you just plug the device in a socket and point to the sky. Starlink is said to work similar to satellite television, where customers need a physical antenna to gain access to the service. The Starlink user terminal will need to be pointed towards the sky, but their position will need to change, as the satellites are constantly moving. An NBN contractor works on the network's roll-out in Sydney in 2017 (pictured). Australian average internet download speeds of 41.78Mbps mean the country ranks 68th in the world And just like the satellite used for television, SpaceX's will simply have be plugged into a socket in order to work, according to Musk. The tech tycoon has been promising the world internet from his satellites, leaving many to question if his dream will actually become a reality. In October 2019, Musk shared another tweet with the hopes of silencing his critics. 'Sending this tweet through space via Starlink satellite', he wrote and then hours later, confirmed 'it worked'. This is the first time orbiting satellites have been used and Musk hopes to provide the entire world with access to the high-speed internet one-day. Does the February share price for Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LL) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. I will be using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Lumber Liquidators Holdings The calculation We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$13.0m US$18.3m US$25.8m US$27.2m US$29.0m US$30.4m US$31.5m US$32.6m US$33.5m US$34.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 4.76% Est @ 3.85% Est @ 3.22% Est @ 2.77% Est @ 2.46% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 8.8% US$12.0 US$15.5 US$20.0 US$19.3 US$19.0 US$18.3 US$17.4 US$16.5 US$15.6 US$14.7 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$168m Story continues We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 10-year government bond rate (1.7%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.8%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2029 (1 + g) (r g) = US$34m (1 + 1.7%) 8.8% 1.7%) = US$491m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$491m ( 1 + 8.8%)10= US$211m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$379m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$7.7, the company appears quite good value at a 42% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. NYSE:LL Intrinsic value, February 5th 2020 Important assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Lumber Liquidators Holdings as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.306. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Next Steps: Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price to differ from the intrinsic value? For Lumber Liquidators Holdings, I've put together three important factors you should further examine: Financial Health: Does LL have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does LL's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Are there other high quality stocks you could be holding instead of LL? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every US stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Their longstanding companionship had left most to speculate that they were in an intimate relationship, but both have since denied it and claim their relationship is purely platonic. Nonetheless, Caitlyn Jenner was again seen with her good friend and confidante Sophia Hutchins on Tuesday night, when they attended the opening of the Vanity Fair: Hollywood Calling exhibit at the Annenberg Space For Photography in Century City in Los Angeles, California. Jenner, 70, looked fresh-faced and beautiful at the event, in a tasteful cream top with criss-cross detailing at the neckline, paired with a fun pink and black snakeskin print midi skirt. Chic ladies: Caitlyn Jenner was seen with her good friend and confidante Sophia Hutchins on Tuesday night, when they attended the opening of the Vanity Fair: Hollywood Calling exhibit Hutchins, 23, complemented her mentor in a spaghetti-strapped LBD that came down to her mid-calf. She paired the frock with simple red strappy sandals, while Caitlyn wore pointy brown pumps, also in a snakeskin finish. At one point during the evening, Caitlyn posed on the ground in front of her own Vanity Fair cover. The sighting comes after Jenner said she isn't dating Sophia and isn't looking to date anyone, for that matter. 'To be honest with you, I don't see myself having a relationship with anybody in the future,' the Olympian recently told OK! magazine. 'It's not what I'm looking for.' Stylish: Jenner, 70, looked fresh-faced and beautiful at the event, in a tasteful cream top with criss-cross detailing at the neckline, paired with a fun pink and black snakeskin print midi skirt At one point: Caitlyn posed on the ground in front of her own Vanity Fair cover The latest: Caitlyn recently said she isn't dating her companion Sophia, and isn't looking to date anyone as 2020 unfolds. The two were seen in LA last month Jenner went into detail about how low priority a relationship is to her as the new year unfolds. 'I've got so many other things in my life. On a scale of one to 10, that's a one,' she said in the January interview. Caitlyn, who was past wed to Chrystie Jenner from 1972 to 1981, Linda Thompson between 1981 and 1986 and Kris Jenner from 1991 to 2014, said that she's 'been down that road' of romance and is not interested in a fourth trip to the altar. 'I've been married three times,' she said. 'I'm 70 years old, I want to enjoy my life and I have great friends. I don't even think about it.' Jenner told the magazine she's 'very fortunate to have a great friend in' her companion Hutchins. Grateful: Jenner told the magazine she's 'very fortunate to have a great friend in' her companion Hutchins 'We have a wonderful life and we do everything together,' she said. 'Everybody needs those people in their lives. Jenner first crossed paths with Hutchins, who is also transgender, five years ago, and the pair moved in together in Malibu three years ago. 'She has her life and I have mine. We live here and we support each other. It's a great friendship.' Hutchins, a one-time Pepperdine University student, previously told The New York Times in December that she and the reality star 'were never romantically involved' and that she'd been dating a Wall Street businessperson who's 30-years-old. She added: 'I dont feel a need to address my sex life, quite frankly, unless I want to.' Jenner told the publication, 'Over the last few years, Sophia has been my best friend, family and confidant. She is one of the top minds in her field. Her value in my life is undeniable. The sky is the limit with her entrepreneurial spirit.' Mission store Pavilion's elevated denim, tees and kicks cram the shelves of Sacramento Street's Bar Code for a month. Plus, new SF brand Rella Beauty gives back with every lipstick, a Pac Heights parklet holds a mini market and Marin's Boon Supply debuts a fresh collab with Hello!Lucky. Pavilion's hip Mission fashions take a staycation in Presidio Heights. (Courtesy of Pavilion) Guys, girls, and kiddos looking for the coolest denim, comfiest tees, and latest It kicks should head to the Mission Presidio Heights. Say what? Yep, through March 1st, Pavilionthe much-loved boutique/styling house that lives at the corner of 16th and Guerrerohas a second, temporary shop across town at The Bar Code. The month-long pop-up features "elevated everyday essentials" for the whole fam. Key clothing, accessories, and shoe brands you'll find: AGolde, Golden Goose (including exclusive styles), Moussy, Anine Bing, Amo Denim, Harris Wharf London, Maison Louis Marie (fingers crossed, they have the NO. 04 candle), Pascale Monvoisin, and Roule & Co. Personal styling services are also available. // 11am to 6pm daily at 3600 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), thebarcodesf.com What a kisser: Rella Beauty's lipsticks pretty up pouts for you and women in need. (Courtesy of Rella Beauty) The brand is only a few months young, but Rella Beauty is already catching buzz with beauty babes. Founded by Sephora alum, SF native, and one-woman-show Raisa Mirza, Rella's debut collection consists of vegan, cruelty-free lipsticks without "lame ingredients" like sulfates and parabens. The tagline, imagined in San Francisco, made in Italy, caught our attention immediately, as did the fact that the lippies come in a trio of easy-to-wear shades: nude, berry, and classic red. (We confess: Endless color choices scare us.) Along with a lovely satin-matte finish and a small triangular shape that perfectly fits the cupid's bow, we're smitten with Rella's charitable component. For every lipstick purchased, one is given to a woman in need somewhere on the planet via charitable organizations including Project Glimmer, Dignity Not Despair, Dress for Success, and more. Mwah! // Lipsticks ($33) are available for purchase online at rellabeauty.com. January 2020 was the warmest month on record globally, especially for Europe with temperatures settling at three notches above the average January from 1981 to 2010, according to the European Union's climate monitoring system on February 4. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that several countries stretching from Norway to Russia, had their temperatures settling at an unprecedented 6C which is above average compared to the last 30 years. January #temperature highlights from #Copernicus #C3S: In Europe, last month was the warmest January in our record, at 3.1C warmer than the 1981-2010 average Globally, it was warmest January in our record, but only barely warmer than 2016 Morehttps://t.co/Y2Eb3jfZvG pic.twitter.com/t4JI24kpnE Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) February 4, 2020 READ: 'Warm' Water Found Under Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier Heightens Global Warming Fears Temperatures triggered by El Nino Scientists said that the rise in temperatures is mainly due to the impact of climate change which is caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. The last five years have been the hottest on records as was the 10 year period 2010-2019. 2019 was the second warmest year which was just 0.04 degree C below 2016, when global temperatures were triggered by a powerful El Nino, which is a periodic natural weather phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean. READ: As Global Warming Intensifies, Rate Of Grass Growing Around Mount Everest Increases Europe 0.2 C warmer: C3S The previous month, the global record stood at 0.03 degree C above the preceding warmest January. C3S reported last month that Europe was about 0.2 degree C warmer than the previous warmest January in 2007, and 3.1 degree C warmer than the average January in the period from 1981-2010. The records also fell down in specific locations across the northern reaches of the continent. Sunndalsora, a village in western Norway hit 19 degree C (66 Fahrenheit) on January 2 which is more than 25 degree C above the monthly average, and on the other hand, the Swedish town of Orebro saw its warmest January day on the 9th since records began in 1858. The cross country ski tracks were closed across Norway and Sweden. Exceptional above-average temperatures extended nearly all over Russia and they were higher than normal over much of the United States, eastern Canada, Japan and parts of eastern China. The temperatures soared above normal in New South Wales in Australia, where massive bushfires devastated a large scale of areas. READ: As Global Warming Intensifies, Rate Of Grass Growing Around Mount Everest Increases READ: Antarctic Fossils Contain Clue Of Global Warming Before Dinosaur's Extinction (With Agency Inputs) Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has hailed the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the ban on commercial motorcycles and keke in the state. The new policy continues to generate mixed reactions from residents of Lagos and in some areas, it has led to violent demonstration. Also Read: Okada Ban: Scores Injured As Okada Riders Take Over Iyana Ipaja, Set Road On Fire Reacting to this situation, the former minister expressed that the state has been infiltrated by foreigners from Niger and Chad who carry out violent attacks. Hence, he commended the Governor of Lagos State for banning okada riders. See his tweet below: Russian propaganda is raging in schools across the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Militarization of young minds in these areas is entering a new round amid preparations for the celebration of February 23 (Russia's Homeland Defender Day) and May 9 (WW2 Victory Day). But it's not only marching in formations that local schoolchildren are taught it's also planting landmines. Children's militarization in the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR" has been blooming for several years, and every year the pressure on school kids increases. Unfortunately, this already bears rotten fruit. "There are reports on militants killed in action who were 18-20 years of age, which means that at the beginning of war they'd been 12 to 14 years old. These were teenagers who fell victim to propaganda," says Anatoliy Shtefan, a prominent Ukrainian military serviceman and blogger who keeps track of casualties in invaders' ranks and information warfare tools employed by the enemy. After Russia announced 2020 a "year of victory", Russian puppet authorities in certain parts of Donbas stepped up their "military-patriotic education" efforts targeting local youths. "Not so long ago, compulsory study of pseudo-heroes' life stories (including those of notorious warlords Motorola, Givi, and Zakharchenko, all of whom had been killed) was introduced into the curriculum. Schoolchildren write essays about their parents, relatives, and acquaintances who took part in hostilities. Special youth volunteer teams look after militants' graves at cemeteries and visit the wounded in hospitals. In every major city there are "military-patriotic units," set up by an example of the Russian "Yunarmia" [Young Army]" says Shtefan. In social networks, reports can be easily found on such units. Kids are regularly taken "on excursions" to military bases. Children learn to shoot firearms, study topography and combat tactics, as well as field medical aid. Teenagers get to learn about different types of weapons and study UAV operation principles. Judging by the reports of their handlers, children's safety is not on top agenda. The key point in "training" is to teach kids how to use weapons. "The Yunarmeans learned about the minefield construction [mining] and elimination [demining]. At the end of this training phase, a lecture was held on the prevention of mine-explosive injuries," the occupation administration wrote in a report. Also, it seems that training courses are managed by random figures. In social networks, we found a photo of Olga Proskurina, the "Heirs of Victory" project manager, where she poses in a revealing dress, while no pictures have been posted that would testify to her work experience with children before the war. But vulgar pictures are not the worst part of what we learned about the children's training "leaders". There are reports that certain counselors were arrested on pedophilia charges. "Over the past six months, four top executives have been detained for pedophilia: two in the Russian Federation, and one each in the occupied Crimea and Donetsk," says Shtefan. But, despite scandals, more and more "military-patriotic detachments" emerge. "Children sport military uniforms, some educational facilities become a kind of cadet schools where they teach kids how to use weapons and clearly identify the adversaries, whom they are supposed to shoot," says Ihor Kozlovsky, a religious scholar, who earlier taught in a Donetsk university before spending almost two years in militant captivity. "The teacher asked the children: 'Is there a future?' The whole class said, 'No'" "Often, children are taken on excursions to military bases during school hours. But there's also propaganda in class. A few years ago, the 'DPR' and 'LPR' schools switched to the Russian curriculum, but local educators are now molding the new "modern history" (at least they authored a rather "impressive" textbook). The "textbook" is full of manipulation, pseudo-facts, and propaganda cliches. For example, a photo showing a long queue at a dairy store accompanies a piece about 1990s in independent Ukraine instead of illustrating USSR history. The authors describe the "oppression" of Russian speakers, telling schoolchildren that supposedly as early as 2005 Ukraine started implementing the new rule: "Ukraine is for Ukrainians." Against a variety of other false allegations, the textbook says: "DPR seeks to be friends with all countries and nations." Donetsk residents say not all teachers are into zombifying their students with hardcore propaganda. "Adequate principals and teachers try not to do this with their children. But there are those who try to score points with the supervisors so they mess with children's minds a lot. In Makiyivka, this happens in many schools, while in Donetsk, they say, there are fewer such cases," says Tetiana, who recently took her kid and the rest of the family to Kyiv. Locals also say that reprimand is individual if students defy the "official agenda". "My son had this class at school about 'patriotism'. One day, his teacher asked the class about the prospects of a new state: 'Is there a future?' The whole class said, 'No'. This offended the teacher so she tried to argue with her students. This teacher is a 'patriot', she wanted to put 'necessary' and 'valuable' information in their heads, but they aren't some small children so its difficult to interest them in such a way," says Inna, a displaced woman. She adds, there was just one boy in her son's class whom his father took to warlord Zakharchenko's funeral, so he tried to tell something about it, but his classmates weren't too willing to listen. "A school cannot make kids 'patriots', it's parents whose views are important," she said. Parents admit that "patriot teachers" sometimes threatened them. "My son had a Ukrainian-made diary. The teacher taped the pages with the coat of arms. She told him to put on a cover so that a small blue-yellow flag couldn't be seen. When we refused, she called me and threatened me, saying there would be consequences: 'In the notebook there are insignia of the country that is killing the children of Donbas.' The teacher is obsessed with 'DPR' and even wears a badge. Now we are studying in Ukraine," recalls another relocated mother, Oksana. Rights activists tell about cases where patriots were thrown behind bars for likes in social networks. A rough propaganda machine works there, aimed at promoting the ideas of the 'Russian world' and burning out everything Ukrainian, inciting hatred for our country and the EU. All media are controlled. There is no alternative journalistic opinion. Even personal pages on social networks are controlled, and tough measures are applied to all those who dissent," says Vira Yastrebova, head of the NGO Eastern Human Rights Group. "We are working with the case of Andrei Rusinov, a former student from Luhansk, who was sentenced to 5.5 years for likes under pro-Ukrainian posts. This guy is serving a sentence at a colony. And he is not alone. We will seek to have him included in the exchange lists, and we will fight for them to be released so that they return to their normal life." "Their methods are primitive, but sometimes, primitive works better than perfect" Rights activists unanimously say they are concerned about the fact that stereotypes are being imposed onto children, who are also taught to use firearms. By zombifying them, they can mold both a new generation of militants and also lobbyists for the ideas of the "Russian world". There's also an opinion of the "lost generation." "They work with children quite primitively, but efficiently. There are no good experts there, but there is a routine, directing children's minds to a certain plane. Their methods are primitive, but sometimes, primitive works better than perfect. This somewhat resembles the creation of the "Hitler Jugend" at the end of World War 2," said Kozlovsky. Drawing parallels, he says that after the war, special programs were set up in West Germany for those who had gone through Nazi youth organizations. "There were additional classes in schools set up for them, they were taken to former concentration camps, sites where people had been massively slain. This was done to influence with information, as well as emotionally, and gradually change their minds. How effective was it? The former pope, Benedict XVI, also came from Hitler Jugend. People have different fates. But Germany made deliberate efforts to clean up people's minds," says Kozlovsky. It is worth noting that in Ukraine, psychologists work with teenagers who have suffered traumas of war and occupation. But, according to experts, these efforts aren't systemic. And it may seem that the generation is really lost. "After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the GDR, which was in a different hard space, acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. Yes, there is still a difference between the 'East' and the 'West' Germans. But, say, Angela Merkel came from the East. History shows that nothing is absolutely static; there is dynamics. Huamns are adaptive creatures, their minds adapt," sums up Kozlovsky. Children rights envoy to Ukraine Parliament Aksana Filipishina notes that Ukraine is planning to change the law and tighten responsibility for attracting children to illegal armed groups. If the bill passes Rada, perpetrators will face 10-15 years in prison. And while there is no such law, brainwashed minors will be coming to the frontline as "soldiers" of the "DPR" and "LPR". Filipishina notes cases where young people are sentenced for what they committed in Donbas in 2014-2015, when they were still teenagers. "We are concerned about this situation. A child cannot be an instrument in the hands of adults. But influencing this situation is very difficult. We hope that children will choose joining universities in government-controlled territory. The admission procedures are as simple as possible and information about them is publicly available," she says. Indeed, IDPs say the number of those who study remotely in schools across Ukraine has been growing. Many high school students dream of leaving the occupied areas. "They hate their 'reservation' with 'patriotic classes' more than the IDP children, whom the occupation has deprived of everything," the IDPs say. "You ask them: 'Well, how is it going?' 'There is only one wish to finish school and get out of here as soon as possible'." Vlad Abramov QUEBEC, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Eddyfi/NDT, through a strategic partnership with Novacap and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec ("CDPQ"), announced today the acquisition of NDT Global. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and with main operations in Stutensee, Germany, NDT Global is a premium ultrasonic pipeline inline inspection ("ILI") and data analysis supplier for onshore and offshore pipelines worldwide. It delivers a full range of services including geometry and deformation inspection, metal loss and crack inspection, defect assessment and fitness for purpose investigations around the world. The combination of Eddyfi Technologies and NDT Global is an innovative and private Test & Measurement ("T&M") technology group focused on Non-Destructive Testing ("NDT"). Eddyfi/NDT will now have 1,000+ employees working in 20 global offices and serving customers in 110 countries. It is composed of high-end technology business units operating in two different segments: NDT Equipment and Application-Specific Integrated Inspections. The global headquarters are located in the advanced NDT hub of Quebec city. Martin Theriault, CEO of Eddyfi/NDT, says: "We have spent the past 10 years developing, acquiring and perfecting the most advanced NDT modalities in the world. At every level of technology, pushing the limits of NDT to new heights has allowed us to solve critical problems and deliver superior, information-rich data for the benefits of our clients. However, selling inspection instrumentation & technology alone in certain very niche and specialized sub-verticals, such as ILI inspection, simply does not work. We are therefore excited to join forces with NDT Global and work with them and their clients to take ILI NDT to the next level." This merger successfully joins two leaders in their respective markets: Eddyfi Technologies as a provider of the highest performance NDT inspection technologies and NDT Global as an advanced ultrasonic ILI and integrity services provider. Global pipeline operators have come to rely on NDT Global for the most accurate assessment of the condition of their pipeline assets. Coupled with the additional expertise in non-destructive testing techniques and technology of Eddyfi Technologies, NDT Global will deliver increased accuracy and enhanced information to assure the safe operation of pipelines. Richard Matthews, President and CEO of NDT Global, comments, "Joining with Eddyfi/NDT offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage our respective technologies to develop even better solutions. At NDT Global we want to continue our trend of being a technology disruptor whilst delivering new and never seen before solutions to our customers through out of the box thinking, creativity and collaboration we believe Eddyfi/NDT will help us materialize this vision." Furthermore, to complete this acquisition, Eddyfi/NDT confirmed a new round of equity financing with Montreal-based Novacap, making its first investment in the company with CA$ 163 million, and CDPQ, making an additional investment of CA$ 107 million. The new equity investment is combined with new debt financing provided by a banking syndicate led by National Bank of Canada and additional debt from Investissement Quebec ("IQ"). Over CA$ 600 million was raised to complete the NDT Global acquisition as well as pursue other strategic opportunities. CDPQ made its initial investment in Eddyfi in March 2017. Since then, it has helped the company complete four additional acquisitions in Europe and North America, as well as diversify across technologies and geographies. In addition, CDPQ has supported the development of a new strategic plan to deliver substantial growth while also building an industrial technology business at the forefront of its sector. "Quebec SME expansion and globalization is a key aspect of our strategy, and our support for Eddyfi over the years reflects that. Since our first investment, the company has experienced tremendous and sustained growth, becoming one of the largest private companies in the Greater Quebec City area today," said Charles Emond, President and Chief Executive Officer of CDPQ. Novacap played a critical role in this transformative and complex acquisition. "The merger is highly strategic and represents a unique, complementary combination of a service provider and equipment manufacturer at the technological forefront of the non-destructive testing market. Asset aging, coupled with heightened public concern about environmental protection, has given rise to increasingly stringent pipeline integrity management programs. Operators understand the complexities of asset aging as well as the importance of public opinion, and they rely on NDT Global to continuously set new standards in pipeline inspection to address these issues. We are highly confident that NDT Global, under the Eddyfi/NDT group, will deliver superior inspection technology and value-added services to operators globally," said David Lewin, Senior Partner at Novacap (TMT). Finally, Pascal Tremblay, Novacap's President & CEO, added: "I would like to thank our new business partners, Martin Theriault, Louis-Georges Gauvin (CFO), and their teams for being the driving force behind this acquisition. I would also like to thank CDPQ who played a critical role in the execution of this complex transaction, as well as our highly supportive limited partners who co-invested with us to make this deal possible. I am very happy to say that Eddyfi/NDT is the largest platform investment in Novacap's history. We are proud to be a partner of the Eddyfi/NDT team, a Quebec-based leader in a global industry of this scale." Baird acted as an exclusive financial advisor to Eddyfi/NDT in the transaction. McCarthy Tetrault acted as lead legal advisor to Eddyfi/NDT. About Eddyfi/NDT Eddyfi/NDT is a fast-growing, innovative private Test & Measurement (T&M) technology group focused on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). Through its 2 divisions, Advanced Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Equipment and Advanced Application-Specific Integrated Inspection, it caters to asset owners, large engineering firms, and service companies globally in markets such as Aerospace, Energy, Mining, Power Generation, or Transportation. Eddyfi/NDT believes that advancing NDT science and technology via sensors, hardware, robotics and software makes the world safer, more productive and more environmentally secure. The company employs over 1,000 people throughout 20 offices worldwide, and serves clients in more than 110 countries. www.eddyfi-ndt.com About NDT Global NDT Global is a leading supplier of ultrasonic pipeline inspection and data analysis. Its state-of-the-art inspection fleet provides the entire inline inspection service (ILI) spectrum for onshore and offshore pipelines worldwide. NDT Global's full range of services includes geometry and deformation inspection, metal loss and crack inspection, defect assessment and fitness for purpose investigations. First run success, best data quality and rapid report delivery are its key benchmarks. A skilled engineering and project management team, complemented by one of the best data analysis teams in the industry, has inspected and analyzed pipelines worldwide. The company has offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, UAE, UK and USA. www.ndt-global.com About Novacap Founded in 1981, Novacap is a leading Canadian private equity firm with CA$3.6 billion of assets under management. Its distinct investment approach, based on deep operational expertise and an active partnership with entrepreneurs, has helped accelerate growth and create long-term value for its numerous portfolio companies. With an experienced management team and substantial financial resources, Novacap is well positioned to continue building world-class businesses. Backed by leading global institutional investors, Novacap's deals typically include leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, add-on acquisitions, IPOs, and privatizations. Over the last 39 years, Novacap has invested in more than 90 companies and completed more than 130 add-on acquisitions. The company has offices in Toronto, Ontario and Brossard, Quebec. For more information, please visit www.novacap.ca. About Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at June 30, 2019, it held CAD326.7 billion in net assets. As one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers, CDPQ invests globally in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. www.cdpq.com SOURCE Eddyfi/NDT Related Links https://www.cdpq.com/ Reuters A high school principal apologised publicly for a Facebook post she wrote insinuating that Kobe Bryant deserved to die in the helicopter crash that killed him, his daughter and seven others. The principal was placed on administrative leave Tuesday. Liza Sejkora, the principal at Camas High School in Camas, Washington, apologised for a post she made to Facebook that said: Not gonna lie. Seems to me that karma caught up with a rapist today. Complaints about her tweet began to circulate around Camas, and was eventually reported on by ABC News affiliate in Portland, KATU. Ms Sejkora publicly apologised for the post during a segment on KATU. I have some personal experience that generated the visceral reaction, Ms Sejkora said. This was a situation where I didnt think before I posted, and Im terribly regretful about that. Ms Sejkoras post was in reference to rape charges Mr Bryant faced in 2003 involving a 19-year-old woman. Mr Bryant denied that the encounter was nonconsensual. The case was eventually dropped and an out-of-court settlement was reached between Mr Bryant and the woman. Following the post, the principal deleted her Facebook and Twitter accounts. She admits that she has often warned her students to be careful of what they post on social media because of how it can impact their lives. Im embarrassed that I made such a poor decision and let down my students, she said. We communicated with our community last night, my teachers yesterday, and then the students today. Im hopeful that my regret will garner me some trust moving forward. Ms Sejkora expressed concerns over her job, but it appears the schools superintendent intends to stand by the principal while she is rebuilding trust with the community. In the meantime, the Camas School District said Tuesday it was putting Ms Sejkora on administrative leave while it investigated the post. Ms Sejkoras apology didnt satisfy everyone, however. Logan Schmidt, a student at the school and a fan of Mr Bryant, said he thought his principal should consider stepping down. Story continues Honestly, I think she should step down, personally, said Logan Schmidt, a senior at Camas. Those types of things, you just really cant be saying that. You know, it is one thing if it is another student or someone else said that, I would still have the same feelings. But when you are a public figure and people look up to you and you are the principal of a school full of kids and you say something like that? I mean, you are definitely set to a higher standard. Thats ridiculous. You cant be saying that. A group of Camas students planned a walkout Wednesday at 1pm to protest Ms Sejkoras post. The walkout lasted nine minutes, one for each of the victims of the plane crash. Read more 911 calls from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash are released A series of "misleading" Ryanair adverts have been banned after the company claimed to be Europe's "low CO2 emissions airline". The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ruled that the budget airline broke rules on environmental claims and misled consumers in its press, TV, and radio ads from September 2019. Both the TV and radio spot referenced "low CO2 emissions" while the text advert claimed "Ryanair has the lowest carbon emissions of any major airline". After complaints were made, the airline claimed that the phrase "low CO2 emissions" in the radio and TV ads meant "less than average". The print promotion from the Ryanair advert series that have been banned / ASA/Ryanair For the print promotion, the carrier also tried to justify that it had compared its CO2 emissions per passenger, per kilometre, to four other big European carriers. But the ASA said the "ads [...] must not appear again in their current forms", as the claims could not be substantiated. They said that customers would interpret the ads' claims to mean that they were contributing less CO2 by travelling with Ryanair rather than other airlines, which could not be proved. The watchdog said: "We told Ryanair to ensure that when making environmental claims, they held adequate evidence to substantiate them and to ensure the basis of those claims were made clear." Ryanair has been accused of "greenwashing" its adverts (file image) / Ralph Orlowski/Reuters Transport and Environment, which campaigns for cleaner travel in Europe, accused the airline of "greenwashing" in its campaign. They said: "This ruling is a reminder that the aviation sector's climate impact is soaring because of a decades-long tax holiday and almost zero regulation of their pollution. "European governments must, without delay, agree bilaterally to tax jet fuel until EU Vice-President Timmermans secures the end of tax exemption." Ryanair said it was "disappointed and surprised" by the ruling, and maintained that it is the "greenest" airline in Europe. In a statement, the company said: "Ryanair's CO2 emissions per passenger km is 66g, which is 25 per cent lower than the other major European airlines. "Ryanair is delighted with its latest environmental advertising campaign, which communicates a hugely important message for our customers. "The single most important thing any consumer can do to halve their carbon footprint is switch to Ryanair. "We successfully ran this advertising message in 10 countries across Europe. "We made minor adjustments to the advertising in the UK market at the request of the relevant approval bodies. Ryan Gallagher and Charlotte Crosby are still smitten with each other after leaving I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia, last month. And the Geordie Shore star appears to be all-in when it comes to making their relationship last the distance. 'I want to marry him and have his babies!' Charlotte, 29, told OK! Magazine of her blossoming romance with Ryan, 31, following their appearance on the show. Scroll down for video 'I want to marry him and have his babies!' Charlotte Crosby is heading to Australia this month to be with boyfriend Ryan Gallagher after their jungle romance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 'I just wanted to jump on Ryan when I got out,' Charlotte said of Ryan surprising her at the tree house during her live elimination. The British star also revealed that Ryan has already met and got the tick of approval from her mother, Letitia. Charlotte is heading Down Under this month for a special 'dream date' - whale watching in Port Stephens - organised by Ryan. Ryan is also excited to be reunited with Charlotte, telling the publication: 'I just want her all to myself.' 'I just wanted to jump on Ryan when I got out': Charlotte claimed the sexual tension was high between the pair when they were finally reunited at her elimination When she was voted off, Charlotte told hosts Julia Morris and Dr. Chris Brown that she would spend time with Ryan in Australia in February 'away from the cameras to see how it goes'. She also hinted that 'something would be happening (between the pair) in the next couple of days' with a cheeky laugh. The couple enjoyed time together out of the camp in South Africa while waiting for the finale to be filmed. 'I just want her all to myself': Ryan said he was excited to be reunited again Down Under, after they shared passionate moments together in South Africa, on-and-off camera Lovebirds: Ryan said it was 'much less stressful' being together off camera, and was happy he no longer had to 'cover up his microphone' when the pair got intimate Speaking to host Julia during the finale, Charlotte said: 'We've had a lovely time. We went on a little date!' Ryan chimed in and said it was 'much less stressful' being together off camera, and he was happy he no longer had to 'cover up his microphone' when the pair got intimate. Ryan, who appeared on 2018's season of Married At First Sight, told Charlotte on the show: 'It's nice to meet someone who's on my level, who I could actually see a future with.' Piers Morgan lashed out at Tracy Brabin on Wednesday morning, after the Labour MP faced 'sexist' criticism for wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons. Former Coronation Street star Brabin, 58, took to Twitter in her own defence on Tuesday, after her 35 ASOS gown was deemed 'inappropriate' for Parliament and she was branded a 'tart' by critics online. And 54-year-old TV personality Piers waded into the subsequent nationwide debate during Wednesday's instalment of ITV's Good Morning Britain, as he slammed the actress-turned-politician for her controversial choice of attire. Opposing: Piers Morgan and Holly Willougby are standing on opposing ends of the debate surrounding Tracy Brabin's decision to wear an off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons He said: 'Im not making a declaration, but was it appropriate really? Men wear suits should you have a dress thats falling off? Every woman wearing a dress like that knows it has the ability to fall? 'If a bloke did anything similar and showed that amount of flesh they all wear suits I think the man would get the same amount of attention and some criticism and some praise. I just thought it was a little inappropriate.' Holly Willoughby took an opposing stance when she engaged in a heated debate with Nick Ferrari later on This Morning, as she spoke out in defence of Brabin. Criticised: Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin was confronted over an an off-the-shoulder dress she chose to wear during a debate earlier this week She said: 'Am I the only one who doesnt find that inappropriate? I could sit there in front of anyone even a consultant. Its not making me think its adversely sexual. Thats a smart dress!' Holly, who herself has faced criticism for wearing low-cut dresses on-air was then asked what her reaction be if she saw a male politician wearing a string vest at work. 'But a vest is an undergarment,' the mother-of-three furiously shot back, prompting the guest to enquire how she'd feel about a barrister of doctor dressing 'like that'. 'I wouldn't mind if a barrister dressed like that, honestly,' she responded. 'I don't see her shoulder! Is it distracting? Amazing, I find it fascinating, I do.' Holly appeared all the more flabbergasted later on in the show, when a This Morning poll found that most viewers found the dress inappropriate and distracting. Debate: Holly debated the matter with co-host Phillip Schofield, left, and contributors Nick Ferrari and Nicola Thorp during Wednesday's instalment of This Morning Hitting back: Former Coronation Street star Brabin, 58, took to Twitter in her own defence on Tuesday, after her 35 ASOS gown was deemed 'inappropriate' for Parliament On learning that 78 per cent of respondents didn't approve of Brabin's choice, Holly, who was joined by Nicola Thorp and co-host Phillip Schofield during the debate, said: 'Wow, I must be on my own!' All of the debate surrounding the dress has proved lucrative for online retailer ASOS. The fashion item has been this week updated with a 'selling fast' tag. The shadow minister Brain was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' and as if she had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin' after she wore the black dress in the chamber earlier this week. One Twitter user shared a photograph of her outfit and asked: 'Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?' Responsibility: Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, Brabin said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back' Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Brabin said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. Wearing a necklace bearing the Suffragette slogan Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere', she said: 'I was startled by the vitriolic nature of (the messages) but it's part of the territory as a politician. 'I am in a privileged position that I can brush this off but I feel it's my responsibility to call it out for those women that don't have that amplification. 'Because there are women around the world putting up with this day in day out.' 'I try not to take it too seriously and it seemed to hit a nerve. The amount of supportive comments I've had absolutely overwhelm the comments about my judgement and what I am wearing.' Criticism: Popular TV personality Holly has faced complaints herself in the past for wearing gowns which have drawn attention to her cleavage while presenting various shows Shot: Ahead of going on air for her This Morning presenting gig on Wednesday, Holly took to Instagram to share a shot of herself in her outfit of the day Brabin added: 'Twas ever thus. Women are judged continually by how they look... it is unacceptable that we are raising out daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards.' In a withering assessment of those taking her to task over her clothing, she said: 'They are anonymous people often, keyboard warriors sat in their mum's back bedroom eating Pot Noodles and having a pop at people they don't know anything about.' The rebuke came after Brabin delivered a stinging riposte on Twitter last night, saying: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not.... 'A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' Selling fast: The 35 own-design ASOS pleated pencil dress has been labelled 'selling fast' on the retailer's website, after the sartorial storm hit the headlines Perfect for any occasion? The classic pencil dress comes only in black and is described by ASOS as perfect for 'that thing you have to go to' Brabin, who played Tricia Armstrong in the ITV programme between 1994 and 1997, replaced Jo Cox as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, after she was murdered by far-right extremist Thomas Mair in 2016. The former actress admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress on Monday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. A Parliamentary Secretary replied claiming the Government is 'committed to being open in their dealings with the press and the principles of media freedom'. She added that: 'No journalists are barred from official media briefings hosted by the Prime Minister's official spokesperson.' Former role: Tracy Brabin is pictured playing Tricia Armstrong on Coronation Street in 1996 alongside co-star Michael Le Vell The Government spokesman said it is 'entirely standard practice' to hold 'smaller meetings' as was the case on Monday. But it was her outfit, not the relationship between the Government and political journalists, which caught the attention of social media. Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box. One person asked: 'Has she just fallen out of the pub?', while somebody else commented: 'She should be asked to leave'. One woman wrote: 'It was inappropriate dress for HofC or any workplace other than a nightclub. You looked silly.' But others leapt to her defence, with one supporter claiming she could 'wear a bikini' as long as he continues to fight for social causes. Another posted in support of her: 'Are people forgetting how Boris Johnson rocks up every day? Permanently scruffy, but I guess that's ok...' The 58-year-old received 17,506 votes in October 2016, despite turnout in her Yorkshire constituency being just 26 per cent - one of the lowest by-election turnouts since the Second World War. Brabin was named Cox's successor after all other main parties decided not to run against the Labour candidate as a mark of respect. New MP: Tracy Brabin is pictured after winning the by-election for Labour in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, on October 21, 2016 Who is Tracy Brabin? The Coronation Street actress who swapped TV for politics after murder of Labour MP Tracy Brabin was born in Batley, half of the West Yorkshire constituency she now represents in Westminster, in May 1961. She went to grammar school before studying drama at Loughborough University. Brabin became known for her role as a clumsy waitress called Sandra opposite Only Fools N Horses star David Jason in the ITV sitcom A Bit of A Do in 1989. She later bagged the role of Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street in 1994 where she stayed until 1997. The now-58-year-old also starred in EastEnders as Roxy Drake in the early 2000s. Tragic: Tracy Brabin is pictured with the late Jo Cox (second from left) before her death and the by-election that saw her replace her as MP for Batley and Spen Her political interest was first made clear in 1997 when she wrote a newspaper article endorsing the Labour Party, telling of how her father-in-law died on a hospital trolley while waiting to see a doctor. In 1998 she appeared in a Labour Party political broadcast urging people to join. She was the lead member of a group of nine actors who wrote an open letter in The Observer newspaper claiming that while they opposed Britain's intervention in the Iraq War, they still supported the re-election of a Tony Blair Labour Government in 2001. The former actress, who also appeared in Emmerdale, expressed her interest in running for office after the death of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox in June 2016. Soap: The former actress played Tricia Armstrong (centre) in Coronation Street on ITV between 1994 and 1997. Pictured with Joseph Gilgun and Julie Goodyear EastEnders: Tracy Brabin is pictured as Roxy Drake in EastEnders alongside Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater in 2001 She was one of two women who threw their hat in the ring to replace Mrs Cox after she was shot and stabbed on the way to a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on June 16 that year. Brabin had canvassed for Labour in the Kirklees Council election of 2012 and had worked with Mrs Cox on her campaign against local library closures in the area. Brabin was voted in as Batley and Spen MP in October after all the other major parties promised they wouldn't contest Labour's seat as a mark of respect for the late Mrs Cox. A source told The Sun during the by-election campaign: 'Tracy worked very closely with Jo on a number of local issues and is keen to carry on her work. 'She's well known locally, she grew up around here and is seen as the best candidate by the local Labour party.' Samuel Williams is a communications specialist and the Conservative candidate for Mayor of Bristol. The December 2019 General Election secured an extraordinary result with an overwhelming mandate for a Boris Johnson government and the Conservatives to continue leading and uniting our country, delivering upon the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, and then strengthen our economy and communities with much-needed investment and renewed vision. As the dust settles on the new political landscape, as Conservatives we have an opportunity, and an obligation, to demonstrate our partys commitment to continue that which secured our victory: by listening, learning, and serving all people across our country, so that no one is left behind. It is this very ability of the Conservatives to capture the zeitgeist through listening and learning, that contrary to what social media echo chambers would have us believe, Labour has failed to do. With a manifesto twice as long as other parties crammed with social reform pledges that many might ordinarily consider desirable, Labour still failed to capture the imagination and commitment of the electorate. Whilst they might have presented the vision of hopefulness and change many wanted, it was lost amidst the growing doubt that they could actually achieve any of it. Furthermore, they wrongly imagined that the electorate longed for a revolutionary styled remaking of the entire nation in a single Parliamentary term; in other words, Labour simply didnt listen and didnt represent the very views our representational democracy exists so to do. The we know best modus operandi of Labour isnt just manifest on the national stage but runs throughout local government too. For this reason, I am delighted to be standing as the Mayoral candidate for Bristol in the elections in May this year. Standing in opposition to the incumbent Labour Mayor, I say it is high time that all our communities across the City and all Bristolians are listened to and served; something that simply is not happening under the current administration. Even a cursory glance at the State of Bristol 18-19 report highlights significant injustices, showing an increasing year on year crime rate with 33 per cent of the population in the most deprived areas fearing acts of crime and violence on a day to day basis. Hate crime up. Those Not in Education, Employment or Training is above the national average. Air quality continues to be dangerously out of control and life expectancy significantly worse than the national average. Pupils in receipt of Special Educational Needs support or having an Education Health and Care Plan is above the national average and yet provision has been cut. In some quarters of 2019, the 20-week deadline to produce support plans failed to be met in 98 per cent of cases. Our cities housing crisis is met by a lack of leadership around affordable and social housing whilst rough sleeping has increased 10-fold in the last 7 years. This list goes on, and yet despite these challenges, Bristol is a wonderfully dynamic, diverse and innovative place, and is a world leader across sectors from education to the arts, financial services, STEM and business. The fact is, many Bristolians are being poorly served by an administration that seems to neither listen nor hear the cries of frustration. In many instances, communities are feeling forgotten and those most deprived and in need, hit the hardest. Many on the Left blame Conservative austerity policy for these worrying trends and yet the simple fact is, as a city with devolved power and resource through the directly elected mayoral system addressing these issues comes down to a matter of priority and will on a local level. As I stand alongside Bristolians, I commit to getting back to the basics of local government, that is to address the real issues that impact residents each day. That means ensuring that education standards are improving, especially for those with SEND requirements, and making sure support is delivered when it is needed. I pledge to support our local businesses, bringing life to our high streets and economy through pioneering start-up hubs. I back a freeport for the City and eco-innovation enterprise zones. We must look forward towards a sustainable and healthy city developing transport, housing, and environmental policies which strengthen communities, improve health, enable equal access to all opportunities across the city, and work towards carbon neutrality. But more fundamental than a fresh and positive policy agenda, Bristol needs leadership that is not afraid to listen, learn and serve from a place of courageous humility. Unlike many places around the country, Bristol maintained a strong Labour vote during the General Election. I would be naive not to expect a hard road ahead of me in the run up to Mays Mayoral election. However, I am equally aware that the city at large is tired of politics being done to them by a Labour-weighted Council Cabinet who is often accused of being unapproachable, unaccountable, and failing to deliver much-needed services. So, whilst I may stand with an outside chance of winning, I do so, standing with the people of Bristol so that together, Bristol might flourish. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said that the case of the woman who was set ablaze in Wardha district should be heard in fast track court. Deshmukh also said that the victim's family has demanded senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam to fight their case, which will be fulfilled. A 24-year-old woman lecturer was set ablaze allegedly by a jilted lover near Hinganghat in Maharashtra's Wardha district on Monday. The unmarried woman has suffered approximately 40 per cent burn injuries and is being treated in a Nagpur-based hospital. Speaking on the incident, Police Inspector Satyaveer Bhandivar had said, "The incident took place when the woman was heading to her college at around 7 am on Monday morning. The man threw kerosene on the woman and set her on fire." "The victim was taken to the hospital by the locals present at the site. She has been taken to Nagpur for further treatment. The accused man is absconding and we are trying to search him," he had said. The police have assured that they are trying to ascertain the motive behind the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) But he acknowledged that on Sunday alone, in the final hours before the federal governments quarantine rules took effect, some 5,000 American citizens flew back from China. If we had to actually quarantine all of those people instead of rely on self-quarantines, you can just imagine what that would do to available resources, Mr. Cuccinelli said. It would blow the doors off them. Even in states where no one has received a diagnosis of coronavirus, precautions were put in place. In Texas, where Joint Base San Antonio was preparing for the possibility that it would house quarantined travelers from China, military leaders scheduled a town-hall meeting for Wednesday to answer community concerns about safety. Indiana health officials said they were monitoring a resident who federal authorities had said should be quarantined at home. And in Wheeling, W.Va., public health officials pulled someone out of an elementary school on Monday and placed the person and a family member in quarantine because they had just returned from Hong Kong. Its going to be that time in the house together, watching a lot of movies, having family and friends bring the groceries over, said Howard Gamble, the administrator of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, which is checking in with the quarantined family by phone each day to make sure they are not developing any coronavirus symptoms. Public health officials said the immediate threat to Americans remained low. But federal guidance for travelers has evolved quickly, creating a confusing patchwork of policies. Democratic White House candidate Pete Buttigieg seized a shock lead in the chaotic Iowa caucuses, closely trailed by leftist senator Bernie Sanders, according to partial returns released on Tuesday after an embarrassing delay in reporting the results. Progressive standard-bearer Elizabeth Warren was in third place followed by Joe Biden, a disappointing showing for the former vice president who has claimed he is best positioned to defeat Donald Trump in November. Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has been battling Biden for the moderate wing of the party, hailed what he called an "astonishing victory" in the midwestern farm state which kicks off the presidential nominating process. "I have never been more confident in our campaign, in our team, and in the vision that brought to us this point," Buttigieg told ecstatic supporters in New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest on February 11. With polls still mixed on whether Americans would be comfortable with an openly gay president, Buttigieg also made a rare, though implicit, reference to his sexuality -- and the added significance it gave the Iowa outcome. "It validates for a kid, somewhere in a community, wondering if he belongs, or she belongs, or they belong in their own family, that if you believe in yourself and your country there's a lot backing up that belief," he said with a catch in his voice. According to the partial results, Buttigieg, unknown nationally a year ago, leads with 26.8 percent followed by Sanders, the 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, with 25.2 percent, followed by Senator Warren with 18.4 percent, and Biden with 15.4 percent. The centrist senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar was in fifth place on 12.6 percent, with 71 percent of the precincts reporting. The results were posted some 21 hours after Iowans gathered across the state to hold the first vote of the presidential nominating season. Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, apologized profusely for the delay and blamed it on a "coding error" with an app being used for the first time to report the returns from precincts across the farm state. Price pledged to provide the full results as soon as possible. "We have been working day and night to make sure that the results are accurate," he said. "And we also have a paper trail and documentation that we have been able to use to provide information to help verify the results." As Iowa struggled to publish the results and frustrated Democratic candidates fumed, Trump gleefully pounced on the hold-up, describing the Democrats' failure to deliver timely results as an "unmitigated disaster." "Nothing works, just like they ran the country," tweeted Trump -- hours before delivering his annual State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress under the cloud of impeachment. - 'Shocking incompetence' - The results are usually known within hours of the conclusion of the caucuses, which do not involve a traditional ballot but see voters attending public gatherings and voicing support for the candidate of their choice. Iowa kicks off the process of selecting presidential nominees every four years, but the fiasco surrounding the results is likely to increase calls for the state to lose the honor. "The top finishers, probably Sanders and Buttigieg, could have used their showings to launch into New Hampshire," the next contest, said Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia. "Instead, the story is the shocking incompetence of the Iowa Democratic Party." He called for an end to the "strange system in a 91 percent white state" in favor of giving other states a chance to kick off the process. Virginia Senator Mark Warner expressed alarm over the Iowa debacle. "This chaos has created an environment where misinformation is now running rampant online, further undermining confidence in the democratic process," he said. With Iowa still mired in confusion, the Democratic candidates turned their sights on New Hampshire. According to a Boston Globe/WBZ-TV/Suffolk University poll released Monday, Sanders is leading in the Granite State with 24 percent, followed by Biden on 18 percent, Warren with 13 percent and Buttigieg with 11 percent. Alluding to his own victory in Republican caucuses in Iowa, Trump said that "the only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is 'Trump.'" "When will the Democrats start blaming RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, instead of their own incompetence for the voting disaster that just happened in the Great State of Iowa?" Trump tweeted. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg claimed victory in Iowa although full results have not yet been released Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wait for results at his caucus night watch party in Des Moines, Iowa Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was trailing three challengers in the Iowa caucuses, according to partial results Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren addresses her supporters during a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa How the Democratic and Republican party primaries and caucuses choose presidential candidates for the 2020 election A regime offensive in Syria's last rebel enclave has caused one of the biggest waves of displacement in the nine-year war, with tensions spiking between Ankara and Damascus following a deadly exchange of fire. Weeks of intensive aerial bombardment and a bruising ground offensive have emptied entire towns in northwest Idlib and sent huge numbers fleeing north towards the Turkish border. "Since 1 December, some 520,000 people have been displaced from their homes, the vast majority - 80 percent -- of them women and children," said David Swanson, spokesman for the United Nation's humanitarian coordination office, OCHA. The exodus, coinciding with a biting winter, is one of the largest since the 2011 start of a conflict that has seen more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million displaced. "This latest displacement compounds an already dire humanitarian situation on the ground," Swanson said. He said the UN was alarmed by the plight of more than three million people -- half of them displaced by violence elsewhere -- who live in Idlib province and surrounding areas. Government troops and militia forces backed by Russian and other allied forces have in recent weeks upped the pressure on the jihadist-dominated region. Mohammad Bahjat, 34, said he and his family were escaping deadly bombardment for the third time in days. "We fled in the middle of the night and have no idea where to go," he told AFP, sitting in the front of a pickup truck next to his wife and three small boys. "You never know when a rocket or shell is going to hit." - Three million displaced - Regime forces also exchanged deadly fire with Turkish troops on Monday, an escalation UN chief Antonio Guterres called "extremely worrying". Regime shelling of Turkish positions in Idlib killed at least five Turkish soldiers and three civilians, Ankara said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that retaliatory fire from Turkey killed at least 13 Syrian government troops. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Ankara would respond "firmly" to any new Syrian attack. Syria's military command said the presence of Turkish forces was "illegal and a flagrant act of aggression", vowing to respond to any Turkish attack on its forces, state news agency SANA reported. Guterres, speaking at UN headquarters, appealed for "a cessation of hostilities". But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed Washington's NATO ally, calling the Syrian mortar attack "a grave escalation" and saying US officials "fully support Turkey's justified self-defence actions in response". Syrian forces have retaken dozens of villages and some major towns -- including the former rebel bastion of Maaret al-Numan -- and continue to advance, pushing displaced populations ever closer to the Turkish frontier. Erdogan accused Damascus of driving "innocent and grieving people in Idlib toward our borders". Turkey, which already hosts more than three million displaced Syrians, is keen to stop another mass influx. But in the town of Hazano, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of small trucks, vans and tuk-tuks piled high with belongings crawling along a main road. They advanced bumper-to-bumper, carrying men, women and children, along with blankets, carpets, washing basins and furniture. Almost 300 civilians have been killed since mid-December in bombardment on the Idlib region, says the Britain-based Observatory. Syrian forces seized much ground in the enclave's south and are also attacking from Aleppo province to the east. - 'War crimes' - UN experts said Tuesday that the latest attacks could be war crimes. The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic cited reports of "attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, and medical facilities" in the last two weeks. "The deliberate and systematic targeting of hospitals follows a pattern already documented by the Commission, and may amount to war crimes," it said in a statement. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also condemned attacks against healthcare infrastructure. Several hospitals "have been hit and have been either partially or fully destroyed in... the space of just a few months" said Cristian Reynders, the NGO's project coordinator for northern Idlib. The spiking tensions between Ankara and Damascus have raised fears of yet more violence. Monday's incident was their deadliest clash since Ankara sent troops to Syria in 2016. The an incident that further tested the uneasy coordination between Russia and Turkey -- the two main foreign brokers in the Syrian conflict. Under a deal reached last year, Russia was to prevent Damascus from launching a devastating operation in the densely populated region. Turkey was to contain the extremist groups running the region, but instead, the forces it supports have been sidelined by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which dominates Idlib. strs/bur-jmm/ho/par/sw Chennai, Feb 5 : The Kerala government's gazette notification on minimum wages for employees of private financial institutions has put the insurance companies in a spot, said a senior industry official. The notification has prescribed minimum wages for the insurance agents, promoters and advisors. The Kerala government has prescribed a minimum scale of pay of Rs 14,750 for the insurance promoters, agents and advisors. It has prescribed various wages for different categiories of employees in private financial institutions. The gazettee notification was made by the Kerala government last month. "Basically, an agent is not an employee of an insurer. The relationship between the two are that of a Principal and Agent and not employer and employee," the official not wanting to be quoted told IANS. Further, as per the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's (IRDAI) guideline, a person can be an agent for three insurers-life, non-life and health. "Can he claim minimum wages from the three companies," industry officials wondered. According to industry officials, if the law is implemented, then the agent cost structure will increase drastically, which in turn would impact the agency channel. Presently, insurers pay an insurance agent a percentage on the premium procured by him as a commission. The notification is applicable to the banks, micro-financing institutions, non-banking finance companies and others. SAO PAULO - Police shot and killed a man on Wednesday after he tried to attack officers with a knife in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary training centre in Brazil, church and police officials said. No missionaries or training centre employees were hurt, according to a statement released by the church. The identity of the suspect has not been released, nor has a motive for the attack. Security guards initially detained the man near the reception desk of the building in Sao Paulo, Nei Garcia, the churchs director of public affairs for Brazil, said in the statement. After police arrived, the man attempted to attack the officers and was shot, Garcia said. We are working closely with local authorities and are grateful for their efforts to respond and investigate, Garcia said. We will also provide missionaries and staff with any needed support. Sao Paulos state security secretariat said in an emailed statement that a man died in a police intervention after invading a residence with a knife and attacking military police officers. A forensic examination is underway, according to the statement. The church has about 10 such training centres worldwide where new missionaries study language and the gospel before beginning their proselytizing service, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. ___ This story has been updated to restore the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as... YSR Congress Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday once again demanded special category status and said that according to the 15th finance commission, the central government had the discretion to confer the status on the state. In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister pointed out that the finance commission, in its report for 2020-21 tabled last week, clearly stated that the special category status demand remained entirely in the domain of the Union government, which can take an appropriate decision after due consideration. Jagan said the people of the state had been subjected to gross injustice owing to denial of the special category status as promised by the previous UPA government at the time of the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh. The central government had been arguing that special category status ceased to exist for any state in accordance with the recommendations of the fourteenth finance commission. The ministry of finance had been quoting the observations made by the 14th finance commission that it had not taken into account any distinction between special and general category states in determining their norms and recommendations. Based on this, the ministry said that the concept of special category status is invalid, he said. The chief minister said since the Centre had cited the observations of 14th finance commission for denying special category status to AP, the state government had made a fresh request with the 15th finance commission for the same. However, chairman of the commission N K Singh and its members said the issue of special category status did not figure in its terms of reference. They categorically pointed out that the concept of special category status came from the resolution of erstwhile National Development Council and not any of the finance commissions. In its latest report tabled in Parliament, the 14th finance panel admitted that some states have requested the grant of special category status. This does not constitute part of the mandate of the commission and it remains entirely in the domain of the Union Government, which can take an appropriate decision after due consideration, Jagan pointed out. The chief minister said there was a very definite inconsistency between the stand taken by the finance ministry and that of 15th finance commission. I humbly seek your kind intervention in this matter and see that the state gets the special category status, he said. Interestingly it was only on Monday that Union minister of state for finance, Anurag Thakur, clarified to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lawmaker Kesineni Srinivas from Vijayawada that the demand for granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh was a closed chapter, since as per the recommendations of the 14th finance commission, no state would be given the special category status. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON [February 05, 2020] Labor and Employment Team Joins Sheppard Mullin in San Francisco Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that Brendan Dolan and Lucky Meinz have joined the firm's San Francisco office as partners in the Labor and Employment practice group. Dolan and Meinz were most recently shareholders at Vedder Price, where Dolan was Chair of the West Coast Labor and Employment practice area. They are the fourth and fifth partners to join Sheppard Mullin so far in 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005707/en/ Brendan Dolan, Partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP (Photo: Business Wire) "Our Labor & Employment practice is as busy as it has ever been," said Sheppard Mullin Chairman Guy Halgren. "We continue to grow strategically in practices important to our clients, and labor and employment is an area of focus for us. Having partners the caliber of Brendan and Lucky join our team is great for us - and even better for our clients." Commenting on the addition of Dolan and Meinz, Greg Labate, Leader of the firm's Labor and Employment practice, said, "Brendan and Lucky are an outstanding team and there are many synergies between our practices. Several of us have known Brendan and Lucky for some time and have been very impressed with their skills and commitment to their clients." Dolan has more than 30 years of experience representin employers in a wide range of labor and employment law matters encompassing both litigation and counseling. He has brought dozens of successful motions for summary judgment, has extensive injunction litigation experience, has tried cases and handled appeals in the state and federal courts, and has arbitrated a wide variety of employment disputes. Dolan also counsels employers on myriad labor and employment issues encompassing virtually every facet of the employment relationship. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he was Managing Editor of the Law Review, member of the McAuliffe Honor Society, and recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards in Corporations, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Labor Law, and of the USF Law School Retention Scholarship. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and by Legal 500 United States. Meinz counsels employers on all aspects of employment law, including wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, breach of contract, noncompete, incentive compensation and other and wage-and-hour matters. She regularly reviews and drafts company policies, employee handbooks and employment agreements. She is also an experienced litigator who has successfully defended single-plaintiff, representative, class and collective actions in arbitration, trial and appellate courts. Meinz received her B.A. with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley; her MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science; and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School. About Sheppard Mullin's Labor and Employment Practice With one of the largest and most prestigious Labor and Employment practices in the country with 130 attorneys firmwide, Sheppard Mullin advises employers of all sizes-ranging from Fortune 100 companies to high tech and traditional business start-ups-in all aspects of employment counseling and litigation. The strength and depth of our practice is rooted in our ability to provide truly full service labor and employment law counseling. Many of our multinational clients view our Labor and Employment practice as an extension of their in-house legal department, while our emerging and middle market clients rely upon the true depth of our expertise and the outstanding service we are able to provide daily. As a result, our attorneys are consistently relied upon for both cutting-edge advice and practical solutions. About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Sheppard Mullin is a full-service Global 100 firm with more than 900 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, industry-leading companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high-stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include almost half of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005707/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The chairman of Disney said on Thursday that the company is apologizing to a California elementary school that was asked to pay for a license after it showed The Lion King at a fund-raiser organized by students parents in 2019. Robert A. Iger, the chairman, said in a post on Twitter that the company apologizes to the Emerson Elementary School P.T.A. and I will personally donate to their fund raising initiative. The event on Nov. 15 was meant to be a fun night at the movies for students at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley, Calif., with pizza and a showing of The Lion King. Students were encouraged to bring blankets and wear pajamas to the fund-raiser, although no children would be denied entry if they could not afford one of the $15 tickets. But on Tuesday, Emersons parent-teacher association said it had been asked by Movie Licensing USA, a licensing company representing Disney, to pay $250 for a screening license, a request that pitted the school against a corporate behemoth and set up a broader conversation about public school funding. We recently were fined by Disney for a movie night, the group said on Facebook, where it also announced a fund-raiser to help pay for it. (Alliance News) - Power Metal Resources PLC and Two Shields Investments PLC on Wednesday reported that a survey found at least six targets at the Molopo Farms project in Botswana have the potential to be "massive nickel sulphides". Exploration and development firm Power Metal has an 18% stake in Kalahari Key Mineral Exploration Pty Ltd, which operates the project. It has decided to fund USD500,000 worth of exploration expenditure to boost its stake to 40%. Investment company Two Shields also has an 18% interest in Kalahari, and in addition, a 4.1% stake in Power Metal. An electromagnetic survey found eight "compelling" drill targets at Molopo. Power Metal added that at least six "highly conductive bodies have the potential to be massive nickel sulphides due to the spatial location, particular geological setting and associated geophysical response". An environmental management plan conducted by Kalahari's consultants ahead of prospective drilling at Molopo has also been completed. The findings were "favourable", Power Metal said. The completed environmental management plan has now been sent to the Botswana government. Power Metal added that after taking up the 40% earn-in option, its chief executive officer, Paul Johnson, has joined the board of Kalahari. Power Metal shares were 3.1% lower at 0.32 pence each in London on Wednesday morning. Two Shields was 2.4% lower at 0.10p. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 23:01:59|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close MANILA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Tuesday that the Chinese government has "mounted an unprecedented effort to contain the spread" of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). "We acknowledge the determined and comprehensive efforts of the Chinese government towards containing this virus," Dominguez said during a senate committee hearing to assess the impact of the 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease on the Philippine economy. Given the early stages of the outbreak, Dominguez said "it will be a challenge to estimate its potential economic costs." Already, Dominguez said the country's tourism industry will likely take a hit from the outbreak due to various levels of travel bans imposed by several countries and airlines. China is the Philippines' second-largest source of foreign visitors after South Korea. According to the Philippine Department of Tourism data, Chinese tourists accounted for 21.73 percent of the more than 7 million foreigners that arrived in the Philippines from January to November 2019. The Philippines received a total of 1,626,300 visitors from China in the 11-month period, up 40.20 percent from the 1,159,998 in the same period in 2018, data showed. Dominguez voiced optimism that the Philippines can sustain its economic growth amidst the challenges buffeting the globe, including the fast-spreading coronavirus. "At this moment, it is reasonable to expect that while these developments might slightly restrain our economic expansion, these threats are not enough to force a dramatic reduction in our growth estimates," he said, adding the government is standing by its working projection of a gross domestic growth rate between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent for 2020. China is the Philippines' top trading partner. Lost in the shuffle of the Democrats' app fiasco in Iowa, the rubber-room swan song of House impeachment manager Adam Schiff, and the childish paper-ripping tantrum of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the candidacy of "frontrunner" Joe Biden looks headed for the dumpster. To the extent known from the Iowa caucus ballots counted, Biden is in fourth place, winning just 15% of the caucus count, trailing Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, and just barely ahead of Amy Klobuchar. Unlike those first three, he gets no delegates for his efforts. He's also out of money. It's simply a disaster for Biden. This is the guy whose entire rationale for running was that he was the guy most likely to Beat Trump. "Biden has a big problem," said political lizard turned CNN commentator David Axelrod. That's euphem-speak for 'buh-bye Joe.' According to the New York Times, which ran an Associated Press item: DES MOINES, Iowa Joe Biden's third presidential bid enters a critical stretch after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses sent the former vice president on to New Hampshire with a skittish donor base, low cash reserves and the looming threat of billionaire rival Michael Bloomberg and his unlimited personal wealth. ...and... That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he'll reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against President Donald Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it's a reminder of how Biden's previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa. Biden's whole pitch up until now has been that he's the most electable of the Democratic candidates, a man with an appeal that spanned from the white Midwestern working class "Reagan Democrats," to the black voters in the South who associated him with President Obama, to the mainstream Democratic establishment. Joe would be the one to bring in those votes together to forge a coalition to take down Trump. The RealClearPolitics poll of polls average consistently showed him in first place. Here's the gooey coverage Biden got from the New York Times at the start of his race: In a three-and-a-half minute video that focused on excoriating Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden presented himself as a steely leader for a country wracked by political conflict. Unlike the wide field of Democrats competing for the affections of the left, Mr. Biden avoided almost any talk of policy or ideology, signaling that he believes voters will embrace him as a figure of stability and maturity even in a partisan primary election. In doing so, Mr. Biden, 76, is making a bet of sorts that the Democratic Partys leftward shift in recent years has been greatly overstated, and that the moral clarity of his rhetoric and his seeming strength as a general election candidate will overpower other considerations for Democratic voters who tend to prize youth, diversity and unapologetic liberalism. Biden's bust in Iowa might just show a change in that configuration on RealClear and it's already pretty telling that the Times chose to run an AP story as if to avoid the topic themselves. What took him down? Likely number one was impeachment. Democrats, with a zero-chance focus on taking down Trump, shot arrow after arrow that bounced off Trump and landed onto House Biden, bringing to the voting public's attention the rarified and corrupt big dollar paydays that came to members of the Biden family as a result of Biden's vice presidency. Thomas Lifson, well before the impeachment debacle hit Trump, pointed out with pinpoint accuracy that Biden's corruption problems would come back to bite him. Biden's fawning press tried to cover for him, with all that "he did nothing wrong" blather but voters noticed. Second reason he failed had to have been in his string of insults to voters. With the press covering for him, voters took matters into their own hands and asked Biden all about his corrupt deals. Instead of answering them with platitudes, Biden attacked them. He challenged an old fat Iowa farmer to a push-up match, engaging in fat-shaming and other insulting statements. He told another voter to "go vote for someone else." It raised questions: Did Biden want to be there? He seemed to wither like a hothouse protected flower when exposed to actual voters and it was clear he hated them. He lacked the press as a foil for his fight (as Trump did not), so ended up attacking the little guys. Big turnoff. Not a guy you'd want to have a beer with, according to the political-viability estimator. Nobody wants to vote for a mean old man who hates people. Third, he got no Obama endorsement. Obama in fact had been reportedly telling allies that Joe couldn't cut it. After eight long years in the service of Obama, that's a pretty stinging rejection. Obama made the claim that he was waiting to see who would be the nominee, and Biden tried to cover the embarrassment up by saying he never sought the endorsement. But the non-endorsement stood out as a vote of no confidence. If Obama didn't want this guy - and at last glimpse, was tilting to Elizabeth Warren actually, why should voters? Fourth, "Creepy Joe." As Andrea Widburg has noted, Biden's habitual handsiness at inappropriate times, to very inappropriate people, such as little girls, exposed him as a "deeply weird" man. He couldn't even stop himself. He's the creepy uncle that smart parents refuse to let babysit their children. It doesn't mean he's ever done anything wrong; it just means there's that vibe. Why would anyone want a guy like that as their president? Fifth, the only argument he had left was that he was electable. He wasn't in Iowa, a place that ought to have been a breeze for him, given his political visibility and the promise he held of Getting Trump. The sad sack couldn't even beat Bernie Sanders. Biden in fact has always been a sad sack, puffed up by the press and the swamp into being some kind of statesman when the reality was, he was a grubby little Willie Loman or Walter Mitty figure, redolent of the '40s, dreaming of grandeur. It's pathetic stuff now because Joe's trajectory now looks downward. The polls, the press, the punditry all formed a protective coating around him, but Biden found a way to show his real self to the voters in Iowa and it comes as no surprise that they looked elsewhere. The rest of the country may do the same. Photo illustration by Monica Showalter, via public domain source, and image by Bangdoll via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 REED CITY It was standing room only as the Osceola County Board of Commissioners were presented with a resolution for "Second Amendment sanctuary status" at its meeting this week. The board voted 6-1 on Tuesday in favor of adopting the resolution. Commissioner Roger Elkins voted no, stating he was not against the resolution but would like more time to study it. Jay Moyer, chairman of the local chapter of the group, Osceola County for 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Status asked the board to pass a resolution declaring "safe keeping of gun rights within each county" in Michigan. "With everything that is going on in Virginia, and other areas of the country right now where they are going after gun rights, we are trying to head that off in Michigan," said Moyer, a 25-year resident of Osceola County. The purpose of passing a resolution, Moyer said, is to affirm that local level politicians will support the constitution and make sure law enforcement abides by it as well. "Our Second Amendment rights are under attack," Moyer said. "They are trying to take away our rights, in my mind. They are going after law-abiding citizens. Our resolution states that the county will not use tax dollars to support or enforce any unconstitutional laws. "There are bills in the House right now that would allow courts to issue extreme protection orders if an individual poses a significant threat to himself or others by possessing a firearm," Moyer said. "What is the criteria to determine that and who makes that judgment? "It's a dangerous slope, because then you are taking my rights away," he added. "If we keep going down this hole with the Second Amendment, we're going to lose it. I am asking you to adopt this resolution to show our state representatives and state legislators where our county stands on our second amendment rights." The resolution states that "the board will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the purpose of enforcing a law that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms." Osceola County Sheriff Ed Williams said the sheriff's department would be okay with the county commission passing whatever type of resolution they felt appropriate. "I feel that the purpose of behind these types of resolutions is to let the elected officials in Lansing and Washington know that rural America does not want any infringement on their Second Amendment rights," Williams said. "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of Michigan. I do not see a need to add any more laws pertaining to guns." According to Moyer, there are now seven counties in Michigan that have adopted a resolution for Second Amendment sanctuary status, including Mackinac, Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle, Oscoda and Kalkaska. State legislators have introduced House resolution No. 219, which would declare the entire state a sanctuary state. "Second Amendment sanctuary" refers to states, counties or localities that have adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun laws considered to be unconstitutional, such as universal background checks, high capacity magazine bans, assault weapons bans and red flag laws. Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled Kenya as president for almost a quarter of a century while banning opposition groups and fending off accusations of corruption and human-rights abuses, has died in hospital at 95. "It is with profound sadness and sorrow that I announce the passing of a great African statesman," President Uhuru Kenyatta said. Taking office in 1978, Mr Moi assumed emergency powers and curbed the independence of the judiciary. He also abolished the multi-party system in 1983. Torture was widespread, driving Kenyans, such as novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, into exile. In 1982, Mr Moi survived a coup in which as many as 1,800 people died. ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds. DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories. TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly. ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals. Vote View Results University of Melbourne student Jessica Xu has been in lockdown in her home in Wuhan, China - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak - since January 21. If Jessica Xu returns from Wuhan on her flight booked for February 26, she'll face a total isolation time of almost two months. In the best case scenario, she will fly back to Melbourne on her flight, booked for February 26. After two weeks of self-isolation in Melbourne - taking her total isolation time to almost two months - she'll return to her agricultural science degree in the second week of semester. In the worst case, Ms Xu, 22, will remain trapped in Wuhan into March and have to push her studies back one year while paying out the $1500-a-month contract for her apartment in Melbourne. It is owned by Bladimiro Ortiz. The restaurant, his first, was a life project, he said. Peruvian food is famous around the world. If I was to open a restaurant in Highwood, I wanted to offer something different. This is the only Peruvian restaurant on the North Shore. A lot of people find Pervuian food different, unusual, but in a good way; very delicious. The traditional dishes we have to offer you dont get anywhere else (locally). The law is for suckers. That has been the credo of Donald Trump throughout his personal and business life. James Zirin, in his superb book, Plaintiff in Chief, chronicles the 3,500 lawsuits to which Trump has been a party, a pattern of scorched-earth attacks that include deliberate delay, counterattack, obstruction, deflection, confusion, threats of ruin, and blanket assertion of attorney/client privilege to avoid accountability. These were tricks he learned from the notorious Roy Cohn, and they were largely successful in helping him evade legal accountability throughout his business career. Advertisement They were, it turns out, the same tricks Trump brought to the campaign trail and later to the White House. It was all, writes Zirin, a dangerous new approach for a president: Trump is very different. His instinctive litigiousness; his abuse of the legal process to obtain leverage, not justice; his mean-spirited statements and conduct; his overblown damage claims; his many lies, exaggerations and prevarications; his willingness to sue, trash, or discard even those who did him a good turn along the way are abnormal by any standard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump staked his career on the bet that if youre rich, famous, brazen, and unrepentant, the law will let you do it. He staked his presidency on the same. It is a paradox that the most litigious country in the worlda country whose founding documents were largely drafted by lawyers, and whose constitutional true north has long been the constraints afforded by the lawelected a man who has spent the bulk of his life creating a two-tiered system, in which some men are bound by law and others float away from it. We knew long before he was elected that Donald Trump would not be bound by the rule of law, or by the norms of a system dependent on checks and balances. He told us as much. During the campaign he floated the prospect of torturing the families of enemies, and rewriting libel laws, and banning travelers to the United States based on their religion. Sure, it maybe sounded like hyperbole, and it maybe sounded like campaign-speak, and even as some of those efforts were effectuated, including the Muslim ban and family separations, and even as the norms about nepotism and self-dealing and disclosure were brushed away, it still seemed as if a country founded on law would locate some guardrails. Advertisement Advertisement It hasnt. Just as Zirin promised us, Trump has deployed all of his Roy Cohn strategies to show us that the law is for suckers, and that for great men it serves as a nuisance at most, something to be gotten out of with a squadron of well-paid lawyers, by terrorizing opposing parties and witnesses, by lying fluently and repeatedly, and by declaring victory even when you lost. It should not surprise a soul that he would have brought those tactics to bear as a candidate, as president, and as the subject of an impeachment inquiry. The legal arguments he has deployed throughout this processthat he should have absolute immunity from investigation; that he could not be removed from office for crimes; and that he could only be impeached for literal crimes, not high crimes and misdemeanors as the Framers intendedwere vintage Roy Cohn. As was the argument, as proffered by Alan Dershowitz, that if the president believed his election interference was in the best interest of the republic, it was both not illegal and also not an impeachable offense. The fact that the Senate and the Justice Department helped him evade accountability, or that White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Dershowitz and Ken Starr served as Roy Cohn mini-mes, should surprise nobody. Nor should the fact that the trial was not a trial and the jurors were not jurors or that a nontrivial number of the jurors voted to acquit him while still acknowledging that what he did was the thing he continues to deny having done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody should be surprised that in the wake of 3,500 lawsuits, Trump will conclude that he is indeed above the law, that the legal regime exists only for suckers, and also that he can repurpose the machinery of law to investigate, harass, and punish the whistleblowers and the witnesses and those who sought to constrain him. At which point the law wont just be the thing that applies only to losers and suckers, but also the thing that can be used to put down those who sought justice in the first place. And nobody should be surprised that having invited foreign election interference and having been acquitted for doing so, this president will use the formidable power of his Justice Department to manipulate the 2020 election, and to call into question the results of that election in the courts. Advertisement Advertisement We can debate the wisdom of Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and the ticktock of the impeachment investigation and trialwhether it should have been broader, or gone longer, or relied upon court rulings that never came. But we can hopefully agree that what they attempted to do was use both legal processes and legal arguments to show that when a president abuses the power of his office and denies accountability, it should matter. They were trying to prove that the law isnt just there to punish asylum-seekers trapped in Mexico or black men in prisons, but that it should apply to everyone, even the wealthy, and even the people who believe it doesnt apply to them because it never has in the past. Donald Trump staked a decadeslong business career on the bet that if youre rich, famous, brazen, and unrepentant, the law will let you do it. He staked his presidency on the same. Republicans who deplore the death of unity today should remember that this was once a nation unified around at least the hope that the law was for everyone, and that going forward, it will be divided around the certainty that some people dont answer to the courts or the Constitution. Their president will answer to nobody. All of us now answer to him. Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Parliament that the Centre is setting up an independent trust named Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust to finalise the details for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday (February 5) issued a notification announcing that the office of the trust will be in New Delhi. As per the home ministry, the trust's registered office is at R-20, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi. In a related development, the Uttar Pradesh government also issued a notification saying the government has already issued an allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board, as ordered by the Supreme Court in its November 8, 2019 verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute. Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told the media that five-acre plot for the mosque is in Dhannipur village on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from Ayodhya. Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi said in Lok Sabha that Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust will take all decisions for the construction of a massive and grand Ram Temple on the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The decision to form the trust was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi on Wednesday. "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra," said the prime minister. "On November 9, 2019, I was in Punjab for Kartarpur Sahib Corridor's inauguration. During the inauguration ceremony, the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya was delivered and I got to know about the historic decision. Uttar Pradesh government has already given its approval for giving 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board," he said. For Pakistan polls 370,000 troops in place: Largest such deployment ever Bihar Elections 2020: No uncertified ads on polling day and day before it Bihar Elections 2020: With just 4, Darauli has lowest number of contestants All five polling stations in Shaheen Bagh put under critical category India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 05: In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the area under critical category, an official said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said five polling stations have about 40 booths. He said security personnel will carry out marches and patrolling in the area to boost confidence of voters. Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) and the National Register of Citizens. The sit-in, which has been on for more than a month now, has received both support as well criticism. Delhi Polls: Kejriwal invites Amit Shah for public debate Its critics claim that the protestors have blocked the road, causing inconvenience to many, including students, motorists. There have been other protest sites like Shaheen Bagh in the national capital as well as other parts of the country. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 16:09 [IST] ANN ARBOR, MI -- More than a year after shutting down its original shop, MD Bagel Fragel plans to reopen in a new location Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 a.m. The Ann Arbor bakery known for the fragel, a signature item made of raisin dough, deep-fried and covered in cinnamon sugar, plans a soft launch at its new location, 3500 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor, between Scrubs and Fast Signs, the business announced in a Facebook post. We will now be carrying Michigan-made chips to support small businesses like us, the company said in a Facebook post. The soft opening will be from Wednesday to Friday, with a grand opening planned for Saturday, according to the Facebook announcement. Customers can expect fragels, a variety of bagels and sandwiches during the soft opening. Sweets, such as brownies, cookies and muffins will not be available until the grand opening or the following week. Getting everything out and ready for our SOFT opening tomorrow! We will now be carrying Michigan made chips to support... Posted by MD Bagel Fragel on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 After 25 years, the company closed its 1760 Plymouth Road shop in Broadway Square at the end of 2018. A new landlord purchased the strip mall and the shop was forced to move. The new space will be a take-out-only shop with no seating, owner Patricia Rockette said It took a year to find and build this, so we couldnt wait any longer for a bigger spot, Rockette previously told The Ann Arbor News. Community members rallied around the bakery during the closure announcement, promoting Save Bagel Fragel shirts, seeking to raise money to help with relocation costs. A GoFundMe campaign to raise $40,000 for the relocation collected nearly $12,000. Underground Printing ran a T-shirt fundraiser and sold about 180 Save Bagel Fragel shirts, which raised $2,300 for the bakery, Rockette previously told The Ann Arbor News. MD Bagel Fragel preparing to reopen in new Ann Arbor location Preparing for MD Bagel Fragels last day is surreal, owner says Beatrice Buffon, Executive Vice President of EDF Renewables since 2014, has been appointed as Executive Director in charge of EDF's International Division, as of 9 February 2020. In addition, she now sits on the EDF Executive Committee. She will also sit on EDF's Executive Committee. Beatrice Buffon replaces Marianne Laigneau, who has been appointed Chair of the Enedis Management Board. Beatrice Buffon began her career as Finance Manager at COGETHERM, an EDF subsidiary specialized in the development of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects. In 2001, she joined SIIF Energies, which later became EDF Renewables, where she would take up office as Project Director in 2003. Her activities focused on developing onshore wind farm and biomass projects, as well as offshore wind farm projects in France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. From 2007 to 2009, she undertook the functions of Deputy Executive Director of POWEO Renewable Energies. She returned to EDF Renewables in 2010 as Director of Development for large-scale, ground-mounted solar power projects; then in 2011, she became Director of Development for Offshore Wind Power France. In April 2012, her team was awarded the contract for three offshore projects in France, representing a total generation capacity of 1500 MW. The development phase of these projects is now complete and, in August 2019, construction began of the first offshore wind farm in France, with a further two due to kick-off this year. In June 2019, she and her teams were also awarded the contract for the construction and subsequent operation of the Dunkirk offshore wind farm in the Northern part of France. Her team is also working on a pilot project for a floating wind farm in the Mediterranean. In 2014, Beatrice Buffon became Executive Vice President of EDF Renewables, in charge of renewable marine energies and a member of the EDF Renewables Executive Committee. She is a graduate from both the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees. She is Chevalier de l'Ordre National Du Merite, a distinction awarded by the President of France for distinguished civil and military achievements. Queensland's Premier has accused the federal government of abandoning the Sunshine State's tourism industry in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, asking him to enact the same funding arrangements used during natural disasters. Under that funding arrangement, the federal and state government would chip in to help tourism operators facing millions of dollars in losses. "Our tourism industry is already suffering enormous losses because of cancelled booking," Ms Palaszczuk told State Parliament on Wednesday. I have never met Rush Limbaugh, and I am fairly certain he has no idea who I am. I havent been a lifelong fan of his, either, but I remember exactly where I was when I first heard him on the radio. As a recovering liberal sometime in 2000 and new to the Bay Area, I was fuming about the anti-Israel press in connection with the Second Intifada. One morning after playing taxi mom, I was surfing the radio stations when I heard this loud, booming male voice say something like Folks. Let me explain to you first the history of Israel and what is going on here. I didn't know who he was but I was captivated because this radio host got it right. Was he a local San Fran guy? Seriously, after a year living there, I knew that couldnt be! Why was no one else in the press explaining it like this? NPR, which is almost required listening in the Bay Area, got it all wrong. This chap was spot on! When the commercial came on, I darn near drove off the road when I heard it was the Rush Limbaugh show. Even though by now I considered myself a Republican, I was still riddled with leftwing bromides so I thought he was a moron, a racist, a troglodyte, from a lost era. But in minutes, he just laid out the entire history of Israel, clear as a bell. It was easy to understand, it was organized. There was no racism or anti-Semitism, or idiocy. For the first time since we moved to Marin, I felt like I had a secret radio friend who understood me. As the years progressed and we tried to raise our children in the morally bankrupt s---hole that was the Bay Area, I found out that I wasnt alone. There was an entire country out there who thought the same way my husband and I did. At Little League games and swim meets I started collecting conservatives and keeping their numbers and names handy. I even submitted a classified ad to our very liberal synagogue, something like: Politically conservative Jew seeks others. These Bay Area conservatives not only became my life friends, but morphed at one point into the San Francisco Tea Party. Talk radio and at some point the internet, were integral to our survival in a neighborhood where mayoral races were between Progressives and Socialists. (Kind of like the current Democrat primary.) If you read the paper or watched TV news (and Fox was in its infancy at that time so it didnt have the impact it does today), you might not know that the world of talk radio was populated by millions of conservatives. When I moved back to New Jersey in late 2013 and started my own home practice for yoga, I needed talk in the background. Music didnt work for memy teacher in California would talk us through an entire practice and I needed to hear that droning on as I went through my routine. It became my habit, then, to do yoga while listening to Rush. I loved the irony. I also loved watching raw food-loving, Green Deal=proselytizing, Obama acolyte yogis' heads explode when I told them that. I was doing yoga when Rush made the announcement about his diagnosis of lung cancer. I knew something was wrong when he was outfirst for the birthday, then a cold, then the flu, then it was a cold after all. It just didnt add up. We dont know much. Its advanced (stage 4) cancer and I believe he said he had a mass. He knew, as we all know, when it comes to cancer, one is facing the battle of his life. Yet if anyone can beat this, Rush can. He must. We need him. There is no one else on the planet like him. No disrespect meant to the other conservative radio jockeys out there, but Rush is truly irreplaceable, one of a kind. We need him to be around for our children and grandchildren, when they have that aha moment politically and need a friendly voice on the radio who can elaborate on our political history. A like-minded voice out there on the airwaves who gets angry when we are angry and disgusted when we are disgusted. A fellow traveler on a conservative journey who scoffs at the idiocy of the left when we scoff and is passionate about this country, its people, our history and values when we are so passionate. Rush breaks things down for us when they are a mess. He understands the left and the weaknesses in our own party. Rush isnt always right, but he comes darn close most of the time, even with half his brain tied behind his back, as he says. And he interjects humor and charity into all that he does. The fact is, while he educates some and informs others, reminds many of this or that, and marshalls the facts on the topic du jour, he has been a beacon in the darkness and a constant reminder of the light, of all we share, of the goodness in our hearts and our love of G-d and country, despite the constant onslaught from the left coloring us as monsters. Rush has taken care of us, all of these years (and made obscene profits from it, bully for him!) and gotten us through some rough and very lonely political patches. There is no question that his audience made him. But Rush also empowered us in his audience. Now we have his six. Rush may be on loan from G-d, but the payment isnt due yet. Our message to Rush: We will not let you lose this fight. This is the first time since President Reagan that this country has regained its footing. Four more years of Trump will help but it will not be enough to get cocky or solidify a political stronghold. It will not be enough to get through to the mushy, triggered, snowflake brains out there supporting communists in the Democrat Party, thinking tolerance is about educating five year olds about the LGBTQ spectrum but being fine throwing conservatives in gulags to be re-educated, or worse. Rush is a constant reminder on the radio to all who refuse to study history, that it is doomed to repeat itself if we ignore it. For that, he simply must survive. His audience is devastated by the news, but will stand by him and pray for him. To Rush we say: Oh, you have millions praying for you right now. Harness the love that people, who never met you but know you, have for you. And every time it gets hard or painful or you think you cant fight anymore, anytime any doctor gives you bad news, I want you to have one image in your mind: The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg. That old bird is a tough SOB. Shes kicked cancer in the hind quarters every time it reared its ugly facecancers like pancreatic cancer that few survive and her own battle with lung cancer. I want Rush to see her in his minds eye. Gain strength from her battles with this wretched disease and be reminded it is because of people like her, that Rush himself must continue to exist. Image credit: CNBC, via YouTube, screen shot The family of Brenda Elmer (pictured) thought she was simply recovering from a recent operation, rather than battling the potentially life-threatening bacteria A coroner has slammed health officials for 'inexcusable delays' in reporting a nationwide listeria outbreak after a 'much-loved' grandmother died from eating an infected chicken mayonnaise sandwich while in hospital. Brenda Elmer's family thought the 81-year-old was simply recovering from a recent operation, rather than battling the potentially life-threatening bacteria. A coroner branded delays in reporting some listeria cases as 'inexcusable' and said it hindered the national response to last year's outbreak of the infection. An information 'black hole' also meant that warnings over the outbreak were delayed in reaching Mrs Elmer's family, senior coroner Penelope Schofield said. Mrs Elmer is one of five people thought to have died in last year's national listeria scandal, linked to sandwiches that had been supplied to 43 NHS trusts. It prompted a 'root and branch' review of hospital food in the UK by Public Health England. Listeria monocytogenes causes an illness called listeriosis which can incubate for up to 70 days and can be fatal for people with weakened immune systems. Mrs Elmer died on July 17, 2019 and an inquest was taking place at Centenary House in Crawley, West Sussex, on Wednesday. The pensioner, who had breast cancer, had been admitted to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester for an unrelated operation and was discharged on May 3. During her hospital stay it is thought that she ate a chicken sandwich made by The Good Food Chain company, unaware that it was contaminated with listeria. Nick Phin, deputy director for Public Health England, said an investigation traced the listeria outbreak to sandwiches from The Good Food Chain (one of their sandwiches is pictured) Brenda Elmer's husband Alec Elmer (centre) and her son Jonathan Elmer (right) arrive at West Sussex Coroners Court in Crawley today Her son, Jonathan Elmer, told the inquest: 'She was a family lady first and foremost. She tied us together, a great mum, great wife. 'She lived life to the full: enjoyed travel, enjoyed family, enjoyed people.' He said his mother had felt weak as she recovered from her operation at home in Gravesend, Kent, but they had no idea at the time that it could have been listeria. WHAT IS LISTERIOSIS? Most people that catch listeriosis, caused by bacteria called listeria, will only experience mild symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhoea. Other symptoms of the infection can include a high temperature of 38C or above, aches and pains, and chills, according to the NHS. Listeria monocytogenes (stock) as found in the pre-packaged food sold at hospitals However, more serious complications can develop in those with weakened immune systems, babies, the elderly and pregnant women. Many foods can harbour listeria, but it is usually found in unpasteurised milk, soft cheeses and ready-to-eat foods, such as prepacked sandwiches. Listeria is widespread in the environment and can be found in raw food and soil, and in the droppings of many mammals, birds, and fish. Around 180 cases of listeriosis are confirmed every year in England, according to figures. It strikes around 850 annually in the US. HOW CAN YOU AVOID LISTERIOSIS? wash your hands regularly with soap and water wash fruit and vegetables before eating them store ready-to-eat foods as recommended by the manufacturer make sure all hot food is steaming hot all the way through Advertisement He said: 'It is certainly something that goes through your mind. To this day I do not know if an earlier diagnosis may have been of any benefit.' A blood test from Mrs Elmer's GP took several days to come back and the results were inconclusive. However the pensioner was rushed to hospital in Tunbridge Wells on June 2 after becoming uncommunicative. There she tested positive for listeria and died on July 17. Coroner Mrs Schofield suggested that an information 'black hole' for patients discharged to areas outside the hospital's trust area may have prevented Mrs Elmer's family from getting her early treatment for listeria. Her widower, Alec Elmer, said: 'I think, had we known earlier, something would have been done. 'Had we been aware earlier, that blood test would have been an emergency blood test. As it was, it took three or four days to get the results through.' Dr Timothy Taylor, medical director for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Worthing Hospital and St Richard's Hospital in Chichester - said there was 'no mechanism' for getting hold of discharged patients who have eaten specific foods. He told the inquest: 'We had one previous case during May with a patient at Worthing Hospital but it wasn't apparent at the time she had contracted listeria, it was part of the national outbreak that was emerging.' But when information coming in suggested there was a 'substantial' risk that Mrs Elmer had eaten a contaminated sandwich, he contacted his counterpart at her local hospital in Kent. Dr Taylor added: 'There has been a lot that we have learned from it but also a lot of reassurance that the procedures we have in place are robust.' He said the news of Mrs Elmer's death came as a shock to staff at St Richard's and offered his condolences to her family. Nick Phin, deputy director for the national infection service at Public Health England, said an investigation traced the listeria outbreak to sandwiches from The Good Food Chain, which used meat from North Country Quality Foods. The two companies have since fallen into liquidation. Giving her conclusion, Mrs Schofield said: 'Brenda Elmer died from complications associated with a listeria infection that she had contracted from a contaminated sandwich provided by an external supplier whilst an inpatient at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester. Alec Elmer, the husband of Brenda, is shown arriving at the inquest today into his wife's death Mrs Elmer's son Jonathan is shown arriving at the inquest, as is Nick Phin from Public Heath England (right) 'This was part of a national outbreak.' The coroner said she was issuing two Prevention of Future Deaths reports - one to Public Health England about communication issues, and the other on the issue of wider reporting of listeria cases. She said it was 'inexcusable' that some cases of listeria had not been reported to PHE quickly enough - though notably not Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, whose response, she said, was swift. This, the inquest heard, delayed the national response to the crisis. Following the inquest, Dr Taylor said: 'We are pleased the coroner recognised the swift action we undertook to protect public health once we were made aware of the risk, and there was no criticism of the trust's actions and its food handling procedures. 'We hope the inquest has given Mrs Elmer's family a fuller understanding of the sad circumstances surrounding her death. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.' In one of his many anti-abortion statements, the president introduced a woman and her 2-year-old child. In 2017, he said, doctors at St. Lukes hospital in Kansas City delivered one of the earliest premature babies ever to survive. Born at just 21 weeks and six days, and weighing less than a pound, Ellie Schneider was born a fighter. Through the skill of her doctors and the prayers of her parents little Ellie kept on winning the battle for life. Today, Ellie is a strong, healthy 2-year-old girl sitting with her amazing mother Robin in the gallery. He then pivoted and called on Congress to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies. ABUJA: Police in the FCT has arrested five people who went to the Wuse District Hospital, claiming that one of them had been infected with coronavirus. . . All five were paraded at the Wuse Zone 3 Divisional Police station. FCT police spokesperson Anjuguri Manzah said the suspects claimed to have been playing out a script about the virus without knowledge or authorisation from relevant authorities. . . The suspects are named as Peggy Shandi (M), Abayomi Adedoyin (M), David Gold Enemigin (M) Priscilla AJesola (F) and Jacob Oji (M). . . The FCT Department of Public Health has reiterated that there is no confirmed case of Coronavirus in the FCT and advised n calm. . . The Director of Public Health, Dr Josephine Okechukwu, said the prank led to panic and confusion as well as a disruption of normal health service delivery at the hospital. . . He added that the action of the alleged pranksters was very wrong as it was capable of creating pandemonium in a hospital environment where the alleged action took place. . . She said that if such false information was released on the social media, it would do great damage not just to the FCT but the country at large. 3d Source: instablog9ja Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Archaeologists plan to excavate part of a cemetery in Tulsa, Okla., to see if it holds the remains of black residents slaughtered by white mobs during a massacre in 1921. The mayor said Wednesday it was an unprecedented step to address one of the worst instances of racist violence in American history, an episode that for decades was rarely acknowledged in public by city leaders. The archaeologists plan to dig up a small section of the Oaklawn Cemetery, east of downtown, where they found evidence last year of a possible mass grave site. The excavation, announced at a committee meeting on Monday, would establish the presence or absence of human remains, determine the nature of the interments, and obtain data to help inform the future steps in the investigation, including appropriate recovery efforts, the city said in a statement. We are proposing this intermediate step to obtain just a sample and additional information essentially a proof of concept, if you will to demonstrate: Do we, in fact, have human remains here? And do they seem to be consistent with race massacre victims? Dr. Kary Stackelbeck, the state archaeologist of Oklahoma, said at the meeting. Previous investigations have identified possible locations for the mass graves and compiled historical evidence of the massacre, which for decades was rarely mentioned in textbooks or publicly acknowledged by white city officials. The excavation, which is slated for April, raises the tantalizing possibility that, after nearly a century of shame and inattention, the bodies of at least some of the victims could finally be found. (Photo : Pixabay) Blackberry phones Sorry, diehard BlackBerry fans. The iconic, full-keyboard smartphones could be disappearing again for good as its largest partner officially unplugs deal with the mobile phone company. TCL Communication, the electronics enterprise that makes BlackBerry smartphones, announced Monday that the partnership has ended. The consumer electronics manufacturer added it is going to stop promoting BlackBerry-branded mobile devices in August 2020. TCL to Continue Repair Service for Existing Devices Until 2022 In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, TCL said it no longer has the right to "design, manufacture or sell" any new Blackberry gadgets. However, the manufacturer would continue helping existing devices with customers and guarantee service until 2022. As written by The Verge, BlackBerry appears not to have manufacturing partnerships with other companies to make its phones. The setup could spell out either a hiatus or potentially a complete disappearance of the BlackBerry brand. The business enterprise has not indicated whether it would be searching for partnerships with other producers to preserve its telephones alive. "For those of us at TCL Communication who were blessed sufficient to work on BlackBerry Mobile, we need to thank all our partners, clients and the BlackBerry fan community for their aid over these past few years," TCL Communication said in the statement. The BlackBerry fans could lose the chance to shop for one of the devices that had been as soon as so famous that people nicknamed them "CrackBerries." ALSO READ: BlackBerry Phones To Be Manufactured By TCL As Companies Ink Deal BlackBerry's Fall: A Brief Summary News of the BlackBerry's lapsed agreement with TCL follows the sunsetting of numerous of its other products, inclusive of the as soon as trail-blazing BlackBerry Messenger. Last year, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was the modern-day in a string of legacy messaging apps to be wounded down. ALSO READ: Using BlackBerry Messenger? It's Shutting Down On May 31 Unless You Pay Up TCL Communication labored with BlackBerry to provide the KEY series smartphones, inclusive of the BlackBerry KEYonne Motion, KEY2, and KEY2 LE. BlackBerry devices, apart from its keyboard features, had been lauded for the business enterprise's well-seemed security features. The organization stopped making its smartphones in 2016, and instead outsourced production of the gadgets to manufacturing companions, which include TCL Communication. The selection came amid falling phone sales - there were fewer new telephone customers to function the marketplace became extra saturated. BlackBerry was also slow to the touchscreen game, inflicting it to lose out to Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy, and other Android gadgets. TCL's discontinuation of BlackBerry phones marks the end of an era for a smartphone brand that once claimed 20% of the global phone market. But as the company struggled to keep pace with smartphones as the iPhone and Android rose to popularity, BlackBerry slowly faded out of relevancy in the global smartphone market. ALSO READ: BlackBerry's Smartphone Market Share Dips To 0 Percent, Android And iOS Lead BlackBerry, TCL to Focus on Other Areas in Tech Industry BlackBerry has since pivoted its focus to other industries within the tech sector, such as enterprise platforms, cybersecurity tools, and automotive software. The approach helped BlackBerry return the threshold of failure just under a decade ago, while investors had been involved approximately the corporation's survival while the organization remains struggling to turn an income in 2020. The heartbreaking announcement also comes as TCL has been expanding its own-self branding smartphone lineup. At the CES tech conference in January, for example, it showcased a new lineup of Android smartphones it plans to launch this year, as well as foldable concept phones. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Bloods street gang member who fatally shot a photographer in the heart after catching him urinating on his block in Newark two years ago was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison. Rasheed O.J. Olabode, 27, was seen in surveillance video praying and attempting to talk Christopher Poole out of shooting him in broad daylight on April 26, 2018, prosecutors said. Poole, 26, of Newark, fired anyway. He was convicted in Superior Court of Essex County of first-degree murder and weapons offenses in Olabodes slaying. Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler sentenced Poole to 10 years for one weapons offense that will run concurrently with the life sentence. Olabode, who immigrated to Newark from Nigeria, knew the power of words and tried to use them when Poole approached him. He had reflected on the effect of words in an Instagram post, which Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jason Goldberg read to the judge. Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity, Olabode wrote. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble. But on that day on the 700 block of South 20th street, Olabodes words could not save him. He was gunned down while his two friends sitting in a car watched, prosecutors said. The only mistake that appears the victim made was going to relieve himself in front of the wrong person, said Goldberg. And that simple, simple act - something that every single person does, every single day - was enough in the eyes of Mr. Poole to execute a man, shoot him in the heart as he prayed and tried talking his way out of it." Goldberg shared with the court some of Olabodes photography, which captured the hustle and bustle of Newark streets in black and white. Olabodes family overseas was unable to come up with the funds to make it to court for the sentencing, Goldberg said. Rasheed O.J. Olabode took photographs like the one pictured above that depicted people on the streets of Newark, where he immigrated to from Nigeria. Poole, whose mugshot showed a tattoo on his neck of a hand giving the middle finger, did not react when the prosecutor read the victims words. He declined to make a statement when offered the opportunity in the Newark courtroom. Wigler remarked on Pooles utter lack of remorse before handing down his sentence. He said Olabode did not deserve to be executed simply for urinating behind a car. This was certainly one of the most - if not the most - senseless murder cases that I have presided over and been involved with, said Wigler, who has served as a Superior Court judge for a decade. Pooles two sisters and a deacon from his grandmothers church asked for leniency from the judge. One of his sisters cried out and ran out of the courtroom when Wigler handed down the life sentence for his first-degree murder conviction. "I know his heart, said his sister. I know that this isn't the person that he wanted to become. Pooles grandmother raised him in a rough neighborhood without a silver spoon, his sister said. The siblings supported each other, his sister said, and she began to sob when telling the judge that her brother wont get to see her young daughter grow up. He dropped out of West Side High School and has been unemployed his entire life, the judge said. His first run-in with the criminal justice system occurred when he was 15. Poole was arrested 15 times in adulthood and had three prior felony convictions, the judge said. Poole was out on probation for just a month on a second-degree theft conviction when he murdered Olabode. He must serve a minimum of 85 percent - or 63 years - of his sentence before he is eligible for parole under the states No Early Release Act. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps national security adviser warned Palestinians on Wednesday that Israeli settlements will continue to expand because rising anti-Semitism around the world means more Jews will immigrate to Israel. Addressing many hot-button global issues in a speech and discussion with foreign diplomats to the United States, Robert OBrien also said the president hoped to go to Beijing to talk to the Chinese about a three-way nuclear arms control pact with the U.S. and Russia. He said the president still hopes that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will resume nuclear talks with the U.S. OBrien defended Trumps Mideast peace plan, which was embraced by Israel but rejected by the Palestinians. OBrien said the plan is not perfect, but urged the Palestinians to negotiate terms of the proposed deal. The deal offers economic benefits that would allow Palestine to become the Singapore of the Middle East, he said. The Palestinians have roundly denounced the proposal, which offers them limited self-rule in scattered chunks of territory with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem while allowing Israel to annex large parts of the West Bank. Protesters have burned U.S. and Israeli flags as well as posters of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood with Trump at the White House when he rolled out the plan last week. This could be the last opportunity for a two-state solution, OBrien said at the Meridian International Center. The Israeli birth rate is strong and is growing because sadly anti-Semitism in Europe and other places around the world is encouraging more Jews to return to Israel. The settlements are going to continue to expand. If this freeze on settlements doesnt hold. If this peace process doesnt work, it may be physically impossible to have a two-state solution. It was unusual for a high-level administration official to tie anti-Semitism to the settlements. The Palestinians, as well as much of the international community, view the settlements in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem territories seized by Israel in the 1967 war as illegal and a major obstacle to peace. But OBriens comments are in line with the Trump administration strongly favouring Israel in the longtime conflict. OBrien didnt note that the Palestinian population is growing too in both the Palestinian territories and Israel, according to U.N. statistics. The Palestinian population is growing at roughly 2.4% a year, 33% higher than Israels. Those demographic shifts have led previous peacemakers to warn that Israel risks losing its ability to remain both a Jewish state and a democracy without a two-state solution that gives the Palestinians enough inhabitable and arable land to accommodate their growing numbers. Trumps plan would foresee the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but would allow Israel to annex all Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as well as the strategic Jordan Valley. U.S. officials had discouraged Netanyahu from proceeding with plans to immediately annex any new territory and had played down the possibility that the release of the plan would make any such move imminent. But after the rollout, Netanyahu vowed to bring his West Bank annexation plans to a vote at his next Cabinet meeting just days away. That surprised and frustrated the Americans. In a series of interviews, Trumps point people on Israel jammed the brakes on annexation, putting greater emphasis on the prospects of Palestinian statehood that Netanyahu was trying to sidestep. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said a U.S.-Israeli committee would need to be formed to ensure that any move matches up with the Trump administrations conceptual map. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and a chief architect of the plan, said Israel should wait until after the March 2 Israeli elections before annexing territory. Any quick move to annex land would galvanize Netanyahus hard-line base and shift the focus of his reelection campaign away from his legal woes. But annexation also would likely spark an international backlash, and neighbouring Jordan, a key player in Middle East peace efforts, has warned against it. It could also foreclose the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution. Addressing arms control during a question-and-answer session, OBrien said the administration has been in touch with Russia about what to do about the New START Treaty, which expires in exactly one year. It is the only remaining treaty limiting the number of U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons. Russia has expressed a willingness to extend the treaty for five years. Trump wants to pull China into the negotiations, citing Chinas major defence build-up. We think that China is going to need to become involved in any serious arms control negotiation and so we are going to work on those talks in the coming months and year and Id expect well be going to Beijing to talk to the Chinese about how we can reduce the threat of nuclear war, he said. OBrien was also asked about the House vote to impeach Trump for abuse of power for pushing Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. When the House probed Trumps actions, he instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to an obstruction charge against the president as well. I think its been a terrible pall that was cast over the United States and in our ability to operate in the foreign policy arena, he said. The Senate was poised on Wednesday to acquit Trump on both charges. House Democrats might still summon former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about revelations from his forthcoming book that offer a fresh account of Trumps actions. Differentiating himself from his predecessor, OBrien said he has no plans to write a tell-all book after he leaves the White House. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Partnering with the MDPCI is a great way to solidify the power of our DuraMAX brand in the marketplace. RelaDyne, one of the nations leading providers of lubricants, has partnered its premier automotive brand, DuraMAX as a preferred supplier to over 800 franchised Meineke locations in the U.S. & Canada. Partnering with the MDPCI as a supplier to Meineke franchisees is a welcome venture to expand our DuraMAX brand throughout their many locations, said David Gempel, RelaDyne Strategic Account Business Development Manager. We are excited to serve Meineke and their customers with our trusted DuraMAX brand. 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Shares in Elon Musk's Tesla raced past the $900 mark for the first time last night, meaning shares have now doubled in value this year. Amid frenzied buying, the electric car maker's stock rose more than 13 per cent, adding to a rise of 20 per cent on Monday. Tesla's value is now 122billion, more than five times what it was worth as recently as June when shares were changing hands for $177. Electric car maker Tesla's stock rose more than 13 per cent, adding to a rise of 20 per cent on Monday The extraordinary rise means Tesla is worth more than three times General Motors, the largest car producer in the US. And Musk has seen the value of his stake jump from 4.6billion to 23billion since June. The rally has also boosted shares in UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment trust, one of the top shareholders, to record highs. Analysts said Tesla retained a big lead over other electric car makers, while its joint batteries venture with Panasonic also turned a profit for the first time. Some observers cautioned that the 'insane' growth of recent months would be difficult to sustain. But Ron Baron, the billionaire boss of the Baron money management empire, whose firm holds 1.63m shares, or 0.9 per cent of Tesla, said he bought in at around $219 per share in 2014, adding: 'The company's business had grown from $2.8billion of annual revenues to $25billion. 'Now what's happening, it's just catch-up. This could be one of the largest companies in the whole world.' However, Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth Capital who has given Tesla a 'Sell' rating, said many investors were flocking to the company simply because it was trendy. Irwin added: 'I can't believe this freaking stock. It's insane. It's fear of missing out.' Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak, said: 'This is taking Tesla well above a level that would be supported by its current fundamentals. The stock is going to get absolutely clobbered before long.' Musk, 48, is the biggest shareholder in Tesla, with 18.8 per cent of its stock. He is on course for a bonus of at least 263million after getting the market capitalisation to $100billion (77billion). The next biggest shareholders include UK wealth manager Baillie Gifford with 7.7 per cent, Capital World Investors with 5.7 per cent, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund with 4.6 per cent and the Vanguard Group with 4.4 per cent. Baillie Gifford's total stake, held through Scottish Mortgage and other trusts, was worth more than 9billion yesterday. Fund manager James Anderson has talked up the company and said last year that rivals 'cannot compete with what it is doing'. More than 14,500 investors piled into Tesla via US-based investment platform Robinhood over the past three days. But the surge has proved brutal for short-sellers, who have lost 6.4billion so far in 2020 alone, according to data firm S3 Partners. KAPURTHALA: The services of assistant sub inspector Jatinder Singh, who was caught smuggling 50 gm of charas into the Kapurthala Modern Jail on Tuesday, were terminated on Wednesday. Though the ASI, posted with Jalandhar rural police, was assigned the duty to take prisoners from jail to court for hearings for the past one year, he claimed this was the first time he had smuggled in drugs. He told interrogators that a jail inmate had called up his accomplice to hand over the drugs to him when he was escorting prisoners to a Jalandhar court for a hearing. Kotwali station house officer inspector Navdeep Singh said, We have sought call details of the ASIs phone to ascertain whether he was receiving directions from the jail directly and to explore other investigation angles as well. Requesting anonymity, a senior police official said that the ASI faced an inquiry for misconduct and in a corruption case earlier too but was given a clean chit. Jalandhar senior superintendent of police Navjot Singh Mahal said a case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the ASI and his services had been terminated. The district court granted a days judicial remand though the Kotwali police had sought three days to interrogate Jatinder Singh. DRUG RACKET IN JAIL In the 13 cases of recovery of drugs in the Kapurthala jail last year, the involvement of jail officials was established in five. In 2018, of the 10 drug recoveries from Kapurthala jail, the involvement of jail staff was found in three. Mobile phones continue to find their way into the jail. Last year, 200 phones were seized, while 170 phones were seized from inmates in 2018. Kotwali police station records show the jail staff seized 48 mobile phones in 2013, 70 in 2014, 75 in 2015, 82 in 2016,, while 85 cell phones were recovered in 2017, besides the seizure of SIM cards and chargers. At present, the jail has 13 mobile jammers to prevent 3G signals but most of the jammers are non-functional, a senior officer said. The jail authorities had recently upgraded security measures to clamp down of drug smuggling. A departmental inquiry has been initiated. We are checking if any other official is involved, jail superintendent of police Baljit Singh Ghuman said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Americans have also seen that, despite the intense pessimism and even disillusionment that many feel about politics, a political party still can show moral courage regardless of the political costs. The Democrats were told constantly that impeachment would hurt them in November. Mr. Trump himself has boasted that it will, and whats more he has relished the chance to claim exoneration and to take a victory lap at the same time as Democratic hopefuls began duking it out in earnest in the primaries. The Democrats knew all this, and whats more, they knew they faced an uphill battle: Thats what the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds Senate majority to convict imposes from the beginning. Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Matthew Continetti writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Michelle Cottle examines two primary contests that will shake the parties well beyond the states in play. But they still did the right thing. They called out impropriety so glaring that it could not be suffered in silence. And they reminded all of us that a political party can pursue whats right over whats expedient and so can a lone politician, as Senator Mitt Romney showed. Americans saw on vivid display another form of courage: the incredible bravery of public servants who testified before the House of Representatives, the nation and the world people like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Dr. Fiona Hill. They did so despite the gag orders issued by Mr. Trump to disobey Congress. They did so knowing theyd face death threats. They did so not knowing whether their testimony would yield the presidents impeachment or removal. And they spoke up because they believed in truth as an end in itself. Thats a reminder, in our disinformation-fueled times, that candor is a value we must recover. And its a lesson for the American people that those who serve our government by working long hours for little pay and even less glory arent the deep state that Mr. Trump denounces but, instead, patriots. Americans also received a lesson in the critical importance of whistle-blowers in holding our government to account. The role of whistle-blowers is as old as the government itself, dating back to the Continental Congress. But never has their necessity been put on display as clearly as when a courageous whistle-blower filed the complaint that, ultimately, led to the exposure of Mr. Trumps Ukraine extortion bid. Mark Ofori 05.02.2020 LISTEN The family members, as well as the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Takoradi Constituency branch, are complaining about the slow pace of investigations into the gruesome murder of the party's treasurer Mark Ofori. According to them, the police promised to conduct thorough investigations into the case but the delay was making the perpetrators get away with the murder case. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, Emmanuel Sam, an uncle to the deceased, said the family expected the police to brief them on their investigations into the case from time to time but that had not been the case. So we approached the police and they told us that up till now they have not had any lead to help arrest the alleged murderer, he said. For his part, the 2nd Vice Chairman of the Takoradi Constituency of the NPP, Justice Acquah, said the party was hoping that the police would have made a breakthrough in the case but they had not heard any good news. Police DAILY GUIDE contacted the Takoradi District Police Command to ascertain how far they had gone with their investigations. DAILY GUIDE was told to contact the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Police. When DSP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, the Regional Police PRO was contacted, she indicated that she was in a meeting and would brief DAILY GUIDE on the matter later. Mark Ofori was shot dead at his residence at Fijai in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis last October. He was 33. According to some residents, the assailants went straight to the victim's bedroom and shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. ---Daily Guide Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:08:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday. Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit at this time reflects Cambodian people's friendliness toward the Chinese people and their support for China's fight against the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, Li said. China attaches great importance to this visit and is willing to work together with the Cambodian side to continuously enrich bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperation. Stressing that the Chinese government and people are doing their best to combat the epidemic, Li said the people's safety and health always come first. China is taking epidemic prevention and control as the most important task at present, striving to guarantee supplies of key medical materials and people's daily necessities, to safeguard normal life for all people in China. During this process, China has continued to release information about the epidemic in a timely, open, transparent and responsible manner and is willing to actively enhance international cooperation, said the premier. "The Chinese government and people have confidence, determination and capability to win the battle against the epidemic," Li said. For his part, Hun Sen expressed condolences to the people affected by the epidemic and appreciation to the Chinese government's care for Cambodian students and diaspora in China. "We will stand firm with the Chinese government to eliminate panic and overcome difficulties together," the prime minister said, expressing his belief that the Chinese people would surely win the fight against the epidemic. Cambodia is willing to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields and continuously promote bilateral relations to a new high, he said. [February 05, 2020] MSCI Launches Solution Enabling Investors to Assess Exposure to Climate Risk MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, has today launched a solution to help investors assess their exposure to climate related risks and opportunities. The MSCI Climate Value-At-Risk (Climate VaR), provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, provides forward looking and return-based valuation assessments to measure the potential impact of climate change on company valuations. It provides financial institutions - including investment managers, banks, asset owners and insurers - with the means to identify assets that may be at risk from the worst effects resulting from climate change, while helping to identify innovative low carbon investment opportunities, through security specific modelling. The tool provides insights into the potential stressed market valuation of investment portfolios and downside risks, translating climate-related costs into potential valuation impacts. The tool covers more than 10,000 companies, assessing all their associated equities and corporate bonds within the analysis. The framework is closely aligned to the G20's Financial Stability Board's Taskforce on Climate-Related Disclosures (TCFD), helping investors seeking to enhance their reporting in a time of increasing regulatory requirements. Remy Briand, Head of ESG, at MSCI, commented, "The world's attitude to climate change is rapidly evolving due to dramatic environmental, social and governance shifts driving a move to a low-carbon economy. As we reach this inflection point, investors are now publicly expressing a desire to take action and address the urgent reality of climate change themselves, and they are also urging others in the investment industry to do so too. As a result, managing climate risk has become an increasingly important tenet of the investment process along with the ability to measure the impact of climate change and build portfolios resilient to climate risk. "Until now, investors did not have the tools to measure the potential impact of transitional or physical risks or the economic impact of climate change on their portfolios. The launch of the MSCI Climate VaR is the result of MSCI's commitment to create solutions to support investors in the critical quest to integrate ESG considerations in their portfolios. We acquired Carbon Delta in 2019 and MSCI Climate VaR combines MSCI ESG Research's industry leading capabilities in ESG risk management and Carbon Delta's expertise in climate change scenario analysis." Navigating all aspects of climate related risk The MSCI Climate VaR has four main applications for investors: Policy transition scenarios: The policy scenarios aggregate future policy costs based on an end of the century time horizon. By overlaying climate policy outlooks and future emission reduction price estimates onto company data, MSCI's model provides insights into how current and forthcoming climate policies will affect companies The policy scenarios aggregate future policy costs based on an end of the century time horizon. By overlaying climate policy outlooks and future emission reduction price estimates onto company data, MSCI's model provides insights into how current and forthcoming climate policies will affect companies Innovation transition scenarios: The low carbon technology scenario is based on company specific patent data, providing insight into the strategic investments companies are making to help the transition to a low-carbon economy The low carbon technology scenario is based on company specific patent data, providing insight into the strategic investments companies are making to help the transition to a low-carbon economy Portfolio warming potential: the warming potential methodology computes the contribution of a company's activities towards climate change, delivering an exact temperature value that signifies what future temperature a company's activities are currently aligned with the warming potential methodology computes the contribution of a company's activities towards climate change, delivering an exact temperature value that signifies what future temperature a company's activities are currently aligned with Physical risks and opportunities: The physical scenarios evaluate the impact and financial risk relating to several extreme weather hazards, such as extreme heat and cold and flood risk. Actionable insights for investors The MSCI Climate VaR provides a range of insights into the physical risks associated with severe weather hazards such as flooding. Drawing on MSCI's asset location database, which comprises more than 600,000 geo-referenced assets, and through financial modelling, MSCI ESG Research can assess the associated financial risks related to asset damage and business interruption. This enables the attribution of costs to individual enterprises and feeds into the calculation of MSCI's Climate VaR metric. Analysis reveals that nearly 7% of global facilities owned by MSCI ACWI Index constituents are threatened by coastal flooding risk and nearly 62% of index constituents had at least one facility in a flood-prone area, underlining the importance for investors in considering these risks and integrating this information into their investment decision making. Furthermore, Asia had the highest exposure to coastal flooding risk, in terms of the number of facilities and the level of potential damage at company sites with 6,257 facilities at risk in Asia, with USD 2.25 trillion of revenue at risk1 between now and 2050. The European Union had the second-highest number of facilities at risk from coastal flooding (2,270), while the U.S. had USD 541 billion revenue at risk. Without significant investment in coastal protection and adaptation, over half of the global assets at risk could become untenable by 2050, according to MSCI Climate VaR. Oliver Marchand, Head of Climate Risk Research & Development, continues, "The flood risk analysis is just one example of the powerful insights the Climate VaR can provide, contributing to the identification and integration of climate change risk in the investment decision making process." The MSCI Climate VaR was developed from MSCI's Climate Risk Center in Zurich, the focal point for the development of climate change risk analytics and tools. The aim of the center is to develop strong partnerships with leading academic and research institutions around the world to advance the use of climate science for financial risk analysis, building on the relationships already forged by Carbon Delta. MSCI announced it had acquired Carbon Delta in October 2019. For more information, please visit msci.com. About MSCI ESG Research Products and Services MSCI ESG Research products and services are provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, and are designed to provide in-depth research, ratings and analysis of environmental, social and governance-related business practices to companies worldwide. ESG ratings, data and analysis from MSCI ESG Research LLC. are also used in the construction of the MSCI ESG Indexes. MSCI ESG Research LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and a subsidiary of MSCI Inc. About MSCI MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com. The information contained herein (the "Information") may not be reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior written permission from MSCI ESG Research. The Information may not be used to verify or correct other data, to create any derivative works, to create indexes, risk models, or analytics, or in connection with issuing, offering, sponsoring, managing or marketing any securities, portfolios, financial products or other investment vehicles. Historical data and analysis should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. MSCI ESG Research is provided by MSCI Inc.'s subsidiary, MSCI ESG Research LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. MSCI ESG Research materials, including materials utilized in any MSCI ESG Indexes or other products, have not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body. None of the Information or MSCI index or other product or service constitutes an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial instrument or product or trading strategy. Further, none of the Information is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. The Information is provided "as is" and the user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information. NONE OF MSCI INC. OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES OR ITS OR THEIR DIRECT OR INDIRECT SUPPLIERS OR ANY THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE INFORMATION (EACH, AN "INFORMATION PROVIDER") MAKES ANY WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS AND, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EACH INFORMATION PROVIDER HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDERS HAVE ANY LIABILITY REGARDING ANY OF THE INFORMATION FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited. Privacy notice: For information about how MSCI ESG Research LLC collects and uses personal data concerning officers and directors, please refer to our Privacy Notice at https://www.msci.com/privacy-pledge. ______________________ 1 We define revenue at risk as the share of current company revenue attributable to facilities affected by specific extreme weather events or gradual climate shifts. To allocate revenue, we use the global breakdown by country and map country revenue to asset locations. 1ESG data provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005197/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A Chinese woman looking for work in Australia was dubbed a 'corona breather' in a racist rant on Facebook. Gia Fan, who went to university in Taiwan but is a permanent resident in Australia, said she was looking for a job in Sydney. She explained that she had lived in Australia for 10 years, and needed money to send to family in China. Posting her request on a Facebook group for Sydney expats, she was soon dubbed a 'corona breather' and mocked for her job hunt. Gia Fan (pictured) had innocently asked for help finding work in a Sydney expats Facebook group But she was soon met with a comment from a man (pictured) who called her a 'corona breather' Thirteen people have now been diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus in Australia, as the global death toll hits 426. 'Let's just let this virus blow over first corona breather,' one man wrote in response to Ms Fan's post. Another chimed in: 'Can you find a cure for coronavirus?' 'Prepare for the creepy weirdos', another user warned. Alongside a glamorous picture of herself, Ms Fan pleaded for help finding a job, explaining she had retail and hospitality experience. Ms Fan, who has permanent residency in Australia, posted in a Facebook job asking for help finding work (pictured) Ms Fan (pictured) explained she was fluent in both English and Chinese and had permanent residency in Australia, but wanted to send money to her family 'I am looking for a job around Sydney that over $25 per hour doesn't matter what job it is, I have a lot of hospitality and retail customer service experience, fluent both English and Chinese,' she wrote. 'I have good references from all previous jobs. living in Australia for 10 years got my permanent resident. please help me, need money to send home for family as soon as possible. 'Anyone who can really helps me, recommend me to a job. I would like to pay some money for reward. Thank you!' Ryde councillors are now launching an emergency 'Return to Eastwood' PR campaign to regenerate the area (pictured) which has emptied during the coronavirus crisis It comes as Sydney suburbs with a high Chinese population have become ghost towns amid fears of the deadly coronavirus. Businesses in the usually bustling area of Eastwood in the city's north-west are struggling as people avoid the suburb partly due to hysteria on social media. There have been a number of hoax warnings on Facebook saying numerous suburbs were hit by the outbreak. Some shop owners have reported a downturn over more than 70 per cent since the virus reached Australia. Locals have shared footage of the deserted suburb, showing eerily empty streets and vacant car parks. One man wearing a face mask uploaded a video to Instagram showing a shopping centre car park with just one vehicle. One man wearing a face mask uploaded a video to Instagram showing a shopping centre car park with just one vehicle (pictured) in Eastwood OROVILLE, Calif. - Two Butte County Sheriff's Office employees are being recognized for their efforts in monitoring registered sex offenders. There are nearly 400 registered sex offenders living in Butte County. Detective Miller and Investigative Assistant Celentano track offenders as they move in and out of the county and they work with the U.S. Marshals Service to investigate and locate offenders. The Butte County Sheriff's Office uses the tool OffenderWatch, to keep track of registered sex offenders, often using the system to aid in investigations and proactively improve public safety. Detective Miller and Investigative Assistant Celentano were chosen to receive the award out of 14,000 OffenderWatch users from more than 3,000 agencies. I am extraordinarily proud of the staff members, you heard how a few people within the United States are honored to this level but given the great work that they do on a daily basis, I'm not the least bit surprised that they have risen to the top, Sherriff Kory Honea said. Manager of Offender Watch, Scott Freeman said this program hits home for him. As a parent myself having that ability to see who's living in my neighborhood, whos living around my children is very strong," Freeman said. "One of the things we're really excited about at offender watch is were releasing a product called safe virtual neighborhood, and that will allow parents to sign up and actually enroll their child phone on the network and so if the child is communicating with a sex offender or loitering in front of a offenders house too long the parent will receive a notification." Freeman said that California is the state repository for 25 states and they also utilized by I.C.E and the Marshall Service. The Butte County Sheriff's Office is encouraging everyone to sign up on the Offender Watch website, to receive notifications and to be aware of your community. China virus deaths rise to almost 500 as WHO says opportunity to halt spread WORLD: The world has a window of opportunity to halt the spread of a deadly new virus, global health experts said, as the number of people infected in China jumped to 24,000 and millions more were ordered to stay indoors. healthChinesedeathCoronavirusCOVID-19 By AFP Wednesday 5 February 2020, 10:18AM A man wearing a facemask while using his phone stands in front of a mural in Hong Kong which reported its first coronavirus related death yesterday (Feb 4). Photo: AFP The confirmed death toll in mainland China rose to 490 after hardest-hit Hubei province reported 65 more people had died. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. But the WHO sais yesterday (Feb 4) that dramatic measures taken by China offered a chance to halt transmission. While 99 percent of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. That doesnt mean that it wont get worse. But for sure we have a window of opportunity to act, he said. The WHOs statement came as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand all reported new infections not imported from China. And this morning (Feb 5) Japanese authorities said at least 10 passengers on a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people have the virus. In a sign of growing concern about a spread to other densely-populated Chinese metropolitan areas, authorities in three more cities, including one near Shanghai, imposed drastic restrictions on movement. Parts of Hangzhou, including the area where the main office of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is based, now allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities, affecting some three million people. The city is only 175 kilometres (110 miles) from Shanghai, which has reported more than 200 cases, including one death. The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January. China has struggled to contain the virus despite unprecedented measures, including virtually locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei province. The WHO has said the outbreak does not yet constitute a pandemic. But the head of the organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accused wealthy countries of falling short on their duties in sharing data. Of the 176 cases reported outside China so far, WHO has received complete case report forms for only 38 percent, he said. Hong Kong\s first death Hong Kong reported the first virus death yesterday as the semi-autonomous city closed all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong media said the 39-year-old man had underlying health issues. He had visited Wuhan last month and his 72-year-old mother was also infected. The financial hub has been particularly on edge over the virus as it has revived memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which killed nearly 300 people in the city and 349 people in the mainland. Health officials noted that the mortality rate for the new coronavirus stood at 2.1 percent, with most victims either old or with underlying health problems. SARS killed nearly 10 percent of patients. New foreign cases Singapore confirmed the first four cases of people being infected locally, taking the total number of infections in the city-state to 24. Macau, Chinas semi-autonomous gambling hub that is popular with mainland visitors, closed all of its casinos for at least two weeks. And the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday advised Britons to leave China, if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. The United States, meanwhile, acknowledged that the outbreak may delay Beijings plans to purchase American goods under the terms of a deal meant to end the two countries\ trade war. Beijing admits shortcomings Chinas Communist leadership made a rare admission of fallibility earlier this week, acknowledging shortcomings and difficulties exposed in the response to the epidemic. The Politburo Standing Committee called for improvements to the national emergency management system at the meeting, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Monday (Feb 3). The government also said it urgently needed medical equipment such as surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles as it battles the outbreak. Most of the deaths have been in Wuhan and the rest of surrounding Hubei province, which has largely been under lockdown for almost two weeks. A 1,000-bed field hospital in Wuhan built from scratch within two weeks to relieve overburdened medical facilities started receiving patients yesterday, with a second makeshift hospital due to open later this week. A cultural building, an exhibition centre and a gymnasium have also been converted into improvised clinics with 3,400 beds. State media reported that the city planned to convert an additional eight facilities into hospitals, highlighting the need for more capacity. The makeshift hospitals in Wuhan should have a combined 10,000 beds, according to state media. PARIS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zinnov, a leading global management and strategy consulting firm, announced the opening of its newest office in Paris, France on 29th January 2020. This move strengthens Zinnov's presence in Europe, enabling it to play a more active role in the French and the European Engineering R&D ecosystems. Europe accounts for 1/4th of the massive USD 1.3Tn Global ER&D spend. As the digitalization wave sweeps across Europe, this spend is set to witness a significant growth in the coming years. France is uniquely positioned to address this shift with high quality talent available in science, technology, and arts. Paris is the hub for large global Aerospace, Automotive, Banking, Insurance, Industrial, and Transportation enterprises. Given Zinnov's deep expertise in the ER&D consulting space, with its office in Paris, it is better poised to help French and European organizations at large with this generational shift. Speaking at the launch of the Paris office, Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, said, "Over the years, we have worked with several customers in Europe, helping them in their globalization efforts, digital engineering strategy, and M&A for both technology companies and engineering services firms across verticals. The extensive growth and consolidation being led by the French ER&D companies as well as the resurgent focus on core technologies in Europe played a huge role in our decision to open a new office in Paris. This development will help us work more closely with our existing customers and open up opportunities to work with newer customers to drive tangible business outcomes." Vimal Menon, Director, Zinnov, who will be heading the Paris office, said, "We are excited to mark our presence in Paris, which is the epicenter of the ER&D ecosystem in Europe. The current digitalization wave sweeping across the ecosystem will require plenty of interventions in the form of forging newer partnerships, exploring newer business models, tapping into the vibrant start-up ecosystem, and finding new investors. Zinnov is excited to orchestrate these ecosystem partnerships." About Zinnov: Zinnov is a global management consulting firm, with core expertise in Product Engineering, Digital Transformation, and Outsourcing Advisory. Since its inception in 2002, Zinnov has successfully consulted with over 250+ Global Fortune 500 customers and provided actionable insights. For more details: www.zinnov.com Media Contact: Nitika Goel [email protected] SOURCE Zinnov Three people have been rescued after their vehicle was washed away by floodwater on Wednesday. Police, SES crews and swift water rescue teams were called to Roma-Taroom Road in Waikola, about 310 kilometres north-west of Toowoomba in the Western Downs, at 3.20pm. Police said the three people managed to escape from their vehicle after it was washed away when they tried to drive through a flooded crossway. A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said swift water rescue crews reached the trio about 6pm. They were on dry land, but trapped between a swollen creek and river. The trio was rescued about 6.15pm by the swift water rescue team, who used an inflatable boat to cross the swollen creek and take them to safety. Though Patrick Dempsey tries to separate himself from his former role as Dr. Derek McDreamy Shepherd, the actors portrayal of the handsome neurosurgeon for 11 seasons on ABC hit series Greys Anatomy will live in infamy. Since leaving the medical drama in 2015, Dempsey has been working behind the camera as a producer on films such as Racing in the Rain and Hurley. Now the Greys alum is making his return to television with a new series that is a departure from his doctor days. Patrick Dempsey | Michael Tran/FilmMagic Moving on from McDreamy Though fans still mourn the loss of Meredith Greys longtime love Dr. Shepherd, Dempsey felt the character had run its course. It had been long enough. It was time for me to move on with other things and other interests. I probably should have moved on a couple of years earlier, Dempsey told People of his departure. I stayed a bit longer than I should have. Last year, the actor spoke on wanting to move on from the iconic role and the preconceived notions that came with it. With a show like Greys Anatomy and a character like the McDreamy character, thats an archetype that people are projecting onto you, thats not you, he said in August, according to Good Morning America. Youre falling into an archetype that people want to believe is real and then becomes mythology. And you, at the end of the day, you have to separate yourself from that and not believe thats who you are. Its a part of you, something thats inspirational you want to become a better person and all of what that is, but its not who you are at the end of the day. From doctor to congressman Now headed to CBS for the new series Ways & Means, Dempsey is heading the show as a discouraged Congressional leader who ends up working secretly with an idealistic young Congresswoman from the opposing party, according to Deadline. In their crusade to save American politics, the two strive to undermine the gridlocked system he helped to create, while making sure they dont get caught. Dempsey is also serving as executive producer on the show, along with Mike Murphy and Ed Redlich, Nina Tassler, Denise Di Novi and Tom Lassally. Murphy and Redlich are co-writing the script. Murphy, a Republican political consultant, has advised several high-profile politicians including John McCain, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Deadline reports that Ways & Means is part of CBS new drama pilot lineup, which will include The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah, the Silence of the Lambs sequel Clarice, and a series order for The Lincoln Lawyer. Since Dereks demise After Dempseys departure in 2015, he starred alongside Renee Zellweger in the 2016 film Bridget Jones Baby, then sought out roles behind the camera. As an avid race car driver, Dempsey was finally able to complete his passion project, The Art of Racing in the Rain. Its been 10 years, I think, in development, Dempsey told AutoWeek in 2018. It started a really long time ago. I think I secured the rights when we were still in Homestead (for a Grand-Am race), we were racing down there. Everybody would come up to me and go, Youve gotta get the rights to this book. Youve gotta do this movie. The 2008 New York Times best-selling book of the same name was written by Garth Stein. For me, it was really identifying the material, Dempsey said of the project. Before it was even published, I read it and was like, This would be a great opportunity. I acquired the rights and have just sort of been dealing with it for the last 10 years to be here. Dempsey also executive produced the 2019 film Hurley, the story of race car driver Hurley Haywood, and appeared in two international series, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, which aired in the U.S. on Epix, and Skys Devils, as reported by Deadline. Even though Greys Anatomy fans wont be seeing Dr. Derek Shepherd grace the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial, they can still get their McDreamy fix when Ways & Means hits the airwaves! ADVANCED ADVERTISING PIONEER KERN SCHIRESON TO LEAD TEAM OF 220 ACROSS SCIENCE, STRATEGY & CREATIVE DIVISIONS IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, BOSTON, AUSTIN, SEATTLE, SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing and data strategy firm Schireson Associates announced today that it has acquired two leading independent creative and brand strategy agencies, Stun Creative and Blackbird, to form "Known," a new marketing company engineered for the unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing marketers today. The combination of these companies already represents significant capabilities and scale, with combined 2019 revenues of approximately $100 million. Known (www.known.is) is anchored by two decades of groundbreaking market research and data science capabilities, which uniquely empower its marketing strategy and acclaimed creative groups, who are producing some of the most innovative, cutting-edge creative work in culture today. The result is marketing that is predisposed to succeed and be persistently optimized, directly impacting clients' bottom lines. The combined capabilities uniquely position Known to deliver marketers the advanced, end-to-end solutions they need, in the most efficient, effective and transparent ways. Including strategy, full creative, media planning and buying, and more. "We see this as a generational opportunity to actually respond to the needs of marketers today, and we're delighted to be on the side of change," said Kern Schireson, who will serve as Known's Chairman & CEO. "Marketing is ready for a new standard of innovation, quality, and transparency. It's our mission to deliver that." Schireson returned to Schireson Associates last month, after spending five years as Viacom's Chief Data Officer. He is widely regarded as having led the transformation of advanced advertising for television. "We're lucky to have developed partnerships with some of the most amazing clients in the world, who are constantly working with us to develop solutions that set a new standard," he continued. "Now, bringing together the amazing talent that has made Schireson, Stun and Blackbird so successful, all with a single mission and vision, puts us in a truly amazing seat." Three Leading Marketing Firms Here are some more details on the companies which now make up Known: Schireson Associates is a leading marketing and data strategy consulting firm built on a foundation of world class data science, engineering, market research and advanced analytics. Clients like Microsoft, Google and Viacom have counted on the firm's unparalleled team of PhD data scientists, engineers and strategists to solve complex business challenges since 2002. Jeff Kingsley , who has been serving as Chief Operating Officer of Schireson, has been named President & COO of Known. is a leading marketing and data strategy consulting firm built on a foundation of world class data science, engineering, market research and advanced analytics. Clients like Microsoft, Google and Viacom have counted on the firm's unparalleled team of PhD data scientists, engineers and strategists to solve complex business challenges since 2002. , who has been serving as Chief Operating Officer of Schireson, has been named President & COO of Known. Three-time "Agency of the Year" Stun Creative is the Emmy, Clio and Cannes Lions award-winning LA-based agency and production company, renowned for two decades of original content and advertising campaigns for clients like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, CNN, The NFL, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Dove Men + Care, Nickelodeon, Princess Cruise Lines , Fandango, Hulu, Snapchat and many more. Stun provides creative development and execution in all media, including production, post-production, digital, social, animation, key art and design. Its Principals, Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein , have been named Presidents of Known Studios. is the Emmy, Clio and Cannes Lions award-winning LA-based agency and production company, renowned for two decades of original content and advertising campaigns for clients like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, CNN, The NFL, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Dove Men + Care, Nickelodeon, , Fandango, Hulu, Snapchat and many more. Stun provides creative development and execution in all media, including production, post-production, digital, social, animation, key art and design. Its Principals, and , have been named Presidents of Known Studios. Blackbird, the brand strategy and business innovation agency, was launched in 2017 with a client roster that includes Disney, Rockefeller Center, AT&T, Pepsi, WarnerMedia, Universal Music Group, IMAX, Citi, Fandango and more. Its Founder and CEO, Ross Martin , will serve as President & CXO of Known. The seamless combination of these groups, now functioning as one team, is already helping brands unlock the potential of their businesses in new ways. Dozens of clients have already begun to leverage the combined new suite of capabilities. "After 20 years of telling award-winning brand stories at Stun, we are now able to truly elevate our creative work on a foundation of data science and advanced analytics," said Stun Creative Co-Founders Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth. "We couldn't be more excited to be embarking on this amazing new chapter launching Known." "Helping brands realize their potential at Blackbird has been one of the greatest joys of my career," said Ross Martin, Blackbird founder and CEO, "and this is the next step in that journey. Marketers are done guessing what works and what doesn't. Brands are taking control and demanding better. We are excited to be leading that evolution." "Known is built and scaled to provide enterprise-wide solutions for our clients across every marketing function," said Jeff Kingsley, President & COO of Known. "Every service and product we offer is designed to align with the values, objectives and interests of our clients, setting a new standard for performance and transparency in media and advertising." Private Equity Investment In early 2019, Schireson partnered with funds managed by Intermediate Capital Group plc ("ICG") to provide capital to accelerate the company's growth and facilitate its strategy. The capital provided by ICG allowed Schireson, and now Known, to aggressively pursue these opportunities and deliver a new kind of marketing solution to the market. For more information, visit www.known.is PRESS INQUIRIES CONTACT Anita Powell: anitap@known.is 646-671-8861 Mumbai, Feb 5 : The shooting of Nagarjuna and Saiyami Kher-starrer "Wild Dog", which was scheduled to take place in Thailand, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus epidemic. Sharing the update, Saiyami said: "I was training in Mixed Martial Arts over the past month for the action sequences, and was looking forward to the long schedule in Thailand. But they have postponed the shoot as they didn't want to take the risk with such a big crew." "Wild Dog", which is being directed by Solomon, is said to be inspired by true events. According to reports, Saiyami is playing the role of a RAW agent in the film, and she will be seen performing high octane action sequences. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 00:09:11|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Feb.4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will attend the upcoming 33rd ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), an Ethiopian official said on Tuesday. Speaking to Xinhua, Gisila Shawel, Acting Chief of Protocol, Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), said the two leaders will be among dozens of high-level officials that will attend the AU summit which will be held from Jan. 21 to Feb. 10 at the headquarters of the 55-member pan-African bloc in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The AU summit is expected be held under the theme of "Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa's Development". The 33rd session of the AU heads of states has been slated to take place from Feb. 9 to 10, and it will be preceded by the 36th ordinary session of the AU Executive Council, which comprises ministers of AU member states, from Feb. 6 to 7. "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg as well as 31 African Heads of States are expected to attend the AU summit," Shawel told Xinhua. Actress Vicky Zugah has asked movie lovers to stop pitching Ghanaian movies against those of Nigerians. For years, critics have pointed to the Nigerian film industry, popularly known as Nollywood and the strides it is making in discussions about the declining Ghanaian industry but in Vicky Zugah's opinion, the comparison is not necessary because both industries are unique and doing well in their own way. Both industries are doing well; if one would recall, during a particular period, Nigerian movies were nowhere close to ours. Everything was about us, then the tables turned but that doesnt mean we are not doing well. Yes things may be down and all but it doesnt mean we are not trying and it hurts that people do that. I know the work we are putting into this industry to make it work, she told Graphic Showbiz recently. Vicky also shared her opinion on the current state of the movie industry. "You see over there in Nigeria when a fraternity member is doing something, everyone is involved. "When it is the premiere of a movie, all the big guys in the industry grace it but here, it takes the Grace of God to get such people around which is very disturbing. They are who they are because they decided to make it so but in our case, we are not united, there is so much backbiting. We do not agree on so many things so we cant move forward. However, there is hope. We will get back, she said. Vicky Zugah has movies like Girls Connection, Agatha, Who Knows Tomorrow and Pretty Queen to her credit. Source: Graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Stephen Amoah, has vowed to fight for parents whose wards have been sacked from the Asankragua Senior High School [SHS] for twerking if they contact him. According to him, students of such nature need not to be sacked from school because whether they are sacked or not, they will keep the act that led to their indefinite suspension, rather the right thing to be done is for the school authorities to refer to the punishment accruing the laws of the school associated the behavior ensued than suspend them indefinitely which can mean their end to education. "I am not saying they did the right thing but we need to be honest with ourselves that these children will not stop this act for being sacked from school. Authorities of the school must refer to the laws of the school as they punish them accordingly while they remain in school to study with a pastoral counseling session provided to change them," he said. He further insisted on UTVs Adekye Nsroma political programme that, I would have gone to court if they were my children. I am ready to stand in for the parents of the children as soon as they contact me on the said matter. The fact that they danced in that manner does not warrant a sanction of being indefinitely sacked from school . . . an internal punishment will do." Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, queried some ministries for failing to appear before the Senate committee on local and foreign debts, to defend their borrowing plan request. The ministries are Education, Power, Niger Delta, Humanitarian and Disaster Management and Water Resources. Others are Health, Communications and Agriculture. Mr Lawan gave the ministries a two-day ultimatum, saying they should appear latest by Monday. The ministries are to defend their borrowing plan following President Muhammadu Buharis external loan request. Mr Buhari had, on November 28, forwarded a request to the Senate to reconsider and approve the federal governments 2016 to 2018 external borrowing plan. The loan, he said, is to execute key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018. He also said the loan targets projects cuts across all sectors with special emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and employment generation. The president had sent the same request to the eight Senate under Bukola Saraki in 2016. He had requested about $30 billion. Then, the lawmakers rejected the request, with a majority voting against it during consideration. Mr Lawans query on Wednesday was sequel to a complaint made by the chairman of the committee, Clifford Ordia. Mr Ordia complained that only eight of the 18 beneficiary ministries have appeared before the committee. I think it is important to note that approving a loan of over $22 billion is a very serious matter. We need serious explanation from the ministries to enable us submit our report to the Senate, he said. He also requested that the committee be given two more weeks to prepare and submit its report in view of this obvious delay in the ministries appearance which was granted. In his response, Mr Lawan noted that the Senate is committed to ensuring that such important issues like the foreign loan request of the executive need to be treated with seriousness by both sides. The Senate is making every possible effort to ensure that we understand why the request. Therefore, we need details and information so that we take the appropriate decisions as quickly as possible. I will urge those ministries that have not appeared before the committee to do so between now and Monday. I believe this is an advice that will be taken very seriously by the agencies you have just read out. On Tuesday, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, appeared before the committee, for defence. The Ministers of Works, Babatunde Fashola; Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; and Minister of State for Transport, Gbemisola Saraki, were also present to defend the borrowing plans of their ministries. The Minister of Federal Capital Development Territory, Mohammed Bello, also appeared before the committee to defend the external borrowing plan request for the FCTA. LOS ANGELES The civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, whose legacy had been tarnished by a 1953 conviction under laws that targeted L.G.B.T.Q. people, was posthumously pardoned by Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Tuesday. State lawmakers who lobbied for the pardon had called those old laws unjust tools of oppression. Governor Newsom also announced a process that would allow anyone convicted under the laws to seek clemency. Mr. Rustin, who died in 1987 at age 75, worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. for decades. He was a planner of the Montgomery bus boycott and the primary architect of the March on Washington in 1963. But other leaders distanced themselves publicly because he was gay. The pardon overturned a 1953 criminal conviction. Mr. Rustin spent 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and was registered as a sex offender after being discovered having sex in a parked car in Pasadena, Calif. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the constitution of 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra', which would oversee the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, nearly three months after the Supreme Court ruling in the decades-old case. "We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra'," the Prime Minister said in the Lok Sabha. "I am pleased to announce that a significant decision has been taken to follow the directives of the Supreme Court. As per the directions of the Supreme Court, the cabinet has prepared a detailed plan for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. As per the direction of the top court, a proposal for a Shri Ram JanmBhoomi Tirth Kshetra has been passed by the cabinet," Modi told the lower house. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had in November ruled unanimously in favour of Ram Lalla. It said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7-acre will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of Ram temple at the site. The court had asked the government to give 5 acre land to Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for construction of a mosque. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Gaucho - Buenos Aires, an emerging luxury label with global ambitions, is pleased to announce they have appointed in-house designer, Lautaro Amadeo Tambutto as the brand's Creative Director. His role and primary duties as a designer will now be expanded, managing the conception, design, and on-brand execution of materials for the brand. Tambutto will be working primarily out of the business's headquarters in New York City, as well as the atelier in Buenos Aires' upmarket Recoleta district. Off the heels of a successful debut at New York Fashion Week in September 2019, Tambutto joined the growing Gaucho - Buenos Aires brand in December, with plans to incorporate creative silhouettes and lots of leather with an urban spin for the young and culturally aware clientele. Tambutto's "GPS Collection" - slated for 2020-2021 - plots a course on a fashion journey that builds upon contemporary urban and athleisure trends. By injecting elegance and sophistication into streetwear fashion, Tambutto intends to elevate streetwear casual to streetwear elegance, and seeks to globally position Gaucho - Buenos Aires' spirit of Argentina as a major presence in the fashion landscape. Born in Argentina, Tambutto's family originally hails from San Antonio de Areco - otherwise known as the home of the Gaucho. Having received his training in Italy, Vogue Italia has described his aesthetic as a "very modern and richly inspired take on sportswear," and it is indeed an appealing mix of references - "the sweet spot between sportswear, traditional tailoring and Latin American influences," Tambutto says. It all resonates strongly with Gaucho - Buenos Aires' own design DNA. Tambutto sees immense possibilities for the emerging brand to put Buenos Aires on the luxury fashion map and looks forward to bringing long-overdue recognition to Argentinian design. "I'm very excited about taking over the creative direction of Gaucho and working with such a professional group. The team's support and mutual understanding of each other helps us move forward in the right direction. Since the beginning of my career, I saw the image of the Gaucho as an icon and my inspiration, and now with this opportunity as Creative Director for Gaucho - Buenos Aires, I have the platform to show the world my vision, my traditions, and a canvas to highlight this beautiful culture," said Tambutto. "We could not be more excited to promote Lautaro into his new role as Creative Director. His positive attitude, heritage and talent lends to the authenticity of our brand" said Scott Mathis, Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc.'s Founder & Chairman. "Lautaro's creative vision and style pairs perfectly with Gaucho - Buenos Aires' growing collection of products, the authenticity of Argentina, and the elegance and style of Buenos Aires. We look forward to great things from our team in the future. Our company's future lies in e-commerce, where we have the opportunity to achieve global scale. About Gaucho - Buenos Aires Gaucho - Buenos Aires blends the quality of a bygone era with a sophisticated, modern, global outlook. The brand's beautifully handcrafted clothing and accessories herald the birth of Buenos Aires' finest designer label. In September 2019, Gaucho - Buenos Aires entered the US market with a Spring/Summer 2020 runway show at NYFW celebrating the romance and glamour of Buenos Aires with a modern twist. Drawing on the cosmopolitan vibe of Buenos Aires and the spirit of traditional Gaucho culture, Gaucho - Buenos Aires (www.gauchobuenosaires.com) is a new destination for luxury ready-to-wear and leather accessories. Weaving artisan techniques and materials into innovative contemporary designs, Gaucho is gaining traction as an emerging designer brand to watch. CONTACT: Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc. Rick Stear, Director of Marketing 212.739.7669 rstear@gauchoholdings.com SOURCE: Gaucho Group Holdings, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575409/Gaucho-Buenos-Aires-Appoints-New-Creative-Director-Lautaro-Amadeo-Tambutto The Central Government is in discussion with the States having concerns in regard to the preparation of the Population Register (NPR) and implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), said Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs on Wednesday. On the State Assemblies who have passed resolutions against the updation of NPR and CAA, MoS Home Affairs informed the parliament: "The Central Government has received resolutions adopted by Legislative Assemblies of certain States such as Rajasthan. State Government of Kerala has also filed an original suit in the Honourable Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution of India," "The Government is in discussion with the states having concerns in regard to the preparation of NPR and implementation of CAA," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armed detectives were on duty as Trimbole, crouching low in the back seat of a car with his head covered by a blue anorak, was driven away at high speed by his solicitor, Mr Con OLeary. The Full Bench, in a unanimous decision, said they had no power to hold Trimbole pending an appeal by the State against yesterdays High Court order to release him. Within 90 minutes of the verdict, Trimbole was driven to freedom from Dublins Mountjoy Prison. The High Court had found that extradition proceedings against Trimbole were tainted by the use of a bogus charge to detain him last October 25. Trimbole did not appear in court today. His counsel, Mr Patrick MacEntee, said he was "a very sick man with cancer". Mr MacEntee told yesterday's hearing his client had no intention of leaving Ireland, but police are understood to have made contingency plans to re-arrest him if he attempts to leave the country. However, legal sources believe they could run foul of Ireland's courts again. Justice Seamus Egan in yesterday's decision ruled that the police use of anti-terrorist legislation to hold Trimbole until special arrangements were made for his extradition because of the lack of a formal treaty, was a gross abuse of the law and Trimbole's constitutional right to liberty. He said the use of this device to keep him available for extradition tainted all subsequent proceedings. It was not clear after today's Supreme Court decision how much freedom the authorities need to give Trimbole to overcome this "taint". For the rural firefighters of Australia, no donation is too small. They have long been known to canvass for dollars and cents in town markets, and their collection tins are fondly displayed in local storefronts. That hat-in-hand approach can now be put on hold. As bush fires have ravaged Australia, celebrities, business moguls and horrified people around the world have inundated the countrys fire services and other nonprofit organizations with tens of millions of dollars in donations. This outpouring has presented new challenges for a country more accustomed to handing out largesse to needier nations than to being the recipient of it. Suddenly, Australia has found itself trying to efficiently distribute huge sums of money and to decipher donors sometimes vague intentions. This is a seminal moment in Australia when it comes to philanthropy and giving, said Krystian Seibert, a fellow at the Center for Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. I havent seen something like it before. One after another, celebrities have announced large donations or money-collection efforts. A Facebook fundraiser for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service that was started by Australian comedian Celeste Barber has amassed $34 million, or 51 million Australian dollars. It is the largest fundraiser ever on the platform. Fire brigades have received money from Nicole Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban, as well as from Metallica and Kylie Jenner. Leonardo DiCaprio donated to wildlife organizations. Writers are auctioning off signed books, musicians are hosting concerts, and athletes like Serena Williams have pledged to direct their winnings to bush-fire relief. Since September, the fires have incinerated an area about the size of West Virginia and at least 25 people have died. Ecologists have estimated that 1 billion animals have perished, with some species threatened to the point of extinction. At least 3,000 homes have been ravaged in dozens of towns, and the economic damage from the fires could be as much as $3.5 billion. We dont normally get phone calls from people who want to give $1 million and beyond, said Belinda Dimovski, the director of engagement at the Australian Red Cross. She said the organization, which is providing disaster relief, had raised about $67 million from individuals, groups and companies since July 1. By comparison, it raised about $7.5 million during a drought appeal last year. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has also seen a dramatic jump in giving, as the world has watched the courageous actions of Australian volunteers called on to fight monstrous blazes. In the period between mid-2017 and mid-2018, the fire service raised $525,000, and the largest single donation was about $17,000. Now, it is flush with the tens of millions of dollars it has received from the Facebook fundraiser and other sources. In the Facebook effort, Barbers initial goal was to raise about $20,000 for a trust that helps fire brigades in New South Wales with equipment and other needs. Please help anyway you can. This is terrifying, she wrote in the appeal. As the funds have swelled to 1,700 times the original target, questions have been raised about whether the more than 1 million individual donors knew that they were contributing to a single states fire service. Legal experts said it would most likely be up to the Rural Fire Service, rather than Barber, to decide whether to distribute money to other organizations. It is a nice challenge, said the Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons. He added that the organization was considering sending money to funds benefiting victims of the blazes and to fire services in other states. We will need to target the money to where people intended it to go, he said. The donations received so far could be enough to fund state-supported fire services in New South Wales for decades. But that would not provide immediate disaster relief. This money comes with expectations, said Michael Eburn, an associate professor at the Australian National University who specializes in emergency management law. Its a dilemma. The federal government has announced a $1.4 billion national wildfire recovery fund, and has offered a list of established charities holding bush-fire appeals. The state of Victoria has asked the public to donate to groups that provide practical relief. Australians affected by the fires said they were heartened to know that people at home and abroad had been moved to help. But some who have lost homes say they have received minimal compensation so far from government agencies and nonprofit organizations, though the federal government says it has been processing claims at record speeds. Informing potential donors about the causes they are considering and directing their assistance to the intended recipients are the biggest challenges in crisis relief, said Maurie Stack, chairman of the Stacks Law Firm, which deals with charity law. To get the money to the people who need it, you really need boots on the ground, he said. Stack is raising money himself for his Rotary Club in Taree, where more than 100 homes in the area have been lost to fires. The club has raised $220,000, far outpacing its goal of $30,000, he said. Over the past decade, Australians have been the fourth-most generous givers in the world, according to the 2019 Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index. In recent weeks, Australians have flooded fire stations, town governments and nonprofit organizations with contributions of food, clothes and other goods. The groups are now imploring people not to send any more. The most efficient way to give during a disaster is to donate cash directly to charities, said Gary Johns, commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. Think about what you want to support and give directly to a charity doing that work, he said in a statement. Beyond the searing images of burning houses and singed wildlife, the attention that the wildfires have brought to the effects of climate change may be motivating people to donate. Weve been primed to do something about climate change, said Matthew Sisco, a doctoral candidate and data scientist at Columbia University who does research on responses to climate change. Now, this is an event linked directly to it and pulling at our heart strings. Animals, too, have been a major focus of charitable donations. WIRES, a wildlife rescue group in New South Wales, raised $9.6 million in one fundraiser alone. Kangaroos and koalas are highly charismatic, Sisco said. We can feel empathy for them a high predictor of charitable behavior. The success of groups like WIRES, though, may have crowded out other organizations in need. By the time the crisis hit Victoria, the blazes had already raged in New South Wales, and international awareness of WIRES was high, said Megan Davidson, chief executive of Wildlife Victoria. Some people, she added, mistakenly viewed WIRES as a catchall for helping the nations animals. Her group has since worked to rectify that perception, and it has raised $4.8 million. Everybody is competing for the donor dollar, and people want to donate because it makes them feel good, said Eburn, the Australian National University professor. It makes them feel like they are contributing and they are. Isabella Kwai c.2020 The New York Times Company The White House announced on Wednesday that President Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. The meeting would be an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the U.S. to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaido to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela, the White House said in a statement. On Tuesday evening Guaido attended the State of the Union address as a guest of President Trump. Here this evening, is a very brave man, who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans, Trump said of Guaido, calling him Venezuelas true and legitimate president. The Venezuelan politician received a standing ovation by U.S. lawmakers. Venezuelan opposition figures and international observers have accused disputed ruler Nicolas Maduro of rigging the election against Guaido. Maduro, the strongman successor to socialist president Hugo Chaves, has presided over a collapse in Venezuelas economy since taking office in 2013. Large areas of the country have suffered from blackouts and shortages of basic food and medical supplies. Maduro retains the support of allies Russia and China, and has control over Venezuelas military. On April 30 Guaido offered soldiers amnesty if they would defect to the opposition, but the army remained loyal to Maduro. During his address, Trump called Maduro an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people. But Maduros grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken. Maduro has responded to Guaidos challenge by deeming him a puppet of the West. More from National Review FRISCO, Texas, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevated Construction Group, a respected contractor in Frisco, TX, proudly announces the recognition as a 2019 President's Club Award Winning Master Elite Status. According to GAF, "Only 2% of all roofing contractors have qualified as Master Elite." The President's Club Award recognizes the most elite residential and commercial roofing contractors in the U.S. GAF is North America's largest roofing manufacturer, and only GAF Master Elite Contractors can compete for its residential President's Club Award. To qualify, a residential roofing contractor must demonstrate an exceptional level of excellence in their business, especially in the areas of Installation, Excellence, Consumer Protection, and Installer Training. The GAF President's Club Awards distinguish roofing contractors dedicated to premier service, reliability and performance for their residential or commercial customers, and are announced at the annual GAF WealthBuilder Conference and Expo. "Our President's Club Award winners represent the best of the best in the roofing industry, raising the bar as trusted contractors who are committed to excellence year after year," said Jim Schnepper, President of GAF. "This is an exceptional feat for this year's winners, and we could not be more proud in recognizing America's leading roofing contractors." President's Club Award winners are selected from an elite group of roofing contractors that must first demonstrate proper licensing, maintained insurance, a proven reputation, and a commitment to ongoing professional training. In addition, qualifying contractors must also have met the criteria to earn the designation of a GAF Master Elite residential contractor, GAF Master Select commercial contractor or GAF Premium Coating System commercial contractor. Award winners represent the top one or two percent of roofing contractors nationwide, earning one, two, or three stars for meeting specific criteria across high standards for performance, reliability, and service. Elevated Construction Group is a family-owned business based in Frisco, TX, that handles a diverse array of services that includes both residential and commercial roofing, metal roofs, gutters, siding, painting, and storm-damage repair under the brand names Elevated Roofing, Elevated Commercial Roofing, Elevated Painting and Elevated Electrical. "Elevated's longevity is part of the reason we can provide this breadth of services," explains owner Mike Witte. "Some of our staff and contractors have been with us for more than eight years. It's a family," he says. "Every project we take on advances the tradition of excellence in both craftsmanship and customer service." With over 450 reviews rating 4.9 out of 5 stars, Elevated Roofing has proven that their high-quality materials and honest workmanship far exceed the rest. With a warranty of up to 30 years on every project completed, you can count on Elevated Roofing. The skilled team at Elevated Roofing has provided the North Texas area with both of these ideals for more than 20 years. They are also certified with the NTRCA and the RCTA and enjoy a coveted A+ Better Business Bureau rating. The company works only with Top Tier manufacturers to ensure the quality of their work. About Elevated Construction Group: Elevated Construction Group, a Frisco-based company, offers both residential and commercial services, supported by a team of dedicated professionals, who provide both honest and detailed solutions that are backed by a warranty. For more information, visit www.elevatedroofing.com . About GAF: GAF, a Standard Industries company, is North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer. Through its innovative and customer-driven solutions, the company has protected homes, businesses, families, and communities for over 130 years. For more information about GAF, visit www.gaf.com . About Standard Industries: Standard Industries is a global industrial company with 15,000 employees in over 80 countries. Our industry leading businesses include GAF, BMI Group, GAF Energy, Schiedel, SGI, and Siplast. Key related investment businesses include strategic investment firm 40 North and Winter Properties, a real estate investment management and development company. Through R&D, innovation, supply chain enhancement, and social impact efforts we are leading the transformation of our industries. Learn more at www.standardindustries.com . SOURCE Elevated Roofing Related Links http://www.elevatedroofing.com Welsh business Village Bakery is moving into new export markets six months after a devastating fire. All staff escaped uninjured, but the firms offices, a bakery, its Baking Academy and development kitchen were destroyed in the blaze in Wrexham last August. The company is now building a 210,000 sq ft facility to replace the one lost in the blaze. More recently, the company has secured new business in in Iceland, Malta and Cyprus for batch loaves, rolls, pancakes, crumpets and Welsh Cakes, and hopes to secure major contracts in southern Europe and America. Village Bakery managing director Robin Jones said orders for other products were also rolling in because wholesale customers had been impressed by the way the company had reacted to the disaster. The fire obviously did set us back a bit, hence why were only launching now in Iceland, Malta and Cyprus, but were not dwelling on that and feeling sorry for ourselves, he stated. Jones added that export was an area he was keen to grow, and he hoped to be supplying a very large customer in southern Europe by the summer. We deal with all the major retailers in the UK now and also supply their overseas stores in places like Singapore, Hong Kong and the Middle East. The company has also had interest from the US for its Welsh cakes, which it hoped to start supplying in July. What were doing now is a natural progression the brilliant thing about exporting is that theres a big world out there and there is huge potential, said Jones. The perception of British products is excellent and then, when you add in the Village Bakerys Welsh heritage, it just adds further provenance to the story. Since the fire, the company has installed a new bagel line and is selling bagels in 600 of a major retailers stores across the UK. It has stated the new bakery, to be built in Ash Road on Wrexham Industrial Estate, will be four times the size of the one it replaces, and will be the most modern in Europe. (Natural News) Its official: There are now 11 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the United States, with the three latest additions all coming out of California. Two patients are reportedly receiving treatment for the deadly disease in San Benito County, located in the central part of the Golden State, while a third is getting medical attention in Santa Clara County near San Francisco. The Santa Clara County patient, a woman, is reportedly being isolated and quarantined along with her family inside their home. She was apparently not sick enough to actually be admitted to a hospital. Health officials from Santa Clara County also announced that the two patients in San Benito County are a married couple. Thus far, there are now six confirmed cases of coronavirus in California, two in Illinois, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, and another in Massachusetts. Nobody in America has yet been reported dead from coronavirus. There has, however, been a death from coronavirus outside of China the first yet in the Philippines, where a 44-year-old man reportedly died after contracting the disease from his friend while they were traveling together in Wuhan, China. The U.S. has also now seen its first case of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus in Chicago, where one spouse reportedly passed it to the other within our borders. Not long after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency, the U.S. followed suit, as did Australia, by temporarily barring all entry into the country to non-citizens who recently traveled to China. Multiple U.S. airlines have also temporarily suspended flights to China, while China itself has likewise restricted international travel in an attempt to contain the virus. Health officials cant agree on how coronavirus is even transmitted As coronavirus continues its trek around the globe, health officials are at odds with each other over how its transmitted. Here in the U.S., the claim is that there isnt enough data to show that coronavirus transmits before an infected patient develops symptoms. But across the pond in Germany, health officials are adamant that asymptomatic transmission can and does occur. At the order of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), all incoming flights from China will be automatically re-routed, at no cost to passengers, to one of seven airports that have been designated as screening locations to identify potentially infected individuals. While the overall risk to the American public remains low, funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers, stated DHS acting secretary Chad. F. Wolf in a recent press release. The seven airports where incoming travelers from China are being redirected for government screening include: John F. Kennedy International in New York Chicago OHare International in Illinois Seattle-Tacoma International in Washington state Daniel K. Inouye International in Hawaii Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta San Francisco International in California Los Angeles International in California Meanwhile, Big Pharma is busy trying to develop some kind of vaccine for coronavirus, even though the earliest possible time for its release would be some time more than a year from now. Independent self-sustaining outbreaks [of 2019-nCoV] in major cities globally could become inevitable because of substantial exportation of presymptomatic cases and in the absence of large-scale public health interventions, reads a paper published in The Lancet about the future of coronavirus. Preparedness plans and mitigation interventions should be readied for quick deployment globally. The latest news about coronavirus is available at Pandemic.news and Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com ABCNews.Go.com NaturalNews.com TheLancet.com Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero/Getty Republicans have disgraced themselves by choosing not to allow witnesses to testify during the Senate impeachment trial, but theres still a way they can avoid looking like complete patsies: They can censure Trump for his abuse of power, and formally warn him not to do it again. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat whod been considered one of the few party members who could vote against the presidents articles of impeachment, called for a resolution to censure Trump on Monday. In my view, there are at least three reasons for Republicans to introduce and vote in support of their own resolution doing just that. First, it is consistent with the rhetoric of many GOP senators. Consider, for example, the statement of Lamar Alexander, the retiring senator whose vote against witnesses made Trumps acquittal a fait accompli. [T]here is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense, he said in his statement. Senators Vote Away Their Power to Save Trump From Himself He continued: There is no need for more evidence to prove that the president asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter; he said this on television on Oct. 3, 2019, and during his July 25, 2019, telephone call with the president of Ukraine. There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a mountain of overwhelming evidence. Alexander wasnt alone. Lindsey Graham said he most likely expressed the sentiments of the country And Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse said, Lamar speaks for lots and lots of us. Others echoed Alexanders language, as when Lisa Murkowski said Monday that The presidents behavior was shameful and wrong. Marco Rubio (a man I sadly wasted my 2016 primary vote on) was more coy than Alexander, refusing to fully grapple with the merit of Trumps guilt, and instead, landing on this cop-out: Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office. Story continues Taken together, a consistent theme emerges from these statements from Republicans who will vote to acquit Trump: Alexander concedes that Trump did it (so why bother with witnesses?), while Rubio suggests that even if he did it, it wouldnt rise to the level of removing a president (so why bother with witnesses?). These are lame and convenient excuses. But while it will be hard for them to ever earn back our trust, one step in the right direction would be censuring Trump. That brings me to my second reason Republicans should do this: It would allow them to preserve some semblance of dignity. What Trump did was clearly impeachable, but if theyre not going to do that, well, doing something would still be better than doing nothing. A censure is a way for Republicans to publicly rebuke Trumps behavior without removing the president from office. While Trump would surely react bitterly, its unclear whether the Republican base (many of whom, lets be honest, realize Trump was guilty) would completely freak outso long as it meant keeping Trump in office so he can cut taxes, nominate good judges, and, yes, own the libs. Limbaugh and Hannity would go crazy, of course, but Im talking about the rank-and-file voters who support Trump, even though they acknowledge his many faults. There could be electoral benefits, possibly avoiding the backlash of what now looks like an impeachment trial that was rigged. If the strategic goal of vulnerable Republican senators is to appease Trumps base without alienating suburban voters (a difficult needle to thread), censuring Trump is perhaps the only way to show some independence without crossing the line that would enrage the base. The last reason, though, might turn out to be the most importantfor America, and for Republicans who dont want to look back on this with regret: Its important to do something that deters Trump from doing this again. As it stands, Republicans are positioned to look naive and foolish. Republican Senators Lamar Alexander and Joni Ernst are both on the record making the absurd argument that this impeachment ordeal has made it somehow less likely Trump will engage in similar bad behavior in the future. This completely ignores the fact that Trumps call to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky (which he still believes was perfect!) occurred the very day after Robert Mueller testified to Congress. Winston Churchill said, Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result. That is how Trump will view his exoneration. He is far more likely to be emboldened than chastened. If what Trump did is wrong (as Alexander clearly concedes), why not suggest some alternative form of punishment? If one of my sons did something wrong, his mother and I would punish him in some way. If theres no punishment, the person gets the message that what they did was in fact just fine. Speaking of sounding naive, I dont actually think Republicans will take my advice in a jillion years. But, for now, at least, the ball is in their court. By choosing not to punish Trump, Republicans like Alexander and Rubio and Sasse and Graham and Ernst arent just obstructing justice (in a non-legal sense), they are enabling foreign interference in our elections. The only reason not to do this is cowardice. Unless Republicans do the bare minimumcensuring this president for his obvious misdeedstheir legacy will be stained by the sins of Donald J. Trump. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. The sessions court on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of 21-year-old trans-identified student, charged with sedition for raising slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam who has also been booked for sedition, at the Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathering on February 1. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) student whose name given at birth is Urvashi, but who uses the name Kris Chudawala is among the 51 persons against whom the Mumbai Police registered by an FIR on former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiyas complaint on February 2. Chudawala had moved the court seeking anticipatory bail on Tuesday. Sessions court judge Prashant Rajvaidya, while rejecting the anticipatory bail plea, observed: The statement uttered by the student in support of Imam, prima facie attracts the ingredients of the charges of sedition under section 124 (a) of IPC, which attracts life imprisonment. The case is of serious nature and the accused and the custodial interrogator is required to reach the roots of the matter. The court also refused to give interim relief to Chudawala to approach the high court for protection against arrest. Chudawalas lawyer, Vijay Hiremath, argued that the charges of sedition cannot be applied on the student as the act does not fall under the definition of the same. There has to be a call for violence. This applicant didnt utter a word of violence. The applicants protest against Imams arrest may be wrong, but cant be [charged with] sedition, Hiremath said. Chudawala had contended that words had been taken out of context and that the prosecution has missed other names, like Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, that were mentioned while raising slogans. Arguing for Chudawala, Hiremath said, I [Chudawala] am being made an example in the city as various protests are going on and they want to show they are taking it seriously. The plea was opposed by the chief public prosecutor, Jaysingh Desai, representing Azad Maidan police. Freedom of speech is not the issue. What is important is what you say. And who are you supporting? Desai told the court, pointing out that Chudawala was supporting Imam, who was arrested by Delhi Police under charges of sedition and UAPA. The prosecution also presented Chudawalas post supporting Imam. Desai said the student deleted all their posts after being booked. Hiremath, however, said Chudawalas social media account had been disabled for now. Slain CRPF jawan Ramesh Ranjan (30) played an "instrumental" role in the killing of two terrorists and injuring of another when they were intercepted at a checkpost near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said. Ranjan, from the 73rd battalion of the force, suffered a fatal bullet shot on his head during the gunbattle with the terrorists, but kept on fighting "valiantly" and also retaliated with firing from his rifle. He succumbed to his injuries subsequently. "Ranjan was instrumental in killing the scooter-riding terrorists when they came near the checkpost at Shalteng in Parampora," a senior official said. A team of 13 CRPF personnel, led by an assistant sub-inspector, was deployed at the checkpost when the incident took place around noon, he added. "I bow down to our brave brother who sacrificed his life in the service of the nation. Our thoughts are with his near and dear ones," CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari said. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Srinagar in the evening after which Ranjan's body is expected to be airlifted and brought to Delhi for subsequent transportation to his home town in Bihar. Nearly a month away from his 31st birthday, Ranjan hailed from Bihar's Arrah. The third injured terrorist is admitted to a hospital in Srinagar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Megachurch pastor John Ortberg allowed volunteer attracted to minors to work with children, church reveals Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment John Ortberg, senior pastor of the nearly 4,000-member Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California, exhibited poor judgment when he knowingly allowed a volunteer who confessed to having an attraction to minors to work with children, church elders said. Ortberg is now undergoing a period of restoration. In an email that was sent to church members on Jan. 21 and shared with The Christian Post by the church, Beth Seabolt, chair of the congregations elder board, said Ortberg was asked to go on personal leave from the church on Nov. 22, 2019, while an investigation of concerns raised by a third party was conducted. In July of 2018, a person serving in the Menlo Church community came to John and shared in confidence an unwanted thought pattern of attraction to minors. The person assured to Johns satisfaction that the person had not acted on the attraction and sought Johns support. John believed the person and provided prayers and referrals for counseling, Seabolt said in the email. Despite the confession, however, Ortberg failed to take the required steps to prevent the person from volunteering with minors at the Menlo Park campus and did not consult anyone else at Menlo Church about the situation, the elder boards chair said. She noted that as soon as the church was made aware of the concern about the volunteer, they informed their denomination and brought in an independent investigator but did not find any misconduct in the Menlo Church community. My statement on Menlo Church and my father; I won't be reading replies to this but I'm grateful to the friends and chosen family who have helped Grace and me through the last few months. pic.twitter.com/elT9I7v9u6 Daniel M. Lavery (@daniel_m_lavery) February 2, 2020 Nevertheless, the investigation showed John exhibited poor judgment that was inconsistent with his responsibilities as Senior Pastor, Seabolt said. John fully understands the Boards concerns regarding his handling of this situation. John is saddened by the potential risk he now realizes he brought on the Menlo community and wholly agrees that he did not handle this matter consistent with his responsibilities to Menlo Church and the Boards expectations of him. He deeply apologizes for his action and decisions, and is committed to the safety and integrity of our community and to ensuring that such a situation does not arise again. She further noted that Ortberg returned to work on Jan. 24 and is currently undergoing a restoration process with limited public engagement. John will only be working internally with staff and the Board during this interim period, focusing on his restoration plan and seeking to rebuild trust. We hope for his return to the pulpit in the near future, if approved by the Board after closely monitoring Johns progress, Seabolt said. In a statement posted to Twitter, Daniel Lavery, a trans-identified woman who is Ortberg's estranged daughter, revealed that it was Lavery who reported the Menlo leader because the church member who has since been removed from their volunteer role had confessed to having "obsessive sexual feelings about young children" for years and had intentionally sought out "unsupervised" positions where they could volunteer with children, including during overnight travel. Ortberg, Lavery said, had continually encouraged this person in their unsupervised work with children." "I have no firsthand knowledge of any criminal activity, and I have real compassion for anyone trying to treat sexual compulsions with accountability and oversight," Lavery noted. "But the situation they had created was risky, unsafe and unsustainable." In 2018, as an investigation of multiple sexual misconduct allegations by several women against Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of the multi-campus Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois was underway, Ortberg was among several critics who argued that the probe was "poorly designed" and exposed the women to "grave risks." Menlo elders assured the congregation that all of their volunteers go through a "rigorous screening process" that includes a background check and the requirement of having attended the church for at least six months. The church also does not allow an adult volunteer to be alone with a child. China on Monday hoped that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province. (Photo: File) New Delhi: China on Monday hoped that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province. In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said China's foreign ministry and local governments are working hard to ensure the safety of Indians and people working in Indian diplomatic missions in China. Admitting that there could be a short-term impact of the epidemic on China's economy, he said the country's internal resilience is growing and it has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility. I am confident that it should not and will not be hindered by short-term difficulties. We should not suspend but expand the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, he said. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province, India has put restrictions on the movement of people to and from China, like many other countries, as part of precautionary measures to contain spread of the virus. The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490 while the number of confirmed cases has touched 24,300. The WHO has declared a global health emergency after coronavirus cases were reported in several parts of the globe. We hope that the Indian citizens will not overreact or panic over the outbreak. It is better to remain rational and calm, and judge China's prevention and control efforts with objectivity and compassion, the envoy said. He said China, a responsible country, is not only protecting the health of its people but also that of people around the world. We need your understanding and support for the cooperation between China and India in epidemic control to ensure normal personnel exchanges and trade between the two countries, he said. China is ready to continue to work with India, strengthen communication and coordination, and safeguard the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, he added. On the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on China's economy, Sun said there was no need to be pessimistic about the country's economy as its fundamentals remain unchanged. He said the Chinese government has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility and the long-term positive trend of the Chinese economy will not be impacted by the outbreak of the virus. China has rich experience in successfully dealing with SARS and the international financial crisis. This time will be no exception. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva recently expressed confidence that the Chinese government has sufficient policy space to stabilize economic growth, he said. The envoy also mentioned a telephone conversation between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Wi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar last week on ways to deal with the situation arising out of the outbreak of the virus. In the telephone conversation, Wang said that to address transnational public health challenges in this era of globalisation, we need to stay objective and rational, and step up communication and coordination, and that all should play a constructive role," he said. He added that Jaishankar had conveyed that it is important to evaluate the outbreak in an objective and rational manner and not take actions that may complicate the situation. On Saturday, 324 Indians were brought back from Wuhan, while another batch of 323 Indians and seven Maldivians were evacuated from the Chinese city on Sunday. Sun said a declaration of public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak in China is not a vote of no-confidence on China. When the director general of WHO declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, it emphasised that it does not recommend any travel or trade restriction. This declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but to take care of other countries with relatively poor sanitary conditions. It is not a vote of no confidence in China, he said. The Election Commission on Wednesday condemned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for promising mohalla clinics at all city courts. It also warned the AAP national convener to be "more careful" and exercise caution while making such public utterances and statements. "The Commission, hereby ... condemns the impugned statement," the poll panel said in an order. It found the reply of Kejriwal unsatisfactory and found the statement violative of the model code of conduct. Poll for the 70-member Delhi assembly will be held on February 8. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rips up the speech of President Donald Trump after his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Pelosi Rips Up Trumps State of the Union Speech After Apparent Handshake Snub House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tore President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech in half just after the president finished speaking on Tuesday night. Pelosi, 79, was handed a copy of Trumps prepared remarks along with Vice President Mike Pence, 60, before Trump began speaking. She reached out a hand to shake Trumps but he did not shake it. It wasnt clear whether Trump, 73, saw Pelosis hand as he was turning away from her when she reached out after receiving the copy of Trumps remarks. Trump also did not shake Pences hand, which was not offered. Trump spoke for about an hour before closing to applause. As he raised his hand and acknowledged the praise, Pelosi ripped the papers she held behind him. An Epoch Times reporter heard Pelosi respond to a question about her reaction to the speech. I tore it up, she said. It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives, Pelosi also told reporters as she left the House floor. Pelosi said she was trying to find one page with truth on it but failed. The White House said in a statement that Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service members reunion with his family. Thats her legacy, the White House added. President Donald Trump hands House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a copy of his State of the Union speech before the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Vice President Mike Pence look on in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Pelosi later issued a statement saying Democrats were told the President would have a positive message on health care. However, President Trumps address tonight gave no comfort to the 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions or the families struggling to afford the prescription drugs they need. Once again, President Trump was not truthful about his actions in court to destroy preexisting condition protections. Once again, President Trump pulled his punch on his promise to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, which House Democrats delivered with the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, H.R.3, she added. Trump spent the State of the Union highlighting the military, the booming U.S. economy, and a vision of rising above the partisan rancor that has been prevalent in Washington in recent years. Trump focused on some of the accomplishments of his time in office, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), tax cuts, and the phase one trade deal with China. He also championed how unemployment has dropped sharply since he assumed office. Moments of note included Trump announcing a member of the military had returned to the United States to surprise his wife and children; honoring Tuskegee Airmen Air Force Colonel Charles McGee and McGees great-grandson, who hopes to join the Space Force in the future; and giving a Medal of Honor to longtime conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced a cancer diagnosis. Other guests of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump included Kelli and Gage Hake, wife and son of Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake, who was killed by a roadside bomb supplied by Iranian General Qassem Soleimani; Philadelphia fourth grader Janiyah Davis, who was given a scholarship; and Juan Guaido, the interim president of Venezuela. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Police arrested Collins on Jan. 7 in the 100 block of North State Street on CTA property in connection with a theft of labor or services charge, which often is related to someone not paying a CTA fare, according to police and court records. The incident happened about 11:20 a.m. Jan. 7 at a CTA station, according to police records. The Zamfara Fire Service Department confirmed on Tuesday in Gusau that fire had razed down the residence of Kabir Mai-Palace who represents Gusau/Tsafe in the House of Representatives. Abdullahi Jibo, Deputy Director, Fire Prevention and Public Enlightenment of the Department, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Mr Jibo said that the fire disaster, which gutted the house located at Anguwar-Yarima area, Gusau, was suspected to be caused by a power surge. According to him, the department received a distress call from the area around 10:30 a.m. and quickly mobilised its personnel to the scene where the inferno was brought under control. There was no loss of lives or injuries; we were able to bring out two vehicles from the house, he said. The deputy director called on Zamfara residents to ensure careful usage of electrical appliances and report fire outbreaks on time. Mustafa Hassan, a staff of the lawmaker, who spoke on the fire incident, described it as scary. The incident started around 10 a.m. and razed down the entire house; properties worth millions of naira were burnt to ashes. This is sad, he said. (NAN) The government on Wednesday named members of the 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra' trust constituted for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as mandated by the Supreme Court, officials said. The members include senior lawyer K Parasaran, Jagatguru Shankracharya, Jyothishpeethadheeshwar Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj from Allahabad, Jagatguru Madhavacharya Swami Vishwa Prasannatheerth Ji Maharaj, Pejawar Math in Udupi, Yugpurush Paramanand Ji Maharaj from Haridwar, Swami Govinddev Giri Ji Maharaj from Pune and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra from Ayodhya. Besides, the following will also be the trustees, Anil Mishra, a homoeopathic doctor from Ayodhya and Kameshwar Chaupal from Patna who is a Scheduled Caste member, and Mahant Dinendra Das, Nirmohi Akhara, Ayodhya Baithak. Two prominent people who shall be a practising Hindu will be nominated by the board of trustees with a majority resolution. One representative will be nominated by the Centre who shall be a practising Hindu by religion and a serving member of the Indian Administrative Service and who shall not be below the rank of joint secretary to government of India and shall be an ex officio member. One representative will be nominated by the UP government who shall be a practising Hindu and an IAS officer and shall not be below the rank of secretary to the UP government and shall be an ex officio member and the Ayodhya district collector will be the ex officio trustee who shall be a practising Hindu. If for any reason the incumbent collector is not a practising Hindu, the additional collector of Ayodhya who shall be a practising Hindu shall be an ex officio member. The chairman of the committee for the development and administration of matters relating to the Ram Temple complex, who will be appointed by the Board of Trustees, who shall be a practising Hindu shall be an ex officio member. The Centre on Wednesday constituted an independent 15-member trust to oversee the construction of a 'grand and magnificent' Ram temple in Ayodhya, an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha four days before the expiry of a 3-month deadline set by the Supreme Court. Govt donates Rs 1 in cash to Ayodhya trust to begin its work The government on Wednesday made the first donation of Rs 1 in cash to the trust to begin its work of constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said. D Murmu, an under secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, contributed the amount to the trust on behalf of the central government. The trust will accept donations, grants, subscriptions, aids or contribution from any person in cash, kind, including immovable properties, without any conditions, the official said. It will initially function from the residence of senior lawyer K Parasaran but will look for a permanent office later, the official said. The mother of IRA murder victim Paul Quinn has called for Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy to publicly apologise to her family and resign after he claimed her son had been involved in criminality. This is a premium article Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. An IRA gang is believed to be behind the brutal killing of the 21-year-old in Monaghan, every bone in his body was broken after he was lured to a shed near Castleblayney. A month later Mr Murphy suggested that Mr Quinn had been involved in criminality. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald last night said her party colleague Conor Murphy "apologises and withdraws" remarks he made that Mr Quinn was involved in criminality. She said she had spoken to Mr Murphy who was aware that the comments he had made "caused hurt and that hurt has endured" for the family of Mr Quinn. Mr Quinn's mother today said she wants Mr Murphy to apologise to her family on television and to resign from his roles. Read the full the transcript of the interview between Breege Quinn and Sean O'Rourke below: SOR: Breege Quinn, good morning to you. BQ: Good morning. SOR: Thank you for taking our call. You watched the debate last night - can you describe for our listeners how you felt when you heard Mary Lou McDonald say that Conor Murphy is apologising for those remarks and is withdrawing them? BQ: Well, I was surprised, because it was the way she said it, she said that she spoke to Conor Murphy, and he said he shouldn't have said those words, he shouldnt have said what he said. But the day he said it, it was soon after Paul was murdered, and he said that everybody knows that Paul was a criminal. And it just took yesterday afternoon for him to retract that and to say that he didn't say it. But, Mary Lou came out last night and said Paul is not a criminal. I will accept an apology from Conor Murphy, when he comes out on national television and apologises to us. And when he has that done, I want him to go to the gardai and the PSNI and give them the names of the IRA men that he spoke to in Cullyhanna, and they reassured him that they didn't do it. But he also said that everybody in Cullyhanna knew that Paul was a criminal. So, who do you believe Sean? Why has he left us 13 years fighting, crying, and people are accusing us now of coming out when theres an election to look for justice for Paul. I want to tell them that I have been fighting morning, noon and night the past 13 years for justice for my son. SOR: Indeed, and what about that clip we heard there from Gerry Adams, the then president of Sinn Fein, he was speaking I think in Stormont. He said there was no republican involvement whatsoever in the murder of your son. BQ: He also said that, that's what Conor Murphy said as well. Yet, Conor Murphy Why did Conor Murphy go to the IRA? Nobody asked him to go to the IRA. On the night that Paul was murdered, the very next day, every political party, some member came to this door, but not one Sinn Fein member. That was even before we said that the IRA murdered him, that we said it out publicly. SOR: Breege, you said you would accept an apology if Conor Murphy was to go on national television, now we heard you speaking to Mary Wilson and Drivetime on Monday, calling for the apology. Did you expect that it would come so quickly? BQ: No, I didn't. I knew the debate was on last night, I didn't know what was going to come out of it. But Mary Lou just didn't come out straight. She said all that matters now - it didnt matter what Conor Murphy said, is that the Quinn family get an apology, that there is a family grieving. The family is grieving, Sean, 13 years, and shes coming out now because of the election but I don't care but elections. I'm not political, and neither is my husband or any of my family. She was put under pressure. SOR: And what about Conor Murphys position, hes finance minister in the power sharing executive in Stormont. Are you satisfied that he should remain in that position? BQ: No. I would like to see Conor Murphy resign from all positions in Sinn Fein. There is no compassion whatsoever, regardless of what position he has. He was an MLA when Paul was murdered. He's a finance minister now. I would like to see him step down. SOR: And even if he does go ahead and give an apology that you say you're prepared to accept if he's making it on national television. BQ: If he makes it on national television and goes to the PSNI and gardai, which he hasn't done, we know for a fact he hasnt it done, then, yes, we will speak to him. SOR: And youd meet him after he has gone to the gardai, and the PSNI, you would then be prepared to meet him. BQ: Yes. SOR: We all remember the details of what happened to your boy, And just reading in the last few days the image of you not being able to put a rosary beads around his fingers because they were so broken. I mean, how you say you've been grieving and it's obvious. And as you wouldn't it couldn't possibly be any other way, Breege, you're grieving for 15 years, but how are your family, getting on insofar as you can. I mean, it's obviously dominated every last day and hour of the 13 years since. BQ: My husband hasn't gone anywhere since Paul died. Any functions, any weddings, he doesn't go. The only place he goes, every day is to the grave, hail, rain or snow. And if it's lashing rain, hell park outside the grave. This is what Conor Murphy has done to our family. SOR: Well, it's the people who killed your son in the first instance, that gang of 10 men. BQ: Yes, it is. Yes. But, it's also Conor Murphy, keeping up the hurt that he has caused us calling our son a criminal. He too is a parent. SOR: And you've got other children as well. BQ: I have, Paul was the youngest. SOR: James and Cathy. BQ: Yeah. SOR: How are they getting on in life? BQ: Theyre very, very angry. When they go out and meet these people, I don't know what they're going to react if they see these people but I pray and hope that it will just.. Theyre getting on okay so far. SOR: There was a quote from your son, James in the Irish Independent some years ago where we talked about when he saw Paul lying dead in the hospital bed, his body battered so badly. It was hard to even recognise him. He said he felt pure hatred, 'my blood was boiling' that the provos had reduced him to that state, and that he 'wanted revenge but thankfully wise heads, loyal friends who stood by my family after the murder spoke to me and I calmed down'. BQ: Yeah, exactly. I have said to them also like two wrongs will never make a right. I dont want those people to go out to a shed, and murdered like they done Paul. I want to see them in court, and in jail. SOR: Do you think that you will ever see the killers brought to justice, realistically? BQ: I hope I do, but you have to live in hope, like if youve no hope sure, youve nothing to live for. SOR: Well, that's true. You have to have hope. BQ: You have to have hope. It keeps you going. And at the end of the day, we meet these people at all times but they cant look at us, they wont look at us. Our conscious are clear. Theirs are not. If God called me, I'm happy to go, I never took nobody life, or supported any of those organisations. SOR: And has anyone from Sinn Fein been a touch, say the last day or so since Mary Lou McDonald and Conor Murphy had a conversation yesterday, it seems, and also after what she said last night in the debate? BQ: No, not one. SOR: Okay well Breege, thank you so much for talking to us. There's no doubt that your grief endures and probably re intensified by having to to listen to and and to engage in the kinds of conversations that have been taking place in the last few days so thank you very much indeed for talking to us. BQ: Thank you very much. I appreciate any help we can get in fighting for justice and shows like yours help us to do that. SOR: And I should say that we've made several attempts to contact Conor Murphy this morning but have so far been unsuccessful we would of course be happy to hear from him at any stage before 12. Representative Image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Yes Bank share price gained 13.6 percent intraday on February 5, two days ahead of the shareholders' extraordinary general meeting. The stock has been volatile for several months, losing 79 percent of value in the last one year due to asset quality concerns and failure to raise funds. It was quoting at Rs 37.40, up Rs 2.45, or 7.01 percent, on the BSE at 1150 hours. The private-sector lender in January said an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the members of bank would be held on February 7 in Mumbai to increase authorised capital. "...to increase the authorized share capital from Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,100 crore and to alter the Clause V of the Memorandum of Association of the bank relating to capital," it added. The authorised capital of Rs 1,100 crore will be divided into 450 crore equity shares of Rs 2 each aggregating to Rs 900 crore and 2 crore preference shares of Rs 100 each aggregating to Rs 200 crore by the creation of additional 150 crore equity shares of Rs 2 each. The members will also consider special resolution to authorise capital raising through issuance of equity shares or other convertible securities, of Rs 10,000 crore. The board of directors, had in January, approved raising of funds upto Rs 10,000 crore, in one or more tranches, by way of issuance of securities on private placement basis. The bank has been trying to raise funds but has not yet decided on an investor. It had held discussions with several potential investors. It recently decided not to proceed with the offer from Erwin Singh Braich/SPGP Holdings for a proposed investment in the bank, but the board is willing to favourably consider the offer of $500 million of Citax Holdings and Citax Investment Group in next board meeting. It has been selling stakes in companies it lent money to, including Sical Logistics, and Rosa Power Supply Company, the subsidiary of Reliance Power. Yes Bank acquired more than 10 percent stake in Sical Logistics and nearly 30 percent in Reliance Power subsidiary by invocation of pledged shares after their default on payments. A Neeses man is serving prison time after he admitted using pepper spray on his girlfriend, their 9-month-old son and the girlfriends 3-year-old child. Stephane Dalegrand, 35, of 128 Clark Road, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence, first-degree domestic violence and unlawful neglect of a child on Jan. 9. Circuit Judge Ed Dickson sentenced him to prison for four years. He also ordered Dalegrand to complete a batterers treatment program. According to the S.C. Department of Corrections, his projected parole eligibility date is Aug. 29, 2020 and his projected release date is Oct. 1, 2021. A grand jury indicted Dalegrand on an additional charge of first-degree domestic violence, but he pleaded to the lesser charge of second-degree domestic violence instead. When Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officers responded to a Columbia Road apartment on Oct. 25, 2018, Dalegrand approached them while holding the 9-month-old boy. Dalegrand told officers that he and the childrens mother had an argument and he discharged pepper spray inside where she and the children were present. When officers entered the apartment, they were overcome with the burn of pepper spray, the incident report states. The girlfriends eyes were swollen and irritated, officers noted. The children were coughing and had nasal discharges consistent with the effects of pepper spray. The girlfriend told officers that she attempted to contact law enforcement earlier when she and Dalegrand were having a heated argument, but he stopped her from exiting the apartment to seek help. The argument intensified while she held their 9-month-old son, the girlfriend told officers. Dalegrand removed the pepper spray from the girlfriends keychain and sprayed it at her. In other guilty pleas: Shamelle Diquan Rivers, 24, of 889 Rivelon Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun, first-offense possession of cocaine and two counts of first-offense failure to stop for blue light. Dickson sentenced him to three years in prison and gave him credit for having already served 231 days in jail. As part of Rivers plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the charge of hit-and-run resulting in great bodily injury, first-offense manufacture/distribution, etc. of cocaine base, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within close proximity to a school, first-offense possession of a narcotic and second or subsequent offense of possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana. Latwayne Lamar Sumpter, 31, of 116 Redglobe Court, Vance, pleaded guilty to second-offense driving under the influence with a .10 blood alcohol concentration. Dickson sentenced him to prison for one year and a $2,100 fine, suspend to five days of weekend jail time and a $1,100 fine. As part of Sumpters plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the charges of third or subsequent driving under suspension, failure to surrender drivers license when required after conviction and second or subsequent offense failure to stop for blue light. Kenneth Nathaniel Kinsey, 65, of 1770 Saxon Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine. Dickson sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended to nine months of probation. He gave Kinsey credit for having already served nine days at the Orangeburg County Detention Center. Corijion Demonte Williams, 27, of 1120 Wolfe Trail #224, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to possession of molly. Dickson sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended to nine months of probation. He gave Williams credit for having already served five days in jail. John Lorenzo Thompson, 43, of 533 Bayne Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run resulting in property damage and first-offense driving under suspension. Dickson sentenced him to two terms of 30 days in jail or a $200 fine. The terms are to run consecutively. Dickson gave him credit for having already served one day. Scotty Latroy Green, 33, of 20444 Heritage Highway, Denmark, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of less than one gram of crack cocaine and first-offense possession of eutylone. Dickson sentenced him to time served. Timothy Cokley, 55, of 4513 Saint Matthews Road, St. Matthews, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and battery. Dickson sentenced him to time served. A grand jury indicted Cokley on the charge of second-degree assault and battery. Henry Clay Simmons III, 40, of 5519 Charleston Highway, Bowman, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a pistol. Dickson sentenced him to time served. Joseph Alton Coker, 29, of 185 Sail Fish Court, Santee, pleaded guilty to first-offense third-degree burglary and petit larceny valued at $2,000 or less. Dickson sentenced him to five years in prison suspended to five years of probation. He stipulated that Cokers probation may end after 30 months if his drug treatment program is deemed successful. Dickson ordered him to comply with treatment through the Dawn Centers suboxone program. Under prosecutorial discretion, an assistant solicitor dismissed Cokers charge of malicious injury to real property. Devonta Art Jefferson, 20, no address provided, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen pistol. Dickson sentenced him to one year in prison or a fine of $120. Rodney Shykeem Kinard, 20, of 103 Goldenleaf Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun. Dickson sentenced him to 30 days in jail. Hes allowing Kinard to serve his time on weekends. Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 6 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Medical Assistance Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) has helped more than 30,000 patients gain access to vital medications valued at more than $500 million, and a new program expansion will further increase access to vital cancer therapies for patients with the greatest financial need. Financial toxicity is a very real concern for families facing a cancer diagnosis. As an institution, we want to do all that we can to reduce additional stressors for patients so they can focus on getting well. Our financial counselors work with patients so they don't have to make decisions about whether they can afford potentially life-saving treatment." Julie Kennerly-Shah, PharmD, pharmacist and associate director of pharmacy at the OSUCCC - James In February 2019 the pharmacy assistance program expanded with the implementation of a drug repository program that allows patients to donate no-longer-needed oral cancer therapy drugs for the benefit of other cancer patients through new state rules spearheaded by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy and OSUCCC - James. "In cancer, it is quite common for patients to switch to a new medication or experience a medication dose reduction. As a result, we end up with a lot of wasted medication that must be disposed of," explains Kennerly-Shah. "This new program allows patients to donate these unneeded medications for re-dispensing to patients in financial need through our existing hospital-based Medical Assistance Program." New rules adopted in November 2019 by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy states donated medications must be within expiration dates, stored as prescribed and otherwise untampered with. Pharmacists will then go through an eight-point inspection of the drug to ensure that it is safe to re-dispense at a future date to patients in need. Previous rules allowed only for the collection of unopened medication that was dispensed for the prescribed patient but never picked up. The cancer drug repository initiative is a new component of the overall Medical Assistance Program (MAP) at the OSUCCC - James. The MAP consult service was established to help patients who are unable to afford their medications due to financial hardship. The program consists of pharmacists, medical assistance program coordinators, clinical financial case managers and other support personnel who work one-on-one with patients to reduce healthcare costs associated with cancer treatment. "Ohio State has been a leader in medication-assistance programs and has taught many people across the country how to optimize various manufacturer programs and grant programming. We want to be an asset to other hospitals considering implementation of a cancer drug repository as well," adds Kennerly-Shah. "Our hope is that our repository is a first step toward a much bigger solution long-term that could be modeled beyond our individual hospital and state." The OSUCCC - James is the first hospital in Ohio, and among the first in the United States, to launch a cancer drug repository program. The new cancer drug repository program is housed at the OSUCCC - James Outpatient Pharmacy. The program will accept donations of unused medications from individual patients, pharmacies, hospitals and non-profit clinics to be re-dispensed to patients in treatment at the OSUCCC - James who cannot afford the cost of the medications. Patients interested in donating non-expired, no-longer-needed capecitabine or temozolomide should contact the OSUCCC - James Outpatient Pharmacy. Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended on Wednesday the signing ceremony of an EGP 2 billion agreement between the ministries of transport and local development to improve the efficiency of roads in 12 governorates. The signing of the agreement was attended by Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Saeed, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy and Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir. Prime Minister Madbouly also chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the progress achieved in top priority issues in order to upgrade services offered to citizens. Following the meeting, Minister El-Saeed said the deal comes as part of the state's keenness on improving services provided for citizens in line with the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Minister Shaarawy said that upgrading the efficiency of roads is necessary for achieving economic development and providing better services for citizens. Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir said the agreement comes within the framework of the states development plan to keep pace with the latest developments in the field of roads and bridges. He added that President El-Sisi has agreed to allocate EGP 10 billion to maintain and raise the efficiency of roads in the governorates. Meanwhile, President El-Sisi issued a decree establishing a private university in Cairo's Heliopolis district. As per the presidential decree, the university, to be known as Al-Madina (City University), will include faculties of engineering, information, economics and business administration, art and design, and physiotherapy. More faculties, specialised higher education institutes and research units may also be established. The non-profit university will be established in Cairo's New Heliopolis City. President Erdogan discusses Idlib attack with Putin Turkish president and his Russian counterpart hold phone call in wake of attack on Turkish troops in Syria. The Syrian regime's recent attack on Turkish troops in Idlib has marred joint efforts for peace in the country, the Turkish president told his Russian counterpart in a phone call on Tuesday. "TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO USE ITS RIGHTS OF SELF-DEFENSE" The phone call between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin came after Mondays attack in Idlib, northwestern Syria, that martyred seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor working with the Turkish military. Erdogan underlined that Turkey would continue to use its right of self defense against similar attacks, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate. The two leaders also discussed the latest developments in Libya. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that splitting with their decades-old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a hurtful decision and Shiv Sena had stood like a mountain for BJP during the time of crisis. "I am honestly saying that it was not a game. We were with the BJP from the past 25-30 years and it was not any sort of political compulsion. We have a relationship with Pramod ji (Pramod Mahajan), Nitin ji (Nitin Gadkari), Gopinath ji (Gopinath Munde) and besides them Atal ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee). I was anguished while breaking up with them (BJP). This has hurt me a lot...During the time of crisis, our party stood like a mountain for them...there were attacks on Hindutva, we took it upon ourselves.. Why could not they stay united with the Shiv Sena?" he said in an interview with Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna. When enquired if there is any possibility of forming an alliance with the BJP in the future, Thackeray avoided a direct answer and said: "whatever I have done so far, I have done with an open heart." "When we were with the BJP, it was them who closed the doors. They stepped out of the door...They themselves closed the doors. I have clearly said a lot of times that we have wasted our 25 years by being in alliance with them (BJP)", stated the Shiv Sena chief. The Maharashtra Chief Minister also outlined that it was not only the Shiv Sena who have faced loss due to the alliance but also the BJP, whose tally has also come down from 122 in the 2014 assembly elections to 104 in 2019. The BJP had emerged as the single largest party by winning 105 seats in the last Maharashtra Assembly polls while the Shiv Sena got 56 seats in the 288-member state Assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gardai investigating so-called ATM transaction reversal frauds have arrested a man. Gardai from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau arrested the 35-year-old in the Dublin 15 area during an operation on Tuesday. The man was detained in Lucan Garda Station for questioning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He is due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning. Gardai said in a statement that: "The investigation into transaction reversal frauds was reported by a financial institution in the Dublin 18 area on the 13th January 2020. "It was reported that between the 8th and the 10th of January 2020, 18 ATM machines were targeted resulting in the theft of money from customers accounts and damage to the ATMs." Terming the protests over the amended citizenship law as "spontaneous", opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday alleged that the Constitution is under threat from the ruling BJP which is "destroying" the social fabric of the nation. Members from the NCP, DMK, TDP and the RJD also voiced concern over the detention of NC leader Farooq Abdullah since August 5 last year when Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped, and questioned the government's intent. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Upper House, the ruling BJP defended the government's decisions on Jammu and Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying they have strengthened the nation and democracy, and slammed the opposition for backing protests like in Shaheen Bagh. "Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Constitution and we the people of India are under attack.... Every day under the present government is January 30 when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered. "Ecosystem of the nation is being destroyed and days are not far off when the word Taliban will not be alien here," RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha said. He said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were "spontaneous" including in Shaheen Bagh and the situation was so alarming that "5-6 states had passed resolution against CAA and NRC". He apprehended that the days were not far-off when the fight between the Centre and states will reach the streets and added that "a majority in Parliament is not a licence for a majoritarian in Parliament". Majeed Memon (NCP) asked what kind of terror was created by former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah that he was detained since August 5 and could not attend Parliament. The National Conference leader is an MP from Srinagar. He charged that the President's speech did not portray the true picture of the country and appeared like a political manifesto of a political party. Memon said the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir is yet to undergo judicial scrutiny. DMK's Vaiko termed August 5, 2019 as the "blackest day" in the history of India saying three former chief ministers were detained and added that it was a pre-mediated conspiracy of "Hindutva forces". Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Naqvi said the BJP government has strengthened the social fabric of nation and believed in "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas". He took a dig at the Congress, saying this is a strong government unlike in the past when "there used to be a PM and super PM and super PMO". He said electricity connection has been provided in all villages, 11 crore toilets were built and loot in the corridors of power was nipped. Naqvi charged the Congress with echoing Pakistan on surgical strike and supporting anti-CAA agitation like in Shaheen Bagh. "A conspiracy has been hatched and fear is being created in the minds of people, and women and children are misguided on CAA," the minister said, adding he never expected a seasoned leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad to say that that the whole country will turn into Shaheen Bagh. "Bogus bragging brigade was out to create confusion and fear among masses," he said, adding the Congress was disturbed by the massive mandate to the BJP but it should respect it. The opposition by states to the CAA was not good and a senior Congress member himself said that it was not proper, the BJP leader said. Secularism and tolerance were in the DNA of the BJP government and it believed in inclusive and sustainable development, he said, adding that minority share in government jobs under Narendra Modi government has increased to 9 per cent from 4.9 per cent. Naqvi stressed that Muslims need not fear the CAA. He said Muslim population has increased from nine per cent of population at the time of Independence to 19 per cent in 2011 census. B K Hariprasad (Congress) accused the Modi government of failing on all fronts. He also criticised the government's policy on disinvestment of public sector units. The current regime has brought policies which discriminate against a particular religion, he said. He also hit out at a BJP MP for his controversial remarks on Mahatama Gandhi, calling him a loose cannon and "fool of first order". Participating in the debate, BJP MP Vijay Goel said he is a "proud Hindu" and RSS volunteer. Taking on the Congress party for objecting to scrapping of Article 370, Goel challenged the opposition party to announce they will bring back the provision if voted to power. He said as the opposition parties have failed to defeat Narendra Modi, they have taken to protests on streets as seen at Shaheen Bagh. The Modi government has succeeded in its motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas', but the opposition parties were not able to digest it, and hence were resorting to protests, he said. He also alleged that the man who fired at Shaheen Bagh was a worker of Aam Aadmi Party. Abdur Wahab (IUML) alleged that the present government has converted India into a police state and has created fear among people, especially poor and minorities. Jose K Mani (KC-M) said the President's address did not talk about the slowing economy. The House also witnessed a brief exchange of words between Congress MPs and BJP member Rakesh Sinha when the latter said that an NCERT text book of Class XI before 2001 used objectionable reference to Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur. Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, in his maiden speech, said the President's speech did not portray the true picture of the nation where unemployment was growing. He also said the government has failed to address the issues of farmers. He alleged the current regime was promoting corporate culture and introducing PPP model in education to benefit industrialists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Across all faith groups, clergy members are often called upon to provide support for parishioners, as well as the general public, experiencing spiritual, mental and emotional issues. But recent highly publicized resignations and reports of distress and burnout among pastors and faith leaders have raised concerns about the mental and emotional health of those who serve in ministry. A new study led by AdventHealth University, in conjunction with Altamonte Springs, Florida-based AdventHealth, one of the nations largest faith-based health systems, aims to better understand the health and well-being of clergy. Inside and outside places of worship, faith leaders play a significant role in the lives of so many people, whether as a shoulder to cry on or a source of inspiration, said Orlando Jay Perez, vice president of institutional ministries for AdventHealth. It is also important that their mental, spiritual and emotional needs are addressed, and we hope this study brings more understanding of those needs. The research study is open to clergy and faith leaders across the state of Florida, where AdventHealth has 30 hospitals, including congregational and ministry leaders representing all faith groups and religious contexts. The survey consists of questions about the respondents social support and occupational distress as well as their emotional and spiritual health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. NAMI also notes that 43 percent of adults with mental illness received treatment in 2018. Conditions of mental and emotional despair are on the rise and touch so many people, said Martin Shaw, lead researcher for the study. While clergy is a somewhat understudied group, it is critical that we gain greater insight about their mental and emotional well-being and ways to mitigate issues where present. Our ultimate goal is to better understand how best to care for and support our clergy and the communities they serve. AdventHealth University is a regionally accredited, Seventh-day Adventist institution that specializes in health care education in a faith-affirming environment. AdventHealth, which has 50 hospitals across nine states and provides chaplaincy services at each of those facilities, is the corporate sponsor of the university. Clergy interested in learning more and participating in the research study can do so confidentially by visiting https://clergywholenessstudy.wordpress.com. About AdventHealth With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system's 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth. About AdventHealth University AdventHealth University (AHU) is a leader in health care education, transforming the science and practice of whole-person care and developing professionals with uncommon compassion. The University seeks to develop skilled professionals who live the healing values of Christ and works in collaboration with AdventHealth to effectively extend His healing ministry. AHU offers undergraduate, graduate, and online programs including: Biomedical Sciences, Nursing (BSN), Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Sciences, Nurse Anesthesia, Occupational Therapy, Nuclear Medicine, Healthcare Administration, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, and Radiologic Technology. In hearings on Monday and Tuesday, US senators explained why they were voting to convict or acquit the president. United States senators largely cleaved neatly to party lines on Tuesday as they gave their justifications for voting to acquit or convict the president on the articles of impeachment that were passed by the House of Representatives and argued in a 12-day trial in the Senate. Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chambers top Republican, exhorted his colleagues to acquit the president, warning that the fate of the republic depended on it. Meanwhile, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Donald Trump a threat to democracy, and urged senators to remove him from office. On Wednesday, the Senate will give its final vote in what is expected to be the last day of the impeachment trial. As a supermajority of 67 votes is required to remove Trump from office, his acquittal is considered all but certain. We must vote to reject the House abuse of power. Vote to protect our institutions. Vote to reject new precedents that would reduce the framers design to rubble. Vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic, McConnell told the chamber. For his part, Schumer said that if foreign election interference, like the investigations Trump allegedly solicited, are permitted, it will make Americans believe that they are not the ones electing the nations leaders. That is the beginning of the end of democracy, said Schumer. The charges are extremely serious. To interfere in an election, to blackmail a foreign country, to interfere in our elections gets at the very core of what our democracy is about. The House impeached Trump on December 18 on two charges: abuse of power for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and obstruction of Congress for blocking testimony and documents sought in the investigation. The subsequent Senate trial, which began on January 16, did little to change the charged partisan dynamics of the case. Shameful, wrong Senators, who under official rules are prohibited from speaking on the Senate floor during the impeachment trial, were given the opportunity to say how they planned to vote after the trial adjourned on Monday. Trump has drawn almost uniform support among Republican senators, who have a 53-seat majority in the chamber. However, several Republicans, including Senators Lamar Alexander, Marco Rubio, and Rob Portman, have called the presidents dealings with Ukraine inappropriate, while saying those dealings are not enough to remove him from office. In a speech Monday night, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, once considered a possible swing vote as Democrats pushed to call more witnesses in the trial, called the presidents actions shameful and wrong, while also deriding the highly partisan process. However, she said: I cannot vote to convict. In his address, Republican Senator Rand Paul stated the purported name of the anonymous whistle-blower whose complaint launched the House inquiry. Paul had last week put the name in a written question to be asked during the trial, but US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, declined to read it. Democrats have said identifying the whistle-blower could expose them to retaliation and deter others from reporting wrongdoing within the government. Meanwhile, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, one of the only Democrats seen as a likely vote to acquit Trump, floated on Monday the idea of censuring Trump for his actions. However, the proposal has not gained much traction. The German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG will provide support to the management of Ukrzaliznytsia in the field of freight, passenger transportation, infrastructure and the provision of services and maintenance from January 1, 2021, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk has said. "The primary task will be to study the state of Ukrzaliznytsia and create a roadmap for changes. The next step is that from January 1, 2021 Deutsche Bahn will provide support in management in the field of freight, passenger transportation, infrastructure, the provision of services and maintenance," he wrote on Telegram. According to Honcharuk, the partnership of companies also stimulates the launch of new routes and will contribute to closer integration of transport systems. "The priority of our government is to increase the management efficiency of Ukrzaliznytsia and ensure the transition to the European model of the railway transportation market," the prime minister emphasized. At the same time, he recalled that the cooperation of the companies does not imply the sale or lease of such a strategically important state-owned facility as Ukrzaliznytsia. As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia, the German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG and DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH signed a memorandum of understanding regarding strategic partnership for the development of Ukrzaliznytsia. Putnam County Sheriff A Georgia woman who recently reported her husband, a local police officer, for domestic violence was found dead in her home Monday, authorities said. Her husband told authorities it was a suicidebut police are still investigating. Deputies found Amanda Perrault, 44, dead in her Eatonton, Georgia, home on Monday afternoon, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told The Daily Beast. Sills said the woman's husband, Eatonton County Police officer Michael Perrault, was there at the time of her death but did not call 911. Instead, the officer called the Eatonton police chief to say his wife had taken her own life. The chief called Sills to investigate. We responded to the scene immediately, and we found his wife dead of a single gunshot wound in their bedroom, Sills said. He told us they had been arguing and that she produced a handgun and killed herself. The sheriffs office executed a search warrant at the residence Monday evening and were still processing that crime scene Tuesday night. They also called in investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to help examine what Sills called a suspicious crime scene. The results of an autopsy are pending, but Sills said that the only visible trauma to Perrault's body was a single gunshot wound to the head. He says its a suicide, but were looking at it with the utmost scrutiny, the sheriff said. Perraults husband, who has been on administrative leave from the Eatonton Police Department since the domestic violence charges were filed, could not be reached for comment. He has not been arrested in connection with his wifes death. Less than a week ago, Perrault told police her husband hit her in the face and pushed her out of their front door. Sills said that the couples 8-year-old daughter had witnessed them fighting and saw her father shove Perrault. Deputies on the scene saw red marks on her chest consistent with shoving. Her husband was arrested last Tuesday and charged with simple battery and cruelty to children in the third degree, according to Putnam County Jail records. He denied the allegations and was released on a $1,500 bond. Perrault's parents say he then returned to the family home. Story continues She said he had nowhere else to go, Perraults mother, Sharron Brookshire, told The Daily Beast. Her father said Perrault spoke to her adult daughter around noon on Mondayaround the time she posted a wedding photo on her Facebook pageand told her she would check in later that night. Her husband never called to tell them about her death, he added. Instead, they learned about it through her son from a previous marriage, who received the news from authorities. The family said Perrault and her husband had been together approximately eight years. She often complained to them about her husband striking her, choking her, and kicking her out of their house, they said. Her mother added that she once recalled him dragging her across the pavement. In September, Perrault told a close friend that her husband had taken out a life insurance policy on her without telling her. In messages reviewed by The Daily Beast, she told the friend, Carrie Tegeder, that her husband was super jealous and records everything. Have a nice place but living in a prison, she wrote in a Sept. 10 Facebook message. Going to delete these msgs He may still see them But keep them for me pls. Im good for now, I promise, she added when her friend expressed concern. Held my own for 8 yrs with him. Tegeder says Perrault later sent photos of what she said were injuries caused by her husband. She said, Please swear youre going to keep these for me, Tegeder said. In case anything ever happens to me, you can share them with my mother. Perrault's mother said she had been keeping close tabs on her since the domestic violence report, asking her to check in frequently by text message. The last message she received from Perrault was about a photo of her two sisters taken that weekend. She said they looked angelic. Were just trying our very best to piece everything together for her, Tegeder said. Because were the only voice she has. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Photograph: Bebeto Matthews/AP Macys announced on Tuesday that it will close 125 stores and axe 2,000 jobs, becoming the latest shopping giant to shutter shops amid a radical reordering of the retail landscape. The department store chain plans to exit weaker shopping malls and focus on opening smaller-format stores in strip malls. We are taking the organization through significant structural change to lower costs, bring teams closer together and reduce duplicative work, Jeff Gennette, Macys chief executive, said. The changes we are making are deep and impact every area of the business, but they are necessary. I know we will come out of this transition stronger, more agile and better fit to compete in todays retail environment. About 2,000 jobs will be lost at the companys headquarters in Cincinnati and its tech offices in San Francisco. The company estimates the cuts will save it $1.5bn by 2022. Macys is the latest mall anchor to announce sweeping cuts. Sears and Toys R Us are bankrupt and others, including JC Penney, have been closing stores. Retailers announced more than 9,300 stores in 2019, a new record, according to an analysis by Business Insider. Loss of sales to online retailers, particularly Amazon, has sped up the rate of closure. Last week Amazon announced it had had its best ever Christmas, making a profit of $3.3bn in the last three months of 2019. Macys executives will meet with investors in New York on Wednesday to outline their future plans. (Bloomberg) -- Two smartphone makers canceled events at the worlds biggest mobile technology showcase in response to the coronavirus outbreak, and organizers reinforced hygiene protocol for people still planning to attend. Delegates were warned to avoid handshakes and microphones will be changed for different conference speakers in an effort to avoid infections at MWC Barcelona, an annual event thats set to draw around 100,000 people from around the world to the Spanish city from Feb. 24 to 27. This years conference is supposed to be a launch pad for a renewed push on 5G devices. However, South Koreas LG Electronics Inc. said its withdrawing from exhibiting at the conference because most health experts advised against needlessly exposing hundreds of employees to international travel. Shenzhen, China-based ZTE Corp., which makes smartphones and wireless networking equipment, cited difficulties in traveling out of China while virus-containment restrictions are in place, and so its canceling its MWC press conference, though it will still send a delegation. The two companies usually occupy two of the largest, most central exhibition zones at the Fira Gran Via venue, and both were expected to contribute to an industrywide push to make the newest generation of networking and devices mainstream this year. ZTE plans to roll out a wide variety of new 5G devices and will keep its usual exhibition spot. LG, keen to match compatriot arch rival Samsung Electronics Co., maintains an outsize presence at the show even when it doesnt launch any major new products, and so its absence this year will be obvious to attendees. MWC brings together wireless and tech industry executives to talk shop and do deals. Crowds of gadget fans roam the vast LED-lit conference halls to check out the latest kit -- from smartphones and tablets to artificial intelligence and robots. The latest hygiene measures were announced on the MWC website by wireless industry lobby GSMA. It had already beefed up medical support at the event and stepped up its disinfection policy for catering areas, entrances and exits and public touch-screens in response to the coronavirus. Story continues Other Asia-based companies are closely monitoring the outbreak and may yet alter their plans, however many are sticking to their existing programs. - Huawei Technologies Co., based in Shenzhen, is considering a range of options which include leaving its current plans unchanged, flying executives from China to Spain early, or even canceling travel plans altogether, said a U.K.-based spokesman. - Lenovo Group Ltd., parent of Motorola, says its MWC plans are still under discussion. - Xiaomi Corp. is sending its contingent to Barcelona as soon as possible and will make necessary adjustments accordingly, a spokesman said. - Samsung, Oppo, Microsoft Corp. and MediaTek Inc. representatives all said their companies are preparing for MWC as planned. Read more: Virus Outbreak May Halve China Phone Shipments in First Quarter Several major U.S. technology firms, including Qualcomm Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google, are also scheduled to participate and play big roles at this years conference. On its website, the GSMA says it continues to monitor and assess the potential impact of the coronavirus on its event and has implemented many measures to help to mitigate the spread of the virus and is continuing to add other actions regularly. (Updates with latest contingency measures in first and second paragraphs) --With assistance from Sohee Kim and Gao Yuan. To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Gurman in Los Angeles at mgurman1@bloomberg.net;Thomas Seal in London at tseal@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Thomas Pfeiffer at tpfeiffer3@bloomberg.net, Jennifer Ryan For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. NASHUA, N.H. Facing pressure to deliver a strong performance in New Hampshire next week after a likely third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Elizabeth Warren would not say Wednesday whether she needs an outright win in her neighboring state. To me, this isnt about the numbers as much as it is about the people, the enthusiasm, the Massachusetts U.S. senator told reporters following a campaign rally here. Im out here talking to people who are ready get in this fight and ready to make real change. Thats why Im here. Warren was among nine Democratic candidates for president were on the ground in New Hampshire, even as they continued to wait for final results from Iowa, where Democrats are still working to verify results more than 48 hours after the caucuses. Former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who holds a slim lead in Iowa's state delegate equivalents, took the time to knock the idea of tribalism within Democratic ranks. Sen. Bernie Sanders touted his lead in Iowa's popular vote and contrasted himself with President Donald Trump on the day he voted for Trump's removal from office. And after a likely fourth-place finish, former Vice President Joe Biden told a New Hampshire crowd "we took a gut punch in Iowa.' Women in the audience listen as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks at a campaign stop at Nashua Community College, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) The New Hampshire electorate in some way seems to be responding to what's happening in Iowa. A Suffolk University tracking poll of the state's presidential primary released late Wednesday saw Sanders leading, as he has for weeks. He had 25%. Buttigieg followed with 19%, seeing a jump of 8 points since Monday, while Biden was at 12%, down 6 points, and Warren was at 11%, down 2. All four candidates have at times led polls in New Hampshire. Warren started to slide in both national and state polls beginning in the fall, coinciding with a rocky rollout of her Medicare for All plan. At the same time Buttigieg saw his numbers skyrocket in New Hampshire. But since December, Sanders, the primarys other candidate in the progressive lane, had led consistently and he opened a wide margin in January. Story continues Warren framed her campaign's finish as being in the top three in Iowa, pointed to the long road ahead and touted her campaigns organization. Now weve landed in New Hampshire and were out here fighting for every vote in New Hampshire, and after this, weve got 55 more states and territories, she said. We already have on-the-field operations in 31 states and 1,000 people. This is an operation that is built for the long haul and Im loving every minute of it. Sanders confident in his Iowa standing Sanders won the 2016 New Hampshire Democratic primary by a large margin, has led polls here for weeks, and is expected to perform well in next week's primary. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of 1,000 people Tuesday for his first Granite State event after leaving Iowa. New Hampshire goes first in terms of primaries. You go first. The whole country will be watching," he told the crowd in Milford. "And a week from tonight, New Hampshire has the opportunity to tell not only this nation, but the entire world, that we together will stand for justice, for compassion and for children. Sanders held one event Wednesday before heading back to D.C. to vote in Trump's impeachment trial. He called it a "solemn day for the country." "The president's job is to bring people together," he told the crowd in Derry, according to the Eagle-Tribune. "Today, we have a president trying to divide us for clearly political gain. What we will do in the White House is exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing. We will end the divisiveness in this country and bring people together with an agenda that works for working people." He was bullish on his chances in Iowa, where he was winning the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses final realignment. In Iowa they have a complicated system and there's a realignment vote-we're winning that one as well, Sanders said, according to CNN. "We're going to have an equal number of delegates from Iowa going to the national convention. Buttigieg makes play for support from the middle Earlier in the day, Buttigieg, who emerged as either the first or second place finisher in Iowa, seemed to frame his politics as an alternative to the revolution-minded Sanders and the establishment Biden. We do not have to be tribal in our politics of the future," he said, addressing a youth environment town hall in Concord. "And in fact, in order to solve our big problems, were going to have to recognize that there are options somewhere in between a revolution and the status quo." He added: "In order to govern, as well as to lead, we've got to enlist the energies of people from my party, independents and some number of people who are accustomed to being in the other party." Biden: 'This isn't the first time ... I've been knocked down' During a campaign stop in Somersworth, New Hampshire, Biden made light of Iowa's vote counting problems Wednesday, but conceded the results have been a blow to his campaign. "At this rate, New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote," he quipped before adding, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch. But this isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down." Biden, who was in fourth place, had previously tried to put a more positive spin on his performances in the caucuses. "We had a good night last night in Iowa," he said Tuesday. "We think were going to come out of there really doing well. But be careful what you say, because it's not done yet." Biden also took aim at the likely top two finishers in Iowa, Buttigieg and Sanders, arguing both would be risky nominees to take on President Donald Trump. If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party, every Democrat in America up and down the ballot ... will have to carry the label Sen. Sanders has chose for himself, Biden said, according to the Associated Press. He calls himself a democratic socialist. Well, were already seeing what Donald Trump is going to do with that. Biden said he had great respect for Buttigieg but didnt think the nominee should be someone whose highest office is mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a city of about 100,000. Its a risk, to be just straight up with you, he said. Warren, speaking to a couple hundred voters inside a gym at Nashua Community College, did not stray from her standard stump speech, calling for big structural change to take on money and corruption in Washington. Our No. 1 job in November is to beat Donald Trump, Warren said. I am the best candidate to do that because I know how to fight and I know how to win. What does it take to win in November? The answer is, first, weve got to pull our party together. We cannot repeat 2016. Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison. Contributing: USA TODAY reporter Will Cummings, and the Associated Press. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Hampshire primary: Iowa caucus results leave Democrats spinning The compound works in the same way THC does when someone smokes marijuana. Like TCP, it latches on to cannabinoid receptors in the brain and interferes with their ability to communicate between neurons. However, THCP bounds 33 times stronger than THC does. Bengaluru, Feb 5 : The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services department is observing 83 people across the state under home isolation for coronavirus symptoms, a health official said on Wednesday. "We are observing 83 people across the state, including in Bengaluru, Tumkur and Mysuru, for coronavirus symptoms," the department's communicable diseases wing joint director Prakash Kumar told IANS. However, no positive coronavirus case has been reported from Karnataka yet. "The four Chinese people under watch for the disease left the country on January 30, without being affected by the disease," said Kumar. Interestingly, no individual in Karnataka is currently admitted to the hospital for coronavirus symptoms, Kumar confirmed. State Health and Family Welfare Services Commissioner Pankaj Pandey had on Tuesday convened a meeting of health officials to review the situation and reinforce coronavirus surveillance and control measures in the districts bordering Kerala as well as the entire state. Four Karnataka districts bordering Kerala -- Kodagu, Mangluru, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru -- have been put on high alert in the wake of positive coronavirus cases in Kerala. Starting January 20 till Wednesday, 10,184 passengers have undergone thermal screening for coronavirus at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). Of all the people screened at the airport, only three people had a history of visiting coronavirus epicentre Wuhan in China. In Bengaluru, flights arriving from China have been cancelled from February 1. According to a state Health and Family Welfare Services department bulletin, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus epidemic affecting 23 countries as an 'International Public Health Emergency'. Of the 74 coronavirus symptomatic samples sent for testing, 52 have been declared negative from the state. The 104 Arogya Sahayavani call centre, assigned to receive calls and provide guidance on coronavirus, attracted 1,012 calls thus far. "In case people with recent travel history to China and other affected countries develop any symptoms, they are requested to call 104 or health authorities and provide all necessary details in order to take precautionary measures and are requested to be home isolated," said the department. However, no passenger screened by the department is yet to complete the 28-day observation period. Globally, close to 500 people have already succumbed to coronavirus and more than 20,500 confirmed cases have been reported. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) At first, the two painters butting heads in "Two Truths," the latest show at Saint Rose's Massry Gallery, would seem to have almost nothing in common. Laylah Ali creates large blank spaces sparsely populated with slender, carefully honed figures that seem like upscale cartoon characters with attitude. And often with detachable heads. These careful gouaches come off as simple without being simplistic, and their content is driven by just a few indicators from the characters themselves. Kenny Rivero conjures up complex compositions that torture and detail broad surfaces, often with an array of painterly strategies, and with a penchant for darkness. They dive into psychological moodiness and visual invention and formal calculation. They feel like they are happening now, 2020, with an insight into some deep recesses of real New York City. Ali's taut work might be minimalist in concept, but the generalized points aren't easy to read. Rivero's complex work is more specific, and more accessible, at least provisionally. Ali's gouaches strikes me as illustrative, with probably all too clever ambiguity and detachment, saved by dry humor. Rivero's are more like involved scenes from life that we enter and experience with trepidation, with a slowly discernible impact that is intelligible and very much not detached but also mostly humorless. I did chuckle, however, at Rivero's 10-inch square "Bacon, Eggs, and Jesus." He puts you right on the street along a black brick wall where some of the title foods are painted on like graffiti stickers. A yellow sun glares above the wall, and in the corner a Christian cross is drawn on a chimney. I don't know whether this is at all autobiographical, but it feels like an individualized view of a neighborhood. It is expressive in a direct, modernist mode. Life in the city becomes more overwhelming in larger works like "It Happened on the Corner" where we seem to be witness to a crime or accident scene. A body lies on a dark sidewalk, hand to his mouth. Flames (made out of thick lava flows of paint) burst from near the body. In the rising smoke, all kinds of nightmarish phantasms mix. Angular chaos continues in the rest of the painting, almost obscuring two figures on the right, faces are looking anxiously to the distance. It is immersive and demanding. Fire, darkness, and isolation appear in many of Rivero's works. An aura of oppression and fear is made bearable, sometimes, by the appearance of flowers or with a ray of light. Mostly he has constructed a gloom that is safely observed standing in the gallery. He paints with exquisite control, with a freely illogical suggestion of space. And he shows an unhampered and tactile use of different kinds of media, often mixing oil and acrylic paint and sometimes adding actual collage elements. Turning to Ali's six works, there is a comic calm takes over. All are titled "Untitled" from a series called "Acephalous," meaning headless. They date from 2015, so if you want to apply current events to their wacky restraint, you'll have to think back five years. One piece, almost flippantly contrary to the series title, has three heads without bodies sitting in a row on the sand-colored ground. They are completely round and rather helpless as their eyes cast up to the blank pale blue sky. Another has a tall figure with its head removed, impaling with its pointed neck the striped body. A figure on the ground stretches in desperation and grabs the first figure by the leg. Both expressions show some kind of mild panic or surprise, and no wonder: things are quite wrong and yet only gently alarming, as if the disaster of modern life is expected and a bit entertaining if you just let go. These cartoon kinds of scenes operate without specificity. I don't think you can ever know what they mean, but you might find that they intuitively strike you as perfectly right. Co-curators Kathy Greenwood and Elizabeth Dubben write that "Two Truths alludes to our current socio-political climate and ways that perception motivates point of view." Artistically, from opposite corners, the painters do just that, and have slightly more in common than you'd think. William Jaeger is a frequent contributor to the Times Union. 88cz.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 18 Feb 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the 88cz homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the 88cz homepage on Twitter + the total number of 88cz followers (if 88cz has a Twitter account). 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Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE GBK DETECTED LANGUAGE SERVER lighttpd/1.4.20 OPERATIVE SYSTEM The language of 88cz.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for 88cz.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said no foreign country has the right to interfere in the internal matters of India, and this message should be sent out loud and clear. He said this in response to a mention by Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai of the resolution in the European Parliament against the amended citizenship act. Raising the issue in the House in the morning session, Desai suggested that a resolution should be passed that India will not tolerate any interference from other countries in its internal matters. Naidu said no other country has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of India. "I want to make it very clear, as Chairman of the House and also as Vice President of the country, whatever issues are there, Indian Parliament is a sovereign authority to discuss and decide. "Outside countries have no right to interfere in our internal affairs," Naidu said, and added other countries should take care of their own respective matters. He wondered whether those countries would like if Indian Parliament discusses issues like Brexit. Six political groups of members of European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it discriminatory. The European Parliament had, however, decided not to conduct a vote on the resolution during its new session beginning March 2. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The second phase of the Economic Corridor (CPEC) will generate massive employment opportunities and help cash-strapped to upgrade its key industrial and agricultural sectors, Authority Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa has said. Bajwa, the former Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media wing, was appointed as the first chairman of the newly-established Authority in November last year. The $60 billion is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang province with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. Pakistan, China's all-weather ally, has also raised special forces to protect infrastructure projects as well as Chinese nationals working on CPEC-linked ventures. Bajwa, tweeting from his new Twitter handle for the first time on Tuesday, said the with across the board acceptability, is already bringing relief in energy and infrastructure sectors. "Time to gear up for phase-II which is envisioned to generate mass employment through more projects, mass industrialisation, agricultural and socio-economic uplift," Bajwa, who has also served as the commander of the Southern Command, tweeted. His tweets came a week after Prime Minister Imran Khan directed all concerned ministries to set goals for schemes and ensure inter-governmental coordination for early conclusion of the phase II of the multibillion-dollar project. The CPEC Authority was established through a presidential ordinance in October for coordination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure implementation of CPEC-related activities. Commenting on progress made so far in the project, Bajwa said nine projects have already been completed, producing 5,320MW electricity with the investment of $7.9 billion. The energy generating projects, he said, have provided jobs to 5,000 Pakistani citizens. The CPECA chairman added that eight more similar projects are being constructed to generate 4,470MW electricity with an investment of another $9.55 billion and would provide employment to over 15,000 Pakistanis. The United States has been critical of the CPEC projects in Senior US diplomat Alice Wells recently said there was no transparency in the projects undertaken under the CPEC in Pakistan and the firms blacklisted by the World Bank have got contracts under the $60 billion project, which will increase the cash-strapped country's debt burden. Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia who was on a four-day visit to Pakistan said that there was no transparency in the CPEC projects and Pakistan's debt burden was growing due to the Chinese financing. While reiterating the allegations against the CPEC, Wells said that companies blacklisted by the World Bank had got contracts in the CPEC. Commenting on her remarks, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad rejected the "negative propaganda" by the senior US diplomat against the CPEC. The Chinese embassy spokesperson said Wells' comments hold nothing new but were reflection of her speech in November, 2019, which was rejected by China and Pakistan. China had always requested the Chinese companies to operate according to local laws and regulations, the spokesperson said. Former President Trump blasts Sen. Mike Rounds in emailed statement Former President Donald Trump criticized South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds after Rounds said the 2020 election was fair on national television Sunday. French English Good morning, Please find below Capgemini Press Release issued today. Best regards, Priyanka Roy Global PR Manager | Group Marketing and Communications Mumbai Mob.: + 91 (0) 9004541119 Email: priyanka.a.roy@capgemini.com ________________________________ Press contact: Priyanka Roy Tel: + +91 900 454 1119 E-mail: priyanka.a.roy@capgemini.com Automotive industry set to accelerate smart factories investment with sights set on productivity gains of over $160bn Auto industry plans to make 44% of its factories smart in next five years but companies must also invest in skills and systems to take full advantage Paris, February 5, 2020 The automotive industry is motoring ahead of its peers in terms of smart factory adoption and is set to increase investment by over 60% in the next three years, resulting in productivity gains of more than $160bn, according to a new research report from The Capgemini Research Institute . The How automotive organizations can maximize the smart factory potential report tracks deployment of smart factories by automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers in 2019, compared to equivalent research from 2017/18. It found that both projected investment levels and productivity gains relating to smart factories are significant, but that only a minority of automotive firms are fully ready to take advantage through deployment at scale. Capgeminis analysis ranks 72% of automotive firms as novices1, compared to just 10% being frontrunners2 who are ready to realize the full potential of smart factories at scale (18% of OEMs were frontrunners vs. 8% of suppliers). Key points of the report include: Automotive industry has exceeded previous expectations on smart factory development In the last 18-24 months, 30% of factories in the industry have been made smart3; ahead of the 24% that executives said they had planned in 2017/18. Capgemini also found that almost half (48%) of executives believe they are making good or better than expected progress on their smart factory roadmap, compared to 38% who responded to this same question 18 months earlier. There are three primary reasons why we took up the smart factory initiative, says Dr. Seshu Bhagavatula, President, New Technologies and Business Initiatives at Ashok Leyland, one of the largest heavy vehicle manufacturers in India. The first is to improve the productivity of our old factories through modernizing and digitizing their operations. The second is to deal with the quality issues that are difficult for human beings to detect. And the third is to incorporate made-to-order or mass-customization capabilities. All these formed part of a massive internal strategic program called Modular Business Program. Automotive is moving faster than other industries In the next five years, the automotive industry has aggressive plans to convert further 44% of its factories into smart facilities, followed by 42% in discrete manufacturing, 41% in process industries, 40% in power, energy and utilities, and 37% in consumer products. This aggressive expansion is reflected in a 62% increase in the proportion of overall revenue the industry plans to invest in smart factories. Automotive companies will be investing into a combination of greenfield and brownfield facilities: 44% intend to take a hybrid approach, 31% to build brownfield factories (estimated to cost $4mn-$7.4mn per facility for a top-ten OEM), and 25% greenfield (at a cost of $1bn-$1.3bn per factory) considerably more expensive, but easier to make efficient by design. Investment in smart factories reflects a huge productivity opportunity By 2023, the research estimates that smart factories could have delivered a productivity gain in the region of $135bn (average scenario) to $167bn (optimistic scenario): an annual improvement of 2.8%-4.4%, and an overall productivity gain of 15.1%-24.1% for the industry as a whole by 2023. The potential for these gains is already being demonstrated by companies such as Mercedes-Benz Cars4, which has achieved a fourfold reduction in rejection rate on some key components through its use of advanced data analytics to create self-learning and self-optimizing production systems. Automotive companies have progressed better on their smart factory initiatives in the last two years and clearly plan to increase the pace of adoption from here onwards. Today, auto OEMs and suppliers are committing significant investment, and by 2023, we can expect these investments to pay off with organizations realizing annual productivity gains of at least 2.8% to 4.4%, said Markus Winkler, Global Head of the Automotive Sector at Capgemini. However to get there, auto firms must address gaps in the talent pool, technology strategy and organizational commitment to deploy at scale, and realize the full benefits offered by smart factories. While smart factories are a critical part of the Intelligent Industry, OEMs and suppliers must also focus on smart operations including smart asset management, smart supply chain and service management to completely unlock the potential of the various technologies. Gains are yet to be realized While the industry has set stiff KPI targets for its smart factories, these are a long way from being fulfilled: of the 35% productivity improvement target, just 15% has been achieved so far, and there has been only an 11% improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and reduced stocks/WIP, compared to targets of 38% and 37% respectively. This demonstrates that many initiatives are yet to be scaled fully. For automotive organizations to deploy smart factories at scale, the new report recommends them to set and commit to a vision, work hard to integrate IT solutions, and strengthen IT-OT convergence. Furthermore, they would need to build a talent base for the future and nurture a culture of data-driven operations. To access the full findings and report, click here . Report methodology For this report, the Capgemini Research Institute: Surveyed 100 automotive executives from large automotive OEMs and suppliers, 98 of which have existing smart factory operations, across eleven countries, with revenues of more than 1 billion US dollars. Conducted ten in-depth interviews with senior auto executives overseeing smart factory initiatives. About Capgemini A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of over 200,000 team members in more than 40 countries. The Group reported 2018 global revenues of EUR 13.2 billion. Visit us at www.capgemini.com . People matter, results count. About the Capgemini Research Institute The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgeminis in-house think-tank on all things digital. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was recently ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts. Visit us at https://www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute/ 1 The Novices cohort includes organizations that are not in a position to seize the smart factory prize. 2 Frontrunners are a high-performing cohort that outperforms all the other groups on all dimensions of smart factory transformation. 3 Smart factories leverage digital technologies to gain significant improvements in productivity, quality, flexibility, and service. Three key digital technologies enable the smart factory. Connectivity: for example, leveraging the Industrial IoT to collect data from existing equipment and new sensors. Intelligent Automation: for example, advanced robotics, machine vision, distributed control, drones. Cloud-Scale Data Management and Analytics: for example, implementing predictive analytics/AI. These digital technologies will also enable IT-OT convergence to support end-to-end digital continuity from design to operations (digital twin). 4 The smart factory: The completely networked value chain . Retrieved December 11, 2019 Attachments Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi committed a "fatal mistake" by revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in Muzaffarabad, Khan also alleged that Modi did it because he got mandate after using Pakistan as a scapegoat in election. "Modi made a fatal mistake, one that he could not step back from...He cannot go back from where he has taken India. The genie of Hindu nationalism is out of bottle and it cannot be put back," he said. Khan also claimed that the chain of events would "finally result in the independence of Kashmir." His remarks came as Pakistan observed the Kashmir Solidarity Day, with the top leaders extending their support to the Kashmiri people. The day is observed every year on February 5 by Pakistan. "It is my faith that Kashmir will become free after the August 5 action by Modi. If he had not taken this step, we would not have been able to highlight it to the world, he said, adding that it was "our duty" to inform the world about it. Indian abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. India has categorically told the international community that its move to scrap Article 370 was an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality. In his address, Khan also criticised Modi's statement to conquer Pakistan in 7-10 days. "No normal man can say such a thing," he said. Addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi, Modi last month said the Indian armed forces won't take more than a week-10 days to make Pakistan bite dust. Khan said that Pakistan should not give any opportunity to India to divert world's attention from Kashmir. "Either they will launch false flag operation or launch crackdown in Kashmir by using the threat of terrorism," he claimed. He said it was political and diplomatic fight, and Pakistan should avoid the trap laid by India. Khan once again talked at length about the RSS and linked it to Nazi philosophy. "Thrice I explained to (US President Donald) Trump the issue of Kashmir, he said. Khan also demanded immediate lifting of the restrictions and communications blackout in Kashmir. President Arif Alvi in his message said India by abrogating Article 370 has directly contravened the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his message reaffirmed Pakistan's unstinted political, diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiri people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SALEM, Ore. - A state senator told demonstrators opposed to a plan to build a natural gas pipeline and marine export terminal in Oregon that he expects the battle to go to the courts if the Trump administration tries to ram the project through despite a lack of state permits. Demonstrators gathered outside the Department of State Lands on Tuesday to thank its director, Vicki Walker, for refusing to grant another extension to Pembina, an energy company based in Calgary, Canada, for a decision on a removal-fill permit. The permit is required to dredge sediment out of Coos Bay, on Oregons southern coast, for the marine export terminal, and to construct a 230-mile (370-kilometre) feeder pipeline through and under waterways in southern Oregon. Pembina reacted by withdrawing its application for the state permit. Another state agency, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, has already denied a water quality certification for the proposed Jordan Cove natural gas export project. Jordan Cove said it is awaiting a final determination by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 13 before deciding how the company will proceed. The Trump administration in August proposed streamlining approval of gas pipelines and other energy projects by limiting states certification authorities under the U.S. Clean Water Act. State Sen. Jeff Golden, a Democrat and former river guide in southern Oregons Rogue Valley, told the several dozen red-shirted demonstrators that he sees a court battle on the horizon. I think the evidence is very clear that the strategy now for this project is to wholly ignore Oregon and its requirements and to have the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approve it, and somehow have the courts rule that that Oregon law, that quite clearly cant be preempted by the federal government, can be, Golden said. He spoke of a legal fight that almost certainly is coming, to uphold the law of the land and tell the Trump administration you dont get to cancel environmental safeguards all over this country on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. Supporters of the project, which would permit shipment of natural gas from the United States and Canada to Asia, said it would create local jobs. Opponents say it would ruin habitat and that the increased use of a fossil fuel would contribute to global warming. Mike Washburn, whose property near Coos Bay lies on the path of the proposed pipeline, said he hopes Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, will intercede. I hope the governor will protect Oregons authority to stop Jordan Cove even if the federal government decides to try to change the rules, Washburn told fellow demonstrators, who held signs depicting salmon, which environmentalists say are among fish species that would be hurt by the project. On Nov. 21, demonstrators occupied the governors office, demanding that she speak out against the Jordan Cove project. Brown declined to do so, saying she did not want to interfere in state processes. But she shared a letter that she sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opposing its attempts to remove the states authority in the permitting process. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, on Jan. 27 wrote to President Donald Trump, noting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had two vacancies. Wyden urged the president to appoint a full and bipartisan five-member commission before the agency rules on the Jordan Cove Energy Project. He said failure to do so would mean any decision could be interpreted as lacking full, fair consideration and therefore being politically motivated. ___ Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky [February 05, 2020] Pacific Prime Joins the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers Pacific Prime, a global group insurance specialist and employee benefits advisor, announced today that it has joined The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), the premier association for the top 200 commercial insurance and employee benefits intermediaries worldwide. With expansive reach, the Washington, D.C.-based CIAB fosters industry-wide relationships and engages lawmakers, regulators, and stakeholders to promote the interests of its members and the valuable role they play in the mitigation of risk for their clients. "Joining CIAB demonstrates our utmost commitment to offering businesses the best there is when it comes to group insurance and employee benefits," said Neil Raymond, CEO and Founder of Pacific Prime. In the light of Pacific Prime's growing client base in the US, the move to join CIAB is set to open new opportunities for the expanding insurance intermediary. "I feel honored to have joined such a comprehensive association of commercial insurance and employee benefits intermediaries. As our global expansion continues across the US, we look forward to creating new promising relationships and leveraging our 20 years' experience in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region to offer excellent group health plans, along with a plethora of employee benefits to our clients," adds Neil Raymond. "Being a recognized provider of cross-border employee benefits and commercial P&C coverage, Pacific Prime brings to the table valuable knowledge and mrket leadership in rapidly developing markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In Pacific Prime, brokers will find a reliable, knowledgeable, partner that understands the importance of outstanding client service, supported by strategic investments in effective client platforms and excellent internal expertise. I'm thrilled to welcome them to the CIAB and specifically to our working group," commented Tarun Chopra, CIAB's International Working Group Chair, and President and CEO of Clements. In addition to convening established marketplace meetings, CIAB provides its member firms with strategic resources to fuel their growth; from talent development programs and business operations support, to market intelligence and thought leadership. About Pacific Prime: Headquartered in Hong Kong, Pacific Prime is an award-winning health insurance and employee benefits brokerage that offers insurance solutions for companies, individuals, and families. Since 1999, Pacific Prime has grown to become one of the largest private health insurance intermediaries in the world, with 10 international offices including in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Singapore, Dubai, Mexico, the US, the UK, and the Philippines. To find out more about Pacific Prime, visit: https://www.pacificprime.com/ About The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers: The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers is the premier association for the top regional, national, and international commercial insurance and employee benefits intermediaries worldwide. Its mission is to promote the business growth of its members, market leaders that annually place 90% of U.S. commercial property/casualty insurance premiums and 60% of employer-provided benefits. The Council also publishes the award-winning industry publication, Leader's Edge. Founded in 1913, The Council is based in Washington, D.C. Learn more at https://www.ciab.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005030/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Apollo Tyres on Wednesday reported a 12.09 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 173.85 crore for the quarter ended on December 31, 2019, mainly due to sluggish demand from original equipment manufacturers. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 197.95 crore for the corresponding period of 2018-19, Apollo Tyres said in a BSE filing. Consolidated net sales declined to Rs 4,347.16 crore for the quarter under consideration as against Rs 4,655.36 crore for the same period year ago. "The last few quarters have really been challenging, in terms of demand, especially from the original equipment (OE) segment. Despite our good show quarter-on-quarter in the replacement segment in India, overall performance has got impacted due to the sluggishness in demand from OEMs," Apollo Tyres Chairman Onkar S Kanwar said. With green shoots of recovery visible in India, "we are hopeful of closing this fiscal on a positive note," he added. Shares of Apollo Tyres were trading at Rs 164.50 per scrip on the BSE, up 1.86 per cent over previous close. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House chamber on Feb. 4, 2020. Trump delivered his third State of the Union address on the night before the U.S. Senate is set to vote in his impeachment trial. (Leah Millis-Pool/Getty Images) Senators in Impeachment Trial to Vote Whether to Convict or Acquit President Trump One hundred senators will cast votes on Feb. 5 in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, bringing the months-long process to a close. The impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives started in September and culminated with the impeachment of Trump by the Democrat-controlled House in December. The impeachment trial started last month in the Republican-controlled Senate. Because a supermajority of 67 votes is required to convict Trump on the articles of impeachment, a conviction, or removal from office, is considered unlikely. Trump, 73, is expected to be acquitted in the vote, which will start at 4 p.m. Republicans hold the Senate 53-47. No Republicans in the House voted to impeach Trump and four Democrats either voted present or voted against at least one article. One of the four, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, later switched to the Republican Party over the impeachment push. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) talks to media after the closing arguments of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 3, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Trump was impeached for abuse of office and obstruction of Congress. Democrats say he acted inappropriately when in July he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into corruption allegations in the country surrounding Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden, 49, sat on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company, from 2014 to 2019. Joe Biden, 77, led U.S. policy in Ukraine for several years. In 2016, Biden said in 2018, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid from Ukraine unless the leadership ousted Viktor Shokin, a prosecutor who was probing Burisma. Shokin was forced to resign and the probe into Burisma was closed. Zelenskys administration re-opened the probe last year. Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing. Trump has also said he did nothing wrong. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) walks to the Senate Chamber after a break in the closing arguments of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 3, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Democrats tried to link a pause that Trump put on congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine to the requested investigations but struggled to substantiate a link between the two. Ukrainian and American officials, including Zelensky, have said Ukraine wasnt aware of the hold on the aid at the time of the phone call. Many Republicans have said Trump did nothing wrong. Some moderate Republican senators said that Trump acted wrongly but his actions didnt warrant impeachment. Trumps actions, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), 62, said on the Senate floor on Feb. 3, were shameful and wrong. But removing the president from office would be the political death penalty. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), 79, said during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press over the weekend that he would also vote to acquit. He said Trump would think twice after the presidents call with Zelensky was placed in the spotlight. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) walks through the Senate subway area during a break in impeachment proceedings, in the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again, said Alexander, who is retiring after this year. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), 67, days after she voted to call witnesses in the triala motion that fell 49-51said she would vote to acquit. I believe that the president has learned from this case, Collins told CBS News on Feb. 4. The impeachment by the House served as a pretty big lesson for Trump, Collins claimed. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future. Im voting to acquit. Because I do not believe that the behavior alleged reaches the high bar in the Constitution for overturning an election and removing a duly elected president, she said. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), 72, is believed to be the only Republican who could vote to remove Trump from office. Romney was expected to give a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday. Several Democrats could join Republicans in voting to acquit Trump but none have so far said they would. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selling the country's public sector undertakings (PSUs), taunting that he might even sell the Taj Mahal ' title=' Taj Mahal '>Taj Mahal or Red Fort. The Congress leader also dared the BJP leaders to raise the slogans in favour of India in Pakistan as party's Jangpura assembly constituency candidate Tarvinder Singh Marwah did 15 years ago. He also hit out at Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying they were not interested in jobs for youngsters, but were keen on making one Indian fight with each other for staying in power. Training his guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Gandhi said both had an aim to spread hatred in the society, something the Congress could never do. Addressing rallies in Delhi's Jangpura and Sangam Vihar assembly constituencies for party candidates, Marwah and Poonam Azad, respectively, he said: "Modiji gave a good slogan of Make in India, but he did not set up a single factory in last five years." "Indian Oil, Air India, Hindustan Petroleum, Railways, energy are now up for sale and in the coming days, even the Red Fort or Taj Mahal ' title=' Taj Mahal '>Taj Mahal can be put for sale," he said. Attacking the BJP leaders for raising the issue of nationalism, the Gandhi scion said: "These days, BJP people talk about nationalism and patriotism and they keep talking about Pakistan. But he (Marwah) is such a leader who went to Pakistan and raised slogans in support of India. He was also jailed there." "Show me a BJP leader who can go to Pakistan and raise slogans for India. Not like Modi, who shouts slogans amidst tight security," he added. Slamming the AAP and the BJP in the city, he said that both these parties "don't work but do only marketing". Raising the issue of unemployment in India and in Delhi, Gandhi said: "Modiji talked about giving employment to two crore youth every year, jobs which none of them got. "What has the AAP done in the last 5 years for unemployment? Unemployment has grown in Delhi." "They are only bothered about how to make people fight among themselves. Entire world wants to invest in india. But now they see hatred, violence, rape, murder. In the last five years, wherever you see everyone talks with hatred. This is not our history, our country, the land of love and peace," he said "They talk about Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, but they have no knowledge of religion. No religion talks about suppressing people of other religions. Which brand of Hinduism is it..of Modi and RSS? Hinduism talks of connecting everyone and take everyone forward. Guru Nanak also taught of taking everyone along with love and humility. He targeted the Prime Minister for raising the "Pakistan and terrorism" issues in his speeches. "The Prime Minister says I only speak lies, that I only talk about Pakistan and terrorism, but will not talk about employment because I don't have the guts to give jobs to the youth. "What Modiji says is: We don't want to give them jobs, we only want to divide the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian. And I want to destroy the unity, I want a new India with violence, hatred, cases of rape, unemployment. I am Narendra Modi and I don't need old India'." "Can a man who makes two patriots fight be a patriot or nationalist?" Gandhi asked, adding that the prevailing atmosphere of hatred, violence against women in the country is also not benefiting the country. He said the world says that they want to make "Make in India" a success, but for that, they want the old India, where there was love and humility. "A divided, full of hatred India cannot compete with China." "To build a country a vision and thought is required," he said. Reminding the gathering about the developmental work done by former Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit in the capital like the Metro, infrastructure, roads and flyovers, Gandhi said the Congress manifesto proposal of spending 25 per cent of the budget will go for the works to curb air pollution and towards acquiring 15,000 electric buses. Congress leader Digvijay Singh said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the government should take into confidence the people who are protesting against the CAA and NRC at Shaheen Bagh here and hold talks with them to defuse tension. While participating in the debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, he also urged the government to take back the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and clearly tell the people that NRC and NPR would not be implemented. He was of the view that there is a "crisis of confidence" in the country and the government should take steps to end the social unrest. "If you want to resolve this issue then please take back CAA. Take people into confidence. If you want to defuse tension then clearly say that you will not implement NRC and NPR," he said. "If you want to end social unrest then please listen to Murli Manohar Joshi who has asked for sacking of Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University immediately. You have to take steps to deal with this crisis of confidence in the country to end this issue," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. Singh said that discourse in the foundation of democracy. "There are people who are sitting on dharna on the issue especially in Shaheen Bagh. What is the problem in discussing the issue with them. You discuss the issue with them. There is a crisis of confidence along with crisis of credibility." He said that unity in diversity is the strength of the country and claimed that "humanity is now in danger". Singh also raised the issues of economic slowdown, unemployment, corruption and fake currency. Echoing similar views, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said, "Your leaders don't trust you (BJP MPs). Forget about others. I urge you to suspend CAA." He told the House,"there were Muslims who went to Karachi after Partition and were treated like second class citizen. They came back to India. Now they are also persecuted minorities."He also alleged that government is not following the principles of social justice enshrined in the Constitution of India by Dr B R Ambedkar. About the reservation for deprived classed in jobs, he said that the government has recruited 10 joint secretaries (JS) by passing Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and "they all from upper caste." He explained that had the 10 JS been recruited through UPSC, then deprived classes would have got reservation. He accused the government of avoiding reservation in jobs by going ahead with outsourcing in various government departments, ministries and undertakings. AIADMK member Vijila Sathyanath also participated in the debate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tullow Oil looks set to shut its Dublin office, with the loss of 55 jobs as part of a major global restructuring by the oil and gas explorer. Staff numbers in Ireland are already well down on the 140 who worked here five years ago, but the move would sever ties with Tullows country of origin. The company was founded here in 1985 by Aidan Heavey and first listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. Staff at the Irish office are now mainly geology and technical specialists working on exploration prospects - an area the company is pulling back from as it seeks to maximise the return on existing assets. The company is Irelands most successful oil venture ever, it was valued at as much as $14bn in its heyday, but the market capitalisation stood at around $900m this week while its debt pile was around $2.8bn at the end of 2019. Tullows output this year is expected to shrink to 75,000 barrels per day this year and to 70,000 bpd from 2021. Thats down from 87,000 a day - and production for the following three years will hover around the bottom of that range. In the past year, technical difficulties have hampered output in Ghana, while projects in Uganda and Kenya have faced delays, and results from wells in Guyana missed expectations. It is not in immediate danger from its borrowings, but it will have to navigate a way to pay down medium-term debt maturing in 2021 and 2022. The companys latest plan is to cut a third of staff in a bid to slash administrative costs by a fifth, or around $20m. The move would shrink Tullow, which industry sources told Reuters is looking to sell its Kenya projects once vaunted as a growth engine for the group, to a workforce of around 650 people and come alongside pay and hiring freezes, the source said. Tullow confirmed a consultation process, which precedes any job cuts, had begun. Tullow estimates that the measures will deliver considerable savings and the groups workforce may reduce by approximately a third globally with potential office closures in Dublin and Cape Town among a number of measures to reduce costs and overheads, the spokesman said. The Cape Town as well as Dublin office is focused on exploration, an area where Tullow is halving its spending to around $75m. It is also cancelling its $100m dividend plans. Across the group, senior management jobs also face cuts of around a third, the source added. Tullow has yet to announce a new chief executive after the surprise resignation of Paul McDade in December. Tullows share price plummeted 64pc last year. It targets free cash flow of $150 million this year at an oil price of $60 a barrel LCoc1. Tullow has pushed back its full-year results to March 12, when further details of its restructuring are expected. Executive Chair Dorothy Thompson has said the announcement of a new CEO might come after that date. (Additional reporting Reuters) There is something to childhood memories. They keep coming back to us to remind us who we are and to keep us in touch with our real selves. Delhi based artist Dashmeet Singh also did something similar. He revisited those memories and thats what his art is all about. Whether it is your nani doing chumpy for you (rubbing oil onto your long hair and massaging it) or playing jhootei maiyya (A traditional Punjabi childhood rhyme, where the parents or grandparents sing to the kids while they act like a human swing carrying the children), they are some of the fondest memories you have of growing up. Recreating these very remembrances through comics on Instagram is Delhi based artist, Dashmeet Singh. One would immediately equate Dashmeet with Dalbir Singh, who in the year 2007 started the now cult SikhPark series, which he had begun to create awareness about Sikhs in the US, who were being targeted post the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They were being targeted because of the turbans they wore, which were also worn by members of the Taliban. However, his comics would also put a humorous lens on everyday situations taking place in Punjabi households, from butter chicken to the thathas (cloth used to set and style the beard). We spoke with Dashmeet, asking him about what made him start the comics, the response from the Sikh community and whether SikhPark inspired him or not. How did you come up with the idea of this particular comic? I started sketching and painting in the 11th standard after seeing Sharan Art (Sharandeep Singh) on Facebook. I was amazed at how beautifully one can put their ideas and thoughts into paintings. I had opted for Medical Science and in my free time, I used to watch YouTube tutorials to learn how to sketch and paint. I would also ask my mother to teach me a few basics as she was into fine art. I ended up losing my focus in studies and my grades were affected, after which I joined an Engineering college named Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology (GTBIT) instead of pursuing my career in Medical Sciences. Meanwhile, I got an opportunity to work with the NGO Akal Network, and made a few digital paintings for their Free Langar Sewa, they named it Stall On Wheels. The idea was to distribute the langar of knowledge through the medium of art. As time passed by, I created a lot of paintings, majorly on Sikh narratives. I always wanted to portray the events of my daily life through my artwork, but because I was more into paintings, it was not possible to create stuff on a daily basis so I started making quick rough sketches and making portraits of random people travelling in the metro to improve and manage my work speed. Later I got to know about the work of Alicia Souza on Instagram and was mesmerised by her work. She talks about her life through daily comics on Instagram. I wanted to do the same for myself, but because I am an introvert I was afraid to share the details of my daily life with others. Then I came up with the idea to create comics which are based on daily life, but not specific only to me, to which everyone can relate. So the character I portray in my comics is myself. I also realised that there is no Sikh, in my knowledge, who documents their life in the form of comics. Now I am keener on documenting my life instances and soon will be coming up with more comics so that when someone sees it they can relate to it on first sight and say - Oh this is me! Did SikhPark inspire you? I have seen his work in my initial days, but no, SikhPark didnt inspire me. Is there anyone else like this in India? Gurnain Kaur (instagram - @thequotepotpourri) is the one I know who does illustrations based on her life, which portrays Sikh characters. Also @desipun1, who I recently connected with via Instagram. What other topics do you touch upon via your art? I mostly do portraits on imagination and life, apart from illustrations on love, inclusiveness, self-love, Sikh values, oneness etc. What kind of response have you got from the Sikh community? I have received a lot of love and appreciation from the Sikh community and other communities as well. It makes me happy when someone shares my work and along with that says it is relatable to them. I have received messages telling me that they were going through a bad day and then they saw the comics, it made their day and made them laugh, as they imagined themselves at the same moment. The author tweets at @shadowwarior and can be reached at kabir.bhandari@htdigital.in and Instagram.com/kabirsinghbhandari Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sisters Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton Rothschild turned heads while stepping out in coordinating red and black ensembles on Wednesday in NYC. The famous siblings beamed on their way to their Today Show appearance in the matching looks, which showed off their stunning figures and striking resemblance. Paris, 38, donned a signature pair of over-sized shades and a short black and red patterned dress while her younger sister, 36, opted for a sleek red suit, snakeskin heels and a silk black tank. Sister act: Sisters Paris Hilton, 38, and Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 36, turned heads while stepping out in in coordinating red and black ensembles on Wednesday in NYC while heading to the Today Show Fun with family: Here Paris, left, is seen with Nicky, on the Today show The former Simple Life star sported waist-length blonde hair and kept her look classy with a pair of black tights, a high neckline and a pair of stud earrings. While sitting down with hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush, the successful businesswomen were happy to discuss their strong bond and excitement to walk together for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection on Wednesday evening. The entrepreneurs teased their upcoming appearance by already rocking the sizzling shade and even shared some details about their catwalk scheduled for later that day. Girl talk: Hoda Kotb asked Paris about her empire and the star said she was releasing her 25th fragrance Electrify. Since launching in 2004, her perfume collection has sold over $2 billion Stunner: The former Simple Life star sported waist-length blonde hair and kept her look classy with a pair of black tights, a high neckline, heels and simple stud earrings 'There's no one I'm closer to than my sister,' Paris said of Nicky on the Today Show After Nicky dropped the news that her and Paris are sharing the stage, which they've done before, the mother-of-two spilled they would be strutting to Lizzo's massive hit Good As Hell. 'There's no one I'm closer to than my sister,' Paris said on the talk show, while looking at Nicky. When the sisters were asked who had the best closet, their choice was quick and unanimous. Dynamic duo: Ahead of their appearance on Today, the girls posed for selfies at Nicky's New York apartment on their social media and encouraged fans to tune in 'She's wearing my clothes right now, an old Diane von Furstenberg,' Nicky pointed out, as her sister nodded approvingly. 'I love your style,' Paris said, before Nicky added that the reality star is always borrowing her clothes. When the topic turned to balancing work and motherhood, Nicky explained she's 'picky' about the projects she takes because they require a lot of time, travel and energy. Boss babe: As for being taken seriously at work, the fashion designer added: 'When I'm in a board room, it's a completely different Paris' Paris, who just released her 25th fragrance, joked that she is the 'best aunt' and loves spoiling Nicky's kids. As for being taken seriously at work, the fashion designer added: 'When I'm in a board room, it's a completely different Paris.' Ahead of their appearance on Today, the girls posed for selfies at Nicky's New York apartment on their social media and encouraged fans to tune in. CLEVELAND, OhioA statewide coalition of public health, healthcare and educational organizations today released a plan to eliminate childhood lead exposure in Ohio homes by 2030. The Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition is pushing the state to invest more in preventing poisoning instead of reacting once blood tests show a child has already been poisoned. They hope to accomplish this in part by expanding existing lead cleanup efforts so that more homes can be made safe, resurrecting the states empty lead poisoning prevention fund and mapping out how to replace Ohios estimated 650,000 public and private water lines that contain lead. A state-level prevention plan is necessary because Ohios existing piecemeal approach is insufficient to protect Ohio children from exposure to lead, said Gabriella Celeste, co-chair of the coalition and policy director at Case Western Reserve Universitys Schubert Center for Child Studies. The coalition hopes to capitalize on the Governors early efforts and public commitments to comprehensively address lead poisoning in Ohio. This is a statewide issue, Celeste said, noting some rural Ohio counties have among the highest levels of lead in the state. If people only see this as a Cleveland, Toledo or urban issue, were missing the opportunity to seize this political moment for the benefit of all of our kids. Blaine Griffin, city council Health and Human services committee chair, said implementing policy at the state level also takes some of the pressure off of cities like Cleveland, which have a disproportionate burden of lead poisoning cases. When everybodys working together it doesnt isolate cities as much and make them as responsible for dealing with these issues, Griffin said. This is a problem that happens everywhere, all over the state. Griffin is speaking today at a Columbus convening sponsored by state coalition, in part, to share Clevelands experience of building political will and community partnerships to move to a prevention model. The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition helped pass a lead safe rental mandate in the city but also is working to coordinate health, housing and education, workforce and research efforts. Similar to Cleveland, the state coalition is suggesting a one touch approach that streamlines access to available remediation funding and grants for home repairs and weatherization and, at the same time, suggests directing state resources to build and train a workforce to reduce hazards during renovations and eliminate lead hazards in homes. There are some aspects of the coalition plan that can be implemented quickly, Celeste said. These include increased funding to allow expansion of the states Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) lead abatement program, which Ohio has been using to clean up homes with identified lead hazards where Medicaid-eligible children live or spend significant time. They can put more money into that budget now in order to address the houses that are currently on the waiting list, for cleanup, Celeste said. I dont know why wed wait, frankly, to do that. In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a plan that eased restrictions for accessing $10 million in federal CHIP, by eliminating requirements for property owner contributions and proof of homeowners insurance and by expanding eligibility to homes where low-income children or pregnant woman spend time, like home-based day cares and relatives homes. Other aspects of the plan will take more time, such as shifting the states rental registry from voluntary to mandatory, and identifying other public funding to replace all of the states residential lead service lines, Celeste said. The plan calls for a ban of existing lead service lines by the end of 2025 but allows for delayed enforcement until 2035, for example. Were not trying to say that these things can be done overnight, she said. The plan also calls for specific supports for thousands of young children who have already been exposed to lead, a toxin which can cause damage that affects learning and behavior. That includes access to developmental and neuropsychological testing and referrals to programs with high-quality education and behavior services. Last fall, the Governors Lead Advisory Council, which includes some members of the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition, began meeting monthly to come up with recommendations for the states response to lead poisoning. The council should have a final report and recommendations this summer, according to the Governors office. Celeste said the coalition wanted to have its plan done in time to have it in front of the council as it meets and forms its recommendations. We believe the administration is genuinely looking for ways to protect kids, she said. If nothing else we hope that by putting this vision out there its both challenging and encouraging our state leaders to embrace true prevention more fully. Read the full plan here or below. The coalitions plan consists of nine areas for action: 1. Help homeowners and landlords eliminate lead hazards; 2. Make rental housing lead-safe; 3. Protect children from lead during renovation and demolition; 4. Disclose lead hazards and engage Ohioans; 5. Empower schools and early learning programs to keep children lead-safe; 6. Remove lead from drinking water; 7. Build a strong lead workforce; 8. Research new ways to protect children from lead; 9.Improve supports for children exposed to lead. Read more recent stories on lead poisoning prevention efforts: CHN Housing Partners, Environmental Health Watch picked to run Lead Safe Home Fund, Resource Center Cleveland, local foundations commit $8.1 million to Lead Safe Home Fund and Resource Center Gov. Mike DeWine lays out plans, including a tax credit, to combat childhood lead poisoning in Ohio The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have convened in a joint meeting to discuss and vote on a motion of censure tabled by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) after Government passed legislation on two-round mayoral elections by assuming responsibility. The meeting is led by Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu, who has announced that 350 parliamentarians are in attendance.Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and the members of his cabinet are also there.Under a decision of the Standing Bureaus the Government will have 60 minutes to talk, and the floor groups in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate as follows: PSD - 34 minutes, the National Liberal Party (PNL) - 18 minutes, the Save Romania Union (USR) - 7 minutes, Pro Europa - 4 minutes , the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) - 5 minutes, the People's Movement Party (PMP) - 2 minutes, the National Minorities Group - 3 minutes, non-affiliated lawamkers - 6 minutes.The censure motion "Orban / PNL government - privatisation of Romanian democracy" was signed by 208 PSD and UDMR lawmakers.According to the signatories, the Orban Government must be urgently dismissed both because its change in the electoral system shortly before the elections violates the European standards, and because the adoption of such changes was made unilaterally, without consultation and debate, by the power assuming responsibility."The Constitutional Court has already told you, in its two rulings of January 29, 2020, that you are going the wrong way. That it is an abuse of power to come up with assuming responsibility for bills already under parliamentary procedure. That PNL seriously violates the Fundamental Law! Mr.Orban, you have opened a Pandora's box that may have tragic repercussions on all Romanians in the future. Democratic rules are not optional!," reads the motion."You cannot be in power and change the electoral law out of short-term interest, a few months before the election, to create an advantage for yourself. It is an obvious abuse of power. An abuse that blatantly violates the Romanian Constitution and standards of good practice defined by the Venice Commission and shared by all the member states of the European Union. We do not believe any of you wants to be a party to such abuse. (...) So, dear colleagues, given PNL's desire to privatise democracy in Romania, please support this censure motion! Romania's oath is not eastbound. Do not let them take Romania on that road!"In order for the motion to prevail, 233 lawmakers have to vote for it. The vote on the motion of censure will be secret.According to the Constitution, the Government may assume responsibility before the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, in joint sitting, upon a programme, a general policy statement, or a bill. The Government shall be dismissed if, after assuming responsibility, a motion of censure is tabled and adopted. If the Government has not been dismissed, the bill presented, amended, or completed, as the case may be, with the amendments accepted by the Government, shall be deemed as passed. Lucknow, Feb 5 : Emphasising India will a defence manufacturing powerhouse in the coming years, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government has adopted a new strategy known as 3P strategy which stands for Policy, Production and Partnership. "We are focusing on this and it help us to make India a manufacturing hub," he said at the inaugural ceremony of the 11th edition of Defence Expo 2020. Welcoming all the stakeholders, Rajnath Singh said, "As Defence Minister and also the parliamentarian from here, let me once again welcome you to Lucknow, a city with a rich cultural heritage. It represents the best of Indian traditions of hospitality, as encapsulated in the ancient Sanskrit saying 'Atithi Devo Bhava'." The minister stressed that in an era of a fast-evolving technological space, the spirit of Partnership and Production will take flight on the wings of innovation and foresight. "Science and technology are making rapid strides into completely new domains that will change the character of future wars and battlefield conditions," he said, adding that everyone should see the future of India by going into it. The emphasis on technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Virtual Reality, Autonomous Systems, Internet of Military Things and Industry is a reflection of the priorities of India, the minister said. He also said that the growth of defence production and export of Make in India platforms is well and truly underway. "Today, we have gathered here some of the best innovators, engineers, scientists and technical experts from around the world," he said. He expressed that as a responsible power, India also believes that the export of defence equipment should not seek to create strategic dependencies but instead should meet the legitimate needs of the importing nation and contribute to the cause of peace and security. The minister pointed that supply chains today not work at the local level but are going global everywhere. "We realise that in an increasingly globalised world, no company or country can work in isolation based only on its indigenous and inherent strengths. Cooperation is a key element in defence manufacturing." Rajnath Singh pointed that due to the policy initiatives taken by the government, India has moved from a buyer-seller relationship to partnerships with countries around the world. "We are committed to enhancing our defence production through the combination of Make in India and the Offset policy. This aims at integrating India's defence industry with major foreign OEMs, thereby providing Indian companies an opportunity to produce world-class components," he said, noting that Indian defence exports have risen from $0.66 billion in 2017-2018 to $1.47 billion in 2018-2019. "The Indian private sector is playing an increasingly important role in this endeavour," the Defence Minister said. Rajnath Singh also said that in the last five years, full emphasis was given to the programmes for the development of a new India and in this regard, work has been done with great sincerity and dedication. "We have established two defence corridors - oneAeach in Uttar Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu. This reflects the vision of developing all the aspects of our defence industrial eco-system in one place and developing it as a cluster, which will be of great benefit to us in times to come," he said. He also said that single window clearance has been set up for the industries. "Alongside, we have made improvements in infrastructure development, skilling manpower and advancing connectivity," he said. "As part of our efforts to unleash the potential in defence production, we have liberalised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap to 49 per cent through the direct route, and above that up to 100 per cent through the government route," he said. Rajnath Singh also stressed that Defence Expo India 2020 is unique in many ways, as it aims to integrate innovators and the manufacturers, the public and private sector, and the indigenous and foreign original equipment manufacturers in a manner that has never been attempted before. He appealed to the delegates, "I can promise you on behalf of the Indian government that we will provide the necessary opportunities and conditions for the youth to be part of innovation in defence manufacturing." AUBURN A 32-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday in Cayuga County Court to two years in prison for strangling a woman and injuring her neck. "I put my hands around her neck, squeezed and caused physical injury," he said during that court proceeding. The original charge was amended from strangulation causing loss of consciousness to strangulation causing stupor with injury, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said during Brown's sentencing on Tuesday. Defense attorney Rome Canzano listed measures Brown took since his arrest, including attending Cayuga Counseling Services' RESPECT program for domestic violence offenders and volunteering with Nick's Ride 4 Friends. About a dozen of Brown's family members were present for the sentencing, when he delivered an emotional statement to the court. "The lessons I've learned over the last seven months have been invaluable to me," he said. He learned about "multiple avenues" he could've taken to avoid the offense, Brown said, fighting back tears. "The court can be confident that I won't re-offend," he said, after a pause. At the time of the incident, Brown suffered from depression and an alcohol addiction but has been sober since that night, Canzano said. Budelmann said at the beginning of the proceeding that Brown's pre-sentence report had "both good and bad" information, but that Brown took good steps while his case was being litigated. Judge Mark Fandrich imposed the two-year prison sentence with two years of post-release supervision, which both the prosecution and defense requested. An order of protection for the victim extending to 2030 was also issued, and Brown was ordered to pay a $325 surcharge. Brown signed paperwork to indicate that he didn't intend to appeal the outcome. Also in court: In separate proceedings, two Auburn co-defendants in a felony marijuana sale case were sentenced to five-year terms of probation. The indictment accuses the defendants of three sales, but they each admitted to one sale in satisfaction of all the charges. Budelmann asked Fandrich to give 25-year-old Bishop Prenatt the agreed-upon sentence of five years on probation, but said he felt Prenatt's comments in the pre-sentence report "minimizes" his involvement in the crime. "I think he's referencing that he's already made a number of improvements in his life," defense attorney John Price said of Prenatt's comments. Prenatt was also ordered to pay $273 in two months. During his sentencing, McLeod confirmed to Fandrich he knew his actions were illegal. "At that point in time, I was young and dumb," he said. Fandrich also vacated 20-year-old McLeod's conviction, replacing it with a youthful offender adjudication. Budelmann requested the terms of his probation include a total ban on using social media because McLeod organized sales through Facebook messenger. After hearing from Probation Director Jay DeWispelaere that he was unsure if it could be enforced because it might be "overly broad," Fandrich ultimately prohibited McLeod from using social media for illegal behavior. McLeod was also ordered to pay $360 in restitution. A Liverpool man who was arrested in a New York State Police sting pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felonies. Jerrad Hoey, 40, of 114 Dorando Way, admitted to attempting to have sexual intercourse with a person he believed to be younger than 15 years old, but was actually an undercover state police officer, and sending a picture of a penis to someone he believed would send it to a minor. He sought to meet a minor May 17 at or near the Town of Brutus, according to a copy of his indictment. Hoey was promised a sentence of shock probation, which will entail six months in the Cayuga County Jail followed by 10 years of probation supervision. He received the conditional sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to the class E felonies of second-degree attempted rape of an actor younger than 17 years old and first-degree attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor. Without the bargain, Hoey would've faced a maximum of four years in prison for attempted rape and 1.3 to 4 years for the dissemination charge. His sentencing is scheduled for April 28. A 17-year-old from Cayuga County was arraigned on a felony and a misdemeanor. He entered not guilty pleas to the class D felony of second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor. Defense attorney Simon Moody said they would make an application for the case to be adjudicated in Cayuga County Youth Part, a specialized court to handle offenders younger than 18. Staff writer Mary Catalfamo can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or mary.catalfamo@lee.net. Find her on Twitter @mrycatalfamo. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 3 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the PM does not want the youth to get employment as it works like oxygen for his politics. Addressing a poll rally in Chandni Chowk in old Delhi, Gandhi said there was no need for the prime minister to give lessons on nationalism and he should explain why was he not able to provide employment to the youth. Gandhi said before Modi came to power in 2014, there was no Hindu-Muslim divide in the country from 2004-2014 but then "he comes from Gujarat and spreads poison". "The youth now does not know what he has in store for the future. He has fear in his heart. Narendra Modi does not want the youth to get employment because unemployment is oxygen for his politics," he said. Taking a dig at the BJP, Gandhi said patriotism was to fight with the British and make India prosperous through white revolution, green revolution, information and technology revolution. "Now, the real patriotism is to provide employment to the youth and I will fulfill it," he said. The challenge before the country was how to get employment which only Congress could address, Gandhi asserted. "Youth wants employment but Narendra Modi gets the same youth beaten up and shot with bullets. Soon we will see the countrymen asking Modi step aside. "Neither Modi nor the chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) will speak on employment," he said. Gandhi said that due to communal discord in the country, India was losing a lot of investments as the world was watching what was happening here. "People have seen India as a country of love and peace and Pakistan as a country full of hatred and anger, but now people are seeing India as a country with violence, hatred and divide. The nation cannot progress if it thrives on hatred," he said. Both Modi and Kejriwal, Gandhi said, talked about eradicating corruption but the entire country knew that this did not happen. Taking a dig at Modi's 'Pareeksa pe Charcha', in which he addresses students to beat exam related stress, Gandhi said the prime minister should first show his degree. Gandhi said Modi and Kejriwal try to teach patriotism to the youth but there was no need for it. "The politics of Modi and Kejriwal revolves around hatred. The only funda (strategy) of Modi and Kejriwal is to divide people," he said. Addressing another rally in east Delhi's Kondli ahead of the February 8 Assembly polls, Gandhi said it was Congress's 15-year tenure, from 1998 to 2013, in the national capital that gave the city its modern infrastructure such as the metro service. Recalling Congress's rule under Sheila Dikshit, he said the late three-time chief minister never complained or gave excuses like Kejriwal. "Sheila ji never complained," Gandhi said, apparently referring to the bickering between the Centre and the AAP government in Delhi. He said Modi and Kejriwal might have relations with Delhi in last five years but Congress' link with Delhi is emotional in nature. Slamming Home Minister Amit Shah, he exhorted people not to listen to his speech st it was nothing but "trash". He added the speeches of Modi and Kejriwal were nothing but "lies". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Model Lauren Marie Young described in explicit detail how Harvey Weinstein had a 'disgusting'-looking penis that appeared to be 'cut and sewn back on' and appeared to have no testicles at his rape trial today. The 30-year-old is the film producer's sixth and final accuser to testify at his trial and claims he masturbated in front of her in a hotel bathroom in February 2013 after they met up to discuss a script she was writing. On Wednesday Young described the film honcho's naked body saying: 'His body was hairy, it had moles on his rolls, a disgusting looking penis.' 'It had looked like it had been cut and sewn back on, not a normal looking scar from circumcision. Something didnt look normal and I remember noticing that and I didnt notice balls in the sack. I just saw a penis,' she added. Young teared up as she alleged Weinstein's friend, Mexican model Claudia Salinas, closed the door of the hotel bathroom to trap her inside with the producer, making it impossible for her to escape. On Tuesday jurors were given naked photos of Weinstein to corroborate key witness Jessica Mann's description of his body. She claimed he appeared to be deformed, had no testicles, had severe scarring, and appeared to be intersex. In a dramatic moment the court was shown the lace dress Young claimed she wore the night of that alleged assault. The dress may be sent for DNA testing for evidence in the case against Weinstein in Los Angeles, where the incident took place. Lauren Young, the final accuser in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, shared an explosive testimony on Wednesday. She claims that Weinstein masturbated in front of her and groped her breast in a Beverly Hills hotel bathroom in February 2013. Pictured leaving court Young, dressed in a gray suit and mustard turtleneck, covered her face as she left court on Wednesday The model tried cover her face as she left court. She's due to return Thursday to continue her cross-examination Harvey Weinstein pictured leaving court with attorney Donna Rotunno after his lawyers hammered accuser Lauren Young and pointed out inconsistencies in her testimony The movie mogul looked serious as he left Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday after Young's lengthy testimony. Weinstein pictured holding onto a railing at the front steps of the courthouse Young's testimony follows the exhaustive three-day testimony and cross-examination of key witness Jessica Mann, who said she also had sexual encounters with Weinstein Oscar week in 2013, and he allegedly raped her in New York a month later. Young, along with Dawn Dunning and Tarale Wulff who testified last week, are supporting witnesses who have been called to bolster the a case against Weinstein, though their accusations are not a part of the criminal charges Weinstein faces in New York. Young, wearing a gray suit and yellow turtleneck with her hair over her shoulders, testified Wednesday how Weinstein assaulted her at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills on February 19, 2013, just days before the Oscars ceremony. She said she first met Weinstein in February 2012 when she was invited by a friend to an Oscars party for Weinstein. She reportedly met Claudia Salinas there and told her about a script she was working on based on her life. Salinas gave her her e-mail address. A year later Salinas asked her to bring her script for a meeting with Weinstein at the hotel. 'I was excited. I got ready. I put on my best dress. I was excited to network and pitch my ideas,' Young said. Around 8pm she met Salinas in the lobby of the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills and had a gin and tonic while they waited for Weinstein to arrive. Lauren Young, the final accuser in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, took the witness stand Wednesday. She claims that Weinstein masturbated in front of her and groped her breast in a Beverly Hills hotel bathroom in February 2013 Young claims Weinstein assaulted her at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills (above) on February 19, 2013, just days before the Oscars ceremony Young teared up as she alleged Weinstein's friend, Mexican model Claudia Salinas, closed the door of the hotel bathroom to trap her inside with the producer and making it impossible for her to escape When he did they all chatted then Weinstein asked Young, 'What about America's Next Top Model?' Young said: 'I said I didnt want to be on reality TV. I was trying to transition into acting, reality TV wasnt what I wanted.' 'He said lets finish this conversation upstairs, I have to get ready to present an award with Quentin Tarantino. So I followed.' Young claims Mexican model Claudia Salinas (above) invited her to meet with her and Weinstein about a script in February 2013 and Salinas trapped her in a bathroom with the producer where he allegedly masturbated in front of her Weinstein allegedly walked in front of her and Salinas behind as they went up to the hotel room, where he steered her to the bathroom. 'I walked in, saw the living room, I walked right and I kept walking and walked in through the bedroom and into the bathroom, following Harvey,' Young said. 'At that point I was wondering where we were headed.' Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast asked: 'Did you know you were going into the bathroom?' Young said: 'No I did not.' She said once in the bathroom, the door closed and Salinas was behind it, trapping her inside. 'I followed Harvey and he was behind me. As I stepped into the bathroom there was a mirror straight ahead. I saw Claudia closing the door,' she said. Weinstein proceeded to get into the shower and undress and rinse himself before emerging nude. 'I stood there in shock. I started laughing, shaking my head. I went to approach the door and at this point he was right in front of me...The shower door was blocking the door to the bathroom. I felt so trapped and I was in shock.' Young said she laughed because 'I have never laughed - because I was that scared in my life - so nervously.' 'I was worried and scared that he was going to hurt me.' Weinstein allegedly approached her, unzipped her lace dress and told her, 'How am I going to know if you can act?' As Young protested and said 'no, no, no', Weinstein allegedly told her 'this is what all actresses do to make it'. Young and Salinas are pictured on the night they met in 2012 during an Oscars party for the now-disgraced film mogul 'He turned me around and grabbed my (right) breast, I was pushed up against the sink. He was pinching my nipple and grabbing hard my breast so I couldnt move,' she said. Asked if she felt pain, she said: 'Yes.' Weinstein allegedly grabbed her with his left hand and was 'jerking off' with his right hand, Young said. She said: 'At that point he went from grabbing my right breast to touching my vagina. My hands were still down by my sides so I blocked Harvey with my hands.' 'I have never laughed - because I was that scared in my life - so nervously. I was worried and scared that he was going to hurt me Lauren Young testified Wednesday Young said that Weinstein 'glanced' at her vagina 'but I blocked it'. Young squinted at the jury as she demonstrated how Weinstein allegedly 'grasped my breasts'. Weinstein alleged ejaculated on a towel and left the room. Young then pulled up her dress and fled, giving an 'evil look' to Salinas who was still standing by the door. Young recounted the alleged assault to her roommates saying: 'I was in tears and traumatized, scared, terrified, paranoid. I was really scared to tell them everything that happened to me.' But she didn't report the supposed attack to police because, 'I didn't know what kind of power (he had)'. When Hast asked, 'Were you sexually attracted to Harvey Weinstein?', Young said: 'Never'. The next day Young went to a meeting at The Weinstein Company office because she wanted to 'confront the issue'. She saw Salinas there and told her, 'Don't talk to me'. A Weinstein Company executive told her she had a spot on Americas Next Top model but Young rejected it. Defense hammers Young over whether she was actually trapped in bathroom and presents her lace dress to jurors Under cross examination Young was asked about an e-mail she sent on February 22, 2013 - three days after the alleged incident - to executives at The Weinstein Co. The subject was Young's invitation to the company's upcoming Oscars party. Young wrote: 'Yes I am attending, Lauren Marie Young please add me to the list. Please let me know if I could bring one guest.' Damon Cheronis asked: 'Was this a joke, a rouse? Why did you ask for a plus one?' She replied: 'I was so worried at this point I just said yes and wasnt going to go. I sent this email as a way to feel safe.' Cheronis challenged Young on inconsistencies with her testimony and an interview she gave to prosecutors in Los Angeles in May last year. Cheronis asked if Young said that Salinas 'pushed her into the bathroom'. Young said that 'Im not sure I said that'. Cheronis gave her a copy of the interview and pressed her again asking: 'Were you pushed in the bathroom?' Young said: 'No.' Cheronis asked why Young told Los Angeles prosecutors that Salinas locked the door. He said: 'Was the door locked?' Young said: 'I believed it was'. In a dramatic moment the court was shown the lace dress Young claimed she wore the night of that alleged assault. Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis said: 'Unzipped by Mr Weinstein? How long did it take?' Young said: 'A second.' The defense hammered Young about inconsistencies in her testimony about the alleged bathroom assault. Young pictured stepping off witness stand to describe the attack using a picture of the bathroom displayed on a screen for jurors The dress Young wore the night she was allegedly assaulted pictured above Another image shows the dress and a slip, allegedly worn by Young during the assault. The dress may be sent for DNA testing for evidence in the case against Weinstein in Los Angeles, where the incident took place He asked her if she tried to turn the door handle, another inconsistency with her testimony in court, and she confirmed she did. Cheronis asked why Young walked into a bathroom and she said that he was a 'big fat man' who was in front of her. Cheronis sarcastically said: 'This big fat man does a ninja tear off with his clothes, faster than anybody you have ever seen?' He then tried to unravel Young's account to prosecutors in 2018 where she described Weinstein's genitals and said she could make out a scrotum and testicles'. 'I saw a sack. I couldnt see (any more) because he had a big belly.' Cheronis asked if she really had seen scars on Weinstein's body. Young said that he 'looked deformed'. Cheronis then dramatically presented Young's white lace dress that she allegedly wore during the supposed assault. Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast pictured questioning Young on the witness stand about the alleged assault. Young said she didn't report the supposed attack to police because, 'I didn't know what kind of power (he had)' The theatrical moment was designed to show how hard it would have been for Weinstein to unzip the garment as Young had claimed. 'If you look at this dress theres a button on the top and it opens like this and theres a zipper under it. Theres a thing thats up and down, theres still a portion of material between. Is it your testimony that your shoulder fell out of this dress?' Cheronis asked. Young said: 'Down by my elbows.' Cheronis said: 'Unzipped by Mr Weinstein? How long did it take?' Young said: 'A second.' Casting director says Weinstein had accuser Jessica Mann audition for role knowing she was too old and tall for it Harvey Weinstein insisted that accuser Jessica Mann and another actress from Brazil audition for roles in a teen vampire film he was producing, even though a casting director said they were both too old and tall for the roles. A slate of secondary witnesses testified Wednesday at Weinstein's trial. Casting director Marci Lirofff, who cast the film Vampire Academy which was produced by The Weinstein Co., testified before the jury that the film's lead roles needed to be aged 15 or 16 and there was a 5ft 2in height limit to keep the movie consistent with the book it's based on. Yet, Mann claimed that Weinstein dangled a lead role in the film as a way to keep her close to him. Harvey Weinstein insisted that accuser Jessica Mann (left leaving court on Tuesday) and Brazilian actress Talita Maia (right) audition for roles in a teen vampire film he was producing, even though a casting director said they were both too old and tall for the roles, his rape trial heard today Casting director Marci Lirofff said it was 'unusual' for a producer to be involved in casting a film which should have been her domain. She said that it was not a 'sham' audition, but it was not 'productive' either Weinstein pictured smiling as he entered court on Wednesday where a slew of witnesses testified Weinstein Co asked Liroff to audition Mann, and her friend Brazilian actress Talita Maia for the role on April 15, 2013, even though she knew ahead of time that they did not fit the role and the lead roles had already been cast in January that year. On the audition form for Mann and Maia, Liroff wrote: 'not right'. When asked why she wrote that she said: 'They were too old as we were looking for a 15 year old, they were too tall and they were not strong enough as actors.' At the time of that audition Mann was 27 and Maia was in her 20's. Mann is 5ft 9in and Maia is 5ft 4in. Weinstein allegedly dangled a role in Vampire Academy, which was released in 2014 (poster above), in front of Mann to keep her close, even though she was too old and tall for the gig In the end the lead role went to a girl who was 16 or 17 years old, Liroff said. Liroff said it was 'unusual' for a producer to be involved in casting a film which should have been her domain. She said that it was not a 'sham' audition, but it was not 'productive' either. Liroff said: 'They werent strong actresses so they were not good for another role.' The movie mogul beamed as he walked into court on Wednesday, despite the fact that jurors were shown his naked photos as evidence yesterday. Hotel manager working the night Mann claimed Weinstein raped her says producer appeared 'threatening' and he ordered security to check in on their room Rothschild Capulong, the night manager at the Doubletree Metropolitan hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, took the stand on Wednesday. He claimed Weinstein was so threatening while checking into the hotel on March, 18 2013 - the day Mann claims Weinstein raped her - that he warned security to check in on her, a court heard today. Capulong told the jury the woman Weinstein was with, who prosecutors said was Mann, had alarming body language. He told security they may need to 'check Mr Weinstein's room' because he was so fearful for her safety. He also said Weinstein tried to 'intimidate' him into rushing the check in by looming over the desk. Capulong said that Weinstein checked in around 10.30am on that March 2013 occasion under the name 'Max Poster'. Under the notes for his reservation it said: 'Celebrity Harvey Weinstein is the actual guest.' Capulong, who checked him in, said: 'Mr Weinstein had an imposing attitude at the time of his check in and he was trying to loom over me and rush the check in process.' Harvey Weinstein was so threatening while checking into the DoubleTree Metropolitan hotel in New York (above) in March 2013 with accuser Jessica Mann, who he allegedly raped that day, that hotel night manager Rothschild Capulong (above) allegedly warned security to check in on her DoubleTree Metropolitan hotel in New York where Mann claims Weinstein raped her in March 2013 above Weinstein was with the woman and Capulong said that he was concerned by their body language because 'there was no laughing or smiling'. He said: 'They weren't on the same page, it seemed like there was discontentment with the female.' Harvey's Monica moment? Harvey Weinstein accuser model and actress Lauren Young, 30, took the stand at his rape trial Wednesday. Prosecutors are expected to produce the lace dress she wore the night she claims Weinstein masturbated in front of her and groped her in a Beverly Hills bathroom in February 2013. Prosecutors in Los Angeles may be using DNA evidence from that dress in their case against the film honcho. The move echoes how Monica Lewinsky's dress that she wore during a rendezvous with then President Bill Clinton was submitted as evidence at his impeachment trial in 1998. That notorious blue dress was stained with Clinton's semen. Monica Lewinsky's dress that she wore during a rendezvous with then President Bill Clinton and other belongings pictured after they were submitted as evidence at his impeachment trial in 1998 Advertisement 'Usually couples checking in are in a happy mood. When they checked in they just werent.' Capulong said he tried to look to the side to get a better look at the woman but 'Mr Weinstein loomed over me so I couldnt.' Asked why he wanted to do this, Capulong said: 'Its the hotel policy that the guests' safety comes first.' He said: 'It was the body language of the female, the discontentment that raised the alarm.' As Weinstein and the woman walked away Capulong said they were walking 'apart' and Weinstein was 'guiding' her. Describing his overnight report, he said: 'I specifically wrote that security might want to check on Mr Weinsteins room.' Under cross examination by Donna Rotunno, Capulong said that he did not know the name of the woman and only recalled that she was 'slender and attractive'. In her testimony Mann said that she flew from Los Angeles to New York in March 2013 with a friend and Weinstein was supposed to meet her for a breakfast meeting at the hotel. She said Weinstein arrived early she 'panicked' when she saw Weinstein checking in. Mann claimed she 'pleaded' with hotel staff to not give Weinstein a room. He allegedly pulled her to one side and told her not to 'embarrass him' and ordered her to go upstairs. 'I shut down a little bit and he told me to undress and then he comes to me and grabbed my hand and forced me to start undressing myself. I felt panicked as my worst nightmare was about to happen,' Mann said. Weinstein allegedly ordered her to undress and lay on the bed as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door, then came out and raped her. Afterwards Mann went to the bathroom and found a needle in the trash can, which she said she Googled and found was to induce an erection. After Capulong, Hector Castillo, the head of security at the hotel, was called to the witness box, and refuted the night manager's account saying security was never told to check on Weinstein's room. On Tuesday the jury was given hard copies of the naked images of Harvey Weinstein which they passed around - but they were not shown on the big screen to the rest of the court. They were shown the images likely to corroborate Mann's claims that the producer had 'extreme scarring' on his body One young female juror swallowed hard when she was given her first photo and looked disturbed. Jurors are seen above viewing the photos in a court sketch Weinstein appeared to be watching the film Swingers, a Miramax movie he distributed with his brother, during the ride to the court house. He was watching the hype up scene between Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau where they say 'You're so money!' Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno asked him if security was called to the film producer's room, and he said no. When asked if there were any notes in logs about anyone screaming or asking staff to not check Weinstein in, Castillo said no. Weinstein faces three felony charges related to Mann's allegations that he raped her at that New York hotel after injecting himself with an erection-inducing drug. Weinstein faces five felony charges in New York. Weinstein's charges stem from the allegations of hairstylist Jessica Mann who claims he raped her at a New York hotel in 2013 and former production assistant Mimi Haleyi who claims he forced oral sex on her in 2006. While the 67-year-old producer says all of the sexual encounters were consensual, if convicted he could spend life behind bars. Phuket 4 February 2020: JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa joins all the lovebirds to celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine by offering numerous treats at the resort. Spoil your loved ones with a box of chocolate, a rose, bouquet or spa treatments that will bring a big smile to the receivers. Love is like a box of chocolates @ Siam Deli: A variety of retails, chocolate products are available. A variety of retails, chocolate products are available. Blooming Love: Floral arrangement & delivery. A Holland white or red rose price is THB 188 net per piece or our florist can also arrange the bouquet, starting from THB 1,888. Please contact our front desk for ordering, 2-day advance reservation is required. Floral arrangement & delivery. A Holland white or red rose price is THB 188 net per piece or our florist can also arrange the bouquet, starting from THB 1,888. Please contact our front desk for ordering, 2-day advance reservation is required. Valentines Day Chocolate Kiss Package @ Mandara Spa. THB 5,200 net per person or THB 9,800 net per couple. Package inclusive of 60-minute chocolate kiss aromatic massage, 30-minute white orchid and lavender body scrub and a complimentary spa home-care gift with chocolate and banana smoothies. THB 5,200 net per person or THB 9,800 net per couple. Package inclusive of 60-minute chocolate kiss aromatic massage, 30-minute white orchid and lavender body scrub and a complimentary spa home-care gift with chocolate and banana smoothies. Elemis Superfood Skin Feast: THB 2,800 net per gift set Special 10% off on 13 16 February. The gift set includes ELEMIS cleansing oil, veggie mask, facial mist and day cream. For the culinary journey, select as your choices and dine in style with your other half on this Valentines Day. Romance by Design: Spread the love to the other half; express your love with an exclusive dinner, set in a private cabana for two by the Andaman Sea. The fascinating menu specially created by our expert chefs for this Valentines night. The 6-course contemporary International set menu and a complimentary bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut 20 cl. Dinner commences from 6 10 pm. Price is THB 9,988++ per couple. This promotion is the first-come-first-serve basis, with just limited 14 cabanas; it is the intimate dining experience that definitely will impress your loved one. By My Valentine: Let the breath-taking sunset view of Andaman Sea be the backdrop to your lavish 6-course set dinner at Andaman Grill. Price is THB 6,998++ per couple. Add on, the beverage pairing price is THB 2,998++ per person. Dinner commences from 6 10 pm. Lobster Lover: Indulge yourself in our 5-course dinner that features all about the lobster at Cucina Italian Kitchen. Highlights include Linguine pasta with saute lobster with garlic and chili and brandy; Poached lobster served on a bed of vegetables with a vinaigrette sauce. Price is THB 2,499++ per person. Throughout the month of February, the restaurants & bars also offer special promotions as following; Ti Amo Special: Celebrate the month of love with the Italian cuisine, menu inspired by mothers home-cooked meal. A la carte and set menu are available from 6 10 pm. Food Lover: Marking the month of love by tasting this heartily 4-course set menu @ Andaman Grill. THB 2,388++ per person. Dont miss a chance to try the special Lovebirds Cocktail at Sala Sawasdee Lobby Bar. THB 349++ by glass Surprise your date with the sensory dining experience at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa. Book ahead for the best table, contact our Food & Beverage dining experience team. Tel +66 (0)76 338 000 or Email: fbdiningexperience@marriotthotels.com US President Donald Trump's "peace plan of the century" is not designed to solve the Palestine question and achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East but to legalise Israel's military occupation, territorial expansion and violations of international law. Trump believes the US can bully the Palestinians, Arabs and the international community into accepting this plan. Dr Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee and Palestinian chief negotiator, revealed in an interview with al-Jazeera TV on January 28 that Trump's "plan of the century" was originally proposed by the Netanyahu government in 2011 and rejected by the Palestinian Authority at that time. An Israeli flag flies in a Jordan Valley Jewish settlement. Credit:Getty Images This revelation, and the absence of Palestinian input regarding its proposals, shows the extent to which US Middle East policy has been hijacked by Israel. In order to understand what the plan means and its rejection by the Palestinian people, as well as what a just solution would look like, it is essential to realise the root historical and political causes of the Palestine question. Welcomed by enthusiastic applause from Republican lawmakers, the president marched confidently into the same historic chamber where he was impeached 49 days earlier Washington: President Donald Trump claimed credit for a "great American comeback" in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night, boasting of a robust economy, contrasting his successes with the records of his predecessors and projecting optimism in the face of a monthslong Democratic effort to force him from office. Trump, who lamented what he called "American carnage" when he was inaugurated in January 2017, described a different country today, declaring in his third State of the Union address that the nations future was once again "blazing bright." In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny, Trump said in a speech that lasted 78 minutes. We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back! "The state of our union," Trump declared, "is stronger than ever before." Welcomed by enthusiastic applause from Republican lawmakers, the president marched confidently into the same historic chamber where he was impeached 49 days earlier. Trump described the nation as enjoying what he called a blue-collar boom, fueled by trade agreements and his success in "restoring our nations manufacturing might." On the eve of a Senate vote expected to acquit him, Trump never mentioned the impeachment inquiry that has threatened his presidency and consumed Washington. But his interactions Tuesday night with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who started the investigation by Democrats that has forever stained his legacy, underscored the deep bitterness between them. As he arrived at the rostrum, Trump turned to hand copies of his speech to Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence. But when Pelosi offered her hand to shake, the president pointedly turned away without taking it. Seated just behind the president, Pelosi grimaced and shook her head several times during his address. Moments after Trump finished and was basking in applause from Republicans, the speaker ripped up the pages of his speech, holding them high for the cameras to catch her unmistakable statement of scorn. With the theatrical touches of a showman-turned-president, Trump surprised the wife of an Army soldier with the soldiers return home from battle, highlighted the story of a 100-year-old Tuskegee airman and his 13-year-old great-grandson, and in a remarkable moment awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, the combative, conservative talk radio host and for decades a villain to the left. Standing next to Limbaugh, who recently learned he has advanced lung cancer, Melania Trump, the first lady, draped the medal around his neck as Trump thanked him for decades of tireless devotion to our country. As the president fights for a second term in an election that will require him to broaden his appeal, he boasted of increasing funding for historically black colleges and singled out several African Americans in the House chamber for praise, a striking departure for a president who derided African nations as shithole countries and repeatedly criticized the city of Baltimore, represented at the time by one of the nations leading black politicians, Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died last year. At the same time, Trump used the speech as a clarion call to his most conservative supporters, prompting some Republicans in the chamber to chant, Four more years. The president also boasted that he was building a long, tall and very powerful wall across the southwestern border and vowed to oppose what he called a "socialist takeover" of the health care system by Democrats in Washington and those running to replace him in the White House. "To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care!" Trump declared. Even as he delivered his remarks, it was Democrats who were in disarray, still unable to declare a final winner in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. State officials said they expected to release more results later Tuesday evening in a botched election process that Trump was quick to mock online. "The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster," the president crowed on Twitter earlier Tuesday. "Nothing works, just like they ran the Country. Remember the 5 Billion Dollar Obamacare website, that should have cost 2% of that. The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is Trump." Trump was not the first president to face his accusers even as they try to remove him from office. In 1999, President Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union address to Congress in the middle of his impeachment trial on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from a sexual harassment lawsuit. Clinton did not mention the Senate trial, then still underway. Like Clinton, Trump did not use the nationally televised address to reprise his daily rants about impeachment, his made on Twitter. Instead, Trump who is infamous for his rambling, invective-filled speeches at his rallies largely stuck to an optimistic, if not always bipartisan, script. The president did not unveil any major new initiatives, but called on Congress to pass bills to encourage school choice, lower prescription drug prices, provide a small amount of funding for neonatal research, ban late-term abortions, and work toward improving the nations roads, bridges and tunnels. As he has done each year, Trump focused a large part of the speech on immigration. He called on Congress to ban free government health care for illegal aliens and to pass legislation allowing the victims of crimes by unauthorized immigrants to sue so-called sanctuary cities. Trump described a gruesome spree of deadly violence by an unauthorized immigrant in California and introduced the brother of one of the victims, Rocky Jones, who was shot eight times. Our hearts weep for your loss, Trump told the victims brother, Jody Jones, and we will not rest until you have justice. The title of the presidents speech was The Great American Comeback, a more formal slogan that combines the sentiments of Make America Great Again, the presidents viral phrase from the 2016 campaign, and the more recent Keep America Great mantra that he has used to fire up crowds at rallies. In his speech, he bragged about significant economic successes, even though predictions were that this could never be done. But his boast to have added 12,000 new factories overstated his claim to delivering an economic miracle to white working-class voters in the industrial Midwest. Employment in construction, manufacturing and mining combined grew more slowly last year than at almost any other point in the current expansion. Manufacturing employment growth slowed to less than 50,000 jobs for the year in 2019, the worst rate of his presidency and the second-worst of the long recovery from recession. Turning to trade, he said he had succeeded in revising the North American Free Trade Agreement, something supported by many Democrats as well as Republicans. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA, only to do absolutely nothing, Trump said, asserting the successes without acknowledging the more nuanced reality. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. In the official Democratic response to Trumps speech, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan challenged the presidents boasts about the economy. It doesnt matter what the president says about the stock market, Whitmer said. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or dont have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. Many of the female Democratic lawmakers attending the speech were dressed in white, symbolizing the suffragist movement and womens rights. Several Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, were not in attendance after announcing they were boycotting it. I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trumps lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. While discussing national security, Trump celebrated in macabre terms two targeted killings he has ordered in recent months. He hailed the October raid leading to the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whom Trump called a bloodthirsty killer and whose demise he cast as justice for the murder of Kayla Mueller, a young American humanitarian worker kidnapped in Syria in 2013. Trump said that Mueller, whose parents he introduced, was tortured and enslaved by ISIS after more than 500 horrifying days of captivity. Trump also recalled with relish the Jan. 3 missile strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a ruthless butcher who Trump said had orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women and children. He cast Soleimanis death as another act of patriotic vengeance, recalling the Iranians role in supplying bombs believed to have killed hundreds of American soldiers during the Iraq War, and telling the story of an American soldier, Christopher Hake, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when his Bradley vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. And in a brief passage noting his desire to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Trump assured that he was not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in the country, many of them innocent. Trump introduced a parade of guests during his speech, including a 13-year-old boy with aspirations to join the Space Force and Charles McGee, his 100-year-old great-grandfather, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. Trump said he promoted McGee to brigadier general in a ceremony at the White House before the speech. In addition to McGee, the president highlighted the story of Tony Rankins, an Army veteran who fought back from drug addiction, and Stephanie Davis, to whom he granted an Opportunity Scholarship for her fourth-grade daughter, Janiyah, to go to the school of her choice. All were African American. He also introduced the wife and son of an Army staff sergeant who died in Iraq by a roadside bomb supplied by Soleimani. Pointing another time at the first ladys box, he singled out Juan Guaido, the leader of Venezuelas opposition movement, who received his most visible show of support yet from the president: a seat in Trumps guest box for the State of the Union. Many White House aides had hoped to have the impeachment trial behind them before Trumps speech. But as it turned out, his third State of the Union address is part of a remarkable political collision on the calendar: He delivered the speech a day before the final impeachment vote and a day after Iowans participated in the first voting of the 2020 campaign season. There is no question that the president will be acquitted Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Senate, giving him the chance to claim vindication in what he views as an attempted political assassination by his enemies. But he will forever be the third impeached president in American history and only the first to ask voters for reelection after being charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Set in motion last year by Pelosi after Democrats took control of the House in 2018, the move to impeachment was directed by House managers during the two-week Senate trial. It was built on damning evidence that the president withheld security aid for Ukraine and a coveted Oval Office meeting as leverage for investigations that could damage the political fortunes of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Tuesday was the second day that senators announced their judgments on the presidents behavior, delivering speeches on the Senate floor. Notable among them were the condemnations of Republicans who accepted the truth of the accusations against Trump even as they said they planned to vote to acquit him. "The president's behavior was shameful and wrong," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Monday night on the Senate floor even as she denounced an unfair, fiercely partisan process and announced, "I cannot vote to convict." Michael D Shear c.2020 The New York Times Company The African Energy Chamber addresses its heartfelt congratulations to the Republic of Togo for breaking ground on its 50MW Mohamed Bin Zayed Photovoltaic Solar Power Complex in Blitta. The project was launched in presence of H.E. Faure E. Gnassingbe, President of the Republic of Togo, and Hussain Al Nowais, Chairman of AMEA Power, the company in charge of designing, financing, building, launching, operating and maintaining the facility. The Moyamed Bin Zayed Solar PV Complex is West Africas largest ongoing solar PV project, and supports Togos ambitions to increase its rural electrification rate to 50% by 2022, and 100% by 2030. AMEA Power is a foreign investor who understands Africa and has demonstrated a commitment to supporting local content wherever it operates, declared Nj Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber and CEO of the Centurion Law Group. As public and private sector interest for Africa grows in the Middle East, such players are most welcomed. Their work in and with Africa contributes to the development of a sustainable and prosperous future. The project further confirms the growing presence of AMEA Power in the continent. The UAE-based company has become a serious investor in Africas energy sector and represents the growing appetite of private players and investors from the Middle East to invest in Africa. At the end of 2019, Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power signed two long-term power purchase agreements for 250MW of solar PV projects in Ethiopia, while state-owned ADNOC is reportedly looking at several investments into the African upstream oil & gas sector. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires DUNSMUIR, Calif. Detectives raided an apparent drug lab operation at a recently vacated home in Dunsmuir on Monday, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to the 4100-block of Walnut Street that afternoon after a call reporting a possible drug lab inside. A detective and veteran of the Siskiyou Unified Major Investigation Team (SUMIT) reportedly found evidence of butane honey oil (BHO) within a highly concentrated form of cannabis resin, used in "dabbing." "Also recovered were components of another drug lab, possibly for methamphetamine or an unidentified designer-type drug," the Sheriff's Office said. The responding officers also found marijuana "shake," the loose cannabis leaves and stems often used to create BHO using a solvent like butane. Quantities of that gas were also discovered at the scene. The Sheriff's Office said that it called in help from the Butte County Sheriff's Office "due to the volatile nature of the drug lab components and the dangerous chemicals involved." Illegal BHO labs have a documented history of causing the occasional fiery explosion. Members of the Butte Interagency Narcotic Task Force, trained in the safe dismantling and seizure of drug labs, soon arrived at the scene. The Sheriff's Office said that chemicals and lab components were seized as evidence to be analyzed by the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Forensic Science. The original call about the house was relayed in by a city official and the property owner, the Sheriff's Office said, and the home had recently been vacated by an unidentified tenant. Authorities did not name a suspect in the case. "This incident illustrates the fact an illegal drug lab operation can be conducted in any neighborhood in virtually any type of residential dwelling. We are grateful a citizen and city official promptly contacted us to report the suspicious components, chemicals, and other items at the scene," said Sheriff Jon Lopey. "This incident ended safety because two good citizens saw something suspicious and reported their concerns to law enforcement." WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, departs as Republican senators leave a closed-door strategy session at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. They are expected to acquit President Donald Trump tomorrow on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, senators sworn to do impartial justice stood and stated their votes for the roll call guilty or not guilty in a swift tally almost exclusively along party lines. Trump, the chief justice then declared, shall be, and is hereby, acquitted of the charges. The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House to Mitch McConnell's Senate, reflecting the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., leaves a meeting with fellow Democrats at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) What started as Trump's request for Ukraine to do us a favour spun into a far-reaching, 28,000-page report compiled by House investigators accusing an American president of engaging in shadow diplomacy that threatened U.S. foreign relations for personal, political gain as he pressured the ally to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the next election. No president has ever been removed by the Senate. A politically emboldened Trump had eagerly predicted vindication, deploying the verdict as a political anthem in his reelection bid. The president claims he did nothing wrong, decrying the witch hunt as an extension of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian 2016 campaign interference by those out to get him from the start of his presidency. Trump's political campaign tweeted videos, statements and a cartoon dance celebration, while the Republican president himself tweeted that he would speak Thursday from the White House about our Country's VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax. In this image from video, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks on the Senate floor about the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The Senate will vote on the Articles of Impeachment on Wednesday afternoon. (Senate Television via AP) However, the Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said there will always be "a giant asterisk next to the president's acquittal" because of the Senate's quick trial and Republicans' unprecedented rejection of witnesses. A majority of senators expressed unease with Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. But two-thirds of them would have had to vote guilty to reach the Constitutions bar of high crimes and misdemeanours to convict and remove Trump from office. The final tallies in the GOP-held Senate fell far short. On the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, the vote was 52-48 favouring acquittal. The second, obstruction of Congress, also produced a not guilty verdict, 53-47. Only one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, the party's defeated 2012 presidential nominee, broke with the GOP. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks towards the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Romney choked up as he said he drew on his faith and oath before God to vote guilty on the first charge, abuse of power. He voted to acquit on the second. All Democrats found the president guilty on the two charges. Both Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 drew cross-party support when they were left in office after impeachment trials. Richard Nixon resigned rather than face sure impeachment, expecting members of his own party to vote to remove him. Ahead of Wednesday's voting, some of the most closely watched senators took to the Senate floor to tell their constituents, and the nation, what they had decided. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., left, walks on Capitol Hill in Washington during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Influential GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee worried a guilty verdict would pour gasoline on the fire of the nations culture wars over Trump and "rip the country apart.'' He said the House proved its case but it just didnt rise to the level of impeachment. Other Republicans siding with Trump said it was time to end what McConnell called the circus and move on. Most Democrats, though, echoed the House managers' warnings that Trump, if left unchecked, would continue to abuse the power of his office for personal political gain and try to cheat again ahead of the the 2020 election. Even key Democrats from states where Trump is popular Doug Jones in Alabama and Joe Manchin in West Virginia risked backlash and voted to convict. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the chamber after leading the impeachment acquittal of President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) "Senators are elected to make tough choices," Jones said. Several senators trying to win the Democratic Party's nomination to face Trump Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar dashed back from early primary state New Hampshire to vote. During the nearly three-week trial, House Democrats prosecuting the case argued that Trump abused power like no other president in history when he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, ahead of the 2020 election. They detailed an extraordinary effort by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that set off alarms at the highest levels of government. After Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine, the White House temporarily halted U.S. aid to the struggling ally battling hostile Russia at its border. The money was eventually released in September as Congress intervened. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., center, walks on Capitol Hill in Washington during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) When the House probed Trump's actions, the president instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to the obstruction charge. Questions from the Ukraine matter continue to swirl. House Democrats may yet summon former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about revelations from his forthcoming book that offer a fresh account of Trump's actions. Other eyewitnesses and documents are almost sure to surface. In closing arguments for the trial, the lead prosecutor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appealed to senators' sense of decency, insisting right matters and truth matters and Trump "is not who you are.'' Schiff told The Associated Press he hoped the votes to convict will serve as a constraint on the president's wrongdoing. But we're going to have to be vigilant," he said. Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump when she took control of the House after the 2018 election, warning against a partisan vote. But a whistleblower complaint of his conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy set off alarms. The president's call was placed the day after Mueller announced the findings of his Russia probe. When Trump told Pelosi in September that the call was perfect, she was stunned. Days later, the speaker announced the formal impeachment inquiry. The result was the quickest, most partisan impeachment in U.S. history, with no Republicans joining the House Democrats to vote for the charges. The Republican Senate kept up the pace with the fastest trial ever, and the first with no witnesses. Seventeen ambassadors, national security officials and others had testified in the House. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Trump's star attorney Alan Dershowitz made the sweeping, if stunning, assertion that even if the president engaged in the quid pro quo as described, it is not impeachable, because politicians often equate their own political interest with the national interest. McConnell braced for dissent, but with a 53-47 Republican majority he refuted efforts to prolong the trial with more witnesses, arguing the House should have done a better job. Roberts, as the rare court of impeachment came to a close, wished senators well in our common commitment to the Constitution, and hoped to meet again "under happier circumstances." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had been drawn into the Ukraine affair, signed off on the Senate judgment later Wednesday. Tonight, it was my pleasure to sign President @realDonaldTrumps full acquittal, he tweeted. ___ Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Zeke Miller and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. Gettyimagesbank By Jun Ji-hye Police and ambulance services here have received an increasing number of prank calls from people making false reports of new coronavirus infections, officials said Wednesday, warning that those who interrupt the work of the emergency services are subject to legal punishment. A man in his 20s who lives in Gwangju made a 119 emergency call, Jan. 29, claiming he had been sick with pneumonia since he returned home from China. The call was made amid mounting fears here over the spread of the virus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which can cause pneumonia. The 119 situation room directed him to a nearby hospital but when quarantine officials checked with the facility, they found no record of his visit. Police officials, who traced his immigration records, later found out that he had not visited China around that time. After a strong focus on education, health care and power in its first full term, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will give top priority to cleanliness, water and pollution if voted back to power in Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal told HT in an interview, in which he also expressed dismay over what he termed a campaign of abuse and violence being run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kejriwal said that while he wanted the discourse before the elections to be about governance and civic issues, the BJP was only talking about Hindu vs Muslim and the ongoing anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act stir at Shaheen Bagh, which, he said, was intentionally being allowed to continue by the Union government. I say lets make more schools; they say Shaheen Bagh. I say, lets build more hospitals; they say Shaheen Bagh. I talk about uninterrupted power supply; they say Shaheen Bagh. Is there no other issue in Delhi? Kejriwal said. Why are they not ending the protest can a home minister as powerful as Amit Shah not get a road vacated?Kejriwal added. They are trying to polarise the voters. It will become clear on February 11 whether or not this had worked. When asked why he had not gone to the protest site, Kejriwal said he did not want to put more attention on what is the BJPs only campaign plank. The protest is causing problems to several people The biggest gainers from the Shaheen Bagh protest are the BJP. Why should I support something which helps the BJP? Why should I keep the Shaheen Bagh issue alive for BJP to take benefit of it? Theres no question of that. Though the AAP government was embroiled in a series of confrontations with both the Centre (over schemes) and the police (over cases filed against MLAs), Kejriwal said that, if voted back to power, his next term would be smoother. They (Centre) have understood that our 2015 win was not a one-off thing, and we are here to stay in Delhi politics. In our second term, I expect to find ourselves in a position where we can sit with the Centre and get more work done with their cooperation towards Delhis betterment. I believe that it can happen, he said. The chief minister, who was a civil servant, social worker and then an activist before he entered politics, said that, overall, he was both satisfied and surprised by what his government was able to achieve over the last five years. I was an activist and often restless about things related to the condition of schools, hospitals, ration distribution, etc. We often thought it must be a really complicated job no party could do much in 70 years. Now, after stepping into governance, we have realised its not a rocket science. They (other parties) did not have the intent or the will to change things. Next on the agenda, he said, is a single-window system for health care services, a specific fund to the civic bodies for cleanliness, a drive to clean the Yamuna, and scaling up the fight against air pollution with real-time data. BJPs Delhi unit president, Manoj Tiwari, dismissed Kejriwals comments. This election will be based on promises and performances in the last five years. People in Delhi understand that clearly and they know that Arvind Kejriwal should be removed from chief ministers position because he could not open one new school in the city, one new college, one new hospital they could not provide clean water in any locality and the condition of Delhi roads are pathetic, he said. Praveen Rai, political analyst with the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, said: For a long time, the contest in Delhi looked like a one-sided affair. With the BJP taking up the Shaheen Bagh protest in their poll campaign, the ground realities have changed to a large extent. Attempts to polarise the voters are visible. Also, for a long time, the AAP managed to sideline the issue and focus on their development agenda. But, after a stage, they too took some conflicting stands. For instance, Arvind Kejriwal stayed away from the protests but he said things like he could clear the site if he had the police under him. But it is difficult to assess at this point what impact it can have on the February 8 polls, said Rai. The AAP won 67 out of 70 seats in the 2015 elections. Kejriwal said he was confident the party would return to power, but declined to reveal how many seats he expected to win. He did not explain why. When asked if he wanted a court to determine who would count for redistricting purposes, he said a court challenge was likely. I think the courts going to decide one way or the other, Rowden said. Under the Clean Missouri plan, a bipartisan commission can alter the nonpartisan demographers map if 70% of its members go along with a change. The Senate plan would put a bipartisan commission in charge of redistricting. The sponsor of the proposal, Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, said voters would get the final say on the Senate plan. Theyll have that opportunity to decide whether they want a demographer or not, he said. The Clean Missouri plan will emphasize partisan fairness and competitiveness in maps, which Republican critics argue will lead to spaghetti shaped districts that take in urban and rural areas. Clean Missouri proponents disagree, saying the map as a whole would need to be competitive, but not every district. WASHINGTONFor a brief moment, just before Donald Trump was predictably acquitted, the presidents impeachment trial transcended partisanship and short-term political expediency. Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for president in 2012, rose in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday and said Donald Trump ought to be removed from office. The president was guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, Romney said. The kind of election-rigging Romney judged that Trump had engaged in was the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine. Saying senators were but footnotes at best in the annals of history, Romney said he was voting to convict to avoid historys rebuke and the censure of my own conscience. And in doing so, he became one of those footnotes the first U.S. senator ever to vote to convict a president of his own party in an impeachment trial. Hours later, the Senate voted to acquit the president on the abuse of power charge by a vote of 52-48 a decisive margin, since 67 votes would have been required to remove him. Romney voted with the other Republicans to acquit on the second article, obstruction of Congress, making that vote 53-47. Romneys dissent was already just a footnote in a romping, triumphant week for Trump. It began on Groundhog Day Super Bowl Sunday with Trump appearing from Florida in an interview with his shadow adviser Sean Hannity, and predicting four more years of WIN-ter. I see the hatred. I see the they dont care about fairness, they dont care about lying, he said, shrugging off the threat from his Democratic rivals. Those rivals made his day on Monday, when they turned the showcase Iowa presidential nomination caucuses into a three-ring clown show. The Democrats want to run a Country, and they cant run a Caucus, Trump taunted on Twitter, quoting a Fox News host. Joe Biden, the candidate who Trump tried to get Ukraine to investigate, came out of the muddled result wounded, a presumed front-runner in fourth place very possibly in part because the smear Trump was accused of wanting from Ukraine had worked by repetition in Washington. On Tuesday, Trump used his state of the union address to take some thinly veiled shots at the socialism of the latest Democratic front-runner, Bernie Sanders. That was one of the more understated sequences in a completely Trumpian spectacle, an oration the Washington Post concluded contained 31 false or misleading statements but still had partisans in the House chanting Four more years! It was a speech that offset vivid scaremongering about undocumented immigrants with reality-TV flourishes, such as having the first lady present a medal to talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh on the spot, and dramatically having an armed services member come through the doors to be reunited with his family in the middle of the address. House Speaker and Trump antagonist Nancy Pelosi stole some of the stagecraft headlines by ripping up a copy of his speech, but it was Trumps characterization of the economys great American comeback that demonstrates his reason for optimism going into this years election The U.S. economy may not be at its strongest ever, as Trump claimed, but it is legitimately humming, with a very low unemployment rate, a soaring stock market and increasing median incomes. Those arent just ledger numbers, either: a recent CNN poll found that most Americans believe the economy is doing well. Trumps critics are fond of pointing out that the current growth began well before he was elected, but he is nonetheless overjoyed to take credit for it, and experts have long said that a strong economy is the single surest sign that a president is likely to be re-elected. Wednesday brought the countys attention back to the impeachment trial, where Trump got the acquittal he will characterize as exoneration. Romneys vote is unlikely to take the shine off that for him. Neither will the conclusion reached publicly by senators from his own party that Trump had surely done what he was accused of, but that the question about whether to remove him as president should be answered on election day. I believe that the president has learned from this case, Republican Sen. Susan Collins told CBS, explaining her vote to acquit him. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future. Thats unlikely. Speaking at a lunch with TV anchors before Tuesdays speech, the Washington Post reported that Trump said he had done nothing wrong. Collins and all but one of her Republican colleagues have made it easier for Trump to continue to make that case. Romneys dissenting vote wont do much to dampen Trumps triumphs this week. But that wasnt really the point. As the junior senator from Utah explained, he cast his vote in the belief that future generations will look back on this moment and see that a good week for Trump was a bad week for America. Read more about: US: Neomi Rao sworn in as judge of powerful US court My court is Allah says ISIS operative before hurling shoe at judge India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 05: An ISIS operative facing trial in a terror case hurled a shoe and hurled verbal abuses on the judge inside the courtroom. A court in Kolkata was hearing a case pertaining to an attack at the Mother House in Kolkata. The operative, Mohammad Mashiddin alias Musa is accused of plotting the attack. Musa said before the judge that he does not accept any court. My only court is Allah, he said in anger. Masa's lawyer made several attempts to pacify him. However, he insulted the judge with derogatory comments before hurling a shoe, which eventually hit a lawyer on his head. Musa was overpowered and taken away by the police. New ISIS leader: Iraqi law graduate Al-Salbi steps into shoes of Baghdadi who died during US raid NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 This is the third instance of Musa turning violent. On an earlier occasion, he is said to have hit the jail warden after coming out of court. In another incident, Musa, while lodged at the Alipore jail, is said to have tried to kill the jail warden. Photo: The Canadian Press Macy's said Tuesday it is closing 125 of its least productive stores and cutting 2,000 corporate jobs as the struggling department store tries to reinvent itself in the age of online shopping. The store closures represent about one fifth of Macy's current total. They include about 30 that are in the process of closing and account for $1.4 billion in annual sales. Macy's didn't specify how many jobs would be lost at the shuttered stores. The corporate jobs will be shed as Macy's closes its offices in Cincinnati and San Francisco, leaving New York as its sole corporate headquarters. Macy's said that the 2,000 jobs to be lost account for about 9% of its corporate workforce. Overall, Macy's currently employs about 130,000 people. Macy's is also testing a new smaller-store format that's located at a strip centre, instead of a mall. The store will feature a mixture of Macy's merchandise and local goods as well as food and beverage options. It will open its first so-called Market by Macy's in Dallas on Thursday. The company also plans to build four $1 billion brands. Macy's, like its peers Nordstrom and J.C. Penney, is dealing with stiffer competition and shoppers' changing behaviour. Department stores are seeing their customers increasingly head to off-price stores like T.J. Maxx for fat discounts on name brands. They're also renting and buying second-hand goods online. Macys has pursued a number of strategies as a way to lure people back. Those include recently teaming up with resale site ThredUp. The companys Bloomingdales division launched a rental service last year. And it's been expanding its off-price concept called Backstage in many of its stores. It has also been upgrading the look of its top 150 stores in healthy malls. Those stores account for about 50% of its total brick and mortar store sales. It said Tuesday that it plans to upgrade an additional 100 stores this year. The company also has been closing stores over the past few years and has reduced layers of management as it tries to be more agile. Still, that hasn't been enough. Macys reported a steeper-than-expected 3.5% drop in sales at stores opened at least a year in its fiscal third quarter, which ended in Nov. 2. That marked Macys first quarterly comparable store sales decline in almost two years. Its business during November and December showed some improvement same store sales fell 0.6%. But analysts say that the department store is losing market share. The company is set to report final fourth-quarter results later this month. We will focus our resources on the healthy parts of our business, directly address the unhealthy parts of the business and explore new revenue streams, said Jeff Gennette, who took the reins as CEO in early 2017. Macy's said the moves are expected to generate annual gross savings of about $1.5 billion, which will be fully realized by year-end 2022. For 2020, Macy's anticipates gross savings of about $600 million. Anti-theft devices will help drivers make their cars safer and pay less on their insurance premiums, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains what anti-theft devices can help drivers pay less on their car insurance rates. For more info and free quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/how-anti-theft-devices-can-lower-your-car-insurance-rates/ Anti-theft devices will not only protect a vehicle from thieves, but it will also help the car owner pay less on his car insurance. Every year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are stolen. The financial losses supported by the insurance companies are enormous. For that reason, the insurance companies will provide generous discounts to those drivers that are willing to make their cars safer by installing anti-theft devices. The following anti-theft devices can help drivers pay less on their premiums: Steering wheel lock. This device goes over the steering of the vehicle and locks it into one place so that no one that doesnt have the key can drive it. They are physically effective and act as a visual deterrent for most thieves. Kill switches. A kill switch disrupts the flow of electricity at the battery or ignition switch or disables the fuel pump. Any of these devices will quickly frustrate any potential thief. Also, they are cheap to purchase. Electronic sound alarm systems. These systems will blast the horn and flash the vehicle lights when someone touches the vehicle or if he gets too close. These systems are very annoying, but very efficient when it comes to deterring thieves. VIN etching. Drivers that etched their vehicles 17-digit identification number onto the windshield and all window glass like the rear window, sunroof, moonroof, and door glass of their vehicle will have their comprehensive coverage costs lowered with up to 15%. VIN etching will allow authorities to quickly recover a stolen vehicle. Vehicle tracking system. There are several types of vehicle tracking systems available on the market. Some will constantly monitor the vehicles location in real time, while others are activated to pinpoint a drivers vehicle location when it has been reported stolen. Both types of tracking systems will help the authorities to recover the stolen vehicle in a fast manner. Armored collars. These devices wrap around the steering column and prevent car thieves from hot-wiring a vehicle by securing the wiring in the steering column. Some are permanent, while others are electronic. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COAST Autonomous ("COAST") announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with DG Cities, an expert in smart city development that is a subsidiary of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. COAST Autonomous DG Cities and COAST will work together to provide consultancy services related to the design and implementation of transportation for people and/or goods using Autonomous Vehicles ("AVs"). COAST and DG Cities' complementary skills will offer cities a path to a sustainable and more livable future. This includes the four pillars of an integrated framework approach, to design: 1) spatial planning and the strategic design of the built environment; 2) digital infrastructure and new technologies; 3) new mobility services; and 4) future vehicles. "Electric shared AVs create the opportunity for cities to reinvent their environments and make them more liveable," said Trevor Dorling, DG Cities, Managing Director. "Reducing the number of cars in urban centers will deliver many benefits and opportunities: improving air quality, allowing roads to be replaced with landscaping and car parks to be repurposed. We are excited to partner with COAST, as we share the same vision for cities, which the global discussion on air pollution and climate change is making more critical than ever. COAST's unique technology, practical approach and ambition present a real opportunity to accelerate the take-up of autonomous vehicles and deliver benefits for cities and their citizens. Technology itself is not enough, and our expertise in smart city integration and design, alongside COAST's capabilities in self-driving vehicles for urban environments, means we can offer a full service to clients looking to achieve meaningful impact." "We have been aware of DG Cities' work in this area for some time. Their focus on cities and people aligns closely with our belief that autonomous vehicles must deliver real benefits for cities and their citizens," said COAST CTO Pierre Lefevre. "Through our partnership, we are able to offer clients our world-leading technology and vehicles, alongside expert advice on how to utilize the technology to best address city needs. We are looking forward to working with DG Cities to identify exciting deployment opportunities and explaining to cities around the world how they can replace cars with COnnected Autonomous Shared Transportation and start to COAST!" About COAST Autonomous COAST Autonomous is a self-driving technology company providing mobility solutions to move people and goods at appropriate speeds in urban and campus environments. COAST's mission is to build community by connecting people with mobility solutions that put pedestrians first and give cities back to people. At the center of one of the fastest and most profound disruptions to impact the transportation and logistics industries, COAST has developed the full stack of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) software that includes mapping and localization, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), fleet management and supervision systems. Partnering with proven manufacturers, COAST can provide a variety of vehicles equipped with its best-in-class software to offer Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions to cities, theme parks, campuses, airports, and other private sites. Based in Pasadena, California, COAST's team is recognized for its experience and expertise in all aspects of implementing and operating AV fleets while prioritizing safety and the user experience. To learn how COAST Autonomous can help you power autonomous transportation in your environment, please visit www.coastautonomous.com. Contact: Aimie Nghiem, Director of Program Development, COAST Autonomous Tel: +1-626-838-2469 [email protected] About DG Cities DG Cities Ltd (Digital Greenwich) is an Urban Innovation Company that specializes in the development and implementation of integrated smart city approaches to deliver more sustainable, resilient and vibrant futures. DG Cities' holistic approach places the focus on the urban design and planning of a city's physical infrastructure and systems while harnessing the potential of digital infrastructure, new technologies and data analytics to optimize city infrastructure and services. This allows DG Cities to deliver greater value to people and communities while reducing the pressure on the environment. A subsidiary of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, it has played a prominent role in establishing Greenwich as one of the U.K.'s leading smart cities. DG Cities' recent white paper identifies that the secret of safer, more prosperous, innovative, sustainable and resilient urban societies lies in the successful integration of the different systems that create the urban environment and make it "liveable." For more information: DG Cities White Paper Contact: Vicki Deblasi, DG Cities Tel: +447803582088 [email protected] Related Files COAST Autonomous P-1 Shuttle.JPG Related Images coast-autonomous-p-1-shuttle.jpg COAST Autonomous P-1 Shuttle Related Links COAST Autonomous DG Cities White Paper SOURCE COAST Autonomous Chinese technology firm Huawei said on Tuesday that it has decided to set up 5G manufacturing bases in Europe, so that to "truly have 5G for Europe made in Europe." Abraham Liu, Huawei's chief representative to the European Union Institutions, said in the company's spring reception that the company has already had candidate places in mind, and "that is an ongoing process." When asked by a Xinhua reporter whether this decision would improve Europe's confidence in the security of Huawei's products, former European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding replied "yes, of course", since the manufacturing would be "under European rules, and so that will really be a boost to credibility." Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IBHFL) on Wednesday reported a 44 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 546.87 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, due to a fall in income. It had registered a net profit of Rs 972.82 crore in the corresponding October-December quarter of the previous fiscal. The company's total income in the December 2019 quarter fell to Rs 3,369.76 crore as against Rs 4,477.97 crore a year ago, it said in a regulatory filing. The firm's interest income was down at Rs 2,669.54 crore, compared with Rs 3,697.39 crore in the year-ago period. On a standalone basis, the net profit was down at Rs 377.23 crore from Rs 952.66 crore, while the income decreased to Rs 2,976.14 crore from Rs 4,045.69 crore, Indiabulls Housing said. Further, the board has also considered and approved the proposal of issuing secured non-convertible debentures and unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible subordinate debt in the nature of debentures (NCDs) up to Rs 5,000 crore, on a private placement basis, in one or more tranches, from time to time, it said in the filing. The board also declared an interim dividend of Rs 6 per equity share for 2019-20, whose record date is February 15. It also said the Citizens Whistle Blower Forum has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court wherein certain allegations have been made against Indiabulls group. "The company has vehemently denied the frivolous allegations that have been made without basic research or inquiry. "The company has also filed a perjury application wherein a notice has been issued. The management has concluded that the allegations made in the writ petition has no merit and no impact on the financial statements. The matter is sub-judice and pending before the Delhi High Court," it said. The PIL has alleged that monies loaned by Indiabulls to various companies were routed back to its promoters through other entities. The NGO, whose members include advocate Prashant Bhushan, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A P Shah, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral L Ramdas, and former IAS officer Aruna Roy, has sought a direction to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to order an investigation by SFIO into the irregularities alleged against Indiabulls. The petition has also sought a direction to the RBI and the National Housing Bank to investigate the financial affairs of IBHFL and to direct a special audit of the company. The housing finance company (HFC) sector has gone through a cyclical shift. Even as the liquidity situation normalises, the fundamental realisation is that the business model has to be a lot more asset-liability management (ALM) matched and conducive to generating a sustainable return on assets without borrowing short via commercial papers, according to the company's statement. "The earlier model where we would get approval from banks for specific transactions has changed to getting securitisation lines that allow us to not resort to any short-term borrowing, even intra-quarter. In our view, HFCs will have to collaborate with banks and build a model around securitisation and co-origination rather than compete with banks, it said. Over the course of the next 24-36 months, the company said it expects that certain important changes will happen for the HFC industry and for IBHFL. Shares of IBHFL on Wednesday closed at Rs 276.75 apiece, down 0.05 per cent on the BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted by Congress in July 1990, the Internet was in its infancy and few, if any, considered its applicability to cyberspace. But in 2006, a California federal judge ruled that the ADA applied not just to brick and mortar establishments, but to websites: National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corp brought the ADA into the digital age. Application of the ADA to mobile apps would follow nearly a decade later. This article was first published by Law360 Expert Analysis, 2019 Portfolio Media Group Inc., and is reprinted with permission. Part 1 What you need to know about how we got here When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted by Congress in July 1990, the Internet was in its infancy and few, if any, considered its applicability to cyberspace. But in 2006, a California federal judge ruled that the ADA applied not just to brick and mortar establishments, but to websites: National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corp brought the ADA into the digital age. Application of the ADA to mobile apps would follow nearly a decade later. In October of this year, thirteen years after Target, the U.S. Supreme Courts declination to hear an appeal by Dominos Pizza LLC to determine if it can be liable under the ADA for website accessibility, was a blow felt throughout the hospitality industry and others, which hoped to gain clarity on accessible website standards under the ADA. (See Robles v. Dominos Pizza LLC.) Following Ninth Circuit rulings, the decision reaffirms the principle that companies whose Internet activities are related to their brick and mortar stores may be held liable for violating the ADA even though the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to issue express website guidelines. Whats going on? Since Target, thousands of businesses including hotels and restaurants have been the subject of lawsuits claiming violations of Title III under the ADA because their websites and mobile applications are inaccessible to individuals who are blind and sight impaired and use screen reading software. Screen reading software is an assistive technology that interacts with an applications digital components such as images, text, links and buttons by converting these and other elements to audible synthesized speech outputs. For mobile apps, screen readers are integrated into both the iOS and Android operating systems. The screen reader integrated into iOS is VoiceOver; the screen reader integrated into Android is TalkBack. These screen readers allow mobile device users to interact with applications through gestures such as swipes and taps that do not depend on visual acuity. Although these website accessibility lawsuits are filed nationwide, the plaintiffs bar is most active in California, New York, Florida and Illinois, as those states accessibility laws are more stringent than federal law. In California, New York, and Florida, to name a few, plaintiffs can obtain statutory damages without having to prove that they suffered actual damages. For example, in California, under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, plaintiffs can claim a multiple of $4,000 minimum statutory damages, generally, per visit (or deterred visit) to a website, plus attorneys fees and litigation costs. However, one California court recently limited a plaintiffs damages to one visit, though the plaintiff claimed to have visited the website nearly 50 times. Its no surprise that an exploding cottage industry of ADA plaintiff law firms continues to thrive. More and more, those plaintiff firms are focusing on hotel website accessibility. In addition, since Target, the DOJ and other agencies have imposed accessibility requirements for web content and services in Consent Decrees and Settlement Agreements, including with hospitality giant, Hilton International. No government regulations Almost everyone you talk to in the hospitality industry will agree that they want guests who are blind and have low vision to easily access their websites and mobile apps. But when they ask: What should we do to achieve website compliance under the ADA?, there are few definitive answers. The business community, particularly those with establishments classified as public accommodations under Title III of the ADA, has long awaited for the DOJ to issue clearly defined regulations for website accessibility. They are still waiting. The DOJ first announced plans to adopt web accessibility regulations in 2010 and, on November 25, 2014, during the Obama Administration, the DOJ Civil Rights Division issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making titled Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability: Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities and Public Accommodations. If such guidelines were adopted for state and local governmental entities, the DOJ proposed to adopt similar guidelines for the business sector. While the DOJ subsequently withdrew its plan to issue website accessibility rules in December 2017, it clearly noted that public accommodations must effectively communicate with all customers including those who are blind, low visioned, or cognitively disabled and who use screen reading software to navigate the Internet. It is widely believed that the DOJs intention was to follow the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a non-government organization which has developed guidelines for voluntary website accessibility. The WCAG standards guide software developers to create web content and services which are more accessible to persons with vision-related disabilities. The current versions, WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, contain standards that each website should meet to conform to under one of three success factors: A, AA or AAA. Currently, there are no explicit government published standards for website and mobile app compliance for the private sector, which has left courts around the nation to interpret how the ADA applies to commercial websites and mobile apps. In part 2, we review significant website accessibility court decisions from 2019. Martin H. Orlick is one of the top ADA defense lawyers in the country. He has helped hotels, restaurants, retailers, banks and other commercial property owners defend more than 600 ADA cases. In addition to defending lawsuits and governmental investigations, Martys team of ADA specialists focuses on enterprise-wide ADA compliance and litigation prevention, including facilities, website and operational compliance. He is also is a senior member of the law firms Global Hospitality Group, a partner in the real estate department, and a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). For more information about ADA compliance and defense, contact Marty Orlick at 415.984.9667 or morlick@jmbm.com. This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. Please contact us if you would like to discuss any issues or development that affect your hotel interests. We would like to see if our experience might help you create value or avoid unnecessary pitfalls. Whos your hotel lawyer? Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest all industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Hospitality Trends ALMA catches beautiful outcome of stellar fight Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, have spotted a peculiar gas cloud that resulted from a confrontation between two stars. One star grew so large it engulfed the other which, in turn, spiralled towards its partner provoking it into shedding its outer layers. Like humans, stars change with age and ultimately die. For the Sun and stars like it, this change will take it through a phase where, having burned all the hydrogen in its core, it swells up into a large and bright red-giant star. Eventually, the dying Sun will lose its outer layers, leaving behind its core: a hot and dense star called a white dwarf. "The star system HD101584 is special in the sense that this 'death process' was terminated prematurely and dramatically as a nearby low-mass companion star was engulfed by the giant," said Hans Olofsson of the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, who led a recent study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, of this intriguing object. Thanks to new observations with ALMA, complemented by data from the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), Olofsson and his team now know that what happened in the double-star system HD101584 was akin to a stellar fight. As the main star puffed up into a red giant, it grew large enough to swallow its lower-mass partner. In response, the smaller star spiralled in towards the giant's core but didn't collide with it. Rather, this manoeuvre triggered the larger star into an outburst, leaving its gas layers dramatically scattered and its core exposed. The team says the complex structure of the gas in the HD101584 nebula is due to the smaller star's spiralling towards the red giant, as well as to the jets of gas that formed in this process. As a deadly blow to the already defeated gas layers, these jets blasted through the previously ejected material, forming the rings of gas and the bright bluish and reddish blobs seen in the nebula. A silver lining of a stellar fight is that it helps astronomers to better understand the final evolution of stars like the Sun. "Currently, we can describe the death processes common to many Sun-like stars, but we cannot explain why or exactly how they happen. HD101584 gives us important clues to solve this puzzle since it is currently in a short transitional phase between better studied evolutionary stages. With detailed images of the environment of HD101584 we can make the connection between the giant star it was before, and the stellar remnant it will soon become," says co-author Sofia Ramstedt from Uppsala University, Sweden. Co-author Elizabeth Humphreys from ESO in Chile highlighted that ALMA and APEX, located in the country's Atacama region, were crucial to enabling the team to probe "both the physics and chemistry in action" in the gas cloud. She added: "This stunning image of the circumstellar environment of HD101584 would not have been possible without the exquisite sensitivity and angular resolution provided by ALMA." While current telescopes allow astronomers to study the gas around the binary, the two stars at the centre of the complex nebula are too close together and too far away to be resolved. ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, under construction in Chile's Atacama Desert, "will provide information on the 'heart' of the object," says Olofsson, allowing astronomers a closer look at the fighting pair. ### More information This research was presented in a paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The team is composed of H. Olofsson (Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden [Chalmers]), T. Khouri (Chalmers), M. Maercker (Chalmers), P. Bergman (Chalmers), L. Doan (Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Sweden [Uppsala]), D. Tafoya (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), W. H. T. Vlemmings (Chalmers), E. M. L. Humphreys (European Southern Observatory [ESO], Garching, Germany), M. Lindqvist (Chalmers), L. Nyman (ESO, Santiago, Chile), and S. Ramstedt (Uppsala). The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". Links Research paper - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso2002/ eso2002a. pdf Photos of ALMA - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ archive/ search/ ?adv= &subject_name= Atacama%20Large%20Millimeter/ submillimeter%20Array Contacts Hans Olofsson Chalmers University of Technology Onsala, Sweden Tel: +46 31 772 5535 Email: hans.olofsson@chalmers.se Elizabeth Humphreys European Southern Observatory (ESO) Santiago, Chile Tel: +56 2 2463 6912 Email: ehumphre@eso.org Sofia Ramstedt Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden Tel: +46 18 471 5970 Email: sofia.ramstedt@physics.uu.se Barbara Ferreira ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: pio@eso.org This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Three Senate Democrats from conservative-leaning states who had been targeted by the White House as possible defectors voted to convict Mr. Trump, depriving the president of the chance to claim a bipartisan exoneration despite the political risk. Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama all announced their decisions in the final hours before the vote ending the Senate impeachment trial, ensuring that all 47 Democrats would stick together in supporting the removal of Mr. Trump from office. After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the president for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Mr. Jones, who is facing re-election in a state that Mr. Trump won in 2016 by nearly 28 percentage points, said in a statement. Mr. Manchin, whose state went for Mr. Trump with 70 percent three years ago, had urged a nonbinding, bipartisan censure, only to be ignored, and told reporters that he struggled deeply over his decision. Its a tough one guys, he said before announcing his decision. Its a tough one. Ms. Sinema, a freshman who was one of the few Democrats to enthusiastically jump to her feet to applaud Mr. Trump at points during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, said that in the end she could not condone Mr. Trumps use of his office to leverage domestic political assistance from a foreign power. While White House attorneys claim this behavior is not serious, she said in a statement, it is dangerous to the fundamental principles of American democracy to use the power of the federal government for personal or political gain. Emily Cochrane and Michael D. Shear Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2020 -- This intelligence report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Global Luxury Van Market. This includes Investigation of past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. Data True to market on the products, strategies and market share of leading companies of this particular market are mentioned. It's a 360-degree overview of the global market's competitive landscape. The report further predicts the size and valuation of the global market during the forecast period. Global Luxury Van Market Overview: Luxury vans refer to a vehicle that provides the passenger with increased comfort, a higher level of equipment and quality of a car. The luxury vans provide outstanding security so that the passengers can enjoy the comforts of the HD television, individually adjustable leather seats and the minibar. Some of the vehicles are also modified as per the needs of wheelchair passengers and specific models even feature an integrated wheelchair with a lift in the interior. Some technological advancements such as Wi-Fi, hi-fi speakers, electric doors have been developed in some luxury vans. Major Players in this Report Include, AG (Germany), General Motors Company (GM) (United States), Nissan Motor Company (Japan), Volkswagen Group (Germany), Ford Motor Company (United States), Honda Motor (Japan), Hyundai Motor (South Korea), Groupe Renault (France), Thor Industries (United States), Toyota Motor (Japan) and Becker Automotive Design (United States). Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/12196-global-luxury-van-market Each segment and sub-segment is analyzed in the research report. The competitive landscape of the market has been elaborated by studying a number of factors such as the best manufacturers, prices and revenues. Global Luxury Van Market is accessible to readers in a logical, wise format. Driving and restraining factors are listed in this study report to help you understand the positive and negative aspects in front of your business. This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market. Market Drivers - Growing Used and Converted Luxury Van Market - Rising Demand for Compact and Small Luxury Vans in Emerging Markets Market Trend - Growing Adoption of Electric and Hybrid Powertrain into Luxury Vans - Integration of Technology Used In the Vehicle Restraints - Consumer Acceptance to Automation and High Cost - Cyber Security and Safety Concern Opportunities - Integration of Infotainment Systems with the Ambient Lighting Systems - Customization in Vehicles According To the User Comfort Challenges - Increasing Prices of Crude Oil - High Manufacturing Cost of Luxury Vans Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows: Historical year 2013-2017 Base year 2018 Forecast period** 2019 to 2025 [** unless otherwise stated] **Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players. The titled segments and Market Data Breakdown are illuminated below: By Type (Cargo Van, Crew Van, Passenger Van) Capacity (7 Seats, 9 Seats, 11 Seats) End-User (Individuals, Fleet Operators) For Early Buyers | Get Up to 20% Discount on This Premium Report: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/12196-global-luxury-van-market Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc. Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Luxury Van Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Luxury Van Market. Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Luxury Van Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Luxury Van Chapter 4: Presenting the Luxury Van Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Luxury Van market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Finally, Luxury Van Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies. For More Information and Customization: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/12196-global-luxury-van-market Key questions answered - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Luxury Van Market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Luxury Van Market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Luxury Van Market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. In a customer-friendly move, American Airlines AAL has entered into a codeshare agreement with GOL Linhas GOL, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based airline. The deal will, however, have to be approved by the authorities in Brazil and the United States before it becomes effective. On materialization, the pact between the carriers will boost connectivity between United States and Brazil. For example, GOLs passengers will be able to travel to more than 30 destinations in the United States. As a result of the agreement, passengers of either carrier can purchase tickets of connecting flights using one reservation. The contract also provides extended and seamless connectivity between flights of the two carriers. Moreover, passengers of both carriers will enjoy benefits like seamless ticketing and better baggage check-in facilities. Notably, a codeshare deal allows sharing of flights, which implies that a passenger has the free will to avail any flight operated by either of the companies under the agreement, irrespective of the flight number. While the code share pact, on materialization, will enable American Airlines to boost its Latin American footprint, association with an U.S.-based heavyweight is a positive for GOL Linhas as well. This is because in 2019, GOLs partnership with another U.S. airline heavyweight, Delta Air Lines DAL, was terminated, with the latter offloading its stake in the former. The code-sharing deal apart, American Airlines was also in the news when it reached Agreements in Principle for five new joint collective bargaining agreements worth $4.2 billion, with its mechanics union (TWU-IAM). Notably, TWU-IAM association represents more than 30,000 employees of American Airlines. Notably, the agreements in principle with the union pertain primarily to wage hikes, working conditions and retirement benefits. However, there is still some way to go before the deal becomes effective. TWU-IAM and American Airlines will now finalize and proof contract language of the provisions of the tentative contracts that have been agreed upon. This will be followed by the ratification voting procedure. Story continues American Airlines will be hoping that the deal clears the hurdles and eventually materializes. It would then imply a happy ending to the more -than four years of bargaining between the mechanics and American Airlines. Zacks Rank & a Key Pick American Airlines carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked airline stock is Spirit Airlines SAVE carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Shares of Spirit Airlines have gained more than 7% in the past month. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Sen. Mitt Romney announced Wednesday that he will vote to convict President Trump for abuse of power, one of two articles of impeachment brought by House Democrats. Romney, the junior Republican senator from Utah who was the GOPs presidential nominee in 2012, became the first member of his party to say he would vote to convict the president, a blow to Trumps argument that impeachment was solely a partisan matter. The Senate is controlled by Republicans, and Trumps exoneration in the vote, scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, is a foregone conclusion. Romney said he believed Trump was guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust by seeking to pressure a foreign government to investigate Joe Biden, a leading Democratic candidate to oppose him for reelection. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine, Romney said. Sen. Mitt Romney. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) I swore an oath before God to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. During the Senate impeachment trial, Romney and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were the only two Republicans to vote in favor of allowing witnesses to testify. Collins said Tuesday she intends to vote against conviction. I believe that attempting to corrupt an election to maintain power is about as egregious an assault on the Constitution as can be made, Romney added. And for that reason, it is a high crime and misdemeanor, and I have no choice under the oath that I took but to express that conclusion. Beth Myers, who has been one of Romneys closest political advisers going back to his time as Massachusetts governor, told Yahoo News: As always, I am proud of Mitt and grateful that he did the right thing. Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the national Republican Party, took issue with Romney, who is her uncle. She tweeted: Story continues This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him. I, along with the @ GOP, stand with President Trump. Donald Trump Jr. also piled on Romney with a tweet: Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so hes joining them now. Hes now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP. With Jon Ward in Washington, D.C. This is a breaking story. Please check back for developments. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: More than one year ago, Stormy Daniels filed an appeal to a judges ruling that threw out her defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump. On Tuesday of this week, a three-judge panel in federal appellate court finally heard arguments in the case, as lawyers for Daniels and Trump went head-to-head in Pasadena, California. In 2018, Daniels claimed in a televised interview that she had been physically threatened in a Las Vegas parking lot by a man who invoked Trumps name in his attempt to frighten her. In the interview, Daniels presented a forensic sketch of the man she recalled from the alleged incident seven years earlier. Trump responded via Twitter, calling the man in the sketch nonexistent, and accusing Daniels of perpetrating a total con job. Daniels, who at the time was represented by attorney Michael Avenatti, quickly filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump. But in December of 2018, a federal judge tossed out the lawsuit, saying that Trumps remarks were protected under the First Amendment as rhetorical hyperbole. The judge ordered Daniels to pay Trumps legal feesnearly $300,000. In the Tuesday hearing, Trump lawyer Charles Harder told the judges that Trump did not intend his tweet to be taken as a factual accusation that Daniels had simply made up her story of the threat. Instead, Harder said, Trumps statements were the modern-day equivalent of calling B.S. or saying bunk or malarkey or hooey or garbage or I dont buy it. Asked by Judge Kim Wardlaw, a Bill Clinton appointee, if Trump was calling Daniels a liar, Harder said that he was not, and that Trump had never used those words, or directly asserted that Daniels was lying about the alleged threat. Instead, Harder argued, Trump was merely stating his opinion. But Daniels lawyer, Clark Brewsterwho replaced Avenatti in March of 2019scoffed at Harders claim. Trump, he said, was well aware of the threat attempt against Daniels, and in fact included language about the incident in a non-disclosure agreement signed by Daniels. It was negotiated at the time and known by Trump at the time that this man had accosted and threatened an assault upon her, Brewster told the appeals court. It was in the contract, but then [he] claimed, I dont know anything about it. Brewster also argued that the lawyers had presented no evidence of Trumps goodwill, which he said was necessary because his default is to be reckless in his statements. At the same time, Trumps lawyers included information about the adult films in which Daniels has appeared in their court briefs, even though they were not permitted to use that information to smear her in the lower court. Brewster told the judges that he took pride in Daniels for for standing up and fighting here. Photo By James Chang / Wikimedia Commons A study published in The Lancet found that two ways of quickly restoring normal heart rhythm in patients with acute atrial fibrillation in the emergency department are equally safe and effective. The large, randomized controlled trial looked at cardioversion, a medical procedure that quickly brings heart rhythm back to normal. Cardioversion can be done with a mild electric shock or with fast-acting drugs delivered through an IV. "These methods allow us to quickly get patients back to their normal heart rate, and send them home after four to six hours in the emergency department," said Dr. Ian Stiell, lead author and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and distinguished professor at the University of Ottawa. Acute atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregular heartbeat that must be treated within 48 hours to avoid complications like stroke and heart failure. The study team estimates that acute atrial fibrillation accounts for 430,000 emergency department visits every year in Canada and the United States. The researchers recruited 396 patients with acute atrial fibrillation from 11 Canadian emergency departments. Cardioversion is a commonly used treatment in this country. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two kinds. The first group received only electrical cardioversion. Patients are sedated during this procedure, so they do not feel the shock. advertisement The second group received a drug called procainamide through an IV. If the drug did not reset the patient's heart rhythm within 30 minutes, they received electrical cardioversion. In the shock-only group (192 patients): 92 percent returned to their normal heart rhythm (176) 95 percent were discharged home (183) In the drug-then-shock group (204 patients): 96 percent returned to their normal heart rhythm (196) 97 percent were discharged home (198) 52 percent recovered their normal heart rhythm with the drug alone (106) Both kinds of cardioversion were equally good at restoring normal heart rhythm and getting patients home the same day. The drug-shock strategy was more effective for patients experiencing atrial fibrillation for the first time, and for patients younger than 70. The two methods were equally safe -none of the patients had any serious side-effects. Two weeks after the treatment, no patients had had a stroke, 95 percent still had normal heart rhythm, 11 percent returned to the emergency department because of atrial fibrillation, three percent had an additional round of cardioversion, and two percent were admitted to hospital. advertisement The researchers were interested to see that over half of the patients who received the drug did not need a shock to restore their regular heart rhythm. They recommend that physicians try the drug cardioversion first, to avoid unnecessary sedation. "If I have a patient on a drug infusion, I can see other patients at the same time," said Dr. Jeffrey Perry, study co-author and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. "To do an electrical cardioversion, I need to find another doctor, a nurse and a respiratory therapist, and it takes time to assemble those people." The researchers note that patients often have a strong preference for one kind of cardioversion over the other, especially if they need it done regularly. "While we believe that there are advantages to trying the drug infusion before the shock, the treatment choice is ultimately a shared decision between the patient and physician," said Dr. Perry. While cardioversion is common in Canada, it isn't as well known in other parts of the world. "In some countries, patients with acute atrial fibrillation are sent home with pills to slow their heart rate, while others are admitted to hospital," said Dr. Stiell. "Our study showed that cardioversion in the emergency department is safe and effective. We hope our results convince more physicians around the world to adopt these methods." "Given the crowding which exists in the emergency health care setting, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is proud to support this high-quality research that enhances evidence-informed clinical decisions in the transitions of care for patients with atrial fibrillation," said Dr. Brian Rowe, study co-author, Scientific Director of the CIHR's Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Alberta. Last year was not great for The Forward, the only national Jewish media outlet in the United States. There are a lot of us who feel that way. Take the 30 percent of the editorial staff whose jobs were terminated last January, including the editor-in-chief, amid a perennial bleeding of funds. Or subscribers who were turned off by a fundraising email last February rebuking Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with the message, If youre only fighting anti-Semitism on one side, youre not really fighting it. Or readers who were dismayed that, in June, when Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compared immigrant detention centers to concentration camps, The Forward had more coverage of how Jews on Twitter responded to that characterization than of the conditions themselves. And after a hundred and twenty-one years, The Forward ceased its print operation. The Forward, headquartered in New York City, says it has 16,000 subscribers and 112,000 newsletter readers, described on its website as affluent, politically involved & progressive-minded, with a strong interest in causes, issues and Israel. Most have graduate degrees; three-quarters belong to a synagogue. Ive been a reader for more than a decade and I have written for the paper over a dozen times. As a left-wing Israeli-American journalist who covers the politics of the Israeli occupation and its role in American discourse, its been one of the only Jewish outlets for which I couldand would want towrite. The US Jewish media establishment tends to be dominated by older white men who are out of touch with the generation of Jewish activists to which I belong. With the exception of Jewish Currents magazine, which was recently revamped but remains small, and more neutral venues like the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, most Jewish publications are funded by right-wing patrons who expect to see their investments reflect their politics: Jewish Journal, Commentary, and the Jewish News Syndicate, whose largest single donor is the Republican mega-spender Sheldon Adelson. Tablet, launched in 2009 to focus on Jewish culture, is funded by a conservative backer. When Donald Trump became president, it was clear that The Forward was uniquely positioned to cover the rise of anti-Semitism and his administrations impact on American Jewry. But it quickly became apparent that the paper would not pursue that path. After Trump addressed his first joint session of Congress, Jane Eisner, then the editor in chief, wrote an editorial that asked: Was Donald Trumps Speech His Bar Mitzvah Moment? She described Trump as the bad boy who blew off much of Hebrew school and then cleaned up just in time, suited and smiling, to perform his bar mitzvah part so beautifully that everyone, not just his grandmother, swooned in surprise. A year later, a reporter who had focused on white-nationalist rallies was let go. Compared to figures such as Omar and Ocasio-Cortez, Stephen Miller, a Trump senior adviser who is one of the most influential Jews in the White House, was given less attention, even as he advanced white-supremacist policies inspired by Mein Kampf. In the view of Jewish progressives like me, the paper has thrown the Jewish left under the bus. Its actively seeking to sacrifice the left in the service of clicks, Eli Valley, a political comic artist who used to publish regularly in The Forward, says. To me, The Forward was once the pinnacle of the politically active Jewish left in America. It was an American institution; it no longer has that institutional or cultural imprimatur. At a time when anti-Semitic violence is on the rise, white supremacy has reached the federal level, and the discourse around Jews and Israel may be the most toxic its ever been, many of us have been disappointed to find that The Forward is leveraging news more than reporting it. The Forward, established in 1897 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as a moderate, democratic socialist daily in Yiddish called Forverts, served the masses of Eastern European Jewish immigrants and helped define Jewish life in America. By 1924, when the US Immigration Act began curbing immigration significantly, as many as three million Jews arrived. Many became a significant part of the New York City fabricquite literally, in the case of its garment industry, where they worked in tenement sweatshops. Jewish values became synonymous with the American promise of liberty, justice, and prosperity, which for many immigrant Jews meant organized labor, the fight for civil rights, and a fearless press. In 1930, Forverts was one of the countrys most widely distributed national newspapers, with a circulation of over 275,000. The Forward wasnt only a pioneer in Jewish journalism, it was legendary and incredibly influential in the concept of ethnic journalism in general, says Alana Newhouse, who worked as culture editor at The Forward and then launched the rival Tablet magazine. It unlocked what all ethnic media tried to unlock: how to let them live inside a distinct culture while also helping them understand the world around them. Sign up for CJR 's daily email The world has changed considerably since then, and since the English weekly edition was founded, in 1990, by Seth Lipsky, a neoconservative veteran of the Wall Street Journal. (A Yiddish digital outlet still exists, attracting up to 80,000 unique users every month.) When Lipsky started the English edition, most American Jews had moved on from their immigrant-labor pasts and fully assimilated; they filled senior positions in government and formed powerful advocacy groups that lobbied for Jewish causes. Through diligent reporting, the paper took those institutions to task; one of The Forwards first front pages published the salaries of presidents atop major American Jewish organizations. Lipsky is also known for having cultivated writers such as Jeffrey Goldberg and Philip Gourevitch, building an impressive newsroom. In 2000, the papers management ousted Lipsky and hired J.J. Goldberg, in order to steer The Forward to the left. When I worked at The Forward it was forthrightly a liberal Jewish media outlet, which represented how the majority of American Jews actually see the world, as reflected in their voting patterns, Larry Cohler-Esses, a former assistant managing editor for news and investigations, recalls. The paper ambitiously covered the interests of liberal American Jews. In 2013, the paper published an expose on years of sexual abuse of students at a high school run by Yeshiva University. In 2015, Eisner had a one-on-one interview with Barack Obama in the Oval Office. The same year, Cohler-Esses was the first journalist from an American Jewish publication to be granted entry into Iran since 1979, and he covered the height of Israels confrontation with Obama over the Iran nuclear deal. (He found no plot to destroy Israel.) In 2017, he and a colleague named Lili Bayer covered the story that Sebastian Gorka, then a senior adviser to Trump, had ties to a Nazi group. The paper also broke news on Jewish charities; one investigation revealed that a Jewish federation was bankrolling Canary Mission, a shadowy website that blacklists students and professors who champion Palestinian rights. No other Jewish media outlet was doing the kind of enterprise news that we were doing, Cohler-Esses says. In December 2017, however, Cohler-Esses was let go, as part of downsizing in The Forwards newsroom. The paper, which had been suffering annual losses, amounting to nearly $7 million the preceding year, had brought in a new publisher, Rachel Fishman Feddersen, who was tasked with leading a digital transition. Under Feddersen, formerly the chief content officer of Patch, The Forward conducted significant staff cuts and called for an increase in posts. We have three revenue streams: ads, subscriptions, and donations, she told Folio. Advertising has the least upside for us. We think we can do better, but we are reinvigorating the business in other ways. She went on: We are better off focusing on the readers. According to Eisner and several other former employees, writers were asked to produce at least two short posts a dayfor a vertical called Fast Forwardas part of their regular work. They began aggregating more heavily and their performances were measured in clicks. On top of Google Analytics, we built a dashboard which had key performance indicators for writers and editors, Dan Friedman, who was executive editor at the time, tells me. Which pieces are being read, who is reading them, what part of the world, etc. We were using those as ways of measuring writers performances. (The Forward denies that it has ever quantified performance measures. According The Forward, an editor emailed staff about a quota of eight to ten stories per week that was framed as an experiment and a goal, not a requirement, but we can understand how those former staffers would have seen it as a demand from their boss.) Eisner, who had been the editor since 2008, thought she could reconcile the new demands with her journalistic standards. To be an editor in the digital era is a humbling experience, she tells me, because you have more precise tools to know what people are actually reading and for how long, so of course that is going to change your perspective about what you produce and where to put your resourcesto some degree it must. Still, she adds, That doesnt mean it changes your values, your priorities. (She now works at the Columbia Journalism School, which publishes CJR; she is not affiliated with the magazine.) Nevertheless, The Forward changed. The paper began to run gossipy headlines about Ivanka Trump and speculated (incorrectly) about whether Meghan Markle was Jewish. As Friedman puts it, The challenge facing us was: How could we do thirty stories a day on pop culture and at the same time be the national Jewish paper doing serious opinion, news, and investigations? The editorial strategy, it seemed, undercut staff morale and alienated many readers. But as a business approach, according to Feddersen, it worked: the 2019 operating loss was down to $2.4 million. The Forward now expects to break even within a few years. When you compound the pressures to keep alive the newspaper that has been the backbone of American Jewish life for over a century with a fraught climate in which Jews are used as political pawns and subjected to violence, the result is the substitution of outrage for news. The Forward was the last liberal Zionist publication standing, Sam Freedman, a professor at Columbia Journalism School and a former contributing editor at The Forward, tells me. When The Forward hits a crisis and cant sustain the work it did, thats a communal crisis. Many news outlets, desperate for eyeballs, have shifted emphasis from news to opinion pieces, which are less expensive to produce. For The Forward, however, which was absent an editor-in-chief for most of last year, the opinion section became its front door. And even as it has published a wide array of voicesfrom Jews of color taking on anti-Black racism in the Jewish community to Palestinian writers who support boycotts of Israeltheir contributions have been offset by voices far to the right. In early 2018, Mort Klein, who heads a far-right American Jewish organization and has a history of making Islamophobic slurs, wrote, Mike Pence Gave the Best Pro-Israel Speech Ever. Another contributor published We Need to Start Befriending Neo-Nazis. Over the past year, a both sides approach to the opinion page has flattened The Forwards reputation, platforming clickbait conservatism and equivocating where it was once willing to confront. That problem came to a head last February, when Batya Ungar-Sargon, The Forwards opinion editor, called out Congresswoman Omar for anti-Semitism, sparking a national controversy and leading to the fundraising email that angered Jewish progressives like me. It is frustrating and saddening to see The Forward today embracing, indeed, reveling in, its newfound role as policeman, prosecutor, judge, and jury deciding what is and isnt anti-Semitism, Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, says. Friedman, who used to publish in The Forward, felt that the paper had crossed a line. The Forward has elected to take up this tendentious role now, at a time when accusations of anti-Semitism are being weaponized to bludgeon critics of Israel, she adds. Israel-Palestine is the tip of the spear being exploited to erode free speech and the cats paw inciting progressives to attack their own. The Forward, intentionally or not, is enabling, legitimizing, and energizing these trends. In response to criticism about polarizing ideas that have been published under its banner, The Forward has argued that opinion deserves its place, apart from news, to fully represent a Jewish audience. In September, Jodi Rudoren, a seasoned New York Times journalist, assumed the helm as editor in chief. She told Jewish Currents, I want people to feel comfortable writing and I want to be known most of all as a place that publishes a range of opinions respectfully. But a newspapers value is undermined when op-eds drive conversation above its reporting. A month into Rudorens tenure, Ungar-Sargon wrote a piece accusing students at Bard College who protested a panel shed moderated of being anti-Semitic. The piece, which omitted relevant information, argued that Shahanna McKinney-Baldon, a Black Jewish educator, was actually egging on what was a blatantly anti-Semitic protest. Afterward, The Forward published letters to the editor, most of them refuting Ungar-Sargons claims. McKinney-Baldon demanded an apology and a retraction; Rudoren told her in an email that neither was warranted, since the story was a matter of perspective. (I covered the Bard episode for Jewish Currents.) In that case, as with the Omar controversy, the paper positioned itself as an authority on opinions about, rather than a driver of reporting on, anti-Semitism. In December, Rudoren deepened The Forwards commitment to opinion, hiring five new columnists. She doesnt believe that signals a turn away from news, however. We have made no such shift to Opinion from news in terms of philosophy, staffing or other resources, or promotion, she told me in an email. There is no other publication with such quality and variety of voices, no Opinion section better rooted in the news that matters to American Jews, she added. I am lucky to have inherited a vibrant, strong and ambitious section with a creative and committed leader, and she and I have been working together to build on its strength. In January, however, Peter Beinart, a prominent Forward columnist, resigned in order to become an editor at large for Jewish Currents. BuzzFeed wrote that the move, from a major outlet to a small, explicitly leftist one, suggests a power shift in the politics of American Jewish media. Recently, when I reached out to Rudoren, hoping to discuss The Forwards role in Jewish discoursea world that is, to be sure, complex and politically fraughtshe initially agreed to speak with me, then backtracked. She informed me that no one at The Forward would comment for this article and agreed to provide responses to fact-checking queries only on the condition that I state her objection to my writing the piece. Rudoren, Feddersen, and members of the board would not be available for interviews because, Rudoren wrote, I have aggressively and personally attacked the publication and its staff members on social media platforms. In notes to CJR, she included screenshots of tweets in which I criticized The Forward and Ungar-Sargons takes. Its true that I have strong opinionsmost people working in Jewish media do. I cant see a way to think deeply about The Forward without thinking critically. In many ways, what is happening with the paper reflects what has been going on in the American Jewish community writ large: the collapse of centrism, the polarization of discourse, and the imperative to take a stand. And thats the source of my frustration with The Forward. Communicating through op-eds and imposing divides among Jews isnt the kind of journalism required to guide us through the difficult moment were in. EDITORS NOTE: This piece has been updated to reflect that The Forward was not the first to report on Sebastian Gorkas ties to a Nazi group. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Mairav Zonszein is an Israeli-American freelance journalist who covers Israel and its role in US politics. She has written for the Washington Post, the New York Review of Books, and the New York Times, among others. She is a longtime contributor to +972 Magazine and tweets at @Mairavz. Moscow: Moments after an Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit mistakenly launched a missile at a Ukrainian passenger jet, the pilot of a nearby airliner radioed air traffic controllers to report an alarming streak of light in the sky and then a mid-air explosion. Flares on route, as if from a missile, the pilot reported to the control tower in Tehran as he brought his plane in for a landing, a leaked audiotape of the exchange shows. Should anything like this be happening there? We were not informed of this, the controller said. What does this light look like? The reply: That surely is the light from a missile. When the controller then tried to raise the crew of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, there was no response. The Iranian pilot reports seeing an explosion, then sought reassurance: Is our course OK? Yes, the controller said. I dont think there will be any problem for you. God forbid! the pilot responded. After a transcript of the recording was leaked to a Ukrainian news site Sunday, Iran halted its cooperation already described as reluctant with Ukraines inquiry into the downing of the plane. The Iranians said they expected such evidence would have been kept confidential. The missile killed all 176 people on the Ukrainian plane at a time of already high tensions as the United States and Iran traded attacks in the region, raising fears of further violence. Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, verified the audio recordings authenticity and said it had been obtained by Ukrainian crash investigators. The Iranians did not dispute its authenticity. Its leak to the news site seemed to reflect frustration among Ukrainian government officials over what they said was Irans lack of cooperation in the inquiry, particularly its refusal to hand over the downed planes black boxes. While the Iranian government has admitted that the Guard fired on the plane, it did so only after three days of stonewalling. And even then, President Hassan Rouhani insisted that the truth had been concealed from him and other members of the elected government by the air defense unit of the Guard. In an interview with Ukrainian media, Zelenskiy claimed that the exchange captured on the tape made clear that Iranian authorities knew almost immediately that a missile had brought down the plane, though the air traffic controller is the only government worker heard on the audio tape. He did not provide any evidence that the controller quickly shared that information with government officials. Zelenskiy did not directly contradict the Iranian governments claim that it had been kept in the dark, but he noted that even the military which knew what had happened continued to issue false statements. Those included a claim that the crash had been caused by mechanical problems. That, he said, showed a broad effort to suppress the truth in those first three days. We understood that the Iranians we were not sure exactly who but they wanted to defend themselves in such an unlawful way, by pushing information that it was a technical flaw, Zelenskiy said. The recording begins a few minutes after Ukrainian Flight 752 took off from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on January 8. At the time, Irans air defenses were on high alert amid tensions with the United States. An American drone had recently killed a top Iranian security commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and Iran had retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. forces on bases in Iraq. Iranian military officials said that an air defense crew fearing an American counterattack had fired on the civilian airliner in error, and that it took time to investigate the circumstances. The government said the generals had for days dragged their feet in sharing this information with elected officials. Iranian officials have said the leadership of the Revolutionary Guard, which is subordinate only to Irans theocratic leader, as well as the regular military knew the crew of a mobile anti-aircraft system had fired missiles, but effectively sidelined the elected government by creating a secret investigative committee. That committee examined data from the airport, radar networks and witnesses including the missile crew, Iranian officials said. It was not clear if this committee blocked access to the air traffic control recordings. Zelenskiy, in the interview, said Irans air traffic controllers did not, in any case, provide the recording to Ukrainian investigators who traveled to Iran. He said Ukraine had obtained it independently, a claim disputed by the director of Irans Civil Aviation Organization. The aviation director, Hassan Rezaifar, told Mehr, a semiofficial news agency, that Iran had provided it to the Ukrainians. The victims of the planes downing included 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians. Zelenskiy said the Iranian government had offered $80,000 to the families of each Ukrainian victim, but that he had rejected the offer as insufficient. Andrew E. Kramer c.2020 The New York Times Company Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rips up the speech of U.S. President Donald Trump after his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A bitter feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and top Democrat Nancy Pelosi boiled over at his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, with Trump denying her a handshake and Pelosi ripping apart a copy of his remarks behind his back. Trump avoided the subject of his impeachment drama in a pugnacious 80-minute speech, but the raw wounds from the battle were evident with fellow Republicans giving him standing ovations while rival Democrats for the most part remained seated. Expand Close House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Vice President Mike Pence is at left. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Vice President Mike Pence is at left. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The Republican-led Senate was expected to acquit him of charges he abused his powers and obstructed Congress during a vote beginning at 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) on Wednesday. Seeing Pelosi, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker, for the first time since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago, Trump declined to shake her outstretched hand as he gave her a paper copy of his remarks before starting to speak. Despite having not spoken to Trump since their last meeting, Pelosi appeared to be taken aback. She avoided citing the customary "high privilege and distinct honor" that usually accompanies the speaker's introduction of the president to Congress. "Members of Congress, the President of the United States" was all she said in introducing Trump. When his speech ended, Pelosi stood and tore up her copy of the remarks he had handed her, later telling reporters it was "the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative." Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's campaign spokeswoman, said of Pelosi: "Her hatred for @realdonaldtrump has blinded her to the repulsive nature of her smug, elitist behavior." After the event, Pelosi tweeted a photo of her with her hand reaching out to Trump and said, "Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU" The tension was a sign that little legislative progress should be expected with the presidential election nine months away. The impeachment case has intensified bitter feelings between Trump, a former reality TV star-turned conservative politician, and Pelosi, a California liberal, that have existed throughout his presidency. He routinely calls her "Crazy Nancy" at his campaign rallies. 'FOUR MORE YEARS' As he began the speech, Republicans from both houses of Congress chanted "four more years" while he stood at the lectern in the chamber of the House. Democrats sat silently and some could be seen shaking their heads as Trump declared, "The state of our union is stronger than ever before." Pelosi, who dropped her opposition to impeachment and allowed Democratic lawmakers to seek the charges against him, sat stoically and grim-faced behind Trump and paged through a paper copy of his speech as he spoke. Trump entered the chamber with Democrats experiencing unease and chaos after technical glitches delayed the results of voting in Iowa on Monday, the first 2020 contest as the party seeks a nominee to face the incumbent Republican. Trump presented himself as a big improvement over Democratic President Barack Obama, whom he succeeded three years ago, saying he had bolstered U.S. economic growth and increased jobs. "In just three short years we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny," he said. The House impeachment managers, acting as prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial, were seated together at the front of the Democrats' section. Expand Close President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, and hands a copy of the address to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Leah Millis/Pool via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, and hands a copy of the address to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Leah Millis/Pool via AP) DEMOCRATIC WOMEN PROTEST Many House Democratic women wore white for a second year in a row, a sign of the suffrage movement that won women the right to vote 100 years ago. Several Democratic lawmakers refused to attend the annual speech to protest Trump, such as liberal firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump, using the speech to lay out his vision for a second four-year term, said a Democratic plan to expand government-funded health insurance amounted to a "socialist takeover" that would bankrupt the country, cut benefits for those who have them now and provide care to illegal immigrants. Democratic presidential candidates and many lawmakers have proposed healthcare plans that would be run by the government, a sharp departure from the current, private system in which millions of Americans receive medical insurance from their employers. Trump's lack of a healthcare plan has left him open to criticism that he has not put enough work into finding a way to reduce rising insurance costs that burden middle-class Americans. "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!" Trump said. Democratic women stood and chanted "HR 3" - a reference to a Democratic bill that would lower drug costs. In the televised Democratic response to Trump's speech, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: "Democrats are trying to make your healthcare better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away." Trump offered an upbeat portrayal of his presidency in hopes of persuading Americans to give him another four-year term in the Nov. 3 election. He saluted surprise guest Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, and made cancer-stricken conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh an immediate recipient of the presidential Medal of Freedom, with Trump's wife Melania pinning the ribbon around Limbaugh's neck. Trump also revived his polarizing arguments that migrants should be stopped from crossing the southern U.S. border and that so-called "sanctuary cities" where migrants are protected are wrong. His immigration policies are opposed by Democrats. Pelosi could be seen shaking her head as Trump spoke of his views on immigration. After coming close to a broad conflict with Iran after he ordered the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, Trump said, "We are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." TEHRAN, Iran, Feb.5 Trend: Denmark's Ambassador to Tehran Danny Annan announced on Feb. 5 that his country exports medicines to Iran. "A shipment of medicines has been supplied from Denmark to Iran, Denmark's Ambassador to Tehran Danny Annan said, Trend reports citing Mehr News Agency. Regarding the cooperation between Iran and Denmark, good steps have been taken to boost bilateral relations; however, Iran and Denmark have not had cooperation in medical sphere, the ambassador added. "The EU does not agree with these sanctions; Germany and France are trying to maintain and develop their trade relations with Iran by establishing multilateral relations," Danny Annan said referring to the US sanctions against Iran. He announced that Denmark has decided to continue to develop ties with Iran and that the country's biggest pharmaceutical company will start production in Iran within two months. KENYA: At least 14 children were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a primary school in Kenya when they were let out to go home. The pupils, mostly aged between 10 and 12, are said to have been crushed as they ran down a narrow staircase at Kakamega Primary School after lessons. One mother claims the children were running away from teachers who were beating them while other reports suggested the staircase had collapsed. Some of the children were said to have fallen from the third floor of the building during the crush at around 5pm on Monday. Distressing scenes showed parents collapsing in grief after identifying their children's bodies in a local hospital. Among those who died was nine-year-old Vanessa Andeso. Read Full Story .... dailymail.co.uk >>> : Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Public fear seems inevitable given the alarming updates on the coronavirus outbreak, and isolation in the forms of lockdown and quarantine has become our default response. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Public fear seems inevitable given the alarming updates on the coronavirus outbreak, and isolation in the forms of lockdown and quarantine has become our default response. As a social scientist in globalization studies, I am interested in the role some of the less visible layers of globalization such as awareness of our connections with the lives of people elsewhere have in shaping our responses, including emotional responses, to global threats, like this one and those to come. For example, while the massive lockdowns in China have aimed to decelerate the spread of the virus, have we asked ourselves what has been going on in Wuhan, the epicentre of the 2019-nCoV outbreak and the first city to be locked down, and what it may mean for the rest of the world? Temporal aspects The initial response to the epidemic in Wuhan appears to have been delayed by as much as a month, in part by its timing. The "largest human migration" that occurs annually during the Lunar New Year means there was an increased risk of widespread contagion and a potential threat to social and political stability. In Chinas system, a disease like this can never be only a public health issue; it is also one that requires careful political calculation. After the central governments frustration in other international arenas, such as Taiwans election and the trade war with the United States, the epidemic is its biggest test and, therefore, a priority. After Chinese President Xi Jinpings public remarks on Jan. 20, the country began taking immediate action. Authorities cancelled planes and trains leaving Wuhan and curtailed transit within the city on Jan. 23, and other cities and provinces swiftly followed. As of Jan. 25, the movement of 56 million people had been restricted. Policies targeting the spread of the novel coronavirus included free medical care for infected patients, free travelling ticket cancellation, rumour control and the extension of the Lunar New Year holiday. Free apps for self-screening and public education on self-quarantine and face mask use rapidly became available online. A spectacle of lightning-fast activity similar to what occurred during the SARS epidemic was repeated: construction crews broke ground on Jan. 24 on a 1,000-bed hospital that became operational on Feb. 3; another will open shortly after. Geospatial aspects Although Wuhan, with its 11 million people, has a larger population than New York City, it is merely the seventh-largest city in China and a beta city in the world city networks (equivalent to Calgary). In a way, it is fortunate that 2019-nCoV did not start in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong, all of which are highly ranked world cities (second only to London and New York City) with direct daily flights to other global cities, including Toronto and Vancouver. Had it begun in one of those major centres, the global landscape of the new coronavirus might today look very different. On a domestic level, though, Wuhans location as a historical transportation hub in central China confers additional risk, considering its easy access through multiple routes, including water (the Yangtze River) and high-speed trains, to many other provinces. The destinations of the five million who left Wuhan before the lockdown cover many provinces in China. Wuhans capacity to respond to the epidemic reflected by, for example, the citys governing capacity, access to decision-making power and ability to mobilize resources seems hardly to compare with that of Beijing. Societal aspects The lockdown, a place-based containment strategy, has transformed Wuhan into a dystopian city. Public transit is not running, streets are empty, flights have been cancelled and foreign residents have been evacuated. Despite their acceptance of the lockdown for a bigger cause, people are complaining about many things on social media: the lack of transportation, overcrowded hospitals, shortages of face masks and other protective gear (even in hospitals) and an inability to re-enter Wuhan. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The spread of the virus within China has been accompanied by wide reports of discrimination against people from that city, although lists of hotels willing to host Wuhan people travelling outside the city are also being circulated online. Social media such as Weixin (WeChat) did not exist at the time of SARS. It has become a key medium and tool for people to survive isolation, seek help, co-ordinate donations and push the local government for information transparency. Five days after the lockdown, residents in several high-rise buildings in Wuhan mobilized themselves through social media to lift their spirits by simultaneously opening their apartment windows to chant "stay strong (jiayou), Wuhan" and sing the national anthem. Humorous memes have also figured prominently on social media, offering some relief from the increasingly intense worries: "Staying at home is helping the world" and "It feels great that I can finally contribute to society by lying on the couch and doing nothing." Although Wuhan, like other Chinese cities, is now under quarantine, it is important that the world including Canadians should continue to bear witness to them, their affliction, their challenges, their efforts and their autonomy. Seeing them beyond isolation will also help us to think about our own connections in this globalized world and, thus, to act beyond our self-centred fears. Yanqiu Rachel Zhou is a professor of social sciences at McMaster University. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi poll body has put all five polling stations in the area under the "critical" category, a top official said on Wednesday, while asserting that confidence-building measures are being undertaken to reassure voters. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said the area is under "tight vigil" and "there is no obstruction" in areas where poll activities will be conducted, so voters will face no problems. Singh, accompanied by the district election officer and nodal police officers, had visited Shaheen Bagh area on Friday to assess the situation and preparedness ahead of the February 8 Delhi Assembly election. "In view of the ongoing protests in Shaheen Bagh, we have declared all five polling stations in the area as critical polling stations. There are about 40 booths encompassing those five stations. All these booths are therefore under critical category," Singh told reporters on Wednesday. Besides police security, polling stations falling in the "critical category" get paramilitary cover. Activities will be monitored through webcasting, he said. Police and election machinery are on "extra vigil" and assessing the situation all the time across the national capital, he added. Shaheen Bagh falls in the Okhla assembly constituency. The area has become the epicentre of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the national capital and the agitation has been thrusted by political parties into a poll issue. Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting since December 15 at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens. The protesters have blockaded a busy thoroughfare in south Delhi and have been demanding that the CAA be repealed. Polls for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 8. The counting of votes will be taken up on February 11. Singh said security personnel carry out marches and patrolling in the area to boost confidence of voters and "I see no reason to worry". "During my visit on Friday, the pulse I got from the local people was that there is no fear in their minds and the ongoing issue and the protests have not affected their psyche. We are quite hopeful that voters in the area will come out and exercise their franchise without any fear," he said. The Delhi CEO also said that no complaint has been received from local people of Shaheen Bagh about any safety issue for the polling day. There are 13,750 polling booths, besides one auxiliary booth, located at 2,689 locations across Delhi. Singh said 1,47,86,382 people are eligible to vote in the Delhi polls, including 2,32,815 in age group of 18 to 19. "As far as critical polling stations are concerned, there are 516 locations and 3,704 booths in that category," he said. Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Praveer Ranjan, on the sidelines of the press conference, said 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed as part of the security measures. This is nearly four times the number of CAPF personnel deployed during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he added. On the FIRs filed against political parties under the model code of conduct (MCC) norms and the Delhi Defacement Act, Singh said 30 FIRs have been filed against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) -- three under MCC category and rest under the Delhi Defacement Act. Four FIRs have been filed against the BJP under the Delhi Defacement Act and one under the MCC category, while for the Congress it is one for MCC violation and eight for defacement, he added. Officials said 27 proposals were received for holding programmes or other events, out of which 16 were approved by the Election Commission and nine by the CEO. For video vans, 191 applications were received and 185 granted and six rejected, Singh said. Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) Cell has received 217 applications so far, out of which 188 certificates have been issued, six applications are pending and 23 rejected for amendment, he said. The Delhi CEO said cash worth over Rs 10 crore has been seized by poll authorities till date and bullion worth Rs 31.66 crore has been seized. Over 6.47 lakh posters, banners and hoardings have been removed since January 6, when the poll code came into force, the officials said. Over 1.47 crore voters in various categories include males (81,05,236), females (66,80,277), service voters (11,608), third gender voters (869), and senior citizens (aged 80 and above) voters (2,04,830), they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:13:33|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- As the U.S. economy slows, President Donald Trump on Tuesday night touted what he called "America's great economic success" in his third State of the Union address, highlighting job growth and trade development. In his speech to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, Trump said his government "reversed failed economic policies" of the previous administration and revived the U.S. economy by slashing regulations, enacting tax cuts, and reaching "fair and reciprocal" trade deals. In remarks mostly focusing on his economic policies, Trump claimed "we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny." "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" he said. While the U.S. president said his administration is restoring the nation's manufacturing might, data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), a leading global supply management institute, showed U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for five consecutive months before inching back into expansion in January. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) averaged 51.2 during the 12 months of last year, the lowest in a decade. Trump also emphasized the importance of new trade deals, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which he signed into law last week, and the U.S.-China phase-one economic and trade agreement, signed in mid-January. U.S. economic growth slowed to 2.3 percent in 2019, down from 2.9 percent in 2018, primarily reflecting decelerations in business investment and household consumption, and a downturn in exports, according to a recent report from the U.S. Commerce Department. "Business investment declined for the third consecutive quarter as weak growth abroad and tariffs took a toll on business planning," wrote Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, a major accounting firm, adding that orders for new equipment shrank in December, which suggested that "weakness will continue." Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate and New York Times columnist, tweeted that the U.S. economy is growing at the cost of a ballooning deficit. "Trump's deficitpalooza is giving the economy as much stimulus now as it was getting in 2012, when the unemployment rate was 8 percent," Krugman said. The federal budget deficit surpassed 1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019, the highest in seven years. In the address, the U.S. president also said over 500 miles (800 km) of border wall along the nation's southern border with Mexico will be "fully completed by early next year," noting that his administration has undertaken an "unprecedented" effort to secure the border. "We are working on legislation to replace our outdated and randomized immigration system with one based on merit," said the president, who has advocated passing legislation to prohibit free government healthcare for illegal immigrates. Trump said that his administration is working to end the war in Afghanistan, noting that the U.S. military is making progress there, and peace talks with the Taliban militant group are underway. "We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," Trump said. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency," he added. The United States maintains roughly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, which mostly provide training to local Afghan forces while also conducting counterterrorism operations. The State of the Union address came in the middle of a Senate trial of Trump's impeachment. The House, controlled by Democrats, impeached the president in December last year for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, charges that the White House has refuted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who orchestrated the chamber's impeachment drive against Trump and is seated behind him during the address, reached out to shake his hand, which the president ignored. She tore up what appeared to be a copy of the president's speech at the end. Uzbekistan Airways has returned 84 Uzbek nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, amid rising fears among Central Asian nations over the possible spread of the deadly coronavirus from its giant neighbor. The Uzbek Health Ministry said in a statement on February 5 that the majority of those repatriated were students studying in China, and that "none of them is suspected of having the new coronavirus." A day earlier, 250 Uzbek students were brought to Tashkent by chartered plane. All of them were checked for coronavirus and health authorities said the same day that all of the tests for the virus were negative. China's National Health Commission said on February 5 that nearly 500 people in mainland China have died from the virus, with a total of 24,324 confirmed cases. The outbreak has prompted Uzbekistan to suspend commercial air travel with China on February 1. Authorities have also issued a travel alert for China, and the State Tourism Committee has recommend that local travel agencies and tour operators suspend sales of travel packages to China. Lying in China's shadow, countries throughout Central Asia have been scrambling to keep the virus at bay. In Kyrgyzstan, a representative of the World Health Organization, Nazira Artykova, said on February 5 that, if need be, Bishkek will ask a London-based virology lab for help. Earlier, on February 3, Kyrgyz authorities said that neighboring Kazakhstan had assisted in evacuating 18 Kyrgyz citizens from Wuhan, a city of almost 11 million people that is considered the epicenter of the outbreak, and placed them in a two-week quarantine for testing. On February 2, the Kazakh government said that it had evacuated 88 of its citizens from Wuhan, along with an unspecified number of Armenian, Belarusian, and Kyrgyz nationals, and placed them to a two-week quarantine for checkups. In Tajikistan, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said that, in all, 285 Tajik nationals who arrived from China in recent weeks had been placed in medical facilities for checkups. As of February 5, no Wuhan coronavirus cases had been confirmed in any of the Central Asian nations. With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek services West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), accusing the organisation of converting tribal people into Hinduism and warning that the state administration would act tough to prevent such attempts. Three days ago, in Malda district, tribal women were being converted in the name of marriage. I thank my administration that they acted. One VHP person has been arrested and the rest are evading the police. They are shameless, Banerjee said while addressing a public meeting at Krishnanagar in Nadia district on Wednesday. Her remarks came following a clash between supporters of tribal outfit Jharkhand Disom Party (JDP) and workers of VHP on Sunday when JDP supporters allegedly vandalised the venue of a mass marriage event for tribal people organised by VHPs dharma prasar wing in Malda district of north Bengal. VHP leaders denied attempt to proselytise and attacked Banerjee saying her administration was acting against the interest of Hindus. Its strange that the government turns blind when missionaries convert tribal people to Christianity but are booking our leaders and workers for merely doing social work. As many as 133 couples, all from economically backward backgrounds, were helped in getting married. Whats wrong in it? said Sourish Mukherjee, spokesperson of VHP in West Bengal. The police on Tuesday evening arrested one Shyamal Mandal, whose name did not feature among the 10 VHP organisers named in the FIR at Malda police station started on the basis of a complaint lodged by JDP leader Laxmiram Hasda. Hasda wrote in his complaint that leaflets issued by VHPs dharma prasar wing described tribal people as Vanavasi (forest-dweller) and Girivasi (hill-dwellers), terms that he considered derogatory. He also alleged that tribal people who considered Sarna as their religion were being converted to Hindus. The 10 people, including the organisations Malda district unit president Maloy Mukhopadhyay and district unit secretary Asit Kumar Sarkar, have been booked under section 298 of the Indian Penal Code (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) read with section 3 (2) (v) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (commits any offence under the IPC (45 of 1860) punishable with imprisonment for a term of ten years or more against a person or property on the ground that such person is a member of SC or ST community). Since lower courts do not have the authority to grant bail if one is charged under these sections, we have moved a bail petition in the Calcutta high court on Wednesday, VHPs Sourish Mukherjee said. Manoj Tigga, the leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s legislative party in the state Assembly, said that Mamata Banerjee was highlighting Sarna religion to get back tribal votes that went to BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is true that the tribal people consider Sarna as their religion but Sarna is also part of Hinduism. The chief minister is raising the issue in her desperate bid to win the hearts of the tribal people who are standing strong behind BJP in Bengal, said Tigga, who himself belongs to the ST community. French English OTTAWA, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labour force demand in Saskatchewans construction and maintenance industry should grow modestly by 2029, with the residential sector picking up the pace as non-residential projects are completed, according to the labour market forecast released today by BuildForce Canada. Beginning in 2020, Saskatchewans residential and non-residential markets are expected to diverge, with a recovery in new residential housing construction offsetting declines in the non-residential sector. BuildForce Canadas 20202029 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward provincial report forecasts that the pace of overall employment declines is expected to stabilize in 20202021, bolstered by stronger exports that support moderate economic growth and an anticipated recovery in the construction of new housing and industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) buildings. We expect a period of moderate growth to follow, with new resource-sector investments anticipated after 2021, says Bill Ferreira, Executive Director of BuildForce Canada. That demand is expected alongside a continued recovery in new-housing construction driven by stronger population growth. Overall, construction employment is expected to grow modestly by the end of the 20202029 scenario period, with larger gains concentrated in residential and ICI building construction. In the non-residential sector, the completion of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and a decline in highway and bridge work should contribute to a modest decline in employment between 2020 and 2021. Thereafter, non-residential requirements are expected to rise by 2,400 workers (+8.6%) between 2022 and 2024, driven in part by the anticipated start of proposed major potash mine expansion and gas plant projects. As the decade progresses, however, non-residential employment demands will increasingly be driven by the construction of ICI buildings and maintenance work as major engineering project construction declines from peak levels, says Ferreira. The non-residential labour force finishes the scenario period with an additional 600 workers compared to 2019. In the residential sector, modest gains in renovation and maintenance activity, alongside increased new-home construction, are expected to grow the residential labour force by an estimated 2,300 workers over the decade. New-housing starts are expected to recover from a record low in 2019 to 5,800 units by 2029, with growth projected to accelerate after 2021 driven by stronger overall economic growth and rising household formations. The anticipated retirement of just over 9,100 workers dominates hiring requirements over the next decade. The availability of 9,500 new-entrant workers aged 30 or younger is projected locally. However, Saskatchewans ability to meet future hiring requirements of nearly 11,500 workers from the local population is dependent on limiting the outflow of skilled workers during periods of weaker growth. Across Canada, other provinces will be demanding the trade skills that Saskatchewan workers can supply, says Ferreira. The industry should be mindful about keeping the provinces workers engaged locally and ensuring that they can make the transition between non-residential and residential markets. The development of skilled tradespersons in the construction industry takes years, and often requires participation in a provincial apprenticeship program. More than 10,400 apprentices registered in the 16 largest construction trade programs in Saskatchewan between 2013 and 2019, with nearly 7,400 completions reported during this period. Based on current apprenticeship completion trends, several trades may be at risk of not keeping pace with retirement levels that could potentially lead to an undersupply of journeypersons in some trades by 2029. Boilermakers, carpenters, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, scaffolders, sheet metal workers, and welders may be at higher risk. An ongoing commitment to training and apprenticeship development will remain necessary to avoid potential future skills shortages in the industry. Building a sustainable labour force will also require the construction and maintenance industry to increase recruitment from groups traditionally underrepresented in the current construction labour force, including women, Indigenous people, and new Canadians. In 2019, approximately 6,300 women were employed in Saskatchewans construction industry. Of the total, nearly 37% worked directly on construction projects. When measured as a percentage of the overall 39,800 tradespeople employed in the industry, women accounted for only 5.7% of on-site employment. New Canadians are also underrepresented in the provinces labour force, accounting for little more than 8% of the provinces construction workforce. Between 2020 and 2029, the province is expected to welcome more than 132,000 newcomers, making the immigrant population a key driver of labour force growth. Increasing the participation rate of both these groups would go a long way to help the industry address future labour force needs. Saskatchewan is also home to one of the largest percentages of Indigenous construction workers in Canada, second only to Manitoba. Approximately 12% of the provinces construction labour force is made up of Indigenous people, with about 85% working directly on construction projects. Meeting future labour market needs may also require Saskatchewans construction industry to increase its recruitment of Indigenous workers. BuildForce Canada is a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canadas construction industry. Its mandate is to provide accurate and timely labour market data and analysis, as well as programs and initiatives to help manage labour force requirements and build the capacity and the capability of Canadas construction and maintenance industry. Visit www.constructionforecasts.ca . For further information, contact Bill Ferreira, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada, at ferreira@buildforce.ca or 613-569-5552 ext. 222. This report was produced with the support and input of a variety of provincial construction and maintenance industry stakeholders. For local industry reaction to this latest BuildForce Canada report, please contact: Chris Guerette CEO Canadian Home Builders Association Saskatchewan (Saskatoon) (306) 292-8619 Dennis Perrin Prairies Director CLAC 587-785-1836 Warren Douglas Executive Director Construction Labour Relations Association Saskatchewan 306-352-7909 Darren Swanson Vice-Chair President of Merit Canada Merit Canada (306) 961-4118 Paul de Jong President Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (403) 620-3781 Funded by the Government of Canadas Sectoral Initiatives Program. President Donald Trump has hailed the great American comeback in a speech to Congress on the eve of his expected acquittal in his impeachment trial. At his annual State of the Union address, Mr Trump struck a tone of optimism as he set out his case for another four years in office. He said his tenure had shattered the mentality of American decline. Mr Trump refrained from lashing out directly at the lawmakers who have attempted to remove him from office. The Republican president delivered Tuesday nights nationally televised speech in the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives, where he was impeached in December. On the other side of the Capitol, the Republican-led Senate is all but certain on Wednesday to clear the president of corruption charges in a party-line vote. Republican lawmakers chanted four more years as Mr Trump prepared to speak, urging him on for Novembers White House election. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Palestinian leadership has publicly responded to President Donald Trump's so-called peace proposal with "a thousand no's." So far, so predictable. But if President Mahmoud Abbas has any hope of limiting the damage from the Trump plan-which gives Israel license to annex large parts of the West bank and leaves the Palestinians at best trapped in an unworkable Bantustan-he needs to craft a more serious rejoinder. U.S. officials have invited the Palestinians to come up with a counteroffer; Arab and European governments would welcome one that validates their opposition to the Trump plan and continued commitment to the two-state framework. Abbas has said he will present a proposal in the next couple of weeks, likely at the United Nations. The momentum is on his side. The Europeans have rejected the plan, pointing out that it is utterly at odds with international law, existing agreements and understandings. There was some initial ambivalence from the Arabs: Seeking closer ties to Israel in their confrontation with Iran, some Arab countries had hoped to embrace the proposal. Ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain were present at the launch ceremony. But an Arab League summit unanimously rejected the proposal as "unjust," and warned Israel not to proceed with its annexation plans. The Arab position was reiterated by the 57-state member Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Trump plan poses the greatest threat to potential Palestinian independence in decades, yet it has also strengthened Abbas' authority at home by uniting the political factions, including Hamas, in opposition to it and, perforce, around his national leadership. The stage is perfectly set for Abbas to present a bold new Palestinian vision for peace with Israel. The easy, and wrong, thing to do-and going by his track record, what he is most likely to do-would be to simply frame the Palestinian position as a vague, two-state formula based on U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. This was exactly the position he took at the U.N. last year, but times have changed dramatically. A reprise of that speech might be politically popular with Palestinians, where Abbas would be seen as sticking to their national talking points. But it would achieve nothing for them: the Trump plan has already altered the political landscape, and it may not be long before Israeli annexation irreversibly changes facts on the ground too. To undermine the Trump initiative, Abbas will need to show political courage and leadership-and flexibility. His own plan should embrace significant compromises on key final-status issues. If he can't produce a detailed conceptual map of proposed borders for the Palestinian state-those details would require negotiating with Israel--Abbas can at least identify some of the Jewish settlements that Palestinians are willing to trade for equal areas of unpopulated land in Israel, and a transit corridor to Gaza. He can concede that most Palestinian refugees will have to make do with compensation and citizenship in a Palestinian state rather than a return to what is now Israel. (He can cite himself as an example of this, as he has in the past.) He can commit to reasonable security arrangements and a non-militarized state along Costa Rican lines-with police and security forces but no standing military, and committed to staying out of all conflicts-but not one controlled or surrounded by Israel. And he can affirm that Jerusalem would serve as the capital for both Israel and Palestine. But Abbas should also insist that the Palestinian state be fully sovereign and in control its borders, airspace and electromagnetic spectrum and coastline. Finally, he should agree that such an understanding would be an end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to all claims against each other. All this would be entirely consistent with the positions the Palestinian leadership has presented at the negotiating table for decades, but has never honestly explained to its own public. As a result, such a plan would be controversial among Palestinians, but Abbas should point out that the Trump proposal is a national emergency, requiring the breaking of some political taboos. At the U.N., Abbas should also hold up a copy of the signature page of 1993 Declaration of Principles, signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Israel and the U.S., and note that it is formal and binding. He can easily demonstrate that his vision is entirely consistent with its provisions while the Trump proposal is not. All negotiations, he should insist, must be based on this signed and agreed-upon framework, and not some new diktat from the White House. If Palestinians respond with such a serious counteroffer, they will reinforce Arab and European opposition to the Trump proposal, and make any Israeli annexation effort far more difficult and costly. They will also greatly strengthen the hands of those in Washington who are committed to restoring sanity and viability to U.S. policy on Israel and Palestine. - - - Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. PARIS, N.Y. The Sauquoit fire chiefs home caught fire late Tuesday night on Campbell Road in the town of Paris. He and three other adults were displaced, and the American Red Cross was called in to assist them. It happened around 11:40 p.m. Tuesday night at a home at 9698 Campbell Road, in the town of Paris. Fire crews from Sauquoit and Clayville were called in. Crews there reported heavy smoke damage to the home. Fire officials have not yet reported a cause, or where the fire may have started. No injuries are being reported. Industry body AMFI has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities with regard to the government's plan to scrap dividend distribution tax (DDT) on mutual funds and introduction of tax deducted at source on the income distributed by such products, fund managers and officials have said New Delhi: Industry body AMFI has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities with regard to the government's plan to scrap dividend distribution tax (DDT) on mutual funds and introduction of tax deducted at source on the income distributed by such products, fund managers and officials have said. Industry experts believe that the government's plan to tax dividend at the hands of investors could make dividend plans in equity and balanced schemes unattractive and investors may move towards growth plans. In addition, long-term investment plans such as equity-linked saving schemes and retirement products will be impacted too as the proposed tax regime has no deduction available. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2020-21 has proposed to abolish dividend distribution tax (DDT) on the dividend declared by companies and mutual funds to shareholders or unit holders. Once the DDT is abolished, the dividend amount will be added to investors' taxable income and taxed as per the individual tax bracket. Currently, mutual funds deduct the DDT and then hand over dividend to the unit holders. In addition, the minister introduced a 10 per cent TDS (tax deducted at source) provision on the income distributed by a mutual fund to its unit holders if such income exceeds Rs 5,000. The minister proposed the insertion of a new Section -- 194K -- in the Income Tax Act, which states "any person responsible for paying income arising from units of mutual fund or a specified company must deduct tax at the rate of 10 percent of such income", according to the Finance Bill 2020. The tax department on Tuesday clarified that the Budget proposal of 10 per cent TDS will be applicable only on dividend payment by mutual funds and not on gain arising out of redemption of units. In a statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said queries have been raised if mutual fund would be required to deduct TDS also on the capital gains arising on redemption of units. "It is hereby clarified that under the proposed section, a mutual fund shall be required to deduct TDS at 10 percent only on dividend payment and no tax shall be required to be deducted by the mutual fund on income which is in the nature of capital gains," it said. It went on to state that necessary clarification, if required, shall be proposed in the relevant provision of the law. Samco Head (RankMF) Omkeshwar Singh said a TDS of 10 percent has been introduced under new Section 194K for a payout of Rs 5,000 and above, however it is not clear if it considers only dividend or capital gains as well. "Industry body AMFI has sought formal clarifications from relevant tax authorities since TDS on long-term capital gains for equities is exempted up to Rs 1 lakh," he said. "We would need to wait for more clarification on this subject. Further, the new proposed tax regime has no deductions available under 80C, which was being used by governments to encourage long-term investment-cum-savings, that (ELSS or retirement) may get adversely impacted," he added. Several industry officials also said the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) has sought clarification from relevant tax authorities in this regard. "With the removal of DDT on mutual funds, dividend income from mutual funds is now taxable in the hands of the investors at their relevant tax slabs (subject to a 10 percent TDS)," said Kaustubh Belapurkar, director, manager (research), Morningstar. "We think this will make dividend plans in equity and balanced plans unattractive from a tax perspective for investors in the higher tax brackets as investors in a growth plan are liable to pay a LTCG (long-term capital gains) of 10 percent," he added. Naveen Kukreja, CEO and co-founder of Paisabazaar.com said, "The government's move will positively impact a small segment of individual investors, who are not in the highest tax slab and were investing in the fixed income instruments under the dividend option." Abhishek Bansal, Chairman and MD, Abans Group of Companies, said the proposal is a positive move. "Earlier, DDT was levied twice, first when a company would pay a dividend to an asset management company (AMC), second when the AMC would declare its annual profits. These year-end profits declared by the AMC could be availed of in two ways by the investor who is a customer of the AMC: Either the investor could take the gains out as a dividend or it could be invested back into the fund. If the investor took the dividend route, he would need to pay DDT again," he said. "This has now been replaced by a single simplified tax in terms of the abolishment of DDT and 10 percent TDS to be applied by the AMC to its investors. This is hence a positive move," he added. Bansal said that now, the quantum of savings that would result because of this step needs some clarification from the government on whether TDS is to be cut on the income component or on the entire proceedings. Clarification on the same will surely be available over the next few days as the industry has requested clarity on the same. Jennifer Winward addressing families at a YMCA College Readiness program kick-off event in San Ysidro She brings a depth of experience and insight that we believe will add significant value to the expansion of the Ys college readiness program, impacting teens throughout San Diego. - Baron Herdelin-Doherty, President & CEO of the YMCA of San Diego County The YMCA of San Diego County, the nations largest Y association, announced Dr. Jennifer Winward has joined the organizations corporate board of directors. She will be a member of the Community Support Services committee. We are thrilled to add Jennifer to the Y board, said Baron Herdelin-Doherty, President & CEO of the YMCA of San Diego County. She brings a depth of experience and insight that we believe will add significant value to the expansion of the Ys college readiness program, impacting teens throughout San Diego. Winward is the Founder and CEO of Winward Academy, an award-winning, San Diego-based ed-tech company. She is also a renowned instructor at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a 20-year veteran of high school tutoring. Winward earned her Ph.D. with a dual emphasis in Neuroscience and Developmental Neuropsychology from UC San Diego. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude with highest distinction honors. I am honored to join the Y corporate board in San Diego and to support the Ys mission to be more than gym and swim, said Dr. Winward. The Y is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful, measurable impact in our community, and I couldnt be more excited to work with the team to scale this impact. Winward has been widely recognized for her academic success, published research, and service efforts with awards from the President of the United States, the California State Assembly, Rotary International, the Marin County School Administrator Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Science Foundation. She was recently honored as San Diegos most influential education leader, as Top 40 Under 40 in San Diego, as Top 35 Under 35 nationally, and as a Top 5 Female Entrepreneur in IT. She is a sought-after thought leader and has been interviewed by national outlets like Forbes and Entrepreneur. About the YMCA of San Diego County The YMCA of San Diego County is the largest Y Association in the nation serving nearly 500,000 San Diego County residents and employing more than 5,500 people. Through a variety of programs and services focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y unites men, women and children - regardless of age, income or background - to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nations health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. The YMCA of San Diego County is dedicated to improving the quality of human life and to helping all people realize their fullest potential as children of God through the development of the spirit, mind and body. Visit http://www.ymcasd.org to find your local YMCA or call (858) 292-YMCA (9622). About Winward Academy Test success, college success, and life success they all begin at Winward Academy, a research-based, student-centered learning platform for the ACT, SAT, math class, and college applications. Winward Academy applies a scientific approach to customize learning for each student, enabling growth for students of all levels and learning styles. Winward Academy is a team of passionate adolescent learning researchers committed to thoughtfully developing curriculum that improves learning, retention, and test performance building confidence for life. Winward Academy curriculum is used by students at home, by teachers in the classroom, and by charities in after-school and summer programs. For more information on Winward Academy, see winwardacademy.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Hon. Daniel Kwesi Ashiamah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Buem in the Oti Region has urged the current government to pull the brakes on borrowing. According to him, the NPP administration under president Akufo Addo has borrowed a whopping sum of about Gh160 billion but has nothing to show for it since it took over the reign of power in 2017. They created the impression that they could govern the country without borrowing and that even if they borrowed at all, the funds would solely be channeled into capital investments. He added; Surprisingly, after all the money spent on the so-called planting for food and jobs growth in the agricultural sector has not seen any significant change, Daniel Kwesi Ashiamah told Lawyer Ohene Gyan on Medo Ghana on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 The law-maker said that, The current government was responsible for about 40% of Ghanas total debt since independence, a testament according to him that the incumbent Akufo-Addo-led administration is plunging the country into a debt crisis. Ghanaians are suffering under the leadership of the NPP government that benefited greatly from the positive gains they inherited from the John Mahama led administration. According to Hon. Daniel Kwesi Ashiamah, President Akufo Addo appeared rather obsessed with churning out what they called macroeconomic indicators. ---KingdomfmOnline Hong Kong's leader has said that all people entering the semi-autonomous territory from the mainland, including Hong Kong residents, will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine because of the outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus. The news came after the city's government unveiled 500 electronic monitoring tags which would be used to track those placed under home quarantine. Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's flagship carrier, today asked its 27,000 employees to take up to three weeks of unpaid leave as the airline faces a crisis in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, more than 1,800 people are being tested for coronavirus on a cruise ship in Hong Kong after some crew members reported fever. 493 people have died of the coronavirus and more than 24,600 have been infected worldwide All travellers entering Hong Kong from mainland China are set to be put in quarantine for 14 days. Pictured, pedestrians wear face masks as they take a selfie in Hong Kong on February 5. Hong Kong officials said on Monday that they had prepared 500 electronic wristbands (pictured) which would be used to monitor residents placed under quarantine at home The Asian financial hub, with a population of around seven million, reported its first death from the coronavirus yesterday. Its Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, announced the mandatory quarantine requirement today, claiming the measure will take effect on Saturday to allow Hong Kong day travellers to make necessary arrangements. She said two cruise terminals - including one where a cruise ship is currently under quarantine - will be shut down. She ensured that the government was looking for more quarantine facilities in addition to three current camps. Hong Kong, with a population of seven million, reported its first death from the coronavirus yesterday. Pictured, a man wearing a protective mask waits for his ferry in Hong Kong today Hong Kong residents have flocked to buy face masks in the wake of the fast-spreading disease. Pictured, people queue up to buy protective face masks in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, today Boxes of face masks are seen as people queue up to buy protective masks amid a coronavirus outbreak in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, today. Hong Kong officials have prepared 500 electronic wristbands which will be used to monitor residents placed under quarantine at home Carrie Lam said the government had been vigilant and wasn't shying away from introducing stringent measures to stem the spread of the virus. Hong Kong officials have prepared 500 electronic wristbands which will be used to monitor residents placed under quarantine at home. Officials said on Monday that Hong Kong residents who had been to virus-ravaged Hubei Province over the previous two weeks would be put in isolation for 14 days in their flats. The wristbands will be linked to the wearers' phones, which will be plugged into the mains of their homes, according to Victor Lam, Hong Kong's Chief Information Officer. 'If the wearer moves too far away from the phone, an alert will be sent to the health authorities and police,' he said during a press conference, according to RTHK. A guard in protective gear checks the temperature of a woman outside Princess Margaret Hospital today where a coronavirus patient who died Tuesday morning was being treated Thousands of medical workers have gone on strike in the territory to demand that the border with the mainland be completely shut after the city saw its first death from the coronavirus Carrie Lam, pictured speaking at a press conference today, said the government had been vigilant and wasn't shying away from using stringent measures to stem the spread of the virus Hong Kong yesterday reported its first death in the coronavirus outbreak after a 39-year-old man died in hospital in the morning. Medics said the patient had an underlying illness and had visited the city of Wuhan at the centre of the outbreak in January. His death is just the second coronavirus fatality outside mainland China, after a 44-year-old man died in the Philippines last week. The news has sparked fresh demands for Hong Kong to close its border with mainland China. Thousands of medical workers have gone on strike in the territory to demand that the border with the mainland be completely shut, but the city government has kept two crossings open, in part to allow food from the mainland to enter. Carrie Lam said she remained optimistic that the city could overcome the epidemic but urged all citizens to 'put aside our differences and get our act together'. An ambulance driver wearing a face masks sits in his vehicle outside the Infectious Disease Centre at Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong yesterday. A 39-year-old Hong Kong man who had visited Wuhan at the centre of the outbreak in January died of coronavirus yesterday The news has sparked fresh demands for Hong Kong to shut the border, with hundreds of medics already on strike. Carrie Lam said she remained optimistic the city could overcome the epidemic, but urged all citizens to 'put aside our differences and get our act together' The death toll from the epidemic continues to rise in China as the country's authorities reported 66 new deaths overnight and Hong Kong saw its first victim yesterday. The life-threatening disease, which can spread through saliva, has killed at least 493 people and infected more than 24,600 globally. The Foreign Office yesterday told all 30,000 UK nationals stuck in mainland China to return to the UK in a desperate bid to protect their health. But the announcement was met with fury as it emerged all evacuees outside of Wuhan - the city at the centre of the outbreak - must find their own way out, despite major airlines suspending all flights to China and cities being put on lockdown. / -- Most of the millennial population is either under-insured or not insured at all. There's an evident lack of awareness about the importance of life insurance or the fact that you can build wealth and get a life cover with the same insurance plan. Millennials tend to be spendthrift and prefer saving for short-term goals. Wealth Secure+ is just the right fit, because it gives an option to select the policy term from 5 years to 100 years, which means one can choose to get returns any time after 5 years into the policy or stay covered till 100 years. When it comes to savings + life cover plans or Ulips, Edelweiss Tokio Life's Wealth Secure+ is a clear winner. This plan comes with 4 plan-options: Base, Life Partner, Child (Individual Life) and Child (Joint Life). And, one can switch between these options anytime they want during the policy term. Wealth Secure+ adapts as per the life stage you're at - single, married or blessed with a child. In short, the policy holder is set for life. And with its Limited Pay feature, one can pay premiums during their working life, stay covered for long and get regular pay-outs with its Systematic Withdrawal Plan benefit. Its Systematic Withdrawal Plan benefit allows the investor to withdraw a fixed or variable amount from the ULIP scheme monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. And this ULIP maximizes the deduction available under Section 80C and Section 10 (10(D)) of the Income Tax Act for the premiums one pays and the returns they get. About Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, one of India's leading and diversified financial services companies and Tokio Marine Holdings Inc, one of the oldest (over 138 years) and largest insurance companies in Japan. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance launched its pan-India operations in July 2011, offering proprietary need-based solutions to help customers meet their life stage financial goals. This lineage brings together a deep understanding of customer needs and international expertise. The company is headquartered in Mumbai serving over 2.02 lakh customers through 43,681 personal finance advisors as on March 31, 2019 across 121 branches in 93 major cities. Awards: Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has been consistently recognized for its Product Innovation capabilities at several forums, namely Golden Peacock Awards 2018, Golden Globe Tigers Awards 2018, ET NOW - BFSI Awards 2018, Times National Award for Marketing Excellence 2018, India Insurance Summit 2019 and Skoch Awards 2019. To learn more about Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, please visit www.edelweisstokio.in You can follow Edelweiss Tokio Life on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edelweiss-tokio-life-insurance/?viewAsMember=true https://twitter.com/edelweiss_tokio https://www.instagram.com/edelweiss_tokio/ https://www.facebook.com/EdelweissTokioLife/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/730323/ETLI_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A national advocacy group for Deaf Australians has expressed its disappointment with the rules governing captions and subscription television. Australias media watchdog has taken the first step in giving Foxtel the green light to temporarily slash its captions quota for the BBC World News. A proposal unveiled this week could result in Foxtel providing captions for 20 per cent of the news service's total broadcast hours instead of 40 per cent. The chief executive of Deaf Australia, Kyle Miers. Credit:Jamila Toderas The development comes after a string of preliminary exemptions relating to foreign news, documentaries and religious programs. Video streaming platform Fetch TV has asked the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to waive quotas for Channel News Asia, France 24, Nat Geo Wild and the Australian Christian Channel, according to documents published by the watchdog. The media watchdog has acknowledged pay TV providers incur significant financial costs due to caption quotas. ACMA has also suggested it is better for a program to provide some captions than for that program to be removed altogether so as not to be penalised under the relevant legislation. Imperial Valley News Center Air Force Colonel Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography Arlington, Virginia - An Air Force colonel was sentenced Friday to five years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement. According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous Tor network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos. Visconi previously pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2019. Visconi also admitted to using his cell phone to create hundreds of apparently surreptitious pictures that were focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls, including images that appear to have been taken with a camera angled upward underneath a minors skirt or loose shorts so as to depict or attempt to depict the minors underwear. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. S&P ratings downgraded six U.S. shale gas companies that might find it difficult to refinance billions in debt on the back of chronically low gas prices and overinvestment, S&P Global Platts reports. The companies include EQT, Range Resources, Antero Resources, Ascent Resources Utica Holdings, CNX Resources, and Gulfport Energy. In addition to the rating downgrades, S&P Ratings also revised the outlook for these six gas producers along with another threeComstock Resources, Southwestern Energy, and Chesapeake Energyto negative. A mild winter in parts of the United States has combined with an already heavy oversupply to pressure prices below $2 per million British thermal units, and the pain could continue as LNG prices stay low, too, again on oversupply, this time an international one. Some, however, are optimistic. Two industry executives this week argues that the low gas prices in the United States could actually be beneficial for more LNG exports. "There's massive demand for LNG. It's growing extremely well and we think that will continue for a long time. From our perspective a lot of people in the market continue to underestimate what that growth is going to be, so there's huge opportunities to innovate," said the co-CEO of Venture Global, Mike Sabel, at the Baker Hughes AM2020 event, as quoted by S&P Global Platts. "The spot prices for LNG are very low right now, probably $4/MMBtu or less into Asia. That's not sustainable and doesn't help the development of LNG projects, but we think the short-term indications in the LNG market are not indicative of the long-term requirements," said another industry, executive, Next Decades chief executive Matt Schatzmann, at the same event. Yet analysts are warning that U.S. LNG producers could be more vulnerable to the existing gas glut than others. Natural Gas Intel, for one, reported U.S. LNG plants might be forced to shut down if the price trend continues as it would make their product harder to sell in its top markets: Europe and Asia, mainly China. In Europe, there is already a significant oversupply and limited storage space. China, for its part, is still enforcing 25-percent tariffs on U.S. LNG imports. This context makes getting access to new funding difficult as noted by S&P in the downgrades. "We are particularly concerned about some of the issuers' ability to access the capital markets given investor aversion to the space and their current bond trading yields," the ratings agency said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The shareholders of US jewellery company Tiffany gave the green light Tuesday for its acquisition by luxury behemoth LVHM for a sum of USD 16.2 billion, setting the French firm up to become a power player in fine gems at a time that demand is soaring. The deal comes after a long wooing campaign by LVMH, already the world's top luxury firm overall, for one of the world's most famous jewellery houses, known for wedding rings and diamonds. In a statement, LVMH announced that "stockholders of Tiffany & Co have voted overwhelmingly to approve the previously announced merger agreement relating to the proposed acquisition of Tiffany by LVMH." According to an agreement announced in November, LVMH will pay USD 135 per share in cash,"in a transaction with an equity value of approximately 14.7 billion euros or USD 16.2 billion," it said. "This approval is a significant milestone as we move closer to completing our acquisition of Tiffany, an iconic company with a rich heritage and unique positioning in the global luxury jewelry market," added billionaire Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH. The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary owe their first-in-the-nation status partly to circumstance. Decades ago, Iowa's caucus was the initial step in a long, complex process that the state used to award delegates, which meant that the voting had to happen early in the year. New Hampshire was mostly trying to save money by scheduling its primary on the same day as many annual town meetings, which were held before the spring mud season. But circumstance has not kept Iowa and New Hampshire at the front of the line. An aggressive protection of their own self-interest has. As primaries and caucuses became a bigger part of US politics in the 1970s, officials in Iowa and New Hampshire have fought hard to stay first. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has a narrow lead in the delegate count in Iowa. Credit:AP "We weren't stupid," Cliff Larsen, a former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, once said. New Hampshire passed a law saying its primary always must be the first, and Iowa has been similarly protective. "Iowa caucuses are first-in-the-nation mainly because the state insists on remaining first," Kathie Obradovich, a prominent Iowa journalist, has said. It's all worked out very nicely for the two states. A typical voter in Iowa or New Hampshire has up to 20 times more influence than somebody in later-voting states, one study found. Sometimes, the two states have turned a parochial issue (ethanol) into a national priority. Local hotels, restaurants, pollsters and television and radio stations have received millions of dollars in extra business. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, through social media Monday night and remarks from his chief of staff, indicated he will push the Democratic National Committee to allow Illinois to host the first primary of 2024. If youre looking for a state whose people represent the diversity of America, look no further than Illinois. Its time for the most representative state in the country to be the first in the nation, the governors Twitter account posted Monday night. Hes since amplified his proposal. David Camerons bodyguard has been taken off frontline duties after reportedly leaving his gun and the former prime ministers passport in an aeroplane toilet. A passenger found the weapon and handed it to flight attendants on the British Airways flight, the Daily Mail reported. The gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, was said to have been left by a close-protection officer who took off his holster while using the toilet. The former prime ministers passport was found alongside the officers, according to The Sun. The captain confirmed a gun had been found, which freaked everyone out, the paper quoted one of the passengers as saying. David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 David Cameron's premiership - in pictures David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Queen Elizabeth II greeting David Cameron at Buckingham Palace for an audience to invite him to be the next Prime Minister on 11 May 2010 PA David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha wave from the steps of Number 10 Downing Street on 11 May 2010 Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures On 12 May 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron said in a press conference with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who was then deputy PM, they plan to "take Britain in a historic new direction" and Conservative-led coalition government would be united and provide "strong and stable" leadership Rex David Cameron's premiership - in pictures A decade ago, David Cameron visited the Arctic to witness the effects of climate change. However since coming to power in 2010, his government has gradually dropped down a succession of green policies David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David cameron told the then New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Queen had purred down the line after he told her Scotland had voted against independence in September 2014. He was forced to apologise for breaking constitutional convention Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron greeted soldiers working on flood relief in York city centre after the river Ouse burst its banks, in northern England in December 2015 REUTERS David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Claims that David Cameron performed an obscene act with a dead pig and smoked cannabis during his studies at Oxford University spread around the world in September 2015. The extraordinary allegations were made in an unauthorised biography of the Prime Minister written by Lord Ashcroft David Hartley/REX Shutterstock David Cameron's premiership - in pictures In 2016, Mr Cameron was caught up in a worldwide scandal dubbed the Panama papers Reuters David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha with seven week old Regan as they meet her parents, first time home buyers Robert Arron and Kelly Jeffers at the Heritage Brook housing development in Chorley, Lancashire. David Cameron has joked that he wants "another baby" and said that he feels a "bit broody" every time he sees a newborn on the campaign trail David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised for branding refugees in the Calais jungle camp as a bunch of migrants in January 2016 after thousands of refugees died in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean in 2015 Sky News David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during an EU summit meeting on 17 March 2016 at the European Union council in Brussels. Cameron was in Brussels to renegotiate deal of UK membership with other European leaders. The deal, sealed after hours of haggling at a marathon summit, paved the way for a referendum on whether Britain will stay in the EU AFP/Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures President Barack Obama shakes hands with British Prime Minister David Cameron at a meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on 22 April 2016. The President and his wife visited 10 Downing Street where he joined press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron and made his case for the UK to remain inside the European Union Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures After David returned from Brussels claiming victory in his renegotiation with European leaders, Boris Johnson announced that he will not support the Remain campaign. The prime minister said publicly he was "disappointed but Boris remains a friend" PA David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron makes a joint appearance with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as they launch the Britain Stronger in Europe guarantee card at Roehampton University on 20 May 2016 in London. The 'guarantee card' lists five pledges should Britain remain in the EU, including the protection of workers' rights, full access to the single market and stability for Britain David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks outside 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016. Cameron announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union after a bitterly divisive referendum campaign AP The captain attempted to reassure passengers by telling them the protection officer was authorised to bring a gun on board. He said the weapon had been returned, but several passengers objected and the gun was removed before take-off. The flight, from New York to London, was delayed by over an hour. An unnamed 33-year-old businessman told The Sun: There was a real commotion going on with a guy near to me. He said he had found a gun in the toilets, which was met with disbelief. A few minutes later the captain came into our section and confirmed a gun had been found which freaked everyone out. He tried to calm everyone down by explaining that the law allowed handguns on planes for protection officers and that the gun was back with the bodyguard. But a guy wasnt having it. He said he felt uncomfortable about guns being allowed on the plane. The captain left and came back a few minutes later to say the gun had been removed from the plane. Another passenger told the Mail: A guy started to show pictures on his phone of a gun and two passports one was David Camerons he said he found in the toilet. They were just resting on the side by the sink. He was stunned by what he saw. Later the man pointed out the bodyguard as he came through our section. He was dressed casually, which surprised me, in jeans and a black and grey striped top. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: We are aware of the incident on a flight into the UK on 3 February and the officer involved has since been removed from operational duties. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and an internal investigation is taking place. British Airways said it followed Civil Aviation Authority rules which allow UK police to carry firearms on board in specific, controlled circumstances. Our crew dealt with the issue quickly before departure and the flight continued as normal, the airline said. Mr Cameron is entitled to continued security provided by the Mets Specialist Protection unit as a former prime minister. 315th AW delivers humanitarian aid to Honduras By Master Sgt. Scott Mathews, 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published February 04, 2020 SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 315th Airlift Wing deployed a C-17 Globemaster III Feb. 1 to deliver donated humanitarian aid to Honduras in support of the Denton Program. The Denton Program is a Department of Defense transportation program that moves humanitarian cargo, donated by U.S. based non-governmental organizations, to developing nations. The program helps move donations to ensure proper delivery while simultaneously providing training hours for aircrews. On this flight, the 701st Airlift Squadron delivered more than 11,000 pounds of mobility healthcare items such as wheelchairs, wheeled walkers, pick-up walkers and crutches. The charity, Helping Hands for Honduras, picked up the items from the jet just after landing at Soto Cano Air Base for delivery to a local public hospital in Danli. The Denton Program office said once the hospital receives the donated items, they will be able to start using them immediately. The majority of the patients that need these mobility items aren't able to buy these types of equipment and the hospital doesn't have the resources to get them. "The Denton Program is a great mission that helps our charity distribute donations of much needed medical items from all over to patients and organizations who can't afford them," said Ronald Roll, co-founder and executive director of Helping Hands for Honduras. "We've received a lot of shipments through the Denton Program, helping many people in Honduras, and are so very appreciative to all associated with the program including the Air Force." The donating agencies, Interfaith Services to Latin America and Mano a Mano International, are both based out of Minnesota. All the donations were brought in from Minnesota and then transported to Honduras. Most of the donations come from Goodwill-Easter Seals. Two groups out of Minnesota have volunteers that go to the Goodwill warehouses to sort and select the surplus equipment, and volunteers pack up the shipment for Honduras. According to the Denton Program office, approximately 700 men, 700 women and 100 children in Honduras will benefit just from this load of cargo. Also, on the flight were 16 Airmen from the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron who were on board to conduct an aeromedical readiness mission. "In addition to running medical scenarios, we also need to be familiar with our aircraft," said Senior Master Sgt. Michelle Geers, 315th AES, mission clinical coordinator on this flight. "Running these scenarios helps us stay current and qualified as aircrew and ready to deploy (within continental United States), (outside of continental United States) or for any global humanitarian aid." Pilots, loadmasters, flying crew chiefs and Aeromedical Evacuation personnel must all fly regularly to stay current on their training. These missions help these Joint Base Charleston Reserve Airmen get their required training while delivering items to those in need. "Anytime we can combine missions where multiple squadrons and countries benefit is a huge win," Geers added. For more information on the Denton Humanitarian Assistance Program visit https://www.ustranscom.mil/mov/denton.cfm. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Just as computer scientists developed standards to deliver digital content across the globe to your laptop, neuroscientists are working to break down barriers in data sharing. Neurodata Without Borders (NWB) is an alliance organized around a common mission: make precious brain recordings from individual labs standardized, sharable and open-sourced. By promoting collaboration, NWB has the potential to massively accelerate our understanding of normal brain functions--and when they go wrong. Novela Neurotech, a startup accelerating the development of digital therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders, is proud to announce a collaboration with brain research expert Loren Frank, PhD at the UCSF Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, in promoting and converting data to the newest NWB format, NWB2.0. The need for widespread data sharing has never been greater across the globe. With multiple large-scale brain research projects in action, including the US BRAIN Initiative, the EU-based Human Brain Project, and the global International Brain Initiative, neuroscience is producing an unprecedented amount of data that cannot be effectively shared and analyzed by individual labs. NWB2.0 provides a means to share precious neurophysiological data in a way that allows scientists to reap the full benefits, potentially uncovering insights into troubling and difficult brain disorders including epilepsy, major depression, addiction, chronic pain and autism. Data sharing among neuroscientists remains the exception, rather than the norm. By promoting NWB2.0, we hope to encourage collaboration within the neuroscientific community, and accelerate the translation from basic research into effective neurological and psychiatric disorder treatments for patients desperately in need." Ray Iskander, CEO of Novela Neurotech "The brain is an enormously complex organ. To truly understand the neurobiological workings that support cognition, emotion and creativity, as well as relieve the staggering global burden of disability from neurological and psychiatric disorders, we need to have a way to adequately share data to enable collaboration. We are very happy to work with Novela Neurotech and the Neurodata Without Borders alliance to reduce data silos in neuroscience, and in turn, promote better understanding of the brain and its massive computational and storage capacities," says Dr. Frank. A hidden neuro-code The brain's "base code" is hidden within its electrical activity patterns. By cracking the neural code, scientists hope to understand the mechanisms behind cognitive functions, decipher how they go wrong, and develop new treatments--such as "smart" neural interfaces--to target difficult neurological illnesses, including addiction, chronic pain and depression. Decoding brain activity relies on massive amounts of neurophysiological data, or the electrical signal neurons generate as they communicate with one another. As neuroscience enters an ever-increasingly collaborative "big data" era, the ability to standardize and share these data across labs, countries and continents becomes ever more pressing. In 2014, a coalition of research institutions including the Kavli Foundation initiated NWB to begin addressing this problem. The first pilot, dubbed NWB:Neurophysiology (NWB:N) standardized format for electrical data gathered from individual neurons; additional projects, including human brain imaging and high-performance computing, are underway. Today, NWB:N is gaining momentum among high-profile institutions, including the Allen Institute for Brain Science based in Seattle, Washington and the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) for open and FAIR neuroscience based in Stockholm, Sweden. In October of 2019, NWB:N was selected for an R&D100 Award by the R&D World magazine. Fundamentally, NWB:N enables collaboration from complex neurophysiological experiments--sharing, reuse, reproduction--across multiple teams and projects. It represents an entire software ecosystem to accelerate the pace of neuroscientific discovery. "By helping neuroscientists convert existing data into the latest NWB2.0 format, Novela hopes to foster a new era in neurodata sharing and collaboration," says Iskander. Insights from these common, shared data, available for mining, will promote our understanding of the brain's electrical communication, and develop novel effective treatments for neurological disorders. Novela is leading a new era of brain stimulation-based neurological treatments called Dynamiceuticals, tailored to the electrical brain dynamics of each person's brain. "Dr. Loren Frank is an expert in both NWB and his lab is leading research in how the brain learns, remembers and decides. We are extremely excited to work with his team, to support their collaboration with other research teams in order to improve our understanding of the brain and accelerate the development of new effective brain treatments" says Iskander. Jerritt Canyon Mine began operations in 1981 with over 8M ounces of gold produced Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 4, 2020) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it entered into an agreement with Eric Sprott of Toronto, Ontario ("Sprott") dated February 3, 2020, pursuant to which Ely Gold has agreed to acquire from Sprott a 0.50% net smelter returns royalty (the "Target Royalty") on the gold producing Jerritt Canyon Mine facility, located in Elko Nevada (the "Jerritt Canyon Mine"), and currently operated by Jerritt Canyon Gold LLC, ("JCG LLC") a private Nevada limited liability company (the "Transaction"). Sprott originally acquired the Target Royalty from Veris Gold USA Inc. ("Veris") in 2014, pursuant to an April 9, 2014 agreement concerning the Jerritt Canyon Mine wherein Veris was obligated to convey and grant the Target Royalty to Sprott. Ely Gold already holds a per ton royalty interest on the Jerritt Canyon processing facilities that it acquired in a private transaction in 2019 (refer to press release dated May 23, 2019). In consideration for the Target Royalty, Ely Gold has agreed to pay CAD$8,000,000 to Sprott, payable by issuance of 12,698,413 Ely Gold common shares at a deemed issue price of $0.63 per share (the "Ely Gold Shares"). In connection with its assistance with the Transaction, Ely Gold has agreed to pay a finder's fee to Medalist Capital Ltd. comprising a cash fee of 1.0% of the Transaction price, plus 300,000 Ely Gold Share purchase warrants each exercisable over a three-year term to purchase one Ely Gold Share at an exercise price of $0.63 per share. All of the Ely Gold securities issued in the Transaction will be subject to a four-month hold period pursuant to applicable TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") policies and applicable securities laws. The Transaction remains subject to certain customary commercial conditions, including Ely Gold's completion of its due diligence on the Target Royalty, settling definitive Transaction documentation, and receipt of all approvals required under TSXV policies and applicable securities laws. As part of its Transaction due diligence, Ely Gold plans to commission and file an independent updated National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Jerritt Canyon Mine within 45 days of this news release. The last publicly available technical report on the property was filed by Veris in on July 11, 2013 ("NI-43-101 Technical Report Veris Gold Corp. Jerritt Canyon Property, Elko County, Nevada; Effective Date: December 31, 2012", See www.sedar.com). Before giving effect to the Transaction, Sprott holds, directly and indirectly, 5,615,454 outstanding Ely Gold Shares, and warrants to purchase up to an additional 19,023,943 Ely Gold Shares at an average exercise price of $0.36 per share. On this basis and given the current approximate issued and outstanding total of 100.3 million Ely Gold Shares, Sprott's direct and indirect holdings represent approximately 5.6% of the outstanding Ely Gold Shares on a non-diluted basis, and approximately 20.7% on a partially diluted basis. After giving effect to the Transaction, Sprott will hold approximately 16.2% of the outstanding Ely Gold Shares on a non-diluted basis, and approximately 28.3% on a partially diluted basis. However, pursuant to a pre-existing agreement (refer to press release dated November 29, 2019), unless the TSXV accepts Sprott becoming a "Control Person" (as defined under TSXV policies) of the Company, Sprott has agreed not to exercise any portion of his warrants if, as a result of such exercise, his direct and indirect holdings would exceed 19.9% of the outstanding Ely Gold voting shares. The Company plans to seek such an approval at its next annual general meeting expected to be held on or before May 2020. About Jerritt Canyon Mine Gold was first discovered at the Jerritt Canyon Mine in 1972, with the first gold poured in 1981. Between 1981 and 1999, mining was conducted via open pit. Underground operations began in 1993 with the opening of the SSX-Steer Complex and Smith mine. Presently, the Jerritt Canyon Mine is operated by JCG LLC, a private mid-tier North American gold producer. Its primary assets are the permitted and operating Jerritt Canyon processing plant and associated four gold mines located 50 miles north of Elko, Nevada. According to JCG LLC, since mining began at Jerritt Canyon, more than eight million ounces of gold have been produced. The mineral processing operation at Jerritt Canyon is designed to process highly refractory gold ores up to 4,000 tpd and the mill reported processing in excess of 1.1 million tons in 2017 and 1.2 million tons in 2018. Gold mineralization at Jerritt Canyon occurs in both upper plate and lower plate stratigraphy. While approximately 30% of the 119 square mile land package has experienced first-pass exploration, most of the property outside the mined areas, has not been explored to date. Lower plate rocks are known to occur at Jerritt Canyon at surface, near-surface and under valley fill. Qualified Person Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is a director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. The Company does not intend to file a technical report supporting disclosure with respect to acquisition of this royalty interest. About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 36 Deeded Royalties and 22 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647 964 0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the contemplated acquisition of the Target Royalty (as defined above) (including the requirement for certain TSX Venture Exchange approvals), significance of the forecast contribution to the Company, the Company's intention to seek a shareholder approval at its 2020 annual general meeting, its current assets, Company acquisitions of additional royalty interests. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks that the Company may not secure the required regulatory approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52115 The Election Commission has barred BJP MP Parvesh Verma for holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews for 24 hours The Election Commission has barred BJP MP Parvesh Verma from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews for 24 hours over his statement against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on a news channel. This effectively means that he can no longer canvas for the BJP in Delhi, as the campaign ends on Thursday. Verma was earlier banned for 96 hours as well. #BREAKING BJP MP Parvesh Verma BANNED from campaigning on the last day of campaigning by the election commission for personal attack against @ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/ByoOrg85Kh Saahil Murli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) February 5, 2020 The Election Commission's order reads, "...the commission is of the considered view that Sh Parvesh Sahib Singh made vitriolic aspersions against Sh Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, which violate the provisions of clause (2) of Part-1 of the Model Code of Conduct." The poll body said it "strongly condemns" his comments and noted that he is a repeat offender. Verma, the MP from West Delhi, was earlier banned from campaigning for four days by the Election Commission. He had faced the poll body's ire for saying that what happened in Kashmir with Kashmiri Pandits could happen in Delhi and that lakhs of anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh could enter people's homes to "kill and rape women". However, notwithstanding the ban, Verma had moved the Motion of Thanks in the Lok Sabha in response to President Ramnath Kovinds address on Tuesday. The MP had on Friday staged a silent protest against the Election Commission's decision to bar him from campaigning for four days for the Delhi Assembly polls. With his mouth covered with a black band, he accused Kejriwal of using words like "traitor", "General Dyer" and "Hitler" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On 30 January, the Election Commission had also banned Union minister Anurag Thakur for chanting the first half of a slogan that calls for shooting traitors (desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko) in an apparent reference to anti-CAA protesters. The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has condemned a visit of representatives of the Alternative for Germany party Gunnar Lindemann, Richard Gretzinger and Henning Zoz to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine in Donbas. "We consider this visit as disrespect to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, negligence of the fundamental principles of international law and the national legislation of Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry also said that those politicians have visited the occupied territories of Ukraine before. "This proves that they consciously violated the national legislation of Ukraine and international law in favor of Russia's ideology," the ministry said, adding that "such actions will be taken into account for the determination of legal liability in line with the Ukrainian legislation." At the same time, the ministry emphasized that the democratic political forces of Germany support the efforts taken by German Chancellor Angela Merkel within the Normandy Format to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders and the position of the Federal Government to condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine, as well as separate themselves from any signs of encouragement to Russia's aggression aimed at undermining Ukraine's statehood. "We hope that the leadership of the Alternative for Germany party will also condemn the illegal actions of its members and restrict such crimes in future," the ministry said. Labour MP Tracy Brabin's husband launched a stirring defence of his wife's off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons, fuming that nobody has the right to tell her or any other woman what to wear. The shadow minister was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' and as if she had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin' after she wore the black dress in the chamber earlier this week. TV director Richard Platt told MailOnline: 'Nobody has the right to tell a woman what to wear, never mind in Parliament. Women should be able to wear what they want. 'I'm delighted that Tracy has taken the stance she has and defended herself. She's a big girl and can take care of herself. Tracy Brabin's husband Richard Platt (above with the Labour MP) launched a stirring defence of his wife's off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons, fuming that nobody has the right to tell her or any other woman what to wear The shadow minister (seen out canvassing with her husband before the last election) was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' and as if she had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin' after she wore the black dress in the chamber earlier this week TV director Richard Platt (above with his wife) told MailOnline: 'Nobody has the right to tell a woman what to wear, never mind in Parliament. Women should be able to wear what they want' He added: 'The whole thing is ridiculous and has been blown out of proportion. I'm not angry by the reaction, just disappointed.' Mr Platt, 66, revealed that he had only briefly discussed with his wife the furore caused by her dress and that he was 'proud' of the way she is standing up to her critics. He added: 'I saw Tracy when she came back from Parliament last night as I was going to bed. She was not annoyed, more surprised and shocked at the reaction. 'I saw her again this morning as she was going off to do radio and television interviews. 'My wife speaks her mind and I'm supporting her 100%. It's important she speaks out about this on behalf of all women.' Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Brabin, 58 who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. She added: 'I am in a privileged position that I can brush this off, but I feel it's my responsibility to call it out for those women that don't have that amplification. 'Because there are women around the world putting up with this day in day out.' Mr Platt, 66, revealed that he had only briefly discussed with his wife (pictured today) the furore caused by her dress and that he was 'proud' of the way she is standing up to her critics Ms Brabin took matters into her own hands after being confronted over an an off-the-shoulder dress she chose to wear during a debate. Her husband said: 'I saw Tracy when she came back from Parliament last night. She was not annoyed, more surprised and shocked at the reaction' Mr Platt, a successful director who has recently finished on Emmerale, said: 'My wife speaks her mind and I'm supporting her 100%. It's important she speaks out about this on behalf of all women' 'I try not to take it too seriously and it seemed to hit a nerve. The amount of supportive comments I've had absolutely overwhelm the comments about my judgement and what I am wearing.' Ms Brabin added: 'Twas ever thus. Women are judged continually by how they look... it is unacceptable that we are raising our daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards.' In a withering assessment of those taking her to task over her clothing, she said: 'They are anonymous people often, keyboard warriors sat in their mum's back bedroom eating Pot Noodles and having a pop at people they don't know anything about.' Mr Platt married Ms Brabin 15 years ago having met while working as actors. They have two children and live in North London. Mr Platt got his first break in ITV drama series Peak Practice, which is set in a doctor's surgery in the Derbyshire Peak District. He has gone on to establish himself as an award-winning director and has made films such as The Balfour Declaration, Poppy, Seeds of Discord and Lines in the Sand. He has just completed directing Emmerdale and is about to start working on East Enders. Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Tracy Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back' Ms Brabin, who played Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street between 1994 and 1997, replaced Jo Cox as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, after she was murdered by far-right extremist Thomas Mair in 2016. Ms Brabin admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder, but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress on Monday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. One Twitter user shared a photograph of her wearing the controversial outfit and asked: 'Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?' Ms Brabin, 58, posted a sharply-worded response hitting back at the people who called her names for the dress The rebuke came after Ms Brabin delivered a stinging riposte on Twitter last night, saying: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not.... 'A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' Tracy Brabin is pictured playing Tricia Armstrong on Coronation Street in 1996 alongside co-star Michael Le Vell New MP: Tracy Brabin is pictured after winning the by-election for Labour in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, on October 21 2016 Who is Tracy Brabin? The Coronation Street actress who swapped TV for politics after murder of Labour MP Tracy Brabin was born in Batley, half of the West Yorkshire constituency she now represents in Westminster, in May 1961. She went to grammar school before studying drama at Loughborough University. Brabin became known for her role as a clumsy waitress called Sandra opposite Only Fools N Horses star David Jason in the ITV sitcom A Bit of A Do in 1989. She later bagged the role of Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street in 1994 where she stayed until 1997. The now-58-year-old also starred in EastEnders as Roxy Drake in the early 2000s. Tracy Brabin (pictured second from right) is pictured with the late Jo Cox (second from left) before her death and the by-election that saw her replace her as MP for Batley and Spen Her political interest was first made clear in 1997 when she wrote a newspaper article endorsing the Labour Party, telling of how her father-in-law died on a hospital trolley while waiting to see a doctor. In 1998 she appeared in a Labour Party political broadcast urging people to join. She was the lead member of a group of nine actors who wrote an open letter in The Observer newspaper claiming that while they opposed Britain's intervention in the Iraq War, they still supported the re-election of a Tony Blair Labour Government in 2001. The former actress, who also appeared in Emmerdale, expressed her interest in running for office after the death of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox in June 2016. The former actress played Tricia Armstrong (centre) in Coronation Street on ITV between 1994 and 1997 Tracy Brabin is pictured (left) as Roxy Drake in EastEnders alongside Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater in 2001 She was one of two women who threw their hat in the ring to replace Mrs Cox after she was shot and stabbed on the way to a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on June 16 that year. Brabin had canvassed for Labour in the Kirklees Council election of 2012 and had worked with Mrs Cox on her campaign against local library closures in the area. Brabin was voted in as Batley and Spen MP in October after all the other major parties promised they wouldn't contest Labour's seat as a mark of respect for the late Mrs Cox. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Greg Farrell and Christian Berthelsen (Bloomberg) Wed, February 5, 2020 11:07 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062a2bb1 2 People jeff-bezos,lawsuit,united-states,Amazon,Lauren-Sanchez,defamation Free Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos hit back at the estranged brother of his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, asking a California judge to throw out a defamation suit filed against him last week by Michael Sanchez. Bezos response, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, called Sanchezs claims baseless and said the suit amounted to an attempt to chill Bezos ability to exercise his right of free speech. He cited a California law allowing for the swift dismissal of suits that inpinge such rights and lack a strong legal basis. Sanchez claimed in his suit that Bezos and his security consultant Gavin de Becker falsely and publicly accused him of providing nude photographs of Bezos to the National Enquirer, which published an expose of Bezos affair with Sanchezs sister in January 2019. In his response, Bezos said Sanchez failed to point to a single example of him or de Becker making such an accusation. Read also: Jeff Bezos sued for defamation by girlfriend Lauren Sanchezs brother In a post on the site Medium a few weeks after the Enquirer story, Bezos wrote that the Enquirer had warned him that it would publish embarrassing personal photos of him unless he stopped suggesting the tabloid and its owner, American Media Inc., had pursued a story about his relationship for political motives. At the time, the publisher had recently entered into a non-prosecution agreement over claims that Enquirer editors had sought to assist Donald Trump, a friend of American Media CEO David Pecker, during the 2016 election by suppressing potentially harmful stories about the candidates earlier affairs. As president, Trump has made clear his dislike for Bezos, who owns the Washington Post. The story has since expanded into an international controversy, boosted by allegations that Saudi Arabias crown prince participated in a hack of his phone. Russia will begin the delivery of the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021 and there will be no delay in execution of the project, a top Russian official said on Wednesday. In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions. Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around USD 800 million to Russia for the missile systems. "The S400 deal is being implemented as per the original schedule. First delivery of the systems will start by the end of 2021. We will fulfil our delivery commitments," Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, told PTI on the sidelines of the DefExpo here. "The defence cooperation between the two countries is very robust. We are committed to boost it further," Drozhzhov said. The 'Triumf' interceptor-based missile system can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km. The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. Another official said Russia has started production of the S-400 missile systems for India and all the five units will be delivered by 2025. The US had imposed sanctions on Russia under the stringent Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The law also provides for punitive action against countries purchasing defence hardware from Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN Security Council on Tuesday discussed the International Court of Justices order that Myanmar do all it can to prevent genocide against the Rohingya Muslims, but failed to agree on a statement. China, an ally of Myanmar, as well as Vietnam, which is a member of the regional Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) along with Myanmar, objected, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it was a closed-door meeting. Instead, the European Union members of the council urged Myanmar in a joint statement to reporters afterwards to comply with the measures ordered by the UNs top court, stressing that they were compulsory under international law. France, Germany, Belgium and Estonia along with former council member Poland also urged Myanmar to take credible action to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations. Myanmar must address the root causes of its conflicts, in Rakhine State, but also in Kachin and Shan States, the EU members said. Accountability of perpetrators of human rights and humanitarian law violations is a necessary part of this process. Some 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar security forces launched a crackdown on the Muslim minority in August 2017 in response to an attack by a Rohingya armed group. More than one million Rohingya refugees are currently living in Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya are suspected to have been killed in the crackdown which has been described by UN investigators as a genocide. Refugees reported widespread rape and arson in Rakhine state by Myanmars military and local Buddhist militias. Myanmar has long claimed the Rohingya are Bengali migrants from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in the country for generations. A Rohingya-Muslim family gathers at the Thet Kel Pyin internally displaced persons camp in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar in January [File: Nyunt Win/EPA] Nearly all Rohingya have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless and they are denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. The EU countries said: Myanmar must also create conditions for and facilitate a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Myanmar. They also reiterated the Security Councils call for Myanmar to implement the recommendations of the Annan Commission which called for Myanmar to grant citizenship and ensure other rights to the Rohingya before the August 2017 attacks happened. It also urged the government to promote investment and community-directed growth to alleviate poverty in Rakhine. A mother has issued a desperate plea after her teenage son died after sniffing aerosol cans in a deadly trend known as chroming. Nicholas Kendrick was 17 when his mother, Dianne, found him lying on his bed surrounded by empty Rexona cans in 2015 in their home in Mackay, Queensland. Ms Kendrick revealed the torment her son's death has had on her life, as well as her hopes that other parents won't have to go through the same pain she did. Nicholas Kendrick (pictured) was just 17 when his mother Dianne found him lying on his bed surrounded by empty Rexona cans Ms Kendrick, a mother-of-six, said she had 'no idea' Nicholas had been chroming. She said she had noticed empty cans around her home but never questioned it. 'Nicholas had an addiction. It's worse than ice,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Kendrick said the moment she saw her son lying on his bed she knew she had lost him forever. 'I walked in to Nicholas' room and he was blue. His legs were cold and purple. I tried to wake him up and I just screamed,' she said. She said her partner performed CPR on him before paramedics arrived but it was too late. In the five years since her son's death Ms Kendrick said everyday is still a battle. 'There will never be a day where I don't cry. I don't want other parents to feel like that,' she said. 'I can't function some days, I can't put two words together. 'I don't want a parent to go get their child for dinner and find them dead.' Nicholas had been chroming for what his mother suspected for four years but his family had 'no idea' She stressed that kids weren't just using deodorant cans but anything that had aerosol in them. 'The kids aren't being told they will have irreversible damage. First time you breathe in, you'll have lung damage and brain damage,' Ms Kendrick said. 'It's very accessible, kids just go on the internet and it tells you what to do.' She said that the trend was only getting worse as four other youths died from chroming in Queensland within recent years. 'This will kill you. It's not fun, it's not a game, it will kill you,' she said. 'From the moment Nicholas died, it destroyed our family. 'He was the life of the party'. In the wake of her son's death, Ms Kendrick has made it her mission to create awareness over the deadly trend. In the wake of Nicholas' death, his mother has made it her mission to raise awareness of the deadly impacts sniffing aerosol cans have 'Talk to your kids. Talk to their friends and their parents. It's been going on for years,' she said. The mother has seen kids as young as ten-years-old chroming in local parks to the point of passing out and students sniffing cans during their lunch breaks at school. Chroming offers a short high which can be achieved from a range of aerosol cans including deodorant, bug spray and other forms - all that can be bought from a supermarket. WHAT IS 'CHROMING'? When a person inhales solvents or other household chemicals to get high. Chroming makes the user feel drowsy, relaxed and happy, excited or fidgety, uncoordinated and less inhibited about taking risks. If someone inhales chemicals for too long they can suffer from brain damage, damage to internal organs, anger problems and changes to their thinking patterns. Source: Reach Out Advertisement 'The more people that know (about chroming), the more lives we can save,' Ms Kendrick said. Almost one hundred Queensland children, many of them aged below 15, were admitted to hospital as a result of 'huffing' aerosols in the past year according to Health Minister Steven Miles. A spokesperson for Unilever which owns Rexona said they were actively working with the government to end the chroming trend. 'Unilever takes the issue of volatile substance misuse also known as chroming very seriously and we are deeply concerned that it has such a devastating impact on individuals, their families and communities,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'Among other measures, all of our products are labelled with prominent warnings and guidelines on how to use aerosols safely. 'As we discussed at the recent Queensland government roundtable on volatile substance misuse, this is an enormously complex social issue affecting the entire aerosol industry and it requires a community-wide approach. 'We are actively working with government, health officials, police, retailers and representatives of affected communities to tackle this issue.' Two motorbike-borne men were crushed to death by a speeding truck here in Maharashtera, police said on Wednesday. The accident took place in the Mankapur area of Nagpur on Tuesday night when the victims, who were friends, were returning from a wedding, they said. The deceased were identified as Mohammed Furkan Ansari (27), a resident of Lodhipura, and Mohammed Wakar Sheikh Ramzan (28), who resided in the Mahatma Phule market area, the police said. Sub-inspector V P Sahare of the Mankapur police station said the men were crossing the Ring Road near Gorewada Square on a motorcycle at around 10 pm when a speeding truck came from another side and rammed into their two-wheeler. The impact of the crash was so powerful that the motorcycle got stuck in the truck and the duo came under its rear wheels, he said. The profusely bleeding men died on the spot, Sahare said, adding the truck driver fled the spot but was later arrested. The police seized the truck and arrested its driver Gyansingh Dayaram Gujjar (24), a resident of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. He was booked under relevant sections of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act, the police added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay on Wednesday visited the Walled City of Jaipur, a world heritage site. She also visited the Amber Fort and later meet girl students at a government school in Amber town. Azoulay took photographs with the girls, talked to them about and later saw their classrooms. The students performed a self defence demonstration on the occasion. The director general of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization motivated the girls to contribute for the betterment of the society with their and skills, an official said. Congratulations to all of you, teachers, pupils, families. Girls' is the cause of our century. Girls, we need you! Azoulay wrote on a photo frame prepared by the students. The girls had placed Azoulay's photo on one side of the frame and left a blank space for her comments on the other. After spending nearly 40 minutes in the school, she left for the iconic Hawa Mahal. On the way, she briefly halted at Jal Mahal Ki Paal and took pictures. In the evening, Azoulay will present the certificate of UNESCO world heritage site, for the Walled City of Jaipur, to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at a ceremony in the Albert hall, a state tourism department official said. The Walled City of Jaipur, known for its iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture, was recognised as UNESCO world heritage site in July last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Huoshenshan Hospital starts operation PLA Daily Source: CGTN.COM Editor: Chen Zhuo 2020-02-04 20:00:29 Huoshenshan Hospital, a SARS treatment-model makeshift hospital in Wuhan, started admitting patients on Tuesday morning. The first batch of 50 patients from three hospitals, including Wuchang Hospital and Hankou Hospital, has been transferred to the newly built hospital and the patients are undergoing treatment. The hospital, built in 10 days, was formally delivered to military medics on Sunday morning. Covering an area of 34,000 square meters, the hospital provides 1,000 beds for coronavirus patients who are gradually transferred to the hospital. Wuhan started building two makeshift hospitals, Leishenshan and Huoshenshan, for treating pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The construction of another makeshift hospital is underway. With a bedding capacity of 1,500, it is scheduled to be put into use on February 5 and take patients the next day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rishi Kapoor Hospitalised Again In Mumbai, Neetu Kapoor And Ranbir Kapoor Rush To Be By His Side Theres a new game in Connecticut. Its called dodge-a-gantry. Right now, it is only a virtual game being played on Google Maps. Gov. Ned Lamont latest toll plan hes had many is to toll only tractor-trailer trucks at just 12 highway bridges in the state. So what are truckers doing? They are getting ready to game Lamonts proposed system. They are researching the best toll evasion routes, i.e. the best local roads to use to bypass the intended highway gantry locations. The governor and his advisers have failed to take into account a unique and fundamental obstacle to imposing tolls in Connecticut. Almost all existing toll roads in other states are limited-access highways. Vehicles travel for several miles between entry-exit access points. To exit and re-enter these highways in order to evade tolls is an onerous proposition. Actually, in most instances, it is impossible, because every entry-exit access point has a gantry or toll booth, where vehicles are logged in and out and charged for the distance they have traveled. In contrast, Connecticuts highways are uniquely open-access with short distances between entry-exit points. In neighboring Massachusetts, the Mass Pike (I-90) has 24 entry-exit points (and 24 toll locations) over the 141 miles from West Stockbridge to downtown Boston. Here in Connecticut, I-95 has 91 access points over the 105 miles from Greenwich to Stonington. Erecting tolls at all 91 would be absurd and exorbitantly expensive. Alternatively, gantries spanning across traffic on I-95 would invite trucks to jump off just before a gantry and re-enter a few miles further along just past the gantry. The proposed high toll rates for trucks would provide motivation to truckers to evade the gantries. The bridge on I-95 that Lamont would toll in downtown Stamford lies mid-way between exits 8 and 9 which are less than two miles apart. Local roads run essentially parallel to the highway. A trucker would travel roughly the same distance on those roads. How much longer it might take would depend upon local traffic relative to highway traffic. Traveling north on I-95, the next bridge proposed to be tolled is in Westport over Route 33 which sits between exits 17 and 18. These exits are about three miles apart. Again, local roads run essentially parallel to the highway. These local roads are well outside the town center with little traffic. Arguably, a trucker wouldnt lose much time bypassing this gantry. Continuing north on I-95, the next planned toll location is the bridge in West Haven over the railroad tracks. It sits between exits 43 and 44 which are less than a mile apart. The obvious local bypass route is also shy of a mile. These bridge locations illustrate just how leaky Lamonts new proposed system would be. A quick glance at Google Maps shows that most of the other proposed toll locations could be evaded quite easily. Has Lamont factored significant levels of toll evasion into his revenue projection of $230 million in annual tractor-trailer truck toll revenue? Doubtful. Even assuming no toll evasion, this projection is suspect. Lamont began with a projection of $800 million for his original all-vehicles 50-gantry toll system. His current proposal reduces gantries to 24% of the original, and trucks account for just 5 percent of traffic (1.7 billion of 31.7 billion miles driven per year, according to industry statistics) tractor-trailers alone a lower percentage. The combination of the reduced elements (24 percent x 5 percent) renders Lamonts new system just 1.2 percent of his original system. Granted toll rates are higher on the biggest trucks, but high enough to offset this 99 percent-plus system reduction? Of course, the higher trucker rates are, the greater the incentive for truckers to dodge the gantries. It would seem quite probable that truckers would bypass gantries. After all, they drive for a living. They would be certain to know how to bypass every one of the 12 planned gantry locations. Truckers would monitor traffic in real time to ascertain when it made sense to go local. Undoubtedly, toll evasion would be significant, if not prevalent. Not only is Lamont unlikely to collect the revenue he projects, but he and Assembly Democrats are unlikely to make many friends in the towns where these bridges are located. If people fear huge trucks driving next to them on the highways, resent the highway traffic congestion to which they contribute, and believe they pound and damage our highways, just imagine how they would feel when, as and if trucks show up en mass on their town streets. The state may try to close off the bypass routes by closing exits on I-95 and the other highways involved (can it do so without federal approval?), or by forcing localities to create restrictions on local roads (can the state do that?). Doing so might enrage the local citizenry just as much. This doesnt seem to be a toll proposal likely to attract the votes of General Assembly Democrats who are undecided about, or opposed to, tolls. Red Jahncke is the president of Townsend Group Intl, LLC, a Greenwich-based consulting firm. A pre-wedding photo album has gone viral on Facebook as it captures a Vietnamese couple handing out free face masks on the streets of Hanoi amidst a reported shortage of the medical supplies in Vietnam. Instead of sunset on the beach or endless green grassland, Nghiem Dinh Dang, 26, and Pham Ngoc Vy, 25, who are getting married after one year of dating, have chosen the many streets in the Vietnamese capital city as the background for their pre-wedding photos. In the photos, the couple is seen giving away medical masks to commuters and passers-by. Bride-to-be Vy told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that ideas for the set of photos were conceived and realized in less than 12 hours. The young couple said they had been alarmed by reports of 2019-nCoV and how the virus has caused demand for medical masks to hike in Vietnam, leading to a shortage. The couple thus decided to buy more than 2,000 face masks for the giveaway and photoshoot, even agreeing to pay exorbitant prices. A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. We feel happy and motivated thinking of the people who received our face masks, the bride-to-be said. Like Vy, Dang told Tuoi Tre he had had experienced different emotions throughout the outdoor photoshoot. The most memorable experience to me is the moment when an elderly uncle gave my bride a hug as he was very touched by what we did, Dang said. We hope that our action can help spread some love during the battle against the [novel coronavirus] epidemic." Dang and Vys pre-wedding photo album has been liked and shared thousands of times since it was uploaded on Facebook on Sunday, despite receiving mixed reactions. Regardless of these comments, the couple told Tuoi Tre that they feel happy and love each other even more after the photoshoot as they believe what they did was meaningful work. A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has killed 492 people and infected more than 24,500 globally as of Wednesday. It has spread across China and to around two dozen other countries and regions. Vietnam has confirmed ten cases so far, including seven Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. Among them, one Chinese and two Vietnamese have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital. The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. Below are some photos from Dang and Vys pre-wedding photo album: A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. A couple gives away medical masks to commuters and passers-by on a street in Hanoi for their pre-wedding photos in this picture uploaded on Facebook. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! One is the F-150 Hybrid, and the other, well, the baby Bronco. There isnt a lot of info about these vehicles yet, but both of them have been spotted in the wild wearing heavy camouflage. The F-150 Hybrid isnt expected to bear a lot of changes for this iteration, but the baby Bronco will grab all the attention when launched. Ford published its fourth-quarter and full-year reports for 2019 on February 4. While there was nothing noteworthy about the financials per se, the company announced that it will be bringing in five new models in 2020, of which two are highly anticipated. Of all the trademarks Ford filed for the Bronco, it chose the best one for the baby Bronco Ford Will Introduce Five New Models In 2020 Other than the F-150 Hybrid and the baby Bronco, Ford will be introducing electrified versions of the Lincoln Corsair and Ford Escape, plus the first of 30 market-specific Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Speaking of the baby Bronco, Ford hasnt given any details yet. The Bronco is set for a 2020 Spring Launch, but what about the baby Bronco? Well, Ford said it will be introducing the mini-SUV this year. Now, Baby Bronco is obviously not the official name, but Ford has filed for multiple trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that could be the variant monikers, special editions, or concepts, and one of them could be for the petite version of the Bronco. The Baby Bronco Will Most Likely Be Called Maverick According to Bronco6g, the little off-roader could feature the "Maverick" badge. Now, it may or may not have the Bronco prefix to it. The website stated that according to its inside sources, the CX430 Bronco has an internal name of Maverick and that CAD models of the front-wheel-drive SUV showed a Maverick badge on the right side of the vehicle. The website added that "this latest leak was discovered by a Bronco6G member who was searching for key part numbers and discovered several Ford part numbers for Maverick, which is listed as a 2020 model year vehicle. With the reveal of the Maverick Bronco taking place in mere months, and production set to begin in August 2020, the name is surely set in stone by now. Ford Has Used The Maverick Nameplate In The Past Maverick isnt a new term in Fords lingo. The moniker has been prevalent in the Ford family for very long. Originally, it was used for a compact car sold in the 70s. Later, Ford went on to slap the term on a re-badged Nissan Patrol in Australia in the 80s and 90s, on the re-badged Nissan Terrano sold in Europe in the 90s, and even on the European version of the Ford Escape sold in the early 2000s. Imagine a Military Green 2021 mini-Bronco mimicking the one from the 60s with a Maverick badge. How cool that would be? The baby Bronco, or the Bronco Maverick, was spotted at a dealer meeting and a photo from there leaked and was posted by many internet outlets. However, Ford got them to take it down, threatening legal action if they failed to do so. The pics still available on the internet if you give it a good search. TFL previously said that it looks pretty much like the one Dwayne Johnson used in the 2018 Rampage movie, which itself was based on the Bronco concept model introduced back in 2004. Heres What We Know About The Baby Bronco So Far It will be based on the Ford Escape. It will be boxy and angular. Given its nature, were not sure if a plug-in hybrid powertrain will be offered at launch. The other two options include a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine that makes 180 horses and 177 pound-feet of torque and a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged mill that churns out 250 horses and 275 pound-feet of torque. The Escapes 2.5-liter, four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle range could, however, be offered, since it comes with an 88-kW electric motor that could provide added torque. It will be a good add-on to an off-roader. It will be built alongside the Ford Ranger, so a lot of Ranger components could be used on it. A manual transmission could be offered as well. It could have a removable top and doors like the Bronco. 2020 Ford Escape Drivetrain Specifications 1.5L EcoBoost 2.0L EcoBoost 2.5L FHEV 2.5L PHEV S, SE, SEL SEL,Titanium SE Sport, Titanium SE, SEL, Titanium Configuration Aluminum block and head, In-line 3 cylinder Aluminum block and head, In-line 4 cylinder Aluminum block and head, Atkinson-cycle I-4 Bore and stroke 3.31 x 3.54 in. 3.44 x 3.27 in. 3.50 x3.94 in. Displacement 91.4 cu. in./1,497 cc 122 cu. in./1,999 cc 152 cu. in./2,488 cc Compression ratio 10.0:1 9. 3:1 13.0:1 Horsepower (targeted) 180 hp 250 hp 198 hp Torque (targeted) 177 lb.-ft. 275 lb.-ft. N /A Transmission 8-speed automatic 8-speed auto with SelectShift with paddle shifters PowerSplit: Electronic Co ntinuous Variable Transmission Another Day, Another Patent For The Bronco Ford filed a patent recently that has to do with the safety of the occupants in case of a crash when the doors are off. The patent suggests that a telescoping section would extend from the base of the A-pillar and would protect the occupant. In normal driving conditions, the telescoping sections would be in a retracted position. In the event of a crash, the sensors would detect whether the doors are in place or not and activate an inflator that would cause the telescoping piece to deploy. This telescoping section could be "plastic, metal, or any suitable material, including a combination thereof." So, if the baby Bronco also features removable doors, this feature could be carried over from the larger Bronco. Final Thoughts The baby Bronco could debut in the first half of 2020, ahead of the Detroit Auto Show, and deliveries could begin by the end of the year. Do you think Maverick is the best name Ford can give to the baby Bronco? Or would you prefer some other trademarked name like Scout, Sport, or Adrenaline? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Taking a completely different stance from allies NCP and Congress, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray backed the Citizenship Amendment Act. He stated that the law did not take away anyones citizenship. Speaking exclusively to Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray agreed that this was a law to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from other countries. He also asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government would not bring in a resolution in the state Assembly against the CAA. At the same time, he urged the Centre to take care of the housing and employment of the persecuted minorities. Read: CAA Used To Divert Attention From Economic Issues, Govt Hiding Real Picture: Oppn In Rajya Sabha Uddhav Thackeray remarked, First, we will talk about the CAA. We have persecuted minorities in our neighbouring countries. In fact, they are Hindus. Pakistan and Bangladesh are Islamic countries. CAA is not a law to drive out people of the country. Amit Shah has said that this is a law to give citizenship. I agree with that. It is a law to give citizenship to the persecuted people of our neighbouring countries. He added, There is no reason to pass a resolution in the Assembly that we will not implement the CAA. Because I will reiterate once again that the CAA does not contain any provision to throw out people from here. It is to assimilate the persecuted Hindus in our country. But the Centre should take up the responsibility of their shelter and employment. Read: TRS MP Appreciates Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's Letter To EU Over CAA Draft Resolution MVA allies differ Thackerays big declaration on the CAA comes even as Shiv Sena adopted a different position in both Houses of the Parliament. For instance, while the Sena MPs backed the legislation in the Lok Sabha, its party MPs including Sanjay Raut refused to participate in the voting process in the Upper House of the Parliament. On the other hand, both NCP and Congress ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government have made it clear that the CAA and the NRC would not be implemented in the state. Read: EXCLUSIVE: Republic Accesses PFI Vice-Chairman's Letter To ED Amid CAA Protest Link Probe What is the CAA? The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities has been reduced to five years. Read: Digvijaya Singh Questions Centre On Need For CAA, Cites Citizenship Granted To Adnan Sami Close Air Support Market Report 2020-2030 LONDON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forecasts by Aircraft Type (Manned Fixed-Wing, Unmanned Fixed-Wing and Rotary-Wing) & by Geographical Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and MEA). Plus, Analysis of the Leading Players in the Market Space, Including Recent Agreed-Upon Contracts for Light Attack Aircrafts Navy selects four firms for potential $124m close air support contract US Air Force officially buying light-attack planes UAE first contract for home-grown light attack aircraft These are just some of the business-critical headlines that have surfaced about your industry this year. How are you, and your company, reacting to news such as this? By ordering and reading our new report today, you will be fully informed and ready to act. What does the future hold for the Close Air Support market? Visiongain's new study supplies the answer to you and provides it to you NOW. In this new, 105-page report, you will receive approximately 100 tables and charts as well as independent, impartial and objective analysis. To request sample pages from this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/close-air-support-market-report-2020-2030/download_sampe_div By ordering and reading this report today, you will be given: A concise definition and comprehensive analysis of the Close Air Support market from 2019 to 2029. An understanding of not only the financial prospects of the Close Air Support industry but also the growth potential of several submarkets - including manned fixed-wing, unmanned fixed-wing, and rotary-wing. An informed forecast of the sales of four geographical regions - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East/Africa. A description of the main drivers and restraints that are affecting the development of the Close Air Support market. Ten profiles of the key players in the industry as well as up-to-date information on the latest financial performances and R&D expenses. Governments, agencies & organisations actively working or interested in the Close Air Support industry will also find significant value in our research. Predictions for the global market and submarkets - what's possible? Along with an evaluation of the current level of international investment in the Close Air Support market, this report provides measured forecasts for two submarkets covering the period 2019 to 2029. Close Air Support Market by Aircraft Type, 2020-2030 Manned Fixed-Wing Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Unmanned Fixed-Wing Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Rotary-Wing Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Close Air Support Market by Geographical Region, 2020-2030 North America Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 United States Canada Mexico Europe Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 France Russia Turkey United Kingdom Rest of Europe Asia Pacific Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 China India South Korea Japan Rest of Asia Pacific The Middle East & Africa Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Israel Iran Rest of MEA To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/close-air-support-market-report-2020-2030/ Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email sara.peerun@visiongain.com to discuss any customized research needs you may have. Companies covered in the report include: ADS Group Advancia IT SYSTEM AEG Aermacchi Aeronautical Technical Institute Aerospatiale AIDC Albatros Alenia Aermacchi AMX International Armstrong Whitworth Australian Department of Defence Australian Department of Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group AVIC BAE Systems MAS Division BAE Systems Plc. Blackburn Aircraft Boeing Brazilian Air Force Breguet Chengdu Civil Aviation Authority of Israel Curtis Falcom Dassault Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dornier Douglas Embraer EMB 312 Tucano Eurofighter Typhoon F-35 Norwegian, Italian Reprogramming Lab (NIRL) Fairchild Fairey Fawn FMA Fokker C.V French Air Force General Dynamics German Air Force HAL Hungarian Air Force Indian Air Force Indian Army Indonesian Air Force Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica - ITA Israel Ministry of Defense Israeli Air Force Israeli Ministry of Defense Israeli MoD ITA International Italian Air Force Italian Army Italian Ministry of Defence Jacobs Northington Consulting, LLC Appcast KAI Kaluga Research Institute of Radio Engineering (KNIRTI) Katmai Katmai Government Services Korea Aerospace Industries Leidos Lockheed Mainsail Group McDonnell Douglas Mikoyan Mikoyan-Gurevich Mitsubishi Mobius Industries USA, Inc. Allgemeine Elektricitats -Gesellschaft AG NATO Naval Research Laboratory Tactical Electronic Warfare Division Oasis Systems the Select Group Textron ManTech Lockheed Martin Bevilacqua Research Corporation CAE Office for Naval Research Organisations Mentioned in This Report Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Pakistan Air Force Panavia Tornado People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rand Corporation RDR, Inc. Rostec Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) Royal Moroccan Air Force. Royal Netherlands Air Force Royal Norwegian Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Russian Air Force Russian Army Russian Federal Treasury Russian Ministry of Defence Saab Saab Saudi Arabia National Guard (SANG) SIPRI Soko Sukhoi Summit Technical Solutions, LLC Swedish Air Force. Transparency International Turkish Air Force U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center U.S. Army U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) UK Defence Electronic Warfare Centre (DEWC) UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Underwater Systems Architecture Advisory Service (USAAS) UK Royal Air Force (RAF') United Arab Emirates Navy United Nation (UN) University of Lincoln US Air Force Reserve US Defense Science Board Warner Robins Air Logistics Center Xian To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongain.com Related reports: Global Aircraft Health Monitoring Market Report 2019-2029 Solar Water Heaters Market Report 2019-2029 The Military Helicopter Market Report 2019-2029 Ground Support Equipment Market Report 2019-2029 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg Speaking to reporters in the eastern province of Van, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said one person had died in a hospital after the crash but that none of the other injured were in critical condition, according to a Reuters report. Koca said 157 injured passengers were taken to hospitals, Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Police are seeking suspects after finding a woman dead in the back yard of a home and a a bound man in the bathtub inside. Lashay R. Young-Beard, 25, was found dead at the scene when police responded to a call of shots fired at 6.35pm on Monday in Kokomo, Indiana. As police searched the residence, they found a 24-year-old man who was bound hand and foot and gagged with duct tape. The man, whose identity has not been publicly released, told cops that he had been held captive inside the home for 11 days, according to a police press release. Lashay R. Young-Beard, 25, was found dead at the scene when police responded to a call of shots fired at 6.35pm on Monday in Kokomo, Indiana The male victim went on to say that he had been battered and tortured with scalding water during his involuntary confinement. The individuals responsible for the kidnapping and torture were acquaintances of both the male victim and Young-Beard, he told police. Young-Beard was pronounced deceased at the scene by Howard County Coroner. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday. 'Part of what's worst for me is thinking she laid out there in that yard. That's the hardest part. She laid out there in that yard,' Young-Beard's mom Christine Young told WTTV. Police are seen at the murder scene on Monday night in Kokomo, Indiana The mother said her daughter had a good heart, she was a sweet girl, and hard worker. She added that Young-Beard did have her struggles but her parents always loved her. Police have not yet publicly revealed a motive or the identity of any suspects. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Central Indiana Crime Stoppers anonymously for a potential cash reward at 1-800-262-TIPS. FTSE 100 companies are 'complacent' when it came to ethnic diversity goals. Photo: Getty The author of a damning report on ethnic diversity on the boards of the UKs biggest companies has lambasted firms for the lack of progress, saying it looks less like a failure... and far more like a choice. Sir John Parker, who on Wednesday published an update to his wide-ranging review on ethnic diversity in boardrooms, said that businesses seemed to have settled for the familiar and traditional recruitment processes. Almost 70% of the UKs top 250 listed companies have no ethnic representation on their boards, while well over a third of those listed on the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) have no ethnic diversity. The figures mark an improvement over the original review in 2017, which found that more than half of FTSE 100 companies were lacking a single board member from an ethnic minority. But Parker said that FTSE 100 companies were complacent when it came to ethnic diversity goals, and said he expects many of them to struggle to meet their target of appointing just one non-white director by 2021. To make matters worse, just six of the FTSE 100 board members from ethnic minorities hold the position of chair or CEO. READ MORE: Why sexist microaggressions are holding women back at work Parker, a former president of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a former chairman of mining giant Anglo American, launched his initial review of boardroom diversity in 2016. Companies on the FTSE 250 (^FTMC) have until 2024 to appoint one non-white board member. Although progress has been made to increase the representation of ethnic minorities on FTSE boards in the UK, there is still much more work to be done to reap the undeniable benefits that diverse leadership provides, Parker said. Action is needed to bring about long-term change, he advised. Parker said that UK companies should implement an action plan, noting that boards should continually report on their progress with ethnic diversity targets and goals, and that recruiters should be more proactive in recommending non-white candidates for positions. Research included in Parkers report found that just 14% of FTSE 100 companies and 2% of FTSE 250 firms have set objectives for board ethnic diversity that are measurable. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: The opposition and civic activists are holding a rally in front of the Georgian parliament, Trend reports citing Georgian media. Reportedly, they have gathered at the entrance to the parliament, demanding a switch to a proportional electoral system. Our demand remains unchanged: we demand the holding of elections in 2020 in a proportional system, the protesters say. The next parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia in October 2020. The wave of rallies in Tbilisi began after the failure of the parliamentary vote on November 14 regarding the holding of parliamentary elections in the country in 2020. As reported, the parliament failed to approve the transition from a mixed to proportional parliamentary election system since 2020. It was necessary to amend the Georgian constitution, which required the support of 113 out of 150 MPs; however, during the vote, only 101 MPs supported the changes. Most of the MPs who abstained from the voting represented the ruling party, "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia." Demonstrators demand early parliamentary elections on a proportional system; the resignation of the current government and its replacement by the interim government; and renewal of the composition of Central Election Commission. --- Follow the author on twitter: @Mila61979356 Under fire from climate protesters over his company's part in a massive coal mine project, Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser hammered home the group's green credentials at its annual general meeting Wednesday. Siemens "did not see the whole picture correctly and in time" when agreeing to supply rail signalling equipment to the planned Carmichael mine in Australia, Kaeser told shareholders in Munich, as the chants of activists outside could be heard. Kaeser said the company would make one billion euros ($1.1 billion) available between now and 2025 to identify and reduce greenhouse emissions in its supply chains. But he complained about the company being the focus of "agitation", warning demonstrators and activists that "protest alone offers no solutions". "Those who persist in rejecting dialogue and cooperation on solutions lose the moral right to discredit" companies and leaders who are taking climate action, Kaeser said. In an earlier press conference, the 40-year Siemens veteran had called activists' focus on his firm over the 18-million-euro coal mine contract "almost grotesque". Siemens products had helped slash almost 640 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by its customers in 2018-19, Kaeser said, or 80 percent of Germany's annual output. Outside the Munich Olympiahalle venue, around 300 people rallied against the firm's contract with Indian mining company Adani, brandishing placards with messages like "We demand clean air" and "Healthy people on a healthy planet". "We will continue our protests for as long as Siemens doesn't back down," said Helena Marschall, a representative of the movement, at a Tuesday press conference. The demonstrators plan to urge the company to "abandon coal" at a larger protest in the afternoon. Groups like Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future have homed in on the shareholder meeting as an opportunity to renew the pressure on Siemens. "What's more important: a small financial loss in the short term, or the disastrous consequences such a project will have for generations?" Marschall asked. She and other environmentalists have been invited to speak inside the cordon by a group of Siemens shareholders. In mid-January, CEO Kaeser met leading German Fridays for Future activist Luisa Neubauer after protests across the country against Siemens. He kept activists and observers on tenterhooks for weeks as he decided whether to stick with the coal mine contract. But he later said in a statement: "We must fulfil our contractual obligations" relating to the signalling deal for the massive open-cast mine, not far from the iconic natural landmark the Great Barrier Reef. "Only being a credible partner whose word counts also ensures that we can remain an effective partner for a greener future," Kaeser insisted at the time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Doug's 28-plus years of experience with Air Force data-driven IT programs is invaluable to Akima," said Juvy McCarthy, President of Akima's Technology Solutions and Products Group. "His experience directing successful enterprise engineering, integration, and cyber programs will help Akima ensure our solutions continue to provide direct value to the Air Force." Dudley joins Akima after retiring from the Air Force as Commander of the Air Force Network Integration Center. In collaboration with Headquarters Air Combat Command, and 24th Air Force, Dudley oversaw efforts to support warfighters with decision-quality information and technical expertise required to deploy air, space, and cyberspace systems onto the Air Force network. His leadership of the Air Force's Office 365 migration effort moved over 750,000 accounts to the cloud, making it the largest Office 365 deployment in the world. Dudley's introduction of agile methodologies into organizational processes resulted in a 44 percent reduction in the time required to produce version releases for software applications. Prior to commanding AFNIC, Dudley served as the Director of Communications and Chief Information Officer at Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. "Akima has a strong history of partnership with the Air Force providing excellent IT and cyber security solutions and I am excited to join the team," said Dudley. "I served the Air Force with pride in a number of technology leadership roles, and now I look forward to continuing my focus on IT modernization, sustainment, and security to support our nation's warfighters." Akima will be participating as a Gold Sponsor at the upcoming AFCEA Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO February 3 6. The event provides a national forum for industry and government to work together to help solve the challenges of cybersecurity, community cyber readiness, and national defense. About Akima Akima is a global enterprise with more than 7,500 employees, delivering agile solutions to the federal government in the core areas of aviation, construction, facilities and logistics, IT and mission support, protective services and detention management, and systems engineering. As a subsidiary of NANA, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by more than 14,300 Inupiat shareholders, Akima's core mission is to enable superior outcomes for our customers' missions while simultaneously creating a long-lived asset for NANA consistent with our Inupiat values. In 2019, Washington Technology ranked Akima #38 amongst the top 100 government contractors. To learn more about Akima, visit www.akima.com. SOURCE Akima Related Links http://www.akima.com (Bloomberg) -- Arabs have long complained of being second-class citizens of Israel. If the Trump administrations peace plan comes to life, some might not even be that. Until recently, the idea of redrawing Israels borders to put hundreds of thousands of Arab citizens into a future state of Palestine existed only on the margins of Israeli political discourse. Now, the Trump proposals unveiled last week have taken it mainstream. The prospect of creating such a state under the plan is unlikely given the outright Palestinian rejection of the U.S. blueprint. But the fact that the idea has been put to paper has antagonized Israeli Arabs, who already suffer discrimination in the Jewish state and say it only cements something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said before: Theyre not real Israelis. We are not a bargaining chip, said Muhammed Majadly, deputy mayor of Baqa al-Gharbiyeh, one of the northern towns that would be affected. Instead of letting me feel that I belong and the sky is the limit they are putting me in a position of uncertainty and stress. Arabs make up about a fifth of Israels 9 million people. According to the Trump document, residents of 10 Israeli Arab communities located in whats known as the Triangle could find themselves remaining in their homes but stripped of their Israeli citizenship, in a lopsided swap for West Bank land where settlements stand. About 300,000 people live in this concentration of Arab towns and villages in central and northern Israel abutting the West Bank. The Vision contemplates the possibility, subject to agreement of the parties, that the borders of Israel will be redrawn such that the Triangle Communities become part of the State of Palestine, the plan says. These communities, it adds, largely self-identify as Palestinian, and were originally designated to fall under Jordanian control during the negotiations of the 1949 armistice line, but ultimately were retained by Israel for military reasons that have since been mitigated. Story continues Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would have no part of it. Yes, they are our people, yes, it is our land, but I will not accept this idea under any circumstances, he said Monday at the weekly cabinet meeting. Israeli Arab leaders are working on a way to derail the proposal, and thousands protested on Saturday in Baqa al-Gharbiyeh and in Tel Aviv. Senior officials in Netanyahus office say the Trump scheme is unrealistic because it requires the agreement of all sides, Channel 12 reported Sunday. The same channel reported in 2017 that Netanyahu, commonly known as Bibi, had put this suggestion to the Americans, and the Haaretz newspaper confirmed this on Tuesday, noting that the prime minister hasnt denied involvement. The only strategy guiding the Trump plan is a maximum amount of land with a minimum amount of Palestinians, said Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List of Arab parties. This is the inevitable end point of Trump and Bibis racist agenda: a green light to revoke the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arab citizens who live in northern Israel. A spokesman for Netanyahu said the prime ministers office has been working with the U.S. administration on the peace plan for three years and that the works still ongoing. Israel was founded in 1948 as a Jewish homeland on land the resident Arab population wanted for its own state. About 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled in fighting surrounding its creation. Arabs who remained inside the borders of the new state were incorporated, some unwillingly, creating mutual suspicions that persist and have been amplified by Israeli Arabs identification with the Palestinian cause. Today they see themselves as a law-abiding minority who identify as Palestinians, Majadly said. But there are reasons for some of the Jewish misgivings. Some Israeli Arab lawmakers have visited enemy countries like Syria and relatives of dead militants who have attacked Israelis. The northern Islamic Movement has close ideological ties to Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip and has warred with Israel three times. Some Arab citizens belong to a local party, Balad, that wants to eradicate Israels Jewish identity so it can become a state of all of its citizens. Sinister Picture Netanyahu has used this to paint a sinister picture of Arab parties and their supporters. The prime minister has repeatedly attacked Arab parties as subversive and exploited fears over the Arab vote to drive right-wing turnout. Last year, after a local celebrity criticized his assertion that Arab parties dont belong in government, he said, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people -- and it alone. A year earlier, Netanyahu pushed through a law enshrining Israels Jewish character. Supporters contend the law is a bulwark against those who reject Jewish statehood, but critics say it undercuts democracy by omitting the commitment to full equality for all citizens codified elsewhere. It also downgraded the status of the once-official Arabic language. Expelling citizens to another state would take that affront to a whole new level, Israeli Arabs say. To take me and reassign me to the West Bank is like dropping me into Ethiopia, said Naseem Ghanym, a 44-year-old shop owner worried about the future of his six-year-old daughter. They are treating us like the merchandise I sell in my shop, selling us and buying us. At the end of the day people want to live, send their children to university, build their future. This is what we are worried about. (Updates with new report of Netanyahu involvement in ninth paragraph) --With assistance from Fadwa Hodali. To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net;Amy Teibel in Jerusalem at ateibel@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Riad Hamade at rhamade@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Yaacov Benmeleh For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The solar portfolio one of the largest of its type comprising 10 projects across six different sites is owned by TGC's 3 rd fund. Combined, TGC's funds have approximately 400 megawatts of solar projects operating and over 200 megawatts under construction or development, including an additional 80 megawatts of NY community solar projects. "Community solar projects are an important pillar of New York's clean energy strategy," said Chris Kirkman, head of project finance at TGC. "The NY Solar Farms portfolio is another example of how solar projects can support local economies and power homes and businesses while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels." Debt financing for the portfolio was provided by CIT Group Inc.'s Power and Energy Unit and NY Green Bank, a state-sponsored financial entity working to increase investments into New York's clean energy markets. U.S. Bank, through its subsidiary U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, provided tax equity financing for the portfolio. Both of these financings are believed to be the largest such investments in NY community solar to date. TGC anticipates expanding or replicating these facilities to partially finance its ongoing expansion of its NY community solar portfolio. "CIT is one of the leading banks financing renewable energy projects," said Mike Lorusso, managing director and group head for CIT's Power and Energy unit. "We are excited to be working in this vital industry and pleased to assist True Green Capital with a financing package that supports the growth of community solar power in New York." "In any developing market such as this, U.S. Bank puts elevated focus on working with best-in-class sponsors and developers," said Dan Siegel, senior vice president for U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation. "True Green Capital Management has proven themselves time and time again to be excellent partners and we are excited to be working with them on these job-creating projects that will provide solar access to a wide range of customers." Alfred Griffin, NY Green Bank President said, "To date, NY Green Bank has committed over $200 million in financing for community distributed generation and is pleased to be able to add financing towards True Green Capital's 70 megawatt portfolio to our capital commitments. Their commitment to advancing infrastructure solutions with a focus on the sub-utility scale solar power segment will continue to play an important role in supporting New York's nation-leading climate and clean energy goals under Governor Cuomo's leadership." About True Green Capital Management True Green Capital Management LLC is a specialized energy infrastructure asset management firm based in Westport, Connecticut. TGC is currently focused on the approximately $2 trillion distributed power generation market with an emphasis on the sub utility scale solar power segment. To learn more, visit www.truegreencapital.com. About CIT CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). Discover more at cit.com/about. About U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation: With $32 billion in managed assets as of December 31, 2019, U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of U.S. Bank, provides innovative financing solutions for community development projects across the country using state and federally sponsored tax credit programs. USBCDC's commitments provide capital investment to areas that need it the most and contribute to the creation of new jobs, the rehabilitation of historic buildings, the construction of needed affordable and market-rate homes, the development of renewable energy facilities, and the generation of commercial economic activity in underserved communities. Visit USBCDC on the web at www.usbank.com/cdc. About NY Green Bank NY Green Bank is a division of NYSERDA. NY Green Bank is a state-sponsored, specialized financial entity working with the private sector to increase investments into New York's clean energy markets, creating a more efficient, reliable and sustainable energy system. NY Green Bank's investments and activities support Governor Cuomo's Green New Deal, which requires that 70 percent of the State's electricity come from renewable sources by 2030 and calls for 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, 6 gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025, and 3 gigawatts of energy storage by 2030. MEDIA RELATIONS: Patricia Ter Heun (415) 389-9401 [email protected] This document is not intended to be, nor should it be construed or used as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of any offer to buy, interests or shares in any fund managed by True Green Capital Management or any fund comprised, in whole or part, of an investment in the projects. No offer or solicitation may be made other than through delivery of a definitive offering memorandum. SOURCE True Green Capital Management LLC Related Links http://www.truegreencapital.com Federal prosecutors offered San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru a deal on his corruption charges if he would help with further investigations, potentially involving colleagues at his level of city government or even higher. The record doesnt specify the sort of cooperation in which Mr. Nuru might have agreed to participate, Abraham Simmons, spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office, said. But those familiar with the situation said Nurus initial arrest for conspiracy to bribe an airport commissioner to help with a concession lease and allegedly taking vacations and other favors from contractors and a developer in return for help navigating the Department of Building Inspection was just part of an ongoing investigation. This is about advancing the ball, said former federal prosecutor Tony Brass, who is now in private practice. People who are big shots and get stuff for free tend to talk to other people who get stuff for free. They are often in the know about others who might be involved in corruption, Brass said. Being in the know, however, would be only part of the equation when cooperating with the FBI and federal prosecutors. Prosecutors want proof, and that may mean allowing ones phone to be tapped, conversing with prospective targets by email or text, or wearing a wire to record face-to-face conversations. Federal spokesman Simmons declined to comment on what Nuru might have been asked to do or who might have been on investigators the radar before he agreed to cooperate. But the basic rule is that you actually have to advance the prosecution of another person, Brass said. He added that San Franciscos complex contract rules, with their various stipulations on everything from a contractors gender to local ownership to worker and community benefits, can lead to a corruption of the process. There is all kinds of stuff like that, Brass said. With money being thrown around, to skirt some of the rules. It happened with former Supervisor Ed Jew, who was convicted a few years ago of shaking down owners of Quickly chain restaurants who were having problems with permits. It happened more recently with former San Francisco school board member Keith Jackson, who was recorded by the FBI allegedly taking money to help set up a meeting between an undercover agent posing as an out-of-town developer and former Mayor Ed Lee. With Nuru, the story line was cut short. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. No sooner did Nuru, who is now on paid administrative leave, agree to stay silent about his cooperation than he violated that agreement by calling his boss, City Administrator Naomi Kelly, and giving her the heads up that FBI had its eyes on the Public Works department. And according to Kelly, Nuru made no mention of his own arrest. Within days, Kelly had informed Mayor London Breed and City Attorney Dennis Herrera and told the feds about Nurus call. That, in turn, triggered Nurus rearrest for violating the agreement and landed him an additional charge of lying to federal agents. Those familiar with federal investigations say the fact that investigators were willing to offer Nuru a deal shows they were baiting the hook for a bigger catch. I dont have any inside information on this case, but this is obviously a bigger case than just Nuru, said former FBI agent Rick Smith, now with Cannon Street Inc., which does investigations for law firms and other companies. There is a culture of corruption here, and the U.S. attorney is going after that culture, Smith said of city government. Where the feds go next is an open question, but Nurus conversation with Kelly shut down that line of investigation at least for now. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier WEST NORRITON Tuesdays Board of Commissioners meeting began with a presentation by Norristown Area High School English teacher Caitlin Hunt, who oversees the schools Youth & Government Club. Each year the state empowers hundreds of youth throughout the Commonwealth to become critical thinkers and ethical leaders. In addition to providing hundreds of students each year the opportunity to understand democratic and political processes, the Pa Youth & Government program also provides our youth the opportunity to meet other students from across the Commonwealth. The program culminates in a statewide model government convention to be held at the state capitol in Harrisburg in April. Here students have the opportunity to take over the state Capitol and put everything theyve learned throughout the year into action. Youth and government is one of the best opportunities out there for civic minded young people. While Ive been advising youth and government for the last six years, this is the first year the Norristown delegation will be attending the conference. Hunt noted the issues that the students will be addressing at the conference, including raising the minimum wage and helping immigrants accepted into college obtain their green cards. This Saturday I will be taking the students on their first trip to Harrisburg, she said. While there, they will practice their debate and public speaking skills. They will also receive meaningful feedback which we will use in preparing for the model government convention in April. In thanking the board for a $500 donation, Hunt added Because of your help my students will have the opportunity to attend these local, regional, state and national conferences. Your financial donation will help with transportation costs and meals for our students. Hunt promised to return at some point after the conference to update the board. The board discussed a proposal by MLP Ventures for the township to acquire a lot (22) on West Indian Lane for $26,000. MLP Ventures describes its mission as acquiring legacy corporate, government, healthcare, and pharmaceutical properties throughout the United States and redeveloping them. Lot 22 is open space and MLP Ventures has been trying to list it for sale. Theyve been unable to do that and have fallen back on their tax liability, noted manager Jason Bopst, who added that the parcel had been appraised and appeared to be a potentially profitable investment for the township. I believe we have the money in our tax reserves to take on this purchase without affecting the general fund or any of our tax revenues, he said. The property, which is subdivided to accommodate two houses, would be put up for sale if purchased by the township. The board will be considering appointments to open the following positions: planning commission, civil service commission, zoning hearing board and human relations commission During the public comment portion of the evening, Anthony Uhrich of Alexander Lane asked the board if public Wi-Fi could be made available at the Township building. Sometimes I want to look something up to (reference) to any one of you and there is no Wi-Fi that is accessible, other than the Wi-Fi that you all have access to. President Marty Miller said the board would be looking into it. Resident Lynn Watters commended the Parks and Recreation Department for launching Zumba classes, which had kicked off that evening at Whitehall Elementary School Gymnasium. Classes will run through March 24 at a cost of $65. News Phoenix, Arizona - A Phoenix-area resident, who is alleged to have been the leader of a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists in Al-Fallujah, Iraq, appeared Friday before a federal magistrate judge in Phoenix, Arizona in connection with proceedings to extradite him to the Republic of Iraq. He is wanted to stand trial in Iraq for two charges of premeditated murder committed in 2006 in Al-Fallujah. The arrest was announced by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey for the District of Arizona. An Iraqi judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 42, on murder charges. The Government of Iraq subsequently requested Ahmeds extradition from the United States. In accordance with its treaty obligations to Iraq, the United States filed a complaint in Phoenix seeking a warrant for Ahmeds arrest based on the extradition request. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Z. Boyle issued the warrant on January 29, 2020, and Ahmed was arrested the following day. According to the information provided by the Government of Iraq in support of its extradition request, Ahmed served as the leader of a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists in Al-Fallujah, Iraq, which planned operations targeting Iraqi police. Ahmed and other members of the Al-Qaeda group allegedly shot and killed a first lieutenant in the Fallujah Police Directorate and a police officer in the Fallujah Police Directorate, on or about June 1, 2006, and October 3, 2006, respectively. The details contained in the complaint are allegations and have not yet been proven in court. If Ahmeds extradition is certified by the court, the decision of whether to surrender him to Iraq will be made by the U.S. Secretary of State. Ahmeds arrest was executed by the FBI Phoenix Field Office, HSI Phoenix Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. The extradition case will be handled by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Arizona and the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs. Invitation first had listed the house for $499,900 in June and then cut its asking price by $20,000 in July, by another $30,000 in August, by another $50,000 in September and by another $30,000 in October. Invitation undertook a final, $30,000 price cut to $339,900 in November, and ultimately received multiple offers and sold the home for above the asking price. Photo: Seasons 52/Yelp Wondering where to find the best wine bars near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top wine bars in Jacksonville, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Picasso's Pizzeria PHOTO: Jamie w./YELP First on the list is Picasso's Pizzeria. Located in Arrowhead at 10503 San Jose Blvd., Suite 207, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, is the highest-rated wine bar in Jacksonville, boasting 4.5 stars out of 509 reviews on Yelp. 2. Taverna PHOTO: Krystina h./YELP Next up is San Marco's Taverna, situated at 1986 San Marco Blvd. With four stars out of 365 reviews on Yelp, the Italian spot and wine bar has proved to be a local favorite. 3. Seasons 52 PHOTO: Julie h./YELP Windy Hill's Seasons 52, an outpost of the chain located at 5096 Big Island Drive, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the New American spot and wine bar, which offers seafood and more, four stars out of 330 reviews. 4. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill PHOTO: Lisa d./YELP Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a wine bar that offers steaks, seafood and more in Windy Hill, is another go-to, with four stars out of 256 Yelp reviews. Head over to 4826 Town Center Parkway to see for yourself. 5. Enza's Italian Restaurant PHOTO: Enza's Italian restaurant/YELP Finally, there's Enza's Italian Restaurant, an Arrowhead favorite with four stars out of 259 reviews. Stop by 10601 San Jose Blvd., Suite 109, to hit up the Italian spot and piano bar the next time you're looking to satisfy your cravings for wine. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. OTTAWA - The husband of one of the victims who died when a Ukrainian jetliner was shot down by the Iranian military last month wants the people he says are responsible for his wife's death to be charged and tried at the International Criminal Court. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Hassan Shadkhou sits in his Toronto apartment next to a photo of his wife, Sheyda, on Tuesday February 4, 2020. Sheyda Shadkhou was killed along with 175 others when her plane crashed minutes after take off in Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young OTTAWA - The husband of one of the victims who died when a Ukrainian jetliner was shot down by the Iranian military last month wants the people he says are responsible for his wife's death to be charged and tried at the International Criminal Court. Hassan Shadkhoo has been barely able to sleep since his wife, Sheyda, was killed along with 175 others when her plane crashed minutes after take off from Tehran on Jan. 8. Several days later, Iran admitted its military mistook the passenger jet for hostile aircraft amid tensions with the United States. Sheyda Shadkhoo was 41 when she died, returning to Canada after visiting her mother in Iran. She worked as a chemist at a firm in Markham, Ont., that tests products to ensure they meet government standards. Hassan Shadkhoo spent two weeks in Iran after the crash, where he buried his wife next to her father at her family's request. He was already at the airport in Istanbul when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had intelligence the plane was brought down by a missile. Shadkhoo began sobbing as he heard and immediately said it was not an accident, something he still believes today. He said he had no nerves flying in and out of the same airport because dying was not one of his concerns. "At this point I have nothing to lose," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press, shortly after he returned to Canada. He does have a lot of questions and a lot of anger. He said he wants it made clear he is speaking out on his own behalf, not "for my beloved Sheyda" or her family, who live in Iran. He also wants it made clear who he blames for what happened. Shadkhoo said the Iranian regime may be criminal, but he fully believes the U.S. should bear responsibility for the events leading up to the crash. The plane was shot down hours after Iran fired missiles at an Iraqi military base hosting American soldiers, in retaliation for the U.S.'s decision to kill top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3. "Iran was put in a bad position," he said. Shadkhoo said the Canadian government and the Italian embassy in Tehran were very helpful and supportive while he was in Iran. Canada hasn't had a diplomatic presence in Iran since 2012, and the Italians help Canada provide consular assistance to Canadians there when needed. But now he wants Trudeau to condemn the crash as an act of terrorism and vow to prosecute those responsible at the International Criminal Court, even if, as he believes, the responsibility lies with the United States. "Will the prime minister of Canada vow to do this no matter who the perpetrators are," he said. Shadkhoo said he is not looking for Iran to be prosecuted, rather the Americans. The Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 was en route from Tehran to Kyiv, with 57 Canadian citizens on board, along with 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainians and others from the United Kingdom, Sweden and Afghanistan. In all 138 of the passengers were eventually headed to Toronto, many of them students and professors returning following the school break. Canada has been invited by Iran to participate to some extent in the investigation, which thus far is moving very slowly. On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Canada has asked for help from the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN body based in Montreal, to pressure Iran to give up the black boxes. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders were damaged in the explosion and Iran doesn't have the technology needed to get at the valuable data. France does and has offered to help but Iran hasn't yet done anything about that. The investigation hit a snag this week when a recording between a pilot and the air traffic control tower at the Tehran airport was leaked to Ukrainian media. The recording clearly has a pilot of another plane that was about to land reporting seeing a missile explosion nearby. As a result of the leaked information, Iran ended co-operation with Ukraine on the investigation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020. Ken Derow Swarthmore, Pa. To the Editor: Re Why Im Voting to Acquit President Trump, by Rob Portman (Op-Ed, nytimes.com, Feb. 5): Senator Portman, you and your party have made three arguments. First, that soliciting foreign interference in an American election does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense. Im sure youre aware that many constitutional scholars say that this is exactly what the framers worried about. I suspect youd see it differently if a Democratic president did exactly the same thing. By ignoring this blatant attempt at manipulating an American election, youre opening a floodgate that will not easily be closed. Second, you argue that the Democratic investigation was slapdash. If you were sincere you could have made it less so by voting to call witnesses. Moreover, Republicans also argue that this impeachment is too close to an election. You cant have it both ways every additional day that Democrats spend investigating is an additional day closer to the election. Finally, you argue that the Senate should be addressing Americas problems. You will have ample opportunity to show that you are sincere by urging your Republican colleagues to take up some of the many bills that the House of Representatives has passed. As a voter in your state, I hope you do this, but I will also be surprised. Keith Warren Bexley, Ohio To the Editor: Re Collins Will Not Support Removal of the President (news article, Feb. 5): Senator Susan Collins said President Trump has learned a great deal from impeachment. She is absolutely right. He has learned that his fundamental working assumption that he can get away with anything is correct. He has learned that the Republicans will sacrifice the norms of liberal democracy to get re-elected. He has learned to use the White House and his presidential powers to enforce protection racket politics at home and abroad. And he has learned that the Democratic Party doesnt have a clue how to stop him. At least 33 rescue workers have been killed after a huge avalanche slammed into a mountain road in Turkey, wiping out a rescue team. The rescuers, who included military police and volunteers, had been searching for missing people following an earlier deadly avalanche in the eastern province of Van. Some 300 emergency workers were sent to the road near the town of Bahcesehir to look for survivors after the first avalanche struck late on Tuesday, killing at least five people. Turkey's emergency and disaster management agency said 33 bodies were recovered from the mass of snow on the steep slope. Earlier, Van province's governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said the dead included eight military police officers, three government-paid village guards, three firefighters and nine volunteers Rescuers were searching for others still believed to be trapped. It was unclear how many more could be missing. Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Show all 7 1 /7 Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow An avalanche slammed into a mountain road in the province, which borders Iran, wiping out a huge team of rescue workers sent to find two people missing in an earlier avalanche DHA via EPA Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members carry a victim of an avalanche, near the town of Bahcesaray, in Van province, eastern Turkey DHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members work in the snow around overturned vehicles IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members carry a casualty IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkish soldiers and locals try to rescue people trapped under avalanche IHA via Reuters Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members work in the snow around overturned vehicles IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkish soldiers and locals try to rescue people trapped under an avalanche Demiroren News Agency/Reuters Some 30 emergency workers were either pulled out of the heap of snow or escaped themselves and were taken to hospital on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. There was no further information on their conditions. TV footage showed dozens of people using shovels and pick-axes to dig into the snow and at least three overturned vehicles at the bottom of a hill. The rescue operation was being hampered by heavy snowfall, fog and strong winds. One rescue vehicle was pulled out from under 16ft of snow, according to Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu. The first avalanche buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus. Seven passengers survived along with the driver, who was reportedly trapped for 25 minutes before managing to break a window of the vehicle and escape. The second avalanche struck as workers were searching for two people who remained missing following the first. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly two weeks after the brutal murder of Sangeeth at his residence at Kattakada, the local police brought the four accused to the crime spot early Tuesday for evidence collection. The police took the accused around 5.30am to avoid mob anguish. However, the relatives, unable to hold back their emotions shouted and cried out at the accused. The police, however, managed to bring the situation under control and left the spot immediately after completing the evidence collection. Meanwhile, Sangeetha, Sangeeths wife alleged that the police have not allowed her to identify the accused even after they were brought to the spot. I was earlier given assurance from the police that I will be taken for the identification parade. But that has not taken place. So I still have suspicion over the police action, she told reporters on Tuesday. According to D Bijukumar, Kattakada CI, all accused have been arrested and further proceedings are under way. They have confessed to the crime. So it is not mandatory to conduct an identification parade, he said. Nedumangad DySP Stuart Keeler has been entrusted with the probe on the allegations against the police for their deliberate delay in arriving late to the crime spot. The investigation is progressing. On Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the assembly that strict action will be taken against policemen involved if an ongoing inquiry establishes lapses on the part of the police. The opposition had also staged a walk-out from the assembly in protest against the government for taking no action against policemen whose alleged apathy led to the murder. The opposition had alleged that the Nedumangad DySP failed to find out the lapses from the part of the police. 36-year-old Sangeeth Balan, a hatchery unit owner, was killed by a seven-member team suspected to be members of earth mining mafia at Ambalathinkala, near Kattakada, on January 23 midnight. The team was excavating earth in Sangeeths compound without seeking his permission. Sangeeth, who was at another place, rushed to the spot and tried to stop them from mining. But the team had fisticuffs with Sangeeth ended up by hitting him using the arm of an earth-mover. Though he was taken to the hospital, he was declared brought dead. He leaves behind wife and two children. The police have arrested all the seven accused. Probe under way Investigation progressing to ascertain whether police had failed to arrive at the crime spot immediately as alleged by the kin of the deceased. Nedumangad DySP Stuart Keeler entrusted with the probe Opposition alleges DySP failed in finding lapses. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the assembly that strict action will be taken against policemen involved if lapses are found in the investigation Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu is calling for the allocation of more funds to Ghana's mission in China in the wake of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus to support emergency efforts. In a statement to Parliament, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Habib Tijani indicated that the equivalent of 4,200 US dollars had been made available to the mission while government discusses the possibility of evacuating Ghanaians in that country. But Haruna Iddrisu on the Floor of Parliament retorted that at least a $100,000 emergency fund must be able to support the Ghanaian authorities in China. To come and say $4,200 [is not enough] Mr. Speaker. Ghanaian students stranded Meanwhile, the China chapter of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on the Government to evacuate all Ghanaian students in China within the next three days The Union expressed fears over the wellbeing of Ghanaian students in the country. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, reopening dates for most universities in China have been postponed indefinitely, leaving international students stranded. Several countries including the United States of America and Australia have evacuated their citizens from China. Kenya also plans to repatriate its 85 students who are stranded in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Global emergency The coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the outbreak was discovered in China. The first coronavirus case was first reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. In China alone, there are now more than 20,000 cases of the virus, with the death toll at over 400. Outside China, there are more than 150 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with one death in the Philippines. Various countries have imposed travel restrictions to a varying degree like Singapore, US and Australia which are denying entry to all foreign visitors who have recently been to China. Some countries are denying entry to foreigners travelling from mainland China whilst others are denying entry to foreigners who have visited Hubei province over the coronavirus fears. The WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern when there is an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease. It had previously declared five global public health emergencies: the Swine flu in 2009, Polio in 2014, Zika in 2016 and Ebola, 2014 and 2019. ---citinewsroom South Africa: Building a better SA Government will host the Social Compact Convention in an effort to build a society that works together to deal with the key challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality as outlined by the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030. The NDP advocates for a social compact that will contribute substantially creating the necessary political, economic, social condition for sustainable development. At the core of this social compact, all sectors are expected to make firm commitments that will expand the social wage for the poor, said Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa. The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture will host the Social Compact Convention on the 6 - 7 February 2020 at Saint George Hotel as part of Social Cohesion and Nation Building Strategy. This compact represents a collective agreement between all South Africans on how to address major issues in the country through a united effort. Addressing a media briefing on Wednesday in Tshwane, the Minister said although the NDP is focused on the compact between government, labour and business, the material conditions of South Africa dictates that other sectors of society need to play a role in the advancement of social cohesion and nation building. In essence, this implies that government, labour, and business cannot on their own drive the country to a social cohesive society. Government is also aware that the social compact has to have a strong component that addresses issues around equal opportunities, inclusion and redress. We are of the view that a social cohesion intervention that does not recognise and seek to bridge past divisions and simultaneously deal with the whole question of improving the material conditions of previously marginalized communities, mainly black and poor, cannot succeed, Mthethwa said. The Minister said government has already made great strides in this regard, with more targeted focus on the youth in terms of education, training and skills development. The latest presidential initiative, the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme is one of the flagship interventions which form part of the commitment made by government so far, in addressing the skills deficit among the youth and also dealing with Youth Unemployment, Mthethwa said. The National Social Cohesion Compact Convention was preceded by a series of consultations that were held directly with various stakeholder during the financial year 2019/2020. These stakeholder include among others Business formations, Civil Society, the Youth, Labour, Media, Women, people with disabilities and traditional authorities. In the consultation process four key themes emerged which will guide the discussions during the National Social Cohesion Compact. These include inclusive economy, social policy, institutional capacity and conflict resolution. We believe that these themes will assist us to move close to an inclusive working social compact that will contribute in growing our country. We are grateful that a variety of critical stakeholders from our diverse society have confirmed their participations at the Convention and we look forward to a more nuanced discussion, the Minister said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This extensively researched, well-written book was a pleasant surprise. Instead of a dry, boring, statistics-filled diatribe against the black rifle, as the M16 has been called because of its color, I discovered a thoroughly documented, fascinating case study of the tragically flawed process of introducing the assault rifle into combat in 1965. Faced with the task of providing U.S. Marines and soldiers with a weapon comparable to the enemys Soviet-made AK-47 assault rifle, the Defense Department rushed the still-experimental XM16E1a small-caliber, high-velocity weapon capable of full-automatic fireinto production and field use in Vietnam when it wasnt yet fit for service, the authors note. Later versions, notably the M16A1 introduced in 1967, corrected many of the flaws, which could have been done earlier because they had been clearly identified by extensive, pre-issue testing. The Defense Departments egregious failures with the M16 reveal an astonishing, unforgivable story of bureaucratic incompetence and malfeasance. Indeed, the authors use the M16s misfire fiasco to present an overall critique of Americas involvement in the Vietnam War: To a large extent, the flawed decision-making that accompanied the introduction of the M16 rifle into combat operations by U.S. Army and Marine units in South Vietnam, beginning in 1965, was symptomatic of similar questionable decision-making that became the tragedy of the war in Vietnam in terms of its ultimately disappointing outcome. They add that the flawed introduction of the M16 is the tale of a well-intentioned but nevertheless misguided campaign by a global superpower, resulting in the loss of more than 58,300 American lives. Tragically, as the authors exhaustively document, some of those deaths were undeniably due to XM16E1 malfunctions. Unconscionably, senior commanders (from battalion leaders to the highest levels of the Army and Marines) blamed their troops for their own deaths, falsely insisting that failure to properly clean and maintain their weapons caused the malfunctions. However, the malfunction problem was the result of decisions made by people far from the shooting, the authors point out. Adding to the basic problems of design deficiencies and unsuitable ammunition was a basic lack of planning for the deployment of a new weapon. For example, the first M16 cleaning instructions were not provided until mid-1967, and the troops received no weapon-specific cleaning kits or lubricants. There were also no bore brushes and no chamber brushes. There was a lack of cleaning rods, and the initial-issue aluminum cleaning rods were easily broken. Sometimes even magazines were in short supply, according to the authors. Serious problems afflicted the XM16E1, including: unchromed chambers and bores, which rapidly corroded in Vietnams hot, humid climate, regardless of frequent cleaning, and unsuitable powder ammunition, dangerously increasing the rate of fire, causing buffer/bolt malfunctions, firing pin breakages and excessive chamber/bore fouling. Yet, the weapons most seriousoften fataldeficiency was its tendency to not fully eject its expended shells, which testing revealed was responsible for 90 percent of the rifle jams. In the event of such a malfunction, which would often occur when firing the weapon in combat, the rifleman had to push out the unextracted shell with a cleaning rodif he had one. This deadly deficiency led Marine Maj. Dick Culver to describe the XM16E1 as a magazine-fed, air cooled, single shot [emphasis added], muzzle ejecting shoulder weapon. The authors are not weapons buffs with axes to grind. Duryea, who died before the books publication, was a retired Army colonel and test officer (1964-66) for M16 prototypes. Orkand is a retired lieutenant colonel. Both served in Vietnam, leading troops of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in combat. Tellingly, Duryea (Silver Star and Bronze Star with a V device for valor) relates that my first casualty in Vietnam was one of my men being killed by return fire at night when his [XM16E1] jammed after firing one round at a group of approaching NVA [North Vietnamese Army] soldiers. The villains in the XM16E1s misfire are legion: Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and his systems analysis-obsessed, but military-ignorant, whiz kids riding roughshod over any resistance; entrenched gravel bellies wedded to long-range, large-caliber, semi-automatic-only rifles; ordnance department officials resisting small-caliber, high-velocity, automatic weapons for all infantry soldiers; Defense Department and corporate executives obsessed with lowering production costs; all levels of civilian/military leaders who, through ignorance or malfeasance, neglected to provide troops with the necessary training, instructions, maintenance materials and equipment; and senior commanders who ignored their duty to their troops and blamed their own men for the weapons gross deficiencies. This excellent books only minor deficiency is not the authors fault: Misfire suffers from too-frequent, inexcusable redundancy due to sloppy, inattentive editing by the publisher. This feature originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Vietnam magazine. To subscribe, click here. Ex-CEO of detention center construction contractor faces abuse of office trial Fotolia/ Africa Studio 12:46 05/02/2020 ST. PETERSBURG, February 5 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) An abuse of office case against Viktor Kudrin, ex-CEO of a contractor of the construction of Kresty, the largest detention center in Europe, has been forwarded to the Kolpinsky District Court of St. Petersburg for consideration, RAPSI has learnt from the Investigative Committees St. Petersburg Main Investigations Directorate. Investigation is completed. Kudrin initially was charged with giving bribe but later was released from liability because he voluntary said about his business relations with the ordering customer, the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region penitentiary authorities. Later, an investigator said that the defendant was charged with embezzlement. However, now, according to the indictment, he is only accused of abuse of office. According to investigators, Kudrin pleaded guilty. Case papers read that from 2007 to 2015 the Federal Penitentiary Services Main Directorate for St. Petersburg Leningrad Region and the General Construction Company then headed by Kudrin signed state contracts and additional agreements on the construction of the detention facility. The customer transferred over 12.2 billion rubles to the contractor as payment for the works. However, the contractor failed to execute works in full in violation of the contracts terms. Several criminal cases have been opened over the construction of Kresty detention facilities. Another contractor, CEO of Petroinvest company Ruslan Khamkhokov has been convicted of bribing and abuse of office and given a 5-year suspended sentence. Ex-deputy chief of the FSIN St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region directorate Sergey Moiseyenko is currently a defendant in two criminal cases, over receipt of bribes amounting to 710 million rubles ($11.3 million) from Kudrin and Khamkhokov and over the murder of his subordinate. Colonel Nikolay Chernov, the head of the technical supervision department for the FSINs St. Petersburg Directorate, was murdered in order to hide corruption crimes that took place during construction of a new detention center in the region. Ex-deputy director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Nikolay Barinov has received a 3.5-year prison sentence for taking about 110 million rubles (about $2 million) in bribes from the detention center construction contractors. I advise Pashinyan not to talk about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict because whatever he says is to the detriment of the Armenian side. This is what ex-MP Ruben Hakobyan said during a discussion on Karabakh on the Threshold of Changes: External and Internal Security today. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia always has to justify the contradicting statements that Pashinyan makes. This concerns both the statement that Karabakh is Armenia, period and the statement that there havent been any talks, even though the recent Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group shows that there have been agreements, meaning there have also been talks. The task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also becoming complicated since Pashinyan has offered a formula according to which the decision has to satisfy three sides, but hasnt offered mechanisms, and the Azerbaijanis are trying to take advantage of this, he stated. Hakobyan focused on the verbal agreements in Dushanbe where, for the first time in the history of Armenia, the Azerbaijanis, in essence, expressed willingness to support the Armenian authorities aspiration to strengthen their positions within the country, and this was expressed through the reduction of tension on the border. The meeting in Davos caused tremendous harm to the achievements that Armenia had made in Vienna, Saint Petersburg and Geneva when, in essence, the border of Karabakh was recorded at the international level and the aggressor had been detected. After the new authorities came to power in Armenia, there were no such formulations, and in March 2019, Yerevan asked for time to become familiar with the process, providing Baku with the opportunity to advance its agenda, the ex-MP stressed. Micah Fletcher told jurors Tuesday that seconds before Jeremy Christian stabbed him in the neck, he worried that Christian was about to beat up another passenger on a crowded MAX train on May 26, 2017. Fletcher, then 21, said he heard a loud noise and looked over to see Christian and passenger Taliesin Namkai-Meche standing nose-to-nose. As a child, Fletcher said he was bullied throughout middle school -- jumped and assaulted at least twice a week because of his autism -- and Fletcher knew that if Christian started pummeling Namkai-Meche, Namkai-Meche could really get hurt. I know what it looks like before somebody hurts someone else, said Fletcher, who was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at age 8. ... (Namkai-Meche) just looked like a friendly person. He didnt look like the type of man that even if he wanted to would hit you." In about 2 1/2 hours of highly anticipated testimony on the sixth day of Christians murder trial, the only survivor of the attack explained what he said and did in the moments leading up to the stabbings. Defense attorneys indicated as the trial opened that they would seek to portray Fletcher as an aggressor. Fletcher, dressed in a black suit, black shirt and striped tie with a scar on his neck clearly visible above his collar, answered all the questions in a calm, considered voice, even as he described his frustrations that day and his outrage over Christians words. Jurors will decide if Christian should be held criminally responsible for stabbing Fletcher, then fatally stabbing Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky Best, 53. Christian, 37, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Fletchers wound came within millimeters of killing him. Christian has largely blamed Fletcher for the stabbings, arguing he acted in self-defense after Fletcher and the other two men to differing degrees challenged him because he was exercising his right to free speech. Prosecutors contend Christian was the first to get physical, by swatting Namkai-Meches phone out of his hand, making the loud sound that Fletcher heard, then throwing the first two shoves. Prosecutors also are arguing that no matter Fletchers actions, Christian responded with vastly disproportionate force: using a deadly weapon. Witnesses said the confrontation began after Christian launched a racist and xenophobic tirade that appeared aimed at two teenage girls, one who was wearing a hijab, when tensions reached their boiling point. Fletcher testified that he got involved because he has strong feelings about bigoted beliefs and wanted to divert attention away from the girls and to himself. Fletcher was riding to work about 4:30 p.m. after having finished classes for the day at Portland State University. The prosecution showed jurors a photo of Fletcher walking toward Christian on the train, his finger pointed out and his mouth open. Prosecutor Jeff Howes asked Fletcher why he thinks the move was appropriate. That wasnt something I was considering, Fletcher said. Why did you do it at all? the prosecutor asked. Because whether or not something is appropriate, if its right, you should do it, Fletcher said. Fletcher explained that after initially confronting Christian, he backed off and even turned his back to Christian at one point. But moments later, after Christian threw or slapped down Namkai-Meches phone, Fletcher said he felt compelled to do something again. I simply did what I should do," Fletcher said. What I saw was this tall spindly man ... someone who had probably never been in an altercation in their life, let alone a fistfight. So, Fletcher said, even though he was 5-feet-8 and 140 pounds, he interjected himself into the nose-to-nose moment between Christian, who is 6-foot-1 and weighed 235 pounds, and Namkai-Meche, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed about 170 pounds. Fletcher, now 24, said Christian was yelling at Namkai-Meche and Namkai-Meche appeared surprised. I remember getting up between them, Fletcher said. I think I tried to say something. Fletcher said Christian quickly shoved him in the chest and then shoved Namkai-Meche as he yelled Do something, (expletive)! Fletcher said he grabbed Christian by the collar and threw him back into some seats. I think I said, Get the (expletive) off the train, Fletcher said. Go on, git! Howes, the prosecutor, asked Fletcher why he waited to grab Christian until after Christian shoved Namkai-Meche. Because it wasnt about me, Fletcher said. This wasnt about me feeding my ego. I cared about whether the other person was hurt. Fletcher said Christian told Fletcher to hit him again, so Fletcher shoved Christian. Christian dared Fletcher to do it a third time. Fletcher pushed Christian toward the door. How did he respond? asked the prosecutor. He responded by stabbing me in the throat, Fletcher said. Did you see that coming? the prosecutor asked. Not at all, Fletcher said. He didnt know Christian was holding a 4-inch folding knife in his right hand, he said. I originally thought he had punched me. But Fletcher said he pulled up his hands and noticed blood. Then I realized there was blood on my shirt, Fletcher continued. And then I realized it was coming out of my neck. Fletcher said he clutched his neck wound as he stepped out of the trains open doors onto the Hollywood Transit Centers platform. Fletcher said he called out for someone to help him, worried that any movement of his throat would increase the bleeding. He thought he was going to die. In my mind, thats a given, Fletcher said. As bystanders applied pressure to his neck with a childs jacket and a baby blanket, he waited for paramedics to arrive and asked to call his mother because he worried it would be the last time he spoke to her, Fletcher said. MAX passenger Marcus Knipe spoke to Fletchers mom first, explaining that her son had been stabbed in the arm, a deception meant to not upset her too much, Fletcher said. Fletcher said he went along with it. I said, Hey, Mom. I said, I got hurt. Dont worry, Fletcher said. ... I said, I love you. Fletcher said he told his mother to phone his work, Stark Street Pizza, and tell his boss that he wouldnt make it in that day. Fletcher said he hoped this would put his mom at ease because she wouldnt suspect that he was at risk of dying. The reason I was telling her ... if Im not going to make it to work, then Im going to make it eventually, he said. Fletcher said he never returned to that job. Today, he works as a carpenter. He still performs special stretches on his neck, to reduce tightening of his muscles. He hinted at psychological trauma. Ive changed a lot," he said, and not in ways Im super excited or happy about. At the prosecutions request, Fletcher stepped closer to jurors and tilted his head to the side so they could see the scar that runs down the left side of his neck. Fletcher said the scar is longer than the stab wound because surgeons had to cut more of his neck during an operation. Fletcher held his composure for most of his testimony, but covered his face or shook during a few parts of it. Christian vigorously shook his head in apparent disagreement at times. He also laughed and repeatedly stretched and raised his elbows in the air, his hands tucked behind his head. During cross-examination, defense attorney Dean Smith attempted to pick apart Fletchers judgment for stepping forward and trying to get Christian to get off the train. Sometimes a person might intervene because they want to help out, but it doesnt work out, right? Smith asked. Sure, Fletcher said. Smith asked Fletcher if he noticed that the two teenage girls were moving away from Christian to a different part of the train when Fletcher walked toward Christian for the first time. Video backs up Smiths statement. Fletcher said he hadnt noticed. Smith criticized Fletcher for using harsh language and raising his voice at Christian. It probably wasnt in my opinion at the time the best way to de-escalate a situation, Fletcher said. Because it was loud. And thats not necessarily de-escalative. But after Smith finished his cross-examination, the prosecution tried to counter the idea that Fletcher acted out of uncontrolled anger. Fletcher explained that at the point Christian and Namkai-Meche stood nose-to-nose, he worried Christian might throw Namkai-Meche between some seats and others wouldnt be able to pull Christian away. If he wanted to put Taliesin in a situation where he couldnt be helped ... he could have done that with relative ease and speed, Fletcher said. Fletcher said he hoped to get Christian to refocus his attention on him, someone who is used to dealing with assaults, and that Namkai-Meche would be safe. The prosecutor asked: What happened instead? He died, Fletcher said. "He got hurt. I was wrong. I couldnt save him. I really wanted to and couldnt. I just wasnt strong enough. The trial is scheduled to last until the end of the month. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Keep up with key trial events and takeaways by signing up for The Oregonian/OregonLives Jeremy Christian trial newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters. Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Franklin Graham's UK tour: LGBT activists pressure more venues to pull out Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment While several venues have canceled events planned for Franklin Graham in the United Kingdom, citing objections to his views on homosexuality, the evangelist is not calling off his eight-date tour of the country and has instead asked his supporters to pray that the doors remain open for the Gospel. Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was booked to speak at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport on June 14, but the event has been canceled, according to WalesOnline. Jayne Bryant, Assembly Member for Newport West, said Graham has a long record of preaching hate, prejudice and intolerance" and called for the event to be canceled due to her concerns and those raised by LGBTQ charity Pride Cymru. Earlier, Liverpool ACC and Glasgow SEC also pulled out of hosting events for Graham. So did Sheffield City Trust for a planned event at Sheffield Arena. Despite some cancellations, Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said on Saturday that he's looking forward to preaching the Gospel across the UK in late May & June. "Hundreds of churches are praying & planning to be a part of these evangelistic outreaches. People everywhere are searching for something to fill the void in their lives. Jesus Christ is the answer. Earlier last week, Graham wrote to the U.K.s LGBTQ community, explaining his stand. It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins, he wrote on his Facebook page. The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes, he continued. But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinnersmyself included. The Bible says that every human being is guilty of sin and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. The penalty of sin is spiritual deathseparation from God for eternity. Thats why Jesus Christ came. He became sin for us. He didnt come to condemn the world, He came to save the world by giving His life on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins. And if were willing to accept Him by faith and turn away from our sins, He will forgive us and give us new lifeeternal lifein Him. My message to all people is that they can be forgiven and they can have a right relationship with God. Thats Good News. That is the hope people on every continent around the world are searching for. In the UK as well as in the United States, we have religious freedom and freedom of speech. Im not coming to the UK to speak against anybody, Im coming to speak for everybody. The Gospel is inclusive. I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love. Graham concluded his message by inviting everyone in the LGBTQ community to come and hear for yourselves the Gospel messages that I will be bringing from Gods Word, the Bible. You are absolutely welcome. Graham also wrote a letter to his supporters earlier, urging prayers that God will keep the doors open for him to preach the Gospel in the U.K. For the last two years we have been preparing to go to the United Kingdom and take the Gospel to eight different cities starting in Scotland, going down to Wales, and finishing up in London, he wrote. As we move closer to these events in late May and June, we are experiencing opposition from LGBTQ activists who want to stop this Gospel work. This small but vocal minority is pressuring venues to back out of our contracts because I have said that God defines homosexuality as sin. Several venues have already told us that they are cancelling. He continued, Much prayer and effort has been put into this, and hundreds of churches across the U.K. are partnering in this tour. This is spiritual warfare. The enemy does not want the Gospel proclaimed. He went on to say that he believed this to be a defining moment for the Church in the U.K. You and I have been called for such a moment as this, he said. Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ there, that God will remove obstacles to this Gospel work, and that He will prepare the hearts of people across the nation to hear and respond to His message this spring. Liberals and Conservatives have battled the issue of gun control for years regarding to register or not register non-restricted firearms with a registry database. Today, Liberals are striving again to pass a law requiring the registration of non-restricted firearms in the name of public safety. Think before you jump on board. We live in probably the longest free society in the history the world. Our ancestors sought freedom after centuries of oppression and slavery by kings and queens, dictators and tyrants and power-hungry people. Peace was found in North America as laws were established to free us from such persons. These people felt themselves more worthy of power than those they were supposed to serve. They preached peace but controlled by force, violence, torture and fear as many regimes do in the world today. Canada is not exempt from tyranny if we do not stand on guard. Canadian and US constitutions established laws to arm the people to protect them from such individuals and governments. A dictator will first disarm the people so he can control them. His move is presented as a matter of safety for the society, when in fact he really wants to protect his power at all costs. Hitler's "final solution" alone killed 10 million Jews and other citizens before he was stopped. Communism and Marxism killed over 100 million citizens in Russia and China in the quest for power and control. That never would have happened had these people been able to bear arms. The right to bear arms was not to give guns and rifles to individuals to go hunting. It was to protect them from governing tyrants. That is why we have lived in a free society for approximately 400 years, an unprecedented accomplishment. Governing leaders should not have owners lists of guns and rifles so they can pay a house visit and collect them at the time they want to implement an excuse for national control. Criminal individuals in our society will murder innocent people with or without gun control. We need strong laws that apply harsh penalties for such people. It may NOT be the lesser of two evils to lose a few citizens at the hands of criminals than risk the whole population at the hands of dictators or dictatorial governments. We are not exempt, nor are we far away from the evil that existed just a few years ago. Garry Rayner Amid Coronavirus outbreak in the country, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said that prevention and control are at a critical stage and there is a need for collective action to control the spread of the virus. "The infection prevention and control is at a critical moment and there is a need to carry out the work in a law-based, scientific and orderly manner," said the Chinese President, while addressing a Communist Party's Central Committee meeting, as quoted by Xinhua. He also stressed on the regulation on public health emergency response by the state officials. Xi also emphasised for timely release of the medical data to assist the epidemic prevention and control efforts. Meanwhile, China has been expanding its quarantine zones and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year. Health authorities around the are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and seven Asian countries besides China. The US, Australia, and Singapore have temporarily shut their doors to non-citizens who have recently traveled to China. Vietnam has also barred all flights to and from China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health has denied the presence of coronavirus in the county, after reports of one suspected case, the ministry has announced. "The National Government, through the Ministry of Public Health, discards the presence in Ecuador of the New Coronavirus," the health ministry said on Twitter on Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, the ministry said that there was a patient with a suspected case of coronavirus in Ecuador. At a Tuesday press conference, Ecuador's Public Health Minister Catalina Andramuno ruled out the presence of coronavirus in the patient, saying that negative test results had been received from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "So far it is ruled out that the coronavirus has entered Ecuador since today we have received the results of the suspicious case from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States," Andramuno told reporters. According to the minister, the patient is a 49-year-old Chinese citizen who arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, from Hong Kong on January 21. A few days later he was taken to the hospital with a cough and fever, among other symptoms. The patient was found to have viral pneumonia and tested positive for hepatitis B. Outside of China, coronavirus cases have been reported in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the middle East. No coronavirus cases have so far been reported in South America. Overall, over 20,000 novel coronavirus cases have been registered in China. More than 400 people have died from the disease, almost all of them in China. A 41-year-old man quarantined on Tuesday for suspected novel coronavirus infection walked out of the civil hospital here in Gujarat without giving his blood samples for testing, a senior official said on Wednesday. However, after the hospital authorities informed district administration and the police about the incident, the man's family members on Wednesday said he would return to the hospital to give his blood samples. A senior hospital official said that the 41-year-old walked out of the facility without informing anybody, as he was "scared", apparently of contracting the infection. The man had returned from China on January 19. Meanwhile, samples of three of the total five cases of suspected nCoV infection in Gujarat have tested negative while result of two others is awaited. All these persons had returned from China--the country from where the nCoV infection originated--in the recent past. "A man was admitted in the isolation ward of the hospital for suspected nCoV on Tuesday afternoon. However, before we could collect his blood samples, he slipped away. We have informed the district collector and the police," said Priti Kapadia, in-charge medical superintendent of the hospital. She said a family member of the man met with the hospital authorities on Wednesday and assured them that he would get himself admitted to the hospital again for giving his blood sample. "If he cooperates and provides his blood samples, we shall be able to prevent the spread of the virus in case his samples test positive," Kapadia said. Hospital Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Ketan Naik said the man walked out of the hospital without informing anybody despite counselling on Tuesday. A Health department official said they are following up with 622 of the total 769 passengers who had returned from China in the recent past. In Ahmedabad, we have followed up with 195 people, followed by Mehsana (70), Banaskantha (62), and Rajkot (47), he said. "Civil hospitals in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot have the isolation wards to deal with emergency cases," the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When the Trump administration relocated the United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service to the Kansas City area last year, about two-thirds of its employees quit their jobs rather than move. Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, called the mass resignations a "wonderful way to streamline the government." DES MOINES, Iowa - Pete Buttigieg held a slight lead over Bernie Sanders in the opening contest of the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, according to partial results released by the Iowa Democratic Party. The results that came out Tuesday and Wednesday followed a period of caucus chaos. Technical problems marred the complicated process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowas traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results from Mondays caucuses, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice-President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to the data. The results reflected 75% of precincts in the state. The two early leaders Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Vermont Sen, Sanders were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades. For the 38-year-old Buttigieg, his early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known city leader to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, said as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigiegs early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his partys most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice-president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Bidens campaign sought to play down the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, the chairman of the state party, Troy Price, declined to answer questions about the timeline even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate, Price said at a subsequent news conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes this coming Tuesday. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor, sensed opportunity after Iowa, and said he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbour Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion. Beyond 2020, Mondays debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. President Klaus Iohannis, speaking on Wednesday after the dismissal of the Ludovic Orban Government by no-confidence vote, emphasized that he strongly favors early elections. "I have been and remain - let this be very clear - a supporter of early elections. I want us to enter a logic that leads to early elections," the President said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, adding that in absence of a political will in this regard, he wants a government that promotes "a reform agenda" to be voted in.He said that even if the early election formula doesn't work, he wants a government formed around the National Liberal Party."If I find that the parliamentary parties don't want this or fail to understand it, then I'll insist that a government that comes with a reform agenda and which is built by and around the National Liberal Party is voted in, to put you in the know about what will happen next," he said."In my opinion, it's inadmissible that we waste time and nerves because we still have a reform-unwilling Social Democratic Party. Let the PSD sit in the opposition to recover and turn into a democratic and European party, after which they will surely come again before the voters," Iohannis said.The President explained that "at this moment, the most correct solution for Romania is to seek the people's vote in parliamentary elections"."We must have a parliamentary majority that supports this reform effort, this effort aimed at rendering the economy performing, at improving the life of the ordinary man, and we have resources for this, we have truly democratically built parties that want to get involved, and are willing to put themselves at the service of the Romanians," said the head of the state.Speaking about his personal engagement in this effort, Iohannis said that he "will further get involved in having a solid majority built after the parliamentary elections, which comes with profound reforms for the benefit of the Romanians, a solid majority capable of taking Romania further," he emphasized. AGERPRES General Motors General Motors is backtracking on an aggressive promotion of three-cylinder engines in China that saw some Buick and Chevrolet models offered only in that option - a move which proved highly unpopular and helped sales slide, people familiar with matter said. Three-cylinder gasoline engines are cleaner and more fuel efficient than their conventional four-cylinder counterparts, and automakers are keen to promote them, particularly in China which has some of the world's most stringent fuel economy and emission rules. GM went further than competitors, discontinuing four-cylinder versions for many models in the world's largest auto market. By comparison, Honda Motor Co and BMW also offer three-cylinder cars in China but the models are an option in addition to four-cylinder versions. Many Chinese consumers, however, perceive cars with three-cylinder engines as noisier and prone to vibrating, and sales began to tumble in third quarter of 2018. Last year, GM's China sales fell 15% to 3.09 million vehicles, its second straight year of steep declines and the lowest level since 2012. The move was "too quick, too radical and lacked sophisticated planning," a senior Shanghai-based sales manager at a Buick dealership told Reuters. The sales manager, who was not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified, said his company was among hundreds of dealers which lobbied GM to change the plan at dealer conferences. By resurrecting four-cylinder options for key models, the hope is that GM, which reports fourth-quarter earnings later on Wednesday, can regain some of the ground it has lost at a time when the new coronavirus is threatening to sink sales in the first quarter. The outbreak is only adding to pain caused by to a slowing economy, U.S.-China trade tensions, new emission rules as well as fierce competition from Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen AG . SAIC-GM, the Detroit automaker's main venture with SAIC Motor , is seeking approval for four cylinder versions of two mass-market sedans, Buick's Excelle GT and Chevrolet's Cruze, government documents show. Those two versions are slated to hit the market sometime in the second quarter, two people with knowledge of the matter said, adding that four-cylinder versions of the Buick Verano sedan and Encore GX sport utility vehicle were also under consideration. A Shanghai-based GM spokeswoman said the automaker will continue to offer three- and four-cylinder engines in the future but declined to comment on product plans. A 55-year-old man was run over by an ambulance in Kolkata's Tangra area while he was trying to save his daughter-in-law from being allegedly kidnapped by some men who are yet to be identified, police said on Wednesday. The incident happened around 11.45 pm on Tuesday in Christopher Road area when Gopal Pramanik was returning home along with his family after attending a wedding, they said. A senior police officer said that an ambulance stopped near Pramanik's 28-year-old daughter-in-law and tried to drag her inside the vehicle. "Pramanik, who was walking behind her along with another relative, ran to her rescue," he said. The relative grabbed the driver through the window of the ambulance, while Pramanik stood in front of it blocking the way. The vehicle then hit Pramanik and drove away, the officer said. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Police said a case has been lodged based on the complaint registered by the family. No arrests have yet been made, they said, adding that investigations are underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], Feb 5 (ANI): The moment Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party MPs greeted him with "Jai Shree Ram" chants making it evident that it is the announcement of Ram Mandir Trust formation, paving way for the temple construction, for which the Prime Minister had come in the house. The MPs were waiting in anticipation as the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha late last night asked them to be present in the house as the prime minister was scheduled to make an important statement. Wearing saffron muffler, the Prime Minister stood from his seat while declaring that the cabinet has decided to form 'Shree Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra', trust to take a decision on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as mandated by the Supreme Court in its decision. "The trust will be autonomous and independent to take decisions on issues related to renovation and construction of Ram temple. We have spoken to the Uttar Pradesh government and five-acre land will be given to Sunni Wakf Board," said Prime Minister Modi as the BJP MPs again raised slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram'. While there were wide smiles all across the treasury benches, the opposition was seemingly found wanting for a reaction even when the Prime Minister asked for unanimous support to the decision from the members of the house. The surroundings were filled with slogans of Jai Shree Ram. Sitting a row behind the Union home minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Mahendra Nath Pandey raised both their hands while chanting Jai Shree Ram in the middle of PM's speech, to show their support for the decision that will eventually lead to the construction of Ram temple. Lallu Singh, Member of Parliament from Ayodhya could be seen chanting Jai Shree Ram with both hands in the air as he came out to express his happiness over the decision. BJP chief JP Nadda was also present in the Lok sabha viewers gallery to witness the historic statement being made by the prime minister. The construction of a grand Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi has been an important issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it has been on the manifesto of the party for over two decades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rodney Garcia doesn't represent Montana or Billings. He doesn't speak for us. This elected state representative is a loose cannon spewing the rhetoric of violence and division that only serves to incite violence and division in our community, state and nation. Garcia's disturbing remarks marred what was planned as a big kickoff celebration for the Montana Republican Party in Helena last Friday. Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was the featured speaker, but Zinke's speech isn't what Americans were reading Sunday in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, Washington Examiner, the Daily Beast, The Hill, Newsweek and Time magazine. Instead, the national story from that Helena meeting was Garcia saying he was concerned about "socialists everywhere" in Billings and asserting that these people should be shot or jailed. The Billings Gazette reported on Zinke's Friday speech online and in the print edition Saturday. Gazette reporting staff contacted Garcia on Saturday to ask for clarification of his Friday remarks to Zinke and the GOP crowd. Incredibly, Garcia doubled down, claiming "socialists" are "enemies of the free state" and asking "what do we do with our enemies in war?" He implied that his 2018 Democratic opponent, Amelia Marquez, was a socialist who should suffer the fate of "enemies." Further, Garcia made the outrageously false claim on Saturday that the U.S. Constitution mandates shooting "socialists." Frankly, we aren't sure exactly who or what Garcia defines as "socialist." Many people lately have been using the word "socialist" as a bogeyman referring to anyone and everyone with whom they disagree on political philosophy or issues. Garcia couldn't be more wrong about the U.S. Constitution; it was written by Americans who valued political freedom and individual rights above all else. Small wonder that Garcia couldn't say where in the Constitution he found the directive to shoot "socialists". We commend the Montana Republican Party for swiftly condemning Garcia's hateful remarks. "Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable," a state GOP spokesman told The Gazette Saturday. During the GOP gathering, Garcia's remarks were met with laughter, which some attendees described as nervous laughter. Rather than responding to Garcia's question about shooting "socialists," Zinke pivoted to a different subject and kept talking. This isn't the first time in recent years that Garcia has invoked outrageously false claims in efforts to advance his political interests. During the 2019 legislative session, Garcia called for violence against Montana workers who protect children from severe neglect and abuse. He alleged these child protection workers were "kidnapping" children. Garcia told his interviewer that parents "have a right to grab them (child protection workers) by the collar and the seat of the pants and throw them out their door." During the 2018 campaign, he defended his acceptance of a $3,000 campaign "loan" that Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan ruled illegal because the lawful contribution limit is $180. Although Garcia returned that money in 2019, the case remains open as the commissioner's office attempts to work out a penalty settlement with Garcia, Mangan told The Gazette Monday. Garcia has sullied Montana's reputation by espousing violence as a means of settling political differences. Such rhetoric is extremely dangerous as angry, heavily-armed individuals have acted on their political beliefs and killed innocent people in businesses, schools and houses of worship across America. The Montana Secretary of State website shows that Garcia has filed as a Republican candidate for Montana Senate District 52, the seat now held by Democrat Margie MacDonald, who has filed for re-election. We call on the Yellowstone County Central Republican Committee to find a better candidate than Garcia to seek their party's nomination. We call on the Montana GOP leadership to publicly disavow his Senate candidacy just as it told him to resign his House seat Monday. The Billings Gazette Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 More than 3,500 people have completed a government public consultation survey on updating laws on hate speech and hate crime. The Department of Justice said it has also received around 200 written submissions. In response to queries from the Irish Examiner following a suspected homophobic assault on a gay couple at the Kildare train station last Friday, the Department said it will soon publish research on international approaches to hate crime legislation. It further said that draft laws to deal with hate crime and hate speech will be published this Spring. Following the publication of the Garda Diversity and Integration Strategy 2019-2021 last October, Garda HQ said it was now putting a significant focus on enhancing the identification, reporting, investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Commissioner Drew Harris announced a working definition of hate crime, saying he is concerned about underreporting and the lack of a uniform garda response. Garda figures show there were 342 reported incidents of hate crime in 2018, compared to 323 in 2017 and 290 in 2016. These in turn compared to 164 incidents in 2015, 115 in 2014 and 112 in 2013. At the same time, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan set up a review of the existing Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 and announced the drafting of new hate crime legislation. Ireland does not currently have separate legislation dealing with hate crime, although a hate motive is an aggravating factor that judges can take into account at sentencing for any criminal offence. The department told the Irish Examiner it has received over 3,700 responses from the public and relevant organisations. A broad public consultation has been carried out to assist in this process, including a public survey and an opportunity for stakeholders to make formal submissions, the statement said. This consultation has been carried out to ensure that the Department fully understands the lived experience of those impacted by hate speech and hate crime as well as the views of professionals and other stakeholders in the field, so that the laws developed are robust, clearly understood and effective in dealing with unacceptable incidents. The Department has received over 3,500 survey responses on the issue; as well as approximately 200 written submissions. It said that, in parallel, the Department has carried out comparative research on international best practice on hate crime legislation. This research is currently being finalised and is expected to be published shortly, it said. The Department is analysing all of these materials, as well as other relevant law, to ensure that any legislative proposals which are made are evidence-based, proportionate and effective, while respecting freedom of expression. It added: It is expected that legislative proposals in relation to hate speech and hate crime will be published for discussion in Spring 2020. There will be a further opportunity for stakeholders to share their views. Great Britain's energy regulator has rolled out a plan that would govern the nation's net zero greenhouse emission target backed by the new prime minister. It emphasizes finding tangible, workable methods for the energy sector to provide needed power and hit the emission target in an economically viable fashion. That would include keeping consumer protections in place. Ofgem's nine-point manifesto addresses some big and costly goals including getting 10 million electric vehicles to its roads by 2030, growing offshore wind generation fourfold, supporting low-carbon home heating, adding tariffs that would encourage homeowners to help balance the energy system, and a crackdown on greenwash energy deals. The energy agency is promising to offset rising energy prices for homeowners that would come from this changeover. Incoming CEO Jonathan Brearley set out to clean up the regulatory agencys outdated statutory duties that were out of line with the national governments climate policies. He acknowledged that implementing the new strategy will be costly for energy companies and for consumers, and it must be balanced with the new climate change mandate. We are taking an approach that recognizes that our role protecting consumers includes achieving net zero, he said. Ofgem was originally created to regulate energy companies while safeguarding consumer interests, which can include facing controversial price increases. The agency has admitted it has a real dilemma to work out here supporting hitting ambitious net zero targets while protecting consumers from rising costs. Critics of the proposal could resist it -- including CBI, Britains biggest business group, a consumer group, and the Scottish Power agency. Ofgem appears to have structured the new plan to offset some of these expected arguments. The CBI business group previously expressed concern that the regulators existing mandate sent negative signals to low-carbon investors. The CBI called for a legal change to the regulators statutory duties to directly prioritize tackling climate change. One consumer group has shared that concern. Ofgem has set out the right challenges, it now needs to deliver on them, said Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice. If we dont get the difficult decisions about the low-carbon transition right, it will ultimately be those who can least afford it who end up hardest hit. Ofgem attempted to make the new plan more adaptable to market conditions. Energy network companies will likely have the chance to ask for their spending plans to change during set time periods, so that they can adapt their green investment plans as the sector evolves. Keith Anderson, the chief executive of Scottish Power, had been opposed to such a plan. Ofgem appears to have responded to his critiques when shaping the new nine-point plan. Last year, Anderson had accused the regulator of hindering the UKs electric vehicle rollout due to its colossal disconnect with Britains climate policies. The energy system will have to be flexible to respond to peaks and troughs in both supply and demand, and price controls applied to network companies would be able to provide the needed incentives for future investments. Making price controls more adaptable to help firms invest in clean energy is one of the elements added to the new nine-point plan. As low-carbon renewable energy grows and more transport goes electric, the energy system needs to be more flexible to respond to peaks and troughs in both supply and demand, Brearley said in a statement. Previous Prime Minister Theresa May in June signed the net-zero mandate that would cut emissions 80 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Britain is the first G7 country to commit to a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2050. The new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is continuing support for the net-zero emissions mandate. During his campaign last fall, Johnson pledged to increase the UKs 2030 offshore wind target from the current 30GW to 40GW if his Conservative party won the general election. Ofgem included the issue in the nine-point plan, committing to explore ways to create a lowest cost offshore grid to support wind power. To meet the net zero goal, Britain will have to change the way homes and businesses are heated. That will include supporting the use of hydrogen boilers or electricity to power heat pumps, Ofgem said. Great Britains grid operator National Grid is supporting the new nine-point plan. The grid operator sees it as being critical that the regulator, government, and industry are aligned to decarbonize the energy sector on the path to net zero emissions at the lowest cost to consumers. By Jon LeSage for Oilprice.com A couple set to have the first same-sex marriage ceremony in Northern Ireland have revealed the lucky coincidence that has turned them into history makers. Sharni Edwards, 27, and Robyn Peoples, 26, will get married in Co Antrim next Tuesday. The day marks their sixth anniversary as a couple and they had booked a civil partnership ceremony for the date months before the landmark law change in the region. Ms Edwards, from Brighton, and Ms Peoples, from Belfast, have now turned the event into a wedding ceremony. Ms Peoples described the build-up to the high-profile wedding as an amazing whirlwind. Its the biggest coincidence, she said. We didnt set out to be the first or have all this attention, but we are grateful to be able to set the way for the rest of our community. The senior care assistant said she never thought the day would come, due to the reluctance of many local politicians to lift the prohibition. Same-sex marriage was eventually legalised as a result of a law passed last year by Westminster MPs who stepped in and acted on the controversial issue during the powersharing impasse at Stormont. Ms Edwards said she did not even know the law was different in Northern Ireland until she moved to Belfast from England. Sharni Edwards and Robyn Peoples the first couple who will have a same sex marriage ceremony in Northern Ireland share a kiss at the Lyra McKee mural in Belfast. pic.twitter.com/K2Pi4cKXOF David Young (@DavidYoungPA) February 5, 2020 Every year you just felt knocked back and knocked back no matter how many marches and protests there were, but finally we are there, said the waitress. Before I met Robyn I didnt know myself, because obviously its legal in the rest of the UK, so I didnt know myself until I came over and she opened my eyes. Story continues When I found out, I couldnt comprehend it, I couldnt understand why Northern Ireland was so behind. Now the bills been passed to see history being made its just amazing. The couple paid a visit to a Belfast mural dedicated to murdered author Lyra McKee as they spoke about their wedding plans on Wednesday. Robyn Peoples (left) and Sharni Edwards are poised to become the first couple to have a same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) Ms McKee, who was shot dead by dissident republicans as she observed a riot in Londonderry last April, was a vocal campaigner for same-sex marriage. Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International said the wedding would be a momentous occasion not only for the couple but for the tens of thousands of people who were involved in the campaign for a law change. Its big day for them but its also a big day for the campaign for equal marriage in Northern Ireland, he said. Campaigners for that right have had to fight longer and harder here in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK and Ireland but we won that campaign and next Tuesday Robyn and Sharni walking down the aisle is the big day, the success day for that campaign when we know we have finally secured those rights for everybody in Northern Ireland. The couple are planning an intimate wedding ceremony followed by a big party. They will catch a flight at 6am the next morning for a two-week honeymoon in Cyprus. The boss of Pepco Goup which operates the Dealz, Poundland and Pepco discount stores across Europe said it was inevitable that its troubled South African owner Steinhoff would put it up for sale. Steinhoff, which owns the Pepco stores in continental Europe and the Dealz-Poundland stores in Ireland and the UK, has been struggling to recover from a 2017 accounting scandal. Dealz owns around 70 stores in the Republic, while the discount group retailer has been growing rapidly by opening stores in Poland, as well as expanding in Spain, and driving the Pepco name into Europe. The restructuring arrangement that Steinhoff has with its creditors means its almost inevitable well be sold, Pepco chief executive Andy Bond told Reuters, as it issued a trading update covering the Christmas period. Earlier this week, Sky News reported that three private equity firms - Advent, Hellman and Friedman, and Mid Europa Partners - had teamed up for a possible bid for Pepco that could value it at more than 4.5bn. In the update, Pepco said Dealz-Poundland boosted market share helped by its clothing brand, Pep&Co, which sells in over 300 stores in the UK and the Republic, and by selling more health and beauty, household, and grocery items. It also expects to open around 300 Pepco stores in the year. The group continued to make strong strategic progress through increasing the size of the Pepco store portfolio in central and eastern Europe, commencing the roll-out of the Dealz format in both Poland and Spain, and reducing operating costs within Poundland, including the successful renegotiation of a further 36 store leases, the company said. The mainland European Dealz business continues to develop positively, building the necessary confidence in both the customer proposition and the business model economics to commence a store roll-out programme, it said. Revenue in the three months to the end of December increased 13.3% to over 1.14bn, reflecting a 14.8% increase in stores to 2,809, along with a rise in like-for-like revenue of 3.9%. A cybersecurity expert has unearthed a vulnerability in WhatsApp Web for desktop computers that exposes the private files of users. The flaw was found by JavaScript expert Gal Weizman, and affects users with an iPhone paired to WhatsApp Web. Mr Weizman exploited a weakness in WhatsApp's Content Security Policy, which allowed normal security measures to be bypassed. The Facebook-owned app prides itself on security and has end-to-end encryption in place to protect messages. But this vulnerability, that was reported to WhatsApp and fixed in December, could have given hackers access to private files, photos and videos stored on a computer. WhatsApp claims there are no known cases of a criminal exploiting this vulnerability to hack a customer. Scroll down for video It was found by JavaScript expert Gal Weizman and was discovered to affect users with an iPhone paired to WhatsApp Desktop. Hackers could change the URL that pops up in the banner message (pictured) when a link is sent to mislead users WHAT WAS THE VULNERABILITY? JavaScript expert Gal Weizman found the vulnerability. Mr Weizman was able to find a gap in the Content Security Policy (CSP) used by WhatsApp, enabling bypasses and cross site scripting (XSS) on the desktop app. This also allowed him to gain read permissions from the local file system on both Mac and Windows desktop apps. Through the WhatsApp desktop platform, Weizman was able to find the code where messages are formed, tamper with it and then let the app continue in its natural message-sending flow. This bypassed filters and sent the modified message through the app as usual, appearing relatively normal in the user interface. Advertisement Mr Weizman showed that the flaw also allowed messages to be tampered with by hackers, who could make a link look legitimate and disguise its nefarious purpose. Unsuspecting users would receive dangerous messages which gave hackers access to the desktop's files. In a blog post for PermineterX, Mr Weizman said: 'Long story short, unsuspecting users could be subject to harmful code or links injected into their seemingly innocuous exchanges. 'These message modifications would be completely invisible to the untrained eye.' The December update for WhatsApp featured a patch for this vulnerability and users are urged to update their app immediately to ensure they are protected. But cybersecurity expert Corin Imai at DomainTools said the vulnerability is definitely 'a cause for concern'. Ms Imai said: 'WhatsApp has an estimated 1.5 billion monthly users, and in developing democracies such as India where WhatsApp counts 200million user base, it has become a substitute of town-square talk. Cybersecurity expert Corin Imai at DomainTools said the vulnerability is definitely 'a cause for concern' 'Users in India would have their 'family' and 'friends' chat groups, but often also use third-party apps to find and join WhatsApp groups aligned with their political views. 'For a vulnerability to be able to edit the content of messages is both a legitimate cause for concern from a cybersecurity perspective, but potentially also from a fake news perspective.' WhatsApp says it does not believe the vulnerability was exploited by criminals. In a statement, the Facebook-owned messaging platform said: 'We regularly work with leading security researchers to stay ahead of potential threats to our users. 'In this case, we fixed an issue that in theory could have impacted iPhone users that clicked on a malicious link while using WhatsApp on their desktop. 'The bug was promptly fixed and has been applied since mid December.' Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take up to three weeks of unpaid leave, CEO Augustus Tang said on Wednesday, as the airline faces a crisis in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. "I am hoping all of you will participate, from our frontline employees to our senior leaders, and to share in our current challenges," Tang said in a video message posted online. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If I could go back 40 years and give myself some advice, I'd say become a student of people, because people make you successful. Parker Staffing, an award-winning national temporary and permanent staffing agency, today announced that Seattle Business magazine has honored its president, Debbie Crandall, at the annual Executive Excellence Awards. Crandall was recognized on January 23 at a special event held at the Museum of Flight alongside leaders from corporations and nonprofits across Washington state. At a banquet, Crandall spoke about what it meant to be honored after 25 years in the staffing industry and offered this advice to up and coming leaders: If I could go back 40 years and give myself some advice, I'd say become a student of people, because people make you successful. People run, grow and evolve your company. When you understand what motivates and brings them to work every day, you can build genuine relationships, cultivate trust and achieve results that are good for them, good for clients and good for the business. A full list of honorees for this years awards follows, and Parker Staffing salutes their achievements and drive for excellence. 2020 Executive Excellence Award Winners Amy Balliett, CEO & Cofounder, Killer Visual Strategies Melba Bartels, Executive VP & CFO, BECU Brent Beardall, President & CEO, WaFd Bank Debbie Candall, President, Parker Staffing Jeff Dance, CEO, Fresh Consulting Rod Diefendorf, COO, PitchBook Matt Hulett, President, Rosetta Stone Mary Knell, CEO, Pacific Northwest Commercial Banking, Wells Fargo Amy Nelson, Founder & CEO, The Riveter Eugenio Pace, Cofounder & CEO, Authentic ID Tom Sebastian, President & CEO, Compass Health Kieran Snyder, Cofounder & CEO, Textio Shauna Swerland, CEO, Fuel Talent Jeremy Wacksman, President, Zillow Group Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award Tom Alberg, Cofounder & managing Director, Madrona Venture Croup The Executive Excellence Awards event received the support of presenting sponsor Albers School of Business & Economics at Seattle University. ABOUT PARKER STAFFING Parker Staffing, a member of the Jackson Healthcare family of companies, is a dynamic sales and recruiting organization with a history of providing temporary and direct hire services to businesses across the United States going back to 1979. Led by industry veteran Debbie Crandall, the Parker team finds fulfillment in working together to put people to work. Our personal service, national reach and innovative approach make fulfilling your specific staffing needs a fast and rewarding experience. Based in Seattle, we are a team of friends, parents, lifetime Pacific Northwesterners, the recently relocated, athletes, mathletes, and hikers who all take pride in delivering quality contract and direct hire job seekers to our clients. More information about Parker Staffing can be found at its website at http://www.parkerstaffing.com Media Contact: Jacob Rhoades, Parker Staffing 206-652-1520 jacobr@parkerstaffing.com One thing is certain about Honda's new little electric car, the 'e'. It is different. Due to arrive in Ireland by the end of summer it will add to the growing number of smaller EVs on the market. And I think you will find it a noticeable departure from anything in its catchment area. But while we know, or have an idea of, what the likes of the new e-Corsa and Peugeot e-208 will cost (around 27,000/28,000), Honda in Ireland insists it doesn't even have a ball-park figure yet. I'm certain it won't be below 27,000 anyway; it usually charges a premium for its cars and this will be no exception. In justification of that in this case are a number of factors. Built on a special platform, it looks more 'future electric' than most, especially at the front where the charging slot is conspicuously in the centre of the bonnet. Inside, the entire dash is bathed in five screens, making it the most futuristic layout I've seen in a car of this size. The digital dashboard has five screens: Expand Close Honda E XX / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Honda E XX * Two act as internal wing mirrors (none outside). I can see that Side Camera Mirror System replacing conventional side-view mirrors in more cars; * An 8.8 TFT screen lies directly in front of the driver; * And there are two 12.3ins LED infotainment screens. Additionally, there is a digital rear-view mirror for the Advance trim level. It is jammed with technology: connective, safety, driver-aid and comfort. And there are several input points beneath the centre console for charging and device connection, as well as two USB ports at the front and rear. Being the 'most connected' Honda yet, there are all sorts of things you can do with the apps and smartphones. One nice touch: you can switch stuff between the two infotainment screens. I liked the timber-effect around the displays and the retro two-spoke steering wheel. It drove exceptionally well; rear-wheel-drive, an electric motor and strut suspension combining to provide power and poise. While entry-level is well specced, it expects Advance trim to be in higher demand. The extra Advance power (154PS v 136PS) is accompanied by more equipment. Against all those pros are a few cons. Maximum range is just 222km (210km with Advance), though Honda points to average European daily commutes of 40km. It is a city EV, after all. The boot is tiny at 171 litres, though rear seats fold flat for an 861-litre capacity. Ultimately price will be a major factor, I believe. Overall though, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The 35.5KWh battery is under the floor (helps lower the centre of gravity) and you can boost to 80pc in just 30 minutes of rapid charging; a home charge can take 18.8 hours, however. The water-cooled lithium-ion pack lies beneath a 3,895mm long body that is 100mm shorter, 38mm lower than a Jazz and is 57mm wider (1,750mm). We had good elbow room but rear seating was tight. The Parking Pilot system worked well for us with a 4.3-metre turning circle a boon for urban scenarios. You can (we did) use the Single Pedal system to drive on the accelerator alone with paddles on the steering wheel to regenerate energy when slowing down, for example. There are two drive modes: Normal and Sport. As alluded to, we're promised comprehensive standard specification but it expects Advance to be the bigger seller with 17ins (v 16ins) alloys, more power and the digital rear-view mirror. Other upgrades include a more powerful audio system, heated windscreen/steering wheel and the Parking Pilot driver aid. It was an unexpectedly nice drive; whether tipping around in Valencia traffic, nipping along country roads or motorways, being rear-wheel driven and getting instant electric power was fun. It's a great little package. All Honda's European mainstream models will be 'electrified' by 2022 - including a hybrid Jazz, an SUV and an additional EV. It has certainly made a convincing start to that rollout with this little 'e'. * You can share digital key technology with up to five people New technologies include: * Collision Mitigation Throttle Control (designed to prevent sudden acceleration if there is something in the way) * Low Speed Brake Function * Lead Car Departure Notification System Also: * There is a MacPherson strut independent suspension for each wheel, giving the car flexibility to respond to different road conditions * The Parking Pilot can slot into parallel spaces, bays or diagonally if the space is marked with a white line * For such a small car, it weighs a bit: 1,514kg * Flush handles pop out to let you open the door. Romans, in our day, needs to be read from the back to get the full message. Image: Baylor University Press Cover Photo The most common question I get about the not-so-subtle title of Reading Romans Backwardsis Why? And, along with that question, Im asked How can it be taught that way? Read on. First, since most who read Romans are swamped by the theological depth and debates about it, by the time they get to Romans 9 they may be exhausted and even more if they get to Romans 12. If we dont read it first we may never get to it, and if we never get to it we will not be reading the letter in its own, fuller context. Second, our readings of Romans, many of which are profound, will lack social realities if we ignore Romans 12-16. Here we encounter the mission of Paul to go to Spain, and Robert Jewett made (too?) much of this. Here we encounter the names of those in the house churches in Rome (16:3-16), and these names have been studied intensely by Peter Lampe and Jewett, revealing both a high proportion of slaves and the prominence of women. Here we encounter Phoebe, and I think she was a leader in a church next to Corinth and was a benefactor of Paul and others. Most importantly here we encounter the Weak and the Strong. There are debates here, and I took sides, but whichever view one takes there are almost two chapters addressing them (and the same terms are used in 1 Cor, leading some to think the problems are not that different). How can we read Romans well if we ignore these social realities? Ive read many studies of Romans who seem to think we cant bring these Strong and Weak folks into the picture until they get mentioned in Romans 14-15. I can assure you of this: they were sitting there at 1:1 and responding from 1:1 on. Third, Romans becomes a pastoral, ecclesial letter the moment one learns to read the letter in light of Romans 12-16. Its not abstract theology, which has its place, but pastoral theology front and center. Theres lament here: 9:3, 10:1, 11:1. Fourth, once we begin to plumb Romans out of this social reality context we see things we may not have noticed, and one example is Romans 11:13. Why does Paul here suddenly say hes now talking to the gentile believers in Rome? Was he talking to them from 9:1 on or was that for the Jewish believers in Rome? Once we read Romans this way the issue of reconciliation of two groups of Christians at odds with one another becomes paramount in Romans. Fifth, I believe once we begin to read Romans in light of 12-16 we see rhetorical moves that otherwise we seem not to see. For instance, and I leave you to see how I work this out in the book, what happens if we learn to read 1:18-32, that sudden shocking accusation from the blue, in light of 2:1 and see it as a piece of rhetorical set up? What if 1:18-4:25 has a focus on the Jewish believers as perhaps does 9:1-11:10? This social reality approach brings into focus all the more the significance of Romans 5-8 to the theology of Paul (as Douglas Campbell has argued at length) Well, thats a taste. As for Teaching Romans Backwards? Image: Baylor University Press Cover Photo Becky Castle Miller, Teaching Romans Backwards, our student who lives in the Netherlands, has created a masterful study guide to Reading Romans Backwards. Yes, this study guide can be used in lay groups, in college classes, and any adult Sunday School class. Heres what Becky does in the plan of this wonderful book: She creates this guide for 15 week classes but also provides alternative schedules for the guide. She has Before Class and During Class and After Class tasks. Group learning activities. She introduces terms, provides chapter summaries, outlines basic points for each chapter in the book. Then she has group discussion questions, which is one of her great skills and takes my own book to new levels. She also has group learning activities since formation is embodied and not just brain power. Plus, she includes further resources and further Bible study and personal study questions. Big bonus: Becky has created a story of Phoebe interacting with Paul as he writes the letter and she responds to what he is saying. So fun to read and our cohort enjoyed her performance of this story on the shore (on the ruins on the shore) of Cenchraea in Greece. For teachers, she has quiz questions. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a decision to extend the term of visa-free travel for Ukrainians in Mongolia and Argentina, according to Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. "From now on, Ukrainians will be able to travel around Mongolia and Argentina for up to 90 days during 180 days without visas," Honcharuk wrote on his Telegram channel. According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers approved two protocols with the governments of Mongolia and Argentina, which provide for a twofold increase in the term of visa-free travel for Ukrainians in both countries, from 90 days during the year to 90 days during 180 days. iy A Dundalk doctor's practice is taking precautions against the Coronavirus. Square Medical hung the below sign at the door to their practice in the Elgee building at Market Square. The notice warns patients who have been to "China or any of the affected countries" in the last two weeks to "return to their car" and phone the practice instead. There have been no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ireland to date. However, a Chinese man living in Dublin is currently being tested for the deadly disease in St James Hospital, Dublin. The man who is in his 40s had recently returned from China and was rushed to hospital on Monday night after he started displaying symptoms of the virus. Meanwhile, the Dept. of Foreign Affairs is advising Irish citizens who are currently in China, and whose presence is "not essential" to leave the country as the deadly virus spreads. Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh faces many threats internationally, Haryana's Jails Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala said while justifying the heavily guarded prisoner's absence at an event inside Sunaria Jail in Rohtak where over 300 inmates were present. The minister also clarified that he had inadvertently made a reference to the Shiromani Akali Dal while talking about some other outfits from which the sect head faced threat. Chautala made the remarks at an event on organic farming organised for inmates on Tuesday during which he, along with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, addressed the prisoners. After the event, Chautala, who was interacting with reporters outside the prison, was asked if Ram Rahim too was present along with other inmates. To which he replied, "Baba Ram Rahim faces many threats internationally, from (banned terror outfit) Babbar Khalsa, also from Akali Dal, besides there are other groups also." The 52-year-old sect head is currently lodged in high-security Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, where he is already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his followers. "All these things are in the notice of the Home Ministry. Therefore, we cannot take any decision alone (on asking him to take part in events with other prisoners). He has been kept in a separate jail and is not allowed to meet other prisoners. We cannot take any risk involving his life and therefore, he was not asked to come for the event," the Haryana minister said. However, when controversy erupted over Chautala's reference to the Akali Dal, on Wednesday he sought to clarify his remark. "I want to clarify the thing. The Gujarat governor had to visit the prison and speak to prisoners about organic farming. I was also present with him and spoke during the event. As many as 300-400 inmates were present. When I came out, I was asked by media persons if Ram Rahim was also present during the event, to which I said he was not asked to attend the programme due to security reasons," he said. "I said he faces threat to his life. While I was mentioning Babbar Khalsa, I meant to give reference to that outfit only and not Akali Dal. Taking Akali Dal's name was just a slip of tongue," Chautala told PTI over phone from Hisar. When Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was asked by reporters about his minister pointing out threats to life of the Dera chief, he said, "Our police and intelligence keep an eye on who faces threat from whom. If anyone faces any kind of danger or threat, he/she will get full security. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is where the Canada Climate Law Initiative comes in. Its a cross-disciplinary research initiative run by principal investigators Dr. Janis Sarra, from the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, and Professor Cynthia Williams, of the Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, which examines the legal basis for corporate entities to mobilize around climate change. Within the initiative sits the Canadian Climate Governance Experts program, through which 54 experts from a range of sectors, including insurance, offer free sessions on effective corporate governance to address climate-related financial risks. The program is available to insurance companies and to insurers corporate clients. Read next: The other side of climate change According to Dr Sarra, there are three key areas where Canadian companies can exercise better corporate governance and enterprise risk management in relation to climate change. On the physical risk side, most companies are thinking about: If my factory floods, whats going to happen? If theres a fire in the area, whats going to happen? But what were discovering is that there are a lot of indirect financial issues for businesses as a result of climate change, she said. The question becomes: If my supply chain dries up because Im reliant on X ingredient that comes from a country that is experiencing devastating climate impacts, what will that do to my ability to source raw supplies at a reasonable price? I believe there needs to be better insurance coverage for what I call the indirect impacts of these acute and chronic events. Businesses also need to be thinking about whether they need insurance for transition risks. This is a live question, but can insurance be responsive to changes in regulatory policy that create an unexpected cost to the business? Is there insurance available that will act as a shock absorber for those transitions? Thats an area that is just beginning to grow and hasnt really matured yet in terms of the kinds of products that might be available. Its something for companies to think about and to consider with their broker and insurer partners. Read more: Insurers continue to grapple with climate change A third area that corporate entities need to think about is liability risk in relation to climate change, according to Dr. Sarra. There are currently around 1,300 to 1,600 lawsuits in progress globally (most of them in the US) against directors and officers under securities law, nuisance law and tort law for failure to pay attention to climate-related financial risk. That could be anything from failing to manage their risk properly to failing to purchase adequate insurance. While Canada is lucky in that its nowhere near as litigious as the US, the country will likely see heightened litigation with the occurrence of more acute weather events. Insurance brokers should be alerting directors and officers to this and encouraging them to consider whether they need some better insurance around these issues, Dr. Sarra told Insurance Business. Also, brokers can encourage clients to engage in proactive management to reduce risk, to think seriously about what the various risks are, and to make sure that the managing or oversight of those risks is embedded in the business plan, the budget and the insurance costs. If corporate entities fail to adopt better corporate governance practices, the insurance industry could find itself on the hook for more claims. So far, the property and casualty sector has felt the brunt of climate-related losses, primarily due to events like fire, hail and flooding. In fact, flooding now accounts for approximately 50% of all P&C claims in Canada, so its a huge price ticket for the sector, and one that the industry is actively trying to reduce. The question is: Who bears the entire [financial] burden of whats happening? And is there some way that the insurance industry could work with the government to come up with some creative ways of covering off the most egregious and acute events? I think that collaboration could be of assistance, said Dr. Sarra. There are examples of places in other countries take New Orleans in the US where they barely seem to recover from one catastrophic weather event before another one hits. Theres some information out there that says people are insuring less because theyre struggling to recover from one crisis to the next. On the acute event side, I think policymakers need to engage more with the insurance sector to work out where there are coverage gaps, what solutions are needed, and whether there should be some sort of national protection fund like the Compensation Fund, which protects life insurance policyholders if life insurers go under. Do we need something like that federally, which recognizes that the acute events are going to continue? Rather than deal with catastrophic weather events on a haphazard basis depending on whos got the most compelling case for some sort of emergency relief, do we need a more systematic strategy? If so, that would require the sector working with policymakers. These sorts of macro questions are all things that Dr. Sarra and the rest of the team are researching at the Canada Climate Law Initiative. Canadian companies can tap into their expertise by reaching out and organizing a free consultation. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to mock House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by comparing her to Lisa Simpson from 'The Simpsons.' This was an obvious dig at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in an unprecedented show of hostility, ripped up the copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address dramatically and threw it on the desk as soon as he ended his ceremonial speech. Pompeo responded to Pelosi's action on his personal Twitter account with an image of Lisa from 'The Simpsons' crying while ripping up a piece of paper. The meme originated from a 1991 episode of 'The Simpsons' where Lisa takes a trip to Washington to learn about the meaning of democracy. The meme captures Lisa when she's upset after seeing a politician accepting a bribe. She rips up sheets of paper, which turns out to be her essay titled 'The Roots of Democracy.' After US Secretary of State posted the meme to take a dig at Nancy Pelosi which in few minutes went viral, social media has been abuzz with reactions. A user wrote, "I wish we had a secretary of state and president whose mental and emotional development did not cease the moment they were born. You are as pathetic as they come, Pompeo." Another wrote, "I don't think that gif means what you think it means." A post read, "This scene is when Lisa tears up her essay on Democracy when she sees a lobbyist buying drilling rights from a Congressman. It's similar to when Pompeo had a Raytheon lobbyist head his legislative affairs dept at State & then sold $2 billion is Raytheon weapons to Saudi Arabia." FEB 4, 2020 Two U.S. Marine Corps Bell AH-1Z Viper aircraft maneuver towards a target in support of the culminating event of the Tactical Air Control Party course 1-20 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 18. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cedar Barnes X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. Total cases: More than 24,600 as of Wednesday morning. Total deaths: At least 490 worldwide as of Wednesday morning 5:10 pm: Yum China temporarily closes 30% of China stores, could see losses Yum China Holdings, which operates Pizza Hut and KFC in China, has temporarily closed more than 30% of its stores there. Same-store sales for the locations that stayed open plunged by up to 50% since the Chinese New Year holiday, the company said, adding that it can't say when its locations may reopen or whether it will need to close more. "Looking into 2020, the coronavirus outbreak is a major public health situation in China," CEO Joey Wat said in a statement, adding that the safety of employees and customers was a priority. The outbreak will have a "material impact" on its 2020 sales and profit possibly even see a quarterly or annual loss, depending on the course of the outbreak, the company said. -- Rogers 4:07 pm: New York City tests 5 people for potential coronavirus The New York City Department of Health said it now has five "patients under investigation" for the virus and is awaiting test results on four of them from the CDC. "This means they had recently been in China and presented with fever and cough or shortness of breath without another common cause, like influenza and other respiratory viruses, identified through testing," the agency said in a statement. The two new potential patients are both under 40. One has been hospitalized and the other is under isolation with daily monitoring by the health department. The specimen from the first suspected case sent to the CDC was negative, the department previously said. 3:40 pm: Consumers start to worry about impact on economy As the coronavirus continues to spread, concerns among U.S. consumers about the economic impact of the outbreak have risen slightly, according to recent polling by Morning Consult. The opinion research firm said its Index of Consumer Sentiment fell slightly last week, based in part on worries about the spread of the disease. Among those surveyed, Americans are more concerned about the virus' effects on the global and U.S. economies than on their own local economies. Schoen 3:12 pm: Epidemiologist warns lawmakers: US can't keep coronavirus 'out of our border' U.S. travel restrictions implemented in recent days to keep a fast-moving virus that has crippled much of China from spreading across America won't work, a top epidemiologist told U.S. lawmakers. "I have never seen instances where that has worked when we are talking about a virus at this scale," epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Health Security, testified before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Respiratory viruses, like the one that's sickened more than 24,300 across the globe and killed at least 490 in China, "they just move quickly. They are hard to spot because they look like many other diseases," she said. 2:31 pm: Life under quarantine. Civil rights activists criticize lockdowns Jarred Evans spent his fourth night of quarantine on the March Air Reserve Base with the 194 other Americans he was evacuated with last week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. Evans and the other Americans at the base in Riverside, California were the first U.S. citizens to be quarantined by the federal government since the 1960s, health officials said last week. American Civil Liberties Union senior policy analyst Jay Stanley said the move is an escalation by the Trump administration that tests the balance of public health and individual liberty. "Quarantining somebody is an extraordinary deprivation of their liberties," he said. "There's a burden on the government to determine that it's really using the least restrictive alternative." - Feuer 2:25 pm Wisconsin confirms first case of virus A Wisconsin resident who recently traveled to China has been infected with the coronavirus, state health officials said at a news conference. The patient is currently "doing well" and in isolation at home, they said. Health officials said there is no immediate danger and the risk to the broader public is "low." - Lovelace 2:13 pm: US House panel holds hearing on the outbreak The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs is holding a hearing on the outbreak scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET. Witnesses include senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Health Security Jennifer Nuzzo, senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation Jennifer Bouey and former White House Ebola response coordinator Ron Klain. Congressman Ami Bera, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week. Watch the live hearing here. 1:50 pm: UPS strikes deal with union over flights to China As the coronavirus spreads, the union that represents UPS pilots has struck a deal with shipping giant to make flying to China "voluntary." "This joint effort addresses crewmember concerns over safety during the coronavirus health crisis," the union said in a statement. More than a dozen airlines, including Delta, United and American have suspended service to mainland China and to Hong Kong, citing a sharp drop in demand because of the outbreak. Others have significantly scaled back service. - Josephs 1:40 pm: Defense Department clears another quarantine site The Department of Defense has cleared the way for Camp Ashland in Ashland, Nebraska to be used to house as many as 75 people who may need to be quarantined upon arrival from overseas travel due to the coronavirus. The authorization extends through the end of February. - Macias 1:27 pm: A look at virus-fighting robots that can be used to disinfect hospitals 12:29 pm: US is accepting four new planes carrying Americans from Wuhan The U.S. is accepting four new planes carrying Americans being evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The Americans will be quarantined at four different military bases across the U.S.: Camp Ashland in Ashland, Nebraska; Travis Air Force Base in California; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. "This could be the beginning of what could be a long response," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a conference call with reporters. - Feuer This item was updated to correct the name and location of one of the military bases. It's Camp Ashland near Ashland, Nebraska. 12:18 pm: CDC holds media briefing The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scheduled a media briefing at 12:15 p.m. ET to update the public on the latest developments in the U.S. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and Rear Admiral Denise Hinton, chief scientist for the Food and Drug Administration are scheduled to speak. 11:38 am: Oil jumps more than 3% on media reports of coronavirus drug hopes Oil prices rose on Wednesday following reports of progress on a coronavirus drug, although the World Health Organization did say that there is still no known treatment. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose more than 4% at its session high, touching $51.81 per barrel, for its first positive session in six days. Prices also got a boost as officials from OPEC+ kicked off a second day of meetings in Vienna to discuss potentially deeper production cuts as the coronavirus roils markets. WTI has slipped into bear market territory as traders fear that a slowdown in China's economy will hit crude demand. -Stevens 11:22 am: WHO calls for more funding WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is requesting additional funding to combat the virus. "We are requesting $675 million (in) U.S. dollars to fund the plan for the next 3 months," he said on a call with reporters, adding that $60 million of that will fund WHO operations while the rest will go toward supporting countries grappling to contain the virus. "Our message to the international community is invest today or pay more later." The WHO has already tapped $9 million of funding from its contingency fund for emergencies, Tedros said. -Feuer 10:45 am: WHO says new cases surged in last 24 hours There were more than 3,100 new cases confirmed in China over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 24,363 in China and 490 deaths as of 6 a.m. Geneva time, World Health Organization officials said. "In the last 24 hours we had the most cases in a single day since the outbreak started," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference. Just 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China and 80% of those cases are concentrated in the Hubei province where the virus was first detected in the city of Wuhan, he said. Of the cases outside of China, 31 of them spread through human-to-human contact, mostly from close friends or relatives who had recently been to China, he said. 10:03 am: WHO schedules media update The World Health Organization scheduled a media briefing at 10 a.m. ET as the number of cases rises above 24,000 across the globe, most of them contained in China. Watch the live press conference here. 9:57 am: Adidas getting hit by outbreak Adidas confirmed that it has closed a significant number of stores in China because of the coronavirus. The company is currently operating less than 500 stores in China, 4% of the 12,000 locations it has there, including franchise stores. In a statement to CNBC, the company said it is too early to assess the magnitude of the virus' impact. - Miller 9:35 am: Coronavirus infects six-month-old baby in Singapore Singapore's health ministry confirmed four more coronavirus cases, including a six-month-old baby. Both parents of the infant, a Singapore citizen, have also been infected, the ministry said. On Tuesday, Singapore reported its first cases of citizens and residents who had contracted the virus without recent travel to China, where the outbreak first surfaced in late December. - Reuters 9:30 am: Retailer Capri Holdings takes a hit Michael Kors owner Capri Holdings said it has taken a $100 million hit to revenue because of the coronavirus. Capri closed 150 of its 225 stores in mainland China and has seen a significantly drop in foot traffic. The company warned that travel restrictions on visitors from China could also put pressure on sales in other regions. "This is going to be a very tough period for luxury brands," said Ben Cavender, managing director at China Market Research Group in Shanghai. "There is going to be a negative long-term effect as well, as many corporate offices are shut down or barely functioning and this is a key time period for planning future seasons." - Miller 9:05 am: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits $100 million The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it will spend up to $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts for the new coronavirus. It also hopes to accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. "Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control," Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said. - Feuer 9 am: Princess Cruises says one person from the US among 10 diagnosed on ship Princess Cruises confirmed to CNBC that one of the people in its ship near Japan who tested positive for the coronavirus is from the United States. Of the 9 others, there are two passengers from Australia, three from Japan and three from Hong Kong and one Filipino crew member. The 3,700 people on the ship will remain in quarantine for 14 days in total. - Feuer 8 am: ECB chief says outbreak 'adds a new layer of uncertainty' to global growth The president of the European Central Bank expressed concern that China's coronavirus outbreak is fueling global economic uncertainty. "The short-term uncertainties are mainly related to global risks trade, geopolitical and now the outbreak of the coronavirus and its potential effect on global growth," Christine Lagarde said during a speech in Paris, according to Reuters. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty." 7:25 am: WHO says there are 'no known' effective drug treatments against coronavirus The World Health Organization played down reports of a drug breakthrough against the coronavirus. "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV and WHO recommends enrollment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety," WHO said Wednesday. "A master global clinical trial protocol for research and prioritization of therapeutics is ongoing at the WHO." Earlier in the day, Reuters said a Chinese TV media outlet had reported that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat people with the new coronavirus. The news agency, citing traders, suggested this was a reason for the move higher in stocks. Separately, Sky News reported Wednesday that a scientist from Imperial College London had made a significant breakthrough in the race to develop a vaccine. CNBC has not been able to verify the media reports. 6:20 am: China's Xi says the country must crack down on coronavirus misinformation Earlier this week, the Matthews Pacific Tiger Fund (Trades, Portfolio) released its portfolio update for the fourth quarter of 2019. In addition to selling out of its positions in iQIYI Inc. (IQ), LINE Corp. (LN) and AmorePacific Corp. (XKRX:090430), the fund established new positions in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TPE:2330), Synnex Technology International Corp. (TPE:2347), Midea Group Co. Ltd. (SZSE:000333) and WuXi Biologics (Cayman) Inc. (HKSE:02269). The Matthews Pacific Tiger Fund (Trades, Portfolio) seeks sustainable long-term capital appreciation by investing mostly in Asian companies, excluding Japan. The fund is managed by Sharat Shroff, Rahul Gupta, Raymond Deng and Inbok Song. As of Feb. 5, the equity portfolio is valued at $8.7 billion. fb29e6f8491e1db8998844e6d78a120d.png At quarter's end, the fund's top holdings were Alibaba (BABA) at 5.5%, NAVER Corp. (XKRX:035420) at 4.57% and China Resources Land (HKSE:01109) at 4.4%. In terms of sector weighting, the fund is most invested in financial services, consumer defensive and communication services. 44ac0ee417a82ab0b0fa7dc08b205abe.png Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing The Pacific Tiger Fund invested in 8,292,000 shares of Taiwan Semiconductor, impacting the equity portfolio by 1.05%. Shares were trading at an average price of 307.92 New Taiwan dollars (approximately $10.25) during the quarter. The fund has invested in Taiwan Semiconductor twice in the past, selling out for a modest profit both times. 9a27bc48e0197e41f322034458bb20d9.png Headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Taiwan Semiconductor is the world's largest independent semiconductor producer. It derives most of its profits from smartphone components, though its internet of things products have seen increasing sales in recent years. As of Feb. 5, shares trade at NT$325 apiece for a market cap of NT$8.43 billion. The stock has a price-earnings ratio of 24.71, a cash-debt ratio of 4.79 and a three-year revenue growth rate of 6.9%. GuruFocus has assigned it a financial strength score of 8 out of 10 and a profitability score of 10 out of 10. According to the Peter Lynch chart, shares are trading above their intrinsic value. Story continues 35c1ef3cb8ac083d9341807fb5a45fa1.png With 5G technology expanding, the demand for semiconductors is expected to explode, especially since 5G will be more hardware-heavy than previous generations of wireless technology due to the fact that each individual signal will have a shorter range. Synnex Technology International After selling out of Synnex Technology in the second quarter of 2019, the fund has established a new stake of 36,359,921 shares, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.52%. Shares were trading at an average price of NT$36.93 during the quarter. 9f24ca246fb4deda7e8feb4913cc9fe4.png Synnex Technology International is a Taiwan-based company that sells computer, communication and consumer products, while also providing maintenance services. It is the largest distributor of information, communication and semiconductor products in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as the main pipeline of supplies to high-tech companies in its main areas of operation. As of Feb. 5, shares traded at NT$37.7 apiece for a market cap of NT$62.21 billion. The stock has a price-earnings ratio of 10.03, a cash-debt ratio of 0.43 and a three-year revenue growth rate of 6.0%. GuruFocus has assigned it a financial strength rating of 6 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 6 out of 10. According to the Peter Lynch chart, the stock is trading significantly below its intrinsic value. a6a0d1bb98e73489b6991ef8ea5ef8ce.png Synnex's products appear in over 300 leading tech brands worldwide, including Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Intel (INTC) and Autodesk (ADSK). Despite is overall profitability, the company has an operating margin of 1.84% and a net margin of 1.80%. Its return on capital is also on the low end of the spectrum at 13.57%. Regardless of its low margins, though, the company has seen steady (if slow) growth during its history, and like Taiwan Semiconductor, it is also poised to profit from the distribution of 5G hardware. 2192a387606d33b18a47e5a44fb63e0a.png Midea Group The fund established a new position of 5,349,743 shares in Midea Group, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.52%. During the quarter, shares were trading at an average price of 55.75 Chinese yuan (approximately $7.99). Midea Group is a Guangdong, China-based manufacturer of electrical appliances. It is China's leading producer of residential and commercial HVAC solutions, logistics products and components for research facilities. It is also prominent in industrial robotics automation and internet of things applications. As of Feb. 5, shares traded at 52.81 yuan apiece for a market cap of 368.44 billion yuan. The company has a price-earnings ratio of 14.88, a cash-debt ratio of 1.23 and a three-year revenue growth rate of 21.8%. GuruFocus has assigned it a financial strength score of 6 out of 10 and a profitability score of 8 out of 10. Share prices have mostly followed the most recent earnings reports in the past. 8c403dd6342f1340cd51288fd668a586.png As a large diversified tech player in the developing Chinese economy, Midea has plenty of room to grow. HVAC and home appliances have not yet reached full market saturation in many Asia-Pacific countries, and the company's industrial automation and IoT products are also poised for growth as producers increasingly seek to automate their pipelines. WuXi Biologics (Cayman) The fund also made a new investment in WuXi Biologics, buying 2,817,000 shares. The trade impacted the equity portfolio by 0.41%. During the quarter, shares traded at an average price of 88.4 Hong Kong dollars (approximately $11.39). WuXi Biologics is an open-access platform for biologics drug development. Headquartered in WuXi, China, the company is the first Chinese biologics company to be approved by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Its platforms include custom protein generation, microbial-derived products and antibody drug conjugates. As of Feb. 5, shares traded at HK$103.1 apiece for a market cap of HK$132.86 billion. The company has a price-earnings ratio of 143.2, a cash-debt ratio of 12.24 and a three-year revenue growth rate of 54.9%. GuruFocus has assigned it a financial strength rating of 9 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 6 out of 10. 622a06523cdd0fda44cb2b1e3a8f6c3f.png In essence, WuXi Biologics is a pick-and-shovel business for Chinese biotech companies. It provides platforms and expert advisors so that its clients can take their drugs through discovery, development, testing, approval and production. It also provides registration, clinical trial and marketing authorization assistance to foreign companies that want to sell biologics in China. Disclosure: Author owns no shares in any of the stocks mentioned. Read more here: Matthews Japan Fund's Biggest 4th-Quarter Buys Chipotle Sizzles on 4th-Quarter Earnings Beat Brexit Shakes Things Up for These International Companies Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. By Liz Hampton Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton Co is restricting non-critical business travel to the Asia-Pacific region, a spokeswoman for the company said on Tuesday, joining others taking travel precautions due to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 400 people have died from the virus which originated in China, according to authorities in that country, and the number of infections reported there has climbed to over 20,000. There have been nearly 200 cases across two dozen other countries and China's special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau. The United States has reported 11 cases. The outbreak has roiled financial and commodity markets amid concerns that it will affect the global economy. OPEC and allies including Russia are considering cutting oil out put by an additional 500,000 barrels per day due to the impact on oil demand, Reuters reported this week. Halliburton said it was monitoring the situation. Earlier, Chevron Corp asked its staff to postpone non-business critical travel to China and airlines have been canceling flights out of the county due to travel restrictions. (Reporting by Liz Hampton Editing by Nick Zieminski) Jamia violence The government on Tuesday told the Lok Sabha that the Delhi Police have registered three cases and arrested 15 persons in connection with the violence that broke out at Jamia Millia Islamia in December. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State (Home) Nityanand Rai said, "Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level." The opposition on Monday had staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha as BJP MP Parvesh Verma, who was recently banned by the EC as BJP's star campaigner for Delhi polls for 96 hours, moved the motion of thanks on President Ram Nath Kovind's address when the session kicked off. Ruckus prevailed in the Lok Sabha as the opposition cornered the Modi government over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the firing incidents in Jamia and Shaheen Bagh in the Parliament. The opposition MPs started chanting 'goli maarna band karo, desh ko todna band karo' as Minister of State (Finance) Anurag Thakur began addressing the House. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the government of committing atrocities on students, while Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhry said the government is "mercilessly" killing the people of India. "Say no to CAA," "save our democracy" and "save our Constitution" were the other slogans raised by the Opposition. Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary and Congress MP Manickam Tagore have given adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha over 'environment of fear and intimidation' in the country due to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Diane Abbott has been criticised by a union boss, party colleagues and military charities after she suggested it was unlikely a former general could have been bullied by John Bercow. The shadow home secretary came to the defence of the former speaker, who has been involved in a public row with Lieutenant General David Leakey, who held the post of black rod in Parliament. Ms Abbott claimed Lt Gen Leakeys extensive military service meant it was unlikely he could have been bullied by Mr Bercow. In a Twitter message she subsequently deleted after a backlash, Ms Abbott said: He had been a Lieutenant General who served in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. But claims he was bullied (i.e. intimidated and coerced) by John Bercow. Unlikely. Lt Gen Leakey has submitted a formal complaint against the former speaker highlighting his bullying behaviour towards a number of parliamentary staff, including myself, over a period of years. Mr Bercow has strenuously denied the claims against him. Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union which represents senior civil servants, mocked Ms Abbotts comment and said she had a complete failure to understand the abuse of power in the workplace. What a ridiculous comment from an experienced MP, demonstrating blind political partisanship and a complete failure to understand how power is abused in the workplaceDave Penman, FDA Indeed Diane faced with an abusive boss, we often advise members to deploy military self-defence tactics, he said. What a ridiculous comment from an experienced MP, demonstrating blind political partisanship and a complete failure to understand how power is abused in the workplace. Lt Gen Leakey, who served as black rod until 2018, stood by his claims that Mr Bercow brutalised staff after the former speaker dismissed them as total and utter rubbish. Having a distinguished service record does not preclude you from being a victim of workplace bullying. All of us in the labour/trade union movement have a responsibility to create a climate where people can voice their concerns & not have their experiences dismissed out of hand. https://t.co/5msivQpnMk Dan Jarvis (@DanJarvisMP) February 5, 2020 A spokesman for military charity Help For Heroes said: While our servicemen and servicewomen perform heroic acts to keep us safe, this doesnt make them superhuman. The idea that veterans are immune from bullying is a damaging misconception about many who may have endured more than most. Retired wing commander Dr Walter Busuttil, consultant psychiatrist and medical director at the charity Combat Stress, said: We are very disappointed that an MP suggests that a veteran cannot be bullied or intimidated. He added: At Combat Stress we commonly see veterans who have mental health problems due to being bullied in the military or even after their service. Labour MP Dan Jarvis, a former Parachute Regiment officer, said: Having a distinguished service record does not preclude you from being a victim of workplace bullying. All of us in the labour/trade union movement have a responsibility to create a climate where people can voice their concerns and not have their experiences dismissed out of hand. David Leakey (left) walks with then speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow (Niklas Hallen/PA) A spokesman for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: If Diane deleted her tweet I think that probably indicates that she had concerns that it might be misinterpreted and so she probably thought better of it. As a matter of course, all allegations of bullying and harassment should always be taken seriously and investigated and Im sure Diane agrees with that. [February 05, 2020] Avaya Announces its Business Partners of the Year 2019 Avaya (News - Alert) ENGAGE 2020 - At its Avaya ENGAGE 2020 user conference today, Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA), the leading provider of Contact Center solutions, recognized its Canadian and Latin American business partners that during 2019, stood out for their innovation, business growth and help in the transformation of companies in the region. The Partner Forum, which was also part of Avaya ENGAGE, gathered partners from Latin America, North America and Canada in a two days event that included roadshows, trainings and breakout sessions. "Today, partnerships with the right companies are key for the business success. Our customers, partners, analysts and investors are anticipating a great deal of change in the year ahead," said Santiago Aguirre, Senior Director, Channel and Distribution, Avaya Latin America. "It is a crucial moment, during which companies such Avaya needs innovative partners that help them boost the growth of companies in the region and work together to meet the needs of our customers and its clients." The awards were presented during the Partner Forum, an event that was part of the already recognized Avaya ENGAGE US, in five categories. These were the winners: Services Partner of The Year: Walter Bridge - This channel stands out for its discipline and dedication of its team in being trained which is a fundamental part of its success as a partner. It has more than 40 installation and support credentials, being the first partner to complete the latest certification path in our new solutions. Its customer satisfaction levels are consistently above the standard and among the highest in Latin America. Innovation Partner of the Year: Comware S.A. - For its commitment to developing initiatives aimed at building solutions to meet market needs in the age of digital transformation. Initiatives supported by customer needs and new AVAYA technologies, such as Oceana and Breeze, were able to innovate to favor customer processes. li> Cloud Partner of the Year: Olitel Brasil S.A. (CALA), Digitcom - With more than 70,000 Seats Olitel is Avaya's largest Cloud Partner worldwide. Its strategy has helped position Avaya solution at the largest Retail, Hospitality, and finance institutions. More than 21 CC Customers has helped them become the leading Cloud Partner in AI. MidMarket Partner of the Year: Network Telecom - Since attaining Diamond status in 2017, this long time and loyal Mid-Market partner has continued to grow their Avaya business. By positioning the IP Office portfolio and new J-Series sets into key verticals such as K-12 Education, they have been able to achieve overall revenue growth of 58% in product and 64% in services with an eye on continued growth well into 2020 and beyond. SI/SP Partner of the Year: Telus Communications, Inc - TELUS (News - Alert) is a leading telecommunication organization in Canada. In 2019 TELUS focused on driving migration of large complex legacy customers to next generation Avaya UC and CC platforms. In addition, there is critical focus on Public Safety solutions. Overall Partner of The Year: Evertec - With more than 28 years of experience, more than 2,100 employees and an Avaya partner since 2004, It is the leading payment processing company in Latin America. Evertec delivered an outstanding 35% YoY growth by growing their services and recurrent revenue with the finance institutions, insurance and BPO's in Puerto Rico. About Avaya Businesses are built on the experiences they provide, and everyday millions of those experiences are built by Avaya (NYSE:AVYA). For over one hundred years, we've enabled organizations around the globe to win - by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration - in the cloud, on-premise or a hybrid of both. To grow your business, we're committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what's next. We're the technology company you trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter. Visit us at https://www.avaya.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking" statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "our vision," "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or "would" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)") available at www.sec.gov, and may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company's SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Source (News - Alert): Avaya Newsroom View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005259/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Aviation industry supplier Precision Castparts has laid off approximately 150 Oregon workers due the halt in production of Boeings 737 MAX. Thats according to Clackamas Countys rapid response team, which is preparing assistance for those who recently lost their jobs. Employment personnel met with Precision Castparts, which is headquartered in Portland but has its production facilities in Clackamas County, and received the layoff notification this week. We routinely adjust employment levels based on operational needs, Precision Castparts said last week in response to inquiries last week about the job cuts. The company declined to provide additional details. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two plane crashes overseas, both of which have been linked to software problems in the jet. Boeing stopped making the jets in January while it works to correct the problem and receive federal clearance for the 737 MAX to resume flying. Precision Castparts makes metal components for airplane engines, generators, rockets and medical devices. Boeing is among its largest customers. Boeing, which has a large production facility in Gresham, has resisted layoffs amid the halt in 737 production. Its suppliers, though, have eliminated thousands of jobs in recent weeks. Berkshire Hathaway, billionaire Warren Buffetts investment firm, bought Precision Castparts in 2016 for $37 billion. The company had 30,000 employees at the time, including 3,000 in Oregon. Clackamas County employment services agencies will hold workshops for laid-off Precision Castparts employees Feb. 12 at 7738 S.E. Harmony Road in Milwaukie. There will be sessions at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to help people connect with job search assistance, find health insurance and apply for unemployment insurance. Workers can reserve a place by calling 503-594-3433. Precision Castparts layoffs are the latest in a string of job cuts at Oregon employers already this year, including cutbacks at Blount International, transportation technology firm Moovel and loan servicing company Mr. Cooper Group. Overall, though, Oregons labor market remains robust. The states unemployment rate was 3.7% in December, the lowest level on record. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. (Newser) The Diamond Princess cruise ship is now a floating quarantine centerand the only passengers who will be allowed back on land in the next 14 days will be sick ones. Japanese authorities said Wednesday that at least 10 people on the ship have tested positive, and only 300 of the 3,700 passengers and crew have been tested so far, the BBC reports. The patients were taken to hospitals Wednesday from the ship, which arrived in Yokohama on Monday. Authorities decided to quarantine the ship after it arrived because a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus. story continues below Diamond Princess passengers say they have been told to remain in their cabins. Another 1,800 passengers on a cruise ship docked in Hong Kong are undergoing medical checks because three passengers on a previous voyage reportedly tested positive for the virus. The death toll in mainland China, where the outbreak began, jumped to 490 on Wednesday, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases, the AP reports. In Hong Kong, where thousands of medical staff have gone on strike, demanding that the border be closed, authorities announced Wednesday that all people entering the territory from mainland China will be quarantined for 14 days. (Read more coronavirus stories.) The World Health Organization is warning that false information circulating on social media about the new coronavirus is hampering efforts to tackle the epidemic. This fast moving disease so far has infected more than 20,000 people and killed at least 427. The overwhelming number of cases and all but two deaths have occurred in China. Health officials say a disease epidemic is likely to quickly generate an epidemic of information. This is not unusual, they explain, because at the start of an outbreak, a lot is unknown about the nature of the disease and the risks it entails. Unfortunately, they say the search for answers often triggers a lot of misinformation and harmful rumors. Sylvie Briand is the director of WHO's Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness unit. She says trying to deal with the mass of false information and rumors circulating on social media is challenging. "A few centuries ago, this phenomenon existed as well. But at that time there was no social media and so the information was spreading as well, but much slower than now," said Briand. "Now, the information is spreading very fast and is amplified immediately in every corner of the world, basically. This speed is very difficult to address in a timely manner." Agricultural warehousing and logistics firm Leap India Food and Logistics Pvt Ltd on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 164 crore in Series-B funding from the Danish SDG Investment fund and Neev Fund. The Danish SDG Investment fund is a fund managed by Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU), Leap India said in a statement. With a twofold mission to connect the grain supply chain from farm to business and to transform itself into a robust Agri-Silos and Logistics platform, Leap India will utilise these funds towards tangible future growth, it added. "SDG Fund's investment, along with round two of investment from the Neev Fund, backed by the UK Government - Department for International Development (DFID) and State Bank of India, will allow us to expand and reach a critical size, while, at the same time, team up with strong, foreign institutional investors," Leap India promoters said. At Leap, the aim is to build a large platform of grain storage sites, which can help FCI and the private sector to make grain storage more efficient with the use of technology and modern storage infrastructure, they added. "By investing in Leap, we are addressing one of India's most pressing challenges, namely helping to improve food storage efficiency and reduce undernourishment, while having secured an attractive risk vs. return profile in the deal," IFU, South Asia VP Deepa Hingorani said. In a similar vein, Neev Fund CIO Manav Bansal said: "We welcome the Danish SDG Investment Fund as a partner and co-investor in Leap India. This fructifies our fidelity to the Sustainable Development Goals of poverty alleviation by doubling farmer income through food security in India." The investment positions Leap India as a trailblazer in defining the food infrastructure industry, which is the next sunrise industry of Asia, he added. Neev Fund was the first investor in Leap India and has also invested alongside the Danish SDG Investment Fund in this round. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As several countries have already declared emergency over the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the Surat diamond industry is bracing for approximate loss of Rs 8,000 crore in the next two months. Hong Kong, which is a major business hub for the Surat Diamond industry, has declared an emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. Schools and colleges in Hong Kong are to remain close till the first week of March. Even the businesses are seeing losses in view of the outbreak. According to Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Regional Chairman Dinesh Navadiya, polished diamonds worth around Rs 50,000 crore are exported from Surat to Hong Kong every year. "That's around 37 per cent of the total exports from here. Now, due to coronavirus scare, Hong Kong has declared a month-long vacation. Gujarati traders having offices there are coming back to India," he said. If the situation did not improve, it would have a huge impact on the Surat diamond industry, which polished 99 per cent of all rough diamonds imported in the country, he said. "The Surat diamond industry is staring at a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore for February and March," he added. Another industry expert and diamond merchant Pravin Nanavati said there is a possibility of cancellation of an international jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong, to be held next month, due to the coronavirus scare, which would hit the jewellery business in Surat. "Polished diamonds and jewellery made in Surat reach across the world through Hong Kong only. Now, due to vacation there, our business is totally closed. Traders are also returning to India," he said. If the situation does not improve, the Surat diamond trade losses may run into "several thousand crores", he said. "We have been informed that the international exhibition in Hong Kong may be put off due to the coronavirus scare. We sell a huge quantity of diamonds at the mega event," Nanavati said. Orders are also placed at the event and the entire year's manufacturing targets are set, based on the response that Surat diamond traders get there, he said. "If the event gets cancelled, we will lose huge business" he added. Hong Kong has one of the world's busiest airports and is a major transit point for China. It is also struggling with the virus outbreak, with 18 people testing positive for the disease, including one who died. On Tuesday, health officials in Hong Kong warned there was now growing evidence of local transmissions -- cases where people have become infected without travelling to China. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the WHO. So far, the disease has killed more than 400 people in China and infected a further 20,000, nearly all of them in Hubei, a province in the central part of the country. Also read: Coronavirus in India turns spotlight on Wuhan-Kerala connect Read more: No, coronavirus doesn't spread from non-veg food! Here's a myth buster Oil prices rose on Wednesday, reversing out of a 1% slump in the previous session, boosted by producers weighing further output cuts to counter a potential squeeze on global oil demand resulting from China's fast-spreading coronavirus. Brent crude oil futures were up 44 cents, or 0.8%, to $54.40 a barrel by 0127 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 42 cents or 0.9% to $50.03 a barrel. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, weighed the impact on global oil demand, and economic growth, of the coronavirus outbreak at a meeting on Tuesday, hearing from China's envoy to the United Nations in Vienna. Producers are weighing further output cuts and moving a planned policy meeting to February rather than March. "At these prices, commodity producers will soon begin to cut back on production and investment," Moody's Analytics said in a note on Wednesday. "Given the economic damage caused (by the virus) prospects are poor that prices will recover soon." China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, has been the main driver of global energy demand growth in recent years. Fears of a virus-related slump in global demand have flipped the oil market into contango this week - a structure in which longer-dated oil futures trade at a premium that encourages traders to keep crude in storage for more profitable resale in the future, potentially indicating months of surplus. LAKE FOREST, Ill., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tenneco Inc. (NYSE: TEN) today announced, as part of its ongoing Board refreshment process, the appointment of automotive industry veteran Charles "Chuck" K. Stevens III to its Board of Directors, effective today. Mr. Stevens' appointment follows the Company's January 27, 2020 announcement of its commitment to adding at least one new independent director over the course of 2020. The Company intends to continue this refreshment process throughout the year. With this appointment, the Tenneco Board consists of 11 directors, nine of whom are independent and three of whom have been added since the beginning of 2019. As the former Chief Financial Officer of General Motors, Mr. Stevens brings significant auto industry experience and expertise across finance and accounting operations, international financial matters and mergers and acquisitions. "As Tenneco continues its ongoing commitment to add fresh perspectives to the Board, we are extremely pleased to welcome Chuck as an independent director," said Gregg M. Sherrill, chairman of the Board of Directors. "Chuck brings more than 40 years of experience working at one of the world's largest auto companies in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, including CFO. We expect that his skills and expertise will be invaluable as we review strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value while pursuing our separation plan. We look forward to benefitting from his contributions as we work to achieve our operational and financial objectives." "I am excited to join Tenneco during this important time in its history," said Mr. Stevens. "Tenneco has two world-class businesses that are well-positioned to capitalize on industry trends, and I believe the Company is taking the right steps to achieve its objectives. I look forward to working with my fellow Board members as we continue to oversee management's execution of Tenneco's strategy and evaluate the best path forward for the Company to maximize value for all shareholders." About Charles "Chuck" K. Stevens III Chuck Stevens retired as Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor of General Motors Corporation in March 2019, after a 40-year career at the company. From 1994 to 2005, he held several leadership positions in General Motors' Asia Pacific Region. He returned to North America in 2006 and assumed the role of CFO for General Motors Canada, GM Mexico in 2008 and CFO of GM North America in 2010. In 2014, Mr. Stevens was named Executive Vice President and CFO of General Motors Corporation, where he was responsible for leading the company's financial and accounting operations worldwide. He served in this position with GM until September 2018. Mr. Stevens has also served as a director on the boards of Masco Corporation since February 2018 and Flex Ltd. since November 2018. He received his Bachelor of Industrial Administration from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Flint. About Tenneco Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, Tenneco is one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of Aftermarket, Ride Performance, Clean Air and Powertrain products and technology solutions for diversified markets, including light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial and the aftermarket, with 2018 pro-forma revenue of $17.8 billion and approximately 81,000 employees worldwide. On October 1, 2018, Tenneco completed the acquisition of Federal-Mogul, a leading global supplier to original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket. Additionally, the company expects to separate its businesses to form two independent companies, an Aftermarket and Ride Performance company as well as a Powertrain Technology company. Tenneco: Linae Golla Investor Inquiries 847 482-5162 [email protected] or Bill Dawson Media Inquiries 847 482-5807 [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to Tenneco Inc.'s (the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") ongoing review of strategic alternatives and the planned separation of the Company into a powertrain technology company and an aftermarket and ride performance company. The words "may," "will," "believe," "should," "could," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and similar expressions (and variations thereof), identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the Company (including its subsidiaries). Because these statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements include: the ability to identify and consummate strategic alternatives that yield additional value for shareholders; the timing, benefits and outcome of the Company's strategic review process; the structure, terms and specific risk and uncertainties associated with any potential strategic alternative; potential disruptions in the Company's business and stock price as a result of its exploration, review and pursuit of any strategic alternatives; the risk the Company may not complete a separation of its powertrain technology business and its aftermarket and ride performance business (or achieve some or all of the anticipated benefits of the separation); the risk the combined company and each separate company following the separation will underperform relative to expectations; the ongoing transaction costs and risk the Company may incur greater costs following separation of the business; the risk the spin-off is determined to be a taxable transaction; the risk the benefits of the acquisition of Federal-Mogul LLC ("Federal-Mogul"), including synergies, may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk the acquisition of Federal-Mogul may not advance the Company's business strategy; the risk the Company may experience difficulty integrating or separating employees or operations; and the risk the transaction may have an adverse effect on existing arrangements with the Company and its subsidiaries, including those related to transition, manufacturing and supply services and tax matters; the Company's ability to retain and hire key personnel; or the Company's ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers or other business partners. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Additional information regarding these risk factors and uncertainties is, and will be, detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. SOURCE Tenneco Inc. Related Links www.tenneco.com [February 05, 2020] Tunisian MNOs expecting 5G licences in 2021 Sydney, Feb. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Tunisia outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Tunisia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Tunisia has one of the most sophisticated telecommunications and broadband infrastructures in North Africa. Penetration rates for mobile and internet services are s among the highest in the region. Stimulated by the Digital Tunisia 2020 program, a number of regulatory measures and infrastructure projects have been instituted aimed at improving internet connectivity to underserved areas. These in initiatives will also see the auction of spectrum in the 800MHz band for IoT and mobile services. For its part the incumbent telco Tunisie Telecom has invested in its LTE network as well as vectoring VDSL and fibre infrastructure. The company is also in the process of migrating internet traffic to its new Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) platform. The events of the Arab Spring revolution in 2011 drove the country into a brief recession, but GDP growth soon returned to pre-crisis levels. This encouraged growing confidence in economic recovery, though GDP growth has been modest. Political difficulties in recent years have also had an impact on the telecom sector. Ooredoo and Orange Tunisie are also licensed as fixed-line operators and have launched DSL and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) services. In addition, a dozen public and private ISPs compete in this sector, supported by a nationwide fibre optic backbone network and international access via submarine and terrestrial fibre. A reform of the countrys Telecommunications Act was initiated in 2013 and government internet censorship was officially abolished. In addition, laws supporting e-commerce and digital signatures have been passed, which has led to one of the most active e-government and e-commerce sectors in Africa. Key developments: Tunisia adopts UNESCOs Internet Universality Indicators (UIUs); signs MoU with India to promote ICTs Tunisie Telecom signs three-year partnership with Vodafone Group, contracts Huawei to develop an LTE network; 5G licences expected to be issued in 2021; Mobile money interoperability becomes available across the three mobile networks; Ooredoo Tunisia launches Tunisia's first NB-IoT network; Watany Telecom licensed as Tunisia's second MVNO; Tunisie Telecom delivers FttC with VDSL vectoring, completes G.fast trials; Report updates include the regulator's market data to January 2019, telcos' financial and operating data to Q4 2018, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments. Companies mentioned in this report: Tunisie Telecom (Tunicell), Orange Tunisie, Ooredoo (Tunisiana, Orascom, Wataniya, Qatar Telecom/Qtel), Planet Tunisie, 3S GlobalNet, HexaByte, Tunet, Topnet, Divona Telecom, Thuraya, Nokia Networks, Huawei Technologies, ZTE, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson. Table of Contents Key statistics Country overview Telecommunications market Market analysis Regional Africa Market Comparison TMI vs GDP Mobile and mobile broadband Fixed and mobile broadband Regulatory environment Historical overview Telecommunications Act 2001 Amendments 2008 Reform 2013 Developments - 2014 Regulatory authorities INT ONT Telecom sector liberalisation Number Portability (NP) Fixed network operators Tunisie Telecom (TT) Privatisation Orange Tunisie Ooredoo Tunisie (Tunisiana) Telecommunications infrastructure Overview of the national telecom network VoIP International infrastructure Submarine fibre Terrestrial Satellite Cloud services Smart infrastructure Fixed-line broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Broadband statistics Public Internet access locations Agence Tunisienne dInternet (ATI) Fixed-line broadband technologies Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks VDSL G.fast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks Other fixed broadband services Digital Economy E-commerce E-learning E-government Mobile market Market analysis Mobile statistics Mobile data SMS, MMS Mobile broadband Regulatory issues Network sharing Mobile Number Portability (MNP) LTE spectrum 800MHz spectrum auction OTT applications Roaming Mobile Infrastructure 5G 4G (LTE) 3G GSM-R Other infrastructure developments IoT and M2M networks Major mobile operators Tunicell (Tunisie Telecom) Ooredoo (Tunisiana) Orange Tunisie Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) Mobile content and applications M-money Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Tunisia 2018 Table 2 Telecom sector revenue in Tunisia 2016- 2018 Table 3 Telecom sector revenue by major operator 2016- 2018 Table 4 Telecom sector revenue by sector 2016- 2018 Table 5 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Tunisia 1995 - 2009 Table 6 Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Tunisia 2010 - 2019 Table 7 Fixed line household penetration 2017 - 2019 Table 8 Fixed-line subscribers by operator 2009 2019 Table 9 Fixed-line market share by operator 2009 - 2019 Table 10 VoIP lines in service in Tunisia 2013 2019 Table 11 International internet bandwidth in Tunisia 2006 2018 Table 12 Proportion of fixed-line broadband connections: lower data speed 2014 - 2019 Table 13 Proportion of fixed-line broadband connections: higher data speed 2014 - 2019 Table 14 Historic - Internet users and penetration rate in Tunisia 1999 - 2009 Table 15 Internet users and penetration rate in Tunisia 2010 - 2018 Table 16 Fixed-line broadband subscribers 2002 - 2019 Table 17 PC household penetration 1999 - 2017 Table 18 Public internet kiosks 2015 - 2019 Table 19 DSL subscribers in Tunisia 2002 - 2019 Table 20 ADSL markets share by operator 2013 - 2019 Table 21 DSL subscribers by operator 2013 - 2019 Table 22 FttP/B subscribers 2008 - 2019 Table 23 Satellite internet subscribers 2015 - 2019 Table 24 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Tunisia 1995 - 2009 Table 25 Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Tunisia 2010 - 2019 Table 26 Mobile prepaid and contract subscribers 2014 - 2019 Table 27 Mobile market share of subscribers by operator 2009 - 2019 Table 28 Dedicated mobile broadband subscribers (3G/LTE with key) 2010 - 2019 Table 29 Dedicated mobile broadband subscribers by operator 2013 - 2019 Table 30 Mobile broadband market share by operator (3G/LTE) 2013 - 2019 Table 31 Standard 3G/LTE mobile internet subscribers and penetration 2013 - 2019 Table 32 3G/LTE mobile internet subscribers by operator 2014 - 2019 Table 33 Mobile data traffic by device type (TB) 2015 - 2019 Table 34 Annual mobile numbers ported 2016 - 2019 Table 35 M2M connections 2015 - 2019 Table 36 Tunisie Telecom mobile subscribers 2010 - 2019 Table 37 Ooredoo Tunisia blended monthly ARPU (QR) 2010 - 2018 Table 38 Ooredoo Tunisia revenue and EBITDA 2010 - 2018 Table 39 Ooredoo Tunisia mobile subscribers 2002 - 2018 Table 40 Orange Tunisie mobile subscribers 2010 - 2019 Table 41 Lycamobile Tunisie mobile subscribers 2015 - 2019 List of Charts Chart 1 Telecom sector revenue by sector 2016- 2018 Chart 2 Overall Africa view - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita 2018 Chart 3 North Africa - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita 2018 Chart 4 Africa Top-tier Telecoms Maturity Index (Market Leaders) 2018 Chart 5 North Africa Telecoms Maturity Index by country 2018 Chart 6 North Africa mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration 2018 Chart 7 North Africa fixed and mobile penetration rates 2018 Chart 8 Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Tunisia 2005 2019 Chart 9 Fixed-line subscribers by operator 2009 2019 Chart 10 Fixed-line market share by operator 2009 - 2019 Chart 11 Fixed-line broadband subscribers 2002 - 2019 Chart 12 Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Tunisia 2005 - 2019 Chart 13 Mobile prepaid and contract subscribers 2014 2019 Chart 14 Mobile market share of subscribers by operator 2009 2019 Chart 15 Ooredoo Tunisia financial data 2010 2018 Chart 16 Ooredoo Tunisia mobile subscribers 2002 - 2018 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Map of Tunisia Exhibit 2 Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment Exhibit 3 North Africa - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Tunisia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Nicolas Bombourg [email protected] Within Australia (02) 8076 7665 Outside Australia +44 207 097 1241 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has denied launching an attack on the BBC as she confirmed a detailed look at the future of the TV licence model itself. The Government has launched a consultation on decriminalising licence fee evasion. Speaking in central London, Baroness Morgan said the licence fee will remain in place for the Charter period ending in December 2027. However, she added, we must all be open minded about the future of the licence fee beyond this point. She hit back at suggestions that the moves could be seen as an effort to suppress the BBC, which hit controversy during the election. I dont think anyone should interpret todays announcement or discussion about the licence fee as any kind of attack on the BBC, she said, calling it a cherished British institution. It is important to understand the ways in which the BBC is funded, she said, and there should be more transparency about funding. Baroness Morgan added: Anybody whos been campaigning in recent years standing on doorsteps will know there is more and more talk about, Why do I pay the licence fee, what do I get for it?' It was the Governments duty to shine a light on funding issues, she said. Video of the Day She said the pace of change in the broadcasting industry is fast and its only going to get faster, adding that public service broadcasting is too important to allow it to become a historical relic like Blockbuster. People will be asked for their views on whether criminal sanctions for the non-payment of the licence fee should be replaced by an alternative enforcement scheme. Blockbuster collapsed into administration in 2013 (Tim Ireland/PA) Baroness Morgan also announced a flexible payment scheme for the TV licence, which will allow vulnerable people, including those over the age of 75 to split the bill into instalments. From June this year, the current scheme of all over-75s receiving free TV licences will be restricted to those who claim pension credit. The move towards allowing flexible payments has been criticised by Age UKs charity director Caroline Abrahams, who said that the new payment scheme will not necessarily help those who find it difficult to afford a licence. She said: If you are a pensioner in the position of struggling to pay an extra 157.50 a year for a licence, being able to spread out your payments will not change the fact that the sum is simply unaffordable on your low fixed income. In 2018, more than 121,000 people were convicted and sentenced for licence fee evasion and issued with an average fine of 176. Last year there were about 26 million active TV licences in the UK, generating an income of 3.69 billion for the BBC. Baroness Morgan said change in the industry and young peoples viewing habits should be an eye opener for the BBC But a spokeswoman for the broadcaster said: The BBC tried to set up a Netflix service a decade ago while they were still sending DVDs in the post, but was prevented from doing so by regulators. There is a danger that politicians catastrophise the situation. The BBC is the most-used media organisation in the UK. It reaches the most people. Its used for the most time. You wouldnt think that from some of the things being said today. John Whittingdale, former secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), said it could be considered unfair to prosecute people for not paying the licence fee when there is no way to switch off the BBC. Speaking on Radio 4s Today programme, he said: The question is whether or not it is right that someone who perhaps cant afford to pay the licence fee could possibly face a criminal conviction, rather than have it enforced through the same means as many other charges. Mr Whittingdale served under David Cameron (Gareth Fuller/PA) Mr Whittingdale, who served as a minister in David Camerons government, denied the debate over the licence fee was anything to do with the Governments current stand-off with the corporation over allegations of bias. The reason the Government is looking at decriminalisation in the long-term funding of the BBC is nothing to do with its political coverage, it is because the broadcasting world is changing so rapidly, he said. Any move to decriminalise licence fee evasion will not come into effect until April 2022, according to the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport. A detailed Government-commissioned review found the current system to be the fairest and most effectiveBBC spokesman The BBC said any proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee should be considered at the time of the settlement. A detailed Government-commissioned review found the current system to be the fairest and most effective. It did not recommend change, in part because the current system is effective in ensuring payment with very few people ever going to prison, the BBC said. In 2018, five people in England and Wales went to prison for not paying fines and there is a question about what issue this repeat consultation is trying to solve. Any changes must be fair to law-abiding licence fee payers and delivered in a way that doesnt fundamentally undermine the BBCs ability to deliver the services they love, the broadcaster added. Donald Trump faced his House Democratic accusers on Tuesday night with no intention of bringing up the impeachment charges they levied against him, instead focusing his annual State of the Union address on his accomplishments as he pivoted to his re-election campaign. In an early remarkable moment, Speaker Nancy Pelosi extended her hand to the president after he handed her a bound copy of his remarks but he refused to shake her hand. GOP politicians responded with a "four more years" chant. Mr Trump told the country he had delivered economic growth and done more than his predecessors to secure the southern border and keep the country safe. But he also sounded several campaign-trail themes as he seeks a second term. Donald Trump hands a copy of his speech to Nancy Pelosi ahead of his State of the Union address but he turned away as she reached out to shake his hand: AP "We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare," he said. "Three years ago, we launched the 'great American comeback'. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results," Mr Trump said. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back." Democrats, however, reject his contention of an historically "inclusive" economy, saying he has failed to help average Americans. The excerpts released by the White House did not, as one staffer previewed earlier Tuesday, feature the word impeachment. Aides signalled the president did not intend to bring it up directly - even as he faced his House Democratic accusers for the first time since they launched their Ukraine investigation last October. Donald Trump hands a copy of his speech to Nancy Pelosi ahead of his State of the Union address but he turned away as she reached out to shake his hand (AP) "He understands where these fit into history," said one White House observer, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "He's just not going to risk very much tonight." Mr Trump instead will sell himself as an economic guru who deserves a second term despite the country's ongoing political divisions - and its deep chasm in how voters in both parties feel about him. He remains wildly popular with Republicans and deeply unpopular among Democrats. Story continues "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the US economy, slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements," he will say. "Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA -- only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law." Congress approved that pact with bipartisan vote tallies in both chambers after Mr Trump's top trade officials and Nancy Pelosi negotiated how it would be implemented. When the president stepped foot inside the Capitol, he did so at the height of his popularity despite a remarkably turbulent term and having been just the third sitting chief executive to be impeached. The address was the capper on a day that saw Mr Trump and White House aides take a victory lap after his big Iowa caucuses win and the state Democratic Party's inability to get their votes counted, with the Gallup organisation releasing a poll that put his approval rating at 49 percent, the highest of his presidency. As Trump peacocked down the chamber's centre aisle, his political rivals were settling for moral victories. "I think that we have pulled back a veil of behaviour totally unacceptable to our founders, and that the public will see this with a clearer eye, an unblurred eye," Ms Pelosi told the New York Times on Monday. "Whatever happens, he has been impeached forever. And now these senators, though they don't have the courage to assign the appropriate penalty, at least are recognising that he did something wrong." Mr Trump's top aides had previewed a mostly upbeat address by the up-for-reelection president in which he would spend ample time talking about his accomplishments since taking office especially the state of the US economy. Hours before the president boarded his heavily armored SUV then walked inside the House chamber a few minutes later, senior Democrats were discounting his record since taking office. "Time and again, President Trump and congressional Republicans have pursued policies that stack the deck against hard-working American families in favour of big corporations and the wealthiest few among the most significant of these is the Trump-GOP Tax Scam that was signed into law in December 2017," Pelosi's office said in a blast email around lunchtime, contending that 2017 law has not made increased median household incomes. "Over the past three years, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have made every effort to further enrich the wealthy few but they have gone out of their way to stand in the way of progress and economic justice for hard-working middle-class Americans," the speaker's office added Read more Trump prepares for State of the Union as Senate debates his removal Who is Gretchen Whitmer, the Democrat responding to Trump's SOTU Key swing-vote senator votes to acquit Trump Democrats' Iowa caucus debacle hands Trump another gift Grocery chain Foodtown will be rebranding four of its New Jersey stores as The Fresh Grocer, according to a press release from The Fresh Grocer. Stores located in Cedar Grove, Colonia, North Haledon and Washington Township (in Bergen County) will be rebranded. The store locations and rebranding dates are: Cedar Grove: 597 Pompton Ave. (Mar. 6) Colonia: 510 Inman Ave. (Feb. 14) North Haledon: 1068 High Mountain Rd. (Feb. 28) Washington Township: 315 Pascack Rd. (Feb. 21) The Maniaci family operates Foodtown under its Nicholas Markets company. In October, the Maniaci family announced it had joined retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp, which owns The Fresh Grocer and ShopRite. My customers know they get a top-notch, specialty grocery shopping experience at our stores, and we will continue to provide all the things our customers know and love while adding new and exciting features as we rebrand to The Fresh Grocer, David Maniaci, president and CEO of Nicholas Markets, said in the statement. This is the exciting next chapter in my familys 77-year history in the grocery business." There are 16 Foodtown stores in New Jersey, according to its website. The Fresh Grocer currently doesnt operate any stores in New Jersey, according to its website. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: Trader Joes taking the necessary steps to open another N.J. store Valentines Day 2020 gift guide: Candy, flowers and other ideas Burger franchise Diesel and Duke to reopen in Jersey City following renovations Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - The temporary visa freeze for Burundian students and businessmen is one of a series of preventive measures taken against the spread in Burundi of the coronavirus, which broke out in China last December, official sources told PANA here Tuesday Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 12:47:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's local governments and e-commerce platforms are moving to reduce rents and offer financial support to help small businesses tide over the novel coronavirus outbreak. Starting on Sunday, cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao and Suzhou have rolled out policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises by reducing their burdens of loans, rent and social security payments. The city of Beijing has extended the collection period of social insurance premiums to the end of July for companies in tourism, catering and other hard-hit industries, allowing them to delay their payment during the novel coronavirus epidemic. Suzhou in China's major export province Jiangsu has asked banks to increase financial support to small and micro-enterprises. It also said small and medium enterprises leasing state-owned properties will have their rent waived for one month and halved for another two months. Meanwhile, Suzhou, Shanghai and Qingdao have proposed to return half of the unemployment insurance premiums paid in the previous year to employers that do not lay off workers. The slew of supportive policies came as experts warned that small businesses, a major force in the job market and livelihood-related services, are more susceptible to the virus's economic repercussions. "Medium, small and micro-sized enterprises are major contributors to job creation. Supporting these enterprises will help prop up employment and protect economic vitality," said Xiao Zhixing, professor at Peking University HSBC School of Business. In a meeting Monday, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee stressed that supportive policies for enterprises and employment should be well implemented while enhanced efforts will be made to keep major sectors of the economy stable. Credit support for the manufacturing sector, small and micro-enterprises, as well as private firms, will be boosted, the People's Bank of China said Saturday in a circular released with other departments. On the market end, e-commerce platforms and market heavyweights are also ramping up their support for small businesses. Alibaba-backed Internet bank MYbank said starting from Feb. 2, the interest on loans will be cut for 1.5 million shops and 300,000 pharmaceutical shops in the epidemic epicenter Hubei Province. Small shopkeepers who contract the new coronavirus will enjoy interest exemption. Huazhu Group, one of China's largest hotel operators, announced it would halve franchise fees for all affiliated hotels nationwide from Feb. 1 to March 31. Those in the locked-down areas of Hubei will have franchise fees waived during the period, it said. Online food delivery and ticketing services platform Meituan Dianping also said all take-out businesses in Wuhan, capital of Hubei where most cases were reported, will have one month's commission exempted. The support may come as a godsend to many struggling small businesses. Zhou Qingsong, who operates a hotel with 40 employees in east China's Zhejiang Province, said their business volume has plummeted by 95 percent as many guests chose to stay at home to reduce infection risks during the Spring Festival, an otherwise peak travel time. "Excluding rent, our daily staff salaries, utility bills and other expenses are between 12,000 and 13,000 yuan (1,714-1,857 U.S. dollars). If this situation continues for 2-3 months, the hotel's cash flow will be under great strain," Zhou said. Chen Hongmei, who owns a small restaurant in Wuhan, said while the number of guests has dwindled, the takeout orders she has received have surged. "I'm happy about my decision to stay open so I could be helpful during this hard time," said Chen, whose eatery now handles over 100 takeout orders every day, including lunches for medical staff of nearby hospitals. Ji Qi, the founder of Huazhu Group, promised to avoid layoffs and salary cuts in a call to hotel owners and encouraged them not to yield to the temporary difficulties. "After SARS, China saw a boost in travel and consumption, which brought an unprecedented boon to many hotels. As long as we join hands to face the challenges, victory will be waiting for us," Ji said. Lian Weiliang, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a recent press conference that the new coronavirus epidemic will only have a temporary impact on China's economy, and the country's good economic fundamentals for long-term growth remain unchanged. As doctors scramble to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus, a potent brew of anti-retroviral and flu drugs has emerged as a possible defence against the disease that has killed hundreds. But the science is inconclusive on whether they are actually effective, and experts say a specific treatment could take years to develop. Here is what we know -- and don't know -- about the drugs deployed against the SARS-like virus. - Why anti-retrovirals? - Patients diagnosed with the common flu are often prescribed an antiviral drug widely known as Tamiflu. But seasonal flu is "very different from the Chinese coronavirus", said Sylvie van Der Werf at the Paris-based Pasteur Institute. So far the new coronavirus has infected tens of thousands worldwide and killed more than 420 people, mostly in mainland China. Two weeks ago Chinese doctors confirmed they had been giving anti-HIV drugs to coronavirus patients in Beijing, based on a 2004 study published after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that showed "favourable" responses. Used together, lopinavir and ritonavir decrease the amount of HIV cells in a patient's blood, stripping back the virus's ability to reproduce and attack the immune system. Doctors have also combined the treatment with another anti-flu drug called oseltamivir, hoping the creative cocktail can sap the new coronavirus of its strength. In Thailand, where there are now 25 confirmed cases, a 71-year-old Chinese patient returned a negative test within 48 hours of being given the three drugs. But Thai doctors urged caution, saying the medicine needed to be given under supervision due to possible side effects. - Does it actually work? - In short, we don't know for sure. The 2004 study showed anti-retrovirals used on patients with SARS had "substantial clinical benefits", experts in China said. But random trials on 41 coronavirus patients had "limitations", according to research published in The Lancet on January 24. Doctors in Singapore -- where there are 24 cases -- have followed suit with the anti-retroviral treatment, said the country's chief health scientist Tan Chorh Chuan, without going into details about the results. Other studies looked "promising" and a clinical trial has started in Wuhan. "These agents appear to be effective but we can't be certain at the moment," he said Tuesday. - What's big pharma doing? - Biotech firms are working on a suite of treatment options. California-based Gilead Sciences said they are working with Chinese authorities on clinical trials to determine if remdesivir -- a drug used to treat SARS -- is effective. Development of entirely new treatments are also underway. The US Health and Human Services department is partnering with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to develop monoclonal antibodies to fight the infection, a class of drug the company has successfully used to boost survival rates among Ebola patients. Meanwhile three teams around the world -- in China, Australia and the Pasteur Institute in France -- have now succeeded in cultivating the coronavirus in the laboratory. That could lead to pinpointing its "Achilles' heel" by understanding how it replicates in cells, said Christophe d'Enfert, the institute's scientific director. - So what should you do? - The best approach for the general public is to try and "stay healthy" so your immune system can offer a robust response to the threat of the virus, said Singapore's health minister Gan Kim Yong. But for already infected patients, hospitals must provide support to prevent complications. "Chances are if you already have underlying medical conditions... your defences are weak and your organs may already be impaired, and therefore the risk of death is higher," he told parliament Monday. - Home remedies and quackery - Misinformation has proliferated online about home and traditional remedies. A liquid made with honeysuckle and flowering plants used in traditional medicine was initially claimed to "inhibit" the virus, sparking frenzied buying in China. But Chinese state media later sounded a more cautionary note, as researchers warned of potential side effects. In India, where there are three reported confirmed cases, the government has touted ancient homeopathy and Ayurveda remedies as the answer. The jury is out on the effectiveness, and doctors still recommended that patients be treated in a hospital. Online posts erroneously identified saline as a coronavirus killer in Australia, while in Thailand social media suggested antiseptic should be sprayed in a person's mouth. The antiseptic brand Betadine has refuted the claim. burs-dhc/bfm/jm IP Court dismisses JTI move to discontinue brand protection of Russian firm RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 14:45 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) Russias Intellectual Property Court (IP Court) has upheld an earlier decision dismissing a Japan Tobacco International (JTI) petition to terminate the legal protection of WinSStar trademark owned by OOO Baltiyskaya Tabachnaya Fabrika, the court materials read. JTI sought to invalidate the decision of the Chamber for Patent Disputes of April 16, 2019. At that time, the patent agency refused to rule in favor of the Japanese company demanding to discontinue the protection of WinSStar brand, which, JTI believed, was confusingly similar to Winston trademark it owned and insisted that the Russian manufacturer attempted to unfairly use the public awareness and reputation of the respective product. Nevertheless, the Russian Federal Agency for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent) ruled in support of the Russian manufacturer finding no similarities as to the phonetics and semantics of the two brands. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:52:38|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- South African doctor Brett Lyndall Singh left the Chinese hospital at 6:30 p.m. after another busy day. The coronavirus outbreak had quieted the city, with few pedestrians on the streets. Singh is studying medicine in China and currently a clinical clerk at the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (WMU), east China's Zhejiang Province. He has spent nine years studying and working in the city, and chose to stay and hold his ground in the wake of the epidemic. "I'm a doctor and it is Wenzhou that made me who I am," Singh said. "Now the city needs me." Determined to study medicine as a child, he came to China and studied at WMU as an international student in 2011. He has worked in the hospital since 2016, where he sees more than 50 pediatric patients every day. Over the past three years, many local residents in Wenzhou have received medical treatment from the foreign doctor who can speak fluent Chinese. As the hometown of numerous merchants nationwide and all around the world, Wenzhou has nearly 2.5 million people living outside the city, incomplete statistics showed. According to a local government official, about 20,000 Wenzhou people returned to Wenzhou from Wuhan, the worst-affected area in the epidemic, before the Spring Festival. The city has the highest number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection among prefecture-level cities except those in Hubei Province in China, with a total of 364 confirmed cases reported by the end of Feb. 4. Although Singh was not assigned to treat patients infected by the novel coronavirus, he has been treating other patients. The foreign doctor also provides online medical consultations via WeChat. "People I know in Wenzhou did not flinch," he said. "Everyone is fighting." Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Wenzhou people from all over the world have donated money and supplies through various channels to support Hubei, Zhejiang and other places. "People have reduced their outdoor activities as requested and wear masks in public spaces. The suspected cases have been transferred to designated hospitals," Singh said. The city has so far seen 17 patients discharged from hospital after recovery. "People in Wenzhou are not panicked," Singh said. "I have faith in this city." Heres what we know so far. Most of the Democratic candidates are now barreling toward the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11. One prominent exception is Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, who is skipping the first four nominating contests but aggressively contesting larger states that begin voting in March. Details: The Iowa votes counted so far reflect 71 percent of the precincts and are relatively representative of the state. But the margin between Mr. Buttigieg and Mr. Sanders 26.8 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively, of the states delegate equivalents is unusually slim. Background: After a razor-close finish in Iowa between Hillary Clinton and Mr. Sanders in 2016, new standards this year required officials to submit three numbers rather than one from each of the states 1,600-plus precincts. That change, and a new app, slowed the reporting of results. Go deeper: The app had been designed to help Democrats to match the Republicans prowess in digital advertising. Its misfires raise new questions about how the party hopes to compete with the Trump campaign in the presidential election. MADRID The United States Embassy in Madrid has warned Americans visiting Spain to take extra precautions because of a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults over the last five years in the country. Embassy officials said they were unaware of any similar alerts for a European nation. The security alert, issued on Monday, came as the Spanish authorities are investigating a rape accusation filed by three American sisters against three Afghan men over events on New Years Eve in Murcia, in southeastern Spain. It also warned of the challenges that those who experience sexual assault face when seeking justice in the Spanish legal system. The embassy said its alert was a response to an increase in sex attacks against young U.S. citizen visitors and students throughout Spain. It cited data from Spains interior ministry, noting that the embassy in Madrid had dealt with six reported cases of sex attacks in January, which followed from 34 such reports last year. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC, Benjamin G. Ziff, the deputy chief of the United States mission in Madrid, said the issue is not only about data of sexual attacks and harassment, but the treatment that North American citizens get after the attack. Longines celebrates HydroConquest collection with Varun Tej. Swiss watch brand Longines showcased its HydroConquest collection in the presence of actor Varun Tej at the Longines Boutique located at Jubilee Hills. Swiss watch brand Longines showcased its HydroConquest collection in the presence of actor Varun Tej at the Longines Boutique located at Jubilee Hills. The store displays a large selection of Longines timepieces, including the most iconic watches of the brand as well as its latest models. Varun Tej said, Ive always aspired to be associated with a brand like Longines. Its elegance and its legacy have always drawn me towards it. I am so happy to launch this collection at their boutique today. From aclu.org: The Voting Rights Act is a historic civil rights law that is meant to ensure that the right to vote is not denied on account of race or color. 1867 1866 Civil Rights Act of 1866 grants citizenship, but not the right to vote, to all native-born Americans. 1869 Congress passes the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote. 1896 Louisiana passes grandfather clauses to keep former slaves and their descendants from voting. As a result, registered black voters drops from 44.8% in 1896 to 4.0% four years later. Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia follow Louisianas lead by enacting their own grandfather clauses. 1940 Only 3% of eligible African Americans in the South are registered to vote. Jim Crow laws like literacy tests and poll taxes were meant to keep African Americans from voting. Here is an example of real literacy test: The State of Louisiana Literacy Test (this test is to be given to anyone who cannot prove a fifth grade education) Do what you are told in each statement, nothing more, nothing less.Be careful as one wrong answer denotes failure of the test. You have 10 minutes to complete the test. Draw a line around the number of letter of this sentence. Draw a line under the last word of this line. Cross out the longest word of this line. Draw a line around the shortest word of this line. Circle the first, first letter of the alphabet in this line In the space below draw three circles, one inside by (engulfed by) the other. More here. (Note: Throughout February, at least one post will honor The Black History Month. This years theme is African Americans and the Vote. Readers are encouraged to send in their suggestions) I didnt have an 18th birthday, or a 19th, and around my 20th birthday I was finding out I was relapsing. I just thought, when is this going to end. For a number of reasons she was found to be unsuitable for a bone marrow transplant, however doctors felt she could be a good candidate for CAR-T treatment. In April last year, the federal Government announced funding to allow paediatric and young people with ALL to access CAR-T in Melbourne at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Dr Michael Dickinson is the disease group lead for aggressive lymphoma at Peter Mac and was one of the doctors who worked on Zoies case. He said in many ways she was typical of the type of patient who was beginning to access CAR-T. She had [cancer] that wasnt responding to chemotherapy and she wasnt eligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation, for a variety of reasons very specific to her, he said. But she had exhausted her conventional treatment options and needed something different. ALL is a relatively rare cancer, affecting about 30 people in Australia every year, however the federal government last month announced it was expanding CAR-T eligibility to a range of lymphoma sufferers, potentially helping hundreds of patients. Bill Petch, CEO of the Leukaemia Foundation, which helped Zoie access CAR-T and supported her as a blood disease patient, said the expansion of the therapy was a great first step. CAR-T is available for patients who have failed previous therapies, so you're talking about people who have run out of options, he said. Loading Its not the holy grail 'cure for cancer' but it is a very effective therapy for patients who previously did not have any options left. Dr Dickinson said doctors were naturally very conservative around new treatment options, however he was excited by the possibilities the treatment suggested. For the two diseases where the approvals are in, its clear that it offers durable remissions which probably amount to a cure, he said. He pointed out that CAR-T on the raw numbers still had a far lower success rate than standard chemotherapy, and much more testing was needed before CAR-T was moved from an option of last resort to a potential first line of attack against aggressive blood cancers. Loading The therapy is only available in Victoria, with adults being treated at Peter Mac and children at The Royal Childrens Hospital, and patients from other states required to travel to receive it. NSW was expected to make CAR-T available in the near future, however Dr Dickinson said equal access to the treatment across the country was vital. We need to make sure that as this therapy rolls out, a patient in the Northern Territory is as likely to be offered it and receive it as a patient in Melbourne, he said. On the night of 2 February, around 11.45 pm, as I sit on GD Birla Road, recording and editing videos of the Shaheen Bagh protest, a boy tells me shots have been fired at Jamia again. I dont tweet about it yet but wait, and continue working. There are whispers amongst the youngsters; everyone else carries on with the events in the tent. Activists had earlier initiated a #GoliNahiPhool day in response to shooting gun-wielding visitors Shaheen Bagh is receiving. The women sitting in, keep sitting in. The ladies making announcements make announcements. It is Umar Khalids turn to go up next. He makes a passionate speech invoking everyone from Bhagat Singh to Bismil to Babasaheb Ambedkar, claiming pre-existing citizenship, completely bamboozling anyone with preconceived notions about the political positions of Kashmiri Muslims. Hijabi women and children are sitting-in with aunties, punk chicks, students, daadis, YouTubers and media waale. From the stage they have received various metaphors: Jhansi Ki Rani, Fatima, Durga Mata, Kali Ma, Bharat Mata. With applause, they welcome all. Kahaan hai kattharpanti Islamism yahaan? Im more conservative than the hijabis. The idea of being co-opted into a patriarchal nationalistic narrative that is used by casteist, communal Brahmin supremacist bigots to further their agenda rankles me to eternity. But here is a stage where everyone from Brahmins to Pasmandas are able to have their say. Umar Khalid looks like a not-too-tall regular boy for his stature, I think. A 10-year-old comes and tells me to be alert: Umar needs to be protected. I just look confused and nod. It gets colder. Wow, I never made it India Art Fair; wasted my hard-earned money purchasing that ticket. But after they banned any solidarity, it didnt seem worth it. Above image: Shaheen Bagh | Goli Nahi Phool | 2 February 2020 | Photo by Priyadarshini Ohol *** BJP leaders have been calling for the people here to be shot. Since then, at least three armed men have arrived, and the women still sit here. On 28 January, volunteers tackled a group of infiltrators, one of whom brandished a gun. On 30 January, a youth fired at the protestors in Jamia, injuring Shadab, a student from Kashmir. That same day, the Hindu Sena called on Hinduwaadi brothers from all over the country to mobilise on 2 February, to clear the road of the Shaheen Bagh protest if the government didnt by 4 pm that evening. On 1 February, a man identifying himself as Kapil Gurjar fired three shots at Shaheen Bagh. Most media outlets reported it as shots fired in the air. I went to Shaheen Bagh in the evening to talk to people and took a beautiful picture of a man in sajdah in front of the site of the firing, where the shell casings fell. I was introduced to the boys who faced Gurjar; they told me he didnt shoot in the air he shot towards them. *** The morning news on 2 February reported that a mob of a few hundred was pushed back by the police on the first barricade under the bridge. When I get there, there are only a few hangers on, police, some news crews. They ask for my ID to allow me to pass through, ask which channel?. I say Im an independent artist. They still want to see a media pass or something. I show them my youth hostel I-card and go in. In between the first and second barricades, a larger than normal CRPF deployment is visible. So much of the force is present with guns that I wonder if it is an Army battalion. I naively ask which battalion it is. CRPF, they respond. There is tension in the air. I ask if they have any orders to storm or break up [the crowd]. One fellow tells me, Force has been deployed so lets see. An intimidating looking Sikh officer eyes me suspiciously. I attempt a conversation, asking if theres any danger or alert. Someone replies laconically, Why would we be in danger in our own country? After a bit of reluctant banter (they aren't allowed to talk and my camera makes me look like a mediawaali) the other men call the officer Baba and crack jokes. I capture them as I pass along: lined up on the sides, another 360-degree shot of them scattered over the other side of the divider. It must look strange to them. All this capturing I do in various ways with the intention of making video art. They are trying to place who and what I am. I say Bye, Babaji as I leave. Everyone cracks up. They too are human after all. At the second barricade, police and CRPF personnel walk over to take stock. I use the camera from various angles. They look at me and diffuse. Youd better use this footage for something Piu! No sitting on it because editing is boring! Probable fifth-place finisher Amy Klobuchar, all but claiming victory on Caucus Night. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images One of the traditional functions of the Iowa caucuses has been to winnow the field of candidates unworthy to make the long haul into the primaries. Indeed, the legendary saying was, There are three tickets out of Iowa, meaning that anyone who finished fourth or lower there needed to pack it in. And this really did seem to be the case in some cycles in the past. In 2004, nine candidates started the race, but the competition soon devolved to the top three finishers in Iowa (Kerry, Edwards, and Dean). In 2008, a similarly sizable field quickly shrank in Iowa; two estimable contenders, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, withdrew on Caucus Night, and three others John Edwards, Bill Richardson, and Dennis Kucinich were gone by the end of January, making it a two-way ObamaClinton race the rest of the way. Yes, more candidates than usual survived Iowa in the giant 2016 Republican field (the alleged three tickets were won by Cruz, Trump, and Rubio, but the original front-runner, Jeb Bush along with Chris Christie and John Kasich stayed in the race through losses in New Hampshire). And its been obvious for some time that in 2020 four Democratic candidates (Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, and Warren) were doing well enough in Iowa and had sufficient prospects in later states to stick around at least for a while. Below that top tier, however, the delayed results from Iowa may have undermined the usual winnowing effect. The most obvious candidate for Palookaville was Amy Klobuchar. Her claim to fame was proximity to Iowa, and a particular claim to electability based on natural strength in places like well, Iowa. Heading toward the caucuses, her campaign was enjoying some buzz. But based on returns from 70 percent of Iowa precincts, it looks like she will finish fifth in first-alignment raw votes, final-alignment raw votes, and state-delegate equivalents all three metrics for determining performances in the caucuses. So by any conventional standard, Iowa should have probably been curtains for Klobuchar. But instead, in the uncertainty of Monday night, she was smart enough to get out there first with what almost sounded like a victory statement. Its also possible, of course, that when the final final results from Iowa are in, Klobuchar will have edged ahead of Joe Biden, which would indeed qualify her for a ticket out of Iowa while casting much larger doubts on Bidens viability than the uncertain situation we have now has justified. There are two other candidates who invested serious resources in Iowa and did poorly, but did not get the sort of voice-of-doom pronouncements under-performers typically receive on Caucus Night. Sixth-place finisher Andrew Yang spent an estimated $6.9 million on ads in Iowa more than Elizabeth Warren or Amy Klobuchar. He wound up winning just over 5 percent of the raw first alignment vote (according to returns from 70 percent of precincts), but his forces didnt often reach the viability thresholds so his support dropped to one percent in both final alignments and SDEs. On Caucus Night, Yang deemed his effort a success: Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang spoke to supporters in Iowa on Monday night as the results of the states presidential caucuses were coming in. He said his campaign had shocked the world time and time again, and would continue to grow all the way to the White House. He vowed to continue campaigning and encouraged supporters to keep donating to the cause. And why not? No one could definitively gainsay him at that point. An even bigger loser by past standards was billionaire Tom Steyer, who led all spending in Iowa by buying over $16 million in ads. He also spent a lot of time in the state. In the latest results, he has 1.7 percent in first-alignment raw votes (2,247 souls); 0.2 percent in final-alignment raw votes; and 0.3 percent in SDEs. He, too, hurried to profess optimism before any results had been reported on Caucus Night: Tom Steyer told a room full of supporters Monday night that he plans to use the Iowa caucuses as a building block for his campaign, regardless of what place he finishes. No matter what happens tonight, this is the foundation, he said in front of a crowd at the Iowa Taproom in Des Moines, where staffers and supporters gathered to watch the results roll in. We will keep going, and we will build from here. The bottom line is that among the other consequences of Iowas slow count, you can add that the states winnowing power may have been transferred to next-in-line New Hampshire. There were so many tickets out of Iowa that the train remains overfilled beyond any safe capacity. Update: The Senate voted to acquit President Trump on Feb. 5. On Wednesday, the Senate will most likely vote to acquit President Trump. The vote should send shock waves through our democracy. It is not so much that the Senate is absolving him of all charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power; the shock waves should emanate from how his Republican allies go about it. By rejecting a conviction, the party will demonstrate that it believes anything goes in winning elections. Most Republican senators have insisted that in pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, Mr. Trump did nothing wrong. A few say he crossed a line, but they have never explained why his actions fall short of conviction, or what it would take for them to consider a conviction. Rather than reining in a president who clearly abused his power for personal gain, most Republicans have conceded to Mr. Trumps overarching defense: that his re-election would serve the public interest. That argument was enough, for his Senate allies, to override campaign finance laws and the norms of governance that have prevailed in our country until this presidency. This defense is a natural outgrowth of the unitary executive theory, a legal doctrine advanced by apologists for the imperial presidency, including Attorney General William Barr. It was Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor representing Mr. Trump, who gave this idea its most outrageous frame: Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, he said. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Two longtime top allies of Gov. Phil Murphy have been fired from their jobs helping organize the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee over allegations they fostered a toxic and unstable working environment." Liz Gilbert and Adam Alonso who previously worked on Murphys 2017 campaign and later for New Jerseys Democratic Party have been terminated from their posts leading the host committee for Julys convention, the committees board of directors said in a statement late Tuesday night. The move comes a day after the board initially sidelined Gilbert and Alonso from their jobs as it launched an investigation after the anonymous allegations surfaced. The board said Gilbert, the committees president, would not be in the office and Alonso, the committees chief of staff, was placed on administrative leave. On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the investigation was sparked after senior women who worked on the committee sent an anonymous letter on Jan. 30 to the board saying Alonso bullied and intimidated them and that Gilbert enabled the behavior. The board fired the pair just hours after the newspaper published that letter, ending two days of escalating drama. The Journal Sentinel was the first to report about the firings Tuesday night. Earlier Tuesday, NJ Advance Media reported that sources said Murphy was cutting professional ties with Alonso, who once served as the governors deputy chief of staff and has remained as a top adviser. A day earlier, the New Jersey State Democratic Committee announced it severed ties with Alonso, who has continued to do consulting work for the state party even as he worked in Milwaukee. In its statement, the Milwaukee host committee said: "Every employee has a right to feel respected in their workplace." Based on the information we have learned to date, we believe the work environment did not meet the ideals and expectations of the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee Board of Directors," the board added in the statement, a copy of which was obtained by NJ Advance Media. Accordingly, Liz Gilbert and Adam Alonso are no longer employed by the organization, effective immediately. The board said it will continue the investigation being conducted by an independent law firm. A timeline has not been set. The move is another headache for Murphy, a Democrat who has recently faced similar allegations against his 2017 campaign. Another former adviser, Julie Roginsky, publicly accused the campaign of being marred by a misogyny and a toxic work environment. Murphys office has so far declined comment on the allegations in Milwaukee against Gilbert and Alonso, who began leading the host committee in May 2019. Gilbert and Alonso have not returned multiple messages from NJ Advance Media seeking comment. But Gilberts attorney, Peg Schaffer of Bernardsville, told NJ Advance Media late Tuesday night that she and Gilbert are outraged the board would fire somebody based on unsubstantiated allegations." Schaffer another Murphy ally who is chairwoman of the Somerset County Democratic Party and interim vice chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee said Gilbert spoke with an investigator earlier Tuesday. We were expecting to have a result that dealt with whether there was actually any basis for claims being made anonymously, the Bernardsville-based attorney said. Instead of dealing with her fairly, they simply fired her. Schaffer said Gilbert who was national finance director for Murphys 2017 campaign and later executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee is strong leader and a strong woman." It frustrates me that women in that situation who are taskmasters, they get complaints from women about working in a hostile workplace, Schaffer added. Life is not as easy as we all want it to be. Schaffer said Gilbert is not in the business of suing people" but suggested she suffered possible reputational damage." She and I will talk about our next steps, the attorney said. Alonso told the Journal Sentinel on Monday he is proud of his team in Milwaukee and would cooperate with the investigation. Tuesdays ouster comes about six months before Milwaukee is set to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, where the national party will formally pick its nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November. The host committee is in charge of helping raise millions of dollars and hire thousands of staff members for the convention. The Journal Sentinel also cited anonymous sources Monday that accused Gilbert and Alonso steering contracts to friends in New Jersey. In their Jan. 30 letter, senior women who work on the host committee said they turned to the board because they have no human resources department. They said Alonso bullied and intimidated primarily female staffers and that Gilbert allowed it to happen. That created a culture that coddles male senior advisors and consultants who have no clear role or clear lanes of management" and discourages honest feedback and discourse," the women wrote. This has significantly impacted staff morale resulting in a fear of retribution and lack of trust among not only senior but junior staff as well, they added. Since November, complaints of this nature were brought to the attention of Liz Gilbert, who has gone on to defend him, the women continued. Our challenges have been entirely dismissed. NEW: Letter from women at Host Committee for Dem Convention: "(Chief of staff) Adam Alonso has consistently bullied & intimidated staff members, but of note is that this is primarily directed at the women on staff ... resulting in a culture that coddles male senior advisors" pic.twitter.com/6OnFNx1Fnl Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) February 4, 2020 Convention organizers said though the staffers letter was dated Jan. 30, the board did not receive it or know of the allegations until Feb. 1 this past Saturday. This controversy comes less than two weeks after Roginsky, a top adviser to Murphys campaign, said she emailed Murphy in 2017 about a toxic work culture in his campaign. Murphy said in a statement last month that Roginsky was involved in a dispute with senior staffers and that her comments did not reflect a larger workplace issue. Adam Alonso is shown in a file photo. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 6 2020 From pines to palms: Russian artist and curator Vladimir Anisimov (center) gives a press tour before the opening of the Necklace of Equator art exhibition, which commemorates 70 years of Indonesian-Russian diplomatic relations, at the National Gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday. (JP/Apriza Pinandita ) Paintings and historical archives bearing witness to Indonesia and Russias close friendship are on display for two weeks as an exhibition in Jakarta has kicked off to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between the partners. Eighty-five paintings by 10 Russian artists and some rare photographs taken from Indonesias National Archives (Arsip Nasional) are exhibited at the National Gallery of Indonesia from Feb. 3 to 17. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login A mother-daughter duo suspected of suffering from coronavirus was admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital here on Wednesday. They had arrived Amritsar from New Zealand via China, officials said. They had complained of severe pain in their throat after which they were taken to the hospital and their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, they said. On Tuesday, state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu had said that samples of 22 patients had tested negative for coronavirus. "The National Institute of Virology has confirmed 22 negative cases while the report of one patient from Faridkot will be received shortly," Sidhu had said. The minister had said of 85 cases, 84 were found be asymptomatic while 77 patients had been kept under observation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an aim to make Orchha part of the the 'Golden Circle' due to its close proximity with Delhi, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism on Wednesday announced a three-day 'Namaste Orchha' cultural festival, beginning from March 6. "Through 'Namaste Orchha', we will showcase the historic town on the offbeat destination map located on the banks of Betwa river. With this festival we are targeting value tourists who wants to explore and experience offbeat destinations," Festival Director Yasmin Kidwai told PTI here. This is just the beginning and going forward, Madhya Pradesh Tourism want Orchha to become a part of the 'Golden Circle' (Jaipur-Agra-Delhi) as the historical town is just four-and-a-half hours from the capital city and two hours from Agra, Kidwai added. This festival will not only attract inbound tourists, but will also help in empowering the locals, she pointed out. Of the three lakh inbound tourists that visit Madhya Pradesh, she said over a lakh of them visit Orchha. "Our main source market in France, Germany, the US and Spain," she added. She said, Orchha is a hidden gem in Madhya Pradesh and thrives on its celebrated heritage, natural beauty, culture and creativity. The three-day extravaganza in this ancient and quaint town will feature diverse activities of music, dance, art, wellness, travel, nature, adventure, history and culture. These activities would be led by experts in their respective fields with participants comprising invited delegates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On February 5, 1990, then Minister of Culture Andrei Plesu reopened the the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, naming painter Horia Bernea its director. One of the greatest contemporary Romanian painters, whose exhibitions in the country and abroad have remained as permanent reference points in the field, Bernea was born in Bucharest, on September 14, 1938. From 1990 until his death in 2000, he was director of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest, contributing to the redefinition of ethnomuseology in Romania, according to www.eminescuipotesti.ro. "I was appointed and maybe God gave me this gift, to make a museum about something old. Make a museum in the sense of intuiting it, picturing it, giving it a spirit. At the core of our museum I put the peasant ?icon' and added peasant to its name. I am dominated by the strong faith in the values of the peasant art, its validity and the respect for these people who did not know how to defend themselves." ("Cateva ganduri despre cantitati, mentalitate si incrucisare"/Some thoughts about quantities, mentality and crossover, Horia Bernea, CRUCEA file, Romanian Peasant Museum, 1993; www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro.) After a series of temporary exhibitions, only in the spring of 1993 was the museum opened with a first part of the permanent exhibition, placed under the generous sign of the Cross. Halls with icons followed in 1994, and in 1996 the inauguration of the museum floor, under the significant title "Triumph". In 1996, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant received the European Museum of the Year (EMYA ) award for the originality of its exhibition and for the way in which the museum's actions were presented to the public. It was for the first time that the prestigious award went to a country in Eastern Europe. Painter Horia Bernea is a class of 1958 graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Bucharest, a class of 1962 graduate of the Technical School of Architecture and Constructions, and a class of 1965 graduate of the Pedagogical Institute - Drawing Department. He made his debut in 1966, together with Paul Negulescu and others, at Cenaclul Tineretului of the Union of Visual Artists. In 1967 he mounted his first personal exhibition in Bucharest. There were personal and group exhibitions between 1967-1998 in Bucharest, The Hague, Budapest, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, and Paris. He is the recipient of numerous prizes including the Painting Prize of the Union of Romania's Visual Artists (UAP) (1970); Stahly Prize at the Paris Biennale (1971); Prize of the "Art" journal (1972); the Ion Andreescu Prize of the Romanian Academy (1978); the great prize of the UAP (1983); the prize for exceptional contribution to the recovery of the spiritual traditions of the peasant civilization, granted by the Romanian Cultural Foundation (1994); the George Apostu Grand Prize awarded by the Bacau International Centre for Culture and Arts in (1995); the Group for Social Dialogue's prize for the promotion of civil society and the rule of law, posthumously awarded in 2000; a member of the For Merit Order in the rank of Great Cross awarded by Romania's President in 2000. The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant is the continuator of the Museum of Ethnography, National, Decorative and Industrial Arts established under Royal Decree 2777 of July 13, 1906, signed by King Carol I. Then Church Minister Mihail Vladescu appointed ethnographer Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcas director of the museum. The organisation operated on the site of the former State Mint until 1912, when the cornerstone of what was to become the "neo-Romanian" building of the Roadside Museum was laid. The name was changed to the Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcas Museum of Ethnography and National Arts, as the old name that was deemed 'unnecessarily complicated.' Later, it became the Carol I National Arts Museum. Architect Nicolae Ghica-Budesti was the one who was entrusted with drawing up the blueprint for the building that was to house the museum and co-ordinating the works. The building is representative of the neo-Romanian style that draws from traditional Romanian architecture, especially the Brancovan style, and it is noted by the expressiveness of composition as a whole. Floral and zoomorphic decorative elements were used in a balanced way that together with the red brick masonry, perforated elements, the columns of the lodge, the balustrade, the large arched windows, the silhouette of the central tower, give to the building that importance of a true palace of art. After endless interruptions, works completed in 1941, with the building taking on its current appearance. In the 1960s, offices and related rooms were added, independent of the stylistic elements of Nicolae Ghica-Budesti's conception. The new construction, located behind the building, is peculiar for its big-sized mosaic reflecting its times. In 1953, it was named the Lenin-Stalin Museum, then the Museum of the Romanian Communist Party. The collections were relocated for a while to Stirbey Palace on Calea Victoriei, where they formed the Museum of Folk Art of the Socialist Republic of Romania, after which they were moved to the storerooms of the Village Museum. In 1978, it merged with the Village Museum under the name of the Museum of the Village and Folk Arts. On February 5, 1990, it reopened as the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant. The heritage of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant consists of almost 90,000 items gathered in several collections: ceramics (18,000 items), folk costume (20,000 items from all the Romanian provinces, starting with the early mid-19th century), interior fabrics made of linen, hemp, cotton, raw silk (nearly 10,000 items), woolen fabrics (over 7,000 items), wood, furniture and ironwork (nearly 8,000 items), church objects (almost 4,000 items - glass and wood icons, icon prints, woodcuts, vestments, vessels and other objects for liturgical use, triptychs and crosses). The ceramic in the museum's collection is representative of the nearly 200 pottery centres of Romania, including Horezu, Vama, Curtea de Arges, Leheceni, Barsa, Marginea, Radauti and Fagaras. In 1991, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant took under its protection the wooden churches of Grosii Noi, Julita and Troas (Arad) and Lunca Motiilor (Hunedoara). The collections of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant are displayed in an innovative and original way, with most of the objects being presented to the public freely, no labels. A museum of an experimental nature, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant is constantly trying new ways of showcasing its collections. At the same time, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant tries to stay relevant through temporary exhibitions and its old and recent collections, as well as by organising traditional fairs on the important holidays of the Romanians, by promoting the "products of the Romanian peasants," its activities dedicated to children and diverse host of cultural actions (book launches and debates, anthropological concerts and films, colloquiums and cultural evenings, etc.). The 12th edition of the Days of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant was held on September 12-22, 2019, comprising a series of events, including an exhibition of tapestry and textile collage, "Cela Neamtu. RESTITUIRI," a trade fair of icon and cross craftsmen, European Heritage Days, a conference by Viviana Iacob on the digitisation of the Aurel Bauh collection, film screenings as part of the ANONIMUL 16 Retrospect, the Pelicula Festival and A Century of Romanian Filmmaking event in Bucharest, as well as the 100 Romanian Traditions Trade Fair. AGERPRES American Legion Post 523 will be meeting at 7 p.m. at Harrisburg Presbyterian Church, 4815 N.C. 49, Harrisburg. Follow American Legion No. 523 on social media via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Alzheimers support group for caregivers meets at Kannapolis Church of Christ at noon. The meeting is conducted by trained facilitators and is a safe place for caregivers, family and friends of people with dementia to develop a support system. The church is at 2315 Concord Lake Road, Kannapolis. The Cabarrus County Branch of the NAACP invites all people of good faith to join them at 6 p.m. This all-inclusive, all-welcoming group meets at the First Missionary Baptist Church fellowship hall, 192 Tournament Drive SW, Concord. Call Amos at 704-560-1877. Come in out of the cold and join the Cabarrus County Retired Nurses for lunch. The meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Golden Corral in Concord. Senior politician and People's Conference chairman Sajjad Lone and People's Democratic Party leader Waheed Parra, close aide of detained former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, were released from preventive detention in Srinagar on Wednesday, officials said. After the release of Lone and Parra, 13 political leaders now remain detained at the MLA hostel here which has been temporarily converted into a subsidiary jail. Lone and Parra walked free after being in preventive detention for over 180 days. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on Tuesday released two leaders -- former PDP MLA from Wachi in south Kashmir Aijaz Ahmad Mir and trade leader Shakeel Ahmed Qalandar, who is former president of the Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir. Since Sunday, a total of eight leaders have been released from preventive custody. These leaders were part of preventive detention of mainstream politicians, activists and trade leaders carried out after August 5 last year when the Centre withdrew the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Among the prominent leaders who are still under detention are NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. While Farooq Abdullah has been kept at his Gupkar house, his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah has been detained at Hari Niwas. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was initially lodged at Chesmashahi huts, has been shifted to a government building in the heart of Srinagar. The senior Abdullah was slapped with the stringent Public Safety Act on September 17 which was further renewed for a period of three months on December 16. Auto body shop owners may know better than anybody how well insurance companies take care of their customers. A report card released this week by an industry publication suggests that if youre looking for exceptional results, dont look to the nations largest carriers. None of the nations top 10 private passenger carriers earned more than a C+ national grade on the Crash Networks Insurer Report Card, although some did better in individual states. You have to look fairly far down in the rankings before you find one of the best-known and largest auto insurers, but most consumers will find an insurer or two among the 15 highest-graded who offer auto insurance policies in their state, stated Crash Network Editor and Publisher John Yoswick in a press release. The newsletter publisher asked 1,037 collision repair professionals in all 50 states to grade the insurers that they dealt with. Shops awarded each company a grade from A+ to F based on one question: How well does this insurers claims handling policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for motorists? The survey resulted in letter grades to 135 insurance carriers that had received a grade from at least 35 of the respondents. Of those 79 carriers received enough responses to merit a national ranking. The only A+ grade went to the North Carolina Farm Bureau, which is a relative gnat on the national scene but a big deal in its home state. The Farm Bureau Group was North Carolinas fifth-largest private passenger auto insurer in 2018, with $612 million in written premium and a 9.6% market share, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Chubb and Erie Insurance both received A- marks. Shops say the best insurance companies dont pressure them to cut corners or install lower-quality parts just to save the insurers money. The best insurance companies also arent adding more administrative steps that slow down the repair and claims process, Crash Network said in the report. Among the top ten insurers, Travelers, USAA Group, Nationwide and State Farm received C+grades. Farmers, Progressive Group, American Family, Geico, Liberty Mutual and Allstate received a C-. On the bottom of the scale, Loya, The General and Direct General received D grades. No carriers got an F. Body shops tended to rank carriers higher when they had direct repair agreements in place. USAA, for example, was ranked an A- when only grades given by body shops with DRPs were counted. State Farm and Travelers received Bs. But each of those grades dropped below a B when non-DRP scores were added in. Crash Network also received comments from auto body shop owners and managers. They have glowing remarks to carriers that paid for quality parts an prioritized timely repairs. Typical comments about low-grade carriers complained that they dont encourage the use of automaker-recommended repair procedures and are slow to respond to requests for approvals. You can find a link to download the Insurer Report Card here. [February 05, 2020] WorldRemit Announces Global Remittance Partnership with Alipay WorldRemit has announced a partnership with Alipay, enabling consumers to use the WorldRemit app or website for cross-border remittances to the Alipay app, bringing more convenient and inclusive transfer services to users around the world. "Our vision is to build a mobile-first, international payments service and we're excited to work with Alipay as a partner," said Tamer El-Emary, Chief Commercial Officer, WorldRemit. "The partnership will focus on innovation, customer experience and speed to market." In many markets around the world, the vast majority of remittances are still being sent 'offline'. Money is taken to, and collected from a physical agent, and usually subject to high transfer fees. With WorldRemit's mobile first approach to digitising remittances, the collaboration between Alipay and WorldRemit will help make remittance services more convenient and affordable, especially for migrant workers globally. The digital service will provide senders and recipients a fast, secure, and convenient way to transfer money whilst reducing the high associated costs. "China has the highest mobile payment penetration globally. With 35 million Chinese living abroad, the World Bank estimated that Chinese diaspra sent home over $67 billion in 2018. With our mobile-first approach to digitising remittances, this collaboration with Alipay will deliver an easy to use and convenient mobile-to-mobile money transfer service for both the sender and receiver," explained Daniel Canning, managing director, North America, WorldRemit. The partnership with WorldRemit marks a further step in Alipay's efforts to harness the power of digital and mobile technology, to make financial services more inclusive and affordable, especially for underserved and underbanked individuals worldwide. "We look forward to working with WorldRemit to build a remittance service that is fast, secure, and cost effective," said Ma Zhiguo, Alipay's head of global remittances. "The unique mobile to mobile payment experience that this partnership delivers allows us to provide a convenient money transfer service to Alipay customers." The international money transfer service to the Alipay app is now available from over 40 countries. About WorldRemit WorldRemit is a leading fintech providing international money transfer services. We disrupted an industry previously dominated by offline legacy players by taking international money transfers online - making them safer, faster and lower-cost. We currently send from 50 to 150 countries, operate in 6,500 money transfer corridors worldwide and employ over 800 people worldwide. On the sending side WorldRemit is 100% digital (cashless), increasing convenience and enhancing security. For those receiving money, the company offers a wide range of options including bank deposit, cash collection, mobile airtime top-up and mobile money. Backed by Accel, TCV and Leapfrog - WorldRemit's headquarters are in London, UK with a global presence including in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. For more information visit www.worldremit.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005398/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Houston, Texas-based insurance broker Insgroup Inc. (Insgroup), has acquired substantially all of the assets of the Harris F Underwood III Inc. (HFU) agency in Dallas. The deal between the two firms is effective as of Jan. 1 and is Insgroups second announced acquisition in the DFW Metroplex in the past twelve months. HFU has been serving the needs of commercial and private clients in the DFW area for more than 40 years, and has earned a strong reputation for client advocacy under the leadership of Chris Hill, co-founder, and Cash Harbaugh, president. HFUs focus on serving the insurance needs of Commercial Real Estate owners and managers is a natural fit for our large Real Estate practice. In addition to growing our Real Estate book of business and helping us push into the DFW market in this niche, we will use HFUs office as a launching pad for growth in DFW in other verticals including construction, manufacturing, transportation, financial/professional services, as well as private clients, Insgroup President and CEO Brian Kapiloff said in a media release. Through the partnership, the entire Underwood team has joined Insgroup and will continue to operate at its current location in downtown Dallas under the existing leadership of Harbaugh and Hill. Founded more than 40 years ago in Houston, Insgroup is one of the largest brokerage firms in Texas. The firm maintains offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston, and practices in the following areas: commercial insurance brokerage and risk management; employee benefits consulting and brokerage; and private client insurance services. Source: Insgroup Inc. Topics Mergers Agencies SALEM, Ore. A coalition of Oregonian truckers, loggers, and other opponents of a divisive cap-and-trade proposal plan to rally at the state capitol in Salem this week, protesting the inevitable return of a bill that roiled Oregon last year. In June of 2019, Republican senators fled the state to deny a vote on the legislation, which Democratic lawmakers supported as a method of lowering the state's greenhouse gas emissions. Opponents of the bill argued that it would prove devastating to logging and other industries that employ many Oregonians particularly in rural areas of the state. Cap and trade will force businesses to move and cost thousands of living-wage jobs for Oregonians. Democrats prioritize special interests over hard-working Oregonians. pic.twitter.com/FCZbc02MJP Oregon Senate Republicans (@ORSenateRs) January 30, 2020 In solidarity with the Republicans and in vehement opposition to House Bill 2020, truckers and loggers many of them loosely organized under the "Timber Unity" banner gathered in Salem to oppose the legislation. READ: Loggers gather at state capitol to protest cap-and-trade legislation Those rallies included hundreds of truckers from across the state, including several from the F.V. Martin Trucking Company in Medford. "My motivation is to try to kill House Bill 2020, which affects all industries in Oregon," said Nick Berryhill, one of the F.V. Martin truckers who turned out. "The logging and the farming community, we're all family, we're all friends and we all get along. I wanted to be a part of it." Meanwhile, the walkout quickly led to tension in the halls of Oregon's government, with Governor Kate Brown threatening to bring Republican senators back using the state police. One Republican lawmaker said that troopers should send bachelors and "come heavily armed" if they wanted to bring him back to the legislature. Regardless, Democrats were forced to admit defeat on HB 2020. Republican senators returned after receiving assurances that the bill was dead, if only for the year. READ: Oregon's Republican walkout ends, cap-and-trade bill 'dead' With a new legislative session underway, murmurs of a modified bill in the same vein proposed by Democrats have already begun to circulate. In response, the Timber Unity group has planned another rally in Salem on Thursday, February 6. "We want everybody to be there, you dont have to bring a truck or a tractor," organizers posted on Facebook. "We want people, we want working class Oregonians Americans that are fed up with overtaxation and all government overreach . . . doesnt matter how you get there just be there." State transportation officials, at least, are anticipating a significant turnout. "Travelers should expect increased traffic on state highways in southwestern Oregon on Thursday Feb. 6," the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said in a statement on Tuesday. "Truck convoys are being organized around the state for a rally in Salem." The agency said that there are convoys scheduled to travel I-5 through Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas counties early that morning. Another convoy will leave Coos County along Highway 42. Congestion is expected in the Portland area as well. Naturally, Salem will be the epicenter of congestion from the influx of truckers. "Consider alternative routes, leave extra travel time and plan for delays," ODOT said, specifically addressing the Salem area. "A similar rally last year included several hundred large trucks." After the chaotic end to the 2019 legislative session, Governor Brown told reporters that she was willing to work with Republicans and industry leaders for compromises on climate legislation, but ultimately concluded that she was willing to use executive power if those negotiations proved fruitless. Democratic lawmakers have said that a new version of the cap-and-trade bill, Senate Bill 1530, includes concessions that will protect rural Oregonians and the state's "economic vitality." We have to recognize that we are in a climate crisis, and this crisis is probably disproportionately affecting rural Oregon," Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick (D-Portland) told KGW. "We're seeing unprecedented levels of forest fires that are more intense, we're seeing drying up of the water table in parts of Eastern Oregon, we're seeing flooding, we're seeing weather fluctuations that are harming our agriculture industry . . . so this is not an optional thing we're doing. The coming Timber Unity rally suggests that many people who protested HB 2020 are not convinced the new version of the bill will allay their concerns, and Republican lawmakers have already voiced opposition to cap-and-trade since the new session began. "Democrats have put a term in the cap and trade legislation to account for the lost jobs and businesses," Senator Herman Baertschiger (R-Grants Pass) posted. "It's called 'leakage.' They know Oregon will lose jobs with this legislation and those in rural Oregon will be devastated." Scientists have identified key genes that may protect against Alzheimer's, raising hope of a drug to slash the risk of the cruel disorder A study by University College London Genetics Institute looked at the DNA of 10,000 people over 60, half of whom had Alzheimer's. Those who did not have the memory-robbing disease were more likely to have nine specific genes. They reduce the function of proteins called tyrosine phosphatases - known to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's by encouraging brain cell death. It's the first time the genes have been found in people. Campaigners said the findings could 'pave the way' for a treatment to prevent or slow down Alzheimer's. Animal studies have suggested Alzheimer's could be prevented by stopping tyrosine phosphatases from growing. The hopes millions of Alzheimer's sufferers have been raised after scientists identified genes that may protect against the memory-robbing disorder (stock image) Professor David Curtis, who led the study, which was published in the journal Annals of Human Genetics, said: 'These results are quite encouraging. 'It looks as though when naturally-occurring genetic variants reduce the activity of tyrosine phosphatases then this makes Alzheimer's disease less likely to develop, suggesting that drugs which have the same effect might also be protective.' Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting some 850,000 people in the UK. This figure is predicted to rise to more than one million by 2025. There is currently no cure. In the US there are 5.8million people living with Alzheimer's and the number of people dying from the condition more than doubled (145 per cent increase) between 2000 and 2017. A predicted 13.8m Americans over the age of 65 will have the disease by 2050. However, the latest research raises hopes that scientists may be able to identify people who will go on to suffer from the disease. In the study, Dr Curtis and his colleagues looked at more than 15,000 genes, and more than a million variations which affect how genes work. They found those with a lower risk of Alzheimer's displayed more variants that disrupt how tyrosine phosphatases work. Tyrosine phosphatases hamper the functioning of a cell-signalling pathway which is important for cell survival, called PI3K/Akt/GSK-3. When this pathway does not work properly, tau is allowed to build up and cause Alzheimer's. As it builds up, it forms tangles which kill brain cells and destroy memory. This is thought to cause Alzheimer's. Therefore, the variations in some people's genes which damage how tysorine phosphatases work, or stop them from being made at all, could help prevent the disease. Dr Curtis said: 'Here's a natural experiment in people that helps us understand how Alzheimer's disease develops. 'As some people have these genetic variants and some don't, we can see that the impact of having particular variants is a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease. 'Finding DNA variants which modify the risk of Alzheimer's disease is useful as it may help us develop drugs which target the same proteins.' Scientists said treatments could work in a way that blocks the functioning of tyrosine phosphatases. Dr Curtis and his colleagues noted that one drug candidate is berginin, a chemical which exists in a medicinal herb used by traditional Indian healers. It has not been proven to work in people but has shown some protective affects on brain cells in rat studies. The study also found evidence implicating a gene not previously known to affect Alzheimer's risk, called C1R. The gene is already known to be involved in periodontal Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease which causes symptoms including chronic gum inflammation by affecting the connective tissue in the body. Previous research suggests that gum infections may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And Professor Curtis speculated there may be a mechanism whereby genetic variants in C1R lead to some degree of gum disease, which in turn predisposes people to Alzheimer's disease. Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'This is the first time we've been able to show this gene variant, may reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease in humans. 'Researchers will now look to target the proteins coded for by this gene variant with drugs to try and replicate the same reduction in risk.' Ms Carragher said the research brings science 'one step closer' to decoding how genes determine Alzheimer's risk. '[It] could pave the way for the first treatment to prevent or slow it down. 'Dementia is devastating. We owe it to the 850,000 people in the UK currently living with dementia to understand the condition better and find a cure.' Dr Katy Stubbs, of the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said more research will need to look into whether these genes are worthy of drug investment. She said: 'These findings suggest that certain changes to genes involved in maintaining the delicate energy balance in our cells may increase our risk of Alzheimer's, while others may help protect against the disease. 'While genetic discoveries are often an important starting point for research into new treatments, it is too early to say whether drugs that target this genetic pathway in people could help tackle Alzheimer's without hampering other crucial cellular processes.' Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) president Pravin Togadia on Wednesday alleged that the protests against the NRC, including the Shaheen Bagh stir, were planned by the BJP in connivance with some Muslim leaders to "awaken" Hindus and win their votes. He also alleged that in return of the protests being carried out by Muslims, the government will not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the country and give shelter to three crore Bangladeshi infiltrators. Togadia demanded 'Bharat Ratna' for Balasaheb Thackeray, (late Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader) Ashok Singhal, (late head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas) Ramchandra Paramhans and (late chief priest of Gorakhnath temple) Mahant Avaidyanath, for their contribution in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. "The BJP is staging the Shaheen Bagh protest in connivance with some Muslim leaders to awaken Hindus and to attract them towards the party," he said in a press conference here. "I feel there was a meeting held between Muslim clerics and the BJP. This meeting was also reported in the media. Subsequently, demonstrations and Shaheen Bagh started," Togadia added. "Hindus were not giving votes to the BJP, which is why it lost elections in Haryana and Jharkhand. Earlier, it also faced setbacks in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Hence, Muslims in Shaheen bagh are now awakening Hindus and doing marketing for the BJP," he alleged. "Protest rallies by Muslims across the country are awakening the Hindus and in return the government will not implement the NRC in the country and give shelter to three crore Bangladeshi infiltrators, thereby making the Hindus in the country unsafe," he said. Replying to a query on the BJP-Shiv Sena break-up in Maharashtra, Togadia reminded the BJP that when it was "politically untouchable" only Shiv Sena stood behind it. "They (Sena) had demanded sharing of the chief ministerial post for two-and-a-half years. You do not become small if you give something to your younger brother. Shiv Sena stood by BJP in all its ups and downs and on the issue of Hindutva. The BJP has done wrong. The decision comes as a loss for Hindutva," he said. He also criticised the Centre over the current economic condition. "Had the economic responsibility been given to some competent person, then there would not have been 10 crore unemployed people in the country. The country's economy is on oxygen support," he added. Condemning the incident wherein a woman lecturer was set on fire at Hinganghat in Wardha district of Maharashtra, he demanded that the accused be given punishment by a court within 100 days. "The violence against women have increased. It is the failure of the Indian government. The conviction rate in cases of violence against women is just 18 per cent. How can women be safe in this country? The conviction rate should be 100 per cent," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A pensioner who parked in a disabled parking spot outside of a Coles supermarket has been shamed by another driver - but not everyone agrees he's at fault. The 74-year-old man was pictured sitting in his Ford Falcon which was parked in the bay in Epping, in Sydney's north west on Sunday morning as he waited for his wife at the church. Another motorist confronted the driver to ask why he was using the spot, reserved for disabled drivers, before he agreed to move into a different bay. The pensioner was photographed parking in a disabled car park outside Coles, Epping in Sydney's north west on Sunday morning A bystander confronted the man for parking in the space without a disabled pass before photographing his car and shaming him online The elderly driver argued that his age gave him the right to park there but the other motorist disagreed. Images of the pensioner's parking were later uploaded to the 'Australian Disability Parking Wall' Facebook page, where motorists defended the pensioner and his parking. 'Just out of curiosity would you have approached a man who was young and big ... While I don't agree with someone parking in these spots without a permit, maybe his wife can't walk far ...' the woman wrote. Poll Who do YOU think was in the wrong? The pensioner The bystander Who do YOU think was in the wrong? The pensioner 133 votes The bystander 93 votes Now share your opinion Another man said it was impossible to judge the man's situation simply by looking at him. 'I pray you both never get old and someday need a permit . Not all disabilities can be seen by the eye,' the man wrote. Others defended the actions of the other driver. One woman wrote: 'I hate it when seniors think they can do anything they want just cause they are old.' 'Definitely some of the most entitled people I've come across. That's regardless of how productive/useful they were to society,' another said. The exchange attracted serious criticism online, with many expressing anger at the entitlement of older generations Health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday reviewed the status of quality of gur/jaggery production and directed the food safety department to ensure quality production of jaggery in Punjab. He added that it had been observed that few of units especially run by migrant labourers were indulging in the unscrupulous practice of using unapproved chemicals for making gur/jaggery. Food and drug administration commissioner KS Pannu informed the minister that there were 617 Ghulaaries (jaggery-making units) in Punjab, which are engaged in processing of sugarcane to make gur and jaggery. These are small scale units normally functioning the major roads. Pannu said PAU, Ludhiana, had provided all units owners a days training on best practices in manufacturing jaggery. A handful of California cities and counties want billions of dollars from the oil industry for the problems arising from climate change, and their far-reaching legal push is about to face a crucial test in a Pasadena courtroom. On Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments from three counties and five cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, on why their lawsuits against several oil companies should proceed in state court rather than federal court. The widely watched challenges are thought to have better odds in state court. The eight California communities behind the suits are at the forefront of a small but growing effort nationwide to hold oil companies financially responsible for rising seas, wildfires and other climate-related havoc. The new legal tactic, now being employed by New York, Baltimore and other cities and counties, comes as global warming has become a low priority during the Trump administration. The decision on which court should settle the suits will directly affect only the California municipalities. In addition to San Francisco and Oakland, they include Richmond, Santa Cruz and Imperial Beach (San Diego County), and Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. However, the rulings in Pasadena also feed into a national debate over court jurisdiction on the matter, which legal experts say may ultimately prompt the Supreme Court to weigh in on the climate issue. The decisions could also influence additional local and state governments in deciding to seek damages from oil companies. Already 13 challenges have been waged across the country, cumulatively seeking tens of billions of dollars from the likes of Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP. What the Ninth Circuit does is important, said Ann Carlson, professor of environmental law and faculty co-director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change at UCLA. There are a number of municipalities out there that may be waiting to see what happens here. If the plaintiffs start to pile up victories, this could embolden other cities, counties and states to file their own suits. The stakes are nothing short of who pays for the biggest existential crisis of the day. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle The California plaintiffs are hoping to win a nod from the appellate judges that their legal case belongs in state court. While each of the lawsuits is slightly different, they all make the novel argument that oil companies, by selling fossil fuel products that contribute to global warming, constitute a public nuisance under state law. Accordingly, the new lawsuits argue that state courts are equipped to award nuisance damages as they routinely do in a tort dispute. The California suits bolster their case with the claim that the oil companies knew their products were causing climate problems but concealed the science. Its akin, they say, to how the tobacco industry sold cigarettes while hiding the harmful health effects of smoking. Californias state courts have always handled disputes over who should pay when somebody knowingly harms someone else. They do it all the time, said San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera in an email to The Chronicle. Our lawsuit applies well-established California public nuisance law to ensure the climate change-related costs were facing are paid by the fossil fuel companies who knowingly caused the harm in the first place. Conversely, the oil industry wants the lawsuits tried in federal court, where there is precedent for federal environmental laws to preempt nuisance claims. As long as the companies adhere to regulations like the Clean Air Act, the reasoning goes, the businesses shouldnt be sued for damages. At the end of the day this really isnt a liability issue, said Phil Goldberg, special counsel to the Manufacturers Accountability Project, a part of the trade group National Association of Manufacturers. These energy companies shouldnt be liable for selling oil and gas and other energy products that we need every day. Two federal judges have already thrown out some of the climate lawsuits, including San Francisco Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court of Northern California. After determining that federal court was better suited to settling the issue than state court, he ruled in 2018 that the issue of climate was not a matter for the courts at all but for the executive and legislative branches of government. Alsup dismissed the lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland, a decision that the two cities are now appealing before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Other federal judges, however, have ruled differently. Four have determined that state courts are the appropriate place for the climate cases, including Judge Vince Chhabria, also of the U.S. District Court of Northern California. In contrast to Alsup, Chhabria supported bids by Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties as well as the cities of Richmond, Santa Cruz and Imperial Beach to pursue their cases in front of state judges. The oil industry is now appealing the move before the Ninth Circuit Court. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. On Wednesday, a Ninth Circuit Court panel is scheduled to first take up the appeal of Chhabrias decision and then consider the appeal of Alsups decision. Rulings are not expected until sometime later this year. Its quite possible that the decisions reached in these cases may ripple beyond the Ninth Court to other parts of the country, said Richard Frank, director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis. While the Ninth Circuit Courts decision is not binding outside of the region, Frank said it could influence the rulings of at least three other appellate courts that have begun taking up similar jurisdictional issues on the climate cases, or soon will be. Attorneys for the oil industry have already petitioned for the Supreme Court to intervene. Specifically, they asked the justices to put the brakes on cases in state court until the appellate courts rule on whether federal court is the more appropriate venue. The high court declined to take up the issue. But legal experts say it may be only a matter of time before the Supreme Court gets involved. Carlson, who has consulted for some of the plaintiffs, said the high court could be asked to sort out conflicting decisions by the appellate courts over jurisdiction as well as the issue of whether the lawsuits should be thrown out. If you got two circuit courts coming out differently, one saying, No, you dont dismiss the case and another circuit court saying, Yes, we dismiss this case, then maybe you see the Supreme Court decision, she said. Again, this is all speculation and hard to predict. This is just the first salvo now, Carlson added. There will be many more moves. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander (Natural News) It now increasingly appears that the World Health Organization, Big Tech and the mainstream media are actively trying to ensure the coronavirus pandemic spreads, and they are accomplishing this through a variety of malicious strategies that rely on deception. The latest effort, emerging just last night, has the WHO now demanding that all travel restrictions against mainland Chinese travelers be dropped, allowing infected Chinese to freely enter all nations of the world, where they can further spread the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO, in other words, which is heavily influenced by China, wants other countries of the world to suffer the same consequences of China. You cant really believe anything the WHO is telling you about this, either theyre up to their eyeballs in it, in my opinion, warned Francis Boyle in a bombshell interview (see full transcript here). He later added, Cant trust anything the WHO says because theyre all bought and paid for by Big Pharma and when they work in cahoots with the CDC, which is the United States government, they work in cahoots with Fort Detrick, so you cant trust any of it. As reported by Liberty Times Net, A new WHO Executive Committee report that was reportedly just released calls on the international community to avoid restricting Chinese travelers and Chinese products in order to avoid causing global economic disruptions. Four days ago, WHO representative Gauden Galea told CCTV that, essentially, China was doing a great job and no one should ban travelers from China. In addition to calling on the international community not to restrict tourism and trade due to the epidemic, the Secretary-General also praised China for taking major measures, reports LTN (translated from Chinese). The World Health Organization did not find enough evidence to impose restrictions on Chinas travel and trade, reports CGTN.com. In a stunning contradiction on the part of the WHO, CGTN also reports: Galeas remarks came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, designated 2019-nCoV, has become a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), in other words, a global health emergency. However, the UN health body stressed that it does not recommend restrictions on trade and travel. Is the WHO actively trying to help the pandemic SPREAD globally? In other words, the same WHO that declared a global pandemic emergency now says there should be no travel restrictions to stop the spread of that pandemic. China said it is confident in and capable of effectively containing the novel coronavirus epidemic, reports CGTN, even as China is obviously failing to contain the virus since the numbers of both infected and dead victims are exploding daily, often by 20% per day. Doesnt it strike any journalist as strange that the WHO is now encouraging travelers from China to have full access to enter any nation in the world and spread the pandemic? Its almost as if the WHO wants this pandemic to succeed. Given that isolation is the only thing that works, why would the WHO demand that nations stop isolating themselves from infected Chinese travelers from Wuhan and other pandemic outbreak regions? Either the WHO has gone insane, or it actively wants this pandemic to spread. Theres no question the mainstream media and Left Cult tech giants are rooting for the pandemic, censoring or attacking anyone who attempts to warn the public about the severity of this outbreak (and take steps to halt its spread). Increasingly, more evidence is emerging that the global establishment media, governments, the WHO, etc. are rooting against humanity and actively trying to help this pandemic spread. Depopulation, anyone? Brighteon.com/11b4e545-957f-4af7-b5e3-70170ce8c7b2 People wear surgical masks in the subway station at Times Square in New York on Jan. 31, 2020. (Bryan R Smith/Reuters) Coronavirus Testing Kits to Be Sent to Labs Across US in Race to Stop Pandemic Laboratories across the United States will receive coronavirus testing kits this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal officials said on Wednesday. The rapid test was only available at CDC laboratories, causing a delay in getting back results and frustrating some local and state officials, before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted state laboratories permission on Tuesday to use it. Two hundred kits, officially known as the 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel, were being sent to labs across the country on Wednesday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a telebriefing. Another 200 would be sent to labs outside the United States. Each kit can perform diagnostics on 700 to 800 patients, Messonnier said. Additional kits are being produced and can be ordered from the International Reagent Resources, a resource originally created by the CDC to provide labs with tools, reagents, and information for studying and detecting influenza. A worker holds a test sample of a suspected case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Marijan Murat/dpa/AFP via Getty Images) The emergency use authorization that was issued this week also enables the CDC to send out kits as soon as the agency produces them, Rear Admiral Denise Hinton, the FDAs chief scientist, told reporters on Wednesday. The kits will be used for testing within five or six days after being received, Scott Becker, the executive director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, estimated in an interview with Reuters. At first, labs will send samples to the CDC to confirm the results. Its not plug and play. They have to make sure a number of lab scientists in their labs are able to make the test work. This has to be right, Becker said. The twelfth confirmed coronavirus case in the United States was confirmed in Wisconsin on Wednesday. There are also cases in California, Arizona, Washington state, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China, on Feb. 4, 2020. (cnsphoto via Reuters) Two hundred and six people suspected of having the virus have tested negative and tests are pending on 76 persons under investigation, Messonnier said. U.S. officials expect more confirmed cases in the coming days, primarily among people who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, to different air bases in the United States. Two planes carrying evacuees landed in California on Wednesday and two more were landing elsewhere on Thursday. This is the beginning of what could be a long response, Messonnier said. Now is the time to act so we can slow the introduction and impact of this virus in the U.S. Social affairs minister Fina Santiago responded to opposition calls for her to resign on Tuesday by stating that there have been child sexual exploitation cases in Majorca for the past eleven years. Speaking in the Balearic parliament, Santiago observed that cases have been known about since 2010 and that the Partido Popular did nothing about them from 2010 to 2015*. When the pact government of PSOE and Mes (her party) took over in government and at the Council of Majorca in 2015, things started to change. "More cases are now detected precisely because we are working on them." The PP's Marga Duran had accused Santiago of incompetence and of not taking responsibility for the sexual exploitation cases. She demanded Santiago's resignation, with the minister replying that Duran was "ignorant". There were cries of resignation from all PP deputies. * In 2010, the pact led by PSOE, of which Fina Santiago was minister for social affairs, was in fact still in government, and the same pact ran the Council of Majorca. The changes occurred following the May 2011 elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that his government's goal is to increase India's defence exports to USD 5 billion in the next five years. Speaking at the Defence Expo 2020, here, he said: "Artillery Guns, Aircraft Carrier, Frigates, Submarines, Light Combat Aircrafts, Combat Helicopters are being manufactured in India. Now our goal is to increase defence exports to $ 5 billion i.e. about Rs 35 thousand crores in the coming 5 years." "The world's second-largest population, the world's second-largest army and the world's largest democracy, how long could it depend only on imports," Modi said. He said that there are two major requirements for the development of modern weapons - the high potential of research; and development and the production of those weapons. "Our government has made it a major part of our policy in the last 5-6 years. I understand that security can be made more powerful by the partnership between the user and the producer," the Prime Minister said. "Earlier, defence manufacturing had a lot of problems with the private sector testing infrastructure. Avenues have now been opened for this and DRDO has a policy of Transfer of Technology without charge for Indian industries," he added. The Prime Minister said that Uttar Pradesh will emerge as one of the biggest hubs of defence manufacturing in the coming time. "Uttar Pradesh is the largest state of the country. In the coming time, the state will be one of the biggest hubs of defence manufacturing. It is a matter of happiness that Defence Expo is being held here in the new decade. More than 1,000 defence manufacturers and 150 companies across the world are present," he said. Modi said that it is a big opportunity for India's youth along with those who care about the country's safety and security. "India's security will increase with Make in India and new employment opportunities will be generated in the defence sector. When the 21st century is discussed in the world, attention is naturally drawn towards India. Today's Defense Expo is a testimony to India's vastness, its diversity and its wide participation in the world," he said. "Those who are aware of subjects like defence and economy surely know that India is not just a market. India is an immense opportunity for the whole world. Wrong use of technology and terrorism or Cyber Threat, these are a big challenge for the whole world. In view of the new Security Challenges, all the Defense Forces of the world are developing new technology. India is also not untouched by this," the Prime Minister said. He further said that seeing new security challenges, the security forces are developing new technologies. "Our aim is to develop 25 products based on artificial intelligence in the next 5 years," Modi said. The main theme of this year's event is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. As many as 1028 companies have registered for participating in this year's event, as against 702 in the DefExpo 2018. The number of participating foreign companies have also increased to 172 from the previous figure of 160. At the event, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will display models of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Do-228 and Hawk at its indoor stall.Apart from these, some of the avionics, accessories, assemblies, products such as Indigenous Digital Map Generator (i-DMG), Engine and Flight Display Unit, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60, Air Producer Engine, Glass Cockpit for Do-228, Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), Digital Sand Rapid Prototyping Technology, etc., will also be displayed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global Clinical Chemistry Market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.74% over the forecast period. Growing demand for clinical chemistry solutions with the aim to identify & diagnose diseases and rapidly increasing patient pool across the globe are expected to boost the growth of market over forecast period. Scope of Global Clinical Chemistry Report Clinical chemistry refers to healthcare & molecular diagnosis and genetics system designed specifically to assist clinical decision support for healthcare professionals, laboratory researchers, pathologists, and general physicians. Evidence-based laboratory medicine and test utilization have gain significant demand in drug monitoring, toxicology and hematology for laboratory management systems with the support of clinical research. It is the method of analysis of body fluids in a clinical pathology lab for therapeutic, diagnosis, hemostasis and thrombosis processes used in hospitals. All biochemical tests come under chemical pathology which can be performed on any kind of body fluid like serum or plasma. Clinical chemistry has a wide scope in endocrinology and metabolism, clinical immunology; Nutrition monitoring & regulatory system, whereas endocrinology is the study of biosynthesis, storage, biochemical and physiological functions of hormones, cells, and tissues of glands. It has wide applications in urine analysis, fecal analysis, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Various types of analyzers used in identifying and perform the different tests for clinical chemistry investigation. Get Sample Free: https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/601 Global clinical chemistry report is segmented on the basis of product type, type of test, and regional & country level. Based on product type, global clinical chemistry is classified as the reagent, semi-automatic analyzer, and fully automatic analyzer. Based upon the type of test, the market is classified as blood testing, urine analysis, lipid profile and diagnosis of genetic & hematological diseases and others. The regions covered in this Clinical Chemistry report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of Clinical Chemistry is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Clinical Chemistry Report- Global clinical chemistry report covers prominent players like Roche Diagnostics, Siemens AG, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alere, Bio-Reference Laboratories, SYNLAB International GMBH, Abbott Diagnostics, Beckman Coulter, Elitech Group, Horiba Ltd., Johnson & Johnson and others. News- Beckman Coulter Expands Portfolio of Standardized ClearLLab IVD Reagents for the Clinical Flow Cytometry Lab. April 24th, 2019:- Beckman Coulter has introduced the ClearLLab 10C System for the clinical flow cytometry lab. The company invented new technology which eliminates the usage of pipette antibodies by reducing the human error. It consists of new system with 10-color IVD panel of immunopheno typing reagent which is also cleared by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Get Request for Methodology: https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/601 Growing Demand for Clinical Chemistry Solutions with the Aim to Identify & Diagnose Diseases and Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases across the Globe are Expected to Boost the Market growth. The rapidly increasing number of diabetic patients, growing prevalence of chronic diseases and various cardiovascular diseases are expected to boost the demand for clinical chemistry solutions and hence foster the market growth. According to the world health organization (WHO), the burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide. The proportion of the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is expected to increase to 57% by 2020. Also, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the growth of diabetes patients is increased by 8.7% from 2016 to 2017 year. In addition, increasing aging population is also supplementing the demand for clinical chemistry. For example; as per a study Published by the United Nations; the global population aged 60 years or over numbered 962 million in 2017, more than twice as large as in 1980 when there were 382 million older persons worldwide. The number of older persons is expected to double again by 2050, when it is projected to reach nearly 2.1 billion. One of the major challenges faced by this market is its high cost of equipment required for testing and it requires highly skilled laboratory pathologists to operate for precise diagnosis or results may hampers the growth of the clinical chemistry market. The clinical laboratory is being highly developed & growing technologically advanced treatment and research platforms for the diagnosis of diseases has created enormous opportunities for the growth of the clinical chemistry market. By Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, the new model DxC 700 AU chemistry analyzer has been introduced to reduce the number of test processes required by 30% which significantly used by laboratory professionals for laboratory clinical research. Increasing technological advancements in this field can provide various opportunities for the further growth of the market. North America is Expected to Dominate the Global Clinical Chemistry Market. North America is dominating the clinical chemistry market due to the increasing advancements in science and technology for the clinical laboratory in this region. In addition, highly developed healthcare infrastructure and high adoption of advanced healthcare products in this region are also driving the market growth. According to the pathology workforce in the U.S. by 2016, the pathologists time required to analyses and do the clinical research has been reduced by 0.5 hours for large gene-panel analyses and 2 hours for exome analyses due to implementation of advanced software. According to the Department of Pathology in New York, US accounts for about 16.5% growth for improving their GDP which ranks 1st in healthcare spending worldwide followed by Canada with 10.2%. The Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market due to rapidly increasing patient pool and growing need for clinical research for managing the increasing patient population. Furthermore, increasing collaboration between healthcare institutions and information technology companies for developing new systems is expected to boost the growth of clinical decision support systems in this region. Key Benefits for Global Clinical Chemistry Report Global Clinical Chemistry report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global Clinical Chemistry research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global Clinical Chemistry report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global Clinical Chemistry report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Clinical Chemistry Segmentation: By Product Type: Reagent Semi-automatic analyzer Fully automatic analyzer By Type of Test: Blood Testing Urine Analysis Lipid Profile Diagnosis of Genetic & Hematological Diseases others Full Report @ https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/clinical-chemistry-market-size-and-share By Regional & Country Analysis: North America US Mexico Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at sales@brandessenceresearch.com Other Related Report: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/heart-failure-drugs-market-2020-size-revenue-business-stats-scope-research-growth-prediction-and-forecast-report-2025-2020-02-04 https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/sleep-disorder-monitoring-market-global-industry-analysis-and-opportunity-assessment-2019-2025-2020-02-04 Explained: Will Shaheen Bagh help BJP in the Delhi polls India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 05: The Bharatiya Janata Party's aggressive campaign for the February 8 Delhi polls, banked on two issues Shaheen Bagh, tukde-tukde gang, which the party hopes it will virtually overshadow polls plank of development work by the Kejriwal government. The three-star campaigners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have consistently raised the issue of Shaheen Bagh. While Modi termed the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh a "political conspiracy", Shah termed it as "Jinnah wali azadi". Shaheen Bagh will be cleared once BJP comes to power, says Anurag Thakur Adityanath has accused Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating the 50-day-old Shaheen Bagh sit-in and "feeding biryani" to protesters. Lashing out at the people protesting against the new citizenship law, Adityanath alleged that those who supported terrorists in Kashmir were staging protest in Shaheen Bagh and raising slogans of 'azadi'. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 Addressing a poll rally, Modi said,'' These people were doubting the ability of our security forces during surgical strikes. Do citizens of Delhi want such people in power? These people are saving those who want to break India into pieces. There is a political design behind all these protests including Jamia and Shaheen Bagh.'' Modi also took swipe at Congress in Delhi rally and said that those who questioned Batla House encounter are saving those who raised 'tukde tukde' slogan. ''Shaheen Bagh and Jamia protests over CAA and NRC are not mere coincidence, but an experiment (Shaheen Bagh, Jamia protests mahaj sanjog nahi ek prayog hai)," said PM Modi targeting Congress and AAP. Shaheen Bagh, Jamia protests are not mere coincidence but an experiment, says Modi However, Shaheen Bagh has given the BJP an opportunity to polarise elections in Delhi. The traffic chaos that has left the life out of gear in Delhi is turning an opportunity that has been seized by Home Minister Amit Shah and his campaigners. The non-stop attack on Shaheen Bagh, changing the narrative of poll campaign between "desh bhakt" and "desh drohi" have made it one of the most divisive campaigns in recent times. This aggressive campaign seems to be working for the saffron party, as C Voter claims that the BJP support has already jumped 7 per cent by Jan 27 to 31 per cent in a week of this challenging campaign. But that is not enough, the BJP needs to pull them down to 40 per cent to topple Kejriwal-led-AAP government. On the other hand, a Times Now-IPSOS opinion poll has said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to return to power for a second consecutive full term in the Delhi Assembly elections 2020. Delhi needs govt that will give direction, not play blame game: PM Modi The findings of the survey come as a reality check for the BJP which is hoping to turn its fortunes in the national capital where it has much of its focus on the protests at Shaheen Bagh against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). Finally, will BJP bet on Shaheen Bagh work? We need to wait for the February 11 mandate. Because of their departure, everything is left to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, which is pretty far away and where they really dont know the local conditions that well. I think thats part of the reason why things have been so chaotic, Leonhard said, estimating that she had 10 phone calls asking for the same information. By Chris Hedges February 05, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - If what happens in courtrooms across the country to poor people of color is justice, what is happening in the Senate is a trial. If the blood-drenched debacles and endless quagmires in the Middle East are victories in the war on terror, our military is the greatest on earth. If the wholesale government surveillance of the public, the revoking of due process and having the worlds largest prison population are liberty, we are the land of the free. If the president, an inept, vulgar and corrupt con artist, is the leader of the free world, we are a beacon for democracy and our enemies hate us for our values. If Jesus came to make us rich, bless the annihilation of Muslims by our war machine and condemn homosexuality and abortion, we are a Christian nation. If formalizing an apartheid state in Israel is a peace plan, we are an honest international mediator. If a meritocracy means that three American men have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the U.S. population, we are the land of opportunity. If the torture of kidnapped victims in black sites and the ripping of children from their parents arms and their detention in fetid, overcrowded warehouses, along with the gunning down of unarmed citizens by militarized police in the streets of our urban communities, are the rule of law, we are an exemplar of human rights. The rhetoric we use to describe ourselves is so disconnected from reality that it has induced collective schizophrenia. America, as it is discussed in public forums by politicians, academics and the media, is a fantasy, a Disneyfied world of make-believe. The worse it gets, the more we retreat into illusions. The longer we fail to name and confront our physical and moral decay, the more demagogues who peddle illusions and fantasies become empowered. Those who acknowledge the truthbeginning with the stark fact that we are no longer a democracywander like ghosts around the edges of society, reviled as enemies of hope. The mania for hope works as an anesthetic. The hope that Donald Trump would moderate his extremism once he was in office, the hope that the adults in the room would manage the White House, the hope that the Mueller report would see Trump disgraced, impeached and removed from office, the hope that Trumps December 2019 impeachment would lead to his Senate conviction and ouster, the hope that he will be defeated at the polls in November are psychological exits from the crisisthe collapse of democratic institutions, including the press, and the corporate corruption of laws, electoral politics and norms that once made our imperfect democracy possible. The embrace of collective self-delusion marks the death spasms of all civilizations. We are in the terminal stage. We no longer know who we are, what we have become or how those on the outside see us. It is easier, in the short term, to retreat inward, to celebrate nonexistent virtues and strengths and wallow in sentimentality and a false optimism. But in the end, this retreat, peddled by the hope industry, guarantees not only despotism but, given the climate emergency, extinction. The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real worldand the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this endis being destroyed, Hannah Arendt wrote of totalitarianism. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter This destruction, which cuts across the political divide, leads us to place our faith in systems, including the electoral process, that are burlesque. It diverts our energy toward useless debates and sterile political activity. It calls on us to place our faith for the survival of the human species in ruling elites who will do nothing to halt the ecocide. It sees us accept facile explanations for our predicament, whether they involve blaming the Russians for the election of Trump or blaming undocumented workers for our economic decline. We live in a culture awash in lies, the most dangerous being those we tell ourselves. Lies are emotionally comforting in times of distress, even when we know they are lies. The worse things get, the more we long to hear the lies. But cultures that can no longer face reality, that cannot distinguish between falsehood and truth, retreat into what Sigmund Freud called screen memories, the merger of fact and fiction. This merger destroys the mechanisms for puncturing self-delusion. Intellectuals, artists and dissidents who attempt to address reality and warn about the self-delusion are ridiculed, silenced and demonized. There are, as Freud noted in Civilizations and Its Discontents, distressed societies whose difficulties will not yield at any attempt at reform. But this is too harsh a truth for most people, especially Americans, to accept. America, founded on the evils of slavery, genocide and the violent exploitation of the working class, is a country defined by historical amnesia. The popular historical narrative is a celebration of the fictional virtues of white supremacy. The relentless optimism and reveling in supposed national virtues obscure truth. Nuance, complexity and moral ambiguity, along with accepting responsibility for the holocausts and genocides carried out by slaveholders, white settlers and capitalists, have never fit with Americas triumphalism. The illusions of eternal strength and health, and of the essential goodness of peoplethey were the illusions of a nation, the lies of generations of frontier mothers, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. In decay, however, these illusions are fatal. Powerful nations have the luxury of imbibing myth, even if decisions and policies based on the myth inflict damage and widespread suffering. But nations whose foundations are rotting have little latitude. The miscalculations they make, based on fantasy, accelerate their mortality. Joseph Roth was one of the few writers in the 1930s in Germany who understood the consequences of the rise of fascism. In his essay The Auto-da-Fe of the Mind, which addressed the first mass burning of books by the Nazis, he counseled his fellow Jewish writers to accept that they had been vanquished: Let us, who were fighting on the front line, under the banner of the European mind, let us fulfill the noblest duty of the defeated warrior: Let us concede our defeat. Roth knew that the peddling of false hopes in a time of radical evil was immoral. He had no illusions about his own growing irrelevance. He was blacklisted in the German press, unable to publish his books in Germany and his native Austria and thrust into dire poverty and often despair. He was acutely aware of how most people, even his fellow Jews, found it easier to blind themselves to radical evil, if only to survive, rather than name and defy malignant authority and risk annihilation. What use are my words, Roth asked, against the guns, the loudspeakers, the murderers, the deranged ministers, the stupid interviewers and journalists who interpret the voice of this world of Babel, muddied anyhow, via the drums of Nuremberg? It will become clear to you now that we are heading for a great catastrophe, Roth, after going into self-exile in France in 1933, wrote to the author Stefan Zweig about the ascendancy of the Nazis. The barbarians have taken over. Do not deceive yourself. Hell reigns. But Roth also knew that resistance was a moral if not a practical obligation in times of radical evil. Defeat might be certain, but dignity and a determination to live in truth demanded a response. We are required to bear witness, even if a self-deluded population does not want to hear, even if that truth makes certain our own marginalization and perhaps obliteration. One must write, even when one realizes the printed word can no longer improve anything, Roth explained. This battle against collective self-delusion is a battle I fear we will not win. American society is fatally wounded. Its moral and physical corruption is beyond repair. Hope, real hope, names the bitter reality before us. But it refuses to succumb, despite the bleakness, to despair. It cries out to an indifferent universe with every act carried out to name, cripple and destroy corporate power. It mocks certain defeat. Whether we can succeed or not is immaterial. We cannot always choose how we will live. But we can choose how we will die. Victory is about holding on to our moral autonomy. Victory is about demanding, no matter the cost, justice. Victory is speaking the truths the ruling elites seek to silence. A life like this is worth living. And in times of radical evil these livesironic points of light, as W.H. Auden wroteimpart not only hope but the power of the sacred. Chris Hedges, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. https://www.truthdig.com/author/chris_hedges/ This article was published by " TruthDig " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== One person was killed and 157 others were injured after a plane carrying 177 people skidded off the runway at an Istanbul's Sabiha Gokchen airport, which caught fire and split into three after landing in rough weather on Wednesday. Turkey Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that none of the other wounded were in critical condition. Earlier, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said that the plane was carrying 177 passengers and six crew from the western province of Izmir. He said the wounded were being treated at 18 hospitals in the area. Read | Istanbul: At Least 52 Injured After Plane Skids Off Runway; Splits Into Two Turkey's Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said flights waiting to land in Sabiha Gokcen had been diverted to Istanbul Airport. He said the plane broke after a 'strong landing'. Prior to the accident, there had been very strong winds and rain. Pegasus Airlines in a statement that the plane had gone off the runway. A spokesperson for the company did not provide any other details. The television footage showed the plane landing and continuing at a high speed off the runway. The footage also showed plane's fuselage had broken off. Live images broadcast on Turkish television showed several people climbing through a large crack in the plane and escaping on one of the wings at the rear of the aircraft. As the sun had set, the footage showed further showed dozens of rescue workers in high-visibility jackets surrounding the plane with flashlights. Some sprayed water jets onto the severed body of the aircraft, while others could be seen climbing up onto the plane to comb through the cabin. This incident comes nearly a month after another plane belonging to Pegasus airline had skidded off the runway early in January. Read | Bhopal Man Damages Helicopter, Sits In Front Plane Before Being Detained Read | California Teenager Steals Plane From Airport Only To Crash It Minutes Later Similar incident An Iranian jetliner skidded off a snowy runaway in the western city of Kermanshah due to low visibility on February 1, Iran's state TV said. The report said that there were no injuries and that the plane overshot the landing strip by only a few meters. The Iran Air flight coming from the capital, Tehran, had not experienced any technical problems, it added. The state-run IRNA said one of the plane's wheels slipped six meters due to heavy snowfall when it was in taxiway after landing. Read | Passenger Plane Skids Off Snowy Runaway In Iran Due To Low Visibility (With agency inputs) (Photo: AFP) Would you like us to find you a date? Are you a singleton, or is there someone you'd like to send on a blind date? Email: blinddate@dailymail.co.uk Every week FEMAIL sends a couple on a blind date and asks them to report back Alice (pictured) met John, 33, for a blind date in Manchester Alice, 31 Dating Past I was in two long-term relationships in my 20s one lasted four years, while the other finished naturally after 18 months. I've got to the stage with my business where it would be nice to be in another relationship. I'm looking for someone to complement my lifestyle, but my busy work-life is often a deal-breaker. Pre-Date Nerves? I arrived early and got myself seated first. I meet new people all the time for work and don't usually get nervous, but I did get a few butterflies before John arrived. First Impressions? John is so good-looking I wasn't expecting to be matched with someone like that. He has a lovely smile and was well turned out without being overdressed. While I don't have a 'type', I avoid classically handsome chaps because I assume they'll be 'players'. Vital statistics Single for three years. Current Role: Founder of a mental health consultancy. Would Like To Meet: Someone who is warm, kind and loving. Im attracted to people who are confident and good with others; I dont have time for bad boys. Advertisement Easy To Talk To? John is incredibly easy to chat to. We spoke about his time in Bermuda working as a pharmacist and I discovered he has a pilot's licence. We are both new to Manchester and work in healthcare. We met at a restaurant called Rockwell. John suggested we share dishes, and I liked that he was confident enough to order for us. We had a few cocktails, too. Embarrassing Moments? Nothing went wrong, but John told me a story of something embarrassing which happened to him. I'd never betray his confidence, but I liked that he felt comfortable enough to share it with me. Did Sparks Fly? I'm not sure I fancy him but we got on incredibly well. There was chemistry, but I'm not a flirty type and prefer good conversation. We met at 6.30pm and suddenly it was 10.30pm the hours just flew by. Did You Kiss? No, I had to rush to catch my train. (which I missed and ended up staying with a friend). We shared a hug and swapped numbers. We've been in touch since and are hoping to meet up soon. It's too soon to say about romance but we'll see. What do you think he thought of you? Alice's verdict: 9/10 Liked? The date was great. Regrets? Only that I missed my train. Coffee or Cab? Coffee. Advertisement I Hope he was pleasantly surprised. We both anticipated a nightmare date, but the reality couldn't have been further from that. Would your family like him? Yes, he's an interesting guy and was a gent from start to finish what's not to like? John (pictured) is a pharmacist who wanted to meet someone 'with a good sense of humour' John, 33 Dating Past I was in a relationship for six years we lived together for five years, but when we moved overseas together things broke down. I had a second relationship in Bermuda that lasted a year. Since then I have found it difficult committing to anybody else. Ive been living in Bermuda for the past four years, working in the only hospital on the island. It was a fantastic experience but Ive returned to find all my friends have settled down. Pre-Date Nerves? I got a bit lost and arrived flustered and a few minutes late but I liked that Alice was already at our table. First Impressions? Vital statistics Been single for eight months. Current Role: Im a pharmacist. Would Like To Meet: Someone kind with a good sense of humour. Im not interested in women who are self-obsessed. I dont want to be just their Instagram photographer. Advertisement Alice has long dark hair and was dressed nicely. While it wasnt love at first sight, she was instantly chatty and had this lovely smile its easily her best asset. We had a quick kiss on the cheek and both ordered an espresso martini. Easy To Talk To? incredibly easy we spent almost four hours covering every subject from her many jobs to my time in Bermuda. The food was fantastic, too. We had sharing plates, which was ideal for a date. Embarrassing Moments? Apart from Alice missing her train, no. I might have overshared about something which could have been awkward, but Alice seemed to take it in her stride. Did Sparks Fly? We were in a booth and there wasnt the space to get physically closer to one another. But I was comfortable chatting to her and we clicked straight away. I really enjoyed spending time with her. Did You Kiss? No, just a quick hug when we said goodbye. As Ive only recently come to Manchester, it will be good to meet her again. Im not sure about us romantically because I suspect Alice isnt looking to settle right now: shes ambitious and is looking for someone to fit into her lifestyle. John's verdict: 8/10 Liked? Nice company. Regrets? Not getting the creme brulee! Coffee or Cab? Coffee. Advertisement What do you think she thought of you? That weve got a lot in common and are good conversationalists. Its quite spooky, were both one of four siblings and are both the second youngest, too. Would your family like her? Yes they would. Youd struggle not to like Alice. Raising the issue of detention of NC leader in Lok Sabha, leaders from opposition parties on Wednesday attacked the government for "illegally" detaining an old leader and walked out of the House. Abdullah, the Conference leader and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has been under detention from August 5 last year since the abrogation of and 35A. "Three former chief ministers including are languishing in jails for the past six months, they have been put behind bars without giving any proper reason," Congress leader said, while demanding the release of the sitting member. Abdullah has been illegally detained, Chowdhury alleged. Later Congress members along with those of several other opposition parties walked out of the House. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay also raised the issue of detention of Abdullah and said the issue was also raised during the all-party meeting. "I would request the government to intimate this House at least about his health condition," he said. Earlier Congress MP K Suresh raised the issue of release of Abdullah, but it was cut short by the Speaker. It is the responsibility of the government and House to ensure his welfare and also that he exercises his right as an elected representative, Suresh said. Thereafter members of Congress, DMK, NCP, NC and Muslim League entered the well of the House raising slogans for release of Abdullah. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. A second student at Smith College is under medical evaluation for possible exposure to coronavirus. The school shared in a letter with the campus community Tuesday that the student recently traveled to the Hubei province in China and has reported cold-like symptoms. She was taken to an area hospital for evaluation of her symptoms and will be in isolation for several days in compliance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At this time, under CDC and DPH guidance, there is no identified risk to the Smith community, states the letter to the campus community, shared by Susan Etheredge, dean of the college, and college physician Tara Dumont. The college notified the campus community on Sunday of another student experiencing cold-like symptoms who arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on the same flight as the University of Massachusetts Boston student who was diagnosed with coronavirus. The Smith student left voluntary isolation after determined to be symptom-free. The UMass student, a man in his 20s, recognized he was sick and was diagnosed with the virus, named 2019-nCoV. He has been quarantined in his off-campus home since Wednesday and is being monitored regularly by nurses over the phone, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Several Massachusetts schools have suspended school-related travel to China, including Boston University, Harvard University and UMass Amherst. At Northeastern University, students traveling to China via university sponsorship will now need approval to do so from the Office of the Provost. Related Content: Airbnb is clamping down on unauthorized party house rentals by prohibiting Canadian guests under 25 years old from renting entire homes in their own communities the kind of short-term rentals that have been connected to violent incidents such as Fridays shooting that killed three men and injured two others in a 32nd-storey downtown Toronto condo. The policy that takes effect this month will apply only in Canada for the time being. Those under 25 who have already rented at least three times on Airbnb and received favourable reviews wont be restricted. All guests under 25 will still be allowed to rent homes in other cities and countries and they can continue to rent hotel rooms and private rooms in an Airbnb home that is being hosted by the principal resident. Airbnb also announced a neighbourhood hotline to respond to residents concerns the first to be installed outside the U.S. and a donation of $300,000 over three years to Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, a group that raises awareness of the public health impacts of gun violence. The measures were announced in Toronto Wednesday by Airbnbs San Francisco-based vice-president of policy and communications Chris Lehane. He said it was a responsible step by a company that bases its business model on community and trust. But Torontos mayor and Airbnb critics said the companys commitment falls short because Airbnb refuses to comply immediately with the citys short-term rental bylaw that wont be fully implemented until later this year. The new rules would prohibit landlords from renting homes where nobody lives properties that are used exclusively as short-term rentals. Approved in December 2017, the bylaw has been stalled by landlords legal challenges. Abiding by those rules immediately would make a significant contribution to cutting down the type of dangerous activities we have seen, said Mayor John Tory in a statement. Fairbnb, a coalition of residents, academics, tenant advocates and hoteliers, said it was disappointed that Airbnb failed to remove about 9,700 listings in Toronto that Fairbnb says would be illegal under the bylaw. It estimates that $167 million 73 per cent of Airbnbs revenue in Toronto is generated by professional short-term rental hosts who dont live in the properties they are renting out a practise that removes homes from the citys long-term stock and drives up real estate prices. They missed an opportunity to address Torontos housing crisis, to address concerns residential communities have and to remove ghost hotels from Toronto, spokesperson Thorben Wieditz said. They fail to understand that housing is a key determinant of public health. Their announcements just ring hollow. Lehane said Airbnb supports Torontos regulations and will comply when the rules come online. The regulations have been passed but they have yet to be implemented. Our commitment is to working with the city when those regulations come into place so we can implement them, he said. Meantime, he said the companys new security measures to reduce violent and gun-related incidents wont be foolproof. Some people will find ways around the age-based restrictions. But, he said, Airbnb has an increasingly sophisticated screening process. We have algorithms. Theres a lot of information you are required to provide before you can come on Airbnb as either a guest or a host and those are getting smarter every single day, he said. Airbnb has a .03 per cent incident rate when it comes to issues involving property damage and .06 per cent for security issues across the entire platform. But those numbers get higher in that younger demographic for unhosted homes in the guests own community, Lehane said. He did not provide specifics but said the difference was significant. Our research shows that it is a cohort that over-indexes when it comes to issues related to so-called unauthorized party houses. The research makes really clear that we can take a step in terms of addressing that by doing that type of prohibition, he said. The company wont disclose the geographic radius that determines the community in which a guest under-25 renter is prohibited from renting an entire home. The platforms technology would flag someone who repeatedly tries to rent beyond the virtual boundary and the distance would be sufficient to discourage an unauthorized party from moving to a neighbouring community, Lehane said. The number for the 24-7 neighbourhood support phone line in Canada will be published Monday at airbnb.ca/neighbours. A French-language line will be introduced later this year. The first of its kind outside the U.S., the hotline will be answered by someone who can respond appropriately to complaints, including contacting municipal officials or police. The Canadian measures, designed to reduce unauthorized parties, are in addition to a global party house ban the company announced on Nov. 2 in the wake of five deaths at a Halloween party at a rental in Orinda, Calif. Airbnb says some listings have been eliminated in major Canadian cities as a result of that ban. Dr. Najma Ahmed, a trauma surgeon and co-founder of Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, said the announcement demonstrates Airbnbs commitment to Toronto neighbourhoods. Our gun fatality rates in Canada are about five times less than in the U.S. However they are also five times greater than the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands. So compared to the other economically developed countries of the world Canada has a problem, she said. Australia's seafood trade faces an uncertain future as the coronavirus threatens to leave many unemployed. It is a major concern for exporters such as David Caracciolo who owns Mackay Reef Fish Supplies in Queensland. A coral trout in the Great Barrier Reef. Credit:Wade Imaging He says his business usually does well around Chinese New Year but the halt of exports to China has made things tough. "We export live mud crabs this time of year but that has just stopped," Mr Caracciolo said. A South African court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for embattled former president Jacob Zuma after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing over corruption charges related to a 1990s arms deal. But the court said that execution of the warrant will be deferred until May 6 when the case is due to resume. Zuma's lawyers said he was not able to attend the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday because he was ill and receiving treatment abroad, in the latest twist in a case that has seen numerous legal turns over a decade and a half. The High Court in the southeastern city of Pietermaritzburg issued the warrant after it questioned the authenticity of the sick note said to have been signed by a military doctor. "The court accepts that Mr Zuma may be unwell," said judge Dhaya Pillay. "But this court needs reliable evidence that Mr Zuma is indeed ill." "It is not clear that (the doctor) is indeed a regular practitioner," she said. State prosecutor Billy Downer said it was a "criminal offence" for the 77-year-old Zuma, who was in office between 2009 and 2018, to skip court. Zuma's lawyer Dan Mantsha told reporters outside the courtroom that "our courts have no sympathy, no compassion". "We are very concerned when courts issue warrants under the circumstances like this when the whole country knows that president Zuma is not well ... indeed president Zuma underwent two operations in early January this year," Mantsha said. "When you start to issue warrants under such circumstances, people start to question whether we are all equal under the law." He said for the court to doubt "whether he is sick or not, is absolute unimaginable". Mantsha vowed that the "elderly" Zuma, will attend court when he is fit, as he has done for previous hearings. Local media suggested that Zuma is in Cuba undergoing treatment for an undisclosed ailment. - 'Afraid to face the music' - Zuma posted a video clip on Twitter on December 29 of himself dancing with a local gospel choir, with the caption "Happy Holidays.. From myself and the Umlazi Gospel Choir". The former president has not tweeted since. Zuma is alleged to have taken bribes worth four million rand ($270,000) related to a $3.4 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was deputy president. In all Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment when he was deputy to the country's second black president, Thabo Mbeki. Both Zuma and French defence company Thales, which supplied equipment for navy vessels, deny the charges. Last year Zuma unsuccessfully tried to stop the trial from going ahead. If the trial takes place, it would be the first time Zuma faces a court on graft charges, despite a string of accusations over his long political career. - 'Teflon president' - Critics have dubbed Zuma the "Teflon president" for his reputed ability to evade judicial reckoning. He has also been accused of organising the systematic plunder of government coffers in a scandal known as "state capture". Zuma appeared at an inquiry into the scandal in July, putting on a defiant performance and denying all wrongdoing. He was forced to step down in 2018 by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party after a nine-year reign marked by corruption allegations and dwindling popularity. The main opposition Democratic Alliance hailed the warrant decision, saying the court "has put its foot down and shown Mr Zuma that he can no longer continue wasting the court's time and public resources because he is too afraid to face the music". "He has gone above and beyond and tried every trick in the book to avoid being held accountable for his alleged hand in the arms deal," the DA said in a statement. (Alliance News) - ECR Minerals PLC on Wednesday said it has sold its gold project in Argentina to a Chinese firm in order to focus on the company's core gold exploration activities in Australia. Shares in ECR were up 12% at 0.70 pence each in London. The London-based precious metals explorer has sold its Argentinian subsidiary Ochre Mining SA, which holds the SLM gold project in La Rioja, to Hanaq Argentina SA. The consideration for the acquisition is the grant to ECR of a 2% net smelter return royalty in respect of four SLM licences, and a 1% royalty return in respect of the other three remaining SLM licences. The net smelter return royalty is capped at USD2.7 million. Craig Brown, ECR's chief executive, said: "We are pleased to retain exposure to potential upside from the SLM gold project in the form of a royalty on future production, and we believe that Hanaq has the operational capabilities and access to Chinese investment capital necessary to put the SLM project into production, subject to the usual prerequisites. "Moreover, the transaction enables ECR to concentrate its resources on our core gold exploration activities in Australia." The book value of Ochre Mining and the SLM project in ECR's results for the six months ended March 31, 2019, was GBP1.1 million. In the year ended September 30, 2019, Ochre Mining reported no turnover and no profits, and net assets of GBP170,000 By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. STAMFORD After a yearlong search, police have extradited a Bronx man for allegedly depositing $29,600 in fraudulent checks into his New Jersey girlfriends bank account and withdrawing the money. The checkswere drawn from a Stamford womans account, police said. Kamarv Whetstone, 33, of Bryant Avenue, Bronx, N.Y., was charged with second-degree larceny, second-degree forgery, identification theft, conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit forgery. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond. A Stamford woman called police in September 2018 to complain that someone without her knowledge transferred $17,000 out of her Bank of America bank account, according to Whetstones six-page arrest warrant affidavit. A few days later, someone transferred another $15,589 from the account, police said. The checks went into an account controlled by Christina Delacruz, 24, who was extradited from Patterson, N.J., and arrested by Stamford police for the thefts a year ago. Delacruz is participating in a court diversionary program for the offense and may have her criminal charges of larceny, forgery and identification theft expunged from her record upon completion of the program. Lead investigator Sean Coughlin said the scam is called card cracking, according to the arrest affidavit. Someone with access to a bank account allows a second person access to their accounts debit card and personal identification number. The second person then deposits fraudulent checks into the account and then quickly withdraws the money before the check can clear, police said. Then usually after a some kind of a payoff, the account holder reports his or her debit card lost or stolen and claims any deposits or withdrawals made were completed without their knowledge or approval, Coughlin said. Delacruz at first denied helping anyone get into her account. But she called Coughlin back after the two spoke in November 2018 and said she was in a dating relationship with a guy named Tony and that he convinced her to let him have access to her checking account to transfer funds, the affidavit said. Police were able to get a picture of the man who deposited the checks at New York City ATMs. From there, they turned the picture over to New York City police, who put it into their facial recognition system. A few days later, police turned up a match that turned out to be Whetstone, they said. Coughlin said he has been looking for Whetstone for a little over a year. No plea has been made in the case and he is expected in court for his court arraignment Feb. 13. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com Auto expo 2020 India: Mahindra & Mahindra launched the eKUV100 at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The electric vehicle's (EV) price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) including the FAME benefits. Bookings for Mahindra eKUV100 will open in March and the deliveries will begin in April. It comes with an electric motor that delivers 54hp and 120Nm of peak torque and has an automatic transmission. Chinese car manufacturer, Great Wall Motors which is the largest SUV maker in China unveiled SUVs under Haval brand and electric products at the 15th edition of Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. Asia's biggest automobile exhibition Auto Expo 2020 is being held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The theme of this year's Auto Expos is 'Explore the World of Mobility'. The biennial event is happening at a time when the domestic automobile industry is in the middle of a prolonged and intense demand slump. The auto companies attending the Auto Expo 2020 include Tata Motors, Vespa, Hyundai, Hero electric, Kia, Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes Benz, MG Motors, Renault, Skoda, SML Isuzu and Volkswagen. Other exhibitors include companies like Droom, Facebook, Jio, JK Tyre, Pirelli, Ralco Tyres. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is also one of the exhibitors at the Auto Expo 2020. Apart from electric vehicles, Mahindra and Tata Motors will showcase SUVs. Tata showcased the Gravitas, the 7 seater version of its Harrier SUV. Mahindra brought in the next generation avatar of its blockbuster XUV5OO while updated versions of the Thar and Scorpio are also on display. European twins-Volkswagen and Skoda made a comeback at Auto Expo 2020. There are a lot of of SUVs on offer between both brands beginning with the Taigun from VW and the Vision IN concept that will lead to a similar-sized SUV for Skoda. Also Read: Auto Expo 2020: Dates, time, venue, tickets, bookings, how to attend Stay tuned for all on-ground live updates from Auto Expo 2020: 3.45 pm: Mahindra launches eKUV in India; price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh Mahindra & Mahindra launched the eKUV100 at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The electric vehicle's (EV) price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) including the FAME benefits. The bookings for Mahindra eKUV100 will open in March and the deliveries will begin in April. It comes with an electric motor that delivers 54hp and 120Nm of peak torque and has an automatic transmission. The eKUV100 electric vehicle comes with a 15.9 lithium-ion battery, that can be charged from 0-80 per cent in 60 minutes. The claimed range of the EV is 147 km. 3.30 pm: Hero electric unveils electric motorcycle at Auto Expo 2020 Hero electric Wednesday showcased the AE-47 electric motorcycle at Auto Expo 2020. The electric motorcycle has a maximum range of 160 km in a single charge. 3.15 pm: Force Motors' Gurkha monster truck debuts in India Force Motors unveiled Gurkha BS6 custom monster truck at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. 2.56 pm: Auto Expo 2020: Volkswagen unveils SUVs Tiguan Allspace, T-Roc in India; pre-bookings start German car maker Volkswagen unveiled two SUVs for India -- Volkswagen Tiguan, T-Roc and Tiguan Allspace -- at the first day of Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Volkswagen (VW) India also announced the start of pre-booking for Tiguan Allspace and T-Roc at the Auto Expo. Read More here: Auto Expo 2020: Volkswagen unveils SUVs Tiguan Allspace, T-Roc in India; pre-bookings start 2.45 pm: Auto Expo 2020: No Chinese delegates at motor show due to coronavirus' threat India's biennial auto show that kicks-off from Wednesday is set to be dominated by Chinese automakers showcasing cutting-edge electric vehicles and connected cars - but with booths staffed only by Indian employees and representatives. With the death toll from a new coronavirus outbreak in China nearing 500 and cases of the disease spreading across the globe, organisers of the show are reassuring visitors that officials arriving from China will not be in attendance. "There will be no visitors or delegations from China at the Motor Show 2020," Rajan Wadhera, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) - which is organising the show - said in a statement on Tuesday. Chinese companies have confirmed their booths would be staffed by Indian representatives or employees, he said. Chinese automakers SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, Great Wall Motor Co Ltd and FAW Haima are set to showcase cars including electric vehicles, while over 300 Chinese autoparts companies are also due to participate. 2.35 pm: Skoda showcases Vision IN car at Auto Expo 2020 Skoda has launched Vision IN car at Auto Expo 2020. The car has a 1.5-litre TSI petrol motor and has a top speed of 195 kmph. Vision IN is the first product developed under Skoda Auto-led 'India 2.0' project based on the MQB AO In platform. 2.20 pm: Skoda Press Conference begins Skoda press conference has started. Zac Hollis, Head- Sales & Marketing, Skoda India takes the stage 2.10 pm: Mercedes unveils A-Class Limousine and AMG A35 sedan at Auto Expo 2020 German carmaker Mercedes-Benz showcased A-Class Limousine and AMG A35 sedan at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The auto company has also started accepting bookings for the same. Auto Expo 2020: Mercedes launches AMG GT 63S four-door coupe at Rs 2.42 crore German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has launched the AMG GT 63S 4 Door Coupe at the Auto Expo 2020, which it is claiming the fastest four-door production car. The luxury sports car is priced at for Rs 2.42 crore (ex-showroom/0.As per Mercedes-Benz, the new AMG GT 63S has a top speed of 305 kmph and can reach 0-100kmph in 3.2 second. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S competes against Porsche Panamera Turbo, which is also a four-door performance car. The new Mercedes AMG GT 63S 4 Door Coupe gets its power with a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which generates 639hp and 900Nm of peak torque. The car gets a 9-speed automatic gearbox along with Mercedes' proprietary all-wheel-drive system 4Matic. Read More here: Auto Expo 2020: Mercedes launches AMG GT 63S four-door coupe at Rs 2.42 crore 1.52 pm: Mercedes-Benz GLA makes India debut Mercedes-Benz showcased its all-new GLA compact SUV at the Auto Expo 2020. The company has also started accepting bookings for the SUV. 1.43 pm: Mercedes launches its fastest ever AMG car. Bookings start today at Rs 2.42 crore Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz launched its faster ever car AMG at the Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. Booking starts from Wednesday at Rs 2.42 crore. The car is a four-door coupe and is the world's fastest series production four-seater. 1.30 pm: Volkswagen ID unveils Crozz- its first electric concept car Volkswagen unveils Crozz, its first concept electric SUV which is based on the automaker's electric MEB platform and is a part of the I.D. series. Crozz was first showcased as a prototype at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show under a revised version named the I.D. 1.17 pm: Kia Carnival base model priced at Rs 24.95 lakh Kia Motors has revealed the prices of its carnival premium MPV in India. The price of Carnival starts at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the 7-seater 'Premium' variant (base). The price of Carnival's top 7-seater 'Limousine' variant is Rs 33.95 lakh (ex-showroom). 1.04 pm: Suzuki Motorcycles vehicles BS-VI compliant now Suzuki Motorcycles India announced on Wednesday that all its products are BS-VI compliant. The models showcased by the company at the Auto Expo 2020 comprise BS-VI editions of Access 125, Gixxer series, Burgman Street and Intruder 150. 12.46 pm: Auto Expo 2020: Mahindra showcases 3 EVs, a concept car and electric-3 wheeler At the 15th Auto Expo 2020, Mahindra & Mahindra unveiled its theme "Driven by purpose", to address a larger good that touches and transforms the lives of many through innovative, future-ready products and mobility solutions. Mahindra displayed 6 vehicles in total comprising three EVs, a concept car and two variants of Treo which is an electric 3-wheeler. Mahindra's futuristic concept car "Funster" caught the crowd's attention. As per Mahindra, Funster is "a thrilling roadster electric concept with a playful convertible mode, nothing short of being an object of desire". Mahindra also unveiled the "Atom" which is a new age electric urban mobility solution for last-mile connectivity needs. The e-XUV300 which is an electric version of the popular SUV recently made headlines when it got the 5-star safety certification, a rarety in the Indian Automobile industry. Also Read: Auto Expo 2020: Mahindra showcases 3 EVs, a concept car and electric-3 wheeler 12.20 pm: Tata HBX micro SUV concept revealed at Auto Expo 2020 Tata on Wednesday showcased its smallest SUV yet, the HBX at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. This concept was also unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Once its goes into production, the HBX will be positioned under the Nexon brand. HBX is Tata's second model whose concept is based on the brand's new modular ALFA platform, following the Altroz. 12.14 pm: Tata Sierra EV Concept Revealed at Auto Expo 2020 Tata Motors showcased the Sierra concept at the Auto Expo on Wednesday. Sierra is an all electric concept SUV whose concept is based on the ALFA ARC platform. 12.00 pm: GWM Haval H9, F7X, F7 & F5 Unveiled Chinese car manufacturer, Great Wall Motors debuts in Indian market. The company unveiled four models from its Haval range at the Auto Expo 2020: Haval H9, Haval F7, Haval F5 and Haval F7X. 11.45 am: Auto Expo 2020: MG motors unveil Marvel X SUV MG Motor India showcased the future of mobility with a huge line-up of global products - including the Marvel X, the world's first mass-production model to achieve Level-3 Intelligent Driving - at Auto Expo 2020. Designed to reflect its strong British lineage and its future-ready brand ethos, the MG pavilion at the Auto Expo came with various engagement options for visitors, such as the MG Carffe and an accessories and merchandise section. It also featured a dedicated segment for "i-SMART" - the technology that powers the HECTOR, India's first internet car, and the ZS EV, India's first pure electric internet SUV. 11.36 am: World's Most Affordable EV, The GWM R1 makes its debut in India 11.25 am: Kia Motors India unveils carnival at Auto Expo 2020 11.16 am: Kia unveils Sonet compact SUV concept at Auto Expo 2020 11.10 am: Hyundai Nexo FCEV, on display at Auto Expo 2020 11.00am: Hundai unveils Le Fil Rouge concept car at Auto Expo 2020 10.50 am: Hyundai unveils new Tucson at Auto Expo 2020 Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations With its eyes set on the leadership position in the fast-growing SUV segment, South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India on Wednesday unveiled the next-generation version of its premium SUV Tucson at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida. The car will be launched on March 3. The SUV segment has been an outlier in an overall depressed domestic industry increasing its share in the market to 24 per cent in 2019. It is projected to cross the 30 per cent market in 2020 as more SUVs are launched in the market. Hyundai said its last few launches like the Creta mid-size SUV and Venue compact SUV have led to a 22 per cent growth in its SUV portfolio which now accounts for nearly a third of all Hyundais sold in India. Read More: Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations Auto Expo 2020: Tata Motors unveils HBX, Sierra Concept Homegrown automaker Tata Motors has unveiled two new concept vehicles Sierra and HBX at the Auto Expo 2020. Tata Motors also showcased SUV Safari's successor Gravitas, Nexon EV, Harrier and HBX, which is based on the company's new ALFA architecture. The company also unveiled BS-6 compliant passenger vehicle range -- Tiago, Tigor, Altroz and Nexon, and two new commercial vehicles -- Tata Prima truck and BS-6 compliant Tata Winger. Tata Motor's new BS-6 compliant SUV Harrier now comes with an upgraded automatic transmission. However, there is no petrol model to offer. The SUV Harrier gets its power through a 2.0-litre turbo engine which generates 170hp of power and 350Nm of torque. Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations 10:30 am: Hyundai showcases Kona Electric at Auto Expo 2020 10:15am: French automotive major Renault on Wednesday launched TRIBER EASY-R-AMT Renault Triber, an under 4-metre car, is an attractively designed sturdy versatile spacious vehicle which can accommodate up to 7 people. 9.47 am: Auto Expo 2020 is most likely to focus on cars manufactured as per the BS6 upgrade. EVs will also be a top draw. French carmaker Renault will showcase the Kwid electric that is already on sale in China and the Zoe electric vehicle. Mahindra and Mahindra one of the early EV adopters in India, will showcase at least two EV models-the eKUV and the eXUV3OO. 9.30 am: Maruti Suzuki (India) MD & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa unveils its concept Futuro-E at Auto Expo 2020 {mosimage} KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fishtech Group is pleased to welcome two widely respected cybersecurity industry leaders to the Haystax team. Brett Wilson has joined Haystax as General Manager. In this critical new role, he will lead the Haystax business unit of Fishtech Group, and is focused on developing, taking to market and operationalizing innovative approaches that help organizations identify threats and manage risks using the world-class Haystax platform. Brett is part of Fishtech's Executive Team and reports directly to Fishtech Group Founder and CEO Gary Fish. David Sanders joins Haystax as Director of Insider Threat Operations, responsible for deploying the Haystax Insider Threat Mitigation Suite to the company's enterprise and public-sector clients and supporting the optimization of their existing insider threat programs. Dave reports to Haystax's Vice President of Customer Success Susan Oliver. "Brett and Dave are accomplished cybersecurity executives who bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to our Haystax business unit," said Gary Fish. "With their addition, we are positioned to expand and accelerate adoption of Haystax's award-winning insider threat and physical security software platform to enterprise, federal and state government public safety and education clients." Brett has over 25 years of technology industry experience creating, marketing, selling and supporting information security software and risk management solutions. He has held various leadership roles at Symantec, Trustwave and CYREN. Most recently, Brett was COO of enSilo, a leader and innovator in the advanced endpoint security market that was recently acquired by Fortinet. "Haystax is an innovator in the application of advanced data science and AI in solving difficult cyber and physical security problems," said Brett. "I am excited to lead Haystax's efforts to help enterprise and government clients manage their risks, and to deliver our solutions to a wider market." Dave has two decades of experience in program and project management, software development and database design, including eight years as a trailblazer in the development and implementation of advanced insider threat mitigation programs. Most recently, he designed and managed the insider threat program at Harris Corporation, now L3Harris Technologies. Previously, Dave served on the U.S. government's National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF). "I am impressed with Haystax's pioneering, patented approach to evaluating behavioral and cyber indicators of insider risk, which is both game-changing and unique," he said. Fishtech CRO Pete Shah added: "As we integrate Haystax as a business unit of Fishtech Group, we are confident that Brett and Dave will help ensure Haystax continues to deliver operational mission success to the dedicated safety and security professionals responsible for managing risk to people, facilities, systems and information." Both Brett and Dave will be based at the Fishtech Group office in McLean, VA. About Fishtech Group Born in the cloud, Fishtech Group is the leading current-generation service provider enabling secure business transformation. Our experienced cybersecurity professionals plan, produce, and implement innovative solutions that ensure security and success. SOURCE Fishtech Group Related Links http://www.fishtech.group The prime minister has just signed Decree 15 outlining administrative fines on sharing fake news This was regulated in Clause 101 of the latest Decree No.15/2020/ND-CP. Accordingly, users of social networks uploading or sharing fake news will be fined for VND10-20 million ($435-870). Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just signed Decree 15 outlining the administrative fines for violations in telecommunications, radio frequency, technology information, and e-transactions. In addition to the penalties, the new law also stipulates measures to recover damages and the relevant court to pass sentence for such violations. The VND10-20 million ($435-870) fine is also applied for harmful news that cause public panic, rouse violence, social evils, and gambling. Moreover, sharing messages encouraging unsound customs, promoting depraved cultural products, or detailing murderous actions will draw similar fines. Besides, VND20-30 million ($870-1,304) fines will also be awarded for revealing state or individual secrets. With the coronavirus outbreak causing a huge stir, many Facebook accounts have posted untrue news about the epidemic, causing public panic and affecting local people's life. Authorities have inspected and required the platform to immediately remove the harmful information and issued fines. On January 26, Haiphong Police cracked down on an individual posting the news, "Haiphong recorded a Corona-suspious person who has been isolated in Viet Tiep hospital..." According to the police and the city Department of Health, Viet Tiep Hospital has no corona-suspected cases. In the evening of January 27, the Facebook account of Nhii Anhh in the northern province of Quang Ninh shared that two corona-infected Chinese arrivals in Bai Chay ward were isolated in Quang Ninh General Hospital. The information recorded 400 shares and nearly 100 comments. However, on the morning of January 28, the provincial Department of Health confirmed the information as falsehood. Currently, the provincial police are inspecting the case to verify the people related to the case. Rohini Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Rohini constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Rohini Assembly Elections 2020: As of 11.30 am, AAP's Rajesh Bansiwala led in the Rohini constituency with 13,464 votes, leaving behind the sitting MLA and BJP candidate Vijender Gupta, who got 12,469 votes. The vote shares of Bansiwala and Gupta are 50.16 percent and 46.46 percent respectively. One of three seats that remained with the BJP in the AAP wave during 2015 polls, Rohini will be one of the key seats to watch this election. Rohini is one of the smaller constituencies in the Union Territory with a substantial middle-class population that has traditionally voted for the BJP. The AAP, which failed to bag Rohini in the last election, has nominated Rajesh Nama Bansiwala as its candidate. He will face off against the incumbent Vijender Gupta of the BJP. Ahead of the 8 February polls, here is a brief profile of this constituency: Constituency Name: Rohini Constituency Number: 13 District Name: North West Delhi Total Electors: 1,74,653 Female Electors: 83,281 Male Electors: 91,362 Third Gender: 10 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: The constituency was created in 2008. Its first MLA was Jai Bhagwan Singh of the BJP, who defeated his Congress rival by over 20,000 votes. In the 2013 polls, Rajesh Garg won the seat by narrowly defeating Singh. The 2015 polls, too, witnessed a close contest, with Vijender Gupta of the BJP winning the seat by just 5,000 votes. Demographics: The seat is considered a BJP bastion. Rohini is a well-developed cosmopolitan residential area. As per reports, the Vaish community (traders) are an influential votebank in Rohini. Spread across 3,015 hectares, Rohini is an extension of Delhi. It was the first subcity project of Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Raja Vihar, Suraj Park, Rohini Sector 18, Rohini Sector 15, Rohini Sector 13, Prashant Vihar, Rohini Sector 7 and Rohini Sector 8 are some of the localiities in the constituency, which is largely middle-class. Moreover, Sector 7 and Sector 8 are considered commercially well developed. Twenty two feature films, including six Bhojpuri films, have been the beneficiary of the Yogi Adityanath governments film policy. Nearly 35 more films have been cleared by the finance committee. Bill vouchers of such films have been deposited and this means that these films would be next in line for subsidy which is cleared in a phased manner, said an official of Film Bandhu, the nodal body for film clearance and subsidy in the state. The Uttar Pradesh government has, so far, cleared subsidy worth over 112.4 million for 16 Hindi and six Bhojpuri films. The subsidy amount for 22 films is being transferred directly into the filmmakers accounts through real time gross settlement (RTGS), the official said. Among these 22 films are Anaarkali of Aarah, Shaadi Main Zaroor Aana, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Behen Hogi Teri. Interestingly, Anurag Kashyaps Saand ki Aankh, which the Yogi Adityanath government had declared tax-free in 2019, is not among the subsidy beneficiaries. Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in Saand Ki Aankh. Saand Ki Aankh stars Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar. The film is based on the life of Chandro Tomar and Prakashi Tomar, the two grandmothers from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh who learnt shooting at the age of 60 years and then went on to earn accolades. Anurag Kashyap, the producer of Saand ki Aankh, has been vocal in his opposition to the new citizenship law and was also among 49 celebrities who had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against growing intolerance. Bollywood celebrities like Madhur Bhandarkar had criticized Kashyap for seeking subsidy from the same government which he was criticizing. Meanwhile, Film Bandhu spokesman said that, on an average, three films were seeking subsidy every month in the state. There is a craze among filmmakers to shoot in Uttar Pradesh locations like Varanasi, Mathura, Agra, Sarnath and Sonebhadra.In 2018, the Yogi Adityanath government had revised the existing film policy. Under the new policy if half of a film has been shot in the state, the producer would be eligible for a subsidy of 1 crore, while shooting two-thirds of the film in the state would make the producer eligible for 2 crores. In March 2019, Adityanath had personally given away cheques worth 7 crores to 14 filmmakers for movies shot in the state and had even suggested a film on Prayagrajs Kumbh. The Yogi government has also given subsidy to hit films like Boney Kapoors Mom, Toilet-- Ek Prem Katha and Nil Batey Sannata among others. Also see | Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor arrive with Neetu Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor-Malaika Arora, Elizabeth Hurley attend Armaan Jains reception. See pics In the new policy, including four to five actors from the state in his film also makes the producer eligible for 25 lakh, while an all-UP star cast make a producer eligible for 50 lakh. The government had also reworked the policy to extend cash subsidies, which were till then available only to Hindi films and those made in UP regional languages, to films shot in English or any regional language. Follow @htshowbiz for more Steve Eisman, one of the investors who famously bet against the subprime mortgage crisis, said he has killed his money-losing bet against Tesla amid its "cult-like" rally. "I covered it a while ago," Eisman told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. "Look, everybody has a pain threshold. When a stock becomes unmoored from valuation because it has certain dynamic growth aspects to it, and has cult-like aspects to it, you have to just walk away." Eisman first revealed his short position on Tesla's stock in July 2018. The investor was one of many as the electric-car marker was the most shorted stock in the U.S. as recently as last week, according to S3 Partners. Short sellers covering their trade has been part of the fuel for Tesla's recent run-up. On Wednesday, a woman with crippling acne married a man with more pecs than personality, and a reformed drug addict - who sank lower and became an influencer - married a bloke whose retired policeman father has unwavering 'Christian values'. I got the same feeling watching Married At First Sight last night as I did watching Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. It's incredible. What does it all mean? And for crying out loud, how is there still 30 minutes left? But, just like with The Irishman, I decided to give the creators the benefit of the doubt and searched for their hidden meaning. More on that later. Crying on the inside: On Wednesday, reformed drug addict Hayley Vernon (left), who sank even further and became an influencer, married David (right), whose retired policeman father has unwavering 'Christian values'. What could possibly go wrong? When truck driver David, 31, tells his parents he's about to get married, they're seething. 'But David! You've been baptised?!' Apparently THIS is the straw that breaks the Christian values' back. Not when the 15 random tradies entered their house (without taking their shoes off!) and started setting up camera equipment and lighting rigs? And not when producers marched in, handed them a 'schedule' (script) and told them to act fake surprised about their son's fake decision to get fake married? 'But David! You've been baptised?!' David's mum and dad are seething. David has been baptised after all! And now he wants a fake wedding? 'Okay son, we'll support you' David's parents refused to answer my screams at the TV, instead offering a weak protest before eventually agreeing to support their son anyway. Then we meet the bride. Hayley Vernon is a 32-year-old finance broker who went from being a drug addict to an influencer. I could argue all day about which one is worse. Meet the parents: After spending the ceremony rapping and twerking, Hayley sauntered over to meet the seething in-laws. She may as well have brought them an extra jar of salt Sitting in her bogan-mobile (or four-wheel drive limousine) en route to the wedding, she gets deep and meaningful. 'The worst thing that could happen today is that they might judge me on my past discretions,' she says. She also admits there is a 50 per cent chance she'll 's**t herself' when she gets there. Luckily by the time she's at the altar it will count as a 'past discretion'. PORT MELBOURNE!? The parents get offended when Hayley calls David a 'country bumpkin', but that's nothing compared to when they find out she's from 'PORT MELBOURNE!?' Metaphorically s**tting themselves are David's parents, who hate Hayley and hate that their complex, spiritual son seems to be genuinely happy with her. After spending the ceremony rapping and twerking, Hayley saunters over to meet the angry in-laws. She may as well have brought them an extra jar of salt. Dad immediately gets 'Christian values' offended when Hayley calls his son a 'country bumpkin' and is even more offended by the next thing she says. 'What do you mean you're from PORT MELBOURNE?' 'Past discretions': Here, Hayley's thinking: 'Judging by how the parents reacted to where I live, maybe now's not the time to tell him I'm an ex-drug addict'. Meanwhile, David is just happy to be on the telly His father later says: 'I think David needs a girl with a personality a little bit more like mine.' So apparently the right 'style' of woman for David won't exist until dad has finished making that cloning machine he's been toiling away at in the shed. When it was all over, I thought: 'What just happened? Surely Australia's most popular show can't be this indecipherable nonsense? No, it must be a metaphor. Like in The Irishman!' Nonsense? When it was all over, I thought: 'Surely Australia's most popular show can't be this indecipherable? No, it must be a metaphor. The whole thing is clearly a parable for the coronavirus' That's when I worked it all out. The whole thing is a parable for the coronavirus. Hayley (the disease) has an infectious, dangerous energy that clings to everything it comes into contact with. Chris (the World Health Organisation), is trying to get everyone to calm down and be realistic, even though he knows he's screwed. The disease: Hayley (the disease) has an infectious, dangerous energy that clings onto everything it comes into contact with And David's parents are passengers on a cruise ship that just found out the virus is on board. 'Get us off. Get away from us! Baptised! Christian values! What do you MEAN you're from Port Melbourne!? That's where the diseased live!' Look I could be wrong and the show could just be extremely entertaining nonsense. Feel free to email me your own theories/comments/complaints. The WHO: David (the World Health Organisation), is trying to get everyone to calm down and be realistic, even though he knows he's screwed The Corona Cruise: David's parents are passengers on a cruise ship that just found out the virus is on board Oh, and there was another wedding as well last night. A sob story about Vanessa, 31, with an acne affliction, marrying Chris, 37, who has a kids-from-a-previous-marriage affliction. It would have been a heart-warmer if it felt remotely real. But this is MAFS, so it all fell into place like a carefully crafted children's puzzle and I didn't care for it. Senior pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King preached enters Senate race Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Rev. Raphael Warnock of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastors, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Thursday to make sure every voice is heard. Warnock, 50, who grew up with his parents and 11 siblings in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah, Georgia, explained in a campaign video that he wants to take his work helping people realize their highest potential beyond the church door. Some might ask why a pastor thinks he should serve in the Senate. Well, Ive committed my whole life to service and helping people realize their highest potential. Ive always thought my impact doesnt stop at the church door. Thats actually where it starts. And I love this country. And I believe that what makes America so great is that weve always had a path to make it greater, said Warnock. Greater for people like for the ones Ive counseled at my church and others like them across this state. Like my father used to tell me every morning whatever it is, be ready. I think Georgia is ready. Ready to stand up for the family whos tried to do everything right but when they received one bad medical diagnosis they realize that the cost of being sick is too much. Ready to fight for the dignity of workers who are paid too little and pushed aside as government works for Wall Street corporations. Ready because I realize that a kid who grows up in the projects today and struggling families across Georgia have it harder now than I did back then. Warnocks bid for political office is a departure from Dr. Kings legacy who chose social action over public office to create the change he wanted to see. He told The New York Times that even though he respects Kings approach, he was inspired by another civil rights leader, the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who once preached at New York Citys Abyssinian Baptist Church where he also spent time. Powell served in Congress from 1945 to 1971. Yes, it is, for some people, an extraordinary step for a clergyperson to operate beyond the pulpit and enter the rough-and-tumble of politics, Warnock told the publication. I am aware of the risk. But I am embracing it because I think the times demand it. He argued, The soul of our democracy is imperiled. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that since Warnock announced his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate he had garnered support from high-profile Democrats, including a former presidential contender, a powerful Washington group and Stacey Abrams, the most coveted Democratic endorsement in the state. Warnocks Democratic opponents, Matt Lieberman and Ed Tarver, who have been getting pressure to end their bid in favor of the reverend, have so far ignored those calls. I believe that the voters of Georgia, and not top Democrats, will decide who to unify behind, Tarver told AJC. This is a decision that will have an enormous impact statewide and nationally. Unity has never been a valid justification for subverting the process. Warnock has been an outspoken advocate of issues such as abortion rights, voting rights and the expansion of Medicaid. In a 2014 interview with The Christian Post, he argued that black voters, while many hold conservative social values, tend to vote in our perceived interests. "Black people are not allergic to the word Republican. Black people vote like other voters, we vote our perceived interests," he said. And what are those interests? "We've been pushing for Medicaid expansion, we've been dealing with the issue of wealth inequality, the need to raise the minimum wage. These are moral and spiritual issues, they are consistent with Dr. King's war on poverty. We're trying to address this business of poverty, give regular people an opportunity to live a dignified and decent life," Warnock said. Two terrorists and a Central Reserve Police Force jawan were killed in a gunbattle on the outskirts of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city on Wednesday, police said. The encounter broke out after three motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire on CRPF personnel posted at a mobile checking unit in Shalteng in Parampora, officials said. CRPF jawan Ramesh Ranjan died after being injured in the attack, a spokesperson of the paramilitary force said. Security forces retaliated and killed two terrorists, he said, adding that the third terrorist, who was injured, was captured when he was trying to flee from the spot. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar, said the gunned-down terrorists have been identified as Zia Ur Rehman of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Khateeb of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The captured terrorist is Umar Fayyaz of the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), he said. The trio was involved in several acts of militancy and several first information reports were registered against them, Kumar said, adding this incident shows that militant outfits are working in tandem. The CRPF spokesperson said there was information that terrorists would try to carry out strikes at security installations in Kashmir ahead of the seventh death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Security personnel had been asked to remain on high alert from February 8 to February 14 as Afzal Guru was hanged on February 9 in 2013, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front founder Maqbool Bhat was hanged on February 11 in 1984 and February 14 is the anniversary of the 2019 Pulwama attack, he said. Briefing the media about the operation, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh asserted that the three terrorists had 'definitely come with a plan to carry out some action'. "Their (terrorists') pistols were cocked (ready to fire) as soon as they were flagged down by the CRPF jawan. The second pillion opened fire on CRPF personnel as soon as he got down. In spite of being hit in the head, the jawan retaliated. "Other personnel also retaliated, resulting in the killing of two terrorists and the capturing the other," Singh said. He said there were prior inputs that terrorists might carry out attacks and the security grid was prepared to face the challenge. "This operation was successful due to the alertness of the forces," the DGP added. CRPF jawan displayed bravery in killing terrorists Slain CRPF jawan Ramesh Ranjan, 30, played an 'instrumental' role in killing the two terrorists and injuring the third when they were intercepted at a checkpost, officials said. Ranjan, from the 73rd battalion of the force, suffered a fatal bullet shot on his head during the gunbattle with the terrorists, but kept on fighting 'valiantly' and also retaliated with firing from his rifle. He succumbed to his injuries subsequently. "Ranjan was instrumental in killing the scooter-riding terrorists when they came near the checkpost at Shalteng in Parampora," a senior official said. A team of 13 CRPF personnel, led by an assistant sub-inspector, was deployed at the checkpost when the incident took place around noon, he added. "I bow down to our brave brother who sacrificed his life in the service of the nation. Our thoughts are with his near and dear ones," CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari said. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the CRPF camp in Srinagar in the evening after which Ranjan's body is expected to be airlifted and brought to Delhi for subsequent transportation to his home town in Bihar. Nearly a month away from his 31st birthday, Ranjan hailed from Bihar's Arrah. The third injured terrorist is admitted to a hospital in Srinagar. 'Misleading' Ryanair adverts that claimed it is 'Europe's low CO2 emissions airline' have been banned. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that the budget carrier broke rules on environmental claims and misleading consumers in its press, TV, and radio ads from September 2019 and that they must be changed. Both the TV and radio spot referenced 'low CO2 emissions' while the text advert claimed 'Ryanair has the lowest carbon emissions of any major airline'. 'Misleading' Ryanair adverts that claimed it is 'Europe's low CO2 emissions airline' have been banned After complaints were made, the airline claimed that the phrase 'low CO2 emissions' in the radio and TV ads meant 'less than average'. In the print promotion, the company compared its CO2 emissions per passenger, per kilometre, to four other big European carriers. There is no common definition of what a 'major airline' is. The ASA said the 'ads [...] must not appear again in their current forms', as the claims could not be substantiated. They said that customers would interpret the ads' claims to mean that travelling with Ryanair would mean they were contributing less CO2 than travelling with other airlines, which could not be proved. The watchdog said: 'We told Ryanair to ensure that when making environmental claims, they held adequate evidence to substantiate them and to ensure the basis of those claims were made clear.' Transport and Environment, which campaigns for cleaner travel in Europe, accused the airline of 'greenwashing' in its campaign. They said: 'This ruling is a reminder that the aviation sector's climate impact is soaring because of a decades-long tax holiday and almost zero regulation of their pollution. 'European governments must, without delay, agree bilaterally to tax jet fuel until EU Vice-President Timmermans secures the end of tax exemption.' The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that the budget carrier broke rules on environmental claims and misleading consumers in its press, TV, and radio ads from September 2019 Ryanair said it was 'disappointed and surprised' by the ruling, and maintained that it is the 'greenest' airline in Europe. In a statement, the airline said: 'For this environmental campaign, Ryanair provided the appropriate regulatory and approval bodies with all the information requested - including data from independent organisations such as Eurocontrol and Brighter Planet. 'These bodies then approved Ryanair's campaign - based not only on their standard regulatory rules but also on external recommendations from environmental experts.' It added: 'Ryanair is the greenest/cleanest airline in Europe. 'This is down to two simple facts: the average age of our fleet (only 6.5 years) and our capability to operate with the highest load factors (97 per cent).' Joint Forces Operation HQ emphasizes that Ukrainian military have never fired and will not fire at enemy targets located in residential quarters, and will never endanger safety of civilian population. On Tuesday, February 4, Russian occupation troops carried out a provocative shelling of the Ukrainian military and then immediately opened fire on the Petrivskiy residential district of the occupied Donetsk, located close to their own positions. Russian occupation authorities keep trying to discredit Ukrainian defenders, staging fake news stories for media, according to the press service of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Staff. "On February 4, several Russian media outlets operating in the temporarily occupied territory span reports claiming the Joint Forces had allegedly shelled the Petrivskiy district of Donetsk, damaging several households. SPG grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms were employed, said propaganda resources," the JFO's press service said. Read alsoExperts on children's "upbringing" in occupied Donbas: This somehow resembles "Hitler Jugend" "In fact, from 07:00 to 07:25 on February 4, Russian invaders themselves carried out a provocative shelling of Ukrainian defenders and, without waiting for a response, opened fire on the residential area not far from their own positions, drawing a 'picture' for the media invited," reads the report. The Ukrainian military claims that with a detailed study of the terrain, as well as tactical and technical characteristics of weapons available, the location of Ukrainian positions and those of Russian occupation forces, non-involvement of the Joint Forces in damaging households in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk becomes quite obvious. "Such accusations are unfounded and an element of misinformation campaign against Ukraine. Such actions by the Russian occupying authorities once again testify to their interest in further exacerbating the conflict and unwillingness to comply with the ceasefire and the Minsk agreements," it said. Accusing the Joint Forces' units of aggravating the security situation, the invaders are trying to conceal their own crimes against the Ukrainian people. Joint Forces Operation HQ emphasizes that subordinate military units have never fired and will not fire at enemy targets located in residential quarters, and will never endanger civilian population. Lockdown-like restrictions to return in Maharashtra? Here's what CM Uddhav Thackeray has to say NRC would impact all religions, won't allow it: Thackeray India oi-PTI Mumbai, 05: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act, but asserted his government will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens to be implemented as it would 'impact people of all religions'. Throwing out Bangladeshi and Pakistani migrants out of the country was an old demand of the Shiv Sena, the chief minister said in the third and concluding part of his interview to party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. 'I can confidentally say the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country. But, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going to impact Hindus as well,' the Sena president said. No decision on nation wide NRC: Govt in Lok Sabha India has the right to knowthe number of minorities from neighbouring nations who applied for Indian citizenship after being persecuted in their home countries, he said. 'When they come here, will they get homes under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana'? What about employment and education of their children? All these issues are important and we have the right to know,' hesaid in the interview to Saamana's executive editor and Sena MP Sanjay Raut. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 'As chief minister, I should know where will these people be relocated in my state. Our own people don't have adequate housing. Will these people go to Delhi, Bengaluru or Kashmir, since Article 370 is now scrapped?' he wondered. Several Kashmiri Pandit families are staying like refugees in their own country. The CAA is not to throw citizens out of the country, Thackeray said. 'However, the NRC will impact Hindus and Muslims and the state government will not allow it to be implemented,' he asserted. Under the NRC, all citizens will have to prove their citizenship. In Assam, 19 lakh people could not prove their citizenship. Of these, 14 lakh are Hindus, Thackeray claimed. In a veiled attack on his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who will lead a rally in support of the CAA and NRC in Mumbai on February 9, the chief minister said the NRC is not yet a reality and there is no need for a 'morcha' in support of or against it. 'If the NRC is enforced, those who are supporting it will also be affected,' he said. Uddhav Thackeray backs CAA, 'opposes NRC Under the NRC, even Hindus will have to prove their citizenship. 'I will not allow the law to be enacted. Whether I am chief minister or not, I will not allow injustice to anybody,' he said. The chief minister also took a veiled dig at the Centre's decision to give the Padma Shri award to Pakistani- origin musician Adnan Sami. 'A migrant is a migrant. You can't honour him with the Padma award. Throwing out illegal migrants was the stand of (late Shiv Sena supremo) Balasaheb Thackeray,' he said without naming anyone. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 12:22 [IST] Turkey and Azerbaijan have yielded to Armenia in their data on tourism growth. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted this on Facebook. "According to summarized data, 1 million 894 thousand 377 tourists visited Armenia in 2019," Pashinyan wrote. This number is up by 242 thousand 595, or 14.7%, compared to 2018, and by 399 thousand 598, or 26.7%, compared to 2017. In addition, according to a barometer released by the World Tourism Organization on February 4, Armenia ranks 12th in the world in 2019 among the fastest-growing destinations in the tourism industry. Turkey and Azerbaijan have yielded to Armenia in their data on tourism growth, ranking 13th and 17th, with 14% and 11.4% growth, respectively. Georgia is not at all among the 20 fastest-growing countries in the tourism industry. Armenia is also a leader among the EEU countries. Of the EEU countries, only Kazakhstan is [also] on the list, which, however, also yields to Armenia with its datarecording a 10% growth (20th position)." By David Shepardson (Reuters) - American Airlines Group and United Airlines on Tuesday both said they are suspending all flights to and from Hong Kong. Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, the second outside mainland China. An American Airlines spokeswoman said the airline's suspension of its Hong Kong flights to and from Los Angeles and Dallas had begun on Tuesday and would continue through Feb. 20. United Airlines said in response to a drop in demand it would also suspend flights through Feb. 20. The carrier's last U.S. flight to Hong Kong will depart San Francisco on Wednesday and the last return flight to San Francisco from Hong Kong will depart on Friday. The announcements mean no U.S. carriers will be flying passenger flights to Hong Kong after this week. U.S. government restrictions on flights and people who have visited mainland China that took effect Sunday have not impacted Hong Kong. On Friday, American Airlines suspended its flights to and from mainland China through March 27. United Airlines said on Monday it was moving up its suspension of U.S.-bound flights from mainland China by one day to Tuesday. United said it still plans to resume flights to and from China on March 28. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Chris Reese) 105-year-old Bhageerathi Amma recently became the oldest school student in the state of Kerala after clearing the fourth-standard equivalency examination that she gave last year, and she got a commendable 74.5 per cent. Indeed, age is just a number. The Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM) district coordinator Pradeep Kumar disclosed the result to literacy worker KB Vasanthakumar, who later informed Amma, the results are officially expected to be announced on Wednesday. EPS She was very excited to know her result. A few days ago when she was sick due to some age-related issues, she was concerned about her results, TNIE quoted Vasanthakumar as saying. Bhageerathi is very happy that she passed the exam and said that if her health permits she would attempt the next phase too. EPS After the literacy exam, Bhageerathi has been made KSLM brand ambassador so she can now inspire women to get back to the studies they once gave up. According to the report, she got married young and lost her husband in her 30s when she was pregnant with their youngest daughter. EPS As she could not make it to the exam centre, she gave the examination under the supervision of the panchayat member at her house at Prakkulam in Thrikkaruva panchayat. Her want to continue her education even after being over a hundred is nothing but inspiring and she teaches us that one is never too old to learn. A jewellery store clerk who was given $270,000 after a botched robbery attempt says she is still suffering from trauma years later. Nicole Funnell was a sales assistant at Michael Hill Jewellers in Westfield Helensvale on the Gold Coast when the attempted theft occurred in November 2015. The 52-year-old's actions kept the burglar from escaping with a gold necklace, but left her with physical and psychological scars. 'It was dreadful,' Ms Funnell told Daily Mail Australia. 'I was in shock.' Nicole Funnell was given $270,000 in compensation after a botched robbery in her workplace in 2015 and still suffers trauma years later A male customer approached Ms Funnell in the store and asked about a gold necklace and wrist chain in the display counter. He asked about the best price for the necklace and wanted to hold it to feel its weight, prompting Ms Funnell to ask the man for photo identification. 'I had a funny feeling, so I held the necklace close to me,' Ms Funnell said. CCTV footage captured the man moving his hand towards his pocket as if to grab his wallet before he lunged toward Ms Funnell and grabbed the necklace. 'He went to grab it with one hand and he yanked it and hit the glass cabinet that hard and tried to scare me,' she said. Ms Funnell held onto the necklace as the man pulled against her in a 'tug-of-war,' grabbing the necklace with both his hands before the clasp broke. The attempted robber fled, leaving Ms Funnell in shock with bruised ribs and a bleeding hand. Her physical injuries healed, but Ms Funnell's psychological injuries did not. Her crippling anxiety appeared almost instantly, with her partner waking to find her screaming in her sleep the night after the attempted robbery. 'As time went on things kept progressing,' Ms Funnell said. 'Loud noises send me jumping through the roof, if anyone is in close proximity to me, I am always hyper-vigilant.' Ms Funnell suffers from anxiety after the attempted burglary, and now struggles in her daily life 'I'm always looking for exits wherever I am. I'm always looking for how can I get out of here if something goes wrong.' Ms Funnell began to struggle with her daily life, suffering panic attacks, and hasn't been back into the shopping centre since. 'It has ruined my life,' Ms Funnell said. 'I'm a people person, I though I would retire at Michael Hill. People come through looking for engagement rings, paternity rings, people bring their babies in, it's exciting, you have so much rapport with your customers.' 'Now I don't go out anymore, I'm on edge all the time.' Ms Funnell sued Michael Hill Jewellers in December 2019 and was rewarded $270,000 in compensation for failing in their duty of care towards her. The court found that Michael Hill Jewellers' sales process did not protect employees through their safety policy, and that reasonable precautions needed to be made. Michael Hill Jewellers now require identification to view any item over $2,000, with stores now having advertised display signs for their CCTV security cameras. A Gold Coast court found that Michael Hill Jewellers (Elizabeth St store in Melbourne pictured) had failed in their duty of care towards Ms Funnell and she was given compensation 'Prior to this incident, Nicole loved her job and her life,' Ms Funnell's solicitor Peter Gibson from Shine Lawyers told Daily Mail Australia. 'She was a happy and confident person. The incident has taken that away from her. 'The robbery had a detrimental impact on all aspects of Nicoles life, her anxiety at stages was crippling.' Despite her compensation payout, Ms Funnell is still suffering years later. She struggled with vicious anxiety going back to work in another jewellery store and sought help from a psychologist. 'It became sink or swim for me,' Ms Funnell said. 'I had to swim, I was so low and taking medication. 'I had support from my parents and my partner, but I lost a lot of friends. I hardly see anybody now, I've become a bit of a recluse.' Ms Funnell said if she had her time again she would have reacted differently, but is hopeful that her traumatic experience will help protect other retail employees in the future. 'It has changed my life completely, and that's why it's so important to get it out there,' she said. 'If I could help just one person, retailers today have got to be aware of the impacts something like this can have on someone.' 'It can destroy your life.' As the universal Church gears up to mark the 28th World Day of the Sick on February 11, the Catholic Health Professionals Guild in the Accra Archdiocese in Ghana has put together a well-tailored programme to commemorate the day with anticipation of putting together activities geared towards the promotion of human dignity and life. We are reminded that in our work, we have to always strive to promote the dignity and life of each person, and reject any compromise in the direction of euthanasia, assisted suicide or suppression of life, even in the case of terminal illness, said Edward Ayem, a Radiologist at Korle-Bu, Ghanas largest Teaching Hospital in an interview. We are therefore encouraging all Catholic Health Professionals to join us as we commemorate the day because our professionalism, sustained by Christian charity, will be the best service we can offer for the safeguarding of the truest human right, the right to life, he said in an interview on February 2, adding that When we can no longer provide a cure, we will still be able to provide care and healing, through gestures and procedures that give comfort and relief to the sick. Dilating on how the day will be marked in Accra, Mr. Ayem said a Mass for all Catholic Health Professionals will be celebrated by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp. The Mass at the St. Kizito Parish at Nima, a suburb of Accra, on February 11, 2020, is expected to be attended by over 200 Catholic Health Professionals working in hospitals, Polyclinics, Clinics within the Archdiocese as well as the Ministry of Health and Health Training Institutions. According to Edward Ayem, This is the first activity to kick-start the celebration of the 5th anniversary of the inauguration of the Catholic Health Professionals Guild by Archbishop Charles Palmer Buckle, the then Archbishop of Accra. The Health Professionals in Accra are putting together other activities like health screenings in several Parishes in the Archdiocese, an Anniversary Public Lecture a dinner to appreciate the work of caregivers in the Archdiocese, he said. February 11 is World Day of the Sick, an observation started by St. Pope John Paul II as a way for believers to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses. The day coincides with the commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes. St. Pope John Paul II initiated the day in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope himself had been diagnosed with Parkinsons a year before, in 1991, and it is considered that his own illness was impetus for his designation of the day. People around the world take the time to pray for the sick and for those who work very hard to alleviate the sufferings of the sick on this day. Faith organizations mark this day especially to provide the sick with medicines, food, and spiritual guidance. For Edward Ayem, who is the Organising Secretary of the Health Professionals and Co-ordinator of the Catholic Professionals Guilds in Accra which include the Health Professional Guilds, said Health Workers in Ghana have a mandate to serve the sick in a generous manner as form of evangelization. He noted that with the universal theme for this years celebration: Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28), the Catholic Church, he stated had been partnering government to provide healthcare, hence the celebration of the World Day of the Sick calls our attention to consciously raise, discuss and find solutions to challenges and opportunities in the world of the sick and suffering both patient and care giver. With the slogan In God Our Health is assured, Ayem stressed that As healthcare professionals, it is a time to introspect and remember that diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic treatments, research, care and rehabilitation are always in the service of the sick person. Meanwhile, prior to the celebration of the Day, the National Catholic Health Service will be officially opening the St. Pauline Clinic during the national launch of the World Day of the Sick at the National Catholic Secretariat in Accra on February 7, 2020. Expected at the launch will be the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tove Dengbol and Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, Episcopal Chairman for Health of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference. The National Catholic Health Service has a vision of being the best in meeting patient needs and expectations and a mission to provide high-quality healthcare in the most effective/efficient and innovative manner, specific to the needs of the communities we serve and at all times acknowledging the dignity of the patient. It has a goal to strengthen and improve the National Catholic Health Service in its ability to provide and sustain health care services for the poor, neglected and marginalized segments of the society. The services will seek to empower the people it serves to take ownership of their own individual and collective health needs. A woman has been reunited with her long-lost dog after spotting its picture printed on a beer can as part of an adoption campaign. Monica Maithis, from Minnesota, said she was "scrolling pretty much on Facebook" when she saw her dog's picture on a post. She told media outlets: I was like, Oh my gosh! Thats my dog! I really thought she was gone, I never thought Id see her again." Manatee County Animal Service (MCAS) had teamed up with Motorway Brewing in Bradenton, Florida, to launch an adoption promotion by putting pictures of lost dogs on their cans. MCAS has shared the story of one of their rescue dogs, DayDay, who had been taken in by the shelter as a stray in March 2019. The pet had a microchip registered to Ms Mathis but her contact information was out of date, according to several news outlets who reported the story. Ms Mathis said she had helped deliver her dog Hazel in 2013, but the pet disappeared from their home in Iowa more than three years ago. The family moved to Minnesota after Hazel went missing and somehow the dog travelled hundreds of miles, ending up in Florida. Hans Wohlgefahrt of MCAS said Ms Mathis was able to provide proof DayDay was actually Hazel, including information for her microchip. LIDKOPING, Sweden, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Handheld Group , a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, today announced the new Algiz RT8 - an ultra-rugged 8-inch Android tablet that makes field work faster and more efficient. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8684351-handheld-launches-algiz-rt8/ The new Algiz RT8 ultra-rugged tablet is prepared for whatever the outside environment delivers - extreme temperatures, vibration, drops, water, and dust. Running Android 9.0 this unique 8-inch tablet allows faster and more efficient work in the field. The ultra-rugged Algiz RT8 tablet offers: A sunlight-readable, 8-inch capacitive multi-touch display with super-hardened Gorilla Glass, plus rain and glove mode IP67 ruggedness rating (including the ports) for fully waterproof and dust-tight performance Wide operating temperatures of -20C to 60C (-4F to 140F). 4G/LTE high-speed data, Wi-Fi, BT and NFC An 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running Android 9.0 Google GMS certification which means users have access to Google Maps and the Google Play Store Superior built-in u-blox GNSS receiver for precise navigation using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo or BeiDou Dual cameras, including a 13-megapixel rear-facing, and a 5-megapixel front-facing A powerful all-day, field-replaceable battery HDMI-out via pogo pin connector for docking the tablet in the office Multiple enterprise-focused accessories-including vehicle mount solutions, desk top cradle, rotating hand strap, carry cases, pole mount, and more-for efficient field work in a variety of industries "The Algiz RT8 is incredibly lightweight and compact for an ultra-rugged tablet," says Johan Hed, Director of Product Management at Handheld Group. "It has a durable, sunlight-readable, 8-inch screen. This, coupled with the benefits of Android 9 and a lineup of enterprise-focused accessories, makes The Algiz RT8 a very versatile tool for field workers." "We see the demand for Android tablets and phablets consistently increasing," says Thomas Lofblad, CEO Handheld Group. "We focus on developing products that meet the tough requirements our customers encounter in their real working environments. The new Algiz RT8 is built rugged from the inside out, which our customers have come to expect from us." The Algiz RT8 comes with Handheld's free mobile device management (MDM) software. The MaxGo software suite both provides quick application of universal settings to multiple devices, and allows custom application access. Additionally, a wide range of Handheld accessories built specifically for the Algiz RT8 extends the tablet's versatility. Helpful links ALGIZ RT8 product specifications What is a truly rugged computer? Learn more about Handheld About Handheld Handheld Group is a manufacturer and global supplier of rugged mobile computers, handhelds and tablets. Handheld and partners worldwide deliver mobility solutions to businesses within geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, utilities, construction, maintenance, mining, military and security. Handheld Group, headquartered in Sweden, has subsidiaries in Finland, the U.K., the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the USA. Learn more at www.handheldgroup.com . https://twitter.com/HandheldGroup https://www.linkedin.com/company/handheld/ https://www.youtube.com/user/handheldeurope Video: https://youtu.be/I4pNlTk6iQk An Accra High Court hearing the case involving the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has accepted as evidence a statement supposedly made by a witness brought before the court by the prosecutors in the case. Ofosu Ampofo however challenged the ruling by the court today, Wednesday. Mr. Ampofo through his lawyers filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal claiming that the witness statement cannot hold because the witness had denied knowledge of the content. The prosecution witness, Benjamin Osei Ampofo Adjei who is a broadcast journalist with Adom FM told the court last week that he did not author the content in the said witness statement. Though agreeing that the statement had his signature, Mr. Ampofo Adjei told the court that he only signed a document brought to him when he was on his way to read the news hence could not read the content of the said document. Despite the stance of Mr. Ampofo Adjei, the High Court still admitted the witness statement as evidence, a decision lawyers of Samuel Ofosu Ampofo were not happy with. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo is standing trial together with Anthony Kwaku Boahen, a Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, over an alleged leaked tape in which the NDC National Chairman allegedly incited violence against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, and the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante. The two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit assault against a public officer while Ofosu-Ampofo has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault against a public officer. One of Mr. Ofosu-Ampofos lawyers, Abraham Amaliba, had earlier accused the state of fabricating evidence in the ongoing case hence Mr. Ampofo Adjeis denial of the content attributed to him. In my practice, this is the first time I am seeing a witness in the witness box denying an act that this purported to be his act it simply means these are trumped-up charges, he said. Because they are trumped-up charges, they need to couch something for the witness to append his signature, Mr. Amaliba told Citi News after court proceedings last week. The prosecutions case According to the prosecutions facts, following the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence on January 31, 2019, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo met with some NDC communicators on February 3, 2019. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo and Boahen are said to have outlined an action plan which included violence against Mrs. Mensa and Rev. Prof. Asante. The prosecution added that on February 20, 2019, Boahen granted a radio interview in which he confirmed his participation in the said meeting and also revealed that the leaked audio recording was a true reflection of what had transpired at the February 3, 2019 meeting. Source: citinewsroom Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video One of Chinas biggest food and wine trade shows has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, as the Australian wine industry braces for a hit to exports to the country as a result of the crisis. Local wine producers learnt on Tuesday of the postponement of the long-running trade show, which was originally scheduled to be held in the south-western Chinese city of Chengdu in late March. Local winemakers fear the coronavirus crisis could hit wine sales in China this year. Last year, the China Food and Drinks Fair attracted more than 100,000 buyers and wholesalers, and an audience of about 300,000 people. Dozens of Australian wine producers also attended the event, which was established in 1955. The news came as Wine Australia revealed that Australian wine exports rose three per cent to $2.91 billion in 2019, with fine wine exports hitting a record. Exports to China rose 12 per cent to a record $1.28 billion for the calendar year. 9.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Joe Biden called Donald Trump awarding Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal Of Freedom at the State Of The Union shameful. Biden said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, In one fell swoop, Trump delivered a speech worthy of the worst demagogue and turned his constitutional obligation to inform Congress about the state of our union into an episode of reality television. He even awarded our nations highest civilian honor, not to the real American hero in the gallery one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmenbut a conservative media personality who has done as much as Trump himself to divide our nation. It was a shameful display. Rush Limbaugh is a racist, sexist, homophobe hate monger who has made an entire career off of dividing people, so in Trumps view, he is the perfect person to receive the nations highest civilian honor. Trumps State Of The Union was designed to appeal only to his base. His speech contained no vision for the future. There was no bold ambition to make the nation better for generations to come. Trumps speech was a national embarrassment, and instead of focusing on Nancy Pelosi tearing it up, Republicans and their media sycophants should be happy that she didnt pull out a lighter and set it on fire because Trumps MAGA rally disguised as a SOTU was an epic waste of time. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Ukraine's Cabinet appoints acting Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia Management Board 16:40, 05.02.20 3436 Last week, the Cabinet agreed on the dismissal of Chairman of the Ukrzaliznytsia Management Board Yevhen Kravtsov. When I heard there was a new bakery in San Francisco that specialized in $65 Instagrammable organic birthday cakes for dogs, I thought there couldnt be anything more stereotypical San Franciscan. (Short of paying in cryptocurrency, or something like that.) I was fully prepared to hate on Mishka Cakes and everything it represented. It seemed like a combination of two food trends that annoy me: expensive pastries and things that are crafted with Instagram front of mind. But when I looked them up, I saw the business had a perfect score on Yelp: Of the 53 reviews, all but two were a perfect five stars. If these cakes could win over the notoriously picky Yelp crowd, maybe there was something special happening here. I visited the store in Presidio Heights (a neighborhood with the perfect demographic for a dog bakery, if you ask me) along with our photographer, a fellow editor and her dog, Archer, typically a finicky eater but ready for his first journalistic assignment. We were warmly greeted by owner Olia Rosenblatt, who could not have been more excited to see us. Im so nervous, she kept apologizing as she beckoned us further into the store. Meeting Archer seemed to put her at ease she showered him with compliments as she snuck him treats. Oh my god, hes so luscious. Just amazing. Upon seeing the cakes in the refrigerated case, I was struck by how they looked too beautiful to eat for people and dogs alike. There were small beet-red domes topped with flecks of gold leaf next to others molded into the shape of green and orange bubbles. The uninitiated may mistake these for a 1970s-era Jello-O dessert filled with buttercream and fruit instead of turkey, beef, lamb or chicken. The largest was a rainbow cake filled with 3 pounds of meat definitely meant to share among more than one dog friend. (Scroll through the slideshow above for a look at the cakes plus lots of cute dog photos.) Its not just the cakes that are designed for Instagram. The furniture is mid-century modern, theres a fluffy shag rug (bold choice for a business that caters to dogs), and theres a photo backdrop with lights where dogs can pose as they resist the urge inhale the meaty cake sitting right in front of them. In the front of the store there are racks of handmade dog clothing, including Italian tweed jackets that retail for more than $100. Heres where the cynicism started to creep back into my brain. As customers came in, Rosenblatt greeted them and the dogs by name. She kneeled on the ground to distribute treats among them, making sure the shy dogs got just as much to eat as the more frisky ones. When the dogs were fed, we sat down to talk about the story behind Mishka Cakes, starting with its name. The story of the name of my brand is technically my love story with my husband, Rosenblatt said. She met her husband in the lobby of a San Francisco hotel when she was visiting from Russia. Stunned by his tall stature and broad shoulders, she told him in broken English, Oh my god, you look like a bear. Mishka is bear in Russian. After moving to San Francisco, she started experimenting with aesthetically pleasing dog cakes at home as a passion project (and yes, she taste tested them along with all her friends dogs). Rosenblatt may have been a newcomer to the city but she had already adopted one of San Franciscans central ethos: organic food. All my cakes have no dyes and no preservatives, she explained. She uses fresh vegetable juice to attain the bright colors seen in her cakes. Its an extremely delicate process, Rosenblatt explained. Even just a smidge overcooked, and the vegetable juices lose their vibrant color. The cakes are about 70% organic meat, and the rest is vegetables, egg protein and agar to set the jelly. A small cake will cost you $12-$17 depending on the type of meat filling, and the big multicolored birthday cake costs $65. Rosenblatt says it takes at least an hour and a half to make as she waits for each stripe of color to cool and set before adding another layer. They last seven days in the stores refrigerated case. I never save anything. In my freezer, its empty there. Every time I make a batch of new cakes I order special vegetables, special meats. Its my principal position: no dyes, no preservatives. Just fresh things. Hearing the work that goes into the cakes made me feel bad for balking at the price tag originally. In a city where there are more dogs than children, its not surprising people like to spoil their dogs with nothing but the best. That drive may bring people to Mishka in the first place, but what keeps them coming back is something harder to find in San Francisco: community. Rosenblatt says data from her credit card reader tells her 80% of customers are repeat visitors. Regulars mingle and meet on social media; two have even fallen in love (the dogs owners, not the dogs). The walls are decorated with photos of customers dogs, each posing with a Mishka cake. She rents out the space for private dog birthday parties, too. This is such a nice, wonderful place to connect with friends, customer Paige Mantel told us at the store. Her dog Samson also keeps her coming back. If he sees us walking or driving anywhere near here, he starts crying and pulling because he knows where hes going. Even Archer, a usually picky eater who I outsourced the taste testing for this story to, couldnt get enough of the chicken souffle cake we bought him (once we cut it into prim and proper bite-sized pieces). I did not plan for this to be a fluffy story (pun intended, thank you very much) about a seemingly silly San Francisco business. But here we are. I dont even have a dog and the hour I spent in Mishka was enough to make me want to go back. It felt so pure to witness someone really chasing their passion, even if that passion is gourmet cakes for spoiled San Francisco dogs. This means the world to me. Even as I talk about it I have goosebumps all over my body. This is what I live for. Right now Im the happiest person in the world. I love my clients, I love to see them come back and their dogs lick my face. ... Its the best. Mishka is at 3334 Sacramento St. in San Francisco. Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com. Trumps third State of the Union address was his most combative and also his most triumphant-seeming. Expecting acquittal on Wednesday in his impeachment trial, speaking on the day that his Gallup approval rating hit the highest number of his presidency (49 percent), Trump spent much of the speech boasting about the thriving economy he said he had fostered. He devoted an entire section of the speech to ticking off the various demographics currently enjoying historically low unemployment rates. In what seemed like a preview of his general-election talking points, Trump highlighted his trade policies, tax cuts and deregulation while taking pains to depict Democratic politicians as out-and-out socialists. Speaker Nancy Pelosi looked on in disgust throughout, hardly ever rising to applaud, and as the speech ended, she made a point of tearing up the papers she had been reading in front of the cameras. In a first, Trump staged two made-for-TV moments during the speech. He announced from the podium that Rush Limbaugh, the conservative commentator who recently announced he had Stage 4 lung cancer, would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as some Democrats groaned. Melania Trump presented him with the medal. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijan will host the largest tourism event in the region - Travel Business Azerbaijan 2020 on April 29. Registration of companies operating in the field of tourism and hospitality continues, and more than 200 local and foreign companies have already confirmed their registration, State Tourism Agency reported. More than 1,000 participants from 50 countries, including the Middle East and Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, India, Pakistan, Japan and Korea, are expected to attend the event organized by the State Tourism Agency together with the Azerbaijan Tourism Board. Travel Business Azerbaijan 2020 will be held in the country for the first time, becoming the largest travel event in the region. The event, which will take place at the Baku Convention Center, will serve as an important platform for promoting the country's tourism potential. The event aims to create partnerships and opportunities for cooperation between local and international tourism companies, as well as stimulate the development of mutual relations. It will include B2B (Business to Business) meetings and seminars, where companies will be able to present their services. The participants of the event will have an opportunity to gain valuable information about the latest trends in leisure, MICE, business travel and other core parts of the tourism industry, host and participate in seminars, as well as purchase from and deal with local suppliers from all regions of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is among the developing countries in the field of tourism, occupying the 39th place among 148 countries in terms of global competitiveness in tourism. Over 3 million tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2019. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Dyfed-Powys Police says it has become the first police force in the UK to use DNA evidence from a stolen cow in a criminal court case. DNA from a 3,000 heifer, which had been retagged by a neighbouring farmer after escaping from a field, was used in court to prove it had been stolen. The blood samples were compared against cows on the victims farm to prove a familial link and secure a conviction, in what the force says is a UK first. David Aeron Owens, of Salem Road, St Clears, pleaded guilty to theft at Swansea Crown Court on Monday 3 February Dyfed-Powys Police PC Gareth Jones, officer in case, said: This has been a long and protracted enquiry, and it has taken a lot of work and patience to get to this point. Without the use of the heifers DNA we would not have been able to prove that it had been stolen by Mr Owens, and that he had tried to alter identification tags to evade prosecution. We are proud to be the first force in the UK to use a cows DNA in a criminal case, and will continue to use innovative methods to get justice for victims. The investigation started in December 2017, when a farmer in St Clears reported the theft of one of his 300 cows which had escaped from his field four months earlier. Mr Owens had denied the missing animal was on his land, but the victim recognised it among the herd. PC Jones visited the farm and was handed a cow passport, listing ear tag numbers for the cow in question and the animal Mr Owens alleged was its mother. The officer applied for a warrant to seize the stolen cow, which was separated from the herd and had blood samples taken for DNA comparison. Under advice from the Animal Plant Health Agency, and due to regulations about moving cows, the disputed animal remained on Mr Owens farm, PC Jones said. He agreed to look after it on behalf of the police. It was established through DNA tests that the heifer listed on the cow passport was not related to the disputed cow. In March 2018, a Welsh government field officer went to the farm and seized the stolen heifers passport. She told Mr Owens she would return the following week to check the tags on his herd. Arrangements were made for further samples to be taken by a vet, which were compared with a cow on the victims farm. They were proven to be siblings, and based on the DNA results, CPS authorised charges against Mr Owens. He was summonsed to court and pleaded guilty to theft. This is the first time DNA blood from a heifer has been used in relation to a criminal court case. PC Jones said: I must thank the victim in this case for the determination shown in wanting to see justice being done. It has been a long investigation, but we hope he is satisfied with the outcome. What this case shows us is that where the farming community works with the police, reporting crimes and providing us with vital information, we can be successful in taking out prosecutions. I echo comments made by the judge, who said Mr Owens, as a farmer, would be well aware of the need for a level of trust in the rural community. In committing these offences, he has played a part in breaking down that trust, which will be difficult to build back up. During the criminal investigation, Mr Owens started his own proceedings against Dyfed-Powys Police over the way blood samples were taken from the cow as he had not been willing for this to happen. A judicial review found the force was lawful in obtaining blood samples from the animal. Mr Owens was sentenced to a 4,000 fine and must pay 400 costs. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has settled a civil lawsuit against a San Antonio man accused of selling counterfeit Yeti products and not delivering items to consumers. Under an agreed final judgment and permanent injunction signed last week, Robert Markum Jr., who has done business as Outdoors Online and campingandfishingoutlet.com, has agreed to pay $61,200 in civil penalties, restitution and fees. Markum must make monthly $1,700 payments for the next three years. He didnt admit any wrongdoing and the judgment was entered into because of the uncertainty and costs of litigation, the document states. He issued a general denial to the allegations in 2018 after Paxton sued in late 2017 in state District Court in San Antonio. Markum operated websites selling camping and outdoor-sporting gear that generated hundreds of consumer complaints. The websites OutdoorsOnline.com and campingandfishingoutlet.com no longer operate. The Better Business Bureau issued a warning about both websites in 2017 after receiving hundreds of complaints and dozens of negative reviews from consumers in 44 states. The BBB never received a response from the businesses despite multiple phone calls and messages, it said in 2017. Some consumers detailed problems they encountered with the websites in sworn statements with Paxtons lawsuit. A Washington state woman said she spent $40 on a 30-ounce Yeti cup on campingandfishingoutlet.com. She later returned to buy a 20-ounce Yeti cup for $30. More than two months after her first order, she said, she received a package shipped from China that contained a 30-ounce cup. She compared the cup with a friends Yeti cup and was certain the cup she received was not authentic. She requested a refund for both cups but never got a response. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Yeti Coolers, based in Austin, purchased a Yeti-branded 20-ounce pink tumbler on OutdoorsOnline.com and declared the item counterfeit. It contained misspelled labeling and incorrect markings, a company official said. Paxton sued Markum under the states Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Markum is prohibited from engaging in false or misleading business practices, selling counterfeit goods and failing to deliver goods. Consumers will receive $20,500 in restitution as part of the settlement. Calls to the attorney generals office and Markums lawyer were not immediately returned. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) State volcanologists said the crater glow observed at Mayon Volcano in the last two days has most likely been caused by gases affecting the atmosphere, adding alert level 2 remains in place due to recent activity. In its latest update, Phivolcs said while the volcano has calmed down since a magmatic eruption in 2018, slight changes have been observed since February 2019. "These observations indicate that Mayons recent behavior has been mainly driven by changes occurring within magma already emplaced beneath the edifice rather than by renewed magma intrusion events," the agency said. The crater glow seen was also explained as "likely caused by hot magmatic gases heating the overlying atmosphere." Phivolcs said this could mean that "remnant magma" may be silently rising to the shallow levels of the volcano. As Mayon was still showing "moderate levels of unrest," Phivolcs said alert level 2 was still over the volcano. "It is therefore strongly recommended that entry into the six kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone or PDZ and a precautionary seven kilometer-radius Extended Danger Zone or EDZ in the south-southwest to east-northeast sector, stretching from Anoling, Camalig to Sta. Misericordia, Sto. Domingo, should be strictly prohibited," it said. Doreen Abelinde, project assistant of Phivolcs' Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division, told CNN Philippines Wednesday apart from the crater glow, they were also monitoring other characteristics such as sulfur dioxide emission, deflation, and acidity. She added they were not able to monitor any crater glow tonight, as it was cloudy in the Mayon area. In a late night development, the Goa Police arrested Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte for allegedly threatening a state BJP spokesman. BJP State spokesman Premanand Mahambrey had on Wednesday filed a police complaint against Khaunte accusing him of threatening him. He had also submitted the complaint to the Assembly speaker. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Porvorim) Edwin Colaco told PTI that Khaunte was arrested late in the night. He, however, refused to give any further details. Police sources confirmed that Khaunte was arrested after the Goa Police approached legislative Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar. The speaker's permission is required as the assembly is in session. The budget session of the assembly will culminate on February 7. Police in their submission before the Speaker pointed out that the accused is an influential person and an elected representative, while the complainant is a spokesman of a political party, which might lead to further troubles. The former state revenue minister was arrested under section 341 (wrongful restrainment) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of Indian Penal Code, a senior police officer said. On Wednesday, Mhambrey had addressed a press conference in which he had accused Khaunte of being involved in illegalities. Later, the Goa unit chief of the BJP had alleged that Khaunte threatened Mhambrey as he was "frustrated" over the latter's press conference. Mahambrey had then filed a formal police complaint against Khaunte accusing him of threatening him on the state assembly premises. Khaunte had been dropped from the Pramod Sawant-led cabinet earlier last year. When contacted, Khaunte had on Wednesday denied threatening Mhambrey. "I have not touched anyone. The BJP is frustrated as we are exposing them in the House, and hence they are trying to divert the attention," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is maintaining his lead over Berne Sanders in a key metric out of Iowa, although state party officials there have yet to release all of the vote after a tech issue caused chaos. The potential for a historic finish to the caucuses came after yet another blemish on the caucuses, after the party committed yet another error in putting out results, then apologized. 'There will be a minor correction to the last batch of results and we will be pushing an update momentarily,' the state party tweeted Wednesday. Buttigieg, who campaigned in Concord, New Hampshire Wednesday after celebrating his position, was leading Sanders with 26.5 per cent of state delegate equivalents under Iowa's unique system, with 92 per cent of precincts reporting. Sanders was a 25.6 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 18.3 per cent, Joe Biden with 15.9 per cent, and Amy Klobuchar with 12.1 per cent. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during the New Hampshire Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Concord, N.H. He leads the field in state delegate equivalents out of Iowa The party first put out information saying former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick had earned delegate equivalents with 1,677 people caucusing for him then had him down to zero delegates on the next release. Patrick, who was in New Hampshire Wednesday, barely campaigned in Iowa. The delegate differences were marginal, with Buttigieg and Sanders tied Wednesday evening but bragging rights continue to be on the line. Sanders continues to lead Buttigieg in the greatest support among caucus-goers at the first and second round of balloting. As the delegate leader, Buttigieg was poised to become the first openly gay candidate to carry a state in a party presidential primary. He is already the first openly gay candidate to capture a presidential delegate, according to the Des Moines Register. The Iowa Democratic Party suffered further embarrassment when it had to issue a 'minor correction' after posting election results Biden, a poll leaders nationally who under-performed in Iowa, called it a 'gut punch' at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire Wednesday, after he turned up the heat on Buttigieg by saying his role running a medium-sized city isn't sufficient preparation for the White House. The fourth-place showing concerned Biden supporters, some of whom shared their aggravation openly. He needed to get out more, talk to smaller groups of people, listen to them, give his vision one-on-one to people, Biden ally Bruce Hunter told the New York Times. Biden's Iowa state director will not stay with the campaign, Politico reported. Buttigieg left the campaign trail for fundraisers Wednesday, with events set for New Jersey and New York. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, here with his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders, trails Buttigieg in delegates but leads the popular caucus vote Former Vice President Joe Biden called the Iowa result a 'gut punch' and tore into Buttigieg's experience Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) poses for photographs with supporters during a campaign event at Nashua Community College February 05, 2020 in Nashua, New Hampshire. According to a new set of partial Iowa caucus results, Warren is third behind Democratic presidential candidates former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and ahead of former Vice President Joe Biden Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden greets a man with his baby after a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire, U.S., February 5, 2020 Biden is hoping for strong showings in New Hampshire and South Carolina that can put the Iowa results behind him Buttigieg leads Bernie Sanders in the Iowa delegate race To collaborate on Unmanned Ariel Vehicles in India Hindustan Aeronautics, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Dynamatic Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding for marketing, manufacturing and selling of IAI's unmanned ariel vehicles to Indian potential customers such as Indian Defence Forces, Paramilitary Forces and Central Armed Police Forces at DefExpo 2020. HAL as a long-time partner of IAI is involved in the depot level maintenance of all the MALE and Short Range class of UAVs supplied by IA1 to the Indian Defence Forces since 2004. Taking the HAL-IAI collaboration one step ahead, under the scope of this MoU, this partnership would be the first in country to manufacture IA1 designed UAVs in India like Short Range Tactical class having long endurance. This collaboration will enhance technology sharing and business partnership between India and Israel. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the country needs to restart the judicial system so that decisions such as the suspension of the concession of the Kherson Sea Port are not made. "I'm sure that you and I will live to see a reboot of the judicial system. You see what is happening. So far, we have a difficult situation with the courts, and it has always been very difficult. That is, they are individuals in this country. We are now fighting this. We are talking about protecting our investors," he told reporters on Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv's Obolonsky District Department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine. Zelensky pointed out that "the system is being set up, how to counteract this." The president noted that there are many decent judges in Ukraine, but there are also many problematic cases that prevent Ukraine from developing and prevent the ability to protect both domestic and foreign investments. Or is it all a big political show? I feel sorry for Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He spent C$4.5 billion buying the Trans Mountain pipeline project to placate the government of Alberta, and Premier Jason Kenney still complains about everything. Recently dumped Conservative leader Andrew Scheer actually had the gall to complain that Trudeau buying the pipeline "sent a devastating message to the world, and to the business community, that the only way to get a project built in Canada is to have the government nationalize it. Trudeau can't win with these people. If you don't buy the pipeline you divide the country; if you do, you are a socialist. Now Bill McKibben is on Trudeau's case, writing in the Guardian about how Trudeau is selling out to the oil industry. He notes in an article titled When it comes to climate hypocrisy, Canada's leaders have reached a new low that, while the Americans elected a climate change denier, Canada, on the other hand, elected a government that believes the climate crisis is real and dangerous and with good reason, since the nations Arctic territories give it a front-row seat to the fastest warming on Earth. Yet the countrys leaders seem likely in the next few weeks to approve a vast new tar sands mine which will pour carbon into the atmosphere through the 2060s. They know yet they cant bring themselves to act on the knowledge. Now that is cause for despair. McKibben goes on to say that Trudeau plans to burn up all 173 billion barrels of oil: "That is to say, Canada, which is 0.5% of the planets population, plans to use up nearly a third of the planets remaining carbon budget." Chris Turner thinks that is a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, it's likely that the pipeline and the Teck mine or the Trans Mountain pipeline might still never get built. Finishing the pipeline could cost C$12 billion and the mine C$21 billion, at a time when the funding for oil projects is drying up. Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock Inc, says, Climate change has become a defining factor in companies long-term prospects," adding that he believes the world is on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance. According to Alan Livsey in the Financial Times, After much hand-wringing, BlackRock, the worlds largest investment manager, signed up to the Climate Action 100+ initiative, a group of 370 fund managers controlling some $35tn of assets. These investors want action on greenhouse gases, and energy producers with large stores of hydrocarbon reserves are an obvious target. And the biggest targets are: Those companies with the highest carbon intensity in their oil and gas reserves face the greatest risk of writedowns as a result of changes in climate change policy. These include Canadian oil sands producers Suncor Energy and Imperial Oil, but also US shale oil drillers Pioneer and EOG. Really, it's tough, trying to run a country where so much depends on whether people can expensively boil rocks to separate the bitumen, dilute it and ship it over mountain ranges and hope that it can compete with cheap fracked oil from the USA. So it's all just very expensive theatre, but the show must go on. US actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo urged Europeans on Wednesday to be "heroes" in the fight against chemical pollutants in the world's waterways, the central theme of his latest film "Dark Waters". In it, Ruffalo plays the lawyer Robert Bilott, who waged a long legal battle against chemical giant DuPont in a class action suit brought by some 70,000 people in West Virginia whose water was contaminated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The substance, a so-called persistent organic pollutant used notably in the manufacture of non-stick cooking pans, is suspected of being carcinogenic and an endocrine distruptor. At a press conference at the European Parliament alongside Bilott and "Dark Waters" director Todd Haynes, Ruffalo, who produced the film, said the cause was finally getting off the ground after four decades of inaction. "It has been tough for us to get things moving on a federal level, even with this film," he said, urging Brussels to take up the baton and strengthen regulations against PFOA and similar chemicals. "You guys are the heroes now, you?ve got to be the heroes," said Ruffalo, whose campaign against PFOA is called "Fight Forever Chemicals". The "Avengers" star, who met earlier with European Parliament speaker David Sassoli, said he hoped "Dark Waters", which is to open in France and Belgium on February 26 and Britain on February 28, "could help start to educate people." "Right now, people are being poisoned, and they don?t even know about it," said Ruffalo, who has also joined the fight against fracking. Asked about the nomination by two Swedish lawmakers of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ruffalo said: "I?d love her for the Nobel Prize. Greta, good luck!" Johanna Sandahl, head of the European Environment Bureau grouping green NGOs, told the news conference: "PFAS pollution is out of control in the US and in Europe," adding that current regulations were insufficient. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA. "You?ve got to be the heroes," Ruffalo told an EU parliament committee hearing VC firm TLcom Capital has closed its Tide Africa Fund at $71 million with plans to make up to 12 startup investments over the next 18 months. The group with offices in London, Lagos, and Nairobi is looking for tech-enabled, revenue-driven ventures in Africa from seed-stage to Series B, according to TLcom Managing Partner Maurizio Caio. "We're rather sector agnostic, but right now we are looking at companies that are more infrastructure type tech rather than super commoditized things like consumer lending," he told TechCrunch on a call. On geographic scope, TLcom Capital will focus primarily on startups in Africa's big-three tech hubs Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa but is also eyeing rising markets, such as Ethiopia. Part of the fund's investment approach, according to Caio, is backing viable companies with strong founders and then staying out of the way. "We are venture capitalists that believe in looking at Africa as an investment opportunity that empowers local entrepreneurs without... coming in and explaining what to do," said Caio. TLcom's team includes Caio (who's Italian), partners Ido Sum (Israeli), Andreata Muforo (from Zimbabwe) and senior partner Omobola Johnson, the former Minister of Communication Technology in Nigeria. Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin in 2018, Johnson offered perspective on next startups in Africa that could reach billion-dollar valuations. "When I look at the African market I suspect it's going to be a company that's very much focused on business to business and business to very small business a company that can that can solve their challenges," she said. Omobola Johonson Omobola Johnson TLcom's current Africa portfolio reflects startups similar to what Johnson described. The fund has invested in Nigerian trucking logistics venture Kobo360, which is working to reduce business delivery costs in Africa. TLcom has also backed Kenya's Twiga Foods, a B2B food distribution company aimed at improving supply-chain operations around agricultural products and fast-moving-consumer-goods for farmers and SMEs. Story continues Both of these companies have gone on to expand in Africa and receive subsequent investment by U.S. investment bank, Goldman Sachs . Other investments for TLcom include talent accelerator Andela which trains and places African software engineers and Ulesson, the latest venture of serial founder Sim Shagaya. The firm's close of the $71 million Tide Africa Fund comes on the high-end of a several year mobilization of capital for the continent's startup scene. Investment shops specifically focused on Africa have been on the rise. A TechCrunch and Crunchbase study in 2018 tracked 51 viable Africa specific VC funds globally, TLcom included. This trend has moved in tandem with a quadrupling of venture funding for the continent over the past six years. Accurately measuring VC for Africa is a work in progress, but one of the earlier reliable estimates placed it at just over $400 million in 2014. Recent stats released by Partech peg Africa focused VC funding at over $2 billion for 2019. TLcom's listed in a number of the larger rounds that made up Partech's tally. The fund's latest $71 million raise, which included support from Sango Capital and IFC, reversed the roles a bit for TLcom founder Maurizio Caio. The VC principal who usually gets pitches from African startups needed to sell the value of African tech to other investors. "It's been tough to raise the fund; there's no doubt about it," Caio said. TLcom highlighted its past exit record and the viability of the African market and founders to bring investors on board. "We had the advantage of showing some good exits.... The emphasis was also on the gigantic size of these markets that are underserved, the role that technology can play and the fact that the entrepreneurs in Africa are just as good as anywhere else," said Caio. He also referenced African startups being constrained by the social impact factors often placed on them from outside investors. "The equation is not just about ensuring employment and inclusion, but also about the fact that African entrepreneurs have to be in charge of their own destiny without instructions from the West," he said. For those startups who wish to pitch to TLcom Capital, Caio encouraged founders to contact one of the fund's partners and share a value proposition. "If it's something we find vaguely interesting, we'll make a decision," he said. A Cork Fine Gael candidate insists she has the backing of her party despite going off-message on the issue of the pension age in her campaign literature. Cork North-Central candidate Lorraine O'Neill is calling for the pension age to be restored to 65. She said there is "no point" in entering politics if you can't bring important issues that matter to you to the table. The commitment is included in Ms O'Neill's campaign literature and appears to be at odds with the party's stance on the matter. It could prove to be potentially embarrassing for Fine Gael, which has been sharply criticised for its policies on raising the pension age. Next year, the pension age will increase to 67, depriving those who retire at 65 to the right of their full pension for two years. It has become a major issue during the course of the election. Ms O'Neill said the pension issue is coming up on the doors during the canvas. She said she has a fundamental problem with those who retire at 65 having to rely on jobseekers allowance for their income. "The main concern that I have is that people who retire at 65 would have to go on jobseekers allowance for two years," she said. "This includes people who work in jobs where you have to retire at 65. We are getting it on the doors during the campaign." The Glanmire-based businesswoman said she sent the proofs of her election literature to Fine Gael head office and that no issues were raised with any elements. "I am a candidate but I am going forward with some of my own ideas," she said. "People are disillusioned; they think that you 100% have to follow the party line but there is no point in putting yourself forward for politics if you can't bring something with it, some of your own ideas and the things you care about it. You have to be true to yourself." A spokesperson for Fine Gael did not clarify if it had approved the content of the flyers. The party said: "Fine Gael will provide certainty to enjoy retirement free from financial pressures, and will raise the annual pension by at least 25 a week, over the next five years. A new State Pathway pension will be introduced for those retiring at 65, at the current rate, but without the jobseekers benefit requirements." DENVER, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axcient , a leader in business availability and cloud security solutions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced today that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , has named Axcient as one of its 100 Coolest Cloud Companies of 2020. The annual list honors the premier cloud technology suppliers in five key categories: infrastructure, platforms and development, security, storage, and software. We are honored to be named one of the industrys Coolest Cloud Companies for eight consecutive years by CRN, said Angus Robertson, Chief Revenue Officer at Axcient. At Axcient, we are committed to revolutionizing the way partners secure their clients data through our award-winning technology, simplified pricing, and a frictionless experience. As the IT industry has evolved, Axcient has continued to innovate. The CRN editorial team selects the 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Companies according to their originality and innovation in product development, the quality of their services and partner programs, and their success in helping their customers save money and maximize the impact of their cloud computing technology. In addition to honoring outstanding technology suppliers, the 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list also enables solution providers to identify the most advanced cloud technology players aiding them in selecting the companies that can best support their cloud service needs. The IT channel relies on cloud services as the foundation for building modern, transformational solutions, said Bob Skelley, CEO, The Channel Company. CRNs annual list of 100 Coolest Cloud Companies seeks to honor the top cloud providers, whose mission and actions support innovation in cloud-based technologies. Our team congratulates these honorees and thanks them for their commitment to leading positive change in cloud technology. The new 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list will be featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/cloud100 . To learn more about Axcient or start a free trial, please visit www.axcient.com . About Axcient Axcient is an award-winning leader in business availability and cloud security solutions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The Axcient Business Availability suitewhich includes Replibit , BRC , CloudFinder , Anchor , Fusion , and the Axcient Cloud enables MSPs to build secure technology stacks for their clients, automate processes, and acts as the last line of defense for MSPs. Trusted by MSPs worldwide, Axcient protects businesses data and continuity in the event of security breaches , human error, and natural disasters . For more information, visit Axcient at www.axcient.com . Follow Axcient on LinkedIn , Facebook and Twitter . About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook SALEM, Ohio Tax documents arent usually much to get excited about, but Form 1099s sent to Encino Energy royalty owners caused a hubbub this week. The Encino Energy office, in Louisville, Ohio, was flooded with calls and people took to social media to crowdsource answers after landowners noticed a discrepancy in their 1099-Misc forms, which are used to report income from oil and gas royalties. People noticed a difference between the amount of money they received in their royalty checks throughout last year and the amount Encino reported on the 2019 Form 1099. The royalties reported were much higher than the money they actually received. Some people noted this was different than what their 1099s from Chesapeake, Encinos predecessor, looked like. Thats because people are being shown more information than they were before, said Jackie Stewart, director of external affairs with Encino Energy. The company didnt realize this was different than what landowners saw in the past. Given our commitment to operational transparency, we have enhanced the level of information included in the annual federal tax documents that our landowners recently received, Stewart said in a statement. We understand that this enhanced level of information has, in some cases, created questions. The royalties amount in box 2 of the form is the gross royalty amount, something that is required by the IRS to be included on the form, Stewart said. Encino also included the taxes and other deductions taken from the royalty payments in a smaller box on the bottom left section of the form. If the taxes and deductions are subtracted from the gross royalties amount in box 2, it should come out to the amount people received in their royalty checks. As a result of the strong reaction from landowners, Stewart said a letter from Encino Chief Financial Officer Michael Magilton explaining the change is being sent to them all, as well as a flier further illustrating how to decipher the Encino 1099. The flier is also available on the companys website at www.encinoenergy.com/landowner-relations/ and by clicking the following link: Landowner Tax Information. Anyone with further questions should contact Encino Landowner Relations at 1-866-858-9001 or email ownerrelations@encincoenergy.com. (Reporter Rachel Wagoner can be contacted at 800-837-3419 or rachel@farmanddairy.com.) A man accused of firing at a police officer had ordered his girlfriend at gunpoint to drive him to New Jersey, authorities said Wednesday. Miguel Angel-Villegas, 29, was indicted on several counts related to a shooting and manhunt that shut down parts of Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton this past November, a week before Thanksgiving, authorities said. Angel-Villegas was indicted on counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, burglary, resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and three gun charges, including possessing a weapon after a conviction, officials said. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the indictment in a news statement. The morning of Nov. 21, 2019, a Tuckerton officer pulled over a car driven by Angel-Villegas girlfriend. The New Haven, Connecticut man was a passenger, authorities said. A surveillance image of a man being sought by Little Egg Harbor police on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. Angel-Villegas ordered his girlfriend to tell the officer a fake name, and forced her to speed away from the traffic stop, officials said. They struck another vehicle, injuring its driver, before Angel-Villegas got away on a blue tricycle, the announcement said. Schools in the area were on lockdown as authorities searched for Angel-Villegas, who was on a train and had passed through Union County. The crash scene in South Jersey remained covered by caution tape for much of the day as investigators examined the black four-door car. That night, U.S. Marshals and NYPD arrested Angel-Villegas in New York Penn Station. He remains in the Ocean County Jail before an arraignment in Superior Court. Police investigate the scene of a police involved shooting near Railroad Ave. and North Green Street in Tuckerton. The unidentified man who exchanged gunfire with police fled the scene. Thursday, November 21, 2019 Noah K. Murray | for NJ Advance MediaNoah K. Murray | for NJ Advance Media Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned of a "significant impact on the Australian economy" from the coronavirus as seafood businesses fear they will have to close their doors. Already the virus is costing tourism $1 billion a month and damaging other industries too due to a lack of more than 106,000 international students. Mr Frydenberg told Channel Nine's Today Show on Thursday his job was to "make sure that the economic harm to the economy is mitigated" but would not say whether the budget, which has been impacted by bushfires and drought, will still be in surplus. Treasury is crunching numbers to indicate the full scale of the impact on the economy and the federal budget, from the disease which has so far claimed more than 400 lives worldwide, and resulted in 15 Australians testing positive to the virus. An off-duty firefighter was able to bring a lizard back to life using CPR. The video was shared by a Gordon fire station page on Facebook, and showed the lizard - appropriately named 'Lucky' - being saved after he was found in a pool by a family living in Pymble, Sydney. 'One of our off-duty firefighters was asked to attend a neighbourhood pool where a drowning had occurred,' the Facebook post read. An off-duty firefighter has brought a lizard back to life using CPR (pictured) 'Upon arriving at the scene a youngster was lying unconscious and not breathing after being found un-responsive in a pool skimmer box by some children after failing to 'scale' from the pool. 'The firefighter checked for a response by looking, listening and feeling for life, the patient appeared cold blooded.' The off-duty firefighter continued to perform CPR. 'After receiving no response the youngster was turned onto its back and cardiopulmonary compressions started in an attempt to get a spring in his tail,' the station posted. 'After more than ten minutes things weren't looking good for the little fella but soon after an occasional ''gasping breath'' was noticed. 'From previous experience our firefighters know this is not the time to stop so CPR was continued.' The kids from the family can be hear din the background encouraging the firefighter and pointing out the lizard was starting to breathe and move again. 'Then miraculously ''Lucky'' the lizard started to breathe on his own. 'He was quickly rolled back onto his stomach and within half an hour with a little sunshine was back to chasing insects.' Despite the good humour of the post the station also took the opportunity to remind people about the importance of knowing CPR. 'It serves as a timely reminder to know your CPR action plan in and around the water as we head towards the end of summer. Another great save by the Gordon crew,' the Facebook post read. Suzethe Margaret prepares to leave a courtroom with her lawyer after a panel of judges acquitted her of blasphemy charges, at the Cibinong District Court in West Java, Indonesia, Feb. 5, 2020. An Indonesian court on Wednesday acquitted a Catholic woman who was accused of blasphemy for entering a mosque with her dog while wearing her shoes, ruling that she was mentally ill. Suzethe Margaret, 52, was arrested in June last year after she entered the mosque with her dog in the Sentul area in Bogor, a regency on the outskirts of Jakarta. A panel of three judges at the Cibinong District Court said expert testimony proved that Margaret had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Considering that the defendant cannot be held accountable, there is no choice but to acquit her, presiding judge Indra Meinantha Vidi said. What she has done was part of her mental illness. Suzethe was caught on video yelling at mosque caretakers and insisting that her husband was going to be married there to another woman in an Islamic ceremony. The video, which circulated online a month after her arrest, showed Suzethe arguing with worshippers as her dog ran around the mosque. Indra said Suzethe had hallucinated and heard whispers that her husband was going to get married at the mosque. The prosecutor sought an eight-month prison sentence for the woman. Locals who attended the sentencing expressed dissatisfaction at the verdict. Remember her name. If you see her on the street, call her crazy, a courtroom spectator shouted. Ruslan Suhady, a member of the Al-Munawaroh mosque management, expressed disappointment at the ruling, saying that Suzethe did not appear to be mentally ill. If she had been crazy she would have dressed like a tramp, or been naked. She was neatly dressed, he said. Suzethe did not say anything as she left the courtroom after the judges ordered her release. Her lawyer, Alfonsus Atu, called the verdict fair. From the outset, investigators and prosecutors knew that she was ill, Alfonsus said. During the trial, Suzethes defense lawyer said she had received therapy for schizophrenia in 2013. Rights advocates: Law targets minorities Human rights groups said the current blasphemy law had been used to target members of religious minorities, including Islamic sects deemed deviant, in the worlds largest Muslim-majority country, where many citizens consider dogs to be impure. The blasphemy law was only used in eight cases in its first four decades, but convictions jumped to 125 during the 10-year rule of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono between 2004 and 2014, according to Human Rights Watch. Another 43 people have been sentenced under the law since President Joko Jokowi Widodo took office in 2014, the group said. Andreas Harsono, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Indonesia, welcomed Suzethes acquittal. From the humanitarian point of view, its good, he told BenarNews. But in countries where democracy is advanced, theres no law regulating religious blasphemy, he said. While Suzethes acquittal signified a step toward repealing the blasphemy law, six new provisions on religious blasphemy have been proposed in the revised criminal code bill currently being debated in the House of Representatives, Andreas said. This is another step back. More provisions mean more discrimination for minorities, he said. In 2018, a court in North Sumatra province sentenced a Buddhist woman of Chinese descent to 18 months in prison for committing blasphemy by complaining about noise coming from a neighborhood mosque. The woman named Meiliana was found guilty of showing hostility to religion and blasphemy after she complained that the Muslim call to prayer was being played too loudly at the mosque near her house. Meiliana has denied the charges, but angry locals threw rocks at her house and mobs burned Buddhist temples and other buildings owned by local ethnic Chinese. She was released on parole in May last year. In 2017, Jakarta Gov. Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama was sentenced to two years for blasphemy for remarks deemed insulting to Islam. He was released in February. Conservative Muslim groups held protests against Ahok in 2016 and 2017 after an edited video posted online made it appear that the governor, a Christian, had said that the Quran deceived people. Ahok lost the Jakarta gubernatorial election to former Education Minister Anies Baswedan, who courted support of conservative Muslim groups despite his liberal credentials. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday took to his official Twitter handle and wrote about the forced abduction, conversion, and forced wedding of a 14-year-old Hindu girl Mehak from Jacobabad, Pakistan. Releasing a video, Sirsa demanded that India should pressurize Pakistan into returning the minor girl to her parents. Sirsa's tweet roughly translates to, "14-year-old Mehak was first abducted and then forced to marry. They are not even letting her go back to her parents. The entire Pakistani system is against minorities. In a situation like this, help from the Indian government is their last hope." Calling it a clear violation of Human rights, Sirsa also further tweeted the Verification certificate of the Pakistani minor girl Mehak and also called out the Pakistani judiciary for 'acting biased.' Age Verification certificate of Mehak Kuamri from Jacobabad & it shows she is 15-16 years old Pak Judiciary acting biased; despite knowing her age, her abductor-husband Ali Raza allowed to meet her in Dar ul Aman Clear violation of human rights @ImranKhanPTI @UN @ANI @republic pic.twitter.com/L8mRGKHXJW Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) February 5, 2020 READ | SAD MLA Manjinder Sirsa calls for UN action against Pak over forced religious conversion SAD MLA Manjinder Sirsa Calls For UN Action Against Pak Earlier on January 24, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manjinder S Sirsa lashed out at Pakistan over a new case of forced conversion of a Hindu girl into Islam saying that the trend won't stop until India raises the issue and the United Nations take action. He was referring to an Urdu news article where the forced marriage of a girl Saanwri to Shafkat Hussain in Liyaqaitpur was reported. Sirsa has been vocal about his criticism of Pakistan over its treatment of minorities. Another Hindu girl in Pakistan forced to do Nikah & convert to Islam! Saanwri, a Hindu girl frm Liyaqatpur was forced to marry Shafkat Hussain yesterday. The trend of forced conversions of minorities wont stop until we all raise our voice & the @UN takes action against @pid_gov pic.twitter.com/4yflgRisz5 Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) January 24, 2020 READ | Sirsa warns Pak govt of 'global protest' if it does not end forced religious conversions READ | Manjinder Sirsa slams Pakistan for its treatment of minorities, explains why CAA is needed Bernie Sanders delivers his response to Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire: Reuters In Donald Trumps lengthy State of the Union speech to Congress, he spoke about the US economy, took aim at Democrats plans for healthcare funding, and defended gun rights, but he failed to mention perhaps the biggest issue the planet faces: the climate crisis. The US president has had an inconsistent and contradictory record on the subject, previously dismissing it as a Chinese hoax, mythical, non-existent and pulling America out of the Paris agreement, though he has also described climate change as very important. The glaring omission from Mr Trumps Tuesday night speech did not escape the notice of Bernie Sanders, who along with Pete Buttigieg, is now apparently leading the race to become the Democrats next presidential candidate. As important as it is to respond to what President Trump said tonight, it is equally important to discuss what Trump refused to talk about. In the year 2020, how can a president of the United States give a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change? Mr Sanders said to supporters following Mr Trumps address. In the year 2020, how can a president of the United States give a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change? Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 5, 2020 The climate long relegated to the bottom of the list of concerns is now a major issue in American politics. Late last year, polls revealed over two thirds of US citizens now believe climate change is either a crisis or a serious problem. This has also been bolstered by several years of extreme weather events, including terrifying wildfires in California and the damage wreaked by ever larger tropical storms. Over 120,000 weather records were broken across the US in 2019, including for daily high and low temperatures as well as for levels of rain and snow. Heat waves hit Alaska raising temperatures to over 30C (90F) and sparking wildfires, winter storms brought snow to Hawaii, and heavy rains brought widespread flooding to the Midwest destroying crops. Story continues Also in 2019, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was made Time magazines person of the year, lending the climate movement considerable prominence. The accolade did not impress the US president. Mr Trump responded on Twitter: So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! https://t.co/M8ZtS8okzE Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2019 As Mr Sanders chases the Democrat nomination, he did not miss the opportunity to hammer home the differences between himself and Mr Trump, with the climate crisis a key weapon with which to wallop the president. He said: How do you give a speech a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change when the leading scientists of the world tell us that climate change is the greatest existential threat facing humanity, and that they as scientists have actually underestimated the speed and the severity with which climate change is wreaking havoc on our country and the entire world. I did not hear President Trump say one word about what it means when Australia is now on fire because of severe drought. And about the unprecedented level of flooding and extreme weather disturbances that we are experiencing. And he failed to talk about how many American communities could be underwater in the next century as a result of rising sea levels. By ignoring and in fact exacerbating the crisis of climate change, President Trump is turning his back on the children of America and on future generations and dooming them to live on a planet increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. He added: It is truly sad that we have a President of the United States who lacks the courage to stand up to his billionaire friends in the fossil fuel industry. Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, today announced that its Nocturnus research team released its newest research findings The Hole in the Bucket, which uncovers an arsenal of malware actively abusing Bitbucket to steal data, mine for cryptocurrency, and deliver ransomware to victims all over the world. Today, more than 500,000 workstations have been infected. Due to the variety of malware types deployed in this active attack, attackers are not limited to one attack vector, but can hit victims over and over again. The payloads observed in this campaign originated from different accounts in the code repository platform Bitbucket, which was abused as part of the attackers delivery infrastructure. Key Findings: Abuses Resource Sharing Platforms: This ongoing campaign abuses the Bitbucket infrastructure to store and distribute a large collection of different malware. Attacks From All Sides: This campaign is able to steal sensitive browser data, cookies, email client data, system information, and two-factor authentication software data, along with cryptocurrency from digital wallets. It is also able to take pictures using the camera, take screenshots, mine Monero, and, in certain cases, also deploy ransomware. Far Reaching: This ongoing campaign has infected over 500,000 machines worldwide thus far. Modular and Constantly Updating: The attackers leverage Bitbucket to easily update payloads and distribute many different types of malware at once. In order to evade detection, they have an array of user profiles and continuously update their repositories, at times as often as every hour. Malware Variety: The attackers use the Evasive Monero Miner to steal a combination of data, mine cryptocurrency, and deploy other malware, including the Vidar stealer, Amadey Bot, and IntelRapid. They also use Predator the Thief, Azorult, and the STOP ransomware over the course of the campaign. Devastating Impact: The combination of so many different types of malware exfiltrating so many different types of data can leave organizations unworkable. This threat is able to compromise system security, violate user privacy, harm machine performance, and cause great damage to individuals and corporations by stealing and spreading sensitive information, all before infecting them with ransomware. This research is interesting because of how the attackers infect a single target machine with multiple different kinds of malware. These kinds of commodity malware are often used for a one-off infection to steal data on the machine and sell it in underground hacking communities. However, in this attack, the attackers chose to integrate malware like coin miners and ransomware, which gives them a more persistent source of revenue, said Lior Rochberger, Threat Hunter, Cybereason About Cybereason Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, gives the advantage back to the defender through a completely new approach to cybersecurity. Cybereason offers endpoint prevention, detection and response and active monitoring. The solution delivers multi-layered endpoint prevention by leveraging signature and signatureless techniques to prevent known and unknown threats in conjunction with behavioral and deception techniques to prevent ransomware and fileless attacks. Cybereason is privately held and is headquartered in Boston, with offices in London, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Asia-Pacific and continental Europe. Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/ Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook Media Contact: Bill Keeler Senior Director, Global Public Relations Cybereason bill.keeler@cybereason.com (929) 259-3261 Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 20:25:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson of the cross-Strait affairs office of central China's Hubei Province on Wednesday said compatriots willing to return to Taiwan will receive further assistance. Xing Junzhi, also deputy director of the provincial office, called on Taiwan authorities to fully consider the feeling of the compatriots in Hubei and their demands and strengthen cross-Strait cooperation to facilitate their travel as soon as possible. Xing made the remarks after learning that Taiwan authorities refused pending charter planes that are scheduled to send more Taiwan compatriots back to the island on Wednesday and Thursday, citing limited admission capacity. On Monday, the first batch of 247 compatriots returned to Taiwan from Wuhan aboard a China Eastern Airlines flight. Currently, about 900 Taiwan compatriots in Hubei applied for transportation assistance and are waiting to return to Taiwan, according to Xing, adding that some of them had traveled to Wuhan for the flight from remote regions. [February 05, 2020] Japan Prize Foundation Announces 2020 Japan Prize Laureates TOKYO, Feb. 5, 2020 /CNW/ -- On February 4, 2020, the Japan Prize Foundation announced the 2020 (36th) Japan Prize Laureates. This year, the prize fields were "Electronics, Information, Communication" and "Life Science." Prof. Robert G. Gallager (United States) was chosen for the field of "Electronics, Information, Communication," and Dr. Svante Paabo (Sweden) was chosen for the field of "Life Science." Prof. Gallager who was chosen for the field of "Electronics, Information, Communication" is being honored for his "pioneering contribution to information and coding theory." On the other hand, Dr. Paabo who was chosen for the field of "Life Science" is being honored for his "pioneering contributions to paleoanthropology through decoding ancient human genome sequences." In April, the laureates will be invited to Japan for the "Japan Prize Week" where various events are scheduled. The Presentation Ceremony is scheduled for April 15 at the National Theatre of Japan, and the Commemorative Lectures are scheduled for April 16 at the Ito International Research Center, the University of Tokyo. At the Presentation Ceremony, each laureate will receive a certificate of merit and a prize medal. A cash prize of 50 million yen will also bepresented to the winner of each prize category. Robert G. Gallager, Sc.D Photo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202001155710-O1-L7Ke23X8 Nationality: United States of America Date of Birth: May 29, 1931 (88) Affiliation: Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Svante Paabo, Ph.D. Photo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202001155710-O2-cvzr4b8D Nationality: Sweden Date of Birth: April 20, 1955 (64) Affiliation: Director, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology About the Japan Prize Foundation The creation of the Japan Prize was motivated by the Japanese government's desire to "express gratitude to international society by establishing a prestigious international award in the fields of science and technology." Supported by numerous donations, the Japan Prize was established in 1983 with Cabinet endorsement. The Japan Prize honors those who have made significant achievements that contribute to the peace and prosperity of mankind, based not only on contributions to the advancement of science and technology but also on social contributions to our lives. The award covers all fields of science and technology and takes into consideration the developments in science and technology. Every year, the foundation designates two fields for the award presentation. One award is given for each field as a general rule. Each laureate receives a certificate of merit and a prize medal. A cash prize of 50 million yen is also presented to each prize category's winner. The foundation is headed by President Hiroshi Komiyama. Please visit: https://www.japanprize.jp/en/index.html View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/japan-prize-foundation-announces-2020-japan-prize-laureates-300999147.html SOURCE Japan Prize Foundation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Coyote and Badger Spotted Traveling Together Under Bay Area Highway NBC Bay Area (joe6pac). Woman sees missing dog on beer cans promoting shelter dogs AP Deep ocean oxygen levels may be more susceptible to climate change than expected Phys.org Electric or Not, Big SUVs Are Inherently Selfish Vice GM reviving Hummer brand with 1,000-horsepower electric truck Globe and Mail Phantom Attacks Against Advanced Driving Assistance Systems Ben Nassi (DL). Oy. The Battery Supply Problems Faced by Electric Air Taxis Avionics Shale pioneer John Hess says key U.S. fields starting to plateau Reuters Brexit Sinn Fein leads way in Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll with highest support ever Irish Times (PD). #2019-nCoV Syraqistan How an Army veteran became Cyber Rambo during alleged coup in Bolivia Business Insider India Trump Transition Americans say they dont like to talk about Trump at work but they do it anyway USA Today Impeachment 2020 You mean, on top of everything else, this ship is rigged? Stan Freberg I've never seen a more blatant example of concentrated money rigging an election than Iowa Dems releasing a random percentage of the vote after self-dealing grifters tied to Buttigieg fucked up an election, followed by the NYT, WaPost, CNN, and MSNBC announcing 'partial results.' Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) February 4, 2020 New Details Show How Deeply Iowa Caucus App Developer Was Embedded in Democratic Establishment Lee Fang, The Intercept. Acronym and Shadow shared office space, appeared together on same org chart, go to the same staff retreats, etc. The Unreality Of The Iowa Caucuses Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker. The word from the state Party was that about as many voters participated as had in 2016 (a hundred and seventy thousand), when the Democratic base was pretty listless, and far fewer than had in 2008 (two hundred and forty thousand), when Iowa voters were excited. I dont see how we can know this. The votes, thanks to the Clintonite apparatchiks who designed the app, have not been counted, so we dont have a total. Im so old I remember when the New Yorker had a fact-checking department, and fact-checking wasnt a bad joke. DNC Blames Iowa Caucus Problems On Single F*ck-Up Senior Citizen Volunteer The Onion. Oddly, the senior citizen wasnt of Russian ancestry. Big Brother Is Watching You Watch Imperiled information: Students find website data leaks pose greater risks than most people realize Harvard School of Engineering. [I]n less than 10 seconds she produced a dataset with more than 1,000 people who have high net worth, are married, have children, and also have a username or password on a cheating website. Another query pulled up a list of senior-level politicians, revealing the credit scores, phone numbers, and addresses of three U.S. senators, three U.S. representatives, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and a Cabinet member. Researcher: Backdoor mechanism still active in devices using HiSilicon chips ZDnet. Read all the way to the end. Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare Altruistic food sharing behavior by human infants after a hunger manipulation Science (dk). n=48. From the abstract: In a nonverbal test, 19-month-old human infants repeatedly and spontaneously transferred high-value, nutritious natural food to a stranger (Experiment 1) and more critically, did so after an experimental manipulation that imposed a feeding delay (Experiment 2), which increased their own motivation to eat the food. Social experience variables moderated the expression of this infant altruistic behavior, suggesting malleability. dk asks: But were the test subjects the babies of elites? At 19 months, some patterns may have already been acquired Anatomy of a rental phishing scam Jeffrey Ladish The long road to fairer algorithms Nature. An installed base is very difficult to change (code is law. See here, here, and here). Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. MIGDAL HA'EMEK, Israel, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PV Nano Cell, Ltd. (OTC: PVNNF) ("PV Nano Cell" or the "Company"), an innovative provider of inkjet-based conductive digital printing solutions and producer of conductive digital inks, today announced that it has successfully printed and tested high-demanding parts that include printing inside challenging VIA - vertical interconnect access. VIA are used as an electrical connection between layers (or sides of substrate) in a physical electronic circuit that goes through the plane of one or more adjacent layers. PV Nano Cell was able to print inside VIA with a diameter of 0.6 mm (0.024 inch) and a height of 1 mm (0.04 inch). A phenomenal, minimal resistance of 0.1 ohms was measured and the company said it could print smaller sized VIA as well. One side of the substrate is printed a pattern consisting of multiple widths and thicknesses (heights) of conductive features. This pattern forms an accurate resistor that heats to high temperature in less than milliseconds. PV Nano Cells Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Fernando de la Vega, commented, In this special application, we first print inside the VIA. Then we print the first designated pattern on one side of the FR4 (glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material). The substrate is then flipped over and we print the second designated pattern on the other side of the FR4. The VIA printed in the beginning of the process electrically connects between the two patterns printed on the two sides of the FR4 substrate. The unique printing process that we developed cuts approximately 50% of the cost of production compared to the existing manufacturing solution. We are positive we can improve the process even more and print smaller-sized VIA. PV Nano Cell is implementing these technologies and products to provide a complete solution approach that allows customers to fully realize the potential of inkjet based electronics printing for mass production applications. The companys proven solution includes its proprietary Sicrys, silver-based conductive inks, inkjet production printers and the complete printing process. PV Nano Cells Chief of Business Development Officer, Mr. Hanan Markovich commented, "The printed parts have gone through intensive, high-demanding standard testing by the customer and we expect the production to begin in the near future. Such an achievement demonstrates again, the feasibility and attractiveness of PV Nano Cells solutions for mass production applications. PV Nano Cell, Ltd. PV Nano Cell (PVN) offers the first-ever complete solution for mass-produced inkjet based, printed electronics. The proven solution includes PVNs proprietary Sicrys, silver-based conductive inks, inkjet production printers and the complete printing process. The process includes ink properties' optimization, printers parameters setup, printing modifications & tailored printing instructions per application. In the heart of PVNs value proposition lies its unique and patented conductive silver and coper inks - Sicrys. Those are the only inks made of Single Nano Crystals which allows the inks to have the highest stability and throughput required to drive optimal mass-production results for wide range of applications. PVNs solutions are used all over the world in a range of digital printing applications including: automotive, photovoltaics, printed circuit boards, flexible printed circuits, antennas, sensors, heaters, touchscreens and other. For more information, please visit http://www.pvnanocell.com/ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company operates; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, and sign new agreements. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting PV Nano Cell, reference is made to the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 20-F which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by the Company in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The global artificial intelligence (AI) market in food and beverage (F&B) industry market is poised to grow by USD 275.34 million during 2017-2021, progressing at a CAGR of more than 42% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005613/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global artificial intelligence market in food and beverage industry 2017-2021 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 77-page research report with TOC on "Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Food and Beverage (F&B) Industry Analysis Report by Application (Transportation and logistics, Quality control, Production planning, and Others), by Geography (Americas, APAC, and EMEA), and Segment Forecasts, 2017-2021". https://www.technavio.com/report/global-artificial-intelligence-market-in-food-and-beverage-industry The introduction of regulations to improve food safety and emergence of IIoT is anticipated to boost the growth of the market. Manufacturers in the F&B industry are increasingly adopting automation to meet regulations and guidelines set by industry associations for the maintenance of quality products. F&B manufacturers are required to have a safety system in place for analysis of hazards and risk-based preventive controls. To meet these requirements, food companies are expected to set up systems for thorough documentation of the processes implemented, to demonstrate that they are meeting the legal criteria. Vendors are offering AI platforms to meet requirements regarding preventive controls related to food safety, sanitary transportation, and foreign supplier verification programs. Quality management, database management, food production management, and enterprise resource planning are expected to be implemented with the help of technologies involving sensors and AI algorithms. Thus, the introduction of regulations to improve food safety is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market Companies in Food and Beverage (F&B) Industry: Aboard Software Aboard Software offers real-time operational solutions that allow end-users to achieve maximum efficiency, eliminate complexity, and speed up operations by providing a repository of business. The company offers Aboard Active ERP/MRP, Visual Ledger MRP, Small Business Consolidator MRP, and Enterprise Integrator MRP. Ailytic Ailytic delivers innovative decision support solutions to various industries such as manufacturing, general process, discrete, F&B, and packaging industries. The company offers Ailytic Advanced Scheduler, which simplifies tasks such as importing, optimizing, and selecting the best sequence of orders for a production environment. Analytical Flavor Systems Analytical Flavor Systems has created the platform Gastrograph AI, to help producers in the F&B industry make data-based decisions. The company offers Gastrograph AI platform, which helps in improving the production and sales of products. Deepnify Deepnify offers machine-learning powered demand forecasts to help in supply chain management. The company offers Deepnify solutions that use machine learning and deep learning algorithms to help end-users improve on metrics such as product availability, inventory turns, customer order fill rate, and margin. ImpactVision ImpactVision offers non-invasive and real-time ImpactVision product for the replacement of destructive sample tests, subjective visual inspections, and lab tests to provide more accurate data. The product can be easily integrated into production facilities and distribution centers. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Food and Beverage (F&B) Industry: Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017-2021) Transportation and logistics Quality control Production planning Others Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Food and Beverage (F&B) Industry: Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017-2021) Americas APAC EMEA Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Related Reports on Industrials include: Robotics Market in Personal and Homecare Sector- Global Robotics Market in Personal and Homecare Sector by geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America) and product (companion robots and emotional therapy robots). Smart Robots Market Global Smart Robots Market by geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America), product (personal service robots, professional service robots, and collaborative robots), and solution (software, services, and hardware). About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005613/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: https://www.technavio.com Rumour has it that Nokia, or rather HMD Global, will unveil new smartphones at MWC 2020 later this month. Inconveniently, the event will occur on February 23, one day before MWC 2020 begins in Barcelona. New mid-range handsets and an Android-powered feature phone may be on the agenda, with the rumoured 9.2 PureView not due to appear until later in the year. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here There has been plenty of talk about upcoming Nokia smartphones lately, with the arrival of new flagships being touted. While a foldable Nokia smartphone may not arrive until 2021, there have been fresh rumours about a successor to the Nokia 9 PureView, although one that ditches its five rear-facing cameras. There has also been talk of the Nokia 1.3, 5.2, 8.2 5G and a mysterious "Original" arriving at MWC 2020, which takes place between 24-27 February in Barcelona. Now, Pocket-lint claims that Nokia, or rather its parent company HMD Global, will host an event on February 23. Specifically, the HMD Global event will commence at 16:30 CET, with registration starting at 16:00. While not presenting any information to validate this, Pocket-lint is insistent that the event will occur in Barcelona at MWC. However, and as some of you may have twigged, this would mean that the event will occur before MWC 2020 has started. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 4, 2020) - Antler Hill Mining Ltd (TSXV: AHM.H) (the "Corporation" or "Antler Hill") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") dated February 3, 2020 with Rockford Mining Ltd. ("Rockford") to complete a business combination which transaction (the "Proposed Transaction") is intended to constitute Antler Hill's "Qualifying Transaction" (within the meaning of Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies ("Policy 2.4") of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV")). It is anticipated the Proposed Transaction will proceed by way of a three-cornered amalgamation (the "Amalgamation") whereby a wholly owned subsidiary of Antler Hill incorporated under the federal laws of Canada will amalgamate with Rockford to form a corporation to continue under the name, Rockford Holdings Ltd. Immediately following completion of the Proposed Transaction, Rockford Holdings Ltd. will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Antler Hill and will hold all of Rockford's assets and conduct the business of Rockford, which is classified as being part of the mining sector. Rockford Mining Ltd. Rockford is a private company incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act on January 29, 2018 and has been engaged in the business of seeking and identifying copper, gold and lead-zinc properties in Brazil since incorporation. SGM Mineracao Ltda. ("SGM"), a company incorporated in Brazil and a wholly owned subsidiary of Rockford, entered into a joint venture option agreement (the "JV Option Agreement") with GRB Grafite Do Brasil Mineracao Ltda. ("GRB") on September 19, 2018, to acquire an 80% interest in the mineral rights of a group of exploration licenses (the "Licenses") to explore an area approximately 13,644 hectares in size containing zinc and lead targets located in the Rio Grande do Sul State, approximately 290 km west-southwest of the state capital, Porto Alegre (the "Sao Gabriel Project" or the "Property"). Story continues On December 5, 2019, SGM and GRB amended the JV Option Agreement (the "Amended Option Agreement"). Under the terms of the Amended Option Agreement, SGM can acquire an 80% interest in the Property by: completing a minimum 1000m drill program on the Property by April 30, 2020, with the scope, nature and extent of the drill program to be determined at the discretion of SGM; the payment to GRB of $US20,000 on the date of signing the Amended Option Agreement; and Rockford issuing a total of 28,000,000 common shares to GRB or its designee. As at February 3, 2020, Rockford had 28,000,000 common shares issued and outstanding (the "Rockford Shares"). Ali Haji, residing in Toronto, Ontario is the sole director and officer of Rockford. Americas Investments & Participation Limited, a company incorporated in Brazil, has ownership of 28,000,000 Rockford Shares representing 100% of Rockford's issued and outstanding shares and is a control person of Rockford. Luis Azevedo, a director of SGM and a person resident in Brazil, is a director and control person of Americas Investments & Participation Limited. The Sao Gabriel Project Over the last 40 years, the Sao Gabriel region has been the object of several mineral research projects carried out by the Brazilian Geological Survey (CPRM) and mining companies. Currently, Nexa Resources is developing the Santa Maria Pb-Zn-Ag deposit in a region located east of the Sao Gabriel Project. In 2016, CPRM discovered the Lajeado Zn-Pb occurrence, as a result of a geological mapping program to investigate previously selected air-magnetic anomalies in the Sao Gabriel region. According to CPRM, the Lajeado Zn-Pb occurrence is also associated with anomalous values of Cd and Ag. The Property is located in the southern portion of the Atlantic Shield, in a geological area called Mantiqueira Province, which is a large and complex structural province deformed by the Neoproterozoic/Early Paleozoic Brasiliano orogenic event. Metavocanosedimentary sequence, plutonic rocks and remnant fragments of ophiolites (oceanic crust) comprise the main rock units in the project area. In 2016, GRB conducted a reconnaissance exploration program on the Sao Gabriel Project to evaluate the regional potential of the mineral properties. This program included rock channel, soil and stream sediment sampling. In addition, an airborne geophysics magnetic and radiometric survey was acquired from CPRM. A geophysical interpretation made by GRB based in magnetic characteristics of the Lajeado Zn-Pb occurrence, have identified 13 new targets within the Property area, commonly aligned with regional NE-SW-trending and NW-SE-trending structures. Rock channel sampling carried out along the Lajeado mineralized outcrop delineated an intersection of 14.30m at 0.65% Zn, including, 7m at 1.11% Zn, 3m at 1.89% Pb, 7m at 12ppm Ag, and 7m at 377ppm Cd. Chemical analyses were carried out by SGS Geosol laboratory, located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. SGS Geosol is an ISO-accredited (ISO:17025:2005) commercial laboratory, completely independent of GRB. Rock samples were initially analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP OES) with aqua regia digestion. Where Zn and Pb results exceed the upper detection limit (10,000ppm), the referred samples were re-analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) with a multi-acid digestion. In addition, the rock samples were also analyzed for Au (ppb) by Fire Assay. Duplicate, standard and blank samples were inserted by SGS Geosol, assuming a nominal frequency of 1 per 20 samples and no significant discrepancies were found on these QA/QC samples. In 2018, GRB conducted a second exploration program, which was focused on the Lajeado Zn-Pb occurrence and its possible extensions along the strike. An exploration grid was opened, followed by a detailed ground magnetic survey, soil sampling and a fixed-loop transient electromagnetic (FLTEM) survey. Soil samples collected in 2018 were prepared and analyzed at GRB's field office by the company's exploration team, using handheld portable XRF equipment and no QA/QC samples have been included. Interesting Zn results (up to 5,721ppm) in soils have been obtained on Lajeado region, suggesting the extension of the Lajeado mineralization along the strike. In addition, there are Cu, Co and Ni in-soil anomalies that should also be submitted to a more detailed investigation. Two significant magnetic anomalies have also been delineated on the Lajeado area. The geological potential of these features is currently not understood but it is possible one of anomalies (SG-01) could be related to the outcropping Zn-Pb mineralization. SG-01 magnetic anomaly lies about 250 metres north of the Lajeado Zn-PB occurrence. And covers an area of approximately 9.45 hectares. A well-defined EM conductor was also identified close by the Lajeado Zn-Pb sulphide mineralization and this feature should be the first priority target, assuming the sulphide nature of the known mineralization. The EM conductor trends NE-SW, which is the same orientation of the Zn-Pb mineralization found at surface (Lajeado occurrence). The Sao Gabriel Project is an early stage exploration project with potential to host an economic Zn-Pb sulphide mineralization. The geological endowment is fertile as attested by the presence of operating mines and other mineral deposits in the region. The author of the geological report prepared for GRB in accordance with disclosure standards of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), Paulo I. de Brito, BSc. Geology, recommends a work program of approximately C$450,000 for the 12 month period after completion of the Proposed Transaction. The Proposed Transaction The Proposed Transaction will result in the Corporation acquiring all of the issued and outstanding Rockford Shares in consideration for the issuance of common shares of the Resulting Issuer ("Resulting Issuer Shares") to holders of Rockford Shares on a one-to-one basis by way of the Amalgamation. The deemed issue price per Resulting Issuer Share to be issued to holders of Rockford Shares is $0.05 per Resulting Issuer Share. Concurrent with the completion of the Proposed Transaction, Rockford intends to complete a non-brokered/brokered private placement financing on terms to be determined (the "Offering"). The net proceeds of the Offering to be completed by Rockford will be used for financing Rockford's obligations in connection with the completion of the Qualifying Transaction, a recommended work program on the Sao Gabriel Project and for general working capital requirements. Details of the terms and conditions of the Offering will be disclosed when they become available. It is expected that following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, Antler Hill shareholders will hold 18,765,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, representing approximately 40.13% of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer, and shareholders of Rockford will hold approximately 28,000,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, representing approximately 59.87% of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer (immediately prior to giving effect to the Offering to be completed in connection with the Proposed Transaction). The Proposed Transaction will result in the Corporation continuing Rockford's mining exploration business in Brazil and the listing for trading of the Resulting Issuer's common shares on the TSXV as a tier 2 mining issuer. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, Antler Hill will continue under its current management and does not expect to change its name or the TSXV trading symbol for its common shares. The Qualifying Transaction does not constitute a Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transaction under Policy 2.4 and is not a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 and consequently the Corporation does not expect that it will be required to obtain any shareholder approvals. Ali Haji is the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Rockford as well as a director of the Corporation and is a "Non-Arm's Length Party to the CPC" (as defined under Policy 2.4) as well as an insider of Rockford. There are no finder's fees payable pursuant to the Proposed Transaction. Conditions to the Proposed Transaction Closing of the Proposed Transaction is subject to completion of the Offering and the parties obtaining all requisite corporate and regulatory approvals relating to the Proposed Transaction, including, without limitation, TSXV approval. Selected Financial Statement Information The following table presents selected financial statement information on the financial condition and results of operations for the Corporation. Such information is derived from the unaudited financial statements of the Corporation for the period ended September 30, 2019. The information provided herein should be read in conjunction the Corporation's audited financial statements. The Corporation's financial statements have previously been filed on SEDAR. Description Antler Hill September 30, 2019 (unaudited) C$ Total Current Assets 220,495 Total Assets 220,651 Total Liabilities 7,131 Total Shareholder's Equity 213,250 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity 220,651 Selected financial information on Rockford will be provided in subsequent news releases. Insiders, Officers, and Board of Directors of the Resulting Issuer To the knowledge of the directors and executive officers of the Corporation, the only person who will beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or exercise control or direction over more than 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares is Americas Investments & Participation Limited. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, it is anticipated that the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer will continue to be comprised of the current board of directors of Antler Hill. The following sets out the names and backgrounds of all persons who are currently officers and directors of Antler Hill and expected to be the officers and directors of the Resulting Issuer. Peter Bures, Chief Executive Officer and Director Mr. Bures spent the first few years of his career at Placer Dome mines in Timmins, Ontario followed by ten years on the sell side in equity research. Mr. Bures worked at Deutsche Bank, HSBC in New York and Toronto, and as Precious Metals & Mining Analyst/Strategist for Orion Securities (Toronto). In 2007 Mr. Bures transitioned to the buy side with Sentry Investments as an associate portfolio manager, specializing in metals and mining where he comanaged several top-ranked funds. Mr. Bures joined the BMO Capital Markets institutional sales desk in New York in 2011 as Director Global Mining Sales. Mr. Bures was most recently with Canaccord as VP analyst covering gold and silver producers and royalty companies. Mr. Bures holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (geological and mineral engineering) from the University of Toronto. Jing Peng, CFO Mr. Peng is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant. He has worked in public accounting for the past nine years providing financial services primarily to junior exploration companies. Mr. Peng has been the CFO of Austin Resources Ltd., a TSXV-listed company, since September 2015 and the CFO of NWT Uranium Corp., a TSXV-listed company, since March 2014. In addition, since December 2010, Mr. Peng has been the senior financial analyst at Marrelli Support Services, a well-respected supplier of accounting and reporting services. Prior thereto, Mr. Peng was a senior account at MSCM LLP from June 2009 - December 2010 and at KPMG LLP January 2007 - June 2009. Mr. Peng holds a Masters degree in Management and Professional Accounting from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Matthew Wood, Chairman and Director Mr. Wood is an outstanding mineral resource explorer and developer with over 25 years global industry experience in mining and commodities investment. He has managed successful deals in diamonds, coal, energy, ferrous metals, base and precious metals and other commodities. His unique skills in technical and economic evaluation of resource opportunities has been proven by an impressive record of nurturing resource deals from early stage, to market listings and successful exit strategies for his investors. Mr. Wood has an Honours Degree in Geology from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Certificate in Mineral Economics from the Western Australian School of Mines. Aneel Waraich, Director Mr. Waraich is the co-founder and Executive Director of Steppe Gold Ltd., a near-term precious metals producer in Mongolia. Mr. Waraich is also founder and managing partner of ATMA Capital Markets and ATMACORP LTD. and is a financial services professional with progressive experience in both the asset management and corporate finance businesses. Mr. Waraich focuses primarily on advising public and private companies in the Natural Resources sector. In previous roles at Goodman and Company Investment Counsel and Dundee Capital Markets he worked as an analyst valuating private equity companies. Most recently Mr. Waraich worked as an investment banker focusing on deal origination, going-public transactions and financings for both public and private companies in the resource and technology sectors. Mr. Waraich completed his MBA from the Goodman Institute of Investment Management at the John Molson School of Business. Ali Haji, Director Mr. Haji has extensive knowledge of the financial services sector after having spent over 12 years in the Asset Management Industry performing strategic and process improvement roles. He started his career as a technology analyst at Invesco Ltd. in 2006 and advanced into various roles including Technology Risk, Controls, Program Management, and Process Improvement with international assignments involving mergers and acquisitions in Hong Kong, U.S.A and Australia. Most recently, he was also a principal contributor to the creation of a Center of Excellence in London, England for Invesco Ltd. Mr. Haji attended The University of Western Ontario and holds a BSc in Computer Science. Sponsorship Antler Hill is currently reviewing requirements for sponsorship and will provide further information when it becomes available. Qualified Person All technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Paulo Ilidio de Brito, BSc (Geology), an independent consultant to the Corporation and Rockford and a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Brito is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG # 5173) and a member of AusIMM - The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM # 223453). Mr. Brito is a professional senior geologist with over 34 years of experience in the mining industry, which is relevant to the style of mineralization under consideration. Mr. Brito has no economic, financial or pecuniary interest in the Corporation and neither on Rockford and he consents to the inclusion in this document of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Filing Statement In connection with the Qualifying Transaction and pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, the Corporation will file a filing statement or a management information circular on its issuer profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), which will contain details regarding the Business Combination, Amalgamation, Offering, Antler Hill, Rockford and the Resulting Issuer. Trading in Antler Hill Common Shares Trading in Antler Hill common shares has been halted in compliance with the policies of the TSXV and will remain halted pending the review of the Proposed Transaction by the TSXV and satisfaction of the conditions of the TSXV for resumption of trading. It is likely that trading in Antler Hill common shares will not resume prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction. As of the date hereof, Antler Hill has 18,765,000 common shares issued and outstanding. About Antler Hill Mining Ltd. Antler Hill was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) on September 11, 2009 under the name "PrimeWest Exploration Inc.". On March 4, 2013, Antler Hill amended its articles to change its name to "Antler Hill Oil & Gas Ltd." Antler Hill is a CPC as defined by TSXV Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies. Antler Hill completed its Initial Public Offering on April 20, 2010 and its common shares became listed and posted for trading on the TSXV on April 20, 2010. On August 31, 2012, Antler Hill was transferred to the NEX board of the TSXV. The principal business of Antler Hill is to identify and evaluate businesses and assets with a view to completing a Qualifying Transaction, and, once identified and evaluated, to negotiate an acquisition or participation in such assets or businesses. Until the completion of its Qualifying Transaction, Antler Hill will not carry on business other than the identification and evaluation of assets or businesses in connection with a potential Qualifying Transaction. For further information, please contact: ANTLER HILL MINING LTD. Peter Bures, CEO and Director Phone: 437-997-8088 E-Mail: peter@antlerhillmining.com Web: www.antlerhillmining.com Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Antler Hill cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Antler Hill's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Antler Hill's ability to complete the proposed Qualifying Transaction; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Antler Hill's Prospectus dated April 5, 2010 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Antler Hill undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and if applicable pursuant to TSXV requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. A halt in trading shall remain in place until after the Qualifying Transaction is completed or such time that acceptable documentation is filed with the TSX Venture Exchange. The information contained in this press release relating to Rockford and the projects has been furnished by Rockford. Although Antler Hill has no knowledge that would indicate that any statements contained herein concerning Rockford and the projects are untrue or incomplete, neither Antler Hill nor any of its directors or officers assumes any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for any failure by Rockford to ensure disclosure of events or facts that may have occurred which may affect the significance or accuracy of any such information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52109 Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie's abrupt firing of the agency's No. 2 over a "loss of confidence" received a mixed reaction Tuesday from Congress, which has been kept in the dark thus far on the reasons for the dismissal. The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee said they trust Wilkie's judgment to pick his leadership team. But the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee demanded answers on why James Byrne was ousted as the VA deputy secretary. In a statement Monday, Wilkie said only that Byrne, who served in the Marine Reserves and left as a lieutenant colonel, was fired "due to a loss of confidence in Mr. Byrne's ability to carry out his duties. This decision is effective immediately." A department spokeswoman declined to state the reasons for Byrne's dismissal but said it had "absolutely nothing to do" with the VA Inspector General's recent rebuke of Wilkie over his comments on allegations of sexual assault at the Washington, D.C, VA Medical Center last September. Related: VA Deputy Secretary Fired After Less Than 5 Months on Job Wilkie is likely to be pressed on Byrne's dismissal at a news conference he has planned Wednesday at the National Press Club. In a statement on Byrne's ouster, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, the new chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said of Wilkie, "I trust his judgment during this process." He added, "As chairman, I will advise and work with Secretary Wilkie to fill this important position and ensure the VA is as efficient and effective as possible for our veterans." Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, the ranking member of the committee, said in a statement that he also is confident in Wilkie's judgment, adding that the secretary appears to be carrying out his responsibility to "ensure we have strong leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs." Rep. Mark Takano, D-California, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, took a different stance and immediately called on Wilkie to explain why he fired Byrne, who had been deputy secretary for five months and previously served as the VA's general counsel. Takano, who was criticized by Wilkie last month for supporting Navy Reserve Lt. Andrea Goldstein, a congressional staffer, in her claim of sexual assault at the Washington VA, said Americans deserved to know the reason behind Byrnes dismissal. "I have many questions about what Deputy Secretary Byrne's firing means for our veterans and VA as a whole," he said in a statement. However, Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, the ranking member of the House committee, said in a statement that Wilkie "must have a leadership team that he can trust," while thanking Byrne "for his years of service, both in uniform and out." The Goldstein case resulted in an unusual rebuke for Wilkie from VA Inspector General Michael Missal over the secretary's characterization of the IG and Justice Department finding that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges. In a letter last month to Takano, Wilkie appeared to claim vindication for the VA, which has posted signs and warnings against veteran-on-veteran sexual harassment at its facilities. "We believe that VA is a safe place for all veterans to enter and receive care and services, but the unsubstantiated claims raised by you and your staff could deter our veterans from seeking the care they need and deserve," he wrote in his letter to Takano. Following the release of the letter, Missal wrote to Wilkie on Jan. 16, "Neither I nor my staff told you or anyone else at the Department that the allegations were unsubstantiated. "Reaching a decision to close the investigation with no criminal charges does not mean that the underlying allegation is unsubstantiated," he continued. Missal added that he had specifically told Byrne and VA Chief of Staff Pamela Powers "that the investigation had been closed without charges and that no other characterization could or should be made regarding the outcome of the investigation." Only hours before Byrne's firing, Goldstein published her first reaction to Wilkie's letter to Takano on the website Jezebel.com. Goldstein, who alleged that another veteran rubbed up against her and used suggestive language last September at the Washington VA hospital, said that Wilkie in his letter to Takano had "used coded language, but the words still stung." "The Secretary of the second-largest federal agency knew how his words would resonate," she wrote. "He was implying that a fellow Navy veteran was a liar. He was implying that I was a liar." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: Soldier Gives Family Surprise Homecoming During State of the Union Address Taxpayers in India will be given the option to either file their taxes under the new tax regime or continue using the existing tax regime. The new taxation system offers limited exemptions and deductions, but taxpayers will pay lower income tax rates. So far, no changes have been announced in the existing taxation system. In a bid to simplify income tax for individual taxpayers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new, parallel, tax regime with revised income tax slabs and tax rates during the 2020 budget presentation. Taxpayers will have the option to either use the new tax regime or the existing tax regime to file their taxes. However, determining which tax regime is best suited will depend largely on their income and investments, among other factors. The existing tax system will continue without any changes, and the new tax system is expected to be effective from financial year (FY) 2020-21. This article will focus on the difference between the two tax regimes, exemptions available under the two tax regimes, and which tax system will be beneficial for an individual taxpayer. Difference between the two tax regimes Under the new taxation system, taxpayers will use the revised income tax slabs with lower income tax rates to file their taxes. Further, individuals will be able to claim very limited deductions and exemptions under this new system. For example, taxpayers can claim deductions on amount received on voluntary retirement, employers contribution to the central governments pension scheme, and on death-cum-gratuity received, to name a few. Currently 130 deductions and exemptions are available under the existing tax regime, but around 70 have been removed for individuals who wish to opt for the new tax regime. So, under the new tax regime individuals will not be entitled to any other exemptions, such as the standard deduction of INR 50,000 (US$702), leave travel concession (LTA), house rent allowance (HRA), provident fund contributions, and tax exemptions on donations to charitable institutions to name a few. However, if the taxpayer chooses to continue with the existing tax regime, they will be allowed to claim all the current tax deductions and exemptions, including HRA, LTA, medical insurance premium, interest paid on housing and education loan, and public provident fund contributions when assessing their income tax liability. Taxes for non-resident Indians and foreign nationals in India An individual will be deemed an Indian resident, if they are not liable to pay tax in any country outside India on account of their domicile, residence, or any other criteria of similar nature. This is an anti-abuse provision and will apply only to income generated from a business or profession in India. The government also announced that to qualify for the non-resident Indian (NRI) status, the period of stay outside India should be extended to 240 days instead of the existing 182 days. Meanwhile, to qualify for an employment visa, foreign nationals looking to work in India should meet the minimum salary threshold of INR 1.625 million per annum (US$25,000). This amount falls in the income tax slab of 30 percent under the new as well as existing regime. Which tax system will benefit taxpayers? Since the new and existing tax regime will co-exist, taxpayers will have to engage in financial planning to finalize on the best suited tax system. Largely, choosing a tax system will depend on salary structure, expenditure, investment habits, and age of the taxpayer. For individuals with taxable income below INR 5,00,000 (US$7,029) the tax rates remain unchanged under both the tax systems. Since the new tax system allows very limited exemptions for individuals claiming a number of exemptions, such as interest on housing and education loan, HRA, and LTA, among others the new tax regime will not be beneficial. Therefore, it is advisable that these individuals continue using the existing tax regime. According to government officials, the new regime will be beneficial for taxpayers who are not interested in making investments to save tax, small businessmen and shopkeepers who do not get benefits like HRA or LTC, and senior citizens living on pension and are not planning to buy a house. Government sources say that for individuals earning an annual salary of INR 1.2 million (US$16,857) or less and who were availing up to INR 0.2 million (US$2,810) as deductions under the existing tax regime continuing with the existing tax regime would be beneficial. Further, the sources added that individuals with an annual salary of over INR 1.3 million (US$18,262) who were availing up to INR 0.2 million (US$2,810) as deductions under the existing tax regime, would save more under the new tax regime. However, it is best that taxpayers seek professional advice from a financial advisor and carefully compare the benefits before choosing the appropriate tax regime. EDWARDSVILLE Three local elected and business officials are traveling to Japan as part of an exchange that has begun to show positive results for the region. Ronda Sauget, executive director and CEO of the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois; Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler; and OFallon Mayor Herb Roach are heading to Japan March 22-28 as part of an exchange program called GEN-J which brings American business leaders to Japan to learn about business practices, culture and other factors. The program pays for the visit. The trip comes after an October visit by U.S. representatives of Keidanren also referred to as the Japan Business Federation as well as the the Japan External Trade Organization Chicago, a nonprofit organization providing business support for Japanese companies, and the Japanese Consulate in Chicago. The local tour was put together by the Leadership Council and AllianceSTL after a series of meetings in Chicago and Washington, D.C. At the time, Japanese officials talked about inviting local officials and business leaders to Japan. Those plans are being finalized. We hope to continue getting to know the Japanese businesses and communicating with them the advantages of doing business in the Metro East and Southwestern Illinois, Prenzler said. They just dont have a presence in this area. We think we have a lot of advantages, and we want to highlight those. Sauget said one of the things they are doing to prepare for the trip is having new business cards printed in English on one side and Japanese on the other. Exchanging business cards is an important part of the Japanese business culture and includes its own specific rituals. Prenzler added that he has been given homework in the form of several articles on Japanese business culture. I have the utmost appreciation for the Japanese people and Japanese culture, he said. They have a lot of great companies and we want to be part of that. During the Japanese delegations October visit to the area, Motohiro Hayami, consulate-general of Japan in Chicago, talked about the enthusiasm they have seen locally to bring Japanese companies here. We are eager to join you, he said during a presentation to the Leadership Council. He talked about Japanese investment in Illinois, which includes 730 facilities employing 47,000 people. Eighty percent of them are in manufacturing, mostly in automotive and electronics, he said, adding Missouri-based Japanese companies are predominately automotive. Hayami said the trend is for Japanese firms to expand through mergers and acquisitions, noting direct investment in the U.S. is has reached $484 billion. Sauget this week said the October visit also has had other positive results, including contact with an Osaka-based firm seeking a manufacturing site in the U.S. to produce parts for the transportation industry. She said she expects to meet with them soon. It also brings an opportunity to partner with a local company, she said. In addition, Sauget said she is going to Chicago this month for a celebration of the Japanese emperors birthday. Were getting lots of opportunities to engage, and many of them are coming from the Japanese, she said. Weve had tremendous interactions with them. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. Californias governor announced Wednesday that he is posthumously pardoning a gay civil rights leader while creating a new pardon process for others convicted under outdated laws punishing homosexual activity. Governor Gavin Newsom pardoned Bayard Rustin for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena. He was in town as part of a lecture tour on anti-colonial struggles in West Africa. Rustin was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr and a key organizer of the March on Washington in 1963. He also helped plan other nonviolent protests and boycotts to end racial discrimination. He served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender before returning to his home state of New York. He died in 1987 of a perforated appendix. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he is posthumously pardoning a gay civil rights leader Newsom pardoned Bayard Rustin (above) for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena Newsom noted that police and prosecutors nationwide at the time used charges like vagrancy, loitering and sodomy to punish lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. He issued an executive order creating what he called a new clemency initiative to identify those who might be eligible for pardons and swiftly consider those applications. He encouraged Californians to apply for clemency for people they believe meet that criteria. Newsom's office could not say if other states have taken similar steps. 'In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically,' Newsom said in a statement. He thanked those who pushed for Rustin's pardon and encouraged others in similar circumstances 'to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong.' Newsom first gained national prominence in 2004 when, as San Francisco's mayor, he ordered officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The practice was overturned then but eventually became the law nationwide. Bayard Rustin, leader of the March on Washington poses in New York City in 1963 The California Legislature's LGBTQ and black caucuses last month asked the Democratic governor to pardon Rustin. Rustin's close friends knew he was gay, but his religious and political associates distanced themselves after his arrest, Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber told Newsom on behalf of the caucuses. 'Generations of LGBT people - including countless gay men - were branded criminals and sex offenders simply because they had consensual sex,' Wiener said in a statement praising Newsom's actions. 'This was often life-ruining, and many languished on the sex offender registry for decades.' Weber said the pardon helps leave Rustin's legacy in the civil rights movement 'uncompromised.' 'Rustin was a great American who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail,' she said in a statement praising Newsom. 'This pardon assures his place in history.' Rustin speaks at Mason Temple, Church of God, nine years after Martin Luther King's murder, Memphis, TN, 1977. Rustin was there with Coretta Scott King, in support of striking workers Rustin was stripped of his leadership post at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a pacifist organization involved in the civil rights movement, after U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina read Rustin's arrest file into the Congressional Record. California repealed the law against consensual sex between same-sex adults in 1975, and in 1997 created a way for those individuals to be removed from the California Sex Offender Registry. But neither step changed the original convictions. President Barack Obama honored Rustin posthumously with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Kings famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday honoured three civilians for helping nab a terrorist who was running away from the site of a gunbattle with security forces on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway here in which three JeM militants were killed. Three aides of the terrorists, including their handler Sameer Ahmad Dar, were arrested and shifted to a safer location for sustained questioning as they were part of a JeM plot to cause widespread disturbances in the Valley, police said. Sameer Dar is the cousin Adil Dar, who had rammed an explosive-laden SUV into a bus carrying CRPF personnel in Lethpora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, killing 40 troops, in February last year. Sameer's brother, Manzoor Malik, a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, was killed in south Kashmir in 2016. Superintendent of Police (SP), Rural, Suran Singh and other officers honoured Avinash Sharma, Kewal Sharma and Satnam Singh at the Nagrota police station for their contribution, officials said. These civilians played an important role in apprehending one terrorist who was trying to escape towards Kashmir when the encounter started between terrorists and security forces at the Ban toll Plaza, Singh said. They were awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,000 each as a token of appreciation, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WHO: Less Cancer, UVA Health, American University WHAT: National Cancer Prevention Workshop WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, 45 Independence Ave SW Room 2043-2055 WHEN: February 5, 2020, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Next Generation Choices Foundation, commonly known as "Less Cancer," is hosting a major, nationally-streamed educational workshop for legislators on Feb. 5 on Capitol Hill. Featuring more than 25 cancer prevention speakers in five hours, the Workshop looks at topics such as screening, cancer disparities and inequities, PFAS, vaping, contaminants and childhood health policy and advocacy. Less Cancer Founder and President Bill Couzens said, "The National Cancer Prevention Workshop is a unique platform on Capitol Hill to educate legislators about policies that will benefit their communities. Smart policies around prevention can reduce the cost of this disease to cancer victims, their families and our society." The cancer prevention program is streamed live to a global targeted audience on the Less Cancer Facebook page so the content is shared with as many people as possible. The Office of Continuing Medical Education, University of Virginia School of Medicine is offering continuing education medical credits to attendees. Public health credit is provided by American University. The Workshop is held in conjunction with the Feb. 4 National Cancer Prevention Day, also founded by Less Cancer and sponsored by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. SCHEDULE: 10:00 AM Welcome Bill Couzens, Less Cancer Founder, Introduced by Katie Horvath, JD Role of education in healthcare Jann Balmer , PhD, RN, FACEHP, FAAN, FNAP , PhD, RN, FACEHP, FAAN, FNAP Less Cancer Leadership Awards Tim Pulliam Megan Catalfamo Aileen O'Brien Graef Speaker Award Claudine Isaacs , MD , MD Ronald B. Herberman , MD Speaker Award Robert Kessel PFAS Rural health Rob Billot , JD , JD Representative Chris Pappas Representative Ro Khanna, JD 10:40 Vaping Progress, Updates, and Advertising Melinda Ickes, PhD Interviewed by Janie Heath, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FNAP, FAANP Representative Don Beyer, Introduced by Donna Eacho, MBA 11:00 Elsie Hillman Speaker Award Governor Gretchen Whitmer , JD , JD Representative Debbie Dingell , MS 11:15 John Dingell Disparities & Inequities Panel Moderated by Jolynn Gardner, PhD, CHES Disparities in Prevention Work Sena Chehimi , MPH , MPH Lack of rural broadband access Kelly Hirko , PhD, MPH , PhD, MPH Health Promotion, Nutrition, Preventative Medicine Mi Stanley HIV impact on cancer and populations at risk Tom Uldrick , MD, MS , MD, MS Prevention Institute Sena Chehimi , MPH 12:15 PM Break (lunch provided) 12:30 Healthy Town Initiative Panel Traverse City, MI (lunch session) Moderated by Jan Carney, MD Rural health Kelly Hirko, PhD, MPH Kelly Hirko, PhD, MPH Connecting people with public health services and resources Kathy LaRaia , MS , MS Norte Ty Schmidt Community Health Initiative Mi Stanley Representative Madeleine Dean , JD 1:30 Veronique Pittman Speaker Rachel Madhur, Introduced by Jan Carney, MD 1:40 HPV-related cancers Vik Sahasrabuddhe, MBBS, MPH, DrPH, Introduced by Tom Uldrick, MD, MS PFAS Doris C Brock, Introduced by Mindi Messmer, PG, CG 2:00 Contaminants Panel Moderated by Miles O'Brien Radon, second-hand smoke, and other pollutants Ellen Hahn , PhD, RN, FAAN , PhD, RN, FAAN PFOA and PFAS Contamination and Impact for high risk occupations Mindi Messmer , PG, CG , PG, CG Asbestos Impact for Military and other high risk occupations Linda Reinstein 2:50 Closing Bill Couzens About Less Cancer Founded in 2004, the Next Generation Choices Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity known more widely as "Less Cancer." The organization works to educate the public, create proactive public policies, and offer continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, and public health professionals regarding cancer, over 50 percent of which are preventable. Less Cancer signifies a new paradigm for addressing cancer, one focused on prevention. This is a departure from previous treatment-focused approaches, which focus on beating, conquering, or curing cancer. Website for more information is www.lesscancer.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Robar, 313-207-5960, [email protected] SOURCE Less Cancer Related Links http://www.lesscancer.org There will be snowy weather in most of Ukraine's regions on February 5. Ukraine's Hydrometeorological Centre reported that the temperature will vary from +2 degrees by Celsius to -2 C. Strong snowfalls are observed in the country's northern, central, western and eastern regions. In southern regions and the occupied Crimea, instead, it's raining, with +8 C in the daytime. In Kyiv, the daily temperature makes 0...+2 C; in the nighttime, it will reduce to -1 C. A significant avalanche hazard was observed in the mountains of Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk regions on February 1-2. Last month, rescuers assisted two tourists from Kyiv who got lost in the mountains when they descended from Hoverla Mountain in Ivano-Frankivsk region. On January 5, the rescue service received information that two tourists, while descending from Hoverla Mountain towards the Zaroslyak tract, got off the route and were lost. Rescue workers were sent to conduct search and rescue operations. At 17:45, they met the stray tourists in a satisfactory condition; they did not need any medical help. At 18:30 rescuers escorted them to the place of temporary residence, in the village of Vorokhta. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More A global appliance maker with a new manufacturing capacity in Noida is now in the process of doing a final review to shift base to Gujarat. An internal analysis by the company showed that the company could save almost Rs 430 crore annually if this shift was made. "Skilled labour is cheaper and better road infrastructure and port connectivity ensures that manufacturing and logistics costs are lower," said the India CEO of the company quoted above. This CEO states that the three 50-acre plots next to his plot were to be initially occupied by a Mumbai-based electronic goods firm. Even the latter had a change of strategy and shifted to Gujarat instead. Leaving behind areas like Himachal Pradesh and Delhi-NCR (Greater Noida), Gujarat is slowly becoming the preferred destination of electronic appliance makers. Gujarat recorded $66.8 billion worth of exports in 2017-18, contributing over 22 percent to India's net exports. On January 30, Voltbek Home Appliances, a joint venture between AC maker Voltas and Europes consumer durables player, Arcelik, commenced its first manufacturing facility in India. Spread over 60 acres in Sanand, an industrial hub near Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the factory will manufacture Home Appliances that include refrigerators and washing machines. The company said that this unit will create an OEM base for home appliances in the region, along with local employment opportunities. During this facility launch, Noel Tata, Chairman, Voltas Limited, said that Gujarat will soon become the manufacturing hub for white goods firms. Tata added that their supply chain has already begun to relocate itself around this factory. This, he said, will lead to development of Gujarat as a consumer durables manufacturing hub just as the Tata Motors factory led to Gujarat's development as an auto manufacturing hub. Players like Polycab already have a manufacturing facility in Halol, Gujarat for the wires and cables business. Similarly, Crompton Greaves Consumer also has manufacturing presence in Gujarat for products like lighting. Policy measures In the context of National Electronics Policy and associated emphasis on setting up of electronics manufacturing industry in the country, the Government of Gujarat, with a view to providing focused attention on the subject, came out with the Electronics Policy for the State of Gujarat (2014-2019). The aim of this plan is to establish Gujarat as a globally-recognized hub for the electronic system design and manufacturing with a turnover of USD 16 billion by 2021 and an investment of USD 6 billion to create employment opportunities for 5 lakh people by 2021. Here, the aim of the government is to facilitate setting up of Greenfield and Brownfield Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) with world-class logistics and infrastructure and business-friendly facilities with good sea, air and inland connectivity. "The state government has enabled companies to develop land on a cost-effective basis to manufacturers. Power is also cheaper and it is uninterrupted," said the head of the Gujarat manufacturing facility of an Indian electrical goods firms. He added that depending on the type of industry and capital invested, tax benefits in the form of reimbursements are also offered to the companies. While sectors like textile have seen a slowdown post-demonetisation, appliance makers said that this has led to the steady supply of skilled talent to the factories. The manufacturing cluster head of a small appliance maker said that the minimum wages policy has also been robust and hence worker strikes in the state are also minimal. This improves productivity. The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation has played a key role in helping companies set up manufacturing units in the special economic zones (SEZ) as well as special investment regions. Gujarat has five SEZs, two in Gandhinagar (electronics and IT), one each in Vadodara (bio-technology), Surat (apparel) and Ahmedabad (apparel). These SEZ offer tax concessions setting up plants in the area. Other manufacturing hubs in Gujarat Sectors like automobiles, diamonds, textile, oil & gas and pharmaceuticals have a large manufacturing presence in the state. When it comes to automobiles, the sector has already made Gujarat a major manufacturing hub with presence of players like Tata Motors, Ford, Maruti Suzuki, MG Motors and Honda Motorcycles. The auto clusters in Sanand, Halol and Rajkot is expected to cater to almost 350 auto maker units. Apart from this, oil and gas refining is a major industry. Gujarat is also the textile hub of the country with around 8 textile clusters of $30 billion. The state also accounts for 27 percent of the total cotton output of India. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 4, 2020) - American Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: ABC) (the "Company" or "American Battery") today announced that due to strong demand it has increased its ongoing private placement to $1.5 million (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement will now consist of an aggregate of 7,500,000 common shares ("Shares") at a price of $0.20 per Share. Net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used by the Company for general working capital purposes. The Company will pay finder's fees in connection with the Private Placement and all securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a four month hold period. The Private Placement remains subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein will not be or have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. About the Company American Battery Metals Corp. is a junior mineral exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring and evaluating natural resource properties. The Company has an option to acquire a 50% interest in the Fish Lake property located in Esmeralda County in the state of Nevada, USA. Jeremy Poirier Chief Executive Officer, President and Director Phone: 604.722.9842 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of American Battery's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, information concerning the Private Placement including the intended use of net proceeds from the Private Placement and the payment of finder's fees. Although American Battery believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. In particular, there is no guarantee that the Private Placement will be completed. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and American Battery does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Not for dissemination in the United States or for distribution to U.S. newswire services To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52122 Free-to-airs only dedicated AFLW program, Womens Footy, returns to Nine this Sunday. Bianca Chatfield and journalist Lauren Wood present news, highlights and stories from the 2020 AFLW season. Bianca Chatfield said: Im super excited its back. With every season comes some incredible stories, team and individual performances and new players we get to meet, and with four teams added this year the show will be jam-packed. The show is produced by Crocmedia. Womens Footy will bring viewers the latest news, opinion and analysis in and around the AFLW. With four new teams West Coast, Richmond, Gold Coast and St Kilda joining the competition in 2020, the program will leave no stone unturned as it reports on the hits, the misses and everything in between. Each week a raft of the biggest names in the AFLW will join the show to discuss the weekends action, including AFLW premiership player Abbey Holmes and AFLW premiership coach Bec Goddard. Episode one has some of biggest names locked in with two-time All Australian Emma King, gun Richmond recruit Monique Conti and head of the AFLW, Nicole Livingstone, set to join the program and give their insight into the seasons first matches. Sunday, February 9, at 12.00pm on Nine (check local guides). Yvonne McLean Florence became an exceptional breast cancer activist after her own diagnosis changed her life. Read more Its not unusual for cancer survivors to channel their hard-won insights into advocacy work. Still, Yvonne McLean Florence, 57, stands out as a soft-spoken dynamo who closes gaps between the worlds of researchers, patients, nonprofits, and policy-makers. The Yeadon resident is involved with big cancer organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, as well as smaller initiatives. One of them is Sisters R Us Circle of Survivors, the nonprofit she founded in 2016, in part to give breast cancer patients the gift of a respite. We give them a gift card. They may want to go to a movie or a restaurant," she said. "One young lady asked for someone to come to her home and decorate it for Christmas. She had two small children. She loved it. Yvonne is definitely someone who wants to take this traumatic experience that shes had and turn it into a way to help others, said Janine Guglielmino, senior director of programs at Bala Cynwyd-based Living Beyond Breast Cancer, where Florence is a loyal volunteer. Its been important for her to show other African Americans that its possible to go through this horrible experience and come out the other side. Florence, whose treatment for advanced breast cancer upended her decades as an administrative assistant at the University of Pennsylvania, put it this way: There was a silver lining because it brought me to what Im doing now, which is far more rewarding and important to me. READ MORE: Nothing prepared her for the emotional toll of a breast cancer diagnosis Before cancer, Florence was no stranger to health problems. She has coped for more than 30 years with lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissue. But her Stage III breast cancer diagnosis in 2012 was a shock. She felt a lump under her arm just three months after a suspicious mammogram was deemed to be a false alarm. (Overall, screening mammograms miss about 20% of breast cancers.) It turned out that she had an aggressive malignancy that had spread to her lymph nodes. After five months of chemotherapy, she had surgery, then radiation, then a year on Herceptin, a drug that blocks a chemical signal known to drive her type of cancer. She also opted to take part in clinical testing of an experimental drug that targeted that chemical signal in a novel way. Because I had worked for a physician scientist, I knew about [clinical trials]. It wasnt a hard sell for me, she recalled. But it was a very hard sell for my husband. He did not want me to participate, partly because of the nations history of unethical medical testing on minorities. The drug, Nerlynx, was approved in 2017 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is prescribed along with strong anti-diarrheal medication. If I swallowed my own spit, I had to go to the bathroom, so it was a struggle, Florence recalled. But Im glad Im an example that clinical trials are important and [African Americans] should use it as an option. Although she recently celebrated seven years cancer-free, she is not complacent. It was a friends recurrence after seven years that led Florence to get involved in state and national lobbying efforts to improve access to breast cancer screening and treatment. In 2018, she went in a new direction. She completed the National Breast Cancer Coalitions Project LEAD, a six-day intensive course designed to teach breast cancer advocates the basics of cancer biology, genetics, and research design. Her certification equipped her to help review breast cancer clinical trial proposals being considered for funding by the Department of Defense. She has also been a trial reviewer for the National Cancer Institute. Its not that we [advocates] talk about it as an expert, Florence said. We ask questions from the patients perspective: What about toxicity? This sounds good, but you need to think about X, Y and Z." The process can be intimidating, she added. But we can give the scientists advice that is only going to enhance the research and help get it funded. READ MORE: Giving birth at a young age helps protect women from breast cancer. Could a drug mimic that effect? In December, she participated in a new patient-led initiative that is also aimed at bridging the communication divide between experts and patients. Called GRASP (Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships), it brought together small groups of experts and advocates to discuss selected scientific posters at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Florence, who earned a master of divinity degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2010, sees her advocacy work as a calling. For me, this was a major part of trying to reinvent myself, Florence said. I wanted my 14-year-old granddaughter to see that in life, we are going to have challenges. Shes seen Grandmom with no hair, Grandmom lying down, and now, Grandmom helping people. 5 things to know about breast cancer and race Though overall rates of breast cancer in black women were lower in the past than in white women, today cancer incidence is about the same for women of both races. Breast cancer death rates are 40% higher among black women than white women, though death rates have declined for both groups in recent years. Breast cancer incidence rates were higher among black women than white women younger than 60 years old, but the situation is reversed for older women. Breast cancer was more likely to be found at an earlier stage among white women than among black women. For reasons that are being studied, black women are more likely to get triple-negative breast cancer, which is aggressive and tends to recur. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Arvinder Singh Lovely election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Arvinder Singh Lovely Congress candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Gandhi Nagar seat and many more at Firstpost.com. A popular Sikh face of the Congress party, Arvinder Singh Lovely will be contesting from the Gandhi Nagar constituency in East Delhi for the upcoming Delhi elections. A graduate of Delhis Khalsa College, Lovely was elected to head his colleges student union. In 1990, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress. Later, Lovely served as the General Secretary of the National Student Union of India between 1992 and 1996. In the 1998 elections, he was elected to the Delhi Legislative Assembly from Gandhi Nagar. Aged just 30, he became the youngest member of the 70-member House. He continued to win from the same constituency in the 2003, 2008 and 2013 Assembly elections respectively. Between 2008 and 2013, he served as the minister of education, urban development, revenue, transport and languages in the last Sheila Dikshit-led government. As a high profile minister, Lovely spearheaded the introduction of the points system in school admissions in a bid to curb corruption. He is also reported to have regularised several colonies in Delhi, which benefited many lower-income residents. As the transport minister in 2010, he announced the phasing out of the killer blueline buses and the introduction of low floor buses. Lovely, who has previously served as the Delhi Congress chief, left the party and joined the BJP in 2017 amid internal tussle in the party. He was replaced by former Union minister Ajay Maken. However, he rejoined the party a year later, claiming that he felt like an ideological misfit in the BJP. Massachusetts companies, many still reeling from the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, are starting to feel the impact of travel restrictions meant to stop the coronavirus outbreak. In an interview Wednesday, John R. Regan, president and chief executive officer of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, quoted member company, saying: The country is closed. There is really nothing (the Massachusetts employer) can do. Regan met with editors and reporters at The Republican to talk about the 3,500-member statewide business organizations priorities and concerns. He said the Massachusetts employer is dealing with the shutdown of two Chinese factories. The Chinese government has extended quarantines and travel restrictions, originally set to expire Monday, for at least another week. The Chinese city of Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, is on lockdown, according to a number of news outlets. Youre really not supposed to be on the highway, Regan said. We are only now starting to see the spillover effect. Part of the impact is that executives from the United States cannot travel to China on business. The virus comes after Massachusetts employers have spent years adjusting to an ongoing trade war that has seen import and export duties rise rapidly. "Let's face it, one of the biggest challenges for a business is uncertainty," Regan said. Regans observation echoed Tuesdays MassBenchmarks report from the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, which warned that the coronavirus has added uncertainty to many business plans. The virus has already hurt the stock market and driven down oil prices on fear of an economic slowdown. In Springfield CRRC MA says that it is abiding by all travel restrictions outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and that the outbreak has not had an impact on its operations, said spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. The Chinese-owned factory makes rail cars and the shells and some components come by sea from China. Lake Mary, Fla., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CentralSquare Technologies, an industry leader in public sector software, announced today that Steve Wozniak will be the featured guest speaker at the companys flagship event, CentralSquare 2020. A legendary inventor, electronics engineer, programmer and philanthropist, Wozniak will share his insights on the future role of technology in shaping the public experience during a fireside chat on Thursday, March 19, in Las Vegas, NV. We are thrilled to welcome Steve Wozniak to CentralSquare 2020, said Chief Marketing Officer Jatin Atre. With his unique experiences, insights and vision, Woz will captivate our audience of nearly 2,000 public sector leaders who are coming together to explore the myriad ways in which technology can help them to transform the public experience. A technology icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years, Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apples first line of products, the Apple I and II, and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer, Inc., with Wozniaks Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer which was integral in launching the personal computer industry. For his achievements at Apple, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on Americas leading innovators. He has since been recognized with multiple distinctions for his legendary achievements in technology and engineering, including his induction into the Inventors Hall of Fame and receipt of the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology. CentralSquare 2020 brings together more than 1,500 local government and public safety leaders from nearly every state and province across North America. This years annual event will take place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV, March 17-20. Learn more at 2020.CentralSquare.com About CentralSquare Formed by the merger of Superion, TriTech along with Zuercher, and the public sector and healthcare business of Aptean, CentralSquare is an industry leader in public safety and public administration software, serving over 7,650 organizations from the largest metropolitan city to counties and towns of every size across North America. Its technology platform provides solutions for public safety, including 911, computer-aided dispatch, records management, mobile, citations, evidence management and corrections. For public administration agencies, CentralSquare provides software for finance, human capital management, payroll, utility billing, citizen engagement, asset management, regulatory compliance and community development. For hospitals and clinicians, it provides patient information, compliance, and analytics software. CentralSquares broad, unified and agile software suite serves 3 in 4 citizens across North America. More information is available at CentralSquare.com Attachment Editor's note: This article is part of Inc.'s 2020 Best Industries report. When Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014, aerospace engineer Payam Banazadeh, then 23, fixated on one question: Why couldn't satellites scan the area where the plane disappeared in real-time? "As I pulled the thread, what was very clear was that there was a huge gap in monitoring our planet from space," Banazadeh says. Of the hundreds of schoolbus-size Earth-observation satellites currently in orbit, the majority use optical imaging, which typically can't see 75 percent of the Earth's surface because of weather issues and darkness, according to Banazadeh. At the same time, the cost of sending satellites into orbit is falling dramatically as governments and private companies launch a growing number of rockets into space, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs to put eyes in the sky. Banazadeh, a former project manager at NASA, saw a problem he could solve and the perfect moment to do it, so he founded Capella Space in 2016 with the goal of developing a smaller, more powerful satellite. In 2019, the company launched its first prototype satellite Denali, a backpack-size device that uses a technology called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which can see through clouds and at night. In 2020, Capella will launch seven satellites that together will be able to monitor the entire surface of the planet every six hours, on average, according to Banazadeh. The company will launch an additional six to 12 satellites per year until it has 36 in orbit, at which point he says the time between updates will drop from up to six hours to up to one hour. Capella will allow customers to submit requests for data and imagery through an automated system in a matter of minutes, 16 times faster than rival companies can, according to Banazadeh. A wide range of applications Unlike optical imaging satellites, which rely on incoming light to produce an image, Capella's satellites send a radar signal that hits the Earth's surface and is reflected back to the satellite. The resulting data is used to produce an image that can detect changes to the Earth's surface less than a meter in size. The structural integrity of a bridge, for example, can be monitored over time to determine whether maintenance work needs to be done. Although Capella's fleet of satellites isn't commercially operational yet, the company has already signed multimillion-dollar contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense's National Reconnaissance Office. "We will be monitoring certain spots for them and alerting them of any change," Banazadeh says. The applications for Capella's services extend far beyond providing information for government agencies. Banazadeh says the company has deals in place with private sector customers, though he can't disclose their names. Being able to track the supply chain of major commodities like oil is one capability he says will create significant value. And because Capella's radar can also measure the moisture levels of soil, monitoring the health of crops for the agricultural industry represents another opportunity. Perhaps the most valuable service will be providing information to first responders during emergencies like storms, fires, and other natural disasters. "The ability for us to immediately look through the clouds while the storm or disaster is happening, do damage assessment, and provide that to the first responders to tell them what the best route is--those are the types of interactions we can start having," Banazadeh says. Lower costs mean greater opportunity With around 100 rocket launches taking place every year, the cost of sending satellites into space has fallen to between $20,000 and $40,000 per kilogram. "It used to be that governments would launch these gigantic, billion-dollar satellites into space once every couple years," says Todd Dagres, a co-founder at Spark Capital, one of Capella's investors. "What's happened is, the bar has dropped so precipitously that countries that before could hardly get a train to run on time are pumping iron to the sky." Elon Musk's SpaceX recently began offering monthly missions to small satellite operators starting at $1 million, or $5,000 per kilogram for up to 200 kilograms of payload mass. (In March, Capella's first operational satellite, called Sequoia, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.) The industry also has benefited from lower costs for the components required to build small satellites. "A lot of that is driven by the commercial electronics industry--the stuff that is feeding the newest features on our iPhones and laptops," says Mike Safyan, vice president of launch at Planet, an Earth-observation company that provides satellite imagery data. "That's being folded into the space industry in a way that hasn't really been done before." Capella declined to disclose how much it costs to build its satellites. Venture capital investment into space technology companies has grown to $2.27 billion in 2019 from $2.6 million in 2011, according to market data provider PitchBook. Capella has raised more than $80 million in funding, primarily from venture capital firms Data Collective and Spark Capital. The global nanosatellite and microsatellite market is expected to grow to $3.6 billion by 2024 from $1.5 billion in 2019, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets. Companies that provide satellite observation services similar to Capella's, albeit using much larger satellites, include multinational aerospace corporation Airbus and Italian company e-GEOS. Banazadeh says the value Capella brings is significantly different from what these companies can offer thanks to its constellation that can repeatedly observe specific areas of the planet. "They have these giant satellites that can do more things than our satellites can do, but they can't really have the cadence at the cost that we can provide," he says. "I think we're very much complementary with those guys." One startup competitor is Japanese SAR company Synspective, which raised $100 million in funding last July. Two of the biggest challenges facing all satellite companies, according to Banazadeh, are securing reliable launch vehicles and putting satellites into orbit on time, as rockets are in high demand and launch delays are the norm rather than the exception. In as soon as the next five years, Banazadeh says Capella's data could be useful for predicting future events, like where illegal fishing is likely to take place. Married At First Sight producers have revealed what happens to the stunning flowers used at the TV weddings, once the cameras stop rolling. Endemol Shine Australia revealed on Wednesday, that the blooms don't go to waste, and are instead donated. According to TV bosses, the floral displays are re-purposed into bouquets and given to local nursing homes and hospitals. Ain't that rosey! MAFS producers have revealed what happens to the stunning flowers used at the TV weddings once the cameras stop rolling... and the answer might surprise you! 'Loved the beautiful flowers from our stunning Married At First Sight Australia weddings?' the Facebook post began. 'Well, as part of our sustainability initiatives at Endemol Shine Australia, our Married At First Sight team worked with various nursing homes and hospitals to repurpose them into stunning bouquets to donate.' Underneath the post, fans were quick to comment, with one writing: 'This is sweet.' How sweet: According to TV bosses, the floral displays are repurposed into bouquets and given to local nursing homes and hospitals Paying it forward: Producers said it was part of their 'sustainability initiatives' A hit with fans! Underneath the post, viewers were quick to comment saying they loved the idea Another added: 'Just another reason to love MAFS tbh (sic).' In 2016 meanwhile, two guests from contestants Andy and Craig's wedding told Pedestrian TV what really happens behind the scenes of the TV weddings. Producers reportedly filmed the ceremony four times. Conversation was said to be stifled as many guests were wired up to microphones, and as the wedding reached its 13th hour, they were apparently longing for a coffee. Say what?! In 2016 meanwhile, two guests from contestants Andy and Craig's wedding told Pedestrian TV what really happens behind the scenes of the TV weddings. Producers reportedly filmed the ceremony four times (Andy and Craig are pictured) 'Everyone wanted coffee, but they wanted us all to have champagne because they wanted people to have to look they were having fun,' Pedestrian TV quoted the guest as saying. 'No one made an effort to talk, the way the tables were laid out made it feel like a game show. 'We were joking that it was like Game of Thrones, like we were at the red wedding.' The final let down was the first dance, which they performed without music. While they did an initial take with the song, it was cut so producers could put their own music over the top later. That being said there were perks, with guests flown to New Zealand for the televised nuptials, their accommodation and food paid for. YEREVAN. I'm really worried about his mental state. Andranik Kocharyan, a member of the majority My Step faction at the National Assembly (NA) of the Republic of Armenia (RA) and chair of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security, said this in a briefing with reporters today, referring to the statement made by former Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan. "Let him return to the homeland soon and formulate his thoughts before the investigative body," Kocharyan added. It turns out that the former prosecutor who graduated with a red diploma [of excellence] does not know the RA laws. He should come and present himself to the investigative investigation body. I tell you for sure, Gevorg Kostanyan still has to answer a lot of questions; I say that as one of the key members of the March 1 [2008] fact-finding group." Responding to the journalist's observation that Gevorg Kostanyan had posited a condition that he was only ready for a public meeting, Kocharyan said: "If everyone says let it be public, then why are we calling people to the police? Why do the investigative bodies invite, hear, initiate criminal cases through various criminal cases? He is an accused; let him act from the status of his being an accused. Let his lawyer team realize the opportunities provided by the RA legislation to any RA citizen. To note former Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan has been indicted as a defendant in the March 1 criminal case on charges of abuse of official position, incitement to official fraud, incitement to conceal a crime, and incitement to falsify evidence about crime in a criminal case. We had earlier informed that Kostanyan had stated that he was ready to return to Armenia and to publicly answer all the questions of the investigative body. Following this statement, the Special Investigation Service also issued a statement saying that Kostanyan was thus creating an excuse to avoid accountability. Supplies of iPhones and other consumer electronics are under threat as Chinese authorities struggle to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 425 people. Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturer of the iPhone, has closed almost all its factories in China after firms were reportedly told to shut until at least next Tuesday. The closure could result in a "big" impact on production and shipments to customers if it extends into a second week, one source told Reuters. Ralph Lauren also said yesterday it was closing about half its 110 stores in China and Royal Caribbean suspended eight cruises, warning of a $50m (45m) hit to profits amid rising fears over the virus's impact on the global economy. Expand Close Peoples war on epidemic: Chinese President Xi Jinping / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Peoples war on epidemic: Chinese President Xi Jinping While Larry Kudlow, the White House chief economic adviser, insisted the coronavirus crisis would have only a "minimal impact on supply chains, not a catastrophe", he added that some shortages were likely. "The coronavirus could spur a step-up in US production," he told Fox Business Network. The economic concerns were heightened as the UK Foreign Office yesterday advised the estimated 30,000 Britons in China to leave the country, days after the US raised its travel warning to the highest possible level. In Hong Kong, calls were growing to seal the Chinese border after a 39-year-old man with underlying health issues, who had recently travelled to Wuhan, became the first to die in the city from the coronavirus and the second so far outside mainland China. A hospital strike involving more than 2,000 Hong Kong health workers and demanding tighter border controls defied pleas from public hospital chiefs for staff to return to work. "We just want to close the border to protect our local people. It's essential any non-residents are blocked from entering, especially if they have any recent history in the infected area of the virus," said a physiotherapist who is a member of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance. On Monday, China admitted "shortcomings" in its response to the virus, a rare admission of fallibility from the country's Communist leadership. The elite Politburo standing committee acknowledged "shortcomings and difficulties exposed in the response to the epidemic", and called for improvements to the "national emergency management system" at the meeting, according to the Xinhua news agency. The government also said it "urgently" needed medical equipment such as surgical masks, protective suits and safety goggles and pledged to "severely crack down" on illegal wildlife markets and trade. Actions already taken by China, including putting millions of people effectively under lockdown for almost two weeks at the virus epicentre, have been hailed by the World Health Organisation as providing a "window of opportunity" to prevent the virus spreading further. The virus has so far spread to more than 20 countries and prompted several governments to restrict travel to China, including the UK. Yesterday, President Xi Jinping told top Communist officials: "We have launched a people's war of prevention of the epidemic," adding those neglecting their duty would be punished. Medical teams from the People's Liberation Army have arrived in Wuhan to relieve overwhelmed health workers and to staff the new 1,000-bed hospital. It was built in just 10 days, its prefabricated wards equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems. A health official wheels a woman to a bus as she and other Malaysian citizens arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang after being evacuated from Chinas Wuhan city, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Feb. 4, 2020. A Malaysian journalist was charged here Wednesday for allegedly spreading misinformation about the novel coronavirus via social media, as the countrys attorney general called for expanded legal powers to stop rumor mongering during the global health emergency. Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrates Court to three counts of violating a section of the penal code that prohibits the publication of any statement, rumor or report with the intention of, or likelihood, of causing fear or alarm among the public. She is a newspaper reporter with Berita Harian, a Malay-language daily. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison for each count, or be punished with a fine or both. Wan Noor Hayati is the first person to be charged in Malaysia over allegations of spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. Police Inspector-General Abdul Hamid Bador warned that the authorities would go after anyone who spread fake news or information, which could cause public panic and disorder. The actions would be irresponsible and unfair to the people because it could simultaneously invite a more serious situation to the harmony (in the country), Bernama, the state-run news agency, quoted him as saying on Wednesday. The police view seriously the actions of those quarters who spread invalid news, and firm and prompt action will be taken to curb them, the nations police chief said. As of Wednesday the outbreak of the virus, which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan, had topped more than 24,500 cases in 24 countries but concentrated mostly in China, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak to date has led to nearly 500 deaths in China and one death in the Philippines. On Wednesday, Malaysian health authorities confirmed two more cases of people infected with the virus, bringing the nationwide total to 12. Three are Malaysian citizens and the rest are Chinese nationals, officials said. The charges against Wan Noor Hayati accuse her of publishing three posts on her personal Facebook page on Jan. 26, under the pseudonym Ibu Yati, with the intention of creating public fear. All the posts have since been removed. It remained unclear whether any were linked to her journalism. According to Malaysiakini, a local news publication, police shared a screenshot of one of her posts. It appeared to take a dig at Lim Guan Eng, Malaysias finance minister who is a member of the ethnic Chinese minority. This morning, the news said that 1,000 people from China had arrived in Penang perhaps there would only be an emergency once LGE gets the virus? according to the screenshot of the message written originally in Malay. Wan Noor Hayati, who was freed on bail Wednesday, could not be reached immediately for comment. Top prosecutor: free speech no license for lies Later in the day, Attorney General Tommy Thomas issued a strongly worded warning against lies and rumor mongering in connection with the viral outbreak. No society can permit truth to be a casualty in such circumstances, he said in a three-page statement. When epidemics occur, panic must be prevented among the citizenry Lies about the origin, scale and magnitude of the disease must not be permitted because they endanger public safety. [I] have decided that it is in the national interest that persons who initiate and disseminate lies on any issue relating to the coronavirus on the internet shall be investigated, and if a case exists, be charged, Thomas said. His office would charge individuals suspected of such online activity under Section 505(b) of the penal code, the provision under which Wan Noor Hayati was charged. Thomas also called for suspects in such cases to face potential prosecution under the 1998 Communications and Multimedia Act. However, the laws relevant provision would need to be expanded through a parliamentary amendment to enable his office to prosecute those cases, the attorney general noted. Malaysias constitution guarantees free speech but, Thomas said, this does not give a license to propagate lies. The phenomenon is compounded by our obsession to introduce racial or religious overtones into every issue of public life. Hence, lies on the internet connecting coronavirus to any particular ethnic or religious group is not only deplorable but inflammatory in our plural society, he added. ITHACA, N.Y. - Even just a few days of solitary confinement may significantly increase inmates' risk of death after serving their sentences. New research from Christopher Wildeman, professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University, analyzed the Danish prison system and found that 4.5% of former inmates who had spent time in solitary confinement - most for less than a week - died within five years of being released. That was 60% more than those who were not placed in solitary. "That's a significant increase in the risk of mortality," Wildeman said. "We think it's a pretty substantial effect." This study tracked everyone - nearly 14,000 people - who began and ended sentences in Danish prisons or jails over a five-year period between 2006 and 2011. Of the nearly 1,700 inmates who experienced solitary confinement, the average total stay was nearly nine days, but half spent fewer than five days and two-thirds less than a week. Understanding the effect of such short exposures is important, Wildeman said, because they are often avoidable. "For somebody who is in disciplinary segregation for 72 hours because of a specific infraction, there's almost always an alternative that a warden or guard could use that wouldn't involve putting someone in solitary," he said. Alternatives might include a fine, loss of privileges or short increase in sentence length. The researchers had access to a wealth of data about the former inmates from Danish government registers - not only age, gender, race, ethnicity and education levels, but also information about their family backgrounds, employment and housing histories and prior contacts with the criminal justice system. That allowed the study to account for many factors that might have made someone more likely to end up in solitary confinement or to die after being released, while acknowledging some gaps in data concerning potential mental health or addiction issues. Government registers also confirmed dates and causes of death within five years of release. The study determined that the higher death rates for those who had experienced solitary confinement - generally younger inmates serving longer sentences - was driven primarily by non-natural causes such as accidents, suicides and violence. The finding that just a day or two in solitary confinement appears linked to a higher risk of death after release is somewhat surprising, Wildeman said. More research is needed to understand exactly what amount of exposure elevates mortality, he said. The study was published in The Lancet Public Health. ### For more information, see this Cornell Chronicle story. Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews supporting full HD, ISDN and web-based platforms. Unable to deal with the loss of his beloved wife, a Vietnamese man dug up her remains, sealed them in a plaster sculpture and has been sleeping in the same bed with her for the last 16 years. When the shocking story of Mr. Le Van broke out in 2009, most people thought it was a hoax. After all, its hard to believe that someone could dig up their spouses remains from the cemetery, bring them back home and sleep in the same bed with her. And yet, thats what this man has been doing for the last 16 years, and despite the opposition of relatives and fellow villagers, he has no plans to let his wife go anytime soon. Mr. Van and his wife were married in 1975. They hardly knew each other, let alone share romantic feelings, but their parents had arranged their union from a very young age, and soon after Van returned from military service, they were wed. As they got to know each other, the newly-wedded couple soon feel in love and lived happily. They had seven children and led a frugal but peaceful life, until one day in 2003 when Mr. Van, who was working away from home, got news that his wife had suddenly died. He rushed home, but barely got to see his spouses face for a few minutes before she was buried. At first, a chocked Le Van spent most of his time, night and day, at the cemetery, sleeping on his wifes grave, but after a few months he started worrying about bad weather and rain. He decided that the best way to stay close to his deceased wife was to dig a tunnel into her grave, so he could sleep next to her. It wasnt long before his children found out about his new sleeping place, and forbid him to spend his nights at the cemetery anymore. However, he couldnt bear the thought of letting go of his wife forever. One night, Le Van decided that if he couldnt sleep at the cemetery, he would bring his wifes remains home with him. First he dug up her bones and placed them in a bag near the cemetery. Then he started making a hollow statue in the shape of a woman, out of plaster, cement, glue and sand, and put his wifes remains in side. Then he placed the hollow statue on the bed and laid next to it. He has been doing the same thing every night for the last 16 years. When Le Vans children learned about what he had done, they were furious and demanded that he return their mothers body to her final resting place, but he refused, saying he couldnt go on without her. Neighbors didnt visit his house for years after learning that he had brought his wifes bones back, and some even alerted authorities, accusing Le Van of spreading disease. Police tried convincing him to return his wifes body to the cemetery repeatedly, but the stubborn man would not conform, so they eventually gave up. The local authorities asked Van to bury his wife again and the man agreed. But some time later, local people continued to complain that Van still held the remains in the house. We have done all the way but with the conservative nature of Mr. Van, the incident has not been solved yet, Mr. Tran Trong Sanh, Chair of the town of Ha Lam, told VietnamNet in 2005. According to Net News Vietnam, Le Van has been confined to a wheelchair for the last two years, but he still crawls in bed next to the statue containing his wifes remains every night. He cleans it does its makeup every day, and changes its clothes every day, things that he never did when his wife was alive. When my wife was alive, she never wore a nice dress so now I have to make many nice clothes for her. I change clothes for her twice a day, Le Van said. People said Im crazy because I take care of a corpse but I strongly believe that she is always with me. Ill definitely sleep with her dead body until I die. Geospark Analytics will make their global event data, global activity models and country, city and regional stability assessment models available as feature services and as packaged applications through the ArcGIS Marketplace. The integration of Geospark Analytics' AI models is an immediate and substantial force multiplier for GIS users to leverage. Through the integration of Geospark Analytics AI models, Esri users will be able to analyze streaming content, immediately understand global stability levels and forecasts, and build narrative summaries to display and forecast global events that impact stability, threat and risk levels. "Membership in the global Esri Partner Network gives us the ability to better collaborate with industry leaders and bring the innovative power of Hyperion to a wider user base, while continuing to work closely with Esri's architecture and future development," said Omar Balkissoon, Chief Executive Officer of Geospark Analytics. "We are excited to have Geospark Analytics join Esri's partner community and offer their AI models and insights as a content service to the ArcGIS community and beyond," said Jeff Wilson, Emerging Business Manager at Esri. "Their global event and stability data, combined with our users' geospatial content, will provide a unique new capability for decision making and planning, and assessing strategic opportunity and risk." About Geospark Analytics Geospark Analytics was founded in July 2017 to help our clients make better decisions faster by identifying and forecasting emerging events on a global scale to mitigate risk, recognize threats, and leverage opportunities. Hyperion enable humans to understand inhuman amounts of information by combining sourced data from space, social media, news reporting and IoT together with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language generation to deliver insight needed to make informed decisions. Geospark Analytics has received funding from Zero Gravity Capital and is currently backed by General Catalyst. The company is based in Herndon, Virginia. More information can be found at www.geospark.io. About Esri Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, offers the most powerful geospatial cloud available, to help customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including 90 of the Fortune 100 companies, all 50 state governments, more than half of all counties (large and small), and 87 of the Forbes Top 100 Colleges in the U.S., as well as all 15 Executive Departments of the U.S. Government and dozens of independent agencies. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com. SOURCE Geospark Analytics Related Links https://www.geospark.io Ayodhya: Muslim litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case have expressed unhappiness over the location of the five-acre land allotted by the Uttar Pradesh government for construction of a mosque in Dhannipur, saying it is too far from the town. The land was selected by the Centre from a shortlist of proposed sites the state government had sent to it. The site is 25 kilometres from where the proposed Ram temple will come up and 18 kilometres from the district headquarters. Haji Mehboob, one of the litigants in the Ayodhya title suit case, said, The land is too far from Ayodhya. No Muslim will go there to offer namaz. The land should be in Ayodhya to make it more convenient for us to offer prayers. Dhannipur village and its adjoining areas have a sizable Muslim population. Khaliq Ahmad Khan, who is a nominee of the litigant Maulana Mahfoozurahman, a native of Ayodhya, said: The state government should have allotted the land in Ayodhya [town]. There is no justification for allotting five-acre land 18 km from the district headquarters. Afaq Ahmad Khan, convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, felt the Centre should reconsider its decision. Shia religious leader Azim Baqri also opposed the choice of land for the mosque. Iqbal Ansari, another litigant in the Ayodhya title suit, said, Land is too far from Ayodhya. It should have been allotted in the city. It is now for the Sunni Central Waqf Board to decide about the Centres offer [of land]. It has been a long-standing demand of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that the mosque should be constructed outside limits of Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement for the formation of a trust to oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in line with the Supreme Court directive was separately welcomed with a special prayer ceremony at the Hanuman Garhi temple here. Karsevakpuram, the epicentre of Ram Mandir movement in Ayodhya, wore a festive look. As news of the announcement of the trust by Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached here, sweets were distributed at Karsevakpuram, said Sharad Sharma, regional spokesperson for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. At the Bharatiya Janata Party office too, party workers distributed sweets. Shopkeepers near the Hanuman Garhi temple road also rejoiced. With the construction of the Ram temple, development activities in Ayodhya and footfall of tourists will increase. Our business will grow manifold, said Madhur Yadav, who owns a sweet shop near the Hanuman Garhi temple. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON sara nelson speaking Kevin Wolf/AP Images The head of America's biggest flight attendants union is calling on the federal government to do more to help airlines combat the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. "This can't be solved by private industry alone, or workers, or unions," Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said on a media briefing call. "Our government must deploy a coordinated response to prevent spread, uh, treat those infected and provide resources and information for workers and the general public." Nelson's union represents flight attendants at 20 airlines, including United, and is in the midst of an organizing drive at Delta. According to Nelson and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who was also involved with the briefing, criticized the federal government for a piecemeal approach to the virus, offering disjointed and inadequate information and resources. Nelson credited airlines for taking a proactive approach to suspending routes and providing flight crews with information and supplies, saying that she wanted "to recognize that the airlines worked well with us right from the start, and United was very proactive." However, she said that because precautions have been left up to each individual airline, the approach has not been entirely unified across the industry. "Each carrier is currently determining individual policies regarding travel" Nelson said, "and it really would be much more helpful if the Department of Transportation issued consistent guidelines." Story continues "They need to convene work groups that include stakeholders and relevant departments, especially the Department of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, FEMA, and the CDC, to coordinate delivery of recommendations, guidance, and materials," she added. "Issuing uniform guidance across relevant industries that ensure consistent standards of caution." The CDC issues a list of recommendations for airlines last month. However, the guidance focuses primarily on identifying possibly sick passengers and notifying officials on the ground, which is not necessarily an effective way of preventing the virus' spread on a plane. "What's concerning about the coronavirus is that people who are infected and not yet displaying symptoms can still spread the disease," Nelson said. A spokesperson for United detailed coronavirus precautions the airline is taking to Business Insider, such as disinfecting hard surfaces after each international flight. While that can be effective, Nelson said that she is concerned that the people cleaning the planes may not be fully equipped to protect themselves. "So much of this work has been outsourced, and without clear government regulations on how to actually disinfect the aircraft, that instruction is not necessarily clear," she said. "We're also hearing that those aircraft cleaners are not consistently getting the supplies to protect themselves, they're not being given masks and gloves. And that is because of a lack of guidance from the CDC and in general from the government." The US Department of State issued a travel warning on China in late-January. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United have all suspended flights to China as travel demand has plummeted due to concerns over the virus. Read the original article on Business Insider A study in 2013 predicted Easton Area School District elementary enrollment would drop by 1,000 kids by 2023. Seven years in, enrollment has only dropped by 24 kids. So the study was inaccurate to say the least, according to Easton Area School District Assistant Superintendent Alyssa Emili. She spoke Tuesday at the school board meeting. You can watch her comments on YouTube in the meeting video. The above-expected number of elementary-age students has prompted a plan to redistrict elementary schools. The plan calls for shifting 124 children from three district schools to two different new schools. The revised boundary lines maintain neighborhood schools by allowing children to attend schools close to their homes, Emili said. The proposal addresses growth in Palmer Township and takes advantage of space at Cheston Elementary. A new Cheston will open this fall next to the current Cheston. Then, the current Cheston will be razed. The plan calls for 56 children to move from Palmer Elementary School to Cheston Elementary School, according to the board meeting agenda and the video. The 56 children in the brown area would move from Palmer Elementary School to Cheston Elementary School in 2020-21 under a proposed redistricting plan. You can see how close the children are to Cheston, which is inside the blue rectangle.Courtesy Easton Area School District It calls for 43 children to move from Forks Elementary School to Cheston Elementary School. The 43 children in the brown area (the Highlands development) would move from Forks Elementary School to Cheston Elementary School in 2020-21 under a proposed redistricting plan. You can see how close the children are to Cheston, which is inside the blue rectangle.Courtesy Easton Area School District And it calls for 68 children to move from Tracy Elementary School to Paxinosa Elementary School. The 68 children in the brown area would move from Tracy Elementary School to Paxinosa Elementary School in 2020-21 under a proposed redistricting plan. You can see how close the children are to Paxinosa, which is inside the blue rectangle.Courtesy Easton Area School District Some teachers may need to shift schools, but no teachers will be hired or laid off as a result of the redistricting, Emili said. School board member Meg Sayago said she understands how frustrating it can be for children to have to switch schools. Its not a decision the board takes lightly, she said. Its not something that we do just because. This really is important, she said on the video. A vote to adopt the plan is scheduled for Feb. 18 at the district education center, 1801 Bushkill Drive, Forks Township. If the plan is approved, parents will be notified the week after the vote, Emili said. She said its important to decide on the boundaries before kindergarten registration in March. The most recent Easton Area School District redistricting came in 2016. About 300 children were affected. Emili said the misguided population estimate could have been influenced by the struggling economy in 2013. Clearly more homes are being built in Palmer Township than were predicted, Emili said. Easton is an up and coming community. There are lot of people who are moving here and a lot of families, Sayago said. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. HONG KONG Its like closing the Las Vegas Strip, six times over. Officials in the Chinese city of Macao on Tuesday asked its 41 casinos to close for half a month as they rush to stop the coronavirus outbreak afflicting China and the region. The move will shut down the worlds gambling capital, which could slam big American casino operators like Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands as well as the local companies that sustain the territorys economy. Authorities said 10 people in Macao have been sickened by the pneumonia-like illness, among them a hotel employee at Galaxy Casino, one of the citys busiest gambling establishments. Of course this was a difficult decision, but we must do it for the health of Macaos residents, said Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the semiautonomous Chinese territory, in a televised news conference. Wearing a blue face mask and a suit, Ho said the case of the hotel worker served as a warning that the virus was beginning to spread through the city. The worker had shared shuttle buses and the casino cafeteria with colleagues. Gambling accounts for four-fifths of the Macao governments revenue. But Ho said, Macao can still bear these economic losses. The coronavirus has shaken companies and investors around the world who have come to rely on China for its efficient factories, its increasingly affluent consumers and its years of hard-charging economic growth. General Motors, Ford, Nissan and other auto companies have temporarily closed factories. Apple and Starbucks have closed stores. On Tuesday, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kongs biggest local airline, announced steep cuts to China flights and plans to pare back across its network. American Airlines suspended all flights to Hong Kong from Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles through Feb. 20, a spokesman said Tuesday. Most of China remains shut down by the coronavirus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has sickened thousands of people in the country. The global economic outlook, the fortunes of major companies and the jobs of workers around the world could depend on how quickly they come back. The former Portuguese colony, which was returned to Chinese control in 1999, is the only part of China that allows casino gambling. Alexandra Stevenson is a New York Times writer. Powers Brand Communications Vice President Karen Murray [Karen] offers a great deal of experience across a number of industries. Her background and expertise, particularly in differentiating franchise brands through helping craft their unique stories, are a great asset to our firm and our clients. Powers Brand Communications, the Philadelphia-based public relations and content firm, today announced it has named Karen Murray Vice President. Murray, who will lead the firms growing Franchise Practice, brings more than 20 years of experience working with a variety of national and regional clients on communication tactics ranging from media relations and digital content, to event planning and community outreach. Murray has worked with Powers since 2016. Murray has developed a specialty in franchise marketing communications, on behalf of both franchisor brands and individual franchisees. Her team works with national clients and emerging brands with a focus on helping to drive business for local franchisees through targeted media outreach around openings and other milestones. Murray also oversees the firms Project Group, which is structured to provide strategy and execution for specific projects and includes press release writing and distribution, content development, press events, guerilla marketing, and other tactics as needed. Karen is a PR pro who not only is a tremendous media relations professional, but also a trusted advisor to our clients, said Vince Powers, President and CEO, Powers Brand Communications. She offers a great deal of experience across a number of industries. Her background and expertise, particularly in differentiating franchise brands through helping craft their unique stories, are a great asset to our firm and our clients. Murray began her career at Tierney in Philadelphia and continued building her skills and expertise through both agency and in-house communications positions. She graduated cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in English and resides in Berwyn, Pa. with her husband and two children. She is also the president of the Chester County Down Syndrome Interest Group. About Powers Brand Communications LLC Founded in 2012 by Vince Powers and based in Wayne, Pa., Powers Brand Communications is a national public relations and content marketing firm that represents clients ranging from emerging growth companies to national brands. In addition to serving clients in the Consumer/Retail and B2B space, we offer a team dedicated to Franchise brands working with both franchisors and franchisees. For more information, visit http://www.powersbc.com. Police in Argentina arrested the parents a two-year-old girl who was buried up to her neck in the sand so that they could jump into the ocean for a drug-fueled sex binge. The incident took place Monday at a resort in the Buenos Aires coastal town of Santa Clara del Mar. Concerned beachgoers called the city's 999 emergency line after noticing the Argentine father and Paraguayan mother were engaging in a sexual act in the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing cops dig out their daughter, the parents struggled with officials leading to their arrest. The child showed signs of dehydration was in stable condition. Authorities on Monday arrested the parents of two-year-old girl who buried their two-year-old daughter up to her neck on a beach in Argentina so they could have sex in the sea Police confiscated 200 pills of Rivotril, a sedative, an ecstasy pill and marijuana from the mother's handbag. However, no drug charges were filed because the sedative was legal and they were in possession of a small amount of narcotics 'They didn't care about anything,' a beach visitor said. 'They left the poor child buried in the sand and went to the sea to have sexual encounters. I could not believe what I was seeing.' Police confiscated 200 pills of Rivotril, a sedative, an ecstasy pill and marijuana from the mother's handbag. Another man who allegedly accompanied the parents to the beach escaped. The child was transferred to the Santa Clara del Mar, Buenos Aires, child protection agency and remained there as of Wednesday. The parents, who were released from prison, were not charged with drug possession because the sedative is legal and they were in possession of a small amount of illegal substances. However, they were not awarded custody of their daughter at officials at the child protection agency will decide actions to take, if any. CHICAGO, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Each Winter we witness a cultural phenomenon where people couple up to stave off the weather-induced blues; better known as Cuffing Season. Valentine's Day is the pinnacle of Cuffing Season, and according to a new surveyi from Coors Light, a majority of young legal drinking age millennials (58%) find it overrated. That's why Coors Light encourages you to skip the cheesy Valentine's traditions and spend the day with a fur-ever friend - and will help pay fees for 1,000 dogs adopted between 12:00 PM CT on February 4, 2020 and 11:59:59 PM CT on February 21, 2020. "Cuffing Season is a major cultural trend and poses tension for our younger drinkers, as they navigate the stress of finding someone to spend the cold months with," said Chelsea Parker, Marketing Manager at Molson Coors. "With almost half of millennials planning to stay in on Valentine's Day, we wanted to help empower people to savor the day with Coors Light and a dog by their side." Anyone of legal drinking age who resides in an eligible state and adopts a dog between February 421, 2020 can have Coors Light help cover their adoption feesii. Eligible participants can text "COORS4k9" and a picture of their adoption receipt to 28130. After review, the first 1,000 eligible participants will be given $100 to apply toward their adoption fees. See terms and conditions at www.promorules.com/PL013422 for full offer details. This Valentine's Day, spend your time with a companion who will stick around for summer fun: your new adopted dog and a refreshing Coors Light. The brand's latest ad "The Official Beer of Skipping Cuffing Season" from the new "Made to Chill" campaign is currently airing nationwide. About Coors Brewing Company Coors Brewing Company was founded in 1873 by Adolph Coors, who chose the Clear Creek Valley in Golden, Colo., for his new brewery because of the pure water in the nearby Rocky Mountain springs. The brewery's original and most enduring beer is Coors Banquet (Coors.com, Facebook.com/CoorsBanquet, YouTube.com/OfficialCoorsBanquet), still brewed exclusively in Golden using only Rocky Mountain water and high-country barley. Coors Light (CoorsLight.com, Facebook.com/CoorsLight, @CoorsLight on Twitter, YouTube.com/CoorsLight) was introduced in 1978 and now is the second-best-selling beer in the United States. Triple-filtered smooth Keystone Light (KeystoneLight.com, Facebook.com/KeystoneLight) is one the country's most popular economy beers. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at Facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors. iCoors Light partnered with ENGINE INSIGHTS on a nationally representative survey of Americans ages 2127. iiNO BEER PURCHASE IS REQUIRED. PAYMENT OF DOG ADOPTION FEE IS REQUIRED, Purchase/adoption required. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S./DC, 21+ years of age. VOID IN CA, LA, PA, SD, TX, VA, WV AND WHERE PROHIBITED. Begins 2/4/20 at 12:00 PM CT and ends 2/21/20 at 11:59:59 PM CT, or once offer items are exhausted, whichever occurs first. During the offer period, at a participating location, complete the adoption process of one (1) dog (an "Adoption"), and text a picture of Adoption receipt to 28130 stating the keyword "COORS4K9" to receive one (1) unique redemption code that can be used to redeem $100 via Venmo ("Offer Item"). Venmo account required to receive Offer Item. Redemption codes must be redeemed by 11:59:59 PM CT on 2/24/20. Limit 1 Offer Item per person/household. No more than 1,000 Offer Items are available in the offer. Where permitted, original register receipt required. For Terms and Conditions, including offer details and restrictions, visit www.promorules.com/PL013422. Purchase not condition of consent. Msg&data rates may apply. Text HELP to 28130 for help. Text STOP to 28130 to cease messages. This offer is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Venmo. Sponsor: MillerCoors LLC. SOURCE Coors Brewing Company ROME, N.Y. -- A 31-year-old Rome man was arrested Monday and accused of stealing and cashing seven checks from a family member, according to New York State Police. Louis M. Gisondi was charged with seven counts of second-degree forgery, seven counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny and one count of attempted petit larceny, police said. Gisondi stole several checks from a family member, signed them and then cashed them at various banks in Rome, police said. He stole more than $1,000, according to police. Gisondi was arraigned in Oneida County centralized arraignment court and was released, police said. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido waves as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Read more WASHINGTON Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is getting a long-sought meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday and another show of U.S. support for the Venezuelan people, the White House said. Guaido was a guest Tuesday night at Trump's State of the Union address. Lawmakers applauded as Trump introduced Guaido as Venezuela's true and legitimate leader and called President Nicolas Maduro a tyrant. The White House said Guaido's visit Wednesday is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela. The leaders will also discuss how the U.S. can work with Guaido to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis. the White House said. The U.S. and nearly 60 other governments say Maduro's 2018 election was illegitimate and that Guaido, as leader of the country's National Assembly, should be named interim president under the Venezuelan constitution. These countries also blame Maduro's socialist policies for a political and economic crisis threatening regional stability. Maduro, however, remains in control, having faced down a failed military uprising, a brief renewal of mass anti-government protests, and sanctions and other efforts by the U.S. to force him to leave office. Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland, Trump said to Guaido during the speech. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom. The White House said the U.S. will continue to work with other countries in the region to confront the illegitimate dictatorship in Venezuela and ensure a democratic and prosperous future for the Venezuelan people. Robert O'Brien, the U.S. national security adviser, called on Russia, China and Cuba to end their support for Maduro. O'Brien said Maduro lacks his people's support and is exercising tyranny over them. We call on the Chinese, the Russians and the Cubans to knock it off and to get out of Venezuela and let the Venezuelans control their own destiny, O'Brien told a group of ambassadors to the U.S. on Wednesday. Guaido's attendance at Tuesday's speech came as a surprise as he has sought for some time to secure a meeting with Trump, his most important international ally. Guaido visited Miami on Saturday, rounding out a two-week world tour that took him first to Colombia, then across Europe and Canada, where he sought more international help to oust Maduro. Venezuela has been a top priority in Latin America for the Trump administration, which a year ago was the first among a coalition of governments to recognize Guaido as president. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Deb Riechmann contributed to this article. A mini-reform of CAP is being sought by some MEPs as part of an agreement to roll-over the current regime. Delays in completing CAP reform and the EU budget post-2020 will require transitional arrangements to apply for at least one year, Mairead McGuinness, first vice-president of the European Parliament, has confirmed. "Significant delays in reaching agreement on the reform and the EU budget allocations have resulted in the European Commission tabling transitional arrangements for 2021, which should see the current CAP being rolled over for that year and possibly into 2022," Ms McGuinness said. In addition, the European Parliament has agreed to reopen parts of the reform already agreed in order to accommodate the views of new members of the parliament in both the agriculture and environment committees. An agreement has been reached to reopen all the environmental aspects of the CAP as demanded by the European Parliament's environment committee, with the agriculture committee reopening a limited number of areas, including the definition of who should be eligible for payments. "The orientation of this reform is very clear - greater focus on environmental delivery - and this is likely to be strengthened as the reforms move through committee and to plenary," Ms McGuinness explained. Meanwhile, the debate about the overall size of the EU budget for 2021-27 has heated up with a new proposal from the Finnish presidency aimed to break the budget deadlock. "This proposal has details on CAP spending, including capping of payments at 100,000. It re-emphasises the environmental and climate focus by proposing that 40pc of the CAP expenditure must be dedicated to climate action," Ms McGuinness said. On the transitional arrangements, it is not clear if some MEPs want to considerably amend the Commission proposals, perhaps resulting in a mini reform for the year 2021. "Any changes made to the policy for the transitionary period must be in line with parallel work taking place on the reform of the CAP, which is due to apply from 2022, therefore ensuring that farmers don't have to grapple with different rules for 2021 and 2022," Ms McGuinness said. "It will be up to member states to decide if they continue to converge payments during the transition period." Resistance Ms McGuinness predicted that finalising a new CAP is still some way off, given continued resistance from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria to any increase in their allocation to the EU budget, and with the details of Brexit still not finalised. In other CAP news, INHFA president Colm O'Donnell, has called on the EU Commission and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to provide clarity for farmers on the transitionary period. Mr O'Donnell said farmers needed certainty on the duration of the transition period, and that they will continue to receive payments and access to schemes. He pointed out that 2020 will be the final year for a number of key CAP schemes, notably the BDGP and the Sheep Welfare Scheme, with GLAS 1 participants also receiving their final payments. "In addition to this we currently have up to 3,000 farmers that exited AEOS with no agri-environmental scheme to join. All of this leaves many farmers facing into a major income crisis in 2021, which is why we need this clarity," he said. Dr. Frank Plummer, a world-acclaimed microbiologist renowned for his work in Africa pioneering breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS research, has died suddenly at the age of 67. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dr. Frank Plummer, a world-acclaimed microbiologist renowned for his work in Africa pioneering breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS research, has died suddenly at the age of 67. Plummer, who was a University of Manitoba professor emeritus and former scientific director general of the federal National Microbiology Laboratory, was born in Winnipeg and lived in Toronto. He was visiting Kenya when he died, said Keith Fowke, head of the U of M's department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases. Fowke was in Kenya with Plummer last week, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the U of M's research collaboration with the University of Nairobi. "He was sounding bright, and it was great to talk to him," said Fowke. "He was very enthusiastic about some of the projects that he's been working on. He was continuing to work on an HIV vaccine, and he was very enthusiastic about that. And I had no clue that this could happen. It's very sudden and unexpected." Plummer reportedly died of a heart attack, Fowke said. Plummer's wife, Jo Kennelly, his stepdaughter, and two of his three daughters were with him in Kenya over the past week, according to a family friend. Fowke met Plummer in 1988, becoming his first graduate student. He remembered his mentor first and foremost as a preeminent scientist with remarkable skills across multiple scientific disciplines. "He made outstanding contributions to identifying that HIV could be transmitted to women, which was unknown at the beginning of the epidemic. He identified that HIV could be transmitted to babies, and even through breast milk, and then identified that male circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV... So it's a gross understatement to say that he probably saved hundreds of thousands of lives from being affected by HIV." Beyond his scientific accomplishments, Fowke remembered Plummer as a generous, welcoming personality. "I think I'll always remember Frank's big smile, and how he always cared about people, and how he was a genuinely, very wonderful and nice person." Terry Duguid, member of parliament for Winnipeg South, worked with Plummer to establish the International Centre for Infectious Diseases in 2004. "He was the face of calm during the SARS crisis, and really established the National Microbiology Laboratory as a leader in the world in diagnosing and combating novel infectious diseases," recalled Duguid. "I received an email from Frank last week, and he said that he might not come back to Winnipeg because he was in heaven. That's a direct quote. He loved Africa, and it's sad that he's not coming back to us, but he at least got to visit the land that he loved before he passed away." In addition to his work heading the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Plummer served as a senior scientific advisor to the Public Health Agency of Canada and director general of the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. He was an officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Manitoba. In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, U of M president David Barnard hailed Plummer as "a prime example of dedication and passion in one's profession." That dedication may have had a downside for Plummer. In 2019 he told the Free Press he was an alcoholic, an addiction that stemmed from job-related stress. As part of his treatment, in December 2018 Plummer underwent surgery to implant two electrodes in his brain. The procedure, performed at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, was part of a research study into the use of deep-brain stimulation to treat alcoholism. "Seeing a bottle doesn't bother me," Plummer said a year after the surgery. "I just don't think about it," A Sunnybrook spokesperson said Tuesday that the hospital was "deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Frank Plummer and (extends) our most heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, eulogized Plummer in a message posted to Twitter on Tuesday, remembering him as "a scientific maverick who helped set up and make (the Public Health Agency of Canada's) National Microbiology Laboratory a world class institution. He made outstanding contributions to public health, both through his research and his leadership." Plummer's protege, Keith Fowke, said the microbiologist was "one of the great scientists in Canada, if not the world." "And he was very proud of the fact that he came from Winnipeg, and that people from Winnipeg do great things, and he's just one example." With files from Kevin Rollason solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca @sol_israel Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment It sounds good, eliminating surprise medical bills that patients sometimes receive from hospitals and providers when their services arent covered by insurance. This happens sometimes when patients go to a hospital or emergency room and receive services from a doctor who is out of network. But what if its the government stepping in to stop the surprise bills? Government usually messes things up when it gets involved. And even worse, this would open the door to Medicare for All. This is government price controls or rate-setting. One doctor fully admits Medicare for All is the way to fix surprise medical billing. Left-wing billionaire John Arnold, who established the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to support left-wing causes, is pushing this congressional fix. Several conservative groups oppose the legislation, including FreedomWorks and Club for Growth.The Taxpayers Protection Alliance and the National Taxpayers Union are spending money on ads opposing the bill. Big insurance companies favor the bill. Doctors oppose it too. Nearly 900 doctors and smaller practices said the proposal could have devastating unintended consequences on physicians. In a strongly worded letter to leaders in Congress, they warn that the heavy-handed solution would severely impact small practices by eliminating what few incentives remain for insurers to negotiate fairly with us, therefore driving further consolidation within health care, and triggering ensuing cost increases. If this consolidation happens, health care costs could increase by as much as 30 percent. It would allow insurers to shift more costs over to patients by using higher deductibles and other cost-sharing measures. CEO William Thorwarth of the American College of Radiology points out that the bill does not prevent insurers from simply keeping any monetary savings to themselves, rather than passing them along to patients. The Federation of American Hospitals says the bill takes two steps forward and three steps back. According to Beau Rothschild, former outreach director for the Committee on House Administration, doctors and patients are the victims of surprise medical billing. The insurance companies purposely draw narrow coverage plans and do everything they can to not pay out claims. Additionally, patients are given very confusing contracts about coverage that the insurers purposely make very difficult to get reimbursed for care out of coverage. He says patients shouldn't have to become experts in coverage in order to figure out what will be paid. Doctors are victims because they get blamed for insurances deliberately confusing language. The legislation is offered by one of the most left-leaning members of the Senate, Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Other co-sponsors include Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas), the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, released a competing bill favored by doctors and hospitals. It would ban surprise medical bills, but would let a neutral third party in an independent dispute resolution process determine how much the insurer should pay the doctor if an agreement cant be made. Some of the conservative groups suppose this alternative legislation, as does the American College of Radiology. Out of the Middle, a coalition of physicians, says the independent dispute resolution process is working in New York where it has been implemented. According to the New York State Department of Financial Services, IDR has successfully saved consumers $400 million and reduced out-of-network billing 34 percent. Surprise medical bills are a problem. A study published in the journal Health Affairs found that anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists and assistant surgeons at in-network hospitals billed out of network in about 10% of cases. Another study found that over 1 in 5 patients who went to in-network emergency departments were treated by out-of-network emergency physicians. Unfortunately, the media is not reporting the full picture. Articles like this dont bother to mention that health care costs for consumers will increase if this type of legislation is passed. That patient who was forced to file bankruptcy due to a surprise medical bill? Now theyll merely have to file bankruptcy due to costs being increased in other areas. The article explains how Washington state just passed a law ending surprise medical billing. Even if Congress doesnt pass legislation, some individual states are implementing it. The bill is likely to make it to President Trump. With bipartisan support, there is a real concern that it will make it into law. After a month on the run, Lesothos First Lady Maesaiah Thabane is in police custody, and on Wednesday was served with charges over the killing of her predecessor, former First Lady Lipolelo Thabane. The late Mrs. Thabane was shot dead in the capital, Maseru, two days before Prime Minister Thomas Thabanes inauguration in 2017. At the time, the couple were in the middle of a bitter divorce and the prime minister was living with Maesaiah. But political players in the tiny kingdom say this arrest is unlikely to fix the many problems that have long swirled around Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who announced last month that he would step down over the controversy but didnt say when. His rule has been marred with a number of killings of high-ranking officials in recent years. Critics say this is an inevitable consequence of Thabanes failure to keep the nations security forces out of politics. The saga has illuminated a wider concern in this tiny mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa for years, critics say, the ruling party has been divided into warring factions and rule of law has been ignored. 'He should have gone by yesterday' Mathibeli Mokhothu, leader of the opposition Democratic Congress, offered a suggestion to the prime minister. "He should have gone by yesterday, I think, he told VOA. He should be leaving as soon as possible. That will somehow culminate into some sort of stability. But the secretary-general of Thabanes All Basotho Convention, Lebohang Hlaele, disagrees. "He did not mention time, he told VOA. There's no timeframe for that exercise. He's intending to stand down and he actually said he'll be waiting for his party and the coalition partners to prepare smoothly to get a smooth exit. So the party and the coalition partners are actually in the process of preparing for his exit. Thabane V. Mahao Motlamelle Anthony Kapa, an associate professor in political science at the National University of Lesotho, said the real conflict in Lesotho is not between Thabane and his wives -- but between Thabane and his rival, Professor Nqosa Mahao, who is vice-chancellor of the university. Mahaos brother, a top general, was killed in 2015, but no one has been brought to book. Mahao has pushed for the killers to be prosecuted. There was a faction that was pro-deputy leader Professor Mahao, Kapa told VOA There was a faction, also, which didnt want him, which we saw later, that it was supported by the prime minister, who is also the leader of the All Basotho Convention, Thomas Thabane. . So you could say it is Mahao versus Thabane. Probably because Thabane fears that Mahao would push for his wife to be prosecuted for having been involved in the killing of -- allegedly involved -- in the killing of his other wife. Hlaele said he knows the matter weighs heavily on Thabanes conscience, though he says he hasnt spoken to the prime minister lately. But he disputes local headlines that say there is a crisis in Lesotho. There's no political crisis in our country, he said. Everything's normal. Theres nothing. I mean, you're in the country. Well, what do you see? Nothing. Everybody's going to work. Everybody's doing whatever -- you are actually interviewing me now. What is the problem? Do you experience any crisis? Nothing. 05.02.2020 LISTEN Human trafficking has been a major problem facing many young Kenyans seeking employment abroad. The vise has now taken a new twist as human traffickers target newborn babies in different health facilities, a moment after delivery. Its a vice that has been trending in some areas of coastal Kenya for years. Children and young adults trafficked to unknown places or countries for various reasons best known by the perpetrators. I mate Victoria Zubeida in Jomvu area of Mombasa coastal Kenya, her face was covered with tears after learning that her 3 days old baby disappeared mysteriously at a local health facility a few minutes after being discharged for delivery in a hospital. She said a woman stranger who was sitting at the waiting bay at the hospital, offered to help her carry her baby off the hospital to a bus station because she had a heavy language, but the woman disappeared with the baby minutes later after. After I giving birth the doctors said my son had some complications, they recommended that I should spend one more night at the health facility so that they monitor the baby who has breast feeding problems, next day my neighbors asked the doctors if I can be discharged but they said the babys temperatures was still high. David Muya a husband to Victoria said the act was well planned by the woman and she intended to traffic his baby. He said the woman might sell his baby for adoption urging government to act fast and to secure his baby. I heard the woman came to the hospital by 4 pm pretending to be pregnant, she sat on the bed in opposite direction to my wife, doctors did not gave my wife anywhere to sign for hospital discharge, I was suppose to sign for that discharge receipt, what I see I like they chase away my wife, this was a deal well planned. Winnie Juma a 31 years old lady from Mombasa, who was a victim of human trafficking, said she met a travelling agent who promised her a better job in Middle East with a better salary. She said at first she was promised to work as an air hostess in a certain airline but she was shocked to learn that she will be working as a house maid. I met a friend in Mombasa, who introduced me to a recruiting agent to Middle East, I told him am interested in cabin crew job although I have not trained, he said there is no problem, someone will take me through training at the Mombasa airport, my aim was to be taken to an office when I get to middle east because when living Kenya I was told I will be staying in a hostel, but I was surprised to see I am taken in someones house working as a house help. According to Trace Kenya an organization that fights human trafficking in Kenya, human trafficking in coastal Kenya has been experienced for many years as it is a tourism hub. Paul Adhuoch Trace Kenya Chairman said human trafficking has taken another twist that pose a great challenge to government to counter it as it has weak legislation. There is new form of human trafficking, Kenyans take disabled children and use them as beggars, we recommend the government to enforce the counter trafficking persons act, no one has been convicted since It was enacted, we also want the government to enforce a law that will protect its citizens working abroad not to be victims of human trafficking Kibibi not her real name, is another Kenyan who was trafficked to meddle east, said her employer victimized her a lot as she forced her to clean many houses than she expected. She said she was not given food even after preparing food for her employers family. I was kept a unknown place, I saw many girls, I was told rich people usually come and pick any of us after going through your passport, I was taken to my work place at night, on the fifth day I started experiencing difficulties, I was not getting food until the family I work for is done having food. Masses is the chairman of east African anti human trafficking committee said Kenyan government has put up legislation that will enable all recruiting agents vetted afresh so as to reduce the cases. George Masese further adds there has been a challenge with the local communities as they harbor fake recruiting agents and end up in distress situations when they travel abroad. We have so far vetted 17 recruiting agent companies in Kenya but when you ask Kenyans about the company funded his or her travel abroad you will find that it is one company that has not been registered and it is using a different name, once they register like 10 people and get 1 million they disappear. Winnie Juma said she cannot advice anyone to seek employment in the Middle East without proper terms with the employer, and the recruiting agents should be authorized by the government. Woman Activist in Mobasa kenyas Coast janet Morobi said unemployment has been a major contributing factor for many Kenyan citizens to seek employment abroad. She said government should create more job opportunities to its citizens to reduce human trafficking cases. It is right for these women to seek job opportunities abroad but we should ask these recruiting agents why things change once these Kenyans reach their destinations. Kenyans now wants the government to create a cordial relationship with Middle East countries as well as a better working environment for foreigners. Tensions are mounting over Tehran's probe into the January downing of a passenger plane near the Iranian capital, as countries that lost citizens in the disaster criticise the Islamic republic's reticence to share key information. Iran's authorities are examining the incident in which its air defences shot down the Kiev-bound Ukrainian International Airlines flight a few minutes after takeoff from Tehran on January 8, killing 176 people. On Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Tehran of knowing "from the start" that its missile had downed the Boeing 737, after leaked recordings emerged from Iranian air traffic control. The recordings, aired on Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel on Sunday, feature a conversation between an air traffic controller and the pilot of an Iranian Aseman Airlines flight at the time the Ukrainian airliner was hit. The pilot describes "a series of lights on our route, like a missile" and an "explosion", and asks for explanation from the controller. Countries whose citizens died in the disaster have criticised Iran's refusal to hand the plane's black boxes to Ukraine or one of the few countries capable of recovering and analysing the data they contain. The disaster unfolded as Iran's defences were on high alert in case the US retaliated to Iranian strikes hours earlier on American troops stationed in Iraq -- themselves in response to the US assassination of a top Iranian commander. Canada, which says it lost 57 citizens in the tragedy, suspected from a start that a missile had downed the plane, carrying mostly Iranian passengers as well as Afghans, Britons, Swedes and Ukrainians. In the immediate aftermath, Iranian civilian authorities insisted the crash was likely caused by a technical malfunction, vehemently denying claims the plane was shot down. But in the early hours of January 11, the Iranian military admitted that the plane was shot down due to "human error". The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, took responsibility, saying a missile had been fired due to a "bad decision" by a missile operator. - Government 'not informed' - In the absence of information from military authorities, investigators initially said the crash was likely caused by "an engine fire or an explosion on board" the aircraft. The Iranian government maintained it had not been informed of the true cause of the accident until the afternoon of January 10, denying any cover-up and promising a transparent investigation open to all concerned parties. Days later, a video circulated on social media indicating that not one but two missiles were fired at the aircraft, about 30 seconds apart. That was not confirmed until January 20 by the Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO). "Once and for all, the government was not informed," the director of President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet, Mahmoud Vaezi, said Wednesday, adding that the Iranian leader "was not informed until the afternoon of Friday" January 10. On the recording broadcast by 1+1, Vaezi said it was transferred to the Ukrainians and "therefore has nothing secret". He noted that the pilot on the recording does not say that the plane was hit by a missile. The CAO criticised the broadcasting of the recording, saying that the pilot had been interviewed by investigators. The lights seen by the pilot could have been the plane on fire, the CAO said, affirming it wanted to work with the concerned countries and calling for "all parties to avoid politicising" the disaster. - 'Transparency and justice' - Canada has repeatedly asked Iran to hand the plane's black boxes over to Ukraine or France for expert analysis. "The community of grieving nations continues to call on #Iran to immediately release the black boxes," Canadian Foreign Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne tweeted on Tuesday. The CAO, which acknowledges it does not have the means to retrieve data from them, said it asked its French and US counterparts, the BEA and NTSB respectively, to provide a list of the equipment required. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde reiterated calls for the "immediate release" of the boxes in a tweet Tuesday. "Iran needs to secure closure, accountability, transparency and justice for victims of #PS752," she said. The shooting-down of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 near Tehran on January 8 left 176 people dead Most of those who died in the disaster were Iranians Ukraine has accused Tehran of knowing "from the start" that its missile had downed the plane Ottawa says 57 Canadian citizens died in the tragedy Imperial Valley News Center Airbus Agrees to Pay over $3.9 Billion in Global Penalties to Resolve Foreign Bribery and ITAR Case Washington, DC - Airbus SE (Airbus or the Company), a global provider of civilian and military aircraft based in France, has agreed to pay combined penalties of more than $3.9 billion to resolve foreign bribery charges with authorities in the United States, France and the United Kingdom arising out of the Companys scheme to use third-party business partners to bribe government officials, as well as non-governmental airline executives, around the world and to resolve the Companys violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), in the United States. This is the largest global foreign bribery resolution to date. Airbus entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the department in connection with a criminal information filed on Jan. 28, 2020 in the District of Columbia charging the Company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiracy to violate the AECA and its implementing regulations, the ITAR. The FCPA charge arose out of Airbuss scheme to offer and pay bribes to foreign officials, including Chinese officials, in order to obtain and retain business, including contracts to sell aircraft. The AECA charge stems from Airbuss willful failure to disclose political contributions, commissions or fees to the U.S. government, as required under the ITAR, in connection with the sale or export of defense articles and defense services to the Armed Forces of a foreign country or international organization. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan of the District of Columbia. Airbus engaged in a multi-year and massive scheme to corruptly enhance its business interests by paying bribes in China and other countries and concealing those bribes, said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. This coordinated resolution was possible thanks to the dedicated efforts of our foreign partners at the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom and the PNF in France. The Department will continue to work aggressively with our partners across the globe to root out corruption, particularly corruption that harms American interests. International corruption involving sensitive U.S. defense technology presents a particularly dangerous combination. Todays announcement demonstrates the Departments continuing commitment to ensuring that those who violate our export control laws are held to account, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Departments National Security Division (NSD). The resolution, however, also reflects the significant benefits available under NSDs revised voluntary self-disclosure policy for companies that choose to self-report export violations, cooperate, and remediate as to those violations, even where there are aggravating circumstances. We hope other companies will make the same decision as Airbus to report potential criminal export violations timely and directly to NSD so that they too can avail themselves of the policys benefits. Today, Airbus has admitted to a years-long campaign of corruption around the world, said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia. Through bribes, Airbus allowed rampant corruption to invade the U.S. system. Additionally, Airbus falsely reported information about their conduct to the U.S. government for more than five years in order to gain valuable licenses to export U.S. military technology. This case exemplifies the ability of our prosecutors and law enforcement to work with our foreign counterparts to ensure that corruption around the world is prevented and punished at the highest levels. Airbus SE, the second largest Aerospace company world-wide, engaged in a systematic and deliberate conspiracy, that knowingly and willfully violated U.S. fraud and export laws, said Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. Airbuss fraud and bribery in commercial aircraft transactions strengthened corrupt airlines and bad actors worldwide, at the expense of straightforward enterprises. Additionally, the bribery of government officials, specifically those involved in the procurement of U.S. military technology, posed a national security threat to both the U.S. and its allies. The global threats facing the U.S. have never been greater than they are today, and HSI New York is committed to working with our federal and international partners to assure sensitive U.S. technologies are not unlawfully and fraudulently acquired. As this investigation reflects, national security continues to be a top priority not just for Department of Homeland Security, but for HSI New York. The Companys payment to the United States will be $527 million for the FCPA and ITAR violations, and an additional 50 million Euros (approximately $55 million) as part of a civil forfeiture agreement for the ITAR-related conduct, and the department will credit a portion of the amount the Company pays to the Parquet National Financier (PNF) in France under the Companys agreement with the PNF. In addition, the Company has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty to the U.S. Department of States Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), of which the department is crediting $5 million. In related proceedings, the Company settled with the PNF in France over bribes paid to government officials and non-governmental airline executives in China and multiple other countries and the Company has agreed to pay more than 2 billion Euros (more than approximately $2.29 billion) pursuant to the PNF agreement. As part of this coordinated global resolution, the Company also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United Kingdoms Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over bribes paid in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana, and the Company has agreed to pay approximately 990 million Euros equivalent (approximately $1.09 billion) pursuant to the SFO agreement. The PNF and SFO had investigated the Company as part of a Joint Investigative Team. According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2008 and continuing until at least 2015, Airbus engaged in and facilitated a scheme to offer and pay bribes to decision makers and other influencers, including to foreign officials, in order to obtain improper business advantages and to win business from both privately owned enterprises and entities that were state-owned and state-controlled. In furtherance of the corrupt bribery scheme, Airbus employees and agents, among other things, sent emails while located in the United States and participated in and provided luxury travel to foreign officials within the United States. The admissions and court documents establish that in order to conceal and to facilitate the bribery scheme, Airbus engaged certain business partners, in part, to assist in the bribery scheme. Between approximately 2013 and 2015, Airbus engaged a business partner in China and knowingly and willfully conspired to make payments to the business partner that were intended to be used as bribes to government officials in China in connection with the approval of certain agreements in China associated with the purchase and sale of Airbus aircraft to state-owned and state-controlled airlines in China. In order to conceal the payments and to conceal its engagement of the business partner in China, Airbus did not pay the business partner directly but instead made payments to a bank account in Hong Kong in the name of a company controlled by another business partner. Pursuant to the AECA and ITAR, the DDTC regulates the export and import of U.S. defense articles and defense services, and prohibits their export overseas without the requisite licensing and approval of the DDTC. According to admissions and court documents, between December 2011 and December 2016, Airbus filed numerous applications for the export of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces. As part of its applications, Airbus was required under Part 130 of the ITAR to provide certain information related to political contributions, fees or commissions paid in connection with the sale of defense articles or defense services. The admissions and court documents reveal, however, that the Company engaged in a criminal conspiracy to knowingly and willfully violate the AECA and ITAR, by failing to provide DDTC with accurate information related to commissions paid by Airbus to third-party brokers who were hired to solicit, promote or otherwise secure the sale of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces. As part of the deferred prosecution agreement with the department, Airbus has agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct, including of individuals, and to enhance its compliance program. For the FCPA-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on a number of factors, including the Companys cooperation and remediation. In addition, for the FCPA-related conduct, the U.S. resolution recognizes the strength of Frances and the United Kingdoms interests over the Companys corruption-related conduct, as well as the compelling equities of France and the United Kingdom to vindicate their respective interests as those countries deem appropriate, and the department has taken into account these countries determination of the appropriate resolution into all aspects of the U.S. resolution. With respect to the AECA and ITAR-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on the voluntary and timely nature of its disclosure to the department as well as the Companys cooperation and remediation. HSIs New York Field Office Counter Proliferation Investigations Group is investigating the case. Deputy Chief Christopher Cestaro, Assistant Chief Vanessa Sisti and Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin Smith of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section, Deputy Chief Elizabeth L. D. Cannon and Trial Attorney David Lim of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Zamarin, Gregg Maisel, David Kent and Karen Seifert of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs provided assistance. The Department of Justice acknowledges and expresses its appreciation of the significant assistance provided by Frances Parquet National Financier and the UKs Serious Fraud Office. The Fraud Section is responsible for all investigations and prosecutions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and conducts other investigations into sophisticated economic crimes. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases involving the export of military and strategic commodities and technology, including cases under the AECA and ITAR. With its 2020 Season nearly underway, the Ringgold Playhouse will hold open auditions for the stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption Sunday, Feb. 16, and Monday, Feb. 17. The play, which is an adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King novella, will bring a story to the Depot stage that has become a classic over the years due to the success of the 1994 film version starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. Its just a great story, said TRP Executive Director Adam Cook, who will be at the helm of the project. That flick is a lot of peoples favorite movie, so we want to do it justice on stage by creating a theatrical experience that our audiences never forget. While most of TRPs productions are of the family friendly variety, Mr. Cook says Shawshank will break from that mold and that it is intended for mature audiences. Like the novella and the film, theres some language and themes in the story that arent really suitable for kids, so were being up front about that with actors who audition for us, Mr. Cook said. Well also be forthcoming with audiences who come to see the show at the end of April. We know some folks may shy away from the show because of the content, but we also dont want to alter such a powerful story. Play synopsis When Andy Dufresne is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the notorious Shawshank prison, he must find a way to keep himself and his hope alive by using his wits and forging friendships. Based on the novella by Stephen King, Shawshank tells the story of unwavering resilience made famous by the acclaimed film to the stage. Character descriptions RED (30s 40s): African-American. A wily con of many years; resourceful Mr. Get-things inside the prison ANDY (30s 40s): Smart, wiry, calculated; prisoner convicted of double murder STAMMAS (50s 60s): Warden. Religious, two-faced, shrewd HADLEY (30s 50s): Captain of the guards. Violent, unremorseful, ruthless ENTWISTLE (20s 40s): Guard. A yes man who follows orders BOGS (30s 40s): Prisoner; smart, calculated, forceful, and entitled ROOSTER (30s 50s): Prison; one of Bogs cronies BROOKSIE (60s 70s): Prisoner; librarian unable to cope with the outside world TOMMY (20s): Prisoner; believes Andy is innocent of his conviction PINKY (30s 50s): Prisoner DAWKINS (30s 50s): Prisoner RICO (30s 50s): Prisoner Both nights of auditions will begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 and 17 at the historic Ringgold Depot at 155 Depot St. The play has roles available for 12 men. According to Mr. Cook, actors are asked to bring a prepared one-minute monologue of their choice that theyll perform in addition to reading sides from the script. Most of all, Im looking for actors who are dedicated to telling an incredible story, Mr. Cook said. This is a challenging piece of theatre all the way around, so I want hardworking, dedicated folks that want to take their talents to the highest possible level. Actors seeking more information about auditions can email TRP at TheRinggoldPlayhouse@gmail.com. [February 05, 2020] Drosrite International LLC Provides Update on First Payments MAHWAH, N.J., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drosrite International LLC, a private waste management technologies company based in New Jersey, USA, (the "Company", the Corporation or "Drosrite International"), further to its press release dated January 27th, 2020, provides the following update: Notwithstanding recent delays with respect to the previously announced transaction, the Company wishes to confirm that the first payments noted therein are expected to be transferred sometime within the next several days. Of note is that despite these delays, work has been progressing on the contract as per schedule, and several production milestones have already been achieved over the course of the past several months. Drosrite International had previously entered into a mutually exclusive arrangement with Radian to provide DROSRITE systems to Radian in their competitive bid for a major Aluminum Dross Processing project. The Company will manufacture, under a limited exclusive arrangement to sell DROSRITE systems, five (5) DROSRITE 5,000 TPY systems, plus two (2) 10,000 TPY systems to treat 30,000 to 40,000 tons per year of white and black aluminum dross. In addition, the Company will also supply spare parts over a 20-year period and, separately, benefit from an annual royalty stream. DROSRITE is a patented, proven, salt-free, cost-effective, sustainable process for maximizing metal recovery from dross (a waste generated in the metallurgical industry) which avoids costly loss of metal, while reducing a smelters carbon footprint and energy consumption, thus providing a high return on investment. The system has been designed to process and recover valuable metals such as aluminum, zinc and copper from dross. Radian is a private Saudi Arabian compny providing technologies that help customers conserve energy, operate more efficiently through a broad range of solutions while saving fuel, water / electricity & reducing CO2 emissions. About Drosrite International LLC Drosrite International LLC, is a US based private company duly constituted and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, providing state-of-the-art waste management technologies to the aluminum industry. The Company is duly licensed and has the right to manufacture, market, sell and distribute DROSRITE systems and technology. All DROSRITE systems supplied by Drosrite International are manufactured in the USA. The Companys core business is to promote, under a limited exclusive arrangement, the trademarked DROSRITE systems and technology; a revolutionary salt-free rotary tilting furnace for maximizing the recovery of non-ferrous metals from dross. Drosrite Internationals focus is to supply DROSRITE systems, together with complete plant and accessories, required for the recovery of aluminum dross. Drosrite International LLC is in discussion with other smelters to provide this type of service on a direct/indirect basis. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Drosrite International LLC For further information please contact: Media Relations, Phone: (201) 512-8701, E-mail: [email protected] RELATED LINK: www.drosrite-international.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Jiang Wenwu records the song of "Win the Battle Against Pneumonia." [Xinhua] GUIYANG, February 4 (Xinhua) Donning a white shirt, a hand-woven jacket and a red scarf, Jiang Wenwu sings an empowering anthem to the clapping sounds of vintage Chinese castanets and the tunes from the traditional musical instrument erhu. "In the biting cold of winter, Wuhan is hit by a new strain of coronavirus," he sings in a local dialect. "The virus has an incubation period of 14 days, and it can spread via droplets." The song is called "Win the Battle Against Pneumonia," written and performed by Jiang, 39, an artist and head of the Mabao Farmers' Art Troupe in Puding County, in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The music style is called Huadengxi, a traditional opera widely performed in southern China. It is extremely popular with the older generation. A video of Jiang singing the song has been widely broadcast on provincial, city- and county-level television stations, and the song is receiving massive radio plays, as officials try to promote knowledge of combating the novel strain of coronavirus among the local elderly population. "The elderly quite like listening to Huadengxi, and they are usually the vulnerable group in the prevention and control of the epidemic," Jiang said. "So I thought it would be a good idea to spread the knowledge about combating the coronavirus through the art form." China is feeling the pinch of the virus outbreak. Chinese health authorities Tuesday said they received reports of 3,235 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 64 deaths on Monday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Another 5,072 new suspected cases were reported on Monday. In Guizhou, confirmed cases reached 56 by Monday, with 26 suspected infections. Amid the outbreak, senior people are becoming a focus for authorities in Guizhou. By the end of 2018, the population aged 60 and above reached 5.79 million in Guizhou, or 16 percent of the province's total. Many elderly people have difficulties accessing the latest information and prevention knowledge, and their weak immune system means they are more susceptible to possible infections. "I saw all these medical staff battling the disease at the front lines, and as an artist, I also wanted to help," Jiang said. "I wanted to use my art to help disseminate information." Jiang was born in Maguan Township of Puding County. The township has a population of about 46,000, including about 9,000 senior citizens. It is the birthplace of a branch of Huadengxi. For years, Jiang spared no efforts to promote the traditional opera in the locality. Huadengxi originated during the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It usually features singing and dancing, and depicts people's daily lives. The lyrics are catchy and easy to understand, and the music is quite upbeat. During its evolution, Huadengxi was heavily influenced by a variety of dialects, folk songs and traditions. China listed the art as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. After the coronavirus outbreak, Jiang spent a whole night crafting the song of more than 360 Chinese characters. In the song, Jiang introduces when the outbreak happened and how to control and prevent the virus. He also invited Zhang Meihua, a seasoned erhu player in the township, to join him in recording the video. "I hope that the song can strengthen people's confidence and determination against the coronavirus, and teach people how to lower the risk of transmission," he said. Jiang believes that through the performance, he will not only be able to help battle the epidemic, but also pass on the traditional opera. "So far, the effect has proven to be quite good, and many people have been sharing the video on social media," he said. This type of performance matches the taste of old people, said Wu Zhixi, a villager in the township. "We can not only enjoy Huadengxi, but also learn about preventing and controlling the virus," said Wu, 58. "It's quite helpful." "I have shared it on my WeChat account," said another villager He Hengquan, 65. "Many of my folks are sharing it on social media, because it is important to know about the epidemic." Jiang said China will definitely win the battle against the virus with concerted efforts. "United we stand," he said. "I hope that our country will step out of the shadow of the epidemic as soon as possible." (Source: Xinhua) CLEVELAND, Ohio Three Case Western Reserve University undergraduate students participating in a year-long study-abroad program in China will not return to the country after their break amid the growing threat of the deadly coronavirus. The Case students were on a planned break from the program when the university learned of the coronavirus threat, which has resulted in quarantine and limitations on travels in and out of the country. One student was in the United States, and two were in Taiwan. The two students in Taiwan returned to the U.S. as a cautionary measure, the university said in a statement released late Tuesday. Rather than have the latter two return to their program, the university assisted them in coming back to this country, the statement says. No other study aboard programs were scheduled in China this semester at Case. Kent State University and Cleveland State University placed temporary restrictions on university-sponsored trips to China in response to coronavirus. Both schools have no students studying abroad there. Baldwin Wallace University also does not have any students studying in China currently. John Carrol University appears to give students the opportunity to study in China. Cleveland.com has reached out to see any of their students are studying abroad in the country. Coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, China in early December, and has infected thousands in the country, according to the New York Times. The virus has killed at least 493 people so far: all the deaths except two have been in China. The virus has spread to at least 24 countries outside China, including 11 cases in the United States. Symtoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. Read more on this topic: Kent State restricts university-sponsored travel to China over coronavirus fears Ohio coronavirus tests come back negative Two Ohio college students investigated for coronavirus Suspected coronavirus cases found in Ohio The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested a Philadelphia man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Carlisle last year. 25-year-old Willie Walker was arrested at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday without incident in the 300 block of East Burd Street in Shippensburg, according to a news release. Police in Carlisle investigated the sexual assault of a 15-year-old teenage girl in May 2019, according to the release. Investigators subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Walker, but officers were unable to find him at the time. A criminal docket for Walker indicates he is charged with criminal attempt - rape by forcible compulsion, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent assault. He was arraigned on his charges Wednesday morning and is in Cumberland County Bail on $49,000 bail. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The Surat diamond industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore in next two months as Hong Kong, which is a major export destination, has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, say experts Surat: The Surat diamond industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore in next two months as Hong Kong, which is a major export destination, has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, say experts. Hong Kong is a major business hub for the Surat diamond industry, but schools and colleges have been closed there till the first week of March and even the businesses are seeing a dip in view of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. According to Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) regional chairman Dinesh Navadiya, polished diamonds worth around Rs 50,000 crore are exported from Surat to Hong Kong every year. "That's around 37 percent of the total exports from here. Now, due to coronavirus scare, Hong Kong has declared a month-long vacation. Gujarati traders having offices there are coming back to India," he said. If the situation does not improve, it will have a huge impact on the Surat diamond industry, which polishes 99 percent of all rough diamonds imported in the country, he said. "The Surat diamond industry is staring at a loss of around Rs 8,000 crore for February and March," he added. Another industry expert and diamond merchant Pravin Nanavati said there is a possibility of cancellation of an international jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong, to be held next month, due to the coronoavirus scare, which would hit the jewellery business in Surat. "Polished diamonds and jewellery made in Surat reach across the world through Hong Kong only. Now, due to vacation there, our business is totally closed. Traders are also returning to India," he said. If the situation does not improve, the Surat diamond trade losses may run into "several thousand crores", he said. "We have been informed that the international exhibition in Hong Kong may be put off due to the coronavirus scare. We sell huge quantity of diamonds at the mega event," Nanavati said. Orders are also placed at the event and the entire year's manufacturing targets are set, based on the response that Surat diamond traders get there, he said. "If the event gets cancelled, we will lose huge business" he added. Hong Kong has one of the world's busiest airports and is a major transit point for China. It is also struggling with the virus outbreak, with 18 people testing positive for the disease, including one who died. On Tuesday, health officials in Hong Kong warned there was now growing evidence of local transmissions -- cases where people have become infected without travelling to China. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the WHO. So far, the disease has killed more than 400 people in China and infected a further 20,000, nearly all of them in Hubei, a province in central part of the country. Gov. Ned Lamont will include funding in his budget proposal that could help make expungement of some criminal records a reality in the state. Lamont will include $2 million in bonding for technology upgrades in the Judicial Department and the Connecticut Criminal Justice Information System that are needed to carry out so called clean slate legislation, which would allow scrubbing criminal convictions for certain offenses from the public record following a waiting period, Lamont Communications Director Max Reiss confirmed Tuesday. What this does is it gets the ball rolling and avoids a paper-based process, Reiss said. This is about opportunity and providing opportunity to residents who have been shut out, and allows them access to jobs and housing. Having this discussion now, in the short session, is a way to start that conversation. Lamont will unveil his full budget proposal Wednesday, the opening day of the legislative session, ahead of his State of the State address. Lamonts team is still working out the details of the full clean slate legislation, which he is expected to officially propose next week. Details about what kind of criminal convictions would be automatically scrubbed from public records and how long those convictions would remain on an individuals record are still being negotiated. Some members of the progressive caucus have previously proposed and supported clean slate legislation that would include some violent crimes, while more moderate members prefer a clean slate proposal only for non-violent offenses. That divide effectively killed a similar proposal during the 2019 legislative session. Republicans in the state have previously been unanimously opposed to clean slate legislation, though similar proposals have already passed in Utah and Pennsylvania, two states where Republicans majorities control both houses of a bicameral legislature. Currently, people can apply to the Board of Pardons and Parole to have criminal records expunged three years after being convicted of a misdemeanor, and five years after a felony. The process is often lengthy, arduous and expensive, and an expungement of an applicants criminal record only occurs with an absolute pardon. The entire pardons process can take up to one year, depending on the volume of applications received, according to the Department of Pardons and Paroles. In 2018, the state received 1,857 applications for pardons, and just 254 received an absolute pardon, according to data from the department. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt. AUBURN, Ala., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today the opening of its first location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Located at 801 Frogmore Drive, the Baton Rouge restaurant marks the brand's 8th location in the state and fourth restaurant for multi-brand franchise owners Beau and Pete Nicolosi. The Baton Rouge restaurant, which features a drive-thru, will celebrate its grand opening on February 19 and will offer free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests. During grand opening week, guests will experience the southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, with giveaways and specials that include: Wednesday, February 19 Free Chicken Salad for a Year The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.** Free Chicken Salad for a Year The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.** Thursday, February 20 The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free scoop or sandwich redeemable on their next visit.*** The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free scoop or sandwich redeemable on their next visit.*** Friday, February 21 The first 100 guests will receive a free upgrade to a Chick Trio. The first 100 guests will receive a free upgrade to a Chick Trio. Saturday, February 22 The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler. Father-and-son team Beau and Pete Nicolosi of PN&A LLC, stumbled upon Chicken Salad Chick while on vacation in Destin, Florida in 2012. Beau immediately realized the potential behind the unique brand and was eager to bring the concept to his hometown of Lafayette. Since opening their first restaurant in 2016, the duo now owns four Chicken Salad Chick locations across Lafayette, Denham Springs and Baton Rouge. The Nicolosis plan to open two additional locations in the greater Baton Rouge area by 2021. "Chicken Salad Chick's individuality and distinctive charm drew me in from the start and it's been an incredible journey sharing the concept with others across Louisiana," said Beau Nicolosi. "After watching the concept thrive in the Lafayette community, we were bound to expand to the Baton Rouge area. Now, we're thrilled to continue our growth near LSU's campus, my alma mater, where Chicken Salad Chick will serve as a great addition to the community, bringing quality, fresh food to students and families." The Chicken Salad Chick concept was established in 2008 by founder, Stacy Brown. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu offers a variety of options suitable for any guest. Under the leadership of CEO Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the company now has more than 145 restaurants currently open in 16 states and remains a standout brand within the fast casual segment. Chicken Salad Chick in Baton Rouge will be open Monday Saturday from 10:30a.m. 8p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends. *Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, purchase a Chick Special and are required to download the Craving Credits app. Redemption will start 2/24. ** Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, must purchase a Chick Special and are required to download the Craving Credits app. 10 winners will be announced at the end of the day. Redemption will start 2/24. ***Not valid in drive-thru. For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickBatonRouge/. About Chicken Salad Chick Founded in Auburn, Alabama, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Today, the brand has more than 145 restaurants in 16 states and is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers and Entrepreneur's Top Food Franchises for the second consecutive year and QSR's Best Franchise Deals and Nation's Restaurant News' Next 15 in 2019. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information. Contact: Shana Rosenthal Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 [email protected] SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick Related Links http://www.chickensaladchick.com All political parties in Goa in cahoots with BJP: Mahua Moitra TMC moves privilege motion against Justice Gogoi, says he is in contempt of Rajya Sabha Who is Firhad Hakim? Know Kolkata's New Mayor Age, Education, Family and Other Details WB: TMC worker shot dead in Burdwan India oi-Mousumi Dash Kolkata, Feb 05: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker Rathin Biswas was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Burdwan, West Bengal. Reportedly, the local party members of TMC have alleged that BJP is behind the incident. Police have started investigation in this case. In December last year a 45-year-old TMC worker, Anil Majhi was killed and his dead body was found in a pond at Madhabdihi in East Burdwan. Police also arrested one person in that case. Man shoots dead son during argument over property Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that people were killed in the state in violence following the Lok Sabha elections, last year 10 people were killed during violence in two separate incidents in the state and of them, eight belonged to TMC and the rest were BJP supporters. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 In the fag end of 2019, two BJP party offices were also set ablaze in Bengal. Nine storeys: A rendering of the proposed new block at Hampton Wood An Bord Pleanala has granted planning permission to 129 apartments in north Dublin - in spite of opposition from Social Democrat joint leader, Roisin Shortall and local residents. The appeals board granted planning permission to Dublin builders, Dywer Nolan Developments for the expansion of the Hampton Wood development. It will comprise five apartment blocks including one reaching to nine storeys. The development is located north of the Poppintree industrial estate and a short distance from IKEA's flagship store. Deputy Shortall had backed community objections claiming the nine-storey block would cast "a lasting shadow over the area" if allowed to proceed. A Syracuse community activist, college librarian, daycare teacher and registered nurse are among seven Central New Yorkers selected by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to represent him as delegates in his 2020 presidential campaign. The Sanders campaign filed its full slate of delegates with the New York Board of Elections this week along with petitions for Sanders to appear on the ballot for the states Democratic presidential primary election on April 28. The election will determine how many delegates each Democratic presidential candidate will receive out of the 278 up for grabs in New Yorks election, the second highest of any state after Californias 415 delegates. The delegates will be awarded to presidential candidates proportionately, based on the number of votes the candidate receives in each of New Yorks 27 congressional districts. The delegates will represent the candidate at the Democratic National Convention in July. The 24th Congressional District in Central New York will be represented by seven delegates. Here are the seven delegates on the Sanders slate: Maurice Brown Brown, 27, of Syracuse, is the only one of the seven delegates who served as a Sanders presidential delegate in 2016. He is a founding member of Uplift Syracuse, a group of progressive Democratic activists. Until last year, he was a regional organizer for the Working Families Party in Central and Western New York. He also served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve as a military police officer until last month. Brown considered his own run for elected office last year. He decided last month that he wouldnt challenge Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, D-Syracuse, in this years Democratic primary election. Kellie Brauchle Brauchle, 36, of Syracuse, is a teacher and assistant director of a daycare center in Central New York. She volunteered for the Sanders campaign in Central New York in 2016, helping with canvassing, data entry and voter registration drives. Brauchle said she began volunteering for the Sanders 2020 campaign in September. She has helped staff a Sanders campaign booth at the Central New York Regional Market since October. Karin Wikoff Wikoff, 55, of Genoa in Cayuga County, is an electronic and technical services librarian at Ithaca College. Wikoff founded the group Cayuga County for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election. After the election, she helped establish Our Revolution Cayuga County. The group is a chapter of the New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN) that was formed by former Sanders delegates. Gary Weinstein Weinstein, 65, of DeWitt, has been a clinical social worker in Syracuse for about 40 years. He began working as a community organizer for the Syracuse Peace Council in 1977 and continued working at the organization through the early 1990s. Weinstein served as a local volunteer for the Sanders campaign in 2016. He is one of the original members of the Democratic Socialists of America chapter in Syracuse that formed last year. The group has helped support candidates for local office. Prerna Deer Deer, 29, of Fayetteville, is a registered nurse and vice chair of the Manlius Democratic Committee. She is also an executive board member of Uplift Syracuse, the local group of progressive Democratic activists. Deer chaired the successful campaign to flip the Manlius Town Board from Republican to Democratic control in November. Deers husband, John Deer, was among four Democrats elected as Manlius Town Board members, giving Democrats a 5-to-1 majority. Ian MacNeil MacNeil, 34, of Solvay, works as a paralegal in Syracuse. He made an unsuccessful bid in November for a position on the Solvay Board of Trustees. After the 2016 election, MacNeil changed his voter registration from the Green Party to the Democratic Party. Leeland Whitted Whitted, of DeWitt, is a professor at SUNY Broome Community College. He focuses on economic and philosophical approaches to social conflict. He has worked in television and radio journalism, and is the former host of the local public affairs talk show Insight. Whitted is also a jazz pianist who has performed at concerts at workshops. Read more Analysis: Iowa Democrats drawn to two faces of change in caucus Joe Bidens poor showing in Iowa caucus shakes establishment support Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna By Ahmad Ghaddar and Olesya Astakhova LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - An OPEC+ committee weighed the impact on global oil demand and economic growth of the outbreak of the coronavirus at a meeting on Tuesday, hearing from China's envoy to the United Nations in Vienna and discussing how to respond. The envoy, Wang Qun, addressed the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) at its meeting in Vienna, an OPEC source said. The JTC advises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+. Oil has fallen more than $11 a barrel this year to $55, below the level many OPEC countries need to balance their budgets. Producers are weighing further output cuts and moving a planned policy meeting to February rather than March. One OPEC source said it was likely the meeting date would be brought forward "if a further cut is agreed by Saudi Arabia and Russia." Another OPEC source also said the meeting would probably be held earlier than March. Other OPEC+ sources and a industry source familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Monday that OPEC+ members were considering cutting oil output by a further 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to the impact on oil demand from the coronavirus. The JTC, which began its meeting at about 1200 GMT in Vienna, is studying different scenarios for whether deeper cuts or an extension to a current output reduction deal is needed, sources said. Officials will continue meeting on Wednesday and are taking the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2003 as an example to assess the potential impact of the coronavirus on demand, another OPEC+ source said. Iraq, OPEC's second-biggest oil producer, supports any agreement that would stabilise the market, Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said on Tuesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, however, said he could not say for sure if it was time to tighten output curbs. OPEC+ has been reducing oil supply to support prices, agreeing in December to cut output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March. Its next meeting is scheduled for March 5-6. Story continues The partners are also discussing extending the duration of the cuts and separate OPEC sources said last week the group wanted to prolong the curbs until at least June. Saudi Arabia's economy, the largest in the Arab world, remains reliant on hydrocarbon revenues despite plans to diversify. The kingdom needs prices of around $80 to balance its state budget. (Writing and additional reporting by Alex Lawler; Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Dubai; Editing by David Evans and Edmund Blair) For the stay-in-office-at-all-cost representatives and senators, fear is the motivator. They are afraid that Mr. Trump might give them a nickname like Low Energy Jeb and Lyin Ted, or that he might tweet about their disloyalty. Or worst of all that he might come to their state to campaign against them in the Republican primary. They worry: Will the hosts on Fox attack me? Will the mouthpieces on talk radio go after me? Will the Twitter trolls turn their followers against me? My colleagues know they all just might. Theres an old Russian proverb: The tallest blade of grass is the first cut by the scythe. In private, many of my colleagues agree that the president is reckless and unfit. They admit his lies. And they acknowledge what he did was wrong. They know this president has done things Richard Nixon never did. And they know that more damning evidence is likely to come out. So watching the mental contortions they perform to justify their votes is painful to behold: They claim that calling witnesses would have meant a never-ending trial. They tell us theyve made up their minds, so why would we need new evidence? They say to convict this president now would lead to the impeachment of every future president as if every president will try to sell our national security to the highest bidder. I have asked some of them, If the Senate votes to acquit, what will you do to keep this president from getting worse? Their responses have been shrugs and sheepish looks. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images Prosecutors on Tuesday showed jurors in Harvey Weinsteins rape and sexual-assault trial five photos of him, and at least one of showed the disgraced movie producer in full-frontal nudity, courtroom sketches indicate. Although the photos were shown to the jurors, they were not shown to the public. Two sketch artists seated on the right side of the courtroom were able to see and draw several of these images as jurors passed them from one to another. The possibility that photos of this nature would make their way into the trial was discussed on January 6. At the time, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi said, There are other issues regarding specific exhibits in this case, and the defense is particularly sensitive about some exhibits. It is not the practice of the District Attorneys Office to ever humiliate [a] defendant, Illuzzi said. There were 72 photographs taken, and were going to be asking for the admission of seven of them. She explained that prosecutors were taking steps to minimize any undue prejudice toward Weinstein. We believe the photographs we do think theyre very, very important for the jury to see, she said. Illuzzi was able to bring the photographs up during todays testimony by calling a District Attorneys Office photographer to the witness stand. On June 18, 2018, did you take photographs of Harvey Weinstein?, Illuzzi asked. Yes, responded Yakov Mantelman, the photographer. Do you see Harvey Weinstein in court today? Yes. Have you had an opportunity to review those photographs? Yes. Do they fairly and accurately represent how the defendant looked on June 18 of 2018? Mantelman again answered yes. Illuzzi then asked that the pictures be admitted into evidence and shown to the jury. Weinsteins defense team objected to the jurys seeing them. Justice James Burke allowed only the jury to see them, instructing the jurors to take a look at each photo and pass it down their row. The photos will not be part of the public record. Judges frequently limit the viewing of sensitive evidence (for example, crime-scene photos of murder victims) to jurors. One male jurors eyes widened, lifting his eyebrows slightly. Two women appeared to wince. After jurors examined the photos, Justice Burke asked Weinstein defense attorney Damon Cheronis, Any cross-examination, Mr. Cheronis? Zero, Cheronis said. Outside of court, a reporter asked Weinstein whether these were naked photos of him. No, it was Playboy, he said. Mann had testified on Friday that Weinsteins genitals appeared to be misshapen. The first time I saw him fully naked, she said that day, I thought he was deformed and intersex. He has an extreme scarring that I didnt know; maybe [he] was a burn victim. He does not have testicles, and it appears that he has a vagina, she claimed. The photos were presented today after Jessica Mann, who accused Weinstein of raping her in 2013, finished testifying on cross-examination. For approximately ten hours over a three-day period, Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno tried to undermine Manns allegations of nonconsensual sex by pointing to numerous examples of friendly correspondence between her and Weinstein. Today, Rotunno brought up one 2017 missive, in which Mann wrote, I love you, always do, but I hate feeling like a booty call. Rotunno also asked Mann today about the last time shed had a sexual encounter with Weinstein. The last sexual-type situation I remember with him was when his mom died, Mann said. He wanted to talk to me because I understood grief. Mann had previously testified that her father had died. When I get there, hes naked on the bed, and all he wanted to do was something sexual, Mann recalled. I think he masturbated in the mirror, and he put himself in my mouth. It disgusted me and brought back a lot of bad memories, she added. (According to the New York Times, Weinsteins mother died in November 2016.) At one point, Mann pushed back on the questioning about her communications with Weinstein after Rotunno asked why she wanted his help in getting a Soho House membership. You want the ladies and gentlemen of this jury to believe the person you wanted to sponsor you to the exclusive club was your rapist?, Rotunno asked. I do want the jury to know he is my rapist, and I hope I can continue to explain the dynamic of why I engaged with him. I mean, he raped me. It is irrelevant, she said. Actually, it is relevant, Rotunno shot back. He raped me; that is a fact, Mann said. Weinstein faces charges in New York City for allegedly raping Mann around seven years ago, as well as for a purported sexual assault on former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haleyi. To make the case that he is a serial sex predator, the District Attorneys Office is using Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorras testimony that Weinstein had raped her around early 1993. Update, February 24: Harvey Weinsteins verdict has been announced. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used Democrats' response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night to swivel from impeachment to working-class voters' worries, saying her party is focusing on easing health care costs and other pocket-book concerns. Whitmer mentioned Trump's impeachment trial only briefly near the end of her nearly 11-minute speech. She sprinkled in passing references to his behavior, such as, 'Bullying people on Twitter doesnt fix bridges - it burns them.' But she spent the bulk of her address touting Democratic efforts on health care and people's struggles to pay their bills, issues that helped her party win House control in 2018. 'Its pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away,' Whitmer said from Michigan's East Lansing High School, which her daughters attend. Her remarks were nearly overshadowed by an extraordinary gesture moments earlier by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Seated directly behind Trump in the House chamber, Pelosi marked the end of the address by theatrically tearing her copy of his remarks, dramatizing the bitter gulf between the two sides as this year's presidential and congressional election campaigns commence. Democrats won House control in 2018 by lambasting unsuccessful efforts by Trump and congressional Republicans to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law. Democrats say they will concentrate on health care in this year's campaign as well, including opposing an administration-backed federal lawsuit aimed at declaring Obama's statute unconstitutional. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill Trump's impeachment has dominated Washington since the fall. In a remarkable confluence of events, the GOP-run Senate was set to acquit him Wednesday, less than 24 hours after his address. 'As we witness the impeachment process in Washington there are some things each of us, no matter our party, should demand,' Whitmer said. 'The truth matters. Facts matter. And no one should be above the law.' Democrats' selection of Whitmer, 48, underscored their determination to improve their performance in the Midwest in November's elections. Trump captured Michigan in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes by appealing to lower-earning workers, winning a state that hadn't voted for the GOP presidential candidate since 1988. Trump also won over enough working-class white voters to score slender victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and to win Ohio handily. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rips up Trump's speech following his State of the Union address Reaching out to those voters, Whitmer acknowledged their struggles to afford transportation, student loans and prescription drugs. 'Michigan invented the middle class,' she said. 'So, we know if the economy doesnt work for working people, it just doesnt work.' Whitmer's prominent role also highlighted her party's outreach to women, who've soured on Trump's belligerent style and whose growing support helped Democrats make big gains in suburban districts in 2018. Whitmer was elected governor easily that year over a Trump-backed Republican, and she's been mentioned as a potential vice presidential nominee. In Democrats' Spanish-language response, freshman Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar focused on health care and workers' struggles to get by. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, speaks as she records a Spanish-language response to Trump's speech Speaking from a community center in her home town of El Paso near the Mexican border, Escobar also described last August's mass killing there by a shooter she said 'used hateful language like the very words used by President Trump to describe immigrants and Latinos.' Escobar also touched on Trump's impeachment, saying that he'd jeopardized the next election and threatened national security with his efforts to pressure Ukraine, an ally fighting Russian-backed insurgents, to produce damaging information on political rival Joe Biden. 'We Democrats will continue to fight for truth and for what is right. No one is above the law,' Escobar said. WASHINGTON - Rush Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, when President Donald Trump recognized him at the State of the Union and first lady Melania Trump draped the award around the neck of the conservative talk-show host. Hours earlier, Trump had told television anchors that he had wanted Limbaugh, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, to attend the speech, according to people familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Washington Post was not invited and did not attend the luncheon. Limbaugh was an unexpected guest of the president, and Trump praised him during the speech. "Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom," the president said. During the two-hour, off-the-record lunch, several participants said the president was in a good mood and predicted a speech of about one hour and 25 minutes. The president covered a wide range of topics during the meeting. When he was asked about Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, saying he had learned a lesson during impeachment, the president said he'd done nothing wrong: "It was a perfect call." Trump said he would participate in the general election debates in the fall, after weeks of indecision within his campaign and complaints from the president himself. He claimed his approval numbers among black voters climbed higher after he hosted rapper Kanye West at the White House in 2018. Trump also suggested that he would win by a large margin in November if numbers among black voters continued to rise. On the 2020 Democratic race, Trump said that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was "nastier and smarter" than the other contenders and that he couldn't quite figure out why former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg was gaining strength, attendees said. The president said that he was not sure who his general-election opponent would be and that a brokered convention might be the outcome among the Democrats. At one point, Vice President Mike Pence, who attended the lunch, said the state of Indiana had stepped in and helped Buttigieg with an economic grant when his city was struggling and while Pence was governor, attendees said. Trump expressed frustration with former national security adviser John Bolton, who the president said had turned on him. Trump also mocked Bolton by saying that he always wanted to be called "ambassador," even internally at the White House, and that his ambassadorship to the United Nations in the mid-2000s was a recess appointment. Trump also said he wanted to block Bolton's forthcoming book from being published, according to two people familiar with knowledge of the lunch. The White House has only said that the book has classified information and that Bolton needs to make changes to the book. Bolton is said to allege that Trump tied aid to Ukraine to politically motivated investigations of his opponents, and people familiar with the project say it is unflattering to the president. The president told the anchors that Bolton could have written the book once Trump left office but that doing it while Trump is still in office "is not right." The president also touched on foreign policy. He said that Iran did not seek to inflict maximum damage when it launched a strike last month on bases used by U.S. troops in Iraq but that war with Tehran was "closer than you thought." Among the anchors who attended the luncheon were CBS News's Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, PBS's Judy Woodruff, Fox News Channel's Bret Baier, ABC News's David Muir and George Stephanopoulos and NBC News's Lester Holt, the people familiar with the meeting said. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham declined to comment on the meeting. "I'm not going to comment on an off-the-record lunch because I actually have ethics," she said. 'Britain's worst mother' Karen Matthews has been fired from her charity shop job after bosses found out she wanted to marry a paedophile. Matthews, 44, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, was sacked from her volunteer role that she was involved in once a week over her relationship with Paul Saunders, 57. It was revealed earlier this month how they were getting married and how Saunders had been convicted of sexually abusing a child. But now the shop she works at has told her she can no longer work there over her 'error in judgement over the relationship'. Matthews, 44, (right) from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, was sacked from her volunteer role that she was involved in once a week over her relationship with Paul Saunders, 57 (left) The good cause store is linked to a Christian group who were appalled when they heard what she had done, according to The Sun. A source told the publication: 'The boss was gobsmacked when they found out what had happened. 'They told her they can't have someone working there in a relationship with someone like that. It goes against everything the charity stands for.' Last month, Matthews was spotted leaving a B&M store and smoking inside a white transit van with convicted paedophile Saunders who was jailed for five years in 2010. The mother was also seen buying trainers, visiting a Pets at Home store and getting a fish and chips with Saunders who was jailed for abusing a 15-year-old girl. Paul Saunders (pictured in mugshot), 57, was jailed for five years in 2010 for abusing a 15-year-old girl The pair, who met when Saunders went to carry out work at her residence, reportedly got engaged to each other just six weeks after they began their relationship. Matthews - who was dubbed 'Britain's worst mother' after she staged her daughter's kidnapping in 2008 - is also planning a holiday to Benidorm with her paedophile boyfriend. In 2008, Matthews and her then-partner's uncle Michael Donovan, now 51, were arrested for faking her daughter's kidnapping in an effort to collect reward money. Matthews and her then-partner Michael Donovan, now 51, were arrested in 2008 for staging her daughter's kidnapping Police later found the schoolgirl, who had been drugged, hidden inside a divan bed base at Donovan's flat. The pair were each jailed for eight years after being convicted of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting justice. Matthews was freed in 2012 after doing just four years of her sentence. PHOENIX Michael Bloomberg told supporters that Arizona could pave his path to the White House, with the state as a major battleground of the 2020 presidential election. The road to the White House runs through Arizona, he told a cheering crowd at a weekend rally to open his Arizona campaign office. In his wide-ranging address, the former mayor of New York City, a Democrat, also spoke of offering citizenship to U.S. residents who are undocumented, touted gun reform and action against climate change and income inequality. The crowd cheered as Bloomberg referenced immigration, called to extend citizenship to the 11 million people living in shadows a figure based on a Pew Research Center report. Bloomberg was a late entry to the Democratic race, and he has followed an unconventional route. The billionaire is financing his own campaign and opened his Phoenix office while most candidates including frontrunners Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were courting voters in Iowa ahead of the nations first caucus on Monday. Bloomberg told a packed downtown warehouse of supporters that while other candidates are currently campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, Arizona is at the top of his agenda because of its status as a potential battleground state in the 2020 election. The Arizona appearance was his largest campaign rally to date, according to Anaiis Ballesteros, the digital director for Bloombergs Arizona campaign. An estimated 1,400 turned out, according to campaign officials. In 2016, Bloomberg said, the national (Democratic) party didnt compete to win here, and our campaign is not going to make that mistake this November. President Donald Trump barely carried Arizona in 2016 but collected all 11 electoral votes. Arizona, which in recent decades has leaned Republican, shows promise for Democratic voters in the upcoming election. Republicans call it a red state. Some Democrats say its purple, Bloomberg said. But why dont we call it what itll be in 2020 a blue state. Bloomberg touted achievements as New Yorks mayor from 2002 to 2013 as key points to defeating Trump on Nov. 3. His talking points were geared toward issues critical to Democratic voters. Calling himself a self-made billionaire with an estimated net worth of $60 billion, Bloomberg said he tackled wealth inequality during his time as mayor. We brought people together and we created nearly 500,000 jobs and 175,000 units of affordable housing, we reduced street homelessness by 30 percent, we launched new programs to fight poverty and we rebuilt our cities stronger than ever, he said. Before Saturdays rally, Bloomberg proposed a tax plan on the rich and corporations that would generate $5 trillion in revenue. Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, who co-chairs Bloombergs Arizona campaign, said he can win in Arizona with his approach that attracts people in the center. The extremely wealthy should be willing to pay an additional amount to help counter Trumps spending, he said. Thats interesting, coming from somebody like Mike, somebody whos very wealthy, he recognizes that we need to make certain that this is a fair tax bill, Johnson said. In my opinion, the changes in the tax code that he presented were fair and moderate, and they run up the center as we should. He also made other claims to success as mayor, from reducing the citys carbon footprint to setting up gun reforms despite opposition from the National Rifle Association. Bloomberg did not address one of the controversies that sticks with him as he runs for office. He has apologized for his controversial stop-and-frisk policing tactic, which disproportionately affected people of color for a decade. Rep. Cesar Chavez, a Democrat who represents the Phoenix neighborhood of Maryvale, south Glendale and Litchfield Park, attended the rally. Chavez said Bloomberg has learned from his stop-and-frisk past and is now making sure that disenfranchised people are being provided with the resources they need to be successful. As somebody who was undocumented, as somebody whos openly gay and serving in the state Legislature, I will say that Mike Bloomberg has the only plan that is equitable and measurable, Chavez said. Not only that transparent making sure that were able to hold him accountable. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Police who walk the beat in some of San Franciscos most visible crime hot spots have a new downtown office in the midst of troubled Market Street. The Mid-Market Foot Beat Office, which San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Police Chief Bill Scott unveiled in a morning news conference Tuesday, is located on the ground floor of the Proper Hotel at 1100 Market St. between the La Bande coffee shop and the Villon restaurant. The small triangular office has its own entrance and will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for people to file reports or meet with officers. The office doesnt have jail cells, so police arent calling it a station or substation. Officers who walk their beats in the mid-Market neighborhood and the Tenderloin, Central, Southern and Northern districts as well as Municipal Transportation Agency officers are expected to use the new outpost as a mustering spot, as well those on patrol bikes. Scott said the office will better integrate the departments various divisions into the area. This is another way for us to connect with the community, he said. We will have another presence here. The new office, which follows the shuttering of the Sixth Street substation, sits not only at the intersection of a number of foot patrols, but also in a neighborhood the city has struggled for decades to improve. Neighbors of the office include tech giants Uber and Twitter, as well as new residential developments, but its not uncommon to see people selling and injecting drugs, or defecating on the streets. Its kind of a ground zero, said Sgt. Dan Kelly, who spends his shifts walking Market Street between United Nations Plaza and Hallidie Plaza. Its at the intersection of lots of problem areas. Instead of struggling to come in from outside, were plunking ourselves down right there. People who want to cause trouble, who want to stay, are going to have to deal with us being there. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. During a visit to the office Tuesday, Breed said she hoped the increased visibility of the police will deter crime or at least increase the perception of safety. Were hoping this will make a big difference, Breed said. The mayor said shes eager to change the gritty neighborhoods current reality, while allowing it to remain a place where people can meet friends, shop or hang out. But when they cross the line and commit a crime, we have to do something about it, Breed said. Im beyond frustrated with open-air drug deals, people shooting up openly. Those things are a challenge. We deserve better. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:09:22|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday called on the European Union to open a new page in the accession talks between Ankara and Brussels which is in limbo since 2016. "We think it is time to open a new page in the accession process. The Council of the EU should review its decision to suspend Partnership Council meetings, high levels of contact and dialogue. We see that Croatia, the new presidency of the EU, is also constructive in this regard," Cavusoglu said at a meeting with the ambassadors of EU countries in Ankara. Turkey has been involved in membership talks with the EU since 2005 but the progress has been extremely slow, as the EU considers Ankara's political values different from its own. In Turkey's EU accession negotiations, 16 chapters are opened, but only one chapter is temporarily closed. 14 chapters are blocked due to the political decisions of the EU Council and Cyprus. No new chapters have been opened after a failed coup in Turkey in 2016, as the EU sharpened its criticism of the Turkish government over Ankara's practices that move away from democracy and the European values. Cavusoglu recalled that EU decisions to slap Turkey with sanctions over its hydrocarbon activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, along with other sources of tension with Brussels such as Turkey's Operation Peace Spring in Syria and the country's deal with Libya on the maritime jurisdiction zones in the eastern Mediterranean. On Nov. 11, the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted a framework in Brussels for restrictive measures against Turkey over its drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. Image Source: Freakwave - Pixabay Its too early to declare victory and too early to assume the virus can be completely eradicated in a few weeks on the SARS model. Many people are already anticipating the end of the coronavirus pandemic and a quick return to "normal life" and renewed global growth. But if we examine the history of previous pandemics and the spread of this contagious virus, we reach a much different conclusion: "Wave 2" and "Wave 3" arising after the initial wave recedes are distinct possibilities. The corporate media and conventional economists in the U.S. and Chinas PR machine share a common goal: reassure consumers in the U.S., China and the rest of the world that everything will return to normal soon and they should continue buying stuff they dont need (5G phones, etc.) with borrowed money. Meanwhile, authorities in China are tracking down everyone with a Wuhan residency ID card in the hopes that quarantining every one of the tens of thousands of Wuhan residents who traveled before the citywide quarantine took effect will stop the pandemic. There are two problems with this official assumption that house-arresting everyone from Wuhan will end the pandemic: 1. Given that Wuhan residents traveled freely around China for the month before the citywide quarantine, infecting people in other cities, there is now a pool of carriers who did not come from Wuhan, so quarantining everyone from Wuhan wont stop these people from infecting others. 2. Much of the dirty, poorly paid work in Chinas cities is done by "illegal migrants" from rural areas who dont have official residency in the city. These people may have lived and worked in Wuhan but do not have Wuhan ID cards. They make up another reservoir of virus carriers who it will be difficult to track down and quarantine via residency permits and ID. As mentioned previously, many of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese with overseas jobs returned home for New Years and are now anxious to get back to their jobs in other countries. Those without symptoms who are outside locked-down cities are free to find "work-arounds" to exit China by whatever means are available. Some consequential percentage of these people might be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. As the city-wide quarantines limit the spread of the virus, victory will be declared and the quarantines will be lifted. But since the reservoirs of the virus have not been eliminated, the virus will start spreading again once the quarantines are lifted. This is "Wave 2." Pandemics tend to decline in summer and then re-emerge in Fall. These renewed pandemics may be even more consequential than the first wave. If an effective vaccine is developed and billions of doses are made and distributed globally by Fall, then a re-emergence will have been thwarted. But thats a tall order, and there may be areas where the vaccine (assuming one is developed) is not universally distributed. A re-emergence in Fall would be "Wave 3." Perhaps this wave will be limited to impoverished nations without adequate healthcare systems; perhaps the virus mutates in some unexpected way. Its too early to declare victory and too early to assume the virus can be completely eradicated in a few weeks on the SARS model. My recent books: Audiobook edition now available: Will You Be Richer or Poorer?: Profit, Power, and AI in a Traumatized World ($13) (Kindle $6.95, print $11.95) Read the first section for free (PDF). Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($6.95 (Kindle), $12 (print), $13.08 ( audiobook): Read the first section for free (PDF). The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher: The Disappearance of Drake $1.29 (Kindle), $8.95 (print); read the first chapters for free (PDF) Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF). If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com. Related Articles: Tuesday, February 4, 2020 - Dr. Francis Boyle Creator Of BioWeapons Act Says Coronavirus Is Biological Warfare Weapon In an explosive interview Dr. Francis Boyle, who drafted the Biological Weapons Act has given a detailed statement admitting that the 2019 Wuhan Coronavirus is an offensive Biological Warfare Weapon and that the World Health Organization (WHO) already knows about it. Radio Free Asia (RFA) has tweeted a disturbing video on its Twitter account Tuesday morning detailing how some residents in Kunshan, Jiangsu, a city in southeastern Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its west, are forcibly removing people from their homes who refuse to be quarantined. A controversial group currently in the crosshairs of the establishment, which was also discussed at Event 201, is known as the Anti-Vaccine Movement. And now we see the UK Government working on a new law to jail people who spread Anti-Vaccine Propaganda online. Currently, people are protected from prosecution if they sincerely believe the misinformation or propaganda is real, but the government is looking to reform this provision and make it a criminal offense to post anything online, particularly social media, which is deemed to be Anti-Vaccine. The new coronavirus that has spread consternation around the world over the last few weeks has now killed more people in China than the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003. Chinas health commission reported Sunday that there were 361 deaths nationwide. During the SARS outbreak, 349 people died in mainland China and 774 altogether around the world. The Chinese stock markets took major hits Monday, and the whole nation feels its growing isolation. Sunday, February 2, 2020 - Britons Airlifted from Wuhan Ride to Quarantine on Four Horseman Buses DARPA recently spent millions on research involving bats and coronaviruses, as well as gene editing bioweapons prior to the recent coronavirus outbreak. Now, strategic allies of the agency have been chosen to develop a genetic material-based vaccine to halt the potential epidemic. Thursday, January 30, 2020 - First person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in the US A second person in Chicago has come down with the coronavirus, bringing the total of coronavirus patients in the US up to six (two in Chicago, two in California, one in Seattle, and one in Arizona). But this is the first case that was transmitted person-to-person within the US (the other five patients became infected in China). In a shocking revelation made Tuesday afternoon - a revelation that will almost certainly rattle the US-China relationship at an already fragile time - a federal court unsealed indictments against Harvard professor and Chemistry Department Head Charles Lieber, along with two Chinese nationals. One is a Boston University researcher who was once a lieutenant in the Peoples Liberation Army, according to prosecutors, and the second was a cancer researcher who tried to smuggle 21 vials of biological materials in his sock - allegedly. Lieber has been arrested, though it's not clear if he's still in custody. Monday, January 27, 2020 - San Francisco Activates Emergency Operations Center To Prepare For Coronavirus Increasing fears of coronavirus spreading across the U.S. have resulted in San Francisco Mayor London Breed to activate the citys emergency operations center, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Its, so we have a centralized location and process to prepare for what we need to do, to share public information, and to take any action if necessary, said Jeff Cretan, a spokesman for Breed. Monday, January 27, 2020 - Philippines to Deport 500 Chinese People to Prevent to Spread of Coronavirus The Philippines is to deport 500 Chinese citizens who arrived in the country from Wuhan in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Before this years very real coronavirus pandemic that started in China and is now sweeping the globe, a fictional simulation of such an event was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last year. Sunday, January 26, 2020 - Did China Steal Coronavirus From Canada And Weaponize It? Last year a mysterious shipment was caught smuggling Coronavirus from Canada. It was traced to Chinese agents working at a Canadian lab. Subsequent investigation by GreatGameIndia linked the agents to Chinese Biological Warfare Program from where the virus is suspected to have leaked causing the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. Sunday, January 26, 2020 - The Coronavirus - No Need To Panic The picture and the rhyme are from a fifteen year old Moon of Alabama post headlined Bring Out Your Dead. Beq's title for her picture is from a medieval Mounty Pyton sketch (vid) around the 'black death'. We no longer have to fear the plague but every once a while a new virus catches up with humanity. The creation of a chimeric SARS-like virus has scientists discussing the risks of gain-of-function research. Scientists warned in 2017 that a SARS-like virus could escape a lab set up that year in Wuhan, China, to study some of the most dangerous pathogens in the world. Des Moines, Iowa The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus, after a daylong delay late Tuesday, showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the party's 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of "state delegate equivalents," according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62% of precincts in the state. The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, by conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg's early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. "We don't know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race," Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigieg's early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his party's most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden's campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the past year. "We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination," said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline even whether it would be days or weeks. "We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent news conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. And billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, saying he would double his already-massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The party's caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted "first" status. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the party's national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, "Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said "thank you" to Iowa and, tongue in cheek, expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes. "And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here," he said. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers' initial candidate preference; vote totals from the "final alignment" after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of state delegate equivalents each candidate received. With more than one-third of all precincts left to report, Sanders led on the first alignment. More Information AP numbers taken with 62% reporting See More Collapse The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbor Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Willow Creeks interim pastor to step down as church drops top candidates to fill Hybels shoes Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Elders at Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago announced Thursday that Steve Gillen, their interim senior pastor will step down on March 17. Gillen has been serving in the role since the churchs founder, Bill Hybels, resigned amid a sexual misconduct scandal in 2018. Before starting the external senior pastor search, we asked Steve to continue in his interim role on contract to provide much needed leadership to the Willow staff and congregation. Given that the search process has taken longer than anticipated, Steve agreed to serve on staff until March 17, 2020. Steve will no longer be interim senior pastor after March 17, but he may stay engaged past that date to support the transition to a new interim senior pastor, the elder board said. He determined that now is an appropriate time for him and his family to seek out what God has in store for them in their next chapter. The announcement was made in an update from the elder board in which they also revealed that they are no longer considering two leading candidates they had settled on in December to fill the vacancy created by Hybels scandal. In our December update, we shared that the final two senior pastor candidates were presented to the full Elder Board. While both candidates have strong qualities as pastors, we released both from candidacy, the elders said. Our consensus was that neither candidate is the long-term leader of Willow Creek; therefore, the search process has continued. We have provided updates throughout the process, and one of the consequences is that in our last communication, we set an expectation that we are not able to meet, they said. The elder boards decision came just two days after they publicly apologized for allowing Hybels' mentor, Gilbert Bilezikian, a retired Wheaton College professor, who is also credited with helping Hybels start Willow Creek, to keep teaching at the church despite abuse allegations against him. Longtime Willow Creek member Ann Lindberg recently disclosed in an extended post on Facebook how Bilezikian victimized her for years and suggested he would have had sex with her had she allowed it during a relationship that lasted from October 1984 to 1988. It began with subtle flirtations after weekend services, and grew to include hand holding, emotional sharing and intimacy, kissing and fondling, and pressure to have sex. Dr. Bilezikian confided about his unhappy marriage, his lack of joy, and desire for a better partnership. He told me I was the type of woman he wished he had married instead of his wife Maria. I was young in my faith, new to church, and hungry for someone to invest spiritually in me. He made me feel special, and he was a spiritual authority in a large church, and I did not feel like I could say no to him, even when my gut was telling me this was not appropriate, Lindberg wrote. She said when she finally found the courage to report Bilezikian to church leaders in 2010, she did not feel like they treated her experience with the seriousness it deserved. In a statement on Jan. 28, Willow Creek apologized for how Lindberg was treated without naming her. While Dr. Bilezikian has never been an employee of Willow Creek, he has been active in the life of the church for decades. At the time, the churchs Elder Response Team (ERT) met at length with the woman and with Dr. Bilezikian. The team believed the womans claim that Dr. Bilezikian engaged in inappropriate behavior dating back to the mid-eighties, including but not limited to hand holding, hugs, kissing, inappropriate touching, and sending overly personal communication, the statement from the elders said. The ERT did restrict him from serving, but the restriction was not adequately communicated, resulting in Dr. Bilezikian serving and teaching in various capacities over the years. This was wrong, and we are sorry, they said. A day after the Union Home Ministry told Parliament that no case of "Love Jihad" has been reported by any of the central agencies, the BJP on Wednesday claimed that it was a reality, which is happening in Kerala. Throwing its weight behind the Bishops of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, who kicked up a debate in the state recently over the incidents of "Love Jihad" in the state, BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas urged the Home Ministry to carry out a "comprehensive probe" into such cases to bring out real facts. "The term 'Love jihad' is not defined under the extant laws but it is a fact that Love Jihad is happening (in Kerala)," Krishnadas told reporters here. He accused the present CPI(M)-led LDF government and previous Congress-led UDF government of not giving a proper report to the Centre over the issue of "Love Jihad". "The state governments controlled by the UDF and LDF give reports to the Centre saying that such incidents are not at all happening in Kerala," Krishnadas alleged. He said the BJP shared the views of the Syro-Malabar Church on the issue of "Love Jihad". "The complaint and allegations raised by the Syro-Malabar Church on the issue of "Love Jihad" is based on facts and truth. We share their views," he said. The Syro-Malabar Church also reacted to the Central government's clarification on "Love Jihad", saying the circumstances under which the Synod of the Church made the statement on the issue still exists. Seeking an investigation into the issue, the Church, in a statement, made it clear that the statement of the Synod was not meant to disturb the communal harmony prevail in the Kerala society. It said the synod had only expressed its opinion that inter-religious love affairs create troubles in family and society at large and that such cases should be probed. Krishnadas said the BJP also does not see the "Love Jihad" as an issue between two religions. "Don't mistake it as an issue between two religions. There is no religion for terrorists. We don't see it as a Hindu-Muslim issue or a Christian-Muslim issue," he said. In a written reply to a question, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday informed the Parliament that the term "Love Jihad" is not defined under the extant laws and no case of "Love Jihad" has been reported by any of the central agencies. The Minister had said the Article 25 of the Constitution provides for the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health. Various courts, including the Kerala High Court, have upheld this view. The minister, however, said two cases from Kerala involving inter-faith marriage have been probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttarakhand police has launched a WhatsApp helpline to boost the security and safety of women and young girls in the state. Director General of Police (Crime, Law and Order) Ashok Kumar launched the helpline 9411112780 at the women safety cell at the state police headquarters here on Tuesday. Kumar said women, young girls and students can use the service to register their complaints through text, photo, or video. Based on the complaint, the police officer heading the women safety cell will forward the information to the district police which will direct the area police station to take action, the DGP explained. If a victim is not in a position to register her complaint, police can reach out to her using the message sent to them, he added. The police officer said the victims, who would otherwise hesitate to go to the local police station, can now register complaints through the WhatsApp helpline. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei are looking to avoid being labeled a national security risk by the FCC, according to recent reports. The two tech giants are particularly concerned about the impact the move would have on their rural US carrier business. The designation would prevent those carriers from utilizing a more than $8 billion government fund to attain networking equipment from the companies. For Huaweis part, the company has called the move unlawful and misguided, among other statements made in its 200-page filing. The US security risk designation is, the company says, explicitly designed to single out Huawei and damage its reputation. That is, the company claims, as opposed to highlighting any actual risk, which it has repeatedly denied exists. Instead, Huawei says the move is an effort by select officials to overburden and stigmatize the company. Advertisement ZTE indicates that it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to comply with US export control compliance regulations. The company is urging the FCC to take additional time before determining whether it represents a US national security risk. Specifically, ZTE hopes the FCC will consider enhancements and compliance changes it has made in those areas. Both Huawei and ZTE have a checkered history with the US Huaweis is the more prominent of the two Chinese tech giants stories right now, featuring prominently in world news. But ZTE has had its own run-ins with the US government in the past. In 2017, the company reached a settlement with the US following its violations of trade embargoes imposed on North Korea and Iran. Then, in 2018, the company was caught out violating that settlement. It wasnt until late 2018 that the company was finally able to resume normal mobile operations. Not only was ZTE banned from purchasing much-needed equipment from US companies. It also paid hefty fines, replaced its entire board and management staff, and required an independent team of auditors to watch for further infractions over the next 10 years. Advertisement In total, ZTE paid a $1 billion fine, $900 million for the original violation, and a $400 million escrow payment. No clear outcome from the FCC The decision to either follow through on the designation or not will fall to the FCCs Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. US carriers do rely on both Huawei and ZTE for network equipment and infrastructure. However, the FCC has already put forward proposals requiring those providers to remove and replace equipment from both Huawei and ZTE. Advertisement The agency points to each respective companys ties to both the Chinese government in general and to its military operations. In particular, the FCC cites concerns over laws that require the companies to assist in Chinas intelligence-based activity. Conversely, it does seem more likely that the designation, and subsequently a ban, will be imposed. But Huawei, at least, has enjoyed some support from the likes of big-hitting US tech giants such as Qualcomm. The chipset manufacturer spoke out last year to claim that Huawei was an integral part of the 5G rollout and would need to stay involved with US companies to drive global standardization. Allies of the US have also recently taken a less hardline stance against Huawei. That includes a recent decision by the UK to allow limited participation by the company in the countries 5G rollout. Advertisement So the outcome could ultimately go either direction. ANN ARBOR, MI As the conversation around PFAS continues in Michigan, a staff attorney for the National Wildlife Federation is giving a talk in Ann Arbor. The Huron River Watershed Council will host Oday Salim, co-author of a recent report outlining how state and federal officials can and should set clean-water protections, support water-infrastructure investment and back cutting-edge research to prevent and remediate insidious PFAS pollution. The event, billed as a PFAS science and policy update, takes place 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5., at the NEW Center, 1100 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. The center sits along the Huron River, which is polluted with PFAS chemicals showing up in Ann Arbors drinking water. Ann Arbor also recently discovered PFAS in its municipal compost stream, which U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, is citing as another reason to ban the harmful fluorochemicals in food packaging. The first half-hour of Wednesdays event includes networking and light refreshments, with a talk beginning at 5:30 p.m. It will be a discussion of what tools are available and what Michigan and neighboring states are doing to confront the PFAS crisis and protect the health of people and wildlife, according to the watershed council. Its a chance to begin looking at next steps and ask questions of a nationwide leader in this space, said Watershed Planner Daniel Brown. Brown said hell give a short update and Salim will talk about some less-explored areas of community options. Impacts to wildlife and the environment are a common thread in the report and havent been investigated to the same extent that public health risks have, Brown said. The National Wildlife Federations September 2019 report is titled The Science and Policy of PFASs in the Great Lakes Region: A Roadmap for Local, State and Federal Action. The Great Lakes region is potentially facing one of the most serious threats from a family of toxic chemicals in recent memory per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the report states before offering a long list of recommendations to address the issue. Read the full report. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Ann Arbor OKs nearly $4M for water system upgrades, some PFAS-related PFAS found in Ann Arbor compost thats used as fertilizer, park soil Dingell cites Ann Arbor compost scare as reason to ban PFAS in food packaging Michigans draft PFAS regulations not strong enough, environmentalists say The Entry/Exit Program may have implications affecting permanent residency and citizenship applications Canadian government can now verify how many days immigrants and visitors stay in the country Canadian government can now verify how many days immigrants and visitors stay in the country The Entry/Exit Program may have implications affecting permanent residency and citizenship applications Canadian government can now verify how many days immigrants and visitors stay in the country The Entry/Exit Program may have implications affecting permanent residency and citizenship applications Canadian government can now verify how many days immigrants and visitors stay in the country The Entry/Exit Program may have implications affecting permanent residency and citizenship applications Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canadas federal immigration ministry has been able to track the movements of travellers entering and leaving the country by land since February 2019. The number of days a foreign national stays in the country is relevant to applications for work permits, study permits, visitor visas, permanent residence status, and Canadian citizenship. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been able to obtain traveller information from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) through the Entry/Exit Program. When travellers cross the U.S. border from Canada, their basic information is sent to CBSA in the form of an exit report. IRCC can now access traveller information for the administration and enforcement of immigration and citizenship programs, according to the CBSA webpage. Basic information collected at the border includes: Full name; Date of birth; Nationality or citizenship; Sex; and Travel document information including type, number and issuing country. The Entry/Exit Program is expected to be extended to air travel in June 2020. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs What is the purpose of the Entry/Exit Program? IRCC will have access to traveller information in order to verify residency requirements such as those in applications for Canadian citizenship and permanent residence, the government webpage says. They will also be able to tell whether foreign nationals have overstayed their allowable period of admission to Canada. The information will facilitate IRCCs investigations into a persons entitlement to a Canadian travel document, as well as support investigations of possible fraud related to immigration, citizenship, passport and travel document programs. In addition, IRCC will be able to verify that sponsors and partners reside in Canada for inland family class programs. IRCC will also verify whether or not a refugee claimant came to Canada using their travel documents. How will the information be used IRCC says entry and exit information will be used for application types across all lines of business in immigration, citizenship and investigations. Immigration Temporary residence Information gathered through the Entry/Exit Program can be used to determine if a foreign national has previously exceeded their period of stay in Canada. IRCC will use entry and exit information for the following temporary residence application types: temporary resident visas; temporary resident permits; visitor records; work permits and work permit extensions; study permits and study permit extensions; and electronic travel authorizations (eTAs). As air carriers begin sharing their data (2020 to 2021), overstay indicators will begin appearing within the Entry/Exit search results for temporary residents who have overstayed their allowable time in Canada, the IRCC webpage says. This will prompt IRCC officers to make an informed determination on select temporary residence applications. Permanent residence IRCC will use entry and exit information for the following permanent residence application types: permanent resident cards; permanent resident travel documents; overseas refugees; and family class sponsorships. Data collected for these application types will track the periods of time immigration candidates spend in and outside Canada. Applicants must be in Canada for at least 730 days in every five year period in order to qualify for permanent residence. Exit and entry data will be used to assist the IRCC in checking for the potential loss of permanent resident status, and misrepresentation. It will also assist in verifying foreign police certificates. Inland refugee claims IRCC will use entry and exit data to investigate the travel history of in-Canada asylum seekers, and verify information provided by claimants. Records that show inconsistencies on the claimants application could prompt further investigation. Citizenship Those applying for Canadian citizenship must also demonstrate physical presence in the county for at least 1095 days within the five years immediately preceding the date of application. The information will also be used to assist in cases where Canadian citizenship may be revoked. Investigations Citizenship revocation investigations Entry and exit data will be used to determine whether or not the candidate has made a false statement about their residence in Canada for the purpose of acquiring citizenship. Passport investigations The information will be used to facilitate investigations into an individuals entitlement to Canadian passport services. Data may be used to validate travel history, and may be used to determine whether a passport may be refused or revoked in case of misuse, or fraud. Traveller rights Travellers have the right to request a copy of their personal travel history. If they find an error in their file, they may ask CBSA to correct it. If a request to correct travel information has been made, IRCC officers are notified and are able to obtain the most up-to-date information from CBSA. IRCC is required to comply with the Privacy Act. Officers are not authorized to disclose entry and exit information unless it is necessary for the administration of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and is covered under a memorandum of understanding or similar information-sharing agreements. CBSA has information-sharing agreements with the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved "I am honored to receive the ACP's Distinguished Clinician Award and grateful to be recognized by an organization that embodies excellence and distinction in dental rehabilitation," said Dr. Bidra. "I am always grateful to my mentors, patients, and students who allow me to live my passion and love for prosthodontics every day!" Dr. Bidra is a board-certified maxillofacial prosthodontist and Director of the Prosthodontics Residency Program at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He has developed diagnostic and treatment protocols, and surgical and prosthodontic safety checklists that are used by clinicians as well as prosthodontics residency programs in the United States. He is involved in several committees and initiatives with the College, is a Fellow of the ACP and Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics. About Prosthodontists A prosthodontist is a dental specialist who focuses on the restoration and replacement of missing teeth and other oral or facial issues. Prosthodontists specialize in helping patients with implants, dentures and veneers, all the way to full mouth and jaw reconstructions. About the ACP The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is the only ADA recognized organization for the specialty of prosthodontics. Founded in 1970, the ACP is dedicated to advancing the art and science of prosthodontics and promoting the specialty to the public and dental professionals. For more information, consumers can visit GoToAPro.org and dental professionals can visit Prosthodontics.org. Evan Summers [email protected] SOURCE American College of Prosthodontists Related Links http://GoToAPro.org Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has objected to the proposed move of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation to display his pictures on its cargo buses. He made it clear to the corporation on Tuesday that this is completely unacceptable to him. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao was reacting to reports in a section of the media (not in Deccan Chronicle) that the TSRTC was planning to display his pictures in buses carrying cargo. The Chief Minister said he wanted to ensure that the TSRTC makes profits by transporting cargo through its buses and that he had no intention of seeking any publicity from it. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao made it clear to the officials concerned that through the implementation of several programmes and schemes, services should be rendered to the people and his intention was not to get any cheap publicity from them. The Chief Ministers Office informed that the CM's Special Secretary P. Rajasekhar Reddy has sent a note to the TSRTC Managing Director underlining Mr Chandrasekhar Raos opinion. The CMA issued clear instructions that the Chief Minister's pictures should not be displayed on TSRTC cargo buses. (TNS) After months of discussion and more than two hours of debate Monday night, the Springfield City Council in Massachusetts was unable to reach agreement on a proposed moratorium intended to block the Police Department from the use of facial recognition technology.Instead, the council decided to continue the issue Monday rather than push for a vote on the moratorium that was facing a veto threat from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. A five-year moratorium was proposed.Council President Justin Hurst said he will call a special meeting of the council to consider a vote solely on the facial recognition issue. On Monday, the proposal was among 47 items on the council agenda.The council was clearly not ready for a vote on the moratorium Monday, Councilor Timothy J. Allen said. The vote to continue the matter was approved by an 8-5 vote. Opponents to the continuance said the delay just drags out the discussion further.Those supporting a moratorium, including lead sponsors Councilors Orlando Ramos and Adam Gomez, said the facial recognition technology is not proven, nor regulated, and can be inaccurate and lead to false identifications. They said that studies show the technology has been especially problematic in misidentifying women and/or people of color.Ramos also raised concerns about millions of dollars of taxpayer lawsuits that could be filed against the city for false identifications in criminal cases.Some councilors believe the technology should be investigated, or believe a shorter moratorium should be considered. Councilor Michael Fenton suggested a six-month moratorium, which could be extended.In January, the council gave first-step approval to the moratorium by a 9-3 vote.Sarno, in promising to veto the moratorium, questioned why the council would consider taking away such a valuable option that can take and keep violent repeat criminal offenders, such as murderers, rapists, gun toting drug dealers and gangbangers off our streets, out of our neighborhoods and bring justice to the affected families and/or proactively help deter and prevent crime from happening?When fingerprint and DNA technology came about we all heard the same from critics, Sarno said in a prepared release.Councilor Victor Davila called for one amendment to the ordinance so that any technology that could be used in finding missing people would not be blocked by the moratorium.Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood told councilors that facial recognition technology is not being used or pursued at this time, and she would support going to the council regarding any future plans. A plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2020. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) 350 Passengers Evacuated From Wuhan Will Be Quarantined in California About 350 evacuated American citizens who were living near the coronavirus epicenter in Wuhan, China, will be placed under a mandatory federal quarantine at two bases in California starting from Wednesday, according to the military. Two Department of State evacuation flights departed China and arrived at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The planes held a total of about 350 passengers. One of the planes will now head to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and the other will remain at Travis Air Force Base, said the military in a statement. As previously announced, these individuals will be subject to a CDC managed 14-day quarantine, the statement said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control, adding that the Defense Department will work closely with our interagency partners and continue to provide support to the situation as requested. As previously announced, these individuals will be subject to a CDC managed 14-day quarantine. DOD will work closely with our interagency partners and continue to provide support to the situation as requested. (3 of 3) U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) February 5, 2020 Fox40, KCRA, and other local news outlets showed footage of the State Department planes arriving at Travis Air Force Base on Wednesday morning. In a statement, Travis Air Force Base, located in Fairfield, said the evacuees will be held away from on-base residential housing. Individuals currently in lodging are being contacted and accommodated to secure alternate arrangements, the statement said, adding that the Department of Health and Human Services will be responsible for all care, transportation, and security of the evacuees during the quarantine period. The Chinese regime implemented lockdowns and quarantines of Wuhan and several other cities in an attempt to curb the outbreak, although local people and medical sources have told Epoch Times that the situation there appears far more dire than what the regime is letting on to the rest of the world. Chinese men all wear protective masks as they play mahjong at a park in Beijing, China on Jan. 31, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) More than a week ago, the State Department carried out its first evacuation mission to take about 195 people back to the United States. They are being held in isolation at a base in Riverside County, California. A child who was being quarantined in Riverside was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a fever, said officials. The Riverside County health agency said the child, accompanied by a parent, was taken to Riverside University Health System-Medical Center by ambulance for testing and observation. Officials said that testing results for the coronavirus have not yet come back. The child will be tested before samples will be sent to the CDC with results expected later in the week, officials said. Despite the update, no cases of coronavirus have been confirmed so far in Riverside County, located near Los Angeles, the agency assured. So far, 11 cases have been confirmed in the United States. Six of them are in California and involve people, or the spouses of people, who have recently traveled to Wuhan. Two patients in San Benito County were rushed to a San Francisco hospital on Monday, the city confirmed in a statement. A l Pacino said filming a television series for Amazon Prime Video revived wonderful memories of shooting the big-screen epics that made his name. In Hunters the actor, 79, returns to the streets of Seventies New York as a holocaust survivor hunting down high-ranking Nazis. Pacino, whose breakthrough came in Francis Ford Coppolas Godfather trilogy and who is in the running for a second Oscar on Sunday for Netflixs The Irishman, said the shows feature-length episodes cohere into a 12-hour film. He told an audience at the Curzon cinema in Soho last night: In todays world we dont get the opportunity to rehearse as much as we used to 40 years ago. Pacino at the 2020 Baftas last weekend ( Matt Crossick/PA Wire/PA Images) / Matt Crossick/PA Wire/PA Images Its become a privilege and a luxury to rehearse. In the old days when I did films with [Serpico director] Sidney Lumet and Coppola and all ... we rehearsed for weeks on a film, so you had a chance to understand your role another way, go further, take more chances. These people [the Hunters cast and crew] were all together, we would sit and talk about the scene we were doing and we would spend hours right there. You could see producers going, Oh man, but we would do it, and we had that feeling and it was wonderful. We were together for five months. Its a 12-hour film we made. He added: I love the freedom of it. I love the fact that this film is so eccentric, so eclectic ... the unpredictability of it. It reminds me of the old days. MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ValueLabs Australia has announced a $10,000 donation to the "Victorian Bushfire Appeal" to help address the most immediate priorities of affected communities, including the rescue and rehabilitation of local wildlife. Established in partnership with the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation and the Salvation Army, the Victorian Bushfire Appeal will provide support to impacted Victorians as they begin to rebuild their lives. The funding will also provide support to carry out events in bushfire-affected communities and assist households and communities to prepare for bushfires and other natural disasters. Biju Madhav, Sr. Vice President & Regional Head for ValueLabs Australia, said: "Our thoughts are with the impacted families, wildlife, firefighters and people contributing to the recovery effort. We are committed to supporting Australian communities, especially in this time of need." About ValueLabs ValueLabs is a global technology company focused on Product Development, Data Technology and Digital Services. Powered by The Digital Flywheel, ValueLabs provides end-to-end solutions in the fields of Customer Experience, Data & Analytics, Product Development, and Automation. Over the last 22 years, the company has expanded to 30 locations, 5500 associates, 150 clients worldwide, and recorded an industry-leading client Net Promoter Score (NPS) of over 75 in 2019. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1022046/ValueLabs_LLP_Logo.jpg Contact: Bhavana Reddy Email: [email protected] SOURCE ValueLabs Australia Related Links https://www.valuelabs.com English Estonian At the investor meeting held on 4 February, AS LHV Group's 2019 Q4 and 12 month results were presented by Madis Toomsalu, CEO of LHV Group and Vahur Vallistu, Chairman of the Management board of LHV Varahaldus. The meeting took place in LHV's Tallinn Client office and was attended by about 25 participants, the live feed of the presentation was available on LHV Facebook page. Recording of the investor meeting (in Estonian) is available at: https://youtu.be/jn8aXkMk5ko. Presentation (in English): https://investor.lhv.ee/assets/files/LHV_Group_Presentation_2020-02-EN.pdf. Priit Rum LHV Communication Manager Phone: +372 502 0786 Email: priit.rum@lhv.ee Move follows Israeli authorities stopping Palestinian agricultural produce from being sold in Israel. The Palestinian government is banning some Israeli goods from its markets after Israel stopped Palestinian agricultural produce from being sold. The tit-for-tat accelerated after the Palestinians decided to limit the number of cattle imported from Israel. That move was part of a pilot programme to reduce Palestinian dependence on the Israeli economy. Al Jazeeras Nida Ibrahim reports from the occupied West Bank. China endeavors to ensure supply of masks, necessities amid epidemic People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:19, February 04, 2020 China has been endeavoring to ensure medical supplies and daily necessities as it battles the novel coronavirus epidemic. Medical manufacturers have taken immediate actions to ramp up production to meet increasing demand. With concerted efforts, the supply of daily necessities in Wuhan and the whole of Hubei Province as well as other places in China are also being secured. SHANGHAI/JINAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is making every effort to ensure the supply of medical and daily necessities for citizens as the country battles the novel coronavirus epidemic. The novel coronavirus epidemic has triggered a sharp increase in demand for masks for citizens and protective clothing for medical workers. Companies have been mobilized to run at full capacity to produce these high-demand materials. PRODUCTION AT FULL CAPACITY Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, residents have rushed to buy masks. However, shelves in physical stores are empty, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy masks online. Hospitals in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province are also in urgent need of medical materials. Medical material manufacturers have resumed production despite the shutdown period of the Spring Festival holiday to cope with the problem. In the city of Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong Province, over 300 workers from Kangli Medical volunteered to work during the holiday. "Orders have soared in the past two weeks, and we have ensured that our machines will run 24 hours a day," said Lyv Zuopin, the company's deputy general manager. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) decided on Jan. 29 to send special representatives to 15 companies that produce medical protective clothing. Kangli Medical, listed among the selected companies, can make a total of 1,200 protective clothing items a day. With the help of ministry officials, the company has been urgently allocating raw materials and purchasing equipment to expand production scale. Given the unexpectedly high demand, the mask and medical device manufacturers in Shanghai have also managed to resume and ramp up production. Shanghai Yuanqin Purification Technology Company, a protective mask manufacturer for Honeywell, has been in full production with 40,000 to 45,000 masks being made every day since last week. Liao Huolin, the company's president, said the factory had planned to suspend work on Jan. 17, but it urgently recalled its employees who had returned to their hometowns and also invited nearby villagers to assist in production after the novel coronavirus outbreak. Shanghai has recovered its mask production capacity with a daily output of over 1 million masks, the Shanghai municipal government said last week. According to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, a total of 17 mask manufacturers in Shanghai are gradually resuming their production, and the daily production capacity can reach 4 million after the companies reach a full production scale. SUPPLIES SUSTAINED Detection reagents are also in urgent demand. The reagent manufacturers have also joined the coronavirus fight. Shanghai BioGerm Medical Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is one of the novel coronavirus detection reagent manufacturers approved by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the company's employees canceled their trips home for the holiday and returned to their posts. "It's not about the money. We are honored to work for our country at this moment," said Zhou Yan, the company's director of operations. With the high demand for detection reagents, employees from the sales department even took high-speed trains and planes to deliver goods in person to make sure the reagents could be delivered as soon as possible. The preventive traffic restrictions taken by the authorities to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus have to some extent affected transportation of supplies entering the coronavirus-stricken area. The government, however, has pledged efforts to sustain the continuous supply of necessities to coronavirus-stricken areas, with the National Development and Reform Commission arranging daily transport of vegetables, cooking oil, rice and flour to Wuhan. Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics has also coordinated with courier firms to deliver 300,000 medical supply items to Wuhan from Beijing, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other provincial-level regions such as Gansu, Sichuan, Hunan, Liaoning and Hainan. The medical supplies include the urgently-needed surgical masks, isolation gowns, protective gowns and goggles. SUPPLY OF DAILY NECESSITIES SECURED Farmers in the city of Shouguang, Shandong Province, China's major vegetable production base, are also making a contribution by providing vegetables for Wuhan. Sang Xuemei, a farmer in Sangjiazhuang Village, got up at about 3:00 a.m., put on a headlamp and walked into the field. "Every family has bought headlamps to pick vegetables in the dark," she said. "We used to pick vegetables in the afternoon, but we changed the schedule to deliver the freshest vegetables to Wuhan." Two hours later, she sent 250 kg of freshly-picked cucumbers to the agricultural product examination center at the village's cooperative where cooperative members were busy loading the vegetables onto trucks heading for Wuhan after they were examined. "China is battling against the epidemic, and we as farmers should make sure that people can eat vegetables as normal," she added. On Jan. 28, Shandong donated 350 tonnes of vegetables to Wuhan and has been providing 600 tonnes of vegetables to Wuhan at par price daily since then. The winter season, Spring Festival holiday and preventive transport restrictions in different areas put in place to contain the epidemic affected logistics and resulted in price hikes of some commodities. However, market authorities have worked to crack down on abnormal price hikes by dealers who took advantage of the epidemic situation. With concerted efforts, the supply of daily necessities in Wuhan and the whole of Hubei Province as well as other places in China has been secured, said Lian Weiliang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference in Beijing, on Monday. Some problems, such as less varieties of leafy vegetables and delayed replenishment due to logistics, still exist and efforts are underway to solve these shortcomings, Lian said. Liu Liansen, a resident in the city of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, wore a mask and shopped at a local supermarket on Sunday. He bought some green onions, garlic, pork ribs and Chinese cabbage. "Several days ago, I was worried that there would not be enough supplies of daily necessities, so I rushed to the supermarket. But I was assured when I found that there are ample supplies of rice, cooking oil, vegetables and meat," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Panel that will examine bill to raise legal age of marriage has one woman member out of 31 Maha atrocity against women: Man throws inflammable liquid on a woman for rape complaint India oi-Mousumi Dash Thane, Feb 05: In a shocking incident woman suffered eyes injury after a man allegedly threw inflammable substance on her after she refused to withdraw a rape complaint against him at Mira Road in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday. This news came two days after a 25-year-old woman teacher was set ablaze by a stalker on Monday morning in Maharashtra's Wardha district. Reportedly, the police arrested the accused from Ahmedabad for allegedly throwing an inflammable substance on the married victim, who is in her mid-20s, senior inspector Sanjay Hajare of the Mira Road police station said. Acid attack on minor rape victim in UP's Hapur On Saturday night, when the accused spotted the victim in the locality and threw an inflammable liquid either petrol or diesel on her, he said. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for an injury to her eyes, he added. According to the police, the victim had earlier lodged a complaint of rape against the accused at Mira Road police station. When the victim refused to withdraw the complaint against him, the accused attacked her with inflammable substance. In another incident, a 50-year-old woman was assaulted and set ablaze in her home by a beer bar owner in Andhari village of Maharashtra. After Delhi and Uttar Pradesh now Maharashtra making headlines on the case of crime against women. In a week this is the third incident of atrocities against women. American Airlines Group (AAL.O) and United Airlines (UAL.O) on Tuesday both said they are suspending all flights to and from Hong Kong, Trend reports citing Reuters. Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, the second outside mainland China. An American Airlines spokeswoman said the airlines suspension of its Hong Kong flights to and from Los Angeles and Dallas had begun on Tuesday and would continue through Feb. 20. United Airlines said in response to a drop in demand it would also suspend flights through Feb. 20. The carriers last U.S. flight to Hong Kong will depart San Francisco on Wednesday and the last return flight to San Francisco from Hong Kong will depart on Friday. The announcements mean no U.S. carriers will be flying passenger flights to Hong Kong after this week. U.S. government restrictions on flights and people who have visited mainland China that took effect Sunday have not impacted Hong Kong. On Friday, American Airlines suspended its flights to and from mainland China through March 27. United Airlines said on Monday it was moving up its suspension of U.S.-bound flights from mainland China by one day to Tuesday. United said it still plans to resume flights to and from China on March 28. Rescue teams had been sent out to find survivors after avalanche hit highway in Van province, killing five people. The death toll from two avalanches in eastern Turkey has risen to 41, officials said on Thursday. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that 75 people were injured in the avalanches as search and rescue efforts were continuing. AFAD officials said most of those killed were buried by the second avalanche on Wednesday while working to rescue victims of the first snowslip the previous night. Some 300 emergency service workers were called to a highway near the mountain-surrounded town of Bahcesaray in Van province after the first avalanche struck late on Tuesday, killing five people. Around noon on Wednesday, the second avalanche hit the rescuers. Emergency teams were still searching for other colleagues under the snow, Mehmet Emin Bilmez, the governor of Van province, said. He did not provide a figure of how many more could be missing. Some 30 emergency workers were either rescued or escaped from underneath the snow and were hospitalised on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. There was no further information on their conditions. Video from the scene showed at least three overturned vehicles at the bottom of a hill during a snow storm. Some rescuers were climbing a steep incline to get away from the mass of snow while others dug frantically into the snow with shovels and pick-axes. Fog, heavy snow and strong winds were hampering the rescue efforts. A special military plane with 75 gendarmerie officers and other rescue officials were on their way from Ankara, AFAD and the defence ministry said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu to obtain information on the efforts, the presidency said. The presidents spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, also said on Twitter that every tool available was mobilised to help officials. Christian Berger, the EU ambassador to Turkey, offered his deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences as did the US embassy to Turkey on Twitter. Last month, the eastern province of Elazig was hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake, killing 41 people and injuring more than 1,600 others. A 2009 avalanche in the northeastern province of Gumushane killed 11 climbers in the Zigana mountains. Opinion Article 5 February 2020 The task of communicating sustainability can be a challenging one. As part of the World Panel on Sustainable Hospitality on hospitalitynet, Willy Legrand, Professor at IUBH School of Business and Management and I invited various industry experts to share their opinions and received 31 insightful entries. Advertisements The job of communicating sustainability is often part of the marketing department's responsibility. However, as Henri Kuokkanen, Associate Professor at the Institut Paul Bocuse puts it, "The rules of non-CSR communication, targeted at building brand recognition or customer loyalty, do not always apply." What happens when classic communication tools are being applied to sustainability can be observed in the ever increasing number of green logos, leafy symbols and generic slogans. The communication of sustainability does not seem to follow the same rules as conventional communication practice. So, what can be done? Friederike Vinzenz, founder of RoomFor and a sustainability communication expert, makes one thing very clear, "First of all, you have to be serious about your sustainability efforts." The importance of credibility, which involves a proper management framework on the basis of accurate data as well as verifiability through external and independent audits, is also stressed by Maribel Esparcia Perez, Professor at the University of Lleida, Lyle Worthington, Technology Executive and Consultant, and the panels Co-host Willy Legrand. Catherine Dolton, Vice President Global Corporate Responsibility at InterContinental Hotels Group, argues that sustainability communication should be about telling a story in progress. Whilst the time dimension is crucial for a credible narrative so is the business context. A stand-alone sustainability measure or piece of communication might at best be incomprehensible but rather raise questions about the sincerity behind the effort. From there one can "build a narrative that is backed up by serious facts and figures" (Benjamin Lephilibert, Founder and CEO of LightBlue Consulting). The narrative should not only be based on verifiable information but also be consistent across the thoughts, words and deeds of the organization. "Communication starts from the inside", says Andreas Koch, Managing Director at blueContec GmbH. Simon Martin, Head of Development Hospitality-Catering at IECD, points out that sustainability communication should be part of "every job description, action plan, budget". Through consistency, hospitality companies will "have the ability to set trends by championing a culture of sustainability" (Jose Koechlin von Stein, Founder and CEO at Inkaterra Hotels). Making sustainability part of the corporate culture puts employees at the center of transformational processes. Christopher Warren, Founder of My Green Butler, speaks of a "social contract beyond the standard term of employment." Another consensus is reached when it comes to applying honesty in sustainability communication. "Be genuine, be honest, talk about challenges and things you are not 100% happy with", suggests Maria Leifer from Boutiquehotel Stadthalle. Seriousness, credibility, verifiability and honesty should guide the way. However, when it comes to communication practice, we see different approaches amongst the experts. Madhu Rajesh argues for the benefits of storytelling: "Personal stories and unique angles will help guests to connect with the story emotionally." Xenia zu Hohenlohe has combined fun facts, lively infographics and visually appealing messages to good effect. Alexandra Herget suggests creativity and making use of different channels with an intelligent content design strategy. Friederike Vinzenz stresses the importance of clarifying "the personal benefit to be expected from a booking". In order to do so, it is of great importance to "know your audience" (Benjamin Lephilibert). We can see rather different views when it comes to certification. Suzann Heinemann, Founder and CEO of InfraCert says that "certifications and environmental seals will certainly help to convey sustainability" whilst Gabriel C.M. Laeis, Professor at the IUBH School of Business and Management, states: "Don't certify sustainability - do it in front of the guests!" So, how does sustainability communication look like beyond cliches and greenwashing? Frauke Fischer, Founder of Agentur Auf, sums it up: "Know what you talk about. Don't show-off. Be modest. Be precise. Define goals and name challenges." Hospitality brands have understood that it takes more than leafy symbols and catchy slogans to involve guests into their sustainability narrative. The future holds multi-level communication strategies, emotive narratives and innovative approaches towards channels and media, both online and offline. Novelist Chris Bohjalian wrote his own dramatization of his fifth novel, a 1997 bestseller and Oprah Book Club selection called Midwives, and its on stage at the Arthur Laurents Theatre of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center through Feb. 16. The reviews have been excellent, and audiences, according to the plays director David Saint, have been stunned into enthralled silence by the plays emotional power and, at the talk-back sessions after some performances, have been more than willing to discuss and debate the moral and legal questions raised by the plot. One audience member told Saint that certain moments in the play were so intense that he forgot to breathe. David Saint, whos now in his 23rd season as George Street Playhouse artistic director, is an avid reader, and when he finds an author he likes, he tends to read other books by that author. He was discussing Bohjalians writing with his friend, actress Alison Fraser, and discovered that shes friends with both Saint and Bohjalian, and she introduced them. When they met, they began discussing which of his 20 novels would make good plays, and those discussions resulted in this play. Saint is so enthusiastic about what Bohjalian came up here that other stage adaptations seem more than likely. Bohjalian gave me this play and put his work in our hands. Hes so open, said Saint, and so willing to listen to all who are involved. Were working together to tell our story in the most effective way possible, and Ive started reading those of his novels I havent read so I can suggest what he might consider next. Ive noticed in his books how often a person makes a decision in the heat of the moment that affects not only that person but affects so many others. If you make this decision, your life goes down this road; if you make that decision, your life goes down a different road. How responsible are we for the choices we make is another of Bohjalians recurring themes. Once the cast was chosen and rehearsals began, Saint reported how open Bohjalian was to input from all concerned with the premiere of his play which takes place in rural Vermont, Bohjalians home state, in 1985. A young African-American couple, Charlotte and Asa Bedford (played by Monique Robinson and Ryan George), has recently relocated from their home in Arkansas with their young son, Jared. Charlotte is expecting their second child, and she has chosen a home birth, a practice common throughout the rest of the world but not common in the United States. One of Charlottes few friends, Sybil Danforth (Ellen McLaughlin) is a midwife, and so Charlotte asks her trusted friend to deliver her baby at home. Charlottes pregnancy proceeds normally, except for a bout with anemia, and Sybil expects a routine delivery. Once that begins, Sybil notices an excess of bleeding and suggests moving Charlotte to a hospital, but circumstances, like a blizzard and loss of telephone service, prevent that. In the legal aftermath, there is drama for Sybil, her husband Rand (John Bolger), and their daughter, Connie (Molly Carden), the Bedfords, and for all the inhabitants of the community because of a well-publicized trial. During rehearsals, Saint was grateful for the presence of a midwife who acted as a technical adviser, which helped Saint stage the birth process scenes as realistically as possible, and she pointed out common errors in other medias presentations. Weve all seen birthing scenes where, as much as possible, we watch an actress giving birth, but its usually in the same position so that we see her face and the struggles shes going through. Here, Charlotte is having a horrendous delivery, and our adviser told us that the midwife would have suggested all sorts of positions to help push the baby out: on her sides, on hands and knees, anything and everything to get the job done. She told us how unlikely it would be for Charlotte to be in one position for her long hours of her labor. Thanks to her, the audience is enthralled by the agony of Charlottes realistic pain. And remember, this is all happening during an ice storm in an isolated area in the time before there were such convenient things as cell phones. Charlotte provides Robinson with one of the most arduous and challenging roles of her career as well as her GSP debut, but she finds it so rewarding that shed add it to her favorites which already includes Keisha in Fairview. Chris Bohjalian was with us from the beginning of rehearsals, said Robinson, and I thought this was such a help; we were real collaborators which was so instructive. Every character has an arc, and Chris was very aware of having his characters viewpoints expressed. Charlotte and Asa are a sweet and loving couple I think of Charlotte as sunshine because she illuminates and warms her world, but sunshine can also burn. Shes a bit of a Southern belle whos trying to find her way in a strange rural area. African-American women face a higher mortality rate in hospitals, but Charlotte inherently trusts Sybil because shes like family. McLaughlin, a veteran of several previous GSP productions, said, I love working on new plays and Chris could not have been a more gracious and generous collaborator. In Sibyl, the playwright has created a woman whos very powerful, the most capable person in any room. Shes fundamentally trustworthy, and its very important to her to be as good as humanly possible at her job. What she faces with Charlotte becomes absolutely horrific. That everything goes as badly as it does is not her fault. Charlotte has had a successful home birth already with her son. Although the script gives Sybil many dramatic and melodramatic moments, McLaughlin cites the scenes with her then teenage daughter, Connie, who acts as a narrator for the story, a contemporary character looking back at past events, as being special for her. McLaughlin cited Rosemary in Outside Mulingar at GSP among her favorites. Even before Midwives was up and running, Saint was at work on GSPs next production, another world premiere, called Conscience about the confrontations between Margaret Chase Smith and Joseph McCarthy, which Saint calls extremely timely. IF YOU GO Midwives When: Through Feb. 16. Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; on Sunday at 7 p.m. with matinees on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Where: Arthur Laurents Theatre, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick How much: $25 to $70. Contact: 732-246-7717 or online at : 732-246-7717 or online at georgestreetplayhouse.org Follow NJ.com on Twitter @njdotcom. Find NJ.com on Facebook. John Spencer, Ph.D. discusses the history, science and controversy surrounding Pluto. When Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto 90 years ago this month, he was ahead of his time. It took decades to learn that Pluto is not the oddball outsider that it first seemed to be, but is the largest of a vast swarm of objects beyond Neptune called the Kuiper Belt. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made the first close-up exploration of Pluto and its five moons in 2015, revealing a complex and dramatic world. On New Year's Day 2019, a billion miles beyond Pluto, New Horizons flew by a much smaller member of the Kuiper Belt, a 20-mile long mini-world now named Arrokoth. Arrokoth turned out to be a pristine leftover from the solar system's formation, unlike anything previously seen in the solar system. Dr. John Spencer is Deputy Project Scientist on the New Horizons mission. He grew up in England, and obtained a Bachelor's degree in geology at the University of Cambridge in 1978 and a PhD in Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona in 1987. He then worked at the University of Hawaii, and Lowell Observatory in Arizona, before coming to Boulder in 2004 to join Southwest Research Institute. He specializes in exploration of the outer solar system, using Earth-based telescopes, the Hubble Space Telescope, and interplanetary robot spacecraft. Cost: $8 nonmembers, $7 members, $5 students. Preregistration is encouraged or tickets can be purchased at the door the evening of the event (if seats are available). Go to www.NMnaturalhistory.org. Questions: jayne.aubele@state.nm.us Children wearing protective facemasks look on at the usually full Hongqioa train station in Shanghai on February 5, 2020. AFP-Yonhap Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in Thailand showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it. Ten people from the cruise ship tested positive and were taken to hospitals, while all 3,700 crew and passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days, Health Minister Nobukatsu Kato said. More tests are pending. In Hong Kong, hospitals workers are striking to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely to ward off the virus, but four new cases without known travel to the mainland indicate the illness is spreading locally in the territory. The growing caseload "indicates significant risk of community transmission" and could portend a "large-scale" outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. Hospitals in Hong Kong said they had to cut some services due to striking workers' absences. More than 7,000 joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees' Alliance, the strike organizer. The territory's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Almost all land and sea links have been closed, but the striking workers want it shut completely. "Important services, critical operations have been affected," Lam told reporters. "So I'm appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Let's put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things." A girl in a face mask on a Beijing Subway train during an outbreak of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus, which started in Wuhan in December 2019. TASS-Yonhap With the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, cut off by rail, air and road to try to contain the virus, the U.S. and other countries were organizing more evacuation flights for their citizens still in the central Chinese city. The latest mainland China figures showed an increase of 65 deaths from the previous day, all the new deaths from Wuhan. The number of new cases increased to 24,324, a rise of 3,887 from the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. To treat the thousands of patients, China rushed to build hospitals and converted a gymnasium, exhibition hall and cultural center in Wuhan. Patients were being moved into a new, 1,000-bed hospital with prefabricated wards and isolation rooms. A 1,500-bed hospital also specially built opens in days. The hospitals made from converted public spaces to treat patients with mild symptoms have a total of 3,400 beds, the simple cots placed in tight rows in cavernous rooms without any barriers between them. One man, Fang Bin, said he saw wards so crowded during a visit to the city's No. 5 Hospital on Saturday that some patients were forced to sit on the ground. "There are too many patients, it's overcrowded," Fang told The Associated Press. He said he was taken from his home and questioned by police after he posted a video of what he saw online. The 10 cases confirmed on the Japanese cruise ship raised that country's total to 33 cases. They were among 273 people tested because they had a cough or fever, which are symptoms of the virus, or had close contact with a man who got off the ship in Hong Kong and was infected. A woman wears a face mask on a panoramic viewing deck on the Peak in Hong Kong, China, Feb. 1,2020. EPA-Yonhap NIIT, a global leader in skills and talent development, on Wednesday reported 40 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 27.1 crore for December quarter 2019-20 on account of increase in demand from corporate sector. The company had garnered a profit of Rs 19.4 crore in the same period a year ago. "During the quarter, NIIT delivered strong Profit After Tax of Rs 27.1 crore, up 40 per cent year-on-year on the back of strong growth of 17 per cent year-on-year in corporate learning group (CLG). We started Canada business two years back which has started delivering now," NIIT Vice Chairman and Managing Director Vijay K Thadani told PTI. Overseas market led by the US and Europe contributed 77 per cent of the total corporate learning group business, Thadani said. NIIT recorded 10 per cent growth in its consolidated revenue to Rs 247.6 crore during the quarter under review from Rs 225.5 crore in the year-ago period. CLG recorded net revenue of Rs 189.5 crore. Thadani said the company is planning to build more training capacities for the technology vertical especially in areas like augmented and virtual reality. During the quarter, the company completed buyback of 2.68 crore equity shares after approval from the shareholders of the company at Rs 125 per share, representing approximately 16 per cent of the total paid up equity share capital for an aggregate amount of Rs 335 crore, exclusive of taxes. Established in 1981, NIIT offers multi-disciplinary learning management and training delivery solutions to corporations, institutions, and individuals in over 30 countries. The company ranks among the world's leading training companies owing to its vast, yet comprehensive array of talent development programs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students in 28 of the states community colleges now will be able to transfer more credits to 25 universities in Michigan. The Michigan Community College Association made the announcement Tuesday, Feb. 4. According to Click On Detroit, the association said community college students will be able to transfer more credits in four academic programs including biology, business, criminal justice, and psychology. A study conducted by the National Student Clearinghouse found that 52 percent of bachelors degree earners in Michigan previously enrolled at a community college, which is higher than the national average of 49 percent. Transferring from community college to a four-year college or university is more common than ever, said Erica Lee Orians, executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the Michigan Community College Association. Our community colleges want to ensure that students receive credit for the courses they have completed when they take the next step in their education. Click here to find the colleges and universities participating in the Michigan Transfer Network. Federal prosecutors have agreed to have Chilis double murderer William Wood Jr. evaluated for mental and intellectual disabilities before moving ahead with a death penalty trial. Woods defense attorneys argue the 33-year-old suffers from diminished intellectual capacity and should not be executed under law. Donald Trump Jr has lent his name and voice to a bogus interpretation of US law that has been used to argue that Nancy Pelosi could be removed from office for tearing up her copy of the presidents State of the Union speech. The supposed legal interpretation that her destruction of the document is a crime punishable with jail time was seen online shortly after Ms Pelosis dramatic move, and promoted by figures like the leader of the far-right group Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk. Mr Trump Jr, for his part, retweeted a posting about the law which prohibits removing or destroying government documents made by Carl Higbie, a pro-Trump political operative who made a name for himself before the current presidency by promoting the racist birther conspiracy that Barack Obama was born in Africa. If Trump broke this law the Democrats would try to impeach him, Mr Trump Jr wrote, referring to his father in a tweet that seems clearly intended to troll Democrats. By the time the younger Trump invoked 18 U.S.C. 2071, the idea that it could be applied to the speaker of the Houses actions had been widely criticised and mocked already. Many simply chimed in to call the idea and those posting about it stupid or a f*****g dumba**. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA The law prohibits the removal or destruction of any record "filed or deposited with any clerk or officer" of a US court or public office. Ms Pelosi's copy would have been one among many, and not the copy officially filed with the court. Meanwhile others noted that prosecuting an elected leader for destroying a copy of a speech would necessarily mean that anyone who receives a copy of a speech given in Congress couldnt toss the document when they were done with it. Ill admit it, I once recycled a hard copy of my bosss floor speech, wrote Eric Mee, a communications staffer for Democratic representative Mike Levin, in response to Mr Kirk. Where do I turn myself in? Still others jumped on the idea, and parroted the presidents calls to jail his 2016 political opponent, Hillary Clinton, but with Ms Pelosi as the target. Lock her up, at least one Twitter user wrote, simply. The United States Navy has deployed two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft to the US island territory of Guam, the first time the drones have been positioned in the Pacific, in a bid to step up Washingtons surveillance capabilities in the region. The two Tritons are part of Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19 and will be joined by two more drones in the coming weeks, the US Navy said. The inaugural deployment of [the Tritons] brings enhanced capabilities and a broad increase in maritime domain awareness to our forward fleet commanders, said Rear Admiral Peter Garvin, commander of the Navys Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, in a statement. VUP19, the Navys first dedicated [unmanned aircraft systems] squadron is superbly trained and ready to provide the persistent [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] coverage the Navy needs. The Tritons, which will be operated from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, can remain airborne for more than 24 hours and have an operational ceiling of 16km and a range of more than 13,000km. The vehicles range and endurance mean a Triton is able to monitor a vast swathe of the Western Pacific, including the regions busy shipping lanes. Beijing and Pyongyang are some 4,000km and 3,400km from Guam respectively. Garren Mulloy, professor of international relations at Japans Daito Bunka University, said the deployment appeared to be primarily to provide additional maritime surveillance capabilities to US forces confronting security threats posed by North Korea and China, though he confirmed Tritons are capable of carrying out missions over land as well. Given the situation with North Korea and China, it is not a surprise that these systems are being deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, he said. These will be able to change the way the US obtains key information, thanks to their range and long endurance capabilities. The Triton will deliver maritime surveillance data across a huge area and will be able to monitor the likes of ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korean merchant ships, which are banned under international sanctions on Pyongyang. Story continues The fact that Washingtons most capable unmanned drones have been deployed to the Western Pacific is significant in itself, Mulloy added. Everyone knows that the US has these systems but its what they do with them that will make everyone else sit up and take notice, he said. This article US Triton drones deployed to Guam for surveillance over China, North Korea first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. T he World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked for 675 million dollars (520 million) to help countries with weaker health systems fight coronavirus. The WHO director-general said the organisation needs the funds to address the expected spread of the new coronavirus that emerged in China. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged that the sum is a lot, but said it is much less than the bill we will face if we do not invest in preparedness now. My biggest worry is that there are countries today who do not have the systems in place to detect people who have contracted with the virus, even if it were to emerge," he said. Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Urgent support is needed to bolster weak health systems to detect, diagnose and care for people with the virus, to prevent further human to human transmission and protect health workers. Mr Tedros said that in the last 24 hours, the UN health agency has seen the biggest jump in cases since the start of the outbreak. He also responded to published comments from John Mackenzie, a member of the WHOs coronavirus emergency committee, that Chinas initial response to the outbreak was reprehensible and that cases were not rapidly reported. Mr Tedros said he would have expected higher numbers of cases if China had been hiding them. I dont think it helps now, he said of speculation about any mistakes in the early stages of the outbreak. Lets take the action we can take today to prevent this outbreak from spreading all over the world. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: It is much less than the bill we will face if we do not invest in preparedness now / AP The amount would allow them to carry out their strategic plan which will take place from February to April. With the plan, they will try to limit human-to-human transmission of the virus, particularly in countries most vulnerable if they were to face an outbreak. The effectiveness of outbreak response depends on the preparedness measures put in place before outbreaks strike, said Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHOs Health Emergencies Programme. That is why we are seeking resources to safeguard the most vulnerable countries to protect people from the new coronavirus before it arrives on the doorstep. UK and NHS' response Officials have ramped up measures to prevent and deal with coronavirus in the UK / AFP via Getty Images It comes as hospitals in the UK have been have been told to create priority assessment pods for people with suspected coronavirus to keep them away from other patients, a letter shows. The letter, from Professor Keith Willett, NHS strategic incident director for coronavirus, said plans were needed to avoid a surge in emergency departments due to coronavirus. Patients who think they have symptoms will be directed to a pod away from A&E, from where they can call specialist NHS 111 teams on a dedicated phone. An assessment will be made by NHS 111 and A&E staff told of the patients location if further testing is deemed necessary. Press Association Images The idea is to keep people isolated and away from other patients until an assessment is made. The letter, revealed by The Independent, says the pods will then need to be decontaminated each time they are used. It warns that emergency departments must prepare for a bigger influx of patients. The letter, seen by the PA news agency, also instructs all chief executives and medical directors to have the pods up and running no later than Friday February 7. An NHS spokesperson said: Anyone returning from Hubei province in the last 14 days should stay indoors, avoid contact with other people and call NHS 111 whether or not they are showing symptoms. Reuters today published a report about an email hacking operation targeting journalists and their connected sources, and the scam appears to be associated with Iran. The scam is this: send cleverly disguised emails that impersonate prominent journalists, in an effort to get the recipient to give up valuable data and access. Here is an example. IMAGE: Screenshot by researchers at the London-based Certfa Lab shows a bogus, Farsi-language interview request that appears to have been sent by journalist Farnaz Fassihi. The message was one of several malicious emails sent in the name of real journalists working for CNN, Deutsche Welle, and others. The reporters had nothing to do with the messages, which Certfa says were sent by Iran-linked hacking group 'Charming Kitten'. [Certfa/Handout via REUTERS] "The incidents come to light at a time when the U.S. government has warned of Iranian cyber threats in the wake of the U.S. air strike that killed Iran's second most powerful official, Major-General Qassem Soleimani," report Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing at Reuters: In a report published Wednesday, London-based cybersecurity company Certfa tied the impersonation of Fassihi to a hacking group nicknamed Charming Kitten, which has long been associated with Iran. Israeli firm ClearSky Cyber Security provided Reuters with documentation of similar impersonations of two media figures at CNN and Deutsche Welle, a German public broadcaster. ClearSky also linked the hacking attempts to Charming Kitten, describing the individuals targeted as Israeli academics or researchers who study Iran. ClearSky declined to give the specific number of people targeted or to name them, citing client confidentiality. Iran denies operating or supporting any hacking operation. Alireza Miryousefi, the spokesman for the Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations, said that firms claiming otherwise "are merely participants in the disinformation campaign against Iran." Reuters uncovered similar hacking attempts on two other targets, which the two cybersecurity firms, along with a third firm, Atlanta-based Secureworks, said also appeared to be the work of Charming Kitten. Azadeh Shafiee, an anchor for London-based satellite broadcaster Iran International, was impersonated by hackers in attempts to break into the accounts of a relative of hers in London and Prague-based Iranian filmmaker Hassan Sarbakhshian. Read more:Exclusive: Iran-linked hackers pose as journalists in email scam [reuters.com, Raphael Satter, Christopher Bing] The number of people injured as a result of the hard landing that a plane of the Turkish Pegasus airline made in Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport has reached 52, the administration of Istanbul mayor said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the aircraft, en route from Izmir to Istanbul with 171 passengers and six crew members on board, overran the runway during landing, caught fire and broke into three parts. Turkish Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said that no one was killed in the incident. According to the previous reports of the Istanbul city administration, 21 people were hospitalized. "As of 19:40 [16:40 GMT], 52 injured people have been taken from the Sabiha Gokcen Airport to nearby hospitals," the administration said in a statement. The airport is closed, and the probe into the incident is already underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbais municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi presented the citys 2020-21 budget on Tuesday. Indias richest municipalitys budget for the year was pegged at Rs 33,441.02 crore as against the previous years allocation of Rs 30,692.59 crore, an increase of 8.95%. A significant portion of this is establishment expense, which includes salaries and pensions, has been allocated Rs 10,920 crore. This years focus has been on infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai Coastal Road and the Gargai dam. The former is a 29-km freeway to be constructed along the citys western coastline as a south-north corridor spanning Marine Drive in south Mumbai to Kandivli in the north. The project has been given Rs 2,000 crore for the year, as against a total estimate of Rs 12,000 crore. The road is expected to be complete by the mid-2020s. The second big project for the year (Rs 503.51 crore) is likely to be Gargai dam, designed to enhance the citys water supply by up to 440 million litres a day. At present, Mumbais daily requirement is at 3,900 million litres a day, but its sources seven lakes in and around the city provide only 3,100 million litres a day, leading to a shortfall. Two major heads that the BMC spends significantly on every year is primary education and health. This years budgetary allocation for education is Rs 2,944.59 crore; for health, it is Rs 4260.34 crore. It may be surprising that a rural school in Nebraska has no agriculture program or FFA group. That was the case for Southern High School in Wymore until last semester, and now that students have gotten their hands dirty they are starting to see the products of their labor. On Wednesday, members of the Farm Credit Services of America visited the school to see what the students and working on and award them $2,000 through the Working Here Fund Grants. Brady Meyer, the ag education instructor, said the money will go towards supplies for the new greenhouse that students built in the fall. Growing things has been a passion on mine, and so I carry that on to my students and they kind of ran with it, Meyer said. We did some research and we started constructing an eight by ten greenhouse, and it took us pretty much the whole semester. Meyer said the program was discussed during a community involvement meeting, as individuals stressed that they wanted agriculture classes in the curriculum and for students to learn vocational and trade skills to aid them before they go into the workforce. Having that set of skills when they go out helps them feel comfortable when they go to a certain job or go to a certain tradeIt makes him or her more employable, because of the fact that they already know the skills and the basics that they learned here at Wymore, and so they are more desirable to employers, Meyer said. The first agriculture classes started this semester with seventh and eighth grade ag literacy, animal science, two intro to agriculture classes and an ag business class. Meyer said the goal of this semester is to get all of the classes involved in growing in the greenhouse and organizing a plant sale. In the future, Meyer said hed like to start an FFA program so students can go to contests and learn more about the agriculture industry, as well as further ag education in the classrooms tied to the students interests. Senior Dalton Meyer led the class in showing the Farm Credit members what theyve done so far, including having a heating and lights system installed into old cabinets and bins. So far theyve grown lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, beets, radishes, marigolds, watermelons and several other items. Brady Meyer said that the students recently made a pesto out of their vegetables and allowed students and staff in the school to try it. Eventually, he said theyd like to use their produce in the cafeteria. At first I didnt necessarily want to take [this class], Dalton Meyer said. It was just because we were in our shop class and I didnt have any other ones to take it. But Im glad that I did, because now that I have Ive definitely learned a lot of different things about the ag industry and everything. All the different plants and what it takes to keep them alive and start them to grow. Robbyn Hohensee, an insurance officer at Farm Credit Services, said it was neat to see that the students have done so far. One of the best parts of our job is getting to come and see how theyre spending their money and get to be involved in that, Brett Esau, a financial officer at Farm Credit Services said. This is really cool stuff that theyve done. It helps a lot of these kids get to see what agriculture is and different ways its being used. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SMXRF/Star Max/GC Images(WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suffered the wrath of Lisa Simpson and "The Simpsons" fans Wednesday after he tweeted an animated clip from the show to mock House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. Pompeo tweeted a GIF Tuesday night from a season 3 episode of "The Simpsons" -- "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" -- showing a crying Lisa Simpson ripping up an essay she wrote for a national contest in response to Pelosi ripping up a copy of Trump's speech. Almost immediately after his tweet, "Simpsons" fans lambasted the secretary of state on Twitter. Yeardley Smith, the actress who's the longtime voice of Lisa, also had some strong words for Pompeo Wednesday morning. "I might just add f*ck you @mikepompeo for co-opting my character to troll @SpeakerPelosi . Be a leader and fight [your] own fight! Oh, wait I forgot, you're a follower," she tweeted. Former showrunner Bill Oakley also criticized Pompeo. "Mr. Secretary of State please do not ever ever ever use Simpsons material in your twitter or watch the show or refer to it in any way," Oakley tweeted. Some fans claimed that Pompeo's snark completely missed the message of the episode. After Lisa discovers a congressman's illicit activities, she loses faith in democracy and rewrites her essay to reflect her anger, claiming, "The truth must be told." At the end of the episode, Lisa's revised essay exposes the congressman's corruption and he's arrested by the FBI. "It's amazing that even horrible people love The Simpsons. But to be clear, Lisa would hate Mike Pompeo more than the fictional politicians she's crying over in this episode," tweeted Allie Goertz, the co-host of the Simpsons podcast Round Springfield. Pompeo has used his Twitter account to attack female critics with snarky comments, including NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly, whom he allegedly cursed out during a tense interview over the U.S.'s relationship with Ukraine. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The four Delhi gang rape convicts sentenced to death have adopted delaying tactics to frustrate the black warrants issued against them, the Delhi High Court observed on Wednesday but made it clear that the authorities concerned did not take the necessary steps either. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait has rejected the Union Home Ministry petition challenging the 31 January decision of a Delhi judge to freeze the death warrants for now. The Home Ministry and Delhi Government lawyers rushed straight to the Supreme Court minutes later to appeal Justice Kaits verdict. The judge had packed in a stinging indictment of the authorities. The four men had been convicted for the gang rape of the 23-year-old paramedic trainee on a cold December night in 2012 within just about a year of the horrific crime. Their appeals against the verdict were decided by the Supreme Court on 5 May 2017. But Justice Kait pointed out that the authorities did not bother to implement the verdict. I have no hesitation to say that after dismissal of criminal appeals on 5 May 2017 by the Supreme Court, nobody had bothered to execute the death warrants. They (authorities) waited for reasons best known to them till convict Mukesh filed a review petition before the Supreme Court on 6 November 2017 after 186 days, Justice Kait observed. The petitions - Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta had also filed their pleas in December 2017 - were dismissed on 9 July 2018. Even thereafter, all authorities concerned were sleeping and waited till Akshay Kumar Singh filed a petition with 950-day delay, on 10 December 2019 and the same was dismissed on 18 December 2019, the verdict said. The judge did not spell out who the authorities concerned were. As for delaying tactics by death row convicts, the judge said it was understandable that the prisoner will seek to take recourse to every remedy available to him under the law to seek commutation of his sentence. It is not uncommon that a series of review petitions and writ petitions are filed in the court to challenge judgments and orders which have assumed finality without any seeming justification, the judge noted. The convicts, the judge said, were taking shelter of Article 21 of the Constitution which is available to them till their last breath. According to Article 21 of the Constitution, no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Deputy ProjectDirector Hours: Full-time Location: Kinshasa, DRC Salary: Commensurate with required experience and qualifications Reports to: Project Director University Research Co., LLC (URC) URC is a global company dedicated to improving the quality of health care, social services, and health education worldwide. With a non-profit affiliate, the Center for Human Services (CHS), URC manages projects in over 45 countries, including the United States. Established in 1965, URC offers a range of technical assistance to strengthen health and social systems and service quality by empowering communities and health workers to identify and scale up locally appropriate solutions to critical problems. Internationally, we expand access to and improve the quality of services addressing maternal, newborn, and child health; infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria; reproductive health and family planning; food and nutrition; and vulnerable children and families. In the US, we focus on improving communication related to issues like substance abuse, with a particular focus on reaching underserved populations. URCs mission is to provide innovative, evidence-based solutions to health and social challenges worldwide. Please join us in carrying out our mission (https://www.urc-chs.com/). Project Overview: This anticipated 5-year USAID-funded DRC Bednet Distribution Projectwill support the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to achieve and maintain its goal of universal coverage of insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) through mass, health facility, and school-based distribution in targeted provincesand strengthen the NCMP to efficiently plan and implement proven ITN distribution. Program responsibilities: URC is seeking a Deputy ProjectDirector to provide overall technical and programmatic support to the anticipated USAID Bednet Distribution Project in DRC. The Deputy Project Director will serve as the lead malaria technical advisor on the project and work closely with the Project Director and project staff, NMCP and other malaria stakeholders to ensure the technical quality of the program and alignment with national strategies and goals.Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Work closely with project staff and partners todefine, implement and monitor the projects strategic approaches and work plan activities to improve ITN coverage and use, consistent with contract requirements. Ensure strong relationships with government counterparts and serve as a key project resource for key local stakeholders. Identify project technical assistance needs required to achieve the expected project results and develop the appropriate scopes of work for recruitment and oversight of partners and consultants as needed. Contribute to the development, review, and finalization of project documents including but not limited to work plans; quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports; project assessments and evaluations; project briefs, presentations, and other documentation for knowledge management. Serve as mentor to junior staff and assist leadership team to define and implement staff professional development plans. Participate in communities of practice and national working groups, ensuring lessons learned and evidence are used for program improvement. Required Qualifications: A Masters Degree (or foreign equivalent) in public health or related discipline; medical or doctoral degree preferred; At least ten(10) years of professional experience working in development assistance projects in malaria prevention and treatment; Significant experience collaborating and developing partnerships with Ministries of Health/National Malaria Control Programs, international organizations,other bilateral donors and civil society representatives, senior level government officials, and/or other stakeholders on malaria-related initiatives in alignment with national strategic plans; Previous experience managing diverse teams and interacting with developing country governments, Demonstrated ability to work in complex, politically charged environments, and field experience working with humanitarian response and public health programming is highly desirable; Experience with PMI programming and policies preferred; Must have excellent oral and written communication skills, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, team management skills, leadership, and decision-making skills; Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong teams and relationships with host-country counterparts, stakeholders and other donors; Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills in French with native level fluency strongly preferred; Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; Experience in Africa and the DRC or other fragile or conflict-affected countries is preferred. Please note: this position is contingent upon securing award. Congolese nationals are highly encouraged to apply. To Apply: For immediate consideration, please visit URCs Career Opportunities page at www.urc-chs.com/careers . You must upload your CV/Resume and your Cover Letter where indicated. Also, please complete your application form and attach a completed USAID Form 1420 Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet as well. Due to the large number of inquiries we receive, only candidates who have met the required experience & qualifications for this position will be contacted. No phone calls please. However, since we are active around the world in the field of public health, we may wish to retain your CV in our database for other/future opportunities, unless you direct us otherwise. Thank you very much for your interest. URC is an E-Verify Employer URC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We value and seek diversity in our workforce. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Directeur de ProjetAdjoint Heures : Temps plein Localisation : Kinshasa, RDC Salaire : En fonction de l'experience et des qualifications requises Fait rapport a : Directeur de projet University Research Co., LLC (URC) URC est une entreprise mondiale qui se consacre a l'amelioration de la qualite des soins de sante, des services sociaux et de l'education a la sante dans le monde entier. Avec une filiale a but non lucratif, le Center for Human Services (CHS), URC gere des projets dans plus de 45 pays, dont les Etats-Unis. Cree en 1965, URC offre une gamme d'assistance technique visant a renforcer les systemes sanitaires et sociaux et la qualite des services en donnant aux communautes et aux travailleurs de la sante les moyens d'identifier et de mettre en uvre a plus grande echelle des solutions adaptees aux problemes critiques. Sur le plan international, nous elargissons l'acces aux services de sante maternelle, neonatale et infantile, aux maladies infectieuses, notamment le VIH/sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme, a la sante de la reproduction et a la planification familiale, a l'alimentation et a la nutrition, ainsi qu'aux enfants et aux familles vulnerables, et nous en ameliorons la qualite. Aux Etats-Unis, nous nous efforcons d'ameliorer la communication sur des questions telles que la toxicomanie, en mettant particulierement l'accent sur les populations mal desservies. La mission de l'URC est de fournir des solutions innovantes et fondees sur des preuves pour relever les defis sanitaires et sociaux dans le monde entier. Veuillez nous rejoindre dans l'accomplissement de notre mission (https://www.urc-chs.com/). Apercu du projet : Ce projet quinquennal de distribution de moustiquaires en RDC, finance par l'USAID, aidera le Programme national de lutte contre le paludisme (PNLP) de la Republique democratique du Congo (RDC) a atteindre et a maintenir son objectif de couverture universelle de moustiquaires impregnees d'insecticide (MII) par une distribution massive dans les etablissements de sante et les ecoles des provinces ciblees et a renforcer le PNLP afin de planifier et de mettre en uvre efficacement une distribution de MII qui a fait ses preuves. Responsabilites du programme : L'URC recherche un directeur de projet adjoint pour fournir un soutien technique et programmatique global au projet de distribution de moustiquaires de l'USAID prevu en RDC. Le directeur adjoint du projet sera le principal conseiller technique sur le paludisme dans le cadre du projet et travaillera en etroite collaboration avec le directeur et le personnel du projet, le PNLP et les autres parties prenantes sur le paludisme afin de garantir la qualite technique du programme et son alignement sur les strategies et objectifs nationaux. Ses principales responsabilites comprennent, sans s'y limiter, les suivantes Travailler en etroite collaboration avec le personnel du projet et les partenaires pour definir, mettre en uvre et controler les approches strategiques du projet et les activites du plan de travail afin d'ameliorer la couverture et l'utilisation des MII, conformement aux exigences du contrat. Assurer des relations solides avec les homologues gouvernementaux et servir de ressource cle du projet pour les principaux acteurs locaux. Identifier les besoins d'assistance technique du projet necessaires pour atteindre les resultats attendus du projet et developper les champs d'activite appropries pour le recrutement et la supervision des partenaires et des consultants, le cas echeant. Contribuer a l'elaboration, a l'examen et a la finalisation des documents de projet, y compris, mais sans s'y limiter, les plans de travail, les rapports trimestriels, semestriels et annuels, les evaluations de projet, les notes de synthese, les presentations et autres documents relatifs a la gestion des connaissances. Servir de mentor au personnel junior et aider l'equipe de direction a definir et a mettre en uvre les plans de developpement professionnel du personnel. Participer aux activites communautaires et aux groupes de travail nationaux, en s'assurant que les lecons apprises et les preuves sont utilisees pour l'amelioration du programme. Qualifications requises : Un master (ou equivalent etranger) en sante publique ou dans une discipline connexe ; diplome de medecine ou de doctorat de preference ; Au moins dix (10) ans d'experience professionnelle dans des projets d'aide au developpement en matiere de prevention et de traitement de la malaria ; Une experience significative de la collaboration et du developpement de partenariats avec les ministeres de la sante/les programmes nationaux de lutte contre le paludisme, les organisations internationales, les autres donateurs bilateraux et les representants de la societe civile, les hauts fonctionnaires et/ou les autres parties prenantes dans le cadre d'initiatives liees au paludisme, conformement aux plans strategiques nationaux ; Experience anterieure de la gestion d'equipes diverses et de l'interaction avec les gouvernements de pays en developpement, Une capacite averee a travailler dans des environnements complexes et politiquement charges, ainsi qu'une experience de terrain dans le domaine de la reponse humanitaire et de la programmation de la sante publique sont hautement souhaitables ; Une experience de la programmation et des politiques du PMI est preferable ; Doit posseder d'excellentes competences en communication orale et ecrite, des capacites d'analyse, des competences interpersonnelles, des competences en gestion d'equipe, des qualites de chef et des competences decisionnelles ; Capacite averee a constituer et a maintenir des equipes et des relations solides avec les homologues du pays hote, les parties prenantes et les autres donateurs ; D'excellentes competences en matiere d'ecriture, d'analyse et de communication en francais, avec une preference marquee pour la maitrise de la langue maternelle ; Excellentes competences en communication orale et ecrite en anglais ; Une experience en Afrique et en RDC ou dans d'autres pays fragiles ou touches par des conflits est preferable. Veuillez noter que ce poste est conditionne a l'obtention du financement. Les ressortissants congolais sont vivement encourages a postuler. Pour postuler : Pour un examen immediat, veuillez consulter la page "CareerOpportunities" de l'URC a l'adresse www.urc-chs.com/careers Vous devez telecharger votre CV et votre lettre de motivation a l'endroit indique. Veuillez egalement remplir votre formulaire de candidature et y joindre une fiche de donnees biographiques de l'employe du contractant USAID Form 1420 Contractor EmployeeBiographical Data Sheet (formulaire 1420 de l'USAID) dument remplie. En raison du grand nombre de demandes que nous recevons, seuls les candidats qui ont l'experience et les qualifications requises pour ce poste seront contactes. Aucun appel telephonique n'est requis. Toutefois, etant donne que nous sommes actifs dans le monde entier dans le domaine de la sante publique, nous pourrions souhaiter conserver votre CV dans notre base de donnees pour d'autres/futures opportunites, a moins que vous ne nous donniez d'autres instructions. Nous vous remercions de l'interet que vous nous portez. URC est un employeur de verification electronique URC est fiere d'etre un employeur qui souscrit au principe de l'egalite des chances en matiere d'emploi. Nous valorisons et recherchons la diversite de notre main-d'uvre. St. Francis de Sales in West Philadelphia has Vietnamese, West African, black Catholic, and Hispanic congregants alongside descendants of the Irish who built the place. Students crowd the 10:15 a.m. Sunday Mass from the University of the Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania; priests in residence have included the son of Lithuanian immigrants, an Igbo Nigerian, and a Lancaster farmboy. Young families abound, but its also not uncommon to see a tattooed punk come into church with his transgender partner. In short, de Sales is the poster child of Philadelphia Catholic diversity. It is not the kind of place that Vice President Mike Pence, a devout conservative with a history of marginalizing people of color and the LGBTQ community, would normally visit. But on Wednesday, thats exactly what happened. His visit drew the ire of the protestors, who showed up to condemn Pences presence in the largely liberal neighborhood. What Wednesdays protesters may not realize is that the school is an entirely separate entity from the parish and the congregation of the parish sides with them. In 2011, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary the home team of Philadelphia religious orders sometimes affectionately called the Macs acrimoniously separated from the parish. Rather than be a local parochial school where children from the neighborhood attended, St. Francis de Sales School became a mission school model a sort of Catholic charter school catering to non-Catholics in need around the city. The school hosted Pence. Not the parish. This separation of powers between church and school in leadership is a growing trend among Philadelphia Catholic churches. As pew numbers shrink and church buildings close and parishes consolidate into one another, parochial schools are typically rented out to or divided into independent, self-governing entities. Often, the marriage is a shaky one. Its a model intended to help churches survive, and in some cases, cater to populations beyond the parishs borders at de Sales, its one of great success, I might add but it also severs the school from its local population. The political disjunct between the socially left-leaning neighborhood surrounding de Sales and the welcoming of Pence at the school is the most extreme manifestation. But these divisions also obscure the silent ways in which the people of St. Francis de Sales Parish further reach out to the marginalized of their community. They rent out parish buildings at a substantial loss to provide much-needed services for seniors and immigrants in the area. They provide free turkeys and hams at the holidays toys for the poorest families across the city at Christmas. The parish has free concerts and community sponsorships; its choir even comes out as a part of West Philly Porchfest, a neighborhood-wide June do-it-yourself concert. And, most demonstrably, parishioners have fought to keep the doors of the sanctuary open every day from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., leaving a cavernous, breathtakingly beautiful building open for reflection, meditation, and prayer. I know, because I open and close them, and can tell you countless stories of people wandering in and out: the homeless, the college student, the commuter on foot. The late pastor frequently referred to de Sales as a citadel of hope, with its landmark dome as its beacon. Our doors being open shares a little bit of beauty with the world. For me, thats the opposite of Pences presence. For the school to host a political figure so at odds with the pulse of the neighborhood with all his baggage does injustice to the parishioners who live there, love there, are married there, and die there parishioners who have worked hard to build up their neighborhood and keep their doors open to one another. Michael Nevadomski is the sacristan of St. Francis de Sales Parish in West Philadelphia. The Auxiliary Bishop of Manila releases a message on the global health emergency. All through history, he writes, we have seen that plagues have been stopped not only through medical means but also through prayers and great acts of charity. Manila (AsiaNews) At a time when the world's attention is centred on the coronavirus outbreak, Catholics should not to be afraid but should instead take care of themselves and others, including by means of prayer, this according to Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo (picture) of Manila. In a message posted yesterday on social media, the prelate, who chairs the Commission for the Laity of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), notes that To be concerned, however, does not mean to be afraid, much less to feel helpless. Proper, timely and true information is needed to avoid this. False news can cause panic on one hand, and it can also create complacency on the other hand. Bishop Pabillo acknowledges that "the situation is serious", but steps have already been put in place to stop the spread of the virus. After telling people what to do to avoid contagion, the prelate stresses that The common good and the safety of the people should be the primary consideration of governments and institutions, not political expediencies, much less profit concerns. For this reason, true and timely information is to be given to all. This includes not only the extent of the spread and the death caused, but also those who have recovered and the cures that are being discovered. In fact, We need not only bad news but also good news, and the latter also abound. Indeed, It is important that information be given about the initiatives being taken to show solidarity and concern to all. For example, It is very heart-warming that the Vatican State, small as it is, has sent more than 600,000 medical masks to the provinces of Hubei, Zhejiang and Fujian [. . .] Inspiring gestures such as these should multiply and create a global solidarity. Bishop Pabillo also urges Christians to make their contribution through prayer. All through history we have seen that plagues have been stopped not only through medical means but also through prayers and great acts of charity. Wherever we are, in whatever state of life, in sickness and in health, we all can pray. Let us implore the Heavenly Power to protect us, to stem the spread of the disease, to cure the infected, to receive the souls of those who have died and to comfort the bereaved. This is a big resource that we Christians have the power of solidarity in prayer and in charity. Meanwhile this morning, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) confirmed a third case of 2019-nCoV contagion. Currently, 133 people are undergoing checks to determine if they have contracted the virus. The Philippines is the first country to experience a death after China. For its part, the CBCP issued a circular on 29 January to all the dioceses with instructions on how to counter the spread of the virus. It also began an Oratio Imperata for people affected by the virus and to prevent a global epidemic. Starting last Sunday, the prayer is recited during Mass on weekdays and week-ends after communion, on one's knees. The Middle East Network Operator Group Meeting & Peering Forum (MENOG), the largest, non-commercial, technical, educational and community-oriented event in the Middle East, will be held in Bahrain next month. Set to take place from March 15 to 19, 2020 in Manama, Bahrain, the 20th edition of MENOG will bring together key Internet industry players from the region to discuss core operational issues, share knowledge and expertise, and facilitate regional cooperation. MENOG is an open event for the entire technical community including Internet service providers, mobile operators, content providers, cloud and infrastructure service providers, as well as government regulators, academics and key business decision makers. The plenary sessions will include talks about IPv4 run-out, IPv6 deployment, peering and interconnection, DNS operations and many other topics. The event will also feature a number of workshops that tackle key operational issues faced by network professionals such as routing security and IPv6 adoption. Khaled Samara, chair of MENOG Program Committee said: It has recently become clear that the uptake of peering and interconnection in the Middle East has been stagnating. Less than half of the countries in the Middle East have a functioning Internet Exchange Point (IXP), and many of the existing IXPs are far from reaching their full potential. Many operators still send regional traffic to be exchanged out of the region. This is why the MENOG team decided last year to formally establish itself as the Peering Forum for the region by dedicating more time to the issues of peering, interconnection and IXP development. MENOG is hosted by the Economic Development Board (EDB) in Bahrain and sponsored by AWS, Facebook, Netflix, Linx, Decix and the Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) among others. Bahrain is a regional leader and encourages digital transformation through the introduction of a number of policies like the regions first nationwide Cloud First Policy and regulatory Sandbox. Most recently, AWS announced the launch of the Mena regions first hyperscale data centre in the kingdom. Bahrain was also among the first in the region to introduce commercial 5G in early 2019. -- Tradearabia News Service SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon.com Inc. announced plans to create 150 tech jobs in central California as part of its expansion after opening a new 48,000 square foot office for Alexa tech teams located in downtown Santa Barbara. The new office has a space for more than 275 employees and the online retail giant is looking to double its local workforce in the coming years to support local tech teams. They will fill up a range of positions including software and data engineers, knowledge engineers, data scientists, machine learning associates, product managers, and more. Seattle, Washington-based Amazon has created over 45,000 jobs and invested more than $34.5 billion in California since 2010, including infrastructure and compensation to its employees. The company estimates that these direct investments in the state contributed an additional $25.8 billion to California's economy and generated an additional 100,000 indirect jobs. The tech team at the new Santa Barbara office will work with scientists in Amazon's Development Center in Cambridge, England to enable Alexa get smarter and develop new ways to power Alexa's factual knowledge in devices such as Amazon Echo and Fire TV. As part of its Amazon Future Engineer program, the company is funding computer science classes in more than 170 California high schools and more than 15 schools in California are part of the Amazon Future Engineer robotics grant program. The company also awarded 14 students from California the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship award, which includes $10,000 per year to study computer science in college and a guaranteed, paid internship offer at Amazon. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Senator Elizabeth Warren was spotted getting off a private plane ahead of the Iowa caucus - with Trump supporters accusing her of trying to hide when she realized she was being filmed. The Democratic presidential candidate touched down in Des Moines on Monday on the private jet ahead of the caucus. Footage obtained by Fox News showed the 70-year-old stepping off the plane with several campaign staffers. Senator Elizabeth Warren was spotted getting off a private plane ahead of the Iowa caucus on Monday Elizabeth Warren: "Life on Earth is at risk" because of CO2 emissions. But not at risk enough for me to give up the convenience of flying on this private jet then hiding behind a staffer when I'm caught.pic.twitter.com/p7cobXdLzG Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 4, 2020 The Massachusetts senator could be seen thanking a member of the ground staff before making her way towards the airport building. She was filmed following closely behind two female staffers. Several Trump supporters quickly started shared the footage of Twitter as they accused Warren of trying to hide behind the staffers when she spotted the camera. Some pointed to her being a Green New Deal advocate and claimed she was being hypocritical by flying on a private jet. The Democratic presidential candidate touched down in Des Moines on Monday on the private jet ahead of the caucus Several Trump supporters quickly started shared the footage of Twitter as they accused Warren of trying to hide behind the staffers when she spotted the camera Warren, who regularly rallies against the wealthy and said last year she is 'tired of freeloading billionaires', tweeted last week about a Trump official using taxpayer's money to fly on private jets 'Hey @SenWarren why you trying to hide behind your staffer after you just got off that gas-guzzling private plane? Guess climate change is a hoax?' one critic tweeted. Warren, who regularly rallies against the wealthy and said last year she is 'tired of freeloading billionaires', tweeted last week about a Trump official using taxpayer's money to fly on private jets. She pays for her private jet trips with her campaign money. Warren spent about $721,000 on private jets last quarter. Warren and her Democrat opponent Bernie Sanders have been using private planes to fly between Washington D.C. and Iowa during President Trump's impeachment trial. Premier Doug Ford, I am a Catholic teacher with 24 years experience teaching math in Catholic schools. I have a simple message for you: I am the union. Over the past few weeks, you have implied that the union is somehow a different entity than rank-and-file teachers. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association is a democratic institution. Much like Ontario, my fellow teachers directly elected our leadership. They are held accountable every year during elections at the annual general meeting in March. When you imply that we are being told what to do by union leaders, it reminds me of the days of former premier Mike Harriss references to union thugs. When you imply that union leadership is holding students hostage, you are implying that members of the Ontario College of Teachers have a vendetta against students. This is the epitome of divisive politics. The leadership of OECTA was given a 97.1 per cent mandate to engage in strike activities. In contrast, you were given a 40.5 per cent mandate by the people of Ontario. From time to time, I like to joke with my students that I am not very good with numbers, but in this case the facts are clear: You are holding the people of Ontario hostage with your damaging attitudes and policies toward publicly funded education in Ontario. Mark Melville, Carleton Place, Ont. Read more about: The tycoon once dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates' walked into a police station and submitted to arrest yesterday as he began an extradition battle with American authorities. Mike Lynch, 54, has been charged with fraud by the US Department of Justice over the 7billion sale of his former company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard (HP). The father of two made hundreds of millions of pounds from the 2011 deal but was later accused of having cooked the company's books. UK software tycoon Mike Lynch has been charged with fraud by the US Department for Justice over the 7bn sale of his former company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard He denies the allegations and his lawyers said his arrest in central London was a 'formality'. It was followed by a brief appearance in Westminster Magistrates' Court and he has vowed to 'vigorously' resist extradition. His lawyers said: 'Dr Lynch is a British citizen who ran a British company listed on the London Stock Exchange, governed by English law and UK accounting standards. This request reflects yet another example of the Department of Justice's attempts to exert extra-territorial jurisdiction over non-US conduct. 'Dr Lynch vigorously rejects all the allegations against him and is determined to continue to fight these charges.' Lynch has been described as the king of Cambridge's 'Silicon Fen' area of high-tech companies, and runs investment fund Invoke Capital. He was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise and served on former prime minister Theresa May's council of scientific advisers until he was charged in 2018. He lives in a 6million Georgian manor house set in 70 acres of Suffolk, where he keeps cows and pigs, and has a home in London. For ten months, he has been battling a separate 4billion damages claim over the sale of Autonomy in the High Court. It is thought to be the biggest fraud trial in English legal history His lawyers insist the claims only relate to events that took place in Britain and that US has no jurisdiction over the matter. His case is almost certain to reignite tensions over the 2003 Anglo-American extradition treaty, which critics say is stacked in the US's favour. US officials rejected a request to extradite an intelligence official's wife charged with the road death of motorcyclist Harry Dunn this month. But British businessmen extradited to face American charges include former Morgan Crucible boss Ian Norris, who was charged with obstructing justice, and the 'Natwest Three' Giles Darby, David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew, accused of fraud. Lynch's lead lawyers, Chris Morvillo and Reid Weingarten, said: 'The UK Serious Fraud Office previously investigated and did not pursue the allegations. 'Dr Lynch has now answered HP's claims in the appropriate forum, the High Court in London, where he attended court every day. 'He has not hidden, nor has he shied away from defending his conduct. The Department of Justice should not have commenced extradition proceedings prior to the judgment of the High Court.' Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial were shown naked photographs of the former Hollywood producer on Tuesday over his lawyers' objections. A sketch artist hired by Reuters saw a couple of the naked photos when they were passed to the jury and produced a drawing for the news agency. In the courtroom, prosecutors did not say why the photographs were introduced or how many were presented. A photographer employed by the Manhattan District Attorney's office testified that he took the pictures in June 2018. Weinstein did not respond to reporters' questions about what he thought of jurors viewing naked photos of him. Donna Rotunno, a lawyer for Weinstein, said in an email that the photos had been introduced for "no other reason than to shame Mr. Weinstein." Jessica Mann, a woman Weinstein is accused of raping, testified last week about the appearance of Weinstein's naked body. She said that when she first saw Weinstein, he had no testicles and appeared "deformed" or "intersex." The term refers to individuals with sex characteristics "that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies," according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting Mann and another woman, Mimi Haleyi. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. Witness Jessica Mann leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after testifying in the trial of Harvey Weinstein in New York. (REUTERS) On Tuesday, Weinstein's defense objected to the photographs being introduced but did not say why. They did not address Mann's testimony about Weinstein's physical appearance. Reuters could not determine if prosecutors introduced the photos in an effort to corroborate Mann's testimony. A representative for the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment. The trial is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business and politics. Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein, whose films included The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, has denied the allegations and has said any sexual encounters were consensual. Weinstein is charged with raping Mann in March 2013. Mann testified that the alleged rape happened in the course of an "extremely degrading" relationship with Weinstein that lasted for years. Weinstein's lawyer, Rotunno, pressed her over three days of cross examination about that relationship. "I know the history of my relationship with him," Mann said on Tuesday. "I know it was complicated and difficult. That doesnt change the fact that he raped me." Rotunno asked that the answer be stricken, but Justice James Burke denied the request. Mann's testimony on Monday had been cut short after she began weeping uncontrollably as she read aloud an email she wrote in 2014 describing Weinstein as a "pseudo father." Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
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Marriott has asked Congress to amend the law. IBM has a plan to slim it down. An unusual constellation of powerful companies and industries are fighting to weaken Big Tech by limiting the reach of one of its most sacred laws. The law, known as Section 230, makes it nearly impossible to sue platforms like Facebook or Google for the words, images and videos posted by their users. The companies motivations vary somewhat. Hollywood is concerned about copyright abuse, especially abroad, while Marriott would like to make it harder for Airbnb to fight local hotel laws. IBM wants consumer online services to be more responsible for the content on their sites. But they all see an opening as Democrats and Republicans increasingly raise their own concerns about the power of the tech industry and the law. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 has helped Facebook, Google and YouTube grow into giants by holding only the people who post the billions of pieces of content on their services responsible for libel or other legal issues. Former Vice President Joe Biden said in a recent interview that Section 230 should be immediately revoked. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are drafting bills that could increase the tech companies liability. The Justice Department is conducting a review of the law. People are either mad at tech companies and, legitimately in some cases, want to constrain their power for a lot of reasons, said Daphne Keller, a professor at Stanford Law School who used to be a lawyer for Google. Or companies are competing with tech companies and want to constrain their power for competitive reasons. And a lot of those reasons are really complicated, but the easiest lever to hurt tech companies that a lot of people see is 230. So far, the companies critical of the law have had mixed success with their lobbying. In 2018, Congress gave victims and prosecutors more power to sue websites that knowingly aided sex trafficking. The law passed with support from companies like Disney, Oracle and IBM. But the recent trade deal with Canada and Mexico contained Section 230-like protections, potentially locking in tech-friendly rules abroad. Now critics of Section 230 are focused on pushing to keep similar language out of future trade pacts. A handout distributed by Disneys lobbyists last year warned Congress that trade deals with the provision would make it difficult for Congress to change the law in a way that improved the internet. On an almost weekly basis, the handout said, additional concerns are being raised: illegal opioid sales, spread of terrorist propaganda, foreign government election meddling, spread of material and tools that help pedophiles connect. Companies like Google and Facebook say that without Section 230 protections, building a business that gives individuals a platform for their content online would be impossible. They say it also shields online platforms from lawsuits when they police criminal or distasteful content. Silicon Valley can employ significant resources to make its case. Google and Facebook spend millions a year on federal lobbying and are regular donors to outside policy groups. Their allies on Capitol Hill, like Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have defended the law. Michael Beckerman, president of the Internet Association, an industry group whose members include Google and Facebook, said Section 230 was foundational to almost everything people do online. It enables products and services that consumers love and rely upon every day, Beckerman said in a statement. While criticism of Section 230 had mounted for years, the coalition of corporate interests questioning the value of the protections took root in late 2017 when Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox backed the bill allowing lawsuits against web platforms for knowingly facilitating sex trafficking. I had never seen them getting involved in any Section 230 issues before, said Jeff Kosseff, a lawyer who wrote a book about the law. Now, hotel companies worry about Airbnbs use of Section 230 in lawsuits seeking to block local ordinances regulating home-sharing platforms. Judges have ruled against the company in many of those cases. The Washington lobbying group that represents companies like Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt has backed a bill that would amend Section 230 so it did not apply to home-rental services in many cases. Airbnb declined to comment. IBM, which like other enterprise software providers is trying to distance itself from businesses like Facebook, has supported adjusting Section 230 so companies must take reasonable care to keep unlawful uses of their platforms in check. The proposal would apply to companies that not only hosted information but also made it available to the public. That means it would cover a consumer service like Instagram but not to a cloud computing provider like IBM. The Motion Picture Association and the News Media Alliance, a group that lobbies for news organizations, have urged the Trump administration not to allow the protections in a future trade deal with Britain. The film groups concern is that it could make copyright enforcement more difficult. (The New York Times is a member of the News Media Alliance.) Many of the consumer groups that have been critical of Section 230 do not share the companies motivations. But they welcome the help from the companies, which have vast lobbying networks and the ability to get a meeting with the right aide at the right time. Gretchen Peters, who leads the Alliance to Counter Crime Online, a group critical of Section 230, said her small organization was spread thin. If somebody else, like the Disney folks or the hotel folks, set up a meeting, she said, Ill come along. As confirmed cases of coronavirus increase in China and around the world, medical professionals and government officials continue to work on how to move people in Hubei province, while trying to prevent spreading of the virus. Currently, there are over 20,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus globally, with the majority of cases in China. There have been more than 400 known deaths related to the virus to date. Yahoo Finance How concerned should we be about the coronavirus? On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this coronavirus is a global health emergency, but is not yet classified as a pandemic, defined by the organization as the worldwide spread of a new disease. "There is a window of opportunity because of the high measures, the strong measures China is taking at the epicentre, at the source, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, according to the BBC. So let's use this opportunity to prevent further spread and control it. There are currently three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ontario and two in B.C. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says the coronavirus risk is low for Canada, in addition to the risk to Canadian travellers abroad, not in China. The government still recommends that all Canadians avoid non-essential travel to China. Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has said that it will likely take at least a year before a vaccine to combat the new coronavirus is developed. What is the government doing to help Canadians in China? In a press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government hopes to bring people back to Canada from China very soon. On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirmed that Canada has secured a chartered plane. China is being fully cooperative with Canada, theres just a lot of processes to make sure that they can get through the local quarantines on the say to the airport, that all the proper paperwork is filled out, that identities are verified, and triple verified, Trudeau told reporters. Story continues Right now there is a larger number of Canadians asking for evacuation than there is space on the plane, thats why we have already got an option on the second plane. The federal government has now communicated with Canadians in Wuhan, China, indicating that they will be flown back to Canada on Thursday, according to The Canadian Press. It has been reported that they will only be allowed one carry-on bag and no luggage. Champagne confirmed on Wednesday that Canadians were scheduled to leave on Thursday morning local time, but has been pushed back by about 21 hours after crosswinds prevented the plane from leaving Hanoi, Vietnam. When they arrive in Canada, they will be quarantined at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton Ont., for 14 days. The flight will stop in Vancouver before landing in Trenton. How many people will be coming back to Canada? Over 300 Canadians have requested to be evacuated from Hubei province, but the plane only has room for 250. Ontarios chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, has said that anyone showing symptoms of illness will not be able to board the plane home. In order to get inside the airport, you have to be screened by Chinese authorities. In order to get on the plane, you have to be screened, Dr. Williams told reporters on Monday. We understand from Chinese authorities if you have symptoms, youre not going to be allowed inside the airport, let alone get on the plane. Canadas Health Minister Parry Hajdu confirmed that Canadians will undergo screening prior to boarding, during the flight and when they land at the Canadians Forces Base. The tentacles of the coronavirus have embraced the oil market, and Opec seems set to decide on an emergency cut in oil production to offset a collapse in demand from China. The oil market gives a snapshot of what is happening to the world economy, and in particular to world trade. Airlines cutting their flights to China have an immediate impact on aircraft fuel, but that is just an early sign of wider pressure. If factories in China shut down production, they will use less power. Many products use petroleum as a feedstock. If fewer goods are being produced, fewer ships will be needed to carry those goods around the world. So demand for bunker fuel declines. The travel and tourism industry is affected far from China, partly because fewer Chinese people are travelling, and partly because advice to non-Chinese not to travel to China is cutting travel to southeast Asia as well. The latest warning from the UK Foreign Office that UK residents should leave China will have a particularly chilling effect. Terming Iran's slain military commander Qasem Soleimani as a "ruthless butcher", President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the US military for carrying out a "flawless precision strike" that killed him and terminated his "evil reign of terror forever." Iranian major general Soleimani was killed last month in a US drone strike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad ordered by Trump, bringing the entire Gulf region close to a full-blown conflict. Regional tensions increased after Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles in a pre-dawn attack, targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces are stationed in Iraq, which Tehran said was a "slap in the face" of America. Delivering his 3rd State of the Union address to the US Congress, Trump said, "Soleimani was the Iranian Regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq." The US president said that as the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children and directed the December assault on the US Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. "That is why, last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," he said. "Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life," he added. Noting that in recent months, the US has seen proud Iranians raise their voices against their oppressive rulers, Trump said that Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death, and destruction and start working for the good of its own people. In retaliatory measures between the two nations, Trump last month imposed fresh crippling sanctions against Iran, targeting several of its top leaders, military commanders, and its infrastructure industry. "Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help," Trump said. "We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them," Trump added. My friend Stanley Kurtz has worked tirelessly with state legislatures to pass laws that protect campus free speech and promote intellectual diversity. Stanleys efforts have paid off. Beginning in 2015, a number of state legislatures passed laws banning so-called campus free-speech zones. Two years later came the second wave of campus reform legislation. These laws not only abolish free-speech zones but provide for the disciplining of students who shout down visiting speakers. They also set up an oversight system to monitor the performance of administrators in upholding the law, and include numerous other free-speech protections as well. Now, Stanley reports that a third wave of campus reform legislation may be coming. The focus of this wave is on intellectual diversity. Banning shout downs of visiting speakers was a good start. But if conservatives speakers arent invited on campus, there is no need to shout them down. Thus, Stanley, in collaboration with the National Association of Scholars, has published a model campus intellectual diversity bill. How would it work? Stanley explains: The basic idea is to have public universities create offices of Public Policy Events, which would be charged with organizing debates, panel discussions, and individual lectures designed to explore widely debated public-policy issues from divergent and competing perspectives. So, for example, the office might arrange debates on issues like trade, immigration, abortion, the Green New Deal, or single-payer health care. The office would also invite individual speakers to address such issues at different times and from different perspectives. The Office of Public Policy Events would publish a calendar listing all the events it organized, with the topics and speakers, and would make videos of its events available to the public. Academic departments and student groups could go on as usual inviting any speakers they like, with no requirement for balance. The Office of Public Policy Events would also publish a record of all public policy-related events on campus. This comprehensive list would give taxpayers, parents, and students a good sense of the extent of intellectual diversity available in campus public events. In Arizona, State Representative Anthony Kern has introduced HB 2238, based on the model campus intellectual diversity bill described above. Kern sponsored a bill in 2016 that eliminated free-speech zones at Arizonas public universities. Now, says Stanley, Kern has taken a groundbreaking step in what may turn out to be the third wave of campus-reform legislation. Tucson.com published a generally favorable report on Kerns bill. However, it raised the concern that that the Office of Public Policy Events might, for example, be required by law to arrange a lecture by a Holocaust denier to balance a lecture about the Holocaust given before a department or student group on campus. This concern is misplaced. As Stanley explains: There is no requirement in HB 2238 for the Office of Public Policy Events to balance talks arranged by departments or student groups on campus. The office only needs to seek for competing perspectives in the events it chooses to organize. There are no requirements in the law as to which specific issues ought to be debated. If the office doesnt believe that a given issue is worthy of debate, it is under no obligation to arrange a debate on that topic. The bill does contain a provision instructing the office to prioritize inviting speakers from outside the university who hold perspectives on widely debated public policy issues that are otherwise poorly represented on campus. This simply means that if the office decides to set up a debate on, say, the Green New Deal, and there are no professors on campus able and willing to speak against it, the office should seek speakers from outside the university to take that position in the debate. Bills based on the model campus intellectual diversity act have been introduced in other states, as well. To be sure, filing a bill is a far cry from getting a hearing, passing both houses, and obtaining a signature from the governor. However, as Stanley reminds us: Just putting the issue on the table is a big step. Filing a bill sets off debate and builds attention and support. Its not uncommon for it to take more than one legislative cycle for a new idea to get serious traction. Thus, with Anthony Kerns introduction of HB 2238. . .the idea of bringing greater intellectual diversity to our public university systems has taken a very big step forward. STEVE adds: Stanley will be the Power Line Show podcast guest this week. The interview is already in the can and will be released Friday or Saturday. The president and CEO of cranberry marketing cooperative Ocean Spray has been fired over allegations that he violated the company's policy against harassment. Bobby Chacko, who had led the Massachusetts-based agricultural cooperative since March 2018, was fired on Monday, the Boston Globe reported. It's unclear how Chako is accused of violating the anti-harassment policy. 'At Ocean Spray, we have pledged to hold everyone accountable and ensure that every decision is made in the best interest of the cooperative,' board chairman Peter Dhillon said in a statement. The president and CEO of cranberry marketing cooperative Ocean Spray Bobby Chako has been fired over allegations that he violated the company's policy against harassment 'It should be noted that Bobby Chacko helped to right the ship at Ocean Spray and set us on a new path. However, no matter how valuable someone's contributions may be, we simply cannot accept a violation of our company policy,' Dhillon said. Chako could not be immediately reached for comment. James White, the former president and CEO of Jamba Juice, will succeed Chako as interim Ocean Spray CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement. 'In James White, we have an interim CEO who has served as a Board Adviser and is well acquainted with the growth plan we have laid out,' said Dhillon. 'Combine that knowledge with his remarkable track record at other leading brands, including in the beverage space, and we believe James is ideally suited to keep Ocean Spray on a path to success in the immediate future.' Harvest of cranberries in a flooded bog in Massachusetts is seen in a file photo Chacko, a former executive at Mars Inc and the Coca-Cola, joined Ocean Spray in 2017 as senior vice president and chief global growth officer. He was promoted to CEO in March 2018 after the departure of Randy Papadellis. His tenure came at a difficult time for the company, in the midst of a cranberry surplus that put financial pressure on the brand. He reportedly responded with aggressive staffing cuts, even as his innovation team was pushed to bring new cranberry-based products to market. In October, the innovation team announced its first stand-alone brand, Atoka, an herbal wellness line incorporating cranberries. Four Tibetans Among Eight Confirmed Coronavirus Cases in Tibetan Area of Sichuan Province 2020-02-04 -- Four Tibetans are believed to be among eight confirmed novel coronavirus (nCoV) cases in a Tibetan area of western China's Sichuan province, RFA has learned. According to the Facebook and Weibo pages of Tsering Woeser, a Tibetan author, the eight confirmed cases were in Tawu county (Daofu in Chinese), Karze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Hospitals in the region are working with limited resources. In an announcement published Tuesday, the Tawu County People's Hospital asked for donations of protective clothing, disposable gowns, masks, medical-grade sanitizer, antibiotics and other supplies needed by frontline medical personnel working to contain nCoV's spread. This echoed a Jan. 29 announcement from the Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture People's Hospital which said the hospital was experiencing large patient volume, and that the hospital was treating people who had tested positive for nCoV. The hospital called for donations of medical items that exceed national standards. Meanwhile in the Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, two more patients were diagnosed with nCoV, increasing the total there to three. As of Tuesday, Qinghai had a total of 15 positive cases, with 12 in the capital Xining and the three in Tsojang, according to statistics confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese state media. In addition, there were eight total in the Karze, one in the Ngaba (Aba) and one in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous prefectures. Inside the Tibetan Autonomous Region (Xizang) only one confirmed case has been announced, an individual named Zhang who arrived in Lhasa by train from Hubei on Jan. 24. No further information was provided by the TAR authorities. Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content February not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 17:21 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062c19e8 1 National Tri-Rismaharini,cyber-crime,Surabaya-Mayor-Tri-Rismaharini,ITE-Law,surabaya,Surabaya-Police,East-Java Free Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has revealed that she was the one who reported Zikria Dzatil, a homemaker who was arrested for calling Risma a female frog in a Facebook post. Im the one who reported her, personally. I signed the report myself, she said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. Risma said she had received a lot of pressure from members of the public who wanted her to report the accounts owner to the police. She said she reported the post because she could not accept her parents being "degraded". If I am a frog, that means my mother is a frog, she said. Read also: Woman arrested, receives 'death threats' for Facebook post about Surabaya mayor The Surabaya Police arrested Zikria at her home on Jan. 31 and charged her with defamation for allegedly posting derogatory remarks about Risma on her Facebook account, which has since been deactivated. She had posted a photo of Risma sitting at a riverside with the caption kodok betina [female frog]. Zikria has expressed her remorse and has apologized for offending Risma. However, she and her children have had to endure cyberbullying as a result of the Facebook post. Risma said that she had accepted Zikrias apology. I have already forgiven her. Shes a human, and so am I. If she apologizes to me, then I should forgive her, Risma said, adding, however, that she would leave the legal process up to the Surabaya police. (dpk) Around 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks locked away on a cruise liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed on Wednesday that 10 people on the ship had tested positive for coronavirus and more cases were possible. While the infected patients were transferred by Japans coast guard to hospitals on the mainland, the remainder of the passengers and crew on board the Carnival Corp ship were placed in quarantine. Japans Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said: I want to take sufficient care of the health of passengers and crew and make every effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The decision means that passengers on Carnivals Diamond Princess, who had embarked for a planned eight-day round trip that was due begin on Tuesday, will instead spend at least 14 days off Yokohama port near Tokyo. Passengers on the ship took to social media to detail their predicament, posting photos of officials in masks and gowns conducting health checks, room service meals, empty corridors, and a barren deck. British passenger David Abel said all passengers were confined to their cabins on Wednesday morning, with staff delivering food room-by-room. He said: The challenging situation for me is that Im an insulin dependent diabetic. We dont have a choice in what we can eat, the announcement recently was that theyre starting on the bottom deck and working their way up Im on the ninth deck. This is not a good situation for me as a diabetic and Im certain that there are many, many more diabetics on the ship. Another passenger, using the handle @daxa_tw, tweeted that he was hearing from many sides that people are troubled and uneasy. The cruise ship was caught up in the global coronavirus epimedic after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the virus. The man disembarked in Kagoshima in Japans southern island of Kyushu on January 22, where he joined a bus tour, local media reported. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates A girl checks her mobile phone as she walks past the Bharti Airtel office building in Gurugram (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd reported its third straight quarterly loss on Tuesday, as India's third-largest telecom firm booked 10.50 billion rupees ($147 million) in charges related to spectrum fee payments and write-downs of network equipment. The company reported a loss of 10.35 billion rupees ($145 million) for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with a profit of 862 million rupees a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected the company to report a net loss of 5.52 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv data. The results come as Airtel and other telecom firms face demands from India's government to pay a combined $13 billion in overdue levies. That had prompted the company to warn in November about its ability to continue as a going concern. Airtel confirmed on Tuesday that those concerns no longer existed. Airtel, Vodafone Idea Ltd and billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio raised tariffs in December to counter the burden from the government's demands. As a new entrant, Jio is the least exposed to the dues. The company's average revenue per user at its India mobile services unit jumped nearly 30% to 135 rupees in the December quarter. Overall, its revenue rose 8.5% to 219.47 billion rupees. ($1 = 71.2280 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Philip George in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) Epic Systems CEO Judy Faulkner recently urged some of the largest health systems in the country to sign a letter opposing proposed rules designed to make it easier for patients to obtain their medical information and share it with apps. About 60 of these health systems have signed it. The letter, which was obtained by CNBC, was addressed to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and opposed proposed rules designed to help medical information flow more easily between health systems and patients. The rules also aim to make clinical data accessible through application programming interfaces (APIs). Epic, which is privately held, sells its electronic medical record software to hospitals across the country and is one of the largest health-technology companies in the U.S. An Epic installation is a major undertaking and can cost upwards of $1 billion for a major health system to implement. Epic's CEO Judy Faulkner previously urged health care executives to take a stand with her: "HHS needs to hear from you so they understand that you feel these issues are important," it says. "Very little time is left." A spokesperson for HHS told CNBC that it did indeed receive the letter. "We appreciate all stakeholder feedback as we continue to finalize the rules," they said. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure that patients are able to easily access their electronic medical records." The largest technology companies, alongside patient advocates and caregivers, have taken the opposite stance and have spoken out in favor of the rules. Apple, Microsoft and Google recently joined a call with a non-profit called Carin Alliance to discuss ways to get the rule finalized and released. These companies favor the rules, in part because greater interoperability between systems that store medical records could help them move into the $3.5 trillion health care sector. "There are many health systems that have deep concerns regarding the rule, and they've shared those concerns with HHS," Epic said in a statement to CNBC. "We are supportive of the goals of the proposed regulations, but we believe that important changes must be made to the rule before it becomes final in order to protect the privacy of patients and their personal health information. We appreciate the work that HHS is doing to incorporate different perspectives and ensure that the final rule is a good one." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 18:34:00|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close HARARE, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)'s Organ on Politics, Defense and Security, has commended the Malawian Constitutional Court for upholding the Constitution. This follows Monday's ruling by the court that the May 2019 presidential election won by President Peter Mutharika should be re-run because it had been fraught with irregularities. In a statement dated Feb. 4 and released to media Wednesday, Mngangagwa said SADC acknowledged the Constitutional Court's decision nullifying the results of the May 21 presidential election and the order that fresh elections should take place. "SADC commends the Constitutional Court for upholding the Malawian Constitution, and the electoral law in the conduct of the petition. SADC urges all stakeholders to respect the judgment of the Constitutional Court, and maintain peace and tranquility whilst the relevant national institutions prepare for fresh elections," he said. He added that SADC would continue to support Malawi in the election process as guided by the SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic elections and would remain seized with developments in the country. The Malawi Electoral Commission had declared Mutharika winner of the election with a narrow victory of 38 percent of votes against Lazarus Chakwera's 35 percent and Saulos Chilima's 30 percent. The two rivals petitioned the court to have the results nullified on the basis that the process was fraught with irregularities. In a U-turn, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to direct the NIA to handover the probe in the case relating to the arrest of two CPI(M) student activists under the UAPA back to Kerala police. The letter to Shah comes a day after Vijayan strongly defended in the state assembly the NIA's decision to take over UAPA cases against the activists Alan Shuhaib and Taha Fazal. In a letter to Shah, Vijayan said: "I request you to kindly give appropriate directions and grant approval to the National Investigating Agency for handing over the case back to the Kerala Police to carry on with the investigations which were being effectively carried out." Referring to a judgment of Bombay High Court relating to a case involving Bhopal BJP MP, Pragya Singh Thakur, Vijayan said though the instant case constitutes a scheduled offence, it was not having the gravity of the offence which is of a high degree requiring taking over by the NIA. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister informed the House that he has written to the Union Home Minister seeking handing over the case back to Kerala police. Vijayan had on Tuesday told the Assembly that some terrorists "operating in the state" have connections with Maoists and asked the Congress not to glorify the ultras. He made the remarks while opposing a notice for an adjournment motion sought to be moved by the opposition UDF against slapping of cases against two students under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged Maoist links and the NIA probe. However, in the letter to Shah, the Chief Minister said the state government was of the opinion that taking over of investigation by the NIA at a stage when the Kerala police has been effectively investigating the case was "quite unwarranted." "None of the ingredients mentioned in the statement of objects and reasons of the NIA Act appears to be relevant in the instant case," he said in the letter. The chief minister had earlier said investigation in the cases were taken over by the National Investigation Agency on the union Home ministry's direction which invited a strong reaction from the leader of the opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala. "Why can't the chief minister approach Amit Shah seeking withdrawal of UAPA against these two students. It is better than falling at the feet of the Governor," Chennithala had said in the assembly, mocking Vijayan. He was apparently referring to the recent exchanges between the governor and LDF government over the latter's stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act. After Khan read the reference to the anti-CAA resolution in his policy address to the assembly last week despite disagreeing with it, Chennithala had said the government and the Governor had come to a "truce". In his letter to Shah, Vijayan said the opposition had expressed the view that the case should be investigated by the Kerala police. "This reveals a consensual view in favour of continued investigation by the Kerala police. The legal advice received by the government of Kerala also favours retention of the case with Kerala police," he added. Fazal and Suhaib, students of journalism and law respectively and the CPI(M)'s branch committee members were arrested in Kozhikode on November 2 last year, with the action drawing widespread criticism in the Left-ruled state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Emission Monitoring Systems market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.9 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 8.8%. CEMS, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 9.3%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$2.7 Billion by the year 2025, CEMS will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798491/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 7.5% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$63.9 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$54.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, CEMS will reach a market size of US$131.2 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 13.1% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$532.5 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, ABB Ltd.; AMETEK, Inc.; Chemtrols Industries Pvt. Ltd.; CMC Solutions LLC; Durag Holding AG; Ecotech Pty., Ltd.; Emerson Electric Company; Enviro Technology Services; Environnement SA; Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.; General Electric Company; Horiba Ltd.; Opsis AB; Parker Hannifin Corporation; Protea Ltd.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; SICK AG; Siemens AG; Teledyne Technologies Inc.; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798491/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Emission Monitoring Systems Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Emission Monitoring Systems Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Emission Monitoring Systems Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: CEMS (System Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: CEMS (System Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: CEMS (System Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: PEMS (System Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: PEMS (System Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: PEMS (System Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Hardware (Offering) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Hardware (Offering) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Hardware (Offering) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Software (Offering) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Software (Offering) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Software (Offering) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Services (Offering) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: Services (Offering) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 18: Services (Offering) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Power Plants & Combustion (Industry) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Power Plants & Combustion (Industry) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Power Plants & Combustion (Industry) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Oil & Gas (Industry) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Oil & Gas (Industry) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Oil & Gas (Industry) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Chemicals (Industry) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Chemicals (Industry) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Chemicals (Industry) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Petrochemicals, Refineries, & Fertilizers (Industry) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 29: Petrochemicals, Refineries, & Fertilizers (Industry) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 30: Petrochemicals, Refineries, & Fertilizers (Industry) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: Building Materials (Industry) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 32: Building Materials (Industry) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 33: Building Materials (Industry) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: Pulp & Paper (Industry) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 35: Pulp & Paper (Industry) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 36: Pulp & Paper (Industry) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 37: Other Industries (Industry) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 38: Other Industries (Industry) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 39: Other Industries (Industry) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 40: United States Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 41: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the United States by System Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 42: United States Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: United States Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the United States by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 45: United States Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: United States Emission Monitoring Systems Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 48: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 49: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 50: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by System Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 51: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by System Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 52: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 53: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 54: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 55: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 56: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Industry for 2009-2017 Table 57: Canadian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 58: Japanese Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 59: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 60: Japanese Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 61: Japanese Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 63: Japanese Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 64: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 65: Japanese Emission Monitoring Systems Market in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 66: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Shift in Japan by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 67: Chinese Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 68: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 69: Chinese Emission Monitoring Systems Market by System Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 70: Chinese Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 72: Chinese Emission Monitoring Systems Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 73: Chinese Demand for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 74: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Review in China in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 75: Chinese Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Emission Monitoring Systems Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 76: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 77: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 79: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018-2025 Table 80: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Europe in US$ Million by System Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 81: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 83: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Europe in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 84: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 85: European Emission Monitoring Systems Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 86: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 87: European Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 88: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in France by System Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 89: French Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 90: French Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 91: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in France by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 92: French Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 93: French Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Emission Monitoring Systems Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 95: French Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 96: French Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 97: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 98: German Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 99: German Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 100: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 101: German Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 102: German Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 104: German Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 105: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in Germany by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 106: Italian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 108: Italian Emission Monitoring Systems Market by System Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 109: Italian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 110: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 111: Italian Emission Monitoring Systems Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 112: Italian Demand for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 113: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 114: Italian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 115: United Kingdom Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 117: United Kingdom Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 118: United Kingdom Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 119: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 120: United Kingdom Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 121: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: United Kingdom Emission Monitoring Systems Market in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 123: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 124: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 125: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by System Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 126: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by System Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 127: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 128: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 129: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 130: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Industry for 2009-2017 Table 132: Spanish Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 133: Russian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 134: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Russia by System Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 135: Russian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Russian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 137: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Russia by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 138: Russian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 139: Russian Emission Monitoring Systems Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 140: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 141: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown in Russia by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 142: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018-2025 Table 143: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by System Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 144: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 145: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 146: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 147: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 149: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Rest of Europe Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 151: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 152: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 153: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Asia-Pacific by System Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 155: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 156: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Asia-Pacific by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 159: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: Emission Monitoring Systems Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 161: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 162: Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 163: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 164: Australian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 165: Australian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 166: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 167: Australian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 168: Australian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 169: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 170: Australian Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 171: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in Australia by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 172: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 173: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by System Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 174: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by System Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 175: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 176: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 177: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Offering for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 178: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 179: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Industry for 2009-2017 Table 180: Indian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 181: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 182: South Korean Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 183: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in South Korea by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 185: South Korean Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 186: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 188: South Korean Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 189: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 190: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 191: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 192: Rest of Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 193: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Emission Monitoring Systems: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2009-2017 Table 195: Rest of Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 196: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 197: Rest of Asia-Pacific Emission Monitoring Systems Market in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 198: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 199: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 200: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 201: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 202: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 203: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 204: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market by System Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 205: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 206: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 207: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market by Offering: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 208: Latin American Demand for Emission Monitoring Systems in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 209: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 210: Latin American Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 211: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018-2025 Table 212: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Argentina in US$ Million by System Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 213: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 214: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018-2025 Table 215: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Offering: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 216: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 217: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 218: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2009-2017 Table 219: Argentinean Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 220: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Brazil by System Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 221: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 222: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 223: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Brazil by Offering: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 224: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 225: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 226: Emission Monitoring Systems Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by Industry: 2018-2025 Table 227: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 228: Brazilian Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Industry for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 229: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by System Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 230: Mexican Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by System Type: 2009-2017 Table 231: Mexican Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 232: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Offering for the Period 2018-2025 Table 233: Mexican Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Offering: 2009-2017 Table 234: Mexican Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 235: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry for the Period 2018-2025 Table 236: Mexican Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Industry: 2009-2017 Table 237: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Distribution in Mexico by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 238: Rest of Latin America Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 239: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Latin America by System Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 240: Rest of Latin America Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by System Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 241: Rest of Latin America Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 242: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in Rest of Latin America by Offering: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 243: Rest of Latin America Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Offering: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 244: Rest of Latin America Emission Monitoring Systems Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Industry: 2018 to 2025 Table 245: Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Industry in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 246: Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by Industry: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 247: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 248: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 249: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 250: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by System Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 251: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market by System Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 252: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by System Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 253: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Offering: 2018 to 2025 Table 254: The Middle East Emission Monitoring Systems Historic Market by Offering in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 255: Emission Monitoring Systems Market in the Middle Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the complete Table of Contents Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798491/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Event We live in the era of hyper-connection that has irreversibly changed the boundary between online and offline, between the material and the intangible world. We live "OnLife" and this changes the relationship between man, machines, people, things and nature. We are all protagonists of the "inadvertent revolution", each receiving object and subject creating content. In the Travel sector, if possible, this revolution is even more complete; new programs, new apps, new media, new technologies, each capable of modifying the journey in a way that is as imperceptible as it is profound. Artificial intelligence, machines that "learn", internet of things: even semantically, the progressive attribution of human prerogatives to objects is evident. Relationships change, behavior changes, the organization of services and the decision-making / purchase path of each traveler change. We need new cognitive models to orient ourselves in the present, to read and understand the world, bringing man back to the center. An important challenge that concerns us as operators, as tourists and as people. As a guide in this process we have chosen the Onlife Manifesto of the European Commission (Prof. Floridi), a document that deals with profound change investigating the new human condition in the digital age. We will resume the theme of "Human", already addressed in previous editions, but in a different meaning: projected towards the self, in search of a "center of gravity" in the travel market marked by complex transformations. BTO2020 Travel Onlife is organized by BTO Buy Tourism Online " " Chopsticks come in many different shapes and styles, and have been a staple utensil since around 1200 B.C.E. eleonora galli/Getty Images While they may seem like a cruel tool that distinguish sushi regulars from novices, chopsticks entered the world well before California rolls and bento boxes. The utensils earned their place at the Chinese dinner table around 400 C.E., but were institutionalized in China well before that think around 1200 B.C.E. Fast forward 3,000 years and an exorbitant amount of rice later, and these thin handheld sticks have only grown in popularity. More than 20 percent of the world's population relies on chopsticks for eating. China alone goes through 45 billion disposable pairs per year. So how did two sticks start a massive mealtime revolution? Advertisement Chopsticks Started Out As Cooking Tools China was the first to experiment with chopsticks nearly 3,000 years ago. But at that time, they weren't used as eating utensils. The Chinese used them for cooking since they could safely dip them into boiling pots of water. Then China's population boomed. Cooks were forced to conserve resources, which meant chopping food into tiny bites that used less fuel to cook. Bite-sized foods, paired with Chinese philosopher and vegetarian Confucius' anti-knife beliefs, set up the utensil for widespread adoption beyond China. (Confucius saw knives as a reminder of the slaughterhouse.) Advertisement Not All Chopsticks Are the Same Chopsticks are different throughout Asian cultures. Chinese chopsticks, for instance, are long and thick "to facilitate dining around the table," Ruixi Hu, founder of Lost Plate Food Tours, says in an email. Hu grew up in Chengdu, China, where she first used chopsticks at age 2. She now leads food tours throughout Asia and she's encountered many chopsticks varieties in the process. In Japan, where bamboo chopsticks were adopted in 500 C.E. for religious ceremonies, chopsticks have evolved drastically over time. They're now particularly finetuned for one of Japan's main foods: fish. "Japanese chopsticks are short and sharp, mainly because [the Japanese] are good at eating fish, and it is easy to remove fish bones with sharp chopsticks," Hu says. The Japanese usually eat individual portions versus shared dishes, she explains. That's why their chopsticks don't need to be as long. " " Japanese chopsticks tend to be shorter and sharper than others to make it easier for the user to pick up sushi and fish. South_agency/Getty Images While ubiquitous now, disposable wooden chopsticks were first invented by the Japanese in 1878. The upper class in China and Japan used ivory, jade, coral and silver chopsticks. They believed the latter would "corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food." Now, China uses bamboo for chopsticks since it's so easy and inexpensive to obtain. Head over to South Korea and chopsticks look a bit different. There, chopsticks are flat and typically made of metal. That's because South Koreans love barbecue, Hu says. The metal chopsticks won't burn when diners are grilling their meat tableside. And, despite their prevalence in American restaurants, Thais don't really use chopsticks. (Historically the Thai ate with bare hands and, when necessary, with forks or spoons.) Advertisement How You Hold Your Chopsticks Matters Hu says chopsticks holding styles are more about personal preference than geography, but certain regions hold beliefs about what chopstick-holding preferences mean. "In my hometown, people say if you hold chopsticks toward the bottom (closer to your food) you will marry someone nearby," she says. "If you hold them at the top, far away from the food, you will marry someone far away." Another belief is "the further apart you hold your chopsticks, the further from home you will go," according to the website China Highlights. That's why those in rural China often hold their chopsticks parallel or in an "X" shape, while foreigners or those in more urban parts of China hold chopsticks apart in a V-formation. While holding styles may be subjective, chopsticks etiquette is not. Everything Chopsticks says there are rules to follow: Don't eat straight from serving dishes (eat from your plate). Don't use chopsticks to pierce food if you can't grab it. Only use serving chopsticks to access food in main dishes. Don't dig through food in the main serving dish. Don't place chopsticks straight on the table (place them on your own dish or a rest). Never point chopsticks at fellow diners even if they're resting atop your bowl. And speaking of resting chopsticks, Hu has some advice for westerners. "You should never stick your chopsticks into your food and let them rest there; you should always place them on top of the bowl or plate, parallel to the table," she says. "This is because sticking them in your food is similar to putting incense in a pot or bowl, which is what we do for ancestors who have passed away. So if you do this, we think it means you've called some homeless street ghosts." Advertisement Why And How to Use Chopsticks For the untrained, chopsticks may seem rule-heavy, high risk and given spills and slip-ups hardly worth the reward. But these small bamboo utensils do have surprising benefits. According to Dr. David Samadi, chopsticks can actually help diners maintain a healthy weight because they force you to eat slowly, thus helping control your portion size and reduce your risk of heartburn. So what's the best way to hold them? "Take one chopstick and hold it like a pencil," Hu says. "This will create a hole because your thumb and index finger will touch, and then you just slide the other chopstick through the hole. You should really only need to move the chopstick that you are holding like a pencil, the other one stays still." Easier said than done. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING If chopsticks terrify you, it could be more than fear of embarrassment. Consecotaleophobia is a real-life fear of chopsticks that causes anxiety even at the sight and sometimes thought of these wooden utensils. Advertisement Originally Published: Feb 5, 2020 By Susan Cornwell, David Morgan and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's top Republican exhorted fellow senators on Tuesday to acquit President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, warning the fate of the country depended on it, even as his Democratic counterpart called Trump a threat to democracy. The partisan rancor in the dueling speeches by Republican Senator Mitch McConnell and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer underscored the wider polarization in the country over Trump's impeachment on charges arising from his dealings with Ukraine By Susan Cornwell, David Morgan and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's top Republican exhorted fellow senators on Tuesday to acquit President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, warning the fate of the country depended on it, even as his Democratic counterpart called Trump a threat to democracy. The partisan rancor in the dueling speeches by Republican Senator Mitch McConnell and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer underscored the wider polarization in the country over Trump's impeachment on charges arising from his dealings with Ukraine. Several of Trump's fellow Republicans said they disapproved of his efforts to pressure Ukraine last summer to investigate a political rival. But they said those actions were not serious enough to remove him from office. Others in the Republican-controlled chamber said voters would have a chance to render a verdict on Trump in the November presidential election. As the day drew on, it appeared Senate Republicans might be unanimous in voting to acquit Trump when the vote takes place on Wednesday. Senator Susan Collins, one of a handful of moderate Republicans, said she would vote for Trump's acquittal. That appeared to leave the vote of only one other Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, in play. His office said only that he would make a floor speech before the vote. The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump on Dec. 18 on charges of abuse of power for asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter and obstruction of Congress for blocking testimony and documents sought in the investigation. McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, warned that impeachment risked becoming just another partisan weapon. "We must vote to reject the House abuse of power, vote to protect our institutions, vote to reject new precedents that would reduce the framers' design to rubble, vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic," he said. Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said it "is the beginning of the end of democracy" if Americans believe their elections are being manipulated through foreign interference, such as that solicited by Trump. Trump has drawn almost uniform support against removal among Republican senators, although several have called his actions wrong and inappropriate. "It was wrong for him to ask a foreign country to investigate a political rival," said Collins, who faces re-election this year in Maine. WHISTLEBLOWER Republican Senator Rand Paul stated the purported name of the anonymous whistleblower from the U.S. intelligence community whose complaint about Trump's request to Ukraine triggered the House impeachment inquiry. Paul last week put the name, reported by conservative media as the whistleblower, in a written question to be asked during the trial, but U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts as the presiding officer declined to read it. Trump has called for the whistleblower's identity to be exposed. The intelligence community has not named the whistleblower, and Democrats have said identifying such individuals could expose them to retaliation and deter others from reporting wrongdoing within the government. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters that Trump would not accept censure - a congressional rebuke short of removal floated by moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Gidley said Trump had done nothing wrong. Biden, the former U.S. vice president, is a contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in the election. McConnell expressed surprise at the Democrats' decision to impeach Trump, saying that his acquittal was always assured. A two-thirds vote is needed in the Senate to remove Trump from office and his fellow Republicans occupy 53 of the 100 seats. The Constitution allows for the removal of a president for committing "high crimes and misdemeanors." McConnell said he disagreed with the view offered by Trump's legal team that a president could not be impeached without a violation of statutory law. Democratic Senator Edward Markey said that if Republicans acquit Trump, "a majority in this chamber will have made President Trump a dictator." (Reporting by Susan Cornwell, Alexandra Alper, David Morgan, Makini Brice, Richard Cowan, Lisa Lambert, Patricia Zengerle and Susan Heavey; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Wed, February 5, 2020 13:13 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062af1e8 1 National denpasar,pig,swine-flu,African-swine-fever-in-Indonesia,outbreak Free Balinese authorities have confirmed that the resort island has been plagued by African swine fever (ASF) following the deaths of nearly 1,000 pigs in the province over the past few months. Despite the outbreak, authorities claim they have successfully contained the spread of the disease, as there have been no more pigs dying in the last few days. The pigs died because of the African swine fever, Bali agriculture and food security agency head Ida Bagus Wisnuardhana told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. Read also: 'It's safe to eat pork': Bali launches campaign against swine fever outbreak with delicacies He added that the agency had conducted laboratory tests on blood samples taken from the dead pigs. The tests were conducted at a veterinary laboratory in Medan, North Sumatra because it has more equipment than the ones in Bali. North Sumatra also has more experience in identifying pig diseases following an ASF outbreak that killed more than 50,000 pigs across the province last year. Read also: Hundreds of pigs in Bali killed by mystery disease According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), ASF is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. While ASF is not a risk to human health, the disease can transmit to other pigs through direct and indirect contact, such as through ingestion of contaminated material. According to the agency, at least 888 pigs have died from the disease within the last two months. Badung regency recorded the highest number of deaths with a total of 598, followed by Tabanan with 219, Denpasar with 45, Gianyar with 24 and Bangli and Karangasem with one each. Ida said the outbreak in Bali was triggered by pig farmers being negligent while feeding their livestock. We suspect that those pigs were infected by ASF because many farmers gave them spoiled leftovers and raw food material from hotels without cooking it first, he said. The agency had issued a circular in December regarding the numerous pig deaths across Bali, warning farmers not to feed their livestock with leftovers and raw food material from hotels. Should they not have other choices, the agency suggested farmers boil the food first. Read also: Save Pigs campaign kicks off in North Sumatra following African swine fever outbreak Responding to the outbreak, Ida said that his office had been working hard to prevent its spread. The agency recorded that the pig population across the resort island can reach up to 800,000. We are working to raise farmers awareness [of the disease]. Hopefully, they can ramp up biosecurity by keeping pig cages clean. This way, they wont suffer worse loss, Ida said, adding that the agency had distributed free disinfectant to farmers. The agency claimed success in preventing the disease from spreading further as it recorded zero pig deaths in the last six days. The authorities said they believed that the outbreak would not affect Balis tourism industry, as ASF is known only to infect pigs. There are no cases of transmission to humans. Its not a zoonosis, Bali tourism agency head Putu Satawa said. I am confident this will not have impact on the tourism sector. Badung Hotel and Restaurant Association chairman IGN Rai Suryawijaya echoed Putus confidence: People know that the swine fever cannot infect humans. (kuk) By Trend The practice of using webcams during the elections has successfully proven itself many times, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said at the CEC meeting in Baku on Feb. 4, Trend reports. Such cameras have been installed in 1,000 polling stations (about 20 percent) in Azerbaijan, the chairman said. It is very easy to monitor the election process through the cameras and no permission is required. Any person may visit the CECs website and observe the voting process in 1,000 polling stations via the webcams, the chairman said. It is possible to view the Azerbaijani elections from any country. Only internet is required. This is also accepted in the electoral practice of other democratic countries." "All necessary conditions have been created in Azerbaijan to conduct transparent and free parliamentary elections, said Panahov. The early parliamentary elections will be held in Azerbaijan on February 9. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A bioweapon is a virus, protozoan, bacterium, parasite, or fungus that can purposefully be turned into a weapon and deployed against fellow humans during war. Self-replicating toxins and pathogens can also be turned into bioweapons with devastating effects. To date, there exist an estimated 1,200 different kinds of bioagents that have already been weaponized or possess the potential to be turned into a bioweapon. More than 500 million people have died of infectious diseases in the past century, and most have been attributed to bioweapons. The first time pathogens and toxins were deployed in the war was 1763 when the British Army used smallpox against the Native American Indians during the French and Indian war. Another occasion popped up during WWI when Germany attacked its enemies with biological weapons. The impact was not that great, but the act alone laid the groundwork for future use of bioweapons. Here are the most dangerous Bioweapons ever created by humans. Anthrax The Bacillus anthracis bacterium is one of the deadliest agents ever to be weaponized in history. The American disease control arms of the government have categorized Bacillus anthracis as a Category A threat, a rank designated for dangerous elements that pose a hazard to national security. The spores that house Anthrax bacteria are naturally present in soils and can also be cultured in a laboratory. What makes them dangerous is their ability to spread quickly and survive for a long time even when exposed to harsh environmental conditions. Anthrax has been used for long as a weapon and was usually mixed with powder, water, and food. In 2001, letters containing powdered anthrax were sent to 22 people across the US, and five of these people later died. The Japanese army deliberately infected Chinese prisoners in Manchuria with anthrax which led to the death of 10,000 people during the WWI. The UK military tested a spore delivery system for anthrax on the island of Gruinard in Scotland, and these pores ended up surviving for a long time affecting people living close to the area. Botulinum Toxin Botulinum is a toxin that is relatively easy to produce and can be distributed through aerosols, water contamination and food provisions. The Botulinum toxin is so hazardous that a mere gram of it is potent enough to wipe out a million people when they inhale. Botulinum paralyzes muscles and blurs vision. The bacterium behind Botulinum is called Clostridium. The toxin is naturally present in damp forest soils, lake beds, and shallow streams. Records show that the Japanese army experimented with prisoners in Manchuria by injecting them with Clostridium botulinum leading to grave consequences. Smallpox Variola major is a virus responsible for causing smallpox. It is a highly infectious disease with no known treatment, and if it were not for the discovery of its vaccine, it was well on its way to wiping out humans off the face of the planet. Over 300 million humans died of smallpox in the twentieth century, the highest death toll by a disease ever recorded. The weaponization of smallpox was first attempted during the war against Native Americans by the British Army. In 1980, the then Soviet government started a program of developing the smallpox virus for use as a weapon at the height of the cold war. However, smallpox poses no threat of ever being weaponized thanks to the move by the World Health Organization in 1967 to launch a global immunization program. Tularemia Caused by the Francisella tularensis bacterium, tularemia is another hazardous bio-weapon agent that has a wide range of effects on the human body like skin ulcers, cough, fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Infection occurs when humans come into contact with animals infected or killed by tularemia. Being bitten by an infected animal is another sure way of being affected by the disease. During the battle for Stalingrad in WWII, the then Soviet Army is believed to have deployed tularemia against the German forces. Francisella tularensis bacteria is a Category A threat. Ebola The deadly disease is caused by the Ebola virus, which was first brought to the worlds attention in 1976 when it was encountered in DRC. Transmission is through contact and has a fatality rate of 50%. Between 1986 and 1990, the Soviet Union started a program aimed at weaponizing Ebola. Evidence of that program ever coming to fruition or Ebola being used as a weapon anywhere on earth has never been found. Weaponizing Ebola is possible, but it is a costly endeavour since the disease mainly spreads through contact. Pneumonic Plague The plague is caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, which is another Category A organism. The plague carries the most significant potential of being weaponized as it is easy to mass-produce it in a laboratory with minimal cost. It is also one of the oldest bioweapons as there is evidence of it being first used in the 14th century when it started the great Black Death in Europe that claimed 50 million lives. The plague can be deployed by a simple aerosol. Once a human is infected, they can quickly spread it to others, making the disease extremely dangerous and hard to control once it sets into motion. The Japanese army deployed fleas infected with plague over Manchuria during WWII. Russian scientists were also able to create a new strain of the plague that is resistant to antibiotics for weaponization in the 1980s. The Marburg Virus It is a category A virus that causes the deadly Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever. The virus has been traced to the African fruit bat. It can quickly be developed in the laboratory and experiments were conducted by Soviet scientists in the 1980s. It was found that the Marburg virus was responsible for Q fever and was the most potent with a high fatality rate of 90%. Others Other notable pathogens with the potential to be weaponized include the Bunyavirus which has three other strains, namely Nairovirus, Phlebovirus, and Hantavirus. Hantavirus causes the Korean hemorrhagic fever that killed more than 3,000 soldiers during the Korean War. Aflatoxins have also been used during the Gulf War by the Iraqi army although the impact was not widespread. Rice Blast Fungus is bioweapon that attacks food crops and is researched and developed by Russia and the United States during the cold war. Dealing With Bioweapons The use of bioweapons is strictly forbidden under customary international humanitarian law. However, it has not stopped many governments from conducting covert research into bioweapons. As of 2018, about 17 countries had a bioweapon program, including America, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and Russia, among many others. Bioterrorism groups like the Aum Shinrikyo from Japan have for long spread fear with the threat of unleashing bioweapons in Tokyo. The danger that bioweapons pose has been the force behind many international accords and pacts signed in the last 100 years in a bid to reign in on the use of bioweapons. The 1925 Geneva Protocol banned the use of bioweapons in wars. The Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 went a step further and banned the production, acquisition, and stockpiling of bioweapons. The 180 states that were party to the convention were required to destroy any existing bioweapon stockpiles that they had. Governments around the world are now on alert as more terrorist groups turn their attention towards the use of bioweapons. Strict regulations have been passed to stamp out the menace. The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an investigation into an allegation by an online publication that the court was planning to jail a former Benue governor, Gabriel Suswam. Igberetvnews claimed that Justice Okon Abang, who is presently presiding over the trial of Mr Suswam, had prior contact with the prosecution team and some All Progressives Congress (APC) officials in respect to the case. In his ruling on Wednesday, Mr Abang, after taking arguments from lawyers in the ongoing trial, ordered that the investigation be carried out into the allegations by the publication. The judge asked the Inspector-General of Police, State Security Service (SSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to conduct the investigation. He gave them 21 days to submit the report of their findings. Court session At the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday, the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, had informed the court of the publication made against the court as presently constituted, describing it as scandalous. The lawyers to Mr Suswam, alongside that of the other defendants, Omadachi Oklobia, Chinelo Ogbozor, and Paul Erokoro also condemned the publication. All the lawyers in the case then urged the court to order for an investigation into the matter to unravel the mystery behind the publication. In his ruling on the matter, Mr Abang described it as a serious issue of national importance. Mr Abang held that any agency of the executive arm of government that is charged with the investigation of cybercrime offenders was competent to investigate the matter. What the court is concerned about is the truth of this publication. The persons that published this scandalous publication, he held. I hereby order that the Inspector-General of Police, Department of State Security Services, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission shall jointly carry out thorough investigation and determine the truth or otherwise of the online publication by Igbere TV News on the 2nd day of February 2020, captioned: Just In- N3.1m Fraud: Justice Abang, Secretly Meets APC Stakeholders, EFCC Prosecutor To Jail Susan. They will also determine the sponsors and the persons that made the publication. These departments mentioned above shall submit their report of their findings to the registrar of this court as presently constituted and copies served the counsel representing parties within 21 days from today. Upon receipt of the report, the court shall make further consequential order in this matter. The prosecution shall serve the enrolled order in this matter with the copies of the publication on the IGP and DSS, he held. Mr Abang, then, adjourned the matter till February 10, 11 and 12, for cross-examination. Trial Mr Suswam and the then Commissioner for Finance in his administration, Mr Oklobia, are being prosecuted before the court on N3.1 billion money laundering charges. They were accused by the anti-graft agency of diverting the money which was said to be part of the proceeds of the sale of some shares of Benue in a company. Mr Suswam is presently the senator representing Benue North-east Senatorial District in the National Assembly. Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, Feb. 5, and a major retail layoff has hit the Bay Area. Heres what you need to know to start your day. An election night, Iowa-style voting debacle isnt going to happen in California on March 3. But that doesnt mean primary voters and anxious Democratic presidential candidates are going to know the winners that night, or even that week. John Wildermuth explains why. Meanwhile, Joe Garofoli reports on whether Iowas chaos means Californias vote could become more of a deciding factor in the Democratic race. Congressional snubs: Rep. Jackie Speier walks out on President Trumps State of the Union address. Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of the presidents speech. Not final: Buttigieg, Sanders lead as Iowa releases partial results. Voter resource: The Chronicles 2020 primary voter guide. Gig-work fight Uber and Lyft drivers did not automatically become employees when AB5, Californias landmark gig-work law, took effect Jan. 1 and ride-hail companies are battling to keep drivers as independent contractors. On Wednesday more than 100 Uber and Lyft drivers statewide escalated the matter by filing wage claims with the state Labor Commissioners Office, The Chronicle has learned. They are seeking to be classified as employees and reimbursed for back wages, overtime and expenses for the past three years amounts that for some drivers add up to over $100,000 each, Carolyn Said reports. How SFO is screening Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle In response to a coronavirus that has killed hundreds in China, the U.S. is now barring entry to foreign nationals, except for permanent residents and close family members, who had been in the country in the last two weeks and imposing a mandatory quarantine on anyone, including U.S. citizens, who was in Hubei province, where the outbreak is most pronounced. Mallory Moench reports on the procedures San Francisco International Airport is using to screen travelers for coronavirus and what that actually looks like in practice. Nightmare for Silicon Valley: Coronavirus travel ban strands workers, entrepreneurs. Key information: Confirmed cases, flu confusion and basic seasonal hygiene what Bay Area residents should know. Back on the ballot Colin Young-Wolff / Associated Press Rent control will be back before California voters later this year. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Monday that proponents of an initiative to reverse a ban on local rent control ordinances had collected enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. California has limited the ability of cities to adopt rent ordinances for new housing since 1995, but at the urging of Gov. Gavin Newsom, legislators adopted Californias first statewide rent cap last year. So whats different about this proposed initiative? In San Francisco: Mayor Breed wants to take battle for housing to voters, amping up fight with supervisors. Retail tech cut Michael Dwyer / AP Macys is laying off 831 employees in San Francisco at its Macys.com division amid plans to shift tech operations to Atlanta and New York amid a broader retrenchment that is seeing it close 125 stores nationwide. The layoffs are the biggest in the city in three years, Shwanika Narayan and Roland Li report, and reflects that while the local tech sector is booming, retailers have struggled as customers shift to online shopping. Previously: Union Square, S.F.s shopping hot spot, struggles as stores close. Office moves: WeWork departing Salesforce Tower after listing its offices as available for other tenants. Transamerica Pyramid sold for $700 million. Around the Bay Hurricane hunters off-season: To study atmospheric rivers, scientists need to get close. So they fly to them. Climate suits: An effort by several California cities and counties to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the impacts of climate change arrives at a critical juncture in a federal appeals court this week. Can San Francisco, Oakland and other cities and counties win billions from the oil industry to pay the costs of climate change? Hummingbird: New mental health shelter aims to ease burden at S.F. General's crowded psychiatric ER. Bald eagles hot spot: In a wildlife stunner over the weekend, Forest Service biologists counted 123 bald eagles at Trinity Lake in the north state, the most at any lake in California in this years annual winter counts. Uptown spot: Asian-American cocktail bar Viridian opens in Oakland. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Back with the same squad: 49ers only major off-season changes will be in the paychecks of top players. One step closer to exiting bankruptcy: Judge approves PG&E deal with bondholders. Updated for February: Bay Area Eats The New & Now List. Alameda to Pleasant Hill: East Bay priest removed from 2nd church, police investigate allegations sexual in nature. Rare arrests: S.F. auto burglary spree leads police across city until suspects are caught and arrested. Kapler explains it all: Where will Giants get their power without a new hitter? New manager says the team will turn up the dial. Datebook Pixar / Pixar Like much of Pixars work, the short animated film Kitbull is a tearjerker, using unlikely animal companionship to tell a larger story about compassion, friendship and redemption. It tells the tale of a lovable, skittish stray cat who, after a few false starts, helps a happy-go-lucky pit bull escape abusive ownership. But the film, which is vying for a short film Oscar at this Sundays Academy Awards, is also a love letter to San Francisco. Read more in Datebook. On Datebooks website: Black History Month 2020: Festivals and celebrations in the Bay Area. How to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Kitty Green made a movie about the specter of Harvey Weinstein. Mick LaSalle: Parasite should not be competing for best picture at the Oscars. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. On Monday afternoon, journalists at No 10 who were expecting a briefing on EU trade were asked to line up on one side of the entrance hall while a security officer checked them off against a list. Those acceptable to the powers-that-be were asked to cross over to the other side of the room. The remaining journalists mostly, though not entirely, from organisations disliked by No 10 were told to leave. In the event, everyone present walked out in protest at what was considered an almost unprecedented act of censorship on the part of Downing Street. Nine times out of ten, when journalists grumble about the way they are treated by the authorities, I am inclined to shrug my shoulders, and not take their complaints too seriously. The Prime Minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings (pictured on Downing Street yesterday), is trying to seize control of the news agenda Boris Johnson was for many years a journalist, including editor of The Spectator magazine (pictured in his old office in 2003) But what happened two days ago is a very serious matter. It is part of a misguided attempt, largely orchestrated by the Prime Minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings, to seize control of the news agenda in a way reminiscent of Donald Trump. This seemingly involves excluding news organisations believed to be antagonistic to the Government, or at any rate trying to disadvantage them in some way. Last week, several supposedly unsympathetic journalists were kept out of a briefing by officials about the controversial involvement of the Chinese company Huawei in Britain's 5G network. Such behaviour, in common with what happened on Monday, defies established procedure. All governments have their favourite news outlets, and confide in them selectively. But excluding journalists from technical briefings is an alarming development. What are Mr Cummings and Lee Cain, the PM's director of communications, up to? And does Boris Johnson, who has spent most of his adult life as a journalist, approve of what they are doing? Dominic Cummings, the PM's top aide, and Lee Cain, the Downing Street Director of Communications who barred certain journalists from attending a Number 10 briefing BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg and ITV political editor Robert Peston walked out in protest after fellow journalists were barred from the Number 10 briefing To answer those questions we have first to peer into the tumultuous mind of Mr Cummings, who evidently believes in Maoist permanent revolution. Mr Cummings is a natural hater. He loathes the Left-wing media, and in particular the BBC. As it happens, I share many of his criticisms of the Corporation. There is a Left-wing default position to much of its coverage. An egregious recent example were 'anti-British' Brexit-day sketches for children on CBBC, its children's channel. Horrible Histories, hosted by Nish Kumar, a Left-wing and fanatically anti-Brexit so-called comedian, included a sketch that suggested Britain had produced little throughout its history and relied on imports. I've no doubt Mr Cummings shares the reasonable view of many Tories that the BBC sometimes treated Mr Johnson during the election campaign as though he was little better than a common criminal. So it's payback time. The Government is refusing to put up ministers on Today, Radio Four's influential news programme. It is also boycotting ITV's Good Morning Britain, likewise regarded as unfriendly. A key to what is happening is Mr Cummings's grasp of the power of social media, which he used to such good effect during the 2016 referendum campaign, when he was director of Vote Leave. Boris Johnson on Tuesday emerges from the famous Number 10 black door - behind which political editors were separated into those invited to attend a press briefing, and those who were not Donald Trump admonishes CNN reporter Jim Acosta during a White House press briefing. Some have branded the barring of British journalists to a Number 10 briefing as Trump-like He believes that what he calls the 'People's Government' should communicate directly with voters without what he sees as the anti-Tory media (of which the BBC is in his mind the most powerful constituent) corrupting the message. So it was that, when the Prime Minister delivered his Brexit homily last Friday, it was filmed in No 10, and released via Facebook, without Auntie or any other broadcaster playing any part in it. This annoyed the BBC, which refused to use footage produced by No 10. So rather pettily, I think it would only agree to play the message with an actor doing Mr Johnson's voice. In short, we have a war between Mr Cummings and the Beeb, in which the excitable No 10 adviser like Chairman Mao, always in search of an enemy is now embroiling other Leftwardly-inclined media organisations such as Channel Four and the Daily Mirror. How should those of us who do not always approve of the BBC's political coverage respond? Pretty critically, I believe. Because the main victims of this guerrilla warfare are ordinary voters. Needless to say, there is an argument to be had about the future of the corporation and its funding. Yesterday, Baroness Morgan, the culture secretary, launched a public consultation about decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee. Yesterday, Baroness Morgan, the culture secretary, launched a public consultation about decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee Such a move would inevitably deprive the Beeb of an unknowable, and possibly large, slice of its income. The rights and wrongs of this idea are an argument for another day. What concerns me now is that the Government's boycott of Auntie is a disservice to the public. Where were ministers yesterday providing reassurance and elucidation about the authorities' ability to keep former terrorists from killing as soon as they are released from prison? Almost nowhere, is the answer. Instead of putting itself under proper media scrutiny, No 10 is feuding with our main national service broadcaster and now opening up another front against media organisations. All this comes from President Trump's playbook. In his case, he rails against newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times while putting himself and members of his administration at the disposal of supportive channels such as Fox News. That is not how we do things in Britain. We have a tradition here, though Mr Cummings and Mr Cain may not like it, of allowing a range of voices in the media, some of which are bound to be critical of the government of the day. I never thought I would live to see a Tory administration blackballing journalists and publications it dislikes. What makes it odder still is that this Government has a stonking majority. It has routed its adversaries and won the argument over Brexit. And its charismatic leader has spoken generously of healing the nation's wounds. Having been a journalist for more than 30 years, Boris surely can't approve of silencing potentially critical media outlets a sanction bound to enhance enmity rather than foster harmony. And as PM he should be prepared to submit himself to scrutiny and interrogation by the BBC and other organisations rather than being beamed without any journalistic mediation on to our computer screens and smartphones. This isn't Trump's America. I hope our journalist Prime Minister will control the perpetually turbulent Mr Cummings, who seems not to like journalists or journalism very much, or to value a free Press. President Donald Trump's public approval rating has reached a new high, according a Gallup poll, an American polling company. The poll, conducted as Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate neared an end, found that Trump's approval rating reached a personal best of 49 percent. Since his election in 2016, his approval ratings have generally been in the mid- to low 40s. Over the past three months, Trump's approval ratings averaged 43 percent. The poll, based on queries of American voters, also found them evenly divided at 50 percent over whether Trump deserves to be reelected in the November 2020 election. Trump, a Republican, can thank Republican and independent voters for the improved approval ratings. His approval among Republicans rose to 94 percent, a 6-point increase from Gallup's previous poll on the issue. Trump's approval rating among independents increased 3 points to 42 percent. Trump's approval ratings among Democrats fell 3 points to 7 percent. Gallup conducted the poll from January 16 to January 29, during the Senate impeachment trial that is widely expected to result in Trump's acquittal. Chinese espionage hinges on a sophisticated network of spies focused on state-sponsored tech theft, according to a new book that dispels outdated theories of how Beijing collects intelligence around the world. Why it matters: Old tropes cast all ethnic Chinese as potential amateur spies, a belief which has led to racial profiling. In reality, China's intelligence agencies employ highly trained professionals who operate much like spies from any other country. Details: Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer, published late last year by the Naval Institute Press, doubles as an explainer of how Chinese espionage works and as a brief encyclopedia of key figures. The book's authors are Peter Mattis, a former CIA counterintelligence analyst, and Matthew Brazil, a former US Army officer and diplomat. Their main message: That Chinese espionage is neither mysterious nor totally different than that practiced by other nations. Between the lines: Mattis's research in recent years has played a leading role in debunking the "thousand grains of sand" hypothesis. That theory, popular among U.S. intelligence analysts during the Cold War, held that China lacked professional intelligence services and thus relied on ethnic Chinese civilians abroad to collect bits of intel for the motherland. That hypothesis resulted in race-based targeting of Chinese-American scientists during the Cold War, according to Mara Hvistendahl, author of The Scientist and the Spy. What they're saying: "The idea that all ethnic Chinese might be potential spies is particularly galling given our history in this country of demonizing ethnic minorities, including Chinese people," Brazil told Axios in an email. "Beijing's espionage efforts follow much of the same tradecraft used elsewhere," said Brazil, including using professional intelligence officers to recruit assets and pay them (or coerce them) for information. That includes recruiting assets that aren't of Chinese heritage--meaning that race-based profiling won't stop China's espionage. But not everything China's spy agencies do is standard. "Other countries focus on stealing classified information," said Brazil. "The CCP pursues this standard espionage but also focuses on tech theft to benefit not only its military but also its state-owned enterprises." Why it matters: Targeting an entire ethnic group, as the FBI has done, doesn't safeguard American secrets and has derailed innocent lives. Go deeper: Harvard scientist charged with lying about ties to China The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has invited applications in a prescribed format from eligible and interested candidates for filling numerous vacancies to the post of Assistant Professors (European Studies - Culture, literature and Society) and granting of JRF in SERB project titled "Theory and Applications of Generalized Inverses of Matrices" in the Department of Data Sciences through direct recruitment. The offline application process towards the same started on February 3, 2020 and closes on February 15, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Professors and JRF Organisation Manipal Academy of Higher Education Educational Qualification M.Sc (Mathematics/Statistics) with minimum 60% marks or above and cleared National Level Test for JRF/Lectureship; PhD in European studies Experience Refer to the advertisement. Skills Required Teaching Job Location Udupi, Karnataka Salary Scale Rs. 31,000 to Rs. 35,000 per month plus 15% HRA. Asst. Prof's will be paid as per the MAHE norms Industry Education Application Start Date February 3, 2020 Application End Date February 15, 2020 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Asst. Profs and JRF posts in Manipal University must meet the age criteria as per the MAHE norms, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved categories as applicable. For details regarding application fee, if any, refer to the official advertisements given at the end of the article. HARTRON Recruitment For 70 IT Professionals (SA And Programmers), Apply Online Before February 13 Educational Criteria And Eligibility Candidates applying for Asst. Profs and JRF posts in Manipal University must possess an M.Sc (Mathematics/Statistics) with minimum 60% marks or above and cleared National Level Test for JRF/Lectureship; PhD in European studies, Culture studies, literature with specific focus on European literature, and should have knowledge of English at native fluency level and excellent communication skills as specified in the notification. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates as Asst. Profs and JRF in Manipal University will be done based on the candidates' Academic Qualifications, Experience, Skills and Interview. Candidates selected as Asst. Profs and JRF in Manipal University will be paid emolument in the scale of Rs. 31,000 to Rs. 35,000 per month plus 15% HRA. Asst. Prof's will be paid as per the MAHE norms. ECIL Recruitment 2020 For Technical Officers Through 'Walk-In' Selection On February 15 In Mumbai How To Apply Candidates applying for Asst. Profs and JRF posts in Manipal University must send their applications and CV along with copies of certificates/enclosures in support of qualification/experience/publications, etc. to the "Deputy Director - HR Manipal Academy of Higher Education Madhav Nagar, Manipal 576104 Udupi, Karnataka, India" on or before February 15, 2020. Those applying for the post of Assistant Professors can e-mail their letter of motivation enclosed with an updated CV to - jobs@manipal.edu and with copy to to office.mces@manipal.edu To read the detailed notification about Asst. Profs recruitment at Manipal University click here To read the detailed notification about JRF at Manipal University click here 3D printers working in the millimeter range and larger are increasingly used in industrial production processes. Many applications, however, require precise printing on the micrometer scale at a far higher speed. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a system to print highly precise, centimeter-sized objects with submicrometer details at a so far unmatched speed. This system is presented in a special issue of Advanced Functional Materials (DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201907795). To demonstrate not only the speed, but also the reliability of their setup, the researchers have printed a lattice structure of 60 cubic millimeters in size with details down to the micrometer scale. It contains more than 300 billion voxels (a voxel is the 3D counterpart of a pixel or 2D picture element). "We have by far outperformed the record reached by 3D-printed aircraft wings. This is a new world record," says Professor Martin Wegener, Spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence "3D Matter Made to Order" (3DMM2O), within which the system was developed. For this type of 3D printing, the beam of a laser passes a liquid photoresist in a computer-controlled manner. The material located in the focus of the laser only is exposed and hardened. "The focal points correspond to the nozzles of an inkjet printer, the only difference being that they work three-dimensionally," Vincent Hahn, first author of the publication, says. In this way, highly precise filigree structures can be produced for various applications, such as optics and photonics, material sciences, bioengineering, or safety engineering. Typically, several hundred thousands of voxels per second have been produced with a single laser light spot so far. This means that it was nearly a hundred times slower than graphical inkjet printers, which impeded many applications so far. Scientists of KIT and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane/Australia have now developed a new system within the 3DMM2O Cluster of Excellence. Using special optics, the laser beam is divided into nine partial beams that focus on a focal point each. All nine partial beams can be used in parallel and, thanks to improved electronic control, they can be moved precisely much more rapidly than ever. This and some other technical improvements made the researchers reach 3D printing speeds of about 10 million voxels per second, which corresponds to the speed reached by graphical 2D inkjet printers. KIT will continue research and development work in this area. "After all, 3D printers will be used to print not just one page, but thick volumes," Hahn says. This will also require progress in chemistry. For example, more sensitive photoresists are needed to generate more focal points at the same laser output. ### Original Publication Vincent Hahn, Pascal Kiefer, Tobias Frenzel, Jingyuan Qu, Eva Blasco, Christopher Barner-Kowollik, and Martin Wegener: "Rapid assembly of small materials building blocks (voxels) into large functional 3D metamaterials." Advanced Functional Materials, 10.1002/adfm.201907795. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201907795 More about the KIT Center Materials in Technical and Life Sciences: http://www.materials.kit.edu/index.php Press contact: Regina Link Press Officer Phone: +49 721 608-21158 Email: regina.link@kit.edu Being "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association", KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,300 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 24,400 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. This press release is available on the internet at http://www.kit.edu. Because of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to leave their senior royal duties behind and live their lives privately in Canada, all eyes are on their in-laws Prince William and Kate Middleton. Now, royal author Phil Dampier claims that there is one influential figure that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lean on when they need support: Kate's mom, Carole Middleton. Since the event dubbed as "Megxit," Prince William has reportedly treated Carole as a "second mother," especially since the Prince lost his own mother Princess Diana in 1997 when he was just 15-years-old. According to another source of Daily Mail, "William's in-laws have become like second parents, and Carole is almost a Diana-Type mom." "Not only has William lost his brother as a working member of the family, but he and Kate now have such a greater burden. Being able to talk to Carole and share his feelings has been a great help." Additionally, Dampier said that the Middleton parents had provided a down-to-earth middle-class haven for Prince William, which helped to keep him grounded. "Carole will be a stabilizing and supportive force in the background, looking after the kids when needs are but also just being there for them," Dampier said. Carole has also been spending more time at Anmer Hall with the couple and their kids since the exit because the two have reportedly been very upset by what happened. "Kate turns to her for advice and comfort all the time, and she spends a lot of time with William and Kate's three children," Dampier furthered. Prince Harry Didn't Have That Kind of Support Prince Harry has reportedly missed out by not having that kind of influence and someone he can turn to in the U.K. Now, according to the royal author, he seems dependent on his wife. Dampier said that though Carole came from quite a humble background, she became a powerful woman as she has worked herself up with a successful business that gave her a backbone of steel. Carole and her husband, Michael Middleton, run the event supplies company Party Pieces. The 65-year-old mother-of-two is reportedly said to be the "power behind the throne" with "immense influence" over her daughter and son-in-law. Royal correspondent Ashley Pearson also claimed that Carole played a motherly role in Prince William's life during the time he and Kate were just in the dating stage. According to Pearson, Prince William would lie in on the sofa with his head on her lap when visiting the Middleton home. Kate Overwhelmed It has been previously reported that since Megxit, Kate has been incredibly overwhelmed. Sources told Us Weekly that since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure, Kate's workload has increased immensely, so much so that she has been working at least 18 hours a day. "Kate's in panic and has been having bouts of anxiety. She has barely time to rest, and when she does try to sleep, her mind is constantly racing," thew source said. The insider also claimed that Kate is already "pretty thin" now, as she continues to worry how she will juggle the extra workload on top of her family life. The 38-year-old duchess has stepped up to the plate and working nonstop in the absence of the Sussexes. In fact, she reportedly did four engagements last week. Dampier said that there would be stressful times ahead and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will need the support of Carole and Michael Middleton "more than ever." Witnesses say Malcolm Woods claimed he was acting on behalf of his grandmother, Rosetta Barnes, when he shot and killed 38-year-old Brandon Arndt. A Rochester police officer investigating the September 2018 homicide interviewed Barnes. On Tuesday, the officer told a jury in Olmsted County District Court that Barnes was upset to learn Arndt was murdered, calling him a "nice kid" who "did a lot of favors for her." "She cried," Investigator Chris Weber said Tuesday during the second day of testimony in Woods trial. "She was very upset." Woods, 28, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder with intent in the death of Arndt at his trailer home at Bobs Trailer Court, 1915 Marion Road SE. The shooting came shortly after Barnes was found unresponsive in her trailer home next door. Family members, including Woods, speculated that Arndt had drugged or possibly sexually assaulted Barnes. ADVERTISEMENT Darien Klindworth-Woods, 21, Woods half brother and codefendant, who lived in Mankato at the time of the incident, recalled driving to Rochester and visiting his grandmother after she was admitted to the hospital. He recalled Woods and others talking about being upset with someone over Barnes condition. "Just that the neighbor had done something to her," Klindworth-Woods said during testimony Tuesday. Woods met Klindworth-Woods at Mayo Clinic Hospital Saint Marys early the morning of Sept. 10, 2018. Woods then had Klindworth-Woods drive him and his half sister and codefendant, Kielah Parsons, to Bobs Trailer Court after a stop at a Kwik Trip. Klindworth-Woods said Woods had him park his car. Woods got out of the car, grabbed some plastic bags Parsons had picked up at Kwik Trip, and walked away from the car and between two trailer homes. Klindworth-Woods said he then heard a gunshot in the distance. A short time later, Woods ran up to the car wearing gloves, his feet covered in plastic bags and carrying a semiautomatic pistol. Woods said he wouldnt talk about what happened, saying he wouldnt talk about it in the car. Later that morning, Woods rode with Klindworth-Woods back to Mankato. "He told me, I handled what needed to be handled, and that the guy was dead," Klindworth-Woods said. Klindworth-Woods said he asked Woods why, but Woods didnt respond, lit a cigarette and then napped in the car during the drive. ADVERTISEMENT Olmsted County Intake Deputy Shantel Loos testified that she overheard Woods in March last year telling other detainees that "a (expletive) killed my grandma, and theres no justice system for that," so he killed that person. However, Barnes did not die in the aftermath of that medical emergency in 2018. Investigator Weber interviewed her in her hospital room at Saint Marys in September. Weber said he specifically asked Barnes if Arndt mistreated her or sexually assaulted her, as Woods and other family members speculated. Weber said Barnes told him she didnt have any reason to think she had been mistreated or sexually assaulted. Weber said Barnes described Arndt as being helpful to her and other neighbors in the trailer court. Woods, who is representing himself, asked few questions of the states witnesses against him. In a halting cross-examination, Woods implied that Klindworth-Woods had a bigger role in the morning incident, asking him if he recalled retrieving the firearm from the trunk for Woods to use. Klindworth-Woods denied doing that. Woods also pointed to Klindworth-Woods misleading interview with law enforcement after the incident in which Klindworth-Woods told lead investigator Jean Valere he had no knowledge of the incident. ADVERTISEMENT Klindworth-Woods said he was fearful of telling police what happened because Woods threatened to kill him and his family, including Parsons, who was also allegedly in the car when Woods allegedly shot and killed Arndt. Testimony in the case continued Tuesday afternoon. However, during a midday break, Woods asked Judge Jacob Allen, who is presiding over the proceedings, to recuse himself from the states portion of the case. After meeting with his advisory counsel during a midday break, Woods said he would sit through proceedings for the remainder of the day and decide later whether he would return. "You absolutely have the constitutional right to be present," Allen told Woods. Testimony from state witnesses is expected to continue today. Ghonda Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Ghonda constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Ghonda Assembly Elections 2020: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Ajay Mahawar has won the election from Ghonda against the Aam Aadmi Party's Shridutt Sharma with a margin of 28,370 votes. The Ghonda Vidhan Sabha constituency in Delhi saw, like many other constituencies of the National Capital that went to polls on 8 February, a three-cornered fight between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Singh was a Congress leader and an MLA of the party from the Ghonda seat for two terms between 1998 and 2008, but was expelled from the party in April 2019 for six years on the charges of "anti-party activities", reports said, adding that he had had long-standing differences with the late chief of the party's Delhi unit, Sheila Dikshit. However, denied a BJP ticket for the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, Bhisham rejoined the Congress this month and has been fielded from his old constituency. For the 8 February election, the Congress has fielded 66 candidates for the 70-member House. The Sonia Gandhi-led party has left four seats vacant for its ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). After drawing a blank in the 2015 Assembly polls, the Congress has established an alliance in Delhi for the first time. The RJD will contest on four Assembly seats Burari, Kirari, Uttam Nagar and Palam that have a sizeable Poorvanchali population, PTI reported. The electorate of Delhi, which will be voting on 8 February, is made up of 80,55,686 registered male voters, 66,35,635 registered female voters, and 815 registered voters of the third gender. Additionally, 55,823 differently-abled voters are also likely to vote. The electorate also comprises of 489 non-residing voters for the 2020 Assembly polls. Past election results: The seat is currently held by Shri Dutt Sharma of the AAP, who has been fielded by the party for the upcoming election. In the 2015 polls, Sharma beat the BJP candidate Sahab Singh Chauhan by receiving 44 percent of the votes. Chauhan,won the election in the 2008 and 2013 Assembly polls. The saffron party also won the seat in 1993. Here is a brief description of the Assembly constituency (as of 2015): Constituency number: 66 Total electors: 2,02,799 Male: 1,11,476 Female: 91,313 Transgender: 10 Voter turnout in last Assembly Election: 66 percent Polling stations: 173 With inputs from agencies Zelensky at meeting with representatives of Cabinet, Rada points to unresolved issues, urges to step up their work President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting involving the representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada on the fulfillment of the tasks set before the government and plans for the near future. "Two decrees of the president on the tasks of the government and parliament in economic and social issues have been issued. Thirty tasks have been completed, 13 have been completed partially or are in the process of completion, and nine tasks have not been completed," the presidential press service said. In particular, he said, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development has not fulfilled the task of drafting a bill on enhancing the capacity of the Regional Development Agency, enhancing the competitiveness of regions, ensuring the development and approval of the State Regional Development Strategy for 2021-2028. Zelensky said that the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection had failed to fulfill the task of concluding a product distribution agreement, implementing a system of integrated permits for pollutant emissions, as well as reforming the State Environmental Inspectorate. "The Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture has not taken measures to reduce illegal employment and de-shadow incomes of population. The Ministry of Infrastructure has not drafted a bill reforming rail transportation," it reads. The president also stressed that the Verkhovna Rada had not yet considered the bills on inland waterway transport, on the state regulation of activities related to the organization and conducting of gambling, on amendments to certain legislative acts regarding the circulation of agricultural land, on amendments to the Budget Code aimed to improve the efficiency of using the funds of the State Regional Development Fund, on strengthening the intellectual property rights. Zelensky urged the government and parliament to step up their work. Vodafone Ghana is offering free 1GB data to first-time users of its innovative self-care mobile application, My Vodafone App. The launch offer, which is currently the best in the telecom industry, reaffirms Vodafones commitment to provide customers unbeatable value. The first-time users, instantly receive the free 1GB data after successfully downloading and registering their details on the revamped mobile app, which is available on both Google Play Store and the Apple Store. The free 1GB data offer is certainly a true reflection of Vodafones reputation as a leader in innovation and its determination to enrich the lives of its customers across various channels, including its digital customer experience platforms. Commenting on the initiative, Angela Mensah Poku, Director of Digital and Customer Operations said: This offer is our special way of welcoming customers to My Vodafone App. The app also offers customers exclusive rewards including data and voice minutes as well as special prizes through weekly and monthly promotions. Our continuous use of innovative technology in ways that truly put the customer first and more importantly, deliver high customer satisfaction, remains our strategic differentiator. Customers now have an unprecedented appetite for speed, flexibility, reliability and above all convenience. This is what we purposely tried to achieve with our all-new My Vodafone App. My Vodafone App combines all physical Vodafone customer touchpoints and queries into one place to make engagement with the company much easier. The app allows customers to access Vodafones fantastic products and services, Vodafone Cash and store locator. Customers are able to manage multiple accounts in one place and accelerate fault reporting whilst using app, which empowers them to do more. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Card Rai returns to attack the international community that wants to unload the issue of Syrian and Palestinian refugees on Lebanon. He points to the "danger" of further "rifts" among Lebanese, in a context of strong tension. At the same time he asks for "unity" in the face of foreign pressure. Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) A new warning from the Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Rai, against a global community that wants to unload the issue of Palestinian and Syrian refugees on Lebanon, offering a financial contribution in exchange for their naturalization. We reject any type of international policy that tries to burden Lebanon with the price of everything that is going on in the region, al-Rahi said. The danger lies in a rift among the Lebanese should (naturalization) occur, the patriarch added, urging citizens to show unity in the face of any foreign pressures. Lebanon cannot bear the burden of the new policy represented in the deal of the century and its negative repercussions, al-Rahi said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trumps controversial peace plan for the Middle East. In recent years, the Lebanese Church has also repeatedly denounced the danger of a serious economic, political and social crisis for the country, linked to the presence of Syrian refugees who will end up being "forgotten just like the Lebanese". At the time of greatest criticality, the country of cedars had welcomed about 1.5 million people fleeing war and poverty, compared to a population of about 4.4 million inhabitants. The refugee issue is also part of a context of profound turbulence in the Land of Cedars. Anti-government protests escalated in mid-December, and not even the recent appointment of the new executive - vacant since 29 October - was enough to calm them. On several occasions patriarchs and bishops have unsuccessfully recalled the ruling class to the sense of responsibility and the urgency to define a leadership for a country that is increasingly in danger of sinking. Pakistan is not stopping to raise the Kashmir issue all over the world. It has once again committed new antics against India. Pakistan Government has announced to celebrate Kashmir Solidarity Day on 5 February. However, there is no response from the Indian government yet. Turkey launches its dreaded military force, Syrian troops may clash Once again the Government of Pakistan has started politics on the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan has announced to celebrate Kashmir Solidarity Day on Wednesday, 5 February. The top leaders of Pakistan gave their support to the Kashmiri people to find a proper and peaceful solution to their issues. Malaysia charges former PM wife in a corruption case In his address at an event, Pakistan intervened in India's internal affairs, President Arif Alvi gave a message that by removing Article 370, India has directly violated the UN Security Council resolutions. President Arif Alvi said in his message that India has directly violated the UN Security Council resolutions by repealing Article 370. Japan engulfed by coronavirus, 10 new cases reported Its no secret that physician shortages exist across all specialties in New Mexico, especially in rural communities and particularly in primary care. An allocation of $1.535 million $307,000 from the state and $1.228 million from the federal government will go toward the expansion or creation of medical residency programs and ultimately result in more primary care doctors throughout New Mexico, Dr. David R. Scrase, Cabinet secretary of the state Human Services Department, told the Journal Tuesday. Health care workforce expansion is a top priority of the administration. More behavioral health and primary care providers means improved patient access, which will lead to better health care for New Mexicans, Scrase said. With the enactment of House Bill 480 in 2019, HSD has been directed to award funding for the Graduate Medical Education, or GME program, to increase the number of first-year residents in the fields of family medicine, general psychiatry, general internal medicine and general pediatrics. We know that New Mexico only retains 35-40% of our residents. After their residency, they go to other states to practice, Scrase said. But we have evidence if they train in rural areas here, there is a 70% chance theyll stay, usually within 100 miles of their residency program. Its also known that investments in primary care yield significant returns for physicians-in-training, local economies and communities, he said. HSDs five-year plan for the GME expansion is to increase the number of primary care programs from eight to 13, representing a 63% increase; grow the number of primary care residents in training from 142 to 291, a 105% increase; and swell the number of graduates each year from 48 to 94 (starting in 2025), a 96% increase. Applicants for the GME program can include existing or new hospitals, clinics or health centers, and medical education institutions. While no institution is restricted from applying, Scrase said, special attention will be given to those in rural parts of the state. Primary care is our greatest need, particularly for the Medicaid programs, and getting people into the system, getting them to see somebody, getting their health care needs addressed, he said. Preventing illnesses is really important and most of that is done in primary care settings. State Rep. Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces, a co-sponsor of HB 480, said, This funding will propel the development of the next generation of primary care physicians. I applaud HSDs commitment to prioritize support for community-based programs, including those serving rural and frontier communities. HSD Cabinet Secretary Dr. David R. Scrase: More primary care providers means improved patient access, and better health care for New Mexicans. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for release of the people detained in Kashmir, lifting of the clampdown on communications, restoration of the democratic process and honouring the assurances made to people at the time of the state's accession to the Indian Union. It has been six months since restrictions were imposed in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution through a resolution adopted by Parliament. In his letter, Yechury has said thousands have been detained since the intervening night of August 4-5, 2019. They include people like Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah (all three former Chief Ministers of the erstwhile state), Mohd. Yusuf Tarigami, a four-time elected MLA to the now defunct assembly, and many others, he said. "I am writing to you to demand that the detained persons be released and granted their liberty and freedoms as guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. The communications clampdown must be lifted and the democratic processes restored immediately. These have severely impacted the economy of the region imposing unprecedented misery on the people," he said. "The assurances made to the people at the time of the accession of the state to the Indian Union must be honoured," the letter said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven of Hyundai's car plants in Korea are coming to a grinding halt as parts supplies from China dry up because workers there are grounded by coronavirus. Hyundai makes 20 passenger cars, trucks and buses at the plants, and the assembly lines in Ulsan stopped running on Tuesday, while others in Jeonju will wind down on Wednesday and Thursday. Hyundai plans to idle the plants for around 10 days, but it is uncertain whether they can resume if parts factories in China remain closed. A longer closure could force affiliate Kia and remaining Hyundai plants to halt production as well, which would impact thousands of subcontractors and parts suppliers in Korea. The key part that triggered the closure here is the cable harness, a bundle of wires that connect various circuits in a car. They are bulky and need to be custom-made for different models, and automakers keep only one or two weeks of inventory. There are local suppliers, but Hyundai and Kia source 75 percent of their cable harnesses from China because they are cheaper. A 35-year-old man was lynched while six of his friends were seriously injured on Wednesday in an attack by a group of villagers armed with sticks and stones amid rumours that a child-lifter gang was on the prowl in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, police said. The victims, all hailing from Indore, had travelled to Baroli village, around 60 kms from Dhar, to recover money from some local labourers but were attacked by a mob this noon, district superintendent of police Aditya Pratap Singh said. He said the labourers allegedly spread rumours that the seven men were child-lifters, apparently to avoid returning the money they had taken as advance from one of the victims. Villagers stoned the victims, set one of their cars on fire and damaged another one, the SP said. "One of the victims, Vinod Mukati, had hired five labourers from the village for some work and had paid them Rs 50,000 each as advance. The labourers had initially travelled to Indore but returned to Baroli in Dhar district without doing their job," Singh added. He said when the victims reached Baroli to recover the money, the labourers allegedly spread rumours that they were child lifters, following which they were attacked. While Ganesh Patel was killed in the attack, Mukati and five others were grievously injured, the officer said, adding they were rushed to a hospital in Indore. A case has been registered against more than 12 unidentified persons, he said, adding that no arrest is made so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Inside Hook Were not too far from witnessing a breakthrough in the Ford Mustangs design and performance about two years from that, in fact. According to Jalopnik, a LinkedIn job listing for the automaker in question suggests that the next-generation Mustang is on the way. Whats arguably bigger news is that it is distinct from the announcement of the Mustang Mach-E late last year which was, in and of itself, seismic news from Ford. CAIRO A surprise meeting between Sudans leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stirred controversy in Sudan on Tuesday, with the government saying it wasnt notified ahead of time and critics lambasting the talks on social media. Others said Mondays meeting would improve Sudans standing with the United States and help Khartoum shed its pariah image. For Israel, it was a major diplomatic breakthrough with a Muslim-majority African state, two days after the Arab League rejected President Trumps Mideast plan. Saudi Arabia has relinquished management of Saudia Medical Services Company (SMS), the kingdoms first state-run medical entity. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Company takes control of SMS after it acquired majority stakes of the medical entity owned by national carrier Arabian Airlines, Jadwa Investment, which acted as exclusive advisor on the operation, said. We are proud to have worked with Saudia and SMS on this landmark initiative, and towards completing the first privatization transaction of a government-owned healthcare entity under the governments privatization program. This transaction exemplifies the promising opportunities for the private sector to play a key role in realizing Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, Jadwa Investment CEO, Tariq Al-Sudairy said. Established in 1970, SMS provides medical care to over 140,000 employees and dependents of Saudi Arabian Airlines and its subsidiaries. The entity is also the largest provider of aviation and occupational medicine in Saudi Arabia and serves over 15,000 pilots and cabin crew in the kingdom. CIA spy in Iran sentenced to death: Judiciary Spox IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Feb 4, IRNA -- Iran's Judiciary spokesman said on Tuesday that the spy who had passed Iran's nuclear information to the Central Intelligence Agency of the US (CIA) is sentenced to death. Saying that the verdict will be implemented soon, Gholam-Hossein Esmaeeli said in his press conference that the sentenced CIA agent, Amir Rahimour, had received handsome amounts from the US for this job. Esmaeeli said that the Supreme Court of Iran has also confirmed the verdict. The US has repeatedly showed its enmity with Iran in several cases in the past 40 years, including the Iraqi invasion of Iran (1980-88) which was de facto imposed by the US, Operation of Tabas (1980), shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 (1988) and as the latest case, assassination of the IRGC commander Lieutenant -General Qasem Soleimani (2020) and the sanctions. He went on to say that the US constantly uses espionage as another way of inflicting blows to Iran. He said they have not been victorious in any of their methods, and the Zionist and US spies are uncovered and punished one by one, which has been a hard blow to the US espionage system. The supporters of such people should know that Iran does not compromise with enemies, especially foreign ones, he said, adding that recently two other Iranians were arrested with espionage accusations. They did their spying activities in form of charity organizations; they were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for espionage and another five years for acting against security. He did not reveal their names because their sentences have not been finalized. 9417**1424 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hollywood star Chris Pratt will headline and executive produce the TV series "The Terminal List". According to Deadline, the show is currently in development at MRC Television through Civic Center Media. Antoine Fuqua, best known for "The Equalizer" series and "Training Day", will direct the series, which is based on Jack Carr's bestselling conspiracy novel. David DiGilio is adapting the book. Pratt will star as Reece whose entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. "Reece returns home with conflicting memories of the event and questions about his culpability. However, as new evidence comes to light, Reece discovers dark forces working against him," the plotline of the show read. The actor and the director previously worked together on 2016's "The Magnificent Seven", which also featured Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cemtech Industries Cameroon seeks permit in Port of Kribi 05 February 2020 Cemtech Industries Cameroon is a new cement producer among the interested industrial parties looking to settle in the logistics zone of the autonomous Port of Kribi (PAK), which began operations in 2018 in southern Cameroon. To date, 31 temporary permits of occupation in the logistics zone have been issued for the cumulative area of 1,239,151ha. Published under Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Stephen Amoah has suggested a special prayer session be organized in the country purposely for the immediate past first gentleman of the land, John Dramani Mahama. To him, the intense prayers and fasting for the past President will cleanse him off the outrageous corrupt practices introduced during his administration, which brought about all the corrupt jargons in the world we know today. We must organize a prayer session solely for John Dramani Mahama for his level of corruption is massive that he needs not dream of contesting the seat of presidency again Mr. Amoah, in a submission made on UTVs Adekye Nsroma political show in connection with the airbus saga asserted he is sure issues surrounding its purchase during former President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills administration of which he needed an investigation on but proved futile by party bigwigs escalated his death. Former President Mahama brought about all the big vocabularies of corruption into Ghana of which I believe his airbus corruption saga during former President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills supervision is a factor to his death The NPP communicator tagged former President Mahamas style of governance as robbing Peter to pay Paul bible phrase, but his instance is even three times what the bible said about corruption. Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Wow. A single Republican senator has a spine after all. Utah Senator Mitt Romney says he will vote in favor of the article of impeachment on abuse of power against President Donald John Trump. "The president is guilty of a flagrant abuse of public trust," said Romney just now. "Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine." FULL REMARKS @SenatorRomney: "The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did." pic.twitter.com/fbIhPG12IO CSPAN (@cspan) February 5, 2020 Romney: "Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented & disregard what I believe my oath & the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history's rebuke & the censure of my own conscience." "The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did." Heck yeah. FULL SPEECH: Sen. Romney says he will vote in favor of the article of impeachment on abuse of power against President Trump. "With my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me." pic.twitter.com/rOJBR8BJqw NBC News (@NBCNews) February 5, 2020 And here is Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff's reply. Having proven Trump guilty, I asked if there was just one Republican Senator who would say "enough" Who would stand up against this dangerously immoral president Who would display moral courage Who would do impartial justice as their oath required and convict And there is. https://t.co/xNHi2CP6oF Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 5, 2020 In addition to his conclusion after weighing the evidence, I am also impressed with how seriously Romney took this duty. Forget their ultimate decisions, so many Republicans in Congress treated this as theater or a joke. https://t.co/gQ4pBFQepO Kate Brannen (@K8brannen) February 5, 2020 lol dingus, let me introduce you to my good friend the constitution, which doesn't allow recalls. https://t.co/AxsTAq2mop Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 5, 2020 Three North Atlantic right whale calves were spotted off the coasts of Georgia and Florida earlier this week, bringing the total number of endangered right whales born this year up to nine. The three new births mean this year's calving season has already outpaced last year's, when seven newborns where spotted. No new calves were born in 2018. Scientists say the increase in calves is a positive development for a species that's under threat. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a U.S. government agency that monitors coastal and marine ecosystems, tweeted the birth announcement on Tuesday. Whale No. 2223, named Calvin, was spotted with her calf swimming off the coast of Georgia. Whale No. 2642, also known as Echo, was seen with her calf off Atlantic Beach, Fla. And Arrow, whale No. 3290, and her calf were spotted off Amelia Island, Fla. "That's the kind of number we need," said Charles Mayo, a senior scientist and director of the Right Whale Ecology Program at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass. Mayo was thrilled to hear about the three new calves, but said little is known about them so far. "We'll have to wait a little while even to be able to clearly identify them one from another." Although this is good news for a species whose population has been drastically declining since 2010, Mayo said, "We need a lot more" right whale calves. "I worry that the arrow points to zero, to extinction, but these whales have been around for millennia and I think we can hope that their reproduction increases," Mayo said, adding he's hopeful humans will figure out a way to prevent right whale deaths. Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear have been blamed for some of the right whale deaths in recent years. Injured newborn calf One of the newborn calves was injured by a ship's propeller in early January. The injuries include damage to the calf's mouth, which could hamper its ability to eat. Story continues "[It] has a very bad cut across its head that at least for some of us throws a question out, can this little whale live? And particularly can it nurse?" Mayo said. The calf was treated with antibiotics a week ago, but Mayo said it hasn't been seen for a couple of days. "We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed." An endangered species The other eight calves remain in good shape, Mayo said. North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species, with a population that has fallen to the low 400s in recent years. There are only about 100 breeding females. Twelve right whales died last year, according to Philip Hamilton, a research scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. No calves were reported in the previous year. A newborn in China's Wuhan has tested positive for the coronavirus, Chinese media said on Wednesday, adding that the development has caused concerns that the 'infection could be contracted in the womb'. The South China Morning Post reported that the infant was 30 hours old when the infection was detected. A newborn in China's Wuhan has tested positive for the coronavirus, Chinese media said on Wednesday, adding that the development has caused concerns that the "infection could be contracted in the womb". The South China Morning Post reported that the infant was 30 hours old when the infection was detected. However, state broadcaster CCTV reported that two infants had been infected. "The mother of the newborn was a confirmed patient of the coronavirus. At present, the infants vital signs are stable, the report was quoted as saying. A physician at Wuhan's childrens hospital was also quoted as saying that the case was an indication that "we should be concerned about the possible new transmission route of the coronavirus". Last week, a woman diagnosed with coronavirus in China's Heilongjiang province, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Fox News reported. The report said that the woman had come in contact with relatives who had travelled from Wuhan and had been infected. A research institute in China's virus-hit Wuhan city has applied for a patent on the use of a drug made in the US after it was found to be effective in treating patients infected with the coronavirus, raising questions whether the lab's move violated the intellectual property rights. As the coronavirus strain officially named as 2019 n-CoV wreaked havoc in China and abroad, there is a race to develop a viable medicine to treat an increasing number of cases as well as a vaccine to prevent its spread. In a breakthrough of sorts, US doctors treating a coronavirus patient early this month reported his successful recovery after treating with experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir. This prompted China to announce immediate field trials to test the drug. China's National Health Commission on Monday said the drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak. With inputs from AP The family of Helen McCourt have lost a High Court bid to keep her killer behind bars ahead of a judicial review of the decision to free him. The 22-year-old disappeared in 1988 but, despite extensive searches, her body was never found. Ian Simms, who has always maintained his innocence, was found guilty of her abduction and murder at Liverpool Crown Court the following year and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years. Simms, now aged 63, is due to be freed from prison imminently after an urgent attempt by Helen's family was refused by senior judges. Ian Simms (left, in August 2014), 63, was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years after killing 22-year-old Helen McCourt (right) in 1988 as she walked home from work in Billinge, Merseyside Lawyers representing Helen's mother Marie McCourt, who has launched a legal challenge against the Parole Board's decision to release Simms, argued that he should remain in jail until her case is concluded. But, following a hearing in London on Tuesday, Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Fordham refused to postpone his release on licence. Afterwards, Mrs McCourt's husband John Sandwell said: 'We are obviously disappointed with today's news. 'Today was a small battle in the war. 'It was a case of trying to keep him in prison while we go through with the judicial review. 'Even if he is released now, if the judicial review goes in our favour he will have to go back to prison quite quickly.' The family have been told Simms could be released within days and will have to live in a bail hostel, be electronically tagged and have to check in with police regularly, Mr Sandwell said. Lord Justice Dingemans said: 'We consider that the least worst option in this case is to refuse a stay and therefore not interfere with the release.' The judge told the court the Parole Board recommended that Simms should be released following a hearing in November 2019. Marie McCourt holds a picture of her late daughter Helen McCourt after she gave evidence at a Parole Board hearing on November 7 last year The board reviewed its decision following a challenge by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, but again concluded, on January 8, that Simms should be freed. Mrs McCourt complains she was not given enough notice of the initial hearing, so only had a short time to prepare her victim personal statement, and was not given access to a 693-page dossier on Simms which was prepared for the board. Lord Justice Dingemans said Mrs McCourt believes Simms will not disclose where Helen's remains are if he is released. WHAT IS HELEN'S LAW? Marie McCourt wants Britain to adopt 'Helen's Law' legislation which would prevent the release of killers who have hidden the locations of their victims' bodies. She writes on change.org: If parole is granted, my hopes of finding my daughter may never be realised. No other family should live this ordeal. I, hereby, petition the Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to acknowledge the pain and distress caused to the families of missing murder victims by: Denying parole to murderers for as long as they refuse to disclose the whereabouts of their victim's remains Passing a full life tariff (denying parole or release) until the murderer discloses the location (and enables the recovery) of their victim's remains Automatically applying the following rarely-used common law offences in murder trials without a body*; preventing the burial of a corpse and conspiracy to prevent the burial of a corpse, disposing of a corpse, obstructing a coroner (*as in the case of R v Hunter, 1974 (from Archbold, Criminal Pleading Evidence and Practice 2015) Advertisement However, the judge said the Parole Board, having reviewed the latest psychological evidence on Simms, considers that he would never disclose the location even if he was never set free. Lawyers representing Simms said he has been in open prison conditions since 2016 and has been released under supervision on a number of occasions. His barrister, Joanne Cecil, said he would be subject to 'stringent licence conditions', which include a curfew, 24-hour electronic monitoring and residing at a specified address, and will be recalled to prison in the event Mrs McCourt's legal challenge is successful. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We completely understand the pain and anguish that the Parole Board's decision has caused Marie McCourt and her family.' He added: 'The High Court's ruling means we must now release Ian Simms from custody though he will be recalled if the Court later decides to quash the Parole Board's decision. He will be on licence for life, subject to strict conditions and probation supervision when released, and he faces a return to prison if he fails to comply.' Mrs McCourt and her family have campaigned for a change in the law to keep killers locked up until they lead police to a victim's body. The Prisoners (Disclosure of Information about Victims) Bill, dubbed Helen's Law, has failed to be ratified before Parliament on numerous occasions - twice being delayed because of general elections. It was brought back to Parliament on the same day the Parole Board announced its decision after reconsidering Simms' release, but no date has yet been set for the Bill to be debated by MPs. Pub landlord Simms, who was convicted by a jury on overwhelming DNA evidence of Ms McCourt's abduction and murder, is serving his life sentence at HMP Garth in Leyland, Lancashire. He has always maintained his innocence over the death of Ms McCourt, an insurance clerk who disappeared on her way home from work in Liverpool in 1988. Simms was eligible to be considered for release in February 2004. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 01:16:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- More medical teams are rushing to central China's Hubei Province to aid novel coronavirus control. A team of 138 medical workers from hospitals in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region flew to Hubei late Tuesday to join the fight against the epidemic. Meanwhile, southwest China's Yunnan Province sent its second batch of 102 medical workers to Hubei. Southern China's Guangdong Province dispatched a team of seven public health emergency response experts and 57 medical workers to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei. So far, Guangdong has sent over 400 experienced doctors and nurses to Wuhan. In addition, northeast China's Jilin Province also sent 32 medical workers to Hubei Tuesday. By Monday, Hubei had reported 13,522 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection, with 414 deaths and 2,143 cases in severe or critical condition. DAVOS, Switzerland The heavyweights of Western-style capitalism in Davos dont yet know how to deal with China's authoritarian state capitalism. The big picture: For much of the past 70 years, the behavior of Western companies has been shaped by Western laws and regulations, and by the vagaries of Western markets. Now China is the first non-Western, authoritarian country with both the market size and the will to reshape the behavior of multinational companies, and even Western governments, to better fit its own interests. Why it matters: The fact that the Chinese are not in any way aligning with or integrating with Western-style capitalism is something that these CEOs are having a hard time coming to terms with, said Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, in an interview at Davos with Bloomberg. Case study: China telecom giant and 5G leader Huawei has received tens of billions of dollars in various forms of government assistance, according to a Wall Street Journal report. This has helped it offer its products and services below market cost and gives it an edge over competitors that top executives at Western companies are reluctant to acknowledge. The U.S. government has urged allies not to use Huawei 5G because of security problems and the company's close ties to the Chinese government, even threatening to withhold intelligence sharing. Despite the warnings, the British government looks set to allow Huawei into its telecommunications network, and Germany may follow. What theyre saying: "[I]n some cases, the geopolitics are just slowing down 5G development as a whole, unfortunately, Erik Ekudden, chief technology officer for Ericsson, a manufacturer of 5G equipment and Huawei competitor, said in an interview with Axios. "It will be a huge expense for the world if people have to choose between China and the U.S., Neeraj Aggarwal, the Asia-Pacific chair at Boston Consulting Group, told Axios. The bottom line: Acting against the economic interests of companies is deeply unpopular among top Davos leaders. The United States has mandated the Nigerian government to place in a secured account the soon to be repatriated $308million recovered from the family of the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha. According to US official, the Federal Government would be required to replace the fund if it is stolen from the account. In a statement on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, the Spokesperson for the US State Department, Morgan Ortagus, said this requirement was one of the agreements reached between the US, Nigeria and the Island of Jersey where the funds are being kept. The funds will be used by the Nigerian Independent Sovereign Authority for three infrastructure projects in strategic economic zones across Nigeria, the statement reads. To ensure that the funds are used responsibly and for the good of the nation, the agreement includes mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of these projects as well as external oversight, and it requires Nigeria to repay any funds lost as a result of any new corruption or fraud to the account established to hold the returned assets. This return reflects the growing international consensus that countries must work together to ensure stolen assets are returned in a transparent and accountable manner. This agreement is a symbol of the weight that the United States Government places on the fight against corruption. We welcome President Buharis personal commitment to that fight, and we will continue to support civil society and other Nigerian efforts to combat corruption at all levels. The fight against corruption is an investment in the future of Nigeria. KanyiDaily had reported that the Federal Government is set to repatriate the sum of $321million that was looted by the late military general, Sani Abacha from the coffers of Nigeria. The money was seized from a Jersey bank account that belonged to Sani Abacha, and will be shared between the United States, Nigeria and Jersey. A Cameroonian student in China is the first confirmed African to test positive to the Novel Coronavirus. Yangtze University, the institution where he studies, confirmed in a statement that the 21-year-old was being treated in a hospital in southern Jingzhou city, China. The statement read that the student, identified as Pavel Daryl, contracted the disease while visiting the city of Wuhan, China the centre of the outbreak, where there are more than 20,000 confirmed cases and 425 reported deaths. Today, according to CNN, there are more than 24,500 people across 25 countries infected, with a death toll of 492. After his visit to Wuhan, he returned to Jinzhou where his place of residence is, in January. He began to show symptoms of the virus and was then admitted. The student has been provided psychological comfort by the university, who has also updated his family on the situation. At present, the student is actively cooperating with the treatment in the hospital. His body temperature has been normal for two consecutive days. He has a good spirit and a healthy appetite and his vital organs are stable, the statement further read. According to The Guardian, more than 80,00 African students are in China, hundreds of those students have been caught in the lockdown of Wuhan city. Many of these students are calling out for an evacuation from the city as they lack key supplies such as water, food and surgical masks. The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, in a media briefing that was held on Monday in Nigerias capital city, Abuja, said that sixty Nigerians are trapped in Wuhan. Nigerians in China, have repeatedly called out to the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to evacuate them, a request which they said has fallen on deaf ears. PREMIUM TIMES reported last week that no plans had been made to evacuate Nigerians in China. Daniel Kawczynski (Getty Images) The Conservative Party has come under growing pressure to remove the whip from MP Daniel Kawczynski after he spoke at a conference alongside far-right European politicians. The Jewish Labour Movement, Board of Deputies of British Jews and Muslim Council of Britain are among the groups who called for the party to take action against Mr Kawczynski. The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham spoke at the National Conservatism conference in Rome, which took place on Monday and Tuesday. Among the speakers were Viktor Orban, Hungarys far-right prime minister who has been accused of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Daniel Kawczynski in the Commons last week (Reuters) Mr Kawczynski has defended his attendance, dismissing hysterical criticism. Yahoo News UK has approached the Conservative Party for comment. The Jewish Labour Movement on Tuesday wrote to Mark Spencer, the Tory chief whip, urging him to remove the whip from Mr Kawczynski. Signed by chair Mike Katz, as well as MPs Margaret Hodge and Alex Sobel, it read: He is sharing a platform with a number of far-right European politicians who have made deeply offensive and dangerous comments and engaged in a sort of politics that should have no place in a tolerant and democratic society. It goes on: The Conservative Party now has a choice. It can demonstrate that there are lines that should not be crossed by Conservative MPs. Today @mikekatz, @margarethodge and @alexsobel have written to @Mark_Spencer, the Conservative Chief Whip calling for the whip to be removed from Daniel Kawczynski. The Conservative Party should not tolerate its representatives sharing platforms with these individuals pic.twitter.com/EWlAbc2pmd Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) February 4, 2020 This is an opportunity for the Conservative Party to follow through and demonstrate that it does not tolerate its elected representatives sharing platforms with figures who represent far-right parties and pose a threat to minority groups. Story continues The Board of Deputies of British Jews also called for action. President Marie van der Zyl said: We condemn the decision by Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski to speak at a conference alongside some of Europes most notorious far-right politicians. Mr Kawczynskis defence, that it is only common sense to talk with parties and politicians that are either leading their respective countries, or will perhaps take power in the next few years, is a specious one, for the simple reason that the MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham is not any sort of government representative. If the Conservative Party fails to discipline Mr Kawczynski, it runs the serious risk of the public assuming that they share his views on association with such people. Muslim Council of Britain spokesperson Miqdaad Versi said: It is unacceptable that anyone holding the position of MP speaks at a nationalist conference alongside Islamophobes and anti-Semites. It is even more disturbing that the Conservative chief whip appears to have known that Daniel Kawcyznski MP was going to speak at a nationalist conference alongside far-right, racist politicians, and yet chose to take no action. "This demonstrates an active tolerance for those supporting the far-right in the party, and highlights how the 'zero tolerance' approach to racism can only be seen as electioneering." Other speakers at the conference included Ryszard Legutko, the Polish Law and Justice MEP who described homophobia as fictitious, and Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party who has promoted anti-Semitic figures. In an open letter published in his local paper, the Shropshire Star, Mr Kawczynski said: Add in the names of the political leaders due to attend the conference, such as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban and former Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, and organs like The Guardian turn apoplectic. Read more from Yahoo News UK The 9 UK terrorists 'set for early release from prison this year' Here are the key points of Number 10's emergency legislation to stop terrorists being automatically released The 360: Why don't people trust the BBC as much any more? Clearly, messrs Orban and Salvini are not to everyones tastes. But they represent serious ideas and concerns, some of which are shared by many citizens of the UK. They have certainly proved electorally attractive in their own countries and have every right to speak at a conference on the subject national sovereignty, the very thing they have pledged to defend and which accounts for their popularity with voters. If it were to take a more inquisitive approach rather than trolling it, even The Guardian might discover why the vast majority of Europeans feel stronger loyalties to their countries than the abstract idea of a federal European super-state. ORRVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) invites interested parties to listen to its executive management presentation at the 2020 CAGNY Conference on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. EST. The Company will also conduct its third quarter fiscal 2020 earnings conference call and webcast on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. EST. Speaking on the call will be Mark Smucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Belgya, Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer. A press release, including financial statements and segment information, will be released the morning of the call at 7:00 a.m. EST. A live webcast and replay of both events can be accessed on the Company's website: investors.jmsmucker.com. About The J. M. Smucker Company Inspired by more than 120 years of business success and five generations of family leadership, The J. M. Smucker Company makes food that people and pets love. The Company's portfolio of 40+ brands, which are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants, include iconic products consumers have always loved such as Folgers, Jif and Milk-Bone plus new favorites like Cafe Bustelo, Smucker's Uncrustables and Rachael Ray Nutrish. Over the past two decades, the Company has grown rapidly by thoughtfully acquiring leading and emerging brands, while ensuring the business has a positive impact on its 7,000+ employees, the communities it is a part of and the planet. For more information about The J. M. Smucker Company, visit jmsmucker.com. The J. M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein except for Rachael Ray, a registered trademark of Ray Marks II LLC, which is used under license. SOURCE The J. M. Smucker Company Related Links http://www.jmsmucker.com So far, Facebook ad disclosures show the group has spent about $700,000 on ads. ACRONYM leaders said in November that they had raised about 40 percent of the $75 million they hoped for. But by the end of 2019, it had raised only about one-tenth of that, according to a disclosure filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission. A separate tax-exempt wing of the group won't have to disclose how much money it has raised to the IRS until next year. Sgt Townsend Williams, wife, kisses his wife Amy, center, after returning from deployment in Afghanistan as First Lady Melania Trump applauds during the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Soldier Returns From Afghanistan and Surprises Family at State of the Union President Donald Trump and a soldier teamed up to surprise the soldiers family at the State of the Union on Tuesday night in Washington. Trump spoke of veterans and gold star families who were attending his speech, saying war places a heavy burden on them before highlighting Amy Williams and her two young children. Amy works full time, and volunteers countless hours helping other military families, Trump said. For the past seven months, she has done it all while her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East. Elliana, 6, and Rowan, 3, hadnt seen their fathers face for many months, the president said. Your sacrifice makes it possible for all of our people to live in safety and in peace and we want to thank you. Thank you, Amy, Trump said, before adding, Tonight we have a very special surprise. Your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight. And we couldnt keep him waiting any longer. Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams surprises his family by returning early from deployment in Afghanistan during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Sgt. Williams appeared and embraced his family, prompting cheers of USA. Welcome home, Sgt. Williams. Thank you very much. As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. Theres a place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged and where legends come to life, Trump said. Williams said in a video posted by the U.S. Army that he transferred from the National Guard in 2005 after he realized he wanted to be a paratrooper. I hold service to my country, my unit, and my men very close to my heart. I wouldnt be able to do any of this without my family, he said. Im grateful to be able to serve in the United States Army. God Bless America. Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams sits with his wife Amy Williams and children after he surprised her from a deployment in Afghanistan to attend President Donald Trumps State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters) Amy Williams and her children were three of the special guests invited to attend the speech. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also invited Tony Rankins, an Ohio resident who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after serving in the U.S. Army and became addicted to drugs before getting a job in an Opportunity Zone in Cincinnati; Paul Murrow, an Alabama resident who is also a U.S. Army veteran and is building a concrete plant in an Opportunity Zone in Montgomery; and Charles McGee, a retired brigadier general who was one of the Tuskegee Airmen. Trump in his speech said that part of his agenda is to protect American security. Over the last two years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States military, with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. Finally. Finally, he said. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by friends of ours, members of NATO. But now we have secured, over the last couple of years, more than $100 billion of increase in defense spending from our NATO Allies. They said it couldnt be done. As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art missile defense system. Under my administration, we will never apologize for advancing Americas interests. The Member of Parliament for Bolga Central, Isaac Adongo, has asked the Managing Director of the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) to keep quiet on the banks performance. He says CBG is an illegal entity. According to him, any investor who acquires it will be acquiring a huge political risk. The opposition lawmakers comment follows claims by the Managing Director of CBG, Mr Daniel Wilson Addo, that the worst is over for the bank after the turbulence it encountered in its formative year 2018. The bank, he said, had so far stabilised its operations and integrated the staff and banking applications of all its 114 branches, adding that CBG had also started recording profits, with a strong balance sheet. Mr Addo said this when he interacted with the editorial team of the Daily Graphic in Accra last Thursday. He said from a very difficult position in 2018, complicated by a general loss of customer confidence in the countrys banking system, which resulted in depositors seeking to withdraw their funds, CBG worked hard to stabilise the bank. But in a tweet, Mr Adongo said: Did I hear the CEO of CBG say theyve gone past the turbulence? Can someone ask him to shut up? CBG is a heap of illegal combination of peoples sweat doing brokerage for the governments debt instruments. Anyone investor who attempts to acquire it will be acquiring a huge political risk. The CBG was capitalised with GHS450 million in August 2018 by the Ministry of Finance, which later issued a bond of GHS7.6 billion in two tranches of GHS3.2 billion and GHS4.4 billion to cover the funding gap under a separate purchase and assumption agreement entered into with the Receiver, Vish Ashiagbor of PwC, an international audit and accounting firm. By June 2019, the bank had recorded a net interest income of about 83 per cent, from GHS122 million at the end of 2018 to GHS223.8 million in the second quarter of 2019. Total assets of the bank went up from GHS7.5 billion in 2018 to GHS8.3 billion in 2019, representing growth of 11 per cent. ---classfmonline Wuhan may have become a household name after the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus but the historic Chinese city has been a much sought after hub for Kerala medical aspirants for long with affordable and quality courses being the prime attraction. While there is no official data on the number of Kerala students studying in the Asian nation, unoffcial estimates put it around 500. Interestingly, an official said only after the virus scare the government learnt about a sizable number of students studying in Chinese universities. India's all three positive coronavirus cases so far are Keralite students, two of them medicos, of a university in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus which has claimed 490 lives in China so far. Impressed by factors like affordability, amenities and international standards in medical education, offered in English, students from Kerala have been flocking to the Wuhan University School of Medicine. Wuhan, over 1,000 km from Chinese capital of Beijing and more than 800 km from the top class metropolis Shanghai, is a historic city and played a key role in the 20th century history of China. "I am very happy about the medical system at Wuhan university. They offer quality at affordable fees," a student who had returned from Wuhan last month, said here. Aiswarya Hariharan, a third year MBBS student, returned to India early January soon after the school was shut for vacation. According to her, the Wuhan University School of Medicine has become a centre of attraction for MBBS aspirants from Kerala because of its international standard. Overseas students prefer the university as the six-year- long course is offered in English for them. "In our batch, there are about 70 international students. Interestingly, 50 of them are from Kerala," said Aiswarya from Tripunithura near here. Parent of another MBBS student studying in Wuhan said he sent his daughter there because of its high standard of education in a fees affordable for him. "I spent Rs 5 to 6 lakhs for fee, accommodation and food annually for my daughter. This fee amount is very less when compared with many of the self-financing medical institutes with least facilities in India." "Besides, studying overseas is beneficial for the students as they get an international exposure," the parent said. Revathy Krishnan from Thiruvananthapuram is also doing MBBS in Wuhan. The third year student said she was very happy about her institute and its faculty which offer medical education at par with any other reputed Indian medical institute. The students claimed that the facilities the institute offer at Wuhan university, which is also recognised by the Government of India, is of international standard. The students said around 500 from Kerala are pursuing MBBS course at Wuhan University School of Medicine. However, a government department set up to redress the grievances of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) said there was no exact data on this number. Vice Chairman of the Non Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA Roots) K Varadarajan said no records of the Keralite students studying in Chinese institutions were available with the state. "We believe that most of the Keralite students studying in Wuhan have returned to Kerala following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus. But some of the students, whose courses will complete in coming months, are still staying back there," he said. "There is no possibility to get the exact number of Keralite students studying in universities in Wuhan and other Chinese provinces. It is because of the virus scare, we came to know such a sizable number of students are studying in Chinese universities", Varadarajan told PTI. Meanwhile, the students expressed confidence China would very soon overcome the coronavirus crisis and that they would be able to continue their education in Wuhan. According to students, though there are about 35 medical colleges in Kerala not all of them could aspire to get a seat in one of them. Educational consultant, Jacob George, General Manager of the Asian Educational Consultancy, however, felt the number of students who go to China for MBBS were minimal as several others preferred countries like Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The farmers demand that the pressure of law enforcement agencies on the enterprise cease. About 3,000 employees of UkrLandFarming and Avangard agricultural holdings, as well as ordinary people who joined their demands, held a rally outside the Verkhovna Rada and the President's Office HQs, calling to protect the company from unlawful harassment by law enforcement agencies. Farmers demand that the pressure of law enforcement agencies on the enterprise cease and Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Artem Sytnyk, convicted of corruption by court, be dismissed. People came from almost all across Ukraine since enterprises operate in 600 settlements of 22 regions of the country, according to an UNIAN correspondent. During her address from the rally stage, UkrLandFarming Operations Director Halyna Kovtok expressed hope that the demands of 27,000 farmers, whom the company provides jobs with in rural areas and pays UAH 3.5 billion (US$140.8 million) of salaries annually, would be heard. "We've been silently waiting for our problem to be resolved, but now we won't be silent. We will defend our company as loudly as we can so that we can be heard in the Verkhovna Rada and the President's Office. We haven't stolen or inherited anything we have built everything we have with our own hands. And today we protect our own. Therefore, 'Hands off Avangard,' 'Hands off UkrLandFarming!'" she shouted, echoed by protesters. According to Head of the Zarya branch of the Western Agricultural Production company (part of UkrLandFarming) Volodymyr Danylevskiy, law enforcement raids leave company employees anxious and threaten disruption of the work process. "This concerns me as a manager, as well as employees who want to work and earn, not to talk to NABU detectives. We stand here not to lose jobs. Neighboring Poland is 200 kilometers away, they are waiting for young people who know how to work. And now everything is being done to send them from Ukraine and shut our jobs down. We were actually paralyzed and threatened the sowing campaign, people, their families, and their prosperity," he said. In turn, Ukrainian MP with the European Solidarity faction Oleksiy Honcharenko promised from stage that the demands of farmers would be heard and Sytnyk would not remain in office. "Imagine, the head of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine is a corrupt official who was put in the register of corrupt officials how can this be? And today he's discrediting the institution that must fight top corruption not with a top company that shapes up Ukraine's GDP, increases exports, and feeds the whole country and half the world. We will carry your demands to the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada because they must react to the fact that today you have come to fight for your rights," he said. Later, the rally moved to the President's Office to hand over an appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky with signatures of about 30,000 employees and other people. The appeal calls on the president to intervene and halt the destruction of an enterprise that's important for the Ukrainian economy, remove corrupt officials, and save jobs. In addition, the farmers ask to appoint a responsible official who would gather state representatives and company owners at the negotiating table for a constructive dialogue. The protesters left several thousand lighted candles with their names on them outside the President's Office and said the rally was only a precautionary step, i.e. if their demands are not heeded, a significantly larger number of people will take to the streets. As UNIAN reported earlier, businessman Oleg Bakhmatyuk, the owner of UkrLandFarming and Avangard group of companies, called illegal the raids on his company in the case of embezzlement of a stabilization loan from VAB Bank, whose main shareholder he was. He also said the cases opened against him and the company had been personal revenge of NABU Director Sytnyk. The latter was found guilty of corruption by the court over the elite vacation at someone else's expense, and was put in the register of corrupt officials, therefore he could lose his job. The adviser to Bakhmatyuk's sister was the main witness for prosecution. UNIAN memo. UkrLandFarming is the largest Ukrainian agro-industrial holding, which manages the country's largest bank of fertile black soil, namely 500,000 hectares, which is engaged in the cultivation of crops and seeds, sugar production, animal husbandry and distribution of agricultural machinery. It includes the Avangard agricultural group, whose companies specialize in the production of chicken eggs (with a design capacity of 1.6 billion eggs per year) and egg products, which are exported to about 40 countries. China's second aircraft carrier sails through the Taiwan Straits into the South China Sea. Photo: screenshot from the Weibo account of the PLA Navy By Liu Xuanzun Chinese armaments companies have postponed planned work in order to concentrate on controlling the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including those building the country's new aircraft carrier and fighter jets, as well as those in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. According to statements released by Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, which is reportedly building China's third aircraft carrier, and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, maker of the J-15 carrier-based fighter jet in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, in the past few days, the companies are extending the Spring Festival holiday to Sunday. They asked employees who traveled to other cities since the virus outbreak not to return to work until further notice, or quarantine themselves at home for 14 days, the reported latent period for the virus. This will likely result in delays in the construction of the new aircraft carrier and the fighter jets it needs, observers said, noting that China is ushering in the building of a deep blue water navy, in which powerful aircraft carriers play a crucial role. Observers fear that in Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, the impact could be even heavier. Wuhan is home to many Chinese weapons and equipment design and manufacturing institutes, like Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd, which builds submarines, and the Naval University of Engineering, which is developing advanced naval technologies like the electromagnetic catapult, railgun, full electric propulsion, and submarine-related technologies, according to media reports. Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times Monday that while the virus will have an impact on China's weapons and equipment programs, it will be short-term, as the virus is expected to only last for a few months at worst. Prioritizing the health and safety of people is absolutely the right course to avoid fatalities, as well as mitigate any long-term impact, Xu said. COLUMBIA Businessman Tom Steyer's presidential campaign paid the chairman of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus more than $43,000 to serve as a senior adviser in the final few months of 2019, according to new financial disclosures. Since state Rep. Jerry Govan joined Steyer's campaign in October, several other black state lawmakers and officials have endorsed the billionaire activist. Govan, an Orangeburg Democrat, leads a 45-member group of mostly African American representatives and senators. Steyer is battling former Vice President Joe Biden to win over black voters, who are expected to account for roughly two-thirds of Democratic ballots cast in upcoming South Carolina presidential primary. With his prolific advertising and concerted efforts to reach into black community, a poll out this week showed Steyer has narrowed the gap among African American voters versus Biden, the front-runner in South Carolina. The fight heated up Wednesday as several black lawmakers accused state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, one of Biden's top supporters in South Carolina, of making racist remarks about the compensation that the state's top African American legislator received from Steyer. Harpootlian called the accusations a distraction. Campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission show Steyer's campaign paid The Govan Agency LLC a total of $43,548 between Oct. 31 and Dec. 4 for four months worth of work plus reimbursements. The purpose listed for the payments was "Community Building Services." Govan receives $10,000 per month for his role as senior adviser, which also covers expenses, Steyer campaign spokesman Alberto Lammers said. Govan started working for the campaign in September. "Rep. Govan's compensation is consistent with the salaries of other members of the team in South Carolina," Lammers said. Govan, an Orangeburg Democrat, said The Govan Agency LLC is a consulting company and Steyer is a client. "I have a consulting firm," Govan said. "I do business. In terms of having a consulting firm, theres nothing illegal or illicit or improper." "For my services, I travel, I do surrogate work, I do advice on policy," he added. "And because of my expertise, in terms of having run, worked and been involved in campaigns Ive run statewide, I would think my services for any candidate (would be valuable), and hes not the only candidate to ask about my services." Govan did not name any other campaigns he has worked on, statewide or otherwise. Steyer's South Carolina state director, Jonathan Metcalf, earned a monthly salary of about $7,000, according to the filings. But Lammers said the discrepancy between Metcalf's salary and Govan's compensation stems the fact that Metcalf is an employee while Govan is an independent contractor. Federal rules require campaigns to report post-tax pay for employees but the pre-tax gross amount for independent contractors. Harpootlian, a prominent Biden supporter who stumped for the former vice president in Iowa, said Govan told him shortly before endorsing Steyer that he planned to endorse Biden, alleging that the top black lawmaker changed his mind because of the financial payout. "He told me he was with Joe Biden until Mr. Moneybags showed up," Harpootlian said. "This is what happens when billionaires get involved, whether its Donald Trump or Tom Steyer. They just buy things. They don't have to persuade anybody, they just buy them." Govan said Harpootlian is only coming after him "because Biden is struggling coming out of Iowa." He called on the Biden campaign to renounce Harpootlian's endorsement. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! "The connotation is highly insulting as an African American and should be insulting to every African American," Govan said. "He speaks in condescending terms to African Americans and I dont appreciate what hes implying considering his track record and history." While Govan said he considers Biden to be a friend, he chose not to endorse him in part because Harpootlian was supporting him. Several members of the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus gathered in the Statehouse lobby on Wednesday to ask the Biden campaign to disavow Harpootlian's remarks, which they deemed as racist. "We know Joe Biden needs the black vote in South Carolina," House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford told reporters. "He certainly cant get it with this." Rutherford noted that Harpootlian once said during a 1986 county council race that he didn't want to buy the black vote, he just wanted to rent it for a day. Harpootlian then addressed reporters as black lawmakers looked on, with some jeering him as he spoke. "I will not be silenced by those who use race as a shield from criticism," he said, noting that he was an early endorser of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign and marched behind Martin Luther King's casket. "I understand the pervasive, horrible impact of racism, and this allegation cheapens the effort of those of us who want to fight against it," Harpootlian said. Paige Hill, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, said Harpootlian does not speak on the campaign's behalf a point Harpootlian also made. Harpootlian is one of dozens of South Carolina officials who have endorsed the former vice president, most of whom are black. State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, an African American Democrat from Charleston, said he is one of thousands of Biden supporters across South Carolina. "When you have one cowboy run off and say something and you attribute that to an entire campaign, I think that's unfair," Kimpson said. The dispute comes as Steyer has been narrowing Biden's lead among African American voters in South Carolina, according to the most recent Post and Courier-Change Research poll. Biden had support from 30 percent of African American voters, compared with 24 percent for Steyer. Biden remains the front-runner among all S.C. voters. This is not the first instance of this type of controversy in South Carolina. In 2007, Hillary Clinton faced a similar allegation that she had paid for the endorsement of state Sen. Darrell Jackson by hiring his media consulting firm. In November, the Associated Press reported that a top aide to Steyer's campaign in Iowa privately offered campaign contributions to local politicians in exchange for endorsing him. Seanna Adcox and Adam Benson contributed to this story. A survey conducted by Ghanas premier university has revealed that 64.9% of Ghanaians are in support of the compilation of a new voters register. ur manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in According to the survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana majority of Ghanaians are in full support of the ECs decision for a new register. In all 27,500 respondents were asked The Electoral Commission intends to compile a new voters register. Do you agree?. READ ALSO: Members of inter-party resistance against new voters' register hold 3rd demo in Accra The survey reported noted that respondents from all 16 regions of Ghana supported the ECs decision, with the Upper East Region leading with 79.45% of the 1,499 respondents. The Ashanti Region, which is the NPPs stronghold saw 74.42% of the 4,707 respondents back the ECs decision. In the opposition National Democratic Congress stronghold, the Volta Region, 54.39% of the 1,800 respondents said they wanted a new voters register. The survey also stated that the popular response and reason for the respondents is to support the new register was to ensure credibility of the election results. This was 37.5%. ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghan Others said the process would help eliminate deceased persons names from the register while others said it would help to detect and delete the names of non-citizens on the register. READ ALSO: Abacha money: Nigeria to receive GHC 1.6 billion from US Those who were not in support of the ECs decision said it would be a waste of resources and some of them believed the incumbent [party, NPP] wants to gain advantage over the opposition [NDC]. YEN .com.gh earlier reported that information reaching it indicates that over GHC37.4 million in cash has been intercepted from a passenger by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday, February 4. Speaking to The Nation, a source close to Customs mentioned that a worker at the Lagos airport who was allegedly involved with the money was arrested by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command. This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh READ ALSO: End of an era: Retired president Daniel Moi dies aged 95 Source: YEN.com.gh Tesla, Inc. TSLA recently signed a battery-supply agreement with Chinas largest battery producer, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL). Though the agreement does not impose restrictions on Teslas purchase volume, the company will determine the battery-purchase volume between July 2020 and June 2022, as per its requirement. Tesla expects to deliver at least 500,000 vehicles, marking a year-over-year increase of 36% in 2020. Therefore, the company is working toward securing battery-production capacity from several suppliers, since this rise in deliveries will require more batteries. Last November, Tesla entered into a preliminary agreement of battery supply with CATL to procure cells for the companys Model 3 cars, which will be manufactured in Gigafactory 3 in China. This news came in after Teslas relationship with Panasonic Corp. hit a rough patch, after the latter denied any plan to set up a battery-cell factory for the former in China. China is the largest electric vehicle market in the world by a substantial amount, almost doubling that of the Unites States. Tesla's latest plant in China will provide the company direct access to this market and help slash costs significantly. In a letter to shareholders, Elon Musk said that this factory was 65% cheaper than any Model 3 factory built in the United States. Tesla also signed an agreement last August with South Koreas LG Chem Ltd., in order to source batteries for its Gigafactory 3 in China, which will provide the company with 21700 type battery cells to be used in Teslas Model 3 and Model Y cars. The Gigafactory 3 started delivering cars last December and the company plans to diversify battery supplies for the plant in the upcoming days. Per Tesla, the company will work with both CATL and LG Chem, in addition to Teslas long-time partner Panasonic, to secure battery capacity for Teslas production ramp. Shares of Tesla have outperformed the industry it belongs to over the past year. During this time frame, the stock has surged 142.7% compared with the industrys rise of 36.2%. Story continues Tesla is making efforts to improve vehicle deliveries, sequentially and annually, with some expected fluctuations due to seasonality. Due to the ramp-up of Model 3 in Shanghai and Model Y in Fremont, production will likely outpace deliveries this year. Both solar and storage deployments will be up at least 50% in 2020. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Tesla currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector include Gentherm Inc THRM, Gentex Corporation GNTX and SPX Corporation SPXC. While Gentherm flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Gentex Corporation and SPX carry a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Gentherm has a projected earnings growth rate of 20.60% for the ongoing year. Its shares have gained 9.8% over the past year. Gentex Corporation has an estimated earnings growth rate of 7.32% for 2020. The companys shares have appreciated 45.8% in a years time. SPX has an expected earnings growth rate of 8.09% for the current year. The stock has rallied 60% in the past year. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers Most Likely for Early Price Pops. Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See 7 handpicked stocks now >> Click to get this free report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gentherm Inc (THRM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gentex Corporation (GNTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report SPX Corporation (SPXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The 2010s were an exciting time for technology. During this time we saw smartphones and the internet become accessible to nearly everyone on the planet. But with one decade out of the way, its time for us to look towards the next 10 years. The next ten years will probably see a continuation of the groundwork that was laid in the previous decades. Heres a look at some telecom innovations that you should look out for this decade. Faster mobile internet with 5G Well, trial 5G may have already started rolling out in some countries, but this decade will most likely see telecom operators from across the world launch the services in their respective regions. 5G promises to not only improve online activities such as gaming but also other connected technologies such as smart cars, smart homes and more. While it is not yet known when 5G will be available in India, telecom operators like Airtel have conducted successful tests. So, its just a matter of time before the service is rolled out in the country. Uninterrupted conversations with VoWi-Fi calling VoWi-Fi aims to help solve patchy and poor indoor connectivity problems by using Wi-Fi broadbands to connect cellular calls. While making calls through the internet is not new, users will not have to open a separate app, or sign up for any additional service in order to use it. Telecom operators are already in the process of rolling out the technology, with Airtel being the first to the market with its Airtel Wi-Fi Calling service. It has been allowing people to make calls even if there is no network reach, like in houses and offices. Get more out of texts with RCS Lets be real here. When was the last time you actually sent out an SMS text message? Rich Communication Services, or RCS aims to replace the old SMS by bringing it to the modern age. Instead of simply relying on text, RCS would allow for the sharing of images, emojis and more, all through your inbuilt messaging app. In other words, unlike other app-based services, it will not rely on the user having to sign up for any particular service. Think of it like what Apple's iMessage does and then some more, like booking tickets, scheduling appointments etc. without leaving the app. Deployment of Blockchain to combat spam Blockchain is one of the big buzzwords that came out towards the latter half of the decade, and now telecom companies are finding a way for it to be used to curb spam calls. So instead of storing entire phone numbers, it will instead be stored on the aforementioned blockchains. So accessing the number will require the use of a key, which can be traced to a user. As such, only registered telemarketers will have access to the numbers, and if there is any leak of information, the source can be easily traced. An increased focus on cybersecurity With so much private data flowing through our mobile phones, telecom operators have become a sort of hub for information. As such, they pose a juicy target for cybercriminals and other unscrupulous individuals. Expect telecom operators to augment their defences even further in order to protect themselves from criminals. In fact, the promise of security and privacy could even become a differentiator between operators. After all, who doesn't want more privacy? Back in Saudi Arabia the government has allowed free discussion about what to do with the situation in Yemen. In other words, the Saudis are seriously considering abandoning Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, the last (in 2012) elected president of Yemen. Hadi presides over a government that controls little actual territory in Yemen. The Shia and many other Yemenis insist that the 2012 elections to select a successor to unpopular president-for-life Ali Abdullah Saleh were unfair. International observers declared the elections fair, at least by Yemeni standards. Saleh was believed to want more amnesty guarantees so he could leave the country without fear of someone prosecuting him. Meanwhile, the Sunni majority in Yemen opposes autonomy or weapons for the Shia up north because those two things have made the Shia tribes a constant source of trouble for centuries. The Sunnis want the man they back (Hadi) recognized as the ruler of all of Yemen. No presidential elections have been held since 2012 and Hadi's term has expired. The situation is worse with the parliament; the last elections were held in 2003. The Arab Coalition and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) has endorsed the use of members elected in 2003. That did not work because the Hadi government was only able to get 138 members (out of 301) to this parliament, so there is not a quorum (the majority of members) present to officially conduct business. Since 2003 some members have died or are trapped in rebel-held areas. The whereabouts of the others are unknown, unclear or a member does not want to get involved yet. The Hadi government managed to move the Election Commission from Sanaa, making it possible to make plans for new elections, even if people in rebel-held areas will be unable to vote. The problem is that most of the Sunni south is not interested in new elections. They want autonomy and partitioning of Yemen. Multiwars Then there is the problem of there not being just one problem (the Shia rebellion) in Yemen. The reality is that there are at least five different wars going on. Ending one or more of these wars will not necessarily stop the others. The many wars include; The North-South Divide. This one is centuries old and was last mended in the 1990s. The possibility of a split has returned because the UAE (United Arab Emirates) has been in charge of security (and aid delivery) in the south since 2015 and has supported the formation of the STC (South Transitional Council). This group is composed of southern tribes that want autonomy but are willing to fight and defeat the Islamic terrorists as well as the Shia rebels first. Aidarous al Zubaidi, the STC leader is seen as more popular in the south than Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, the last and current elected president of united Yemen. Hadi has only briefly visited Yemen a few times since 2015 and spends most of his time in the Saudi capital. This is for Hadis safety given the number of assassinations going on in Aden (where the Hadi government was moved to in 2015). The Saudis and the UAE do not agree on dividing Yemen once more but for the moment it is more convenient to support the STC and efforts to defeat Iran backed Shia rebels. After that, who knows? The Shia Tribal Autonomy War. This has been going on forever as well and is all about the traditional autonomy some of the northern Shia tribes long enjoyed but was taken away several times in the last century. The tribes always manage to regain it but this time they are trying to revive an autonomy they lost over fifty years ago and are doing it with the backing of Saudi archenemy Iran. The Shia tribes are persistent because they see themselves on a Mission From God sponsored by Iran. The Saleh Loyalists. Ali Abdullah Saleh and his clan lost power in 2012 and want it back. Saleh demonstrated that he could not be ignored and sided with the Shia rebels. Saleh ruled Yemen for decades before the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings unified his many opponents. Unfortunately, Saleh decided to switch sides in late 2017 and was negotiating a deal with Hadi when the rebels found out and killed him in early December 2017. Tarek Mohamed Abdullah Saleh, the brigadier general nephew of Saleh, united the many pro-Saleh factions who were willing to switch sides. This weakened the Shia rebels, but not fatally so. The Saleh clan is still out there, but not as powerful as it was when the elder Saleh was still alive. Al Qaeda. Yemen has always been full of Islamic conservatives and radicals and many of those who founded al Qaeda came from Yemen or Yemeni families that had moved to oil-rich neighbors in the last fifty years and prospered economically, but not mellowed theologically. From al Qaeda came AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and in 2013 ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). ISIL and AQAP are technically enemies but have established a truce in Yemen while both concentrate on terror attacks. The massive losses ISIL suffered worldwide during 2016-17 caused many surviving members to return to more moderate groups like AQAP. Despite that ISIL has been seen surviving and perhaps even gaining strength in Yemen. The Sunni-Shia War. This one is mainly between Iran (the largest Shia nation) and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab oil states in the Persian Gulf). Iran wants to replace Saudi Arabia as the guardian of the holiest Islamic sites in Mecca and Medina (western Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea). The GCC and Iran are using Yemen as a battlefield and no one likes this. But for Iran it is a cheap way to annoy and demean the Saudis. The Saudis are most at risk here because the Shia rebel homeland is a northern Yemen province on the Saudi border. The Saudis cannot afford to have an Iran-backed Shia faction on their southern border. Other Problems Its not just the many conflicts that make Yemen such a mess. There are other, more fundamental problems. Failed State The Saudis have no problem with Yemen fragmenting. Many Yemenis insist that the country is not "becoming" a failed state because modern Yemen has always been a failed state. The problems of tribalism, religious radicalism and corruption make it impossible for Yemen to function as a country. The continued popularity of dividing the country in two is partly about what little oil Yemen has, as it is in the south and thats where the Sunni separatists are. Islamic terrorists (mainly AQAP) are also in the south and willing to help the separatists. Most southerners just want peace and some prosperity. But there are enough devoted separatists in the south to provide sanctuaries and support for Islamic terrorists. Most southerners realize that a new (separatist run) government in the south would be as corrupt as the one they have now and the ones Yemen has had for thousands of years. As a result of all this and the two years of fighting, it is more difficult to bring foreign aid into the south, which needs it the most, because AQAP believes such aid, even though most is from Moslem countries, is tainted and should be prevented. The basic problem is that too many Yemenis dont want to be Yemenis. The country was a patchwork of independent tribes and cities when the English East India Company took control of some Yemeni ports in the 1830s and 40s to support ships going from Britain to India. The Ottoman Turks still controlled most of northern Yemen until 1918 (when the Ottoman Empire collapsed). Britain took over from the Ottomans and established the borders of modern Yemen. But Yemen was still not a unified country. When the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two parts of Yemen finally united in 1990, but a civil war in 1994 was needed to seal the deal. That fix didn't really take, and within a decade the north and south were pulling apart again. The corruption and lack of unity are related to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa (northeast Africa) region, the normal form of government, until the last century or so, were wealthier coastal city-states, nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming (or a little of both). This whole "nation" idea is still looked on with some suspicion by many in the region. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity (kingdom, emirate or modern variation in the form of a hereditary dictatorship.) Yemen is still all about the tribes. The national government is a bunch of guys who deal with foreigners and try to maintain peace among the tribes. Controlling the national government is a source of much wealth, as officials can steal part of the foreign aid and taxes (mostly on imports or royalties from oil). This lack of nationalism means a lack of cooperation or willingness to act in the public interest. Much of the Yemeni agricultural crises is caused by the fact that Yemen's economic situation has been rapidly deteriorating since the late 20th century. This is largely because the government has done nothing to address the problems of overpopulation, water shortages and Khat. The last item is a narcotic plant that is chewed fresh, requires a lot of water to grow and is worth a lot of money in Saudi Arabia where it is illegal. There is little willingness to cooperate. Feuding, fighting and blaming others for the mess are the preferred methods for dealing with the problems. Before oil was discovered in Arabia nearly a century ago Yemen had long been the most powerful and populous part of Arabia because it was the only part of Arabia with regular rains (thanks to the annual monsoon). Most of the oil deposits were at the north end of the Persian Gulf and Yemen lost out there. Yemenis had long despised the less affluent Arabians to the north, but since oil arrived the Yemenis have become despised and they did not take it well. Resentment, envy and a sense of entitlement have combined with the lack of unity to produce Yemen that is a nation in name only. Few others in the region have much sympathy for the Yemenis who are seen as the main cause of their own problems and the main obstacle to solving them. Since that is all you have to work with it is no wonder that Yemen came to be such a perennial disaster area. The concept of a unified Yemen was largely created by Cold War politics and how Britain handled a threat to their seaborne trade in the early 19th century. That was when Britain took control of Aden. This was partly to shut down the many pirates operating out of there, and increasingly going after British ships traveling between Asia (India, Southeast Asia and China) and Britain. Only Aden was needed but the British made deals with the tribes that occupied most of the southern Yemen coast and had long depended on Aden and other southern ports for supplies and such. Britain made Aden and the smaller southern ports more prosperous with new trading opportunities and provided more benefits for the interior tribes. Most importantly the tribes still had their autonomy, as well as British protection from outsiders. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and over the next few decades larger, more efficient, steam-powered metal vessels supplanted and replaced wooden sailing ships. That meant a lot more trade moving past and Aden and South Yemen became more prosperous. When the British left in the early 1960s, as part of the widespread abandonment of colonies by European nations, there was some unrest and fighting in the newly independent South Yemen. This was because Aden was much less religious and traditional with a better-educated population and it was no surprise that Aden and some other South Yemen cities were dominated by local communists. From 1970 until the fall of European communism in 1989, South Yemen was a communist state, subsidized by the Soviet Union, and the only one in the Arab world. Most of that enthusiasm for communism was centered in Aden and its suburbs. This is where most of the South Yemen population lived and where an even larger proportion of its GDP came from. A few other coastal cities had the same type of population and political attitudes, giving the urban population control of politics as well as the economy. The tribal minority, out in the desert and semi-desert inland areas was much more religious and traditional. But over the centuries the urban and tribal populations had learned to get along and respect each others customs. It was different in northern Yemen, where the urban population was not as dominant and the tribal population was economically better off and about as religious and conservative as their southern counterparts. The problem was the northern and southern tribes saw each other as foreigners. This is a common situation in tribal cultures, which includes the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Yet even then there was some enthusiasm for a united Yemen in the north and south. With the collapse of the Soviet Union (and European communism) in 1991, the Russian subsidies stopped and unification was suddenly much more appealing. After a few years of haggling, and occasional fighting, Yemen was united by 1994. At that point, there were still factions in the north and south who believed unity was overrated and two Yemens was the way to go. That is no longer the case, not with most of the population surviving on foreign food aid. Many of those hungry Yemenis have to pay Shia rebels for this free food. The foreign aid NGOs and the UN complain about this but the Shia rebels are armed and dangerous and the UN is not. Not armed that is. There is resistance to admitting that Yemen is a failed state, one of those areas (like Somalia and Afghanistan) that were never united for long and are basically several smaller entities that are not really interested in unity with their neighbors who are supposed to be their countrymen. And then there is the corruption problem. Everything Is For Sale Yemen has long been recognized as one of the most corrupt places on the planet. The extent of this corruption can be seen in the international surveys of nations to determine who is clean and who is corrupt. For 2019 Yemen ranked 177th out of 180 nations in international rankings compared with 176th in 2018. Corruption is measured annually in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. Corruption is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Yemen/15, Syria/13, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while the least corrupt (Finland, New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85. The current Yemen score is 15 (versus 14 in 2018) compared to 71 (71) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 60 (64) for Israel, 69 (75) for the United States, 26 (27) for Nigeria, 44 (43) for South Africa, 20 (18) for Iraq, 39 (40) for Turkey, 53 (49) for Saudi Arabia, 30 (30) for Ukraine, 45 (44) for Belarus, 58 (60) for Poland, 80 (81) Germany, 65 (61) for Taiwan, 39 (40) for Turkey, 41 (40) for India, 28 (28) for Russia, 57 (54) for South Korea, 41 (39) for China, 14 (17) for North Korea, 37 (35) for Vietnam, 85 (84) for Singapore, 73 (73) for Japan, 40 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (38) for Sri Lanka, 29 (33) for the Maldives, 34 (34) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 26 (28) for Bangladesh, 26 (30) for Iran, 16 (15) for Afghanistan, 29 (30) for Burma, and 28 (28) for Lebanon. Yemens corruption score has changed for the worse since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution when it was 23. February 1, 2020: The UN confirmed that the Shia rebels appear to be using Iranian made assault rifles and other infantry weapons. In the past, Iran sent the Shia rebels weapons made elsewhere (Russia, China, Pakistan) that were widely available on the black market. That cost a little extra but given the financial problems Iran has been having since 2017, it is not surprising that they decided to save some foreign currency and send scrubbed (unmarked) Iranian made weapons, UAVs and other equipment. Another UN investigation confirmed that the September 2019 UAV/cruise missile attack on Saudi oil facilities in northeast Saudi Arabia had come from Iran, not Shia rebels in northwest Yemen. Like earlier investigations, the UN researchers examined the debris of the explosives carrying UAVs and cruise missiles and identified them as Iranian made and models that did not have the range or accuracy to carry out an attack so distant from northwest Yemen. January 30, 2020: The Shia rebels claim to have launched 36 long-range rockets at oil and military targets in southwest Saudi Arabia (Jizan, Asir and Najran provinces) during the last week. No missile damage was reported in those provinces and the Saudis reported that their anti-missile systems did intercept some rockets fired from Yemen in that period. January 29, 2020: In the south (Bayda province), an American UAV missile attack killed AQAP leader (since mid-2015) Qasim al Raymi. No confirmation yet. January 28, 2020: In the north, outside the rebel occupied capital Saana, an Iranian ballistic missile being prepared for firing exploded on its launcher. Several Iranian and Shia rebel missile experts were killed. The missile was apparently aimed at targets in southwestern Saudi Arabia. January 25, 2020: In central Yemen (Marib province), Shia rebels were forced from the high ground outside Saana that had enabled them to accurately launch unguided rockets at Coalition bases in the area. January 19, 2020: Over the past 30 days Sudan has continued to withdraw its military forces from Yemen. As of January 15, only 657 Sudanese soldiers remained in Yemen. On December 1, 2019, Sudan had around 5,000 soldiers in Yemen serving with the Saudi-led coalition. In 2015 the recently deposed Sudan president (dictator) Omar al Bashir ordered the Sudanese military to send 15,000 troops and a small air force detachment to Yemen to serve with the Saudi-led anti-Iran coalition. In April 2019, the month Bashir was removed from power, Sudan still deployed 15,000 military personnel in Yemen. In late 2019 the new civilian prime minister vowed to end Sudans military engagement in Yemen. January 18, 2020: In central Yemen (Marib province), Shia rebels fired several rockets an Arab Coalition base and some of the rockets hit a mosque packed with Sunni civilians and soldiers attending weekly services. About a hundred people in the mosque were killed. Shia and Sunni zealots do this sort of thing to each other. This attack ended the ceasefire negotiated in November. The ceasefire was sporadic from the start but major attacks like this mosque massacre were absent, until now. The Saudis had reduced their airstrikes by about 80 percent during the ceasefire and this attack brought forth more airstrikes. January 15, 2020: In Egypt, about a hundred kilometers north of the Sudan border, the military opened its largest base on the Red Sea coast. The Barnis base covers 62 hectares (155 acres) and includes docks for ships as well as an airbase, hospital and hardened shelters for warplanes. The base will make it easier to monitor the Red Sea and patrol the Yemeni coast, where Iran-backed Shia rebels are threatening to disrupt Red Sea traffic. This traffic includes nearly 20,000 ships a year headed for the Suez Canal, which earns Egypt nearly $6 billion a year in transit fees. January 14, 2020: In the south (Abyan Province), government troops moved to neighboring Shabwah province in compliance with the peace deal made between the Hadi government and the separatist STC (Southern Transitional Council). January 9, 2020: It has now been revealed that at the same time Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in Iraq the Americans attempted and failed, to carry out a similar attack on Abdul Reza Shahlai, the senior Quds officer in Yemen. Iranians support for the Shia rebels has been keeping the Yemeni civil war going. Shahlai has long been a known terrorist planner for Quds and currently has a $15 million reward offered, by the U.S., for information on where he that leads to his capture or death. Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopras upcoming film, Shikara has received a big thumbs up from Avatar and Titanic director, James Cameron. The latest teaser shared by the team shows a blurb by Cameron, where he calls the movie 'Shikara a masterpiece'. Just to jog your memory a little, Cameron and another Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alfonso Cuaron had also praised Chopras Hollywood film, Broken Horses. YouTube Chopra has time and again emphasized that he himself is a Kashmiri Pandit and for him, Shikara is not just a film but, It is a movement. Starring debutantes Sadia as Shanti Dhar and Aadil Khan as Shiv Kumar Dhar, the film has been meticulously planned and shot. Not many know that Chopra and the entire crew had actually flown in approximately 4000 Pandits to shoot a key scene set in a refugee camp. Chopra emphasized and added, Its a tribute to the Pandit community, to us, to our mothers. Nobody listened to us for 30 years. Our story was hidden for the past 30 years." Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the head honcho of VVC films also spoke about his personal connection to the story. AFP Talking to PTI, he said, "This is completely personal to me. It is my life. Just think about the scale of this tragedy. It is unbelievable to me that we have let it happen. My mother thought she will go back after two-three weeks or after a few months or next year but she couldn't go back and that smile slowly vanished." The film is scheduled to be released on February 7. WASHINGTON President Trump claimed credit for a great American comeback in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night, boasting of a robust economy, contrasting his successes with the records of his predecessors and projecting optimism in the face of a monthslong Democratic effort to force him from office. Mr. Trump, who lamented what he called American carnage when he was inaugurated in January 2017, described a different country today, declaring in his third State of the Union address that the nations future was once again blazing bright. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny, Mr. Trump said in a speech that lasted 78 minutes. We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back! The state of our union, Mr. Trump declared, is stronger than ever before. Welcomed by enthusiastic applause from Republican lawmakers, the president marched confidently into the same historic chamber where he was impeached 49 days earlier. Mr. Trump described the nation as enjoying what he called a blue-collar boom, fueled by trade agreements and his success in restoring our nations manufacturing might. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Bahrain-based aluminium smelter, yesterday (Feb 4) took part in a high-level Bahraini delegation to Italy, to explore further expansion and partnership opportunities with Italian companies through high-level meetings between senior business executives and government representatives. The Bahrain delegation was led by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain, said a Bahrain News Agency report. Organised by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the delegation visited Italy to explore further expansion and partnership opportunities with Italian-based companies through high-level meetings between senior business executives and government representatives. As part of the delegation, Albas chairman of the board of directors Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa met with key Italian companies, including Fluorsid, FATA and Techmo Car, where important agreements were signed to advance commercial opportunities for both parties. Shaikh Daij said that Alba is pleased to be part of the Bahraini delegation to Italy led by HRH the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. As one of the key contributors to Bahrains economy, Alba is deeply committed to realising the Kingdoms Economic Vision 2030. Through these signed agreements, Alba aims to further strengthen its relationship with Fluorsid, FATA and Techmo Car as well as explore more avenues for future collaboration, he added. Alba has an existing contract with Fluorsid for the supply of 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of smelter grade aluminium fluoride, around 70 per cent of Albas yearly requirements. FATA is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for Albas Port Capacity Upgrade Project, part of Alba Line 6 Expansion Project, while Techmo is a producer of high-end mobile and stationary equipment for the aluminium and metal production sector and enjoys a long-standing commercial relationship with Alba, added the report. En espanol | If you are a veteran who served in active duty for at least 24 consecutive months and were honorably discharged, you're eligible to enroll in health care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But as with any federal entity, keep in mind several guidelines. "Getting in the door and into the system can be challenging, says Kayla Williams of Reston, Virginia, a veteran of the Iraq War. But once that's done, the system is so beneficial. It's comprehensive, integrated care. All of your providers can see all of your records." 3 ways to apply Online. Veterans may fill out and submit their benefit application electronically through the Veterans Affairs (VA) website. After completing the application, a confirmation message will appear immediately on the veteran's screen. If recently discharged, the VA will gather the veteran's service information for him or her. In person. Veterans may go to their local VA health center to apply for medical services that include more than a dozen specialties. By mail. Veterans who choose to mail their VA Form 10-10EZ to the VA can download the form from the VA's website. The veteran or someone with the veteran's power of attorney must sign and date the form. Regardless of how it's filed, the application includes information about the veteran's military service, demographics and, as applicable, financial status, Meagan Heup of the VA's New York Regional Office of Public Affairs says in email. Once enrolled, a veteran doesn't need to reapply annually for benefits. Still, some veterans, perhaps with help from their caregivers, will need to update their financial information yearly. Veterans who cannot locate their military service records and discharge papers can request a copy of the records electronically from the VA or mail a completed VA Form SF-180 to the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138. Be aware that a 1973 fire at the records center may have destroyed records for some Army and Air Force veterans as young as their mid-70s, but the VA does have steps in place to try to reconstruct service records for those who request it. 'Priority group determines cost The amount of care that a veteran qualifies for depends upon how he or she is ranked in the system. These priority groups range from 1 people with a service-connected disability that is at least rated as 50 percent disabling or a Medal of Honor recipient to 8 group members who may not be eligible because of income or other limitations. These levels affect copayments, eligibility for certain treatments and services, and how quickly you can enroll in the VA program; they can be updated. If a veteran and caregivers believe the rating system isn't working for them or find the system confusing, Williams recommends that they get in touch with a veteran service officer (VSO). The VSO can submit benefits claims to the VA, and their services are free. VSOs also help gather information to support claims and can aid in appealing denied claims. Cecily Christian of Columbia, Maryland, who served in the Army, calls VSOs lifesavers." I didn't know the process at first, she says. It's crucial to have people like that involved ones who can really help you." The chairman of the Bloody Sunday Trust has outlined its opposition to the re-enactment of the original march through Londonderry. Tony Doherty's comments follow a backlash against the presence of dissident republican group Saoradh at this year's event. Mr Doherty, whose father Paddy was among the 13 men killed by soldiers while he was taking part in the civil rights parade on January 30, 1972, said the majority of families who are represented by the trust have had nothing to do with the march since 2011. This year's event drew criticism because of the participation of Saoradh, considered the political wing of the New IRA, who murdered journalist Lyra McKee in Creggan last April. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Bloody Sunday March 2020 [Photos] Close Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Members of Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Members of Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Members of Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Kate Nash as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Eamonn McCann as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott A remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Brian Shivers as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Brian Shivers as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Damien McLaughlin with Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Saoradh as a remembrance march for the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday takes place in the Creggan area Derry on February 2nd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Many comments posted on social media took swipes at the wider Bloody Sunday campaign because of the presence of Saoradh, but Mr Doherty said this was misplaced. "We don't normally court controversy but we want to make it clear that we don't have any association with that march," he said. "This goes back to 2011 when the majority of the Bloody Sunday families asked the population of Derry to march with them for the last Annual Bloody Sunday march. "The Bloody Sunday Trust was asked by the families to organise events around civil rights and human rights issues instead, as a commemoration of Bloody Sunday, which we continue to do. "A small number of families decided to go their own way, but the vast majority of family members abide by the decision taken in 2011 that it was time to bring the march to an end for no other reason other than it had stopped being an effective campaigning tool. The vast majority of families do not take part in this march, nor do they have anything to do with it." A small number of Bloody Sunday family members, along with others, formed a committee to allow the march to continue, but widened the remit to a March for Justice open to anyone wishing to participate. Committee member Eamonn McCann said that while he, like others, wished Saoradh was not at the march, the committee would not stop them taking part. He said: "It is true that less than a year after the murder by dissident republicans of Lyra McKee, many people might think it is inappropriate for dissident republicans to be marching for civil rights, and I would agree with them. "The fact that I agree with these sentiments does not mean that I can or would want to exclude them (Saoradh). "I will continue arguing with them, as I do robustly, as I argued down through the years with supporters of republican paramilitarism.There wasn't any specific discussion about Saoradh taking part. The attitude is anyone can join - it is a public march and anyone can join. "There is a diversity of groups on the march, from Pride to environmental groups like Zero Waste North West, and Saoradh came along too." Mr McCann added he understood people would be outraged by the presence of groups linked to violence at the march. "The Bloody Sunday march originally was a civil rights march, which was in effect taken over by republicans and that has been going on for years," he said. "I cannot speak for the committee, but I can point out there are 12 people on the committee and not one of them would want anything to do with dissident republicans or political violence. "There is only a minority in the committee who would consider themselves a republican of any sorts - they are civil righters. "You cannot exclude people from the march, much as you might wish they were not there." Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido attended President Donald Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday night on Capitol Hill. The invitation came as Guaido has been trying to win face time with Trump, his most important international ally. Guaido's visit to Miami on Saturday rounded out a two-week world tour that took him first to Colombia, then across Europe and Canada, where he held meetings seeking more international help to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office. Venezuela has been a top priority in Latin America for the Trump administration, which a year ago was the first among 60 governments to throw its weight behind Guaido after he launched a campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido acknowledges applause at the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Trump delivers his State of the Union address, drawing standing ovations from Republicans and near-silence from Democrats U.S. officials have called Maduro a 'dictator,' and hit the state-run Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA with sanctions and other financial measures designed to push out the socialist leader. However, Maduro remains in control, having faced down a coup attempt, a brief renewal of mass anti-government protests and U.S. sanctions. Earlier, the White House said Ivan Simonovis, the former police chief in Caracas who was imprisoned in 2004 and held in captivity for nearly 15 years, also would be a guest. Simonovis was sentenced to 30 years in prison on what he considered trumped-up charges of ordering police to fire on pro-government demonstrators during a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez. Simonovis, Venezuela's most famous SWAT cop, escaped last year and was brought to the United States, His detention has been a rallying cry of the opposition that considered Maduro's 2018 election a fraud and blamed his socialist policies for the nation's crisis, which is driving mass migration and threatening the region's stability. Guaido waves at President Donald Trump during his the State of the Union address The UN Security Council discusses maintaining international peace and security and upholding the United Nations Charter during a meeting at UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 9, 2020. European member states of the United Nations called for Myanmar on Tuesday to take measures to hold to account those responsible for committing human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims after the Security Council failed to support an order by the international bodys top court to protect members of the minority group. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Jan. 23 ordered Myanmar to implement emergency provisions to protect Rohingya living in the country from genocide and to preserve evidence of atrocities from a 2017 military-led crackdown targeting them. After the Council did not reach an agreement on issuing a declaration urging Myanmar to comply with the ICJs order, current Council members France, Estonia, Germany, and Belgium, and former member Poland issued a statement calling on the Southeast Asian nation to take measures to prevent a Rohingya genocide. Myanmar must address the root causes of its conflicts and take credible action to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations, the joint statement said, according to news wire reports. Myanmar must also create conditions for and facilitate a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Myanmar, the statement said, referring to the yet to be realized repatriation of some of the more than 740,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh during the crackdown. The Rohingya who have been officially approved for repatriation have refused to return, citing safety concerns and demands for full citizenship. Myanmar Muslim leader Aye Lwin said that compliance with the ICJs order would help Myanmar, whose reputation in the international community now lies in tatters. If you look on the bright side of the ICJs provisional measures order, it is a chance to recover the reputation of the country, said Aye Lwin, who once sat on a commission set up to examine the Rohingya issue. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, told RFAs Myanmar Service on Wednesday that Chinas decision to go against the other members of the Security Council does not give Myanmar a leg up concerning the ICJ. This will not affect the ICJs decision for Myanmar, he told RFA. There will be no change in Myanmars responsibilities mandated by the ICJs order. Just because China stands with Myanmar at the U.N. Security Council doesnt mean the Myanmar government has won the lawsuit. The court is now handling a larger case against Myanmar filed by Gambia in November on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for violating the Genocide Convention during the alleged expulsion of Rohingya to Bangladesh amid the violence. Buying time Others put a positive spin on the objection by China, Myanmar's major ally, during the Council's closed-door session. Myo Nyunt, spokesman of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said objections by both China and Vietnam give Myanmar an opportunity to buy more time regarding the ICJs order. We can buy more time as our friendly countries have objected to the decision to use the U.N.s power, he said. We welcome their objections. Myo Nyunt also said that a Security Council declaration on the matter is unnecessary because Myanmar is already implementing measures to hold perpetrators of atrocities to account. The provisional measures by the U.N.s ICJ are the processes we are already implementing, so no additional action needs to be taken on the decision, he said. The ICJs legally binding order requires Myanmar to prevent the killing or serious injury of the Rohingya, ensure that the military does not harm the Rohingya or conspire to commit genocide, preserve evidence related to the allegations, and report on its compliance with the measures until the court issues a final decision on the case. The first report is due in four months, with subsequent reports due every six months. The only additional work is to submit reports in four months, then every six months, Myo Nyunt said. Retired military officer and political analyst Aung Myo noted that Myanmars armed forces said it will try those accused of war crimes in Rakhine in military courts. The military already announced that it will take action against the violators, he said. There are also instances where the military has prosecuted violators. They are doing it now, so there is no additional action needed for the ICJs decision. So far, Myanmars armed forces have conducted only two rare courts-martial of officers and other soldiers accused of committing grave rights abuses during the 2017 crackdown. During the first trial, seven soldiers were sentenced in March 2018 to 10 years in prison for killing a group of Rohingya men and boys, but were later pardoned and released. Hearings are currently being held in another case in which soldiers are accused of killing hundreds of Rohingya and dumping their bodies in mass graves. Consequences will be enormous Others meanwhile warned that if Myanmar authorities fail to implement the ICJs provisional measures, the country itself will likely be brought before the Security Council. I dont know what the Myanmar governments response will be, but if it gets worse, this case could go [again] to the U.N. Security Council, said Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun. Rohingya activist Wai Wai Nu said Myanmar must comply with the ICJ's order or face more serious consequences at the U.N. If Myanmar fails to comply with the ICJs provisional measures, the consequences for Myanmar will be enormous, she said. At least the U.N. security Council will issue a decision on Myanmar. Second, Myanmars arguments in the [genocide] case will be weak if it fails to comply, she added. Myanmar could lose the case. Myanmar also faces legal action on genocide-related charges in the International Criminal Court and in an Argentine court. Reported by Khin Khin Ei, Nandar Chann, and Thant Zin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. The Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday hailed the Centre's decision for constituting the Ram Temple Trust and congratulated him. "I personally and on behalf of the people of Karnataka, congratulate the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing the formation of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Theertha Khshetra, the trust to facilitate the construction of a grand Sri Ram Temple at Ayodhya," he said in a letter. Terming the decision as historic he said, "By this historic decision to establish the Sri Ram Temple Trust for facilitating the beginning of the construction of Ram Temple, Modi has honoured the sentiments of billions of people not only in Bharat but also across the globe." He said Karnataka fully and totally stands by the Centre in this noble task. The Union Cabinet today paved the way for the construction of Ram temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the formation of "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra" to oversee the construction process. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had in November ruled unanimously in the favour of Ram Lalla. It said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7 acres will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of Ram temple at the site. The court had asked the government to give 5-acre land to Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 05, 2020] The Payments Industry in Indonesia, Forecast to 2025 - eWallets Growth is Rapid but Cash Will Still be King for Now DUBLIN, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Opportunities and Challenges of the Payments Industry in Indonesia, Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This study briefly analyses growth opportunities in the payments industry, such as within the online payments industry and with regards to cross-border payments. With the advancement in technology, such as with omni-channel marketing and with the ISO20022 standard, the market will have the capability to provide more innovative solutions to address the challenges and be better able to meet the demands within the market segments. The growing number of people of working-age, greater financial inclusion, increasing literacy levels, and growing internet penetration present a significant opportunity for the payments industry in Indonesia. The industry has recorded positive growth in terms of transaction value from US$ 333 billion in 2013 to an estimated US$ 563 billion in 2019. Growth is especially rapid in the mobile payments segment, where the transaction value recorded until September 2019 has already more than doubled compared to the transaction value recorded in 2018. Within ASEAN members states, Indonesia accounted for more than 40% of the population in the region and a third of the region's annual GDP. However, Indonesia's mobile payments industry only accounted for 27.6% of the total mobile payments transaction value in the region. This represents a gap and a potential market opportunity that the local regulator together with industry players are actively working to address. As is, the payments industry in Indonesia is still very fragmented. Although growth prospects for the payments industry in Indonesia are positive, the industry still needs to address various challenges. A majority of the population in Indonesia is still heavily reliant on cash in their daily activities. Many are hesitant to begin using digital payments due to security concerns. Moreover, the country's large population and geographical spread presents a challenge to building an integrated digital payments ecosystem and ifrastructure. Initiatives are being taken by the local regulators and industry players to address these challenges. Newly minted regulations places emphasis on the interoperability and security of digital payments, thus increasing user convenience and trust. Meanwhile, market players are offering incentives for users to use their payments platforms, thus encouraging users to reduce their dependence on cash. Market players are starting to think about strategies to drive adoption beyond major cities and focus on rural areas as well. Companies mentioned in this study include, but are not limited to: 2C2P, Alto, American Express, ATM Bersama, Bank Bukopin, BCA, BNI, BRI, CIMB Niaga, Citi, DANA, Dooet, Doku, Espay, Faspay, GoMobile, Go-Pay, indoPay, iPaymu, iSaku, Jenius, Link, LinkAja, Mastercard, NicePay, OVO, Panin Bank, Paytren, Permata Bank, Prima, Sakuku, Standard Chartered, UnionPay, and VISA. Countries covered in ASEAN mobile payments market include: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Key Issues Addressed What are the trends in the payments industry in Indonesia ? ? Who are the key market players and what are their product/service offerings? What are the key updates on government regulations and standards for the payments industry in Indonesia ? ? What are the growth opportunities for the payments industry in Indonesia ? ? What are the key challenges for the payments industry in Indonesia ? Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Overview - Total Payments Market Market Definitions Key Questions this Study Will Answer 3. Forecast and Market Trends - Total Payments Market Forecast Assumptions Transaction Value by Payments Instruments Forecast Transaction Value by Payments Instruments Forecast Discussion Active Mobile Payments Customers and Transaction Value Forecast Active Mobile Payments Customers and Transaction Value Forecast Discussion Mobile Payments Transaction Value Forecast among ASEAN Member States Mobile Payments Transaction Value Forecast in ASEAN Member States - Discussion 4. Indonesia Payments Market Analysis Indonesia Payments Market - Overview Indonesia Payments Market - Key Participants Indonesia Payments Market - Drivers Indonesia Payments Market - Drivers Explained Indonesia Payments Market - Restraints Indonesia Payments Market - Restraints Explained Indonesia Payments Market - Analysis 5. Indonesia Mobile Payments Market Analysis Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Overview Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Key Participants Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Drivers Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Drivers Explained Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Restraints Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Restraints Explained Indonesia Mobile Payments Market - Analysis 6. Mobile Payments Market Analysis on a Regional Level Mobile Payments on a Regional Level 7. Payment Methods within the Internet Economy Payment Methods within the Internet Economy 8. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action Growth Opportunity 1 - Push Towards a Cashless Society Growth Opportunity 2 - The Internet Economy Growth Opportunity 3 - Cross-border Payments Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth 9. The Last Word Conclusions and Recommendations The Last Word - 3 Big Predictions For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/up5e12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-payments-industry-in-indonesia-forecast-to-2025---ewallets-growth-is-rapid-but-cash-will-still-be-king-for-now-300999367.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Wednesday said that cases of the new coronavirus will continue to spread rapidly, and the U.S. needs to prepare its response. "I think it's going to get worse globally," Gottlieb a physician, health advocate and Pfizer board member told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "That does not mean that it's going to become an epidemic in the United States, we can still prevent that," he added. China's National Health Commission said that as of Tuesday night, a total of 24,324 cases have been confirmed and at least 490 people have died in the country. There's also been one fatality in the Philippines. The World Health Organization said there's been more than 150 coronavirus cases in about two dozen countries outside of China and declared the virus a global health emergency. The virus was first discovered in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province. It has since spread to other countries, including the U.S., which has reported 11 cases. Gottlieb said that he doesn't expect the U.S. to see an epidemic level of coronavirus cases, though he does anticipate the deadly virus to further spread across the nation. "We will see more cases in the U.S. and a lot will be undetected," the CNBC contributor said. "It's likely that there are cases here in the U.S. where people are spreading it at a low level, and we're not testing." About a quarter of coronavirus patients exhibit severe symptoms, health officials have said. The rest show mild, flu-like symptoms, while many people could go undetected. Many health experts and analysts, including Gottlieb, believe the number of global coronavirus cases to be much higher. The flu and coronavirus have similar symptoms, which some health officials fear will cause misdiagnoses. Common flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and aches. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. "For every one person that we had, we might be missing eight or nine mild symptoms," Gottlieb said. U.S. stocks were higher Wednesday after a report that scientists found a "breakthrough" when creating a coronavirus vaccine. However, WHO later played down media reports, saying there are "no known" treatments against the virus at this time. A vaccine, if successful, isn't likely to help protect the general public anytime soon, Gottlieb said. If the coronavirus were to slow down in the summer, much like the common flu and come back in the fall for a "second wave," it could help, he added. The deadly virus, which has mushroomed across China in the past few weeks, has caused several companies and organizations to close until further notice. Several airlines have canceled its flights to mainland China and Hong Kong, leaving some locked in or out. James McGregor, chairman of APCO Worldwide's greater China region, told "Squawk Box" that he expects to see further delays. APCO is a global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy. McGregor, who is usually based out of Shanghai, said expats like himself had traveled outside of China for the Lunar New Year holiday and are now stuck. "I'm staying [in the U.S.] and I don't know when I'll go back. That's the case with a lot of business people," he said. McGregor said that most people in China are hunkered down and avoiding public areas. He expects many businesses there to stay closed for a couple of months. Some companies in China were hoping to open back up next week. "People are scared," McGregor said. The father of a student killed in the Parkland shooting is speaking out after being removed from the State of the Union address last night for shouting at President Donald Trump over lies about the Second Amendment. Fred Guttenbergs 14-year-old daughter Jamie was killed in February 2018 during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Since her death, Mr Guttenberg has been an outspoken advocate for gun safety. Tuesday night, Mr Guttenberg - who was invited by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - interrupted the State of the Union as Mr Trump was assuring his supporters that he would protect gun rights. So long as I am president, I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, Mr Trump said. As the applause at his line died down, Mr Guttenberg could be heard shouting from the top row of seats about victims of gun violence like my daughter. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA Shortly after Mr Guttenberg was led out of the address by a plainclothes police officer, with some Democrats applauding the man as he was removed. His outcry was loud enough to attract both Ms Pelosis attention and Vice President Mike Pences, though Mr Trump did not indicate he was distracted by the outburst. In response to the scene, supporters of Mr Guttenberg - including David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland shooting who has become a prominent gun safety voice - took to Twitter, using #ImwithFred to show support for the grieving father. @fred_guttenberg lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting and has worked every day since to end gun violence, Hogg wrote. Tonight he stood up to a president that believes peace and the second amendment are mutually exclusive and was removed. Later, Mr Hogg tweeted he hoped the next president would award Mr Guttenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a reference to Mr Trumps decision to give the award to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, after he announced he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. The Newtown Action Alliance, a grassroots group aimed at achieving gun control reforms that began after the Sandy Hook shooting, shared its support of Mr Guttenberg on Wednesday morning. Thank you to @fred_Guttenberg for representing all of us who are so frustrated & angry that Trump protects the NRA & not our children & loved ones from gun violence, the group wrote on Twitter. Late Tuesday night, Mr Guttenberg spoke out about the confrontation. Tonight was a rough night. I disrupted the State of the Union and was detained because I left my emotions get the best of me. I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A as happened tonight, he wrote in a Tweet. He continued: That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety. Monday night was Mr Guttenbergs second State of the Union address. He attended the event in 2019 as Ms Pelosis guest. In a Newsweek article from 2019, Mr Guttenberg said he was saddened by the fact that he was present at the address rather than watching it at home with his family. I should have been home watching on our couch with my complete family, Mr Guttenberg wrote. I cannot erase the reality that I was there because my daughter Jaime was murdered. Mr Guttenberg expressed dismay that Mr Trump chose not to address gun safety during his speech that year as well. As the president knew during his speech, on the following day the first hearings in over eight years on gun violence prevention would be held by the House Judiciary committee, Mr Guttenberg wrote. He could have mentioned that, and his hope to work with legislators on gun violence. He stayed silent. He stayed irrelevant. He chose to not be useful on this real emergency. A Washington man caught doing a roofing job while claiming he was too disabled to work must repay the state more than $25,000. Jose Guadalupe Sanchez, 50, pleaded guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to third-degree theft. Judge James R. Orlando sentenced Sanchez to repay the Department of Labor & Industries $25,023 for wrongfully taking that amount in cash benefits while working and getting paid at the same time. The judge also ordered Sanchez to serve five days behind bars, but converted the jail time to 40 hours of community service. Sanchez must follow the law for two years or risk going to jail. Sanchez was originally injured on a construction job in late 2017, when he fell 16 feet from a ladder, resulting in multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. L&I accepted his workers comp claim, covered his medical care and paid part of his lost wages. Last March, however, L&I began investigating Sanchez when his employer at the time of the accident reported that he was working for a different construction company. According to charging papers, investigators found that Sanchez had been working full time in construction from mid-June 2018 through March 2019 in Lakewood. At the same time, he was reportedly declaring to L&I that he couldnt work because of his earlier injury, and led his medical providers to believe he wasnt working. Sanchezs doctors told him he should not work and should not climb ladders. Yet investigators witnessed him working on a roof at a Tacoma apartment complex in March, charging papers said. They filmed Sanchez using a drill on the roof, climbing down a ladder and driving away from the worksite. Sanchez later admitted to investigators he was working to make payments on his truck and support his parents. L&I administers the state workers compensation insurance system. The department provides medical and partial wage-replacement coverage and vocational training to help workers who are injured on the job heal and return to work. The Washington Attorney Generals Office prosecuted the case based on an L&I investigation. Topics Workers' Compensation Washington 13 January 2020, Hamburg: Climate activists demonstrate during a Fridays for Future protest action in front of the Siemens office in Hamburg. Getty Images The chief executive of industrial manufacturing giant Siemens described the environmental protests against the companys involvement in the Adani coal mine project in Australia as almost grotesque. Speaking to journalists ahead of the German conglomerates quarterly report meeting in Munich, Joe Kaeser expressed incomprehension that Siemens had become the target of activists anger considering its relatively small role in the controversial open-cast mine in Queensland. Siemens is supplying a signalling system for a railway line that will take coal from the Australian mine to a coastal port. Owned by India's Adani group, the mine will be one of the largest coal mines in the world. It is due to go operational next year, despite protests that Australia, which has been ravaged by wildfires this year, is worsening global warming by extracting ever greater amounts of fossil fuels. READ MORE: Our survival hinges on achieving Paris climate goals, Merkel tells Davos leaders "The signalling system we are supplying for safe train traffic is irrelevant to the commissioning of the controversial mine." He said that in retrospect, Siemens would rather not have accepted the commission, but that activists were incorrect to assume that Siemens pulling out would have halted the whole mine project. Activists gathered outside Munichs Olympiahalle ahead of the Siemens meeting on Wednesday morning, where the company delivered lackluster first quarter figures, that missed analysts expectations. Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens AG, speaks to the media ahead of the company's annual shareholders meeting on February 5, 2020 in Munich, Germany. Photo: Getty Images It reported a 30% drop in industrial operating profit to 1.43 bn (1.21 bn, $1.57 bn), well under the expected 1.88 bn for the first quarter of the year. Revenue grew slightly to 20.32 bn. In the Gas and Power divisions, operating profit fell by 63%, and the Gamesa wind power operations suffered a 165 m loss in part because of winter weather conditions causing project delays. "The unsatisfactory situation in the entire energy business makes it clear where the primary need for action lies," said Kaeser. Siemens Energy will be listed separately in September, and the company will sell of the majority of it. A GoFundMe page was created after a Poteet girl's rodeo horse was shot and killed last Saturday. The barrel horse, which belonged to Haylee Field, was grazing in a pasture near the Field family home when it was shot, according to Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward. The sheriff said his department has been searching for evidence near the area of Bruce Road and Old Apple White. Soward said deputies have gone out to the scene multiple times, but have come up empty-handed. The horse, named Six, was a beloved member of the Field family, according to the GoFundMe page. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Haylee is a competitor with Six in youth rodeo and was expected to compete in the coming weeks. "With the spring rodeo season starting for Haylee in just a few weeks, she has lost more than her friend Six, she has lost the opportunity to compete in youth rodeo this spring," the GoFundMe page said. All donations through the GoFundMe page will go toward buying Haylee a new horse and any additional money raised will be donated to the Cowboy Fellowship of Atascosa County youth rodeo fund. More than $5,000 has been raised as of Wednesday afternoon. Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest of those responsible. To donate to the Field family, click here. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yulia Savitri and Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Palembang, South Sumatra/Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 16:32 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062bfa33 1 Business Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,China,exports,imports,rubber,crude-palm-oil,CPO,coal Free Prices for commodities from natural rubber to coal have plunged in February because of decreasing demand from China, where the new coronavirus outbreak is expected to further drag down prices. The chairman of the South Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Rubber Producers Association (Gapkindo), Alex K. Eddy, said fear over the Wuhan coronavirus was weighing on what was already slow economic activity in the East Asian country during the Chinese New Year holidays and weak global natural rubber prices in January. "I think the impact of [the Wuhan coronavirus in Indonesia] has really been felt through the current price decrease," Alex told The Jakarta Post in Palembang, South Sumatra, in late January. Read also: Coronavirus can depress Indonesian economy by 0.29 percent: Minister South Sumatra Plantation Agency data show that prices of 100-percent natural rubber fell by about 5 percent to Rp 16,290 (US$1.19) per kilogram on Jan. 24 from Rp 17,151 per kg on Jan. 20, while 60-percent natural rubber showed a similar decline. Global rubber prices at the Tokyo Commodity Exchange have slipped around 17 percent so far this year. Meanwhile, coal and crude palm oil prices declined around 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively, over the same period. Rubber, coal and palm oil are among Indonesias main export commodities and contribute a big chunk to the countrys foreign exchange earnings. The spread of the virus lowers demand while China is the worlds largest natural rubber importer, said South Sumatra Plantation Agency processing and marketing head Rudi Arpian. The 2019-nCoV virus has infected more than 24,500 people worldwide since it was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with the death toll standing at 492 on Wednesday afternoon. Several countries, including Indonesia, have closed their doors to visitors from China to prevent the pneumonia-like illness from spreading, while many companies in China have suspended or curtailed business activities amid lockdowns in several cities. Read also: Jokowi asks aides to assess coronavirus impact on economy, Indonesia-China trade The limited business activity in China will further affect demand for raw materials, forcing prices down, economists have said. This will hit Indonesia as a country that relies heavily on the export of commodities rather than finished goods. Falling commodity prices will worsen the country's exports and thus will widen the trade deficit," Center of Reform on Economics (Core) Indonesia research director Piter Abdullah said last week, adding that it would also affect household spending, as farmers and businessplayers would earn less. Indonesia recorded a trade deficit of $3.2 billion last year, marking a significant improvement over the $8.7 billion recorded in 2018. The country exported $25.8 billion worth of non-oil and gas goods to China in 2019 and imported $44.5 billion of non-oil and gas goods, resulting in an $18.7 billion trade deficit on Indonesias end. China accounted for 25.85 percent of Indonesias total non-oil and gas exports last year, more than any other country, Statistics Indonesia data show. Indonesia palm oil export (JP/Swi) Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) chairman Joko Supriyono expressed concern that the virus spread would hurt Chinas economy and thus hit palm oil demand. The country exported 4.4 million tons of palm oil to China in 2018, making the East Asian country its third-biggest buyer, after India and the European Union. "Our exposure to China is quite large. If [the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak] is only temporary, then there's hope to grow," Joko said at a press conference on Monday. [February 05, 2020] Prominent D.C. Energy Group Joins Davis Wright Tremaine and Solidifies National Industry Team How does an Am Law 100 firm celebrate six straight years of record financial results, capped by a 10% jump in revenue in 2019? For Davis Wright Tremaine, the answer was simple: start fast in 2020. Today, DWT announced that a nationally recognized, six-lawyer energy group has joined its Washington, D.C. office. They provide a geographic bookend to the firm's market-leading West Coast practice. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005741/en/ Sean Atkins (Photo: Business Wire) "Adding a broad-based energy team in D.C. with a strong FERC practice has been a strategic priority for us and is a great new benefit for our clients," said Vid Prabhakaran, chair of Davis Wright Tremaine's energy practice group. "The geographic and substantive scope, scale and depth we now have position us to serve clients at the highest levels." The group comes to DWT from Alston & Bird and is led by partners Sean Atkins and Michael Kunselman. It includes former senior Federal Energy Regulatory Commission executive Andrea Wolfman, who spent 24 years at the commission and led its Enforcement Office. In addition, the group provides significant depth with the additions of counsel Jamil Nasir and Bradley Miliauskas, associate Michael Kellermann, and several staff. They bring extensive experience before FERC, as well as transactional and litigation strength, to complement DWT's broad energy regulatory and transactional practice in California, New York and the Pacific Northwest. With the addition of the new team, DWT's energy group numbers nearly 40 lawyers. "We are thrilled to join DWT's exceptional energy practice, and we share its vision of helping clients navigate the opportunities and challenges of the future," said Atkins. "We were attracted to DWT's open, entrepreneurial and supportive culture, commitment to excellence, and focus on building market-leading, multi-practice, national industry teams that deliver results. The firm's success in recent years validates this approach." This is the firm's third significant lateral addition of 2020. David Gossett, the former deputy general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, joined the D.C. office and the newly created products counseling team in its technology industry practice. Matt Diggs, a veteran federal prosecutor, joined DWT in Seattle from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, bringing depth to the firm's white-collar litigation team and its healthcare industry practice. DWT's strategic focus on building national industry teams has contributed to its recent run of success. Since 2014, the firm has outperformed the vast majority of the Am Law 100 on key performance metrics. In 2019, the firm saw growth of nearly 10% in revenue, 9% in revenue per lawyer, and 7% in profits per partner, significantly exceeding industry averages. Biographical details: Sean Atkins Represents investor-owned utilities and independent system operators on a wide range of FERC and other regulatory matters. Extensive experience on transmission and wholesale electric market issues. Acts as counsel to developers of wind and solar generation projects nationwide. Served as law clerk in the FERC Office of Administrative Law Judges. Holds two degrees from the University of Virginia (B.A. and J.D.) Ranked by the Best Lawyers in America in Energy Law. Michael Kunselman Represents investor-owned electric utilities, transmission owners, generation owners, end-use customers, and independent system operators. Has been involved in most key issues touching the electricity industry over the last 20 years, including transmission access and planning and wholesale market design. Represents renewable developers on a variety of issues, including the first wind generator in the U.S. to obtain regulatory approval to receive compensation for reactive power service. Holds two degrees from the University of Maryland (B.A. and J.D.) Andrea Wolfman Advises clients in the electric, natural gas, and oil pipeline industries on regulation by FERC and other agencies. Spent 24 years at FERC as senior executive focused on policymaking in natural gas and electric industries. Led FERC's enforcement office. Graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and Smith College. Jamil Nasir Focuses on litigation before FERC and state regulators on energy markets, transmission, industry restructuring, and large renewables procurements. Advocated in FERC hearings that led to creation of the new Forward Capacity Market design for the New England region. Holds two degrees from the University of Michigan (B.A. and J.D.) Bradley Miliauskas Represents clients in a variety of matters before FERC. Former chair of Energy Bar Association FERC Practice & Administrative Law Judges Committee. Clerked in FERC's Office of Administrative Law Judges. Graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and William & Mary. Michael Kellermann Assists an investor-owned electric utility in ongoing return on equity proceedings before FERC. Served as a law clerk in FERC's Office of Administrative Law Judges. Holds two degrees from the University of Maryland (B.A. and J.D.) About Davis Wright Tremaine Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005741/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Ride-hailing company Grab Philippines has temporarily suspended its selfie feature and audio and video recording after the National Privacy Commission (NPC) issued a cease and desist order against them. "[We] recognize the mandate of the National Privacy Commission to protect user privacy," Grab said in a statement on Wednesday. "Passenger selfie feature and audio and video recording pilot have been temporarily suspended as we work with NPC to address their concerns." In a statement on Wednesday, the NPC said it has issued a cease and desist order against the ride-hailing app for "deficiencies" in complying with the Data Privacy Act. In question was Grab's policy requiring a selfie verification, where customers need to take a photo using their phone camera to confirm their identity, which has been in place since October 2019. The order also covers Grab's audio and video recording systems during trips, which have been on pilot run. Grab earlier argued that the videos taken will allow its employees to monitor trips live once a driver pushes an emergency button. In 2017, a Grab driver was robbed and shot dead by carnappers who posed as passengers. Grab explained that the selfie feature and in-car audio and video recording were implemented for the purpose of "protecting the ride-hailing community." "These features follow the legal criteria for lawful processing of data," said Grab. The commission also said Grab officials explained that these materials will be released to police "upon request" should complaints or disputes arise. "The public, however, was not told any of this information through Grab PHs privacy notice and privacy policy," the body added. It said there's no legal basis for deciding to harvest such data, and that there had been a thorough assessment of the benefits and risks of taking these information. While customers can opt out and withdraw consent for the in-vehicle audio and video recording systems, "the details on how to exercise such right were not sufficiently communicated to passengers through Grab message," the privacy body added. "While this Commission believes that the security of passengers and drivers is a primordial concern, their privacy rights must not be disregarded," the NPC said. READ: Looming fare surges, monopoly, data privacy issues hound Grab-Uber deal Grab added that it will cooperate with NPC by providing necessary documents and implementing corrective measures. This is not the first time that the ride-hailing service was called out for privacy breaches. Last year, a Grab driver has been suspended for sharing actress Bela Padilla's home address to his fellow riders. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Syria on Wednesday to withdraw its troops from its military observation posts in northwestern Idlib province where clashes have intensified in recent days. "At the moment, two of our 12 observation posts are behind the regime's lines. We hope the regime will withdraw from our observation posts before the end of the month of February," he told a meeting of his ruling party in Ankara. "If the regime does not pull back, Turkey will be obliged to take matters into its own hands." Eight Turkish troops and civilians were killed on Monday by regime fire in Idlib -- the last opposition bastion in the conflict-torn country. Turkey killed at least 13 Syrian government troops in response, according to monitors, in the deadliest clashes since Ankara sent troops to Syria in 2016. Erdogan has criticised Russia, a key backer of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, for failing to enforce peace agreements in the region and called for Moscow to "better understand our sensitivities in Syria". "From now we will not turn a blind eye to any step that constitutes the violation of the agreements," he added. Erdogan said this week's clashes amounted to a "new era" in Syria, and that any further attacks would be "responded to in kind". "The air and ground elements of the Turkish armed forces will freely move in the Idlib region and if needed will launch an operation," he said. As part of the 2018 Sochi deal with Moscow, Turkey set up 12 observation posts in Idlib, one of which was surrounded by Assad's forces in December. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 00:58:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police chief Tuesday urged public security authorities across the country to do a solid job in implementing measures to fight the novel coronavirus epidemic, prevent risks and ensure security and social stability. Speaking at a video conference of public security authorities on the epidemic battle, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi stressed creating a secure and stable environment for winning the epidemic battle. Zhao called for boosting security measures at key sites including healthcare institutions and sites for isolation and resolutely cracking down on illegal activities such as making and selling counterfeit and inferior medicines, medical tools and materials. According to a Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) statement, procurator-general of the SPP Zhang Jun Monday also urged procuratorial agencies to fulfill their duties and resolutely crack down on related illegal activities to contribute to winning the epidemic battle. COPENHAGEN (dpa-AFX) - Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWDRY.PK) reported Wednesday that its profit for full year 2019 rose to 700 million euros from 683 million euros in the prior year. Earnings per share grew to 3.6 euros from 3.4 euros last year. Profit before tax edged down slightly to 909 million euros from 910 million euros a year ago. Operating profit or EBIT grew to 1.00 billion euros from 921 million euros last year. EBIT before special items increased to 1.00 billion euros from 959 million euros in the prior year. The EBIT margin was 8.3 percent, compared to 9.1 percent a year ago. Vestas generated revenue of 12.15 billion euros for the year, up from last year's 10.13 billion euros. Order intake increased in 2019 compared to 2018, and the value of the combined order backlog increased to 34 billion euros. The wind turbine order intake increased year-on-year by 3,663 MW to 17,877 MW in 2019, and the value of the service order backlog increased by 3.5 billion euros to 17.8 billion euros. Looking ahead to full year 2020, Vestas expects revenue to range between 14 billion euros and 15 billion euros, including service revenue, which is expected to grow by about 7 percent. Vestas expects to achieve an EBIT margin before special items of 7 percent to 9 percent, with a service EBIT margin of about 25 percent. The company's board of directors has proposed to the Annual General Meeting that a dividend of 7.93 Danish Krone per share be distributed to the shareholders, compared to 7.44 Danish Krone last year, and equivalent to 30.0 percent of the net profit for the year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, with Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman backing the majority decision and Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown voting to convict Trump. Utah Republican Mitt Romney joined with all the Senates Democrats to declare Trump guilty of abusing his power by asking Ukraines president to investigate the family of former Vice President Joe Biden while he withheld the nations congressionally approved military aid. The President asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival, Romney said in a Senate floor speech. The President withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The President delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The Presidents purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust. But Romneys vote wasnt enough to remove Trump. It would have required 67 votes to remove him from office. Forty-eight Senators voted for his conviction on the abuse of power charge, while 47 said he should be convicted for obstructing the House of Representatives investigation of his conduct. Brown released a statement before the vote that said the Senate has no choice but to convict Trump after his impeachment trial showed he abused his power by extorting a political favor from a foreign government to bolster his own political campaign, and then obstructed Congress by blocking witnesses from his administration from testifying before Congress. Over the course of this trial we heard overwhelming evidence that President Trump did things Richard Nixon never did he extorted a bribe from a foreign leader, to put his own presidential campaign above the American people he swore an oath to serve," said Brown. "If we acquit this President, it sets a clear, dangerous precedent that you can abuse your office, and Congress will look the other way. Portman said that while it was Inappropriate and wrong for Trump to ask a foreign leader to investigate Biden, it did not rise to the level of impeachment. Below are the speeches they delivered on the Senate floor: Heres the speech Portman delivered on the Senate floor: Im here today to talk about the impeachment trial and the factors Ive considered in making my decision on the articles of impeachment from the House. Ive now read hundreds of pages of legal briefs and memos, including the testimony of 17 witnesses. Here on the Senate floor, I have reviewed more than 190 witness videos and listened carefully to more than 65 hours of detailed presentations from both the House managers and from the presidents legal team. As co-founder and co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus and someone who is proud to represent many Ukrainian-Americans in Ohio, I have been active for the past several years in helping Ukraine as it has sought freedom and independence since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity that saw the corrupt Russian-backed government of Viktor Yanukovich replaced with pro-Western elected leaders. Since first seeing the transcript of the phone call between President Trump and President Zelensky four months ago, Ive consistently said that the President asking Ukraine for an investigation of Joe Biden was inappropriate and wrong. Ive also said since then that any actions taken by members of the administration or those outside the administration to try to delay military assistance or a White House meeting pending an investigation by Ukraine were not appropriate, either. But while I dont condone this behavior, these actions do not rise to the level of removing President Trump from office and taking him off the ballot in a presidential election season thats already well underway. I first look to the fact that the Founders meant for impeachment of a president to be extremely rare, reserved only for, and I quote, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Any fair reading of what the Founders meant in the Constitution and in the Federalist Papers in the context of history, and just plain common sense makes it clear that removing a duly elected president demands that those arguing for conviction meet a high standard. As an example, for good reason, theres never been a presidential impeachment that didnt allege a crime. In the Clinton impeachment, the independent counsel concluded that President Clinton committed not one, but two crimes. In this case, no crime is alleged. Let me repeat in the two articles of impeachment that came over to us from the House, there is no criminal law violation alleged. Although I dont think that thats always necessary -- there could be circumstances where a crime isnt necessary in an impeachment --without a crime, its an even higher bar for those who advocate for a conviction, and that high bar is not met here. Whats more, even though it was delayed, the President ultimately did provide the needed military assistance to Ukraine and he provided it before the September 30 budget deadline. And the requested investigations by Ukraine were not undertaken. Its an important point to make -- the aid went and the investigations did not occur. The military assistance is particularly important to me as a strong supporter of Ukraine. In fact, I was one of those senators who fought to give President Obama and his administration the authority to provide badly needed lethal military assistance to Ukraine in response to the Russian aggression that came right after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. I must say, I strongly urged the Obama administration to use that authority and, like Ukraine, I was deeply disappointed when they did not. I strongly supported President Trumps decision to change course and provide that assistance shortly after he came into office. While visiting Ukrainian troops on the frontlines in the Donbas region of Ukraine, Ive seen firsthand how much those soldiers need the military assistance President Trump alone has provided. It's time to move beyond #impeachment and get back to work for our constituents. We are less than a year away from an election. Let's let the American people decide. pic.twitter.com/89sKpZlMfr Rob Portman (@senrobportman) February 5, 2020 Beyond whether the presidents conduct met the high bar of impeachment, there is also the underlying issue of the legitimacy of the House impeachment process. The House Democrats sent the Senate a flawed case built on what respected George Washington University constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley, calls quote the shortest proceeding, with the thinnest evidentiary record, and the narrowest grounds ever used to impeach a president. Instead of using the tools available to compel the administration to produce documents and witnesses, the House followed a self-imposed and entirely political deadline for voting on the articles of impeachment before Christmas. After the rushed vote, the House then inexplicably stalled, keeping those articles from being delivered here in the Senate for 28 days time they could have used to subpoena witnesses and resolve legitimate disagreements about whether evidence was privileged or not. They didnt even bother to subpoena witnesses they then wanted the Senate to subpoena for them. The House process was also lacking in fundamental fairness and due process in a number of respects. It is incomprehensible to me that the presidents counsel did not have the opportunity to cross examine fact witnesses, and that the House selectively leaked deposition testimony from closed-door sessions. Rushing an impeachment case through the House without due process and giving the Senate a half-baked case to finish sets a very dangerous precedent. If the Senate were to convict, it would send a wrong message and risk making this kind of quick, partisan impeachment in the House a regular occurrence moving forward. That would be terrible for the country. Less than a year ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, and I quote, Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path. She was right. Its better to let the people decide. Early voting has already started in some states and the Iowa caucuses occurred last night. Armed with all the information, we should let the voters have their say at the ballot box. During the last impeachment 21 years ago, now-House manager Congressman Jerry Nadler said, and I quote, There must never be a narrowly voted impeachment, or an impeachment substantially supported by one of our major political parties and largely opposed by the other. Such an impeachment would lack legitimacy. In this case, the impeachment wasnt just substantially supported by Democrats, it was only supported by Democrats. In fact, a few Democrats actually voted with all the Republicans to oppose the impeachment. Founder Alexander Hamilton feared that impeachment could easily fall prey to partisan politics. That is exactly what happened here with the only purely partisan impeachment in the history of our great country. For all these reasons, Im voting against the articles of impeachment tomorrow. Its time to move on, and to move on to focus on bipartisan legislation to help the families we represent. Unlike the House, the Senate is blocked from conducting its regular business during impeachment. My colleague from New Jersey asked a moment ago, How do we heal? How do we heal the wounds? Our country is divided and I think the impeachment has further divided an already polarized country. I think we heal in part by surprising the people and coming out from our partisan corners and getting stuff done, stuff that they care about that affects the families we were sent here to represent. While in the impeachment trial we are prevented from doing the important legislative work our constituents expect like passing legislation to lower prescription drug costs, like rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, like addressing the new addiction crisis -- the combination of synthetic opioids like fentanyl and pure crystal meth coming from Mexico. Its an opportunity for us to strengthen our economy with better skills training, including passing legislation to give workers the skills they need to meet the jobs that are out there. Those are just a few ideas that are ready to go. Ideas the president supports, Republicans support, Democrats support. Ive been working on bipartisan legislation like the JOBS Act to provide that needed skills training, the Restore Our Parks Act to deal with the infrastructure thats crumbling in our National Parks, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, which promotes energy efficiency, something we should be able to agree on across the aisle. All of these have been have been sitting idle this year as we have grappled with impeachment. How do we heal? How do we heal the wounds? Well in part, lets do it by working together to pass legislation people care about. Back home, I have seen that the impeachment process has indeed further divided an already polarized country. A conviction in the Senate removing Donald Trump from office and taking his name off the ballot would dangerously deepen that growing rift. Thats one reason Im glad were not likely to see a conviction. Because I do care about our country and bringing it together. Instead, my hope is that lessons have been learned, that we can heal some wounds for the sake of the country, that we can turn to the bipartisan work most Americans expect us to do, and that we can allow American voters, exercising the most important Constitutional check and balance of all, to have their say in this years presidential election. I believe this is what the Constitution requires and what the country needs. Heres Browns Senate floor speech, as prepared for delivery: "Over the past three weeks, we have heard from the House Managers and the Presidents counsel regarding the facts of the case against President Donald Trump. "Much like trials in Lorain and Lima and Lordstown, in Marion and Marietta and Massillon, weve seen the prosecution in this case, the House Managers and the defense in this case, the presidents lawyers present their cases. "And all 100 of us are the jury. We all took an oath to be impartial jurors, just like juries in Ohio and across America. "But for some of my colleagues, that was a joke. "The great journalist Bill Moyers summed up the past three weeks: 'What weve just seen is the dictator of the Senate manipulating the impeachment process to save the demagogue in the White House whose political party has become the gravedigger of democracy.' "Even before this trial began, Leader McConnell admitted out loud that he was coordinating the trial process with the White House. I challenge him to show me one trial in Ohio or in Kentucky where the jury coordinated with the defense lawyers. "And In a fair trial, the defense and prosecution would have been able to introduce evidence and to call witnesses. Every other impeachment proceeding in the Senate had witnesses. Some of them had dozens. "But Leader McConnell rushed this trial through, restricted reporter access, and twisted arms to block witnesses. But the public is going to see through it. "This is a sham trial. "I said from the beginning that I would keep an open mind. If there are witnesses who would exonerate the president, the American people need to hear from them. "Over the course of this trial we heard mounting, overwhelming evidence that President Trump did something Richard Nixon never did: "He extorted a foreign leader, fired a career foreign service officer for rooting out corruption, and put his own presidential campaign above our collective national security. "The president has said this is all hearsay but he and the Republican Leader, together with Senate Republicans, blocked every potential witness. "We know that there were witnesses who were in the room with President Trump but we didnt hear from them. We didnt hear from Ambassador John Bolton, or Interim Chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, or Secretary Pompeo. "The Republican Leader has denied the American people the chance to hear all of them testify, under oath. We have seen more information come to light each day, which builds on the pattern of facts laid out in great detail by the House Managers. "Weve now heard tape recordings of President Trump telling associates to get rid of U.S. Ambassador Yovanovich a public servant who has devoted her life to fighting corruption and promoting American ideals and foreign policy throughout her long career at the State Department. "With her removed from her post, it appears the President thought he would be able to compel our ally, Ukraine to investigate his political opponent. "Reporters have now revealed that Ambassador Bolton, a firsthand witness, outlined that the President did exactly what the impeachment articles allege: He withheld security assistance to an ally at war with Russia in exchange for a political favor. "The Department of Justice admits there are 24 emails showing the presidents thinking on Ukraine assistance, but they wont release the documents. "Make no mistake the full truth will come out. The only question is when. "It will come out this week, this month, this year. And the year after that. And for decades to come. And when the full truth comes out, we will all be judged by our children and grandchildren. "Without additional witnesses, we must judge based on the facts presented. The House Managers have made a clear, compelling case. "In the middle of a war with Russia, the President froze almost $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine assistance the country needed to fight back against Russian aggression. And President Trump did it to pressure President Zelensky to open an investigation into a 2020 political opponent and to re-litigate the 2016 election an election that he won, mind you. "He also refused a critical meeting with President Zelensky in the oval office a meeting that would have signaled to the Kremlin that the United States supports Ukraine. "These actions dont promote our national security or the rule of law they only promote Donald Trump. "This much is clear: We know the president extorted President Zelensky. He asked the leader of a foreign government to help him, and threatened to undercut U.S. foreign policy until he got what he wanted. "This is the definition of an abuse of power. And that is why we have no choice but to convict this president of abusing his office. "All of us know this to acquit would set a clear, dangerous precedent: You can abuse your office, and Congress will look the other way. "This trial and the vote we are about to cast are about more than just President Trump. This is about the future of our democracy. "It will send a message to this president, to whomever we elect in November Republican or Democrat and to all future presidents. It will be heard around the world, by our allies and enemies alike. "Are we going to roll out the welcome mat to our adversaries to interfere in our elections? Are we going to give a green light to the President of the United State to base our countrys foreign policy not on our collective national security or that of our allies, like Ukraine, but on his or her own personal political campaign? "Those are the issues at stake in this vote. "If we dont hold this president accountable for his abuse of office if no one in his own party has the backbone to say stop it will get worse. "I was particularly appalled by the words of Mr. Dershowitz on the first day of questions. "He said, If a president does something which he believes will help him get electedin the public interestthat cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.' "Think about that for a moment. "If a president claims his own reelection is in the public interest and what politician would claim otherwise then he can do whatever he wants to boost his campaign. "The president can break any law, funnel taxpayer money toward his reelection, turn the arms of the state against his political enemies and not be held accountable. "Thats what this claim comes down to. "We remember the words of Richard Nixon, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal. Our country rejected that argument during Watergate are we going to allow it to succeed today? "If we have a president who can turn the office of the presidency, and by extension the entire executive branch, into his own political campaign operation, we no longer have a president we have a monarch, a despot. "One of our fundamental American values is that we have no kings, no nobility, no oligarchs in this country no matter how rich, no matter how powerful, everyone can and should be held accountable. " Watch my Senate floor statement on why we have no choice but to convict >> pic.twitter.com/nwozlVlJqO Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) February 5, 2020 "My colleagues may think Im exaggerating but we do not have the option to vote in favor of some arguments made during the trial and not others. "Mr. Dershowitzs words will live forever in the historical record, and if theyre allowed to stand aside a not guilty verdict, make no mistake theyll be used as precedent by future aspiring autocrats. "In the words of House Manager Schiff, that way madness lies. "I know some of my Republican colleagues agree this sets a dangerous precedent. Some of you have admitted to me that youre troubled by the presidents behavior. You know hes reckless. You know he lies. You know what he did was wrong. "If you acknowledge that, I implore you we have no choice but to vote to convict. "What are my colleagues afraid of? "I think about the words of Adam Schiff in this chamber on Monday If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history. "So I ask my colleagues again, what are you afraid of? "One of our fundamental American values is that we have no kings, no nobility, no oligarchs in this country no matter how rich, no matter how powerful, everyone can and should be held accountable. "I hope my colleagues will remember that. I hope they will choose courage over fear. I hope they will choose country over party. I hope they will join me in holding this president accountable to the American people we all took an oath to serve. Because we all know this: Americans are watching. And they will not forget. Read more coverage: Rep. Tim Ryan walked out of Trumps State of the Union speech, calling it fake like professional wrestling Ohios U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman defend upcoming impeachment votes (videos) Trumps State of the Union speech: Who are the guests from Ohio? Rep. Jim Jordan is raising big campaign bucks, Rep. Tim Ryan isnt: See what Northeast Ohio Congress members collected Sen. Rob Portman announces hell vote against calling impeachment witnesses Ohio Democrats decry Trump administration Medicaid change Senate should designate PFAS water contaminants hazardous substances, says Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Brown calls its brazen for Trump attorneys to chide Hunter Biden for using his famous dad to make money Bankrupt Murray Energy coal company still banks on Trump, FEC records show Democrats including Rep. Marcia Fudge back lawsuit to fight food stamp cuts Retired carpenter challenges Rep. Dave Joyce in GOP primary New Trump administration water plan draws strong reaction from both sides of the issue Rep. Tim Ryan is hitting the presidential campaign trail for Joe Biden Trump public charge immigration rule would codify discrimination, says Rep. Marcia Fudge Sen. Sherrod Brown accuses Mitch McConnell of a cover-up as impeachment trial begins Gun activists seek 'Second Amendment sanctuary designations in Ohio Britains biggest companies have been slammed as being complacent on reaching the target to appoint a non-white director by 2021, according to a report. Britains biggest companies are complacent on ethnic diversity goals and will struggle to meet the target to appoint a non-white director by 2021, according to a report. In an update to his review published in 2017, Sir John Parker said progress on increasing ethnic diversity in the boardroom had been slower than hoped and warned FTSE 100 firms would find it challenging to meet his so-called One By 2021 goal. The 2020 Parker Review, published by Sir John, accountancy giant EY and the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), revealed 37% of blue chip firms still do not have any ethnic minority representation on their boards. Too many of us, I fear, remain complacent that change will come about naturally through the passage of time Sir John Parker Figures for the first time on FTSE 250 firms also show that 69% of those analysed have no ethnic diversity at all on their boards. But the report revealed a number of firms refused to respond to the review. Sir John called for action to ensure ethnic diversity targets are given the same level of boardroom focus as those on increasing female representation. He said: Too many of us, I fear, remain complacent that change will come about naturally through the passage of time. He added: Although progress has been made to increase the representation of ethnic minorities on FTSE boards in the UK, there is still much more work to be done to reap the undeniable benefits that diverse leadership provides. Action is needed to bring about long-term change, he cautioned. The City grandee, a former chairman of miner Anglo American, launched a review on boardroom diversity in 2016 and set the 2021 target for blue-chip companies. FTSE 250 companies have until 2024. In 2017, he found more than half of all FTSE 100 companies had no ethnic representation on their boards. The latest study shows that since then, 11 more FTSE 100 companies now have a non-white director on the board. But across the entire FTSE 350, 59% of firms still have all-white boards. Of those firms surveyed with ethnic minority directors, just six hold the position of chair or chief executive in the FTSE 100 and nine in the FTSE 250. In the report, Sir John cautioned: Our continuing lack of ethnic diversity looks less like a failure on the part of minority communities to produce competent candidates, and far more like a choice on the part of business to settle for the familiar and traditional recruitment processes. He is recommending an action plan among UK firms, including the need for boards to report on their progress on the target and their ethnic diversity policies and activities, as well as for headhunters to be more proactive in putting forward non-white candidates. Research in the review commissioned by the Financial Reporting Council found just 14% of FTSE 100 companies and 2% of FTSE 250 firms set measurable objectives for board ethnic diversity. Of those that do, no firms report progress against them. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: This Government backs business and wants it to succeed in becoming more diverse. But as this report shows, firms have much more to do. The CBI business group also admitted that firms are woefully behind on the target, but could still meet the 2021 target. Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director, said: The bottom line is business has to significantly up its game. DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Restoration Management Company, a US-based restoration services company, is proud to announce the opening of their fourteenth location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. To support the expansion of Restoration Management Company's (RMC) water, smoke and environmental restoration and catastrophe-related services, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex provides an ideal, dynamic location to serve RMC's local and national clients. Jon Takata, Founder and President of Restoration Management Company Tom Canty, Branch Manager Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Restoration Management Company Jon Takata, Founder and CEO of Restoration Management Company expressed his excitement about the new location. "Creating a physical presence in Texas means we are better positioned to support our national clients as well as provide additional, responsive support to the Southeastern region of the country. This newest location builds mutual synergy and allows us to serve those clients across the entire region; as well as be poised to respond to urgent, regional disasters from our new base in the Dallas-Fort Worth region." For more than 35 years, RMC has been providing residents and business owners exceptional service in the states of California, Washington, Colorado and Arizona; as well as catastrophe sites across the US. RMC stands out in the restoration field because of their professionally trained employees, commitment to customer service, and seamless processes that only a private company can provide. "At RMC, we are proud to be the preferred emergency response contractor for many commercial and multi-family property managers and insurance companies." Tom Canty, Branch Manager for RMC Dallas-Fort Worth continues; "We look forward to serving clients across the great state of Texas with the same high-level of service we are dedicated to delivering at every RMC location." RMC's Dallas-Fort Worth Branch will operate from their new office at 1732 Minters Chapel, Suite 100 in Grapevine Texas. ABOUT RESTORATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY Since 1985, Restoration Management Company has provided 24-hour restoration service for customers when they experience a catastrophe in their home or workplace. With their headquarters in Hayward, California, RMC has 10 regional locations in Northern and Southern California, as well as locations in Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and the Denver-metro areas. When emergency services are required RMC delivers high-quality and rapid property restoration. We stand ready with our highly trained, experienced, and customer-focused restoration technicians. Restoration Management Company www.RMC.com 1.800.400.5058 Media contact: Amanda Jones [email protected] 720-576-2903 SOURCE Restoration Management Company A Rohingya woman washes an item while her son looks on in a village in Maungdaw district, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, January 2020. Rohingya Muslims who live in Myanmars northern Rakhine say their already restricted living conditions have worsened in the aftermath of a 2017 crackdown on their community amid ongoing armed conflict between government forces and an ethnic rebel group in the region. Many Rohingya who stayed in Rakhines Muslim-majority Maungdaw district during the crackdown, which drove hundreds of thousands of others into neighboring Bangladesh, say they have not returned to their villages of origin which were burned to the ground by security forces. The district, which comprises Maungdaw and neighboring Buthidaung township, was the epicenter of brutal violence that left thousands dead and included random killings, mass rape, and torture by military-led forces, for which genocide charges have been brought against Myanmar in the worlds top courts. About 500,000 Rohingya from the district fled to Bangladesh during the crackdown, according to Maungdaw district administrative officials. About 70,000 Rohingya now remain in the area. Those who stayed in Maungdaw and Buthidaung during the violence say they have encountered problems with trying to resettle in their former villages and with ongoing discriminatory policies, such as restrictions on their travel. Intensified hostilities between Myanmar soldiers and the Arakan Army (AA), a mostly ethnic Rakhine armed group fighting for greater autonomy in the state, have meanwhile exposed them to a new dimension of danger, with shelling by both forces killing and injuring villagers since the conflict flared up more than a year ago. Abu Khram, a 60-year-old displaced Rohingya, told RFA that before the crackdown, he lived in Khaung Dokha village of Deepayin village tract. But after his village was torched during the crackdown, he moved into a small vacant house in Kanyintan village, part of the Padin village tract. Only 300 Rohingya of the more than 5,000 people who resided in Deepayin village the tract before the crackdown still live there, he said. The rest have settled in nearby Kanyintan village. Though the government said it would provide housing for those who lost their homes, it has yet to do so for some, according to Abu Khram. I heard that the government will give us some accommodations, but I dont know what they will be like, he said. I want to stay in my former place, he said. I want to rebuild on the grounds of my original home. Mahmad Harsong, administrator of Padin village tract, said officials from the government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the U.N.s refugee agency (UNHCR), have visited the village to see about building new homes there. We said that we can build new homes ourselves, he said. The officials from the government, UNDP, and UNHCR visited here three times, and they said we can build new homes. The government said it will assist us as much as it can. Battles in the area Rohingya villagers in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships are largely dependent on food provided by the World Food Programme because of their low income and limited job opportunities. Their daily activities are further constrained by clashes from the ongoing military conflict in the region. We dont have any jobs. Businesses cannot operate. We cant go to other villages either, said Abu Rawshi from Buthidaungs Tatyar village. Now, there are battles in the area, he said. We cannot go to Phongnyoleik village. We cannot go to Taung Bazar village. A shelling incident in Buthidaungs Kintaung village on Jan. 25 indicated just how dangerous the situation is for Rohingya civilians who live in the region. The blasts left two Rohingya dead, wounded seven others, and destroyed a couple of houses. Local residents said the explosions came during the middle of the night when there was no fighting. The Myanmar military and AA blamed each other for targeting the community. Mahmad Nya, a 51-year-old Rohingya resident of the Ywarma village tract, said he has been able to travel to Sittwe, the regional capital, only once on account of the travel restrictions for Muslims. I have been to Sittwe only once, he said. Before I went, I needed permission from regional-level departments. Nuru Salam, a Muslim from Buthidaungs Bagone Nartaung village, said he avoids moving around the region for a different reason. I dont go to Maungdaw town because I am worried that the authorities might seize my national ID card, he said. The government has seized these cards from some people, he added. I value this card because it is proof that I live here. So, I dont go to Maungdaw. National Registration Cards (NRCs), also called three-folded cards, are a form of citizenship documentation that authorities began issuing in the 1950s and are green in color for men and pink for women. Following the enactment of Myanmar's ethnicity-based 1982 Citizenship Law, authorities under a military government collected the NRCs and in most cases replaced them with ones indicating full citizenship, though the holders had to periodically renew them. But the Rohingya received temporary documents known as white cards that left them in legal limbo because they did not entitle them to full citizenship. Maungdaw district administrator Soe Aung said some Rohingya, like Nuru Salam, still have NRC cards. There are Bengalis who hold national ID cards, he said, using a term that Myanmar government officials use to refer to the Rohingya, whom they consider illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. If people are national ID card holders, they can go abroad in addition to traveling anywhere they want in the country, he said. There is no discrimination against them. Reported by Min Thein Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London Korngold Rating: Escales - French Orchestral Works Both Chandos, out now Rating: John Wilsons hobby is creating orchestras. He began at college with a small jazz ensemble, which became the John Wilson Orchestra, specialising in music from Hollywood musicals. Its a band good enough to shift shedloads of CDs all over the world and win a standing ovation, headed by John Williams himself, for a concert in Los Angeless Walt Disney Hall. Now he has moved on to a full symphony orchestra, the Sinfonia of London, a name that flourished for a few years in the Fifties. The symphony never caught on, yet its a late romantic masterpiece, full of the saturated orchestral sensuality so beloved of Strauss and Mahler Wilsons newly reinvented Sinfonia is also intended as a recording orchestra, using lots of players he has worked with over the years. And its first two Chandos issues are terrific. As a child, Erich Wolfgang Korngold was hailed by both Mahler and Richard Strauss as a talent to equal Mozart. But changes in fashion, and of course Hitler, caused him to become a star composer in Hollywood instead. It won him Oscars but lost him his reputation as a serious musician. By the time he came to compose his one symphony, he was trying to recover from a heart attack, and in despair at his inability to reinstate himself in the worlds concert halls. The symphony never caught on, yet its a late romantic masterpiece, full of the saturated orchestral sensuality so beloved of Strauss and Mahler. The scherzo has a sweeping horn tune that John Williams (a big fan of Korngold) could have used for Star Wars. The slow movement has a principal theme that looks back beyond Mahler to the slow movement of Schumanns Second. The finale begins with some sardonic woodwind worthy of Shostakovich. Music that rewards attention, then, and worth discovering. The second album is 80 minutes of French orchestral works from the era of Debussy and Ravel. As well as Ravels Rapsodie Espagnole and Debussys Afternoon Of A Faun, theres the Beechamesque and rumbustious Espana, and Massenets Meditation, and then some unusual stuff such as Iberts Arabian-influenced Escales and a real rarity, the Three Dances by Maurice Durufle. All well worth exploring. If Wilson and the Sinfonia carry on like this, it will become a memorable partnership. CIBINONG, Indonesia - An Indonesian woman who doctors say should receive psychiatric treatment was acquitted Wednesday of blasphemy charges for taking a dog into a mosque. Suzethe Margareth was released after a panel of three judges at Cibinong District Court in West Java province absolved her of the charges because of her mental health. The defendant cannot be convicted because of her inability to take responsibility as she has psychiatric disorders, presiding judge Indra Meinantha Vidi said in the ruling, What she has done was part of her mental illness. Many Muslims consider dogs to be impure. A video that circulated online in Muslim-majority Indonesia last July shows a dog running around a mosque in the West Java district of Bogor while a visibly upset Margareth argues with shocked worshipers. Angered conservative Muslims pressured police to bring the case to court. Blasphemy is a criminal offence in Indonesia with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Rights groups have long called for abolishment of the law, which is used to persecute Christians and other religious minorities. Amnesty International said the case was unfortunate and absurd. The states priority should be her well being. Her actions may have felt insensitive, but these issues can be resolved peacefully, it is not a matter for the courts, said the groups executive director in Indonesia, Usman Hamid. The dog, which was chased out of the mosque, died a day later when it was hit by a car as members of an animal welfare group tried to capture it. In 2018, a court in Sumatra sentenced a woman who complained about the volume of a mosques loudspeakers to 18 months in prison for blasphemy. She was released on parole in May. Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples in Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016 riot following reports of the womans comments. Twitter has locked the account of conservative journalist James O'Keefe for publishing publicly available evidence that a pair of radical leftists with violent fantasies work for the Bernie Sanders campaign. While O'Keefe's tweets are still visible, he can't publish anything new on the platform until he deletes a post which violates Twitter's rules against "posting private information." O'Keefe was responding to a tweet by Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel claiming that the men, Kyle Jurek and Martin Weissgerber, are Sanders volunteers. When O'Keefe demanded a retraction, posting publicly available Federal Election Commission (FEC) records revealing their employment, Weigel deleted his tweet. And now, O'Keefe must delete his evidence or he won't be able to tweet again. BREAKING: @JamesOKeefeIII Twitter account has been locked for reporting on Sanders campaign staff He recieved this message: pic.twitter.com/civAjzngMc Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) February 5, 2020 Jurek and Weissgerber were filmed going on disturbing rants about armed revolution and re-educating conservatives in modern gulags by undercover journalists for O'Keefe's Project Veritas. They also said there are many people involved in the Sanders campaign who feel the same way. It's in the public interest to know that paid presidential campaign staffers are arming themselves for the "fucking revolution" - and ready to "tear bricks up and start fighting" before sending 'all 'Republicans to re-education camps.' Moreover, it's in the public interest to identify and distinguish these individuals as paid staffers who have gone through a hiring process, as opposed to volunteers - who would by definition have a far weaker association with a campaign. And while publishing private information would be a clear violation of Twitter's rules, O'Keefe was using publicly available information to correct Weigel on a pertinent fact. And while Weigel deleted his tweet, O'Keefe is currently unable to reach his 710,000 followers unless he retracts his evidence from their platform. What rules is Twitter actually following when they police accounts? Was it ok for CNN to confront, harass, and disclose the name of an elderly woman who promoted a pro-Trump social media account allegedly set up by Russians? That tweet is still up, along with CNN's account. Did @CNN get this womans permission to record and harass her on her front lawn and post the video to Twitter? Cant wait until Twitter locks their account!https://t.co/mPCYejZ4Ej https://t.co/IHFZqb3xag ALX (@alx) February 5, 2020 Is it fine that BuzzFeed journalist Ryan Broderick 'doxed' Amy's Baking Company over Twitter, tweeting a link to the private contact information of the husband and wife owners? Broderick's tweet remains as of this writing, along with his account. Meanwhile, if one directs people to ask a Chinese scientist researching bat coronaviruses about an outbreak of bat coronavirus in the same city as his laboratory, using publicly available contact information - and if you think it's strange that he would be looking to hire post-doc fellows to use "bats to research the molecular mechanism that allows Ebola and SARS-associated coronaviruses to lie dormant for a long time without causing diseases," you might lose lose your Twitter account forever. And while one would hope that Twitter carefully weighs already-public information and the public interest when they make these decisions, it would be easy for one to conclude that the notoriously left-leaning social media giant is scrambling to mute people who think differently on their de-facto public square leading up to the 2020 election. Related Articles: Saturday, December 14, 2019 - CNN Producer Accused Of Rewarding Female Employees For Sexual Favors Quits Following Project Veritas Expose An October expose by Project Veritas has resulted in the resignation of CNN producer Steve Brusk, who was accused on undercover footage of sexual misconduct and rewarding female employees for sexual favors. Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - "Protected" CNN Producer Accused Of Sexual Misconduct In Latest Undercover Veritas Video In their latest installment of undercover footage from behind the scenes at CNN, Project Veritas insider Cary Poarch recorded Senior Producer Rick Saleeby accusing supervisor Steve Brusk of sexual misconduct. Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - Google pulls videos accusing it of election manipulation from YouTube... which it owns Googles video platform YouTube is apparently no place for content that accuses the tech giant of political bias and election meddling. An expose based on a sting operation was taken down by the company a day after its release. A new undercover expose by Project Veritas reveals that the company is programming its machine learning algorithms in order to avoid the "next Trump situation." Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - White House Rolls Out Website To Report Silicon Valley Censorship The White House has launched a new tool for people to use if they feel they have been unfairly discriminated against over social media. Those who feel they have been wrongly banned, censored or suspended on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter can go to "wh.gov/techbias" where the following mesage will greet them: "SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS should advance FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Yet too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended, banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear violations of user policies. James O'Keefe just dropped the fourth installment in his series exposing the corruption and bias in the 'deep state'. This report features two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials who candidly discuss the IRSs unfair treatment of conservative non-profit groups. James O'Keefe and his undercover investigators have once again exposed extreme left-wing activists pursuing a progressive agenda within a position of power - this time infiltrating the State Department. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted to CNN's Brian Stelter on Saturday what has been obvious for some time; Twitter employees have "more left-leaning" bias. And while that's not exactly a shocker, Dorsey waxed eloquent about the company's responsibilities, suggesting they operate in a neutral manner and not "according to political ideology or viewpoints." "We need to constantly show that we are not adding our own bias, which I fully admit is...is more left-leaning," said Dorsey. A Wednesday article in VICE confirmed a report from last week by the Daily Wire's Ryan Saavedra which revealed that Twitter has been "shadow banning" conservative users by limiting the number of people who are able to view content from the affected users. Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe has just capped off a week of destroying CNN's last shred of credibility with a Friday morning release of another undercover encounter with an employee of the beleagured network. Jimmy Carr, a hate-filled Associate Producer, said that virtually everyone he knows at the network - surprise - absolutely hates President Trump. Monday, May 22, 2017 - DNC Affiliates Increase Involvement In Seth Rich Case After Wheeler Claims Last week, Fox 5 DC's report incited a storm of controversy after former D.C. police homicide detective Rod Wheeler stated that there was tangible evidence on murdered Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Seth Rich's laptop suggesting that he was communicating with Wikileaks prior to his death. The story generated a large amount of outrage, with outlets like the Washington Post and Vice labelling it a "conspiracy theory" and claiming that it had no basis in fact. But details regarding the political affiliation of spokespeople and representatives of the Rich family appear to indicate that the DNC may be prioritizing its own interests, minimizing alleged political elements to the tragedy. James O'Keefe of Project Veritas is set to unleash holy hell Thursday on #FakeNews network CNN. Well, he didn't exactly say it was CNN, but it was heavily implied. Apparently the network has a mole... Four days after announcing a scheme to resolve a staggering number of pending direct tax cases, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will bring a bill to give effect to her budget announcement of Vivaad se Vishwas (dispute to trust) in Indias tax mechanism. The bill, aptly named The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020, will be introduced in the Lok Sabha around 12 noon after the Question Hour. The bill aims for resolution of disputed tax and related matters. In her budget speech on February 1, Sitharaman announced Vivad se Vishwas scheme to resolve 483,000 direct tax disputes pending in various tribunals. The scheme offers waivers of penalty and interest if the disputed amount is paid before March 31, 2020. This year, I propose to bring a scheme similar to the indirect tax, Sabka Vishwas, for reducing litigation even in direct taxes, Sitharaman said in her budget speech, seen as a second part of what she said in her maiden budget as FM. In her first Budget, presented last year, Sitharaman had proposed the Sabka Vishwas legacy dispute resolution scheme for litigation related to excise and service tax payments. Under the proposed Vivad Se Vishwas scheme, a taxpayer would be required to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and will get complete waiver of interest and penalty provided he pays by March 31, 2020, she said. Both Houses of Parliament will continue to debate on the Presidents speech. The Lower House has debated the speech for two days now while the Upper House started its discussions on Tuesday. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and Shaheen Bagh protests had been the focal point of the debate with the Opposition and the ruling side hurling barbs at each other. On Tuesday, the Congress attacked the government for trying to suggest through the Presidents speech that Mahatma Gandhis wishes were fulfilled through the contentious Citizenship Act. Trump abandons talk of 'American carnage' for unbridled optimism: ANALYSIS originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Forget American carnage. Its now a blue-collar boom. President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared the great American comeback in a 78-minute State of the Union address to the nation in which he claimed credit for a soaring economy, paid homage to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, and gave a nod to the struggles of military families and African Americans. PHOTO: President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, as Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi look on. (Leah Millis/Pool via AP) The speech echoed a campaign rally, producing raucous cheers from his supporters and chants of Four more years inside the House chamber. It also proved so irksome to Democrats that two -- Reps. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Bill Pascrell of New Jersey -- walked out, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whose outstretched hand Trump appeared to ignore upon entering the chamber -- ripped up his speech behind him when he was done. It was such a dirty speech, Pelosi told reporters upon leaving Tuesday night, later tweeting that Trumps speech amounted to a manifesto of mistruths that should be a call to action to voters. MORE: Nancy Pelosi rips up copy of State of the Union speech from Trump The night was a strong indication of the bitter 2020 election campaign ahead, and challenged Democratic predictions on where they thought theyd be by now. By the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not be president. In fact, he may not even be a free person, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a crowd in Iowa almost exactly a year ago in February 2019. But since then, Trump has claimed victory in the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller because it didnt result in a legal case against him. (Mueller wrote that his team was unable to reach a judgment on whether the president obstructed justice, saying that, Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.) Story continues MORE: For Democrats and Republicans alike, Robert Mueller proves a frustrating witness: Analysis And while Trump addressed the nation as one of only three presidents to be impeached by the House, he is now on the cusp of an acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate. A final impeachment vote was planned Wednesday, and it was considered highly unlikely Democrats would reach the two-thirds threshold to remove him from office. On Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who was considered a possible swing vote on impeachment, announced she wouldnt vote to remove the president despite believing he was wrong to ask Ukraines president to investigate a political rival. PHOTO: President Donald Trump turns after handing copies of his speech to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Vice President Mike Pence as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 4, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) The presidents reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee have been able to turn the threat of Democratic-led investigations into Trump into donations for his reelection. The two organizations entered 2020 with a combined $195 million of cash on hand, with plans to solicit more donations during Trumps speech. According to the ABC News/Washington Post poll, Trumps career average approval as president -- 39% -- is the lowest on record at this point in office for any president dating back some 75 years. MORE: State of the Union: 5 key takeaways But bolstered by the strong economy, his most recent approval rating is 44% -- up 6 percentage points since last October, around the same time the House impeachment inquiry was getting under way. On Tuesday, Trump cast himself -- and the nation -- as triumphant. "This is a blue-collar boom," he declared. His comments were in sharp contrast to his 2017 inaugural American carnage speech in which he described mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities and rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones." MORE: President Trump calls Rep. Elijah Cummings 'brutal bully' and Baltimore 'disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess' Trump also omitted gains in the economy under President Barack Obamas watch. During Obama's eight years in office, unemployment rate fell from 10 percent to 4.7 percent as the nation emerged from a recession. If we hadn't reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success, he later said. In addition, while the stock market is up and wages are growing in a record-setting economic expansion, one measurement of economic health -- real GDP -- is growing at a rate slower than it was two years ago, and remains short of what Trump promised back when he was on the campaign trail. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americans' destiny. We have totally rejected the downsizing, he said in Tuesday night's address. PHOTO: President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, watches. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Former vice president and Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden slammed Trumps speech as a "misleading litany of half-truths, no-context statistics, and outright lies," and insisted that Trump is "still more obsessed with erasing the progress of the Obama-Biden administration than leading the American people responsibly." Warren opted not to attend the speech. Let's be clear on where we stand right now, she told reporters earlier in the day. The Republicans in the Senate have locked arms to protect an out-of-control president. ABC News producers' Will Steakin, John Parkinson John Verhovek, Sasha Pezenik, Sarah Kolinovsky and Taylor Dunn contributed to this report. US President Donald Trump delivered a right-wing tirade in his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, ranting against socialism and denouncing his political opponents. Trump feels emboldened by the failure of the Democrats impeachment efforts, which are expected to conclude with a vote in the Senate for acquittal today. He utilized the occasion to redouble his attacks on socialism, escalate his assault on immigrants, and present himself as the force responsible for a supposed revival of the American economy. The annual State of the Union address has long been an exercise in delusion and fraud, but Trumps remarks yesterday brought this ritualistic exercise to new lows. Amidst an extreme crisis of the entire political system, unending wars that threaten to develop into a global conflict, unprecedented levels of social inequality, and growing mass popular opposition, Trump attempted to paint a picture of hope, success, and optimismall flowing from the beneficence of the president. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress [Credit: Leah Millis/Pool via AP] In just three short years, Trump declared, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny. We have totally rejected the downsizing, he said. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago and we are never going back. The real content of the recovery of which Trump boasted was summed up in his declaration that United States stock markets have soared 70 percent. Trump, following on Obama, has overseen a further massive redistribution of wealth from the working class to the rich, with trillions funnelled into the stock market through corporate tax cuts and quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve. The supposed rosy state of the economy, however, was belied by Trumps attacks on socialismthat is, mass opposition to social inequality and exploitationwhich he presented as the gravest threat to the United States and the world. Socialism destroys nations, Trump declared. He added, One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care! He further denounced the radical left for wanting to provide unlimited free health care for immigrants. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who sat behind Trump, was quick to disassociate the Democrats from this position by mouthing the words not true. The speech was full of demagogic appeals to Trumps right-wing base, including attacks on immigrants and sanctuary cities, praise for border officials who have overseen concentration camps on the US-Mexico border, and denunciations of the constitutional right to an abortion. At one point, Trump took the unprecedented action of awarding a presidential Medal of Freedom to far-right talk show host and demagogue Rush Limbaugh. If Trump has successes of which he can boast, they consist of getting his far-right agenda through Congress and the courts. He bragged about passing the USMCA trade deal with Mexico, cracking down on immigrants and massively expanding the US military. All of these policies have been approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis. One of the most significant points in his speech came when Trump hailed right-wing Venezuelan politician Juan Guaido, whom the US has recognized as the self-proclaimed interim president of the country. Democrats and Republicans alike stood in applause for Guaido, who was present in the gallery, demonstrating the bipartisan support for US imperialist operations in Latin America and internationally. The Democrats also cheered when Trump boasted of the murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, a war crime that brought the United States to the brink of full-scale war with Iran. When Fred Guttenberg, an invited guest of Pelosi and father of a child killed in the Parkland high school shooting, booed Trump when the president touted his his support for gun rights, Pelosi glared at him and motioned for him to be ejected. Since Trump came to office three years ago, the Democrats have worked to channel mass opposition to his fascistic administration behind their own conflicts with Trump, centered on issues of foreign policy. This has culminated in the impeachment drive, which is focused on Trumps decision to delay military aid to Ukraine in its proxy war with Russia. The fecklessness of the Democrats opposition to Trump was on display in the theatrics of House Speaker Pelosis interactions with Trump. The media has made much of the fact that Pelosi offered to shake Trumps hand at the beginning of the event, which he snubbed, and her ripping up of Trumps speech afterwards. More significant was Pelosis statement after the event. Accompanying a photo of the proffered handshake, Pelosi wrote: Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done We will work to find common ground where we can. In other words, they will work with Trump on key aspects of ruling class policy but oppose him on what they consider critical to the interests of American imperialism. As for the ten-minute official rebuttal by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, it was focused mainly on a tribute to Michigan residents for personally trying to fix the states notoriously poor roads with a shovel and a bucket of dirt. It is one thing for Trump to run circles around the Democratic Party. It is quite another, however, to face down real popular opposition. While the Democratic Partys impeachment drive is in shambles, social opposition is growing and will not be contained within the framework of the sclerotic and reactionary parties on display last night. Tyrone Siu/Reuters Susan Anabel, a 67-year-old woman from Marysville, Washington, was looking for an adventure when she booked a single, windowless stateroom on Carnivals Diamond Princess cruise ship. She was scheduled to return to Seattle from Tokyo after her relaxing two-week cruise ended this week. But now she is one of 428 Americans stuck in a living-hell-limbo that has trapped more than 5,000 people on two massive cruise ships after several passengers tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. I signed up for an adventure, and Im getting an adventure, she told KIRO 7 news channel via a FaceTime chat in which she explained that the crew told them they cannot even open their door unless someone brings them food. I dont have a window and I dont have a balcony, so it could get a little tight in here. After one passenger tested positive for the virus, it took 18 hours to take the temperature of the remaining passengers and crew. Princess Cruise Lines confirmed that 10 peopleone American, two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kong citizens and one Filipino crew memberwere diagnosed with the virus and taken off the ship. By Thursday morning, a further ten people had been confirmed to have the virus and 171 passengers were awaiting test results, adding more uncertainty to the length of the quarantine. But the rest are now under quarantine for at least two weeks. Anabel was not sure whether they would eventually be allowed to leave their rooms, and with no window, she cant even tell what is happening outside. At the end of the interview, the captain could be heard telling passengers that the ship was running low on water, so they were asked to only flush if necessary. I guess they dont want us near land, Anabel said, explaining she was getting some information via messages from people with windows in their rooms. They have a Japanese coast guard circling our ship. The passengers and crew arent even 24 hours into the saga, but many are already posting desperate messages on social media. One creative passenger has started a Twitter account with the handle @quarantinedondiamondprincess through which they are posting a rather uneventful online diary including pictures of the food that is brought to their room and recordings of the captains announcements. Story continues Day 1: Arrangements are being made to collect passengers prescription medications. Four additional live tv channels are being added to ship feed, including USA, Australia, and China channels. Other passengers are tweeting through relatives on shore who have been regularly updating the unchanging status. One man on shore tweeted that his parents dont speak any of the languages being used on public announcements being piped over the ships intercom, so he is trying to relay information that he can through other people on the ship. One passenger, who tweets under the handle @yardley_wong and describes herself as a Christian entrepreneur, faith based e-commerce marketplace startup founder, has been posting more emotional dispatches. Tried to sleep but having a hard time, knowing that there is more test result come out tmw, she wrote. Fear and unknown really got me #chill #outbreak #coronavirus #DiamondPrincess #quarantine #StayStrong. In another post, she includes a picture of her stateroom door, under which she writes, So much wondering through this door. Another person whose mother is on the ship was able to get the staff to deliver soap to her room after posting a handwritten sign in which she pleaded that without access to laundry, she had to wash her clothes by hand in her bathroom sink. She finally got some bar of soap thank you!, the person wrote. She can not go to laundry, she has to wash her clothes by bar of soap for next 14 days. Less is known about a second cruise ship, the World Dream, with 1,800 people on board which is docked in Hong Kong. Three people are suspected of having the coronavirus on that ship, but communication has been limited as the ships internet is reportedly not working. AFP journalist Daniel Suen posted a haunting picture of various passengers from that ship on their balconies in Hong Kongs harbor. The coronavirus has affected more than 20,000 people in mainland China and nearly 200 people across 25 countries. The death toll has risen to 492 people, with all but two in mainland China. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. President Widodo highly evaluated the Vietnamese Governments move to take prompt and comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of the disease. He expressed his belief that under the close direction of PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and with the capability of the health sector, Vietnam is completely able to prevent the outbreak. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA) PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also hailed Indonesia as one of the countries to rapidly implement measures to prevent the disease, with no infection cases being reported so far. The two leaders agreed that ASEAN member states should proactively coordinate in line with the spirit of the 2020 ASEAN theme Cohesive and Responsive to seek common solutions and share responsibility to cope with the disease as they did in the prevention of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. According to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh as Chairman of the ASEAN Coordinating Council has sent letters to ASEAN countries to express the spirit of coordination and joint action of the bloc to prevent and control the disease. He added that Vietnam had proposed ASEAN establish a ministerial-level joint working group with the participation of transport, immigration, border control and consular agencies to soon organise online meetings to timely share information and coordinate actions of the ASEAN member countries, showing the intra-bloc solidarity. President Widodo agreed with and spoke highly of PM Phucs proposals. The two leaders also agreed to enhance coordination not only within the grouping but also between ASEAN and China, including consular assistance for citizens of the ASEAN countries affected by the disease, especially those who are still stuck in the epidemic area. ASEAN groups 10 countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./. Tensions are mounting over Tehran's probe into the January downing of a passenger plane near the Iranian capital, as countries that lost citizens in the disaster criticise the Islamic republic's reticence to share key information. Iran's authorities are examining the incident in which its air defences shot down the Kiev-bound Ukrainian International Airlines flight a few minutes after takeoff from Tehran on January 8, killing 176 people. On Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Tehran of knowing "from the start" that its missile had downed the Boeing 737, after leaked recordings emerged from Iranian air traffic control. The recordings, aired on Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel on Sunday, feature a conversation between an air traffic controller and the pilot of an Iranian Aseman Airlines flight at the time the Ukrainian airliner was hit. The pilot describes "a series of lights on our route, like a missile" and an "explosion", and asks for explanation from the controller. Countries whose citizens died in the disaster have criticised Iran's refusal to hand the plane's black boxes to Ukraine or one of the few countries capable of recovering and analysing the data they contain. The disaster unfolded as Iran's defences were on high alert in case the US retaliated to Iranian strikes hours earlier on American troops stationed in Iraq -- themselves in response to the US assassination of a top Iranian commander. Canada, which says it lost 57 citizens in the tragedy, suspected from a start that a missile had downed the plane, carrying mostly Iranian passengers as well as Afghans, Britons, Swedes and Ukrainians. In the immediate aftermath, Iranian civilian authorities insisted the crash was likely caused by a technical malfunction, vehemently denying claims the plane was shot down. But in the early hours of January 11, the Iranian military admitted that the plane was shot down due to "human error". The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, took responsibility, saying a missile had been fired due to a "bad decision" by a missile operator. In the absence of information from military authorities, investigators initially said the crash was likely caused by "an engine fire or an explosion on board" the aircraft. The Iranian government maintained it had not been informed of the true cause of the accident until the afternoon of January 10, denying any cover-up and promising a transparent investigation open to all concerned parties. Days later, a video circulated on social media indicating that not one but two missiles were fired at the aircraft, about 30 seconds apart. That was not confirmed until January 20 by the Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO). "Once and for all, the government was not informed," the director of President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet, Mahmoud Vaezi, said Wednesday, adding that the Iranian leader "was not informed until the afternoon of Friday" January 10. On the recording broadcast by 1+1, Vaezi said it was transferred to the Ukrainians and "therefore has nothing secret". He noted that the pilot on the recording does not say that the plane was hit by a missile. The CAO criticised the broadcasting of the recording, saying that the pilot had been interviewed by investigators. The lights seen by the pilot could have been the plane on fire, the CAO said, affirming it wanted to work with the concerned countries and calling for "all parties to avoid politicising" the disaster. Canada has repeatedly asked Iran to hand the plane's black boxes over to Ukraine or France for expert analysis. "The community of grieving nations continues to call on #Iran to immediately release the black boxes," Canadian Foreign Minister Fran?ois-Philippe Champagne tweeted on Tuesday. The CAO, which acknowledges it does not have the means to retrieve data from them, said it asked its French and US counterparts, the BEA and NTSB respectively, to provide a list of the equipment required. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde reiterated calls for the "immediate release" of the boxes in a tweet Tuesday. "Iran needs to secure closure, accountability, transparency and justice for victims of #PS752," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Grey's Anatomy co-stars Kate Walsh and Patrick Dempsey came together once again, and fans were loving it. Walsh, 52, shared a photo of herself holding up several Boyfriend Perfume Car Fresheners, adding a link in her Instagram bio for fans to save money on them. The post didn't go unnoticed by Dempsey, 54, who left an adorable comment on Walsh's Instagram photo. Co-stars: Former Grey's Anatomy co-stars Kate Walsh and Patrick Dempsey came together once again, and fans were loving it. Comment: The post didn't go unnoticed by Dempsey, 54, who left an adorable comment on Walsh's Instagram photo 'I want YOU...to save $$$ on these delicious @BoyfriendPerfume Car Fresheners!' Walsh began. 'Buy a pack of 5 and save $5! Super proud of this product and cant wait for you to try it at the link in bio.' The photo featured Walsh, clad in a billowing red top, holding up the air fresheners with a big smile, when Dempsey added a sweet comment. 'Looking radiant my lady,' Dempsey said, with Walsh responding, 'kitty, I LAVA u' with a heart emoji. Kate's look: 'I want YOU...to save $$$ on these delicious @BoyfriendPerfume Car Fresheners!' Walsh began. 'Buy a pack of 5 and save $5! Super proud of this product and cant wait for you to try it at the link in bio' Comment: 'Looking radiant my lady,' Dempsey said, with Walsh responding, 'kitty, I LAVA u' with a heart emoji Both Walsh's Dr. Addison Montgomery and Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shephard were part of the original cast when Grey's Anatomy debuted in 2005. The Shonda Rhimes-created series was an instant hit, as fans dubbed Shephard 'McDreamy', the ex-husband of Montgomery. Walsh left Grey's Anatomy after the third season, with her character Montgomery moving from Seattle to Los Angeles, but she returned for episodes in the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth seasons. Grey's cast: Both Walsh's Dr. Addison Montgomery and Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shephard were part of the original cast when Grey's Anatomy debuted in 2005 Walsh left Grey's Anatomy to star in Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which ran from 2007 to 2013. Dempsey's run lasted considerably longer, starring on the show until the 11th season when he was killed in a fatal car accident. Dempsey moved on to star in the mini-series The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair and the 2019 TV series Devils. Spin-off: Walsh left Grey's Anatomy to star in Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which ran from 2007 to 2013 Car crash: Dempsey's run lasted considerably longer, starring on the show until the 11th season when he was killed in a fatal car accident Walsh will next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming movie Honest Thief, alongside Liam Neeson and Jai Courtney, in theaters September 4. She also stars in the upcoming Paramount Network TV series Emily in Paris with Lily Collins, though it's unclear when that will premiere. Dempsey is attached to return as Robert Philip in Disney's Disenchanted, a follow-up to the 2007 hit Enchanted with Amy Adams and James Marsden. Watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, or on Stan in Australia. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act and sought its abrogation, contending the new law was against the Constitution's secular character. The resolution was passed during the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, public relations department minister P C Sharma told reporters. Madhya Pradesh is currently ruled by the Congress. Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have already passed resolutions demanding scrapping of the CAA. Sharma said the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet passed the resolution describing CAA as 'against the secular character of the Indian Constitution and differentiating people on religious lines'. The Citizenship Amendment Act passed by Parliament in December last year endangers the 'country's secular fabric and tolerant nature', the minister said. 'Secularism is the basic foundation of the Indian Constitution and which can't be changed. It is clearly mentioned in the Constitution that India is a secular country. 'Besides, Article 14 of the Constitution grants equality to all citizens of the country under the law,' reads the resolution by the state Cabinet. It asked the Centre to not only take back the CAA, but also clear doubts in the minds of citizens on the issue, as people across the country were protesting against it. The resolution also demanded that information sought from people in connection with the National Population Register (NPR) be taken back and only after that the census be conducted. To a query, Sharma said a resolution will also be passed against the CAA in the state assembly. The CAA, under which non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship, came into force from January 10. It was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019. A Labour MP has hit back at trolls who said she looked like a slapper for wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in the House of Commons. On Tuesday, Tracy Brabin revealed that she had received a number of insults online over her choice of attire. One Twitter user shared a photograph of Brabin wearing the outfit and asked: Is this really appropriate attire for parliament? alongside the hashtag #DressStandards. The post was met with hundreds of replies, including one which read: Looks like she was banged over the wheelie bin at the back of the pub last night. The shadow culture secretary said she refused to lose sleep over the criticism of her appearance and shared an unapologetic response on her Twitter account. Sorry I dont have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm Im not....A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder... Brabin was raising a point of order in the Commons on Downing Streets decision to order senior journalists from some of the UKs major news organisations to leave a briefing when she spoke at the despatch box wearing the outfit. The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Show all 12 1 /12 The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Anne Hathaway The 32-year-old actress said she has already experiences job rejections because of her age. Now I'm in my early thirties and I'm like, 'Why did that 24-year-old get that part? I was that 24-year-old once. I can't be upset about it, it's the way things are, she told Glamour. EPA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Helen Mirren On news that Maggie Gyllenhaal had been turned down for being too old, aged 37, to play a 55-year-old mans partner: Its f***ing outrageous. Its ridiculous. Honestly, its so annoying. And twas ever thus. We all watched James Bond as he got more and more geriatric, and his girlfriends got younger and younger. Its so annoying. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Maggie Gyllenhaal Gyllenhaal revealed she was told by a Hollywood producer that she was too old, aged 37, to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man. It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made feel angry, and then it made me laugh, she said at the time. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Meryl Streep Meryl Streep has helped fund an all-female screenwriters group called The Writers Lab to encourage more women to pen Hollywood scripts. She previously told Vogue in 2011: Once women pass childbearing age they could only be seen as grotesque on some level. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Emma Thompson The actress said she thought Hollywood is still completely s*** when it comes to treating women equally to men. When I was younger, I really did think we were on our way to a better world. And when I look at it now, it is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women, and I find that very disturbing and sad. EPA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Elizabeth Banks Banks said she was driven from acting to directing due to the lack of roles for older women in Hollywood. "[Industry sexism] drove me to direct for sure. I definitely was feeling that I was unfulfilled and a little bit bored by the things that were coming across my desk. I mean look at Gwyneth Paltrow who has her Oscar [for Shakespeare in Love] and played fifth banana to Iron Man, she told Deadline. PA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Viola Davis I had never seen a 49-year-old, dark-skinned woman who is not a size 2 be a sexualised role in TV or film. I'm a sexual woman, but nothing in my career has ever identified me as a sexualised woman. I was the prototype of the mommified role, she told The Hollywood Reporter. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Liv Tyler The Lord of the Rings actress said she only get cast in roles where she is treated as a second class citizen at the age of 38. When youre in your teens or twenties, there is an abundance of ingenue parts which are exciting to play. But at [my age], youre usually the wife or the girlfriend - a sort of second-class citizen. There are more interesting roles for women when they get a bit older, she told More magazine. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Cate Blanchett The actress famously called out sexism on the red carpet at the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards. When a camera operator scanned her up and down, she said: Do you do this to the guys? In her Oscar acceptance speech for Blue Jasmine, she reminded the film industry that movies with leading women can still be successful. And thank you to... those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films, with women at the centre, are niche experiences. They are not -- audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people. Gareth Cattermole/Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Ellen Page Asked if she had ever encountered sexism in Hollywood, Page told The Guardian: Oh my God, yeah! It's constant! It's how you're treated, it's how you're looked at, how you're expected to look in a photoshoot, it's how you're expected to shut up and not have an opinion, it's how you... If you're a girl and you don't fit the very specific vision of what a girl should be, which is always from a man's perspective, then you're a little bit at a loss. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Zoe Saldana The actress says she refuses roles where she has to play the generic girlfriend, wife or sexy bombshell. "It's very hard being a woman in a man's world, and I recognised it was a man's world even when I was a kid. It's an inequality and injustice that drove me crazy, and which I always spoke out against and I've always been outspoken, she told Manhattan magazine. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Charlize Theron The actress spoke to ELLE about negotiating equal pay for the Snow White and the Huntsman sequel: "This is a good time for us to bring this to a place of fairness, and girls need to know that being a feminist is a good thing. It doesn't mean that you hate men. It means equal rights. If you're doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way." Andreas Rentz/Getty Images The MP later told the BBC the response was sadly routine and another example of the everyday sexism women face. They were playing top trumps on how rude they could be, Brabin said. They are idiots and they are rude but I am not going to lose much sleep over them. The mother-of-twos response was widely praised on social media with actor Gary Webster writing: Brilliant retort Tracy. Omg if only they were as vocal about the behaviour, misogyny, racism, falling asleep and warped policies of the ruling govt as they are about revealing one shoulder [sic]. Comedian Tez Ilyas agreed, adding: Even if you were any of those things Tracy, more power to you to wear what you want. The controversy also prompted other women to share their stories about being shamed for exposing skin while at work, with one person writing: If I had a quid for every time someone had commented on what I wore rather than what I saidThis rarely happens to men calling it out is the only way to educate. It has since been spotted that a dress similar to the one Brabin wore in parliament, which retails at 35 on Asos, is selling fast on the online retailers website. The Independent has contacted Asos to confirm whether this is the exact dress that was worn by Brabin. MPs do not have an official dress code, however they are advised to wear usual business dress. According to Parliament: The dress of members these days is generally that which might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction. The Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men. INDIA - 2020/01/29: In this photo illustration a Huawei logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Vodafone (VOD.L) said on Wednesday that it would start stripping Huawei equipment out of the core of its network across Europe, a move that will cost the company around 200m. The worlds second-biggest mobile network operator company made the decision in the wake of the British governments decision last week to restrict the Chinese network supplier from being part of its core 5G network buildout We have now decided as a result of the EU toolbox and the UK governments decision to take out Huawei from the core, Vodafone chief executive Nick Read told reporters. This will take around five years to implement at a cost of approximately 200 million euros. Read said that the process of removing Huawei from the central parts of the telecoms network that handle sensitive customer data would take about five years, as it is quite a complicated job. The European Commissions toolbox of guidelines on security measures around the buildout 5G networks in EU member states does not directly target or recommend a ban on Huawei equipment, but recommends a limited role for suppliers deems to be high-risk when it comes to critical core parts of the network. It also recommended that equipment from what it calls high-risk vendors should make up no more than 35% of a network. The Vodafone boss said that capping the amount of Huawei equipment in a countrys telecoms network to 35% it could cause a delay in 5G rollout and raise prices for consumers. I wouldnt want this for Europe, it would be highly disruptive, he said. READ MORE: Boris Johnson defies Trump to give Huawei 5G green light The UK government announced last week that Huawei had been cleared to work on parts of 5G but said restrictions would be put in place to limit potential national security risks. The decision was criticised by Washington, which has been pressuring its allies to completely ban the Chinese telecoms giant, claiming it is a national security threat, and could be compelled by the Beijing government to hand over data, including vital security information. Story continues The German government has staunchly resisted US pressure to ban Huawei from its 5G network auctions, instead issuing guidelines demanding deeper assessment of individual suppliers trustworthiness. However, lawmakers in chancellor Angela Merkels coalition government remain divided over the potential security risks. In December, Chinas ambassador to Germany threatened retaliation on German companies operating in China, should Berlin end up banning Huawei. If Germany in the end were to make the decision that leads to Huaweis exclusion from the German market, there will be consequences, Chinese ambassador Ken Wu said onstage at a Handelsblatt summit. The Chinese government will not stand idly by. READ MORE: China threatens 'consequences' if Germany bans Huawei In what appeared to be a direct threat to the German automotive industrys presence in China, he noted that out of the 28 million cars sold in China last year, 7 million were German. Could we say one day that these German cars are not safe because we are able manufacture our own cars? Wu said. No. That is pure protectionism. Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the new International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Hong Kong. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements. STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 50 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers. The Hong Kong audit protocol covers relevant national EHS requirements. The regulatory date for the current release is July 2019. This EHS audit protocol is organized around sixteen topics, with a separate section devoted to each, as follows: General Environmental General Health and Safety Air Emissions Equipment, Machine and Electrical Safet Solid and Hazardous Waste Material Handling and General In-Plant Safety Water Resources Fire Safety Above and Below Ground Tank Management Transport of Dangerous Goods Community Noise Industrial Hygiene PCBs Chemical Management Asbestos Construction Work Site Safety In Hong Kong, environmental framework legislation is issued on the regional level, i.e. the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. Environmental laws (ordinances) are issued by the Legislative Council and if power to issue subordinate legislation is delegated, then the Chief Executive in Council may issue implementing regulations. There is no one overarching piece of legislation governing environmental law in Hong Kong. The major environmental laws include: "Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 311)" "Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 358)" "Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap 354)" "Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (Cap 595)" Implementing regulations were issued under each of the above listed Ordinances. Enforcement of environmental laws is mainly carried out by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD). EPD is responsible for inspections, licensing and responding to complaints. In addition, EPD prosecutes violations of environmental laws. More information about EPD is available online at https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/top.html. As with environmental legislation, the health and safety legislation is issued on the regional level. "Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Cap. 509" is the one main law governing issues related to health and safety. This Ordinance covers almost all workplaces including factories, construction sites, offices, shopping centres, etc. The "Occupational Safety and Health Regulation, Cap. 509A" issued under the Ordinance sets forth requirements for accident prevention, fire precaution, workplace environment control, hygiene at workplaces, first aid, as well as what employers and employees are expected to do in manual handling operations. In addition to the above, occupational health and safety requirements applicable to industrial operations are covered in the "Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59)" and implementing regulations. The "Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59)" sets forth general responsibilities of employers and employees. Most of the health and safety laws are enforced by the Labour Department. More information about the Labour Department is available online at https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/faq/content.htm. Issues related to fire safety are enforced by the Fire Services Department. More information about the Fire Services Department are available online at https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is responsible for enforcement of laws addressing lifts and escalators safety. More information about the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is available online at https://www.emsd.gov.hk/en/lifts_and_escalators_safety/. For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here. About Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites. About Specialty Technical Consultants Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training. STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020. It also gave ex-post facto approval for creation of 21 posts of Directors and Registrars, one each in 20 IIITs (PPP) and one in IIITDM Kurnool (IIIT-CFTI). Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will declare the remaining 5 IIITs-PPP along with the existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology in public private partnership mode as 'Institutions of National Importance' with powers to award degrees. This will entitle them to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or Master of Technology (M.Tech) or Ph.D degree as issued by a University or Institution of National Importance. It will also enable the Institutes to attract enough students required to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology. Introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020; for amending the principal Acts of 2014 and 2017 to grant statutory status to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology in Public Private Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur and declare them as Institutions of National Importance along with already existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology is under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017. The objective of the approval is for formalization of IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur. These IIITs are already functioning as Societies registered under Societies Registration Act of 1860. They will now be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, similar to the other 15 IIITs established under the scheme in PPP mode. Further, IIITDM Kurnool has been established as per the IIIT Act, 2014 and is functioning with the other 4 IIITs namely IIIT Allahabad, IIITM Gwalior, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIITDM Kancheepuram. The post of Director and Registrar in these IIITs are already existing and the present proposal merely formalizes them without any additional financial outgo. IIITs are envisaged to promote higher education and research in the field of Information Technology. Under the scheme of setting up of 20 new IIITs in Public Private Partnership (IIT PPP) mode as approved by the Union Cabinet in 2010, 15 IIITs are already covered by the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, while remaining 5 IIITs are to be included under the Schedule of the Act. A fake doctor tried to kill his family fearing his lies would be rumbled after his wife suggested they go on holiday which he had no money to pay for. Failed medical student Satya Thakor had pretended to be a doctor for seven years, but was secretly spending his days at the library reading medical books. As pressure began to mount following years of deceit, the 35-year-old decided to kill his mother-in-law in what was a wholly illogical and wholly ridiculous thought process, said a judge before jailing him for 28 years. After attempting to smother and then stab Gita Laxman to death in her bed hoping to cause a non-existent trip to Los Angeles to be delayed, he was disturbed by his wife Nisha. Thakor stabbed her and then did the same to his brother-in-law Primal Laxman and sister-in-law Rashika Laxman as she slept in her bed, reports Leicestershire Live. When police arrived, he had locked himself in an en suite bathroom and was shouting about demons. He later claimed he saw hallucinations of demons on his family members, and he had been attempting to stab them. His web of lies spread back years after he failed his exams at university and even on his wedding day he staged a car crash to get out of paying for his honeymoon. Reading Crown Court heard that Thakor, formerly of North Evington, Leicester, first attacked Gita by trying to force tissue into her mouth and covering her face with a pillow. Prosecutor Michael Roques said that after she started to struggle and scream, he stabbed her repeatedly and then stabbed his wife in the neck and leg as she ran to help her mum. Judge Paul Dugdale, told the court: He was buying some time. He was not intending to kill anyone else when he set out that evening, except his mother-in-law. I think it probably was a wholly illogical thought process but to him it seemed entirely reasonable. The build-up to the stabbing rampage at his mother-in-laws home in Wraysbury, Berkshire, had taken a number of years as the pressure of keeping up his lies mounted. Mr Roques said: He was studying to become a doctor at the time he met his future wife who was studying to become a solicitor and the two of them started a relationship. He told his family he had achieved the grades required to become a fully qualified doctor. What became apparent eventually was he did not complete that course and did not obtain the qualification he needed. Thakor told his family he had found work as a doctor but was nearly caught out when he agreed to fund he and his wifes honeymoon after they got married. On the morning of his wedding, he orchestrated a car crash to get the honeymoon called off, the prosecution said. Mr Roques said: The defendant drove his car into the central reservation on the M4 motorway. As a result of that the wedding had to be delayed but still took place later that day. The honeymoon was cancelled. It is the prosecutions case that there never was a honeymoon because he did not have the money. After getting married, the court heard Thakor had carried on the doctor deception for seven years, leaving home each morning and arriving home at night, pretending he was going to work but actually going to the local library and reading medical textbooks. To maintain his lie, the prosecutor said, Thakor had pretended he had to work night shifts and left the house overnight. Mr Roques said: One Christmas, he said that he had to go to work and came back later and, when asked about why he seemed upset, he said that they had lost a patient that day. Even after the birth of their daughter, Thakor had survived purely on his wifes income throughout their marriage, a judge was told, telling her he was banking his earnings as a doctor to save towards their house. However, when the family planned to take their young daughter on a dream holiday to America, Thakor decided he needed to buy more time. Mr Roques went on: He was supposed to have booked not only the flights to go to the States, but also the tickets for the various shows. No such flights or tickets had been booked. He was shortly going to be found out or at least there had to be a reason not to get on to the flights. Thakor told his wife that he needed to attend a plastic surgery workshop in Reading so the couple would need to stay with Nishas mother, Gita Laxman, at her home in Wraysbury, Berkshire. On the morning of May 14 last year, Thakor walked into Ms Laxmans bedroom and asked if he could use the en-suite toilet. Mr Roques said: She saw the defendant sitting astride her whilst she was in bed, trying to force tissue into her mouth and covering her head with a pillow. She struggled and screamed and he then began to stab her repeatedly. Her screams alerted Nisha, who thought her mother was having a nightmare. Nisha saw the defendant. He immediately ran past her and her instinctive reaction was that he was perhaps fighting a burglar or something of the sort. Nisha realised her mother was underneath a duvet on the bedroom floor. The court heard that Thakor then lunged at his wife and tried to stab her in the neck, successfully knifing her at least once and then again in the leg as she fell to the floor trying to kick him away. In a letter to the judge, Thakor wrote: The shame of not being able to graduate as a doctor and the fear of admitting this would cause my family and friends to abandon me and my upcoming wedding to be called off, led me to lie and say that I had graduated and become a doctor. Judge Dugdale told him that his plan to kill his mother-in-law was wholly illogical and wholly ridiculous. Judge Dugdale said it was relevant that Thakor had carried out his attack on the Tuesday before the Friday he was due to fly on the non-existent holiday to Los Angeles. The judge said: You had reached the very last weekend before your deceptions would come crashing down around you and you had reached a crucial moment. What were you going to do? Thakor was sentenced to 28 years in jail and made subject to a restraining order against his family which would last indefinitely. The judge said he had reduced the sentence from one of 30 years to account for Thakors good character, saying he did not believe he was a violent person outside of the unusual facts of this case. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Libyan rival sides meeting in Geneva at the level of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission agree on the need to abide by a lasting and permanent ceasefire after months of conflict in the suburbs of Tripoli. The armed conflict around Tripoli erupted last April when self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), led by commander Khalifa Haftar, launched an offensive to seize the capital, hosting the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (or GNA). The talks in Geneva are meant to listen carefully to the position of the two sides on what are the conditions for them to accept this translation of the truce into a permanent and lasting ceasefire, said Ghassan Salame, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). There is an agreement to convert the truce into a lasting ceasefire, so the principle has been adopted by both sides, he said. However, the chance of the situation deteriorating further persists, Salame warned, despite a call for a truce launched early January by Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladmir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Although this truce had been accepted by both sides, Mr. Salame noted that at the same time, an international arms embargo has been broken incessantly since 2011, with evidence of increasing foreign interference. We have new evidence of new equipment but also new fighters non-Libyan fighters joining the two camps, he said. Therefore, we believe that the arms embargo is being violated by both parties. Salame expressed hope that those who are exporting arms to Libya understand that there is already more than 20 million pieces of ordnance in the country, and that this is enough, and the country doesnt need new equipment. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also confirmed that the arms embargo is violated, calling the situation in Libya a scandal. Speaking to reporters in New York Tuesday, he was critical of the countries that last month met in Berlin to push for progress in Libya peace talks. They committed not to interfere in the Libyan process and they committed not to send weapons or participate in any way in the fighting. The truth is that the Security Council (arms) embargo remains violated, he said. The GNA is supported by Turkey, Qatar and Italy while the LNA is backed by Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Faced with the challenge of achieving a positive outcome to the Geneva talks which form part of a parallel UN initiative covering the political and economic aspects of the Libyan crisis Salame remained realistic about the chances for success, ahead of further talks. One should not expect the Geneva meeting, the very first between high-ranking officers of the two sides, to settle all issues, he said, insisting, however, that the need to de-escalate the situation was critical. BOISE, Idaho - An Idaho lawmaker wants his colleagues to take a closer look at ways to improve air travel across the state. Currently no airports in Idaho including the largest, in Boise offer direct commercial flights to any other Idaho city. That means travellers heading from one part of Idaho to another must fly out-of-state first or make an hours-long drive through sometimes treacherous terrain. The Lewiston Tribune reports Sen. Dan Johnson, a Republican from Lewiston, has proposed an interim legislative committee to help develop a long-term strategy for intrastate commercial air service. The Senate Transportation Committee authorized the legislation on Tuesday, sending it to the Senate floor. The proposal is modeled in part on steps Wyoming took to maintain and expand its commercial air access. Shawn Burke, the Wyoming Department of Transportation air service development manager, said the states face similar demographic and geographic challenges. Since 2013, weve lost about 15 per cent of our (commercial airline) capacity, Burke said during an Idaho Chamber Alliance luncheon on Tuesday. We needed to do something to retain air service in these communities. One Wyoming program provides $1.3 million a year for marketing grants, airport improvement projects and airline revenue guarantees. The other is a $15 million appropriation from the Wyoming Legislature for a contract with SkyWest Airlines to provide air service to four communities. Burke said the money offsets some of the risk involved in serving smaller markets, while the contract also allows the state to share in some of the profits. Johnsons resolution could come up for a Senate vote as early as Friday. If it passes, it will go to the House for further action. Following the endless hours of preparatory work produced behind the scenes, Ireland womens scrum-half Kathryn Dane was thrilled to see it all come together in last weekends Six Nations opener against Scotland at Donnybrook. Using last Novembers Test defeat at the hands of Wales as a motivating factor, Adam Griggs charges dug deep to secure an 18-14 victory over their Celtic counterparts. Weve worked so hard since the last Six Nations and even working through the Autumn Series there. Having that loss against Wales really gave us the kick up the ass to work hard over Christmas, Dane explained. Were delighted that this win against Scotland sets the tone now for the rest of the campaign. Were just going to keep going into Wales now next week. Before Philip Doyles visitors rallied, Ireland had created a 13-0 platform in the first-quarter. The free-flowing, expansive style on display in this period was, by and large, the culmination of the squads principles being put into practice. The target now is for Dane and her team-mates to deliver it on a more consistent basis. Weve been really focusing on unstructured rugby in our training sessions and we were just told to go out there and express ourselves. We did play with such flair in the first 15 minutes. Delighted about that, but hopefully next week we can turn that 15 minutes into 60 minutes, 70 minutes and really put teams under pressure. Despite falling to a 19-15 home defeat at the hands of Italy on their first day out, Wales are expected to pose a formidable challenge when the two sides meet in Donnybrook this Sunday (kick-off 1pm). Before claiming victory in that November showdown, the Welsh had a bonus-point success over Adam Griggs charges in the final round of last years Six Nations. Jaime Botin also saw his fine increased to more than $100m. Madrid, Spain A billionaire member of the Santander banking dynasty who tried to smuggle a Pablo Picasso masterpiece out of Spain in his luxury yacht has had his jail term doubled and fine increased. Jaime Botin, 83, must now serve three years in prison, after a court in Madrid increased the financial penalty from 54.4 million euros ($57.9m) to 91.7 million euros ($101.3m). In a highly unusual move, the punishment was made more severe after prosecutors noticed a technical error in the original sentence last month. The verdict came nearly five years after the Picasso painting, Head of a Young Woman, was seized by police who boarded the former bankers schooner off the coast of Corsica. Botin, the uncle of Ana Botin, Banco Santanders executive chairwoman, denied he wanted to sell the Picasso abroad. 170804104521114 However, a court ruled the former chairman of the Bankinter bank broke the law by taking the painting outside Spanish jurisdiction after it was listed as a national heritage item. Lawyers for Botin, who rejected the charge of exporting the work of art and breaching an export ban, are to appeal. In 2012, Spanish authorities began to monitor Botins activities regarding the early Picasso work, which is valued at 26 million euros ($28.7m), after Christies auction house asked for an export licence in order to put the painting up for sale. The Spanish government refused the licence and imposed a national protection order on the painting, banning its owner from taking it out of the country. When the painting was discovered on board Botins 213-foot yacht, named, Adix, Botin denied he was trying to smuggle it abroad for sale. Instead, he said he was transporting it to Geneva for safe storage. Despite being fully aware of the prohibition, the accused took the painting on board his schooner, the Adix moored in Valencia, with the aim of removing it from Spain, a judge ruled in a trial last year. The court found that the painting was now the property of the Spanish state, adding anyone with any link to Spain will realise that the work is part of Spanish heritage. Who is going to buy a work of art in Spain, given the legal uncertainty generated by this sentence? Jaime Botin During the trial, Botins defence argued that the painting was never on Spanish soil, except on rare occasions, such as during his daughters wedding or when he brought it ashore to have it framed. Botins fortune is estimated at $1.7bn because of his holdings in Bankinter, according to Forbes magazine. He is reported to have a floating art collection on the Adix which includes works by JMW Turner and Camille Corot. Spanish media reports suggested Botin attempted to negotiate a deal with the Spanish government, offering to exhibit the work in Spain in exchange for a lighter sentence. If Botins appeal is not successful, there is a chance he may serve time behind bars but he currently remains at liberty until the hearing. Head of a Young Woman is one of a few existing paintings which Spanish-born Picasso painted in 1906 in the village of Gosol in Catalonia, where he spent time with his lover, Fernande Olivier. The painting comes from Picassos pink period and features a woman with long, black hair. 170228090044987 In a statement, Botin said: The consequence of the sentence is that any ship, yacht or vessel that moors, docks or anchors in Spanish waters and carries on board goods which the Spanish state unilaterally considers integral to its historical heritage, is liable to be seized by Spain, which is simply unacceptable. Who is going to buy a work of art in Spain, given the legal uncertainty generated by this sentence? A source in the Spanish Ministry of Culture, who asked not want to be named, told Al Jazeera: Like many other European countries, Spain has a law which means items of cultural interest can be declared the property of the state to stop them being sold abroad and to preserve them for the nation. The economic value of the painting or sculpture is not what is important; it is the cultural value to the nation. Banco Santander is one of the largest banks in Europe and has interests in Latin America and the United States. CRPF jawan martyred; 1 injured militant apprehended. Security forces at the shootout scene at Lawaypora, near Srinagar, on Wednesday. (Photo: HU. Naqash) SRINAGAR: The security forces on Wednesday shot dead two militants and arrested the third one during a brief encounter on the peripheries of Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Srinagar. A jawan of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was also killed during the clash. The slain militants have been identified as Khateeb Ahmed Dass and Zia-ur-Rehman Wani, residents of the Valleys southern Anantnag and central Budgam districts, respectively. Their accomplice who was injured in the clash is Umar Fayaz, a resident of Chattabal area, the police said. The officials identified the CRPF jawan who laid down his life while fighting the militants at Lawaypora along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway as constable Ramesh Ranjan of the 73rd Battalion of the force. The police said that the militant trio targeted a joint naka party of the CRPF and J&K police at Lawaypora at around 11.45 am, killing one jawan of the force. In the retaliatory fire, two terrorists were killed. One of them, Khateeb Dass, was affiliated with proscribed Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and the other Zia-ur-Rehman with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, it said. The police sources said that the third militant Umar Fayaz is associated with the Islamic States India cell Wilayat-e-Hind. A report said that he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, but the authorities neither confirmed nor denied it. J&K director general of police Dilbag Singh said that it is possible that the militant group had planned a major terror strike in the city of Srinagar. He told a hurriedly called press conference that the encounter at Lawaypora started after the three bike-born militants opened fire at the members of the 73rd Battalion of the CRPF who were posted at a mobile checking unit in the area. He said that while two of them were killed in the retaliatory fire, the third was captured in an injured condition while he was trying to flee. Rachel Robins joins MassMEDIC as vice president. Rachel Robinsons knowledge, network and experience in the medtech industry will be invaluable to MassMEDIC as we continues to grow and offer new services and programs to our members. Ive known Rachel for a decade and am excited to have her on the leadership team of MassMEDIC, said Brian Johnson. The Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) announced today that Rachel Robinson has joined the organization in the newly formed position of Vice President. Robinson will work closely with MassMEDIC President, Brian Johnson, leading the organizations strategy, as well as membership and programming. Rachel Robinsons knowledge, network and experience in the Massachusetts medtech industry will be invaluable to MassMEDIC as the organization continues to grow and offer new, expanded services and programs to our members. Ive known Rachel for over a decade and am excited to have her on the leadership team of MassMEDIC, said Brian Johnson. Rachel Robinson is an accomplished marketing, strategy and business development executive who has spent her career exclusively in medical devices and robotics. Robinson comes to MassMEDIC from Delve (formerly Design Concepts), where she launched the east coast business development operations for the Madison, Wisconsin-based product development firm. She co-founded Delves Boston office and established the companys eastern U.S. sales enterprise and expanded the firms brand in other markets. Prior to Delve, Robinson held marketing and business development positions at Acorn Product Development, Inc. and MPR Associates, Inc. Im extremely proud to be a member of the Massachusetts medical device community and Im eager to contribute to the industrys growth in my new role at MassMEDIC, said Rachel Robinson. The medtech community has provided a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from driven leaders, collaborate with groundbreaking companies and forge fulfilling relationships. I am thrilled to be a part of an organization focused on supporting and creating value for medtech innovators. Over the course of her career, Robinson has forged industry partnerships and built relationships across business, non-profit and local communities. She is dedicated to driving innovation in the life sciences and is driven daily by the reminder of the medical technology that saved her own life when she was a child. About MassMEDIC: The Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC), an organization of more than 300 manufacturers, suppliers, research institutions, and academic health centers, promotes the unique interests of the Bay States growing and vibrant medical device sector. Through a variety of programs, informational seminars, advocacy campaigns and other projects, MassMEDIC provides medical device manufacturers and suppliers with information on industry trends and regulatory policies and creates forums that allow members to exchange ideas and information on issues affecting the industry. For more information on MassMEDIC, visit http://www.massmedic.com. Phuket Ramada Plaza Chaofah Hotel welcomes the Valentines Day festival, February 14, 2020, with an exclusive romantic dinner on the romantic rooftop at 7th floor in the city lights under the stars. Enjoy the beautiful music with a delicious 5-course dinner, served with a bottle of wine at a net price of 3,500 baht for a couple and if booked before 9th February 2020, get an early bird promotion of 3,000 baht for couple. Limited seats of 7 tables only, booking opened to February 13th, 2020. For more information, please call 076 338600 or email: fb@ramadaplazachaofah.com Five people associated with the Uday Pathak gang have been arrested in connection with the firing outside a medical shop in Kurar area of suburban Malad, a police official said on Wednesday. The main accused, who opened fire outside Anand Medical Store in Bheem market area of Kurar village on Saturday, was yet to be nabbed, he said, without identifying the attacker. "We have arrested five people late Tuesday night in connection with the firing," senior police inspector Babasaheb Salunkhe said. The accused have been identified as Nikhil Chandrakant Rokade (30), Sooraj Bapu Sagre (28), Vikas Jaiprakash Pandey alias Pillu (23), Jeetu Prakash Garosia alias Chitlya (30) and Pravin Prakash Bawiskar alias Perry (22). During the probe, the police came to know that the main accused practised firing at a forest and also did a recce of the place before the incident, the official said. After the firing, the accused left a note at the spot in which he demanded Rs five crore from the owner of Anand Medical Store and Rs one crore from Rokadiya Traders located nearby, he said. The accused used a country-made pistol for firing. He and those arrested are associated with the gang of Uday Pathak, who is currently lodged at the Arthur Road jail here in the case of killing of four youths at Kurar in 2011, the official said. "After the firing incident on Saturday, we enquired with some youths in vicinity who recently met Pathak in jail. We came to know someone practised firing in a forest area nearby," he said. Acting on a tip-off, the police first nabbed Rokade and on the basis of information provided by him, four others were arrested, he said. The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 387 (extortion), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Arms Act and the Bombay Police Act, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has proposed to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. As per the draft bill prepared by the government, it could slap a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment up to five years for advertisements promoting pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, deafness, improvement of height, hair loss or greying, obesity, among others. Under the new draft of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and up to two years imprisonment has been proposed in the case of first offense. In the case of a subsequent conviction, imprisonment may extend to five years and the fine, up to Rs 50 lakh. In the current law, the first offence subjects to imprisonment up to six months, with or without a fine, and up to one year for a second time conviction. The present law identifies magic remedy in the form of a talisman, mantra, kavacha, and any other charm of any kind which is alleged to possess miraculous powers for or in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of any disease in human beings or animals or for affecting or influencing in any way the structure or any organic function of the body of human beings or animals. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it is proposing the amendment in order to keep pace with changing time and technology. The draft amendments also proposes to expand the definition of an advertisement to any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents: Provided that label or wrapper is an advertisement only if it contains any information or claim other than provided in the rules. In the draft bill, the ministry has proposed to prohibit advertisements of medicines and products purported to cure any of the 78 diseases, disorders or conditions it has specified. The previous Act had 54 such diseases, disorders and conditions. The ministry has decided to solicit suggestions, comments or objections from the public or stakeholders with regard to the said draft Bill. It may be forwarded within 45 days, says the ministry. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood called on Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy to withdraw his slur against the late Paul Quinn in a passionate plea in the House of Commons on Wednesday. He accused the Sinn Fein MLA of "lying" in an appearance on a BBC Spotlight programme where he claimed that Mr Quinn was involved in criminality and smuggling. Mr Eastwood said if he or another SDLP representative was in Mr Murphy's position he would resign. Paul Quinn was beaten to death by an IRA gang in a brutal attack at a farmhouse in Oram, Co Monaghan in October 2007. He had previously clashed with a local IRA commander's son. Mr Murphy is expected to issue a written apology to the Quinn family on Wednesday evening. "Paul was beaten to death by an IRA gang in 2007," said Mr Eastwood. "They broke every single bone in his body, so much so, that his mother couldn't place rosary beads in his hands in his coffin. "In the aftermath of that the now Finance Minister Conor Murphy said that Paul was linked to criminality, that was a lie." Mr Eastwood appealed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to support his stance. "Will the Prime Minister agree with me that that lie and that Conor Murphy should retract that lie, publicly apologise and give any information he has to the PSNI about Paul's murder," the Foyle MP said. Mr Johnson noted Mr Eastwood's passionate speech, but did not directly endorse his message. "I think the whole house will hear the passion with which you spoke about that injustice and I can tell him that we will implement the Stormont House Agreement in such a way as to provide certainty for veterans and of course justice for victims as well," the PM replied. The matter was also raised in the House of Commons by DUP MP Paul Girvan who said if Mr Murphy wanted to "ensure stable government in NI" and community confidence he should tell whatever he knows about the murder to the PSNI and An Garda Siochana. Secretary of State Julian Smith condemned the "horrendous" murder and urged anyone with information to contact police. Speaking to the Irish Independent on Wednesday Mr Eastwood called for the Finance Minister to stand down. Expand Close Paul Quinn / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paul Quinn If I was Conor Murphy I would resign. The way this has been handled is astonishing, the callousness of Sinn Fein is astonishing," the Foyle MP said. If it was the SDLP he would be gone." The situation was addressed at a meeting of Stormont's Finance Committee on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Murphy was not scheduled to attend. Committee chair Steve Aiken opening the meeting with remarks nothing the "brave words of Breege Quinn and the failure of our Finance Minister to apologise on television or take his information to the PSNI or Garda". The UUP leader said he believed the situation had on impact on confidence in the institutions at Stormont. TUV leader Jim Allister said that Mr Murphy's actions over the matter confirmed his view that he was "utterly unfit for office". Mr Quinn's mother, Breege, has spent the last 13 years asking Mr Murphy to withdraw his comments in an attempt to clear her son's name. Sinn Fein has always denied that the IRA were involved in the murder. Mr Murphy and Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald claimed earlier this week that Mr Murphy never made the comments, but were forced to change tact after the Spotlight footage emerged. In the aftermath Mrs McDonald said that Mr Murphy would be withdrawing his comments, but the Stormont Finance Minister has yet to do so. The Sinn Fein leader said that she would not be sacking the former IRA man or asking him to stop down over the scandal. "Conor has clarified the fact that he is withdrawing his statement, comments he made over a decade ago and he has apologised for them," she said. Sinn Fein has been contacted in relation to this story. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of Urban Development Committee of Armenia Vahagn Vermishyan has been arrested on the suspicions of receiving bribes of particularly large amount, ARMENPRESS reports the National Security Service of Armenia informs. The National Security Service of Armenia has revealed that Vahagn Vermishyan received bribes from individuals engaged in construction or constructing companies in 5 separate cases ranging from 1 million to 2.5 million AMD. He received the bribes both personally or through other peoples. For the purpose of hiding the traces of his acts, Vahagn Vermishyan violated the ban for officials to engage in business activities and established an architectural company registering it in the name of his trusted person and suggested the people who applied to him to do the architectural works with that company, guaranteeing them favorable conditions for their future works. Vahagn Vermishyan and others suspected in the crime have been arrested. After being interrogated, Vermishyan admitted his guilt. Preliminary investigation is underway. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Pete Buttigieg's saw his lead in the Iowa Democratic caucus fall by a tiny fraction late Tuesday night as a new tranche of data was released amid the first-in-the-nation poll's ongoing fiasco. With 71% of precincts now reporting, the 38-year-old former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, stood at 26.8%, a fractional fall from 26.9% earlier in the state delegate equivalent count, which is the key measure of success. Bernie Sanders had a matching uptick of 0.1% to 25.2%, and he also saw his share of the second alignment votes - the equivalent of the popular vote in a national presidential election - go up too. The mismatch of delegate equivalents and actual votes is a feature of the Iowa caucuses, but the difference will allow the 78-year-old Vermont senator to claim that he did just as well as Buttigieg - a claim he made vocally in New Hampshire late Tuesday night. That leaves Buttigieg as still the one who gained most momentum out of the botched poll, whose catastrophic failure to deliver results as promised has left Democrats soul-searching about their ability to beat Donald Trump. The latest set of results carried little good news for fourth-placed Joe Biden, who saw his share slip from 15.6% to 15.4%, while for Elizabeth Warren, for whom Iowa has been effectively a wash, there was a slight uptick from 18.3% to 18.4%. Amy Klobuchar's results were unchanged on 12.6%, but she continued to claim she had punched above her weight. Double down on victory claim: In Laconia, New Hampshire - which votes next week - Pete Buttigieg said he is in first place and hailed the momentum it had given him I won too: In Manchester, New Hampshire, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said that he had a bigger share of the popular vote in Iowa - but that measure of success is secondary to delegates, which Buttigieg remains ahead in Sen. Bernie Sanders greets supporters as he arrives in New Hampshire Tuesdsay after leaving Des Moines, Iowa What was not forthcoming from the Iowa Democrats was a timetable of when the count will be over. The appearance of 9% of the total precincts just after 11pm Tuesday night CST - already Wednesday on the east coast - came after 62% were announced at once. It leaves 29% of precincts, and given how close the margin between Buttigieg and Sanders is, it appears almost impossible that the race can be called without a full set of results. In Laconia, New Hampshire, Buttigieg doubled down on hailing a victory, which he had first done just after 11pm CST in Iowa on Monday night, a daring move which left Sanders looking flat-footed. 'They are not complete, but a majority is in, and they show our campaign in first place,' he said in Laconia. 'So, we don't know all of the numbers, but we know this, a campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea.' Buttigieg, the first openly gay major party candidate, choked up talking about what the results meant to him. 'It validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs or she belongs or they belong in their own family that if you believe in yourself and your country, there is a lot backing up the belief,' he said. Sorry about that: Troy Price, the chair of the Iowa Democratic party, promised the results were accurate - but admitted the process had been 'unacceptable' 'And now, we come to new Hampshire. A state that famously thinks for itself, and as we enter this new phase and this week ahead to convince New Hampshire to support this vision and then go on, I have never been more confident in our campaign, in our team, and in the vision that brought to us this point.' But Sanders offered no concession. 'I'm very proud to tell you that last night in Iowa we received more votes in the first and second round than any other candidate,' Sanders told supporters at his first post-caucus-result rally in Milton, New Hampshire. Sanders is dipping into New Hampshire Tuesday and Wednesday morning before heading back to Washington for the final afternoon of President Trump's impeachment trial. In New Hampshire Sanders has benefited from next-door-neighbor status, winning the state by double-digit margins when he ran for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Four years later, he beats former Vice President Joe Biden, who's consistently been in second place, by 7.7 points according to the current Real Clear Politics polling average. However, with Biden currently in fourth place in the Iowa results and Buttigieg taking first in the delegate count, the young mayor may see a boost. He's currently averaging 13.1 per cent support in the Granite State, versus 25.6 per cent for Sanders. Sanders mentioned the dramatic delay of Iowa caucus results at the top of his remarks. 'For some reason in Iowa they're having a little bit of trouble counting votes,' Sanders noted. 'I am confident that here in New Hampshire you'll be able to count your votes on election night,' he continued. 'And when you count those votes, I would prefer to win here,' the Vermont senator added. There was one clear loser however: the Iowa caucuses, which now face being consigned to history over an explosion of errors which shook the Democrats. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price apologized for the snafu that upended Democratic politics. 'The bottom line is that we hit a stumbling block on the back end of the reporting of the data but the one thing I want you to know: we know this data is accurate,' he said. He reassured Americans about the outcome, after multiple candidates put their spin on the results. 'The one thing they will say is that the underlying data that the raw data is secure. It was always secure. This was a coding error in one of the pieces on the back-end, but the raw data, the data that has come in, is secure,' he said. Your browser does not support iframes. 'We have been working day and night to make sure that the results are accurate,' he pledged, after party officials told stunned media in Iowa that it would not release results Monday night. He called the reporting that occurred 'unacceptable' and said he was sorry. 'As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this,' he said in a televised news conference. The strong performance by Buttigieg came as he was ridiculed by other party members for declaring victory before the results were in. Rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders put out his own unofficial count Monday night that had him leading the field in areas tabulated by his staff. In fact, at least as far as the first 62 per cent precincts were concerned, it is Buttigieg who is the unofficial leader. 'It took longer than we expected,' he said of the count. Price wouldn't say when the full 100 per cent of results would be available. When asked about President Trump's allegation the results were rigged, Price responded: 'We have said all along, that we would make the caucuses more transparent, and this year, we are reporting out more data than we have ever reported before and in addition to that, we have paper trails that we have never had before. So we will take the time to verify the results, but the results are based off of what happened in the precincts last night.' And he wouldn't say if he would resign as party chair over the fiasco, Price demurred. 'When I ran for chair, I made a commitment to see the caucus process through. That is what I am working on. That is what I will continue to work on, and whatever happens that, it is to be determined.' 'Anyway, thank you all, folks, the results are coming in, and we will see you later,' he concluded as he ended his press conference in Des Moines, moving rapidly off stage. The event was packed with reporters who stayed behind to cover the turmoil in Iowa, even as the candidates hastily made their way to New Hampshire for political events. At the same time, Democratic presidential candidates put their own inexact spin on the Iowa caucuses Tuesday morning as they headed to campaign events across New Hampshire. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts spoke almost as soon as she landed in New Hampshire the next big battleground on the political calendar declaring herself satisfied with her performance after flying direct from Des Moines. 'When I left Iowa, I said it was too close to call, and it still is, but I feel good,' she told reporters. 'It is good to be in New Hampshire.' She declared her own organization, with hundreds already deployed across the country, up to the task. 'This is an organization that is built for the long haul,' she said. Shadowy app behind vote-count chaos in Iowa 'Inconsistencies' with an app that was supposed to track the results of the Democrat caucuses in Iowa threw the vote into chaos overnight - with zero per cent of precincts reporting early Tuesday. The app was created by Shadow, Inc., a technology firm that was created in January last year after data and messaging service Groundbase was acquired by Democrat non-profit ACRONYM. Finance records show the Iowa Democratic Party paid $60,000 to Shadow, Inc. for website development at the back end of last year which was spent on the app, according to Huffington Post. Shadow's CEO Gerard Niemira, product manager Ahna Rao and COO James Hickey all worked on the Hillary for America campaign which was defeated by Donald Trump in 2016. Other staff include alumni of Obama's presidential campaign, as well as Google, Apple and the DNC. Advertisement (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Large infrastructure projects are almost always delivered late and massively over-budget. Then everyone forgets about the fuss and marvels at the achievement. Few people regret today that Britain and France built a rail tunnel under the English Channel, yet it cost a fortune and nearly caused the owner to collapse. One must be wary, then, of the often nimbyish opposition to Britains plan to build a new high-speed railway between London and the north of the country, known as HS2. Balfour Beatty Plc, Vinci SA, Eiffage SA, Skanska AB and Kier Group Plc are among the contractors slated to help deliver Europes largest infrastructure project. Supporters say it will boost rail capacity and connectivity between Britains cities, create thousands of jobs and spur economic development and urban regeneration. Their opponents argue that the project is an ill-conceived financial black hole that could end up costing 106 billion pounds ($138 billion).(2) While both sides have a point, its hard to believe this money will be spent wisely. Weeks after winning a thumping election victory with a promise to boost less well-off regions beyond London, Boris Johnsons Conservatives are bitterly divided over HS2. A final decision is expected as soon as this week. Fed up of Brexit paralysis, the temptation for ministers to just do something must be strong. Even so, the brave move would be to call a halt, and at the very least order fundamental changes to the project. Politicians and engineers shouldnt be afraid to think big. Britains overpriced and frequently overcrowded train services arent a patch on Frances TGV or Japans Shinkansen. But much of the decent infrastructure built in the U.K. lately such as the Crossrail and HS1 rail projects and the Thames Tideway super-sewer was constructed in the wealthy London area. Sadly, almost everything about HS2 invites disbelief. The costs are stupefying, the design is too complicated and its environmental credentials are questionable. Even now its not clear what problem HS2 is trying to solve or whether its the most cost-effective way to solve it. Thats unacceptable when it will consume more cash than Britain spends annually on education. Story continues The Johnson government may forge ahead blindly because preliminary work is already advanced. More than 7.5 billion pounds has been spent on land purchases, archaeological excavations and preliminary design and demolition work. In a hole the size of HS2, the only thing to do is keep digging, Johnson claimed last week, with typical bravado. In fairness, there is a lack of shovel-ready alternatives to ease capacity constraints on the train network. Simply upgrading existing lines would cause years of disruption to passengers. And densely-populated Britain isnt alone in discovering that high-speed lines dont come cheap. Costs on these projects are rising everywhere and their average time to completion in Europe is around 16 years. The first phase of HS2 connecting London and Birmingham requires more than 300 bridges and 70 viaducts. Still, HS2s projected costs more than 160 million pounds per km for the first section(6) are far higher than other European high-speed lines, and most of the construction hasnt even begun yet.(3) Its impossible to predict the final bill because the planning for the second phase of the project is still at an early stage, warns the National Audit Office. Qualifying his call to keep digging, Johnson last week accused HS2 of being profligate and said the way it was managed was hopeless. He is right. HS2s trains will be capable of reaching up to 225 miles per hour (360 km/hr), enabling as many as 18 hourly departures from London. Both the maximum speed and flow rate are higher than other high-speed lines in Europe or Japan. Yet successive governments and HS2 Ltd., the public body tasked with delivering the project, have consistently underestimated its complexity and cost; difficult ground conditions are the latest problem. The failure to contain and communicate these risks has undermined their credibility. The ultra-fast design has fueled suspicions that HS2 is a vanity project that will benefit business folk, especially those in London. Overcrowding is most common on local commuter routes, not intercity express lines. Rail connections between northern cities are poor. The money might be better spent on that. Its remarkable that an infrastructure project billed as benefiting the Midlands and the north will commence work in London and the south, where expensive tunneling and ground-lowering work is required to keep wealthy locals happy. The northern section probably wont be completed until 2040. At the same time, HS2s environmental credentials have been undermined by the carbon expended in the projects construction and materials. And the route doesnt link to Heathrow airport or Eurostar international rail services in St Pancras, which might have persuaded more Brits not to fly domestically or to Europe. Perhaps theres a way to salvage HS2 without gutting its ambition or culling it altogether. Regrettably, the findings of a government ordered review of the project still havent been published. The aspiration to provide decent infrastructure is noble, but it doesnt excuse poor management, the signing of blank checks and favoring the south of England. Johnson needs to get a grip and the emergency brake is a decent place to start. As he admits, this project is in a hole; the smart thing would be to dig a better one. (1) The 106 billion pounds figure has been cited in press reports in relation to the (unpublished) Oakervee review of HS2. The latest official estimate is a maximum of 88 billion pounds. (2) Using the mid-point cost estimate in the HS2 chairman's review and a length of 230km. The calculation is in 2015 prices. (3) Making meaningfulcomparisons is difficult because HS2 includes lots of station and tunnel construction work. To contact the author of this story: Chris Bryant at cbryant32@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies. He previously worked for the Financial Times. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Adani Enterprises (AEL), the flagship company of the Adani Group, on Wednesday reported three-fold jump in its consolidated net profit at Rs 426 crore during the third quarter ended December 31, 2019. The Gautam Adani-led company had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 92 crore during the same quarter last year. Consolidated total income for the quarter increased by 5 per cent to Rs 11,075 crore against Rs 10,548 crore in the same quarter previous year, Adani Enterprises said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. The company's EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization) rose by 58 per cent to Rs 884 crore in Q3FY20 versus Rs 562 crore in Q3FY19. For the nine month period ended December 31, 2019, the profit rose 148 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,077 crore, while total income increased by 11 per cent to Rs 30,388 crore. "We at Adani Enterprises, continue to focus on incubating assets in transportation and utilities space. These new India-centric businesses will be instrumental in the economic growth of the country, at the same time it will endorse our work and take the benefits to masses. In our journey, we are committed to deliver world class services along with creating value for all the stakeholders," said Gautam Adani, Chairman Adani Group. The company said in the filing that shareholders value increased by compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72 per cent in last two years by demerger of renewable generation and city gas distribution businesses. Also Read: Adani, Patanjali and Emami to gain from restrictions on Malaysian palm oil In food business, the company has maintained its leadership position with its "Fortune" brand and continues to lead the refined edible oil market with more than 20 per cent market share, Adani Enterprises said in the exchange filing. During the October-December period, mining services production increased by 28 per cent to 4.77 MMT versus 3.74 MMT in Q3 FY19. "While production volume at Parsa Kentecoal mine in Chhattisgarh increased by 26 per cent to 4.71 MMT, coal output at Gare Pelma III mine in Chhattisgarh was commenced with volume of 0.06 MMT." Solar manufacturing volume witnessed a strong growth of 102 per cent to 283MW modules in Q3FY20 vs 140MW modules in Q3FY19. During the quarter, the company established India's largest solar cell and module manufacturing unit in Mundra SEZ with an installed capacity of 1.2 GW. Also Read: Adani Group aims to become world's largest solar power player by 2025 In airport services, the company has won bids for six airports at Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Lucknow, Trivendrum, Jaipur and Guwahati during December quarter. Out of this, the company has received cabinet approval and security clearances for Ahmedabad, Mangalore and Lucknow. In road business, the company has signed three concession agreements with NHAI under Hybrid Annuity Model till date for construction of roads aggregating to 150+ KMs, with project completion status of 30 per cent in Bilaspur-Pathrapali project at Chhattisgarh. Buoyed by strong Q3 earnings, shares of Adani Enterprises closed 4.81 per cent higher at Rs 236.25 apiece on the BSE. By Chitranjan Kumar The discipline inspection authorities in China have strengthened supervision and taken strict measures to deal with unqualified and derelict officials during the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On Tuesday, a Red Cross Society official in central China's Hubei Province and a government official in Wuhan, the provincial capital, also the epicenter of the epidemic outbreak, were removed from their posts. Meanwhile, two other government officials in Wuhan were penalized following a health official's removal from office in another city in the province hit hard by the novel coronavirus recently. Misconduct including dereliction of duty and misappropriation of relief funds and materials will be investigated and handled in accordance with the law, said a guideline issued by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Supervisory Commission. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels should actively perform their duties to promote the implementation of joint prevention and control of the outbreak, it said. When chairing a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, demanded resolute opposition against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake in the prevention work Monday at a meeting on the prevention and control of pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. Those who disobey the unified command or shirk off responsibilities will be punished, Xi said, adding that Party and government leaders supervising them would also be held accountable in severe cases. OFFICIALS DISMISSED IN EPICENTER OF EPIDEMIC OUTBREAK A Red Cross Society official in Hubei has been sacked after the charity organ came under fire over receiving and handling of donations, the provincial supervisory commission said Tuesday. Zhang Qin, full-time deputy director of the Hubei branch of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), has been removed from office for dereliction of duty in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Zhang was also dismissed from the leading Party members group of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC, and given a serious intra-Party warning as well as a serious administrative demerit, it said. An investigation showed that relevant officials and cadres with the RCSC Hubei branch failed to take responsibility when receiving and distributing donated funds and prevention goods in the effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic. They were also found to have violated relevant regulations and be responsible for information disclosure errors, the commission said in a notice. Meanwhile, Chen Bo, a member of the leading Party members group of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC, was given a serious intra-Party warning and a serious administrative demerit. Gao Qin, chief of the RCSC Hubei branch committee of the CPC and also the executive vice director of RCSC Hubei branch, was given an intra-Party warning, according to the notice. On the same day, Xia Guohua, a member of the leading Party members group and deputy head of the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics, has been removed from office and was also given a serious intra-Party warning as well as a serious administrative demerit for violating relevant regulations to distribute face masks, according to the city's supervisory commission. Two other officials, Meng Wukang, Party chief and director of the Wuhan Municipal Development and Reform Commission, also the Party chief and head of Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics, and Huang Zhitong, deputy director of Wuhan municipal government office, were admonished, the commission said. Tang Zhihong, director of the health commission of the city of Huanggang, Hubei Province, was removed from her post last week because she had unshirkable responsibility for problems including insufficient screening for suspected cases, slow progress of tests and lack of testing personnel. The problems were found out by a central government inspection team designated to guide the epidemic control work in the city which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, according to local authorities. Huanggang then sacked six officials over poor performance in the epidemic prevention and control. Three of them were county-level officials and the rest were village or township-level officials. Huanggang mayor Qiu Lixin said that a total of 337 officials in the city had been penalized following inspections over Huanggang's anti-coronavirus work. WHOLE NATION INTO ACTION The anti-graft body in the eastern Chinese city of Yueqing in Zhejiang Province announced Monday that it fired two health officials and punished its vice mayor over dereliction of duty in the ongoing coronavirus fight. Ni Chengjian, head of Yueqing's disease control center, was fired on Sunday for having failed to take good account of the close contacts of infected patients, input the information about such contacts into the system and report an incident that caused seven cases of infection. Xie Mingrong, head of Yueqing's health commission, was also fired. Yueqing's vice mayor Chen Weiyan has received a disciplinary penalty, both for their conduct as officials in charge of the local anti-epidemic effort. A total of 170 officials have been penalized over poor performance in the effort to prevent and control the epidemic in the eastern province of Fujian. The Party Chief of Xiangwei Village in Lianjiang County was removed from his post for failing to closely monitor a villager who had returned from Wuhan. The villager, who was not put under medical quarantine, went for family dinner at a relative's house, putting other residents in the village under risk of infection. Another village Party chief in the city of Ningde received a warning for not stopping villagers gathering for the Spring Festival celebration in time. Similar policies have been adopted in many other provinces and regions. Officials at all levels who failed to perform their duties on curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus were punished or even sacked. On Monday, Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, called on the Party's organizational departments to better perform their duties in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. A circular issued by the department recently highlighted a performance assessment of leading officials in the epidemic control. Those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities or behave dishonestly should be held accountable, it said. " " This photograph shows a close-up view of a developing pyrocumulonimbus cloud above the Oregon Gulch fire, part of the Beaver Complex fire, taken from an F-15C on July 31, 2014. James Haseltine, Oregon Air National Guard There are few things more ominous than a looming thundercloud. Add a wildfire to the mix, and the result can be a towering tempest of thick smoke, smoldering embers and superheated air. Fire-fueled thunderstorms are naturally occurring weather systems that sometimes spin up as a result of smoke and heat billowing from intense wildfires. These extreme storms, called pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb), occur infrequently, but when they do, they can lead to tragic results. Advertisement The Making of a Fire Storm Wildfires give off intense heat, forcing large amounts of smoke and hot air to rise. As the mixture moves higher into the troposphere the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere it cools and expands as the air pressure drops. Moisture in the air soon condenses, forming big puffy clouds called pyrocumulus clouds. When conditions in the atmosphere are just right including a hot, dry layer of air near the ground and a cooler, wetter layer above it the atmosphere can become convectively unstable. Increasingly turbulent air sets water droplets and ice crystals in pyrocumulus clouds on a collision course, building up an electrical charge and turning the system into a towering thunderhead. The soaring pyroCbs, which rarely produce rain on the ground even though they are thunderstorms, can even rise out of the troposphere and extend into the stratosphere 10 of miles/kilometers above the surface. " " A massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud formed over the Angeles National Forest in 2012 during a fire in Azusa Canyon. JeremyaGreene/Wikimedia Commons/(CC BY-SA 4.0) Advertisement As Dark as Night Not surprisingly, pyroCbs can be incredibly dangerous. On Feb. 7, 2009, the most devastating day of fires in Australia's history spawned at least three pyroCbs that carried embers 18 miles (30 kilometers) from their source and sparked lightning that ignited additional fires 62 miles (100 kilometers) away. Known as the Black Saturday bushfires, these fires collectively burned 1,737 square miles (4,500 square kilometers) and claimed 173 lives. A pyroCb that formed during the Carr Fire near Redding, California in 2018 had such strong winds that it created a tornado-strength fire vortex, and a pyroCb in Canberra, Australia, in 2003 was so extreme that it released a torrent of black hail and turned the daytime sky as dark as night. Fortunately, these events are still relatively rare, although 2019 research from Australia suggests that climate change may cause conditions there to become more favorable for the formation of pyroCbs in the future. Nick Nauslar, who forecasts fire weather for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service, said that about 25 to 50 pyroCb events occur around the world each year. He said that predicting exactly when the storms will occur remains a challenge for scientists. "They are still really difficult to forecast," Nauslar said. Even though scientists can check the weather conditions before a fire, they can't describe exactly how a wildfire will affect the lower atmosphere and change the weather conditions. The effort to study pyroCbs "is still so young and there's still so much to learn," Nauslar said. " " This natural-color image collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) shows a pyrocumulonimbus cloud erupting from a 2014 fire north of Buffalo Lake in Alberta, Canada. NASA Advertisement Smoke High Above A major signature of pyroCbs is their impact on the stratosphere. But until recently, scientists didn't think wildfires could inject soot, aerosols and organic compounds high into the atmosphere. The "idea that a firestorm could act like a volcano and inject material into the stratosphere was completely unknown," said Mike Fromm, a meteorologist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Fromm has studied pyroCbs since the late 1990s using satellite instruments. Smoke particles from pyroCbs can stay in the atmosphere for days to weeks and, in extreme cases, months. Smoke from a massive pyroCb in Canada in 2017 remained suspended in the upper stratosphere for eight months, according to a recent study in the journal Science in which researchers considered the lofted pyroCb particles as a proxy to investigate the potential climatic and atmospheric effects of smoke plumes from nuclear explosions. PyroCbs won't be causing a nuclear winter anytime soon, but Fromm told Science News that an open question about pyroCb plumes is whether they could damage ozone in the stratosphere. "We're still trying to understand and quantify and calculate [whether] there is, in fact, a climate impact of these plumes," Fromm told Eos. This story originally appeared on Eos.org and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Now That's Crazy Pyrocumulus clouds can also form after massive volcanic eruptions. During Kilauea's unprecedented 2018 eruption, pyrocumulonimbus clouds complete with lightning strikes formed over fissure 8 in Leilani Estates on Hawai'i Island. While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE) and why it is important. By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of Link Administration Holdings Limited (ASX:LNK). Link Administration Holdings has a ROE of 15%, based on the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each A$1 of shareholders' equity it has, the company made A$0.15 in profit. View our latest analysis for Link Administration Holdings How Do You Calculate ROE? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for Link Administration Holdings: 15% = AU$320m AU$2.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.) It's easy to understand the 'net profit' part of that equation, but 'shareholders' equity' requires further explanation. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. The easiest way to calculate shareholders' equity is to subtract the company's total liabilities from the total assets. What Does ROE Mean? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The 'return' is the yearly profit. The higher the ROE, the more profit the company is making. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies. Does Link Administration Holdings Have A Good Return On Equity? By comparing a company's ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. You can see in the graphic below that Link Administration Holdings has an ROE that is fairly close to the average for the IT industry (15%). Story continues ASX:LNK Past Revenue and Net Income, February 4th 2020 That's neither particularly good, nor bad. ROE tells us about the quality of the business, but it does not give us much of an idea if the share price is cheap. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Why You Should Consider Debt When Looking At ROE Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the use of debt will improve the returns, but will not change the equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking. Combining Link Administration Holdings's Debt And Its 15% Return On Equity Link Administration Holdings has a debt to equity ratio of 0.53, which is far from excessive. Its very respectable ROE, combined with only modest debt, suggests the business is in good shape. Careful use of debt to boost returns is often very good for shareholders. However, it could reduce the company's ability to take advantage of future opportunities. In Summary Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. Profit growth rates, versus the expectations reflected in the price of the stock, are a particularly important to consider. So I think it may be worth checking this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Of course Link Administration Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have high ROE and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have started their new life as independent members of the royal family. However, it seems the two may need more time to adjust to their current situations. Scotland Yard officers who are looking after the security of Harry and Meghan while in Canada have voiced out their frustrations about the Sussexes, who are clearly having a hard time adjusting to their new life and needs. They complained that they have been tasked to do menial things that are outside the nature of their employment, including running errands, getting coffee, and picking up groceries. Officers that have been assigned to give round-the-clock protection to the royal couple while they are in their temporary home in Canada. However, the securyt officerssaid they have been treated as "skivvies" and they are not happy about it. On Duty The rota of the security officers meant they had to work straight two weeks at a time. Since their job meant providing round-the-clock protection, their pays are given a boost because of overtime. However, running errands and going grocery shopping is considered outside their line of duty. Dai Davies, former head of the Royal Protection, said that these things are not supposed to be on the job of close protection officers. One protection officer was spotted buying food from an organic restaurant, a known favorite of the Duchess of Sussex. "Their priority is close protection, which means they have to be near the royal like glue," Davies added. "However, it is also not uncommon to be able to build a close relationship with the employer which could then lead to a common approach to these situations." The team has been running a huge bill on overhead costs, including airfare, wages, food, cars, and overtime as they provide protection to these two royals who have stepped down as senior members of the royal family. A team of 15 highly trained protection officers, including some Canadian Mounties, are hired to provide the royal family with protection while they are in Canada. Outside of Duty While the guys are happy to be doing their job providing security to this little royal family, they also feel a bit low that they have to perform menial jobs. "They are close protection officers so they should be sticking to providing close protection instead of running errands," the royal security source said. "It can also be quite dangerous because if something were to happen and the close security is out on an errand, everything could end up in a disastrous situation." The claims of the protection officers came amidst the ongoing discussion as to who will now cover the pay for the security of the Sussexes. Will it mean cost-sharing for Britain and Canada? A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan have reportedly declined to give a comment. The Turkish president has insisted that his forces will not withdraw and that Russia must keep control of the Assad regime writes Alsouria Net. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey will not allow Assads forces to achieve more progress in Idleb province, while his country is bolstering its military positions and areas of deployment in the province. During a meeting with Turkish media after returning from Ukraine on Tuesday, Erdogan said that, the regime is trying to advance on the ground in Idleb by displacing innocent people who are heading to our borders. He added: We will not give the regime a chance to advance, because that would increase the burden on us. The Anadolu Agency quoted the Turkish president as saying that there was no need to get into a conflict with Russia at this stage, commenting on Assads forces targeting Turkish soldiers in Idleb. He added that Turkish operations had given the Assad regime a major lesson adding but we will not stop. We will continue with the same resolve. Erdogans statements coincided with the reinforcements sent by the Turkish army to observation points in Idleb provinceincluding mobile, bullet-proof security boothsaccording to Anadolu. The agency added that 10 trucks loaded with mobile guard booths had entered from Reyhanli to the Turkish observation points in Idleb amid heightened security measures. Commenting on this, Erdogan told journalists that, Turkish observation points in Idleb have a very important role and they will remain there, and we will carry out the necessary reinforcements. On Monday, Assads forces bombed Turkish positions near Saraqib east of Idleb, killing seven people including civilian workers, and wounding nine others, who were evacuated by helicopters hours after the incident. Although Erdogan has said his country was ready to escalate relations with Russiawhich backs AssadForeign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that, the Russian excuse that it is unable to fully control the Syria regime is not correct. He added that Ankara had called on Russia to halt the regimes insolence. All this coincided with the Assad regime advancing in the southern and southeastern Idleb countryside, and taking control over strategic areas, as bombardments and the striking of civilians continues, escalating the pace of displacement. Idleb province is subject to the de-escalation agreements and ceasefires signed between Russia and Turkey in Astana and Sochi, and despite the regimes violations, the two sides are still operating under the deal. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. WASHINGTON - He didn't hurl insults, lead "Lock her up!" chants or stride onto the dais to the opening thrums of "God Bless the U.S.A." blaring from speakers. But President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night amounted to a more subdued version of one of his raucous campaign rallies. He boasted that his accomplishments were like nothing ever seen before, promoted divisive policies - even prompting audible boos at points - and added reality-show flourishes to the speech he delivered in the historic House chamber. He goaded the Democrats, began the evening with an apparent snub of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and offered a boastful accounting of the previous three years that could easily double as the campaign promises he plans to deploy in the coming one. And if Trump at least made a listless effort to channel some of the presidency's soaring rhetorical rhythms, the lawmakers in the ornate chamber didn't even pretend to try to rise above the bitter partisanship that has riven the presidency, Congress and the nation. Republicans cheered divisive lines, some Democrats walked out while Trump spoke, and Pelosi punctuated the night by tearing up the president's speech while standing over his left shoulder as he wrapped up his remarks. "This is a big night, a cleaved-down-the-middle night with no one trying to hide the divide," tweeted Peggy Noonan, a Wall Street Journal columnist. "No ameliorating courtesy, no enacting of formal regard. Just the great divide, unbidden and out there for all the world to see." The president entered the House chamber to Republican cheers of "Four more years," his party helping to set the tone for an address largely delivered as written, from the teleprompter, that nonetheless managed to strike slightly more restrained notes of his usual "Make America Great Again" rallying cry. Trump touted his fulfilled promise to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, newly signed into law, and he crowed about his creation of Space Force - the newest branch of the U.S. armed forces. He spoke of pushing NATO allies to pay their "fair share." And he went on an extended riff about illegal immigration, rhapsodizing about the "over 130 legislators in this Chamber" who he said favored "providing free taxpayer-funded health care to millions of illegal aliens" - as Pelosi shook her head behind him and mouthed, "Not true. It's not true." In other moments, he was even more overt, making two distinct references to socialism - a not-so-veiled attack on the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party and primary field, which Trump and his allies have worked to paint as radical leftists. "Socialism destroys nations," Trump said at one point, after introducing Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader who was one of his and first lady Melania Trump's special guests. "But always remember: Freedom unifies the soul." Later, talking about health care, Trump again returned to the same theme, exalting: "To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care!" The body language, too, told the tense story of an address to the nation in the very same House chamber where the president was impeached less than two months prior, and just across the Capitol from the Senate chamber, where Trump is all but certain to be acquitted Wednesday of those charges. The slightly incongruous tableau was the result of superimposing a 2020 campaign rally against the sumptuous backdrop of a governing body that still feigns civility. Trump tugged at his lapels as he walked onto the dais, a more restrained version of the peacocking he often does before launching into a speech on the campaign trail. He did not shake - seemingly deliberately - Pelosi's outstretched hand, prompting her to withdraw it with a surprised gasp and a smile. And at least twice, he lightly pumped his fist at an audience member to whom he gave a shout-out. The Democrats, meanwhile, could barely contain their resentment. When Trump urged lawmakers to send him a bill to lower prescription drug prices, promising he would "sign it into law without delay," some Democrats leaped to their feet and, holding up three fingers, began chanting "H.R. 3! H.R. 3!" - an allusion to a House-passed bill that would help do just that. Rep. James Clyburn, S.C., the third-ranking House Democrat, at times slumped in his seat, and even refused to clap when Trump recognized in the audience Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the first black fighter pilots. The president announced his promotion of McGee, who had recently celebrated his 100th birthday, to brigadier general. Pelosi, too, seemed aggravated at moments by the spectacle unfolding before her. At one point, when Trump exhorted, "We must always remember that our job is to put America first," the House Democratic leader clapped, then shook her head and half-lifted her arms, as if to wonder aloud how, exactly, she was supposed to act when Trump said something seemingly innocuous and patriotic - "put America first" - that also happened to be a campaign refrain and controversial foreign policy dictum. Despite the decorous setting, Trump also managed to imbue the evening with some reality-show theatrics. After introducing a single mother from Philadelphia hoping to get her fourth-grade daughter into a better public school, Trump declared, "I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice!" He lauded Rush Limbaugh - the controversial and conservative talk radio host who was just diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, and who attended the speech as a guest of the Trumps - and announced that he was giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. And then, in the upper rows of the House chamber, Trump asked Limbaugh to stand so the first lady could adorn him with the medal, right there on live television. Finally, Trump introduced Amy Williams, the military spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams, who is serving in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment. As the cameras panned to Williams, standing with her two young children, the president announced a final surprise: that her husband was there. Nearly the entire chamber rose as he walked through the gallery doors for an emotional reunion with his family. Though Trump never raised the specter of impeachment - nor his coming acquittal - he projected the confidence of a man about to get away with what Democrats largely view as high crimes and misdemeanors, but what he calls a "perfect" phone call with the president of Ukraine. The president had other reasons to feel confident. A Gallup poll released Tuesday showed his job approval rating at 49%, his highest in the poll since he took office. Among Republicans, his approval rating rose to 94% - up six points since early January, and yet another tangible indication of his complete and takeover of the Republican Party. And the debacle that unfolded Monday night into Tuesday morning in Iowa, with the Democrats plagued by technical difficulties and unable to produce a clear caucus result, further buoyed the president, who spent much of Tuesday morning gleefully tweeting about the Democratic travails. "The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster," Trump wrote. "Nothing works, just like they ran the Country." He concluded: "The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is 'Trump.' " Of course, there is nothing triumphant about being impeached, even if it does not end with the president being removed from office. Trump is only the third president to be face such a public rebuke - a historical asterisk, a scarlet "I" or, as Trump himself might say, a "very, very nasty" blemish. But Trump is all but certain to spin his forgone acquittal into a grand victory, just as he claimed - falsely - that the inconclusive 448-page report by special counsel Robert Mueller was a "complete and total exoneration." And on Tuesday evening, in the House chamber, both sides seemed determined not to give an inch. Toward the end of the speech, Pelosi had Trump's written remarks laid in front of her in four piles, and as he finished, she picked up each pile and ripped it in half. Four rips. "It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative," Pelosi told reporters as she exited the chamber and headed to her office. It had been a difficult first childbirth: The umbilical cord had gotten entangled around her daughters neck, and the doctors wanted to keep the baby at the hospital for three days. I couldnt bring my baby home. I was a mess, Chirlane McCray recalled. There should have been someone other than the nurses and the doctors to talk to. Ms. McCray, who created and oversees New York Citys mental health initiative known as ThriveNYC, is now behind a city effort to address the need for postnatal mental health care. Every first-time parent in New York City will soon be eligible to receive as many as six home visits from professionals as part of a $43 million early childhood effort that Ms. McCray will announce on Wednesday. When state lawmakers deregulated the power business two decades ago, they divided the industry into two sectors with distinct duties: Generators could make and sell electricity and regulated utilities could transmit and distribute electricity. But the utilities, whose profits are capped by regulators, want access to a new business opportunity battery storage. Batteries are on the cusp of transforming the Texas power grid by making intermittent power sources such as wind and solar into a supply as dependable as natural gas. Demand for battery storage has been driven by rapidly falling prices and more efficient technology, making it easier to store power for use when wind isnt blowing or sun isnt shining. Utilities want to invest in the lucrative market, saying batteries can boost grid reliability, reduce transmission line congestion and prevent construction of new transmission lines. But power generators are fighting to keep utilities out, arguing that energy storage is considered generation under state law that makes battery investments off limits to investor-owned utilities that could profit by storing cheap power and selling it when prices rise. And state regulators are loathe to step in, rejecting a request two years ago from AEP Texas North to build two battery storage sites and punting a more-recent request by CenterPoint Energy to add battery storage capability. The utilities are saying, Lets figure out a way to get in it and lets lead instead of falling behind, said Raj Prabhu, chief executive officer of the energy research firm Mercom Capital Group in Austin. Battery storage in Texas is relatively modest, with a few scattered projects. Vistra Energy, the states biggest power generator, has built one of the states biggest energy storage systems, a 10 megawatt lithium-ion system connected to a solar farm in Upton County that is about 50 miles south of Midland. NRG Energy, the power generator and seller that owns Reliant Energy and other brands, has a lithium-ion battery facility that provides 2 megawatts of power from a wind farm in Howard County, northeast of Midland. But proposed battery storage projects in Texas would have a capacity of almost 7,800 megawatts, more than the capacity of new natural gas-fired generators, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state grid manager. One megawatt provides enough electricity for about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas. Demand for battery storage is growing in tandem with renewable energy sources in Texas. Wind energy generated 20 percent of the states electricity last year and is expected to supply 24 percent this year, according to the Department of Energy. Solar energy, including residential and utility-scale, produces about 1 percent of the states power needs. But Texas is projected to add more utility scale solar capacity than any other state this year, according to the Energy Department. Until recently batteries werent considered a way to supply power; they couldnt hold much of a charge and were expensive. But with improved technology, they can hold a charge for a few hours and have become cheaper, especially compared with expensive new transmission lines. Prices for lithium-ion batteries have fallen 35 percent in just one year, according to the research group Bloomberg NEF. Battery storage can improve service reliability and grid resiliency, said Geoff Bailey, vice president of strategy for Oncor, the regulated utility that supplies transmission and distribution to millions of customers in the Dallas area, If Texas wants investor-owned utilities to play a role in deploying battery storage, Oncor will do so, he said. Proposals stall Utilities in Texas have been itching to get into the battery business for years. Oncor proposed investing in battery storage six years ago. It hired the consulting firm Brattle Group of Boston, which concluded that Texas policymakers should consider a new regulatory framework so Texas could take advantage of grid integrated electricity storage. The 2014 report suggested that Texas regulators should allow regulated utilities to invest in electricity storage and recover the costs from ratepayers. The approach could break down barriers that prevent energy storage investments, according to the report. The Public Utility Commission hasnt officially considered the idea, but it asked market participants two years ago to weigh in on storage after rejecting a request from AEP Texas North to own two battery storage facilities connected to wind farms in West Texas. Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer that has built its own vehicle battery charging network, supported the request, arguing that storage systems owned by utilities shouldnt be considered generation assets in Texas if the systems support the reliability of transmission and distribution and if theyre not intended to sell power, according to the filing. But some of the biggest generators in Texas came down against the AEP plan. NRG told regulators the plan would undermine the structural separation underlying the ERCOT competitive wholesale and retail markets and must be rejected, according to a regulatory filing. Vistra reminded regulators that Texas law prohibits utilities from owning generation facilities. In April, the commission received another request to revisit the issue. CenterPoint, the regulated utility that distributes power in the Houston area, asked the commission for authority to install voltage-smoothing battery systems to wind farms and solar farms and include it as part of base rates as part of a $161 million rate request. Some of the biggest power generators came out against the proposal, including Houston-based Calpine Corp, the nations biggest generator of natural gas-fueled power, which said in a regulatory filing that the battery system would directly compete with Calpines electric generation facilities. The Alliance for Retail Markets, which represents retail electric providers including Direct Energy, NRG and Vistra, argued that the CenterPoint rate case is not the appropriate forum for resolving the critical legal question of whether a utility can own and operate a battery storage device. The group suggested that the commission take up the issue in a wider forum. CenterPoint did not comment. The commission, which asked the Legislature for direction on how to handle the increasingly thorny issue of ownership and operation of energy storage devices, opted not to take up the issue. By that time, the Legislature was weighing a bill introduced by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, a Republican representing Dallas and Fort Worth. It would have allowed utilities to sign contracts with generators to provide power from battery storage facilities built to improve transmission reliability. The bill also would have prohibited the Public Utility Commission from allowing utilities to own energy storage facilities. It was a proposal that would have satisfied both sides, said Felix Maire, senior analyst for clean energy and storage with the research firm S&P Global Platts. Calpine was on board because the bill still classified storage as generation but also gave utilities an opportunity to provide storage capacity in a limited way to handle reliability issues in a cost-effective manner, spokesman Brett Kerr said. If a utility wanted to install something bigger it would have to seek proposals from generators that would, in turn, own and operate it for the utility, he said. The state Senate eventually approved the measure, but it didnt come up for a vote in the House before the end of the session, leaving its future as murky as ever. Meanwhile, battery storage technology is improving quickly while public policymakers struggle to keep up. Thats not necessarily a bad thing as regulators and market participants still dont understand the implications of a new market design, one utility expert said. I think the struggle will continue, said Casey Herman, the U.S. power and utilities leader for the accounting and consulting firm PwC. lynn.sixel@chron.com twitter.com/lmsixel Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more A coding error in an app used to count vote totals in the Democratic caucuses in Iowa has delayed the release of final tallies, the states Democratic Party announced Tuesday. Although the data collected by the app was sound, it was reporting only a portion of that data to party headquarters due a coding issue with its reporting system, the party explained in a statement. After discovering inconsistencies caused by the flaw, party staff implemented manual backup measures that delayed release of final tallies. Nevada was set to use the app for its caucuses Feb. 22, but has scrapped the idea after the Iowa debacle. The problematic app was made by Shadow, a company that builds political tools and platforms. At its website, it touts work it has done for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee. The company sincerely regrets the delay in the reporting of the results of last nights Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns and Democratic caucus-goers, CEO Gerard Niemira wrote in an online post. We will apply the lessons learned in the future, and have already corrected the underlying technology issue, he added. Shadow did not respond to our request to comment for this story. Inadequate Testing Although details about the app remain sketchy, it seems that it was rushed to market. It was tested for two months. It should have been tested for far longer than that, said Bruce deGrazia, program chair for cybersecurity management and policy at the University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi, Maryland. You dont bring something like this out in the middle of an election cycle, he told the E-Commerce Times. Thats just asking for trouble. And guess what? Thats what happened. Organizations never should rely on brand new technology during the immediate lead-up to a critical event, said Jamil Jaffer, senior vice president at IronNet, a network security company in Fulton, Maryland. You want to have vetted it and tested it and be relying on something youve had experience with, he told the E-Commerce Times. At the minimum, there appears to be a failure to perform adequate functional and stress testing of the app and its back-end systems, noted Jack Mannino, CEO ofnVisium, a Herndon, Virginia-based application security provider. Systems perform differently in preproduction and live environments due to a number of factors, including volume of usage, heavy loads and component failures, he explained. This is why exhaustive and comprehensive testing must be done across the software development lifecycle from prototype development through integration to preproduction or simulated environment and especially before live deployment for such mission-critical applications, he told the E-Commerce Times. Its so important that people have faith in the results of elections, so its extremely important to vet these applications with extensive load testing before theyre deployed, added Mark Graff, CEO of Tellagraff, a cybersecurity consultancy. Testing at load is critical for all election applications, he told the E-Commerce Times. Need for White Hats It appears that Shadows developers did all their testing in-house, observed Michael Covington, vice president of product at Wandera, an enterprise mobile security and data management provider in San Francisco. When producing an app with this much visibility, they really should have made an effort to collaborate with the White Hat hacker community in an effort to truly vet the security properties of the app and back-end supporting systems, he told the E-Commerce Times. Any app used in the democratic process should be released as open source software or at the very least, be submitted to an independent organization for a complete static and dynamic code analysis, suggested Richard Henderson, head of global threat intelligence at Lastline, a cloud-based provider of threat intelligence in Redwood City, California. A D V E R T I S E M E N T How was something so obvious as ensuring the transmission of an accurate count missed? Thats a pretty substantial flaw, he told the E-Commerce Times. It was entirely irresponsible of the Iowa Democratic Party and the app developer to approve the use of this app without adequate testing, said Josh Bohls, CEO of Inkscreen, a maker of enterprise mobility security solutions in Austin, Texas. The app was not dealing with much data or demand, he noted. There were only 1,600 caucus sites, Bohls told the E-Commerce Times. That is an incredibly small number of endpoints connected to a centralized database that is only required to collect and process around 250 thousand records. In the app world, that is not much data. Disinformation Fodder While the voting technology used by the Iowa Democratic Party was flawed, there are some bigger questions that must be answered, noted Parham Eftekhari,executive director of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, a cybersecurity think tank in Chicago. The real question is, How did we get here? Where did the decision-making process fail that led to the development of a piece of technology that wasnt properly tested and didnt work? After the paper ballots are counted, they need to do a major dissection of the entire process, he told the E-Commerce Times. Whenever technology fails in a very public way, the consequences can be severe. Unfortunately, a failure like the one in Iowa will have a lasting impact on the publics trust in using information technology to adequately and accurately support future elections, whether theyre held at state or national level, Mannino said. I think many people will point to this debacle as an argument against technology in future elections, said Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech, a reviews, advice and information website for consumer security products. The many conspiracy theories surrounding the app will fuel distrust, he told the E-Commerce Times. Ideally, the problems in Iowa will help spur more rigorous future vetting and testing, not only of mobile apps but also of any digital aspect of the voting infrastructure, said Andrea Little Limbago, chief social scientist at Virtru, a data protection company inWashington, D.C. However, the biggest impact of the Iowa snafu may not be technical, she added. It will likely be used in disinformation campaigns that attempt to weaken the faith of Americans in free and fair elections, and will provide fodder for those who question election results, she told the E-Commerce Times. In fact, it actually demonstrates the opposite how a resilient system built on checks and balances and audit trails is foundational to election integrity, said Limbago. Hopefully that is the narrative that will prevail. Afterpay boss Anthony Eisen is among a string of high-profile chiefs expected to front up to an inquiry into the financial technology sector in a crucial year for buy-now, pay-later services. The giant of the sector has been asked to provide information to the Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology committee, alongside leaders from the Australian Banking Association, the ASX, Zip, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Commonwealth Bank. Afterpay CEO Anthony Eisen. Credit:Elke Meitzel The Senate select committee began contacting companies, lobby groups and regulators, including the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, on Wednesday asking them to attend hearings in mid-February. While the CEOs were not directly named in the correspondence, sources involved in the inquiry expect the businesses to send their highest ranking managers and executives. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said that his administration is coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely to curb the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 400 in China and has spread to several countries around the "My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat," Trump said. According to Al Jazeera, the National Health Commission in Beijing has so far registered 427 fatalities in mainland China from more than 20,485 cases. The President made the remarks during his State of Union address, a day ahead of his expected acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial. Meanwhile, while focusing on the healthcare measures undertaken by his administration, Trump also announced the highest civilian honour of the United States, the Medal of Freedom, to Rush Limbaugh, the long time conservative commentator who recently announced a cancer diagnosis. Limbaugh, an outspoken supporter of Trump, was spotted in the first lady's viewing box in the House chamber with his wife ahead of Trump's Tuesday evening speech. Trump reportedly said at a private lunch with news anchors ahead of his speech before the Congress that he is planning to award Limbaugh with the Medal of Freedom, The Hill reported. He made the remarks the day after Limbaugh, 69, revealed on his talk radio show that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Limbaugh, an extremely influential voice in conservative media, said that he would be away from the show until at least Thursday to undergo treatment. "This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory, for me, because I've known this moment was coming. I'm sure that you all know by now that I really don't like talking about myself and I don't like making things about me," Limbaugh said at the conclusion of Monday's broadcast. While introducing the commentator, Trump said, "This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country." First Lady Melania Trump presented a visibly emotional Limbaugh with the medal on the spot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers at ETH Zurich and ETH spin-off Inositec have developed a new substance to prevent vascular calcification, which affects many patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. As their metabolism is impaired, calcium salts may deposit in soft tissues, such as blood vessels or even the heart valves, causing them to stiffen. This often leads to severe, potentially fatal cardiovascular diseases. However, before patients can benefit from the substance further research and tests must be carried out. "Calcification occurs when calcium phosphate crystals are deposited in tissue," explains Jean-Christophe Leroux, Professor of Drug Formulation and Delivery at ETH Zurich. "The compound adheres to calcium phosphate crystals, inhibiting their growth." Derivative of a natural substance The new molecule is structurally related to inositol hexakisphosphate, also known as IP6. Occurring naturally in legumes and cereals, IP6 binds phosphate and various minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and iron. The plants use the molecule in their seeds to provide the seedlings with a sufficient supply of these substances. It has been known for some time that IP6 also has an effect in the human bloodstream. The molecule has to be injected as it cannot be absorbed after oral ingestion. Other scientists are currently conducting clinical trials to study how effectively IP6 prevents vascular calcification. Screening the collection of molecules "The problem, though, is that IP6 is not particularly stable and is metabolised by the body very quickly," Antonia Schantl says. A doctoral student in Leroux's group, she is the lead author of the paper that has been published in the journal Nature Communications. In order to overcome this problem, Leroux and his colleagues sought to stabilise the molecule by making specific chemical modifications. They developed a series of related molecules, which ETH then patented. To be able to market one or more of these derivatives as medication in the future, ETH Professor Leroux and others involved founded the spin-off Inositec, which acquired the licence from ETH to use the molecule family. Leroux's group at ETH subsequently collaborated with Inositec and researchers from other universities to screen this collection of molecules in a project that was co-financed by the Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse. The scientists conducted in vitro experiments to study the molecules' ability to inhibit the growth of calcium phosphate crystals in the blood and check their stability. They also tested their effect in a disease model in rats. The studies singled out one of the molecules in the collection as particularly suitable. For the next stage, the ETH scientists will work with Inositec and third parties to clarify various issues, such as drug safety and the optimal dosage. For this project, the researchers from ETH Zurich and Inositec collaborated with researchers at Lausanne University Hospital, the Universities of Antwerp and Edinburgh and McGill University in Montreal. ### Reference Schantl AE et al.: Inhibition of vascular calcification by inositol phosphates derivatized with ethylene glycol oligomers. Nature Communications, 5 February 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-14091-4 Cash lakefront home now sold Lakefront property in Tennessee where Johnny and June Carter Cash lived for more than 30 years has been sold for $3.2 million. The 4.5-acre property in Hendersonville was purchased Jan. 7 by Cristan and Tina Blackman of Hendersonville, according to a warranty deed filed in Sumner County. Cristan Blackman, a hedge fund manager, said they plan to build a house on the property and live there. The country music icons lived in a sprawling 14,000-square-foot home on the property until 2003, when they died within months of each other. The home was purchased by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees in 2005, but a fire destroyed the home in 2007 while it was undergoing renovations. The property was purchased again in 2014 by Texas businessman James Gresham, who listed it for sale in 2016. Blackman said he has fond memories of looking at the house from Old Hickory Lake and called it historically significant. The property ranks high in country music legend. Reportedly Kris Kristofferson landed a helicopter there to try to pitch a song to Johnny Cash and scenes from Cashs music video, Hurt, were also filmed there. Health chief slams brand The chief executive of Britains National Health Service has criticized Gwyneth Paltrows lifestyle brand Goop and her new Netflix series, warning it carries considerable risks to health. At an event in Oxford, NHS chief Simon Stevens slammed Paltrows brand for giving prominence to quacks, charlatans and cranks in promoting untested treatments like vampire facials and unusually scented candles. Gwyneth Paltrows brand peddles psychic vampire repellent, says chemical sunscreen is a bad idea, and promotes colonic irrigation and DIY coffee enema machines, he said, adding British health authorities have issued advice stating there is no scientific evidence to support such claims. Paltrows six-part series, The goop lab with Gwyneth Paltrow, was recently made available on Netflix in the U.K. Stevens warned about the potential of misinformation to undermine public health, citing the recent surge in measles across Britain. Scientists have attributed the diseases rise in part to falling vaccination rates, first prompted by skepticism about the vaccine suggested in a discredited scientific study in a 1998 medical study that linked the shot to autism. A spokeswoman for Goop said the company takes efficacy and product claims very seriously and noted it has a legal and compliance team that works with their science and research group to vet product claims. Associated Press The National Medical Center. Korea Times file By Park Si-soo A man, 55, who was South Korea's second case of coronavirus, has "recovered fully" and will leave hospital "this week," a doctor supervising his treatment at the National Medical Center said. Hospital President Chung Gi-hyun announced this Wednesday. He said the patient tested negative for the infectious virus on Monday. "From a medical perspective, he is now recovered fully," Chung said. "His departure from the hospital hinges on non-medical issues such as post-release management by health authorities." [February 04, 2020] New Technology Firm Focuses on Global Carrier Management Market SAN FRANCISCO and WYE, United Kingdom, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Logistics and Supply Chain industry veterans, Peter Nicholls, Ken Lyon and Linda Elliott Zider, announce the launch of Tucson Technology, a management solution for shippers, 3PLs and carriers worldwide. Established in the UK with operations in Hyderabad India, San Francisco California and Singapore, the team has developed the first cloud-native global carrier management platform: T2 Cloud. T2 Cloud is an enterprise-class platform supporting worldwide operations designed to ship from everywhere to anywhere. The T2 platform supports the most demanding and complex business logistics needs. "The elaborate choreography necessary to manage the variety of physical logistics services, related information flows and unexpected external fctors such as weather and other unforeseen issues, is both complex and obscure. The team at T2 have decades of building solutions that do this," according to Ken Lyon, Board Chairman. Tucson Technology's T2 Cloud "uses the latest technologies to ensure continuity and keep pace with the inevitable transformation of the digital supply chain," stated Peter Nicholls, Chief Architect. Peter was formerly President of Tandata (now ConnectShip, a UPS subsidiary) and was one of creators of the first patented client-server shipping system. CEO Linda Elliott Zider has brought together a world-class team with a track record of delivering solutions in Asia, Europe and North America. Tucson Technology has received initial funding from investors in Europe and America. About Tucson Technology: Tucson has decades of experience in enterprise shipping combined with deep knowledge of the technologies required to deliver and deploy the world's first 21st century shipping solution. For more information about Tucson Technology, please visit https://www.tucsontechnology.com/ or email [email protected] Cloud-native carrier management to ship from Everywhere to Anywhere View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-technology-firm-focuses-on-global-carrier-management-market-300998793.html SOURCE Tucson Technology The tiny central state of Thuringia broke a German political taboo Wednesday when a candidate for the regional premiership was unexpectedly heaved into office with help from the far-right AfD party. Thomas Kemmerich, a politician from the economically liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), scored 45 votes, leapfrogging incumbent Bodo Ramelow of the Left party by one vote. "This is the first time in the history of modern Germany that a state premier has been elected with AfD votes," political scientist Andre Brodocz told broadcaster MDR. The AfD's own candidate received zero votes, indicating the party's state legislators aligned as a bloc behind Kemmerich. While the vote was secret, the liberal candidate must also have enjoyed support from lawmakers belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU, as well as his FDP stablemates. Media were quick to describe the event as a "political earthquake", as mainstream parties had so far refused to countenance working with anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU AfD at any level. The dam breaking in Thuringia is all the more surprising to observers as the AfD's leader there, Bjoern Hoecke, is one of the party's most radical figures, heading a loose movement within the party known as the "Wing". He has called for a "180 degree turn" in Germany's culture of remembrance for the Holocaust and other crimes of the Nazis, which form a central pillar of the country's post-World War II political life. But Thuringia also belongs to Germany's former communist east, where rejection of the far right has not taken such deep roots as in the west in the decades since the country's 1990 reunification. As in other states, the autumn 2019 state election brought a surge for the AfD. But in light of the firewall towards the far right, incumbent state premier Ramelow had been widely tipped to be reelected at the head of a minority government. Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and said that it is trying to "hijack" the coming Delhi Assembly elections through violence and communal disharmony. Naqvi's remark came a day after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police revealed that Kapil Gujjar, the man detained for opening fire at Shaheen Bagh on February 1, is associated with AAP based on photographs recovered from his phone, in which Gujjar and his father Gaje Singh are seen along with prominent leaders of the party such as Atishi and Sanjay Singh. "The situation is such that AAP is telling the thieves to steal and at the same time it tells the people to stay awake. It is extremely unfortunate how AAP is trying to hijack the elections through violence and communal disharmony. It is trying to put a curtain on its failures," Naqvi told ANI. Naqvi further took a jibe at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for attacking the centre on the issue of unemployment during their public rallies. "The problem is that these people have now themselves become jobless so they are unable to see the initiatives taken by this government. Both siblings are roaming around to save their existence," said Naqvi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO - Tilray Inc. is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Tilray President Brendan Kennedy is photographed at head office in Nanaimo, B.C., on Thursday, November 29, 2017. Tilray Inc. is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs. The Nanimo-based cannabis company's chief executive officer Brendan Kennedy says in a statement to The Canadian Press that the layoff is occuring to meet the needs of the industry and foster growth in 2020 and beyond. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito TORONTO - Tilray Inc. is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs. The Canadian cannabis company's chief executive officer Brendan Kennedy says in a statement to The Canadian Press that the layoffs will help Tilray better position itself to achieve profitability. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. By reducing headcount and costs, Kennedy says Tilray will be more likely to meet the needs of the industry and foster growth in 2020 and beyond. Kennedy's statement calls the decision "tough," notes that it was not "taken lightly" and says he is extremely grateful to the departing employees for their contributions. The company would not share what offices and departments will be affected by the layoffs, but said the company's total headcount is about 1,443. Tilray will continue to focus on its international medical cannabis offerings, science and research in global markets, adult-use brands and its Manitoba Harvest hemp foods business. Companies in this story: (TSX: TLRY) This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2020. BLANTYRE, Malawi - Malawis president has instructed his lawyers to appeal the court ruling that nullified last years presidential election and ordered a new vote, his spokesman said Wednesday. Mondays ruling was just the second time in Africa that a court had nullified a presidential election, after Kenya in 2017. The fresh vote must occur within 150 days. The court in Malawi cited widespread and systematic irregularities including liberal use of correction fluid to change results. The spokesman for President Peter Mutharika, Mgeme Kalilani, told The Associated Press they believe the courts decision is a serious miscarriage of justice and attempt to circumvent democracy and the will of the people. It is not clear when the presidents team will file the appeal. Kalilani said the president made the decision after members of his legal team went to the state house to brief him on the ruling. They analysed the ruling together, the spokesman said. Share price of Bharti Airtel hit its all-time high of Rs 531 in early trade today despite the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led telco reporting a higher-than-expected consolidated net loss at Rs 1,035 crore for the third-straight quarter in the current fiscal. Bharti Airtel share price rose as the telecom major recorded highest ever growth in 4G subscriber addition. The Q3 Indian revenues and ARPU numbers also indicated that the telecom major was amid a sectoral turnaround, brokerages said. Despite Q3 loss, Bharti Airtel stock price rose 2.3% to a fresh high of Rs 531 on BSE, as against the previous close of Rs 519. Volume-wise, 8.30 and 184 lakh shares traded on BSE and NSE counters, both above 5, 10 and 30-day average volume. The share currently trades higher than 5, 20, 50, 100 and 200-day moving averages. Bharti Airtel stock has gained 6.18% in the last five sessions. The large cap stock has risen over 16% in one month and 87% in one year. The telco had reported a profit of Rs 86 crore for the quarter ended December 2018 compared to the consolidated net loss of Rs 1,035 crore clocked in Q3 of current fiscal. The telecom operator had reported a loss of Rs 23,145.60 crore in the September quarter and Rs 2,485.30 crore loss in the June quarter. Airtel's consolidated revenue grew 10.5% YoY for Q3 at Rs 21,947 crore. The company said its mobile revenues for the quarter rose 9.7% to Rs 15,797 crore. Bharti Airtel's EBITDA was up 4.6% at Rs 9,267 crore and margin stood at 42.2% versus 41.9%. On a sequential basis, the company's 4G subscriber addition during the quarter at 2.1 crore was highest ever. Its average revenue per user (ARPU)stood at Rs 135. ARPU has risen sequentially for the third straight quarter, helped by higher data usage and tariff hikes, analysts said. Further, Rs 21,502 crore funds generated through a mix of equity and debt will also help the company to pay dues. Bharti Airtel said in a release, "Pursuant to the infusion of fresh equity and long-term financing via convertible bonds subsequent to the reporting period ended December 31, 2019 and available liquidity/facilities with the group, the management has concluded that the previously reported material uncertainty on the group's ability to continue as a going concern no longer exists". UBS Group maintained a 'Buy' call for Airtel stock and raised its price target to Rs 615 from Rs 415. The brokerage firm said, "Airtel should stand to gain as Vodafone Idea potentially is unable to sustain". UBS added it maintained a preference for Bharti amid a sectoral turnaround and added that the current scenario analysis gives comfort in upside to the stock price despite the recent rally. Morgan Stanley maintained 'Overweight' with a price target of Rs 530 on the stock, although it added the Indian wireless business revenue of the telecom company was better than expectations as ARPU surprised positively. Enterprise business EBITDA was better than the estimate, but (Direct-to-home) DTH business trends were soft, the brokerage added. As per Reliance Securities, an increase in ARPU may lead to a significant upgrade in EBITDA as the tariff hike may change subscriber addition dynamics and elasticity of demand. At CMP, the stock trades at 10.9x and 8.9x of FY20E and FY21E EV/EBITDA, respectively, the brokerage added in its report. Share Market LIVE: Sensex up 200 points, Nifty nears 12,050; Bharti Airtel hits fresh 52-week high post Q3 result Bharti Airtel posts net loss of Rs 1,035 crore in December quarter This has been an extraordinarily bizarre Iowa caucus process, the kind that I dont think anybody who has participated in presidential politics has ever seen before. Youve probably heard we dont know the results. Very, very frustrating. And when those results are announced Get them straight. This state has just been frozen in uncertainty. Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg both seem to have had a pretty good night. And not so much for Joe Biden. Lets hear it for the Biden people. You guys look good. But there was nobody there sort of holding a trophy over their head in the way the candidates go in expecting to be able to do. Anybody with an S to Z last name? L to R. L to R. Anybody want a sign? [Whistle] So the winner of Iowa is supposed to be able to go out on the night of the caucuses and in national prime time give a soaring victory speech that introduces themselves to a larger swath of the country, and claim a burst of energy and momentum that carries them forward into the next round of primaries and caucuses. 55, 56, 57, 58 But the end result was so deeply unsatisfying to virtually everybody involved. There is no name on it. O.K., I need his name and his number. And then this is actually Bernie Sanders card. I dont know why the card ended up Biden. Some of the issues included technical problems with an app that was supposed to help caucus precinct leaders report the results, failure of a back-up system that was supposed to step in if the app failed, inconsistencies in the data that the app did produce, and sort of a technical understanding gap with some of the precinct leaders who tend to be on the older side. After a significant delay, we have some results in Iowa. Welcome, Mayor Pete. Pete Buttigieg staked essentially his entire campaign on Iowa. He poured resources and time into this state. And his polling numbers gradually rose here, even as they stayed pretty modest nationally. So he has needed a win here and a jolt of momentum early in the process. The biggest risk we could take is to try to recycle the same Washington playbook and mindset and fights that got us to this point, and expect a different result. Hes arguing that hes a unifier of both the progressive and moderate wings of the party. Lets not choose between boldness and unity. For Pete Buttigieg, Iowa means that hes going to be a real player in this race. And it means that hell stay in through to Super Tuesday, which had been a question in his campaign. Bernie doing well in Iowa means that he is in a really strong position going into New Hampshire. Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump. Bernies had the same message for about 50 years. Rich are getting richer. The most unfair distribution of wealth Two percent of the population that owns one-third of the entire wealth of America The fact that Bernie has had the same positions and talked about them the same way is what appeals to a lot, a lot of people. And almost all new income and wealth goes to the top 1 percent. Bernie doing well in Iowa may also catapult him into the other early states. Im thinking Nevada and after that, California. Let us transform this country. Thank you all very much. [Cheering] Hello, Des Moines, Iowa. [Cheering] Hello, Warren Democrats. Elizabeth Warren has not been able to overcome the squeeze from the Bernie Sanders left and the Buttigieg moderate wing. Are we ready to do New Hampshire? Elizabeth Warren finished probably about where we thought she would. This is a candidate who over the summer and the fall looked like she could become the runaway favorite in Iowa. That did not happen. Yes! Elizabeth Warrens argument has been about corruption. End lobbying as we know it. And, of course, plans and policy. And I got a plan for that. Big structural change. Were hearing a lot about unity. We have one job. Right? Number one job, and that is beat Donald Trump. Are you in on that? When we go outside of Iowa, her numbers dont look as great. Shes not doing as great in South Carolina. Shes not doing as great as her rivals in Nevada. But maybe thats old-fashioned. Hi, how are you? So my grandmother has a huge crush on you. Joe Biden doing poorly in Iowa means renewed questions about whether the candidate who has spent so much time focused on this question of electability ... If I can unify the country the character of the nation ... is, in fact, able to win. We need a president who can bring the country together. Biden made the argument that before any kind of progressive change could be made, first Democrats have to beat Trump, and that he is the candidate who stands the best chance. Theyre trying to smear me to try to stop me, because they know if Im the nominee, I will beat Donald Trump. Iowa has presented a number of challenges for Joe Biden. This question of enthusiasm. That was the message from voters, that they like Joe Biden, they respected Joe Biden, but this was not a candidate who excited them. For Iowa Democrats, this has been nothing short of a humiliation. There is no question that Iowas status as the first-in-the-nation caucus state is in mortal jeopardy. If you talk to any senior Democrat in the country right now, they will tell you, never again. Never again certainly to a caucus in Iowa. And maybe never again to Iowa starting a presidential process, period. How do I feel? On to New Hampshire! [Laughter] WASHINGTON - Hyundai Motors is suspending production in South Korea, a sign that the economic fallout from China's viral outbreak is spreading. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A volunteer stands in front of a Communist Party flag as he takes the temperature of a scooter driver at a roadside checkpoint in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. China sent medical workers and equipment to a newly built hospital, infused cash into financial markets and further restricted people's movement in sweeping new steps Monday to contain a rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact. (Chinatopix via AP) WASHINGTON - Hyundai Motors is suspending production in South Korea, a sign that the economic fallout from China's viral outbreak is spreading. For other companies bracing for losses from coronavirus, the damage has so far been delayed, thanks to a stroke of timing: The outbreak hit just when Chinese factories and many businesses were closed anyway to let workers travel home for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday . But the respite wont last. If much of industrial China remains on lockdown for the next few weeks, a very real possibility, Western retailers, auto companies and manufacturers that depend on Chinese imports will start to run out of the goods they depend on. In order to meet deadlines for summer goods, retail experts say that Chinese factories would need to start ramping up production by March 15. If Chinese factories were instead to remain idle through May 1, it would likely cripple retailers crucial back-to-school and fall seasons. Theres complete uncertainty, said Steve Pasierb, CEO of the Toy Industry Association. This could be huge if it goes on for months. Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak hit hardest, is a centre of automotive production. Its been closed off, along with neighbouring cities, isolating more than 50 million people and bringing factories to a standstill. So far, U.S. automakers haven't had to curb production for want of Chinese parts. But David Closs, professor emeritus at Michigan State Universitys Department of Supply Chain Management, said the clock is ticking. I would say its weeks at the most, Closs said. One to two to three weeks. Hyundai said Tuesday that it was suspending production in South Korea due to disruptions in the supply of parts resulting from the coronavirus outbreak in China'' and that it "was seeking alternative suppliers in other regions.'' The partial shutdown of Wuhan has already harmed the production of TV display panels and raised prices, according to a report by research group IHS Markit. The city has five factories making liquid crystal displays, known as LCDs, and organic light-emitting diodes, known as OLEDs, both of which are used for television and laptop monitors. China accounts for more than half of the global production capacity for making these display panels. David Hsieh, an analyst at IHS Markit, said in a report that these factories are facing shortages of both labour and key components as a result of mandates designed to limit the contagions spread, leading suppliers to raise panel prices more aggressively. Phone-maker Motorola, which has a facility in Wuhan, said that so far, it expects little impact because it has a flexible global supply chain and multiple factories around the world. Its priority has been the welfare of local employees, Motorola, which is owned by the Chinese electronics giant Lenovo, said in a statement. Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts last week that the companys contractors in China had been forced to delay reopening factories that closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Cook said the company is seeking ways to minimize supply disruptions. Some of its suppliers are in Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the outbreak. Most of Apples iPhones and other devices are made in China. In the meantime, economists are sharply downgrading the outlook for Chinas economy, the worlds second-biggest. Tommy Wu and Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics have slashed their forecast for Chinese economic growth this year from 6% to 5.4%. They expect most of the damage to be inflicted in the first three months of 2020. But a more serious and long-lasting impact cannot be ruled out, they wrote Monday. Forecasters are contending with unknowns. No one knows how long the outbreak will last, how much damage it will cause or how policymakers will respond to the threat. Were grasping for precedents, said Phil Levy, chief economist at the freight company Flexport who was an economic adviser in the administration of President George W. Bush. Some look back to the SARS outbreak, which paralyzed the Chinese economy for the first few months of 2003. But the damage from SARS faded quickly: China was booming again by years end. And the world economy emerged mostly unscathed. But times have changed in ways that are not favourable to containing the economic damage. Back then, China was the worlds workshop for cheap goods toys and sneakers, for instance. Now, China has moved up to sophisticated machine parts and electronics like LCDs. And it accounts for about 16% of global economic output, up significantly from just 4% in 2003. Levy said he was struck by how U.S. airlines reacted to the coronavirus: They suspended flights between the United States and mainland China for weeks American airlines through March 27, United through March 28 and Delta until April 30. The move doesnt just affect tourists, students and business travellers. Caryn Livingston, editor of Air Cargo World, noted that about half of air cargo has historically been transported in the bellies of passenger aircraft. When you see them loading those big 747s, thats not just your luggage, Levy said. That can be pallets full of electronics and other things. The health crisis coincides with an especially difficult time for Chinas factories. A 19-month trade war with the United States in which the Trump administration imposed tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese imports has already led U.S.-based multinational corporations to look for alternatives to Chinese suppliers. Many are moving to Vietnam or other low-wage countries to dodge President Donald Trumps taxes on Chinese-made goods. The Trump administration and Beijing last month reached an interim trade deal. China agreed to step up purchases of U.S. imports by $200 billion this year and next. But Trumps top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, told Fox Business Network on Tuesday that the viral outbreak means that the expected export boom from that trade deal will take longer. The coronavirus, along with fears that U.S.-China tensions over trade and geopolitics will persist, gives them one more reason to reduce their reliance on China. Among multinational firms, there is increasing unease that China is starting to become quite risky, said Johan Gott, an independent consultant who specializes in political risks for businesses. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But it isn't easy to completely abandon China, where specialized suppliers cluster in manufacturing centres and make it convenient for factories to obtain parts when they need them. Basic Fun, a toy company based in Boca Raton, Florida, has sought suppliers in Vietnam and India with no luck yet. Its CEO, Jay Foreman, said he is hoping that the factories in China will resume production by early April, which he considers the best-case scenario. But he fears that any more delays could mean that the factories dont start to ramp up production until after May 1. The stakes are high. Basic Fun gets about 90% of its toys from China. And Foreman has been contending with the trade war and disruptive protests in Hong Kong. The coronavirus, he said, is just a continuation of sitting on the knife's edge ... sleeping on the bed of nails from tariffs to the riots in Hong Kong and the virus. We just can't get a break. __ D'Innocenzio reported from New York. AP Business Writers Tom Krisher in Detroit, David Koenig in Dallas and Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report. COLUMBIA In South Carolina, where hundreds of unprocessed sexual assault kits languish in storage, stories like Kira Hendricks are far too common. After she was raped in 2017, Hendricks submitted to a forensic examination, hoping the collected samples would result in a prosecution. But the case was dropped for a lack of evidence without Hendricks kit being tested, she told senators Wednesday. That "told me I didnt matter, and I started to believe it, she said. In 2018, the State Law Enforcement Division estimated at least 1,800 such kits were awaiting processing statewide, leaving victims seeking closure and assailants avoiding punishment. Beyond SLED, there are four other accredited DNA laboratories in the state. A proposal advancing in the Senate could remove uncertainty about the kits' status by requiring SLED to implement a tracking system by this summer. It is something that is long overdue, not just in South Carolina but across the country, said its sponsor, state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg. This bill will give some sense of peace to victims of sexual assault, who up to this point have not had a real good idea of where the rape evidence kit is. The legislation, approved unanimously in the House last year, advanced Wednesday to the full Senate Judiciary Committee. The kits would be affixed with bar codes that can be followed in real time, allowing victims, law enforcement, counselors and anybody else with the information to track their progress through the system. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! The cost of this system is minimal given the return on investment that is invaluable. It we can track the origin of a piece of fruit from the vine to the kitchen table, we should certainly be able to track rape kits in South Carolina, said Jamika Nedwards, crisis director at Greenville-based Julie Valentine Center. We know that when we track and test kits, not only does this helps victims, but it helps the entire criminal justice system. Todd Hughey, director of SLEDs forensic services laboratory, said the agency processes more than half of the roughly 800 sexual assault kits it receives annually from hospitals and law enforcement agencies. The backlog is due to a lack of manpower, he said. The agency has 13 analysts total to evaluate forensic evidence for all violent crimes. Priorities for processing include cases involving children, he said. SLED has repeatedly asked lawmakers for money to hire additional analysts. This year's request asks for nine additional technicians, including three specifically for DNA casework. Hendricks introduced herself as case number 17-044971 and said allowing kits to be monitored would bring solace to victims of sexual assault. Passing this bill will show survivors that they are seen and they matter. It shows us that we can trust law enforcement and it can empower us for the future, she said. State Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, was among those who supported not only the law, but also Hendricks herself. You are not a number. You are Kira. Just remember that, and we will remember that too, Shealy said. The Katsina state police command has arrested a 17-year-old housewife named, Rabi Rabiu for stabbing her husband to death after a brawl over a phone charger. Read Also: Man Stabs Lover To Death For Picking Another Mans Phone Call The suspect in her confessional statement stated that she didnt intend to kill her lover with the knife. Her full statement below: The incident happened early in the morning during prayer time. Public power supply was restored in our area and I wanted to charge my phones, while Salisu also wanted to charge his. Unfortunately, we were arguing over who should use the charger first when Salisu drew out a knife and I snatched it from him and stabbed him in the stomach and he later died. Our marriage was just 51-day-old and we were yet to have children, but I still love him. I never knew that the stab would lead to his death. The spokesman for the state police command, SP Gambo Isah, said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as possible. The tight vote highlighted the education philosophy of a council faction that has become increasingly vocal in its support of the traditional public school system, wary of closing campuses in the system. If the legislation to save the campus had passed, it would have served as a major blow to Bowser and Ferebees education leadership, challenging the mayors control of schools. Clerics have played a very important role in the society right from the time of the Middle Ages. In Medieval and the Renaissance Europe, the Roman-Catholic Church was even more influential than the Kings and the ruling class. The Church crowned the monarchs and set the agenda for the public policy thrust. The crusade against the Muslims was directed by the Pope who saw himself as the representative of God on earth. The powers of the church were so enormous with it being the richest institution on the globe that some scholars began to canvass for the separation of the church from the state. Some monarchs began to agitate for independence from Rome and the likes of King Henry VIII of England formally broke away from the church when the Pope wouldnt grant his divorce and created the Church of England with himself as the head. Many monarchs in Europe backed Martin Luther, the German monk who founded the Lutheran church and broke away from the Catholic church to identify with him. With the passage of time, the church lost most of its powers with the strengthening of the institutions of the state. The church especially the Pentecoastal metamorphosed as a very powerful body in Africa starting from the 1980s when the political leadership of the continent left the masses with no other option than to see their religious leaders as their newly found saviours. The quest for miracles to solve their problems and the high demand for signs and wonders to divert their attention from their day to day challenges made the hoi polloi see their Men of God as their demi gods who could do no wrong. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) which is arguably the largest pentecoastal church in Nigeria with branches spread all over the world led by Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has enormous clout in the country. Despite its massive presence, its General Overseer worldwide, Adeboye normally refrains from commenting on issues of national and public interest. Many of his critics contend that the former academic turned pastor is afraid of rocking the boat as he wants to be in the good books of the government so as not to interrupt the endless flow of the tithes and offerings. A different side of him was shown on February 2nd this year when he lead a walk with some of his top pastors on the streets of Lagos to protest the growing level of insecurity in the country. It was called a prayer walk and he drew attention to the fact that every life was precious and didnt deserve to be lost in the way and manner the insurgents were brutally taking them. Shortly before the walk, he prayed that every evildoer should be exposed. Adeboyes march is highly commendable as this show that he has the courage to speak the truth to power not minding whose ox is gored. One of his top pastors in the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN is currently serving as the Vice-President and he could easily have requested for a private meeting with the President to air his views. He chose to become an activist by publicly identifying with the hapless have nots in the society a major departure from his conservative stance with regards to issues concerning matters of state. In the 1980s the Filipinos were under siege no thanks to the misrule of Ferdinand Marcus. It was a brutal dictatorship where human rights were treated worse than animal rights. The people were cowed and dissidents either killed or forced into exile. It took some courageous clergy men to rise up to the occasion and stir up the guts of the populace to chase Marcus from power. Tragically in Nigeria and Africa, the clergymen are complicit with the ruinous political elite as they preach messages which surreptitiously suppress the will power of the people to revolt and demand for a better deal from the state actors. The popular messages like the need to be docile so as to win Heaven and the quoting of the Bible to make the congregation act passively is a real problem in the continent. The likes of Apostle Johnson Suleiman, Bishop David Oyedepo, Bishop Adewale Martins, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese have been vocal critics of the government. It is good that Adeboye recently joined the fold as we cannot afford to have a complacent clergy leadership. We urge Pastor Adeboye to use his large numerical strength to mount pressure on the political leadership to tackle the mounting security challenges in the country. No one knows who is next and so it is of paramount interest for the nation to be free from bandits, terrorists and kidnappers. In these perilous times we have no choice but to be our brothers keeper. Thumbs up Pastor Adeboye! Tony Ademiluyi writes from Lagos and edits www.africanbard.com (Newser) Harvey Weinstein's rape trial took what the New York Post calls a "cringeworthy" turn on Tuesday, with jurors being shown at least five nude photos of the 67-year-old disgraced film producer, including one full-frontal shot. Per Reuters, a photographer for the Manhattan DA's office testified he took the photos in June 2018. The Post has a courtroom sketch of jurors reviewing the photosVulture notes at least two sketch artists were able to capture the images on their padsas well as a description of juror reactions, including one woman who "made a slight face" and another who "raised her eyebrows"; a male juror, meanwhile, "opened his eyes widely." story continues below Weinstein's reaction when a reporter asked him afterward if the photos were of him: "No, it was Playboy." Meanwhile, one of his lawyers had a less-jokey response, saying in an email to Reuters that the photos were circulated to jurors for "no other reason than to shame Mr. Weinstein." Earlier this month, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi noted that "it is not the practice of the District Attorney's Office to ever ... humiliate [a] defendant," per Vulture. It's still not clear why prosecutors introduced the photos, which won't be part of the public record, though accuser Jessica Mann had testified last week that Weinstein seemed to lack testicles and appeared "deformed and intersex." (Read more Harvey Weinstein stories.) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- During an after-hours burglary at the Destiny USA Finish Line, burglars took cash registers and a safe, according to Syracuse police. The burglary was reported by mall security to Syracuse police at 12:42 a.m. on Jan. 24, Officer Joseph Commisso, a spokesman for the Syracuse Police Department, said Tuesday. Police are unsure how the burglars were able to get into the Finish Line store, but officers found a portion of drywall that leads into the store had been cut, Commisso said. Cash registers and the safe were among the things taken. Police did not say what else may have been stolen. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard contacted police about the burglary on Jan. 28, but police did not release information on it until Tuesday. Police ask that anyone with more information about the burglary call the police departments criminal investigations division at 315-442-5200. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). The fifth annual Wheels for Wheels event will be held May 2 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Bleachery in New Milford. The public is invited to attend the family event at the Bleachery at 143 West St. Kodie Love, from Cairns, far north Queensland, has been charged with stalking and animal cruelty A 23-year-old charged with killing his neighbour's cat and attaching it to the car of a man he was stalking has allegedly revealed his accuser's name and address in a social media rant. Kodie Love, from Cairns in far north Queensland, was charged with stalking and animal cruelty after he allegedly killed a cat and tied it to a man's car in November 2019. He was slapped with additional stalking charges on Wednesday, a Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. Love allegedly took to Instagram after the charges were laid to mouth off about his accuser. He allegedly revealed the man's name, address and the model of car he drives. Love also said he hadn't spoken to the 45-year-old man since January 2019. 'Last time I spoke to him was a text message where I texted him and said: 'I didn't realise being a f***head was a disability',' Love said. 'That was 12 months ago - but apparently I have been intimidating and stalking him. 'I don't know when. I haven't f***ing spoken to him in 12 months.' Love (pictured) allegedly killed a neighbour's cat and tied it to another man's car in November 2019 Love allegedly took to Instagram after the charges were laid to mouth off about his accuser Senior Constable Russell Parker told the Cairns Post the discovery of the cat had been reported to police and the RSPCA. Police seized CCTV and spoke to dozens of neighbours during the two-month investigation. 'Some people might think this is disproportionate given it is just a cat, but at the end of the day it's an animal, it's defenceless and it's someone's pet,' Parker said. 'The officers went above and beyond and it was just down to the tenacity of the two officers involved.' Police have not revealed the relationship between Love and the man he is accused of stalking. Ghislaine Maxwell, the friend of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, made a lasting impression on New York society. As Kelly Morris, an American yoga instructor and meditation teacher to the rich and famous, can testify. She was invited by Ghislaine to go to her New York home for a private session. It ended up being one of the more distasteful experiences in my yoga career and, actually, life, says Morris. I charged $500, cash only. What the market would bear and all that. Kelly Morris, an American yoga instructor and meditation teacher to the rich and famous, was once asked to provide a session to Ghislaine Maxwell Maxwell, 58, (left in 2016) has been a central figure in a string of sensational lawsuits in which it has been alleged she acted as a madam for wealthy paedophile Epstein (right in 2005) She says she would tell customers beforehand to leave an envelope of cash by the front door so that our sacred and holy yoga exchange wasnt sullied by the inclusion of hard cash. Ghislaine chose to ignore those instructions, she adds, in an online blog. Her office was mostly black lacquer, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, huge red flowers, a kind of tacky opulence reminiscent of Studio 54 and wholly unsuited to daytime or yoga. As I stood there, impatient and irritated at the foot of her desk, she gazed at me, playing with the cash back and forth, hand to hand, flirting, teasing. I said nothing and watched her. She went on like that for a while, then leaned out over the shiny black desk and offered the bills to me. Smell it, she commanded, I want you to smell it. Not a chance, I said, and took the money from her hand and left, never to return. Maxwell, 58, has been a central figure in a string of sensational lawsuits in which it has been alleged she acted as a madam for wealthy paedophile Epstein. In court papers, it has been claimed that Maxwell not only trafficked girls to Epstein, but that she also took part in the abuse. She strenuously denies the allegations. Conakry (AFP) - Guinea's main opposition parties on Wednesday said they would boycott a referendum on constitutional changes that critics say are ploy by President Alpha Conde to stay in power for a third term. Conde, in office since 2010 and re-elected in 2015, on Tuesday announced a constitutional referendum will be held on March 1 despite months of massive protests. At least 28 civilians and one gendarme have been killed in the sometimes violent protests in West African state's capital Conakry and other cities since October. A presidential decree also set upcoming legislative elections for the same date, threatening to further inflame tensions in a country struggling with poverty and a legacy of instability. "Nothing that Alpha Conde does would surprise us. It is up to us to do as we have promised," said one leader of opposition Liberal Bloc. "To deny him the referendum on the new constitution and deny Alpha Conde a third term." Another opposition party, the Union of Democratic Forces, or UFD by its French initials, called the "coupling" of the legislative election and the referendum together "political banditry." "We are going to urge our voters not to touch a single ballot sheet in the referendum and that we only vote in the legislative elections," UFD president Mamadou Bah Baadiko told AFP. The current constitution allows the president only two consecutive terms. Conde has neither confirmed nor denied claims he intends to run again this year. A draft constitution submitted in December maintains the two-term presidential limit. But critics fear the 81-year-old incumbent may use the new constitution as a pretext to restart the clock, enabling him to stay in office for another two terms. The president has said the former French colony's basic law "concentrates corporate interests" and needs reform. Jailed under previous hardline regimes, Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010 and was returned to office by voters in 2015 for his second and final five-year term. Story continues His election rallied hope for democratic change after decades of authoritarian rule in Guinea, a major producer of bauxite and alumina. But critics say he too has since drifted toward authoritarianism. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets since October at regular rallies organised by an umbrella group called the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution or FNDC. "This is a trick to try to make more people go to the polls," FNDC leader Abdouramane Sanoh said of the decision to run the constitution and the election together on March 1. Staging the referendum and legislative elections on the same day will "trigger a situation which is going to be very difficult to manage," Abdoul Gadiry Diallo, head of the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH), said. "Peace and national unity in Guinea have never been so threatened," his organisation said in a statement on Tuesday. A loss of starboard engine control likely caused a towing vessel pushing a barge to strike a column of the Interstate 10 bridge at the San Jacinto River last year, leading to roughly $1.5 million in damage, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. On Feb. 11, 2019, the captain of the Lindberg Crosby towing vessel was attempting to dock an empty tank barge at the Southwest Shipyard in the San Jacinto River, about 100 feet from the Interstate 10 bridge. Despite the captains attempts to stop the towing vessel at the shipyard, the vessel continued forward, pushing the barge into the bridge column, according to the NTSB report. The report said a problem within the starboard engine caused a loss of directional control. Specifically, a separation of the control system mechanical linkage from the pneumatic gear clutch prevented the engine from shifting based on the captains commands, the report said. No pollution or injuries were reported from the incident. The day before the collision, the towing vessel was pushing the tank barge to offload a cargo of butadiene, a colorless gas, at the Texas Petroleum Corporation in Pasadena, the report said. The next morning, after offloading the cargo, the towing vessel headed up the river toward the Southwest Shipyard to dock the empty tanker. The towing vessel contained a crew of four, including the captain, who described the San Jacinto River as extremely congested with other vessels. He also explained that because the Southwest Shipyard dock was very close to the I-10 bridge, there was little room for error, the report said. As the towboat approached the dock at 3.2 mph, the captain shifted the engines from ahead propulsion to neutral, then eventually shifted the engines astern to slow down. However, instead of slowing, the towboat and barge veered to the side, the report said. The captain, realizing there was a problem affecting the controls, tried to steer the barge into the rocky shore to stop the tow. The barge instead passed under the eastbound portion of the bridge and struck a column under the westbound side, bringing the towboat to rest. The captain immediately saw the that the vessel was still moving forward, despite shifting the controls astern. Further examination revealed that a link between a cylinder and transmission lever had separated, the report said, likely from a jam nut becoming loose over time. During testing after the incident, a jam nut was inserted to prevent any further separation. julian.gill@chron.com GARDAI have arrested a third person as part of their five month investigation into the death of homeless chef Timothy 'Timmy' Hourihane (53). A woman in her 30s was arrested in Cork on Wednesday morning by Gardai for questioning about the death of Mr Hourhane on October 13 last. The woman is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at the Bridewell Garda Station. She can be held for up to 24 hours. Two others were questioned under arrest several weeks ago as part of the garda investigation. A garda source indicated that detectives have now received "substantial assistance" from the public as well as key information from CCTV security camera footage. While the CCTV security camera footage does not show the fatal assault on Mr Hourihane, it does indicate the movements of Mr Hourihane in the 48 hours before his death as well as the movements of people of interest to gardai. Detectives are now working on the theory that the chef may have known his attacker. The family of the chef have pleaded for anyone with information about the killing to contact Gardai. In a statement issued via gardai, the family said they are "naturally devastated" by the killing and asked for time and space to grieve. Gardai have spoken with a number of people who came in contact with the Bantry-born chef over that Friday and Saturday. The scale of injuries sustained by Mr Hourihane are consistent with a frenzied and prolonged attack. However, for operational reasons the gardai have declined to release the findings of the post mortem examination conducted on Mr Hourihane at Cork University Hospital (CUH). The chef was found in a critical condition at Mardyke Walk around 1am on Sunday when gardai and Cork Fire Brigade were called to the scene. A number of homeless people live in make-shift accommodation in the area which has been dubbed 'Tent City'. One tent was spotted on fire - and Cork Fire Brigade were alerted. When they extinguished the blaze, they spotted Mr Hourihane lying unconscious a short distance away. He had suffered a brutal beating including having his head kicked and stamped on. However, he had not suffered any burn injuries indicating he was outside his tent when it was set ablaze. Mr Hourihane was rushed to CUH but was pronounced dead shortly after admission. His death - which represented the third violent assault on a homeless person in Cork in recent weeks - sparked warnings from social justice campaigners that not enough is being done to help the vulnerable in Ireland. Two years ago, the chef admitted he feared assault while living on Cork streets. "Wandering around, basically around the whole city, trying to find where can I sleep tonight, is it going to be safe? In Cork, in most places in Cork it's not safe in the city centre." "I've been attacked three times and ended up in hospital because of those attacks." "One person stamped on my hands and I ended up with fractures on my hand plus fractures down my right side. The actual rib went into my lung." Mr Hourihane suffered from an alcohol addiction problem which cost him his career as a chef where, in the UK, he had served celebrities including Elton John and Lionel Ritchie. "My drinking was very, very high at one stage, Thats why I had to go to treatment as well. When you're back on the street, and you can't go anywhere again, that monkey on my shoulder said go back to alcohol again. Unfortunately, thats what happened." [February 05, 2020] Cloud Voice Alliance Announces 1/2 day Mini-Conference as Part of ITEXPO NEWTOWN, Pa., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cloud Voice Alliance, the voice of the reseller in the Unified Communications as a Service market, has announced a 1/2 day Mini-Conference as part of the 2020 ITEXPO. The Mini-Conference will be held in Room 114 of the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale from 1 PM to 4 PM on Thursday, Feb 13 as part of what has become the annual gathering of the telecom industry. "The Cloud Voice Alliance's mission is to assist our members, the locally-owned Cloud PBX and UCaaS providers, in competing effectively against the growing number of large and mostly self-service national providers," said Jeff Dworkin, Managing Director of the Cloud Voice Alliance. "This mini-conference is designed to address the high priority topics that are increasingly relevant to resellers of Cloud Voice services, or is considering entering into this space." The agenda for the day will include a panel discussion focusing on how MSPs and VARs can add Cloud Voice services to an existing technology portfolio, and what to look for in a White Labe telecom provider. The CVA Mini-Conference will also feature a fireside chat style interview with a successful reseller who currently has over 1,000 seats of UCaaS in production. The Mini-Conference will be rounded out with presentations on "What it takes to compete with large national and multi-national providers of similar services" and "Everything a UCaaS reseller needs to know about Robocalling." "The national, and multinational telecom companies, have large, well-funded marketing departments that often drown out the voices of local resellers. The CVA provides marketing support and a collaborative environment where members can share best practices, pool resources, and leverage buying power that increases profitability," said Jeff Dworkin, Managing Director of the CVA. Industry experts participating in the CVA Mini-Conference include Eric Hernaez, president and founder of SkySwitch, Jon Arnold, independent research analyst, and principal at J. Arnold & Associates, Cindy & Guy Fawkes, founder of Telepath Communications and members of SkySwitch's Club 1000, Aaron Foss, Founder of Nomorobo, and Mike Cromwell, Founder & CEO of EagleTeq. About Cloud Voice Alliance Cloud Voice Alliance helps members, locally-owned hosted PBX and UCaaS providers, compete effectively against large, national and multinational voice providers. We do this by providing a framework where members can share best practices and pool resources in ways that increase profitability. Contact: Jeff Dworkin 813-544-7700 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cloud-voice-alliance-announces-12-day-mini-conference-as-part-of-itexpo-300998873.html SOURCE Cloud Voice Alliance [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Photo: The Canadian Press William George, a member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, interrupts a speech by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in May. Opponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say they will do whatever it takes to stop the project after suffering a devastating legal blow at the Federal Court of Appeal. Tsleil-Waututh Nation member Will George says activists will be scheduling meetings in the next few days to plan future actions and "if it has to get ugly, it will get ugly." George says he expects more protesters to gather at existing demonstration sites in British Columbia including a "watch house" outside a shipping terminal in Burnaby and a collection of tiny homes in the Interior. Squamish Nation Coun. Khelsilem says there are a number of people willing to defend the province's coast and the lengthy battle at the Federal Court has delayed a confrontation on the ground. The Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish were among four Indigenous groups that lost a challenge before the court yesterday, but they may still seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. Construction on the federally owned project has begun at terminals and along the right-of-way in Alberta but about 88 per cent of the detailed route in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has yet to be approved. Doctor Nguyen Tri Thuc presents congratulation flowers to Li ZiChao. (Photo: baodautu.vn) Two weeks after being taken to hospital infected with nCoV from his father, Chinese citizen Li ZiChao, 28 years old, was cured and discharged from Vietnams Cho Ray Hospital on February 4th. Talking with leaders from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the hospital, he was moved to thank the Vietnamese doctors for doing their utmost to save him and his father, Mr. Li Ding. We were aware of the dangerous situation and risk of death that we faced, especially when my father contracted diverse serious diseases before. However, we are lucky to be saved by Vietnamese doctors as they not only treated us but also give us spiritual encouragement in overcoming the dangerous disease, he said. Expressing his pleasure to welcome completely healthy citizens, Huang Xi Ping, a representative from the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh city, said that his country was grateful to the Vietnamese Government, especially the doctors, for saving Chinese citizens. The trust in international cooperation, including with Vietnam, in pushing back the disease, has been increased after the treatment, he added. We hope to receive additional medical treatment from Vietnam for the remaining Chinese patients, he went on to say. Doctor Nguyen Tri Thuc, Director of the Cho Ray Hospital, informed that Mr. Li Dings health had been recovered remarkably. We will continue to give him best treatment and care so that he will be discharged from hospital soon, he said. According to Mr. Thuc, the hospital will make scientific reports on receiving and treating nCoV-infected patients so that Cho Ray Hospitals success can be expanded to other medical foundations, contributing to protecting communities health and pushing back the epidemic./. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Union cabinet has cleared a trust for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday informed in the Lok Sabha that a Ramjanmabhoomi teertha kshetra has been formed which will decide on the construction of temple. Prime Minister also said the entire land along with the Ramjanmabhoomi which includes 67.77 acre in Ayodhya has also been given to the Trust. Prime Minister said as per the Supreme Court order, 5 acre land will be given to the Sunni Waqf Board for construction of a mosque. He said the Uttar Pradesh government will provide the land to the Muslims. Prime Minister also thanked the people of India for showing utmost restraint in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya land dispute. On November 9 last year, the Supreme Court in a historic judgment gave the Ramjanmabhoomi to Hindus for the construction of temple rejecting the claims of the Muslims. An international business conference that took place in a posh hotel in Singapore has been linked to the rise in Coronavirus cases in Korea and Malaysia, as per international press reports. Malaysia on Tuesday confirmed its first case of Coronavirus and has linked the case to the international gathering that took place in Singapore in mid-January. A 41-year-old Malaysian man attended the conference with international delegations that included delegates from China. Read: Japan Cruise Ship Test At Least 10 Aboard Positive For Coronavirus According to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), a 38-year-old man in South Korea has also been infected by the virus as he came into contact with the Malaysian man in the conference. Media reports claim that the South Korean man had a meal with the Malaysian man, as well as several others during the international business gathering. The Singapore Health Ministry on February 4 confirmed that the meeting involving the Malaysian man took place in Grand Hyatt Hotel. The Ministry further added that it was working to identify people who attended the conference or were in close contact with individuals there. Read: Nike Closes Half Its Stores In China, Says Coronavirus To Have 'material Impact' Coronavirus outbreak The outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus has claimed more than 490 lives in China alone, international press reported. Media reports suggest that as of Wednesday the confirmed cases have reached up to 20,000. As per US CDC, confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in 27 other countries. The disease is believed to have originated at a seafood market in Hubei's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, where animals were being traded illegally. Read: Coronavirus: 138 Thais Repatriated From Virus Outbreak Epicenter China is handling the situation quite effectively as just recently the country built a hospital in a record time of just eight days to house the patients affected by the disease. International press earlier reported that Chinese authorities have imposed a strict quarantine in 12 cities across the country, 11 of which are in the Hubei province. Beijing is also building another hospital in the Wuhan with a capacity of an estimated 1,600 beds. Read: World Has 'window Of Opportunity' To Halt The Spread Of Coronavirus: WHO (With Agency Inputs) Anant Sudarshan As the wealthiest and most industrialized state in India, the policy challenges of Maharashtra are often a glimpse into the future for other states looking to catch up. In the same vein, many solutions developed by Maharashtra provide a road-map for other governments. Today, the state faces several serious environmental challenges. With 17 cities including Mumbai, Maharashtra tops the environment ministrys list of 102 "non-attainment cities", where pollution levels aren't meeting the required air quality protocols. Bringing Maharashtras particulate concentrations down to the WHO guideline would increase average life expectancy of its citizens by 2.9 yrs, according to the Air Quality Life Index. That said, action has been taken to address the issue. A couple of years ago, the state kicked off the Maharashtra Star Rating Program, involving the mandatory public rating of several large industrial plants, with a growing number of factories coming into the fold. Under the scheme, first-time factory pollution data was made public, which has since been followed by the states of Odisha and Jharkhand. Both states are now developing their own rating programs. Likewise, a number of river water quality action plans have been drawn up, though the jury is still out on how effective they have been. Nevertheless, it is clear that much more needs to be done. Furthermore, the challenge that lies ahead is to find ways of meeting environmental goals, while encouraging rapid economic growth. Environmental regulation in India has had a history of heavy-handedness and inflexibility, based mostly on a command-and-control policy enforced with criminal penalties. On the surface, these are strong laws. In practice, they have led to widespread non-compliance and a view of environmental objectives as being inherently incompatible with growth. One way out of this is to adopt market-based instruments - the use of civil charges and cap-and-trade schemes. The state of Gujarat has already begun an emissions trading pilot and Maharashtra is well placed to initiate and expand these methods. It was unfortunate that environmental challenges air and water pollution included found little room on campaign trails in the recent assembly elections. But with a new government now, there is hope. Cleaning up the environment is not an optional goal since pollution also has a direct impact on health, growth and the economy. Study after next has pointed to the generalized health risks of such severe air pollution with additional new research suggesting that the effects of pollution may extend to mechanisms such as reduced crop yields, lower industrial labor productivity, and reduced cognitive skills and educational outcomes. In other words, the apparent trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth is something of a Hobson's choice. Maharashtra cannot become richer without cleaning up its air and water but doing so successfully will require innovative new policy instruments. Once we recognize these facts, it also becomes urgent that Maharashtra ushers in a culture of experimentation and innovation. This is not typically how pollution control boards function, with a prominent exception being the Star Rating Program. This project is being implemented as a pilot, based on a randomized control trial design, such that we will soon know exactly how successful the project was, and how to improve it. That said, this pilot cannot be an outlier. Embracing experimentation is the only reliable way in which governments can create a culture that encourages bold new ideas. It is to be hoped therefore that before and during the election, reform of environmental regulation is given due attention. While several aspects of industrial regulation were transformed in 1991, liberalization may have left the environment sector behind. Maharashtra now, with a new government has a golden opportunity to change this state of affairs. The author is the Executive Director (South Asia) for the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Anant works at the intersection of environmental economics and engineering, with on-going research on a variety of areas including environmental regulation, air pollution, climate change, energy efficiency, electricity and renewable energy. NEW HAVEN >> Briana Service dreams of becoming a pediatrician one day. And through the guidance of Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, her dream may become a reality. Jackson-McArthur, whos a pediatrician and owner of New Haven Pediatric and Adolescent Medical Services, serves as a mentor for young people aspiring to become medical doctors. Its one of her ways of paying it forward. She plays a big role for kids in our community and to see where she is now helps us to think broad; just to know she did it is encouragement for us, said Briana, 15, a student at James Hillhouse High School. Everything is not limited for us and we have the chance and tools we need to get there, said Briana, who has been a mentee of Jackson-McArthur since March. Shes been my doctor since I was a kid, and watching her passion and positive attitude motivates me to take on the challenge, she said. Briana said under Jackson-McArthurs tutelage, shes learning the importance of patient confidentiality and professional conduct in the workplace. Shes teaching me these little skills while I shadow her with patients, she said. Jackson-McArthur is a Sacred Heart Academy graduate, who completed her undergraduate studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and went on to Howard University College School of Medicine, earning a medical degree. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I didnt know I wanted to be a pediatrician until I got to medical school, she said. I like the lifestyle and getting to know families and watching children grow from birth to adulthood; thats what drew me to pediatrics. After medical school, Jackson-McArthur did her residency at the Childrens Hospital of New Jersey. She returned to New Haven in 1998 and began working for a local hospital, but realized the hospital climate wasnt for her. I had to open my own practice, because I didnt feel that my way of practicing medicine would come to fruition working for someone else or in a hospital, said Jackson-McArthur, who opened her practice in 2006. I knew what I wanted to do in pediatric medicine in New Haven was beyond what others could have imagined, she said. There are more components to pediatric medicine than working in a hospital setting. But owning a practice has had its challenges, according Jackson-McArthur. The challenges are all operational. You dont learn business in medical school; its on-the-job training if you dont have a business background, she said. You dont open your practice loving the business aspect, you open it loving medicine. Jackson-McArthur said part of her success as an owner was surrounding herself with individuals who understood business management. There are (testing) and trying moments, but I love being a business women now; its extremely rewarding. Despite significant financial and social obstacles, African American women-owned businesses continue to grow, according to the Center for American Progress website. African American-owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the women-owned business market and are starting up at a rate six times higher than the national average, the website said. Jackson-McArthur also owns the Oxford Pediatric Wellness Center in Oxford. Her New Haven practice recently became a pediatric training site for students of the Quinnipiac University College of Medicine, where shell be teaching and training students beginning in the fall. In addition to practicing medicine, Jackson-McArthur serves as a city health commissioner and is chairwoman of the NAACP Health Committee. Shes an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., The Girl Friends Inc., The Links Inc, and Jack and Jill of America Inc Eileen Denny said Jackson-McArthur is a true role model for young people. She relates to people and makes you feel comfortable while under her care, said Denny, of Denny Chiropractic and Acupuncture. She is active in the community and came back to care for those in the city in which she was raised; thats a testament of her character and the community she loves, she said. Dennys four children are patients of Jackson-McArthur. While blacks make up 13 percent of the nation, they account for only 4 percent of the physician workforce, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Jackson-McArthur believes more blacks should pursue primary care specialties. A lot of families are looking for professionals that look like them. It gives children the ability to dream, she said. Kids dreams about what they know; it opens the doors of their minds when they see physicians that look like them. Thats what happened with Sierra Ransom. Ive always wanted to be a nurse, but my relationship with Dr. Jackson and who she is has pushed me to be like her one day, said Ransom, 18, a senior at Hillhouse High School who has been a patient of Jackson-McArthur since birth. People can relate to her because shes from New Haven. she said. Through the years, Ransom said Jackson-McArthur has treated all of her siblings and watched their growth process. She looks at me as one of her own; shes grown with me, said Ransom, who has a four-year academic scholarship to Southern Connecticut State University in the fall. My mother dedicated my prom picture to Dr. Jackson; thats the impact shes had on me and others in my family. Ransoms 2-year-old daughter, Khloe Hill, is also a patient of Jackson-McArthur. Jackson-McArthurs advice to young people thinking of entering the field of medicine is to develop the skills of study and learning early. Dont wait until high school or college to become dedicated to your studies. Its a hard road and you cant half step. Reach Community Engagement Editor Shahid Abdul-Karim at 203 680-9343. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part op-ed from an evangelical who kept his faith in response to evangelical-turned-atheist's Luke Douglas' op-ed, "I Lost My Faith in a Chick-fil-a." The second part of the op-ed series can beread here. O God, you have taught me from my youth and I still declare your wondrous deeds. Psalm 71.17 I was raised in the Christian faith within the evangelical church. I am still a Christian and I am still an evangelical. I have read with interest, and sadness, of many who have a similar background growing up but who, for various reasons, no longer remain Christian. The narrative usually follows a common path. The simplistic faith of ones youth is jettisoned under the pressure of intellectual challenges. This opens up new intellectual vistas and a new worldviewmany times, atheismis embraced. This de-conversion process has been analyzed by Scot McKnight and Hauna Ondrey in chapter one of their book Finding Faith, Losing Faith: Stories of Conversion and Apostasy. A few months ago the Christian Post did a series of articles on Leaving Christianity which discussed why many Americans are rejecting the faith they grew up with. The first installment was written by Luke Douglas--I Lost My Faith in a Chik-fil-a. Douglas narrates his experience of growing up in an evangelical context where he was home-schooled and was taught a curriculum centered on Creation Science. In another narration of his past, found on a Humanist website, Douglas fill out the details of his pilgrimage. In 2008 I traveled to California to volunteer for the Proposition 8 campaign, which amended the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. It passed. When I was seventeen, I had made the rounds in conservative circles and started getting invited to speak at rallies and conferences as a sort of rising star for the new Tea Party movement that was sweeping the nation. They loved me because they loved a token young person who gave them hope for the next generation. At eighteen I moved to northern Virginia for my first full-time job at a consulting firm where I raised money for major Republican organizations and campaigns. At nineteen I earned my bachelors degree and went to a conservative Christian law school on a full-ride scholarship. At twenty I was working in Washington DC, for a fundamentalist legal defense and lobbying organization. Then, in 2014, while at law school, Douglas watches the debate between Ken Hamhis childhood iconand Bill Nye. He saw Ken Ham embarrassingly destroyed before my very eyes. With his legal training giving him the ability to argue both sides of a case he begins to examine other viewpoints outside of Christianity, focusing on philosophy, science and history. In 2016at the age of 23this leads to the final break. In a Chik-fil-a, while reading the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, he breaks down in tears, sheds his Christian belief, and finally admits to himself that he is an atheist, a humanist, and a progressive. Luke Douglas Journey and Mine: Comparisons and Contrasts In reading Luke Douglas narrative of his life-story (so far), I find myself reflecting on my life-storyits similarities and differences. I, too, was raised in evangelical churches. When I was in sixth or seventh grade, Josh McDowell came to our church, and I asked my parents to buy his book Evidence That Demands a Verdict. In eighth grade I would try to do my book report on this book but its length was a bit much for me at that age. During my seventh and eighth grades I became fascinated about the Bible. My youth pastor noticed my interest and began to help me develop a devotional habit of daily Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memorization. My memorization efforts have not yielded the twenty-two books that Douglas can claim but I have kept up this discipline for close to forty years now. In high school I continued these devotional habits and, like Douglas, I was given training in how to study and teach the Bible. During my junior and senior years of high school I taught a small Bible study for Christians at my high school. I would also co-lead a larger mid-week group from our church. My youth pastor helped teach me basic theology and let me use his library as I began to build my own theological library. It was during my junior year of high school that I had, what I call, my cognitive awakening. I, too, like Douglas, was taught a version of Creationism. This opened up the intellectual possibility that the standard neo-Darwinian narrative could be critiqued. My interest in this issue of creation and evolution has continued to this day. The second, and more important, element of my cognitive awakening came from reading the works of Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer taught me that Christian theism was not merely an assemblage of independent assertions. It was a coherent worldview that could be understood as a philosophical system that made sense of the world. This notion of worldview thinking has been a hallmark of my intellectual development since this time in high school. Reading Schaeffer with his philosophical analysis of historical trends prepared me for the next formative influenceDr. William Lane Craig. William Craig came to my church when I was a senior in high school and gave a seminar on basic Christian apologetics. I subsequently read his book on the topic and began to follow his career. I later heard him give a talk at Arizona State University and was able to have lunch with him. As we were parting for the day, I asked him who I should be reading if I wanted to pursue philosophy. He immediately replied, Master the work of Alvin Plantinga. Now, I cant say Ive mastered his work, but Craigs comment opened a larger world of evangelical scholarship in the area of philosophy and through this opening I was exposed to an even broader tradition of Christians engaged in philosophy. It was exciting to see the depth and breadth of scholarship displayed by the Christian philosophical community. William Craig and J. P. Moreland speak to this issue in the latest edition of their book Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview: Over the last forty years a revolution has been occurring in Anglo-American philosophy. Since the late 1960s Christian philosophers have been coming and defending the truth of the Christian worldview with philosophically sophisticated arguments in the finest scholarly journals and professional societies. And the face of Anglo-American philosophy has been transformed. And this is where my story begins to diverge significantly from Luke Douglasat least as far as he narrates it in his published online work. Douglas testimony shows no awareness of this renaissance of Christian philosophy and the evangelicals engaged in it. Douglas states that it was Ken Ham who was the apologist who influenced me most growing up. Whatever else may be said for Ken Ham, he is not a philosophical scholar or a trained theologian. He is a popularizer of a certain brand of Creationism. It seems, from what Douglas has written, that Ken Ham influenced him heavily as a child and into his early teens. At the age of fifteen, as mentioned above, he began a heavy interest in politicseven traveling out of state to take up political causes in California. He then later states that when he was about twenty-years old during the Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate that he hadnt thought about creationism since I was a teenager. He even mentions that, the last thing I had time to do was revisit the underlying worldview. It seems that during his later teens he gave no serious thought to this issue and, perhaps, the larger philosophical worldview issues needed for serious apologetics. At least his narration of events shows no development in this area. It is this lack of theological and philosophical maturation that comes up again and again in my mind as I read his of his intellectual journey and compare it with my own. Some Key Areas of Theology and Apologetics I will mention three areas that Douglas brings up repeatedly in his online testimonials. I find it instructive to contrast our differing approaches to these facets of theology and philosophy. (1) The Inerrancy of Scripture. Douglas states, Everything else, from politics to law to communications, had been built on the foundational truth claims of the Bible being an inerrant historical source and science textbook. It is true that evangelicalsat least historicallyhave endorsed the theological notion of inerrancy. When I first learned about this concept I was directed to The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy as a competent, well thought out exposition of the doctrine. Early in college I also read evangelical philosopher Paul Feinbergs essay The Meaning of Inerrancy in which he gives a theologically robust and philosophically nuanced definition of inerrancy. At one point in his discussion he even states, One should not expect the writers of Scripture to use the language of modern scientific empiricism. I would later read J. P. Morelands essay The Rationality of Belief in Inerrancy in which he articulates a philosophically defensible theory of rationality informed by insights from the philosophy of science and then relates this to the rationality of belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Had Douglas been keeping up the literature he may have also noticed the important essay on this topic in 2009 by Jason Sexton"How Far Beyond Chicago? Assessing Recent Attempts to Reframe the Inerrancy Debate". (2) Creationism. The issue of creationism looms large in Douglas personal journey. He states, I was eight when I first heard the earth was 6,000 years old, which quickly became a central theological litmus test for whether one took God at His Word. So the litmus test developed by Douglas as a boy would seem to be the one used throughout the rest of his journey. Keep in mind his words mentioned earlier: You have to understand I hadnt thought about creationism since I was a teenager. Again, the lack of maturation in thought is apparent. When faced with difficulties in his understanding of Genesis and the creation narrative, Douglas is unable to nuance his view or change in his understanding. As he puts it, To bend my rigid faith was to risk shattering it entirely. I, too, learned a version of Young Earth Creationism (YEC) in high school and knew of Ken Ham. But I also learned of a hierarchy of importance in which the fact that God created with teleological intentionality was more important than the dating of the event. In the summer of 1991 I read Phillip Johnsons recently released Darwin on Trial. This was to become an important piece in the newly developing Intelligent Design movement and I fully embraced his focus on the philosophical issue of naturalism as the crucial issue to be examined in contemporary theories of evolution. More sophisticated proponents of YEC also recognized the importance of focusing energies on the underlying issue of naturalism. Philosophers Paul Nelson and John Mark Reynolds write in their defense of YEC: It is obvious that a person who is generally committed to a traditional understanding of Christianity can be old earth. Our disagreements on these points should not distract from the main topic. Philosophical naturalism is retarding science, philosophy, and theology. It seems to both of us that our reviewers agree in finding such a situation intolerable. To fail to unify with such people of goodwill in the assault on naturalism would not just be foolish; it would be intellectual treason. Douglas testimony regarding his development of philosophy and apologetics shows none of this nuance or development. Douglas mentions, in yet another narration of his journey, his reading of Richard Dawkins as being part of the final nails in the coffin of my longtime struggle to hold onto faith. I, too, read Richard Dawkins. In late 1991 I was in a Philosophy of Biology class at the University of Arizona and one of our textbooks was The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins. I chose to do my research paper on Dawkins book. I found the exercise to be both intellectually challenging as well as faith confirming. Examining the arguments by Dawkins allowed me to see his lack of empirical evidence, his unwarranted extrapolation of minor variation to major morphological change, and his completely speculative origin-of-life scenario. I also found that even positive reviewers of the book recognized the non-empirical basis of the book. One of my favorite descriptions comes from Jon Marks in his review of The Blind Watchmaker in the Journal of Human Evolution: The prose is extraordinary, especially from a scientist. As in his previous books, Dawkins shows himself to be a master of the seductive metaphor And consequently, one may need to step back periodically from Dawkins engaging style to recognize that there is precious little substance to The Blind Watchmaker. The work abounds with wonderfully clever expositions, turn of phrases , plausible scenarios and captivating analogies. But at the bottom line The Blind Watchmaker discusses at great length what biological evolution is like, not what biological evolution is. While this is a very useful literary and pedagogical device, it is simply thata device. I venture to say that Dawkins is without peer as an illustrator-by-analogy, all of which is interesting and appealing, as long as you do not think too hard about it. Whereas Douglas had not thought about his version of creationism since his early teenage years, I continued to read in the field and focus on the underlying issue of philosophical naturalism and how this affected the analysis of evidence. Aircraft attached to the PLA Air Force Red Falcon Air Demonstration Team perform a somersault maneuver during the aviation open day activities featuring "Dream High in Aerospace" at the Aviation University of the PLA Air Force in Changchun city, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province on August 30, 2018. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Yang Pan) BEIJING, Feb. 5 -- In accordance with the consensus between China and Singapore, the Bayi Aerobatics Team assigned to the Air Force of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) will perform at the Singapore Airshow upon invitation from February 5 to 18, 2020. A total of nine planes and 100-odd personnel from the Chinese PLA Air force will take part in the airshow, fully demonstrating the good military cooperation between the two militaries. Russia-China charter flights will be cancelled starting from February 14, the chairwoman of the center for prevention of entry and spread of the novel coronavirus on the territory of Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said. "Starting from February 14, we are planning to cancel charter flights to ensure safety within the country. Everyone has been already warned," she said at Russian President Vladimir Putins meeting with cabinet members. According to the deputy PM, Russia also limited the number of charter flights to China to two. "We are curbing the number of charter flights. Today, there will be only two," TASS cited Golikova as saying. Could the state of the DNC get any worse? Well, yes, always, apparently. Look no further than the current DNC Rules Committee, who recently published new rules for who can and cannot speak during the Dem debates. The new standards do away with the grassroots funding threshold previously required, meaning billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, could potentially be onstage at Nevadas Feb. 16 debate. How convenient, right? Well, that may largely be because of who has seats on the committee. Those present include Michael Nutter, Philadelphias mayor from 2008-2016, who is a part of the 32-member Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee and also Bloombergs choice for national political chair. According to a statement on Bloombergs site, that means he will advise the campaign on policy development and strategy, and serve as a national surrogate on behalf of the campaign, recruiting key voices to join the campaign and traveling to field offices and events, speaking to constituents and press about why Mike Bloomberg is uniquely qualified to unite and rebuild the country at a time when it is more divided than ever. Seems like a useful ally. Also present is California superdelegate Alexandra Rooker, who just last month was hired as Bloombergs senior advisor. She is currently vice chair of the California Democratic Party. Publicly, the push for more inclusive rules for the debates did not come from Bloomberg. Instead, Julian Castro and Cory Booker, who both dropped out last year, were the ones to call for it. Andrew Yang, who most likely would not qualify for the next debate if the previous rules were in place, wrote a letter to DNC Chairman Tom Perez asking that there be more qualifying polls in place for this issue. Yangs press secretary S.Y. Lee tweeted Jan. 31 in frustration for the new rules yield to billionaires like Bloomberg, arguing the loss of focus on grassroots movements take away from the partys larger goals. Its a mistake for @TheDemocrats to change the rules for debates in the middle of this race to yield to a billionaire. We need to respect the grassroots movement leading this party forward. https://t.co/JekLi6eo3I SY Lee (@szeyian) January 31, 2020 Castro and Booker both argued that with the current qualifications, qualifiers for the debates end up overwhelmingly white. This is true, and bears change. However, these new qualifications dont help minority candidatesno, instead they help those at the very top. The Democrats arent even trying to hide it anymoreThere is no Democratic electionNot only are they cheating to keep out Bernie but they are changing the rules to get Blooomberg into the debateshttps://t.co/yNXYzTd5id Tim Pool (@Timcast) February 1, 2020 Two candidates, @DevalPatrick and @MikeBloomberg entered the race in mid-November. The rules are now being bent to give only one of those candidates a chance to make their case to the American people. Hint: its not the one who was the first black governor of Massachusetts. Abe Rakov (@AbeRakov) January 31, 2020 Even several candidates, former and otherwise, tweeted in opposition to the changing rules. Of course they did.https://t.co/eHPQpijbfF Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) February 1, 2020 Lets make one thing clear: @TheDemocrats decision to change the rules now to accommodate Mike Bloomberg and not changing them in the past to ensure a more diverse debate stage is just plain wrong.https://t.co/BoCVpahWpx Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) January 31, 2020 The DNC changing its debate criteria to ignore grassroots donations seems tailor-made to get Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage in February. Having Americans willing to invest in your campaign is a key sign of a successful campaign. The people will win out in the end. Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) February 1, 2020 Stay tuned to see if Bloomberg takes the stage on Feb. 16. The quick Red Fox has jumped over the lazy wall. After years of coffee sourcing work in the area, Oakland-based importer Red Fox Coffee Merchants have announced plans to open a year-round coffee lab in Oaxaca, Mexico. Red Foxs lab in Oaxaca is their second at origin, following a previously established lab in Lima, Peru. With a base in Oaxaca, the new lab will also be working with farmers in nearby Veracruz and Chiapaswho, along with Oaxaca, are the three main producing states in the south of the country, as per Red Fox. For Red Fox, the impetus for opening a lab in Mexico is multi-faceted. From the announcement: Mexico has something extra going on thats just, rad. The creativity is overflowing and inspiring Beyond coffee, Mexico has one of the most exciting culinary traditions and innovative scenes going on right now anywhere in the world Coffee is part of that now more than ever. We want to be a part of that. Its also true that the coffees are really, really good here. There is a lot of work happening in the field to improve quality and revive the incredible bank of genetic material that they still have in Mexico and maybe not anywhere else. Red Fox co-founder and career specialty coffee sourcing expert Aleco Chigounis tells Sprudge: We see Mexico in the same light that we saw Peru in the years prior to opening our operation in Lima a few seasons ago; a country full of smallholder farmers willing and able to deliver high quality green to the specialty marketplace, but lacking the access necessary to enter. The fact that the altitudes across the southern end of the country are extreme latitudinally by comparison to most any other producing country, coupled with the older varieties still grown within its producing regions make the potential for quality as great or greater than any of Mexicos neighbors to the south in Central America. The Red Fox sourcing lab is scheduled to open later this month, with a large range of offerings from each come May and June, including coffees from the Pluma de Oaxaca area. For more information on the new lab or the upcoming offerings, visit Red Fox Coffee Merchants official website. Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. Top image via Red Fox Coffee Merchants We see our expansion into distribution as an enhancement of our content production capabilities to our healthcare agency clients, says Steve Gold. We are confident that we will exceed client expectations with these new broadcast services. The SGNY Group, a New York based content production and media distribution company, has rolled out three broadcast PR services that the company has developed specifically to serve the healthcare industry. Founder and President Steve Gold explains, We believe that the healthcare industry has been underserved by the broadcast PR vendors who produce SMTs. Healthcare satellite and radio tours demand a special skillset for their success. Weve assembled an incredible team who understand healthcare and have the relationships at networks and stations to really make a difference for our clients. The new line-up includes television and radio tours as well as an audio news release service thats distributed exclusively to top-ranked syndicated healthcare shows. A 60-second Healthcare ANR will achieve an audience of over 30-million listeners. SGNY Healthcare Satellite tours and Radio Media Tours will perform equally as well. According to Steve Gold, healthcare companies and their agencies can expect a minimum of 22 bookings for an SMT/RMT combination with a reach of over 20 million. Radio Media tours will achieve similarly high listenership. We see our expansion into distribution as an enhancement of our content production capabilities to our healthcare agency clients, says Steve Gold. We are confident that we will exceed client expectations with these new broadcast services. The SGNY Group was founded in 2007 to provide content production to the corporate community. Over the years, the company has distinguished itself with award-winning productions in both film and animation in healthcare and other sectors. Learn more about The SGNY Group by visiting their website: https://sgny.com/ Help India! TCN News Seattle City Council became the first legislative body in the United States to take a stance on Indias CAA and NRC, which have created turmoil in India since the CAA passed in December 2019. Support TwoCircles The resolution was passed on February 3rd causing celebrations amongst the hundreds of South Asians settled in Seattle who rallied and attended a midday City Council voteto express their support. . The resolution, introduced by Council member Kshama Sawant,opposes Indias National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), affirm Seattle as a welcoming city, and express City Councils solidarity with Seattles South Asian community regardless of religion and caste. We welcome the Seattle City Councils resolution denouncing the divisive and draconian CAA and NRC. These acts are unconstitutional and designed to disenfranchise several million Muslim, Dalits and other minorities in order to create a fascist state. said Javed Sikander, spokesperson for the Seattle chapter of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) in their press release. Seattle is leading the moral consensus in the global outcry against the CAA. When genocidal campaigns begin, one important intervention is international condemnation, and the Seattle community feels a deep sense of solidarity with their electeds, as the time to stand against the Indian governments Islamophobic policies is now, said Thenmozhi Soundarajan, Executive Director of Equality Labs. These genocidal projects happen in the shadows and this resolution highlights the significance of Seattle City Council standing up for South Asian minorities, Muslims, and caste oppressed communities. Individuals and organisations from the South Asia community such as API Chaya, Tasveer, IAMC Seattle, Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Washington, Seattle South Asians Building Accountability & Healing (SABAH), Khalsa Gurmat Center Federal Way,Gurudwara of Renton, Gurudwara of Auburn, Gurudwara of Kent, Gurudwara of Bothell,and the Seattle LGBTQ Commission joined national organizations Equality Labs,Amnesty International USA,and the Ambedkar King Study Circle have spoken up against the CAA ( Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC ( National Register of Citizens). They had also taken out a rally on Januray 26th Republic Day of India to protest against this Act enforced by the Government of India recognising the fact that international condemnation will apply pressure on the Indian government to account for the discrimination and violence perpetuated by the CAA and NRC. Veena Roy of SABAH said in the press release, As South Asians in Seattle, SABAH confirms that the CAA is not an internal issue to India, and that Seattle must take a stand against it. There are thousands here in Seattle who are intimately connected to the minority experience in India, some have needed to migrate here after similar violence in the past, and many who have family in India who directly experience the violence that the Indian government clamors to keep hidden. We know that Kshama Sawants resolution is much more than a symbolic gesture. It has created ripples in the Greater Seattle Area, even in India. As a community of Seattle, a sanctuary city that fights for equality and safety for the undocumented, we applaud the passing of this resolution. The CAA imposes a religious criterion to fast-track Indian citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, and Christian immigrants, notably leaving out Muslims. When paired with the NRC, the CAA could lead to hundreds of millions of people in India being stripped of their citizenship and rights. The NRC requires extensive documentation to prove an individuals citizenship and has already left out millions of residents when applied in the state of Assam. Theres something cosmically perverse about the fact that a president whose reading habits, by all accounts, are practically nonexistent has inspired a deluge of books about his tenure in the White House. A number of them are elaborate chronicles of bad behavior, full of double-dealing and palace intrigue. The sources tend to be current or former White House staffers jostling for position and posterity, strategically leaking to journalists in order to cast themselves as noble custodians and their rivals as craven sycophants. Whatever you might learn from the relentless churn of the news cycle, books like these suggest theres always more. Unmaking the Presidency, by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes, isnt just another compendium of insider gossip and bumbling treachery. The authors offer something more sobering, more analytical and, at this point, more revealing. Unmaking the Presidency situates Trumps tenure in the history of the executive branch, and shows how he is remaking the office itself in his own image. Hennessey and Wittes, who edit the blog Lawfare, argue that Trump is pursuing a vision of the presidency thats all his own. Not that this vision requires much expenditure of effort on the presidents part; Trump, just by being Trump, elevates the expressive and personal dimensions of the office. This is the authors careful way of saying what they eventually conclude: that Trump wants the executive to look more like an absolutist monarchy, with all of the glory and unfettered power that entails. Dr Helmut Marko thinks adding even more races to F1's already unprecedentedly-long calendar is "feasible". Recently, the boss of Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso principal Franz Tost, said the current tally of 22 races is the "absolute limit". But Dr Helmut Marko, the energy drink company's top F1 official, thinks Liberty Media's new cap of up to 25 races per year should not be ruled out. "If the calendar is properly coordinated, with no crisscrossing of the globe to reduce travel and a few restrictions on Thursday and Friday, even that is feasible," he told Kronen Zeitung newspaper. As well as its two teams, Red Bull also promotes a race at the circuit it owns - the Red Bull Ring in Austria. But Marko said a new Austrian GP contract beyond 2020 is not a certainty. "We see it as a complete package," said the Austrian. "We have two teams, one grand prix - these three factors are discussed intensively. "The intention is that it continues, but only under the appropriate conditions." (GMM) Green protesters step up pressure on Siemens over coal mine project Logo of German industrial group Siemens is seen in Zurich By John Revill MUNICH (Reuters) - Siemens came under increased pressure from climate change protesters and its own shareholders on Wednesday over a contract to supply an Australian coal mine, demanding that Chief Executive Joe Kaeser cancel the deal. About 200 people with banners and megaphones protested against the agreement to supply signaling technology outside the Munich arena where the German engineering company was holding its annual general meeting. Inside, a procession of shareholders queued up to support their call, worried about the environmental impact and carbon emissions from the project. As the company announced weaker-than-expected earnings, Kaeser said Siemens would become climate neutral by 2030 and it was "almost grotesque" that it had been singled out by environmentalists for criticism. "The claims raised are legitimate ones, but they don't bring about solutions right away," Kaeser told reporters. Under the contract agreed last year, Siemens will provide signals technology for a railway line to transport coal from a remote coal mine run by Indias Adani Group (ADEL.NS) in Queensland. Before Wednesday's meeting, protesters unfurled a banner on Siemens' Munich headquarters that declared: "Bushfires start here - stop Adani". Murrawah Johnson, from an Australian indigenous group, told the AGM that Siemens had not checked properly whether the traditional owners supported the coal mine project. "We have said time and again in a clear voice no to this project," he said. Helena Marschall, a 17-year-old member of environmental group Fridays for Future, accused Siemens of hypocrisy by posing as a climate protection company while taking on environmentally damaging contracts. "A company that is truly sustainable can no longer afford to support fossil-fuel projects. Contracts will have to be broken not just in Australia, but all over the world," she said. Story continues Shareholders also expressed concern about the impact of the 18-million-euro (15.17 million pounds) contract and the damage it could do to Siemens' reputation. "With a careful examination of all environmental and reputational risks, Siemens should never have signed this contract," said Vera Diehl, a portfolio manager from Union Investment, which owns a 0.6% stake. FORECASTS MISSED Siemens reported first-quarter results that missed forecasts after a slowdown in its industrial automation business and problems in its power and gas and wind power operations. Siemens' industrial operating profit fell 30% to 1.43 billion euros ($1.58 billion), missing analyst forecasts for 1.88 billion euros in a consensus gathered by the company. Revenue rose slightly to 20.32 billion euros, undershooting estimates for 20.63 billion euros. The company confirmed its guidance of full-year earnings per share in the range of 6.30 to 7.00 euros after posting 1.33 euros during the first quarter. "We have had better quarters in the past," Kaeser said, but added that Siemens would make up ground in the second half and hit its targets after a slow start. Despite the downturn, the company's plan to spin off its energy business and merge it with its wind power operations remained on track for September, he said. On Tuesday Siemens said it would buy Iberdrola's IBE.MC 8.1% stake in Siemens Gamesa renewable energy for 1.1 billion euros and transfer the shares into its new Siemens Energy unit. (Reporting by John Revill, additional reporting by Joern Poltz, Editing by Michelle Martin and Timothy Heritage) korea face mask Ahn Young-joon/AP South Korea is threatening fines up to $42,108 or up to two-year prison sentences for those convicted of hoarding masks and hand sanitizer amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Stores there, including Costco, have reportedly been having difficulty meeting the demand for face masks. South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government was acting "to discourage market manipulation, particularly in the face mask market." has Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. South Korea will impose a fine of up to $42,108 or a maximum two-year prison sentence for those convicted of hoarding protective masks and hand sanitizers amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to Korean news outlets. "The government will do the following to discourage market manipulation, particularly in the face mask market," South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said, according to the Korean Herald. The legislation is expected to be enforced starting Wednesday and until April 30. Stores in the country, including Costco, have reportedly been having difficulty in meeting with the demand of face masks. Some industry experts have said they suspect the shortage is being caused by Chinese tourists or third-party merchants who buy the masks in bulk only to sell them online. "We cannot sell KF94 masks as supply does not meet demand," a Seoul-based pharmacy employee told The Herald. "It is hard to secure inventory of such masks even if we paid more money." The effectiveness of the protective masks has been called into question, with some medical experts suggesting they may have more of a psychological effect than a medical one. "Paper, surgical-type masks that you see in operating rooms ... these are designed to prevent your own coughing and excretions from getting into other people," Dr. Robert Amler, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, told Business Insider's Hilary Brueck. Story continues "They are really not to protect the wearer. They're designed to protect the people all around you," added Amler, a former chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Korea recently had a 16th patient test positive for the virus, which has killed at least 427 people and infected over 20,000 others worldwide. Read the original article on Business Insider By Express News Service NAGAPATTINAM / KARAIKAL: A group of 35 Danish boarding school students of West fines Efter Skole of Commerce in Funen island in Denmark renovated the 16th-century tombs of Danish settlers in Tharangambadi in Nagapattinam district during their week-long visit to India. Tharangambadi was once the settlement of Danish merchants and sailors in the 16th century. During their stay, the students of Classes 9 to 12 whitewashed and painted over 30 tombs in the cemetery where Danish sailors and soldiers are buried. The cemetery is located next to Fort Dansborg (Danish Fort). Speaking to TNIE, the schools headmaster, Poul Petersen, said, The students from Denmark used every alternate year to visit Tranquebar (Tharangamabadi) to learn about Danish tradition. They were enthusiastic about doing voluntary activities during their stay. Our students learnt so many interesting things about the locals during their stay. The students also actively participated in a clean-up of the littered beach. They interacted with locals and fishers and learnt about their way of life. Their stay was arranged by the Danish Tranquebar Association. Meanwhile, around 25 students and three teachers from France arrived in Karaikal to study agriculture and the effects of climate change in South India. They have come to Karaikal as part of a student exchange programme between Enseignement Agricole en France (Agricultural Education in France) and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute (PAJANCOA & RI). There might be some controversy regarding the outcome of the Iowa Caucus, but for the Monomoy Regional High School students that made the trip to see U.S. politics in action, it was an experience they won't soon forget. For the second time since the school's opening, history teacher John Dickson took 20 students from the sandy shores of Cape Cod to the snowy plains of Iowa where they had numerous opportunities to watch the 2020 presidential campaign unfold. Dickson took a group of students to the caucus in 2016. The 2020 caucus trip came about when Monomoy's respective Young Democrat and Republican clubs banded together to form the Political Action Club, which meets regularly to discuss political issues ranging from gun control to universal healthcare. It was in that group that the idea of going to the caucuses came up, he said. Senior Holly Evans has had an interest in politics for some time, which, along with her supportive and political family, inspired her to take part in the trip. The fact that she'll be able to vote in the upcoming election was also a major factor. A lot of us are turning 18 before the general election, so it's a good idea for us to get a sense of who we're aligned with, Evans said. Nothing compares to actually going out and meeting these people. Some candidates we actually got to have real conversations with. Evans said she and her group were able to talk with candidates Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. Evans said that though certain candidates appeal to her, she went on the trip eager to learn about the individuals running for the nation's highest office. Prior to the caucus there were candidates Evans thought she didn't like, and others that she did. After hearing them speak or having the chance to talk personally with them, her opinions changed, drastically in some cases. My parents love Elizabeth Warren, but my views don't always align with my parents, Evans said. I didn't really go in just thinking about Elizabeth Warren. I wanted to keep an open mind with everything. Evans did say that hearing Warren speak live was much different than hearing her on television, and that Walsh and Andrew Yang had high energy. Joe Walsh was really energetic, she said. Probably one of the most energetic, and Andrew Yang's energy was absolutely insane. It helped so much being able to see what goes on behind the scenes. I've watched videos of it, but never really thought that much about it until I was there. Senior Sage Barnes turned 18 in September and is already registered to vote. She felt attending the caucus would help her better understand the candidate of her choice, and it did. I did come into it with a candidate in mind, and I will say I left still intending to vote for them, she said, adding that others did offer new insights nonetheless. For Barnes, getting an inside perspective of the Iowa Caucus culture was a singular experience. It was incredible, she said. It was nothing like anything else I'd ever experienced before. Seeing the excitement and energy at each one of the rallies was spectacular. I think really getting to look inside the process by being a part of it was the most eye-opening thing I could have done. For Ali Barrett, also a senior, it was the divisive political climate that motivated her to go on the trip. With such a tense climate around impeachment and the tension Donald Trump has created, it's a really interesting time to be in politics, she said. It's really important that young people are out there. Barrett said that seeing candidates in person was a rewarding aspect of the trip. I was definitely surprised by a lot of the candidates, she said. When you see them on TV you get a pretty good idea about them, but in person it's much better. I'm not a big fan of Elizabeth Warren, but after seeing her in person, she's a very good public speaker. Joe Walsh had so much energy and was so vivacious and lively compared to some of the other politicians I've seen. Dubbing the trip kind of a whirlwind, Barrett said she was struck by the dedication of the supporters of each candidate, such as Andrew Yang's Yang Gang. It was interesting to see the ones that would travel for weeks just to volunteer at the candidates' rallies, she said. You could see what kind of people they actually attracted. For Dickson, not only was it about offering his students the chance to see history being made, but to also give them a chance to be part of it. I think it was really interesting from them to hear from the candidates directly, he said. I think when you do that the sense of division is less. Dickson said that everyone seemed surprised by both Joe Walsh and Andrew Yang. Joe Walsh wasn't what I expected he would be, Dickson said. His positions weren't that different (from mine). Obviously he's a long shot and doesn't have to mince his words, but came across with some very thoughtful positions. A number of candidates did that. Dickson feels the trip resonated with his students. I think it was a great educational experience for the kids, and it was great for us, too, as chaperones, he said. I think it does restore hope that this is a moment in time that may be messy, but democracy is messy. We will get through this and come to some consensus about who the president will be, and go from there. Dickson was especially impressed with the questions his students asked various candidates. Senior Jaymie Buffington asked which historical figure Warren admired most, receiving a thoughtful answer about sociologist and workers-rights activist Frances Perkins. At the Walsh event he spent an hour with us and most of it he was taking questions, Dickson said. I think 10 or more of our group asked questions. It was such a gift to have an hour with him, getting to ask questions, and getting thoughtful responses. Dickson emphasized that the trip was non-partisan. Though students did have candidates they were interested in, the aim was to have them see as much of each of the caucus facets as possible, regardless of party. This type of trip isn't for everyone, he said. Not everyone wants to drive around Iowa in February listening to politicians. I think the students are taking away a lot from the experience. A couple are big Pete fans. I'm certainly not going to tell them they shouldn't be. They went in and listened and I think are still Pete fans, but it gives them greater respect for all the candidates, not just the one that is their preference. It's a bipartisan group and we went to see candidates of both parties. I'm really glad I ended up going, said Evans. It's probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. Last week, Ukrainian media were flooded by news about the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Ukraine and his talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Ukraine is not the only former USSR country that the head of American diplomacy visited. From Kyiv, Pompeo went to Minsk. The last time the US Secretary of State visited Belarus was 26 years ago. Then Pompeo was in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. American diplomacy intensified its activities in the post-Soviet space due to certain circumstances. U.S. oil interests in Belarus Pompeo met with President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei at the peak of the Belarus-Russia contradictions over energy prices. The Secretary of State supported the independence of Belarus, expressed his intention to fully supply the country with American oil at competitive prices, announced the need to lift sanctions and return the US ambassador to Minsk. Since 2006, the US and the EU imposed sanctions against senior Belarusian officials in response to the persecution of dissidents and because of doubts about the transparency of elections. In 2008 the American ambassador left Minsk at the initiative of Lukashenko. In 2015, the sanctions were temporarily suspended due to the fact that Minsk began to play the role of a negotiation platform for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The United States has chosen a convenient moment for building bridges with the leadership of Belarus. Russia and Belarus could not agree on oil supplies in 2020. The Russian authorities have introduced a tax maneuver that will allow oil export duties to be reduced to zero until 2024, but will make it possible to increase the mineral extraction tax. This is not beneficial for Belarusians, since they bought oil and natural gas from Russia without paying duties on preferential terms at prices lower than market prices, and due to the tax maneuver, energy carriers will be more expensive in any case. Belarusians purchased 24 million tons of oil a year from Russians, which is 6 million tons more than the needs of local oil refineries (18 million tons a year). Excess oil was resold in foreign markets. By 2024, the price of Russian oil for Belarus will be equal to world prices. In November 2019, Belarus bought Russian Urals brand oil at a price of $ 49.3, while on the world market it was trading for $ 63.34. Among Russian companies, oil continues to be supplied to Belarus by the Russneft and Neftis of businessman Mikhail Gutseriev. The Russian authorities are trying to replenish the budget in the face of difficult economic realities. Benefits for fraternal Belarus cost too much. Earlier, Moscow imposed restrictions on the supply of petroleum products to Belarus, which were also resold at higher prices. The Russian Federation expects Belarus to deeply integrate in the economic sphere, unify the tax system, introduce a single currency within the framework of the union state. Last years talks between Lukashenko and Putin on this issue were accompanied by protests in Minsk. Washington is trying to extract purely economic benefits from the contradictions between Minsk and Moscow, hoping that Lukashenko will contribute to the conclusion of contracts for the supply of American oil to Belarusian refineries as an alternative to black gold from Russia. The American oil industry was impressed by the recent agreement of the Belarusian Naftan company on the acquisition of 86 000 tons of oil in Norway. In 2010-2012, Belarus imported oil from Venezuela and Azerbaijan amid worsening relations with the Russian Federation. Now Lukashenko sets the goal of reducing dependence on Russian oil to 30-40%. The Trump administration is lobbying for the interests of the American oil business and hopes to help Belarus develop its sales market. Since the lifting of the ban on oil supplies abroad in 2015, the United States began to export more oil than import. In 2019, it exported 2.5-3 million barrels per day, and a third of this volume was shipped to European countries. Unlike his predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Trump has little concern with respect for human rights or the lack of democracy in Belarus. First of all, he sees economic benefits in this country. Pompeo believes that Russia is Belaruss neighbor and long-term partner, and the United States will not give the Belarusian authorities a choice with whom to cooperate. Belarus is interesting to the Trump administration as long as there will be the task of diversifying the directions of oil imports. Americans will not shake the chair under Lukashenko. However, the supply of American oil to Belarus may remain at the level of talks due to the specifics of this country. The main hindrance is the issue of price. The price per barrel of WTI American oil ($ 51.09), Mars US ($ 52.06) is not much lower than a barrel of Russian Urals ($ 54.85). And Louisiana Light ($ 56.19) costs even more. It should be borne in mind that the delivery of American oil in tankers across the Atlantic and then its transit through the Baltic countries or Ukraine will cost Belarus more than deliveries of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Belarusians faced such a problem when they imported oil from Venezuela. Purely technological factors play their role. Initially, Belarusian refineries were built to process Russian oil, which differs from the American one. They will have to be modernized to increase the depth of processing, which is less than in Germany. All this will require additional funds. As of December 2019, the national debt of Belarus amounted to one third of GDP. Despite the consequences of tax maneuvers, Russian oil will cost Belarusians cheaper than American. Most likely, Lukashenko is trying to use recent purchases of Norwegian oil, Pompeos visit as a tool for blackmailing the Kremlin to bargain for a discount. He is not ready for a real turn of Belaruss foreign policy to the West, because in this case he will have to put an end to the semi-socialist system existing in the country. Thanks to the meeting with Pompeo, the Belarusian leader demonstrated to the international community and his own citizens his self-sufficiency and independence. To a greater extent, this message is addressed to representatives of the Belarusian opposition, who advocate a change of power and rapprochement with the West, against the union state. In the current context, protests of a pro-Western minority and their escalation into clashes with law enforcement agencies are dangerous for the Lukashenko regime. Amid the unrest, the Kremlin could carry out a coup in Belarus and put a more loyal leader at the helm of the country on the pretext of helping a military-political ally to combat "foreign interference". American game in Central Asia Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Americans have sought to strengthen cooperation with Central Asian states in the areas of energy, security, investment, and help strengthen regional integration without the participation of Russia and China, which also have a strong influence in this region. Republicans continue the policies of ex-presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. In 2015, on the initiative of former US Secretary of State John Kerry, the "C5 + 1" format was created for regular meetings with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. During his visit to Tashkent on February 2-3, Mike Pompeo met with the foreign ministers of the Central Asian republics. The Trump administration pays special attention to relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. During his tour, the head of the State Department met with Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokaev and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Americans are alarmed by the political course of the new president of Kazakhstan. One gets the impression that Tokaev is trying to strengthen relations between the republic and Russia and China, gradually moving away from the foreign policy model of ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who maintained a balance in relations with Moscow, Beijing, Washington and Brussels. After the inauguration, Tokaev first visited Russia, Uzbekistan and China. He opposes the spread of anti-Chinese sentiment in Kazakhstan in the context of contradictions between the US and China. The president does not focus on the issue of infringement of the rights of ethnic Kazakhs in China, where they are sent to special labor camps along with the Uighurs, does not consider Russia's actions in Crimea in 2014 an annexation. Tokaev is trying to turn Kazakhstan into a bridge between Russia and China, to influence the rapprochement of the two nuclear powers. At a forum in Omsk last year, Tokaev and Putin agreed to modernize border crossings, improve the quality of transport infrastructure on the Russian-Kazakh border, which is necessary for the implementation of the transport corridors "One Belt, One Way", "North-South" (Russia - Central Asia - Iran - Suez Canal - Mediterranean Sea - Atlantic Ocean - Baltic Sea). The Kazakh president advocates strengthening the yuan as a global currency, increasing bilateral trade and investment cooperation between Russia and China. From 2002 to 2018, Russia invested $ 14 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan, including in the oil and gas and mining and metallurgical sectors, and China ranks 4th among investment partners. These circumstances are alarming for the United States, which has 400 enterprises in Kazakhstan and has invested $ 40 billion in the local economy, mainly in oil production. Pompeo met with Tokaev and Nazarbayev and made it clear that they would benefit more from working with the Americans than with the Chinese and Russians. American investors are ready to invest from 500 thousand to 1 billion dollars in the creation of only one meat processing plant in Kazakhstan, and to finance various startups. Washington is trying to outbid the Kazakhs from Moscow and Beijing. Pompeo met with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on whom the United States relies in strengthening its influence in Central Asia. Mirziyoyev positions himself as a progressive leader and reformer, carries out modernization of the country, attracts foreign investment, while maintaining an authoritarian style of government. He is trying to make Uzbekistan a regional leader, to unite other republics around it. Unlike his predecessor Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev makes attempts to resolve territorial disputes with neighboring countries, regularly holds meetings with their leaders. Uzbekistan is interesting to Americans as a route for transporting military supplies to Afghanistan, as an alternative to unstable Pakistan. The United States is impressed that Uzbekistan, unlike Kazakhstan, is in no hurry to embrace Russia. Since 2012, the country suspended its membership in the CSTO. Uzbekistan does not participate in the Eurasian Economic Union. Last year, Uzbekistan took part in the Russian Center-2019 military exercises. In Uzbekistan, Americans have shares in 200 enterprises. In 2018, Washington and Tashkent entered into contracts worth $ 2.55 billion. There are plans to implement projects in the field of gas processing, textile production, and drug sales. American diplomacy has intensified in Central Asia to prevent this region from returning to the orbit of Russian influence and strengthening China's position. Darrell Bailey, 43, failed to stop for cops, crashed into a fence and then swallowed a bag of meth while trying to elude authorities, said Polk County Sheriff's Office A registered sex offender with very distinctive head and face tattoos swallowed a bag of meth and almost slammed into a patrol car after officers tried to pull him over for a traffic stop. Darrell Bailey, 43, failed to stop for cops, crashed into a fence and then swallowed a bag of meth while trying to elude authorities, said Polk County Sheriff's Office. Bailey had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender on two separate counts when the officers tried to pull him over for a traffic stop in his Dodge Ram truck in Mulberry, Florida on January 29. The suspect allegedly did a U-turn and drove away from officers who pursued him and attempted a precision immobilization technique maneuver on his vehicle to get him to stop. Bailey then almost hit a patrol car before he came to a halt when he crashed through a fence and into a shed, the sheriff's office said. According to the police report, the suspect admitted fleeing from officers because he knew he had warrants out for his arrest and because he had methamphetamine on him. Bailey had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender on two separate counts when the officers tried to pull him over for a traffic stop in his Dodge Ram truck in Mulberry, Florida on January 29 He told officers he swallowed the bag of meth so it wouldn't be found. Bailey also said he was 'just trying to dodge' the patrol car that he nearly hit, Brian Bruchey, the police department's public information officer, told Newsweek. He was found in possession of Alprazolam and drug paraphernalia. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that it was an 'epic fail' for Bailey. Bailey had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender on two separate counts when the officers tried to pull him over in Mulberry, Florida 'This was an epic fail for this guy. He had a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, he failed to stop for deputies, he failed at getting away - he made a lot of choices today, but failed several times with those choices. We're extremely grateful though, that he failed to hit our deputy with his truck,' he said. Bailey was taken to Polk County Jail and charged with a series of felons including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer, tampering with evidence, criminal mischief over $1,000, possession of methamphetamine, possession of Alprazolam, break/injure fence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and knowingly driving while license suspended/revoked. Bailey has a long list of prior 15 felony charges and eight misdemeanors including sexual offense against a child, robbery, burglary, grand theft motor vehicle and violation of probation, according to police. New Delhi, Feb 5 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at both the BJP and the AAP during his third public meeting ahead of the February 8 Assembly elections in Delhi, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were least bothered about providing employment to the the youth and were only using their anger to grab power. He also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not wiping out corruption from the country, saying the two parties were spreading hatred and violence in the name of nationalism. Addressing a public rally in Kondli Assembly constituency for Congress candidate Amrish Gautam, Rahul Gandhi said, "The atmosphere in India has changed in the last five years. Brotherhood and peace have vanished from the society. What is the reason for this? Many of you will say that this happened due to Modi, the RSS and the BJP. "But I will put things in a little different manner. The biggest reason is not taking the youth forward. People are scared due to unemployment. And if the youth and the new generation cannot find a way, they will get angry. That anger is being misused by Modi. The real reason is unemployment," he said. Slamming the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said, "The youth are roaming around on the streets and getting angry due to unemployment. And their anger is being misused by Modi and Kejriwal." He alleged that both Kejriwal and Modi remained silent on the issue of unemployment. "Their politics is of hatred and if they provide employment to you, then their politics will end," he said. Training his guns at the Prime Minister and Delhi Chief Minister, the Congress leader said, "Kejriwal and Modi had said that they will wipe out corruption. Did corruption end? Entire India knows that corruption has not been wiped out, but in fact it has only increased." He further said that a new fashion of nationalism has emerged across the country. Both Modi and Kejriwal were teaching patriotism, but no one needed to do so as everyone is a patriot in India, he said. "These are all ways to divide, understand this," he appealed to the people. Rahul Gandhi also highlighted the works of the UPA government and said that the Congress government had waived off farm loans to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore within 10 to 15 days of its announcement. Hitting out at Modi and Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi said, "You people need to understand that they (Modi and Kejriwal) only want to divide india." The Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad also said that the entire world wanted to invest in India and give employment to the youth. "But they are questioning as to where is the India where peace, brotherhood and love prevailed. They dont want to invest in India which is now known for hatred." He further said that earlier "Pakistan was a symbol of violence and hatred". "Now it is also visible in India. And it is the loss of India and the youth of the country," he said, adding that the hatred which has spread across the country is helping Modi, and not benefiting the people of the country. The Congress, which ruled the national capital for 15 years from 1998 to 2013, was reduced to zero seats in the 2015 Assembly elections. The grand old party is looking for a revival in the Assembly polls scheduled on February 8. Counting of votes will take place on February 11. Michael Kors owner Capri Holdings cut its forecasts on Wednesday as it warned of a $100 million hit to revenue due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, which has led to 150 store closures and travel restrictions on high-spending tourists. However, strong holiday-quarter demand for its Versace dresses and handbags in Europe and the Americas sent the shares of the fashion house up 8%. The company's stock has fallen about 20% since the start of the year, mainly due to the fallout of the epidemic in China, which has killed more than 490 people and forced businesses to shut stores and factories. The virus outbreak is the latest setback for Capri in the region, where a rapidly growing upper middle class represents a critical market for luxury fashion labels. Months of protests in the shopping hub of Hong Kong led sales in the Chinese-ruled city to plunge, while a controversial Versace T-shirt that labeled Hong Kong and Macau as countries dented demand for the brand in mainland China. The company said the health emergency in the world's second largest economy would impact sales in other regions as more countries continue to restrict travelers from China. Starbucks Corp and Levi Strauss & Co have also forecast a hit to their near-term profit as they have shut about half their stores in China. "This is going to be a very tough period for luxury brands as they are likely to see a significant drop in sales through at least the following quarter on top of the recent slowdown," said Ben Cavender, managing director at China Market Research Group in Shanghai. Capri cut its annual revenue forecast to $5.65 billion from $5.8 billion and profit forecast to $4.45 to $4.50 per share from $4.95 per share. New designs from Donatella Versace featuring her brother Gianni's signature and the company's "Barocco V" logo brought in new consumers and powered a 9.2% rise in holiday-quarter revenue. Analysts were expecting a 6.9% increase. "Donatella's design vision and her marketing prowess are working exactly the way that we had envisioned when we acquired the company," Chief Executive Officer John Idol said. Versace, which was bought by Capri in 2018 for about $2 billion, made $195 million in revenue in the third quarter. Excluding items, Capri earned $1.66 per share, beating expectations of $1.59 per share. The irrepressible Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy has a somewhat different take on the matter. He said flat out, dont talk to me about history, Aaron David Miller says of Jared Kushner, the US presidents son-in-law and the architect of the deal of the century unveiled last week by Donald Trump. He said, I told the Israelis and the Palestinians not to talk to me about history too, recalls Miller, a former peace negotiator who was among the people Kushner consulted in formulating a plan that conforms with Benjamin Netanyahus wildest dreams. Its announcement was apparently timed to bolster Netanyahus chances of securing a majority in next months Israeli elections, the third within a year after two inconclusive contests. It is also supposed to help Trump maintain his ascendancy with the Christian evangelicals devoted to Israel as a conduit for the end times, when they expect to be raptured away on the stairway to paradise while the rest of us roast in hell. The irrepressible Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy has a somewhat different take on the matter. In a flimsy hospital gown, injured, barefoot and confused, without food or water, with a catheter attached and wearing a diaper, Gaza resident Omar Abu Jeriban was tossed on the side of the road on June 13, 2008 and left to die, he wrote last week in the Israeli newspaper, adding: The other day, the entire Palestinian people became Abu Jeriban. He goes on to argue in the same article that the announcement in Washington is tantamount to the third Israeli Nakba, or catastrophe: After losing most of their land, property and dignity in the first [1948] and their liberty in the second [1967], now comes the third to crush whatever is left of their hope. The complexities of the past can readily be discounted, of course, if you ignore history, as Kushner was determined to do. His plan, obviously devoid of any Palestinian input, envisages the incorporation of all Jewish settlements, illegal under international law, into Israel, plus the annexation of 30pc of West Bank. In return, if the Palestinians play nice, they will get a bunch of non-contiguous municipalities, linked by bridges or tunnels, with Israel controlling the security aspects of the ghettoes and almost everything else. Furthermore, some of the Palestinians who are now Israeli citizens will be stripped of that dubious privilege and allocated to the proposed state. A capital on the least developed periphery of Jerusalem is a possibility, and they can call it Al Quds if they so desire. Not surprisingly, Mahmoud Abbas, the lame duck presiding over the so-called Palestinian Authority (PA), has rejected the plan as well as any communications with the Trump White House. He doesnt want Trump to be able to claim that Abbas has been consulted, and he has been quoted as saying that he doesnt want to go down in history as the man who sold out Jerusalem. Let us not forget, though, that Israel and its perennial allies deemed Abbas an appropriate replacement for Yasser Arafat precisely because he was deemed readily malleable, and throughout his tenure the PA has collaborated with Israeli security agencies. It hardly matters any more that Arab League foreign ministers have endorsed Abbass view of the unfolding fiasco. The US and Israel know that some of the richest Arab states are effectively on their side. The UAE, Bahrain and Oman even sent their ambassadors to the distinctly Zionist celebration in the White House. The Saudis stayed away, perhaps only because its crown prince has lately been restrained by his father. Perhaps the only implementable aspect of Kushners plan is the annexation part, and there were indications that Netanyahu would proceed almost immediately to achieve that goal, but he appears to have been held back by admonitions from the White House, with even the presidents men wary of a hasty step without any quid pro quo. Broadly speaking, though, global outrage at this travesty has been conspicuous by its absence. That may in part be a measure of how seriously the rest of the world takes the initiative which is to suggest it has been disregarded on account of its transparent absurdity. The indifference could also be a measure, though, of how little empathy the Palestinian cause attracts. Of late, France equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, and Germany has outlawed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that sets out the kind of approach that proved so effective against South African apartheid. Lets not forget, though, that for a long time the most powerful Western states smiled on the racists in charge of South Africa and looked upon Nelson Mandela as a terrorist. As Kushner is aware, though, its useful to ignore the past. By arrangement with Dawn The Carter Center will train fellows on effective mental health reporting and support them as they report on a mental health topic of their choice. ATLANTA (Feb. 5, 2020) The Carter Center, a global leader in mental health, is pleased to announce that applications for journalists who are U.S. citizens and residents are now being accepted for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. Selected fellows will join a top-notch cohort of more than 220 fellows awarded over the past two decades. The yearlong, non-residential fellowships aim to equip journalists with resources to produce compelling and balanced reporting on mental health and substance use issues and to develop a diverse cohort of journalists who can effectively report on the topics across evolving and emerging platforms. The application for the 2020-2021 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism is available at cartercenter.org/mhjfellows. Applications must be completed and submitted online. The deadline is Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Fellows will be announced Wednesday, July 15, 2020, on the Center's website. The 2020-2021 fellowship year begins in September 2020. See other important dates and deadlines here. Too often we only hear about mental health in the news following a crisis or tragic event. Yet every day, millions of Americans living with these illnesses go to work, care for their children, and contribute to their communities, said former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter. They are valuable members of society, and their stories deserve to be told. Each U.S. fellow is awarded a $10,000 stipend and an expense-paid trip to The Carter Center in Atlanta in September 2020 and again in 2021 for intensive training and networking on behavioral health reporting and to connect with advisors and fellows. Fellows from across mediums pursue a range of innovative journalism projects that tackle some of societys biggest behavioral health challenges and seek to drive change in their communities and help reduce stigma through storytelling. Fellows are selected by a committee of current and former journalists, mental health experts, and the Fellowship Advisory Board, with an emphasis on diversity across ethnicity, geography, mediums, and the communities their fellowships project will cover. Shedding light on under-reported issues and driving change Fellows undertake timely projects that have a significant impact on their communities regarding mental health and substance use issues. In the past, projects have affected changes in services and public policies. Previous projects have investigated problems with psychiatric boarding in hospitals that eventually led to a state Supreme Court ruling; inspired policymakers in a major American city to allocate millions of dollars to address homelessness; and exposed the complex and devastating mental health and substance use challenges faced by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Fellowship projects have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. They also have earned Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and awards from the Association of Health Care Journalists, Public Radio News Directors Inc., the American Psychiatric Association, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance for Mental Illness. The fellowship program is part of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program, which works around the world to improve access to mental health care and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses. The program is committed to providing journalists with the tools they need to report on behavioral health and distributes a Journalism Resource Guide on Behavioral Health, so journalists can accurately cover stories that include behavioral health. Fellows reporting is curated on @CarterFellows on Twitter. For more details on how to apply, read here and review our Frequently Asked Questions. For additional inquiries not covered in the FAQs, please email carterfellows@cartercenter.org. Contact: Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org, +1-404-420-5129 About The Carter Center A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A new study shows that industry-funded studies on the health impacts of indoor tanning have a greater probability of favorable results, compared to those funded by other sources. The study, published in the the British Medical Journal on February 2020, raises the possibility of biased scientific reporting which could potentially be harmful to patients and to medical science, in the long run. Image Credit: nd3000 / Shutterstock Ultraviolet tanning and cancer It was only in 2009 that the World Health Organization finally concluded that the ultraviolet ray frequency used in tanning beds to produce a tanned appearance artificially was definitely a powerful cancer-producing agent. In other words, it is a group 1 carcinogen, one of a class of chemicals and exposures that carries the highest cancer risk. However, many people are not fazed by this classification. They may cite several studies that have shown positive benefits from the use of indoor tanning, such as a better mood, increased production of vitamin D and protection of the skin against ultraviolet-induced damage by producing a base tan or darker color. In fact, the American Association of Dermatology says that over one in three adults in the USA and more than half of all college students say they have used a tanning bed at least once in their lives. The study The investigators analyzed over 690 articles on indoor tanning, all from scientific journals. This included not only original research but reviews of literature, opinion pieces, editorials, and case reports. The funding information and conflict of interest statements were then removed from the papers by one of the research associates before passing them on to the other researchers for analysis of the content. The papers were rated for their support or criticism of indoor tanning on a five-point scale by researchers blinded to the source of funding. Finally, the scientists examined the level of association between industry funding and a favorable conclusion about the risk-benefit ratio of this practice. The findings When the scientists looked at how many were funded wholly or partly by tanning equipment manufacturers, they found that only about 10% were industry-funded research. However, among these, almost 80% discussed the advantages of indoor tanning. The problem is, this is a gigantic discrepancy when compared to the mere 4% of non-industry-funded studies that favored indoor tanning. In other words, industry-funded papers were much more likely to conclude that indoor tanning was safe or advantageous, and much less likely to report its dangers. Researcher Eleni Linos says, Studies with financial links to the indoor tanning industry were much more likely to discuss perceived benefits of indoor tanning and to downplay the harms. The association is quite striking. We need scientific data to be independent of industry influence. I am concerned that funding sources may influence the conclusions of these papers. Implications Weve been over all this before. When studies on the health impacts of smoking tobacco and of refined sugar consumption that were funded by tobacco and sugar companies, respectively, researchers consistently painted a much rosier picture of the health effects of these substances than was found to be the case with later independent research. The bogey of paid research has still not been laid to rest; it would seem. Consequently, the onus is on the consumer to look at the statement of disclosure and find out who funded the study exploring the practice of indoor ultraviolet-based tanning. In a profit-oriented world, conflicts of interest are always almost going to end up favoring the side that pays the most money. Co-author Meghan Halley points out the problem with misleading research paid for by the very industry whose practices are being examined: Although the number of papers with financial ties to the tanning industry was relatively small, these papers may have wide traction if used in legal challenges and promotional material. And secondly, she says, the label of scientific journal paper attached to these pieces may encourage people who use indoor tanning facilities to misunderstand the level of benefit and risk they are exposed to. This study is the first one ever to analyze the impact of financial support by the tanning industry on research literature. Linos adds, Researchers, public health experts and members of the general public should be aware of and account for industry funding when assessing the evidence related to the risks and benefits of indoor tanning. In other words, the reliability of research recommendations should be judged in great measure by their funding sources. Two American pensioners had to be airlifted off a cruise ship off the coats of Argentina by naval helicopter after they began vomiting blood. The incident occurred after the two US nationals, who have not been named but are two men aged 65 and 90, both suffered digestive hemorrhages and fainted. The Celebrity Eclipse ship was reportedly 130 miles from the city of Mar del Plata, in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires when the Argentine Naval Prefecture were alerted. The PA-42 Argentine naval helicopter managed to land on the deck of the Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship and transported the pair to the prefecture base The men, aged 65 and 90, were both helped to the helicopter and taken to a hospital on the Argentine mainland A doctor on-board the ship (pictured above) reportedly requested help from the Air Station of Mar del Plata The doctor on-board the ship had reportedly requested assistance from the Air Station of Mar del Plata as the two men were vomiting blood. Video footage showed a specialized team land on the ship in a helicopter after a doctor from the Naval Prefecture ordered an urgent evacuation. Both men were helped to the helicopter by medics and received initial treatment in the air before landing at the Naval Prefecture helicopter headquarters in Mar del Plata. The operation to get the two patients was coordinated with a doctor and specialized personnel on board. The two pensioners were taken by helicopter to hospital for treatment after suffering digestive hemorrhages and fainted One of the elderly patients is pictured (above) being taken from the helicopter to hospital after it landed in Argentina An ambulance took the two men (one pictured above on a gurney) to the Private Hospital of the Community in the city of Mar del Plata The PA-42 helicopter managed to land on the deck and transport the pair to the prefecture base. An ambulance took them to the Private Hospital of the Community, the Naval Prefecture said in a press statement. It is unclear what caused the hemorrhages and there have been no updates on the condition of the men. There is no suggestion their illness is linked to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed hundreds in China and linked to 11 cases in the US. Moscow court to decide on extension of house arrest of Calvey, Delpal on February 10 Moskva city news agency, Igor Ivanko 18:02 05/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court will hear the investigators motions to extend house arrest of Baring Vostok investment company's founder Michael Calvey and Baring Vostok partner for the financial industry sector Philippe Delpal involved in the 2.5-billion-ruble (about $40 million) embezzlement case on February 10, RAPSI was told in the court. In early December, the Moscow City Court denied release of over 7.5 million rubles ($117,000) belonging to Calvey from attachment but overturned seizure of his flat Calvey. In mid-February 2019, Moscows Basmanny District Court ordered detention of Calvey and five other defendants including Delpal, the companys partners Vagan Abgaryan, Baring Vostok Investment Director Ivan Zyuzin, Maxim Vladimirov and ex- chairman of Vostochny bank board Alexey Kordichev. On April 11, Moscows Basmanny District Court released Calvey from detention and put him under house arrest. Delpals measure of restrained was changed in October. According to investigation, Calvey knowing about a 2.5-billion-ruble debt of the First Collector Bureau, a firm under his control, has organized the sale of its shares to Vostochny bank that has led to embezzlement. The Investigative Committee claims that he committed a crime that could not be classified as business crime because he used a chain of sham companies settling the deal. Moreover, investigators say they have a PricewaterhouseCoopers audit report on the done deal estimating the sold shares at 600,000 rubles, which indicates an instance of fraud. Calvey denies allegations insisting that the deal was fair as both companies agreed its terms and stood for it, including a person reporting an alleged crime to law enforcement bodies. He noted that a report has been filed with police by a member of Vostochny bank board of directors Sherzod Yusupov. According to Calvey, the real reason of his prosecution is a wide corporate dispute related to the control of the bank by two groups of shareholders: Baring Vostok and stockholders coming from Uniastrum bank, which was reorganized and joined to Vostochny in early 2017. Baring Vostok company founded by Calvey in 1994 focuses on private equity investments in the CIS and Russia. The company has invested in shares of Yandex, Vkusvill, Tinkoff Bank and other major projects. A Sinn Fein minister branded IRA murder victim Paul Quinn a smuggler and a criminal - despite Mary Lou McDonald saying that he told her that he had never done so. Finance Minister Conor Murphy has insisted claims he described Paul Quinn in such derogatory terms were "totally without foundation". When asked about the issue in an election interview with RTE's Bryan Dobson on Monday, the Sinn Fein president said: "I've spoken to Conor Murphy about this issue before. "He is very clear that he never said that. That that is not his view." But the Belfast Telegraph has uncovered footage from a BBC Spotlight documentary a month after the 21-year-old south Armagh man's murder. In an interview that was broadcast on November 13, 2007, Mr Murphy said: "Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality and I think everyone accepts that. "As I say this is a very difficult situation because there's a family grieving here and you don't want to add to that grief by saying things about their son." He has denied saying something that he is recorded on tape as saying. It is bad enough that he blackened Paul's name. But then for him to insist he never did so is despicable Breege Quinn Paul Quinn was beaten to death by an IRA gang in a farmhouse in Oram, Co Monaghan. Every major bone below his neck was broken in the brutal attack. He had previously clashed with a local IRA commander's son. His mother Breege has repeatedly asked Mr Murphy to withdraw his "slur" against her son. Mr Murphy has denied that he ever branded Paul a criminal. He told the Irish News on October 19, 2017, that claims he did so were "totally without foundation". Mrs Quinn last night said: "Since my son was murdered, Sinn Fein has behaved terribly. Far from comforting my family, they have added to our pain and suffering. "Conor Murphy is a senior Executive minister in Northern Ireland. "He has denied saying something that he is recorded on tape as saying. It is bad enough that he blackened Paul's name. But then for him to insist he never did so is despicable. "We didn't make it up that Conor branded Paul a criminal. We are not liars. Those words came from his mouth. "He should have retracted his words long ago and issued an apology." Ms McDonald last night said that Mr Murphy would withdraw his remarks and say sorry to the Quinn family. When his quotes were read out to her by interviewer Miriam O'Callaghan during RTE's Prime Time leaders' debate, the Sinn Fein president described them as "wrong". She said: "Those things should not have been said. Conor withdraws them and apologises." Mrs Quinn said that Mr Murphy must make a public apology to her family. "He blackened Paul's name in public, and he must apologise the same way. A private phone call or chat won't do," she added. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eco Oro Minerals Corp. (CSE:EOM) (the Company or Eco Oro) is pleased to announce that it has completed the second tranche (the Second Tranche) of its previously announced private placement of up to US$20,000,000 of contingent value rights certificates (the 2020 CVRs). On completion of the Second Tranche, the Company issued an aggregate of approximately US$1,725,370.15 of 2020 CVRs. The proceeds of the Second Tranche will be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital needs. Company Profile Eco Oro Minerals Corp. is a publicly-traded company and its arbitration against the Republic of Colombia is its core focus. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of management that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE Eco Oro Minerals Corp. For further information: Paul Robertson, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 604 682 8212, TF: +1 855 682 8212 CO: Eco Oro Minerals Corp. INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneCause, a leader in online and event fundraising, today announced nonprofits raised more than $720 million on its fundraising platform in 2019, a 64 percent increase over proceeds raised in 2018. This past year, OneCause reached a milestone of $2 billion proceeds raised on its platform since inception. "We measure success by the fundraising impact of our nonprofit customers, and 2019 was a record year," said Steve Johns, chief executive officer for OneCause. "We're inspired daily by the creativity of our growing nonprofit base who continue to find new ways to connect with today's donors and raise funds for their mission. OneCause is here to help them be more effective year-round fundraisers providing new insights into industry research, opportunities for collaboration at our annual Raise conference, and innovative technology." Key milestones in 2019 include: Total fundraisers powered by OneCause rose 48 percent to nearly 7,700 campaigns and events contributing to the $720 million raised by nonprofits. raised by nonprofits. Subscribers grew 36 percent in 2019 as more nonprofits continue to use OneCause award-winning software and customer service for year-round fundraising. OneCause software was recognized as a Top 20 fundraising software product by Capterra and a "Leader" in Fundraising and Nonprofit Auction Software in the G2 Winter 2020 report. Both recognitions are based on a combination of user satisfaction reviews and market presence. In its third year, the annual Raise Event Fundraising Conference brought nonprofit fundraising professionals and leading industry experts from across the country for two days of collaborative learning, networking, and inspiration. Conference attendance has grown 214 percent with an expanded agenda of 35 interactive learning sessions and industry-first Raise Awards ceremony. The release of the Social Fundraiser Study, a first look into the motivations and challenges for peer-to-peer fundraising participants, providing new insights and strategies for nonprofits to improve participant retention and overall fundraising success. Launch of Indy Tech Gives, a six-week social fundraising challenge among Indianapolis technology companies. In its inaugural year raising more than $50,000 , inspiring two head shaving challenges, a 55-mile bike ride, and social fundraising competitions. Here's how innovative nonprofits are leveraging OneCause fundraising software to empower their missions: The Minneapolis Foundation Mobilizes Community to Support Victims of Christmas Fire When the Minneapolis community experienced a Christmas morning fire with 200 people displaced, the Minneapolis Foundation quickly set up a Text2Give fundraiser that same day to help fund assistance. The viral fundraiser quickly spread with the Minnesota Vikings highlighting the Text2Give details on stadium screens to garner more support from their patrons. The organization was able to quickly raise more than $290,000 to support these displaced families. JDRF Nebraska-Southwest Iowa Uses Mobile Fundraising Technology to Outwit Snowstorm On the evening of the annual Promise Gala a snowstorm threatened to keep many guests from being able to join. The team was able to quickly set up a livestream of the program and custom Fund-A-Cure Scoreboard to empower and thank guests who were donating from home on their smartphones. With their quick problem solving and ingenuity, the chapter surpassed its goal, raising more than $1.6 million. The National Kids Cancer Ride Optimizes Fundraising Experience for Cross-Canada Cycle Challenge In its eleventh year, the team at Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation wanted to provide a reenergized participant experience for its annual National Kids Cancer Ride, empowering riders with new social fundraising tools and opportunities to host their own secondary events and challenges. An engaged and motivated group of 15 national cyclists and virtual riders raised more than $370,000 for childhood cancer research programs and cycled more than 3,000 kilometers across Canada. Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation announced a unification with Childhood Cancer Canada right before the ride and will be launching their joint brand in spring 2020. About OneCause OneCause creates user-friendly fundraising software that helps nonprofits engage donors, raise more money and save valuable time and resources. Our full suite of cloud-based fundraising solutions has powered 5,000 organizations, well over 20,000 fundraising events, and helped nonprofits raise more than $2 billion. OneCause has been recognized on the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Companies, is a TechPoint MIRA award winner for Mobile Technology Excellence & Innovation and is a five-time Stevie Award winner for excellence and innovation in Customer Service. SOURCE OneCause Related Links https://www.onecause.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the people of Delhi need a government that doesnt engage in appeasement politics, and supports the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and the nullification of Article 370. Modi also listed the work done by the Centre in the national capital at an election rally. Without naming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the rally in Dwarka, Modi urged the people to vote out those who had raised doubts over surgical strikes, supported anarchism and stalled the Centres development schemes in Delhi. In the speech ahead of the February 8 assembly elections, the PM said: Are the people of Delhi not angry at the way leaders of the state government had made statements after the surgical and air strikes? It was a reference to the September 2016 strikes against militant launch pads across the border, and the February 2019 air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. Haryanas deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and BJP chief JP Nadda were also present at the rally. Delhi needs a government that will not resort to appeasement but support the CAA, nullification of Article 370 and issues of national security. Delhi does not want complicated politics, but sorted politics, Modi said. Article 370s nullification divested Jammu and Kashmir of its special status under the Constitution. The AAP won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly polls in 2015. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three seats. The results of the elections will be declared on February 11. I have full faith in the people of Delhi that they will punish the same people who are seeking their votes on February 8 To make Delhi safe, free from anarchy and violence and to make it a world-class capital of the 21st century, I would request you to press the lotus button (BJPs election symbol) on polling day, he added. The PM said the BJP wont wait for elections to deliver on its promises. Delhi needs a government that can give a new direction to the city and not make excuses. It needs a government that believes in problem-solving instead of posing hurdles. It needs a government which believes in taking everyone along, he said. The PMs election speech came at a time when the contest in Delhi has intensified, with sharp exchanges between the BJP and the AAP. While the AAP has focused on its governance record, particularly on health and education, the BJP has questioned AAPs claims, and also sought to project national issues, including CAA. Listing various schemes of the Centre on Tuesday, Modi said that residents of Delhi had been deprived of the benefits of many central government schemes.If the Ayushman Bharat health insurance was scheme care had been implemented in Delhi, people would have received free treatment worth Rs 5 lakh in any part of the country, he said. If you fall ill in some other city, will mohalla clinic come there, he said, taking a dig at the AAP government. The Dwarka rally was organised for the candidates of assembly segments falling in the south and west parliamentary constituencies that have a large numbers of villages. The PM spoke about the governments welfare scheme for farmers Kisan Samman Nidhi which has not been implemented in Delhi. Everyone remembers how the head of Delhi government used derogatory and insulting language for the police force. It shows their mindset. In contrast, our government has built a National Police Memorial honouring their sacrifices. It shows our values, he said. BJP chief Nadda targeted the AAP government on the education sector and said: No new schools and colleges have been opened in the city. It was during former CMs of Delhi Madan Lal Khurrana and Sahib Singh Verma who had started new schools and colleges. There has been no development in the past so many years. By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 05, 2020 | 02:10 PM | PADUCAH Mayor Brandi Harless thanked everyone for their swift response. She said, "This is an example of an issue that typically is not known until a significant rain event causes a backup. The National Weather Service Office says a record rainfall total was recorded for February 4, with 2.63 inches of rain. The City of Paducah, Paducah & Louisville Railway, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet worked together Tuesday to solve a flooding issue at the intersection of Bridge Street, Irvin Cobb Drive, and Locust Street near the railroad tracks.After getting calls from residents, city officials determined that the problem was a clogged pipe under a section of P&L track that doesnt currently have traffic, and fast-moving runoff from heavy rains had caused debris to clog the pipe.The crews worked together Tuesday afternoon, and removed a section of rail bed, with the help of equipment from Jim Smith Contracting. The flooded area was allowed to drain into Island Creek. Facebook recently promised that it would increaseefforts to remove so-called deepfake videos, including content thatincluded misleading manipulated media. In addition to fears that deepfakes altered videos that appear to be authentic could impact the upcoming 2020 general election in the United States,there are growing concerns that they could ruin reputations and impact businesses. A manipulated video that looks real could convince viewers tobelieve that the subjects in the video said things they didnt say,or did things they didnt do. Deepfakes have become more sophisticated and easier to produce, thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, which can be applied to existing videos quickly andeasily, achieving results that took professional special effects teams and digital artists hours or days to achieve in the past. Deepfake technology is being weaponized for political misinformationand cybercrime, said Robert Prigge, CEO of Jumio. In one high profile case, criminals last year used AI-basedsoftware to impersonate a chief executives voice and demand afraudulent transfer of US$243,000, Prigge told TechNewsWorld. Unfortunately, deepfakes can also be used to bypass manybiometric-based identity verification systems, which have rapidly grownin popularity in response to impersonation attacks, identity theft andsocial engineering, he added. Facing Off Against Deepfakes Given the potential for damage, both Facebook and Twitter have banned such content. However, its not clear what the bans cover. For its part Facebook will utilize third-party fact-checkers, reportedly including more than 50 partners working worldwide in more than 40 languages. Theyre banning videos created through machine learning that areintended to be deceptive, explained Paul Bischoff, privacy advocateat Comparitech. The videos must have both audio and video that the average personwouldnt reasonably assume is fake, he told TechNewsWorld. A deepfake superimposes existing video footage of aface onto a source head and body using advanced neural network-poweredAI to create increasingly realistic doctored videos, noted Prigge. In other words, adeepfake looks to be a real persons recorded face and voice, but thewords they appear to be speaking were never really uttered by them. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Defining Deepfakes One troubling issue with deepfakes is simply determining what is adeepfake and what is just edited video. In many cases deepfakes arebuilt by utilizing the latest technology to edit or manipulate video. News outlets regularly edit interviews, press conferences and other events when crafting news stories, as way to highlight certain elements and get juicy sound bites. Of course, there have been plenty of criticisms of mainstream newsmedia for manipulating video footage to change thecontext without AI or machine learning, simply using the tools of the editing suite. Deepfakes generally are viewed as far more dangerous because it isnt just context that is altered. At its heart, a deepfake is when someone uses sophisticatedtechnology artificial intelligence to blend multiple images oraudio together in order to change its original meaning and conveysomething that is not true or valid, said Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust. From manipulating audio to creating misleading images, deepfakesfoster the spread of disinformation as the end user typically doesntknow that the content or message is not real, he told TechNewsWorld. To varying degrees, social platforms have issued policies prohibitingthe posting of highly manipulated videos that are not clearly labeledor readily apparent to consumers as fake, added Olson. Still, while these policies are a step in the right direction, they do not explicitly ban manipulated video or audio, he pointed out. Having youraccount blocked isnt much of a deterrent. Manipulation Without Malice Facebooks ban and other efforts to ban orotherwise curb deepfakes do not apply to political speech or parodies. Consent may be another issue that needs to be addressed. This is a great point fake videos and images can be definedbroadly for example, anything that is manipulated, said ShumanGhosemajumder, CTO of Shape Security and former fraud czar at Google. A D V E R T I S E M E N T But most media created is, to some extent, manipulated, he told TechNewsWorld. Manipulations include automatic digital enhancements to photos taken using modern cameras those equipped with HDR settings or other AI-based enhancement as well as filters, and aesthetic editing and retouching, noted Ghosemajumder. If most media is thus automatically marked on a platform assynthetic or manipulated, this will reduce the benefit of such atag, he remarked. The next step will be to figure out objective criteria to excludethat type of editing and focus on maliciously manipulatedmedia, which could be an inherently subjective standard. However, it cant be a question of individuals consenting to be invideos, because no such consent is generally required of publicfigures or of videos and images that are taken in public places,observed Ghosemajumder, and public figures are the ones that aremost likely to be targeted by malicious users of these technologies. AI Tools Singled Out Facebooks deepfakes ban singles out videos that use AI technology or machine learning to manipulate the content. This is an incomplete approach, since most fake content, includingmisleading videos posted today, are not created with such technology,said Ghosemajumder. The now famous Nancy Pelosi video could have been created withtechnology from 40-plus years ago, since it was just simple videoediting, he added. More importantly, maliciousness cannot be defined based only on thetechnology used, said Ghosemajumder, since much of the same technology used to create a malicious deepfake is already being used to create legitimate works ofart, such as the de-aging technology used in The Irishman. Viewer Perception As the Facebook policy stands, satire and parody would be exempt, but what falls into those categories isnt always clear. Viewer reactions dont always align with what thecontent maker may have had in mind. A joke video that falls flat might not be viewed as satire. The standards for judging satire or fan films are also subjective it may be possible to determine what is or is not intended as satirein a court of law to societys satisfaction in an individual instance,but it is much more difficult to make such determinationsautomatically for millions of pieces of content in a social mediaplatform, warned Ghosemajumder. In addition, even in cases when a video is created with obviouslysatirical intent, that intent can get lost if the video is shortened, taken out of context, or even just reposted by someone who didnt understand the original intent. There are many examples of satirical content fooling people whodidnt understand the humor, said Ghosemajumder. Its more about how the audience perceives it. Satire doesnt fallinto the ban. Nor does parody, and if the video is clearly labeled asfiction, it should be fine, countered Bischoff. It is our understanding that Facebook and Twitter are not banningsatire or parody intention is the key differentiator, added AlexeyKhitrov, CEO of ID R&D. Satire by definition is the use of humor, exaggeration or irony,whereas the intention of a deepfake is to pass off altered orsynthetic video or speech as authentic, he told TechNewsWorld.Deepfakes are used to trick a viewer and spread misinformation. Whilea deepfake aims to deceive the average user, satire is apparent. Legal Efforts There have been legal efforts to stop the proliferation ofdeepfakes, but the government might not be the best entity to tacklethis high-tech problem. Over the past two years, several U.S. states introduced legislationto govern deepfakes, with the Malicious Deep Fake Prohibition Act andDEEPFAKES Accountability Act introduced to the U.S. Senate and Houseof Representatives respectively, said The Media Trusts Olson. Both bills stalled with lawmakers, and neither proposed muchchange beyond introducing penalties. Even if laws were passed,it is unlikely a legislative approach can keep up with technological advancements. Its very difficult to effectively legislate against a moving targetlike emerging technology, warned Olson. Until there is perfect recognition that content is a deepfake,platforms and media outlets need to disclose to consumers the sourceof the content, he suggested. Deepfake videos cannot be stopped, just like photoshopped photoscannot be stopped, said Josh Bohls, CEO of Inkscreen. Libel laws can be expanded to include altered videos that mightmisrepresent a public figure in a harmful way, providing the subjectsome kind of recourse, he told TechNewsWorld. It would also be prudent to pass laws requiring the labeling of certain categories of videos political ads, for example so that the viewer is aware that the content has been altered. Tech to Fight Tech Instead of the government creating new laws, the tech industry could solve the deepfakes problem, even if defining them remains fuzzy. Providing access to technology to determine if a video has been manipulated could be a good first step. Several social platforms have taken steps to detect and removedeepfake videos with limited success as detection lags behind thespeed at which new technology emerges to create better, more realisticdeepfakes in an ever-diminishing period of time, said Olson. The challenge remains on the difficult process of identifying andremoving deepfakes before they spread to the general public, he said. Social media is where these videos are spreading and where removal iscrucial. These platforms are in a good position to roll out new technology. Overall, Twitter and Facebook announcing plans to take action againstmalicious fake content is an excellent first step, and will increasescrutiny and skepticism of media uploaded to the Internet, especiallyby anonymous or unknown sources, noted Ghosemajumder. However, this is absolutely not a silver bullet solution to thisproblem, for many reasons warned Ghosemajumder. The detection of fake media is a cat-and-mouse game. If manipulatedcontent is immediately flagged, then malicious actors will experimentagainst the system with variations of their content until they canpass undetected, he explained. On the other hand, if manipulated content is not immediately flaggedor removed, it can be spread and will quickly morph causing damagein whatever period exists between creation and uploading and flagging, ina way that may not be possible to easily contain at that point,Ghosemajumder suggested. Finally, the use of fake accounts andautomated fraud and abuse is the primary mechanism that maliciousactors use to spread disinformation, he said. This is one of the key areassocial networks need to address with the most sophisticated technologyavailable, not just home-built solutions. Anti-Deepfake Tools Several companies are exploring methods of combating deepfakes. Facebook, Microsoft and AWS launched the Deepfake Detection Challenge to encourage development of open source detection tools. [*Correction Jan. 22, 2020] Without consistently flagging suspect digital content and labeling thesource of the doctored video or audio, technology will have littleimpact on the issue, said Olson. Providing this context will help the consumer better understand theveracity of the message. Was it sent to me from an unknown thirdparty, or did I find it on a brand website during product research? This attribution information is whats needed to counter deepfakes, he said. However, with a lot of manipulated content, it is often aboutmisdirection and in this case, too much focus on the video itself could be problematic. Its not just the visual stream thats vulnerable to deepfakes, butalso the voice stream. Both can be altered or manipulated as part ofa deepfake, said ID R&Ds Khitrov. There is technology to help detect a deepfakes manipulated audio, he noted. Liveness detection capabilities can identify artifacts that arentaudible to the human ear but are present in synthesized, recorded orcomputer-altered voice, explained Khitrov. We can detect over 99 percent of audio deepfakes, but only where that technology is deployed. The Deep View Those with a pessimistic take believe the technologyto create convincing deepfakes simply will outpace the technology tostop it. Our analogy is that there are viruses and there is antivirustechnology, and staying ahead of the bad guys requires constantiteration, and the same holds true for deepfake detection, saidKhitrov. However, the AI-based technologies that the bad guys are using arevery similar to the technologies the good guys are using. So thebreakthroughs that are available to the bad guys are also being usedby the good guys to stop them, he added. A bigger threat is that deepfake software is already freelyavailable on the Web, although its not that great yet, saidComparitechs Bischoff. We will have to learn to be vigilant andskeptical. *ECT News Network editors note Jan. 22, 2020: Our original published version of this story incorrectly stated that the Deepfake Detection Challenge was a project launched by The Media Trust. In fact, it is a joint effort of Facebook, Microsoft and AWS. We regret the error. A court in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Wednesday sentenced a man to eight years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly raping a girl six years ago. The Judge also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Krishan Paul Singh, a resident of Thanpal, after he was convicted of raping the minor, a police official said. On August 6, 2014, Singh allegedly raped the girl after threatening her with a sharp-edged weapon, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HARTFORD As part of his budget adjustments Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont will move the Connecticut State Retirement Authority into the Office of the State Comptroller. The quasi-public agency created in 2016 recently parted ways with its executive director and only paid employee, Mary Fay, who called board members unprofessional for their decision to abruptly end her employment. The board ran out of operating funds to pay her $175,000 salary after only one year. Lamonts budget will include $75,000 for a new position to provide clerical support inside the Office of State Comptroller. The person hired will help Connecticut look at a multi-state or regional approach to providing a payroll-deducted retirement savings for those who want it. John Erlingheuser, advocacy director at AARP, said his organization supports finding whatever option brings us to the point of a payroll deduction. The state is currently contemplating using Oregons program, OregonSaves, that was launched in July 2017 as the first of its kind in the country. Since then, California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Maryland have approved similar programs. The program collects retirement savings contributions from employees at small companies that dont offer them. So far, 4,300 companies have registered with OregonSaves to help their employees deposit money into an IRA. There are an estimated 600,000 private-sector workers in Connecticut who lack access to a retirement savings plan through their workplace. And, according to AARP, employees are 15 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through a payroll deduction at work. Erlingheuser said the size of Connecticuts program would be similar to Oregons. He said in Oregon there are 800,000 workers with no access to a retirement program through their employer. The model is there, Erlingheuser said. Like the Affordable Care Act, states had to choose to operate their own exchange, join the federal one, or partner with another state. Erlingheuser said the AARP is already working with small businesses interested in signing up for Connecticuts program. He applauded the Lamont administration for its work on making sure the program continued. Its a good opportunity for a restart, he said. I think were in good shape. The proposed legislation from the Lamont administration will also make State Comptroller Kevin Lembo the chair of the 15-member board that oversees the program. Lembo and State Treasurer Shawn Wooden are already members. I look forward to working with my fellow CRSA board members and the administration to deliver on a promise to more than 600,000 Connecticut workers who have no access to a workplace-based retirement savings option, Lembo said Tuesday. No Connecticut person - particularly any person who spent a lifetime working to survive and support their family - should be forced to retire financially unequipped to afford basic means of living. For the sake of Connecticut workers and our entire state economy, seeing this plan through in the most efficient and strategic way possible is a top priority for me. A woman who appeared in a Louis Theroux BBC documentary about sex workers claims she was 'mistreated' and 'manipulated' during filming. Ashleigh Williams, 23, who is an escort and makes adult webcam videos, was one of the women who appeared in Louis Theroux: Selling Sex, which aired on BBC2 in January. Writing in an article for Gal-dem magazine, Miss Williams, of south-west London, explains she was told the documentary would 'challenge stereotypes about sex workers' but was felt 'deeply unhappy' after the experience. 'I wanted to help educate the public on work that is carried out by some of the most marginalised people,' she wrote. 'But my treatment on the show revealed the production team had a shallow understanding of sex work. On set, I felt far from comfortable.' Ashleigh Williams (pictured with Theroux), 23, who is an escort and makes adult webcam videos, was one of the women who appeared in Louis Theroux: Selling Sex, which aired in January. She has written an article in which she claims she was 'mistreated' and 'manipulated' In the article Miss Williams levels a number of criticisms against the team, including that they decided to air a segment in which she discusses childhood sexual abuse, despite her pleas for it to be removed. Miss Williams has been diagnosed with Aspergers, amongst other mental and physical ailments, is mixed British-Caribbean, and describes herself as working class, gay, an abuse survivor and 'still working through addiction recovery and completing an MA'. However she says 'many aspects of her identity' were not respected. She claims she had to 'fight' for the show to even mention her autism, which was later added as a voice-over. Miss Williams also claims the team refused to listen to her pleas to remove a section in which she reveals she was the victim of childhood abuse. It wasn't until I was in tears, deep in the editing suite, that they began to acknowledge why it was important that my story was told properly and accurately 'I had only told this part of my past to a handful of people no family members, and not a single medical professional,' she wrote. 'I wasn't ready for it to be out there, nor was I ready for the backlash I'd inevitably receive from my family.' Miss Williams told how she 'begged' for the segment to be cut to no avail. She revealed 'none of her family' has spoken to her since the documentary aired. It is understood that Miss William consented to footage being used and was present during the editing process. She also raised another concern in the article, claiming the production team did not respect her time and work. She claims she was left 'distressed' after she was made late for a client while crew 'insisted they hung around to keep shooting'. Miss Williams (right) claims the team refused to listen to her pleas to remove a section in which she reveals she was the victim of childhood abuse. Left, Theroux on This Morning Miss William raised further concerns that she felt producers did not have a clear understanding of her disability. She claims a clip of her 'explaining that sometimes her autism causes her to crack bad jokes and say things she doesn't mean' was cut and only the most 'salacious' remarks she made were left in. Miss William also claims she was told before filming that a former a sex worker would involved in the production - something she says she later found out not to be true. Finally Miss Williams claimed the team wanted to make her story conform to the narrative they had in mind. 'It wasn't until I was in tears, deep in the editing suite, that they began to acknowledge why it was important that my story was told properly and accurately,' she wrote. 'This signalled a lack of understanding of the different types of sex work, and also a lack of care in terms of doing justice to case studies.' She acknowledged she was offered therapy throughout the process, but says it was a case of 'too little, too late'. The article comes months after Miss Williams and her friend and carer Georgina Tyson - whom the pair claim were cut from the documentary - penned an open letter to the BBC about some of the similar issues. The article comes months after Miss Williams and her friend and carer Georgina Tyson - whom the pair claim were cut from the documentary - penned an open letter to the BBC about some of the similar issues. Pictured, the thread shared by Miss Tyson on the documentary In the letter, written after filming wrapped last year, Miss Williams claimed producers were pushing an outdated stereotype of sex workers. The letter, published on social media, reads: 'They supposedly wanted to follow a newish sex worker to document that experience, it felt more like they were pushing the stereotype of sex workers being sex workers because something bad happened to them. Which is not the case for everyone and an outdated stereotype.' It continues: 'They told us it was going to be called 'selling sex'. Immediately I explained what was wrong with that title. 'It implies that escorting and fssw [full service sex work] and sex work are all like the same thing but there had been plenty of clients that book escorts or fsswers that don't even want to have sex. 'This was a clear indication that we had not been listened to or heard. At first we laughed along as they zoomed into aspects of our flat and it was all a bit surreal. But as the show developed it just got worse and worse.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Duty of care to contributors is of paramount importance to both the BBC and Louis Theroux. 'Ashleigh raised a number of concerns about her contribution to the programme, and the production team worked with her extensively to ensure those concerns were listened to and, where appropriate, were addressed in the final edit of the programme. We are confident that Ashleigh gave informed consent to be a part of the documentary as is evidenced by ongoing communication with her. 'The final edit does, and should, lie in the control of the BBC, but the welfare and views of our contributors are always part of our process and it was our genuine view that Ashleigh's concerns had been resolved. 'As such we are disappointed to see her concerns raised again and believe there are a number of factual inaccuracies in Ashleigh's account of events. 'Ashleigh also raised a number of additional concerns in a formal complaint, which was sent to the production company, BBC Studios, and thoroughly examined by the investigations team, who are entirely independent of the production team. 'The result of this investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support any allegations of misconduct.' They tend to position Slovakia somewhere between the east and west. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled A bridge between east and west. That is how most young people in Slovakia see their homeland in geopolitical terms. Related story: Related story: A bridge between East and West: Why many Slovaks see their country in the middle Read more The recent Globsec Youth Trends 2020 study shows that 58 percent of respondents see Slovakia as such a bridge. The study was conducted on 2,000 respondents aged between 18 and 34. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The study has also shown that about 73 percent of Slovaks aged 18 to 24 would vote to remain in the EU. Regarding the world beyond Europe's borders, respondents in Slovakia show the most negative attitude towards the US among all countries of the Visegrad Group, or V4 (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia). These are the three results of the study: Islamabad was unable to hold an event in Kabul to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day on Wednesday after the booking for a venue made by the Pakistani embassy was cancelled, people familiar with developments said. Kashmir Solidarity Day, a national holiday in Pakistan, is observed on February 5 across the country and in cities around the world to express support for separatists in Jammu and Kashmir. The event is often marked by anti-India speeches by Pakistani leaders. The Pakistani embassy in Kabul had booked a venue at the Intercontinental Hotel for holding the Kashmir Solidarity Day event but the booking was cancelled, the people cited above said. The Pakistani mission formally protested to the Afghan foreign ministry about the cancellation of the booking in a letter sent on Tuesday, which claimed the move was the outcome of instructions given by the Afghan government to the manager of Intercontinental Hotel. The letter further said the hotels manager called the Pakistani deputy head of mission and conveyed about cancellation of booking for above-mentioned event. Keeping in view the friendly relations between the two countries, the embassy hopes that cooperation will be extended by the Afghan government to [the Pakistani] Embassy to host its political, economic, and cultural events at suitable place, the letter said. There was no immediate response to the letter from the Afghan government. Sections of the Afghan leadership have been critical of Pakistans support to terror groups active in the region. Afghanistan has also traditionally distanced itself from the Kashmir issue, describing it as a matter to be handled bilaterally by India and Pakistan. Kashmir Solidarity Day was first observed at the call of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1991. During this years event, Prime Minister Imran Khan told a special session of legislative assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that the Indian governments decision last year to change the status of Jammu and Kashmir will eventually lead to the regions independence. They had chopped the same sex scene from Befikre. They had edited kissing scenes from the James Bond movie before it released in India. They also reduced the time of a passionate kiss between Ranveer Sijngh and Alia Bhatt in Gully Boy. So, when the trailer of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan released, a lot of people were scared how the censor board will react to it, because things haven't changed since Pahlaj Nihalani was replaced by Prasoon Joshi as CBFC chief. But if reports are to be believed, CBFC is likely to pass the same sex kiss in Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. The grapevine, however, suggests that there will be a minor change in the scene. "No member of the censor board had any objection to the same-sex kiss in the trailer. However, the expletive that Gajraj Rao (playing Jitendra Kumars father) utters when he sees his son kissing his male lover, has been beeped," a source told Bollywood Hungama. T-Series This even surprised producer Aanand L Rai of Tanu Weds Manu fame. He thought that the board would object to the scene in the trailer and he will have to fight for it. But surprisingly, the CBFC had no objections to it. They are looking at it as a love story, not a GAY love story, a sure sign that the censor board in India has evolved," added the source. YouTube Talking about the kissing scene, Jitendra Kumar had earlier told Mumbai Mirror, I am a reserved person, but Ayushmann made me comfortable. He is easy to work with and is quite friendly. YouTube The trailer of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has been well-received by the audiences. Some of the people on Twitter even said that the trailer itself has kick-started conversations about same-sex relationships at home. Will the film bring about a change in the society, just like how every Ayushmann Khurrana movie does? That, we'll get to know when it releases on Feb 21. - Little Yorme was able to make many television viewers laugh because of his recent statement - He asked Vice Ganda to give him 5 thousand pesos in exchange for doing a task - The popular comedian and other hosts hilariously reacted after hearing the remark of the charming kid - Vice told his innocent co-host that it is not right to ask money for doing favors PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Little Yorme caused laughter anew inside the Its Showtime studio because of his request to Vice Ganda. KAMI learned that the hilarious moment began when the comedian asked the internet sensation to spell the word White. The charming kid had difficulty answering the question of the Unkabogable Star. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! After several moments, he suddenly asked the prominent host to give him 5 thousand if ever he spells the said word correctly. Vice then reacted hilariously, claiming that the viral child is already fond of asking money in exchange for doing tasks. Spell White? Bigyan niyo po akong five thousand! little Yorme exclaimed. Alam mo dati, mukha ka lang balut. Ngayon, mukha ka ng pera talaga. Konting kibot sayo, pera. Bad yun ha. Konting ano, kailangan may kapalit na pera, the comedian replied. Watch the funny video below: In a previous article by , little Yorme asked Vice about his daily salary for serving as a co-host on the said noontime show. Little Yorme is a prominent internet sensation in the Philippines. He went viral after mimicking how politicians talk in front of their constituents. Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! Source: KAMI.com.gh A woman has described how she escaped physical harm during the Streatham terror attack because Sudesh Amman stabbed her with a knife still in its plastic packaging. The 36-year-old, originally from the Dominican Republic, was buying a mop and bucket for her new flat when Amman who was being watched by armed police entered the high street shop and made to steal the knife. But when he reached the door he pushed me, Anna, which is not her real name, told the BBC. He tried to open and remove the plastic packaging from the knife but he didnt manage it. He pushed and he stabbed me but the knife was still covered with plastic. Then, Anna recounted that pushing everything that was in his path as he ran away, Amman then stabbed 51-year-old nursery school teacher Monika Luftner as she took the lock from her bike, before he ran up the High Road like a mad person and throwing his knife around. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters The Metropolitan Police has said the shopkeeper chased Amman up the street as the 20-year-old attacked Ms Luftner and a man in his forties before being shot dead by armed police. I spent 15 to 20 minutes in hell, Anna said in Spanish, describing the attack as very quick, like in a movie. Anna told the broadcaster she had not been able to sleep since the Sunday attack, adding: I have to go to work and walk around the streets ... this is something that stays with you. Its a really bad trauma. They might have had to call my mum and my daughter to let them know I was dead. Amman, 20, had been automatically released from prison days earlier, half-way through a sentence for collecting and distributing material useful for terror attacks, and was living in a Streatham probation hostel. Undercover officers, who deemed Amman dangerous enough to warrant carrying arms, had been trailing him on foot for 40 minutes when he entered the shop. He was wearing a suicide vest concealed under his clothes, according to Scotland Yard. Police monitoring is believed to have intensified in the days before the attack as his behaviour grew more disturbing, and Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick was questioned by the London Assembly on Wednesday over whether the attack could have been prevented. They are conducting covert surveillance, so they are not of course providing man-to-man marking, Dame Cressida said. They are there covertly and that is a deliberate thing. It is inevitable that there could be a time delay before somebody totally unexpectedly does something. She added: I wish I could assure the public that everybody who poses a risk on the streets could be subject to some sort of thing that would stop them being able to stab anybody ever, but it is clearly not possible. Scotland Yard said Amman was inside the shop for less than a minute, and that he was shot dead within 60 seconds of starting the attack. The man in his forties stabbed by Amman remains in a serious, but stable condition, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday, while a woman in her twenties who was wounded by shattered glass caused by gunfire had been discharged from hospital by Monday night. Streatham cafe owner asks for 'half an hour' to evacuate after terror attack Ms Luftner was discharged from hospital on Sunday and is recovering at home with her partner. St Bedes Catholic Infant and Nursery School said a staff member was making making a good recovery after experiencing a shocking attack and asked that her privacy be respected. The head of UK counterterror police, Neil Basu, renewed calls for people to report any suspicious behaviour, writing in the Evening Standard: The threat is, despite our best efforts, not diminishing. With 3,000 or so subjects of interest currently on our radar and many convicted terrorists soon due to be released from prison, we simply cannot watch all of them, all the time. Recommended I beg you to forget the name of the Streatham attacker The Streatham stabbing was the third terror attack in as many months to be committed by a convicted terror offender, in the wake of incidents at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. The government has vowed to introduce emergency laws to stop the early release of terror offenders currently in prison and ensure they are assessed by the Parole Board. It has not ruled out effectively suspending the European Convention on Human Rights in order to apply the new measures. But ministers have warned the plans could see extremists merely serving their full sentence in prison before being released without conditions restricting their movement, communications and association which they are currently subject to when released on licence mid-way through their sentence. Figures suggest some 50 terror offenders could be released from British prisons this year, with 224 inside at the most recent count. But the number of flagged extremists in British jails is far higher, comprising at least 800 offenders. Despite Ammans terror conviction, his mother, Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News she believed her son had been radicalised inside Belmarsh high security prison, where concerns have previously been raised over Islamist extremism and networking between terrorist prisoners. Additional reporting by PA President Trump used Tuesdays State of the Union address to award Rush Limbaugh, the fiercely conservative talk radio host who has just announced he has advanced lung cancer, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is a special man, hes loved by millions of Americans, who just received a stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis, Trump said in a portion of his speech that focused on health care. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh at the State of the Union address Tuesday night. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Limbaugh, sitting next to first lady Melania Trump in the House balcony, stood and was applauded by Republican lawmakers. A resident of Florida, Limbaugh is a frequent visitor to Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort. And Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving the nations highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Though the news of the award had broken hours earlier, Limbaugh seemed surprised at the presidents words, his mouth agape, tears welling up in his eyes. Melania Trump then affixed the medal around his neck. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic lawmakers remained seated and did not applaud. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 08:37 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20629b983 1 National Jokowi,human-rights,KPK-Law-revision,student-protest,police Free President Joko Jokowi Widodos second term has yet to show any signs of progress in resolving human rights violations, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development has concluded. A press release made available to The Jakarta Post expresses concerns that, after his 100th day of his second term in office, Jokowi has once again failed to fulfill his campaign promise of addressing human rights abuses. We call on the government of Indonesia to take all necessary measures to address the situation and put a halt to the erosion of civic and democratic space in the country, the press release said. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, together with its members in Indonesia, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) and Yayasan Sekretariat Anak Merdeka (Samin), said that Jokowi had much work to do in terms of resolving human rights violations, including those from 1965 and 1998, as well as ones related to protests in September 2019. Read also: One student dies, one in critical condition after protest turns violent The September protests were expressions of dissatisfaction over the Jokowi administrations revisions to the Corruption Eradication Commission Law and Criminal Code Law. During the protests in September, there were constant reports of the disproportionate use of violence and force by the police to suppress peaceful protests across Indonesia, resulting in many injuries and even fatalities, the release said. The forum also explained that the government had failed the working class with the omnibus laws, a set of laws intended to streamline investments in Indonesia. In the process of drafting the proposed law, which is likely to bring more harm than good as it diminishes workers rights, worsens environmental degradation and criminalizes minorities, labor unions were not consulted. This move clearly shows that Indonesia prioritizes businesses and investments over the protection of its workers, the forum said. (gis) Man smokes marijuana in front of judge after advocating for legalization Man smokes marijuana in front of judge after advocating for legalization originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A 20-year-old man caused a stir in a Tennessee courthouse when he advocated for the legalization of marijuana and then proceeded to spark a joint in front of the judge. Spencer Alan Boston was appearing before Judge Haywood Barry on Monday at the Wilson County Courthouse in Lebanon, on a simple possession-of-marijuana citation, when he began to tell Barry that marijuana should be legalized, according to Lt. Scott Moore, a spokesman for the Wilson County Sheriff' Office. Courtroom video captured what came next: Boston is seen seen reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out what appears to be a joint and lighting it up, taking multiple puffs. MORE: Landmark bill legalizing marijuana at the federal level passes House committee Security quickly intervened and took Boston into custody. PHOTO: Spencer Boston in a police booking photo. (Wilson County Sheriff's Office) Moore told ABC News in a telephone interview that Boston said something to the effect of "the people deserve better" before he was taken away. "I've been here 20 years," Moore added, "and this is the first time I've ever seen that." MORE: Marijuana sales in Illinois top $3M on first day of legal recreational cannabis in the state Boston faces two new charges: disorderly conduct and simple possession of marijuana. He's being held on $3,000 bond, online jail records show. He'll also have to serve 10 days in Wilson County Jail because Barry held him in contempt of the court, according to Moore. A spokesperson at Barry's office said the judge had no comment on the incident. The joint smoked in court was collected as evidence. Theres no question that the president asked a foreign power to investigate his political foe, Romney said in an interview with The Washington Post ahead of his floor statement. That he did so for a political purpose, and that he pressured Ukraine to get them to help or to lead in this effort. My own view is that theres not much I can think of that would be a more egregious assault on our Constitution than trying to corrupt an election to maintain power. And thats what the president did. Rakhi Birla election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Rakhi Birla AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Mangol Puri seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Social worker-turned politician Rakhi Birla will be contesting from the reserved constituency of Mangolpuri, seeking her third term in the Assembly. She first rose to prominence in 2013, after she became the youngest and the lone woman Cabinet minister in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Cabinet. In the first Kejriwal Cabinet, Birla held the portfolios of women and child welfare, social welfare and languages. However, her ministerial tenure ended in just seven weeks after Kejriwal resigned as the chief minister. In the 2013 elections, Birla emerged as a "giant killer" defeating veteran Congress leader and local heavyweight Raj Kumar Chauhan. Back then, Chauhan was serving as the PWD minister in the Sheila Dikshit Cabinet. Birla repeated her feat once again in the 2015 polls, when she defeated Chauhan by a margin of over 20,000 votes. Since 2016, she is the deputy speaker of the Delhi Assembly -- the youngest ever in Delhis history. She is also a member of the national executive of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which she joined soon after it was formed in 2012. Before joining the AAP, Birla worked with a private news channel and was also active doing social work in the Balmiki community. Birla belongs to the Balmiki community, which is categorised as a scheduled caste. The former minister holds a masters degree in mass communications from Guru Jambheshwar University. Her surname, which reminds everyone of one of Indias leading families, is a result of a mistake committed by her teacher while preparing her Class X results. In fact, her actual surname is Bidhlan but has chosen to keep it Birla. Two people were arrested and a toddler was taken into custody by Child Protective Services on Monday after more than 8 pounds of marijuana and $60,000 in cash were found in luggage at the Jack Brooks Regional Airport. Nelson Brown, 41, of Beaumont and Cynthia Daniels, 27, of Fort Worth checked bags just before 6 a.m. before boarding a plane to Dallas, according to information from the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department. Not unexpected perhaps has been the news that Indian operator Bharti Airtel has posted a loss in its Q3 results. However, its overall outlook appears to be improving. The results are partly due to interest provisioning on AGR dues based on last Octobers Supreme Court judgement (the amount involved is estimated at close to $5 billion dollars at current exchange rates). However, Bharti, like Vodafone Idea, hopes to negotiate with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on spreading the payment over several years, something on which the Supreme Court will be providing a ruling soon. Recent reports have indicated that fundraising related to the AGR dues has enabled the group to assure the market that there is no longer any uncertainty about its ability to continue as a going concern. The total consolidated net loss comes in at an estimated $141 million for October-December, mainly due to one-time expenses relating to statutory dues and write-downs on 3G kit, besides higher finance costs. ARPU continues to rise on the back of higher data usage and tariff hikes, though the full effect of these, introduced only recently, may take a while to filter through. The company has also indicated that further price rises may be necessary. Revenue from local mobile services rose for the period under review, contributing around 70 percent of Bharti Airtels overall India quarterly revenue (the company also offers home broadband, direct-to-home and enterprise services in India).The company also announced the addition of about 21 million 4G customers to its mobile network and strong growth in data traffic. It is continuing to shut its 3G networks across India and refarm the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for 4G services. The company also has successful operations in 14 countries in Africa and had a consolidated user base of more than 418 million at the end of December. Even though it remains profitable, Bhartis Africa unit reportedly experienced a 27 per cent on-year fall in net profit to $90 million for the quarter-year to the end of December. I am a Republican and former federal prosecutor who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But I was deeply dismayed by the way his lawyers defended his misbegotten dealings with Ukraine during the Senate impeachment trial. Unlike Mr. Trumps supporters, I believe the president might well be guilty of breaking the law. Even without the additional witnesses and documents that the Senate Republicans refused to subpoena, the evidence available to date has established a prima facie case of bribery, a felony under federal law, against Mr. Trump. The articles of impeachment do not use the word bribery, but the House Judiciary Committee did in a report, and for good reason: The proof is there, for the following reasons. If the president corruptly demanded or sought anything of value to influence an official act, then he would be guilty of bribery. In other words, for bribery there must be a quid pro quo a specific intent to give or receive something of value in exchange for an official act, the Supreme Court held in United States v. Sun-Diamond Growers of California in 1999. Federal courts around the country have interpreted anything of value to include intangible things in this case, the announcement by Ukraine of an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The official action in question to be offered in exchange was the release of American military assistance to Ukraine, a country at war with Russia. That military assistance was unlawfully withheld in contravention of the presidents constitutional obligation to faithfully execute the law as Congress enacts it, the United States Government Accountability Office found. Community activist Quanell X on Tuesday called on residents of some predominately black neighborhoods in Houston to stop a so-called no-snitch policy that often pervadessome residential areas when it comes to crimes committed against the elderly , especially in light of a recent robbery and shooting. The entire community should be outraged and send a message that the no-snitch policy does not apply when youre gunning and robbing elderly people, Quanell X said Tuesday in a press conference in front of the home of a victim in south-central Houston. Quanell X cited the case of Arthur Cash, 71, who on January 28 was coming home in the 3000 block of Dacca Drive when two young men approached him in his front yard, pulled out a gun and demanded cash. They robbed Cash of $1,900 and escaped in a gray pickup truck. Cash said one of the robbers turned back to him on his way to the truck and shot him in the hip. He didnt need to do that; they already had the money, said Cash, adding that he fears for his life sometimes since he has been robbed three times in the last two years. Cash said that he lives on a fixed income and was going through difficult financial situation. In addition, he recently survived throat cancer. He said the robbers stripped him of money that family members gave him to pay bills as well as earnings from playing chess and dominos and slot machines I was terrified; Ive never been more afraid in my entire life! said Shawana Cash, Arthurs wife. She was awakened the night of the incident at around 2:00 a.m. by her husband, who was dragging himself into the house after being shot. Quanell X said he was raised in the same area where the incident occurred at a time when criminals had a code against hurting the elderly or kids. I can remember the hardcore criminals never would touch the elderly. They never would rob the elderly. Now were shooting and gunning down and robbing the elderly right in front of their homes for a measly few dollars, he said. Quanell X urged people to cooperate with police because failing to do so is not helping our communities and to help authorities find the perpetrators who shot Cash by calling Crime Stoppers (713-222-TIPS). olivia.tallet@chron.com Twitter.com/oliviaptallet Regional premier Quim Torra. europa press The Spanish Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to strip Catalan premier Quim Torra of his seat in the regional parliament until a final sentence is reached on his ban from public office. In December, the Catalan Regional High Court found Torra guilty of disobedience for refusing to remove banners in support of jailed pro-independence leaders from public buildings during an election campaign, something that violated regulations on political neutrality. The ruling, however, is not definitive until the Supreme Court issues a decision on Torras appeal. The top court did not rule on whether stripping Torra, a hard-line separatist, of his position as a lawmaker in the regional parliament would mean the pro-independence leader would have to step down as premier of Catalonia. This decision, in principle, must be made by the Catalan parliament, according to its own rules. The decision to strip Torra of his seat has cast more uncertainty over the political situation in Catalonia The Supreme Courts decision has raised political tensions once again, and threatens to trigger more conflict between the Catalan regional government and the courts. I am a lawmaker and premier of Catalonia because thats what the people decided and thats what was ratified by parliament, Torra said after the verdict was announced. The Barcelona Electoral Board has given the general secretary of the Catalan parliament, Xavier Muro Bas, 48 hours to name a representative from the Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party who will assume Torras seat. If this does not happen, the board will choose a replacement. The Barcelona Electoral Board sent the notice right after Spains National Electoral Board (JEC) called on the Catalan parliament to immediately comply with the Supreme Courts decision. For weeks now, the political future of Quim Torra has been in the hands of the Supreme Court. The criminal bench of the court must rule on Torras appeal against the decision from the Catalan regional High Court, which sentenced him to an 18-month ban from public office for disobedience. And the administrative bench must review the JECs decision to strip Torra of his position as deputy in the Catalan Parliament because of his ban from public office. I am a lawmaker and premier of Catalonia because thats what the people decided and thats what was ratified by parliament Catalan premier Quim Torra Agreements reached by the JEC are immediately enforceable, but they can be appealed before the Supreme Court, which is what Torra did. In his appeal, the politician called for the Supreme Court to temporarily freeze the JECs decision until the administrative bench reaches a ruling on his case. This appeal was rejected on Thursday, meaning that Torra will be stripped of his seat while the top court considers whether or not to uphold the JECs decision. If the criminal bench rules on Torras appeal of his disobedience sentence before then, the ruling would become final which would decide the political future of the Catalan premier. The decision to strip Torra of his seat has cast more uncertainty over the political situation in Catalonia. The center-right party Ciudadanos (Citizens) has written to the parliaments speakers committee, the Mesa de la Camara, to demand that Torra be removed as a lawmaker and replaced by another member of Junts per Catalunya, the party led by ousted Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont. The Catalan branch of the Socialist Party (PSC), meanwhile, wants a report from the parliaments legal advisors on how the Supreme Courts decision will affect Torras position as lawmaker and premier. After the JEC voted to strip Torra of his seat in early January, the in-house legal advisors concluded that losing a seat did not automatically imply losing the office of premier according to the rules of the parliament. But the Socialists believe that attorneys need to review this position in the wake of the new Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court decision goes against the position of the public prosecutor The PSC sent this request to Catalan parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent, who does not have to agree to the report. But if Torrent fails to comply with the Supreme Court ruling he could be charged with disobedience, according to Ciudadanos and the conservative Popular Party (PP). Both parties believe that Torra should not be able to vote in the next regional assembly, scheduled for Monday. Sources close to the regional government, however, say that Torra is planning to do so, despite the court ruling. The Supreme Court decision goes against the position of the public prosecutor, which issued a report last week that was in favor of allowing Torra to keep his seat until his appeals were heard. In the report, prosecutor Pedro Crespo warned that there was a legal debate about whether the JEC had the power to remove a deputy for a sentence that was not final. Quim Torra became regional premier in May 2018 after his predecessor, Carles Puigdemont, was ousted from office under Article 155 of the Constitution, which was activated by the Spanish government in the wake of the 2017 illegal referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence passed by the Catalan regional parliament. Torra, who is a lawyer by trade, was elected as a regional deputy in 2017 as an independence candidate for the pro-independence Together for Catalonia bloc. English version by Melissa Kitson. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Lucknow where he will preside over the inaugural ceremony of Defence Expo 2020. The Prime Minister was welcomed by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath upon his arrival at Lucknow airport. Service chiefs of 38 countries have confirmed their participation for the 11th edition of the Expo. The event promises to bring in new technologies and technological solutions, where defence manufacturing companies from India and abroad will showcase their products and services in the defence arena on a single platform, the Ministry said in a statement. The main theme of this year's event is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'. As many as 1028 companies have registered for participating in this year's event, as against 702 in the DefExpo 2018. The number of participating foreign companies have also increased to 172 from the previous figure of 160. At the event, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will display models of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Do-228 and Hawk at its indoor stall. Apart from these, some of the avionics, accessories, assemblies, products such as Indigenous Digital Map Generator (i-DMG), Engine and Flight Display Unit, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60, Air Producer Engine, Glass Cockpit for Do-228, Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), Digital Sand Rapid Prototyping Technology, etc., will also be displayed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today issued the following statement after receiving final approval of the company's agreement with the state regulator and the environmental community on how to permanently close all remaining ash basins in North Carolina. North Carolina Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway approved, and entered into the record, a consent order offered by the company, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Southern Environmental Law Center representing a number of community groups. The order details many of the provisions in the settlement agreement reached by the parties on December 31, 2019 and resolves the pending legal disputes over ash basin closure plans. --- We are very pleased to bring this matter to a close and fully focus on building the cleaner energy future our customers want and deserve. The landmark agreement between Duke Energy, the environmental regulator and environmental community enjoys support across North Carolina and serves as a powerful example of what's possible when we work together to protect people and the environment while managing costs. About Duke Energy Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit. Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Media Contact: 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Footage has emerged of a Chinese man on horseback in a full set of armour guarding the entrance to his village amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The mystery warrior and inhabitant of an unidentified village reportedly took it upon himself to enforce the Chinese government's lock down measures in order to curb the deadly pneumonia-like virus. Video circulating on social media shows the devoted villager in a full set of armour position himself and his trusty steed in the middle of the road. He points at a stopped car with his guandao - a Chinese weapon made from a thick blade attached to a wooden pole - and faces off with the motorist who is reportedly trying to enter his village during the lock down period. The helmet-wearing village warrior, who is not alone in manning the checkpoint leading in and out of the area, was apparently ready to gallop after the vehicle had the driver tried to force their way through. The armed villager approaches the car with his large blade, or guandao, to face off with the motorist reportedly trying to enter his village He positions himself in front of the car, blocking the driver's path. He is reportedly doing this to stop anyone who may be infected with the coronavirus from entering his village Disease prevention efforts have been stepped up and tensions towards possible coronavirus hosts are rising as the death toll from the respiratory disease rises to at least 490 in mainland China and 492 worldwide. More than 24,300 are confirmed to have been infected by the new strain of coronavirus, which is thought to have begun at a so-called 'wet market' in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province. At this point in earnings season, everyone was aware that British oil and gas giant BP (NYSE:BP) was likely to report reduced revenue and sharply lower earnings compared to the year-ago quarter. But the company's fourth-quarter 2019 results, which it released on Feb. 4, beat those low expectations. Revenue was indeed down, and earnings down sharply, but they were better than analysts were expecting, which caused a jump in shares. Here's what investors need to know. By the numbers Metric Q4 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2018 % Change (YOY) Revenue $71.1 billion $68.3 billion $75.7 billion (6.1%) Net Income $18 million ($731 million) $771 million (97.7%) Earnings per ADS (diluted) $0.01 ($0.22) $0.23 (95.7%) It's turning into a trend for the oil majors: In Q4 2019, revenue is slightly down year over year, but net income and earnings are way down, thanks to lower oil prices, refining margins, and petrochemical prices. That was true for Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) (NYSE:RDS.B) and for Chevron, and it was true for BP as well. Adjusted earnings stripped out $1.9 billion in after-tax impairment charges, "mainly for the disposal of U.S. gas assets," as well as a $900 million charge "arising from the reclassification of past foreign exchange losses on the formation of BP's new biofuels joint venture." Adjusted net income was down only 26.2% from the year-ago quarter. Increased production across the board wasn't enough to offset lower realized prices for both oil and gas, though, as production gains were minimal: Highlights from the quarter In December, BP began production from its offshore Alligin field in the U.K. The development is a joint venture between BP and Shell. It was expected to eventually produce 12,000 BOE/d, but initial performance has been better than expected, reaching a peak of 15,000 BOE/d. The field is estimated to hold 20 million BOE. In the smaller downstream segment, the company saw refining operating at 95% of capacity for 2019. For the second year running, BP reported record refining throughput. On an after-tax basis, 2019's payments related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill amounted to $2.4 billion. The company anticipates they will total less than $1 billion in 2020. BP reduced its net debt by $1.1 billion in Q4, achieving a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.1%, down from 31.7% at the end of the previous quarter. The company increased its quarterly dividend by 2.4% to $0.105/share, but the share price increase in the wake of the earnings announcement means that its current yield of 6.7% has now fallen to second place among the oil majors, behind Shell's 7.2%. A new era for BP Perhaps the biggest news for the company is the retirement of CEO Bob Dudley on Feb. 5, 2020. Dudley has led the company since the resignation of his predecessor Tony Hayward in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizons oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Dudley ably steered the company through the oil price downturn of 2014 to 2017, and has generally been regarded as a capable manager. Arguably, he was set up for success by the company's response to the oil spill: Because BP already had cut its dividend and instituted cost-control measures, it was primed for the downturn in ways other companies weren't. Hayward, the former CEO, had also made several PR missteps in the wake of the oil spill, which allowed Dudley -- a Mississippi native who handled the company's U.S. response -- to shine by comparison. Dudley will be succeeded by Bernard Looney, current CEO of BP's upstream segment. Like Dudley, Looney is a longtime BP insider, having joined the company in 1991 and served on the executive management team since 2010. In January, the company announced that CFO Brian Gilvary would be following Dudley into retirement, effective June 30. According to a press release, he "will be succeeded by Murray Auchincloss, currently CFO of BP's Upstream segment, who will take up the role of BP CFO and join the board on 1 July 2020." This isn't unusual, as many CFOs depart shortly after a CEO leaves, with a few months' transition time in between. What (outgoing) management had to say In a statement, Dudley reflected on the company's Q4 results and the impending leadership change: BP is performing well, with safe and reliable operations, continued strategic progress and strong cash delivery. This all supports our commitment to growing distributions to shareholders over the long term and the dividend rise we announced today. After almost ten years, this is now my last quarter as CEO. In that time, we have achieved a huge amount together and I am proud to be handing over a safer and stronger BP to Bernard and his team. I am confident that under their leadership, BP will continue to successfully navigate the rapidly changing energy landscape. As the industry goes All the oil majors grappled with lower oil and gas prices, declining refining margins, and collapsing petrochemical prices in Q4, and BP was no exception. This doesn't bode well for BP's eventual performance in the first quarter of 2020, during which spot oil prices have already fallen very close to Q4's low point. However, even as profits fall and oil spill payments continue, BP has managed to churn out plenty of cash to back up its generous dividend. For dividend investors, the stock -- and the oil majors in general -- still looks attractive. Other investors may want to wait and see where oil prices bottom out before buying into the energy industry. In the Spring of 2009, a new virus emerged, species-jumping from pigs to humans in Mexico. The H1N1 swine flu, as it came to be known, began to spread around the world, and black-and-white images of the 1918 Spanish-flu pandemic, which killed close to 50 million people worldwide, soon appeared in news reports. In the absence of any foolproof way to guess the damage it might do, doomsayers speculated that this H1N1 Could be a repeat of that terrible scourge. As a doctor, I urged parents at a camp my son was attending in Maine to give all their children Tamiflu, in order to slow the spread of the new virus. It worked, and the flu was stopped in its tracks, at this camp and elsewhere. A vaccine was hastily prepared, which also worked. In the end, the swine flu killed 200,000 people worldwide that first year, far short of the 500,000 deaths that can result from a normal yearly flu season, and nowhere close to the damage done by the 1918 pandemic. If a pandemic is a virus taking hold in different countries at the same time with sustained spread in each, then the Chinese coronavirus emerging today doesnt quite yet qualify, but it seems clear that it will before long. The virus is spreading throughout central China. It has passed the 25,000-case mark as of this writing, and killed more than 500 people. The chances are that the true numbers are far greater, as many thousands of illnesses with upper-respiratory symptoms or even pneumonia may be misdiagnosed and not automatically tied to the virus. This problem is only getting worse as the few hospitals equipped to deal with the virus are overwhelmed and supply lines are cut off by quarantines. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and China has gone from underreacting and suppressing information to quarantining an entire region of close to 60 million people. Thankfully, Beijing is finally reaching out to the international medical community for help. Placing a chokehold on travel both to and from China may help to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but it has also created panic, and people who are afraid take fewer precautions to prevent the viruss transmission. The virus currently appears too contagious to be completely confined. Sporadic cases in the U.S. are likely to lead to more-sustained spread over time as the virus becomes more accustomed to passing between humans. Unfortunately, we dont yet have a vaccine or anti-viral treatments. Both will be tested, and we are likely to have an effective vaccine within the year, based on our prior knowledge and use of coronavirus vaccines in animals, as well as the vaccine created to stop the 2003 SARS outbreak, which has potential to combat the virus. Two anti-viral drugs, Remdesivir, which was developed to combat Ebola and Marburg virus, and Kaletra, an HIV treatment, show some promise against coronavirus as well. Story continues In the meantime, HHS has declared the coronavirus outbreak a national public-health emergency, following the World Health Organizations declaration of an international public-health emergency a few days earlier. CDC is correctly taking aggressive actions to try to control the spread of the virus in the U.S., expanding testing, working closely with state and local health authorities, releasing strong advisories against travel to China, and mandating two-week quarantines for those returning from affected regions. Will these actions be enough? I spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said he thinks these actions will help to slow the viruss spread, if not completely stop it, while work is accelerated on a vaccine. He also pointed out that as the late spring and more-humid summer months arrive, all respiratory viruses, including this one, tend to stop spreading. He is, however, concerned about the possibility that there could be a second wave of the virus next fall. Will the coronavirus be another Swine Flu, which scared us silly but ended up being less deadly than the yearly flu, or will it be like SARS, which had an almost 10 percent death rate before petering out far short of the coronaviruss case numbers? The answer is that this pathogen will chart its own unique course, and we should monitor it closely for further mutations or changes in its effect on victims. Our public-health leaders should be lauded for their efforts so far, but now is not the time to let down our guard. We must remain vigilant in slowing the viruss spread, and cannot afford to stop pursuing a vaccine even for a moment. More from National Review NOVI, MI -- Standing 20-feet tall, President Donald Trump gave a thumbs-up as hundreds of applauding supporters leaned forward in their reclining leather theatre seats. Several hundred Michigan Republicans attended a special screening of Trumps third State of the Union address at the Emagine Theater in Novi Tuesday. Supporters of the president were in a festive mood, volleying beach balls through air and free T-shirts across the aisles before the Fox News broadcast began. The MAGA meet-up watch party started with a training session to organize volunteers for the upcoming election cycle. Meshawn Maddock, co-founder of Michigan Trump Republicans and a national adviser for the presidents Women for Trump coalition, said volunteers should be focused on beating U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills. Novi is located in Oakland County, which did not support Trump in 2016 and is touched by four congressional districts represented by Democrats. Several attendees who spoke with MLive said they are motivated to improve Trumps margins in their suburban neighborhoods, which generally turned out big for Democrats in 2018. Doesnt it feel good to be in front of a big screen in a big room with other people who think like you? Maddock said to the crowd. Trumps speech got off to a well-received start, with supporters harmonizing with chants of four more years led by congressional Republicans 500 miles away. The theatre exploded in cheers when Trump rebuffed House Speaker Nancy Pelosis attempt to shake his hand and her reactions to the speech elicited laughter throughout the night. Pelosi would go on to tear up her copy of Trumps speech after the address was over. State of the Union addresses are usually used by presidents to tout their policy accomplishments and political victories. Though Trump didnt make an outright campaign stump speech, supporters said he laid out a strong case for his re-election. My fellow citizens, three years ago, we launched the great American comeback, Trump said. Tonight I stand before you to share the incredible results. Jobs are booming. Incomes are soaring. Poverty is plummeting. Crime is falling. Confidence is surging and our country is thriving and highly respected again. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox said Trump is keeping his promises to the country. You gotta hand it to the guy, Cox said. He takes the slings and arrows. Every day he gets up in the morning and he fights for America. He fights because he believes so much in the American dream and the people in America. Highland Township resident Beth Grate said she was glad that Trump didnt give a campaign speech. Instead, she said the president laid out his support for American values," especially in his final remarks where Trump promised the American adventure has only just begun. I have not heard orations like that since Reagan, Grate said, later adding. The change in our culture and economy is indisputable. Grate did not support Trump in the 2016 primary but said his record of success has won her over. The presidents job approval rose to 49% in a recent Gallup poll, the highest point since he took office in 2017, providing positive signs for his re-election prospects. William Hartmann, communications director for the 12th Congressional District Republican Committee, said Trump is in a stronger position to win Michigan than 2016, where the president surprisingly flipped the state by less than 11,000 votes. Trump eked out a victory in Hartmanns hometown of Wyandotte, located in the south part of the deeply blue Wayne County. Hartmann said it showed Trump can cultivate support in parts of the state where Republicans thought their votes didnt matter. Joe Brandis, a longtime precinct delegate and Michigan Republican Party organizers, said the so-called never Trumpers in the GOP have been proven wrong. Brandis said Trump has done more than promised, delivering a tax reform bill which saved Brandis $1,500 last year, new trade deals meant to protect labor in Michigans industrial cities, and record-low unemployment figures. Trumps speech came a day after the Iowa Democratic Party failed to deliver results of the first presidential nominating contest and on the eve of the presidents expected impeachment acquittal. Trump did not mention impeachment once, which pleasantly surprised Hartland resident Larry Parsons. He hit it out of the park, said Parsons, who also said he was happy to see conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Farmington Hills resident Mindy Albright said Trump has never backed down from the constant battles with Democrats that has defined his presidency. She said the presidents detractors are motivated by irrational emotions, but Trumps track record speaks for itself. Trump is giving them facts, she said. Minutes after President Donald Trump finished his 2020 State of the Union address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her written copy of the speech. The moment was caught on camera as Pelosi stood next to an applauding Vice President Mike Pence at the end of the address. After ripping up her copy, Pelosi placed the torn papers in a stack as Trump received applause from Republicans in the House. Alabama Rep. Bradley Byrne was quick to criticize Pelosis actions. I cant think of anything more childish than Nancy Pelosi ripping up President Trumps speech just seconds after his historic State of the Union address, Byrne said just minutes after the address. What a sad display of bitter hatred towards our President and our country. Earlier in the speech, Pelosi, an outspoken critic of the president, appeared to extend her hand to the president as Trump turned away without a handshake. After the speech, Pelosi responded to questions about her actions. Exchange between @FoxNews producer Jason Donner and @SpeakerPelosi Question: Why did you rip up the speech madam speaker? Speaker Pelosi: Because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives. John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) February 5, 2020 Trumps address came the night before his expected acquittal in the Senate after the Democrat-led House voted to impeach the president. The Modis, once among the eight largest groups in the country in terms of assets in 1990, have been used to many a bitter battle which has led to numerous splits. The next round has just begun. While starting out on his new venture some years ago, Samir Modi made a call to 7-Eleven for a tie-up to set up the countrys first chain of convenience stores. But the US company, the largest globally in this business, was not willing to give him an exclusive franchisee for the country. Said Samir, the youngest son of K K Modi, in an interview a few months ago: I am a builder of a new business, not a seller. We dont build businesses to sell. So we decided to go on our own. But the same view is not echoed clearly by everyone in the family. On Monday this week, Samirs elder brother, Lalit Modi (of IPL fame), tweeted that all the assets in the group were up for sale. Just two months after K K Modis death, Lalit on Monday said through a tweet that the three other trustees wanted to continue to run the business. "But I felt after my fathers demise the value will deplete. He identified the businesses that would be on the block - the groups flagship tobacco company Godfrey Phillips (in which convenience retail store business 24Seven also resides), agrochemicals company Indofil Industries, and direct marketing company Modicare. However, it is clear that this has kicked off a battle among family members, with Lalit on one side and his mother, Bina (who took over as president and managing director of GPI as well as managing trustee of the Trust Fund), brother Samir, and sister Charu, on the other, on the future of the group assets. In a regulatory filing, GPI said on Tuesday it would like to clarify that it was neither engaged nor privy to any discussion on rumoured potential transaction by its promoters. It added that the company had received clarification from its significant promoter that there had been no decision to put its assets on the market. So what are they battling about? Well, it is over an Rs 10,000-crore empire, which, if Samirs calculations are to be relied on, could double in the next three to five years. And it does not include businesses that are not in contention in the sale, like Colorbar, the cosmetics brand expected to hit revenues of Rs 350 crore and has a 9 per cent market share. Despite ITCs domination of the tobacco market, GPI, which manufactures brands like Four Square and Red & White, has not only held its own but has been increasing its market share by around 1 per cent every year for the last few years. Once at the bottom of the heap (it was number five in market share), it currently has a 13.5 per cent share of the tobacco market (the number two player), concentrating on the northern and western markets. Also it dominates or has a significant market share in Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, and Punjab, sometimes more than that of ITC or pretty close to it. A top-notch professional team, launch of two to three new variants every year and partnership with Phillip Morris (Marlboro) have helped us gain market share year or year, said Samir. He expects the business to hit more than Rs 10,000 crore in the next three to five years, from around Rs 6,300 crore currently. But the business close to Samirs heart is 24Seven, which is part of GPI, and, according to Lalit, it too will be on the block. Starting from scratch in an uncharted arena, but sensing that with more couples going to work and needing quick fixes, there are now over 104 stores in the National Capital Region, and Samir is targeting 600 in three years. Not only that, he is also planning a quiet expansion to other cities like Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Its still a small business but in the next five years my target is to hit revenues of Rs 3,000-4,000 crore. "And it would be 15-20 per cent of GPIs revenues, said Samir. To build the business, the youngest brother set up a large food commissary to cook and supply to the stores. It also helped them in cutting prices customers pay by over 70 per cent. He is aiming at 30 per cent of the revenues of the stores from food against 18 per cent currently. The group has another front opened up, which is battling multinationals in the direct marketing space. Samir says three years ago they were the smallest player, far behind Amway, Oriflame, or Avon. But in March this year it expects to be number two in the pecking order, with revenues of over Rs 1,500 crore. At the core of the new strategy was to revamp the product line, drop prices, and add in newer areas. So for instance, it added wellness and food, which includes spices, snacks ghee, coffee among others. It also dropped prices across the board by around 40 per cent. Indofil is a stable business with revenues of around Rs 2,200 crore and it generates reasonable profits of Rs 189 crore with over 43 per cent of its business coming from international sales. Those in the know point out that it might not be easy to sell the tobacco business, considering the ban on FDI in the sector in manufacturing, and a policy that discourages at least new foreign players. The family owns over 47.09 per cent in GPI while partner Philip Morris controls 25.1 per cent, though it has earlier had numerous talks to take control of the company, which did not go far. Also sources in the know say that ITC would stay away from any acquisition, which will make it a monopoly in the market. But with 7-Eleven making an entry into India with the Future group and direct marketing companies looking at expanding their businesses, both 24Seven and Modicare could be attractive pickings. The Modis, once among the eight largest groups in the country in terms of assets in 1990, have been used to many a bitter battle which has led to numerous splits. The next round has just begun. Photograph: PTI Photo A Kansas woman is on trial for the decapitation of her ex-boyfriend's mother whose body was discovered in the suspect's garage and her head was dumped in the kitchen sink. Rachael Hilyard, 38, of Wichita, is charged with first-degree murder in the April 2017 killing of 63-year-old Micki Davis. Prosecutors say Hilyard demanded that Davis collect her son's belongings from her home. Davis and her nine-year-old grandson went to Hilyard's home, and that's when Hilyard attacked the woman, using a pair of steak knives to cut off her head. Rachael Hilyard, 38 (left), is on trial in Kansas for the April 2017 decapitation murder of her ex-boyfriend's mother, Micki Davis, 63 (right) Jurors on Tuesday were shown body camera video of officers discovering Hilyard hiding in a bathroom after the slaying Authorities say the suspect's son ran away and called the police using his grandmother's cellphone, telling a 911 operator that his mother was beating up Davis. He was not present when his grandmother was beheaded. As the trial got underway Tuesday, defense attorney Quentin Pittman didn't dispute that his client killed Davis and said he anticipated the jury would find her guilty of the 'appropriate charge.' He didn't say what that that charge might be, The Wichita Eagle reported. Prosecutors said they would introduce evidence at trial such as a taped law enforcement interview with the grandson, and photos of the crime scene. In his opening statement, Hilyard's defense attorney didn't dispute that his client killed Davis Officer Brad Crouch, with the Wichita Police Department, testified that he saw a human head in the kitchen sink and followed Hilyard's dog to the garage, where the rest of Davis' was laying on the floor in a pool of blood, reported the station KAKE. Jurors were shown a neighbor's surveillance video and police body camera footage of armed officers breaking down Hilyard's door and entering the house. Crouch told the court from the stand when he and his colleagues found the suspect hiding in the bathroom, she was covered in blood. 'She had blood on her hands and her arms, wrists, clothing, and she was wearing some lace-up boots that had blood on the boots and there was strands of long hair stuck in the lacings [sic] of her boots,' the officer recounted. The prosecution also played for the jury a recording of Hilyard's son's 911 call. The nine-year-old boy gave police directions to his mother's home, then led responding officers to the door. Davis' family attended the trial and called the child a hero for calling for help, reported KWCH. In a jail house interview not long after her April 9, 2017, arrest, Hilyard told The Eagle she feels 'horrible' but argued that God was responsible for Davis death. She said a pastor had performed an exorcism to eradicate 'evil spirits' at her house in the days before the killing. Her story was later corroborated in part by the cleric who had performed the spiritual cleansing ritual. Speaking to the paper, Pastor Terry Fox, of Summit Church in Wichita, confirmed that he and his assistants had spent a few days evaluating Hilyard's home for possible demonic activity but found no physical evidence of an evil presence, such as an upside down cross, or other 'dark objects.' Fox, who has been performing exorcisms for three decades, also said Hilyard showed no signs of violence towards herself or others. Hilyard had a pastor perform an exorcism to eradicate 'evil spirits' at her house in the days before the killing. She told a newspaper that God was responsible for Davis death She was not aggressive to hurt anyone or herself. Had she been I wouldve reported it, Fox said. If I thought she was a danger to herself or someone I wouldve reported that. Fox recalled that the woman wanted him to carry out a 'full-blown' exorcism, but he only prayed over her house. Hilyard mentioned that she had been in a car accident in 2003 that left her with a traumatic brain injury, but she was quick to point out that it had nothing to do with 'it.' In the days leading up to the murder, Hilyard made a series of bizarre posts on Facebook referencing serial murder and beheadings. Hilyard has received mental health treatment at the state psychiatric hospital since her arrest and was declared competent for trial in August 'Well this is how it feels to be insane. & i must say that i don't like it,' she wrote one week before Davis was killed. 'They can try to cut my head off,' she wrote in verse on Wednesday evening, 'But what im sure/They don't know/Is that i knew more than you.' 'Well my Psychopathic Serial Killers for beginners in training class is over for the day...."whew" now for homework time or what kids?' another post after midnight reads. 'Please don't let them cut my head off,' yet another post an hour later reads. Hilyard has received mental health treatment at the state psychiatric hospital since her arrest and was declared competent for trial in August. Her trial is expected to last through the week. She remains in custody at the Sedgwick County Jail in lieu of bonds totaling $550,000. "Aileen Ugalde is the perfect chair of the Trust and I look forward to working with her," said Adrienne Arsht, founding chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation Board. "She has contributed so much to the Arsht Center while on the Trust Board these past few years. Complemented by Chair-Elect Richard Milstein and the other elected officers, Aileen and Johann will take the Center to new heights of excellence." "What an honor it is to be able to lead one of the premier performing arts centers in America, a place that has transformed and enriched our community," said Ugalde. "We can never say thank you enough to the County for its vision and to Adrienne Arsht for her support." A Miami native, Aileen Ugalde is the first Latina to chair the Trust Board and has served on the Board since 2015, most recently chairing the strategic planning committee. Ugalde is vice president and general counsel of the University of Miami. She was appointed to that role in 2006, and previously served as vice president for government affairs, assistant to the president, and as secretary to the Board of Trustees. She served as executive director of the 2004 Presidential Debate Committee, which hosted the first televised U.S. Presidential Debate in South Florida. Ugalde graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Latin American studies and international relations and earned her law degree with honors from the University of Miami. For more information on the officers of the Board, visit arshtcenter.org/press. About the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Set in the heart of downtown Miami and designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the world's leading performing arts organizations and venues. The Center programs several Signature Series, including the largest jazz series in South Florida, a major annual Flamenco Festival, and a robust program of new theatrical works as well as free programming for the community and an arts education program that serves nearly 60,000 children each year. Visit arshtcenter.org for more information. Contact: Suzette Espinosa Fuentes, 786-468-2221, [email protected] SOURCE arshtcenter.org Camp Ashland, the Nebraska National Guard's training installation, has been targeted as a quarantine site for Americans returning from a region of China that has been ground zero for an outbreak of the coronavirus. Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha are preparing for the possibility that Camp Ashland will be used as a designated quarantine location, spokesman Taylor Wilson said Tuesday. It's possible that people under quarantine could arrive at Camp Ashland later this week, officials said. Ashland Fire and Rescue posted to its Facebook page that those quarantined at Camp Ashland "will be housed and kept completely segregated from all staff," adding that the local department would not be affected by the quarantine operations. The Americans who may be quarantined in Nebraska are federal and contract workers who may have interacted with the virus and/or visited Wuhan, China, but tested negative for the virus. Meanwhile, agencies are preparing for the possibility. "We are communicating with service members, families and everyone working at Camp Ashland to hear their concerns as well as reassure them that appropriate measures are being taken to ensure health and safety of everyone involved," Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, public affairs officer for the Nebraska National Guard, said Tuesday in discussing the plan. Personnel from UNMC already have visited the site and would be engaged in the effort along with the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Officials are eyeing a 14-day quarantine of Americans who have been in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. A federal health emergency order issued last week provided for a mandatory quarantine of any U.S. citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to the area in China most impacted by the virus. The quarantined visitors would have no contact with National Guard soldiers in training or assigned to Camp Ashland, officials said. The camp includes 85 hotel-style rooms built on stilts that are typically reserved for use by military personnel taking part in a conference or training exercises at Camp Ashland. The rooms, built in the 1990s, were untouched by flooding that ravaged much of Camp Ashland last year, Ingalsbe said. The February schedule is traditionally one of the quietest times of the year at the camp, he added. Almost 200 Americans already are under quarantine at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California. They were among the first group of U.S. citizens evacuated on a chartered flight from Wuhan. According to the Associated Press, all had received testing for the coronavirus before departing China, at a refueling stop in Alaska and again after arriving at the base east of Los Angeles. Camp Ashland is near the Platte River between Omaha and Lincoln and has been a National Guard installation for more than 100 years. The coronavirus has killed at least 490 people in China and infected more than 24,000 globally. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon Canadian Lauren Williams says her family had less than an hour to get to the Wuhan airport Friday, after the U.K. Foreign Office suddenly allowed her to fly out of China with her British husband. Williams, 29, says she and her two-year-old were the only two Canadians aboard the plane that repatriated more than 80 people who had been seeking to leave China amid the growing spread of the coronavirus in the country. The U.K. ministry, which arranged the plane, told them to bring only carry-on luggage and to get there fast. "It was a mad dash to the airport," said Williams, who spoke to CBC News over the phone from a hospital in north-west England, where she's in quarantine with her son James and husband Tom, who works as a principal at an international school in Wuhan. 'I've never seen the airport so empty' Williams recalls speeding through the empty streets of the city in their car to the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. They weren't stopped at any roadblocks, but they did need permission from Wuhan police to cross certain bridges. At the airport, they were checked in manually, as there were no staff at the check-in counters or baggage handlers. "I've never seen the airport so empty. It was bizarre," said the Langley, B.C., woman, who is eight months pregnant with her second child. Facebook Williams said some of the passengers had biked to the flight, eager to get out of Wuhan in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and the city's lockdown. There was one earlier British flight with about 11 passengers, and there's one more being scheduled, Williams said. "People are being told this is quite possibly your last chance if you want to get out," said Williams. "Some people, they literally came with [only] the clothes on their back." The flight from Wuhan was initially delayed by a few hours. After the 12-hour flight to a military base in the U.K., the Williamses were bussed another 4 hours to a small hospital near Liverpool, where they are quarantined. Story continues A special segregated staff unit at the Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, is caring for the couple and their two-year-old son James, along with the dozens of other passengers who were on the flight, until the virus's incubation period is over. The passengers should be cleared to leave in 14 days. Lauren Williams Relieved to be in U.K. The pregnant mom said she's exhausted, but relieved to be on British soil. "It was easily the longest and hardest travel day I've ever experienced ... but there is a deep sense of relief for our family," she said. "We weren't sure that my son and I were going to be allowed on that flight." As the number of coronavirus infections continue to climb, Williams is eager to hear confirmation that the remaining Canadians in Wuhan and the wider Hubei province can get out. Global Affairs Canada sent an email to Canadians in the region overnight saying a government-chartered flight is expected to leave the Wuhan airport in the early morning of Feb. 6. More than 300 Canadians have asked for help getting out of China. "I think more and more people are thinking, 'We've got to get out of here,'" Williams said. Tom Williams Local concerns about virus Williams is relieved that her ordeal is almost over. For her B.C.-born son who loves planes and flying the trip home was mostly an adventure, but the dorm-like, indoor-only life the trio are living now is challenging. Despite being symptom free, every precaution is being taken with them, she said. However, that hasn't stopped fear of the virus spreading in the nearby community, where some residents are angry that passengers travelling from the epicentre of the virus have been transferred to their local hospital. "You see the darker side of humanity in newspaper comment sections. But then you see the beautiful side of humanity, with everyone coming together and helping," Williams said. The support has far outweighed any negative, she said. Some people even dropped off letters, packages and birthday gifts for the pregnant mom, who turns 30 tomorrow, and hopes to be free of quarantine by Valentine's Day. The 15th edition of Asia's largest automobile show in terms of visitor footfalls kicked-off here on Wednesday with a plethora of auto companies, start-ups, telecom, alternate fuel, electric vehicle and social media firms participating at the mega event. The 2020 -- Motor Show, will have a select opening on Wednesday and it will formally open for the public from Friday. The show features more than 15 start-ups, telecom, alternate fuel, electric vehicle and social media firms. " 2020 would see a showcase of different technologies related to clean vehicles, safe vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Director General Rajesh Menon told IANS. "This is beyond just showcasing of vehicles and will also focus on the new paradigms of mobility like connected cars, electric cars, and alternative fuel." Segment-wise, the start-up section of the show displays technology solutions for green mobility and services connected to the automobile industry. Furthermore, Reliance Jio and FaceBook are also present at the event along with 15 new technology start-ups. Lately, telecom operators have entered the segment to provide connectivity to internet-enabled cars and Jio will be showcasing embedded SIM technology for the Facebook will host a town hall discussion and will also be holding other events. Others such as Lithium-ion battery and charger manufacturers, along with tyre firms will also be present at the auto show. Besides, Brazilian UNICA (Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association), one of the world's largest bioethanol producers, Italian tyre firm Pirelli and design company Icona will also mark their maiden presence at the expo. However, the star attractions are expected to be the new foreign players at the auto show. New automobile firms like the Chinese' Great Wall Motor, FAW Haima, Olectra and MG Motors will showcase a vast variety of cars, SUVs and buses. The visitors to the event will witness 60 launches of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. Many of these launches are expected to be face-lifts of existing models with BS-VI compliant engines as the country is shifting to BS-VI from April 2020. The healthy participation and launches assume significance as the sector has been battered by falling sales due to high goods and services tax (GST), farm distress, stagnant wages and liquidity constraints. While some companies had to reduce production, dealers took inventory correction measures. Besides, brands like Volkswagen, Skoda, Force Motors will make a return to the motor show. The 15th edition of the expo, is being jointly organised by ACMA, CII and SIAM from February 7-12 for the general public, at the India Expo Mart in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida. --IANS rv/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Since their inception, Opportunity Zones have been touted as a vehicle to attract investment into talented but underserved communities. Included in the Trump Administration's late 2017 tax legislation, Opportunity Zones encourage investment in economically challenged census tracts. The program accomplishes this by providing favorable tax treatment to capital gains accrued from investments in real estate development or startups headquartered within the Zones. Opportunity Zones have received wide bipartisan support and have been touted as one of the few actual mechanisms to direct capital to startups headquartered outside of the coasts. On Thursday, February 5, Opportunity Zones across the country were recognized at the "Forbes OZ 20: The Top Opportunity Zone Catalysts" event in Salt Lake City, Utah. Leading the way for urban communities? Erie, Pennsylvania. One of America's traditional examples of heavy industry and manufacturing joined Opportunity Zones in Los Angeles, Colorado, and Alabama as one of four Grand Prize winners at the event. The recognition caps off a year of Opportunity Zone-focused economic development in Erie. The effort has made Erie one of the most prominent champions of Opportunity Zones. The result is a Grand Prize--and plans for more than $60 million in investments in real estate development and local startups in the near future. "This is a pivotal moment and tremendous accomplishment for Pennsylvania and for non-coastal startup communities across the country," said James Grunke, President & CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership. "For decades, Erie and the other communities that were recognized at the event faced challenges and setbacks that were often beyond our control. However, our work has just begun. The coming years will see Opportunity Zones soar to heights many of these communities haven't seen in decades." Prior to the creation of Opportunity Zones, the pitch for investing in Middle America was almost solely focused on a sense of civic duty. Supporters of OZs believe that the favorable tax treatment allowed by the legislation creates real incentives for investors to place their capital into traditionally distressed communities. Those supporters are also quick to note that the return on investment goes far beyond money. The subject of a viral video had her case bound to the Grand Jury on Tuesday after General Sessions Court Judge Gerald Webb Jr. listened to the preliminary hearing. Kuchava Moore, 31, became infamous after a Facebook live video depicted her shooting another woman from a vehicle. Visibly hobbled and using crutches to walk up to the bench, the victim testified about what led up to her being shot. I have three bullet holes in my left calf, two in my right calf, and one in my hip, she said. She told the judge that she and Ms. Moore had an antagonistic history before the incident. She said Ms. Moore would make social media statuses, nitpicking me on Facebook. Both women had been involved with the same man, with the victims relationship being characterized as on-again, off-again. The victim said she sent Ms. Moore a friend request so they could talk about their issues, but it was not accepted. She said she made it clear she wanted her one, which meant she wanted to fight Ms. Moore. The victim believed a fistfight would resolve any issues the two had. After this, the victim and her friend traveled over to Moores neighborhood on Arlington Avenue. and began to Facebook live. During this Facebook livestream, Ms. Moore commented several times. Eventually, Ms. Moore and who appeared to be her sister drove up next to the victim. From about three feet away, the victim said she began to motion at the vehicle and let the occupants know she was ready to fight. I was like Come on, Come on. I was ready to fight, said the witness. She then said she saw Ms. Moore reaching for something. The victim thought she was reaching for the door so she could exit the vehicle and begin fighting. Instead, she pulled out a handgun and began shooting. How many times she shot me made me believe she was trying to kill me, said the victim. I was in disbelief. I looked down and was like Oh (expletive), Im bleeding. When defense attorney Kevin Loper asked if the victim was armed, she vehemently denied having a gun on her person at the time. While she said she had a permit to carry, she said her gun was in her own car about 30 feet away. The victim also explained a December interaction, where police were called on her and their mutual love interest after they allegedly stalked Ms. Moore. The victim said they were trying to get the mans phone back from Ms. Moore. Attorney Loper then gave special attention to the fact that the victim purposefully went into Ms. Moores neighborhood looking for a fight, saying, So my client was driving in her neighborhood, and you went to her neighborhood? After listening to this testimony, Judge Webb moved the case to the Grand Jury. Because of the Facebook video, the judge said that any testimony as to what happened would be easily proven credible or false depending on how it compared to what was seen on screen. There is a video that I have not seen but have heard about, said Judge Webb, and the proof is in the pudding in this case. Any discrepancies will be cleared up by the video. Ms. Moore is charged with attempted murder and possession of a handgun during the commission of a felony. NEW HAVEN Jose Morales Wednesday waived his right to appear in court during another brief pre-trial proceeding on charges of possession of stun guns as Ansonia police continued to seek evidence to charge him in the death of his girlfriend, Christine Holloway. New Haven Superior Court Judge Melanie Cradle continued the weapons case to Feb. 26. Morales attorney, Senior Assistant Public Defender Margaret Moreau, was not in court, but attorney Sanford Bruce filled in for her during the 30-second session. Moreau has been trying to obtain a copy of the search warrant police used to go through Morales home Dec. 3, the morning after Holloways badly beaten body was found in her Ansonia home. But Assistant States Attorney Melissa Holmes noted during Wednesdays hearing that the search warrant is still sealed. Morales, 43, of New Haven, has been held in lieu of $250,000 bail since his arrest Dec. 3. The pending charges against him are two counts of criminal possession of firearms (stun guns). As a convicted felon, he is not allowed to have them. Both charges are felonies. Ansonia Police Chief Andrew Cota III said in mid-January that they were working on a warrant to charge Morales with Holloways death. But there has been no significant development announced since then and Morales has not been charged in the homicide. In mid-December, Ansonia police Lt. Patrick Lynch said Morales was a suspect in Holloways homicide and the disappearance of Holloways daughter, Vanessa Morales. Cota said Wednesday the Holloway homicide and the missing child are still very active investigations. We continue to get leads coming in and we follow up on them. Should any lead take them outside the state, he said he would contact the local police in that jurisdiction or if necessary the FBI. He said Morales is still the prime suspect and police are working with prosecutors on a warrant. Cota said police are still acting on the belief Vanessa is alive. We dont have any information that leads us to believe otherwise. Police are continuing to search for 1-year-old Vanessa. Jose Morales is the girls father. The girl and her mother were last seen with Morales the day after Thanksgiving. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who can lead investigators to Vanessa or who turns her over to police. Anybody with information is asked to call the FBI New Haven Hotline at 203-503-5555 or Ansonia police at 203-735-1885. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific today introduced a new next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based solution that enables reproductive health researchers to more efficiently analyze a broad range of key genetic markers with an end-to-end workflow. The Ion Torrent CarrierSeq ECS Kit for the Ion GeneStudio S5 System consolidates a multi-platform approach to expanded carrier screening (ECS) into a single solution that extends the company's reproductive health research portfolio, which includes tools for prenatal, postnatal, invitro fertilization and newborn screening analysis. The CarrierSeq ECS Kit consists of a 420-gene, AmpliSeq-based panel that combines many stand-alone tests into a single assay, including difficult-to-sequence genes, such as SMN1 and SMN2 for spinal muscular atrophy, GBA for Gaucher disease, CYP21A2 for 21-hydroxylase deficient congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and HBA1 and HBA2 for alpha thalassemia. The kit detects more than 28,000 non-benign ClinVar variants, including both single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variants (CNVs), and contains optimized reagents and a customizable Carrier Reporter Software for data analysis and reporting. "In the past, we've typically used many different platforms to cover the plethora of tests, from NGS and qPCR to capillary electrophoresis. With CarrierSeq ECS kit, we can consolidate many of the tests which really improves our lab efficiency," said Luis A. Alcaraz, Ph.D., scientific and lab director at Bioarray, Spain, an early access customer. "In addition, because Carrier Reporter Software is intuitive to use, we can confidently perform various analyses and customize our reporting quickly." The global carrier screening market is estimated to reach $2.7 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 19.6 percent, according to an October 2019 report by MarketsandMarkets. Advancements in NGS is making ECS more efficient, economical, and an accessible method to screen for a large number of heritable genetic conditions during family planning. However, the high development cost to overcome lack of bioinformatics and assay development expertise has presented implementation challenges for many reproductive health researchers in the past. "We designed the CarrierSeq ECS Kit by tapping into our deep R&D expertise in panel design, algorithm development, assay optimization, and software development," said Yan Zhang, vice president and general manager of reproductive health at Thermo Fisher. "The end result is a straightforward, ready-to-use solution that our customers can confidently implement in their lab. The addition of this kit underscores our mission to enable our customers to make the world healthier." For more information on Ion Torrent CarrierSeq ECS Kit, please visit www.thermofisher.com/carrierseq About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. Mauricio Minotta Thermo Fisher Scientific +1 760 929 2456 +1 760 805-5266 (mobile) [email protected] SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com A few days ago, the world's largest container ship left Qingdao Port with nearly ten thousand containers of exported commodities. The city's excellent business environment is helping attract more and more investment from domestic and overseas enterprises. Following a telephone call on the first day of the Chinese New Year, a high-end chip packaging project was confirmed to be set up in Qingdao. A world-leading container manufacturer is making plans to expand its factory in the city. Avionics companies in the United States sent emails to inquire about investment environment in the city. Japan Asia Investment Co Ltd disclosed in a letter with festival greetings that they have lately confirmed the work plan for a China-Japan food cooperation project. A Singaporean company and a Qingdao-based type-B bonded warehouse operator reached an agreement to set up a cross-border e-commerce company. A Qingdao business delegation plans to visit Russia to exchange with commerce departments of 14 oblasts on cooperation potentials. Considering the epidemic, we currently prefer to use emails and traditional and video telephone calls to keep in touch with investors and push on the projects under discussions and negotiations. For any new intentions, suggestions or plans for investment in Qingdao, we will give our quickest response after careful discussions. If a face-to-face meeting is really necessary, we will make adequate preparation for it to avoid any impact and risk that may be caused by the epidemic. Qingdao, an open, modern, vigorous and fashionable international metropolis, is always expecting to work with friends home and abroad to seek common development and share its benefits for a better future. We are online 24/7 to serve you! Hotline (for English speakers) at Qingdao Department of Commerce: +86-19853220207 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.qingdaochina.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qingdaocity Twitter: https://twitter.com/loveqingdao Contact: Ms. Zhu Yiling Tel: +86-532-85911619 SOURCE Stadt Qingdao Related Links http://www.qingdaochina.org/ They all started out their careers so young, Freeman added. They all did Broadway, they all have done concert work, they all have done films, and they all are these iconic singular women. No one would look at any of the three of them and think they were the typical Hollywood leading ladies. As the Centre constituted a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Wednesday said the Babri Masjid would remain a mosque forever and no one has the right to accept another alternative site. The announcement of a "broad scheme" for developing a Ram temple and formation of the Trust named 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra' was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shortly after a meeting of the Union Cabinet presided by him gave its approval. The prime minister also said that on the directions of the Supreme Court, the Centre has requested the Uttar Pradesh Government to allocate 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf board, and it has acceded to the request. Reacting to the development, Jamiat President Maulana Arshad Madani said the Babri Masjid was a mosque in view of law and justice, and in light of the Shariah. "It would remain a mosque till the Day of Resurrection, no matter what form and name it is given, because no individual and party has the right to withdraw his claim from any mosque to any alternative," he said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 06:17:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Romanian National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban speaks at the parliament in Bucharest, capital of Romania, Feb. 5, 2020. The Romanian government on Wednesday lost a censure motion initiated by the main opposition Social Democrats, only three months after it took office on Nov. 4. The cabinet led by National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban became the fifth government to step down in a censure motion in Romania in the last 30 years. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) BUCHAREST, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian government on Wednesday lost a censure motion initiated by the main opposition Social Democrats, only three months after it took office on Nov. 4. The censure motion was supported by 261 votes, more than the required minimum of 233 votes, or 50 percent plus one in the 465-seat bicameral parliament. A total of 139 lawmakers voted against. The cabinet led by National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban became the fifth government to step down in a censure motion in Romania in the last 30 years. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies had convened in a joint meeting to discuss and vote on the censure motion "Orban/PNL government -- privatization of Romanian democracy", which was signed also by MPs of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), after the government changed mayoral elections to two rounds from one round ahead of the local elections slated for June. According to the signatories, the Orban government's change in the electoral system shortly before the elections violates the European standards, and was made unilaterally, without consultation and debate. "You cannot be in power and change the electoral law out of short-term interest, a few months before the election, to create an advantage for yourself," criticized the initiators of the motion, underlining that "it is an obvious abuse of power. An abuse that blatantly violates the Romanian Constitution and standards of good practice defined by the Venice Commission and shared by all the member states of the European Union." Under the Constitution, the government is allowed to assume responsibility for a draft law before the parliament, but needs to step down if the motion submitted against the move is adopted. As the Orban government lost the motion, the draft law on electing mayors in two rounds is also considered rejected, meaning the mayors will be elected as so far, in one round of elections. President Klaus Iohannis announced after the fall of the government that he will convene the parliamentary political parties for consultations on Thursday for the appointment of a new prime minister. Iohannis emphasized that he strongly favors early elections, adding that in absence of a political will in this regard he wanted a government "built by and around the National Liberal Party." "Tomorrow evening, after I finish all the consultations I will probably already announce the person designated to form a new government," the president told a press briefing at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace late Wednesday. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (http://compare-autoinsurance.org/) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website offers car insurance info about different coverage types, available discounts, and money-saving tips. 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Italian doctors have made a breakthrough in the international battle against the deadly Coronavirus by isolating the sequence of the disease, allowing scientists to study the virus and accelerating the possibility of developing the vaccine. Three virologists, all women, from Rome's Spallanzani hospital for treating infectious diseases, were responsible for the breakthrough, which follows similar results in France and Australia. Doctors Maria Rosaria Capobianchi, Francesca Colavita and Concetta Castilletti say that the discovery will allow medics "to refine existing diagnostic methods and establish new ones" as well as being able to ascertain quickly if a person is infected or not. Spallanzani doctors Concetta Castilletti, Francesca Colavita and Maria Capobianchi with Italy's health minister Roberto Speranza. Stating that Italy has become an international "reference point" in tackling Coronavirus, the Spallanzani scientific director Giuseppe Ippolito said that the new data would be "made available to the entire international community." Italian premier Giuseppe Conte took to Twitter to hail the breakthrough in Rome: "Italy among the first countries in the world to have isolated coronavirus. Very important news for the development of treatments. A big applause to researchers and medical staff from Spallanzani. Proud of our National Health Service, among the best in the world". Spallanzani hospital in Rome The news comes as Italy's foreign ministry prepares to airlift Italian citizens stuck in the central Wuhan region of China, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak, on 3 February. Italy is also making efforts to repatriate the roughly 3,000 Chinese tourists stranded in Italy following the suspension of flights to China. Medical screening at Italian airports has been extended to passengers arriving from China on non-direct flights as the Coronavirus death count surpasses 300 with around 14,300 cases in China. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that his administration is working to end the war in Afghanistan. Speaking to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives, Trump noted that the U.S. military is making progress in Afghanistan, and peace talks with the Taliban militant group are underway. "We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," Trump said. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency," he added. Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban began last year but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on U.S. military personnel in September and December. Trump has long grumbled about the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan that started in 2001, calling it "ridiculous." The United States maintains roughly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, which mostly provide training missions to local Afghan forces while also conducting counterterrorism operations. The war in Afghanistan is the longest one in U.S. history. The death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 since the country invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The bodies of two U.S. firefighters killed battling Australian blazes were sent home on Feb. 5 in emotional ceremonies attended by officials and relatives. Mourners gathered on the tarmac at Sydney Airport to see off Captain Ian H. McBeth, 44, of Great Falls, Montana, and First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, of Buckeye, Arizona, as their flag-draped caskets were lifted into aircraft for the journey home. Fire trucks were parked nearby with their emergency lights flashing. The men and a third American, flight engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, 43, of Navarre, Florida, were killed in a plane crash in remote bushland while battling fires on Jan. 23, in one of the deadliest days of Australias most destructive bushfire season in a generation. The three were among hundreds of North American firefighters who joined an international effort to tackle the fires that have killed eight firefighters and 33 people in total. As searing temperatures and strong winds subsided, and weather forecasters predicted several days of rain, Australia has turned its attention to the emotional toll after months of near-constant emergency warnings and toxic smoke across the southeast. Prime Minister Scott Morrison suspended the first day of parliament after the summer break on Tuesday to lead a tribute to fire victims. On Wednesday, senior U.S. embassy officials along with top Australian fire and emergency service officers stood at attention alongside relatives of the men as hearses slowly crossed the tarmac to the planes which would carry them home. Representatives of Coulson Aviation, the private Canadian company that employed the trio and owned the C-130 tanker which crashed, were at the ceremonies. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the crash which occurred after the air tanker dumped retardant on a huge wildfire in mountains in a national park south of Canberra, the capital. The third man killed in the crash, DeMorgan, would be honored at a ceremony at a military base north of Sydney on Saturday before his remains were returned home. By Byron Kaye 130 dealers all under one roof at the D.C. Rare Book & Art Fair April 17 & 18. Credit: Marc Chabot Fine Arts. Leaders of Congress by William Kent, 1964, color slate print Whether youre a connoisseur of rare and vintage books, an insatiable consumer of comics, or a collector of old maps or Americana, youll find something unique at the D.C. Rare Book and Art Fair. Whether youre a connoisseur of rare and vintage books, an insatiable consumer of comics, or a collector of old maps or Americana, youll find something unique at the D.C. Rare Book and Art Fair. For the first time ever, the Capital Art Fair, now in its 40th season, is joining forces with the DC Rare Book Fair, the successor to the Washington Antiquarian Book Fair, for a massive, two-day event featuring 130 distinguished dealers of rare and antique books, posters, ephemera, manuscripts, and fine art including prints, paintings, drawings and photographs, you wont find anywhere else, all under one roof. Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at Marriott Gateway in Arlington, VA. Show Highlights: The Art of Deception: Hollywood, the CIA, and the Sci-Fi Drawings that Ended the Iran Hostage Crisis the first-ever exhibition of illustrations by comics legend Jack Kirby (creator of Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, etc.) and film producer Barry Ira Geller for the screenplay titled Lord of Light which was the basis for the CIA mission which resulted in the release of six American hostages in 1980. The exhibit will include the original illustrations, screenplay and proposal booklet used by the CIA to trick Iranian officials, as well as never-before seen letters between producer John Chambers, Buckminster Fuller, Paolo Soleri, Ray Bradbury and Barry Ira Geller about the film. The exhibit will provide insight into why Kirbys unique illustrations were selected for this covert operation which was depicted in Argo, the 2012 Academy Award-winning film for Best Picture. (Kirby died in 1994 unaware that his work was ever used in this operation that saved American lives.) *Barry Ira Geller will be on-hand at the fair to discuss his and Kirby's artwork, as will Tom Kraft, chief curator of the Jack Kirby Museum. *Also featured in the exhibition are later artworks by contemporary artists who were inspired by the Kirby-Geller project, as well as many Kirby comics, rare posters, and other objects related to the world he co-created with Lord of Light. The Capital Art Fair - The Capital Art Fair is now included in the DC Rare Book Fair. This year, the fair will present 20 distinguished art dealers from across the United States showing fine prints, drawings and other works on paper ranging from the art of the Old Masters to the work of living artists producing contemporary work in all media. The Smithsonian Libraries - The system of 21 research libraries that support the Smithsonian Institution will exhibit a unique collection of items from several of its branches. In addition, they will highlight their current exhibition "Magnificent Obsessions: Why We Collect", which tells the story of the individual book collectors who helped to build our national collections. Inaugural Happy Hour Preview Friday, April 17, 4-9pm General Admission Saturday, April 18, 10am-5pm Details and discounted tickets are available http://www.DCBookandArtFair.com/tickets # # # NOTE: MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE INAUGURAL HAPPY HOUR PREVIEW AND SPEAK WITH EXHIBITORS AND ATTENDEES. Photo Attached: KentWilliam-LeadersOfCongress.jpg Credit: Marc Chabot Fine Arts Title: Leaders of Congress Artist: William Kent, 1964, color slate print Additional Photos and Art for Media Use: DC Rare Book Fair https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cpecw3zc18m9wyp/AADG76u1clratoa68FUDyUR3a?dl=0 DC Art Fair https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cpecw3zc18m9wyp/AADG76u1clratoa68FUDyUR3a?dl=0 Lord of Light/Argo Images for Media usage: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19LmfyBj1AhmGEJE9iTVE9eTPSpCE34ot Charges pertain to Michal Havran's commentary in the Sme daily criticising a controversial Catholic priest. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The police have pressed charges against publicist and theologian Michal Havran over a commentary criticising radical Catholic priest Marian Kuffa. The article was published on the Sme daily in June 2018. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Havran is planning to file a formal complaint against the charges. The investigator of the Kosice branch of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) accused Havran of defamation of nation, race and conviction as well as slander. Havran, who is a protestant theologian, criticised Kuffa in the text for his statements about homosexuals, and for his alliance with the far-right LSNS of Marian Kotleba when promoting the abortion ban. The Sme daily has obtained the statement of charges in which the police claim Havran has offended Catholic believers and their priest because of their conservative opinions. Related article Related article Law firm files a criminal complaint over newspaper article Read more Michal Havrans commentary directly calls for the suppression of the rights of others, namely the right to freedom of expression of people with religious confession, and defames the expressions of their faith, investigator Mikulas Marton wrote. The charges were pressed based on a criminal complaint filed by the law firm of Jan Carnogursky Jr. The lawyer is the son of former politician and co-founder of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Jan Carnogursky Sr, who has been known in recent years for his admiration of Russia and for his speeches at the meetings of the Slovak Levies (Slovenski Branci) paramilitary group. This is not a conflict over theology or over literature, this is a political conflict aimed to show that certain groups of people still have enough influence in Slovak society to attempt to ostracise someone or to ruin someones career, Havran said. He insists the article was a pamphlet, irony-based genre, and it is therefore absurd to criticise the expressions that were used in it. The editor-in-chief of the Sme daily, Beata Balogova, sees politics behind the charges against Havran. She reminded that international journalistic organisations have repeatedly warned about the increasing trend to criminalise the criticism of religion. "Havran does not mock faith, Christians or Catholics. He mocks Marian Kuffa, who repeatedly attacked minorities," she said. "He points to the dangerous religious fanatism and to how faith can be abused to promote extreme opinions that pose a threat to democracy." What the article is about Ongoing clinical study evaluating the well-known health claims of beta glucan and its potentially beneficial approach for patients to lower plasma cholesterol Amendment to existing protocol approved to add subjects voluntarily limiting treatment to beta glucan only Protocol expansion expected to accelerate patient enrollment and expand target addressable patient population Patient enrollment expected to be completed by January 2021 EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceapro Inc. (TSX-V: CZO; OTCQX: CRPOF) (Ceapro or the Company), a growth-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of active ingredients for healthcare and cosmetic industries, today announced it has received approval from Health Canada to expand the inclusion criteria of its comparison study evaluating high-medium molecular weight beta glucan as an add-on therapy to statins in subjects with hyperlipidemia. While the total number of patients will remain the same, this expansion will allow evaluation of enrolled subjects with confirmed pathophysiological condition of hyperlipidemia who voluntarily request to be treated with beta glucan only, without regular dosing of statins. The protocol expansion of this important clinical study represents what we believe is a game-changing opportunity to validate the well-known health benefits of beta glucan. The use of oat beta glucan as a potential lipid lowering agent is met with marked interest in the patient population. Adjusting the inclusion criteria of the study has both scientific and clinical value. We are very pleased with the decision of Health Canada to allow this patient-driven addition to the protocol and we are extremely grateful to be working with the expert team led by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif at the Montreal Heart Institute who worked closely with Health Authorities in making this significant change accepted, commented Gilles Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA, President and CEO of Ceapro. We remain focused on the successful execution of our transition towards becoming a biopharmaceutical company and look forward to advancing the development of this pioneering program. Beta glucan is a promising approach as an additional potential therapy to help lower plasma cholesterol in patients with hyperlipidemia. We are very pleased to be adding an extension to this study to evaluate the potential of beta glucan as a stand-alone treatment and look forward to seeing the full potential of this beneficial approach and, hopefully, offer an alternative to the current treatment paradigm for patients and physicians, added Dr. Tardif. This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study is conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of high-medium molecular weight beta glucan in subjects with hyperlipidemia (LDL-C level >130 mg/d L (3.37 mmol/L). The 18 to 24-month study will enroll approximately 264 subjects who cannot tolerate high doses of current treatments. Patients enrolled are randomized to receive either placebo, low, medium or high doses of beta glucan (500 mg tablet) as add-on therapy, or not, to atorvastatin 10 mg - 20 mg or an equivalent statin for a 12-week treatment period. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study will be the change over 12 weeks in LDL-cholesterol. About Ceapro Inc. Ceapro Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology and the application of this technology to the production of extracts and active ingredients from oats and other renewable plant resources. Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and therapeutics products for humans and animals. The Company has a broad range of expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit www.ceapro.com and connect with the Company on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. For more information contact: Jenene Thomas JTC Team Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Advisor T (US): +1 (833) 475-8247 E: czo@jtcir.com Issuer: Gilles R. Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA President & CEO T: 780-421-4555 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GivePower took home top honor on the global stage, receiving the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award for its Solar Water Farm technology. The award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage research institutions, individuals, and innovators from around the world to develop sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity that use solar power. The UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia oversees the award, which has three main categories: Innovative Projects Award, Innovative Research and Development Award, and the Innovative Individual Award. GivePower took first place for Innovative Small Projects Award. For Founder, Chairman, and CEO Hayes Barnard, who accepted this award in Dubai on behalf of GivePower, a US-based 501(3)(c) nonprofit, this award represents a growing awareness of the water crisis on a global level, and the support needed to create innovative solutions that can save lives. With the help and support of the UAE Water Aid Foundation, GivePower will be able to continue deploying Solar Water Farms for people in critical need of access to clean drinking water. GivePower, received the 1st place award for innovative projects for their containerized, solar-powered water desalination and purification technology that can be rapidly deployed in coastal regions around the world suffering from a shortage of clean water. These Solar Water Farms can operate 24 hours a day, utilizing battery storage technology, and are housed in 20-foot shipping containers. Capable of transforming as much as 70,000 liters of brackish or saltwater into clean, healthy drinking water every day. With this new, sustainable clean water source, coastal communities will see a dramatic drop in waterborne diseases, and are empowered with greater health and economic opportunities. The event featured ten honorees from eight different countries, with GivePower being the sole winner from the U.S. His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the event and personally distributed the awards. We are honored and deeply grateful to receive this prestigious award and would like to thank the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Moktoum for the recognition, support, and their tireless dedication to helping humanity overcome water scarcity, said Hayes Barnard, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GivePower. Three of every ten people in the world face life-threatening water scarcity challenges as the global water crisis keeps growing at an alarming rate. The worlds innovators and leaders must unite to tackle this serious problem together. The people of the United Arab Emirates, under the visionary leadership of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Moktoum, understand this and remain determined with urgency to solve this problem. About GivePower GivePower is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to extending the environmental and social benefits of clean, renewable energy across the world. GivePower uses solar energy and storage technologies to deliver the most essential community services to the developing world. GivePower has helped power some of the economically poorest countries, including communities across more than a dozen countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Visit GivePower at www.givepower.org and follow the organization on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter . For more information: Matthew Murray mattm@givepower.org +1-408-499-3076 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af60d48c-10c4-4140-a40c-f8445f61c8c0 By Rasana Gasimova Until the end of 2021, about 200 Azerbaijani women will be provided with certain technical equipment and training to continue their activities as entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, chairperson of the Board of Agro Procurement and Supply OJSC under the Ministry of Agriculture Leyla Mammadova has said. Mammadova made the remark on January 3 in an address to the first seminar on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) cooperation program with Azerbaijan, dedicated to boosting womens involvement in Azerbaijans agriculture sector. Speaking at the event, Mammadova said that the increase in the number of women entrepreneurs in Azerbaijans agricultural sector will positively affect many factors. She noted that the project to improve housing conditions and ensure food safety in villages through the development of economic opportunities for women has been implemented for two years now and is related to the state program on increasing employment and entrepreneurial conditions for women in Azerbaijan. Mammadova added that the program for the development of womens economic opportunities includes increasing their competitiveness in the domestic market, ensuring equal economic opportunities and rights, as well as resource management and technical assistance. She further said that as part of the project, visits have been made to various Azerbaijani districts. As a result, an increase was recorded in the number of women employed in the agricultural sector, and the number of requests in this regard, Mammadova noted. Mammadova stressed that during these visits, more than 500 meetings were held with women, where it was investigated what kind of production women farmers need and what funds are needed for this. She stressed that this work will be continued in 2020. Within a year, the appeals will be considered, and special programs will be prepared for applicants. Addressing the seminar, Head of the Programs and Projects Department of Azerbaijan Agency for Agro Credit and Development Leyli Aghayeva noted that about 70 percent of employed women in Azerbaijan live in rural areas, whish shows that the project to increase the role of women employed in the agricultural sector will cover a significant part of all women employed in Azerbaijan. "The agricultural sector in is one of the priority sectors of Azerbaijani economy as it involves around 40 percent of the Azerbaijani population," Aghayeva said. She went on saying that the project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of women in the country's agricultural sector. To this end, the agency, jointly with Agro Procurement and Supply Company, will facilitate the provision of technical assistance to female farmers. Aghayeva also touched upon a joint program with the FAO, as part of which various projects in the field of potato growing, sheep breeding and in other areas have been completed since 2015. Addressing the event, Kaan Basaran, a specialist in programs of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan said that Azerbaijans agricultural economy is transforming and the role of women in the sector shouldn't be forgotten. He noted that women make up half of Azerbaijans population, and due to insufficient resources to realize their economic potential; they are less present in the market compared to men. Basaran said that the goal of the institution he represents is to ensure a sustainable food supply chain and increase their availability. The project being implemented today will serve to increase the employment of women in Azerbaijan, strengthen their role in agriculture. Womens activities in the agricultural sector will contribute to its development. Increasing the income of women in rural regions will also lead to the development and strengthening of the family institution, he noted. Note that in order to support the development of women farmers in the country, Azerbaijan has been implementing several projects together with international organizations, particularly with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In March 2019, the Association of Rural Women of Azerbaijan was established by the Ministry of Agriculture jointly with the World Bank to support the social and economic development of rural women. In May 2019, The State Agro Trade Company, together with the FAO, launched the Azerbaijani Women in Agriculture (AFAQ) project. The main goal of the project, which costs about $800,000, is to improve the technical skills of female farmers and facilitate their access to the market. FAO's support for the food and agricultural sector of Azerbaijan is determined by the priorities set out in the new Country Program Framework, developed jointly with the Government of Azerbaijan, adapted to the requirements of "Azerbaijan 2020: Vision for the Future" and other national strategic documents. The Current Country Program Framework covers the period 2016 - 2020, combining advanced international practices and global standards with national and regional experiences. FAO has implemented 53 projects since 1995 in Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment, according to the Arizona Republic. Why it matters: The moderate Sinema was viewed as one of the most likely Senate Democrats to vote to acquit Trump. She joins Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) in voting to remove the president, while the other possible swing vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has yet to announce his decision. A plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2020. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) 4 Chartered Flights Are Evacuating US Citizens From Wuhan This Week The chartered flights carrying U.S. citizens from Wuhan, China, this week are likely to be the last. Two flights out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, landed on Wednesday morning in California, bringing the number of such flights arriving in the United States since Jan. 29 to three. Another two flights from Wuhan are scheduled to come later this weekone headed to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas; the other going to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The State Department does not anticipate chartering any flights after this week, a State Department official said Tuesday. 2 Flights Landed Wednesday Two flightscarrying a total of about 350 passengers, according to the U.S. Defense Departmentlanded Wednesday morning at Travis Air Force Base, located between San Francisco and Sacramento. Passengers from one of the planes are staying at Travis. The other plane refueled before taking its passengers to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego later in the morning. The passengers at both locations will be under a 14-day quarantine managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col Chris Mitchell said. Deputy Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Dr. Chris Braden, with Federal and Riverside County public health officials, provides an update on the flight that arrived at March Air Reserve Base from Wuhan, China, in Moreno Valley, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. (Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images) These flights come about a week after the first U.S. government-arranged flight left Wuhan. That first chartered plane, carrying nearly 200 U.S. citizensincluding diplomats and their familiesarrived Jan. 29 at March Air Reserve Base in Southern California, where they also are under a 14-day quarantine. About 1,000 Americans live in Wuhan, and priority on chartered flights was given to U.S. citizens who are most at risk for contracting coronavirus if they stay in the city, the State Department has said. Father Waits to Reunite With Wife and Children San Diego resident Ken Burnett said his wife and two young children are believed to have been on one of the flights that landed in California on Wednesday. The three were holed up in a high-rise apartment for about two weeks in Wuhan, which was virtually shut down because of the outbreak. Burnett, waiting for them in the United States, said the family struggled for information and assistance from officials to get seats on the plane. A lone car drives down a deserted street in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) We feel frustrated with that process, Burnett told CNN. But in the end, we just want our family safe, however that has to be done. Until I know they are here, thats when I really will celebrate. Everyone aboard the chartered flights were screened for symptoms before they departed and will subjected to CDC screenings and requirements for monitoring, the State Department official said. U.S. citizens returning from China on commercial flights are being rerouted to airports that can handle extra health screenings, and passengers may be subject to quarantine, according to new federal rules that went into effect Sunday. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Retired megachurch pastor discusses flaws in refugee resettlement, amoral evangelical attitudes Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Retired megachurch pastor Dan Scott has witnessed the transformation of Nashville, Tennessee, over the course of the past few decades as the city has taken on thousands of refugees despite the objection of many of the areas white Christian conservative residents. Scott, the former pastor of Christ Church Nashville who retired last June, was among many who harbored some concerns when an influx of thousands of persecuted refugees from Nepal was resettled to Nashville in the early 2010s. But now that the Nepalese refugee community has successfully integrated into the city and many of them have become members of Scotts old church, Scott sees their resettlement as a blessing to his town. It wasn't the refugees themselves that were resented, he told The Christian Post in a recent interview. It was the idea that the government had brought these people in where there was no infrastructure. Scott discussed the ramifications of President Donald Trumps executive order signed last year giving state and local government authorities the ability to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. He opposes the new order, contending that it is an attempt to simply pass the buck on the refugee resettlement issue to somebody else to make the decision not to help people. Obviously, no nation can take in all of the suffering people of the world, he said. But the Old Testament repeatedly talks about this. You leave the gleanings in the field and you treat the foreigners among you with respect and make sure that they're fed and all that kind of stuff. Although he did hold some concerns about Nepalese refugees being resettled in Nashville years back, he did not outright object to their resettlement in his community like others did in his area. He did, however, question the logic of resettling thousands of non-English speaking Hindu and Buddhist refugees in a city that lacked an adequate public transportation system and other infrastructure necessities to help ease resettlement. Not only did the city lack expanded mass transit, but neither the federal nor the state government provided the refugee community with English language classes or any kind of cultural readiness training, he noted. The refugee communities needed help learning things such as setting up bank accounts, getting car insurance or even flushing a toilet. For me, it was bewildering like it was for a lot of people, he said. Why would you bring 100 Nepalese and put them in a housing division that's just a few blocks from the church who didn't have any ways to get anywhere? They didn't know how to use a flush toilet. It felt to me like the government kind of dumped these people without giving them the infrastructure. We don't have mass transit, for example, in the area. So people have to have cars. The Nepalese had been living in refugee camps. For some of them, they were in camps as long as they had lived. And so to figure out how to use a car, how to get a car, how to get insurance, it was just a massive thing because even if we got them jobs, how would they get to work? Scott recalled his time as an immigrant to Quebec, Canada, in the 1980s. During that time, he said that the Canadian government offered him language classes for nine months. But in the U.S., he said nothing similar is offered by the government. In [the American] situation, if private people don't step up to the plate like churches, the folks are thrust into an urban situation they don't understand economically or any other way, Scott said. Plus, they've got to work immediately to support themselves and don't have the opportunity of learning the language. Selling point Scott said that his complaint at the time is also what he used as a selling point to the thousands of members at Christ Church. He urged the congregation to get more involved in helping the Nepalese community. I told the church that if we don't step in, what's going to be the plight of these people? he recalled. It's not just humanitarian, though our faith commands us to do that. Our long-term interest is to see that they learn the language and enter the workforce of the area. Although his church helped welcome about 60 Russian refugees in the 1980s into the congregation, Scott said the church was not as open as he would have liked to nominally Muslim Kurdish refugees who resettled during the late 1980s and 1990s. Had we been aggressive about welcoming them here and getting involved in their life, we probably would have had real success and incorporated lots of them into the Christian community at that time, he contended. But a whole generation grew up and we didn't have that infrastructure. So we lost that opportunity. I think some of us were just determined not to see that repeated with these Buddhists and Hindus that were coming in and we reached out to them and great numbers of them have become Christians. The church came alongside the Nepalese community as some men in the community were in such dire straits when their six months of government aid ran out that they were discussing the possibility of prostituting their wives. Because they felt like there was no other way and this was something that their culture, I guess, would have permitted them to think about, Scott said. We were really alarmed at that. We just doubled our efforts to try to convince them to learn legitimate trades and to get them into legitimate lines of work. According to Scott, Christ Church offered the Nepalese community free language classes, while many church volunteers served in social worker-like capacities to help the Nepalese get acquainted with life in the U.S. and stay out of debt. Because of the church's discipleship, around half of some 300 Nepalese refugees the church served have become Christians, he said. Additionally, the Nepalese community in Nashville has transformed economically. The last several years have seen a real dramatic lift of Christian Nepalese communities and their economic viability, he noted. These were people at the bottom of the economic level. They were reliable workers in kitchens and cleaning situations. They didn't take drugs, they didn't cheat, they didn't steal stuff. And they quickly proved themselves to be very reliable workers. Coming behind them were their children who were getting a good education and being prepared for prospering in other ways. Christ Church often partnered with other faith-based groups like Catholic Services to provide help to the community. It created an odd amalgam of people who were acting out of a kind of left-of-center sort of humanitarian way with very conservative Christians who were trying to get food and shelter for their folks, he said. People made common calls across those barriers for the sake of helping the folks. That's become more complicated as our political situation is radicalized in the country. In todays political context where Nashville continues to be a very conservative town supportive of an administration looking to limit immigration and refugee resettlement, Scott said, only a few churches have some sort of ministry with refugees. He added that churches even conservative ones that do have refugee ministries are being called out by anti-refugee critics in the area for being liberal. Tribal loyalties and the Gospel The people who have called for this reaching [to refugees] have been penalized and painted as if their motivations were liberal rather than just sheer response to the Gospel, Scott said. [These are] really good people that otherwise are the salt of the earth. [T]hey don't know where the line is that separates those socioeconomic tribal loyalties from a Gospel that promises a day when every tribe, kindred nation and language are included in the God in the Community of Christ. Scott explained that as Christ Church has filled up with more immigrants from around the world, there has been a level of white flight from the congregation and community. [I]n the church, some of it was a response to racial complexity that begin to occur in the church, he said. Outside of large metropolitan areas, white Americans have generally not been used to being parts of groups that minorities predominate. There's a tipping point. And when they reach a certain percentage, you start seeing a lot of white people leave and it's just reality. Scott has identified as Republican for most of his life. However, he has become disillusioned due to the fact that some of his clergy peers have embraced what he calls amoral and unethical behavior, attitudes and postures on immigration. It has shaken me to the core, he said. I'm 67 years old and I can't imagine what kind of fruit we're going to reap from our children and grandchildren watching this and coming to the conclusion that our stated values were never our real values. Although he understands that there are limitations that some local communities face that may inspire officials to want to block resettlement to their towns, Scott said he cant get behind Trumps order giving local officials that right. Had the president been warm and forthcoming and compassionate in a statement and say, We want to receive as many people as we can but some of our local areas are really strained right now so I'm going to give them a say in this, I don't know how we could fight against that, Scott said. But that's hardly the spirit in which it was presented. It seems to me they are saying You states that want to deal with [refugees], we're sending you all the problems and you can handle it. Those of us that don't want to, we're going to continue to make sure that we don't have the burden of it. Scott fears that the conservative evangelical community is embracing behaviors unhinged from any principles of the Gospel. [Were] separating utterly our sense of social and moral life from Scripture and our stated beliefs about the Gospel, he warned. That shakes me and I don't know exactly what to do about it. As the earnings season gets on and companies start reporting their results from Q4 2019, Wall Streets analysts are taking note and declaring the winners. Its not hard to determine which stocks are getting the seal of approval those companies forecasting or reporting strong earnings. Weve used TipRanks Daily Stock Ratings tool to take a closer look at three companies which have just seen ratings upgrades from top analysts. An upgrade is an important signal for investors to note it shows that the stock in question has deeply impressed the reviewing analyst. The three companies on this list are Buy-rated, with medium to large market caps, and boast upwards of 15% upside growth potential. Lets dive in and find out why they earned coveted upgrades. General Electric Company (GE) First up is a long-time stalwart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. General Electric is a multinational manufacturing conglomerate, with segments in aviation, digital industry, finance, power, renewable energy, and venture capital, to name just a few. The company saw over $121 billion in revenues for fiscal 2018, and employs over a quarter of a million people worldwide. Despite various industry and financial headwinds that pushed share prices down in 2018 and 2019, GE remains a blue-chip stock and a staple of the markets. The fourth quarter of 2019, reported just last week, marked a possible turnaround for the company. Earnings and revenues both beat the forecasts. The top line number, at $26.2 billion, was 2.6% better than expected, while the 21-cent EPS beat the estimates by over 16%. An important metric, the company reported free cash flow of $2.3 billion for the year, beating its own guidance by 1.5%. The strong quarterly release has pushed GE shares to a 13% gain year-to-date. Andrew Obin, 4-star analyst from Merrill Lynch, was pleased with GEs results. He wrote, The company has undergone a significant reinvestment cycle, positioning it well from a competitive standpoint. The improving FCF trajectory should be supportive for shares. Story continues Obin bumped up his rating on GE from Neutral to Buy, and raised the price target from $12 to $16, suggesting a robust 27% upside potential. (To watch Obins track record, click here) With 15 analyst ratings given recently, including 10 Buys, 4 Holds, and a single Sell, GE stock gets a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus. Shares are priced low, at just $12.58, but the $14.23 average price target indicates room for 13% upside growth in the coming 12 months. (See General Electric stock analysis on TipRanks) Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) Micron is a major player in the semiconductor chip industry, with its $31.8 billion in sales in 2018 making it the fifth largest chip maker. Like much of the industry, Micron has been heavily pressured by the US-China trade tensions the companys manufacturing and supply lines are highly dependent on the free movement of goods, materials, components, and completed products between the US and China. The recent positive developments on that front, including the signing of the Phase 1 agreement between the US and Chinese governments, has relieved some of that pressure. The pressure, however, has been real. MUs earnings are down significantly from a year ago. The company responded by lowering guidance on fiscal Q1 2020. In the recent report for that quarter, MU beat the lower guidance as well as the Streets estimates on revenues and earnings it was a good sign for Micron. Revenues were reported at $5.14 billion, 2.5% above expectations, and EPS, at 48 cents, edged out the forecast by 2%. Micron is an industry leader in the DRAM chip segment, which bodes well for the company as 5G networks expand and demand increases for compatible chips. In addition to its strong positioning for 5G, Micron is also strongly ensconced in the gaming and data center segments, giving it a diverse customer base. Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore likes Microns market position, citing the increased need for memory chips. He wrote, Channel checks make it clearer that customers are building real conviction that memory will tighten [more demand versus supply] over the course of 2020, which is leading them to put more inventory into place Moore declined to set a price target on MU shares, but he did upgrade his stance from Neutral to Buy. (To watch Moores track record, click here) Overall, MU shares have a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating, based on an impressive 20 Buys, along with 4 Holds and 2 Sells. The $65.61 average price target suggests a premium of 18% from the current share price of $55.50. (See Micron stock analysis on TipRanks) Generac Holdings, Inc. (GNRC) With our third stock, we enter the realm of backup power generation. For better or worse, our world runs on electricity, and so ensuring a steady supply is essential in industry, tech, and even in your home. Generac offers an array of backup electric generators for the residential, light commercial, and industrial markets, ranging in output from 800 watts to 9 megawatts. The company manufactures its products in the state of Wisconsin, and does over $2 billion in business annually. In its last four reported quarters, Generac has beaten expectations every time. Earnings consistently rose through 2019, with the last reported quarter, Q3, showing revenues of $601.14 million and EPS of $1.43. The companys average quarterly beat in 2019 was over 9%. Q4 results will be released on February 13, but analysts are optimistic that the company will show similarly positive results. Not to mention GNRC shares gained an impressive 102% in 2019. 5-star analyst Christopher Glynn, of Oppenheimer, sums up the upbeat outlook on GNRC in his recent note on the stock. He writes, We see solid prospects for revenue upside and improving visibility to long-term scaling The sustained strength in core standby demand fundamentals coupled with emergence of the California market and launch into clean energy support an estimated 11% 2020 residential growth. In line with his outlook, Glynn upgraded GNRC from Neutral to Buy, and set a price target of $125. This target suggests room for 20% share appreciation this year. (To watch Glynns track record, click here) Generac is not a cheap stock; it is priced at $104.28. Glynns is the most recent review on the company, but a stock with this potential is likely to attract more analyst love; this is definitely one to watch. (See Generac stock-price forecast on TipRanks) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:10:22|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LUSAKA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Zambian government aimed at promoting the use of modern technology in higher learning institutions. The Smart Education program aims to provide holistic learning solutions to students using modern technology in order to fully prepare them for a fast-changing world. Higher Education Minister Brian Mushimba said Smart Education offers a unique paradigm shift in the way students access education and that Zambia should not be left behind in the use of digital technologies in the provision of learning materials. "The current status of Smart Education in Zambia and where we ought to be is what has necessitated this strategic partnership with a technical giant like Huawei who have vast experience in building Smart Education platforms for learning institutions across the globe," he said. According to him, the essence of the agreement was to further cooperation in ensuring smart learning for all learners across the country to ensure that the people of Zambia do not remain behind. Anthony Yu, Huawei Zambia Managing Director said his firm was committed to help universities in Zambia improve the provision of learning through the use of technology. He said the firm will use its vast experience in the technology to help universities find space in the Information Technology Communication (ICT) revolution. According to him, Zambia requires a lot of ICT talent to work together to achieve the country's vision of having a Smart Zambia. Delhi Assembly Election Results 2020 LIVE updates, Delhi Assembly Polls: Check constituency-wise poll-results, candidates, winners, losers The contest to the Capitals throne is a crucial one. Not only is it being closely monitored for its timing, which is when Delhi has been witnessing turmoil because of protests against the Citizenship Act and violence on university campuses, but also because the stakes are extremely high for all the parties this election. If looked at closely, the Delhi election is a fight for survival, especially for three major stakeholders the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress and the BJP. What makes this capital contest crucial, lets find out: AAP AAP is fighting the battle royale for a second term, with party national convener Arvind Kejriwal hoping to get re-elected as chief minister. In the 2015 assembly elections, AAP had come to power with a landslide victory, winning 67 of the total 70 seats. This time around, the party has entered the fray with the campaign "Achhe beete paanch saal, lage raho Kejriwal", which roughly translates to "The last five years were good, carry on Kejriwal". AAP is fighting this election for survival as well as the relevance of Kejriwal's brand of politics. Delhi is the only place where the party has been able to form the government. If Kejriwal loses this election, he, as well as his party, will be pushed to the margins of Indian politics. Read Also: Do protests matter? Delhi immediate test for BJP, AAP after CAA, NRC stir The only state, besides Delhi, where AAP has a significant footprint is Punjab, where the party has 19 MLAs. However, the party leadership in Punjab is riddled with infighting, which is worrisome for the central leadership. Moreover, AAP is left with one MP in Lok Sabha from Punjab, from the previous four in 2014. A loss for AAP will be a sorry epitaph for the party after a solitary term and a tough competition. BJP Delhi has been an elusive territory for the BJP. Even though it has been able to win all seven Lok Sabha constituencies in both 2014 and 2019, winning the assembly polls has been failed-attempts over and over. Case in point is when in 2015, despite a flourishing Modi wave leading to a landslide victory at the Centre after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won a dismal three seats of the total 70 in Delhi's assembly elections. This time around too, the saffron party is relying heavily on the Modi-Shah duo to weave magic, entering the fray without a chief ministerial candidate. Victory is important for the BJP to resuscitate the party from a slump of three back-to-back losses in the Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana state elections, although the BJP formed an unlikely alliance with Dushyant Chautala's JJP to emerge to power in the latter. A win could boost the party cadre's morale amid a shrinking footprint. Read Also: An insight into Amit Shah's campaign strategy to win the capital contest To up the ante against AAP, the BJP has promised regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi, which, again is not an untested formula. In 2008, it was the Congress leadership at the Cente, which had given ownership rights to the residents of unauthorised colonies, and had won the Delhi election. The BJP hopes to replicate this result. The saffron party is also focusing on local issues, a departure from their hyper-nationalistic agenda, to counter the doles rolled out by the Kejriwal government in Delhi. What is also at stake for BJP is PM Modi's reputation as an election-winning machine. The BJP has declared that the elections will be fought under the leadership of PM Modi, and has abstained from naming a CM face, evoking a retort from AAP: Kejriwal vs who?, which is in line with Modi vs who during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the Opposition did not have a prime ministerial candidate. The BJP had named VK Malhotra as the chief ministerial candidate in 2008, Harsh Vardhan in 2013 and Kiran Bedi in 2015, but that failed to end BJPs over-26-year-old exile in Delhi. If PM Modis magic fails to charm the voters in Delhi, BJPs prospects will be hit adversely, especially at a time that the Centres policies on abrogation of Article 370, communication clamp down in Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act are being met with sharp resistance on the streets. Congress In the run-up to the Delhi election, the Congress is certainly going to miss Sheila Dikshit, who had been the chief minister of Delhi for three terms and passed away last year. The party has had a rough run in Delhi, winning zero seats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well as in the 2015 assembly elections. After losing the 2015 state polls, trusted senior leader Ajay Maken was given the reins of the Delhi unit. However, after infighting in the party over an alliance with AAP for Lok Sabha Polls 2019, Maken resigned and Diskhit was brought to keep the house in order. While she did manage to better the partys vote share in the general election and push AAP to the third place, the achievement did not concretize into victory. Experts believe her absence will affect the partys electoral prospects adversely. Read Also: Will Congress strategy in Delhi pay off? Even though Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra has expressed confidence in the party for a comeback, it seems to be a tall claim amid clamour of it being a bipolar contest between the BJP and AAP. On the brighter side, the Congress has only to gain this election, especially if it manages to spring surprises akin to those in the last three state elections Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana. Besides, the political reputation of Rahul Gandhi, as well as incumbent party president Sonia Gandhi, who is believed to have invested a lot of time and energy in fixing the partys problems, is at stake. Another pole drubbing will not bode well for the Gandhi scion. The legislation applies to a woman who carries and gives birth to a baby for someone else, sometimes using her own eggs, sometimes not. Under the bill, a surrogate mother who is pregnant with twins, triplets or other multiples could not be required to undergo selective reduction, a procedure that is sometimes called for in surrogacy contracts because of the health risks associated with multiples. EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A roadside memorial sign honouring the memory of Thomas Spinks, who died in an alcohol-related crash on October 23, 2017, will be unveiled today by his father Tony Wentworth and MADD Edmonton & Area Chapter. Located near the crash site on southbound Highway 2, just south of Highway 41, the sign features Thomas name and MADD Canadas iconic red ribbon. The sign pays tribute to Thomas and also serves as a powerful reminder to the public about the tragic consequences of impaired driving. Joining Mr. Wentworth and MADD Edmonton & Area Chapter for the special event will be City of Edmonton Councillor Bev Esslinger and representatives from police and Emergency Medical Services. My family and I cannot express adequately what this sign means to us, said Mr. Wentworth. We now have a lasting marker to honour Thomas at the location where he was taken from us. From the depths of our hearts, we want to thank MADD Canada and everyone involved in making this happen. It is a source of light during an awful time. Roadside memorial signs are a powerful and lasting way to honour victims of impaired driving, and also deliver a compelling message to the public about what can happen when someone drives under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, said MADD Canada Western Region Victim Services Manager Gillian Phillips. We want people to see this sign, to remember Thomas and to make the commitment to never drive impaired. MADD Canada thanks Thomas family for their courage, and the Government of Alberta, Alberta Transportation and the City of Edmonton for their support. MADD Canada has collaborated with governments in other provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, to install memorial signs for victims of impaired driving. In August 2019, MADD Canada and the Government of Alberta unveiled the provinces first roadside memorial sign, located near Calgary, for Alfred Benary, who was killed in an impairment-related crash in 2015. Fliers advertising a Chewbacca roar contest have popped up in Philadelphia and New Jersey, but they are not what they seem. Read more If you called the phone number on the Chewbacca roar contest fliers recently plastered around Philly and South Jersey to leave your best impression of Chewy from Star Wars, you made a Wookiee mistake. Turns out the contest which offered a $50 prize for the funniest or best impression of Chewbacca left on the phone numbers voice mail was a prank. One committed by a Padawan, at that. The mastermind behind the prank was Noel Hecht, a freshman at Haddon Township High School in New Jersey, who put his unsuspecting friends number on the fliers as the call-in line for the Chewbacca roar contest. It definitely surpassed expectations, Hecht said, of the response the posters received. So does the $50 prize for the best Chewie roar even exist, or was it a trap worthy of Admiral Ackbar? Im afraid not. I would have liked to have given out a $50 prize, but I dont have the resources for that at the moment," Hecht, 14, said. I just figured it would serve as good enticement. Someone ready the carbonite! Hecht, whose mother granted him permission to speak to The Inquirer, chose to do the prank after reading online about similar Chewy pranks committed a long time ago (at least as far back as 2015) in galaxies far, far away (like Chicago and London). To choose the right target for his shenanigans, Hecht went through his list of buddies, narrowing it down to those who would find the prank funny and those who still use and listen to voice mail. One friend, Seamus Taulane (who requested the pronunciation of his first name be spelled out as Shay-mus) is good at taking jokes and stood out above all of his other friends as the perfect candidate for the prank, Hecht said. The Inquirer has blurred out Taulanes phone number on the flier so as to prevent future Wookiee roars on his already overloaded voice mail. While calls to the phone are being sent directly to voice mail, Taulane, 14, did respond to The Inquirer via text and his mother gave The Inquirer permission to quote him for this article. Ive lost track of the number of calls Ive gotten, Taulane wrote. Once the idea for the prank came to Hecht in late January, he made 50 fliers as fast as the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run (12 parsecs). Then, he and two friends took public transportation and plastered them all over Philly and around Collingswood, Audubon, and Haddonfield in New Jersey. They also left one in Reading Terminal Market and one on a PATCO train. As Yoda would say, Do. Or do not. There is no try. Hecht figured Taulane would get between 20 and 100 calls. Turns out, he had a disturbing lack of faith. More like 500 calls and 150 voice mails, Taulane said. People are very determined when it comes to free money. Taulane said he got calls from kids who were as young as 8 to adults who are in their mid-50s. I listened to them all for the first few days, then stopped as I got the idea, he texted. I still get the occasional call now and then, but it has seemed to have died out, and sadly, there is no winner. Unfortunately, the Wookiee voicemails took up too much room on Taulanes phone and he had to delete them, he said. While Hecht said his friend had threatened Sith-level revenge, Taulane said he has no plans for retribution. Which is exactly what wed expect someone plotting revenge to say. May the force be with you, Taulane. Cambodian Prime Minster Hun Sen arrives at a celebration marking the 41st anniversary of the fall of Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia said on Tuesday that China was too busy fighting the coronavirus to organise a trip for its prime minister to visit Cambodian students caught up in the outbreak in Wuhan city following criticism of his decision not to repatriate them. The outbreak has killed more than 420 people, most of them in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is capital, and many countries have sent aircraft to bring their citizens out. Hun Sen, a close ally of China, said he would fly there on Wednesday from South Korea, where he is attending a summit, and that he had informed Chinese authorities of his trip. He said on his Facebook page he would visit the students to "to show them warmth and to make sure they are not scared of the new type of infectious coronavirus". Cambodia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said later that China could not organise the trip. "Because China is busy fighting the spread of this virus, therefore, the Chinese side in Wuhan city, Hubei province, doesn't have enough time to provide good hospitality to Samdech Decho," Koy Kuong told Reuters, referring to Hun Sen's official title. Koy Kuong said China had offered Hun Sen the opportunity to visit Beijing instead but he had chosen to fly back to Cambodia. Cambodia, which has a large expatriate Chinese community, reported its one case of the virus last week. Last week, Hun Sen said coronavirus was under control in Cambodia despite public fears. He also said Cambodia would allow flights from China and would not evacuate Cambodian students and diplomats, sparking criticism that he was not doing enough to help them. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Robert Birsel and Giles Elgood) I refused to sit idly by and allow thousands of people to lose their jobs because of a mistake by a former administration, Democratic Sen. Rachelle Crowe of Glen Carbon said in a statement Wednesday. Labor workers in the aviation repair industry contribute vital economic growth in the Metro East region and across the state, and this measure is an affirmation of support to them and their families. Amid the ongoing protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed Register of Citizens (NRC), the Lucknow University has asked an RTI applicant to furnish proof of his Indian citizenship before it parts with the information sought by him. The RTI applicant, Aalok Chanitya, had sought information regarding the university's recruitment process. "On December 17, 2019, I had filed an RTI seeking information from Lucknow University regarding their recruitment. On January 1, 2020, I received a letter from the university which said that the information will only be given once you show your Indian citizenship," Chanitya said. "The time when the country is fighting over the Citizenship Act, the university has asked for proof of my citizenship," he added. Chanitya has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over the matter. "I have now written to the Prime Minister and the Law Minister requesting them to look into the matter," he said.Slamming the university for twisting the laws, Chanitya said, "Does the Lucknow University have the right to amend the laws of RTI? I have been associated with the university for a major part of my life. They have not only insulted me but also the law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manchester United's new member Bruno Fernandes said he wants to follow the footsteps of Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international joined Manchester United on Thursday from Sporting CP. He signed a five-and-a-half-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year. "I also talked with Ole and he said he asked Cristiano about me. And he said good things about me, which is good!," Manchester United's official website quoted Fernandes as saying. "Cristiano plays with me in the national team and he knows me, and for me he's a good person. I want to follow his steps," he added. Ronaldo has played for Manchester United after joining the club in 2003. However, Ronaldo then made a move to Real Madrid in 2009 and currently, he is playing for Italian club Juventus. Fernandes also had a conversation with Ronaldo before joining Manchester United and revealed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said he started living his dream in the club. "Yes, I talked about Manchester United with Cristiano. He just said good things about United. He said he started living his dream here and he started being a really good player here. I think he is happy with my transfer," Fernandes said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While a lack of trust can prevent sales, a violation of trust can topple a whole industry. With LCT, were protecting both the end buyer and the seller from the damaging impact of trading in counterfeits. Product authentication technology provider Entrupy today unveiled its newest solution, Legit Check Tech (LCT) for sneaker authentication, created to combat the proliferation of counterfeit products in the market projected to reach $95 billion by 2025. The technology will empower high-volume resellers, marketplaces and retailers with an accurate, tech-enabled and data-driven system to quickly determine the authenticity of items in popular styles such as the Nike Air Jordan 1 and Adidas Yeezy. Entrupy, whose AI-based solution for luxury products secured over $170 million customer inventory in 2019, developed the new system to protect businesses while enabling consumers to trust that the products they are buying are genuine. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), footwear accounted for 22 percent of the total value of counterfeit goods seized by customs in 2016. As the demand for popular styles from a growing population of sneakerheads increases, so does the appeal to manufacturers of counterfeit goods. Trust is a critical issue for consumers, especially when transactions are increasingly digital, over large distances and involve opaque supply chains, said Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder and CEO of Entrupy. While a lack of trust can prevent sales, a violation of trust can topple a whole industry. With LCT, were protecting both the end buyer and the seller from the damaging impact of trading in counterfeits. LCT operates in a way similar to Entrupys AI-based product authentication technology, currently used by resellers, retailers and marketplaces as well as customs officials around the world. Entrupys technology uses advanced imaging and a proprietary database with millions of records collected from real and fake products, which augments human expertise with objective criteria and scalability. To date, the system is capable of instantly verifying the authenticity of the most purchased series of styles, estimated to be 20 percent of the entire market volume. Support for other brands and styles is being added continuously. While a pair of Yeezys may not have a price tag as high as a Louis Vuitton handbag, the high cost of counterfeits in the marketplace is the same. Counterfeiting is not the victimless crime that many believe. Its detrimental to the environment, fuels human trafficking and is a common source of funding for organized crime, said Srinivasan. In fact, the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris were partly funded by the sale of fake sneakers. Its about time we had a reliable way to combat this scourge on the mass scale the market requires. If you are interested in learning more, please visit https://sneakers.entrupy.com/legitchecktech/ About Entrupy Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company that uses computer vision algorithms and microscopy to bring trust to transactions of high-value physical goods. Currently in use by hundreds of retailers, brands secondary resellers and marketplaces worldwide, Entrupy provides the only scalable technology capable of authenticating luxury products from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermes, among others. The service launched in 2016, following four years of research led by Ashlesh Sharma, Vidyuth Srinivasan and Lakshminarayanan Subramanian, Professor at New York University. Investors include DG Lab Fund, deep learning pioneer and Facebook AI Research (FAIR) director, Yann LeCun, serial entrepreneur and investor Zach Coelius, cloud computing pioneer and Google VP of Infrastructure Eric Brewer, and Japanese venture capital firm, Accord Ventures. The company is privately held and based in New York City. For more information, visit http://www.entrupy.com. Her estranged husband Joe Giudice was seen frolicking by the pool with a group of bikini-clad women during a holiday in Mexico two weeks prior. And Teresa Giudice revealed she isn't upset at the photos because: 'That's what he's supposed to be doing. We're not together... I want him to be happy' during her interview on Pop of the Morning Wednesday. The 47-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey star noted that their mutual priority is their four daughters and because of that, they will 'support each other, no matter what.' Real talk: Her estranged husband Joe Giudice was seen frolicking by the pool with a group of bikini-clad women during a holiday in Mexico two weeks prior. Teresa Giudice revealed she isn't upset at the photos Teresa and Joe married in 1999 and they are parents to: Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11. The reality star even touched on how they would treat each other if they found someone new. Teresa explained: 'I even told Joe, "You know, when you find your significant other, I'll even come out and hang out with you to make it good for my girls.' Adding: 'Obviously, if I'm fine with it, they'll be fine with it.' Speaking out: Teresa said: 'That's what he's supposed to be doing. We're not together... I want him to be happy' during her interview on Pop of the Morning Wednesday; pictured together March 3, 2013 in Punta Cana On those pictures of Joe with the women in Mexico, Teresa said: 'I made it good for [the kids.] And they were fine with it.' In a new sneak peek obtained by Us Weekly, the 47-year-old revealed her husband Joe told her: 'I feel nothing for you.' This past December Teresa separated from Joe, who has moved to his native Italy while awaiting a legal decision on whether he will be deported there. Teresa made the new revelation during a heart-to-heart about her marriage with her brother Joe Gorga, who is married to her fellow Real Housewife Melissa Gorga. On those pictures of Joe with the women in Mexico, Teresa said: 'I made it good for [the kids.] And they were fine with it.' The New Jersey native shared that her husband 'said to me: "Yeah, I feel - you know, I just want you to know, I feel nothing for you."' Her brother was shocked, and she continued that her husband 'told me, he's like: "Go find somebody else." He's like: "I won't even be mad."' In flashbacks it emerged Joe also told her he 'didn't wanna get married' and 'Imagine we get divorced - who would want you? You have a lot of baggage.' Both husband and wife spent time in jail, serving back-to-back sentences so that one parent at a time could be home with the children. Candid: In a new sneak peek obtained by Us Weekly , the 47-year-old revealed her husband Joe told her: 'I feel nothing for you' After his 36-month prison stint, he was transferred straight to the Clinton County Correctional Center in Pennsylvania and into the hands of ICE last March. His deportation was court ordered back in October 2018 and his multiple appeal requests have so far fallen on deaf ears. In October Joe was released from ICE custody and permitted to return to his native country before a final legal decision on his deportation there. The Giudices' lawyer James T. Leonard argued in September that this move would allow Joe to begin earning a living for his family again, People reported. Shocked: Teresa made the new revelation during a heart-to-heart about her marriage with her brother Joe Gorga, who is married to her fellow Real Housewife Melissa Gorga Joe was born in Saronno, Lombardy and has been in America since childhood but neglected to ever obtain U.S. citizenship, leaving him vulnerable to deportation after he and Teresa were convicted of various counts of fraud in 2014. Teresa and her husband's separation went public in mid-December a month after she brought their four daughters to visit him in Italy. The Real Housewives Of New Jersey airs on Wednesday nights on Bravo. Updated. President Donald Trump used his State of the Union Address Tuesday to urge Congress to greenlight a plan that would provide federal tax credits for scholarships to private schools and other education services, offering the largest stage yet for one of his administrations key education priorities. The next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, Trump said. Yet, for too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools. States have sought to rescue these students with tax-credit scholarship programs, he said, gesturing to invited guests Stephanie Davis, a mother from Philadelphia, and her 4th-grade daughter, Jayinah, who is on the waitlist for Pennsylvanias tax-credit scholarship program. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed an expansion of the program last year. Trump said a scholarship had become available for Jayinah.(A federal official later confirmed that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos planned to contribute to the cost of her enrollment at a private school.) Now, I call on the Congress to give 1 million American children the same opportunity Janiyah has just received, he said. Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school. He also called for an expansion of career and technical education and touted his administrations recent guidance on prayer in schools. While Republican members of Congress stood and heartily applauded the education sections in Trumps hour and 20-minute address, the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act has not advanced in Congress since DeVos first championed it a year ago. Trumps renewed pitch came on the eve of the Senates final impeachment vote and at the start of an intense election year. It was included among other lofty proposals in his annual address, setting the stage for possible efforts in the next year andif he survives impeachment and wins re-electionin a second term. And a mention of education is significant as even DeVos has acknowledged Trump hasnt made it a key priority. The push also comes at a polarizing time for school choice in general: 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have questioned their partys position on charter schools , which have generally been more broadly accepted by both parties than tax credit and voucher programs. Education Freedom Scholarships The school choice proposal Trump touted calls for up to $5 billion in federal tax credits that would provide a dollar-for-dollar match in exchange for contributions to to scholarship programs in participating states. Currently, 18 states have tax-credit scholarship programs. Under the Trump administration plan, a taxpayer could receive a tax credit of up to 10 percent of their adjusted gross income in a given year, directing that money toward their childrens education instead. DeVos has said those scholarships could go beyond providing tuition to private schools . In a back-to-school tour last year, she painted a picture of families using the tax credits to customize an education according to a students individual needs using private tutoring, home school, educational materials, and other supplementary services. Tonight, the President delivered a strong message in support of Americas students and their futures, she said in a statement after the speech. Every student, parent, and teacher should be excited by this bold agenda to free them from a government system that limits their success. But the Education Freedom Scholarship bill, and the administrations other school choice pitches, have been considered a long shot from the start. In 2018, a GOP-controlled Congress rejected a much smaller proposal of $1 billion in school choice grants included in Trumps annual budget proposal. And there is even division among organizations that typically align with the Trump administration on school choice issues. The conservative Washington think tank the Heritage Foundation, for example, has suggested that vouchers and tax-credit scholarships are better left up to states and that a federal program may open the door to greater government intervention in private schools under future administrations. Public Funds for Private Schools? Reactions to the proposal started well before Tuesdays speech, when the Trump administration telegraphed plans to include the tax-credit proposal in the address. Last year, Trump made a short, unspecific reference to school choice, but he hasnt spent much time on education in his past remarks. Advocates for vouchers and tax-credit scholarships say they provide needed flexibility for families, particularly in areas with underperforming public schools. Despite what you might hear tomorrow from both sides, expanding opportunity and choices for kids is not a partisan issue, the Center for Education Reform, which supports private school choice, tweeted Monday . But some education groups have argued that private school choice programs channel public funds, or foregone tax dollars, away from supporting and improving the public schools a majority of U.S. students attend, undermining them in the process. This bill provides individuals and corporations a dollar-for-dollar credit, which operates less like a tax incentive and more like a direct transfer of taxpayer funds away from the public education fund and into private schools. The tax credit is a shell game designed to hide that the program is a voucher, the National Coalition for Public Education , a group of education and civil rights groups that oppose public funding for private schools, said in a statement. After the speech, groups including advocates for the separation of church and state and national teachers unions were quick to criticize the Trump administration plan. Parents and educators have rejected these programs, knowing that a childs opportunity for success should not be left to chance... " National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said in a statement. They agree that if were serious about every childs future, elected officials need to listen and get serious about doing what works. This means providing resources to our neighborhood public schools so that students have inviting classrooms, a well-rounded curriculum, class sizes that are small enough for one-on-one attention, and support services such as health care, nutrition, and after-school programs for students who need them. Religious Schools Civil rights organizations have also sounded alarms that private school choice programs may support enrollment at faith-based schools that may bar or restrict admission to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students or students with LGBTQ parents. The Education Freedom Scholarship Bill, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Alabama, prohibits states participating in the federal program actions that discriminate against, or otherwise disadvantage faith-based schools. Trumps push for its passage comes after his administration supported Montana parents who argued in a major education case before the U.S. Supreme Court that the state violated their religious liberty when it prohibited recipients of state-level tax-credit scholarships from using them at religious schools.The court is expected to rule in that case by late June. Top photo: President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, , as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., watch. --Patrick Semansky/AP Bottom photo: School choice supporters from eight schools demostrated front of the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue in January--Graeme Sloan/Education Week Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . Advanced pregnancy proved to be no barrier as Millie Mackintosh continued her rigorous gym routine on Wednesday morning. The former Made In Chelsea star, who is expecting her first child with husband Hugo Taylor, worked on her upper body strength during a session with celebrity fitness trainer Simone De La Rue. Sporting a salmon pink gym vest and leggings, Millie, 30, revealed her growing baby bump while being put through her paces at a London fitness studio. Here go: Advanced pregnancy proved to be no barrier as Millie Mackintosh continued her rigorous gym routine on Wednesday morning Sharing a short video of her workout on Instagram, the TV personality revealed her daily workouts had been devised to make her first pregnancy easier. She told followers: 'Weve been working on building upper body strength to help prepare me for carrying the baby.' With her feet spaced apart, Millie lifted two small dumbells from her quads to her shoulders as she endeavored to build some core strength. Let's do this: The former Made In Chelsea star, who is expecting her first child with husband Hugo Taylor, worked on her upper body strength during a session with celebrity fitness trainer Simone De La Rue She's expecting: Sporting a salmon pink gym vest and leggings, Millie, 30, revealed her growing baby bump while being put through her paces at a London fitness studio Ulterior motive: Sharing a short video of her workout on Instagram, the TV personality revealed her daily workouts had been devised to make her first pregnancy easier Millie shared another glimpse of her blossoming baby bump on Thursday as she took to Instagram following another pre-natal workout. She revealed that at 25 weeks pregnant her bump has finally 'popped' as she shared the post of her changing frame. In the snap Millie sported casual black workout gear that highlighted her blossoming baby bump, and appeared to go makeup free to highlight her flawless complexion. Hard work: With her feet spaced apart, Millie lifted two small dumbells from her quads to her shoulders as she endeavored to build some core strength Important: 'Weve been working on building upper body strength to help prepare me for carrying the baby,' she told fans She captioned the post: 'Bump has really popped this week! Weekly works outs @bodybysimone are keeping me active #25weekspregnant.' Just hours earlier Millie also shared another snap of her prominent bump in a relaxed black maxi dress, which she teamed with edgy lace-up boots. The beauty is set to welcome her first child with husband Hugo Taylor in May. Bumping along: Millie shared another glimpse of her blossoming baby bump on Thursday as she took to Instagram following another pre-natal workout Exciting: The former Made In Chelsea star captioned her post by revealing that at 25 weeks pregnant her bump had finally 'popped' Flawless: Just hours earlier Millie also shared another snap of her prominent bump in a relaxed black maxi dress, which she teamed with edgy lace-up boots Date night: It comes after she took to Instagram last week to display her pregnancy glow during a romantic meal with her husband Hugo It comes after Millie took to Instagram last week to display her pregnancy glow during a romantic meal with her spouse Hugo. The star shared a photo of herself tucking into a bowl of seafood pasta during the date night. Millie looked incredible in the photo as she showcased her growing baby bump in a plunging blue patterned dress. Feeling loved-up, the reality star captioned the snap with: 'Date night with @hugotaylorlondon,' followed by a heart and pasta emoji. It comes after Millie admitted that she 'misses her abs' as she shared a throwback bikini-clad video of herself taken just one year ago on Thursday. Mwah: The star took to Instagram to share a photo of herself tucking into a bowl of seafood pasta (Millie and Hugo pictured recently) Sweet: Feeling loved-up, the reality star captioned the snap with: 'Date night with @hugotaylorlondon,' followed by a heart and pasta emoji The former Made In Chelsea star was feeling reflective as she commented on how 'times have changed'. In the video, Millie showcased her washboard abs and toned figure in a white high-waisted bikini. The reality star worked her best angles as she posed up a storm before playfully pretending to dive into a swimming pool. Throwback: Millie admitted that she 'misses her abs' as she shared a throwback bikini-clad video of herself taken just one year ago on Thursday (pictured in 2019) Millie captioned the video with: '1 year ago... How times have changed! Right now I miss having abs but Im sure I will miss my bump #tbt,' followed by a pregnant emoji. The video comes after the reality star confessed to struggling with her self-confidence whilst pregnant with her first child. In a candid Instagram post earlier this month, Millie showcased her blossoming baby bump in a gingham swimsuit as she admitted to being in 'awe' of her body. Radiant: The former Made In Chelsea star was feeling reflective as she commented on how 'times have changed' Yet she went on to admit that she has a challenging relationship with her pregnancy curves, calling the experience 'wonderful', yet also 'scary'. Millie penned: 'As my bump gets bigger I am in total awe of what my body is capable of. Its a wonderful feeling to know that youre sharing your space with such precious cargo. 'However that doesnt mean that I havent had days/weeks where I felt my self confidence slowly dwindling! Candid: The reality star has confessed to struggling with her self-confidence whilst pregnant with her first child 'I particularly found the transitioning weeks from 1st trimester into the second most difficult. I was unsure of my body and its new found shape. 'Its like being an awkward teenager again, figuring out what styles suit your ever evolving silhouette. 'Everyday is different and my go to wardrobe for a quick throw on has now become a full 30 minute session ending with lots of outfits on the floor and succumbing to stretchy knits being my new best friend!' Challenging: Millie went on to admit that she has challenging relationship with her pregnancy curves, calling the experience 'wonderful', yet also 'scary' Explaining that every day brings up a different challenge, she continued: 'To say I have loved every second of watching my body expand wouldnt be honest, it has been a real transition and at times scary as I havent felt like me. 'But today was a good day! I put on a cute dress (stretchy knit of course) and headed out the door for meetings with confidence and pride of my bump! Tomorrow who knows....... taking each day as it comes!' Asking her followers for advice, she concluded: 'Would love to know what made you feel good during pregnancy? #23weeks #secondtrimester'. Millie is expecting a baby girl with husband Hugo Taylor, who she married in June 2018, one year after he proposed during a holiday to the Greek island of Mykonos. The couple briefly dated during their Made In Chelsea days back in 2011 and reunited in May 2016 shortly after Millie's split from her first husband, rapper Professor Green, 35. Millie was married to the musician, real name Stephen Manderson, for two-and-a-half years before they announced their split in February 2016. A Congress member from Kerala on Wednesday demanded in Lok Sabha that the government announce a special incentive for the state where three cases of coronavirus have been detected. During Zero Hour, Ramya Haridas (INC) said although the Kerala government is taking preventive steps, there is a need for more vigilance. "It need fiscal incentive. I request the central government to announce a special package for the state and also send a full fledged team," she said. Dharmabir Singh (BJP) suggested the government double the minimum support price for grains like Jawar, Bajra and mustard. There is no need to increase rates for rice and wheat, he said. Three Keralite students from Wuhan university have tested positive for the coronavirus, which has so far claimed 490 lives in China. Other than the 3 positive cases from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod districts, no fresh cases have been reported, the Kerala government said on Tuesday night. At least 2,321 people are under observation at home and 100 at isolation wards at various hospitals across the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JACKSON, MI When two local middle schoolers decided to embark on a canned food drive as a community service project at the start of the school year, they thought, at best, they might be able to gather six paper bags full of donations. Now theyre trying to figure out what to do with nearly 1,500 items. The effort began as a simple assignment for Middle School at Parkside eighth graders. Students were told to perform some act of community service and document it on a presentation board. Keon Walker and Dane Vaughn had originally thought to carve pumpkins for a community event, but instead decided to start a food drive. I realized that a lot of people go hungry about this time of year, Walker said. Thanksgiving is when a lot of the stuff is given. We decided it would be best to give when not much stuff is donated. The two enlisted Walkers mom, Sharon Leiss, to supervise. Originally, the goal was maybe six bags of goodies, she said. Then (the goal) became to fill the back of the van. Now were at the point of two vans that are full. Both students created collection bags out of Country Market paper bags with a note stapled to them. They took approximately 180 bags to local businesses, neighbors, and family, leaving them at the door for people who werent home. Additionally, Leiss announced the effort in two Jackson-based Facebook groups inviting people to message her if they were interested in donating. It has been a lot more work than what was really required of them for the project, Leiss said. Weve been out every Saturday collecting and passing out bags. Its been great. The students have spent about 40 hours total collecting the donations and piling them into vans, then storing them inside Leiss home. They currently reside in her basement, where about 200 bags await distribution. Pretty much every place that we have given bags to has donated, Walker said. So far, most donations have been canned goods and macaroni and cheese. Were mainly looking for snacks right now because thats what we have the least of, but we will still take anything, Walker said. The boys will be collecting items through Feb. 10 and then taking everything to the Jackson Community Food Pantry. I am astounded, Walker said. I am crazed that this many people without any profit whatsoever theyre getting nothing from this would throw in basically the money they that they have earned for this cause for people that they barely even know. Anyone interested in donating can contact Sharon Leiss via Facebook Messenger. This is the horrifying moment a man is brutally gored by a bull after trying to outrun it during a Spanish festival. The 56-year-old was flipped up in the air by the rampaging half-tonne beast, who then skewered and kicked him in the head after falling from metal railings in Benaocaz, Cadiz, at around 5pm on Sunday. Moments earlier, the man was seen clinging to a window frame to keep himself from danger - before losing his grip at the vital second and falling straight into the bull's path. The middle-aged man tries to sprint away from the bull but he is skittled into the air as the panicking crowd shrieks with horror The furious animal then clattered headlong into him and savaged him repeatedly on the ground, as terrified locals tried to save him. The unnamed man suffered a serious brain injury and a collapsed lung but somehow survived the ferocious attack and remains in a stable condition in hospital, reports Diario de Cadiz. Graphic footage of the incident filmed by a spectator has since gone viral on social media, gathering tens of thousands of views. It shows the black bull standing ominously still in the middle of the street before running towards a goading spectator waving a white rag. The daredevil narrowly sidesteps the oncoming bull, earning applause from the crowd. But the bull quickly loses interest in the amateur matador and turns its attention to three men hanging perilously from a nearby window railing. As it tries to drag them down with its horns, the men pull their legs up higher but one man is unable to hold on and slips down. Landing on his feet, the middle-aged man tries to sprint away from the bull but he is skittled into the air as the panicking crowd shrieks with horror. The bull then spears him in the head as he lies defenceless on the ground - while spectators rush in to try and save him and distract the animal. But they scatter as the bull turns to charge at them and it gores the victim again before stamping on his head. The 56-year-old (left and right) was flipped up in the air by the rampaging half-tonne beast, who then skewered and kicked him in the head More than a dozen locals eventually manage to carry the man to safety after the bull is lured away down the street. Spanish media reports suggest the victim's injuries, although serious, are not life-threatening. However, viewers on social media had little sympathy for the man. One called the tradition of bull running a 'vile pastime' and called for it to be banned. A second wrote: 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.' Another added: 'A good example for the other morons having fun teasing and torturing animals.' The village of Benaocaz holds its annual bull run at the festival of San Blas every February in honour of its patron saint. Spain's most famous bull run takes place at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, where people from all over the world travel to risk their lives running with the bulls through the city streets. Last year, eight people were gored and 35 were injured at the festival. At least 16 people have been killed in bull runs since records began in 1911. Sustaining attack on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal over the police claim that the Shaheen Bagh shooter was an AAP worker, BJP chief JP Nadda on Wednesday questioned him if he would "burn down" Delhi to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. "The situation would not have been this had you worked Kejriwal ji. Earlier you incited mob in Jamia and Seelampur, instigated arson and stone-pelting in New Friends Colony, Shaheen Bagh dharna and then firing by your worker. Would you burn down Delhi to defeat Modi and Shah," Nadda asked in a tweet in Hindi. Kapil Baisala, who opened fired at Shaheen Bagh protest-site last week, was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, police claimed on Tuesday. He and his father joined AAP in early 2019, they said. DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo said Baisala's mobile phone was seized and WhatsApp data and photos of him and his father joining the party were retrieved. The AAP has questioned the police investigation alleging it was under influence of the BJP. AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the photos retrieved from Baisala's phone were part of investigation and alleged they were leaked to BJP. "On whose instance, the police is giving statement? How did the photos which were part of the investigation reach the BJP? Before the came out, Manoj Tiwari in the morning stated that the accused was from AAP. How did Manoj Tiwari get this news," Singh asked. He said AAP will approach the Election Commission to raise the issue, which has cropped up four days before the polling date. Seeking to make a comeback in Delhi after two decades, the BJP has thrown all its weight to oust AAP from power, with some party leaders going to the extent of terming Kejriwal a "terrorist" and accusing him of supporting Shaheen Bagh protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the 'Tukde-Tukde' gang. The votes for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be cast on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The General Statistics Office (GSO) estimated that exports in the January-March period will fall to US$46.5 billion, with agricultural produce plunging by 29% and seafood 38%. Garment and footwear exports are also forecast to drop by 22% and 17% respectively while phone and phone parts will drop by 27%. According to the GSOs projections, exports to China will fall by 25% in the first three months of 2020 to US$5.6 billion. Agricultural goods and seafood are expected to be effected the most and are predicted to record the largest reductions in exports. In January, Vietnam exported US$19 billion worth of goods, down 15.8% from the previous month while it imported goods worth a total of US$19.1 billion. The United States was the largest buyer of Vietnamese goods in January at US$4.8 billion, followed by Chinas US$3.7 billion and the EUs US$2.6 billion. Vietnams exports are forecast to plunge in the first quarter of this year due to impacts of the acute respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Textile and garment is among export items forecast to experience downturn in the first quarter of this year. According to Director General of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) Nguyen Bich Lam, Vietnams exports in the first quarter of 2020 are estimated at 46.5 billion USD, down 21 percent from the same period last year. Contraction was predicted across a wide range of export items, including agricultural and forestry products (over 29 percent), aquatic products (38 percent), textiles and garment (22 percent), footwear (17 percent), computers, electronics and components (8 percent), and phones and parts (27 percent), Lam said. He added that exports to China will be likely to shed 25 percent from a year earlier to 5.6 billion USD. Shipments of agricultural and forestry products, and aquatic products was down 30 percent and 33 percent, respectively. In January, Vietnams foreign trade totalled 38.1 billion USD, a year-on-year decrease of 12.9 percent, and the countrys trade deficit was estimated at 100 million USD. The countrys exports slumped 15.8 percent month on month to 19 billion USD, of which 6.31 billion USD was gained by domestic enterprises, down 23.1 percent, while the remainder came from the foreign-invested area, including crude oil, down 11.6 percent. Year-on-year growth was reported in exports of computers, electronics and components (5.6 percent) and wood and timber products (1.4 percent). Meanwhile, declines were seen in textiles and garment (21 percent), phones and parts (22.4 percent), and footwear (9.7 percent). Of agricultural products, aquatic products and coffee experienced the contractions with 25.2 percent and 30.3 percent, respectively. The US was Vietnams largest market last month, importing 4.8 billion USD worth of goods, followed by China (3.7 billion USD). January imports fell 14.4 percent from a month earlier to value 19.1 billion USD, of which 8.7 billion USD was from domestic companies, down 17.7 percent, while the remainder from foreign-invested sector, down 11.3 percent./.VNA Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the U.N.-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor. Both sides in Libya's civil war The U.N.-supported government controls only a shrinking area of western Libya, including the capital, Tripoli. It's facing a months-long offensive by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter who is allied with a rival government based in Libya's east. The United Nations recognizes the government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, as Libya's legitimate government because it was born out of U.N.-mediated talks in 2015. Sarraj is backed by Turkey, and to a lesser degree, Qatar and Italy. Hifter receives backing from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world, and many of these countries are apparently jockeying for influence in order to control Libyan militia leaders in Tripoli told The Associated Press that Turkey has brought more than 4,000 foreign fighters into Tripoli, and that dozens of them are extremist-affiliated. The two commanders spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. The commanders also highlighted differing opinions within the Libyan militias about accepting Syrian extremists into their ranks. One said the fighters' backgrounds aren't important, as long as they've come to help defend the capital. The other said some commanders fear the fighters will tarnish the image of the Tripoli-based government. Turkey-backed militias in northern Syria have been known to include fighters that previously fought with al-Qaida, IS and other militant groups, and have committed atrocities against Syrian Kurdish groups and civilians. The U.N. has Turkey has not confirmed or denied reports of Syrian fighters being sent to Libya to support Sarraj, and the Turkish military did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a televised interview last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "As a combat force, we will have a different team there. They won't be from within our soldiers. Those different teams and the combat forces will work together. But our high-ranking soldiers will coordinate." He did not elaborate. Rumors of Turkey-backed Syrian fighters in Libya have swirled for weeks. Foreign leaders and commentators have pointed to videos circulated online that appear to show Syrians in Tripoli. In one video, a man with a Syrian accent films the dormitories where he and other fighters are living, saying Thank God, we arrived safely in Libya. Another clip shows a plane full of fighters, some wearing fatigues and speaking with Syrian accents. Turkey's Libyan allies and Syrian opposition leaders have denied any organized efforts to send combatants to Libya. But in January, Sarraj told the BBC that his government would not hesitate to cooperate with any party to defeat this aggression" by Hifter's forces. Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AP that his war-monitoring network has determined there are at least 130 former Islamic State or al-Qaida fighters among the approximately 4,700 Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries sent to fight for Sarraj. He said the IS militants had joined the so-called In theory, a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey remains in place around Tripoli but Libya's warring sides have traded accusations of violations, and the shaky truce is The Observatory also quoted a Syrian fighter from Idlib province who applied to go to Libya as saying he was motivated by the financial benefits offered by Turkey. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute who closely follows Syria's armed groups, said the promise of payment, Turkish citizenship or the prospect of fleeing to Europe were the main motives of Syrian fighters sent to Libya. None of them are committed to the fight in Libya due to personal conviction or ideology, she said. A Libyan official at the prime minister's office said Syrian fighters have been in Libya since early August. At first, he said they were only facilitating the work of Turkish military experts. But as the The Tripoli authorities and U.S. officials have also accused Hifter of relying on hundreds of Russian mercenaries. Sudanese armed groups from the Darfur region recently joined the fighting on both sides, The influx of Syrian, Russian and Sudanese mercenaries has threatened to prolong the war and cripple international efforts to establish a long-term cease-fire. Last month, a Nicholas Heras, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said Turkey is focusing on Libya to establish a However, the Turks do not want to risk significant casualties to their own forces when the Turkish military has built a proxy force of Syrian fighters that can reinforce the Libyan fighters, he said. Democratic congresspeople have interrupted Donald Trump during his third State of the Union address, to urge the passage of a bill to lower drug prices. The bill, HR3, was introduced by the late Elijah Cummings last year, and was passed in the House before being sent over the Senate. "HR3," the protesters chanted, holding up their hands with three fingers extended. The moment followed after Mr Trump promised during his address to ensure that pre-existing conditions are covered in American health insurance markets. The issue of drug prices has become increasingly politically salient in recent years, and has become a major talking point for many in the 2020 democratic field. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA Mr Trump, during his speech, called for a bipartisan bill on the issue that would "dramatically" lower drug prices. Before the State of the Union, Democrats had expressed an interest in the president bringing up that issue, which they told the healthcare news outlet Stat News would highlight how little has been done by the Trump administration when it comes to drug prices. Seniors and everyday Americans know that Democrats are the only ones fighting to bring down the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs while Washington Republicans do the bidding of drug manufacturers and their special interest backers, said Robyn Patterson, the national press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Ukraine does not plan to resume water supply to the annexed Crimea through the North Crimean Channel. "In response to some media reports about the possible resumption of water supply to Crimea and the corresponding visit of the commission from Kyiv, we emphasize that this information is untrue," Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych posted on Facebook. Korynevych informed that a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights would be held in Kherson region on February 11-12 in order to familiarize with the issues related to the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The committee members plan to visit the entry-exit checkpoint Kalanchak and a dam of the closed section of the North Crimean Canal due to its close proximity to the checkpoint. "Nobody talks about any resumption of water supply; the water from the Channel will flow to Crimea only after the de-occupation. No water will be supplied prior to the de-occupation. The offsite meeting of the Committee has nothing to do with the issue of water supply, the members will familiarize with the situation near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea," Korynevych stressed. ol GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Tension between Israel and the Gaza Strip has escalated since US President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East peace plan Jan. 28. Palestinians launched a volley of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli military targets and at the southern Israeli city of Sderot Jan. 29. The Israeli army responded Jan. 31 by bombing several Hamas positions in southern Gaza while threatening to take harsh action should rockets keep falling. In light of these developments, Israeli sources expect the security situation in Gaza to deteriorate. Meanwhile, popular protests against the peace plan continued in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Protesters carried the Palestinian flag and chanted slogans denouncing the plan Jan. 31. They burned the American flag and threw stones at Israeli forces. This comes after the Palestinian leadership held an emergency meeting in Ramallah Jan. 28, in the presence of all Palestinian factions, to discuss ways to respond to the peace plan. During the meeting, the participants agreed that the function of the Palestinian Authority (PA) must change. The plan would establish two separate Palestinian and Israeli states, declaring Jerusalem a unified capital of Israel, and stopping the malign activities" of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his speech at the White House Jan. 28 that disarming Hamas in the Gaza Strip is part of the plan, which raised questions about how the plan could reflect on the settlement efforts between Israel and Hamas. Hamas leader Atef Adwan, the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council's Economic Committee, told Al-Monitor, There are no current talks about understandings or settlements with Israel in light of the grave danger to the Palestinian cause after the US administration published its plan. He added, It will not be taken against Hamas that it concluded an agreement with Israel at a time when the Palestinian cause needed the movement and the resistance factions to thwart the US plan. Adwan pointed out that the understandings between Hamas and Israel over the past few months were geared toward achieving humanitarian and economic goals to relieve Gaza Strip residents who have endured 13 years of an Israeli siege. Adwan said that the economic incentives Israel offered to Hamas through Egyptian and Qatari mediators never stopped, and even increased, in the days preceding the announcement of the US plan. In an attempt to absorb any Palestinian anger from the Gaza Strip prior to the announcement of the plan, Israel provided economic concessions Jan. 28, and allowed the import of goods that had been banned since the imposition of the blockade on the Strip. Israel also allowed the export of some Palestinian goods and products, such as strawberries. Israeli military expert Ron Ben-Yishai, in an article for Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth Jan. 24, noted that Hamas considers the US peace plan as being dictated by the US evangelical Christian movement in cooperation with the Israeli right, to oppose Islam. According Ben-Yishai, this indicates that announcing the plan will push away any settlement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A member of the PLOs Executive Committee told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian leadership is concerned that the understandings between Hamas and Israel will pave the way for implementing an important part of the US peace plan: politically separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank under the pretext of economic concessions for Strip residents. The source added that President Mahmoud Abbas invited the Hamas leadership to attend the Jan. 28 emergency meeting in Ramallah to discuss the repercussions of the US peace plan. The aim was to unite the Palestinian internal ranks and hear from Hamas leaders, who attended the meeting, given their clear stance on the US peace plan. In addition, Abbas wanted to get some details on the talks the mediators are conducting between Hamas and Israel, the source noted. The source stressed that the Hamas leaders clearly told the Palestinian leadership that there is no settlement agreement with Israel, and noted that their movement stood behind the Palestinian leadership in the face of the US peace plan. The PA and PLO factions have attacked Hamas in recent months due to Israeli claims that it had understandings with Hamas to reach a long-term truce. They also accused Hamas of trying to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and cancel the role of the PLO, which is the only entity authorized to sign political agreements between the Palestinians and other countries. Alaa al-Rimawi, the director of al-Quds Center for Israeli and Palestinian Studies in Ramallah, told Al-Monitor it is unlikely that Hamas and Israel will reach a settlement agreement, specifically at the present time, due to the specifics of the US plan. He noted that ever since Hamas' founding, its strategy has been to remain silent when it comes to any agreement aimed at quashing the Palestinian cause. Hamas even works to obstruct such agreements, which happened with the Oslo Accord in 1993, when Hamas carried out a series of bombings in Israel. Rimawi said the situation in the Palestinian territories is ripe for a popular and military escalation to oppose the US plan. He said it could develop into a military confrontation between Hamas and Israel in the event that Israel implements some of the plans items and officially announces the annexation of areas in the West Bank to Israel. Talal Okal, a political writer for the Palestinian al-Ayyam newspaper, told Al-Monitor that the chances of Hamas and Israel reaching an agreement were greatly diminished with the announcement of the US plan, as it contains items that end the Palestinian dream of establishing an independent state along the 1967 borders. Okal expects the mediators namely Egypt, which called on Palestinians to consider the plan, and Qatar, which welcomed US efforts to achieve peace will take action with regard to the Gaza Strip in the coming days to pressure Hamas. The mediators could ensure Hamas' silence with economic incentives, preventing it from taking steps that might lead to any implosion in response to the US peace plan. The two sides are moving further from a settlement in light of Hamas threat to thwart the US plan, which would disarm Hamas, and amid expectations that Israel will continue to provide economic concessions to the Gaza Strip to prevent conditions from worsening. HENNIGSDORF, Germany, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The winner of the EJE Award 2019 is Mirjam Christ-Crain, professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of Basel, Switzerland ( interview ). Results from her recent research show that using Copeptin measurement has the potential to replace the so-called "classic" but unspecific water deprivation test. "The diagnostic accuracy using Copeptin is 96.5 percent while it is only 76.6 percent in the water deprivation test which is significantly lower," Mirjam Christ-Crain said in her ECE lecture , the article is published in the European Journal of Endocrinology (1). Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare and incurable disorder that affects a person's ability to regulate body fluid balance. Available treatments can relieve thirst and decrease urine output. Nonetheless, current diagnostic practice is challenging and vulnerable to false results, especially in patients with primary polydipsia. As treatment strategies for the different forms of DI vary and applying the wrong therapy can be dangerous, a reliable differential diagnosis is crucial. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2018 (2) concluded that the measurement of Copeptin had a greater diagnostic accuracy than the classical water deprivation test. The use of the Copeptin assay has the advantage to reduce the duration of water deprivation testing from 17 hours to less than 2 hours and the test can be performed on an outpatient basis instead during a hospital stay. Accordingly, this lowers the burden of testing for the patient substantially. For further simplification of the diagnostic algorithm, a new method using arginine as a stimulant has been introduced by Prof. Christ-Crain and was recently published in Lancet (3). Authors conclude " we propose arginine stimulation as a simplified, novel, and safe diagnostic approach to Diabetes insipidus." In Europe, the BRAHMS Copeptin proAVP KRYPTOR test is indicated to be used in conjunction with additional clinical data as an aid in assessing the differential diagnosis of patients with water balance disorders, e.g. polyuria-polydipsia syndrome or syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH). The test is further indicated as an aid to be used in conjunction with cardiac troponin and the clinical evaluation in ruling out acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with chest pain or equivalent symptoms of cardiac origin. The BRAHMS CT-proAVP LIA test is indicated to be useful in any diseases related to a disturbance of AVP release and/or electrolyte disturbances. The main indications for CT-proAVP determination are therefore the differential diagnosis of polyuria-polydipsia syndrome and differential diagnosis of hyponatremia (e.g. SIADH). Both Copeptin assay formats were used in Prof. Christ-Crain's studies on vasopressin-dependent disorders. For more information on BRAHMS Copeptin proAVP, please visit: www.thermoscientific.com/copeptin For more information on the BRAHMS KRYPTOR laboratory instruments, please visit: www.thermoscientific.com/kryptor Not all products are CE marked or have 510(k) clearance for sale in the U.S. Availability of products in each country depends on local regulatory marketing authorization status. About Copeptin Copeptin, part of the vasopressin prohormone, is a marker of the individual hemodynamic stress response. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a key hormone in the human body. Despite the clinical relevance of AVP in maintaining fluid balance and vascular tone, measurement of mature AVP is difficult and subject to pre-analytical errors. Copeptin, a 39-amino acid glycopeptide that comprises the C-terminal part of the AVP precursor (CT-proAVP), has been found to be a stable and sensitive surrogate marker for AVP, analogous to C-peptide for insulin. Copeptin measurement has been shown to be useful in various clinical indications, circulating Copeptin levels rise to peak values rapidly and then decline over the next hours. The pre-pro-vasopressin precursor is synthesized and processed into its three components AVP, Neurophysin II, and Copeptin within the hypothalamus; afterward, these products are transported along the neuronal axons in the granules of the posterior hypophysis (pituitary gland), where they are stored and released under the appropriate stimulus. The immunoassays Thermo Scientific BRAHMS Copeptin proAVP KRYPTOR and Thermo Scientific BRAHMS CT-proAVP LIA are part of a series of biomarker assays which can be used in cardiology and endocrinology. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. References (1) Mirjam Christ-Crain. European Journal of Endocrinology (2019) 180, R11R21 (2) W. Fenske, J. Refardt, I. Chifu, I. Schnyder, B. Winzeler, J. Drummond, A. RibeiroOliveira, Jr., T. Drescher, S. Bilz, D.R. Vogt, U. Malzahn, M. Kroiss, E. Christ, C. Henzen, S. Fischli, A. Tonjes, B. Mueller, J. Schopohl, J. Flitsch, G. Brabant, M. Fassnacht, and M. ChristCrain. A Copeptin-Based Approach in the Diagnosis of Diabetes Insipidus. N Engl J Med 2018;379:428-39. (3) Bettina Winzeler, Nicole Cesana-Nigro, Julie Refardt, Deborah R Vogt, Cornelia Imber, Benedict Morin, Milica Popovic, Michelle Steinmetz, Clara O Sailer, Gabor Szinnai, Irina Chifu, Martin Fassnacht, Mirjam Christ-Crain. Arginine-stimulated copeptin measurements in the differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus: a prospective diagnostic study. LANCET 2019 Contact Information: Dr. Rita Baxmann Phone: +49 3302 883 303 E-mail: rita.baxmann@thermofisher.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/490330/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific.jpg Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific By Express News Service KOCHI: Specialists from India, Germany, US, UK, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa and other countries will participate in the first-ever global oncology conference on integrative medicine to be held at Le Meridien in the city on February 8 and 9. The International Conference on Integrative Oncology 2020 (ICIO 2020) is being organised by Global Homeopathy Foundation (GHF) and will be attended by top oncologists representing medical, surgical, radiation, haematology, paediatric and gynaecology specialties. Dr Sreevals Menon, managing trustee of GHF, said there will be four moderated panel discussions during the conference with AYUSH/TCAM (Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine) oncology experts, including Dr Michael Dixon, chair to the Princes Foundation of Integrated Health, UK, set up by the Prince of Wales, Dr Manfred Mueller, US, Dr Ioannis Papasotiriou, Greece, Dr Issac Mathai, Bangalore, Luke Coutinho, celebrity onco-nutritionist and Aliya Almoayed from Bahrain, taking part. The event will highlight doctors, researchers, medical scholars and oncology enthusiasts among public to the novel possibilities in integration of different oncology care streams. CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar escaped unhurt in an attack on his cavalcade by a mob in Supaul, 250 km northeast of Patna on Wednesday evening, police said. One vehicle in the cavalcade of the former Jawaharlala Nehru University (JNU) students union president was damaged and two people including driver were injured in stone pelting. Police said those behind the attack who are yet to be identified, managed to escape from the spot. Kumar was going to Saharsa from Kishunpur police station area of Supaul to participate in his Jan Gan Man Yatra. According to the police, the incident took place at around 5.30 pm near Mallik Chowk under Sadar police station area when Kanhaiyas cavalcade was passing through the chowk. Supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National register of Citizens (NRC) sprinkled ink on his car and another group pelted stones on the cavalcade, damaging two vehicles. Eyewitnesses said three people including a woman were injured in the incident. District Magistrate Mahendra Kumar and Superintendent of Police in-charge Sudhir Kumar Podika rushed to the spot on hearing about the incident. The SP said a driver suffered head injury in stone pelting. According to the Supaul Sub Divisional Officer, Kanhaiyas programme was scheduled at Nemnama village under Kishunpur police station but the administration refused to grant the permission because of an ongoing examination. Earlier in the morning at Jhanjharpur, supporters of the CAA and NRC showed black flags and shouted slogans against Kanhaiya. On February 1, the former JNU leader had a narrow escape when a group of miscreants pelted stones on his cavalcade while he was en route to Chhapra to attend a rally against the CAA near Chapra airport. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By PTI NEW DELHI: Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said a CAG report that criticised the force for delay in procurement of special clothing for soldiers serving in high altitude areas, including Siachen, is a "little outdated" as it pertains to 2015-16. The Army is very well prepared today, he asserted. The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which was tabled in Parliament on Monday, pulled up the Army for delay in procurement of clothing, equipment, snow goggles and multi-purpose boots that are required to be provided to soldiers serving in high altitude areas. After meeting a group of 30 journalism students of Abasaheb Garware College here, General Naravane told reporters, "If you look at the CAG report carefully, it pertains to 2015-16. So, it is not a report about the present times. So, it is a little outdated in that sense." "But I would like to assure you that as of today, in 2020, we are very well prepared and every jawan who goes to Siachen gets personal clothing worth approximately Rs 1 lakh. That is the kind of preparation we do for each and every soldier who goes there," he added. On the marginal hike in the defence budget, the Army chief said, "Defence budget has got a modest increase of 8 per cent year on year. We will be studying how to manage this budget and how to make full use of it. And we will continue to modernise." "Notwithstanding what budget allocations are made, in the last year itself we have inducted more than four-five different kind of weapons, weapon systems and platforms. So, modernisation has never been an issue," he said. The defence budget was increased to Rs 3.37 lakh crore for 2020-21 against last year's Rs 3.18 lakh crore, belying expectations of a significantly enhanced allocation to fast-track long-pending military modernisation. * European shares rise, tracking recovery in China equities * STOXX 600 up 1.5%, set for best day in nearly 4 months * Denmark's Ambu shares surge 26% after Q1 beat * Hyundai to suspend S.Korea production on coronavirus impact Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters. You can share your thoughts with Thyagaraju Adinarayan (thyagaraju.adinarayan@tr.com), Joice Alves (joice.alves@tr.com), Julien Ponthus (julien.ponthus@tr.com) in London and Danilo Masoni (danilo.masoni@tr.com) in Milan. IS ESG A VALUATION BOOSTER? (1534 GMT) Credit Suisse has looked into whether high scoring ESG companies are more expensive than low scoring peers and the simple answer is: mostly not. While on a regional level the Swiss bank found no support for the view that higher ESG scoring stocks are more expensive, on a sectoral level this holds true only in a handful of cases. According to CS, these are business services, consumer services, healthcare equipment and semiconductors in Europe and consumer durables and consumer services in the U.S.. ".. one cannot claim that ESG scores are correlated with high or low valuation levels", they conclude. "Nevertheless our conversations with investors clearly show an interest in finding companies that match strong ESG scores with strong operational and even valuation support". (Danilo Masoni) ***** TESLA BUZZ: WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM JOHNSON? (1409 GMT) What's happening with the Tesla is just simply spectacular! The crazy short squeeze has thrusted the stock on a high-speed lane towards more than double the infamous $420 price tag (remember Musk's "funding secured"?). If gains from premarket trading sustain (+15%), Musk's baby will have a whopping $160 billion+ in market value -- that's as much as GM + Ford + Daimler + Fiat Chrysler combined. It's often hard to get what's exactly behind the skyrocketing Tesla share price. We're wondering whether Elon Musk is getting a bit of spreading the buzz around his company from Boris Johnson who wants Britain to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035, five years earlier than planned. Story continues Now, we're obviously not saying Johnson's announcement is behind the latest frenzy on the stock but there's definitely some tailwind blowing into the stock's sails. With a massive 98.5% of global vehicles still running on gas, there is a huge potential for electric cars to grow multi-fold with Tesla having an early entrant advantage having sold more electric cars than any other company in the world. On twitter, the new 2035 deadline is making quite a buzz among Tesla fans: (Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Julien Ponthus) ***** WHAT DIP? (1350 GMT) Lots of notes out there from sell and buyside about buying the coronavirus dip but so far the damage to broader indexes in Europe and the U.S. is rather limited. The STOXX 600 is down just 1.7% since its closing level on Jan 17, the last trading session before the virus outbreak on Jan 20. The S&P 500 instead is down 2.4%. Clearly the much-talked-about buying opportunity is something that may have show up only for stock pickers. More broadly, worth checking out this post again: The harder the fall, the bigger the bounce (Danilo Masoni) ***** GIVE TELCOS A CHANCE (1228 GMT) Investing in telcos is not for everyone as fierce competition, big debt piles and the need to carry out costly network upgrades have often resulted in poor company performance and unattractive investor returns. It could be different this time, at least in France! And, according to Exane BNP Paribas it's worth giving the sector a chance. "Barely a year has gone by in the last 7 when there haven't been bold predictions about consolidation or an improving French telecom market. The reality has generally failed to live up to the hype," they say. "That was until the second half of 2019, which arguably was the best period for French telcos in recent memory; with signs of price rationality and lower promotional activity", they add. Now the big question is whether the trend is sustainable and Exane does believe so. Why? Well, the French bank says competition and demanding capex requirements have forced operators into a series of asset sales, off balance sheet financing, whose costs will need 1-2% annual price increase as an offset. Hence, they upgraded Iliad, Altice Europe and Bouygues all to "outperform". (Danilo Masoni) ***** "CONTRARIAN BUY SIGNAL": IT'S A BTD PARTY! (1217 GMT) It's already midday and European bourses are cruising at double (+1.2%) the speed futures were trading prior to the open. Stock pickers, bargain hunters seem be gearing up for what is morphing into a pretty straightforward buy-the-dip session. Last week's losses are proving to be an attractive entry point if one believes that stronger economic growth is on its way. "It usually pays to buy when others are panicking, so we are starting to add to equity positions in our multi asset funds in anticipation of stronger growth later in the year", writes Trevor Greetham at Royal London Asset Management. "Intensifying concerns over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak triggered the worst week for stocks since August 2019 with China particularly hard hit", he also said. "As a result, our investor sentiment indicator is registering its first contrarian buy signal since that time", he added. You can see below that it has actually been a while since the MSCI World Index posted such a big weekly loss: Do you think the BTD party is going to last or is this just a temporary moment of respite before markets realise how serious the situation is? Drop me an email to share your thoughts: julien.ponthus@tr.com (Julien Ponthus) **** MORNING RESEARCH ROUNDUP: 'WE-NO-VIRUS-EXPERTS-BUT'... (1038 GMT) It's a difficult and speculative exercise which often begins with a humble disclosure on the lines of "we're no virus experts but..." It's usually followed by something about SARS not being that useful as a precedent given China's exponential growth since 2003. Got it? Yes, we're talking about coronavirus research notes from banks which are proving to be quite a challenge for sell-side and buy-side analysts given the highly speculative nature of the subject. Many strategists are obviously working hard to help their clients go beyond obvious conclusions such "if it's nothing serious it's all right, and if it's really serious then it's not". Here's a round up of interesting points from this morning's research batch: UBS "Our projections assume that the virus will be controlled by 1Q, China's growth to rebound back to 6% by 2H. Thus, the supply chain disruptions are more temporary. We see risk of Korea and Taiwan GDP growth falling below 1.5% and 1.2% if China's growth falls to below 5% under the scenario that virus is only controlled by 2Q". Black Rock "Positive corporate earnings have limited equity losses triggered by worries about the coronavirus outbreak in China and its potential economic impact. Moderating trade tensions, signs of economic stabilization and still accommodative financial conditions are supportive of growth". Jefferies on insurers: "Some of the most costly consequences could affect the non-life industry, where business interruption and event cancellation risks are rising. Lloyd's of London and Swiss Re could be most at risk - In terms of the most exposed insurers, we highlight Hiscox and Beazley, as we expect that bespoke cover such as event cancellation is most likely to be written in Lloyd's of London". Sentix "(...) anyone who is afraid of a portfolio contagion has probably already reacted in the previous week. So, is the worst over? In view of the sentix data and the resulting statistical properties of the current data constellation, we would say: probably yes." S&P Our base case projection assumes the coronavirus crisis will stabilize globally in April 2020. Our worst-case projection holds that the virus stops spreading in late May, and optimistically in March. In turn, this suggests that the peak impact on economic activity across Asia-Pacific will be in the first and second quarters. Growth should stabilize later in 2020 and recover through early 2021 as the temporary effect on activity wanes. Here's UBS' chart on growth in China, Hong Kong, Korea and China: (Julien Ponthus) ***** CARS, PHONES AND THEIR CHINA DEPENDENCY (1026 GMT) Auto stocks have started 2020 on the backfoot due to worries of potential tariffs by Washington and supply chain disruptions due to coronavirus. Of late, it has been more about the bottlenecks in parts supply as the world's second biggest economy is on sick leave. With factories shut and an entire city locked down, companies dependent on Chinese industries for components to make cars/phones are either scrambling to find alternatives or ending up suspending production. Hyundai Motor was the first suspend production outside China. They temporarily closed production in South Korea, its biggest manufacturing base. Foxconn, which makes smartphones for Apple and others, could see a "big" production impact if a Chinese factory halt due to the coronavirus outbreak extends into a second week, Reuters reported citing sources. "China is now a key component of global supply chains. Any sustained outbreak could disrupt the supply chains of certain industries, with potential for bottlenecks," BlackRock Investment Institute says. The bottlenecks could also lead to companies calling off/delaying product launches, such as 5G phones, UBS analysts say. Apart from the impact from disruptions, analysts also say "companies may feel more optimized to shift new product launches to when uncertainties from the virus is low and easier to attract customers' attentions" in the world's largest consumer market. Here are some readings: - Coronavirus impact: fragile, handle with care - The cursed auto sector: coronavirus dents production - Coronavirus: Who's who in Wuhan (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** OPENING SNAPSHOT: A BIG REBOUND SPICED UP WITH BIG MOVES (0840 GMT) No real surprise in the general direction of the market but the rebound we're witnessing at the open is a tad bigger than previously expected with the STOXX 600 now up 0.8%. The FTSE 100 is the lead gainer among European blue chip indexes with a 1.3% rise, thanks to falling pound, which has been bruised again by renewed Brexit tensions and trading below $1.30. That being said, there are quite a few wild moves among top movers which weren't all flagged in pre-market notes. Denmark's Ambu is clearly the star performer with a 15% surge after its latest trading update. That said the stock has quite a reputation when it comes to price swings: in November it skyrocketed 25% after launching a new endoscope. It also posted share losses of 15%, 14% and 20% between August and May last year. Second riser in NMC Health which made a 20% fall yesterday with traders still scratching their heads over the reason for the fall. While the stock is shorted by Muddy Waters, there's no clear apparent trigger for yesterday's fall and today's 8.5% rise. It's more straightforward for Micro Focus's 14% fall after the British IT company said its executive chairman Kevin Loosemore would stand down this month after a "challenging year". Allied Irish Banks is also sustaining a big hit, down 4.5% after setting aside a further 300 million euros to cover possible compensation owed to customers caught up in Ireland's mortgage tracker scandal. While it's not a huge absolute move, BP's 3.8% jump on its dividend boost, is quite a big one considering the major's 120 billion dollar market cap. Here's a list of the top moving shares: (Julien Ponthus) ***** ON THE RADAR: BP RISING, LACKLUSTRE CARLSBERG, ENIGMATIC NMC (0753 GMT) One key performer for the session will be BP which boosted its dividend pay-out after reporting a Q4 profit beat. The stock is seen rising 2%-4% at the open, gaining further support from oil prices amid hopes for new OPEC production cuts. So far pre-market indication give a lacklustre reception to Carlsbergs trading update with shares seen dipping 1% after the Danish brewer said it expects to deliver mid-single-digit organic operating profit growth in 2020. One of the sharpest move expected is in Swiss inspections group SGS, seen falling up to 10%, after the von Finck family cut its stake via an accelerated book building process. Same story roughly for Wizz Air, indicated down, after its largest shareholder private equity firm Indigo Partners said it would sell shares worth 500 million pounds. Among the stocks on the rise, Swedish engineering group Alfa Laval is seen up about 3% after reporting quarterly core earnings above market forecasts. Pandora is also expected to gain about 3% after its trading update. NMC Health shares are also expected to rebound sharply after their unexplained fall yesterday. (Julien Ponthus) ***** MORNING CALL: UP WE GO! (UNTIL WE DON'T) (0615 GMT) European bourses are set to rise at the open, tracking Asia's tentative rebound as fears regarding the human and economic toll of the coronavirus epidemic seemed to ease somewhat. There's a good chance the respite will prove very temporary though with the outbreak continuing to generate concerning headlines with Hong Kong reporting its first coronavirus death, the second fatality outside mainland China with the total death toll now at 427. At the time of writing, European futures are up about 0.5% with financial spreadbetters at IG expecting London's FTSE to open 42 points higher, Frankfurt's DAX to gain 47 points and Paris' CAC to rise 19 points. It's also a busy earnings day with results from BP, Carlsberg and Ferrari among others but not quite yet the Q4 galore expected on Wednesday and particularly Thursday. (Julien Ponthus) ***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) Married At First Sight introduced a bride with 'disfiguring acne' on Wednesday's episode. Vanessa Romito, a 31-year-old pharmacy manager from Perth, said that her battle with the skin condition had hindered her love life. 'I don't think it's a choice that I'm single,' she admitted. 'I'm ready for a relationship but modern dating is very superficial.' 'Modern dating is very superficial': On Wednesday, Married At First Sight introduced viewers to Vanessa Romito (pictured), a bride with 'disfiguring acne' She added: 'People tend to pick out your imperfections, and I've got a lot of them.' The brunette admitted that she's so self conscious over her skin that she avoids going on dates with men during the day. 'I think I'm probably most attractive at night, when the lighting is dim,' she said. Severe: Vanessa explained her acne in further detail, revealing that her pimples would get so big at times that they would cover her eye or stick out on the side of her chin 'I'm most attractive at night': The brunette admitted that she's so self conscious over her skin that she avoids going on dates with men during the day Vanessa explained her acne in further detail, revealing that her pimples would get so big at times that they would cover her eye or stick out on the side of her chin. 'It damaged my confidence a lot,' she said. 'I don't think anybody would truly be satisfied with this. 'I've always felt like I was gonna be left on the shelf,' she continued. 'I've always felt like I was gonna be left on the shelf': Vanessa feared that her acne would leave her single forever Heartbreaking: The bride was visibly shaking before walking down the aisle, and even couched down on the ground to compose herself 'I want someone who is proud to stand next to me. I want someone to love me for all my imperfections.' Vanessa was matched with hunky youth worker Chris Nicholls, 37, but her lack of confidence almost caused her to skip out on her own wedding. The bride was visibly shaking before walking down the aisle, and even couched down on the ground to compose herself. Could this be love? Vanessa was matched with hunky youth worker Chris Nicholls Thankfully, the nuptials went off without a hitch, with father-of-two Chris saying that he was more than satisfied with the brunette beauty. Despite their chemistry, Vanessa opted not to share a bed with her new husband out of fear that he may not truly be attracted to her. 'I don't want to share a bed until I know that he likes me,' she said. Married At First Sight continues Thursday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine TEHRAN, Iran - Irans top leader said Wednesday that Donald Trumps Mideast plan will not outlive the president, state media reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his first remarks since the plan was unveiled last week, predicted the deal will fall apart in Trumps lifetime. This plan will die before the death of Trump, he said. Hence, the coming and going and expenditures for it, and unveiling it, is a stupid move. Khamenei said Iran will continue to support Palestinian armed groups as much as possible. We believe armed Palestinian organizations will resist the plan. Trumps plan for a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict envisions a disjointed Palestinian state and turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel. Since 1979, when the Islamic Revolution brought hard-line Islamists to power in Iran, Tehran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israel militant groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Some universities are facing losses of hundreds of millions of dollars due to the coronavirus travel ban but will not be able to calculate how steep the potential cost could be until next week, when they will find out exactly which students are stuck in China. Some could lose thousands of enrolments for the first semester or trimester, with 15,000 visa holders from Sydney University, 4000 from the University of Technology Sydney, and up to 5000 from the Australian National University still overseas. But until the Department of Home Affairs passes on their identities next week, they will remain in the dark about which subjects the students are studying or whether they are studying under- or post-graduate degrees. They also do not know which courses will be most affected, or where to target extra online options. Some 56 per cent of the 189,000 Chinese students in Australia's tertiary education are still overseas. Home Affairs is tracking down the confirmed enrolments affected on behalf of the universities. Six people were attacked by three loose dogs Monday, the same animals that bit at least a dozen residents and have continued to terrorize a South Jersey neighborhood, authorities said. Police released video Tuesday of a man facing off against the pack of barking canines, swinging a pole or stick-type object and shouting as the animals advanced on him in Little Egg Harbor Township. In the Monday attacks, officers were called to reports of a dog bite around 2:15 p.m. near Lake Winnipesaukee Drive, where they found a 69-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man suffering from multiple bites, according to police. Those dogs were well-known to locals and authorities. Over the course of the next hour, officers and residents frantically attempted to contain the animals as they continued to terrorize the neighborhood, the police department said in a statement. Officers found at least six people were bitten. In at least seven incidents within the last four months, police were called about the same dogs. The department reported a dozen confirmed cases of bites from the pack along with more unconfirmed cases. Police said officers were eventually able to contain the dogs and brought them to animal control officials. The owner of these animals had been issued multiple summonses in relation to these prior incidents, police said. Animal control officers removed the dogs from the owner Dec. 10, but were remarkably, returned to the owner at some point, the police statement said. We would like to extend our sympathies to the victims and all of the residents of that neighborhood, police said. Yesterday's events were horrific, and nobody should live in fear of allowing their children to play outside, walk down the street or simply get the mail. The Little Egg Harbor Police Department will do everything in its power to ensure these dogs are never returned and allowed to menace this neighborhood in the future, the department said. Officials said an investigation was continuing. The owners name and more details about the case were not immediately released. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. His uncle, Flash McGahon, who owned a well-known shop on Francis Street in the town centre, is still as much of a favoured talking point on the doors as his other uncle Brendan is, when John McGahon goes out canvassing these days. That famous slogan Flash needs cash and his brother needs your votes is part of McGahon lore. Mention it to anyone of a certain vintage and it'll draw a knowing smile and a brief reverie back to a bygone era. While he is undoubtedly proud of that lineage, Mr McGahon says hes his own man and hes clearly out to forge his own political path. At 29-years-old hes fought and won local elections, but a general election is a step up. The vision is greater and the scope of the issues involved moves from helping to get a footpath fixed, to bringing issues of greater, broader importance to the doorstep of Leinster House. The McGahon canvassing team are decked out in orange, branded windbreakers today, and are carrying clipboards as the Democrat arrives up outside the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Ard Easmuinn. It appears an efficient machine, well-oiled at this stage. Mr McGahon has been on the campaign trail for the best part of a year. He got in early, ahead of the crowd. The worst kept secret of a general election had been on the cards for some time. His sister Ruth is with us today. She has the air of a woman who has a job to do and the honed ability to organise the crew with ease. Addresses are checked and then double-checked and then the team sets out. Its ten days out from the election. The Democrat projects a week into the future and asks Mr McGahon what hell be doing in those final hours leading up to election day? Ill still be knocking doors. There might be a moratorium before the election, but thats only for the media, Ill be out talking to people and on the day of the election Ill be ringing people to see if theyve already gone out to vote, and if not, Ill organise a lift for them. At the first door on this afternoons canvas, a woman in her early 40s answers. Shes polite and listens to Mr McGahon as he introduces himself and what he brings to the political table. She listens patiently. Then she talks about the previous night. Her young son sustained a head injury and they had to rush to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. She reveals that a six hour wait ensued before her son was seen to. Mr McGahon nods and tilts his head. The woman says they eventually got home around 4am that morning. Shes not angry recounting the story, mind you, she pleads with Mr McGahon about the need for further, vital resourcing for the health sector in the northeast. Theres no point debating any successes and Mr McGahon nods along with the mother's point, adding his desire to improve on this. He wishes her the best and heads back onto the street. Around the corner a woman with blonde hair and decked out in one of the McGahon windbreakers is introduced to the Democrat. Her name is Yvonne and shes from Carlingford. Shes quick to add that she has no political affiliation, but is returning a favour for Mr McGahon after he helped her out previously. Further up the road is Mr McGahons aunt Trish and Ruth - its a truly family affair this afternoon. He says theres been a plethora of other young and energetic people on the trail with him. He adds that hes had, between morning and evening canvasses, a team of 25 helping him over the past few weeks. He mentions a pizza appreciation night which will be held at his office on Clanbrassil Street on Friday to thank those that have volunteered and gone the extra mile (both literally and figuratively) for him over the past month. That HQ on Dundalks main street is the base of operations, from there Mr McGahon and his team have planned his campaign. Mr McGahon will admit that very little has been left to chance. Its a testament to the organisation going on behind the scenes, he says. Ard Easmuinn is quiet this Wednesday afternoon. The school run has not yet dropped, so the roads are clear too. At another house, a woman in her 50s, clearly a fan of Mr McGahons, shakes his hand and thanks him. During his stint as a local councillor he had helped her with a thorny issue concerning the installation of communication infrastructure beneath the footpath outside the house. It was about building up a relationship with them really, explains Mr McGahon about dealing with the company in question and getting the problem resolved. He projects himself as a fresh, young voice for the area. Hes the youngest candidate seeking election in Louth, so its a clever and rock-solid approach. He wants to help people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, he says. The issues they are concerned about include childcare costs. Increasing the tax band to 50,000 will help in this regard. Housing issues also pop up regularly on the doors. He mentions the 40,000 homes provided by his party during their time in government. However, everyone knows the housing shortage is a problem to which a sustainable solution has yet to be found. Hes also passionate about selling Dundalk as a location to work and do business in. The recent arrival of WuXi Biologics on the Mullagharlin Industrial Park should be a source of great positivity for the area, Mr McGahon says. A friend of mine, his dad used to work in Dublin for years. Hed get up at 5.30 in the morning and head to Dublin. He wouldnt return home until after seven. Now, that hes got a job there (at WuXi), hes able to go out and walk the dog in the evening. It's a new life for him. Mr McGahon says that some 5,000 people leave the Dundalk area every day to go elsewhere for work and employment. He posits as to why they cannot live and work in their hometown. Why shouldnt they get their education here at DkIT, and then get a job here too? While finding the right jobs for those who wish to live and work in Dundalk is one thing, attracting people from beyond the town and county to come to Dundalk to work is also part of this grand ambition, adds Mr McGahon. Dundalk should be a hub for the northeast. Why not have people from north Dublin coming to Dundalk to work? While hes spent time canvassing in mid-Louth lately, later that afternoon will see him head further down the Carrick Road, towards Mounthamilton and Lis Na Dara. And on it goes. A Palestinian teenager was killed by Israeli fire during clashes in the southern West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. "Mohammed al-Haddad, 17, was killed by a bullet that penetrated his heart in clashes with occupation (forces) in the area of Bab al-Zawya in Hebron," according to the ministry. The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the incident. Haddad was pronounced dead at a hospital in Hebron, according to an AFP photographer. A small protest had been organised in the city against US President Donald Trump's controversial plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Witnesses said approximately a dozen young men had thrown stones towards Israeli forces. Trump's peace proposal, unveiled late last month, was immediately rejected by the Palestinians, who blasted it as blatantly pro-Israeli. The plan gives Israel the green light to annex settlements in the West Bank, including within Hebron, where a few hundred Jewish settlers live in the centre of the Palestinian city of around 200,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala government on Wednesday said three foreign nationals were among the 2,528 people under observation in the state for the novel coronavirus infection and no new cases have been reported. At least 93 people with minor symptoms of the virus have been lodged in isolation wards of various hospitals, state Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters here. India's three positive cases for the virus has been from the state's three districts of Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod. All the three are students of China's Wuhan university, the epicentre of the virus. "No new cases of coronavirus has been detected in the state today. At least 2,435 are under observation at home while 93 are in isolation wards at various hospital across the state," Shailaja said. The minister also said two foreigners have been home quarantined in Ernakulam district and one foreign national at Thiruvananthapuram. "The foreigner in Thiruvananthapuram has been kept at general hospital but not because he was showing symptoms but for observation as he travelled from China," an official said. The health status of the three patients, who had tested positive for the virus, "remains satisfactory", the minister said. After three cases were reported, the LDF government had declared the epidemic as a "state calamity" on Monday. The health department has issued advisories to the education, tourism and the animal husbandry departments on taking precautions. "The students, teachers, other staff members residing with families of Wuhan/China returnees who are already in home isolation should not attend classes...," an advisory issued to the department read. Rajan Khobragade, Principal Secretary (Health), said the health department has directed the District collectors to hold a meeting with the religious leaders of the district to create awareness during prayer meetings. "We have directed district collectors to meet religious leaders and talk to them about the seriousness of the situation and create awareness among them and their followers on how to contain the spread of virus," the minister said. Shailaja also said the department got messages from some Kerala students studying in China, who returned to the state after the virus outbreak, that their Universities had asked them to return and attend classes. "We have got some messages from the students that they were being recalled by the universities in China. We discussed the matter and it was decided that the centre will contact such universities and convey the message that it was not possible to send the students back to China until the epidemic was under control," the minister said. Shailaja also said even though there were no positive cases for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, the state needs to remain vigilant and reiterated the 28 days quarantine period for those returning from China. Of the 2,528 people under observation, the maximum number is from Malappuram (383), followed by Ernakulam (333), Kozhikode (306) and Thrissur (241). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joe Biden's third presidential bid enters a critical stretch after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses sent the former vice president on to New Hampshire with a skittish donor base, low cash reserves and the looming threat of billionaire rival Michael Bloomberg and his unlimited personal wealth. In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden insisted he had a good night in Iowa even as he trailed the top moderate candidate, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and the leading progressive, Bernie Sanders, according to initial returns from 71% of precincts. Biden was running fourth, close to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who just days ago polled in single digits. That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he'll reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against President Donald Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it's a reminder of how Biden's previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa. If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt, said Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, Tennessee, who added that he hadn't even considered such a possibility heading into Monday's caucuses. That's a bad night, no matter how you spin it. Most precarious for Biden: Some of the would-be donors he could win over with a strong showing are giving new looks to Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor whose entire strategy of sitting out the four early nominating states is pegged to the possibility that Biden falters. Bloomberg, one of the world's wealthiest men with a net worth approaching $60 billion, isn't asking for money. He's simply looking for support that could cut off financial lifelines to Biden, whose campaign reported just $9 million cash on hand to start the year. That's patronage Biden needs to remain competitive with Buttigieg, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, who have raised massive sums from small-dollar online contributors who have been far less generous to Biden. Alex Sink, a Democratic donor who hosted Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, said many donors are holding back, waiting to see how Biden does. They are also keeping an open mind about Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Sink last week to attend an event in Tampa. I was anxious to do it because, like so many others, I'm curious and interested and worried about who our candidate will be and how we are going to beat Trump, she said. Most of my friends don't know yet who they are voting for." Biden aides have said for months that he didn't have to win in Iowa or on Feb. 11 in New Hampshire because he was better positioned in Nevada's Feb. 22 caucuses, South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary and a slate of March 3 primaries with more than a third of Democrats' national delegates at stake on a single day. That never meant, however, that Biden could sustain a bad showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The approach was also an expensive one, requiring deep campaign reserves to finance advertising and staffing in Nevada, South Carolina and delegate-rich states like California and Texas. Biden has a campaign footprint across the March primary map, with paid staff or volunteer offices in 13 states. But his cash flow raises questions about how much he can bolster his existing operation. His uneasy financial situation is underscored by an affiliated super PAC that spent more on Iowa ads than the campaign itself, but still has struggled to raise money and has little left over after Iowa. Will he have as much money as Bernie Sanders? Probably no. But it doesn't matter all you need is enough gas to finish the race, said John Morgan, a Florida plaintiffs attorney and one of Biden's top fundraisers. Freeman and Morgan agreed that Biden needs to finish in the top 3 in New Hampshire and ideally as the top moderate. That reflects what had been the quiet hope of Biden's team heading into Monday's caucuses. They didn't necessarily expect to win outright. But they hoped that they could emerge from Iowa as the clear alternative to Sanders, a democratic socialist and leader of the left's progressive base. An effectively two-person race between Sanders and the former vice president, Biden confidants believed, would open the financial spigot, firm up his advantages among nonwhite voters and win over skeptical white moderates now aligned with Buttigieg or Klobuchar. That's my conversation with people: If Bernie Sanders is the nominee, would you vote for him? Morgan said. If not, then back Joe. Biden took the same approach Tuesday on the campaign trail, hammering Sanders as directly as he has in weeks. It's time to get real about health care, he said as he compared his proposal to expand existing insurance markets with a public option" to Sanders' Medicare for All idea. Sanders has been pushing single-payer insurance for 30 years now, Biden said, and hasn't moved it an inch." The problem, Freeman said, is that a lackluster start in Iowa makes the Biden-Sanders juxtaposition a much harder sell. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CAMEROON, Cameroon - Palestinian supporters have circulated a draft U.N. resolution that would reject the recently launched U.S. plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it violates international law and Security Council demands for a two-state solution based on borders before the 1967 Mideast war. The resolution, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, could be put to a vote on Feb. 11 when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to address the Security Council and deliver his governments objections to the Israeli-backed U.S. peace plan. If a vote is held, the resolution is virtually certain to be vetoed by the United States. The U.S. plan, unveiled by President Donald Trump on Jan. 28, envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel, siding with Israel on key contentious issues including borders and the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war for an independent state and the removal of many of the more than 700,000 Israeli settlers from these areas. But under terms of the peace vision that Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner worked on for nearly three years, all Israeli settlers would remain in place, and Israel would retain sovereignty over all of its settlements as well as the strategic Jordan Valley. Kushner is expected to present the plan to Security Council members at a private lunch Thursday hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Dismissing the plan as nonsense, Abbas declared: We say 1,000 nos to the Deal of the Century, using a nickname for Trumps proposal. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood beside Trump when the plan was announced, called it a historic breakthrough equal in significance to the countrys declaration of independence in 1948. He said it provided a green light for annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank. The proposed resolution, drafted by Indonesia and Tunisia, condemns recent Israeli statements calling for annexation of areas of the occupied Palestinian territory and stresses the illegality of any annexation. It also reaffirms that all Israeli settlements and other measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including east Jerusalem, are illegal and imperil the viability of a two-state solution. The draft emphasizes the need to preserve the territorial integrity, contiguity and unity of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. It reiterates the call to achieve lasting peace without delay based on U.N. resolutions dating back to 1967. It would also give the Security Councils unwavering support to a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace based on pre-1967 borders. The proposed resolution calls on all 193 U.N. member nations to comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and not to render aid or assistance to illegal settlement activities or recognize any actions or measures that might imply Israeli sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories. It would also express the councils determination to examine practical ways and means to secure the full implementation of its relevant resolutions, including enforcement measures under Chapter 7 of the (U.N.) Charter. Chapter 7 provides for both military and non-military enforcement measures. A Labour frontbencher has hit back at criticism of her choice of outfit after it went viral over claims it was not appropriate attire for the House of Commons. Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin wore an off-the-shoulder dress during a debate in parliament on Tuesday. The Batley and Spen MP, who was elected to the former seat of murdered MP Jo Cox in 2016, was criticised by a Twitter user who posted a picture of her wearing the outfit asking: "Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?" Hello. Sorry I dont have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm Im not.... A slag Hungover A tart About to breastfeed A slapper Drunk Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder... https://t.co/sTWWiEY2TF Tracy Brabin MP (@TracyBrabin) February 4, 2020 Brabin replied to the tweet: "Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not. "A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin won the seat of murdered MP Jo Cox in 2016. (PA) Tracy Brabin has appeared on shows including The Ghost Hunter. (PA) "Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder Reaction to the outfit was mixed, with some people agreeing with the criticism while others took to Twitter to support her. Twitter Twitter Twitter Brabin, a former actress who appeared in shows including Coronation Street, The Ghost Hunter and EastEnders, wore the outfit while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. Downing Street defended attempts to control access to press briefings, describing it as "entirely standard practice". Watch more videos from Yahoo UK: BEIRUT At a Beirut hospital ward, five Lebanese protesters with bandaged eyes and faces huddled in a circle, their arms wrapped around each other, and they vowed to be back on the streets soon, despite their wounds from recent clashes with police. We are coming back, said one of them, 20-year-old Charbel Francis. Such resolve by some protesters signals that demands for sweeping government reforms wont be squashed easily, even as security forces throw up cement barriers and resort to more violent means of crowd control, such as rubber bullets. But the recent descent into clashes after three months of peaceful protests has also triggered introspection and divisions among the demonstrators about their next moves. More than 500 people, including over 100 security forces, have been injured in confrontations outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut last month. Most of the injuries occurred on Jan. 18. For hours, protesters hurled stones, firecrackers and flares at police who responded by firing tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. More than 150 people were injured that night, many of them struck in the head and eyes. It was a shocking reversal for a popular uprising against a corrupt political class that started in mid-October and had been characterized by its striking peacefulness particularly compared to the bloodbath in Iraq, where a similar uprising has resulted in the death of more than 500 protesters since October, most of them shot dead by security forces. The violence in Lebanon has ebbed since then, particularly since a new government was formed on Jan. 21 and protesters take stock. Although they reject the new Cabinet, some protesters believe it should be given a chance to enact urgent reforms to avoid complete collapse amid a crippling economic and financial crisis. Others have been discouraged and disgusted by the rioting and the violence. As banks increase capital controls and the economic situation worsens, most agree its only a matter of time before the protests ignite again. For wounded protesters, their injuries have only increased their resolve. Francis considers himself lucky. A tear gas canister hit him above his left eye at a protest last month, and he required 120 stitches. One of the security forces looked me straight in the eye. He was 3 meters away, he pointed at my head and fired, he said. Lina Labake, his mother, was at the emergency room with him Wednesday for an appointment to remove his stitches. May God forgive them. Would they allow this to happen to their kids? she said, holding back tears. Not everyone was as lucky. With him in the same ward were four other young men, each with an eye bandaged over, waiting for word if they would keep their sight. One of them, 17-year-old Abdurrahman Abdul-Jabbar came to Beirut from his hometown in the Bekaa Valley with a couple of friends on Jan. 18 unbeknownst to his parents. He was shot in the right eye by a rubber bullet. Doctors gave him only a 10% chance of keeping vision in the eye. Even if he loses his sight, he hoped doctors dont remove the eye I hope it stays as a decoration, he said. A.J. Naddaf is an Associated Press writer. Twitter has announced a partial ban on fake videos and photos in an effort to stifle the spread of misinformation on its platform. From next month, the company will label manipulated videos, known as deepfakes, as well as doctored images that may result in confusion or misunderstanding among its users. You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm, Twitter stated in a blog post outlining the new rule. In addition, we may label tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media to help people understand the medias authenticity and to provide additional context. Any media shared in a tweet that has been significantly and deceptively altered will be labelled as such, while anyone attempting to retweet or like the tweet will be shown a warning. The visibility of the tweet will also be reduced and more context could be provided. Twitters updated rules comes after calls from users to crack down on this type of content, with more than 6,500 responses gathered from its #TwitterPolicyFeedback survey. Feedback was also sought from prominent users, including Tesla CEO and prolific tweeter Elon Musk. At a recent employee conference, the entrepreneur appeared via video link to implore Twitter to make it easier to differentiate between real and fake users. Just days after his appearance, he once again raised concerns about the dire problem of trolls and bots eroding the integrity of Twitter. The company told The Independent this week that it would continue "adapting to bad actors' evolving methods". 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Show all 11 1 /11 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Turn on Night Mode Twitters dark blue Night Mode is a lot easier on your eyes than its regular, vibrant theme. On the site, you can enable it by clicking your profile photo (on the right-hand side of the bar at the top of the screen) and selecting Night Mode. On Android and iOS, you need to tap your profile picture at the top of the screen and select Night Mode. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Lengthen your tweets A small group of users are no longer restricted by Twitters 140-character tweet limit. Even if youre not a chosen one, you can double your limit to 280 characters on desktop by downloading the Tampermonkey plugin, going to https://gist.github.com/Prof9/c16fc4997e0ef5b22a15c43edd7f5f49, clicking Raw and then Install. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Improve search Twitters regular search tool can be a little messy, but Advanced Search makes it much easier for you to find specific things. Go to https://twitter.com/search-advanced and filter your search by word, hashtag, exact phrase, location, date and account. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Disable read receipts Like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Twitters direct messaging service shows you when your messages have been seen by the person you sent them to. You can disable read receipts though. On Android, iOS and the site, go to Settings and Privacy, click on Privacy and Safety and disable read receipts. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Monitor your tweets Retweets and Likes only form part of the story, as far as tweet engagement is concerned. You can view a lot more information about how people have reacted to your updates, including the number of times theyve been seen and the number of times people have interacted with them. Just open your tweets and hit the View Tweet Activity button. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Trim the fat If you feel like youre drowning in push notifications, you can cut down the number you receive from Twitter by going to Settings, Notifications, Push Notifications and deselecting the types of notifications you wouldnt like to receive. You can also enable sleep settings, which allow you to switch off all mobile updates during certain hours of the day. On the site, go to Settings, Mobile and select your hours. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Save data You can stop videos from playing automatically on desktop and the Twitter app. On the site, you can do this by going to Settings, Account, Video Tweets and unchecking Video Autoplay. On both the Android and iOS versions of the app, go to Settings, General, Data Usage, Video Autoplay, and choose between Mobile data & Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Only, and Never. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Save even more data You can save even more data and completely transform your timeline in the process by disabling images. Just go to Settings, Data Usage and uncheck the Image Previews box. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Customise your profile Editing your Twitter profile is really straightforward, just go to your profile and click the large Edit Profile button. However, theres one customisation option thats easy to miss. As well as your name, bio and profile photos, you can change your colour scheme. The option is only available on the Twitter site, and is sandwiched between the Website and Birthday sections. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Browse properly One of the Twitter apps most annoying features is its in-app browser, which links automatically open up in. You can sacrifice it for your favourite mobile browser by going to Settings, Display and Sound and unchecking the Use In-App Browser box. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Subscribe to tweets You can set up alerts that let you know whenever a certain account tweets, but its a two-stage process. First, on the app, go to Settings, Notifications, Push Notifications, Tweets and turn the toggle button on. Then open the profile page of the account you want to receive notifications from, tap the Bell icon next to the Following button and choose between All Tweets, Only Live Video and Off. Twitter's latest policy update follows a similar announcement from YouTube, which pledged to remove misleading content relating to the US election. YouTubes new rules prohibit content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users and may pose a serious risk of egregious harm. Social media and content sharing apps have come under increasing pressure to deal with misinformation following the 2016 presidential elections and Brexit referendum, during which foreign actors spread false news in an effort to influence the results. Online misinformation campaigns surrounding the 2020 US presidential elections are already underway, despite poll booths not opening for another nine months. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, a conservative organisation was accused of spreading false information across Facebook and Twitter designed to mislead voters. Facebook has been one of the most heavily criticised firms, however it has consistently pushed back on requests to ban political advertising and other measures to stop malicious campaigns. Nick Clegg, Facebooks head of communications, justified the tech giants stance by claiming it was to protect freedom of expression. In the end, you need to be careful once you have curtailed free speech, because once you have curtailed it you cant turn back, he said in January. Yves here. Empty promises to halt arms shipments to Libya followed almost immediately by more hostilities. Tragic but predictable. By Vijay Prashad, an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He has written more than twenty books, including The Darker Nations: A Peoples History of the Third World (The New Press, 2007), The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South (Verso, 2013), The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution (University of California Press, 2016) and Red Star Over the Third World (LeftWord, 2017). He writes regularly for Frontline, the Hindu, Newsclick, AlterNet and BirGun. Produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute Ghassan Salame is the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. He took over this job in 2017, six years after the catastrophic NATO war on Libya. What Salame inherited was a country torn into shreds, two governments in placeone in Tripoli and one in Tobrukand one civil war that had too many factions to name. For Salame, who is from Lebanon, this kind of multidimensional conflict is not unfamiliar; nor is it peculiar to have several foreign countries intervene for their own narrow ends and thereby make peace impossible. Last year, it became clear that the already chaotic Libya would slip into disaster. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) lost control of the eastern half of the country, which had been seized by the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar. Backed by Turkey and Qatar, the GNA held on by a hair, while the LNAbacked by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egyptswept through the south of the country and threatened the capital of Tripoli. Salame came to the United Nations on May 21, 2019, to beg for the UN to sanction countries that continued to deliver arms into Libya. Without a robust enforcement mechanism, the arms embargo into Libya will become a cynical joke, he said. Some nations are fueling this bloody conflict. No one paid heed. This year, on January 30, Salame spoke to the UN to repeat his very strong remarks. There are unscrupulous actors inside and outside Libya who cynically nod and wink towards efforts to promote peace and piously affirm their support for the UN, he said. Meanwhile, they continue to double down on a military solution, raising the frightening specter of a full-scale conflict and further misery for the Libyan people, more refugees, the creation of a security vacuum, and further interruptions to global energy supplies. All this has already happened. Salame did not name who was arming whom, but everything is obvious. At the January 19 Berlin summit, the main countries who have a stake in Libya pledged to stop arms deliveries. But then, everything seemed to escalate. Turkish ships arrived in Libya with arms and men for the GNA. The Gabya or G-Class frigatesnamed Goksu and Gokovaof the Turkish navy came in broad daylight; Turkish tanks rolled into the streets of Tripoli. The number two man in Turkish intelligenceSadk Ustunhas taken over Turkish operations in Libya. Meanwhile, French intelligencewho appears to be backing the GNAleaked information that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed sent his own private Antonov An-124 to rearm Khalifa Haftars LNA. Emirati and Saudi support has increased, say Libyan government sources. French intelligence also says that Haftar has put in an order for Jordanian drones. No wonder Salame is frustrated. 5+5 During the Berlin summit, one concern was that no ceasefire could hold unless the two sidesthe LNA and the GNAwould form a military commission. On February 3, in Geneva, the delayed 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission had its first meeting. Five senior officers from the GNA army and five senior officers of the LNA met with Salame. Just a few days ago, Salame went personally to al-Rajma to meet with Khalifa Haftar at his headquarters; a consequence of this meeting was that Haftar sent his five officers to Geneva. This Geneva meeting is significant even amid the desolation because it is the first time such a senior-level meeting is being held since a meeting in Cairo in October 2018. That earlier meeting was a hallucination: the LNAs team left the meeting to announce that from now on only the LNA would be Libyas army, the militiasthe backbone of the GNA supportwould be disbanded, and the rump GNA forces would merge with the LNA. The talks broke down, began again, and then broke off. Egypt, which has supported Haftar since 2014, is being egged on by the Saudis and the Emiratis to subordinate the Muslim Brotherhood politicians in Tripoli. Nothing was going to come out of the Cairo process. Nothing will come out of Geneva. Haftar says that the Libyan Political Agreement, which was signed in December 2015, expired in December 2017. He does not, therefore, accept the GNAs Fayez Serraj as the head of the military. This means that they will remain at loggerheads. Neither will bend to the authority of the other. Both Sides Its hard to say if the West is actually behind the GNA government in Tripoli. France has said that it supports the UN process, but then in April last year the French government prevented the European Union from condemning Haftars dash toward Tripoli. Frances oil holdings in eastern Libya have made it play both sides in the conflict (a Libyan military officer in the GNA tells me that France is assisting both the LNA and the GNA). On the surface, the U.S. government has backed the UN process and agrees that the GNA government in Tripoli is the official Libyan government. The U.S. was ready to join a UN resolution condemning Haftars war in April, when U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Egypts president and the UAE crown princeboth of whom convinced him that Haftar is a bulwark against terrorism. Trump then called Haftar and congratulated him for his significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libyas oil resources. They discussedas the White House put ittheir shared vision for Libyas transition. It is impossible for the UN to move an agenda if two important Western states who drove the NATO war against Libya in 2011 end up backing both sides; in fact, it is wrong to say that they back both sides, because by blocking condemnation of Haftars war, they back Haftar. Neighbors Before NATO began to bomb Libya in 2011, an African Union (AU) delegation sat on an aircraft in Addis Ababa, prepared to go to Tripoli and start negotiations to end the conflict there. But the French informed the AU that any peace mission was out of the question. French aircraft were on their way to bomb Tripoli. The AU and Libya lost their opportunity for another road. The NATO bombardment put paid to that, destroyed the countrys remaining institutions, and left it to slink into civil war. Ten days after the Berlin meeting, the AU met in Brazzaville for a high-level meeting on Libya. The AU had not been initially invited to Berlin, but at the last minute, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville was invited, but he had no real role there. Pressure on the AU has not come from within Libya but from some of its neighbors. These neighborsBurkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Nigerhave suffered from the spillover of this war, with al-Qaeda and ISIS growing in strength from southern Libya into these countries. Estimates suggest that more than 4,000 people were killed by these groups in the past year. The Sahel has become a membrane for arms, drugs, terrorists, and migrantsa zone of instability and danger. The AU could not move an agenda. But at the AU meeting, the Algerians said that they would host a platform to continue to pressure for peace in Libya. Algeria and Tunisia are trying to develop their own outreach to the Libyan sides. Leaders from Turkey, Italy, and the various Libyan groups have come to Algiers to meet the new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Tebboune likes the attention; protests in Algeria can be quelled by the warning that it should not be allowed to slip into the Libyan state. The more he talks about Libya, the more he justifies his own rule. Tebbounes view is to ignore Serraj and Haftar, to ignore the UN and the AU, and to turn to older institutions. He wants to convene a conference of Libyan tribal chiefs in Algiers. It is a sign of hopelessness that such a bizarre idea can be floated and taken seriously. The global market size of poultry diagnostics market is $XX million in 2020 with XX CAGR from 2015 to 2020, and it is expected to You cant say anything nowadays! The latest victim of Piers Morgans war on woke saw a spokeswoman for PETA ridiculed for calling on animal lovers to stop using the awful word pet. She appeared on Good Morning Britain to explain that the preferred term was now companion. Boris Johnson would really rather we didnt use the awful word Brexit anymore. Hed also really rather nobody talked about a no-deal crash out at the end of 2020s transition period. But there is growing anger over the fact a no-deal crash out at the end of 2020 is exactly what his government is threatening to deliver. Im Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independents daily Inside Politics briefing. Inside the bubble Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today: A bronze tiger dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.) was exhibited online on the official WeChat account of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum. [official WeChat account of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum] East China's Jiangxi Province has rolled out a series of online exhibitions for people to enjoy a cultural feast via the Internet while local museums and memorial halls are closed amid fight against novel coronavirus outbreak. The Jiangxi Provincial Museum launched a new program on its official WeChat account Monday to feature one treasure in the museum each day for 20 days. On Monday, a bronze tiger dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.) was exhibited online. Meanwhile, the museum has also opened several online thematic shows including exhibitions on cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, princess's jewelry from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and pictures of the Chinese zodiac relics. The memorial hall of Ruijin central revolutionary base has built VR online scenic spots, which use 3D panoramic technology to display the basic display of the museum and the scenic spots of important revolutionary sites. The Jiujiang city museum has launched "virtual exhibition hall" and "boutique collection" columns on its WeChat account while the famous Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum has timely updated its 3D online exhibition hall. (Source: Xinhua) Abrupt thawing in the Arctic could increase the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere from permafrost by 50 per cent, scientists warn. Experts have long feared that climate change which is heating the Arctic and subarctic at double the global rate will unleash long-trapped greenhouse gases. Both methane and carbon dioxide that could add to global warming have been stored for millennia in frozen permafrost across Alaska, Canada and Siberia. It had been assumed that the release of these gases would be gradual. This would have left us time to reduce carbon emissions enough to stop the permafrost thaw from tipping into a feedback loop of ice melt and global warming. However, projections of carbon release have not accounted for a less well-known process that can see certain icy terrains rapidly disintegrate in as little as days. Scroll down for video Abrupt thawing in the Arctic could increase the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere from permafrost by 50 per cent, scientists warn. Pictured, thaw lakes or wetlands form in once frozen lowlands 'Although abrupt permafrost thawing will occur in less than 20 percent of frozen land, it increases permafrost carbon release projections by about 50 percent,' lead author and University of Colorado Boulder ecologist Merritt Turetsky told the AFP. 'Under all future warming scenarios, abrupt thaw leads to net carbon losses into the atmosphere,' she added. Permafrost contains rocks, soil, sand and pockets of pure, ground ice. Its rich carbon content is made up of the remains of life that once flourished in the Arctic including plants, animals and microbes. This matter which never fully decomposed can remain frozen for thousands of years. The Arctic's permafrost covers an area nearly as big as both Canada and the United States combined, and holds about 1,500 billion tonnes of carbon. This is twice as much as is presently in the atmosphere and three times the amount that humanity has emitted since the start of the industrial revolution. Some of this once rock-solid ground has already begun to soften underfoot, upending indigenous communities and threatening industrial infrastructure across the sub-Arctic region most notably within Russia. At present it remains unclear whether this collapsing permafrost has already started to vent significant quantities of methane or carbon dioxide. Expert projections are also uncertain, with some scientists saying that future emissions may be at least partially offset by new vegetation, which can serve to both absorb and store carbon dioxide. However, there is no doubt among the scientific community that permafrost will continue to give way as temperatures climb. Experts have long feared that climate change which is heating the Arctic and subarctic at double the global rate will unleash long-trapped greenhouse gases from permafrost. Pictured, thawing in hilly terrain can leads to slumps, surface layer detachments and gullies In a special report published last September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change the United Nation's scientific advisory body for climate change considered two different future warming scenarios. If, against the odds, humanity manages to cap global warming at under 3.6F (2C) above pre-industrial levels the cornerstone goal of the 2015 Paris climate treaty 'permafrost area shows a decrease of 24 per cent by 2100', they concluded. At the other extreme, should fossil fuel emissions continue to grow over the next 50 years, then up to 70 per cent of permafrost could disappear. However, both of these scenarios operate under the assumption that the loss will be gradual which may be a mistake, Dr Turetsky has suggested. 'Although abrupt permafrost thawing will occur in less than 20 percent of frozen land, it increases permafrost carbon release projections by about 50 percent,' ecologist Merritt Turetsky told the AFP. Pictured, an area of former permafrost 'We estimate that abrupt permafrost thawing in lowland lakes and wetlands, together with that in upland hills could release 60 to 100 billion tonnes of carbon by 2300,' Dr Turetsky said. One tonne of carbon is equivalent to 3.67 tonnes of carbon dioxide, meaning that release will be equivalent to about eight years of global emissions at current rates. 'This is in addition to the 200 billion tonnes of carbon expected to be released in other regions that will thaw gradually,' Dr Turetsky added. Current climate models do not account for the possibility of rapid permafrost collapse and the amount of gases such might release, the researchers noted. Abrupt thawing is 'fast and dramatic', Dr Turetsky said. She added: 'Forests can become lakes in the course of a month, landslides can occur with no warning and invisible methane seep holes can swallow snowmobiles whole.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 10:38PM BlackBerry phones were still showcased at TCL's booth during CES 2020 Chinese electronics group TCL will halt the production of BlackBerry-branded phones this year. But it isn't clear if this marks the end of the once-dominant Canadian handset brand. According to BlackBerry's official Twitter, TCL will lose its rights to design, make, or sell BlackBerry smartphones by the end of August. BlackBerry licensed its smartphone technology to TCL back in 2016 in hopes of reviving the brand against the stiff competition it faced from Apple and Android-powered devices. BlackBerry retained control over the software and security on smartphones, while TCL made the hardware. BlackBerry didn't say what the future holds for its mobile brand, but it said in the post, "The future is bright for both TCL Communication and BlackBerry Limited, and we hope you will continue to support both as we move ahead on our respective paths." Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in Thailand showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it Beijing: Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in Thailand showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it. Ten people from the cruise ship tested positive and were taken to hospitals, while all 3,700 crew and passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days, Health Minister Nobukatsu Kato said. More tests are pending. In Hong Kong, hospitals workers are striking to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely to ward off the virus, but four new cases without known travel to the mainland indicate the illness is spreading locally in the territory. The growing caseload "indicates a significant risk of community transmission" and could portend a "large-scale" outbreak, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection. Hospitals in Hong Kong said they had to cut some services due to striking workers' absences. More than 7,000 joined the strike Tuesday, according to the Hospital Authority Employees' Alliance, the strike organizer. The territory's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Almost all land and sea links have been closed, but the striking workers want it shut completely. Important services, critical operations have been affected," Lam told reporters. So Im appealing to those who are taking part in this action: Lets put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things." With the epicentre of the outbreak, Wuhan, cut off by rail, air and road to try to contain the virus, the US and other countries were organizing more evacuation flights for their citizens still in the central Chinese city. The latest mainland China figures showed an increase of 65 deaths from the previous day, all the new deaths from Wuhan. The number of new cases increased to 24,324, a rise of 3,887 from the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. To treat the thousands of patients, China rushed to build hospitals and converted a gymnasium, exhibition hall and cultural centre in Wuhan. Patients were being moved into a new, 1,000-bed hospital with prefabricated wards and isolation rooms. A 1,500-bed hospital also specially built opens in days. The hospitals made from converted public spaces to treat patients with mild symptoms have a total of 3,400 beds, the simple cots placed in tight rows in cavernous rooms without any barriers between them. One man, Fang Bin, said he saw wards so crowded during a visit to the city's No 5 Hospital on Saturday that some patients were forced to sit on the ground. "There are too many patients, it's overcrowded," Fang told The Associated Press. He said he was taken from his home and questioned by police after he posted a video of what he saw online. The 10 cases confirmed on the Japanese cruise ship raised that country's total to 33 cases. They were among 273 people tested because they had a cough or fever, which are symptoms of the virus, or had close contact with a man who got off the ship in Hong Kong and was infected. Some tests are still pending. The transmission to each person isn't clear, and the others may have gotten the virus when they got off the ship at other port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan, Kagoshima and Okinawa. The ship returned to Yokohama, near Tokyo, Monday. Thailand confirmed six more cases Tuesday, raising its total to 25. Two are motorcycle taxi drivers who had driven for Chinese tourists. Earlier a Thai taxi driver was also diagnosed with the virus. The cases are concerning because they suggest the virus can spread more easily between people than has been suspected. Dr David Heymann, who led the World Health Organizations response to the SARS outbreak, said its too early to tell when the new coronavirus will peak, but that it appears to still be on the increase. He said the spike in Chinas recent caseload is partly because the tally was expanded to milder cases, not only people with pneumonia. It is not yet considered a pandemic, or worldwide outbreak, which WHO defines as sustained transmission in at least two world regions. Heymann said as the new virus starts to spread beyond China, scientists will gain a better understanding of it. What we will see is the clearer natural history of the disease, he said, as those exposed to the virus are being traced and watched very closely, he said. Nevertheless, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries outside China to share more data on infections, saying detailed information has been provided in only 38 percent of cases. "Without better data, its very hard for us to assess how the outbreak is evolving or what impact it could have and to ensure were providing the most appropriate recommendations. Srinagar, Feb 5 : In a major development, the People's Conference President Sajad Lone and PDP leader Waheed Para have been released from detention on Wednesday. The two leaders have been under detention since August 5 after the abrogation of Article 370. This follows after the release of former PDP legislator Ajaz Mir and trade union leader Shakeel Kalander on Tuesday. On Sunday, four mainstream leaders belonging to the National Conference were released from the MLA hostel in Srinagar. With the release of Lone and Para, the number of leaders under detention stands at 13 now. Three former chief ministers -- Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti continue to remain under detention. Farooq Abdullah has been detained at his home at the Gupkar Road in Srinagar which has been designated as a sub-jail. Omar Abdullah is detained at Hari Niwas and Mehbooba Mufti has been kept in a government building on the Maulana Azad road in Srinagar. A total of 35 mainstream politicians were moved from the Centaur Hotel on the banks of the Dal Lake to the MLA hostel in November 2019. (Zafar Iqbal can be contacted at zafar25@gmail.com) PORTLAND, Ore. Oregon health officials are reminding parents that their children will not be able to attend school or child care without updated immunization records this month. February 19 is "School Exclusion Day," when proof of vaccinations must be provided in order to keep children from being kept home. Under state law, all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start, and all certified child care facilities must have either up-to-date immunizations or an exemption. Today we're kicking off a week-long series about why Oregonians are choosing to vaccinate: https://t.co/Fgxx8ytONm Stay tuned to hear their powerful personal stories. We also invite you to share why you vaccinate by using the hashtag #ORVaccinates on social media. #VaccinesWork OR Health Authority (@OHAOregon) February 5, 2020 Immunization is the best way to protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles, said Stacy de Assis Matthews, school law coordinator in the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Public Health Division. It helps keep schools and the entire community safe and healthy. While some children cannot receive immunizations for medical reasons and are thus exempt, parents in Oregon may still seek a non-medical exemption through several different methods. RELATED: Vaccine exemption rates among US kindergartners continue to climb, CDC says Following a measles outbreak last year that spanned Oregon and Washington, state lawmakers tried to pass a bill to end non-medical exemptions. Despite initial success, the bill fizzled after a walkout by Republican senators as part of an agreement to secure their return and a vote on the Student Success Act. In 2019, local health departments sent 22,547 letters to parents and guardians informing them that their children needed immunizations to stay in school or child care, OHA said. More than 4,000 children were kept out of school or child care until the necessary immunization information was turned in to the schools or child care facilities. This year, letters to parents were mailed on or before February 5. Parents seeking immunizations for their children can contact their health care provider, a local health department, or call 211Info just dial 211 or go to 211info.org. No one can be turned away from a local health department because of the inability to pay for required vaccines. Many pharmacists can also immunize children age 7 and older. Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has reacted to the news of a petition seeking a stay on the release of his upcoming film Shikara: The Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits, by stating that he will let his legal team handle the matter. We have just learnt from media sources that a petition has been filed by few people in J&K Court against the release of Shikara. We have no other information in this matter, our counsel Harish Salve will take appropriate steps as may be required, shared Chopra. We have just learnt from media sources that a petition has been filed in the Hon. J&K HC against the release of #Shikara . We have no other information about the matter. Our counsel #HarishSalve will take appropriate steps as may be required. @foxstarhindi #VidhuVinodChopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films (@VVCFilms) February 4, 2020 A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed earlier in the day on Tuesday in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court against Chopras upcoming film demanding a stay on release and the deleting of certain scenes. Shikara is set against the backdrop of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the Kashmir Valley in late 1989 and early 1990, in the wake of violent Islamist insurgency. The petitioners Iftikhar Misgar, Majid Hyderi and Irfan Hafiz Lone have alleged that the film portrays untrue facts about Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits. Misgar told IANS: We are asking for stalling the release and deleting a few scenes that portray the valleys Muslims in a bad light. We have urged the high court to take the case up on a priority basis, he added. Also read: Aishwarya Rai shares pics of Abhishek Bachchans birthday celebrations with Aaradhya, Amitabh Bachchan gets emotional Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits marks Vidhu Vinod Chopras comeback to Bollywood as a director for the first time since his 2007 release, Eklavya, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jackie Shroff and Jimmy Sheirgill. Chopra introduces Aadil Khan and Sadia in the lead roles of Shikara. The film is scheduled to release on February 7. Follow @htshowbiz for more Denmark Technical College is pursuing several strategies to ensure its survival, President Dr. Willie L. Todd Jr. says. That includes increasing enrollment, boosting fundraising efforts and re-engineering the brand. We have a lot of heavy lifting to do, but we have the right people on the bus to do the heavy lifting, and we're prepared to move forward, he said last week. At this point, I have not finalized a cabinet yet, but I have a strong core group of individuals who've been working with me as a transition team, Todd said. Todd, who became president on Jan. 6, addressed the DTC Area Commission last week. The college was placed on warning by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2018 for "significant noncompliance with the core requirements or standards of SACS. SACS most recently reviewed the college and maintained its accreditation for "good cause. It placed the college on probation for 12 months, giving it until December 2020 to remedy deficiencies, including a declining fund balance. Todd told commissioners that the fact that the institution was put on probation rather than having its accreditation taken away was a sign the college is on the right track. He said he will share his 90-day plan with commissioners at the next meeting, but discussed his strategies with them. Increasing enrollment is one of eight strategies Todd laid out for DTC, which currently has an enrollment of 474. A total of 480 students preregistered for the spring semester. I can tell you our recruiting team are really pounding the pavement. So were really excited about the potential to get new numbers, he said. Todd said he has been talking with area school district superintendents and is mulling new opportunities for dual-enrollment programs, along with a summer bridge program. The college is also looking at exploring participation in the Second Chance Pell program. It allows eligible incarcerated individuals to receive Pell grants and pursue post-secondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs when they are released. Our hope is that we have them better prepared to go and become viable citizens, Todd said. Increasing funding for the college is another strategy. Todd said he will have a position in his new cabinet that will be primarily focused on fundraising. That's something that have not seen here at the college in quite some time, but we all know how important it is to have someone whose goal is to work with advancement and to work with development and have an opportunity to engage alumni and community and industry, Todd said. The college is hoping to raise $2.5 million over the next five years through a capital campaign. Denmark Tech has already received a $30,000 from its alumni association, with $15,686 already raised among faculty and staff alone. It was also reported that the college had raised nearly $22,000 through its annual scholarship gala, which was held Jan. 31. I could not be prouder of our faculty and staff, Todd said. He said, building a culture of collaboration is another strategy he is working on, especially as the college prepares for SACS-Commission on Colleges site visit on Oct. 1 We are well poised to respond positively to SACSCOC, Todd said. The colleges strategic plan will be worked on over the next six months, Todd said. The colleges mission will be reworded and area commission members will be engaged in planning committees, he said. The aim is to, build a culture of continuous improvement. Were just doing a lot of little cosmetic things, but the students are noticing, individuals are noticing. We know as we recruit and seek to retain (students), that we also have to look at the infrastructure on our campus, Todd said. Re-branding the institution is another strategic goal, including with an updated website and commercials with the help of state funding. A re-innovation/re-engineering team will also be developed to help reengage individuals both locally and nationally in the promotion of the college. We really are excited about those types of partnerships and those types of collaborations, Todd said, including with local industry and the Lower Savannah Council of Governments. Restructuring the college and building its infrastructure will include what Todd called an environmental scan. Were really looking to make sure that, one, were providing top-quality services for all of our students, but were also looking to say, Do we have areas where theres a duplication of service? Todd said. He said student success will have to involve more than just a focus on teaching trades. Thats vitally important, but we still have an obligation to make sure that theyre prepared at least with basic level reading comprehension, with critical thinking and analysis and some other skills. Were ultimately working on creating a pathway that will lead to perpetual engagement, the president said. He said the college has compiled an approved student email list and is also excited to announce its enhanced fiber optic capabilities for faster Internet service. Very soon we will have fiber optics all over this entire campus, Todd said. Commissioner the Rev. Dr. Herman Wallace said, I think its the consensus from SACS that were on the right track. He noted that he would like to see more positive media coverage of the college. A lot of positive things are going on at the school and it would help to see that on front page as opposed to a little article later on in there, Wallace said. Commissioner James Bowden said as the college seeks to raise money with a cabinet person designated for fundraising, he wants to make sure that that person works with the DTC Foundation. Although it is two separate entities, it would be good if they worked in concert, Bowden said. Im very curious and interested in the re-engineering of this college because I think its needed and if its done correctly, its going to pay off some great dividends for us, Bowden said. Todd said that he also welcomes any of the commissioners ideas on new programs for the college, especially if they are programs that are going to be certificate programs and programs that dont require us to get approval from SACSCOC. Building construction has already returned and HVAC, plumbing and auto mechanics are among the other programs being explored, Todd said. DTC Area Commission Chairman Kevin Whitt said he believes the college is on the right track. I'd really like to commend Dr. Todd and his team for the level of effort that has occurred in the last two weeks. There were some challenges immediately following his taking on the presidency. He has worked through those challenges very quickly and with a very clear mind and clear focus on what the end result needs to be. I'd just like to commend Dr. Todd and his team on the work that they've done so far and look forward to seeing that in the future, Whitt said. Also during the meeting, Denmark Tech Business Manager Jamie L. Wise-McClary gave a business and finance report, stating, Our total approved budget for current unrestricted revenue is $6,957,311 and of that amount, we've received 84.37 percent, which is a total of $5,870,148.41." McClary added, Our total budgeted amount for current and restricted expenditures is $6,957,311. Of that amount, we expended 49.30 percent, which is a total of $3,430,236.34." As of Jan. 20, McClary said, Our total revenue received is $5,870,148.41, and the total amount we've expended is $3,430,236.34. As you can see, we are controlling our expenses and hopeful that this trend will continue through June 30. Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Senior officials said Vietnam has prepared different scenarios for the epidemic, including the possibility of more than 1,000 cases confirmed. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting on February 4. Photo: Zing The novel coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic may reach its peak in the next 7-10 days in Vietnam, local media has quoted a health official as saying. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting on February 4 that scientists have made that prediction to assist state agencies to prepare for different scenarios. Currently in Vietnam, the epidemic is at the local transmission stage, Long said, adding that the initial stage of the epidemic is the infection of those coming from the Chinese city of Wuhan. In reality, one individual in Vietnams northern province of Vinh Phuc got infected because of having made contact with her relative who returned from Wuhan. Deputy Minister Long said Vietnam has classified three quarantine layers to cope with the spread of the epidemic, including (1) absolute quarantine for people who tested positive with the nCoV, those are at risk of infection, and those went to or came by Chinas Hubei province as they are all considered patients; (2) a 14-day quarantine period at border gates or at home under authorities supervision applied to Vietnamese nationals and foreigners who came by China and returned to Vietnam or go to Vietnam; (3) limited travel or contact with the public for relatives of quarantined people and those who made contact with them. Each infected person and anyone at risk of infection should be considered a latent risk of disease outbreak and must be thoroughly quarantined to prevent the spread, Long emphasized. He noted that the quarantine needs to get support by different forces namely local government, military, public security, civil defense, and social organizations. At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is now head of the National Steering Committee for nCoV Prevention and Control, said Vietnam needs to have different scenarios for the prevention and control of the epidemic as some have predicted that the peak of the epidemic would be in two week or two months. The committee has convened a number of meetings to make different requests and guidance with a scenario more than 1,000 infected cases and plans to deal with 3,000 infected cases, he noted. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc warned of complicated and unpredicted epidemic evolution to prepare for all situations. He said that Vietnam accepts some economic losses to protect peoples lives but keeps some key sectors stable. Hanoitimes Ha An Dozens of school children suspected of contracting Coronavirus in Dien Bien At least 34 school children and two teachers at a school in the northern province of Dien Bien have been isolated after being suspected of contracting the Coronavirus from their parents who returned from China for the Tet Holiday. Sometimes it feels as though horror writer Joe Hill is getting almost as prolific and prolifically adapted as his father, genre master Stephen King. Just last year we got the odd, vampire-adjacent horror series NOS4A2 (Amazon Prime Video), which was based on Hill's work, as well as the Netflix movie In the Tall Grass, based on a novella by Hill and King. It's too easy to miss brilliant streaming shows, movies and documentaries. Here are the ones to hit play on or skip. Now comes Locke & Key, based on the comic book series by Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. Once you get past the eye-roller of a title, the set-up seems to have plenty of that old King DNA: a big old spooky house in a New England setting, an ancient evil that only kids can perceive, an intellectually challenged local who will probably end up having the, uh, key to the whole thing, and so on. Evil spirit Dodge takes the form of Canadian actress Laysla De Oliveira in Locke & Key. Credit:Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix Our protagonists are the Locke family, whose father has just been murdered at their home in Seattle. For some reason mum Nina (Darby Stanchfield) thinks the best thing to do is move across the country to live in the ancestral mansion that her husband had avoided like the plague for his entire adult life. Teenagers Tyler and Kinsey (Connor Jessup and Emilia Jones) aren't super thrilled about it, but little brother Bode (Jackson Robert Scott), anachronistically wedded to his G.I. Joe doll, is keen to explore the place. And it's Bode who first encounters the aforementioned ancient evil, a thing called Dodge that has taken the rather head-turning form of Canadian actress Laysla De Oliveira, most recently seen in In the Tall Grass. Turns out that Key House that's the name of the old mansion is full of hidden keys that give their bearers various magical powers. Dodge wants them all, but for some reason she can't just tear the place apart and find them herself. Co-showrunner Carlton Cuse (Lost) is having his second crack at the story; a few years back Hulu got him to make a pilot that it wound up passing on. But it's hard to see Locke & Key becoming even a cult hit, let alone a smash like Stranger Things. The series is quite handsomely made, with some brilliant visual effects, but several episodes in neither the characters nor the dialogue have begun to sparkle, the obligatory high-school storylines feel tired, and the whole thing seems uncannily devoid of humour. It's easy enough to let it keep playing, though. Amid protests, officials on Wednesday completed survey in three out of five villages in Gujarat's Navsari district where locals are opposing acquisition of land for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. Local farmers alleged that the survey was carried out ahead of the schedule intimated to them. In view of protests, land measurement was carried out amid police protection, officials said. Last year, officials had to stop land survey in these five villages due to stiff opposition to the acquisition process while completing it in other 23 villages in the district. "Officials came back to conduct survey but refused to speak about compensation package and other things. This bullying by the government will not be tolerated," said a farmer whose land is to be acquired for the project. "They are threatening to jail us if we opposed survey work. We will give our life but not our land," he added. Farmer leader Siddharth Desai said officials carried out the survey before scheduled dates to avoid protests. "The government had fixed Thursday for conducting measurements in Amadpor village as per the official letter sent to the farmers, but completed the job a day in advance. This gave farmers no time to protest," he alleged. District Prant officer Tushar Jani said survey was completed in three out of the five villages. "Farmers are opposing, but their grievances are under consideration, and we hope for a positive resolution," he said. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Budget speech on Saturday that the bullet train project will be actively pursued. The foundation stone for the ambitious Rs 1.08 lakh crore project was laid on September 14, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saving the nuclear deal with Iran is the cornerstone of European Union foreign policy, but tensions between the US and Iran mean it may be running out of options The European Union is trying desperately to save the nuclear deal with Tehran as tension between Iran and America reached new levels with the assassination of Al-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani on 3 January in a US drone strike. Turkey and Syria are trading deadly strikes in Idlib in northern Syria as Russia watches uneasily. Americans poorly timed and badly drawn-up Middle East peace plan has fallen flat, causing angry Palestinians to cut security ties with Israel and the US administration. The situation in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen is getting worse and worse. With the US preoccupied with president Donald Trump's impeachment and the Democratic Party primary elections, no wonder the EU is trying to take the initiative in such uncertain times. In multi-layered diplomatic efforts, it is focusing on easing the tensions in the Middle East, starting with saving the Iranian nuclear deal. Saving the deal is a cornerstone of EU diplomacy. If the nuclear deal were to fall apart, the tensions in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon would turn into total chaos, said one EU diplomat to Ahram Online. With Iran tied to the nuclear deal and hoping to get some of the benefits, Tehran will continue to co-operate. However, with no nuclear deal and no prospect of lifting the sanctions, Iran will be a very dangerous player, he added. On Monday, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell was sent for talks with Iranian officials on a mission aimed at lowering tensions in the region and between Iran and the West. Borrell's trip, his first to Iran since taking office, followed a spike in tensions between arch-foes Washington and Tehran. The two-day visit opened with a meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif followed by talks with president Hassan Rouhani and parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani. After the meeting between Borrell and Rouhani, the Iranian president said that Tehran might reconsider providing UN inspectors with access to Irans nuclear facilities if the country were confronted with a new situation, the official IRNA news agency reported. The trend of the inspections that has been carried out until today will continue, unless we face a new situation, Rouhani was quoted as saying. He did not elaborate. However, Rouhani said Iran was ready for engagement with Europe. Whenever the other party fully implements its commitments, Iran will return to its commitments, Rouhani emphasised. In mid-January, Britain, France and Germany triggered the deals dispute mechanism, starting the clock on a process that could result in a snapping back of UN and EU sanctions against Iran. The aim of the European move is to press Tehran not to lower its commitment to the nuclear deal. Speaking with reporters in Tehran, Borrell said that we are in agreement not to go directly to a strict time limit that would oblige us to go to the [UN] Security Council. I asked the Iranian authorities, and I think they agree, that we have to continue with the survey of the International Atomic Energy Agency. We expect some positive steps on the nuclear side, and the Iranians expect some positive steps on the economic side, he said, adding that the issues would be addressed in the coming weeks. Borell also emphasised that the EU was not interested in trying to end the 2015 nuclear deal, but wanted to start a process that would keep it alive. The 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and a group of world powers has been crumbling since Trump withdrew the US from it in 2018, and Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of maximum pressure against Iran. Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US brought the two countries to the brink of full-blown confrontation last month. The nuclear deal hangs on a thread, one that still permits international inspection of Irans atomic sites but is already threatened. Trump, facing an impeachment trial and an election campaign in the US, imposed new sanctions on Tehran last week targeting the head of Irans nuclear programme and the agency he directs. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) slammed the latest round of US sanctions, which added Irans nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi to a blacklist. Borrell's mission aimed to de-escalate the current tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis, said the office of the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy before the visit. The trips purpose is to allow Borrell to convey the EU's strong commitment to preserve the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and to discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran, his office said. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a press conference on Monday that Tehran hoped Borrell's visit would help the EU to understand Tehran's situation and prompt the bloc to show goodwill by taking serious measures. The Iranian regime is in a delicate position as it does not want to appear weaker after Soleimani's killing and the catastrophic mishandling of the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet by Iranian missiles in January. The European diplomatic efforts come while an uneasy quiet has settled over the Middle East in the month since a US drone strike killed Soleimani. Iran responded with a flurry of ballistic missiles at US forces in Iraq and announced it would no longer respect limits set on how many centrifuges it could use to enrich uranium for its peaceful nuclear programme. Amid the tensions, Tehran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane above Tehran, killing all on board, most of them Iranian. The repercussions of this fatal error are still playing out. Iran has ceased co-operation with Ukraine in its investigation into the downing of the Ukrainian jet after leaked remarks suggested Iran knew immediately that it had struck the plane. Ukrainian TV aired an exchange between air traffic control in Tehran and a pilot who was landing as the jet crashed. The Iranian pilot allegedly stated he saw a flash like missile fire in the sky and then an explosion. In an audio clip published by a Ukrainian YouTube channel, the Aseman Airlines pilot said he saw lights in the sky ahead. Is this an active area? There are lights like a missile. Is there anything? he asks. Nothing has been reported to us. What's the light like? the controller replies. The pilot says that "it's the light of a missile." The control tower is then heard trying to contact the Ukrainian plane without success. After a few minutes, the Iranian pilot tells the control tower he has just seen a big light from an explosion. Iran initially denied responsibility for the downing of the plane on 8 January that killed 176 people, but Ukraine's president said the conversation proved the country knew the flight had been hit by a missile. We will no longer provide any documents to the Ukrainians, head of the Iranian investigation team Hassan Rezaeifar told the Iranian news agency Mehr on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the incident, Iran agreed to co-operate in the investigations with foreign experts, but there are clearly now tensions over their conduct. The EU is pressing Tehran to continue co-operating in the investigations. Meanwhile, Brussels is stuck between the US and Iran and is running out of options. If Iran decides, for internal political calculations, to go further in reducing its obligations to the nuclear agreement, this will put the EU in a very difficult position and may lead to the return of full sanctions on Iran and the collapse of the nuclear deal. This would be a catastrophic failure for Tehran and Brussels. The next few months are crucial, the European diplomat commented. Search Keywords: Short link: FAIRFIELD The U.S. Attorneys Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Circle Hotel to resolve allegations it was not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, John H. Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, the settlement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities that alleged the hotel was not accessible for individuals with physical disabilities. Animal rights activist organisation PETA is facing flak on social media for suggesting pet owners adopt the word 'companion' instead of calling their dogs and cats 'pets' after claiming that the term is offensive to animals. Ironically PETA itself has the word 'pet' in the acronym which UK presenter Piers Morgan rightly pointed out during an interview with a PETA activist. The incident happened when a spokesperson from the organisation appeared on Tuesday's edition of the show Good Morning Britain, a weekday morning programme in the United Kingdom. The Interview The PETA spokesperson suggested that the term 'pet owner' is offensive too, as it implies that the animals are a possession. PETA has long called for the equal rights of animals and said that pet owners should be renamed 'human carers' or 'guardian'. 'We don't hate the word pet we're encouraging people to use something better like companion.' Senior Media Officer at PETA, Jennifer White. pic.twitter.com/Jpy7aJdoNy Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 4, 2020 According to PETA, the public should shift its way about how they refer to animals as it is the first step to respecting them as equals. However, Piers Morgan wasn't having any of those as grilled the spokesperson for suggesting the idea, which he felt was absolutely bizarre. After the confrontation went viral, Piers Morgan took to his official Twitter handle to admit that the interview was the best he had in 4-5 years. However, PETA issued a statement where it wrote that the organisation stands by what the spokesperson said on the show. Read: PETA Seeks Strict Action Against 'fox Jallikattu' Netizens confused The conversation between the host and the guests left people scratching their heads after they found themselves agreeing with Morgan, who is a divisive figure in British popular media. Netizens stormed social media to troll the animal rights activists and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Read: PETA Activist Laments The Plight Of Birds Injured By Kite Manjha I asked my Cat which he preferred, Pet or Companion? Not sure if he understood. How often shall I ask him before giving up do you think? Meanwhile there are Dangerous terrorists roaming the streets and someone wants to ask them to stop being a terrorist.Right Ok.. Iain Tivey (@40kin3weeks) February 4, 2020 Load of crap! Yes my dog is my pet! Doesn't mean I don't love it! Why use a name for a animal welfare group called PETA? Seriously banning the word pet? Lol bigger things to discuss surely! Why waste your breaths? Lucy (@LittleLucy90) February 4, 2020 For once, I actually agree with @piersmorgan. Not being allowed to call your pets a pet is absolutely ridiculous #GMB Chantelle (@DesiresDarceys) February 4, 2020 Read: WATCH: PETA Celebrates A Vegan Christmas In Shimla If we have the opportunity to use language which is kinder, more respectful towards other living beings, why wouldnt we do that? #GMB #GoodMorningBritain pic.twitter.com/uDXhMcc0UJ PETA UK (@PETAUK) February 4, 2020 Read: PETA Creates Awareness On 'Speciesism' In Bengaluru At least 10 of the more than 3,700 passengers on board a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the countrys authorities have confirmed, causing a spike in the nations total number of reported cases. Japans health ministry announced Wednesday (link in Japanese) that testing for the new strain of coronavirus, also known as nCoV-2019, is still underway for passengers of the Diamond Princess, which has been quarantined since Monday off Yokohama, a port city south of Tokyo. The announcement comes as the Chinese authorities said (link in Chinese) Monday they were looking to track down the more than 4,000 passengers on a Jan. 19 to Jan. 24 trip from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to Vietnam aboard another cruise ship, the World Dream. At least three of the passengers on that journey have tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to media reports. The ship, which now carries a different set of passengers but the same crew, arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday and has been quarantined. U.S.-based Princess Cruises Inc., the operator of Diamond Princess, confirmed that among those who tested positive were two Australian passengers, three from Japan, three from Hong Kong, and one from the U.S., along with one Filipino crew member. These 10 persons, who have been notified, will be taken ashore by Japanese Coast Guard watercraft and transported to local hospitals for care by shoreside Japanese medical professionals, the company said in a Tuesday statement, adding that the ship will remain under quarantine for at least 14 days in Yokohama. The Japanese government previously said that, starting this month, those who test positive for the virus, also known as nCoV-2019, will be barred from entering the country. The new cases would bring the Japans total number of confirmed infections, which exceed 30 as of Wednesday, to the highest in the world outside of China. Thailand, which previously had the highest tally, reported 25 cases of nCoV-2019 as of Wednesday, while Singapore reported 24. Princess Cruises said 1,045 people onboard were crew members, while 2,666 were passengers of a range of nationalities, with about half from Japan. According to the ships 16-day itinerary, it left Yokohama Jan. 20, made a stop in Hong Kong on Jan. 25, and visited ports in Vietnam, Taiwan and other locations before returning to Yokohama Monday. Princess Cruises said in its statement that a passenger from Hong Kong who had embarked in Yokohama left the cruise at the Hong Kong stop and later visited a hospital, where he tested positive for the virus Saturday. While on the ship he did not visit the ships medical center to report any symptoms or illness, the cruise operator said. The hospital reports that he is in stable condition and the family members traveling with him remain symptom-free. Last Thursday, Japans health ministry confirmed person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus had occurred in the country, but said the epidemic is not widespread at present. As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed infections worldwide neared 25,000, while almost 500 people have died. Contact reporter Dave Yin (davidyin@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Sudanese Prime Minister, Dr Abdallah Hamdouk, has welcomed the statement issued by the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant general Abdul Fatah Al Burhan, on his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister last Monday, but has remained critical of the way it was conducted A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg said in New Hampshire after the preliminary results were released. And no matter what happens next, this much is undeniable: That fact represents an astonishing victory for this campaign. San Antonio police are asking for help in identifying an alleged serial candle thief who they said injured a store employee before fleeing on a bike. On Jan. 20, a manager at a Family Dollar at 402 S. WW White Road saw a woman enter the store who they recognized as someone who steals candles regularly from the store. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address as House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Vice President Mike Pence look on in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington on Feb. 04, 2020. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) State of the Union Reveals Bankruptcy of Democrats Opposition to Trump Commentary House Speaker Nancy Pelosis ripping-up of the presidents State of the Union message as he left the podium is the perfect encapsulation of the rout of the Democrats. On adjoining days, we had the fiasco of the caucuses in Iowa, where the count of a few thousand Democratic voteswhich could have been done by hand in two hourswas still uncertain and incomplete a day after the caucuses finished voting, the State of the Union message, and the end of the disgraceful farce of the impeachment trial. For the first time, the Democrats have to face President Donald Trump with no available pretext to claim his moral turpitude and notorious corruption deprive him of the right to be president. Whining like a broken washing machine, the Democrats continue to claim that the people are suffering and the 1 percent of the rich are pocketing obscene speculative gains on the stock market, while the toilers of America, especially non-whites, are grimy and downtrodden mockeries of the country club Republican oligarchy, despite the statistics that Trump emphasized. There are more positions to fill than unemployed people, and with taxes lowered, the tax threshold raised, and almost 80 percent of illegal immigration eliminated, the fastest rising income group is the unskilled, the non-graduates of secondary school, and the lowest 10 percent of the income scale in general. All the statistics for minorities are sharply improved, and Trump stuck to his campaign of three years ago and continued to run up the backs of the preceding administrations of both parties. Where the number of food stamp users had increased by more than 10 million under President Obama, it has declined by more than 7 million in the past three years, as 7 million net new jobs have been added, oil imports have been eliminated, and standards of living of lower-level income-earners have jolted sharply upwards for the first time in decades. Like a mass of sleep-walkers, the Democrats have plodded on in darkness, denouncing Trumps unspecified corruption. He was an outsider, he was outrageous. If he didnt usurp the presidency, he at least had to be a freakish non-recurring occupant. Everyone knew he was a crook and all that had to be done was keep repeating that in the oppressive, Trump-hating echo chamber of the national media. Then, when the monstrous fraud of the Trump-Russian collusion hoax collapsed, it was time to impeach him. The echo chamber would whip up opinion as it had with Nixon, and even if Trump wasnt removed, his reputation would be so grievously assaulted, he would be a sitting, lame duck in the election campaign. No probative evidence was adduced that Trump committed the acts of which he was accused, and no case was made that those acts were impeachable offenses anyway. It was just Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) alternately performing, with endless repetition, the fable of the serpent and the toad. Before the U.S. Senate and a live television audience and with the chief justice of the United States presiding, Schiff said he didnt know who the supposed whistleblower was and had nothing to do with the preparation of his complaint, assertions every informed person in the world knows to be untrue. Morality Play Ended As the president proceeded swiftly through his lengthy recitation of the accomplishments of his administration, introduced an unprecedented number of worthy people who featured in heartwarming or heartwrenching stories, and was interrupted for applause 129 times, (all but a few by Republicans only), it emerged ever more clearly what an unenviable task awaits the Democrats. Their unctuous morality play has come down around them like the speakers shredded copy of the text of the presidents remarks, reduced almost to confetti. Apart from reciting his administrations accomplishments and introducing an array of personalities, Trump also hung around the necks of the Democrats their opposition to the barrier he is building along the southern border, their opposition to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the support of some Democratic candidates for compulsory, government-administered medical care, their espousal of sanctuary cities, their incitement of non-compliance with the countrys immigration laws, and the Democrats support for unlimited medical care for illegal migrants and toleration of partial-birth and other late-term abortions. His espousal of independent schools and prison reform would have resonated with tens of millions of voters. Theres no longer any supposition of corruption or any integrity gap the Democrats can smugly invoke, no pending inquiry, and even the Gallup Organization, one of the most anti-Trump polls, has recorded a 10-point rise in the presidents job approval since October 2019, to 49 percent. This indicates a real number of about 55 percent, which, when a Democratic nominee is put up as an alternative probably gives the president a 14- or 15-point lead in the popular vote, or about 22 million votes, well above the highest previous plurality, Richard Nixons victory in 1972 over George McGovern by 18 million votes, albeit in an electorate of only about 69 percent of the present total. No Exciting Candidate The ludicrous shambles of the Iowa vote count accentuates the impracticability of the Democratic presidential candidates. Sen. Bernie Sanders has almost killed off Sen. Elizabeth Warren over her $52 trillion coercive health care plan and her problems with the truth (starting with the canard about being an American Indian), and a combination of the Ukraine imbroglio and Joe Bidens own miscues seems to have caused that very tired campaign to founder. The peculiar upstart former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, will vanish after the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11. That will leave the ancient, raving, arm-waving Marxist Sanders, the unexciting but unfrightening Sen. Amy Klobuchar who is finally climbing into the Biden vacuum of comparative moderation, and the supreme moneybags of American political history, Michael Bloomberg. But does Bloomberg have any appeal to the voters? We will have to wait another four weeks until Super Tuesday on March 3, when 15 statesincluding California and Texasvote, to find out. No one could dispute his competence, and his political opinions are generally reasonable, but a great deal of his message appears to be the same old Trumpophobia that is all that has fueled the Democrats for the past three years, and what attracted Bloomberg to the Democrats four years ago. The Democratic conundrum is that, unlike Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, they have no exciting candidate in sight, and the incumbent has a record that is almost impossible to attack. The morality play has ended, and when it revives, it will be for the report of U.S. Attorney John Durham and the possible indictment of a number of prominent Obama administration and Clinton campaign officials. As the histrionics ended at the Capitol late on Feb. 4, it was possible to discern in the faces of some prominent Democrats a hint of the consternation that is almost certain to grip that party as this election year unfolds. Pelosis churlishness in her terse introduction, silly gestures, and general agitation in the background, and Tarzan-imitation at the end, are a metaphor for the overwhelming inadequacy of the Democrats. On the issues, Trump has the high ground, and anyone who saw him harangue the Congress for 87 minuteseven someone who found him and his message nauseatingcould attest that he is a human tornado. The complacent supposition that he would be easy to defeat has vanished with the charges against him. Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. He is the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. BENZIE COUNTY -- The Benzie County Water Festival will once again bring the community together to discuss a precious natural resource in a variety of activities that take place from Feb. 9 to 15. Started by the Benzie County Water Council (BCWC), the Benzie County Water Festival attracts, entertains, educates and activates individuals and groups within the community. It is a family-oriented, community-centered event that fosters education, engagement and networking. Seeking to emulate the precedent set by the past nine years, this year's festival will again feature kids' events, speeches from water luminaries, and connections to campaigns and projects. The Benzie County Water Festival is free, and open to the public, thanks to the Water Council's fundraising efforts. However, donations are encouraged and will help to fund future events. "The Water Festival is such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our local waters and continue our stewardship," said Jordan Bates, vice-chair of BCWC. "We try to continue with the same great programming that people have come to expect from us each year, like the kids' events and the panel of experts, but we try to vary the topics each year, so that the information doesn't get stale. There's so much to discuss around water issues, that I don't think we'll ever run out of topics." BCWC is always looking for more sponsors and volunteers. Anyone interested in helping, should send an email to aubreyannparker@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.Water-Festival.org or facebook.com/BenzieCountyWaterFestival. BENZIE COUNTY WATER FESTIVAL 2020 EVENTS Water sermons Kicking off the week's festivities on Feb. 9, a few religious affiliations will be talking about the importance of water in scripture, from baptism to walking on water to turning water into wine. Dinah Haag of the First Congregational Church of Frankfort; Jodi and Christian Baron of St. Philip's Episcopal Church of Beulah; Rick Stieve of Trinity Lutheran Church of Frankfort; Ann Clifton Hebert from St. Andrews Church of Beulah; and Josh Manning of Lake Ann United Methodist Church will be giving water services. Dinner discussion There will be a Potluck & Discussion at Grow Benzie at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11, featuring a discussion on the festival's theme, "Pipes." The discussion will relate to water issues that are ongoing throughout the state of Michigan, such as municipal water supplies, sewer pipes, fossil fuel pipelines, and even straws. The talk will be focused on the ways in which residents, businesses and local governments can take action. The panelists for the discussion will include Don Brady (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Water Resources Division), Nate Geetings (Benzie, Crystal and Interlochen Pumping Service), Kaye LaFond (Interlochen Public Radio), Dan Smith (Village of Beulah), Kelly Thayer (FLOW: For Love Of Water) and students from Frankfort High School. Youth events Former art teacher Connie McLaren will teach a fun, free, aquatic-themed class for kids grades K-3 at from 4-5:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Benzonia Public Library. All supplies included. COGNiTiON Science & Discovery Center in Beulah will host water-related experiences and experiments during their regular hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb.14 and 15. COGNiTiON will be open for special hours from 3-6 p.m. on Feb. 12. All regular admission events are $5 per person per day; on Feb. 12 special hours are free. On Feb. 15, multiple local libraries will be participating: Benzie Shores District Library in Frankfort will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will have a water-themed craft and a display. The Benzonia Public Library from noon to 2:30 p.m. to build a LEGO boat, watercraft, or sea creature. Betsie Valley District Library, in Thompsonville, will host a Wonderful Water Story & Activity Hour from 1:45-2:45 p.m. Betsie Bay Frozen 5K The Betsie Bay Frozen 5K begins at 8:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall on Main Street in Frankfort. Runners will be shuttled to the 10 a.m. start of the race at the Elberta lookout and then will run back to downtown Frankfort along Betsie Bay. An awards ceremony will follow; all pre-registered runners receive a shirt and a medal with their registration fee, while top male and female finishers in each age group are presented with a special prize. Additionally, with the help of more than 50 community business sponsors, more than $2,000 in raffled prizes will be given out. Proceeds will benefit local community initiatives, including BCWC's scholarship fund and future Benzie County Water Festivals. Register online at bit.ly/bbf5k20 on Feb. 12, or for $20 the day of the race, with no guarantee of a shirt. Benzie Conservation District BCD's conservation specialist, John Ransom, will lead a guided walking tour starting at 3 p.m. on Feb. 13 showcasing the water ecosystem of the hamlet of Beulah, including Crystal Lake and Cold Creek. Participants can then warm up with a pint at the new Five Shores Brewing in Beulah to understand how good water is vital to a great beer. Ransom and BCD outreach coordinator, Aime Merizon, will host an interactive presentation for all ages about local fish and Gyotaku from 2-4 p.m. at on Feb. 13 at the Betsie Valley Trailhead. All art supplies provided. Scholarships and mini-grants BCWC's objective is to raise funds to sustain events, as well as for individuals and other community organizations that share its vision. The water festival will offer a $1,000 scholarship annually to a Benzie County student who attends NMC's Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. The water council also has extra funds, and is seeking organizations or individuals working on water projects. For the sixth year in a row, BCWC plans to offer a scholarship for a Benzie County student looking into water-related education. Applicants may send inquiries for the 2020 scholarship to joshuastoltzis@gmail.com. Additionally, BCWC gives mini-grants to local organizations that support water education and conservation programs. To apply for funding, fill out the short form at http://bit.ly/2s4wTUg. A California elementary school was billed by Disneys licensing agent for showing the Lion King remake during a school fundraiser. KTVU-TV, a Fox station in Oakland, California, reported Tuesday that the Parent Teachers Association at Emerson Elementary got a bill for $250 for screening the movie. Movie Licensing USA, which Walt Disney and other film studios use, told the PTA and the schools principal that watching the movie violated copyright law because the school had not obtained a Public Performance license, the story said. How much is that? A single-use permit costs $250 or schools can pay $536 for an annual license, the story noted. A parent had bought the Disney remake at Best Buy, according to the story. Berkeley city councilwoman Lori Droste, whose children attend the school, certainly helped spread the word about the fee by using Twitter to express her anger. Industries Paperboard gift cards, in the spotlight at sustainable EEBAFTAs Paperboard gift cards, in the spotlight at sustainable EEBAFTAs 05.02.2020 16:23:48 - BAFTAs environmentally friendly gifting wallet containing Green Gift Cards made of Invercote was given to the nominees and presenters at the annual awards at the beginning of February. The gifting wallet itself is made of recycled plastic and was presented in a bag made from cassava root, which is fully biodegradable. (live-PR.com) - When the British Academy of Film and Television Arts was planning the 73rd Awards organisers were keen to take a step towards greater sustainability. One of the big changes for 2020 saw the traditional prestigious gift bags given to the nominees and presenters replaced with a sustainable gifting wallet, filled with a selection of plastic-free experience and gift cards made - When the British Academy of Film and Television Arts was planning the 73rd Awards organisers were keen to take a step towards greater sustainability. One of the big changes for 2020 saw the traditional prestigious gift bags given to the nominees and presenters replaced with a sustainable gifting wallet, filled with a selection of plastic-free experience and gift cards made of paperboard. The alternative gifting wallet from sustainability travel goods company Groundtruth, made of recycled plastic was filled with cards loaded with services and experiences from EEBAFTAs Official Film Awards Partners. The cards are Green Gift Cards made by the UK company Livewire. The base material is Invercote Duo paperboard manufactured by the Swedish company Iggesund, whose wood pulp comes from their own well-managed and certified forests. Australian actor Rebel Wilson made reference to the cards and wallet in her gag filled, but topical speech in recognition of the sustainability changes. The cards luxurious and gleaming impression has been enhanced by laminating them with a natural, cellulose laminate from Celanese. The gift cards are certified Plastic Free and their manufacture releases 97 per cent less fossil carbon dioxide than a corresponding plastic card. They are recyclable and can be disposed of in ordinary household waste streams. BAFTAs considered approach to the material used in the eco gifting wallet and paperboard gift cards has resulted in nominal environmental impact. It is a true reflection of the organisations global focus on bringing together the film, games and television industries to tackle their environmental impact and to encourage screen audiences to act for a sustainable future. BAFTA is just the latest in a series of organisations and companies to switch from plastic to paperboard for their cards. Others that have taken the step include IKEA, Sky, Amazon and Selfridges. The debate over the use of plastic is making people ask why fossil fuel based materials should be used for something thats used just a few times when there are better alternatives with much less of a climate impact, comments Graham Lycett, Founder of Green Gift Cards, who also expressed his satisfaction with how sales of the paperboard cards are taking off. Iggesund Iggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen, one of the worlds 100 most sustainable companies listed on the United Nations Global Compact Index. Iggesunds turnover is just over 500 million and its flagship product Invercote is sold in more than 100 countries. The company has two brand families, Invercote and Incada, both positioned at the high end of their respective segments. Since 2010 Iggesund has invested more than 380 million to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the fossil emissions from its production. Iggesund and the Holmen Group report all their fossil carbon emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. The environmental data form an integral part of an annual report that complies with the Global Reporting Initiatives highest level of sustainability reporting. Iggesund was founded as an iron mill in 1685, but has been making paperboard for more than 50 years. The two mills, in northern Sweden and northern England employ 1500 people. Further information: Staffan Sjoberg Sustainability Manager Iggesund Paperboard Market Communications SE-825 80 Iggesund Mobil +46 70 - 306 48 00 Staffan.sjoberg@holmen.com www.iggesund.com of paperboard.The alternative gifting wallet from sustainability travel goods company Groundtruth, made of recycled plastic was filled with cards loaded with services and experiences from EEBAFTAs Official Film Awards Partners. The cards are Green Gift Cards made by the UK company Livewire. The base material is Invercote Duo paperboard manufactured by the Swedish company Iggesund, whose wood pulp comes from their own well-managed and certified forests.Australian actor Rebel Wilson made reference to the cards and wallet in her gag filled, but topical speech in recognition of the sustainability changes. The cards luxurious and gleaming impression has been enhanced by laminating them with a natural, cellulose laminate from Celanese. The gift cards are certified Plastic Free and their manufacture releases 97 per cent less fossil carbon dioxide than a corresponding plastic card. They are recyclable and can be disposed of in ordinary household waste streams.BAFTAs considered approach to the material used in the eco gifting wallet and paperboard gift cards has resulted in nominal environmental impact. It is a true reflection of the organisations global focus on bringing together the film, games and television industries to tackle their environmental impact and to encourage screen audiences to act for a sustainable future.BAFTA is just the latest in a series of organisations and companies to switch from plastic to paperboard for their cards. Others that have taken the step include IKEA, Sky, Amazon and Selfridges.The debate over the use of plastic is making people ask why fossil fuel based materials should be used for something thats used just a few times when there are better alternatives with much less of a climate impact, comments Graham Lycett, Founder of Green Gift Cards, who also expressed his satisfaction with how sales of the paperboard cards are taking off.IggesundIggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen, one of the worlds 100 most sustainable companies listed on the United Nations Global Compact Index. Iggesunds turnover is just over 500 million and its flagship product Invercote is sold in more than 100 countries. The company has two brand families, Invercote and Incada, both positioned at the high end of their respective segments. Since 2010 Iggesund has invested more than 380 million to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the fossil emissions from its production.Iggesund and the Holmen Group report all their fossil carbon emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. The environmental data form an integral part of an annual report that complies with the Global Reporting Initiatives highest level of sustainability reporting. Iggesund was founded as an iron mill in 1685, but has been making paperboard for more than 50 years. The two mills, in northern Sweden and northern England employ 1500 people.Further information:Staffan SjobergSustainability ManagerIggesund PaperboardMarket CommunicationsSE-825 80 IggesundMobil +46 70 - 306 48 00Staffan.sjoberg@holmen.comwww.iggesund.com Press Information: INS Trade Media Service Iso Roobertinkatu 20-22 00120 Helsinki Contact Person: Phone: +358(0)96120990 eMail: eMail Web: http://ins-news.com/cs/ 05.02.2020 16:23:48 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls of the day: Tesla, Goldman Sachs, Pinterest & more Published Wed, Feb 5 2020 8:20 AM EST Updated Wed, Feb 5 2020 8:20 AM EST But Sinemas statement betrayed no lack of confidence in the Houses case: The facts are clear; security aid was withheld from Ukraine in an attempt to benefit the presidents political campaign, she wrote in a statement. While White House attorneys claim this behavior is not serious, it is dangerous to the fundamental principles of American democracy to use the power of the federal government for personal or political gain. Worse, they failed to assure the American people that this behavior will not continue and that future national security decisions will be made free from personal interests. Arvind Kejriwal election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Arvind Kejriwal AAP candidate who contested the Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from New Delhi seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Delhi Assembly Election 2020, Arvind Kejriwal Profile: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal won a third consecutive term as a legislator from the high-profile New Delhi Assembly constituency on Tuesday. Kejriwal won the seat by a margin of 21,697 votes. He defeated BJP candidate Sunil Yadav who received 25,061 votes and Congress candidate Romesh Sabharwal who received just 3,220 votes. A former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, he founded the NGO Parivartan in December 1999. In 2006, Kejriwal was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his use of the Right to Information Act to combat corruption. With the award money, he and his close confidant Manish Sisodia founded the Public Cause Research Foundation, which worked towards greater accountability in governance. The IIT-Kharagpur graduate rose to national prominence during the 2011 anti-corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare. The movement specifically strived for the passing of the Jan Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill in the Parliament. The bureaucrat -turned-anti-corruption crusader founded the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012 after splitting from the Hazare-led movement. In the very first election next year, he defeated then-chief minister Sheila Dikshit of the Congress by a margin of over 25,000 votes. After resigning as the chief minister after a mere 49 days in 2014, due to his partys inability to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly, his party made a spectacular comeback in the 2015 Assembly elections. In the 2015 polls, the AAP won a whopping 67 out of the 70 seats in the Assembly. Kejriwal won his seat by over 31,000 votes, defeating Nupur Sharma of the BJP. In his second term as chief minister, Kejriwal was involved in a long-standing feud with the Delhi LG over jurisdiction of powers in the Union Territory. In July 2018, his government got a much-needed boost, when the Supreme Court ruled that the LG is bound by the advice given by the council of ministers except in a few matters. Moreover, he has also been in an uneasy relationship with the BJP-led Centre over the issue of granting full statehood to Delhi and the alleged interference of the Centre into Delhis matters. However, Kejriwal and his government has also been lauded for his pioneering work in school education and public healthcare in Delhi. The education budget in the Union Territory has risen from Rs 6,600 crore to Rs 15,600 crore, while 20,000 new classrooms have been added in the last five years. Interestingly, many of the government schools now rank among the best in the country. Mohalla Clinics, which are primary health centres in Delhi, have been lauded for their cheap and affordable healthcare facilities. For his visionary leadership, Kejriwal has been recognised as one of the 50 top visionary global leaders by Fortune magazine. As a new form of coronavirus continues to spread internationally, northern Arizona health officials are working to monitor and prepare for it, like other diseases, though influenza remains the priority. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the first case of the novel coronavirus, officially known as 2019-nCoV, was detected in December in Wuhan City in Chinas Hubei Province. It has since expanded to infect more than 24,000 people globally, with nearly 500 deaths as a result. In the U.S., there have been 11 cases with no deaths including one in Maricopa County. The individual, who had recently traveled to Wuhan, was monitored under isolation to prevent the spread of the illness. There have been no confirmed cases in Coconino County. Coronavirus infections are very common, usually affecting the general population with higher incidence during the winter, Dr. Joel Terriquez said in an email. Terriquez is an infectious diseases physician and medical director for Infection Prevention Department at Northern Arizona Healthcare. Symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath, much like pneumonia and influenza. Terriquez said the new virus is a variation on other coronaviruses, now causing fatalities for two of every 100 infected people and having the potential to transmit from one person to about three or four others. The potential for a positive coronavirus case in Flagstaff or the county is very low, though. The risk for the Flagstaff community is no different than any other city with tourist transit and a university with international students, Terriquez said. Although destinations like the Grand Canyon could bring in international travelers, Matthew Maurer, Coconino County Health and Human Services epidemiologist, said the recent national travel restrictions and health screenings of Americans returning from China will reduce the chances of infected individuals traveling through the region. Lack of transmission of the virus between people in the U.S., Maurer added, also reduces the local risk, which he said would remain low even if there were a case of the virus. In its summary of the situation in the U.S., the CDC reported, Person-to-person spread of 2019-nCoV also has been seen among close contacts of returned travelers from Wuhan, but at this time, this virus is NOT currently spreading in the community in the United States. Using updates from the CDC that are released every other day, Maurer said the county department is working now to spread information about the disease and its prevention to all groups that work with patients as well as organizations like schools and local governments. Similar to the procedures for other communicable diseases, if a patient is suspected to have the virus, local health care providers would report to the county health department, which would help determine if the person meets the requirements for coronavirus testing and report to the Arizona Department of Health Services. If the requirements are met, nasal and throat swabs and a blood sample from the patient would be sent to the CDCs Atlanta, Georgia facility, where the only current location for novel coronavirus testing in the U.S. If a case were confirmed, the county would notify the public and work to help isolate the individual, even working with other organizations to provide a separate space for individuals who share a room, like students living in a dorm, while investigating the source of infection. Since the outbreak in China, local health care providers have reached out to the county about potential cases of coronavirus, Maurer said; however, no patient has met the criteria for testing, mostly due to the lack of travel to Hubei Province or contact with someone who recently traveled there. Theres a number of other respiratory illnesses including the flu that are circulating around Coconino County right now that would be more likely the cause of your infection if you develop respiratory symptoms, Maurer said. He said information about those who have experienced more severe symptoms or death from the virus, like underlying health conditions, has not yet been released to health departments from the CDC, which is also working to report individuals who have recently returned from China to their local health agencies. Maurer said the county has not received any alerts yet. Testing CDC has worked to develop testing kits to allow individual providers to determine cases of the novel coronavirus; however, it was submitted to the Food and Drugs Administration Monday and is still awaiting approval before it can be distributed in the U.S. and internationally. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives sent a letter to the CDC Monday urging it to work with the FDA to quickly secure permission to use this test nationally and to send the first available test kits to states with confirmed cases. Arizona Senators Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema and Representative Tom OHalleran were among those who signed the letter. It is essential that local health care providers continue to devote their resources to those who are confirmed positive for the virus, and this is only possible if the test can be conducted locally and rapidly, the letter stated. A bigger threat Despite its prevalence overseas, the flu remains the largest concern for respiratory illnesses locally. Brandon Abbott, a physician at North Country Healthcare with a specialty in internal medicine, said the organization has been seeing up to 150 flu patients weekly, a sign of an average flu season. Exponentially more people are affected by the influenza virus and die by influenza every year than this [corona]virus. I think that we would be at a significantly higher risk of a flu pandemic than coronavirus, Abbott said. CDC estimates there have been at least 19 million flu illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu during the 2019-20 season. To prevent the spread of all respiratory illnesses, health officials remind people to wash their hands frequently, cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, stay home when sick and to call their health provider before their visit if they suspect they have coronavirus or the flu. Abbott said North Countrys procedures in such situations include meeting these patients outside, giving them a mask and escorting them directly to an exam room to prevent contamination in a waiting room. Although no vaccine exists for coronavirus, Abbott said people concerned about contracting the virus should get their flu shot to prevent the spread of the similar, but more prevalent illness. Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun.com or by phone at (928) 556-2253. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BEIJING (AP) Hong Kong hospitals cut services as medical workers were striking for a second day Tuesday to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely to ward off a virus that caused its first death in the semi-autonomous territory and that authorities fear could be spreading locally. All but two of Hong Kong's land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after more than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike Monday. But on Tuesday, health authorities reported two additional patients without any known travel to the virus epicenter, bringing the number of locally-transmitted cases up to four. Chuang Shuk-kwan, who heads the communicable disease branch at the Center for Health Protection, said the growing caseload "indicates significant risk of community transmission" and could portend a "large-scale" outbreak. According to the Hospital Authority Employees' Alliance, the strike organizer, more than 7,000 members joined the strike today to demand closure of the border across which tens of thousands of people continue to travel daily. Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said it was cutting back services because a large number of staff members are absent from duty and emergency services in public hospitals have been affected. Hong Kong was hit hard by SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, in 2002-03, an illness from the same virus family as the current outbreak. Trust in Chinese authorities has plummeted following months of anti-government protests in the Asian financial hub. The territory's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, criticized the strike action and said the government was doing all it could to limit the flow of people across the border. Important services, critical operations have been affected," including cancer treatments and care for newborns, Lam told reporters. So Im appealing to those who are taking part in this action that lets put the interests of the patients and the entire public health system above all other things." Also Tuesday, the leader of the nearby gambling enclave of Macao asked the city's casino bosses to suspend operations to prevent further infections after a worker at one of the resorts tested positive for the virus. Macao has recorded 10 cases in all. The mainland's latest figures of 425 deaths and 20,438 confirmed infections of the new coronavirus were up from 361 deaths and 17,205 cases the previous day. Outside mainland China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, one in Hong Kong and the other in the Philippines. The patient who died in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, the mainland city that has been the epicenter of the outbreak, before being hospitalized. The Hospital Authority said Tuesday he had existing health conditions but did not give details. Hong Kong later reported two other people were confirmed to have the virus, with countries from Belgium to Vietnam also reporting new cases. A growing list of countries from the U.S. to Iran have arranged flights to return their citizens home from China. Most cases of the illness have been mild, and many who died have been older people with other ailments such as diabetes or heart disease. China has struggled to maintain supplies of masks to filter out the virus, along with protective suits and other key articles, as it seeks to enforce temperature checks at homes, offices, shops and restaurants, require masks be worn in public and keep more than 50 million people from leaving home in Wuhan and neighboring cities. To help meet demand, the European Union office in Beijing said member states have shipped 12 tons of protective equipment to China, with more on the way. Late Monday, China's President Xi Jinping presided over a special meeting of the top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started, saying we have launched a people's war of prevention of the epidemic. Other countries are continuing evacuations and restricting the entry of Chinese or people who have recently traveled in the country. Germany's Lufthansa became the latest international airline to suspend flights to China, and several countries are barring Chinese travelers or people who passed through China recently. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways also said they were suspending or cutting back on flights from Japan to several Chinese cities from mid-February to late March. In Wuhan, patients were being transferred to a new 1,000-bed hospital that officials hope will improve isolation to stem the virus's spread. It was built in just 10 days, its prefabricated wards equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems. A 1,500-bed hospital also specially built for patients infected with the new virus is due to open within days. Elsewhere in Wuhan, authorities were converting a gymnasium, exhibition hall and cultural center into hospitals with a total of 3,400 beds to treat patients with mild symptoms of the virus. Television footage of those facilities showed beds placed in tight rows in large rooms without dividers or any barriers to keep patients isolated. Authorities hope that will help relieve what is being described as an overwhelmed public health system in Wuhan and surrounding areas. One man, Fang Bin, said he saw wards so crowded during a visit to the city's No. 5 Hospital on Saturday that some patients were forced to sit on the ground for lack of seating. "There are too many patients, it's overcrowded," Fang told The Associated Press. He said he was taken from his home and questioned by police after he posted a video of what he'd seen online, a reflection of the communist government's instinctive impulse to control all information about politics and public emergencies. There aren't enough beds at all these hospitals, Fang said. Such scenes have revived memories of the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS that began in China and spread worldwide. The new virus is believed to be much less virulent, however, with experts putting the mortality rate of those catch it at about 2 percent. Most victims were over 60 years and many had pre-existing medical problems. With no end to the outbreak in sight, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice, as a many in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere. Chinese scientists said they have more evidence the virus originated in bats. In a study published in the journal Nature, Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported that genome sequences from seven patients were 96% identical to a bat coronavirus. On Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a 42-year-old South Korean woman tested positive for the virus, days after she returned from a trip to Thailand with chills and other symptoms. It is South Korea's 16th case. Thailand has confirmed 19 cases, mostly Chinese tourists but also in a Thai taxi driver. A passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship tested positive after leaving the vessel while it was in Hong Kong, and Japanese officials were conducting medical checks on the more than 3,000 people on board Tuesday. Canadians can now find Hellmann's mayonnaise bottles and jars made from post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) on shelves across Canada. Post-consumer recycled plastic is recovered plastic that is cleaned and reprocessed before getting a second life. Using PCR plastic has a lower carbon footprint and is less reliant on non-renewable natural resources, helping contribute to a sustainable circular economy for plastics. "Canadians want to do what's right, seeking out products and brands that prioritize the planet," says Gary Wade, President, Unilever Canada. "By transitioning our bottles and jars to ones made with 100% recycled plastic, Hellmann's is helping make sustainable choices more accessible, while continuing to deliver the great taste Canadians know and love." Hellmann's efforts will contribute to Unilever's commitment to ensure all its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 and is one way the brand is helping to deliver on Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan. With an overall goal of moving towards a more circular economy, Unilever is working across multiple fronts to reduce the amount of plastic it uses and invest in plastics that are made from recycled materials. By converting to PCR plastic jars and bottles, Hellmann's packaging will have a slightly darker tint compared to previous packaging. This results from mixing and melting recycled plastics, all of which are 100 per cent food safe. The new Hellmann's packaging will also feature the How2Recycle label to provide clear instructions on how to recycle correctly. Canadians' taste buds will be delighted that one thing remains unchanged: Hellmann's mayonnaise will continue to deliver great taste and quality ingredients to Canadians, including sustainably sourced Canadian canola oil and free-run eggs. Learn about Hellmann's new PCR plastic packaging by visiting: hellmanns.ca. About Unilever Canada: Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Popsicle, Q-Tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, St. Ives, TRESemme, and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are owned or used under license by Unilever Canada Inc. About the Unilever Sustainability Plan: Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan underpins the company's strategy and commits to: Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020. Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030. Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020. The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. Globally, in 2018 the company's sustainable living brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business compared to 46% in 2017. SOURCE Hellmann's For further information: Media Contact: For further information: please contact Alison Palmieri | [email protected] | 416-849-3107 [February 05, 2020] Scality Responds to Social Responsibility Call SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scality , leader in software solutions for global data orchestration and distributed file and object storage, today announced that it is making two new commitments in response to a social responsibility call from Cedric O, France Minister of State for the Digital Sector. Earlier this month, Scality was honored with inclusion in the FrenchTech 120, the list of the most promising France-born tech companies, each of which will receive special attention from the French Government and public services to help each to achieve its full potential. As part of his address to the selected companies, Cedric O stated, "Because they are destined to become world leaders and will benefit from increased state support, these companies also have a strong responsibility, that of thinking about their development in the context of the great challenges of our society. This is why the Government entices them, whatever their sector of activity, to commit themselves to their impact." Scality has always been committed to Tech4good and social change. The company introduced a financial incentive in 2016 to encourage employees to exercise regularly; in 2017, it introduced donation matching to allow its employees to have an even bigger impact in their communities by helping them to support charities that matter to them. Initiatives supported include Equal Justice Initiative, Rire Medecin, the San Francisco Food Bank, Children with Cancer, Les Restos du Coeur, BuildOn, Coral Gareners, The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride and many more. Conscious of Scality's impact on the environment, the company also invested massively in room-to-room conferencing between its offices in Paris, San Francisco, Washington DC and Tokyo to decrease travel, and has also located each of its offices in major public transportation hubs to foster efficient commuting. Last year, Scality was one of the founding signatories of the Galion Gender Agreement, a series of 45 commitments to promote the employment and promotion of women in technology. In 2020, the company took two steps further: announcing one month paid leave for the second parent, and total carbon offset to compensate for its air travel carbon footprint. Study after study makes clear that the career gap between men and women comes at the time their first child is born. Traditionally, fathers go back to work after a few days while mothers take care of their child for several weeks or months. This difference has a long-term impact on the careers and salaries of women. Furthermore, the difference in involvement between mothers and fathers during the first few months of the life of the baby creates habits that leave the woman in charge for many years. The most efficient way to create a real level playing field is to give the opportunity for fathers to be close to their babies too. Beyond the impact in the workplace, having both parents caring for the first months of its life also make for a more secure and less stressful environment for the newborn. Scality is proud to join 105 other entrepreneurial companies, together representing 20,000 employees, to guarantee one month of paid leave for the second parent, regardless of their country of residence. In most countries, this is much more than the law requires. This paid-time-off is allocated to the second parent, regardless of their gender or status, because our society is evolving, and family models are as varied as they are rich and diverse. "There is no doubt that promoting diversity and fighting climate change are two of the most impactful actions one can have nowadays," said Jerome Lecat, Co-Founder and CEO of Scality. "Diversity is at the core of our company as we provide enterprises and other large organizations the means to choose what kind of cloud IT they want to stay competitive in the age of the 4th Industrial Revolution. We are proud to be at the forefront of social change." About Scality Scality builds the most powerful storage tools to make data easy to protect, search and manage anytime, on any cloud. We give customers the freedom and control necessary to be competitive in a data driven economy. Recognized as a leader in distributed file and object storage by Gartner and IDC, we help you to be ready for the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. Let us show you how. Follow us on Twitter @scality and @zenko . Visit us at www.scality.com . Contact: Kristen Wiltse A3 Communications 978-578-4047 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scality-responds-to-social-responsibility-call-300999154.html SOURCE Scality [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The coronavirus outbreak has seen a surge in the use of artificial intelligence-backed technology to help contain the spread, including robotic cleaners spraying disinfectant at segregated wards to AI voice assistants calling people to give advice on home-quarantine. The increasing use of technology comes as the rapidly spreading respiratory illness has resulted in more than 425 deaths, overtaking the number of deaths caused by the Sars epidemic in 2003, according to Chinese health authorities. Communities in Shanghai have turned to AI for more efficient early screening, with those deemed at high risk receiving calls from a voice recognition bot that asks questions and recommends home quarantine in some cases, according to state-owned Xinmin Evening News. Based on your condition, you are advised to stay indoors for a 14-day quarantine observation We will send your information to community health centres for follow-up and please contact residential committee for any help, the AI bot told one recipient. The voice robot, which collects and checks information such as personal identity, health condition and whereabouts through multiple questions, can make about 200 calls within five minutes, compared to the two to three hours it would take to do it manually. The AI bot can quickly categorise information and produce daily reports, thus speeding up the monitoring process for the spread of the virus, according to the local news report. Autonomous robots have also replaced human cleaners at segregated wards to reduce infection rates. According to Chinese media reports, the cleaning robot developed by Shanghai Lingzhi Technology can work nonstop for over three hours, spraying disinfectant on self-navigated routes in hospitals. In more remote parts of the country, local authorities are using drones equipped with loudspeakers to monitor citizens seen in open areas without face masks. The caption on a video posted on Twitter by state-owned media Global Times showed an elderly woman being scolded for not wearing a mask in the northern province of Inner Mongolia. Story continues Youd better go back home and remember to wash your hands, the voice said over the drone loudspeaker, as the woman walked quickly away. Tech companies including Baidu and Intellifusion said their AI technologies are being used at temperature checkpoints at railway stations and airports in big cities like Beijing and Shenzhen to reduce waiting time and lessen the risk of contagion. Big data and AI is not only instrumental in increasing city management efficiency and health care breakthroughs during public emergency events [like this], but can also empower all industries and become a driving force, Robin Li, Baidu founder and chief executive, said in a letter to all employees on Monday, the transcript of which was verified by the company. The system developed by Baidu uses AI to direct an infrared sensor on the foreheads of moving passengers, detecting their body temperatures within a range of 0.05 Celsius, according to an online post by the company on Saturday. Separately, Chinese internet company Qihoo 360 has partnered with NoSugar Tech to introduce a platform that lets users check if they have recently travelled with someone who contracted the new coronavirus. NoSugar Tech compiled and manually verified public data from sources such as Chinas state television broadcaster and state media such as Peoples Daily for input into the platform, which employs Qihoo 360s artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technology to ensure that the information is updated and reliable. Users enter the date of their journey and the flight or train number to see if they are in the clear. According to local media reports, more than 21 million people used the service within two days of its launch. Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with. More from South China Morning Post: This article Artificial intelligence applications surge as China battles to contain coronavirus epidemic first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. UMass Amherst awarded multiyear contract to continue gambling impact research in Massachusetts The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has awarded a renewable contract to a University of Massachusetts Amherst team to continue groundbreaking research into the socioeconomic impacts of introducing casino gambling in the state. The new funding - about $1 million a year for three years, with two annual options to renew - will enable researchers with the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study, based at the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, to complete an unprecedented, comprehensive, 12-year investigation. "This will continue to be the longest-lasting study of the impacts of the introduction of a new form of gambling in a jurisdiction," says lead investigator Rachel Volberg, a UMass Amherst research professor who has studied gambling and problem gambling across the world for more than three decades. "What's going to be most interesting going forward is being able to have a fine-grained understanding of the disparate impacts that introducing different kinds of casinos has on communities that are differentially at risk of experiencing gambling-related harms." In 2013, the Gaming Commission chose the UMass consortium, which includes the UMass Donahue Institute, the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center and colleagues at the University of Nevada Reno and the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, to carry out the robust research agenda mandated by the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act. The wide-ranging research began with community profiles and baseline population studies to depict gambling behavior in Massachusetts before any of the casinos opened. "The baseline survey allows us to monitor trends over time and to inform stakeholders of what the state looked like before casino gambling in Massachusetts, which then allows for a real assessment of impacts," Volberg says. Volberg also is spearheading a separate Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC) study funded by the Gaming Commission. It is the first major study of its type in the U.S. MAGIC researchers are examining how problem gambling develops over time. Goals include identifying populations in Massachusetts who are at higher risk of problem gambling and experiencing gambling harm, which will help in developing data-driven prevention and treatment programs in the state. The initial SEIGMA investigation period assessed impacts associated with the state's first new gaming facility - the Plainridge Park Casino, a slot parlor that opened in 2015 in Plainville. The SEIGMA team reported largely positive impacts initially, with clear economic benefits and relatively minor negative social impacts, such as problem gambling. For instance, in regard to economic benefits, Plainridge Park Casino was found to have created new employment opportunities that benefited the unemployed and underemployed, as well as those with little educational attainment, experience or training. Concerning public health impacts, however, and as detailed in a more recent report, the research team found that a smaller number of people are spending more dollars at the slot parlor, which may signal a public health concern. Such assessments underscore the importance of ongoing evaluation of the dynamic gambling landscape in Massachusetts. "The impacts are clearly not static and continue to evolve," Volberg notes. With two large resort casinos now open, the research will shift toward assessing the emerging impacts of MGM Springfield, operating in downtown Springfield since August 2018, and Encore Boston Harbor, opened in Everett in June 2019. "The characteristics of Plainville are quite different from the host communities of the two resort-style casinos now operating," Volberg says. "Our research team looks forward to assessing the impacts of the opening of casinos in Springfield and Everett." The UMass Amherst research team will release reports on the employment, operational and public health impacts of MGM Springfield this spring and summer, and will begin a comprehensive assessment of Encore Boston Harbor next fall. ### This story has been published on: 2020-02-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association says a 2020 Franklin Graham tour of the United Kingdom will go on, despite seven of the eight venues canceling agreements due to what critics say are Grahams homophobic views. Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, is scheduled to speak in eight United Kingdom cities from May 30 to Oct. 4, but that is in doubt after seven venues canceled the contracts or refused to sign them under pressure from LGBT groups and activists. ACC Liverpool, an arena and conference center in Liverpool, was the first to cancel, as Christian Headlines previously reported in January. Since then, though, six more venues have done the same. The Graham Tour website lists Location TBA on every city except Newcastle, where it is scheduled to be held at Utilita Arena. The Planetshakers and Michael W. Smith also are scheduled to sing. Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland minister, launched a petition to pressure the Scottish Event Campus to cancel Grahams appearance at Glasgow Hydro, an arena. It worked: Scottish Event Campus scrapped the booking. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said it would not be appropriate for the event to go on, the BBC reported. Mainstream and LGBT media in the United Kingdom have labeled Graham anti-gay and a hate preacher. A BBC report noted Graham has been criticised for claiming that marriage should be between a man and woman, as well as comments made about followers of Islam. Kerr supports same-sex marriage. Graham, though, says he only wants to preach the gospel and to tell others about Gods love. Graham also says the venues are discriminating against historic Christianity. Its wrong for venue managers and local officials to make a decision that disadvantages Christians, he said in a statement. It is our hope that venues will allow contracts to remain unchanged. A statement on the Graham Tour website directed at volunteers says the tour will go on as scheduled. We are still finalising where the Graham Tour will be held, but we want to be clear that the initiative and all associated training courses will take place on the same dates as originally planned, the statement says. We are continuing to consider sites for the main event and when we have determined where the meetings will take place, we will post updates. Graham has written an open letter to UK citizens. The world has changed dramatically since my father, Billy Graham, was last in the UK, he wrote on Facebook. Church membership has declined, morality is falling, the institution of marriage is at risk, godless secularism is permeating all levels of society, including, sadly to say, some churches. Though much has changed, the solution to our worlds problems hasnt changedit lies in faith in God through His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the timeless hope of the Gospel. Graham is not coming to the UK to speak about politics, he wrote. Im coming to preach the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the only way to salvation, he said. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). I ask the churches of the UK to join with me to evangelize another generation. Graham also penned an open letter to the LGBT community. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins. The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes, he wrote. But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinners -- myself included. The Bible says that every human being is guilty of sin and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. The penalty of sin is spiritual death separation from God for eternity. Thats why Jesus Christ came, Graham added. He became sin for us. He didnt come to condemn the world, He came to save the world by giving His life on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins. And if were willing to accept Him by faith and turn away from our sins, He will forgive us and give us new life eternal life in Him. Everyone, including the LGBTQ community, is welcome to attend his events, Graham said. Admission is free. I invite everyone in the LGBTQ community to come and hear for yourselves the Gospel messages that I will be bringing from Gods Word, the Bible, he concluded. You are absolutely welcome. Related: British Arena Boots Franklin Graham over Homophobic Biblical Views Edinburgh Cancels Christian Conference over Pastor's Views on LGBTQ Relationships Photo courtesy: BGEA Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to the self-styled godman Nithyananda in 2010 in a rape case. Justice John Michael DCunha cancelled the bail allowing a petition filed by Kuruppan Lenin, on whose complaint police had registered the case against Nithyananda for various crimninal offences, including rape. The Judge also directed the trial court to order the arrest of the accused and initiate process of forfeiting the surety and bonds. Lenin, who worked as Nithyanandas driver, sought cancellation of the bail saying accused was skipping trial. The court observed that Nithyananda has misled the trial court into believing that he was working towards propagating Hinduism whereas his whereabouts were not known to anyone. Lenin had made the charges after Nityananda was embroiled in a controversy after a purported video footage showing him in a compromising position with a Tamil actress surfaced. Nithyananda, whose main ashram is in Bidadi in Karnataka, and two of his disciples was recently booked on charges of kidnapping and keeping children in wrongful confinement at an ashram in Ahmedabad. The two disciples have been arrested. The controversial godman had fled the country last year and the Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice to locate him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyderabad: The 15th Finance Commission has poured cold water on Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states expectations of receiving funds for the 2020-21 financial year. When the Finance Commission met Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao of Telangana state and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of AP, they pleaded for sanction of funds under various heads. Both CMs said that there should be an increase in the states' share in tax devolution, but the Finance Commission has reduced the states' share from 42 per cent to 41 per cent. The Finance Commission did not honour any request of the Telugu Chief Ministers. In the ensuing financial year, the TS government will get Rs 33,104 crore and AP Rs 46 324 crore under tax devolutions and various grants. This will have an impact on annual Budgets of both states. Both states have asked the commission to increase the borrowing limit, but the commission has not recommended this. The Finance Commission has recommended Rs 5,897 crore as revenue gap funding to AP against its request of Rs 5 lakh crore in five years. Moreover, the share of total funds from the Centre to Telangana state and AP has come down compared to the 14th Finance Commission. Telangana state's share has come down from 2.4 to 2.1 per cent and AP from 4.3 to 4.1 per cent. The Finance Commission has calculated that for AP the pre-devolution revenue deficit will be Rs 41,054 crore and for Telangana state, the pre-devolution revenue surplus will be Rs 7,735 crore. It has recommended Rs 35,156 crore as tax devolution to AP and Rs 18,241 crore to Telangana state. The commission said that post devolution, AP will face a Rs 5,897-crore revenue deficit and recommended this amount as revenue deficit grant. Telangana state will have Rs 26,698 crore revenue surplus. In fact both states are facing revenue deficit by December in the current financial year. According to government records, by December 2020, the Telangana state government will face a Rs 3,404-crore revenue deficit and AP, Rs 29,407 crore. The Finance Commiss-ion has projected that in the 2020-21 financial year AP's own tax revenue will be Rs 77,398 crore and non-tax revenue will be Rs 5,267 crore. TSs own tax revenue will be Rs 87,129 crore and non-tax revenue will be Rs 10,728 crore. Surprisingly, in the current financial year, the Telangana state government had projected in the Budget Rs 15,875.03 crore as non-tax revenue but by December 2019 it had collected only Rs 2,983 crore. It has collected Rs 60,261.78 crore as tax revenue against its budget projection of Rs 89,047 crore. The AP government projected Rs 7,354.72 crore as non-tax revenue but by December it had collected only Rs 2,173 crore and received tax revenue of Rs 57,162 crore against its Budget projection of Rs 1,10, 271 crore. The Tanzanian government has arrested Pastor Boniface Mwamposa after twenty people were killed and a dozen others injured in a stampede during a church meeting in the northern Tanzanian city of Moshi. He was arrested in Dar es Salaam, after he flew there to lead a prayer service at another branch of his church. Six of his aides were arrested in Moshi. The tragic stampede occurred overnight on Sunday when his church faithful were being ushered through an exit so that they could walk on anointed oil, according to a government spokesman. Interior Minister George Simbachawene confirmed Mwamposas arrest. The charges against him were not immediately revealed. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates WASHINGTON (AP) Who's clapping now? On the brink of his Senate acquittal, President Donald Trump will be unleashing relentless optimism during his third State of the Union address, a speech designed to pivot from his impeachment to his drive for reelection. Trump is speaking from a position of strength, with nearly complete control of the Republican Party. The theme of his speech: "The Great American Comeback. It'll be a different experience for Democrats, nearly all of whom voted for Trump's impeachment in the House. Where Trump will point to GOP unity ahead of the 2020 elections, Democrats and their difficult nomination will be on display after a long night of uncertainty in Iowa's kickoff caucuses an unmitigated disaster, as Trump tweeted Tuesday. The contrast with Trump's State of the Union address last year will be stark. Then, Democrats were triumphant just a few days after taking control of the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had forced Trump to reopen the government. Her smirking clap, eye-to-eye with him, mocked the president of the United States in front of the world. What to watch during Trump's speech at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday: TRUMP AND PELOSI Trump walks into the House chamber Tuesday night between what he'll tout are two victories: Iowa Democrats' technical failure that delayed Monday's caucus results and his expected acquittal in the Senate on Wednesday. The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country, Trump Tweeted Tuesday morning, declaring himself the only big winner of the contest. Watch the body language as the steps to the podium just a few feet from Pelosi in the very chamber where he was impeached . Also in the chamber will be Chief Justice John Roberts, the presiding officer of Trump's Senate impeachment trial. Trump and Pelosi haven't spoken since Pelosi stood up, pointed at Trump across a table at the White House and bluntly suggested he is controlled by the president of Russia. All roads lead to Putin, she said, before stalking out. The extraordinary moment last October was captured in a now-famous photograph that Trump released and Pelosi slapped across the top of her Twitter page. At other times, she's questioned his "manhood" and he's called her crazy. Impeachment has only inflamed things. Pelosi last week said Trump will never have a true acquittal because the Senate did not hold a real trial with witnesses. But, she's said with relish, He'll be impeached forever. TONE The White House said last week to look for can-do optimism in the face of unjustified pessimism we are hearing from some in Congress." But how will he handle impeachment? White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said he'd seen the speech and I've not seen the word impeachment.' But, as the president likes to say, we'll see what happens. There's no guarantee that Trump will stick to his speech. The president will be in the same room as his accusers at a moment of impending victory. He has a strong and often-stated sense of grievance and is known for going off-script. Look for roaring applause and cheers from Republicans, who have almost completely stuck with the retribution-loving president. THE BIG PICTURE Trump is sure to use the speech to try to remind the country of what he's accomplished. The White House would not say whether it is modeling Trump's speech on President Bill Clinton's in 1999, amid his own impeachment trial. Clinton never mentioned the I-word. Look for Trump, like Clinton, to promote a strong economy. Trump is expected to lead with talk about what the White House calls a blue-collar boom. There have been gains in blue-collar wages under Trump, though some of those gains have faded as Trump's trade war hurt manufacturing. Watch to see if Trump can stick to the high road rhetorically, in his own style. Clinton ended his by asking the nation to envision a State of the Union speech 100 years from that night, from the mountaintop of the American Century. Let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time, but of their time; that we reached as high as our ideals. That we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness; that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love." At the time, some said his rhetoric was over the top. UKRAINE? Will Trump even mention Ukraine? Republicans have started to come out and agree that the president had inappropriately tried to get political help from that country while he held up military aid. The House impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his actions in response to the House investigation. The issue clearly puts Republicans in a bind. Several have said that House prosecutors proved their case, but even so, the wrongdoing didn't rise to the level of impeachment or removal from office. CORONAVIRUS Will he make any mention of the new coronavirus? Weve offered China help, but we cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus," Trump said Sunday. At the same time, the president has tried to avoid angering China by being too outspoken, according to confidants. Under new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of 11 designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. MIDEAST PEACE Trump is focused on re-introducing himself to Americans as a president who has made the country and voters' lives specifically better. So listen for any mention of foreign policy and national security issues. Trump's Mideast peace plan is a good test. Trump said that his efforts to solve the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would gain support because its a win-win for both sides. In fact, Trumps plan favors Israel on key contentious issues and attaches nearly impossible conditions for granting the Palestinians their hoped-for state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plan as nonsense. If Trump says nothing about the plan during the speech, that could signal that Trump knows it's in trouble. IRAN Listen for how harsh Trump is on Tehran in the wake of Iran's bombing that injured U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The attack was retribution for the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In the month since, an uneasy quiet has settled over the region. Will Trump suggest he'll eventually want to sit down and talk with the Iranians, signal the door is closed for talks, or poke Tehran? The White House said to expect Trump's tone to be determined and forceful. IN THE ROOM There's always some suspense over who shows up and who stays away. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's campaign said late Monday it was unlikely that the Massachusetts senator will attend Trump's speech, coming the day after the Iowa caucuses. Another Democratic contender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, has an event in New Hampshire scheduled earlier Tuesday evening. Other legislators have their own reasons for attending or not. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said she'll attend to bear witness. That means that I do not clap. I do not acknowledge. I'm just there as a witness, she said. ____ Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report. ____ Follow Kellman at http://www.Twitter.com/APLaurieKellman The embattled chairwoman of the state's property development agency Landcom has resigned. Suzanne Jones, the chairwoman of Landcom, will depart after more than four years on the board and after months of acrimony over the future of the organisation which is run by former Liberal leader John Brogden. In a statement, Landcom confirmed Ms Jones' departure and the appointment of Peter Roberts to act as chairman until a permanent replacement could be found. Landcom chairwoman Suzanne Jones. "After a period of reflection over the holiday period, Ms Jones believes fresh leadership of the board is in the best interests of Landcom to enable it to focus on its important work creating more affordable and sustainable communities for the people of NSW," the statement reads. ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT OVER THE MIDDLE EAST - Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie Jr., the head of U.S. Central Command, met with officials in Baghdad on Tuesday, the highest-level visit to Iraq by a U.S. military leader since an American airstrike there killed an Iranian general and plunged U.S.-Iraqi relations into crisis. On a day-long unannounced trip, McKenzie also visited U.S. troops at al-Asad military base, one of the targets of a ballistic missile attack that Iran launched in retaliation for the death of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was Iran's most influential security figure. No Americans were killed in the Jan. 8 attack, but dozens of troops suffered from traumatic brain injuries. McKenzie, who is concluding a tour of countries across the Middle East, told reporters after his visit that he discussed the future of the foreign military presence and other matters with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, President Barham Salih and parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. "The U.S. and the coalition perspective is that decisions about the future presence in Iraq should be made based on the Daesh threat" in consultation with the Iraqi government, McKenzie said, referring to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. "I think we're going to be able to find a way to go forward. I don't want to presume the character and scope of that," he said. "But I think we all realize there's a significant threat from Daesh and if we take our foot off the pedal it's going to come back." McKenzie's visit comes at a sensitive time in Iraq, where the government is grappling with a political transition and protests by Iraqis demanding economic opportunity and an end to corruption. After months of political uncertainty, Salih named a new prime minister-designate over the weekend to replace Abdul Mahdi, who is now serving in a caretaker role. But the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, a former government official, was met with additional protests. Iraqi politicians condemned the operation that killed Soleimani, along with an influential Iraqi militia leader, as a violation of the country's sovereignty and have called for U.S. troops to withdraw. The Pentagon has a force of more than 5,000 in Iraq, focused mainly on supporting Iraqi forces and helping combat the Islamic State. U.S. leaders have said they hope to find a way to permit troops to stay in some capacity. McKenzie declined to comment on whether he and Iraqi leaders discussed a Pentagon proposal to place Patriot missile batteries in Iraq in the wake of the recent missile attack. McKenzie said the destruction at Asad base underscored what he believed was Iran's intent to inflict fatal damage on U.S. personnel. On Monday, a Pentagon spokesman said the Defense Department was continuing conversations with the Iraqi government about that subject. Reporters traveling with McKenzie throughout his tour of the region did not accompany him into Iraq because they did not have visas to do so. The ANP envisages both security and defense sector reforms, as well as democratic transformations within the country. The Ukrainian government has endorsed the Annual National Program (ANP) for 2020 under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which is based on a methodology of measured results, focuses on human security, contains a monitoring mechanism for the implementation, and builds on the principles, structure and content of NATO membership plans of countries who were following the way toward joining the Alliance. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the relevant document at a meeting on Wednesday, February 5, with further submitting the act to be signed by the president of Ukraine, according to the government portal. "Our government has included in its Action Program an ambitious goal: in five years Ukraine should achieve the criteria for joining NATO. What kind of Ukraine will we have when it achieves the level of NATO standards? It is a state for which the safety and well-being of the citizen are the focus. The state that is capable of defending its human-centric principles," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. Read alsoUkraine, Turkey sign framework agreement on cooperation in defense sector This year's document contains a number of innovations. For the first time, the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the individual are put at the center of attention when planning the content of the program. This is such a human-centric approach to which the North Atlantic Alliance is committed. In addition, the document was first developed with applying the international Results-Based Management (RBM) method. Such a methodology is used in the preparation of similar strategic documents in NATO member states, the World Bank, and the UN. "We are speaking the same language with the Alliance. The Annual National Program for 2020 has been written in the NATO language, the language of concrete measurable results, and addresses specific problems in particular areas of reform, as well as focuses primarily on human security and well-being. This roadmap for Euro-Atlantic reforms reliably leads our country to high NATO standards," said Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba. It is critical that the ANP-2020 was being developed simultaneously with the 2020 State Budget, so all the measures envisaged in the program are financially supported. The creation of an independent external monitoring system for the implementation of the ANP is envisaged for the first time. As the list of reforms included in the program is rather broad and concerns bringing a number of areas of the country's activity in compliance with the Alliance's standards, monitoring the implementation of the program will become a kind of audit of the country in line with NATO criteria. Read alsoUkraine, NATO to restart work format Defense Minister The ANP envisages both security and defense sector reforms, as well as democratic transformations within the country. Among the top priority reforms are, in particular, bringing to compliance the entire defense force management system, strategic and operational (combat) management, communications, intelligence and surveillance with NATO standards and compatibility, introducing democratic civilian control, providing conditions for participation of Ukrainian enterprises in NATO multinational projects in the field of development and production of weapons and equipment, etc. Among others, inter alia, are a shaped market economy, a transparent tax system, effective scientific cooperation between Ukraine and countries-members of NATO and the EU, a counter-terrorism system that makes Ukraine a reliable partner in the international security system, the development of a system of national sustainability and protection of critical infrastructure, etc. The Annual National Program is modeled as close as possible on the content and principles of the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) and has the same structure of five sections: I. Political and Economic issues; II. Defense/Military Issues; III. Resource issues; IV. Security issues; V. Legal issues. The ANP is a key instrument for Ukraine's integration into NATO and a roadmap for reform aimed to translate Alliance standards and principles. It was elaborated by the Alliance in 2008, when during the Bucharest Summit, allies welcomed Ukraine to NATO membership. This year, the implementation of the ANP is aimed at achieving goal 17.2 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Action Program "Ukraine meets the principles and criteria necessary to acquire membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization." Holly Willoughby has spoken out on a reported feud with her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield. The ITV star has insisted in a new interview with Closer that the two, who have presented together since 2009, are the best of friends and it would be 'impossible' to fake their bond onscreen. She said the pair are just as close offscreen, regularly ringing each other and holidaying with their families. No drama: Holly Willoughby has spoken out on a reported feud with Phillip Schofield, insisting 'they are the best of friends and it would be 'impossible' to fake their bond onscreen 'We ring each other and talk to each other all the time anyway, about this and other things,' Holly explained, adding of their natural chemistry onscreen. 'We know what we're like. It would be impossible for us to fake the giggles. I'm on the telly for two and a half hours - let me tell you, I'm not that good an actress. If I was, I'd be doing something else.' Phil previously told The Mail On Sunday that he is baffled by the rumours, insisting: 'Can you imagine a feud between us ever happening? We are so open on the show, we are so open online and we go on holiday together.' 'Holly is the sister I never had, we think at the same speed. It's so organic it's a shame.' Close: Holly said in a new interview that 'We ring each other and talk to each other all the time anyway, about this and other things' (pictured at last month's NTAs) On Tuesday Piers Morgan appeared to take a thinly-veiled swipe at Phillip while the This Morning star's reported nemesis Ruth Langsford giggled alongside. Appearing on Loose Women on Tuesday morning, the GMB presenter, 54, appeared to make a bold statement about the This Morning host, who is said to be at the centre of a civil war behind the scenes at ITV with Ruth being involved. The journalist quipped: 'Everyone thinks nice guy Tom Hanks, people are thinking are they that nice? We all know people who are supposed to be nice in the business, don't we Ruth? I wasn't talking about Ruth Eamonn will like that one.' Shocker: Piers Morgan appeared to take a thinly-veiled swipe at Phillip while his reported nemesis Ruth Langsford giggled alongside on Tuesday's Loose Women As Piers descends into guffawing laughter, the rest of the Loose Women panel appear to think he was taking a dig at Ruth. He swiftly made the point that he wasn't talking about Ruth - leading to the assumption from viewers that he was talking about Philllip. Fans swarmed Twitter to pen: 'YES PIERS, good for you for calling out the feud with Phil/Ruth! I was screaming... 'The Piers Morgan Phillip Schofield dig is going to be Viral by 2pm. #LooseWomen... Was that a hint about Phillip? #loosewomen @piersmorgan... Uh oh! Ruth struggled to maintain her composure during the swipe Uh oh: Phillip appeared to be at the centre of the drama - leaving Ruth trying not to laugh ''We all know people who are supposed to be nice in the business. Don't we, Ruth? [laughter] I wasn't talking about Ruth. Let's move on...' '@piersmorgan created a very awkward moment on today's #LooseWomen, referring to Ruth's supposed feud with Phillip Schofield. #ThisMorning'. Ruth and her husband Eamonn Holmes have reportedly been involved in a high-profile rift with Phillip, 57, after he interrupted her while she was presenting a preview for the show via a video link-up last year. Ruth is said to have made a formal complaint against him due to the 'toxic' backstage atmosphere the alleged feud has created. Woah! Fans swarmed Twitter, with one user writing: 'YES PIERS, good for you for calling out the feud with Phil/Ruth! I was screaming' Ha! Ruth seemed to see the funny side of the joke Last week, Amanda Holden took another thinly-veiled swipe at nemesis Phillip amid ongoing rumours of a fallout in the ITV family. Reports of a feud between This Morning hosts resurfaced during the NTAs, when Phillip's interaction with Ruth on stage was dubbed 'frosty'. Amanda previously said she believes Phillip sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning in 2018 while Holly hosted I'm A Celeb. Fuming: Ruth and her husband Eamonn Holmes have reportedly been involved in a high-profile rift with Phillip, 57, after he interrupted her while she was presenting a preview for the show via a video link-up last year (pictured at the NTAs) Tense: Eamonn was been accused of 'snatching' This Morning's NTA gong out Phillip's hand at the awards bash last week Reports have long been rife about troubles between the TV hosts, with the latest detail of the story claiming Amanda headed to the top by lobbying ITV executives over the animosity after Phil allegedly pushed for Rochelle Humes to take the job. Amanda first worked with Phillip when she stepped into Holly's shoes when the This Morning star took a year off the show to have her third baby four years ago in October 2014. A former daytime TV executive told the publication: 'Phillip actively campaigned for Rochelle, 30, to get the job despite Amanda being more experienced - and having been told privately she'd got the gig.' Trouble in paradise? Last month, Phillip was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Holly and stand-in hosts Ruth and her husband Eamonn Where it all began... The row is said to have started when Ruth appeared via video link from the Loose Women studio to update viewers on what was coming up on her show before Phillip appeared to cut her off An ITV spokesperson said: 'Presenter line ups on This Morning change regularly and final decisions on these line ups are made by producers and not the presenters. 'Phillip Schofield is a much loved broadcaster and part of the ITV family. He is a consummate professional and held in high regard at ITV. Amanda is also held in high regard as a judge on one of our biggest shows.' Last month, Phillip was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Holly and stand-in hosts Ruth and her husband Eamonn. Angry: Last week, Amanda Holden took another thinly-veiled swipe at nemesis Phillip amid ongoing rumours of a fallout in the ITV family It is claimed eight different ITV presenters have broken their silence regarding Phillip's attitude, while Ruth is thought to have made a formal complaint to ITV's new head of daytime TV Emma Gormley. It followed an incident in April which saw Phillip interrupt Ruth while she was presenting a preview of Loose Women during This Morning. As This Morning scooped top prize in the Live Magazine Show category at the NTAs, Ruth, who was seated behind Phillip and Holly with her husband and co-presenter Eamonn, made her way to the stage at London's O2 Arena. And viewers couldn't help but point out the 'frosty' and 'awkward' interaction between the TV personalities, following reports that Ruth filed a formal complaint with ITV bosses in December about Phil. Community comes together #NativeVote20 #SheRepresents Indian Country Today Donnielle Wanatee stands on a small wooden stage in the middle of the Meskwaki Tribal gymnasium. She raises her voice to speak: Welcome and thank you for attending your 2020 precinct caucus." For the next two hours, Wanatee led the Meskwaki Democrats in caucusing. She gave clear directions on how the procedures worked, she pulled out the calculator on her cell phone to crunch numbers, and she walked around with a clipboard to document the information. Standing right behind Wanatee the entire night are three other Meskwaki women. They help her clarify directions, count official numbers and pass out materials for caucus-goers. This group of Meskwaki women say they are passionate about politics and they say it is particularly important in this election cycle. What brings us together is one common enemy: Donald Trump, Wanatee says. It is nearly two hours since the Meskwaki caucus has ended, but three women remain diligent. They are breaking down the stage, folding tables and continuing to crunch numbers. Photo by Aliyah Chavez / Indian Country Today Democrats around Iowa rallied Monday night to caucus for a presidential candidate who could potentially beat Donald Trump in Novembers general election. This happened too at the Meskwaki Tribal gymnasium where the caucus was held. Wanatee holds a special position in her precinct. She is the Meskwaki precincts Democratic chairperson. She volunteers all of her time to fulfill this role. She has been trained and certified to run the Meskwaki caucus. She is also a full-time student and mother. Oh yeah, after this [the caucus], shes going home to study, says Suzanne Buffalo, a Meskwaki community member. I think she said she has class at 8:30am tomorrow morning. Wanatee and Buffalo are sisters. They say that their father, Donald Wanatee Sr. has played an instrumental role in their political activity. Wanatee Sr. was the precinct chairperson at the Settlement during its first caucus in 2000. Buffalo estimates that shes been involved in the process since 1997. She says it has changed a lot, citing that in the early days of the precinct, non-Native allies helped the Meskwakis understand the process of caucusing. Suzanne Buffalo has been working to increase Meskwaki political participation since 1997. Photo by Aliyah Chavez / Indian Country Today And now Buffalo mentors Wanatee. Im just the damage control person, Buffalo jokes. She initially intended to attend Monday nights caucus as an attendee but quickly realized Wanatee needed help. Women supporting women is very important, Buffalo says. Traditionally if you want to learn something, it is okay to go to another woman so they can teach you. There is another reason why these sisters volunteer their time. It goes to missing and murdered individuals, Wanatee says. The issue hits particularly close to home for this community. In 2018, Mollie Tibbetts, a non-Native student at the University of Iowa student went missing 30 miles away from the Settlement. Her body was found nearly a month after she went missing. Rita Papakee is a Meskwaki woman and shes been missing for five years now, says Wanatee. Were frustrated that it is taking so long to find out what happened to her. For us, it is important to remember that these issues live way beyond politics for us. They are real life and thats why we need to take this especially seriously. Every story has a Native angle. Mary Annette Pember (@mapember) and I had a heck of time covering the #IowaCaucuses from the Meskwaki Indian Settlement. Thanks for joining us on @IndianCountry. #NativeCaucus #NativeVote20 pic.twitter.com/4NbnULZzOH Aliyah Chavez (@AliyahJChavez) February 4, 2020 Leah Slick-Driscoll, whose Meskwaki name is Wasosea, teaches high school students at the Meskwaki Settlement school. She is known in the community for making sure her students are informed about national politics. These students wont be my students forever, Slick-Driscoll says. But if I can get my foot in the door to let them know how important this is than that is step one in creating a positive pattern. Slick-Driscoll has students create a bulletin board of every presidential candidates policies. To do this, she ensures they read news articles about candidates and regularly check national polling numbers. On Monday night, Slick-Driscoll offered students extra credit if they went caucusing. She also baked a cake for her students as another incentive to attend. And they did attend. A group of seven students participated. They even answered questions in a live interview with Indian Country Today at the event. On camera, they discussed which candidates they considered supporting. One student shared they were being strategic based on who could defeat Trump. They said the cake was good too. Meskwaki caucus precinct gets 9 state delegates. Final delegate count after the first alignment and second alignment: Sanders, 5; Warren, 2; Yang, 2.#NativeVote20 #NativeCaucus #IowaCaucus pic.twitter.com/3WtaWChhxz Indian Country Today (@IndianCountry) February 4, 2020 An hour and a half drive away from the Meskwaki tribal gymnasium, Slick-Driscolls daughter was encouraging the Native students at the University of Iowa to caucus as well. Little Wolf Woman, also known as Keely Driscoll, helped plan an Indigenous led pre-caucus social at the University of Iowa. She partnered with other members of the the Native American Student Association to provide dinner, refreshments, desserts and painting before the official caucus event began Monday night. Driscoll, Meskwaki and Winnebago, is a 19-year-old student at the University. She majors in International Studies, Native Studies and Sustainability. She says encouraging other young Native people to be politically active is important to her because of the Meskwaki women who have acted as role models in her life. I feel so lucky to have Meskwaki women to look up to like my mom and others, Driscoll said. Some Indigenous youth dont have positive role models but Ive been really lucky in that sense. I want to encourage young people to grow into those spaces too." More from Indian Country Today #NativeVote20 #SheRepresents Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is a reporter-producer at Indian Country Today's Phoenix Bureau. Follow her on Twitter @aliyahjchavez or email her at achavez@indiancountrytoday.com This story originally appeared on Indian Country Today on February 4, 2020. Join the Conversation Related Stories Police in Cameroon are on high alert after a number of suspected separatist attacks in political capital Yaounde and economic hub Douala. Police in Cameroon are on high alert after a number of suspected separatist attacks in the political capital Yaounde and the economic hub Douala. Just days before the much-anticipated legislative elections, voting stations were destroyed in mainly English-speaking regions. Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque has more. An air crane flies past PG&E power lines during firefighting operations in Healdsburg, Calif., on Oct. 26, 2019. (Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images) California Bill Seeks Takeover of Nations Largest Utility SAN FRANCISCOA California lawmaker on Feb. 3 introduced legislation that would force taxpayers to buy the struggling utility and turn it into a public entity with a safety-first mission ahead of shareholder profits. The proposal follows the bankruptcy filing last year by Pacific Gas & Electric after sections of its sprawling network of power lines were knocked down in windstorms and started wildfires that killed dozens of people and caused billions of dollars in damage. Since then, the company has intentionally shut off power to millions of people during windstorms to prevent wildfires and avoid liability. Under the proposed legislation, taxpayers would borrow money to purchase all shares of Pacific Gas & Electric, which has a market value of about $9 billion, and turn it into a public entity subject to open-records laws. Local governments would have a chance to buy pieces of the network to start their own municipal power districts. PG&E is a failed company, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco who wrote the bill. PG&E focuses so extensively on pleasing Wall Street and creating returns and dividends for shareholders, it has allowed its infrastructure to deteriorate. As part of the bankruptcy case, PG&E is trying to settle claims with wildfire victims, insurers and government agencies for a total of $25.5 billion. Its plan needs approval by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state regulators so the utility can access a key state-mandated insurance fund to help soften future losses from wildfires. So far, Newsom has rejected PG&Es plan, saying it doesnt do enough to lessen the companys debt so it can afford up to $50 billion of improvements to its electrical grid. The governor has threatened to take over PG&E if it doesnt make acceptable changes. Wieners bill is the first glimpse of what a takeover might look like. Wieners office said it has discussed the bill with the Newsom administration and he has not ruled it out. PG&E said it is firmly convinced a government takeover wont work. PG&Es facilities are not for sale, company spokesman James Noonan said. We remain focused on fairly resolving wildfire claims and existing the (bankruptcy) process as quickly as possible. He said other recent takeover attempts of utilities have largely failed due to a range of factors. Wieners proposal is modeled after the Long Island Power Authority, which in 1998 borrowed nearly $7 billion to purchase the infrastructure of the former Long Island Lighting Company. However, in 2013, amid escalating debt, the authority was forced to hire an investor-owned utility to manage the electric system, according to a report by Concentric Energy Advisors. Last week, PG&E pledged to overhaul its board of directors to avoid a state takeover. Newsoms administration has not yet responded to that plan. Wieners news conference announcing his bill was disrupted by a raucous group of roughly three dozen people from the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The union represents about 12,000 PG&E employees. The workers held signs demanding pensions and jobs be protected, and they shouted at Wiener and other speakers, protesting statements that public ownership would make the state safer or lower electric rates. People are going to lose their jobs, thats an absolute guarantee that our workers will lose their jobs and thats not acceptable, said utility worker Kristen Rasmussen, 53, of Stockton. Wiener dismissed the idea of a bureaucratic bungling of a takeover, saying the legislation will protect workers, including their collective bargaining agreements, wages, and benefits. You could defend PG&E if you want, but how is that going? Theyre burning down entire towns, they are blacking out the power to millions of people, Wiener said. PG&E is a failure and we need to try something new. By Janie Har & Adam Beam In the context of the ever-widening global recognition of the importance of advance rulings for trade facilitation, the Nigeria Customs Service has embarked on the implementation of a national advance ruling programme. This initiative was launched during a recent national workshop, held from 14 to 17 January 2020 in the Nigerian capital Abuja, within the framework of the EU-funded EU-WCO Programme for HS in Africa, as a follow-up to the diagnostic mission delivered by the Programme in July 2019. As it emerged from the discussions during the workshop, Nigeria had already been issuing advance rulings on tariff classification of commodities, in response to requests from economic operators. It was felt that the Nigeria Customs Service should work towards aligning its existing system on the relevant international standards, in particular, by creating an adequate legal framework, revising some of the existing practices, and updating certain elements of the national tariff classification work infrastructure. The workshop was attended by Mr. Babani, Assistant Commissioner General, Tariff and Trade and senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, whereby a strong message of management support and commitment was conveyed to the participants. The meetings were co-facilitated by experts from the WCO and two African countries in which national advance ruling programmes were already up and running Ethiopia and Liberia. They shared their experience with Nigerian colleagues and provided their perspective as to how best to get off the ground a modern, well-functioning and user-friendly system of advance rulings. The Nigeria Customs Service intends to finalise the preparatory work and launch its advance ruling programme in the coming months. For more details, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org. There is a fire outbreak at the moment at the power plant of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Ayede, Akinyemi road, Ring Road in Ibadan, Oyo state. The fire started about an hour ago and still raging. Efforts are on to put it off. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates By PTI JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Wednesday directed two-wheeler manufacturing companies in the state to provide a free helmet with each vehicle. State Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said those buying a two-wheeler will be provided ISI-Mark helmet free of any charge in Rajasthan from April 1. The state government has made it mandatory for the manufacturers to provide free helmet with a two-wheeler, the minister said in a statement. In this regard, Khachariyawas held a meeting of automobile dealers and transport department officials here. Khachariyawas said preventing road accident deaths is the priority of the state government. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. Deputy minister of economy Naira Margaryan met with Director of the Institute of Management Consulting, IMC Armenia, Silva Mesropyan. IMC Armenia is a member of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), the ministry told Armenpress. The meeting aimed at discussing the organization and preparations works of the upcoming Big Business Bridge global forum which will take place in Armenia in May. The Armenian ministry of economy, as an official partner of the event, attaches great importance to the development of consulting institute in Armenia. Among our priorities is the creation of a favorable ecosystem for business development, and the presence of high-quality and relevant consulting services is one of its most important components. We still have a lot of work to do on this path, the deputy minister said. Holding the forum in Armenia aims at boosting the consulting service market in the country by enabling the representatives of the consulting field and the business to get acquainted with the mutual cooperation opportunities, the international experience and developments. On the sidelines of the forum the Asia Pacific Hub Meeting will take place. ICMCI member states are Austria, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Russia, US, China, Sweden, Switzerland, etc. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Drozhov, Head of the Russian delegation at DefExpo and Deputy Director, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said that India will start receiving the first batch of S-400 air Defence Missile by the end of 2021. "India will start receiving the first batch of S-400 air Defence Missile systems by the end of 2021. We will start training Indian officials at that time," he told ANI. India signed a USD 5.43-billion deal with Russia for the purchase of five S-400 systems during the 19th India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi on October 5, 2018, for long-term security needs. Moscow diplomat Roman Babushkin said last month that Russia will deliver five S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025. "We will give five S-400 missiles defence system (to India) by 2025. Russia is possessing one of the world's best defence system and it would serve well for Indian security," he had said. Former Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa had termed the S-400 air defence system as a "game-changer". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Be prepared San Antonio to experience cold and rain over the next 48 hours. Temperatures will rapidly decrease tonight, dropping nearly 20 degrees in a two-hour span. The Arctic blast will also bring a chance for some wintry mix precipitation that may include snowflakes in the Hill Country, as lows in the region will dip below freezing Thursday morning. This cold front will arrive in San Antonio after sunset Tuesday, bringing with it a chance for rain and temperatures in the 50s by 9 p.m. Chances of light showers are possible throughout the day on Wednesday. General Election candidate Mattie McGrath is proceeding with a High Court action aimed at allowing the vote in the Tipperary constituency in this Saturday's general election to proceed. Lawyers representing the Tipperary politician told Mr Justice Charles Meenan this afternoon that despite various reports in the media that the vote will go ahead on Saturday, Mr McGrath is maintaining his action in the absence of official confirmation that the vote will proceed in the constituency as planned. While significant steps are reported to have been taken in regards to the Tipperary vote, Micheal P O'Higgins SC for Mr McGrath, told the court his client wished to go ahead with his action. The State, represented by Frank Callanan SC, said issues raised by Mr McGrath were under active consideration by the Attorney General. The ballot in Tipperary was called into question following the death of independent candidate Marese Skehan earlier this week. As a result of her death the returning officer for Tipperary Mr James Seymour, under the electoral laws issued a countermand that postponed the election in Tipperary to a later date. Arising out of the returning officer's decision, nominations for the five-seat constituency would have to be reopened and fresh ballot papers would have to be issued. Mr McGrath, who was first elected as a TD in 2007, wants the vote in Tipperary to go ahead this weekend. He also claims that while Mr Seymour's bona fides is not in any way under question the decision to countermand the poll, made under Section 62 of the 1992 Electoral Act, is unlawful and in breach of the constitution. He claims the people of Tipperary would be disenfranchised, precluded from having their TDs take part in discussions over the formation of the next government, and there was a danger of a skewed vote if they are not allowed to vote in the general election on Saturday. He also argues that postponing the election in Tipperary to some unknown date would prejudice Independent candidates. Larger political parties, he says, would be able to "descend upon the constituency and devote disproportionate resources, and canvassing personnel" to Tipperary. He further claims that any new date for the election in Tipperary might not take place within the 30 days allowed for in the Constitution after the Dail has been dissolved. That 30-day limit, he argues, expires on February 13. Mr McGrath says he does not believe it will be possible for any new poll in the constituency to take place by that date. The politician, represented by Micheal O'Higgins SC, initiated judicial review proceedings against Mr Seymour, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Ireland and the Attorney. He seeks various orders and declarations aimed at having the returning officer's decision quashed. He is also challenging the constitutionality of sections of the 1992 Electoral Act. At the High Court today, Mr O'Higgins said that his side needed time to finalise the paperwork associated with the application, and asked the court to hear it in the afternoon. Counsel accepted that it could be the case that the action may be resolved in the next 24 hours, but as things stood he wanted to proceed in the absence of any offical confirmation that the vote in the five-seat Tipperary constituency will take place on Saturday. In reply, Mr Callanan said his side did not have any documents in the case, and while broadly aware of the issues being raised by Mr McGrath, were seeking to have the case adjourned to Thursday so they could consider their response. Mr Justice Meenan said he was satisfied to adjourn the matter to Thursday afternoon. This piece is reprinted with permission from Geopolitical Futures. The U.S. campaign to isolate Huawei isnt quite going according to plan. Last week, the U.K. and the EU both defied U.S. pressure by sparing the Chinese telecom giant and its state-owned counterpart, ZTE, from a blanket ban on high-risk suppliers of 5G gear. A week earlier, the Pentagon reportedly blocked a plan by the Commerce Department to expand a ban on sales of critical components to Chinese high-tech sectors, citing the potential costs to the United States own tech sector. The gradual decoupling of the U.S. and Chinese tech spheres isnt petering out; escalation on a number of fronts scrutiny of Chinese investment, restrictions on R&D collaboration and Chinese immigration, and U.S. diplomatic efforts to isolate China is still likely. But Januarys developments underscore the inherent difficulty of eliminating the risks of U.S.-Chinese interdependence without doing more harm than good to U.S. interests, not to mention the interests of the friends and allies the U.S. is urging to follow suit. Containing Huawei vs. Killing Huawei Next-generation cellular and satellite communications technologies will have the potential to unleash a vast new ecosystem of interconnected devices that can reliably transfer deeper oceans of data between them at incredible speeds. Achieving its potential will require a massive and costly expansion of network infrastructure such as base stations, towers and antennas. The potential economic rewards are sky high, but so too are the potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities, the benefits of being able to exploit them and the rewards of becoming a dominant supplier of network gear. In other words, if Huawei or ZTE were to insert near-undetectable backdoors into a networks source code, Chinese state-backed hackers could have easy access to incalculably valuable flows of data and, potentially, a capability to shut down critical networks altogether. If the world becomes overly dependent on Chinese vendors, Beijing would have an awful lot of bargaining power. (click to enlarge) The scale and nature of the risks and rewards wont become clear for years, and both could fall far short of the hype. But given how much time and how many resources it will take for these systems to be built, along with the potential economic risks of falling behind, governments are having to make critical decisions now to leverage the benefits and protect against worst-case scenarios, including how to manage risks associated with doing business with Huawei. The U.S. has effectively banned U.S. operators from using Huawei and ZTE equipment in their next-generation cellular networks. But U.S. interests are global. Washington shares intelligence with myriad partners. U.S. troop deployments and military logistics networks cover hundreds of countries. U.S. multinational corporations move lucrative intellectual property around supply chains throughout the world. Washington thus isnt content merely to keep Huawei gear away from U.S. shores; it also wants to keep Huawei away from anywhere U.S. interests would be at risk if dependent on Chinese information and communication technology infrastructure. It can try to do this in two basic ways: by using its diplomatic power to shrink Huaweis market access and/or by crippling Huawei directly. Toward the first, the U.S. has been urging friends and allies to ban Huawei from their own 5G build outs and threatening to withhold intelligence and military cooperation if they dont. But this campaign has borne little fruit, primarily because of Huaweis cost advantages, the fear of retaliation from Beijing and the inherent difficulty of proving that Chinese vendors are really so much more threatening than any others. (The biggest cybersecurity challenges facing 5G have little to do with any specific vendor.) As a result, only Australia and a handful of other countries have imposed formal or de facto bans on Chinese vendors. Most governments are looking for ways to split the difference, welcoming Huawei but also limiting where and how much of its gear can be used. That the U.K. Americas closest ally and a fellow Five Eyes member defied Washington in this way will likely embolden others, to varying degrees, to do the same. The U.S. has therefore also been looking for ways to take aim at Huawei unilaterally. In early 2019, the White House reportedly considered cutting off Huaweis access to the U.S banking system, making it effectively impossible for the firm to complete transactions in U.S. dollars. But it decided against it out of fear that it would grind the global financial system to a halt. So instead, the Trump administration started taking steps to starve Huawei of critical components sourced overwhelmingly from U.S. firms, particularly semiconductors, software and chip design. But this too sparked a backlash this time from inside the U.S. For example, U.S. chipmakers, who rely on sales to China for an estimated 10-30 percent of their revenue, warned that the loss of sales would cripple their R&D programs and capacity to innovate. A ban could also lead to an irrecoverable loss of market share for foreign chipmakers or, worse, accelerate Chinas well-funded drive to build a competitive semiconductor industry of its own. After all, the main reason Chinese firms have struggled to make the leap in sectors like semiconductors is that it simply made more sense to keep buying from the U.S. and focus their resources on what theyre actually good at (or on serving Beijings political and diplomatic goals). U.S. multinational firms, moreover, immediately began exploiting loopholes in the soft ban on sales to Huawei and made clear the overwhelming incentives to find ways to continue selling to China even if it requires moving operations overseas. Still, the Commerce Department was reportedly poised to expand the ban on sales until the Pentagon stepped in, arguing that the hit to U.S. tech sector R&D would undermine the U.S. militarys technological edge over China. The Pentagon could still be overruled, and the export ban allowed to go forward. But its clear that the U.S. is having to decide between two largely divergent paths forward: one focused mainly on impeding Chinas growth and one that trusts in the U.S. ability to simply out-compete China. Flying Blind This illustrates just how messy and fraught with unintentional consequences the U.S.-China tech war will be even for Washington, to say nothing of countries caught in the middle. Consider all the factors at play: On the one hand, theres the theoretical intelligence, commercial and sabotage risks that come with potentially handing Beijing the keys to the castle, the strategic risks of empowering Chinas technological rise and fostering global dependence on its goods and goodwill, and the potential loss of vital military or intel support from the U.S. On the other are immediate cost considerations. For 5G to reach its potential, it will require a staggering amount of capital expenditures. There are only five major end-to-end 5G vendors (none of them American). Banning Chinese firms would eliminate the two cheapest options and give the remaining three (Finlands Nokia, Swedens Ericsson, and South Koreas Samsung) excessive pricing power. (As it happens, including multiple vendors in network infrastructure is also key to ensuring network resiliency.) For countries, like the U.K., that would have to rip out Huawei gear from their existing 4G networks, the bill would be even steeper. Higher costs inevitably mean slower implementation, potentially depriving local industries of the chance to reap first-mover advantages and putting them at a disadvantage against foreign competition. It would also risk provoking Chinese retaliation; Beijings threat to cut off market access to German automakers is at the center of the debate in Berlin, for example. (This is all in addition to the aforementioned hit to local companies that supply Huawei and ZTE.) Each countrys cost-benefit formula will be different. Its not surprising that Japan, Vietnam and Australia, which see the Peoples Liberation Army just over the horizon, are acting more forcefully against Huawei than countries like the U.K. and Germany, whose concerns and hopes regarding China are primarily commercial. In a great power competition, the interests of third parties rarely align neatly with one side or the other, so there are incentives to play both off each other where possible, keep their options open and otherwise stay out of the cross-fire. (click to enlarge) Notably, the U.K. has provided something of a template for how to split the difference between China and the U.S. In short, the U.K. is limiting high-risk suppliers of 5G (read: Huawei and ZTE) to whats known as the edge of the network think towers and antennas while barring them from the core, where critical functions like authentication and encryption take place. The U.K. is also capping their market share and barring their gear from networks around military bases and other sensitive installations. This has not satisfied the U.S., where the Senate is debating legislation that would formally ban intelligence-sharing with countries that use Huawei. (Notably, though, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moved quickly to downplay the impact of Londons decision on the U.K.-U.S. special relationship.) Critics of the partial ban (on both sides of the Atlantic) argue that the distinction between the core and the edge will erode over time, since 5G wont live up to its potential unless core functions are pushed out the edge. The U.K. makes a strong case that the system can be designed in a way to preserve the distinction and that its system includes enough protections to allow the U.S. to conclude that breaking off intelligence-sharing over it would be counterproductive. The debate wont be resolved anytime soon because the rapid evolution of the risks and rewards of 5G technology and applications wont stop anytime soon. And thats the crux of the issue: The U.S., its friends and its foes are all scrambling to secure their interests through pivotal policy decisions based on best guesses and worst fears about how the world might look more than a decade from now. Given the pace of technological change these days, thats an eternity. With so many major designers leaving New York Fashion Week to show in different cities Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger and, most recently, Jeremy Scott the chance for young, local talent to rise up is more urgent than ever. On Twitter, New York Times' fashion critic Vanessa Friedman called this season a "designer ghost town," opening a flood of responses acknowledging the possibility for fresh blood: "Time to nurture and invest in new talent," someone wrote. "Elevate new up-and-coming designers," another agreed. But producing and presenting a collection during NYFW is challenging, especially for independent designers working to launch their brand without any financial support. Clothes are expensive (the fabrics, trimmings and hours spent), and shows are even worse (the PR, venue and models), forcing designers to find smart, innovative ways to raise money. Related | Gogo Graham Deserves Your Attention Gogo Graham is among the lot of promising NYC talent, having established a name for herself as someone who prioritizes the transgender community through fashion and casting. Her womenswear is always constructed with existing garments, transforming them into completely different silhouettes. For Spring 2020, Graham's lookbook honored trans femme activists, and included her take on traditional officewear using repurposed business casual shirting a statement on inclusivity in the workplace. Last NYFW, Graham took over the New Museum with a collection of dramatic, femme gowns that closed with an emotional, bloody wedding gown. "I was thinking a lot about garments someone could wear to be married in or be buried in," she told PAPER, underscoring a "ceremonial" production that featured Performance Artist Leah James. This season, she's planning to continue her mission, with financial help from the audience that's closely supported her thus far. In order to pay her models, Graham has released an exclusive t-shirt available on depop for $50. "I think it's important for anyone who's doing work to be compensated," she says. "Fashion designers don't have anything without the work that models do for them." The t-shirt's print, which Graham designed herself, is symbolic of how long she's been working in the fashion industry. "The print indicates that this season will be my sixth fashion show and 10th collection for the brand, decorated with an image of a jewelry codpiece," she says. "They're made from t-shirts I've been given or found in old bins around town, and the money I make from them goes directly towards making this Fall 2020 show happen and paying the models for it. It has to be this way since I don't have funds to hire anyone at this point." "Fashion designers don't have anything without the work that models do for them." Still, Graham prides herself on this scrappy, independent spirit as a disruptive voice in a city largely dominated by corporate fashion. "I'm consistently simultaneously appalled and bored by the lifelessness and general lack of beauty that exists within major fashion brands," she says. "But they're doing what they're meant to do as businesses: generating vast sums of money for their owners. I think the garments in many larger brands consequently reflect this, whether intentionally or not, in their vapid extravagance and garish display of wealth that inevitably comes across as masturbatory and out of touch." She relates to smaller New York brands who're "doing what they can to stay afloat," but says they're "sometimes aesthetically mimicking larger ones or, in some cases, each other in the process." By championing trans rights and visibility, while also pushing forward a larger statement on sustainable fashion, Graham inevitably and respectably exists on the fringes of her peers. "If I fit into the local industry, it's by playing the role of a delusional scavenger who likes to play dress up as a slutty courtroom judge banging gavels and waving fingers in period-inspired clothing," Graham says. "I'm just another independent designer of a small brand trying to make rent and pay the people in my shows." For more information on Gogo Graham, follow her on Instagram and Depop. Gov. Tom Wolf was the target of a jab from President Donald Trump who, during his State of the Union address, criticized the Pennsylvanias governor for vetoing an expansion of a school choice program l The remark came after Trump pointed to Philadelphia fourth-grader, Janiyah Davis, and her mom, Stephanie, sitting in the balcony. He spoke of how Wolfs veto of a $100 million expansion of the states Educational Improvement Tax Credit program last summer affected the student. That proposed expansion would have bumped up the programs funding to $210 million and then allowed that amount to escalate automatically based on the prior years demand. Janiyahs mom, Stephanie, is a single parent, Trump said. She would do anything to get her daughter a better future, but last year, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvanias governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice to 15,000 children. Janiyah and Stephanie are in the gallery. Stephanie, thank you so much for being here with your beautiful daughter. Wolf spokesman J.J. Abbott said the governor was not caught unawares. The governor learned of it from a news release issued by the White House in advance of the speech, he said. Abbott declined comment about the reference to his boss in the presidents address, pointing only to the governors veto message to that bill. In that message, Wolf said he couldnt justify sending that much more money to private institutions when public schools were underfunded and its structures in deteriorating condition. That drew a harsh rebuke last summer from House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, who sponsored the bill. Turzai, who was invited to the White House in December to talk about expanding school choice opportunities, called the governors rejection of the EITC program disingenuous. He pointed out the state has boosted funding for public education to record levels during Wolfs administration while neglecting adequate support for those families who are looking for an alternative choice. The negotiated 2019-20 state budget ended up boosting the primary state support to school districts to a historic $6.7 billion and adding $25 million to the tax credit program, bringing the total of amount available for tax credits to $185 million. Trump didnt make note of the bump in funding for the tax credit program but he did deliver some news that brought a smile to the face of Janiyah, who is on a waiting list of about 50,000 for a tax-credit scholarship. I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice," Trump said, as the crowd erupted in applause and the mother and daughter hugged. An effort to find out the source of funding for that scholarship was not immediately available from the White House. The president used the attention paid to school choice to call on Congress to pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act. It would give 1 million children the chance to attend a school of their choice through a $5 billion annual tax credit for donations to state-based scholarship funds. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Egypt is looking for alternate suppliers of protective masks other than China amid a crisis of a massive surge in demand triggered by a coronavirus outbreak in China, including Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Korea. "The local production of masks in Egypt is not sufficient to meet local consumption, and the country's main dependence was on importing from China," Ali Ouf, head of the medicines division of Egypt's Federation of Chambers of Commerce, told Ahram Online. The virus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has so far killed nearly 500 people. Fears of infection have stimulated huge demand on masks. The rush for orders have prompted a Chinese merchant to request a medical supplies factory in Egypt to provide 145 million masks through its production line and export them to China, Ouf said. "But the order had been declined because the production capacity of the factory cannot meet such amount," Ouf said. The total annual manufacturing output of protective masks in Egypt doesn't come closer to this quantity, he said. Egypt produces approximately 60 million masks annually and before the Chinese crisis it used to import 120 million from China to meet the local consumption which is about 180 million masks annually, according to Ouf. The prices of masks have significantly surged in Egypt over the past weeks. The price of the locally-produced normal mask, which protects the respiratory system from dust and wind, more than doubled from EGP1 to reach EGP2.5, and the price of the imported n95 mask, which is responsible for preventing viruses from entering the respiratory system, increased two-fold to EGP20 from EGP10. Meanwhile, the local market still has a sufficient stock of masks until another exporter is to replace China so as to supply the local market with the required quantities, he noted. Earlier this week, Egypt said it had gifted China 10 tonnes of preventative medical items, such as masks and alcoholic antiseptics, to help deal with coronavirus outbreak. The World Health Organisation has confirmed that no coronavirus cases had been found in Egypt or the Middle East region, except for the United Arab Emirates. New York, Feb 5 : American voters described US President Donald Trumps State of the Union speech Tuesday night with words ranging from "dark and bizarre" and "showmanship" to "micro-targeted campaign commercial", saying Trump's message will resonate with his most loyal voters ahead of the November 2020 election. "America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," Trump said. "In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!" "It was super corny in large parts but people like this kind of stuff," Michelle, a Virginia voter, told IANS. Others, like Mathew, a school teacher in New Jersey, said he's happy as long as the economy is booming. "That's good enough for me. I'm sure Trump has something to do with it, he said. Mathew's wife who votes Republican said her concerns are limited to "conservative" values. Trump dedicated a section of his speech to "American values," "religious liberties" and limiting access to abortion as he waded deeper to appeal to his evangelical and conservative Christian base. "I was ready for dark and bizarre but when he began talking about gun rights, I stopped watching", said Greg, a father of two who "worries" about his children's safety. Trump pledged to protect Americans' right to bear arms. As Republicans chanted 'four more years!' and cheered US President Donald Trump's third State of the Union address, House speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a visual exclamation point just before Trump left the chamber, ripping up Trump's speech copy in full view of a prime time audience at an extraordinarily partisan political juncture. "It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives", Pelosi told reporters, sticking to the bare-knuckle theme of US politics as the clip went viral on social. Awkward moments between bitterly divided political camps dominated the storyline of the night as Democrats sat silently with straight faces, sometimes exchanging muffled laughter as Trump boasted about the "great American comeback". Trump's speech comes exactly when his Democratic rivals botched their biggest political moment in years, unable to get the Iowa caucus results because of a needlessly over-engineered solution instead of a simple paper trail of votes. Trump's approval rating on Gallup has meanwhile jumped to 49 percent, the highest so far in his presidency. Picking up a signature theme of his presidency and each of his State of the Union speeches, Trump reaffirmed his campaign promise to restrict the flow of new people into the country, "This demonising of illegal immigrants is chilling and repulsive -- and a foretaste of the election to come", Financial Times' Edward Luce tweeted. David Hogg, student leader and survivor of the Parkland school massacre, reacted to Trump's speech saying "it's time for a new generation of leadership" and "we need the highest youth voter turnout in American history to save this country." During the course of the evening, Trump awarded conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh with the medal of freedom, the country's highest civilian honour and orchestrated the surprise reunion of a solider from Afghanistan with his family in the balcony as chants of "USA! USA!" rang through the chamber. Voters agreed that the soldier's reunion with family was a "beautiful moment" but some cringed at the fear-laced political red meat Trump flung throughout the 78 minute speech. Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations, reacted on the two big headlines: "The SOTU2020 began with Trump refusing to shake Speaker Pelosi's hand, and ends with the Speaker tearing up her copy of the speech. Contrary to what was declared, the state of the union is not good." "Just keep telling yourself, "This is his final State of the Union, this is his final State of the Union..." read a Mike Bloomberg campaign message. Bloomberg has said that even if he fails to win the Democratic nomination, he is prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to deny Trump another stint in the White House. Trump is headlining America's economic success as his campaign push for a second term,"My fellow Americans, the best is yet to come," he closed. (Nikhila Natarajan can be contacted at @byniknat) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 15:42:37|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Eighty-six Cambodian families, whose children had received free heart surgeries in China donated more than 5,000 masks to Chinese doctors to help them fight against the novel coronavirus, an organizer said. Chea Monyrith, manager of the congenital heart disease project in Cambodia, said the families sent a total of 5,021 masks, including 5,001 surgical masks, to Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Tuesday. The children with congenital heart disease in these families had received free surgeries and treatment at the hospital under the "China-Cambodia Love Heart Journey" program. "The number of masks they donated is not large, and if calculated into money, it's not much, but this truly reflects their profound gratitude and sympathy to Chinese doctors for having saved their children's lives," Monyrith told Xinhua. Demand for masks has soared in China due to the coronavirus outbreak. The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 24,324 by the end of Tuesday, China's National Health Commission said, noting that a total of 490 people had died of the disease. Lor Dany, whose 8-year-old son with congenital heart disease was treated by Chinese doctors in May, said he bought 100 masks for the hospital. "I know my contribution is very little because I'm poor, but this is what I can do to show my sincere thanks to Chinese doctors for providing a free surgery to my son," he said. "Without their help, my son's life would be in danger." "I hope China will be able to control the virus as soon as possible," said the resident of southern Takeo province. Dany said Chinese doctors took good care of his son at Fuwai for 15 days while he underwent surgery and treatment. His son has fully recovered from the disease. "I will never forget their kindness towards my son. They give him new life and hope," he said. Sem Vanna, whose 12-year-old nephew was treated by Chinese doctors late last year, said he donated 100 surgical masks to the hospital. "They saved my nephew's life, and now, they are in difficulty, we must help them back," he said. "We wish them good health to continue to save the lives of other patients." T he Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared a series of images from their royal visit to New Zealand on social media to mark Waitangi Day. Harry and Meghan, who have begun a new life in Canada after deciding to give up royal duties for financial freedom, posted pictures on their official Instagram account in celebration of the country's national day. The pair visited the Commonwealth country in 2018, as part of their first royal tour as a married couple. It was at the beginning of the official tour, which also took in Australia, Fiji and Tonga, in October 2018 that Kensington Palace announced the couple were expecting their baby son Archie. The post on the official Sussexroyal account read: To all of our Kiwi followers, sending our very best to each of you on Waitangi Day! As a commonwealth country and a realm, today we honour the spirit and diversity of New Zealand, and we feel particularly reminded of the special time we had there during our tour in 2018. The Duke and Duchess send their best wishes to all the people of New Zealand. They then extended their warm wishes with a sentence written in Maori, the language of New Zealands indigenous population. One of the pictures posted shows Harry wearing a traditional Maori cloak, called a korowai, during a visit to Te Papaiouru, a meeting house in Ohinemutu, in Rotorua, while another shows the couple watching a welcome ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also shared photos from their own royal visit to New Zealand in their post on Instagram. Writing first in Maori and then in English, William and Kates official page said: Today marks New Zealands national holiday #WaitangiDay Sending our best wishes to all of our followers in New Zealand. The official Instagram page for the Queen and members of the royal family also shared a message in Maori, alongside a series of pictures of the monarch in New Zealand. One showed the Queen welcoming New Zealands national rugby team, the All Blacks, to Buckingham Palace in 2007. The post said: Today, communities across new New Zealand will be marking Waitangi Day. The Iowa Democratic party head office in Des Moines, Iowa on Feb. 4, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) Buttigieg Leads in Iowa as Democrats Release Partial Results Amid Primary Chaos Iowa Democrats on Feb. 4 began to release some of the long-delayed results from Iowas chaotic Democratic Party caucuses, with former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg leading the pack in a close race. More than 21 hours after Iowans gathered on Feb. 3 to pick a candidate, the Democrats reported results from 62 percent of precincts, showing Buttigieg leading with 26.9 percent of the states delegate count. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had 25.1 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Vice President Joe Biden with 18.3 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively. Democratic officials blamed inconsistencies related to a new mobile app used for vote counting for the highly unusual delay in releasing results in the state that traditionally kicks off a presidential election year. The delay enraged Iowa Democrats, who worried that the confusion would play into President Donald Trumps hands and prompted some Democratic candidates campaigns to question whether the results would be legitimate. It was a clumsy start to 2020 voting, after a tumultuous presidential race four years ago that produced a surprise winner in Trump. Every second that passes undermines the process a little bit, said Roger Lau, campaign manager for Warren. Republicans asked how Democrats could run the country if they couldnt conduct a caucus, while Trump mocked the Democrats on Twitter, calling the delay an unmitigated disaster. Campaign aides for former Biden cited gross failures in the caucuses. We have real concerns about the integrity of the process, Biden spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told CNN on Feb. 4. It looks like a disorganized mess, said Jessica Leonard, 41, who runs a food truck in Winterset, Iowa. Leonard said she normally votes Democratic but that she was so furious by the fiasco that she might vote for Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Its like they are setting up Trump to win again. Its just a huge embarrassment, she said. After more than a year of campaigning and more than $800 million in spending, Democratic candidates had expected the results in Iowa to provide some answers on how they could beat the businessman-turned-president. Instead, they hurtled toward New Hampshires Feb. 11 primary with no clear answers. Iowa was a disaster for Iowa. It became a false start that now makes New Hampshire the key early contest and changes some of the math on who emerges as the top candidate, said University of New Haven professor Matthew Schmidt. The Nevada Democratic Party said that for its Feb. 22 presidential caucuses, it wont be using the same app or vendor that led to delayed reporting of Iowas results. Buttigieg expressed frustration with the delay after having told a late-night rally that there were indications he had been victorious. Buttigieg and Sanders released their campaigns own count of the Iowa vote, which showed them having done well. Sanders had the most support among those gathered at the University of Iowa campus. Some of the caucus-goers siding with Sanders poked fun at those standing for Joe Biden. Only a couple dozen voters out of the more than 750 who attended stood in the section for Biden, the front-runner according to national polls. The largest group had gathered in Sanderss corner for the first alignment. After the first alignment, some candidates are deemed non-viable; caucus-goers who voted for those candidates get a second chance to stand in a viable candidates corner, in the second alignment. Since Iowas Democratic caucuses began in 1972, results have shown that candidates who dont make it into the top three spots in Iowa are very unlikely to win the nomination. Hence, the saying that theres only three tickets out of Iowa. The Democratic candidates who have won the caucuses have gone on to win the nomination in seven out of 10 contested races. About 171,000 people voted in the Iowa Democratic caucuses this year, according to Edison Research, on par with the turnout in 2016. The Republican caucuses had a record turnout of approximately 187,000 people. Trump took a swipe at the Democrats, 11 of whom are contenders in the state-by-state battle to face him in November. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country, he wrote on Twitter. Troy Price, the Iowa Democratic Party chairman, said the app was recording data accurately but only showing partial data. The coding problem was fixed and state officials are verifying the data from the app with required paper documentation, he said. Some local officials reported having trouble using the mobile app to report results from 1,600 schools, community centers, and other locations. But when they turned to the traditional methodcalling results in by telephonethey were put on hold and couldnt get through. We had people with their phones on speaker who were stuck on hold from 9 through at least 11, said Bret Nilles, the Democratic Party chairman for Linn County. He said he had no problems recording results through the app. Iowa Democrats had been keen to be more transparent in this years caucuses after complaints from Sanders about the 2016 caucus, when he and rival Hillary Clinton earned roughly the same number of delegates. He had asked the party for an audit and additional transparency. This year, the state party had tried to release multiple data sets from the Feb. 3 caucuses instead of only the number of delegates each candidate earned. Some Democrats have long complained that the largely white farming state has an outsized role in determining the partys presidential nominee. The Republican Party has its own history of presidential election chaos in Iowa. On the night of the partys 2012 caucuses, Mitt Romney was declared to have won by only eight votes. But two weeks later, the party announced that Rick Santorum had actually won by 34 votes. Romney went on to be the nominee. Iowa Democratic officials said there was no indication the mobile app was hacked. Even without the technology problems, the distinctive Iowa caucuses can be difficult to understand. At the caucuses in Iowa, voters gathered in groups by candidate preference in a public display of support. If a candidate did not attract 15 percent of voters, the total thats needed to be considered viable, that candidates supporters were released to back another contender, leading to a further round. Reuters and Epoch Times reporter Cara Ding contributed to this report. A quarantine team disinfects the street of Daerim Central Market in Yeungdeungpo in Seoul, Tuesday. The market is a place for Chinese immigrants and tourists to shop and eat. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han By Kim Se-jeong The Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted a rare inspection of restaurants in the city's three major traditional markets, Wednesday, for the possible illegal consumption of bat meat, as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of a coronavirus, according to city officials. On Wednesday, three additional cases of infection were confirmed here, putting the total number at 19. The inspection team consisting of city officials overseeing hygiene matters, police and consumer rights activists looked into restaurants in Daerim Central Market in Yeungdeungpo, Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun and Joyang Market in Gwangjin; areas that are frequented by Chinese immigrants and tourists. The selling of bat meat is illegal here, but the inspection was carried out on suspicions that small quantities could potentially be brought to those venues from China. The officials said that so far they had not found any irregularities. Experts believe that bats may have been the source of the new coronavirus and that the first bat to human infection might have occurred at one of Wuhan's so-called wet markets where raw bat meat is traded. Ill admit that if you look closely enough OK, maybe you dont even have to look all that closely youll see dust bunnies. And sand tracked in on the porch. Oh, yeah, and fingerprints on the windows. So, in other words, my house is not quite spotless. A horrifying video has surfaced on the Internet that has outraged many activists. The video that is now viral shows an Afghan woman being stoned to death by an angry mob, and some activists claim that it involves Taliban. The disturbing video shows the woman screaming in pain while men mercilessly pelt stones on her, in presence of onlookers. Daily Mail According to Daily Mail, a spokesman for Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, has pointed the finger at the Taliban, accusing the militant group of 'cruelty and atrocity'. The Taliban apparently claims that the footage is old, from 2015, but activists are not convinced. The case is being investigated by the Independent Human Rights Commission. The Commission said that it was trying to establish when the video was taken and the reason the woman was killed. According to an Afghan activist, Laila Haidari, the Taliban stoned the woman 'a few days ago' in Ghor province. The intensity of their violence and what they can do against women in the absence of law and order is clearly visible, Daily Mail quoted her as saying. The woman can be heard crying in the video as the crowd shouts, Allahu Akbar. Daily Mail She is not the only activist to believe so. However, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid deflected the blame, according to Daily Mail, and claimed that the video was several years old (because that makes it okay somehow?). He appeared to be referring to a notorious case in 2015, when a woman known as, Rokhshana, was stoned to death for adultery, also in Ghor province. The case is still under investigation, but the fact that a mob would stone a woman to death for any reason at all is horrible. Mr Yediyurappa, however, declined to react to the demands put forth by senior legislators. BENGALURU: With two days to go for the much-delayed expansion of his Cabinet, Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa has a tough task on hand with almost a dozen senior legislators threatening to revolt against the six-month-old government in case they are not inducted into the ministry on Thursday. On Tuesday, senior MLAs Basavangowda Patil Yatnal, M.P. Renukacharya, Raju Gowda, Dr Shivaraj Patil, Rajkumar Patil Telkar, Paranna Munavalli, Basawaraj Mattimud, Basavaraju Durgappa Dadesugar and Anand Mamani upped their ante and demanded berths in the ministry listing their seniority and loyalty to Mr Yediyurappa. Speaking to media persons on their behalf, Mr Gowda said, We are not opposing induction of rebel MLAs, who were instrumental in dethroning the coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy, but we are against the induction of defeated BJP MLA, C.P. Yogishwar at a time when many senior MLAs are waiting to join the government. Mr Gowda also demanded an adequate representation for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region during the expansion of the Cabinet. Mr Mamani, who represents Saundatti in the Assembly, backed Mr Gowdas demand in a tweet while regretting that loyalty and the chief minister could ignore seniority. Mr Yediyurappa, however, declined to react to the demands put forth by senior legislators. Sources in the party said the prospect of a rebellion could fade away soon, given the fact that all these senior legislators are diehard supporters of Mr Yediyurappa. The chief minister was forced to put off the expansion of his Cabinet for more than two months as his repeated attempts to secure a go-ahead from top leaders Union home minister Amit Shah and others went in vain. He endured intense pressure from newcomers, who won the Assembly bypolls held in December 2019, and senior legislators during the long wait. Senior central leaders of his party gave him the go-ahead last month but are insisting that the new team should include newcomers as well as senior legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party. By Jeff Murphy, February 5, 2020 WARRENSBURG, MO Following ratification by its board of directors, the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) recently announced the extension of accreditation for the University of Central Missouris business and accounting programs for the next five years. The announcement confirms the global quality and distinction of these UCM programs. It came as AACSB released the names of 48 schools that are receiving extended accreditation in business, one with an extended accreditation in accounting only, and seven including UCM - with both business and accounting accreditation. Obtaining AACSB accreditation helps students to know that a school meets the highest standards in business and accounting education. AACSB has devoted more than 100 years to accrediting such programs, which today include only 5 percent of the worlds schools of business degrees at the bachelors level or higher. The extension of our business and accounting accreditation is validation of the high-quality academic programs offered by the University of Central Missouri, said Jose Mercado, dean of the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies. Our talented School of Business Administration (SoBA) faculty and staff have worked hard to make sure students receive the best hands-on, real-world learning experiences that will prepare them for meaningful roles in their professional careers. Congratulations to the SoBA faculty, staff, students, alumni, and advisory board members on this outstanding recognition. Mercado said UCM was initially accredited in business by AACSB in 1995. Its accounting program was accredited in 1999. According to AACSB, 862 institutions across 56 countries and territories are accredited by the association. Some 189 institutions have earned supplemental AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs. AACSB congratulates each institution on their achievement, said Stephanie M. Bryant, AACSBs executive vice president and chief accreditation officer. Every AACSB-accredited school has demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development, and student learning. The intense peer-review process exemplifies their commitment to quality business education. To achieve accreditation, a college or university must undergo a rigorous internal focus process, engage with an AACSB-assigned mentor, and undergo a peer-reviewed evaluation. This is a multi-year process, requiring schools to demonstrate a focus on development and implementation of a plan that aligns with AACSB standards. This requires excellence in areas that relate to strategic management and innovation. It also encompasses, student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement. A school has to achieve AACSB business accreditation before it can earn accounting accreditation. After doing so, the institution must develop and implement a mission-driven plan to satisfy business accreditation quality standards, and satisfy a supplemental set of standards specific to five-year continuous peer review to maintain high-quality and extend its accreditation. Learn more about educational opportunities in business and accounting within the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies School of Business Administration. Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders are separated by the slimmest of margins in the latest update to Iowa's Democratic caucus results. A fresh round of results around 12:15 a.m. ET Thursday showed the former mayor's state delegate equivalent lead down to 3 over the Vermont senator. Sanders, meanwhile, maintained a lead of more than 2,000 votes in the final alignment popular vote. The partial results almost counted be closer: Buttigieg has 26.2% of state delegate equivalents, while Sanders has 26.1%. The Associated Press reported that results had been published from 96.43% of all precincts, but the number of state delegate equivalents still available to be won means they will not yet call a winner in the race. In a press release sent at just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday, the Iowa Democratic Party said it has reported "1,711 precincts across the state, nation, and overseas accounting for 97 percent of the precincts. We have collected information from all but one precinct, and those records are in transit" The release went on to say "the IDP implemented an immediate, large-scale effort to collect results for precincts that were not received on caucus night. We started with 500 outstanding precincts and now have 53 that are in the process of being reviewed." Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in third place with 18.2%, former Vice President Joe Biden was fourth with 15.8% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar was fifth with 12.2%. The partial update early Thursday was the latest round in a dribbling in of results since the Iowa Democratic Party on Tuesday announced only some results would be announced that day. And it hasn't been smooth sailing. Minutes after an update came in around 4:40 p.m. ET Wednesday, the Iowa Democratic Party tweeted that there was a small error, and updated results would be coming soon. The error in results briefly showed Buttigieg taking the lead in the popular vote of the final alignment. But within 15 minutes, updated results showed Sanders maintaining the lead in popular vote he has held since Tuesday. Story continues In Des Moines' 55th precinct caucus, which was held in the lobby of the office building home to the Des Moines Register, the results issued before the correction showed Deval Patrick earning the support of 191 people in the first alignment and 218 in the final alignment. Those numbers actually belonged to Sanders. The numbers reported by the party also showed Tom Steyer earning support that actually belonged to Warren. And no support was tallied for Yang or "uncommitted," though there were some supporters in the room. After a massive meltdown in producing the results for Monday's Iowa caucuses, state Democratic party officials were still unable to declare a winner that night. An initial set of results accounting for 62% of the state's precincts was released Tuesday afternoon followed a few hours later by additional results. The popular vote vs. state delegate equivalents The Sanders campaign has made a point on several occasions to note that while Buttigieg has a lead in state delegate equivalents (or SDEs), the Vermont senator is leading in the final alignment popular vote. "We want to thank the people of Iowa. We are gratified that in the partial data released so far its clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field," Sanders senior advisor Jeff Weaver said in a statement Tuesday. But how can that be? Dig deeper: Could multiple candidates 'win' the Iowa Democratic caucus? New rules make it possible. Well, you remember 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Republican Donald Trump won the Electoral College? Iowa SDEs are awarded in a similar Electoral College-style system based on prior Democratic votes in the area. After the final alignment at a caucus precinct, the number of people in a candidate's preference group, as well as the total number of people at the precinct, are entered into a formula that spits out the SDEs each candidate can be awarded from that precinct. Those state delegate equivalents are used to allocate how many delegates to the Democratic National Convention each candidate earned and to determine who won the caucuses. So while Buttigieg has the current lead in SDEs, and Sanders currently has the popular vote lead in the final alignment numbers, both have so far earned the same number of delegate to the national convention (10), which is what will eventually determine who the Democratic nominee is. As of noon ET Wednesday, there were still roughly 30% of the results yet to be reported and 17 national delegates yet to be awarded so no overall winner has been named. Annah Aschbrenner, USA TODAY Biden: 'We took a gut punch in Iowa' Former Vice President Joe Biden made light of Iowa's vote counting problems at an event in New Hampshire Wednesday, but conceded the results have been a blow to his campaign. "At this rate, New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote," he quipped before adding, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch. But this isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down." Biden, who is in fourth place with 71% of the precincts reporting, had previously tried to put a more positive spin on his performances in the caucuses. "We had a good night last night in Iowa," he said Tuesday. "We think were going to come out of there really doing well." "But be careful what you say, because it's not done yet." William Cummings, USA TODAY Lots of frustration at results delays Campaigns, party volunteers and regular Iowans have expressed confusion and frustration at the lack of clarity on what is often one of the most closely-watched nights in American presidential politics. "I apologize deeply for this," said Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price. At issue: an app that caucus precinct chairs said failed to work properly, a back-up phone system for relaying results that was bogged down with callers and a new reporting structure that left Democrats working to verify three times the results as previous years. It wasnt the first time the Iowa caucuses have produced late results, but issues come after months of heightened criticism of the caucus process and calls for Iowa to lose its vaunted first-in-the-nation status. "I've said this entire time that were going to have to evaluate after this primary is done the debate thresholds, the order of the states, the caucus versus primary," said former housing secretary Julian Castro, a surrogate for Warren's campaign. "What happened (Monday night) made the argument for itself. Nobody can deny this is a broken way to do it. It was a total mess." The Iowa Democratic Party said the "underlying data collected" on the app used to report caucus results "was sound" but the system was only reporting out partial data. Democrats were manually recounting the results. After the problems emerged in Iowa, frustrated candidates and their campaigns headed to New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Tuesday. While speaking at an event in Laconia, New Hampshire, Buttigieg choked up after speaking about the preliminary results. "It validates the idea that we can expand a coalition not only unified around who it is we're against but around what it is that we're for," he said. Sanders' senior advisor Jeff Weaver praised the Vermont senator's standing with the raw vote totals, not state delegate equivalents. We want to thank the people of Iowa. We are gratified that in the partial data released so far its clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field," Weaver said in a statement. - Caren Bohan, USA TODAY Shadow, Inc. regrets its role in vote count delay The tech firm behind the app that contributed to the reporting delays said on Twitter Tuesday, "We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results" and "the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers." The company also said it had "corrected the underlying technology issue." "We take these issues very seriously, and are committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Partys goal of modernizing its election processes," read one post from Shadow Inc.'s official account. Shadow is an independent, for-profit technology company that contracted with the Iowa Democratic Party to build a caucus reporting mobile app, which was optional for local officials to use. The goal of the app was to ensure accuracy in a complex reporting process. Shadow, Inc. (@ShadowIncHQ) February 4, 2020 William Cummings, USA TODAY Contributing: Rebecca Morin of USA TODAY and Barbara Rodriguez of the Des Moines Register This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa caucus partial results show Buttigieg and Sanders neck and neck Shannen Doherty has revealed she kept her stage 4 terminal breast cancer diagnosis secret for a year because she did not want work to dry up and for people to start treating her differently. The 48-year-old announced on Tuesday that the disease had come back, three years after she was given the all-clear from metastatic breast cancer. She made the announcement in an interview with Good Morning America before the diagnosis became public in court papers that are part of her ongoing lawsuit against State Farm which she says owes her around $3million to repair damage to her home from a 2018 wildfire. Since her announcement, the Beverly Hills 90210 star has been inundated with messages of support from celebrities and fans alike. In the second part of her interview that aired on Wednesday, Doherty said she kept it secret for so long because she did not want people to look at her and think 'dead man walking'. '[People] look at you like, "you're a dead man walking", basically, and that the need to say their goodbyes to you or something and also work dries up. Scroll down for video Shannen Doherty, in the second part of her GMA interview on Wednesday, said she kept her terminal cancer diagnosis secret After @DohertyShannen revealed her battle with stage four breast cancer, the actress explained in an exclusive interview with @arobach why she waited so long to tell the world. https://t.co/eWEIxwNTJO pic.twitter.com/tSltB2OCyl Good Morning America (@GMA) February 5, 2020 'I enjoy working and it gives me another reason to wake up every morning, its another reason to fight to stay alive,' she said. The star said she learned of her diagnosis after telling her oncologist that she was feeling 'odd' pains. 'I started feeling some very odd aches so I called my oncologist and he said let's just get you in, in the back of your head, you are always suspecting this is going to happen but I definitely in another way had convinced myself that I'd beaten it. 'I was the true warrior, the true survivor. I was a cancer slayer,' she said. Doherty was vocal about her first cancer battle but said she may not share as much of it on social media this time around. 'I don't know...I don't post a lot anymore and I also don't want to be a bummer. 'I want to be a positive and a beacon of light for other people or at least somebody that people can relate to and we can have an honest conversation and talk about how hard it is. I do want to be raw about it. 'Our life doesn't end the minute we get that diagnosis. We still have some living to do. I'd prefer a little longer,' she said. Among those who shared their support for her were her Charmed co-stars Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Doherty shared much of her first cancer battle on social media. She said she does not yet know if she will be as open about it this time Support system: Rose McGowan was one of Shannen's many celebrity friends to reach out in support The starlet was inundated with support from other celebrities on social media Doherty learned the cancer had come back aggressively early last year and has kept it private since then but wanted to reveal it this week before it became public in court papers that are part of her ongoing lawsuit against insurance company State Farm over damage to her home from a 2018 wildfire. State Farm has given her $1.1million since the fire but she says the damage to her home and property is $4million. She has also spent hundreds of thousands more on temporary housing and now she says the company has caused her additional stress. In court papers filed hours later that were obtained by DailyMail.com, her lawyers say: 'Shannen Doherty is dying of stage 4 terminal cancer. 'Instead of living out her remaining years peacefully in her home, Ms Doherty remains displaced and battling with her insurance company to pay for the repairs necessary to fix the damage her home and personal belongings sustained in the Woolsey Fire in November 2018.' Doherty's home was damaged in the Wolseley fire and she says trying to make a claim against State Farm to repair some of the damage has been one of the hardest things she has ever done. The company says it has paid her $1.1million but she believes she is entitled to more. Shannen during her last cancer battle with husband Kurt Iswarienko Doherty and her BH90210 co-stars. The reboot came out last August Her attorneys did not give a total desired sum when contacted by DailyMail.com. They said that while State Farm has given her $1.1million, only $311,441 of that was for the repairs. The remaining $700,000 was for her alternative accommodation since 2018. State Farm paid her $138,857 for repairs to the home but she says the damage is worth $2.5million. The company paid her $172,584 to repair her personal property but she says she is 8.7 times that - $1.5million. The actress' lawyer says she never anticipated to recuperate all of that money because it exceeds the claim limits. But because of how she is being treated by the company, she is now suing for additional damages. 'State Farms bad faith insurance tactics have caused Shannen additional damages above and beyond the damages to her home, including unnecessary attorneys fees and, more critically, severe emotional distress suffered before, during and after her cancer recurrence. 'Because State Farm has forced Shannen to go through this and to endure with this lawsuit with the limited time she has left, she is seeking additional damages for State Farms bad faith conduct as well as punitive damages to punish and deter State Farm from this unreasonable, inhumane conduct in the future toward homeowners in the wake of losses like the Woolsey Fire,' her attorney, Devin McRae said. Doherty revealed she had been given her diagnosis when Luke Perry, her Beverly Hills 90210 co-star, died in February last year. They are shown in the original show together in the 1990s 'Shannen really just wants State Farm to pay what is owed under her insurance policy to return her home to its pre-fire condition,' she said. State Farm told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'We empathize with Ms. Dohertys health issues and wish her a full recovery. Doherty beat cancer once before. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 then, after a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was given the all-clear in 2017. She is shown in 2016 'We strongly believe we have upheld our commitment to our customer and have paid what we owe on this claim. 'We are prepared to defend our position in court.' In her GMA interview, Doherty said she wanted to get ahead of the court filings becoming public and 'control the narrative'. 'Its going to come out in a matter of days or week that I am Stage 4, my cancer came back and thats why I am here. Its a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways,' she said, adding: 'I'm petrified. I'm pretty scared.' 'I'd rather people hear it from me. I don't want it to be twisted, a court document. I want it to be real and authentic. 'I want to control the narrative. I want people to know from me,' she said. The State Farm lawsuit, she said, has been a grueling process. 'My house was severely damaged. You walked in and it just reeked of smoke. I tried - I communicated with my insurance company. 'I called, I got passed around, claims adjuster or to claims adjuster. 'I ended up suing State farm and the result has been one of the most horrific processes I have ever been through,' she said. She said that she was most worried to tell her mother, Rosa, and her husband, film producer Kurt Iswarienko. 'My mom is a ridiculously strong courageous human being. So is my husband, but I worry about him,' she said. Doherty does not have children. She added that she felt she had to continue with a reboot of Beverly Hills 90210 - one of the shows that made her famous - after the sudden and surprising death of co-star Luke Perry Doherty had secretly been diagnosed with stage IV when Perry died of a stroke in February last year. 'Why wasn't it me? It was so weird for me to be diagnosed and then somebody who was seemingly healthy to go fist. It was really shocking and the least I could do to honor him was to do that show. I still haven't done enough in my opinion,' she said. She added that she wanted to prove that people who had been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer 'still have some living to do'. President Donald Trump's nominee for the second highest personnel job at the Pentagon is said to have withdrawn amid reports of an article he co-wrote in which he said multiculturalism 'helps breed homegrown terrorism'. J. David Patterson penned the op-ed in 2017, days after ISIS inspired Sayfullo Saipov allegedly killed eight people in New York. He wrote: 'Multiculturalism is the antithesis of what the United States stands for and the foundational thinking of our founding fathers that sustains America as its own unique society. 'We citizens welcome legal immigrants with the assumption they come of their own free will. That means they come to accept living in the United States with our laws and our culture the way it is, not the way they might want to change it.' Patterson was in line for becoming the principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness but pulled out of the running for the role after the opinion piece for conservative website The Federalist surfaced, Politico reports. J. David Patterson, right, was President Donald Trump's, left, nominee for the second highest personnel job at the Pentagon but is said to have withdrawn amid reports of an article he co-wrote in which he said multiculturalism 'helps breed homegrown terrorism' J. David Patterson penned this op-ed in 2017, days after ISIS inspired Sayfullo Saipov allegedly killed eight people in New York. Patterson was in line for becoming the principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness The role would have effectively made him Matthew Donovan's deputy and would include overseeing 'equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and quality of life matters'. The White House announced the nomination on January 6, describing Patterson as a former executive with Boeing and the National Defense Business Institute at the University of Tennessee. Vietnam veteran Patterson is a former defense official in George W. Bush's administration. He is currently a senior vice president at SMA Inc., a defense and aerospace consulting firm. He blamed the 'failure to assimilate into an adopted culture' for for the rise in terrorist behavior in the United States, co-writing alongside A.D.P. Efferson. They wrote: 'One explanation for the rise in terrorist behavior in the United States is the insidious and significantly difficult-to-pinpoint problem of failure to assimilate into an adopted culture. 'Whether homegrown or imported, people who embrace extremist behavior such as terrorist acts demonstrate convincing evidence of a failure to assimilate into the culture in which they reside. 'The convergence of terrorism, as acted out in the recent gun violence in San Bernardino and New York City, with the general conditions of a failure of some to assimilate into the American societal fabric, combined with a lack of fathers and social leaders demonstrable moral leadership is difficult to ignore.' The White House announced the nomination on January 6, describing Patterson as a former executive with Boeing and the National Defense Business Institute at the University of Tennessee. Vietnam veteran Patterson is a former defense official in George W. Bush's administration. The Pentagon is pictured Patterson was officially nominated on January 9 for the role after retiring as a colonel from the Air Force in 1993. It is understood he lost the support of Capitol Hill after the piece was seen. A number of high profile names have left the Pentagon in recent months, including Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and acting personnel chief Jimmy Stewart. Neither Patterson, the White House or the Pentagon have commented. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - IAMGOLD Corporation (TSX: IMG) ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced an updated Mineral Resource estimate and filed a supporting National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Technical Report for its 100% owned Pitangui Project, located approximately 110 kilometres northwest of the city of Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The estimate was completed in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards incorporated by reference in NI 43-101. The updated mineral resource estimate, based on an underground mining scenario, comprises an Indicated Resource of 3.33 million tonnes grading 4.39 grams per tonne gold for 0.47 million contained ounces and an Inferred Resource of 3.56 million tonnes grading 3.78 grams of gold per tonne for 0.43 million contained ounces, at a cut-off grade of 2.5 grams of gold per tonne (see Table 1 below). The updated estimate has converted 52% of the resources to an indicated category relative to the previously stated mineral resources (see news release dated February 19th, 2019). Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated, "The Sao Sebastiao gold deposit is hosted in a banded iron formation, for which the region is well known, and is an outstanding grass roots discovery made by our Brazilian exploration team who have continued to advance and improve the definition of resources since its discovery. Our ongoing exploration activities continues to target potential mineralized extensions and evaluate additional targets for new discoveries. I would also like to especially acknowledge the outstanding safety record achieved by this exploration team, having recently surpassed ten years without a recordable DART1 incident." TABLE 1: MINERAL RESOURCE STATEMENT, PITANGUI PROJECT, BRAZIL Effective Date: December 31, 2019 Classification Deposit Tonnes (000) Grade (g/t Au) Contained Ounces (000) Indicated Sao Sebastiao 3,330 4.39 470 Inferred Sao Sebastiao 3,559 3.78 433 Notes: CIM definitions (2014) were followed for classification of Mineral Resources. Mineral Resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 2.5 g/t Au. Mineral Resources are estimated using a gold price of US$1,500 per ounce. High grade capped assay values calculated: Biquinho 22 g/t Au, Pimentao 20 g/t Au, while Tomate did not require capping. Bulk density of the mineralized zones, as determined from 30,505 measurements, varies from 3.03 g/cm3 to 3.25 g/cm3 for the three main mineralized domains (Biquinho, Pimentao, Tomate). Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and have not demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the mineral resource will be converted into mineral reserves. Since its discovery, ongoing systematic delineation drilling has been completed on nominal 50 x 50 metre drill hole centres in the core of the deposit, and up to approximately 100 x 100 metre spacing in the deeper "down-plunge" areas of the deposit. The mineral resource estimate incorporates nearly 33,000 assay results from 216 diamond drill holes totalling 80,041 metres, and was completed by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. ("SRK"). The estimate was prepared using a block model constrained within a three-dimensional wire-frame ("mesh") geologic model of the principal mineralized domains (Tomate, Biquinho and Pimentao stratigraphically from top to bottom) hosted in banded iron formations ("BIF"), see Figure 1 below. The geologic model was constructed by IAMGOLD geologists and validated and modified (as necessary) by SRK into various mineralized subdomains. Values for gold were interpolated into 10m x 10m x 2m blocks (sub-celled to 5m x 5m x 1m sub-blocks) using ordinary kriging. The resource estimate, assuming a long-term gold price of US$1,500 per ounce, was constrained by cost assumptions derived from comparable operating underground mines to support the CIM requirement that Mineral Resources have reasonable prospects for economic extraction. These assumptions, based on a 1,100 tonnes per day mining operation, include US$31.70 per tonne for mining, US$50.70 per tonne for processing and US$5.30 per tonne for general and administrative costs; with mining dilution assumed to be 20% and mining recovery 85%. Metallurgical recovery of 93% was also assumed based on previous preliminary metallurgical test work results. 1Days Away, Restricted, Transferred. The DART rate refers to the number of days away, restricted duty or job transfer incidents that occur per 100 employees. Figure 1: Longitudinal View of the Mineralized Subdomains (looking Northeast); Purple - Tomate, Red - Biquinho, Orange -Pimentao, Black traces - Boreholes. Azimuth/dip of the view - 047/21. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6077/52154_0a0f732744727921_001full.jpg Next Steps Future drilling programs will continue to: 1) test the potential down-plunge extensions of mineralized BIFs with wide spaced step-out drill holes, and 2) on the remainder of the 180 square kilometer Pitangui property, continue to drill test various exploration targets with the objective of discovering additional mineralized zones. About the Pitangui Project IAMGOLD initially identified and acquired the Pitangui property in 2007, with first pass drilling leading to the discovery of the Sao Sebastiao gold deposit in 2011-2012. To date, drilling has confirmed the presence of several parallel, stacked, shallowly dipping and gently folded horizons of BIF within the Archean Pitangui greenstone belt. Locally, the BIFs are moderately to tightly drag-folded next to shallow-dipping thrust planes. Within the BIFs, gold mineralization is associated with sulphide replacement of primary magnetite bands, characterized by the presence of pyrrhotite and lesser amounts of pyrite, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite. Several active mining operations located in the Brazilian Iron Quadrangle exploit gold deposits of a comparable age, host rock type and mineralization style. These deposits typically comprise multiple mineralized shoots with high plunge to strike-length ratios, a result of complex structural controls on gold distribution. Examples include AngloGold Ashanti's Cuiaba and Lamego deposits. Technical Information and Quality Control Notes The Pitangui mineral resource estimate was completed by SRK and reported in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 requirements and CIM Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Best Practices Guidelines. The resource estimate was prepared by SRK Senior Resource Consultant A. Mitrofanov, PhD, P.Geo., reviewed by O. Leuangthong, PhD, P.Eng., Principal Consultant, and all technical work was supervised by SRK Principal Resource Geologist, G. Cole, P.Geo. Dr. Mitrofanov and Mr. Cole, who are Qualified Persons independent of IAMGOLD for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, have reviewed and approved the contents of this release as it pertains to the Pitangui project. A supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report has been filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. SRK has reviewed and verified exploration practices and the resultant database used to complete the mineral resource estimate reported herein, and has expressed the opinion that it is satisfied that the work carried out by IAMGOLD has been conducted in a manner consistent with generally recognized industry best practices and that the exploration data are sufficiently reliable for the purpose of supporting a mineral resource estimate. The sampling and analysis of drill core used to support the mineral resource estimate is monitored through the implementation of a quality assurance - quality control program designed to follow industry best practice. Drill core (HQ and NQ size) samples were selected by IAMGOLD geologists and cut lengthwise with a diamond saw at the project site. Half of the core is retained on site for future reference. Sample intervals range between 0.4 and 1.0 metres in length. Samples were submitted to either ACME Analytical Laboratory or ALS Limited, and assayed for gold using a standard fire assay procedure with an atomic absorption finish ("FA-AA") and a multi-element ICP-MS analysis. From 2015 onwards a percentage of pulps were also sent to SGS GEOSOL as an umpire laboratory for gold (FA-AA) and multi-element ICP-MS analyses. Forward-Looking Information All Mineral Resources estimates reported by the Company were estimated in accordance with the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards (May 10, 2014). These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. This document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" are made as of the date of this document. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the estimated amount and grade of Mineral Resources; (ii) the optimization study representing a potentially viable development option for the Project; (iii) estimates of the capital costs of constructing mine facilities and bringing a mine into production, of sustaining capital and the duration of financing payback periods; (iv) the estimated amount of future production, both produced and metal recovered; and, (v) estimates of operating costs and total costs, net cash flow, net present value and economic returns from an operating mine. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "envisages", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on IAMGOLD's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but generally these assumptions include: (i) the presence of and continuity of metals at the Pitangui Gold Project at estimated grades; (ii) the geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of rock conforming to sampled results; including the quantities of water and the quality of the water that must be diverted or treated during mining operations; (iii) the capacities and durability of various machinery and equipment; (iv) the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times; (v) currency exchange rates; (vi) metals sales prices and exchange rate assumed; (vii) appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis; (viii) tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; (ix) the availability of acceptable financing under assumed structure and costs; (x) anticipated mining losses and dilution; (xi) metallurgical performance; (xii) reasonable contingency requirements; (xiii) success in realizing proposed operations; (xiv) receipt of permits and other regulatory approvals on acceptable terms; and (xv) the fulfillment of environmental assessment commitments and arrangements with local communities. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are made assuming the correctness of other forward-looking statements, such as statements of net present value and internal rates of return, which are based on most of the other forward-looking statements and assumptions herein. The cost information is also prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs will be in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable over the relevant period. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions and estimates expressed above do not occur as forecast, but specifically include, without limitation: risks relating to variations in the mineral content within the material identified as Mineral Resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; the geotechnical characteristics of the rock mined or through which infrastructure is built differing from that predicted, the quantity of water that will need to be diverted or treated during mining operations being different from what is expected to be encountered during mining operations or post closure, or the rate of flow of the water being different; developments in world metals markets; risks relating to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar; increases in the estimated capital and operating costs or unanticipated costs; difficulties attracting the necessary work force; increases in financing costs or adverse changes to the terms of available financing, if any; tax rates or royalties being greater than assumed; changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks relating to receipt of regulatory approvals; delays in stakeholder negotiations; changes in regulations applying to the development, operation, and closure of mining operations from what currently exists; the effects of competition in the markets in which IAMGOLD operates; operational and infrastructure risks and the additional risks described in IAMGOLD's Annual Information Form filed with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com ) for the year ended December 31, 2018 and in the Corporation's Annual Report Form 40-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR (available at https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html). IAMGOLD cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to IAMGOLD, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. IAMGOLD does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by IAMGOLD or on our behalf, except as required by law. Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured and Indicated Resources This news release uses the term "indicated resources". We advise investors that while that term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not recognize them. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Inferred Resources This news release also uses the term "inferred resources". We advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred Resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The SEC limits disclosure for U.S. reporting purposes to mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. IAMGOLD uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured," "indicated," or "inferred," which may not be consistent with the resource definitions established by the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the IAMGOLD Annual Reports on Forms 40-F. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or by contacting the Investor Relations department. The Canadian Securities Administrators' NI 43-101 requires mining companies to disclose reserves and resources using the subcategories of "proven" reserves, "probable" reserves, "measured" resources, "indicated" resources and "inferred" resources. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not demonstrate economic viability. A Mineral Resource is a concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic material, or natural, solid fossilized organic material including base and precious metals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a Mineral Resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. A Measured Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are so well established that they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support production planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough to confirm both geological and grade continuity. An Indicated Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. An inferred Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Mineral resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. For further information please contact: Indi Gopinathan, VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, IAMGOLD Corporation Tel: (416) 360-4743 Mobile: (416) 388-6883 Martin Dumont, Senior Analyst Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation Tel: (416) 933-5783 Mobile: (647) 967-9942 Toll-free: 1-888-464-9999 info@iamgold.com Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through Newsfile's website at www.newsfilecorp.com. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le www.iamgold.com/French/Home/default.aspx. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52154 3.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) inaccurately claimed that there is evidence to acquit to Trump which is why she is voting against convicting the president. Collins told CNNs Manu Raju: I asked if she believed the House proved its case Trump withheld aid to push Ukraine to announce a probe into the Bidens, Collins said: "The motivations for the president's actions are mixed. There was evidence on both sides in the record. Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 4, 2020 I asked if she believed the House proved its case Trump withheld aid to push Ukraine to announce a probe into the Bidens, Collins said: "The motivations for the president's actions are mixed. There was evidence on both sides in the record. Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 4, 2020 Collins also claimed that Trump had learned a giant lesson from impeachment, so she is voting to acquit him. Once Susan Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, her political future was on life support. Her vote in favor of witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial was nothing more than the token Collins gesture of moderation as she fell in line with Donald Trump. Collins has chosen to sell herself out to illegal dark money and Donald Trump. She is not the moderate that she has sold herself as, and Sen. Collins should wave goodbye to her Senate seat when she votes to acquit Trump. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook In a press conference today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a plane carrying 178 American coronavirus evacuees from Wuhan, China, landed early Wednesday at Travis Air Force Base, 50 miles northeast of San Francisco. "There was applause when they walked through the door," said Dr. Henry Walke, director of the CDC's Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections. "Frankly, it was an emotional experience." All evacuees will be quarantined for 14 days and staying in isolation at the Westwind Inn on Travis AFB. They won't have any contact with people living and working on the base. "Travis AFB is committed to providing support to our interagency partners, ensuring the safety and welfare of the Team Travis community, all while continuing our primary mission to rapidly project American power anytime...anywhere," a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State reads. None of the evacuees in quarantine at the base have tested positive for coronavirus or shown symptoms. One small child who had a fever on the flight was evacuated to a nearby hospital, Walke said. A parent accompanied the young patient. The age of the child and the medical center treating the patent aren't being revealed for privacy reasons. "Children have a fever for a number of different reasons," Walke said. A second plane with American evacuees from Wuhan also stopped to refuel at Travis Air Force Base early Wednesday and then continued on to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. These people will also be quarantine for two weeks. ALSO: Map: Where 11 cases of coronavirus are confirmed in the U.S. The pneumonia-like new coronavirus has infected more than 24,000 people and killed nearly 500 people worldwide. The majority of cases are in China but the virus has spread to two dozen other countries. In the U.S., there are 12 confirmed cases: six in California, two in Illinois and there is one each in Wisconsin, Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (See the map in the gallery above for locations with confirmed cases). Known as the "Gateway to the Pacific," Travis AFB handles more cargo and passenger traffic through its airport than any other military base in the country. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. Victorias devastating bushfire season has inspired more than 5000 people to apply to be volunteers with the Country Fire Authority, after a long-term decline in numbers. The usual business of State Parliament was given over to condolence motions on Wednesday morning as MPs lined up to mourn the five people who died in Victoria in this summers fires. Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville speaks during the bushfire condolence motion in State Parliament on Wednesday. Credit:AAP Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said local brigade captains in East Gippsland had reported strong interest in support for the CFA following the fires. I think [CFA chief Steve] Warrington would say something like 5400 people have joined up to the CFA during this fire period, she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 15:43 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062bb86d 1 Business Indonesia,economy,state-budget,Sri-Mulyani,inclusive-sustainable-growth,World-Bank,global-slowdown Free The government will continue to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth in its development agenda to mitigate the impact of the global slowdown and to reduce economic inequality, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said during a public lecture. Addressing students at the campus of the University of Indonesia in Salemba, Jakarta on Monday, the former World Bank Group managing director said the development goals were reflected in the state budget, which focused on infrastructure development as well as rural development and social assistance programs for the poor and others in need. Sri Mulyani said that the inclusive development approach would help mitigate the impacts of sluggish economic growth, especially on the poor. Global and domestic growth have fallen to their lowest levels in the last 10 years, she said. The World Bank slightly lowered its global growth forecast for 2019 and 2020 in early January, despite the easing trade tensions between the United States and China. In the latest edition of its annual Global Economic Prospects, the bank lowered its global forecast by 0.2 percentage point to 2.4 percent for 2019 and 2.5 percent for 2020. Indonesia recorded growth of 5.02 percent in the third quarter of 2019, the lowest in more than two years amid the slowdown in the global economy. The government has allocated large funds to finance social assistance programs as part of its inclusive growth policy, including the non-cash assistance program, the national health insurance scheme and educational scholarships for poor families. It has also increased the budget allocation for the village funds program that aims to empower rural economies. The state budget for 2020 is similar to the 2019 [budget]. The theme is to maintain the growth momentum and improve economic fundamentals, Sri Mulyani said. The government had also laid out a comprehensive program to revive the economy through deregulatory measures to remove barriers to investment, as well as fiscal incentives to help businesses cope with the sluggish growth. The minister stressed that Indonesia remained ahead of many other countries with its economic growth of about 5 percent. (ydp) International investigators have revealed that Chinese doctors and epidemiologists who rang alarm bells in December were disciplined and their comments on social media were erased by government censors. One medical practitioner in Wuhan who was demanding urgent attention to the virus as it was proliferating was forced to confess to the police that he had engaged in illegal behaviour. (Photo: AP) As the human toll of the coronavirus steadily rises, it is obvious that the epidemic represents a colossal failure of Chinas top-down authoritarian political system. It has dented the carefully built-up image of Chinas one-party state as a highly efficient technocratic machine that is delivering good governance and rapidly improving the lives of its 1.4 billion people. Chinas Communist Party has only itself to blame for the devastating crisis it has on its hands. The first known case of coronavirus was reported on December 8, but local party officials in Chinas Hubei province, where the epicentre of Wuhan is located, did not notify the general public until the final day of 2019. Evidence that the virus was being transmitted through human-to-human contact was available with the authorities from mid-December, but China officially announced so on state television only on January 20. International investigators have revealed that Chinese doctors and epidemiologists who rang alarm bells in December were disciplined and their comments on social media were erased by government censors. One medical practitioner in Wuhan who was demanding urgent attention to the virus as it was proliferating was forced to confess to the police that he had engaged in illegal behaviour. While silencing conscientious specialists, the government aired the views of party-controlled respiratory illness experts who claimed for weeks that the situation was under control and that the virus spread was being prevented. Just when early information flow would have nipped the virus in the bud, Chinas government carried out a thorough censorship drive on the Internet the relatively unfiltered virtual public square in China to control rumours about the deadly virus and maintain public order. As a result of these concerted coverups and deliberate delaying tactics by Chinas self-serving party state, approximately five million people had departed Wuhan before the travel restrictions and quarantining were implemented from January 23. As of February 4, over 20,500 cases of coronavirus infections were confirmed in 27 countries and territories, which is already more than double the 8,400-odd cases during the 2002-2003 epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that originated in Chinas southern Guangdong province. Had official China not suppressed news about coronavirus and swept it under the carpet throughout December and the first three weeks of January, it would not have mushroomed into a scary global health emergency. Why did the Chinese government, which had been guilty of secrecy, non-transparency and belated responses during previous public health crises like SARS and the milk adulteration scandal of 2008, not learn from past errors? Its opaque political system since 1949 remains in some ways unchanged and unreformed, despite spearheading decades of astonishing state-driven economic growth and modernisation. Chinas state is more autocratic and centralised today under President Xi Jinping than it ever was since Mao Zedong. The manner in which Mr Xi has tightened the screws on all levels and layers of the vast party bureaucracy is mindboggling. His extreme cult of personality, willful constitutional manipulation, ruthless takedowns of rivals, incessant anti-corruption drives and enforcement of ideological loyalty across Chinas 90-million-strong Communist Party membership have left officials cowering and distrustful. In an environment of generalised terror permeating the state apparatus, had the Wuhan and Hubei party hierarchy conceded in December itself that they failed to adequately regulate livestock markets and contain the coronavirus, it would have aroused central government wrath. With the lunar new year celebration around the corner, upsetting the commercial and cultural extravaganzas that generate revenue for the state and keep GDP growth up, would have been deemed a cardinal sin. Historically, dictatorships have shown an inherent tendency of not allowing bad news to go up the ranks, lest this ends up costing careers and perks. The innate tendency to pretend that everything is fine and to feed glowing periodic reports of targets achieved and progress made to the central high command has been compounded under Mr Xis one-man setup. In such an order, the incentives to downplay official malfeasance and avoid scrutiny are greater than the incentives to proactively address citizens urgent needs. It is noteworthy that the insensitive and lethargic Chinese bureaucracy suddenly shifted gear and sprang to action to contain coronavirus only after Mr Xis acknowledgement on January 25 that China was facing a grave situation and his promise to battle to beat the epidemic. Following that green signal from the core leader and President for life, the miraculous side of fleet-footed China emerged and the state began constructing mega-hospitals in a matter of days, assembling testing and treatment kits on a war footing, and enforcing tight lockdowns of densely populated cities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has even patted China on the back for its massive effort to combat the transmission of the virus. But WHO, whose director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus has gone to the extent of praising Mr Xi personally for his detailed knowledge of the outbreak, has remained mum about the crucial one-and-half month period before January 25 when Chinas state acted irresponsibly toward its own citizens and to the rest of the world. As a cautious intergovernmental organisation which relies on China for donations to its programme budget, and whose former director-general Margaret Chan was a nominee of the Chinese government, WHO is no objective judge of how Chinas government handled coronavirus from day one. By February 4, the death toll from coronavirus of 425 in mainland China had already surpassed that of SARS (348 deaths) in its entire run from November 2002 to July 2003. This happened even though the fatality rate of SARS was 10 per cent while coronavirus is at just two per cent. In other words, coronavirus constitutes the biggest embarrassment for the Chinese Communist Party in the 21st century and of the Xi Jinping model in particular. Once the scale of the disaster could no longer be hidden, the mayor and city party secretary of Wuhan offered to resign and conceded that their administrative and information management had been unsatisfactory. But scapegoating local apparatchiks evades the main systemic flaw, which is Mr Xis over-centralisation and absolutist form of rule. China is undeniably accumulating extraordinary economic and military power under Mr Xis leadership. But he is also primarily accountable for the plight of his people during crises like the coronavirus epidemic. In this surreal fairy tale, it is once again the emperor who has no clothes. Sreeram Chaulia is a professor and dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs In a dramatic gesture, Nancy Pelosi publicly tore up her copy of Donald Trump's annual State of the Union address, signalling the worsening relationship between the House Speaker and the US President. Pelosi has been one of Trump's fiercest critics and the top Democrat was the one who first launched formal impeachment process in the House of Representatives against the president last year. President Trump has frequently taunted the 79-year-old lawmaker as "Crazy Nancy". The mutual snubbing began the moment Trump, seeking re-election, walked into the House chamber on Tuesday night for his third State of the Union address in which he touted his administration's achievements during the past three years. It was the first time the two had come face-to-face since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago. On Tuesday night, the sour dynamic was on display to all from the start, The New York Times noted. The tensions over impeachment appeared to surface early on, however, as Pelosi refused to introduce Trump by saying it was her "distinct honour" and "high privilege" to do so, as is tradition. Instead, she simply introduced him as the President of the United States, Fox News, said to be Trump's favourite channel, reported. When the 73-year-old Republican president stepped up to the rostrum in the House of Representatives and handed her his speech, Pelosi rose and extended her hand to shake his. Trump turned his back, and Pelosi quickly withdrew her hand. The interaction between Trump and Pelosi was one of the most anticipated moments of the president's appearance at the Capitol before the Senate is expected to acquit him on Wednesday in his impeachment trial, The Times noted. When the president accused the Democrats of planning to force American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to undocumented immigrants, Pelosi was observed twice mouthing: "Not true." Pelosi repeatedly shook her head during Trump's 78-minute speech which also saw Republican lawmakers chanting, "Four more years!" The veteran Democrat, the first woman in US history to hold the post of the Speaker, stuck to it until the very end of Trump's address and then she stood up, picked up her copy of his speech and tore it neatly in half. "It was a dramatic gesture, caught on camera, that encapsulated a tumultuous year in the relationship between the speaker and the president," The Washington Post commented. Pelosi told reporters afterwards her stunning gesture was "the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives". She did rise to applaud Trump more than once, including when he promoted his pet project of infrastructure investment. Later, she tweeted that the "Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot." Meanwhile, the White House hit back at Pelosi, saying the House Speaker has insulted the Americans honoured in Trump's speech, from a veteran airman to a premature baby or a mourning military family. "That's her legacy", the White House tweeted. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also criticised Pelosi, tweeting: Tearing the speech up is not going to tear up the accomplishments of this President. But Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrat in the Senate, said that Trump's address to Congress was more like his campaign rally than a speech a true leader would give. "It was demagogic, undignified, highly partisan and in too many places, untruthful", he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 09:21:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Two weeks! This is the time China took to build two hospitals with a total of 2,600 beds in Wuhan to combat coronavirus. Check out this video to see #HowChinaCan / -- Incredible Gifts, one of the largest growing online gifting portal is gaining rapid popularity with its contemporary gifting ideas. The company has aced the art of wood crafting and other engraved momentos. It focuses on unconventional gifting material unlike the old school flowers, chocolates, etc., providing a monumental experience to its customers. The company strives hard to provide an excellent gifting experience at an affordable price range. It has successfully served over 10 lac customers and delivers pan-India leaving the gift receivers spellbound with their art of carving. Apart from the company's website www.incrediblegifts.in, one can also find these new age art forms at the e-commerce giant Amazon.in. 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We want to make each gifting experience as immaculate as possible."As Valentine's Day is around the corner, customers can avail the customisable products from the below mentioned links:https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01ADC1VNE/https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01N6XWVV9http://incrediblegifts.in/index.php?route=product/product&path=95_98&product_id=460http://incrediblegifts.in/index.php?route=product/product&path=95_98&product_id=166http://www.amazon.in/dp/B01N4QQCX6About Incredible GiftsFounded by Vikram Pratap and Yashpal Sharma, www.incrediblegifts.in is an e-commerce corporation that missions to provide a singular experience to their customer base through its unique individualized products and online services. Established in 2012, the company is headquartered in Delhi. It is an online gifting store that provides its services in pan India. Believe it or not, the chase ends at this online store. The range of products offered by Incredible Gifts provide the perfect fit for one's loved ones, to make one's memories eternal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The killing of six Turkish soldiers and a civilian contractor attached to the Turkish military by Syrian regime forces in Syrias northwestern province of Idlib on Feb. 3 has raised Turkeys adventure in Syria to a different and much more dangerous level for Ankara. Many Turkish analysts, especially those who argue that Ankaras Syria policy was misguided from the start, believe that Turkey and Syria are effectively in a state of undeclared war today, and that Russia is a party to this conflict on the side of Damascus. Angry statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding developments in Idlib during which he has also started to target Russia have also been fueling this perception. Meanwhile government spokesman Omer Celik declared openly, soon after news of this latest incident broke, that forces attached to the Syrian regime in Idlib will henceforth be legitimate targets for Turkey. These developments point to a scenario that many Turks have been worried about for some time; namely that Turkey will be dragged into a long and drawn-out conflict in Syria. Questions are also being raised as to how Turkey will extract itself from this increasingly grave situation. Ankaras Syria policy has little, if any, support from the West or from key Arab states, while its partnership with Russia is breaking down. There are growing expectations that Ankara will be forced to seek support from the United States and Europe to break out of this debilitating isolation. Statements out of Washington regarding developments in Idlib are in tune with Ankaras position and reinforce this expectation. "The destabilizing actions of Russia, the Iranian regime, Hezbollah and the Assad regime are directly preventing the establishment of a nationwide cease-fire in Syria and the safe return of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in northern Syria to their homes," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Jan. 27. We stand by our NATO ally Turkey against these actions, send condolences to the Turkish government on the deaths of their people and fully support Turkeys justified self-defense actions in response," Pompeo added Feb. 3, after eight Turkish military personnel were killed by the Syrian regime's shelling. This strike also reveals the true limits of the partnership of convenience Turkey and Russia have established in Syria, which to date has worked largely to Moscows advantage. Ilter Turan, who teaches international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, told Al-Monitor, It was evident from the start that Turkey and Russia have incompatible positions in Syria. The Russian statement regarding the strike against Turkish forces showed that Moscow stood behind Damascus. It said Ankara did not inform Moscow it had forces in the region where operations were being conducted by the regime against jihadi elements. In contradiction of Turkish official statements, the Russian statement said Turkish fighter jets had not violated Syrias borders and that no Turkish airstrikes on the positions of Syrian troops had been recorded. Some analysts took this as a subtle message to Ankara from Moscow warning that Russia controls Syrian airspace and is in a position to follow and record every violation by Turkey. Turan said latest developments in Idlib show what many have believed for some time, that Ankara and Moscow have been on an unavoidable collision course in Syria. He said he believes this could provide an opportunity for Turkey to improve its ties with the West. The need for Western support in Syria has also started to be underlined by pro-government commentators and analysts. Burhanettin Duran, from the government funded SETA foundation in Ankara, is one such analyst. Washington and Brussels must place pressure on Moscow. Ankara cannot shoulder the burden of counterbalancing Russia on its own, Duran wrote in the pro-government daily Sabah. Duran, who also acts as an adviser to Erdogan, said he believes Western powers should come to Ankaras assistance for their own interests if for nothing else, arguing that a fresh wave of refugees from Idlib would threaten European democracies. UN sources said hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Idlib have started piling up on the Turkish border. Erdogan has threatened on multiple occasions in the past to open Turkeys doors for the refugees to go to Europe if the West doesnt assist Turkey in this crisis. Durans remarks also reflect the growing resentment toward Russia in Turkish government circles, although this is being kept mostly in check for the sake of the broader relationship between the two countries. Until recently, the same circles were lauding the increasing political and military relationship with Moscow and the counterbalance this would provide to Turkeys deteriorating ties with the West. Reaching out to the West at a difficult time for Ankara, such as the present moment, begs some questions. For example, what would the price tag for seeking US support in Idlib be? Ankara and Washington are at odds over the presence of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) group in lands east of the Euphrates River, and the problem remains today even if this matter has moved to the back burner due to developments in Idlib. Turan said Washington is unlikely to make any concessions to Turkey regarding the YPG. Nevertheless, he said some concessions by Turkey to Washington could lay the ground for better cooperation in Idlib. He indicated that minor concessions with regard to the S-400 air defense systems Turkey purchased from Russia a move that has angered Washington may help in this regard. The dust will have to settle after the strike on Turkish forces for a better picture to emerge as to how Ankara plans to proceed. For now, though, Erdogan is vowing retaliation over the latest incident, saying this has already started and will continue. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said 54 Syrian regime targets have already been hit, killing at least 76 Syrian army personnel. The attack on Turkish forces has opened a new chapter in Turkish-Russian ties with regard to Syria. Many on the Turkish side are convinced that the Syrian army could not have targeted Turkish positions without Russias prior knowledge and support. Turkey recently decided to send more military elements to the region. It was these elements that Syria targeted, wrote Sami Kohen, one of Turkeys most senior foreign policy commentators. Ankara has no doubts that this was done intentionally and that Russia supported this, Kohen added in his column in daily Milliyet. Many expect the way ahead in Turkish-Russian ties to be marked by increasing tensions that the sides will have to manage carefully in order to avoid any serious breakdown in their burgeoning political and economic relationship. Meanwhile, it appears that efforts spearheaded by Moscow aimed at trying to bring Ankara and Damascus closer will be undermined by this latest development. Despite much foot-dragging on the Turkish side, the Russian effort appeared to be making some headway, as demonstrated by the meeting in January in Moscow between the intelligence chiefs of the two countries. Erdogan and his government will be hard-pressed domestically to continue with these contacts at a time when the Syrian side is seen to be killing Turkish soldiers. However, Turan said he believes this latest incident could end up acting as a catalyst for normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus. Turan, like many Turks opposed to Erdogans Syrian policy, said he believes Ankara has to recognize President Bashar al-Assads regime in order shore up its negotiating position in Syria. This may appear more difficult now after this latest development but difficult situations can hold the key to new and favorable developments. Turkey has to do this in order to regain some of the ground it has lost in the Syria negotiations, Turan said. Whichever route it decides to take in the end, it is clear that Ankaras choices in Syria remain limited, and that its reliance on Russia is proving to be disappointing, as many suspected it would be all along. DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern mayor Pete Buttigieg with a slight lead over progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the opening contest of the partys 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the Iowa Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 71% of precincts in the state. The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg's early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigieg's early rise was rivaled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. READ MORE: We went to an Iowa caucus that looks a lot like the Pa. swing counties Trump flipped in 2016 One of his party's most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden's campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. "We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline -- even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent press conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. And billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, saying he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The party's caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said thank you to Iowa and, tongue in cheek, expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes. "And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here," he said. READ MORE: There was an official Iowa caucus in Philly and Bernie Sanders won For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbor Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren also said she was feeling good about her performance in Iowa. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion." A Biden campaign representative objected to the partys plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didn't address growing reports about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials, and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party. Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Bloomberg announced plans to double his national television advertising spending which has already exceeded $100 million as he expands his paid staff to more than 2,000 people. Bloomberg is looking to next month, having decided to bypass Iowa's contest and the three other states voting this month in favor of the delegate-rich states in March. READ MORE: Kill the Iowa Caucus and start fixing American democracy from the ground up | Will Bunch After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever, Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. No one has made the sale or even come close to it." Beyond 2020, Monday's debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. CarGurus Appoints Andrea Eldridge as Chief People Officer CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 04, 2020; CarGurus, a global automotive marketplace, today announced the appointment of Andrea Eldridge as Chief People Officer. In this new role, Eldridge will oversee all people operations at the company, including talent acquisition and management, diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership development and total rewards, among other areas. CarGurus is now the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S.1, and the fastest growing in the U.K.2. The company currently employs nearly 1,000 people located globally across offices in Cambridge, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dublin and London. Our people are at the center of CarGurus success and future growth, and we are hyper-focused on supporting and developing our teams while continuing to attract world-class talent, said Sam Zales, President and COO at CarGurus. Andrea has a wealth of experience leading people operations and marketing at technology businesses, and she has a proven track record shaping organizational culture and strategy to drive business results. We are thrilled to welcome her to the executive leadership team at CarGurus. CarGurus commitment to its people and culture has been a key driver of the companys success, and that is a strong foundation to build on, said Eldridge. I could not be more excited to be joining such an impressive team, and I look forward to collaborating on continued innovation and growth. Andrea brings deep experience using a customer-centric and data-driven approach to talent management, with a strong focus on employee experience and organizational strategy. Prior to joining CarGurus, Andrea was Senior Vice President of Talent and Employee Experience at Cengage Learning, a leading education and technology company, where she oversaw the full employee journey including talent acquisition, employee engagement, internal communications, culture, inclusion & diversity, and learning & leadership development. Prior to Cengage, she held various leadership positions in talent and general management at Ahold USA, a leading global grocery retailer, and served in marketing roles at Digitas, a global marketing and technology agency. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College. In 2019, CarGurus was named to Fortunes Great Places to Work list and Computerworlds Best Place to Work in IT list. The company has also ranked on the Boston Business Journals Best Places to Work list for the past five years. More information about the companys open roles in engineering, product and other departments can be found here. ________________________ 1 Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Automotive Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q3 2019, U.S. (Competitive set includes: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)) 2 Among its nearest competitors based on the percent change in average unique monthly visitors from Q3 2018 to Q3 2019 (source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform, Custom-defined list includes Cargurus.CO.UK, Motors.CO.UK, AutoTrader.CO.UK, Pistonheads.com, and Gumtree.com)) About CarGurus CarGurus is a global online automotive marketplace that uses proprietary technology, search algorithms, and data analytics to bring trust and transparency to the automotive search experience and help users find great deals on new and used cars from top-rated dealers. Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert (also a co-founder of TripAdvisor), CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S. (source: Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Automotive Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q3 2019, U.S. (Competitive set includes: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)). In addition to the United States, CarGurus operates online marketplaces in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain. CarGurus also owns and operates as independent brands PistonHeads and Autolist in the U.K. and U.S., respectively. To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.com. CarGurus is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc. Close Corbyn accuses Johnson of failing 'spectacularly' on climate change Boris Johnson has been accused of failing so spectacularly to measure up to the scale of the climate crisis by Jeremy Corbyn amid confusion over the UKs preparations for the crucial COP26 climate summit. Former PM David Cameron turned down an offer to head up the summit after Claire Perry ONeill was sacked last week, leaving no-one in charge of the gathering in Glasgow. Mr Corbyn suggested ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband would be suitable. Elsewhere, culture secretary Baroness Morgan has denied a review into licence fee evasion was an attack on the BBC. And Labours Diane Abbott has been criticised for claiming former speaker John Bercows alleged bullying of an ex-military officer was unlikely. This liveblog has now closed Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, have spotted a peculiar gas cloud that resulted from a confrontation between two stars. One star grew so large it engulfed the other which, in turn, spiralled towards its partner provoking it into shedding its outer layers. Like humans, stars change with age and ultimately die. For the Sun and stars like it, this change will take it through a phase where, having burned all the hydrogen in its core, it swells up into a large and bright red-giant star. Eventually, the dying Sun will lose its outer layers, leaving behind its core: a hot and dense star called a white dwarf. "The star system HD101584 is special in the sense that this 'death process' was terminated prematurely and dramatically as a nearby low-mass companion star was engulfed by the giant," said Hans Olofsson of the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, who led a recent study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, of this intriguing object. Thanks to new observations with ALMA, complemented by data from the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), Olofsson and his team now know that what happened in the double-star system HD101584 was akin to a stellar fight. As the main star puffed up into a red giant, it grew large enough to swallow its lower-mass partner. In response, the smaller star spiralled in towards the giant's core but didn't collide with it. Rather, this manoeuvre triggered the larger star into an outburst, leaving its gas layers dramatically scattered and its core exposed. The team says the complex structure of the gas in the HD101584 nebula is due to the smaller star's spiralling towards the red giant, as well as to the jets of gas that formed in this process. As a deadly blow to the already defeated gas layers, these jets blasted through the previously ejected material, forming the rings of gas and the bright bluish and reddish blobs seen in the nebula. A silver lining of a stellar fight is that it helps astronomers to better understand the final evolution of stars like the Sun. "Currently, we can describe the death processes common to many Sun-like stars, but we cannot explain why or exactly how they happen. HD101584 gives us important clues to solve this puzzle since it is currently in a short transitional phase between better studied evolutionary stages. With detailed images of the environment of HD101584 we can make the connection between the giant star it was before, and the stellar remnant it will soon become," says co-author Sofia Ramstedt from Uppsala University, Sweden. Co-author Elizabeth Humphreys from ESO in Chile highlighted that ALMA and APEX, located in the country's Atacama region, were crucial to enabling the team to probe "both the physics and chemistry in action" in the gas cloud. She added: "This stunning image of the circumstellar environment of HD101584 would not have been possible without the exquisite sensitivity and angular resolution provided by ALMA." While current telescopes allow astronomers to study the gas around the binary, the two stars at the centre of the complex nebula are too close together and too far away to be resolved. ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, under construction in Chile's Atacama Desert, "will provide information on the 'heart' of the object," says Olofsson, allowing astronomers a closer look at the fighting pair. ### More information This research was presented in a paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The team is composed of H. Olofsson (Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden [Chalmers]), T. Khouri (Chalmers), M. Maercker (Chalmers), P. Bergman (Chalmers), L. Doan (Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Sweden [Uppsala]), D. Tafoya (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), W. H. T. Vlemmings (Chalmers), E. M. L. Humphreys (European Southern Observatory [ESO], Garching, Germany), M. Lindqvist (Chalmers), L. Nyman (ESO, Santiago, Chile), and S. Ramstedt (Uppsala). The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". Links Research paper - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2002/eso2002a.pdf Photos of ALMA - https://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=Atacama%20Large%20Millimeter/submillimeter%20Array Contacts Hans Olofsson Chalmers University of Technology Onsala, Sweden Tel: +46 31 772 5535 Email: hans.olofsson@chalmers.se Elizabeth Humphreys European Southern Observatory (ESO) Santiago, Chile Tel: +56 2 2463 6912 Email: ehumphre@eso.org Sofia Ramstedt Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden Tel: +46 18 471 5970 Email: sofia.ramstedt@physics.uu.se Barbara Ferreira ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: pio@eso.org Harris County officials urged Houston residents to continue visiting Asian American businesses, especially those in Chinatown, after false rumors of a coronavirus outbreak in Houston dealt a blow to sales in the area. Spreading rumors, discrimination are not tolerated in our county, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Tuesday evening. This is a time for us to come together and be loyal to those businesses. At an Asian Chamber of Commerce event hosted at the Chinese Community Center, officials reinforced that no cases of coronavirus have been reported in Harris County or the state of Texas. Two students at Texas A&M and Baylor University were suspected of contracting the virus, but tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came back negative. Businesses in the area said theyve seen major losses amid false internet posts about an outbreak of the pneumonia-like virus that have scared customers away. Parking lots in Chinatown strip malls are emptying out, and grocery and restaurant owners say theyve seen a drop in sales. You are doing harm to your community, State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said of people spreading false rumors via social media. On HoustonChronicle.com: False coronavirus rumors crush business in Chinatown More than 20,000 cases of novel coronavirus have been diagnosed worldwide, although the vast majority are concentrated in China. Approximately 490 people have died from virus. The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to other respiratory illnesses fever, shortness of breath, coughs. But what would worry doctors and public health officials is whether someone experiencing these symptoms the individual had traveled from China in the last 14 days, or had close, sustained contact with someone who had traveled there, said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health. Residents should be more concerned about the flu, Shah said. Between 10,000 and 25,000 people have died in the U.S. from the flu during this season, officials said. At least two of those flu deaths have been in Harris County. The federal goverment has issued a temporary ban on people who have visited China before arriving in the United States. Individuals flying from China to the U.S. are being rerouted to one of eight airports and will undergo public health screenings before being allowed entry. Flights arriving to Houston from China are being diverted to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Hidalgo said. Sending help Local businesses, meanwhile, have been donating equipment to help Wuhan officials build rapid response clinics, said Zhencheng Zhou, the consul director of the Consulate General of Peoples Republic of China in Houston. Wuhan, in central China, is at the center of the outbreak. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox The Asian Chamber of Commerce has also sent masks to the area, the organization said. Business owners told public health officials that its not the virus theyre stressed about, but rather the sharp drop in customers. Both Wu and Hidalgo said they are frequenting restaurants in the Chinatown area and intend to keep going. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com twitter.com/gwendolynawu WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. John Cornyn had Novembers election on his mind when he explained his vote to join most of the Republican-controlled Senate in acquitting President Donald Trump. To say that timing was a coincidence would be laughable, Cornyn said on the Senate floor Wednesday, just hours before the chamber dismissed Democrats charges against Trump, bringing to a close the third impeachment in American history. We are only nine months away from an election nine months away from the American people voting on the direction of our country, Cornyn said. But our Democratic colleagues dont trust the American people, so theyve taken matters into their own hands. Cornyns fate, too, will be decided in nine months, when he faces what many expect will be his toughest re-election fight yet for his fourth term in office. As Texas Democrats aim to build on the momentum from 2018 when Beto ORourke came within 2.6 percentage points of unseating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz Cornyn is following the same playbook that carried Cruz to victory: Stick with Trump. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Cornyn has been one of the presidents most frequent explainers in Congress, often providing a public policy backbone for actions that Trump doesnt fully explain in his character-limited Twitter feed. Few expect that Cornyns vote to acquit the president will do much to change how people feel about him in November. Its the only possible move for a GOP incumbent. Polling shows Texas voters are evenly split on impeachment, and Trumps approval rating in the state is under water. Still, Cornyn has little choice in Texas, where Trump remains popular with Republican voters. Itd be risky to go the other way, said Jeff Roe, the Republican strategist who ran Cruzs 2018 campaign. Its unified the Republican base like nothing weve ever seen. Cornyn said Democrats failed to prove their case that the president abused his power by withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure that country into announcing an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden or that the president obstructed Congress by refusing to cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry. Not all Republican senators agree. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the lone Republican to vote to convict Trump, said the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. Romney called the presidents actions a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Cornyn, however, warned of the precedent that would be set by convicting Trump. He called impeachment the nuclear option and the choice of last resort. He argued that removing a president from office requires evidence of a crime, which he said was lacking. My greatest fear is it would become a routine process for every president, he said. Wed find ourselves in a reoccurring impeachment nightmare. On HoustonChronicle.com: Impeachment adds more heat to 2020 Texas elections Cornyn didnt defend the presidents actions, as Cruz has daily on his popular podcast but he didnt disparage them either, even as some of his more moderate colleagues deemed them shameful and wrong. Cornyn explained to reporters before the speech that he felt it would be wrong to ridicule the president hes voting to acquit, even if he doesnt always agree with the presidents approach. I would say that nobodys going to confuse me with Donald Trump or vice versa, Cornyn said. Even so, Democrats are working to tie the two together as closely as possible. Candidates in the crowded race to challenge Cornyn have deemed him Trumps water boy and accused him of putting political loyalty ahead of his constitutional duty. Mitt Romney shows a moral courage that John Cornyn doesnt have, said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat many hoped would join the race to challenge Cornyn. He was able to put the country over his own personal political career. John Cornyns not able to do that. Although Trump and Cornyn differ in style, they see eye-to-eye on virtually every matter of policy and the Texas senator has rarely spoken out against the president. Rather, hes taken on a role as a sort of Trump translator, coolly explaining even some of the presidents most controversial moves. When Trump pulled American troops out of Syria last year one of the few decisions hes made that drew pushback from many Republicans in Congress Cornyn said he understood. The president is doing the best he can to protect American lives, Cornyn said at the time. I dont have a quibble with that at all. On HoustonChronicle.com: Sen. Ted Cruzs impeachment podcast tops charts When the White House released a summary of Trumps phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which Trump urged the Ukrainian leader to do him a favor Cornyn was among the first to argue that asking another country to investigate corruption isnt necessarily objectionable. He also said that its possible to find some of the conversation troubling without finding it a basis for impeachment. Unlike Ted Cruz, he isnt getting out in front, trying to defend the more questionable aspects of Donald Trumps behavior, said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. If anything, Cornyns come across as someone whos tried to be a good steward and manage the interests of all 53 members of the Republican delegation, Jones said. Hes kind of like a border collie, emotional support dog. Hes rounding up the herd, hes keeping them all together and hes effectively trying to empathize. But Democrats have accused that herd of conducting a cover-up, blasting Senate Republicans including Cornyn for refusing to allow additional witnesses in the Senate trial, even as potential new witnesses voiced a willingness to testify, notably John Bolton, Trumps former national security adviser. Theyre basically saying he can do whatever he wants as long as he thinks its in the public interest for him to be reelected, said U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat who served on the team that prosecuted Trump in the Senate. We are the ones that are there defending our democracy. On HoustonChronicle.com: Voter registrations growing at faster rate along I-35 than rest of the state combined Garcia predicted massive turnout later this year in favor of Democrats. Texas has already set voter registration records, and most of those new voters are along the Interstate 35 corridor, an area that has become steadily less conservative and more Democratic. Its going to be people who are just mad, she said. They think it was shameful, they think it was wrong, they do think it was inappropriate and they do think this president, this man, should have been convicted and he should be removed from office. Angry voters are motivated voters, said Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the University of Texas at Austins Texas Politics Project. The fact is, its possible that both parties think what Cornyn is doing is the right thing for them. But whats also clearly right that comes out of it is theres really no argument where it makes sense for Cornyn to fall on the sword on a meaningless vote for him. Cornyns campaign is confident. Krista Piferrer, a campaign spokeswoman, said Texans are enjoying a booming economy, rising wages and low unemployment all of which are going to drive voters to cast their ballots for President Trump and Senator Cornyn in November. ben.wermund@chron.com (Bloomberg) -- Sudans military leader met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and agreed to work toward normalizing relations, in what would be a historic step for the Arab League member thats never officially recognized the Jewish state. The surprise meeting between Netanyahu and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudans sovereign council, came Monday at the end of a visit by the Israeli leader to Uganda that was part of his latest drive to build ties in sub-Saharan Africa. Recognizing Israel, a key U.S. ally, could help Sudans campaign to persuade Washington to remove it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, as the country edges toward democracy after longtime leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted last year. The initiative may also be a boost for Netanyahus re-election bid, allowing him to tout a diplomatic victory ahead of the March 2 vote. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo welcomed the meeting and thanked General al-Burhan for his leadership in normalizing ties with Israel. Sudan is being run by a joint civilian-military administration until elections slated for 2022 and it wasnt immediately clear if all participants agreed with the step. Information Minister Faisal Saleh said the government hadnt been notified or consulted and would seek clarification. No government of Muslim-majority Sudan since independence in 1956 has officially recognized Israel. Soldiers from Sudan have fought in Arab wars against Israel, while the capital, Khartoum, was the scene of a 1967 Arab League summit that famously declared the so-called Three Nos: no peace, no recognition and no negotiations. Sudan, which Bashir ruled for three decades until his overthrow during mass protests in April, had already begun shifting its Middle Eastern alliances. Long an ally of both Iran and Saudi Arabia, the North African nation in 2015 dramatically reduced ties with the Islamic Republic to support the Saudi war against Yemeni rebels, supplying thousands of troops. Israeli officials had previously identified Sudan, which under Bashir espoused a form of Islamist government, as a conduit for Iranian weapons bound for Israels enemies. Story continues Israel, Sudan and the U.S.s histories have been intertwined before. In 1984-1985, Israeli intelligence operatives began secretly airlifting Ethiopian Jews to Israel from Sudanese refugee camps. When the covert operation was revealed, Sudan ended it, but later ceded to pressure from the U.S. to allow it to resume with American military aircraft. The Israeli operation was dramatized in a 2019 Netflix film, The Red Sea Diving Resort. Sudanese Reactions In Sudan, the move met condemnation from the Communist Party, a prominent former member of Bashirs National Congress Party and other Islamist factions. Some leading political activists also decried the statements, although a few voiced support. The Israeli move is part of a wider initiative to normalize relations with Arab and Muslim-majority states, including some in the Persian Gulf, adding them to Jordan and Sudans neighbor, Egypt, with which Israel already has ties. It comes as Netanyahu is in a fight for his political life, dogged by corruption charges and consecutive failures to form a government after back-to-back elections last year. The Ugandan visit also included talks with President Yoweri Musevenis government on opening embassies and potential direct flights between Tel Aviv and Uganda. The Israel premier last visited the East African nation in 2016, four decades after an Israeli raid on Ugandas Entebbe airport to rescue Israeli hostages held by Palestinian hijackers. Netanyahus brother, Yonatan, was killed in the 1976 operation. Uganda and Israel already cooperate in sectors including agriculture, security, health and information technology, Museveni said in a statement. (Updates with some Sudanese reactions in eighth paragraph) --With assistance from Jon Herskovitz, Zaid Sabah and Mohammed Alamin. To contact the reporters on this story: Ivan Levingston in Tel Aviv at ilevingston@bloomberg.net;Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at bharvey11@bloomberg.net, Jon Morgan, Gregory Mott For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. RACINE Really? ... I had no idea. Thats what Loida Tenuta, who has lived in the same home on Superior Street for more than 20 years, said when a Journal Times reporter informed her that she might soon lose her voter registration status. Both Tenuta and her daughter are among 232,579 people at risk of being removed from Wisconsins voter registry. The Wisconsin Elections Commission identified those names as registered voters who may have moved and thus would need to reregister at their new address, although The Journal Times has confirmed that not all of them have moved and thus shouldnt have their name removed. Of those 232,579 registered voters at risk of being removed, more than 6,700 have addresses in Racine County. One of the areas that could be most affected by this purge statewide is ZIP code 53402, which includes the City of Racine east of Douglas Avenue and north of the Root River, much of Wind Point, and the southeastern-most part of southeastern Caledonia. Within ZIP code 53402, 1,274 names could be removed. Twenty names could be removed from people who had resided, or still reside, on Superior Street alone. The Journal Times reached out to each of them using Whitepages and social media searches. The Journal Times confirmed that nine had moved, several of whom are already reregistered at their new addresses and thus should not be affected if the registration at their prior home address is purged. One of them had passed away. Eight couldnt be reached. But we did confirm that two, Tenuta and her daughter, had not moved. When Tenuta was informed of the situation by a Journal Times reporter, she quickly asked for advice about how to keep herself on the voter rolls. To confirm if you are still registered, or to keep yourself from being taken off the voter rolls if you are on the purge list but havent moved, call your municipal clerk or contact the Wisconsin Elections Commission at 608-266-8005. How was this list made? The Wisconsin Elections Commission identified the 232,579 names on the so-called purge list by cross-referencing their names and addresses with other government databases, namely lists from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the United States Postal Service. Here are two examples, provided by WEC Public Information Officer Reid Magney, about how someones name could end up on the voter purge list, even if they havent moved: They registered a car with the DMV at a different address than their voting address, but they were purchasing the car on behalf of someone else and thus they had not actually moved. They provided a change of address form with the United States Postal Service, but they were simply going on an extended vacation or living at a second home, and thus their voting address should remain the same. As such, removing the identified names outright could lead to thousands of people being taken off of voter rolls inappropriately, thus creating delays and potentially other problems come Election Day, voting rights advocates have claimed. In an attempt to help clean up Wisconsin's voter rolls ahead of the 2020 election, the WEC mailed a letter to everyone on the voter purge list in October that asked those voters to re-register if they had moved or notify elections officials if they still reside at the same address. Since then, some have clarified their situation, leaving about 209,000 still unknown. Those who replied would no longer be at risk of losing their voter registration. But most people didnt reply. Tenuta said she doesnt remember ever receiving the letter. The Journal Times obtained a list of all 232,579 names and reached out to more than a dozen people who are at risk of being removed in Racine County. WisDOT advises Feb. 18 primary election voters to have an official ID MADISON The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles is encouraging voters to check and be sure that they have the This isnt over yet, and it wont be for a while The so-called purge list of 232,579 names was created by Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which is a multistate partnership that uses a sophisticated and secure data-matching tool to improve the accuracy and efficiency of state voter registration systems, according to its website. The Wisconsin Elections Commission wasnt planning on removing all of the 232,579 names outright. It had intended to wait six elections, the last one being scheduled for April 2021. If anyone on the list didnt vote in any of those six elections, then their names would actually be removed. If they did show up to vote in any of those elections, then their name would be fully reactivated in the voter roll no harm, no foul. At the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, when the WEC did a similar purge for the first time using ERIC, more than 6,000 voters were removed statewide who later turned up to vote, surprised to find out they were no longer registered since they never actually changed their address, Magney said. People started showing up on polling places in February (2018) who hadnt moved, Magney recalled. We immediately realized the problem We realized there were some inherent problems with the data. The problem was that a number of people who had ended up on the DMV and USPS lists had not actually moved. Thats why this time around the WEC was going to wait to remove this next round of names until after six elections have passed. If people havent voted in any of those elections, Magney said, then they would be switched from active to inactive. But a conservative law firm, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, has asserted that the WEC should be taking those names off immediately. An Ozaukee County circuit court judge sided with the law firm and, on Dec. 3, ordered the names to be removed from voter rolls within 30 days. After the judge ordered the names to be removed, the six-person Wisconsin Elections Commission three of whom were appointed by Republicans, three by Democrats voted on whether the names should be removed that quickly. The vote split 3-3 along partisan lines. No action was taken. The Ozaukee County judges decision has been appealed and the case is ongoing. Magney said he wouldnt be surprised if the case eventually ends up in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. For now, the names are not being removed and may not be before the November election; they will almost certainly not to be removed before the Feb. 18 spring primary or the April 7 general election and presidential primary. But even if WILL prevails and the names are removed, voters who find they were placed on the list in error would be able to register again later or on Election Day if they have proof of residency. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sonia Gandhi discharged from Ganga Ram Hospital India pti-PTI New Delhi, Feb 05: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was undergoing treatment for a stomach infection at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, was discharged on Wednesday, hospital authorities said. Gandhi was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening. "She has recovered from stomach infection and was discharged today morning. Her condition was stable at the time of discharge," Dr D S Rana, the chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said in a medical bulletin. The Congress chief did not attend the Union Budget presentation in Parliament on Saturday. General Assembly 2020 is well underway, and we are already witnessing a wave of encouraging, positive progress as LGBTQ-friendly legislation moves through both chambers. Equality Virginia is advocating for a variety of pro-equality bills, from banning conversion therapy on minors to making it easier for transgender people to update their birth certificates. Through these bills, equality will take meaningful strides forward in our state. Particularly transformative for the LGBTQ community is the Virginia Values Act. Senate Bill 868 and House Bill 1663 would modernize existing Virginia law to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their daily lives, and would also create new protections for all Virginians in employment and public accommodations like restaurants, shops and other public spaces. Virginias 257,400 LGBTQ adults need this legislation now more than ever. The commonwealths lack of laws to protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination is surprising to many. After all, in 2020, one would think basic protections would have existed for some time. The reality is gay and transgender Virginians can be fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes and turned away from public places just for being who they are. Its a situation that is all too real. Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party [NPP], Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC has said the NDC and its anti-new register, Inter- Party Resistance Against the New Voters Register are a bunch of confused group. According to him, the NDCs stance to oppose the compilation of a new voters register will go against them. They are doing bogus and useless demonstrations," he added in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Members of the Inter-Party Resistance against the New Voters Register, on Tuesday, held its third demonstration in Accra to protest the Electoral Commissions decision to compile a new registerl for the December 7 polls. The first and second demonstrations were held in Tamale and Kumasi, respectively. The group is made up of the opposition National Democratic Congress, the Peoples National Convention (PNC), All People's Congress (APC) and some other opposition parties. Listen to Kwame Baffoe on Neat FM in the video below. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Explained: Why the Centre opposed women in Army command posts India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 05: The Supreme Court has been told that women may not be suitable for command posts in the Army. This is because the male troops are not yet prepared to accept women, the Centre told the Supreme Court. Further, the dangers of women being taken prisoner of war was cited by the Centre. The composition of rank and file being made, and predominantly drawn from rural background, with prevailing societal norms, the troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command, the government said. Further, male and female officers cannot be treated on par in the matter of postings because of their different physical standards and exposures, and reservations over exposing women officers to combat situations. Explained: The Budget proposal to increase the insurance cover on bank deposits Opposing the plea, the lawyers representing the women officers told the court that many of them displayed exceptional bravery in adverse situations. They said that it was Minty Agarwal as the flight controller who had guided Wing Commander Abhinandan when he shot down a Pakistani F-16. She was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for this, the lawyers also contended. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 The Centre said that it is agreeable to the permanent commission to women officers who have served up to 14 years in the Army, but not above that. Those above 14 years of service will be permitted to serve till 20 years without PC and those past 20 years of services would be released with pensionary benefits. Explainer: When a public health emergency declared by WHO The Centre also said that the armed forces require sacrifices and commitment beyond the call of duty by the entire family of service personnel involving separation and frequent transfers, affecting the education of children and career prospects of the spouse. It is a challenge for women to meet these hazards of service owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their children and families especially when both husband and wife happen to be service officers the centre also contended in the Supreme Court. The number of Ukrainian passengers traveling to the EU countries is growing, whereas the number of those visiting Russia is shrinking, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service has reported. "The State Border Guard Service has recently reported a record number of citizens - more than 102 million - who passed passport control during 2019. [...] Of the total number of Ukrainians, the land border with the EU countries was crossed by about 30.5 million of our compatriots, with 15 million each entering and exiting the country. This figure has grown by half a million compared to 2018," the report reads. The trend towards an increase in passenger flows to the European Union was observed even before the introduction of the visa-free regime. Some 22.5 million Ukrainians crossed the border with the EU in 2014. This figure increased by one million in 2015 and by another two million in 2016. "There was an increase in flows [...] to Germany (+31%), Italy (+26%), Portugal (33 times more), Austria (1.9 times more), Spain (1.6 times more), Greece (+46%), France (+13%), and the Czech Republic (+38%). The State Border Guard Service also observed an increase in the number of our compatriots crossing the border with Canada, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, and Luxembourg," the report reads. Ukrainians most often crossed the land border with Poland - 9.9 million citizens. Some 3.9 million Ukrainians visited Russia, which is 6% less than in 2018. Passenger flows from Ukraine to Hungary increased by 5%, to 3.4 million people. Also popular among Ukrainians are Moldova (1.4 million), Belarus and Romania (1.2 million each), and Slovakia (1 million). With regard to tourist countries, according to the State Border Guard Service, passenger traffic in 2019 to Qatar grew by 37%, to Egypt by 36%, to Georgia by 23%, to Turkey by 21%, to the United Arab Emirates by 20%, and to Cyprus by 15%. Some 15 million Ukrainians traveled by air in 2019, which was 3.5 million more than in 2018. op Garda anti-gang units have seized around 400,000 in cash from an Eastern European organised crime network. The haul was part of an ongoing intelligence-led investigation into the gang, suspected of trafficking large quantities of drugs into the country. One Polish national and an Irish truck-driver were arrested when specialist officers swooped on two parked vehicles outside Rosslare, Co Wexford. The team from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, supported by the Special Crime Task Force, searched the vehicles and confiscated the cash. Gardai believe the cash was about to be taken out of the country, thought to be payments from supplying drugs to the market. A statement from Garda HQ said: On Tuesday, February 4, during the course of an ongoing intelligence-led investigation targeting serious and organised crime, personnel attached to the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) supported by a Special Crime Task Force, approached and interacted with the occupants of cattle transporter and a car that were parked in a lay-by on the N25, near Rosslare, County Wexford. It said this led to the discovery and seizure of an estimated 400,000 in cash and the arrest of two males, one Irish national aged 50, and the other, a Polish national, age 35. They were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, contrary to the provisions of Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010. The two arrested men are currently being detained at Wexford Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. It said investigating officers have undertaken a number of related searches, in Swords, north county Dublin and Trim, Co Meath. Assistant Commissioner John ODriscoll of Special Crime Operations said: "Removing the proceeds of crime from those involved in serious and organised crime is a particular priority of the Garda Siochana, in its attempt to dismantle organised crime groups that operate at an international level. "This significant seizure of cash by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) follows closely after another seizure of a substantial quantity of cash, last week, bringing the total amount of cash seized by that bureau, so far in 2020, to about 1 million. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Becoming partly cloudy later with any flurries or snow showers ending by midnight. Low -8F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Becoming partly cloudy later with any flurries or snow showers ending by midnight. Low -8F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%. LA Regional Food Bank Fundraiser "The Food Bank truly appreciates Ahipoki for its efforts to raise funds for those in need in our community, said Roger Castle, Chief Development Officer of the LA Regional Food Bank. Ahipoki and their participating customers are giving more than food - they are giving hope. Ahipoki will host a fundraiser starting on February 7th through March 6, 2020, at all California locations on behalf of the LA Regional Food Bank. Customers that visit Ahipoki will have the opportunity to donate any amount at the register and write their name on a giving card to be displayed at the restaurant. Hunger affects all ages and all walks of life, from homelessness to those working and not able to make ends meet. 1 in 5 people who live in Los Angeles County may not know where their next meal is coming from, according to California Food Policy Advocates. We are happy to partner with the LA Regional Food Bank. Donating to this important cause will enable them to assist more children, families, seniors and those in and to lead a healthier life, said Hengky Huang, Vice President of Ahipoki. "The Food Bank truly appreciates Ahipoki for its efforts to raise funds for those in need in our community, said Roger Castle, Chief Development Officer of the LA Regional Food Bank. Ahipoki and their participating customers are giving more than food - they are giving hope. More information can be found at http://www.ahipoki.com on Instagram at @ahipoki and Facebook at Ahipoki. About Ahipoki: The Ahipoki concept was born out of the desire of a restaurant group wanting to bring a much needed health-conscious California inspired seafood restaurant with a south pacific flair to its customers. Health-conscious poke bowl lovers can sit down and relax in a laid-back atmosphere all while enjoying the fusion of Japanese and Hawaiian flavors coupled with a fresh fish experience normally found outside of a quick-serve restaurant. About LA Regional Food Bank: The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been fighting hunger in Los Angeles County since 1973 and has distributed the equivalent of more than 1.2 billion meals across our community. The Food Bank provides food to more than 300,000 clients on a monthly basis and distributed 82 million pounds of food in 2019 to children, seniors, working families, veterans, and other neighbors in need. To support the vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles, food and products are distributed through a network of more than 600 partner agencies directly to children through our Children's Backpack and Summer Lunch programs, to approximately 27,500 seniors each month through our Senior Nutrition Program, and to working families and college students through our Mobile Food Pantry. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit LAFoodBank.org. Media contact: Christine Holtz Christine@ahipoki.com 480-720-0210 A total of 7,848 young birds fledged from nestboxes in 50 state parks across Pennsylvania last year, according to the annual Cavity-Nesting Trails Summary Report by the Bureau of State Parks in the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Those birds began their lives in 2,041 nestboxes maintained by park staff and volunteers. They included eastern bluebirds, tree swallow, purple martins, American kestrels, tufted titmice, flycatchers and mergansers. Despite early spring last year being wet and cool, the nestboxes enabled the cavity-nesting birds to fledge more offspring in 2019 than they did in 2018, when 6,590 birds were fledged from 1,757 nestboxes in 45 state parks. Since the DCNR program was launched in 1980, volunteers have helped to fledge more than 133,000 birds of 19 species. Although a rising tide of nestboxes, both in backyards and through programs like the DCNR Cavity-Nesting Trails Program Bluebird, are making an enormous difference, cavity-nesting bird populations have declined over the past century in the face of habitat loss and increased competition for the remaining nest sites with invasive species. According to DCNR, a cavity-nesting trail is an area within a state park where man-made nestboxes are placed for use by birds. It is not necessarily along a trail. As part of a national effort to provide nesting habitat for the then-declining eastern bluebird population in the late 1980s DCNRs Bureau of State Parks developed a nestbox monitoring program to coordinate the efforts and resources of interested parks and individuals. The success of that effort led the bureau to expand the program to include the monitoring of additional cavity-nesting birds. The aim of the expanded program has been to increase cavity-nesting bird populations, gather a wealth of accurate and reliable data for scientists to study, and provide an opportunity for thousands of park visitors to see and learn about the needs of cavity-nesting birds. Depending upon the state park, volunteers may be able to start a new program in a state park or join one already under way. To start a new program, a volunteer must meet with park personnel to develop an implementation plan that may include habitat appraisal and box location, review and coordination of responsibilities and reporting forms, training for individuals involved, development of a timeline for implementation, identification of other individuals or groups who may help, and dissemination of background information on cavity-nesting species. For more information, visit DCNRs Cavity-Nesting Trails Program webpage. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. (Bloomberg) -- Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, moved into the lead ahead of the Feb. 8 general election, a poll showed, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkars Fine Gael pushed to third place. The party scored 25%, the Irish Times said late Monday in Dublin, citing a poll of 1,200 voters taken between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, up 4 points from a survey for the newspaper taken two weeks ago. Fianna Fail dropped 2 points to 23%, while Fine Gael dropped 3 points to 20%. Both Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin pledge not to enter government with Sinn Fein, who arent running enough candidates to approach a majority in government. In an RTE radio interview, Varadkar warned of massive tax rises if Sinn Fein came to power, a charge rejected by the party. Varadkar has placed Brexit at the center of his bid for power, claiming his government is best placed to protect Ireland while the EU and U.K. negotiate a future trade agreement. Voters though appear more focused on domestic issues including a housing shortage and struggling health care system, a mood Sinn Fein appears to be capitalizing on. Some 41% of voters are satisfied with Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, the poll showed, compared with 30% who are happy both with Varadkar and Fianna Fails Martin. Martin remains the most likely candidate to be prime minister, according to bookies odds, as hes best placed to form a coalition with smaller parties, the Labour Party and the Greens. Labour scored 4% in the poll, with the Greens at 8%. Complicating Government Still, Sinn Feins rise is likely to complicate the formation of a government, as the party eats into the support of Fianna Fail, the Greens and Labour. Those three parties combined may not command a majority in the 158-seat parliament, the poll indicated. That could mean Martin requiring Varadkar to back his minority government, just as Martin did with his administration. Alternatively, Fianna Fail could drop its opposition to coalition with Sinn Fein -- an outcome bookmaker Paddy Power made favorite on Tuesday morning, with a 22% chance. Story continues Irish bonds were lower alongside their peers as the haven bid was unwound after Asian stocks advanced. Irelands 10-year bond yield was one basis point higher at -0.12% at 8:03 a.m. in London. (Adds government alternatives from seventh paragraph, odds in ninth) To contact the reporter on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. By Krishna N. Das and Joseph Sipalan KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Pakistan will buy more palm oil from Malaysia, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday, aiming to help offset lost sales after top buyer India put curbs on Malaysian imports last month amid a diplomatic row. By Krishna N. Das and Joseph Sipalan KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Pakistan will buy more palm oil from Malaysia, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday, aiming to help offset lost sales after top buyer India put curbs on Malaysian imports last month amid a diplomatic row. India imposed restrictions on refined palm oil imports and informally asked traders to stop buying from Malaysia, the world's biggest producer of the edible oil. Sources said the move was in retaliation for Malaysia's criticism of India's new religion-based citizenship law and its policy on Kashmir. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday that he discussed palm oil with Khan who was on a visit to Malaysia and that Pakistan had indicated it would import more from Malaysia. "That's right, especially since we noticed India threatened Malaysia for supporting the Kashmir cause, threatened to cut palm oil imports," Khan told a joint news conference, referring to India's Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. "Pakistan will do its best to compensate for that." India is a Hindu-majority country while Malaysia and Pakistan are mainly Muslim. India and Pakistan have been mostly hostile to each other since the partition of British India in 1947, and have fought two of their three wars over competing territorial claims in Kashmir. Pakistan may have bought around 135,000 tonnes of Malaysian palm oil last month, a record high, India-based dealers who track such shipments told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The figure is close to estimates of 141,500 tonnes from Refinitiv, which show sales to India in January may have plunged 80% from a year earlier to 40,400 tonnes. Malaysia will release official export data on Monday. Pakistan bought 1.1 million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia last year, while India bought 4.4 million tonnes, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council. Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Tuesday after Khan's comments and on expectations of a steep drop in production in January. STRONG TIES India has repeatedly objected to Mahathir speaking out against its move last year to strip Kashmir's autonomy and make it easier for non-Muslims from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to gain citizenship. At the news conference, Mahathir did not refer to Kashmir but Khan did. "The way you, PM, have stood with us and spoken about this injustice going on, on behalf of Pakistan I really want to thank you," Khan said. He also said he was sad he had been unable to attend a summit of Muslim leaders in Malaysia in December. Saudi Arabia did not attend the summit, saying it was the wrong forum to discuss matters affecting the world's Muslims and Khan belatedly pulled out. Some Pakistani officials, unnamed because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said at the time that Khan pulled out under pressure from Saudi Arabia, a close ally, although local media reported his officials denied that was the reason for his absence. "Unfortunately our friends, who are very close to Pakistan as well, felt that somehow the conference was going to divide the ummah," Khan said, using the Arabic word for the Muslim community but not mentioning Saudi Arabia by name. "It is clearly a misconception, as that was not the purpose of the conference." (Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Joseph Sipapalan; additional reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad; editing by Tom Hogue and Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a working session in Hanoi on Tuesday afternoon to respond to the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Southeast Asian country. The gathering was attended by members of the national steering committee on preventing and combating the acute respiratory disease caused by 2019-nCoV, along with leaders of ministries and sectors. At the session, PM Phuc urged ministries and localities to promptly implement measures to minimize the impact of the new virus on the country. The premier praised the efforts of ministries, authorities, doctors, and experts in the quarantine and treatment of infected patients. However, the development of the epidemic is still complicated, he continued, adding that it may peak over the next two weeks and can last several months. More assertive and comprehensive measures must be taken to keep the situation under control, the leader stressed. He told ministries and localities not to be pessimistic to avoid causing panic among the public. The government leader required that all sectors and localities continue dealing with the disease, accepting the sacrifice of some economic interests to protect the health of the people. At the same time, the government leader requested prompt measures for restructuring production and ensuring growth. He tasked the Ministry of Health with building scenarios to cope with the disease without causing excessive anxiety among the public, while the Ministry of Science and Technology was asked to focus on studying the production of drugs and vaccines against the virus. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism must be stricter in managing festivals, he said. The Ministry of Finance was told to prepare sufficient funding for epidemic prevention and control. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused 492 deaths and infected more than 24,500 people globally, most of whom are in mainland China, as of Wednesday. Vietnam has confirmed ten infections so far, including seven Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. Among them, one Chinese and two Vietnamese have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Uddhav Thackeray has expressing his ire over the move, calling it breach of confidence on the part of the Centre. Mumbai: The widespread discontent within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government over the Centres decision to transfer the probe into the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has once again come out in the open. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressing his ire over the move, calling it breach of confidence on the part of the Centre. No one has denied the Centres right to investigate the Bhima-Koregaon case, but they should have taken the state government into confidence before handing over the investigation to NIA, said Mr Thackeray in the third and concluding part of his interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. The Centres decision has not gone down well with the MVA government, with the Shiv Sena accusing it of interfering into the states affairs in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Speaking to Saamanas executive editor Sanjay Raut, the chief minister said, I was surprised by the Centres decision. Doesnt the Centre trust the states investigating agencies? Due to such incidents, there is a problem in Centre-state relations. Mr Thackeray said the probe was handed over to the NIA after Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar began demanding a Special Investigation Team (SIT) enquiry into the matter. The NCP chief wanted a free and fair probe in the case, he said. The Centre must have felt what is going on in our mind. It could have asked us what are we planning to do. Sharad Pawar expressed his views on the probe. Did we take any decision? The Centre should have sought information from us. It should have asked Pawar why he feels the case should be probed again, he said. Violence had broken out near Bhima-Koregaon war memorial in Pune district on January 1, 2018. The case was earlier being probed by the Pune Police, which claimed that provocative speeches at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, led to the violence, and Maoists were behind the conclave. Dr. Vahid Alavian was born on August 11, 1950, and peacefully passed away on January 31, 2020, surrounded by loved ones and friends while participating in a meeting at the Chattanooga Baha'i Center. In line with how he lived his life, he was active and engaged in community service until his final moments. The eldest son of Bozurg and Azam Alavian, Vahid was inquisitive and studious in his native Iran. Vahid came to the United States at age 17 to study, and earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There he met his wife Barbara Miller, who also obtained a Ph.D. in civil engineering. This partnership launched more than 40 years of professional collaboration, meaningful service and a rich family life with their daughters. During his more than 40-year professional career, Vahid came to be a foremost expert in civil engineering, leading numerous water and energy-related projects in the U.S. and developing countries. He served as a senior advisor at USAID and as the Global Water Advisor at the World Bank, providing strategic and technical oversight for World Bank water-related investments across the globe. Importantly, he led technical and diplomatic negotiations on the Jordan River between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority as part of advancing the regions peace process. During his time at the Tennessee Valley Authority, he contributed to the agencys pioneering work on sustainable water and energy management. He was named both TVA Engineer of the Year and Top 10 Federal Engineers in the U.S. in 1993. Vahid also held several university faculty positions and was a Fulbright Scholar. Vahids true accolade is his spirit of humility and integrity, rooted in his dedication to the Bahai Faith, which teaches that work carried out in a spirit of service is akin to worship. In everything he did, Vahid demonstrated commitment to his faiths principles of upholding unity in diversity, the equality of women and men, and pursuing excellence in all endeavors. Vahid served on numerous Bahai administrative bodies, and following his 2011 retirement, he spent three years providing strategic and advisory volunteer services at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel. In 2015, he and Barbara retired to Chattanooga, Tn. Vahid and Barbaras life and work took them to many places in the U.S., and across the globe. They raised two daughters who are both physicians engaged in public service. Together they mentored countless young people. Their home was always open to friends, and newcomers were welcomed as family. Vahid is survived by his wife of 40 years, Dr. Barbara Miller, and his two daughters, Drs. Shereen and Naseem Alavian; his brothers Vedad and Vahdat; and numerous nieces, nephews and spiritual siblings and children. The family rejoices that after such a full earthly life, Vahid's soul is at peace. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to support a local charity of your choice or the Tahirih Justice Center at Tahirih.org. A memorial service will be held at the The Westin Chattanooga at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7. Family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to support a local charity of your choice or the Tahirih Justice Center at Tahirih.org. Arrangements are under the care of the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com. The small state of Thuringia broke a German political taboo Wednesday after a candidate for the regional premiership was heaved into office with help from the far right for the first time, sending shockwaves to Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU party immediately called for fresh regional elections as a way out of the crisis, a call echoed by other mainstream parties. Thomas Kemmerich, a politician from the economically liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), was elected as state premier after lawmakers from the far-right AfD gave him their backing. As a result, 54-year-old Kemmerich beat incumbent Bodo Ramelow of the Left party 45 to 44. "This is the first time in the history of modern Germany that a state premier has been elected with AfD votes," political scientist Andre Brodocz told broadcaster MDR. While the ballot was secret, Kemmerich must have also had support from CDU MPs, as well as his FDP stablemates. Media were quick to describe the event as a "political earthquake", as mainstream parties had previously refused to countenance working with anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU AfD at any level. - 'Bad day for Germany' - The result sparked widespread outrage, with Norbert Walter-Borjans, co-leader of Merkel's junior coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD), calling for a "clear position" distancing Merkel's conservatives from the AfD. "What has happened in Thuringia is not just a matter for Thuringia" but for federal politics too, he told broadcaster ZDF. "This is a bad day for Thuringia, a bad day for Germany," CDU president Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in French city Strasbourg. She called for new elections in the state and blasted regional politicians for breaching the party's policy of no cooperation with the AfD. "New elections would be the best thing for Thuringia," the CDU's secretary general Paul Ziemiak added. Members of the two government parties, CDU and he SPD, organised a crisis meeting in Berlin on Saturday to discuss the issue. "The republic is in danger," said Katja Kipping, a leader of the far-left Linke party, - 'Bad day for liberals' - Addressing the local parliament in Erfurt, Kemmerich sought to assuage concerns by insisting he would stick to a pre-election pledge not to partner with the far right. "You have in me a bitter opponent of anything that even hints at radicalism, from the right or left, or fascism," he said, to jeers from local MPs and shouts of "Hypocrite!" and "Charlatan!" In a news conference, national FDP leader Christian Lindner said if other parties refused to work with Kemmerich to form a government there should be new elections. AfD's support for the liberal politician had been "purely tactical" and the FDP "does not share this party's aims and values," he insisted. But the party's deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki welcomed Kemmerich's election as state premier. Protestors quickly gathered outside the state parliament in Erfurt, with some holding signs recalling that it was in Thuringia that a Nazi minister was first allowed into government in 1930. Demonstrations were planned for other cities around Germany Wednesday evening, including Frankfurt, Leipzig and outside FDP headquarters in Berlin. - Jewish leader 'horrified' - Thuringia belongs to Germany's former communist east, where rejection of the far right has not taken such deep roots as in the west in the decades since the country's 1990 reunification. But the dam breaking there is all the more surprising to observers as the AfD's regional leader, Bjoern Hoecke, is one of the party's most radical figures, heading a loose movement within the party known as the "Wing". He has in the past called for a "180 degree turn" in Germany's culture of remembrance for the Holocaust and other crimes of the Nazis, which form a central pillar of the country's post-World War II political life. Wednesday marked a "new start for Thuringian politics," Hoecke said, adding the AfD had helped stop it becoming a "left-wing state". The CDU's Ziemiak lamented that Kemmerich had accepted "votes from Nazis like Mr Hoecke". AfD co-leader Joerg Meuthen told the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily the vote showed there was "less distance" between the CDU, FDP and AfD than other parties. Central Council of Jews in Germany president Josef Schuster said he was "horrified" by the vote outcome. Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of far-right AfD group in the eastern state of Thuringia (R) congratulates Free Democrat Thomas Kemmerich (L), newly elected regional leader, with AfD help A coalition of business leaders, hoteliers, publicans and restaurateurs in Cork say their focus remains on doing everything possible to ensure the delivery of the Cork event centre as it faces yet about obstacle. The group, which includes the Cork Business Association (CBA), the Cork branches of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), the Restaurants Association Ireland (RAI) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), described the proposed 6,000-capacity venue, which is facing a legal challenge over the proposed 50m state funding package, as an essential and long overdue investment in the city. The group, which led calls this time last year for the stalled project to be delivered, issued a statement in response to the High Court legal challenge lodged by the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, the operators of the INEC, against the state funding package. We are aware a new legal challenge has been lodged relating to the states funding package for the Cork events centre, the group said. Full details of this challenge are currently unavailable. It is our collective view that the Cork events centre will provide a much-needed boost to our local economy. It is an essential and long-overdue investment in Corks business and tourism infrastructure. We look forward to the development getting underway without further delay so that local businesses can follow through with their investment plans and support the further development of our city as a vibrant and attractive visitor destination. Our focus remains on ensuring the development proceeds and that the Cork events centre is delivered for the people of Cork and the region. It will be four years next Wednesday since former Taoiseach Enda Kenny turned the sod on the project just weeks before the last general election. The business group raised concerns in February 2018 last about the chronic delays which have blighted the project and prevented the start of construction. They said growth in the city was being impeded as the city waited for answers on the projects status, and they issued warnings. There will be a detrimental impact on several industries and the local economy if there is further stalling of the process, they said at the time. Hoteliers, publicans, restaurateurs and businesses are investing heavily in the region because of the potential that the city holds. But return on that investment very much depends on the event centre coming to fruition. While a planning decision from An Bord Pleanala on the enlarged venue is awaited, it was hoped that the announcement last month of the 50m state funding package was the last major hurdle to clear. But the emergence of the new legal challenge has raised fears of further delays. Meanwhile, Visit Cork, the official tourism body for the Cork region, is hosting an industry briefing session for those involved in the tourism industry next Wednesday. Anyone with an interest in tourism or in attracting visitors to Cork city or country is invited to attend the event for an update on Visit Corks plans for the promotion of the city and county for leisure tourism, through Pure Cork, and business tourism, through the Cork Convention Bureau. Seamus Heaney, the head of Visit Cork, encouraged everyone involved in the tourism industry to attend. We hope they will explore how they can work with Pure Cork and Cork Convention Bureau to enhance their business and help collectively promote all that Cork has to offer to domestic and international business and leisure visitors, he said. The industry day at Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island takes place from 10am to 1.30pm next Wednesday, with registration from 9.30am. File image Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman exhorted the industry to shun hesitation and be a partner in driving growth, saying the government has already initiated several measures and is willing to take more steps. The government has already reduced corporate tax rate, removed Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and abolished dividend distribution tax (DDT), she said while addressing the industry leaders here. The approach has been "we shall spend on asset creation and it is the cascading effect of this spend which is going to help the industry. So we expect you to be... the engine to pull the economy forward", the finance minister said. She added that "in today's conditions, it cannot be just the govt spending which can pull this economy towards that growth which all of us want. I strongly believe industry today will have to come out of that hesitation, which you held and rightly in your mind. But I think it's time now to come out of the hesitation. I called it self-doubt sometime back". Sitharaman signalled that the government is willing to do more in terms of necessary measures to prop up the economy. "We have done what whatever little we can, we are not closing the doors, we are still ready to do and even much more. But I want it to be a meaningful intervention from the government rather than rush to do something which may not be necessary at all for the government," she said. Talking about the measures taken to help the industry, the minister listed some of them like corporate tax rate cut and removal of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT). She said, "It is now time for all of us to pull our weight along, make sure that the economy has support of each one of us, where each one will have to become the engine for pulling this economy up. After all, the spirit of enterprise is yours, we are here to facilitate." On raising the customs duty on certain items, the minister said, import of medical equipment which are not made in India will come at a duty, but the revenue collected will be utilised to fund creating medical infrastructure in aspirational districts where there are not good hospitals. "So that is the extent to which we want to make sure that government's money will not be spent frivolously," she said emphasising that the biggest priority of the Budget was to maintain macro-economic stability. She clarified that the duty on medical devices is not with a sense of being protectionist. "If there are medical devices made in India and under Make in India, we wanted encouragement of India-made goods, at least for those we didn't want to have imports flooding the market," she added. Recalling the past experience of the government fiscal expansion during the global economic crisis, Sitharaman said the government has learnt from the past experience and decided not to go on the splurge to boost the economy. "I am also indicating clearly in contrast to what had happened in response to 2008-09. I am also clearly indicating that I am going to clearly lay a glide path for fiscal deficit so that treatment to the economy which is now so demanded and justifiably demanded will be given clear monitoring. "We are not going to leave it unendingly as though there's never going to be an end and the treatment has to continue forever. If economy shows clear improvement, we shall focus our attention to something else. That's the difference between 2009 treatment and now," she said. Last time, it was left without an end therefore the splurging continued, she said, adding, the present government between 2014-19 had to sort that mess out which resulted in twin balance sheet problem. On scrappage policy, the finance minister said some fine-tuning is being done and soon it will be out. It would focus on eliminating the fleet of old polluting commercial vehicles plying on the country's roads. The proposed policy, once approved, will be applicable on all vehicles including two- and three-wheelers. The Investment Cell mentioned in the Budget has been conceived to implement the National Infrastructure Pipeline, she said, adding, this platform could be further extended to investments across sectors, including health. Sitharaman also announced that she would be meeting various stakeholders in three metros beginning February 7. "This group will be coming with me in the next few days to at least three cities --Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata -- in India, to interact with industry, economists, trade bodies, traders, farmers and farmers' group," she said. Speaking about taxation of REITs and InvITs, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey said, the department will look at any anomaly and address if required. One farmer died and six fellow peasants sustained injuries in a brutal beating by villagers in Madhya Pradeshs Dhar district, 251 kms southwest of Bhopal, after they were cunningly declared child-lifters by a few labourers from the village who owed the farmers money, police said on Wednesday. The deceased farmer has been identified as Ganesh Patel, 35, who was driving one of the cars the farmers were travelling in. Dhar superintendent of police Dr Rajneesh said: Five farmers--Naveen Sharma, Jagdish Sharma, Jagdish Patel, Vinod Mukati and Ravi Patel-- all residents of Limboda Pipliya village in Ujjain district had given money to five labourers- Jam Singh, Avtar Singh, Rajesh, Sunil and Mahesh-- all residents of Khidkiya village in Dhar district to work in their agriculture fields. But the labourers went back to their village after doing some of the work. It was in this connection that the farmers were at Khidkiya village under Tirla police station in two vehicles to get their money back when they were dubbed as child lifters by the labourers and attacked with stones. The city SP said that when the under attack victims tried to flee the village, the labourers spread the rumour that they were child-lifters prompting the villagers to give them a chase. When the victims reached near Borlai village under Manawar police station, the accused and other villagers intercepted them and beat them up, resulting in the death of one of them. One of their cars was set afire and the other car was also damaged, added Rajneesh. One of victims, Vinod Mukati said that they had informed the Tirla police station of their visit to the village to recover the money and yet they got attacked. We were seven persons who reached Khidkiya village on the request of labourers to get our money back. An amount of 50,000 each had been given to five labourers. We had already told the Tirla police station officer that we were going to the village. But we were attacked with stones, Mukati said narrating the sequence of events. He said the labourers not only misled the crowd into believing that they were child-lifters but also instigated the attack on the farmers. They also attacked us with lathis, sticks, fists and kicks, Mukati added. Rajneesh said an FIR against the assailants Jam Singh, Bhuvan Singh and others has been lodged initially under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (guilty of unlawful assembly with common objective), 307 (attempt to murder), 427 (damage to property by mischief) and 435 (mischief by fire or an explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Indian Penal Code. Since one of the victims had died, police will add section 302 (murder) to the FIR. Investigation is going on. A manhunt has been launched to arrest the accused, added the city SP. A man who killed his son in 2008 to collect $700,000 from his life insurance policy was convicted this week of killing his wife nearly 30 years ago for the same reason. The man, Karl Holger Karlsen, 59, pleaded guilty in 2013 to murdering his son, Levi Karlsen, in Seneca Falls, N.Y., and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. That conviction raised the suspicions with detectives in California, where the investigation into his wifes death had been continuing, according to court documents. Mr. Karlsens wife, Christina A. Karlsen, 30, died on New Years Day in 1991, when she was trapped by a fire in a boarded up bathroom of the family home in Calaveras County, Mr. Karlsens lawyer, Richard Esquivel, said. Days after his wifes death, Mr. Karlsen collected $215,000 from his wifes insurance policy and he and his children moved to Seneca Falls, N.Y., where he is from, Mr. Esquivel said. KALAMAZOO, MI A two-vehicle crash near the intersection of King Highway and River Street, east of Kalamazoo, sent two drivers to nearby hospitals shortly after noon, Feb. 4. A 73-year-old male from Ontario, Canada was driving a 2013 Dodge Dart westbound on King Highway, when he ran a red light and collided with the drivers side door of a 2008 Chevrolet Equinox traveling south on River Street, according to a crash report provided by the Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office. The driver of the Equinox, a 32-year-old Kalamazoo woman, was trapped in her vehicle as a result of the crashs impact, Comstock Township Fire Chief Matthew Beauchamp told MLive. Firefighters cut the door off to help remove the woman from the vehicle, Beauchamp said. Both drivers were transported to nearby hospitals with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, Beauchamp and Undersheriff James VanDyken told MLive. The information in the sheriffs report was confirmed through two independent witnesses as well as video surveillance obtained from a Speedway gas station on the corner, the report said. Also on MLive: Victim, ex-cop reach settlement in civil suit over alleged rape Coronavirus outbreak prompts WMU decision to ban university-approved travel to China Former owner of large Southwest Michigan farm to stand trial; wife files motion to have plea accepted Hoda Kotb has revealed her daughters Haley Joy and Hope Catherine's roles in her upcoming wedding to their father, financier Joel Schiffman. The 55-year-old Today anchor, who got engaged in November, has been pretty laid back about wedding planning so far, but she does know she wants her little girls to have a special part in her big day. 'I can't even believe I'm saying that sentence: Our kids being part of our wedding,' she told E! News, adding that her nearly three-year-old daughter Haley is already asking questions. Flower girls: Hoda Kotb, 55, plans on having her daughters Haley Joy, two, and Hope Catherine, nine months, walk down the aisle when she says 'I do' to their father, Joel Schiffman Too cute: The proud mom noted that her eldest daughter has already started asking questions and wants to know if she is 'coming to the party' 'Haley's been asking me, "What is it? What's going on?"' she explained. 'She's like, "Am I coming to the party?" And I say, "Yes, you're coming." They're going to walk. Joel and I will be there, and the rest of it is just icing.' Hoda also opened up about how she and Joel are thinking about adopting a third child together meaning there may be one more little one taking part in their wedding. 'Joel and I have talked about expanding just because we feel like we have room and we have love and we have everything,' she said. 'Do everything you can while you're here. You get one ride.' The journalist was recently discussing her wedding and potential plans to expand her family when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last week. When the host asked if she wanted more children, Hoda admitted that she's 'not 100 [per cent] sure.' Making it official: The couple of six years was vacationing in Mexico in November when Joel surprised her by popping the question 'Im a sign person,' she said. 'I always look for signs, and I feel like there are some signs out there ... 'I'll tell you, I was scribbling in my journal, and I was asking myself that question,' she continued. 'And I wrote in there, "Im wondering if we should." I wrote, "Do we have enough love?" I wrote, "Yes." And I said, "Do we have time?" And I wrote, "Yes." And, I said, "Would our family be more enhanced?" I wrote, "Yes." 'I was thinking, maybe the answer is yes.' Hoda admitted that she has had reservations about expanding her family when she is in her mid-50s and Joel is 61, but she believes her fears have been unfounded. 'I was scared because were older. But then I realized, theyll have each other,' she said of her daughters Haley Joy, two, and Hope Catherine, nine months. Living life to the fullest: Hoda also opened up about how she and Joel, 61, are thinking about adopting a third child together, saying they have the 'room' and 'love' All smiles: The Today anchor admitted that she has had reservations about expanding her family because of their ages, but she believes her fears have been unfounded 'When youre parents later in life, like, watching Haley and Hope together, all I really want is for them to have someone to hold their hand forever. Thats it. Thats all I want.' Hoda shared that she has actually been working on her fitness to ensure she can keep up with her two little ones as they get older. 'I actually, for the first time got a trainer, and he said, 'Well, what do you want to do?' she recalled. 'I said, "I want to get on the floor and get up 100 times." I said, "I want to be able to lift up 35 pounds and throw 35 pounds in the air." 'He goes, "Do you want toned arms? I go, "I don't care. I want to get down and get up, get down and get up." And that's what I've been doing. I think it's funny. When you want to do something, your energy kicks in.' Hoda also discussed her wedding plans during the interview, saying she and Joel will probably tie the knot later this year. Thoughts: Hoda said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she feels like 'there are some signs out there' that she should adopt another child and has been 'thinking maybe the answer is yes' 'I think we're gonna do it in the fall, and I think it's gonna be super simple, like, no big deal,' she said. 'We'll bring some friends. We'll probably be on a beach somewhere.' The couple of six years was vacationing in Mexico in November when Joel surprised her by popping the question. She explained that they had talked about getting married but kept putting it off. Hoda admitted that she was dipping her fingers in the churro sauce she was eating on the beach when Joel told her he'd like to say something. 'He started talking and I was looking at him and I said, "Oh, my God, this is going somewhere." He literally kicked the seat out from under him and dropped down on one knee. 'I didn't know I could be shocked, and I actually didn't know I could love him more, but I did in that moment. And I felt different ever since,' she said. 'I thought we were in love and love is love, so what. But I did feel different the minute he proposed.' Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, behind, wave to supporters with Philadelphia mother Stephanie Davis and her children, including daughter Janiyah Davis, center, after landing at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday. President Donald Trump announced at the State of the Union address Tuesday night that Janiyah would be given a scholarship to enroll in a school of her choice. Read more At his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump singled out a Philadelphia fourth grader sitting in the audience and announced she was getting a scholarship so she could leave a low-performing school. Criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf for vetoing legislation that would have expanded school-choice programs, Trump said the girl, Janiyah Davis, had been on a scholarship waiting list and announced that a scholarship "has become available, is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice. READ MORE: Trump points out Philadelphia mother and daughter during State of the Union The audience in the House chamber applauded as Janiyah stood with her mother, Stephanie Davis. Trump didnt say what school the girl attended or what school she wants to attend, nor did he explain the scholarship. It turns out Trumps education secretary, Betsy DeVos, will be paying for it. DeVos is directly providing the scholarship to Janiyah, the Department of Education said Wednesday. In her personal capacity, the secretary donates her salary every year to various organizations, a department spokesperson said. DeVos husband is former Amway CEO Dick DeVos. The couples net wealth has been estimated to be more than $1 billion. On Wednesday morning, the Davises traveled aboard Air Force 2 with DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence as Pence visited Philadelphia. He mentioned Janiyah during his speech about school choice at a West Philadelphia school, although neither she nor her mother attended the event. DeVos also addressed the crowd at the St. Francis de Sales School but did not say anything about her funding of the scholarship. As education secretary, DeVos has proposed to create a $5 billion annual federal tax credit for donations to programs providing funding to students to attend private schools or other state-approved education. Proponents of scholarship programs like the ones backed by the Trump administration and Pennsylvania Republicans say students should be able to receive funding to attend the schools of their choice. Public education advocates have raised concern about drawing money away from and weakening the traditional public education system and exacerbating school segregation. Wolfs veto last year nixed what would have been a sweeping expansion of Pennsylvanias largest tax-credit program, though he has allowed smaller increases to the program in the budget. At a Wednesday event, Wolf defended his record and dismissed Trumps remarks. Yeah, come on. I mean, I understand he was trying to make a score some points, Wolf told reporters at Carlisle High School. There was some posturing going on there. Staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article. European stocks closed higher on Wednesday, extending gains from earlier in the week despite the coronavirus outbreak. The pan-European Stoxx 600 reversed early losses to close provisionally over 1% higher, with auto shares leading the gains while only telecoms traded in the red. Reuters said a Chinese TV media outlet had reported that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat people with the new coronavirus. The news agency, citing traders, suggested this was a reason for the move higher in stocks. Investors have been trying to weigh the economic impact of the outbreak, and the World Health Organization said that cases surged to 24,363 over the last 24 hours, "the most cases in a single day since the outbreak started." On Wall Street, stocks followed the positive momentum overseas, with all the major U.S. indexes in the green. The Nasdaq, however, pared gains slightly as Tesla shares plummeted following a monster rally. In other news, oil prices rose on Wednesday, boosted by OPEC and non-OPEC producers including Russia (an alliance collectively known as OPEC+) discussing potential further output cuts to counteract a potential drop in global oil demand amid the coronavirus outbreak. The OPEC+ committee met again Wednesday. On the data front, final purchasing managers' index (PMI) readings showed that euro zone business activity made a solid start to 2020, beating preliminary estimates to rise to a five-month high of 51.3 in January from December's 50.9. Germany led the positive surprises, its service sector growing at its strongest pace in five months to rise to 54.2 from 52.9 in December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the DefExpo-2020 on Wednesday. New Delhi: Chinese delegations will not be visiting two mega exhibitions DefExpo 2020 and Auto Expo starting this week in India due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Chinese delegations have cancelled their visit to the biennial mega defence exhibition Defence Expo 2020 to be held in Lucknow between February 5 and February 9, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the DefExpo-2020 on Wednesday. Some 1,024 companies, including 165 foreign companies, will be participating in the expo. Union defence secretary Ajay Kumar had said on Friday that the delegates coming from coronavirus-affected countries for DefExpo 2020 will undergo proper screening. Industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) president Rajan Wadhera said that all Chinese companies participating at the Auto Expo have confirmed that their exhibit area would be manned by their Indian employees or representatives. He said that none of these stalls would be manned by anybody who has come to India recently from China. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 22:44:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BUCHAREST, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian government lost on Wednesday in a censure motion initiated by the main opposition Social Democrats, only three months after it taking office on Nov. 4. The censure motion was supported by 261 votes, more than the required minimum of 233 votes, or 50 percent plus one in the 465-seat bicameral parliament. A total of 139 lawmakers voted against. The cabinet led by National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban became the fifth government to step down in Romania in the last 30 years. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have convened in a joint meeting to discuss and vote on the censure motion "Orban/PNL government -- privatisation of Romanian democracy", which was signed also by MPs of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), after the government passed legislation on two-round mayoral elections ahead of the local elections slated for June. The virus, which originated in China late last year, has sickened more than 20,000 people worldwide and killed more than 400. In the U.S., there are 12 confirmed cases, according to public health officials. And most of those affected had traveled to China or live with someone who did, according to public health officials. This includes the two confirmed cases in Illinois: a Chicago woman who had gone to China to care for a sick relative, along with her husband, both of whom remain in isolation at a Hoffman Estates hospital. A personal injury attorney in Minnesotas Twin Cities has pleaded guilty to defrauding auto insurance companies by making false health care claims. On Feb. 3, William Sutor III entered the plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors. Sutor was accused of working with chiropractors to bill insurance companies for treatments that he knew the patient never received. In June 2015, a so-called runner brought Sutor a prospective client. The following April, Sutor submitted a letter to the insurance company falsely stating the client, who was actually an undercover agent, had received chiropractic treatment totaling $24,000 to settle a bodily injury claim, the Star Tribune reported. The plea deal has prosecutors asking for 10 to 16 months, plus up to $55,000 in fines and $14,600 in restitution. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Minnesota HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said Tuesday that he will vote to acquit President Donald Trump on two impeachment charges, maintaining that the president didnt commit an impeachable offense and that removing Trump would cause societal upheaval. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. said he will vote to find the president guilty of the charges, arguing the president abused his power and obstructed Congress. Toomey sided with nearly all of his fellow Republicans in advance of Wednesdays virtually certain votes to acquit Trump. Toomey's announcement that he would vote to acquit came as no surprise, after voting against calling additional witnesses in the Senate and repeatedly saying that he did not think Trump had committed an impeachable offense when he pushed Ukraine's president in a July telephone conversation to "look into" Democratic rival Joe Biden. In an editorial published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Toomey said Trump's actions were not "'perfect. Some were inappropriate." But, Toomey said, he disagreed with the abuse of power charge, saying there are legitimate national interests for seeking investigations into apparent corruption. Toomey also disputed the obstruction of Congress charge, saying "a president's defense of his legal and constitutional rights and responsibilities is not an impeachable offense." Toomey noted that aid to Ukraine was released "after a brief pause" and that Ukraine never announced or conducted investigations. He also said the pause in aid did not hinder Ukraine's ability to combat Russia, contending that the Trump administration is making a greater commitment to it than under Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama. "Even if House Democrats' presumptions about President Trump's motives are true, additional witnesses in the Senate, beyond the 17 who testified in the House, are unnecessary because the president's actions do not rise to the level of removing him from office," Toomey wrote. "Nor do they warrant the societal upheaval that would result from his removal from office and the ballot months before an election. Our country is already far too divided, and this would only make matters worse." Casey argued House managers not only met but exceeded the burden of proof. Over the course of two weeks, House Managers presented substantial, persuasive evidence that President Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress," Casey said in a statement. It is unfortunate so many of my Republican colleagues voted last week to overrule the will of the American people and block additional witnesses and documents that would speak directly to the Presidents conduct. America deserved a fair trial and it got a cover-up. Casey has been sharply critical of the presidents policies, including his efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act. There is no doubt that President Trump withheld military aid and a vital White House meeting from Ukraine, in order to coerce its President into announcing a sham investigation of a political rival and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election, Casey wrote. "It has also been established that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and then further abused his power by covering it up and obstructing Congress well-predicated investigation. I will vote guilty on Article I and Article II. Toomey is in his second term, which runs through 2022. Toomey has never been among Trump's biggest supporters. He did not campaign with Trump in the 2016 election, he did not attend the 2016 GOP convention and he only announced that he would vote for Trump after he had cast his ballot barely an hour before polls closed in 2016's election. Toomey also has not appeared at Trump's rallies in Pennsylvania since then, although a campaign spokesman has said Toomey plans to actively campaign for Trump's re-election in 2020. Casey won a third Senate term convincingly in 2018 and wont be on the ballot again until 2024. He has endorsed Joe Bidens bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Note: This story has been updated to include Sen. Bob Caseys statement on his vote. ___ More from PennLive: Traffic delays possible Wednesday with Vice President Mike Pence visit Listen to the latest episode of PennLives new political podcast Battleground Pa. on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts. Battleground Pa. examines the changing political climate across the state leading up to the 2020 election. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 01:21:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUDAPEST, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A new car-sharing company is moving to the Hungarian capital, where it will offer Volkswagen and Skoda electric cars, local media reported on Tuesday. "The company called 'WeShare', a car-sharing service under the arms of Volkswagen and Skoda, will be launched in Budapest this year, expanding the capital's car-sharing market from three to four players," the local daily newspaper Vilaggazdasag (World Economy) reported. Alongside Budapest, WeShare, which launched its electric car fleet in Berlin in June 2019, is expanding to six European cities this year: Hamburg (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Munich (Germany) and Milan (Italy). A total of 8,400 electric cars will be rolled out in the seven cities, according to the company's plans. WeShare spokesman Michael Fischer told the Hungarian newspaper that details, such as per-minute rates, number of vehicles and operators, would be announced at the earliest a few weeks before launch. Currently there are three free-floating car-sharing providers in Budapest: MOL Limo, GreenGo and Drive Now. Enditem Hours before the Senate will vote to acquit him, President Donald Trump stood before the chamber which impeached him and demonstrated just how he plans to win reelection. With nods to some policy particulars, sure - but, more significantly, by stepping past expected boundaries of behavior for his own benefit. To do directly and obviously what the articles of impeachment accuse him of undertaking in secret: leveraging the power of his position to bolster his political standing. Presidents have always used the presidency for political ends. Every time Barack Obama showed up at a 2012 campaign rally in Air Force One, he was doing precisely that. Every time George W. Bush held an event at a factory to talk up a jobs proposal, some part of him was aimed at his own employment. What Trump did on Tuesday night, though, was something different. It was more explicit, more obvious. It was the sort of show that seems inevitable in retrospect, the product of a man who transitioned to the presidency without jettisoning his abiding interest in television attention and ratings evaluations. Had you asked someone in June 2015 what a Trump presidency would look like, they might well have predicted that he'd combine a State of the Union address with viral YouTube tropes. And they'd have been correct. The speech was anchored by spectacle. At the outset, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., seemed to offer her hand to shake the president's as he handed her a copy of his remarks; he, either not seeing it or choosing to ignore it, turned his back. When his speech was done, Pelosi stood up and pointedly tore her copy of his speech into pieces. She would later tell reporters that it was "the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives." In between, Trump put on his own show. There were traditional moments of State of the Union showmanship, the sorts of introductions of people in attendance brought to the annual event by the first entertainer-president, Ronald Reagan. At one point, for example, a 100-year-old Tuskegee airman, Charles McGee, was lauded several times, his great-grandson at his side. There was a twist. During the speech, Trump revealed that he'd signed a bill awarding McGee the rank of brigadier general and that, on Tuesday, he'd pinned the general's stars on his epaulettes. A standard State of the Union tactic, with a Trumpian twist. That was subtle compared to other moments. Trump lambasted failing public schools and introduced a young girl and her mother who were waiting for a scholarship that would allow the girl to attend the school of her choice. Then the twist: such a scholarship had been arranged for her. She smiled; her mother grew teary. At later point, a young military mother named Amy Williams and her children were introduced - and the conclusion to her story seemed predictable. "Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and in peace. And we want to thank you," Trump told Williams. "But, Amy, there is one more thing," he continued. "Tonight, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight. And we couldn't keep him waiting any longer." Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams came down to his family. The assembled audience, or at least the Republicans, chanted "U-S-A!" It's hard not to appreciate how she and her kids must have felt in the moment, but it was also hard not to be aware of the more cynical side of the reunion. We've seen similar reunions so many times in recent years, fathers and mothers surprising their children at school assemblies or sporting events and the children, overcome, throwing themselves into their parents' arms. Such videos aren't as effective when they're part of ad campaigns, though, and, at its heart, that's what the Williams' reunion served as. When Trump first arrived at the lectern, the congressional Republicans in attendance had another chant: "Four more years!" The made-for-TV moment that was most unusual came when Trump transitioned from discussing cancer to recognizing conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, who announced a lung cancer diagnosis on Monday. Trump had teased to reporters during a lunch earlier in the day that he intended to award Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom, a revelation that quickly made its way into news coverage. When Trump announced during the speech that Limbaugh would get the award, the radio host appeared to be surprised. Everyone else was similarly surprised in short order. Limbaugh would get the award right then, granted, unusually, by the first lady. The State of the Union speech, mandated by the Constitution to inform Congress and recommend policy, was put on pause while the president's wife put the nation's highest civilian honor around the neck of a hard-right commentator and Trump supporter. Trump's intentions seem fairly easy to deduce. He'd referred repeatedly during the speech to reasons that black Americans might support his presidency; he then awarded a scholarship to an adorable young black girl. He understands that he's got a problem with suburban women; what could be more heartwarming to that group than reuniting a mother with her husband and children with their father? And, of course, there's always room to play to the base by frustrating liberals, a goal which the Limbaugh award achieved several times over. Again, politics and the presidency always overlap. They just don't usually overlap so ostentatiously. At the heart of the Ukraine scandal is the allegation that he sought to benefit his reelection by asking the president of Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, a request backed up by putting a hold on military aid. On Tuesday night, we saw the fully domestic version of that sort of maneuvering, a president familiar with what plays well on television and the Internet using a big platform to flip precisely those switches. And who can complain? Democrats can't object to a kid getting a better educational opportunity or kids getting to have their family back at home. That's why the whole thing worked. No one can object to what Trump did in their specifics, just in the abstract, just in pointed-but-careful articles about what happened. Democrats who didn't applaud vigorously were quickly called out by Trump's defenders on social media, just as they were waiting to do. Trump's presidency changed on Tuesday night, if only subtly. From now until November, we can expect a lot more Trump-as-president-as-candidate. Inskoy mine case: what danger command economy presents for the region RIA Novosti, Sergey Averin 18:29 05/02/2020 The Inskoy mine case in the Kemerovo Region has amply demonstrated the risk regional authorities are exposed to when managing in hands-on mode resources of private enterprises by means of their administrative resources. New case materials made public in the course of the litigation raise questions of efficiency (and permissibility) of the settlement of regional economic problems at the expense of funds of private enterprises. During the process, the court could hear audio records related to the case over alleged extortion of the controlling interest in Inskoy mine. The recorded telephone conversations have clarified the positions of the parties; especially important details are contained in audio records of conversations between ex-representatives of the regional authorities and Alexander Shchukin. It follows from the records that businesses were engaged in meeting social commitments of the region on a compulsory voluntary basis. At the same time, the enterprises whose owners displeased Aman Tuleyev were frequented by inspections of representatives of regulatory authorities, who stopped production for several days. The Inskoy mine criminal case once again raises the issues, which need to be paid attention by both practitioners and theorists of law enforcement. Where are the limits of corporate social responsibility to the region, and how its amount is to be calculated? What can an enterprise becoming hostage to the administration trying to settle its problems do? RAPSI analyzes new facts, the current situation in Kuzbass, and cites an expert opinion about the recent developments. Tuleyevs management approach The former administration of the Kemerovo Region has closely monitored the situation at enterprises and strived to preclude unrest by raising money to pay wages. Nevertheless, even Kuzbass old-timers could not imagine the extent of compulsion to social responsibility. Alexander Shchukin, who had spent significant funds to help Inskoy mine, to his surprise found himself under serious pressure of the administration after he had refused to invest in and manage the enterprise in multi-billion debt, although he did not demand even reimbursement of his expenses. Operations of the businessmans enterprises were stopped by inspectors of Russias Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service (Rostekhnadzor), regional media outlets, including the official website of the regional administration, began to criticize Shchukin, recalling certain controversies he had been involved in. The billionaire, who had earlier already spent 200 million rubles (about $3 million at the current exchange rate), part of which sum was transferred to pay wages of workers of the Inskoy mine he did not even own, agreed to send his experts to consult the enterprise and provide it technical assistance if only to avoid pressure on his business. During the said inspections, Anton Tsygankov, who is currently qualified as a victim and according to whose allegations the defendants have unlawfully wrested out the transfer of a 51% share in Inskoy mine, contacted with Shchukin on work-related issues and discussed with the businessmans assistant the questions related to the reneging of the shares transfer and restoration of the pre-strike status quo. Wage arrears problem in Kemerovo Region gets worse All the developments described above took place when the economic situation in the region was relatively stable. By now, the situation has changed, and the Kuzbass administration has to combat a protracted crisis but is unable to act in Tuleyevs style. In 2019, the price of coal used in metallurgy plummeted twofold, and its sales now cannot compensate production costs. This situation threatens the very existence of many enterprises, whereas bailout thereof will entail irrecoverable debts to workers and bankruptcies. Thus, in December 2019, a financial crisis broke out at Zarechnaya and Alekseyevskaya mines, where some part of employees stopped to go out to work due to wage arrears. Earlier, these two mines were a part of Zarechnaya coal company, which went bankrupt in 2018. Both mines are local major employers providing in total about 5,000 jobs. As a result, the crisis at these two enterprises affected not only miners, but the regional administration as well; media outlets and the public still wait how it is going to react to the situation. New administration face complex challenges For the past 18 months the Kemerovo Region has been headed by Sergey Tsivilev, who uses more legally transparent means with respect to the issues of rescue of enterprises. Thus, Tsivilev settled the December crisis affecting a wide range of mines, which accumulated wage arrears totaling to 223 million rubles (about $3.5 million), by using VAT reimbursement mechanisms. The Governor has taken an unconventional decision. Tsivilev made a number of telephone calls to the heads of tax agencies and the treasury across Siberia. As a result, right in the course of the meeting the funds hit the accounts, a regional administration statement reads. However, the question of how long or frequently such a reserve of funds in the regional budget will be available to repay wage arrears remains open. An alternative way After the intervention of a prosecutors office, on January 23, 2020, Inskoy mine paid the debt to its employees. Seven hundred workers were at last paid 34 million rubles (about $538,000). Even after almost five years since Inskoy mine borrowed large funds to repay its debts, the loss-making enterprise cannot regain its feet; moreover, it continues to accumulate debts, thus making the situation even tenser. Experts believe that it is a logical result of a hardball brand management of the economy, which has exhausted its potential to settle systemic problems at important enterprises. Alexander Ermolenko, an FBK Legal firm partner, PhD in Law, a member of the Working Group on Anti-Crisis Regulation of Socially Important Businesses at the Moscow office of the Association of Russian Lawyers comments on the situation as follows: The central problem of such an approach, which dominates here [in Russia] not only at the regional, but at all levels of government, is its unpredictability. Neither businesses, nor the state can be sure that their interrelations will be sustainable in the long term. In such a situation, all things allowed and not allowed are becoming very personalized; it is an archaic way to regulate social relations: there are no common rules, but only arrangements everyone makes with everybody else. At the same time, there is no place for stability, for confidence about the future; everyone understands that and determines ones course of actions accordingly: businesses hide money, the state opens criminal cases. As a result, it is a war by everybody against everybody else. This situation must give way to the law, common rules for everybody and the supremacy of these rules. (TNS) Well before the Iowa Democratic caucuses began on Monday, local observers and political gurus expected the process of choosing among candidates for the party's presidential nomination to be a mess.Never the cleanest or simplest process even in the most serene of times, the caucuses this year were saddled with new procedures, new rules and new mathematical calculations, all requiring specialized training of caucus participants and leaders.The organizers expected that any residual complexities could be managed with the help of new technology specifically, a smartphone app designed to compile and transmit results.The rest is history history as farce, that is. Results first started dribbling in Tuesday, but by then they were tainted, perhaps indelibly, by questions about their reliability and the system's security.The entire episode underscores how dependent we have become on technology or more precisely, on the idea that technology is the solution to almost any problem."People often imagine that they can use technology to smooth out the rough edges of complicated real-world processes," says Meredith Broussard, a computer scientist now teaching at New York University's journalism school. Broussard calls this notion technochauvinism."We need to think about what is the right tool for the task," she told me. "Sometimes it's a computer, but sometimes it's paper."Doubts about our blind faith in technology were raised most incisively by the late social critic Neil Postman, who was famous for asking about any novel application: "What is the problem for which this technology is the solution?"Postman's formulation struck directly at people's tendency to overlook the consequences of rolling out new devices, systems and media. He would also ask whose problem was being supposedly solved, and what new problems would be created by the solution all pertinent questions in the Iowa case.As my colleague Jeff Bercovici reports, the Iowa smartphone app was developed by a firm called Shadow, which was started and partially funded by alumni of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The state Democratic parties of Iowa and Nevada each paid around $60,000 to Shadow. But that may not have been enough to support development of a fully functioning app.Iowa caucus officials, concerned that the app might be a target for hackers, kept much of it under wraps until the caucuses. They were vague about how much testing the app received, whether for vulnerabilities or for its ability to operate at full scale. Indications from Monday are that the problems the app experienced were the result not of sabotage, but incapacity and lack of adequate training.Examples abound of technological solutions that inspired confidence at the conceptual stage but failed in practice.Boeing, for example, used a software tweak to finesse an engineering shortcut it employed to minimize the cost of designing and building its new 737 Max airliner. To channel Postman, the problem it was trying to solve was how to preserve its profitability while bringing a new aircraft to market; it chose to make minimal hardware changes and make up for them with software. That solved a problem for the company's designers and accountants, but, according to the latest indications from investigators, perplexed and confounded pilots, causing two crashes that cost the lives of 346 passengers and crew members.The initial failure of the government's healthcare.gov website more closely resembles the Iowa meltdown. The website failed during the initial rollout of the Affordable Care Act's individual insurance exchanges on its first day of operation in October 2013, it was able to enroll only six customers.The problem in search of a solution here was how to create a website that met the needs of a diverse population of insurance customers who had not been served by the existing insurance market. The solution was well-intentioned, but incompetently executed.As a government analysis later established, the website development was hobbled almost from the start by limited resources and inexperienced and confused management. The volume of first-day customers had been immensely underestimated by government supervisors, and the site's private developers hadn't done the required testing to ensure that it could handle a scaled-up load.The Department of Health and Human Services quickly reorganized the effort, but even though the website was soon functioning effectively, the snafu marred the public's perception of the ACA for several years.Many have taken the Iowa problems as another manifestation of the idea that government can't manage complex systems as effectively as the private sector. But that's too simple.In the first place, the Iowa caucuses, which are run by the state parties, are closer to private than government entities. There's nothing inherent in managing a technological rollout that can't be addressed by better funding and more consistent management two features that were lacking in the rollout of Healthcare.gov, and that were overcome by more money and new management.The private sector certainly has had its share of botched technology projects, even with billions of dollars, thousands of lives and priceless corporate reputations hanging in the balance. Boeing's future has been put in question by the 737 Max crashes. But there are many other cases in which a technological advance has led to unforeseen problems, as Postman posited often to many more problems than existed to begin with.Stock trading technologies have enabled markets worldwide to accommodate trading volume that would have been unimaginable even at the turn of the century. But this has also been an era of "flash crashes," such as the crash of May 6, 2010, which took stock markets down by a trillion dollars and then recovered, all in the span of 36 minutes action that would have been impossible without advanced technologies.Securities markets have become so instantaneously responsive to computerized orders that errors resulting from someone pressing a wrong button have earned their own moniker "fat finger" trades.These cases should make us wary of claims offered for technologies that are promoted as almost ready for the real world but are in reality still in their infancy. Take driverless cars, for example.Autonomous driving systems are billed as the solution to human errors behind the wheel. But so far, they haven't come close to amassing enough real-world mileage to make any scientifically valid claim about their safety compared with human drivers.Arguments that they will be inevitably safer therefore hinge on trust in technology which experience tells us may be misplaced. And that's not even getting into the new problems this technology may create, which can't be predicted today.Concerns about the security of electronic voting systems have been raising the hackles of election experts and technologists for years. The Iowa caucus experience should place a spotlight on the further risk of operational breakdowns at critical moments. For both reasons, more states are planning to mandate paper ballots or pondering such a rule for this year's election, if only as a backup to paperless systems. But they're not yet a majority, even though the rule should be universal.As it happens, the Iowa caucuses did have paper ballots as backups. On Tuesday, those ballots were being used to verify Monday's voting totals. "They did the right thing," Broussard says. "They just didn't think they'd need them." They know better now. Ahead of the 2020 Academy Awards, Vulture is revisiting the endings of this year's Best Picture nominees. Spoiler alert: They do indeed end up getting divorced. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix Noah Baumbachs characters never quite come to classically dramatic, life-altering resolutions. Instead, they just sort of meander: Frances Hallady spends her movie fretting over her future and whether her best friend is outgrowing her; by the end, shes warmly smiling at that friend from across a room, comfortable with the distance between them. Instead of confronting his feelings about his once-successful, now mostly petulant father in The Squid and the Whale, Walt just sort of acknowledges them, and walks away. Kicking and Screaming closes with a declaration of love thats as romantic as it is practical: Josh Hamilton tells Olivia dAbo that he wishes they were already an old couple, so he could kiss her tenderly without being too forward. Theres something gentle about these endings, and the way they reflect real life. I dont like when you necessarily know that this is the end of the movie, Baumbach once told IndieWire about Squid. I like when a movie ends abruptly. You go through this, and some of the scenes are uncomfortable, and some are funny and then suddenly its over. Marriage Storys ending works that way. In the movies first scene, we meet Charlie and Nicole Barber, who are trying to work through the terms of a separation with a mediator; Charlie is smug and Nicole is stubborn. Two scenes later, she moves across the country and vows to start a life with herself at the center, not her husbands directing work. Via vicious attorneys, the couple exchanges barbs and jabs. Their fundamental fight is over custody whether their son, Henry, should live in New York with his dad or Los Angeles with his mom but there are other festering wounds resulting from breaches in loyalty and perceived power imbalances. Nicole says she was never really happy with Charlie, an admission that seems so totally opposite of his conception of their marriage. He fusses over her ideas about them as a couple like theyre a bad-faith read of a good text. In the end, like most other Baumbach movies, someone flawed usually intellectually sharp but emotionally obtuse stops trying to bend every single other person or thing to their will. Charlie doesnt ever explicitly take responsibility for the problems in his marriage (does he still think that Nicole should be upset not that he fucked another woman, but that he had a laugh with her?), but he does tacitly understand that his marriage, like his divorce, doesnt have a clear hero or villain. For an audience of his close friends, he sings Being Alive breathlessly, desperately at an open mic. Baumbachs script times our sympathy: Charlie was a bad husband in marriage and divorce, but we cant help but feel bad for Adam Driver (big!) standing at a mic asking for someone to hold him too close, to sit in his chair. Cut to: a few months later, when hes just arrived in Los Angeles. He tells Nicole that hes taken a fellowship at UCLA to direct two plays. Oh, Nicole says, her face colored by surprise. Thats great. You okay? he asks. She smiles and hands him an oversized bed sheet so he can go trick-or-treating with Henry, his grandmother, and Nicoles boyfriend: Its only good. For the two preceding hours, Charlie has regaled us with his own self-pity from a defensive crouch. Theres a remarkable stillness to this moment. Hes alone with Nicole, his former in-laws having shut the doors to their rooms to finish getting ready for the night. The last time Charlie and Nicole were alone together, she challenged his selfishness when it came to discussions of where their family should live and he exploded, punching a hole in his living-room wall. Its not that he seems especially excited about the UCLA gig or happy to share it with her, rather that for the first time hes trying to fit into a lifestyle thats not of his choosing, and to make this situation work. Nicole appreciates the effort and doesnt gloat. In the next scene, Charlie walks in on Henry reading a list written in Nicoles handwriting of all the things she loves about Charlie. Its the assignment from their mediator from Marriage Storys first scene. Charlie is incredibly neat and I rely on him to keep things in order, Henry stammers, struggling over some of the two-syllable words. He is energy conscious. He doesnt look in the mirror too often. He cries easily in movies. He is very self-sufficient. He can darn a sock and cook himself dinner and iron a shirt. He rarely gets defeated, which I feel like I always do. Charlie hasnt read this letter, hasnt heard it like we already have. Marriage Story doesnt deal in flashbacks like another movie its been compared to: Blue Valentine, which reveled in its befores and afters. We never get to see how Charlie and Nicole were when they were happy, versus how they are during the dissolution of their marriage. The way this scene exists Charlie tearing up, reading aloud everything his ex-wife loves about him makes it seem like all of these things can still be true, despite the sting of the divorce. That love can still exist, albeit in a new shape. Marriage Story front-loads Nicoles emotional arc, showing her tearfully recounting how small she felt in her marriage to her attorney. But the scripts structure is more interested in revealing how Charlie rails against the changes in his life; the way he reluctantly drives around L.A., lives in a stubbornly empty apartment, endures excruciating visits with lawyers and social workers. The movies thesis is that neither party was especially wrong or especially right. And so the movie ends with that conclusion: Charlie and Nicole can have a relationship outside of their marriage, only as Henrys two imperfect parents. About 90 minutes into Marriage Story, during the big, screamy fight scene, Nicole shouts, I cant believe I have to know you forever! But by the end of the movie, its Halloween again, and the Barbers are pleasantly co-parenting with a routine that is more sharing than sniping. That reality, knowing each other forever, doesnt seem like such a bad thing after all. When theyve finished trick-or-treating, Nicole offers to let Charlie take Henry home without being didactic about their custody agreement. They all hug and as he walks away, she runs after her ex-husband to tie his shoe (a moment thats a bit too twee for my taste, but alas). Charlie carries his son to the car, and isnt that what he really wanted most all along? This is the shocking moment nine people were forced to huddle together in the toilet cubicle of an overcrowded train for an hour-plus journey. The footage, filmed on the hourly Greater Anglia service between Cambridge and Ipswich yesterday, shows passengers squeezed into the cubicle with dozens more just outside. The video was filmed by 18-year-old Oscar Hedge, who said he was one of the people standing in the toilet for the duration of his journey, which took longer than an hour because of delays. Oscar, a sixth form student at a college in Cambridge, said: 'It was horrible. I thought I wasn't going to get onto the train, because people were really struggling. 'Me and eight other people had to stand in the toilet for the whole of my journey from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds. 'Usually my journey takes about 40 minutes, but yesterday it took over an hour, as the train stopped for ages to let another train go past.' Oscar added that the Greater Anglia service, which runs hourly, was crammed, as the previous train at 16.47 had been cancelled. He said: 'I'd been waiting for the one before, and it was cancelled about ten minutes before it was due to arrive. 'When the 5.47 train came along, there was announcements on the platform saying that anyone who couldn't get on to the train should go to the help desk. 'Luckily, I made it on to the train,' he said. Oscar added: 'Greater Anglia has a real reputation for overcrowded trains. They've recently added new trains on to that line, but this sort of thing used to happen every day.' A previous train was cancelled, which forced several people to squeeze into a toilet (right) while others stood outside Oscar said that, since the previous train had been cancelled, he is entitled to Delay Repay online - but he added: 'It really doesn't make up for having to stand in the toilet.' Christy Morris, who was also on the train, said: 'It felt really cramped, you could barely breathe. 'After a long day, everyone's been at work, everyone's been at uni, and it's just so uncomfortable. You spend so much money a year to get a service, and it's just not on really.' Ms Morris, a 22-year-old student and office worker, said some passengers got off the train rather than endure the conditions on board. Meanwhile, electronic displays appeared to show in error that there were seats available in all carriages. 'We all laughed about it,' Ms Morris said. 'We all thought it was just ridiculous.' Oscar, a sixth form student at a college in Cambridge, said: 'It was horrible. I thought I wasn't going to get onto the train, because people were really struggling' A Greater Anglia spokesman said: 'We apologise for the overcrowding on the 17.47 Cambridge-Ipswich service yesterday. 'The 16.20 Ipswich to Cambridge service was terminated at Ely due to a train fault and therefore the following train was busier than usual. 'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and would encourage those affected by the cancellation to claim delay repay at www.greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay.' Bury St. Edmunds' MP Jo Churchill recently wrote to Greater Anglia to complain about overcrowding and delays on services to Ipswich, Peterborugh and Cambridge. On Tuesday she said would press for a meeting with the both the train operator and the Transport Secretary to raise her concerns. She said: 'The recent disruption on both Greater Anglia's mainline and branch services has not been good enough, passengers expect and deserve a reliable service. 'It is concerning that many of the delays and cancellations are being caused by faults with the new trains, and I will be seeking answers to why these faults are occurring and how Greater Anglia plan to fix these issues.' G Subhash Chandra By Express News Service CHITRADURGA (KARNATAKA): Winners don't do different things. But they do things differently. The old adage is apt for this Hiriyur girl who fought against all odds to secure the highest marks in the Aeronautical Engineering course of the Vishvesvaraiah Technological University (VTU). R Lalitha is a living example of dedication. When the daughter of a vegetable vendor couple walks up the stage on Saturday to receive her well-deserved gold medallions from the vice-chancellor, it will be an unforgettable sight for her beaming and proud parents Rajendra K and Chitra R. With 9.7 percentile, Lalitha is the first graduate in her family which has for generations sold vegetables at the Nehru Market in front of the New Kalpana hotel of Hiriyur. Lalitha doesn't want to go abroad in search of a lucrative job but instead wants to stay back and become a space scientist. Lalitha's parents Rajendra K and Chitra R at their vegetable shop in Hiriyur (Photo | Express) Her dreams to work either in IISc or ISRO are because of her idol K Sivan, whose life story motivated her to take up aeronautical engineering. Lalitha's day typically begins at 4 AM. After waking up, she accompanies her parents to the wholesale market to purchase vegetables for sale. At the Nehru Market, where her parents sell vegetables, Lalitha could be seen spending time studying. For her PU education, Lalitha joined SRS College in Chitradurga. Amid financial hardships, she had to commute from Hiriyur to her college every day. But nothing stopped her from achieving her dreams. She scored 87 per cent in PU and subsequently secured the 20000th rank in CET. Dreams of becoming a space scientist Speaking to The New Indian Express, Lalitha said, "Whatever I am today is because of my parents. I will live up to their promise. My present aim is to take up MS in aerospace engineering for which I have cleared GATE examination." "Even though I come from a small town, it didn't take me long to get used to the busy life of a metro. Dedication and concentration in studies have helped me achieve the results I have been dreaming of." Her admiration for the present chairman of ISRO K Sivan is very evident. "It is my dream to become a space scientist and I will work hard towards it. Even though there are several aeronautical companies across the world, I would like to stay back in India. I will work for IISc or ISRO to work for a better future for the country," said Lalitha. "I was in a dilemma when it came to selecting a subject for BE during graduation. Though there were several suggestions to pursue conventional engineering courses, I wanted to do something different. I followed my gut and went for aeronautical engineering," she added. Lalitha is presently undergoing an internship at a private aerospace engineering firm in Bengaluru and at the same time preparing for the IISc and ISRO examinations. "My GATE score stands at 707 and I am aiming to join any of the IITs in the country to complete the MS course. The results of the selection will be out anytime soon," Lalitha explains. Lalitha's parents who are very happy with her success say, "Today we are more than satisfied as all our three daughters are doing very well in their respective careers." Lalitha has two sisters, R Bhuvana and R Tulasi, who are pursuing fashion designing and civil engineering respectively. "I strongly believe in the strength of my daughters who have made me proud and I am happy that the entire Hiriyur and Chitradurga district are celebrating Lalitha's success as their own," said Rajendra, who earns Rs 400-600 per day. "Even though my wife and I are not educated enough, the achievements of our daughters have made us very proud. I urge all parents to give prime importance to their daughters' education," he added. 3.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Democratic Senator Doug Jones is fighting to hold on to his Senate seat in Alabama, but he will vote to convict Trump and uphold the Constitution. Sen. Jones announced that he will vote to convict Trump on both articles of impeachment: On the day I was sworn in as a United States Senator, I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. At the beginning of the impeachment trial, I took a second oath to do impartial justice according to the same Constitution I swore to protect. These solemn oaths have been my guides during what has been a difficult time for our country, for my state, and for me personally. I did not run for Senate hoping to participate in the impeachment trial of a duly-elected President, but I cannot and will not shrink from my duty to defend the Constitution and to do impartial justice. In keeping with my oaths, I resolved that throughout this process I would keep an open mind and hear all of the evidence before making a final decision on the charges against the President. For months, I have been studying the facts of this case exhaustively. I have read thousands of pages of transcripts, watched videos of testimony, taken copious notes, reviewed history and precedents and discussed this case with colleagues, staff, and constituents, in addition to having participated in the Senate trial over the past two weeks. After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the President for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. With the eyes of history upon us, I am acutely aware of the precedents this impeachment trial will set for future presidencies and Congresses. Unfortunately, I do not believe those precedents are good ones. I am particularly concerned that we have now set a precedent that a fair trial in the Senate does not include witnesses and documentary evidence, even when those witnesses have first-hand information and the evidence would provide the Senate and the American people with a more complete picture of the truth. I am also deeply troubled by the partisan nature of these proceedings from start to finish. Very early on I implored my colleagues in both houses of Congress to stay out of their partisan corners. Many did, but so many did not. The country deserves better. We must find a way to rise above the things that divide us and find the common good. Having done my best to see through the fog of partisanship, I am deeply troubled by the arguments put forth by the Presidents lawyers in favor of virtually unchecked presidential power. In this case, the evidence clearly proves the President used the weight of his office and that of the United States government to seek to coerce a foreign government to interfere in our election for his personal political benefit. The Presidents actions placed his personal interests well above the national interests and threatened the security of the United States, our allies in Europe, and our ally Ukraine. His actions were more than simply inappropriate. They were an abuse of power. With impeachment as the only check on such presidential wrongdoing, I felt I must vote to convict on the first charge of abuse of power. The second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress, gave me even more pause. I have struggled to understand the Houses strategy in their pursuit of documents and witnesses and wished they had done more. However, after careful consideration of the evidence developed in the hearings, the public disclosures, the legal precedents, and the trial, I believe the President deliberately and unconstitutionally obstructed Congress by refusing to cooperate with the investigation in any way. While I am sensitive to protecting the privileges and immunities afforded to the President and his advisors, I believe it is critical to our constitutional structure that we protect Congress authorities also. In this matter it was clear from the outset that the President had no intention whatsoever of any accommodation with Congress when he blocked both witnesses and documents from being produced. In addition, he engaged in a course of conduct to threaten potential witnesses and smear the reputations of the civil servants who did come forward and provide testimony. The Presidents actions demonstrate a belief that he is above the law, that Congress has no power whatsoever in questioning or examining his actions, and that all who do so, do so at their peril. That belief, unprecedented in the history of this country, simply must not be permitted to stand. To do otherwise risks guaranteeing that no future whistleblower or witness will ever come forward and no future President Democrat or Republican will be subject to Congressional oversight as mandated by the Constitution. Senators are elected to make tough choices. We are required to study the facts of each issue before us and exercise our independent judgment in keeping with the oaths we take. The gravity of this moment, the seriousness of the charges, and the implications for future presidencies and Congresses all contributed to the difficulty with which I have arrived at my decision. This has been a divisive time for our country, but I think it has nonetheless been an important constitutional process for us to follow. As this chapter of history draws to a close, one thing is clear: our country deserves better than this. We must find a way to come together, to set aside partisan differences, and to focus on what we have in common as Americans. We are facing great challenges both domestically and internationally, but it remains my firm belief that united, we can conquer them and remain the greatest hope for people around the world. It would have been easy for Sen. Jones to play to the Republicans in his red home state and vote to acquit Trump. Jones is the most vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbent up for reelection in 2020. If he would have played politics with this vote, everyone would have understood. Doug Jones did something much more important. He took a vote that will hurt him politically because it was the right thing to do. Sen. Jones is going to uphold his oath of office and the Constitution by voting to convict Trump. At a time when political cowardice is dominating the Senate, Sen. Doug Jones is standing up and doing whats right. Sen. Jones just showed McConnells crew of cowards how a real Senator is supposed to behave. A leading charity has called on the Government to extend a project in Cork nationwide to protect 1,632 girls fromcruel and unnecessary female genital mutilation (FGM). ActionAid Ireland CEO Siobhan McGee said: We know that this work is needed outside of Cork, the figures clearly show that, but we need a real commitment to preventing FGM from Government in order to meet the needs out there. Development charity ActionAid has been running the AFTER (Against FGM Through Empowerment and Rejection) education programme with residents of direct provision centres in Cork since 2016. Eleven women based at the Kinsale Road Direct Provision centre graduated from the programme in Cork in November. The course, which aims to empower communities to reject the practice, is the only programme of its kind in the country and it will be extended to men and teenage girls living in direct provision in Cork in the coming weeks. It is estimated that more than 1,600 girls may be at risk of FGM in Ireland. Last week, a married couple became the first people in Ireland convicted and sentenced over the practice after their then one-year-old daughter suffered FGM at their Dublin home. In light of last weeks ruling where a couple were sentenced to imprisonment for facilitating the practice of FGM on their young daughter age two, we have a renewed focus and intensity about our work combatting FGM in Ireland," Ms McGee said. "We have a track record of working with communities to stop FGM in Kenya, we saw a 27% reduction in the incidences of FGM after working consistently with the Kongelai community. We are using our expertise here in Cork to do the same. We know that there could be as many as 1,632 girls living in Ireland that are at high risk of being cut. "We can prevent this and protect further victims from this cruel and unnecessary practice, Ms McGee said. At the AFTER graduation event in Cork in November, we called on the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to support the roll-out of our programme across the country. FGM is defined as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or any practice that deliberately changes or injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The World Health Organization estimates that 100m-140m women worldwide have undergone FGM. Tomorrow has been named International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM. These new enhancements underscore our commitment to serving Canada and all of North America with our address validation services. - Geoff Grow, CEO, Service Objects Service Objects, the leading provider of real-time global contact validation solutions, has released a major upgrade to its DOTS Address Validation Canada service. This new release is available immediately for clients processing Canadian addresses. Address Validation Canada is an API-based service that provides industry-leading address matching algorithms to verify, correct and append Canadian addresses. Using up-to-date address data from Canada Post, this service provides coverage for over 15 million Canadian addresses in all ten provinces and three territories. It supports and returns address data in both English and French with automated language detection and provides output casing options to meet Canada Posts standards. With an average 90ms response time, Address Validation - Canada is designed to meet the needs of the most demanding applications without performance degradation. Some of the new enhancements available in this latest release include: New datasets and better algorithms to significantly increase match rates for addresses, with a 40% increase in addresses found and matched Improved processing capabilities for difficult to parse addresses Enhanced and more complete data provided on returned addresses Many of our global clients market to businesses and consumers with Canadian addresses. These new enhancements underscore our commitment to serving Canada and all of North America with our address validation services, said Geoff Grow, Chief Executive Officer at Service Objects. In fact, we are so confident in the quality of our data that we are the only company to offer customers a 10 transaction credit in the rare occasion we return an inaccurate result. This enhanced version of Address Validation Canada is part of an ongoing commitment from Service Objects to provide improved performance and capabilities for its contact data validation products, backed by 24/7/365 support, guaranteed 99.9999% uptime, and unparalleled technical expertise. To learn more about any of our global contact validation services, please contact us. About Service Objects Founded in 2001, Service Objects is the leading provider of contact validation solutions, validating online transactions in real-time, including contact name, address, phone, email, and device. Using Service Objects global validation and location web services, businesses can identify potentially fraudulent contact records, append additional contact information, and process transactions in a more efficient manner. Service Objects has validated nearly 4 billion contacts, and major brands such as American Express, Best Buy, and Amazon rely on Service Objects for their data validation needs. For more information about Service Objects real-time web services, contact sales@serviceobjects.com. Officials in Red Bank are mourning the loss of Police Officer James "Chip" Smith who was killed last weekend in Sevierville, while off duty. Its been a sad last few days with the passing of an outstanding police officer, said City Manager Tim Thornbury. Condolences from the commissioners were extended to the family of Officer Smith. In her report, Vice Mayor Ruth Jeno expressed excitement about former Red Bank Mayor John Roberts running for a position representing District 2 on the Hamilton County School Board. On second and final reading, the commission repealed a design review ordinance that had been in effect for several years and replaced it with a new one that is less restrictive. Requirements in the original ordinance for renovations to commercial property have been relaxed in the new city code to help small businesses that might be interested in opening in Red Bank. Every five years state law requires the city to adopt an updated ordinance relating to traffic citations and to break down court costs. Mayor Eddie Pierce said there is no increase in costs, it is just a requirement to do a new ordinance which was passed at the commission meeting Tuesday night. Also approved was a resolution that authorized an agreement to lease two copy machines for a period of five years. Ray Towers, a long-time resident of Red Bank, came to the commission meeting for help with an on-going problem. His home is on a lot that is between Woodrow Avenue and Ashland Terrace. On Tuesday night, he again asked for a guard rail to be put up on Ashland Terrace along his property where vehicles routinely run off the road and through his fence. In November or December, he said he came to a meeting because his fence had been hit twice in two months. Tuesday night was for yet another crash, when a truck with two adults and two children went through the wooden privacy fence and chain link fence behind it. Enoughs, enough, he said. The first time he appealed for help was six years ago, he said. Since that time, a motorcycle ended up hanging in a tree with the rider, hurt on the ground and in another incident, a car landed on top of his camper. The drivers insurance has covered the cost to replace his fence - when they stop, said Mr. Towers, otherwise he has been left to pay the $2,000 it costs to replace the fence. And, he added, that he had been given a citation from the city for the fence not being right. "It doesnt make sense," he said. The commissioners have discussed the problem, said Mayor Pierce, and have planned to plant a row of Leyland Cypress. That wont stop a 5,000-pound truck," said Mr. Towers. Public Works Director and City Manager Tim Thornbury told him a guardrail may be in the future, but he said the cost needs to be a budgeted item and a new budget will be done soon. I hope I dont have to come back before then for number 11, said Mr. Towers. The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced this week that 2019 hunting seasons were the safest on record since the DEC began keeping hunting accident statistics nearly 60 years ago. Of the 12 hunting-related shooting incidents last year, seven were two-party firearm incidents, five were self-inflicted and one resulted in a fatality. The DEC report included incidents from the small game, waterfowl, turkey and big game hunting seasons. All of these incidents could have been prevented if hunting safety rules had been followed, DEC said in a press release. The one fatal incident was caused by a failure (of one hunter) to positively identify the target. The DEC noted some of the incidents are still under investigation and in some cases the hunter involved was participating in an illegal act. As for the one fatal, Joshua R. Morgan, 20, of Newport, was hunting with a group of people in a wooded area north of state Route 5 South in the town of Frankfort at 8:43 a.m. Nov. 17 when someone in his group accidentally shot him, state police spokesman Trooper Jack Keller said Herkimer County District Attorney Jeffrey Carpenter said that the shooter, 55, was an male acquaintance. He said a single shot was fired from a rifle, and that Morgan was declared dead at the scene. A GoFundMe fund-raising effort was set up to help pay for funeral expenses for Joshua Morgan, who died in a hunting accident on Nov. 17, 2019. According to the DEC: Shooter discharged one round at close range into the victims neck/shoulder area while both were participating in a deer drive. Victim was wearing hunter orange hat and gloves. Carpenter nor the DEC have revealed the identity of the shooter. The district attorney said the hunting party consisted of 11 individuals who were hunting on leased property. There was no indication that alcohol was involved, he said. The DEC investigation into the incident has been completed and handed over to Carpenter. No charges against the shooter have been filed at this point. The following is a breakdown from the DEC website of the 11 other hunting-related shooting incidents during 2019, along with the dates and counties where they occurred and ages of the persons injured. SMALL GAME & NONGAME *01/26 - Wyoming. While coyote hunting with dogs, the shooter shot a coyote and struck his partner with one pellet in the left cheek. Age 77. * 11/3 - Tioga. Self-inflicted. Shooter was trying to secure his firearm while handling a harvested bird when his dog jumped to reach the bird and hit the trigger of the shotgun, discharging a game load into his lower arm and back. Age 32. WATERFOWL HUNTING * 09/15 - Wayne. Shooter discharged towards a roadway from 115 yards away and struck a passenger in a vehicle in the cheek with one pellet. Age 60. * 09/17 - Jefferson. Self-inflicted. Shooter grabbed his shotgun and discharged 14 pellets into his right foot and 2 into his left foot. Age 16. TURKEY HUNTING * 05/15 - Steuben. The victim was shot in his middle finger by his stepfather while turkey hunting. Age 54. BIG GAME HUNTING *11/03 - Cayuga. Self-inflicted. Shooter was searching for a deer while carrying his tree stand on his back. The tree stand triggered a 9mm pistol in his pocket, sending a round into his thigh and down his knee. Age 53. * 11/25 - Niagara. Shooter discharged a round from 380 yards away, striking the cab of a tractor, which shattered glass and cut the drivers face. Age 40. * 12/01 - Onondaga. Victim was driving when stuck in the neck by a round that entered through the passenger side window and exited through the driver side window. Age 48. Read more about this. * 12/01 - Wyoming. Self-inflicted. Shooter discharged one round into his right foot. Age 58. *12/07 - Herkimer. Shooter discharged two rounds from 59 yards away, the second round struck the victims firearm and abdomen. Age 52.\ * 12/07 - Chautauqua. Self-inflicted. Shooter discharged one round into his own face. Age 59. TREE STAND ACCIDENTS In 2017, DEC commissioner Basil Seggos directed the agencys environmental conservation officers to begin tracking tree stand accidents injuries for the first time. Such accidents are under-reported and DEC is not always notified when one occurs. In 2019, seven tree-stand accidents were reported and investigated. None were fatal. All seven involved a hunter who was not wearing a body harness or the harness was not attached to the tree. Tree stand safety has been integrated as part of the hunter education course required of all first-time hunters in New York. MORE: Deputies ID North Carolina man who died in Redfield snowmobile crash Frozen: Winter turns Upstate NY waterfall into an unforgettable ice castle (video) Winter drift boat fishing on the Salmon, Oswego rivers: 10 things to know Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.35 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.82 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.19 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -57.32%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this biopharmaceutical company would post earnings of $0.66 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.79, delivering a surprise of 19.70%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Neurocrine, which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Drugs industry, posted revenues of $244.10 million for the quarter ended December 2019, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.71%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $131.49 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Neurocrine shares have lost about 6.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 0.6%. What's Next for Neurocrine? While Neurocrine has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Neurocrine was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.70 on $235.81 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.87 on $1.09 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Medical - Drugs is currently in the top 46% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mohr Capital, a Dallas-based privately held real estate investment firm, has broken ground on a 200,000-square-foot office and warehouse facility with 23 acres of concrete storage capacity for GAF Materials Corporation, a subsidiary of Standard Industries, in Michigan City, Indiana. The site is expected to be completed in December 2020 by contracted crews from Larson-Danielson Construction in nearby La Porte, Indiana. "Having recently completed a similar project for GAF in Ennis, Texas, we're able to apply those insights to this Michigan City project," said Gary Horn, Chief Investment Officer at Mohr Capital. "We worked closely with John Maintner, Chief Financial Officer at GAF, to get this project off the ground and look forward to continuing to work with him and the GAF team on this and future projects." The Michigan City project is being overseen by Matt Hannon, GAF Operations Director, and Chris "Stump" Engibous, GAF Senior Process Engineer. Bank of Texas provided financial support for the project. Horn and Mike Maratea, Real Estate Counsel for Standard Industries, negotiated the ground lease and lease agreement ahead of the project breaking ground. "Mike was a pleasure to work with, and we appreciate his efforts in finalizing this deal," said Horn. About Mohr Capital Mohr Capital is a privately held real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development and value enhancement of office, retail and industrial assets throughout the U.S. The Mohr Capital team has decades of experience in commercial real estate and has completed more than $1 billion in transactions. Guided by a value-driven strategy and an entrepreneurial spirit, the company relies on strong, long-term relationships and possesses keen market insights needed to capitalize on undervalued or underperforming properties. With its family office structure, Mohr Capital can close quickly and has a proven track record of delivering the highest risk-adjusted returns. SOURCE Mohr Capital Related Links http://www.mohrcap.com (Newser) One disaster has followed another in eastern Turkey, where rescuers are among at least 28 people killed in two avalanches. The first struck late Tuesday in an alpine area of Van province, burying a snow plow and a minibus, reports the AP. The bus operator was reportedly trapped for 25 minutes before he was able to free himself and walk in search of help. Of the van's 14 passengers, at least five were killed, seven escaped alive, and two could not be found, per the New York Times and Reuters. Indeed, rescuers were still searching for the pair around noon Wednesday when another avalanche struck near Bahcesehir, killing at least 23 people. story continues below Provincial Gov. Mehmet Emin Bilmez said eight soldiers, three firefighters, three village guards, and nine civilians were among the victims. He added others might still be buried and that more avalanches were possible. Another 30 emergency workers were hospitalized, including the provincial head of the country's disaster management group and a former adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, per the Times. One vehicle had been buried in up to 16 feet of snow, per Reuters. Footage from the scene showed at least three vehicles overturned at the bottom of a steep slope, where people were digging with shovels and sticks. (Read more avalanche stories.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) denied misusing the agency's confidential and intelligence fund as flagged by state auditors, saying the money was 'legally used' to boost cyber security. In a statement issued Wednesday three days after the issue came to light following Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr.'s decision to resign from his post the agency said the 300 million cash advance from the special lump-sum fund was "legitimately used." A copy of a memorandum from the Commission on Audit (COA) obtained by CNN Philippines showed that the amount was released in three tranches worth 100 million each on in a span of six weeks from November to December last year as "cash advance for confidential expenses in connection with cybersecurity activities" for Secretary Gringo Honasan. The department received 400 million earmarked for "confidential, intelligence and extraordinary expenses" in 2019 an amount which Honasan supposedly included to the agency's budget when he was still a senator, Rio said which doubled to 800 million this year, data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed. DICT said the money was used to boost defenses against cyber threats, which have rose "at an alarming rate," it added. Citing data from private security firm Kaspersky, the Philippines is said to be the seventh most attacked by cyber threats online. "This increasing problem in cybersecurity needs to be addressed immediately and effectively. To do this, the expenditure of the funds, allocated as it was by Congress for that purpose, was both necessary and indispensable," the DICT said. Among the reasons Rio cited for his resignation is the need for DICT to have its own intelligence and surveillance funds something which should be left in the hands of military and police, he said. However, DICT said a key component of keeping the Philippines' cyber space safe is to conduct information gathering to aid law enforcement. "The information systems in our country needs continuous monitoring so that both domestic and foreign cyber threats and cyber-attacks can be identified, addressed, and promptly neutralized to protect the safety and security of our nation," the agency said, adding that these activities are in line with DICT's role in the National Security Council. DICT went on to deny that state auditors ruled the transactions as illegal, instead saying that the problems raised were "procedural" and that these have been addressed. The COA flagged that the fund releases did not come with a notice of cash allocation from DBM, saying it "cast doubts on the regularity, validity and propriety of the disbursement." Auditors added that existing rules prohibit using cash advances to reimburse expenses that will be charged to the confidential fund. DICT was created by a law signed in May 2016 as the main agency that will craft and promote the national development agenda on telecommunications and information technology, taking the function away from the older Department of Transportation and Communications. After the news, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Senate Committee on National Defense and Security Chairman Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said they are seeking to look into allegations of fund misuse at the DICT by creating an oversight body that will review the usage of intelligence funds held by state agencies. RELATED: Probe on Honasan possible as Senate seeks oversight of intel funds Under their resolution filed Monday, the Senate Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds will conduct hearings and investigations, and receive testimonies and reports relevant to its mandate. CNN Philippines' Eimor Santos contributed to this report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the governments decision to set up a temple trust to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh in line with the verdict of the Supreme Court. The decision comes just four days before the three-month deadline fixed by the Supreme Court to set up the trust. We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, PM Modi told the Lok Sabha minutes after the Union Cabinet cleared the move. The Centre has also decided to transfer the 67.703 acre of land to the trust. The trust, to be called Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra, will be empowered to take all decisions related to building a grand temple at Lord Rams birthplace and related matters, PM Modi told the Lok Sabha amid thumping of tables by the ruling coalition members. Watch: PM Modi announces formation of Ram temple trust in Lok Sabha I have come before you to give information on a very important and historic topic. This issue, like crores of people, is close to my heart and consider it my fortune to speak about this topic. This is connected to Ram Janamsthan Bhoomi and the construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya, the prime minister, who spoke moments after the Lok Sabha convened this morning, said. PM Modi also announced that the Uttar Pradesh government had agreed to give five acre land to the Sunni Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. On November 9, the Supreme Court awarded the title of the 2.77-acre disputed land to Ram Lalla Virajman, the child deity and ruled that this land should be handed over to a temple trust to be set up by the government. A review filed against this verdict was dismissed by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice SA Bobde. The PM also lauded peoples faith in the democratic processes which was heavily tested during the course of the long-drawn court battle. After the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came out, the people of India displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. I salute the 130 crore people of India, said the prime minister. Modi underlined that his government was guided by Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and was working for the welfare of every Indian. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox. Iowas Own Fyre Festival Technical problems with an app held up the Iowa caucus results, and by Tuesday it still wasnt clear who had won. (At one point they called Florida for help, Jimmy Fallon said.) Mumbai, Feb 5 : Maharashtra will get another huge port built at a cost of around Rs 65,545 crore at Wadhavan, near Dahanu in Palghar district on the Gujarat border, catapulting India among countries with top 10 container ports in the world, an official said here on Wednesday. The proposal to create the huge port - on a 'landlord model' - was cleared at a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. A Special Purpose Vehicle will be formed with Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as the lead partner, with equity participation of at least 50 per cent to execute the Wadhavan Port project. The SPV will develop the port infrastructure, including reclamation, construction of breakwater and establishing connectivity to the hinterland, while all the business activities will be undertaken on a PPP model by private developers. Presently, JNPT is India's biggest container port. With a traffic of 5.1 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), it ranks 28th in the world. After the completion of its fourth terminal, its capacity will increase to 10 million TEUs by 2023, making it the 17th biggest container port in the world. However, with the development of Wadhavan Port - around 160 km northwest of JNPT - India will be catapulted among the countries with top 10 container ports. There is a need for a deep draft port that can accommodate the largest container ships in the world and also cater to the spillover traffic after JNPT's planned capacity of 10 million TEUs is fully utilised. The JNPT and Mundhra Port, the two largest container ports in India, with a draft of 15 metres and 16 metres, respectively, can handle only mid-size ships, while the world's largest container ports require a draft of 18-20 metres. Situated in a picturesque coastal tract, the Wadhavan Port has a natural draft of around 20 metres close to the shore, making it ideal to handle modern big container vessels. The development of Wadhavan Port will enable call of larger container vessels of 16,000-25,000 TEUs capacity, giving advantages of economies of scale and reducing logistics costs. Presently, the JNPT caters to the hinterland of Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Telangana and the secondary hinterland of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The container traffic in the JNPT hinterland is expected to grow up to 10.1 million TEUs by 2022-2025, which will be its saturation point. A man charged with bilking families on pre-pay funerals is in custody in Catoosa County. Police at Cherokee, N.C., had taken Kevin Miles, 41, into custody, but he had to be extradited. Catoosa County Sheriff Gary R. Sisk earlier said a man selling pre-need policies out of Wilson Funeral Home may have bilked numerous individuals out of thousands of dollars. The sheriff said Miles, an insurance agent, is charged with felony theft by deception and financial exploitation of an elderly person. He said, "We have four confirmed victims and approximately 28 more victims we are still investigating at this time with an estimated value over $75,000.00. One woman said she pay Miles $5,412 for a pre-pay funeral. She said she was told to leave the payee blank. She later found that Miles had put his name in the payee part of the check. The sheriff said Miles was an independent contractor with Atlantic Coast Insurance Company working out of the Wilson Funeral Home to sell funeral prearrangements through Atlantic Coast Life Insurance based in Charleston, S.C. from June 2017 to July 2019. Wilson Funeral Home has chapels in Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold, Chickamauga and LaFayette. Sheriff Sisk said, "Miles would receive payment in full for these policies but would keep that money for his own use and send the insurance company a policy for monthly payments with his address. Evidence shows he possibly made some payments but stopped and the accounts are delinquent." Wilson Funeral Home officials said they have been cooperating with the probe. New Delhi: According to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data, over five crore farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 2.51 crore farmers have not got even the second instalment and 5.16 crore of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 9 crore farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 7.62 crore or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 6.5 crore farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 3.85 crore beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by a PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 4.74 crore farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 4.22 crore received the first instalment, 4.02 crore the second and 3.85 crore the third. There was no mention why nearly 50 lakh, 70 lakh and 90 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 3.08 crore farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 2.66 crore and 2.47 crore beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 40 lakh and 61 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 1.19 crore beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 73.66 lakh farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.Pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 7.56 crore the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 16.97 lakh farmers registered during this period, 14.02 lakh got the first instalment, 13.72 lakh received the second and 9.87 lakh the third. Of the 42.34 lakh registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 36.98 lakh got the first instalment, 31.53 lakh the second and 27.67 lakh got the third instalment. As many as 23.83 lakh farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 18.79 lakh got the second and 18.43 lakh the third. A total of 26.13 lakh beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 9.57 lakh out of 19.64 lakh farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 1.22 lakh out of 1.98 lakh registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 9.78 lakh farmers out of the 17.18 lakh registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 lakh registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. The foundation will provide up to $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia; and accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that it will immediately commit up to $100 million for the global response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The funding will help strengthen detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations; and develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. The new funding is inclusive of $10 million the foundation committed to the outbreak in late January. "Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control," said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. "Our hope is that these resources will help catalyze a rapid and effective international response. This response should be guided by science, not fear, and it should build on the steps that the World Health Organization has taken to date." The Gates Foundation is contributing more resources - in close coordination with other donors - to assist the World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese frontline responders and others at the global and national levels. WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, citing the risks the virus poses globally and the need for a worldwide coordinated effort to enhance preparedness, especially in fragile settings. The Government of China has also declared a national public health emergency and mobilized a nationwide effort to contain the virus and treat those who are infected. Accelerating 2019-nCoV Detection, Isolation and Treatment The foundation will immediately commit up to $20 million to accelerate the detection, isolation and treatment of people diagnosed with the virus with the goal of interrupting transmission and containing the disease. This funding will be directed to multilateral organizations such as WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Support will also be directed to national public health authorities in China and other countries that have reported confirmed cases. Current national-level partners include the National Health Commission of China and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The release of fast and flexible funding is intended to help multilateral organizations and national public health authorities rapidly scale up their virus detection capabilities and implement disease modeling analytics so that they can target resources where they can have the greatest impact in arresting disease spread. This funding is intended to help public health authorities cover the initial cost of labor and supplies while international agencies and national governments appropriate the resources necessary to fund ongoing operations. Enhancing Protections for At-Risk Populations in Africa and South Asia Recent epidemics, such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, have had a disproportionate impact on populations living in extreme poverty, and sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia together account for 85 percent of the estimated 629 million people worldwide who live on less than $1.90 per day. Many people living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia also have limited access to quality primary health care, which is another factor that increases their health risks. The foundation will provide up to $20 million to help public health authorities in these regions strengthen their emergency operations centers, implement effective disease surveillance efforts and improve their capacity to safely isolate and treat confirmed cases. Among African Union member states, these efforts will be supported by the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in collaboration with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO-AFRO. AFENET is a non-profit service alliance of field epidemiology and laboratory training programs that currently operates in more than 30 African countries. Developing Vaccines, Treatments and Diagnostics for a Sustained Response The foundation will commit up to $60 million to accelerate the discovery, development and testing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for 2019-nCoV. If 2019-nCoV transmission continues for several months or more, safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics will be needed to help sustain long-term approaches to disease control and to prevent severe disease and deaths. The foundation will use its R&D funding to help global partners, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, identify and prioritize research needs, address gaps in the R&D landscape, incentivize product development by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and ensure that resulting products are safe, effective and made widely available. This effort will include support already underway for Chinese public- and private-sector research partners focused on the discovery, development and testing of candidate vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Contact: media@gatesfoundation.org Footage of the scene that was broadcast on Turkish television throughout the day Wednesday showed rescue workers toiling in miserable conditions, as wind lashed a mountain and a heavy snow fell. There was an outpouring of sympathy for the victims on social media as Turkey grappled with its second deadly disaster in less than two weeks. Last month, 41 people were killed and hundreds were injured after a powerful earthquake struck the central Elazig province. She has her own beauty range and has just launched a 180 serum. And Victoria Beckham was her own best advertisement on Tuesday, as she showed her followers the effects of her brand new product with Augustinus Bader. The fashion designer, 45, took to Instagram to share a make-up free video of herself after applying the serum to her face to show her fans the results. Glowing: Victoria Beckham was her own best advertisement on Tuesday, as she showed her followers the effects of her brand new product with Augustinus Bader Victoria looked radiant as she filmed her face, while discussing the benefits of the beauty product which included blurring fine lines and minimising pores. The mother-of-four gushed that her new serum is the 'best product you will ever use', after launching it alongside her make-up range, including eye-pallets and mascara. In the clip, while her face remained entirely make-up free, Victoria sported a light brush of black mascara on her eyelashes and pencilled brows. Radiant: The fashion designer, 45, took to Instagram to share a make-up free video of herself after applying the serum to her face to show her fans the results Wow: Victoria claimed the product was the 'best thing you'll ever use' Talking during the clip, Victoria said: 'So I have something so exciting to share with you, I have just launched my serum with Augustinus Bader. 'I have to say this product is the best product you will ever use. It is incredible, I can definitely see a difference in the size of the pores on my nose. 'The fine lines around my eyes, I really do feel are softer. I just love how it's giving me that fresh glow look. With no make-up on the tone of my skin definitely looks and feels a better quality.' Feeling the benefit: Victoria looked radiant as she filmed her face, while discussing the benefits of the beauty product which included blurring fine lines and minimising pores Here it is! Victoria also posted this image of herself with the bottle of serum on her Instagram Fans of Victoria's beauty range went wild for the new product and revealed they had already ordered it just moments after the video went live. According to her website, the serum claims to strengthen the skins barrier function and support ultimate skin healthrepairing the sins of the past and protecting against modern day environmental stressors like blue light and pollution. The product also claim to turn redness down and radiance up. Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn, 20, was clearly proud of his mum's latest achievement as he shared a snap of himself and girlfriend Nicola Peltz posing with a bottle of the serum. The caption of the post read: 'So proud of you mum [heart emoji]. Proud: Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn, 20, was clearly proud of his mum's latest achievement as he shared a snap of himself and girlfriend Nicola Peltz posing with a bottle of the serum A British man today told how he and his wife have been quarantined on board a cruise ship for a fortnight off the coast of Japan after 10 passengers tested positive for coronavirus. David and Sally Abel, from Oxfordshire, are among almost 3,000 passengers told to remain in their cabins after the outbreak on the Diamond Princess. Mr Abel, a diabetic, said he feared going into a coma if he was not given anything to eat. However, appropriate food was brought to the cabin after social media users shared his request. The restrictions were imposed after an 80-year-old passenger who left the ship in Hong Kong on January 25 tested positive for the virus. Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Speaking on a video posted on Facebook, Mr Abel said: We are in quarantine on board the ship. The 10 people affected are being taken to a medical facility. We are confined to our cabins. Medics boarded the ship, moored in Yokohama Bay, on Monday to check passengers temperature and for symptoms of the virus. The couple, who were travelling ahead of their 50th wedding anniversary, were left without food for 18 hours, from Monday night to yesterday morning. Mr Abel claims he was told by a member of staff on board that the food service had been temporarily suspended over fears that, that was where the virus had originated. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world He said: Nothing changed except for food. It now is a sandwich for every meal. We are no longer on a luxury cruise, thats for sure. Mr Abel added: The positive thing in this is our room is facing the sun. We are allowed on our balconies so I think most of my day will be spent being lazy. It could be worse, we could be taken off and put into a local hospital. Naturally, we want to be home. We are missing our Yorkie dogs. But two weeks, itll go quite quickly, I hope. None of the 10 infected people, three of whom are Japanese nationals, had severe symptoms, it was reported. Princess Cruises said the ship would be resupplied with food. The ship plans to perform normal operations including the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding in Yokohama where food, provisions and other supplies will be brought on board, a statement said. Professor Paul Hunter, of the University of East Anglia, said: Outbreaks of respiratory-transmitted infections, especially Norovirus and influenza, occur quite often on cruise ships. Cruise passengers are often older-than-average and spend a lot of time indoors with other people who may have come from all over the world. A terrified passenger who found a gun belonging to David Cameron's bodyguard in the toilet of a transatlantic flight was 'threatened with being kicked off the plane', MailOnline can reveal. BA staff on the New York to London jet wanted to remove the man instead of the bodyguard who left the firearm in the loo, a holidaymaker revealed. He claimed the crew faced a passenger mutiny before the plane took off - until the finder of the 9mm Glock 17 pistol was allowed to remain on board. Ben McDonald, 47, from Sussex, said he'd been sitting in the World Traveller Plus cabin when he saw the drama unfold. Holidaymaker Ben McDonald (pictured with his girlfriend Sarina on the flight) said BA staff on the New York to London jet wanted to remove the man who had found the gun in the toilet instead of the bodyguard who had left it there in the first place Scotland Yard last night confirmed that an officer on the former PM's close protection team had been removed from operational duties pending an investigation. David Cameron is pictured in 2016 with two close-protection officers in London The gun is believed to have been a 9mm Glock 17 pistol (file image). The captain knew that armed officers were accompanying the former prime minister. 'Mr Cameron and his bodyguard were sitting in First Class,' he said. Mr McDonald, head of client services at a marketing firm, was returning to the UK after a holiday in New York with his girlfriend Sarina when they settled into their seats. 'I was in seat 13F and my girlfriend was sat in 13G. A man who was sitting in 12C got up and went to the bathroom. 'We lost sight of him and he disappeared for about half an hour. 'Then he came back and we saw him being questioned by BA cabin crew. 'He turned around and said, "I'm really sorry everyone, it's not me who's holding up the flight, I found a gun in the bathroom... David Cameron is on the flight.' 'At the same time the bodyguard walked through the plane and the man said 'That man there, he's the one who's left the gun.' 'The passenger eventually sat down and the hostesses told him 'You really need to calm down.' But he said, 'This has really shaken me up.' 'During the drama while he was being quizzed, my girlfriend decided to try and find out what was happening. 'She was told by staff that they were trying to remove the passenger who had found the gun.' 'Everyone in the cabin thought that was the wrong thing to do. 'They thought that Mr Cameron and his bodyguard should be kicked off instead.' As they grew increasingly alarmed, the captain came in to try and reassure them. He insisted that all the necessary checks had been made and that it was 'normal practice' for certain people to carry a gun. Mr McDonald said Sarina (above) walked through the curtained off area to find out what was going on and was told by staff that they were trying to remove the passenger who had found the gun A source said: 'Fortunately it was found by a law-abiding member of the public who did the right thing.' Pictured: the former PM on a flight in 2010 Mr Cameron is automatically entitled to round-the-clock armed protection for life. He is pictured at The Cocklebarrow Races in Gloucestershire on Sunday January 26 this year But Mr McDonald said he told the captain that many passengers knew about the weapon and 'were feeling really uncomfortable.' He went on: 'It shouldn't be the passenger who found the gun who's made to get off the plane, it should be David Cameron and his party because his position has been compromised.' Mr McDonald said all the passengers agreed and insisted that if the man was removed, they would all get off the plane as well. 'I said they couldn't turf 400 people off a plane; there were people with connecting flights that were worried. 'The captain said to me, 'That's a really good point, let me check with [Cameron's] management.' He came back and said the gun had been removed from the flight.' Mr McDonald said the man who found the gun was deeply shaken by the experience. 'He was so nervous about it. They made him feel really stupid. He told one of the stewardesses he just wanted to get back to London to see his four-month-old but she was patronising him in front of everyone. 'That's the thing that made me least comfortable and why I spoke up. The fact they kept the officer on board really shocked me.' The security officer has now been removed from operational duties and is expected to face disciplinary action and an investigation by the force's Directorate of Professional Standards. An airline insider said the captain had spoken to a small number of passengers to try and reassure them but insisted passengers had not intervened to stop anyone being taken off the plane. The latest incident is a major embarrassment for the police and could raise questions about whether bodyguards should be allowed to keep their weapons during flights A BA spokesman said: 'We follow CAA rules which allow UK police to carry firearms on board in specific, controlled circumstances. 'Our crew dealt with the issue quickly before departure and the flight continued as normal.' Retired Chief Superintendent Dai Davis, former head of the Met Police's Royal Protection Group, described the officer's conduct as 'unacceptable.' He told the BBC: 'Clearly this was a big mistake and it will be looked at. I'd be looking at what experience this officer has, has he got problems, all manner of things. 'It's a disciplinary offence to lose any equipment, let alone a Glock 17 pistol, which is a lethal weapon. I was concerned at the lapse in discipline of this officer. 'I'm just astonished really that in such a small confine such as a toilet on an aeroplane that this could have happened. A terrified passenger found the weapon and handed it to flight attendants on the British Airways scheduled service from New York to London (file image) In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Service said: 'We are aware of the incident on a flight into the UK on February 3 and the officer involved has since been removed from operational duties. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and an internal investigation is taking place.' Mr Cameron's office declined to comment on the incident this week, saying it was a matter for the police. He was reportedly taking a weekend break in New York with his wife, Samantha. He is automatically entitled to round-the-clock armed protection for life. Close-protection officers are provided from Scotland Yard's elite Specialist Protection Branch, which also guards Boris Johnson and senior ministers. A security guard wearing a mask looks at her watch at a Light Rail Transit station in Kuala Lumpur KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Chinese girl has recovered from the new coronavirus infection in Malaysia, and is allowed to return home, a Malaysian health official said in a statement late Tuesday. The four-year-old became the first of 10 patients in Malaysia, including nine visiting Chinese, to have recovered after contracting the virus. Health Ministry director general Noor Hisham Abdullah said detection tests were repeated twice and the results came back negative. "She is now is good health and has been allowed to return home," he said. The girl and her family would soon return to China with a health certificate issued by the hospital, chief of press at the Chinese embassy, Tang Tang, told reporters by text message. The child was diagnosed last week and treated in an isolation ward at a hospital in Langkawi, a popular island holiday destination. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Alex Richardson) [February 05, 2020] Cannabis Inventory Management Platform Roshi Receives $2.4 Million in Seed Funding to Automate Industry's Complex Supply Chain and Compliance Regulations San Francisco, CA, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roshi , the most accurate and efficient inventory management software for cannabis manufacturers, has closed a $2.4 million round of seed funding, with financing from Silverleaf Venture Partners, F7 Ventures, and other private investors. Roshis platform empowers cannabis and hemp operators with the technology and professional services necessary to navigate the complicated regulatory and compliance landscape, while streamlining fragmented inventory operations under one central system. Roshi is an intuitive, insightful platform that tracks and manages all critical business information in one place, allowing cannabis manufacturers to make data-driven decisions to help them grow their bottom line. Roshi offers the easiest path to compliance with the industrys most robust audit logs and custom edit checks to help operators maintain the highest level of data integrity with a real-time METRC integration. These streamlined operations create efficiencies and visibility for manufacturers and distributors, enabling better business decisions and protection of their most valuable asset - the consumer. Our teams background in building supply chain management software in a FDA and GMP regulated industry means inventory and compliance is in our DNA, and were leveraging that experience to solve problems for the cannabis industry faster, said Celia Carter, CEO and co-founder of Roshi. Our mission is to empower brands and manufacturers with a custom platform that enables them to expand operations while protecting their consumers, their brand, and their bottom line. Better tracking allows for better busness decisions Accurate data, accurate insights Roshi reduces costs and streamlines production by generating easily accessible insights and real-time data showing businesses if they are getting more or less efficient over time. The platform offers real-time analysis of production and operational trends, such as product performance, sales, fulfillment and distribution data, and margins. Transparency builds trust Roshi offers the easiest path to compliance in an ever-changing regulatory environment by seamlessly embedding the METRC integration into an operators day-to-day workflows. In addition to METRC compliance , Roshis platform goes further, helping clients demonstrate transparency and accountability to regulators, auditors, and customers with full traceability across all inventory, whether its METRC tracked or not. The platforms database architecture offers customers a competitive advantage when it comes to recalls, compliance, and audits. With full GMP-tracking, Roshi customers are able to protect consumers and prepare for what lies ahead. Roshi has been an indispensable tool for our business, helping us through the difficulties of track-and-trace, said Chris May, compliance manager for Chemistry , a maker of full-spectrum cannabis products. Roshis intuitive user interface backed by strong, quick customer support makes compliance with METRC much less of a chore. Expert professional services & support that's focused on solving problems faster Custom-built with the cannabis manufacturer in mind, Roshi understands that one size does not fit all, providing expert consultation and flexible system configuration to ensure each customers platform is setup to their unique products and processes. In addition, Roshis experienced team is available to solve problems as they arise, becoming an extension of the companys internal team. In addition to its recent round of funding, the company has welcomed Mike Harden of Big Rock Partners as its newest board member. Big Rock is a strategic advisory firm focused on the intersection of cannabis, food and hospitality. About Roshi Roshi is the most accurate and efficient inventory management software for cannabis manufacturers. Roshi understands the complexities of the cannabis industry, and has built a platform that provides accurate and full traceability paired with quality control, including the highest level of METRC compliance . Roshi is an intuitive, customizable software that tracks and analyzes critical business information, allowing you to make intelligent, data-based decisions that make your business more successful. For more information about Roshi visit www.roshi.me . # [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Egypt is pulling out all the stops in the fight against hepatitis C The Ministry of Health and Population this week launched a health initiative designed to control the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis C through beauty salons and barbers. Launched in 17 governorates, the campaign aims to raise awareness on how to prevent the spread of hepatitis and eliminate possible routes of infection. Shared grooming items for hair or nails could be a source of infection if not well disinfected. Inspections of beauty salons are among the measures undertaken by the ministry. Awareness-raising seminars for beauty salon employees have also been held to alert them to ways to halt the transmission of the hepatitis virus. The health educators also informed the staff of beauty salons and barbers about the wrong, daily practices that facilitate the transmission of the virus and instructed them to put posters that include the campaigns preventive instructions. Mohamed Hassani, assistant minister of health for public health, announced that salons will face penalties, including losing their operating licences, for violating health regulations. According to official figures, 60 million people in 27 governorates had medical check-ups as part of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis 100 Million Healthy Lives initiative to eradicate hepatitis C and detect chronic diseases. Last September Al-Sisi said Cairo is seeking to extend the initiative, which began in Egypt in October 2018 and ended in April 2019, to other African states. As well as hepatitis, patients were assessed for diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity at health units and treatment centres. Egypt will have no cases of hepatitis C by May 2020, Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Radi said in November 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in March that the Egyptian government has been able to provide free treatment to 88 per cent of all patients in a country where 6.3 per cent of its roughly 100-million population were living with hepatitis C. In 2014, faced with one of the worlds largest hepatitis epidemics, the Egyptian government negotiated a landmark agreement which dramatically reduced the price of the largely inaccessible HCV wonder drug, Sofosbuvir, which in combination with other drugs can cure HCV in up to 97 per cent of all cases, the WHO said in March 2019. Originally, the direct-acting antiviral [DAA] drug entered the market at $ 28,000 for a month supply. Egypt became the first country to negotiate an alternative price with the drug manufacturer, down to $300 for a month supply. Allowing for local generic competition drove the price down further to $23. Patients with hepatitis require special treatment in hospitals and during medical operations, said Soheir Farag, professor of anesthesia at Al-Azhar University. We take a number of preventive measures to stop the transmission of hepatitis among patients inside hospitals and medical centres, said Farag. They include sterilisation of operating theatres and all medical tools and equipment. Describing the campaign as very successful, Farag added that the main beneficiaries were people who could not afford the cost of medical treatment themselves. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: YEREVAN. Upon recommendation by the committee, president of the Venice Commission referred to the events surrounding the Constitutional Court of Armenia. In essence, he has expressed concerns which, first and foremost, are linked to matters in connection with the Constitutional Court's statements and politicization. This appeal is, first and foremost, addressed to the Constitutional Court because it constitutes an apolitical element of power. Vladimir Vardanyan, majority My Step faction MP and chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia, told this to RFE/RL. And asked whether, in this way, Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio was calling on Armenian Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan to be restrained, Vardanyan answered: "We are talking about the processes that provide that the Constitutional Court and other representatives of the judiciary should refrain from any political processes." A drunk student was arrested at a private California university after he launched into a racist and homophobic rant in class before destroying one of his peer's laptop. Dayton Kingery, a 21-year-old from Connecticut, was detained by officers with the Orange Police Department at Chapman University on February 5. According to videos that circulated across various social media platforms, Kingery had come into the class drunk and shouted obscenities at the private California school. Shocking video shows Kingery sitting in the class, exclaiming he is drunk as he pulls a bright green water bottle out of his bag. Scroll down for video Shocking video shows 21-year-old Dayton Kingery launch into a racist and homophobic tirade after he arrived in class drunk at Chapman University 'Been drinking Bacardi all day n***a,' Kingery says, placing the bottle down before taking a swig. 'I f*****g hate n*****s,' he asserts before declaring the racist statement again. As Kingery gets more riled up, his classmates can be heard telling him to chill. 'Got any n*****s in here,' he asks, looking around to see if there are any black students in the class. Another angle shows Kingery getting berated by his classmates as he continues making slurred comments. At one point, someone identifies Kingery and he threatens them. Kingery repeatedly calls peoplpe 'f****t' in the video Don't say my name,' he threatens. 'You don't know who I am guy. I'm not kidding. F*****g bury you I'm worth like $50million dollars' At one point, someone identifies Kingery and he threatens them. Don't say my name,' he threatens. 'You don't know who I am guy. I'm not kidding. F*****g bury you I'm worth like $50million dollars.' Kingery's LinkedIn page has since been deleted Kingery goes up to a peer and touches the student, prompting the classmate to jump up and tell him off. Kingery repeatedly uses 'fa***t' when talking about the students, prompting them to escort him out of the room. A camera person can be seen grabbing a bag believed to be Kingery's as he can be heard asking for it. As they all get out of the room, a student throws a different bag at Kingery. Kingery relishes in the bag not being his before tossing it down the hall and stomping on it repeatedly. 'It's not my backpack you f*****g f****t,' Kingery shouts. Officers with the OPD can then be seen carrying Kingery out to their squad car. The drunk man is hog tied as he is carried to the vehicle. A bag is said to be over his face. When he is kicked out the room, Kingery repeatedly stomps on a student's laptop bag Officers with the OPD can then be seen carrying Kingery out to their squad car. The drunk man is hog tied as he is carried to the vehicle. A bag is said to be over his face In a letter to students, faculty and the university, school president Daniele Struppa shared that 'appropriate legal and disciplinary processes are being implemented.' 'We are also taking strong interim action to ensure the safety of the classroom involved as well as campus housing,' she added in the letter, also shared to the school's Twitter. 'I also want to extend my deepest apologies to the Black and LGBTQIA communities who were specifically targeted during todays incident.' In a letter to students, faculty and the university, school president Daniele Struppa shared that 'appropriate legal and disciplinary processes are being implemented.' 'We are also taking strong interim action to ensure the safety of the classroom involved as well as campus housing,' she added in the letter, also shared to the school's Twitter Sergeant Phil McMullin of the OPD told student paper The Panther that Kingery was charged with felony assault, vandalism and for not cooperating with officers. McMullin did not name Kingery. McMullin shared that officers were called to the scene at 11.34am by Chapman's Public Safety on the west side of Beckman Hall. OPD left with the student at 1.24pm. Kingery, who identifies as a Republican, is a Connecticut native who attended the exclusive Brunswick School college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich. The school has a hefty price tag of $44,510 a year. Kingery's father owns two car dealerships in New York. A Dominican man convicted of kidnapping and murdering five students of Chinese descent has escaped from a Panamanian prison for a second time in three years. Panama's National Police director Jorge Miranda said Gilberto Ventura Ceballos climbed over a wall at the La Nueva Joya Prison in Pacora on Monday night at 10:30pm. The Ministry of Public Security reviewed surveillance footage and found that Ventura Ceballos received helped from correction officers. Miranda ordered the removal of three prison guard units that were on active duty at the time of Ventura Ceballos' brazen escape. Panamanian authorities launched a manhunt Gilberto Ventura Ceballos, a native of the Dominican Republic, who escaped from a jail Monday night. The 44-year-old man is serving a 50-year sentence for the murders of five students that took place between 2010 and 2011 Pictured left to right: Georgina del Carmen Lee Chen, Samy Zeng Chen, Joel Maurio Liu Wong,Kam, Yong Jian Wu and Yessenia Argelis Loo were killed and buried underneath a home in La Chorrera, a town west of Panama City Panamanian government officials say Gilberto Ventura Ceballos escaped from La Nueva Joya Prison in Pacora on Monday night at 10:30pm. Surveillance footage showed that he received assistance from jail guards and that he climbed over a wall in order to flee 'There are public servants who have the responsibility to prevent this from happening,' Miranda said. 'People who have the responsibility to verify the behavior inside the cells, the pavilions, in their surroundings and who are responsible for checking the cameras and verifying the entire perimeter of the prison. There are physical conditions, a camera monitoring system and officials that should prevent the escape of this man.' The government immediately launched an operation to search for the convicted killer, blamed for one one of the country's most horrifying crimes. Ventura Ceballos and Alcibiades Mendez, also a citizen of the Dominican Republic, were sentenced to 50 years in July 2018 for the killings of Yessenia Argelis Loo Kam, Yong Jian Wu, Samy Zeng Chen, Joel Maurio Liu Wong and Georgina del Carmen Lee Chen, all residents of La Chorrera, a city in central Panama located 18 miles southwest of Panama City. The victims were assassinated between 2010 and 2011. Ventura Ceballos acknowledged murdering them and burying them beneath the floor of a home in the town of La Chorrera west of Panama City, authorities say. Investigators said at least two were buried alive. The Dominican men ran a cell phone sales business and had collected nearly a quarter-million dollars in ransom payments from relatives. This Panama National Police is offering a $30,0000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Gilberto Ventura Ceballos, who on Monday night escaped from a Panamanian prison for a second time in three years At least 100 additional police officers were deployed Tuesday and the government ramped its vigilance at its border with Costa Rica. The police also announced a reward of $30,000 for information leading to his Ventura Ceballos' capture. Ventura Ceballos' escape was another black eye for a penitentiary system that recently came under criticism following a December massacre of 15 inmates at La Joyita Prison that was the country's deadliest after gunfire erupted between jailed members of the same gang in a cellblock housing over 500 inmates.. Ventura Ceballos escaped the first time in December 2016 from La Joyita. He was recaptured the following September in Costa Rica where he had died his hair and was living under a different name, working at an auto shop. 'We are so disappointed,' said Judith Chen, whose daughter was one of the victims, on Tuesday. 'This man has the number of Panama's security institutions. He comes and goes when he pleases. ... How did he get out? Who helped him? How much money does this man have and from where did he get it?' Chen expressed concern that victims' relatives could be in danger with Ventura Ceballos on the loose. David Bruce, the next Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church has elected the Reverend David Bruce as its next Moderator. He won by a substantial majority, taking 14 of the 19 votes from Presbyteries across Ireland last night. He will take up his post at the Opening Night of the General Assembly on June 1, when the current Moderator, the Rt Rev William Henry leaves office. It was the second attempt by Rev Bruce, who is Secretary to the Church's Council for Mission in Ireland, to become Moderator. In last year's election he received four votes. The unsuccessful candidates this year included Rev Richard Murray, from Drumreagh and Dromore Presbyterian Churches who received three votes. Rev Dr Trevor McCormick of First Kilrea, and Rev Mairisine Stanfield of First Bangor each received one vote. Rev Stanfield polled two fewer votes than last year when she was also a candidate. This is the sixth time in the Presbyterian Church's long history when it did not elect a woman on the list of candidates. The others were Rev Dr Ruth Patterson, who was the first female Presbyterian minister and the first woman to be ordained in Ireland, and Rev Dr Liz Hughes. Both women, like Rev Stanfield, stood twice. The Presbyterian Church is the only major Reformed Church in Ireland not to have appointed a female leader. Rev Bruce, who is 62, is the Church's 175th male Moderator since it was established in 1840, and the first in 20 years to have come from outside a parish ministry. He said last night: "With the UK having left the European Union last week and we enter a transition phase, a new set of political relationships will be formed, both on this island and beyond. "As members of an all-Ireland Church, we will remain fully committed to our people and their witness on both sides of the Irish border." He added: "The formation of the Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont, and Ireland's general election this week indicate the importance of careful conversations with politicians, something I will be keen to continue during my year of office." He said that while the Church continues to face an overall statistical decline "this is not the story everywhere in Ireland, just as it is not the story of the Church around the world. The Church constantly needs to imagine how it is heard and seen by people who are not members". Rev Bruce, an old boy of Campbell College, graduated from Queen's University in 1979, and was ordained in 1984. He then served in Ballymena and Dublin. He is married to Zoe, a former teacher, and they have four adult children and a granddaughter. A keen sailor he and his wife also enjoy touring in their ancient VW campervan. Imperial Valley News Center Iranian National Charged with Bank Fraud and Lying to Federal Agents in Connection with a Scheme to Use the U.S. Financial System New York - The Department of Justice announced that Bahram Karimi was charged with conspiring to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements in connection with his involvement in a joint project initiated by the Governments of Iran and Venezuela in which more than $115 million was illegally funneled through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of various Iranian individuals and entities. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan. Karimi allegedly conspired in an infrastructure project initiated by the Governments of Iran and Venezuela, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. He then lied to banks about Iranian involvement and took advantage of the U.S. financial system to benefit Iranian parties. The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute those who misuse our financial system in violation of U.S. sanctions. As alleged, Bahram Karimi knowingly and willfully facilitated the circumventing of sanctions against Iran, and then lied about it to FBI agents, said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York. Karimi allegedly enabled the concealed transfer through U.S. banks of more than $100 million from a Venezuelan state-owned company to an Iranian construction firm, and when questioned, told the agents he didnt know that was prohibited by the sanctions. At the end of the day, these charges reflect the use of our financial system to generate U.S. dollars for Iranians and Iranian entities. Thats why our government has robust sanctions in place against Iran and Iranian entities who seek to use the U.S. banking system for their own benefit, said Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and statements made in court filings and proceedings: In August 2004, the Governments of Iran and Venezuela entered into a Cooperation Framework Agreement, whereby they agreed to cooperate in certain areas of common interest. The following year, both governments supplemented the Cooperation Framework Agreement by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding an infrastructure project in Venezuela (the Project), which was to involve the construction of thousands of housing units in Venezuela. The Project was led by Stratus Group, an Iranian conglomerate with international business operations in the construction, banking, and oil industries. In December 2006, Stratus Group incorporated a company in Tehran, which was then known as the Iranian International Housing Corporation (IIHC). IIHC was responsible for construction for the Project. Thereafter, IIHC entered into a contract with a subsidiary of a Venezuelan state-owned energy company (the VE Company), which called for IIHC to build approximately 7,000 housing units in Venezuela in exchange for approximately $475,734,000. Stratus Group created the Venezuela Project Executive Committee to oversee the execution of the Project. Karimi was a member of the committee and was responsible for managing the Project in Venezuela. In connection with his role on the Project, Karimi worked with others to defraud U.S. banks by concealing the role of Iranian parties in U.S. dollar payments sent through the U.S. banking system. Specifically, between April 2011 and November 2013, the VE Company made approximately 15 payments to IIHC through two front companies, which were created to conceal the Iranian nexus to the payments, in violation of U.S. economic sanctions. These 15 payments totaled approximately $115 million. In January 2020, Karimi was interviewed by, among other people, two FBI agents. During that interview, Karimi falsely stated that, during the course of the Project, he believed that international sanctions against Iran did not apply to Iranian companies or persons. Karimi, 53, of Canada, is charged with (1) conspiring to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; (2) bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and (3) making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the New York County District Attorneys Office and the FBI. Mr. Berman also thanked the New York County District Attorneys Office for their ongoing assistance in this investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Offices Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane Kim, Michael Krouse, and Stephanie Lake, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Lynch, Deputy Chief of the Major Economic Crimes Bureau at the New York County District Attorneys Office, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The expansion is in line with the company's focus on growing its presence in rural areas, Renault said. Greater Noida: French car maker Renault unveiled the AMT (automated manual transmission) version of its sub-compact multi-purpose vehicle Triber at the Auto Expo here on Wednesday and said it plans to double sales in India in mid-term. The company is also working towards entering the fast growing electric vehicle (EV) space in the country and is likely to launch its first EV in the next two years, Renault India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Venkatram Mamillapalle said. The AMT version, which is set to be launched in the second quarter of the year, was unveiled by Fabrice Cambolive, senior vice president and chairman of Africa-Middle-East-India-Pacific Region for Renault Group along with Mamillapalle. "Our mid-term plan is to double our annual volume," Mamillapalle said. Renault India sales stood at 88,869 units in 2019, a growth of 7.9 per cent over 2018 despite the slowdown in the domestic automotive market. Besides, it also exported more than 13,500 cars in the previous year. Triber has been a volume driver for Renault in the domestic market with the company selling over 28,000 units of the seven-seater car since its launch in India in August last year. "With Renault Triber, our commitment was to launch a car that would redefine the conventional notions of the Indian automotive industry. It also gave us the opportunity to be present in the largest and the fastest growing segment of the Indian automobile market. Today, we will take another step forward in the Triber journey with the reveal of the Renault Triber Easy-R AMT," Mamillapalle said. The AMT technology is becoming a popular choice across segments, he said, adding "with the Renault Triber Easy-R AMT, we will continue our pursuit of growth in 2020, led by a strong product plan and a strategic and collaborative approach with all our partners." The AMT version comes fitted with 1-litre energy engine, offering a great balance between performance and fuel economy, with low total cost of maintenance, the company said in a statement. "We strongly believe in bright future in the Indian market because of our strategy which is based on product and higher local content," Cambolive said. After making the Renault range BS-VI compliant, the next stage will be the production of EVs, he said. Stating that India continues to be an important part of Renault's global expansion strategy, Mamillapalle said Renault became the fifth largest player in the domestic automotive space in the last quarter of 2019. The company plans to increase sales touch points to 500 by this year, he added. With more than 28,000 Tribers already sold in India, the company recently commenced exports of the car to South Africa and SAARC region. Renault will continue this growth momentum and expand exports of vehicle to other parts of Africa and SAARC region, alongside growing the Triber family in India, Mamillapalle said. He also said that Renault has started working towards launching first electric car in India in the next two years, adding that it would be an affordable and mass market product with maximum localisation. The company also showcased its EV K-ZE at the Auto Expo on Wednesday. The launch of Triber together with the new Duster and Kwid has ensured that Renault is progressing despite the challenging macro-economic environment in India, he said. Renault has also expanded its network reach to more than 370 sales and 450 service touchpoints, including 257 service workshops and 215 locations covered through 'Workshop On Wheels', as per the company. The expansion is in line with the company's focus on growing its presence in rural areas, Renault said. With a developing product portfolio, increasing network and clear strategic direction, Renault is taking concerted efforts to grow the brand in India, which is an important market for the Group's global expansion plans, it said. 10 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed on Cruise Ship Quarantined in Japan Ten people from a cruise ship thats currently quarantined off the coast of Japan tested positive for the coronavirus that has sickened numerous people across China and elsewhere, said Japanese health officials. Japans health minister, Katsunobu Kato, said Wednesday that the 10 people who were on the Diamond Princess were taken to a medical facility for isolation. The ship, with 3,700 people on board, was kept in quarantine after an 80-year-old passenger from Hong Kong was found to have contracted the virus, Kyodo News reported. On the ship, 273 passengers and crew were believed to have had close contact with the Hong Kong passenger before taking a test to confirm the virus, according to Kato. Ten of 31 of those people were confirmed to have contracted the virus, while the other 242 passengers are undergoing testing. After the new cases were confirmed, the ship will have to now remain quarantined for two weeks, Kato said. Princess Cruise said that of the 10 confirmed cases, three are from Japan, three are from Hong Kong, two are Australians, and one is American, News Corp reported. Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama on Feb. 5, 2020. (STR/Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images) Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government, the company said in a statement, NBC News reported. Those who are quarantined will have Internet, phone access, and will be made comfortable. Two Princess Cruise trips that were slated to leave Yokohama, Japan, on Tuesday and later this month have been canceled in light of the virus, according to the firm. Chinese regime officials said the virus was first detected in Wuhan, located in the central Chinese province of Hubei, triggering mass quarantines and lockdowns. But some locals have suggested that the situation on the ground is far worse than what the regime is telling the rest of the world. In one example, family members of a couple from Wuhan told The Epoch Times that they were denied treatment at five hospitals after showing symptoms of coronavirus. None of the hospitals would take their blood for diagnostic testing. They were told the supply of test kits was low and that they were considered to be suspected cases of Wuhan pneumonia. Hospitals will not give a patient a hospital bed if he hasnt been confirmed through testing. The patient has to isolate himself at home, the family member said. Cruise ship Diamond Princess anchored off the Yokohama Port, Japan, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP) The World Health Organization last week declared the outbreak a global public health emergency, while the United States has also declared a public health emergency and implemented travel restrictions on people who recently went to China. So far, 11 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States, with six patients in California, one in Washington state, one in Massachusetts, one in Arizona, and two in Illinois. On Monday, two patients in Northern California were rushed to a hospital in San Francisco after their symptoms worsened. - A young Ghanaian by the name Abdul Samed Zurak has dedicated his life to fighting breast cancer in Ghana - Abdul's foundation called the Zurak Cancer Foundation has engaged in several activities physically and through the media to educate people from different parts of Ghana - The good works of the young man were praised by the Obama Foundation who indicated that Abdul is an Obama Leader Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Abdul Samed Zurak a young Ghanaian has dedicated his life to a foundation that is focused on educating Ghana and ultimately fighting breast cancer in the country. An announcement of the young gentleman's project was made on the official Twitter handle of The Obama Foundation in which post, Abdul was hailed for his massive efforts. The post reads: "Beating cancer starts with knowledge. Thats why @abdul_zurak launched a foundation to educate people in Ghana about cancer and help them access care. On #WorldCancerDay, we're grateful for #ObamaLeaders like Abdul who are committed to finding solutions to fight cancer." READ ALSO: Girlfriend gets surprise of her life as birthday cake turns into money in video See the post below: Abdul's foundation which is identified as the Zurak Cancer Foundation has engaged in several activities to educate Ghanaians at different regions of the country regarding the menacing disease. Posts by the official Twitter handle of the foundation shows how extensively the young man has led his team to embark on the relentless mission of fighting breast cancer in Ghana. It is also indicated that Abdul has taken the mission to the media, as he educates the public through traditional radio stations as well. Pictures of a physical meeting held for locals in a rural area have also been shared among many other activities. READ ALSO: Man storms ATM with bare chest and towel around his waist (Video) See a post by the foundation below: In other news, a team of seven talented kids of the Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana has built a breathtaking version of the aeroplane car that was recently launched by the Kantanka group. The young children who are all under the age of 12 gave a live demonstration on KTVs popular TV program, Kantanka Exclusive of how the aero-car can be controlled with a software. Nana Kwame Opoku who is 12 years of age was the spokesperson for the group and he explained with great eloquence that the reason they decided to embark on the mini-project was to prove to the outside world that Africans are also capable of creating great things. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh This is the full list of candidates, in alphabetical order, standing in the Louth constituency for General Election 2020. Topanga Bird - Independent Occupation: Social worker, psychotherapist, social and political activist. Committed to decentralization of Irish government. Local control of all spheres of political decision-making. Standing for the first time in a general election. Declan Breathnach - Fianna Fail Occupation: Public representative and previously a primary school principal and teacher Member of Louth County Council for 25 years. First ran in a general election in 2011 but not elected. Elected in 2016, receiving 9,099 first preference votes (13.47%). Albert Byrne - Independent Occupation: Systems analyst/nutritional therapist Running on platform of reform of local government and reform of justice and policing. Ran unsuccessfully in 2009 as local election candidate for Ardee Town Council and again in 2019 Local Election. James Byrne - Fianna Fail Occupation: Teacher and public representative Elected to Louth County Council in 2019, standing in Drogheda Urban constituency. Brother of outgoing Meath East TD, Thomas Byrne and son of late councillor Tommy Byrne. David Bradley - Independent Occupation: Retired pensions fund operations manager Ran unsuccessfully in 2011 and 2016 general elections. Christian candidate who says the highlight of his campaigning will focus on Gods Leadership of our country which the unelected government of the past four years has not acknowledged in its introduction of and encouragement of unbiblical laws. Mark Dearey - Green Party Occupation: Publican Elected to Dundalk Town Council in 2004 and again 2009. Public Representative between 2004 and 2019, as a Town and County Councillor and as a Member of Seanad Eireann. Green Party candidate in 2007 and 2011 general elections. Campaigning for national response to climate and biodiversity emergency. Audrey Fergus - Solidarity - People Before Profit Occupation: Community activist Running for the first time in general election after campaigning for People Before Profit 2016 general election candidate Garret Weldon. Campaigning for a redistribution of wealth and resources, and realistic and achievable solutions to the climate crisis. Peter Fitzpatrick - Independent Occupation: Public representative TD since 2011 when he ran as a Fine Gael candidate in 2011 and 2016 general elections. Vocal opponent to the referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment in 2018. Resigned from Fine Gael party in 2018 and announced he would be seeking re-election as an independent candidate. John McGahon - Fine Gael Occupation: Public representative Elected to Louth County Council in 2014 and re-elected in May 2019. Currently serving as Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District 2019-2020. Hoping to follow in the same footsteps as his late uncle Brendan McGahon by standing for Dail Eireann. Imelda Munster - Sinn Fein Occupation: Public representative Elected to Louth County Council in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009 to both Drogheda Borough Council and Louth County Council. Elected as TD in 2016 general election receiving 8,829 first preference votes (13.1%). Ged Nash - Labour Occupation: Public representative Elected to Louth County Council from 2000 to 2011, and Drogheda Town Council from 1999 to 2011. Served as mayor of Drogheda from 2004 to 2005. Elected TD for Louth in the 2011 general election. Lost seat in 2016 general election. Elected to Seanad in 2016. Fergus ODowd - Fine Gael Occupation: Public representative Chairman of Drogheda Town Council: 197778, 198182 and 199495. Served on Louth County Council between 1979 and 2003. Elected to Seanad Eireann in 1997. Louth TD since he won seat in 2002 general election. Cathal O Murchu - Irish Freedom Party Occupation: Journalist First time running in general election. Campaigning on issue of serious crime in Louth and wants to fight for a sensible immigration policy for Ireland. Ruairi O Murchu - Sinn Fein Occupation: Public representative Co-opted onto Louth County Council in September 2017. Elected in Dundalk South district in 2019 local elections. Aiming to replace former Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, as TD in Louth at 2020 general election. Eamon Sweeney - Renua Occupation: Farmer Ran unsuccessfully in 2019 local election. Peace commissioner and former radio presenter on LMFM. Renua campaigning on socially conservative platform. A congressman got Donald Trump to sign his tie at the State of the Union and says he will auction it for charity. In a bizarre moment during an unconventional session of Congress, Missouri Rep. Billy Long was captured on camera gesturing to the president with a marker pen as he left on Tuesday. Trump smiled as he granted the cheeky request and signed Long's tie. In the clip the Republican representative could be seen with a thick stack of 'Trump dollars' in his suit pocket. Long, who is an auctioneer in his native Springfield, is known for walking around Capitol Hill carrying novelty cash with Trump's image on, that he then hands to right-wingers as well as liberals to 'trigger' them. President Trump was seen on camera signing Billy Long's tie as he left Congress following his State of the Union address on Tuesday Pelosi waving the ripped up transcript with Long in the background before he spoke to her about auctioning it. He claimed Pelosi wanted to keep it for 'posterity' Billy Long tweeted that he will auction off his tie signed by Trump and that he asked Pelosi to do the same with the president's ripped up speech The 64-year-old was spotted in viral images during impeachment hearings in December with the wad of fake money sticking out of his pocket. When asked why he had the cash, Long told reporters at the time: 'It's pretty easy to trigger the liberals.' He claims to have handed the notes to John Kerry, Jair Bolsonaro the president of Brazil and the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, as well as Trump's first nominee to the high court Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Fox News host Tucker Carlson. During the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Long was seen with the wad of money while giving a thumbs up and again talking to Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she ripped Trump's speech in two. After leaving Congress. Long tweeted that the tie signed by the president was from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital charity and he will auction it off to raise money. Trump smiled as he signed Long's tie on Tuesday. The Missouri congressman is known for carrying 'Trump dollar' bills in his top pocket that he hands to liberals to 'trigger' them Rep. Billy Long (center) standing to give a big thumbs up as President Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday The congressman also said he tried to get Pelosi to auction off the torn Trump speech, but she wanted to 'keep it for posterity', he tweeted. Long also claimed he has received two bids for the State of the Union speech, each offering $25,000, one including Fox News host, Sean Hannity. He tweeted: 'It was a @StJudeResearch tie just like the one he signed for me last year. @naaauctioneers auctioned that one off and it brought $15,000 for @StJude. That ripped up speech would bring a lot of money for a worthy charity. Encourage Nancy to #Auction it for a good cause.' On Pelosi, Long later added: 'I already have 2 bidders offering $25,000 each! 1 being @seanhannity. I wonder what Rush would pay? If you know the Speaker encourage her to auction it off for charity. I'm doing that with my @StJudeResearch tie the #POTUS signed last night. 'I went up to @SpeakerPelosi as she was showing off her ripped up speech to the gallery and I said you should auction that off for charity. She said no I'm keeping it for prosperity. I said no auction it for charity.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding up a copy of President Trump's State of the Union address as Billy Long questions her about auctioning it off Congressman Billy Long previously tweeted a picture of his 'Trump dollars' that he dishes out around Washington Auctioneer Long with a wad of his novelty dollars in his top pocket. He has been seen during the impeachment trial and State of the Union with the fake cash Pelosi was seen on camera tearing up a signed copy of Trump's SOTU speech, just inches behind the president as he concluded his remarks. The House Speaker raised eyebrows when she was seen tearing up her copy of Trump's prepared speech at the conclusion of his address. Asked later why she tore the speech up, Pelosi told reporters it was 'the courteous thing to do given the alternative', after the president had earlier refused to shake her extended hand. Later Trump touted the 'wonderful reviews' he received about his State of the Union address, in which he listed off what he considers to be his achievements during his time in office. Shambhavi Naik The coronavirus outbreak originating in China has made its way across the globe, with nearly 12,000 confirmed cases. There are three confirmed cases in India as of 5 February 2020. There is considerable panic as countries race to contain its spread through screening and quarantine measures. Companies and universities have pressed into action; trying to figure out better diagnostics and possible treatment for the new virus. The ambiguity to the virus origin and fear created by its rapid spread and lack of cure has incited a deluge of misinformation. So here are four questions you really need to know about this outbreak. How deadly is the viral outbreak? The virus is the latest member of the coronavirus family to jump from other animals to infecting humans. The scientific community has already determined the genetic sequence of the virus. We now understand that every infected person can infect up to 4 people. The virus spreads through the air, enveloped in tiny droplets released as a person sneezes, coughs or talks. Spitting in public places or coughing without covering ones mouth are basic hygiene fails that needs to be avoided. The mortality rate of this viral outbreak is less than 3 percent. This mortality rate is comparable to influenza outbreaks which kill approximately 3 percent of those infected. The SARS outbreak of 2003 had a mortality rate of 10 percent, while the Nipah viral outbreak of 2018 resulted in mortality of more than 88 percent. The coronavirus infection is more severe in the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. These target populations need to be identified and equipped with protective measures. Where has the virus come from aka is it a bioweapon? The exact origins of the virus are still unknown. The epicentre of the virus has been traced to a seafood market in Chinas Wuhan. Scientists have found similarities in the gene sequence of this particular virus to those infecting bats and snakes. The virus has likely jumped from one of these species to humans. Jumping technically means a change in the spike proteins of the virus those that give the virus its characteristic corona appearance and also specify which host cells it can infect. Think of this as a lock and key the structure of the virus spikes is key to determining which host cell it can enter. The bat virus would have been unable to infect a human cell, until this structure changed. There is much speculation of whether this virus is a bio-engineered weapon. This speculation has part arisen because the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory housed in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan is authorised to host dangerous pathogens. Conspiracy theories have been widely peddled, but bottom line is we have no evidence to demonstrate that the virus has been intentionally meddled with. Either way the crucial thing now is to concentrate on containing the spread of the disease and not creating speculation. Blaming countries can only incentivise them to obfuscating data instead of transparently sharing disease burden and their response. How useful are N95 masks in keeping safe from infection? Fundamental to containing the disease is the utility of the N95 masks. India already has a shortage of masks in India, driving manufacturers to raise costs by up to 10 times normal costs. The export of masks from India has been banned as their demand has skyrocketed over the past few weeks. The effectiveness of the masks in stopping viruses is questionable viruses are after all extremely tiny particles. But the mask does two things first, it acts as a barrier to respiratory droplets which would otherwise act as a reservoir of viruses in the environment. Second, it reduces unnecessary touching of mouth and nose and by itself can reduce viral residues been left on objects. Thus though the exact effectiveness of masks is unknown, there is some practical utility to them. As India prepares for a possible outbreak within her boundaries, it will be important to maintain stockpiles that are easily accessible. Priority areas for mask distribution would be enclosed spaces such as airplanes, theatres; places housing immunocompromised people such as old-age homes, schools and hospitals and to all healthcare workers. But thought has to be also given to the disposal of these masks after use. If these masks end up in landfill, they could act as a crucible for the resurgence of the disease. A pipeline for collection and incineration of the masks needs to be set up to ensure their safe disposal. Will traditional medicine work? Both Chinese and Indian sources have put out information suggesting there is a role for traditional medicine in preventing or treating the disease. This variant of coronavirus is a novel variant and therefore, no traditional medicine has been formally tested against it. The available information is thus only a speculative advisory and not a fool-proof prescription. There is moral hazard associated with such an advisory for example, there may be no harm in taking steam inhalation every day, but there is no guarantee that this will protect from the disease. Advisories should make this clear. The absence of acceptable scientific proof and presence of quacks has made scientists abhor traditional medicine practices. However, Indian citizens do consult traditional healers and therefore, it is essential to include them in any coordinated effort to contain the disease. A consultative approach to figure out the best way to get suspect cases identified and quarantined is of utmost importance. Where to next? The coronavirus outbreak has reached Indias shores and India has set up diagnostic and quarantine facilities to stop its spread. It is important now to remain calm and self-report any symptoms to a doctor. Take basic precautionary measures wash hands regularly, do not spit in public paces, and cover your mouth while coughing or sneezing. Scientists are finding ways to create a vaccine for the coronavirus, but this will likely take a few months. But if this virus makes you apprehensive, remember this may not be very different from a flu outbreak. Normal hygiene measures and vaccinations can prevent from a number of respiratory diseases, so please do not shun away from them. The author is a research fellow with Takshashilas Technology and Policy programme. She tweets at @TheNaikMic. Also read: Coronavirus is sparing children and largely affecting the ill and aged infection experts explain why The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River from Brooklyn into Manhattan, as seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York on June 30, 2016. (Kathy Willens/AP Photo) Convicted Terrorist Who Sought to Help Al-Qaeda Bring Down Brooklyn Bridge Stripped of US Citizenship A U.S. judge has secured the denaturalization of a convicted terrorist who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for supporting terror group al-Qaeda, the Department of Justice announced on Feb. 4. Judge Staci M. Yandle of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of Iyman Faris, a 50-year-old Pakistan native who was convicted in 2003 of providing, and conspiring to provide, material support to al-Qaeda and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Among his actions in support of the terror organization, Faris evaluated the practicality of a plot to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge in New York using gas cutters, and communicated his assessment to al-Qaeda via coded messages. The convicted terrorist also traveled to Afghanistan in 2000 where he met former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as well as other high-ranking members of the group at an al-Qaeda training camp. While there, Faris allegedly researched information about ultralight airplanes for a senior al-Qaeda leader, and arranged for airline tickets to be issued to al-Qaeda operatives, according to the statement. The court this week found that Faris was not eligible for naturalization in the United States because he had unlawfully procured his citizenship through wilful misrepresentation of material facts, while his admission to his affiliation with al-Qaeda within five years after naturalizing showed that he was not attached to the principles of the Constitution, at the time he was naturalized. Water flows from one of The New York City Waterfalls, an art installation at the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on July 1, 2008. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Faris was also found ineligible for naturalization because he had lied to immigration officers and used another persons passport and visa to gain fraudulent entry into the United States in 1994. The convicted terrorist first came to the United States from Bosnia claiming asylum, according to National Review. A top priority at the Department of Justice is protecting our national security, and one of the things we do in support of that goal is tirelessly pursue denaturalization of known and suspected terrorists, said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justices Civil Division. What Faris did is unconscionablehe pretended to support the United States and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Osama bin Laden and senior al-Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the United States. The denaturalization of Faris and of others who similarly defraud the United States helps defend the integrity of the immigration system, promote the rule of law, and make America safer. Faris is currently serving his criminal sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, and is expected to be released in August 2020. However, due to the denaturalization, he may be removed from the country. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois said that becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen is a privilege and the process must be guarded for the safety of our nation and to protect and recognize the sacrifices, determination, and honor of those who earn that privilege honestly. It comes a month after the United States reportedly conducted a strike targeting Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate in Yemen that has repeatedly threatened attacks targeting the United States and is considered among the most dangerous branches of al-Qaeda. The New York Times reported that three current or former U.S. officials expressed confidence that al-Rimi had been killed in a January airstrike in Yemen, but this has not yet been confirmed. MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico is trying to sell its luxurious presidential jet to Canada, but will raffle the plane off if the Canadians don't want it, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday. The offer marks the latest chapter in a desperate effort to unload the large and lavish Boeing 787 Dreamliner that Lopez Obrador views as wasteful. He said Tuesday that the plane bought for more than $200 million by his predecessor would be a step up for Canada's prime minister. We learned that Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's airplane had problems, and we offered it to them, but there hasn't been an agreement yet, Lopez Obrador said. The truth is that it is bigger than the Canadian prime minister's, and better. Officials have said Mexico would accept $130 million for the plane. Lopez Obrador presented a prototype of the lottery-style ticket that would be issued for the jet if the raffle idea goes ahead. He said he hoped business owners would buy huge blocks of the 500-peso ($25) tickets. The government hopes to sell 6 million tickets and use the proceeds to buy medical equipment. More than a white elephant, the plane now seems to be an albatross. Some Mexicans said they wouldn't want to win it. I would not buy it, Mexico City resident Lidia Flores said of the possible raffle tickets, saying she would have no idea of what to do with the hulking airliner is she won. Even Lopez Obrador expresses doubts about the idea, saying he worries that greed or envy could wreck the life of anyone who won the jet in a raffle. I don't want to bear the guilt, because I would be responsible, he said Tuesday. It worries me. It''s the only thing holding me back, how to prevent something bad befalling the person who wins. Others see the raffle proposal as a distraction from Mexico's real problems, like crime, violence and economic stagnation. This is a smoke screen, said Eliseo Ochoa, a lawyer in Mexico City. This is just a joke at the expense of the public. Story continues The austerity-minded Lopez Obrador takes commercial flights and has refused to step foot on the presidential jet, which was purchased by the previous president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Lopez Obrador says the jet is too luxurious for a country where half the people are poor. The plane failed to find a buyer after a year on sale at a U.S. airstrip, where it piled up about $1.5 million in maintenance costs. The jet is expensive to run and is configured to carry only 80 people, with a full presidential suite with a bedroom and private bath. Experts say it would be too expensive to reconfigure back into a commercial airliner that normally carries as many as 300 passengers. Previously, Lopez Obrador had suggested bartering the plane in exchange for U.S. medical equipment or selling it in shares to a group of businessmen for executive incentive programs. He has also offered to rent it out by the hour, in hopes of paying off the remainder of outstanding loans on the plane. Mexican Twitter users are posting ideas about where they would park the huge jet if they won it (clue: in the yard, because it won't fit in the garage). They fantasize about the kind of parties they would throw aboard it (beer-filled trips to the Super Bowl appears popular) and what colors they would paint it (one user suggested bright purple). But the most popular idea for using the jet appears to be turning it into a stationary restaurant or taco stand. Wednesday, February 5, 2020 The Styx Chyx, Thea and Emily, hold an AfterParty in Santa Fe at the Berardinelli McGee Life Event Center. The special guest speaker is Peter Callan, author of Prepare to Die!!! And Other Stuff Nobody Told You. Watch the video and learn about preparing for end-of-life issues. [embedded content] Among the topics covered: POAs, the different kinds of Power of Attorney documents that are helpful when facing disability and death. How a codicil, an addendum to a will, can make a change at less cost than hiring an attorney to change the will. Disposition options such as green burial and donating a body to science. The money-saving power of preplanning and possibly prepaying your funeral arrangements. What a DNR, Do Not Resuscitate, order can mean, and how it can be ignored. How many death certificates to order (Hint: more than you think youll need). Real estate and Transfer on Death Deeds (TODD). How long the probate process can take. A review of The Five Wishes form. Learn more about The Styx Chyx at www.TheStyxChyx.com. Get Peter Callans book, Prepare to Die!!! from Amazon through this link. Peter Callan and The Styx Chyx, (L) Thea and (R) Emily Share this: Happy National Weatherperson's Day, San Antonio meteorologists. Every year on Feb. 5, weather teams around the country are recognized for their hard work and dedication to predicting and forecasting the weather. San Antonio TV stations have over a dozen local meteorologists who help us stay informed, especially when there is severe weather. Many of the local weather anchors have won awards throughout their career, including KENS-TV meteorologist Bill Taylor, who has won a Lone Star Emmy Award and was recently named Best Meteorologist for the San Antonio Current's "Best of SA 2019." MORE SAN ANTONIO TV NEWS: News 4 San Antonio anchor Randy Beamer shares look-alike photo on social media In 2016, KABB-TV weather vet Alex Garcia was named National Weatherperson of the Year, a first for a San Antonio TV station. President Trump offered up a few surprise moments during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. The former reality TV star used his history as a host and presenter to generate a few headline-grabbing stunts. The president announced controversial conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who is battling advanced lung cancer, would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. First lady Melania Trump immediately did the honors, placing the medal around Limbaugh's neck in the viewing gallery of the House chamber. Limbaugh announced his diagnosis earlier this week. Later in the speech, the president surprised a military family by reuniting them with their father, who was supposed to be on his fourth deployment overseas. Mr. Trump introduced military wife Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and her two children. He then called out for Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, who made his way down the balcony stairs to meet his wife and kids. Amy Williams covered her mouth as her eyes widened in surprise. Audience members stood and clapped, chanting, "USA, USA!" Military family surprise 2020 State of the Union Sergeant Townsend Williams (R) waves next to his children after returning from deployment in Afghanistan as his wife Amy (2L) looks on during the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2020. Getty In the section of his speech on school choice, the president introduced Janiyah Davis, a fourth-grade student from Philadelphia who was wait-listed at a charter school. Pennsylvania's governor last year vetoed legislation expanding tax credits for the state's school choice program. The president surprised Janiyah and her mother by announcing that she will be given an opportunity scholarship to the "school of your choice." Janiyah Davis 2020 State of the Union Stephanie Davis and her daughter Janiyah, attend the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 4, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Getty Story continues Parkland father escorted out of State of the Union as Trump touts Second Amendment Trump takes unprecedented steps to roll back environmental regulations Trump expands restrictions on immigration By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi committed a "fatal mistake" by revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in Muzaffarabad, Khan also alleged that Modi did it because he got mandate after using Pakistan as a scapegoat in election. "Modi made a fatal mistake, one that he could not step back from...He cannot go back from where he has taken India. The genie of Hindu nationalism is out of bottle and it cannot be put back," he said. Khan also claimed that the chain of events would "finally result in the independence of Kashmir." His remarks came as Pakistan observed the Kashmir Solidarity Day, with the top leaders extending their support to the Kashmiri people. The day is observed every year on February 5 by Pakistan. "It is my faith that Kashmir will become free after the August 5 action by Modi. If he had not taken this step, we would not have been able to highlight it to the world," he said, adding that it was "our duty" to inform the world about it. Indian abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. India has categorically told the international community that its move to scrap Article 370 was an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality. In his address, Khan also criticised Modi's statement to conquer Pakistan in 7-10 days. "No normal man can say such a thing," he said. Addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi, Modi last month said the Indian armed forces won't take more than week-10 days to make Pakistan bite dust. Khan said that Pakistan should not give any opportunity to India to divert world's attention from Kashmir. "Either they will launch false flag operation or launch crackdown in Kashmir by using the threat of terrorism," he claimed. He said it was a political and diplomatic fight, and Pakistan should avoid the trap laid by India. Khan once again talked at length about the RSS and linked it to Nazi philosophy. "Thrice I explained to (US President Donald) Trump the issue of Kashmir," he said. Khan also demanded immediate lifting of the restrictions and communications blackout in Kashmir. President Arif Alvi in his message said India by abrogating Article 370 has directly contravened the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his message reaffirmed Pakistan's unstinted political, diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiri people Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) Officials tasked to secure President Rodrigo Duterte are discussing whether or not they will allow him to personally welcome Filipinos coming home from China where the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to rise. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles in a press briefing on Wednesday said Duterte "wants to be there" when the first batch of repatriated Filipinos arrives at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga on Saturday. "But there are still discussions... I'm sure that's a debate between the President, the PSG, and the PMS," Nograles said, referring to the Presidential Management Staff and the Presidential Security Group. "He'd like to be there on Saturday but tingnan na muna natin sa PMS at sa PSG (we'll ask the PMS and the PSG first)," Nograles added. The PMS under the Office of the President provides staff assistance to the President while the PSG, an elite unit of the Armed Forces is tasked to ensure the President's safety. Nograles said "it's really a challenge" to protect the President, noting that Duterte has also refused to refrain from shaking people's hands during public engagements amid the threat of the new coronavirus called 2019-nCoV. Health authorities have been advising people to exercise proper handwashing to help stop the spread of the 2019-nCoV. The new strain of coronavirus, believed to be a cousin of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, was first detected during an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. READ: Simple ways to protect yourself from coronavirus The virus has since spread to more than 20 other countries, including the Philippines. It has killed 492 people worldwide, majority of which are in China, and infected more than 24,500 people. In the Philippines, there are now three cases all of them Chinese visitors who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. One of them a 44-year-old man, died due to acute respiratory disease caused by the virus. Health authorities said there are so far no confirmed cases of local transmission. Sixty-three Filipinos are under watch for possible infection. Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they either had close contact with infected patients or traveled from Hong Kong prior to the temporary ban imposed by Duterte on visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Raghav Chadha election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Raghav Chadha AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Rajinder Nagar seat and many more at Firstpost.com. One of the prominent media faces of the Aam Aadmi Party, 31-year-old Raghav Chadha will contest his first ever Assembly election from Rajinder Nagar constituency. This is his second attempt at electoral politics after facing defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when he lost to BJPs incumbent MP from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri. A chartered accountant by profession, Chadha is a member of the national executive of the party. He is also the partys in-charge of litigation affairs. He is the young national spokesperson of the AAP and has been playing a key role in the communication and outreach efforts of the party. Chadha began his public life as a young volunteer with the India Against Corruption movement before joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) when it was launched in November 2012. As per reports, he was instrumental in shaping the 2013 Assembly manifesto of the party. After the party came to power with a thumping majority in the 2015 Assembly election, Chadha, who specialises in International Tax Advisory and Transfer Pricing, was appointed as an advisor in the finance ministry headed by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. However, in April 2018, he was sacked along with nine other advisors by the Centre, which termed their appointment as illegal. Chadha criticised the bureaucracy of being "hand in glove" with the BJP in his letter to the home ministry. Despite his unceremonious sacking, the AAP continued to back him and gave him the charge of South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency in late 2018. However, he lost the election to BJPs Bidhuri by a margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. Although it's early days, it seems recreational marijuana legalization is a boon for the state of Illinois. Its Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said in a press release that sales of licensed recreational product were just over $39.2 million in January -- the first month that this type of marijuana was legal for sale and consumption in the state. That financial figure broke down to a bit more than 972,000 items sold by dispensaries. Estimates vary as to how large this could get; recently, Arcview and BDS Analytics projected that Illinois could reach recreational cannabis sales topping $1.1 billion in 2024. One revealing statistic within the $39.2 million January sales number was the $8.6 million in product sold to out-of-state residents. That comprises 22% of the total. It also stands to reason, as Illinois is one of the few Midwestern states in which recreational marijuana is legal. Also, none of the five states sharing a land border with Illinois has yet sanctioned this form of the drug. Illinois charged into recreational legalization, allowing a large number of dispensaries to sell product. Two companies that have staked out an early claim to the Illinois market are Green Thumb Industries (OTC:GTBIF) and Cresco Labs (OTC:CRLBF), both of which are headquartered in Chicago. With their small networks of dispensaries in the state, Green Thumb and Cresco saw robust sales in the very early stages. In spite of the good news from their home state, neither marijuana stock's price rose on Tuesday. Green Thumb slumped by almost 3%, while Cresco fell a bit over 1%. A woman suffered an injury to her eyes after a man allegedly threw an inflammable substance on her after she refused to withdraw a rape complaint against him at Mira Road in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday. The police on Monday arrested the accused from Ahmedabad for allegedly throwing an inflammable substance on the married victim, who is in her mid 20s, senior inspector Sanjay Hajare of the Mira Road police station said. The incident took place on Saturday night, when the accused spotted the victim in the locality and threw an inflammable liquid either petrol or diesel on her, he said. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for an injury to her eyes, he added. Earlier, the victim had lodged a complaint of rape against the accused at Mira Road police station, the official said. When the victim refused to withdraw the complaint against him, the accused attacked her, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French transport workers are back to work after a historic seven weeks off the job, but the strike over a major pension reform currently being debated in parliament is not over. Garbage disposal workers have gone on strike in Paris and in Marseille. Paris' incineration plants have been off line for ten days, and garbage is beginning to pile up. The three incineration plants in Paris have been on strike since 23 January. The plant in Issy-les-Moulineaux, south of the city, should be running on Thursday after a police prefecture injunction for striking workers to go back to work. According to the company that runs the site, Syctom, the site should be able to burn 1,800 of the 6,000 tonnes of garbage collected each day in the Paris area. In the southern port city of Marseille, workers have been blocking waste-sorting centres for the past 10 days and some 3,000 tonnes of garbage have piled up in the streets, according to local authorities. The city has required unions to provide a minimum level of service and placed garbage tips out for residents to stop them dumping their trash directly on the street. Continued anger over the reform Garbage collectors argue that they should continue to be allowed to stop work early because their life expectancy is seven years less than for the average French person. The pension reform, currently being debated in parliament, aims to merge 42 different pension schemes into a single, points-based system, to have everyone in France retire at the same time. President Emmanuel Macron's government argues that its reforms are necessary to make the pension system fairer and more sustainable. Critics say it will force most people to work longer for less than they are receiving under the current system. By Claudia Cristoferi and Silvia Aloisi MILAN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Italy's fashion industry expects revenues to fall 1.8% in the first half of 2020 due as the coronavirus outbreak hits sales, an industry official said on Tuesday, as jewellery maker Pandora warned business in China had ground to a halt. Several high-end brands also said they had shut down stores in China, the world's biggest luxury goods market, stoking concerns that the industry could face significant damage to sales if the virus is not contained quickly. Carlo Capasa, head of Italy's national fashion chamber CNMI, said the coronavirus outbreak would cause turnover for the Italian industry to fall by 1.8% in the first six months of the year, mostly in the first quarter. Home to the likes of Prada, Armani and Moncler , Italy is second only to France among European countries for fashion and luxury goods sales. Total turnover for the sector was 90 billion euros last year, or about 5% of gross domestic product in the euro zone's third biggest economy, according to CNMI figures. "In December the outlook for 2020 was a return to our historical annual growth rate of around 3%, but all that changed with the China virus spreading," Capasa said. "The full economic impact can't be calculated yet, but we would be lucky if the sector grew 1% this year." Chinese shoppers fuelled a decade of growth for the luxury goods industry and today account for 35% of the sector's global sales, estimated at 281 billion euros last year by consultancy Bain & Co. But the coronavirus has seen parts of China put under quarantine, flights halted and many Chinese cancel trips abroad, including during the New Lunar Year holiday, a peak retail season in China and overseas. Companies around the world have warned that the outbreak could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines. Ralph Lauren Corp said on Tuesday it has shut about half of its 110 stores in China due to the disease, which has so far killed over 420 people. Story continues Tiffany & Co, bought recently by LVMH, said it had also temporarily closed several stores in affected areas. ` "As I sit here and watch the Chinese business, it is in a standstill mode, I mean there's pennies being sold," Pandora's Chief Executive Alexander Lacik told Reuters on Tuesday, describing an "unprecedented" drop in business. The Danish company, about 10% of whose annual sales are to Hong Kong, China and its tourists, has closed 70 of its 240 shops in China on government orders, customer traffic at other stores, mostly in shopping malls, is "next to none", Lacik said. Capasa said three Chinese designers had been forced to cancel their shows at Milan's Women's Fashion Week on Feb. 18-24, and about 1,000 Chinese people who had been expected to attend would now likely not show up. "The Chinese are big spenders, for us this is quite relevant," he said. (Additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Uday Sampath Kumar in Bangalore; Editing by Catherine Evans) (Photo : REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich, Switzerland December 5, 2018. Google Fiber said that it will get rid of the popular TV bundles with news, sports, premium, and nearby broadcast channels. In a statement, Google said customers nowadays, "just don't need traditional TV" anymore. It added many options are available online through over-the-top TV services and streaming platforms. Google Fiber Continues to Provide TV Service to Existing Subscribers Who Pay for It Current subscribers to Fiber plans that include TV service could still continue with its subscription, but they would no longer see their existing carrier modified or changed. Meanwhile, Google Fiber will no longer offer a linear TV product to new customers and instead would be redirected to Google's "over-the-top" streaming services, including YouTube TV and FuboTV. "For our current TV customers, we know you have come to rely on Google Fiber TV, and we will continue to provide you with traditional TV service," the company said. Google added it would assist everyone explores other options to get their favorite programs over the Internet. Google Fiber Partners With YouTube, FuboTV Fiber recently rolled out a partnership with YouTube that allows customers to sign up for its YouTube TV carrier while joining up for Google Fiber. The company also took wraps off of a partnership with FuboTV, an over-the-top streaming carrier that focuses on channels that distribute live sports, news, network TV series, and movies. ALSO READ: YouTube App Will Not Work On Older Google TV, Apple TV, iOS Devices, Smart TVs: What To Know Google Fiber: An Unstable Journey Over The Past Years Google Fiber official Milo Medin, according to a 2014 Washington Post report, said the value of obtaining video content became 'the single biggest impediment' to Fiber's wider rollout. But the company struggled over the past five years to make inroads in several markets as the fee of deploying fiber internet was astronomical. The organization reportedly paid "two times as much" compared with other mounted carrier companies for video rights because it lacked analogous vertical integrations and legacy deals. Google Fiber paused its rollout to nine additional cities in the United States in 2016 amid restructuring and a spherical of layoffs after the organization separated from the Google umbrella. Fiber also experimented with its Webpass subsidiary to attempt supplying high-speed Internet not through fiber optic cables, but with over-the-air transmission technologies. The company has additionally slowed its overall expansion considerably. As it stands today, Google Fiber is available in 18 markets all through the US. ALSO READ: RIP Google TV: Android TV Now Takes the Spotlight Google Fiber suffered yet another public defeat in 2019 after it had to droop operations in Louisville, Kentucky, permanently. The company suffered the loss after attempting a method of fiber installation called "shallow trenching" that might have accelerated its deployment time. However, the setup failed to catch up due to how near the floor the cables had been lying. Instead of starting over from scratch, Google Fiber decided to stop the carrier on April 15, 2019. Google Fiber is now paying Louisville almost $4 million for ruining the complete project. So it makes feel that, in 2020, Google Fiber doesn't quite want a TV carrier that it pays a fortune for. The service provider is still working to make its net service an appealing alternative for customers and a financially sound one for its parent enterprise. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. / -- LeapLearner India joins the company's global network of over 1,000,000 students located across 20 countries, including China, Israel, and the US. 2020 kicked off with the launch of LeapLearner India, the EdTech giant's most recent global expansion into a new and promising market. The company will be based out of Gurugram and managed by Indian EdTech entrepreneur, Rahul Ranjan. LeapLearner International's Co-Founder and CEO, Ami Dror, will also serve as Chair of the global corporation's Indian enterprise. Dror, an Israeli serial entrepreneur, moved to Shanghai in 2016 to launch LeapLearner in China together with renowned mathematics expert, Aaron Tian. The company has since reached over a million students through their online and offline offerings for the acquisition of 21st century skills. Following the extreme popularity of their cutting-edge computational thinking courses in China, LeapLearner India will now offer this curriculum for students ages 5-14 across India. Through LeapLearner's uniquely designed platform and learning tools, children will learn coding languages such as Scratch and Python, as well as App Development, AI, Robotics & Machine-Learning. The company's pedagogical approach and intuitive learning platform have been customized for Indian teaching-learning methods. In less than two months prior to the company's launch, LeapLearner India already registered over 1,500 students. The company plans to onboard over 10,000 students in its first year of operations. In addition to one-on-one online lessons, courses will be available at over 40 learning centers and ten K-12 Schools. As LeapLearner India grows and expands its activities, the company will enable top-rated teachers to offer home tutoring and small-group offline classes as well. As an impact-focused company, LeapLearner has joined forces with ICode, a US-based non-profit focused on expanding opportunities for computational thinking through local, national and international junior coding competitions. LeapLearner students will be certified by ICode and will also be invited to participate in ICode's upcoming India Junior Coding Competition in October 2020. Through this competition, LeapLearner students in India will join the more than 80,000 students that have participated in ICode competitions around the world. Top achievers may even find themselves invited to attend ICode's Global Coding Olympiad in Shanghai in the Summer of 2021. About LeapLearner LeapLearner is World's Largest Coding Company with over 5,00,000 Students across 20 Countries. In India we offer Computational Thinking Program through Courses in Coding, Robotics, App Development, IoT & Logic for aged 5-14 years. Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086497/Rahul_Ranjan_and_Ami_Dror. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: The Lucknow Police probing the murder of Vishva Hindu Mahasabha leader Ranjit Bachchan, who was shot dead by two bike-borne militants on Sunday, has detained four persons in connection with the case. The Special Task Force of Lucknow police detained the people from Gorakhpur and Raebareli on Monday (February 5). According to sources, police are investigating all possible angles in the murder case and are likely to question Ranjit's second wife Smriti today. The police is also likely to interrogate a Gorakhpur property dealer, who was considered to be close to Ranjit. Ranjit was shot at multiple times near the Chhattar Manzil in Lucknow's Hazratganj area on February 1 in a broad daylight. A resident of OCR building in Hazratganj area, he was attacked when he was taking a stroll at the Global Park along with his brother. He was immediately rushed to Lucknow Trauma Centre where he succumbed to his injuries. Ranjit's younger brother Aaditya, who was with him at the time of the incident, also received a bullet injury in his hand. Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh administration suspended four police officials, including two PRV police personnel, a constable and an outpost in-charge. According to the police, Ranjit had been receiving death threats for some time. The police also released CCTV footage of the murder suspect and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information about any suspect's whereabouts. Sources told the news agency that Ranjit was also associated with the Samajwadi Party in the past and participated in several cycle rallies. Reacting to the incident, the Samajwadi Party blamed the Yogi Adityanath government in the state for the deteriorating law and order situation and asked him to resign immediately. This was the second murder of a Hindu leader in the state capital in the past four months. In October 2019, Kamlesh Tiwari, president of the Hindu Samaj Party, was shot dead in his office by two assailants, who had befriended him by creating a fake Facebook ID. This led to multiple arrests from various states including Gujarat and Maharashtra. Experts say China's recent measures have created a chance to stop the virus becoming a global crisis. The first coronavirus-infected patients arrive at the newly built hospital in Wuhan The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is a "window of opportunity" to stop the deadly new coronavirus becoming a broader global crisis. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the steps China took to fight the virus at its epicentre were a good way of stopping its spread. The praise comes as Chinese officials have been widely criticised for their initial handling of the outbreak. On Tuesday alone, nearly 4,000 new cases were confirmed in the country. The death toll has now risen to 490, an increase of 65 deaths in mainland China in one day, the latest figures from the country's National Health Commission said. All the new fatalities were in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak. In China alone, there are now more than 24,300 cases, with a much smaller number of cases in other countries around the globe. Two people have died of the disease outside of mainland China - one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines. The WHO has declared a global health emergency over the outbreak but said it did not yet constitute a "pandemic", or the worldwide spread of a new disease. About 80% of those who died were over the age of 60, and 75% of them had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, according to China's National Health Commission (NHC). The new coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. Most people infected are likely to fully recover - just as they would from a flu. What did the WHO say? Speaking at a technical briefing in Geneva, Dr Tedros praised the Chinese authorities for their response at the epicentre of the outbreak - the city of Wuhan, in the province of Hubei, where millions of people are on lockdown and severe transport restrictions have been imposed. "There is a window of opportunity because of the high measures, the strong measures China is taking at the epicentre, at the source. So let's use this opportunity to prevent further spread and control it," he said, stressing that developed countries were failing to share data. The comments come a day after China's top leadership admitted "shortcomings and deficiencies" in the country's response. The government has also been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus at the start of the outbreak and in some cases, attempting to keep news of it secret. One doctor in Wuhan who tried to warn his fellow colleagues late last year was accused of "making false comments" and told by police to stop the "illegal activity". Dr Tedros also reiterated his call for countries not to impose travel and trade restrictions, saying 22 nations had officially reported such measures. He urged them to be "short in duration, proportionate" and reviewed regularly. But Chen Xu, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said some restrictions went against the WHO's advice and told countries not to over-react. What's the latest around the world? Earlier, Sylvie Briand, head of WHO's Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness division, said the outbreak "currently" was not a pandemic. While more than two dozen nations have reported cases there have been no confirmations across Africa or Latin America. Dr Briand also stressed the importance of tackling unfounded rumours, saying they could be an "obstacle for good response and hamper effective implementation of counter-measures". Meanwhile, 27 cases of human-to-human infections have occurred in nine countries outside China, according to the WHO. Among other developments: In Japan, health officials screened about 3,700 people on board a cruise ship after a passenger tested positive for the virus, discovering a further 10 new cases in the process The UK and French governments told their citizens in China to leave the country if they could, with the British Foreign Office saying it will charter another special flight on Sunday Taiwan said that from Friday it would deny entry to all foreign nationals who had been to mainland China in the past 14 days Macau - a special administrative region of China and one of Asia's biggest gambling hubs - announced that it would temporarily close down all its casinos How fast is it spreading? Estimates by the University of Hong Kong suggest the total number of cases could be far higher than official figures. Dr David Heymann, who led the WHO's response to the outbreak of Sars, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, in 2002-03, told the Associated Press news agency that the new coronavirus appeared to still be on the increase, and that it was too early to estimate when it would peak. BBC Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney has shared behind-the-scene photos at the wrap party for her new Netflix reality show, I Do, Redo. The Canadian fashion stylist, 40, from Toronto, took to Instagram and posted a snap of herself in a stylish off-the-shoulder dark blue dress with her 376k followers. In the caption, she penned: '10 weddings. 10 deserving couples. A crazy schedule but worth every minute, every smile and every tear.' 'A project we poured our hearts into. Thank you to all who supported me along the way. I cannot wait to share these stories with you. Coming soon. #idoredo #netflix #ctv.' Jessica Mulroney, 40, from Toronto, has shared behind-the-scenes photos at the wrap party for her new Netflix show, I Do, Redo (pictured) Taking to her Instagram story, the fashion stylist shared a snap of numerous people who worked on the show and wrote: 'Love my crew' In the caption alongside the image, Jessica described her new Netflix show as a 'project we poured our heart into' (pictured) Jessica's husband Ben Mulroney was quick to respond to the post, and gushed: So proud for you and the team!' In a further snap shared on her Instagram story, the fashion stylist can be seen posing with numerous people who worked on the show and captioned it: 'Love my crew' Meghan Markle, 38, will not be appearing in the Canadian Netflix show with her good friend. A palace source disputed earlier reports that the former Suits star was slated to appear in the Netflix reality show 'I Do, Redo.' Those rumors are 'categorically untrue,' the source said in a statement to DailyMail.com. CTV, which has partnered with Netflix for the show, also released a statement denying the reports. The show, set to air on Netflix, will be hosted by Toronto wedding stylist Jessica Mulroney, seen above with Meghan Markle in 2016 Jessica's husband Ben Mulroney was quick to take to the comments section and penned: 'So proud for you and the #idoredo team! (pictured) 'The Duchess of Sussex does not appear in upcoming @CTV series,' they tweeted on Saturday. The show, set to air on Netflix, will be hosted by Toronto wedding stylist Jessica Mulroney, who is Meghan's a close friend and confidant. It follows Meghan and Harry's vow to become 'financially independent' after stepping down from the Royal family. The 10-part reality show 'revisits first-time wedding disasters before re-making the wedding dreams of 10 devoted couples,' according to a press release. Meghan herself was married twice, divorcing her first husband before marrying Harry in a ceremony viewed around the world. 'We are aiming to make a significant difference in the lives of our chosen couples whose first weddings did not go as planned due to tragic circumstances,' host Mulroney said in a statement about the show. 'This is a side of the wedding industry that has never been shown on television before.' Jessica Mulroney befriended Markle while the American-born actor was living in Toronto where she was filming the television drama Suits. The two women reportedly bonded over a love of yoga. Mulroney's social media also includes photos of the two taking trips together. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat (C) with Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane (R) and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar during a meeting at South Block, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. A PTI Photo NEW DELHI (PTI): The armed forces are likely to collaborate and create an 'air defence command' to cover all aerial operations taking place in the Indian airspace, a 'peninsula command' to look after all naval operations in the closer Indian Ocean region, and a 'logistics command', said India's first chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday. Commanders of such theatres would be reporting to their respective service chiefs initially, Rawat told reporters, adding that no decision has been taken on how many joint commands would be created on the Indo-Chinese border. "In order to become the armed forces of the Union, we need to start working on some of the aspects where we think immediate integration can happen. There, we find that air defence is one area, which according to me, is a low hanging fruit and can happen in a time-bound manner," the CDS stated. The responsibility of the management of the airspace is that of the Air Force, therefore, the security and safety of the airspace must rest with that one service, he explained. "We feel that all the assets which are there must integrate under one service so that command and control issues can be simplified," he said. In a landmark decision, the government on December 24 last year approved the creation of a CDS in the rank of a four-star general who acts as the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters relating to the tri-services. The government also decided to create a new Department of Military Affairs (DMA) under the Defence Ministry, which is headed by the CDS as its secretary. Rawat said that in the DMA, total six joint secretaries - four from the armed forces and two from the civil services - are working. He said there should be an integrated logistics command. "There is a great scope of logistics issues being integrated," the CDS said. Giving the example of medical resources, Rawat said among all three services, surpluses and deficiencies need to be better managed so that the doctors are neither overworked nor underutilised. Rawat also said there is a need for a peninsula command, which would be with the Navy. "Our thought process is that let us go with the peninsula command. Currently there is East and West command in Navy over Indian Ocean," he said. "If you look at the Navy Chief, these two commands are just one of his charters. Look at his charter, he is looking at the entire Indian Ocean region. He is looking from east coast of Africa to right down to Australia. So, he has got a bigger picture to look at," Rawat explained. Therefore, with the creation of the peninsula command, the Navy Chief can disinvest himself from the closer Indian Ocean region and look at the bigger picture, Rawat added. When asked if he has finalised which theatre commands would be finally created, he said, "I am final in my mind... I would like to discuss this with the three service chiefs before I give out what is on my mind. They may be better than me. They may be having better ideas." Rawat added that for the "northern borders" - which means India's border with China - no decision has been taken as yet on how many theatres would be created. "Some thoughts have been exchanged with the service chiefs regarding this matter," he added. The CDS stated that initially, the theatre commanders would be reporting to their respective service chiefs. "Once we are done with our cross staffing, initially the theatre commanders will have to be assigned with the regular theatre with the chiefs taking over," Rawat told the reporters. When asked if it will become too complex as there will be one more layer with the theatre commanders reporting to the service chiefs, he said, "This is a transformational phase... Initially, you see, you don't want to mess up the thing while going for the transformation as you don't know when things will turn ugly." "And at that time, we don't want people saying 'I don't know about this'. You have to keep this overlap for a while because in our case we don't know when this requirement may come up of when you have to engage." So, when one doesn't know when the requirement may come, it is better to have those systems, the CDS added. On the question about the time frame he has in his mind to create these theatre commands, the CDS said, "I have been given three years...for the creation of these theatres." When Jonathan Nyce was released from prison after serving five years for brutally killing his wife in their Hopewell Township mansion in 2004, the former pharmaceutical executive said he planned to continue to work as a research scientist and develop cancer-curing drugs. All my training is in cancer (research,) Nyce told The Times of Trenton in 2010. So Im going back to my roots. On Tuesday, federal authorities alleged part of Nyces work since his release included a scheme to defraud pet owners by falsely claiming to sell cancer-curing drugs for dogs. The 70-year-old induced the owners of terminally ill dogs to pay him hundreds or thousands of dollars for drugs by touting the effectiveness of his products in treating a host of canine cancers, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The defendants alleged conduct here is shameful, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in a statement. As any dog owner will tell you myself included pets quickly become part of the family. And when they become sick, caring owners look for hope, often doing everything they can to keep their beloved pets alive and well. The defendant is charged with taking advantage of that nurturing instinct in the worst way possible. Beginning in 2012, authorities said Nyce began creating companies to develop drugs intended to treat cancer in dogs. He advertised them online to desperate pet owners as cancer-curing medications, which were named Tumexal and Naturasone. The drugs were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, even though he falsely claimed to buyers, the research was "funded in part by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, authorities said. Tumexal is effective against a wide variety of cancers, an advertisement for one of the drugs reads. Tumexal will almost always restore a cancer-stricken dogs appetite, spirit and energy! But authorities said the drugs were nothing more than a collection of bulk ingredients from various sources, which (Nyce) blended together himself in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where he currently resides. Nyce also allegedly told prospective customers that their pets could take part in clinical trials, but in order to do so, they had to pay him large sums of money, authorities said. Nyce has been indicted on charges of wire fraud and the interstate shipment of misbranded animal drugs. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 32 years and a fine of up to $1.25 million. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest, according to court documents. An attorney is not listed for Nyce. The indictment comes nearly 15 years after Nyce was convicted in the killing of his wife, Michelle, a native of the Philippines. Nyce and Michelle met in 1989 through a newspaper ad that connected American men with Filipino women. The relationship began with letters, but the couple later met and were soon married. They had three children together. He was accused of killing his wife in their garage after she returned home from an affair with the man hired to landscape the couples Mercer County home. During the trial, Nyce confessed to smashing his 34-year-old wifes head on the concrete floor of their garage and then propping her body up in her SUV and driving it into a half-frozen creek about a mile away, in an attempt to make it appear she had died in a car crash. His attorney argued at the trial that Nyce had acted in self-defense. The story drew national headlines, and Nyce was ultimately found guilty of passion-provocation manslaughter and tampering with evidence in 2005. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released on parole after a little more than five years. In 2012, Nyce published a book, Under Color of Law," that documents his journey through the criminal justice system and maintains his innocence. The cover of the book reads: The deliberate conviction of an innocent man and the destruction of a family. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The Justice Department antitrust investigation into Google seems to be ramping up with a flurry of activity this week, as the subject of the probe reportedly zeros in on the tech giant's online advertising tools. On Tuesday, several state attorneys general investigating Google met with Justice Department officials to coordinate their efforts to probe the search and advertising giant. The attorneys general of Texas, Utah and Nebraska were among those in attendance. Nearly every state AG in the country is participating in the state-level probe led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 'We're working well together and trying to make sure that there aren't redundancies,' Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said. 'We're hoping to go as quickly as we possible can but I don't have a specific timetable.' On Tuesday, several state attorneys general investigating Google met with Justice Department officials to coordinate their efforts on antitrust probes At the federal level, Google's ad-tech software appears to be a major focus of the probe, several people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. Virtually all major publishers use Google's ad server, which connects online publishers to Google's advertising exchange. Google's ad server, DoubleClick for publishers, was integrated into its ad exchange, AdX, in 2018, and re-branded as a single product called Google Ad Manager. Many publishers and advertising rivals accuse Google of tying its various tools together in anti-competitive ways. A Google spokeswoman referred an inquiry from DailyMail.com to a September statement by Product Management Vice President Sissie Hsiao, which said in part: 'To suggest that the ad tech sector is lacking competition is simply not true. To the contrary, the industry is famously crowded.' 'Our tools and platforms make it easy for advertisers and publishers of all sizes to choose whom they want to work with in this open, interconnected ad system,' Hsiao said. The probe's increasing focus on ad tools is believed to be the reason that Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, the department's antitrust chief, stepped down from leading the investigation this week. Delrahim lobbied on Googles behalf in 2007 when company faced antitrust scrutiny over its acquisition of advertising competitor DoubleClick. Google parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is seen earlier this month. Virtually all major publishers use Google's ad server, which connects to Google's advertising exchange The Justice department said in late July it was opening a broad antitrust investigation of the big digital firms - Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook. Attorney General Bill Barr has since said he would like the probe completed by the end of the year. President Donald Trump has criticized the companies and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have called for the break-up of Amazon and Facebook. Warren has also proposed unwinding the Google-DoubleClick merger. The Justice Department said in a statement about Tuesday's meeting that the state officials met with Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Associate Deputy Attorney General Ryan Shores and officials from the department's Antitrust Division. The Justice Department said in a statement the meeting was 'to continue strengthening their multilateral antitrust law enforcement cooperation concerning technology markets.' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told reporters, 'It's nice to have the cooperation of the Department of Justice.' The Justice Department and nearly all state attorneys general have opened investigations into allegations that Google has broken antitrust law. The federal probe focuses on search bias, advertising and management of Google's Android operating system. The businesses in Liaoning were acting on government instructions to delay the reopening of businesses in the most of the country to February 10 at the earliest in response to the coronavirus outbreak which has infected over 20,000 people. The Chinese magnesia market has been stagnant since before the Lunar New Year holiday that began on January 24. Most market participants have not returned to work and and Chinas domestic transportation network has ground to a halt. As a result, Fastmarkets' spot price for magnesia, dead burned, 90% MgO, lump, fob China was stable week on week at $170-200 per tonne on Tuesday February 4, unchanged since November 5, 2019. The magnesia, dead burned, 97.5% MgO, lump, fob China price was unchanged at $400-450 per tonne on February 4, a level it has maintained since December 17. Most market sources said they are awaiting clearer direction on price after February 10, when operations are currently expected to resume. "We havent resumed production for the moment, and our customers currently have no specific requirements on booking materials as well. Chinas government is taking measures to control the coronavirus, and I believe it will all return to normal soon," a producer in Haicheng told Fastmarkets. "Our customers currently havent placed new orders and all waiting for clear direction. They havent noticed any specific requirements on exporting materials, and we will see that the market is after February 10," a second producer said. Meanwhile, a trader source was bearish on the effect of the coronavirus on an already weak magnesia market. "I think the coronavirus will have a negative impact on the short-term magnesia market as it makes the weak market worse with most downstream sectors slowing down purchasing," a trader said. The magnesia market has had a sluggish year with prices falling sharply due to oversupply and reducing demand from downstream buyers. The 90% dead burned magnesia price was $240-270 per tonne at the start of 2019, while the 97.5% assessment was at $1,100-1,300 per tonne at the same time. Chinas producers have continued lowering prices to boost sales and cash flow, bringing spot prices down. Adding to this, magnesia orders after the Lunar New Year have not met forecasts due to the suspension of business. One of the myriad numbers in Budget 2020-21 that caught attention related to the food subsidy bill. The revised estimates of 2019-20 showed that, at Rs 1.08 lakh crore, this was 41 percent lower than what had been originally budgeted (Rs 1.84 lakh crore). Whats more, the 2020-21 budget figure of Rs 1.15 lakh crore was a mere 6.3 percent higher than the revised estimate. If one compared it to the budget estimate of 2019-20, it was a 37 percent cut. So was this a much-needed subsidy rationalisation measure by a fiscally prudent government or a deliberate disregard for food security by a callous government? Actually it is neither. Close to 60 percent of the food subsidy bill is the reimbursement by the central government to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the costs the latter incurs in procuring and distributing food grains for the public distribution system (PDS). In 2019-20, this was originally budgeted at Rs 1.51 lakh crore and more than halved to Rs 75,000 crore in the revised estimates. But this was no saving on the part of FCI. All that happened was that the central government got it to borrow more from the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) to make up for the shortfall in reimbursement. In 2019-20, FCI will borrow Rs 1.10 lakh crore from the NSSF. In 2020-21, the budgetary allocation for reimbursing FCI is Rs 77,982 crore (a piffling 3.9 percent rise), while its borrowing will shoot up 34 percent to Rs 1.36 lakh crore. This practice of FCI being forced to resort to borrowings to bridge the gap between the subsidy reimbursement due to it and actual reimbursement received has been going on for years together. The shortfall has ranged from 15 percent in 2011-12 to 51 percent in 2016-17. The only thing new in this Budget is that the borrowing from NSSF has been stated upfront in the annex to the Budget speech. But the NSSF is just one source of borrowing; there are others and these are high-cost loans, as a 2017 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on FCI pointed out. So, what is the problem if the FCI borrows to fund its operations? The problem is that ultimately this will result in the food subsidy bill escalating. Heres how. Theres interest to be paid on these borrowings. The CAG report noted out that the interest incurred on FCIs borrowings between 2011-12 and 2015-16 totalled Rs 35,701 crore (the annual interest burden rose from Rs 5,000 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 8,000 crore in 2015-16). FCI being a public sector organisation, ultimately it is the central government that has to bear this interest burden. So every year a few thousand crore gets added to the food subsidy bill not because more food grains are being supplied or more beneficiaries being added, but only because central and state governments are not paying the FCI. What is the solution? The most obvious one is for the FCI to be paid on time. But why not consider reducing the operating cost of FCI? The high levels of inefficiency and corruption in the organisation are well known. The Shanta Kumar Committee on restructuring FCI had suggested ways this could be done. Theres been no meaningful action on its very sensible recommendations. Importantly, the whole food management system (including the minimum support price (MSP) regime) needs to be reviewed and recast. Right now, FCI is forced to procure at MSP to help farmers. As a result, it often ends up procuring far more than the buffer stock norms. As of December 31, 2019, the total stock of wheat and rice in the central pool was 56.51 million tonnes, more than double the buffer norm of 21.41 million tonnes. There is a huge cost to holding this, which pushes up the subsidy bill. The Economic Survey released last week pointed out that an increase of one unit in real MSP leads to a 0.48 unit increase in economic cost. The effect of the increase in cost can be mitigated if the selling price is increased. The economic cost of wheat and rice has increased from RS 19 kg and Rs 26.15 a kg, respectively, in 2013-14 (when the National Food Security Act was passed) to Rs 25 a kg and Rs 36 a kg in 2019-20. But the price to the NFSA beneficiary has remained Rs 2 a kg for wheat and Rs 3 a kg for rice since the Act came into force, though it was to be reviewed after three years, that is 2016. This is not sustainable. If the government wants to cling on to its welfarist image by not increasing the issue price even a mite, then it needs to take drastic action on reforming FCI and the way it works to bring down costs (this includes helping FCI access lower-cost loans). Statistical sleight of hands will help only to a limited extent; the interest burden will throw some future governments into deep financial crisis. (The writer is a senior journalist and author. She tweets at @soorpanakha) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the authors own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. At the height of the SARS pandemic of 2003, Toronto fell back on one of the worlds oldest public health tools: quarantines. City officials identified over 23,000 people who had contact with known or potential Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome patients, asking nurses, paramedics, high school students, and thousands more to confine themselves to restrict the spread of illness whether they had symptoms or not. Today, as Toronto reacts to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus similar to SARS, no one is quarantined. Two confirmed GTA cases are in voluntary self-isolation at home, rather than in hospital. Lessons learned from the SARS crisis have profoundly shaped response to the coronavirus outbreak including the lesson that rigid and unnecessary restrictions can have serious social, economic and health costs. Yet the Canadian government is planning to enforce a two-week quarantine at a Canadian Forces Base in Trenton for the 211 apparently healthy people being evacuated Friday from the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. Quarantine measures are being invoked worldwide, from the United States, Australia and Hong Kong to a pair of cruise ships anchored in Asia, one of which is carrying at least 251 Canadians. Infection control experts say there is no health-based reason to justify Ottawas quarantine measures. The decision is more likely a political response to a different epidemic: the spread of fear and anxiety. Quarantining on the base for 14 days, its all optics its all, what do Canadians want to see, and what have other countries done, says Alon Vaisman, an infection control physician at University Health Network. Travellers from Wuhan with no symptoms could readily monitor themselves at home, but the public probably wont tolerate that. Im very sympathetic with government, says Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist at the Sinai Health System in Toronto and a veteran of the 2003 SARS outbreak. Maybe this is not following science, (and) we know that this is not going to be a benefit ... the benefit is that it wont generate fear and anger. Quarantines were developed in the Middle Ages. In the 14th century, ships arriving in Venice during plague outbreaks were forced to wait for 40 days or quaranta giorni, the root of the English word quarantine before anyone could disembark. The federal government and the provinces all have legal powers to enforce quarantines, but they are rarely used both because quarantines restrict individual liberties and because their efficacy is questionable. Quarantine is a pretty significant tool, if you will, in the public health tool box, and its one that has to be used very carefully, says Eileen de Villa, Torontos medical officer of health. When we look at the lessons learned from the various infectious disease outbreaks, and what impacts a variety of different public health tools had on our achieving the objective of reducing transmission, we know these kinds of tools arent always the most helpful. During SARS, public health officials were operating under a severe information deficit. Over 40 people were infected before the city was aware the virus existed, McGeer notes. Torontos first two patients, including a healthy young man, died. Nobody was taking any chances, McGeer says of SARS, which sickened more than 8,000 people globally and killed almost 800, including 44 in Canada. After one young person became sick, 1,700 high school students were quarantined, according to published research. Over half of Torontos 850 paramedics were quarantined. Public health officials obtained 27 mandatory legal quarantine orders. Many health-care workers were put under work quarantine, which required them to travel directly from work to home and make no other stops, and to separate themselves from their families at home and avoid visitors. Nurses and others reported feeling anxious, isolated, and stigmatized, and the quarantines had a major effect on the availability and timeliness of other health services, like surgeries. SARS cost the Canadian economy $4 billion (U.S.) and 28,000 jobs, one report calculated. Retrospectively, we did not need to quarantine people, says McGeer. A later analysis suggested that quarantining four contacts for every one SARS case would have sufficed; Torontos ratio was a hundred to one. But even more crucially, quarantines risk backlash that can undermine disease-control efforts. When people are afraid they will be restricted or punished for being sick, they are less likely to report symptoms or seek medical attention, experts say. And when sick people are trying to avoid detection, illnesses spread more rapidly. Quarantines can also increase mortality related to other ailments because the health-care system is over-taxed, notes Vaisman. It takes an immense amount of resources to quarantine a whole neighbourhood. And if its all unnecessary, you could have better used those resources to follow up with a suspected case, for example, or put more money into testing, or put more money into education. Its not bigger, its whats more effective. Medical officer de Villa notes that the current response to the coronavirus in Toronto in which the two known cases are in voluntary self-isolation at home, and no one connected to either those known cases or any cases under investigation are being isolated is working. The best way to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases, she says, is to ensure we set up circumstances that allow for people to do the right thing whether thats handwashing, reporting symptoms, or anything else. We find that creating those circumstances requires a certain amount of openness. People have to feel that theyre not going to get punished for coming forward. Thats the balance we have to strike. The decision to keep the two confirmed coronavirus patients at home rather than in hospital is also a lesson from SARS, experts say. What we learned from SARS is that it was, in Toronto, primarily a hospital or health-care institution outbreak. People got exposed in hospitals, it spread between hospitals due to transfers, and so on, says Vivek Goel, the founding head of Public Health Ontario, an agency established in the wake of SARS. Unless someone really needs to be hospitalized for managing their illness, the last place we want them to be is in the hospital. Youre increasing the risk of exposing other people, and particularly people who may be immunocompromised or have other conditions, says Goel, who is currently Vice-President of Research and Innovation and a professor of public health at the University of Toronto. Goel noted that the symptoms of the novel coronavirus outbreak appear to be mild, and that most deaths have occurred in older people and those with underlying health issues. Infection prevention and control teams at Toronto hospitals were seriously beefed up in the years after SARS, others say. But having a person sick with an infectious disease who doesnt need to be there is both resource-intensive and creates unnecessary risks. De Villa notes that voluntary self-isolation at home is a tool that Toronto Public Health uses frequently for other infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, and that it is very effective people are typically compliant, and dont want to get anyone else sick. Patients who dont need hospital-level care tend to recover more quickly at home in the presence of family and friends, others add, which also helps slow the spread of disease. The novel coronavirus outbreak has to date infected more than 24,500 people globally, the vast majority in China, and killed almost 500. The Chinese government shut down travel in and out of the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located, in January, and has since restricted other provinces and cities a response some have called perhaps the largest public health experiment ever conducted. Its hard to know whether that is going to be effective, says Vaisman. Something of this scale has never been done in the history of humanity. So anyone who knows the answer to this question is basing it on zero evidence. The Canadian government has said that anyone with symptoms of the virus will not be allowed to board the evacuation flight from Wuhan, and that everyone else will undergo health checks at multiple points on the journey. Health Canada did not respond to questions about the decision to quarantine by publication time, including what medical advice it sought. Goel notes that the passengers will also have been in the locked-down city of Wuhan for several weeks by the time they arrive at Trenton. Is there a health basis for a further two weeks of isolation in the military base? I would suggest not, he says. But given the level of concern in the community, and the fear that is out there, I think it would also be very difficult for the government to not do what it is proposing to do here. The backlash against the government as well as those individuals could be such that this may well be the safest, most reasonable thing. He adds, The fear and the concerns are actually driving a lot of whats going on, as opposed to necessarily the best health evidence. Read more about: The immediate Majority Leader of the Ogun Assembly, Honourable Yinka Mafe is dead. The Nations reports that Mafe celebrated his 46th birthday in Emuren, his home town and Sagamu on Tuesday night before he slumped and died. Before his death, the lawmaker was said to have complained of chest pain during the birthday celebration. His remains have been deposited at the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu. Late Mafe was married to Yeye Asiwaju Adetutu Yinka-mafe (CEO Tenth Planet Suites Sagamu) on the 6th of April 2002. Their marriage is blessed with two boys and two girls. KanyiDaily had also reported that the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, Mr Adnan Bostaji, was found dead after falling asleep in his home in Abuja. Bostaji was said to have returned to Abuja from his home country on Sunday and was planning to come to the office on Tuesday when his domestic workers found him in bed unresponsive. James Norton or Tom Hardy? Who could be the next James Bond to replace Daniel Craig in his most iconic role ever played? Place Your Bets After the release of the latest James Bond movie "No Time To Die" this spring, Daniel Craig will retire after 14 years in the film franchise. With that said, the search for his replacement has started. There are a number of actors ready and willing to fill in his shoes: Tom Hardy who played the lead role in "Venom," Sam Heughan of "Outlander," and Tom Hiddleston of "The Night Manager." However, the bets have increased for another actor to be the next James Bond. James Norton is now the crowd favorite, and it looks like the bookies have shortened the odds in his favor. At the moment, the "Happy Valley" star is at 6/4 to become the next 007. While Norton may have taken the lead in McMafia, the "Bodyguard" star Richard Madden is also up for the spy challenge at 4-1. Close behind the race to replace Craig are Hiddleston and Heughan who are both priced at 5-1. Hardy used to be a favorite for the role, but he is now down to 8-1 along with another former favorite Aidan Turner. Secret Meetings Several news outlets have previously reported that James Norton has been confirmed to replace Daniel Craig as 007 following the secret meetings he has had with the franchise bosses. However, Norton insisted that there was no truth to the meetings. A source told The Sun that last year, a series of meetings were held at the back end. "Numerous meetings and secret squirrel script readings were had at the back end of last year," the source added. "James has always been in the frame but until four months ago there were no concrete moves." According to the source, Norton claimed to have ticked all the boxes needed to qualify to become the next James Bond, at least from the end of the big bosses. James has reportedly been in upstate New York filming for the last few months until he was recently out to celebrate. One of his friends openly told the crowd that his mate has been chosen to be the next James Bond. The announcement of his new role is set to be made this summer. Clearing The Rumors Norton, however, talked to The Times to clarify the rumors that a decision has already been made and that he has been chosen. The actor said that none of which is real, pointing out that "it's speculative" and there is no truth behind it." "Although it is quite flattering to even be considered for such an iconic role, it is bizarre to announce that a decision has been made. Everything is pure speculation," the actor added. Just before the release of another iconic Bond film, Craig said that he would "rather slash his wrists than to play the role of the iconic spy again. Who is it going to be the next James Bond? Everyone will just have to wait to find out. A woman has been ordered to repay her mother hundreds of thousands of dollars after a judge found she acted unconscionably and took advantage of the 84-year-old, who was grieving her husband's death. Hildegard Meiners, 84, alleged her daughter Debra Gunn encouraged her to sell her Armadale home under the pretence the funds would be used for the two of them to purchase a property in Yokine together. But after she sold the property, Ms Meiners said Ms Gunn convinced her to instead buy a lease in a retirement village and then used the rest of the money to buy a home under her own name. The case was heard in the WA Supreme Court. Credit:Erin Jonasson The bitter family feud landed in WA's Supreme Court throughout 2018 and 2019, with acting judge Larissa Strk last month ruling in favour of Ms Meiners, saying the money transactions constituted "unconscionable dealings". Two senior Jammu and Kashmir politicians have been released from preventive detention after 180 days on Wednesday bringing the number of released political prisoners since Sunday to eight. Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Lone and Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Parra, who is considered close to the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, were released in attempts to minimise restrictions that were imposed since the former state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special rights enshrined in article 370 scrapped by the parliament on December 5, 2019. 13 political leaders are still under detention at the MLA hostel in Srinagar which has converted into a make-shift subsidiary jail, said PTI. Former PDP MLA from Wachi Aijaz Ahmad Mir and trade leader Shakeel Ahmed Qalandar were released on Tuesday. The detention of political leaders has led to increased international scrutiny of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The USA had recently said that it was keeping an eye on the detentions along with the general situation in Kashmir, while the European Parliament plans to pass a resolution in Jammu and Kashmir in the month of March. Despite the phased release of the political leaders, some prominent leadersFarooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Muftistill remain under detention. National Conference chairperson Farooq Abdullah has been held at his Gupkar house while his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah has been detained at Hari Niwas. Mufti, who was lodged at Hari Niwas, was later shifted to a rest house at Chesma Shahi on the foothills of Zabarwan mountains. She was shifted to an official house at Maulana Azad Road close to MLA hostel in December last year. The opposition has been continuously demanding that leaders, especially, Farooq Abdullah, be released from detention and allowed to attend the parliament. Recently a photograph of Omar Abdullah sporting an overgrown beard had surfaced on the social media leading to political parties like the DMK and TMC criticizing the Central government for his continued detention. The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. As with many other companies Breville Group Limited (ASX:BRG) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating? What Risk Does Debt Bring? Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together. See our latest analysis for Breville Group What Is Breville Group's Debt? The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at June 2019 Breville Group had debt of AU$47.3m, up from AU$45.3m in one year. But on the other hand it also has AU$57.1m in cash, leading to a AU$9.85m net cash position. ASX:BRG Historical Debt, February 4th 2020 A Look At Breville Group's Liabilities According to the last reported balance sheet, Breville Group had liabilities of AU$143.4m due within 12 months, and liabilities of AU$56.0m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of AU$57.1m and AU$154.8m worth of receivables due within a year. So it actually has AU$12.5m more liquid assets than total liabilities. Having regard to Breville Group's size, it seems that its liquid assets are well balanced with its total liabilities. So while it's hard to imagine that the AU$2.34b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. Succinctly put, Breville Group boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! Story continues Also good is that Breville Group grew its EBIT at 11% over the last year, further increasing its ability to manage debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Breville Group can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. Breville Group may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. In the last three years, Breville Group's free cash flow amounted to 44% of its EBIT, less than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness. Summing up While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Breville Group has net cash of AU$9.85m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. And it also grew its EBIT by 11% over the last year. So we don't think Breville Group's use of debt is risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Breville Group that you should be aware of before investing here. If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. West Australian health insurer HBF will make a major play for market share east of the Nullarbor for the first time, as it seeks to capitalise on consumer dissatisfaction over rising premiums and a drive for consolidation among smaller insurers. HBF is Australia's fifth largest health insurer, with a 7.5 per cent market share thanks to its dominance in its home state, but is virtually unknown outside of WA. HBF's push into the east coast market is timed to coincide with annual insurance premium hikes on April 1. The not-for-profit fund hopes to change that with a major advertising push starting next month. The move is timed to coincide with annual insurance premium hikes on April 1 and is part of a plan to win over disaffected customers from ASX-listed funds such as Medibank and nib, British giant BUPA and fellow not-for-profit HCF. "As others are putting their rates up by more, and others are talking about margins and difficulty, its the right time to come in," HBF chief executive John Van Der Wielen said. New Delhi, Feb 5 : After the Delhi police claimed that Kapil Gurjar, the person who fired gunshot at Shaheen Bagh, is a Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an attack on the AAP. BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Tuesday evening said slammed the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while Union Minister Prakash Javdekar in a press conference said this has exposed the AAP. Nadda said: "Kejriwal and his party is saving those who wish to divide the country. They tried to politicise in the matter of Sharjeel Imam but when the Delhi police arrested him their plans failed so they asked its worker to fire gunshot." "Today every on has seen the photograph of AAP MLA and former Delhi minister Imam Hussain with the organisations like PFI. The whole country is aware of the activities of the PFI and it is really surprising to know that Kejriwal is with them," he said. Nadda said: "I want to make it clear to Kejriwal that this country is bigger than any election, any government and it will not forgive anyone who will hamper its security. Kejriwal and his whole team has been exposed. The public of Delhi will give them a befitting reply." (Newser) About two months after clashing with President Trump, the head of the Navy SEALs is stepping down. Special Warfare Rear Adm. Collin Green has announced his plan to retire in September, a year earlier than planned, after he tried to impose discipline on a SEAL whose behavior became a hot-button political issue, Business Insider reports. Insiders tell the Intercept that the strain of his reform attempts, along with personal issues, took a toll on Green in recent months. Publicly, the main public issue involved Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagherwho was charged with murdering an ISIS detainee in Iraq in 2017 but beat that charge and several others in a military court. Still, he was found guilty of posing in a photo with the militant's body. story continues below Trump got interested in the case after seeing it on Fox News. He reinstated Gallagher's rank, which was reduced in his conviction, and nixed a review board that could have taken away Gallagher's SEAL trident pin as he entered retirement. It was a humiliating public defeat for Green, who supported the review board. Green had spent two years trying to repair the SEALs' image after it was marred by criminal charges including alleged murder, drug use, sexual assault, and war crimes. His likely replacement is also a two-star SEAL admiral: H. Wyman Howard III, who reportedly solicited donations to obtain pricey hand-made hatchets used by SEAL Team 6 when he was the team's squadron commander. Word is he urged the team to "bloody the hatchet" while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Gallagher is now hawking T-shirts.) The loan charge review, the Tech Talent Charter, and combatting loneliness In this weeks episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna talk about the loan charge review bearing down on IT contractors, the Tech Talent Charter, and how remote workers can be socially included. Caroline summarises the state of play in the loan charge review controversy that is bearing down on IT contractors. Clare talks about the Tech Talent Charter (TTC), an industry collaborative which is intent on improving diversity in UK business. Brian fills the team in on a feature from Cath Everett which discusses how remote working can be managed to optimise productivity while keeping employees socially connected to their companies. Lucknow, Feb 5 : To manufacture and sell drones, Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru based Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) and Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (IAI) at DefExpo 2020 here on Wednesday. After signing the MoU, R. Madhavan, CMD HAL, said: "The collaboration will provide excellent opportunity to HAL to expand its product offerings to defence customers, absorb critical technologies and strengthen the aerospace ecosystem in the country, especially for UAVs". President and CEO of IAI Nimrod Sheffer said India is an important strategic market for drones and he is confident of his company's extensive experience and the technological capabilities of HAL and DTL will lead to significant advancements in the field. In Indiadrones are playing significant role in wars and other tactical missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). In the coming years, Indian defence forces are likely to induct a large number of drones to meet such requirements. HAL has the best capability and infrastructure available in India to manufacture world class and battle-proven drones. HAL as a long-time partner of IAI is involved in the depot level maintenance of all ranges of drones supplied by IAI to the Indian forces since 2004. Taking the HAL-IAI collaboration a step ahead, under the scope of this MoU, the partnership would be the first in the country to manufacture IAI designed UAVs in India such as short range tactical class having long endurance. This collaboration will enhance technology sharing and business partnership between India and Israel. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community. The home minister's statement comes a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust. "There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit society," he tweeted. Shah congratulated Modi "for such an unprecedented decision" that strengthens social harmony. The home minister said the trust will be independent to take every decision related to the temple and 67 acres of land will be transferred to it. "I fully believe that the waiting of millions of people for centuries will be over soon and they will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Shri Ram in his grand temple at his birthplace," he said. Shah thanked the prime minister for his commitment for construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram, "who is a symbol of faith and unwavering reverence of India". "Today is a day of immense joy and pride for the whole country," he said in another tweet. He said as per the Supreme Court order on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue, the central government has taken a historic decision to form a trust in the name of Lord Ram, showing its commitment towards the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya. While making the announcement for the trust in Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said the Union Cabinet also decided to transfer 67.703 acre land to the trust. The Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to give five acres of land to the UP Sunni Wakf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya matter, Modi said. UP government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the land is in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters. While delivering the judgement on November 9, the Supreme Court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday barred BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews for 24 hours over his statement against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a news channel. Verma has been banned for a period of 24 hours starting from 6 pm on February 5, the EC said. Replying to a notice served by the EC to seek clarification over his remarks, the BJP leader denied the allegations levelled against him and said that he had never cast "vitriolic aspersions" against Kejriwal. He had said the video did not reflect the "correct picture". The EC said that after scrutinizing the video clip, it was of the "considered view" that Verma made vitriolic aspersions against Kejriwal, which violate the provisions of clause (2) of Part-1 of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).The EC said the criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion must be avoided. The Commission had earlier passed an order barring the BJP MP from holding public meetings, public utterances in media for a period of 96 hours starting from 5 pm on January 30. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Russian man is facing 15 years in jail after rescuing a boy, 14, from a convicted paedophile then killing the sex attacker. Car mechanic Vladimir Sankin, 33, is getting a wave of public support over the incident and demands to drop the murder charge he now faces. He answered the pleas of a frantic teenager to help his friend who had been locked inside the flat of 54-year-old Vladimir Zaitsev. Car mechanic Vladimir Sankin, 33. Sankin is facing 15 years in jail after rescuing a boy, 14, from a convicted paedophile then killing the sex attacker Sankin in the courtroom on February 3, above and below. He is getting a wave of public support over the incident and demands to drop the murder charge he now faces He answered the pleas of a frantic teenager to help his friend who had been locked inside the flat of 54-year-old Vladimir Zaitsev Sankin, from oil-rich Ufa city, responded immediately running to the flat, and heard the boy crying inside. He forced his way in and freed the unnamed 14 -year-old who had been told by the man to strip naked under the threat of killing and dismembering them with an axe, he told police. After liberating the boy, Sankin took then man outside and beat him with a wooden stick as he waited for police to arrive. As a result of the injuries, the man - recently released form jail after a conviction for sex attacks on children - died. Paedophile Vladimir Zaitsev lies bleeding on the ground after having been beaten by Sankin Sankin was formally detained and accused of 'intentional infliction of grave bodily harm resulting in the death of the victim by negligence'. A video shows him released from the court cage into the arms of his wife as supporters cheer, but he remains under house arrest and the murder investigation is being pursued. The paedophile met the boys in the entrance to his flat where they were trying to warm after playing for several hours in the snow. He invited them to his flat to dry their wet clothes. Once inside he told them undress and allegedly began to 'harass' them - and one of the boys escaped to raise the alarm. The other was locked inside the flat. Sankin pictured with his wife Polina Naumova, above and below. Sankin was formally detained and accused of 'intentional infliction of grave bodily harm resulting in the death of the victim by negligence' A video shows him released from the court cage into the arms of his wife as supporters cheer, but he remains under house arrest and the murder investigation is being pursued Vladimir Sankin said: 'I didn't expect him to die at all. 'I saved two children... from him.' Tens of thousands have signed a petition demanding Sankin's release with a groundswell of support for the 'hero'. The petition claims the man died after hitting his head when he fell during the fight with Sankin. Sankin's friend Roman said: 'He is a good guy. 'He has paid for his kindness with his liberty.' Sankin's wife Polina Naumova. She said: 'I'm entirely on his side for not walking out [on the boys] because no-one knows what would have happened next if he turned a blind eye' His wife Polina Naumova said: 'I'm entirely on his side for not walking out [on the boys] because no-one knows what would have happened next if he turned a blind eye.' His lawyer said: 'We hope the court will assess this because there mitigating circumstances - the immoral behaviour of the 'victim', which was the reason for committing the crime.' One comment said: 'He saved children. Now let's save hime.' A woman called Tatiana posted: 'It's great to know there are still real men.' Valeria added: 'Not many would protect the children so bravely.' She called for his to be 'awarded for bravery - I'm sure all smart people with their own kids will agree with me.' But another complained: 'Lynching should not be encouraged he should be persecuted with all the severity of the law.' Did you know that "Nazi" is short for "National Socialist?" That means that Hitler and his henchmen were all socialists. Bernie Sanders calls himself a socialist too. That means Bernie Sanders and his supporters are the same as Nazis. . . doesn't it? Anyone who has been on political Twitter in the past decade has seen a version of this syllogism. Conservatives, seeking to escape the "fascist" and "Nazi" labels tossed at them by leftist critics since the 1960s, have turned the tables. Books such as Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" have noted that many leading Fascists, such as Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, started out as Socialists, just as many early 20th century "progressives" embraced eugenic ideas ultimately linked to Nazi racist genocide. This connection has become a silver bullet for voices on the right like Dinesh D'Souza and Candace Owens: not only is the reviled left, embodied in 2020 by figures like Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren, a dangerous descendant of the Nazis, but anyone who opposes them can't possibly have any ties to the Nazis' odious ideas. There is only one problem: this argument is untrue. Although the Nazis did pursue a level of government intervention in the economy that would shock doctrinaire free marketeers, their "socialism" was at best a secondary element in their appeal. Indeed, most supporters of Nazism embraced the party precisely because they saw it as an enemy of and an alternative to the political left. A closer look at the connection between Nazism and Socialism can help us better understand both ideologies in their historical contexts and their significance for contemporary politics. The Nazi regime had little to do with socialism, despite it being prominently included in the name of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The NSDAP, from Hitler on down, struggled with the political implications of having socialism in the party name. Some early Nazi leaders, such as Gregor and Otto Strasser, appealed to working-class resentments, hoping to wean German workers away from their attachment to existing socialist and communist parties. The NSDAP's 1920 party program, the 25 points included passages denouncing banks, department stores and "interest slavery," which suggested a quasi-Marxist rejection of free markets. But these were also typical criticisms in the anti-Semitic playbook, which provided a clue that the party's overriding ideological goal wasn't a fundamental challenge to private property. Instead of controlling the means of production or redistributing wealth to build a utopian society, the Nazis focused on safeguarding a social and racial hierarchy. They promised solidarity for members of the Volksgemeinschaft ("racial community") even as they denied rights to those outside of the charmed circle. Additionally, while the Nazis tried to appeal to voters across the spectrum, the party's founders and initial base were small-business men and artisans, not the industrial proletariat of Marxist lore. Their first notable electoral successes were in small towns and Protestant rural areas in present-day Thuringia and Saxony, among voters suspicious of cosmopolitan, secular cities who associated both "socialism" and "capitalism" with Jews and foreigners. This fear of social revolution and a sense that democracy, with its cacophony of voices and the need for compromises, would threaten their preferred social hierarchy gave Nazism its appeal with these voters - even if it meant sacrificing democracy. While Communists abetted the destruction of German democracy, seeing it as a way to eventually produce the revolution they wanted, the only German political party that consistently resisted Nazi arguments, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), offered another sign of the discontinuity between socialism and Nazism. Those outside of Germany who embraced Nazi ideas were also generally anti-Leftists. When Frenchmen murmured "Better Hitler than [Socialist Party Leader and Prime Minister Leon] Blum," they were well aware what National Socialism represented, and it was most emphatically not "socialism." When many of those same Frenchmen set up the puppet Vichy government in 1940, they did so under the banner of "Travail, famille, patrie," (Work, family Fatherland), happy to use state resources to support their idea of authentic Frenchmen - even as they criticized capitalism for providing benefits to people they didn't view as French. Unlike much of the European left, many conservatives proved willing to work with Nazis - something they later regretted - an association that tainted postwar European conservatism. When it came time to rebuild European politics after the war, therefore, it fell to center-left parties such as Labour in Britain, the Socialists in France and the SPD in Germany, who abandoned rigid Marxist doctrines, alongside the new center-right movement of Christian Democracy, which rejected traditional nationalism, to take up the challenge. This was the hour of the welfare state, supported by Social and Christian Democrats, which encouraged social solidarity within a democratic and capitalist framework. Despite this reality, linking socialism and Nazism to critique leftist ideas became a political weapon in the post-World War II period, perhaps unsurprisingly given that the Cold War followed directly on the heels of World War II. Scholars as diverse as Zbigniew Brzezinski and Hannah Arendt used the larger concept of "Totalitarianism" to fuse the two. This formula made it easier for Americans to slip comfortably from considering the Soviet Union a wartime ally to recognizing it as an existential threat. Totalitarianism emphasized the structural similarities and violent practices of Nazi and Stalinist regimes. This concept, however, proved controversial as an explanation of the origins or subsequent appeal of either Communism or Nazism/fascism. Although Hitler and Stalin had cooperated in an effort to conquer Eastern Europe in 1939-1941, this was more a marriage of convenience than a byproduct of ideological synergy. Indeed, the two sides eventually fought a genocidal war against each other. Austrian economist and future Nobel laureate Friedrich von Hayek added an extra layer to the conversation about Socialism and Nazism with his 1943 bestseller, "The Road to Serfdom." As a staunch free marketeer, Hayek was appalled by the rise of economic planning in democratic states, embodied by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Hayek warned that any government intervention in the market eroded freedom, eventually leading to some form of dictatorship. Hayek was enormously influential across the globe within the rising conservative movement during the second half of the 20th century. He advised future leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and his book became foundational for the right. Hayek's assertion that all government interventions in the economy led to totalitarianism continues to animate popular works such as D'Souza's "The Big Lie," reinforcing the idea that the welfare state is a gateway drug to genocide. But while these ideas may make sense to free market purists, the history shows that it was the parties that arose in reaction to the Nazi horrors who built such welfare states. Denouncing their programs as "socialism" or warning of a tie between the two is nothing less than historical and political sophistry that attempts to turn effect into cause and victim into victimizer. Historical analogies have a useful purpose to simplify and clarify, but they work best when used carefully. As manifest problems with global capitalism, as well as political gridlock, encourage a new hunger for fundamental political transformation, it is especially important that we understand the tragic decisions of the 1930s and their consequences in their full context, rather than simply transposing words from the past onto the debates of the present. National Socialism preserved private property, while also putting the entire resources of society at the service of an expansionist and racist national vision, which included the conquest and murderous subjugation of other peoples. It makes no sense to think that the sole, or even the primary, negative aspect of this regime was the fact that it used state power to allocate financial resources. It makes as little sense to suggest that using state power to allocate some financial resources today will automatically result in the same dire consequences. Historical "gotcha" threatens to reduce our political conversations to meaninglessness, and we should resist it. Debates over the proper role of the state in protecting citizens against the negative exigencies of the market are necessarily complex. Finding the proper balance of interests within a democratic political order depends on the measurement of results, not on the power of magic words to devalue competing ideas. - - - Ronald J. Granieri is director of the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and director of research at the University of Pennsylvania's Lauder Institute. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget for 2020-21 was light on new structural reforms, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday, adding, it has not materially altered its forecasts for India's economic growth to rise to 5.6 percent in the next fiscal from 4.6 percent in 2019-20 New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget for 2020-21 was light on new structural reforms, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday, adding, it has not materially altered its forecasts for India's economic growth to rise to 5.6 percent in the next fiscal from 4.6 percent in 2019-20. "We believe it is highly unlikely the country's general government debt will be brought within the ceiling of 60 percent of GDP by FY25, as stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act," it said. Fitch projected that the government debt will remain close to 70 percent of GDP throughout the period to 2021-22. "India's high public debt levels are a weakness relative to its rating peers (the BBB median stood at 41.1 percent in 2019)," it said. The Union Budget 2020-21 implies a modest degree of slippage from previous targets to consolidate public finances, it said. "However, its contents are consistent with our expectations when we affirmed the country's sovereign rating at 'BBB-'/Stable in December 2019." The Budget projects a deficit of 3.5 percent in 2020-21 and implies a further postponement of the central government's medium-term fiscal deficit target of 3 percent of GDP as it prioritises efforts to support economic growth in the context of the ongoing sharp slowdown. "A slippage of 0.5 percent of GDP in both FY20 and FY21 relative to the earlier targets is in line with the tendency for deficit outturns to exceed targets in the past few years," Fitch said. Sitharaman projected that the deficit would fall from 3.8 percent of GDP in 2019-20 to 3.5 percent in 2020-21. "We believe most assumptions in the budget, such as nominal GDP growth of 10 percent and a 9.2 percent rise in fiscal revenues, are credible," Fitch said. "However, risks are likely skewed towards the downside, particularly for revenues in light of previously announced cuts in the corporate income tax rate and newly unveiled income tax rate reductions." The tax cuts may stimulate economic activity in the medium term, but their impact on fiscal revenues is likely to be negative in the short term, it said. "The Budget was light on new structural reforms, although the government had already unveiled some measures last year," it said. The finance minister announced some easing of restrictions on foreign portfolio inflows, and schemes to encourage manufacturing in electronics and textile sectors. "However, we have not materially altered our forecasts for India's economic growth, which we expect to pick up to 5.6 percent in FY21 from 4.6 percent in FY20," it said. Fitch said a number of steps affecting financial institutions were announced in the budget, but they only partially address the issues that are facing the sector. For example, the extension of the credit guarantee mechanism to the debt of troubled non-bank financial companies will likely help provide some interim support for wholesale and housing-finance companies, but is unlikely to restore confidence in a sector that continues to face high risk aversion from creditors, it said. "Another downside risk in the government's fiscal projections is the degree to which it expects asset sales to fill the revenue gap left by tax cuts. Its divestment target for FY21 is around 3x as large as its expected total for realised sales in FY20. "To achieve this, the government would have to address its persistent tendency to fall short of announced asset-sale targets; asset sales in FY20, for example, were only 40 percent of the planned total," Fitch said. The rating agency said greater fiscal transparency around off-budget financing is a welcome change. "The new budget recognises borrowing from the National Small Savings Fund of 0.8 percent of GDP in both FY20 and FY21, although this is in an annex and not incorporated in the headline deficit figure. "If this off-budget spending were taken into account and divestments treated as a below-the-line financing item rather than revenue, in line with international norms published by the IMF, the deficit would rise from 4.9 percent of GDP in FY20 to 5.4 percent in FY21, according to our calculations," it said. Suspected Islamic State (IS) operative Muhammed Masiuddin alias Abu Musa, lodged in Kolkatas Presidency correctional home, hurled a sandal at the judge of the city sessions court during a hearing on Tuesday, triggering a ruckus inside the courtroom. Even though the sandal missed the judge, it hit a lawyer. Following the incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a petition before the court requesting Musas trial through video conference. The hearing was on when Musa suddenly bent down and took off his sandal. He hurled it at the judge but the sandal hit a lawyer. We have filed a petition saying henceforth his trial should be conducted through video conferencing, NIA lawyer Shyamal Kumar Ghosh said. A lawyer present in the courtroom said that Musa, who was in the court lockup, got furious and threatened to commit suicide while the hearing was on. When his lawyer tried to placate him he hurled a sandal from inside the court lockup. Musa has assaulted jail officials in the past. He attacked a warden in the Presidency correctional home in January this year and in December 2017, he slashed the throat of a guard in Alipore correctional home. Musa is West Bengals lone suspected IS operative and was arrested by the states Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in July 2016 on charges of persuading youths to join IS. Later, the case was handed over to NIA. In December 2016, a seven-member team of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came to Kolkata and questioned Musa for two days. Eugene Jacques Bullard, a former infantryman of the French Foreign Legion, set a precedent when he obtained his flying certificate on May 5, 1917, for it qualified him as the first black airman in American history. Significantly, however, the volunteer from Columbus, Georgia, had earned his flying status from the French Air Service, which he served as a fighter pilot in Escadrilles N.93 and Spa.85 from August 27 to November 11, 1917. Bullards native United States would not allow black airmen to fight for their country until 1943, when the first of a contingent trained at Tuskegee, Alabama, were formed as the 99th Fighter Squadron and shipped out to North Africa. That unit and the 332nd Fighter Group that followed would prove their worth in the last two years of World War II. Besides establishing an outstanding record for successfully defending U.S. bombers against enemy fighters, several of the Tuskegee Airmen went on to distinguished postwar careers in the U.S. Air Force. One of them was Colonel Charles Edward McGee, who shared highlights of his long career with Aviation History senior editor Jon Guttman. Aviation History: Could you tell us something of your childhood and education? McGee: I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 7, 1919. My mother passed away at my sisters birth, when I was little over a year old. We spent time in Cleveland and with grandparents who were in Morgantown and Charleston, West Virginia. When I was in third grade, my father was teaching at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. We spent a year there, then back to Cleveland until 1929, when he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he was doing social work. AH: Your father seems to have been a fairly prominent citizen. McGee: Yes. In addition, he was an African Methodist Episcopal Church minister. We never had a lot, but I never remember being hungry or not being clean. I dont have any recollections of specific actions of bigotry, except that schools were segregated, and when we were in Florida, we lived in a small house that was out on the edge of town. Also, because of the level of schooling for blacks in the South, when we returned to Cleveland, I had to repeat third grade. I became a Boy Scout in Illinois, and when my fathers ministry took him to Keokuk, Iowa, in the mid-1930s, I spent my second through senior years of high school there. In the fall of my senior year, he returned to south Chicago and I graduated from Du Sable High School in 1938. My family didnt have the money to send me to college then, so I worked for a year with the Civilian Conservation Corps in northern Illinois, where I learned engineering and contour farming. I was then able to attend the University of Illinois in 1940. I took engineering and was also in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program and a member of the Pershing Rifles. AH: What were your feelings when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harboron your birthdaybrought the United States into the war? McGee: My father was preaching in a church in Gary, Indiana, in 1941, and I had taken a summer job in the steel mill there. I was also in the Coleridge Taylor Glee Club. We were driving to sing at a church in south Chicago at 4 that Sunday afternoon when we heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We went on with the show, but I knew that one way or another we were going to be involved in the war. AH: When did you first become interested in flying? McGee: I dont recall even seeing an airplane when I was young. It was about the time I was in college that the Army was beginning to recruit nonflying personnelcommunications, engineering, armament and mechanicsfor a one-squadron black experiment at Chanute Field. Word of that was spreading through the black community. Well, I already had a draft card, so I filled in that pilots application. I was sent over to a couple of places in Indiana to take the examination, and when I passed that, in April 1942, I had to take a physical. Id also been going with a girl from Champaign, Illinois, Frances E. Nelson, and that summer we became engaged. In my expectation of the call to arms, I did not go back to school in SeptemberI continued working. Frances and I were married on Saturday, October 17, and Monday mornings mail had that letter I knew was going to come. On October 27, I was sworn into the enlisted reserve, and a few weeks later, I got the call to go to Tuskegee. AH: What were some of your first impressions of Alabama? McGee: The trip down was my first real experience of the South. As the train left southern Illinois, you had to change your location in the car. We knew there were certain barber shops or restaurants to go to in Chicago, but you could feel the change in atmosphere and approach as you entered the Deep Southyou knew that whatever happened, the law was not going to uphold whatever your position was. When you were a black man from the North, you especially had to be careful what you said and did. You learned to be extra careful when stopping to fill up your car, and even avoid some filling stations. To a degree, the southern blacks were concerned about how a northern Negro was going to act, and a lot of conversations dealt with what you needed to know and where to go to keep out of trouble. One of my classmates happened to be from a well-to-do family who owned a drug store in Montgomery, Alabama, and he helped steer me into the black community, because you didnt go into the downtown area very much. AH: Why did the Army choose that location? McGee: In those days, there was a great fear around the country that when you get large groups of blacks together, theres got to be trouble. There were places in the North, like Colorado, California and Illinois, that were turned down for the location. On the other hand, the Tuskegee Institute had already had a successful civilian pilot training program, so when the Army began its 99th Squadron experiment, Tuskegee, with flight instructors who began flying in the 1930s, got the contract. AH: What was the Tuskegee training facility like? McGee: By the time I got to Tuskegee in the fall of 1942, the airfield had been completed, although they had been training on it even while it was under construction. The 99th had completed its 33-pilot cadre by the time I got there. At that time, too, Colonel Noel F. Parrish was the white commander. The previous commander, Colonel Frederick Von Kimble, was not very supportive of the program, but he was relieved and replaced by Parrish, who had been directing operations. He believed in the program and the people. AH: How did your training go? McGee: I entered preflight training as part of Class 43-G, but I was one of several who skipped upper preflight, perhaps because of my college studies, and ended up graduating in Class 43-F. Primary training was at Moton Field, a grass strip just outside the city of Tuskegee, in the Stearman PT-17. We then went on the Army airfield, which was where our white instructors were. We did basic training in the Vultee BT-13A and advanced training in the North American AT-6. My wife came down and worked as a secretary for a Dr. Kenny in the Tuskegee Institute hospital while I was going through training, but I usually only saw her on Sunday afternoons. AH: How did you do in training? McGee: I remember having a queasy stomach in the first few flights and talking to the flight surgeon, who just said, Quit eating fried foods for breakfast. I did, and I never had another problem. My first check was on February 11, 1943, and the lieutenant said it was unsatisfactory. I had two more flights with an instructor, then tried again on February 14 and passed the check. We used Eglin Army Air Field in Florida for gunnery training. I finished my last flying in the AT-6 on June 25, graduated on June 30, and on July 6 I had my first Curtiss P-40 ride. I also took blind flying in the AT-6, to improve my instrument proficiency. I qualified as expert in gunnery but not nearly as well with handguns. Tuskegee students pore over one of the school's Curtiss P-40 fighters. Tuskegee students pore over one of the school's Curtiss P-40 fighters. AH: Where did you go from Tuskegee? McGee: I left Tuskegee in August for squadron and group formation flying and aerobatics at Selfridge Field, Michigan, where the 100th, 301st and 302nd squadrons of the 332nd Fighter Group were being formed. We were fully combat ready in the P-40L and P-40N by October-and thats when the decision was made that the group was going to fly the Bell P-39Q. It had the engine in the back and had less horsepower than the P-40, but we young pilots just used to say, If the crew chief can start it, then I can fly it. We trained on P-39s through November, and in early December we left Selfridge Field by train under classified orders, arriving at Newport News, Virginia. We left Newport News on a big convoy that zigzagged across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. My ship, with the 302nd Squadron, went to Taranto, Italy, then we trucked over to the Naples area, where we began flying from Montecorvino. AH: When did you begin combat flying? McGee: We began operations on February 14, 1944, patrolling Naples Harbor to the Isle of Capri, and we also did coastal patrol. My first patrol was on February 28. We moved up to Capodichino on March 4, and did the rest of our tactical patrolling from there. The P-39Q was too slow and essentially a low-altitude aircraftwe flew at 10,000 to 15,000 feet, and by the time we reached even that altitude to intercept intruders, they were usually back in Germany. It was frustrating. Meanwhile, the men of the 99th were flying their P-40s with the 79th Fighter Group and shot down several aircraft over Anzio, earning the right to be called fighter pilots. AH: When did that situation change for you? McGee: In May they decided we were going to go to the Fifteenth Air Force. As the Allies advanced north, the bombers came up from Africa to bases in Italy, but they were getting their tails shot off over targets like Ploesti, so four single-engine fighter groups were picked for the escort. There were the candy-striped 31st, the yellow-tailed 52nd, the checker-tail clan of the 325th and the red-tailed 332nd. AH: How exactly did the 332nd choose red? McGee: As I understand it, red paint was what was readily available. I think on the first couple of planes they just painted the rudder, but one of the pilots in the 332nd said, Thats not enough. As it turned out, the gunners on the Boeing B-17s and Consolidated B-24s loved it because they could easily tell who was friendly at high altitude over the target area. AH: I notice that May 5 in your flight log has a star beside it. McGee: That was the day I first flew the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt. An even bigger day was May 23, when the group moved to Ramatelli on the Adriatic side and we began long-range escort flights. They took a farmers field, set up headquarters in the farmhouse, laid down pierced-steel planking, set up a couple of squadrons on one side of the field with their tents, and one on the other. P-47D No. 280 was assigned me for most of my flights at that time. It was just after that time that the 99th was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, so all four of the black squadrons were together. AH: I understand that the 99th was not happy with that? McGee: Well, you see, they had been in combat about a year, and we had only been there five months. They also felt that they had achieved a certain degree of integration by flying with the 33rd and 79th groups. Even though the 33rds commander, Colonel William Momyer, didnt like them and his reports were all mediocre, the 79ths Colonel Earl E. Bates saw them as more pilots for his group and let them operate alongside the rest of his squadrons. The 332nd Groups commander, Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., had commanded the 99th, and they were pleased to be serving under him again, but there was a little resentment among their more experienced pilots over the fact that the other squadron commanders and group staff had already been picked. But B.O. [Davis] was very strong, sincere and severehe laid down the law and things moved along. AH: When did you fly your first escort mission into Germany? McGee: That was a mission to Munich on June 13, and my feeling was, Were finally doing the job we came to do. We were still flying the P-47, and for such long-range penetration missions, wed usually have a group carry the bombers out and another group would take them back. The P-47 was fine with B-24s, but not so good with the B-17, which could fly higher in an attempt to avoid anti-aircraft fire. We always liked to be a couple thousand feet above the bomber stream to do our S-turning, but even when its supercharger cut in at 19,000 feet, the P-47 would become sluggish trying to get above the highest B-17s. All that changed on July 1, when I took my first flight in the North American P-51C-10. I flew my first long-range mission in the Mustang on July 4, escorting bombers to Romania. We could take a P-51 up to 35,000 feet and it would still be maneuverable. At Ramitelli airfield in Italy, McGee stands in front of the P-51C Mustang he named "Kitten" for his wife. At his side is Nathaniel Wilson, the Mustang's crew chief. At Ramitelli airfield in Italy, McGee stands in front of the P-51C Mustang he named "Kitten" for his wife. At his side is Nathaniel Wilson, the Mustang's crew chief. AH: Were you assigned a particular plane? McGee: My usual P-51C was 42-103072, which as I recall bore the buzz number 78. I christened it Kitten, which was my wifes nickname, and my crew chief, Nathaniel Wilson, kept it purring, too. AH: What was the squadrons makeup? McGee: Usually, each squadron would have 18 aircraft take off16 and two spares. If everything went well as we climbed and formed up, the group leader would tell the spares to go on back to base. But if anyone was having engine trouble, then the spares would go wherever needed. The commander of the 302nd was Captain Edward C. Gleed. After he became group operations officer, the squadron was led by 1st Lt. Melvin T. Red Jackson, then V.V. Haywood. In September 1944, I was promoted to first lieutenant and became a flight leader. AH: Who led the missions? McGee: Sometimes the squadron commander or operations officer led the formations, sometimes the group operations officer, and when the leader had a problem, someone next in line would be designated to assume the lead. AH: Do any particular missions stick out in your memory? McGee: They were all long flights, usually five hours and at least one I recall that was six hours. On those flights, you find that the cockpit really gets small and you can sweat through a leather flight jacket sitting up there under the sun. We were glad when we got off the target and we could be less rigid in keeping formation with one another. Fighter sweeps were great fun. AH: When did you initially encounter aerial opposition? McGee: I first saw Messerschmitt Me-109s over Markersdorf, Austria, on July 26, 1944. In his briefings, B.O. was very explicit about the way we operated. If enemy planes appeared to attack, the flight commander would designate who would go after them. The rest of us stayed with the bombers, doing S-maneuvers, and we were glad that we werent bomber pilots, who had to hold a tight formation as they made their final runs over the target, through enemy flak and fighters. On this occasion, the Germans didnt attack the formation. In another sighting, 2nd Lt. Roger Romine was told to get them and got a kill. AH: What about your aerial victory? McGee: That was during the bombing mission to the Czechoslovakian oil refinery at Pardubice, north of Vienna. Their tactic on that occasion was to try to fly through the bomber stream and keep on going. We were pretty much over the target area when we spotted a Focke Wulf Fw-190 and I got the word, Go get him. I fell in behind him, and he took all kinds of evasive action, diving for the ground. We were down over the local airfieldI remember seeing a hangar on fire out of the corner of my eyewhen I got in behind him and got in a burst that must have hit something in the controls. He took a couple more hard evasive turns and then went right into the ground. I stayed low getting out, to stay out of the sights of enemy groundfire. During that time, I saw a train pulling into a little station, so I dropped my nose and made a firing pass at the engine. Then, when I thought Id pulled away from where I thought all the ack-ack was, I began climbing back up. Romine was my wingman on that occasion, and somewhere in all that jinking he had lost me and had gone up to rejoin the formation. He saw the Fw-190 crash, though, and confirmed the victory for me. [McGees opponent was from Jagdgeschwader 300, three of whose Pardubice-based Fw-190As attacked the 5th Bomb Division and damaged two bombers before being driven off.] The 302nds 1st Lt. William H. Thomas got another Fw-190 and 1st Lt. John F. Briggs of the 100th Squadron downed an Me-109 on that mission. Unfortunately, Romine got killed after his 97th missionin an on-the-ground accident in his airplanein November 1944. AH: Your flight log also credited you with an enemy plane on the ground at Ilandza, Yugoslavia, on September 8. McGee: Yes, on some days, we were assigned a fighter sweep over an enemy airfield to go in and catch anything we could there. I was only credited with destroying one, but we damaged a great number of enemy aircraft on the ground. AH: How many missions did you fly? McGee: I flew a total of 136, of which 82 were tactical and 54 were long-range, high-altitude missions. I flew my last mission over Brux, Germany, on November 17, 1944, and it was a long oneabout five hours, 45 minutes. Then, on November 23, I was shipped back to Tuskegee to replace a white twin-engine instructor. Training was now taking place for the 477th Bomb Group. I learned a number of years later that in 1945 the 302nd was disbanded; the 332nd went back to being a three-squadron group and its aircraft were assigned to the other squadrons. My Kitten went to the 301st Squadron, was renumbered 51 and flown by Lieutenant Leon Speers, who was shot down on April 24, 1945, and taken prisoner. AH: What was it like teaching bomber pilots back at Tuskegee? McGee: I think the first twin-engine instruction had already begun in the summer of 1943. Twin-engine pilot training started in the Beech AT-10 Wichitawhat a clunkerthen we switched to the North American TB-25J, a stripped-down B-25J. That was a marvelous plane, with great big radial engines, a lot more powera wonderful training platform. AH: What did you do later? McGee: After Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, the 332nd Fighter Group was disbanded and the 477th was preparing for the Pacific. At that time, the group was under a white commander, who told the black pilots that as trainees they could not use the officers club and he was designating a separate club for them. He ended up having 101 of the officers arrested for refusing to sign the paper stating that they had read and understood his directive on the use of clubs. The investigation that followed led to the commanders being relieved, and Colonel Davis was brought in. Under B.O.s leadership, the 477th was made into a composite group, with two squadrons of B-25Js and two squadrons from the 332nd Group, the 99th and 100th, flying P-47Ns. Shortly after Davis took over the group, it was moved to Lockbourne Air Base in Ohio, but the war in the Pacific ended on September 1, 1945, before the group was deployed. As the U.S. Army Air Forces started to close the Tuskegee facility, I joined the 477th Group at Lockbourne as assistant base operations and training officer in 1946. About the time that the U.S. Army Air Forces became the U.S. Air Force in 1947, they deactivated the composite group and reactivated the 332nd Fighter Group. AH: What were your duties after World War II? McGee: I had gone to Atlanta, Georgia, to take the examination to become a regular officer. I never heard a thing from it, but I was enjoying the flying, so I stayed in the Air Force as a reserve officer. They told us that we couldnt fly all the time, so I picked the maintenance officer school at Chanute Air Force Base [AFB]. When I graduated, I got orders to go to my first integrated assignmentSmoky Hill AFB, at Salina, Kansas, as officer in charge of the base maintenance shops for the Boeing B-29 equipped 301st Bomb Wing of SAC [Strategic Air Command]. All the officers and technicians were white, but I got along perfectly fine with them. You wore your ribbons on your uniform in those days, and they knew I was a combat veteran. AH: What were you doing when the Korean War broke out? McGee: In May 1950, I got orders to go to the Philippines. I was grounded in a pilot reduction, but I had taken the flight officers program exam and had a hip pocket warrant in operations, so I ended up as a base operations officer at Clark Field. Then, on June 25, the North Koreans invaded South Korea, and anyone who had experience on the P-51or F-51, as it had been redesignatedwas put on flight status. I was assigned to the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron [FBS] of the 18th Group, which, with the groups 12th FBS, was sent to Johnson AFB, Japan, to pick up F-51Ds without transitionbecause the F-51s given the Philippine air force were in such condition that it would take $1,500 each to put them in safe shape. On July 29, 1950, I took my first flight in a Mustang since November 1944. We flew to Ashiya, across Tsushima Strait from Korea, and began flying bombing and strafing missions while the Corps of Engineers built a strip for us outside Pusan. I flew to the K-9 strip to check on construction progress and spent the night under the wing of my plane. AH: What were your combat activities once K-9 was established? McGee: Wed be bouncing all over the place, flying interdiction missions against bridges, trains and trucks. I expended lots of bullets, napalm and rockets against supplies, troop movements, etc. The North Koreans fired as much at us as we fired at them, the heaviest fire coming from emplacements overlooking the valleys. I was the 67ths maintenance officer. Then, on August 5, 1950, our CO, Major [Louis J.] Sebille, was fatally hit by anti-aircraft fire near Hamhung and crashed his Mustang into a concentration of enemy ground troops, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. After that, [Major Arnold] Moon Mullins became CO and I became the operations officer and continued flying missions. During an attack on the Kigye Valley on September 16, I was hit in the wing. I got back to Pusan with a 1-inch hole and damage to the left wing sparit needed major repairs. McGee flew 100 missions during the Korean War, flying F-51D Mustangs with the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. McGee flew 100 missions during the Korean War, flying F-51D Mustangs with the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. AH: Where did you go after the United Nations counteroffensive broke out of Pusan in September 1950? McGee: We flew out of a forward strip in Pyongyanguntil the Army got to the Yalu River and the Chinese intervened in late November. We then operated out of our main strip at K-10 in Suwon, where we were joined by No. 2 Squadron, South African Air Force, also flying the Mustang. I helped give them their first theater indoctrination, then they flew their own missions. I also spent 30 days serving as air liaison for the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division. AH: Did you have any problems with the South Africans, given their policy of apartheid? McGee: No, I actually made some good friendships among them. We built a comradeship from the commonality of flying and fighting side by side. AH: Did you have trouble with Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s? McGee: No, we didnt think about enemy planesmost jets were flying at high altitude. AH: How long were you in Korea? McGee: On February 20, 1951, I flew my 100th mission, then went back to the Philippines for assignment to the 44th FBS as operations officer. There, I checked out in Lockheed F-80s. I loved jets from the first rollId just read the tech order and was ready to go flying after 13 landings. After a couple months of flying, I became the CO and my wife was on her way. During that time, too, we had a West Pointer from the Thirteenth Air Force assigned to my squadron, 2nd Lt. Frank Borman. A nasal problem had grounded him, and the flight surgeon was reluctant to release him. I bootlegged some time for him and got the flight surgeon to put him back on flight status. Borman worked out all right and later became one of the early astronauts. AH: Did you still fly missions? McGee: We flew air defense missions for Formosa in our F-80s in 1951 and 1952. They used to love us to fly up and down over the rooftops of the capital city of Taipeiit showed our presence. They had an airstrip where wed land to refuel. Wed stay three days, then fly back to the Philippines. The 44th did a lot of transition and theater training for recalled pilots on their way to Korea. I came home in May 1953, went to staff school and served in the United States, flying Northrop F-89 interceptors and Lockheed T-33s. In 1959, the exams I took back in 1945 finally caught up with me, when I got a letter saying, Would you like to accept a Regular commission? I was then a colonel in the reserve, but I so enjoyed flying that I accepted the Regular USAF rank of lieutenant colonel and went to Italy to assist in Jupiter missile deployment. After two years commanding the 7230th Support Squadron at Gioia del Colle Airbase near Taranto, I came home again, to Minot, North Dakota. A significant sign that times were changing was the assignments I received. They were based on background experience. In 1964, I was assigned to Tenth Air Force headquarters at Richards-Gebauer AFB near Kansas City, Missouri, and my wife and I received on-base housing more openly than the first time. Then, in 1967, I got an assignment to the Pentagon, but those orders were changed to Vietnam. It involved training for two complete squadrons in the McDonnell RF-4C. I ended up commanding the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron [TRS] at Tan Son Nhut AFB, near Saigon. The other, the 12th TRS, went to Udorn, Thailand. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Tom Coney (left) talks with his squadron commander, Lt. Col. McGee, after their final sortie in Vietnam. McGee was commander of the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Vietnam. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Tom Coney (left) talks with his squadron commander, Lt. Col. McGee, after their final sortie in Vietnam. McGee was commander of the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Vietnam. AH: How long did you fly recon missions over Vietnam? McGee: One year and 173 missions, predominantly over the northern part of South Vietnam. Some were over Laos and North Vietnam, but we didnt get to MiG Alleythe folks from Thailand got that run. AH: What were the greatest dangers for an unarmed reconnaissance plane? McGee: The worst place was Mu Gia Pass when it was raining and foggy, and you relied strictly on your radar operator in those mountains. In the RF-4C, speed was our only protection when the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese threw groundfire at us. During night flights wed see the tracers coming up behind us. Often, too, wed get to the target area at high altitude, then wed go down and fly at 360 knots at low altitude, in patterns to photograph the area. Wed raise that speed to 420 or 460 knots over a highly defended area. AH: Were you ever hit? McGee: Late in 1967, I was flying a day recon mission over one of the roads in Laos. It was a suspected infiltration route, but Id received no intelligence of heavy defenses. As I was letting down, however, I took a high-caliber hit in my left wing, which left a big hole. I was losing fluids, though I couldnt tell which ones. I had to divert to the nearest base on the coast, Da Nang, and it was the only time I had to make a front-end engagement landing, using my tail hook to make sure we wouldnt run off the runway. It turned out we needed major repairs. I took the film out of the plane and hitched a ride with a general who happened to be going to Saigon in a twin-engine North American Rockwell T-39. When I got back, I turned in the film and resumed flying the next day. AH: Were you concerned about your plane going down? McGee: Well, the shooting got your adrenaline upyoud put on more speed, which was about all you could do. Was I scared? Our military training set us up with the idea that youre trained to do a job. You were too busy to dwell on the danger while you performed. Hopefully, you would get home in one piece. AH: Were you at Tan Son Nhut when the Communist Tet Offensive broke out on January 31, 1968? McGee: When the Tet Offensive broke out, most of the squadron pilots were at our walled compound off base. There were only six of us on base, and for three days we flew all of the squadrons missions, since there was no movement allowed off base. We didnt lose a mission. Soon hutches were built for us to live in on the base. At one point, the VC started mortaring the place. We had foxholes, but Id just put my helmet over my head and stay in bed. Who knew where a round would land? Six or seven of the 16ths planes were hit in revetmentssome burned, some sustained shrapnel damage. AH: When did you leave Vietnam? McGee: My tour was up in May 1968, and after being given the choice, I went on a wonderful years tour in Heidelberg, Germany, as air liaison officer to Seventh Army Headquarters. I was promoted to colonel and became chief of maintenance for the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing. I got to fly F-4C Wild Weasels, F-4E air defense fighters and the F-4D, which I flew at Mach 2. Eventually, back in the States, Maj. Gen. Paul Stoney, commander of Air Force Communications Service, asked me if Id like to take command of Richards-Gebauer AFB. Id always wanted this administrative task, so on June 24, 1972, I got my opportunity, and with it came getting a key to the city of Belton. It ended too soon, though. Due to a mandatory retirement policy based on 30 years unless you were made a general officer, I retired on January 31, 1973. AH: What did you do as a civilian? McGee: I spent 8 1/2 years in business and became vice president of real estate for the Interstate Securities Company, where my administrative training in the military fit in perfectly. After the corporation was sold, I got a degree in business administration; then I became director of Kansas City Downtown Airport. After a second retirement, I was selected as a member of the Aviation Advisory Commission. After my wife passed away in 1994, I moved east to live with my daughter, who is a television editor, here in Maryland. AH: I presume youve kept in touch with fellow Tuskegee Airmen? McGee: I was national president of the association from 1983 to 1985, and was a charter board member when Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., was established in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Ive attended all but two annual conventions since then. I also do church work and participate in the Air Force Association. My approach to life was, and still is, Do while you can. This article was originally published in the March 1999 issue of Aviation History magazine. For more great articles subscribe to Aviation History magazine today! 2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In an indication that Republicans would most like to run against Bernie Sanders in the November general election, Trump-supporting leaders in South Carolina are urging GOP voters to support the Vermont senator in the states primary on Feb. 29. Its a clear effort to damage Joe Bidens candidacy further as the former VP will be relying even more on South Carolina following his lackluster performance in the chaotic Iowa caucus. According to The Hill, The plan orchestrated by Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp and several other prominent Republican Party leaders revolves around GOP leaderships belief that Sanders poses the least amount of challenge to President Trump in Novembers general election and its goal of getting the Palmetto States Democratic lawmakers to agree to close the states primaries. More from the report: Currently, South Carolina has open primaries, meaning voters dont have to be associated with a political party in order to cast a ballot. According to the paper, Leupp and company are set to unveil their plan on Thursday at a press conference at the GOPs headquarters in Greenville. In the latest Post and Courier poll, Sanders only trailed former Vice President Joe Biden, who has long been the favorite in the state, by five percentage points. Leupp said that he believes that the states large Republican voter base could make the difference in the primary. To his point, in 2016 roughly 740,000 people voted in the states GOP presidential primary, while only 370,000 voted in the Democratic version. Republicans are terrified of Joe Biden There is no doubt that Joe Bidens poor showing in Iowa wont do anything to boost his campaign heading into the New Hampshire primary, where he is also an underdog. However, it still remains to be seen whether the Iowa results, which are finally coming in, will do severe, long-term damage the former VPs presidential bid. If anything, the failure of the Iowa Democratic Party to release any results on the night of the caucus was the best thing that happened to Biden on Monday. It took some of the wind out of the loss as the news cycle moves quickly to Donald Trumps State of the Union and the upcoming New Hampshire contest. Still, Bidens support among African American voters makes him a frontrunner in South Carolina, the early state that arguably is the best representation of the Democratic Party. If Biden wins there, itll give him a much-needed boost of momentum heading into Super Tuesday. But Republicans know that a Biden loss in South Carolina would likely be the end of his candidacy, particularly if he loses the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Given that Donald Trump and the GOP fear Biden the most, its no surprise that they are now trying to boost Bernie Sanders in a make-or-break state for the former vice president. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter LG has started rolling out the Android 10 update for the unlocked LG G8 ThinQ (G820QM) units in the US. The update is rolling over the air (AIR) and comes with firmware version V20a. The OTA download size weighs in at around 1.9GB. This update also bundles the January 2020 security patch. While the changelog doesnt reveal much, you can expect all the features and enhancements that are part and parcel of LGs Android 10 skin. Features like Pop-up Window, One-handed Screen, app-by-app volume controls, and more are included in this Android 10 update. Youll also see plenty of camera and privacy-related enhancements in the new software. Some stock Android features, like navigation gestures, have also been added. Note that this is a staged rollout and may not be available for all users straightaway. Comments on a Reddit thread suggest the rollout is extremely limited for now. It may take a few days before the update reaches every unlocked LG G8 ThinQ unit across the nation. You should get a notification once the update becomes available for your device. You may also manually check for updates in the System updates section of the Settings app on your phone. Advertisement Android 10 has already been released for the carrier-bound LG G8 ThinQ units on all four major wireless carriers in the US. The LG flagship initially launched with Android 9 Pie last year. Itll be succeeded by the LG G9 ThinQ this year. Android 10 schedule for other LG devices LG treats its smartphones very poorly when it comes to software updates. This has been a tradition for a good few years now. Even a dedicated Software Upgrade Center, which the company unveiled last year, didnt change matters much. Android 10 released more than five months ago and LG has seeded the new software to just two smartphone models as of yet. The companys Italy division released an update roadmap last month and that schedule is disappointing as well. While the LG V50 ThinQ will impressively gain Android 10 this month, the rest of the eligible LG devices will not be making the big jump anytime soon. Advertisement The dual-screen LG G8X ThinQ will get the update in Q2 2020, followed by the LG G7, G8S, and V40 in Q3 and the lower-end LG K50S, K40S, K50, and Q60 in Q4. So by the time LG finishes pushing out Android 10 to all eligible models, Android 11 would have already been at least a couple of months old. Thats really disappointing from the South Korean electronics giant. Hopefully, the companys working on to turnaround this poor show soon. Smetlivy, Russia's Black Sea Fleet's destroyer, 2003 wikipedia.org Since the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federations relations with its immediate Black Sea neighborsthe former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukrainehave veered from frigid to open conflict. Russia engaged in a brief war in 2008 with Georgia; then, six years later, it forcibly absorbed Ukraines Crimea and sparked a separatist war in Donbas. Now, the latest flashpoint between the trio has been over the Sea of Azov and the northeastern Black Sea. On January 18, 2020, Ukraine and Georgia filed a complaint with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) over Russias unilateral and unlawful actions obstructing search-and-rescue operations in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, which connects the two larger bodies of water. The same day the complaint was filed, the first deputy head of the Russian Federation Councils (upper chamber of parliament) international committee, Federal Security Service (FSB) General Vladimir Dzhabarov, labeled it a provocation. The incident is the latest in a series of maritime disputes between Russia and Ukraine over the legal status of the Black and Azov seas. Since the beginning of the year, the diplomatic stalemate has resulted in increased saber rattling by both Ukraine and Russia. On January 4, Black Sea Fleet service members in Russias Crimean and Novorossiysk naval bases held an exercise aimed at countering underwater saboteurs. Five days later, ships from Russias Black Sea and Northern fleets held a joint exercise off the Crimean coast. President Vladimir Putin observed the deployment from aboard the Northern Fleets Marshal Ustinov guided-missile cruiser, which had been earlier dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean to assist Syria before transiting the Turkish-controlled Dardanelles and Bosporus (often jointly referred to as the Turkish Straits). Fifty ships, a submarine and more than 40 aircraft participated in the exercise, which featured Kalibr cruise missile launches and test-firing the hypersonic air-launched Kinzhal missile. On January 18, the same day Kyiv and Tbilisi filed their IMO complaint, Ukraines Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters was forced to deny Ukrainian media reports that it had been mining an area along the countrys Azov coast. Posting on its Facebook page, the JFO headquarters noted, Some Ukrainian media reported on the start of the active phase of the installation of minefields along a probable landing area on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Measures of combat training for the boat-and-cutter unit of the Triton tactical group are of only educational and training nature and do not involve any actions involving the actual mining of a Sea of Azov area. To address their regional insecurities, Ukraine and Georgia can theoretically seek Partnership for Peace (PfP) program support from the three North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members located along the Black Sea basin: Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. However, any maritime assistance from nonBlack Sea NATO members is severely constrained by the 1936 Montreux Convention, which heavily limits the type, tonnage and duration of extra-regional maritime forces that can be introduced to the Black Sea via the Turkish Straits. In the future, Russias maritime Black Sea dominance is likely to increase given the Ministry of Defenses projected acquisition plans. In 2019, the Ministry signed nearly 50 contracts with Russian defense companies for a record-high total of more than one trillion rubles (over $16 billion). This amount includes planned purchases of two Russian vessels similar to the French-built Mistral-class helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships, reportedly to be laid down in Kerch in 2020. The Russian navys long-running interest in amphibious assault ships underlay its annulled purchase of two French-built Mistrals initiated in 2009, which, had it been successful, would have represented Russias largest acquisition of foreign warships since the World War II Lend-Lease program. That the acquisition would have radically changed the maritime balance in the Black Sea was underlined by the then-head of the Russian navy, Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky. In referring to Russias brief conflict with Georgia in August 2008, he stated that possession of a ship like that [the Mistral] would have allowed the Black Sea Fleet to accomplish its missions in 40 minutes, not 26 hours, which was how long it took us. The laying down of the two keels in Kerch is proof that the Russian navys interest in such ships continues. Russian-Ukrainian maritime disputes involving the Black and Azov seas seem likely to remain stalemated for the foreseeable future, if for no other reason than that the maritime forces of Ukraine and Georgia remain modest compared to those of Russias Black Sea Fleet. Moreover, Russia can quickly reinforce the Black Sea Fleet by bringing in Caspian Flotilla warships via its internal VolgaDon Canal, as well as introduce further naval units from its Baltic, Northern and Pacific fleets into the Black Sea basin under its Montreux Convention privileges. Despite the diplomatic objections Kyiv and Tbilisi have raised over Moscows unilateral maritime actions in this region, the absence of a united transatlantic front may enable this to become another case of might makes right. Medical staff members wearing face masks talking at a hospital in Wuhan, China on Jan. 30, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Locals Accuse Chinese Authorities of Misallocating Medical Supply Donations for Coronavirus Sources inside China are accusing authorities of mishandling the distribution of supplies that the public has donated to help with the coronavirus response. Doctors and nurses from several hospitals designated to treat the coronavirus have turned to social media to plead for help. Videos shared online show medical staff wearing trash bags due to the lack of protective suits and shoe covers. On Jan. 31, spokeswoman for the Union Hospital in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the outbreak, told state-run media Shangyou News: We keep on receiving donated materials. But we have a lot of patients, and [medical staff] use a large amount of those materials, she said. Donations In fact, Chinas Civil Affairs Ministry has banned any privately-run charities or volunteers from entering Hubei Provincewhere Wuhan is the capitalsince Jan. 26. Furthermore, all future donations are to be handled by official, state-run charities only. Perhaps as a sign of the desperate need for supplies in Wuhan, authorities loosened up those rules and began allowing donations to go directly to hospitals on Jan. 30. On Jan. 31 evening, Li Qiang, a member of a Chinese Communist Party group in Wuhan, explained at a press conference how the donations were distributed: By noon of Jan. 31, the Wuhan Charity Federation received 2.586 billion yuan ($372.8 million) donations, and we have used 841.91 million yuan ($121.37 million) of them the Wuhan Red Cross received 608.08 million yuan ($87.66 million) donations in cash, and allocated 158.59 million yuan ($22.86 million) to the municipal outbreak control center. The data reveals that only 30 percent of the donations have been disbursed so far. Li does not have an official position in government, but is Party secretary of Jianghan University, and was nominated to be vice mayor of Wuhan in December 2019. He admitted that authorities did not distribute the donations promptly enough. Our performance cannot match peoples expectations, Li said. We didnt deliver the received materials quickly, and didnt allocate the donated cash in time. Netizens are also accusing authorities of not prioritizing resources properly. In China, Red Cross organizations are run by local governments. On Jan. 30, the Hubei provincial Red Cross published the distribution of donated materialscollected from all parts of China and overseasfor the first time. It shows that most of the face masks were given to the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, about 120,000 masks) and Wuhan Railway Bureau (50,000 masks). The Union Hospital, a facility for treating the coronavirus, only received 3,000 masks, while the Renai Hospital received 18,000 masks. The latter is a medical facility specially for reproductive treatment and plastic surgery. It is not on the list of 61 Wuhan government-designated hospitals for coronavirus treatment. On Jan. 31, the provincial Red Cross stated on its website that Renai Hospital had applied for the masks and claimed they had many patients who developed the fever. The state-run media outlet Hongxing News then called Renai Hospital. The staff answered: We are a gynecology and obstetric hospital. We dont accept patients who have fever. Needs Local media outlets have reported that due to the inefficiencies of state-sanctioned charity organizations, hospitals are now in urgent need of supplies. State-run media Southern Weekly reported on Jan. 28 that more than 160 hospitals in the country have asked for medical supplies, including about 90 hospitals from Hubei Province and at least 74 from other Chinese regions. The report was quickly deleted. Meanwhile, Dingxiangyuan, a social media platform for medical workers, released an update on Jan. 29 evening and said they received requests from 136 hospitals in Hubei Province for face masks and protective suits. The platform posted the contact information of staff at those hospitals and said it hoped people could donate to the hospitals directly. Donations from Overseas Hong Kong media Initium reported on Jan. 31 about the difficulties of donating to Wuhan hospitals. The customs authorities asked us to declare the goods and pay tariffs, said Zhang Hao, a 36-year-old doctor who was collecting material donations for a Wuhan hospital. Zhang told Initium that some doctors from the hospital found that a large amount of masks, goggles, and protective suits arrived at Wuhan customs from the United States on the evening of Jan. 24. Zhang and his peers ultimately paid 20 percent tariffs and received the goods. Zhang Ying, a volunteer based in Shanghai, was excited when several German factories agreed to sell 500,000 face masks to her at cost. But she couldnt find a way to import the materials. Customs said there were two ways to import these masks: by donation or sourcing, Zhang Ying told Initium. Donation means the goods will belong to the government and wont be given to us. Sourcing means we need to pay 20 percent tariffs. Donations Within China Initium also reported that it was difficult for Chinese citizens to give donations to doctors directly because senior officials often claimed that hospitals have enough supply and that the government doesnt allow direct donations. It cited an example with the No. 5 Hospital in Wuhan. Tian Hongmin, chief nurse of the hospital, published on social media Jan. 27 that the facility needed 100,000 N95 face masks, 200,000 surgical masks, 10,000 protective suits, and 1,000 goggles. However, when several good samaritans sent first batch of materials to the hospital that evening, they couldnt reach Tian by phone. A group of people at the hospital claimed that staff had taken the materials away. Finally, Zhao Qing, a local who initiated donation efforts, reached Tian by phone. Tian said she was dismissed after making the social media post because the government didnt allow the hospital to ask for help. Another volunteer Qianqian told Initium that the materials she and her peers collected were grabbed away by staff from the Red Cross several times since Jan. 24. The 2019 novel coronavirus was first confirmed by Wuhan authorities on Dec. 31, 2019. But official data published in a recent medical study revealed that the first patient exhibited symptoms on Dec. 1. The disease has since spread to all Chinese provinces and regions and more than 20 countries. More A-list homes: Bat Pack Gary Barlow has joined the Celebrity Bat Pack an exclusive group forced to rethink home renovations because of the presence of the little creatures on their property. Barlow has agreed with conservationists to install a bat box at his Oxfordshire mansion and in exchange will be allowed to build a garage for his car collection. Alamy Stock Photo Listen to the this weeks episode below or on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. Be sure to subscribe/follow and rate us in the app to make sure to get the latest episodes as soon as they are published. Episode 14 | Latest PA poll and the Iowa Caucus Catastrophe PA pollster Dr. Terry Madonna joins the BattlegroundPA podcast to discuss the latest Franklin and Marshall poll that gauged Pennsylvanian voters support for President Donald Trump. Then, along with Democratic analyst Rogette Harris and Republican analyst Jeffrey Lord, your host Joyce Davis navigates the catastrophe of the Democratic Iowa Caucus that has left us without any answers on Monday night. Which candidate will have the most to gain from the debacle? What, if anything, is Pennsylvania doing to avoid any issues in the primaries or elections of 2020? Join the conversation on Twitter by following us @battlegroundpa and use the hashtag #BattleforPA. Or if you prefer, join us on Facebook. Have an idea for an episode or a guest we should have? Email us at topics@battlegroundpa.org. Battleground Pa. logos Battleground PA is produced by Penn Studios Salim Michel Makhlouf and edited by Martin Boutros. This piece has been updated to reflect news developments. Joe Biden had enormous success on Super Tuesday, winning Democratic presidential primaries across the South with strong support from black voters. Mr. Biden has pledged to rebuild the middle class but, in reality, he has campaigned on his proximity to Barack Obama as his main selling point. But his success, in part, reflects the fact that we havent fully interrogated Barack Obamas tenure. Its not even clear what Joe Bidens program is for black people. Weve lost sight of everything except the contrast in decorum between Mr. Obama and Mr. Trump. Will this be enough to mobilize black voters in November? The sting of Hillary Clintons defeat in 2016 still hangs heavy over the Democratic Party. There has yet to emerge a consensus understanding of why the party couldnt beat an opponent who almost everyone assumed could be defeated. Some have focused on voter suppression, others on Russian interference. Mrs. Clinton continues to blame Bernie Sanders. But missing from the various theories is how Barack Obamas tenure may also have contributed to voter disaffection because he failed to bring about the transformational changes he promised. The dramatic contrast between him and his successor, Donald Trump, has, in some ways, created pressure on Democrats to focus only on Mr. Trumps transgressions while ignoring other factors that may have contributed to his election. As the primary campaign ramped up last summer, for example, party insiders made clear they would vigorously challenge any scrutiny of Mr. Obamas presidency. Stay away from Barack Obama, one said. A former aide to Mr. Obama, Neera Tanden, wrote on Twitter that Democratic candidates who attack Obama are wrong and terrible. She added, Obama wasnt perfect, but, come on, people, next to Trump, he kind of is. The perception of the perfect Obama is contradicted by black voter turnout in 2016: It declined for the first time in 20 years, falling to 60 percent from 67 percent in 2012. This surely cannot be attributed only to voter suppression or the lack of an African-American candidate on the ticket after all, Mr. Obama framed Mrs. Clintons run as his so-called third term. Its safe to presume that disillusionment with Mr. Obamas record, even as people continued to admire him personally, is, to some degree, reflected in these turnout figures. WASHINGTON The Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit President Donald Trump of both counts in his impeachment trial. Forty-eight senators, including one Republican, found Trump guilty of abuse of power, while 52, all Republicans, voted to acquit him. The president was also impeached on the charge of obstruction of Congress, in which all 53 Republicans found him not guilty and the remaining 47 senators voted to convict. The acquittal vote was the final step in a two-week trial marked by impassioned arguments from House Democrats that Trump was a danger to the nation, and stalwart support from Senate Republicans for a president who maintains a political stranglehold on their party. Impeachment rules require 67 votes in the Senate to convict a president and remove him from office. With a 53-47 Republican majority, the odds that Trump would be convicted were slim from the start. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who delivered a searing condemnation of the president's actions earlier in the day on the floor of the Senate, broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power count. After Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts announced the outcome of both articles, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Roberts for his "clear head, steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands." For his efforts, McConnell awarded Roberts the "golden gavel," which was presented to him on the Senate floor. Roberts, in his final remarks before the trial officially adjourned, said that he leaves the chamber "with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter." "You have been generous hosts and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances," Roberts said. Trump later tweeted that he would make a statement regarding his acquittal on Thursday at noon from the White House. Trump Tweet A tense trial in the Senate The House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump on the two articles, following an investigation led in large part by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Zero Republicans in the House voted to impeach Trump on either charge. Trump was accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to announce probes into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory about interference in the 2016 election, while withholding nearly $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid to the country. Democrats argued that Trump sought to cheat in the 2020 presidential election by coercing a foreign ally to smear his possible opponent with the stain of a criminal probe. They also argued that Trump obstructed Congress by refusing to hand over any documents in the House's probe, and by pressuring potential witnesses not to comply. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. But with the outcome of the Senate trial all but certain since its first days, the suspense turned instead to an up-or-down vote late in the trial over whether or not to admit additional evidence, which only needed 51 votes to pass. For several days, Washington hung on the words of a handful of moderate senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who have broken with their parties on previous votes. Two Republicans voted with Democrats to admit additional evidence, Romney and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, but the measure was defeated. Unlike Romney, however, Collins ultimately voted to acquit Trump of the charges against him. The last-minute announcement by moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia that he would vote to convict on both counts came as a surprise on Capitol Hill. Both sides, the White House and Democrats, had wanted to stake claim to a "bipartisan vote," on their side. The president had sincerely hoped to convince at least one Democrat to vote to acquit him on at least one charge, so that the White House could have declared, technically accurately, that Trump had been acquitted by a bipartisan vote. Ultimately, only Democrats will be able to claim a "bipartisan vote," having convinced Romney to cross party lines and vote to convict Trump on the first article. This scenario represents a reverse of the House impeachment vote in December, when no Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats to impeach Trump, but several Democrats crossed lines to vote against the articles of impeachment. Reactions to the verdict In a statement to NBC, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham hailed the outcome as a "full vindication and exoneration" for Trump. "This entire effort by the Democrats was aimed at overturning the results of the 2016 election and interfering with the 2020 election," Grisham said after slamming the Democrats who led the impeachment efforts as well as Romney, referred to as a "failed Republican presidential candidate." "The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past, and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond," Grisham said. Following the vote, the seven Democratic House impeachment managers defended their case in an op-ed for The Washington Post. Despite having lost the trial, they said, their argument gave voters more clarity about the coming election. "Because of the impeachment process, voters can now stand forewarned of the lengths to which the president will go to try to secure his reelection, violating the law and undermining our national security and that of our allies," they wrote. Trump is just the third president in U.S. history to face trial in the Senate on articles of impeachment. A long road for Democrats Republicans have accused Democrats of searching for reasons to take Trump out of office from the moment he won the presidency in 2016 over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But Democratic leaders did not always support impeaching Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had argued that impeachment was exactly the kind of destined-to-fail attack on Trump that the president wanted in order to "solidify his base." For months, Pelosi resisted intense pressure from a growing coalition of Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, pressure that escalated after a special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found numerous instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump. Mueller was probing Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible coordination between the Kremlin and Trump's campaign and possible obstruction of justice. He found insufficient evidence to support a conspiracy and declined to recommend any charges against Trump, kicking that decision over to Attorney General William Barr, who cleared the president. But after a whistleblower's bombshell complaint revealed that Trump pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to "look into" his potential 2020 opponent former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, Pelosi launched an impeachment inquiry in the House. - Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane was married to First Lady Lipolelo Thabane - Lipolelo was shot dead at her home in Maseru just two days to Thabane's inauguration as the country's PM - Sources indicate the shooting happened at the time the two were negotiating their divorce - Thabane married his current wife, Maesaiah Thabane, less than three months after the murder of Lipolelo The First Lady of Lesotho, Maesaiah Thabane, has been charged with the murder of his husband's ex-wife, Lipolelo Thabane. Lipolelo was shot dead outside her home in June 2017 just two days to the swearing-in of his then husband and the country's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane. READ ALSO: Waiyaki Way: 14 seater matatu operators on spot for colluding with robbers Prime Minister Thomas Thabane (centre), his wife Maesaiah Thabane (left) and King Letsie III. Photo: BBC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kizaazaa chashuhudiwa nyumbani kwa Kutuny baada ya kipusa kuingia na kutaka malezi ya mtoto Maesaiah was arraigned on Wednesday, January 5, and charged with the murder of Lipolelo who was murdered at her home in Maseru, Lesotho's capital city. She also faced another charge of attempted murder of a woman who was with Lipolelo on the night of the attack. The 42-year-old woman was remanded in custody after the murder charge was read. She has reportedly been accused alongside eight other suspects from Lesotho and South Africa. The security teams in Lesotho said Maesiah became the prime suspect in the heinous act after she failed to honour their summon for interrogation over the matter. The shooting of Lipolelo happened at the time the Prime Minister and the deceased were in negotiating their divorce, CNN reported. Thabane, 80, reportedly married Maesaiah three months after the murder of Lipolelo. The Lesotho leader said he would respect the ruling of the court and was ready to relinquish his position should he be obliged to do so. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Moi was a dictator - Kenyans Mixed reactions on President Daniel Moi's 24-year reign | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke The group home resident who allegedly used a brick to kill his caretaker had his case bound over to the Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in General Sessions Court on Tuesday. Shantez Ferguson, 25, stood with defense attorney Erinn OLeary in front of Judge Gerald Webb Jr. as prosecutor Jason Demastus called upon a couple of witnesses. During each cross-examination, attorney OLeary reminded the court that her client had mental disabilities, as that was the reason he was living in the group home at the time. Officer Sonny Warren, who responded to the scene shortly after EMS personnel had done so. said Kevin Garrett, 30, was not moving and totally unresponsive when the officer arrived. When he first saw the defendant, he described Ferguson as pretty upset at the time and said he appeared to have been involved in a confrontation, as his hands were bloodied. After Ferguson told the officer he had picked up two bricks and then discarded those bricks into the nearby creek, the officer took a look. In the creek were two bricks, partially covered in blood. There was a thick, jelly-like blood on and around the brick and victim, said officer Warren. When attorney OLeary asked for the officer to describe Fergusons speech, he said the defendant used simple words and constantly stuttered. He believed that Ferguson himself called 911 to get aid for his former caretaker. Officer Warren said he had been wearing a body camera and that all of his interactions with the defendant were recorded. Investigator Corey Stokes arrived after the victim had been transported away from the scene. He referenced a witness who lived nearby and had installed a security camera at his house. Investigator Stokes said the footage showed the victim driving away in a van, and then coming back a few minutes later, and then something happening behind the van. The detective said Ferguson gave me several different statements over the course of his interview. One story portrayed Ferguson being in his room before hearing a loud boom outside. Another story said he was arguing about a phone, and then accidentally punched Garrett. In the last story, Ferguson allegedly admitted to accidentally dropping a brick on Garetts head three times. Accidents only happen once, said Investigator Stokes. Attorney OLeary grilled the investigator on the process of the interview. He said there was no written evidence of Ferguson waiving his right to stay silent. He told the attorney that the defendant verbally agreed to it, and that this was recorded on video. Attorney OLeary then asked how the investigator could know if Ferguson understood what he was doing. The witness said that the man argued, and to argue, you must understand. He also told the defense attorney he did not ask the Ferguson about his level of education. Aside from that, investigator Stokes also said he knew the neighbors address, and had a copy of the surveillance footage. But he also told the judge and defense attorney he did not actually know the mans name, saying it was Middle Eastern but that he didnt want to butcher how it was pronounced. After listening to this testimony, Judge Webb bound the case to the Grand Jury, and kept the bond at $1,000,000. The group home has since moved out of the Hixson neighborhood. Gerhard Auer appointed to lead the EMEA region based on proven excellence in delivering revenue-generating performance management and customer experience solutions MONTREAL, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Accedian, the leader in performance analytics and end user experience solutions, today announced Gerhard Auer has joined the company as Vice President of Sales for EMEA and will lead the company's business in the region. Gerhard will capitalise on Accedian's continued growth in the region and will be responsible for bringing a strategic and unified focus to the company's sales strategy across country markets and leading service providers. Prior to joining Accedian, Gerhard held senior sales leadership roles with Spirent where he grew and developed the EMEA market. Previous to Spirent, Gerhard expanded his breadth of management, sales, and customer relationship expertise through roles of increasing responsibility and leadership at NETSCOUT, Fluke Networks, Empirix, Viavi Solutions, and Nokia. With more than two decades of experience in delivering testing and monitoring, performance management, and customer experience-centric solutions, he is uniquely qualified to lead Accedian's efforts in the region, bringing a deep understanding of the EMEA market and organizational structure required to develop an ecosystem for success for both Accedian and their customers to thrive. According to Heavy Reading, operators worldwide are investing in 5G to drive down cost-per-bit and to enter new markets with an array of new services. 62% of operators believe the combination of access and cloud assets enables them to offer superior end-to-end performance with 5G. But, operators also need to look at solutions that simplify that end-to-end view to guarantee end user experience with extremely low latency to succeed. Gerhard's focus in the region will be to help Accedian customers to deepen their own customer engagement through superior performance analytics and to help them deliver a seamless 5G digital experience. "Gerhard joins us at a critical junction in our journey as we have gone through a tremendous evolution at Accedian," said Dion Joannou, Chief Executive Officer, Accedian. "Our focus on the EMEA region is in line with our commitment to our customers globally; providing not only the valuable insights our data analytics can deliver through Skylight, but also, through Gerhard's leadership, the high-level of service and support that our customers have come to expect from Accedian to help drive real business transformation." "I am excited to be joining Accedian at this point in their transformation and looking forward to taking the EMEA region to the next level by extending the reach of our industry-leading Skylight solution portfolio. Service providers and enterprises alike are ill-equipped with traditional monitoring solutions and are still not getting the value and information they need to succeed in today's ever-changing, complex landscape," said Gerhard Auer, Vice President of EMEA Sales, Accedian. "Together with the team, I am committed to helping our customers remain at the cutting-edge of technical innovation while ensuring success with their digital transformation goals." Accedian, along with Gerhard Auer and the Accedian leadership team, will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress Barcelona from February 24-27, 2020. To meet with Accedian at the show, visit Hall 6, Stand 6B2, or book a meeting at go.accedian.com/mwc20. Media contact: James Kim SourceCode Communications accedian@sourcecodecomms.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/accedian/r/accedian-takes-emea-leadership-to-the-next-level--solidifying-presence-in-the-region-as-5g-and-edge-,c3027540 The following files are available for download: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 20 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Feb. 5, Trend reports. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. In order to ensure housing for all, the Madras High Court has proposed ban on non-resident Indians from purchasing houses in India, prohibit speculative sale, and impose 100 per cent extra stamp duty on purchase of second house. The court on its own impleaded the Union housing and finance ministries as party respondents. It has directed them to answer a series of questions including as to how many families have basic amenity of housing in India as well as in Tamil Nadu, population and housing ratio in the country and in the state, when 'Housing for All' mission of the central government would be achieved. "Why the government does not consider imposing such restrictions to control escalation of house prices and to provide a house to every family in the country, a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose wondered. Directing the authorities to inform as towhether the central and state have got special schemes to provide housing for the marginalized and economically weaker sections including SC/ST communities, the bench has also sought the details of the number of families that possess more than one house. "Why the governments do not restrict families/individuals from purchasing/possessing more than one housing unit/flat/plot till "Housing for all" is achieved? Why not the government charge 100 per cent more or extra stamp duty to discourage buying more than one house by a family while purchasing second house? Why not the government conditionally allow the families to purchase more than one house provided the said family pays 100 per cent extra statutory dues like property tax, electricity charges, water and sewerage charges on the second property?" the bench said. This apart, the court also wanted the authorities to know as to why it should not prohibit the NRIs from purchasing houses in India to bring down the cost of housing. Justifying its directions, the court said "Lakhs and lakhs of people are living on platforms, roads, and cement pipes, slums, under the trees and on banks of water bodies without proper shelter and basic amenities and safety." It is true that the Centre had taken a policy decision to provide housing unit to every family. It should be achieved at the earliest, the court said, adding it could become fruitful when restrictions are put on persons who hold more than one housing units. The court passed the order while hearing an appeal moved by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board challenging a single judge order against acquisition of about 369 acres of private land in Thudiyalur and Vellakinar areas of Coimbatore for a housing scheme. As many as 246 people, who have returned to Gujarat recently from coronavirus-hit China, are under observation at their homes, but no positive case of the infection has been found in the state so far, a senior health department official said on Wednesday. They are among 900-odd people who have returned to Gujarat from China after the outbreak of the new strain of the coronavirus which has taken nearly 500 lives till now in the neighbouring country. A central team comprising three doctors visited Gujarat and took stock of the health administration's preparedness to identify as well as treat any infected patient, said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi. Out of the eight persons who had shown symptoms similar to the coronavirus, medical reports of five of them came negative, while results of the three are awaited, she said. "Till now, 930 people have returned to Gujarat from China (since the coronavirus outbreak in December). We have kept 246 of them under 14-day quarantine observation at their homes and our doctors are visiting them regularly. "We had sent samples of eight persons to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, to confirm if they were infected with this virus," she said. "However, samples of five suspected cases came negative, while results of three are yet to come. There are no positive cases of coronavirus in Gujarat yet. There is no need to panic. "As a precautionary measure, the health department has advised sarpanches (village heads) and female health workers to spread awareness about the disease and advice people to maintain good personal hygiene," the senior bureaucrat said. Ravi said the three-member central team, that included Dr Manisha Jain of a Delhi hospital, expressed satisfaction over the administration's preparedness after visiting the Ahmedabad airport, BJ Medical College and civil hospital, where screening and quarantine arrangements have been made. The state health department has put in place a round- the-clock screening facility, with thermal scanners, at the Ahmedabad airport to detect possible cases of coronavirus. It has also set up an isolation ward in the civil hospital here to treat patients suspected of contracting the infection. Dr Jain, a microbiologist with Safdarjung Hospital, told reporters that a facility to test samples of suspected coronavirus patients will be set up at BJ Medical College, attached with the city's civil hospital. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the WHO. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four new character posters from the highly anticipated Scarlett Johansson starrer 'Black Widow' were dropped on Wednesday and they clearly show how the superhero flick is worth the wait for Marvel fans. Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the intriguing character posters on Twitter that gave a closer look at Scarlett Johansson's character Natasha Romanoff and unveiled the other heroes from her Russian family. "Next superhero spectacle from #Marvel... #BlackWidow to release in #India *one day before* it releases in #USA... 30 April 2020 [Thu] release in 6 languages: #English, #Hindi, #Tamil, #Telugu, #Kannada, and #Malayalam...," the tweet read. In November, last year, bringing good news to the Marvel followers, the makers of the movie had announced that the movie will hit the big screens in India one day before the USA. Johansson has played Black Widow, a major role in seven Marvel movies, tracking her evolution from morally dubious Russian assassin to a world-saving Avenger. During the Sunday's Super Bowl, the presence of marvel Cinematic Universe was felt as 'Black Widow' makers surprised the audiences with a new trailer. The upcoming film depicts the life events of Natasha Romanoff during the time between the film narratives of Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Endgame (2018). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO - Tilray Inc. is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs. The Canadian cannabis companys chief executive officer Brendan Kennedy says in a statement to The Canadian Press that the layoffs will help Tilray better position itself to achieve profitability. By reducing headcount and costs, Kennedy says Tilray will be more likely to meet the needs of the industry and foster growth in 2020 and beyond. Kennedys statement calls the decision tough, notes that it was not taken lightly and says he is extremely grateful to the departing employees for their contributions. The company would not share what offices and departments will be affected by the layoffs, but said the companys total headcount is about 1,443. Tilray will continue to focus on its international medical cannabis offerings, science and research in global markets, adult-use brands and its Manitoba Harvest hemp foods business. Companies in this story: (TSX: TLRY) This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2020. The US plan for peace between Israel and Palestine, entitled Peace to Prosperity: A vision to improve the lives of the Palestinian and Israeli people, consists of 22 sections covering political, security and economic issues and proposed solutions. Their combined thrust is to grant Israel territorial acquisitions, sovereign rights and security dominance it had never been able to achieve in any previous negotiations or agreements with the Palestinians. Section I, the introduction, discusses what motivated the presentation of the principles collectively referred to as the Vision. It opens with a historical background informed by the US/Israeli narrative of the Arab-Israeli conflict and then turns to the Oslo Accords of 1993. In this section, it highlights prime minister Yitzhak Rabins last speech to the Israeli Knesset, in which he outlined his vision regarding the ultimate resolution of the conflict. Rabin, envisioned Jerusalem remaining united under Israeli rule, the portions of the West Bank with large Jewish populations and the Jordan Valley being incorporated into Israel, and the remainder of the West Bank, along with Gaza, becoming subject to Palestinian civil autonomy in what he said would be something less than a state. This is framed as the essence of Oslo, because it was the basis upon which the Knesset approved the Oslo Accords and because it was not rejected by the Palestinian leadership at the time. Clearly, this puts the cart before the horse because the accords marked only the beginning of a negotiating process on the ultimate solution, or what were technically known as final status issues (borders, Jerusalem, refugees, etc). The wording then gets slippery as it skirts around what caused final status negotiations to fail, blaming Oslo for not creating a path to avert crises such as waves of terror and violence, and conflating efforts to reach a permanent and lasting solution with the quest for an ultimate deal, thereby foreshadowing the so-called deal of the century. This brings us to the section titled, Realistic Two-State Solution. In the name of realism and pragmatism the plan jettisons all internationally established principles and resolutions which, from the perspective of its architects, only worked to protract the conflict. But the text is frank about its main driver. This vision is security-focused, it writes, and it becomes patently clear that this means exclusively the security of Israel. Under this rubric, the Palestinians will have all the power to govern themselves but not the powers to threaten Israel, which necessarily entails the limitation of certain sovereign powers in the Palestinian areas such as maintenance of Israeli security responsibility and Israeli control of the airspace west of the Jordan River. As for Hamas and Palestinian factions in Gaza, they are entirely to blame for the security deterioration and its consequences, and Palestinian leaders in general are entirely to blame for forfeiting opportunities afforded to the Palestinians. The solution here boils down to the formula of rejecting terrorism by recognising Israel as a Jewish state and paving the way for special arrangements that address Israels vital security needs. The regional dimension proceeds from the premise that there is a convergence of interests between the Arabs and Israel with respect to the common threat they face from the radical regime in Iran. Peace, as proposed by the Vision, would alter the equations with respect to that threat and open the door to economic and security cooperation between Israel and its neighbours, and thereby create a prosperous Middle East. Section II of the document addresses the approach which takes the long, philosophical view of a conflict that seems historically fated even though it does not have to be. As proof of this fated character, it speaks of close to 700 UN General Assembly resolutions and over 100 UN Security Council resolutions that have not brought peace. Accordingly, with all due respect to them, they should be discarded because they did not address the complexities of the conflict. The Vision comes to the rescue by superimposing over these complexities a Western-conceived ethnic identity matrix and proposes a barter: recognition for a Jewish state in exchange for recognition of a Palestinian state. It then quickly segues back to the primacy of [Israeli] security: No government should be asked to compromise the safety and security of its citizens. This is especially true for the State of Israel... The United States would only ask Israel to make compromises that we believe will make the State of Israel and the people of Israel more secure in the short and long term. As for the compromises the US might expect Israel to make, they would include significant territorial compromises. There follows a juggling act with facts and figures. It must be recognised that the State of Israel has already withdrawn from at least 88 per cent of the territory it captured in 1967. Left unsaid is the fact that this 88 per cent was Sinai, which it returned to Egypt after the 1973 War and the Camp David agreement of 1979. But the conflict in question, here, is with the Palestinians and Israel has not withdrawn an inch from the Palestinian territories that are the subject of the Vision. Although the plan acknowledges that territorial compromise is needed to enable the Palestinians to have a viable state, respect their dignity and address their legitimate national aspirations, in practical terms it withholds essential conditions for viable statehood. All the key components of sovereignty will be in Israeli hands while the territory itself will not be contiguous but rather a hodgepodge of separate Palestinian enclaves connected only by Israeli controlled ring roads and security checkpoints. Meanwhile, Israeli settlements and enclaves in the West Bank will be joined together and annexed to Israel. Again, the primacy of Israeli security is the pretext and the frequent pegging of Palestinians as the source of terrorism is used to justify that pretext. The question of Palestinian refugees can be remedied materially, by integrating them into host countries or by the acceptance of a number of Palestinian refugees per year by member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Israel, in the opinion of the framers of the Vision, has no onus to bear in this regard because a similar number of Jewish refugees were expelled from Arab lands shortly after the creation of the State of Israel. Once again, we are confronted with a misleading conflation of issues that overlooks important facts and realities, not least of which is the role of the Jewish Agencys chapters in Egypt, Yemen, Morocco and elsewhere in stimulating and boosting the migration of Jewish communities in those countries to Israel. Not surprisingly, Washingtons plan is one hundred per cent behind the Israeli position on the question of Jerusalem: It is Israels capital and should not be divided. It even referred to actions Washington took to pre-empt alternatives, such as the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem. As the sovereign capital of the State of Palestine the plan proposes a section of East Jerusalem located in areas east and north of the existing security barrier, including Kafr Aqab, the eastern part of Shuafat and Abu Dis, [which] could be named Al-Quds or another name as determined by the State of Palestine. The framers of the Vision implicitly trust Israel to remain a good custodian of Jerusalem and its holy sites, and to keep Jerusalem open to all faiths, and secure. Gaza is a security problem that threatens peace and Israel. There can be no negotiating with Israel over the economic status and development of Gaza until the current leadership there is dismantled. Yet, the call for the reversion of Gaza to the full control of the Palestinian Authority, or another national or international body acceptable to the State of Israel, is mystifying. Perhaps it is a way of saying that under the new situation, the Palestinian Authority created under Oslo will evolve into another body, one that will spare the need to use the terms authority or government. On the question of borders, the Vision proposes a conceptual map based on a number of principles, foremost among which are the security requirements of Israel and Israels valid legal and historical claims. There is no acknowledgement of Palestinian legal and historical claims. In fact, the plan ignores all considerations related to Palestinian history and culture. In the opinion of the architects, neither the US nor Israel feel legally bound to commit to the pre-1967 boundaries, but they hint at the possibility of land swaps that would provide the Palestinians with territory reasonably comparable in size to the territory of the West Bank and Gaza pre-1967. Whatever swaps occur, they will be worked out to ensure the more important end: that Israel will not have to uproot any settlements, and will incorporate the vast majority of Israeli settlements into contiguous Israeli territory, and that Israeli enclaves located inside contiguous Palestinian territory will become part of the State of Israel. If the parties accept the plan, during negotiations Israel will be required to cease settlement construction and expansion and destruction of any structures in occupied territories. The Palestinians will be required to refrain from any attempt to join an international organisation without Israels consent and to refrain from or suspend all legal actions against Israel, the US or any of their citizens in international courts, arbitrating bodies, other tribunals or international law enforcement bodies. But perhaps the most crucial point about the Vision is that Israel has already obtained everything it promises in advance. Washington has already recognised Jerusalem as Israels undivided capital, Israels annexation of West Bank settlements and its sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. Almost all the security provisions for the Israelis are already in place. Meanwhile, the rewards the plan offers the Palestinians are only realisable in the long-term, and there are no guarantees that these promises, however one weighs them, will be met. *A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Trumps Middle East plan Search Keywords: Short link: There has been a 2,200% increase in the recovery of illegal weapons in the first 28 days of the model code of conduct (MCC) since it was enforced ahead of the 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections compared to the MCC period in 2008, shows the Delhi Police data. In fact, the number of illegal firearms recovered this time ahead of polls far exceeds the combined figure since 2008, said Sharat Kumar Sinha, deputy commissioner of police (election cell). While the number of illegal firearms recovered during the MCC period in 2008 was just 19, in 2013 it was 80 and in 48 in 2015. In sharp contrast, 452 such weapons have already been recovered between January 6 and February 2. The MCC will be in force till February 12. These recoveries come amidst criticism of the Delhi Police for failing to prevent a spate of firings at people protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). In a period of four days, three such incidents were reported from Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh, which are at the centre of protests against the controversial citizenship law. While the model code of conduct is in force, district authorities ask licenced weapon holders to deposit their guns, on an individual basis, mostly depending on the threat they pose to free and fair elections. On January 28, when a man carrying a licenced gun was caught by protesters at Shaheen Bagh, the local police had said he wasnt among those asked to submit their weapon. This time, over 7,000 licenced weapon holders in Delhi deposited their firearms with the police during the model code of conduct, DCP Sinha said. In 2008, only 486 licencees had deposited their firearms. In 2013, the figure stood at 1,660 and rose to 1,407 in 2015. LIQUOR, CASH AND DEFACEMENT Recoveries of illicit liquor and unexplained cash have also seen a substantial spike. More than 85,000 litres of illicit liquor has been recovered in the run up the February 8 elections, a sharp increase from 27,000 litres in 2008. (see box) The police have also registered over 900 cases under the Excise Act this year. This is just marginally lesser than the combined number of FIRs (948) registered during the previous three assembly elections. In terms of seizure of unexplained cash, the police did not share the figures for 2008 elections. But during the 2013 assembly polls, the police recovered R1.76 crores in cash while the figure stood at R33 lakh in 2015. This time, however, R4.68 crore of unexplained cash has already been seized. HIGH INTENSITY POLLS DCP Sinha attributed the increase in recoveries and police action during the MCC to an increase in the intensity of electioneering. To counter that, we have specialised teams conducting frequent raids, he said. Vikram Singh, former Director General (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh Police, said the increase in influx of weapons, liquor and cash into Delhi this election season was because the stakes are much higher this time as compared to the previous years. No other state is going to polls at this time. So, all parties are diverting their money and muscle to Delhi, Singh said, adding that seizures were indicative of pro-active police action. Rebecca Tabares Garza, of Yakima, Wash., pleaded guilty in Yakima County Superior Court to first-degree theft and filing a false insurance claim for 27 injuries she said occurred to herself and her family. Garza was sentenced to two months of home detention, six months of community custody and was ordered to pay $5,175 in restitution and $600 in court fees. Officials charged Garza with three counts each of filing a false insurance claim, forgery and second-degree theft in March 2019 after an investigation by Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidlers Criminal Investigations Unit. According to the investigation, Garza purchased an accident-only policy for herself and her family from American Fidelity Insurance in 2013. The policy provides coverage for injury or death as a result of an accident. From 2013 until 2017, Garza submitted 27 injury claims. Based on the number of claims, American Fidelity opened an investigation into Garza. The insurer identified three claims in 2017 totaling $5,175 for herself and her adult children that she substantiated with falsified medical documentation. American Fidelity canceled Garzas policy and referred the case to Kreidlers CIU. Topics Claims Washington Charoen Pokphand Foods sees no threat from new China bird flu outbreak Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) sees no threat to its operations from the new outbreak of avian influenza in China, and says it is maintaining its 2020 sales targets on expectations that the Chinese government will be able to quickly tackle the outbreak. Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, chief executive officer of CPF, said the outbreak, which was reported in Shaoyang city, Hunan Province, has so far made no impacts on CPF's chicken business in China, which contributes about 2% of the company's total sales. He expressed confidence that Thailand can lick this latest problem, on top of the threats posed by the African swine fever and novel coronavirus, since China, he said, has dealt with bird flu epidemic for more than 10 years and has deep experience. Mr. Prasit said opportunities for chicken meat exports from Thailand to China remain plentiful, thanks to the continuous increase in demand. In 2019, Thailand exported 70,000 tonnes of chicken meat to China and the volume is expected to more than double to 150,000 tonnes this year as more Thai chicken processing plants are expecting to get licenses. He also noted that CPF is witnessing an improvement in the swine business, thanks to high pig prices especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. This is a factor that will allow CPF to achieve its 2020 sales target of about THB600 billion (US$19.35 billion). The precinct caucuses in Iowa could have provided a coming-out moment for the Democratic Party and its field of presidential candidates. Instead, the caucuses resulted in a night of chaos and confusion and, for one more day at least, provided an unexpected gift to President Donald Trump. Collectively, Democrats were floundering and at least partially in the dark as the candidates left Iowa and headed to New Hampshire for events ahead of next week's primary. With no official results released until late afternoon Tuesday, the campaign descended into competing claims about who did well and who did not as the candidates sought to game the system to their advantage. When the Iowa Democratic Party released partial results, the numbers proved again that volatility lies ahead. The situation was ready-made for a president who thrives on chaos, who likes nothing more than to seize on the weaknesses of his opponents. Trump's political style is to divide and conquer, which is how he won the presidency. He is now hoping to divide the Democrats as a way to disrupt the selection of his November rival, weaken his eventual challenger and raise broader doubts about the Democrats' readiness to govern. For Trump, the breakdown in Iowa allowed the spotlight to turn back to him without any of the Democrats being able to fully celebrate victory and gain the kind of attention that other winners in Iowa have enjoyed. The caucuses were supposed to be the one moment for Democrats to seize the headlines in a week when much focus will be on the president, a week that includes Tuesday's State of the Union address and Wednesday's vote in the Senate that will end the impeachment process with an expected acquittal on both articles approved by the House. The president, feeling both exonerated and emboldened, will use the two events as moments of triumph and as a return to business as usual. Whatever history says about the impeachment of this president, and however the coming campaign year treats him, the months since the impeachment proceedings began certainly have been beneficial to him politically. Support for his removal from office has ticked down slightly from where it was when the House began its inquiry. Additionally, Gallup reported Tuesday that the president's job approval rating has risen to 49%, the highest of his presidency. Gallup's numbers reflect not only a rise in his approval among Republicans, to 94%, but also among independents, where his current 42% is five points higher than in early January and marks another high among those Americans. Meanwhile, the Democratic candidates will be heading toward a debate Friday night in New Hampshire that could be as consequential as any of their encounters during the campaign. Whatever the final results from Iowa show, it was apparent from partial numbers that Democratic voters in Iowa remained fractured over their choice of a nominee, despite a year of campaigning. Iowa sometimes produces genuine clarity through its caucus process, but this year something else happened. Candidates swarmed the state and found big crowds of voters there to see and hear them - a sign of the energy that helped Democrats take control of the House in the 2018 midterms and determination to defeat the president in the general election. With two dozen Democrats declaring their candidacies during 2019, Iowa seemed poised to become a more important testing ground than ever. But as the year moved from spring to summer and then to fall, another reality set in. No candidate was able to break away from the others. Iowa voters liked many of the candidates but seemed to love no one in particular. On caucus night, turnout fell far short of the predictions of late last year, when many strategists were suggesting the number of participants would break the 2008 record of nearly 240,000. Whether the smaller turnout was a result of indecision or lessening enthusiasm about their field of candidates is something the Democrats will have to answer if they hope to win in November. Based on partial data released Tuesday, which accounted for 62% of the nearly 1,700 precincts, it appeared possible that the eventual winner will have the lowest percentages of "state delegate equivalents," as Iowa Democrats calculate results, of any previous winner. The results also could have one candidate with more state delegate equivalents, and therefore the official winner, and another with more total votes among those who showed up at the precincts, who will claim a moral victory. The partial results showed former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg leading in the battle for state delegate equivalents, a remarkable standing for a 38-year-old gay ex-mayor from a not-large city. Running second in SDEs was Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., though in these partial results he had more raw votes when participants stated their initial preferences and when they realigned. Buttigieg was benefiting from the complex formula for calculating SDEs. Running third in the partial results was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with former vice president Joe Biden in fourth and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., not far behind him in fifth. The partial results - unless they were to change dramatically, and no one was predicting they would - represent a particularly harsh blow to Biden, who began the campaign as the nominal front-runner, owing to his service as President Barack Obama's vice president and his four decades of experience in the Senate. Overnight Monday, his campaign was raising the most pointed questions about the quality of the state party's data, a sign that the candidate and his advisers preferred to look to the next series of contests with Iowa's results permanently in question. Electability has been Biden's principal argument in claiming to be at least a nominal front-runner. But only about a quarter of Iowa Democrats who said electability was most important backed him Monday. Buttigieg spoke to supporters late Monday night and delivered a speech as if he had been declared the winner. As a tactical maneuver, it was almost Trumpian. More than any of the candidates, he needed a strong finish - in the top three at least and ahead of Biden at a minimum. He could end up with far more than that. Warren, who faced difficult months at the end of last year, looked rejuvenated during the final weekend of the Iowa campaign and sounded so Tuesday when she started campaigning in New Hampshire, describing a race among three candidates: herself, Buttigieg and Sanders. One other candidate could be a beneficiary of how everything played out in Iowa, and especially Biden's performance. Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is skipping the first four states but is spending record amounts of money in the Super Tuesday states and beyond. His hopes depend on a weakened Biden and worries among many Democratic voters about the other alternatives. Campaign officials announced Tuesday that he will double his advertising in key states. Democrats can survive Monday night's messy counting in Iowa. The calendar moves swiftly from here, and the absence of clarity in Iowa will give way to results of upcoming primaries and caucuses. Whether those contests produce an effective nominee by the end of March and one who can rally the Democratic base and appeal to other voters who could help decide the general election is the question that worries many strategists. The president will do what he can to keep the Democrats off-balance and jumped at the opportunity he was given from Iowa. Democrats can't afford to give him more openings. During last nights three-hour episode of The Bachelor, contestant Sydney Hightower went on the first international one-on-one with Peter Weber. The two jetted off in a helicopter to take in the views of Costa Rica. When they landed, there was a picnic waiting for them in a lush field. Later, the two met for dinner next to a romantic watering hole. Throughout the course of their date, Sydney began to open up to Weber about why she might come off as mysterious. Sydney of The Bachelor | Eric McCandless via Getty Images She told him about the struggles of growing up with a white mother and father whos African American and Dominican. She also told him shes only seen her father five times in her life total. Growing up in Alabama, she said her peers would bombard her with racist comments about her and her family. They would call me Oreo girl, and my mom names I dont want to repeat, said Sydney, adding that people would vandalize their home and that she ate lunch in the bathroom stall throughout the course of her senior year. She also didnt go to prom or homecoming. That angers me so much that that kind of stuff still goes on and that you were made to feel that way, said Weber. Im so amazed by your strength. The bachelor told the camera that Sydney possesses the qualities hes looking for in a wife: someone with a huge heart who has so much love to give. It also doesnt hurt that Weber says shes the best kisser of the bunch. Why some Bachelor fans think Sydneys sob story is fake When the episode was airing, a few fans called Sydney out for exaggerating her struggles. LMAOOOOO i knew Sydneys lame a** sob story wasnt true, tweeted one person with a photo of Sydney in high school winning Upperclassmen Top Beauty in what looks to be a pageant. However, several fans pointed out that just because she won a beauty pageant doesnt mean she wasnt a victim of racism. Sydneys response Sydney noticed the fan tweets about her beauty pageant win and addressed them on her Twitter. Feels ridiculous I even have to address this.But correct I did win a beauty pageant my senior year of highschool.That was voted for by 5 judges.Not by my peers.Winning a pageant based off of outer beauty does not take away the racial bullying,and isolation Ive been through, she wrote. I was also on the cheer team in middle school and in many clubs in highschool. Youll do anything you can to fit in, and I tried. I won pageants because of my looks and I was in clubs because I wanted a scholarship to get into college . Not because I was accepted by my peers, she wrote in another tweet. Any one from my highschool want to pull out the videos of girls stuffing my locker with Oreo cookies , vandalizing my home, shoving me in the hall ways? Teachers literally referring to me as a halfbreed? Calling my mother the worst names Ive ever heard in my life? I doubt that, she wrote in another tweet. Read more: The Bachelor: Who Do Fans Even Like at This Point? By Andre Vltchek February 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - There are obviously some serious linguistic issues and disagreements between the West and the rest of the world. Essential terms like freedom, democracy, liberation, even terrorism, are all mixed up and confused; they mean something absolutely different in New York, London, Berlin, and in the rest of the world. Before we begin analyzing, let us recall that countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States, as well as other Western nations, have been spreading colonialist terror to basically all corners of the world. And in the process, they developed effective terminology and propaganda, which has been justifying, even glorifying acts such as looting, torture, rape and genocides. Basically, first Europe, and later North America literally got away with everything, including mass murder.The native people of Americas, Africa and Asia have been massacred, their voices silenced. Slaves were imported from Africa. Great Asian nations, such as China, what is now India and Indonesia, got occupied, divided and thoroughly plundered. And all was done in the name of spreading religion, liberating people from themselves, as well as civilizing them. Nothing has really changed. To date, people of great nations with thousands of years of culture, are treated like infants; humiliated, and as if they were still in kindergarten, told how to behave, and how to think. Sometimes if they misbehave, they get slapped. Periodically they get slapped so hard, that it takes them decades, even centuries, to get back to their feet. It took China decades to recover from the period of humiliation. India and Indonesia are presently trying to recuperate, from the colonial barbarity, and from, in the case of Indonesia, the 1965 U.S.-administered fascist coup. But if you go back to the archives in London, Brussels or Berlin, all the monstrous acts of colonialism, are justified by lofty terms. Western powers are always fighting for justice; they are enlightening and liberating. No regrets, no shame and no second thoughts. They are always correct! Like now; precisely as it is these days. Presently, the West is trying to overthrow governments in several independent countries, on different continents. From Bolivia (the country has been already destroyed) to Venezuela, from Iraq to Iran, to China and Russia. The more successful these countries get, the better they serve their people, the more vicious the attacks from abroad are, the tougher the embargos and sanctions imposed on them are. The happier the citizens are, the more grotesque the propaganda disseminated from the West gets. In Hong Kong, some young people, out of financial interest, or out of ignorance, keep shouting: President Trump, Please Liberate Us! Or similar, but equally treasonous slogans. They are waving U.S., U.K. and German flags. They beat up people who try to argue with them, including their own Police Force. So, let us see, how the United States really liberates countries, in various pockets of the world. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Let us visit Iran, a country which (youd never guess it if consuming only Western mass media) is, despite the vicious embargos and sanctions, on the verge of the highest human development index bracket (UNDP). How is it possible? Simple. Because Iran is a socialist country (socialism with the Iranian characteristics). It is also an internationalist nation which is fighting against Western imperialism. It helps many occupied and attacked states on our planet, including Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia (before), Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq, to name just a few. So, what is the West doing? It is trying to ruin it, by all means; ruin all good will and progress. It is starving Iran through sanctions, it finances and encourages its opposition, as it does in China, Russia and Latin America. It is trying to destroy it. Then, it just bombs their convoy in neighboring Iraq, killing its brave commander, General Soleimani. And, as if it was not horrid enough, it turns the tables around, and starts threatening Teheran with more sanctions, more attacks, and even with the destruction of its cultural sites. Iran, under attack, confused, shot down, by mistake, a Ukrainian passenger jet. It immediately apologized, in horror, offering compensation. The U.S. straightway began digging into the wound. It started to provoke (like in Hong Kong) young people. The British ambassador, too, got involved! As if Iran and the rest of the world should suddenly forget that during its attack on Iraq, more than 3 decades ago, Washington actually shot down an Iranian wide-body passenger plane (Iran Air flight 655, an Airbus-300), on a routine flight from Bandar Abbas to Dubai.In an accident, 290 people, among them 66 children, lost their lives. That was considered war collateral. Iranian leaders then did not demand regime change in Washington. They were not paying for riots in New York or Chicago. As China is not doing anything of that nature, now. The Liberation of Iraq (in fact, brutal sanctions, bombing, invasion and occupation) took more than a million Iraqi lives, most of them, those of women and children. Presently, Iraq has been plundered, broken into pieces, and on its knees. Is this the kind of liberation that some of the Hong Kong youngsters really want? No? But if not, is there any other performed by the West, in modern history? Washington is getting more and more aggressive, in all parts of the world. It also pays more and more for collaboration. And it is not shy to inject terrorist tactics into allied troops, organizations and non-governmental organizations. Hong Kong is no exception. Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia, China, Venezuela, but also many other countries, should be carefully watching and analyzing each and every move made by the United States. The West is perfecting tactics on how to liquidate all opposition to its dictates. It is not called a war, yet. But it is. People are dying. The lives of millions are being ruined. Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Five of his latest books are China Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting Countries, Saving Millions of Lives, China and Ecological Cavillation with John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism , a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: Exposing Lies Of The Empire. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter . His Patreon Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== US Deploys 'Low Yield' Nuclear Weapon in Response to Russian Tests By VOA News February 04, 2020 The Pentagon says it is deploying long-range missiles armed with low-yield nuclear warheads of reduced destructive power in response to Russia testing similar weapons. A U.S. Defense Department statement issued Tuesday asserted it will increase the security of the United States. According to the statement, the 'low-yield' weapon, known as the W76-2, will "address the conclusion that potential adversaries, like Russia, believe that employment of low-yield nuclear weapons will give them an advantage over the United States and its allies and partners." This debut deployment of the weapon on long-range submarines comes during a reassessment of the U.S.-Russia strategic relationship. It is unclear whether the Trump administration will accept Moscow's offer to extend the New START arms control treaty before it expires next February. Russia also is believed to have a supply of "tactical" nuclear weapons that are less destructive than American weapons, inciting fears the W76-2 will increase the possibility of a nuclear conflict because it lowers the threshold of the use of nuclear weapons and might represent a miscalculation of Russia's intentions. It is suspected that Russia's focus has shifted to non-nuclear means, such as undermining Western cybersecurity. "I maintain that this is one weapon that will not add to our national security but would only increase the risk of miscalculation with dire consequences," Democratic U.S. Senator Jack Reed said in a Senate floor speech in December. VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 01:42:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday night talked over phone with British Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill on the novel coronavirus epidemic control as well as cooperation between their two countries. Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, briefed Sedwill on the latest developments of China's prevention and control measures on the novel coronavirus epidemic. Yang noted that under the personal command and deployment of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government regards the prevention and control of the epidemic as the most important task at present. Yang said that China is not only responsible for the life, safety, and health of the Chinese people, but also making its greatest efforts to safeguard the health of the world's people and global public health safety. "We have the confidence and ability to defeat the epidemic," Yang said, adding that China appreciates the support and assistance offered by the international community. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that it does not agree to or even opposes travel and trade restriction measures, Yang said, adding that China hopes that the British side could understand and support China's efforts, respect the WHO's professional advice, and make sure that the regular cooperation and exchanges between China and Britain will go unaffected. Sedwill, who is also the national security advisor to the British prime minister, said the British side fully recognizes the tremendous efforts and effective measures China has taken to combat the epidemic. Britain has always treated and responded to the epidemic with a prudent and calm attitude, believing the mortality rate is low and there is no need to panic, he said. The British side is ready to strengthen cooperation with China and provide assistance to China as much as possible, Sedwill said. For his part, Yang said as China and Britain are both permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as major influential countries, their cooperation will not only benefit the two peoples, but also contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity. At present, the China-Britain relations are facing new opportunities. The two sides should take a long-term view, blaze new trails, maintain high-level exchanges and deepen dialogue and mutual trust to push forward exchanges and cooperation in various fields, he said. The two sides should handle their differences properly based on the principle of mutual respect while strengthening communication and coordination in international affairs, Yang said. He also expressed the hope that Britain can create a fair, open and non-discriminatory market environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in the country. Sedwill said the new British government attaches great importance to its relations with China and that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is willing to maintain good exchanges with Chinese leaders, promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation and jointly push for more new achievements in China-Britain ties. Sedwill said Britain welcomes Chinese enterprises to continue to expand investment in Britain and is willing to provide favorable conditions for this. Britain is also ready to enhance cooperation with China on such issues as climate change, bio-diversity and sustainable development, he said. Vietnam introduced Resolution 119/NQ-CP to address increasing cases of transshipment and origin fraud. The resolution aims to promote cooperation among government agencies and more stringent product origin checks. The move is in line with Vietnams desire to satisfy US rules of origin requirements and address the trade surplus with the US. The Vietnamese government introduced Resolution 119/NQ-CP (Resolution 119) in December 2019 to address increasing cases of origin fraud and illegal transshipment. Origin fraud or transshipment is when exports from one country, such as China, are minimally processed or altered during a brief stop in a third country, such as Vietnam, and then re-exported as a product originating from that country. Industries particularly susceptible to transshipment include textiles, seafood, agriculture, honey, steel, iron, aluminum, and timber. With the resolution, the government hopes to enhance important trading partners trust in Vietnamese goods and regulations of the Vietnamese government in trade. Origin fraud and transshipment cases Origin fraud became more widespread in 2019. According to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam, there were 20 investigations of products under suspicion of origin fraud. Particularly, steel exports were investigated in six of those 20 cases. In October 2019, US$4 billion of aluminum shipment was seized by Vietnam Customs, which was on its way to the US and other countries. While only 15 percent of tax is levied on Vietnams aluminum exports to the US, Chinas are subject to 374 percent. This is just one of many cases of origin fraud in Vietnam as a result of the US-China trade war. The General Department of Vietnam Customs pointed out two main reasons for the prevalence of origin fraud. First, Vietnams legal requirement for application of certificate of origin (CO) is not comprehensive enough and the penalty mechanism has little preventive power. Currently, businesses that commit origin fraud are only fined with VND200 million (US$8,625), while they can earn millions on each shipment. Second, as some countries (including the US) allow exporters to certify and declare the imports origin themselves (without any further inspection from the authority), some firms take advantage of this to commit origin fraud outside Vietnams territory. Origin fraud can have a significant determinantal effect on compliant businesses and consumers trust in products and services. It can even hinder the prospects of Vietnam joining other free trade agreements (FTAs) due to distrust from trading partners. In light of Vietnams participation in FTAs such as the Comprehensive and Progress Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Vietnam-EU FTA (EVFTA), the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Finance, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and General Department of Vietnam Customs came up with Resolution 119 to address the issue. Resolution 119 Resolution 119 aims to promote cooperation among ministries in information sharing and the product inspection process. We highlight five main points of the resolution. Related ministries are in charge of monitoring, publicizing and updating information of export goods that are under investigation for origin fraud. The ministries would pay close attention to specific categories of goods which simultaneously have a sudden increase in both import and export. The Trade Remedies Authorities also announced 25 items that need trade remedies investigation, such as plywood, electric bicycles, steel. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) should soon introduce policies to encourage research and development and to attract foreign direct investment into the supporting industry, which is striving for a higher localization rate. Higher localization rates in the products would entitle exporters to preferential CO, which allows them to pay lower or no customs duty under relevant FTAs or the Generalized Schemes of Preference (GSP). Vietnam Customs still allows exporting firms to certify the products origin themselves, and then submit the CO online to the Customs Department. However, the authority would tighten their control over the CO and raise the frequency of their inspection for these firms. Others would still follow the procedure stipulated in Decision 31/2018/ND-CP. International cooperation would be further promoted through agreements to monitor Vietnams goods outside Vietnams territory. Resolution for sustainable trade To ensure a transparent future for Vietnams international trade, firms also need to proactively adhere to exporting guidelines and make proactive decisions about the production of goods for export. The new regulations will hopefully ensure the sustainable development of Vietnams global trade and rights of businesses that are compliant. This is imperative given Vietnams participation in several FTAs and bilateral agreements which entail applicable guidelines on rules of origin. If the issue is not addressed, Vietnam could face slower export procedures and outright tariffs and duties, hampering the countrys export-oriented economy. Hong Kong market regulators have decided not to give a blanket exemption for listed companies to delay their financial reporting beyond the March 31 deadline, after the accounting body highlighted potential delays caused by travel restrictions in mainland China and elsewhere. Instead, the companies have been asked to get in touch with the regulators and provide explanations if they are unable to complete or issue their financial results on time as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to guidelines issued by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing on Tuesday. The regulators, however, said they will approve any delay on a case-by-case basis for those affected by the viral outbreak. The instructions came after the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday that both sides of the industry held an emergency meeting to consider allowing companies to delay their 2019 annual results beyond the March 31 deadline, or issue unaudited results instead. The coronavirus outbreak has prompted China to lock down several cities in central Hubei province, including the capital, Wuhan, where the deadly virus originated. The Chinese government has also disabled several transport hubs to contain the outbreak, while many carriers have since halted flights to mainland China and Hong Kong began to tighten border controls. There were 1,241 mainland Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong at the end of 2019, making up half of the 2,449 members of the bourse, according to exchange data. They accounted for 73 per cent of the exchange's market capitalisation and 83 per cent of the average daily turnover, reflecting their dominance and importance over the years to Asia's third-largest capital market. Hong Kong has stepped up border controls amid pressures by medical profession to contain the viral outbreak. Photo: Edmond So alt=Hong Kong has stepped up border controls amid pressures by medical profession to contain the viral outbreak. Photo: Edmond So Story continues "Where an issuer is unable to obtain agreement from its auditors but is otherwise in all respects able to publish its preliminary results in full compliance with the other reporting requirements set out in the Listing Rules, it should publish such preliminary results (without the agreement with its auditors) on or before the deadline," according to the joint statement. "In such cases, the exchange will normally allow trading in the securities of the issuer to continue," it added. If companies considered they may miss the deadlines, they must tell the exchange immediately and should notify their shareholders, the regulators said. The regulators said they may halt the trading of companies if they did not provide sufficient information to the market. The joint statement fell short of expectation and did not go down well with Clement Chan, managing director of BDO, which is the fifth-largest accounting firm in Hong Kong with over 200 listed companies as its clients. "It lacks clarity and effective responses seen by accountants to be helpful under the circumstances," Chan said. "I am also not sure whether due and enough consideration have been given on the potential health threat and hazard posed to accountants in this matter." Chan, who called for a blanket extension in reporting deadline, said almost every single listed company with December 31 year end will be affected. Even Hong Kong-based auditors were also required to work from home this week, he said. A spokesman of the HKEX said it needed to consider all parties' interests. "The exchange and the SFC are aware that many issuers and their auditors are facing extraordinary circumstances and challenges and will work with them to seek a satisfactory solution for all stakeholders," he said. "It is the objective of the Exchange and the SFC to minimise disruptions to trading while ensuring that the investing public continues to receive sufficient information to make informed investment decisions." The Shanghai Stock Exchange on Saturday also said it would approve requests for a delay in result announcements on a case-by-case basis. Its members are still expected to announce their results by the end of April according to onshore listing rules. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Sadraddin Agjayev - Trend: Connect LLC, Azerbaijans internet provider company, has changed the billing period for internet services, Amina Safikhanova, head of the customer department of Connect LLC, told Trend. Safikhanova noted that from Feb. 1, 2020, the subscription fee for internet services is fully charged at the beginning of each billing period. To use the internet services during the month, subscribers will have to pay a monthly fee in accordance with the tariff, the head of the customer department added. The billing period is one month, Safikhanova noted. Earlier the subscription fee for services was charged daily during the billing period, and now the entire amount is charged at the beginning of the billing period. Connect LLC is one of the leading and developing companies operating in the field of information and communication technologies in Azerbaijan. The company was founded in 2005. For more than ten years, Connect has been providing internet and TV services in Baku and Sumgayit cities, creating new solutions covering many areas of information technology. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell presented Chief Justice John Roberts with a 'golden gavel' at the conclusion of President Trump's impeachment trial Wednesday, a distinction usually reserved for members of the Senate. The Kentucky Republican had a Senate page deliver the gift to Roberts after Trump was acquitted on both articles of impeachment. 'We typically award this to the senators who have put in 100 hours, but we can all believe that the chief justice has put in his due and then some,' McConnell announced on the Senate floor. Chief Justice John Roberts was gifted a 'golden gavel' at the conclusion of President Trump's impeachment trial Wednesday on Capitol Hill A smiling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Supreme Court Justice John Roberts would be getting the golden gavel directly after the Senate's acquittal vote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asked a Senate page (center) to present Chief Justice John Roberts with the gift In his remarks, McConnell noted that there was precedent for this move. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Roberts' predecessor, had been given one at the conclusion of President Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999. Both impeachments ended with the same result: Presidents Trump and Clinton were not removed from office. McConnell was in a chipper mood after the Senate vote as he announced Roberts' gift. 'I know that my colleagues join me in thanking Chief Justice Roberts for presiding over the Senate trial with a clear head and steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands,' McConnell said. 'We know full well that his presence as our presiding officer came in addition to and not instead of his day job across the street,' McConnell continued. The Supreme Court is located across the street from the U.S. Capitol. 'So the Senate thanks the chief justice and his staff who helped him to perfrom this unique role,' McConnell said. He then instructed a Senate page to approach the dais and hand over a small box to Roberts. 'Thank you very much,' Roberts responded. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer then gave his thank yous - including to the Senate pages - but did not mention Roberts, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush. After both leaders concluded, Roberts said he, too, wanted to make a statement - speaking more then than he had for the entirety of the trial. 'I would like to begin by thanking the majority leader and the democratic leader for their support as I attempted to carry out ill-defined responsibilities in unfamiliar setting,' Roberts said. Roberts also said thanks to the Senate's secretary, its legislative staff, the sergeant at arms. 'And thank you, all, for making my presence here as comfortable as possible,' he said, looking out into the body. He then invited members of Congress to come visit him during proceedings at the Supreme Court. 'We keep the front row of the gallery in our courtroom open for members of Congress who might want to drop by to see an argument - or to escape one,' he said. 'I also depart with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter,' Roberts continued. 'You have been generous host, and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances,' the chief justice added. And with a clap of hs gavel, Trump's trial drew to a close. 'I move that the Seante sitting as the court of impeachment on the articles against Donald John Trump adjourn,' Roberts said. 'Sine die.' Georgia gets another crack at 'Bama for college football title In parallel with the opening of the spring parliamentary session in Georgia, opposition leaders announced the start of a new phase in the struggle to change election laws. The protest planned for for February 4 was held today (due to the tragedy in Bagdati, where women and children died). After the last autumn events, when special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs several times thwarted an attempt to completely block the legislative building, the ruling Georgian Dream party and the "united opposition" held several rounds of negotiations with the mediation of the EU ambassador and a number of diplomats from Western countries. Perhaps, experienced U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan, who recently handed her credentials to Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, will also join in this process in the near future. Both sides of the protracted confrontation put high hopes on her. But no matter how qualified Ms. Degnan and other Western participants in the process are, they most likely will not be able to resolve the fundamental contradiction between the ruling party and the opposition, which has arisen after the failure of the promised constitutional reform. That is the transition to a proportional electoral system (on a party list basis) instead of the current mixed proportional and majoritarian system since this autumn, when decisive parliamentary elections are due to take place in the country. It is important to take into account that the opposition has a moral advantage, which has become a political resource, since the Georgian Dream was unable to clearly explain why the reform initiated last summer by their leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, did not gain the required number of votes of the ruling partys lawmakers during voting on constitutional amendments. The constant focus of public attention on the political dishonesty of the ruling party and its leaders, the organization of 'corridors of shame', when students supporting the opposition reproach the Georgian Dream MPs for "shamelessly deceiving the nation" in front of TV cameras, gives the opposition an election bonus. Especially the three most influential parties: Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM), Davit Bakradze's European Georgia (EG) and Shalva Natelashvili's Labor Party (GLP). At the same time, opposition leaders constantly appeal to their Western partners, pointing to the futility of the dialogue with Georgian Dream because of the mistrust that arose after the 'deception of the century'. The opposition can hols various actions, including 'corridors of shame', try to block the parliament and block the streets all the time, and the authorities, being ashamed of the fact that they could not or did not want to keep their reform promise, are unlikely to dare to use force fully or arrest leaders of the protest movement. Indeed, in the current conditions this is fraught with serious western sanctions: the number of congressmen and senators, who have sent "open letters" to the Georgian PM sharply criticizing his governments domestic and foreign policies, is growing. On the other hand, the 'united opposition' obviously lacks the resources to organize a 'Rose revolution 2' on Rustaveli Avenue, as ex-president Saakashvili recently said, promising supporters to return to his ancestral homeland from Ukraine on the crest of this 'revolution'. As for the sluggish negotiations on a possible compromise in the form of the German election model with the priority of proportional voting, or the formula with 100 MPs elected on the basis of the party-list system, 50 elected in single-mandate constituencies (instead of the current 73 + 77), they will most likely remain the background, on which the country will approach the next fateful election, scheduled for October 31. Indeed, they expected to be the 'hottest' in the history of Georgia. OTTAWAOleg Sentsov is frequently asked how he survived five years in a Russian prison, and he still cant offer an explanation. But the Ukrainian filmmaker has an unwavering message about how to get rid of the man who put him there. Preserve and increase sanctions on Russia, keep Russia out of the G7, and keep bringing economic and political pressure to bear on Russia so that one day disgruntled, well-intentioned Russians may eventually drive President Vladimir Putin from power, Sentsov says. Only then will his country get back the territory Russia took from it in 2014 when it annexed Ukraines Crimea region and sent separatist militias into his countrys eastern Donbass region, he said. Canada is a strong country and is stronger than Ukraine, Sentsov said Tuesday in an interview through a Russian-language translator between meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a special session with MPs and senators. Putin doesnt understand talk of peace. He only understands the language of force. Trudeau praised Sentsov and reiterated condemnation of Russia as he welcomed the one-time political prisoner to his Parliament Hill office. Sentsov was released in September after being jailed in what is widely viewed as a vendetta by Putin. Sentsov was released as part of a larger prisoner-swap between Ukraine and Russia after serving part of his 20-year sentence in a prison colony in Russias Arctic for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism charges he denies. Amnesty International has said Sentsov was subjected to an extremely cynical show trial and should never have spent a moment in prison. Sentsov staged a 144-day hunger strike to protest the imprisonment of dozens of Ukrainians in Russia. Two months after his release, Sentsov was awarded Europes highest human-rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, named for the celebrated Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Asked how he survived prison, Sentsov paused silently. I dont know why I am such a person why I am tall, why I have green eyes, he said. The most important thing you need to know is I am not the only one in my country that is like that. There are many people like this, people that you havent heard of and that you dont know anything about. Russia is holding hundreds of political prisoners in Crimea and Donbass, he said. They include soldiers, civil society members and many underage children. The only way to break them out is to get rid of Putin and end his six-year-old war against his country. Some in the West are doing more than others. In Sentsovs view, Europe isnt pulling its weight. They look at him through the prism of their culture and their values of the world. Too many European countries are too dependent on Russian oil and gas to take a stand against Putin. Europeans are behaving like good, well-behaved children at a birthday party, he said. Then one hooligan comes to that party, sits on the table and starts eating the cake. And they are trying to persuade him, do not eat the cake, he said. And those kids are saying, maybe we can convince him to not eat the cake. And then the hooligan says, yeah, yeah, sure and continues doing that. The United States and Canada are in a stronger position because they dont rely on Russia for energy, he said. Earlier, Trudeau thanked Sentsov for your advocacy, for your strong voice and for your commitment to sharing your story in a way that advances the cause of a strong Ukraine. Sentsov met Tuesday evening with a group of MPs and senators, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of many Canadian parliamentarians to advocate for Sentsovs release. Heres a real hero who has stood in the face of Putins kangaroo courts during his hunger strike, said Conservative MP James Bezan, whose family is of Ukrainian descent. He endured the incredibly brutal prison system that they have in Russia and never wavered in his support for an independent Ukraine. Crimea is Ukrainian territory and he was innocent. Sentsov finds it difficult to walk into a room and accept accolades for a job well done when he feels responsible for people still in prison, and a responsibility for my country that is not reformed. He said he feels responsible for continuous Russian aggression and that his country still hasnt reclaimed the territory that was forcibly taken from it. For me, he said, thats why I cant stop. From beaches to soothing spa treatments and enthralling water sports, Maldives is a destination that has something for everyone. Couples who are planning their honeymoon in the Maldives this Valentine's Day 2020, here are some of the top romantic things to do in the Maldives that will give memories to cherish for life. Take a look at all the options that one has when it comes to places to visit and things to do in the Maldives. Romantic things to do in the Maldives this Valentine's Day 2020 Go Island hopping at some of the most luxurious resorts There are many beautiful islands in the Maldives and going from one island to another is one of the must things to do in the Maldives. The stunning islands with luxurious resorts are some of the best tourist attractions for couples who want to enjoy their leisure time. There are several island resorts like Maalifushi by COMO and Makunudu Island that couples can opt for. Indulge in Romantic Massage at the One and Only One Reethi Rah Couples can enjoy exploring the sandy beaches where they can also request for a sand massage. Indulging in massages with the native coconut oil is one of the romantic things to do in the Maldives. Spas that couples can try out for are Six Senses Laamu, One And Only One Reethi Rah and PER AQUUM Huvafen Fushi. ALSO READ | Venice Carnival 2020: Everything You Need To Know About The Event Snooze underwater at Aquarium restaurant Couples can also plan a date underwater. There are some popular underwater aquarium restaurants like The Ithaa underwater aquarium restaurant and Maldives Rangali Islands resort. Couples can enjoy champagne along with mouth-watering cuisine. ALSO READ | Destinations In Australia That Every Budding Photographer Must Visit Capture beautiful moments at the bioluminescent beach Couples can surprise their partner by planning a trip to one of the best places to visit in the Maldives for honeymoon - the bioluminescent beach. A stroll along the beautiful sea of stars is one of the most romantic things to do in the Maldives. Couples can get to explore nature at its best. ALSO READ | Top Pilgrimage Places In Kerala That You Must Visit; Read Full List Take a boat ride in the North Mal- atoll A trip to the Maldives would be incomplete without planning a stay at the Gili Lankanfushi resort located in the North Mal- atoll. Couples can book a Crusoe Residence that includes a queen-sized bed along with sun decks that offer complete privacy. Getting away from the hustle and bustle and spending one-on-one time is truly one of the romantic things to do in the Maldives. ALSO READ | Romantic Places In Kerala For Couples That One Must Check Out Senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar spoke to Zee News editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary at India ka DNA conclave ahead of the Delhi Assembly election 2020. On the question of BJP not announcing the Chief minister candidate in Delhi, he expressed confidence that BJP will win with an absolute majority. He said, 'We do not do politics for the brand, we do politics for the poor, the people. The Chief Minister will be chosen by our MLAs. Declaring a chief minister would seem like a part of a strategy." Live TV Javadekar blamed the Kejriwal-led government in Delhi for not implementing many of the Central government schemes like Ayushman Yojana, schemes to benefit farmers, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and stalling construction work for the fourth phase of Metro in Delhi for more than three years. He claimed, "We are telling you that the Kejriwal government is stopping development work in the capital." He promised to make Delhi pollution-free and provide clean water. Javadekar said, 'They have been saying for the past four-and-a-half-years that the Modi government is not allowing them to work, now they are showing their achievement to the public. The people of Delhi get dirty, stinking water. People are upset. Delhi has the worst water. The issue is not of bills, the issue is of clean water '. P olice are hunting a man who is accused of mimicking "making a noose" before grabbing an African-American woman around the neck. Police in Kentucky have said they are trying to find a man pictured in CCTV footage as part of their enquiries into a possible hate crime. Authorities said the woman, who was working in Lexington Walmart, said the man approached her table after she asked him a question. The employee said the man made motions with his hands and said he was making a noose. The man then leaned forward and briefly placed his hands around the woman's neck, police said. The man was pictured leaving Walmart after the incident SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpsRamp, the service-centric AIOps platform, announced today that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , has named OpsRamp as one of its 100 Coolest Cloud Companies of 2020. This annual list honors the premier cloud technology suppliers in five key categories: infrastructure, platforms and development, security, storage, and software. The CRN editorial team selects the 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Companies according to their originality and innovation in product development, the quality of their services and partner programs, and their success in helping their customers save money and maximize the impact of their cloud computing technology. In addition to honoring outstanding technology suppliers, the 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list also enables solution providers to identify the most advanced cloud technology players aiding them in selecting the companies that can best support their cloud service needs. OpsRamp was chosen for its capabilities to discover, monitor, manage, and automate cloud infrastructure alongside on-premises resources for one consolidated view into business service health and visibility. The platform has deep integrations with all the major cloud providers ( AWS , Google Cloud Platform , Azure ) and can also monitor and manage cloud native resources as well. Whats more, the platform is built to help accelerate the migration to cloud for large enterprises by providing IT operations teams intelligence on multi-cloud environments and simplifying resource management. "The IT channel relies on cloud services as the foundation for building modern, transformational solutions, said Bob Skelley, CEO, The Channel Company. CRNs annual list of 100 Coolest Cloud Companies seeks to honor the top cloud providers, whose mission and actions support innovation in cloud-based technologies. Our team congratulates these honorees and thanks them for their commitment to leading positive change in cloud technology." Were honored to be selected for this award, said Ciaran Byrne, VP of Product Strategy for OpsRamp. Given the skyrocketing adoption of public cloud platforms, enterprises are using a number of approaches to smoothly transition on-prem workloads to the cloud. OpsRamp gives them the flexibility and control they need to consolidate these workloads across the business, manage them according to business goals, and automate tasks wherever possible. Its truly a modern platform for the challenges of enterprise cloud migration. The new 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list will be featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/cloud100 . About OpsRamp OpsRamp enables IT to control the chaos of managing their hybrid IT operations and act like a service provider back to the business. Built in the cloud, the OpsRamp service-centric AIOps platform drives total visibility across hybrid infrastructures, offers complete multi-cloud infrastructure monitoring and management of business-critical services, and optimizes services through automation and integration with ITSM and DevOps tools. Now enterprise IT can deliver IT operations as a service and power a digital operations command center thats built for the challenges of modern, hybrid infrastructure. Follow OpsRamp on Twitter Find OpsRamp on LinkedIn Bookmark Our Blog Visit the OpsRamp Newsroom About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter , LinkedIn, and Facebook . 2019. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact: Jennifer Hogan The Channel Company jhogan@thechannelcompany.com Didnt get enough of Peter Webers search for love this week? Youre in luck. Episode 6 of The Bachelor airs just two days after the last one, on Wednesday night, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. ET. Even if your household doesnt have cable, there are still ways to watch the drama unfold as it airs (and before it gets spoiled on social media). Heres the information youll need to watch the fourth episode of The Bachelor online without cable. When is 'The Bachelor on? Episode 6 of The Bachelor airs on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will continue to air on Mondays at 8 p.m. How to watch The Bachelor without cable Live stream The Bachelor on Hulu Live TV. How to catch up on The Bachelor online on-demand Previous episodes can be found on Hulu Live TV. There are also clips on The Bachelor website. (If you havent caught up, stop here. Spoilers below.) What happened last episode on The Bachelor Mondays episode started with contestant Alayah Benavidez back with the group, which was a controversial decision for many fans. But she didnt last long, according to TV Insider. Benavidez was sent home before the rose ceremony. During the rose ceremony, Deandra, Savannah, and Kiarra were all sent home. And then the group left for Costa Rica. Some of the biggest drama this episode came from Kelsey. She began by spiraling out of control when Sydney got a one-on-one date. Later Tammy tells Peter that Kelsey has been drinking excessively and having mental breakdowns, according to TV Insider. In the end, Kelsey stole extra time with Peter by confronting him about the rumors. She also addressed the girls about it with a rose in hand. Who went home last episode? Benavidez, Deandra, Savannah, Kiarra, Lexi and Shiann were all sent home in Episode 5. There are 10 contestants left contending for Webers love. Related Content: Sneak Peek clip from The Bachelor" episode 6: Philadelphia, February 3, 2020 - The Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (PPDC) has announced its latest round of seed grants to companies developing medical devices for children. The Consortium chose four projects from eight finalists in a competition to receive seed grants of $50,000 each. The devices are a less-invasive method of inserting pacemaker leads for cardiac therapies, a novel bioprosthetic pulmonary valved conduit for congenital heart surgery, a mechanically customized physical therapy system, and a novel device to improve the outcomes of pediatric hip surgery. Funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and based at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the PPDC provides know-how and seed funding to help innovators translate promising ideas into commercial medical devices for use in children. The PPDC is a collaboration involving CHOP, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and sciVelo of the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. The new round of awards is the seventh by the PPDC, following seed grants announced in February 2015, January 2016, January 2017, October 2017, July 2018, and May 2019. "The sponsored projects chosen for support this year represent novel approaches to address major unmet needs for pediatric medical devices," said cardiologist Robert J. Levy, MD, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Consortium's Principal Investigator. Children's National Hospital of Washington, D.C. and PeriCor LLC of Bethesda, M.D. are developing the PeriPath, an access tool that enables single incision delivery of cardiac therapies for children. Children who suffer from arrhythmias require a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and open chest surgery is performed to connect the leads for these devices. The PeriPath presents a less invasive method of implanting cardiac therapy leads in pediatric patients. TGen Tech, LLC, headquartered at Tech Alpharetta in Georgia, is developing a differentiated Pulmonary Valved Conduit to improve the clinical outcomes of substitute conduit arteries in infants and children with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). An estimated 2.5 million patients in the US have a CHD, which includes 40,000 newborns annually. Several thousand of these patients have a defect that requires the use of a non-native conduit artery, such as a bovine jugular vein (BJV), to replace structures that are congenitally absent or hypoplastic. TGen Tech uses patented decellularization and physical fixation technology for valved conduit devices to augment the already recognized qualities of BJV and several other cardiovascular applications, including heart valve repair and replacement devices. For more information, visit http://www.tgentech.com. The Venture Development Center and Physical Therapy Department at the University of Delaware are collaborating to develop the DE-AFO. This ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), designed by Ahad Behboodi, PhD and his team, utilizes electro-active polymer as artificial muscles to assist ankle motion in children with cerebral palsy (CP). CP, the most common neurological disorder in the pediatric population, is often associated with ankle control deficiencies. The DE-AFO is a compact and comfortable smart AFO for children with CP to help them walk easier and longer. The University of Pittsburgh received funding for a Dynamic Hip Stabilization Tether for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). DDH is the incorrect development of the hip joint, which can lead to abnormal gait, decreased strength, and increased rate of degenerative hip and knee joint diseases. This project plans to create a surgically inserted tethering device to improve outcomes of hip stabilization surgery on pediatric patients. ### Applications for PPDC funding opportunities are accepted from throughout the U.S. The Consortium also accepts applications year-round for in-kind services and expert advice. For more information on the PPDC, visit https://ppdc.research.chop.edu/ About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 564-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu. WILLIAMSPORT A Massachusetts man accused in a federal civil suit of placing spy cameras in a Centre County apartment has lost his bid for damages from the man and woman who sued him. U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Tuesday dismissed the counterclaims of Nils D. Knutrud, 29, of Westborough, because he has not filed required legal documents or communicated in any way with the plaintiffs or court. The last entry in the court docket by Knutrud, who represents himself, was Sept. 23 when he responded to the suit filed by Matthew Crust and Tina Edelstein. The response included counterclaims. Branns decision does not affect the suit in which Knutrud is accused of secretly recording the two in a State College area apartment and accessing without permission Edelsteins iCloud account that contained nude and semi-nude pictures she had taken of herself. Knutrud was charged criminally on Jan. 17, 2019, by Ferguson Twp. police in relation to those allegations. He pleaded guilty in December to two counts of invasion of privacy and is awaiting sentencing. The following are allegations taken from the arrest affidavit in the criminal case and the civil complaint: Crust, Edelstein and Knutrud, all former Penn State students, knew each other for about two years before August 2017 when they moved into Knutruds apartment with him. Knutrud as a Christmas gift that year gave them a DVD player that he installed at the foot of their bed. Edelstein became suspicious over the way the player was given to them and that Knutrud would take it to his upstairs bedroom at times. In May 2018, Edelstein and Crust took it to Best Buy where staff confirmed the presence of the camera, microphone and storage device. A USB card reader viewed during the police investigation contained 43 motion-activated videos including those of Knutrud installing the player and focusing it on the bed. Multiple hard drives, storage devices and computer-related equipment were found in the apartment as were two cameras hidden in a bathroom attached to the bedroom Crust and Edelstein shared. Videos and audio recordings were recovered. In response to the civil suit, Knutrud contended all three agreed to have cameras in the apartment. He claimed he set up cameras because Edelstein was attempting to have an affair with him and Crust told him if he was lying about it he would get beat up and if she is lying I will leave her. In his counterclaims, which Brann dismissed, Knutrud sought damages for unpaid rent, money loaned to Crust to pay gambling debts and emotional stress related to Crohns disease and an arthritic condition affecting his back. Knutrud also alleged the two urinated on his $5,000 special mattress the day they moved out. Crust and Edelstein, who deny those allegations, are seeking damages for invasion of privacy cite, violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and Stored Communications Act and the right of informational privacy guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution. -- John Beauge stories that have appeared recently on PennLive Residents ring Sunbury treasurers phone off the hook after getting erroneous tax notices Shamokin area man says he got letters from inmates intended for nonlicensed attorney No Eagles Mere toboggan slide again this year because ice is not thick enough Northumberland County man charged with practicing law without a license Weather has slowed cleanup at site of massive I-80 pileup in Union County Amicable settlement reported in suit over rare, uncirculated Lincoln pennies Taking on the government over the amended citizenship law, NCP leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday said in Lok Sabha that when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. Speaking against the motion of thanks on the President's address, Sule said government is hiding its economic crisis behind its "divisive agenda". "India is persecuted and completely polarised today. Caste and creed has reached our homes. The entire country has been polarised, either one is with CAA or against it," she said. On criticism of anti-CAA protests, Sule said, "When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty." Requesting the BJP to introspect, Sule said its policies have made it sit in the opposition in various states. Questioning the government's commitment to cooperative federalism in the country, Sule asked why the Bhima-Koregaon case was transferred to NIA after the change of government in Maharashtra. She also raised the issue of farmers getting lower prices for onions and requested the government to allow export of the vegetable for better price realisation for farmers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 35 off-the-shoulder dress worn by Labour MP Tracy Brabin in the Commons - deemed 'inappropriate' for Westminster by some - is now flying off the shelves at online retailer ASOS. Yesterday, Ms Brabin was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' by critics after photos of her emerged wearing the 35 shoulder-baring Bodycon number in Parliament. The Shadow Culture Secretary, 58, hit back strongly at the criticism, firing off a withering riposte on Twitter yesterday evening that said: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not...a slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' However, it seems the sartorial storm has an up side for fashion giant ASOS, which sells a version of the classic little black dress for 35. The retailer has put a 'selling fast' label across photos of the frock on its website since the debate made the headlines. Scroll down for video Labour MP and shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin pictured wearing the off-the-shoulder dress - thought to be a 35 pleated pencil dress - in the Commons yesterday. Critics said her choice of attire made her look like 'a tart', something which she has since called 'everyday sexism' The 35 own-design ASOS pleated pencil dress has been labelled 'selling fast' on the retailer's website, after the sartorial storm hit the headlines The classic pencil dress comes only in black and is described by ASOS as perfect for 'that thing you have to go to'. Right: The over-the-knee frock is actually reasonably modest, with just the right shoulder area on display Described as an 'own-brand pleated shoulder pencil dress', the outfit is pitched by the online retailer as perfect for 'that thing you have to go to'... in Ms Brabin's case, Westminster. ASOS' cut-price version of the close-fitting classic uses Bodycon to accentuate the figure in all the right places - and might actually be reasonably modest were it not for the more risky off-the-shoulder element. Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. THE CLASSIC LITTLE BLACK DRESS... WITH A SEXIER EDGE ASOS' purse-friendly 35 off-the-shoulder number, which is flying off the online retailer's shelves at lightning speed after Ms Brabin wore it while speaking in the Commons yesterday, offers fashion fans a versatile - and more risque - twist on a timeless classic. Away from the high street, couture designers have long been fans of this particularly flattering take on the LBD design. Roland Mouret is currently selling a similar incarnation of the black shoulder-baring dress for a princely 1,757, while US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, retailing at 105. ASOS 35 version of the classic black pencil dress is made from Bodycon, which ensures it offers wearers a close fit Was Roland Mouret's 2020 black shoulder-baring dress, which retails at 1,757, the inspiration for ASOS' version? Right, US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, at 105 So, what's the appeal? Versatility; with a smart jacket, the pleated pencil dress can seamlessly become business attire. And the more daring shoulder element ensures it can be transformed effortlessly into evening wear. A kick-split at the back of the dress makes it comfortable to wear too. ASOS' cut-price version of the close-fitting classic uses Bodycon to accentuate the figure in all the right places - and might actually be reasonably modest were it not for the more risky off-the-shoulder element. Indeed, Ms Brabin admitted that the dress' shoulder strap had 'slipped' when she reached to the microphone to speak yesterday. Advertisement 'It is another case of everyday sexism,' she said. 'We are raising our daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards... 'I would suggest this is part of the pushback for that... listen to what we say, not what we wear.' There is no official dress code for MPs in the House of Commons although politicians are advised to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction'. A note on Parliament's official website says the Speaker may take exception to 'informal clothing'. Ms Brabin admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress yesterday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. A Parliamentary Secretary replied claiming the Government is 'committed to being open in their dealings with the press and the principles of media freedom'. She added that: 'No journalists are barred from official media briefings hosted by the Prime Minister's official spokesperson.' The Government spokesman said it is 'entirely standard practice' to hold 'smaller meetings' as was the case on Monday. However, it was her outfit, not the relationship between the Government and political journalists, which caught the attention of social media. Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box. Russia Wants Talks On Norway's 'Restrictions' To Its Activities On Arctic Islands By RFE/RL February 04, 2020 Russia has asked Norway for talks to address what it called illegal restrictions of its activities on the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Svalbard, about 850 kilometers north of mainland Norway, is regulated by a 1920 treaty that awarded the Scandinavian country sovereignty over the archipelago. But the treaty also gave Russia and other signatories equal rights to engage in commercial activities. On February 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had formally asked Oslo for bilateral consultations to remove "restrictions on Russian entities operating on the archipelago." Such restrictions go against the 200-year-old treaty's guarantees of "equal liberty of access and entry and the possibility of doing business there on equal terms," the ministry said, citing "restrictions" on the use of Russian helicopters, a deportation procedure "solely" targeting Russian nationals, the "unlawful" establishment of a fish-protection zone, and the "artificial" expansion of nature-protection zones that limit business activity. Oslo confirmed receiving the Russian request and said Moscow's grievances were "well-known to Norwegian authorities." "All activities in Svalbard must take place in accordance with Norwegian law," the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in an e-mail to Reuters, without providing further details. Svalbard is seen as a potential flashpoint between Moscow and the West as climate change is opening up the Arctic and Russia is increasing its military presence in the region. The sectors of tourism and services are growing on the archipelago, but the traditional industry is coal mining. Russia operates a coal mine in the town of Barentsburg. Russia "does not intend to curtail" its presence there, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "On the contrary, we have long-term plans for strengthening, diversifying and modernizing it," the statement said. With reporting by Reuters and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-wants-talks- on-norway-restrictions-to-its-activities- on-arctic-islands/30417175.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SPRINGFIELD An estimated 2,500 children and young adults in Illinois who had been in the custody of the states foster care system within the last year abruptly lost their health coverage on Feb. 1. That was just one of many problems that occurred over the weekend when the state shifted some 19,000 former foster children into its privatized managed care health coverage system. Childrens advocacy groups warned Tuesday that more problems may lie ahead as the state works to move approximately 17,000 current foster children into that same system. These are not glitches, these are major flaws, Danielle Gomez of the Cook County Public Guardians office told a state Senate panel Tuesday. I am not sensationalizing the issue when I say that children will die as a result of the stubborn resolve to continue moving forward. Illinois began transitioning its Medicaid program from a traditional fee-for-service model to managed care in 2011. Under managed care, the state contracts with a number of private insurance companies and pays them a flat monthly fee for each patient they enroll. In turn, the companies, known as managed care organizations, or MCOs, are supposed to manage those patients care by making sure they have complete health screenings and regular checkups. MCOs are also supposed to coordinate care between the patients primary doctor and any specialists they need. Today, nearly all regular Medicaid recipients in Illinois are enrolled in a managed care plan. But there have been widespread reports of MCOs denying claims and delaying payments, often because their enrollment with the MCO wasnt completed correctly or the provider that a patient went to see wasnt in the MCOs network. But two groups the state did not immediately put under managed care were current and former foster care children, a population that includes victims of abuse and neglect, many of whom have highly complex physical, mental and behavioral health issues. State officials announced in 2017 that they intended to move those groups into managed care, but the official launch date was delayed several times. Finally, after extensive negotiations with ACLU attorneys, the state announced last month it had reached a deal: Former foster children would be shifted into managed care on Feb. 1, but current foster children would not be shifted into the new system until April 1. Since Saturdays launch of managed care for former foster children, Gomez said, she had learned of two cases in which an MCO refused to speak with parents about a childs health condition unless the child executed a power of attorney. These children were 9 and 2 years old, she said. Gomez said another parent of a 14-year-old girl tried to fill her daughters seizure medication, but the pharmacy refused and would not offer advice about where they could go to have it filled. Finally, another parent attempted to get a monthly supply of feeding tubes and supplies for her child and was told by the provider that her child's care was inactive as of Saturday and that it was not an isolated instance, but that all of the foster children who receives supplies from that agency were inactive now, she said. ACLU of Illinois attorney Heidi Dalenberg described the process of shifting current and former foster children into managed care as a herky-jerky journey for the entire state. I think it's fair to say that there's been intense concerns since that time about the way that the rollout was going to proceed and whether or not children were going to continue to receive care in the way that they should when they need it from close-by practitioners, and in a way that makes it possible for their families to care for them in a comfortable way, she said. Unfortunately, that's not how things have played out. Both Dalenberg and Gomez urged lawmakers to halt the transition to managed care and to delay the rollout until the state is certain all the glitches have been fixed. Kristine Herman of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the agency that runs the state Medicaid program, described the deactivation of 2,500 children from the system as a glitch in a computer program that was quickly fixed. And she said the agency is working hard, along with the Department of Children and Family Services, the states foster care agency, to resolve other issues. There is nothing more important to us than getting this process right, she said. Vulnerable children and families in Illinois deserve quality health care with coordinated services and support. And all of us at HFS are committed to providing that level of care, and we truly believe the managed care plan that we have created will accomplish that goal. But Sen. David Koehler, a Peoria Democrat, said he was skeptical a managed care system would ever work. I don't doubt that all the staff and all the departments are really working hard to resolve this issue, he said. I think that the problem probably more lies with us as policymakers. You know, we've gone into a system that I don't think is really going to work. Tuesdays hearing was a joint meeting of the Senate Human Services Committee and the Special Committee On Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care. Because it was only an informational hearing, no action was taken. But Sen. Julie Morrison, a Deerfield Democrat who chairs the Human Services Committee, suggested that the integrity of the states foster care system was on the line. And if we're trying to incentivize foster parents to participate in our system, we need to get this figured out and we need to have it right, she said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I had the opportunity to be a part of a business-related discussion with local small business CEOs recently, and the topic of raising the minimum wage came up. The group gave their opinions on the issue and asked me to write a column about the topic and include recent data from SCORE regarding how small business CEOs are feeling about it. SCORE and OnDeck (one of SCOREs content partners) recently surveyed small business owners to get their opinions on this topic. The results appear in SCOREs latest infographic, "How Do Small Business Owners Feel About Minimum Wage Increases." When the federal minimum wage was introduced during the Great Depression in 1938, it was set at $0.25 per hour. In the 81 years since it was enacted, its been increased 22 times to its present rate of $7.25 an hour. While 29 states (plus the District of Columbia) have minimum wage rates higher than the federal minimum, the debate over whether to raise the federal rate or keep it the same has only continued to build. Bridget Weston, CEO of the SCORE Association, summarized the results: "According to this data, small business owners across the U.S. are split when it comes to raising the minimum wage 43% support an increase and 39% do not but most think the minimum wage is not a "living wage." ADVERTISEMENT We asked our survey-takers whether they would raise employee wages proportionately if the minimum wage in their state was raised. While those who said they would increase wages proportionately were in the majority, it wasnt by much: 37% said they would. 34% said they would not. 30% werent sure. At the same time, small business owners largely agreed that if the minimum wage were increased, they would have to cut back on investments into their businesses. Of the respondents we surveyed, 44% said they would have to cut back on business investments, while 33% said they would not. Another 23% were unsure. "I feel if the minimum wage was more than it is now, then people could afford to buy more, and if people were able to afford more, then it would pass on to all or most businesses," said one respondent. The comment reflects a common argument from proponents of a higher minimum wage. There are plenty of studies that suggest the economy would enjoy, at the very least, a short-term boost in spending and could ultimately provide long-term benefits in job growth as well. On the other hand, those opposed to raising the minimum wage often argue that the real minimum wage is zero, and that markets dictate what employees make based on what consumers are willing to spend. They commonly say that "The market should dictate wages, not the government." These skeptics argue that raising the minimum wage would result in layoffs, reduced hours for employees, and a lack of job opportunities. There are studies to back up this position, as well. ADVERTISEMENT Is the minimum wage a 'living wage?' \73% of the small business owners who participated in our survey agreed that the minimum wage in their state is not a living wage, though some said it should be. Heres what one respondent told us: "Every employee should be able to meet his fundamental needs: paying his/her rent, transportation to go to work, health insurance. The wealthiest country in the world should not tolerate poverty and should put in place policies to improve people's lives." This is again a point of contention. Some believe that the minimum wage should not be a living wage, but more of a starting wage. They say that the "Minimum wage was never intended to provide for a family It still serves a purpose for entry level jobs for high school students or for tasks that dont require additional skills or training." Are small businesses paying minimum wage? When we asked survey respondents what percentage of their employees are being paid the minimum wage, the answer was telling: 58% said they were paying their employees more than the minimum wage. So, even as the debate rages, it seems the majority of small business owners have chosen to take the matter into their own hands by paying their employees more than the minimum. And it looks like this a trend that has been happening for a while. Weston recounted that one respondent told us: "I owned a small business for 30 years. I always paid my staff well above minimum wage. People deserve the right to live fair." Whether you agree or disagree with the idea of a higher minimum wage, a SCORE mentor can help you navigate the sometimes choppy waters of employee compensation, including wages, benefits, bonuses, and more. Kajal Aggarwal on Wednesday became the first south Indian actor to be immortalised as a wax statue at Madame Tussauds, Singapore. Kajal was present with her family for the unveiling of her statue. Present with her were her parents, sister and brother-in-law. In December, Kajal took to Twitter to share the news. She wrote: I remember going to Madame Tussauds as a child and being so fascinated with all the figures that Ive always admired and been in love with. Overwhelmed to be amongst them. This feels like a fabulous culmination so far and a great way to start the new decade on a good note, she wrote. The insane hours of hard work and personal sacrifices, all feel worth it. Forever thankful to all of you, she further added. Kajal Aggarwal with her wax statue at Madame Tussauds Singapore. On the career front, Kajal is currently shooting for Hindi film Mumbai Saga opposite John Abraham. She was recently signed for Kamal Haasans Indian 2, which marks her maiden collaboration with the veteran actor. On signing Indian 2, Kajal had said: Im really thrilled to be part of the project. Im quite excited about my role and the skills I will get to learn on the job. I see signing Indian 2 as a step up in my career. Indian 2, which is gearing up for summer 2021 release, also stars Siddharth and Priya Bhavani Shankar in key roles. Kajal also has Tamil remake of Kangana Ranauts Queen awaiting release. Titled Paris Paris, the film has been directed by actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind. Also read: Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor arrive with Neetu Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor-Malaika Arora, Elizabeth Hurley attend Armaan Jains reception. See pics She also has a Hollywood project in the pipeline. An Indo-American collaborative production, the film will star Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu in the lead. Kajal will reportedly team up with Dulquer Salmaan for a Tamil film as well . She hinted about the collaboration in a media interaction. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to hold the 11th edition of the biennial Defence Expo 2020 in the state capital from February 5 to 9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the expo in which 1029 companies are expected to participate, Lucknow divisional commissioner Mukesh Meshram said. It would be the biggest such event held in the country, an official release said, adding that 702 companies had participated in the last Defence Expo held in Chennai in 2018. Take a look at what one can expect at the event. An Indian Army's battle tank team show their skills during the rehearsal for Defence Expo 2020, at Vrindavan Yojna, in Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo Jawans practice for the Defence Expo 2020 at Gomti River Front in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo Indian Navy helicopters take part in a rehearsal ahead of the Defence Expo 2020 at the bank of Gomti River in Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo Paratroopers show their skills during the rehearsal for the Defence Expo 2020, in Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo BMP-II (Sarath) tank during the rehearsal of Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo Army personnel descend from a chopper as they rehearse for the Defence Expo 2020, in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo Sukhoi fighter jets fly past as they rehearse for the Defence Expo 2020, in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo IAF's aerobatics team Surya Kiran rehearses for the Defence Expo 2020, in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo especially the rebellious youth and their resistance units will fight on until the mullahs are brought down. She said that the Iranian regime has suffered major blows over the past couple of months, beginning with the November uprising and culminating in the January uprising. Maryam Rajavi said that during the November uprising, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the IRGC to open fire and unarmed protesters and killed 1,500 people. These domestic crises, she said, have been strengthened by the regimes international disasters, which include the assassination of Irans top terrorist Qassem Soleimani, the ongoing protests over Iranian interference in their countries by the people of Lebanon and Iraq, and the regimes shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner killing all 176 civilians on board. Maryam Rajavi said these were all blows to the regimes strategy of export[ing] war and terrorism to the Middle East and that, more than ever, it is necessary to evict the IRGC from the region. She also noted that the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) downing of the passenger plane and subsequent cover-up, which caused international outrage, was a horrific crime which the people of Iran will neither forgive nor forget. Maryam Rajavi said: Khamenei, [regimes President Hassan] Rouhani and [the] commanders of the Revolutionary Guards must be brought to justice. She then spoke about the January uprising that sprang up in the wake of this crime, noting that the people took to the streets to demand regime change, chanting death to Khamenei and death to the dictator. Maryam Rajavi explained that in the mullahs crackdown on this uprising, they even arrested the British Ambassador in breach of the Vienna Convention. She explained that in another of the regimes brutal actions, the mullahs violated its commitments under the nuclear deal and Maryam Rajavi urged the United Nations Security Council to apply its six resolutions and reimpose comprehensive sanctions against the regime. The mullahs ruling Iran, have never stopped their nuclear weapons Maryam Rajavi said: We are at a sensitive moment in the history of the people of Iran. The Iranian Resistance seeks to establish a republic based on peoples free choice and vote, separation of religion and state, pluralism, gender equality, and the abolition of the death penalty. In an earlier message, on January 18, Maryam Rajavi spoke about how the Iranian Resistance had name 724 of those killed during the November uprising and warned that the regime was refusing to announce the number of those killed, injured, and imprisoned under savage torture. Maryam Rajavi said: Once again, I urge the United Nations Secretary-General to dispatch an international fact-finding mission to Iran to investigate the conditions of death and injury of protesters in November and visit Iranian prisons and prisoners. These protests have not ended, despite the regimes crackdown, and will not end until the mullahs are overthrown. The world must stand with the Iranian people. FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Academy Fellows Speaker Series at UTSA resumes this week after the winter break with a special guest, climate expert Berrien Moore III. The lecture will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the John Peace Library, Assembly Room (JPL 4.04.22) on Main Campus. The event is free and open to all: UTSA students, faculty, staff and the greater San Antonio community. Moore is the dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, the Chesapeake Energy Corp. Chair in Climate Studies, and the director of the National Weather Center at the University of Oklahoma. Moore is an internationally recognized Earth scientist who has been honored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Our goal is to forge new collaborations and alliances, further intellectual discourse and bring different perspectives...to UTSA. BERNARD ARULANANDAM, Vice President for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise He has published extensively on the global carbon cycle, biogeochemistry, remote sensing, environmental and space policy, and mathematics. He served as the founding executive director of Climate Central, a think tank dedicated to providing objective and understandable information about climate change. NASA in 2016 selected the Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory as the Second Earth Venture Mission, where Moore was the architect and principal investigator on the Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory (GeoCarb) mission. He is an elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the International Academy of Astronautics. His talk, Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory: Unraveling the Carbon-Weather-Climate System, will highlight the changes in methane and carbon dioxide; the structure of the GeoCarb, the roles of the GeoCarb observations, and the emerging Global Carbon Observing System. The second NASA Earth Venture Mission, GeoCarb Mission, will provide measurements of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), carbon monoxide (CO), and solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) from Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at 103 degrees west. It is known that the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by nearly 50% from its pre-industrial value (circa 1750) and methane concentration has tripled. The fundamental roadblock to advancing knowledge of the carbon cycle is uncertainty about land-atmosphere CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes, and how they vary in the Carbon-Weather-Climate System. GeoCarb will be unique in flying in a geostationary orbit and providing persistent measurements of CO 2 , CH 4 , CO, and SIF, allowing it to contribute significantly to resolving actual anthropogenic carbon emissions as well as illuminating biotic processes that control land-atmosphere CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes at urban to regional to continental scales. This will provide the foundation for essential improvements in modeled biogeochemical processes in Earth System Models as well as monitor the response of the biosphere to disturbance, such as land-use change and weather and climate events. This is essential to improve understanding of the Carbon-Weather-Climate System. Presented by the Presidential Task Force on Research Excellence, The Academy Fellows Speaker Series aims to bring renowned academy fellows to present their internationally recognized scholarly work and innovation to the campus community. In turn, faculty, staff and students can engage and share their research passion and expertise. The series began in spring 2019 to mark UTSAs 50th anniversary. Becoming a member of a national or international academy solidifies a researchers scholarly and professional accomplishments, celebrating not only their achievements but also their institution. Speakers represent a variety of disciplines that intersect with research specialties across the UTSA knowledge enterprise. By bringing national academy members to discuss their research specialties and career paths, our goal is to forge new collaborations and alliances, further intellectual discourse and bring different perspectives on familiar and new topics to the UTSA community, said Bernard Arulanandam, vice president for research, economic development and knowledge enterprise at UTSA. We encourage everyone to come and support this critical series. The next Academy Fellows speaker will be Vicki L. Ruiz, distinguished professor emerita of history and Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine. Ruiz will visit UTSA March 2324. Parcons embezzlement was an embarrassing episode for Arthur Andersen, which at the time was one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S. and was known for helping set up internal controls for companies to prevent employee theft and fraud. China's commerce ministry urges expansion of imports to tackle coronavirus Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/4 23:00:31 The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) put up a notice on Tuesday calling for expanded imports of medical goods and necessities of life to tackle the novel coronavirus. The ministry said the move is aimed at ensuring domestic supplies, in response to the call made by the Party's Central Committee and the State Council, China's cabinet, for containment of the virus, per a statement on MOFCOM's website. Commerce authorities at all levels are required to understand the importance of expanding imports for the virus to be reined in, said the ministry, calling for efforts to increase purchases of medical items and raw materials for manufacturing, as well as to turn to imports to increase domestic supplies of farm produce such as meat. Vowing to resolutely battle against the disease, the ministry revealed it will work with relevant commerce chambers and associations to ensure information disclosure for relevant overseas suppliers and domestic exporters. Information about 51 suppliers or supply conduits for medical materials from 14 countries and regions has been provided to local commerce authorities. The ministry didn't name the suppliers or the countries and regions they come from. The announcement was part of wide-ranging efforts on Tuesday to deal with the spreading virus. According to the National Health Commission, there were 20,438 confirmed infections as of Monday plus 23,214 suspected cases in the mainland. The disease had claimed 425 lives by Monday, outnumbering the death toll from SARS domestically. The central government also announced on Tuesday it would send an additional 2,000 medical staff to support Central China's Hubei Province to ensure patient treatment in the epicenter of the virus. In addition to the moves envisioned to ensure supplies of goods and medical professionals, the nation also upped the ante in its support for the money market to maintain ample liquidity. The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, on Tuesday injected an additional 500 billion yuan ($71.46 billion) via a reverse repo operation, following its 1.2 trillion yuan injection on Monday, its largest single-day addition since 2004. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Annual house price growth across 23 countries fell from 4.3 per cent in 2016 to 1.8 per cent in the year to October 2019 By Caroline Thorpe Five property stories making global headlines: Global housing slowdown House price growth is slowing globally, according to the Wall Street Journal, which reported that several indicators suggest a worldwide housing market slowdown is under way. Such indicators include a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas index, which showed annual house price growth across 23 countries fell from 4.3 per cent in 2016 to 1.8 per cent in the year to October 2019. Lack of affordability and geopolitical concerns such as the US trade war with China were among the reasons given for the trend. Mixed picture for UK market Meanwhile, The Mirror revealed the UK cities defying the slowdown. Topping the growth charts in 2019 was Edinburgh, where house prices increased 6.1 per cent in the year to December, according to data provider Zoopla. Nottingham recorded the second-largest increase, with prices up 5.2 per cent. The best prospects for house price growth in 2020 are in Nottingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, said Richard Donnell, research and insight director at Zoopla. In contrast, we expect cities in southern England to register below average price growth as affordability levels realign to what buyers can afford. In the UK, Edinburgh showed the strongest growth in 2019 - up 6.1 per cent. Prolonged fall in Dubai house prices causes state to step in Dubai has taken steps to revive its property market, which saw residential and commercial values fall 13-15 per cent last year according to real estate services company Asteco. The Financial Times reported that the government has established a committee to help match supply with demand and appointed senior officials to run state-owned property developers including Nakheel, which developed The Palm. The iconic high-end development has fallen on hard times, according to the FT. Nakheel, which developed The Palm in Dubai, is among the property developers being overseen by the state Frank Lloyd Wright school to close The School of Architecture at Taliesin, established by renowned US architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1932, is to close. Dezeen reported that the schools two campuses in Wisconsin and Arizona will shut in June following failed financial negotiations. Wrights famous designs included Fallingwater (1937), a house built on a rocky slope above the Bear Run river in Pennsylvania. After nearly 90 years, Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture school will close in June One of worlds most expensive ever homes bought by Ukrainian billionaire The website Mansion Global has revealed the Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov as the 200m buyer of Villas Les Cedres, a 200-year-old mansion on the French Riviera once touted as the most expensive home in the world. Previous owners of the 14-bedroom French property include Belgian King Leopold II. This prime French Riviera home has been sold for 200m Photographs: AP Photo; Dreamstime; Getty Images India added 7.59 GW of renewable energy capacity in Apr-Dec 2019-20 India commissioned renewable energy capacity of 7,591.99 MW in the first nine months of the financial year 2019-20 (April-December 2019-20), minister of state for new and renewable energy, power and minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship R K Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. He said another 34.16 MW RE capacity is under various stages of implementation. It is expected that renewable energy capacity addition in the year 2019-20 will exceed the capacity addition achieved in the year 2018-19, which was 8.53 GW. Singh also said that most of the grid connected renewable energy projects in the country are being implemented by the private sector developers selected through a competitive bidding process. Capital investment made by these developers is their privileged information. However, based on standard capital costs per MW, an investment of Rs40,459.99 crore is estimated to have been made in renewable energy sector in the year 2018-19. An investment of Rs36729.49 crore is estimated to have been made in the year 2019-20 up to December 2019. Elaborating on the steps being taken by the government to boost investment in RE sector, the minister stated that these include permitting foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 100 per cent under the automatic route, strengthening of power purchase agreements (PPAs), mandating requirement of letter of credit (LC) as payment security mechanism by distribution licensees for ensuring timely payments to RE generators, setting up of ultra mega renewable energy parks (UMREPs) to provide land and transmission on plug and play basis to investors, waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 31 December 2022, notification of standard bidding guidelines to enable distribution licensee to procure solar and wind power at competitive rates in cost effective manner, declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to the year 2022, laying of transmission lines under Green Energy Corridor Scheme for evacuation of power in renewable rich states, finalisation of manufacturing linked tender for setting up domestic manufacturing capacity, launching of new schemes, such as, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), Solar Rooftop Phase II, 12,000 MW CPSU Scheme Phase II, etc. Singh further stated that the government has undertaken several financial, policy and regulatory measures for incentivising deployment of renewable energy in the country. These include financial incentives for roof-top solar PV systems and performance based incentives to the distribution companies (DISCOMs), flexibility in generation and scheduling of thermal power stations; grid augmentation for absorbing increasing share of renewable energy; schemes for grid connected solar PV power projects by central public sector undertakings (CPSUs); guidelines for transparent tariff based bidding for solar and wind power projects; subsidy for setting up off-grid and decentralised solar systems; subsidy for setting up family type biogas plants; notification of standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic system/devices; and priority sector lending status for loans up to a limit of Rs15 crore. Regarding issues of financial and operational inefficiencies of DISCOMs, he said there are various reasons, which include amongst others tariffs not reflective of costs, delays in tariff filings, delays and non-release or partial release of subsidies released by states against the supplies made to subsidised categories, high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) loss levels etc. The government has launched Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for improving the financial and operational efficiencies of DISCOMs. It has also advised the states to convert all existing consumer meters into smart prepaid meters to improve billing and collection efficiencies within a period of three years; ensure upfront release of subsidies; and conduct regular energy audits. R K Singh informed that the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), a government company established as a non-banking financial institution, has been extending short-term securitized loans to the DISCOMs at preferential rates. In the financial year 2019-20, IREDA has disbursed Rs900 crore to Telangana, Rs1,200 crore to Andhra Pradesh and Rs450 crore to Tamil Nadu, he said. The 2020 election season kicked off Monday in Iowa, and many are hoping its not a harbinger of things to come.Despite the widely held opinion of election security experts that Internet-connected devices should be avoided where possible to say nothing of repeated warnings from federal officials about cybersecurity threats the Iowa Democratic Party used a brand-new mobile app to tally and transmit primary election results. It didnt go well.Results were still coming in as of this writing, almost 20 hours after polls closed, because an apparent coding error in the app led to discrepancies, forcing officials to record totals by hand. According to a public statement Monday night from Iowa Democratic Party Chair Tony Price, there was no indication of a security breach, and the app was recording data accurately, but it was reporting only partial data. He said the coding error was eventually fixed, but the partys contingency plan to enter data manually took longer than expected. For some, the damage was already done.The Nevada Democratic Party had contracted the same company that produced the app Shadow Inc. for the same service, and the partys verified Twitter account revealed on Tuesday that they no longer plan to use the app for the states primary on Feb. 22.On the company's website , CEO Gerard Niemira said in a statement that he regrets the delay."As the Iowa Democratic Party has confirmed, the underlying data and collection process via Shadow's mobile caucus app was sound and accurate, but our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not," the statement reads.Candidates who had spent millions campaigning in Iowa went to bed without results, various conspiracy theories started making the rounds, and several experts viewed the debacle as a cautionary tale about the need for a paper trail, among other things.Susan Greenhalgh, vice president of programs for the nonpartisan National Election Defense Coalition, said the technical snafu could have been worse. Months earlier, she said, Iowa election officials had been flirting with the idea of deploying a smartphone app for caucus voters to actually cast their votes, not just to tally and transmit them afterward. If they had gone through with that, she said, the lack of a paper trail might have forced them to toss out the results and redo the election altogether.The problem with this is that they wanted to adopt software to transmit results over the Internet, which they had been warned includes all sorts of dangers and risks, and could be vulnerable to malfunction and hacking. Theyre very fortunate in Iowa that they didnt deploy a full Internet-voting app, she said. They basically dodged a bullet, because they can still reconstruct the results in a transparent and reliable fashion by using the paper records at each of the caucus precincts that night.Greenhalgh said people are casting online votes in primary elections now, because 32 states currently allow voting via the Internet for military members, overseas citizens, and in some cases voters with disabilities. She cited opinions by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Defense that its impossible to ensure the legitimacy of a ballot cast using the Internet.The use of Internet-connected technologies in general is high on her list of concerns about election security, but Greenhalgh said they can mean contracts for vendors, who sometimes sell to election officials with misleading claims and little to no outside vetting and testing.On top of their inherent hackability, Greenhalgh said, the use of online technologies for voting minimizes the ability to recount or verify results.I really hope this becomes the canary in the coal mine, that states that are promoting online voting take action immediately and stop it, she said. After the 2016 election, after we knew Russians were trying to hack into elections of liberal western democracies, the countries in Western Europe that have Internet voting France and Norway stopped immediately.Marian Schneider, president of the nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy group Verified Voting, agreed in a public statement that Iowa would have been up a creek if not for a paper trail.The situation with Iowas caucus reveals the risks associated with technology, in this case with a mobile app, but more importantly that there needs to be a low-tech solution in order to recover from technological failures no matter the cause, the statement read. There needs to be a way to monitor, detect, respond and recover. Its clear that mobile apps are not ready for prime time, but thankfully Iowa has paper records of their vote totals and will be able to release results from those records.Leigh Tami, the director of data analytics for New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and former director the Cincinnati Office of Performance and Data Analytics, made the point that election security is not merely a matter of dismissing new technology out of hand. Before adding a new layer of technology to any process, she said, two questions deserve an answer: Is this solving a real problem, and are we confident this will not create another weak point in what is potentially already a vulnerable process?According to several media outlets, the Iowa Democratic Party paid close to $63,000 for an app to report final vote tallies. From outside the situation, Tami was unconvinced it was necessary.Maybe we try to find problems before we solve them, she said. I dont think government officials are idiots. I think that theres a lot more deference to perceived technical knowledge that makes it difficult to do things like manage vendors effectively, or negotiate appropriate price points, or understand the implications of some of the code in the software youre purchasing. Its really a matter of making sure that the people who are managing these contracts, or overseeing their implementation, are armed with knowledge.Greenhalgh said she hopes entities such as the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Department of Homeland Security start offering more specific oversight and best practices, instead of dodging potential controversy.An official at the EAC once described [election security] to me as the third rail, and thats why they avoid it. Im hoping that this [glitch in Iowa] will prompt leadership out of the EAC to warn states that they need to stop doing this insecure process and see this as a wake-up call, she said. If this happens during the real 2020 general election, it would be an absolute disaster for our country. We cant afford that. People need to take this seriously and stop ignoring the problem. New Delhi, Feb 5 : BJP MP Parvesh Verma, on Wednesday, accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of trying to incite riots in Delhi. Sitting on dharna at Gandhi Smarak in Parliament, Verma held a placard that read "Atank ka Dusra Nam Kejriwal (Kejriwal: Synonym of Terror). Verma said that Kejriwal was provoking people to pick up guns and incite riots in Delhi. "I am calling Kejriwal a terrorist because he is giving guns to the people of Delhi. He is making AAP workers shoot by alluring them and giving them money. It is very shameful. They have stooped to the lowest level in politics. I am urging people to vote for development. But AAP wants riots in Delhi. They want to get all Muslim votes." Verma told reporters here. Talking about Kapil Gujjar, accused of firing at Shaheen Bagh area in Delhi, Verma said, "he is Aam Aadmi Party worker who joined the party in the presence of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in the party office two months ago. People have informed me that he was constantly in touch with him since then. He also went in their campaigns." Verma also added, "We are contesting elections on development while they are doing that by firing at Shaheen Bagh. They wanted someone to die there so that they could take political mileage out of the riot which could have occurred." Verma had hurled the 'terrorist' remark at Kejriwal earlier also, which was echoed by Union Minister and Delhi election in-charge Prakash Javadekar too, against which AAP took out a silent march to condemn their statements against the chief minister. Atishi election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Atishi AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Kalkaji seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Atishi will be making her Assembly poll debut from Kalkaji in South Delhi. The educationist had previously lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi to BJPs Gautam Gambhir by a margin of over 4.7 lakh votes. Born to Delhi University professors Vijay Kumar Singh and Tripta Wahi, Atishi, whose last name is Marlena - a portmanteau of the names Karl Marx and Vladmir Lenin - studied history at St. Stephens College and went on to Oxford University to pursue her Masters on a Chevening scholarship. She also did a second master's degree from Oxford in Educational Research. Atishi spent some time teaching at Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh before moving to a small village near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, where she was involved with organic farming and progressive education systems. A member of the political affairs committee of the Aam Aadmi Party, she has been with the party ever since it was founded in November 2012. Starting out as a media panelist for the young party, Atishi later played a pivotal role in drafting the 2013 Assembly manifesto. After the 2015 Assembly elections, Atishi was appointed as a special advisor on education to education minister Manish Sisodia. Between 2015 and 2018, Atishi is credited for having helped reform Delhis education system, while drawing a salary of Rs 1 per month. In fact, the revival of the School Management Committees in Delhi, which are parent bodies meant to monitor and supervise the functioning of government schools, is often credited to Atishi. She also launched initiatives called "Chunauti" and Mission Buniyad to tailor classroom teaching practices according to learning levels of children. However, her political career has also been marred by some controversy. In 2018, she was sacked from her advisory role by the Centre, which alleged that her appointment was illegal. However, her party had termed it political vendetta. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she dropped her last name Marlena. But the issue came under intense scrutiny as many reports suggested that it was done because the surname sounded Christian. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) President Rodrigo Duterte assured that the government "will never hide anything" about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), following an "emergency meeting" with officials at the forefront of the battle against the new virus from China spreading worldwide. "If it says youre going to die tomorrow because of this [2019-]nCoV, its a contagion all over, we will tell you that. If it would cost you lives, we will not hide that," Duterte said in a press briefing Monday night after a two-hour closed door meeting with the body leading the government's response to the virus. He added, "Everything is well in the country. There's nothing really to be extra-scared of that coronavirus thing." Duterte added that the government is buying more face masks amid a shortage in medical supply stores due to a surge in demand over the coronavirus scare. However, he did not give specifics on how many face masks the government has bought and who would be provided with them. "We do not want to give you the expectations because thats something which cannot be delivered almost all on time. And you know, sometimes when we announce it, it is taken differently in a different light," Duterte explained. Duterte also said the government has not yet identified places where quarantine sites can be set up as there is no need for them at the moment. However, he has directed the Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to prepare spaces in hospitals which can be used as quarantine sites. Duterte also floated the possibility of seizing buildings which will be used as quarantine sites and hospitals. He added that the government is looking into using a drug rehabilitation facility located in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija as a quarantine site. Duterte reiterated that the travel ban currently being enforced covers all foreign nationals who have traveled to China, Hong Kong and Macau. He added that there is no need yet for the ban to be expanded to include other countries which are also reporting cases of 2019-nCoV. The President also appealed to stop xenophobia towards Chinese people, stressing that it is in "bad taste" to be pushing for all Chinese people in the Philippines to be sent back to their country. 'Not late' The emergency meeting led by Duterte came four days after the Philippines confirmed its first 2019-nCoV case. The country has also recorded a death due to the virus, which is the first mortality outside of China. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar defended the Duterte administration from accusations that the inter-agency meeting is long overdue. "It's not late. Very timely ang desisyon ng gobyerno. We follow the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the Department of Health... Ang mga desisyon ng gobyerno ay very methodical," he said in a media briefing. [Translation: It's not late. The government's decision is very timely. The decisions of the government are very methodical.] Andanar also urged Filipinos not to discriminate against the Chinese nationals in the country. "There were several times when countries around us were there for us. So we should be also there for the Chinese people who are suffering (from) the coronavirus. There should be no room for discrimination," he said. Health authorities in the Philippines are now looking at 80 patients who may have been infected with 2019-nCoV, including eight people who came in close contact with the Chinese couple who tested positive for the virus. The 2019-nCoV outbreak has killed 362 people and infected more than 17,300 globally, CNN reported Monday. The number of infected people has surpassed that of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, but is significantly less lethal. 2019-nCoV's mortality rate stands between two and three percent. The World Health Organization said there is no community-wide spread of the deadly virus in the country. CNN Philippines Senior Digital Producer Lara Tan contributed to this report. EVERETT, Wash. It started with a stubborn cough. A visit to an urgent care facility. A test being sent off to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And then a 35-year-old resident of Snohomish County, Wash., being named the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the United States. Hollianne Bruce, the lone epidemiologist assigned to the control of communicable diseases in the countys public health office, jumped into action. Declining to wait for a C.D.C. team to arrive from Atlanta, she dialed up the patient, who had been taken to an isolation unit at a hospital. Seeking to establish a rapport, Ms. Bruce told him she knew he was not feeling well. She apologized for the disturbance. But she impressed on him how he might help save lives by sharing where he had been in recent days and with whom he had come into contact. We dont know a lot about this virus, she told him. Wed like to ask you some questions. The man, who had been taken to the hospital the night before in a covered gurney intended for Ebola patients, agreed to help. It would be the first of several conversations he would have with Ms. Bruce, some by phone, others over a walkie-talkie as she stood outside his sealed room. Once, at his request, she bought him lunch at a nearby Panda Express. A motorcyclist rides across a bridge in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province last month. The virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, already on lockdown, banned most vehicle use downtown. Read more About 40 Chinese motorcycle enthusiasts fly to Pennsylvania every August to spend two weeks riding iconic Harley Davidsons through the rolling hills of the Keystone State. The Knighthawk Tours and Experience USA Tours operated by U-Combination Technology of Wayne for more than a decade often result in the sales of dozens of Harley hogs. As tourists experience authentic American riding culture, they spend tens of thousands of dollars on merchandise along the route. One year, the group dropped more than $40,000 in less than 40 minutes at the luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. in King of Prussia, according to organizer Jeff Ji. Its unlikely to happen this year. Weve put a hold on the August trip until further notice, Ji said, because of current travel restrictions and the uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus, which is thought to have emerged at a live-animal market in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in China. We dont know if the outbreak will be prolonged or temporary. Our customers cannot set aside time for their vacations. Ji, who also recruits Chinese students to attend American universities, has had to postpone or reschedule other trips to China. A March 6 conference has already been canceled. The economic impact has been huge, he said. Local manufacturers who supply the Chinese market are concerned but not excessively worried about how the coronavirus will disrupt their businesses. Is it hitting our bottom line? Not yet, said Kareem Afzal, vice president of Warminsters PDC Machines Inc., which produces compressors and other equipment for industrial gas and renewable energy companies. Equipment, however, is sitting idle. Our customers are not taking delivery because nothing is being shipped into the country, said Afzal. About 20 percent of PDCs trade is with China. Most commercial flights and cargo flights into the nation have been halted. By government decree, the 10-day Lunar New Year holiday has been extended through Feb. 8 in some parts of China, but few people are celebrating. The whole country is effectively in lockdown, Afzal said. Our office manager in Shanghai is sitting at home and watching TV together with his family. Some local businesses are placing early orders for key components they can source only from China. Sunhillo Corp. of West Berlin, Camden County, manufactures high-tech equipment that interfaces with radar for air traffic control systems. Were trying to take proactive measures so it doesnt hit our bottom line, said Dave Whitman, Sunhillos CEO. Ive ordered extra inventory. If I cant get them I cant build my equipment. We usually order six months out, now Im ordering a year out because who knows what will happen in three months. Whitman said many of the traveling business reps he trades with in Europe are less concerned with contracting the virus itself. They fear they could be quarantined on returning to their own countries," he said. "They dont want to run the risk of being in quarantine for a week or more. Dominic Rawson was in China in December as managing director for Fort Washingtons R&M International Sales Corp., a multinational company that produces textiles and plastics for a global market. I think the economic impact will be felt worldwide, Rawson said. Wuhan is a major automotive center, and R&M provides mass quantities of plastics for that industry. Automotive has had a general slowdown worldwide about 30 percent since October, less so in the U.S., but certainly in Asia and Europe. Rawson is confident that trade will continue, even if it slows. American manufacturers may feel pain if they cant get deliveries from China and there may be delays in shipments from China because companies may run out of raw materials or employees may not show up to work. One factory affected by the virus could create a domino effect. Jacques deLisle is director for the Center of the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania. The real question is how long will it last and how bad is it going to be," deLisle said. The Chinese economy has taken a huge unexpected hit, deLisle said. The lunar new year usually is occasion for people to travel across the country and abroad. The holiday is similar to Christmas, with consumer gift giving and consumption that drives the years biggest spending period. Not this year, however. The outbreak left high streets and shopping centers deserted. Apple and Starbucks shuttered the majority of their retail outlets during the last week. Many tech-related companies ordered their employees to work from home. The Chinese economy is already under pressure, with some suppliers moving to less expensive labor markets. This could accelerate that emerging trend, which is already being driven by rising costs, growing competitiveness throughout Southeast Asia and growing fears about the U.S.-China trade war, deLisle said. The coronavirus has been compared to the SARS outbreak of 2003. But the good news is that this is less devastating, with a lower mortality rate, deLisle said. China and the world have responded more aggressively this time. If the outbreak isnt under control before March or April, the supply chains that feed American manufacturers could shudder and slow. The bad news: The Chinese economy is four times larger than it was in 2003. It is much more integrated with the global economy. Americans used to only buy things from China. Now America sells more products to China. If their marketplaces dry up, so do opportunities for American business. Medical facilities in China are overflowing with patients in a nation where hospitals provide a large amount of primary care. Though the government claims to have built a new hospital from scratch in 10 days, deLisle said there are more basic needs going unmet. Theres a lack of protective gear for medical personnel. Face masks and so-called moon suits are in short supply. If those personnel are not protected adequately, they become vectors for spreading the disease. Its a good time to own stock in medical face mask companies, he quipped. President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union, touting the burgeoning U.S. economy in a key moment just months away from the November election. Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results, Trump said. In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of Americas destiny and the United States is moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back, he added. Trump, speaking to both the House of Representatives and the Senate, delivered the address in the same chamber where he was impeached late last year. The Senate on Wednesday will surely vote to acquit him on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, as no Republicans have signaled that they would vote to convict. Behind him on the dais was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who made the announcement of the impeachment inquiry in late September, and Vice President Mike Pence. Other than members of Congress, the Supreme Court justicesincluding presiding impeachment officer Chief Justice John Robertswere in the audience. In the speech, Trump used his podium to offer an optimistic and hopeful message in light of the partisan bickering in Washington. He didnt mention the word impeachment once. The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the worlds most prosperous and inclusive societyone where every citizen can join in Americas unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in Americas extraordinary rise, the president said. The president touted NAFTA-replacement U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), his trade deal with China, tax cuts, and highlighted more factories being built in the United States. In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce, he said, referring to former President Barack Obamas two terms. But, In just three years of my Administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce, the president remarked. USMCA was signed last week by Trump after being approved by both the House and the Senate. Trump in his 2016 campaign said that implementing a new deal to replace NAFTA, which was signed during the Clinton administration, would be one of his priorities, and he will likely be pointing out its replacement at campaign events in the coming months. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTAonly to do absolutely nothing, referring to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement that he updated with Canada and Mexico, he said. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement into law. The White House invited a number of guests to the address, including a Border Patrol deputy chief, a former Venezuelan police chief who was held in detention for 15 years before escaping, military veterans, the wife of a soldier who was killed in Iraq by forces associated with Iranian commander Qassem Soleimaniwho was killed in a U.S. drone strike earlier this yearand others. Socialism also was a target during the address, with the president describing it as a destructive force that is eroding both the U.S. economy and values. We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare, he said. Trump also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced he has advanced lung cancer. First Lady Melania Trump presented him with the medal during the speech. The president also honored Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who attended the State of the Union as Trumps guest. He received a standing ovation from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. Mr. President please take this message back that all Americans are united with Venezuelans in their righteous battle for freedom, Trump said to Guaido. From The Epoch Times DES MOINES, Iowa - Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg emerged Tuesday as the early leader in the Iowa caucuses, running ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other top Democrats, according to partial results released Tuesday after almost a day of delay and confusion. While Buttigieg quickly declared himself the victor and tried to build momentum for his candidacy, the release of preliminary results from the beleaguered caucuses did little to contain the chaos that rocked the first-in-the-nation nominating contest or to settle a jumbled field of Democrats vying to prove that they are the best candidate to defeat President Donald Trump. "A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea - a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race," Buttigieg said in New Hampshire after the preliminary results were released. "And no matter what happens next, this much is undeniable: That fact represents an astonishing victory for this campaign." According to the early results, which Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said represented 62% of the state's precincts, Buttigieg was leading with 26.9% of the state's delegates, followed by Sanders with 25.1%. Sanders won some bragging rights with a popular-vote lead, with 28,220 to Buttigieg's 27,090. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former vice president Joe Biden were in third and fourth place with 18.3% and 15.6% of the delegates, respectively - disappointing results for candidates who have sought to push the idea that they are most electable. They ranked in the same positions in the popular vote. The full results remained delayed Tuesday after a complex caucus process plagued by technical difficulties in its reporting system that began Monday night and continued with no clear timeline for a resolution. The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that it was continuing to try to verify the results, collecting boxes of presidential preference cards and pushing precincts to report their results as quickly as possible. "We're going to take the time that we need to get these results done," Price told reporters Tuesday. Despite the uncertainty, Buttigieg's early showing could propel the historic candidacy of a young Midwestern former mayor who has pitched himself as the candidate best equipped to win back Rust Belt voters lost to Trump in 2016. Buttigieg, a 38-year-old military veteran vying to become the country's first openly gay president, had been clear about the importance of a strong Iowa showing to the viability of his upstart campaign. Buttigieg's voice seemed to crack Tuesday as he acknowledged the unprecedented nature of his success. "It validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs or she belongs or they belong in their community, if you believe in your country, there's a lot backing up that belief," he said. His challenge will be to build on the result in an overwhelmingly white state by improving his lackluster poll numbers with minority voters in coming contests. For his part, Sanders's result sent a message to the Democratic Party about the hunger for an economic populist and the desire to upend the party's establishment. Highlighted by Biden's underperformance, Tuesday's results began to reshape the already restless Democratic primary contest, drawing former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg to invest more heavily in his unorthodox campaign and putting pressure on the other candidates to quickly establish themselves as viable alternatives. As they descended on second-voting New Hampshire early Tuesday, before the Iowa results were released, the contenders sought to strike an upbeat tone, releasing favorable internal figures and claiming moral victories. "I'm someone that thrives in chaos," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told supporters in Concord. "You want a steady hand in chaos, right?" Klobuchar was in fifth place in Iowa, according to the partial results, with 12.6% of the state's delegates. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang trailed behind with 1.1%, and businessman Tom Steyer had 0.3%. The results, while partial, flashed warning signs for the party and several of its top-tier candidates, who appeared to underperform on key metrics. While Sanders came out on top in the popular vote, the overall turnout figures - comparable to 2016's but far below the record numbers that launched Barack Obama's candidacy in 2008 - indicated that his pledge to energize an army of young and first-time voters had not been fulfilled. Warren's distant third-place position solidified her retreat from the top of the polls over the summer. It was an underwhelming result for a candidate who had invested heavily in organizing support in Iowa and hoped that would boost her in the end. The results were especially bad for Biden, a former vice president and six-term senator who found himself trailing two liberals and a moderate while struggling to prove his viability in a party that appeared to be moving on from him. Lingering concerns about Biden's sluggish campaign style, small crowds, mental missteps and middling fundraising could intensify as he seeks to temper expectations about a potential loss in New Hampshire. Biden's campaign appeared to lose votes as the multi-round caucus process progressed, an ominous sign for his electability argument. Yet after staking his candidacy on his appeal to black voters, who cast ballots later, he expressed optimism before the results were released. "We don't know precisely how many votes we had, but I feel really good about getting more than my fair share," Biden said Tuesday during a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire. The muddled results served to persuade lower-tier candidates to stay in the race, making the Democrats' challenge to select a standard-bearer all the more difficult. Some candidates, such as Klobuchar, appeared to be emboldened, pledging to continue their campaigns to compete in New Hampshire's primary Tuesday. The results also bolstered one candidate who was not competing in Iowa: Bloomberg. As the caucus competitors waited for results Tuesday morning, Bloomberg authorized his advisers to double television spending for his campaign. The increase represents a massive escalation of what was already the most costly campaign for the Democratic nomination in history. As his advisers described the Iowa result as the best-case scenario for the billionaire candidate, Bloomberg said he was prepared to continue spending more of his fortune on his bid. "Someone said, 'Are you spending too much money?' and I said, 'I'm spending money to get rid of Donald Trump,' " Bloomberg said Tuesday in California, one of the Super Tuesday states where he has focused his efforts. "And the guy said, 'Spend more.' " Trump campaign officials, who had massed in Iowa ahead of the caucuses, were all too willing to capitalize on the Democrats' troubles with tallying votes. Trump's allies said the results showed that Democrats were ill-equipped to govern the country. Republicans also interjected conspiracy theories into the mix, suggesting without proof that the delays were part of a scheme to rig the race against Sanders, who was leading in the polls. Some of Sanders's allies also appeared to raise questions about whether their candidate had been the victim of a conspiracy, though the self-described Democratic socialist did not traffic in those rumors. Sanders said Tuesday that he felt he was in "pretty good shape" based on his campaign's tally of caucus results, but he stopped short of declaring victory and suggested that Buttigieg had prematurely portrayed himself as the winner. "I don't know how anybody declares victory before you have an official statement as to the election results," Sanders said. Warren's allies had hoped for a second-place finish in Iowa and have tried to frame the results as a three-way cluster at the top with Biden lagging behind. That description is intended to deflate his candidacy and offer her the chance to consolidate some of his support. Warren's backers said the results provided no real springboard for any of the top three candidates. "Nobody is going to get a momentum story out of this. That has been decided. It is just not happening," said Adam Jentleson, a Warren ally and onetime top aide to former senator Harry Reid, D-Nev. Still, several candidates who had flown overnight to New Hampshire sought to convince voters and the media that they had left the Hawkeye State with momentum. Biden began his Tuesday event in Nashua by opining on the still-undecided caucuses, claiming that his campaign was "really doing well" in the state. But hours earlier, Biden's team blasted the Iowa Democratic Party for its handling of the vote and pushed to block the premature release of the results. "We believe that the campaigns deserve full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control you are employing, and an opportunity to respond, before any official results are released," his campaign said in a statement to the party. Sanders's advisers released several batches of incomplete and unofficial numbers that they said were the results of an updated internal tally, based on information collected by precinct captains. The count, which the campaign said was based on 60% of precincts, showed Sanders leading on the first and second votes, but did not specify delegate totals or precinct-level information. After the results were released, Sanders's campaign touted the raw vote total that showed him in the lead. Addressing reporters after the results were made public, Buttigieg called the numbers "the best piece of news our campaign has gotten since we entered this race" and predicted that it would "propel us into a great position to compete." Warren addressed the debacle in Iowa at the top of her first public event in New Hampshire, a town hall at a theater in Keene. "We had a bumpy start to the democratic process yesterday in Iowa," she said before the numbers were released. During the event, she sought to frame the results as essentially a three-way tie, casting her campaign as one that's going to be in the hunt for quite a while. "We've done Iowa," she said to the crowd. "We've got New Hampshire in just a week! Are we ready to do New Hampshire?" - - - The Washington Post's Paul Schwartzman, Michael Kranish, Matt Viser, Cleve Wootsen and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report. A medical worker in a People's Liberation Army unit gives a thumbs-up upon her arrival at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Hubei province on Feb 2, 2020. [Photo by Chen Xiaodong/For China Daily] By Zhao Lei Trucks and troops from the People's Liberation Army played important roles in the construction of three temporary hospitals in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province and epicenter of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, the military said. A transport support team used 50 trucks on Monday and Tuesday to carry materials to three locations in Wuhan, including a gymnasium and an exhibition center, which are being converted into hospitals to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus, the PLA said in a statement issued on Wednesday. The troops worked day and night and transported thousands of beds and mattresses to the three places, it said. The impact of the epidemic has led to manpower shortages and a lack of transport capacity in Wuhan's logistics businesses, forcing the city government to ask the military for help. The PLA established a transport support team of 260 troops and 130 trucks on Sunday to help the logistics companies transport daily necessities such as vegetables. Boredom! he exclaims on a recent afternoon, when asked why he decided to volunteer for the job. Second, to serve the people, he quickly adds. Everyone is cooped up at home all day so I may as well do something to contribute to society. The job is demanding, Mr. Zhang says. There are typically four drivers assigned to each neighborhood, and many residents have said it is difficult to secure a ride. Some elderly patients have reported walking two hours just to get to the hospital. Mr. Zhang said the number of his rides per day varies. Driving residents, including the sick, around the city comes with its own risks. Most residents these days are choosing to stay inside as much as possible. An eerie silence has blanketed this once bustling metropolis, punctuated only occasionally by the wail of an ambulance siren or a barking dog. Of course, were worried about getting infected, said Mr. Zhang. Our families are very worried about us, they dont want us to leave the house. Mr. Zhang lives with his parents, wife and two children, ages 3 and 7. The village where he grew up outside of Wuhan recently sent him a notice urging him not to go back, saying he lived too close to the Huanan Seafood Market, where the virus is thought to have originated. Akere Muna and Sisiku Ayuk Table Julius PhotoGrid from Twitter photos Barrister Akere Muna, former President of the Cameroon Bar Association has held talks with detained separatist leader, Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe ahead of Aprils Africa Forum on Cameroon, Jeune Afrique has reported. On July 2, 2019, the Africa Forum (the Forum), a grouping of former African Heads of State and Government and other African leaders issued a communique in which it announced its intention to convene a Symposium on Cameroon. The objective of the Symposium, as stated in that communique, is to inform the Forum on the ongoing challenges facing the country and to lend its support to the peaceful resolution of those challenges. The Africa Forum has thus set the date and venue for the Symposium as April 2020 in Kenya. 500 Cameroonians are expected to participate in the Symposium, representing a variety of stakeholders, including opinion leaders, civil society, the government of Cameroon, political parties, traditional authorities, religious bodies, different groups, youth leaders, the Cameroonian Diaspora and more. The Forum will count on the goodwill of the invited participants to have an open and honest dialogue which will be the building block on which a lasting solution to the crisis in Cameroon may be attained. Ahead of the Forum therefore, Jeune Afrique in its edition No. 3082 dated February 2, 2020 reports that Barrister Akere Muna was at the Yaounde Principal Prison where he held heart-to-heart talks with Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the man considered to be the President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Akere is reported as engaging the separatist leader on why dialogue, and not guns, should be the solution to the current stalemate bedevilling Cameroons North West and South West regions. Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who is currently serving a life sentence along with his aides is said to be open to dialogue that will end the crisis. It is however not known what his terms are. Many have their doubts if government will commit to the Africa Forum peace process. The intervention of the Forum is to support the African Union (AU) guide the continent to achieve the objectives detailed in the Constitutive Act and to take steps without delay to contact a broad spectrum of the people of Cameroon and invite these to attend what the Forum intends must be an inclusive and open dialogue. This Symposium on Cameroon will be one of series of interventions to seek lasting solutions to the ongoing humanitarian, political and economic crisis in Cameroon. Cameroonians seeking to attend the Forum have been advised to apply online. By Stephanie Nebehay and Se Young Lee GENEVA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine for China's coronavirus on Wednesday as airlines, carmakers and other global companies counted the cost of the fast-spreading outbreak. Hundreds of experts will gather in Geneva next week, on Feb. 11-12, in an attempt to find a way to fight back against the outbreak by speeding research into drugs and vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. A multinational WHO-led team would go to China "very soon", it added. It stressed no known effective treatment existed to combat the virus, dismissing various reports of "drug breakthroughs". China said another 65 people had died in the previous 24 hours, in the highest daily total yet, taking the overall toll on the mainland to 490, most in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan, where the new virus emerged late last year. There have been two deaths outside mainland China - in the Philippines and Hong Kong - both following visits to Wuhan. The virus had disrupted air travel, with more than two dozen airlines suspending or restricting flights to China and several countries, including the United States, banning the entry of anyone who has been in China over the previous two weeks. Hong Kong said all visitors from mainland China would be quarantined for two weeks, while Taiwan banned the entry of mainland residents from Thursday. The disruption spread to cruise ships this week, with about 3,700 people facing at least two weeks cut off aboard a liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed 10 passengers had tested positive for the virus. Passengers on the Diamond Princess posted pictures online of officials in masks and gowns conducting health checks and an empty deck. "This is not a good situation," British passenger David Abel said in a video shot in his cabin and posted to Facebook. Story continues In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew were confined to their ship docked in the city for tests after three people on board had tested positive earlier. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways <0293.HK> asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, saying conditions were as grave now as during the 2009 financial crisis. American Airlines Group and United Airlines said they would suspend flights to and from Hong Kong after this week, a step that would leave no U.S. carriers flying passengers to the Asian financial hub. About half of the air cargo carried globally is in the belly of passenger jets rather than dedicated freighters. FACTORY DISRUPTION Nearly $700 billion was wiped off mainland Chinese stocks on Monday with many factories shut, cities cut off and travel links constricted, fuelling worries about global supply chains. Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday. Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> will suspend production in South Korea because of a disruption to the supply of parts, it said, becoming the first major carmaker to do so outside of China. Global carmakers have already extended factory closures in China in line with government guidelines. These include Hyundai, Tesla , Ford , PSA Peugeot Citroen , Nissan <7201.T> and Honda Motor <7267.T.> Planemaker Airbus has prolonged a planned closure of its final assembly plant in Tianjin, China, it said. Taiwan's Foxconn <2317.TW>, which makes phones for global vendors including Apple , aims to gradually restart factories in China next week but could take at least a week or two more to resume full production, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. German sportswear company Adidas said it was temporarily shutting a "considerable" number of its stores in China. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the epidemic would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from a Phase 1 trade deal set to take effect this month. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the virus was adding to economic doubts. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty," she said in Paris. HUMAN-TO-HUMAN SPREAD Evidence of human-to-human spread outside China surfaced after an international business gathering in Singapore in January was linked to virus cases reported in Malaysia and South Korea, but authorities did not comment on its nature or the industry involved. Singapore - one of the worst hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 28 cases of the new coronavirus. Across mainland China, there were a total of 24,363 coronavirus infections, according to the WHO. Nearly 230 cases have been reported in some 27 countries and regions outside mainland China, a Reuters tally based on official statements shows. "The relatively small number of cases outside China gives us a window of opportunity to prevent this outbreak from becoming a broader global crisis," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. The WHO has declared the flu-like virus a global emergency and says face masks are important in curbing transmission if someone is showing symptoms. Pregnant women may be able to pass it to their unborn children, according to Chinese state media. Asked about various reports of "drug breakthroughs", WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV." Russia said it would take between eight and 10 months to develop a vaccine, Interfax reported. Scores of Russians began two weeks of quarantine in Siberia on Wednesday after being flown from Wuhan. Beijing has criticised as an overreaction U.S. travel curbs that bar foreign nationals who have visited China. About 350 Americans, the latest to be evacuated from Wuhan, landed in California on Wednesday. For more on the Coronavirus outbreak, click here. https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH/0100B59Y39P/index.html GRAPHIC: Tracking the novel coronavirus - https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 GRAPHIC: Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS - https://tmsnrt.rs/2GK6YVK (Reporting by Lusha Zhang, Ryan Woo, Roxanne Liu and Se Young Lee in Beijing, Yilei Sun and Winni Zhou in Shanghai, Tom Westbrook in Singapore, Jamie Freed in Sydney, Matthew Tostevin in Bangkok, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Hong Kong and Taipei newsrooms, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Susan Heavey and Makini Brice in Washington, Writing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie; Editing by Alex Richardson and Pravin Char) In Donald Trumps lengthy State of the Union speech to Congress, he spoke about the US economy, took aim at Democrats plans for healthcare funding, and defended gun rights, but he failed to mention perhaps the biggest issue the planet faces: the climate crisis. The US president has had an inconsistent and contradictory record on the subject, previously dismissing it as a Chinese hoax, mythical, non-existent and pulling America out of the Paris agreement, though he has also described climate change as very important. The glaring omission from Mr Trumps Tuesday night speech did not escape the notice of Bernie Sanders, who along with Pete Buttigieg, is now apparently leading the race to become the Democrats next presidential candidate. As important as it is to respond to what President Trump said tonight, it is equally important to discuss what Trump refused to talk about. In the year 2020, how can a president of the United States give a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change? Mr Sanders said to supporters following Mr Trumps address. The climate long relegated to the bottom of the list of concerns is now a major issue in American politics. Late last year, polls revealed over two thirds of US citizens now believe climate change is either a crisis or a serious problem. This has also been bolstered by several years of extreme weather events, including terrifying wildfires in California and the damage wreaked by ever larger tropical storms. Over 120,000 weather records were broken across the US in 2019, including for daily high and low temperatures as well as for levels of rain and snow. Heat waves hit Alaska raising temperatures to over 30C (90F) and sparking wildfires, winter storms brought snow to Hawaii, and heavy rains brought widespread flooding to the Midwest destroying crops. Wildfires spread across California in pictures Show all 32 1 /32 Wildfires spread across California in pictures Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle a blaze at the Salvation Army Camp in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Cathy Fallon (centre) who stayed behind to tend to her horses during the Camp Fire, embraces Shawna De Long (left) and April Smith who brought supplies for the horses Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A helicopter drops flame retardant on a wildfire in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures An air tanker drops water on the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures An abandoned car from fleeing residents of Paradise in the Pentz road area EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures A firefighter tackles the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures A Jack In The Box fast food restaurant burns as the Camp fire moves through Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers label a body bag AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters hose down trees on Bell Canyon Road, near Malibu AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A fire burns at the Salvation Army Camp Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A firefighting DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop over a wildfire in the mountains near Malibu Canyon Road AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Bins have melted and ballooned in the heat in Magalia, Butte County EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Satellite image taken on 8 November shows plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire stretching across portions of Northern California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures Deputy Coroner Justin Sponhaltz, of the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, recovers human remains found at a home destroyed by the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Buildings burn in Paradise, California EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Local residents bring their horses to Zuma Beach and away from the Woolsey Fire in Malibu Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A used car dealership burns in Paradise, California Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers inspect a burned vehicle after discovering remains nearby in Concow AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the flames in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Search and rescue teams work to evacuate patients from the burning Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Embers blow in the wind in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures In Butte County, the sky is filled with the smoke of the Camp Fire EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters at work in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures The burned remains of a house and car are left after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A shop burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Also in 2019, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was made Time magazines person of the year, lending the climate movement considerable prominence. The accolade did not impress the US president. Mr Trump responded on Twitter: So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! As Mr Sanders chases the Democrat nomination, he did not miss the opportunity to hammer home the differences between himself and Mr Trump, with the climate crisis a key weapon with which to wallop the president. He said: How do you give a speech a State of the Union speech and not mention climate change when the leading scientists of the world tell us that climate change is the greatest existential threat facing humanity, and that they as scientists have actually underestimated the speed and the severity with which climate change is wreaking havoc on our country and the entire world. I did not hear President Trump say one word about what it means when Australia is now on fire because of severe drought. And about the unprecedented level of flooding and extreme weather disturbances that we are experiencing. And he failed to talk about how many American communities could be underwater in the next century as a result of rising sea levels. By ignoring and in fact exacerbating the crisis of climate change, President Trump is turning his back on the children of America and on future generations and dooming them to live on a planet increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. He added: It is truly sad that we have a President of the United States who lacks the courage to stand up to his billionaire friends in the fossil fuel industry. " " Secret U.S. Nuclear Base Threatened by Melting Ice HowStuffWorks NOW In the 1960s, the U.S. built a secret nuclear facility under Greenland's ice cap. In less than a century, climate change will cause enough warming in Greenland to expose it to the world. The story begins in the 1950s. The United States and then Soviet Union had entered the Cold War. Both sides maneuvered to prevent the other from gaining an advantage. Those tactics included installing nuclear weapons in various locations around the globe. The rest of the world watched with growing anxiety as tensions escalated. Advertisement In the late 1950s, U.S. representatives contacted Danish officials about the possibility of creating a scientific research center under the ice cap in Greenland, which was largely under Denmark's control at the time. The two governments came to an agreement, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began to excavate a site for what would come to be known as Camp Century. The engineers built the facility 26 feet (8 meters) beneath the surface of the ice. Scientists actually conducted work there. Famous paleoclimatologist Willi Dansgaard worked at Camp Century and examined ice cores. Dansgaard's work showed that ice cores can tell us about climate trends across much of Earth's history. But the scientific center was a cover. The real goal was to build a military nuclear installation under the ice codenamed Project Iceworm. Greenland's geographic position meant that the U.S. would be able to use mid-range ballistic missiles (600 were proposed) and reach Moscow if necessary. It would give the U.S. a big advantage over the Soviets. To that end, the engineers built nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) of tunnels under the ice. A nuclear reactor provided electricity. The base even had a few amenities, like a shop and a movie theater. But it was the tunnels that were most important. The engineers wanted to install a subterranean railway that could transport missiles and even move launch sites around under the ice. By the mid-1960s, plans changed. The engineers noted that surface ice shifted too frequently for a practical nuclear launch facility. In 1967, the U.S. abandoned the facility. The departing staff powered down the nuclear plant and removed the generator. They pretty much left everything else behind, including hazardous materials like biological, chemical and nuclear waste. Flash-forward to today and climatologists warn that warming trends in the region mean that, eventually, Project Iceworm will be exposed completely. It will take some time. After all, over the years, new ice has formed on top of the base. But trends show that it won't be long before the amount of ice melting each year is greater than the amount accumulating. The scientists say that if we do not take action to reduce climate change, by 2090 Iceworm will no longer have ice around it. Environmentalists are worried that the hazardous materials left behind will cause environmental damage, particularly should they leak into the ocean. Neither the Danish nor the U.S. governments have stepped up to take the lead on handling the problem. If we let that matter go unhandled, the scientists say we'll end up with a "multinational, multi-generational" problem that will put a strain on international relationships. Ex-con Bernie Matthews says Michael Murphy (pictured) would have never been able to commit the crime if he hadn't been rewarded for snitching A former convict has claimed Anita Cobby would still be alive today if it weren't for 'secret backroom deals' between law enforcement and jailhouse informers. Ms Cobby, 26, was found naked and battered in a secluded paddock in western Sydney in 1986 after she beaten, raped, and had her throat slit by five men. Brothers Leslie, Gary and Michael Murphy, and John Travers and Michael Murdoch were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to life in prison. Former convict-turned-true crime author Bernie Matthews says one of the young nurse's killers would have never been able to commit the crime if he hadn't been rewarded for snitching. Matthews, a one-time career criminal who served time for robbery, lifted the lid off the secret deals criminals are offered by police in exchange for information, and how the practice has done more harm than good. In the case of Ms Cobby's killer, Michael Murphy, who died last year, Matthews revealed the murderer became a supergrass while serving 10 years for armed robbery. Anita Cobby, 26, was found naked and dismembered in a secluded paddock in western Sydney in 1986 after she beaten, raped, and had her throat slit by five men Murphy coughed up information about an escape tunnel in Parramatta jail, which in turn led to his security classification downgrade and his subsequent escape in December 1985. Six weeks later, Ms Cobby was found dead. Murphy's role as a snitch put him in a dangerous position in jail so 'they bent over backwards in his protection, declassified him and eventually let him go to a minimum security prison in which he was able to walk out'. 'If they hadnt rewarded him in the first place he wouldn't have ended up at a camp and escaped and she in all probability might be alive today,' Matthews writes in his True Crime Australia column. Matthews describes uncovering an 'unsavoury alliance' between criminals and law enforcement 'reinforced by brokered justice in secretive backroom deals'. 'I came to the realisation that Australian law makers have contributed to some of the most violent and brutal crimes ever committed in this country by condoning a rewarding process which included the granting of freedom to informers.' Michael Murphy, 66, died in Long Bay Hospital last February, 33 years after he and four others abducted, raped, assaulted and killed Ms Cobby. An undated image obtained in 2016 of Sydney woman Anita Cobby's parents Gary and Grace at her grave site Four others (from left to right), Leslie Murphy, 22, Gary Murphy , 28, Michael Murdoch, 19, and John Travers, 18 - were convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison The murder of the onetime beauty queen shocked Australia and led to calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty after her naked, broken body was found in a paddock at Prospect in western Sydney. Gary Murphy, then 28, along with his brothers Michael, 33, and Leslie, 22, as well as Murdoch, 19, and Travers, 18 - were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in jail. A confession by Travers, the ringleader of the group, was secretly recorded. 'We were all drunk and she f***ing seen all of us. So I just cut her,' Travers said. Gary Murphy jailed for life over the murder of nurse Anita Cobby was photographed in public for the first time in three decades last year A suspected coronavirus patient sparked a panicked police search after vanishing from a hospital in Austria last night. The 31-year-old woman, who had recently been to New Zealand via Taiwan, was found missing from a hospital in Salzburg at 3am this morning. The patient had checked into the hospital hours earlier after suffering breathing problems on a flight and provided a throat swab sample which has been sent for urgent testing in Vienna. Later on Wednesday she was found at her home in Salzburg and returned to hospital, but authorities are now investigating who she might have come into contact with. A suspected coronavirus patient sparked a panicked police search after vanishing from a hospital (pictured) in Salzburg, Austria, last night The woman was found at her home around 10.30am, the city of Salzburg said - meaning she was gone from the hospital for more than seven hours. Authorities today granted permission for the woman to be kept under guard until her medical condition becomes clear. Investigators are now trying to establish where she went and who she might have come into contact with on her way. It is not yet clear exactly how the virus spreads, but suspected coronavirus patients are usually placed under strict quarantine. The results of the woman's tests will be determined at a laboratory in Vienna and are expected to be sent back to Salzburg later today. Police had last night joined the search for the woman with authorities promising to do 'everything necessary' to find her. It is not yet clear exactly how the virus spreads, but suspected coronavirus patients are usually placed under strict quarantine (file photo: doctors look at a patient's CT scan in Wuhan) The Salzburg university hospital said yesterday that the woman had been admitted to an isolation ward after she suffered breathing problems on a flight. The woman had flown out to New Zealand via Taiwan, and called for medical help after showing possible coronavirus symptoms on her way home. Taiwan has confirmed 11 cases of the virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that difficulty breathing can be a symptom of the virus, along with fever and coughing. The woman was brought to the hospital by an emergency vehicle which was specially equipped for infectious cases, medics said. Austria has not yet had a confirmed coronavirus patient, although there have been a handful of suspected cases - some of which are still awaiting test results. Neighbouring Germany has 12 confirmed cases, while Italy has two. The government approved on Tuesday the Emergency Ordinance under which the Oltenia Energy Complex receives 1.2 billion lei in state aid for the purchase of the greenhouse gas emission certificates assigned to 2019, the Ministry of Energy said in a release on Wednesday. On December 30, 2019 the government approved a memorandum setting out the plan of measures for the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates, titled "Authorizing the Ministry of Public Finance to give its approval in principle for the Oltenia Energy Complex potentially taking out a Treasury loan worth 1,200 million lei in the form of a rescue aid, after completing the legal steps regarding state aid and after obtaining the European Commission's authorization."Also back then the government approved the referral of the pre-notification documents and the notification of the European Commission of the rescue aid proposed for the Oltenia Energy Complex; within 6 months from the grant of the loan, the Oltenia Energy Complex is to either repay it, or present a Restructuring program for the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment to refer to the European Commission in order to obtain restructuring state aid.Based on the memorandum, on January 16, 2020 the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment sent the Competition Council the documentation for the European Commission's pre-notification of Romania's proposal to grant the Oltenia Energy Complex rescue aid."The grant of the state aid will allow the company to continue its activity along with the implementation of an ambitious decarbonisation and restructuring program that will lead to the diversification of its energy mix, by implementing the transitions from coal to gas and renewables," the release said.According to the undertaken commitments, the Oltenia Energy Complex shall have to consider the following major investments: the construction of three solar parks with a total installed capacity of about 300 MW on the site of the closed-down slag and ash dumps of the Rovinari, Turceni and Isalnita power plants; the construction of a new 200 MW gas-powered cogeneration block at the Craiova Power Plant, the construction of a 400 MW gas-powered block at the Turceni Power Plant, as well as the construction of two 400 MW gas-powered blocks at the Isalnita Power Plant, in parallel with increasing the efficiency of its exploitation and production activities. AGERPRES Days after United States President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it has sparked reactions globally. While Palestinian leaders have already rejected Trump's 'deal of the century', Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on February 5 that Arab leaders who support the plan are 'incompetent'. Don't look at the presence of a few, #traitorous Arab heads of state for the 'Deal of the Century'. Theyre incompetent and have no respect among their own nation. The unveiling of this plan caused #Palestine to be spoken about more in the world and revived this issue. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 5, 2020 Khameini further said that the gulf nations who agree with US President's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan have 'no respect among own nation'. The Iranian Supreme leader has also accused the 'arrogant powers' to make 'Palestine forgotten' with their peace plan. However, according to Khameini, it had a reverse effect as the world is now talking about Palestinians and their rights. The #DealofCentury" has hurt themselves since day one! The Arrogant Powers have tried to make #Palestine forgotten. But, their efforts gave the opposite results, & revived the question of Palestine. Now the world is talking about Palestine & the rights of its oppressed people. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 5, 2020 The peace plan devised by Trump administration proposes to create the State of Palestine with its capital in east Jerusalem while acknowledging the sovereignty of Israel over important settlement blocs in the West Bank. Called Trump's deal 'foolish' Not only did Khameini think Trump's 'vision for peace' in the Middle East is 'foolish' but he also said that it indicates 'viciousness and manipulation' of the US. Iranian supreme leader thinks Trump negotiated with 'zionists' over something that belongs to Palestinians. The leaders in Palestine had said earlier that the deal deserved to go into the 'dustbin of the history'. You saw that the U.S. aggressors and highwaymen unveiled the plan of the so-called #DealOfTheCentury. They have wishfully chosen a big name for it hoping to achieve it, but this plan is: 1. stupid; 2. a sign of viciousness; 3. detrimental to themselves since day one. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 5, 2020 Denouncing the plan proposed by US President even further, Khameini said that it will 'die before Trump dies'. According to Iran's supreme leader, the deal will 'not' have any result and is 'doomed to failure'. He also believes that 'Palestine belongs to Palestinians' and questioned who are others 'to make a decision on it'. The American plot of the 'Deal of the Century' will die before Trump dies. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 5, 2020 Read - UNSC To Meet Over Donald Trump's Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plan Mousavi calls deal 'treason of century' Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi not only denounced the peace plan, which according to Trump will put an end to one of the oldest ongoing wars, between Israelis and Palestinians but called it a betrayal to the Islamic community. He further called the peace truce as 'shameful' and 'treason of the century'. According to the official website, Mousavi said, The Zionist regime is a usurper and occupying regime, and the only way to settle the Palestinian crisis will be holding a referendum among the main inhabitants of the Palestinian land, and such vicious plans are doomed to defeat. Read - Jordanians Protest Against Trump Peace Plan Arab countries on peace truce Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry had released a statement saying the kingdom acknowledges the efforts of US President to develop a 'comprehensive peace plan' between both the sides and putting end to one of the oldest ongoing wars in the history. According to the international news agency, Salman of Saudi Arabia reportedly talked to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on the telephone and stressed on the kingdom's steadfast stance on the Palestinian issue along with rights of Palestinian people. Jordan has reportedly given a calm reaction to the peace plan, while Egypt which was the first Arab country to reach a peace deal with the Jewish state, has urged Israelis and Palestinians to carefully study the peace deal. The UAE's ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba issued a strikingly positive response to Trump's plan and called it a 'starting point'. Read - Protest In West Bank Over Trump Peace Plan Read - Erdogan: Trump's Peace Plan 'occupation Project' (with inputs from agencies) Liza Minnelli has refused to discuss her views on Judy, the biopic about the final years of her mother Judy Garlands life, in a new interview. The actor denounced the project on Facebook in 2018, describing rumours that she was bonding with lead star Renee Zellweger ahead of production as 100% fiction. Minnelli wrote: I have never met nor spoken to Renee Zellweger... I dont know how these stories get started, but I do not approve nor sanction the upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way. Now, with less than a week to go until the Oscars where Zellweger is favourite to win Best Actress Variety has published an interview with Minnelli about her career. The interview notes: Minnelli has no interest in seeing the film. All she will say right now is I hope [Zellweger] had a good time making it. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Show all 47 1 /47 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination American Psycho (2000) Starring future Oscar-winner Christian Bale, Mary Harrons adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel in which the Vice star plays the psychopathic Patrick Bateman - didnt receive a single nomination. Rex Features 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Before Sunrise (1995) While the final two chapters of Richard Linklaters Before trilogy earned screenplay nominations, the film that introduced the world to future married couple Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) was criminally overlooked. Columbia Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Big Heat (1953) Fritz Lang had a number of films overlooked by the Academy; this noir, starring Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin and and Gloria Grahame, was one of them. Columbia Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Big Lebowski (1998) The Academys generosity to the Coen brothers peaked when No Country for Old Men beat There Will Be Blood in one of the ceremonys closest Best Picture races of all time. It remains surprising that one of their few films to evade any nominations is this endlessly quotable mistaken identity comedy starring Jeff Bridges as The Dude. PolyGram Filmed Entertainment 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Blow Out (1981) Brian De Palma doesnt exactly make films in the hope of winning award, but his political thriller - based on Michelangelo Antonionis Blow Up would have deserved any Oscar it was nominated for. Filmways Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Breathless (1960) Breathless' failure to receive a nomination is proof that the Oscars cant be trusted. Despite being one of the most studied films in the world, Jean Luc-Godards French masterpiece has an Academy Award tally of zero. Films Around The World 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Bringing Up Baby (1938) The Academy rewarded many notable screwball comedies, though this Howard Hawks-directed standout starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn - whod go on to hold the record for most wins - wasn't one of them. Courtesy of BFI 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Don't Look Now (1973) Nicolas Roeg, who directed this Venice-set chiller, is one of the most unfairly overlooked directors in Oscars history. Rex Features 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Donnie Darko (2004) Richard Kellys science-fiction mind-bender, which made a star of Jake Gyllenhaal, was a festival favourite upon its debut in 2004. Many expected a screenplay nomination to manifest. Rex Features 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) It wouldnt be until the 1990s that western films found favour with the Academy. It was ironically thanks to Unforgiven, a film directed by Clint Eastwood whose career flourished after starring in this Sergio Leone film that many consider to be the genres peak. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination La haine (1995) Mathieu Kassovitzs black-and-white drama translated in English as Hate follows three young friends and their struggles living in the suburbs of Paris. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Halloween (1978) The Academy may not be frothing at the mouth to nominate horror films, but do have previous (see: The Exorcist and The Silence of the Lamb), which makes the absence of John Carpenters influential Halloween a glaring oversight. Aquarius Releasing 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Harold and Maude (1971) This offbeat romantic drama was a critical and commercial flop at the time of release, which probably accounts for its lack of Oscar nominations. Today, though, its cult following ensures it remains in good favour with film fans. Paramount Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Heat (1995) On paper, the big screen union of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Michael Manns cop drama was a shoo-in for awards, but no Oscar nominations manifested. Warner Bros 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination His Girl Friday (1940) Yet another Howard Hawks screwball comedy starring Cary Grant that criminally failed to secure a single Oscar nomination. L/Columbia/Koba/Rex/Shutterstock 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Insomnia (2002) While falling short of Christopher Nolans best, modest drama Insomnia made years before Batman Begins had enough strong performances (Al Pacino, Robin Wiliams, Hilary Swank) to warrant acting nominations. Alas, it received none. Warner Bros Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Local Hero (1983) Bill Forsyths beloved comedy-drama follows the mishaps of an American man sent to buy up a Scottish village where the oil company he works for wants to build a refinery. Forsyth won the Bafta for Best Director, but the film received no such love from the Academy. 20th Century Fox 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination M (1931) Youd be mistaken for thinking the M stands for masterpiece in Fritz Langs German drama that follows the manhunt for a serial killer - not that the Academy agreed. 20th Century Fox 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination A Man Escaped (1956) Robert Bressons adaptation of Andre Devignys memoirs charts the French Resistance members time as prisoner of the Germans during World War II, and is even more enthralling considering Bresson himself was held captive years before. Gaumont Film Company 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Margaret (2011) Kenneth Lonergan would go on to win an Oscar for Manchester but he Sea, but Margaret - his three-hour plus drama featuring a searing performance from Anna Paquin - failed to secure a single nomination. Fox Searchlight Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination In the Mood for Love (2000) Wong Kar-wai set the benchmark for romance in film with his acclaimed Hong Kong drama following a man and woman (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung) who develop feelings for one another after suspecting their respective spouses of having an affair together. defd Deutscher Fernsehdienst 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The King of Comedy (1982) It may have taken him decades to win an Oscar, but the Academy has rarely balked at nominating Martin Scorsese films especially for films starring Robert De Niro. The King of Comedy was an exception. 20th Century Fox 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Long Goodbye (1973) Robert Altmans superior thriller stars Elliott Gould as Raymond Chandlers private investigator Philip Marlowe in one of the directors most entertaining films. The director would go on to be the recipient of the Honorary Award in 2006. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Man With Two Brains (1983) He may have hosted several times, but Steve Martin has never been nominated for an Oscar. One film he deserved recognition for was Carl Reiner's 1983 sci-fi comedy, The Man with Two Brains. Warner Bros. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination A Matter of Life and Death (1946) The Academy Film Archive may have preserved A Matter of Life and Death in 1999, but voters failed to recognise the Powell & Pressburgers fantasy-romance at the time of its release in 1946. Eagle-Lion Films 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Mean Streets (1973) It may not be credited as his debut, but Mean Streets is very much the first true Martin Scorsese film. The director would go on to win a belated Oscar for The Departed in 2007, but hed have to wait until 1975 for his first nomination (Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore). Warner Bros 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Melancholia (2011) No Lars von Trier film has ever been nominated for Best Picture, though Dancer in the Dark came close (it settled for a Best Original Song nomination). He came close with Melancholia, but ultimately, the drama didn't get Canal+ 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Miller's Crossing (1990) Despite being revered as a Coen brothers favourite, not to mention its notable performances from Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney, Millers Crossing is one of few Coen brother films not to receive a single Oscar nomination. 20th Century Fox 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Though it's by no means a masterpiece, its staggering to think that Sergio Leones gangster epic - starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci - didnt acquire any Oscar nominations (the film's music was disqualified from consideration after Warner Bros accidentally omitted the composer's name from the opening credits when trimming the films lengthy running time for its American release). Warner Bros 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Paterson (2016) Critics assumed Jim Jarmuschs Paterson would have been a shoo-in for awards recognition - most notably in the Best Actor category, thanks to a quietly fantastic performance from Adam Driver - but no such luck. Amazon Studios 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Paths of Glory (1957) Stanley Kubrick never won Best Director despite being nominated four times. One of his films that didnt make the Oscars cut in any category was his black-and-white anti-war film, Paths of Glory. United Artists 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Play Misty for Me (1971) Clint Eastwood would go onto become something of an Oscar darling thanks to Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, but his directorial debut was ignored by the Academy. Univeral Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Reservoir Dogs (1992) Reservoir Dogs may not touch Quentin Tarantinos best, but it remains a surprise that the filmmakers debut didnt get recognised in the screenplay category, at least. Miramax Films 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Rider (2018) Of all the 2018 films to be snubbed at this years Oscars, Chloe Zhaos drama - which stars a real-life rodeo cowboy and his family - smacks as the most unfair. Sony Pictures Classics 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Searchers (1956) The role of Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards might be considered John Waynes best role, but the Academy didnt agree: he would win his sole Oscar for True Grit in 1970. Warner Bros 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Shining (1980) Another Kubrick film that was completely ignored by the Academy is the directors Stephen King adaptation, The Shining. Today, its considered one of his finest works as well as being one of the most revered horror films of all time. Warner Bros 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination The Shop Around the Corner (1953) It may have endured as one of the best loved romcoms of all time, but it has zero Oscar nominations to its name. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Still Walking (2008) Japanese director Hirokazo Kore-eda's portrait of a family over roughly 24 hours as they commemorate the death of the eldest son was a glaring oversight by the Academy. IFC Films 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Swingers Before he became Disney's go to, Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book and the forthcoming live-action Lion King) wrote this independent film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living in Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival. Rex Features 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination This Is England (2006 The 2007 ceremony would have been far better had Shane Meadows' coming-of-drama been in contention for awards. Optimum Releasing 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Three Kings (1999) The Academy deemed Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle worthy of nominations, but not David O Russells Three Kings, which remains one of his greatest films to this day. Warner Bros Pictures 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Tokyo Story (1953) Tokyo Story is deemed Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu's masterpiece and was named Sight & Sound's best film of all time in 2012. Rex Features 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Touch of Evil (1958) Orson Welles' classic noir wasn't as well loved at the time of release as it is today. BFI 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Tyrannosaur (2011) Olivia Colman may be in contention for Best Actress at this years ceremony, but the fact she failed to earn a nomination (or Bafta, for that matter) for her role in Paddy Considines hard-hitting drama Tyrannosaur is one of the biggest oversights in awards history. StudioCanal UK 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Walkabout (1971) Another exceptional achievement in filmmaking from Nicolas Roeg that somehow failed to receive any Oscar nominations. 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination You Were Never Really Here (2018) Notch it down to bad timing, but Lynne Ramsays You Were Never Really Here - starring Joaquin Phoenix - is a sensational piece of work worthy of reward. Amazon Studio 47 brilliant films that didn't receive a single Oscar nomination Zodiac (2007) Three years later, David Fincher would go head-to-head with The King Speech's Tom Hooper for The Social Network. In truth, serial killer drama Zodiac is every bit as good as the Facebook drama. Warner Bros Pictures Judy focuses on Garlands sold-out shows at London nightclub Talk of the Town months before her accidental overdose in 1969. It shows her living a lonely life away from her children in London. Zellweger won the Golden Globe and Bafta Best Actress trophy over the past month. Born in 1946, Minnelli whose credits include Cabaret, New York New York and US sitcom Arrested Development is the daughter of Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli (Gigi, Meet Me in St Louis). (Bloomberg) -- In 2010, Washington D.C. opened its proposed online voting system to public scrutiny. Officials wanted to know if the new platform was safe to use in elections. Within 36 hours, hackers from the University of Michigan broke into the network and changed every single vote cast in a pilot election. The team of Michigan students and staff took control of the voting system, and the security cameras at the Board of Elections, too. Yet officials had no idea, even after the hackers modified the Thank You page that appeared at the end of the test vote to play the University of Michigan fight song. Washington elections officials discovered the attack two days later, then ultimately scrapped the program. A decade on, American elections officials remain hopeful that the internet can make voting more accessible and the reporting of results more efficient. But cybersecurity experts point to case after case in which connecting voting systems to the internet and over-reliance on technology creates more problems than it solves. Glitches in the mobile application used by Democrats in the Iowa caucus on Monday are just the latest in a decade full of such examples. Fortunately for the Iowa Democratic Party, which ran the election, the caucus was saved by its decision to mothball the original plan to use the app for tabulation and some voting, too. It couldve been so much worse if actual voters had been using an app-based system to submit results, said J. Alex Halderman, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Michigan and one of the masterminds behind the D.C. hack in 2010. Thats why this was merely an embarrassment for the Iowa Democratic Party and not a catastrophe. Iowa caucus results were available and verifiable thanks to the use of paper documentation, according to the Iowa Democratic Party. That has raised worries that reliance on technology may hurt voter confidence in 2020 and beyond. The episode augments a growing public wariness since reports that Russiaian cyber-attacks infiltrated state voting systems in the 2016 election. Story continues Despite these concerns, 32 states will offer some semblance of mobile voting in 2020. For example, according to current planning in West Virginia, disabled voters and military personnel deployed overseas will be able to use their smartphones to cast ballots through a platform called Voatz, according to West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, who said the program has passed multiple stress tests. The mobile voting technology has spent a couple of months at Idaho National Laboratory, where the Department of Homeland Security is testing the security of the technology inside and out -- with an assessment of its security expected soon, according to Donald Kersey, general counsel in Warners office, At that time, West Virginia will decide whether to use the technology -- an updated version of the mobile voting technology used in 2018 -- or move forward with other options for disabled and overseas voters to cast their ballots, such as email or fax. The Department of Homeland Security didnt conduct this type of testing on Iowas app for reporting caucus results, Chad Wolf, the departments acting secretary, said Tuesday on Fox News. Even so, cybersecurity experts continue to wonder if new voting technologies -- even if they have been well tested -- are worth the added risks. There is this idea that were going to use this technology to improve access, without adequately reviewing security concerns, said Susan Greenhalgh, vice president at the National Election Defense Coalition. Instead, so many states are looking at tech as solution and believing what voting machine vendors are telling them about it. The use of paper in the voting and voter registration process -- which can be audited for accuracy, particularly in the event of an Iowa-like malfunction -- is the greatest area of need in election security, Chris Krebs, head of the Department of Homeland Securitys cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, said last year at a House of Representatives committee hearing. But as of March, about a quarter of U.S. states relied on some voting equipment that produce no paper. Four states -- Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina -- utilized those paperless machines across the state, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice. While some states are buying a new generation of digital voting machines in preparation for the presidential election, experts have told Bloomberg News that these machines are costly and insecure. When the new digital system broke down Monday in Iowa, caucus staff defaulted to a manual approach, according to the Iowa Democratic Party. Staff activated pre-planned backup measures and entered data manually, the party said in a statement. Following the failure of the new app in Iowa, officials in other states expressed confidence in traditional, offline methods of reporting results, including Nevada, which had also planned to use an app to tabulate results during its Feb. 22 Democratic caucus. We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus, William McCurdy II, the chairman of the Nevada State Democratic Party, said in a statement. We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems, and are currently evaluating the best path forward. Still, Iowa is a pretty graphic illustration of why its a bad idea to connect election systems to the internet, said Rich DeMillo, a Georgia Institute of Technology computer science professor and former Hewlett-Packard chief technology officer. Computers can be misprogrammed, misconfigured, misused and hacked, DeMillo said. Imagine the scale of the disaster if Iowa did not have hand-marked paper caucus result to rely on. To contact the reporters on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net;Kartikay Mehrotra in San Francisco at kmehrotra2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Martin at amartin146@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Anne VanderMey For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. ST. LOUIS, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody (NYSE: BTU) announced today that it will appoint several new members to the company's Board of Directors in conjunction with the February Board meeting, including Elliott Management Equity Partner Dave Miller, Elliott Management Portfolio Manager Samantha Algaze and tenured coal industry executive Darren Yeates. Peabody and Elliott have also agreed to add a fourth independent director with extensive mining operations experience, to be jointly identified by Peabody and Elliott. The company will also nominate each of the new directors, along with all current directors, for a full one-year term at the company's upcoming annual meeting of shareholders in May. Peabody and Elliott, the company's largest shareholder, also have entered into a cooperation agreement outlining the relationship between the two companies. Elliott has agreed to certain customary standstill, voting and other provisions. A copy of the agreement is being included in a Peabody Form 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission to be filed today. "We're pleased to welcome these skilled and experienced professionals to our board," said Peabody Chairman Bob Malone. "Together they will bring a broad range of financial, portfolio and operational expertise that complements the strong skill sets and diverse perspectives already represented in our directors." "We welcome this closer relationship with Elliott, which has been a substantial investor in Peabody's capital structure for more than four years," said Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Kellow. "We are aligned in our objectives of maximizing value creation and shareholder returns. We look forward to benefitting from the contributions of these new directors." "We are convinced that Peabody has significant unrealized potential," said Dave Miller. "Elliott has built a strong relationship with the team at Peabody in recent years, and we look forward to helping the company create substantial long-term value for all investors." Dave Miller is Equity Partner, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of U.S. Restructuring for Elliott Management, and a member of the Management Committee. Mr. Miller joined Elliott in 2003 after working in M&A and financing advisory roles at Peter J. Solomon Company. Mr. Miller is also currently a director of Acosta, a leading full-service sales and marketing agency; the Brazilian American Automotive Group, Inc., one of the largest automotive dealership groups in Latin America; and Arconic, a company specializing in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing. Mr. Miller received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. Samantha Algaze is a Portfolio Manager at Elliott Management Corporation where she works on investments spanning multiple industries. She joined Elliott in 2013 after working at H.I.G. Capital in the Private Equity division. Prior to that, she was an analyst in Deutsche Bank's Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging & Leisure Investment Banking Group. Ms. Algaze is also currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Managers of Claire's Holdings LLC. Ms. Algaze received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Darren Yeates currently serves as a director and principal of Yeates Advisory Services Pty Ltd, a consulting firm he co-founded in November 2016. Mr. Yeates has over 35 years of mining industry experience, most recently as COO of MACH Energy Australia, a developer and supplier of thermal coal to both the Australian domestic and Asian export markets, from May 2018 to December 2019. He was previously CEO of GVK Hancock Coal from January 2014 until June 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Yeates spent over 22 years with Rio Tinto, including as Acting Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Coal Australia, General Manager Ports and Infrastructure for Pilbara Iron and General Manager Tarong Coal. He began his mining career at BHP in coal operations and metalliferous exploration. Mr. Yeates has served as a director of Emeco Holdings Limited, an Australian mining services company, since April 2017, and WorkPac Pty Ltd, a diversified employment recruiter, since January 2018. He also served as a director at Stanmore Coal Limited, an Australian coal company, from May 2019 until February 2020. Mr. Yeates is currently CEO of WorkPac in an interim capacity as the Board searches for a permanent CEO. He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from University of Queensland, a Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Central Queensland and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. He has an Executive MBA from the Monash Mt Eliza Business School and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. This press release is not a proxy statement or a solicitation of proxies from the holders of Peabody common stock. A solicitation of proxies in connection with the 2020 Annual Meeting will be made only by Peabody's definitive proxy statement that will be mailed to all shareholders of record on the record date of March 12, 2020. Peabody will be filing a definitive proxy statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shareholders are urged to read the proxy statement and any other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC when they become available because they will contain important information. Shareholders will be able to receive the proxy statement and other relevant documents free of charge at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov or through the company's own website at https://www.peabodyenergy.com/Investor-Info/Shareholder-Information/Annual-Report. The directors, nominees for election as director, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees of the company may be deemed "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of the company in connection with the matters to be considered at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of the company in connection with such matters will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting to be filed with the SEC. In addition, information about the company's executive officers and directors may be found in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, when available, and in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 27, 2019. Peabody (NYSE: BTU) is the leading global pure-play coal company and a member of the Fortune 500, serving power and steel customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. The company offers significant scale, high-quality assets, and diversity in geography and products. Peabody is guided by seven core values: safety, customer focus, leadership, people, excellence, integrity and sustainability. Contact: Vic Svec 314.342.7768 Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words or variation of words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "targets," "would," "will," "should," "goal," "could" or "may" or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements provide management's current expectations or predictions of future conditions, events or results. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future are forward-looking statements. They may include estimates of revenues, income, earnings per share, cost savings, capital expenditures, dividends, share repurchases, liquidity, capital structure, market share, industry volume, or other financial items, descriptions of management's plans or objectives for future operations, or descriptions of assumptions underlying any of the above. All forward- looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and reflect the company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance or events. Furthermore, the company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, a variety of economic, competitive and regulatory factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, that are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2018 and most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as additional factors we may describe from time to time in other filings with the SEC. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and, consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties. SOURCE Peabody Related Links https://www.peabodyenergy.com Macy's plans to shutter 125 of its stores over the next three years, with 30 set to close in 2020, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company will also cut 2,000 corporate jobs. "Our goal is to reclaim and revitalize what a department store should be," Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette told the Journal. "Department stores are still vital if they are done right. There is viability to having many categories and brands under one roof." Competition is fierce in the retail world, with Macy's having to face successful online rivals like Amazon and discount stores like Marshalls. About 400 Macy's locations will remain open, and the company plans on launching new stores called The Market by Macy's. These will be smaller about one-tenth the size of a typical Macy's and in shopping centers rather than malls, the Journal reports. The company expects to open four or five The Market by Macy's locations by the end of the year, Gennette said. More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think Companies rising out of the ashes to avoid paying tax, wages and other debts will face a crackdown when regulators get increased powers. Phoenix activity is when executives strip down their businesses and transfer assets to another company to avoid paying outstanding liabilities. Under a bill which passed the Senate on Wednesday, regulators will get beefed-up powers to detect and address phoenix activity through prosecuting company directors. The government will give the Australian Securities and Investments Commission $8.7million to help fund liquidators to investigate and report phoenix activity (stock image) Unscrupulous pre-insolvency advisers could also face penalties. The government will give the Australian Securities and Investments Commission $8.7million to help fund liquidators to investigate and report the shonky practice. Labor's push to have the laws reviewed after five years was agreed to by the government, meaning the bill will now return for final approval in the lower house. Government minister Jane Hume said phoenix activity had been a problem for decades. 'The Morrison government is committed to tackling illegal phoenix activity to protect honest and hardworking Australian small businesses and taxpayers,' she told parliament on Wednesday. The United States has halted a secretive military intelligence cooperation program with Turkey that for years helped Ankara target Kurdish PKK militants, Reuters reported citing four U.S. officials. The U.S. military had carried out the missions using unarmed drone aircraft, which one official said were flown out of Turkeys Incirlik air base, where the U.S. military has a significant presence. The U.S. decision to indefinitely suspend the program was made in response to Turkeys cross-border military incursion into Syria in October, the U.S. officials said. The U.S. officials said the United States late last year stopped flying the intelligence collection missions that targeted the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which both the U.S. and Turkey classify as terrorists. A State Department spokesperson said the United States does not comment on intelligence matters. Officials from the Turkish defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment as well. Johannesburg: A judge in South Africa has issued an arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma for failing to appear in court on a corruption case that he has sought to avoid for months - now by asserting that he is ill. The National Prosecuting Authority requested the warrant, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported. Former South African president Jacob Zuma appears in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, last October. Credit:AP The former leader is on trial on 18 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a $US2 billion arms deal with French arms manufacturer Thales in 1999, when he was deputy president. He rejects the allegations as a politically motivated witch-hunt. Reports have said Zuma, 77, is in Cuba seeking treatment. The NPA requested Zuma's medical records as evidence of his claim, the state broadcaster reported. The International Monetary Fund said Monday that it supports China's efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak and is confident that the country's economy is resilient. "We support China's efforts to respond by taking measures with all the strength of its health system, but also by the recent fiscal, monetary and financial actions. We are confident in the resilience of China's economy," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. As of midnight Sunday, China's finance authorities have allocated 47 billion yuan (about $6.8 billion) for the coronavirus prevention and control work, according to China's Ministry of Finance. The number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus outbreak rose to 425 in China, after authorities in Hubei province reported 64 new fatalities on Monday, China's National Health Commission said on Tuesday. The province, the epicenter of the infection, also confirmed 2,345 new cases of infection, putting the nation's total slightly over 20,000, according to the commission. The gloomy situation has fueled some speculation that the current outbreak would have larger negative economic impact than the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) episode. The New York Times, for example, headlined on Monday: "SARS Stung the Global Economy. The Coronavirus Is a Greater Menace." The IMF chief said there could be some negative impact on sectors such as tourism and manufacturing for the first quarter of the year. Beyond that, the influence has yet to be seen. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's Lunar New Year greeting with Jin Zhongxia, IMF executive director for China. Jin Zhongxia thanked her for supporting China during the coronavirus epidemic. (Photo/Chinadaily) "The immediate impact is obvious. We have travel, tourism, manufacturing in China and a little bit beyond China (that) may initially be impacted," she said in a video posted on her Twitter account Monday. "China has taken very dramatic actions to restrict the spread of the virus, and work is underway on a vaccine. So let's say for this quarter there will very likely be a negative impact. What would happen beyond this quarter we must observe and assess," Georgieva said. "Stay strong China! Stay strong Wuhan!" the Bulgarian economist said in Chinese. Chinese analysts have said sectors bearing the brunt of the viral outbreak, such as transportation, retail and catering, are expected to see rapid recovery in one to three months once the contagion is gone. The coronavirus epidemic will have only a "temporary impact" on China's economy, and the country's good economic fundamentals for long-term growth remain unchanged, according to Lian Weiliang, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission. The country's economic strength, resources and abilities to deal with emergencies have been significantly ramped up since the 2003 SARS outbreak, Lian said at a news conference on Monday. The IMF's sister lending institution, the World Bank, also said Monday that it is monitoring the wider economic and social impact of the outbreak. It is reviewing financial and technical resources that can be mobilized quickly to support affected countries and assist the life-saving work underway to stop the transmission of and mitigate the impact of the virus. "We support China's efforts to respond including its efforts to maintain resilience in its economy," the World Bank said in a statement. "Our sympathies to all affected by the serious situation related to #Coronavirus. The Chinese authorities have policy space to respond & have announced a sizeable injection of liquidity, which should help mitigate the costs to economic growth," the World Bank tweeted on Monday. Last Wednesday, World Bank Group President David Malpass said the global lender "stands together with the people of China at this challenging time". "Our team is already in discussion with relevant authorities on possible ways we might support China and its people," he said. "Our immediate support could include, for example, technical assistance on disease surveillance, food safety and crisis response, sharing international experiences on managing similar crises, and impact analysis of the outbreak on the Chinese economy." The World Tourism Organization, the specialized United Nations agency for tourism, also expressed its solidarity with China and its confidence in the resilience of China's tourism industry. It said in a statement Friday that China has emerged as a "true global tourism leader" both as a source market and as a leading destination in itself. "Tourism will offer a valuable lifeline as China recovers and rebuilds from this setback, just as the sector has proven its resilience many times before," it said. Once a month, students at Coxsackie-Athens High School near Albany, N.Y., can have a pizza lunch with local employers, including a national pharmaceutical company and an HVAC organization. A high school near Detroit that offers students a choice of career specialties recently added a Geographic Information Systems option, so that students can better compete for jobs managing drones and self-driving cars. A middle school in western Massachusetts requires all 7th graders to take a 45-day engineering design course, and all 8th graders to take a similar length Computing for Innovation course. Those efforts are a part of a big national push to include much stronger workforce connections in K-12 by revamping curriculum and school culture to help students explore potential careersincluding some that their teachers, principals, and district leaders cant even imagine yet. More than half of the 586 school and district leaders who responded to a survey in December by the EdWeek Research Center51 percentsaid that updating curriculum to get students ready for the jobs of the future is a top priority. And another sizeable chunk39 percentsaid their districts were paying at least some attention to this issue. Only 10 percent of respondents said that workforce preparation was getting only a little focus. Only two of the educators surveyed said their districts werent considering the issue at all. We realize that we need to make some changes, said Grant Javersak, the principal of James Wood Middle School in Winchester, Va., near the Shenandoah mountains. Our [students], when they graduate, are going to look for jobs that havent even [been created] yet, and thats scary that we are not going to be preparing students for gainful employment if we dont make changes to curriculum. Preparing students for the future of work may sound like a no-brainer. But there are challenges, educators say, and heres a look at five big ones: Challenge 1: College-Ready Obsessions Parents and the community often expect schools to get their students ready for collegenot the world of work. They mistakenly see career preparation in K-12, as well as career and technical education, as a second-tier option for students who are not college ready. In fact, 42 percent of educators surveyed cited the perception that schools are supposed to get students ready for collegenot workas one of the biggest barriers to offering curricula to address the skills students will need for the jobs of the future. Another 31 percent pointed to the attitude that career-related curricula is for students who dont plan to pursue a postsecondary education, a belief many educators say is misguided. In a perfect world, getting ready for postsecondary and career would be the same thing, said William Kit Moran, the principal of Dexter High School near Ann Arbor, Mich. Students, he said, would use high school to explore potential pathways and then figure out where and whether college fits in their plans. But in the affluent community where he works, the expectation is, you are going to prepare our kids to go to a competitive university. Theres still this old-fashioned [idea] that youre on a college-prep track or youre not, which isnt helpful to anybody. But were stuck there. Parents would rather see their child take an Advanced Placement class than spend a few hours a week in a research lab, exploring the world of work, he said. Moran sees that attitude as shortsighted. Giving students some time to experience different potential career paths in high school might help save them from taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans to figure out what youre going to do. Challenge 2: Few Models, Limited Resources Nearly a third of educators say there are very few good examples for how to revamp curricula to help prepare students for the future of work. Catasauqua High School in Northampton, Pa., near Philadelphia, is working to help teachers connect classroom content directly to the skills students will need in the workforce. Adam Schnug, the principal, is excited about the change, but says the school is doing most of the curricular redesign on its own. Were trying to build a plane as were flying it, he said. Theres really not a ton out there to help. For many schools with limited resources, doing it mostly on their own can be especially difficult. More than a fifth of educators surveyed, 22 percent, said their schools lack the resources necessary to help students prepare for future jobs in meaningful ways, according to the EdWeek Research Center survey. In Strasburg, Colo., an hour outside of Denver, Principal Sara Turrell of Hemphill Middle School, said it is tough for her relatively remote district to offer salaries that will attract educators who can teach skills her students need for future jobs. She only recently was able to get one of her math teachers to teach computer science class. I have a limited number of staff, she said. Its very difficult to get people to want to work in a smaller rural community. Challenge 3: Standardized-Testing Pressures Nearly a third of educators surveyed said they face pressures to tie curricula tightly to standardized tests, which could make it much harder to make time to prepare students with the soft skills theyll need in the workplace: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. There is a lot of pressure on kids to do well on standardized testing and so the first thing that suffers are all of these employability skills, said Paul Newton, the principal of Westfield Middle School in Massachusetts. In fact, he told faculty and parents in an assembly earlier this year that while state testing is important, its much more important that we are teaching kids to be thinkers, promoting the skills they need to be successful, once they leave high school. He wasnt sure how those sentiments would be received, he said, but the entire audience stood up and applauded. Challenge 4: Rapid Pace Of Technological Change Its tough to constantly adjust curricula to meet the latest technological advances. But many educators and experts say schools need to do their best to keep up. Forty percent of educators surveyed said their districts made significant changes to the curricula to address the technological skills students will need for the jobs of the future. And just over half, 54 percent, said their districts had made at least some changes in specific subject areas due to technological advances, although not across the board. In a series of interviews with survey participants, the strategy most often cited to keep pace with technology was to create 1-to-1 computing programs, as well as asking students to hand in assignments electronically. But some educators dont think those are the best ways to prepare students for the technological future. I dont think theres any way you can do that, said Rita Platt, the principal of two elementary schools in St. Croix Falls, Wis. In the time Ive been alive, there would have been no way to predict what [was] coming, she said. Its more important, she said, to make sure students master skills they are sure to need no matter how technology evolves, including goal setting and critical thinking. Despite those barriers, districts report making progress in trying to make connections among facility with technology, critical thinking skills, and career opportunities. Just last school year, the 2,200-student Saddle Mountain Unified school district near Phoenix began offering students the chance to become certified medical assistants before graduating from high school. And the district recently added a Mandarin course, given the dominant role China is likely to play in the global economy and the technology industry for years to come. Our belief is if kids understand the culture and a little bit of the language it will open a lot of doors, said Paul Tighe, the districts superintendent. Challenge 5: Creating Meaningful Internships One thing educators wish they could offer more of: Internships. Just 15 percent of those surveyed said that internships were required in their districts or that the majority of students do them. Another 44 percent say their schools offer internships for credit, but most students dont take advantage of those opportunities. And more than a quarter say their schools dont offer any sort of internship for credit. Educators say their schools just dont have the staffing capabilities to supervise meaningful internships. And educators in remote areas say there just arent a lot of possibilities nearby. We are a pretty small rural district. We dont have a lot of opportunity or a lot of businesses close to the school for them to mentor or job shadow or get that experience, said Gail Ellis, the technology director for the 700-student Spokane school district in southwest Missouri. Many of the companies her students might want to work with are a 30- to 40-minute drive away. It kind of limits what they can do, she said. But that lack of internships is a missed opportunity for students. Work-based learning experiences can help students figure not just what careers they might like, but which ones arent for them, educators say. Andrew McDaniel, the principal of Southwood Jr./Sr. High School in northern Indiana recalled one student who wanted to enter the health-care field. She spent some time shadowing nurses and other professionals and realized pretty quickly it wasnt for her. So the school connected her with another work-based learning experience, at a local real estate office. She loved it, McDaniel said. Everyones favourite food secrets are back for a fifth season! Go behind the scenes of the factories churning out delicious sweets, old-time classics and the new generation of artisanal treats. Wednesdays from 9:30pm AEDT. As Kem Sokhas trial entered the fourth week of hearings, little new evidence was presented in court Wednesday morning, to back the treason charge against the opposition leader, with the lawyers instead bickering over procedural issues and engaging in petty arguments. The seventh day of the trial kicked off with government lawyer Ly Chanthola playing a 2013 video clip of Kem Sokha attending an event at Long Beach, United States, with then-U.S. lawmaker Ed Royce. In the clip, Ed Royce talks about Kem Sokhas use of non-violence to push for democratic change and handed him a document praising his work. This was the only piece of new evidence produced in court Wednesday morning. Government lawyers tried to suggest that the event was clear evidence of the United States support for Kem Sokha and that it had funded his political career, in addition to his human rights NGO, CCHR. Kem Sokha took umbrage with this line of questioning and refused to answer any questions from the government lawyers. Two government lawyers Ky Tech and Ly Chanthola then talked about how the accused, Kem Sokha, had the right to stay silent but if he answered he should be respectful and follow court procedures. Another government lawyer Cheng Penghap tried to again question Kem Sokha about a meeting he had with then-U.S. State Department official Daniel Baer. The prosecution, presiding judges and government lawyers have already questioned Sokha about the meeting last week. Cheng Penghap continued to imply that the meeting was a secret attempt to get the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to fund Kem Sokhas party. Stop framing me. I did not say that, Kem Sokha shot back, refusing to further engage in the cross examination. I had a public press conference [about the meeting] he added. It was a meeting about secrets and collusion why would I speak publicly? The court then descended into a long back-and-forth between the government and defense lawyers, each accusing the other of being disrespectful and ignorant of the court procedures. They also argued about the transcript of the Ed Royce video, with the defense pointing out that there was no Khmer translation of the U.S. lawmakers speech in English. Presiding judge Kuy Sao then took the opportunity to make long observations about the behavior of each side, mostly chiding the defense for not following court procedures. At one point, prosecutor Plang Sophal pointed to someone in Kem Sokhas staff and accused one of them of passing notes to the defense lawyers. Kem Sokhas lawyer Meng Sopheary explained that Muth Chantha, who is a close aide of the opposition leader, was assisting the defense and called him a legal consultant and researcher. Judge Kuy Sao, increasingly annoyed, then asked that if Muth Chantha was a legal assistant he should leave the gallery and sit with the other legal assistants, which he did. The defense also revealed that it had submitted 16 new pieces of evidence, eight videos and eight photographs, relating to Kem Sokhas tenure at the Human Rights Party. The court is currently discussing his activities from the end of 2007 to 2012, just before he merged the party with the Sam Rainsy Party to form the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 16:46:44|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the Islamic republic will continue to support the Palestinian cause, Press TV reported on Wednesday. "Iran will defend the Palestinians' rights to determine their fate and to form a Palestinian government with al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital," Zarif made the remark during a telephone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He denounced the U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called peace plan for the Middle East region, saying that "such plots were doomed to failure." Zarif also welcomed efforts to unite Palestinian political factions. Trump revealed on Jan. 29 the long-awaited plan, which promises to keep Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, proposes an independent Palestinian state and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements. SHIMLA/DHARAMSHALA: As many as 145 people who have recently returned from China and other South-east Asian countries, which are affected by the coronavirus outbreak, will be under observation for about a month. Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Anil Khachi said these people will be kept under observation at their homes. They have been advised to avoid contact with family members and stay isolated and indoors. They have been told to undergo the 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus) tests at the isolation wards set up at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda. People of the state have been advised to inform helpline number 104 if any of their family members have returned from the affected countries on or after January 15. A maximum of 32 people returned from China and other affected countries in Shimla district, followed by 20 in Kangra and 18 in Solan. The rest belong to other districts. FOREIGN TOURISTS ASKED TO DISCLOSE TRAVEL HISTORY The Kangra district administration is on high alert against coronavirus. The authorities have identified Dharamshala, McLeodganj, Palampur and Bir village near Baijnath as vulnerable for the virus outbreak due to a large number of foreign visitors. McLeodganj, being the abode of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, is visited by devotees from all over the world, particularly China and South-east Asia. District tourism development officer Sunaina Sharma said that tourists visiting Dharamshala and surrounding areas have been told to fill in a form that seeks health-related and travel history details of the past fortnight. The information will be kept confidential. While registering themselves with the district police, foreign tourists will need to submit a self-declaration if they have or havent visited China or any other affected South-east Asian country, she said. The district authorities held meetings with hoteliers in the region in this regard and a counselling centre has been set up at the McLeodganj primary health centre for foreign tourists. It is learnt that tourists who were to visit Dharamshala and McLeodganj for Losar, the Tibetan New Year, have started cancelling their hotel bookings. The Tibetan New Year festivities are to be held from February 24 to 26. San Franciscos Transamerica Pyramid, an internationally recognized symbol of the city, will be sold to New York developer Michael Shvo, according to seller Transamerica Corp. Shvo and German partners BVK and Deutsche Finance agreed to pay $711 million for the 853-foot tower at 600 Montgomery St., currently San Franciscos second-tallest, along with two smaller buildings at 505 and 545 Sansome St. The three buildings total around 750,000 square feet. This will be the first time the 1972 tower has been sold. Transamerica Corp., now a division of Netherlands insurer Aegon, built the pyramid and still uses it on its logo despite moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Baltimore. The tower was San Franciscos tallest for more than four decades, but has since been eclipsed by the 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower. Shvos company didnt respond to a request for comment. The Transamerica Pyramid is an important part of Transamericas history, and we are proud that the iconic building will continue to serve as our corporate logo moving forward, Jay Orlandi, Transamerica chief operating officer, said in a statement Wednesday. The deal continues a streak of high-end property acquisition for Shvo and his partners. They bought eight properties worth $3.1 billion in the past year, including the Coca-Cola Building in New York, the Big Red office building in Chicago, a Beverly Hills condo site and three hotels in Miami Beach. Shvo, a native of Israel, has also built projects in Abu Dhabi and Mexico and held art shows in New York. The pyramid is his first acquisition in San Francisco. Bloomberg first reported the deal. More changes could come with the switch in ownership. Aegon filed a proposal on Monday to demolish a single-story retail structure attached to 545 Sansome St. and build a 49,999-square-foot office addition. It isnt clear if the new owners would pursue the expansion. Architect Jeffrey Heller, whose firm Heller Manus is located on the 12th floor of the pyramid, said the right project could win support. I think if one proceeds carefully and with what is allowable within current zoning, it would be doable, he said. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Heller Manus designed a proposed condo tower at nearby 555 Washington St., which the city rejected in 2010 after neighborhood opposition led by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who was not on the board at the time. Colin Yasukochi, research director at real estate brokerage CBRE, said the pyramid has always been well-leased even if it doesnt fetch rents as high as some of the newer towers in the Transbay area. As of last August, the pyramid was 90% leased mostly to financial tenants including Callan, JMP Group and Northwestern Mutual. Its an iconic building, and the sale reflects a lot of investor interest in San Francisco as well as market demand, he said. There is the added value of the opportunity to redevelop part of the site. Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on SFChronicle.com. See More Collapse Heller said the pyramid could use a face-lift to attract new tenants. Its been held for so long that it could really use sprucing up of the public areas and lobby, said Heller. Roland Li and J.K. Dineen are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com, jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf, @SFjkdineen A lesser known Dalit outfit, Purvanchal Sena, has launched a postcard campaign against the CAA and the NRC. The outfit has urged people to send postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek the withdrawal of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. "At a time when the country's economy is struggling after demonetisation and the implementation of the GST, the Centre is ready to push the nation into another financial turmoil by doling out thousands of crores of rupees to conduct the NRC and NPR exercises," Dheerendra Pratap, national president of the outfit, said. "Is this fair and in the interest of country when the GDP is all-time low and unemployment is at its peak," he asked. He also demanded a complete ban on EVMs during elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was smiling and gesturing as he posed for pictures alongside Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda who hosted him in the city of Entebbe on Monday; but it was another meeting, far from the media glare, that made international headlines and raised eyebrows. In an unannounced move, Netanyahu on Monday also held talks with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudans sovereign council, a joint civilian-military transitional body that has been governing the country since August last year in the wake of longtime President Omar al-Bashirs overthrow months before. Following the secret meeting, Israel said the two countries had agreed to move towards forging normal relations. Only two Arab states Egypt and Jordan have diplomatic ties with Israel. History! tweeted Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political future ahead of a snap legislative election on March 2, the third in less than a year. As news of the talks spread, protests reportedly erupted in Khartoum as Sudanese government ministers insisted they were unaware of the meeting and had heard about it through the media. Al-Burhan himself only made his first public remarks about it the next day after briefing the council and the cabinet. I took this step from the standpoint of my responsibility to protect the national security of Sudan and achieve the supreme interests of the Sudanese people, Burhan said in a statement on Tuesday. The meeting came two days after the Arab League, of which Sudan is a member, joined Palestinian leaders in rejecting US President Donald Trumps Middle East plan, which he unveiled while standing alongside Netanyahu at the White House last week. The plan proposed a two-state solution to the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with a new Palestinian capital outside of Jerusalem while maintaining the historic city as an undivided capital for Israel. Economic crisis From Sudans perspective, analysts said the meeting could in some measure be seen as part of efforts to help remove the country from a 1993 US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has cut it off from financial markets and severely harmed its economy. While the US in 2017 lifted a trade embargo on Sudan, the countrys inclusion in the terror list prevents it from accessing much-needed financial aid and limits potential foreign investment. 200203182536972 Sudan is experiencing an economic crisis and the transitional council has been struggling to find a real solution to this, Sudanese affairs expert Salahaddin Zein told Al Jazeera. Part of the problem, in their view, relates to the designation of Sudan as a state sponsoring terrorism by the US, denying it US financial assistance, he added. Sudanese attempts to lift the countrys terror designation have gained new traction since Abdalla Hamdok, a seasoned United Nations economist, was named prime minister in August last year. Weeks later, during an address at the UN General Assembly, Hamdok urged Washington to remove Khartoum from the list and stop punishing the people of Sudan who revolted against al-Bashir for the crimes committed by his regime. In December, Hamdok repeated his appeal as he became the first Sudanese leader to officially visit the US. But his efforts seem to have not yielded any success, according to Zein. The prime minister tried very hard for a solution during his visit, but it seems to have reached a deadlock. On the other hand, al-Burhans efforts seem to have yielded results. In a statement on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the meeting with Netanyahu and thanked the Sudanese leader for his leadership in normalising ties with Israel. In a phone conversation a day earlier, Pompeo had invited al-Burhan to visit the US, a major ally of Israel. The date of the visit has not been set. For Israel, the meeting came at a strategic time days after the release of Trumps plan and amid ongoing efforts to expand its influence across the Middle East and North Africa. It was also crucial for Netanyahu, who is gearing up to contest the upcoming election while facing trial on corruption charges. The meeting is, for Netanyahu, a success for his policies seeking normalisation with Arab and Muslim countries, without concessions on the Palestinian issue, said Yair Wallach, a senior lecturer in Israeli politics at the University of London. Zein agreed: Netanyahu is definitely bragging about opening up new spheres of influence ahead of the elections, he said. Its Israeli propaganda. Strong rejection But inside Sudan, reactions to the meeting pointed towards a strong aversion to normalising relations with Israel. While the cabinet said on Monday it had not been notified or consulted about the meeting, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) a coalition of opposition groups that has struck a three-year power-sharing deal with the military condemned al-Burhans secret encounter. What is in Trumps Middle East plan? In a statement issued after Tuesdays emergency briefing, the FFC said al-Burhans move was a clear violation of the countrys Constitutional Declaration, which was signed in August last year to pave the way for civilian rule after the military overthrew al-Bashir in the face of months-long mass protests. Fundamental changes to a political issue of such importance, as the relationship with Israel [is], should be decided by the Sudanese people through channels that represent them, the statement added. News of the meeting also elicited a strong reaction from the Sudanese public, especially among activists who had taken part in the uprising against al-Bashirs 30-year rule. This meeting goes against all our revolutionary principles and what we fought for, for months. The protest movement rejects normalisation with Israel and stands with the Palestinians, said Hisham al-Shawani, an activist and leading figure in the protest movement. The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-Bashir protests, also slammed the meeting in a statement on Wednesday. We affirm our complete condemnation and categorical rejection of these practices and any outcomes that resulted from the meeting, the SPA said. Deepening divide Separately, a Sudanese official told local news agencies that the meeting between al-Burhan and Netanyahu was orchestrated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of only three Arab states that sent representatives at Trumps unveiling of his Middle East plan. While the Entebbe meeting may have been an attempt by al-Burhan to ease Sudans isolation from the West, it also reflected a divide within Sudans transitional authorities amid growing Emirati influence over the countrys military leaders, according to analysts. The UAE seems to be the godfather of the current regime, running Sudanese affairs through relations with the military side of the council, Zein said. It may have orchestrated the meeting so as to garner Arab support for Israel and Trumps plan. He added that the meeting between al-Burhan and Netanyahu must be viewed through a prism of the ongoing rivalry between the civilian and military sides of the transitional council. The military side of the transitional authority saw this meeting as an opportunity but, for the rest, they were kept in the dark. Sudan expert Hamid al-Tigani agreed: Al-Burhan has his military guys on one side, and on the other side stand the civilian factions. According to al-Tigani, if successful, al-Burhans move would strengthen the councils military arm, which might threaten Sudans democratic transition and the promised establishment of civilian rule. Al-Burhan is very desperate to get support and protection from the UAE and the US, and hopes that by meeting Netanyahu, this will open a little window for him, he said. But this move may strengthen the militarys hand through a mandate from the US and Israel, which may threaten the democratic transition in Sudan and antagonise the Sudanese people. According to Arakhamia, there must be significant shifts in the existing situation before the vote could take place. Chairman of the Servant the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia has named conditions for holding elections in the occupied territories of Donbas. "There is no position yet [in the faction]. Well, there certainly can't be any. If you take the existing state of affairs and just hold the elections in Donbas there will be no such position in our faction, this is impossible," he told Ukrainian Pryamiy TV channel. Read alsoTeam Zelensky eyes holding elections in Donbas late October "If there are significant shifts... How do I see these shifts? For example, this is complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops to the initial lines, to Rostov. This is when the situation is fully controlled by Ukrainian authorities. Then we can start only talking about this, not actually holding elections, so it's too early to talk about this," Arakhamia said. Half a century after Stonewall kicked off the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, one of its most prominent figures, Marsha P. Johnson, will have her legacy honored with the dedication of a new park in Brooklyn. The announcement that East River Park in Williamsburg would be renamed was made by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday during a speech at the annual Human Rights Campaign gala. "New York State is the progressive capital of the nation, and while we are winning the legal battle for justice for the LGBTQ+ community, in many ways we are losing the broader war for equality," said Cuomo, emphasizing the state's ongoing commitment to equal rights and lauding Johnson as "an icon of the [LGBTQ+] community." Johnson will have the distinction of being the first openly LGBTQ+ person to have a state park named after her. The news comes a little less than a year after New York City's First Lady, Chirlane McCray, unveiled plans for a monument to Johnson and fellow activist, Sylvia Riviera, to be erected in the Village. In an interview with the New York Times, McCray explained that "The LGBTQ+ movement was portrayed very much as a white, gay male movement, this monument counters that trend of whitewashing the history." Frequently called the "Mayor of Christopher Street," Johnson is perhaps best known for the role she played in the Stonewall Riots, with her and Rivera often credited with having thrown the first brick. But Johnson's history of activism extended far beyond just Stonewall. As a co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) network alongside Rivera she worked to find housing and care for queer youth and sex workers. Johnson would also go on to join demonstrations lead by ACT UP and raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic up until her death in 1992. I cant remember the name of the restaurant, or when I had this meal, which dates it to at least before smartphones and Instagram. Im pretty sure the chef was French and the meal was dinner. Im positive that the restaurant was very fancy fancy enough that the servers wore white gloves. And fanciful enough that the last of the courses was bonbons of many colors, wheeled out on a trolley that could have held a royal wedding cake. There must have been chocolates and lollipops and squares of pate de fruits (gummy bears ritzy relatives), but I had eyes only for the tall, glass, footed apothecary jars with lids shaped like the Kremlins pointy domes. The server set the jars tops aside, reached in with silver tongs and lifted a long, chubby white band of powdery marshmallow, snipping off squares with shiny oversize scissors. As far as I can recall, no one at the table clapped, but had they, it would have been for glee: It was all so lovely, a grown-up moment intended to bring back the sweetness of childhood. For my French friends around the table, the marshmallows invoked a nostalgia for a time when candies were made by hand and buying one from a small shop was a treat. For me, there was no nostalgia, no memory, no reference; the marshmallows were a revelation: pale, soft, even fragile, delicately sweet and almost effervescent they melted on my tongue. They were unlike anything Id known that shared the same name. I wanted to call them something different. I had just that thought a few years later when I tasted the marshmallows Christine Moore created in Pasadena for her Little Flower Candy Company. Moore started her business by making caramels at home, and she was happy to make just caramels cutting them by hand, wrapping each piece in wax paper, tying packages with ribbons and labeling them with the logo shed drawn at the kitchen table. I like making the same thing and doing it well, she told me. But then in 2001, a friend asked her to bring candies to a fund-raiser in Los Angeles, and while she wanted to say yes, she knew she couldnt: It was impossible for me to afford the ingredients, and so I made marshmallows, a table full of them. Moores marshmallows had the same effect on the L.A. chefs who were there as those lanyards of marshmallows had on me. Soon Moore was making caramels and marshmallows, still her only offerings. Appropriations committees in the House and Senate each unanimously passed a $20.33 million supplemental spending bill to provide aid to flood victims in Iowa especially along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and $333,000 for the Glenwood Resource Center. Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed the supplemental appropriation. The flood recovery funds will be deposited in an account that will be allocated by the states flood mitigation board in consultation with the Iowa Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers previously committed $15 million to flood-related efforts, and the state recently received $90 million in federal housing assistance for rehab, buyout and other activities. The state funds are intended to supplement but not supplant federal financial help in flood-ravaged areas of Iowa. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, the committees ranking member, noted the state has received $164 million worth of requests from communities with flood-related challenging, telling the committee members this is what climate change costs. Sen. Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, said no one should be under the illusion this is going to fix it all. However, officials declined to speculate how much more state aid will be needed to keep recovery projects moving forward. Legislators likely will face another supplemental request somewhere along this years budget process to cover costs this fiscal year for Medicaid and Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa. The House panel passed the supplemental appropriation and a separate bill providing more transportation funds to school districts. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 (Newser) Cindy Karlsen was right to be worried when her husband, following the 2008 death of his son, received $700,000 in insurance money and invested some of it in a $1.2 million life insurance policy for her. She donned a wire and in 2011 recorded Karl Karlsen admitting to intentionally causing a vehicle to fall on his son hours after the 23-year-old signed paperwork naming his father as the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy, per the New York Times. It turns out that wasn't the first time the New York man had engineered such a scheme. Sentenced to 15 years to life after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2013, Karlsen was found guilty Monday of murdering his first wife for insurance money in California in 1991. Prosecutors said Christina Karlsen, 30, was trapped in a bathroom of the couple's Murphys home when her husband set a fire in the hallway. story continues below Following a finding of accidental death, Karlsen collected $200,000 from a life insurance policy he took out 19 days before Christina's death and moved with his three children to Seneca County, NY, where Levi Karlsen would later die, per Syracuse.com and the Sonora Union Democrat. In the aftermath, authorities in California revisited Christina's death, for which her mother blamed Karlsen. "I just knew that he had something to do with it," the 78-year-old tells the Times. Christina was trapped by a boarded-up window, reports Fox News, while the rest of her family escaped the blaze that was fueled by what prosecutors described as carpet covered in kerosene. Karlsen, 59, who faces life without the chance of parole at his sentencing on March 17, plans to appeal the jury verdict, though his and Christina's daughter is more accepting of it. "I'm just happy," she tells the Union Democrat. (Read more murder stories.) Its been a long time coming; but Apple has delivered where it matters the most superior noise isolation alongside a great design. Rating: Short take After being teased and appearing in a few leaks, Apple, in the latter half of 2019 launched the AirPods Pro that is aimed at audio enthusiasts that want nothing but the best in terms of design, performance and functionality. The AirPods Pro comes with massive improvements such as active noise cancellation, a better and snugger fit and last but not least, a new and enhanced design in comparison with the original, 2016 AirPods that should go some way in bringing more iPhone users into its true wireless ecosystem. In India, the AirPods Pro retail for Rs 24,900 which puts it on the upper end of the pricing segment for true wireless earphones and this takes away some of its lustre. In a market like Indias, very few true wireless earphones are priced above Rs 20K, which makes Apples option all the more desirable for tech enthusiasts or clout-seekers. If you happen to own an iPhone and want to have nothing but the best in what Apple has to offer snug fit, great audio quality and superior noise cancellation; then the AirPods Pro is an obvious choice for you. Additionally, the new and improved design means that you get an all-encompassing fit thats unlikely to get easily undone; no matter your ear type. Also, with intuitive controls and easy access to a new Transparency feature, you can allow ambient noises to get in without plucking them out from your ears. If you have used Apples original AirPods in the past, then you may not witness a huge learning curve; however, the new touch-sensitive controls need a bit of learning which you should master in a couple of days. However, we do recommend learning all the necessary controls as it will improve your overall experience significantly. The AirPods Pro is designed to perfection and has the Apple ethos running through every single bit of it. This convenience which is oft-overlooked ranges from the time it's first paired to your iPhone right to it doing a custom scan of your ears to ensure it offers the best possible fit. Apple fans will undoubtedly love each and every aspect of the AirPods Pro making it an ideal purchase for all iPhone owners; or some Android users that want to experience Apples expertise in the wearable department. The overall audio quality on the AirPods Pro has improved pretty impressively over the previous version with there being noticeable enhancements in the bass and vocals department. This ensures that fans of popular genres such as Hip-Hop or EDM will greatly enjoy using these earphones. However, those who are fans of other genres wont feel left out as these sound great as well. While we dont get some major improvements on battery life like some of the competition; Apple does ensure that you get a 4.5-hour playback with active noise cancelling turned on. The AirPods Pro are a great pair of true wireless earphones and it is definitely a recommended product if you dont have any cash restraints and want an Apple-designed product. With that being said, there are models like the Sony WF-1000X which offer better noise-cancellation and others like the HIFIMAN TWS600 that offer up to 38.5 hours charge in the charging case. The Whole Story Design, Build As soon as we tried the AirPods Pro on, the first thing we observed was how insanely lightweight they are. They are so light that when using them, you will forget that you have them on. This feature scores major points when it comes to comfort and even when using it for hours while listening to music or video streaming, there was absolutely no ear fatigue, a feature which Apple has definitely doubled-down on when compared with the original design of the AirPods. The AirPods Pro is a culmination of years of work Apple has put in and its great that these werent rushed out of the gate in the year following the launch of the original AirPods. Apple has taken user complaints into consideration and ensured that they not just built on the original model but also refined it to its finest. Even though we cant deny the fact that there are similarities with the AirPods Pro and the AirPods such as the elongated stem, the gloss-white finish and the curved body, there are some stark differences as well. The biggest giveaway here is the silicone tips that are quite small in comparison with other models. The entire body of the AirPods Pro is on the chunkier or bulbous side and this is in all-likelihood made to fit in the new components. However, the stem here is a lot shorter than the original AirPods giving them a much better appearance. While the older generation AirPods could be interacted with taps, the AirPods Pro has controls that are now located on its stems. So, with these force-touch sensors to be activated, all you need to do is a slight squeeze on either stem to pause or continue playing a track. Thats not all, a double squeeze allows you to skip forward to the next track while a triple squeeze goes to a previous track. A long squeeze on the stem will toggle between noise-cancelling models. There is a bit of a learning curve associated with the capacitive force sensor used here; but we assure you that once this is mastered, you will find this second nature and it will definitely enhance your overall usability experience. These controls can be adjusted in the Settings app of your iPhone and youre not limited to the ones Apple has to offer. For example, you can assign Siri to a bud while the other bud can be used to enable switching between noise-cancelling or Transparency mode. However, like the original AirPods, there is no means to control volume and this is a minor grievance which we had. Other brands have successfully added this feature and its a shame that Apple missed out. In its place, we need to navigate the volume through the iPhone which takes away some of the intuitiveness of the AirPods Pro. Apple has fitted an accelerometer in each earbud alongside an optical sensor which recognizes when the AirPods are removed from your ear. This allows them to automatically pause when removed and magically start playing once more when in the ears. In 2016, this was a great feature to have; however, in 2020, it is expected. Several brands are already using this feature in their products which cost a fraction of what the AirPods sell for; so, its not that big of a deal. Elaborating on the fit, the silicone ear tips lock the AirPods Pro in place and you wont find them coming undone even during rigorous movements such as running or functional training. There is absolutely no give whatsoever and while the original AirPods used to easily fall out during physical activities, the AirPods Pro always sat snug. Apple has launched the AirPods Pro with an IPX4 Ingress certification which means that they can be used in light rains or during physical activities where a lot of sweat comes in to play. This rating ensures that your expensive purchase will withstand the elements and come out on top. While it may survive light rains, it cannot be used while swimming; this is a fair warning for all those who may think that this is a Swiss army knife of earphones. As far as the charging case goes, Apple has now introduced a more horizontal profile thats marginally larger than the previous version. For the price, you get a fully-loaded charging case complete with wireless charging functionality without having to pay extra for a case with this feature. This allows you to charge it conveniently with any Qi-enabled wireless charging pad if you dont want to use the supplied USB-C to Lightning connector. To sum up this section of the review, the AirPods Pro does cost a pretty penny and they sell for a significantly lot more than rivals; however, they are built well and have the comfort to match. The design changes go a long way in ensuring they are worthy of the Pro moniker. Pairing The Apple AirPods Pro is an Apple product through and through. The whole experience here is extremely simple and you will be hard-pressed to find another product thats this easy to set up or pair. To set up, all you have to do is open the AirPods Pro charging case and tap on the connect prompt on your iPhone and youre good to go. To have this extremely simple experience, all you need to have is an iPhone running iOS 13.2 or later installed and then you get to benefit from Apples advanced features that are on offer which is not limited to access to Transparency mode directly from the Control Centre. After this, the AirPods Pro will be seamlessly paired with all of your Apple devices such as MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad, etc that are associated with your iCloud account. This means that you wont have to do the tedious process of pairing it every single time to each of your devices as you would have to do with other Bluetooth accessories. This is the Apple promise of a seamless ecosystem. After the initial setup, we recommend heading on over to the Bluetooth settings in your iPhone to test the fit of the AirPods Pro. This is a useful feature as it allows you to gauge whether the ear tips you have used with the AirPods Pro provide the perfect fit. In the packaging, you get three different sized tips small, medium and large. This fit test ensures if you have paired the right sized tips with the and it advises you to change it to get the perfect fit. Having the perfect fit is of vital importance to any in-ear headphones as it helps in offering an enhanced listening experience. With Apples test, it ensures that there isnt any sound leakage or any ambient sound entering in. This helps with passive noise reduction and goes some way in achieving physical sound isolation. The eartips are fairly easy to swap between and we recommend removing them once in a while just so you can clean them as they get a bit grimy after usage. Performance The original Apple AirPods was a marvel in itself and the way they worked so seamlessly, allowed them to be the most popular wearable in the world. However, it did come with some drawbacks and one key misstep was that the audio quality was just acceptable, not great, but acceptable. Three years later and we have a whole different story. Apple has really put in the groundwork when it comes to the AirPods Pro audio quality and now they have introduced custom drivers for achieving powerful bass as well as improvements in the midrange and higher frequencies along with an adaptive equaliser which automatically tunes the music to the shape of your ear. The end result is a neutral tonal balance instead of an added emphasis on bass like some of the other brand try so hard to achieve. The first and second-generation AirPods had very little to work with due to the lack of customisable ear tips. This made it difficult to achieve a good bass response with them sounding muddy across all spectrums. Where the original AirPods lacked a tonal balance, the AirPods Pro completely excel; allowing them to be extremely pleasing on the ears. The ear tips go a long way in making the audio quality on the AirPods Pro sounds a lot richer than the original AirPods. The bass response here doesnt have the thump thats witnessed on rivals such as the Beats PowerBeats Pro for instance, but it is a lot better than that heard on the second-generation AirPods. The bass response is tight with a bit of emphasis and this is due to the custom drivers Apple has used to achieve it. The low-end on certain tracks had a punch without sounding forced but you will miss out on the emphasis found on rivals. For those who love the neutral tonal audio, you will be more than satisfied as you the bass has a natural kick to it. Vocals are another area where the AirPods Pro shine and the neutral frequency is felt right through the mids with plenty of texture and detail. The treble does sound good as well and it has a bit of sparkle to it. A point to mention here is that the AirPods Pro does well in an area where very few competing true wireless earphones do and that is spaciousness. While listening to these in-ear monitors, we dont feel that the sound hits your head hard; but it has an openness that allows all frequencies to be heard with distinction. With that being said, the audio quality isnt on par with the likes of its nearest rival the Sony WF-1000XM3. The Sony option has a more vibrant sound while the AirPods Pro offers a more natural sound. However, for casual listeners, with the AirPods Pro, you will get an audio quality that will certainly keep you entertained. Apple rates the battery life of the AirPods Pro at 4.5 hours with noise-cancelling and Transparency mode turned off. At a time when certain brands are able to offer 8 to 9 hours of audio playback on a single charge; this option from Apple seems a bit lacking. We would have liked it if Apple had done a bit more to ensure that it did not die off this quickly. Again, this is us just nit-picking here and for most, it should be just fine. Verdict The Apple AirPods Pro cost Rs 24,900 in India and this puts it at the higher-end of the premium true wireless category alongside the Sennheiser Momentum, Bragi Dash Pro, Bang and Olufsen Beoplay and a handful of others. The AirPods Pro is on par with these models when it comes to audio quality; however, it trails the Sony WF-1000XM3 in terms of active noise cancellation. With that being said, the ease of use, the comfort levels, the seriously sufficient noise cancellation and the improved audio quality will make the AirPods Pro the only true wireless earphones you ever have to buy or even for that matter the only pair of headphones you ever need to buy. He disrespected the chamber he was in . . . to use it as a backdrop for a reality show . . . to give a speech that had no connection with reality, she said, according to multiple Democratic officials in the room, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly. It was a pack of lies. . . . About a quarter through it I thought: You know hes selling a bill of goods like a snake oil salesman. We cannot let this we cannot let this stand. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal dared the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate by 1 pm Wednesday and said he was ready for a pubic debate with the CM face New Delhi: With just three days left for the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal dared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP )to announce its chief ministerial candidate by 1 pm Wednesday and said he was ready for a public debate with the saffron party's CM face. After releasing the manifesto at the party's office, Kejriwal said if the BJP doesn't do so by then, he will meet the press to announce his next course of action. He said people want to know who would be the BJP's chief ministerial face, claiming that people are saying why they should vote for the party if it does not have the chief ministerial candidate. "Delhiites want the BJP to declare its chief ministerial candidate. If BJP declares its CM candidate by 1 pm tomorrow, I am ready for a public debate with him and we will work out modalities for the same," Kejriwal told reporters on Tuesday. The AAP chief said the BJP can decide place for the debate, adding that in democracy, people should have a chance to ask a question. By withholding the name of CM candidate, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is demanding a "blank cheque" from the people of Delhi, he said. Shah is telling people that he will fill up the name of the chief minister on the cheque later, if the saffron party gets Delhi's mandate, Kejriwal said. "In democracy, the chief minister is chosen by people not by Amit Shah... What if Amit Shah names some uneducated person for CM post, which will be a betrayal to the people of Delhi," the AAP chief said. Delhi goes to polls on 8 February and the results will be declared on 11 February. "I ask people everywhere that your one vote will directly go to Kejriwal. People want to know where their vote will go if they support the BJP in the election. If they don't have a chief ministerial candidate, it means people's vote for BJP will go waste," he said. The AAP and the BJP apparently the two main players in the polls have been fighting a bitter electoral contest in Delhi. They have accused each other of skirting "real issues" and focusing on rhetoric. The AAP targeted Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and the saffron party later hit back by directly taking on Kejriwal. Poland's Foreign Minister on Tuesday said he and his Brazilian counterpart discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in the areas of economy, trade and defense, something they were working out prior to the visit of Brazil's president to Poland. During a press conference in Brasilia, Czaputowicz stressed the desire for both nations to develop cultural cooperation, including the exchange of students. "It will be worked out in the next weeks and months before the visit of President (Jair) Bolsonaro, we hope, within a few months, in Poland," he during a join press conference in Brasilia with his counterpart Ernersto Araujo.Czaputowicz and Araujo also discussed matters on freedom of religion, Middle East peace talks and cooperation between both countries, during their Tuesday meeting. Both ministers will travel to Washington D.C. to meet with other leaders for the launching of the International Religious Freedom Alliance.Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is expected to visit Poland this year, which marks 100 years of diplomatic relations between Poland and Brazil. (Image Credit: AP) Tower MSA Partners' Webinar Examines Cybersecurity and Workers' Compensation Whether it's an insurer interested in telemedicine as a way to efficiently deliver quality care, a payer's use of data-driven predictive analytics to facilitate clinical decision making or implementation of automated claims processing solutions, reliance on technology in workers' compensation is increasing. While technology increases efficiencies, it also offers hackers another entry point to private claim information. According to a recent Risk and Insurance article Workers' Comp Critical Challenges for 2020, the more technology is brought to bear, the more cyber risk increases. A breach of claims data can result in steep HIPPA-violation fines, reputational damage and, at worst, interruptions in care for injured workers. Risk and Insurance's survey of 669 workers' compensation professionals ranked cyber risk as a top-10 challenge for 2020. As part of its commitment to educate payers on industry issues, Tower MSA Partners will present a webinar, "Preventing Cybersecurity Threats in Workers' Compensation," on Wednesday, February 19, at 2 p.m. eastern. Tower's Chief Compliance Officer Dan Anders will moderate a panel of cybersecurity specialists who share real-life examples to illustrate cybersecurity threats to organizaions of all sizes. Tower's Vice President of IT Jesse Shade, Vigilant Technology Solutions' (News - Alert) Seth Marsh, and Robert Kolb, president of Premier Mindset, will discuss the risks and share desk-level and higher-level systematic measures to prevent data breaches. To register for the free webinar, please see https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2042967775631738635 About Vigilant Technology Solutions Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Vigilant Technology Solutions has been securing businesses with its exclusive patented visibility detection, prevention and response services since 2009 and protects over 450 million identities every day. Details are available at https://vigilantnow.com/. About Premier Mindset Franklin, Tennessee-based Premier Mindset, LLC is a veteran-owned IT consulting firm concentrating in technology advisory and cybersecurity. Its resources possess a wealth of knowledge around industry-leading solutions, frameworks and methodologies to support mid-size and enterprise organizations. For more information, visit www.premiermindset.com. About Tower MSA Partners Headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, Tower MSA Partners' services include pre-MSA Triage, MSAs, physician peer reviews, CMS submissions, MSA administration, medical cost projections, life care plans, conditional payments, and Section 111 reporting. Visit www.towermsa.com and https://towermsa.com/blog/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005121/en/ The money is a slice of the $675,000 in grants the city plans to distribute to 31 community-based organizations that will focus their efforts on 12 areas that had the lowest response rates in the 2010 census, according to Mayor Lori Lightfoots office, which announced the Uber donation Tuesday. The outreach is meant to boost the number of people who participate in the decennial count, which is then used to determine how federal funds are distributed and how many seats in Congress Illinois will get. This television sitcom is based on Max Shulmans 1945 short story collection, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and I Was a Teenage Dwarf. He also wrote the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1953 movie adaption, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, which stars Bobby Van in the title role. In 1959, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis was the first TV sitcom to come from the teenage point of view. Previous family sitcoms such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Donna Reed Show, or Father Knows Best placed teenagers in supporting roles. They arent seen in the leading role; and the storyline plots revolved around the adult characters. Dobie represented the end of innocence of the 1950s before the oncoming 1960s revolution, said series star Dwayne Hickman. He was 24 years old when he filmed the CBS pilot portraying the American Midwestern teenager. Fifty years of The Courtship of Eddie's Father This 1969-1972 family sitcom was based on the 1963 MGM film directed by Vincente Minnelli. Both the film and ABC television series were adapted from the best-selling novel The Courtship of Eddie's Father by Mark Toby. Elements of the Beat Generation breaks ground with the introduction of Dobies beatnik buddy, Maynard G. Krebs. Future Gilligans Island star, 23-year-old Bob Denver, won the role, but had no previous acting experience. His earlier jobs are grade school teacher and postal worker. Breakout star Dwayne Hickman, of The Bob Cummings Show (Love that Bob) as the nephew Chuck MacDonald won the Gillis role over future Bonanza star Michael Landon. Hickmans dark hair is bleached for the role in the first season. The sitcom centers on Central High school boy Dobie Gillis, whos the son of a grocer. His dad, Herbert T. Gillis (Frank Faylen), a proud hard-working child of the Great Depression and Second World War veteran, is happy when his second-born son is working in the store. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 40th anniversary Back in 1978, Glen A. Larson had a deal with Universal Studio to make a pilot episode of Buck Roger in the 25th Century for the NBC network. However, Dobies mother, Winifred (Florida Friebus) is a usually calm and serene woman. She protects Dobie from his fathers unrealistic expectations and tends to baby him. Hickmans own brother, Darryl, played Davey Gillis, who appears in a few episodes during college breaks and later written out of the show. Zelda Gilroy (Sheila James) chases after Dobie. However, he only has eyes for blond Thalia Meenniger (Tuesday Weld). We often find Dobie sitting on the Central Park bench in front of a reproduction of Auguste Rodins statue The Thinker. Breaking the silence, he would explain to the viewing audience his problem either with money or girls. William Schallert played Dobies high school English and science teacher Leander Pomfritt. In the pilot episode, Herbert Anderson has the role. Warren Beatty played antagonist wealthy kid Milton Armitage for five episodes. Then, hes replaced by Steve Franken, who joins the cast as Miltons cousin Chatsworth Osborn, Jr. His overbearing snobbish mother, Clarissa Osborne, is played by Doris Packer. Your Turn: "The Brady Bunch" brings blended family to TV In 1966, Sherwood Schwartz was the successful creator of the CBS sitcom Gilligan's Island. He read in the Los Angeles Times a four-line filler that about two-third marriages have children from a previous union in the home. After the first season, Tuesday Weld is written out. She does, however, make two appearances in seasons 3 and 4, slightly wiser. Halfway through the second season, Dobie and Maynard, along with Chatsworth, did a brief stint in the U.S. Army. An abstract set of Central Park with the statue of The Thinker reproduction serves when Dobie narrates his schemes for the episodes. At the beginning of the third season, Dobie, Maynard, and Chatsworth receive their Army discharge. Together with Zelda, the three young men enroll at S. Peter Pryor Junior College, where they are reunited with their former high school teacher Mr. Pomfritt, whos now a professor on the school faculty. In the fourth season, Dobies teenage cousin, Duncan Dunky Gillis (Bobby Diamond), moves in with the Gillises. He becomes a tag-along for Dobie and Maynard. These last episodes are narrated by Maynard with surreal plots, leaving out Dobie. This program spawned two 20th Century Fox- produced sequels the unsuccessful 1977 pilot of Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? series and the 1988 television movie Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis. Your Turn: "The Untouchables" 60th anniversary Most of us remember the Brian De Palma 1987 gangster film The Untouchables. As U.S. Treasury agent Eliot Ness, Kevin Costner forms a squad t On May 10, 1977, the failed pilot served as one-hour CBS special. In the pilot episode, Dobie is upset about turning 40 and returns to the Central Park bench in front of The Thinker statue. Hes now married to Zelda and has a young son Georgie (Steven Paul), whos a lot like Dobie was as a teenager. Dwayne Hickman, Sheila James, and Bob Denver reunited in their original roles. Tuesday Weld declined to reprise her role as Thalia Meenniger for the CBS Sunday movie Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis on February 22,1988. Connie Stevens took on the role of Dobies former love interest. Last year, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis celebrated its 60th anniversary. Carl G. White lives in Napa and enjoys classic TV shows and movies. Guineas President Alpha Conde has announced that a constitutional referendum that has sparked protests across the country will be held on 1 March. The referendum plan had been opposed on grounds that it could pave way for President Conde to seek a third term in office. There will be no election or referendum, said Sidya Toure, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea. Guineas opposition has said it will boycott the March referendum, according to AP news agency. Legislative elections that were scheduled for February 16 have been postponed to March 1. Protests have been taking place in Guinea since October 2019 over concerns that President Conde, who is 81 years old, plans to reform the constitution to stay in office for a third term. Conde, who was jailed and spent time in exile under Guineas previous governments, became the countrys first democratically elected president in 2010. He was re-elected in 2015. Despite initial hopes of a new political dawn in the country, critics say his rule has become increasingly authoritarian. Across West Africa, leaders are tinkering with mandates and wrangling behind the scenes to stay in power for longer. Most recently, Alassane Ouattara, the Ivorian president, said he would run for a third term next year if historic rivals Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie were candidates too. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address at the chamber of the House of Representatives in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Senate Acquits Trump on Both Articles of Impeachment The Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment on Feb. 5, ending the third impeachment trial in U.S. history. The senators voted nearly along party lines to acquit the president of the two charges against him: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The senators voted 5248 on the first article of impeachment and 5347 on the second article. The Senate, having tried Donald Trump, president of the United States, upon two articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives, and two-thirds of the senators present not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein: it is, therefore, ordered and adjudged that the said Donald John Trump be, and he is hereby, acquitted of the charges in said articles, said Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial. None of the Democrats voted to acquit the president on either article. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) broke with his party to vote to convict Trump of abuse of power. The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust, Romney said on the Senate floor before the final vote. What the president did was wrong, grievously wrong. Romney and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine were the only Republicans to vote in favor of calling additional witnesses in the days before the final vote. Collins voted to acquit the president on both articles of impeachment. This decision is not about whether you like or dislike this president, Collins said before the vote. The Senates vote capped off four months of proceedings that began with an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sept. 24, 2019. Following a rapid inquiry in the House, Democrats impeached the president in a partisan vote on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The United States Senate was made for moments like this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the floor of the Senate before the final vote. The Framers predicted that factional fever might dominate House majorities from time to time. They knew the country would need a firewall to keep partisan flames from scorching our Republic. Acquittal in the trial was all but assured with Republicans holding a 5347 majority in the Senate; a supermajority of 67 votes on each article was needed to convict. In a speech before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused the Republicans of covering up for the president. The House managers established the president abused the great power of his office to try to cheat in an election and the Senate majority is poised to look the other way, Schumer said. During the Senate trial, Democratic impeachment managers accused Trump of abusing the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. The Democrats alleged the president leveraged a hold on $400 million in aid to Ukraine to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do his bidding and that once Congress began investigating the alleged scheme, Trump obstructed the inquiry. Trumps attorneys, led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone, argued that the Democrats failed to prove their case, highlighting the lack of firsthand witnesses who could back up the claims. Throughout the impeachment inquiry and Senate trial, Trump denounced the proceedings as a partisan hoax. The president has pointed to the transcript of his July 25, 2019, call with Zelensky as the ultimate evidence of his innocence. On the call, Trump asked Zelensky to look into the firing of Ukraines top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin. Two weeks before Shokin was pressured to submit his resignation, his office had seized the assets of Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Ukrainian gas giant Burisma. At the time, Hunter Biden, Joe Bidens son, held a lucrative position on the board of directors of Burisma. Joe Biden has since bragged, on multiple occasions, that he forced Shokins firing by threatening to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine. While Joe and Hunter Biden have denied any wrongdoing, Hunter Biden admitted he exercised poor judgement by joining the board while his father was vice president. Joe Biden on Feb. 2 also conceded when asked during an interview with NBCs Today Show that it was a bad image. Yeah. And my son said that, Biden said. Former national security adviser John Bolton added a twist to the trial when claims from his unpublished book were leaked to the press. In the book, Bolton reportedly claimed to have firsthand knowledge of Trumps involvement in the alleged campaign to pressure Ukraine. Democrats abandoned their pursuit of Boltons testimony during the House inquiry, but revived the calls after the contents of the book were leaked. Republicans rejected calling on Bolton and other additional witnesses. The rationale for the Republicans who voted not guilty mainly fell in two categories. Some said the Democrats failed to prove their case, while others argued that even if the case was proven, the charges brought were not impeachable. Trump didnt mention the impeachment during an optimistic State of the Union address on the night before the acquittal vote. In a sign of how impeachment widened the schism between the two parties, Trump didnt shake Pelosis outstretched hand prior to the speech. As Trump concluded his address, Pelosi ripped up a copy of the presidents prepared remarks. The presidents acquittal comes two days after the first 2020 presidential primary contest in Iowa. The Democrats alleged that Trumps overture to Ukraine constituted an attempt to interfere in the 2020 election. While Trump scored a handy victory in Iowa on Feb. 3, Iowa Democrats were yet to report on the final results of the caucuses by the time Trump was acquitted on the afternoon of Feb. 5. Party officials blamed the delay on problems with a mobile app used to report caucus results. Trumps approval rating, which has fluctuated in the mid- to low-40s, hit a new high of 49 percent in the latest Gallup polling, which was conducted as the Senate trial was drawing to a close. The poll found that 51 percent of the public views the Republican Party favorably, the first time the GOPs number has exceeded 50 percent since 2005. A global leader in training is helping to build Canada's best skilled team in healthcare MONTREAL, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation and CAE are pleased to announce a collaboration that offers innovative solutions to transform patient care. The Montreal-based worldwide provider in healthcare education and training is donating $500,000, including state-of-the-art training simulation equipment and curriculum, in support of the MUHC's visionary project to elevate lifesaving skills and teamwork through its new Interprofessional Skills & Simulation Network. Contributing to building Canada's best skilled team at the MUHC is all part of CAE's mission to make healthcare safer. From augmented reality to patient simulators, they are working with the MUHC's expert clinicians and renowned simulation educators to improve healthcare outcomes. "At CAE, we are driven by our mission to make healthcare safer and are committed to improving clinical education and patient safety through simulation-based training solutions," says CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Parent, who sits on the MUHC Foundation's Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the MUHC Foundation's Dream Big Campaign. "We are honoured to help equip the MUHC with the best technology and tools they need so they can practice the most advanced forms of medicine and provide the best patient care in the country." Recognized internationally as a leading teaching hospital, the MUHC trains thousands of medical students, residents, nurses, allied health professionals and researchers the essential skills to serve patients across Quebec, Canada and around the world. With the Interprofessional Skills and Simulation Network, all of these medical professionals will train together in their own clinical environment to create effective interprofessional healthcare teams. "New technology is disrupting medicine and the MUHC wants to take full advantage of it. We are transforming the way we teach using simulation as well as virtual and augmented reality, and AI-enhanced technologies to elevate lifesaving skills and teamwork," says Dr. Elene Khalil, Director of Education and Medical Co-Director Emergency Preparedness at the MUHC. "The MUHC is seizing the lead in developing tomorrow's essential healthcare skills, and in so doing we'll improve care not just for MUHC patients, we'll help to advance skills acquisition across Canada and beyond." The MUHC Foundation is raising $10 million to create the MUHC Interprofessional Skills & Simulation Network as part of its Dream Big Campaign, co-chaired by Marc Parent, Suzanne Legge Orr and Jean Charest. "This generous donation will allow the MUHC and Montreal to take the lead in transforming the education model to better respond to the new hospitals of the future," says Jean Charest. "With CAE's training expertise, the hospital will be able to set benchmarks, test emerging tools, and ultimately improve patient care." This donation marks a unique partnership between industry and healthcare that represents a trend in hospital innovation. "CAE Healthcare's commitment to improving the safety of patients through simulation-based training is evidenced in this partnership," says Suzanne Legge Orr. "Our hospital, our patients, and our community are going to be the first to see the impact." Norman Steinberg, Chairman of the Board of the MUHC Foundation thanks CAE and Marc Parent for taking a leadership role in the Dream Big Campaign, which has already raised more than $52 million to support clinical research. "This campaign is not only about the health of Montrealers, but about making the MUHC a nationwide example for excellence in patient care, and having a global impact in healthcare innovation." *** CAE and the MUHC Foundation are proud to present a video about the impact of simulation-based training on health professionals' readiness and patient outcome: https://www.cae.com/mediakit/ About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is one of the best university hospitals offering tertiary and quaternary (complex) care. With the medical leadership of its founding hospitals, the MUHC offers multidisciplinary care, exceptional quality, focused on the needs of the patient in a bilingual environment. Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and at the head of RUIS-McGill, the MUHC contributes to the evolution of pediatric and adult medicine by attracting scientific and clinical leaders from around the world, by evaluating cutting edge medical technologies and training the health professionals of tomorrow. In collaboration with our partners, we are building a better future for our patients and their families; for our employees, professionals, researchers and students; for our community and most importantly, for life. www.cusm.ca About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation The MUHC Foundation raises funds to support excellence in patient care, research and teaching at the MUHC. The $10 million Dream Big: Build Canada's Best Skilled Team project will accelerate health care education and recruitment by establishing the MUHC Interprofessional Skills & Simulation Network. This project is part of the Foundation's larger Dream Big Campaign, which is working to change the course of lives and medicine and establish the MUHC and Montreal as a hub for innovation in health care and research across Canada. www.muhcfoundation.com About CAE Healthcare CAE Healthcare offers integrated education and training solutions to healthcare students and clinical professionals across the professional life cycle, allowing them to develop practical experience in simulated environments before treating patients. CAE Healthcare's full spectrum of simulation solutions includes surgical and imaging simulation, curriculum, the CAE LearningSpace audiovisual and center management platform and highly realistic adult, pediatric and baby patient simulators. Today, hospitals, medical schools, nursing schools, defence forces and societies in more than 80 countries use our training solutions to make healthcare safer. cae.com/healthcare About CAE CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 10,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 220,000 civil and defence crewmembers, including more than 135,000 pilots, and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter: CAE_Inc. SOURCE CAE INC. Related Links http://www.cae.com/ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 20:35 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062ca094 1 Business Sri-Mulyani,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,men,economic-slowdown,global-economy Free Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has laid the blame for the recent and ongoing global uncertainties squarely on men - and she demanded they take the responsibility for fixing them. In a speech at the Mandiri Investment Forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, she said that the uncertain global conditions in 2019caused by the United States-China trade war, Brexit and protests in many parts of the worldwere likely to persist in 2020. These uncertainties are actually man-made and Id really like to underline the word man here because almost all of them are caused by men, Sri Mulyani said, citing the protests in Hong Kong as an exception, as the autonomous state is led by chairwoman Carrie Lam. She went on to say that the men-made events caused last years world economic growth and trade to reach their lowest point since the global financial crisis in 2008. The World Bank projected the global economy to grow by only 2.9 percent in 2019 as global trade and manufacturing activities slowed down last year as a result of trade tensions and financial pressure in advanced countries. In the meantime, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced last October that it forecast global trade to rise by only 1.2 percent in 2019. Men created these problems, so men have to fix them, Sri Mulyani said, followed by applause and cheers from the audience. Despite the situation, she said the government was still optimistic that Indonesia could still maintain robust economic growth while also remaining vigilant about the challenges that lay ahead. She also said that the government would continue to work on its policy choices and utilize to the utmost the available instruments to maintain growth. We will also conduct structural reform to make sure the good conditions will be sustained and improve in the future, she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 21:22:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater legislative, law enforcement, judicial and law observance efforts to strengthen the capacity to carry out law-based infection prevention and control. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement when presiding over the third meeting of the Commission for Overall Law-based Governance of the CPC Central Committee. Xi is the head of the commission. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning, who are deputy heads of the commission, attended the meeting. Documents including the commission's guidelines on practicing law-based infection prevention and control of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus were adopted at the meeting. While addressing the meeting, Xi said the infection prevention and control is at a critical moment and stressed the utmost importance of carrying out the work in a law-based, scientific and orderly manner. Xi spoke of the need to improve legislation related to epidemic prevention and control, strengthen the building of supporting institutions and improve punishment procedures. Laws and regulations on epidemic prevention and control and emergency response must be strictly enforced, risk assessment be improved and decisions be made prudently and in accordance with the law, Xi said. He also stressed strict enforcement of law on prevention and control of infectious diseases and the regulation regarding its implementation, laws on wildlife protection and animal quarantine, as well as the regulation on public health emergency response. Xi called for a severe crackdown on illegal activities and crimes ranging from resisting epidemic prevention and control efforts, assaulting medical workers, manufacturing and selling fake products, to rumor-mongering that undermines epidemic prevention and control efforts. Donations and receiving donations should be carried out according to the law, Xi stressed, noting that all donated funds and goods should be used for epidemic prevention and control in a timely manner. Xi also stressed timely and accurate release of the epidemic information in accordance with the law, as well as strengthened public legal education and legal services related to the epidemic prevention and control. Xi told Party committees and governments at all levels to improve law-based governance through coping with major emergencies. The meeting stressed implementing judicial reforms, strengthening rule of law in rural areas and reforming the system of administrative reconsideration. Chinese socialist rule of law is the most basic, stable and reliable guarantee to the governance of systems, said the meeting, adding that law-based governance should be advanced to boost the role of rule of law in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance. A new book dives into the multi-billion financial relationship between Donald Trump and German lender Deutsche Bank and finds that the institution not only provided critical credit but used its clout to introduce the future president to Russian investors. Deutsche Bank has previously been identified as Trump's top lender, after providing huge loans even when other institutions backed away after Trump experienced a series of bankruptcies as a real estate mogul. A new book excerpt, 'The Money Behind Trump's Money,' by a New York Times financial editor, digs into the financial relationship, which continues to be shielded from the public in part due to a court fight over documents. Before he was president, Donald Trump got financing from Deutsche Bank for business purchases. But company also organized an event to help introduce Trump and his partners to potential Russian investors in condo properties, according to a new book The bank 'helped Trump find buyers for condos in his properties,' according to people familiar with the deal. 'When he partnered in 2006 with a Los Angeles developer to build a Trump-branded resort in Hawaii, Deutsche Bank organized get-togethers in London and elsewhere to connect Trump and his partners with wealthy clients including some from Russia who used anonymous shell companies to buy units in the Waikiki hotel complex,' according to the book. Wealthy individuals, including those living in high-risk countries or those that fall under sanctions, have long turned to real estate as a way to stash capital and enjoy potential growth, while shielding ownership through LLCs and other vehicles. Trump's bankruptcies and the chance the bank would not get back a return on its investment was only one concern among executives who debated the relationship. The bank 'organized get-togethers in London and elsewhere to connect Trump and his partners with wealthy clients' exploring Hawaii property purchases Ivanka Trump attends a preview of the Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk at Trump International Hotel & Tower New York on September 30, 2009 in New York City The bank has come under scrutiny for its lending practices. It extended loans to the Trump Organization even when other lenders backed away Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rips a copy of US President Donald Trump's speech after he delivered the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2020 'It wasn't only the not-insignificant risk that Trump would default on loans. The bankers also talked about Trump's well-documented ties to the organized-crime world he had done business with people in or affiliated with the mob in Atlantic City and New York and the possibility that his real estate projects were laundromats for illicit funds from countries like Russia, where oligarchs were trying to get money out of the country,' author David Enrich writes. 'Everyone in the real estate business was involved in 'flight capital,' ' a top exec told him. Enrich titled his book: 'Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction.' House Democrats are suing the bank to obtain tax return information from Trump. A federal judge ruled last year that the bank can provide the information, but the Trump Organization is fighting the subpoena, in a case heading to the Supreme Court. In one episode examined in the book, an arm of the bank agreed to loan Trump $48 million to pay back money he was personally obligated to pay the bank's investment arm using his Chicago tower and a personal guarantee as collateral. The transaction provoked internal debate since it had one division lending to have the client pay off another division. It ultimately went through. There is no objection from the bank to proceed with the client,' a top bank executive emailed another internally. The bank would later loan Trump $125 million to buy his Doral resort, and another $170 million to create a luxury hotel in Washington, D.C. Dreaming of a winter or spring break trip this year that involves a beach? Nearly every vacation-seeker on the West Coast is 0ccasionally faced with the question of whether to take off to Hawaii or Mexico. Recent changes in the travel landscape have altered the age old question, so let's delve into the pros and cons of each destination. So what's changed in the decision model? It's that Hawaii airfares have plummeted over the last year as Southwest rolled out its first round of flights, making the islands attractively priced and very easy to get to. With airfares frequently available for less than $300 round trip, why not go? The downside of that is this: With all those people headed to Hawaii, demand for hotels, Airbnbs, rental cars and restaurant reservations has soared. Traffic has become a huge problem in many popular tourist areas on all the islands. For example, this week Maui reported that it welcomed a record 3 million visitors last year, the highest number since it began tracking tourist arrivals in 1990. Something else has changed, too. The perception of Mexico as a safe holiday destination has taken a beating in recent years. Reports of gruesome violence, occasionally creeping into tourist areas, has many travelers swearing off trips south of the border until something changes. The result? Less demand for Mexico vacations means that there are more bargains for hotels, cars and restaurants. However, airlines have not bumped up capacity from California to Mexico's beaches, which means airfares can be stubbornly high, with the cheapest nonstop roundtrips from Bay Area airports in the $400 range to Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and even higher for Cancun and the Mayan Riviera. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email alerts So overall, Hawaii is cheap to fly to, but expensive once you are there. Mexico is expensive to get to, but cheap once you're there. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each. Mexico: Pros Close by: Depending on your origin airport, nonstop flights run two to four hours. Plus there are plenty of one-stop options on a variety of carriers. Practice your Spanish and experience a new culture: In Mexico you can actually use some of those skills you learned in high school or college and locals will appreciate the effort. Mexican history, cuisine, art and culture are fascinating if you have time to get away from the beach and upside-down margaritas. Lots of all-inclusive resorts: All-inclusive resorts are very popular in Mexico and great for family travel budgets because nearly everything is included when you pay a flat fee up front. Plus, these large, gated resorts feel safer, especially for skittish first-timers. Cheap lodging: There's something for everyone in or near most of Mexico's largest beach resorts and prices are usually quite reasonable, even during peak spring season. There are plenty of hotels, villas, short term rentals and hostels. (Back in the day, I remember sleeping in a hammock in a campground near Playa del Carmen for $5 per night.) Cheap, good food: Dining out in Mexico is an adventure, and most Americans discover that Mexican food in Mexico is a lot different (and healthier) than Mexican food served in the U.S., which leans toward overly cheesy "Tex-Mex" cuisine. Mexico: Cons Uncertainty: In parts of Mexico, you never really know what you are going to get. Sometimes water and power fail. Sanitation can be an issue. For some people, this is an adventure; others would rather steer clear. Travel warnings: In addition the the standard "don't drink the water" admonitions travelers hear when going to Mexico, you also need to be on the lookout for petty theft in tourist areas or busy beaches. Taxi drivers are notorious for scams involving unwitting travelers stepping off planes. In Puerto Vallarta, you have to watch out for time share scammers at the airport. Police in resort areas are known to "shake down" tourists in rental cars. All inclusive resorts provide some protection from uncertainty, but you miss out on a lot by spending your vacation behind the property gates. RELATED: Is Mexico safe for tourists? High-priced flights: While fares have moderated a bit recently, it's still expensive to fly to most Mexican beach resorts from the Bay Area. Why? Well, there are just not enough low-fare competitors on beach routes. You can find deals to places like Mexico City and Guadalajara on Mexican low-fare carriers, but they don't fly nonstop to the beaches. In general, you should expect to pay around $400 for nonstop flights to west coast beaches; one stop flights are cheaper at about $350. Customs/immigration: While it's usually not much of an issue, a trip to Mexico requires the extra step of a trip through customs and immigration on both ends of your trip. While this is usually not much of a problem in Mexico, flying back to SFO can be tricky if you arrive at the same time as several jumbo jets from Europe or Asia. Summer heat: Mexican beach towns are lovely and temperate during fall, winter and spring months, but can be painfully hot, muggy and buggy during summer months. Also Mexico's Caribbean coast is sometimes plagued by sargassum seaweed, which can muck up beaches with squishy, smelly squalor. Hawaii: Pros English speaking: While Hawaii feels very much unlike anywhere on the mainland, it's still the USA with a familiar culture and language. But you may want to brush up on the Hawaiian meaning of English words like slippers, plate lunch or Auntie, and Hawaiian words such as lanai, kokua, ohana and of course aloha and mahalo. Gorgeous and gentle climate year round: Hawaii's gentle climate is nice year round there's rarely a "bad" time to go (but there is a rainy and dry season, see below). Even when there's rain in the forecast, it's usually only a brief shower, likely accompanied by a rainbow. Cheap flights: Ever since Southwest Airlines announced that it would fly to Hawaii back in 2017, airfares have been falling like crazy. Prior to Southwest's arrival a "good" deal was anything under $400 round trip. After a full year of Southwest in the market, a "good deal" is now anything around $300 roundtrip on all carriers flying there nonstop from the Bay Area, which now include: United, Hawaiian, Alaska, Southwest, Sun Country and occasionally, Delta. How about $276 roundtrip? No customs or immigration: Flying to or from Hawaii is a breeze due to no immigration or customs formalities. However, when returning from Hawaii, bags to have to go through a special agricultural screening. Hawaii: Cons Expensive lodging: All the new demand created by cheap and numerous flights is pushing up demand. and therefore prices, for hotels-- sell-outs are frequent in the most popular places near beaches. The rise of short-term rental lodging like Airbnb, VRBO, and Homeaway have helped provide some cheaper options for budget focused travelers. Expensive food: Remember that nearly all the food you eat in Hawaii has to be shipped or flown in to the islands, and those costs are reflected in prices at restaurants and grocery stores. Long flights: Hawaii is one of the most isolated places in the world, a 5-6 hour flight from California and a 10-12 hour slog from the East Coast. Most airlines now fly narrow-body jets to Hawaii which feel more cramped than the earlier wide-bodies used on these routes. Cloudy weather: While rare, Hawaii can occasionally get socked in by a big Pacific storm and remain cloudy and windy for days which can wash out a well-planned vacation. There's not much to do when the sun is not out. Hawaii's dry season runs roughly from May to October. Also keep in mind that some islands (like Kauai and Hawaii) have a dry side and a wet side. For example, when I go to Kauai during wetter, windier winter months, I tend to focus on the southern side where its more likely to be sunny and dry. Haole, go home! Due to bigger crowds, more traffic, higher prices, and general overtourism, a lot of locals feel that their laid-back lifestyle is being threatened, which is sometimes manifested in treating visitors with disdain. (Here's a TripAdvisor forum about that.) So, where are you going for a mid-winter or spring break this year? Mexico or Hawaii? Tell us in the comments. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Whos really knocking at your door? Suspicious tactics would include others posing as our representatives, who want access to your home or security system. While spring and summer often are prime times for door-to-door sales and potential security contract scams, were hearing from customers who are being approached year round, especially in our service areas with warmer climates, said Richard Ginsburg, president and CEO, Alert 360. Alert 360, a leading home security and home automation company, is warning homeowners with home security systems about common security scams used by some security companies. These home security companies often use false sales tactics to trick homeowners into signing contracts, which can result in homeowners being billed by two companies for the same service. While spring and summer often are prime times for door-to-door sales and potential security contract scams, were hearing from customers who are being approached year round, especially in our service areas with warmer climates, said Richard Ginsburg, president and CEO, Alert 360. Our customers who use our Scam Alert webpage and hotline share that these suspicious tactics include representatives from other home security providers posing as our representatives who want access to their homes, accounts, or security systems. These tactics are not uncommon, and weve been working with our customers for years to raise awareness of this security threat and share steps to avoid being scammed. These high-pressure and deceptive sales practices often result in a homeowner unknowingly signing contracts with two home security companies, damage to the security system, and unintended access to a bank account, said Ginsburg. We always recommend that homeowners not feel pressured to sign a contract without taking time to review the details, understanding the terms, and checking with their current security provider. With nearly 50 years of experience installing home security systems and providing security alarm system monitoring, Alert 360 warns home security owners to be on the alert for home security salespersons who might: Tell you that your current home security provider is no longer in business, no longer serves your area, or was sold to their company; Ask you to sign a new contract to ensure your security service continues; Request access to your security system or tells you that your system has been recalled, requires replacement or repaired; Show documents to support claims they need access to your system; and Use high-pressure tactics to force you to sign a new contract on the spot and wont allow you to contact your current provider. Alert 360 shares these steps to safeguard your home, security system, and bank accounts: Call your home security company to confirm it has sent a representative or to check the details; Check all the details before signing a contract so that you dont end up being billed by two home security companies; If you have a doorbell camera, view whos at your door using a mobile app and your smartphone, or ask the visitor for more information, such as a company name and phone number even if youre not home; Know the facts. Stay up to date on news from your home security company by checking its website often and following your providers blog and social media accounts; and Report suspicious activity concerning a person going door to door in your neighborhood, or call your home security provider when you have concerns. At Alert 360, we take providing home and business security systems very seriously and have been combatting deceptive security sales for decades, said Ginsburg. Fortunately, when homeowners are aware of these tactics and know the steps to avoid being scammed, they can more easily protect their homes, security systems, and bank accounts. We encourage all Alert 360 customers to visit Alert360.com and click on the Scam Alert tab at the top of our homepage. Alert 360 provides a full line of home security, business security, energy management, and home automation services. These products and services include wireless security systems, a free mobile app, wireless home security cameras, HD video surveillance, access control, smart thermostats, water leak detection devices, doorbell cameras, monitored heat and carbon monoxide detectors and more. Alert 360s certified security technicians also offer professional installation or integration of smart home devices, such as sprinkler systems, sound systems, Amazon Echo and Google Home. Alert 360 operates from coast to coast, providing local service for its nearly a quarter of a million home security customers. Find a local Alert 360 home security office here. About Alert 360 Founded in 1973, Alert 360 is one of the nations oldest-licensed alarm monitoring providers. Today, the company is the fifth largest provider of monitored home security and home automation solutions in the United States. Alert 360 operates a monitoring and customer service center in Tulsa, Okla., and has offices coast to coast. The company has achieved Five Diamond alarm monitoring designation and has been named an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Company in America, voted #1 as the Best Home Security Provider, and a Best Places to Work. four years in a row. With results from the nations first early voting state still trickling in with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders leading Iowa, a new poll shows Sanders with an edge in the upcoming New Hampshire primary. The University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll of New Hampshire voters showed the Vermont senator with a five-point lead over former Vice President Joe Biden, at 25% support to 20%. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, currently in third place in Iowa tallies with about 70% of precincts reporting, came in third place in the poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters, with 17% support. Buttigieg garnered 12% support and no other candidate polled greater than 5%. Recent polls have shown Sanders and Biden nearly tied for the lead in a tight Granite State race. Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary in 2016. Clinton lost to President Donald Trump, and the nearly dozen Democratic candidates have been pitching a mix of progressive and more moderate plans while each making the case that theyre the best bet to oust Trump. Toppling Trump was the most important quality in a candidate according to poll respondents, with 36% saying electability was paramount. Biden topped that category, with 31% believing he was the most likely to beat Trump in November. Twenty-three percent said Sanders could beat the president, and 14% thought Warren was likeliest Democrat to retake the White House. None of the other Democrats reached double digits. While Sanders has the lead in New Hampshire, the state remains up for grabs. UMass Amherst noted that the poll found a high degree of potential fluidity" before the Feb. 11 vote, with 61% of respondents saying it was possible they picked someone other than their current top choice. As the nation turns its gaze away from the cornfields of Iowa to the mountains of the Granite State, New Hampshires Democratic voters are poised to once again support one of their regions own, as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has emerged as the frontrunner in the states primary, but his victory is by no means assured, said Tatishe Nteta, director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB Poll and associate professor of political science at UMass Amherst. Unlike the 22-point landslide that Sanders enjoyed in the 2016 New Hampshire primary, this race looks like it will go down to the wire. Jesse Rhodes, associate director of the poll and professor of political science at UMass Amherst, said in a statement that each candidate has strengths and weaknesses. Warren is lauded for her intelligence, passion and progressive views, but she is also viewed by some New Hampshire Democratic primary voters as less than fully trustworthy," Rhodes said. "Biden is viewed as a very experienced politician, but some also perceive him as out of touch in todays political climate. Sanders greatest asset is the perception that he is an authentic and passionate progressive, while at the same time, some of these primary voters view him as curmudgeonly and eccentric. Finally, positive perceptions of Buttigiegs intelligence and honesty are balanced with concerns that he lacks the experience and gravitas to serve as president. With almost 80% of Buttigieg supporters saying they were willing to switch their vote, the coming week will likely see Sanders, Biden and Warren competing for voters on the fence about the South Bend mayor. But if Buttigieg pulls out a victory in Iowa, he might lock up both momentum and more solid support in New Hampshire. Salman Ahmed, a student leader who was booked for the comments he allegedly made during his speech at an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest on February 1 in Nanded city, said that there was nothing inflammatory in his speech and he has decided to file defamation suit against individuals. "Our fight is for saving the country, its constitution and the constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. Laws like CAA are against these values as they discriminate against Muslims on the basis of their religion. Hence, Muslims and other communities must resist such a law and the fascist government which brought it, using all peaceful and democratic means available to them. For if this law and the government prevails, it will end up destroying everything: the constitution, secularism, and rule of law," Ahmed said in a statement. "There's nothing inflammatory in my speech. There has been a malicious attempt by some of the media and individuals to defame me by editing and promoting a small portion of my speech out of context. This is nothing but an effort to discredit the entire movement against CAA-NRC-NPR," he added. Ahmed went on to say that a "poor understanding of the Urdu idioms and phrases used in speech has also resulted in altering the meaning of some of the statements." "...or example, 'kabar khudegi' means 'will be death knell'; it doesn't have any violent connotation whatsoever. In any case, the phrase was used in reference to the black laws such as CAA and fascism, and wasn't directed at any individual or community," Ahmed said. "I have decided to file a defamation suit against the individuals and media which maliciously ran communal propaganda using contents of my speech," he added. Ahmed has been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and race. "A student leader named Salman Ahmed has been booked under sections 153, 109 and 34 IPC for the objectionable comments he made against the government and Citizenship Amendment Act during his speech at an anti-CAA protest on February 1," Vijay Kumar Magar, SP Nanded, told ANI. People have been staging protests against the citizenship law in various parts of the country after Parliament last year gave nod to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which became an Act after receiving President Ram Nath Kovind's assent. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh if they entered India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On February 3, 2020, jurors in Boston federal court returned a verdict finding that Lexington, Massachusetts restauranteur Charlie Chen engaged in illegal insider trading in advance of five earnings announcements of Lexington-based company Vistaprint, N.V. The SEC's evidence at trial showed that Chen, who was close friends with a Vistaprint insider and her husband, received highly confidential nonpublic information and used it to place trades in advance of five different announcements of Vistaprint's financial results from April 2013 through July 2014. On some occasions, Chen placed extremely aggressive bets such as wagering much of his retirement account on risky Vistaprint options before the company's announcement of disappointing earnings results in April 2014. According to evidence presented at the trial, Chen made over $800,000 in illicit trading profits. The evidence at trial also showed that, upon being questioned by the FBI in 2016, Chen claimed that he did not know anyone who worked at Vistaprint and falsely denied having a close relationship with the Vistaprint insider and her husband with whom he and his family had vacationed. The jury found Chen liable on all counts, finding that he violated the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC is seeking disgorgement of Chen's insider trading profits and may seek civil penalties of up to three times the amount of Chen's ill-gotten gains. The SEC's claims, which were originally filed in April 2018, are being litigated by Eric Forni and Susan Cooke Anderson of the Boston Regional Office. The investigation that led to the action was conducted by David H. London and John McCann of the SEC's Boston Regional Office and Michele T. Perillo of the Market Abuse Unit in the Boston Regional Office. Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers' Authority (GSA), Benonita Bismarck, has asked the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)-Customs Division to enforce the implementation of the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on transit goods. Recounting events leading to the decision, she said the GSA had several engagements with the GRA-Customs Division on the need to abolish VAT on transit goods to alleviate the plight of transit traders. Ms Bismarck made the appeal on Friday when she delivered a solidarity message in commemoration of the 2020 International Customs Day marked by Ghana Customs in Accra. It was themed Customs Fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet. She praised the collaborative efforts between the two organisations in removing non-tariff barriers to make Ghana's transit corridor the most preferable in the sub-region. I want to use this forum to commend the Customs Division of the GRA for listening to the concerns of transit traders and truck drivers relayed by the GSA to extend the maximum number of days for transit consignments to exit the borders of Ghana to destination countries from seven to 10. Also worth mentioning is the reduction in penalty for overstaying the prescribed period of 10 days from GH1,000 per day to GH500, she added. Deputy Minister of Finance in charge of revenue, Kwaku Kwarteng, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, expressed government's commitment to policies and programmes that will support Customs to promote and facilitate international trade. He commended state agencies such as the GSA, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Department among others for partnering with Customs to deliver on its mandate to control the movement of goods and people in and out of the country. Commissioner of GRA-Customs, Col. Kwadwo Damoah, who also spoke on behalf of the Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) said among others that the WCO was committed to the implementation of risk management techniques and data analytics to facilitate trade, stimulate economic growth and attract foreign investment, thus contributing to the reduction of poverty. Reed and several other residents at the meeting also said they supported the idea of the village hiring a lobbyist in hopes of making Clarendon Hills voice heard as part of an effort that would push the state to give municipalities more control in setting local standards for small cell wireless facilities. No decision was made Monday on hiring a lobbyist. Motanga Andrew Monjimba Archives Except for a last minute change that is most likely, the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Motanga Andrew Monjimba is expected at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Along with some of his collaborators, Motanga has been summoned to shed light on a recent report of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC, indicting the management of the Limbe City Council of financial irregularities that caused the state losses to the tune of FCFA 9 billion. Cameroon-info.net recalls that CONAC in its 2018 corruption report indicted the Limbe City Council, LCC, for irregularities that caused the state an overall financial loss estimated at over FCFA 9 billion. The executive summary of the voluminous CONAC report was presented to the public in Yaounde Thursday December 19, 2019 by CONAC Chairman Rev. Dr. Dieudonne Massi Gams. According to the 2018 CONAC report, 24 investigative missions exposed numerous irregularities that have caused the state an overall financial losses estimated at CFA 9 billion 425 million 314 thousand 946 francs. Of the above amount, CONAC reports that CFA 9 billion 240 million 829 thousand 996 francs was lost at the Limbe City Council, LCC, as uncovered by an investigative mission that visited the institution. It adds that FCFA 180 million was lost at the Nkometou Tollgate Post, 14 million 849 thousand 850 francs at the Bafia District Hospital and FCFA 3 million at the Parent Teachers Association of Government High School Obala. Sources suggest that the former Secretary General of the Limbe City Council, Charles Arrey Nkongho, who is now in Kumba in a similar capacity, had already been heard along with the municipal treasurer of the LCC. Motanga was to be heard on January 21, 2020 but the appointment was moved to February 5, 2020. There are indications that the audience could further be postponed given that Motanga is involved in campaigns ahead of the February 9, 2020 municipal and legislative elections. He is heading the CPDM council list in Limbe I where he is also Section President. Motanga is tipped to become the pioneer City Mayor of the Limbe City Council after serving as Pioneer Government Delegate of the same institution following his appointment in 2009. He is credited with transforming Limbe into a veritable development hub as well as celebrating the cultures of the world through the Limbe Festival of Arts and Culture, Limbe FESTAC. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry headed to Ethiopia on Wednesday to participate in preparatory meetings for the 33th African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, the Egyptian foreign ministry said. The African Union pre-summit meetings are being held from 6 to 7 February in the Ethiopian capital, followed by a summit meeting for African leaders from 9 to 10 February. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the African Union Heads of State Summit will witness Egypt handing over the chairmanship of the African Union to South Africa. According to the statement, Minister Shoukry will participate in a number of sideline events, and discussions about issues including solutions for forced displacements and the progress in the African free market zone project. The Egyptian foreign minister will also with a number of his African counterparts to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation on issues of joint interest. The headquarters of the African Union is located in Addis Abba. Search Keywords: Short link: Creation of large online platforms by way of integration of online markets and their advantage in terms of data collection are among the challenges posed by to market participants and regulators, according to Competition Commission chief Ashok Kumar Gupta. The challenge for the regulator is to put in place a legal and regulatory framework and also provide for appropriate safeguards, he said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event organised by not-for-profit group CUTS International and CUTS Institute for Regulation and Competition, Gupta said there is an emergence of characterised by disruptive innovation. Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sent three cases related to for detailed investigations in the last one year, he added. In cases involving dynamic competition, Gupta said the regulator thrives to strike a balance between short term static efficiencies and long term gains that arise from innovation. Interestingly, users are not paying money to these platforms, instead paying an "implicit price" in the form of personal data, he noted. A platform with a large base of users is able to attract more users and it is known as "user feedback loop". On the other hand, it is able to explore user data to improve advertisement targeting, obtaining additional funds, investing in quality of service and is also able to attract more users. This is termed as "monetisation feedback loop", Gupta said. Further, he said these things make it difficult for a new entrant to compete against an incumbent with a large base of customers. "India's digital economy generates about USD 200 billion annually from existing digital ecosystems and will increase five-fold to USD 1 trillion by 2025. E-commerce in India is expected to reach USD 200 billion by 2026 from USD 28.5 billion in 2017," he said. Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas said it needs to be ensured that the digital economy does not create digital divide as it has the potential to accentuate inequality. "... if we are to become a USD 5 trillion economy, we need to expand our digital economy given that the size of digital economy is approximately USD 30 trillion," he said. He also said the competition law in its present form is capable of addressing issues pertaining to the digital economy. Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor said digitisation is capable of creating new inequalities as well as reduce the existing inequalities. Inequality in India has risen, though not as bad as other countries and inequality has also begun appearing in the list of top five topics of discussion in Davos for the first time in the last three to four years. The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meet happens in Davos, Switzerland. Regarding data protection bill, Tharoor said an individual who generates data should be the owner of that data. Besides, purpose and time frame of surrendering the data should be defined, he added. Police at the scene in Streatham on Sunday. (AP/Alberto Pezzali) The government is aiming to introduce its emergency terror legislation on 27 February one day before a convicted terrorist is due for release. The bill, announced earlier this week following the Streatham terror attack, would prevent the early automatic release of terrorists currently in prison. At least four other convicted terrorists are also set for release in March if the new law isnt introduced. A Whitehall official, quoted by PA, said on Wednesday afternoon: If the legislation is passed by February 27, we can prevent the automatic release of any further terrorist suspects who might pose a threat to the public. The official said the attack in Streatham highlighted an issue surrounding terrorists with relatively short prison sentences. Sudesh Amman carried out the Streatham attack 11 days after he was released halfway through his sentence of three years and four months. A man and a woman sustained non-life threatening injuries. Police at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road. (PA) The official went on: There arent many terrorist offenders who will be in that similar kind of scenario but if there are any, then thats too many and thats what we are looking to fix. The government plans to introduce the legislation in the Commons on Tuesday, with the aim of clearing the House by the time it rises for recess on Thursday. The bill will then go to the Lords on 25 February, with the aim of getting royal assent on 27 February. Read more from Yahoo News UK Streatham terror attacker Sudesh Amman told inmate he wanted to murder an MP The 9 UK terrorists 'set for early release from prison this year' The key points of No 10's emergency legislation to stop terrorists being automatically released The official said there are no terrorist offenders who are due to receive automatic release before that date. Under the new law, no terrorist, including those already serving in prison, would be granted automatic release halfway through their sentence without check or review. The earliest point at which offenders would be considered for release is two-thirds through the sentence, and release before the end of a sentence would be dependent on a risk assessment. The plans have been criticised by human rights groups such as Liberty, which said the threat to change peoples sentences retrospectively which risks breaking the law... and will create more problems than it solves. Streatham stabbing: Terror surveillance not man-to-man marking, warns police chief Lisle-based Judlau Contracting will erect a new steel bridge over the roadway as part of a $17.2 million project to replace century-old bridges from Grace Street to Balmoral Avenue on Chicagos North Side, Metra said. Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address. President Donald Trump declared his scorched-earth political style an unmitigated success Tuesday in a fiercely partisan, made-for-TV state of the union speech that made it clear he expects to be back in the White House next year on the strength of the U.S. economy and his trade deals with Canada, Mexico and China. Trump, addressing a joint session of Congress in the very chamber where House Democrats voted to impeach him less than two months ago, became only the second president in American history Bill Clinton was the first to deliver a state of the union while standing trial in the Senate. Unrepentant, he pointedly refused to shake the offered hand of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the dais before singing the praises of what he billed as "the great American comeback," pointing to strong job growth, a soaring stock market and low unemployment as evidence of his leadership. And when he was done, Pelosi ripped up the speech in full view of the television cameras. "America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise, and America's future is blazing bright. The years of economic decay are over," Trump declared, taking full credit for the country's "roaring economy," including what he billed as seven million new jobs and the lowest jobless rate in half a century a "blue-collar boom" that he's counting on to help his re-election chances in November. One half of the lawmakers in the chamber rose to applaud his every sentence, many chanting, "Four more years" at the outset. Democrats, on the other hand, sat stone-faced throughout much of it. Several walked out; several others stayed away entirely. Trump took credit for replacing the "unfair NAFTA trade deal" with USMCA, blaming it for the loss of one in four manufacturing jobs over the course of that agreement's 26-year life, and denouncing his predecessors for ignoring the damage being done. "Unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that I decided to run for president," he said. "The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada to a much higher degree, but also to a much greater level of fairness and reciprocity." On tariffs, the president's preferred lever for prying favourable conditions out of trading partners and allies, "our strategy has worked," he insisted. "Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the United States of America." In this May 25, 2017 file photo, chemotherapy drugs are administered to a patient at a hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C. Read more Capitol Notebook by Spotlight PA provides updates on important news and notes from the halls of power in Harrisburg. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG Patients in Pennsylvania facing the most serious stage of cancer will no longer be forced to try cheaper drugs before their insurance covers other, more expensive treatments. The state House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would abolish the heavily criticized fail first approach for stage IV cancer, which requires patients to show no improvement with cheaper, insurance-approved drugs before moving on to more innovative approaches. The bill is now before Gov. Tom Wolf, who intends to sign it, according to his office. The measure was sponsored by Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre), who has experienced cancer up close several times, first as a hospital orderly helping ill patients decades ago, and then again as the Centre County coroner. His late mother was diagnosed with cancer about 40 years ago. He was confronted with the disease again in 2008 when doctors discovered his 4-year-old daughter had a brain tumor. She died after two years of surgeries and radiation. You do your best as a parent. You teach them to look left and right, but then like a thief in the night, this happens, Benninghoff, who chairs the House Cancer Caucus, said in an interview. Its still raw. The bill would require health insurance policies to cover drugs prescribed to patients with stage IV cancer meaning it has spread to other organs or parts of the body as long as they have been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for cancer treatment and are consistent with best practices. When you sit in a hospital for 2 years, you get a lot of opportunities to talk to patients, families, and doctors, Benninghoff said. Physicians go to school to practice medicine and get people well they dont go to deal with legislative policies or insurance companies. Currently, oncologists shrink tumors and target cancerous blood cells with a cocktail of drugs, surgeries, or radiation treatments following protocols schedules of when and how much of a medicine to administer that are approved by a health insurance companys reimbursement plan. Fail first, also known as step therapy, can postpone access to potentially life-prolonging therapies, Elizabeth Franklin, executive director of the Washington-based Cancer Policy Institute at the Cancer Support Community, said in an email. These policies can be shortsighted, Franklin said, adding, They have the potential to cause significant harm as they may delay access to therapies that are the most appropriate and effective. This bill, Benninghoff said, changes the dynamic between physicians and health insurance companies. I think it is ridiculous when the insurer is trying to dictate medical decisions, he said. [The legislation] puts the patient and the doctor in charge. At stage IV, the cancer is aggressive. We want to give the patient the best chance not make them go through weeks of medications that dont address that persons concerns at the time. A major Pennsylvania-based insurance company supports the bill, known as the Fair Access to Cancer Treatment Act, and hopes it will help rein in drug prices. [W]e are concerned about the increasing cost of prescription drugs which has a direct impact on our members access to affordable care, Dr. Ginny Calega, vice president of medical affairs at Independence Blue Cross, said in a statement. We believe this bill strikes an important balance between access, quality, and safety, including assurances that coverage follows clinical best practices. Rep. Pamela DeLissio (D., Philadelphia), a cancer survivor, voted no on the bill when it came before the House in 2019, because it does not cover the use of off-label drugs, medicines that have not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment. In confounding situations, an off-label drug would be used, DeLissio said by phone. When it is stage IV, there are no more stages after that. If there was a possibility of a drug working, I would want to use it. Benninghoff said that he knows the scope of the bill is narrow but that sometimes compromise is the only way to move legislation forward. I dont want to waste another day, week, month trying to fight for perfection, when we can help a lot of people, he said. Sometimes you have to take half a loaf instead of a whole loaf. Legislatures in Georgia, Illinois, and Maryland have passed similar legislation in recent years. Correction: A previous version of this story misattributed a statement from Independence Blue Cross. The statement was from Dr. Ginny Calega, vice president of medical affairs. Spotlight PA receives funding from nonprofit institutions and readers like you who are committed to investigative journalism that gets results. Become a Founding Donor today at spotlightpa.org. REDDING, Calif. The Redding Police Department arrested a man for two car thefts from local tow companies that occurred last week. An employee of J&L Tow on Geary Street near downtown Redding reported a suspect had cut their fence and stolen an unregistered pickup from the property. On Jan. 28, the pickup had been towed initially by the Shasta County Sheriffs Office after it was found near Pick and Pull during an alarm call on Jan. 23. However, police said there were no suspects found. Then on Tuesday, Feb. 4, staff from Keiths Tow arrived early in the morning to find their fence had been cut and a pickup was stolen. Police said the suspect drove through a locked gate causing $5,000 in damage. The pickup had been towed on Feb. 3 by Redding PD after it was stopped and the driver, 26-year-old Dillon Hobbs was found to be on probation and driving with a suspended drivers license, police said. Officers said that Hobbs was on probation and wearing an ankle monitor. They reviewed his location on the ankle monitor and compared it to the video at Keiths Tow video surveillance. Officers said it was clear Hobbs was the person responsible for the car theft at Keiths Tow. Shortly after, officers arrived at Hobbs home on Weiland Street in Keswick. He was booked into the Shasta County Jail on charges of auto theft. At Hobbs home officers said they found the stolen pickup nearby and the stolen pickup from J&L Tow that happened on Jan. 28. Both cars were returned to the tow companies. The barriers case workers encounter when trying to navigate the massive database that tracks millions of interactions among Oregonians and the state child welfare system pose risks to child safety, auditors concluded in a report issued Wednesday. The Secretary of State audit acknowledged that the software system, called OR-Kids, functions. But case workers who rely on it are forced to tunnel through a confusing array of screens and have no easy way to access all information at once about a specific child or parent, the review said. When auditors tested OR-Kids by searching for a person with a common name, they had to click through 42 different screens to confirm whether or not that person had been identified as an abuser. The audit also concluded the Department of Human Services had no systemic way to ensure the quality of the crucial information it stores, often input by hand. Auditors came across reports in OR-Kids where the victim and perpetrator were listed as the same person and found case notes that said meetings had occurred in the 1800s. And until recently, the training that case workers received on how to use OR-Kids wasnt prioritized to address their on-the-ground frustrations. Auditors also found a huge backlog of fixes and updates needed to make the system easier to use. Yet in the face of a federal deadline to decide how to comply with new data-tracking rules, DHS officials opted to update OR-Kids rather than start from scratch. The current operation of the system, while functional, does not provide caseworkers with a streamlined system, the audit said. The challenges in discerning information about relevant cases, perpetrators, and case history increases the risk that information critical to keeping a child safe may be overlooked. The 30-page audit recommends DHS update training, prioritize fixes to match what workers need most, institute a comprehensive plan to insure quality data and hire a project manager to oversee the systems improvement so it complies with new federal laws. Auditors gave credit to DHS officials throughout the review for taking positive steps in recent years, such as taking concerns of workers into account when they decide what bugs to address first. The agency has also tried for one year to hire someone to oversee the federal changes but the job remains unfilled. Child Welfare Director Rebecca Jones Gaston issued a four-page response to the Secretary of States Audits Division, agreeing with the audits recommendations and laying out how the agency would carry them out. The agency also issued a separate public statement about the audit and said all recommended changes would be implemented by 2021. As we transform our child welfare system into one focused on prevention, safety and improving outcomes for children and families, data integrity and accessibility will continue to be a top priority, Jones Gaston said. Auditors set out to review the quality and usability of the OR-Kids system as state officials prepared to begin updating it in line with the federal changes. The auditors talked to case workers, supervisors, trainers and others about the system and tested the data it stores. The complex system tracks each interaction a person has with Oregons child welfare system, from calls to the state child abuse hotline to checks to make sure foster homes are safe for children. In all, there are 10,000 different fields of information that contain 600 million records, according to the audit. The number grows every day as case workers investigate new reports of abuse. Case workers looked into more than 43,300 reports between October 2017 and September 2018, the audit said. From the start, OR-Kids had issues. The system was based on one used in Wisconsin that relies on complex computer code from the 1990s, according to the audit. It took five years and $74 million to roll out the system in Oregon. The contractor paid to implement it acknowledged responsibility for some problems that caused the project to cost more and take longer than planned. By the time the contractor handed off OR-Kids to the state in 2013, there were 579 fixes that still needed to be made, the audit said. Nearly half were considered critical or major. Hundreds of new requests rolled in each year. The queue of issues to address topped 1,000 as of Dec. 1, the audit said. The oldest request was from 2010. Technical upkeep falls to the Office of Information Services, which handles information technology for both DHS and the Oregon Health Authority. Since OR-Kids was powered on, officials have focused on making sure the system works and complies with federal laws, rather than making it user-friendly for case workers who use the system to record critical information, the audit said. A broader 2018 audit of the entire child welfare system found the poorly planned launch and implementation of OR-Kids undermined case workers ability to ensure children were safe. The new audit found the problems persist. System usability issues cause daily frustration for users who already have high caseloads and are expected to produce significant documentation, the audit said. Auditors asked hundreds of case workers a set of 10 questions to measure the systems usability. On a scale of 1 to 100, OR-Kids scored a 45. The average score on such tests is 68, and scores lower than 51 are considered in the bottom 15 percent. Although usability is a subjective concept, especially for a complex system such as OR-Kids, these results illustrate caseworker frustrations regarding the system they are required to use for their critical work, the audit said. The review listed a series of concerns case workers shared including about the system: It is hard to navigate, it sometimes requires workers to input information more than once and it doesnt always work like it should, among other complaints. Its not easy to search appropriately and you often cant find people even when you know they are there, one person said in response to the auditors survey. Case workers sometimes must input case information about children or their families into a small screen that cannot be expanded.Oregon Secretary of State Audit's Division OR-Kids requires case workers to enter information into very small screens, so they cant always see all of the information at once. Expanding some of the most-used text boxes from four lines to 12 took three years, the audit said. Perhaps most critically, workers told auditors that there was no simple, intuitive way to find all the information in OR-Kids about a specific person. A familys case folder could include up to 22 types of information, such as case notes and screening reports, the audit said. Case workers who need to make decisions may not have access to all the relevant historical information that OR-Kids contains, the audit found. The difficulties have led many workers to find work-arounds, such as storing contact information in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet rather than in OR-Kids. As a result, the information kept in the system may also be incomplete, auditors said. Their review also called into question the quality of the information that is stored. For example, case workers have to implement a safety plan for children if an investigation concludes they are not safe. One in five children listed in OR-Kids as unsafe between January 2017 and June 2019 did not have a safety plan noted in the system. Auditors found, though, that case workers had completed safety plans in many cases, and in other cases, the unsafe label was erroneous. Unreliable information in the system increases the risk that caseworkers, management, and policy makers will be unable to make informed decisions, the audit said. The review said inadequate training may compound the inaccuracies. Case workers are trained when they are hired, but not over time, the audit said. Supervisors are not required to take extra training, either. Trainers told auditors that they were concerned about the lack of training for supervisors. Child welfare officials told auditors in January 2019 that the agency may not be adequately prioritizing training. As a result, they reconsidered how training is structured and moved to hire a new training manager. Auditors said officials should also develop a comprehensive plan to identify the key information in OR-Kids and ensure that it is complete, accurate, and reliable. DHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht has increased the agencys focus on data and developed a research team to use OR-Kids data to better inform how the agency operates. He took over DHS in late 2017. The federal government -- which funds nearly half of the child welfare programs annual $500 million budget -- set out new standards for state data systems in 2016. Agencies had to say by August 2018 how they planned to meet the standards. Auditors said DHS decided to update OR-Kids without a feasibility study or cost analysis. The update will require widespread changes and upgrades. Auditors said a program manager should be hired to oversee the project. They also said stability at the top would help the project be successful. The state has had six different child welfare directors since the federal standards changed in 2016, the audit noted. Jones Gaston, the current director, started in November. If the leadership churn continues, the audit said, it may be difficult for the agency to keep the transition project on track, as new directors may bring in their own visions and strategies for the child welfare program. -- Molly Young myoung@oregonian.com Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Read more: Capitalbluemedicare.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 27 Mar 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the capitalbluemedicare homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the capitalbluemedicare homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the capitalbluemedicare homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the capitalbluemedicare homepage on Twitter + the total number of capitalbluemedicare followers (if capitalbluemedicare has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the capitalbluemedicare homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if capitalbluemedicare has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE SeniorBlue :: Senior Blue Home DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS copay, seniorblue, covered, medicare, service, service area, capital The title found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English (United States) UTF-8English (United States) DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER WebSphere Application Server/7.0 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Character set and language of the site. The language of capitalbluemedicare.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for capitalbluemedicare.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Sometimes, travelling to a new country is both exciting and stressful. Exciting because you are going to explore new places, meet new people and get introduced to their culture, food and lifestyle. Stressful because you're worried about problems like avoiding pickpockets, falling sick from trying new cuisine and more. Language is another major problem, if you're travelling to a place where people do not prefer speaking in English. Now, isn't it always great when you go to a new country and meet locals who not only understand your language but are quite fluent in speaking it too? Something similar happened with this man, Apurba Das when he travelled to Japan. He met Sakura Ishikawa, a Japanese woman who not only understands Bengali, but also speaks the language far better than most Bengalis (including me). Facebook In a 7-minute video that has now gone viral, from Feluda, shorshe-ilish, Rabindranath Tagore's Postmaster to Pather Panchali, Sakura talks about her love for the rich Bengali culture, language, food and literature. "I did not like roshogolla the first time I had it, but loved it the second time," she says in the video. Sakura didn't fall in love with the language in a day. In fact, she's quite fluent in Hindi too, but her favourite language is Bangla. Sakura has studied Bangla at Jadavpur University and has read Rabindranath Tagore's work and Satyajit Ray's movies. She introduced herself with, "Namaskar, my name is Sakura, I work with TCS Japan. I studied Bangla at Jadavpur University, they have a Bengali department. I used to live in Golpark (Kolkata). I would walk from Golpark to Jadavpur." She further added, "There was a short summer programme, I stayed in Kolkata for two months. I liked reading Bangla, so I decided I would do it long term. I stayed on for another six months, then I went to Delhi to study Hindi." This video will surely put all those 'foren' fake American-accent flaunting people to shame. Like Apurba says, Sakura is "A Japanese girl who loves Bengali more than many Bongs." President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, senators sworn to do impartial justice stood at their desks to state their votes for the roll call guilty or not guilty in a swift tally almost exclusively along party lines. Visitors, including the president's allies, watched from the crowded gallery. Roberts read the declaration that Trump be, and is hereby, acquitted of the charges. The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House to Mitch McConnell's Senate, reflecting the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency. What started as Trump's request for Ukraine to do us a favor spun into a far-reaching, 28,000-page report compiled by House investigators accusing an American president of engaging in shadow diplomacy that threatened U.S. foreign relations for personal, political gain as he pressured the ally to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the next election. No president has ever been removed by the Senate. Read on to select more coverage of today's developments and likely aftermath. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Subscriber content preview Retail experts say that Chinese factories need to start ramping up production by March 15 to meet deadlines for summer goods. By PAUL WISEMAN and ANNE D'INNOCENZIO AP Business Writers WASHINGTON For companies bracing for losses from China's viral outbreak, the damage has so far been delayed, thanks to a stroke of timing: The outbreak hit just when Chinese factories and many businesses were closed anyway to let workers travel home for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. But the respite won't last. . . . New Delhi, Feb 5 : From holding a rally at faraway Burari in the dust to talking suavely in affluent south Delhi, from devising the social media strategy to designating rallies for his party MPs and leaders, it is a single-handed Amit Shah show in Delhi where he had a hands-on approach in a bid to end the party's power-famine of two decades in the national capital, countering every strategy of the Aam Aadmi Party. Shah is always the driving force behind any BJP campaign for the last six years, so why this is different? Answer is the sheer micro-management which Shah never bothered to get into, till the Delhi election, save the Gujarat Assembly election when he went down to granular details. The Union Home Minister, who has demitted office as the BJP President, is holding rallies flocked by around 20,000 in an open ground and rally attended by few hundreds in a residential area alike. Shah is meeting not just the Delhi in charge Prakash Javadekar, and state unit President Manoj Tiwari post 12 in the night, he has held meetings to the level of booth in charges. There are 13,750 polling stations in Delhi and it was his idea to appoint an incharge for each of them and make them responsible for the booth alone. He went down to the level of giving the booth prabharis a small team of party workers whose primary job would be to ensure voter turnout on the day of election. An otherwise brazen Shah has ensured his party reached out to both the Shiromani Akali Dal, which appeared to be upset with non-inclusion of Muslims in CAA and instrumental in ensuring Janata Dal-United chief Nitish Kumar send out a message against the naysayers like Pawan Verma and Prashant Kishor, before Delhi election. Shah's unequivocal assertion that Bihar election will be fought under Nitish Kumar is believed to have been made with that intent. Since then, both Kishor and Verma have been shown the doors and the Bihar CM and Shah held a joint rally together in Delhi as was one with new BJP chief J.P. Nadda. Amit Shah has always been very proud about his "cyber warriors", a term he frequently uses in intra party meetings. This time, a source confirmed, the idea to use videos less than 30-40 second was introduced by Shah himself. "His arguement was that a lot of voters are young who have very limited attention span. Hence we can't bore them with a 4-5 minute long video. Hence smaller videos with catchy headlines were suggested," said a BJP insider who has been involved with the Delhi polls' social media blitzkrieg. He added that Shah wanted memes and versus poster to catch the attention of the young and restless. But the big decision that Shah took which changed the tone and tenor of the campaign was on the intervening night of January 25 and January 26. On Republic Day, all BJP candidates and their campaign managers were instructed to go full throttle on Shaheen Bagh. It was a decision taken after due consideration, say informed sources. From January 27 morning, the BJP campaign went ballistic. From Parvesh Singh Verma's "rape" jibe to Union Minister Anurag Thakur's "gaddar" comment culminating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the Shaheen Bagh protest a "design"-- the campaign went ballistic. With just four days to go to poll, Shah instructed 240 BJP MPs to go and camp in Delhi slums, as a final push. Will that help BJP win Delhi? One needs to wait till February 11. But the level of micro management that Shah has gone in is unprecedented even by BJP electoral history. In the latest step in the security breakdown in the southern province of Daraa, a warrant officer in the Military Security was shot and killed reports Brocar Press. Brocar Presss correspondent in Daraa, said that unknown attackers had shot a warrant officer in the Military Security, Fadel Mamdouh Barakat, in the town of Ankhal in northern Daraa, killing him immediately. In the same attack, a young man, Yazin Ghazi al-Faraj, died of his wounds after the unknown gunmen attacked Barakat in Ankhal, where Faraj worked at a car garage. The attacks on officers and fighters in Syrian regime forces in Daraa have continued without any official claims by any agency. Activists in Daraa believe that the attacks on regime soldiers are coming in response to the regimes violations against civilians in the province. Local pages over the month of January documented the arrest by regime forces of 16 people and registered seven kidnappings in Daraa province, as well as 16 people killed in 30 assassinations and assassination attempts against residents of the province. The Daraa 24 page said that unknown militants had attacked Barakat, killing him immediately. Barakat had been working as a volunteer in the Military Security branch. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Newark, NJ, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global opacifiers market is expected to grow from USD 13.2 Billion in 2017 to USD 24.5 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period from 2018-2025. In the context of X-rays, opacity materials are additives with high absorption of X-rays; usually lead or barium molecules or compounds (often barium sulfate), tungsten or any other elements of high atomic weight. Sometimes opacity material is added to the medical implant to make it visible under X-ray imaging. This is especially true in the case of most polymers that are often unrecognizable in the body when viewed using X-rays. In solid rocket propellants and some smokeless transparent powders, the primary way to transfer heat to propellants from the combustion process is by radiation, and opacity materials such as a "black lamp" can be added to the propellant mixture to ensure that heat does not penetrate much less than the grain surface, which can That caused the explosion. Also, blackout materials prevent the high temperatures of the earths surface and premature local ignition in grains where there are defects that absorb heat radiation. Opacity is defined as a type of additive that is added to transparent objects to make them opaque. Shading helps slow the yellowing rate in white profiles widely used in siding windows, window frames and tubes. The position of the reaction is in the surface layers of the polymer, especially in opaque formulations used in construction applications. The method of converting a transparent object to an opaque with the help of opacity is carried out through three mechanisms: thermal expansion, crystallization, and suspended microbubbles. Tin and zircon compounds are two types of blackout mainly used. It provides a better look and improves the visible viscosity of products in surfactant-based preparations. The development in the paint and coatings industry, especially in emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil and Argentina, is the main factor driving the blackout market. The key contributing factor for the market growth is adoption of new technologies to improve the performance of coatings, increased demand of opacifiers for applications such as plastics and personal care and higher implementation of opacifiers in end-use industries such as construction, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and shipbuilding are the key driving factors for the opacifiers market. However, volatility in prices of raw materials may limit the market growth. The research and development activities carried out by major manufactures of opacifiers in order to improve their properties will create new opportunities that will lead to the growth of the metal forming market in a couple of years. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/375926/request-sample The regions analysed for the market include Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa. The Asia Pacific region dominated the global blackout market with USD 5.68 billion in 2017, while the North American region is growing rapidly in the market. The Asia Pacific region dominates the market because of its growing economy and increasing population. As manufacturing and employment increased, disposable income increased dramatically. Growing population and improving lifestyles are driving the growth of the region. The rapid growth of North America region is attributed to a rise in demand for opacifiers in paints & coatings, further used in the aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries in the region. The developed militarily and army strength in the U.S. is the major driver of the increased product demand for military applications in this region. To enhance their market position in the global opacifiers market, the key players are now focusing on adopting strategies such as recent developments, product innovation, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships. Major firms are increasingly investing in research and development activities and the development of newer products. For instance, in May 2017, DowDuPont entered into an agreement to start a new polymer manufacturing site in Jubail (Saudi Arabia) which would have enabled it to capture the market for non-transparent polymers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and increasing revenues. In September 2017, Dow Chemical announced the successful completion of an equal merger with DuPont (United States). This merger helped companies expand their business and effectively meet the demand for blackout materials through each other's distribution network The titanium dioxide segment held the largest market share of 26.80% in 2017 The type segment is divided into titanium dioxide, opaque polymers, zircon, zinc oxide, cerium oxide, tin oxide, arsenic trioxide, and antimony trioxide. The titanium dioxide sector dominates the opacifiers market with USD 3.53 billion in 2017 This dominance is due to increasing demand for personal care products, a rise in a number of working women, changing lifestyles and growing awareness of hygiene and skincare products which are altogether fuelling the growth of the market in the personal care end-use industry. Also, the increased expenditures on superior personal care products are also driving the titanium dioxide opacifiers market. Paints & coatings segment valued around USD 3.26 Billion in 2017 The application segment classified into paints & coatings, plastics, ceramics, paper, inks, fibers, personal care, home care, glass, and others. The paints & coatings segment held a market share of 24.70% in 2017. The increased use of paints and coatings is due to the growth of the construction industry in the APAC region. The construction productivity of the APAC countries is rising gradually due to the increasing population and the rise in the number of nuclear families. In addition, it is the growing purchasing power of the middle class population and the rise in living standards that drive the industry. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-opacifiers-market-by-type-titanium-dioxide-opaque-375926.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Opacifiers Market North America (U.S., Mexico, Canada) Europe (Germany, Spain, U.K., Italy, France, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, Rest of MEA, South Africa) The market is analysed on the basis of five regions namely Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific held the largest market share of approximately 43.10% in 2017. The Asia Pacific region dominates the market because of its growing economy and increasing population. As manufacturing and employment increased, disposable income increased dramatically. Growing population and improving lifestyles are driving the growth of the region. About the report: The global opacifiers market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (Kilotons), imports (Kilotons) and exports (Kilotons). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes an analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: Single User License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=375926&type=single Corporate License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=375926&type=corp Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. In addition, our syndicated research reports offer a packaged guide to keep companies abreast of the upcoming major restyle in their domains. Fior Markets facilitates clients with research analysis that are customized to their exact requirements, specifications and challenges, whether it is comprehensive desk research, survey work, composition of multiple methods, in-detailed interviewing or competitive intelligence. Our research experts are experienced in matching the exact personnel and methodology to your business need. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.magnifierresearch.com Related Reports Global Renewable Methanol Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/renewable-methanol-market-by-source-municipal-waste-industrial-385943.html Global Security Paper Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/security-paper-market-by-security-feature-substrates-watermarks-385944.html Global Specialties of Lube Oil Refinery Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/specialties-of-lube-oil-refinery-market-by-type-385945.html Global Specialty Silica Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/specialty-silica-market-by-product-precipitated-silica-silica-385946.html According to the statistics from World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death worldwide, inducing almost 1/3 of death each year. Owing to its importance and promise in cardiovascular disease treatment, vascular regeneration has attracted global attentions in both academic and clinic. Within the vascular regeneration process, endothelium remodeling, which refers to the formation of a confluent vascular endothelial cell monolayer on the lumen, plays a vital role. However, rapid endothelialization confronts grand challenge using existing synthetic biomaterials or engineering methods as vascular endothelium remodeling is a complicated and dynamic process. Successful endothelium remodeling has become the key to the success of vascular remodeling. Throughout the endothelialization process of native blood vessels, vascular endothelial cells and progenitor cells is first recruited/migrated to the regeneration sites, followed by the adhesion and spreading of vascular endothelial cells to form a confluent vascular endothelial cell monolayer. In human body, such process is implemented through extracellular matrix (ECM)-mediated stepwise modulation of vascular endothelial cell functions at different stages. Nevertheless, existing synthetic biomaterials usually exhibit static properties, which cannot offer dynamic and particularly on-demand inducements for manipulating specific vascular endothelial cell functions at different stages of endothelium remodeling. To realize the on-demand manipulation of vascular endothelial cell functions for meeting the requirements of endothelium remodeling, in a research article recently published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, scientists at Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China demonstrate a remote-controlled "smart" platform that effectively directs programmed vascular endothelium remodeling in a temporally controllable manner. In this work, Co-authors Dr. Qilong Zhao (first author), Ms. Juan Wang (co-first author) and Dr. Xuemin Du (corresponding author) develop a bilayer platform with programable surface topographies using a shape-memory polymer and a photothermal agent, gold nanorods. The bilayer platform possesses originally stable anisotropic microgroove array topography at the physiological environment, which can significantly direct cell polarization and thereby enhance the collective migration of vascular endothelial cells. Upon 10-s near infrared (NIR) irradiation, the heat generated on the bottom layer can induce the change in the surface topographies of the platform from original anisotropic microgroove array to permanent isotropic micropillar array. Correspondingly, the focal adhesion and spreading of vascular endothelial cells can be subsequently promoted at the later stage of endothelialization by the platform with altering topographies. The platform with remote-controlled "smart" properties successfully promote different functions of vascular endothelial cell in turn, which mimics the dynamic ECM-mediated effects throughout the endothelialization process for the first time using synthetic biomaterials. "Traditionally, biomaterials and tissue engineering scaffolds offer suitable platforms to support cell attachment and ingrowth. Nowadays, we aim to develop biomaterials with dynamic properties to actively modulate different cell functions in specific spatiotemporal manners, just like the native ECM in our bodies." Dr. Xuemin Du said, "We believe the biomaterials with dynamic properties will significantly contribute to the progresses of wound healing and complex tissue/organ regeneration". ### This research received funding from the National Key R&D Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Province, and Shenzhen. See the article: Qilong Zhao, Juan Wang, Yunlong Wang, Huanqing Cui and Xuemin Du A Stage-specific cell manipulation platform for on-demand inducing endothelialization Natl Sci Rev, doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwz188 https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz188 The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China. [February 05, 2020] Meketa Investment Group Expands Employee Ownership Team Meketa Investment Group (Meketa), a global investment consulting and advisory firm, is pleased to announce it has expanded its employee ownership to include seven new shareholders. Principals Mary Bates, Susan Brumbaugh, Tim Filla, David Hetzer, Stephen MacLellan, John McCue, and Hannah Schriner have joined the firm's ownership group bringing the total number of Meketa shareholders to 61. "At Meketa, we greatly value our employees and their continued contributions to our firm," said Stephen McCourt, Managing Principal and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Meketa. "It is a pleasure to recognize these accomplished individuals and acknowledge the time and effort they dedicate to our clients and to our firm." "We are very pleased to add these dedicated professionals to our employee ownership group," said Peter Woolley, Managing Principal and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Meketa. "These individuals have proven themselves as valuable members of our staff and we look forward to their continued successes." New Meketa Shareholders Mary Bates serves as a private markets consultant with a focus on private credit strategies. She joined the firm as part of the combination of Meketa and PCA. Ms. Bates received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Indiana University (News - Alert). Susan Brumbaugh serves as the General Consulting Operations Manager and is responsible for overseeing the firm's investment analytics and admiistrative teams. Ms. Brumbaugh received a bachelor's degree in Finance and French from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Tim Filla, CAIA, CSRIC, serves as a consultant to various defined benefit and health and welfare funds, public funds, and non-profits. He is a member of the Meketa Fiduciary Management Investment and Global Macroeconomic / Tactical Asset Allocation Committees. Mr. Filla received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. David Hetzer serves as a research consultant and leads the firm's due diligence efforts on global, international, and emerging markets long only equity managers. He is member of the firm's Global Macroeconomic / Tactical Asset Allocation Committee. Mr. Hetzer received a bachelor's degree, cum laude, in Business Economics and Finance from the University of San Diego. Stephen MacLellan, CFA, serves as a consultant to various multi-employer, public fund, and endowment clients. He is a member of the firm's Profit Sharing Committee. Mr. MacLellan received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in Economics and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. John McCue serves as the Investment Software & Support Manager and is responsible for overseeing all of the firm's software development activities. Mr. McCue received a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, with distinction, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a master's degree from the University of Rhode Island. Hannah Schriner serves as a consultant to discretionary and non-discretionary defined benefit and defined contribution plan sponsors. She is co-Chair of the firm's Defined Contribution Committee and a member of the Meketa Fiduciary Management Investment Committee. Ms. Schriner received a bachelor's degree in Finance from Eastern Washington University and a master of business administration from the University of Phoenix. About Meketa Founded in 1978, Meketa is an employee-owned, full service investment consulting and advisory firm. As an independent fiduciary, the firm serves institutional investors in non-discretionary and discretionary capacities. Meketa's collective client assets under advisement represent approximately $1.4 trillion. For more information, please visit www.meketa.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005068/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Inverse Energy ETF AT Breakout Level Could Rally Further Following up on an exciting article we shared with friends and followers on January 17, 2020, it appears ERY has reached the first stage for profit taking with a fairly strong potential we may see this rally continue even higher. Please review the following repost of our original research and analysis of ERY back in early January. January 17, 2020: ENERGY CONTINUES BASING SETUP BREAKOUT EXPECTED NEAR JANUARY 24TH ERY Bear Energy ETF Weekly Chart At the time we authored this ERY article, our team of dedicated researchers believed that Oil would retrace from recent highs near $65 and continue to move lower targeting the low $50 to mid $40 price level. Our expectations were that a move in ERY from near $39~$42 to an initial target level near $55~$57 would be an excellent opportunity if Oil broke lower. You can see the CYAN Fibonacci projected target level that aligns with our original target price level on this chart below. ERY Bear Energy ETF Daily Chart Currently, we believe this current target level has been successful and urge any friends and followers to pull at least 50% of your profits at this current level. If you decide to allow the rest of your position to continue, stops should be moved to levels near or below $52. We believe the continued upside potential for this trade is still valid with a secondary target above $67~$75. Trail your stop with every new weekly high and look to start exiting this trade on any price tick above $67 or $72. ERY Bear Energy ETF Weekly Chart Some resistance may be seen between $56 and $61. There are historical price peaks near these levels that may act as a price boundary throughout this rally. Once the $64 to $65 level is breached, ERY should continue to rally higher is Oil and Natural Gas continue to weaken. Remember, trail your protective stop higher with each new Weekly high. We are pleased to deliver another incredible trade setup found by our team of dedicated researchers. Nothing like finding a trade that rallied from $40.50 to 57.33 (+41%) and may continue much higher. Please take a minute to visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn about our dedicated services for skilled traders and how we can help you find and execute better trades. 2020 is certain to be filled with extreme volatility and price rotation. You might as well take advantage of our research and services to create greater opportunities for profits and trades. Join my Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Russia will begin delivering surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021, state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a Russian official as saying on February 5. India signed a $5-billion deal for S-400 missiles in 2018, prompting warnings from Washington that such an acquisition would trigger sanctions. "The contract is being implemented on schedule. The first shipment is due by the end of 2021," deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, said at Defense Expo 2020 in Lucknow, India, RIA reported. "The training of Indian specialists is to begin before this delivery," Drozhzhov was quoted as saying. In November, the same agency cited the general director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Aleksander Mikheev, as saying deliveries would start in September 2021. The United States was furious last year at NATO ally Turkey purchasing the Russian system, which Washington says is not compatible with NATO equipment. Russia says the S-400 is capable of engaging airborne targets within a range of about 400 kilometers. A next-generation S-500 system, to extend that range to about 500 kilometers, is reportedly being developed. Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa Popular Nollywood actor, Victor Olaotan, is still battling for his life in a Turkish hospital, four years after he was involved in a ghastly accident. He currently requires $250,000, about N91m, to pay for his medical expenses. The hospital has placed his medical treatments on hold until the money is paid. His wife, Julia, revealed this in a recent interview with The Punch. Olaotan, 66, who is best known for his role as Fred Ade-Williams in the long-running television drama Tinsel was driving to a movie set when the accident took place around Apple Junction, in Festac, Lagos. Two years ago, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the actor required financial assistance to receive medical treatment outside Nigeria in a bid to avert the amputation of his legs. He was at home in a vegetative state for about two years because he suffered a traumatic brain injury before respite came. Shortly after he went public with his illness, his colleague, Richard Mofe-Damijo, announced that billionaire Femi Otedola had agreed to settle his medical bills. His wife said the hospital sent a bill of 96,000 Euros, about N39m, and that included having to airlift him out of the country. Mr Otedola transferred the money directly to the hospital in Turkey. Update After the money Mr Otedola paid the hospital expired, his family began paying $7,500, about N2.7m every month. The amount covers physiotherapy and other necessary treatments. If everything goes as planned, he ought to be home by March 2020. In a recent interview with The Punch, his wife said, Since August, I havent paid any money. Right now, the hospital has stopped treatment and providing any kind of care for him. For his treatment to be continued, I have to pay a minimum of about $250,000 N91m. Some cast members of Tinsel have also renewed calls for financial assistance for the actor in a video that has been shared on social media. In the video, Ireti Doyle, Ike Okechukwu, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, and others could be seen pleading with fans to help to raise the required funds to complete Olaotans treatment. They said he currently requires N91m to complete his medical treatment abroad. The actor looked pale and unrecognisable in the video. They said Olaotans treatment has been halted because his family has run out of funds. Some of them have also taken to their respective Instagram pages to solicit for support. A new GoFundMe account tagged Victor Olaotan Recovery Fund was opened on the actors behalf on Wednesday with a 227500 Euros goal. The initiator, identified as Heerlen NL, explained why another GoFundMe is being created on his behalf. Well the thing is, even though Mr. Femi Otedola, a businessman and a popular philanthropist, and well-meaning Nigerians, with some beautiful people in others countries came to our rescue by fulfilling their commitment at the time, and we are so grateful to him and for all your immense help, we are still in need of more funds. According to her, the actor has been discharged from the hospital pending when they can raise more money for the outstanding bill $250,000 and to continue the treatment. She said, The treatment, which is experimental, (Stem cell treatment) and is effective, needs to be continued. The hospital decided to put him through it two more times, with this decision, coupled with the fact that he has been there more than intended initially, the cost of feeding, physiotherapy, daily care, has been accruing since August 2019. As at press time, only 145 pounds has been raised. Background Olaotan became an actor at 15 through a teacher who was a member of the Ori Olokun Theatre group in the early 70s. This was prior to his fathers death. Advertisements After his father died, he travelled to the U.S. in 1978 but returned to Nigeria in 2002 to continue his career in acting. He became famous in 2013 for his leading role in Tinsel that began airing in August 2008. Olaotan has featured in movies like Lovestruck as well as Three Wise Men, alongside Richard Mofe-Damijo and Zack Orji. Capital market regulator is planning to amend its investment manager eligibility norms for and also permit fast track issuance of units to existing investors in and The proposed changes in the eligibility norms will help a mega offering worth an estimated Rs 20,000 crore by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is in the process of setting up an Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) to monetise its completed public-funded national highways. A proposal to amend the regulations for Real Estate and (REITs/InvITs) will be discussed by the regulator's board at its meeting later this month to revise eligibility conditions for investment managers in and for streamlining the process of rights issue of units, officials said. The InvIT regulations require the investment manager to have at least 5 years of experience in fund management or advisory services or development in the infrastructure sector. Besides, the investment manager needs to have at least two employees, each with five years of experience in the infrastructure sector. However, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has been receiving representations from the industry and the market participants for considering alternative measures for relevant experience of the investment manager and considering the experience of employees or directors for meeting the experience criteria. In one such representation, NHAI has told the regulator that it is considering to set up an InvIT for monetising its completed public-funded national highways and it has proposed to set up a new company to act as the investment manager for the proposed InvIT. The NHAI has proposed that this new company would be headed by a board comprising 4-5 members, each having an experience of at least 15-20 years in fund management or development of infrastructure or highway activities. The new company, which would act as the investment manager, is also proposed to have five managerial-level employees, each having at least 5 years of experience in development of infrastructure or highways. While the intent of regulations prescribing experience requirement was to ensure that the investment manager had requisite expertise, the present norms do not permit a new entity even if it had sufficient number of experienced personnel to meet the regulatory intent, the officials said. Accordingly, Sebi has proposed that an alternative measure of the experience can be considered which can be defined in terms of multiple of the combined experience of the directors, partners and employees of the investment manager. While the combined experience requirement of the investment manager (IM) currently stands at 15 years (5 years for the IM and 5 years each for 2 employees), Sebi is proposing that the alternative measure can be made stricter at two times of the current combined requirement at 30 years to be met by directors/partners/employees having individual experience of at least 5 years. "This is expected to enable people with expertise in the relevant areas to be able to set up a new entity to act as IM to an InvIT and leverage such expertise in management of the InvIT," an official said. On fast track rights issue, the official said the current regulations specify that any follow-on offer or rights issue can be made by an REIT or InvIT within a period of one year from the date of issuance of observations by Sebi. However, listed companies are allowed to raise capital through rights issue without the requirement of obtaining Sebi's observations if they are in compliance with the continuous listing and disclosure requirements and certain other conditions. On receipt of representations from market participants for allowing similar facility to and InvITs, Sebi has now decided to allow them to launch similar fast track rights issue of units, provided they satisfy the registration conditions and no regulatory action has been imposed on them in the three receding years. Update on my Jan. 28 column: The legislature is no longer considering a bill regulating changes in party affiliation prior to Idahos Presidential Primary this year. Republicans fight big government. That hasnt stopped them from creating laws that allow the state government to micromanage school curricula and budgeting and to dictate how much and how county and city governments may collect revenue. And it certainly hasnt stopped Republicans from crafting laws that give Idaho an incarceration rate roughly double that of Russia. Or from seeking ways to throw the roughly 1,500 Idaho women who get abortions each year into jails that we cant afford to build. But just ask themRepublicans fight big government. Now, no one is going to say theyre happy that the price of a pair of Epipens which counteract life-threatening allergies has increased from $450 to $700 in five years. But many believe doing nothing is better than getting government involved. And no one is happy that 346 people died when two Boeing 737 MAX planes crashed within months of its release. But that doesnt keep Republicans from advocating only self-regulation for industry. What could go wrong with pork processing plants policing themselves? Leading the fight for deregulation are big corporations (aka big political donors) and minions like ALEC (which writes bills for state legislators) and the Idaho Freedom Foundation. So when House Minority leader Ilana Rubel introduced a bill with new regulations in mid-January, the Freedom Foundation gave it one of the lowest scores ever: -7. This bill, singled out as one of the terriblest of the terrible, would require daycare facilities to transport children safely and legally, using child safety restraints as required by state law It would require criminal background checks on all persons who regularly came in contact with the children at a daycare. And it would require day care operators to take 20 hours of training each year in subjects such as first aid and pediatric rescue breathing. Well, you can be sure the Idaho House voted that bill down 23-44. Day care operators were happy with the bill. Yet, 44 legislators fought the bill even after Rep. Rubel pointed out that Idaho stood to lose $2.5 million in federal support for the Idaho Childcare Program if our regulations werent updated. Is it Federal money legislators dont like or kids? This is, after all, the same legislature that gives parents the final word on whether a child receives medical care and the right to choose husbands for 15-year-old daughters. Now, a bill promoting new regulations is generating a Republican vs. Republican confrontation. Idaho billionaire and major Republican donor Frank VanderSloot has created the Idaho Patient Act, requiring doctors and medical facilities to make patient bills timely and clearand to cap medical collection fees at $750, if contested, and $350 if not. Vandersloot cares because one of his employees was hit with $6,200 in collection fees on a $294 billwhich she had not received before it was turned over to a law firm for collection. And the manager of that law firm Medical Recovery Services is Rep. Bryan Zollinger, (R-Idaho Falls.) He claims that the new regulation would force everyones medical bills up because doctors would just have to pay the cost of collection. Would doctors actually authorize $6200 in expenses to collect a $294 bill? Vandersloots bill will be introduced by powerful legislators Jason Monks, assistant House majority leader, and Kelly Anthon, Senate majority caucus leader. They cite the bill as a reasonable solution to a convoluted problem. Will the pro- or anti-regulators win? Stay tuned. Judy Ferro is a columnist for the Idaho Press. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images We are living in an era of what political scientists describe as strong partisanship and weak parties or, alternatively, as negative partisanship. The electorate is polarized into opposing camps, but their emotional impetus is driven by hostility to the other party rather than trust in their own. The Republican Partys solution to this predicament has been to fashion itself as a cult of personality devoted to Donald Trump. The Democratic Partys solution has been a series of technocratic fixes intended to increase its own legitimacy. But the Iowa caucus is the latest indication that the effort is collapsing. One of the oddities of the 2016 presidential race is that, while the Republican Party was taken over by an outsider initially viewed as dangerous and unacceptable by its party elite, it was the Democratic Party that concluded its nominating process had failed. Supporters of Bernie Sanders repeatedly applied his trademark phrase rigged to explain a primary they clearly lost. Complaints about rigging began with an agonizingly narrow Sanders defeat to Clinton in the Iowa caucus four years before. They continued throughout the contest, with every routine snafu in Nevada, New York, and the possibility that party superdelegates would provide Hillary Clinton the winning margin held up as more evidence of the conspiracy. Sanders himself has toggled between cooperating with the party and stoking the paranoia of his supporters. He never fully abandoned the claim that despite losing by a double-digit margin the party robbed him. Some people say that maybe if the system wasnt rigged against me, I wouldve won the nomination, he insisted last year. The party instituted a number of changes intended to inoculate itself against accusations of rigging. In Iowa, the Democratic caucus instituted new rules, mandated by the DNC as part of a package of changes sought by Bernie Sanders and designed to make the caucus system more transparent. The new rules required reporting several different sets of numbers from every precinct. This reflected a long-standing proclivity in left-of-center politics to meet every demand for fairness with new layers of complexity. Anybody who has witnessed or participated in a grassroots progressive organization has seen this intricate, rules-based method democracy in action. Monty Python lampooned the tendency in Holy Grail. (Were an anarcho-syndicalist commune, a peasant explains to the impatient King Arthur. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week, but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs, but by a two-thirds majority in the case of more major ) Still, the caucus failure ultimately boiled down to a banal organizational failure. The party attempted to introduce a new app to report precinct results, which its older precinct captains largely failed to master, and its phone-reporting system buckled under the weight of the elevated confusion. There is no evidence voting results themselves have been compromised (at least not beyond the normal levels of confusion produced by the chaotic process). What may turn a routine bureaucratic failure into a larger Democratic crisis, though, is the Bernie movements preexisting suspicion. Sanders is not alone in this the Biden campaign shamefully issued a statement calling the results into doubt, in a transparent effort to discredit a vote it clearly lost. But the bulk of the suspicions came from Sanders supporters, who quickly reprised their 2016 rigging claims. Trump has seized upon the Sanders supporters propensity toward grievance. Republicans began spreading the message in mid-January that impeachment was a plot by the party leadership to take Sanders off the campaign trail, a theory also echoed by some of Sanderss nuttier fans, like Aaron Mate and Krystal Ball. In advance of the Iowa caucus, Republicans switched over to spreading the message that the voting process itself had been rigged. Republicans began circulating baseless claims of vote fraud in Iowa. When the first problems appeared in Iowa Monday night, Republicans like Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, Senator Lindsey Graham, and independent operators of the Trump-family blind trust, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, gleefully charged that it was all rigged to stop Bernie. In the end, the Iowa Democratic caucus will probably report accurate results. But the corrosive damage to the legitimacy of the system will remain. What ought to terrify Democrats is that the process is only beginning. It will be, by design, more elongated than 2016, and party leaders will have even less influence over its outcome. So far, the attempts the party has made to stave off challenges to its legitimacy have only exacerbated them. (Newser) Claire Hough was found murdered on San Diego's Torrey Pines State Beach in August 1984, and the 14-year-old's case languished for decades. In 2012, it was reopened so DNA testing could be carried out. By the end of 2014, someone else was deada crime lab worker employed by the lab that had originally handled the evidence. Now his widow is suing the city of San Diego for his wrongful death. In a trial that opened Monday, attorneys for Rebecca Brown set out to make the case that the San Diego Police Department and Homicide Detective Michael Lambert went after Kevin Brown as a suspect when the most obvious conclusion was that his semen was detected amid the evidence due to cross-contamination. He hanged himself in October 2014 at age 62, some 10 months after police began investigating him. Coverage: The Washington Post reports that when Lambert had the evidence DNA tested, the results were weird: The blood on Hough's jeans belonged to convicted sex offender Ronald Clyde Tatro. A trace amount of Kevin Brown's sperm was detected on the vaginal swab. As for how it might have gotten there, Rebecca Brown's lawsuit explains that at the time of Hough's murder, male lab technicians kept their own semen samples on hand to use in quality control testing. When suspicion fell on Kevin Brown, who didn't handle the Hough evidence, he argued that his semen must have somehow been commingled with it. story continues below But over the course of the police investigation into him, Brown's mental state worsened. "He was afraid they were going to arrest him, that he would be put in jail and subject to abuse, and he couldnt stand it," says attorney Eugene Iredale. He argues Lambert secured a search warrant under false pretenses, writing in an affidavit that a lab manager told him there was no possibility of contamination. But on Tuesday came what the San Diego Union-Tribune describes as a "surprise admission" from a colleague of Brown's who said not just that it was possible, but that he might have caused it. John Simms says that while he previously affirmed he used only his own semen sample when conducting tests to verify that the chemicals were working right, "I cannot be certain whose [sample] I used," he told the court. "I don't want to believe I made a mistake, but I have to admit it's a possibility." The court also heard that the lab practices of the '80s weren't as stringent as they are now. Gloves and masks weren't always worn, and the tools used by the lab workers were cleaned with water or alcohol; bleach is now standard. Even with better practices, the Union-Tribune notes that the lawsuit details 41 instances of contamination that have occurred at the San Diego Police Department since 2001. Police executed a search warrant in January 2014, seizing anything that might establish a tie between Brown and Tatro, who died in 2011, or indicate an interest in teen girls. That included 20,000 photos dating to the 1930s, cameras, and computers. No tie ever surfaced. Rebecca Brown said her husband became obsessed with getting his things back, which she says he thought would indicate that the police had indeed concluded there was zero evidence linking him to the crime. CBS8 reports that in her opening statement, Chief Deputy City Attorney Catherine Richardson argued that Brown was depressed and had gone off his anti-anxiety medication, and that his suicide resulted from his own actions. The Union-Tribune reports the defense doesn't intend to argue that Brown was involved in Hough's murder, but maintains the detectives were doing their job and would have been harshly criticized had they not thoroughly investigated their former colleague. The Post points out that 4 days after Brown's hanging, police put out a news release saying his suicide came as "preparations were being made for Kevin Browns arrest," spurring headlines that cast him in a guilty light. (Read more crime lab stories.) New York, NY, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Stacy H. Louizos has joined the Firms New York office as a Partner in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group and will serve as Co-Chair of Blank Romes Investment Management group. Stacy represents registered investment companies and their independent directors and investment advisers. She joins from Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where she was a partner in the Investment Management Practice Group and a member of the firms Financial Services Steering Committee and Womens Leadership Committee. We are thrilled to welcome Stacy to our Firm, said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Romes Managing Partner and CEO. She has cultivated a leading practice advising fund boards and advisers on registered fund products and has garnered national recognition for her investment management practice capabilities in the financial services industry. She will be a tremendous asset as we continue the growth of our Investment Management group and services. For more than 20 years, Stacy has advised her clients on a broad range of matters relating to the operation of investment companies of all kinds, including the organization and offering of open-end and closed-end investment companies; mergers of individual mutual funds and fund complexes; and board governance, compliance, and other regulatory matters under the federal securities laws. She has served as fund counsel and/or counsel to independent directors of fund complexes of all sizes, including a number of large and well-known mutual fund groups, with a particular background in counseling independent directors and trustees on matters relating to board governance and best practices, as well as with respect to their duties under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Stacys leading practice and impressive experience is a terrific addition to our group, and we are excited to have her join our Firm, said Peter Schnur, Co-Chair of the Firms Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. Stacy is well regarded by clients and peers in the mutual fund industry, and we look forward to having her co-chair our Investment Management group alongside Thomas R. Westle. Their combined experience, network of contacts, and willingness to draw on the collective experience of our Firms broader service offerings will not only help our clients find innovative legal solutions to realize their best value, but also will aid in the growth of our group by attracting top talent and clientele. I am delighted to join Blank Rome as co-chair of the Investment Management group, said Stacy. The Firm and its attorneys have a history and reputation for excellence and dedication to client service, and I look forward to working with the investment management team and the opportunity to contribute to the continued expansion of the groups national fund practice. Additionally, I have deep respect for the Firms long-standing dedication and commitment to important social values, including its diversity and inclusion initiatives and its Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") team that will advise companies on critical issues that impact social discourse and help steward corporate values. I look forward to helping advance these initiatives with my new colleagues as well as expanding our investment management capabilities as we help our clients to navigate the ever-evolving fund industry landscape. Stacy has extensive fund formation experience and advises her clients on registered fund products, including exchange-traded funds, alternative investment funds, umbrella series trusts, variable annuity insurance funds, funds of funds, manager of managers structures, master-feeder funds, business development companies, and money market funds. Additionally, she provides counsel to directors and to fund management on a wide range of regulatory and industry matters, including risk management oversight, the annual 15(c) contract renewal process, cybersecurity, distribution, directors and officers insurance policies, and fund liquidity risk management programs. She also has experience counseling with respect to matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as with respect to mutual fund litigation. She is a regular speaker and writer and is frequently quoted on topics such as board governance, fund best practices, and cybersecurity. Stacy is a member of the advisory panel for Fund Directions (a mutual fund industry publication) and of the Womens Investment Management Forum. Beyond her private practice, Stacy serves on the board of directors of LSA Family Health Service, Inc., and on the advisory board of The Way of the Rain, Inc. She is also a parent ambassador for King School. Stacy earned her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and her B.A. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. About Blank Rome Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 14 offices and more than 600 attorneys and principals who provide comprehensive legal and advocacy services to clients operating in the United States and around the world. Our professionals have built a reputation for their leading knowledge and experience across a spectrum of industries, and are recognized for their commitment to pro bono work in their communities. Since our inception in 1946, Blank Romes culture has been dedicated to providing top-level service to all of our clients, and has been rooted in the strength of our diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, please visit blankrome.com. ### Attachment T he widow of a London man who died alongside two of their children in a Spanish swimming pool has won the right to further investigations into why the tragedy happened. Pastor Gabriel Diya, 52, daughter Comfort, nine, and son Praise-Emmanuel, 16, drowned in the Club La Costa World pool after going for a swim on Christmas Eve last year. A police investigation concluded it was a tragic accident caused by all three lacking swimming skills. Now a judge in Fuengirola has agreed to delay the final report on the deaths and allow an engineer and a professional diver to examine the pool at the Costa Del Sol resort. The pool where the three family members died / REUTERS Mr Diyas widow Olubunmi insists her husband and children knew how to swim and claims a fault with the pool was to blame. The investigation will examine the pump and motor at the pool and analyse water circulation, the pool suction and drains, and its electrical installations. The resort must also hand over CCTV footage from the day of the tragedy. The familys lawyer Javier Toro had earlier told reporters they were seeking a parallel investigation through engineers. A Civil Guard police report concluded there was no malfunction of any kind in the pool. Describing the tragedy, surviving daughter Favour, 14, said: We werent aware that the deepest part of the pool was the bit in the middle and my brother and sister went towards that part, she said. I realised I was out of my depth soon after I got into the water. I got scared and only managed to get out with some effort because Im not used to swimming in places where the water is deep and I cant stand up. As I was trying to get out I heard my brother shouting for help and saw my sister was under the water and my brother was struggling to keep his head above water. My father, who was not in the water, quickly took his trousers off and jumped into the water to help my brother and sister. Mr Diya, who lived with his family in Charlton, was a pastor at a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The overwhelming majority of Americans support voter ID requirements because they instill confidence in our elections. Showing an ID when you help pick the next president is just plain common sense. But at a time when concerns about foreign interference in our elections is high, ID requirements also help protect the integrity of our electoral process. We cant stop Russias attempts at interference from abroad, but we can protect the security of our ballots here at home. Voter ID laws serve three core functions: They are checks against errors, they prevent wrongdoing, and they give citizens confidence in the voting process in general. Thanks to the more than 30 states with some voter ID requirements, Americans trust electoral outcomes even ones they do not like. Anti-ID activists and a hostile media suggest that ID laws are an attack on our democracy, and they accuse its supporters of bigotry or worse. The Obama Justice Department took this to the extreme in 2014 when its taxpayer-paid experts actually testified that black North Carolinians were not sophisticated enough to understand voter ID requirements. In fact, election integrity safeguards like voter ID are extremely popular with the American people. Polling from Politico, Marist, Gallup, Rasmussen, The Washington Post and others regularly find that between 70 percent and 85 percent of Americans support voter ID requirements. In this political climate, such numbers are rarely seen. A new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll further underscores the demand for these laws. Americans said they are significantly more worried about voter fraud ineligible voters participating in elections than they are so-called voter suppression, or even foreign interference. Voter suppression is a term designed to confuse by conflating perfectly legal activity, such as keeping voter rolls current, with illegal activity like discouraging citizens from voting. Its similar to voter ID foes comparing identification requirements to the outrages of the Jim Crow-era racial discrimination. Opponents of voter IDs have long predicted that these policies would prevent hundreds of thousands of citizens in places like Texas and South Carolina from voting. Instead, weve seen record voter turnout in minority communities across the country. The data are clear: There is no evidence of disenfranchisement due to voter ID. Reports to the contrary claims, for example, that Wisconsins voter ID law took 200,000 votes from Hillary Clinton have been repeatedly debunked. The National Bureau of Economic Research even published a report in 2019 suggesting the opposite effect. One common argument is that obtaining a photo ID is burden that too many voters cannot bear. But as the recent NPR poll confirms, just 6% of respondents reported any level of difficulty with registration or identification at the polls. Now that states like Arkansas and North Carolina are passing ballot measures to put voter ID into state constitutions, these policies have attained a new level of popularity. One challenge supporters of voter ID face is that its impossible to prove a negative. No research will ever conclusively tabulate how much fraud these laws have prevented. But voter ID does more than just stop direct voter fraud. It also helps combat outside efforts to undermine our elections. Two-factor authentication is a part of our daily lives. Think of the last time a website sent you a text message to prove you are you. Now that our voter registration systems are being targeted by bad actors like Russia, we need ID requirements more than ever to access securely our own records for voting or even address changes. Our politics are so polarized that a few sneaky edits or unauthorized online requests could throw an election. If such high-tech manipulation is a rising risk in our near future, then voter ID will help to bar the doors to foreign infiltrators. If youre still fighting voter ID in 2020, the Russians thank you for your service. J. Christian Adams is the president and general counsel for the Public Interest Legal Foundation and a former Justice Department lawyer. He also served on the Presidential Advisory Commission for Election Integrity. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Observing World Cancer Day, Helo, Indias leading regional social media platform has partnered with Indian Cancer Society (ICS) to launch #CancerMuktIndia campaign, designed to spread awareness around Cancer. Under this partnership, ICS has joined forces with Helo to share relevant information around the ailment and its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment in two regional languages, Hindi and Marathi that have a huge user base on the platform. According to The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organises World Cancer Day each year, more than one-third of cancer cases can be prevented and another third can be cured if detected early and treated properly. This partnership is aligned with UICCs mission and I am and I will theme this year, as it aims at producing important content that could help reduce the cancer burden and promote greater equity. With ICSs support, Helo will also host a series of user engagement in-app activities such as multiple choice quizzes, notifications, splash screens etc around various themes like preventive measures, healthy lifestyle, symptoms, early detection etc. These activities will help break multiple misconceptions about Cancer and promote awareness amongst the 50 million monthly active users on Helo. Making it even more personalized for the regional language speaking users, ICS will create and promote awareness content, under the main hashtag #, CancerMuktIndia and sub hashtags #CancerMuktDelhi and #CancerMuktMaharashtra from its two official accounts on the platform. As a part of the collaboration, ICS will also invite various influencers and cancer survivors on Helo to share their experiences, setting a classic example of motivation and inspiration amongst users. This campaign will run on the Helo app on World Cancer Day, 4th February 2020 for one full day. ICS will also host Survivors Day, with cancer survivors and Helo creators on 6th February 2020 at Select City Walk District Centre Saket, New Delhi between 3 pm- 5 pm, with the theme - Let's Celebrate Life together! Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. SafeSpeed has acknowledged its the firm named in the federal plea deal but has said it did not know about, let alone authorize, any bribes paid by the company representative, whom the firm identified as co-owner Omar Maani, a Burr Ridge businessman. The firm said it cut ties over the weekend with Maani over his alleged criminal activity. Maani is cooperating with the investigation, according to court records. Marriott International has appointed Neal Jones as chief sales & marketing officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as part of the companys EMEA leadership team led by Liam Brown, Group president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Marriott veteran Jones began his career at Marriott International in London over 20 years ago and has most recently served as chief sales and marketing officer for Middle East and Africa based in Dubai. Over the last seven years in this role, Jones has provided strategic leadership to the brand management, marketing, digital, sales, revenue management, loyalty, communications and consumer insight functions, and has been instrumental in the companys growth throughout the region. Prior to this, Jones served in various sales and marketing leadership roles across the globe including a tenure as vice president of Global Sales for Europe. Im delighted to welcome Neal to the EMEA leadership team said Liam Brown, Group President, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Neal is an engaging leader with a wealth of commercial knowledge. In this new role, he will be instrumental in driving demand into Marriott Internationals diverse portfolio of brands, expanding the reach of our travel programme, Marriott Bonvoy, and developing innovative strategies to further enhance the customer experience across the EMEA region. A UK national, Jones graduated from the Hotel School The Hague in The Netherlands and is currently based in Marriott Internationals Dubai regional office. He will relocate to Marriotts London Headquarters in 2020 with his wife and two children. Jones holds a private pilot licence and enjoys spending time in the skies when not at work. Marriott International operates or franchises over 850hotels across 76 countries and territories in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company has 24 brands in the region including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Autograph Collection, Marriott, Sheraton and Moxy. Marriott has a pipeline of 350 hotels in EMEA with openings planned in Oman, Tanzania, Spain, Sweden and the UK. TradeArabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 13:01:19|Editor: ZD Video Player Close YANGON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government has appointed deputy ministers for two ministries in accordance with the constitution, according to an order of the President's Office late Tuesday. U Min Lwin was named as deputy minister of the State Counsellor Office and Dr. Myint Kyaing as deputy minister of Labour, Immigration and Population. The President's Office also issued an order of reassigning Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt.Gen Kyaw Swe to perform his original military duty. There are a total of 24 ministries with 22 ministers and 25 deputy ministers at present in Myanmar. Chinese Android OEM ZTE is canceling its MWC 2020 press conference due to the coronavirus outbreak. ZTE cancels MWC 2020 press conference due to coronavirus outbreak According to a statement by ZTE, the company will have a booth at MWC. And yet, the company says its taking preventive measures. First, the company says that it will vet employees and executives at least two weeks before traveling. An additional 2 weeks of isolation are mandatory before travel. Next, ZTE says that it will disinfect its booth and equipment on a daily basis. Last but not least, the company will bring staff to MWC that are from countries outside China. Seeing that China is the origin country of the coronavirus outbreak, it makes sense to keep Chinese citizens away from its tech booth. Advertisement Why ZTE is taking preventive coronavirus measures The coronavirus is a terrible sickness, and that alone makes ZTEs measures reasonable. ZTE says that it doesnt want to make attendees uncomfortable. The fear factor is a good reason to avoid a press conference. After all, the last thing a company like ZTE wants is to spread coronavirus to press attendees. Some infected media members could pass coronavirus to other media members. And if the media could trace a press coronavirus outbreak to ZTE, that only stands to make things worse. The company could find itself barred from other tech events later this year. Alongside fear, there is the touch factor. Attendees at MWC 2020 will touch the devices. Touch interaction is a large part of the mobile device experience (not everything is hands-free yet, anyway). If someone infected with coronavirus sneezes on a touchscreen, all those who follow after and touch the device could contract coronavirus. ZTE already under scrutiny with Federal Government ZTEs coronavirus outbreak prevention strategy is just another move the company is making to get itself out of political hot water. The Android OEM, like Huawei, finds itself as a target in the political war between the US and China. Though Huawei faces a national ban in the US due to its espionage efforts on behalf of Beijing, both Huawei and ZTE are considered threats to national security. Advertisement Just this week, both Huawei and ZTE pleaded with the Federal Government to withhold the national risk label when it comes to telecom gear. The US is looking to subsidize telecom gear expenses to encourage smaller carriers to upgrade their Huawei and ZTE gear to other vendors. The fear behind Chinese telecom equipment is that it is a spy tool for the Chinese Government. The coronavirus outbreak started last month in Wuhan, China and has since spread to other parts of China and even the US. Android OEM LG Electronics says it isnt attending MWC 2020. Neither is Huawei. Toronto Mayor John Tory deserves two cheers for pledging significant new money toward preventing youth violence across the city. City council is about to debate Torontos budget for 2020, and it should unanimously back the mayor in adding $6 million of new money for these programs. That would more than double the new spending set aside for preventing youth violence in the coming year. Theres no doubt it goes in the right direction at a time when the city is in the midst of a spate of shootings and deaths that are costing the lives of far too many young people and injuring many more. But lets not get too carried away. Toronto has had a notoriously spotty record when it comes to developing programs to combat this kind of violence, and an even worse record in making sure they receive adequate and stable funding. Far too often, weve seen the same depressing pattern: a spate of high-profile shootings, followed by politicians scrambling to reassure the public that theyre on it. Ambitious-sounding plans are announced, only to shrivel when the spotlight turns away and the money dries up. That happened in 2014, when Toronto council approved an ambitious youth equity strategy only to leave it chronically under-funded and ineffective. It happened again in 2018 when councillors approved a gun violence plan that would have cost more than $50 million. Sounded good, but it depended on funding from the federal and provincial governments and much of that never came through. The key, clearly, is in the follow-through. The city must commit to funding community-based programs for the long term, and senior governments must do their part to support it. Theres nothing really new in any of this. Weve known for many years, at least since the landmark Roots of Youth Violence report of 2008 ordered by the McGuinty government after the so-called summer of the gun in Toronto, about the alienation and hopelessness that fuels gang violence and gun crime in many communities. The same report laid out a host of solutions that should have been put in place at the time. But there has never been a consistent commitment to putting such programs into effect and paying for them year after year. At least not enough of a commitment to survive the changing political climate and the whims of public opinion. Money is promised, but all too often it becomes impossible to find when the gunfire dies down and attention turns elsewhere. In that regard its good to see that the plan put forward on Monday by Mayor Tory would provide additional money for community-based projects over the next three years. More permanent, ongoing funding would be even better, and would provide the kind of stability that organizations working with young people say is needed to show real results. Torys plan would also establish new youth hubs in public libraries, add new youth spaces in community centres, and fund a social development plan in Regent Park. This is the least that should be done in a city budget that now tops $13.5 billion. It cant really be about the money, after all. The city has managed to find extra funding for the Toronto Police Service in response to the surge in gun violence, and other levels of government have been quick to pony up their share for that. Its about priorities and political will. For once lets make sure that the discouraging stop-and-go pattern of spending on violent crime prevention in the communities most affected by it isnt repeated. City councillors should back Torys plan, and vow to make sure its the start of a long-term commitment. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:14:06|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2020 shows the garden of a resident's house hit by shelling in Tripoli, Libya. Indiscriminate shelling on Tuesday killed one person and injured five others in Tripoli, a local official said Wednesday. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Indiscriminate shelling on Tuesday killed one person and injured five others in the Libyan capital Tripoli, a local official said Wednesday. "Indiscriminate shelling hit Salah Addin district in Tripoli later last night, killing a person and injuring 5 others, all of whom are civilians," Amid Hashmi, information adviser of the Ministry of Heath, told Xinhua. "A total of six shells targeted the area," the adviser said. The UN-backed government's forces accused the rival eastern-based army of the shelling, to which the eastern-based army has not responded yet. The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government. The fighting killed and injured thousands of people, and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee away from their homes. Both rival parties agreed to cease-fire on Jan. 12, but each party accused the other of beaching the truce. Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir got grassroot "autonomy" after 72 years of India's independence, even though for over half a century the erstwhile state was ruled by political parties whose main agenda and public stance was for "autonomy". In an interactive session with elected 'sarpanch' and chairmen of Block Development Councils (BDCs) from far-flung areas of Kashmir valley, Singh said it was for future historians and researchers to decipher and tell the world what was meant by the so-called idea of "autonomy" propagated by the former rulers. "Jammu and Kashmir got grassroot autonomy after 72 years, even though for over half a century after independence, the erstwhile state was ruled by political parties whose main agenda and public stance was for autonomy," he said. The union minister for the PMO said the former rulers of Jammu and Kashmir vehemently avoided holding Panchayat and local body elections, and when eventually the polls took place at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these political parties decided to boycott. The Sarpanch, Panch and Block chairmen, who met Singh, hailed the Modi government for holding panchayat elections and also the election to the Block Development Councils. They demanded that the District Development Council elections should also be held soon so that the process of three-tier democracy gets fully accomplished, he said. Singh said the Modi government lost no time in holding elections to the local bodies and on the other hand the implementation of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments have ensured that central grants directly reach the elected representatives. He said with the passage of time, Jammu and Kashmir would experience true democracy which would have emerged from the bottom and not imposed from the top. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Winnie Mandela trial "The long-awaited trial of activist Winnie Mandela began yesterday in the Rand Supreme Court, Johannesburg, with her defence demanding dismissal of all kidnapping charges stemming from a 1989 case in which she also faces assault charges. It is claimed that the state refuse to disclose enough information about the charges to make it possible to defend her. She and eight others were alleged to have kidnapped and assaulted four Soweto youths." Ashes "a nightmare" "England captain Graham Gooch admitted yesterday the Ashes tour had been "a nightmare" after sitting at the WACA ground listening to his side's supporters singing We'll Meet Again. 'It's been a nightmare in as much as we've tried to put things right but the same mistakes keep happening,' he said after conceding the series 3-0. Without hesitation, the likeable Gooch said the England side were the worst fielding team of his experience at any level." Hawke's ABC attack Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-06 06:17:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Capitol and traffic lights are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 5, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump was acquitted on Wednesday by the Senate after the chamber voted down both articles of impeachment against him that the House approved late last year. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump was acquitted on Wednesday by the Senate after the chamber voted down both articles of impeachment against him that the House approved late last year. Senators voted 52 to 48 to reject the first charge of abuse of power, and 53 to 47 against the second charge of obstruction of Congress. Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, broke from the party by voting in favor of convicting Trump over the abuse of power charge. No Democrats voted against the two articles of impeachment. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the Senate trial of Trump's impeachment, announced the votes, saying that they are not enough to convict the president and remove him from office. The result was widely expected as Republicans, largely unified during the impeachment proceeding, control the Senate, making it almost impossible for the 67-vote conviction threshold to be reached. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump in December last year after an inquiry triggered by a whistleblower complaint that raised concerns about the White House's interactions with Ukraine. Trump was alleged to have pressured his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, into launching investigations that could politically benefit him by withholding military aid from Ukraine. Furthermore, the White House allegedly tried to cover it up. The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or a "quid pro quo" with Ukraine. The White House stonewalled the House impeachment inquiry, accusing Democrats of an unfair process. Bitter partisan wrestling continued in the Senate trial of Trump's impeachment as Republicans and Democrats were sharply divided on whether to allow subpoenas for witnesses and documents till a failed motion last week kicked off an endgame. According to the U.S. Constitution, the House shall have the "sole Power of Impeachment," while the Senate shall have the "sole Power to try all Impeachments." Conviction can only happen in the 100-member Senate and requires at least two-thirds of its members to vote in favor of at least one article of impeachment after a trial. Currently, the Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats. No sitting U.S. president has ever been removed from office through impeachment. NEW HAVEN With significant changes at the highest levels of City Hall and the school district, officials are pondering how deep a look the schools budget books need. Mayor Justin Elickers transition team recommended the city conduct a forensic audit of the school boards budget. Services to children cannot be enhanced without new revenue sources and ethical fiscal governance. Conduct a forensic audit of the Board of Education to establish a baseline understanding of how dollars have been spent to date, the recommendation said. Elickers first term in office began Jan. 1, after he defeated three-term incumbent Toni Harp in an election. At a finance committee meeting this week, Phil Penn, who has been chief financial officer for the Board of Education since shortly after Elicker won the November election, warned against conducting a forensic audit. The biggest issue I want the board and public to understand is, were already audited at a number of different levels, he said. A forensic audit is usually done when you suspect fraud. Brian Zahn/Hearst Connecticut Media According to Penn, there are three levels: the citys internal audit staff, an external auditing firm paid about $250,000 by the city annually, and the state Department of Education. Ive been here three months, and Ive not been made aware of any fraud. Certainly auditors wouldve told me if there was, he said. In a statement, Elicker said he would wait for the results of an audit to make further determinations. Both the New Haven Public School and the City of New Haven are facing serious financial challenges. On the City-side I have engaged a third-party to analyze the budget and provide an assessment of our true financial state, he said. The company will also conduct some analysis of New Haven Public Schools finances, he said. Should there be evidence of inappropriate expenditures or fraud, then a more in-depth audit would be due. As I get up to speed as a new school board member, I will be keeping an eye out for any misuse of funds. Board member Larry Conaway told Penn he had the impression that a forensic audit is appropriate whenever there is a new administration; interim Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey officially started in her role on Nov. 1, days before Elicker defeated Harp and a few weeks before Penns start date. Penn said a forensic audit would not be typical under new leadership unless there was suspected fraud. Penn said that, without a credible suspicion of fraud, there would be no way to guide the auditors to find something to look for. Additionally, the audit would require time and energy from the districts budget office, which is currently working to mitigate a projected $6 million deficit, and would cost in excess of $100,000. Board member Darnell Goldson said that, in his experience in business, he believes $100,000 is low for an audit of that nature. If someone wants a forensic audit, at first I wasnt opposed to it, Goldson said. However, I dont think they should be taking money from their teachers and students to chase after ghosts. Board Vice President Matt Wilcox asked Penn whether it would be appropriate to conduct audits of specific areas of the budget. We spend a huge amount of money on special education: we spend some money on a company that checks our paperwork, that makes sure we are filing things to get Medicaid reimbursements to defray those costs. Are there other areas we can look at where its a targeted thing? he asked. Penn said it would duplicate the citys audit of the school budget. Sarah Miller, a parent advocate who has organized with other parents for more transparency from the board and was one of three co-chairwomen of Elickers transition team, said the request for a forensic audit was included in the report because so many people who were approached for feedback brought it up. There is a general mistrust that funds are reliably spent responsibly, Miller said. However, there is no single definition of a forensic audit, which is why its in quotations. There is clearly a need to, as the report says, establish a baseline understanding of how dollars have been spent to date beyond what a volunteer group like the Deficit Committee can determine. Miller said that, if a misuse of funds carries into the new administration without a review, the new administration becomes complicit even if they were not in charge at the outset. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Five members of an Albanian family have lost their appeals over being refused subsidiary protection here, resulting in their deportation. A three-judge Court of Appeal ruled today the five had advanced no "stateable" grounds to overturn the High Court's rejection of their judicial review proceedings challenging refusal of subsidiary protection by the Minister for Justice. The appeals were by a husband and wife, who came here in 2005, and their son, his wife and their child, who came here in 2008. They sought asylum on dates in 2005 and 2008 on grounds of a fear of persecution in Albania arising from being members of the Gabel ethnic group there. Among various claims, the husband claimed his brother had married a non-Roma woman in August 2004 and was killed the same month by her family who disapproved of the marriage. He claimed a member of the Gabel ethnic group could not go to the police as they would be mistreated and that families extract revenge through blood feuds. After being refused asylum, the applicants later sought subsidiary protection based on similar grounds. Those were refused and all five were subsequently deported to Albania in 2013. Giving the Court of Appeal judgment, Ms Justice Maire Whelan noted a deportation order means the affected individual cannot re-enter the State. The appeal was therefore not moot or pointless and the applicants had a right of access to the courts, she said. She also noted there have been changes in the applicable law since the orders. She said the substance of each decision refusing subsidiary protection was based primarily on country of origin information (COI) from "credible" sources, including the US State Department. The Minister had noted a 2010 US State Department report stated, while the Romani people suffered significant societal abuse and discrimination in Albania, the Albanian government has taken positive steps in relation to the protection of minorities. He had decided the applicants were not at risk of serious harm if returned to Albania. Ms Justice Whelan said the High Court also correctly concluded that findings by the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT) of lack of credibility were an additional distinct material ground in each case which supported the Minister's refusal. Each refusal decision incorporated extensive evidence outlining the rationale for the decisions and she was satisfied the High Court correctly concluded the appellants had failed to establish the refusals were either irrational or unreasonable. The High Court rightly focussed on the fact none of the applicants had sought to contest the inferences drawn and conclusions reached by the RAT in the cases, she said. She was satisfied there was "clear evidence" before the Minister in the form of COI which enabled him to make the decisions, draw the inferences and reach the conclusions which he did. No stateable ground was identified to contend the High Court's refusal of judicial review was irrational or otherwise unreasonable, she held. SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon.com Inc.'s Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos has sold more than $1.8 billion of shares in the e-commerce giant over the past week, regulatory filings show. Bezos sold 905,456 shares in Amazon for a total of $1.84 billion on January 31 and February 3, 2020. The share sale was executed under a pre-arranged trading plan. After the stock sale, Bezos now owns 56.65 million shares in Amazon. The news comes as Amazon's closed Tuesday's trading with a market capitalization of $1 trillion, enabling it to join fellow tech giants Apple, Google and Microsoft in the trillion-dollar club. Amazon first touched the $1 trillion mark in intraday trading in 2018. Last Friday and Monday too, the company touched $1 trillion in intraday trading, but failed to end trading on both days above the $1 trillion mark. Seattle, Washington-based Amazon's shares surged on January 30 after the online retail giant's holiday-season-quarter results trumped analysts' estimates. Last year too, Bezos went on a stock selling spree. The CEO sold $2.8 billion worth of shares in Amazon in August. At that time, Bezos donated 268 shares to an unnamed non-profit organization. The shares were worth about $500,000. The reason for Bezos' latest share sale is not known. However, Bezos has said his plan is to sell stock worth about $1 billion every year to fund his space startup, Blue Origin. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. (OTCQB:IPCIF and TSX:IPCI) ("Intellipharmaceutics" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and manufacture of novel and generic controlled-release and targeted-release oral solid dosage drugs, today announced the resignation of Greg Powell, Chief Financial Officer, for personal and family reasons. Mr. Powell has agreed to continue to offer his services to the Company through March 4, 2020 and is willing to continue thereafter on a consulting basis on mutually agreeable terms. Dr. Isa Odidi, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Scientist of the Company, commented "On behalf of the management team and the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Greg for his contributions to Intellipharmaceutics, and to wish him every future success." Pending the hiring of a replacement for Mr. Powell, the functions of Chief Financial Officer for Intellipharmaceutics will be carried out by the Company's President and former Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Amina Odidi. Fazayill Shaideen, who has been the Company's Controller for the past 8 years, will continue to handle accounting activities. About Intellipharmaceutics Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and manufacture of novel and generic controlled-release and targeted-release oral solid dosage drugs. The Company's patented Hypermatrix technology is a multidimensional controlled-release drug delivery platform that can be applied to a wide range of existing and new pharmaceuticals. Intellipharmaceutics has developed several drug delivery systems based on this technology platform, with a pipeline of products (some of which have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") approval) in various stages of development. The Company has abbreviated new drug application ("ANDA") and new drug application ("NDA") 505(b)(2) drug product candidates in its development pipeline. These include the Company's abuse- deterrent oxycodone hydrochloride extended release formulation ("Oxycodone ER") based on its proprietary nPODDDS novel Point Of Divergence Drug Delivery System (for which an NDA has been filed with the FDA), and Regabatin XR (pregabalin extended-release capsules). Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this document constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and/or "forward-looking information" under the Securities Act (Ontario). These statements include, without limitation, statements expressed or implied regarding our expectations regarding our plans, goals and milestones, status of developments or expenditures relating to our business, plans to fund our current activities, and statements concerning our partnering activities, health regulatory submissions, strategy, future operations, future financial position, future sales, revenues and profitability, projected costs and market penetration. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "appear", "unlikely", "target", "may", "will", "should", "expects", "plans", "plans to", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "confident", "prospects", "potential", "continue", "intends", "look forward", "could", "would", "projected", "goals" ,"set to", "seeking" or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. We made a number of assumptions in the preparation of our forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which are subject to a multitude of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, future circumstances or events to differ materially from those stated in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that could affect our actual results include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic conditions, securing and maintaining corporate alliances, our estimates regarding our capital requirements, and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors, including the current status of our product development programs, on capital availability, the estimated proceeds (and the expected use of any proceeds) we may receive from any offering of our securities, the potential dilutive effects of any future financing, potential liability from and costs of defending pending or future litigation, our ability to realize any benefits from our recent reverse stock split and our ability to comply with the OTCQB and TSX continued listing standards, our programs regarding research, development and commercialization of our product candidates, the timing of such programs, the timing, costs and uncertainties regarding obtaining regulatory approvals to market our product candidates and the difficulty in predicting the timing and results of any product launches, the timing and amount of profit-share payments from our commercial partners, and the timing and amount of any available investment tax credits, the actual or perceived benefits to users of our drug delivery technologies, products and product candidates as compared to others, our ability to establish and maintain valid and enforceable intellectual property rights in our drug delivery technologies, products and product candidates, the scope of protection provided by intellectual property rights for our drug delivery technologies, products and product candidates, recent and future legal developments in the United States and elsewhere that could make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates and negatively affect the prices we may charge, increased public awareness and government scrutiny of the problems associated with the potential for abuse of opioid based medications, pursuing growth through international operations could strain our resources, our limited manufacturing, sales, marketing or distribution capability and our reliance on third parties for such, the actual size of the potential markets for any of our products and product candidates compared to our market estimates, our selection and licensing of products and product candidates, our ability to attract distributors and/or commercial partners with the ability to fund patent litigation and with acceptable product development, regulatory and commercialization expertise and the benefits to be derived from such collaborative efforts, sources of revenues and anticipated revenues, including contributions from distributors and commercial partners, product sales, license agreements and other collaborative efforts for the development and commercialization of product candidates, our ability to create an effective direct sales and marketing infrastructure for products we elect to market and sell directly, the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products, delays in product approvals that may be caused by changing regulatory requirements, the difficulty in predicting the timing of regulatory approval and launch of competitive products, the difficulty in predicting the impact of competitive products on volume, pricing, rebates and other allowances, the number of competitive product entries, and the nature and extent of any aggressive pricing and rebate activities that may follow, the inability to forecast wholesaler demand and/or wholesaler buying patterns, seasonal fluctuations in the number of prescriptions written for our generic Focalin XR capsules and our other generic products which may produce substantial fluctuations in revenue, the timing and amount of insurance reimbursement regarding our products, changes in laws and regulations affecting the conditions required by the FDA for approval, testing and labeling of drugs including abuse or overdose deterrent properties, and changes affecting how opioids are regulated and prescribed by physicians, changes in laws and regulations, including Medicare and Medicaid, affecting among other things, pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceutical products, the effect of recently-enacted changes in U.S. federal income tax laws, including but not limited to, limitations on the deductibility of business interest, limitations on the use of net operating losses and application of the base erosion minimum tax, on our U.S. corporate income tax burden, the success and pricing of other competing therapies that may become available, our ability to retain and hire qualified employees, the availability and pricing of third-party sourced products and materials, challenges related to the development, commercialization, technology transfer, scale-up, and/or process validation of manufacturing processes for our products or product candidates, the manufacturing capacity of third-party manufacturers that we may use for our products, potential product liability risks, the recoverability of the cost of any pre-launch inventory, should a planned product launch encounter a denial or delay of approval by regulatory bodies, a delay in commercialization, or other potential issues, the successful compliance with FDA, Health Canada and other governmental regulations applicable to us and our third party manufacturers' facilities, products and/or businesses, our reliance on commercial partners, and any future commercial partners, to market and commercialize our products and, if approved, our product candidates, difficulties, delays or changes in the FDA approval process or test criteria for ANDAs and NDAs, challenges in securing final FDA approval for our product candidates, including our oxycodone hydrochloride extended release tablets product candidate, in particular, if a patent infringement suit is filed against us with respect to any particular product candidates (such as in the case of Oxycodone ER), which could delay the FDA's final approval of such product candidates, healthcare reform measures that could hinder or prevent the commercial success of our products and product candidates, the FDA may not approve requested product labeling for our product candidate(s) having abuse-deterrent properties and targeting common forms of abuse (oral, intra-nasal and intravenous), risks associated with cyber-security and the potential for vulnerability of our digital information or the digital information of a current and/or future drug development or commercialization partner of ours, and risks arising from the ability and willingness of our third-party commercialization partners to provide documentation that may be required to support information on revenues earned by us from those commercialization partners. Additional risks and uncertainties relating to us and our business can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of our latest annual information form, our latest Form 20-F, and our latest Form F-1 and Form F-3 (including any documents forming a part thereof or incorporated by reference therein), as amended, as well as in our reports, public disclosure documents and other filings with the securities commissions and other regulatory bodies in Canada and the U.S., which are available on www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on what we believe are reasonable assumptions as of the date of this document and we disclaim any intention and have no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Trademarks used herein are the property of their respective holders. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to "we," "us," "our," "Intellipharmaceutics," and the "Company" refer to Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. and its subsidiaries. CONTACT INFORMATION Company Contact: Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. Isa Odidi Chief Executive Officer 416.798.3001 ext. 102 investors@intellipharmaceutics.com SOURCE: Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575346/Intellipharmaceutics-Announces-Resignation-of-Chief-Financial-Officer Uncle Vanya Harold Pinter Theatre, London Until May 2, 2hrs 30mins Rating: Chekhovs Uncle Vanya should have been played by John Cleese in his prime. The sarcasm and his manic outbursts make Vanya a Russian prototype Basil Fawlty. That said, Toby Jones is terrific in the part. Hes withering and hilarious, his hair like a wheat field after a typhoon. Vanya has been running the estate thanklessly for his brother-in-law, Serebryakov (Ciaran Hinds), a pompous professor who has returned with Yelena, his glamorous, much younger new wife, and with plans to flog the property and buy a villa in Finland. The unmarried Vanya boils at the injustice of it all. The production is decked out with a fine cast, with Dearbhla Molloy (above) as Vanyas stately but bohemian mother Yelena (Rosalind Eleazar) has realised shes married a crashing bore and latches on to Astrov, the handsome, alcoholic doctor (Richard Armitage) with a passion for trees. Vanya falls for Yelena but hes got no hope; never had. Sonya, Vanyas niece played heartbreakingly by Aimee Lou Wood is utterly smitten with Astrov, who barely even notices her. The stage is thus set for a giant bonfire of romantic illusions. Conor McPhersons version of this 1898 play intrusively uses the feminist word agency and adds the F-word. I wasnt sure, either, what the director Ian Rickson was trying to do with this dimly lit version, which has characters delivering speeches as bolted-on, un-Chekhovian soliloquies. Sonya, Vanyas niece played heartbreakingly by Aimee Lou Wood (above) is utterly smitten with Astrov, who barely even notices her But the production is decked out with a fine cast, with Dearbhla Molloy as Vanyas stately but bohemian mother, Mariya, Anna Calder-Marshall as the old retainer, Nana and Peter Wight as a futile estate employee. Rosalind Eleazars Yelena usually little more than languidly sexy is a powerful, yearning presence here. But Toby Joness wonderfully funny Vanya is the real pay-off. When he comes on with a gun, he fires at the author of his woes and misses twice before slumping in self-disgust that he cant even shoot straight. Its a perfect blend of the tragic and the absurd, as the play and the century closes in on the lot of them. The Welkin Lyttelton Stage, National Theatre, London Until May 23, 2hrs 50mins Rating: Terrible rural accents alert! Were in East Anglia, 1759. The cast does a semi-audible local dialect thats beyond awful. To err is human but to ahhrrr is less forgivable. The story? The noose awaits a young woman accused of murder. She claims shes pregnant and, if so, her sentence must be commuted. Is she lying? A jury of matrons decides her fate. Instead of a gripping courtroom drama, Lucy Kirk-woods play is actually an eventless, veiled critique of todays patriarchy done in Poldark costumes. At one point a crow comes down the chimney, causing an explosion. The ladies in grey are covered head to toe in black soot. Theres a sniff of some evidence of the excused being pregnant when Sally Poppy (Ria Zmitrowicz, above with June Watson) expresses black milk Maxine Peake heads up the sweary cast as the accuseds supportive midwife. Theres a sniff of some evidence when the accused Sally Poppy (Ria Zmitrowicz) expresses black milk. Perhaps its all that soot. More baffling is why these Georgian women suddenly sing Kate Bushs Running Up That Hill. Director James Macdonald stuffs the evening with fancy visuals but it doesnt help. Flatter than Norfolk. The Sunset Limited Boulevard Theatre, London Until February 29, 1hr 30mins Rating: A black guy stops a white professor from jumping under a subway train and takes him home to his Manhattan tenement. Theres a Bible on the table. The suicidal prof asks him: Tell me, do you think Jesus is in this room? The answer comes: No, I dont think Jesus is in this room. I know he is in this room. What follows is a sustained wrangle about God and the purpose of living. American novelist Cormac McCarthys wordy play often feels like a talking book. But Terry Johnsons production has emotional clout and its largely because Gary Beadle (ex-EastEnders) is so appealing and funny as the reborn ex-con; while Jasper Britton exhales despair as the professor whos so envious of the dead. Terry Johnsons production has emotional clout and its largely because Gary Beadle (ex- EastEnders) is so appealing and funny; while Jasper Britton exhales despair as the professor True, the ending is an almighty downer. But this short, brilliantly acted battle of hope versus futility has moments of really piercing insight. Beckett Triple Bill Jermyn Street Theatre, London Until Saturday, 2hrs 15mins Rating: Samuel Beckett is gloomier than a global-warming forecast. But these three short plays grab you by the lapels. In Krapps Last Tape, James Hayes plays an old, failed writer hunched over a tape recorder, on which he listens to his 30-year-old audio diary. I last saw Krapp wonderfully played by John Hurt. With Hayes, too, you can almost see the dust of an unlived life pouring from his mouth. Shameless star David Threlfall is splendid in tweeds opposite Niall Buggy in The Old Tune, a garrulous, delightful Irish piece about two oldsters sitting on a bench Niall Buggy is in Eh Joe, sitting on an unmade bed, eyes filled with horror as a taped voice (Lisa Dwans evocative brogue) accuses him of abuse of a young woman. Somehow he was complicit in her misery. He says not a word but his magnificently haunted face tells this terrible, ambiguous tale. Shameless star David Threlfall is splendid in tweeds opposite Buggy in The Old Tune, a garrulous, delightful Irish piece about two oldsters sitting on a bench trading faulty reminiscences. You wonder if Beckett ever thought of giving it to the Two Ronnies. In Trevor Nunns production, each play feels as brief as a birthday candle and unforgettably etched. The Sugar Syndrome Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Until February 22, 2hrs 20mins Rating: This is the first revival of Lucy Prebbles 2003 debut, and while it feels smaller-scale than later work such as the big hit ENRON, it is just as curious and human. Were back in the dial-up internet years of the Noughties, when 17-year-old Dani seeks solace in chatrooms from a troubled home life and an eating disorder. One contact is thirtysomething Tim, who initially thinks Danis a boy; he has a criminal record for paedophilia. But this isnt a play about grooming Dani takes the lead in their friendship, naively believing she can help him. Digital life has evolved radically since the play was written, but Oscar Toemans production nails the fact that relationships are knotty (Alexandra Gilbreath as Dani's mother Jan, above) As Dani, Jessica Rhodes has a spark that works well with Prebbles punchy script. Digital life has evolved radically since the play was written, but Oscar Toemans production nails the fact that relationships are knotty, online or offline. Gwendolyn Smith The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has said that the government has allocated GH2.5 million to fund national preparedness to prevent coronavirus infection in the country. He told Parliament yesterday that his ministry had also initiated the process to procure 10,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) for all frontline health workers who might be engaged in the treatment and prevention of the disease. Arrangement is also being made to procure insurance cover for all frontline health workers who may be engaged to do this work for us, he added. Appeal Mr Agyeman-Manu, who disclosed this when he appeared before the House yesterday, said: We are in this together and, therefore, I call on the private sector and our development partners to support our national effort in this period of preparedness. He had appeared before the House, together with a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Mohammad Habibu Tijani, to spell out the various coordinated efforts being made by the government and stakeholders to prevent or contain any outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. The two highlighted the various measures being initiated to stop the possible transmission of the virus in Ghana and the efforts made to ensure the protection of 300 Ghanaian students in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the deadly viral disease, as well as the 30,000 Ghanaians living in China. High alert Mr Agyeman-Manu told the legislators that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended to member states to prepare and prevent further international exportation of the outbreak by strengthening systems for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation, case and contact management. In response, he said, public health emergency management structures at all the national, regional and district levels had been activated and placed on high alert. For instance, he said the National Technical Coordination Committee, made up of experts from the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the WHO, the Veterinary Services Department, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the Ghana Immigration Service and the security agencies, had met three times to discuss how best to prevent the transmission of the disease. The MoH and the GHS have sent alerts to all regions and districts to activate their respective public health emergency management committees. Stakeholder engagements have started and we have met with the authorities of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), the Tema Port and the Ghana Airport Company Limited, he said. No Ghanaian infected He said a meeting had also been held with the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana to discuss issues related to regulating high-risk travels to and from the affected areas in China. He said while commending Ghana for doing its best to contain the outbreak, the Chinese Ambassador had given an assurance that no Ghanaian in the affected areas had been infected. The minister told the House that alerts had been sent to the regions, teaching hospitals and points of entry on the outbreak, saying that the alerts also detailed clinical features of the infection and gave guidance on prevention. Screening With large-scale awareness and the training of health workers to be rolled out, he said, measures had been taken to enhance screening at the points of entry, especially the heavy traffic entry points, including Aflao and Elubo. We are screening for fever using walk-through thermometers and non-contact thermometers at the KIA and other designated points of entry. Efforts are underway to ensure that all the points of entry have non-contact thermometers, he said. Case management With regard to the management of infected persons, Mr Agyeman-Manu said his outfit had designated treatment centres, isolation facilities and holding places for the management of confirmed and suspected cases, respectively. Four health facilities have been identified as treatment centres the Tema General Hospital, the Ga East Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the Police Hospital. Furthermore, all teaching hospitals and regional hospitals have potential capacity to treat cases. We have dedicated ambulances for the safe transport of any suspected and confirmed case for further management, he added. Mission support Mr Tijani said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had granted approval for the Ghana Mission in Beijing to expend $4,286 to cater for emergency needs such as medical masks, sanitisers and food supplies, especially for Ghanaians in Wuhan and its environs. He pointed that out of the 300 Ghanaians studying in Wuhan, 152 had been caught up in the lock-down in the city, saying that our mission has contacted them and has, in conjunction with the NUGS-China, provided them with basic items such as nose masks, sanitisers and some groceries. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to make the case for his reelection, claiming success in delivering on promises, especially the economy. "Unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises," Trump said at an event marked by partisan acrimony. The tensions played out live on national television, with Trump refusing to shake House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand at the start of his address and her dramatically ripping a copy of his speech into pieces when he was done. Trump delivered his speech the night before the Senate is expected to acquit him on Democratic-initiated impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress. But the partisan hostilities also can be linked to significant policy differences on issues such as border security, immigration and tax cuts. Heres are some of Trumps key campaign pledges and his record so far in office: Border and immigration Trumps 2016 presidential campaign was just a few minutes old when he made a bold promise. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall, Trump vowed after riding down an escalator into the gilded lobby of Trump Tower, where he formally announced what some considered to be a quixotic campaign for president. To those doubters in the room and around the country, Trump wrapped his campaign promise in a three-word coda: Mark my words. Perhaps no other issue animated Trumps campaign as much as immigration. From his proposed impenetrable physical wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to the dramatic changes he proposed to the legal immigration system, Trump hammered away at what he described on the campaign trail as one of the greatest challenges facing our country today. During a major address on immigration in the summer of 2016, Trump laid out 10 policies he promised to pursue, from building the wall and requiring Mexico to pay for it to ending catch and release to blocking funding for so-called sanctuary cities that decline to cooperate with some requests from the Department of Homeland Security. Story continues Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration and curtailed legal immigration as well but on the specific promises he made during his campaign, the administration has a mixed record. Thats partly because the White House has been unable to make deals with Democrats, has pursued its policies unilaterally and has been repeatedly shut down in court. Hell claim success but from our point of view the goalposts are quite different, said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a Washington-based group that advocates on behalf of immigrants. Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, gave the president generally high marks for meeting his promises on immigration. A lot of this is effort, he said. If the courts stopped you, thats not necessarily your fault. The presidents border wall is among the most illustrative examples. The administration said this month it had built 100 miles of border wall, for instance, but virtually all of that construction has replaced barriers that previously existed during the Obama administration. That is despite a government shutdown in 2018 over wall funding and an emergency declaration that allowed Trump to free up military funding for the wall. Mexico has not paid for the wall and its government has vowed it will not do so. Still, the president is aggressively campaigning on the wall this year as well, promising to build 450 miles of barrier by the end of 2020. Ive always thought of it more as a metaphor and rally change than anything close to being an effective immigration strategy, Sharry said. Building the wall?: Homeland Security chief marks completion of 100 miles of 'new border wall' with plaque On other immigration fronts, Trump signed an executive order in 2017 to block sanctuary cities and counties from receiving federal funding, but much of that order has been struck down or is pending in federal courts. There were nearly 1 million border apprehensions in the 2019 fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Thats almost double the year before but still below several peaks in the 2000s, when Border Patrol was routinely catching more than a million people a year. Trump promised to remove immigrants in the country illegally, but the number of deportations under Trump about 267,000 in 2019 remains lower than virtually every year of the Obama presidency. Trump, meanwhile, approved a plan last year to cap the number of refugees admitted to the United States to 18,000 the lowest level in four decades ago and he recently expanded a travel ban he implemented early in his term to six additional countries. Trump's travel ban, which the administration re-worked after a series of court losses, suspends the issuance of certain types of visas from countries the administration says does not adequately screen visitors to the U.S. The initial version of the travel ban, which Trump had promised on the campaign trail, led to chaos and protests at U.S. airports and was struck down by federal courts over concerns that it discriminated against Muslims. Travel ban: Trump expands controversial travel ban restrictions to six new countries The economy Trump promised annual economic growth of at least 3% on a sustained basis but dangled the possibility of 4, 5, and maybe even 6%. That hasnt happened. Unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy has expanded an average 2.5% during the first three years of his term, somewhat faster than the 2.2% post-recession average before he took office. The federal tax cuts he spearheaded, along with government spending increases, juiced growth to 2.9% in 2018 but gains slowed to 2.3% in 2019 and are expected to throttle back to slightly less than 2% this year and in 2021. An aging population and weak productivity growth are restraining the U.S. and global economy over the long term. Still, Trumps economic record has been very solid, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a nonprofit group that promotes center-right policies. Trumps rollback of federal regulations that stymied business growth has been stunningly large and impactful, Holtz-Eakin said. And many of the corporate reforms included in the tax cuts and jobs package passed in late 2017 will benefit businesses for years, he said. Tax cuts Trump vowed the $1.5 trillion in sweeping tax cuts he spearheaded in 2017 wouldnt increase the federal deficit because they would pay for themselves through faster economic growth that swells government revenue. But the tax law is projected to add $1.8 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal budget. While faster economic growth is forecast to generate about $570 billion in additional revenue, that will be offset by higher interest payments on a bigger national debt, the committee says. Trump also said the tax cuts would spark a wave of business investment as a result of both lower rates and changes allowing businesses to deduct capital spending more rapidly. A study by the International Monetary Fund found the legislation did boost investment but by 3.5 percentage points, but that was below the average 5.3 percentage point increase that was forecast. About 80% of the tax savings was channeled into stock buybacks, dividends and other similar activities while just 20% went to capital spending or research and development. President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping in 2017. Trade Trump kept his promise to withdraw the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama. On his third day in office, Trump signed an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the agreement, which he had once called a rape of our country. Trump also lived up to a pledge to negotiate a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. Just last week, Trump signed into law the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a revised trade pact that puts in place rules for moving products among the three countries and replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, a quarter-century-old trade pact that Trump had mocked as the worst trade deal ever. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to "cut a better deal with China that helps American businesses and workers compete." After months of on-again, off-again negotiations and a trade war in which the two countries slapped billions of dollars in tariffs on each others products, Trump signed a limited "Phase One" trade deal with China in January. The agreement calls for China to buy an additional $200 billion worth of U.S. goods and services over the next two years, including $32 billion in agriculture products. Trump said negotiations would begin soon on a broader agreement that he said could be completed after the 2020 election. China trade: What's in Trump's 'Phase One' trade deal between the U.S. and China? Regardless, Trump gets a B-minus on trade policy from Daniel Griswold, a trade expert at The Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Part of the reason, Griswold said, is the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada looks a lot like NAFTA, which Trump had disparaged. At the same time, many parts of the new trade pact were lifted directly from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the deal Trump abandoned after taking office. Whats more, Griswold said, the nations trade deficit has risen by 25 percent under Trump when compared to Obamas last year in office despite Trumps campaign promise that, under his administration, the trade deficit would drop like youve never seen before. U.S. duties on $360 billion in Chinese imports and Chinas counter-tariffs on U.S. exports to that country lowered economic growth by three-tenths of a percentage point last year and are expected to cut growth by a tenth of a point in 2020, said Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist for Oxford Economics. And Trumps trade fights have shaved U.S. employment by 340,000 jobs, said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics. On the positive side, the Phase One trade deal requires China to buy an additional $200 billion in agricultural and other goods from the U.S. over the next two years, more than doubling current exports. Daco said its questionable whether China has the desire and drive to boost shipments that much. In any case, he said it doesnt appear the U.S. has the capacity to produce that much more without shifting its exports to China from other countries, leaving economic growth unchanged. President Donald Trump smiles as he walks with his daughter Ivanka Trump across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Working families Everybody is getting a tax cut, especially the middle class, Trump promised when he was a candidate. Not everyone got a tax cut. But many Americans did. An analysis by PolitiFact found that, under the tax cut and jobs package that passed Congress at the end of 2017, every income group would pay less taxes in 2019, but that the benefits would flow disproportionately to wealthier taxpayers. By 2027 every income group below $75,000 would see a tax increase, while only those income ranges above $75,000 would still see a cut, PolitiFact found. The primary reason is some of the individual tax cuts phase out after 2025. Trump also embraced daughter Ivanka Trumps push for paid family leave when he was running for office. At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Trump called for six weeks of paid maternity leave as part of a package of childcare initiatives. That idea went nowhere in Congress. But some 2.1 million civilian federal workers will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid leave after the birth of a child, adoption or the start of foster care under a deal struck last year. The paid leave policy was included in a compromise defense package. Congressional Democrats signed off on money for Trumps Space Force program while Republicans agreed to demands on parental and family leave. Paid family leave for everyone is not going to happen this year, Holtz-Eakin said. Thats something hes going to have to promise in a second term. Speech drama: He snubbed her handshake, she tore up his speech. Drama between Trump and Pelosi was on full display at the State of the Union address. Health care Candidate Trump promised Americans he would repeal the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform law enacted under Obama. Real change begins with immediately repealing and replacing Obamacare. What a mess, Trump told a crowd at a political rally in Toledo on Oct. 27, 2016. But three years after Trump took office, Obamacare is still in effect. The big promise was the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, Holtz-Eakin said. That hasnt happened. Republicans in general had a fairly spectacular unsuccessful run at that. They have, however, managed to dilute parts of the law. In their 2017 tax package, the GOP eliminated the penalty on people who can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it. The change wiped out one of the most unpopular provisions of Obamacare, but the law itself still stands. Even so, Obamacares fate remains uncertain. A federal judge ruled in Texas ruled in 2018 that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, finding that the mandate that everyone buy insurance or pay a fine is so central to the law that it cannot stand now that Congress has rolled back the penalty. A three-judge appeals court panel has sent the case back to the Texas judge to decide which portions of the law can stand. Repeal and replace?: 3 promises Trump made about health care that repeal plans haven't kept National security Trump may be hard pressed to articulate any major foreign policy accomplishments, since many of his initiatives have yet to bear fruit. His push to oust Venezuelas president, Nicholas Maduro, has stalled. His negotiations with North Koreas Kim Jong Un have fizzled. His push for a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan remains out of reach. What's more, Trumps recently unveiled Middle East peace plan years in the making was dismissed by regional experts as a nonstarter. Trump has unquestionably made good on his promise to take a hard line on Iran. But while he yanked the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed severe economic sanctions on Iran, he has not been able to persuade Tehrans leaders to negotiate a new agreement with him. Instead, Iran has begun to abandon its commitments under the 2105 deal and appears to be inching toward acquiring a nuclear weapon. And while Trump has touted his decision to authorize a deadly strike killing Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the powerful Iranian military leader, it is not clear if that will make Americans safer. Shortly after the Soleimani strike, Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles at an Iraqi air base in an attack that left more than 60 U.S. service members with traumatic brain injury. And while tensions have eased since Soleimanis death, many experts believe Iran will continue to look for less overt, but still lethal, ways to retaliate against the U.S. for his killing. President Trump meets with Kim Jong Un and is first U.S. President to step onto North Korean soil North Korea Trump has met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un twice since last years State of the Union address in Hanoi last February and at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea over the summer. The president has said his bold new diplomacy could result in tremendous things for U.S.-North Korea relations. But Trumps unconventional strategy of engagement focusing on personal diplomacy at the highest level has yet to produce any concessions that would put North Korea on the path to denuclearization. Kim has not tested long-range ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons during the negotiations, but he has continued to test short-range missiles and other weapons. And the region is on a knifes edge, after Kim promised to unveil a new strategic weapon and as Trumps next move remains unclear. In the meantime, experts say North Korea continues to improve its ballistic missile program and expand its nuclear arsenal with ongoing fissile material production. Ending forever wars Trump promised in last years State of the Union address that he would reduce Americas military presence in the Middle East repeating his oft-cited campaign pledge. Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years, he said. Great nations do not fight endless wars. But Trump has deployed more American troops to the region, particularly in recent months amid escalating tensions with Iran. After Trump authorized a deadly striking killing Irans Soleimani, the president sent an additional 3,000 troops to Kuwait amid increased threat levels in the region. According to the Associated Press, 14,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to the Middle East since May. The president has successfully reduced U.S. troop levels in Syria after a successful military campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group. But Trump was forced to back off his call for a complete withdrawal from Syria amid an uproar over what many saw as a betrayal of Americas Kurdish allies in Syria, who helped U.S. troops rout ISIS. He also endured withering bipartisan criticism for his decision to withdraw about 50 American troops from the Syria-Turkey border, a decision that paved the way for Turkey to invade Syria and attack the Kurds. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of the Union: Where Donald Trump stands on promises UPDATE: The board of regents voted 6-1 early Wednesday to remove President Austin Lane. Read more about the vote on HoustonChronicle.com. Original story follows below. *** A lively crowd of more than 100 supporters of Texas Southern University President Austin Lane gathered Tuesday night as the schools regents met to discuss his fate in office. The regents, have yet to provide much reasoning for their Jan. 10 action to place Lane, TSUs 12th president, on leave. The board subsequently released a statement noting the action was taken amid a probe into admissions. Though the regents have said that the president was interviewed twice during the investigation, they have not said how hes connected. Lane, who assumed the presidency in 2016, walked into the meeting around 7 p.m. and was met with cheers from supporters applauding and chanting Dr. Lane! Dr. Lane! Regents did not allow public comment , but some in the lively crowd nonetheless made comments as they packed into a meeting room in TSUs living learning center. Rhonda Skillern-Jones, a TSU alumna and the Houston Community College Trustee for District II, called the regents decision to bar public comment outrageous, stating that it made the opinions of those from the university community feel invalid. Regent Chair Hasan Mack attempted to begin the boards executive session, which would be closed to the public. But Marcus Davis, a Houston restaurateur and TSU alumnus, would not allow it to go on without his voice being heard. Id like to make a motion that Dr. Lane be reinstated immediately, Davis yelled. People in the crowd shouted second and third motions before erupting in applause. Not today, Mack! Davis yelled to the chair. Lanes attorney Darryl Carter also attempted to chime in. Im entitled to make an objection. It wont take long, he said loudly, but the regents began exiting the room one by one. And you need to hear from public stakeholders, the community, students, alumni, everybody! shouted one woman in the crowd. We need men and women of good character and integrity in that room, making good decision, Davis called after them. While the regents held their session in another private room, the crowd waited in the meeting room, chattering and passing around petitions in hopes of getting enough signatures to reinstate Lane. Lane also made his rounds around the room, shaking hands and greeting attendees. Davis said he decided to attend the board meeting in support of his alma mater, adding that great things have been happening over the years and we want to continue to happen. Texas Southern belongs to students, faculty, staff and students, Davis said. Its not the personal property of the board to do as they please. Nobodys perfect, but we believe great things have been done, Davis said of Lane. Hes making us proud. In previous interviews, Lane has maintained his innocence. I expect to be reinstated immediately or paid out for the remainder of my contract for breach of contract, Lane told KPRC 2 before he was directed not to speak to media. Lane earned $533,378 in 2018, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Southern regents to talk about firing president they put on leave without explanation Lanes wife Loren said in a Facebook post Monday that the silence has been taken as a sign of scandal or wrongdoing by some. We chose to remain silent, putting our faith in the due process of fairness we expected from the board of regents, Loren Lane said. Although no one has communicated anything to us about a timeline, plans nor a resolution, we have remained faithful to due process and professionalism. We look forward to the day when Austin is reinstated as the president and his good name is cleared of any alleged improprieties, because there are simply none. Loren Lane urged TSUs friends and family to rally around her husband at the board meeting. Please guys, plan to attend this meeting to express your support of the university and the immediate reinstatement of our 12th president, Dr. Austin A. Lane, Lane said in a video posted to Facebook. We need you to come out, to show up and to (provide) support so we can get back to doing the good work at (TSU). She added that she and her husband look forward to putting this pause behind us and getting back to the work that we love the dedication to the students, the community and the continued advancement of the great work that hes done thus far and continue to do at (TSU). Until then, go Tigers. As of early Tuesday afternoon, Lanes post had garnered more than 2,600 views, 160 likes, 70 shares and 30 comments, some saying that they will pray for her husbands reinstatement. brittany.britto@chron.com Los Angeles Crystal Clarke could imagine herself playing the heroine of a period costume drama, a genre that regularly makes its way to TV and film screens with potential breakout roles for young actresses. But the African American tempered her expectations. "I had hope for myself and I knew what I could do. But the sad part comes in: 'Oh, other people around me would never see me that way,'" said the New Jersey-born Clarke, a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland whose credits include "Black Mirror" and two "Star Wars" films. Then Jane Austen came to the rescue. When the novelist died in the summer of 1817, she left behind an unfinished draft that served as source material for PBS' "Masterpiece" drama series "Sanditon" and offered Clarke an unexpected opportunity: Miss Lambe, the sole character of color in Austen's works. When the script first came to her, Clarke approached it with understandable reservation. What would such a woman be if not in the background and servile? "It's just going to be another (expletive) maid," she recalled thinking. "When I was reading it, I was like, "Wait a minute, there's actually a lot to it.' I was really surprised at what kind of character this was they were trying to create." Lambe is a historically credible figure, not modern wish fulfillment for diversity, according to an expert on Austen and her times. "Race relations were a real thing and very complex in 18th-century Britain," said Devoney Looser, author of "The Making of Jane Austen" and an Arizona State University professor. There were an estimated 10,000 people of African or Afro-Caribbean descent in London as the 19th century approached, she said, about 1 percent of the city's population of 1 million. Austen, who famously referred in letters to "the little bit (2 inches wide) of ivory" as her artistic canvas and "four or five families in a county village" its contained focus, should not be viewed as uninformed or indifferent to the outside world, Loosey said. "This idea that she wasn't paying attention to history or politics is false. I think she was very keyed into history and politics," she said, which in Austen's time would have required an understanding of the anti-slavery movement. Two Austen works, "Mansfield Park" and "Emma," mention slavery, with one character defending another as "always rather a friend to the abolition." Wherever Austen intended to take her incomplete novel, the task of developing it for "Sanditon" fell to screenwriter Andrew Davies, whose Austen adaptations include 1995's "Pride and Prejudice" miniseries. The characters he inherited this time around included the the briefly sketched Lambe, a young, biracial heiress from the West Indies the center of the British slave trade that was part of her heritage. "There were only two words used by Jane Austen to describe Miss Lambe, 'chilly' and 'tender.' And I I took 'chilly' very literally to mean that she found the climate very unpleasant," Davies said. "'Tender' is ambiguous. I took it to mean vulnerable, quick to see slights and prejudice in others, which she does find, of course." She became a more spirited character in Davies' hands. Georgiana Lambe and the drama's central female character, Charlotte (Rose Williams), meet and bond as visitors to the seaside village of Sanditon. Charlotte's love interest, Sidney (Theo James) is the orphaned Lambe's guardian on the series airing through Feb. 23 and available online at pbs.org. "It would seem quite natural that Charlotte would befriend her, because Charlotte is a very open-minded sort of character and quick to see injustice and call it out," Davies said. "They'd be natural companions, and I thought it would be fun to give Miss Lambe quite a playful and rebellious sort of character, so as to give Sidney a hard time." From the start, Clarke refused to approach the role passively. "I was very wary because the writers are white, producers are white, director is white," she said. "There were some things that, through nobody's fault except not knowing, didn't sit well with me and that I would want changed to suit the perspective of a character who's supposed to be so much in her power, or trying to find her power." Among her concerns: story lines that suggested Lambe's wealth would have protected her from racism, and a scene in which she laments that a man's anti-slavery efforts were taking precedence over her. "She would never say that. She grew up on a plantation and she understands the horrors of it," Clarke said. "It's very much of an important thing to her." It was at the first cast dinner that Clarke realized that she and Lambe were in good hands. The producers assured her that "'we don't want to just have you here. We want to make sure that it's done right," she recalled. [February 05, 2020] ALTO Real Estate Funds Acquires Prince William Square Shopping Center In Woodbridge, Virginia For $37.85 Million ALTO Real Estate Funds has acquired Prince William Square, a 232,957 square foot, 89% leased, dominant shopping center with regional draw located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The property was purchased for $37.85 million. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005610/en/ Prince William Square, Woodbridge, Virginia (Photo: Business Wire) Prince William Square is located approx. 20 miles from Washington DC, and across from the Potomac Mills, Virginia's largest outlet shopping mall. The property is home to top national retailers including Ross Dress for Less, MOM's Organic Grocer, dd's Discounts, Ashley Furniture, Harbor Freight (News - Alert) Tools, and Jo-Ann Fabrics. "Prince William Square is a huge win for our fund to get a foothold in the mid-Atlantic, one of the fastest growing and most desirable areas in the US," says Yaniv Melamud, CEO and Co-Founder of ALTO Real Estate Funds, "with the recent addition of dd's Discounts and mix of organic grocer and necessity-based retailers, the asset has the potential to add value over time through leae-up of vacant suites, while providing current cash flow." The acquisition of Prince William Square was financed with a $25.0 million, 7-year term loan at an attractive fixed rate from Morgan Stanley Bank. Walker & Dunlop's Los Angeles Capital Markets Team secured the debt on behalf of ALTO Real Estate Funds. This transaction marks the first acquisition of ALTO in the Northern Virginia market. Prince William Square is the ninth asset acquired by ALTO Fund 3 whose acquisitions over the past two years amounted to $330 million. The fund intends to invest an additional $400 million over the next two years. To date, ALTO has invested in 63 properties, with a value of approximately $1.3 billion representing 12 million square feet. About ALTO Real Estate Funds ALTO Real Estate Funds is a series of closed-end investment funds specializing in value-add commercial real estate across the US. Established in 2010, ALTO has offices in Dallas, Columbus, Hoboken, and Tel Aviv. ALTO's investments provide a stabilizing component to portfolios, combining low risk profiles with a value-add approach, to target an attractive annual yield and stable cash flow. The management team works closely with a network of experienced industry contacts to identify solid investment opportunities. ALTO consistently demonstrates a strong and solid track record and consequently maintains a loyal investor base. For further information, please visit www.alto-investments.com, or follow and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005610/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Being in a big city or town has its own set of perks -- the most important one being instant access to good healthcare -- something that villages and tribal areas dont get access to. However, people there need it more than anyone, with increased susceptibility to physical harm due to the harsh lifestyle lead by them. TOI/ AP Dr Ravindra Kolhe from Nagpur, Maharashtra saw something similar this and wanted to do something about it. After completing his MBBS from GMCH Nagpur, in 1985, he was assigned to go to Bairagarh for a year and a half. There he saw the plight of the people, especially the ones in the tribal outskirts. Then he came back to Nagpur to complete his MD in preventive and social medicine, post which he made a decision to settle in Bairagarh in 1987. Later, his wife Dr Smita Kolhe (specialising in Ayurveda and Homeopathy) too joined him in helping the people. Charging Re 1 For Treatments, Even Today Here, both charged patients just Re 1 for getting treated at their clinic -- and even today the amount hasnt changed. Along with this, they together ran their own government ration shop. In a statement to the Times of India, Mr Kolhe said, Initially, we would walk about 40 km from the bus station. But after 15 years, the bus started coming to our hospital. It is the people of Melghat who have brought this honour to me. Had they not accepted me, I would have been nowhere. Providing medical care without any expensive medical equipment We have access to electricity and equipment that help in testing and accurately helping in diagnosing the problem. Put this in a tribal location and its a challenge like no other -- especially when people rely on superstitions and tantriks for curing. He said, While working in tribal regions, doctors must know how to deliver a baby without the facility of sonography or blood transfusion, how to diagnose pneumonia without an X-ray and how to cure diarrhoea. With these skills, I earned the respect of tribal people. He further added, Although they still believe in treating their ailments with the help of tantriks, but the number has gone down substantially. MymedicalMantra Saving Lives Of Tribal Kids Lack of medical attention resulted in a considerable spike in the number of kids dying in infancy. This was something that the Kohles focussed on eradicating. He said, When I came here 1985 after completing my MBBS, I was shocked to see the condition of tribals living in this area. IMR was around 200 per thousand children which was one of the highest in the country. But over a period of time, things have improved and now IMR is around 40 which I believe would go down as government, as well as the local groups, are working hard in this direction, For their contributions to the society and the tribals of Melghat, both Mr and Mrs Kolhe were awarded Padma Shri by President of India Ram Nath Govind in 2019. What if the greatest threat to our election security isn't Russian hackers? What if it's actually well-intentioned Americans?Phishing attacks account for more than 90 percent of data breaches . Imagine a scenario in which a campaign operative opens a seemingly harmless email, supposedly from her email provider, asking her to change her password. She clicks on the link, follows the instructions and unintentionally gives an unknown cyber actor access to her entire email database, including contacts, strategy memos and other privileged communication. Now stop imagining, because this happened to a high-ranking Hillary Clinton campaign official during the 2016 election.This isn't to minimize the legitimate and serious threat to elections posed by Russian and other state-backed hackers. During the 2016 election cycle, Kremlin-connected hackers targeted election systems in 21 states and succeeded in breaching a voter database in Illinois. While voter data remained intact, the fact that Russian hackers managed to finagle their way into Illinois' system should raise alarms.But many malicious cyberactivities, such as the phishing scenario described above, simply take advantage of innocent mistakes made by Americans. Our elections systems face myriad security risks . Despite efforts to increase funding for election security, many of these risks will still exist when the voters go to the polls in November. But one issue election administrators still have time to address is the lack of adequate security training for poll workers and others who manage our elections at the ground level.While problems with voting technology can bedevil any election as was amply illustrated by the chaos surrounding this week's Iowa Democratic caucuses human error is a major vulnerability in any voting system. Tales of worker error in elections range from optical scanners left unplugged to distribution of ballots to the wrong precinct. One study of poll workers in California reported several such breaches of standard operating procedures, including leaving a memory card with vote totals at the polling site at the end of the day and leaving the door to a ballot box unlocked.A majority of poll workers are older than 60 , which is unsurprising given that most people under that age are too busy with work or school to take off the time. And without proper training, many older poll workers lack an adept understanding of technology and cybersecurity. This leads to an insecure voting environment.Additional training may sound discouraging to counties that already struggle to recruit poll workers , and local governments may feel that additional time commitments will only exacerbate that problem and increase their financial burdens. This could explain why election officials in Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania told NBC that they never received cybersecurity training But basic cybersecurity training need not be particularly expensive, and there are free resources available for local governments to improve election security. Last May, the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an "Election Infrastructure Security Resource Guide," which lists cybersecurity assessment services that are available without cost to state and local election jurisdictions. One of those services is an assessment of an organization's susceptibility to phishing operations. State and local election officials can also access cybersecurity resources and share threat information through groups such as the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center Human error is the No. 1 threat to the cybersecurity of our democratic process. When we don't take threats to our election infrastructure seriously, we invite enemies of democracy into our computer systems. The region was a cauldron of empire, though the curators use the word empire with reservations. Among the cultures and kingdoms to arise here were ancient Ghana, Mali, Songhay and Bamana Segu, with various migrations and periods of decay and coalescence. Epic narratives, still circulating today, were passed down, including the Sunjata, a core poem of African oral literature that recounts the life of Mansa Musas ancestor Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali empire. And, rather like the various empires that flourished in China and the Mediterranean, visual ideas were transferred across the centuries and from one kingdom to another, as new political elites sought to foster legitimacy and connection to the past. New Delhi: Chinese delegations will not be visiting two mega exhibitions DefExpo 2020 and Auto Expo starting on Wednesday in India due to outbreak of the coronavirus infection. The biennial defence exhibition will be held in Lucknow till February 9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate DefExpo-2020 on Wednesday. Some 1,024 companies, including 165 foreign companies will be participating. Union defence secretary Ajay Kumar had said on Friday that delegates coming from coronavirus-affected countries will undergo proper screening. Industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), president Rajan Wadhera said that all Chinese companies participating at the Auto Expo have confirmed that their exhibit area would be manned by their Indian employees or representatives. He said that none of these stalls would be manned by anybody who has come to India recently from China. As all arrivals from China has now been stopped, there will be no visitors/delegations from China at the Motor Show, said Mr Wadhera. He said that despite the Auto Expo facing no coronavirus threat, the organisers are taking measures to make people aware of symptoms and the prevention actions. (Alliance News) - The UK Government is chartering a final flight to bring UK nationals back from coronavirus-hit Wuhan as Britons in mainland China are urged to get out after the outbreak continued to claim more lives. The plane is expected to leave in the early hours of Sunday morning local time and will land at RAF Brize Norton, the Foreign Office said a adding that they want to ensure that all British nationals in Hubei province contact their team to register if they want to leave on the flight. The PA news agency understands that 165 Britons and their dependants remain in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, while 108 people have requested assistance to leave as of the early hours of Wednesday. A total of 94 UK nationals and family members have already been evacuated to Britain from Wuhan on two flights which arrived on Friday and Sunday. One passenger was taken to hospital in Oxford after telling medics he had a cough and a cold, while the rest of those who came back are in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday night: "We have been working round the clock to help British nationals leave Hubei province, on UK, French and New Zealand flights. "The Foreign Office is chartering a second and final UK flight with space to help all British nationals and their dependants remaining in Hubei to leave. "I encourage all British nationals in Hubei to register with our teams if they want to leave on this flight." Meanwhile, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak continues to rise with Chinese authorities reporting 490 victims and an increase in the number of cases to 24,324. In Japan, 10 people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive for the virus and were being taken to hospitals, while 3,700 other passengers will be quarantined on board. Among those stuck on the ship in Yokohama Bay, near Tokyo, are David and Sally Abel. Speaking on a video posted on Facebook, Abel, of Woodford Halse in Oxfordshire, said: "It appears that our quarantine is on board the ship, that we will not be taken off to a hospital. "The 10 people that are affected, they are being taken off very soon by the local coastguard into a medical facility. We are to remain on board the ship and we are confined to our cabins. "Naturally, we want to be home. We are missing our little Yorkie dogs. But two weeks, it'll go quite quickly I hope." In an interview with PA on Tuesday, a British man who fears he contracted coronavirus said he is isolated in his apartment in Wuhan and has been given no indication of when he will be able to leave the city. Jamie Morris, a 23-year-old teacher from New Tredegar in South Wales, said he believes he may have contracted the virus at the end of November, before the mass outbreak prompted global media attention. He said he had not been able to make the recent flights back to the UK because his passport had been given to the Chinese government to extend his residency permit. He said the Foreign Office's crisis team in London had told him "to be patient and they will be in touch if anything changes". Earlier, Raab said: "We now advise British nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday there were "no plans to evacuate all remaining UK nationals in China". He added: "We haven't seen the peak of the coronavirus by a long stretch and we expect more cases in the UK. "We have a full plan in place to treat all those who have symptoms and test positively for coronavirus and we are working with international partners both to slow the spread and also to do the research that we need to do to find a vaccine." Health officials are trying to trace 239 people who flew from Wuhan to the UK before travel restrictions came into force. The Department of Health said that, as of Tuesday, 414 people have tested negative for coronavirus. The World Health Organisation said it is still early in the outbreak, but coronavirus does not yet constitute a pandemic. Meanwhile, the University of York confirmed that a student who contracted coronavirus returned to his apartment but did not come into contact with other residents. The unnamed student, who is being treated with a relative at a specialist facility in Newcastle, was not in the Vita Student block when he came into contact with the virus but "did return to their room on one occasion and stayed overnight", the university said, as it moved to reassure other students. In statement on Tuesday, it said: "During this brief period the student did not meet other residents or staff at the building or make use of the communal facilities." Elsewhere, Public Health England (PHE) confirmed a Belgian woman on board the same French flight that brought back UK citizens from China on Sunday has tested positive for the new strain. Nick Phin, PHE's National Infection Service deputy director, said: "All of the individuals who were on this flight are currently in supervised isolation and are being monitored for symptoms." source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. MUSKEGON, MI -- High water at Muskegons Lake Michigan beach has prompted Burning Foot, an annual festival for beer lovers, to seek a new location this year. The festival that has taken place on Muskegons Pere Marquette beach since 2015 is seeking to relocate to Heritage Landing on Muskegon Lake this year. The event features on-site camping, dozens of beer vendors, live music and art installations. The events organizers proposed the change in early January, following concerns about rising lake levels and construction work at the citys iconic Lake Michigan park, according to co-chair Allen Serio. The change was approved during a meeting of the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Ways and Means committee on Tuesday, and will head to a vote by the full board next week. We did an evaluation...after we had all the storms this fall, and took a look at if Pere Marquette was going to have enough square footage to produce the event this year, Serio told MLive. Coupled with construction projects planned for the park, he said, "it was just too difficult and logistically a nightmare for us to try to execute a festival down there. The construction projects include repairs on the south breakwater and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Beach Street and Lakeshore Drive. Serio told MLive that organizers are confident they will receive county approval, and will immediately re-market the event, which will take place Saturday, Aug. 29 from 3-10 p.m., with the new location in mind. But, Serio added, this change will be temporary; organizers hope to return to Pere Marquette in the future. Its definitely not a permanent change, were going to go back to the beach, but we need to do an analysis and study of the beach again, he said. Elements of the festival that visitors have come to expect, including camping and art installations, will remain. Tent and RV campgrounds will be available. Terms of the agreement with the county include a ban on campfires. There will also be partnership with nonprofits, as in years past, including Kids Food Basket, and Serio said that organizers are looking to add a paid parking component to benefit another nonprofit, a common practice for other festivals that use Heritage Lansing in the summer. Heritage Landing, near downtown Muskegon, is also home to the Michigan Irish Festival each September. The annual Burning Foot Beer Festival, hosted by the Lakeshore Brewers Guild, features art, music, and dozens of breweries. Vendors come from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, attracting hundreds of visitors from across the Midwest. Last year, 80 breweries served more than 400 drafts to thousands of visitors. Heralding the end of summer, the late-August festival has also allowed visitors to camp out in tents or trailers. It is named, in part, for the fact that visitors go barefoot on the sometimes burning hot sands of Pere Marquette beach. Serio said that those who want to feel the elements underfoot will still be welcome to shed their shoes in the new location. Theyre going to feel grass between their toes, he said. Read more on MLive: High water levels shut down boardwalk at Muskegons dog beach Hundreds gather for 2019 Burning Foot Beer Festival Erosion claims home on Lake Michigan despite owners attempts to save it Tourists today spend thousands of dollars to explore and enjoy the lush and thriving rainforests of Guatemala. It's hard to believe the landscape ever looked any different. But according to new research by UNLV climate scientists, the locations where those jungles exist today likely looked very different less than 9,000 years ago - a blink of an eye by geologic standards. "We often think of ecosystems as being unchangeable -- that a tropical rainforest is there, and has always been there," said Matthew Lachniet, professor and chair of the geoscience department at UNLV. "But that's not true. Any ecosystem responds to climate changes." In a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, Lachniet and colleagues at Indiana State University, the University of Venice, and other institutions examined the rainfall history of Central America over the last 11,000 years. The results provide context for the development of tropical rainforest ecosystems in the region, and long-sought answers to what has been controlling rainfall in Central America for several millennia. "Our results suggest that the rainforest as we know it today must have responded to those climate changes, and must be less than 9,000 years old in terms of its functioning and its structure, because the region was too dry before then to sustain it," Lachniet said. Stalagmite specimens gathered from a tourist cave in Coban, Guatemala, provided this insight and other historical data about the climate history of the region. Researchers found: Solar radiation, or insolation, is widely known to control rainfall amounts in the tropics. Guatemalan cave records, however, tell a different story for the Central American region of the tropics. In Central America, rainfall was weak 11,000 years ago, strengthened to modern levels at 9,000 years ago, and showed only a very weak decrease to today, unlike the history of insolation. When ice sheets from the last Ice Age melted mostly away -- about 9,000 to 7,000 years ago -- temperature rose and Central American rainfall responded in turn. The Central America rainfall record has the same time evolution as ocean and land temperatures over the last 11,000 years; therefore, ocean surface temperatures were more important than the sun's rays in driving rainfall in the region. "We found that as the oceans warm up, rainfall increases over Central America," Lachniet said. The team also found that the rainfall variations over the last 3,000 years, during which time the famed Maya civilization reached its maximum urban development and subsequent collapse, were relatively small compared to the total range of rainfall variation captured by the cave deposits. Lachniet and collaborators spent several days completing field work underground in Rey Marcos Cave, Guatemala for this research, which is a subterranean wonder of stalactites, stalagmites, and a disappearing river. According to Lachniet, the next phase of the team's research in the region will continue to examine the impacts of climate on the Maya civilization throughout its history. In previous research, Lachniet and an international team of researchers used stalagmite specimens to link the rise and fall of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to changing rainfall. ### Publication Details "Initiation of a stable convective hydroclimatic regime in Central America at ~9000 years BP" appeared in the Feb. 5 issue of Nature Communications. Nagaland will have one more Lok Sabha seat and the government will take effective steps for the rehabilitation of the members of the rebel groups. The ongoing Naga peace talks between the Centre and National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) has concluded negotiation on all the political issues, but signing of the peace accord was delayed due to few minor issues on which Naga rebel groups have to take a call. (Photo: Representational Image) Guwahati: The ongoing Naga peace talks between the Centre and National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) has concluded negotiation on all the political issues, but signing of the peace accord was delayed due to few minor issues on which Naga rebel groups have to take a call. Asserting that the ball is now in the court of rebel groups, security sources in the ministry of home affairs told this newspaper that more than hundred armed cadres of NSCN(I-M) are still in Myanmar and they will have to be brought back to India before the signing of the peace accord so that they also surrender along with the other cadres. Pointing out that some members, including senior cadres of the NSCN(I-M), are involved in unlawful activities like supply of illegal arms and ammunitions to criminal gangs in other parts of the country and some are running car lifting rackets, security sources said that ministry of home affairs has told the Naga leadership that it was not acceptable to the government. Security sources said that Government of India was insisting on categorical solution to these minor issues to end the presence of illegal weapons from the region. Asserting that negotiation between the Naga rebel groups and the government was complete and only the peace accord is left to be signed, security sources said that the government has been talking with the NSCN(I-M) and NNPG separately so far but now they have to come together for the signing of the agreement as there will be only one agreement. Security sources said that as part of the agreement reached between the government and the rebel groups, two auton-omous councils would be set up in the Naga inhabited areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Nagaland will have one more Lok Sabha seat and the government will take effective steps for the rehabilitation of the members of the rebel groups. Clarifying that there have been a demand for cultural integration of the Naga inhabited areas, security sources said that a large section of people in Nagaland opposed it and issue of cultural integration of Naga inhabited area was rejected. Crocodile with tyre round its neck for years (Photo credit: ARFA/AFP via Getty Images) The governnment of Indonesia has promised cash reward to anyone who can remove tyre around the neck of a 13-foot crocodile. The croc has been swimming with the tyre around its neck for years. According to Indonesias state-run Antara news agency, the crocodile has had the tire around its neck since at least 2016, though its unknown how it got there. Antara reported that the crocodile may be a Siamese crocodile, a species native to southeast Asia thats critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 1,000 of the crocodiles are thought to be left in the wild. Indonesian officials have now offered a reward to free the unnamed crocodile from its plight, according to Antara. A reward will be given to anyone who can release the hapless reptile, Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Office chief Hasmuni Hasmar said. Details of the reward were not given. There have been previous attempts to get the tire off the crocodile. In January 2018, a conservationist and animal whisperer was unsuccessful in removing the tyre, according to Antara. Antara also reported that in the same year, the conservation office tried to lure the crocodile using chicken and meat, and a crocodile trap also failed. The crocodile also survived a large earthquake and tsunami that struck the region in 2018. see more photos below: The situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone became seriously complicated Feb. 3. Turkeys Defense Ministry reported the deaths of several Turkish troops and civilians in the Syrian province of Idlib as a result of shelling by the Syrian government forces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who at the time was on a visit to Kiev, claimed that among the killed were three civilians and five soldiers. In retaliation, the Turkish artillery struck at the positions of the Syrian army in the area. The Russian Defense Ministry, in turn, said Ankara did not warn Moscow of the military activity in Idlib. This incident has become a climax of yet another Russian-Turkish crisis over the Idlib issue that Al-Monitor reported earlier. Ankara claims that the Bashar al-Assad regime does not comply with a cease-fire in the de-escalation zone and Moscow is unable to restrain the Syrian president. Some Turkish politicians say that the new surge of violence has already led to 400,000 Syrian refugees fleeing toward Turkey. This makes the authorities react increasingly harsh to events taking place at the border where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDP) have already accumulated. Moscow, in turn, points out the need to continue the fight against terrorist groups that have settled in Idlib, emphasizing that this does not violate the principles of the Astana and Sochi agreements, and that such operations will proceed since Ankara was unable to fulfill its own part of the 2018 Sochi memorandum under which it commited to separate the jihadis from moderate opposition groups. Despite the widening differences in approaches on Idlib, it is too early to say that the Russian-Turkish partnership has collapsed. The present situation is rather more about testing its strength. In fact, the operations of the regime forces backed by Russia have reached the point where the absence of a harsh reaction from Ankara would be perceived in Damascus as a weakness and a signal for further anti-Turkish activities not only in Idlib but possibly in Syria's northeast. Such inaction would adversely affect Turkeys foreign image. This is especially true due to the fact that three out of 12 Turkish observation posts set up around the perimeter of the Idlib de-escalation zone in order to prevent the Syrian army from advancing were surrounded and blocked and could not prevent the further advance of the regimes forces deeper into the zone. In addition, at the current stage of the military operation in Idlib, pro-government troops have reached a critical psychological barrier for Ankara the M4 highway. More precisely, they are at the crossroads of the M4 and M5 highways near the city of Saraqeb. If Assads forces carry out military operations beyond these highways to the north of the M4 and west of the M5 there will no longer be any natural lines between them and the Turkish border. Ankara thus would have nothing to rely on to demarcate Greater Idlib in order to ensure the establishment of a security zone for Syrian refugees. It is important to bear in mind that the M4 route has already become a crossline between the zone of the Turkey-launched Operation Peace Spring on the one hand, and both Syrian Arab Army and Syrian Democratic Forces formations in Syrias northeast on the other hand. There was indeed no direct agreement that part of Idlib north of the M4 and west of the M5 routes should remain under the Turkish "protectorate." However, the fact that Ankara has begun to make widescale investments into Idlib as well as launched a construction project to build 10,000 houses for IDPs near the Turkish border inside Syrian territory indicates a lack of intention to allow regaining control by government forces over the entire de-escalation zone. It is significant that Germany has also provided 25 million euros ($27.5 million) in support of this project. Therefore, as soon as the threat of a seizure of the city of Saraqib by the Assads regime arose, Turkey responded with a large-scale military deployment in Idlib. In just two days, on Feb. 2-3, Ankara sent five military convoys, 320 units of armored vehicles and trucks, and deployed five new checkpoints, one of which apparently was hit by Syrian artillery. This has made Russia to face a choice. Moscow might be forced to take the path of unequivocal support to Damascus, hence escalate on its confrontation with Ankara, and try to force Turkish troops to withdraw from Idlib, including using the leverage of economic pressure tested during the crisis in bilateral relations in 2015-16. This will naturally lead to a complete curtailment of the Russian-Turkish partnership in all areas and will result in a forced revision of the entire Russias Middle East policy where cooperation with Ankara is one of the key elements. This may also create a new reality in Syria. The United States could take advantage of Russian-Turkish tensions to finally drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey and might again provide the Turkish side with the opportunity to conduct yet another operation east of the Euphrates, for instance, in the direction of Kobani, Raqqa or Manbij. This would expand the control zone of Operation Peace Spring to new territories. Al-Monitor explained earlier why northeast Syria is the "weak element" of the entire security architecture of Damascus. If Washington opens up airspace for the Turkish air force, the limited contingent of the regimes forces in this region along with the Russian military police will have little chance of restraining the advancement of Turkish troops and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army. Ankara has already made it clear that the events in Idlib could affect Russian-Turkish cooperation in Syria's northeast when it canceled its participation in the next joint patrol. The United States has also sent a signal of support to Turkey, condemning Russia's actions in Syria. The second option for Moscow is to take a tough stance on Damascus forcing the Syrian regime to reckon with Russias interests, whereas the preservation and development of strategic cooperation between Russia and Turkey is a priority issue for Russia's foreign policy. In this regard, it would be necessary to reach new agreements with Ankara on Idlib similar to the Sochi accords, including the opening of the M4/M5 routes in Idlib and joint Russian-Turkish patrols along them, similar to those held east of the Euphrates River. In general, it would not be critical for Russia whether part of the Idlib de-escalation zone remains under the actual control of Turkey temporarily, for instance, until the end of the peace process. First, in case of Turkey's full deployment in Idlib the threat from the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is minimized, the forces of which would be virtually blocked and subsequently neutralized by Turkish troops. Second, until Idlib has come under Assads rule, the Syrian regime remains dependent on Russia with its military support. As the position of Damascus strengthens, it simultaneously seeks to act more independently from Moscow. Once Idlib is under the control of the Syrian government, this independence will manifest itself in an even more dramatic fashion. The Syrian regime, for its part, is interested in a speedy military solution to the Idlib issue, therefore it may be capable of any provocation in order to prevent a new Russian-Turkish deal on Idlib. Thereby the following cannot be ruled out: The recent incident that resulted in the death of Turkish soldiers could be a deliberate provocation of the Syrian regimes forces to damage Turkey-Russia ties. The possibility of such a scenario was also indicated by the former head of intelligence of the Turkish General Staff, Ismail Hakki Pekin, on the HaberTurk TV channel. He noted that both the Assad regime and other countries can stand behind a provocation aimed at a clash between Russia and Trukey in the region. Thus, it is impossible to exclude a repetition of such provocations. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 5, 2020) - Walker River Resources Corp. (TSXV: WRR) ("Walker" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional drill results from the late 2019 reverse circulation ("RC") drill programs on the Lapon Gold Project, located approximately 60 kilometres southeast of Yerington, Nevada. RC drill hole LC19-42 returned 96.03 g/t Au (uncut) over 13.7 meters, including 547.05 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, 115.38 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, and 199.06 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, at a depth of approximately 76 meters. RC drill hole LC19-43 returned 94.81 g/t Au (uncut) over 6.1 meters including 305.25 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, and 73.86 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, at a depth of approximately 84 meters. RC drill hole LC 19-45 returned 346.4 g/t Au (uncut) over 1.5 meters at a depth of 3 meters. Key Highlights: Holes 42 and 43 were only the second and third holes carried out in this new zone discovered in hole 19-35 which returned 1.37 g/t Au over 22.9 meters. (see news release 09-04-19) Significantly, in Hole 42, the assay interval of 199.06 g/t Au over 1.5 meters, was in granite at the contact with the altered zone. To date, mineralization has been discovered in broad, altered, fractured and brecciated NE trending structural zones. Anomalous gold values are denoted in many areas within this zone, and significant higher-grade mineralization over significant widths is located within sub vertical en echelon zones of intense alteration and gold enrichment. To date all the drill holes carried out in the Lapon Rose and the newly discovered zone have returned gold mineralization. The 2019 exploration program was focused on the expansion and delineation of the gold mineralized zones discovered by the Company, as well as exploring other areas of the project in the search for new mineralization and potential discoveries Walker's initial geological mapping and prospecting on the Lapon Gold Project, followed by its drill programs, has demonstrated the potential for the emplacement of significant gold mineralization. Assay Table: Summary of Drill Results: Hole Alt. (m) From (m) To (m) Length** (m) Assay (Au g/t) uncut Notes: LC 19-42 65.5 79.2 13.7 96.03 New Zone incl 65.5 67.07 1.5 547.05 incl 68.6 70.1 1.5 115.38 incl 77.7 79.2 1.5 199.06 LC 19-43 82.3 88.4 6.1 94.81 New Zone incl 82.3 83.8 1.5 305.25 incl 86.9 88.4 1.5 73.86 LC 19-45 1.5 3 1.5 346.4 Honeypot. Abandoned due to caving at 10m **True widths approx. 80% The Lapon Rose Zone has now been drilled over a strike length of some 365 meters. The width of the zone now exceeds 250 meters, and the zone has been drilled over a vertical extent of 400 meters. The zone remains open along strike and depth. The morphology of the newly discovered zone, located underneath granite some 130 meters south of Lapon Rose is unknown at this time. Drilling at the Honey pot has been challenging. Located in an intense fault zone at intrusive contacts, the Company has been unable to attain the drill targets or achieve significant drill lengths, using the current type of RC drill rig. Holes LC 19-45 and LC 19-46 were both abandoned at a depth of 10 meters due to caving. Significantly though, the 2 holes (LC 19-45 and LC 19-46) were abandoned at very shallow depths, both returned significant gold values, including 346.4 g/t Au in LC 19-45 and 1.05 g/t Au over 1.5 meters in hole LC 19-46 at a depth of 3 meters. Originally, the Honeypot discovery was made during drill road construction, with alteration and visible gold in an outcrop. The Company is presently analyzing the type of drill rig required to successfully drill this location. At the Pikes Peak portion of the Lapon Gold project, road access construction is complete. Numerous workings including shafts and adits are located on the claims. Initial mapping and sampling returned significant results including 9.0 g/t Au and 2.22% Cu from an outcrop. Further results from the Lapon Gold Project will be release as they become available. About the Lapon Project The Lapon Gold Project consists of 147 claims (2940 acres) that includes Lapon Canyon, the newly acquired Pikes Peaks claims 4 kilometers to the north and the Rattlesnake Range Front claims 3 kilometers to the west and over 600 meters lower than the present drilling at Lapon Canyon. The Lapon Gold Project is situated in the Wassuk Range, easily accessible by secondary state roads from the main highway (25 kilometres). A state grid power transmission line passes within three kilometres of the Lapon Project. The Lapon Gold Project is located within the Walker Lane shear zone, a 100-kilometre-wide structural corridor extending in a southeast direction from Reno, Nevada. Within this trend, numerous gold, silver, and copper mines are located, notably the historic Comstock Lode mines in Virginia City. Also, the past producing Esmeralda/Aurora gold mine, with reported production of some one million ounces and the Anaconda open pit copper mine in Yerington, Nevada. The Lapon Gold Project is cut by a series of steeply dipping cross fault structures cutting across the Walker trend, analogous to other cross fault structures responsible for many gold and base metal deposits in the world. These faults are heavily sheared and altered (sericite, iron oxides) with abundant silica, varying in width from 60 to 300 meters. Four of these structures have been discovered at Lapon Canyon, and at least two can be traced for over four kilometers. The Rattlesnake and Pikes Peak claims cover over 8 kilometers of possible extensions of the range front zones to the west, north and south of Lapon Canyon, adding several additional drill target areas to the Lapon Gold Project. Rattlesnake and Pikes Peak contain numerous historical workings that consist of, milling facilities several adits at different levels, underground workings with vertical shafts, and a network of existing roads providing access to connect all the historical workings. Small-scale high-grade mining began at Lapon Canyon in 1914. Approximately 600 meters of drifts and raises were developed from two adits and a two-stamp mill was built. Further underground work was carried out, returning numerous assay values in the range of one ounce per ton, with a sample at the end of an adit returning 20.6 ounces per ton. (National Instrument 43-101, Montgomery and Barr, 2004). Additional work at Lapon Canyon in the following years, included the installation of a ball mill and milling facilities. Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologists and the chain of custody from the drill to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every tenth sample. The Lapon Canyon samples were delivered to American Assays Laboratories' certified laboratory facilities in Sparks, NV. The samples were crushed, pulverized and the sample pulps digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay fusion and a 50g gravimetric finish. Intensely altered samples used a 2 kg pulp screened to 100 microns. Duplicate assay on screen undersize. Assay of entire oversize fraction. The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by E. Gauthier, geol., Eng (OIQ) a director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Michel David" ________________________ Michel David, Chief Executive Officer and Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Walker River Resources Corp. Tel: 819 874-0030 Fax: 819 825-1199 Email: info@wrrgold.com Website: www.wrrgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange Nor Its Regulation Service Provider (As That Term Is Defined In The Policies Of The TSX Venture Exchange) Accepts Responsibility For The Adequacy Or Accuracy Of This News Release. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52113 During its plenary session, the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan gave consent to ratification of the agreement on recognition of official documents in the form of exchange of notes, confirming the residency granted by the competent bodies of Kazakhstan and Armenia within the scope of the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital, as reported Kazpravda.kz. The agreement is a bilateral international treaty and is concluded for the purpose of establishing a simplified procedure for recognition of official documents that confirm the residency granted by the competent bodies of Kazakhstan and Armenia, Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov said during the plenary session, adding that the procedure will allow taxpayers of both countries to submit a document certifying residency to the tax agent. The father of a Parkland shooting victim invited to the State of the Union by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has issued an apology after he was removed from the chamber for shouting at Trump mid-speech. Fred Guttenberg shouted 'what about the victims of gun violence like my daughter?' as President Trump spoke on protecting the second amendment. Democrats stood to clap Guttenberg as he was removed from the room while President Donald Trump continued his speech unfazed. Pelosi, who had invited Guttenberg as her guest, can be seen looking up worriedly. Gutttenberg apologized for letting 'my emotions get the best of me', adding 'I should not have yelled out'. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Parkland High School victim father Fred Guttenberg (left) pictured with Nancy Pelosi (center) and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch (right) before the State of the Union - Guttenberg was Pelosi's guest Fred Guttenberg was calmly removed from the chamber after shouting at the President Fred Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter Jaime who died in the Parkland shooting in 2018 Guttenberg lost his 14-year-old daughter Jaime on February 14, 2018, at Parklands Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The high school freshman was one of 17 victims in the mass shooting. Since her death, Fred Guttenberg has become a prominent gun safety activist and has called for the introduction of 'Jaime's Law', a proposal to require background checks on the purchase of bullets. He was invited to Tuesday's State of the Union by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom he thanked on Twitter for her commitment to dealing with gun violence. 'Thank you @SpeakerPelosi for inviting me to be your guest tonight at the State Of The Union,' he wrote before the address. 'I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to issues important to Americans and to the issue most important to me on dealing with gun violence.' .@kasie: #SOTU protestor appears to have been removed from one of the galleries during president's address many Democrats on the floor turned toward the gallery and applauded him as he was taken out of the chamber. pic.twitter.com/dYpfy8d6wd MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 5, 2020 Fred Guttenberg apologized on Twitter after being removed from the State of the Union Trump continued the speech unfazed as Guttenberg was taken from the balcony for shouting Guttenberg was escorted calmly out of the balcony gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber near the end of Trump's speech on Tuesday after shouting 'what about the victims of gun violence like my daughter?' following the President's comments on the second amendment. He is believed to have started shouting as Trump said: 'So long as I am president, I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.' The activist was unheard by many in the room over the rounds of applause from Republicans after Trump's comments and the President himself seemed unfazed. Democratic congresswomen stood to clap for Guttenberg as he walked from the chamber but Trump continued with his speech and the congresswomen's applause was overpowered by more cheers from Republicans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi watched worriedly as the incident with her guest unfolded Several Democratic Congresswomen stood to applaud Guttenberg as he was removed Speaker Pelosi continued to watch the balcony worriedly while appearing to speak to Vice President Mike Pence beside her who gives a quick glance up. She has yet to comment on his removal. Guttenberg took to Twitter after the State of the Union to apologize for his actions, tweeting that it was a 'rough night'. 'I disrupted the State Of The Union and was detained because I let my emotions get the best of me,' he wrote. 'I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A as happened tonight. 'That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. 'However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety.' Fred Guttenberg took to Twitter to apologize for his actions at the State of the Union Earlier on Tuesday, Guttenberg had thanked Speaker Pelosi for inviting him as her guest U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-West Boca, who was pictured with Guttenberg before the address, defended the activist's actions saying that he 'confronted the President and he deserves only one answer. 'We must do everything we can to prevent gun violence. The President is doing nothing. And saying nothing. And its shameful,' Deutch added in a tweet. Guttenberg has been a supporter of Democratic 2020 candidates and recently recorded a lengthy testimonial for former Vice President Joe Biden. A notorious drug peddler was arrested with heroin from Kolkata's Beniapukur area, police said on Wednesday. Sleuths of the Kolkata Police's detective department nabbed Mohammed Ismail (30), a resident of Entally, near Don Bosco School in Darga Road area on Tuesday night, they said. Around 260 gm of heroin was seized from his possession, police said. "We were looking for him for quite a long time. He has been involved in drug peddling for nearly a decade," a police officer said. A case has been registered at the Beniapukur police station, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Though attitudes about its consumption may have shifted amid the rise of spiked seltzer, the fact remains that beer is great. One of the few things thats better than cracking open a cold one is picking up some beers featuring labels that feature adoptable rescue dogs. But for one woman whod probably given up hope of ever finding her long-lost pup, a beer can sold halfway across the country granted her the gift of a cherished and wholly unexpected reunion. As the story goes, Bradenton, Florida brewery Motorworks recently released four packs of a beer called Adoptable Dog Cruiser Kolsch. Each can depicted a pup ready for adoption from the Manatee County Animal Shelter, who also received a cut of the beers proceeds. Somehow, Monica Mathis spotted a post from the brewery on social media and was shocked to find one of the dogs on the can bore an uncanny resemblance to her terrier mix Hazel, who disappeared from her front yard in Iowa all the way back in 2017. After likely giving up hope of finding Hazel once her family relocated to Minnesota, Mathis suddenly had a shocking lead. But given how far Florida was from where Hazel was lost (and not to mention that the shelter believed the dogs name to be Day Day), Mathis had to convince the Manatee County Animal Shelter that the canine on the can belonged to her. I sent everything I could find all the pictures so I could stop an adoption process from happening because I could've lost her again," Mathis told KTSP Minneapolis. Luckily, it worked: the shelter confirmed that the dog on the can of Kolsch was in fact Hazel. Thats set the stage for an emotional reunion between Hazel and Mathis just in time to celebrate the dogs 7th birthday, with the shelter paying transportation costs between Florida and Minnesota. Given that Hazel will be turning 49 in dog years, Id say she deserves a celebratory beer. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday (February 5, 2020) declared that if Kapil Gurjar, the man who fired in Shaheen Bagh area of the national capital on February 1, has any connection with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he will seek the strictest possible punishment for him (Kapil). Targeting Delhi Police, Kejriwal accused the force of using Kapil Gurjar as voting in Delhi Assembly election 2020 was taking place on February 8. Taking potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kejriwal claimed that the party was playing politics on the firing in Shaheen Bagh where hundreds of women and children from the Muslim community were sitting on protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). "Shaheen Bagh is helping BJP and the party has no other narrative apart from it," said the Delhi chief minister who is leading AAP in Delhi election. He stated that he was deeply aggrieved by BJP West Delhi Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma's statement calling him a terrorist. "I was hurt when I heard this statement. I have never taken any decision to help my family and children and have devoted my life to the country. Almost 80 per cent of my batchmates from IIT left India and are settled in foreign countries. I left my Income Tax department job. Now, I have left the decision on Delhi voters. If you believe that I am a terrorist, then you should vote for the lotus (BJP symbol) on February 8 and if you think that I have worked for Delhi, the country and its people, then vote for the broom (AAP symbol). Dismissing BJP's statement that he was anti-Hindu, Kejriwal asserted, "How am I anti-Hindu? I am a big devotee of Lord Hanuman. I am asked if I know Hanuman Chalisa, then I will reply in affirmative and also recite it. Now BJP has issues with this too." With acerbic statements coming in from leaders of all political parties, the Delhi poll has seen the Election Commission of India issuing notices and even banning some politicians for a certain period from campaigning. The national capital will vote on February 8, 2020, while results will be declared three days later on February 11. HIV researchers around the globe are regrouping after this weeks announcement that a promising new vaccine had failed a critical test, shutting down a major clinical trial in South Africa two years before it was scheduled to end. Hopes were that the trial would show a significant improvement over the mild, 31% effectiveness of a vaccine tested in Thailand over a decade ago. But the new vaccine a redesign of the one used in Thailand showed no effectiveness at all. The deeply disappointing findings were sobering news for researchers at Seattles Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which leads the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, or HVTN, which coordinated the trials with partners in South Africa. In his first meeting with employees as the new president and director of Fred Hutch, Dr. Tom Lynch said the results are a call for action. It does not mean that we stop. It means we redouble our efforts and learn what we can from that effort, he said. An early look at the data showed no efficacy Operators of the trial, which was launched in 2016, had expected to unblind the study and reveal the results in 2022. But they called a halt to it on Feb. 3 following a recommendation of an independent data and safety monitoring board. DSMBs periodically monitor such large-scale trials to see if the vaccine is safe and effective. Findings from their independent review are kept from researchers and participants, unless they discover something unexpected. On January 23, they found that while the vaccine was perfectly safe, it was not working. There was no evidence of efficacy, no matter how you cut it, said Dr. Larry Corey, principal investigator for HVTN, during an afternoon meeting with HVTN staffers who gathered to discuss the decision announced earlier that day. A pioneering virologist who has led HIV/AIDS research on treatments and vaccines since the early days of the epidemic, Corey is also president and director emeritus of Fred Hutch. You did a damn good job, he told the gathering. It was a painful answer, but our job is to do these studies, and you did it incredibly well. The goal of the trial, designated HVTN 702 and known as Uhambo, was to test in South Africa the improved version of the Thai vaccine, which remains the only one ever shown to reduce HIV infection rates. The so-called RV144 study of that vaccine was carried out by the U.S. Military HIV Research Program and the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and involved a cohort of more than 16,000 Thai volunteers. Its findings were a surprise when they came out in 2009, because the Thai vaccine was a combination of two vaccine candidates that had failed in prior clinical trials. Because a vaccine that only protected less than a third of people could give a false sense of security, the Thai vaccine was not approved for use. Instead, the results spurred years of research to improve upon it. NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean has hired Deputy Premier John Barilaro's former chief of staff to oversee the rollout of the state's $3 billion energy policy, in a move that could intensify the friction between the two cabinet ministers. Mr Barilaro and Mr Kean have repeatedly clashed over the state's environmental agenda, including a recent public stoush over bushfire policy and the role of hazard reduction burning in national parks. NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro and NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean have clashed over environmental issues. Credit:AAP, Renee Nowytarger Long-time Liberal strategist Mark Connell, who quit as Mr Barilaro's chief of staff in December, will begin working alongside Mr Kean as early as next week on the landmark $3 billion energy deal struck with the federal government. Mr Kean, who has dubbed the policy "a massive green deal", said Mr Connell was "one of the best strategic minds we have in the country". Latching on to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's remark that the CAA is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country, the state BJP on Wednesday asked him to declare open and clear support to the controversial act facing opposition from certain quarters. Thackeray, in an interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', said there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), whose enactment in December triggered nationwide protests, including in Maharashtra. The Chief Minister, who is also the Sena president, however, asserted his government will not allow the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be implemented as it would "impact people of all religions". "In his interview on Wednesday Thackeray said there are misunderstandings about the CAA, that the act is not aimed at throwing people out of the country. "He should now declare open and clear position of supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act," state BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said in a statement. Thackeray said the NRC will impact Hindus, too. "I can confidently say the CAA is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country. But, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going to impact Hindus as well," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying in the interview. The Sena's allies in the government, the Congress and the NCP, are opposing the CAA-NRC. The former BJP ally itself backed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha, but did not take part in voting on it in the Rajya Sabha. The new citizenship law, passed by Parliament and approved by President in December, has triggered massive protests across the country. It promises to fast-track Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. CAA's critics say the law is discriminatory and violates the core values of the Constitution. The proposed NRC seeks to create a record of bonafide Indian citizens in the country and identify illegal residents. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FLINT, MI A company that the state and individuals are suing on claims of negligence during the Flint water crisis is asking the court to try the cases outside of Genesee County. In a motion to change the venue of its trial, Veolia, one of the worlds largest utilities companies, argues it cant have a fair trial in Genesee County because of intense media coverage and understandably strong emotions toward the water crisis in the Flint area. The motion was filed in two cases on Jan. 6, 2020 with Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah. There has been extensive prejudicial pretrial publicity about the fact and claims at issue in this litigation, the motion states. The publicity surrounding these cases has been highly prejudicial. The company goes on to claim that it has been specifically targeted by MLive-The Flint Journal, The Guardian and The Detroit News. The media groups published stories based on emails sent by Veolia executives showing the company knew about lead in Flints water, but didnt make their findings public. One lawsuit, filed by the Michigan Attorney Generals Office in the Genesee County Circuit Court, accused Veolia of professional negligence, negligence, public nuisance, unjust enrichment and fraud. When filed, the lawsuit sought $350 million in damages. The attorney general alleged Veolia gave Flint bad advice and didnt help it to prevent its lead crisis by pushing harder for safeguards against corrosion or a switch to a different water supply. In November 2019, Chief Judge Richard Yuille dismissed that lawsuits claims of professional negligence, negligence, public nuisance, fraud and a request from the state for exemplary damages -- leaving only a claim of unjust enrichment in the case against Veolia and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam. The lawsuit has since been moved to Farahs courtroom. The other lawsuit was filed by attorney Corey Stern on behalf of residents impacted by the water crisis. A statement by Veolia states the lawsuit is an outrageous attempt to deflect blame for the crisis away from the government officials who set the crisis in motion. In its motion for a change of venue, the company claims, It would be practically impossible for the Court to seat qualified, unbiased juries in Genesee County and that the case should be transferred to a county that is sufficiently distant from the city of Flint. Veolia argues jurors in Genesee County are more likely to be related to someone impacted by the water crisis and that jurors have probably been exposed to media coverage of the crisis. Stern responded to the motion in a Feb. 3 petition, stating hes willing to try the case wherever the court feels it would be the most appropriate, and that his team is ready to go before whatever jury is selected to hear it. The instant pleading is not a cop-out and should not, to the extent possible, be viewed as a sign of Counsels lack of care, Stern wrote in the petition. Counsel would appreciate the opportunity to weigh in on an appropriate venue if the court in fact chooses to change it. The AGs office responded to the motion, saying it fails for three reasons: It relies on an exaggeration of the number of jurors who could have a disqualifying conflict of interest. It relies on broad and unsupported assumptions about the residents of Genesee County. It erroneously claims that pretrial publicity has been so pervasive and prejudicial that no juror could render a fair verdict. For these reasons, the court should deny (Veolias) motion in its entirety, the Jan. 27 response from the AGs office states. Farah said he will soon begin reviewing the responses and determine whether an oral argument is necessary before ruling on the motion. Read more about the issue: AG focuses on private companies as culprits in Flint water crisis Firm knew about lead in Flints water but didnt warn public, emails show Water consultant says city and state made the decisions that caused Flint water crisis AG focuses on private companies as culprits in Flint water crisis India's biennial DefExpo will kickstart in Lucknow on Wednesday with the aim of showcasing the potential of the country to become a global defence manufacturing hub. Lucknow: India's biennial DefExpo will kickstart in Lucknow on Wednesday with the aim of showcasing the potential of the country to become a global defence manufacturing hub. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said delegates from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers will attend the five-day mega exhibition. As many as 856 Indian defence firms will also showcase their products at the event. "We want to make India a hub of defence manufacturing. The DefExpo is a step in this direction," Singh said. "The participation of a large number of foreign firms in the DefExpo reflects India's growing stature," he said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his government has been encouraging defence manufacturing in the state. He said two Dornier aircraft of aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will be used by the state government for civil purposes on two routes. It will be for the first time that the 19-seater aircraft will be used by a state government for civilian purposes. Singh said India cannot continue to rely on imports for defence platforms and the country has to create its defence manufacturing space. "By the end of this decade, I am confident that India will be among the top three economies in the world. The indigenous defence production will contribute significantly in taking India's economy forward," Singh said. The 11th edition of DefExpo promises to bring new technologies and technological solutions, and a single platform for defence manufacturing companies from India and abroad to showcase their products and services in the defence sector. The main theme of the DefExpo India 2020 is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and the focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence', a release said. Reflecting the government's focus on 'Make in India', DefExpo 2020 would offer an opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. The formal inauguration of the event by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held on Wednesday followed by a live demonstration of naval systems, aero systems and land systems. Singh said in magnitude and endeavour, the exhibition is unparalleled in recent times and will present a golden opportunity for interaction and brainstorming to innovators, manufacturers, market leaders, government and other stakeholders. Highlighting the special features of the DefExpo, the Defence Minister said the 'India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave' will be organised for the first time in which more than 30 African countries will participate. Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in this edition of DefExpo, making it an important opportunity for countries to further strengthen defence ties with India, he said. The Defence Minister underlined that the DefExpo will give an opportunity to explore the capabilities of the indigenous defence industry in partnership with prominent countries like the US, Russia and South Korea, and will lead to strengthening ties. He said the DefExpo will also be a good platform for Indian companies to display their innovations and future possibilities in areas like military power, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, e-management, augmented and virtual reality and future forces. A live demonstration will be done for systems which are designed or built-in India. Three parallel business seminars, organised by industry associations and business chambers, will also be held on an opening day. The themes of the seminars will be 'Skill Development in Aviation & Defence', 'India France Defence Industry Seminar' and 'Indo- Israel Opportunities in Defence Cooperation- Future Vectors of the Digital Battlefield'. The fifth India Russia Military Industry Conference will also be held on the sidelines of DefExpo with over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders expected to participate. Singh will preside over the African Defence Ministers' Conclave and host a dinner in the honour of African Defence Ministers. There will be live demonstrations of large platforms and also flying display at the Gomti riverfront and the DefExpo venue. This month Greenwichs Miku Sushi has launched a new community outreach program designed to help generate stronger connections in the community. Customers can now order select items from a special menu that was developed in partnership with Kids In Crisis. The promotional menu features two sushi rolls and a cooked dish that will be available for lunch, dinner and takeout during February, according to a news release. Proceeds from these three items will benefit the non-profit dedicated to ensuring the well-being of children through vital 24-hour services. Kids In Crisis provides temporary housing and comprehensive medical, educational and therapeutic support services for children of all ages in Fairfield County. Kids In Crisis is the only Connecticut agency that can house children from newborn to age 18, of any gender, including a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ adolescents. To learn more about Kids In Crisis, visit kidsincrisis.org. Many of our regular customers are very involved in this community and are passionate about giving to those in need. Since we opened last April, weve been very busy so I feel a responsibility to do more to support local causes, said K Dong, MIKU SUSHI Co-owner and Catering Director. Through this process, we'll be able to make a stronger impact in our new community and I hope we'll be successful in raising awareness and funds for our non-profit partners. One of the three items designed for this partnership is the 24-hour Roll, which is a sushi roll inspired by the Kids In Crisis 24-hour Helpline (203-661-1911). The line is available for anyone that needs help or is not sure where to turn. Whether youre a child, parent, relative, teacher, therapist, doctor, neighbor, friend, or anyone else concerned about the welfare of a child, any time of the day or night, there is always a counselor on the end of the phone, said Shari Shapiro, Kids In Crisis Executive Director. These trained Crisis Counselors are available to provide immediate help and assess services needed to address and work through any situation. Miku Sushi is at 68 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich. 203-900-7676, mikugreenwich.com SAN DIEGO, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ActiveHerb Technology, Inc. announced today that it will donate 5% of sales during the month of February to help fight the new coronavirus. To help fight the spread of Coronavirus, ActiveHerb.com, a leading Traditional Chinese Medicine company based in the U.S., has donated over $10,000 for urgent medical supplies. Since the virus first became diagnosed in December, it has quickly escalated into a worldwide concern. The World Health Organization now considers coronavirus a global health emergency. To date, over 20,000 cases have been confirmed, with 425 deaths. The majority of cases are contained in China, and thus far, only 16 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., where the virus is considered a public health emergency by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. "We stand with the Chinese people in the fight to contain the coronavirus and recognize the sacrifice they are making during this difficult time spent on mandatory lockdown. And by helping them, we are helping ourselves here in America," said Dr. Sheldon Li, ActiveHerb Chairman. Thus far, ActiveHerb, which was established to promote health with time-tested Chinese herbal remedies, has donated $10,000 to the effort. The proceeds will be used to acquire urgent medical supplies such as surgical masks and gowns, which China is in desperate need of to stem the tide of this highly-contagious pandemic. About ActiveHerb Technology, Inc.: ActiveHerb Technology, Inc. researches and develops herbal supplements with a focus on traditional Chinese medicine. With headquarters in San Diego, California, ActiveHerb is a leading online marketer of Chinese herbs, including those that support the immune system. Additional information may be found at www.activeherb.com . Press Contact: Judd Handler, 858.442.6861 (cell); [email protected] SOURCE ActiveHerb Related Links https://www.activeherb.com Kei: We went to Disneyland, the entire cast, to do press, so we did press and took pictures around the park and we got to ride some rides for press too. After press was over, they fed us. Then after that we got our own VIP tour guide and it was even better than FastPass because we didnt even have to wait for the FastPass line: We would just go behind the ride, through the emergency exit of the ride and then we would ride the ride before anyone with FastPass could ride it. What workplace tradition is the norm in Stockholm, Sweden? Image: Getty Few things can enrich your cultural and professional awareness like working abroad. Embracing long held practises which are the norm internationally can be a great way to foster positive connections with your overseas colleagues. Office solutions firm Brother has identified ten fascinating workplace customs from around the world that range from company meetings in a Sauna, to the longstanding siesta tradition. Bruges, Belgium. Grote Markt square at sunrise. Image: Getty Belgium: Professionals in Belgium will traditionally greet each other with a trio of air kisses know as la bise. Whilst there is no known reason for three over the traditional two seen elsewhere in Europe, it was the Romans who popularised this tradition. Finland: Sometimes a stressful meeting might make you break out into a bit of a sweat. In Finland, this is just another day at the office as company meetings are occasionally held in saunas. An honorary custom, its considered rude to turn down the opportunity, so make sure to pack a towel. Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Shoppers and stalls at Kinari bazaar. The Jama Masjid mosque in the background dates from 1648. Image: Getty India: Dabbawala literally translates to, one who carries a box and for nearly 200 years it has been feeding Indian office workers. With a tight schedule and minimal time for lunch, this delivery service provides a fast and convenient solution. Sweden: Fika is the opportunity to step away from work, where you can enjoy a coffee and a snack with your colleagues. Many places of work set aside formal hours for Fika at 10am and 3pm, allowing employees a chance to unwind and forge positive connections with their colleagues. South Korea: Drinking in the workplace could well be frowned upon in many places of work. In South Korea however, alcohol is seen as a way of removing falsity and allows for people to connect at a deeper, more meaningful level. The drink of choice is known as Korean Soju (rice liquor) and is also a way to and is considered key to building lasting relationships. View of Rio de Janeiro at dusk. Image: Getty Brazil: In South America, the Brazilians are passionate about cleanliness and hygiene. Arriving at work with your toothbrush & toothpaste is commonplace so that you can have a freshen up after lunch. Its not unusual those who follow this custom to brush their teeth at least 4 times a day. Story continues Spain: The traditional siesta is one of the most notable aspects of Spanish life. With many people working 40-hour weeks or more, and the temperature following suit, the afternoon siesta helps workers out of the searing midday heat in the summer months. This helps maintain energy levels for the rest of the day and ensures continued productivity. Japan: Japan is known to have some of the longest working hours in the world, so it can be difficult to find enough time to stay fit. Radio Tasio is a morning exercise show broadcasted each morning across Japan. This is the cue for many across the country to exercise, helping them feel refreshed and connected. Eiffel Tower and the Paris skyline at sunset, France. Image: Getty France: With the rise of smart phones, we are never truly unreachable, and many of us will check in and reply to our emails out of hours. Employment laws passed in France in 2016 state that employees have the right to disconnect, by switching off from work completely with no obligation to reply to any emails. Iceland: Icelands parental leave legislation helps mitigate the financial worries associated with new parents taking leave. This is thanks to three months parental leave for each parent, with a further there months available to share at 80 per cent pay. This has led to improved employee morale and lower turnover of staff. As a member of the multinational Brother Group, Brother UK is a supplier of technology solutions, helping businesses deliver greater productivity and efficiency through documentation, digitisation, collaboration and mobile work solutions. A PATIENT has been placed in isolation in University Hospital Kerry (UHK) amid concerns they are showing symptoms similar to those of the coronavirus. The person - understood to be a woman who may been in contact with people who travelled to China recently - presented at UHK with respiratory problems. As a precautionary measure, the woman was immediately placed in isolation. All medical staff dealing with the woman are now complying with strict hygiene and control protocols. The woman is being treated for respiratory issues and is understood to be receiving anti-viral medications. While she is understood to be quite unwell, her condition is stable and not life threatening. One medical source said that while the symptoms are similar to those of the coronavirus, the illness involved may ultimately prove to be an entirely different virus. Tests have been conducted to determine the precise nature of the infection involved. A spokesperson for UHK declined to comment. "It is not our policy to comment on individual cases," they said. Read More The matter is being carefully monitored by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Ireland's public health experts. It came as countries worldwide were carefully monitoring all such respiratory illnesses amid ongoing fears over the spread of the coronavirus from China. The virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan over three weeks ago. More than 500 people have now died from the virus which has prompted a massive lockdown across China. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised strict measures to control the spread of the virus. More than 20 other countries worldwide have confirmed cases of coronavirus - most involving people who have travelled from the general Wuhan area. However, a number of detections involved people who had been in contact with travellers from Wuhan. Press Release February 5, 2020 Sen. Lacson's Manifestation on the New Senate Building's First Concrete Pouring Ceremony More at: https://pinglacson.net/2020/02/05/manifestation-on-the-new-senate-buildings-first-concrete-pouring-ceremony/ Mr. President, this will be a very short manifestation on the progress of the Senate's collective effort to build our new home, envisioned to be a national landmark - an iconic, green, functional, and secure Bagong Senado. Since the Senate embarked on the new Senate building project in November of 2017, through PS Resolution No. 293, authored by our distinguished collague the Hon. Sherwin Gatchalian, we have completed significant milestones. Starting with the conduct of our conceptual design competition, we have already concluded the procurement phase through a design-and-build package with the Department of Public Works and Highways. Likewise, Mr President, we already secured the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), Tree Cutting and Balling Permit, Locational Clearance, CAAP Height Clearance, Fencing and Excavation Permits, and most importantly, the Building Permit. Suffice to say, Mr President, we do not have any more pending bureaucratic requirements that may delay our work. As an overview, our new building, which will rise in the 18,320 square meters of land at the Navy Village, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, will consist of four (4) towers with eleven (11) floors and three (3) basement levels. Just last March 18, 2019, we convened for the Groundbreaking Ceremony which marked the start of the construction of the new building. As we speak, excavation works are complete and the building foundations have been prepared with reinforcing steel bars, ready to receive its first pouring of concrete. Mr. President, at this juncture, I am inviting the members of this body to join the First Concrete Pouring Ceremony tomorrow, February 6, 2020, at 9:00 in the morning. Just so everyone knows, the First Concrete Pouring is a tradition of symbolic milestone in all engineering programs - private or public - to mark the beginning of monolithic works. But the concrete that we are pouring tomorrow morning is not just for ceremonial display as in many similar engineering works. Our activity will start the actual massive pouring of concrete that will serve as the cornerstone and the very foundation of the new Senate Building, which will represent the continuing legacy of this great independent institution. The commitment of your Senate Committee on Accounts, Mr President, still stands Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III will open the Third Regular Session of the 18th Congress in our new home in Taguig City. Thank you, Mr President. Dublin, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Epoxy Adhesives Market by Type (One-Component, Two-Component, And Others), End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, Transportation, Automotive, Wind Energy, Marine, Electrical & Electronics, and Others), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global epoxy adhesives market size is projected to grow from USD 7.2 billion in 2019 to USD 9.6 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 6. The demand for lighter vehicles have had manufacturers switch from traditional mechanical fasteners to lightweight and more efficient adhesives, which is driving the global epoxy adhesives market. The stringent environmental regulations in the European countries are, however, restraining the epoxy adhesives market. Henkel AG (Germany), Sika AG (Switzerland), 3M Company (US), H.B. Fuller (US), DuPont (US), Illinois Tool Works Incorporation (US), Ashland (US), RPM International (US), Lord Corporation (US), and Huntsman Corporation (US) are the key players operating in the epoxy adhesives market. Two-component segment is expected to lead the overall epoxy adhesives market during the forecast period. The two-component type accounted for the majority of the epoxy adhesives market in 2018 and the trend is expected to continue during the forecast period between 2019 and 2024. Epoxy adhesives have greater flexibility and higher bond strength to flexible substrates such as thermoplastics or substrates such as wood and cardboard that tends to change dimensions with the environment. These epoxies offer unique versatility in application and performance. Two-component epoxy adhesives consist of a resin and a hardener, formulated to offer mechanical, thermal, optical, and electrical properties. These adhesives are generally cured under ambient conditions or moderately elevated temperatures. Epoxy adhesives market is expected to witness highest growth in building & construction industry during the forecast period. The market in the building & construction segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Epoxy adhesives provides impressively strong bonds for construction, consumer, and manufacturing industries. The post-cured characteristics of these adhesives show excellent resistance to high temperatures and minimal shrinkage. These adhesives also offer good chemical resistance, excellent adhesion and good mechanical properties when applied to well-prepared substrates, ease of application. The building & construction industry develops in tandem with the growth and development of the global economy. The increasing demand for infrastructure development and the easy availability of debt financing have led to a strong focus on this sector. Infrastructure projects are mainly funded by governments, globally, to ensure good public infrastructure. in collaboration with the private sector, keeps the economy in a good shape. The introduction and implementation of various government initiatives around the globe for infrastructure development to support sustainable economic growth is driving the epoxy adhesives market growth. APAC is expected to lead the epoxy adhesives market during the forecast period. The APAC region is projected to lead the epoxy adhesives market from 2019 to 2024, in terms of value. APAC has emerged as one of the leading producers as well as consumers of epoxy adhesives due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. The economic growth in the APAC region, particularly in emerging markets such as India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, is contributing to the increase in the number of infrastructure projects. This is, subsequently, expected to drive the demand for epoxy adhesives in the building & construction industry. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Epoxy Adhesives Market 4.2 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By Type 4.3 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By End-Use Industry 4.4 Epoxy Adhesives Market: Developed vs. Developing Countries 4.5 APAC: Epoxy Adhesives Market, By Type and End-Use Industry 4.6 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By Country 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Growing Demand for Lightweight and Low Carbon-Emitting Vehicles 5.2.1.2 High Demand for Epoxy Adhesives in Aerospace Industry 5.2.1.3 Increasing Demand for Epoxy Adhesives in Building & Construction and Wind Energy Industries 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Stringent Environmental Regulations in North American and European Countries 5.2.2.2 Characteristic Limitations of Epoxy Adhesives 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Increasing Demand for Non-Hazardous, Green, and Sustainable Adhesives 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Limited Opportunities in Developed Countries 5.2.4.2 Changing Regulatory Policies and Standards 5.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5.4 Macroeconomic Indicators 5.4.1 Trends and Forecast of GDP 5.4.2 Trends and Forecast in the Construction Industry 5.4.3 Trends in Automotive Industry 5.4.4 Growth Trends in Aerospace Industry 5.4.5 Trends and Forecast in Wind Energy Industry 6 Industry Megatrends 6.1 Effects of Future Trends and Technology Disruption on Epoxy Adhesives Manufacturers 6.2 Automotive & Transportation 6.2.1 Electric Vehicles 6.2.2 Shared Mobility 6.2.3 Innovation in Batteries to Power Electric Vehicles 6.2.4 Revolutionary Transformation in Autonomous Driving 6.3 Aerospace 6.3.1 Ultralight and Light Aircraft 6.3.2 Continued Technological Advancement 6.3.3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Or Drones 6.4 Healthcare 6.4.1 Wearable Medical Devices 6.4.2 Microfluidics-Based POC and LOC Diagnostic Devices for Laboratory Testing 6.5 Electronics 6.5.1 Digitalization 6.5.2 Artificial Intelligence 6.5.3 Augmented Reality 7 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By Type 7.1 Introduction 7.2 One-Component Epoxy Adhesives 7.2.1 One-Component Epoxy Adhesives Have Faster Curing Speed Than Two-Component System 7.3 Two-Component Epoxy Adhesives 7.3.1 Two-Component Epoxies More Widely Used in Various End-Use Industries 7.4 Other Epoxy Adhesives 8 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By End-Use Industry 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Building & Construction 8.2.1 Epoxy Adhesive Widely Used in Building & Construction for Its Strength, Aesthetics, and Reduced Manufacturing Costs 8.3 Transportation 8.3.1 Aerospace Segment is Biggest Consumer of Epoxy Adhesives in Transportation Industry 8.3.2 Bus and Truck 8.3.3 Railways 8.3.4 Aerospace 8.4 Wind Energy 8.4.1 Increasing Focus on Green Energy Sources Expected to Drive the Demand 8.5 Electrical & Electronics 8.5.1 Increasing Adoption of Multi-Functional Electronic Devices Propelling the Demand of Epoxy Adhesives 8.6 Automotive 8.6.1 Advancement in Electric Vehicles to Increase Demand for Epoxy Adhesives in Automotive Industry 8.6.2 OEM 8.6.3 Aftermarket 8.7 Marine 8.7.1 Increasing Use of Plastic and Composites in Fabricating Boats Fueling Demand for Epoxy Adhesives 8.8 Other End-Use Industries 9 Epoxy Adhesives Market, By Region 9.1 Introduction 9.2 APAC 9.2.1 China 9.2.1.1 China Accounted for the Largest Share of the Epoxy Adhesives Market in APAC 9.2.2 Japan 9.2.2.1 Growing Demand for Lightweight and Small Passenger Cars has Increased the Demand for Epoxy Adhesives 9.2.3 India 9.2.3.1 Government's Initiative to Boost the Country's Economy is Contributing to the Growth of the Market 9.2.4 South Korea 9.2.5 Taiwan 9.2.5.1 Growth in Demand for Aircraft Part Manufacturing is Expected to Boost the Growth of the Market 9.2.6 Thailand 9.2.6.1 Rapid Industrialization and Increasing Consumer Spending are Expected to Boost the Demand for Epoxy Adhesives 9.2.7 Vietnam 9.2.7.1 Increasing Supply for Parts of Cabins and Storage Cabins Will Boost the Epoxy Adhesives Market in the Country 9.2.8 Rest of APAC 9.3 North America 9.3.1 US 9.3.1.1 Presence of Manufacturing Facilities, Strong Economic Sector, and Increasing Expenditure are Key Market Drivers 9.3.2 Canada 9.3.2.1 The Market is Expected to Grow, Owing to the Wide Range of Manufacturing Capabilities 9.3.3 Mexico 9.3.3.1 Growth in Building & Construction, Transportation, and Automotive Industries is Increasing the Use of Epoxy Adhesives 9.4 Europe 9.4.1 Germany 9.4.1.1 Growing Domestic and International Consumer Market Expected to Aid the Market Growth 9.4.2 France 9.4.2.1 Aircraft Industry Facing Challenges Such as Low Cost of Labor in Manufacturing and Maintenance Operations 9.4.3 Italy 9.4.3.1 Numerous Motor Manufacturing Companies Shifting Production Facilities to Italy Creating Growth Opportunities 9.4.4 UK 9.4.4.1 Growth in Building & Construction and Transportation Industries is Driving the Market 9.4.5 Russia 9.4.5.1 Demand From Domestic and Regional Airline Services to Impact the Growth of Epoxy Adhesive Market 9.4.6 Turkey 9.4.6.1 Major Companies Spending on Branding By Creating Awareness About Adhesives in Turkey 9.4.7 Rest of Europe 9.5 South America 9.5.1 Brazil 9.5.1.1 Fast-Growing Manufacturing Sector Driving Consumption of Epoxy Adhesives in Brazil 9.5.2 Argentina 9.5.2.1 Huge Investments By Government to Modernize Economy Supporting Growth of the Market 9.5.3 Colombia 9.5.3.1 Demand for Epoxy Adhesives Increasing Due to Continuous Investments in Wind Energy, Automotive, and Industrial Assembly 9.5.4 Rest of South America 9.6 Middle East & Africa 9.6.1 UAE 9.6.1.1 Growing Building & Construction Will Impact Growth of the Epoxy Adhesives Market 9.6.2 Saudi Arabia 9.6.2.1 Development in Real Estate Sector Fueling Demand for Epoxy Adhesives in Saudi Arabia 9.6.3 Africa 9.6.3.1 Rapid Urbanization Fueling Growth of Building & Construction Industry 9.6.4 Rest of Middle East & Africa 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping 10.2.1 Visionary Leaders 10.2.2 Innovators 10.2.3 Dynamic Differentiators 10.2.4 Emerging Companies 10.3 Strength of Product Portfolio 10.4 Business Strategy Excellence 10.5 Market Ranking Analysis 10.5.1 Henkel AG 10.5.2 Sika AG 10.5.3 3M Company 10.5.4 H.B. Fuller 10.5.5 Dupont (Dowdupont) 10.6 Competitive Scenario 10.6.1 New Product Development/Launch 10.6.2 Investment & Expansion 10.6.3 Partnership/Joint Venture 10.6.4 Merger & Acquisition 10.7 Epoxy Adhesive Patent Analysis 10.7.1 Insight 10.7.2 Trend Analysis and Graphical Representation 10.7.3 Top Assignees (Global) 11 Company Profiles 11.1 Henkel AG 11.2 Sika AG 11.3 3M Company 11.4 H.B. Fuller 11.5 DuPont (DowDuPont) 11.6 Illinois Tool Works Incorporation 11.7 Ashland Inc. 11.8 RPM International Inc. 11.9 Lord Corporation 11.10 Huntsman Corporation 11.11 Other Key Companies 11.11.1 Mapei S.p.A. 11.11.2 Panacol-Elosol GmbH 11.11.3 Permabond LLC. 11.11.4 Delo Industrie Klebstoffe GmbH & Co. KGaA 11.11.5 Masterbond Inc. 11.11.6 Weicon GmbH & Co. KG 11.11.7 Hernon Manufacturing Inc. 11.11.8 Hubei Huitian New Materials Co. Ltd. 11.11.9 Parson Adhesives Inc. 11.11.10 Uniseal, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4tukdx Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. [February 05, 2020] Myanmar begins to see increased competition in the fibre broadband Segment Sydney, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Myanmar (Burma) outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Myanmar-Burma-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Five years ago, Myanmar remained one of the last underdeveloped telecommunication markets in Asia, however this gap is being bridged quickly with a focus on mobile and mobile broadband services and exploding growth in that sector. By 2019 Myanmar was four years into a telecoms boom that has dramatically changed the physical and technological landscape of the country, since the sector was opened to foreign competition in 2014. Fixed broadband penetration in Myanmar remains extremely low mainly due to a limited number of fixed lines as well as the dominance of the mobile platform and an unwillingness by operators to invest in fixed broadband infrastructure. However, by 2019 a number of new fixed broadband service providers were emerging, installing fibre below or above ground for fixed line broadband access. One factor behind home broadband pricing falls is the entry of the telcos into the home broadband market to compete directly with existing ISPs. Over the next five years to 2023 the market is expected to grow very strongly but overall market penetration will remain extremely low compared to other nations. Myanmars mobile market has experienced very rapid growth in recent years, driven by the entry of three new competitors in the market, increasing the number of operators from just one to four. This has dramatically increased market competition. By 2019 the mobile market was approaching saturation and was seeing increased competition over data prices. Average revenue per user dropped further with the entry of a fourth operator- Mytel. Mobile broadband has experienced rapid growth over the past five years, driven by rapid growth in the mobile sector. Because telco reform came very late Myanmar, it has essentially leap frogged past fixed broadband access to mobile devices access for internet services. Strong growth is predicted over the next five years however at a slower rate due to increasing maturity in the market. The mobile broadband market will be driven by increasingly faster speeds offered by the mobile operators as they roll out 4G and eventually 5G networks. Key developments: MT has launched the countrys third m-banking platform. Telenor Myanmar and Ericsson trialled NB-IoT on Telenors LTE network in Mandalay. Ruckus Networks installed a Wi-Fi-based fixed-wireless network for Myanmar Net. The number of mobile operators has increased from one to four over the past few years. This has dramatically increased market competition. The fixed broadband market remains highly underdeveloped, but is now gaining momentum Mobile broadband has experienced very strong growth over the past few years. In 2019/2020 an important telecoms development is occurring for Burma with the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite. Companies mentioned in this report Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT); Telenor Myanmar; Ooredoo Myanmar; KDDI; Sumitomo; SingTel, Digicel; Qatar Telecom; Viettel Group; Vodafone, Myanmar National Tele & Communications (MNTC). Table of Contents Key statistics Country overview Telecommunications market Market Overview and Analysis Regional Asian Market Comparison Regulatory environment Regulatory authority Market liberalisation process Telecommunications Law 2013 Telecom Master Plan Licensing Fixed Services Telecommunications infrastructure Fixed-line statistics Fibre networks Universal Service Strategy International infrastructure Satellite Submarine Terrestrial cables Smart Infrastructure Internet of Things (IoT) Fixed-line broadband market Broadband Statistics and Forecast Fixed Broadband Service Providers Fixed Wireless Broadband Service Providers Fixed-line broadband technologies Wi-Fi Mobile market Mobile Statistics and Forecast Mobile Broadband Statistics and Forecast Regulatory issues SIM cards Spectrum Mobile infrastructure 3G 4G 5G Major mobile operators Operators Myanmar P&T (MPT) Ooredoo Telenor Myanmar National Tele & Communications (Mytel) Digital economy Overview e-Payments Digital Media Online Video Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities 2018 (e) Table 2 Percentage of Population Covered by Type of Mobile Network Table 3 Key Metrics - Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) - 2018 2023 Table 4 Fixed-line subscribers and penetration 2006 2018 Table 5 Historic - fixed-line subscribers, penetration, annual change 1990, 1995 2005 Table 6 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2008 2023 Table 7 Internet User Penetration 2007 2018 Table 8 Historic - Internet users and penetration 1999 2016 Table 9 Internet household penetration 2003 2018 Table 10 Proportion of households with a computer 2007 2018 Table 11 International internet bandwidth 2000 2018 Table 12 Lit/Equipped International Bandwidth Capacity 2014 2018 Table 13 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2006 2023 Table 14 Historic - mobile subscribers, penetration and annual change 1995 2005 Table 15 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 2023 Table 16 Mobile operator by system launch Table 17 Mobile subscriber market share by operator 2018 Table 18 MPT launch and system Table 19 MPT subscribers 2008 2018 Table 20 Ooredoo mobile subscribers 2014 2018 Table 21 Telenor mobile subscribers 2014 - 2018 List of Charts Chart 1 Mobile, Mobile Broadband & Fixed Broadband Penetration 2018; 2023 Chart 4 Telecoms Maturity Index Central Asia Chart 5 Fixed-line subscribers and penetration 2007 2018 Chart 6 Current mobile subscriber and mobile broadband penetration rates in countries to benefit from the Kacific-1 satellite Chart 7 Fixed Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2008 2023 Chart 8 Mobile Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2008 2023 Chart 9 Mobile Broadband Subscribers and Penetration (with Forecast) 2009 2023 List of Exhibits Exhibit 2 Central Asia -Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country Click here to access the report : https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Myanmar-Burma-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Nicolas Bombourg [email protected] Within Australia (02) 8076 7665 Outside Australia +44 207 097 1241 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] What makes a mortgage professional a Young Gun? Is it their contributions to the industry, the volume of loans theyve funded, their innovations, the leadership roles theyve taken on, the awards theyve won? The answer is all of the above and then some. CMPs 2019 Young Guns list aims to offer a snapshot of the most promising industry professionals under the age of 35. While each of this years Young Guns has their own reasons for entering the industry, some common trends emerged. Many followed a family member into the field, got their start at a bank or were attracted to the broker channels prospects of a positive worklife balance. All of this years Young Guns are also acutely aware of the many challenges the industry is facing, from lending restrictions to rapid technological advancement. Despite these challenges, the number of nominations for this years list, and the accomplishments of the 40 superstars who made the final cut, make it clear that the future of the Canadian mortgage industry is in good hands. The Government adopted the Emergency Ordinance (OUG) regarding the organisation of early parliamentary elections, a normative act which stipulates, among others, three days of voting in the Diaspora and the possibility to vote at any polling station. "The emergency ordinance for the organisation of early parliamentary elections was adopted in today's [Tuesday] Government meeting. We are talking about extending the provisions which have been beneficial and proven to be to the benefit of the citizens who wanted to vote in the presidential elections, namely three days of voting in the Diaspora and, also, the possibility to vote at any polling station, in order to encourage the Romanian citizens' turnout - which were included in the draft law. (...) Moreover, the number of MPs for the Diaspora was doubled from two to four senators and from four to eight deputies," Prime Minister's Chancellery head Ionel Danca told a news conference on Tuesday evening, at the end of the Gov't meeting. The Prime Minister's Chancellery head explained that in case of early elections, there was a legislative void, a problem that had to be regulated. "There are contradictions or uncorrelated terms between the constitutional provisions in this regard and the provisions in the electoral legislation. The Constitution stipulates a period of three months for the organisation of parliamentary elections after the dissolution of Parliament, whereas the electoral legislation stipulates a period of minimum 90 days for the organisation of these elections. The deadline established through this draft OUG is 50 days for announcing the date of the parliamentary elections after the dissolution of Parliament, and this announcement can be made within five days since the dissolution of Parliament," Danca explained. He also mentioned that the OUG stipulates the technical norms regarding the set up of electoral offices and their composition. AGERPRES Osun State Police Command on Tuesday paraded two suspected ritualists, Adesina Adeniyi 42, and Oluwole Olapade, 58, caught with two human skulls. The command also paraded two suspected armed robbery suspects who were captured after a gun duel with Police at Osu in Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state. Parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo said Adeniyi, a patent medicine shop owner, was arrested in Iwo while travelling in a commercial bus to Ibadan, Oyo State. He added that he was caught with two human skulls and a liver after a thorough search by men of 39 Police Mobile Force attached to Iwo Area Command. According to him, the suspect who resides at Kajola area in Iwo disclosed to the police during interrogation that the skull and the liver were recovered from a Muslim cemetery and a mortuary in the town, where he was an attendant. Following the gruesome murder of Favour Oladele-Daley, we have pledged to rid the state of a ritual element in the state and during one of such efforts, a suspected ritualist was caught with two human skull and other human parts. After the arrest of the suspect and upon diligent investigation, his accomplice, Oluwole Olapade, a resident of Yemetu in Ibadan was trailed and arrested. Olapade, a native doctor, who required human skull for charm had pledged to pay N20,000 per skull to the attendants. He had gotten a skull before which he claimed did not produce money, hence, he decided another skull should be procured for use, the Commissioner of police added. While responding to questions from journalists, Adeniyi said he his a patent medicine store owner, but they source for the skulls in a cemetery in the town. He said, I sourced for the skull in an open cemetery in the town and I have gotten one for him before and was suppose to deliver another one to him before I was caught. For now I operate a patent medicine store and yet to be married. The native doctor claimed to have known Adeniyi for long because his father was his acquittance before his demise. Meanwhile, police also claimed to have burst a fake Naval base operated by Nigeria Navy Coastal Merchant. It arrested five persons, four suspected recruit and a self-acclaimed Naval Captain Akinsiku Sunkanmi, 27, for impersonation. Four other suspects arrested at the base were; Aniedu Essiet, Nwabueze Ijeoma Dalton, Raheem Quadri and Gabriel Jacob. Suspects arrested at the merchant Navy base at Ifon-Osun. The suspects said they were recruited into the service after paying fees ranging from N100,000 to N200,000. According to them, the person who recruited them has refused to show at the police station to bail them. Share this: Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Donald Trumps controversial plan for Israel-Palestine would die before the US president does. This plan will certainly not work and it will die before Trump, Khamenei said in his speech that aired on state television. The Americans negotiated with the Zionists on something that doesnt belong to them. Trump announced the long-awaited Middle East plan last month, although the proposal was made without the input of Palestinians, who broke off ties with the Trump administration after it announced its recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel in 2018. The US plan, which is seen by analysts as extremely supportive of Israel and has been rejected by the Palestinians, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, envisions the Israeli annexation of large swaths of the occupied West Bank including illegal settlements and the Jordan Valley, giving Israel a permanent eastern border along the Jordan River. The Palestinians would have parts of the West Bank and Gaza for their state and a new capital in Abu Dis, a suburb just outside Jerusalem, but the Palestinians want both occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be part of a future state. Trumps proposal sidelined Palestinians and is in violation of UNSC Resolution 242 that called on Israel to withdraw its forces from territories it had occupied in the June 1967 War, as well as the return of refugees. Khamenei also said that Iran would support Palestinian armed groups as much as it can and urged Palestinians to confront Trumps plan. We believe that Palestinian armed organisations will stand and continue resistance and the Islamic Republic sees supporting Palestinian groups as its duty, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech, the text of which appeared on his website. So it will support them however it can and as much as it can and this support is the desire of the Islamic system and the Iranian nation, he said. Worthless and dishonourable Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States after senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US air strike in Baghdad on January 3, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with a missile attack against a base housing US troops in Iraq days later. Khamenei also jabbed at Arab leaders who have supported the Trump plan. The welcoming and clapping from a few traitorous Arab leaders who are worthless and dishonourable among their own people has no importance, he said. Among those in attendance at the unveiling last month were ambassadors from Bahrain, the UAE and Oman. Muscat, which has traditionally conducted a neutral foreign policy, in a surprise move welcomed Netanyahu in 2018 the first visit to Oman by an Israeli leader in over two decades. Some Gulf countries have moved closer to Israel in recent years as they see Iran as a bigger regional threat. Call to vote Separately, Khamenei called for a high turnout in parliamentary elections on February 21, broadly seen as a gauge of support for the authorities after the dramatic rise in tensions with the US last month. Its possible that someone doesnt like me but if they like Iran they must come to the ballot box, Khamenei said, according to his official website, noting that the elections could help solve Irans international problems. Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at hardliners over the mass disqualification of candidates for the election. Irans economy has been battered after Trump pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic in 2018 and reimposed sanctions in a bid to bring Iran to the negotiating table for curbs on its ballistic missile program and to cut its support for regional proxies. Washingtons attempt to pressure Iran to negotiate through sanctions will not work, Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television on Wednesday. They thought we would request negotiations from America. Negotiations by their definition, not our definition, Rouhani said. They want us to surrender through cruel, unequal and undignified negotiations. This is impossible for the Iranian people. MEXICO CITY While the sex-crimes trial of Harvey Weinstein takes center stage, another case is winding through a New York court with shattering implications. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are pursuing drug trafficking charges against Genaro Garcia Luna, a key architect of the drug war of former President Felipe Calderon. After Mr. Garcia Lunas latest hearing on Jan. 21, his lawyer reiterated that he pleas not guilty, saying he adamantly denies that he accepted any bribes (from traffickers) and will go to trial. The case is being heard by the same court that convicted Joaquin Guzman (El Chapo) last year. But in some ways this case is even more important. While the stories of drug lords fuel endless movies, TV series and novels, their convictions have failed to ease the blood bath in Mexico. There were a record 34,500 murders here last year, while the cocaine king Guzman was sentenced in New York to life in prison and sent to the Super Max. Some activists and academics have long called for going after the gangsters political enablers, who often move to the United States with their millions of dollars. And to give credit to American prosecutors, they are now trying to do this. The charges against Mr. Garcia Luna, who has lived in a mansion in Miami since 2012, follow the conviction of the brother of the Honduran president on cocaine trafficking charges in October and various cases against Venezuelan officials. Such efforts are likely more effective in reducing the power of cartels than classifying them as terrorists, as President Trump considered doing. I first met Mr. Garcia Luna in 2005 when he headed Mexicos Federal Investigative Agency, and he cut the figure of the tough, square-jawed crime fighter. When he became public security secretary in 2006, he oversaw a crackdown on traffickers that spread across the country, involving a hugely expanded federal police alongside soldiers and marines. (Natural News) A recent interview with Dr. Francis Boyle, conducted by Geopolitics & Empire, has been exploding across the net over the past few days as the truth is emerging on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. It was an engineered biological weapon that escaped a BSL-4 lab in China, and now its replicating on an exponential scale, threatening the entire human race. Francis Boyle warned the world about bioweapons research starting in the 1980s. After speaking out about the U.S. bioweapons research efforts which were restarted after the staged events of 9/11 run by the deep state, of course Francis Boyle was blackballed from the entire media based on orders from the CIA. Now, Boyle is one of the few courageous voices speaking the truth about the bioweapons origins of the coronavirus. In this bombshell interview (full transcript below), Boyle talks about: The bioweapons origins of the coronavirus. How the U.S. deep state deployed anthrax on U.S. soil to whip up publicity about biological weapons and increase funding for bioweapons labs. Why the WHO and CDC are both criminal organizations which are complicit in the covert development of biological weapons. The death science industry and why the U.S. government has spent over $100 billion developing self-replicating weapons that are deliberately designed to exterminate human life. Details about the Pirbright Institute and its ties to bioweapons, depopulation, vaccines and coronavirus patents. (Its partially funded by Bill & Melinda Gates.) Why all BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs in the world should be banned and shut down. This is one of the most eye-opening, bombshell interviews youll hear all year. Ive added bolding emphasis on the really important parts, so if you skim this transcript, at least read the bolded sentences. Geopolitics & Empire also has a channel on Brighteon.com, and we hope they will post more outstanding interviews there. You can find more work from this outstanding independent journalism organization at the Geopolitics & Empire website. Brighteon.com/0a618138-5881-4805-83a1-24cc35fad34c Full transcript: Hrvoje Mori?: Geopolitics & Empire is joined by Dr. Francis Boyle, who is international law professor at the University of Illinois. Well be discussing the Wuhan coronavirus and biological warfare. Hes served as counsel to numerous governments such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Palestinian authority. Hes represented numerous national international bodies in the areas of human rights, war crimes and genocide, nuclear policy, and biowarfare. Hes written numerous books, one of my favorites being Destroying Libya and World Order, which I assigned as mandatory reading material for my own students when I taught at the Monterrey Institute of Technology. But most important for this interview, hes written a book called Biowarfare and Terrorism, and drafted the US domestic implementing legislation for the biological weapons convention, known as the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 that was approved unanimously by both houses of the US Congress and signed into law by President Bush. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Boyle. Dr. Francis Boyle: Wow. Thank you so much for having me on and thanks for that kind introduction. Hrvoje Mori?: Now lets get to whats been on the news recently. This coronavirus in Wuhan. There have been some reports recently, theres a really interesting website called Great Game India that has been reporting on this. Theyve been talking about China, which they say has been complying with biological weapons convention in recent years. But then there are some people in the US and experts that have been saying that in reality, China isnt complying with the weapons convention. And I think neither, perhaps the US as well. Im wondering if China is developing its own biosafety level four lab in Wuhan and elsewhere, as you know, as a type of deterrence. Is it a type of a biological arms race that we have going on? You told me in an email that you suspect China was developing the coronavirus as a dual use of biowarfare weapons agent. Also, what do you make of reports that Chinese scientists have been stealing research and viruses, including the coronavirus from a Canadian bio lab this past December? And as well, Chinese nationals have been charged with smuggling vials of biological research to China from the US with the aid of Charles Lieber who was the chair of Harvards chemistry department. And he also happens to be in 2011 a strategic scientist at Wuhan University. So, can you tell us whats going on with this recent outbreak in Wuhan? Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, thats a lot of questions. I guess we can take them one at a time, but if you just do a very simple Google search on Does China have a BSL for laboratory?, Wuhan comes up right away. Its at the top of the list. Thats all with the moment this type of thing happened I began to do that. So a BSL-4 is the most serious type. And basically BSL-4 labs, we have many of them here in the United States, are used to develop offensive biological warfare weapons with DNA genetic engineering. So it does seem to me that the Wuhan BSL-4 is the source of the coronavirus. My guess is that they were researching SARS, and they weaponize it further by giving it a gain of function properties, which means it could be more lethal. Indeed, the latest report now is its a 15% fatality rate, which is more than SARS at 83% infection rate. A typical gain of function travels in the air so it could reach out maybe six feet or more from someone emitting a sneeze or a cough. Likewise, this is a specially designated WHO research lab. The WHO was in on it and they knew full well what was going on there. Yes. Its also been reported that Chinese scientists stole coronavirus materials from the Canadian lab at Winnipeg. Winnipeg is Canadas formal center for research, developing, testing, biological warfare weapons. Its along the lines of Fort Detrick here in the United States of America. I have three degrees from Harvard. It would not surprise me if something was being stolen out of Harvard to turn over to China. I read that report. I dont know what was in those vials one way or the other. But the bottom line is I drafted the US domestic implementing legislation for the Biological Weapons Convention that was approved unanimously by both Houses in the United States Congress signed into law by President Bush Sr. that it appears the coronavirus that were dealing with here is an offensive biological warfare weapon that leaped out of Wuhan BSL-4. Im not saying it was done deliberately. But there had been previous reports of problems with that lab and things leaking out of it. Im afraid that is what we are dealing with today. Hrvoje Mori?: Well be talking about the Wuhan and the coronavirus and China, but can you give us kind of like a bigger context. I know youve, previously, in interviews said that since 9/11, you think that the US has spent $100 billion on biological warfare research. We know the Soviet Union, if Im not mistaken, developed anthrax as a bioweapon. And youve also mentioned that UK, France, Israel and China are all involved in biological warfare weapons research. And something interesting, I believe one or two years ago a Bulgarian journalist and the Russian government shared their concern of the discovery of a US bioweapons lab in the country of Georgia. Youve commented how in Africa, US has set up bioweapons labs to work on Ebola, which I think is illegal under international law. But they were allowed somehow to put those in Africa. Can you give us like a bigger picture? Whats going on with these different countries and whats the purpose of this research? Dr. Francis Boyle: All these BSL-4 labs are by United States, Europe, Russia, China, Israel are all there to research, develop, test biological warfare agents. Theres really no legitimate scientific reason to have BSL-4 labs. That figure I gave $100 billion, that was about 2015 I believe. I had crunched the numbers and came up with that figure the United States since 9/11. To give you an idea thats as much in constant dollars as the US spent to develop the Manhattan Project and the atom bomb. So its clearly all weapons related. We have well over 13,000 alleged life science scientists involved in research developed testing biological weapons here in the United States. Actually this goes back it even precedes 9/11 2001. I have another book, The Future of International Law and American Foreign Policy, tracing that all the way back to the Reagan administration under the influence of the neocons and they got very heavily involved in research development testing of biological weapons with DNA genetic engineers. It was because of that I issued my plea in 1985 in a Congressional briefing sponsored by the Council for Responsible Genetics, Im a lawyer for them. Theyre headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. All the MIT, Harvard people are involved in that, the principal ones. And then they asked me to draft the implementing legislation. The implementing legislation that I drafted was originally designed to stop this type of work. Death science work, I call it, by the United States government. After 9/11, 2001, it just completely accelerated. My current figure, that last figure a 100 billion. I havent had a chance to re-crunch the numbers because I just started classes. But you have to add in about another 5 billion per year. Basically, this is offensive biological weapons raised by the United States government and with its assistance in Canada and Britain. And so other States, the world have responded accordingly including Russia and China. They were going to set up a whole series of BSL-4 facilities as well. And you know Wuhan was the first. It backfired on them. Hrvoje Mori?: Would you basically consider what happened and Wuhan and just boil it down to ineptitude or incompetence on the Chinese part? Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, its criminality. It does appear they stole something there from Winnipeg. This activity that they engaged in clearly violates the Biological Weapons Convention. Research development of biological weapons these days is an international crime, the use of it would be. That was criminal. Im not saying they deliberately inflicted this on their own people, but it leaked out of there and all these BSL-4 facilities leak. Everyone knows that and studies this. So this was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Unfortunately, it happened. The Chinese government under Xi and his comrades there have been covering this up from the get-go. The first reported case was December 1, so theyd been sitting on this until they couldnt anymore. And everything theyre telling you is a lie. Its propaganda. The WHO still refuses to declare a global health emergency. It said Tedros was over there shaking hands with Xi and smiling and yanking it up. The WHO was in on it. Theyve approved many of these BSL-4 labs., they know exactly whats going on and that is a WHO research-approved laboratory. They know whats going on too. You cant really believe anything the WHO is telling you about this, either theyre up to their eyeballs in it, in my opinion. Hrvoje Mori?: Id probably agree with you that this outbreak in Wuhan was an accidental leak from the laboratory. But just your thoughts, its happening at quite an opportune time because namely were smack in the middle of a US-China new Cold War, which is currently characterized by economic warfare such as the trade war among other forms of hybrid and technological warfare. And it seems the Wuhan outbreak will likely hit the Chinese economy hard. The Chinese are flat out dismissing any idea that the US is involved in. Like I said, its probably they made the mistakes in the Wuhan lab. What are your thoughts of any seemingly, this would benefit the US Dr. Francis Boyle: When the outbreak occurred, of course I considered that alternative too. When you have an outbreak, youre never quite sure who or what is behind it. It certainly isnt bats, thats ridiculous. They made the same argument on Ebola in West Africa. I demolished that online. You can check it out. So I kept competing theories about this. But right now, when you originally contacted me, I said I wasnt prepared to comment because I was weighing the evidence. Im a law professor and a lawyer, I try to do the best I can to weigh the evidence. But right now, the Wuhan BSL-4 in my opinion is the most likely source, apply Occams razor, the simplest explanation. Im not ruling out some type of sabotage. But right now, I believe that is the source here. Hrvoje Mori?: And you mentioned WHO. Id like to just get your thoughts on the WHO and the Big Pharma. Theres also some analysts who are downplaying this news media hype of the coronavirus. Youve just said that it seems to be lethal, but if we go back a decade to the 2009 swine flu, which I believe didnt have too many casualties, but I think profited greatly the pharmaceutical companies. If I recall that back in 2009, many countries purchased great stocks of the vaccines and they ended up not using anywhere from 50 to 80% of the vaccines that they purchased. Youve previously stated in an interview that the World Health Organization is a front for Big Pharma if Im not mistaken. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also agrees and he says, you know, 50% of WHO funding comes from pharmaceutical companies. And that the CDC itself has also severely compromised. What are your thoughts on the WHO? The CDC? Dr. Francis Boyle: Cant trust anything the WHO says because theyre all bought and paid for by Big Pharma and when they work in cahoots with the CDC, which is the United States government, they work in cahoots with Fort Detrick, so you cant trust any of it. However, the swine flu and yes, I agree pharma made a lot of money, but that swine flu which I looked at it, it did seem to me to be a genetically modified biological warfare weapon. It was a chimera of three different types of genetic strains that someone put it together in a cocktail. Fortunately, it was not as lethal as all of us fear. So fine. But as I said, this figure I just gave to you was Saturday from Lancet, which is a medical publication, saying its a 15% fatality rate and an 83% infection rate. So its quite serious, I think, far more serious than the swine flu. As for big pharma, sure theyre all trying to profit off this today as we speak. There was a big article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, all big pharma trying to peddle whatever they can over there in China even if its worthless and wont help. We do know, if you read the mainstream news media they say there there isnt a vaccine. Well, there is, its by the Pirbright Institute in Britain thats tied into their biological warfare program over there. They were behind the hoof and mouth disease outbreak over there that wiped out their cattle herd and it leaked out of there. So its clear theyre working on a hoof and mouth biological warfare weapon, but the vaccine is there. I have the patent for it here, I havent had a chance to read the patent its about 25 pages long and my classes just resume. So eventually, I get some free time and Ill read the patent. You cant patent a vaccine with the United States patent office unless the science is there. So there is a vaccine. Everyones lying about that, no ones pointing this out theres a vaccine but instead big pharma wants to make money and the researchers say, well, itll take three months and were racing forward, you know. Everyones gonna make a buck off of this, thats for sure. But there is a vaccine, I have the patent here. Its been patented by the United States government. So obviously, I dont know exactly how workable it is, but its a vaccine. I dont know why it isnt out there now? Why isnt someone saying there is a vaccine? Perhaps political leaders have already been vaccinated for all I know, I really dont know. But there is a vaccine, Pirbright is well known there in Britain and its tied into Fort Detrick and CDC is tied into Fort Detrick too. So they all know theres a patented vaccine. Hrvoje Mori?: And just to get your comment on, I mean, something to related to this, which was my next question. So I think, Im not sure if its that same Institute that you just mentioned that has the patent. I read somewhere that the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation maybe funds or has some connection to that Institute that has the patent. Dr. Francis Boyle: I think they do. The Bill & Melinda Gates information, they fund this type of DNA genetically engineered biological warfare work. Thats correct. So you cant trust anything theyre telling you that somehow theyre out there trying to make the world a better place. I mean, we have Bill Gates publicly admitting that the world be a better place if there were a lot less people. So the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, they are wolves in sheeps clothing and they are funding this type of stuff. Sure. Hrvoje Mori?: And just your comment, there was also the report that I guess it was a consortium of companies which included the Gates foundation that back in just two or three months ago in October of 2019 they held a pandemic exercise simulating an outbreak. I mean, what are the chances specifically of a coronavirus and it was called events 201. People can find this online online and they gave a list of seven recommendations for governments and international organizations to take. I also find that kind of interesting how they had this simulation. Dr. Francis Boyle: Thats correct. It raises that question, the origins of what happened here. But right now, Im just looking at the evidence I have and applying Occams razor and we know that Wuhan BSL-4 was research developing, testing, SARS as a biological warfare agent. So it could have been, they gave it this DNA genetic engineering enhanced properties gain of function which we do here in the West, in the United States all the time. We have all sorts of research that is clearly a bio warfare research that has been approved by the National Institutes of Health, its a joke. They know full well they are proving all kinds of biological warfare research and it gets funded by the United States government. Hrvoje Mori?: And youve also mentioned in the email to me that what happened in the biosafety lab level 4 in Wuhan calls into question the safety of all of these level 3and 4four labs around the world. Dr. Francis Boyle: Theyre complete unsafe. BSL-3 and BSL-4 lab are only designed for research development testing of offense of biological warfare agents. In my opinion, they serve no legitimate purpose at all. They should all be shut down, every one of them. Even assuming, theyre simply too dangerous. If you want, theres an excellent documentary called Anthrax Wars by Nadler and Coen and Im in there. Repeatedly at the end, I say with respect to these labs, three and four, this is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Well, Im afraid the catastrophe is now happened. So there it is. Hrvoje Mori?: Yeah, I was just watching that documentary before we connected and I recommend the listeners go check that out. Do you see, in the future, any countries, if we come to a conflict between US, EU, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Russia, I mean you name it. Do you see any of these countries actually utilizing these biological weapons? I mean, its illegal under international law but we know like in the past that international law isnt followed. Do you think that theres a real danger of this escalating? Dr. Francis Boyle: For sure. Thats the only reason they develop these biological weapons to eventually be used, sure. I mean, its like the Manhattan project, we put all that money into developing an atom bomb and even though it was not needed to end world war II they still knew Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, yes, I think thats correct. And also these can be used covertly. Anytime you see an unexplained sudden outbreak of a disease like this anywhere in the world, both for human beings and or animals, I always suspect the bio warfare agent is at work. I monitor the situation like I did at Wuhan until I can reach a conclusion. Yes, they can be used as the eyes for the United States government, today they are fully prepared, armed, equipped, supplied to wage a biological warfare with anthrax. These other more exotic things I dont know, but they have the weapons, there are stockpiles. We have to understand if you read Seymour Martin Hershs book published about 1968, he won the Pulitzer prize, he had the whole offensive US biological warfare industry in there back before it was illegal and criminal. Basically after 9/11, 2001, that entire industry offensive biological warfare industry has been reconstituted here in the United States with all these BSL-4 BSL-3 labs, well over 13,000, alleged scientists sort of like Dr. Mengele working on these things. Other countries have responded in kind like Russia, like China, France is involved, Britains involved. Sure. Hrvoje Mori?: I just wanted to get your thoughts on, in the last few years there was the Russian double agent spy Sergei Skripal who had been allegedly poisoned with Novichok out in Britain and I thought it was funny. It just so happened where he was allegedly poisoned, he was right in Porton down the British bio weapons lab, I guess the worlds first bio weapons lab that was created in 1916. I mean, I dont know if you have thoughts on that whole incident. Dr. Francis Boyle: Yeah, I was right down the street from Porton Down, so applying Occams razor who you think mightve been behind this and it was not a nerve agent. A nerve agent would have killed him immediately. This is Novichok. It was something else like DX or something like that. So fine. But, I would just say that I dont think that was a coincidence, but, you know, there you go. Theres the, obviously theres a lot of speculation on that. Hrvoje Mori?: Something else thats kind of interesting. Youve written in bio warfare and terrorism in your book and theres also Graeme Macqueen, I think your colleague who wrote the anthrax deception the case for domestic conspiracy Dr. Francis Boyle: Everything you said in there. Thats correct. Hrvoje Mori?: Im wondering also if this new war for biotechnological dominance, whatever you want to call it, if it can also be used kind of as a pretext for the centralization of political power and the initiation of wars like I guess it did in the 2003 Iraq war. I mean, is this another danger that we get these events like now this coronavirus and then governments will call for a centralization of greater power and taking away some of our civil liberties? Dr. Francis Boyle: Sure. If you look at the October, 2001 anthrax attacks here in the United States, that was clearly by elements of the United States government that was behind that. That was a super weapons grade anthrax with a trillion spores per gram and it floated in the air solely a very sophisticated biological weapons lab like Fort Detrick could produce that. And they use that anthrax attack including on Congress to brand through the USA Patriot act which basically turned the United States to a police state which is what we have now. You have to understand the Pentagon, Fort Dietrich made the dugway proving ground still has a stockpile of that super weapons grade anthrax that we saw in October of 2001 that they can use the next time they want to do something like that to further develop the American police thing. Right. Hrvoje Mori?: Is there anything else you feel important to mention regarding this Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak or biological warfare or any other thoughts youd like to leave us with? Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, you just cant believe anything the Chinese government, the WHO, the CDC are telling. Theyre all lies because they know whats going on here and so youre going to have to figure it out as fast as you can. But in my opinion, as of this time and Im fully prepared to consider further evidence on this, it does seem to me that this was a DNA genetically engineered biological warfare agent leaking out of Wuhan that has gain-of-function properties which can make it more lethal. I think they are probably doing something with SARS to make it a lot more lethal and more infectious. And so for that reason, you have to take extreme precautions and theyre now finally admitted anyone within six feet can be infected, whereas with SARS that was about two feet. Well, thats gaining a function right there and that should be a tip off. So, I guess youre gonna have to protect yourself. Laurie Garrett had a pretty good essay in a foreign policy yesterday and she was over there covering the SARS and she has very good advice in there except that she took the SARS figure out two to three feet and said well, you gotta stay to two to three. I think youve got to stay at least six feet away because this is gained function. It can flow through the air and infect and it can get you in the eyes. Any orifice, the mouth, maybe the ears, were not sure at this point. Hrvoje Mori?: Im here on the border of China in Kazakhstan and I was just reading yesterday today that theyre no longer allowing Chinese citizens into Kazakhstan without a medical paper, a medical check to get their visas to enter Kazakhstan Dr. Francis Boyle: Those medical checks are worthless because this is just public relations by all the governments involved because there is a 14 day incubation period where people can still be infected. So someone could walk right through a medical inspection and passing a gate into your country and then they come down with the coronavirus. So thats all public relations in my opinion by governments and they know it and theyre just sending people out there with temperatures and things like that. Its not like SARS, this is more dangerous than SARS. As I said, I think that Wuhan lab, we know they had SARS in there that they were dealing with and I think they enhanced it at and Im afraid thats what were dealing with. But you know, Im keeping an open mind as to what other sources that might have and I wasnt prepared to say anything until that Wuhan lab is right there and its dealing with coronavirus. So again, apply Occams razor. It seems to me thats the simplest explanation here. Hrvoje Mori?: I guess my, one of my final question would be in the months ahead, apart of what you say staying six feet away from people. Ive read taking high doses of vitamin C and other things like this can help you. But, if they come out as the situation develops and if it gets worse and they come out with a coronavirus vaccine, should people take it or not? What are your thoughts? Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, what I would say is this. Right now, if you look at the article at the Wall Street Journal, big pharma is trying to sell all sorts of theyre taking all their drugs off the shelf and say well lets see if it works. Which is preposterous. Okay. The scientists are saying, well, we can get you a vaccine maybe two to three months but theyre not tested. So what we do know, however, is that Pirbright vaccine has been patented. So all I can assume is that that might work. But I dont think Id be taking any of these other vaccines. No, you have no idea whats in there. Youll be the Guinea pig for big pharma and everyone figures theyre gonna make a lot of money here. So Ill keep my eye open on this and how it develop but I wouldnt trust anything theyre trying to sell right now. Theyre just pulling these things off the shelf. If they do come up with something in two to three months, even thats not going to be tested in accordance with normal scientific protocol. So its going to be a crap shoot. If its going to help you, indeed it might not help you because theyll be using for this vaccines (these DNA genetic engineered vaccines) theyll be using live coronavirus probably and sticking it in there and giving you some live coronavirus on the theory youll develop an immunity. Thats the way a lot of these vaccines worked out, thats what happened with the Ebola vaccine that created the Ebola pandemic there in West Africa. They were testing out a vaccine on poor black Africans, as usual, and this vaccine had live Ebola in it so it gave them Ebola. So again, Id be very careful even if they do come up with these vaccines two to three months from now, very careful. Why would you want to inject the live coronavirus in you? Hrvoje Mori?: All right. I dont believe you have a strong online presence. How can people best follow your work? I suppose to search for interviews as well as get your books. Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, basically Im blackballed and blacklisted off all the mainstream news media here on purpose. As far as I can figure out, the US government gave an order that I should not be interviewed by anyone, so Im not. I guess you could just put my name in there under Google, Google alert, and some interviews might come up. What happened was, right after the anthrax attacks of 9/11 2001, I was giving a lecture out at Harvard m Alma Mater. I was running a panel on biological warfare for the council for responsible genetics and it was at Harvard Divinity School and as I was going in, there was a Fox camera crew there from Boston and I said it looks to me like this has come out of the US government lab. We know they do research and testing on anthrax. Then I said the same thing there at Harvard then I gave an interview to a radio station in Washington, D C then I gave an interview on that to the BBC. So the whole world saw it and at that point I was completely cut off and Ive been cut off ever since. So you probably not going to hear too many interviews from me here. As for my book. Biowarfare & Terrorism, you can just get it at amazon.com. That picks up the story pretty much from 9/11 2001 and until it went to press and then there are interviews Id given to an investigative reporter, Sherwood Ross and a big one I just sent you and you might want to put that on your web page. That was pretty comprehensive. Hrvoje Mori?: Yeah, I read that as well and Ill include the link in the description of this interview so people can go check that out. Youre not the only academic I know and have heard of others that similar things have happened and thats just I guess the price we pay for telling the truth. Again, for listeners, if people wanted to have a broader context and deeper understanding of whats happening today especially with biological warfare as well as us foreign policy and international affairs, I urge you to get Dr. Francis Boyles books and listen to his interviews as well as his colleagues book. Graeme Macqueen, The Anthrax Deception, The Case For Domestic Conspiracy. Thank you for being with us, Dr. Boyle. Dr. Francis Boyle: Well, thank you and again, please understand these are my current opinions. I could change my opinion here based on more evidence. So Im just looking at the evidence out there as I see it and you have to understand there is so much disinformation, lies and propaganda that its kind of very difficult to distinguish truth from fact. Im doing the best job I can here. end interview Heres my own summary of the bioweapons origins of the coronavirus. Listen and share: Brighteon.com/a2192ba5-0b24-4b02-be20-698673aef67f The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Wednesday issued a revised travel advisory in wake of novel Coronavirus outbreak and said extending visas, including already issued eVisa, are no longer valid for any foreign travelling from China. "Existing visas, including already issued eVisa are no longer valid for any foreign travelling from China," said the MoH in a statement. The Ministry said intending visitors may contact Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou to apply afresh for an Indian visa. It said people have already been advised to refrain from travel to China through an earlier advisory. "People traveling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return," the MoH said. "The Indian Embassy in China continues to remain contactable round the clock on two hotline numbers +8618610952903 and +8618612083629 and the email -helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in. Indian nationals. In need of any assistance may get in touch with the Embassy on these hotlines and email," it added. It said for any queries related to health, a person may contact on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 24x7 helpline number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, suspected patients in several states have been put under observation, including Kerala where nearly 2,421 of them are being monitored.Meanwhile, other states have also been taking precautionary measures to meet any eventuality in view of the swift spread of the virus.The virus originated in Wuhan in China's Hubei province in December and has since then spread to various parts around the world.Like the previous two, the third confirmed coronavirus case in India is of a student who came back from Wuhan. All three confirmed coronavirus cases are from Kerala.Meanwhile, China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this press release please contact the company added in the press release. Please do not contact pr-inside. We will not be able to assist you. PR-inside disclaims the content included in this release. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex situated in Mahshahr county of Irans south-western Khuzestan province saved up to 1.4 trillion rials ($33.3 million) from the beginning of last Iranian year (began on March 21, 2018) up till now, Executive Director of the company Hamidreza Rustami said. The funds were spent on import of equipment and spare parts, the executive director said, Trend reports referring to the companys website. Rustami added that wasting of funds was prevented by the company. The Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex produces the chemical products, namely, caustic soda, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), hydrochloric acid, salt, gas products, ethane, propane, butane (LPG), pentane, ethylene, olefin, polymer products, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), aromatic products, benzene, mixed xylene and paraxylene. The US has imposed sanctions on Iran since November 2018. These sanctions have greatly affected Iran's economy. The Trump administration is planning to meet later this month to discuss efforts to further limit exports to China and its flagship telecoms company Huawei, as it seeks to keep state-of-the-art U.S. technology out of the hands of adversaries, two sources familiar with the matter said. The gathering, currently scheduled for Feb. 28, will bring together policymakers to hammer out differences after the U.S. Commerce Department withdrew a rule aimed at further reducing foreign shipments to Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] amid pushback from the Pentagon, one of the people said. The ... A Royal Navy warship has seized 1million worth of hashish while on patrol in the Indian Ocean. The seizure of 2,500kg of the illegal drugs by HMS Defender comes just two months after it intercepted 131kg of crystal meth, worth 3.3million. This drugs bust unfolded after the Defender, Type 45 destroyer, launched her Wildcat helicopter to begin a search for possible illegitimate marine traffic. The crew of HMS Defender have seized 2,500kg of illegal drug hashish, worth 1million, from a fishing dhow in the Indian Ocean HMS Defender has been operating in support of Combined Task Force 150, a multi-national force carrying out security patrols in the Gulf. Once the Royal Marines had secured the suspicious dhow, a Royal Navy team followed and searched the vessel for illicit cargo. The boarding party discovered 2,500kg of hashish in 119 bags hidden throughout the dhow. Speaking after the haul Commander Richard Hewitt, the commanding officer of the Portsmouth-based ship, praised the crew for 'ensuring maritime security'. The Royal Navy team found the hashish in 119 bags hidden throughout the dhow when they boarded the vessel (pictured some of the drugs and HMS Defender) The drugs bust unfolded after the Type 45 destroyer launched her Wildcat helicopter to begin a search for possible illegitimate marine traffic (pictured the dhow being approached by crew) He said: 'Once again Defender has been able to seize a significant amount of narcotics, reinforcing the Royal Navy's commitment to ensuring maritime security by disrupting the operations of drug smugglers and terrorists.' Armed Forces Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan added: 'Thanks to the work of HMS Defender and her crew, these drugs will never reach the street and the criminal organisations responsible will be dented financially. 'The substantial seizures made by the Combined Task Force are testament to the seamless co-operation between our international partners that keeps our citizens safe.' HMS Defender has been operating in support of Combined Task Force 150, a multi-national force which protects 3.2m square miles of international waters (Wildcat helicopter pictured) A Royal Navy police member of staff is seen weighing and documenting some of the 2,500kg of illegal drugs that was seized HMS Defender A navy spokesman said: 'The drugs bust unfolded after Defender launched her Wildcat helicopter to begin a search for possible illegitimate marine traffic in the Indian Ocean. 'Before long, a suspicious dhow was identified and HMS Defender sent a boarding team of Royal Marine Commandos.' It comes after the Defenders haul of 131kg of crystal meth in December, which was the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) largest ever. It took CMFs total crystal meth seizures for 2019 to 257kg, compared to only 9kg in 2018. HMS Defender is pictured passing the Isle of Wight after leaving Portsmouth Harbour in an undated picture CTF 150 is one of three task forces operating under CMF, a multinational naval partnership that protects 3.2 million square miles of international waters. The 33 nations that comprise CMF share intelligence, assets and capabilities. The UK has a long-standing maritime security presence in the Gulf and Indian Ocean. Since 1980, ships of both the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary have maintained a presence there 365 days a year. Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose is stationed in the Gulf as part of the Royal Navys forward presence, ensuring peace, stability, and the free flow of trade through some of the worlds most vital shipping lanes. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 19:55:13|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd edition of the 'India International Seafood Show (IISS) 2020' would he held in the country's southern city of Kochi on Feb. 7-9, announced the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday. It is organised by the "Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)" in association with the 'Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI)'. The theme of this year's seafood show is "Blue Revolution- Beyond Production to Value Addition". Over 200 exhibitors and more than 5000 delegates, including foreign delegates, are expected to attend the three-day event. The delegates include seafood processors, buyers and stakeholders, from other related sectors, representing firms in India and abroad. Buyer delegations from countries focused on mutual tie-ups in the sector of seafood processing and value addition will also be participating in the event. The biennial show would provide a platform for Indian exporters and overseas importers of Indian marine products to interact. It will also give an opportunity for display and sale for manufacturers and suppliers of processing machinery, packaging systems, processing ingredient dealers and cold chain systems. A Malaysian hospital today said it taken down posters that offended some for asking visitors to declare if theyd recently been to Singapore and Sabah to deter spread of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The poster was removed after a number of complaints, mainly by those in Singapore and the Malaysian state of Sabah, for equating them with Wuhan, China, where the outbreak of the deadly SARS-like virus began and the vast majority of cases remain concentrated. KPJ Rawang Specialist Hospital takes note of all parties feedback on the poster snapshot. We deeply regret and apologize for this oversight, a statement posted to the hospitals Facebook page today read. Please rest assured there was no intention of offending any Individual or State or Country. We have taken corrective action to remove the poster immediately, it added. The hospitals poster, which has been circulating online, listed what seems a common-sense appeal for people whove set foot in all four locales where the virus has been spreading to notify staff. Dear valued customers, please inform us if you have been to China, Wuhan, Singapore or Sabah or if you have close contact with positive novel coronavirus patients in the past 14 days, it read. But upset, people were. The poster triggered complaints from Singaporeans offended that they were being unfairly singled out. The hospital that put up the poster is located in the Rawang town of Malaysias Selangor state. Our neighbor already asking about travel history to SG. If they get more paranoid, will affect our weekend [Johor Bahru] shoppers or not? a post on Facebook page All Singapore Stuff said. One person pointed out that numerous Malaysians are already in Singapore nearly every day. Our neighbors are working in Singapore and returning back daily to their homeland, Facebook user Abhilash Krishnan wrote. Thats okay, because theyre confident that the virus comes from us, AL Amin responded, snarkily. The 2019-nCoV coronavirus has infected more than 20,000 and killed at least 491 people in China. It has spread to Singapore, where 24 are now infected, as well as Malaysia, where a number of the cases were confirmed following recent travels to Singapore. Story continues Malaysia yesterday announced its first citizen to be infected following a business trip to the Lion City where he attended a meeting involving Chinese individuals. A South Korean man who had made contact with the same Malaysian was today confirmed by the South Korean government to be infected by the virus. There were at least 10 confirmed cases of the virus in Malaysia as of today. Related: Contagious Compassion? Punggol residents turn lift into refuge from virus Wuhan virus spreading locally in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong Couple in Punggol give away thousands of masks outside MRT This article, Malaysian hospital removes poster asking about travel to Singapore, Sabah after some offended, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Aamir Khan is known to be the actor who will never stick to easy when it comes to bringing the best to the audience with his ambitious projects. Shifting from one avatar to the other, the actor is seen sporting different looks: turban with a long beard, long open hair and beard, and now, crew cut and clean-shaven for the shooting schedules of his upcoming Christmas release Laal Singh Chaddha and we wonder, what more is in store! After sporting a long beard, Aamir was spotted in a clean-shaven look recently and the actor will now start shooting in Punjab. Aamirs Sardar look followed by the look of him running where he sported a long beard, both received wide appreciation from the audience all across. From the internet to the fans, the look became an instant hit and continues to make waves. Now, the actor gets into another look where he is clean-shaven and in a crew cut which has gotten us excited. A solo release this Christmas, Aamir Khan will surely blow the minds of the audience with his performance in and as Laal Singh Chaddha which is already being hailed as the most anticipated film of the year. With an interesting storyline, the story traces the protagonist as he obliviously and by chance, influences the important political and cultural events in India over a span of 30 years. Written by Atul Kulkarni, the film is helmed by Advait Chandan and will be produced by Viacom18 Studios and Aamir Khan Productions. The movie is slated to hit the theatres during Christmas 2020, next year. ALSO READ: Laal Singh Chaddha: Aamir Khan's Clean Shaven Look Pictures Go Viral ALSO READ: Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha BO Clash With Akshay Kumar's Bachchan Pandey Averted To the Editor: Re Emboldened Trump Makes 2020 Case (front page, Feb. 5): The state of our union is divided. Half the country believes, as the founders did, that virtue and character matter profoundly in the office of the president and that Donald Trumps pressuring a foreign government to dig up dirt on his political opponent was an egregious abuse of power. The other half shrugs their shoulders and wants to move on. In this vein, the presidents State of the Union address did nothing to bridge the divide. It resembled a political rally, with Mr. Trump lying about the economic recovery he was handed by President Obama and lying about wanting to protect the health care of Americans with pre-existing conditions when his administration is in court trying to take those protections away by dismantling Obamacare. The presidents supporters cheered him on. But that wasnt enough. Mr. Trump went so far as to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a divisive figure Rush Limbaugh who has spent his career encouraging hate of the other. The State of the Union address is an improper venue for such a controversial act. But this is where we are. Sadly, the state of our union cannot be strong and hopelessly divided at the same time. Surely we can do better. Justice Minister Naomi Long has condemned the discovery of an explosive device in a Co Armagh industrial estate. Police said dissident republican terrorists were behind the device and it was fortunate no one was hurt. The explosive was found in the Silverwood Industrial Estate in Lurgan on Tuesday evening. The area was evacuated as the device was disarmed. Naomi Long said: "Those responsible for leaving this explosive device in the Silverwood Industrial Estate have no regard for human life and are motivated by a need to create fear and disruption in our community. Thankfully, due to the professionalism and expertise of security personnel, a potentially serious incident has been averted. I commend all involved for their vigilance." Lurgan, DUP MP Carla Lockhart said: Once again the community in Lurgan are dealing with the mindless antics of a small minority who wish to cause devastation and destruction. "This has obviously caused local businesses considerable disruption. However as always, the stark reality is that when devices like this are left, lives could be lost. "Only today in the House of Commons the Northern Ireland Office restated that the threat in Northern Ireland remains severe. Our thanks go to those in the PSNI and security services who protect us from this threat and I would appeal for anyone with information to bring it to the PSNI. Detective Superintendent Sean Wright said police were investigating. He added: "The device has been made safe and it is fortunate that no-one has been hurt. Police continue to conduct extensive investigations into what is assessed to be a terrorist attack by dissident republicans. "Police ask for the continued support and patience of the public as we conduct our investigations. Nobody from Sinn Fein has contacted Paul Quinns family, according to the murdered 21-year-olds mother. Speaking on RTE Radio 1s Today with Sean ORourke, she was asked about Mary Lou McDonalds promise on Read More: The Storman MLA for Newry and Armagh stated in 2007 the 21-year-old was involved in smuggling and criminality. And he added: I think everyone accepts that. Mr Quinn, from Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, was lured to a barn near the border in Tullycoora, Co Monoghan, on October 20, 2007. Once inside he was set upon by a group of about 12 men armed with bats, some of which studded with nails, and every major bone of his body was broken in a beating that took just over 30 minutes. Although he was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, he died a few hours later. Mr Murphys comment at the time was greeted with fury by the family, from Cullyhanna in south Armagh, Read More: They say they will never meet him unless he apologises on TV and makes a statement to the PSNI. Mr ORourke asked Breege Quinn if anybody from Sinn Fein had been in touch and she replied: No. No one. Mrs Quinn said: Mary Lou came out last night and said that Paul was not a criminal. Well, that was good to hear and Conor Murphy is going to apologize to the Quinn family. I will accept an apology from Conor Murphy when he comes out on national television and apologises to us because he blackened Paul's name on national television. When he has that done, I want him to go to the gardai and the PSNI and give the names of the IRA men that he spoke to in Cullyhanna (who) reassured him they didn't do it But he also said that everyone Cullyhanna knew Paul was a criminal, so who do you believe? And with her voice racked with emotion, she asked: Why has he left us 13 years fighting, crying? People are accusing us now of coming out when there is an election on to look for justice for Paul. I want to tell them that I have been fighting morning and noon and night this past 13 years for justice for my son, not just because there is an election. Finance Minister Conor Murphy during an interview in the Great Hall at Stormont Buildings. Picture: PA She added: Why did Conor Murphy go to the IRA? Nobody asked him to go to the IRA. The very next day (after he was murdered) every political party came to this door. Not one Sinn Fein member and that was even before we said the IRA murdered him, that we set it out publicly The family has been grieving 13 years and she's coming out now because of the election. But I don't care about elections. Also in her interview, Mrs Quinn spoke of the heartache of her family. Pauls siblings are still very angry about what happened and his father goes nowhere but the graveyard every day. And when it rains, he stays in the car and stares at the grave, she added. Sinn Feins press office was asked for a comment at 10.37am. A Hamilton man accused of ramming four police cars in Tauranga will remain behind bars until his next court appearance. Benjamin Hati appeared in Tauranga District Court this morning facing nine charges including, four counts of aggravated assaults towards police officers. The 36-year-old is also facing charges that include reckless driving, failing to stop when requested to stop by an enforcement officer whilst exceeding the speed limit and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. He was arrested on January 16 when police signaled for a vehicle to pull over on Hewletts Road at around 10.45pm. The events took place when police signalled for a vehicle to pull over on Hewletts Road. It failed to do so and was pursued by police, but due to the manner of driving the pursuit was immediately abandoned, says a police spokesperson. Road spikes were deployed near the Bayfair roundabout and the car was again pursued along Maunganui Road. The car slowed and rammed the police car. On Matapihi Road, the driver rammed a second police car. Road spikes were again deployed and while travelling at slow speed, the driver again attempted several times to ram a police car. The driver then stopped the car and the passengers ran off on foot. Police say the passengers allegedly stole a second vehicle and attempted to flee the scene in the stolen vehicle. They were blocked in by police and the occupants were arrested. Four police cars were damaged in the incident, but fortunately no police staff were injured. During his court appearance today, the accuseds lawyer asked for more time with their client, saying they want to file a final adjournment plea on his next appearance. The accused will next appear in court on February 19. Troubles have not ended for Vidhu Vinod Chopra as a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court against the film. In the PIL, they are demanding a stay on its release and deletion of some of the scenes from Vidhu Vinod Chopra's upcoming film Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits. Shikara is set against the backdrop of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the Kashmir Valley in late 1989 and early 1990, in the wake of violent Islamist insurgency. The petitioners are Iftikhar Misgar, Majid Hyderi, and Irfan Hafiz Lone, who have alleged that the film portrays untrue facts about Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits. Misgar told IANS, YouTube "We are asking for stalling the release and deleting a few scenes that portray the valley's Muslims in a bad light. We have urged the high court to take the case upon a priority basis," he added. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's team responded to the petition and in a tweet, they said, We have just learnt from media sources that a petition has been filed in the Hon. J&K HC against the release of #Shikara . We have no other information about the matter. Our counsel #HarishSalve will take appropriate steps as may be required. @foxstarhindi #VidhuVinodChopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films (@VVCFilms) February 4, 2020 A new video earlier in the day tweeted by Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films' official page said: In 1990, more than 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their home. 30 years later, their story will finally be told. Watch Shikara official teaser 2: https://t.co/ek6Cp2mV0K#HumWapasAayenge #Shikara #VidhuVinodChopra #Shikara @foxstarhindi pic.twitter.com/QHIsvXrbOI Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films (@VVCFilms) February 4, 2020 "In 1990, more than 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their home. 30 years later, their story will finally be told." It also showed that a select audience at the special pre-screening showered praises and gave a standing ovation. Shikara received a standing ovation at the first public screening of the film in Mumbai Shikara Screening 3 Feb PVR Juhu#Shikara #ShikaraScreening #VidhuVinodChopra #Shikara @foxstarhindi pic.twitter.com/5e7o8V2JUD Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films (@VVCFilms) February 4, 2020 One of the screenplay writers of the film, Rahul Pandita, recently replied to a tweet and wrote, "I am a Kashmiri Pandit who lost everything in 1990, while you were doing God knows what in Bombay. I am the writer of #shikara and I would not let anyone compromise on the Pandit story. I will not betray the memory of those who fell to the bullets of radical Islamists." In a separate tweet, he shared, AFP "This is what I said in my opening remarks on the day #shikara was screened in Delhi. Unlike makers of soft porn films, Kashmir and the story of what happened to the Pandits in 1990 is not a money-making venture for me. It is what I lived." Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits marks Vidhu Vinod Chopra's comeback to Bollywood as a director for the first time since his 2007 release, Eklavya. In this film, Chopra introduces Aadil Khan and Sadia in the lead roles of Shikara and the film is scheduled to release on February 7. HAPPY VALLEY, Ore., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond American Homes of Oregon, Inc. (CCB #218193), a subsidiary of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), is excited to announce the Grand Opening of Scouter's Mountain, a new Happy Valley community showcasing homes from the mid $500s. New to the Greater Portland Area, Richmond American is thrilled to bring sought-after floor plans, standout personalization options and 40 years of experience to Portland homebuyers. Great room in Richmond American's Coronado floor plan, available at Scouter's Mountain in Happy Valley, OR Grand Opening Event RichmondAmerican.com/SM Prospective homebuyers and area agents are invited to attend the Grand Opening of Scouter's Mountain on February 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests will enjoy a complimentary lunch from Panera Bread as well as tours of the brand-new Bedford and Hemingway model homes, each boasting open layouts and the versatile design distinctive of Richmond American products. Every homebuyer at this exceptional new neighborhood will receive complimentary design consulting at the Home Gallery, where they can choose from hundreds of options for flooring, fixtures and finishes, ranging from timeless to trendy. Floor plans can also be personalized with structural options, including chef's kitchens, sunrooms, additional bedrooms and deluxe master baths. More about the community New two-story homes from the mid $500s Five versatile floor plans with open layouts 3 to 6 bedrooms and approx. 2,300 to 3,900 sq. ft. Hundreds of ways to personalize Near Happy Valley Park, Mt. Talbert Park and numerous retail hubs For more information, please visit RichmondAmerican.com or call at 360.772.9725. Scouter's Mountain is located at SE 147th Avenue and SE Scouter's Mountain Road, Happy Valley, OR 97086. About M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Operating under the name Richmond American Homes, MDC's homebuilding subsidiaries have built more than 205,000 homes since 1977. Among the nation's largest homebuilders, MDC's subsidiary companies have operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Mortgage lending, plus insurance and title services are offered by the following MDC subsidiaries, respectively: HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. and American Home Title and Escrow Company. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDC." For more information, visit MDCHoldings.com. SOURCE M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.richmondamerican.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5 2020 Jan. 10 was like any other day for Buyung, a 45-year-old paperboy who regularly delivers the morning paper to offices and houses in Harmoni, Central Jakarta. However, unlike in the past, he carried few newspapers on the back of his bicycle. Ever since starting the job in 2009, he has experienced a massive decrease in the number of newspapers he delivers, with the world around him growing more and more digitalized by the second. Consequently, jobs like his risk running the way of the dodo. Paperboys make less than they did in past decades and many are out of a job as a result. Buyung said many of his colleagues either made the decision to retire or look for other jobs to support their family. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped by more than 3% on Wednesday on media reports that scientists have developed an drug against the fast-spreading coronavirus that continued to weigh heavily on global economic activity. News that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its producer allies are considering further output cuts to counter a potential squeeze on global oil demand further supported that had collapsed by more than 20% since early January. Both Brent crude oil futures and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude jumped by more than 3% in morning trade. By 1220 GMT Brent was up $1.35, or 2.5%, at $55.31 a barrel and (WTI) was up $1.25, or 2.5%, at $50.86. China's Changjiang Daily, the official newspaper of the city of Wuhan where the virus outbreak began, reported on Tuesday that a team of researchers led by Zhejiang University professor Li Lanjuan have found that drugs Abidol and Darunavir can inhibit the virus in vitro cell experiments.(here) Separately, Sky News reported that a British scientist has made a significant breakthrough in the race for a vaccine by reducing part of the normal development time from two to three years to only 14 days. A vaccine will be too late for the current virus but the breakthrough will be crucial if there is another outbreak, Sky said. The World Health Organization played down the media reports, saying there are no known effective therapeutics against the virus. Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine for Chinas coronavirus on Wednesday as airlines, car manufacturers and other global companies counted the cost of the fast-spreading outbreak.[nL4N2A50AN DEMAND IMPACT The economic slowdown resulting from the virus outbreak is expected to reduce 2020 global demand growth by 300,000-500,000 barrels per day (bpd), roughly 0.5% of global demand, BPs Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary said on Tuesday. The (Chinese) economy will be weakened for some time to come as quarantines, social distancing and travel restrictions remain in place, BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian told the Reuters Global Oil Forum. But as financial markets are anticipatory, one can see how favourable news in relation to potential medical solutions, or indications that we have reached a turning point in the progress of the virus outbreak, are likely to be interpreted positively. OPEC and allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, weighed the impact on global oil demand and economic growth from the coronavirus outbreak at a meeting on Tuesday, hearing from Chinas envoy to the United Nations in Vienna. Producers are considering further output cuts and moving a planned policy meeting to February rather than March. This is a critical time for oil prices and even if we see OPEC+ deliver deeper production cuts, an extended shutdown of China will destroy demand for crudes top importer, said Edward Moya, an analyst at broker OANDA. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will release its weekly report later on Wednesday after data from an industry group showed U.S. crude oil stocks rose by 4.2 million barrels in the week to Jan. 31. US President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to "smash" the rule of Venezuela?s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro as he welcomed his rival to his annual address before Congress. In an extraordinarily direct sign of support, Trump invited Venezuela?s opposition leader Juan Guaido -- considered interim president by some 60 countries -- to watch his State of the Union address from the guests' gallery above. "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people," Trump said. "But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken," he said. Calling Guaido the "legitimate president of Venezuela," Trump said the 36-year-old engineer-turned-politician was "a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans." Trump's forceful words come after a period of relative reticence on Venezuela that triggered commentary on whether he was putting the crisis on the backburner. Maduro has shown little sign of leaving more than a year after the United States and most Western and Latin American nations declared him to be illegitimate, citing elections that were widely criticized for irregularities. Maduro, who presides over a crumbling economy that has sent millions fleeing, still enjoys the support of the military, and Guaido's efforts to overthrow him through street protests have fizzled. The leftist leader also enjoys support from Russia, China and Cuba. Trump's salute to Guaido came in a highly partisan speech that included fresh vows of a hard line on immigration from Latin America as he cited crimes by individual foreigners. But Guaido enjoyed a mostly bipartisan welcome, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also applauding him as the Venezuelan opposition leader, a serious look on his face, waved back at the chamber. For Trump, however, Venezuela has also become a political byword for socialism as he attacks the rival Democratic Party for proposed reforms such as expanding health care coverage. "Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul," Trump said. Trump was speaking one day before the Senate will vote on whether to remove him from office for pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political rival. He is widely expected to be acquitted after his impeachment by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido waves as he is acknowledged by US President Donald Trump during the State of the Union address Several Democratic candidates took advantage of the chaos to imply theyd won, knowing the spotlight would shift from Iowa to New Hampshire before the final numbers were out. President Donald Trump, true to form, cynically used the debacle to undermine public confidence in the whole process, suggesting through his campaign with zero evidence that it was rigged against Bernie Sanders (apparently his preferred opponent). All indications are there was no rigging going on in Iowa, just poor planning complicated by technological failure. A phone app the party planned to use to calculate and report results was passed out to precinct officials without adequate training. When those officials warned it wasnt working right, they were ignored, even after National Public Radio reported on those concerns weeks ago. When caucus workers resorted to calling in their results, inadequately staffed phone lines were overloaded. Some officials just gave up and went home. The fact that Iowa party officials refused to even identify the maker of the problem app before the caucuses should have been an alarm bell. The last thing any U.S. election or caucus needs to project these days is lack of transparency. Primaries are state-party functions, but that doesnt mean the national parties cant demand transparency and other minimal standards. Its bad enough that Americas president routinely displays his contempt for the sanctity of democracys most basic mechanism, the vote. Iowas meltdown has now invited the rest of America to share in that contempt. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions A public works employee who was driving a sanitation truck when his co-worker fell off and died has sued a New Jersey borough, claiming that since the accident his fellow workers have repeatedly called him killer. Bryan Ferlanti, 41, was at the wheel in 2015 when the worker in Fair Lawn fell off the back of the truck, hit his head, and died, according to the suit, filed Jan. 3 in Superior Court in Bergen County. Later that year, Ferlanti was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his co-workers repeatedly calling (him) killer, the suit states. Ferlanti told supervisors he was being treated for PTSD and complained to management that he was being harassed and subjected to a hostile work environment. A city official sent Ferlanti a letter saying his complaints were being investigated. However, Ferlantis grievance was later denied, the suit states. The lawsuit claims that, because of his complaint, fellow employees and borough officials subjected Ferlanti to a hostile work environment, harassment and retaliation. The suit names the Fair Lawn Department of Public Works, along with several supervisors and alleges violations of New Jerseys law against handicap discrimination and cites his PTSD as a protected health condition. Borough officials did not immediately respond Wednesday to a requests for comment. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. - Before becoming a successful entrepreneur, Vera Sidika admitted she used to date a sponsor - However, Kenyans rebranded her relationship and termed her behaviour as "sleeping around for money" - For years, the socialite was accused of jumping from bed to bed across the world to secure a hefty payday - Her past caught up with her when a fan told her she has handled too many men in her lifetime Vera Sidika has exhibited the upmost form of maturity after a fan tried to diss her on social media. Vera, who is in the US eating life with a big spoon, kept updating her fans on how her trip was a wondrous adventure and she was having a ball. READ ALSO: Tanasha Donna urged by Kenyans to open beauty store, told she's talentless and can't sing READ ALSO: DP Ruto hatimaye aruhusiwa kuingia nyumbani kwa Moi Among the stuff on her vacay bucket list was visiting a shooting range where she got to handle some heavy machinery. Exhilarated and full of adrenaline rush, the socialite shared a photo of herself on Instagram wielding a powerful weapon. READ ALSO: Emmy Kosgei encourages fans to be selfish sometimes: "Cut off toxic people" "I am only loyal to men that will bust guns for me," she said. To some extent, Vera was probably throwing shade to her immediate ex but that is a story for another day. Now back to business. When her fan spotted the post, he quickly rushed to point out Vera has handled "many machines" in her lifetime and the only difference is how they release their bullets. That was some epic level of shade only the wise could understand. If you know, you know. Instead of fussing, kicking, cursing and crying, the bodacious entrepreneur chose to laugh like a lunatic. Below her follower's comment, Vera attached a series of laugh emojis and walked away like nothing had happened. Maybe she was confirming her fan said the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Well, what is evident is the beauty has been in and out of multiple relationships over the years. In 2018 alone, she dated Otile, a Senegalese guy, a bae whose face was not revealed then later got back together with Otile. In 2019, she met Jimmy Chansa and promised to stick with him. In 2017, Vera had a Nigerian lover who was accused of abusing her during the course of their relationship. The two parted ways and were involved in an ugly social media spat. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Husband from heaven: I stuck with my wife until her last breath - Erastus Ofula |Tuko Talks |Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke We now offer lithium prices and coverage free for reference. Click here to read all about it. Join our growing community of participants who want to learn more about electrification and how this market is developing. The 92nd Academy Awards have been roundly criticized for nominating too many films by and about white men, and thats true; there were certainly many opportunities this year to do otherwise. But part of the charm of the Oscars is forever complaining about their hideously awful choices, and celebrating when they actually get something right. There are quite a few great movie in this years batch, and a few others that are at least worth seeing. Heres our guide to streaming 26 of this years nominees (listed in alphabetical order). Nominees A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Bombshell, Frozen 2, Jojo Rabbit, Knives Out, Little Women, 1917, Richard Jewell, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are not yet available as of this writing. The Cave and Ford v Ferrari are available for purchase only. Les Miserables is not yet available, but it will eventually have a home on Amazon Prime. ABC will televise the Oscars awards show on Sunday, February 9, starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. You can also watch the ceremony live at ABC.com or on the the ABC app after signing in with your TV provider, or via your TV streaming provider of choice. Ad Astra Twentieth Century Fox Brad Pitt stars as astronaut Roy McBride in Ad Astra. James Grays austere, slow-moving space drama stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut who ventures into the vast expanse to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones) and hopefully save Earth. It somewhat fails to touch the heart, but at least it looks and sounds great. Nominated for: Best Sound Mixing Where to stream: Rent from Apple, Google Play, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, etc. ($5.99 and up) American Factory Netflix A scene from American Factory, which is nominated for Best Documentary Feature. The first film from Barack Obama and Michelle Obamas production company, this very good but extremely uncomfortable documentary depicts life at an Ohio automobile factory after a Chinese company purchases and saves it. The film depicts the struggling, hopeful, and hopeless interactions between the new Chinese and American co-workers. Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature Where to stream: Netflix Avengers: Endgame Disney Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to save the universe in Avengers: Endgame. The highest-grossing blockbuster of the year, and arguably the most entertaining, this three-hour superhero extravaganza doubtless features the most state-of-the-art effects, but it also transcends them; its one of the rare FX-driven movies that delves more into characters and story. We care about them as much as we care about characters on any great, long-running TV series. Nominated for: Best Achievement in Visual Effects Where to stream: Disney+ The Edge of Democracy Netflix (L to R) Michel Temer, Dilma Rousseff, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the documentary The Edge of Democracy. Filmmaker Petra Costa delivers this personal exploration of the volatile political climate in Brazil, and the rise-and-fall careers of presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature Where to stream: Netflix For Sama PBS Waad Al-Kateab films in war-torn Aleppo in the documentary For Sama. Waad Al-Kateab tells her own harrowing story, living in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war. Her life is a constant battle between ensuring the safety of her daughter, Sama, and coping with the need for her doctor husband to remain in the danger zone to help the sick and wounded. Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video, and for free on PBS Harriet Focus Features Cynthia Erivo gives an Oscar-nominated performance as freedom fighter Harriet Tubman in Harriet. This underrated biopic, directed by Kasi Lemmons, was criticized for not being as heavy or as punishing as other films about slavery. But its sense of heroism makes it a positive force in the world, without ever losing sight of the horror. Erivo is magnificent in the role of Harriet Tubman, burying her own personal losses and longings and channeling her energy into saving others. Nominated for: Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo), Best Song Where to stream: Rent from Apple, Google Play, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, etc. ($5.99 and up) Honeyland Neon Hatidze Muratova demonstrates her method of harvesting honey in Honeyland. Simultaneously nominated as a documentary and a fiction film, this story of Macedonian beekeeper Hatidze Muratova features some truly mesmerizing footage of her at workit rarely ever even seems like a documentarybut it also provides a horrifying gut-punch as a family of obnoxious invaders moves in and begins to destroy everything Hatidze ever worked for. Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature, Best International Feature Film Where to stream: Hulu How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Universal The dragon Toothless and human Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) share a bonding moment in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The third installment of this animated series, about a boy named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who has learned to befriend dragons instead of hunting them, is much like the other two. Its deliriously beautiful, with incredible sequences devoted to the feeling of flight, but rather blandly ordinary in the story department. Nominated for: Best Animated Feature Film Where to stream: Hulu I Lost My Body Netflix Naoufel (right) tries to figure out how to tell Gabrielle he likes her in I Lost My Body. This hand-drawn animated feature from France starts, astonishingly, as a severed hand comes to life, wriggles its way out of some kind of lab (walking on fingertips), and heads out into the wide world, presumably, to find its owner. But the flashback story about the boy who belongs to the hand and the girl he loves is a bit more disappointingly traditional. Nominated for: Best Animated Feature Film Where to stream: Netflix The Irishman Netflix Crime boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) meets with Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) in The Irishman. Martin Scorseses masterful epic gangster movie, about a man who found a fleeting sense of greatness by being in the company of Jimmy Hoffa, certainly recalls his great, previous crime films, but its also something entirely new. Its no longer about the thrill of becoming a gangster, but about the bittersweet aftermath. What does it all mean? Did it mean anything? Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino), Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci), Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects Where to stream: Netflix Joker Warner Bros. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a clown pushed to the edge, in Joker. An undeniably well-made, and alarmingly popular, but deeply troubling film, this one features an electrifying lead performance and a great, creepy score by cellist Hildur Gunadottir. It argues that we, as humans, ought to treat each other better. But it also owes a great deal to Martin Scorsese, and perhapsas it comes from the maker of The Hangover Part IIIlacks certain psychological and empathetic touches that would have enriched the discussion. Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Director (Todd Phillips), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing Where to stream: Rent from Apple, Google Play, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, etc. ($5.99 and up) Judy Roadside Attractions Renee Zellweger portrays Judy Garland on a London tour near the end of her career in Judy. A blah biopic, this one lacks even a great centerpiece performance we might expect from a biopic. Inexplicable front-runner Zellweger is too much like herself (she frequently purses her lips) and simply cant sing anything like the iconic Garland. The makeup sometimes makes her look a little like Garland, but only from a distance and in profile. The little girl (Darci Shaw) in the flashbacks is far more convincing. Nominated for: Best Actress (Renee Zellweger), Best Makeup and Hairstyling Where to stream: Rent from Apple, Google Play, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, etc. ($5.99 and up) Kitbull Disney/Pixar A small kitten finds an unlikely new friend in the animated short film Kitbull. A rare hand-drawn short from Pixar, this beautiful 9-minute filmabout a homeless cat and a Pit Bull, injured from an illegal fight, who become unlikely friends and make a euphoric escapewill absolutely make you cry. Nominated for: Best Animated Short Film Where to stream: Disney+ But wait! Theres more! Click here to read about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 13 other great films nominated for Oscars in 2020. Namibia is looking to acquire Hepatitis E vaccine from China in a bid to curb the continuous increase of new infections across the country, an official said here Monday WINDHOEK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2020 ) :Namibia is looking to acquire Hepatitis E vaccine from China in a bid to curb the continuous increase of new infections across the country, an official said here Monday. Bernard Haufiku, Namibia's Hepatitis E response team leader, also former health minister, said that his team is looking to introduce the vaccine as a pilot project. "It is a targeted pilot intervention to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine in our setting. The vaccine was tested in China where it is manufactured and currently in use," Haufiku said. He added that the vaccine would be launched in the hardest-hit informal settlements in Windhoek, the epicentre of the outbreak. Over the past two years, Namibia has been grappling with a Hepatitis E outbreak in its informal settlements. According to Haufiku, 7,142 cases of infections were reported by Jan. 12. Namibia experienced the first Hepatitis E outbreak in 1983 in Rundu, the capital of its northern Kavango-East region. The calendar gods turned an ear to Cupid and tossed us a three-day weekend on the heels of Valentine's Day. And even if you're not a V-Day person, it's the perfect time for a weekend getaway. If you're headed up to Tahoe this President's Day weekendor really, anytime this winterhere's where to get cozy with your sweetheart. Dinner: Bourbon Pub Northstar If you're in search of an apres after a day on the slopes and some bubbly to pop with your bae, Michael Mina's brand new Bourbon Pub at North Star is the place for sharing. Order up a a smattering of sumptuous small plates and fun twists on comfort food classicsthink truffle potato chips and decadent mac and cheese. Or, if you're looking for something with a hint of fancy, make a Valentine's Day reservation for the three-course tasting menu ($59/person), including a salad, surf or turf, and dessert. // Bourbon Pub Northstar, 8001 Northstar Village Dr., Ste 8114, Truckee, michaelmina.net Drinks: The Good Wolf Sate your thirst for local charm and novel brews at Truckee's newest watering hole, The Good Wolf Brewing Company. The great outdoors come inside to create a cozy forest vibe that's perfect for lovers of nature, bluegrass, hops, and each other. Toast to your honey in a rustic tasting room trimmed with moss and stocked with board gamesnothing like a bit of friendly competition to spark the mood. Taste the flagship Neon Rainbow (a juicy IPA) and the Forbidden Temple (a cherry pie sour) which will be redubbed the Bleeding Heart for Valentine's Day. Speaking of V-day, enjoy a pair of beers and a surprise treat for just $14. // The Good Wolf, 10990 Industrial Way, Ste B103, Truckee, thegoodwolfbrewing.com Indulge: The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Lake Tahoe "Journey Through the Forest" together in this couple's experience that is so deeply relaxing, you'll want your partner there just to bear witness. The three-part treatment begins with a full-body exfoliation with native essential oils. Then, you'll enjoy a luxurious soak in a roomy copper tub, followed by a head-to-toe relaxation massage, all in the beauty of a private room with one-way windows to a wooded view. Add Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, but be forewarned: This spa has been the site of at least one marriage proposal. Arrive early to catch a heart-centered yoga class on Friday morning at 9am. // Journey Through the Forest is $395/person; The Ritz-Carlton Spa, 13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court, Truckee, ritzcarlton.com Ride Bikes: Tahoe East Shore Trail Ride off into the sunset together across the Incline to Sand Harbor Bike Path, a three-mile stretch of beautiful bikeway that opened in 2019. This previously inaccessible leg of Tahoe's 72-mile trail provides unrivaled access to trails, coves, hidden beaches, and 17 designated view points along the lake's eastern shoreline. Take in an early sunset as you breeze across a magical 810-foot bridge. Not a cyclist? Slow it down with a leisurely walk on the pedestrian footpath. // Tahoe East Shore Trailhead, 1222 Tahoe Blvd, Incline Village, Nevada, travelnevada.com Get Naked, Be One`: Sierra Hot Springs Become one with your partner and with nature in the healing steam and stillness of these natural hot springs, nestled in the pine and aspen forests of the Sierra Nevada. Shed your stress and your clothing (bathing suits are optional) as you ease into the tranquil meditation pool, or opt for an even more intimate experience in one of the private Phoenix baths. Pools are open 24-hours at day, giving you and your person plenty of opportunity to soak up the beauty and romance. IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Paving the way as a powerful partner for new media creators, Semaphore Licensing Solutions has announced the first three brands to join their portfolio. Braille Skateboarding is the number one skateboarding channel on YouTube with over 4.5 million subscribers. The channel is known for producing videos that educate all ages on how to learn various skateboarding moves and tricks. SuperHero Kids, with over 4.4 million subscribers, features a family unit that captures epic action and comedy videos for all ages. Trinity and Beyond, with over 4 million subscribers, is a family focused channel led by sisters Trinity and Madison who showcase scavenger hunts, fun skits, slime pranks and games for children. Semaphore Licensing Solutions along with Braille Skateboarding, Trinity and Beyond, and SuperHero Kids will be attending Toy Fair 2020. Semaphore is actively securing meetings with manufacturers representing a broad range of product categories to discover and discuss opportunities for their ever-growing portfolio of new media talent. Lisa Berlin Wright, Senior Vice President of Licensing at Semaphore, is spearheading the company's attendance at Toy Fair. "We've helped over 500 top YouTube stars, and with that experience, we're able to create elevated opportunities for our ever-growing talent portfolio of new media creators as they scale their brands across a variety of verticals."-Michael Bienstock, Founder and CEO, Semaphore Licensing Solutions About Semaphore A Family of Companies: Founded in 2002, Semaphore offers a diverse suite of services including accounting, tax preparation, payroll, insurance, brand and licensing management. Serving clients across the globe, the firm has become the in-demand provider of choice for those who value a service driven approach, fueled by integrity. Semaphore's headquarters is located in Irvine, California where their team of seasoned professionals strive to see their clients thrive. Learn more: SemaphoreLicensingSolutions.com Contact: Paula Steurer Sterling Public Relations Direct: 949. 200. 6566 [email protected] SOURCE Semaphore Related Links https://semaphorelicensingsolutions.com He was always proud, and rightfully so, of his coverage, Mullen said. He was in the courtroom for the (Chicago Seven) trial, and the late Bob Davis, another small-town Wisconsin kid and one of the best rewrite men in the history of the Tribune, would take his notes daily over the phone, producing his stories. The Tribune was a notably archconservative newspaper then, and the trial, with its silly Yippie high jinks and explosive political ramifications, could have been a mess in less sure hands, but Bobs coverage was fair, factual and when it needed to be, colorful. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido (C) pumps his fist as he is acknowledged by US President Donald Trump during his the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is getting a long-sought meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday and another show of U.S. support for the Venezuelan people, the White House said. Guaido was a guest Tuesday night at Trump's State of the Union address. Lawmakers applauded as Trump introduced Guaido as Venezuela's "true and legitimate" leader and called President Nicolas Maduro a "tyrant." The White House said Guaido's visit Wednesday is an "opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela." The leaders will also discuss how the U.S. can work with Guaido to "expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis," the White House said. The U.S. and nearly 60 other governments say Maduro's 2018 election was illegitimate and that Guaido, as leader of the country's National Assembly, should be named interim president under the Venezuelan constitution. Maduro, however, remains in control, having faced down a failed military uprising, a brief renewal of mass anti-government protests, and sanctions and other efforts by the U.S. to force him to leave office. "Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland," Trump said to Guaido during the speech. "All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom." The White House said the U.S. will continue to work with other countries in the region to "confront the illegitimate dictatorship in Venezuela" and ensure a "democratic and prosperous" future for the Venezuelan people. Guaido's attendance at Tuesday's speech came as a surprise as he has sought for some time to secure a meeting with Trump, his most important international ally. Guaido visited Miami on Saturday, rounding out a two-week world tour that took him first to Colombia, then across Europe and Canada, where he sought more international help to oust Maduro. Venezuela has been a top priority in Latin America for the Trump administration, which a year ago was the first among a coalition of governments to recognize Guaido as president. Jihadists' Syria capability intact: US watchdog Washington, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 The Islamic State group has maintained its capabilities in Syria despite the death of its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an independent US government watchdog said in a report on Tuesday. An inspector general from the Department of Defense also said that a possible departure of American troops from Iraq would likely lead to a resurgence of the jihadists. Baghdadi, 48, led IS from 2014 and was the world's most wanted man, heading a self-declared "caliphate" that once spanned parts of Iraq and Syria. It collapsed last March after years of battle with coalition-backed forces. IS then went underground and reverted to well-honed guerrilla tactics that continued to do damage. Baghdadi was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib in late October, and the group named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, about whom little was known. In its report, the inspector general said Baghdadi's death did not affect the jihadists. Citing information from US Central Command (Centcom), which is responsible for US forces in the Middle East, the inspector general said IS "remained cohesive, with an intact command and control structure, urban clandestine networks, and an insurgent presence in much of rural Syria." Both Centcom and the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that Baghdadi's death "did not result in any immediate degradation to ISIS's capabilities," the report said, using another acronym for IS. Tensions between Washington and Tehran boiled over onto Iraqi soil last month, raising fears of war that have since eased. The US killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, and Tehran retaliated against an Iraqi base hosting American soldiers, dozens of whom were hurt. In Iraq, US forces suspended their operations against IS after the killing of Soleimani in order to focus on protecting the roughly 5,200 American personnel in Iraq. The US-led coalition has provided training and air support for Iraqi forces since 2014 to help them beat IS, but the pause meant it could not carry out operations or strikes. Iraq's parliament voted for US troops to leave the country, but Washington refused and Iraqi forces resumed anti-jihadist operations with the US-led coalition at the end of January. "It is unclear whether US forces will be able to remain in Iraq or the scope of their operations," the inspector general said, adding "without a US troop presence in Iraq, ISIS would likely resurge" in the country. The dinners damaging optics marked the beginning of a flurry of changes: Trusted aides were deployed to Iowa sooner than anticipated. Mr. Biden rescheduled time with donors to make space for a bus tour in Iowa. Former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and his wife, Christie Vilsack, major players in Iowa Democratic politics, announced their Biden endorsements. It was too late. Mr. Bidens performance in the Iowa caucuses on Monday dealt a damaging blow to the former vice president; with well over 90 percent of the results counted by Wednesday night, he trailed Pete Buttigieg and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, with Senator Amy Klobuchar not far behind. I am not going to sugarcoat it, Mr. Biden said Wednesday as he campaigned in New Hampshire. We took a gut punch in Iowa. Certainly over the past year, Mr. Biden has proved far more resilient than many expected. He has led national polls for months despite verbal gaffes, scrutiny of his long and sometimes controversial record in Washington, and a relentless assault from Republicans over his sons dealings in Ukraine. The slow drip of vote totals in Iowa and a swirl of other major news events may blunt the attention on Mr. Bidens challenges. And Iowa is an overwhelmingly white state, while Mr. Bidens biggest political strength is with black voters, whom he is counting on for support in later-voting, more diverse states. But he now faces jittery donors, an uncertain landscape in upcoming Democratic contests and a sharp challenge to the central argument of his campaign message: that he is the partys strongest candidate to win a general election. Zamira Hajiyeva, pictured at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September last year The wife of a 'fat cat international banker' today lost her Court of Appeal challenge to the UK's first unexplained wealth order, meaning she could have her home seized unless she reveals the source of her wealth. Zamira Hajiyeva, who spent more than 16million at Harrods in a decade, had been attempting to overturn a UWO obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA) against a property in London's Knightsbridge, which was purchased for 11.5million in 2009 by a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, was the chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan from 2001 until his resignation in 2015, and was later jailed for 15 years for fraud and embezzlement. But Mrs Hajiyeva, 56, argued that her husband's conviction, which she said was 'the central feature' of the NCA's application for the UWO, was the result of a 'grossly unfair trial' and should be discharged. Giving judgment in London today, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, sitting with Lord Justice Davis and Lord Justice Simon, dismissed Mrs Hajiyeva's appeal. Lord Burnett added that Mrs Hajiyeva's application for permission to appeal against the court's judgment had been refused. Mrs Hajiyeva (left, in June last year) is the wife of Jahangir Hajiyev (right), who was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for fraud and embezzlement The home of Jahangir and Zamira Hajiyeva in Knightsbridge, bought in 2009 for 11.5million At a hearing in London in December, Mrs Hajiyeva's barrister James Lewis QC argued that Mr Hajiyev's conviction was a 'flagrant denial of justice'. He submitted that Mr Hajiyev was not a PEP, and said the NCA had 'seriously mischaracterised' Mr Hajiyev's job by describing him as a 'government official' as the International Bank of Azerbaijan was not a 'state-owned enterprise'. Mrs Hajiyeva, pictured in a police mugshot, blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree The Court of Appeal ruled that, if the bank was a state-owned enterprise, 'Mr Hajiyev fell within the definition of a politically exposed person because he was its chairman', and that Mrs Hajiyeva 'was also a politically exposed person because she was a family member of Mr Hajiyev'. The court added: 'The evidence was clear that the (Azeri) state had more than a 50% shareholding in the bank. 'On the facts of the case, the judge was entitled to conclude that it had ultimate control, and consequently Mr Hajiyev was a politically exposed person, being a person who had been entrusted with a prominent public function as a member of the management of a state-owned enterprise.' Mr Lewis had also argued that the High Court was wrong to rely on Mr Hajiyev's conviction, which he said followed a 'grossly unfair trial' in Azerbaijan. This Magic Alhambra bracelet was one of 49 items worth a total of 400,000 seized by police One of the 49 items of jewellery belonging to Mrs Hajiyeva seized from Christies in 2018 But the Court of Appeal found that 'Mr Hajiyev's conviction for fraud and embezzlement was only one of the strands relied on' by the NCA. What is an Unexplained Wealth Order? The 'unexplained wealth order' was introduced in January 2018 to help officials identify and seize British property suspected of being bought by dirty money laundered by corrupt foreign criminals. A UWO is an investigation order issued by the High Court on satisfaction of a number of tests. A UWO requires a person who is reasonably suspected of involvement in, or of being connected to a person involved in, serious crime to explain the nature and extent of their interest in particular property, and to explain how the property was obtained. A UWO can also be applied to politicians or officials from outside the European Economic Area, or those associated with them i.e. Politically Exposed Persons. Boris Johnson, at the time the foreign secretary, said that the use of the orders 'would be intensified' in response to the novichok attack in Salisbury. The establishment of UWOs, as part of the Criminal Finance Act, will enable the authorities to freeze and recover property if individuals are unable to explain how they acquired assets in excess of 50,000. Agencies which can apply for a UWO include: the National Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, or the Crown Prosecution Service. Advertisement It stated that the NCA had also relied on 'evidence of Mr Hajiyev's status as a state employee and the unlikelihood that, as such, his legitimate income between 1993 and 2015 would have been sufficient to generate funds used to purchase the property'. The judgment added that an August 2011 report from Werner Capital 'which was intended to show that Mr Hajiyev was a 'high-net worth individual' with an assessed net worth of over 72 million US dollars' had in fact 'posed more questions as to the source of his wealth than it answered'. In a High Court ruling in October 2018, dismissing Mrs Hajiyeva's initial attempt to overturn the UWO, Mr Justice Supperstone said that 'three separate loyalty cards were issued to Mrs Hajiyeva' by Harrods, where she spent more than 16 million between September 2006 and June 2016. Court documents later released to the media revealed that Mrs Hajiyeva blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree. The NCA subsequently seized jewellery worth more than 400,000 from Christie's over suspicions about how the items were purchased while the auction house was valuing the jewellery for Mrs Hajiyeva's daughter. In September, Mrs Hajiyeva fought off an attempt to extradite her to Azerbaijan to face fraud and embezzlement charges on the grounds that she would not get a fair trial. Jonathan Hall QC, for the NCA, said Mrs Hajiyeva's interpretation of the law was 'unsustainable', and submitted that the International Bank of Azerbaijan was a state-owned enterprise and that Mr Hajiyev was a PEP. He added that the 'fresh evidence' upon which Mrs Hajiyeva sought to rely showed she was 'under investigation in Azerbaijan for fraudulently spending significant sums on air tickets, jewellery, tuition fees, beauty products, restaurants and hotels'. A Cartier diamond ring bought by Mr Hajiyeva was seized by the National Crime Agency Mrs Hajiyeva spent more than 16million at Harrods between September 2006 and June 2016. In a High Court ruling in October 2018, dismissing Mrs Hajiyeva's initial attempt to overturn the UWO, Mr Justice Supperstone said that 'three separate loyalty cards were issued to Mrs Hajiyeva' by Harrods, where she spent more than 16million between September 2006 and June 2016. What happens next? How Zamira Hajiyeva can appeal or comply with the UWO Zamira Hajiyeva now has two options a) either comply with the order and provide what the National Crime Agency asked for within seven days, or b) ask the Court of Appeal to appeal within 28 days. If that is refused, she can then try a Supreme Court appeal. If Mrs Hajiyeva complies with the order and gives the NCA the information they want, the NCA then has 60 days to consider it and decide what to do. The NCA will then either accept Mrs Hajiyeva's response of where the money came from, or if it thinks this is insufficient, it can go back to court and try to recover her property. It is also possible that she might not try to appeal or respond to the order. In that case, the NCA would also go to court to try to recover the house. Separately, if Mrs Hajiyeva responds making a statement she knows to be false, she commits a criminal offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act and is liable to prison or a fine or both. Advertisement Court documents later released to the media revealed that Mrs Hajiyeva blew 600,000 in a single day during a decade-long spending spree. The NCA subsequently seized jewellery worth more than 400,000 from Christie's over suspicions about how the items were purchased while the auction house was valuing the jewellery for Mrs Hajiyeva's daughter. In September, Mrs Hajiyeva fought off an attempt to extradite her to Azerbaijan to face fraud and embezzlement charges on the grounds that she would not get a fair trial. In a statement after today's ruling, Sarah Pritchard, director of the NCA's National Economic Crime Centre, said: 'This is a significant result which is important in establishing unexplained wealth orders as a powerful tool helping us to investigate illicit finance generated in, or flowing through, the UK. 'As a new piece of legislation we anticipated that there would be legal challenge - we are pleased that the court has upheld the case today. It will set a helpful precedent for future UWO cases.' Andy Lewis, head of asset denial at the NCA, added: 'Unexplained wealth orders, and other asset denial tools such as account freezing orders, are hugely powerful tools that are enabling us to investigate illicit finance and discourage it happening in the first place. 'We will continue to seek opportunities to use these orders to tackle illicit finance and fight serious and organised crime.' Ed Smyth, senior associate in the criminal ltigation team at Kingsley Napley LLP, said: 'This decision provides a real boost to the NCA and other agencies in their fight against suspected illicit assets, and will likely whet their appetite for more UWOs. 'Since their introduction in 2018, UWOs have not been widely used and this appeal was a test case for whether they could withstand a concerted challenge. 'We can undoubtedly now expect to see more UWO applications in the coming months and years against HNW individuals with connections to funds of questionable origin.' STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Closing arguments are expected early next week as the murder trial winds down of a man accused of slaying an innocent bystander, 67, on a New Brighton street two years ago in an alleged gang-related shooting. The court was not in session Wednesday, nor will it be on Thursday and Friday in Isaiah Kelsons trial due to previously-anticipated scheduling issues. Jurors will return Monday when the defense may present witnesses. Summations are anticipated afterward. Kelson, 23, an alleged member of a West Brighton gang, is accused of fatally shooting Frances Williams on Jersey Street on July 10, 2018. The victim was waiting at a bus stop. Kelsons intended target was a man running down Pauw Street near Jersey Street, a cooperating witness testified. The fleeing man was associated with a rival New Brighton gang, testified the witness. The witness said he also shot at the man who was running. Prosecutors said Williams was struck by a 9 mm bullet. The witness testified Kelson was firing a 9 mm handgun. Prosecutors allege Kelson and others were bent on revenge after watching a buddy of theirs get mowed down in St. George less than an hour earlier by a van containing members of the New Brighton crew. West Brighton residents Jaleel Hewitt, 27, and Marquise Tart, 26, are also on trial, but for conspiracy and criminal facilitation stemming from the events leading up to Williams shooting. They are not charged with murder. In cross-examination, defense lawyers have sought the portray prosecutors two key witnesses as opportunists willing to say whatever the government wants to save their own skin. They have attacked inconsistencies in the witnesses testimony relative to each other and to their own prior statements to authorities. Both men were charged in the case and cut plea deals with prosecutors in the hope of securing lenient sentences. The man who said he fired a gun has pleaded guilty to murder and manslaughter. The other cooperator drove that man and Kelson to New Brighton. A convicted felon, he has pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution. The witnesses names are being withheld at prosecutors request for fear of reprisal. Attorney Robert Reuland is Kelsons lawyer. Tart and Hewitt are represented by attorneys Rick J. Pasacreta and Mario Romano, respectively. Assistant District Attorneys Adam Silberlight, Andrew Botelho and Arda Ozdinc are prosecuting the case. A mother-of-three has posted a rant, begging parents to 'lower lunchbox standards' after she spent 'hours' packing her son's food for school. Laura Mazza, a blogger who runs Mum On The Run, hit back at parents for sending their children to school with fancy meals and edible artworks. 'I have spent 3 hours nay more, looking up bento boxes, protein to carbohydrate to sugar ratios for those little compartments and how to make the food look like a happy koala in a tree... to prove to my child he is not unloved,' she wrote on Facebook. Laura Mazza (pictured) has posted a rant, begging parents to 'lower lunchbox standards' after she spent 'hours' packing her son's food for school 'Who started this bulls**t? Who set the standard like this? Stop it. Stop it,' she added. 'Because of you I have to cut a sandwich into a turtle, make pretzels from scratch and make an organic, double choc chip muffin that's hidden with vegetables and mixed in with fairy tears with a side of bliss balls ladened with my kidneys.' Laura went on to say that increasing traditional lunch standards adds pressure and 'complicates parenthood.' Laura (pictured) said increasing traditional lunch standards adds pressure and 'complicates parenthood' 'There's no going back, this is it now. I got mini packets of chips IF I WAS LUCKY and LCM BARS WERE A LUXURY,' she wrote. 'Now I have spent my weeks wages on cooking utensils, character cookie cutters and I am harvesting rice on the full moon and rubbing organic ocean fruit on home grown cane sugar balls to make fricken LCM bars.' Laura told her fans that she will continue to create fancy lunchboxes for her son but said the standards need to be lowered. Bento box school lunches is especially popular here in Australia, where competitive cooks are taking their culinary prowess to the next level (stock image) 'Let's collectively lower the standards people. Think about it. You're only hurting yourself,' she concluded. Bento box lunches have torn through schools around the world but are especially popular here in Australia, where competitive cooks take their culinary prowess to the next level. Aussie mum's post their creations, which include sandwiches cut in shapes and fruit cut into bitesized chunks, to blogs and social media groups. Auto expo 2020 India: Mahindra & Mahindra launched the eKUV100 at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The electric vehicle's (EV) price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) including the FAME benefits. Bookings for Mahindra eKUV100 will open in March and the deliveries will begin in April. It comes with an electric motor that delivers 54hp and 120Nm of peak torque and has an automatic transmission. Chinese car manufacturer, Great Wall Motors which is the largest SUV maker in China unveiled SUVs under Haval brand and electric products at the 15th edition of Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. Asia's biggest automobile exhibition Auto Expo 2020 is being held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The theme of this year's Auto Expos is 'Explore the World of Mobility'. The biennial event is happening at a time when the domestic automobile industry is in the middle of a prolonged and intense demand slump. The auto companies attending the Auto Expo 2020 include Tata Motors, Vespa, Hyundai, Hero electric, Kia, Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes Benz, MG Motors, Renault, Skoda, SML Isuzu and Volkswagen. Other exhibitors include companies like Droom, Facebook, Jio, JK Tyre, Pirelli, Ralco Tyres. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is also one of the exhibitors at the Auto Expo 2020. Apart from electric vehicles, Mahindra and Tata Motors will showcase SUVs. Tata showcased the Gravitas, the 7 seater version of its Harrier SUV. Mahindra brought in the next generation avatar of its blockbuster XUV5OO while updated versions of the Thar and Scorpio are also on display. European twins-Volkswagen and Skoda made a comeback at Auto Expo 2020. There are a lot of of SUVs on offer between both brands beginning with the Taigun from VW and the Vision IN concept that will lead to a similar-sized SUV for Skoda. Also Read:Auto Expo 2020: Dates, time, venue, tickets, bookings, how to attend Stay tuned for all on-ground live updates from Auto Expo 2020: 3.45 pm: Mahindra launches eKUV in India; price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh Mahindra & Mahindra launched the eKUV100 at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The electric vehicle's (EV) price starts at Rs 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) including the FAME benefits. The bookings for Mahindra eKUV100 will open in March and the deliveries will begin in April. It comes with an electric motor that delivers 54hp and 120Nm of peak torque and has an automatic transmission. The eKUV100 electric vehicle comes with a 15.9 lithium-ion battery, that can be charged from 0-80 per cent in 60 minutes. The claimed range of the EV is 147 km. 3.30 pm: Hero electric unveils electric motorcycle at Auto Expo 2020 Hero electric Wednesday showcased the AE-47 electric motorcycle at Auto Expo 2020. The electric motorcycle has a maximum range of 160 km in a single charge. 3.15 pm: Force Motors' Gurkha monster truck debuts in India Force Motors unveiled Gurkha BS6 custom monster truck at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. 2.56 pm: Auto Expo 2020: Volkswagen unveils SUVs Tiguan Allspace, T-Roc in India; pre-bookings start German car maker Volkswagen unveiled two SUVs for India -- Volkswagen Tiguan, T-Roc and Tiguan Allspace -- at the first day of Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Volkswagen (VW) India also announced the start of pre-booking for Tiguan Allspace and T-Roc at the Auto Expo. Read More here: Auto Expo 2020: Volkswagen unveils SUVs Tiguan Allspace, T-Roc in India; pre-bookings start 2.45 pm: Auto Expo 2020: No Chinese delegates at motor show due to coronavirus' threat India's biennial auto show that kicks-off from Wednesday is set to be dominated by Chinese automakers showcasing cutting-edge electric vehicles and connected cars - but with booths staffed only by Indian employees and representatives. With the death toll from a new coronavirus outbreak in China nearing 500 and cases of the disease spreading across the globe, organisers of the show are reassuring visitors that officials arriving from China will not be in attendance. "There will be no visitors or delegations from China at the Motor Show 2020," Rajan Wadhera, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) - which is organising the show - said in a statement on Tuesday. Chinese companies have confirmed their booths would be staffed by Indian representatives or employees, he said. Chinese automakers SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, Great Wall Motor Co Ltd and FAW Haima are set to showcase cars including electric vehicles, while over 300 Chinese autoparts companies are also due to participate. 2.35 pm: Skoda showcases Vision IN car at Auto Expo 2020 Skoda has launched Vision IN car at Auto Expo 2020. The car has a 1.5-litre TSI petrol motor and has a top speed of 195 kmph. Vision IN is the first product developed under Skoda Auto-led 'India 2.0' project based on the MQB AO In platform. 2.20 pm: Skoda Press Conference begins Skoda press conference has started. Zac Hollis, Head- Sales & Marketing, Skoda India takes the stage 2.10 pm: Mercedes unveils A-Class Limousine and AMG A35 sedan at Auto Expo 2020 German carmaker Mercedes-Benz showcased A-Class Limousine and AMG A35 sedan at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. The auto company has also started accepting bookings for the same. Auto Expo 2020: Mercedes launches AMG GT 63S four-door coupe at Rs 2.42 crore German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has launched the AMG GT 63S 4 Door Coupe at the Auto Expo 2020, which it is claiming the fastest four-door production car. The luxury sports car is priced at for Rs 2.42 crore (ex-showroom/0.As per Mercedes-Benz, the new AMG GT 63S has a top speed of 305 kmph and can reach 0-100kmph in 3.2 second. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S competes against Porsche Panamera Turbo, which is also a four-door performance car. The new Mercedes AMG GT 63S 4 Door Coupe gets its power with a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which generates 639hp and 900Nm of peak torque. The car gets a 9-speed automatic gearbox along with Mercedes' proprietary all-wheel-drive system 4Matic. Read More here: Auto Expo 2020: Mercedes launches AMG GT 63S four-door coupe at Rs 2.42 crore 1.52 pm: Mercedes-Benz GLA makes India debut Mercedes-Benz showcased its all-new GLA compact SUV at the Auto Expo 2020. The company has also started accepting bookings for the SUV. 1.43 pm: Mercedes launches its fastest ever AMG car. Bookings start today at Rs 2.42 crore Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz launched its faster ever car AMG at the Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. Booking starts from Wednesday at Rs 2.42 crore. The car is a four-door coupe and is the world's fastest series production four-seater. 1.30 pm: Volkswagen ID unveils Crozz- its first electric concept car Volkswagen unveils Crozz, its first concept electric SUV which is based on the automaker's electric MEB platform and is a part of the I.D. series. Crozz was first showcased as a prototype at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show under a revised version named the I.D. 1.17 pm: Kia Carnival base model priced at Rs 24.95 lakh Kia Motors has revealed the prices of its carnival premium MPV in India. The price of Carnival starts at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the 7-seater 'Premium' variant (base). The price of Carnival's top 7-seater 'Limousine' variant is Rs 33.95 lakh (ex-showroom). 1.04 pm: Suzuki Motorcycles vehicles BS-VI compliant now Suzuki Motorcycles India announced on Wednesday that all its products are BS-VI compliant. The models showcased by the company at the Auto Expo 2020 comprise BS-VI editions of Access 125, Gixxer series, Burgman Street and Intruder 150. 12.46 pm: Auto Expo 2020: Mahindra showcases 3 EVs, a concept car and electric-3 wheeler At the 15th Auto Expo 2020, Mahindra & Mahindra unveiled its theme "Driven by purpose", to address a larger good that touches and transforms the lives of many through innovative, future-ready products and mobility solutions. Mahindra displayed 6 vehicles in total comprising three EVs, a concept car and two variants of Treo which is an electric 3-wheeler. Mahindra's futuristic concept car "Funster" caught the crowd's attention. As per Mahindra, Funster is "a thrilling roadster electric concept with a playful convertible mode, nothing short of being an object of desire". Mahindra also unveiled the "Atom" which is a new age electric urban mobility solution for last-mile connectivity needs. The e-XUV300 which is an electric version of the popular SUV recently made headlines when it got the 5-star safety certification, a rarety in the Indian Automobile industry. Also Read: Auto Expo 2020: Mahindra showcases 3 EVs, a concept car and electric-3 wheeler 12.20 pm: Tata HBX micro SUV concept revealed at Auto Expo 2020 Tata on Wednesday showcased its smallest SUV yet, the HBX at Auto Expo 2020 on Wednesday. This concept was also unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Once its goes into production, the HBX will be positioned under the Nexon brand. HBX is Tata's second model whose concept is based on the brand's new modular ALFA platform, following the Altroz. 12.14 pm: Tata Sierra EV Concept Revealed at Auto Expo 2020 Tata Motors showcased the Sierra concept at the Auto Expo on Wednesday. Sierra is an all electric concept SUV whose concept is based on the ALFA ARC platform. 12.00 pm: GWM Haval H9, F7X, F7 & F5 Unveiled Chinese car manufacturer, Great Wall Motors debuts in Indian market. The company unveiled four models from its Haval range at the Auto Expo 2020: Haval H9, Haval F7, Haval F5 and Haval F7X. 11.45 am: Auto Expo 2020: MG motors unveil Marvel X SUV MG Motor India showcased the future of mobility with a huge line-up of global products - including the Marvel X, the world's first mass-production model to achieve Level-3 Intelligent Driving - at Auto Expo 2020. Designed to reflect its strong British lineage and its future-ready brand ethos, the MG pavilion at the Auto Expo came with various engagement options for visitors, such as the MG Carffe and an accessories and merchandise section. It also featured a dedicated segment for "i-SMART" - the technology that powers the HECTOR, India's first internet car, and the ZS EV, India's first pure electric internet SUV. 11.36 am: World's Most Affordable EV, The GWM R1 makes its debut in India 11.25 am: Kia Motors India unveils carnival at Auto Expo 2020 11.16 am: Kia unveils Sonet compact SUV concept at Auto Expo 2020 11.10 am: Hyundai Nexo FCEV, on display at Auto Expo 2020 11.00am: Hundai unveils Le Fil Rouge concept car at Auto Expo 2020 10.50 am: Hyundai unveils new Tucson at Auto Expo 2020 Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations With its eyes set on the leadership position in the fast-growing SUV segment, South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India on Wednesday unveiled the next-generation version of its premium SUV Tucson at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida. The car will be launched on March 3. The SUV segment has been an outlier in an overall depressed domestic industry increasing its share in the market to 24 per cent in 2019. It is projected to cross the 30 per cent market in 2020 as more SUVs are launched in the market. Hyundai said its last few launches like the Creta mid-size SUV and Venue compact SUV have led to a 22 per cent growth in its SUV portfolio which now accounts for nearly a third of all Hyundais sold in India. Read More: Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations Auto Expo 2020: Tata Motors unveils HBX, Sierra Concept Homegrown automaker Tata Motors has unveiled two new concept vehicles Sierra and HBX at the Auto Expo 2020. Tata Motors also showcased SUV Safari's successor Gravitas, Nexon EV, Harrier and HBX, which is based on the company's new ALFA architecture. The company also unveiled BS-6 compliant passenger vehicle range -- Tiago, Tigor, Altroz and Nexon, and two new commercial vehicles -- Tata Prima truck and BS-6 compliant Tata Winger. Tata Motor's new BS-6 compliant SUV Harrier now comes with an upgraded automatic transmission. However, there is no petrol model to offer. The SUV Harrier gets its power through a 2.0-litre turbo engine which generates 170hp of power and 350Nm of torque. Auto Expo 2020: Hyundai unveils new Tucson to reiterate SUV leadership aspirations 10:30 am: Hyundai showcases Kona Electric at Auto Expo 2020 10:15am: French automotive major Renault on Wednesday launched TRIBER EASY-R-AMT Renault Triber, an under 4-metre car, is an attractively designed sturdy versatile spacious vehicle which can accommodate up to 7 people. 9.47 am:Auto Expo 2020 is most likely to focus on cars manufactured as per the BS6 upgrade. EVs will also be a top draw. French carmaker Renault will showcase the Kwid electric that is already on sale in China and the Zoe electric vehicle. Mahindra and Mahindra one of the early EV adopters in India, will showcase at least two EV models-the eKUV and the eXUV3OO. 9.30 am: Maruti Suzuki (India) MD & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa unveils its concept Futuro-E at Auto Expo 2020 mosimage A gunman who stormed into the headquarters of Dutch national broadcaster NOS demanding airtime today claimed to be from a "hackers' collective", according to a reporter who spoke to him. NOS was off air for around an hour. When it came back, it showed recorded footage of the young man, wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie, and carrying a pistol. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Police gather at the scene after an armed man was arrested in the studio of Dutch news broadcaster NOS, on January 29, 2015, in the building in the Media Park in the central city of Hilversum. AFP PHOTO /ANP / JEROEN JUMELET News vans and people gather outside the offices of Dutch national broadcaster NOS in Hilversum, the Netherlands, on January 29, 2015, after an armed man was overpowered after earlier entering the building and demanding airtime, local reports said. ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP/Getty Images A police car is parked outside the offices of Dutch national broadcaster NOS in Hilversum, the Netherlands, on January 29, 2015, after an armed man was overpowered after earlier entering the building and demanding airtime, local reports said. ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police gather at the scene after an armed man was arrested in the studio of Dutch news broadcaster NOS, on January 29, 2015, in the building in the Media Park in the central city of Hilversum. AFP PHOTO /ANP / JEROEN JUMELET Speaking calmly to a man off-camera, the intruder said: "We are hired in by intelligence agencies." Shortly afterwards, police arrived with their guns drawn and ordered the man to drop his weapon and put his hands up. At least five police officers then ordered him to turn around and lie down, which he did and he was arrested without a struggle. Police said in a statement that the man demanded airtime and threatened that bombs would go off at several locations around the Netherlands if his demand was not met. Special police units were searching the building in Hilversum, about 12 miles (20km) east of Amsterdam.. There was no immediate indication that the incident was related to Islamic extremism. Nobody was injured and there were no reports of shots being fired. NOS reporter Martijn Bink said he spoke to the man after he was arrested and he claimed to be from a hackers' collective. He did not elaborate. The broadcaster later reported on its website that the man had a silencer on the pistol and threatened a security guard, forcing him to take him upstairs to the editorial offices. When the incident was over, NOS director Jan de Jong told the broadcaster that the headquarters had beefed up security in the aftermath of the attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in which 12 people were killed. The media park in Hilversum, home to many Dutch broadcasters, has been tightly guarded for years, since populist Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was gunned down in a car park there in 2002. While the broadcaster was off air, a screen on the NOS1 channel read "Please be patient" in Dutch. All staff were evacuated from the building as the situation unfolded and remained outside nearly two hours later as police searched the building. NOS resumed broadcasting from a studio in The Hague. Staff at NOS led the man into a studio near the one where the 8pm news was to have been broadcast live. In the studio, he spoke to the security guard he had forced to take him into the offices. He never appeared live on television. The government has proposed to amend the Customs Act to give it wide powers to ban imports and exports of goods that may hurt the local economy, clearing the way for it to bar imports of cheap toys and firecrackers from China. So far, the government had powers to only ban imports and exports of gold and silver under the Customs Act, 1962. Once approved, the amendment, through the Finance Bill, will expand the governments power to ban imports or exports of all goods. This power will be exercised only in exceptional circumstances, a government official said on condition of anonymity. The measures are aimed at narrowing the trade deficit with China, which has flooded the Indian market with items such as toys, firecrackers and solar power equipment. The steps come amid a global rise in protectionist policies to shield home-grown companies amid slowing economic growth. The new powers to protect the economy may provide a lever to the government to foster consumption of local products and boost manufacturing, said Abhishek Jain, tax partner at EY. On the practical side, the power may be exercised only in extreme situations, Jain said. The government also proposes to amend the Customs Tariff Act of 1975 to strengthen the mechanism to prevent dumping of cheap goods in the domestic market. Section 8B (of the Act) is being substituted with a new section to empower the Central government to apply safeguard measures, in case any article is imported into India in such increased quantities and under such conditions so as to cause or threatening to cause serious injury to domestic industry, according to government documents. In May last year, India merged two separate bodies handling anti-dumping and import safeguards to form the Directorate General of Trade Remedies, similar to the US International Trade Commission, to create a trade defence mechanism that can respond to developments in a comprehensive and timely manner. The government has recently initiated more than 130 anti-dumping/countervailing duty/safeguard cases to deal with rising incidence of unfair trade practices. The domestic market for solar components, for instance, is dominated by Chinese companies due to their competitive pricing. The surge in imports led the Modi administration in its previous term to impose a safeguard duty from July 30, 2018 on solar cells and modules imported from China and Malaysia. This will end in July this year. The Union budget also approved an enabling mechanism to raise tariffs on imports of green energy equipment such as solar cells and modules. Firefighters were on the scene of a large fire early Wednesday in Jersey City that tore through at least two multi-family homes. The New Jersey Red Cross said their disaster team had been deployed to assist families displaced by the blaze in the 400 block of Mercer Street. Eyewitness News reported at least 10 people were forced from their homes when the 3-alarm blaze broke out about 3:25 a.m. Three vehicles outside the building also caught fire, according to the report. No injuries were reported. Our Disaster Action Team is in #JerseyCity this morning to assist those affected by a large #fire on Mercer St. Red Cross New Jersey (@NJRedCross) February 5, 2020 Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. In order to protect interest of depositors, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendment to Banking Regulation Act to strengthen cooperative banks and avoid PMC Bank like crisis. There are 1,540 cooperative banks with depositor base of 8.60 crore having total savings of about Rs 5 lakh crore. The proposed law seeks to enforce banking regulation guidelines of the RBI in cooperative banks, while administrative issues will still be guided by Registrar of Cooperative, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said while briefing media about the Cabinet decisions. Observing that the changes will help strengthen financial stability, he said qualifications would be set for appointing CEO of cooperative banks and the RBI permission would be sought before appointment as followed in case of commercial banks. Audit would be as per the RBI guidelines and the central bank can also supersede the board if any cooperative bank is under stress, he said. Cooperative bank will be given time to comply with the RBI guidelines in phased manner, he added. The cabinet approval is in line with the Budget announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. "To strengthen the Cooperative Banks, amendments to the Banking Regulation Act are proposed for increasing professionalism, enabling access to capital and improving governance and oversight for sound banking through the RBI," she had said in the Budget 2020-21. The decision assumes significance in the wake of a scam in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank affecting lakhs of customers who are facing difficulties in withdrawing their money due to restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India. Javadekar further said this is the second important measure taken by the government to protect the interest of depositors within a week. Sitharaman proposed in the Budget to raise the insurance cover on saving deposits five times to Rs 5 lakh. "I wish to inform this august House that robust mechanism is in place to monitor the health of all Scheduled Commercial Banks and that depositors' money is safe. "Further, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) has been permitted to increase Deposit Insurance Coverage for a depositor, which is now Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per depositor," she said in Budget 2020-21. At present, bank depositors get an insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh on their amount by the Deposit Insurance and credit Guarantee Corporation if a bank fails. However, deposits maintained with different banks are not clubbed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court ruling in Canada could put the brakes on WeChat's freewheeling political discourse in the country, with a Toronto construction worker ordered to pay more than C$50,000 (US$38,000) after spreading what a judge called malicious falsehoods about a local community leader on the Chinese social media platform. The recent ruling showed that Canada's courts would punish WeChat users for defamatory posts, even if their readership was unknown, said a business and technology lawyer who has previously warned that the platform had become "littered with users who hide behind their aliases and post rumours, false stories". WeChat has been a hotbed of Canadian political activism that sometimes strays from local norms. Last January, federal Liberal candidate Karen Wang used WeChat to urge supporters in Burnaby, British Columbia, to vote for her because her opponent, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, was "of Indian origin". She was swiftly dumped by the party. In October 2018, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began an investigation into WeChat messages that were offering C$20 (US$15) "transportation fees" to municipal voters in Richmond, BC, by a group that supported a slate of conservative-leaning candidates. They later disavowed the messages and no charges resulted. Simon Zhong Xinsheng, co-chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians and CEO of the Toronto Community and Culture Centre. Photo: National Congress of Chinese Canadians alt=Simon Zhong Xinsheng, co-chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians and CEO of the Toronto Community and Culture Centre. Photo: National Congress of Chinese Canadians But the scathing summary ruling issued by Ontario Supreme Court Justice Penny J. Jones on December 9 is putting WeChat's Canadian political arena under new scrutiny. Jones ordered self-employed contractor Wu Jian to pay Simon Zhong Xinsheng C$35,000 (US$26,400) in damages and full costs of C$15,414.90 (US$11,600) for a series of comments in a WeChat political discussion group. Story continues Zhong, co-chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians and CEO of the Toronto Community and Culture Centre, is regarded as a pro-Beijing figure who has helped organise protests against the Dalai Lama. Jones said Wu had attacked Zhong from February to May 2019, with claims that had been proved false, were defamatory and were posted with malice. They include the falsehoods that Zhong was an embezzler, an undercover agent for Falun Gong and that he cheated on his wife, she said. After Zhong sued Wu for defamation and demanded the posts be deleted, Wu instead "posted several additional statements, telling members of his WeChat group that Mr Zhong had threatened and blackmailed him", Jones wrote in her judgment. "The evidence before the court is that none of the defamatory statements made about Mr Zhong in the WeChat posts are true," she wrote, with Zhong and his wife denying them under oath. Wu meanwhile, "claimed that he had witnesses but admitted that no one was prepared to testify". Jones said there was essentially no evidence of how many readers saw Wu's defamatory posts, nor was there any evidence that any of Zhong's friends had seen them. But the damages of C$35,000 (US$26,400) were necessary as deterrence and recognition of the court's disapproval of Wu's conduct, she said. Zhong had sought C$350,000 (US$264,000) in general and punitive damages. Jones also ordered Wu to be "permanently prohibited from publishing defamatory statements regarding Mr Zhong, on the internet or by any other means." Toronto-based business and technology lawyer Allan Oziel said the ruling was significant. "It provides clear guidance that even with a lack of evidence of any actual or reputational harm, and where readership of the defamatory posts is unknown, Canadian courts are willing to levy significant awards against WeChat users who make defamatory comments in groups," he said. Oziel said he knew of one other "defamation by WeChat" ruling in Canada, in 2018, in which property developer and political donor Pan Miaofei won a BC case against blogger and columnist Gao Bingshen. But Pan was only awarded C$1 by the judge, who rebuked Pan for his "lack of candour" and found it likely Pan had indeed evaded taxes as Gao claimed. Zhong has also reportedly begun legal action against a Chinese-language political commentator. Asked about the reports in Chinese-language media, Zhong's lawyer, Pandora Heng Du, said she "cannot release my client's statement of claim without his permission". The commentator in question did not respond to a request for comment. Wu, who did not retain a lawyer in the hearing that led to Jones' summary judgment, could not be reached for comment. He held a press conference in Toronto last year to raise money to support his defence. Tencent, WeChat's owner, had not responded to questions about the ruling at the time of publication, although a spokeswoman acknowledged receiving the South China Morning Post's questions. Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. A man who used a belt to discipline his daughter has been given the opportunity to earn back a clean record. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man who used a belt to discipline his daughter has been given the opportunity to earn back a clean record. "We do not accept that this was an appropriate form of discipline. ... The actions of the accused were unacceptable and excessive," Crown attorney Deidre Badcock told the court on Monday. "The law does not allow for a parent to discipline their child with a weapon, and a belt is a weapon." The 38-year-old man pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to assault with a weapon. The Brandon Sun is not naming him in order to protect the identity of the victim in this case, who is currently in the care of Child and Family Services. The girl who was between the ages of nine and 11 at the time of the assault was having issues at school, Badcock said, which were brought to the attention of her parents. The girl is now 14 years old. As a result, the man struck the child twice on her buttocks with a belt. "Children should feel loved, protected and safe with their parents and family," Badcock said. "What happened here breached that." The mans defence lawyer, Katherine Bueti, said the child had been causing trouble in school stealing from other kids, fighting and bullying. Leading up to the incident, the man had been called to the school on four different occasions, Bueti said, and was disciplining his daughter by speaking to her about the issues and removing privileges. Because theft was involved, the man even thought she may have been lacking certain items, Bueti said, and tried buying her those items in an attempt to get the behaviour to stop. At the last school meeting, Bueti said it was suggested to the man that he should try different forms of punishment. "In a misguided attempt, he thought that meant some sort of physical punishment," Bueti said. The child did not report the assault, nor did she seek medical attention, Badcock said. CFS did become involved and the girl is now in the care of a foster family, Badcock said. The agency continues to work toward family reunification. Both the Crown and defence counsel recommended the court impose a 12-month conditional discharge, which gives the man the opportunity to earn back a clean record so long as he follows the appropriate court-ordered conditions. While describing the joint recommendation as a "true plea bargain," Badcock said the Crown took into consideration the fact the man pleaded guilty and spared his daughter for having to testify during a trial. "We feel that would have been detrimental to not only the unification of the family but also her mental health," Badcock said. The Crown also considered the collateral immigration consequences of the man and his family, Badcock said. The family are permanent residents of Canada after emigrating from Central America, Badcock said, and a criminal record could jeopardize their residency status. The man has also expressed clear remorse for his actions, Badcock said, and has been willing and engaged in programming since the incident. Bueti said the man has been co-operating with CFS and now recognizes this was not the correct way to administer punishment. "This has been an extremely difficult lesson for my client to learn. By all accounts when I speak to him and others, this behaviour is entirely out of character. Its clearly isolated and situational, and not pre-meditated," Bueti said. "There was no intent to cause harm beyond discipline, and thankfully there were no injuries. He recognizes after that this was an excessive use of force." Judge Shauna Hewitt-Mitcha accepted the joint recommendation and sentenced the man to a 12-month conditional discharge. "I assume this is a mistake that you will learn from and not repeat. I hope you now understand you cannot use a belt to discipline your child. What you did was wrong," Hewitt-Mitcha said. "Being a parent is sometimes challenging, its important to teach and sometimes discipline our children, and its very important that you do it properly ... that you do it with love and that you dont cause damage. You cant take back the hurt you caused, but you can work on bettering yourself, work to become the kind of dad your children deserve." edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy CAIRO (AP) Total losses from the closure of Libyas major oil fields and production facilities has accelerated, reaching more than $502 million over a 10-day period, the countrys national oil company said Tuesday. The announcement came as an artillery shell exploded close to a school south of the capital, Tripoli, killing at least three children, health authorities said. The oil closures came when powerful tribal groups loyal to military commander Khalifa Hifter earlier this month seized several large export terminals along Libya's eastern coast as well as southern oil fields. Hifter controls eastern Libya and much of the southern part of the country. The moves were meant to challenge Hifters adversaries in the internationally backed but weak rival government that controls Tripoli and western areas. The National Oil Corporation, which dominates Libyas critical oil industry, said, The total value of losses since the beginning of the blockades has reached $502,289,339 as of Monday, January 27, 2020. It put the average daily loss at $50.2 million. The corporation said oil production had fallen from over 1.2 million barrels a day before the seizures to 271,204 barrels on Monday. Seeking to reassure Libyans, the corporation said fuel levels in the countrys central and eastern regions remain sufficient. It added, however, that the western and southern regions have faced some supply shortage due to the deteriorating security situation because of the fighting between Hifter's forces and Tripoli-allied militias. The oil shutdown was seen as part of Hifters efforts to take control of Tripoli and punish his adversaries there for sealing security and maritime agreements with Turkey, opening doors for unlimited military support from the Turks. Oil, the lifeline of Libyas economy, has long been a key factor in the civil war, with rival authorities jostling for control of oil fields and state revenue. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world and the biggest oil reserves in Africa. Story continues The closure came just two days before world powers with interests in Libyas long-running conflict pledged at a conference in Berlin to respect a much-violated arms embargo and push opposing factions to reach a cease-fire. Hifters self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces began the offensive against the capital last April, and fighting with an array of militias loosely allied with the Tripoli-based government have killed over 3,000 people and displaced 200,000 in the city. Tripoli health authorities said three children were killed Tuesday when a shell hit close to a school in the southern town of al-Hadaba al-Badri. Another child was critically wounded. The Tripoli fighting has threatened to plunge Libya into chaos rivaling the 2011 conflict that ousted long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later slain. Hifter is supported by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, while the embattled U.N.-backed government is aided by Turkey and Qatar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the transformation of Indian defence in line with the changing technology is paramount and that the country was trying to become a major defence export power which was also tied up with its $5 billion economy ambition. In his inaugural speech at the DefExpo in Lucknow on Wednesday, he coined a new mantra, Make in India, for India and for the world, and said this policy is being adhered to by his government to prepare robus defence infrastructure in the country. Digital transformation of defence, this subject is very important for the future of the Indian military, PM said and added, Our aim is to develop 25 products based on artificial intelligence in the next 5 years. Watch: PM Modi inaugurates 11th edition of Defence Expo in Lucknow He said all the forces in the world are evolving in the light of new technological challenges and India was trying to keep pace. In the last five years India has made remarkable progress in indigenising the production of military equipment under the Make in India initiative, he said. The prime minister listed his governments initiatives in this regard and said that while only 270 defence licences were issued till 2014, his government had taken it to 460 in the last five years. Be it artillery guns, aircraft carrier, frigates, submarines, light combat aircrafts, combat helicopters many such equipments are being manufactured in India, Modi said. The prime minister said there was special emphasis on cutting down defence import and increase export. Indias defence export is growing; it stood at Rs 17,000 crore in the last two years. The defence export target for the next five years is Rs 35,000 crore, he added. Modi said even Indian Industry can benefit free of cost from the relevant transfer of technology by the DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation), made possible by his government. He said the licensing regime has been made liberal so that Indian manufacturers, especially SMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) can participate in the sector. Our target is to take the number of MSMEs in defence production to 15,000 in the next five years, he said. The target is to have 200 defence start-ups that can help in creating at least 50 new indigenous technologies, Modi said and added that the government plans to identify the most essential technological advancements and work towards it. Modi said that the government was also working to attract foreign investment in the sector. FDI rules have been made easy and liberal by this government. The path to 100% direct investment has been cleared and 49% of this can be done through the indirect route. This has the potential of inviting Rs 17,000 crore in FDI in the near future, said Modi. DefExpo is Indias biennial military exhibition that showcases the countrys potential to become a global defence manufacturing hub. Delegates from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers are attending the five-day exhibition. 856 Indian defence firms are also showcasing their wares at the event. The main theme of the 11 DefExpo is India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub and the focus will be on Digital Transformation of Defence. The fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference is also being held on the sidelines of the DefExpo, over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders are expected to participate in the conference. Filling up her car on the school run, this is the US mother refusing to return to the UK to face charges over Harry Dunn's death. The Daily Mail tracked down Anne Sacoolas in Virginia six months after she fled Britain following the fatal crash. Harry's family said the pictures were 'sickening' and it was 'galling' to see Mrs Sacoolas, 42, back in her old routines and behind the wheel. She is facing a charge of causing death by dangerous driving but has refused to return to Britain and Washington has rejected an extradition request. The Dunn family yesterday teamed up with a lawyer for victims of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein to demand justice. Anne Sacoolas, pictured in Virginia on January 31 where she and her family returned after she killed British teenager Harry Dunn Dressed smartly in a red jacket and a white blouse, the mother-of-three appeared to have settled back into her life in Virginia Filling up her car on the school run, this is the US mother refusing to return to the UK to face charges over Harry Dunn's death Harry Dunn with his mother Charlotte Charles who is campaigning to bring Ms Sacoolas back to the UK to face justice Linking the two cases, they called for Mrs Sacoolas to be extradited to Britain and for Prince Andrew to cooperate with an FBI investigation into Epstein. Mrs Sacoolas has accepted responsibility for 19-year-old Harry Dunn's death outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August. She fled the UK citing diplomatic immunity due to her husband Jonathan's role as an intelligence officer at the base. The Daily Mail found Mrs Sacoolas in a leafy suburb in Virginia on the outskirts of Washington DC. She was pictured driving to pick up her children from their school and filling up her car. If she had appeared in court in Britain, prosecutors would have had the option of applying for her to be banned from driving while she awaited trial for causing death by dangerous driving. Mrs Sacoolas, her husband, and their three children, rented a sprawling four-bedroom detached home in Herndon, Virginia, for 2,100 per month after fleeing the UK within days of the crash. She was spotted heading to a retail park which boasts a Starbucks, a series of restaurants and a supermarket, after the school run last Friday. She was later observed refuelling her limited edition Subaru Ascent SUV, which retails for around 35,000. Mrs Sacoolas was photographed at the same petrol station on Monday and appeared relaxed as she texted on an iPhone while her children sat in the car. Mrs Sacoolas has accepted responsibility for 19-year-old Harry Dunn's (pictured) death outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles arrives at the Foreign Office in London last month for talks aimed at bringing Ms Sacoolas back to the UK Dressed smartly in a red jacket and a white blouse, the mother-of-three appeared to have settled back into her life in Virginia. Last night the family of Harry branded the photographs 'sickening'. Speaking from New York, Radd Seiger, the family spokesman, said: 'On the day that the family are calling on Anne Sacoolas to do the right thing and return to the UK, it's galling to learn that she is seemingly attempting to carry on her life, as if the tragic road traffic collision in which Harry died had never happened. 'Neither the family nor the millions of people around the world who support them are going to accept that for a second. Anne Sacoolas cannot run from justice.' Some of the neighbours in the quiet residential street where the Sacoolas family were living until a few weeks ago have also urged her to return to the UK. They told how a 'concerned citizen' had posted an anonymous letter to all residents. The letter, dated December 23, outlined the details of the case and added: '[Mrs Sacoolas] has been charged by UK authorities and her lawyer has asserted she will not voluntarily return to Great Britain. This is simply put a travesty of justice!' One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'It was obviously a tragic accident but she should've handed herself in.' Speaking from New York, Radd Seiger, the family spokesman, (centre) said: 'On the day that the family are calling on Anne Sacoolas to do the right thing and return to the UK, it's galling to learn that she is seemingly attempting to carry on her life' It is unclear where the Sacoolas family have now moved but they boast an impressive property portfolio. They are currently renting out a home set within a beautiful forest in Vienna, Virginia, which they were living in until they moved to the UK. The couple bought the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, which has its own outdoor swimming pool, for 650,000 in 2015. It is now worth an estimated 700,000 and was put up for rent in June 2019 shortly before the Sacoolas family moved to the UK for 3,000 a month. In the listing for the rental, the family's photographs can be seen on mantlepieces and emblazoned on custom-made sofa cushions. Meanwhile accessory boxes with the names of each family member can be seen on shelves. In the family's spare room, an exercise bike and a running machine are also present, as are books detailing interests as diverse as carpentry, computing and travel. The young family had previously owned another large detached home in Reston, Virginia, which they sold for 450,000 in 2015. Mrs Sacoolas's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment last night. Of all the things actor Mandy Patinkin was asked to do in 96 episodes of the critically acclaimed drama Homeland, the toughest was simply walking away. The role has changed him forever, he says. The 67-year-old actor returned home to New York after filming the eighth and final season and tried to resume his daily life, having lunch with an old friend whom he had not seen in more than a year. Homeland star Mandy Patinkin. "He comes into the restaurant and says, 'You're free, it's over'. And I'd been waiting for it to be, to come to its conclusion," Patinkin says. "I'd been waiting to see what the rest of my life will be, and when he said that I started to open my mouth and I just started weeping and couldn't speak. "I said, 'What is, what am I, what is this happening? Why am I crying? What?' I couldn't even get it out," he says. "I struggled to breathe and then I tried to talk again and I'm a basket case again and I said, 'What is this? I've been waiting for a long time to get to this moment'. And he just put his hand on mine and he said, 'Mandy, this was an enormous part of your life. For eight years'." In view of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak in China, the government on Wednesday issued an updated travel advisory saying the existing visas (including e-visa already issued) are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China. In the travel advisory, the Health Ministry again asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. The coronavirus outbreak had claimed 491 lives in China till Tuesday, while the total number of those affected by the deadly virus stood at 24,324, according to Chinese health officials. On February 2, India temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Wednesday's advisory said anyone with travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined. "Intending visitors may contact Embassy in Beijing (visa.beijing@mea.gov.in) or the Consulates in Shanghai (Ccons.shanghai@mea.gov.in) and Guangzhou (Visa.guangzhou@mea.gov.in) to apply afresh for an Indian visa. "The Indian Embassy in China continues to remain contactable 24x7 on two hotline numbers +8618610952903 & +8618612083629 and the dedicated email - helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in. Indian nationals in need of any assistance may get in touch with the Embassy on these hotlines and email," the advisory said. For any queries related to nCoV, people can call on the 24x7 helpline number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com, it said. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Secretary held a high-level meeting to review the actions taken for the management of nCoV and preparedness of states. The meeting was attended by secretaries of Health, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Pharma, Dept of Health Research, Member Secretary of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and other officials from Home, Commerce, Defence ministries and Army. Health Ministry officials said a total of 741 samples were screened for nCoV, out of which 738 tested negative and three were found positive. Besides, testing of 342 samples is under process, they said, adding that 5,123 people across the country are under home surveillance. All three confirmed cases of nCoV in India have been reported from Kerala, where nearly 2,000 people are under observation in hospitals and homes. The three persons, all natives of Kerala and medical students of Wuhan University, had recently returned to India. On Tuesday, five people with suspected symptoms of nCoV were admitted to the isolation ward of RML Hospital here, sources said. Currently, there are 12 patients who have been admitted to the hospital with nCoV-like symptoms and their test reports are awaited, the hospital sources said. On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Group of Ministers (GoM) has been formed to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness to contain the deadly nCoV infection in the country. The GoM had held its first meeting on Monday. The Health Ministry has said that various precautionary measures have been undertaken in close coordination with the ministries concerned at the central level. Five people of the 248 who were shifted to the Army's Base hospital after they showed symptoms of cough and cold have tested negative for coronavirus. Also, five out of the 406 people evacuated from nCoV-affected Wuhan, who are admitted at the Safdarjung Hospital, have tested negative. As many as 401 people have been quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility in Delhi's Chhawla area since last week after they were brought in two batches from Wuhan onboard separate Air India flights. All those admitted to quarantine centres of the Army and the ITBP in and around the national capital are medically examined on a daily basis, though none of them has tested positive for coronavirus, health ministry officials said. As part of India's preparedness, passengers arriving from Thailand and Singapore, besides China and Hong Kong, are being screened for possible exposure to nCoV at all the 21 airports. Screening is also being conducted at international seaports and border crossings. So far, coronavirus has spread to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia, Finland, Spain, UAE and Sweden. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Archaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old Neolithic well in eastern Europe, which they believe is the oldest wooden structure in the world. The square well was built with oak by farmers around 5256 B.C., according to researchers who pinpointed its origin after analyzing the tree rings in the wood, which is the scientific method known as dendrochronology. The well's age makes it the oldest dendrochronologically dated archaeological wooden construction worldwide, according to the researchers in the Czech Republic. 'The well was only preserved because it had been underwater for centuries. Now we cannot let it dry out, or the well would be destroyed,' Karol Bayer of the University of Pardubice's Department of Restoration said in a press release. Researchers are developing a process to dry the wood and preserve it without deformation using sugar to reinforce the wood's cellular structure. 'It is interesting that the corner posts were made of previously felled trunks, namely from the trunk which had been cut in the autumn or winter 5259 B.C. or the winter of early 5258 B.C.,' said Michal RybniAek of the Department of Wood Science at Mendel University. Measuring 140 cm (56 inches) in height and with an 80 by 80 cm (32 by 32 inches) square base, the well was found last year during construction of the D35 motorway near Ostrov, Czech Republic. Researchers published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Its design shines a light on technical skills that researchers didn't think Neolithic people possessed. 'The design consists of grooved corner posts with inserted planks. This type of construction reveals advanced technical know-how and, till now, is the only known type from this region and time period,' the authors wrote. According to experts, the well indicates that whoever built it was able to process the surface of felled trunks with utmost precision, given that they only had tools made of stone, bone, horn, or wood. 'The shape of the individual structural elements and tool marks preserved on their surface confirm sophisticated carpentry skills,' the authors wrote. It is the third well from the early Neolithic period found in the Czech Republic in the past four years. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK.L, GSK) reported that its fiscal 2019 profit to shareholders increased to 4.64 billion pounds from 3.62 billion pounds, previous year. Earnings per share was 92.6 pence, compared to 72.9 pence. Total operating profit was 6.96 billion pounds compared to 5.48 billion pounds. Fiscal year adjusted operating profit was 8.97 billion pounds, up 3% AER, but flat at CER. Adjusted EPS was 123.9 pence compared to 119.4 pence, up 4% AER, 1% CER. Fiscal year Group turnover increased 10% AER, 8% CER to 33.75 billion pounds, with growth delivered by Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals flat at CER. Pro-forma turnover growth for the Group was 4% CER. Pharmaceuticals turnover was 17.55 billion pounds, up 2% AER, but flat at CER. For 2020, GlaxoSmithKline projects adjusted EPS to decline in the range of 1% to 4% at CER. The Board has declared a fourth interim dividend for 2019 of 23 pence per share. The Board intends to maintain the dividend for 2020 at the current level of 80 pence per share. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. DES MOINES, IOWAThe Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the partys 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowas traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice-President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62 per cent of precincts in the state. The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigiegs early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigiegs early rise was rivalled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his partys most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice-president and longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Bidens campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate, Price said at a subsequent press conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. And billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed opportunity, saying he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The partys caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion (U.S.) spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump. Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said thank you to Iowa and, tongue in cheek, expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes. And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here, he said. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucus-goers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. With more than one-third of all precincts left to report, Sanders led on the first alignment. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbour Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren also said she was feeling good about her performance in Iowa. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion. A Biden campaign representative objected to the partys plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didnt address growing reports about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials, and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party. Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Bloomberg announced plans to double his national television advertising spending which has already exceeded $100 million as he expands his paid staff to more than 2,000 people. Bloomberg is looking to next month, having decided to bypass Iowas contest and the three other states voting this month in favour of the delegate-rich states in March. After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever, Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. No one has made the sale or even come close to it. Beyond 2020, Mondays debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina State senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. Read more about: The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the headquarters. Russia could be holding up a decision on whether OPEC+ will make emergency production cuts. Analysts said Moscow's apparent reluctance to make further production cuts seems to have delayed a technical committee's recommendation to OPEC+ on whether to hold an emergency meeting. The technical committee, which consists of country representatives from OPEC and Russia, extended its two days of meetings into Thursday, in an effort to find a consensus. The committee is tasked with running scenarios on the oil market that would lead to a recommendation on production policy. "Once again the Russians are reticent about additional action, even though they don't bear the heavy burden of the adjustment," said Helima Croft, head of global commodities strategy at RBC. At the same time, the committee has been meeting in Vienna this week, and there have been high level discussions between Russia and Saudi Arabia, analysts said. "I'm hearing the Russians would rather monitor the situation for now, rather than risk losing more market share," said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital. "The market will promptly punish OPEC+ for its inaction." Last Friday, Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the OPEC+ ministers could discuss moving its meeting forward but said it needs several more days to monitor the situation. Oil prices already fell into a bear market for 2020, on the anticipated steep drop in demand from transportation cutbacks due to the virus. Oil futures were up as much as 4% Wednesday on expectations the group could recommend a broader cut, as well as speculation about a possible drug for the coronavirus. However, the group meeting in Vienna Wednesday is a technical group and will have to recommend to ministers whether they hold an emergency meeting to cut production, and by what amount they should cut. West Texas Intermediate crude futures ended Wednesday up 2.3% at $50.75 a barrel, after losing some steam as the technical committee's meeting dragged on for hours after it was supposed to end. "Market expectations have been raised by the holding of this meeting of a substantial cut," said Croft. She said it was unclear, as of Wednesday evening, whether OPEC and Russia would agree to hold a ministers meeting. But if that is the recommendation, a date next week is under active discussion. "This seems to be in keeping with the recent pattern of OPEC meetings going into overtime as the quest for consensus proves challenging," Croft said. The technical committee cannot vote on a cut, but it can run scenarios on market impact to share with ministers. "The speculation is that the Saudis are pushing for a minimum of 500,000 barrels," said Kilduff. "The Russians apparently are balking." OPEC and its non-OPEC partners, including Russia, are currently holding back 1.8 million barrels a day, with Saudi Arabia reducing its output the most. Analysts say Saudi Arabia would have to shoulder the bulk of any further cut, which would likely be for as brief a time period as possible. Oil demand has fallen sharply, as China cut out all air travel and shut transportation in a number of cities. Flights to China and now Hong Kong have been canceled. Two cruise ships now sit in Asian ports as passengers potentially exposed to the virus are quarantined, raising concerns about the cruise industry in general. BP finance chief Brian Gilvary said the economic impact of the coronavirus will reduce oil consumption for the whole year by 300,000 to 500,000 bpd, roughly 0.5% of global demand. Analysts expect the biggest hit to demand to be in the first half of the year. Platts Analytics worst-case scenario shows a drop of 2.6 million bpd in oil demand in February and a 2 million bpd decline in March. Its best case is for a 900,000 bpd drop in demand in February, and a 650,000 bpd decline in March. OPEC and Russia have been curbing production since 2016 in an effort to balance the market and prop up prices, but the more than 20% drop in oil prices from this year's January high was largely unexpected and is impacting budgets of oil producing nations. Hey you! Yes you, young person who aspires to be the boss, or alternatively, parents or relatives of young people who harbour this aspiration make yourself a tea and sit down as what you are about to read could change your life. I talk to many young people on the Hibiscus Coast who are incredibly talented and driven with fantastic ideas for products or services but for many reasons put the idea off. My own personal experience with the education system in New Zealand is that our youth are taught to be outstanding employees but are generally never taught the fundamentals of finance or establishing and running a business, which can be quite a deterrent to entrepreneurship. If this is you, do not fret Uncle Sam (wow I am getting old) is here to help. The first question that you have to ask yourself must be: is this my passion? Could I do this for 11 hours a day, everyday, inclusive of weekends, and finish the week being just as excited for the upcoming week and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead? The second question that has to be asked is does your product or service have a competitive moat? What I mean by this, is can your product or service be copied and if so, can your competitor provide the same thing at a cheaper price more efficiently than you can? The third question is, if eventually the business is profitable and expanding can you hire someone to replace you? If you cannot replace yourself, what you are building may not be a business but rather a high paying job. In my experience, if you are to go down the route of creating a high paying job you are much better off finding a fantastic employer. Having answered all those questions, the next step of the journey is to draft your business plan, including, most importantly, realistic budget forecasts, get out there and provide your product or service to your customers. You are already starting off with a competitive advantage being a young business owner that likely has next to no expenses and can therefore potentially undercut your competitors while still remaining profitable. On a final note, the old adage that you need money to make money is a lie told to young people to discourage them from competing. A solid business plan presented by a hungry young entrepreneur will attract investment by old people like myself! So no more excuses get your product or service out there into the market! By Nam Hyun-woo Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won Britain on Tuesday urged all of its citizens in China to leave the country because of the outbreak of a respiratory illness from a new virus, while Belgium became the latest nation to announce a confirmed case. An updated advisory issued by the U.K. Foreign Office said that while commercial flights remained available from most of mainland China, travel restrictions introduced by the Chinese government to contain the epidemic meant "it may become harder to access departure options over the coming weeks. If you're in China and able to leave, you should do so, the advisory said. France also issued an advisory, warning against any non-essential travel to China and suggesting that French citizens who were already there return home. More than 20,400 people have been infected with the virus in China and 425 have died. Two other people have died in the Philippines and Hong Kong and 20 other nations have reported cases. Belgium, meanwhile, reported its first case of the coronavirus, found in one of the nine citizens who were repatriated from Wuhan over the weekend. The Belgian Health Ministry said the infected individual was in good health and didn't show any symptoms of the disease. The person was taken to a special hospital for further care while the others remained under observation. Germany confirmed two more cases of the virus: one an employee of an auto parts company that a Chinese colleague visited two weeks ago and the other in a child of an infected company employee who previously had another child test positive. ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE In all, Europe had 28 confirmed cases of the as of Tuesday: Germany has 12; France six; Russia, Italy and the U.K have two each and Finland, Sweden, Spain and Belgium have one each. The European Union's medicines agency said it was taking action to accelerate the development and availability of medicines to treat and prevent the virus. The Amsterdam-based agency is responsible for evaluating, supervising and monitoring medicines in the 27-nation bloc. It said in a statement that while there are currently no medicines authorized to detect, treat of prevent infections with the new virus it is ready to support medicine developers with all available regulatory tools to advance and expedite the development of effective measures to fight and prevent the spread of this virus. Italy could lose up to 4.5 billion euros ($4.97 billion) in tourism revenue this year if fears keep visitors away, leading polling agency Demoskopika said in a study released Tuesday. The amount represents around 5% of tourism-generated contribution to Italy's gross domestic product. Fueling those fears, four regional Italian governors from the anti-migrant League party formally asked the health ministry to require school-age children from China to undergo 14 days of observation before being allowed back to class. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, however, demanded an end to such discriminatory reactions and the Italy's Health Institute insisted that its precautionary measures for school-age children were sufficient. The Russian Defense Ministry said the first of five military transport aircraft assigned to airlift Russians left Wuhan on Tuesday night with 80 evacuees. Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said earlier in the day that 132 Russians and 15 citizens of other ex-Soviet nations in all would be flown out of Wuhan and quarantined in southwestern Siberia. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Chinese authorities to work hard to halt the outbreak. I hope that our Chinese friends will overcome the difficult situation with honor. We all want results of the fight against the new virus to be as efficient and quick as possible," Putin said Tuesday at a meeting with students and researchers. Dr. David Heymann, who led the World Health Organization's response to the SARS outbreak, said it's too early to tell when the virus outbreak will peak but that it appears the disease is still on the increase. He said the exponential spike in China's caseload in recent days was partly attributable to the fact that Chinese officials expanded their search to include milder cases, not only people with pneumonia. A sheriff's deputy speaks to an immigration detainee at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange County, Calif., on March 14, 2017. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Orange County Sheriff Says Sanctuary Laws Protect Many Repeat Offenders When California became a sanctuary state in 2017, restrictions drafted in Senate Bill 54 prohibited law enforcement agencies from communicating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) upon arrest of undocumented immigrants. In year two with the law in effect, the Orange County Sheriffs Department recorded a 38 percent increase in recidivism for undocumented immigrants released from custody, the department announced Monday. SB 54 has made OC less safe. The 2 year social science experiment with sanctuary laws must end, Sheriff Don Barnes said in a tweet. Rather than protect our immigrant community, the law has enabled offenders to be released, often times back into the immigrant communities they prey upon, and create new victims. Last year, 1,507 individuals released from the Orange County jail had ICE detainers, which are written requests for local law enforcement agents to hold inmates for an additional 48 hours after their sentence release date to give ICE more time to determine whether to take them into federal custody for deportation. Of the 1,507 inmates released, only 492 were reported to ICE. Out of the remaining 1,015 inmates, 238 individuals were arrested again for new crimes. Charges included burglary, battery, domestic violence, trespassing, and driving under the influence, among others. The highest offense, at 88 charges, was drug-related. The law has resulted in new crimes because my deputies were unable to communicate with their federal partners about individuals who committed serious offenses and present a threat to our community if released, Sheriff Barnes said in a press release. Similar statistics were seen in 2018. Of the 1,823 Orange County inmates with ICE detainers that year, Orange County law enforcement released 823 to federal agents. Of the remaining 1,106, 173 committed new crimes. Supporters of SB 54 argue that not cooperating with ICE will make undocumented immigrants feel safer calling law enforcement for help. Otherwise, in times of danger they may not call out of fear they will be detained and deported. In regards to this concern, Sheriff Barnes said, If you call for help, we will be there for you. We will not be subjecting anyone to any inquiry regarding your immigration status. This is the skin-crawling moment an 'alien-like' creature squirms inside a startled driver's car. Tommy Hortman, 50, from Charleston, South Carolina, watched in horror as the shovel-head critter writhed on the window sill before latching on to the front seat. He said of the flat, furry and sex-legged being: 'It looked alien. Like a claymation cross between a squid and a lobster. It was slow and lumbering. I had no idea what it was.' And he was even more alarmed when he later discovered it to be a monkey slug - also known as the hag moth caterpillar - which packs a nasty sting. This is the skin-crawling moment an 'alien-like' creature squirms inside a startled driver's car Tommy Hortman, 50, from Charleston, South Carolina, watches in horror as the shovel-head critter writhed on the window sill before latching on to the front seat Eric Day, an entomologist at Virginia Tech university, said: 'The larvae I would not touch at all. 'At the caterpillar stage, people's reaction will vary but most people end up with at the very least a reddish rash. In my case, I ended up getting some type of a blister from it. 'It is unpleasant and uncomfortable. I wouldn't go near it if I could avoid it.' He continued: 'The stings are defensive, they're avoiding predation and parasites too. 'A lot of caterpillars are parasitised by small wasps and predated upon by birds, so these are things that give some protection.' The lab manager added that the creature's six 'legs' were not all they seemed to be. 'They are not true legs or arms or anything, they are projections of the body,' he said. 'And they're deciduous they fall off. 'That might be a factor in defence, so if something is brushing into it, those will fall off. 'Other creatures have that too, where they lose an appendage or a tail or something but can get away.' The flat, furry and sex-legged being is believed to be a monkey slug - also known as the hag moth caterpillar - which packs a nasty sting The hag moth is native to the US, but Mr Day says they are not very common. 'The thing is about a lot of these and other related stinging caterpillars is they have a very wide host range,' he said. 'In the US they feed on apple trees, ash, birch, cherry, chestnut all kinds of things. So you can find them in a lot of different places. 'That being said, they're not terribly common. This one in particular, we get enquiries about maybe every few years. 'I've never actually collected one.' Mr Hortman thinks the creature must have fallen into his car from an overhanging tree. 'I was getting in my truck to go to work,' he said. 'My windows were slightly down so it must have fallen from the tree above my truck and into the opened window.' Spacewalks are busy for astronauts making repairs outside the International Space Station, but there's usually time for a quick selfie. What's happening: European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano snapped this photo of himself while making repairs to an instrument designed to detect cosmic rays during a spacewalk on Jan. 25. Parmitano is scheduled to return to Earth with his space station crewmates NASA's Christina Koch and Russia's Alexander Skvortsov on Thursday. Flashback: Parmitano had a scary moment in 2013 when his helmet started to fill with water during a spacewalk, forcing him to rush back to the airlock to remove his suit. Parmitano recovered from the mishap, but NASA put a number of safety precautions in place during subsequent spacewalks to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Go deeper: The big business of tracking junk in space A former Nigerian presidential aspirant, Senator Adamu Garba has called on all Nigerian women to be married, saying the title of wife is more important than being a governor of Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN). A few days ago, the former senator said hes a proud polygamist and hes looking to add more wives to the two he has already. His statement earned him criticisms and he was vigorously dragged on social media by Nigerians. Refusing to back down, Adamu Garba took to his Twitter page to inform women that its a greater achievement to be a wife than to become a female CBN governor. I dont know why my stand on polygamy became a source of concern, particularly to unmarried ones. You are missing a golden opportunity from my admonition.ladies. Let me tell you, having a title of a WIFE is more important to you that even becoming a female CBN governor, he wrote. Adamu Garba went on to call on all Nigerian women to get married, noting that Feminism is a waste of time. He wrote: Feminism is a waste of time. Once a woman, you are already a feminine by nature. Why do you need additional ism? Any ism is extreme, extreme femininity is extremism. God forbid Nigerian woman from the menace of extremism called feminism. Nigerianize women should all be married. I dont know why my stand on polygamy became a source of concern particularly to unmarried ones. You are missing a golden opportunity from my admonition.ladies. Let me tell you, having a title of a WIFE is more important to you that even becoming a female CBN governor. Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) February 3, 2020 Women should all be WIVES, a jewel crown. Their proper position should be protected against the troubles of @ChimamandaReal , @Beyonce etc, who are successfully married to men, yet deceiving our gullible women on daily basis Women should marry with pride & support their husband. https://t.co/VNX8618K5l Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) February 4, 2020 Some men, shamefully so, call themselves feminist Note: The highest ambition of such feminist men is to be the next @BobriskyIdris Those men want to shield thier responsibilities to women in the name of Gentility Run away ladies, such men will run you down with debt & pity. Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) February 5, 2020 This is coming just few days after Kano lawmaker, Alhassan Ado Daguwa proudly showed off his four wives to his fellow senators at the Red Chamber during plenary. While introducing his wives during plenary session, Ado Daguwa revealed that he has 27 children, with intentions of having more babies. Advertisement Emmy-winning producer Olivia Wilde and Independent Spirit Award winner Chloe Grace Moretz glammed up for the Variety Makeup Artistry Dinner with Armani Beauty in West Hollywood on Tuesday. The 35-year-old filmmaker took the plunge in an emerald green puff-sleeved gown and matching pendant necklace selected by stylist Karla Welch. Hairstylist Mara Roszak coiffed the native New Yorker's piecy ombre updo for the industry event inside Sunset Tower. Hey girl! Emmy-winning producer Olivia Wilde (L) and Independent Spirit Award winner Chloe Grace Moretz (R) glammed up for the Variety Makeup Artistry Dinner with Armani Beauty in West Hollywood on Tuesday Wilde (born Cockburn) was there to honor her longtime make-up artist Melanie Inglessis, who brought out her gorgeous green eyes with a coral-colored shadow. At one point, Olivia enjoyed a mojito cocktail with SNL veteran and Princess frontwoman, Maya Rudolph. Missing from the Wake Up director's side was her fiance Jason Sudeikis, who popped the question way back in January 2013. The Richard Jewell actress and the 44-year-old SNL alum are parents of five-year-old son Otis Alexander and three-year-old daughter Daisy. Cloaked: The 35-year-old filmmaker took the plunge in an emerald green puff-sleeved gown and matching pendant necklace selected by stylist Karla Welch Elegant: Hairstylist Mara Roszak coiffed the native New Yorker's piecy ombre updo for the industry event inside Sunset Tower Maestro: Wilde was there to honor her longtime make-up artist Melanie Inglessis (L), who brought out her gorgeous green eyes with a coral-colored shadow Cheers! At one point, Olivia enjoyed a mojito cocktail with SNL veteran and Princess frontwoman, Maya Rudolph (L) Four years ago, Jason joked on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live that he and Olivia 'won't get married until weed is legal in every state.' Sudeikis ended his first marriage to writer-producer Kay Cannon in 2010, and Wilde ended her first marriage to Italian filmmaker Tao Ruspoli in 2011. When asked about the all-male lineup of best director nominees at this Sunday's Oscars, the SAG Award nominee noted how awards do matter because they 'lead to bonuses, salary increases.' 'And we know women across the industry and the world are paid so much less for their work,' Olivia explained to Vulture last month. 'Until weed is legal': Missing from the Wake Up director's side was her fiance Jason Sudeikis (R), who popped the question way back in January 2013 (pictured January 12) Children: The Richard Jewell actress and the 44-year-old SNL alum are parents of five-year-old son Otis Alexander and three-year-old daughter Daisy (pictured December 15) 'So I'm hesitant to say, "F*** 'em! Who gives a s***? Let's make movies!" Because actually, the awards do affect opportunities and fairness for women. In a twisted way, they matter.' Wilde added: 'It's hard, because you look at someone like Greta Gerwig - her film was nominated for Best Picture, so surely she deserved a best director nomination. 'How can you recognize a film for best picture and not award that director with the same recognition? And she deserves it. And so does Alma Harel, and Lulu Wang, and Lorene Scafaria.' Olivia currently voices BoJack's (Will Arnett) old friend in New Mexico Charlotte Moore in the sixth (and final) season of Netflix's animated dramedy series, BoJack Horseman. 'In a twisted way, they matter': When asked about the all-male lineup of best director nominees at this Sunday's Oscars, Olivia noted how awards do matter because they 'lead to bonuses, salary increases' Streaming now on Netflix! Wilde currently voices BoJack's (Will Arnett) old friend in New Mexico Charlotte Moore (R) in the sixth and final season of BoJack Horseman Meanwhile, Chloe - turning 23 next Monday - looked sophisticated in a white blouse featuring a bedazzled collar, black pants with rhinestone detail, and matching T-strap pumps. Hairstylist Gregory Russell slicked back the Louis Vuitton muse's hair into a tidy updo. The Gaslight starlet was there to honor her 'immature' longtime make-up artist Mai Quynh, who applied her winged eyeliner. 'The first time that I met Mai I was on a photo shoot and I was 13 years old,' Moretz said at the stylish soiree. Turning 23 next Monday! Chloe looked sophisticated in a white blouse featuring a bedazzled collar, black pants with rhinestone detail, and matching T-strap pumps Chic: Hairstylist Gregory Russell slicked back the Louis Vuitton muse's hair into a tidy updo 'The lady of the hour!' The Gaslight starlet was there to honor her 'immature' longtime make-up artist Mai Quynh (L), who applied her winged eyeliner Moretz said at the stylish soiree: 'The first time that I met Mai I was on a photo shoot and I was 13 years old. So I think it's safe to say that the last decade of my life in beauty has been single-handedly defined by Mai Quynh' 'So I think it's safe to say that the last decade of my life in beauty has been single-handedly defined by Mai Quynh.' Chloe was dutifully joined by her 33-year-old brother and assistant Trevor Duke-Moretz, whom she joked was the next Bachelor 'premiering Monday night at 8pm on ABC!' The ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn Beckham next plays New York hotel employee Kayla in Tim Story's live-action hybrid adaptation of Hanna-Barbera cartoon Tom and Jerry, which hits US/UK theaters in December. Unamused: Chloe was dutifully joined by her 33-year-old brother and assistant Trevor Duke-Moretz, whom she joked was the next Bachelor 'premiering Monday night at 8pm on ABC!' Hitting US/UK theaters in December! The ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn Beckham next plays New York hotel employee Kayla in Tim Story's live-action hybrid adaptation of Hanna-Barbera cartoon Tom and Jerry Game Night actress Rachel McAdams also spoke at the dinner where she honored her younger sister, make-up artist Kayleen. The Canadian siblings - who warmly embraced each other - previously collaborated on a 2014 episode of TLC ancestry series, Who Do You Think You Are? The 41-year-old Oscar nominee suited up in a grey and pink plaid double breasted pantsuit and red accessories. Related: Game Night actress Rachel McAdams (R) also spoke at the dinner where she honored her younger sister, make-up artist Kayleen (L) Warmly embraced each other! The Canadian siblings previously collaborated on a 2014 episode of TLC ancestry series, Who Do You Think You Are? Matched her red pout: The 41-year-old Oscar nominee suited up in a grey and pink plaid double breasted pantsuit and red accessories IMG Model Alessandra Ambrosio donned a plunging suit selected by stylist Monica Rose to honor her make-up artist Carolina Gonzalez. 'There it is, Carolina, my mamacita I'm so proud of you!' the Brazilian 38-year-old said via Insta-story. 'That was amazing - a night to remember!' 'Here for you! Love you mama!' IMG Model Alessandra Ambrosio (R) donned a plunging suit selected by stylist Monica Rose to honor her make-up artist Carolina Gonzalez (L) Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal charge alleging he offered to pay a state senator $2,500 a month in kickbacks in exchange for support on gambling-related legislation that would benefit an Arroyo lobbying client. The not-guilty plea to the bribery charge is largely a formality, however. Arroyo has waived indictment and been charged instead in a one-count criminal information a sign that hes likely going to change his plea to guilty at a later date. Dressed in a gray suit and blue tie, Arroyo spoke only briefly during his arraignment, telling U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger that he understood his constitutional rights. Seeger set a status date for March 17. Arroyo, 65, a Chicago Democrat who was an assistant majority leader, was originally charged in a criminal complaint in late October. He resigned Nov. 1, one week after his arrest and just hours before a legislative committee was set to consider his ouster from the General Assembly. According to the charge, Arroyo had sought an undisclosed state senators support on legislation involving video gambling sweepstakes games that would benefit one of Arroyos lobbying clients. The state senator was wearing a wire for the FBI when Arroyo delivered the first of the promised $2,500 checks at a restaurant in Skokie on Aug. 22. This is, this is the jackpot, the complaint quoted Arroyo as telling the senator as he handed over the check. Additional payments were expected to be made over the next six to 12 months, federal authorities alleged. The Chicago Tribune has previously identified the state senator as Terry Link, a Democrat from Vernon Hills. Link has denied being the cooperating witness mentioned in the complaint. Also involved in the alleged scheme was businessman James Weiss, the son-in-law of former Cook County assessor and county Democratic Party boss Joseph Berrios, whose house was raided by the FBI shortly before the charges against Arroyo were unsealed, the Chicago Tribune has reported. Arroyo is one of four elected officials charged so far in an array of political corruption investigations that first came to public light in November 2018 when FBI agents raided the offices of Chicago Alderman Edward Burke. Last week, former state Sen. Martin Sandoval pleaded guilty in a separate scheme to bribery and tax charges, admitting in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he took more than a quarter of a million dollars in payments in exchange for his influence or official action in Springfield, including $70,000 in protection fees from a clout-heavy red-light camera company executive. Sandoval, who resigned effective Jan. 1, is cooperating with prosecutors in the hopes of reducing his sentence. English French Third Quarter Highlights Revenues increased to $81.3 million, an increase of 14.9% YoY Organic growth of 3.3% excluding the impact of foreign exchange, primarily due to increase in subscriptions to 392,000, up 10.1% YoY. Including the impact of foreign exchange, organic growth was 2.6% Adjusted EBITDA (2) of 31.0 million, an increase of 14.0%. Excluding the impact of IFRS 16, Adjusted EBITDA (2) would have been $29.3 million Adjusted EBITDA (2) by segment of $14.9 million (37.3% of total) for Broadcasting and Commercial Music, $17.4 million (42.0% of total) for Radio and $(1.3) million for Corporate Net income of $8.1 million or $0.11 per share (basic and diluted) compared to a prior year loss of ($18.1) million Adjusted net income (3) of $16.7 million or $0.22 per share (basic and diluted), up 34.8% YoY Cash flow from operating activities increased 108.8% to $28.8 million Adjusted free cash flow (4) rose 23.8% to $21.0 million or $0.28 per share (basic and diluted) Net debt to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA (2) ratio of 2.94. Total Net debt stood at $346.5 million, a decrease of $12.5 million YoY As part of the Corporations Normal Course Issuer Bid (NCIB), 948,611 subordinate voting shares and variable subordinated voting shares (together the shares) were repurchased in Q3 2020 for a total cash consideration of $6.1 million. A total of 1,203,475 shares were repurchased in Fiscal 2020 for a total cash consideration of $8.0 million. MONTREAL, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stingray Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) (the Corporation; Stingray), a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider, today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019. Financial Highlights (in thousands of dollars, except per share data) Three months ended December 31 Nine months ended December 31 2019 2018 % 2019 2018 % Revenues 81,313 70,772 14.9 238,323 139,920 70.3 Recurring revenues(1) 33,728 33,364 1.1 101,238 94,811 6.8 Adjusted EBITDA(2) 31,033 27,219 14.0 89,869 49,827 80.4 Net income 8,089 (18,053 ) 22,456 (15,930 ) Per share diluted ($) 0.11 (0.26 ) 0.29 (0.26 ) Adjusted Net income(3) 16,710 12,396 34.8 45,813 25,002 83.2 Per share diluted ($)(3) 0.22 0.18 22.2 0.60 0.40 50.0 Cash flow from operating activities 28,833 13,809 108.8 74,083 26,631 178.2 Adjusted free cash flow(4) 21,033 16,983 23.8 60,377 28,989 108.3 (1) Recurring Broadcasting and Commercial Music revenues include subscriptions and usage in addition to fixed fees charged to our customers on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis for continuous music services. Non-recurring revenues mainly include advertising, support, installation, equipment and one-time fees. (2) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as net income (loss) before net finance expense (income), change in fair value of investments, income taxes, depreciation and write-off of property and equipment, depreciation of right-of-use assets, amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, CRTC Tangible benefit, and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses. (3) Adjusted Net income is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as net income before change in fair value of investments, mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative instruments, amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, CRTC Tangible benefit, and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses, net of related income taxes. (4) Adjusted free cash flow is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as cash flow from operating activities less capital expenditures, interests paid and repayment of lease liabilities, plus acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses, and adjusted for unrealized gain or loss on foreign exchange and for the net change in non-cash working capital items. Q3 results were in-line with our expectations, with revenues increasing by 14.9%, driven by the acquisition of Newfoundland Capital Corporation Inc. (NCC) and increase in subscriptions, and with adjusted free cash flow increasing by over 23.8%. Our solid cash flow generation for the quarter and year to date coupled with a positive business outlook, provided support for an increase in the dividend to $0.075 per share, 15.4% above the same quarter last year. Furthermore, we took advantage of a lower share price to acquire $6.1 million in shares during the quarter, said Eric Boyko, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Stingray. Despite lower radio sales related to challenging market conditions in Western Canada, our Radio segment continues to perform well in its other key markets such as Toronto and Ottawa. As the over the top (OTT) streaming trend accentuates and viewers are overwhelmed by new TV streaming services, FAST or free ad-supported TV platforms are also gaining momentum among viewers and reaching an inflection point. Last December, we signed an agreement with Sinclair Broadcasting for STIRR representing our first ad-supported OTT platform in the US. Ambiance and Qello Concerts are currently available on Samsung TV Plus in the U.S., and other countries and platforms will be added. We have also deployed a number of channels on XUMO/LG and Pluto TV. As these new digital networks require content, Stingray is extremely well positioned to leverage its audio and TV linear channels, significantly expand its share of advertising dollars and reach millions of new listeners. As another indication of our rapidly evolving business model, the subscription model in B2C and B2B2C now generates annualized revenues north of $40.0 million. We will continue to expand distribution to new platforms and markets and deliver new innovative products. We look forward to this new year with great confidence as we continue to extend the reach of our rich content to new platforms and further diversify our revenue sources to ad- and subscription-based models, concluded Mr. Boyko. Third Quarter Results Revenues in Q3 2020 increased $10.5 million or 14.9% to $81.3 million, from $70.8 million for Q3 2019. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of NCC, combined with organic growth in subscriptions. For the quarter, revenues in Canada increased $10.7 million or 23.1% to $57.5 million, from $46.8 million for Q3 2019. Revenues in the United States in Q3 2020 increased $0.8 million or 8.4% to $9.6 million, from $8.8 million for Q3 2019. Revenues in Other countries in Q3 2020 decreased $(1.0) million or 6.4% to $14.2 million, from $15.2 million for Q3 2019 with the decrease primarily due to lower commercial music sales and to the termination of some low margin contracts. Total Broadcasting and Commercial Music revenues increased $1.0 million or 2.6% to $39.9 million from $38.9 million for Q3 2019. The increase was primarily due to organic growth in subscriptions. Radio revenues increased $10.2 million or 32.7% to $41.4 million from $31.2 million for Q3 2019. Adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2020 increased $3.8 million or 14.0% to $31.0 million from $27.2 million for Q3 2019. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 38.2% compared to 38.5% for Q3 2019. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the adoption of IFRS 16, to the acquisition of NCC, to organic growth in subscriptions and to reduced operating expenses in the Broadcasting and Commercial Music segment, partially offset by the reversal of certain accrued liabilities in the Radio segment in Q3 2019. Excluding the impact of IFRS 16, the Adjusted EBITDA would have been $29.3 million with a margin of 36.0%. Net income in Q3 2020 was $8.1 million ($0.11 per share) compared to a net loss of $18.1 million ($(0.26) per share) for Q3 2019. The difference was mainly due to the non-recurring CRTC Tangible benefits expense of $25.3 million related to the NCC acquisition recorded in Q3 2019. The difference is also explained by lower acquisition expenses, positive change in mark-to-market on derivative instruments, positive change in fair value of investments and higher operating results, partially offset by higher legal expenses due to the settlement with Music Choice and higher income taxes expense. Adjusted Net income in Q3 2020 was $16.7 million ($0.22 per share), compared to $12.4 million ($0.18 per share) for Q3 2019. The increase is mainly due to the higher operating results and to the gain in foreign exchange, partially offset by higher income taxes. Cash flow generated from operating activities amounted to $28.8 million for Q3 2020 compared to $13.8 million for Q3 2019. Adjusted free cash flow generated in Q3 2020 amounted to $21.0 million compared to $17.0 million for Q3 2019. The increase was mainly related to the acquisition of NCC, to higher operating results and to lower capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2019, the Corporation had cash and cash equivalents of $7.3 million, a subordinated debt of $39.6 million and credit facilities of $380.0 million, of which approximately $48.3 million was available. Nine Months Results Revenues for the first nine months of Fiscal 2020 increased $98.4 million or 70.3% to $238.3 million, from $139.9 million a year ago. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of NCC, DJ Matic and Novramedia, combined with organic growth in subscriptions, partially offset by the termination of some low margin international contracts. Adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of Fiscal 2020 increased $40.1 million or 80.4% to $89.9 million from $49.8 million for the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 37.7% compared to 35.6% for the same period in Fiscal 2019. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the acquisition of NCC, to the adoption of IFRS 16, to the organic growth in subscriptions and to reduced operating expenses in the Broadcasting and Commercial Music segment, partially offset by the reversal of certain accrued liabilities in the Radio segment in Q3 2019. Excluding the impact of IFRS 16, the Adjusted EBITDA would have been $84.9 million with a margin of 35.6%. Adjusted net income for the first nine months of Fiscal 2020 was $45.8 million ($0.60 per share), compared to $25.0 million ($0.40 per share) for the same period in Fiscal 2019. The increase is mainly due to the higher operating results, partially offset by higher interest, income taxes and depreciation expenses. Declaration of Dividend On February 5, 2020, the Corporation declared a dividend of $0.075 per subordinate voting share, variable subordinate voting share and multiple voting share. The dividend will be payable on or around March 16, 2020, to shareholders on record as of February 28, 2020. The Corporations dividend policy is at the discretion of the Board of Directors and may vary depending upon, among other things, our available cash flow, results of operations, financial condition, business growth opportunities and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. The dividends paid are designated as "eligible" dividends for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any corresponding provisions of provincial and territorial tax legislation Additional Business Highlights On February 3, 2020, the Corporation and Music Choice executed and exchanged a Settlement Agreement which puts definitive end to the parties patent litigation in the United States and fully and finally settles all claims, counterclaims and defenses asserted in connection with that litigation. The settlement amount of US$13.3 million ($17.2 million), will be paid in two equal instalments; the first payment was made on the date of settlement and the second payment is to be made on or before February 15, 2021. Accordingly, an amount of $17.1 million was booked as part of the acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses in Q3 2020. The terms of the settlement do not impact the services currently offered by Stingray in the United States, which shall continue uninterrupted. On January 27, 2020, the Corporation purchased all of the outstanding shares of Chatter Research Inc., a Toronto-based leader in the design, development, and implementation of artificial intelligence driven real-time customer feedback solutions for retail and hospitality businesses. Total consideration consists of an amount of $2.1 million paid upon closing and a contingent consideration. On November 6, 2019, the Corporation announced that it had concluded a long-term deal to provide custom music programming and in-store messaging for over one thousand of METROs leading grocery and pharmacy establishments. Retailers under the agreement include Metro and Metro Plus in Quebec, Metro in Ontario, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis, Les 5 Saisons, Brunet, and Jean Coutu. In early October 2019, the Corporation announced that its highly-rated music app is now available to all Canadians and Americans. Previously available exclusively to pay-TV subscribers, the Stingray Music app offers an unparalleled listening experience of local and international content. The app is available for free or with an upgrade to Premium for a monthly subscription fee. Conference Call The Corporation will hold a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 10:00 AM (ET). Interested parties can join the call by dialing 647-788-4922 (Toronto) or 1-877-223-4471 (toll free). A rebroadcast of the conference call will be available until midnight, March 5, 2020, by dialing (800) 585-8367 or (416) 621-4642 and entering passcode 3870897. About Stingray Montreal-based Stingray Group is a leading music, media and technology company with over 1,200 employees worldwide. Stingray is a premium provider of curated direct-to-consumer and B2B (business to business) services, including audio television channels, more than 100 radio stations, subscriptions content, 4K UHD television channels, karaoke products, digital signage, in-store music and music apps, which have been downloaded over 140 million times. Stingray reaches 400 million subscribers (or users) in 156 countries. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to Stingray's goals, beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking information is identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "may", "would", "should", "could", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "plan", "foresee", "believe", and "continue", or the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions. Please note, however, that not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. Forward-looking information is based upon a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Stingray's control. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors identified in Stingray's Annual Information Form for the year ended March 31, 2019, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Consequently, all of the forward-looking information contained herein is qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that Stingray anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on Stingray's business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date hereof, and Stingray does not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Non-IFRS Measures The Corporation believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are important measures when analyzing its operating profitability without being influenced by financing decisions, non-cash items and income taxes strategies. Comparison with peers is also easier as companies rarely have the same capital and financing structure. The Corporation believes that Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share are important measures as it demonstrates its core bottom-line profitability. The Corporation believes that Adjusted free cash flow is an important measure when assessing the amount of cash generated after accounting for capital expenditures and non-core charges. It demonstrates cash available to make business acquisitions, pay dividend and reduce debt. The Corporation believes that Net debt and Net debt to Adjusted EBITDA are important measures when analyzing the significance of debt on the Corporations statement of financial position. Each of these non-IFRS financial measures is not an earnings or cash flow measure recognized by IFRS and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. Our method of calculating such financial measures may differ from the methods used by other issuers and, accordingly, our definition of these non-IFRS financial measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that non-IFRS financial measures should not be construed as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with IFRS as indicators of our performance or to cash flows from operating activities as measures of liquidity and cash flows. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net income reconciliation to Net income 3 months 9 months (in thousands of Canadian dollars) Dec. 31, 2019 Q3 2020 Dec. 31, 2018 Q3 2019 Dec. 31, 2019 YTD 2020 Dec 31, 2018 YTD 2019 Net income (loss) 8,089 (18,053 ) 22,456 (15,930 ) Net finance expense (income) (4,383 ) 7,208 9,359 10,039 Change in fair value of investments (4,781 ) (840 ) (4,636 ) (901 ) Income taxes 1,897 (6,117 ) 5,857 (5,061 ) Depreciation and write-off of property and equipment 2,876 2,469 8,687 4,912 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 1,402 4,192 Amortization of intangible assets 5,494 6,401 17,548 16,243 Share-based compensation 238 263 743 796 Performance and deferred share unit expense 677 (147 ) 2,252 738 CRTC Tangible benefits 25,306 25,306 Acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses 19,524 10,729 23,411 13,685 Adjusted EBITDA 31,033 27,219 89,869 49,827 Net finance expense (income), excluding mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative financial instruments (4,184 ) (7,208 ) (16,146 ) (10,039 ) Income taxes (1,897 ) 6,117 (5,857 ) 5,061 Depreciation of property and equipment and write-off (2,876 ) (2,469 ) (8,687 ) (4,912 ) Depreciation of right-of-use assets (1,402 ) (4,192 ) Income taxes related to change in fair value of investments, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, amortization of intangible assets, CRTC Tangible benefits, mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative financial instruments and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses (3,964 ) (11,263 ) (9,174 ) (14,935 ) Adjusted Net income 16,710 12,396 45,813 25,002 Adjusted free cash flow reconciliation to Cash flow from operating activities 3 months 9 months (in thousands of Canadian dollars) Dec. 31, 2019 Q3 2020 Dec. 31, 2018 Q3 2019 Dec. 31, 2019 YTD 2020 Dec. 31, 2018 YTD 2019 Cash flow from operating activities 28,833 13,809 74,083 26,631 Add / Less : Acquisition of property and equipment (1,479 ) (1,972 ) (4,551 ) (5,688 ) Acquisition of intangible assets other than internally developed intangible assets (495 ) (1,272 ) (1,306 ) (3,002 ) Addition to internally developed intangible assets (1,286 ) (1,827 ) (4,368 ) (4,422 ) Interest paid (4,150 ) (4,649 ) (13,623 ) (5,509 ) Repayment of lease liabilities (1,295 ) (3,693 ) Net change in non-cash operating working capital items (17,702 ) 1,180 (9,431 ) 5,949 Unrealized loss on foreign exchange (917 ) 985 (145 ) 1,345 Acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses 19,524 10,729 23,411 13,685 Adjusted free cash flow 21,033 16,983 60,377 28,989 Note to readers: Condensed interim consolidated financial statements and Managements Discussion & Analysis of Operating Results and Financial Position are available on the Corporations website at www.stingray.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Contact information: Alabama is one of only 10 states in the country - and the only state in the Deep South - to see a split vote today as Senators concluded the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. The Senate voted, with just one senator crossing party lines, to acquit Trump on the charge of abuse of power in a 52-48 vote, and the charge of obstruction of Congress in a 53-47 vote, this afternoon. Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, voted to convict Trump on both impeachment articles, the lone senator from the Deep South to do so. Senators are elected to make tough choices," Jones said earlier. We are required to study the facts of each issue before us and exercise our independent judgment in keeping with the oaths we take. As expected, Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, voted to acquit Trump on both charges. Shelby said in a statement, what we really have here is nothing more than the abuse of the power of impeachment itself by the Democratic House. Jones was considered a possible swing vote along with other red state Democrats, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona. Republicans Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were also considered potential swing votes. Romney voted to convict Trump on the charge of abuse of power - the only Republican to do so - but voted to acquit Trump on the charge of obstruction of Congress. Romney, who was the Republican nominee for President in 2016, is the first Senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president of his own party during articles of impeachment. Romneys vote placed Utah on a short list with Alabama. Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin also had split votes along party lines. Maine also had a split vote, with Independent Sen. Angus King voting to convict and Republican Susan Collins voting to acquit. Sens. Richard Shelby, R, and Doug Jones, D, split Alabama's vote in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Today, I have the solemn responsibility to uphold my oath of #ImpartialJustice Growing up in Alabama I learned right from wrong. What the President did was more than wrong. Someone has to stand up & say so. I will fulfill my oath & vote in favor of both articles of impeachment. https://t.co/X5botsMujs Doug Jones (@DougJones) February 5, 2020 US President Donald Trump President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US is working closely with Beijing to combat the coronavirus outbreak as the deadly infection claimed 490 lives in China and spread to over 20 countries, including India and America, prompting the World Health Organisation to declare a global health emergency. "Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases," Trump said in his State of the Union speech while highlighting the initiatives taken by his administration in the healthcare sector. "We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat," he said. The US on Tuesday evacuated over 300 more people on two new flights out of the Chinese city Wuhan, the epicentre of the fast-spreading new coronavirus. Last week, it evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. The death toll in coronavirus outbreak rose to 490 in China on Tuesday. One death was reported earlier this week from the Philippines. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Worldwide, the virus, so far, has spread to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, India, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia, Finland, Spain, UAE and Sweden. "As we pray for all who are sick, we know that America is constantly achieving new medical breakthroughs," Trump said in his speech. The president underlined that his administration has launched ambitious new initiatives to substantially improve care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer's, and those struggling with mental health challenges. Former prime minister David Cameron has turned down an offer from Boris Johnson to head the UKs preparations for a crucial international climate summit in Glasgow, it is claimed. The current PM asked his predecessor to be the president of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) but was rejected, the Daily Telegraph reported. According to The Times, former Tory leader William Hague was also sounded out for the presidency. The disclosure comes after Mr Johnson refused to answer questions about who would take on the job during the event's launch on Tuesday. Former clean growth minister Claire O'Neill, who stood down as a Tory MP at the general election, was sacked as president of the talks by the PM's special adviser, Dominic Cummings, on Friday. The Government said the post would be a ministerial role in future. The UN climate talks, to be held in Glasgow in November, are the most important since the Paris Agreement to curb global warming was secured in 2015. Countries are expected to deliver more ambitious domestic plans for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030, as current proposals are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. Pressure is also on countries to set out long-term plans for cutting emissions, with the science now clear that the world must reduce greenhouse gases to zero in a matter of decades to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The run-up to the talks will require a major diplomatic effort from the UK to secure ambitious climate action from countries - at a time when Britain is also negotiating trade agreements with the EU and other nations. Press Association GUILDERLAND St. Peter's Health Partners and WellNow Urgent Care announced Wednesday that they have opened an urgent care center in Guilderland. The clinic at 1438 Western Ave. is the pair's fourth urgent care center in the Capital Region. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., it will treat non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as cold, flu, sprains and strains, and provide on-site X-rays, laboratory testing and physicals. [February 05, 2020] Generex Biotechnology Appoints Independent Director Carol Nacy, PhD to the NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology Board of Directors MIRAMAR, Fla., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation ( www.generex.com ) (OTCQB:GNBT) (http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GNBT/quote) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Carol Nacy, PhD to the NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology (NGIO) Board of Directors. Dr. Nacy is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Sequella, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company that discovers and develops new and more effective treatments for life threatening infectious diseases. Previously, Dr. Nacy was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at EntreMed,Inc. from 1993 through its successful public offering in June 1996. Prior to her career in biotechnology, Dr. Nacy worked for 17 years at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, DC, where she studied tropical infectious diseases. She has published over 165 scientific papers to date. Dr. Nacy has a long and successful career in infectious disease research and has been widely recognized for her achievements in the biotechnology industry. She was singled out as a Top 50 Innovator in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine in 2002, named Entrepreneur of the Year by Women in BIO in 2004, the state of Maryland named her in its Top 100 Business Women in 2005, and the Washington Business Journal named her as a top 25 female executive in the Washington DC metropolitan area in 2005. In 2006, she received a National Leadership Award in Healthcare from the National Urban Technology Center in New York City, and in 2007 she was honored with a Special Outstanding Achievemnt Award for Clinical Trials by Women in BIO. In 2009 she was awarded the Humanitarian Award, Hope is a Vaccine, by the Global Alliance for Immunization against Aids (GAIA) for her work to create new drugs for TB. She is an Editor for the American Academy of Microbiology journal, mBio, and an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Tropical Diseases at the George Washington University, Washington, DC. She earned her A.B., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, which awarded Dr. Nacy with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Science. Dr. Nacy commented on her appointment to the NGIO Board, The field of cancer immunotherapy has finally come into its own, and I am thrilled to be part of NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology. I am looking forward to working with the company to bring important new therapies to patients in need. We are proud to welcome Dr. Nacy to our Board of Directors for NGIO, said Joseph Moscato, President & CEO of Generex Biotechnology. She is an innovator and a leader in the field of infectious disease and vaccine development, bringing together science, business, and policy to make a positive impact on global health. Her knowledge and experience will be highly valuable as we build NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology. About Generex Biotechnology Corp. Generex Biotechnology is an integrated healthcare holding company with end-to-end solutions for patient centric care from rapid diagnosis through delivery of personalized therapies. Generex is building a new kind of healthcare company that extends beyond traditional models providing support to physicians in an MSO network, and ongoing relationships with patients to improve the patient experience and access to optimal care. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release and oral statements made from time to time by Generex representatives in respect of the same subject matter may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by introductory words such as "expects," "plan," "believes," "will," "achieve," "anticipate," "would," "should," "subject to" or words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements frequently are used in discussing potential product applications, potential collaborations, product development activities, clinical studies, regulatory submissions and approvals, and similar operating matters. Many factors may cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known and others of which are not. Known risks and uncertainties include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by Generex with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Generex undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Generex claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements that is contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Generex Contact: Generex Biotechnology Corporation Joseph Moscato 646-599-6222 Todd Falls 1-800-391-6755 Extension 222 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Natural News) A 25-year-old teacher from the United Kingdom whos said to be the first known case of coronavirus in Great Britain reportedly beat the disease by swigging a glass of hot whisky and honey. Connor Reed, who was diagnosed as having coronavirus in Wuhan, China, roughly two months ago, serves as proof (assuming his story is legitimate) that natural remedies really can, and do, beat even the worst of illnesses. After being rushed to the hospital with breathing problems, as well as a severe cough both classic signs of coronavirus Reed had to stay admitted there for two weeks. I was stunned when the doctors told me I was suffering from the virus, Reed, a Welsh lad whos lived in China for three years, told the media. I thought I was going to die but I managed to beat it. I used the inhaler which helped control the cough and drank a hot whisky and honey until that ran out. Its an old-fashioned remedy but it seemed to do the trick. Amazingly, Reed refused the antibiotics that his doctors prescribed him because I didnt want to take any medications. This was a good move, seeing as how antibiotics kill at least 80,000 people in China every year. Is novel coronavirus more deadly in Asians? While it may or may not be the case that hot whisky and honey was just what the doctor ordered in Reeds case, his amazing recovery is a stark contrast to the tens of thousands who are falling deathly ill and not recovering. It could have something to do with the ethnicities involved, as Asians have increased Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptors in their lungs, according to a recent paper published on January 26. Entitled, Single-cell RNA expression profiling of ACE2, the putative receptor of Wuhan 2019-nCoV, this study found that Asians could be more prone to this type of virus because of an enhanced ACE2 presence, which uptakes it more easily. Another related study found that men may also be more prone to catching coronavirus than women. The elderly may also be more likely to catch it compared to younger people. Currently, the overall death rate from coronavirus, at least based on official numbers, is about two percent. This is lower than the 9.6 percent for S.A.R.S. (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and Spanish flu, which is estimated to have been anywhere from 10 to 20 percent. Thailand says it successfully treated novel coronavirus with a cocktail of H.I.V. and flu drugs Over in Thailand, another alternative remedy is supposedly helping to treat novel coronavirus. Reports claim that two coronavirus patients were successfully treated with a cocktail of H.I.V. and flu drugs. The doctors combined the anti-flu drug oseltamivir with lopinavir and ritonavir, antivirals used to treat H.I.V., stated Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, a member of Thailands House of Representatives, pending confirmation from the health ministry. As of this writing, more than 20,000 people are officially infected with coronavirus, and 427 have died from it. This is more evidence to support my initial hypothesis that this coronavirus is another ethno-specific illness like S.A.R.S.-cov that predominantly attacks Asian hosts, in this case Asian men, with a higher ACE2 gene expression (in the lungs) of 2.5% vs. Eurasian (Aryan) and African (Negro) at 0.47%, wrote one commenter at Information Liberation in response to this news. For some reason, nobody would report the fact that the only people really dying from this (so far) are Asians, just like what we saw a few years ago with S.A.R.S.-cov, which is significant, yet the media has been silent, eluding to either a C.D.C./Z.O.G. request for suppression, or its just that Reuters/A.P. is really that P.C. (politically correct) that the fear of xenophobic reactions outweigh the benefits of a reduction in unnecessary hysteria here in the West. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com NaturalNews.com Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. Unfortunately, high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like Greentown Service Group (HKG:2869), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While that doesn't make the shares worth buying at any price, you can't deny that successful capitalism requires profit, eventually. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, but time is often a friend of the profitable company, especially if it is growing. Check out our latest analysis for Greentown Service Group Greentown Service Group's Earnings Per Share Are Growing. If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS). That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. Greentown Service Group managed to grow EPS by 14% per year, over three years. That's a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it. One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. While we note Greentown Service Group's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 27% to CN7.4b. That's a real positive. The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers. SEHK:2869 Income Statement, February 5th 2020 In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of Greentown Service Group's forecast profits? Are Greentown Service Group Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Story continues It makes me feel more secure owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, thusly more closely aligning our interests. So it is good to see that Greentown Service Group insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. Notably, they have an enormous stake in the company, worth CN4.5b. That equates to 19% of the company, making insiders powerful and aligned with other shareholders. Very encouraging. It means a lot to see insiders invested in the business, but I find myself wondering if remuneration policies are shareholder friendly. Well, based on the CEO pay, I'd say they are indeed. For companies with market capitalizations between CN14b and CN44b, like Greentown Service Group, the median CEO pay is around CN4.0m. Greentown Service Group offered total compensation worth CN3.4m to its CEO in the year to December 2018. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given its below the median for similar sized companies. While the level of CEO compensation isn't a huge factor in my view of the company, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. I'd also argue reasonable pay levels attest to good decision making more generally. Does Greentown Service Group Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist? As I already mentioned, Greentown Service Group is a growing business, which is what I like to see. Earnings growth might be the main game for Greentown Service Group, but the fun does not stop there. Boasting both modest CEO pay and considerable insider ownership, I'd argue this one is worthy of the watchlist, at least. While we've looked at the quality of the earnings, we haven't yet done any work to value the stock. So if you like to buy cheap, you may want to check if Greentown Service Group is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry. You can invest in any company you want. But if you prefer to focus on stocks that have demonstrated insider buying, here is a list of companies with insider buying in the last three months. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. We have not seen God, but we have met some good doctors throughout our life and thats pretty much the closest thing to the Almighty that well know (besides our mothers, of course). Its considered one of the noblest professions in the world and sure enough, that comes with colossal responsibilities which commoners like you and me cant even begin to imagine. Li Wenliang So, when Dr Li Wenliang sensed an impending health emergency rolling in, he did what any dedicated doctor would do. Dr Li intimated his fellow doctors about a possible SARS-like illness that seemed to have taken hold of seven patients from the sea-food market near his hospital in Wuhan. He even added that the results of some of the tests suggested that a coronavirus was at the root of the illness which presented severe respiratory issues in patients. The Nightmare Getty Images The day was 30th December, Dr Li wanted to caution his fellow doctors against a possible SARS-like pandemic. However, what was shared as a word of caution with close friends soon turned into a viral post and gave rise to a nightmare Dr Li didnt see coming. "When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished," Dr Li told the media. Sure enough, the Wuhan Police came calling and accused Dr Li of spreading rumours. Li Wenliang However, the more disheartening fact remains that despite being one of the first whistleblowers of the dangerous virus outbreak, not only was Dr Li pulled up by the police, he was thoroughly reprimanded for doing his duty and cautioning authorities. The Wuhan police claimed that Dr Li was spreading rumours online and disrupting social order. Today, Dr Li himself has fallen prey to the deadly viral outbreak. The Saving Grace Reuters Despite the States extreme censorship move, Wuhan health department held an emergency meeting where Dr Li was called to discuss the cases and how he came across them. An emergency notice followed and the public was informed about the outbreak along with the World Health Organisation. The Disheartening Reality Li Wenliang Before being let off by the police, Dr Li had to sign an undertaking acknowledging that he had done wrong and wouldnt commit any other unlawful act. So after getting back, Dr Li continued to perform his duty and treat patients until he contracted the disease himself. Today, he is in the ICU with oxygen support to aid him. The States Apathy Vs Peoples Support It was the Chinese authorities first response to negate and subdue the voice of whistleblowers and they did so by taking legal action against people who published and shared information that could have saved many lives with an early outreach. Reuters Not only did the state authorities deny the diseases mode of transmission for the longest time, but they also denied any health worker being affected by the virus. However, the public caught on soon enough and discovered the states strategy. While calls for the vindication of the accused rumour-mongers grew louder, Chinas Supreme Court criticized the Wuhan police for the way they handled the situation. People, on the other hand, cannot stop thanking Dr Li for his efforts and early intervention. Thousands have since left him messages on Weibo hailing his loyalty towards his profession and wishing him a speedy recovery. A United Airlines passenger aircraft prepares to leave its gate and taxi to the runway at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. United Airlines is buying a flight-training academy in an effort to speed up hiring of more than 10,000 pilots by the next decade as about half of its aviators approach the federally mandated retirement age of 65. The Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix, which United plans to later rename, will produce 300 graduates in its first full year, the airline said Wednesday. United, like rivals such as Delta and American, is racing to hire new pilots to fill its ranks in the coming years, offering low-interest loans, scholarships and other programs, as more and more airline pilots approach the FAA-mandated retirement age. The cost of training to become a commercial airline pilot in the U.S. can top $80,000, a major barrier for candidates. Laws in the U.S. require airline pilots to have 1,500 hours of flight time to work at a commercial airline, but there are exceptions for some students and military. United said it is planning scholarships to encourage women and minority candidates to apply because the pilot pool is currently "overwhelmingly" white and male, airline spokesman Charlie Hobart said. The carrier is also planning to provide low-cost loans to candidates. United last year unveiled a program to recruit pilots early in their careers, offering them conditional job offers as they gain flying experience. Student pilots in the academy could start with zero flight experience to become fully rated commercial pilots, United said. They will eventually join the carrier's Aviate program after getting their private-pilot certification at around 40 hours of flight time, then build up their hours teaching and flying for smaller operators. As aircraft become more automated, pilot training has drawn more scrutiny, particularly after two deadly crashes of Boeing's 737 Max. Pilots on those two flights had battled an automated flight-control system that was erroneously activated. Boeing has redeveloped that system to give pilots greater control but regulators have not yet signed off on the planes, which remain grounded since last March, after the second of the two crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing last month recommended that pilots undergo simulator training before the 737 Max can return to commercial service, an about-face of its earlier stance. United has a "keen interest" in pushing the limits in upset recovery training beyond FAA minimums and avoiding loss of control accidents and managing automation, said Curtis Brunjes, United's managing director of pilot strategy. "Those are the things that we could be stressing in our curricula," he said. Turkeys president warns Syrian forces to back off from Turkish observation posts in Idlib or risk being forced to. Syrian government forces in Idlib must pull back behind a line of Turkish observation posts by the end of this month, Turkeys President Tayyip Recep Erdogan has said, warning that if they did not do so, Ankara would drive them back. Speaking two days after eight Turkish military personnel were killed by shelling in the region, prompting a Turkish military response, Erdogan said two of the Turkish posts were now behind the Syrian government front line. If the Syrian regime will not retreat from Turkish observation posts in Idlib in February, Turkey will be obliged to take matters into its own hands, Erdogan told his partys legislators in parliament. Turkeys air and land forces will move freely in all operation areas [in Syria] and in Idlib, and they will conduct operations if needed, he added. Turkey, which backs certain opposition groups in Idlib, has set up 12 observation posts in the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria as part of a 2018 deal with Russia, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Erdogan said the Syrian government is violating the ceasefires reached in Idlib, calling Mondays attack that killed seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor a turning point in Syria for Turkey. In response, Turkey said it struck more than 50 targets and killed 76 Syrian government troops. Idlib has been a stronghold of opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011. It is currently home to some three million civilians, half of whom were transferred there en masse from other parts of Syria that were recaptured by al-Assads forces. Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 to turn Idlib into a so-called de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Syrian government and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the ceasefire including a fresh ceasefire that started on January 12 launching frequent deadly attacks inside the zone. From now we will not turn a blind eye to any step that constitutes the violation of the agreements, Erdogan said. Since hostilities intensified in the so-called de-escalation zone in Idlib on April 29, United Nations monitors have verified incidents in which 1,506 civilians, including 293 women and 433 children, were killed, UN human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence said last month. Meanwhile, the UNs regional spokesman, David Swanson, said on Tuesday that some 520,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of December and the numbers could swell further. He added that the latest wave of displacement compounded an already dire humanitarian situation that saw more than 400,000 people displaced from the end of April through the end of August, many of them multiple times. Los Angles, Feb 5 : Tom Hiddleston, who shot to Hollywood stardom playing Loki in the Marvel movies, will star in Netflixs upcoming political thriller "White Stork". In 'White Stork", Hiddleston will play politician James Cooper, whose parliamentary ambitions and personal life are thwarted when he becomes the subject of a vetting process by Asher Millan, reports variety.com. The series is created, written and executive produced by "Jericho" scribe Chris Dunlop and is directed by Kristoffer Nyholm. Hiddleston has most recently graced the big screen as Thor's nemesis Loki under the "Thor" and "Avengers" franchise. He is also set to lead Disney Plus series "Loki", which is currently being filmed. The British actor garnered critical acclaim back in 2016 for a star turn as night manager-turned-spy Jonathan Pine in hit "The Night Manager". "White Stork" was previously with AMC, and has been in development for several years. It was formerly titled "Spadehead". The series is currently produced by "Sex Education" makers Eleven. A friend is returning from the gig economy to a full-time job. The change is not about money, job security or career development. Its about escaping professional loneliness. Like many in the gig economy, she was self-employed and worked from home. Her role involved lengthy projects, parts of which had limited client interaction. Lack of social interaction at work, and the loneliness it created, eventually killed her business. Lack of social interaction is a key barrier to staying in the gig economy for the long term. Credit:iStock I have seen this situation play out before, in my 12 years in the gig economy; people who at first loved self-employment returning to a corporate job because they craved social interaction and being part of a team, and disliked working on their own for long periods. Of course, many more gig economy workers love the freedom and rewards of a successful venture. Professional loneliness is not an issue for them. Like me, they have busy roles, much client interaction and alternate between home-based work and co-working sites. Aotearoa Hip Hop Podcast Hosted by DJ Sir-Vere, this podcast series is a deep dive into Aotearoas Hip Hop history. NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corcoran Group, a Realogy (NYSE: RLGY) brand and leading real estate brokerage operating in the highly competitive markets of New York City, Miami, the Hamptons, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, today announced its first-ever franchise affiliate, Corcoran Global Living. Bringing Corcoran's "Live Who You Are" philosophy to the West Coast for the first time, the new company combines two prestigious independent brokerages, Zephyr Real Estate, the number one independent real estate firm in San Francisco, and the exceptional Oliver Luxury Real Estate, serving the Lake Tahoe market as well as Reno, Nevada. Corcoran Global Living includes a total of 450 expert real estate agents across 13 offices with annual combined sales of more than $2.6 billion. "With our deep experience in high-end, competitive East Coast markets, it is a natural move for Corcoran to head West with our first franchise affiliate," said Pamela Liebman, Corcoran's President and CEO. "The launch of Corcoran Global Living is a huge first step in our franchise ambitions, combining two leading firms to form one powerhouse company. Leveraging the extensive local expertise of Corcoran Global Living's 450 agents across these iconic urban and resort markets, along with the strong recognition of the Corcoran brand and the unmatched resources of Realogy, this new partnership will enable agents to dramatically boost their visibility from coast-to-coast and tap into Corcoran's high-impact tools, training and marketing to help their clients find the home and community where they can truly live who they are." The first Corcoran franchise affiliate is being led by the Global Living firm founder and CEO Michael Mahon, an international real estate strategist and broker known throughout the industry for award winning results in cultural development and production growth. "We're building something unique with Corcoran Global Living," said Mahon, who formerly held top executive positions as President of the independent brokerages of HER Realtors of the Midwest, and First Team Real Estate of Southern California. "Today's announcement of the inception of Corcoran Global Living sets forth our foundation of uniting independent brokerages and top performing sales associates across many of the most desired communities throughout the Western United States. With access to private equity funding in excess of nine digits, Corcoran Global Living is committed to investing in like-minded professionals uniting as one in brand, action, and support in the development of opportunities throughout the communities we call home", states Mahon. "Our culture is infectious, as our people make the difference, and we feel there is no more important investment in our growth with the goal of creating the #1 independent brokerage of choice across the Western United States, than our continued investment in our people." "As the industry continues to transform, the power of a well-established brand, such as Corcoran, with its significant scale, agent resources, consumer awareness and technology offerings, will be critical to the future potential of agents and brokers in any given market," said John Peyton, President and CEO of Realogy Franchise Group. "The Corcoran brand has found a great franchise launch partner in Michael and his vision for Corcoran Global Living, and I am excited for the further success this alignment will bring to the brand, the brokerage and ultimately, its affiliated agents." The Corcoran Group The Corcoran Group, a leading residential real estate brokerage, operates 50 offices and franchisees with 3,250 sales associates serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens; the Hamptons, the North Fork of Long Island, and Shelter Island, NY; Bal Harbour/Surfside, Delray Beach, Miami Beach, Palm Beach, and West Palm Beach, FL, San Francisco, CA, and Lake Tahoe and Reno, NV. The Corcoran Group is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY) a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. For more information about The Corcoran Group, please visit www.corcoran.com. SOURCE The Corcoran Group Related Links https://www.corcoran.com Massive Coal Seam Gas Discovery Adelaide, Feb 5, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Elixir Energy Limited ( ASX:EXR )( FRA:EZJ ) today provides an update on its drilling operations in its 100% owned Nomgon IX CBM PSC.HIGHLIGHTS- Nomgon-1 intersects 82 metres of net coal with thickest coal seam of 51 metres- Total depth (TD) called at 491 metres- Visible coal quality is highly encouraging for gas content and permeability- Cores currently being tested for gas content and down-hole permeability testing to followElixir's key objective for its first exploration campaign has been to discover thick gassy coal seams below 300 metres. The results to date of the Nomgon-1 well have met that goal.The Company's Nomgon-1 core-hole well (location of current well marked on map on next page) has now reached a total depth (TD) of 491 metres. Logging will commence shortly and will be followed by permeability testing.Well site geologists have measured total net coal of 82 metres of which 63 metres is deeper than 300 metres. The thickest coal seam below this 300 metre cut off point measures 51 metres (from 373 to 424 metres). The logging will deliver a more accurate figure shortly. The vertical well indicated synclinal coal seams.The well-site geologists have described the observable coal qualities to dominantly be C3-C4 on the AS 2519-1993 Guide to technical evaluation of higher rank coal deposit's brightness scale. This is considerably better than encountered at the Ugtaal-1 well.Furthermore, the coals are visibly fractured and cleated, which bodes well for their permeability.Abundant gas bubbling from the recovered core was noted across the whole interval prior to it being representatively sampled for gas content desorption measurement (a short video of the bubbling cores will be published in the media section Elixir's website - www.elixirenergy.net.au).The logging and later gas desorption results will deliver more accurate figures shortly. Permeability testing results will also follow in the short term.Elixir's Managing Director, Mr Neil Young, said: "We are very excited with the results to date from the Nomgon-1 well, which has met our key strategic objective of intersecting very thick and visually good quality coals within the CSG depth window. Our local Director Mr B Byambasaikhan recently joined me for a visit to Nomgon-1, where we were again pleased to see operations being conducted safely and professionally."To view photographs, please visit:About Elixir Petroleum Limited Elixir Petroleum Limited (ASX:EXR) is a gas exploration company focused on the 100% owned Nomgon IX coal-bed methane (CBM) production sharing contract (PSC) located in the South of Mongolia, proximate to the Chinese border. The 30,000 km2 PSC was executed in September 2018 and has a 10+ year exploration period. The Catholic Bishops Conference has threatened to campaign against political parties that do not show any commitment to ending political violence. The General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Very Reverend Lazarus Anondee, made these comments on Tuesday after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) refused to sign the final roadmap to ending political vigilantism in the country. Executives of the NDC refused to endorse the document with an excuse that it was not exhaustive enough. Speaking at the ceremony on Tuesday, Very Reverend Anondee insisted that the country's democracy and peace must be safeguarded. Dont be surprised if any party does not demonstrate a commitment to ending this, we may have no choice but to use our pulpits to campaign against such parties because if you encourage this, you are not encouraging democracy. You are not trying to help build our country. Why the NDC refused to sign The NDC described the signing ceremony as premature saying not all the issues concerning political violence had been addressed. The party argued that only four out of the 22 recommendations in the roadmap concerned political parties and called on other stakeholders like the Electoral Commission to be a signatory to the document to ensure accountability. We cannot be seen to be signing a document for which other parties who are playing a part do not sign because then we cannot effectively monitor it we think that the content is good but we do not have a way of making sure that it becomes effective, Alex Segbefia said on behalf of the NDC at the ceremony. The National Peace Council, however, gave the NDC another opportunity to reconsider its position on the matter. Representatives of the NPP, however, signed the roadmap on the day and expressed disappointment with the NDC. General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu said: The roadmap was not sprung on us. We were given the opportunity to give our comments months ago. I am disappointed at our colleagues at the other side for not passing their comments to the Peace Council. Why the dialogue? The dialogue was instituted by the National Peace Council following the violence that erupted at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election. The NDC held a commemorative durbar held to mark the first anniversary of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence on January 31. The by-election was meant to replace the sitting Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, who had died from an illness. The dialogue has so far brought together representatives of the NPP, NDC, the Ghana Police Service, Institute for Democratic Governance and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center among others. ---citinewsroom At least ten passengers on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship currently sitting in the Yokohama Bay of South Tokyo have tested positive to coronavirus. The ten people confirmed to have the virus have been taken to the hospital and authorities are waiting for the test results of other passengers, CNN reports. According to a statement by the owner of the cruise ship, there are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board the ship. The ship has been held at the Japanese harbour since Tuesday, after the virus was detected in Hong-Kong from a man who had disembarked from the ship. Though the ship remains under quarantine, attention is expected to turn to other vessels as ships have been noted for its tendency of inhibiting disease. The planned 14-day cruise has been abandoned but passengers do not yet know when they will be able to disembark leaving them unable to book flights home. Raising concerns The quarantine and testing of passengers travelling from countries with confirmed cases has become necessary with continual increase in the number of confirmed cases and deaths recorded from the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, Hong-Kong reported its first death from the disease. This is the second death reported from disease outside China. The first death was reported in the Philippines, a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, in Hubei province. According to the Philippines Department of Health, the dead man had travelled to the country from Wuhan through Hong-Kong with a 38-year-old woman who also tested positive to the disease. His death was confirmed shortly after the Philippines announced that it will halt the arrival of foreigners coming from China. Meanwhile, in China where the disease originated from, the number of confirmed cases and deaths has continued to increase. Most of the deaths in China have been reported from the mainland. As of Wednesday, death from the disease stood at 492, an increase of 67 from the previous day. Also, the number of confirmed cases worldwide grew to 24,536, an increase of almost 4,000 (about 20 per cent). While China still has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths, the World Health Organisation Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus said that the disease is not yet a global pandemic. Mr Ghebreyesus said though the disease is of high risk, it has not yet gotten to a pandemic status. WHO last week had declared the new coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency due to the increasing spread of the disease outside China. About 24 countries have reported at least a confirmed case of the disease. However, any case of the disease is yet to be confirmed from Africa. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Africa. She, however, recommended taking preventive actions while traveling. She also said that WHO Africa is on high alert and will continue to support member states to build capacity to prepare and respond as surveillance remains a top priority. Restrictions While some countries like the US have imposed a ban on foreigners coming from China to enter the country, Mr Ghebreyesus said such actions are uncalled for. Advertisements Mr Ghebreyesus during the UNs executive board meeting in Geneva on Tuesday called for caution and explained why the declaration was done. We reiterate our call to all countries not to impose restrictions that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. Such restrictions can have (the) effect of increasing fear and stigma, with public health benefits. Where such measures have been implemented, we urge that they are short in duration, proportionate to the public health risk and are reconsidered regularly as the situation evolves, he said. Warm without being corny and whimsical without being cutesy, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a welcome addition to the list of made-for-TV movies streaming on Disney Plus. The teasers for the Portland-filmed movie, adapted from the bestselling book by Stephan Pastis, make it look like a comical take on the 11-year-old heros supposed detective agency, his polar bear partner and their adventures in Portland, which Timmy (Winslow Fegley) describes in his voice-over narration as a place where things get strange. While there are some laughs in Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, the movie is, in fact, a subtle exploration of a how a smart boy uses his imagination to escape from the real world, and the difficult things he cant process quite yet. (How do I get Disney Plus? Disney+ can be ordered now.) And though members of the major creative team including Pastis, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Tom McCarthy, whose credits include the Oscar-winning Spotlight come from elsewhere, Timmy Failure also has a fine feel for Portland, without leaning on cliche ways of looking at the city. Instead of caricaturing Portland as a haven for hipster eccentrics, Timmy Failure is grounded in some Portland specifics, with Timmy telling us that he and his mother live in North Portland, right near the water tower. According to the Overlook Neighborhood Association, the tower shown is indeed located in that North Portland neighborhood. Since Timmy is prone to deadpan exaggeration, his introductory narration also tells us that what were about to see is a historical record of my life as a detective, though we then see someone comfortably sitting at home, reading a copy of The Oregonian, only to have a truck, complete with a polar bear in the back, smash through a window. Given Timmys habit of seeing the world through the filter of his own imagination, theres more to that scene, we later learn. And that polar bear? That would be the partner in Timmys detective agency, he tells us. Does anybody but Timmy notice the polar bear? Well, theres an oddball Portland lady who calls out Timmys big, fat dog, but otherwise, Timmys the only one who sees his 1,500-pound pal. As Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made goes on, we hear Timmys take on his life, while also seeing enough to understand whats real, and whats in Timmys mind. Early on, for example, we see Timmys father walking out, which has left Timmys mother, Patty (Ophelia Lovibond), trying to cope, and short of money. Timmy Failure (Winslow Fegley), right, with his mother, Patty (Ophelia Lovibond), left, in "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made." (Photo: Dale Robinette/Disney Plus) At Carverette Elementary School, Timmy is reminded by his teacher, Mr. Crocus (Wallace Shawn), that next year, the fifth-grade students must meet the demands of middle school, news that makes Timmy imagine a gulag-like academic atmosphere. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made doesnt come right out and blurt that Timmy is worried about the changes at home, and at school, though some low-key lessons are dispensed by Timmys school counselor, Mr. Jenkins (Craig Robinson, in nicely restrained form). With its delicate balance of fanciful story and real-world details, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is entertaining both for kids and for adults. And for Portlanders, its fun to hear Timmys take on the Rose City, which he sees as Stumptown, a city rife with crime, corruption, and Russians (he equates some bearded guys at a food cart and riding around town on bikes with Russian operatives). Timmy Failure (Winslow Fegley), right, and his friend, Rollo Tookus (Kei), left, on the streets of downtown Portland in a scene from "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made." (Photo: Dale Robinette/Disney Plus( McCarthy and his crew, including cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi (who also shot Spotlight) capture the feel of Portlands working class neighborhoods, and the movie features such recognizable local places as the St. Johns Bridge, Cathedral Park and, farther afield, a school trip to Bonneville Dam. The cast captures the easygoing spirit, with likable performances from all involved, including Kyle Bornheimer as Crispin, a Portland parking enforcement officer (aka meter maid, as everyone calls him) who is dating Timmys mother, and young actors Chloe Coleman, Kei, and Ai-Chan Carrier as members of Timmys class at school. Like the Netflix series Everything Sucks! and Trinkets, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is the latest in an unexpected mini-trend of low-key, thoughtful takes on adolescence to be filmed in and around Portland. Considering that Pastis (who also created the comic strip, Pearl Before Swine) has written more Timmy Failure books, maybe this Disney Plus movie is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Portland and the intrepid young hero. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made begins streaming on Disney Plus on Feb. 7. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Over five crore farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest ministry of agriculture and farmers' welfare data. The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The data showed about 2.51 crore farmers have not got even the second instalment and 5.16 crore of them were yet to get the third instalment. Over 9 crore farmers have registered themselves under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019, it said. Of these, 7.62 crore or 84 per cent of farmers have received the first instalment. The money through the second instalment was given to nearly 6.5 crore farmers and the amount under the third instalment was given to 3.85 crore beneficiaries, according to the data received in response to an RTI query filed by this PTI journalist. The agriculture ministry, in its response, gave three sets of data mentioning the benefits given to farmers under the scheme between December 2018 and November 2019. It said 4.74 crore farmers were registered between December 2018 and March 2019. Of them, 4.22 crore received the first instalment, 4.02 crore the second and 3.85 crore the third. There was no mention why nearly 50 lakh, 70 lakh and 90 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get the first, second and third instalment respectively. There was no registered beneficiary in West Bengal and Sikkim, hence no amount was disbursed during this period, according to the data. Giving details of the 3.08 crore farmers registered between April and July last year, it said 2.66 crore and 2.47 crore beneficiaries have got their first and second instalments respectively. The RTI reply did no mention why around 40 lakh and 61 lakh registered farmers during this period did not get their first and second instalment respectively. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the third instalment is not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period April 2019-July 2019," the ministry said. There was no registered beneficiary during this period in West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh and therefore nobody was paid first and second instalments. The ministry said around 1.19 crore beneficiaries were registered between August and November 30, 2019, of these nearly 73.66 lakh farmers have been given the first instalment. There was no mention of payment of first instalment to over 45 lakh eligible beneficiaries during the period. "The beneficiaries are eligible for the instalment for the period in which he/she gets registered and subsequent periods, thereafter. Therefore, the second and third instalments are not due for the beneficiaries registered in the period August 2019 to November 2019," it said. The ministry was asked to provide the total number of farmers, state-wise, and the amount received by them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-Kisan scheme. "PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has been implemented from December 1, 2018. It is stated that PM-Kisan is a continuous and ongoing scheme, in which the financial benefits are transferred to the bank accounts of the identified beneficiaries as and when their correct and verified data is uploaded by the concerned states/union territories on PM-Kisan web portal," the ministry said in the RTI response vide its letter dated December 26, 2019. The data of beneficiaries so uploaded by them undergoes a multi-level verification, including by banks, and only then the amount is released to the beneficiary, it said, adding that www.pmkisan.gov.in website can be accessed to get more details on the operational guidelines of the scheme. According to the data updated on the website on February 3, around 8.82 crore farmers have been registered and 8.41 crore have received the first installment, 7.56 crore the second instalment, 6.19 crore the third and 3.03 crore have received the fourth installment. In Assam, out of 16.97 lakh farmers registered during this period, 14.02 lakh got the first instalment, 13.72 lakh received the second and 9.87 lakh the third. Of the 42.34 lakh registered beneficiaries in Maharashtra, 36.98 lakh got the first instalment, 31.53 lakh the second and 27.67 lakh got the third instalment. As many as 23.83 lakh farmers in Kerala received their first instalment, 18.79 lakh got the second and 18.43 lakh the third. A total of 26.13 lakh beneficiaries were registered in the state between December 2018 and March 2019. There was no beneficiary registered during the period from West Bengal, which has refused to implement the scheme, according to the ministry's response. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 9.57 lakh out of 19.64 lakh farmers have got the first instalment. In Gujarat, nearly 1.22 lakh out of 1.98 lakh registered farmers got the first instalment. Around 9.78 lakh farmers out of the 17.18 lakh registered beneficiaries have received the first instalment in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, only 5,507 farmers out of 5.6 lakh registered farmers have got the first instalment, the ministry said. None of the 7,326 farmers registered in Sikkim was paid the first instalment, according to the ministry's reply. In Delhi, 1,447 farmers out of 1,734 have got the first instalment. Donald Trump has said he will ask Congress to pass legislation to ban what he called "late-term" abortions. During his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, he addressed one of his guests, two-year-old Ellie Schneider, who survived despite being born at just 21 weeks and six days. The president said: "Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life. Thanks to modern medical wonders, 50 per cent of very premature babies delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive. "Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to thrive and grow just like Ellie. That is why I am asking the Congress to provide an additional $50 million to fund neo-natal research for America's youngest patients. "That is also why I am calling upon the members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies." Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty Mr Trump added: "Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God!" Late-term abortion is a political and not medical term, but broadly refers to abortions in the later stages of a pregnancy. Those abortions are among the most contentious, with Republicans accusing Democrats in recent years of advocating for abortions right up until birth (which Democrats have not done). During Mr Trump's presidency, the United States has seen a renewed effort to ban abortions across the country, raising the potential that an abortion ban might make it to the Supreme Court, which has seen two conservative justices added to the nine member bench. Many of those state-level bans are known as "heartbeat" abortion bans, as they would effectively ban abortions at any point after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Most states do regulate abortions later during pregnancies, however most of those also provide exceptions during certain circumstances. Just 21 years old when she fled from Syria to Jordan in 2012, Asmaa pregnant with her second child at the time had already suffered exposure to horrific violence, the disappearance of her brother and the killing of her husband Noor, as the conflict engulfing her country left her own young life in ruins. Reeling from grief and displacement, she and her family were living as refugees in the Jordanian capital, Amman, when tragedy struck again. A television news report on events in Syria confirmed the death of her brother Mohammad, aged just 16 when he disappeared, but the agony did not end there. [My father] turned off the TV, he held my mother and told her: Dont be sad. We are not the only people who lost someone, Asmaa recalled. Then he had a heart attack. We called 911 and they came, but they told us he had died. "I wanted to be an independent woman." As a young widow with two young children to support, Asmaa sought help from local charities and looked for work to get by. But as well as assistance, she often also received unwanted advice. Many times, people would ask me: Why do you go to charities, why do you want to work? You should get married and let your husband take care of you. But I didnt want to do this, she explained. I wanted to get a job, because I wanted to be an independent woman. Deciding that education offered the best route to independence, Asmaa applied to sit her high school exams, which she had never passed, and learned English through courses at the British Council in Amman. There, she heard about an EU scholarship scheme to study for a degree through the UKs Open University, and was one of six people selected from among 150 applicants, opting to study law. Now aged 29 and after three years of intense study, she is preparing to sit her final exams in the coming months. But an even bigger life change means that revision has had to take a back seat in recent weeks. "It will be a better future for them." Based on their level of vulnerability, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, assessed Asmaa and her family as being eligible for resettlement to a third country. Late last year, Amsaa and her two sons, along with her mother and youngest brother, were accepted for resettlement to the United Kingdom, and will shortly move to the North East of England. Asmaa said the move will give her and her boys a chance of the new life that she has been working so hard towards since leaving Syria. I was shocked, but I was so happy. Especially because it was to the UK, after I studied UK law, she explained. I think everything will be different. I will get a job, I will have good friends there. For my sons, it will be a better future for them. Opportunities for work and education are limited in Jordan, but you cannot ask for these things because they welcomed you and they provided as much as they can, Asmaa continued. Even for Jordanian families, they face the same problems now. See also: UNHCR welcomes meaningful new UK commitment to refugee resettlement Asmaa and her family were among 81,666 refugees submitted globally in 2019 by UNHCR for resettlement to 29 countries, with more than 90 per cent of the referred cases accepted by receiving states. In total, more than 63,000 refugees were resettled last year according to figures released on Wednesday, surpassing a target set in the Three-Year Strategy for Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (2019-2021) as part of the Global Compact on Refugees. Despite these encouraging figures, UNHCR projects that a total of 1.4 million refugees residing in 65 host countries around the world are in need of resettlement, meaning the cases submitted in 2019 represent just 6 per cent of the total needs. In addition, current estimates suggest that less than 60,000 resettlement places will be made available in 2020, falling short of the 70,000 arrivals target set in the Three-Year Strategy. "I know that if I work hard, I will find the opportunities." Asmaa says she is aware that her family are among the lucky few who get the chance of a fresh start in a new country, but she is determined to repay the opportunity with hard work in her adopted home. Her most pressing concern is how she will transport the stack of legal text books that stands almost as tall as her that she needs to revise for her finals. After I finish my degree I want to find a job, be independent and earn money for myself, she said. I know that if I work hard, I will find the opportunities there for me and my children. I dont want the UK government to spend money on me. Its already enough that they accepted me and my family in their country. Boris Johnson asked former Tory leaders David Cameron and William Hague to front this year's United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow but both turned him down, it was reported yesterday. Mr Cameron is thought to have rejected the offer before Lord Hague was sounded out. It came after former Tory minister Claire Perry O'Neill was last week sacked from her job as president of the summit in November. The approach to Mr Cameron suggests Mr Johnson has healed a rift with his former Eton friend which formed during the 2016 Brexit referendum. Mr Johnson refused to answer questions about Mrs Perry O'Neill's departure yesterday as he appeared on stage in London alongside Sir David Attenborough to preview the summit. He described the planet as being 'swaddled in a tea cosy' of carbon dioxide. Boris Johnson asked former Tory leaders David Cameron (pictured with Johnson in 2015) and William Hague to front this year's United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow but both turned him down, it was reported yesterday Meanwhile Mrs Perry O'Neill claimed Mr Johnson 'doesn't understand' environmental change as she launched a furious attack on him. In a leaked letter published in the Financial Times yesterday she accused his team of carrying out a 'dark ops' smear campaign against her. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The Prime Minister has made incredibly warm statements about this [climate change] over the years. 'He has also admitted to me that he doesn't really understand it. He doesn't really get it.' She insisted Britain's efforts to fight climate change were 'miles off track'. Mrs Perry O'Neill added: 'My advice to anybody to whom Boris is making promises...is to get it in writing, get a lawyer to look at it and make sure the money is in the bank.' She had been a business and energy minister responsible for climate change before stepping down as an MP before the election in December. She was to oversee the summit, known as COP26, but was sacked on Friday. Mr Cameron is thought to have rejected the offer before Lord Hague (pictured) was sounded out Friends of Mrs Perry O'Neill have claimed that she is considering an unfair dismissal case against Mr Johnson. The row threatened to overshadow the UK's official launch of the summit yesterday at the Science Museum in Kensington. Mr Johnson refused to answer questions about who will replace Mrs Perry O'Neill amid speculation that former Environment Secretary Michael Gove may take on the role. He told his audience: 'We've put so much CO2 in the atmosphere collectively that the entire planet is swaddled in a tea cosy of the stuff. 'The evidence is now overwhelming. We know as a country, as a society, as a planet, as a species, we must now act,' Downing Street brushed off the row with Mrs Perry O'Neill. A spokesman stressed that Mr Johnson had positioned the UK as a world leader on climate matters. Russia's Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said that Tehran is interested in Russian military equipment. Yes, of course, because our military equipment is rightfully considered the best in the world and the least expensive in the world," he said, when asked whether Tehran has any interest in Russian military equipment. However, which equipment wasn't specified. At the same time, the ambassador recalled that in the field of military-technical cooperation with Tehran, Moscow adheres to the restrictions imposed on Iran in accordance with international law; specifically, UN Security Council resolution 2231. "But these restrictions are temporary - until October 2020," Sputnik cited Dzhagaryan as saying. TORONTO, Feb. 5, 2020 /CNW/ - Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) will release its first quarter results for 2020 on February 21, which will be made available at rbc.com/investorrelations . Financial results are expected to be released at approximately 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The conference call is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. (EST) and will feature a presentation by RBC executives followed by a question and answer period with analysts. An audiocast of the call is available on a listen-only basis at: rbc.com/investorrelations/quarterly-financial-statements.html or by telephone (416-340-2217, 866-696-5910, passcode 7752881#). Please call between 7:50 a.m. and 7:55 a.m. (EST). Management's comments on results will be posted on RBC's website shortly following the call. A recording will be available by 5:00 p.m. (EST) from February 21, 2020 until May 27, 2020 at rbc.com/investorrelations/quarterly-financial-statements.html or by telephone (905-694-9451 or 800-408-3053, passcode 5219292#). About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 85,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact. SOURCE Royal Bank of Canada For further information: Investor contact: Asim Imran, Investor Relations, 416-955-7804, [email protected]; Media contact: Maria McGee, Financial Communications, 416-974-2789, [email protected] Related Links http://www.rbc.com Almost one in two Australian workers are putting their company at risk of a cyber attack by opening emails and clicking links from unknown senders, downloading software and watching suspicious videos, according to a new survey. The research comes as cyber security experts warn about the escalating threat of companies being held to ransom, with freight giant Toll Group battling a major ransomware attack which has forced the company to shut down its IT systems. Cybercrime is now believed to cost Australia's economy more than $1 billion a year. Credit: Research by Comparethemarket.com.au found 44 per cent of employees have put their company at risk of a cyber attack. Medium-sized businesses compromised their employer the most, with more than half admitting to potentially opening up their systems to an an attack or data breach. Kolkata, Feb 5 : Stepping up her attack on the BJP-led Central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday indirectly targeted Union Minister Anurag Thakur as she wondered how somebody could continue to occupy the ministerial chair after using unconstitutional language. Banerjee was apparently referring to the slogan of "Desh ke gaddaron ko" raised by Thakur during a campaign meeting for the Delhi assembly polls. "How can a Union Minister continue in office after speaking such unconstitutional language? ... In Shaheen Bagh, there are lot of women who are sitting in protest and even in our state, they are holding sit-in protests at a few places. A central minister said that go and shoot them. "After saying this how can he hold on to his position? In a democracy, you cannot just go and shoot people," the Trinamool Congress supremo said while addressing a party workers' convention in Nadia district's Krishnanagar. Banerjee also lambasted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for saying "people who will not listen to 'boli' (words of advice) will have to face police's goli (bullets)". Describing BJP as a "feku party" which spins out "fake news", she accused it of "trying to divide people on the basis of religion" and "threatening them with guns and bullets". "I was born in Hindustan, not in a nation governed by BJP, which attacks people with guns and bullets." Delivering an election speech on January 27, Thakur had raised the slogan "Desh ke gaddaron ko" with the assembled audience responding in chorus "goli maaro saalon ko". This prompted the Election Commission to slap a show cause notice on him before barring him from campaigning for the Delhi polls for 48 hours. Predicting that the BJP will lose Delhi elections, Banerjee said the party was "shameless" and despite suffering a string of poll losses was still bringing anti-people laws. I felt the one thing I wanted to do was try and be helpful in some way to recover the victims [money], he said. My business was perfectly legitimate for 36 years, and I just made a mistake at one point, and I didnt realize at the time that I wouldnt be able to get myself out of it, and it was certainly not my intention to create all these issues and all these problems for everybody. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, says following Federal Governments effort to encourage local production, Nigeria may stop fish importation in 2022. The minister made this known while receiving a delegation from the National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN) led by its National President, Dr Gabriel Ogunsanya in Abuja on Tuesday. Nanono said the time had come for Nigeria to look inward to tap into the huge potential in fisheries and aquaculture for local consumption and export. He noted that measures were already been put in place by the government to actualise the plan. According to him, this is an area that we can join hands to promote fish production. We have to seriously reduce importation of fish into the country. Last year, we issued about one million licenses. This year, I virtually cut it into half. I hope next year we will further cut it so that in the next two years we may rely entirely on what we produce here. Since you are producers and probably processors it is important to take note of your development in the fish sector towards this, he said. He further said, In the next years, probably we will not allow the importation of fish into the country. I know people are saying we can only rear catfish, tilapia and a few other species but most of the white fish they do not do well here. But I know for a fact that the consumption of catfish is very high in this country both the fresh one as well as the smoked one. In fact, I was made to understand that it now has an export market. So, if you put your head together and work hard, the future is very bright for fish producers in this country, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates MICHELLE NYCE had just returned home from an after-work motel tryst with her lover when her notoriously jealous husband - whom she wanted to divorce - confronted her in the garage of their Hopewell Township, N.J., mansion early Friday morning. What happened next would leave the raven-haired mother of three dead and her husband - a research scientist world-renowned for his efforts to cure asthma but plagued by a fondness for drink, according to in-laws - fighting for his freedom from a Mercer County jail, where he's being held on a murder charge. Jonathan Nyce, 53, told police his wife had lunged at him with a knife, sparking a struggle in which he hurled her to the ground and pounded her head into the pavement while she continued trying to slash him. Her death, he told investigators, was an accident that resulted from self-defense. But prosecutors say Nyce, furious that his wife would not end her yearlong affair, attacked her in a blind rage. The 5-foot, 100-pound Filipino had no chance against her husband, who stands 6-3 and weighs more than 200 pounds, prosecutors said. And police found no sign of a knife, which Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. called "a figment of [Jonathan Nyce's] imagination. " Michelle Nyce confessed to the affair last summer, after an anonymous blackmailer contacted her husband, her family said. The details of Michelle's slaying came out yesterday, when Nyce came before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Charles A. Delehey to plead for reduced bail. Delehey agreed to cut bail from $2 million cash to $1 million cash on condition that Nyce forfeit his passport. He denied defense attorney Lee Engelman's request that Nyce be permitted to put his house up as collateral. The court also later denied Nyce's application for a court-appointed attorney, saying financial need had not been proven. Michelle Nyce's brother, Sonny Ragenil, said yesterday from his home in the Philippines that Michelle had been thinking of divorcing her husband because of his constant drinking and jealous rages. She also was upset when Nyce cut the amount of money he provided to her after he left his job, he said. "He cut all the accounts of my sister," Ragenil added. "That's why my sister decided to go to work. She had no money to support family in the Philippines. " He said that besides the constant arguing, Nyce drank heavily. Ragenil said Nyce drank "almost every day, especially when they [were] on vacation" in the Philippines. "He always drank. " He recalled that once they had been at a restaurant at a seaside resort and Nyce had been "mad at Michelle" because their tour guide had been friendly to his wife. "He was very jealous to everybody. " Michelle's sister, Melodia Ragenil, who also lives in the Philippines, told the Daily News yesterday that their father had spent more than six months with the Nyces at their suburban Trenton home, returning on Jan. 9. He was unavailable for comment yesterday, she said, because of illness. According to a published report, Jonathan and Michelle met after he contacted an agency and got her picture. Sonny Ragenil said he did not know anything about the agency but that the couple's relationship began when they became pen pals. At his bail-reduction hearing yesterday, against the advice of his attorney and the judge, Jonathan Nyce asked to make a statement. "I have no history of physical violence ever against any person," he said somberly through closed-circuit television. "I never ever had ill will toward my wife at any point. This, what happened, was a pure accident. " Whether Michelle's death was accidental, prosecutors presented evidence yesterday that makes it clear the cover-up was not. Michelle, 34, was found in the driver's seat of her 1997 forest-green Toyota Land Cruiser at 8:45 a.m. Friday. A passing utilities-truck driver saw the SUV, its engine still running, submerged in a shallow, frozen stream off Jacobs Creek Road, less than a mile from the Nyce home. When he stopped to investigate, he found Michelle dead behind the wheel. Responding police officers found snowy footprints leading away from the passenger-side door and toward the Nyce home, assistant prosecutor Tom Meidt said yesterday. When questioned, Nyce denied involvement in his wife's death, told police about his wife's affair and accused her lover of killing her, Meidt said. But under continued questioning, he admitted he had killed her when she returned home from her tryst at an area motel at 12:30 a.m. Friday and then staged the wreck, Meidt said. He told investigators he had put his bloodied wife in the driver's side of her car, climbed in the passenger side and used an ice scraper to depress the gas pedal and drive from their hilltop home to the curvy Jacobs Creek. But police doubt that story, saying the driver's seat had been pushed back as far as possible - a position suited more to Nyce's stocky build rather than his petite wife's. Police also found blood had been spattered and smeared in the garage where Michelle typically parked, Meidt said. Blood also trailed up to a second-floor bathroom, where Nyce presumably cleaned himself up. Investigators found bloody paper towels and a blood-soaked sock in a trash can, empty bottles of peroxide and a trash bag containing blood-soaked towels stuffed up the basement chimney-trap, Meidt said. And they found chopped-up shoe soles in the basement, which when reassembled matched the tread of footprints found at the creek site, Meidt said. Nyce also had some "markings [wounds] on his hands" that he could not explain, Bocchini said. Bocchini declined to pinpoint when Michelle died or discuss whether she could have survived if her husband had sought medical treatment for her. Nyce learned of his wife's affair in July, prosecutors said. Jonathan Nyce received an anonymous letter last summer seeking $500,000 in exchange for "information" about his wife, Michelle's family told the Trenton Times yesterday. The letter prompted Michelle to confess the affair to her husband, her relatives said. But Bocchini said investigators had not found any evidence of such extortion attempts. Police did respond to the Nyce home in July, when Michelle complained she had received a harassing phone call. Authorities refused to discuss the caller's identity or the topic of the call, saying only that the harassment complaint was unfounded. Investigators also are considering financial troubles as a possible motive. The family finances "were not necessarily as strong as one would believe in looking at the house," Bocchini said. The Nyces listed their $1.6 million house for sale three months ago, and Nyce had been unemployed for almost a year. He had been chief executive officer and chairman of EpiGenesis Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cranbury, N.J., until he left last March, when the company "changed direction," Engelman, Nyce's lawyer, said. He continued to receive "monthly sums of money" from the company, which he founded in North Carolina in the mid-1990s. Nyce's parents and brother, who live in Collegeville, Montgomery County, and are caring for the couple's three young children, were in court yesterday but declined to comment. The case now goes before a grand jury for indictment. Bocchini said he had not decided whether to pursue the death penalty. Engelman said Nyce still cannot afford the reduced bail, because his money is tied up in his home and other items. Engelman said he would seek another bail reduction "as soon as possible. " "He is not a flight threat. He has strong ties to this area and the Delaware Valley in general," Engelman said. Engelman suggested that Nyce, even before his wife's death, was the primary caregiver of the couple's children, saying: "His children need him more than ever. He has never harmed his children . . . There was really no one else who provided appropriate care for those children. " Nyce attended Temple University, earning a bachelor of science degree, a master's degree in molecular biology and doctorate in pharmacology. Nyce, who helped to develop a drug that helps prevent asthma attacks, holds several patents, Engelman said. AD-P.HALOexpedites installation and offers enhanced musicality for background music applications QSC introduces the AD-P.HALO, an integrated SUB/SAT pendant loudspeaker system as part of the AcousticDesign Series, featuring an integrated 6.5" subwoofer and four 2.75" transducers in a single enclosure. This purpose-built system is ready to install right out the box, eliminating the need for complex and time-consuming assembly of multiple hardware components. The AD-P.HALO provides integrators a hassle-free design that greatly expedites the installation process and reduces overall labor costs. The AD-P.HALO brings high performance output and enhanced musicality for background music applications, such as high-end retail and hospitality, where music inspires the overall atmosphere. At 200 watts RMS, the AD-P.HALO offers significant dynamic headroom that far surpasses the background music performance of traditional two-way pendant-mount loudspeakers. The award-winning AcousticDesign Series offers integrators a premium quality installed sound solution where performance, consistent coverage, and aesthetics are paramount. Consultants and integrators can use AD-P.HALO alongside any number of AcousticDesign Series loudspeakers (ceiling-mount, pendant-mount and surface-mount) because the entire portfolio maintains consistent sonic characteristics, providing design flexibility for any installed application. In addition, by taking advantage of Q-SYS network amplifiers or QSC DSP-enabled amplifiers, integrators can take advantage of QSC's Intrinsic Correction proprietary voicing algorithm for QSC loudspeakers, which helps to further reduce the set-up time and tuning process. "Our extensive conversations with integrators revealed common struggles associated with other pendant loudspeaker systems in this class, which we address with AD-P.HALO," says Travis Nie, Product Manager, Installed Loudspeakers, QSC. "With the quality of the AcousticDesign Series, we knew we could deliver a rich sonic timbre needed for background atmospheres, an ability often lacking in traditional pendant loudspeakers. We also needed to eliminate the frustration spawned by excessive assembly times, which can take 30-40 minutes or more for each loudspeaker. The AD-P.HALO delivers on both promises with an all-in-one system that takes minutes to install." For more information on AD-P.HALO, please visit: www.qsc.com/halo. QSC will debut the AD-P.HALO at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) in its Premium Business Music cafe at their stand 1-F120. For more QSC events at ISE, please visit: www.qsc.com/ise. High Resolution Images https://go.aws/2unNDa0 About QSC Founded over five decades ago, QSC is a globally-recognized leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of award-winning high-performance loudspeakers, digital mixers, power amplifiers, audio processors, digital cinema solutions, and the Q-SYS software-based audio, video and control Ecosystem. Offering reliable, scalable and flexible solutions for professional installed, portable, production, corporate and cinema applications, QSC puts customers first with its highly-acclaimed sales, service, and support networks worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005555/en/ Contacts: QSC Press Contact: Kristine Fowler Digital Marketing Manager 714.668.7261 email: Kristine.fowler@qsc.com www.qsc.com QSC Press Contact (EMEA and South Asia): Vanessa Genesius Marketing Communications Manager +49 7261 6595 372 email: Vanessa.genesius@qsc.com www.qsc.com For Immediate Release Chicago, IL February 5, 2020 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Tesla, Inc. TSLA, Gentherm Inc. THRM, Gentex Corp. GNTX and SPX Corp. SPXC. Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog: Tesla (TSLA) Signs Battery-Supply Agreement with Chinas CATL Tesla, Inc.recently signed a battery-supply agreement with Chinas largest battery producer, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL). Though the agreement does not impose restrictions on Teslas purchase volume, the company will determine the battery-purchase volume between July 2020 and June 2022, as per its requirement. Tesla expects to deliver at least 500,000 vehicles, marking a year-over-year increase of 36% in 2020. Therefore, the company is working toward securing battery-production capacity from several suppliers, since this rise in deliveries will require more batteries. Last November, Tesla entered into a preliminary agreement of battery supply with CATL to procure cells for the companys Model 3 cars, which will be manufactured in Gigafactory 3 in China. This news came in after Teslas relationship with Panasonic Corp. hit a rough patch, after the latter denied any plan to set up a battery-cell factory for the former in China. China is the largest electric vehicle market in the world by a substantial amount, almost doubling that of the Unites States. Tesla's latest plant in China will provide the company direct access to this market and help slash costs significantly. In a letter to shareholders, Elon Musk said that this factory was 65% cheaper than any Model 3 factory built in the United States. Tesla also signed an agreement last August with South Koreas LG Chem Ltd., in order to source batteries for its Gigafactory 3 in China, which will provide the company with 21700 type battery cells to be used in Teslas Model 3 and Model Y cars. Story continues The Gigafactory 3 started delivering cars last December and the company plans to diversify battery supplies for the plant in the upcoming days. Per Tesla, the company will work with both CATL and LG Chem, in addition to Teslas long-time partner Panasonic, to secure battery capacity for Teslas production ramp. Shares of Tesla have outperformed theindustry it belongs to over the past year. During this time frame, the stock has surged 142.7% compared with the industrys rise of 36.2%. Tesla is making efforts to improve vehicle deliveries, sequentially and annually, with some expected fluctuations due to seasonality. Due to the ramp-up of Model 3 in Shanghai and Model Y in Fremont, production will likely outpace deliveries this year. Both solar and storage deployments will be up at least 50% in 2020. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Tesla currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector include Gentherm Inc, Gentex Corp. and SPX Corp. While Gentherm flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Gentex Corporation and SPX carry a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Gentherm has a projected earnings growth rate of 20.60% for the ongoing year. Its shares have gained 9.8% over the past year. Gentex Corporation has an estimated earnings growth rate of 7.32% for 2020. The companys shares have appreciated 45.8% in a years time. SPX has an expected earnings growth rate of 8.09% for the current year. The stock has rallied 60% in the past year. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers Most Likely for Early Price Pops. Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See 7 handpicked stocks now >> Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Click to get this free report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gentex Corporation (GNTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gentherm Inc (THRM) : Free Stock Analysis Report SPX Corporation (SPXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Kenya plans to repatriate its 85 students who are stranded in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, and quarantine them on their return home. The country's health administrative secretary told parliament's health committee that the evacuations will be done once China lifts the lockdown in the city. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in constant communication with the 85 Kenyan students," Dr Mercy Mwangangi told the MPs. "We have identified two holding rooms at JKIA [Kenya's main international airport] and set up isolation facility at the Kenyatta Hospital. Additional satellite isolation facilities have been earmarked for Nairobi county," she added. It is not clear how long the Wuhan lockdown will last, but several countries have been evacuating their citizens from the city. Egypt was the first African country to do so. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is concerned about Africa's preparedness to handle a confirmed case. On Tuesday, Dr Michel Yao - WHO's emergency response manager in the region - said many African countries have weak health systems. Dr Yao noted that there are only six laboratories in the continent with the capacity to test for the virus - they are in Nigeria, Ghana, Madagascar, Sierra Leone and South Africa. "The South African lab has tested 71 samples from different countries that had suspected cases. The results came back negative," Dr Yao said. The global health agency said it will send additional support to 24 countries to enable them to test for the virus that has so far killed 426 people, one outside China. Africa has not reported any confirmed case. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Context: controversy on the commission The membership dispute began in late 2018 when three commissioners were not re-appointed after their terms expired. Those three insist they remain rightful commissioners because, they claim, a vacancy only exists if a commissioner voluntarily steps down, a claim that has been hotly disputed by city officials and replacement commissioners. In spring 2019, former Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch removed four other commissioners who sided with the three term-expired ones. One of those four, Nicole Bribriesco-Ledger, has sued the city and Klipsch over her removal. The condition of the woman college teacher from Wardha district of Maharashtra who was set on fire by a stalker was stable but critical, a doctor said on late Tuesday evening Mumbai: The condition of the woman college teacher from Wardha district of Maharashtra who was set on fire by a stalker was stable but critical, a doctor said on late Tuesday evening. The state government on Tuesday flew Sunil Keswani, director of the Navi Mumbai-based National Burns Centre, to Nagpur where the woman is undergoing treatment. Victim Ankita Pisudde (25), resident of Hinganghat in Wardha district, is undergoing treatment at Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. Vikesh Nagrale (27), an acquaintance who was harassing her for quite some time, allegedly set Pisudde ablaze at Hinganghat on Monday morning while she was on her way to college. She suffered 40 percent burns. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who visited the hospital on Tuesday evening, announced that the trial of the accused would be fast-tracked, and well-known lawyer Ujjwal Nikam would be appointed as special prosecutor as per the request of the woman's relatives. "Similarly, we will also study the Andhra Pradesh law to deal with such cases wherein judgment is delivered in 21 days," the home minister added. Keswani told reporters in Nagpur that the woman's condition was "stable but critical". He ruled out shifting her elsewhere. "She is fully conscious and responding, but she is not in a position to talk now. The condition of her lungs will be known after three or four days. All efforts are being made to save her," he said. Residents of Hinganghat and Samudrapur areas in Wardha took out a protest march, demanding death penalty for Nagrale. Around 7,000 people, including members of political parties, women and college students, marched from Nanduri Chowk to Ambedkar Square in Wardha town, demanding a fast-tracked trial and death penalty for the accused. A few demonstrators also demanded that the accused be "handed over to the public for ten minutes", an official said. Residents of Hinganghat town and neighbouring areas also called for a shut-down. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked the police to ensure that the accused was convicted. Thackeray took a serious note of the incident, a statement from his office said, adding that expenses of the woman's treatment would be borne from the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women on Monday directed the Wardha Superintendent of Police to submit a report on the incident. According to the police, Nagrale, who was arrested soon after the incident, and the woman were friends till two years ago when she severed ties with him due to his "irrational behaviour". "Nagrale is a married man and has a seven-month-old son. He works in a firm in Balharshah. He used to stalk the woman. He had even tried to commit suicide last year," a police official said. The victim's cousin Shubham Pisudde told PTI that Nagrale had been harassing her for the last many years despite repeated warnings. "Her marriage (engagement) was broken last year due to Nagrale," she said. Meanwhile, a lawyers' association in Hinganghat said it had decided that no local lawyer will represent the accused. A local court has remanded Nagrale in police custody till 8 February. Shahdara Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Shahdara constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Shahdara Assembly Elections 2020 | A small margin of 500 votes keeps AAP's candidate and sitting Shahdara MLA Ram Niwas Goel behind BJP's Sanjay Goyal. While the AAP candidate got 44,177 votes, Sanjay Goyal got 44,699 votes. The Shahdara Assembly constituency, which is a part of East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, is scheduled to go to polls on 8 February with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding a candidate in the seat it has traditionally left empty for its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Congress trusting it's three-time MLA Narendra Nath. The ruling AAP has fielded sitting MLA Ram Niwas Goyal, while Sanjay Goyal will fight the election on BJP's ticket. Past election result: In the last election held in 2015, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Ram Nivas Goel won the seat. In 2013, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jitendra Singh Shanty had won the seat, and prior to that in 2008, Congress had won the seat and Dr Narendra Nath was elected as the MLA. The electorate of Delhi, which will be voting on 8 February, is made up of 80,55,686 registered male voters, 66,35,635 registered female voters, and 815 registered voters of the third gender. Additionally, 55,823 differently-abled voters are also likely to vote. The electorate also comprises of 489 non-residing voters for the 2020 Assembly polls. Here is a brief description of the Assembly constituency (as of 2015): Constituency number: 62 Total electors: 1,18,432 Male: 90,585 Female: 79,368 Transgender: 6 Voter turnout in last Assembly Election: 69 percent Polling stations: 155 San Luis Obispo County sheriffs detectives searched four locations Wednesday morning as part of the decades-old Kristin Smart missing-person case, serving search warrants in the Central California county as well as Los Angeles County and Washington state. Investigators served two warrants in San Luis Obispo County, the area where the 19-year-old Smart disappeared in 1996 when she was walking back to her dorm room from a party. She has never been found and detectives presumed she was dead years ago. The 24-year-old case has received renewed interest following a popular podcast, Your Own Backyard, which focused on the last person to see Smart alive, fellow Cal Poly student Paul Flores. Law enforcement has focused its investigation over the years on Flores and his family. FBI and sheriffs agents searched the house of Flores mother Wednesday morning, blocking off the property with crime tape, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Detectives would not comment on what was searched around 7 a.m. at the four locations, saying the warrants were sealed. However, Flores family still lives in San Luis Obispo County and investigators have searched those properties in the past. Flores lives in Los Angeles County. The Sheriffs Office said it is searching for specific items of evidence inside four separate locations in California and Washington. The search warrants are limited in scope, and sealed by the court, officials said in a statement. As a result, we are precluded by law from disclosing any further details about them. A Smart family spokesman said they had no comment about the developments and didnt know any details. Last week, investigators acknowledged they seized two trucks formerly owned by the Flores family, one from out of state. The Sheriffs Office, which has taken criticism for how it handled the investigation in the months immediately after Smart went missing, provided new information last month about its efforts in the case since 2011, when current Sheriff Ian Parkinson took over the office. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Before Wednesday, the department had served 18 search warrants, completing physical evidence searches at nine locations, and re-examined every piece of physical evidence in the case while also submitting 37 items of evidence from the early days of the case to a lab for modern DNA testing, officials said. The department also recovered 140 new items of evidence, conducted 91 person-to-person interviews and has written 364 supplemental reports. A team of sheriffs investigators and forensic specialists are working Smarts case, which has incurred $62,000 in expenses that includes DNA testing, officials said. That cost does not account for more than 7,500 employee hours on the case in the last nine years. The family recently told the Stockton Record that the FBI alerted them to a big break in the case. However, the FBI denied talking to the family and it became clear a former agency employee spoke to the family. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni * STOXX 600 up 1%, FTSE 100 up 1.2% * Denmark's Ambu shares surge 18.6% after Q1 beat * Hyundai to suspend S.Korea production on coronavirus impact Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters. CARS, PHONES AND THEIR CHINA DEPENDENCY (1026 GMT) Auto stocks have started 2020 on the backfoot due to worries of potential tariffs by Washington and supply chain disruptions due to coronavirus. Of late, it has been more about the bottlenecks in parts supply as the world's second biggest economy is on sick leave. With factories shut and an entire city locked down, companies dependent on Chinese industries for components to make cars/phones are either scrambling to find alternatives or ending up suspending production. Hyundai Motor was the first suspend production outside China. They temporarily closed production in South Korea, its biggest manufacturing base. Foxconn, which makes smartphones for Apple and others, could see a "big" production impact if a Chinese factory halt due to the coronavirus outbreak extends into a second week, Reuters reported citing sources. "China is now a key component of global supply chains. Any sustained outbreak could disrupt the supply chains of certain industries, with potential for bottlenecks," BlackRock Investment Institute says. The bottlenecks could also lead to companies calling off/delaying product launches, such as 5G phones, UBS analysts say. Apart from the impact from disruptions, analysts also say "companies may feel more optimized to shift new product launches to when uncertainties from the virus is low and easier to attract customers' attentions" in the world's largest consumer market. Here are some readings: - Coronavirus impact: fragile, handle with care - The cursed auto sector: coronavirus dents production - Coronavirus: Who's who in Wuhan (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** OPENING SNAPSHOT: A BIG REBOUND SPICED UP WITH BIG MOVES (0840 GMT) Story continues No real surprise in the general direction of the market but the rebound we're witnessing at the open is a tad bigger than previously expected with the STOXX 600 now up 0.8%. The FTSE 100 is the lead gainer among European blue chip indexes with a 1.3% rise, thanks to falling pound, which has been bruised again by renewed Brexit tensions and trading below $1.30. That being said, there are quite a few wild moves among top movers which weren't all flagged in pre-market notes. Denmark's Ambu is clearly the star performer with a 15% surge after its latest trading update. That said the stock has quite a reputation when it comes to price swings: in November it skyrocketed 25% after launching a new endoscope. It also posted share losses of 15%, 14% and 20% between August and May last year. Second riser in NMC Health which made a 20% fall yesterday with traders still scratching their heads over the reason for the fall. While the stock is shorted by Muddy Waters, there's no clear apparent trigger for yesterday's fall and today's 8.5% rise. It's more straightforward for Micro Focus's 14% fall after the British IT company said its executive chairman Kevin Loosemore would stand down this month after a "challenging year". Allied Irish Banks is also sustaining a big hit, down 4.5% after setting aside a further 300 million euros to cover possible compensation owed to customers caught up in Ireland's mortgage tracker scandal. While it's not a huge absolute move, BP's 3.8% jump on its dividend boost, is quite a big one considering the major's 120 billion dollar market cap. Here's a list of the top moving shares: (Julien Ponthus) ***** ON THE RADAR: BP RISING, LACKLUSTRE CARLSBERG, ENIGMATIC NMC (0753 GMT) One key performer for the session will be BP which boosted its dividend pay-out after reporting a Q4 profit beat. The stock is seen rising 2%-4% at the open, gaining further support from oil prices amid hopes for new OPEC production cuts. So far pre-market indication give a lacklustre reception to Carlsbergs trading update with shares seen dipping 1% after the Danish brewer said it expects to deliver mid-single-digit organic operating profit growth in 2020. One of the sharpest move expected is in Swiss inspections group SGS, seen falling up to 10%, after the von Finck family cut its stake via an accelerated book building process. Same story roughly for Wizz Air, indicated down, after its largest shareholder private equity firm Indigo Partners said it would sell shares worth 500 million pounds. Among the stocks on the rise, Swedish engineering group Alfa Laval is seen up about 3% after reporting quarterly core earnings above market forecasts. Pandora is also expected to gain about 3% after its trading update. NMC Health shares are also expected to rebound sharply after their unexplained fall yesterday. (Julien Ponthus) ***** MORNING CALL: UP WE GO! (UNTIL WE DON'T) (0615 GMT) European bourses are set to rise at the open, tracking Asia's tentative rebound as fears regarding the human and economic toll of the coronavirus epidemic seemed to ease somewhat. There's a good chance the respite will prove very temporary though with the outbreak continuing to generate concerning headlines with Hong Kong reporting its first coronavirus death, the second fatality outside mainland China with the total death toll now at 427. At the time of writing, European futures are up about 0.5% with financial spreadbetters at IG expecting London's FTSE to open 42 points higher, Frankfurt's DAX to gain 47 points and Paris' CAC to rise 19 points. It's also a busy earnings day with results from BP, Carlsberg and Ferrari among others but not quite yet the Q4 galore expected on Wednesday and particularly Thursday. (Julien Ponthus) ***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) Beschreibung: Compliance Officers und Kundenberater sprechen haufig nicht dieselbe Sprache. Wahrend Compliance alle Eventualitaten in eine Antwort einbauen wollen, brauchen Kundenberater moglichst einfache Antworten. Neue Technologien ermoglichen diesen Kluft zu schliessen und liefern klare Antworten auch auf komplexe Fragen! Weitere Informationen Talks on the Karabakh settlement have long been conducted only around the Madrid principles, and there are no other documents yet, first ombudswoman of Armenia, human rights activist Larisa Alaverdyan told reporters on Wednesday. According to her, no decision or signed document will have any impact on Karabakh if this happens without his participation. The formal statements of the Armenian leadership that Karabakh is Armenia at this stage look like an attempt to prepare the ground for Yerevan to make decisions independently without the participation of Stepanakert, she said adding that there is no Karabakh problem, the people have already solved it for a long time, but there is a Karabakh response that is steadily following the path of forming a legal and democratic state. An attempt to present the legacy of the former authorities on the Karabakh issue in a certain way may look like an attempt by the current ruling force to justify its actions in the future, she said adding that the function of Armenia in the talks process is to protect the interests of Karabakh, and not play any other role, for example, to compare its military potential with the capabilities of Azerbaijan. Our strength lies in the spirit and unity of society, and now we see attempts to split this unity, she said. It is important that some ministers, making any statements or making decisions, should also evaluate its political and public resonance. HOLYOKE Six former and retired Holyoke teachers used the public comment period at Tuesdays City Council meeting to express dismay about the state of the citys public schools in the era of state receivership. The educators focused on high staff and teacher turnover, test scores, and what they described as the shortcomings of receivership and lack of local control. Doug Arnold said the purpose of receivership was to improve students test scores but, he said, the scores remain behind other districts. He urged the council to look at the other side of receivership and beyond the public relations clips. Arnold said that while the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education vowed improvements, the district lost over 600 staff, teachers, and administrators since the district went into receivership. As of October 1 of this school year, 425 city students are attending other public schools in the surrounding cities and towns, he said. With current receiver Dr. Stephen Zrike slated to depart June 30, Arnold said he hoped elected officials and residents would look at what losing local control has done to the city. The state must appoint a new receiver in the coming months. We need to find out why the teachers are leaving. We need to find out why the students are leaving, Arnold said, and we need to find out when receivership will end if ever. Charlene Mahoney, who taught for 30 years in the citys schools, said test results show static or declining test scores. She was the math data assessment director before retiring in 2015. While we no longer work in the schools, we come together to share our concerns because we had bonded with each other and the students that only Holyoke teachers can understand, she said. Under receivership, Mahoney said, teachers have disagreed with changes made to the school system. Some of us expressed our concerns, but most of us stood back and watched and hoped these changes would work for the students, Mahoney said. Unfortunately, this has not been the case." The districts 10th-grade math scores were the seventh-lowest in Massachusetts before receivership, and dropped to second-lowest in 2019, according to Mahoney. English and language arts scores for 10th-graders were second-lowest in 2015 and improved to third lowest in 2019, she said. Science scores fared no better during the same period. One speaker said students take advantage of relaxed absentee and suspension policies. Elizabeth Butler, a Holyoke native, resigned from her teaching position at Holyoke High School last year. While there are many exceptional educators, staff, and administrators still in the Holyoke public schools, its time to recognize those that have left, and, more importantly, the reasons why they left," she said. Four more teachers left the district in the past few weeks, mostly veteran educators, Butler said. She said the district remains focused on teacher recruitment but with little attention paid to retention. Andres Kwart, a new teacher at Holyoke High School, said he felt privileged teaching the citys children but also said he believes the system is letting down staff, students and administrators. Kwart called for local, direct action and an end to receivership. This receivership is not preparing us to be resilient, he said. He was surprised by the amount of staff and teachers who resigned. Ward 3 Councilor David Bartley, who chairs the Development and Government Relations Committee, said the issue is on the committees March 9 agenda. Under receivership, the School Committee lost local control and were emasculated, he said. Councilor James Leahy said the state is doing a disservice to the schools and Holyoke. He added that many families are considering or signing their children up for school choice. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.5 Trend: Azerbaijan supports the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council, spokesperson of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said in response to Trends question. Guided by the obligations undertaken when joining the UN as a responsible member, Azerbaijan supports the fulfillment of the international law and principles and UN Security Council resolutions in the conflict resolution and in ensuring international peace and security and the countrys position is based on this. This is a decisive and principled position of Azerbaijan, Abdullayeva said. As in the case of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict together with the international community we speak for the settlement based on the UN Security Council resolutions, we support efforts aimed at the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and ensuring peace, security and prosperity in the region. During a meeting with Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos on January 21, 2020, Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan constantly supports Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir issue, Abdullayeva said. Taking a strong view of Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Deo sharing with the media investigation details that linked Shaheen Bagh shooter to the Aam Aadmi Party, the Election Commission on Wednesday said his statement was 'totally uncalled for' and barred him from election duty. The poll body also observed that the investigation had 'political connotations' and Deo's conduct has 'consequences' for 'free and fair elections'. On Tuesday, Deo told reporters that Kapil Baisala, who had opened fire at the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest site in Shaheen Bagh on Saturday, was a member of the AAP. This prompted the AAP to approach the poll body against the police officer. "The Commission has considered the matter in detail and is of the considered view that the above-referred statements referring to a political party at this stage even as the investigation is still going on has the effect of adversely impacting the elections. "This action was totally uncalled for. The conduct on the part of Rajesh Deo has consequences on the holding of free and fair elections," the poll panel said in a letter to the Delhi Police commissioner. The commission has asked the Delhi Police to file a compliance report by 6 pm on Thursday. Baisala not a member of AAP, says his father Meanwhile, Baisala's father Gaje Singh claimed on Wednesday that the Shaheen Bagh shooter has no association with the AAP. Gaje Singh, a resident of Dallupura village in New Delhi, said he was a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party but left politics after losing in the 2012 municipal polls. He asserted that he had no association with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. Gaje Singh had also fought the 2008 Delhi assembly elections on a BSP ticket from Jangpura, but lost. "There was an event during the previous Lok Sabha elections where people from Dallupura were invited. I went there along with my son. "We were welcomed by AAP leaders and they put a cap on our head as a welcome gesture. This doesn't mean we are AAP members," Singh said. He said, "I fought elections in 2008 from Jangpura and then municipal elections in 2012 but later I eventually left politics." Bharatiya Janata Party members had also met me on an earlier occasion, Gaje Singh claimed. After the 2012 elections, Singh was active as the BSP's east district president, family members said. Gaje Singh has three brothers and they are all into the family-owned dairy business. He has one dairy in Dallupura and another at Badarpur where Baisala used to work. "This is a village and during elections many politicians come and invite the youth and families. Many people from the village went to the (AAP) event so Gaje Singh and Baisala were also there. "Political parties keep campaigning in villages and when villagers visit their event, they click photos with leaders," Baisala's uncle Fateh Singh said. The AAP is the ruling party in Delhi and there are so many traders, businessmen, builders and others who keep going to its events. "That doesn't mean they have become AAP members," he said. Baisala's family members said if the AAP had "recruited" Gaje Singh and him, there should be joining letters and proofs of the same. They also claimed that there was no proof on the AAP's social media accounts or letters that Gaje Singh and Baisala were its members. "He (Gaje Singh) is a much senior person than Kejriwal and was associated with the BSP for about a decade. When he fought elections, Kejriwal's party didn't even exist," Fateh Singh said. As per Gaje Singh's affidavit with the Election Commission, he has two houses in Modinagar worth Rs 31.50 lakhs. He also owns a plot in Ghaziabad worth Rs 1.6 crores and has two cars and five motorcycles. In addition to that he has other investments of Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs, as per the affidavit. Singh who has declared his profession as a farmer and has no criminal cases against him, it states. The family claimed that Singh had gradually withdrawn from politics and none of his brothers or uncles have any association with any political party. Baisala' family owns a small real estate firm 'Jay Properties' in Dallupura. Kishan Singh, a village resident said, "Gaje Singh used to be a part of the BSP and we remember we even campaigned for him when he fought (municipal polls) from Dallupura. The BSP doesn't have much presence in Delhi and he lost. I don't think he is a part of AAP." If Baisala is from AAP, give him 'double punishment': Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said if Baisala belonged to his party, he should be given a 'double punishment'. Kejriwal told reporters that there should be no compromise on national security. "I want to urge (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah not to compromise on national security," he said. Whoever is responsible for jeopardising law and order should be given a strict punishment, the AAP chief added. "I am not aware of his (Baisala's) ties with any political party. If he is even remotely related to the AAP, he should be given a double punishment. "If he deserves 10 years in jail, he should be given a 20-year jail term. There should not be any compromise on national security. "I also want to ask the Union home minister not to do politics with national security," Kejriwal said. "Just 48 hours before the Assembly polls, if you (Shah) are sending police officers for a press conference, it exposes your ill-intent. People are not fools, they understand your intention," he added. Shah should send Baisala to jail irrespective of whether he belonged to the AAP, BJP, Congress or any political party, the chief minister said. B oris Johnsons powerful adviser Dominic Cummings pushed hard for Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane to take over from Mark Carney as Governor but was overruled by the Prime Minister after intervention from Chancellor Sajid Javid, the Evening Standard has learned. Johnson appointed Financial Conduct Authority chief Andrew Bailey instead in a victory for the Chancellor amid boiling point tensions with the aide. Cummings had demanded Haldane for the job due to his more radical tendencies. Haldane has been sounding increasingly on board with the aides key messages on levelling up the regions. He has been far more outspoken than Bailey, chiming with Cummings preference for independent thinkers. However, despite the lobbying, Johnson refused. City leaders have become increasingly concerned about the growing rift between Johnsons top aide and the Chancellor dubbed in No 10 circles Chino (short for Chancellor-in-name-only). Industry chiefs have privately called on the new regime to show unity and clear direction as it enters Brexit negotiations. They also demand clear guidance about how it sees the next five years of fiscal and monetary policy. Concerns began as Cummings tried to stop Javid loosening the purse strings with big spending commitments for the NHS and police. Radical thinker: Dominic Cummings / REUTERS There have even been fears the aide may succeed in getting Javid fired in the forthcoming reshuffle. Investec economist Victoria Clarke said: At such a challenging period for the City, it would be concerning if the Chancellor is struggling to get his voice heard. An influential voice expressing those challenges is crucial. Simon French at Panmure Gordon said: Intellectually, Haldane is impressive. The question mark was going to be his track record of running big organisations like the Bank of England. Spending commitments: Sajid Javid / PA Haldane this week launched a report highlighting the disparities in regional productivity. He declared the Industrial Strategy Council, the group behind the report, must hold the Governments feet to the flames on its industrial strategy. Such high-profile events have led to expectations he will soon be offered a big Whitehall role at Cummings behest. Although Cummings has been seen as a Rasputin figure behind Johnson, his wings have been clipped on several projects affecting big business, with the PM overruling his opposition to Huawei and set to do the same on HS2. Meanwhile, in what was seen as a direct snub to Cummings, Javid ignored his ban on ministers attending Davos to quaff champagne with billionaires. Venezuela's government on Wednesday accused US President Donald Trump of "violent threats" after he said socialist leader Nicolas Maduro's regime would be "smashed and broken" during his annual address to Congress. "Trump offends and disrespects the Venezuelan people by proffering violent threats against its integrity and against the constitutional, legitimate and democratic government of President Nicolas Maduro," Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told reporters. Trump was to meet later in the day at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who was the White House's guest at the president's State of the Union address to the US Congress Tuesday night. Guaido was given a standing ovation by both Republican and Democrat lawmakers on Tuesday as Trump called him the "legitimate president of Venezuela." Guaido, 36, sprung to prominence a year ago when he declared himself acting president in a challenge to Maduro's authority. He was quickly recognized by more than 50 countries, including the United States. "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalises his people," Trump said in his address. "But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken." Arreaza, who read out a government statement, accused the US of "meddling" and described it as an "agonizing effort to revive the already failed strategy to change the government by force." Last year, the Trump administration repeatedly insinuated it was prepared to use military intervention to remove Maduro from office, without ever backing up it's claims that "all options are on the table."The Venezuelan government statement also hit out at the "shameful complicity of those dedicated to selling their homeland for humiliating crumbs tossed to them by their boss, Mr Trump."Guaido had gained some momentum over the first half of last year, generating widespread support in street protests and finding clever ways to defy Maduro's authority. But his efforts fizzed out over the second half of the year as his popularity fell dramatically. This year he's also had to deal with a challenge to his leadership of the legislature by a Maduro-backed rival. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias, a journalist and union activist was charged today in a Kuala Lumpur court for Facebook posts on the novel coronavirus and Malaysias finance minister, Lim Guan Eng. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the National Union of Journalists Peninsular Malaysia (NUJM) urge for the charges to be dropped. Hayati appeared in Kuala Lumpur Magistrates court today, February 5, charged under section 505 (b) of the Penal code for posting statements on her Facebook account Ibu Yati. The charges allege the journalists social media posts violated the code for publishing and circulating rumours with the intention to cause fear or alarm to the public. The charge sheet stated Hayati allegedly made three posts, which were read at 10pm on January 26 by Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department. One post said This morning, the news said that 1,000 people from China had arrived in Penang I wonder if LGE (Lim Guan Eng) will call for an emergency or curfew if he is affected?. Hayati was unrepresented and pled not guilty before Magistrate Tawfiq Affandy Chin. While the prosecutor requested the judge refuse bail, bail was set at RM 12,000 (USD 2,910), or RM 4,000 (USD 972) for each charge. The case is scheduled to be heard on March 11. If found guilty, Hayati faces up to two years in prison, a fine or both. An award-winning journalist who has written for various media outlets, namely Berita Harian and NewStraits Times, Hayati currently also serves as an executive member and deputy general treasurer forNUJM. According to NST, the legislation the journalist has been charged under is commonly used tosilence critics, opposition leaders and activists. The coronavirus has opened the gates on a spate of arrests under the guise of spreading misinformation or causing public alarm in the region, with an increasing number of governments using new and existing legislation to criminalise journalists and others. Between Malaysia, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong at least 16 people are reported as being arrested for social media posts on the virus. Malaysia was among the first countries in the world to introduce anti-fake news legislation, but the legislation was repealed in October 2019. In the case of Hayati, provisions under the penal code have been used to similar effect. The Malaysian finance minister Lim Guan Eng (LGE) mentioned in Hayatis post is well known for his tactics aimed at silencing the media. In 2011, he sued two media outlets for defamation for being named a Singapore agent. The case concluded in 2019 with the complainant receiving MYR 650,000 (USD 157,880) in damages. The NUJM said taking action against journalists or media in a democratic country like Malaysia for expressing free speech will be seen as a regression in our democracy in the eyes of the public, not mentioning the international society as a whole. We have no objection if the authorities wanted to investigate in combating fake news, but journalists are bound by parameters of ethical journalism and the rule of law. We also believe that as a journalist she had the right to voice out her concerns to the members of the public ... who are mainly not well informed by the government over the situation of the coronavirus outbreak. NUJM launched a fund raising to pay Hayatis bail and expressed its gratitude to fellow journalists and lawyer New Sin Yew for offering his pro bono services. Hayati is a mother of a 10-year-old son. South East Asia Journalists Union (SEAJU) also regret the charges. Her statement was something any citizen of a democracy is entitled to make. We condemn the use of the penal code to put anyone in jail to spread the information. The IFJ said: Today in Malaysia weve seen the criminalisation of a journalist, which follows a regional trend of clampdowns on free speech under the guise of alleged misinformation, of causing public alarm or spreading fake news. The Ibu Yati case highlights the desperate need for an independent adjudicator such as a media council to review cases in Malaysia not for journalists to be threatened with jail for simply posting a question or comment on Facebook. We condemn the charges made again Ibu Yati and urge authorities to drop all charges and urgently review Malaysias penal code. Update on February 11, 2020 to the statement issued on February 5, 2020 which gives clarification to the charges under the penal code. An Iranian Kurdish armed group has hired a new lobbyist to reach out to the Donald Trump administration. The Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan hired Washington law firm the Cogent Law Group in December to promote and develop cooperative relations with the US government, according to newly disclosed lobbying filings. The firm was paid $40,000 up front to organize a single high-level meeting with a senior official of the executive branch of the United States Government and a single media interview in the United States. Although Cogent will be dealing with Komalas US representative, Salah Bayaziddi, the contract was signed by the partys secretary-general, Abdullah Mohtadi. It comes at a fraught time for the left-wing group as the Trump administration fine-tunes its Iran policy. Bloomberg reported last month that the State Department had ordered US diplomats to limit their interactions with certain Iranian opposition groups including Komala to avoid jeopardizing potential diplomacy with Iran. Just one week later, however, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo overrode the order following pressure from right-wing hawks, according to The Daily Beast. Cogent associate Mostafa El-Erian is the sole registered foreign agent on the account and is expected to be paid $10,000 to work on an op-ed for the group, assist in advising to establish a US charitable foundation and develop a Wikipedia page. Its current Wikipedia entry, which is less than 100 words long, refers to Komala as a communist party, a characterization the group rejects as it seeks support from US hawks (the name of the party translates to Revolutionary Workers' Society of Iranian Kurdistan and its symbol is a red star). Any additional work is to be charged at the firms usual legal rates. In a statement, El-Erian told Al-Monitor that the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan commends President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration for its continued policy of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime, which constitutes a foremost regional and international terrorist threat. This isnt Komalas first lobbying contract. The groups US office hired Ayal Franks AF International in February to lobby US officials. Frank met with staffers from several congressional offices last year to discuss US-Iran relations and Iranian-Kurdish issues. Frank and Bayaziddi disclosed meetings with right-wing think tanks, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Hudson Institute, in March and meetings with Reps. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., in July. Headed into the election year, President Donald Trump told lawmakers that in three years of his presidency, the US has moved forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago. Making a strong pitch for his re-election and confident of his acquittal from impeachment, Trump, in his joint address to the US Congress told Congressmen that the American dream is back - bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results, he said as he listed his achievements of the three years and giving his vision for the next term. Trump said that the US administration is strongly defending the national security and "as we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East." Stressing that his administration has undertaken unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the US with Mexico, Trump said that the country "should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans - not criminal aliens. Speaking about the US-China relationship, he said for decades, China has taken advantage of the US, "now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Days ago, we signed the ground breaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the US," he said. Trump said that the US is coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. "My Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat (coronavirus)," he said. Sinn Fein TD and General Election candidate for Sligo/Leitrim/Nth Donegal and Sth Roscommon, Martin Kenny has voiced his support for childcare workers who are staging a major protest in Dublin today over a chronic funding crisis in the sector. Martin Kenny said: Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have failed to invest properly in the childcare sector, resulting in a funding crisis. Todays demonstration, organised by Together for Early Years, is about finding a sustainable solution to this crisis and I fully support all those childcare workers, service providers and parents who are attending the protest in Dublin. Childcare providers and parents are being shouldered with the burden of fundraising for the sector. We now have a real staffing crisis in the sector. Childcare workers cant afford to survive on current pay rates. Meanwhile, service providers are struggling to keep services open. Parents, childcare workers and service providers have their backs against the wall. They have been forced to take todays action. Irish parents are paying the second highest childcare fees in Europe. Irish childcare needs the same levels of funding as is normal in other EU countries. Its time to invest in the future, in these important services, vital workers and in our children. In government that is exactly what Sinn Fein would do. By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS Amid deepening political and economic ties between Myanmar (formerly Burma) and China, the Southeast Asian state is being fully integrated into Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, emerging as a transportation hub and military asset. Yet at the same time, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a high profile state visit to Myanmar to commemorate diplomatic relations between the two countries, half a world away in The Hague, the International Court of Justice ruled that Myanmar's government must stop ethnic persecution of its Muslim Rohingya minority. China's complex ties with neighboring Myanmar can be summed up in the folkloric phrase "pauk-phaw," a form of fraternal bilateral kinship which Chairman Xi fondly extols. "We need to bring new impetus to our mutually beneficial cooperation by deepening trade and economic exchanges," Xi said on the eve of the visit which marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Myanmar, independent of British rule from 1948, became the first non-communist country to recognize the communist People's Republic of China. Historically close links between Myanmar and China especially blossomed during the half century of Myanmar's military rule where the isolated socialist regime looked to its powerful northern neighbor to help break its political isolation. Nonetheless in recent years, Beijing has supported Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected dissident who soon morphed into a surprisingly reliable player on China's geopolitical chessboard. Deepening economic ties with Beijing resumed in the wake of the controversial Belt and Road Initiative. The China Myanmar Economic Corridor has opened a 1,100-mile link between China's southern city Kunming, Yunnan Province, and the Southeast Asian country, allowing direct access to the Indian Ocean. It's all about geography and resource-rich Myanmar occupies a strategic place as both a crossroads between South and Southeast Asia as well as a backdoor to China's southern landlocked regions. Recall that during World War II, allied supplies to beleaguered China flowed in through the famed Burma Road. Ironically today the reversed link can equally pressure India via any planned Chinese naval facilities on the Bay of Bengal. China's multibillion-dollar investment and loans to Myanmar focus on the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the restive Rakhine State. Here deep-water port development will allow China to access oil and gas without having to traverse the Straits of Malacca, thus providing a strategically safe direct route. Equally China is underwriting the $9 billion Muse/Mandalay Railway, a 267-mile corridor linking southern Yunnan with Myanmar. Chairman Xi pledged $580 million in aid to Myanmar over the next three years. This comes in the wake of Beijing's traditionally heavy-handed dealing with its southern neighbor; even with the onset of Aung Sang Suu Kyi's more politically acceptable rule. Given the predominately Buddhist Myanmar military's ethnic cleansing operations against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, it appears the Myanmar regime still needs China's political protection such as it traditionally offers in the U.N. Security Council. Beijing backs the civilian Suu Kyi government as a viable political alternative to the corrupt parallel military power known as Tatmandaw. Just weeks ago, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution strongly condemning ongoing human rights abuses against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims and other Christian minorities in Kachin and Shan states. Now the U.N. in The Hague offered a legal rebuke to the Myanmar government. Since 2017 nearly a million Rohingya Muslims have been forced from their homes and expelled into Bangladesh. The unanimous International Court of Justice ruling demands that Myanmar undertake a set of provisional measures to prevent further attempts at genocide against the roughly 600,000 members of the Rohingya minority still remaining inside the country. The case which was brought by the West African state of Gambia was surprisingly opposed by Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy and former heralded angel of Myanmar's democracy who traveled to The Hague to defend her country's standing but indirectly also too the actions of her former military persecutors. How times change! The weight of evidence before the ICJ points to the remaining Rohingya "currently facing a credible threat of genocide." Myanmar must "take all measures within its power to prevent all acts" prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention, the presiding Judge stated. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly decried Myanmar's military actions and called for accountability in "one of the world's worst humanitarian and human rights crises." He welcomed the ICJ ruling and stated, "Decisions of the court are binding and trusts that Myanmar will duly comply." Don't hold your breath! John J. Metzler ( jjmcolumn@earthlink.net ) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China." Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst is a former British Army Officer, doctor, lawyer, and a senior member of the Conservatives in the West Midlands Social isolation is becoming an increasing issue within our society. Its roots are complex. It is influenced at individual, community, and societal levels. Whilst loneliness is an inherent aspect of human existence, long-term loneliness has been linked with health inequality and poor life outcomes. When one discusses the subject of isolation in our society, it is often ascribed as an illness of the elderly. Whilst it is certainly the case that older people are affected, it would be deeply unwise to consider this topic as exclusively one afflicting the retired generations. Many young people suffer too. It can be indiscriminate. It can as readily affect those living in large cities as those who live in our rural communities. Of course, certain demographic groups are at higher risk. Factors including age, gender, socio-economic status, and disability create an environment which prevents individuals abilities to foster meaningful relations. The increasing use of social media to create a virtual social network can have detrimental effects. It reduces the time for real, face to face social interaction. Virtual lives are lived out on social media. Through that prism, it readily appears that everyone else is living a gilded life. In essence, it is a photo-enhanced snapshot of a life and does not portray the reality of it. If one does not conform to that ideal it can be easy to feel as though you have failed. It leads to withdrawal. It can, in fact, lead to a greater degree of social isolation. Interventions that build community-based social networks have been shown to benefit individuals, service providers, and the wider community. They aid in promoting shared values. Creating and maintaining strong and supportive social relationships are at the core of tackling social isolation. The cost of loneliness is high. To families. To society. And, of course, to governmental expenditure. Work from the London School of Economics has estimated that the ten year avoidable cost for individuals aged over 65 years is 1,711. Costs for that same age group who are defined as severely lonely rocket to 6,000. Without taking action now, these costs are likely to increase. The financial benefits of reducing the incidence of social isolation are clear. Not only is dependency on health and social care budgets diminished, productivity is increased. This, in turn, leads to increased earning potential and therefore governmental revenue. There is, inevitably, a cost to intervening. However, this has to be considered in a broader evaluation of the economic benefits of prevention and tackling the issue of isolation. Furthermore, these interventions do not just address isolation but have a far broader reach in terms of improving quality of life indicators. Any approach to combatting social isolation needs to be cross-governmental. It requires building stronger and more cohesive communities. This can only be achieved by investing in our infrastructure. This includes: Ensuring that people have access to good transport links, which are a key enabler for maintaining and developing independence and social networks. Increasing access to new technologies. We live in an increasingly digital world. Family and friends can often be geographically spread far and wide. We therefore must ensure we have a digital infrastructure that meets demand. Building more homes. Poor housing is closely linked with social isolation and loneliness. The impact of living in a good home is central to improving health and wellbeing indicators. Feeling comfortable and secure in your own home correlates with independent living. So, it is important that we invest in ambitious housing development projects to create high quality homes and create strong community bonds. Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour so that neighbourhoods do not feel unsafe and uninviting. Investing in education and skills training, which are the key to opening opportunities. Whilst the focus of this will inevitably be on the younger generations, such training should not be reserved for them alone. It is vital that those in middle age are provided with the chance to acquire new skills so that they remain employable in an ever changing jobs market. Empowering our local communities to help in the prevention and early intervention of social isolation. The importance of community spirit cannot be underestimated. However, this depends on having thriving high streets and local amenities. We need to support our small and medium sized business to flourish by addressing business rates. We need to support local institutions, such as libraries, so that they become a hub for social activity. By doing so, not only will our communities become better places to live, but community ties will strengthen. There is a real opportunity to create a legacy that will support those in need now and the generations to come. We must seize that chance. Tackling the scourge of social isolation could be one of the great legacies of this Conservative Government. Micro Focus boss Kevin Loosemore will stand down on Valentine's Day after 15 years as chairman and executive chairman The boss of Micro Focus is to leave the software company after a brutal year squeezed sales and wiped out profits. Kevin Loosemore, 60, will stand down on Valentine's Day after 15 years as chairman and executive chairman. He is being succeeded as chairman by Greg Lock, who previously headed Computacenter's board, while Stephen Murdoch is expected to remain chief executive. Loosemore, who has been paid 43million since 2011, said: 'The board and I have decided now is the right time for me to leave.' He has also given up 1.1m share options worth 8.4million at yesterday's prices, according to a regulatory filing. Micro Focus specialises in wringing profit out of old computer systems it acquires by selling software and maintenance services to banks and retailers which use them. Loosemore, who joined when the business floated in 2005, had been credited with growing it from a minnow with annual revenues of just 77million to a giant bringing in 2.6billion. He took over as executive chairman in 2011, and oversaw a share price surge of more than 350 per cent until the stock peaked in 2017, the year it bought HP Enterprise's software business. But since then shares have plunged by 72 per cent and Loosemore has faced anger over his pay, and disquiet over performance. The HP Enterprise deal caused particular problems, with early setbacks including the departure of former boss Chris Hsu, six months after he joined Micro Focus, cultural differences with American staff, and problems merging computer systems. Loosemore took over as executive chairman in 2011, and oversaw a share price surge of more than 350 per cent until the stock peaked in 2017 The turmoil prompted Micro Focus to review its businesses last year, prompting speculation of a sale. Loosemore also upset investors by selling 12million worth of shares last year, leaving him with a stake worth 4.9million. His departure was announced as sales fell 9.1 per cent to 2.6billion in the 12 months to October 31. It went 13.9million into the red from a 477million profit the previous year. The shares fell 22.3 per cent, or 219.7p, to 766.8p. Chief executive Murdoch said: 'This has been a challenging year and our overall financial performance fell short of expectations.' Lock, who will be a non-executive chairman, said he joined the company 'well aware of the previous successes and the present challenges'. 'I am looking forward to rolling my sleeves,' he added. Micro Focus aims to split itself into two units security and 'big data' under the same group. Analysts at Citi welcomed the review findings but said they hoped for more concrete actions on what to sell and more detail on how long the turnaround would take. They also questioned the company's financial forecasts and added: 'We believe the departure of the chairman will likely elicit a mixed investor response.' Micro Focus expects revenue in its current financial year to fall by 6 per cent to 8 per cent before the benefits of additional investment start to come through in the next year. Chinese authorities on Tuesday deployed further measures to improve patient admission and survival rates and reduce infection and mortality rates in China's central province Hubei and its capital Wuhan amid efforts to curb the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. More measures will be taken to ensure the supply of medical resources and daily necessities, according to a meeting of the leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also head of the aforementioned leading group, presided over the meeting. Among measures to provide more beds to patients, a number of hotels, venues and training centers will be used as sites to carry out centralized treatment of suspected infections and patients showing mild symptoms or medical observation over close contacts, according to the meeting. A number of mobile hospitals and an additional 2,000 medical and nursing workers will be organized to support Hubei. To concentrate a superior force for patient treatment, authorities said, teams of quality medical personnel will be organized to take over the management of intensive care hospitals or wards. Authorities required efforts to improve the detection and diagnosis capacity, shorten the testing period and dispatch testing personnel and materials from disease control systems nationwide to support Wuhan, saying that qualified third-party institutions will be allowed to carry out nucleic acid testing. Regarding the improvement of the novel coronavirus diagnosis and treatment guideline, the meeting stressed that measures proved effective in clinical use should be included in the treatment guideline, calling for integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine in treating patients to improve effectiveness. Authorities underscored concentrating medical and protective resources on the frontline in the epidemic battle while ensuring the supply of daily necessities. The meeting called for timely solutions to problems in trans-regional transportation, improvement in the efficiency of supply distribution and ensuring market supply. Daily allocation of essential medical resources for curbing the epidemic should be further improved, according to the meeting. The meeting also required efforts to avoid a large-scale, concentrated travel rush after the Spring Festival holiday ends. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay here on Wednesday presented the World Heritage Certificate for the walled city of Jaipur to Rajasthan government representatives while stressing the strategic partnership between the world body and India. Eight months after being included in the World Heritage List, the heritage certificate for the Pink City was given at the Albert Hall here. Azoulay said UNESCO was very proud to have the walled city of Jaipur inscribed in the heritage list. "Jaipur is already an iconic city because of its heritage and has a special place in the world. This inscription goes even further and is a joint commitment to protect and preserve this cultural heritage for the future," she said. The UNESCO Director-General further said UNESCO and India had a history of strategic partnership "based on cultural diversity, legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and our joint commitment for education". In July 2019, Jaipur was included in the heritage list at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee at Azerbaijan's Baku. Jaipur, founded by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727, is the second Indian city to feature on the prestigious list. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who missed the ceremony at the Albert Hall due to illness, tweeted, "Delighted and proud that Jaipur has got UNESCO Heritage Certificate. I dedicate the honour to people of the Pink City and state. Jaipur is one of the most well planned and beautiful cities of the world. Let us preserve the heritage of the capital city." Commenting on the preservation efforts, UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal said, "A state-level committee headed by the chief secretary was constituted by the state government. All the department concerned were given the responsibility of maintaining the heritage as per a special area plan." "We have carried out a 360-degree videography and prepared a three-dimensional map of the walled city area using drone to maintain our heritage record," the minister added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Adnan Mahmoud, as a great loss of a passionate friend of Nigeria and a fine diplomat who identified himself with the progress and development of our country. The late Adnan Mahmoud was one of the finest diplomats I have ever met and his humility was one of his endearing virtues, President Buhari said in a condolence message. According to the president, the late Saudi Arabian Ambassador had dedicated himself sincerely to promoting constructive and beneficial relationship between Nigeria and his country, and we cannot therefore forget his remarkable achievements in forging closer ties between the two countries. Surely, Nigeria will have fond and enduring memories of Adnan Mahmoud who, to the best of my recollection, was one of the greatest diplomats ever posted to Nigeria. He had worked assiduously for the progress and development of Nigeria and would never forget these significant contributions. May Allah bless and forgive his gentle soul, Buhari further noted. On behalf of my family, the government and people of Nigeria, I convey my condolences to the His Majesty, King Salman, the government and of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi over this irreparable loss, said the president. United said the academy, which will be renamed United Aviate Academy in September, will initially produce about 300 graduates each year, but it hopes to expand that to 500. Graduates would be able to work as instructors at flight schools United has partnered with to rack up hours of flying time required to qualify for entry-level jobs with regional carriers, such as ExpressJet, Air Wisconsin or Mesa Airlines. Pilots in the Aviate program hired by the regional carriers would be then eligible for jobs with United. WASHINGTON - Like a premature cast party, President Donald Trump and many of the 535 members of Congress focused on his impeachment got together in the House of Representatives chamber Tuesday night for the State of the Union address, one day before the Senate will vote on whether to kick him out of office. It was elegant and weird, this bipartisan gathering of two parties irreconcilably split over Trump's fate, come to the Capitol to stand for him and clap for him and listen to his teleprompted musings on the state of the nation. The exterior of the House end of the building happened to be covered in plastic tarp and scaffolding for repairs, lending the affair a sort of quarantine vibe as the members and their guests filed in for the evening. "My Democratic colleagues, they sat on their hands last time, even when there wasn't an impeachment," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., posing for photos beside a sculpture of Will Rogers outside Statuary Hall. "They'll sit on their hands this time, in spite of impeachment." A few paces away, Democratic members filtered out of the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and wandered the Capitol, waiting for a man many of them loathe. More than half a dozen members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., refused to attend. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., boycotted the speech, too, but still made an appearance at the pre-gathering, striding through the corridors in suffragette white, which many other Democrats also wore, and a naturally bald scalp. "You are beautiful and amazing," a man called to her from the top of a stairwell. None of the three senators running for the Democratic presidential nomination showed up, having jetted back to the campaign trail - though they might be back in Washington on Wednesday, when the Senate is expected to acquit Trump of abuse of power and obstruction. Rep. Ilhan Omar - a Somalia-born Democrat from Minnesota whom Trump said last year should "go back" to where she came from - sat near the back of the chamber as the president's entourage filed in at 9 p.m. "My presence tonight is resistance," she wrote in a tweet before the event. At the impeachment managers' table - there is not actually an impeachment managers' table at the State of the Union, but the seven Democratic representatives prosecuting the case for Trump's removal all ended up sitting together anyway - Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., intently studied a pamphlet as Vice President Mike Pence shook hands on his way down the aisle. As Trump arrived at the podium and handed his speech to Pelosi and Pence, the speaker reached out her hand to shake the president's, and he did not reciprocate, though whether it was an intentional snub is unclear (he didn't shake Pence's either). Trump's previous annual addresses were relatively anodyne things: forward-looking, poetic, a world away from the typo-riddled, all-caps rage that constitutes his daily public addresses on Twitter. Republicans had been fretting that he would not restrain himself this time - in the same chamber whose occupants impeached him weeks earlier. But Trump, like the impeached Bill Clinton before him, made no mention of the fact. He strode into the chamber directly past Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over his trial, and launched into the same themeless checklist of alleged accomplishments and airy promises that presidents have been soothing the nation with for decades. "America's enemies are on the run, America's fortunes are on the rise and America's future is blazing bright," Trump began, leaving unspecific which enemies he meant as Democrats stared and Republicans cheered. His speech started tinny and raspy - at least so it seemed from the upper balconies - but Trump found his volume and cadence as he proceeded through the highlights of his presidency and took veiled swipes at his opponents. "Socialism destroys nations," he said. Omar spat something into a napkin. A few parts of the speech brought the room together in applause: when Trump praised an eighth-grade aspiring astronaut, and a 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman. When the president called out the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh in the balcony, and first lady Melania Trump hung a Medal of Freedom on his neck, an "Oh no!" floated from the Democratic side of the chamber at the same time as a Republican shouted "Thank you, Rush!" It went like that for more than an hour - lines to thrill Republicans and leave Democrats groaning or clapping limply in their seats. Omar left her chair before the speech ended, and several Democratic members flipped through their phones as Trump recounted "the night that United States Special Forces operators ended [Islamic State leader Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi's miserable life." Left unmentioned but inferred from the members' body language, the Democrats' glares and Republicans' riotous cheers of "four more years" was the morning after the party - when a large fraction of Trump's audience would take their seats at the opposite end of the Capitol and weigh judgment on the state of a president. Pelosi tore up her printed version of the speech as it ended. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the lead impeachment prosecutor, was one of the last to leave the chamber. He lingered in the empty rows long after the president and his Cabinet and Republican loyalists filed out, reading something on his phone, his mind perhaps on other business. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters The shambles in Iowa means were all talking about voting chaos instead of the winning candidate. So with the proviso that this may all change once we have some actual results who can we say are the initial winners and losers from this mess? Related: Democratic race starts disastrously as 'inconsistencies' delay Iowa results Losers Joe Biden Of the big four in the Iowa race, the former vice-president gave the most downbeat speech on Monday night, suggesting his campaign knows he underperformed. If that is confirmed by the final results, and if Bernie Sanders wins big in New Hampshire next week, Biden could find supporters and donors losing confidence well before what are likely to be strong performances in South Carolina on 29 February and on Super Tuesday, 3 March. Bidens candidacy is based on the idea that he is the most electable candidate if that suddenly seems in doubt, he could be seriously hobbled. Bernie Sanders The leftwing senator has been threatening to overtake Biden as the frontrunner nationally and victory in Iowa which had seemed increasingly likely would have given that process crucial momentum, allowing him to firmly take the national spotlight in the first race of the year. Instead, even if he does end up being certified as the winner hell have missed his big moment as the news agenda rushes on to Donald Trumps State of the Union address and the primary in New Hampshire. Many of his more suspicious supporters, who accused the party of rigging the race against him in 2016, may see this as no accident. Winners Pete Buttigieg The small-town centrist mayor from Indiana has always hung his hopes on a strong showing in Iowa and his speech last night By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious and bullish predictions of a win suggest he feels confident he has got what he wanted. If Biden does collapse and Sanders maintains his current strength, Buttigieg could make a case that the party establishment should now swing behind him. Story continues Michael Bloomberg The billionaire former mayor of New York will be making exactly that argument once New Hampshire is in the rear-view mirror. He will be delighted that the ineffable momentum conferred on the winner of Iowa another state Bloomberg decided to skip will this year be blunted. Early voting in California, the largest state, which Bloomberg has been blanketing with advertising, began yesterday and Bloomberg will feel vindicated in keeping his focus there. On the other hand, if the centrist lane is now shaping up to be a serious fight between Biden, Bloomberg and Buttigieg, that may split the moderate vote and benefit Sanders. Donald Trump Overnight, the presidents campaign manager, Brad Parscale, channeled his masters voice with a vivid mixed metaphor: Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history. Related: Trump campaign jubilant as Democrats big night implodes Parscale went on to sow doubts about the fairness of the process encouraging those suspicious Sanders supporters and ask: And these are the people who want to run our entire healthcare system? The Trump campaign has never let the facts get in the way of well, anything much. Reports of low turnout in Iowa if confirmed will also be seized upon by Trump, whose strategy depends upon enthusing his base more than the Democrats can excite theirs. On Tuesday morning, the president duly weighed in, tweeting: The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country. Remember the 5 Billion Dollar Obamacare Website, that should have cost 2% of that. The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is Trump. He also responded to chatter about whether Iowa should keep its first-in-the-nation status after this years shambles, writing: It is not the fault of Iowa, it is the Do Nothing Democrats fault and making a meaningless promise: As long as I am President, Iowa will stay where it is. Important tradition! Unclear Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar Both senators gave confident speeches but its unclear exactly how the chips will fall. Klobuchar will need a strong performance to continue to compete against her fellow centrists but Warren, who arrived in New Hampshire before dawn saying, This is an organization that is built for the long haul, probably has more time to fight her progressive rival Sanders even if Iowa turns out to have been disappointing. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. Des Moines: The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the party's 2020 primary season. The results followed 24 hours of chaos as technical problems marred the complicated caucus process, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It was too early to call a winner based on the initial results, but Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar were trailing in the tally of State Delegate Equivalents, according to data released for the first time by the state Democratic Party nearly 24 hours after voting concluded. The results reflected 62 percent of precincts in the state. The two early leaders, Buttigieg and Sanders, were separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more. Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg's early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates. We dont know all of the numbers, but we know this much: A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race, Buttigieg, declared, his voice filled with emotion, as he campaigned in next-up New Hampshire with his husband looking on. Buttigieg's early rise was rivalled for possible importance by the struggle of another moderate, Biden. One of his party's most accomplished figures, the former two-term vice president and the longtime senator was mired in the second tier of Iowa candidates with almost two-thirds of precincts reporting. Biden's campaign sought to downplay the caucus results even before they were released, hardly a measure of strength for a high-profile contender who has led national polls for most of the last year. "We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to the nomination, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser. While all campaigns were eager to spin the Iowa results to their advantage, there was a little immediate indication that the incomplete results erased the confusion and concern that loomed over the caucuses. It was unclear when the full results would be released. During a private conference call with campaigns earlier in the day, state party chairman Troy Price declined to answer pointed questions about the timeline -- even whether it would be days or weeks. We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate," Price said at a subsequent press conference. The leading candidates pressed on in New Hampshire, which votes in just seven days. Billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg sensed the opportunity, saying he would double his already massive advertising campaign and expand his sprawling staff focused on a series of delegate-rich states voting next month. The party's caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner, no official results and many fresh questions about whether Iowa can retain its coveted first status. Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several US territories, ending at the partys national convention in July. Before he left Iowa late Monday, Sanders said, Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump." Facing New Hampshire voters a day later, Sanders said thank you to Iowa and, tongue in cheek expressed confidence that New Hampshire election officials would have more success counting votes. "And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here," he said. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results this year: a tally of caucusgoers initial candidate preference; vote totals from the final alignment after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate received. With more than one-third of all precincts left to report, Sanders led on the first alignment. The Associated Press will declare a winner based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been the traditional standard. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents Iowa neighbour Minnesota, was also in the early running, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard lagged behind. Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren also said she was feeling good about her performance in Iowa. The state party told campaigns Tuesday the problem was a result of a coding issue in the reporting system that it said had since been fixed. It said it had verified the accuracy of the collected data and said the problem was not a result of a hack or an intrusion." A Biden campaign representative objected to the partys plan to release partial results before checking them against paper records, saying in the conference call that the plan didn't address growing reports about problems on caucus night, such as precinct captains unable to get through on the phone to report results. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver thanked party officials and encouraged other campaigns not to undermine the party. Folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think thats a bit disingenuous, Weaver said. Bloomberg announced plans to double his national television advertising spending which has already exceeded $100 million as he expands his paid staff to more than 2,000 people. Bloomberg is looking to next month, has decided to bypass Iowa's contest and the three other states voting this month in favour of the delegate-rich states in March. After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever, Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. No one has made the sale or even come close to it." Beyond 2020, Monday's debacle invited fresh criticism about Iowa caucuses, a complicated set of political meetings staged in a state that is whiter and older than the Democratic Party in general. Many questioned anew whether it was a quaint political tradition whose time had passed. I think Iowa is a dumpster fire, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and longtime Biden supporter, who served as an Iowa precinct captain for Biden on Monday. The Constitution is a wondrous document, but it is not self-effectuating; it requires vigilance, and a pledge by every new generation of voters and public servants to safeguard and fulfill its lofty promise. And it requires a kind of courage that Robert F. Kennedy once said is more rare than that on the battlefield moral courage. Without it, no constitution can save us, but with it, no hardship can overcome us. We remain committed to doing everything in our power to preserve this marvelous experiment in self-governance. LEWISTON Whether for or against the proposed expansion of Daley Farms, most people who attended an informational meeting hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Tuesday wanted to know one thing. Why are we doing this? The MPCA held the meeting to provide information and collect ideas about an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions that was added to the Daley Farms environmental assessment worksheet for the proposed expansion of their dairy. The Daleys hope to expand their farm, consisting of three sites and 1,728 cows and calves, to a single site with up to 4,628 cows and calves. The MPCA had originally approved a permit for the expansion, but an appeal was filed against that decision and the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the original EAW could not be considered complete without an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. The court reversed and remanded the permit until the EAW could be completed and reviewed again. However, as Melissa Kuskie, manager of environmental review and rules, said, "We have no limit for greenhouse gas emissions under Minnesota law. That's why we're seeking input." ADVERTISEMENT Kuskie said that while the state has set goals of reducing GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050 from levels recorded in 2005, it currently has no level that would trigger a rejection of a project in any industry, from transportation to energy generation or even feedlots. In fact, while the state has been collecting GHG inventories on projects in other industries since the early 2010s, she said, a more stringent environmental impact statement has never been ordered due to greenhouse gases. "The Environmental Quality Board, of which the PCA is a member, is considering how we assess greenhouse gases in environmental review," Kuskie said. "Right now, we're just focused on adding this to the EAW calculations." That drew puzzled comments from several individuals. "If there is no standard of too much (greenhouse gases), then why go through the charade of asking about it?" asked Lanesboro resident Bonita Underbakke. Former state Rep. Ken Tschumper, who opposed the Daley Farms expansion, asked MPCA officials whether the permit application being discussed was new or simply the same permit application with the GHG inventory added, and if it was the same one as before, why was it being reconsidered. Mark Gernes, a feedlot officer and permit specialist with the MPCA, said other than a few dates changed in the original permit application, the main difference between the EAW currently under review and the one reversed and remanded by the Court of Appeals was simply the GHG inventory. The court, Gernes said, did not reverse and remand the previous decision by the MPCA because there was anything wrong with the content of the EAW but because the court felt that without the GHG inventory the EAW was incomplete. MPCA spokeswoman Cathy Malakowsky said that while the entire EAW is under review again, unless something new comes forward regarding the parts that the MPCA had already ruled upon, the focus going forward will be on the GHG inventory. ADVERTISEMENT Not everyone who was upset about the process was against the Daley Farms proposal. In fact, a majority of the 60 or 70 people in attendance seemed to support the Daleys. "We have a lot of doom and gloomers here tonight," said Cliff Thompson, a dairy farmer. "Does anyone know what Chinas going to do with greenhouse gases for the next 50 years? Indias going to do the same." Thompson said complaining about the number of cows the Daleys hope to add to their operation is ridiculous considering how many cows are lost due to dairy closures in Winona County each year. Another dairy farmer, Dana Allen-Tully from Olmsted County, said that instead of complaining about the Daleys' expansion, people in Winona County should be grateful to have them as a local business. "The Daley family is a shining star of the dairy families in Minnesota," she said. "They do the right thing for the community, for their family and for the environment." Allen-Tully said dairy farmers are leading the way when it comes to reducing GHG emissions. She cited a University of Arkansas study that showed dairies in the United States have reduced their GHG emissions 63 percent over last 60 years. She also chaffed at the idea that dairy farmers are not responsible stewards of the land. " To think farmers dont think every day how were going to improve our water is insulting," she said. {{tncms-inline content="

LEWISTON Tuesday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced that the public comment period for the greenhouse gas supplement to the Daley Farms environmental assessment worksheet would be extended from 30 days to 45 days, ending at 4:30 p.m., March 6.

"When we were going through this process again, we knew LSP and MCEA were going to ask for an extended process time," said Ben Daley, one of the owners of Daley Farms in Lewiston.

MPCA spokeswoman Cathy Malakowsky confirmed requests for an extension on the public comment period were made by Land Stewardship Project and the Minnesota Center for environmental advocacy. Both organizations filed suit against the MPCA's granting of a permit for feedlot expansion to the Daleys.

That lawsuit led to the MPCA adding the supplemental greenhouse gas inventory to the EAW, which led to a new public comment period for that section of the EAW.

Malakowsky said as of Feb. 3, the agency has received more than 100 public comments on the project, but most of them appear to be identical comments copied and pasted from talking points.

Melissa Kuskie, manager of environmental review and rules for the MPCA, said the agency has the one-time authority to extend environmental review on a discretionary basis. In this case, because greenhouse gas emissions are a new factor in feedlot reviews, the MPCA decided to give folks an extra 15 days to understand and evaluate this new factor.

To review the proposed dairy expansion, visit the MPCA website at www.pca.state.mn.us/regulations/projects-under-mpca-review. Comments can be sent to Kim Grosenheider at MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 or kim.grosenheider@state.mn.us.

" id="0195d783-c6bf-4278-934a-5999348e7b06" style-type="refer" title="Public comment period on EAW extended" type="relcontent" width="full"}} ADVERTISEMENT LEWISTON Tuesday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced that the public comment period for the greenhouse gas supplement to the Daley Farms environmental assessment worksheet would be extended from 30 days to 45 days, ending at 4:30 p.m., March 6. "When we were going through this process again, we knew LSP and MCEA were going to ask for an extended process time," said Ben Daley, one of the owners of Daley Farms in Lewiston. MPCA spokeswoman Cathy Malakowsky confirmed requests for an extension on the public comment period were made by Land Stewardship Project and the Minnesota Center for environmental advocacy. Both organizations filed suit against the MPCA's granting of a permit for feedlot expansion to the Daleys. That lawsuit led to the MPCA adding the supplemental greenhouse gas inventory to the EAW, which led to a new public comment period for that section of the EAW. Malakowsky said as of Feb. 3, the agency has received more than 100 public comments on the project, but most of them appear to be identical comments copied and pasted from talking points. Melissa Kuskie, manager of environmental review and rules for the MPCA, said the agency has the one-time authority to extend environmental review on a discretionary basis. In this case, because greenhouse gas emissions are a new factor in feedlot reviews, the MPCA decided to give folks an extra 15 days to understand and evaluate this new factor. To review the proposed dairy expansion, visit the MPCA website at www.pca.state.mn.us/regulations/projects-under-mpca-review . Comments can be sent to Kim Grosenheider at MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 or kim.grosenheider@state.mn.us. A bullish Nigel Farage proclaimed it 'looks like we are still winning' after he watched his friend and ally Donald Trump deliver a divisive State of the Union speech in Washington. The Brexit Party leader was in attendance at the address to a joint session of the US Congress having celebrated the UK's departure from the EU last Friday. Mr Farage is a leading supporter of Mr Trump and is expected to help the US President campaign in the coming months as he seeks re-election to the White House later this year. He tweeted following the address: 'Great speech from POTUS, his party united and the Dems looking disconsolate. Looks like we are still winning to me.' Nigel Farage watched on in the US Capitol building in Washington as Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech Mr Farage tweeted afterwards that it was a 'great speech' by the US President as he said 'looks like we are still winning to me' Mr Trump's address to the joint session of the US Congress was a divisive affair as he was booed by Democrats Mr Trump's remarks to Congress were partially overshadowed by a row with Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Ms Pelosi has been one of the key figures driving impeachment proceedings against Mr Trump and he refused to shake hands with her - as is tradition - when he arrived last night to make his remarks to the nation. A furious Ms Pelosi responded by ripping up a copy of Mr Trump's speech immediately after he finished talking with the TV footage immediately going viral online. Mr Farage savaged Ms Pelosi for her actions, tweeting: 'She has demeaned her office.' As well as taking up a seat at the State of the Union speech, Mr Farage was also reportedly the guest of honour at a plush event hosted by Mr Trump's former strategy guru Steve Bannon. The so-called 'Toast to Nigel Farage' luncheon at the Washington residence of Mr Bannon was attended by numerous US senators and representatives, according to Politico. Mr Farage waved goodbye to the European Parliament last week after 21 years as an MEP. He then led celebrations in Westminster on January 31 as Britain split from Brussels at 11pm. The speech was also partuially overshadowed by a row between Mr Trump and Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mr Trump refused to shake her hand and Ms Pelosi then ripped up a copy of his speech live on TV Mr Farage has said he intends to mothball the Brexit Party so that it can be brought back if Boris Johnson fails to deliver an acceptable departure from the EU. Mr Trump's State of the Union lasted one hour and 18 minutes and was viewed as a clear pitch for a second term in office with the next presidential election taking place in November this year. The annual showpiece has traditionally been seen as a moment for political truce but this edition continued the political war which has been raging in the US ever since Mr Trump was elected in 2016. Mr Trump used the speech to proclaim a 'great American comeback' but he was booed and several Democrats walked out. Australia now has 13 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus after an eight-year-old boy was isolated in a Queensland hospital, as the federal government prepares to receive more evacuees from China. The child, from Wuhan which is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in the central China province of Hubei, was a member of a tour group travelling in Australia in late January. Two other people from that group, a man, 44, and a woman, 42, also had the virus and Queensland health authorities had been scrambling to contact other people on their flights in case the infection had spread. The child remains in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital and is currently stable, the states Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said. The case of the boy takes the number of confirmed cases in Queensland to three, adding the four cases in each of NSW and Victoria and two in South Australia. The nation infection rate now stands at 13 people. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed a group of 35 Australiansnot 50 as originally flaggedstranded in Wuhan left the Chinese city on Wednesday morning time on an Air New Zealand flight evacuating up to 100 Kiwis and a number of Pacific islanders to Auckland. From there, the Australians will be transferred to quarantine on Christmas Island, off the north-west coast of Western Australia, where they will join about 241 citizens and permanent residents who arrived on Monday and Tuesday. Another couple from the first group, a man and heavily pregnant woman, were isolated at a Perth hospital because there are no maternity services on the island. Morrison also warned Australians still in Wuhan a possible second assisted evacuation flight home the details of which are still be negotiated with Chinese authorities might be the last. What I want to tell people is that they cant count on a further flight beyond that, he told Nine Network. The Air NZ aircraft was flying over the Phillippines around 7.30 a.m. local time. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus infection among the men, women and children already on Christmas Island, where they are being held for up to two weeks. A team of specialist doctors and nurses is closely monitoring the evacuees, who were flown out of Wuhan on a Qantas flight. Up to 600 Australians initially registered for the evacuation flights home but some have decided to remain in Wuhan. Its not clear how many will join the next flight. Globally, 426 peoplemostly Chinese citizenshave died from the virus, including one death in the Philippines. The number of confirmed cases stands at 20,630. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 08:30 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20629a6c5 1 Business Indonesia,tourism,Hotel-Indonesia-Group,Mandalika,MICE,Toba-lake,labuan-bajo,borobudur Free State-owned hotel chain PT Hotel Indonesia Natour (HIN) plans to build a five-star hotel in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara, to support the government's super-priority destination program. To be developed this year, the hotel will also be used as a meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) venue, HIN president director Iswandi Said told the press. The company is still looking for investors to fund the project. "This is HIN's role in supporting the five super-priority destinations," Iswandi said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Jan. 30. "We have already prepared a plot of land for the five-star hotel. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is seeking to improve Indonesias tourism and spur economic growth by developing five super-priority destinations. Aside from Mandalika, the other destinations include Toba Lake in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Likupang in North Sulawesi. Last year, tourism contributed 5.5 percent to the country's GDP, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama was quoted by kontan.co.id as saying on Wednesday. The figure is a 9 percent drop from 2014. The government is, therefore, seeking to develop basic infrastructure to improve connectivity, water treatment facilities and other supporting facilities in the five destinations this year. The Public Works and Housing Ministry has allocated Rp 7.8 trillion (US$568.50 million) for infrastructure development in the destinations. To support the accessibility of the Mandalika destination, the government will develop a road linking the coastal resort area with Lombok International Airport. It is also developing roads in Lake Toba and Borobudur temple, as well as procuring a water supply facility in Labuan Bajo. HIN is conducting a study on the potential to develop a hotel in Likupang as part of its involvement in the super-priority destination program, Iswandi added. "If it is ready, we may build a hotel there," he said. "We will also give support in the form of human resources [to manage the destination]." HIN has developed hotels in Labuan Bajo, Lake Toba and near Borobudur temple. The Inaya Bay Komodo in Labuan Bajo was built in partnership with state-owned ferry operator PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry. The company is also planning to upgrade its Inna Parapat hotel in Lake Toba to a four-star hotel. Operating 14 hotels across Java, Sumatra and Bali, HIN is allocating Rp 172 billion from its budget for renovating its hotel rooms, according to Iswandi. "Our hotels should be able to live up to guests' expectations," he said. The number of guests staying at HIN's hotels slightly increased to 500,000 last year from 492,000 in 2018, according to a statement released on Thursday. However, the company booked a decline in occupancy rate, the ratio between booked rooms and the total rooms available, to 68.9 percent last year from 75.5 percent in 2017. (dfr) Supporters of democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wait for results to come in at his caucus night watch party on February 03, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa: Joe Raedle/Getty Images An MSNBC pundit was caught on air expressing that the Iowa caucus had turned into an effing disaster Monday night. The moment was captured in a clip widely spread around social media on Tuesday. In the video, a male voice can be heard over the voice of another MSNBC presenter as they give an update on the caucus. Oh my god, what an effing disaster, the voice said. Rachel Maddow, Lawrence ODonnell and Brian Williams were anchoring for the network at the time of the broadcast, as well as numerous pundits who appeared during the night. While the slip up on live TV wasnt a hallmark of professionalism, the sentiment of the disembodied voice wasn't unwarranted. Issues with a voting app used by the state Democratic party are reportedly to blame for the delay in results coming out of Iowa. During Monday nights chaos, precinct captains took to Twitter, reporting that theyd been on hold with the state Democratic party for hours waiting to report their results. Many of them posted the results on the social media site, including explanations of how the delegate splits work. Several of the candidates gave something resembling victory speeches as it became clear there would be no official results that evening. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, along with Andrew Yang, former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, made speeches that suggested victory was just around the corner. For each of them. Of all the speeches, Mr Buttigiegs - which was the last to be delivered - was the most brazenly evocative of a victory speech. We dont know all the results, but we know by the time its all said and done, Iowa you have shocked the nation," Mr Buttigieg said. By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious. Mr Buttigieg walked back the comments on MSNBC the next day, suggesting instead that the evening was a victory for the campaign rather than an outright campaign victory. The Texas Southern University board of regents has muzzled sidelined school President Austin A. Lane, but thats not stopping his wife from talking. Loren Lane took to social media Monday to urge TSUs friends and family to rally around her husband at a board meeting Tuesday evening at which the regents are scheduled to consider whether to fire the president they put on paid leave on Jan. 10. Please guys, plan to attend this meeting to express your support of the university and the immediate reinstatement of our 12th president, Dr. Austin A. Lane, Lane said in a video posted to Facebook. We need you to come out, to show up and to (provide) support so we can get back to doing the good work at (TSU). She noted that people who want to make a testimony of support before the board can sign up before the meetings 7 pm start time. The meeting will be held in TSUs Library Learning Center on the fifth floor. It is unclear if the regents will entertain such speakers. Their bylaws state that public comments or open presentation time are reserved for the beginning of each regular board meeting, but there is no indicator that public comments can be made during a special called meeting. TSU regents, who called the special meeting, have yet to provide much reasoning for their actions regarding Lane. After giving no explanation for placing him on leave, they subsequently released a statement noting the decision was made amid a probe into admissions. Though the regents have said that the president was interviewed twice during the investigation, they have not said how hes connected. On HoustonChronicle.com: TSU regents say president placed on leave amid probe into admissions improprieties President Lane has since declined interview requests from the Houston Chronicle, citing the boards instruction he not speak to the media. In the Facebook post, Loren Lane said the silence has been taken as a sign of scandal or wrongdoing by some. We chose to remain silent, putting our faith in the due process of fairness we expected from the board of regents, Loren Lane said. Although no one has communicated anything to us about a timeline, plans nor a resolution, we have remained faithful to due process and professionalism. We look forward to the day when Austin is reinstated as the president and his good name is cleared of any alleged improprieties, because there are simply none. She added that she and her husband look forward to putting this pause behind us and getting back to the work that we love the dedication to the students, the community and the continued advancement of the great work that hes done thus far and continue to do at (TSU). Until then, go Tigers. As of early Tuesday afternoon, Lanes post had generated more than 2,600 views, 160 likes, 70 shares and 30 comments, some saying that they will pray for her husbands reinstatement, all supportive. brittany.britto@chron.com The Trump administration has expanded tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum derivatives including steel nails, tacks, drawing pins, corrugated nails and staples, aluminum stranded wire, cables and plaited bands, and bumper and body stampings of aluminum and steel for motor vehicles and tractors. Additional duties of 10% for aluminum derivatives and 25% for steel derivatives will be imposed from Feb 8. However, Trump excluded certain countries like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea from the additional tariffs on steel derivatives, and Argentina, Australia, Canada and Mexico from the extra duties on aluminum products. In 2018, 25% tariff was imposed on foreign steel and 10% tariffs on foreign aluminum under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 pertaining to national security. The Trump administration said that a healthy domestic iron and steel manufacturing capacity was necessary for national defense. The reason behind the latest expansion of tariffs is to prevent some foreign companies from circumventing the previous hikes due to which imports of steel and aluminum derivatives had significantly increased. In fact, there was a 33% year-over-year rise in the steel nails and staples imports from June 2018 to May 2019 along with a 152% rise in aluminum wire and cable imports in the same period. According to American Iron and Steel Institute, the steel plants in the United States were operated at 82.7% of the capacity in the week of Jan 18 compared with 80.4% in the year-ago period. Moreover, United States Steel invested $978 million in its facilities during the first nine months of 2019, reflecting more than 50% increase from the year-ago period. The data demonstrates that large steel companies raised their investments since the tariffs were placed. However, economists and trade analysts do not seem to be surprised with the latest development. They earlier believed that steel prices in the United States were already high, and in such a situation imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would make it expensive and non-competitive to manufacture products like nail or car domestically. This will induce more companies to import such items. In this regard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Chad Bown commented that Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs have raised the cost of key inputs, making American companies that rely on those metals less competitive worldwide. Now Trump is expanding his tariffs to shield their products from competition as well. Where will it end? Story continues ETF to Gain The additional tariffs can provide more room for the domestic steel and aluminum players by making imports of products made from these metals expensive. Against this backdrop, investors can take a look at the following fund: VanEck Vectors Steel ETF SLX The fund seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the NYSE Arca Steel Index, which aims at tracking the overall performance of companies involved in the steel sector. The fund has an AUM of $58.7 million and charges a fee of 56 basis points. It holds a basket of 26 holdings. The fund has lost 14% over the past year (read: Sector ETFs & Stocks to Gain/Lose on Coronavirus Outbreak). Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks' free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report VanEck Vectors Steel ETF (SLX): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin M. Taufiqurrahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 5, 2020 10:16 705 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20629e3f7 1 Opinion Maruf-Amin,MarufAmin,Vice-President-Maruf-Amin,vice-president,Jokowi,jusuf-kalla,government,commentary Free If during the first three months of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's second term, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin traveled no further than Japan, decided to call off his trip to Malaysia for the Kuala Lumpur Summit and spent most of his time sitting quietly next to the President during Cabinet meetings, that would not necessarily signal that he is an ineffectual "veep". And if pundits and the media have all been crowing about Ma'rufs lackluster performance in his first 100 days on the job, then everyone has misjudged Ma'ruf's place in the Jokowi administration, if not completely misunderstood the role of the vice president as enshrined in the Constitution. Truth be told, there's not much to the role for any vice president in any administration to begin with. The amended 1945 Constitution clearly stipulates that a vice president's only work is to help the President. (The Constitution was amended four times and the only stipulation left untouched was articles on the role and position of the vice president). And if we can look past the vice president's legal position in the Constitution and consider only the political machination resulting in the appointment of Ma'ruf, the 79-year-old cleric's expiration date came soon after he was sworn into office. When presidential candidate Jokowi decided to pick Ma'ruf as his running mate, there was a clear and present danger to the incumbent's prospect for being reelected: the surge of Islamists who could tip the balance in favor of his rival Prabowo Subianto. And the decision to pick Ma'ruf, a revered cleric from the countrys largest Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama, was an effort to tilt the scales back. Even during the political campaign, Ma'ruf's role was clear; he was the token figure to boost Jokowi's credential as a Muslim candidate, a strategy that has paid off well with Jokowis being reelected by a margin wider than what he secured in the 2014 election. And if people continue to expect Ma'ruf to play a greater role in the Jokowi administration after only being Jokowi's handmaid during the political campaigning, it is simply because his predecessor, Jusuf Kalla, set a high bar for the vice presidential position. Kalla's reputation as a can-do politician who gets the job done has indeed cast a long shadow. In the first term of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Kalla in fact played a crucial part in making key economic decisions to a point where he got to decide what type of fuel the country's poor got to use for cooking. The decision to phase out kerosene and shift to the much cheaper liquefied petroleum gas was Kalla's brainchild. Such a crucial role has largely been curtailed in the first administration of President Jokowi, but he could play the role of a steady hand that could help steer the ship in case of an emergency. But Kalla is an exception rather than a rule. Kalla has a wide political base that friends or foes should take into consideration. Not only did he represent the voting bloc from the eastern part of Indonesia, he continued to be a kingmaker within Golkar, the country's oldest political party. No one before or after Kalla could come close to matching that feat. Yudhoyono's pick for vice president for his second term, Boediono, was a bookish university professor with no political background. He was a safe choice for a second-term president, but history would have little to write about him. And if history can be our guide, even the best vice president with the most impressive pedigree did not stand a chance when dealing with an imperial president. Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX was the reigning king of the Yogyakarta sultanate and a much-respected figure within civilian and military circles when he was appointed president Soeharto's first vice president in 1973. Yet he stood in silence when Soeharto took all the credit and made no effort to pay him respect when it was due. It was reported that Soeharto required the presence of a third person in a private conversation, so that he could speak in Indonesian with the sultan rather than address him in high Javanese. In the end, Sri Sultan could no longer deal with the slight and resigned from his position in March 1978, citing poor health. As for the sultan's predecessor, Mohammad Hatta, a figure looming large in the history books, he came from a different era, when political giants like Sukarno, Sjahrir, Soedirman and Tan Malaka operated on the scene as first among equals. So, for now, Vice President Ma'ruf should just sit back and relax and enjoy his time on the job. After all, believing that he is only one heartbeat away from the presidency could be a terrifying thought. (United States president Lyndon Johnson, who took over from John F. Kennedy, was so petrified by the weight of the presidency that he decided not to run for reelection in 1968). Playing second fiddle can be a lot of fun. There's an obvious reason why the HBO series Veep is a satirical comedy and not a suspense. The real drama happens on the West Wing. (Newser) If you'd love nothing more than hunting for days with the president's son, you just might be able tobut it'll cost you a minimum of $10,000. That's the starting bid for the "dream hunt" with Donald Trump Jr. being auctioned off by Safari Club International during its annual convention taking place Wednesday through Saturday in Reno, Nevada, USA Today reports Trump Jr. is the keynote speaker at the event (and the Beach Boys are the musical act), and the Alaska hunt goes up for auction on the last night. The 7-day hunt will target Sitka black-tailed deer and sea ducks, with each hunter allowed to harvest two deer. The Guardian reports thousands are expected to attend the convention, which bills Trump Jr. as a person "who's [sic] passion for the outdoors makes him the number one ambassador for our way of life." story continues below Animal rights organizations are unsurprisingly displeased, with the head of the Humane Society calling it "the largest meeting in the world of people who celebrate the senseless killing, buying and selling of dead animals for bragging rights." REO Speedwagon was also set to perform at the convention, but pulled out under pressure from animal rights groups. In response to the controversy, SCI said hunting contributes significantly to conservation efforts and called Trump Jr. "an accomplished conservationist." Trump Jr.'s son will also be along for the hunt, which is part of a series aiming to "bring youth/new hunters into the field." (Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys, would like you to boycott the Beach Boys over this event.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: The building of the Georgian National Youth Palace will be fully restored, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said at a meeting of the city government, Trend reports citing Georgian media. On May 28, 1918, a declaration of independence, officially proclaiming the creation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) - the first democratic republic in the East - was read out in the building where the National Youth Palace is currently located. According to Kaladze, the restoration of the building of the Youth Palace, as well as of the building of the Georgia Military College Corps of Cadets will be completed in 2021, and the project will cost in total 25 million lari ($8.7 million). Within the works, internal halls of the Palace will also be restored. A tender will be announced shortly. The historical appearance of the Youth Palace will be preserved, the yard will be renewed, the territory will be landscaped. Seventy million lari ($5.9 million) will be allocated for restoration work, said the mayor. According to him, engineering networks will be modernized in the Youth Palace, walls and foundations will be strengthened, doors and windows updated. At the entrance to the hall, where ADR was declared, a memorial plaque with information in Azerbaijani, Georgian and English will be installed. This year is special in terms of infrastructure projects. We have planned many interesting initiatives, Kaladze said. --- Follow the author on twitter: @Mila61979356 By Trend Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar will visit Azerbaijan to participate in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of member states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) to be held in Baku Feb. 6, a source in the Hungarian Embassy in Baku told Trend Feb. 5. Since 2018, Hungary has observer status in the Turkic Council. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Uzbekistan joined the organization in 2019. The organization's goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Kolkata, Feb 5 : In a horrible incident that has once again raised questions on women's safety in the eastern metropolis, miscreants in an ambulance tried to drag a housewife into the vehicle and then fatally ran over her father-in-law when he resisted, police and witnesses said on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Gobinda Khatik Road in the Tangra area around Tuesday-Wednesday midnight when the victims were returning with other members of the family from a marriage ceremony. The woman said the ambulance came beside them at a high speed and screeched to a halt. She could hear one of those inside the vehicle telling the other person: "Drag her in". "There was one person in the ambulance apart from the driver. I got panicked on hearing what they were saying. Then one of them tried to drag me inside by pulling my left arm. When I shouted, my father-in-law and others rushed to save me. My father-in-law stood before the car. "When those inside the vehicle found the situation getting messy for them, they drove at a high speed, running over and dragging my father-in-law," she said, still trembling in fear. The man was rushed to the state-run Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The woman said she had not seen the assailants earlier. "But if I see them again, I'll be able to identify them," she said. A local person who saw the incident said the car had dragged the woman's father-in-law with such ferocity that all his clothes were torn apart. "When we rescued him, he had virtually nothing on," he said. Police said they were looking at all angles in the case. "A probe is on. We are examining the CCTV footage of the area," said a police source. There have been a number of incidents of women including actresses and models getting harassed in Kolkata over the past few months. One of the victims was former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta. A group of bike-borne youths had beaten up the driver of Sengupta's cab after one of their two wheelers hit the car. The youths then followed her, threw stones at the cab and tried to snatch her phone to delete the video she had taken of the incident. A popular Bengali television actor Swastika Dutta had a harrowing experience, when an app cab driver "pulled" her out of the vehicle, threatened and "abused" her when she was going for a serial shoot. A week prior to Dutta's bitter experience, a Bengali television actress Juhi Sengupta alleged that she along with her parents was harassed and heckled by employees of a petrol pump. Her father, a senior citizen, was even pushed by the employee during the altercation. In December last year, a group of youths in a car chased an actress and made indecent gestures at her using cuss words. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials confirmed on Wednesday (February 5) that President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected the mercy petition of Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the four convicts facing execution in Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Talking to PTI, an MHA official said that Singh had filed the mercy plea before President Kovind a few days ago. Notably, President Kovind had already rejected the clemency petition of two other Nirbhaya case convicts - Mukesh Singh and Vinay Kumar Sharma. The development came hours after the Delhi High Court ruled that all the four convicts in Nirbhaya case should be hanged together, not separately. The Delhi HC also dismissed the Centre's plea against the order passed by the trial staying the execution of the convicts. The court also directed the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case to avail all their legal remedies within the next seven days. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait observed in his order that no doubt the Nirbhaya case was a heinous crime and the convicts will take every remedy available. On January 7, black warrants were issued by the trial court for the execution of all the four convicts in Tihar jail at 7 am on January 22. But the execution was not carried out due to pendency of mercy petition of one of them. On January 17, the trial court fixed 6 am on February 1 as the date and time of hanging but on January 31, the trial court again stayed the execution as the counsel for Pawan, Vinay and Akshay urged the court to adjourn the matter "sine die" saying they were yet to use all their legal remedies. While the mercy pleas of Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay have been rejected by the President, Pawan is yet to file his plea before the President. The four convicts on death row are Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Thakur. Needless to say, if Monday evenings Iowa election fiasco took place in some banana republic, somebody would have dispatched Jimmy Carter to launch a monitoring effort by midnight. It is now clear that asking an all-white audience to play this Byzantine caucus game is an impractical way to open the nominee selection process. And with the victor still undecided days after the gyms have cleared out, the Democratic Party has to admit that this Iowa has done little to earn its vaunted place in electoral politics. It has, however, caused more chaos and consternation than the party can afford right now, and with so much at stake, that should be a disqualifier. But put aside the technical glitches, the data inconsistencies, the perplexing rules, and the collapse of an archaic system. Iowa, as often noted, simply should not have an excessive influence on a country to which it bears no resemblance. It is wrong to follow any electoral trend set by a place that has fewer people than Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, and Essex Counties combined. Iowa also happens to be 90 percent white, with 2 black mayors in the entire state, and it has never elected a single person of color to statewide office. And everything about the process is undemocratic, starting with the absence of secret ballots and absentee ballots. There is a reason that only 15 percent of the voting-eligible population show up to caucus, in contrast to more than 50 percent of New Hampshire primary voters: They are not accessible. Thousands with disabilities cannot participate. Some parents cannot find babysitters, and night shift workers are left out. Former felons are barred from voting, which eliminates one in 10 African-American voters. As one county official recently told Vox, This system was designed for 40 people in a living room. The system of rewarding delegates also is ludicrous. Consider this head-scratching math from Mother Jones: It takes only 43 participants in Fremont County a GPS black hole along the states rural southwest edge, where 7,000 people occupy 27 towns to win a delegate from a caucus. But in Johnson and Story Counties which host state universities it takes more than 200. In Polk County, home to Des Moines, the number is 150. Iowa caucus incredibly undemocratic: -No absentee voting or secret ballot -1000s with disabilities cant participate -40,000 with past felony convictions barred from voting -Rural counties get more delegates than urban ones This is not good way to choose party nominee Ari Berman (@AriBerman) February 4, 2020 No, Iowa is not a kingmaker, but its place on the calendar confers a crucial role as winnower: It narrows the field, and creates campaign momentum. Some could argue that it made Barack Obama. Some could also argue that it wrecked the presidential ambitions of Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. But Monday nights meltdown was no aberration. In 2012, Mitt Romney was declared the winner on the night of the Republican caucuses by a 34-vote margin out of more than 120,000 cast. But the vote totals of eight precincts were somehow left out, and it wasnt until weeks later than Rick Santorum was awarded the victory which was too late to give his campaign a boost. And remember the schoolyard solution employed in the 2016 caucuses, which were so close that 8 precincts used coin flips to decide delegates after their Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders votes ended in a tie. Youd think that Iowa would have made alternate plans if an even number of people showed up in room. Or at least adopt an electoral system that includes actual ballots and voting booths. Regardless, the nominee selection process should begin in places that look and vote more like America preferably one with a diverse and engaged electorate. This is not intended as a cultural affront toward the Hawkeye State, which is undoubtedly a dynamic hub of Midwest culture and a place people wear ties and dark socks, sometimes simultaneously. But you had a splendid half-century run at this, Iowans. We salute your dedication to the process, which is a relic of another age. It is time, at least electorally, to catch up to East Nebraska. "I think the Iowa caucuses are dead, dead, dead. I don't even think that's a discussion anymore," says @davidaxelrod, a longtime believer in the Iowa caucuses, which launched Barack Obama 12 years ago to the White House. Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) February 4, 2020 Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Mumbai, Feb 5 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday cracked the whip on the administration after two incidents of women being set ablaze within 36 hours at Wardha and Aurangabad rocked the state. While a 24-year old college lecturer was set ablaze by a spurned suitor in Wardha's Hinganghat town on Monday morning, late on Tuesday night, a 50-year old woman was assaulted and set ablaze in her home by a beer bar owner in Aurangabad's Andhari village. Both the accused - Vikesh alias Vicki Nagrale, (Wardha) and Santosh Mohite (Aurangabad) in these incidents have been arrested by the respective district police. As the issue figured in the Lok Sabha again on Wednesday, Thackeray took serious cognizance of the incidents and ordered the Police and Home Departments to ensure the accused get the most stringent punishment in the shortest possible time. "The security of women and children is our priority. Any employees or officers found negligent or lethargic in their duties, will be dealt with very strictly," he warned. The CM directed the Police and Home Departments to ensure that in such cases of atrocities against women or children, the FIRs must be registered immediately, investigations taken up, all evidence should be scrupulously collected, a strong charge sheet must be filed and the cases must be vigorously pursued for faster justice in the courts. Thackeray has asked the Home Department to examine the feasibility of setting up an all-women police station in each district, augmenting the number of fast-track or special courts to deal with such cases to ensure the victims don't get disheartened by legal delays. In the latest incident, the victim was living alone at her home and around 11 pm on Tuesday, the accused Mohite, barged into her home, said Aurangabad official Babashah B. Pathan. When she protested at this, the enraged Mohite abused, assaulted her and then took a can of kerosene lying in the home, doused her, set her ablaze before running out of her home after locking the door from outside. Hearing her screams and seeing the smoke emanating from her home, some neighbours rushed there to help her and summoned the local police. She has been rushed to a hospital in the nearby town of Ghati with 95 burns and is battling for life. "The victim is extremely critical, but managed to record her statement. We have arrested the accused and booked him for various offences including attempt to murder. We are trying to ascertain the motives behind the crime and further investigations are on," Pathan told IANS. The incident comes barely 36 hours after the shocking public burning of a 25-year old lecturer Ankita Pissude by a spurned suitor in Hinganghat town in Wardha on Monday, around 7.15 am on a square outside her college. A medical bulletin issued by the Orange City Hospital & Research Institute (OCHRI) Director Anup Marar described her condition as "very critical" and she has undergone several procedures on Wednesday. While the stunned people of Hinganghat observed a shutdown with a huge procession to protest the incident, the victim's family and many others demand "instant capital punishment in public" for the accused in the heinous crime. To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it. Only 90 films in history have been given this award. Theyre not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the 6,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry. Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices. By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in. When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The Kings Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. Its rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise. Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere. Click through to see the 10 worst winners of Hollywoods most prestigious award. The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 10. The Life of Emile Zola Prestige counts at the Oscars. That is why a stodgy literary biopic like The Life of Emile Zola somehow won the main award at the 1937 Oscars. Its a solid and worthy piece of work, with a grandstanding performance from Paul Muni (under a lot of whiskers) as the campaigning French novelist. The idea, though, that it is one of the few truly great pictures of all time, as its own publicity suggested, is clearly idiotic. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 9. Rocky It may seem churlish to go after an underdog like Rocky but this was an undeserving Best Picture winner. The Academy voters in 1976 acted as if they were punch drunk and had spent too long in the ring with Apollo Creed. The problem with its victory wasnt so much the film itself but with the other nominees that were spurned in its favour. Taxi Driver, All the Presidents Men and Network all surely had a better claim to that years statuette. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 8. Around the World in 80 Days This was a perfectly amiable big-budget travelogue but you cant help but suspect its Best Picture Oscar was more to do with the marketing and hustling skills of its producer, Mike Todd, than with any brilliance in the filmmaking. It was directed by the Englishman Michael Anderson, previously best known for The Dam Busters, and featured David Niven as the intrepid traveller, Phileas Fogg, who bets he can travel all the way round the world in a little over two months. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 7. Crash Paul Haggiss Crash is a decent and well-meaning study of the consequences of racism and violence in contemporary LA. It was independently made and had a large ensemble cast, all giving heartfelt performances. However, Robert Altman had covered similar territory better in Short Cuts and the feeling persisted that it had won the Best Picture award because some Academy voters were determined not to give the Oscar to the gay-themed contemporary western Brokeback Mountain. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 6. Chicago You rarely win an Oscar without a strong marketing campaign. The now disgraced distributor/producer Harvey Weinstein knew the secrets of getting Academy voters on his side better than anyone else in the business. Whether it was the Blitz-like approach to advertising in the trade press, or the timing of the awards screenings, or the way he kept the films stars in front of the media or his relentless courtship of the Academy members, he was arguably as important to the Oscar success of the so-so musical Chicago as any of the creative talent behind it. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 5. A Beautiful Mind Its not bad. Its a love story that touches on mental illness and mathematics (neither usually subjects that Hollywood embraces). Russell Crowe gives a fine performance as John Nash, the Nobel prize-winning boffin with the beautiful but unstable mind. Nonetheless, Ron Howards biopic isnt any kind of classic. It won its Best Picture Oscar in an unusually thin year. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 4. Marty Marty, the 1955 winner, isnt even the best version of its own subject matter. This story, scripted by the great Paddy Chayevsky, about an emotionally repressed Italian American butcher from the Bronx looking for love, had already been made as a live TV drama the year before. In the small-screen version, Rod Steiger gave a superlative performance in the lead role. Ernest Borgnine in the film version cant help but seem like second best to anyone who saw Steiger in the same part. Whereas the puggish Borgnine makes Marty a figure of pity, Steiger turned him into a full blown tragic hero. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 3. Out of Africa Youll remember the pink flamingos and all those scenes of beautiful Kenyan landscapes that looked as if they were cribbed from a David Attenborough natural history documentary. You wont ever forget Meryl Streeps eccentric accent as the Danish baroness and author, Karen Blixen (I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong hills). This is mushy stuff, though, and hardly deserving of its Oscar. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 2. Braveheart This rousing, Scottish-set (but partly Irish-filmed) medieval epic is famous for its scenes of William Wallaces army in blue faces lifting their kilts and baring their bums. Regardless of how accurate this was as history, it played into ongoing debates about devolution and Scottish independence. The film also did its bit for the Scottish tourism business. Mel Gibson knows how to stage a battle scene. Whether that qualifies his film for a Best Picture Oscar is another matter. Rex Features The 10 worst Oscar Best Picture winners 1. The Greatest Show on Earth From a vantage point 67 years on, the decision to give the Best Picture Oscar to Cecil B DeMilles circus epic in 1952 is truly baffling. British viewers who have seen it will almost certainly have done so on TV (where its 152-minute running time made it useful for filling in gaps in the schedule). It has a decent cast and some reasonable stunts but Academy voters were surely clowning around when they chose it over other nominees in the same year which have aged far, far better like High Noon and The Quiet Man. Rex Features Follow along with all the latest Oscars coverage from The Independent here. The government is hopeful of selling minority stake in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in the next fiscal, a senior official said on Wednesday. Economic Affairs Secretary said it would take about 8-9 months to prepare accounts and do the required legal tweaking before an IPO of the insurance behemoth could be launched. "I am certain that it will happen next year. It takes about 8-9 months for preparation of its accounts. What kind of legal tweaks that need to be made," he said at a CII event here. Chakraborty said an initial public offering (IPO) of would also help to discipline into the organisation and improve depth of the market. "I am quite hopeful that we should be able to finish itbefore March 31, 2021. The money of course will come through, that's less of an issue. It will be a substantial chunk that not withstanding when you bring into public space such organisation," he added. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2020-21 Budget had said that will be listed as part of the government disinvestment initiative. Currently, the government owns 100 per cent stake in The 60-year-old state-owned firm, LIC, is the country's largest insurer, controlling more than 70 per cent of the market share. The insurer has a market share of 76.28 per cent in number of policies and 71 per cent in first-year premiums. LIC has many subsidiaries, including IDBI Bank. It acquired controlling stake in the bank last year. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 trillion. Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the government is readying "big ticket disinvestment" for the next fiscal with approvals in place for BPCL, Air India, Shipping Corporation and Concor. "Going forward, we have a challenging task and we are ready for it,... With someminority stake sale and big strategic disinvestment we hope to achieve this target," he said. The government has revised downwards the budgeted disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh in the current Fiscal to Rs 65,000 crore. So far, it has mopped up Rs 34,000 crore and hopes to garner the remaining amount by March 31, 2020. Contra Costa County prosecutors charged three suspected D Block Norteno gang members with murder, conspiracy to commit a crime and street terrorism in connection to the 2005 slaying of a teen boy who was shot while he slept in his Antioch apartment. Candice Marie Carter, George Marcus Siever and Brian Lee Gray Sr. ages 39, 35 and 34, respectively are accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Edgar Martinez, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday by the Contra Costa County district attorneys office. The three suspects face four felony charges, as well as gang enhancements and street terrorism special allegations that could lead to life in prison if theyre convicted. All three were held on $5.28 million bail Wednesday and are due to be arraigned Tuesday in a Pittsburg courthouse, said Scott Alonso, a spokesman for the district attorneys office. It was unclear whether any of the suspects have an attorney. The announcement of charges came Wednesday, a day after Antioch police revealed the arrest of Siever and Gray, who were taken into custody days after officials nabbed Carter. Prosecutors allege the three met up on March 27, 2005, and agreed to shoot the residents of a home at 314 West 20th St. in Antioch. Authorities previously said Carter had been in a dispute that day on the same block with a group of men she suspected to be rival gang members. Siever called an acquaintance looking for a gun, prosecutors alleged, and Gray took a .30-30 rifle from the acquaintance. The two allegedly armed themselves with the rifle and a 9mm pistol. Carter drove the pair to the block, parked down the road and waited while the two walked to 314 West 20th St., prosecutors said. Then they allegedly opened fire on the home, killing Martinez. Police said he had not been involved in the original argument. Gray later returned the rifle to the acquaintance, according to prosecutors, who did not say if they found either of the weapons but accused the three suspects of disposing of one of the guns that killed Martinez. The trio also face a charge of shooting at an inhabited dwelling. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The Chronicle reported at the time that Martinez had recently arrived in the United States from Mexico and worked in construction to send money to his mother and brother in Michoacan. A dozen or more bullets were fired into the apartment building where Martinez and his father lived with cousins, one of whom was a Sureno gang member who had trouble with local Nortenos, according to several people The Chronicle interviewed at the time. Antioch police officials said they arrested Carter on Jan. 30 on a high-risk warrant. On Tuesday, authorities announced the arrest of Siever and Gray after obtaining arrest warrants from the district attorneys office. Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks told The Chronicle last week he could not comment on the case because it was ongoing, but he commended his investigators persistence. I will just say our detectives have been doing an amazing job of constantly reviewing cold cases, following up on new leads, and utilizing advances in DNA and technology to give life to previously stalled investigations, Brooks said. Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej Motunrayo Rafiu, a recent graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, has been kidnapped on her way to resume at the Abuja campus of the Nigerian Law School. Miss Rafiu left her home in Ogun State on Tuesday morning. It was gathered that she was kidnapped along Kabba road in Kogi State. She was earlier declared missing by her colleagues and friends, who posted her pictures on social media, but the news of her abduction was later confirmed by her mother, Kudirat Rafiu. Mrs Rafiu, who spoke with this correspondent on Wednesday, said the abductors made a demand of N5 million. Meanwhile, she did not disclose whether or not there are plans to pay the ransom. I was calling her line all through yesterday. At a point, she even complained that I was calling her too much. It was not up till 15 minutes after she told me that the bus arrived Kabba that she refused picking calls. I was worried and another relative helped in trying her phone number. Later yesterday, someone who introduced himself as a soldier informed us that Motunrayo alongside others were victims of kidnapping and that their luggage are still in the bus. This morning, she (Motunrayo) was the one who called with an unknown number that she was kidnapped and the kidnappers are demanding five million naira, the mother told our correspondent. Mrs Rafiu said the family reported the case to officers at a police station in Ogun state but was informed that the incident happened outside their jurisdiction. When our correspondent reached out to the police spokesperson in Kogi, Williams Aya, he said he was not aware of the incident. Mr Aya requested for the details of the kidnap, which PREMIUM TIMES forwarded to him immediately. Surge in Kidnapping Aside from the resurgent Boko Haram attacks in the North-east, there have been increased cases of killings and kidnappings across the country. This led to protest by members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the country on Sunday. The menace of insecurity topped the topics debated in the Senate last week. PREMIUM TIMES also reported how two persons, last Saturday, were killed in Kaduna State by their abductors. The two victims are 18-year-old seminarian, Michael Nnadi, and the wife of a Kaduna-based medical doctor, Philip Ataga. Their bodies were found by the roadside on Saturday. According to reports, Mr Nnadi was kidnapped on January 8 while Mrs Ataga suffered the same fate on January 24 in Chikun LGA, Kaduna state. Before she was killed, her abductors requested a N150 million ransom for the release of Mrs Ataga and her two children abducted with her. Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take up to three weeks of unpaid leave, CEO Augustus Tang said Wednesday, as the airline faces a crisis in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. "I am hoping all of you will participate, from our frontline employees to our senior leaders, and share in our current challenges," Tang said in a video message posted online. The request lays bare desperate times at Cathay, which was hammered last year by months of political chaos and protests in Hong Kong and has now been hurt further by the fallout from the virus outbreak. The coronavirus, which was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, spread over the Lunar New Year holiday, which would normally be one of the busiest times for regional airlines. Instead dozens of international carriers have reduced or suspended flights to China in a bid to halt the pathogen's spread and as passenger numbers fall off a cliff. In his video message to employees, Tang warned Cathay was experiencing "one of the most difficult Chinese New Year holidays we have ever had" because of the virus. "And we don't know how long it will last," he added. "With such an uncertain outlook, preserving our cash is now the key to protecting our business." He announced a series of measures to tackle the crisis, including asking staff to voluntarily take unpaid leave. "I realise this is difficult to hear. And we may need to take further steps ahead. But by supporting the special leave scheme, you will be helping at our time of need," he told staff. He also asked suppliers to reduce their prices and said the airline would make short-term adjustments to its capacity, including an already announced move to reduce flights to the Chinese mainland by 90 per cent. Donald Trump earned a standing ovation from the parents of Kayla Mueller as he praised the special forces raid that killed her captor and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Towards the end of his speech - which was peppered with guest appearances and theatrical moments - Trump welcomed Carl and Marsha Mueller, who were sat in front of his own family in the House gallery. He recalled Kayla's legacy as a humanitarian worker, her capture and torture at the hands of Baghdadi, and her eventual murder, before speaking about the night that Baghdadi met his own death. Carl and Marsha Mueller, the parents of Kayla Mueller who was killed by ISIS, give Donald Trump a standing ovation in the House Gallery during his State of the Union address Trump brought out Kayla's parents as he praised the special forces raid that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - the leader of ISIS and her captor - which was named in honor of her 'On the night that United States Special Forces Operators ended Al Baghdadi's miserable life,' he said, 'the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. 'He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team, that so perfectly carried out the operation, had given their mission a name - "Task Force 8-14." 'It was a reference to a special day: August 14th - Kayla's birthday. 'Carl and Marsha, America's warriors never forgot Kayla - and neither will we.' The remarks earned a standing ovation, including from Kayla's parents who appeared emotional as Trump was speaking. Carl stood holding a portrait photo of his daughter with his hand across his chest, while Marsha applauded the President. Trump's speech was littered with references to special guests who sat around his family in the public gallery (top right) who were chosen to underline the legacy of his first term in office Carl Mueller hled a portrait of his daughter while wife Marsha got emotional as President Trump spoke during the address It was one of a number of guest appearances during Trump's speech, designed to hammer home his record in office as the 2020 election looms. Among those receiving honors on Capitol Hill was Charles McGee, a 100-year-old member of the Tuskegee Airmen who was promoted from Colonel to Brigadier General in respect for his achievements. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was also handed the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, days after announcing he has advanced lung cancer. Also sitting in guest seats in the gallery was a veteran who turned to drugs suffering from PTSD and is now a poster boy for Trump's 'opportunity zone' initiative; a border patrol commander; and a man whose brother was killed by an illegal immigrant. A widow whose husband was killed by an IED linked to Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general whose death Trump ordered; a baby born at 21 weeks who has become a pro-life movement icon; and Venezuela's former top cop who fled the Maduro regime were also invited. Juan Guiado, the Venezuelan opposition leader recognized by the US as the country's true ruler, also stopped by after a round-the-world tour to drum up support from his allies. But the carefully stage-managed show ended up being overshadowed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tearing up the pages of Trump's speech as he finished. The Muellers' attendance was just one of a number of guest appearances during Trump's speech that also included veteran Tony Rankins (pictured center) Jody Jones (left), whose brother was killed by an illegal immigrant and Kelli Hake (right), whose husband was killed by an IED linked to Qassem Soleimani, were also honored Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee, who served with the Tuskagee Airmen, attends the State of the Union address with his great- grandson Iain Lanphier, 13, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido acknowledges applause at the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaking after the speech had finished, Pelosi said ripping the pages apart 'was the courteous thing to do, given the alternatives.' She added: 'Once again, President Trump was not truthful about his actions in court to destroy pre-existing condition protections. 'Once again, President Trump pulled his punch on his promise to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, which House Democrats delivered with the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, H.R.3. 'Democrats continue to urge the President to abandon his assault on seniors and families and to join us to deliver real progress in lowering the price of prescription drugs and making the bold investments needed to rebuild America's infrastructure in a green and modern way.' She added: 'The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people.' The White House responded by accusing Pelosi of ripping up 'one of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the survival of a child born at 21 weeks, the mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller and a service member's reunion with his family' - all of which were features of Trump's address. 'That's her legacy,' the spokesman added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 23:21:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe will at the end of this month host the high-level Sixth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD). In that regard, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday met with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) executive secretary Vera Songwe to discuss the upcoming conference, which will be held from Feb. 24 to 27 in the resort town of Victoria Falls. The conference, which is the biggest to be held by UNECA, will bring together over 2,000 delegates from United Nations (UN) agencies, African governments and other development partners. After her meeting with Mnangagwa, Songwe thanked the Zimbabwean government for agreeing to host the forum. "This is one of the biggest meetings that we as the UN in Africa host, the Africa Sustainable Development Forum and essentially we bring together all of the UN family and all of the member states of the continent to talk about Sustainable Development Goals," she said. The aim of the SDGs is to improve the quality of life of people in all aspects by 2030, with major focus on health, education and job creation among others. "This year is particularly important because we have 10 years to get to 2030 and it is also part of a slice of 2063, the Africa we want, which is the African Union agenda. It really brings everybody together to see what else we need to do to get there," Songwe said. She said Zimbabwe represented some of the successes, expectations and challenges that Africa was facing in achieving sustainable development. "The continent can learn a lot from what you are doing in the ICT sector but you also have challenges with climate change and its consequences," the UNECA boss said. With energy production in the region having been hit by frequent drought, Songwe said it was imperative to look at renewable energy and the role of regional power pools to ensure African economies are not affected by power shortages. Enditem A British tech entrepreneur facing US fraud charges for 'overstating the value' of the firm he sold to Hewlett-Packard has been bailed for 10million as he battles extradition. Michael Lynch, 54, sold his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011 in an 11billion dollar (8.5million) deal. The sale resulted in heavy losses for HP, with US authorities claiming Lynch deliberately overstated the value of his firm, which specialised in software to sort through large data sets. US justice officials requested the extradition of the electrical engineering expert, who splits him time between London and his farm in Suffolk, in November. Lynch, who has a PhD in signal processing from Cambridge, faces 17 criminal charges including wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy to defraud. At a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning, Judge Emma Arbuthnot granted Lynch bail on the condition a security of 10million be placed with the court. Lynch's legal team had initially offered 1.5million. Michael Lynch, 54, sold his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011 in an 11billion dollar (8.5million) deal HP is seeking damages of five billion dollars (3.8 billion) from Lynch in a civil case in London's High Court. He claims any loss was down to the tech giant's mismanagement of the acquisition. Alex Bailin QC, for Lynch, said his client had not left the country since learning of the extradition bid more than a year ago and has handed over his British and Irish passports. He said Lynch divided his time between London and his family's farm in Suffolk. 'This is UK-based conduct, a UK-based plc culminating in a UK civil trial. This matter is unquestionably based in the UK - the forum bar (of the Extradition Act 2003) is there to provide real protection.' Mr Bailin said the indictment against Lynch spanned almost 10 years, and described it as 'breathtakingly broad'. Judge Arbuthnot listed Lynch's case for a management hearing on March 10 ahead of a full hearing later this year. On top of the 10million security, she barred him from applying for any international documents, leaving England and Wales, or entering any international airport, ferry port or train terminal. Lynch, who has a house in St Leonard's Terrace, Chelsea, was also ordered to attend Belgravia Police Station every Friday. 'If you fail to comply you could face up to a year in prison - possibly more,' Judge Arbuthnot told him. In a joint statement, Lynch's lawyers Chris Morvillo and Reid Weingarten said the allegations had previously been investigated by the UK's Serious Fraud Office and no action was taken. 'The US Department of Justice should not have commenced extradition proceedings prior to the judgment of the English High Court,' they said. 'This case has wider implications for British business. The US claims concern alleged conduct in the UK. 'Dr Lynch is a British citizen who ran a British company listed on the London Stock Exchange, governed by English law and UK accounting standards. 'This extradition request reflects yet another example of the Department of Justice's attempts to exert extraterritorial jurisdiction over non-US conduct. 'The forum bar in the UK Extradition Act was enacted by the UK Parliament to protect British citizens from such a scenario. 'Dr Lynch vigorously rejects all the allegations against him and is determined to continue to fight these charges.' The visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Ukraine have given rise to the question of what Ankara and ... Moscow relations are like. The Turkish-Ukrainian relations are fine. At least, formally. Of course, Erdogan's preliminary statements and his performances in Kiev could not have been anti-Ukrainian or pro-Russian. Everyone understood this. But the Turkish president still overplayed his hand. It's understandable that Ankara does not want or cannot recognize Crimea as part of Russia. But calling it annexed by the country, whose president you call "my brother Vladimir," seems to be too much. The Turkish leader's statement about the annexation has provoked a tough reaction from Moscow. Everything else can be understood and even accepted to some extent, including a promise to help the Ukrainian army, build houses for Crimean Tatars, facilitate Ukraines entry into NATO, as well as statements about the need to increase trade and economic ties, etc. Although in this context it is worth noting that the Crimean Tatars, which did not leave the peninsula after reuniting with Russia, feel offended. The President of Turkey, discussing the tasks and promising assistance to the Crimean Tatar people, shouldn't have limited himself to meetings with the part that left Crimea, wanting to remain under Ukraine's jurisdiction, but to find an opportunity and communicate with the Crimeans to identify their needs and requirements. And everything that Erdogan said in Kiev suggests a disregard for the opinion of the Crimean Tatars who voted for the peninsula to be part of Russia and decided to live in Crimea. The Turkish president's line, of course, did not go unnoticed in Moscow. "Everything has been taken into account ... Vladimir Putin has repeatedly discussed the Crimean Tatars in Crimea with Erdogan... We have repeatedly said that any concerns regarding Crimean Tatars are groundless," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, stressing that the Turkish leader has a valid invitation to visit Crimea and see everything with his own eyes. But it's impossible without quarreling with Kiev. Ukraine opposes uncoordinated visits to Crimea. But how and with whom to coordinate it, if this territory is at least de facto part of another state, and de facto and de jure not controlled by Ukraine? However, Erdogan does not care about these 'matters' now. Half a year ago, when President Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Ankara, which was one of his first foreign visits, assured him that Turkey did not intend to move away from the recognition of Ukraine's territorial integrity. And he repeated this in November, during the Turkish-Ukrainian consultations in the Turkish capital. There may be one reason for such unambiguous behavior of Erdogan in Kiev - the situation in Syrian Idlib, where Turkish soldiers were killed in shelling. Turkey said that Assads army deliberately fired shells at Turkish positions, hinting that they could receive information from the Russian military. According to the Russian side, the tragedy occurred due to spontaneous maneuvers of the Turkish forces,while according to the agreement, the parties should notify each other of their movements. After this verbal skirmish, Erdogan announced that no one should stand in the way of his troops, and then presented his report on the consequences of the Idlib shelling - Assad's army lost about 35 troops in artillery strikes. Erdogan also took the liberty of making a direct remark to Moscow, after which the question arose - do Russia and Turkey remain partners in Syria? The is not an idle question, because, for example, joint patrols near Kobane were canceled. Nevertheless, such a sharp deterioration in relations between Moscow and Ankara is probably temporary. They will have to find a common language in Syria, because, in addition to the Syrian issue, there are a number of other regional problems that cannot be solved if the dialogue mode is turned off. For example, the conflict in Libya, in which Russia and Turkey have started to play an obvious and non-episodic role. Or, by the way, the complex Kurdish issue, the need to resolve which is ripe, indeed overripe, giving rise to new related problems. And of course, the issue of Syria's integrity. Given the global nature of these tasks, Erdogans harsh statements in Kiev remain only statements. Although quite excessive and strongly disliked by Moscow. Like a performance, the content of which and audience reaction you know, and at the same time which is not good. Big drop in locals joining terror groups in J&K India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 05: The number of Kashmiri youth joining terrorist ranks has dropped significantly after the repeal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcation of the state into union territories but there was not much change in the pattern of infiltration attempts through the Line of Control (LoC), according to the official data. 28 youths joined the ranks of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir between August 5, 2019, and January 26, 2020, says an internal document prepared by the security agencies. This represents a 60 per cent drop compared to the number of youths joining the militancy in Kashmir between January 1, 2019, and August 4, 2019, which saw 105 youths join the terrorist ranks, mostly in south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian. While an average of 15 youths was sucked in by the scourge of militancy every month till August 5 last year, this number came down significantly to just 5.6 per month after that, as per the document. The Centre had on August 5 last year ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into union territories- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Arrested JeM terrorist ferried terrorists in December too According to the document, overall 2019 saw a drop of 35 per cent in fresh recruitment in militant ranks compared to 2018. While 135 youths joined militancy in 2019, 199 had taken to arms in 2018. Officials, however, said the figures may be less as many of the assets of intelligence agencies were cut-off due to the telecommunication clampdown post-August 5. On the infiltration front, the attempts by Pakistan to push more terrorists into the Valley continued unabated as 133 militants managed to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 As many as 211 terrorists attempted to infiltrate in the union territory during the past year but 74 of them had to return to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) while four others were killed by the alert counter-infiltration grid, as per the document. Terrorists sneaking into India in trucks, latest modus operandi of JeM The security agencies feel that the situation in the newly created union territory has improved in 2019, despite a terrorist carrying out a deadly suicide car bomb attack at Pulwama that left 40 CRPF jawans dead on February 14 last year. The agencies maintain that the incident failed to demoralise the security forces, who have hit back hard at the terrorists. Katie Price spent Wednesday afternoon acting as a model for a cosmetics masterclass in Aberdeen. The former glamour model, 41, sat patiently as a make-up artist painted her features, as a room-full of onlookers watched on for tips on mastering the perfect pout and creating clean contours. Katie wore a champagne blouse for the occasion. All made up: Katie Price spent Wednesday afternoon acting as a model for a cosmetics masterclass in Bournemouth The slinky number was left loosely-buttoned and was nipped in at the waist with a belt detailing. She wore white-gold mesh ankle boots - which she kicked off at one point to display her pink pedicure. Katie whipped her raven tresses back behind her shoulders as the make-up artist decorated her features. She applied a nude lipstick, a hint of pink blusher and a sweep of pink eye-shadow. Pout and about: The former glamour model, 41, sat patiently as a make-up artist painted her features as an audience watched on for tips on mastering the perfect pout and creating clean contours Fancy footwork: She wore white-gold mesh ankle boots - which she kicked off at one point to display her pink pedicure Laying it on thick: The look was completed with lashings of mascara and heavily-penciled eyebrows Paint the town pink: Katie whipped her raven tresses back behind her shoulders as the make-up artist decorated her features with a nude lipstick, a hint of pink blusher and a sweep of pink eye-shadow Flimsy: The slinky number was left loosely-buttoned and was nipped in at the waist with a belt detailing Chic: Katie wore a champagne blouse for the occasion The look was completed with lashings of mascara and heavily-penciled eyebrows. At one point, one audience member was invited on stage to have her own make-up applied. Katie watched on from her seat, modelling her new look. Katie then headed backstage to pose under the glare of a make-up light, showcasing her now-flawless finish. Guinea pigs: At one point, one audience member was invited on stage to have her own make-up applied. Katie watched on from her seat, modelling her new look Kisses: Katie then headed backstage to pose under the glare of a make-up light, showcasing her now-flawless finish Hours earlier, Katie was seen make-up free ahead of the appearance on stage. She was pictured touching down in the Scottish city ahead of hosting the masterclass. But Katie took a tumble as she lost her balance sitting on top of her giant suitcases, causing them all to go flying. Her appearance comes after she jetted back from Spain where she had been visiting her terminally ill mother, Amy. Amy has been living there since she was diagnosed with a terminal lung condition - idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - in 2017. Watching on: The audience appeared to hang on Katie's every word Hours earlier: Katie was seen make-up free ahead of the appearance on stage Jetting around: She was pictured touching down in the Scottish city ahead of hosting the masterclass Katie's mother has since revealed that the warmer weather helps ease the symptoms of the condition. The reality star took to Instagram Stories last week, where she told fans she'd gone to visit Amy as she wasn't well. Posting a video of Amy and her two children, Katie wrote: 'Come to see my mum with two of my babies unfortunately she isn't well but so happy she is smiling we are here.' Earlier on: Katie took a tumble as she lost her balance sitting on top of her giant suitcases, causing them all to go flying Flying about: Her appearance comes after she jetted back from Spain where she had been visiting her terminally ill mother, Amy Sad: Amy has been living there since she was diagnosed with a terminal lung condition - idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - in 2017 Meanwhile, Katie recently shared a series of telling quotes on her Instagram Stories, in which she included a guide to dating single mothers. More posts shared by the star, read: 'We don't meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason... 'I'm single and it's staying like that until I'm absolutely sure I meet someone who's worth the try.' Katie, who shares Junior and daughter Princess with ex-husband Peter Andre, also shares son Jett, six, and daughter Bunny, five, with estranged husband Kieran Hayler. Honest: Katie recently shared a series of telling quotes on her Instagram Stories, in which she included a guide to dating single mothers She added: 'I'm single and it's staying like that until I'm absolutely sure I meet someone who's worth the try' Love life: Katie, who is still legally married to Kieran Hayler, most recently dated personal trainer Kris Boyson, who she was with on and off from May 2018 until last month Katie, who shares Junior and daughter Princess with ex-husband Peter Andre, also shares son Jett, six, and daughter Bunny, five, with estranged husband Kieran Hayler She raises eldest son Harvey alone, with his father Dwight Yorke estranged from the youngster. Katie, who is still legally married to Kieran Hayler, most recently dated personal trainer Kris Boyson, who she was with on and off from May 2018 until last month. Her first post read: 'Stay single until someone actually compliments your life in a way that makes it better to not be single. If not, it's not worth it.' She continued: 'Things to know before dating a single mom: I'm not looking for a father for my kid. I'm looking for a partner for me'. It started, as these stories often do, with a routine traffic stop. When a backup officer arrived, early on Saturday evening, he just happened to be a deputy with a drug-sniffing dog. The deputy K-9, Prince, smelled trouble. And as the police in Floridas panhandle began examining the inside of the Kia sedan, they came across two bags helpfully marked, Bag Full of Drugs. Its not exactly probable cause, but its a lead. And police say it led to a jackpot: 75 grams of methamphetamine, more than a kilogram of the date-rape drug GHB, 3.6 grams of fentanyl, plus ecstasy, cocaine and assorted paraphernalia. The driver and passenger were both booked on multiple felony drug charges, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, with a hand from Prince of the Santa Rosa County Sheriffs Office. They dont always make it that easy for us, said Lt. W. Robert Cannon of the Florida Highway Patrol of the clearly marked drug bags. If it werent for the fact that were talking about date rape drugs, fentanyl, which we all know can be deadly, cocaine and the other drugs, it would be humorous. Cannon said Trooper Marlon Boggan was on routine patrol, not targeting drugs or any other special assignment, when he started to run radar on Interstate 10 near Holt, Fla. Boggan reportedly clocked a Kia going 95 mph (152 km/h) in a 70 mph zone, and pulled it over. Boggan asked for identification from both the driver and the passenger, Cannon said, and the passenger reportedly told the trooper, I probably shouldnt give this to you. Boy was he right about that. Boggan ran the licence and found the passenger, Joshua M. Reinhardt, 34, of Orlando, had an outstanding felony warrant for probation violation on a grand theft conviction. But the trooper couldnt just snatch Reinhardt. His dispatcher had to check with Orange County, Fla., to see if they would extradite the prisoner once he was arrested, Cannon said, or else he would be released. Reinhardt and the driver, Ian C. Simmons, 34, of Windermere, Fla., both started acting suspiciously, and Boggan had to kill time while his dispatcher checked on extradition, Cannon said. So Boggan called for backup, and a Santa Rosa County sheriffs deputy arrived with Prince. The dog took a stroll around the Kia, Cannon said, and alerted to narcotics in the vehicle. Reinhardt and Simmons were removed from the Kia, and the officers found the car to be full of drugs. Well maybe not full, but carefully stashed throughout. Every corner of the car had drugs in it, Cannon said the trooper reported. Of the two bags labelled Bag Full of Drugs, one had suspected ecstasy and marijuana, while the other had plastic bags and paraphernalia, Cannon said. The estimated street value of the drugs was $15,450 (U.S.). Both men were handed four counts of felony and two counts of misdemeanour drug charges, and were being held in the Santa Rosa County jail on Tuesday night in lieu of $117,000 bond. A brief review of the Internet finds that a Bag Full of Drugs is available in both accessory pouch and tote sizes. Theres nothing more fun than walking around town with your ironic bag full of drugs, one vendor notes. The Santa Rosa sheriffs office posted on its Facebook page: Note to self do not traffic your illegal narcotics in bags labeled Bag Full Of Drugs. Our K-9s can read. Self, sheriff? Now thats ironic. Carnival's Princess Cruises said it has placed 3,700 passengers and crew under mandatory quarantine for two weeks after 10 people aboard a cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, tested positive for the new coronavirus. The company said a previous guest, who didn't have any symptoms while aboard the ship, tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday six days after leaving the Diamond Princess. The ship was being held in Japan for 24 hours while Japanese health authorities assessed the 3,700 passengers and crew on board. "These 10 persons, who have been notified, will be taken ashore by Japanese Coast Guard watercraft and transported to local hospitals for care by shoreside Japanese medical professionals," the company said. The ship will be quarantined for at least 14 days, the company said, as is required by the Japanese Ministry of Health. "The first phase of health screening of all guests and crew onboard Diamond Princess, by the Japanese Ministry of Health, has been completed," the company said in a statement Tuesday. "We were notified that amongst the samples that have completed testing, 10 people have tested positive for coronavirus." The European Union yesterday rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal for securing peace in the Middle East and expressed concern about Israel's plans to annex more Palestinian land. Mr Trump's plan, which was unveiled last week, would foresee the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but it falls far short of minimum Palestinian demands and would leave sizable chunks of the occupied West Bank in Israeli hands. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell underlined the bloc's commitment to a two-state solution, based along the 1967 lines, with the possibility of mutually agreed land-swaps, made up of the state of Israel and "an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable state of Palestine". Mr Borrell said the US initiative "departs from these internationally agreed parameters". "To build a just and lasting peace, the unresolved final status issues must be decided through direct negotiations between both parties," he said. "This includes notably the issues related to borders, the status of Jerusalem, security and the refugee question." Mr Trump's plan was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed it as "nonsense." Gulf Arab states also rejected it as "biased." Mr Netanyahu has said he wants to go ahead with plans to annex West Bank territory. "We are especially concerned by statements on the prospect of annexation of the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank," Mr Borrell said. He suggested the EU might consider legal action by saying that any "steps towards annexation, if implemented, could not pass unchallenged". The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - for an independent state and the removal of more than 700,000 Israeli settlers from these areas. But the White House plan sides heavily with Mr Netanyahu's hard-line nationalist vision for the region and shunts aside many of the Palestinians' core demands. A 40-year-old woman, Amandeep Kaur, from Amritsars Ranjit Avenue locality on Wednesday alleged that her son was tortured and kept in six-day illegal custody by the crime investigation agency (CIA) wing of Tarn Taran district police. Tarn Taran police, however, say they had brought her son for questioning in a drug case and he was released immediately as no drugs were recovered from him. In her complaint to the police, Kaur said some unidentified men abducted her son Karan Singh, 18, on January 25 from Ranjit Avenue. A case under Section 346 (wrongful confinement in secret) was registered two days after the complaint. On January 29, I got a call from an unknown number informing me about the detention of my son at the CIA staff office in Tarn Taran. The person on the phone told me that my son had given my number to him to inform me about his detention, said Kaur, who runs a beauty parlour in Amritsar. Kaur said when she reached at the CIA staffs office, no policemen helped her. After many hours, I was told that my son had been brought for questioning in a snatching case, she said. After being released on January 31 night, my son told me that cops wanted him to confess to the recovery of 1kg heroin and a pistol, which he never possessed, she said, alleging that the police tried their best to falsely implicate her son. CIA Tarn Taran in-charge Harit Sharma said: We had information that Karan was involved in drug smuggling. We laid a trap to nab him red-handed. Karan had snatched money from our decoy customer while striking a drug deal. He was detained for questioning and was let off after we didnt recover anything suspicious from him. On six-day illegal detention, Sharma said: We didnt keep him for such a long time. He was released forthwith after questioning. Surprisingly, Tarn Taran police didnt even inform the local police about Karans detention. Ranjit Avenue station house officer Robin Hans said: Tarn Taran police didnt keep us in the loop. I came to know about Karans release from his mother. The woman has also submitted a complaint against the illegal custody to the inspector general of police, border range, SPS Parmar. National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow believes the US economy can withstand the new coronavirus outbreak but acknowledged it may delay China's purchase of US goods under the terms of a trade deal. (AFP/MANDEL NGAN) The US and China agreed in January to a deal that ended their trade war, with Beijing agreeing to buy an additional $200 billion in American goods over the next two years, including agricultural and manufacturing products. But the virus - which has killed more than 400 people, spread worldwide and disrupted business in China - has thrown a wrench into the works. In an interview with Fox Business Network, White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow acknowledged that the outbreak may delay the deal's implementation. "The export boom from that trade deal will take longer because of the Chinese virus, that is true," he said. However, Kudlow said he expected "minimal impact" from the virus on the US economy. "The world is not in Wuhan," he said, referring to the Chinese city where the outbreak began. The trade tensions between the US and China fuelled a global growth slowdown in 2019, and concerns are rising that the outbreak could continue to hamper economic growth this year. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: A round table meeting, with the participation of Polish, Austrian and Czech experts, was held in Tashkent, Trend reports with reference to Uzbek media. Experts presented their vision of the planned reforms within the framework of the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture of Uzbekistan for 2020-2030. In general, the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture for 2020-2030 identified 9 strategic priorities for the development of agriculture: - Ensuring food security of the population; - Creating a favorable agribusiness climate and value chains; - Reducing the role of the state and increasing investment attractiveness; - Ensuring rational use of natural resources and environmental protection; - Development of modern public administration systems; - Diversification of government spending in support of the sector; - Development of the system of agricultural science, education, information and consulting services; - Rural development; - Development of a reliable system of industry statistics. The experts discussed issues of developing value chains, state support for agriculture business and land reforms at the round table. They also presented several reports on main reforms implemented in Eastern and Central Europe in this direction. Also, a general trend of reduction of direct support to agricultural producers was noted. It was stressed that in EU countries subsidies are based on two main directions: direct support aimed at maintaining the profitability of farmers, and subsidies to assist in the transition to organic agriculture, mining and other activities. It was also noted that the EU countries are redirecting state support to support fundamental research, environmental protection and combating the effects of global warming. Special attention of the participants was paid to privatization of agricultural land. As the experience of Central-Eastern European countries has shown, land transfer can lead to stagnation in the development of the sector, low investment attractiveness and soil degradation. As a result, some countries have introduced a moratorium on land privatization. The message said that following the round table, experts will provide recommendations and proposals that would fit within the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan, which should be beneficial for the country's development. Roughly two dozen countries around the world have taken precautionary measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus as the death toll continues to rise. This page has updates from Feb. 5. For updates from Feb. 6, click here. Another 10 Test Positive on Cruise Ship Quarantined in Japan, Taking Total to 20 Japanese media has reported another 10 people testing positive for coronavirus aboard the now-quarantined Carnival Japan Inc.s Diamond Princess cruise ship, taking the total number of infections from 10 to 20. Japans health ministry confirmed Thursday that the 10 new cases were among 71 test results returned from 273 passengers who were tested for the virus earlier this week. Test results for 202 passengers are still pending. All 20 patients have been removed from the vessel and sent to hospitals in Kanagawa Prefecture for monitoring and isolation. The ship, which carries around 3,700 passengers, is now docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama. Passengers will be quarantined onboard for at least 14 days. One American, two Australians, three Hong Kongers, one Filipino staff member, and three Japanese were the first 10 to test positive for the virus. They were all between 50 to 80, the ministry said. Its unclear who the other 10 patients are at this stage. House Panel Holds First Hearing on Coronavirus Outbreak A congressional hearing has heard testimony from three health policy experts who have assessed the recent coronavirus outbreak and the response to it. Jennifer Nuzzo, associate professor and senior scholar from Johns Hopkins University, told the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation: Evidence is mounting each day that it may not be possible to contain this virus. What this means is that if its not possible to completely stop disease transmission, we must plan for how we will mitigate the impacts of the virus as it spreads. Read more here. 3,700 Quarantined on Dream Cruises Ship in Hong Kong Nearly 3,700 people on a Dream Cruises ship are undergoing testing for the Wuhan coronavirus while theyre being held on the vessel off the coast of Hong Kong. Three people who were on the cruise between Jan. 19 and Jan. 24 tested positive for coronavirus, which has ravaged parts of China and triggered lockdowns, according to a letter from Dream Cruises (pdf). The Taiwanese government blocked the ship from making its port of call in Kaohsiung, forcing it to return to Hong Kong, the letter said. Wisconsin Confirms First Case of Coronavirus, 12th in US The 12th U.S. case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wisconsin by state health officials. According to the Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security, the patient came into contact with the virus while traveling in mainland China sometime in the past two weeks. The Wisconsin patient is in home isolation and doesnt require hospitalization, reported NBC26 and Fox6. Read more here. Plane Turns Around After Passenger Claims to Have Coronavirus: Police A plane had to turn around and fly 1,000 miles back home because a man on board claimed to have caught the Wuhan coronavirus. On Monday, a WestJet flight from Toronto, Canada, to Montego Bay, Jamaica, turned around after a man declared that he had contracted coronavirus. The Peel Regional Police said James Potok, 28, was charged with criminal mischief after he stood up and announced that he had been to China and has the coronavirus, which was shared with the pilots and flight crew. A decision was then made to return the flight to Pearson Airport. The man was assessed by medical staff upon arrival and was declared coronavirus-free, according to police. The man was charged and is due in court in March. Read more here. Four Planes Carrying Evacuees Landing in US This Week Two planes carrying evacuees from Wuhan, Chinathe epicenter of the new coronaviruslanded in California on Wednesday while two other planes were slated to land elsewhere on Thursday, federal officials said. The two planes that landed on Wednesday arrived at Travis Airport Base between Sacramento and San Francisco, the U.S. military said. One plane was continuing to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. On Thursday, one additional plane will land at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, while the fourth will land at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel would meet the planes and assess the health of the passengers through temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms. The passengers will be quarantined for 14 days, the outer edge of the incubation period, from their departure from Wuhan. Chinese Citizens Say Authorities Misallocating Donations Sources inside China are accusing authorities of mishandling the distribution of supplies that the public has donated to help with the coronavirus response. Doctors and nurses from several hospitals designated to treat the coronavirus have turned to social media to plead for help. Videos shared online show medical staff wearing trash bags due to the lack of protective suits and shoe covers. On Jan. 31, spokeswoman for the Union Hospital in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the outbreak, told state-run media Shangyou News: We keep on receiving donated materials. But we have a lot of patients, and [medical staff] use a large amount of those materials, she said. Read more here. Teen Dies Alone at Home After Father is Quarantined A teenager with cerebral palsy was left alone at home in Huanggang City, Hubei Province when his father was quarantined after showing symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus. 17-year-old Yan Cheng died from inadequate care a few days later. Chengs father, 49-year-old Yan Xiaowen, developed a fever on Jan. 19. Local authorities took Yan and his younger son away to a designated clinic office for quarantine, leaving Cheng on his own without adequate care and supervision, according to a report by Chinas Autistic Child Service Platform Rice and Millet on Chinese social media. Huanggang is 46 miles away from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Yan is a native of Huanggang who has been working and living in Wuhan with his two sons in the past few years. Read more here. US Hasnt Verified Pregnancy Reports The United States has not verified reports that babies are being infected with the coronavirus in China, a top health official said on Feb. 5. We have read with interest this report of neonatal, vertical transmission coming from China. For a respiratory virus, it would be pretty unusual. However, theres a lot about this coronavirus that we do not know, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a phone call with reporters. Doctors at Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday that pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children. The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2, according to state television. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and was confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. The newborn has stable vital signs and no fever or cough, but was experiencing shortness of breath, the doctors said. Chest x-rays showed signs of infection and there were some abnormalities in liver function. The hospital also disclosed details of a second case involving an infant who was born healthy on Jan. 13. The babys nanny was later diagnosed with the virus and the mother days later. The baby started showing symptoms on Jan 29. Chinese Man Questioned After Filming Videos If Fang Bin, a self-described citizen journalist from the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan, expected police to track him down, he didnt expect it would happen so fast. For days on end, he had been driving around the town, documenting every step of the way with his phone to document life in a now locked-down city. On the morning of Feb. 1 alone, he had visited five hospitals where doctors hustled about in the packed halls and frantic patients groaned and sobbed. At the fifth hospital, he counted eight dead bodies from a funeral van, all within five minutes after he arrived at the hospital. Inside, a sick boy moaned and gasped for breath by the bedside of his father, who had already turned lifeless. Fang uploaded all of these moments to the internet. Around 7 p.m. that evening, half a dozen masked men wearing hazmat suits visited his property, demanding to take his temperature. Read more here. US Working With Biotech Firm to Create Virus Treatment The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will collaborate with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to develop new treatments to combat the Novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, it announced on Feb. 4. The New York-based biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will work in partnership with the department to develop multiple monoclonal antibodies that could be used individually or in combination to treat the virus, according to a press statement. These monoclonal antibodies are produced by a single clone of cells or a cell line with identical antibody molecules and bind to certain proteins of a virus, reducing its ability to infect human cells. HHSs Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Regeneron have had a partnership since 2014 and the company will use the same VelociSuite technology it used to develop a promising investigational three-antibody therapeutic which was used to treat Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019, the statement said. Read more here. Cathay Pacific Wants Workers to Take Unpaid Leave Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific Airways asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, saying preserving cash was key for the carrier and that conditions were as grave as during the 2009 financial crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak. Cathay is also asking suppliers for price reductions, putting in place hiring freezes, postponing major projects, and stopping all non-critical spending, Chief Executive Augustus Tang said in a video message to staff. On Tuesday, the carrier said it planned to cut about 30 percent of capacity over the next two months, including about 90 percent of flights to mainland China. Cathay had already experienced a sharp fall in demand since the middle of last year due to widespread anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Read more here. Mothers May Pass on Coronavirus to Unborn Children, Chinese Doctors Say Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children, doctors at the Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. Wuhan city is the epicenter of the outbreak that has since spread across China and overseas. In mainland China, the state has reported 490 people killed and 24,324 infected, although these numbers are certainly much higher. The newborn has stable vital signs and no fever or cough, but was experiencing shortness of breath, the doctors said. Chest x-rays showed signs of infection and there were some abnormalities in liver functions. This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission, said the chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospitals neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong. The hospital also disclosed details of a second case involving an infant who was born healthy on Jan. 13. The babys nanny was later diagnosed with the virus and the mother days later. The baby started showing symptoms on Jan 29. Whether it was the babys nanny who passed to the virus to the mother who passed it to the baby, we cannot be sure at the moment. But we can confirm that the baby was in close contact with patients infected with the new coronavirus, which says newborns can also be infected, Zeng said. However, he added that none of the infected infants were in critical condition. Hong Kong Confirms 21 Cases Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Feb. 5 that there were six new cases confirmed in the last two days in the city, bringing the total to 21. She added that these new cases showed the worsening trend of the coronavirus outbreak, since the three patients that tested positive yesterday did not travel outside Hong Kong during the viruss incubation period. Scientists say the coronavirus has an incubation periodthe period between exposure and the onset of symptomsof up to 14 days. Lam said that these three local infection cases proved that the next 14 days will be critical, to prevent the virus from spreading further in local communities. Among the 21, two patients infected with the diseases are in critical condition, Lam said. To further tackle the outbreak, Lam announced that Hongkongers and other travelers from China returning to Hong Kong will be placed under compulsory quarantine for 14 days. The new measure will be effective beginning at midnight on Feb. 8. Taiwan Bans Entry to Chinese Nationals Chen Shih-chung, Taiwans health minister, announced on Feb. 5 that Chinese nationals living in China have been banned from entering the island. The ban will be effective beginning Feb. 6. Additionally, Chen announced that travelers to Hong Kong and Macao will be quarantined at home for 14 days after returning to Taiwan. The Philippines Reports 3rd Case of Coronavirus A 60-year-old Chinese woman has tested positive for the virus in the Philippines, local newspaper Sun Star reported on Wednesday, citing the health department. The woman arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan via Hong Kong on Jan. 20. She went to a private hospital in Bohol after having a fever. Several samples were taken from the woman on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, and were tested in Australia. On Jan. 29, the Filipino health department received notice of results of her test sample from Jan. 24, which showed negative for the virus at the time. The woman returned to China after recovering on an unknown date. However, the Filipino health department was alerted on Monday that her sample from Jan. 23 tested positive for the new coronavirus. First Indonesian Tests Positive An Indonesian migrant worker in Singapore has tested positive for the new coronavirus, Jakarta Globe reported on Wednesday, citing Indonesias manpower minister Ida Fauziyah. She is 44 years old and works as a maid there, Fauziyah said, adding that the female worker is now being treated at the Singapore General Hospital. Citing a tweet from the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Jakarta Globe stated that the female worker had not traveled to China, but her employer tested positive and is among one of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Singapore. Currently, Singapore has 24 confirmed cases of coronavirus. 3 Japanese Airlines Suspend Flights to China Japans flag carrier Japan Airlines will suspend flights between Narita and Beijing and between Chubu and Shanghai from Feb. 17 until March 28, according to Japanese media reports. All Nippon Airways flights will be suspended between Narita and Beijing from Feb. 10 to March 29. It will also reduce its Haneda-Beijing services by half to seven flights per week. Budget airline Jetstar Japan has announced that its services between Narita and Shanghai will be halted from Feb. 5 to March 28. Taiwan Reports 11th Case Taiwans Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the 11th case of coronavirus in the country on Wednesday. The case involves a man in his 50s who was among 247 Taiwanese businessmen and their families who returned to Taiwan on a charter flight on Monday. The man is being treated in isolation and is in a stable condition. Chinese City Nanjing Announces Partial Lockdown Nanjing, the capital of eastern Chinas Jiangsu province, announced nine measures for small neighborhood seal-off management of the city on Feb. 4, according to Chinas state-run media. One measure requires local authorities to check and list vehicles coming into and out of neighborhoods. People from areas heavily infected by the virus, such as Wuhan in Hubei province and Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, are not allowed to enter these neighborhoods. Another measure calls for people to report to local neighborhood authorities if they have been to areas heavily infected by the virus in the past 14 days. Public places are also being closely monitored. Places that do not provide living necessities should be closed down, the announcement states, without further details. Another measure calls for a halt to all construction works, including household renovation and gas pipeline reconstruction. Currently, 27 cities in China have implemented partial lockdown measures, including Wuhan, Wenzhou, Zhengzhou in Henan province, and Linyi in Shandong province, Taiwans daily newspaper Liberty Times reported on Wednesday. South Korea Reports 2 New Cases The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported two new cases on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 18. One patient, a 38-year-old Korean man, was in Singapore for a conference from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24. It is known that a Malaysian man attending the conference was infected with the virus. He tested positive on Wednesday in South Korea. The second new case involved a 21-year-old female, who is the daughter of the 16th confirmed case in South Korea. She also tested positive on Wednesday. US Airlines Suspend Flights to Hong Kong United Airlines announced on Tuesday that its flights from the United States to Hong Kong would be suspended from Feb. 8 to Feb. 20. The suspension is due to the continued drop in demand, United Airlines said in a statement on its website. American Airlines also suspended its flights between the United States and Hong Kong until Feb. 20, according to The Dallas Morning News. Currently, Hong Kong has 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and one patient passed away on Tuesday. Vietnam Confirms 10th Case A 42-year-old woman in north Vietnam has been diagnosed with coronavirus, marking the 10th known case in the country, Vietnams health ministry confirmed Tuesday afternoon local time, according to local reports. The unidentified female, located in Binh Xuyen district, Vinh Phuc province, northwest of Hanoi, developed a high fever on Jan. 31, according to VnExpress. She has been isolated at a medical center and her condition is reported as stable. According to the outlet, the newly-infected woman had close contact with another confirmed case in Vietnama 23-year-old who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 17. The worker was among a group of eight employees of Japan-based Nihon Plast Company that was sent to work-related training in Wuhan two months ago. 10 Test Positive in Japan Aboard Cruise Ship Carrying 3,700 Cases of coronavirus in Japan have jumped to 33 after 10 passengers aboard a quarantined cruise ship tested positive. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Wednesday morning local time that the 10 cases were among 31 results from 293 people tested so far on Carnival Japan Inc.s Diamond Princess cruise ship, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The ship, docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama, was put on lockdown as screenings continue. The screenings started late Monday after an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong who was on the ship last month tested positive for the coronavirus. From around 7:30 a.m. we had them [the 10 who tested positive] get off the vessel, and with cooperation with the coastguard we are sending them to medical organizations, he said, AFP reported. Kato added that the rest of those on board are required to remain on the ship for 14 days. The ship carries around 3,700 passengers. Read more here. Frank Fang and Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this article. For updates from Feb. 4, click here. From The Epoch Times Asked why Ruiz was placed in the same cell with a rival gang member less than three months after he was alleged to viciously beat the other inmate, Joseph Ryan, a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Darts office, declined to comment other than to say that the department was reviewing every facet of the weekend killing. At the heart of the recent impeachment of President Trump is the unspoken but ever present position embraced by Democrats and the mainstream media that Republicans are evil and Democrats are noble. As such, for the Left, any miniscule smidgen of potential wrongdoing by a Republican can warrant epic investigations and near-constant speculation by the media, while what appears on its face to be blatant corruption by Democrats must have a noble explanation and therefore need not be looked into at all. This principle was first demonstrated with regard to the multi-year, multi-million-dollar Russia investigation that largely emanated from the Steele dossier, which was basically an uncorroborated piece of opposition research. Most recently, the "Republicans are evil and Democrats are noble" ruse has been on full display with the impeachment of President Trump. To see how this plays out, one must look at the most basic facts surrounding impeachment and then examine how they are characterized by the left. Fact #1: It is acceptable to withhold funds from a foreign government to force that government to take action that is beneficial to the United States. This is wholly supported by the Democrats' enthusiastic endorsement of Joe Biden's 2015 demand for a quid pro quo from the Ukrainian government. Biden openly stated that he was going to withhold funds (in the form of a billion dollars of loan guarantees) if Ukraine did not fire its prosecutor. In Biden's own words, "I looked at them and said: I'm leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money." Fact #2: During a July 25, 2019 phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky, President Trump asked the Ukrainians to look into what Trump characterized as "horrible"-sounding behavior of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. As stated in the transcript, Trump said, "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution, so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me." Fact #3: The Trump administration delayed the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance funds to Ukraine for several months, ultimately releasing them in September 2019. The funds were delayed at the time of the July 25 phone call, but the Ukrainians were unaware of the delay, and the funding was ultimately released. It is an extraordinary act of hypocrisy on the part of the Democrats in Congress and the media to turn the above facts into the supposedly impeachable offense of "Abuse of Power," and it all rests on this: Republicans are evil, and Democrats are noble. The left will assign evil intent to any action by Trump, as Satan incarnate, thus justifying the launching of an investigation to prove leftist allegations. So even though Joe Biden established that withholding funds from Ukraine in order to force Ukraine to do a particular task is an acceptable foreign policy tactic, the same tactic when used by Trump must be an impeachable offense. Since Trump is evil, Trump's explicit reference to Biden's past behavior when asking Zelensky to do "whatever you can do" is an obvious attempt to have Ukraine investigate Joe Biden solely to damage Biden ahead of the 2020 elections. In the Democrat mind, there is simply no possibility that Trump was seeking to investigate potential past corruption by the Bidens since Joe Biden is of such noble character that no one could ever doubt his purity. Indeed, anyone even suggesting impropriety by Good Ole Joe is doing so only for personal gain. Therefore, despite the fact that Joe Biden's son, Hunter, was earning tens of thousands of dollars per month to sit on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, and despite the fact that Hunter Biden had no expertise in Ukrainian energy, and despite the fact that Burisma is a known corrupt organization, and despite the fact that the prosecutor whom Biden sought to remove by withholding U.S. funds had been investigating Burisma despite all these facts, Joe Biden's character is of such known purity that Trump could have never seriously believed that it was legitimate to request that Ukraine look into the Bidens' past behavior. As such, Trump's actions must be purely based on a desire to smear the noble Bidens with false allegations ahead of the 2020 election. The bottom line is that Trump saw the withholding of funds from Ukraine by Joe Biden and assumed evil motives. The Democrats saw the withholding of funds from Ukraine by Trump and assumed evil motives. Yet we are asked to interpret these two identical actions in two completely different ways. If you believe that Republicans are evil and Democrats are noble, then Trump withholding funds is an impeachable offense, and questioning Joe Biden's motivation for threatening the same action is tinfoil hat conspiracy nonsense. The real danger here isn't that Democrats assume the worst of Republicans. Republicans are used to that, and, more and more, the electorate sees right through it. The Russia investigation is a good example. No, the real danger here is the establishment of the unquestionable nobility of our Democrat and media betters. We are close to living in a country where a Democratic vice president in charge of Ukrainian policy can overtly demand the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor who has investigated a company that pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the vice president's family, and no one is permitted to raise questions. The good news is that the only politician in America who will not kowtow to the pressure to not accuse Biden of corruption happens to be the man whom Biden will run against if he wins the Democratic nomination. OTTAWA, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research completed by Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) is providing employers with valuable insight into the motivations, perceptions, interests, challenges and preferences of prospective employees for the food and beverage manufacturing industry. The analysis targeted four population segments that are facing labour market challenges youth, Indigenous people, recent immigrants and individuals unemployed or having been unemployed at least twice in the last five years. The research showed that those who are actively looking for employment were significantly more willing to move for a job than those not looking. This difference was highest amongst Indigenous people. Information like this contributes to FPSCs workforce development strategy. Workforce planning is critically important for Canadas 10,000+ food and beverage manufacturing businesses given the growing gap of individuals to fill jobs in the industry. Especially since labour market projections from FPSC indicated 65,000 new workers will be required if businesses are to achieve the export sales target set by the Agri-Food Economic Strategy Table. The sector is a major source of economic growth in Canada, and the number one manufacturing employer, but businesses simply cannot find enough people to fill positions. The survey data revealed that - Those in the four targets segments were more interested in taking a job in food and beverage processing compared to the average Canadian resident Youth (25 and under) are more likely to look for a job on Instagram than LinkedIn The most trusted source for individuals to hear about a job is their family or friends, the source they trust second is employers. To form a better understanding of the employment potential, the research further analyzed the respondents who self-identified as unemployed or actively looking for work at the time of the survey. Of interest, those people are more likely to be aware of the sector and have positive impressions of jobs within the sector than the general public. This is in line with other findings that show that increased awareness of the sector leads to increased interest in working in the sector. The research found the targeted segments are more likely to be predisposed and open to working in the food and beverage processing industry than other Canadians. In particular, the willingness of recent immigrants and Indigenous people has emerged as two promising segments for food and beverage career development. I am excited to share this research with all industry stakeholders. There is so much contained in these reports which hasnt been seen before. It has confirmed for me the potential for the industry to grow by finding their next workers, said Jennefer Griffith, Executive Director, Food Processing Skills Canada. The research further explored perceptions and willingness to try different jobs in the meat and seafood manufacturing sectors. These results complement the labour market analysis completed by Food Processing Skills Canada for the same two sectors. Follow this link http://www.fpsc-ctac.com/lmi-feb-2020-release/ to download the perceptions research reports, Your Next Worker: Everything You Need to Know Perceptions of the people you are trying to reach and Your Next Worker: What You Need to Know Overview and Data from our Perceptions Research. Food Processing Skills Canada Food Processing Skills Canada is the workforce development and skills organization for Canadas food and beverage manufacturing industry. Through our industry and government partnerships we provide internationally-recognized resources and programs that support food and beverage businesses in developing their workforce, and people in building their careers. Our labour market analysis and workforce development resources - FoodSkills Library, FoodCert & Canadian Food Processors Institute are training the next generation of people and improving the industrys workplace culture. To learn more about the organization please visit fpsc-ctac.com . Quick Facts about the Industry The food and beverage manufacturing industry is Canadas largest manufacturing employer providing approximately 280,000 jobs. The industrys establishments produce goods worth more than $110 billion every year. The vast majority are small or medium-sized businesses, with roughly 94% of food and beverage processors in Canada having fewer than 100 paid employees. Approximately 31% of the industrys workforce consists of immigrants, with most of them having arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2010, while more recent immigrants make up 5% of the workforce. Reaching annual exports of $85 billion a year by 2025, as proposed by the Agri-Food Economic Strategy Table, will require 65,000 new workers. Media Contact Presidency University Vice- Chancellor Anuradha Lohia on Wednesday fell ill and was hospitalised after remaining in her chamber overnight because of students' protest, prompting Higher Minister Partha Chatterjee to comment that what the students are doing is not right. A section of students of the university here is demonstrating in front of her chamber from Monday over a host of issues. A university official said Lohia was taken to a private hospital at 8 pm after she complained of uneasiness. According to the doctors, he said, Lohia's blood pressure level has shot up but she was stable. After confined to her room by the agitating students for 16 hours, Lohia had made an exit through the side door of her chamber on Tuesday morning. She returned to the campus at 3 pm the same day and had been stuck in her room ever since. "We formed a human chain to escort VC madam to the ambulance as she was taken out in a wheelchair," one of the agitating students Debabrata told PTI. The students will be holding a general body meeting to decide on their future course of action. Among others, the agitators were demanding that the repair works in three of the five wards of the 130-year-old Hindu Hostel be completed without any delay and eight sacked hostel employees reinstated. Higher Minister Partha Chatterjee told PTI that he will visit Lohia at the hospital on Thursday. He said, "The students are not doing the right thing. This is not the way to agitate.... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Xiaomi may have started rolling out Android 10 to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, but there are probably many of you out there that are still running Android 9.0 Pie builds of MIUI 11 on your device. Without official confirmation, it seems that many Redmi Note 8 Pro owners are being left in the dark about when their device will receive Android 10. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here Xiaomi consigned the Redmi Note 8 Pro to the third phase of its MIUI 11 release schedule, with the device set to receive the Chinese company's latest OS last December. While MIUI 11 started hitting some handsets a month early, the wait for Android 10 continues in most regions. Xiaomi confirmed that the Redmi Note 8 Pro would not receive Android 10 builds of MIUI 11 until this year, which it duly delivered last month with V11.0.1.0.QGGCNXM. However, that build only applies to the Chinese branch of MIUI, as we mentioned at the time. By contrast, all other are branches are still running Android 9.0 Pie builds of MIUI 11, with the European edition last receiving V11.0.3.0.PGGEUXM in late December. Most recently, Xiaomi rolled out V11.0.6.0 to Global handsets, but this too is a Pie build of MIUI 11. Currently, there is no sign of Android 10 for European, Global or Indian versions of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Xiaomi tends to update its stable branches of MIUI ever 1-2 months, but this does not necessarily mean that the next update for the device will contain Android 10. In short, there is no way of telling when the Redmi Note 8 Pro will receive Android 10 outside of China. You can download V11.0.1.0.QGGCNXM from Xiaomi's servers if you are itching to try Android 10 on your handset, but there are some things to bear in mind before doing so. Firstly, you must have unlocked your device's bootloader, which will factory reset it. You then must install TWRP, the details of which you can find here. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Get Jonathan Bernsteins newsletter every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe. As the count from Iowas caucuses continues, I think we can now say that what has happened couldnt have done much more to maximize chaos in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. That applies to the results so far as well as to how they were released. We still have only 71% of precincts reported, and dont know for sure if Bernie Sanders or Pete Buttigieg will be the winner. Buttigieg has a narrow lead in the traditional measure Iowa uses to assess the winner, something called state delegate equivalents, while Sanders has a small edge in total votes.(1) If you had asked me before the caucuses to rank the possible Iowa winners in terms of their chances of being nominated, I probably would have put Sanders and Buttigieg last. The Vermont senator in particular had an excellent chance to win in Iowa, according to the polls and other reporting far better, for example, than Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar did. Had Klobuchar won, however, she would likely have received a ton of positive publicity for pulling off a big surprise; she was in good shape for putting together an everyones-second-choice type of winning coalition. Sanders, on the other hand, has been a factional candidate. And Buttigieg was only doing a bit better in national polls than Klobuchar, while showing even less success at winning support from party actors. Both former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren would have been even better bets than Klobuchar to capture the nomination, had they won in Iowa, given their better standings in the polls and support from party actors. So the winners were already less likely to be able to capitalize on the Iowa results and move on to a rapid, convincing victory in the nomination battle. But Sanderss and Buttigiegs wins are probably even less valuable, given the combination of the mixed result with the slow release of the initial results and the even slower final count, including the official declarations of who won (whenever that comes). Story continues This calculation continues, through the top five candidates. Take Klobuchar. Shes currently in fifth place in Iowa, with an outside chance of beating Biden. If she had finished fifth with 13% of the vote on caucus night, she might well have dropped out. But thats not going to happen while she still has a chance of claiming fourth place. By the time that is resolved shell probably stick around just in case lighting strikes in New Hampshire. After all, shell have a CNN town hall on Thursday and a Democratic debate on Friday, and shes not that far out of fourth place, or even second place, in New Hampshire polls. Had she done just a bit better, she could have significantly hurt Bidens chances without really helping her own long-shot possibility much. I could describe similar scenarios for the others. In other words, not only does it appear that Iowa failed in its traditional role of knocking out candidates, it almost did the opposite: keeping in the previously weaker contenders, without much of a setback for the stronger ones. All that said, were still a long, long way from a contested convention. Its likely that only two or three of these five candidates will make it through New Hampshire (Feb. 11), Nevada (Feb. 22) and South Carolina (Feb. 29). Tom Steyer, who failed to register at all in Iowa, has polled well in Nevada and South Carolina, but theres a very good chance that his support in those states, where hes been mostly alone in TV advertising, will fade or collapse when the full campaign moves there. The same thing might happen to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is polling at about 10% nationally but may struggle to match the winners of the February primaries in news coverage. He needs to reach 15%, at any rate, to start winning delegates (Bloomberg is the founder of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg Opinion). Remember: So long as only two candidates are winning delegates, one of them is going to reach 50% plus one. Most candidates without a decent chance to be nominated drop out before the real delegate accumulation stage begins. Its hard for things to be so balanced that as many as three, let alone four or five, have a realistic chance to win after the early primaries and caucuses. So probably only two candidates will win delegates, and one will have enough. The big exception would be a protest candidate who remains in the race without a chance to win, but who also can reach 15% in lots of places. The only one likely to do that is Bernie Sanders, and after Iowa hes looking more like a candidate with a real chance of winning than a protest candidate. So even when the current chaos fades, the chances of continuing chaos are certainly higher today than they were at the beginning of the week. 1. Julia Azari set the stage for a State of the Union speech in the context of a scandal. I pretty much have thought the same thing each year for President Donald Trump. Traditionally, the speech does two things: It functions as a valuable piece of democratic theater, in the best sense of the idea, and it functions as an important part of the policy-making process. Trump doesnt do democratic theater, and doesnt have much of an organized policy-making process. Instead, he treats the speech as something you hear at his rallies. Of course, every president uses every prime-time address in part to boost his popularity, especially in an election year. But Trump is off the scale in terms of that being really the only thing going on. Since one prime-time speech months before the election isnt going to move any votes, his State of the Union addresses are really just wasted opportunities. 2. Tyler Yates at the Monkey Cage on the coming Senate acquittal of Trump and the future of democracy in the U.S. 3. Dan Drezner offers a bit of optimism about democracy in the U.S. 4. Rick Hasen on Trumps reaction to the Iowa counting debacle. 5. Matthew Connelly on yet another example of the Trump administrations lawlessness: Destroying official records. 6. And my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Ramesh Ponnuru on Trumps strengths for re-election. Fair enough, although Ill be interested in seeing where Trumps approval rating settles a few weeks after impeachment is over. Get Early Returns every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe. Also subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more. Youll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, the Bloomberg Open and the Bloomberg Close. (1) Confused? You can think of it as somewhat similar to the electoral college/popular vote split, or you can just accept that there are two slightly different countsbeing reported, with that delegate number getting the most coverage in the media reporting Ive seen. OK, actually there are no less than four different Iowa counts. But Ill stick with the two I think are reasonable measures of what happened. To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katy Roberts at kroberts29@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. On Wednesday, February 5, 2020, U.S. Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan inaugurated a shea butter processing facility and warehouse for the Tiyumtaba Womens Shea Cooperative of Sorogu, located in the Sagnerigu Municipality in the Northern Region of Ghana. The new facility, is part of a U.S. Government effort to partner with communities, companies, and non-profit organizations in West Africa to expand economic opportunities for women. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) developed the facility in partnership with the Burts Bees brand, owned by American manufacturer, The Clorox Company, and the Ghanaian firm Savannah Fruits Company; the facility will increase incomes for 600 Ghanaian women who collect and process shea nuts. Ambassador Sullivan applauded the project partners, stating, The opening of this shea processing and warehouse facility is an important accomplishment that demonstrates what is possible to achieve when we all work together. Shea is a primary source of livelihood for women living in northern Ghana and is one of the few agricultural crops where women control their revenue. This project affirms the U.S. Governments commitment to promote women's economic empowerment through partnerships that connect Ghanaian women producers with U.S. buyers. USAID is working with the Global Shea Alliance, communities, non-profit organizations, and responsible companies, who together since 2016 have provided 250 warehouses, generating increased incomes for more than 137,000 women across West Africa, Ambassador Sullivan noted. The Global Shea Alliances Sustainable Shea Initiative was launched in 2016 in partnership with USAID. The $18 million, five-year program promotes the sustainable expansion of the shea industry in Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Togo, Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. The partnership matches USAID funds with private sector and development partner funds to provide needed skills training and infrastructure to support women shea collectors. A Nigerian lady, Nkechi Okechukwu has recounted how she gave birth to her child inside a taxi. According to the young lady, she started contracting at 6.30am and headed to the hospital with her husband in a taxi. Read Also: Nigerian Doctor Exposes Men Who Ask That Their Wives Vagina Be Reconstructed After Childbirth Nkechi said she, however, ended up giving birth inside the taxi due to traffic on Lagos road. Read her incredible story below; So what I wasnt even sure was contraction started this morning at about 6:30am. Thought they were just cramps but as they intensified, we had to head to the hospital by 6:50am. We were heading to Eko hospital Ikeja from Ogba. Lagos traffic this morning was gangster. We decided to take Oregun road. At the time the contractions had become unbearably painful. But I just kept telling myself we would still make it in good time as my water had kuku not broken yet. Before I knew what was happening water broke o. This was about 7:30 or so. And I calmly made the announcement so that my husband sitting in front and driver would not panic more than necessary. Got to Oregun and traffic was really bad. By this time, with each contraction I was groaning like a wounded lion (no kidding!). Theres a level of pain that is beyond cry o! I remember they always warn us at antenatal that we should never push(resist as much as possible) until we are up to 10cm dilated else you harm yourself or the baby. But then, when one is at about 7-8cm, the body just keeps pushing the baby out by itself and thats always the hardest part of labour for me. I resisted for as long as I could, plus no medical personnel to check me if I had gotten to 10cm yet. By that time my husband was telling the driver we should turn back and look for any hospital around Oregun. At the same time I told both of them that if they have any doctor friend they should call for me to speak with the person and ask how I can deliver the baby and what to do when it comes (by this time I already knew he was going to come in the car). They called a doctor and that one was just shouting tell her not to push o, she should hold on small while you guys find a hospital around. Hold on ke, me that could already feel head, despite the fact that I closed my legs shut, trying to keep the baby in. The next contraction and groan sent the head out fully. And I just kept shouting oh shit, hes here, oh my God, hes here! My husband turned and saw head. Before he could turn a second time, I had a whole baby in my hands. The driver was already traumatized . Wait for part 2! Part 2: The driver was already traumatized . Before he came out, I just kept praying to God that he would come out and cry by himself. Because thats where I would have been completely clueless, if he hadnt cried or maybe wasnt breathing immediately. Its a medical personnel that would know what to do in that case. But he came out crying loudly and it was the most beautiful sound ever! We still hadnt found hospital o. AC was on, car was so cold even after turning it off, baby was still crying Im guessing because he was cold, wet, sticky, our hospital bags including baby clothes and blankets were in the trunk of the car, my husband in his confused state had started pulling shirt for me to wrap baby with.. That was when we saw a couple nearby that directed us to a primary health center that was just about two minutes away. We got there and in a few seconds nurses and midwives were all over the place collecting baby, cutting cord, delivering placenta all inside the taxify guys car . One then said how do we now carry her inside, I remember shouting I can walk now, my leg did not break. We all laughed while I was thinking to myself Omg what just happened, did I just have my baby in the car! I know this post is super long, but I just had to do it to tell you guys how faithful God is. A million and one things could have gone wrong, but God was truly in every detail of this delivery. He delivered this baby himself and caused us to laugh in the end! Guys meet my beautiful boy Jaron (song of rejoicing) Ikechukwu (Gods power) Wonderful (His daddy gave him this morning) Okechukwu. @okeysokay what do you think about adding SpeedDarlington to his list of names Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and New Delhi are among the 10 most congested cities in the world, according to the just-released 2019 TomTom Traffic Index. This will not come as a surprise to anyone who lives in or has visited these cities. People in these cities pay higher fuel costs, inhale toxic gases, and are unable to efficiently manage their time. There are wider economic consequences too. An IDFC Institute study reveals the consequences of the congestion for Mumbai, and how to address them. The average Mumbai resident wastes 11 days a year stuck in traffic. That is a significant loss of productivity in a megacity that accounts for approximately 17% of Maharashtras gross domestic product (GDP). With more than 700,000 people entering Mumbai for work every day, it is, in urbanist Alain Bertauds words, a labour market, as are all cities. In a well-functioning city, firms can optimise the costs of finding employees and of transporting goods and services to their consumers. People, in turn, can find work that match their skill sets and are more likely to switch jobs either for convenience or better opportunities. Being able to move around the city quickly is key to ensuring that such markets are dynamic and function smoothly. However, congestion has reduced such mobility in Mumbai, resulting in inefficient labour markets and severe economic and environmental consequences. To measure and analyse the impact of such congestion, we used publicly available Uber Movement data points from 2016 to 2018. The average commute on Mumbais critical routes is longer than one hour. Thats double the averages of Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. Car speeds also differ substantially depending on which direction a person is travelling in. For example, residents can drive twice as fast when starting from the South (Marine Drive) as compared to East Mumbai (Chembur) when commuting to their jobs in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The extra time stuck in traffic commuting between northern residential areas of Mumbai, such as Borivali, and some of the citys central business districts, such as Lower Parel, impose economic costs of over Rs 350 everyday per person. In particular, blocked roads are causing travellers to lose more than Rs 100 in wages and spend an additional Rs 250 on fuel every day. Such high individual costs hurt the citys productivity, since residents of North Mumbai will most likely not seek a long-term job in the South even if it matches their skill set. As a result, firms in these business districts are unable to access the most suitable candidates to employ and vice-versa. While individuals bear the economic costs of congestion, these commutes impose heavy charges on the citys environment. It has been previously estimated that it costs Indian cities $0.086 for every kilogram of carbon dioxide emitted. Using this figure, we find that trips taken in Mumbai typically cost between Rs 6 and Rs 60 in additional carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, longer distances dont always mean higher emissions in the city. For instance, the 14 km trip between Borivali and Andheri East costs Rs 22 for additional emissions, in comparison to the 27 km commute trip between Marine Drive and Andheri East costing just Rs 6. Mumbai is already the fourth most polluted megacity in the world. New Delhi currently occupies the top spot. Left unaddressed, Mumbais air quality will worsen, turning into a severe public health problem. Chokepoints along Mumbais major routes contribute the most to high costs of congestion. For example, drivers suffer speeds less than 10km per hour when entering and exiting major business districts such as Lower Parel and BKC. Driving speeds on side lanes has decreased significantly with commuters facing less than 8km per hour speeds on certain roads. Most worryingly, new chokepoints have emerged between 2016 and 2018. For example, driving between Kandivali and Borivali was relatively fast in 2016, with average speeds then close to 40km per hour, as compared to 2018, when this figure nearly halved to 23km per hour. While construction for the Mumbai metro system has played a role in increasing congestion, data shows that these new chokepoints emerged before work began. Eradicating chokepoints should be the governments first step in improving ease of movement. This can be achieved by conducting granular interventions as well as pilots of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) at these bottlenecks. The ITMS plans on retrofitting radar-operated traffic signals and CCTV cameras across Mumbai. By choosing to install the first batch of intelligent traffic lights at the identified bottlenecks, the government will maximise the impact of the system on Mumbais traffic flow, reduce congestion, and increase the citys economic productivity. Mumbais contribution to state GDP would be even higher if the negative impacts of congestion were removed. Hence, to boost growth, the government needs to prioritise addressing Mumbais traffic problem. By doing so, it will catalyse Indias financial capital in reaching its economic potential. Harsh Vardhan Pachisia is associate and Kadambari Shah is senior associate at IDFC Institute The views expressed are personal As the previously unknown coronavirus takes its toll on China, missteps exacerbated the growth of the epidemic, leading to quarantines in 16 cities and foreign nations banning travel to and from China. With a short window to take preventive measures against a highly contagious disease, Communist Party officials in Wuhan, a central China city of 11 million about 700 miles south of Beijing, instead tried to silence doctors, fearing they were spreading rumors that could cause panic. Lab technicians in Wuhan discovered a number of cases with an 87 percent similarity to severe acute respiratory syndrome Dec. 26 after a flood of patients with flu-like symptoms. SARS wasnt to be taken lightly. It originated in China in 2003, spread to 26 countries, involved 8,098 cases and killed 774 (9.6% fatality rate). Its a cousin to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, which originated in Saudi Arabia, resulted in 2,499 cases and 861 deaths (34.5% fatality rate). On Dec. 31, Chinese officials, who had kept the World Health Organization in the dark for months about SARS, disclosed a rare pneumonia-like virus. On the ground, it was a different story. Eight doctors were detained Jan. 1 by Wuhan police for posting and spreading rumors about hospitals receiving SARS-like cases. The state-run Xinhua News Agency warned, The police call on all netizens to not fabricate rumors, not spread rumors, not believe rumors. The Supreme Peoples Court later denounced those actions, stating, If society had at the time believed those rumors, and wore masks, used disinfectant and avoided going to the wildlife market as if there were a SARS outbreak, perhaps it wouldve meant we could better control the coronavirus today. With 59 cases analyzed, Chinese authorities announced Jan. 9 the existence of the new coronavirus named for its crown-like appearance with a series of spikes made of proteins. It was linked to SARS and MERS. Its numbers skyrocketed. By Sunday, the WHO confirmed 17,205 cases, mostly in China, and 361 deaths, all in China except for a Chinese national in the Philippines. It may be an undercount. A study published in the medical journal Lancet by University of Hong Kong scientists estimated 75,815 people infected with the coronavirus by Jan. 25, assuming each infected person passed the virus to 2.68 others, and it was doubling every 6.4 days. The difficulty in assessing the number is that the incubation period is 14 days from infection until symptoms runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache and fever, which can be severe, as well as bronchitis and pneumonia. It poses a risk primarily to those with heart and lung ailments, the elderly and infants. The WHO states most cases have been milder, with about 20% of those infected experiencing severe illness. The fatality rate is only 2.4%. Like SARS, the coronavirus was transmitted by bats. SARS was traced in China to a wet market outdoor stalls selling fish and meat, including wildlife, with animals butchered while customers waited. A fruit bat apparently transmitted SARS to civet cats, a delicacy in China. Dr. Zhong Nanshon, who identified the SARS virus, warned in 2006 that wildlife markets had to be cleaned up, they were poorly managed and insanitary and a dangerous source of possible new infections. It didnt happen. The origin of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is believed to be Huanan Seafood, where rats, live wolf pups, civets and seafood were sold. A longtime customer was the first to die. Workers and frequent customers were among the early patients. The coronavirus is believed to have been transmitted by horseshoe bats. On Jan. 23, Wuhan was put under quarantine along with 15 other cities 56 million people total. Public transportation was suspended. Respiratory face masks and food items were hoarded Many nations, including the U.S., have imposed travel bans. Unlike 2003, when 20 million Chinese traveled abroad, such travel is more common now 150 million in 2018, including 360,000 Chinese students studying in the U.S. The economic impact could be substantial. Foreign executives are leaving China in droves and many multinationals are shuttering shops. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross indelicately stated the epidemic could boost U.S. jobs as companies left China. Yet the epidemic also is a matter of perception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has attributed 10,000 deaths in the U.S. to the flu during this winter season with 19 million illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations. Precautions are similar for the flu and coronavirus: wash hands thoroughly with soap; avoid touching your face, nose or mouth with unwashed hands; clean and disinfect surfaces commonly used; cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and stay home when sick. China should have advised those simple measures at the outset, and shut wet markets years ago. An epidemic could have been avoided. Some of these actors do get meatier supporting roles. The trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where Beatriz hopes Olivia will testify as a character witness in her deportation hearing, includes encounters with a parade of benevolent strangers. Carlos L. Encinias brings warmth and humor to Manuel, a widowed South Dakota tamale peddler. As park ranger Pearl, the exceptional Kayla Gross performs the R&B jam Yellowstone with sultry soul. Yet these detours play more like amusing diversions than necessary plot points. Bradley Mott and Lawrence Redmond may delight as an older gay couple on a quest to get married in all 50 states, but their boisterous number, My Bells Been Rung, feels like it was yanked from a different musical. [February 05, 2020] Kemper Names United Airlines CFO Gerald Laderman to Board of Directors Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) announced today that its board of directors has elected Gerald (Gerry) Laderman as a director effective February 20, 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005812/en/ Gerry Laderman (Photo: Business Wire) Laderman currently serves as chief financial officer and executive vice president of United Airlines, and has responsibility for developing United's overall financial strategy including cost management, capital allocation and balance sheet optimization. With more than 30 years of experience in the airline industry, he has servedin senior leadership roles at United, Continental Airlines and Texas Air. Laderman has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a juris doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. "Gerry's deep financial expertise and strategic leadership make him an ideal candidate for Kemper's board," said Board Chairman Robert J. Joyce. "His long tenure with United in numerous high-profile positions will give us valuable perspective, and we are confident he will make a meaningful contribution." "We are pleased to welcome Gerry to our board," said Joseph P. Lacher, Jr., president and CEO. "His tremendous experience and focus on financial success complements that of our current board and will benefit the company as we continue to grow. I look forward to working alongside Gerry and know he will serve Kemper well." Laderman will be a member of the board's Audit Committee, and his appointment expands the board to 10 directors, eight of whom are independent. "It's an exciting time for Kemper and I'm pleased to join their board," commented Laderman. "I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the senior leadership team to execute on the strategic plan and participate in Kemper's continued growth." About Kemper Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) is one of the nation's leading specialized insurers. With over $12 billion in assets, Kemper is improving the world of insurance by providing affordable and easy-to-use personalized solutions to individuals, families and businesses through its Auto, Personal Insurance, Life and Health brands. Kemper serves over 6.4 million policies, is represented by more than 30,000 agents and brokers, and has 8,900 associates dedicated to meeting the ever-changing needs of its customers. Learn more about Kemper. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005812/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 5, 2020 / LT Trust, an independent low-cost retirement plan provider, has enhanced its 401(k) product based on feedback from financial advisors. This series of moves gives growing businesses access to world-class 401(k) features that were previously available exclusively to large corporations. The enhancements include: Access to one of the industry's most comprehensive suite of retirement income projection tools A dedicated relationship manager for every advisor and plan sponsor to offer personalized service and accountability A simplified fee schedule to promote understanding and transparency A solution for plan sponsors who do not want to be burdened with the task of uploading payroll every pay period A mobile app for participants to view their accounts from anywhere In conjunction with these product changes, LT Trust has also revitalized its corporate identity to better articulate its ability to use technology to provide leading-edge service to growing enterprises. Through its partnership with Fingage, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, LT Trust can now provide a participant's projected monthly retirement income through an online dashboard. Additionally, participants can see the percentage of their retirement income goal they are on track to achieve, along with their expected monthly shortfall. Through intuitive and interactive calculators, participants can estimate the impact of retirement planning decisions on their expected assets at retirement and how long their retirement savings are expected to last. David Hopkins, a financial advisor with Woita & Associates located in Northwest Wisconsin, whose firm has a number of plans with LT Trust, commented, "We have plans with several of the largest recordkeepers in the industry and we think LT Trust's retirement income solution is as good as any that we have seen." A plan may also add Fingage's Managed Account solution for a small fee. Samer Habl, CEO of Fingage, commented, "Our managed account solution provides access to an institutional investment discipline that was previously cost-prohibitive to the small-plan market. By leveling this nominal fee across all plan participants, we foresee a significant increase in the number of participants electing to use the service, resulting in a workforce better prepared for retirement." About LT Trust Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, LT Trust provides low-cost 401(k) recordkeeping and administration services to growing businesses in all 50 states. By offering an open architecture 401(k) platform with access to almost 30,000 investment options, LT Trust enables its advisors to construct best-of-breed fund lineups without imposing any product requirements. LT Trust administered over 4,900 retirement plans with over $4.6 billion in assets as of Jan. 1, 2020. Contact: Burke Johnson | LT Trust (303) 658-3731 | burke.johnson@ltretire.com Samer Habl | Fingage (262) 346-4243 | samer.habl@fingage.com SOURCE: LT Trust View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575293/LT-Trust-Re-Imagines-401k-for-Small-Businesses International Floriculture Expo We redesigned IFE in 2019 to be strictly focused on florals with zero distractions and the response from exhibitors and attendees alike has been phenomenal said Event Manager, Harrison Hines. The International Floriculture Expo will return to the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center from June 9th- 11th, 2020. This years show follows a highly successful 2019 event which saw a sold-out show floor and record attendance. The International Floriculture Expo is the largest floral event in North America and offers an entire day devoted to floral education and two days of over 60,000 square feet of floral exhibits. We redesigned IFE in 2019 to be strictly focused on florals with zero distractions and the response from exhibitors and attendees alike has been phenomenal said Event Manager Harrison Hines. And being able to do all of this in the heart of the U.S. Floral community, here in Florida just really feels special. "Whether youre a florist or a floral buyer with 1,000 locations, this show has something for you. We truly encompass the entire floral industry. Every year IFE brings together a targeted group of the industrys highest-volume floral buyers who are the critical forces behind purchasing for the countrys largest floral departments. Hundreds of companies like Amazon, Safeway/Albertsons, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Home Depot, Publix, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market and Target attend the event to see the latest product innovations, network with existing vendors, meet new suppliers, and to participate in the education program. Additionally, retail florists will find inspiration and networking opportunities throughout the show floor and IFE Education Day. Education Day will begin at 8:00AM on Tuesday, June 9th and will deliver a meaningful conference program with top industry presenters from around the country and the world, allowing attendees to maximize their time away from the office. Education Day is held the day before the expo opens and is dedicated to a robust education program, developed to give floral professionals ideas, tips, and industry insights to take back to their business. Additional networking events and design demonstrations such as the Annual Iron Designer Competition and the prestigious Flower Naming Ceremony are held throughout the two show days. Industry professionals wishing to attend can register at http://www.floriexpo.com. About the International Floriculture Expo The International Floriculture Expo is North America's largest business-to-business trade show for the floral industry, uniting mass market retail buyers, florists, suppliers, media, and other industry professionals, including procurement managers from top U.S. floral retailers such as Amazon, Safeway/Albertsons, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Home Depot, Publix, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market and Target. About Diversified Communications Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including: food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: http://www.divcom.com Fishermen in Navi Mumbai filed a petition before the Bombay high court (HC) on Monday, opposing the environment clearances (EC) given to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to expand its container facilities. The petition, filed by Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP), said that reclamation across 110 hectares by JNPT for its fourth container terminal violated their right to livelihood, as the work is destroying the fishing areas. The petition was filed against JNPT, the Union environment ministry, and various departments of the state government. Nandkumar Pawar, head, SEAP said, The site has been identified as an ecologically sensitive area by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, and falls within the coastal regulation zone (CRZ-IA) where such construction activities are not permitted. However, the EC identifies the zone as CRZ-IV, where construction is allowed. The petition, which HT has reviewed, identified that the construction has reduced fishing areas, destroyed wetlands, and forced villagers to relocate. On July 29, 2008, JNPT obtained EC from the Union environment ministry to reclaim 200 hectares to build storage yards, roads, railway, depots, parking areas, office buildings, etc. In phase 1 of the project, construction work was done across 90 hectares, including 19.5-hectares of mangrove forest. On October 9, 2019, JNPT obtained fresh CRZ clearances from the states coastal authority to start work on the second phase. The recent petition pointed out that the mandatory public consultation while obtaining an EC under the environment impact assessment (EIA) notification, 2006, had been neglected. We have never objected to development but the JNPTs construction has edged into our creeks, mangrove forests, and salt pans. This caused flooding of 20 villages in Uran during 2019 monsoon and affected 1,236 families, said Parmanand Jaywant Koli, sarpanch, Hanuman Koliwada village. The coastal berth construction work has all necessary clearances and there is no mangrove destruction. We remain a socially-conscious organisation, committed to the environment, community, stakeholders, employees and the industry, read the statement issued by the port trust. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON DES PLAINES Japanese chef and restaurateur Kenta Ikehata is known for his work at Tsujita in Los Angeles and in Japan. Now, the Chicago suburbs will get a chance to taste the beloved ramen at his new restaurant, Chicago Ramen. Dont miss the tsukemen, a dipping ramen, plus a white and a red miso ramen. Noodles are sourced from Sun Noodle, a Hawaiian company owned by a second-generation Japanese noodle maker and known for its noodle texture and quality, and toppings include soft-boiled eggs, menma (marinated bamboo shoots), green onions, char-siu, nori, corn and vegetables. The restaurant will have 20 seats and be open for lunch and dinner. The ramen restaurant was slated to open Jan. 24, but the date has been postponed so check back for updates. 578 E. Oakton, Des Plaines Traffickers targeted and enticed the four women in Cuba, promising them a better life in the United States and then loading them onto a boat for the journey across the Florida Straits. But when the women arrived in Miami, the deal went sour. They would have to work as prostitutes to pay off an exorbitant transportation debt, traffickers told them. And that meant having sex with as many as 20 men a day in brothels and illicit massage parlors. When JoNell Potter, a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine nurse, first heard about the four women, they had already been rescued and sheltered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It wasnt enough that they were now safe and had a place to stay. The women needed medical care, and DHS asked Potter if she could help. At the time, it didnt seem like a daunting request, certainly nothing that Pottera professor of clinical obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciencescouldnt handle. After all, in the early 1980s, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic emerged in Miami, she was one of the first health care workers on the frontlines, helping to design a comprehensive, multidisciplinary model of care that allowed women and children living with HIV to access medical services. She would quickly learn, however, that these patients, and others like them that DHS and local law enforcement agencies subsequently brought to her for treatment, presented a whole new set of health care challenges beyond the scope of anything her team had in place. They had been trafficked from city to city, often beaten, abused, and, in some cases, branded with tattoos by their pimps to show ownership. It was not just a matter of performing a simple GYN exam. They had experienced trauma, and they had tremendous medical care and mental health needs, Potter recalled. Even the simplest of tasks were a challenge for them. We realized fairly early on, for example, that they couldnt sit in a waiting room, she said. I would sit next to them, and I could see the anxiety start to mount because there were too many people, and they had been brainwashed into thinking the traffickers were going to come looking for them. And if not the traffickers, people who were working for the traffickers. They were even worried that some of the men in the waiting room might be former Johns. Potter had already assembled a cadre of providersnurse practitioners, physicians, and psychologistswho were all willing to help. But what was needed most, she knew, was a dedicated space just for the survivors. So, she called the countys top prosecutor, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade state attorney. She advocated on our behalf, Potter said of Fernandez Rundles efforts. She made it clear that there was a gap in health care access for these patients and that they desperately needed specialized, trauma-informed health care services. Shortly after, the Trafficking Healthcare Resources and Intra-Disciplinary Victim Services and Education (THRIVE) was born. A collaboration between the Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Health System, the clinic, which Potter describes as a one-stop shop for human trafficking victims, provides everything from primary and gynecological care to psychiatry and behavioral health services under one roof. DHS, the Human Trafficking Unit of the Miami-Dade County State Attorneys Office, and other antihuman trafficking organizations refer victims to the clinic. Comprehensive care But what makes this model one of the first of its kind is the way it administers health care, starting with the way patients are brought in and the manner in which their medical histories are taken. There is no waiting areapatients are admitted and discharged inside the examination room. This isnt the way medicine usually operates, said Panagiota Caralis, a professor of medicine at the Miller School and medical director for THRIVE. You never have a registration, an exam, and a discharge in one place. But its been done that way in recognition of the sensitivities of these patients. While most of the patients need care from multiple specialists, THRIVE never requires them to navigate a maze of medical facilities. The providers come to them. In addition, repeating past experiences can re-traumatize survivors. So, we take a medical history only once and ask every provider to review it before they meet the patient, said Potter. Weve learned that no medical history is routine. Survivors often cannot remember or do not want to remember. Their stories change over time. They arent lying. They have blocked out the trauma to survive. From illnesses that have gone untreated for years to broken bones that didnt heal properly, their health care needs are intractable, with mental health care being the most critical need. Many of them, said Potter, have post-traumatic stress with all the classic symptomsflashbacks, nightmares, depression, and suicide attempts. We cant just say, Okay, Im going to treat your hypertension and send you on your merry way. It doesnt work that way, said Caralis, who is also medical director for women veterans health at the Miami Veterans Administration. The mental health piece is key to having them come back into the community as productive people who are able to function on their own and not fall back because there is no other choice. Its going to take role models and peers to help them make it. And were looking at a program to try and do that, she added. Each referral, and successful treatment, is a victory of gargantuan proportions for the THRIVE team, as they have painfully come to realize that even getting survivors to walk through the clinics door hinges on law enforcements ability to rescue and persuade victims to cooperate. And accomplishing that task, said Fernandez Rundle, can be exceedingly difficult. What the trauma victims endure leaves them vulnerable to manipulation by traffickers, who instill in them a fear of talking with police and reporting their situation. Many are unwilling to cooperate for fear of retaliation, she said. Much like Potter was once unaware of the serious health consequences trafficking victims face, Fernandez Rundles office found itself at a similar disadvantage eight years ago after learning that Florida ranked No. 2 in the nation for human trafficking cases, with Miami one of the primary hotspots. Back in 2012, my office had virtually no cases of human trafficking, she said. So, we set out to learn and understand what it actually was, who and where the victims were, and where in Miami-Dade the predators were. Her office established a human trafficking unit and a task force made up of police officers from multiple agencies. Soon, their caseload of human trafficking-related cases mushroomed, going from only three in 2012 to more than 600 today. In that same time span, her office has worked with more than 700 victims. Fernandez Rundle called the partnership with THRIVE invaluable, saying the clinic has helped victims heal and become strong enough to break the emotional chains of their enslavement and be an effective part of a criminal prosecution. THRIVE physicians, nurses and social workers, explained Potter, have been able to break those emotional chains by building trust with the victims, employing patient navigatorsusually survivors themselves who have reentered the workforceto chaperone patients through each clinical visit. Latoya Johnson, program director for THRIVE, and Shanika Ampah, nurse and patient navigator A mothers story One of those patient navigators is Shanika Ampah, a mother of nine. Sexually abused as a child, she ran away from home at the age of 11 and became ensnarled in a vicious web of prostitution and human trafficking. She was traded among pimps from neighborhood to neighborhood. The farther away Ampah got from home, the farther away hope seemed to be. When I was being trafficked, it wasnt a 9 to 5 situation, she said. The beatings came at 3 in the morning when you didnt make your quota. There was no THRIVE clinic back then, and other avenues of help were just as scarce. At 18, Ampah got pregnant, and thats when things started to turn around. What really changed everything for me was my children and getting back into school, she said. She became a medical assistant and then a licensed practical nurse, taking a giant step toward becoming independent. One day, Ampah got a call from a DHS worker, who told her that THRIVE needed a patient navigator and that she would be an ideal fit for the job because her background and medical training would allow her to relate to, and help, patients. Since then, working at the clinic has been one of her passions. I can empathize with them; empower them and let them know that this is just one moment in their lives that shouldnt define them and that they can overcome it, she said. I always ask them, What was it that you wanted to be before all of this happened? For me, I always wanted to be a teacher or a nurse. Ampah has seen the most extreme casesmothers who have lost custody of their children, patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses, a woman who is going progressively blind because a pimp threw acid on her face. She tries to change their mindset. And as an outreach coordinator, she visits those hotbeds of prostitution where she once walked, from Southwest 8th Street to Biscayne Boulevard, going into dark alleys to share resources and her story and discreetly letting victims know that help is available. She is street savvy enough to know how to avoid confrontations, fully aware that traffickers and pimps could be watching. Through her nonprofit, Guiding Light Outreach, Ampah spends as much time as she can educating the public, not only about human trafficking, but about social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and illiteracy. Things that make women vulnerable to becoming victims of a criminal enterprise that generates global profits of $150 billion a yearnearly $100 billion of which comes from commercial sexual exploitation. Ampah has spoken on local radio stations HOT 105 (WHQT) and 99 Jamz (WEDR), spreading her message. She never powers down her cellphone. Once, she got a call at 3 a.m. from a victim who was being arrested. The next day, Ampah was in court to advocate for the woman. They need someone to have their back, said Ampah. Its so easy to fall back into that cycle. It shouldnt take a Super Bowl coming to Miami to shine a spotlight on the problem, Ampah said. We have Ultra, spring breaks, boat shows, a Memorial Day weekend celebrationhuman trafficking is here year-round, she said. Keeping it afloat Not all of Potters battles have been fought advocating for and administering care to survivors. It has also been a fight for funding. While a grant from the U.S. Department of Justices Office for Victims of Crime supports some aspects of the clinic, grants do not cover everythingand they dont last forever, leaving the clinic with the challenge of finding additional support to sustain services. So, donations have helped take up the slack. THRIVE is being replicated in at least one other Florida county and in Atlanta, where Juhi Jaina Miller School alumna currently in the second year of a pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Emory Universitys Childrens Healthcare of Atlantais working with a team of physicians to establish a health care and victim services model. Five years ago, it was Jain who sowed the seeds for what would become THRIVE, when she applied for and received an Arsht Research on Ethics and Community Grant to educate health care professionals about human trafficking through educational seminars. I saw the need to educate providers, so I worked with my mentors at UM to make it happen, said Jain, singling out Caralis, a professor of medicine, who is also a School of Law alumna and director of the Health Law pathway that integrates education in health and law for medical students, residents, and fellows. Potter said THRIVE is succeeding, noting the low recidivism rates among patients. Our patients, she said, are successfully reengineering their lives. By Laman Ismayilova Gara Garayev was undoubtedly one of the most highly regarded national composers in Azerbaijan. The composer left us an incredibly rich musical legacy: nearly 110 pieces, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, piano solos, cantatas, songs and marches. A book about the prominent national composer has been published in Baku in honor of the composer's 102nd birthday, Trend Life reported. The book "Gara Garayev" by famous TV host, actor and film director Bahram Bagirzade is aimed at young readers. This book tells about the life and career of the great Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev (February 5, 1918 - May 13, 1982). I really want you to not only read this book, but also to listen to the music of Gara Garayev. You can write about the composer many books and articles, publish hundreds of photographs and memoirs of his friends. But only after listening to his music, you can truly understand and feel musical genius Gara Garayev . The book was included in "BIBOgraphy" series for young readers that tells about Azerbaijan's prominent figures. Bahram Bagirzade is Honored Artist of Azerbaijan. He is also a member of the Azerbaijan Unions of Artists Cinematographers as well as Association of Photographers and Society of Cartoonists. Bagirzade is the author of more than thirty books. He is also a member of the legendary KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive) team "Parni iz Baku". Having synthesized Eastern and Western musical traditions, his works cover essentially all genres. The works by Gara Garayev are performed all over the world. Garayev inherited his love of music from his parents. His father Abulfaz Garayev was a famous pediatrician in Baku. Abulfaz Garayev was known for his kindness and generosity. When patients were too poor to pay for treatment, he often left money under the prescription that he had written out for them. He knew Azerbaijani folk music very well and loved to sing. Garayev's mother, Sona Khanim, was among the first graduates of the Music School, the Baku branch of the Russian Music Society. At the age of eight, Garayev first entered the junior music school at the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. His exceptional musical talents let him to study simultaneously in two faculties at the conservatoire. His teachers were Georgi Sharoyev, Leonid Rudolf, and the prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. In 1938, Garayev composed his first musical piece, a cantata "The Song of the Heart" to the poem by Rasul Rza. It was performed in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in the same year. He was only 20 years old at the time. Garayev returned to Baku in 1941. He began teaching students at Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society. In 1945, both he and Jovdat Hajiyev wrote the "Motherland" opera, for which they were awarded a prestigious Stalin Prize. At the age of 30, Garayev was again awarded this prize for his symphonic poem "Leyli and Majnun", based on the same-titled famous work of Nizami Ganjavi. In 1952, under the direction of the choreographer P. A. Gusev, Garayev's "Seven Beauties" ballet was staged at the Azerbaijani Theater of Opera and Ballet. Based on Nizami Ganjavi's famous poem, "Seven Beauties", it became the first Azerbaijani ballet and opened a new chapter in the history of classical music of Azerbaijan. His ballet, "Path of Thunder", staged in 1958, was dedicated to racial conflicts in South Africa. In the same year, he wrote the score for the documentary film" A Story About the Oil Workers of the Caspian Sea", directed by Roman Karmen and set at the Oil Rocks. Through his life, Garayev wrote nearly 110 musical pieces, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, solos for piano, cantatas, songs and marches, and rose to prominence not only in Azerbaijan, but also worldwide. He brilliantly juxtaposed features of Mugham with jazz, blues, African music, European counterpoint styles, and developments related to the 20th century Western music such as the 12-tone technique. Garayev died on May 13, 1982 in Moscow at the age of 64. The memory of great composer will always live in the hearts of Azerbaijani people. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Spotify Earnings Report Offers Hints Of Streamers Future [MARK MULLIGAN] Spotify reported strong user growth in an earnings report Wednesday alongside financials, results from the streamers push into podcasting and more. Top industry analyst Mark Mulligan digs into the numbers. By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA and the Music Industry blog Spotifys Q4 2019 results reflect another strong quarter and a good year for Spotify. Look a bit deeper, however, and there are the first signs of the new company that Spotify is building and they point to a very different and much bolder future. First, here are the headline metrics: 124 million subscribers (exactly in line with MIDiAs forecast built earlier in the year. In fact, weve been pretty good with our quarterly subscriber forecasts throughout the year see the chart at the bottom of this post). Six million inactive subscribers (flat from Q3 2019). 271 million monthly average users (MAUs) and 153 million ad-supported MAUs, which is a paid conversion rate of 45.8%, down a little from Q3 2019 and Q4 2018 with Rest of World the fastest-growing ad-supported region. This fits with early-stage growth for Spotify in new markets. Unlike markets in Europe and the Americas, Spotify will likely see ad-supported remaining a much larger share of the user base long term in markets like India, with less ability to monetize via ad revenue. Spotify needs some big telco deals, especially in India. Subscriber churn was down to 4.8% from 5.2% one year earlier. This is slow but steady progress that helps stabilize Spotifys business and helps net adds grow faster. Subscriber average revenue per user (ARPU) was 4.65, down 5% on Q4 2018. Spotify stated that much of this decline was down to the extension of the free trial period across our entire product suite in the quarter. Total revenue was 6.8 billion, up 29% from 2018 with ad-supported just 10% of that. So much for the old, now in with the new Spotifys uphill journey towards profitability is well documented (net margin fell into negative territory again in Q4 2019, to -77 million). The circa-70% rights costs base is the core issue here, and rights holders have little (no) desire to go any lower in fact, publishers want increases. Spotify has had to explore where else it can grow its business with cost bases that are less than 70%. Podcasts, marketing and creator tools are the three publicly stated places where Spotify has placed its bets, and the Q4 results show small and early but nonetheless crucially important movements in each: Podcasts: As MIDiA reported last month, Spotify has been growing its audience very quickly and is now the second-most widely used podcast platform. 44.8 million Spotify users now listen to Spotify podcasts, with total usage up 200% year-on-year (YoY). Though podcast revenue is still only around 1% of Spotifys total revenues, this reflects Spotifys overall relative underperformance in ad revenue. This needs to be fixed at least in a few of the bigger digital ad markets but podcasts have the additional benefit for Spotify of diluting the royalty pot and thus improving gross margin. Current license agreements have a strict cap on how much the pot can be diluted (and labels have no intention of increasing that cap). But by MIDiAs estimates, even within the current deals, Spotify could potentially shave off up to seven points of music royalty payments. Little wonder, then, that Spotify said this in its earnings report: Any decision to accelerate our investment in podcast and technology spend should be viewed as an indication of our belief that our strategy is having tangible results. We have gained even more confidence in the data, particularly around the benefits from podcasts, and as a result, 2020 will be an investment year. As MIDiA reported last month, Spotify has been growing its audience very quickly and is now the second-most widely used podcast platform. 44.8 million Spotify users now listen to Spotify podcasts, with total usage up 200% year-on-year (YoY). Though podcast revenue is still only around 1% of Spotifys total revenues, this reflects Spotifys overall relative underperformance in ad revenue. This needs to be fixed at least in a few of the bigger digital ad markets but podcasts have the additional benefit for Spotify of diluting the royalty pot and thus improving gross margin. Current license agreements have a strict cap on how much the pot can be diluted (and labels have no intention of increasing that cap). But by MIDiAs estimates, even within the current deals, Spotify could potentially shave off up to seven points of music royalty payments. Little wonder, then, that Spotify said this in its earnings report: Any decision to accelerate our investment in podcast and technology spend should be viewed as an indication of our belief that our strategy is having tangible results. We have gained even more confidence in the data, particularly around the benefits from podcasts, and as a result, 2020 will be an investment year. Marketing: Spotify launched its paid ad tools for labels and artists in beta in Q4 2019. Early results are positive: +30% click-through and listener conversion rates, and on the sponsored recommendations side, Caroline Musics Trippie Redds fourth album was helped to #1 with sponsored recommendations. Though there has been some pushback from labels feeling that they shouldnt have to pay to reach their own audiences, Spotify is not doing anything particularly unusual here. The strategy is directly comparable to what Facebook and YouTube do. In fact, record labels spend about a third of what they earn from YouTube on YouTube advertising. The impact of that sort of revenue exchange on Spotifys commercial model cannot be understated. Spotify launched its paid ad tools for labels and artists in beta in Q4 2019. Early results are positive: +30% click-through and listener conversion rates, and on the sponsored recommendations side, Caroline Musics Trippie Redds fourth album was helped to #1 with sponsored recommendations. Though there has been some pushback from labels feeling that they shouldnt have to pay to reach their own audiences, Spotify is not doing anything particularly unusual here. The strategy is directly comparable to what Facebook and YouTube do. In fact, record labels spend about a third of what they earn from YouTube on YouTube advertising. The impact of that sort of revenue exchange on Spotifys commercial model cannot be understated. Creators: 2020 is going to be a massive year for creators. Our early estimates are that artists direct generated around $820 million in 2019, growing more than twice as fast as the overall market. 2019 was another big year for the top of the funnel, but we think the even more interesting space is one step earlier: creator tools. Creator tools are the new top of the funnel, before music even makes it onto streaming services. In fact, we think this might be the music industrys next big growth area and Spotify is already betting big, with acquisitions like online collaboration tool Soundtrap and artist marketplace SoundBetter. The music industry was, understandably, preoccupied with Spotify competing with it by signing artists and becoming a label. Spotify backed off from this strategy, but by focusing its efforts on the creator end of the spectrum it is building the foundations for what a record label of the future will look like. Spotify may just be competing with the labels future business before they have even realised it. Spotifys quote says it all (at least to those who are listening for it): We will continue to grow and expand the marketplace strategy, including with services such as Soundtrap and Soundbetter.As an example, while still early days, Soundtrap doubled its paying subscriber base in Q4. Expect more innovation of products over the coming years. The margin impact of these three business areas is already being felt: The largest driver of outperformance stemmed from slight improvement in the non-royalty component of Gross Margin, including payment fees, streaming delivery costs, and other miscellaneous variances. Picks & Shovels These are the three pillars of the new Spotify one that will continue to be powered by music, but with profit coming from ancillary services. In the California Gold Rush in the 19th century, the first person to make a million dollars was a man called Samuel Brannan. But he wasnt a miner; he sold mining equipment. If there is a gold rush, you want to be selling picks and shovels. Spotify has found its picks and shovels. Share on: A driver fleeing police in a high-speed chase loses control of a car and crashes it into four parked vehicles before the dazed occupants dash. CCTV footage shows the getaway car turning down Anderton Road in Birmingham, clipping a parked vehicle which causes the car to do a complete 360. As the panicked driver loses control, the car rotates, hitting two other cars before smashing head-first into a fourth and final vehicle. The airbags go off as thick smoke protrudes out from the engine of the badly-damaged car, and all four doors open as the men make a run for it. Blue police lights flood the chaotic scene as one suspect, dazed and disoriented, falls onto the curb as he runs back to the car to fetch an item. The footage then cuts to one fleeing passenger being intercepted by a brave police officer, throwing one young man onto the floor and restraining him. CCTV footage shows the getaway car turning down Anderton Road in Birmingham, clipping a parked vehicle which causes the car to do a complete 360 The car clips one parked car in the background, spinning into two others and crashing head-first into a final one, causing the airbags to go off and the men to escape Pictured, one of the passengers clambers out of the car and turns back to fetch an item One of the men jumps a fence and lands in an empty car park, escaping. West Midlands Police said one 16-year-old teenager was arrested after the crash in Sparkbrook, but was later released without charge. Enquiries are ongoing to track down the suspected driver. The same passenger (pictured) then falls onto the curb, disoriented by the dizzying crash A spokesperson for the force pleaded for members of the public with information to contact them, saying: 'We arrested a teenager after a car he was in failed to stop and hit three parked vehicles in Sparkbrook just before 2am on Tuesday 28 January' One of the men, thought to be the driver, jumps a fence and lands in an empty car park, and manages to escape the police A force spokesperson pleaded for people with information to contact them, saying: 'We arrested a teenager after a car he was in failed to stop and hit three parked vehicles in Sparkbrook just before 2am on Tuesday 28 January. 'Following a pursuit the car came to a stop in Anderton Road and the driver fled the scene. Enquiries are on-going to trace him. A 16-year-old who was a passenger in the car was arrested but later released without charge. 'Enquiries continue and anyone with information is asked to contact us, quoting log 144 of 28 January, via Live Chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight, or call 101'. A total of 32,000 households in the Upper West Region will benefit from the construction of a 17-megawatt solar power project at the cost of 22.8 million Euros by the end of 2020. The project, when completed will not only increase the geographic spread of power generation in the country, but will help the people to avoid the estimated 7,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, to make Ghana a cleaner place to live in. President Nana Akufo-Addo said this when he cut the sod for the construction of a combined 17-megawatt solar power project at Kaleo and Lawra in the Upper West Region. The President said the sod-cutting reaffirmed the commitment of government to diversify the country's energy generation portfolio and thereby helped to increase the renewable energy component of the energy mix and contribute to mitigating the effect of climate change. The solar power plants, which were the first of its kind in the region would serve as an impetus for the development of the region and also help reduce the amount of energy from the hydro and other energy sources, thereby reducing the pressure on the national grid. He said the projects would be operated and maintained by Ghanaians living in these areas and encouraged the youth to stand in preparedness for this great opportunity. He expressed the hope that the plants would serve as practical demonstration sites for students from various institutions to increase their knowledge in the field of solar energy in order for the region to produce the next generation of solar energy experts. He urged the Ministries of Finance and Energy to collaborate with the Volta River Authority to bring the project to fruition, adding that "you have no reason to delay the execution of the project". He expressed the hope to return in his second term to cut the sod for the construction of the second phase of the project. President Akufo-Addo thanked the government of Germany for providing funding for the project. The 13-megawatt capacity installed at Kaleo and the four-megawatt capacity installed at Lawra are scheduled for completion in December and June 2020 respectively. Mr John-Peter Amewu, the Minister of Energy said the projects were a perfect complement to the hydro dam at Akosombo and Kpong, saying it would enable the dams to store water during the day so as to supply power to Ghanaians during the evening, where the grid reaches its peak. He said the Ministry would continue to work with the Volta River Authority to ensure that Ghana built enough capacity in renewable energies to complement the hydro dams and reduce carbon footprints. Mr Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador to Ghana noted that the establishment of the 17-megawatt solar plant in Kaleo and Lawra marked a milestone of the long-standing and excellent relations between Ghana and Germany and showed the benefit of the Reform and Investment Partnership. He said the project addressed the challenges of climate change and the need for clean energy, adding that with appropriate policy direction and support, the sector could witness remarkable growth with linked opportunities in manufacturing and job creation. The Ambassador said as of today, Germany has committed over 170 million Euros for the Energy sector over the years, adding that he was looking forward to seeing more future projects unfold within the partnership. Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of the project areas for releasing almost 26 acres of land for the purpose. He said the siting of the project in the Upper West Region was prudent as there was enough sun energy to enhance the operation of the plant. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Photo: Chung Chow/Business in Vancouver Downtown Vancouver's Alberni Street shopping district and its high-end shops attract a lot of wealthy offshore consumers. Vancouver retailers are warily monitoring news but have yet to notice any downturn in business from shoppers fears of contracting the coronavirus. Even in the Alberni Street shopping district known for high-end shops and plenty of offshore-visitor consumers, store managers told Business in Vancouver that they do not believe shoppers are postponing visits out of a fear of getting the disease. Volume is pretty stable, said Tiffany & Co. sales manager Frank Celentano. This was a very successful month for us. Traffic is a bit low, but the people who are coming in are spending. Manuel Bernaschek, who owns the Stefano Ricci store on West Georgia Street near the Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver, estimated that about 35 per cent to 40 per cent of his customers are visitors to Vancouver from China. We still have good days, he said Jan. 29. The store was empty yesterday and today, but we had a good weekend. He is anticipating that there may be a slowdown in the weeks ahead but that things will then get back to normal. The disease has to become much bigger locally for it to impact retailers, said DIG360 owner and retail analyst David Gray. Malls will be the first to feel the impact, versus street-front retailers, but I think it has to be a lot more significant than where we are right now. If a spate of new cases of infection arises, and particularly if there are deaths, Gray expects that people will be wary of going to public gatherings. He believes consumers are being curious about the disease but viewing it as being far away and not yet something that they need to fear. We might be washing our hands more, and were probably more alert if someone is coughing around us, but I wouldnt expect that there is much of an impact yet. Coffee shops and other public meeting places could be hit, he suggested. Starbucks Corp.s shares slid more than two per cent on Jan. 29, a day after it told investors that it has closed more than half of its 4,123 stores in China, a country that represents about 10 per cent of its global revenue. The company had planned to raise its full-year guidance but put that hike on hold because of the unknown impact of the novel coronavirus on its business, Starbucks CFO Pat Grismer said on a conference call. The business impact is largely a function of two things: the number of stores closed and the duration of closure, and with respect to the duration of closure, its not entirely in our control, Grismer said. Were probably looking at early March at the earliest to reasonably assess the implications for revenue, operating income and earnings per share for our second quarter and for the full year. Future Generali India Life Insurance Co Ltd will hire around 350 people and add over 2,000 distributors across the country this year, a company official said. It also announced the opening of 28 new branches pan- India on Tuesday, under 'Project Roar'. "The company intends to recruit close to 346 employees and 2,058 distributors in the current year, and is hopeful of further increasing these numbers in the next two years," a Future Generali India Life Insurance (FGILI) spokesperson told PTI. FGILI has been focusing on expansion of agency channels by ramping up the recruiting process of agents and opening new branches in India, she said. "Over the last three years... the growth in agency channels' business has increased by 340 per cent, while the department has also strengthened its workforce by 130 per cent," the insurance firm said. The new branches are located at various places in the India, including Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Noida, Faridabad, Gurugram, Keonjhar, Trichy, Haldwani, Jabalpur and Kozhikode. "The rationale behind selection of these areas was based on an assessment done on demographic parameters. The Economic Potential Indicator (EPI) data released by the World Bank was also a useful pointer," the spokesperson added. The company hoped that the expansion plan will widen its operational presence in the country, as the second phase of 'Project Roar' aims to improve customer-centricity by providing prompt and simple solutions, she said. "India has a huge potential for the untapped insurance regions and it is about time, insurers go full throttle in reaching out to its population with innovative and relevant insurance products," FGILI Executive Vice President and Head (Agency), Subhasish Acharya, said. The first phase of the expansion was initiated in December 2018 under 'Project Vistar'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported on the investigation and obtained an unsigned letter, verified by one of the women who worked on it, sent Jan. 30 from senior women of the host committee to the Milwaukee 2020 board of directors. They allege that Alonso consistently bullied and intimidated staff members," primarily the women. They said his mismanagement was enabled by Gilbert, creating a toxic and unstable working environment and fostered a culture that coddles male senior advisers and consultants They described a fear of retribution and lack of trust among staff. Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak reportedly went on trial on February 5 for corruption for the first time since her husband lost power. According to international media reports, Rosmah has been accused of three counts of dishonestly soliciting $1.6 million in bribes and if found guilty she will face up to 20 years in jail and a fine. The 69-year-old is also known for making overseas shopping trips and owning vast collections of handbags and jewellery. Rosmah is reportedly also facing a separate 12 charges for money laundering and five counts of failure to declare income to the country's tax authorities, bringing the total number of charges against her to 20. Back in 2018, Rosmah's husband, Razak's long-ruling coalition suffered a shock election defeat and in large part due to claims that he and his officials plundered billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Since then the couple has been hit with multiple charges over the looting of the investment vehicle. READ: Plane With Wuhan Evacuees Lands In Malaysia The former PM accused of corruption According to reports, Rosmah will be in the same court complex in Kuala Lumpur as her husband Razak who is allegedly charged with over 40 counts of corruption and abuse of power and whose own trial is ongoing. Rosmah pleaded not guilty two charges of corruption last year and was allowed bail as well. In the recent proceedings, she further denied all the charges. The trial was supposed to start on Monday but was delayed after Rosmah was reportedly admitted to hospital complaining neck pain. The prosecution, however, said that she had not given a notice that she was ill and unable to attend court and Prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said that he thinks it as an attempt to avoid attending court. Further Sri Ram also argued that her bail should be revoked. READ: "No, Coronavirus Won't Turn You Into A Zombie," Assures Malaysian Government Amid Rumours After losing power in 2018, the authorities began investigating allegations of corruption surrounding the couple and police reportedly also launched several raids on properties linked to them. According to international media reports, police wheeled out trolleys piled with boxes including designer handbags, necklaces, watches, rings, brooches and tiaras. The police also found bundles of cash in a variety of currencies which were also seized. READ: Deputy PM On Virus Cases In Malaysia READ: On Tourist Visit, Malaysian Woman Dies Of Cardiac Arrest In HP's Kullu The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act and sought its abrogation, contending the new law was against the Constitution's secular character. The resolution was passed during the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, public relations department minister P C Sharma told reporters. Madhya Pradesh is currently ruled by the Congress. Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have already passed resolutions demanding scrapping of the CAA. Sharma said the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet passed the resolution describing CAA as "against the secular character of the Indian Constitution and differentiating people on religious lines". The Citizenship Amendment Act passed by Parliament in December last year endangers the "country's secular fabric and tolerant nature," the minister said. "Secularism is the basic foundation of the Indian Constitution and which can't be changed. It is clearly mentioned in the Constitution that India is a secular country. Besides, Article 14 of the Constitution grants equality to all citizens of the country under the law," reads the resolution by the state Cabinet. It asked the Centre to not only take back the CAA, but also clear doubts in the minds of citizens on the issue, as people across the country were protesting against it. The resolution also demanded that information sought from people in connection with the National Population Register (NPR) be taken back and only after that the census be conducted. To a query, Sharma said a resolution will also be passed against the CAA in the state Assembly. The CAA, under which non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship, came into force from January 10. It was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. -- Hundreds of truck drivers will make their way to the state Capitol Thursday for the Timber Unity Lets Roll convoy. The idea is for timber industry workers from all over the state to protest against Gov. Kate Browns cap and trade bill, which would limit carbon emissions in Oregon. RELATED: TRUCKERS RALLY IN SALEM AGAINST CLIMATE PROPOSAL Organizers said this is the second convoy theyve planned, with the first one taking place in June 2019. Because the current legislative session started Monday, organizers said they want to protest against the climate proposal, which is up for discussion again. Its the most incredible thing to see rural communities come together for all different walks of life, said Larry Needham, the convoy captain for Douglas County. Doesnt matter ... Democrat ... Republican. 'THE BILL IS DEAD': OREGON GOP ANNOUNCES END OF SENATE WALKOUT Needham said they will be meet at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Thursday around 3:15 a.m. He said there will be truck drivers from Medford, Douglas County and the coast. They will depart for Salem at 4 a.m. By PTI NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community. The home minister's statement comes a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust. "There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit society," he tweeted. Shah congratulated Modi "for such an unprecedented decision" that strengthens social harmony. The home minister said the trust will be independent to take every decision related to the temple and 67 acres of land will be transferred to it. "I fully believe that the waiting of millions of people for centuries will be over soon and they will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Shri Ram in his grand temple at his birthplace," he said. Shah thanked the prime minister for his commitment for construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram, "who is a symbol of faith and unwavering reverence of India". ALSO READ | Ahead of Delhi elections, Modi government announces trust for construction of Ram Temple "Today is a day of immense joy and pride for the whole country," he said in another tweet. He said as per the Supreme Court order on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue, the central government has taken a historic decision to form a trust in the name of Lord Ram, showing its commitment towards the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya. While making the announcement for the trust in Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said the Union Cabinet also decided to transfer 67.703-acre land to the trust. The Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to give five acres of land to the UP Sunni Wakf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya matter, Modi said. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday allotted five acres of land in Ayodhya district to the Sunni Central Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court. The land is in village Dhannipur in tehsil Sohawal in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters, state government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told reporters. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday morning. While delivering the judgement on November 9, the Supreme Court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. Modi eyes arms export tag in 'Made in India' push Lucknow, India, Feb 5 (AFP) Feb 05, 2020 India is targeting defence exports worth $5 billion in the next five years in a bid to boost local manufacturing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday. The country is the world's second-largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, but Modi wants to turn that around under an ambitious "Made in India" initiative. "In the last five years India has made remarkable progress in indigenising the production of military equipment," Modi said at the opening of a defence fair in Lucknow. The five-day defence expo -- which will include demonstrations of land, naval, air and virtual security systems -- is being attended by manufacturers from France, the US and Russia, Delhi's biggest arms supplier. India, which last year fought air battles with arch-rival Pakistan over disputed Kashmir, wants to bolster its combat capabilities to counter regional rivals including China. Last year Indian officials said they were looking to spend $130 billion over five to seven years on defence. Russia is India's main weapons supplier. More than 1,000 firms -- including 172 foreign companies -- are expected to take part in the exhibition, the defence ministry said in a statement. - Lesotho first lady Maesaiah Thabane has been charged with murder - The charges are in relation to the death of the prime minister's previous wife - Thabane handed herself over to police after emerging from hiding and she was taken into custody at the South African border - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in PAY ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Lesotho police have charged their first lady with murder in relation to the brutal murder of the prime minister's previous wife. eNCA reports that Maesaiah Thabane spent an evening in police custody after handing herself over. Deputy police commissioner Paseka Mokete says investigations have been completed, with the 42-year-old charged with murder along with eight co-accused. Mokete is adamant law enforcement has managed to build a strong case against Thabane, who will be appearing in court on Tuesday. The first lady disappeared after being summoned as part of the investigation into the brutal killing of Lipolelo Thabane, Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's estranged wife. READ ALSO: US House speaker Pelosi rips Trump's state of the nation speech READ ALSO: Major Mahama was not only lynched; he was shot by two people - Investigator YEN gathered bitter divorce proceedings had been underway when she was mercilessly gunned down outside of her Maseru home. The death alarmed the capital city in 2017, just two days shy of the prime minister's inauguration. The case made new progress with a breakthrough in the form of a letter from the nation's police chief which went public. It was alleged that communication records from the day of the murder revealed the prime minister's phone number. The 80-year-old politician has since caved into demands and offered to resign, but no date has been announced. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Medics run away as plane carrying Chinese diplomats lands at Sudan airport Thomas is also being questioned over the murder after a warrant of arrest was issued for his wife. Top officials in the kingdom's ruling party (All Basotho Convention) claim the prime minister hampered investigations into the crime. Maesaiah was collected at the South African border after her lawyer managed to make an arrangement with police officials. President Akufo-Addo is a "wicked old man" - Angry protester fumes | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Abacha money: Nigeria to receive GHC 1.6 billion from US Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh By Molly Crane-Newman and Larry McShane New York Daily News (TNS) NEW YORK Over the objections of the Oscar-winners defense, five photos of a naked Harvey Weinstein were passed around Tuesday to the Manhattan jurors considering the sexual abuse case against the disgraced Hollywood producer. The jurors were instructed to review each photo while holding them in a fashion where the crowd inside the courtroom couldnt get a look. Jurors No. 11 and 12 appeared to wince as they peered upon the images of a nude Weinstein. Weinstein, asked as he left the courtroom if the photos from June 18, 2018, were indeed full Harvey nudes, responded, No, it was Playboy. Accuser Jessica Mann, who finished up her stint on the witness stand Tuesday, had previously testified about Weinsteins deformed genitalia. According to her description, the man behind Shakespeare in Love and Pulp Fiction is without a working penis. The 34-year-old Mann, in her second day of cross-examination, accused the movie maker as my rapist before acknowledging that the two shared an on-and-off consensual sexual relationship after he twice sexually assaulted her in 2013. I know the history of my relationship its complicated and its difficult, Mann testified one day after an emotional meltdown ended her Monday testimony. I dont need an excuse. I own my behavior. Defense attorney Donna Rotunno, hammering away at the witness, shouted at Mann about accepting a Weinstein invitation to a specific event: Did you know it would look bad for you if you went to an event on Jan. 18th after you (claim) you were raped on Jan. 4th? Maam, the accuser replied, this whole relationship was bad for me. Mann did acknowledge that her access to the Oscar-winning movie maker could be a positive thing when asked by Rotunno about reaching out to Weinstein for help with a 2016 business venture. It is true that knowing him, if (people) know you know him, it can open doors, said Mann in wrapping up her testimony against Weinstein for charges of rape and sexual abuse. People want to get to him through you. The 67-year-old Weinstein, whose alleged predatory behavior made him the poster boy for #MeToo outrage, was accused by some 90 women in recent years of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. If convicted in the Manhattan trial, he faces the possibility of life in prison. Weinstein insisted his sexual relationships with the women were consensual. Mann, in her third day of testimony, regained her composure as Rotunno continued her intense questioning. On Monday, Mann began hyperventilating and weeping uncontrollably on the stand, leading Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James Burke to shut down testimony for the day. Rotunno pointedly asked the witness about accepting a 2015 Oscar party invitation from your rapist Weinstein. Mann, turning to face the jury of seven men and five women, declared, I want the jury to know that he is my rapist and I hope I can continue to explain my dynamic, of why I continued to talk to him. Last week, under questioning by prosecutors, the former evangelical from Washington state graphically recounted alleged 2013 rapes by Weinstein at the DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan and at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Three years later, Mann and Weinstein were still engaging in consensual sex, the witness acknowledged under cross-examination. She recalled that her last physical encounter with Weinstein followed the November 2016 death of his 90-year-old mother Miriam. His mom worked as a receptionist in her sons first office, and their company Miramax was named after parents Miriam and Max. He wanted to talk to me because I understood grief, and when I get there hes naked on a bed and all he wanted to do was something sexual. she recalled. I think he masturbated in the mirror and he put himself in my mouth. UPDATE: 3:21 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 - The Redding Police Department said Donald Olson has been found as of Tuesday afternoon. --- REDDING, Calif. The Redding Police Department is asking for help locating a missing 60-year-old man who they said is at risk due to disabilities that limit his mobility. Donald Olson was last seen by family on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 11:30 a.m. His family said he was planning on traveling to Shingletown or Whitmore areas of Shasta County. However, he was only planning to be gone for a few hours and has not been heard from since. Wilson is described as a white male, 60 years of age, 57 tall weighing 190 pounds, with a shaved head. He was described as having a mustache and wears glasses. He was last seen driving a 2004 Ford Taurus SEL, brown in color, bearing California License plate 5FNU479, police said. Anyone with information regarding the location of Donald Olson is asked to contact the Redding Police Department at 530-225-4200. Trumps impeachment trial will go down in history next to other travesties of justice. The US is the oldest democracy in the world. Well not quite! You will have to take that cliche with a pinch or two of salt for to swallow it you will have to disregard the genocide of Native Americans, the transatlantic slave trade, relentless warmongering around the globe, and the fact that most black Americans (voting rights act of 1965) and women (1920) could not vote until quite recently. Be that as it may, the US institutions of liberal democracy, especially the legislative and the judiciary, are theoretically there to protect it against whims and wanton tyrannies that might threaten its executive branch. The spectacle of Donald Trumps impeachment, however, makes one wonder. The Moscow Trials What today we recall as the Moscow Trials were a series of show trials in the former Soviet Union in the late 1930s staged against Trotskyists and other enemies Joseph Stalin had deemed dangerous to his reign. The defenders were charged with trying to subvert the Soviet Union and bring back capitalism. On the surface nothing in Trumps impeachment trial at the US Senate resembles those dark years of the former Soviet Union. What we are witnessing in the US is democracy in action, isnt it? The US president has been impeached by the House of Representatives, charged with abusing the power of his office to force a foreign country to investigate a political rival and obstruction of Congress. The impeachment was then sent to the US Senate for a trial and possible removal of the president from office. That is what the US constitution has wisely stipulated. The senators were now to hear the case, evaluate the arguments, call in witnesses, and cast their votes. Democracy and the rule of law and thus justice would be served. After all Chief Justice John Roberts is presiding over the impeachment trial. That would be the case if the two main factions of US politics, the Democrats and the Republicans, were actually interested in the rule of law and reason and serving justice rather than safeguarding their immediate and banal political interests. A fair trial, an impartial jury and the calling of relevant witnesses Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not interested in. He had already declared openly that Im not an impartial juror. His sidekick, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham had also said openly: Im not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here promising he would do everything in his power to make the impeachment proceedings of the incurably corrupt Donald Trump die quickly. Stalin was probably not as remotely pleased with his henchmen back in the 1930s as Trump must be with his Republican comrades today. He will be acquitted and sent on his way to use this very show trial to his advantage in securing a second term. Theatre of the absurd Neither the Moscow Trials nor Trumps impeachment trial were after truth and justice. They were make-believe spectacles staged to suggest justice was being served when, in fact, it was being actively subverted. The show will be used by Republicans to keep their grip on the White House and the Senate, to continue appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court, to hold the reins of power in the three branches of government and to make the US the envy of xenophobic dictatorships around the globe. But neither Russia, nor the US has any exclusive claim on such show trials. Perhaps the prime example of all such show trials was in France during the Dreyfus Affair when, in one of the most notorious examples of European anti-Semitism, a Jewish artillery captain in the French army, Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), was falsely convicted of passing military secrets to the Germans. He was then publicly humiliated and subjected to the most hateful anti-Semitic venom. In Iran, both under the Pahlavi regime and now under the Islamic republic, show trials have been the staple of political persecution, with the most famous case being that of Mohammad Mosaddeq after the CIA coup of 1953. In China during the so-called Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) Mao Zedong also had his real and imagined political enemies rounded up and given show trials, with some sentenced to death. More recently in Egypt, the trial of Hosni Mubarak and later Mohammad Morsi were integral to the counterrevolutionary mobilisation to prop up Abdel Fattah el-Sisis military junta. In Saudi Arabia, even more recently the so-called trial of the murderers of Jamal Khashoggi was meant to put an end to speculation about the top leaderships culpability in the murder of a dissident. All of these show trials, from Stalins and Maos to Trumps, are reminiscent of the so-called Theatre of the Absurd, a genre of theatrical plays that emerged in Europe in the 1950s. In the Theatre of the Absurd, playwrights deliberately use disjointed and meaningless dialogues and stage wayward apparition of plots to make a mockery of meaning and reason, very much on the model that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House Press Secretary, or better even Kellyanne Conway, senior counsellor to President Trump, use to defend their boss. Indeed the absurd is on full show in Trumps trial: everyone knows that he abused his office to pressure a foreign country and yet in broad daylight, Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard professor of law on the presidents defence team, stands up and says the US constitution does not say what the US constitution says, while McConnell puts together a whole political machinery to exonerate Trump and help pave the way for his re-election. Trumps presidency and his impeachment are a theatre of the absurd on a global stage, except with real and calamitous consequences. There is no exiting this theatre. We are all trapped in it and forced to watch a mockery of justice in which the organs of the oldest democracy in the world begin to devour themselves and the very idea of democracy is reduced to nullity. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said that the Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death, and destruction, and start working for the good of its own people. "In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians raise their voice against their oppressive rulers. Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to them," the president said at the annual State of Union address earlier today. The remarks were made when the President introduced the wife and son of Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake, who was killed in a roadside bomb attack on the eve of Easter Sunday of 2008. The terrorist responsible for killing Sergeant Hake was Qasem Soleimani, said Trump, adding who had provided for the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris's life. "As the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault on United States Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. That is why, last month, at my direction, the United States Military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," Trump noted. Soleimani was killed earlier in January in a drone attack upon the orders of Pentagon near the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The incident had worsened the tension between Iran and the US that were already sour since America withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. "As we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East," he stressed. "Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life!," he added. Trump further said that his administration is also strongly defending the national security of the country as well as combating radical Islamic terrorism. Focusing on his groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that was brokered last month, the President said, "Recognising that all past attempts have failed, we must be determined and creative in order to stabilise the region and give millions of young people the change to realise a better future." Three years ago, the barbarians of ISIS held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS -- the bloodthirsty killer Al-Baghdadi -- is dead! The President reiterated the above details while introducing Carl and Marsha Mueller, who daughter Kayla, a humanitarian aid worker, was kidnapped and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of Al-Baghdadi himself in 2013. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, Al-Baghdadi murdered young Kayla, when she was just 26 years old. Lastly, speaking on America's longest war in Afghanistan, the President noted that it is not America's "function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency," instead he is only working to bring "troops back home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students from Sacred Heart Secondary School, Tullamore, secured 400 in funding through the YSI Social Innovation Den hosted by Young Social Innovators in Dublin last week. The team pitched their project Bloody Outrageous' and were awarded funding for their plan to collect donations of sanitary products and donate them to charities and schools in order to combat period poverty. Focusing on reducing stigma around the issue of period poverty, the Sacred Heart students presented the positive response their project has received from peers, parents and members of the community. The students, who have been working on their project through Young Social Innovators since September, impressed the panel of dragons with their creative ideas to effect positive change in their community and wider society. Eleven projects were invited to pitch at the YSI Den in Dublin for a share of this years 10,000 fund. Young Social Innovators hosts the Den every year to support teenagers ideas to tackle social issues in an effort to create a fairer, more equal and sustainable world. A further seven projects pitched at a second YSI Den event in Cork. The teams pitching at this years YSI Dens addressed a range of issues, including mental health and wellbeing, revitalising green spaces, reducing plastic consumption, social inclusion and disability access, care for older people, sustainable fashion and climate change. Over 7,000 students throughout Ireland are currently involved in similar projects with Young Social Innovators in 2020. CEO of Young Social Innovators, Rachel Collier said: It is fantastic to see young innovators developing and implementing creative solutions to create real change on the issues that matter to them. The teams presenting at this years Den have impressed and inspired with their creative ideas, professional pitches and plans for effecting positive change in their communities and beyond. We cannot wait to see how their social innovation projects progress with the support they have been granted today, provided by a generous philanthropic supporter of Young Social Innovators. Dragon at The Den, Ronan Lynagh from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland said: It was an incredible day - the panel of dragons were blown away by the energy, passion and understanding of some really pressing social issues demonstrated by the students. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A bill that could pave the way for New Mexico to start importing prescription drugs from Canada is heading to the state House. The Senate voted 35-0 Tuesday to approve the legislation, Senate Bill 1, which is aimed at making medication more accessible for New Mexico residents. Too many New Mexico families cant afford medication. Too many families either skip filling their prescriptions or ration the medicine they have, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement after the Senate voted on the bill. This is unacceptable, she added. And so I am thrilled that we are one step closer to meaningfully cutting prescription drug costs for New Mexico families. While the bill passed the Senate without opposition, some members raised concern about how it would work and whether it would deliver results. Sen. Steven Neville, R-Aztec, questioned whether Canada would be able to supply New Mexico and other interested states with prescription drugs, pointing out that some states spend more than Canada on such medication. Even if we open the Canadian market up, it may not particularly help with the availability of (prescription) drugs in the United States, Neville said. New Mexico is one of several states, including Florida, Colorado and Maine, seeking to take advantage of a new federal rule authorizing states to pursue wholesale drug importation programs. Under the bill, the state Department of Health would be authorized to craft an implementation plan and apply for federal approval to import wholesale drugs from Canada. A total of $350,000 would be appropriated for the initial costs. Certain types of drugs, including opioids, would not be eligible for importation, and those imported would not be covered by Medicaid, backers said. They also pointed out drug prices are much higher in the United States than in other countries. In 2017, about 25% of New Mexico adults on prescription drugs stopped taking their medication due to high costs, according to the AARP. This is just leveling the playing field, Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, said during Tuesdays debate. Theres no risk. If the bill is approved and signed into law, the state will have to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and possibly other federal agencies. The measure now advances to the House of Representatives with just over two weeks left in the 30-day legislative session. The measure would defer about $40.3 million in state loan payments over a 10-year period. Instead, monthly payments of about $500,000 would be deposited in a school improvement account. The Gary mayor would earmark schools for demolition and money from the account could also be used for repairs at other schools. Labour MP Tracy Brabin today said her controversial off-the-shoulder dress slipped down further because she was suffering from a 'broken ankle' and had to lean on the despatch box after racing to the Commons from a meeting with music executives. Despite her explanation, the shadow Culture Secretary was photographed hours earlier wearing the same shoulder-baring dress as she spoke with UK music industry leaders in central London. Critics including Piers Morgan have called the outfit 'inappropriate for the Commons' while hitting out at the vile abuse directed towards Brabin. TV commentator Carole Malone added: 'It wasn't just off the shoulder it was completely off the shoulder. There is a dress code in Parliament. If a male MP turned up in joggers and track suit he would be criticised and rightly so. When you wear something like that it detracts form what you're saying.' But the shadow minister today accused her detractors of 'everyday sexism' after she received a barrage of abuse for her revealing outfit from trolls who said she looked like a 'slapper' who had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin.' The MP also said that she would not change the way she dresses while claiming that she had not expected to be in the Commons on Monday and had rushed there at 5.57pm from a meeting with music executives in London. A picture shows Brabin at the meeting with record company bosses at lobbying group UK Music, which describes itself as an 'industry-funded body to represent the collective interests of the recorded, published and live arms of the British music industry'. Tracy Brabin pictured at the UK music event in central London that she attended in the afternoon before making her appearance in the Commons on Monday. She is pictured with record execs from labels including AIM and BPI The Batley and Spen MP, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, also hit back at critics over her black outfit (pictured) Hobbling: Footage of Brabin in the House of Commons shows her hopping to the despatch box with a broken ankle WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE FOR FEMALE MPs IN THE COMMONS? Female MPs are asked to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction' in the House of Commons. Male MPs are asked to wear a jacket. Parliament's website says: 'The Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men.' Advertisement Speaking on Lorraine on ITV this morning, she blasted the furore and said she felt she should respond to the abuse because women 'around the world don't have that opportunity to push back against those people that patronise them.' Earlier she appeared on BBC Breakfast wearing a necklace bearing the Suffragette slogan Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere'. But her comments were blasted by Morgan on Good Morning Britain, who said it was 'not sexist to think this outfit was a tad inappropriate for Parliament.' Brabin told Lorraine Kelly: 'I had been at an event with UK Music and the thing about the points of order, they come at you as a surprise, so you're not always camera ready when you are in politics. Tracy Brabin's TV director husband tells of wife's 'shock' at outcry over her off-the-shoulder dress Tracy Brabin's husband Richard Platt (above with the Labour MP) launched a stirring defence of his wife's off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons, fuming that nobody has the right to tell her or any other woman what to wear Labour MP Tracy Brabin's husband launched a stirring defence of his wife's off-the-shoulder dress in the Commons, fuming that nobody has the right to tell her or any other woman what to wear. The shadow minister was accused of looking like a 'hungover tart' and as if she had 'just been banged over a wheelie bin' after she wore the black dress in the chamber earlier this week. TV director Richard Platt told MailOnline: 'Nobody has the right to tell a woman what to wear, never mind in Parliament. Women should be able to wear what they want. 'I'm delighted that Tracy has taken the stance she has and defended herself. She's a big girl and can take care of herself. He added: 'The whole thing is ridiculous and has been blown out of proportion. I'm not angry by the reaction, just disappointed.' Advertisement 'It did slip slightly, because I have a broken ankle and I had to lean a little bit on the dispatch box.' Footage from the Commons on Monday shows the shadow Culture Secretary hopping to the despatch box just moments before she prepared to deliver her address on Monday evening. She is using crutches after breaking her ankle falling down the steps of a bus last month. Ms Brabin was pictured in the dress at a meeting with leaders from the music industry at the offices of UK Music's offices in central London. She then travelled from there to the House of Commons for the point of order at 6pm. She told Lorraine that the controversy surrounding her dress would not make her 'think twice' about what she wears, adding: 'Every day you go to work there are cameras in the chamber 24/7. 'I always show the House respect, if there was a problem I'm sure Mr Speaker would tell me. 'I absolutely don't know quite where it came from and I do think it's slightly absurd. You know, we are talking about shoulders, in the scheme of things, when there's so much to discuss it does feel a little silly.' Ms Brabin, who had been raising a point of order about journalists being asked to leave a Downing Street press briefing on the next stage of Brexit talks, added: 'It is quite extraordinary there is a really important question to the Government about transparency and civil servants potentially breaking their code of integrity, and all people are talking about is the shoulder. 'It's a privilege I have that I have the confidence to brush it off, given my role, and I thought it was really important I replied because lots of women around the country, around the world don't have that opportunity to push back against those people that patronise them. 'Basically, it's everyday sexism. I've been trying to call it out, that there's more going on in Parliament than my shoulder. Brabin appeared on BBC breakfast this morning wearing a necklace bearing the Suffragette slogan Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere' Tracy Brabin pictured today in central London as she climbed into a taxi in central London. Her left leg is in plaster after she broke her ankle Ms Brabin smiled to photographers as she climbed into a taxi out the Global radio studios in central London today THE CLASSIC LITTLE BLACK DRESS... WITH A SEXIER EDGE ASOS' purse-friendly 35 off-the-shoulder number, which is flying off the online retailer's shelves at lightning speed after Ms Brabin wore it while speaking in the Commons yesterday, offers fashion fans a versatile - and more risque - twist on a timeless classic. Away from the high street, couture designers have long been fans of this particularly flattering take on the LBD design. Roland Mouret is currently selling a similar incarnation of the black shoulder-baring dress for a princely 1,757, while US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, retailing at 105. ASOS 35 version of the classic black pencil dress is made from Bodycon, which ensures it offers wearers a close fit Was Roland Mouret's 2020 black shoulder-baring dress, which retails at 1,757, the inspiration for ASOS' version? Right, US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, at 105 So, what's the appeal? Versatility; with a smart jacket, the pleated pencil dress can seamlessly become business attire. And the more daring shoulder element ensures it can be transformed effortlessly into evening wear. A kick-split at the back of the dress makes it comfortable to wear too. ASOS' cut-price version of the close-fitting classic uses Bodycon to accentuate the figure in all the right places - and might actually be reasonably modest were it not for the more risky off-the-shoulder element. Indeed, Ms Brabin admitted that the dress' shoulder strap had 'slipped' when she reached to the microphone to speak yesterday. Advertisement She went on: 'It does feel it's always a good way to demean women who are in positions of power just talk about what they are wearing and how they look... There's loads to discuss and I know if it was my predecessor, Tom Watson, nobody would be talking about the colour of his tie.' But Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan hit back at her sexism claims on Twitter. He said today: 'Trolls that abused Ms Brabin are disgusting, but it's not 'sexist' to think this outfit was a tad inappropriate for Parliament.' 'If a bloke did anything similar and showed that amount of flesh they all wear suits I think the man would get the same amount of attention and some criticism and some praise. I just thought it was a little inappropriate.' Earlier today Morgan ripped off his tie in protest, and said about Ms Brabin's outfit: 'I do think it was inappropriate. If it was a bloke wearing shorts we'd all go 'nooo Holly Willoughby took an opposing stance when she engaged in a heated debate with Nick Ferrari later on This Morning, as she spoke out in defence of Brabin. She said: 'Am I the only one who doesnt find that inappropriate? I could sit there in front of anyone even a consultant. Its not making me think its adversely sexual. Thats a smart dress!' Earlier Morgan ripped off his tie in protest, and said about Ms Brabin's outfit: 'I do think it was inappropriate. If it was a bloke wearing shorts we'd all go 'nooo'. 'Come on, wear something that isn't falling off your body.' Social media has been flooded with memes after Tracy Brabin exposed her shoulder in the Commons Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box Brabin appeared on BBC Breakfast wearing a necklace bearing the Suffragette slogan Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere', She said: 'I was startled by the vitriolic nature of (the messages) but it's part of the territory as a politician. 'I am in a privileged position that I can brush this off but I feel it's my responsibility to call it out for those women that don't have that amplification. 'Because there are women around the world putting up with this day in day out.' 'I try not to take it too seriously and it seemed to hit a nerve. The amount of supportive comments I've had absolutely overwhelm the comments about my judgement and what I am wearing.' In a withering assessment of those taking her to task over her clothing, she said: 'They are anonymous people often, keyboard warriors sat in their mum's back bedroom eating Pot Noodles and having a pop at people they don't know anything about.' One Twitter user shared a photograph of her wearing the controversial outfit and asked: 'Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?' Ms Brabin, 58, posted a sharply-worded response hitting back at the people who called her names for the dress The rebuke came after Ms Brabin delivered a stinging riposte on Twitter last night, saying: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not.... 'A slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' Ms Brabin, who played Tricia Armstrong in the ITV programme between 1994 and 1997, replaced Jo Cox as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, after she was murdered by far-right extremist Thomas Mair in 2016. Dozens slated the former actress for having her shoulder exposed while she spoke a the dispatch box. One person asked: 'Has she just fallen out of the pub?', while somebody else commented: 'She should be asked to leave'. One woman wrote: 'It was inappropriate dress for HofC or any workplace other than a nightclub. You looked silly.' But others leapt to her defence, with one supporter claiming she could 'wear a bikini' as long as he continues to fight for social causes. Another posted in support of her: 'Are people forgetting how Boris Johnson rocks up every day? Permanently scruffy, but I guess that's ok...' The 58-year-old received 17,506 votes in October 2016, despite turnout in her Yorkshire constituency being just 26 per cent - one of the lowest by-election turnouts since the Second World War. Ms Brabin was named Ms Cox's successor after all other main parties decided not to run against the Labour candidate as a mark of respect. Tracy Brabin is pictured playing Tricia Armstrong on Coronation Street in 1996 alongside co-star Michael Le Vell New MP: Tracy Brabin is pictured after winning the by-election for Labour in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, on October 21 2016 Would Margaret Thatcher have worn it? Tracy Brabin's controversial shoulder-baring Commons frock divides opinion and would NOT have made it into the wardrobe of some political greats Labour MP Tracy Brabin, 58, faced criticism yesterday after she donned a revealing 35 ASOS off-the-shoulder dress to speak in the Commons Ex Corrie star hit back, telling BBC that jibes were example of 'everyday sexism' Debate is strongly divided, with Piers Morgan critical of Brabin's attire, while Holly Willoughby said she was clueless as to why it had caused such uproar Memes about the sartorial storm have poured forth on social media Baring one's shoulders in the name of fashion might have long been commonplace on the red carpet and the catwalk...but it's not a look that's ever been seen in the actual Commons. The sartorial brouhaha that has erupted since Labour MP Tracy Brabin wore a 35 shoulder-baring black Bodycon frock to address fellow politicians in Westminster yesterday has sparked feverish debate - and strongly divided opinion. After some suggested the dress wasn't 'appropriate' attire, Brabin has quickly fired back, accusing her critics of 'everyday sexism'. What's clear is that the Labour MPs Commons predecessors, of differing political persuasions, have never been quite as daring when it comes to the Westminster wardrobe. It's hard to imagine the Iron Lady, for example, or erstwhile Speaker Betty Boothroyd, arriving in the hallowed halls of Parliament with a shoulder exposed. Former Prime Minister Theresa May has always been partial to a sleeveless evening gown but those more glamorous garments have never made it inside Parliament's walls. The Westminster dress code currently dictates that female MPs wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction' in the House of Commons. Male MPs are asked to wear a jacket. Scroll down for video Shoulder-gate: Fierce debate has ensued over how 'appropriate' the black off-the-shoulder dress that Labour MP Tracy Brabin, 58, wore to speak in the House of Commons yesterday - with opinion passionately divided Off-the-shoulder was a style beloved by the Eighties: but it's very hard to imagine the Iron Lady addressing the House with a bare shoulder on display The Conservative Prime Minster, who spent 11 years in charge of the country from 1979 to 1990, was more a fan of formal suits and striking jewellery While former PM Theresa May is a fan of sleeveless gowns for formal events, this look would possibly have been a shoulder too far for the Conservative Would Betty think better of wearing a revealing dress in the House of Commons (Former Speaker of the House Betty Boothroyd) How Labour MP Harriet Harman might look in Brabin's high street frock MP for Camberwell and Peckham, Ms Harman picture speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in 2015 Ready for a night out? How former Tory MP Edwina Currie might look if she donned the dress What would the late Baroness Trumpington have made of Brabin's Commons outfit? New mother Stella Creasy, Labour & Co-op MP for Walthamstow, as she'd look in the strappy number The British Green Party politician Caroline Lucas looks a little chilly in the revealing LBD Tory MP for Portsmouth North, Penny Mordaunt in a mocked up photo of her wearing the same style as Tracy Brabin Labour Party stalwart Margaret Beckett might prefer her more standard colourful jackets to grace the House of Commons Former MP for Vauxhall Kate Hoey as she might appear in the ASOS pleated pencil dress While Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan blasted Brabin's close-fitting off-the-shoulder number as 'inappropriate', his ITV colleague Holly Willloughby admitted that she was 'fascinated' as to why a little flesh on display in Westminster might cause such a fuss. Social media has had a field day too, with memes galore erupting on Twitter. WHAT IS WESTMINSTER'S DRESS CODE? Female MPs are asked to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction' in the House of Commons. Male MPs are asked to wear a jacket. Parliament's website says: 'The Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men.' Advertisement Many posted photos of Brazilian MP Ana Paula da Silva who, in February 2019, wore a revealing two-piece red trouser suit with a plunging neckline in the South American country's parliament, sending shockwaves through the country's political system. Elsewhere, there were memes showing a mere glimpse of an ankle, a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that a Victorian dress code should be rolled out in Westminster. Others suggested that Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg's lounging in the Commons was far more inappropriate than Brabin's dress. The Shadow Culture Secretary, 58, has hit back strongly at the criticism, firing off a withering riposte on Twitter yesterday evening that said: 'Sorry I don't have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I'm not...a slag, Hungover, A tart, About to breastfeed, A slapper, Drunk, Just been banged over a wheelie bin. Who knew people could get so emotional over a shoulder...' The classic pencil dress comes only in black and is described by ASOS as perfect for 'that thing you have to go to'. Right: The over-the-knee frock is actually reasonably modest, with just the right shoulder area on display Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Brabin, who used to be an actress on the ITV soap Coronation Street, said she could shrug off the criticism but felt a responsibility to 'push back'. 'It is another case of everyday sexism,' she said. 'We are raising our daughters to be looking inwards rather than outwards... 'I would suggest this is part of the pushback for that... listen to what we say, not what we wear.' There is no official dress code for MPs in the House of Commons although politicians are advised to wear attire that 'might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction'. A note on Parliament's official website says the Speaker may take exception to 'informal clothing'. Ms Brabin admitted the 35 dress was off-the-shoulder but it slipped slightly further as she stood up to speak. She wore the dress yesterday while raising a point of order on Downing Street's decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK's major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson's Brexit plans. THE CLASSIC LITTLE BLACK DRESS... WITH A SEXIER EDGE ASOS' purse-friendly 35 off-the-shoulder number, which is flying off the online retailer's shelves at lightning speed after Ms Brabin wore it while speaking in the Commons yesterday, offers fashion fans a versatile - and more risque - twist on a timeless classic. Away from the high street, couture designers have long been fans of this particularly flattering take on the LBD design. Roland Mouret is currently selling a similar incarnation of the black shoulder-baring dress for a princely 1,757, while US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, retailing at 105. ASOS 35 version of the classic black pencil dress is made from Bodycon, which ensures it offers wearers a close fit Was Roland Mouret's 2020 black shoulder-baring dress, which retails at 1,757, the inspiration for ASOS' version? Right, US designer Norma Kamali has a more affordable option, at 105 So, what's the appeal? Versatility; with a smart jacket, the pleated pencil dress can seamlessly become business attire. And the more daring shoulder element ensures it can be transformed effortlessly into evening wear. A kick-split at the back of the dress makes it comfortable to wear too. ASOS' cut-price version of the close-fitting classic uses Bodycon to accentuate the figure in all the right places - and might actually be reasonably modest were it not for the more risky off-the-shoulder element. Indeed, Ms Brabin admitted that the dress' shoulder strap had 'slipped' when she reached to the microphone to speak yesterday. Advertisement Who is Tracy Brabin? The Coronation Street actress who swapped TV for politics after murder of Labour MP Tracy Brabin was born in Batley, half of the West Yorkshire constituency she now represents in Westminster, in May 1961. She went to grammar school before studying drama at Loughborough University. Brabin became known for her role as a clumsy waitress called Sandra opposite Only Fools and Horses star David Jason in the ITV sitcom A Bit of A Do in 1989. She later bagged the role of Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street in 1994 where she stayed until 1997. The now-58-year-old also starred in EastEnders as Roxy Drake in the early 2000s. Tracy Brabin (pictured second from right) is pictured with the late Jo Cox (second from left) before her death and the by-election that saw her replace her as MP for Batley and Spen Her political interest was first made clear in 1997 when she wrote a newspaper article endorsing the Labour Party, telling of how her father-in-law died on a hospital trolley while waiting to see a doctor. In 1998 she appeared in a Labour Party political broadcast urging people to join. She was the lead member of a group of nine actors who wrote an open letter in The Observer newspaper claiming that while they opposed Britain's intervention in the Iraq War, they still supported the re-election of a Tony Blair Labour Government in 2001. The former actress, who also appeared in Emmerdale, expressed her interest in running for office after the death of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox in June 2016. The former actress played Tricia Armstrong (centre) in Coronation Street on ITV between 1994 and 1997 Tracy Brabin is pictured (left) as Roxy Drake in EastEnders alongside Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater in 2001 She was one of two women who threw their hat in the ring to replace Mrs Cox after she was shot and stabbed on the way to a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on June 16 that year. Brabin had canvassed for Labour in the Kirklees Council election of 2012 and had worked with Mrs Cox on her campaign against local library closures in the area. Brabin was voted in as Batley and Spen MP in October after all the other major parties promised they wouldn't contest Labour's seat as a mark of respect for the late Mrs Cox. A source told The Sun during the by-election campaign: 'Tracy worked very closely with Jo on a number of local issues and is keen to carry on her work. 'She's well known locally, she grew up around here and is seen as the best candidate by the local Labour party.' Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. In the light of the specification regarding the issue in the Fifteenth Finance Commission report for the year 2020-21, he has asked the centre to accord the category status. In his letter written on Tuesday, Reddy has stated that the Central government had promised special status to Andhra Pradesh at the time of the bifurcation in 2014 but the centre did not grant special status to the state citing 14th finance commission recommendations. "This leads to gross injustice to Andhra but 15th Finance Commission Report for 2020-21 clearly told that grant of SCS lies in the hands of central government only," Reddy wrote in the letter. In these difficult times when the economy is sluggish and the sentiment is weak, the budget has been most reassuring and has provided necessary enthusiasm, he added. "There is, however, a sense of dissatisfaction in the people of the State, owing to the fact that there is no specific mention in the budget regarding the steps intended to be taken by the Central Government to support Andhra Pradesh," Reddy wrote. "I am writing this letter to seek your guidance and support in the light of a statement contained in the report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission tabled in the Parliament at the time of presentation of the Union Budget. The bifurcation has subjected the successor State of Andhra Pradesh to immense economic hardships," he added. Post bifurcation, the benefits of higher revenues would accrue to Telangana, depriving the successor State of Andhra Pradesh of these resources, Reddy added. Reddy in his letter reiterated that "The Fifteenth Commission report for 2020-21 tabled in the Parliament contains the following specification: Some States have requested the grant of special category status. This does not constitute part of the mandate of the FC-XV and remains entirely in the domain of the Union Government, which can take an appropriate decision after due consideration." "In this situation where the Finance Commission has taken a very clear stand that the issue of grant of Special Category Status does not fall within the limits within which it operates, there is a very definite inconsistency between the stand taken by the Ministry of Finance and the stand taken by the Fifteenth Finance Commission," he added. Reddy has appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter and help the people of Andhra Pradesh who are trapped in an "unfortunate scenario". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 3. Elena Ferrantes Books I became obsessed with My Brilliant Friend and all those [other Neapolitan novels]. Female friendships are so interesting and complicated, and she really seemed to get all the complexities of relationships with girls that are fraught and deep and toxic and nourishing. Id never seen it depicted in a way that I recognized quite as accurately. 4. Washington Square Park Dog Run My first love was my dog Marley, a yellow Lab/white shepherd mix. When I was living on my own and I didnt have kids, it was just she and I, and she grew up in the dog run. Nobodys unhappy in there. Everybodys laughing, smiling and looking at the dogs together. Its unfettered by the loneliness that people can feel in New York. Now I have two dogs: Sami, a Brussels Griffon who was a mommy in a puppy mill until they busted the puppy mill, and Niko, a Border collie mix, another rescue dog. Rescuing animals is very important to me. 5. Village Vanguard I was very, very close to my dad [Frank Falco]. I lost him a couple of years ago and its still not easy. He was a huge jazz fan, and he and I had gone there a bunch of times together, and they are experiences that loom large still. We saw Billy Eckstine there a thousand years ago, and my dad was just in heaven. 6. Outsider Art Fair Its a little bit like independent films. When it started out, [the artists] were real outsiders. But now as theyve become more popular, maybe theyre not quite outsiders anymore. Some of them were mentally ill, some of them were incarcerated, and they made art without rules. And I find it profoundly moving. Many years ago, I fell in love with a painting by Terry Turrell, and I bought it. Im almost embarrassed, but I have probably 15 pieces of art that hes made. It gets my heart-rate going when I see a new piece of work of his. 7. ABC Carpet & Home Who doesnt want to live there? It really feels more like a museum than a store. The sensory of the experience of walking through that door, if there was ever a use for the word delightful because I am just delighted. The colors, the smells, the feel of the fabrics, the crazy design of the place. Every bunch of years I will give myself a little shopping spree to get a new blanket or bedspread or rug. Everything in there is the way I wish my house looked. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe warned department colleagues they would be kidding themselves if they thought increasing tax on cigarettes would bring in more money. Mr Donohoe had planned to give a reprieve to smokers in the last budget, saying in a handwritten note that he was reluctant to implement any further taxes on cigarettes. However, the price of a packet of 10 cigarettes was eventually raised by 50 cents, with similar rises in the price of other tobacco products. Pre-budget submissions also warned Mr Donohoe how a disorderly Brexit could lead to a collapse in Revenue receipts from alcohol and tobacco. The British government had suggested that if it crashed out, it would introduce duty-free sales on people travelling between the UK and the EU. Officials told Mr Donohoe Ireland would then be forced to introduce a reciprocal measure and allow for duty free between Ireland and the UK. Given the high volume of traffic between the two countries, it said the state faced a significant impact on Exchequer Revenues from alcohol and tobacco. In a pre-budget submission on drink, officials had said tax had not been increased on alcohol products since 2014. They said a similar increase to the one made that year 10 cents on beer, cider, and a glass of spirits, and 50 cents on a bottle of wine could yield an estimated 149m per year. However, Mr Donohoe wrote in response: Not doing excise [duty] risk of Brexit, state of play in tourism. The only change Mr Donohoe recommended on the alcohol industry was an increase in tax relief for microbreweries to make it more favourable for fast expanding operations. While alcohol escaped any increases, smokers were not so fortunate, despite Mr Donohoe initially opposing any move. As things stand, I am reluctant to implement a further move, he wrote. Think we are kidding ourselves to assume a move will yield proposed yield. Lets keep on table for now. The brief for Mr Donohoe said that, despite some of the highest taxes in Ireland, consumption of illicit cigarettes has remained broadly stable since 2012. However, there has been a marked increased in the use of illicit roll your own tobacco, from 9% in 2016 to 21% in 2018. In pre-budget submissions, Imperial Tobacco argued that excise on roll your own products should not be increased as this has alarmingly accelerated the illicit trade. Receipts on tobacco sales were already well below target by the end of August last year according to the department records, which were released under FOI. Revenue forecast that by end of September, receipts will be circa 44m behind forecast and has advised that increased in excise duty may not lead to increased yields, said the pre-budget submission. It also warned there were obvious incentives for Irish smokers to buy tobacco products in other EU countries and bring them back home. A spokesman for Mr Donohe said: A wide range of issues are taken into account when the minister is framing his budget and the budget submissions are designed to assist the minister in making his determination to proceed or not to proceed in a particular policy direction. The move will affect both apartment buildings and private houses. The occupation authorities in Simferopol, a major city located in Russian-occupied Crimea are drafting a schedule of hourly water supplies to the city residents due to lack of water in the Crimean reservoirs. The occupiers warn about water restrictions, saying that the schedule will be posted on the website of the Simferopol "administration" being additionally disseminated in the media, RFE/RL's Krym-Realii media project reported on February 5, referring to the pro-Russian media. The limitation of water supplies will affect both apartment buildings and private houses, except for socially significant facilities. Read alsoWomen held in occupied Donbas prisons describe "inhumane conditions" media Russian-controlled administration of Simferopol has not yet published the official information on its website. As UNIAN reported earlier, occupying bodies of Crimea had been warning residents of the peninsula of upcoming blackouts. As a way of sparking interest in coin collecting, the Mint has released the 2020 5-Coin Numis-Tastic Set. This is an educational collection of 25-cent circulation coins featuring different finishes: Brilliant Uncirculated, Proof, Matte Proof, Reverse Proof, and Specimen. Each coin demonstrates the variety of finishes currently used by the Mint and the coin set's packaging contains detailed descriptions of each technique for the reading pleasure of experienced and budding collectors alike. Other coins launching this month include: The 2020 $50 Fine Silver Coin Maple Leaves in Motion, designed by artist Joel Kimmel and featuring a new precision of gold and black rhodium plating over 99.99% pure silver; Fine Silver Coin in Motion, designed by artist and featuring a new precision of gold and black rhodium plating over 99.99% pure silver; Two new egg-shaped coins by Ukrainian-Canadian artists: Dave Melnychuk's coloured 2020 $20 Fine Silver Coin Traditional Pysanka and Nathalie Kit's traditionally-engraved 2020 $250 Pure Gold Coin Tree of Life Pysanka; coloured 2020 Fine Silver Coin Traditional Pysanka and Nathalie Kit's traditionally-engraved 2020 Pure Gold Coin Tree of Life Pysanka; The 2020 1/10 th oz. Pure Gold Coin Tribute to Alex Colville : 1967 Dollar , featuring Colville's iconic flying goose design created in honour of Canada's centennial; oz. Pure Gold Coin Tribute to : , featuring Colville's iconic flying goose design created in honour of centennial; The 2020 $10 Fine Silver Coin O Canada! Polar Bears, designed by artist Claude Thivierge ; Fine Silver Coin O Canada! Polar Bears, designed by artist ; The 2020 $5 Fine Silver Coin Moments to Hold: Celebrating 100 Years of the RCMP, revisiting a classic Ago Aarand design; Fine Silver Coin Moments to Hold: Celebrating 100 Years of the RCMP, revisiting a classic Ago Aarand design; The 2020 $25 Fine Silver Piedfort Timeless Icons: Polar Bear, featuring the artwork of Pierre Leduc ; and, Fine Silver Piedfort Timeless Icons: Polar Bear, featuring the artwork of ; and, The crystal-enhanced 2020 $5 Fine Silver Coin Birthstones: March, featuring the artwork of Pandora Young . Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the "Shop" tab of www.mint.ca. Coin images are available here. All of these products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Mint's web site. The coins are also available at Royal Canadian Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets. About the Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. The Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca. Follow the Mint on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Alex Reeves, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, Tel: +1 (613) 884-6370, [email protected] SOURCE Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) Last week in Iowa, former Vice President Joe Biden explained why Democrats should nominate him for president. Some things are just a self-evident contrast, he told reporters, taking a dig at Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Ive gotten more than 8,600 votes in my life. That was a reference to the relatively small population of South Bend, where Buttigieg won his first election with fewer than 11,000 votes and his second with barely 8,500. Biden was raising a legitimate question: Why should Democrats entrust their nomination to the 38-year-old former mayor of a minor city? Why should they believe that Buttigieg, in a race against President Donald Trump, could perform as effectively as Biden? Advertisement On Monday night, Buttigieg answered that question. He crushed Biden in the Iowa caucuses. As of Wednesday morning, with more than 70 percent of precincts reporting, Sen. Bernie Sanders was narrowly leading the popular vote, thanks to big margins in left-leaning parts of the state. But Buttigieg, by assembling a broad coalition of progressives, moderates, suburbs, and small towns, was winning the delegate equivalent countIowas version of the Electoral College. Biden was clinging to fourth place, behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren and barely ahead of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, with fewer votes than Buttigieg won in his two elections in South Bend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the wake of this drubbing, its fair to ask Bidens question in reverse: Is Buttigieg the stronger candidate? For Democrats seeking an electable nominee, is Buttigieg the safer bet? Advertisement Advertisement There are reasons to be skeptical. Iowa is just one state. Its Midwestern, like Buttigieg, and its very white. In raw numbers, Sanders won the most support at the caucuses, and hes leading the polls in New Hampshire. Biden still leads the field in national surveys, and he has generally outperformed other Democrats in matchups against Trump. But the Iowa entrance polls and caucus results make a case for Buttigieg, not Biden, as the candidate who can fend off Sanders and take down Trump. Several candidates, including Biden and Klobuchar, have promised to beat Trump by building a coalition that reaches beyond the left. But in Iowa, Buttigieg proved that he can put together that kind of coalition. He won decisively among caucusgoers who called themselves somewhat liberala segment that represented more than 40 percent of attendeesand he tied Biden for the lead among moderates. Among independents, he trailed Sanders but outpolled Biden. As of Wednesday morning, Buttigieg was winning 60 of Iowas 99 counties. Sanders had 18 counties. Biden had seven. Advertisement Advertisement Buttigieg did well in nearly every demographic. He was the first choice among women and the second (behind Sanders) among men. He was the first choice among people ages 45 to 64, the second choice among those ages 30 to 44, andcontrary to expectationsthe second choice among those ages 17 to 29. He came in first among caucusgoers who had college degrees and second among those who didnt. He also performed better than expected among nonwhites. Sanders won that constituency easily, but Buttigieg, at 15 percent, led the pack of candidates who trailed behind. Advertisement Advertisement On issue after issue, Buttigieg was either the favorite or second favorite candidate. Among caucusgoers who cared most about health care, he tied for the lead with Sanders. Among those who cared most about foreign policy, he came in second to Biden. Among those who focused on electability, he tied for the lead, drawing 24 percent to Bidens 23 percent. Sanders got 31 percent of first-time caucusgoers, but Buttigieg was next with 25 percent. In precincts where supporters of marginal candidates had to disband and move to a second choice, the candidate they chosetwice as often as any other candidatewas Buttigieg. He won by being broadly acceptable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders did well, but he lost nearly half the people who had caucused for him in 2016. He also didnt generate the extra turnout he had promised. And Biden grossly underperformed his polls, falling below 15 percent in many precinctsthe threshold at which a candidates supporters have to disbandcontrary to his advisers predictions. On most issues and among voters younger than 45, Biden came in fifth, behind Warren and Klobuchar. Few Democrats are excited about Biden. Among caucusgoers who cared more about candidates positions than about electability, only 5 percent chose him. Hes been propped up by high name identification, endorsements, his association with former President Barack Obama, and a general feeling among Democratic voters that he stands the best chance of beating Trump. But if he cant beat the former mayor of South Bend and two senators who were stuck in an impeachment trial, maybe hes not the safe bet. Update, Feb. 6, 2020, 1:30 p.m.: Since I published this piece, Iowa has released more results. Accordingly, we have changed the headline from How Pete Won to How Pete Beat Joe. Nothing in the article has been changed. As of this update, with 97 percent of precincts tabulated, Buttigieg had 26.2 percent of state delegate equivalents, Sanders 26.1, Warren 18.2, and Biden 15.8. On World Nutella Day, the best way to celebrate is to break out that jar of your favorite spread and have a sweet treat. But this year, you might be able to get a vacation out of it too. Nutella announced in a statement that fans will have a chance to win a five-day, four-night trip for two to Milan, Italy, where the beloved cocoa and hazelnut spread was born. In addition, the company is giving up to 20,000 coupons for a free jar of Nutella to fans who participate in the giveaway on social media. Nutella teamed up with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and YouTube star Alexys Gabrielle Johns to help spread the word. I believe food is the cornerstone of community and for me, Nutella has always helped create special moments with my family, de Laurentiis said in a statement. I hope fans are inspired to open up a jar of Nutella and help spread the love on February 5. In order to enter for a free jar of Nutella, participants must submit an original, public Nutella-themed post, either photo or video, on Twitter, Instagram, or the official Nutella Facebook page. Once there are 50 posts in each of the 50 states, the 20,000 coupons will be unlocked and the company will notify the winner. Fans can keep track of whos posting on the Nutella Day website. %image1 Posting will be open from 12 a.m. EST on Feb. 5 and ends at 6 a.m. EST on Feb. 6. Your post must include #WNDGiveaway plus a hashtag for your state (example, #TX or #NY). To win a free trip to Italy, you must visit the Nutella Day website to complete an entry form, which will only be available during the sweepstakes period (noted above). Winners will be announced around Feb. 14. During the trip, the lucky winner and their travel companion will get to tour a Nutella factory to see how that magical spread is made. But if youre in New York or Chicago, and youd rather get your Nutella fix sooner rather than later, you can head down to your local Nutella Cafe to get a free, personalized jar of Nutella with the purchase of a menu item of their choice. It's a good idea to get there early in the morning, since only the first 100 consumers will be able to cash in on this promotion. To enter the sweepstakes for Nutellas Italy Experience, visit the Nutella Day website between Feb. 5 and 6. To enter the World Nutella Day Coupon Giveaway for a free jar, keep an eye out on social media. Effective employee onboarding is about more than making them feel welcome. It can help employees feel like highly productive and valuable contributors to your mission and success from the start. Plus, when employees have a successful onboarding experience, theyre more likely to feel like members of your team, and this can contribute to employee retention. Some of the best onboarding processes are unique, creative and a little bit unexpected. If its time to change up your onboarding program, you might find the inspiration you need from these 10 effective techniques. Related: How to Improve Your Startup's Onboarding Process 1. Get coffee During a new hires first few weeks with your company, have them get coffee individually with all of their future team members. This works especially well with small businesses, where relationships are crucial. Enjoying coffee outside of the office setting helps to take some pressure off, letting a new employee communicate freely and get to know your staff in a low-pressure setting. 2. Send them on a scavenger hunt Give new hires a list of tasks, like finding an employee whos been with the company for over a decade or who likes to cook. This can make for a fun icebreaker activity. If you have multiple new hires, you can make this into a competition. 3. Schedule team meetings Any new hire's first day will most likely include meetings with human resources, orientation sessions and new-hire paperwork. But you should sit them down with different teams so that each member can introduce themselves and explain how they contribute. This is a valuable strategy in companies with many different teams that work together. New employees can simultaneously put faces to names and gain an understanding of how each group works internally, as well as how the company functions as a whole. 4. Take them to lunch Have a new employees manager or team take them out to lunch during their first week. This can make for a valuable team-building experience, since youre likely to see more of an employees personality and learn about their interests when theyre not physically in the office. 5. Schedule a happy hour Create a more casual setting with a happy hour during an employees first week of work. Invite the whole team to the fun get-together. 6. Give them a meaningful gift Give new employees something that ties them to the company, ideally some sort of gear or clothing that features your branding. If theres a certain laptop bag or travel mug that all employees use, make sure the new hire gets it. You can even buy printed stickers and give them to new team members. These company-branded gifts can help bind an employees personal brand to the business, establishing a valuable connection. 7. Schedule a one-on-one meeting During the first week, budget time for a new employee to meet with the CEO for a check-in. This will make the them feel valued right away, which can further help build their emotional ties to your organization. Related: How to Breathe Life Into Your Formal Onboarding Process 8. Set them up right It might sound simple, but take the time to ensure that employees are set up with all of the right software, a functional email account, login accounts and passwords and Slack channels. Ideally, do this before they arrive for their first day. If new employees lack these important tools, it can lead to frustration, delays and a slow start. 9. Help them set up their calendar Navigating a new calendar isnt always simple, so help with the setup to ensure that new employees have the tools they need to succeed. This is a great time to talk about meetings, conference calls, remote work, an employee handbook or any other helpful communication or information that new hires should have. 10. Give them some immediate goals Dont hold off too long before letting people get started in their new roles. Give new team members some immediate projects to work on and goals to meet. Even if these are smaller projects or part of a training program, employees will feel more useful and productive if they have work to do from day one. This also gives you a chance to learn about an employees work style and to give them some feedback and establish a working relationship from the beginning. When you put some careful thought into your new employee onboarding process, you can transform it into a useful tool that helps you learn about who you're hiring. Plus, your new hires can learn about your company and its teams. Workers can tell when their hiring process has been carefully planned. Remember, team members aren't only focused on making a good impression. Many of the more savvy new employees will be looking to see if your company can make a good impression on them during the onboarding process, too. Related: The 3 Questions Entrepreneurs Should Ask Before Making Tough Decisions 10 Must-Follow Company-Onboarding Techniques From Bootstrapped to Funded: How This CEO Landed a $150 Million Investment On Her Terms Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand was offered flowers by supporters as he walked out of prison on Wednesday, two days after being granted bail in the case in which he is accused of sexually abusing a law student. Chinmayanand, 72, was released from the Shahjahanpur district jail after the completion of legal formalities, prison superintendent Rakesh Kumar told PTI. The Allahabad High Court had granted him bail on Monday. But he was not released earlier as the bail papers had not reached the jail. While granting him bail, Justice Rahul Chaturvedi also transferred Chinmayanand's trial from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, taking note of the victim's apprehension that he could influence proceedings in his hometown. "The trial court will take up the case on priority basis, preferably on a day-to- day basis and the trial will be concluded within one year," the high court said. The bail order directed Chinmayanand to file an undertaking that he would not seek any adjournments and be present in court. Outside the Shahjahanpur jail, Chinmayanand's supporters waited for him with flowers. He was then driven to his ashram, where he offered prayers before leaving for his home. Justice Chaturvedi had also directed Lucknow's Senior Superintendent of Police, to depute a senior sub inspector and armed constables for the security of the student and her family members during the trial period. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to "induce or seduce" a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was arrested for trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape. She and her three friends had allegedly threatened to release video clips of massages she claimed she was forced to perform on the politician, who was disowned by the ruling BJP after the sexual abuse charges surfaced. The high court granted the woman bail in the extortion case on December 4. While allowing bail to Chinmayanand, the high court said it is difficult to determine at this stage who exploited whom in the case. Justice Chaturvedi suggested that it may be a case of quid pro quo but asked the trial court not to be influenced by the higher court's observations. As pointed out earlier, that both the parties crossed their limits and at this stage it is very difficult to adjudicate as to who exploited whom? In fact, both of them used each other, he said, taking note of material on record indicating that the woman and her family received favours from the politician. Last year, the Supreme Court had stepped in when the 23-year-old student went missing for a few days in August after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse. A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, later arrested Chinmayanand and the student. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani took to his Twitter handle to advise the federal government on how to integrate repentant Boko Haram members into society. The FG has been releasing former Boko Haram members who have undergone the deradicalization program under the militarys operation safe corridor program back into the society. Also Read: Shehu Sani, Fani-Kayode React As Adeboye Leads Protest Against Killings In Nigeria Reacting to this development, the former lawmaker expressed that the only way to prevent these people from going back to carry arms is by providing jobs or capital for them. See his tweet below: The governments plan to set up a new state-owned electricity generation entity separate to Eskom is utter madness, according to Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister of mineral resources and energy Kevin Mileham. The Democratic Alliance (DA) unequivocally rejects statements attributed to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, that the ANC Government is looking to set up an alternative electricity generation entity, Mileham said. This is utter madness. Instead of making the South African electricity supply sector more competitive, the government is seeking to extend its monopoly over electricity generation. Speaking at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Monday, Mantashe said that government plans to seek investors for the creation of a separate generation company as a security measure. As Eskom is grappling with all the electricity crises and problems, we must have a fail-safe option of giving energy, particularly with the pressure to close a number of coal-generating power stations, Mantashe said. Mantashe said that in one years time, the government hopes to have a second power utility outside of Eskom. The Minister also said that the government is considering allowing mining companies to generate electricity for their own use. You will not need a license for that, you will just need to register and you run ahead, Mantashe stated. The Department of Energy is currently in the process of passing a revised schedule of the Electricity Regulation Act, which should give effect to the plans announced by Mantashe. We dont need another Eskom Mileham argued that South Africa does not need another state-owned power utility, and should instead rely on Independent Power Producers (IPPs). South Africa doesnt need another state-controlled entity for electricity generation when there is a myriad of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) who are ready and willing to generate electricity in order to diversify South Africas energy mix, making it more reliable and cheaper, he said. Furthermore, the Ministers comments that Government is planning on revising Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act to enable mines to generate electricity for own use is an admission by the ANC that Eskoms monopolistic stranglehold on the energy sector is simply not feasible. Mileham added that while the DA agrees that Schedule 2 should be amended to allow self-generation and municipal generation, this will still not address Eskoms massive debt, skills deficit, and ageing infrastructure. What South Africa needs is a competitive electricity generation sector to ensure energy security, he said. The Minister must not make empty commitments just to reassure the people in this time of rolling blackouts that are crippling our economy. He must put his money where his mouth is and take action. Now read: Confusion about Eskom debt The campaign to limit single-use plastic bags in the wealthy island district is being spearheaded by the VeryNile youth campaign Egypt's environment ministry has said that single-use plastic bags will be banned in the affluent Cairo district of Zamalek. The ministry has teamed up with youth volunteer group VeryNile on a new initiative to limit the use of disposable plastic bags on the island, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. VeryNile organises clean-up campaigns in the Nile and works to raise awareness about environment protection. "The shift to using environmentally friendly bags instead of plastic bags needs a change in the lifestyle and a change of habits in a positive way," Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said. The minister suggested a number of measures to curb the use of plastic, including the use of fabric bags for shopping, getting rid of straws, and using thermal coffee mugs instead of plastic ones. The ministry has launched a similar campaign in the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada. The ministry's support for such youth initiatives comes in line with state efforts to support youth and work with them on the ground, the minister added. With the help of 3,700 volunteers, VeryNile has removed 35 tonnes of plastic waste over the past year. Fouad called on citizens to reduce their purchase and use of plastic bags and replace them with fabric bags. The environment ministry launched an EU-funded initiative called Enough Plastic Bags in 2017 to eliminate the countrys dependency on plastic bags, due to their negative effects on the environment and the economy. In April, the Red Sea became the first Egyptian governorate to ban single-use or disposable plastics. Egypt consumes 12 billion plastic bags annually, the ministry has said. The country's waste output is 16.2 million tons annually, with plastic making up 6 percent, according to the Egyptian Plastic Technology Centre. Many other African counties have launched similar initiatives to end plastic bag usage; Rwanda imposed a complete ban on thin plastic bags in 2008, complete with stiff fines and even jail sentences for those caught violating the law. Search Keywords: Short link: BRIDGEPORT An MTA cop has been arrested after police said he secretly attempted to photograph a female colleague while she was undressing. Robert Palladino, 25, of Long Island, N.Y., was charged with breach of peace. He was released after posting a $1,000 bond. Palladino, who has worked as a police officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority since January 2018, was suspended without pay following his arrest. The alleged conduct, if true, is deplorable. The MTA has zero tolerance for it, said MTA Chief Safety Officer Patrick Warren. Police said a female MTA police officer reported to the MTA Internal Affairs Division that she saw Palladino use his iPhone to record her while she was in the Bridgeport MTA facilitys female locker room on Dec. 1. The female officer said she and Palladino had gone into the facility at the end of their shift and then entered their respective locker rooms to change their clothes, police said. While undressing, police said the female officer noticed something in her peripheral vision and looked up to see an iPhone being held over the three-quarter wall that separated the mens and womens locker rooms. Police said when they later inspected Palladinos cellphone they found no images of the female officer on it. They said Palladino denied taking photos of her. Palladino was suspended from duty without pay, arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace on Dec. 6. He is due in state Superior Court in Bridgeport on Thursday. The acclaimed Screenagers documentary will be shown at Aristoi Classical Academys Griffin Center, 5610 Morton Road, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18. Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age, explores the impact of screen technology on kids and offers parents and families proven solutions that work. Tickets are $15 per family (two parents/guardians and three students). Seating is general admission and the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Visit https://www.eventcombo.com/e/Screenagers-Film-Presented-By-Aristoi-Classical-Academy-37596 to order tickets. Visit https://www.screenagersmovie.com/ to watch a trailer. Lynn Cummins, Aristoi counselor/guidance counselor, said, Aristoi believes in its students, parents, and families. Screens and electronics are enormous issues which impact every facet of our lives and the lives of our students. Cummins, who has worked with Aristoi students and their families for 11 years, continued, In this age of endless screens and countless electronics, nothing is more important than navigating the digital world with our children. Screenagers sheds light on these issues and how all the iPads, iPods, cell phones, apps, games, and social media, are linked to mental and emotional issues in our children. Aristoi Superintendent Brenda Davidson said, Our goal is to help our students become responsible citizens of virtuous character. Managing electronics and wisely engaging in social media, or deciding not to engage, is certainly part of that effort. Screenagers is an excellent choice to bring to the community, not only to our Aristoi families, but to our Katy, Houston, and Cypress communities as well. Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age has been screened more than 8,000 times to 4 million people in more than 70 countries around the world. With multiple screenings happening daily in communities across the globe, Screenagers is the first feature documentary to explore the impact of screen technology on kids and offer parents and families proven solutions that work. The tuition-free, public charter school serves Katy, West Houston and is coming soon to Cypress. Aristoi Classical Academy offers classical education to students in grades K-12. Aristoi has two campuses in historic Katy with a total enrollment of nearly 1,000 students. Its mission is to provide students with an academically challenging Classical Liberal Arts education that encourages them to develop a passion for learning and that gives them the means to become responsible citizens of virtuous character. Aristoi is opening its Cypress, K-4 school in August 2020. To learn more about Aristoi Classical Academy, visit www.aristoiclassical.org or call 281-391-5003. Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (L) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speak during the launch of an antitrust investigation into large tech companies, outside of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC on September 9, 2019. The state attorney general leading a broad antitrust investigation into Google is accusing the tech giant of delaying the case and vowed to see it through to the end. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pointed to Google's attempts to prevent the state from using certain outside consultants as one delay tactic. And Paxton said he's willing to take a more aggressive stance as a result. "They're pushing us towards a fight," Paxton told CNBC. "We don't necessarily want one. But we won't back off if they're not going to cooperate." Google has said it objected to three consultants because they worked for competitors, including Microsoft and News Corp, and that it wants to ensure any documents they review remain confidential. "We have been working constructively with the Texas attorney general and have produced a substantial volume of information in response to his inquiry even as we seek assurances that our confidential business information won't be shared with competitors or vocal complainants," a Google spokesperson said. Texas announced its investigation into Google in September of last year on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, backed by 49 attorneys general from nearly every state and territory in the country. Paxton told CNBC his team is focused on Google's ad business, while other states are looking into a range of additional anticompetitive complaints. CNBC reported last fall that some state attorneys general have expanded their probes to look into Google's Android and search businesses. "We don't want this to drag out. We want to get it going," Paxton said. "We don't want the technology to pass us by so that by the time we get to any kind of resolution, it doesn't matter." On Tuesday, Paxton and several other state AGs, including Doug Peterson of Nebraska and Sean Reyes of Utah, met with top officials at the Justice Department, which is also investigating Google. "I think they made it very clear that they're focused," Paxton said of the DOJ. "This isn't just a little side project. They've dedicated significant resources to look into this." Part of the purpose of the meeting was to connect with the DOJ's new leadership team, Paxton said. The department's top antitrust official, Makan Delrahim, recused himself this week from the inquiry into Google. Delrahim previously lobbied for Google during its acquisition of the advertising technology company DoubleClick, a position that has been criticized by lawmakers and activists as a conflict of interest. The DOJ said that Delrahim's decision was made out of "an abundance of caution." Paxton would not discuss whether the states would eventually combine efforts with the DOJ. But he acknowledged that Google's vast resources put the states at a disadvantage. "It seems like a strategy by Google: Let's just slow this down," he said. "We'll just make this drag out for years and years We can just fund whatever it is, however long it takes." Paxton said Google's level of cooperation will help determine the timeline for wrapping up the states' investigation. And he said he is keeping his options open after that. "It all depends on what we find or don't find," he told CNBC. "I wouldn't take any offer off the table, from not doing any lawsuit to doing some more much more." WEST HAVEN Mayor Nancy Rossi will explore the possibility of acquiring body cameras for city police after meeting with the family of Mubarak Soulemane Tuesday. Soulemane was fatally shot by Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North just off Interstate 95s Exit 43 in West Haven on Jan. 15. Soulemane allegedly had carjacked a driver in Norwalk following an alleged incident with a knife at a store there, then fled from police at high rates of speed along the highway. North said he saw a knife in Soulemanes possession; he fired seven shots through a closed window, killing the 19-year-old New Haven resident. The Soulemane family and the Rev. Boise Kimber attempted to meet with Rossi last week, with hopes of getting a better understanding of the West Haven Police Departments response to the scene and discussing their concerns after the slaying. West Haven Chief Joseph Perno met with the Soulemane family at that time. Afterward, he said four to five West Haven officers had responded to the call Jan. 15 to provide backup for state police. Kimber suggested a West Haven officer might have smashed the passenger-side window in the vehicle Mubarak Soulemane was driving, but that the video was unclear. Kimber said the meeting Tuesday covered a number of topics, including the number of officers of color in West Haven and de-escalation training. He said he was most struck by discussing the need for body cameras in the community, which would provide a feeling of safety for residents concerned about the actions of police. The Police Department in West Haven (needs) body cameras to show exactly what takes place when a person is stopped in this city, Kimber said. Perno said last week that the department had sought body cameras in the past, but the outlay has been deemed too expensive. Rossi said in a statement Tuesday that she supports acquiring body cameras, as she did when she was first elected to the office in 2017. But she said the cost of storing the footage obtained through the cameras which she said would be approximately $1 million per year was prohibitive at the time, and still may be. I did state I would try to facilitate body cameras, but we need to find the money to pay for the cameras and the storage. I have already contacted our grants writer to try and locate grants for both the body cameras and the storage, Rossi said in the statement. Kimber said he and the Soulemane family would meet with Perno and the state attorneys office on Thursday, as the investigation into Soulemanes death continues. North has been assigned to desk duty and barred from interacting from the public as the inquiry proceeds. As of 2016, the last time the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a nationwide survey, 47 percent of departments across America had body cameras. According to the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division of Connecticuts Office of Policy and Management, approximately 41 departments in Connecticut, including New Haven, Hamden, North Haven and East Haven, have obtained state grants to reimburse the cost of purchasing body cameras. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com The list of Ukrainian strategic objects prohibited for privatization includes 219 enterprises. Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov wrote about this on his Facebook page. "The government has approved a bill on the list of state-owned objects that are not subject to privatization. Bill No.2831 was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. All 219 objects on the list were thoroughly analyzed and discussed with relevant central executive bodies," Mylovanov wrote. According to him, three main criteria were used to form the list of strategic objects prohibited for privatization: the enterprises must ensure energy independence and defense capability of the state; they must be natural monopolies; business activities of the enterprises must be crucially important to society. As Ukrinform reported, on February 3, a governmental bill was registered on the Verkhovna Rada's website on the list of state-owned enterprises that are not subject to privatization. Among the enterprises banned for privatization are NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, JSC Mahistralni Gazoprovody Ukrainy (Main gas pipelines of Ukraine), JSC Ukrtransgaz, PJSC Ukrnafta, JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya, JSC Ukrtransnafta, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, JSC Ukrposhta, NNEGC Energoatom, NEC Ukrenergo, SE Antonov, SE Malyshev Plan, Kharkiv Armored Plant and others. iy China's largest SUV manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) on Wednesday said it will invest USD 1 billion in the Indian market in a phased manner. The USD 1 billion (about Rs 7,100 crore) investment will be made in areas like research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, GWM Marketing and Sales Director (India) Harpreet Singh Brar said at the Auto Expo here. The company also intends to use manufacturing capabilities in India to export to other countries, he added. GWM has a research facility in Bengaluru. Recently, it also inked an agreement to acquire General Motor India's Talegaon facility. NORTHPORT, MI The Leelanau County Sheriffs Office is seeking public help to find the person or persons who spray painted racial slurs on a building. According to officials, the vandalism occurred at the Pier Group Building, 206 Rose Street, in Northport sometime in the last 24 hours. They spray painted the slurs on several window, authorities said. The painting was done from the inside after the suspect(s) entered the unsecured building. Several pieces of evidence have been collected from the scene. The investigation is ongoing. The messages left are disturbing and any help in identifying the person or persons responsible would be greatly appreciated, a statement from the department reads. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact deputy Lott at 231-256-8626. A total of 286 people have renounced Indian citizenship between 2016 and 2018, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said 19 people renounced Indian citizenship in 2016 and 60 others in 2017. A total of 207 Indians have renounced citizenship in 2018 (till October 22, 2018), he said replying to a written question. 21,000 foreigners obtained Indian citizenship Official statistics also revealed that in the last decade, more than 21,000 foreigners obtained Indian citizenship. These people became Indians under the government of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as the current Modi government. The details were provided by the Home Ministry on Tuesday in the reply to a query in the Lok Sabha. The Home Ministry was asked to provide details about the foreign nationals who obtained Indian citizenship. It is also sought to know if Muslims from overseas could now be provided Indian citizenship. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said, "In the last 10 years, a total of 21,408 foreign nationals were provided Indian citizenship." Providing year-wise statistics, he said that in the year 2010, a total of 232 people got Indian citizenship while 435 in 2011, 553 in 2012, 563 in 2013, 617 in 2014 and 15,470 in 2015 got Indian passports. These apart, the Indian government decided to grant citizenship to 1,106 people in 2016, 817 in 2017, 628 in 2018 and 987 in 2019. READ | Data on foreign nationals claiming to be refugees in India not maintained centrally: MHA 14,864 Bangladeshis were given Indian citizenship The minister also told the House that 53 enclaves of neighbouring Bangladesh were included in India under the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Pact 2015. Following which 14,864 Bangladeshis were given Indian citizenship under Section 7 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. READ | Moments after HC verdict, Home Ministry moves SC to expedite Nirbhaya rapists' execution Replying to a query over citizenship to foreign Muslims, Rai said, "All the legal migrants could be provided Indian citizenship irrespective of their religion under the Citizenship Act 1955 after completing all the formalities". There is no change in the current process to obtain Indian Citizenship, he added. READ | Home Minister Amit Shah lauds Modi govt's Budget; reiterates '$5 trillion economy' goal The minister also provided information about Bangladeshis who were living in India illegally and were later deported. "Actions were taken to send back the illegal Bangladeshis and 308 people in 2016, 51 in 2017 and 445 in 2018 were deported," he said. READ | MHA to draft law specifically to handle lynching cases: MoS Nityanand Rai The regulator says the NRA offered its branded Carry Guard program to members without a license. As Reuters reports, the regulator has also accused the gun advocacy group of misleading members about the cost of the insurance. The NRA allegedly marketed its product as being the lowest possible cost, but the civil charges suggest the group earned substantial royalties, sometimes in excess of 20% of the premium paid. New Yorks Department of Financial Services is pursuing civil fines and other remedies against the NRA. This action follows the regulators $7 million fine of Lockton Companies in May 2018, for its administration of the Carry Guard insurance program. A hearing for the case against the NRA has been scheduled for April 06. When approached for comment by Reuters, the NRA did not immediately respond. ALEPPO, Syria Hundreds of fighters from the National Army of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) headed to Libya in December 2019 to fight alongside the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) against forces led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter. The deployment came after Turkey agreed to help support the GNA against Hifters offensive in the Libyan capital Tripoli. According to leaks circulated by opposition media, Turkish security officials met with FSA leaders in December 2019 and discussed the deployment of Syrian fighters to Libya, in return for a salary. Syrian soldiers will reportedly receive up to $2,000 monthly for participating in the mission in Libya, while Syrian commanders will receive $3,000. Neither the official Turkish side nor the Syrian opposition confirmed the reports. Successive batches of National Army fighters have already arrived in Libya. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Jan. 20 that 2,400 Syrian fighters have arrived in Tripoli. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denied Jan. 15 that Turkish citizenship or money had been given to National Army soldiers in exchange for fighting in Libya. These allegations are completely false, Cavusoglu told CNN Turk. The GNA also denied the presence of Syrian fighters in Tripoli Dec. 29. The deployment sparked controversy among the opposition in Idlib and the countryside of Aleppo in northwestern Syria, where Syrian regime forces continue to carry out ground and aerial strikes. The controversy prompted the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the opposition's interim government to issue a statement Dec. 25 denying it had ever received any request from Turkey to send fighters out of Syria. We categorically deny sending any of our forces and military formations to Libya," the ministry stated. "Our priority in the National Army is to protect our Syrian people from the regime's militias and its Russian and Iranian supporters. In turn, the FSA also denied the reports about Syrian fighters being deployed to Libya. Still, activists on social media shared several videos showing fighters said to be affiliated with the National Army at al-Takbali camp in Tripoli's Salah al-Din area. They also shared information about hundreds of Syrian fighters moving to fight in Libya. National Army commander Abdul Salam Abdul Razzaq told Al-Monitor that Syrian fighters are indeed taking part in the Libyan battles, but they went on their own volition and do not represent the National Army or its factions. He noted that the National Army has denied participating in the Libyan war since no official decision has been issued to send fighters to Libya. Abdul Razzaq explained that those who went to Libya did so after receiving offers from the Turkish government. The Turkish offer seems [alluring] given that these people [fighters] had lost their homes and lands and basically everything they had in Syria during the revolution, which forced them to accept this offer for the money, he said. "When I go back to Syria after fighting in Libya, I will be able to pay them back and live properly. If I die here, I will be rid of this cruel life." He continued, Of course, there is a great responsibility that falls on the National Army leaders. They should have prevented Syrians from participating in the Libyan war. These fighters should have been recruited inside Syria. We could have benefited from them in fighting the regime forces and serving the Syrian revolution, instead of them fighting outside the country. Syrians took up arms to defend themselves and their revolution; they were never up for rent. Ahmed Koussa, a former FSA fighter from the Aleppo countryside, is now in Libya fighting alongside the GNA. He told Al-Monitor, I was out of work back in the Aleppo countryside and if I would ever find a job it would be poorly paid and not enough to cover my living expenses. Money is the main motivation for me coming here. The money will help me improve my familys living conditions. I have a lot of debts I could not pay. When I go back to Syria after fighting in Libya, I will be able to pay them back and live properly. If I die here, I will be rid of this cruel life. Rawan Erkhies, a Libyan humanitarian activist, told Al-Monitor, The Syrian fighters were exploited due to their urgent need for money. They accepted fighting in the Libyan war in exchange for money. However, it will cost them their lives, and this matter does not serve the interests of any party to the conflict. We hope they will return to their land safely. Erkhies added, Syrian fighters do not constitute a crisis for us since many countries are already involved in Libyan affairs. Hamed al-Saleh, another Syrian fighter from the Aleppo countryside who is now in Libya, told Al-Monitor, Fighting alongside the legitimate GNA in Libya is a moral duty over which one cannot compromise. We defend the Libyans against the militias that seek to destroy Libya. I was motivated to fight in Libya by the salary I will receive. It amounts to $2,000 per month, which is equal to 2 million Syrian pounds. It is a lot of money given the poverty in Syria. If I die, at least my children will have a better life thanks to the money they will get. Mohammed Shakeeb Elkhaled, the head of the Syrian National Democratic Movement, an opposition party formed in 2019, told Al-Monitor, It is a shame that the Syrian youth have turned into hired mercenaries. It is unfortunate that we have turned into a tool for regional and international alignments, and we will pay dearly for that. He added, Poverty and difficulty to put food on the table are not convincing reasons. One cannot sell their soul for money and ruin the FSAs image, for which thousands of martyrs had to pay. Elkhaled noted, The factions are tools whose decision and will had been stolen. They now work for Turkish interests. Basel al-Ghazawi, a Syrian journalist who worked with Orient TV and currently resides in Idlib, told Al-Monitor, These fighters ought to fight in Syria against the Syrian regime that is killing its people. There is no justification for Syrians fighting foreign wars. If the Syrians participation in the Libyan war is ideological and intellectual, then the battles in Syria need to be a priority when it comes down to it. Those who participate in battles only for the money are mere mercenaries. Ghazawi added, Syrian fighters ought to defend their cause and their revolution. The fact that the FSA denied [the reports about] their participation in the Libyan battles is a desperate attempt to contain popular anger, so fighters do not look like mercenaries. The FSA cannot prevent its fighters from participating because it is actually following Turkish orders. Shaheen Bagh, where hundreds of people have been protesting against the citizenship act, will be cleared once the BJP comes to power in Delhi after the February 8 assembly elections, Union minister Anurag Thakur has said. The colony in southeast Delhi has seen residents, mostly women, sitting in a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act for nearly three months now. It has also become one of the main poll issues with several leaders of the party led by Union home minister Amit Shah describing the protests at Shaheen Bagh as being against the national interests and attacking Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over it. Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur chipped in on Tuesday with his prediction. When people of Delhi will cast their vote in favour of the lotus (the BJPs poll symbol)... and after the results on February 11, Shaheen Bagh will be cleared, Thakur said at an event held at the BJP office in Delhi. He also accused Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia of backing the protesters in Shaheen Bagh. The statement comes days after Bharatiya Janata Party leader was handed a 72-hour ban against campaigning over his provocative remarks at a poll rally in the Capital. Anurag Thakur was allegedly heard, in a widely shared video, prompting the crowd, saying desh ke gaddaron ko... (traitors of the country...), to which the crowd responded with goli maaron (shoot them...) while campaigning in Delhis Rithala on January 27. Thakur had screamed out the first part of the slogan exhorting the audience to finish it as the crowd was waiting for a meeting by Union home minister Amit Shah. Day after that a 17-year-old boy fired at a group of protesters in Jamia Millia Islamia, injuring a 22-year-old student and the university teachers association said blamed the goli maaro slogans shouted by the BJP lawmaker for the attack. The junior finance minister faced the oppositions ire as leaders shouted slogans of Goli Maarna Band Karo or stop shooting in Parliament on Monday as he responded to questions on the economy. On Tuesday, he asserted that his party will register a clean sweep in Delhi and said the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will have to pat for its misdeeds. Ayushman Bharat will be implemented and the Metro train network will be expanded up to Narela, if BJP comes to power in Delhi. The Delhi people are in no mood to forgive the misdeeds of the AAP and it will lose heavily with BJP making a clean sweep, Thakur said at the event. A BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg has also moved the Supreme Court seeking the removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh Garg had urged the top court for an urgent hearing, considering the difficulty faced by residents due to the protest on a road connecting Delhi and Noida. Your browser does not support the audio element. Body thermometers have become increasingly sought after in Vietnam as residents are taking all possible measures to avoid being infected with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Following a rapid surge in demand for face masks and hand sanitizers, more people are now buying body thermometers as another means of protection against the new virus. According to a representative of Ho Chi Minh City-based Thien Ky Company, the exclusive distributor of a brand of handheld thermometers in Vietnam, their products have gone out of stock. Each device sells at VND1.8 million (US$77), the representative continued, adding that most of their thermometers were sold to businesses in the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong in order to measure the body temperature of their factory workers. Similarly, Hanoi-based Huu Hao Company said they have run out of electronic thermometers since January 31. A firm selling medical equipment in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City has limited the number of thermometers each customer could buy to one due to modest supply. Amid the rising demand, experts have warned of the possibility that people will mistakenly purchase industrial thermometers, which are designed to measure the temperature of machines, compressors, or high-voltage wires. These devices have a high measurement range of -20 to 650 degrees Celsius, thus results are not accurate as the margin of error can be up to two degrees Celsius. Full-body temperature scanners are installed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Van Hao / Tuoi Tre According to Nguyen Van Hao, director of Domec Company, the firm was in charge of installing infrared full-body temperature scanners, worth VND2 billion ($85,960) each, at major airports in Vietnam. This type of thermometer is capable of measuring the temperature of each person in a crowd and detecting those with an abnormally high body temperature, Hao elaborated. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused 492 deaths and infected more than 24,500 people globally. The virus has spread to two dozen countries and territories, including Vietnam, the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and more. Vietnam confirmed its tenth case on Tuesday. Seven Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese were among the infected patients. News of the infected patients in Vietnam has fueled fears among the public while increasing local demand for face masks and hand sanitizers, one of the measures believed to reduce the risk of infection. Thermometers have been installed at local airports and many factories to detect those who are potentially infected with the virus. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! In a breaking news development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 5, 2020) announced that the Central government is setting up an independent trust to finalise the details for the construction of a Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. To be called Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, the body has formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court of India, pointed out the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust will take all decisions for the construction of a massive and grand Ram Temple on the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, added PM Modi. The decision to form the trust was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday. The 67.703 acres of land along with the inside and outside courtyard will be transferred to the Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra for the construction of the Ram Temple. Referring to the Supreme Court order on the Ayodhya case on November 9, 2019, PM Modi said the judgement was in favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the decision to form the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust. According to the Supreme Court order, the Sunni Waqf Board will be given 5 acres of land in Ayodhya, announced the Prime Minister. "On November 9, 2019, I was in Punjab for Kartarpur Sahib Corridor's inauguration. During the inauguration ceremony, the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya was delivered and I got to know about the historic decision. Uttar Pradesh government has already given its approval for giving 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board," he said. Announcing another major decision taken by the Union Cabinet, he declared the government will also develop the area around the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya as a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction. The government has cracked down on some robocallers, even going so far as to fine one alleged robocaller $100 million. But for a long time, companies that allow robocallers to use their services have been left to do their thing and in the process unleashed billions of robocalls on the annoyed public. The involvement of many voice-over-IP internet-based phone companies in enabling robocalling has been a dirty secret in the telecom industry. Recently, the government has begun to crack down on companies that enable bad actors to scam and harass. This week, the Federal Communications Commission sent letters to six phone companies asking them to stop allowing international robocalls to enter the U.S., and to participate in traceback efforts to track down the sources. This follows actions from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission in reining in the companies that facilitate international robocalls. The last couple months have been a tremendous breakthrough in government enforcement, Patrick Halley, of USTelecom, told Yahoo Finance. USTelecom runs the Industry Traceback Group, which consists of 30 telecom companies that trace origins of illegal robocalls. (Yahoo Finances parent company Verizon, is a member of this trade group.) Halley said a paradigm shift is happening in the fight against robocalls. The FTC issued a new warning to internet-based phone companies about robocalls. (Getty Images) What youre starting to see now is the government, federal and state, pay close attention to the originating voice providers who enable calls made in the face of evidence that the calls are illegal, he said. Thats a sea change. International calls Plenty of robocalls are domestic, but many come from abroad. Those callers need a way to get on U.S. networks, and a telecom company that is unable or unwilling to enforce the rules is a way to do so. This week, the FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold sent letters to All Access, Globex, Piratel, Talkie, Telcast, ThinQ, and Third Base, telling them they were used by robocallers as a gateway into the U.S. telephone network, according to USTelecoms traceback program. Last year, the program tracked down 1,000 robocalling sources that represented over 1 million robocalls each, according to Halley. The letter added that these companies are uniquely situated to assist government and industry efforts to combat spam robocalls, which likely involve fake Social Security scams and other harmful practices. Story continues The FCC is also requesting more information about how the companies facilitate international robocalls, whether these companies are doing anything to prevent robocalls, or are tacitly or even unsubtly endorsing this type of behavior, posing questions like: Does All Access Telecom advertise its services in foreign countries? The letter makes it clear the information the FCC is requesting must be produced. According to Halley, the FCC is letting these companies know it's not sufficient to merely participate in a traceback, but that they are obligated to take action when presented with evidence that their business is contributing to illegal robocalls. Momentum The FCCs latest action comes on the heels of the FTC and DOJs efforts to stem illegal robocalls. Last week, the Justice Department sued five companies and three individuals responsible for carrying millions of robocalls. The DOJ said it warned these parties to stop, yet they continued to carry those calls and facilitate foreign-based fraud schemes targeting Americans. The calls, most of which originated in India, led to massive financial losses to elderly and vulnerable victims across the nation. The FTC also reminded 19 voice-over-IP providers that assisting and facilitating illegal robocalls is against the law, though did not move to punish them. The momentum started a few months ago when the FTC and Ohio Attorney General went after a company called Globex, alleging it helped promote a credit card interest reduction scheme. The lawsuit was originally just against the robocaller, Educate Centre Services, but the government added the phone company a shift in the fight against illegal robocalls saying the company knew or consciously avoided knowing about what was going on. This was the first time the FTC has done that, Halley said. The DOJ followed. The FCCs move, he added, was part of the same momentum. For now, theres no guarantee this will stop consumers from getting robocalls. But its clear that more enforcement is coming to an important link in the robocalling process. These companies are being held to a higher standard and will be forced to participate in efforts to combat scammers. -- Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, personal finance, retail, airlines, and more. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Lenin Moreno, the current president of Ecuador, has opened a controversial topic to the public. He claims women only make sexual harassment complaints against 'ugly people.' The Ecuadorian president shared this comment during his meeting with investors in Guayaquil City on January 31. He claims that men are frequently being subject to accusations of sexual harassment by the opposite sex. In an article from MSN, Moreno claims that he had witnessed many women make sexual harassment claims multiple times. He said that it is okay. However, he said that only 'ugly people' get accused. According to the 66-year-old president, some parts of society don't consider it harassment if the offender is attractive. After saying these words, males in attendance let out laughter. President Moreno Apologizes Through Social Media In a social media post on Friday, the Ecuador president had taken back his rude comments. He explained that it was never his intention to minimize the destructive intensity of violence and any other kind of abuse. He apologized for the misinterpretation of his statement. He stresses that he is against all types of women's abuse and violence. Despite releasing a public apology, his comments had already gone viral. The online community is reacting negatively to the Ecuadorian president's insensitive sexual harassment remarks. Reactions from Women's Rights Advocates and Groups According to Global News, many women's rights advocates expressed their revulsion to the remarks made by the president. Congresswoman Soleda Buendia shared through social media that he allows and "reproduces" women abuse and violence. She said that sexual harassment is not a joking matter. The Women for Change organization also shared their negative view of the Ecuador president's comments. Through a social media post, it shared that for 'machos' like the president, sexual harassment is not a bad deed. On Monday, one of the human rights authorities in Ecuador Quito's Council for the Protection of Rights had released a reaction to the sexual harassment comment of the president. According to the council, the issue was not a laughing matter. The sexual harassment remark originating from the highest position holder in the government showed how badly this horrible act is naturalized in the country. The council shared how almost every woman is at risk of sexual harassment. They revealed that women may experience such horrible acts in schools, offices, and political agencies. Additionally, women are also threatened to experience violence and abuse in public places like plazas and streets. This may be the reason why it was commented by the president as something common, normal, absurd, and tolerable. In a survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Ecuador in 2019 with 20,000 participants. The study concluded that a minimum of 32% of women had stated that they were victims of a type of sexual violence. The On-Going Trial of the Government for a 2002 Sexual Harassment Case The issue sparked a few days after the hearings for a 2002 sexual harassment case was held by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). The case includes the failure of the government to convict a school official for sexually harassing one of the students of the school. The victim later died from committing suicide. By the end of the year, the IACHR will be releasing judgment on the case. Apart from SS Rajamouli's magnum opus RRR, there is one more film that has got fans across India super excited. Yes, we are talking about Prashanth Neel's directorial venture KFG: Chapter 2. Both the movies have been grabbing headlines ever since they went on floors last year. While a lot has been said regarding the release date of RRR and KGF sequel, we are sure the latest grapevine is going to surprise a lot of people. Just recently, we reported that the makers of Yash starrer are in no hurry to lock the release date for their period action film. As for RRR, well, initially the big-budget film was to arrive in theatres on July 30. However, that's not the case anymore as media reports suggest that Rajamouli is now planning to release his multi-starrer film either in October-November this year or during Sankranthi next year. So now that July 30 is vacant, rumours are doing the rounds that KGF: Chapter 2 will hit the screens on that very date. Though there has been no official announcement regarding the same, we hear filmmaker Prashanth Neel and his team are eyeing RRR's initial release date as its perfect for a pan-India release. Recently, Yash was spotted in Mysuru shooting for the film and the makers will soon commence the last schedule of KGF sequel in Hyderabad. The movie, which will release in Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages, also stars Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty and Anant Nag in prominent roles. KGF: Chapter 1 came out in 2018 and turned out to be one of the biggest Kannada blockbusters. Hence, the expectations are sky-high from the second installment as well. RRR has also generated an equal amount of curiosity and positive buzz. Recently, Ajay Devgn started filming for the magnum opus and soon Alia Bhatt will also join the cast which includes Jr NTR and Ram Charan. ALSO READ KGF Chapter 2: No Release Date Until The Completion Of Shoot For Yash And Sanjay Dutt Starrer After RRR, Ram Charan Planning To Team Up With THESE Two Directors? Coronavirus Has Not Reached Pandemic Status, Says WHO By VOA News February 04, 2020 Despite its increasing detection in numerous countries, the World Health Organization says the outbreak of the new coronavirus has not yet reached the level of a pandemic. Dr. Sylvie Briand, WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic diseases, told reporters in Geneva Tuesday the outbreak is at the phase "where it is an epidemic with multiple foci." As of Tuesday, at least 425 people, the majority in mainland China, have died from the coronavirus since it was first detected in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, with the total number of confirmed infections exceeding 20,000. There are about 150 confirmed cases in 23 other countries, including one death in the Philippines -- the first outside of China. The epidemic has also been detected on the high seas. More than 3,000 passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship anchored off the Japanese port of Yokohama were quarantined after a passenger tested positive for the virus. Cruise operator Carnival Japan says the passenger was an 80-year-old man who disembarked from the Diamond Princess on January 25 after it docked in Hong Kong. The ship's departure has been delayed as health workers conduct tests on all 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members. Meanwhile, medical workers in Hong Kong staged a second consecutive day of strikes Tuesday as the Chinese territory reported its first death from the coronavirus. Hong Kong shut down nearly all land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight local time after more than 2,000 medical workers walked off the job Monday demanding that all border crossings be closed completely. Hong Kong was hit hard by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-03. Hong Kong health authorities identified the victim as a 39-year-old male with a pre-existing illness who had recently visited Wuhan. Also Tuesday, the Chinese gambling territory of Macau said it will temporarily shut down all casino operations for two weeks to help curb the spread of the virus. A new study published Monday in the journal Nature said experts from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which specializes in the study of viruses, say the new virus is 96% genetically identical to one found in bats in southern China's Yunnan province. The study said the new coronavirus is 80% genetically similar to the SARS virus that killed more than 800 people in 2002 and 2003. Chinese officials do not know exactly how the virus could have been transmitted from animals to people, but believe open-air markets in China, where wild and domesticated animals are sold, may be a contributor. WHO said it expects the number of cases to grow as test results are returned on thousands of pending cases. Chinese authorities have tried to stop the spread by instituting bans on movement in certain regions, and extending holidays to keep people away from schools and other large gatherings. Beijing, however, is upset that a number of countries are restricting travelers from China from crossing their borders. Government spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the United States of spreading fear and not offering any substantial assistance in response to the outbreak. She said Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic," noting that the WHO has advised against travel restrictions. U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to send experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to China, but Beijing has yet to accept the offer of help. The United States began mandatory 14-day quarantines Sunday for U.S. citizens who had been in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. But non-U.S. citizens who have been in China over the past two weeks are barred. Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said Monday the United States is already prepared to provide housing for up to 1,000 people who may need to be quarantined. He also said the United States is "always planning for eventualities and how we may be asked by civilian partners to assist." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ISTANBUL - A Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and broke apart while landing in bad weather in Istanbul Wednesday, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Passengers had to scramble through the split fuselage to escape. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2020 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CAPTION CORRECTS NUMBERS INJURED - Rescue members and firefighters work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday at IstanbulAos Sabiha Gokcen Airport, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Passengers were seen evacuating through cracks in the plane and authorities said dozens have been injured. (Can Erok/DHA via AP) ISTANBUL - A Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and broke apart while landing in bad weather in Istanbul Wednesday, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Passengers had to scramble through the split fuselage to escape. The aircraft, operated by low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, was arriving at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport from the western Turkish city of Izmir with 183 passengers and crew on board when it had what the Transportation Ministry described as a rough landing. Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the plane failed to "hold onto the runway" and skidded some 50-60 metres (yards) before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 30 metres (98 feet.) Rescue members and firefighters work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) We are deeply saddened ... (But) we are very happy that we escaped a greater accident, Yerlikaya said, adding that the plane could have burst into flames. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported early Thursday that three people had died and 179 required care at multiple hospitals. Emergency workers, assisted by an excavator, recovered one body from beneath the wreckage before the rescue mission ended. The airport was shut down after the incident, which occurred at around 6:30 p.m. local time (1530 GMT), and flights were diverted to Istanbul's main airport. Police secure the area as rescue members and firefighters around the wreckage of a plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Survivor Dogus Bilgic, 24, told Turkish television channel NTV that he fled the smashed plane by way of a gap near his seat and was one of the first passengers to get out. We travelled (on the runway) for some 20 or 30 seconds, then all of a sudden we flew off the runway, he said while seated in a wheelchair because of a leg injury. It happened in seconds. I was seated in 25C. I believe the plane broke apart at row 26, Bilgic recalled, adding that he threw himself out of the plane when he saw the opening. The front (of the plane) was in a terrible state. I saw, after I was on the ground, that it had completely broken apart, he said. Rescue members and firefighters work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) As other passengers emerged from the wreckage, Bilgic said he helped two or three to the ground. "I carried them somewhere because they werent doing as well as us, he said, then ran away from the plane with others, fearing a possible explosion. There was complete chaos," he said. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the wreckage of the plane in a field adjacent to the end of the runway. The video shows heavy rain and strong winds at the time, with smoke coming from one of the engines as passengers climb out of the fuselage onto the wings of the plane and away from the crash site. Rescue members and firefighters around the wreckage of a plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Eyewitness Hasan Eraydin, who shot the video, said he had been driving home from work when he heard a rumble. We were about 30 metres away we tried to get to the scene to help, but there was some sort of a canal in between and it was impossible. We thought God willing, no one has died'. Dozens of rescue crew members swarmed around the flood-lit fuselage, including around the cockpit, which had flipped over. The plane was a Boeing 737 that was 11 years old, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24. We continue to receive reports out of Istanbul, Turkey, regarding the accident involving Pegasus Airlines," said Boeing in a statement. "Our top concern right now is for the safety and wellbeing of the passengers and crew onboard. We are in contact with our airline customer and have offered them our support. We stand ready to assist in any way possible. Rescue members evacuate an injured person from the wreckage of a plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off as it tried to land in bad weather, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Passengers had to evacuate through cracks in the smashed plane and authorities said 120 people were sent to the hospital with injuries. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) NTV said the injured included the planes two pilots, who it said were in serious condition. The television channel broadcast a recording of the communications between the pilots and air traffic control in which the pilots are told that previous flights had reported strong tail winds. "According to the information we have, there was a rough landing. The accident occurred after (the plane) could not decelerate and rammed into a field from the end of the runway," Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mehmet Cahit Turan as saying. Prosecutors opened an investigation of the accident, Anadolu reported. Pegasus is a privately-owned, low-cost carrier based in Istanbul that flies 97 routes, mostly within Turkey and to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. It is majority owned by Turkish billionaire Sevket Sabanci and his family, who have big investments in the country in areas as varied as real estate, clothing, health clubs and packaging materials. The accident comes a month after a Pegasus plane with 164 people on board skidded off the runway at the same airport in Istanbul. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on Jan. 7. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In January 2018, another Boeing 737 in the Pegasus fleet slid off a runway at northeastern Turkeys Trabzon Airport and down a dirt embankment. The plane came to rest in the dirt above the Black Sea with its nose pointed toward the water. None of the 168 passengers and crew members were injured. Planes are designed to absorb impact forces in the bottom of the fuselage to improve the chances that passengers in the cabin above will survive. In 2013, the tail of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 broke off after the jet hit a seawall during approach to San Francisco International Airport. Three people died, 49 were seriously injured and scores more suffered minor injuries, according to the U.S. accident report. That same year, a Lion Air Boeing 737 split in two after landing in shallow water short of the runway in Bali, Indonesia. All 101 passengers and seven crew members survived. ____ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Carlo Piovano in London and David Koenig in Dallas contributed. President Trump declined to shake hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the start of his State of the Union address Tuesday, less than two months after Democrats in the same House chamber voted to impeach him. As he ascended the podium, Trump handed a copy of his speech to Vice President Mike Pence and another to Pelosi, who extended her hand to the president. Trump turned away without shaking it. Then Pelosi introduced Trump by saying simply: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. The custom has been for the speaker to intone: Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky Pelosi and many other Democratic congresswomen were dressed in white in tribute to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. The speaker also wore a gold pin on her lapel that she also wore on the day Trump was impeached. That pin is the mace of the United States House of Representatives. Its 13 bundled rods with a globe on top of them and with an American bald eagle, Pelosi explained at the time. Republicans gave Trump a rousing welcome, while Democrats held their applause through much of the early portions of his speech. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Minutes after the speech had concluded, and Pelosi had made a display of ripping it up, the House Speaker returned to the handshake. Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/ELJqR9q4xD Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 5, 2020 _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a global professional services firm providing risk, retirement and health solutions, acquired Cytelligence Inc, a Canada-based cyber security firm with deep expertise in Cyber Breach Response, Cyber Breach Investigations, and Digital Forensics. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The acquisition will allow Aon to expand its current coverages within the cyber market. Cytelligence will join the portfolio of Aons Cyber Solutions, which combines digital risk management services, security services, professional risk solutions, and a global risk consulting practice. This acquisition enhances Aons 2016 acquisition of Stroz Friedberg and now allows its Cyber Solutions to offer a more holistic portfolio of services to clients from proactive security services, to incident response, to risk quantification and insurance broking. Founded in June 2016 and led by CEO Daniel Tobok, who will join Aon as the Canadian President, Aons Cyber Solutions, Cytelligence is a cybersecurity company that provides incident response advisory, digital forensic expertise, security consulting services and cyber security training for employees to allow organizations to respond to cyber security threats and strengthen their security posture. The company, which employs professionals in cyber security and education, investigations, and forensic analytics, has offices in Toronto, Ottawa, New York, San Francisco and Miami. FinSMEs 05/02/2020 Brokerages on Yeouido, Seoul. / gettyimagesbank By Kim Bo-eun Five local brokerages face a high risk of losing money in Indonesia as their combined credit exposure to an Indonesian tycoon over 60 billion won ($50.54 million) has been frozen. According to data released by Rep. Ji Sang-wuk of the New Conservative Party, Tuesday, Hanson International Chairman Benny Tjokrosaputro owes the money to NH, Korea Investment & Securities, Shinhan, Mirae Asset Daewoo and Kiwoom Securities. The magnate faces liquidity problems due to a suspension of trading in his business' shares and an accounts freeze by Indonesian financial authorities. Forbes ranked Tjokrosaputro 43rd on the list of Indonesia's 50 richest people in 2018. His net worth was estimated at $670 million. But last October, Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK) ordered him to repay capital financed through "repo transactions." Repo, which stands for repurchase agreement, is a form of short-term borrowing under which the dealer sells underlying securities to investors and buys them back. The chairman of one of Indonesia's largest residential property developers had purchased real estate by taking security-based loans from brokerages. The OJK stated that according to regulations governing banks, real estate developers are banned from such transactions the business engaged in. After the OJK's order was issued, the share price of businesses owned by Tjokrosaputro and his family plunged and trading was suspended. Prosecutors also detained the chairman last month for questioning over his alleged involvement in financial irregularities at Indonesia's state-run insurer Jiwasraya. This poses further uncertainties for the brokerages. Among them, NH faces the greatest risk, as its funds account for 85 percent of the total amount 51 billion won. The figure is 5.3 billion won for Korea Investment & Securities, 3.8 billion won for Shinhan, 250 million won for Mirae Asset Daewoo and 230 million won for Kiwoom. An NH official said: "We will be able to sell shares of the Indonesian business we own when the suspension on trading is lifted, and we believe share prices may recover after the chairman is released and issues are sorted out." But it remains unclear if and when this will become possible. "We will have to wait, but we have stocks as collateral and believe we won't be subject to losses," the official said. KYODO NEWS - Feb 5, 2020 - 02:10 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus Chinese President Xi Jinping may postpone an upcoming state visit to Japan to deal with a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 400 in his country, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, a preparatory meeting between officials from the countries scheduled for later this month in Beijing and a separate meeting on maritime issues have both been pushed back as China focuses on containing the epidemic. The delays bode ill for Xi's visit, which had been expected to take place around early April and would entail a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as an audience with Emperor Naruhito and a lavish banquet at the Imperial Palace. Abe has viewed the visit as emblematic of a recent improvement in Japan-China relations, stressing the importance of stepping up cooperation despite underlying issues including a dispute over Japan-controlled islets in the East China Sea and Beijing's poor human rights record. But Xi has had his hands full with the pneumonia-causing coronavirus, which has continued to spread in China infecting over 20,500 as of Tuesday night. Authorities have imposed a lockdown in Hubei's provincial capital of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, and other cities in the province as well as some parts of Zhejiang Province. On Monday, the Chinese leadership in Beijing admitted "shortcomings and deficiencies" in the response to the outbreak, while Xi called for "prompt and resolute actions" to contain the epidemic. According to the diplomatic sources, one of the delayed meetings is director-level talks between the foreign ministries and other government agencies of the countries, meant to set the stage for vice ministerial-level talks in Tokyo toward the end of February to work out the details of Xi's visit. If the vice ministerial-level meeting is also pushed back, "it could have a big impact on the timing of the state visit," one of the sources said. It also remains to be seen whether Yang Jiechi, China's foreign policy chief and a member of the Communist Party's decision-making Politburo, can fulfill an expected visit later in February as part of the preparations. "The outbreak is a national crisis for China. Postponement (of Xi's trip) is a possibility," a senior official in Abe's administration said. The other meeting that has been pushed back regarding maritime issues had been slated to take place next Monday in Ningbo, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The sources said other meetings related to Xi's visit have also been rescheduled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Despite these setbacks, neither country has announced plans to postpone the trip, which would be the first by a Chinese president since Hu Jintao in May 2008. A China Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday both countries should work to ensure Xi's visit goes "smoothly." This is a joint news release with Yukon Government WHITEHORSE, Yukon, Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Predator Mining Corp. (TSX.V:GPY, OTCQX:NTGSF) (the Company) announces the Government of Yukon and Golden Predator Mining Corp. established a project coordination committee pertaining to the Brewery Creek Mine, effective January 6, 2020. The committee had its first meeting during the Mineral Exploration Roundup Mining Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, last month. The committee will enhance communications with respect to the development and production plans for the Brewery Creek project located near Dawson City, Yukon. The committee will share and exchange information pertaining to the Brewery Creek Mine project in a frank and timely manner. The committee will enable the Government of Yukon and Golden Predator Mining Corp. to each make informed decisions that fall within their respective roles and jurisdiction for the project. This approach to information sharing and exchange also gives the two parties an ongoing ability to coordinate information as Golden Predator advances the project. Quotes The Government of Yukon supports and encourages responsible development. Establishing this committee is aimed at ensuring an environmentally and socially responsible operation. Improving the flow of information between the regulator and the company will improve the process and make it more efficient. Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Ranj Pillai Canadas Yukon is a premier jurisdiction that has an amazing future capable of realizing on the potential for local wealth creation, employment, training, tax revenue and business development to Yukon communities from mining activities. I am proud to be working with progressive colleagues as we seek the restart of the Brewery Creek Mine, placed in temporary closure in 2002 awaiting the right time to restart activities. The Yukon often seeks innovative solutions and continues to illustrate its dedication to working together on this project and with the mineral sector in the Yukon. Golden Predator Chief Executive Officer Janet Lee-Sheriff Quick facts Golden Predator Mining Corp. is a gold exploration company with two main projects in Yukon: Brewery Creek and 3 Aces. It is a junior mining company that also owns the Yukon Mint and works with First Nation artists to create gold coin designs with proceeds assisting the artists community. The Brewery Creek Mine is a brownfield heap leach gold mine, or an operation that uses chemicals on piles of ore to leach and retrieve dissolved minerals on ground that has been previously worked. It is located 55 kilometres east of Dawson City and operates with a socio-economic accord with the Trondek Hwechin First Nation. The socio-economic accord between Golden Predator and the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation was developed to build on their effective working relationship, foster successful social and economic development for Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation government and citizens while ensuring successful environmental screening, licensing and permitting, financing and construction and operation of the Brewery Creek project. The committee comprises representatives from Golden Predator, Government of Yukon Mineral Resources branch and the Government of Yukons Major Projects Yukon. Major Projects Yukon will provide secretariat functions for the committee. Between 1996 and 2002, Viceroy Minerals Corporation operated the mine. Golden Predator Mining Corp. took ownership of the mine in 2009. The Brewery Creek Mine holds a Class 4 Mining Land Use Permit, Quartz Mining License and Water License. Contact Stewart Burnett Cabinet Communications 867-332-0480 stewart.burnett@gov.yk.ca Natalie Pendergast Communications, Energy, Mines and Resources 867-667-5809 natalie.pendergast@gov.yk.ca Janet Lee-Sheriff Chief Executive Officer, Golden Predator (604) 260-8435 info@goldenpredator.com Golden Predator Mining Corp. Golden Predator is advancing the past-producing Brewery Creek Mine towards a timely resumption of mining activities in Canadas Yukon. With established resources grading over 1.0 g/t Gold and a study currently underway by Kappes Cassiday considering the economics of a restart of heap leach operations at the Brewery Creek Mine, 2020 proves to be a pivotal year for the Company. Drilling continues to expand the open-ended resources and untested targets across the 180 km2 brownfield property located 55 km by road from Dawson City, Yukon. The Company has a Socio-Economic Accord with the Trondek Hwechin First Nation. The Yukon-based Company-owned processing plant has demonstrated gold recoveries, from the 3 Aces project, of over 85% using a combination of a gravity and water process and an innovative mobile batch cyanide-free process. This green gold provides the content for the mintage of .9999 gold coins from the Yukon Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of Golden Predator. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This press release contains forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations that the private placement will complete as described herein, that the Project will advance through permitting and feasibility. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/be17a94b-15d9-43df-b834-16994ce6bd8d All NHS hospitals in England have been ordered to create secure areas for coronavirus testing to avoid a surge in emergency departments, according to a leaked NHS letter. Hospitals have been told to create coronavirus priority assessment pods, where people will be checked for the virus, which will need to be decontaminated each time they are used. The letter, seen by The Independent and dated 31 January, instructs all chief executives and medical directors to have the pods up and running no later than Friday 7 February. It comes as the global death toll from the virus has reached 565 with around 28,000 infected. One hospital chief executive told The Independent he believed the requirement was an overreaction, adding: I think we should be sending teams out to swab in patients homes as the advice is to stay at home and self-manage as with any other flu. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty Once the public is aware that we have the pods in place, it could create more anxiety and inappropriate referrals. Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, agreed the proposals appeared to be an overreaction. People should be sent home and assessed from there, he said. He added: The British people are extremely compliant. This is a use of precious NHS resources when we have tried and tested processes after the swine flu pandemic where we didnt do this. Putting someone in a pod creates a temporary holding station where there are all sorts of issues about ventilation and air clearance etc that could raise the risk of infection. In the letter, Professor Keith Willett, who is leading the NHSs response to coronavirus, told NHS bosses: Plans have been developed to avoid a surge in emergency departments due to coronavirus. Although the risk level in this country remains moderate, and so far there have been only two confirmed cases, the NHS is putting in place appropriate measures to ensure business as usual services remain unaffected by any further cases or tests of coronavirus. He added: Trusts are being asked to organise a coronavirus priority assessment pod, which will mean people with symptoms indicative of infection will get quick assessment, while other patients also continue to get appropriate care. According to the letter, when someone arrives at hospital showing signs of infection they will be sent to a pod where they will use a telephone to call a specialist NHS 111 assessment service. The letter said the pods must be in an isolated area of the hospital, which is away from the emergency department and able to be decontaminated after every use. The Department of Health and Social Care has said 468 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus, with two positive cases. If the patient needs to be admitted or needs further testing the letter says NHS 111 will contact the A&E department on its red phone to arrange the next steps. It added: The pod will need to be decontaminated in accordance with [Public Health England] guidance following each NHS 111 assessment. The letter said hospitals will need to plan for measures to deal with the potential for increasing numbers of patients. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is to chair a meeting of the governments Cobra emergency committee on Wednesday afternoon for an update on the UK response to the coronavirus outbreak, Downing Street has said. An NHS spokesperson said: Anyone returning from Hubei province in the last 14 days should stay indoors, avoid contact with other people and call NHS 111 whether or not they are showing symptoms. Anyone with a cough, fever, or shortness of breath who attends hospital and has recently returned from China, will be advised to follow signs to NHS 111 pods and call for advice, so they stay isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A&E. A man wearing a protective facemask sits at a bus stop in Hanoi on February 4, 2020, amid concerns of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China's Wuhan late last year. As Vietnams Ministry of Health Tuesday announced that the country now has its 10th case of novel coronavirus (nCoV), the government is making preparations to quarantine massive numbers of citizens returning home from China. The 10th coronavirus patient is Vinh Phuc, 28, who contracted nCoV from a relative who had traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the now global outbreak. Vinhs case is the third human-to-human transmission of nCoV in Vietnam. The other two cases involved a Chinese man transmitting the virus to his son and a receptionist at a hotel in Nha Trang. But cases could rise dramatically in the coming weeks. The military has been asked to quarantine 950 Vietnamese who are scheduled to return to Vietnam from China soon. The 950 will stay isolated for a period of 14 days at a military camp located in the outskirts of Hanoi, after their arrivals at Hanois Noi Bai airport and Quang Ninhs Van Don airport. Also Tuesday, 145 Vietnamese were placed under quarantine at a Sino-Vietnamese border gate in Lang Son province. The 145 are workers in China that were sent back home by the Chinese government. Field hospitals In preparation for what the government expects will be thousands of Vietnamese returning from China, authorities are hastily making field hospitals to accommodate large-scale quarantines. In Hanoi Wednesday, the director of Vietnams health department Nguyen Khac Hien said during a press conference that there is a proposal to convert Thanh Do University, located in the suburbs of the city, into one such field hospital. If the epidemic spreads, Hanoi has the option of building another field hospital with a capacity of about 1,000 beds in Hanois Me Linh district. Currently two military facilities in the city have already been turned into quarantine centers able to treat about 1,500 people. Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City, authorities are planning two field hospitals in Cu Chi and Nha Be districts, with a collective capacity of 500 beds. They are expected to be completed before Feb. 15. Health leaders Wednesday said the country was preparing for a worst-case scenario. State media, meanwhile, reported that two Chinese tourists who had traveled to Nha Trang between Jan. 23 and 28 had tested positive for nCoV. Chinese health authorities said Xu Jianjiang and Dai Chunxia were confirmed cases upon their return to China. They had entered Vietnam on a Vietnam Airlines flight Jan. 23. Battle against fake news Vietnams Information and Communications Minister Nguyen Manh Hung asked the agency to work with Facebook and Google to remove fake news about coronavirus. Minister Nguyen said fake news about the virus could create anxiety for the public. He asked the agency to tighten control and to punish those who post fake video clips and information about nCoV. The minister mandated that Vietnam IT firms use artificial intelligence (AI) to discover fake news and to helping the health ministry by ensuring its website would not be overloaded by the spike in demand for coronavirus information. Vietnams police ministry said at a press conference Wednesday that it summoned more than 170 people accused of spreading fake news. The ministry said about 40 others are being monitored and could be subject to criminal charges. RFA reported last week that at least six Facebookers were reprimanded for posting what the authorities allege is fake news about the virus, fining them between 10 million and 15 million dong (U.S. $433-$650). State media reported Wednesday that there were at least nine fined exactly 12 million dong ($516) last week, and they were also forced to remove their posts about coronavirus. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has faulted a claim by President Muhammadu Buhari that majority of Boko Haram victims are Muslims. Buhari in an article published in Speaking Out, a guest opinion column for Christianity Today Magazine on Tuesday, said that the perception that members of the sect were always targeting Christians in Nigeria is not true. it is the reality that some 90 per cent of all Boko Harams victims have been Muslims, Buhari said. They include a copycat abduction of over 100 Muslim schoolgirls, along with their single Christian classmate, shootings inside mosques; and the murder of two prominent imams. Reacting to Buharis claims on his Twitter page, Atiku said it was wrong of the Nigerian president to rationalise the deaths of those killed in Boko Haram attacks. We mustnt rationalise killings. Whether Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist, or Atheist, the killing of any human being, by Boko Haram, or any misguided group is wrong and should be condemned unequivocally. There is no compulsion in religion. Only love, Atiku tweeted. KanyiDaily also recalls Atiku had said that President Buhari needs to undergo a mental test over his denial of the continued threats of the Boko Haram insurgency. With great achievements in the field of biomedical engineering, Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Hiep has been recognized by ASEAN Scientist as one of the 100 leading Asian scientists in 2019. In 2009, a local newspaper published an article about Prof Vo Van Toi, the founder of the biomedical engineering department. Ten years later, Nguyen Thi Hiep, Tois successor, was honored for her great achievements in the field. Dr Nguyen Thi Hiep (in red dress) and her students In 2012, after successfully defending the doctoral dissertation in regenerative medicine in South Korea, Hiep decided to return to Vietnam. When Hiep wavered between staying in South Korea and returning to Vietnam, Toi persuaded her to come back to Vietnam and join forces with him to develop the biomedical engineering department at the International School of the HCM City National University. Toi then told Hiep that the country needs young scientiststo do the things that have never been done by anyone else. With great achievements in the field of biomedical engineering, Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Hiep has been recognized by ASEAN Scientist as one of the 100 leading Asian scientists in 2019. The first years after the return were a difficult period for Hiep because of the lack of money that prevented her from carrying out scientific research. One afternoon, Hiep returned home and saw the microwave in the kitchen which prompted an idea. Many scientists want to work in the laboratories with modern equipment like in foreign countries. But for me, even cooking tools can also be used for research, she said. Hiep went to hospitals in HCM City to seek support to create a kind of antibacterial gel that helps heal wounds, improving the effectiveness of the treatment. It was Prof Toi who came forward and borrowed money to fund Hieps study about the gel. Then came the days of hard research and prize hunting. Hiep said the prizes would help show the prestige and scientific positions of individuals and the department, which would allow them to more easily seek financial support for research. Her great efforts have been rewarded. In 2016, Hiep received a patent for the research work on improving gingival recession with collagen fibers and electrochemistry. In 2017, she won first prize at the ASEAN-US Award for the solution to ease medical pressure on major cities. In 2018, she announced the invention of an antibacterial gel to stop bleeding, kill bacteria and temporarily heal wounds. For the invention, she received the L'Oreal - UNESCO's award for the world's young talents for first aid solutions to people living far away from hospitals. Chi Mai Young scientist behind more than 50 internationally-published scientific articles Born to a farming family in the Mekong Deltas Tien Giang Province, a young scientist was determined to pursue his passion for aquaculture. Lucknow, Feb 5 : The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday detained four persons in connection with the murder of Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) president Ranjit Bachchan. According to sources, the four individuals were detained by the Special Task Force of the Lucknow Police from Gorakhpur and Rae Bareli. Ranjiyt Bachchan was shot dead on Sunday morning by unknown gunmen in Lucknow while he was on a morning walk. Police sources said that the suspects were detained on the basis of call details of the deceased's mobile phone. One of the suspects had made a call to a close relative of the Hindu leader, minutes after Ranjit Bachchan was shot dead. The police are investigating all possible angles in the murder case and are likely to question Ranjit Bachchan's second wife, Smriti. A property dealer from Gorakhpur is also on the police list for interrogation. Ranjit Bachchan was shot at in the head multiple times by bike-borne assailants on February 1 in broad daylight. The incident took place near the Global Park in Hazratganj area. The attackers fled from the spot after the firing. Bachchan was immediately rushed to Lucknow Trauma Centre where he was declared brought dead. His younger brother Aditya, who was with him at the time of the incident, also suffered bullet injuries. Four police officials, including two PRV police personnel, a constable and an outpost in-charge were suspended after the murder. The police also released CCTV footage of the murder suspect and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information about any suspects' whereabouts. Notably, this is the second incident when the leader of an ultra-right fringe Hindu outfit has been killed. In October last year, leader of the Hindu Samaj Party and former member of the Hindu Mahasabha, Kamlesh Tiwari, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Naka area of Lucknow. A woman managed to scare away a potential r3pist by coughing and telling him she had just returned from Wuhan. Police said the suspect, a man named Xiao, 25, broke into her bedroom last Friday in the city of Jingshan, China, near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. He tried to assault the victim, but she told him: I just returned from Wuhan and have been infected, therefore I am home alone in self-quarantine. The victim, named by police as Yimou, coughed as she tried to push him away as he squeezed her neck. He was frightened by her claims and ran away, while stealing a phone and cash worth 3,080 (338) from her. Jingshan Public Security Bureau described what happened in a post on social media yesterday. They said the man turned himself accompanied by his father after officers launched a search to find him in the township of Pingba, around three hours from Wuhan by car. He is said to have confessed to burglary and that he intended further wrongdoing and was arrested. Police said he had broken in after an argument with his family, when he had no money so sneaked into the victims house in the night. He was wearing a mask while committing the crime, but the woman was able to describe his body shape and characteristics of his voice. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates ASEAN countries have become an alluring destination for Chinese-based businesses looking to benefit from the cost-savings of relocating all or part of their... Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 04:28:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member tests the speed with a Huawei 5G mobile phone at Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) Huawei's chief representative to the European Union Institutions said the Chinese telecom giant would set up manufacturing bases in Europe. BRUSSELS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei said here on Tuesday that it has decided to set up 5G manufacturing bases in Europe, so that to "truly have 5G for Europe made in Europe." Abraham Liu, Huawei's chief representative to the European Union Institutions, said in the company's spring reception that the company has already had candidate places in mind, and "that is an ongoing process." When asked by a Xinhua reporter whether this decision would improve Europe's confidence in the security of Huawei's products, former European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding replied "yes, of course", since the manufacturing would be "under European rules, and so that will really be a boost to credibility." LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Utelogy Corporation, a visionary provider of control, monitoring and analytics software for workspace management, today announced its automation tool, U-Automate. This module delivers the Room Readiness feature, which enables IT teams to remotely validate the readiness of all connected devices, sensors, etc., in its workspaces. These powerful features will be available for demonstration at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE 2020) February 11 to 14. Ensuring collaboration spaces remain optimized and running at scale to deliver a positive user experience in today's enterprise environment is a daunting task. Utelogy's management portal, U-Manage, released last year, already allows operations teams to drill down to see device metrics, documents, and events for all of its connected devices under a single pane of glass. U-Automate is a productivity tool designed to eliminate the costly, time-consuming, and resource-intensive manual processes enterprises employ today to confirm each conference room and the devices in those rooms are online and functioning properly. U-Automate delivers the following features to improve efficiency for the IT organization: Build scripts by configuring blocks with the ability to enter custom parameters Test devices, video and audio calls, state checks, custom macros and more Schedule scripts to execute and repeat at any date, time and location Review test logs to pro-actively address errors and warnings "We know that companies spend millions of dollars every year on manual room checks. With U-Automate, operations teams can leverage the technology to reduce labor costs by as much as 75%," said Kevin Morrison, CEO of Utelogy. "Automating the repetitive tasks allows companies to reassign those resources to more strategic, core business activities," added Morrison. Automation not only delivers productivity gains for the operations team, but also for employees using the meeting room technology. When workplace technology functions the way it's supposed to, it allows employees to focus on the productive, valuable human work, allowing companies to attract and retain the best employees. Utelogy's U-Automate lays the groundwork for future development efforts targeted to take advantage of machine learning to deliver Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can drive automation features that would include self-healing scenarios. "Let's assume the AI engine has determined there's a 75 per cent chance a projector issue can be resolved with a reboot. The system could assess whether there are people currently in the room or scheduled to come into the room. If the next meeting is in 10 minutes, and the system knows the projector has a three-minute reboot, it could automatically reboot the projector without any human interaction. We believe self-healing is a key benefit of AI, and we expect that to provide immense business value in the future," Morrison explained. Room Readiness, powered by U-Automate, will be available for demonstration at Integrated Systems Europe 2020 (ISE 2020) February 11 to 14, 2020 at the RAI in Amsterdam. Utelogy will be in Hall 14 Stand M-170 and interested parties can schedule a demonstration here https://www.utelogy.com/utelogy-demo-ise-2020/. About Utelogy Corporation Utelogy Corporation publishes an enterprise-grade software platform for managing and controlling connected workspaces. This hardware-agnostic platform revolutionizes productivity for end-users and enables advanced services for integrators and other service providers. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, customers include the Los Angeles Community College District, BCCI Construction Company, and Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department, in addition to many others. For more information, visit https://www.utelogy.com/. *IMAGE: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0205s2p-utelogy-chart-300dpi.jpg This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE Utelogy Corporation Related Links https://www.utelogy.com/ When the armed men burst into her home in northern Burkina Faso and opened fire, Rinata Baguigna watched as they fatally shot 10 of her family members. When the intruders left, Rinata buried the dead. Then she tried to sleep. And when morning came, she took her five children and ran. The women are so affected. They jump at the slightest noise, she explained. They have nightmares Their husbands killed in front of them and then some were raped. Hundreds of thousands of people have run. Like Rinata, many ended up here, 100 kilometres north of the countrys capital, Ouagadougou, where they received shelter from their fellow Burkinabes. Rinata found refuge at the home of a community leader, Diambendi Madiega, alongside 560 others representing six different ethnic communities. More displaced show up every day. Burkina Faso, a nation of 20 million in west Africa and one of the least developed in the world, is facing a staggering humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of its citizens flee violence committed by armed extremists. Despite efforts by the Government and international military, the violence continues to escalate. The emergency is here ... Its here that we must intervene before this crisis becomes unmanageable. More than half a million people have become internally displaced, having fled the northern and eastern regions of the country to neighbouring provinces. Their hosts, who are fellow citizens, face poverty, strained health services, inadequate schools and rapidly disappearing livelihoods as temperatures rise and their land becomes barren. The hosts also face the possibility of violence descending on their villages. Their communities are at breaking point, they say. And yet they continue to share everything they have. This has turned our life upside down, Yobi Sawadogo, an advisor to the mayor of Kaya, told UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. But we cannot turn them away. What would we do? Tell them to leave to go get killed? There are some 600,000 internally displaced people in Burkina Faso, a 1,200 per cent increase over last year. Around 300,000 have fled in the last four months alone after an upsurge in violence. This week, an unidentified group of men killed 20 civilians in an attack on Lamdamol village in the northern province of Seno. The attack came just a week after one on a market in Soum province that left 39 people dead. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi meets with displaced Burkinabes in the town of Kaya in Burkina Faso's Center-North region UNHCR/Sylvain Cherkaoui Rinata Baguigna (left) sought safety at district leader Diambendi Madiega's home in Kaya. Madiega's sister Tipoko Ouedraogo (right) is also hosting internally displaced people. UNHCR/Sylvain Cherkaoui Around 90 per cent of internally displaced Burkinabe live with host families. UNHCR provides shelter and basic relief items, as the majority of the displaced have fled empty handed. But the agency remains hampered by growing security threats to its staff from armed groups -- making it impossible to serve some of those in need, including some of the 26,000 Malian refugees Burkina Faso has hosted since 2012. Resources are also a challenge by the end of 2019, UNHCR had received just under 70 per cent (a shortfall of US$30.5 million) of the funding it needed to adequately address the situation in Burkina Faso, one of the worlds poorest countries. During the last stop in Burkina Faso on a three-country tour of the Sahel region, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi spoke with women and children who had seen their husbands, fathers and sons murdered for refusing to fight alongside armed groups. The terrorists' rampage did not stop with the killings. Many stayed long enough to destroy homes and schools, loot farms or rape women and girls. See also: Refugees and hosts work together to build a safe home in Niger We always look at the Sahel, we think about terrorism we think about what, in theory, threatens Europe, Grandi said. But the real problem is here. The emergency is here. It is here that people are suffering, people are being killed, women are being raped, small children cannot go to school. Its here that we must intervene before this crisis becomes unmanageable. Grandi on Tuesday wrapped up his Sahel trip, during which he also visited Niger and Mauritania to assess the impact mass displacement is having on host countries. In Mauritania, Grandi heard from some of the countrys nearly 60,000 Malian refugees who said they see no way to return as the conflict in Mali continues to flare. They have fled the most horrifying violence Ive heard of. The violence in the Sahel a region that encompasses swaths of countries south of the Sahara erupted after the 2011 revolution in Libya and a 2012 Malian uprising during which a loose coalition of armed fighters took over large parts of Mali. Terrorist groups, as well as organized criminal groups and ordinary bandits, moved across borders, exploiting ethnic tensions, poverty and weak governance to terrorize local populations. The crisis is already unimaginable. Grandi and UNHCR workers all of whom have witnessed some of the worlds most dire refugee emergencies from places such as Syria and Myanmar, said they had rarely seen a group of people exposed to so much trauma. They have fled the most horrifying violence Ive heard of, said Grandi, standing among a hushed crowd of hundreds of the displaced. Im shocked by the violence and also shocked by the extent of their humanitarian needs. Migrant workers returning to Myanmar from Chinas Yunnan province because of coronavirus fears are walking away from their jobs without receiving the pay owed to them, as their Chinese employers try to discourage them from leaving, sources say. Nearly 1,000 have crossed the border at Myanmars Chinshwehaw town since Jan. 28, with around 350 crossing each day at Laukkai, both in Myanmars Kokang Self-Administered Zone, sources say, adding that most had been employed in chili and eggplant plantations in remote areas of Yunnan. Some are leaving without receiving their salary or money they have saved, because their bosses do not want them to leave, a resident of Yesagyo, a town in Myanmars Magway region near the border, told RFAs Myanmar Service in an interview. Others are meanwhile unable to leave, Ma San New Htay said. The bosses do not give them their full wages, or control their passports, IDs, or other documents. Thats why some workers cannot return home, even though they want to leave, she said. Also speaking to RFA, one returned worker said that many are now leaving China despite employers attempts to hold them back. They do not want us to return home, but we are afraid of the coronavirus, the worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Therefore, we decided to leave without waiting to collect our full salary or the money we have saved since we started work. Most set out on foot Because roads are closed, drivers have turned down offers of pay for transport, and most workers have now set out on foot for home, sources said, adding that local Chinese aid groups have set up shelters to support migrant workers as they walk along the road to the border with Myanmar. Aung Naing Tun, an aid worker from Myanmar, said that he has gone into China to help bring workers home. Many are now stranded in Chinese markets near the border, he said. When we want to go into China, we have to inform the Chinese police and wait for permission, but they dont allow everyone in, he said. Meanwhile, Myanmar health officials carefully screen returning workers at checkpoints on the border, Tun Tun, a health worker at the Chinshwehaw border crossing told RFA. Almost 1,000 workers have passed through here since Jan. 28, he said, adding, If we find people with fevers, we transfer them immediately to a hospital. Meanwhile, a health worker at Laukkai named Ye Tun said that the number of Chinese entering Myanmar at that crossing has dropped in recent days, while about 350 Myanmar migrant workers cross over from Yunnan each day. Authorities in Myanmars Kokang region are now distributing leaflets instructing local people on how to prevent infection from the virus, sources said. Reported by Kan Thar for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nayrein Kyaw. Written in English by Richard Finney. A newly introduced piece of state legislation seeks to integrate the more than two dozen separate and independent Bay Area transit agencies into one "seamless" system. Assembly Bill 2057 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, seeks to eliminate the barriers to ridership created by things like the differences in fare structures between systems, the uncoordinated schedules that can make transferring from one system to another an unreliable exercise in frustration, and the confusing muddle of transit maps that don't allow passengers to easily plan their trips when using multiple systems. Currently, 27 different transit agencies run buses, trains and ferries in the nine-county region and each has their own fares, schedules, smartphone apps, discounts and planning processes. This has led to a situation where, despite the region's horrendous traffic congestion and abysmal commute times, transit ridership actually dropped by 5.2 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to information from Chiu's office. Initially, Chiu's bill would establish a universal bus fare, establish uniform transfer and discount policies for all bus systems, create a single Bay Area transit map, standardize apps and develop real-time transit information delivery to passengers. Deborah Cooper was sworn in Tuesday morning as Contra Costa County's clerk-recorder, filling the remaining three years of the term of Joe Canciamilla. Cooper, who since Nov. 1 has been acting clerk-recorder, was sworn during the weekly county Board of Supervisors meeting by Steve Weir, who was Contra Costa's clerk-recorder from 1989 until he retired in 2013. Cooper was selected by the supervisors from among five finalists for the job the supervisors interviewed publicly on Jan. 21. Before becoming acting clerk-recorder, Cooper had been the county's deputy clerk-recorder since 2012. Canciamilla resigned in October, a year into his second elected term. About a week later, he reached a settlement with the state Fair Political Practices Commission on 30 counts of campaign finance violations including using $130,529 in campaign funds for personal expenses and for filing falsified records to cover it up. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Controller Ben Rosenfield said Tuesday they have "made progress" in a public corruption probe stemming from a federal criminal charge against Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. The two officials said, however, they are limited in the information they can disclose because the investigation is ongoing. Herrera said his staff is looking into alleged wrongdoing, seeking to identify officials, employees, contracts and government decisions that may be implicated in violations of local law. The Controller's Office staff, meanwhile, is reviewing public works contracts, purchase orders, and grants for possible red flags and process failures, Rosenfield said. Nuru and restaurant owner Nick Bovis are each charged with one count of honest services wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help in obtaining a restaurant concession. The scheme never came to fruition, according a criminal complaint unsealed on Jan. 28. A man was fatally shot in Brisbane on Monday afternoon during what police initially said was a home invasion but on Tuesday said was "a random incident." Police had initially said that the man, identified by the San Mateo County coroner's office as 34-year-old South San Francisco resident Brendan Flowers, was found fatally shot after officers responded at 4:19 p.m. to a report of a home invasion in the 300 block of Alvarado Street. But on Tuesday morning, police sent out an updated news release saying that investigators "determined that this was a random incident. It does not appear to have been a home invasion or robbery." Police said the resident of the home who shot Flowers was located safe and is cooperating with police. Brisbane police spokeswoman Michelle Moneda said investigators are still working to determine if Flowers and the resident knew each other. More details about what led to the shooting were not immediately released by police. San Francisco police are investigating a body found in a lake in Golden Gate Park on Sunday morning, a police spokesman said. Officers responded at 8:51 a.m. to Elk Glen Lake, located north of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and west of Crossover Drive, on a report of a body floating in the water, police Sgt. Mike Andraychak said. Fire crews were able to recover the body from the water. The medical examiner's office took custody of the body and is working to identify the person and their cause of death. A driver who died after his car sheared an electrical pole and rolled over in San Leandro last month was identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau on Tuesday as 30-year-old Milton Monterroza. The solo crash was reported in the 1500 block of Doolittle Drive at about 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 24, San Leandro police said. When officers arrived, they found Monterroza trapped inside the car. Firefighters and paramedics worked to remove him and began life-saving efforts. He was taken to a trauma center, where he died, police said. San Leandro police Lt. Ted Henderson said a preliminary investigation indicates that speed was a factor in the fatal crash. A woman driving a Mazda was killed early Tuesday morning when she crashed into the back of a big-rig on an off-ramp from northbound U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Rosa, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Mazda was pinned underneath the trailer of a Freightliner truck that was stopped on the right shoulder of the Bicentennial Way off-ramp, CHP Officer David deRutte said. There are separate lanes on the off-ramp for east and west Bicentennial Way, and the woman was driving in the left exit lane for westbound Bicentennial Way, deRutte said. The driver changed lanes to the right toward the eastbound Bicentennial Way lane in front of another vehicle and continued driving onto the right shoulder where the Mazda struck the big-rig, deRutte said. The 35-year-old Reedley man driving the big-rig was traveling north on Highway 101 when he stopped the truck on the right shoulder to look up directions to his destination, deRutte said. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an ordinance that regulates and restricts industrial hemp cultivation in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance recognizes agricultural crop production is a use allowed by right in many zoning districts but it prohibits cultivation of industrial hemp in rural residential zoning areas. It allows cultivation in agricultural and residential zoning with mandatory setbacks of 600 feet from occupied structures and 200 feet from property lines, which could be waived by neighbors. Hemp cultivation will be allowed in some zoning but with a prohibition on tree removal and grading, and all industrial hemp cultivation will require registration. There are 10 local measures in Marin County and nine in Sonoma County that are on March 3 primary election ballots, but it is the measure the two counties share that is drawing the most attention. Voters will decide whether to extend an existing quarter-cent sales tax to help finance the operations of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District's commuter train for an additional 30 years. If two-thirds of the voters in the counties approve Measure I, SMART will have an additional $40 million a year until March 31, 2059, to complete the 72-mile rail line and pedestrian paths between Larkspur and Cloverdale that the 2008 measure promised would be completed by 2029 when the current tax expires. A vacant building in Pleasanton that used to be the site of a Denny's restaurant appears to be a total loss after it was heavily damaged in a two-alarm fire on Tuesday morning, a fire spokesman said. The fire in the 6400 block of Owens Drive was reported at 9:23 a.m. and was brought under control at about 10 a.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Joe Testa of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. Testa said firefighters from his department and the Alameda County Fire Department arrived at the scene at 9:28 a.m. and found heavy fire in the building. Firefighters began fighting the fire from the interior, but as the fire grew they soon switched to an exterior, or defensive, fire attack in which they used water from hoses and ladders to extinguish the blaze, he said. Testa said the cause of the fire hasn't yet been determined. The building was due to be torn down soon as part of plans to bring a small shopping center to the site, he said. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Seven people died due to railway accidents in 2019-20 (till January 31), even as overall figures of fatal railway accidents have declined since 2016 according to data provided by the ministry of railways in Parliament on Wednesday. According to a spokesperson of the ministry, the figured of accident deaths also include railways employees. These death figure includes deaths of Railway employees too. We have zero passenger death cases in 2019-20, he said. The national transporter has paid Rs 2.80 crore as compensation thus far in 2019-20, union minister for railways Piyush Goyal said in Lok Sabha in response to a question on railway accidents. Compensation is given to the families of the deceased and also to those who suffer injuries, both major and minor in accidents. At least based on the numbers given out by the ministry -- the compensation paid in 2018-19, for instance, was Rs 4.96 crore -- there doesnt seem to be a correlation betwen compensation and the number of deaths. The amount mentioned includes compensation amount given in railway claims tribunal cases as well. The number of deaths and amount has no correlation, the spokesperson said. Goyal said the number of deaths in financial year 2015-16 was 148 which rose to 192 in 2016 and declined thereafter to 97 in 2017-18 and 18 in 2018-19. In December 2019 the railway minister said there had been no fatalities of railway passengers since April. Its a casualty free railway; we have had the occasional accident, but in the past nine months nobody has died. From April 01 till now, we have had no fatality of any railway passenger, Goyal said. On January 16 two major railway accidents occurred with the derailment of Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Terminus train near Cuttack in Odisha. The other incident had occurred in Samastipur-Khagaria section of Samastipur Division with the collision of Samastipur Saharsa MEMU train with a bullock cart. The Indian railways has recorded a a steady decrease in railway accidents, according to ministry of railways data. Indian Railways has taken several key measures, as a result of which the number of consequential train accidents have decreased from 118 in 2013-14 to 104 in 2016-17, to 73 in 2017-18 and further to 59 in 2018-19.These are the lowest ever figures in the history of Indian Railways, the ministry said in a statement in June. U.S. ships leaving the East Coast must now consider the Atlantic Ocean a contested battlespace, a Navy three-star said this week, as Russian activity continues to pick up just off the American coast. Over the past two decades, Navy ships mainly sailed across the Atlantic on their way somewhere else. But the admiral in charge of a fleet that was resurrected to deter Russian aggression said U.S. military personnel now must be on their game in their country's own backyard. The Atlantic is changing, Vice Adm. Andrew "Woody" Lewis, commander of U.S. Second Fleet, said at a Tuesday event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It's a battlespace that can't be ignored, he added. "Our new reality is, when our sailors cross lines over and set sail, they can expect to be operating in a contested space once they leave [Virginia]," Lewis said. "Our ships can no longer expect to operate in a safe haven on the East Coast, or merely cross the Atlantic unhindered to operate in another location." Related: Navy Admiral: Russian Submarine Activity Highest US Has Seen In a Long Time That includes when ships are training off the East Coast or returning from deployment, the three-star said. If they're underway, Navy crews in the Atlantic must be aware they're now operating right alongside potential adversaries. "We have seen some of our ships, the USS Mahan for example, in the early stages of their training cycle operating on station in the Atlantic with a Russian intelligence ship when visiting our coastline late last year," Lewis said. The Coast Guard issued a warning after that encounter, since the Russian intelligence ship was making erratic movements while operating without lights. It also did not respond to hails from other ships attempting safe passage. The U.S. military is seeing an "ever-increasing number of Russian submarines" deploying to the Atlantic, Lewis said. Their capabilities are also improving, he added, as the vessels stay out for longer periods and deploy with more lethal weapons systems. Under Secretary of Defense John Rood announced Tuesday that the Navy has fielded a new low-yield submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead called the W76-2. Rood said the warhead increases deterrence by demonstrating to potential adversaries, such as Russia, that "there is no advantage to limited nuclear employment because the United States can credibly and decisively respond to any threat scenario." Lewis declined to say Tuesday how the warhead would change Navy missions in the Atlantic, saying only that longer-range capabilities play into how the fleet operates but adding, "It's not a factor that's going to alter too much of our behavior." -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: US Adds 'Low Yield' Nuclear Weapon to its Submarine Arsenal WASHINGTON Republican lawmakers from Iowa and Nebraska were full of praise Tuesday night for President Donald Trumps State of the Union address. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Lincoln called it all American and particularly lauded a section on health care and the need to address escalating prescription drug prices. The strong emphasis on keeping us safe, stopping illegal immigration, touting the accomplishments on jobs and the economy, starting with that was very important, and lacing it with beautiful human stories, Fortenberry said. It really was a portrait of America. Omaha-area Rep. Don Bacon focused on Trumps highlighting the need for technical training in all schools, which Bacon said could help reduce economic inequality. We have a huge shortage right now of electricians, welders, all those skills, Bacon said. And those jobs pay $50,000 after you get your license. And I just think its an area, that is something new that we need. Bacon expressed misgivings, however, about a portion of the speech devoted to bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday dared the Narendra Modi government to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Mocking the PMs statement of winning a war against Pakistan in 7-10 days, Chowdhury recalled that former PM Indira Gandhi had done the same way back in 1971. Claiming that Jammu & Kashmir was not an internal issue of India, he asserted that India faced a threat on both the Western as well as Eastern front. For instance, he cited the China Pakistan Economic Corridor as a big threat. Alleging that India was not prepared to face the combined might of Pakistan and China, Chowdhury mentioned that Chief of Army Staff Manoj Naravane had demanded Parliaments green signal to take back PoK. Thereafter, he asked the Centre to bring another resolution authorising the Army to capture PoK. Read: CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Pakistani Guv Admits J&K Occupation, Deletes 'PoK' Post After Backlash Questions Centre on China Pakistan Economic Corridor The Home Minister said that you dont know that PoK is connected to Afghanistan. I said this is true. Then, when you will get PoK? Now, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is being built. The Economic Corridor will run till the Gwadar Port. The security of India will be endangered. Can you guarantee that China will not interfere in PoK? Did you say even once that you will not let the China Pakistan Economic Corridor happen? Read: PoK Activist Exposes Imran Khan's Lie, Says "residents Voice Is Not Heard" J&K is not an internal issue Your PM says that we will destroy Pakistan in 7-10 days. Our former PM Indira Gandhi broke the spine of Pakistan by breaking away Bangladesh in 13 days in 1971. I want to ask S Jaishankar- can you say that Kashmir is an internal issue? Kashmir is not an internal issue. Threat on Western and Eastern front What did you do about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor? What did you about the China Myanmar corridor? There is a threat in the Bay of Bengal. Nepal has joined Chinas Belt and Road initiative. Now, Nepal is also under threat. Now, China has a corridor with Pakistan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Was this mentioned in the Presidents address? There is a threat on both the Western and Eastern front. Read: Terrorists Active In PoK; Situation Under Control: Vice Chief Of Army Staff Lt Gen Saini Urges government to introduce another legislation PoK has become in the possession of Pakistan. If you try doing something in PoK, you will have to face China. Are you ready to face Pakistan and China together? If you ready, then why dont you capture PoK? The Chief of the Army Staff says that we will take back PoK if Parliament gives us the green signal. The Parliament has formulated a resolution that PoK should be taken back. I urge the government to bring another resolution in the Parliament directing the COAS to capture PoK. We want that PoK should be captured. Do you have the guts? Read: India Map Sans PoK, Aksai Chin On KMC's FB Page, Mayor Says Profile Hacked Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 08:09:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Palestine is seeking a position from the UN Security Council in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a new Middle East peace plan, said Palestine's representative to the United Nations. Palestine is looking for a draft resolution even though it may well be vetoed, Riyad Mansour, the permanent representative of the observer state of Palestine, told a meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. "We will be seeking a position from the Security Council, a position in the form of a draft resolution that will be before the Security Council," he said. "We know it will be defeated by a veto. But we want to show that the entire international community is reflecting the same position advocated by all of us and articulated by the secretary-general today again, as he articulated days ago, when this very bad (U.S.) plan was announced in Washington, D.C." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who presided over Tuesday's meeting of the committee, said the world body is committed to its established position of a two-state solution. Mansour said Palestine is working closely with Tunisia, an Arab state on the Security Council, as well as other council members, for a text. A document has been circulated to all members of the Security Council, and it is hoped that negotiations will be finished by Thursday or Friday and a draft resolution would be acted on in the Security Council on Feb. 11, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be present at the council. "We will be working to have a draft resolution with the strongest possible language and at the same time with the largest support possible in the Security Council," said Mansour. Trump on Jan. 28 revealed a controversial Middle East peace plan, which calls for a two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." The U.S. plan was immediately rejected by the Arab world. In an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Saturday, Arab foreign ministers unanimously agreed to boycott the U.S. plan and not to cooperate "in any way" with Washington in its implementation. Mansour blasted the U.S. plan again on Tuesday, saying it is "a plan against peace" and "a plan of submission" for the Palestinian people. Baghdad, Feb 5 : Caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi met with the visiting commander of the United States Central Command over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq. During Abdul Mahdi's meeting with Kenneth F. McKenzie on Tuesday, they discussed the Iraqi parliament resolution to withdraw foreign forces, "which would contribute to maintaining security and stability of Iraq," according to a statement by the prime minister's media office, Xinhua news agency reported. The two also discussed cooperation in combating terrorism, and the need to keep Iraq away from the conflict of other countries or to use its territories to attack other countries. For his part, McKenzie expressed the US keenness to continue cooperation with Iraq against terrorism, support the capabilities and training of its forces, and enhance Iraq's security and stability. On January 5, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, just two days after a US drone strike on a convoy near Baghdad International Airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. More than 5,000 US troops are deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. UPDATE FEB. 6: Forest Grove woman infected with coronavirus on cruise ship Intel technician Kent Frasure was just waking up Wednesday in his suite on the cruise ship Diamond Princess when the captains voice announced the shocking news through a speaker in the room. Ten people have tested positive for coronavirus, the captain said. They will be taken ashore by Japanese Coast Guard. Like the rest of the guests on the ship, docked just south of Tokyo, Frasure and his wife, Rebecca Frasure, were asked to stay in their rooms in the best interests of their health. Now, the couple from Forest Grove is hunkering down with free internet, iPads, a Nintendo Switch, a TV, a few bottles of sake and each other to wait out an unexpected extension to their cruise trip. Its hard to really wrap my head around it right now, you know, what exactly is going on, said Kent Frasure, 42. Nearly 2,700 passengers and 1,045 crew are on the ship, according to the Princess Cruises. What was supposed to be a 15-day cruise will now have a 14-day quarantine tacked on to the end of it. Passengers have been told to stay in their rooms. The quarantine is just one speck in the ocean of effort that countries are taking in their attempts to stop the spread of a new coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people and killed more than 490. In the United States, health officials have identified 11 people with the virus, including one in Washington state. All U.S. patients are doing well, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, and the risk to the American public is low. But the federal government appears to not be taking any chances. The State Department has declared that people should not travel to China period. And people arriving in the United States from Wuhan, China the city where the virus is believed to have started are being held in Air Force bases for 14 days. We continue to believe the immediate risk of coronavirus exposure to the general public is low, however, the CDC is undertaking these measures to help keep that risk low, the agency said in a statement. Kent Frasure said he and his wife knew about the virus outbreak but werent particularly concerned when they began their cruise to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam. It was never really a topic of conversation, he said. They flew into Tokyos Narita airport Jan. 19 and got on the Diamond Princess the next day. Over the next 10 days they visited a town in Southern Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan. When they got to Okinawa this past Sunday -- their last stop before going back to Tokyo -- things started to look strange. To get off the ship, Frasure said he and the other passengers had to stand on an X and get their temperature checked with a machine that looked like a projector. He got a thumbs-up after the check, he said, and proceeded to fill out a questionnaire about symptoms and then go through customs. Ship staff told passengers that the Japanese government wanted to do extra screening for the new coronavirus, Frasure said. It took about five hours to get off the ship -- far longer than normal, he said. Two days later, the couple learned that a man with coronavirus had boarded the same day as they did Jan. 20 and had gotten off the ship in Hong Kong. Ship staff announced that they were speeding back to Tokyo ahead of schedule so passengers could get extra testing. At that point, Frasure said, people were still free to walk around the ship and mingle. Early Tuesday morning after the ship arrived back in Japan, the Frasures got a knock on the door. Medical staff came in and tested their temperatures with ear thermometers and asked them to fill out questionnaires. Both said they were taking pain medications. For that reason, the two were later asked to go to a room with three doctors wearing face masks, white gowns and gloves to get another temperature test. A worker used what looked like a giant cotton swab to swipe up tissue from deep inside their throats. Then Wednesday, the captain told passengers to stay in their rooms and that they were quarantined for two weeks. It was a very surreal moment, Kent Frasure said. Life turned upside down, and we have zero control over whats going to happen. The cruise line appeared to be taking steps to ensure whatever comfort they could. People who needed prescriptions would get them, Kent Frasure said. Staff brought food to every room, one by one, he said. The ship opened up the internet to everyone and added channels to the TV. Kent Frasure said he wishes the companys communication and prevention steps had kicked in more urgently after the announcement that a person with coronavirus had gotten off the ship at Hong Kong. There were no additional precautions really taken, he said. It was just like status quo, normal day to day activities. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A customer has his temperature taken during a screening outside a Cafe de Jargor restaurant during its first day of operations in Hong Kong, China, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. Chan Long Hei | Bloomberg Getty Images Insurers in China will likely be able to manage the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, according to multiple analysts. Hong Kong-listed shares of insurers have seen some choppy trading sessions since returning from the Lunar New Year holidays last week. Since their last close before the start of the Lunar New Year, China's Ping An saw its stock drop more than 5% and China Life Insurance plummet more than 7%. Shares of AIA have also fallen more than 4% at the close of Tuesday's trading. In a note dated Jan. 30, Fitch Ratings said it "expects the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus infections to put some pressure on Chinese insurers' profitability in the near term, but that earnings pressure will be manageable." Echoing the view of the ratings agency, analysts at Nomura said in note on Jan. 31: "We think direct claim losses for insurance companies will be manageable." Three reasons were cited to support this view. At this point, I think the effect on the insurers is still very limited. On the macro scale, it's still just a very small proportion of the whole population. Kevin Leung Haitong International Securities Firstly, claims surrounding the virus outbreak should mainly be covered by commercial health insurance, a sector it described as "still under-penetrated and does not account for a big portion of the overall business, the analysts said. Secondly, the Chinese government has already announced it will cover the excess cost above the existing insurance policy amount, they said. China's National Health and Ministry of Finance announced Thursday a slew of measures that the central government will take to subsidize virus-related costs. Finally, reinsurance arrangements could partially cover claim losses for direct insurers, they concluded. "At this point, I think the effect on the insurers is still very limited," said Kevin Leung, executive director of investment strategy at Haitong International Securities. "On the macro scale, it's still just a very small proportion of the whole population." An overwhelming majority of the British public have swung behind Boris Johnson's emergency laws to block the early release of terrorists from jail. In the wake of the Streatham stabbings, the Prime Minister scrambled to appease a national outcry that yet another jihadist had carried out an attack after being freed from prison midway through their sentence. The government is now thrashing out legislation to prevent any more terrorists being automatically released without the green light from a new souped-up Parole Board of 'cynical hardened' ex-judges. Mr Johnson's tough stance has won the backing of 72 per cent of voters, according to a snap poll by YouGov. Mr Johnson's tough stance has won the backing of 72 per cent of voters, according to a snap poll by YouGov Both automatically freed early: London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan, left, killed two in December after being automatically released from prison. Sudesh Amman, 20, was also released automatically before stabbing two people in Streatham on Sunday Of the 3,175 people polled, 12 per cent opposed the move and 15 per cent said they were unsure. They were asked the question: 'Currently most people sent to prison are entitled to automatic release on licence after serving half of their sentence. It has been proposed that people convicted of terrorist offences should not be automatically released, and instead should be able to apply to a parole board for release after serving two-thirds of their sentence. Do you support or oppose this proposal?' The survey of public opinion flies in the face of a mounting backlash against the PM's proposed laws. Human rights campaigners are already lining up to condemn the legislation because it retrospectively alters sentences. The civil rights group Liberty branded the proposal 'dangerous' while Labour's shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti made clear her strong objections. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Chakrabarti said: 'I do not support changing people's sentences', before admitting there was a 'grey area' in certain cases. She added: 'The trickier question is about people who've already been sentenced and the suggestion is when they were sentenced the judge knew they would be subject to automatic release at a certain point and now that will no longer be automatic. 'It is obviously for the government to demonstrate that they're proposing to change the administration of the sentence, rather than the sentence itself and they're going to have to demonstrate that to the courts.' In the wake of the Streatham stabbings, the Prime Minister (pictured leaving Downing Street yesterday) scrambled to appease a national outcry that yet another jihadist had carried out an attack after being freed from prison midway through their sentence Armed police shot dead terrorist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and a female nursery teacher and another man It sets the stage for a bitter court battle, as it has been mooted that the campaigners could use the European Court of Human Rights to contest the laws. Yet Mr Johnson, who burnished his tough-on-crime credentials in an election campaign which was rocked by the London Bridge attack, will be buoyed by last night's poll which put him on the right side of public opinion. His clampdown on early releases came after Sudesh Amman went on a stabbing spree in south London on Sunday after being released from Belmarsh jail midway through his sentence for possessing extremist material. After slashing two people - both injured but alive - the knifeman, who wore a hoax explosive vest, was shot dead by undercover officers. Mr Johnson vowed to act, and his justice minister Robert Buckland got the ball rolling on legislation which could see terrorists jailed for life or permanent conditions placed on their release. At least 18 more terrorists are due to be freed from prison without a review within months under laws passed by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments in 2003 and 2008. No10 refused to be drawn today on whether they would be allowed out in the interim. And ministers will this week try to ram through legislation to stop 220 extremists already in jail being set free half way into their sentence. Mr Buckland said serving terrorist prisoners will not be released before their full sentence has been served without a risk assessment from a beefed-up Parole Board The body made up of 'cynical hardened' former judges and experts will assess whether a prisoner should be let out two-thirds of the way into their sentence. If they believe they are still a danger, then they will have to serve the entirety of their sentence. Federal authorities arrested 115 people in the United States illegally from 23 different countries including one man wanted for murder during a five-day sweep in New Jersey that ended Saturday. In Newark, ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations took into custody a 53-year-old Brazilian national wanted in that country for homicide, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday in announcing the arrests. An ICE spokesman on Wednesday did not immediately have further details on the charges or the name of the suspect. ICE officials said 84% of the people arrested either had previous convictions or pending criminal charges. This targeted enforcement action focuses on the arrest of individuals convicted of serious crimes and are a threat to public safety, Ruben Perez, acting field office director of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark said in a statement. Because of the targeted efforts of these professional officers, there are 115 fewer criminals in our communities. Arrests made from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 sweep included, according to ICE: In Fairfield, a 58-year-old Peruvian national, who has a warrant in Peru for extortion In North Bergen, a 44-year-old Salvadoran national, who has a conviction for endangering the welfare of a child In Elizabeth, a 28-year-old Salvadoran national, who has a pending case in El Salvador for homicide In Glassboro, a 60-year-old previously deported Mexican national, who has a conviction for homicide In Guttenberg, a 40-year-old Mexican national, who has convictions for child abuse, DUI and domestic violence In North Brunswick, a 42-year-old Jamaican national, who has convictions for drug smuggling and exporting cocaine In Plainfield, a 31-year-old previously deported Guatemalan national, who has convictions for domestic violence and DUI In Paterson, a 45-year-old Salvadoran national who has convictions for endangering the welfare of a child and DUI In Passaic, a 50-year-old Bolivian national, who has multiple convictions for endangering the welfare of a child, hindering apprehension and DUI In Pompton Plains, a 55-year-old United Kingdom national, who has convictions for arson, domestic violence and distribution of narcotics In West Milford, a 46-year-old previously deported Mexican national, who has a conviction for criminal sexual contact involving a minor In Paterson a 22-year-old Dominican national, who is a member of the Trinitarios gang with convictions for the offense of possession of a weapon and theft In Paterson, a 20-year-old Salvadoran national, who is a member of the MS-13 gang Last year, a similar ICE sweep in New Jersey resulted in the arrests of 123 immigrants in the United States illegally from 14 different countries. Some of those arrested will face federal criminal prosecutions for illegal entry and illegal re-entry after removal, officials said. Anyone who illegally re-enters the United States after deportation faces up to 20 years in federal prison, officials said. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. After last weeks denial of a restraining order by a Kane County judge, the mens attorney, Adele Nicholas, said the next steps are unclear. She believes the men will be denied one-by-one in the coming months as they try to re-register at the police department. The men are required by state law to register their addresses under the sex offender act and could face criminal charges if they do not live in a permitted spot. Right-wing shock jock Rush Limbaugh announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. On Tuesday, Donald Trump told reporters that he was considering awarding Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On Tuesday night, Trump followed through on this tease, calling on his wife, Melania, to award the medal to Limbaugh during the State of the Union as she sat with him in the House of Representatives gallery. Said (Donald) Trump: Here tonight is a special man, beloved by millions of Americans, who just received a Stage 4, advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet, Rush Limbaugh. Thank you for your decades of devotion to our country. And Rush, in recognition of all you have done for our nationthe millions of people today that you speak to and that you inspire and all of the incredible work you have done for charityI am proud to announce tonight you will be receiving our countrys highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The medal, which is given at the discretion of the president for especially meritorious contributions to society, has previously been awarded to such individuals as Georgia OKeeffe, Duke Ellington, Jonas Salk, Helen* Keller, Neil Armstrong, and Mr. Rogers (and, to be fair, also to a bunch of random politicians). Now Rush Limbaugh has one too! In a strictly anthropological sense, this is appropriate. As the increasingly prominent voice of sour, sarcastic, nasty white-male contempt, Limbaugh did contribute a great deal to our changing American society. Thirty-five years ago, he was a small-time radio host on a station in Sacramento, California. Twenty-five years ago, he was being cited as an inspiration by hard-line Republican congressmen and radio imitators like Indianapolis-area personality Mike Pence. (Pence would go on to write, in a Rush-style 2001 reality check column, that connections between smoking and fatal disease are overblown by nanny state politicians and the media. Limbaugh, an ostentatious cigar smoker, has lung cancer.) Now Mike Pence is vice president under Donald Trump, who went from being a onetime registered Democrat who often didnt even vote to being the leader of the Republican Party while consuming immense, almost hard-to-believe quantities of the boorish mass-market right-wing media that Limbaugh inspired. Advertisement Advertisement The watchdog group Media Matters has been documenting the ways Limbaughs devotion to our country manifests itself for years and years. Heres a recent example, in case you were wondering whether seeing his worldview take control of the White House had tempered him any. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2010, Limbaugh suggested that black Democratic South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburnwho was present in the chamber on Tuesdayshould take a job as Nancy Pelosis driver, describing his idea as Driving Miss Nancy. In 2011, heres how he summed up a speech by Chinese President* Hu Jintao: Advertisement Advertisement Ching cha. Ching chang cho chow. Cha Chow. Ching Cho. Chi ba ba ba. Kwo kwa kwa kee. Cha ga ga. Ching chee chay. Ching zha bo ba. Chang cha. Chang cho chi che. Cha dee. Ooooh chee bada ba. Jee jee cho ba. Inspiring stuff, indeed! As in inspiring me to combine whiskey and Sudafed in an attempt to sleep until January 2021 and/or January 2025. When Limbaugh was presented with the Medal of Freedom on Tuesday night, he affected an expression of shock and gratitude, as if emotionally overwhelmed and surprised. But it would be strange if he had actually been surprised to receive the medal, given that he was in D.C. sitting next to the presidents wife at an event being held on the same day that the New York Times reported he was in line to get one. It was a reminder that Limbaugh and others like him have always been entertainershe started his career as a regular DJ, introducing recordsand have sometimes passed off their more offensive remarks as humorous, good-natured ballbusting that liberals and Feminazis take too seriously. But as Trump followed his testimonial to Limbaugh with a grim, fascism-adjacent passage about taking revenge on illegal immigrant criminals and foreign barbarians, he was referring to border fortifications and military strikes that are as real as it gets. These days the show never ends. A regional human rights organization said Tuesday that Venezuela has denied entry to a delegation that sought to review the human rights situation in the crisis-torn country. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said the delegation would instead meet on the Colombian border with representatives of civic groups. The delegation's leader, Esperanza Arosemena, posted a picture and message on social media saying the group had been prevented from boarding a Copa Airlines flight to Venezuela in Panama. She said they were informed by the airline that it "received instructions from the Venezuelan regime that we were not authorized to enter the country." The government of President Nicolas Maduro had previously indicated it would not authorize a visit by the commission, an autonomous body of the Organization of American States. The OAS recognizes Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president. Maduro withdrew his government's diplomats from the organization last year, and its seat was taken over by a representative designated by Guaido. In a statement, the rights commission said the delegation's visit was organized at the invitation of Gustavo Tarre, Guaido's representative. By Trend The state has created all conditions for entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association Farhad Garashov told Trend. Azerbaijan's entrepreneurs are provided with soft loans and other necessary support, Garashov added. Stressing that a lot of work has been done to improve the business environment in the country, Garashov noted that Azerbaijani's list of export destinations is expanding and Azerbaijani trade houses are opening abroad, which creates a solid foundation for sustainable development of entrepreneurship. "The close attention of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the economy, in particular, the development of the agricultural sector, the measures taken under his leadership such as the orders signed by him, regional meetings, reforms etc, contribute to the rapid development of Azerbaijan in all aspects. These initiatives are highly appreciated and supported by entrepreneurs. The creation of the Council of Agricultural Subsidies made a great contribution to the increase in payments provided to the spheres of fruit cultivation and crop production. I would like to note that Azerbaijan ranks first in the world in terms of the amount of subsidies provided to agriculture," Garashov said. Garashov emphasized that entrepreneurs should correctly use the opportunities provided by the state, avoid the shadow economy and not evade paying taxes. "Given tax exemptions for entrepreneurs, particularly those involved in agriculture, I would advise them to avoid the shadow economy. The conclusion of labor contracts with both wage workers and regular workers and the prevention of violations of the law will lead to additional funds coming into the budget, thus allowing the state to increase benefits and create even more favorable conditions for entrepreneurs," said the chairman. "The main goal should be to ensure the conformity of the manufactured products to international standards, to supply high-quality fruits and vegetables under the Made in Azerbaijan brand to foreign markets. The instructions of the head of state given to banks in connection with financial exemptions for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector are important for farmers," Garashov added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Pentagon says it will use yet another U.S. military base to host up to 75 people in need of quarantine and possible treatment for the new coronavirus from China. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts agreed this week that Camp Ashland, a Nebraska National Guard base roughly 30 miles from Omaha, will house the latest evacuees at the request of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Department said Wednesday. Officials told local news affiliates in Nebraska that the evacuees would arrive at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, where they will be ushered to a remote and isolated aircraft parking area before being brought to the base. Roughly 1,000 evacuees are being taken to four other bases -- Travis Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California; Fort Carson in Colorado; and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Those bases are in addition to March Air Reserve Base in California, where nearly 200 evacuees arrived last week. Related: Military Bases May Be Asked to House Even More Coronavirus Evacuees Charter flights have been leaving China throughout the week to evacuate American citizens from Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated. Roughly 350 passengers aboard two jetliners landed at Travis on Wednesday morning. Though none of the evacuees is showing symptoms of the virus, they will be quarantined at the base for the next two weeks, according to The Sacramento Bee. Similar restrictions are in effect at the other installations. HHS "will be responsible for all care, transportation, and security of the evacuees," the DoD said in a statement Wednesday. "This includes limiting the movement of the evacuees on Camp Ashland." The same policy applies to all bases being used for the quarantine effort, officials said. Military and DoD personnel "will not be in direct contact with the evacuees and will minimize contact with personnel supporting the evacuees," according to the statement. "Should routine monitoring of the evacuees identify ill individuals, HHS has procedures in place to transport them to a local civilian medical facility. HHS will also ensure that no evacuated personnel are transferred to any DOD installation if they are infected or ill." Earlier this week, Esper spoke with Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of U.S. Northern Command, on new arrangements for the additional evacuees, DoD spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said. According to the World Health Organization, more than 3,000 new cases were confirmed in China over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 24,363. So far, there have been no reports of confirmed cases of coronavirus among the evacuees at March, though a child was recently hospitalized after developing a fever, The Associated Press said. There are 12 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. -- Richard Sisk contributed to this report. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: Morale Is in Trouble at Some Army Bases. Heres What the Service Plans to Do About It More Irish TV viewers aged from 15-34 watched last night's RTE Prime Time leaders' debate than tuned in to ITV's Love Island, latest figures have revealed. It seems that nation's millennials are taking a huge interest in the 2020 General Election, judging by the surge in younger viewers who watched the RTE show-down. Expand Close (left to right) Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Presenter David McCullagh, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, Presenter Miriam O'Callaghan and Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald at the final TV leaders' debate at the RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday February 4, 2020. See PA story IRISH Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (left to right) Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Presenter David McCullagh, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, Presenter Miriam O'Callaghan and Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald at the final TV leaders' debate at the RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday February 4, 2020. See PA story IRISH Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire Figures released to Independent.ie show that an average of 83,000 people in the younger demographic tuned in to see the three party leaders trying to score points off each other ahead of Saturday's Election on the Prime Time special. In comparison, an average 67,000 in the same age-group watched the winter version of the dating show, which is filmed in South Africa, some 16,000 less than were tuned in to the political discussion. An average of 658,000 watched the final televised debate of the General Election campaign, which made up a 53.5pc of the available audience. Over one million people tuned in at one point. Normal life was affected in nine Western Odisha districts on Wednesday due to a dawn-to-dusk bandh called by lawyers demanding establishment of a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court in the region. The lawyers were also protesting against the Odisha Bar Council's recommendation to the Bar Council of India (BCI) for disciplinary action against the bar associations of western Odisha, which have been agitating for setting up of HC bench in the region. The impact of the 12-hour bandh was felt in Sambalpur, Bolangir, Bargarh, Nuapara, Boudh, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Subarnapur and Jharsuguda districts as all major political parties including the BJD, Congress, BJP and the CPI supported the demand for a high court bench. Odisha Law Minister Pratap Jena told reporters in Bhubaneswar that the government is considering the demand for establishment of HC bench in western region and steps are being taken in this regard. State and central government offices, shops, courts, markets, business establishments, financial institutions, schools and colleges remained closed in most places, sources said. Vehicular movement came to a halt in the region as only two-wheelers and bicycles were seen plying on roads, police said. Train services were also affected as the agitators staged rail roko. Sambalpur-Puri Intercity express was cancelled and several other trains such as Yashwantpur-Hatia Express, Titlagarh-Howrah Express, Surat-Puri Express and Sambalpur- Jammu Tawi Express got delayed, an official said. At least 21 agitators were taken into custody during the rail roko at the Sambalpur Railway Station. They were released later, he said. In Sambalpur city, agitating lawyers staged road blockade. Chairman of Action Committee of Sambalpur Bar Association, Pradeep Bohidar said the bandh was supported by people from all walks of life as well as political parties. "The bandh evoked spontaneous response. It is a warning to both the state and central governments. We will intensify our agitation if concrete steps are not taken for fulfilling the long-pending demand," he said. While no bandh was observed in Kalahandi district, members of Kalahandi Bar Association abstained from court work showing solidarity with other bar associations in the region protesting the recommendation of Odisha Bar Council to BCI for action against Bar Associations of western Odisha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Queen Letizia cut an elegant figure as she rewore a chic floor-length velvet dress for a diplomatic reception this morning. The Spanish royal, 47, joined her husband King Felipe VI, 52, in welcoming foreign ambassadors to the Royal Palace of Madrid for their annual reception. She sported a blue crushed velvet dress from designer Felipe Varela for the event, having first worn the gown in January 2018 for a New Year's event. Queen Letizia could be seen beaming as she joined King Felipe for the reception, before he gave a speech to the foreign ambassadors at the event. Queen Letizia of Spain, 47, stunned in a floor-length velvet gown at the yearly diplomatic reception in Madrid today The Queen donned a stunning crushed velvet floor-length gown for the occasion with pretty blue drop earrings She could be seen beaming as she greeted foreign ambassadors at the Royal Palace today in Madrid The royal joined her husband King Felipe, 52, for the event at the Royal Palace this morning in Madrid The Spanish royal appeared in good spirits as she greeted foreign ambassadors alongside her husband King Felipe King Felipe coordinated with his wife for the event, donning a black jacket with grey lined trousers, and a blue tie. Queen Letizia's stunning velvet number featured a Peter Pan neckline and is fitted at the waist with a belt of the same material. The royal showed off the dresses Peter Pan collar by pining her hair up into a bun, and let two locks fall around her face to frame it. She kept her accessories to a minimum, but donned a stunning pair of blue drop earrings for the occasion, as well as a gold ring mounted into a circle. Queen Letizia swept her hair into a low bun, revealing the pretty Peter Pan collar of the stunning gown Letizia, who seemed in good spirits, embraced diplomats as they arrived at the palace for the reception this morning One by one, guests of the Spanish royal made their way into the Royal Palace in order to greet the couple King Felipe and Queen Letizia appeared relaxed as they welcomed diplomats to the reception earlier this morning The royal kept her makeup natural, wearing a dash of lip-gloss, and complimented her healthy glow with some blush. The Spanish royals have had a busy start of the week, with multiple events in the capital. Just yesterday, the Spanish Queen chaired a cancer forum in Madrid. The Spanish royal looked elegant in a structured white shirt with a silver button detail at the waist, and added edginess to her look by sporting an leather midi skirt. Letizia's makeup was also minimal, with a dash of mascara and eye-shadow highlighting her hazel eyes The Spanish royal could be seen beaming while greeting foreign ambassadors during the event this morning King Felipe looked smart as he held onto the lapel of his black jacket this morning, matching his blue tie with his wife's stunning gown (pictured) The couple seemed relaxed and effortlessly welcomed each ambassador to the palace in Madrid for the reception At the event, which was the ninth of it's kind in the capital, delegates focused on the economic and social impacts of cancer in Spain. Addressing the attendees, the Queen looked self-assured as she asked the crowd to think about the struggles citizens on low incomes face when they are diagnosed with cancer, Hola magazine reported. The forum is organised by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), of which Letizia is the honourary president. It is starting today to coincide with World Cancer Day at the Royal Tapestry Factory. And on Monday, the queen and King Felipe attended the opening of the Spanish Parliament with their eldest daughter and heir to the throne Princess Leonor, 14. Parents dealing with a stillbirth or infant death will be guaranteed 12 months of unpaid parental leave, giving them the same entitlements as parents with healthy babies. Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter announced the Coalition would increase provisions for families dealing with traumatic situations, saying the current guaranteed entitlement of six weeks of unpaid leave for a stillbirth or infant death was "insufficient for many parents who need more time before they return to work". Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is moving to increase leave entitlements for parents of stillborn babies. Credit:iStock "The government understands how devastating losing a child can be," Mr Porter said in a statement on Wednesday. Currently, under the Fair Work Act, an employer can request an employee return to work after a stillbirth, but must provide at least six weeks notice. All full- and part-time employees are also entitled to two days paid leave if a member of their immediate family dies. Check in begins hour prior to the start times listed. Lunch will be served at all locations. These February programs will provide an opportunity to hear growers who conducted on-farm research share their results from the 2019 growing season. Field length replicated treatment comparisons were completed in growers fields, using their equipment. Participants are using the data they collect from their own farms to evaluate new products or practices in order to improve their productivity and profitability, Thompson said. Research projects to be discussed will include: cover crops, variable rate seeding, planting populations, starter fertilizer, fungicide applications, alternate crop rotations, seed treatments, and side dress nitrogen management technologies including drone and sensor based, variable-rate nitrogen management. Certified Crop Advisor Credits are applied for and pending upon approval. Following on the visit of other general election candidates last week, Senator Frank Feighan and Deputy Martin Kenny paid a visit to the Scoil Mhuire to voice their support for the campaign for a badly needed new school in the county town. Senator Feighan said he will make the pressing case for a new school for the children, parents and teachers at Scoil Mhuire a top priority if elected to the next Dail. Fine Gael general election candidate, Senator Frank Feighan pictured with local Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire at Scoil Mhuire. Senator Feighan said he recognises the urgent need for a new school in Carrick-on-Shannon and said that, if elected to the Dail, he will make it a top priority My colleague Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire has been campaigning strongly on this issue and the need to advance this project to a meaningful stage. The frustration being felt on a daily basis by all stakeholders, not least parents clearly shows the urgent need for relocation of the current school to a one site campus. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed, predominantly among them the identification of a suitable site for a new school and the necessary capital funding to drive the project forward. I know constructive discussions have taken place among stakeholders in relation to both issues and if elected to the Dail, I will exercise my influence to progress this vital project to a stage to the satisfaction of everybody. It clear that the provision of a new school is a critical piece of infrastructure required for the children, parents and school staff and for the future planning of Carrick-on-Shannon, Senator Feighan stated. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 20:27:17|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DES MOINES, the United States, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders are still leading after the release of the second round of Iowa Democratic caucus results. The results, which accounted for roughly 71 percent of the precincts that voted, show Buttigieg with 26.8 percent, closely followed by Sanders standing at 25.2 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden round out the top four with 18.4 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively, while Senator Amy Klobuchar, garnering 12.6 percent, takes fifth place. No other candidates received double-digit support. The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) earlier Tuesday first released the results for 62 percent of precincts, showing Buttigieg and Sanders in the lead. With a substantial number of precincts left to count and the margin so slim, the race could still be wide open. Buttigieg, who's leading when it comes to state delegates, said Tuesday that the result "represents an astonishing victory" for his campaign. "This is what we have been working, more than a year to convince our fellow Americans that a new and better vision can bring about a new and better day," he told supporters in New Hampshire. Jeff Weaver, an adviser for Sanders' campaign, said the team is "gratified" with the results so far, which shows the progressive senator leading the popular vote. "It's clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field," Weaver said in a statement. The second round of results were announced a day after the Democratic caucuses in Iowa Monday night, the first nominating contest of the 2020 presidential primary. The announcement of the full results was delayed due to a "coding issue" in a mobile app used to collect data for the Democratic events, according to IDP Chair Troy Price. "This was a coding error in one of the pieces on the backend, but the raw data, the data that has come in, is secure," Price told a press conference on Tuesday. The state party official also apologized for the reporting of the Iowa caucus results, which has caused confusion and discontent, but didn't say when the full results will come out. Arthur Sanders, a politics professor at Des Moines' Drake University, told Xinhua that the incident "is not very good for the caucuses." "In fact, the party may demand more changes next time," Sanders said. Iowa, a Midwestern state, held Democratic and Republican caucuses Monday night, bringing tens of thousands of Iowa's registered voters to churches, public libraries, and school gyms for discussions about their presidential preferences. Sitting President Donald Trump won the Republican caucuses in a largely symbolic vote as he was facing no significant challenge. In the 2016 presidential election, he won "The Hawkeye State" by 9.5 percentage points. On the Democratic side, there are 11 contenders seeking the party's presidential nomination. In Iowa, they were vying for the state's 41 pledged delegates to the party's national July 13-16 convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a gathering for the party's delegates to choose a presidential nominee. Though Iowa's delegates account for only 2 percent of the 1,991 national delegates needed to become the Democratic nominee, a strong finish in the state could help him or her stand out. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java Wed, February 5, 2020 07:15 706 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062946a4 1 Business Joko-Widodo,Jokowi,Trade,imports,China,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has instructed his aides to assess the impact of the new coronavirus on the countrys economy, particularly on trade with China, following Indonesias move to impose a ban on travel and live animal imports from the East Asian country. Please carefully calculate the impact of this policy on our economy, Jokowi said as he opened a limited Cabinet meeting in Bogor Palace, West Java, on Tuesday. The government ban on all travel to and from China took effect on Monday. It is intended to prevent the spread of a deadly and highly contagious novel coronavirus. The ban prevents visitors who have stayed in China for 14 days or more from visiting or transiting in Indonesia. The government will suspend visa-free and visa on arrival provisions for Chinese citizens. The government has also announced a temporary ban on live animal imports from China. Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto said the measure would be put in place on Tuesday and would remain in place until the virus was contained. Indonesia imported US$44.5 billion of non-oil and gas products from China in 2019, representing almost 30 percent of such imports into Indonesia overall. Meanwhile, 1.9 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia from January to November 2019, representing nearly 13 percent of overall foreign tourist visits, Statistics Indonesia data shows. Jokowi said the import restrictions could provide a chance for domestic industries to produce import-substituting goods and to export more products to other countries that used to import such products from China. The travel and import restrictions were necessary to protect all Indonesian nationals from the spread of the coronavirus, Jokowi said. Indonesias moves were met with disappointment from the Chinese government. The decision to impose a travel ban and import restrictions will be detrimental to our trade relations, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian said. Dont overreact and cause a negative impact on investment and the economy. (eyc) In a call for new employees, Elon Musk says he doesn't care if applicants have a high-school degree as long as they're best-in-class at coding or developing AI. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made his priorities clear in a Twitter thread advertising a 'super fun AI party/hackathon' at his residence that will include other employees who work for Tesla's AI team. Musk said invitations for the party will be sent out soon. In response from one Twitter user who asked whether they will have to get their PhD in order to secure an invite, Musk said education wasn't the priority. 'A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement [neural networks] in a way that is actually useful (latter point is whats truly hard). Dont care if you even graduated high school. A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement NNs in a way that is actually useful (latter point is whats truly hard). Dont care if you even graduated high school. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2020 Elon Musk says education is secondary when it comes to hiring employees for his companies While Musk says he doesn't care about an academic pedigree, he set the bar high in other areas of interest for Tesla, tweeting 'Educational background is irrelevant, but all must pass hard-core coding test.' He also added that Tesla is 'obviously' seeking 'world-class chip designers to join our team, based in both Palo Alto & Austin.' Musk's Twitter musing were characteristically met with a mix of agreement and skepticism. While some users applauded his mentality toward educational pedigree, others questioned whether the CEO actually lived by his credo. 'It can be proven if you can show me the ratio of Phd to High school grads among tesla employees. Otherwise, it is another cliche motivational talk.' said one user. Others lauded Musk for his attitude toward hiring. 'Thank you for being literally the most sane company leader out there! Picking talent based on talent, not simply following the heard,' tweeted one of his followers. Whether rhetoric or not, the attitude does seem to reflect Musk's background. The entrepreneur famously dropped out of Stanford after a couple of days to start his first company. The calls for hiring come at a time when Tesla appears to be rapidly on the rise. Last month, Tesla overtook Germany's Volkswagen as the world's second most valuable car maker behind Japan's Toyota, as the meteoric rise in the U.S. electric vehicle maker's shares reshuffles the global market. The change was driven by Tesla's stock value, which has more than doubled in value in the last three months. Journalist Marzieh Amiri will have to serve a five-year jail sentence for "spreading propaganda" against the Iranian regime, her lawyer announced on Tuesday, January 8. The International Federation of Journalists strongly condemns the jailing of journalists for doing their work, and urges the Iranian regime to annul the ruling against Marzieh Amiri. Marzieh Amiris lawyer, Amir Raeesian, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that Amiris case had been upheld by the Department of Enforcement in the Judiciary and that she has to serve her five-year sentence. Marzieh Amiri was arrested in May last year, a day after attending an International Workers Day rally in Tehran. She was covering the story of those arrested during the protests, amongst whom Keyvan Samimi, the Chief Editor of Iran Farda magazine. Initially, Amiri was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison and 148 lashes in August last year. The IFJ condemned the arrests and made an appeal to the authorities for Samimis and Amiris release. In November, Irans Appeals Court ruled to reduce her sentence to a five-year term, on charges of "gathering and colluding propaganda against the system" and "disturbing public order." Neither Amiri or her lawyer were present during this hearing. Staying informed has become a struggle for the Iranian people, as the regime appears to have gone on a crusade against press freedom. It has shut down internet access, harassed Iranian journalists working abroad, and jailed journalists based on allegations of spreading propaganda. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: We condemn the decision of the higher court to uphold Amiris five-year sentence and not to allow her to attend the Appeals Court session. We demand her immediate release and call on the authorities to immediately stop the media crackdown. Los Tigres del Norte is one of the most celebrated Hispanic bands in history. The band was first composed by Rosa Morada, Mocorito, Sinaloa, and Mexican natives. Jorge Hernandez, together with his brothers and cousins, started recording after they moved to San Jose, California in the late 1960s. Now they're going to produce something bigger in order to pay tribute to the Mariachi icon Vicente Fernandez. When Los Tigres del Norte first heard the song "Un Consentido de Dios," a composition by Roberto Fausto for Vicente Fernandez, the group knew that they should record it, as it was an opportunity for the group to pay homage to Fernandez. Hernan Hernandez, member of the Los Tigres del Norte, told Billboard: "We figured that one song wasn't enough to say and sing everything that Vicente Fernandez represents, his legacy and what he has done for ranchera music." He added, "We decided to record a whole album after the song inspired us to create a project of this magnitude." The band released its 15-track album titled "Y Su Palabra Es La Ley ... Homenaje a Vicente Fernandez" that was released on Jan. 31 under Universal Music Group. The album includes Vicente Fernandez's greatest hits such as "Hermoso Carino" and "Mujeres Divinas." Hernandez said that taking into consideration the hits of Vicente Fernandez was not easy because all of his songs were very extensive and unique. He said: "We started looking at what were some of his most popular songs on social media to get an idea of the ones people like. We also chose some that we personally love or have a special meaning to us individually." Fernandez who announced his retirement in 2016 is always in constant communication with the Los Tigres del Norte most especially during the process of making the album. Hernandez said: "We wanted him to participate in the making of the album and for him to tell us how he wanted mariachi music to be fused with our style. There was always communication between us because not only does music unite us, but also a friendship between the Fernandez and Hernandez families." The Y Su Palabra es la Ley has a special meaning for the band because their career is inspired by Fernandez's legacy. They said: "To sing this tribute to Don Vicente brings us so much joy and so much honor. He has always been an example to this institution." Here are the 3 essential tracks on Y Su Palabra es la Ley that pay tribute to the Mariachi icon Vicente Fernandez: 1. "La Ley del Monte" Hernan Hernandez said: "Los Tigres Del Norte has never recorded a song by composer Jose Angel Espinoza "Ferrusquilla," who is from Sinaloa like us. I, particularly, had been wanting to record one of his songs, and "La Ley Del Monte," aside from being one of Vicente Fernandez's greatest hits, was written by "Ferrusquilla." I wanted to make that dream come true for myself and so I chose that song personally and I also sing it on the album. It also brings me many memories, and I've loved it ever since it was released." 2. "Mujeres Divinas" Luis Hernandez said: "This is a very popular song by Don Vicente's. Wherever you go in the world, people will sing along to this song. In this case, Los Tigres Del Norte made it into a duet with my brothers Jorge and Eduardo singing it. Making it a duet gave it a different touch, and their voices sound great together. This song is heard everywhere. It makes you happy and it makes you cry. It's a song we wanted to do to give it that Tigres Del Norte touch." 3. "El Ultimo Beso" Hernan Hernandez said: "What makes this song even more special is that it was written by Joan Sebastian and it was one of Vicente's greatest hits. It's also different to what Vicente was used to recording in terms of rhythm. Eduardo is the one that sings this song on the album and it was as if it was written for Eduardo to sing because he loves to sing these types of songs and he truly feels the lyrics and the music. This is a special song for Vicente ... and now it's also a special song for us as well." 4. "Hermoso Carino" Luis Hernandez said: "This song can be dedicated to your mom or your partner, and it's a staple in Don Vicente's repertoire. It's also a song that has that Los Tigres Del Norte norteno bass accompanied by an accordion and a six-string bass. The song adapted very naturally to our style. The fusion of both genres, norteno, and mariachi, worked so well. It just had to be included in the album because it's loved by many around the world." 5. "Un Consentido de Dios" Hernan Hernandez said: "This is probably the most special song because thanks to this song, our dream of wanting to pay tribute to Vicente came true. And, most importantly for Vicente to be able to enjoy this tribute. This song perfectly describes what Vicente represents, the legend he is and continues to be. This song is the one that allowed this project to happen, that's what makes it so special." Moreover, Los Tigres del Norte has confirmed their exclusive panel conversation at the 2020 LatinFest+ by Telemundo and Billboard from April 20 to April 23 in Las Vegas. TMC member Saugata Roy on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pursuing an agenda of "persecute and polarise" against Muslims as he attacked the Union government over its citizenship measures, including the CAA. Speaking in Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, Roy also cited reports in international media to say that India's reputation has suffered and Modi's global image is being "destroyed". As he read out a critical piece from the Economist, a weekly, about India's direction under Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said it should not be called a balanced magazine. It had asked people to vote against the BJP and for the Congress, he said. Roy shot back, asking "which is a balanced magazine, Organiser?" Organiser is a weekly affiliated to the Hindutva organisation RSS. In this context, the TMC member also spoke about writer Aatish Taseer and pointed at Jaishankar to say that he made him a "persona non grata", an apparent reference to the government's decision to revoke his Overseas Citizen of India status. The opposition has linked the decision to a critical piece he had written about Modi. Roy said Modi and "his Hanuman" are dividing India and asked the government to speak in one voice, as he noted that Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken in the House that the NRC will be implemented, while Modi said later that his government has not discussed the National Register of Citizens exercise. He also hit out at the BJP for its leaders' controversial statements targeting Shaheen Bagh protestors against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The President's speech left pressing issues like "highest rate of unemployment" and "crisis" in economy unaddressed, he said, demanding that reference to Mahatma Gandhi should be removed from the speech. Gandhi was quoted wrongly by the government to push the CAA, he said. Since Modi came back to power in June last year, he has been following the agenda of "persecute and polarise" and "beat up Muslims", Roy alleged. TDP's Jayadev Galla spoke against the Andhra Pradesh government's decision to have three state capitals and said the state is on the brink of collapse. His speech drew protests from the members of the YSR Congress, which is in power in the state, as they said the decisions of the assembly cannot be debated in Parliament. A Raja, who was in the Chair, asked Galla to speak on national issues, saying any decision taken in an assembly cannot be questioned in Parliament. The BJP's P P Chaudhary hailed the government for the enactment of the CAA, saying it was necessary to give justice to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries. The government should now work on issues like ban on cow slaughter and uniform civil code, both of which, he noted, are parts of the directive principles of state policy in the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The threat of severe weather has prompted delays and cancellations for some school systems in Alabama. Heavy rains and strong winds remains the biggest concerns heading into Thursday morning. Strong storms are set to roll through southeastern Alabama until about 10 a.m. Feb. 6. Alabama storms: Latest photos and videos of flooding, one dead Severe weather and flooding continue for parts of Alabama; two tornado watches in effect Closings, delays for Thursday, Feb. 6: Alabama State University - Delayed until 11 a.m. Alabaster City Schools - Delayed until 10:30 a.m. Andalusia City Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Attalla City - Delayed until 9:45 a.m. Auburn City Schools - Closed Auburn University- University classes and normal operations are suspended until 1:00 p.m. Autauga Academy - Delayed until 10 a.m. Autauga County Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Barbour County - Closed Bessemer City Schools - Delayed 2 hours Bibb County- Delayed until 9:45 a.m. Blount County Schools - 3 hour delay Bullock County Schools - Closed Chilton County Schools - Delayed until 9:30 a.m. Clay County - Closed Coffee County Schools - Closed Coosa County Schools - Delayed 2 hours Covington County Schools - Delayed 2 hours Crenshaw County Schools - Closed Dale County Schools - Closed Daleville City Schools - Closed DeKalb County Schools - 2 hour delay Demopolis City Schools - Opening at 10 a.m. Dothan City Schools - Closed Elba City Schools - Closed Enterprise State Community College - Closed Etowah County Schools- Delayed 2 hours Eufaula City Schools - Closed Evangel Christian Academy - Delayed 2 hours Fort Payne City Schools - Closed Ft. Rucker School - Closed Geneva City - Closed Geneva County Closed Hale County Schools Two-hour delay Thursday. Buses will run 2 hours later than normal; students may not be dropped off before 9:15 a.m. Henry County Schools - Closed Homewood City Schools - Students should report to school at 10:30 a.m. Hoover City Schools- Delayed by two hours. Applies to employees unless otherwise advised by supervisor. Houston County Schools - Closed Indian Springs School - Delayed 2 hours Jackson County Schools - Closed Jacksonville City Schools- Delayed 2 hours Jefferson County Schools Two-hour delay on Thursday, Feb. 6. Classes will begin at 10 a.m. All buses will run two hours later than normal; no breakfast will be served. Lauderdale County Schools - Closed Lee County Closed Limestone County Schools - Delayed 2 hours. The school system said to expect delays in bus routes as many are having to find alternate routes to avoid flooding. Lowndes Academy - Delayed 2 hours Lurleen B. Wallace Community College - Delayed until 10 a.m. Macon County Schools - Closed Midfield City Schools - Open 10 a.m. Montgomery Public Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Bus pickup scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Oneonta City Schools - Delayed until 9:30 a.m. Opelika City Schools - Closed Opp City Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Oxford City Schools- Delayed 2 hours Ozark City Closed Pelham City Schools- Delayed 2 hours. Buses will pick up at scheduled stops two hours later than the normal, scheduled time. Breakfast will not be served. Pell City Schools delayed until 9:45 a.m. Piedmont City Schools- Delayed 2 hours Pike County Schools- School will begin at 10 a.m. Buses will arrive at pick up locations two hours later than usual. Randolph County Schools -Schools delayed until 9:30 a.m. Resurrection Catholic School - Delayed until 10 a.m. Roanoke City Handley Middle School, Handley High School, Knight Enloe Elementary School delayed until 10 a.m. Selma City Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Shelby County Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. St. Clair County Schools - Closed. Sumter County Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Talladega City Schools - Delayed until 9:30 a.m. Tallapoosa County Schools Delayed until 10 a.m. Tarrant City Schools - 2 hour delay Troy City Schools - Closed Trussville City Schools - Delayed until 10 a.m. Vestavia City Schools- Delayed 3 hours Wallace Community College (Dothan and Eufaula) - Closed Thursday AL.com reporter Ivana Hrynkiw contributed to this report. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Clayton Wear From Popular Mechanics The new U.S. Space Force saw one of its most important missions so far today as it helped test an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Minuteman III missile sent a reentry vehicle over four thousand miles to land at Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. The Air Force plans to replace Minuteman III with a new missile, GBSD, starting in 2030. The U.S. Space Force, Americas newest military service branch early this morning conducted a test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile was part of a routine test of Americas missile force. Minuteman III is slated to be replaced with a new missile, Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, sometime in the 2030s. The Minuteman III missile roared out of its launch silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base at approximately 12:33 a.m. California time. The missiles MK. 21 reentry vehicle traveled 4,200 miles to splash down at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The reentry vehicle did not carry a live thermonuclear warhead. The test, known as FTU-2, was conducted by Air Force Global Strike Command and took place at Vandenberg, the home of the 30th Space Wing, which oversees launches at the southern California base and is a part of the new U.S. Space Force. Although a separate service, the Space Force is technically part of the Air Force, in the same way the Marine Corps is technically part of the Navy. The Pentagon typically conducts about five Minuteman III tests a year, each time drawing a missile at random from the missile force and launching it to ensure it works. These tests are much more important as the Minuteman III missile fleet is approximately 50 years old and was not supposed to remain part of the U.S. nuclear arsenal for this long. And as Breaking Defense reported yesterday, the Air Force is testing a new fuze for the Mk. 21 reentry vehicle. The Minuteman III entered into service in 1970 and today 400 missiles sit in silos across the American West , spread between the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Each wing is made up of three squadrons controlling 50 missiles each. An additional 50 missiles are maintained on standby. Each missile on active duty is equipped with a single 300 or 335 kiloton thermonuclear warhead packing the explosive equivalent of 300,000 to 335,000 tons of TNT. Story continues Controlling launch facilities and overseeing space launches will likely make up the bulk of the Space Forces duties for the foreseeable future. The service will also maintain Americas military satellite constellation, watch for missile launches worldwide, and keep tabs on the military space forces of other space powers. The Minuteman III is an old missile, but its been repeatedly modernized, and according to the Federation of American Scientists and the U.S. Air Force, the missiles are basically new missiles except for the shell. The new fuze is part of a raft of upgrades that will keep the missiles in service until at least 2030. The Air Force is planning a new replacement missile, Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, but a competition to develop it basically ended after Boeing dropped out, leaving Northrop the sole competitor. Ground Based Strategic Deterrent will replace all Minuteman III missiles at an estimated cost of $85 billion . Source: Gizmodo You Might Also Like While a piece of paper is usually flat and floppy, the same piece of paper crumpled into a wad is stiff and round. This demonstrates that scrunching changes the texture and behavior of precisely the same material -- paper. A new Tel Aviv University study shows how induced defects in metamaterials -- artificial materials the properties of which are different from those in nature -- also produce radically different consistencies and behaviors. The research has far-reaching applications: for the protection of fragile components in systems that undergo mechanical traumas, like passengers in car crashes; for the protection of delicate equipment launched to space; and even for grabbing and manipulating distant objects using a small set of localized manipulations, like minimally invasive surgery. "We've seen non-symmetric effects of a topological imperfection before. But we've now found a way to create these imperfections in a controlled way," explains Prof. Yair Shokef of TAU's School of Mechanical Engineering, co-author of the new study. "It's a new way of looking at mechanical metamaterials, to borrow concepts from condensed-matter physics and mathematics to study the mechanics of materials." The new research is the fruit of a collaboration between Prof. Shokef and Dr. Erdal O?uz of TAU and Prof. Martin van Hecke and Anne Meeussen of Leiden University and AMOLF in Amsterdam. The study was published in Nature Physics on January 27. "Since we've developed general design rules, anyone can use our ideas," Prof. Shokef adds. "We were inspired by LCD-screens that produce different colors through tiny, ordered liquid crystals," Prof. Shokef says. "When you create a defect -- when, for example, you press your thumb against a screen -- you disrupt the order and get a rainbow of colors. The mechanical imperfection changes how your screen functions. That was our jumping off point." The scientists designed a complex mechanical metamaterial using three-dimensional printing, inserted defects into its structure and showing how such localized defects influenced the mechanical response. The material invented was flat, made out of triangular puzzle pieces with sides that moved by bulging out or dimpling in. When "perfect," the material is soft when squeezed from two sides, but in an imperfect material, one side of the material is soft and the other stiff. This effect flips when the structure is expanded at one side and squeezed at the other: stiff parts become soft, and soft parts stiff. "That's what we call a global, topological imperfection," Prof. Shokef explains. "It's an irregularity that you can't just remove by locally flipping one puzzle piece. Specifically, we demonstrated how we can use such defects to steer mechanical forces and deformations to desired regions in the system." The new research advances the understanding of structural defects and their topological properties in condensed-matter physics systems. It also establishes a bridge between periodic, crystal-like metamaterials and disordered mechanical networks, which are often found in biomaterials. The research team plans to continue their research into three-dimensional complex metamaterials, and to study the richer geometry of imperfections there. ### American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #66 in the world. For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ). Hello and welcome to Journal des Palaces You are a communication or the PR manager? Click here You are an applicant? Check out our questions and answers here ! Vietnam presented a US$45 billion opportunity for the private sector to invest in sustainable development to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. A view of HCM City. Viet Nam presented a US$45 billion opportunity for the private sector to invest in sustainable development. A recent study by the international banking group Standard Chartered, Opportunity 2030, revealed an almost $10 trillion opportunity for private-sector investors across all emerging markets, with Viet Nam presenting $45.8 billion of that total. The opportunities for the private sector would come from contributions to three infrastructure-focused goals between now and 2030, including clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and industry, innovation and infrastructure. SDG investment opportunities were found in transport infrastructure and improving digital access, according to the study. The study founded that to achieve universal digital adoption would require private-sector investment of around $24.4 billion to 2030. To significantly improve Viet Nams transport infrastructure would require an estimated investment of $20.1 billion from the private sector. The potential private-sector investment opportunity in the water sector was smaller, the study noted. However, as 11 per cent of Viet Nams population still did not have access to clean water and sanitation, investment would make a real impact. To help achieve universal access to clean water by 2030 would require an estimated private-sector investment of $1.3 billion. A series of ongoing market reforms is making Viet Nam an increasingly attractive place for investors. The government is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is working directly with the UN to align its development plans with the SDGs, Nirukt Sapru, CEO Vietnam and ASEAN & South Asia Cluster Markets at Standard Chartered Bank said. Opportunity2030 provides an important map of the SDG opportunities for private sector investors looking to invest with impact and improve the lives of millions over the next decade, he stressed. Statistics showed that now 89 per cent of the population got access to clean water and sanitation and 76 per cent to digital access. SDGs targeted that Viet Nam would have universal access to clean water and digital access by 2030, which would require total investment of $13.1 billion and $40.7 billion by 2030, respectively. Viet Nam already had universal access to power. However, with a growing economy, there would be an additional need for continual investment in affordable and clean energy to maintain access in a sustainable way, the bank said. VNS File of the Enbridge Tower on Jasper Avenue in Edmonton By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc's Line 3 pipeline replacement cleared important hurdles on Monday when a Minnesota regulator endorsed a revised environmental impact statement for the project. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission's decision, followed by its approval of a certificate of need and route permit, is a victory for Canadian oil producers, who have been forced to curtail production in Alberta because of a shortage of pipeline capacity. Enbridge shares jumped 1.5%, hitting their highest level since May 2017. Line 3, built in the 1960s, carries oil from Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. It carries less oil than it was designed for because of age and corrosion. "Instead of a 50-plus year-old pipeline with known integrity issues, a new pipeline would replace it," Enbridge lawyer Eric Swanson said. Line 3's opponents, however, questioned the need for replacing the pipeline amid concerns about fossil fuels. "If Enbridge is talking about an integrity problem, shut it down," Joe Plummer, representing the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, told the commission. Replacing Line 3 would allow Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge to double capacity to 760,000 barrels per day. "This (decision) is critically important because when we get that extra shipment capacity we should be able to keep our energy market in balance," Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said on Twitter. The Minnesota Department of Commerce revised its environmental impact statement for Line 3 after the Minnesota Court of Appeal ruled last June that the original statement was insufficient regarding a single issue - assessment of a potential spill on Lake Superior and its watershed. The department opposed issuing a certificate of need, however, saying Enbridge had not provided a forecast for energy demand as required. A spill would be "catastrophic" to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe indigenous community, including its wild rice harvesting, said Benjamin Benoit, the group's environmental director. Oil can also spill if it travels by rail, the main alternative to pipelines, said Kevin Pranis, a spokesman for Laborers International Union of North America, which supports the project because of the jobs it would create. Story continues Line 3 still requires various permits and its opponents are expected to formally petition the Minnesota commission to reconsider its decisions. The Sierra Club said in a statement that it would continue to fight Line 3 alongside other groups. The project is one of three, along with TC Energy Corp's Keystone XL and the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain, that have been stalled for years by opposition. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Dan Grebler, Tom Brown and Grant McCool) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Vodacom Group expects to offer 5G mobile services to its South African customers this year by using a network being built by another African operator Liquid Telecom, Vodacom Chief Executive Shameel Joosub said on Tuesday. Liquid Telecom announced last month it was building a wholesale 5G network that would be available from early 2020, using its share of the 3.5 GHz spectrum required for 5G. It said it would allow other operators to roam on its network. Liquid, which said its wholesale service would be available in major South African cities, did not say which technology supplier would be used to roll out its 5G network. "We expect to be able to launch 5G services in South Africa this year," Vodacom's Joosub said. "This is possible thanks to a recent roaming agreement with Liquid Telecom, as 5G spectrum is largely unassigned in South Africa." Vodacom, which is majority owned by Britain's Vodafone , said it would manage the 5G network on behalf of Liquid Telecom, although it did not say precisely where or when the 5G service would be available to customers. Mobile operators in South Africa have complained about delays in allocating the spectrum needed to roll out 5G, which provides much faster mobile connections than 4G networks. Vodacom and rival MTN have been running pilots for the next-generation technology using spectrum from the regulator but they are not yet permitted to offer this commercially. The regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), has said it would outline in April the process and timing for licensing and assigning 5G spectrum. Rain, a mobile operator that only provides data services, has launched a fixed-wireless 5G network, offering a fast broadband connection to homes and businesses without requiring cables. The service is available in Johannesburg and neighboring Tshwane. Vodacom, which has already launched a 5G mobile service in the small African nation of Lesotho, would be the first operator in South Africa to offer 5G to mobile users. In its quarterly results, Vodacom reported a 6.6% rise in group revenue for the three months to December, thanks in part to strong growth in data and revenues from its M-Pesa mobile money service. Story continues Joosub said the company's growth in Tanzania would be hampered after Vodacom said in January it had to disconnect 1.7 million customers in the East African nation because of an issue related to government approved identification documents. But the chief executive said Vodacom was working to reconnect these customers once they had undergone biometric registration. (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Edmund Blair) A bear stampede has taken hold of oil markets as the coronavirus plague continues to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) amongst the investing universe. Oil futures slid for a 10th straight session Monday as casualties hit 426 and the number of infections surpassed 20,000. And now big money managers have joined the stampede as new data reveals the virus is creating severe demand shocks that could further depress prices. Reuters has reported that fund managers and hedge funds were heavy sellers of crude oil and various refined products last week as the worsening outbreak heightened fears of a demand meltdown in China, the worlds leading importer of crude. Brent crude prices have dropped 21% over the past 30 days, less than two months after the first coronavirus case was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Nearly 60 million people in the country remain under lockdown in the cities as international researchers frantically race to develop a vaccine that will halt the spread of the virus. Brent Crude Price 1-Month Change Source: Bloomberg Bear Stampede According to the Commitments of Traders (COT) report by the CFTC, hedge funds and other money managers sold petroleum futures and options in the six most important contracts equivalent to 147 million barrels in the week ending Jan. 28. Contracts that were out of favor include Brent (27 million), NYMEX and ICE WTI (56 million barrels), U.S. gasoline (28 million), U.S. diesel (16 million) and European gasoil (20 million). This marked the largest sale by funds in any one week since July 2018 and among the heaviest sales over the past eight years. Thats quite alarming considering that fund managers have largely remained bullish even in the midst of the ongoing bear stampede. To be fair, fund selling in oil has been going on since Jan. 7; however, it was initially in only small volumes, mostly reflecting profit-taking after a large accumulation of bullish positions over much of last year. But the wave of selling has now accelerated with funds having sold a total of 236 million barrels of crude and products over the last three weeks compared to purchases of 533 million barrels over the previous three months. Related: Citi: Brent Oil Could Fall To $47 As Demand In China Crashes Following the latest wave of selling, hedge fund positioning in crude and products has fallen to 4:1 with bullish long positions outnumbering bearish short ones. Thats below the long-term average of 5:1 and a sharp turnaround of a 7:1 long-short ratio at the start of the year. Demand Shocks Oil traders appear justified in their anticipation for oil consumption to take a massive hit in the short term. Last week, Bloomberg reported that Chinese oil demand had dropped by about 3 million barrels a day, or ~20% of total consumption. The drop marks the largest demand shock in the market since the global financial crisis that ended in 2009. Its also the most sudden shock the market has suffered since the Sept. 11 attacks nearly two decades ago. It remains to be seen what measures OPEC and its allies will take to ameliorate the situation when they meet on Tuesday and Wednesday. Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, has told CNBC that the cartel could lower production by another million barrels per day or risk further collapse in prices. Its going to be a tough call though for the members to agree to such a heavy cut considering that the group had already agreed to deeper production cuts in December. Selloff Overdone Investors typically hate uncertainty, and this is the key reason why the coronavirus has been wreaking so much havoc on financial markets. Chinas lunar new year has already been extended with many businesses and factories remaining shut with little clarity regarding when the situation will be contained. Meanwhile, several prominent airlines have suspended flights to China while the US, Australia, Japan, Italy, Russia, Pakistan and Singapore have issued a travel ban that prevents travelers that have been to China in recent weeks entry into their respective countries. Related: Coronavirus May Cripple Fuel Demand In All Of Asia While its almost inevitable that oil demand will suffer in the short-term, not everybody believes that the sky is falling or that the heavy oil selloff is merited. Vandana Hari, founder and CEO of energy markets consultancy Vanda Insights, says its unfair to compare the coronavirus epidemic to the SARS outbreak of 2003 because the last one was compounded by the US invading Iran. Vandana notes that the fear premium peaked before the invasion, with oil prices falling from $30/barrel to $20/barrel before recovering rapidly after OPEC quickly stepped in and filled the gap left by Iran. Vandana sees OPEC stepping in to defend Brent at the $60/barrel psychological floor though she says its a bit premature for the organization to do so at this time. S&P Platts is also a bit more bullish about the situation and sees the effects of the coronavirus cooling off around June-July. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: [February 05, 2020] Harrington Group International Plans $30M Software Giveaway ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harrington Group International (HGI) is launching a campaign to help make manufacturing in the U.S.A. great by giving away up to $30 million in quality management software. With a mission to make quality management software affordable again, HGI will offer free desktop software to up to 30,000 manufacturing industry professionals. The promotion, designed as part of the companys celebration of National Quality in Manufacturing Month, commences March 1, 2020, and runs throughout the month, closing at midnight, EST, March 31, 2020. The free software, valued at $1199 per application, is purpose built to help manufacturers manage customers, employees, supply chain, compliance issues, products and services. Follow this link ( https://qms.harringtongroupsoftware.com/2020-giveaway/ ) to learn more about this exceptional offer. Wre making a HUGE contribution to the manufacturing community, said Rick Harrington, Jr., Chairman and CEO. Our goal is simple: to aid manufacturing companies, large, medium and small in reducing cost, time and improving overall processes, just as HGI software has done for over three decades. We want to honor Americas great manufacturing industry and show our appreciation to all the hardworking men and women who make manufacturing in the U.S.A. strong. Recognized as the originator in quality management software, HGI , (originally The Harrington Group), has been serving the software needs of American manufacturers since 1991. HGIs easy to use, software is quick to implement and highly customizable for teams or companies. Recipients of the software must pay a one-time $20 processing fee and HGI reserves the exclusive right to withhold distribution or stop the offer at any time. The software will be available one per named company, exclusive of industry competitors or consultants. About Harrington Group International The Harrington Group was co-founded in 1991 by Rick Harrington, Jr. with a vision to help organizations better manage/automate and improve on their manual quality system. The companys goal was quickly realized when they pioneered the first MS-DOS based Quality Management Software for Executives and Quality Managers. The very first software suites, titled The Cost of Quality, Corrective Action, and many other desktops sold over a million copies. Today, Harrington Group International offers proven Enterprise Quality Management Web based software since 2001; Web based Corrective Action (CAPA) Software since 1998 and some of the original desktops, these diverse products aid companies for business process improvement, regulatory requirements, and product quality control. Over the three decades, HGI software has helped companies save hundreds of millions of dollars in costs, time and materials, which has driven higher product quality, lowered production costs and increased top-line revenues and bottom-line profits. CONTACT: James Harrington 407-781-0859 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 13:16:20|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 -- Wearing a mask, Gerusherab braved the bitter cold to start his daily patrol on a motorbike in the Sanjiangyuan National Park, a haven for wildlife, which is located in northwest China's Qinghai Province. Over the Spring Festival holiday, the 27-year-old man and other park rangers have intensified their patrols, as more cases of the novel coronavirus infections were reported. Previous investigations indicated that wild animals could have played a key role in the emergence of the disease. But it remains unclear what kind of animal caused the infection. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Sanjiangyuan, known as the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, is home to hundreds of species of wild animals, many of which are under state protection, such as wild yaks, snow leopards, Tibetan antelopes and Tibetan gazelles. "We inspect whether there are dead wild animals along the roads every day," Gerusherab said. Park rangers need to report every wild animal found dead of unknown causes to the local disease control and prevention departments, and the carcasses will be disposed of to prevent the spread of diseases. Forest police have also strengthened measures in the park to crack down on illegal acts of trafficking, poaching and hunting wild animals. In the eyes of Kangje, also a park ranger, the coronavirus outbreak has cautioned the government and the public about the importance of wildlife conservation. Apart from Qinghai, other parts of the country have also taken prompt measures to protect wild animals and fight against wildlife trading. The Administration for Market Regulation of south China's Guangdong Province said Tuesday that it has joined hands with 12 provincial departments, including the department of ecology and environment and the public security department, to launch an action against illegal wildlife trade across the province. The action orders a ban on all forms of wildlife trade in marketplaces and restaurants. The forestry bureau of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has also banned wild animal trading and strengthened measures of wild animal management and control. The local government has called a halt to all kinds of related activities such as wildlife transport, exhibitions and performances. Chongqing has also tightened the monitoring of epidemic diseases of terrestrial wildlife and carried out a daily report system. Forest rangers have been urged to intensify patrols in the wild. The government requests prompt reporting of any abnormal deaths of wildlife and thorough investigations. Forest police in south China's island province of Hainan said they have detained a suspect in late January, who confessed to hunting wild animals in a nature reserve. In an effort to curb the spread of the epidemic, the public security department of Hainan has teamed up with the local forestry department and market regulation department to thoroughly check farm products markets, pet markets and restaurants, and intensify efforts to crack down on illegal acts of hunting, purchasing, transporting, selling and processing wild animals. In east China's Jiangxi Province, around 6,000 police officers have been dispatched to get tough on wildlife crimes over the past two weeks. Chris Davidson If theres one thing we know, its that people will always travel. Despite devastating incidents in recent history and increasing fears related to global health epidemics, terrorism, climate change and natural disasters, people have summoned the courage and desire to get back out there and see the world. While the Coronavirus is certainly alarmingwith the World Health Organization declaring it a global health emergency and several airlines temporarily cancelling flights to and from Chinawere confident that travel will continue. We anticipate people will adjust their itineraries to unaffected regions in the short term, helping to stand up the industry overall. To provide some perspective, we know from our MMGY Travel Intelligence data that travel rebounded quickly after the Great Recession of 2008, with a spending recovery not far behind. While we dont yet know the reach of Coronavirus nor the true impact it will have on the travel industry globally, we do know that, for travelers around the world, travel is as much a birthright as it is a leisure activity, and it takes a lot to keep us down. What were seeing with the Coronavirus is scary stuff, but its not without precedent. Outbreaks of SARS and the Ebola virus in years past have jolted the global travel economy for short periods of time. In fact, a decade ago, we studied the impact of Swine Flu and other potential global health pandemics on traveler sentiment. Specifically, we asked travelers to tell us, in the event of a pandemic outbreak, how likely theyd be to alter their travel plans. One in three travelers said theyd alter their plans, with 15 percent of travelers indicating theyd postpone travel until the outbreak subsided, 11 percent choosing to visit a different destination instead and another 10 percent saying theyd cancel their trip altogether. In instances like this, concerns are heightened about forms of travel that require people to gather in relatively confined spaces: airplanes, cruise ships and other forms of mass transit. And, pending what we continue to learn about the most common forms of transmission of Coronavirus, these concerns are certainly appropriate. Yet, it makes me wonder if other forms of travel may actually experience a concurrent uptick even as news of this health crisis spreads. For example, our data revealed a significant spike in road trips in America as a form of travel experience over the past five years. In 2015, 33 percent of American travelers reported taking a road trip within the past 12 months. By 2019, this percentage had increased to 53 percent, with 63 percent of travelers indicating an intention to take this form of trip in the year ahead. This trend could actually accelerate when travelers are concerned about crowds and confined spaces. Adventure travel, or trips where people get back to nature (ex. hiking, biking, exploring, etc.) and away from crowds and confined spaces, may experience growth in times like this. We also know from research that travelers are now more likely to avoid tourism destinations and experiences that are increasingly overcrowded in favor of more local, authentic experiences. Could a global health pandemic like coronavirus impact and accelerate this trend as well? Our research indicates global travelers will continue to travel even in the face of challenges like the Coronavirus. That doesnt make this issue any less frightening, nor does it suggest its not something to take very seriously. But, we will get through this, just as our industry has adapted and recovered in the past. Travelers will make sure of it. *** Chris Davidson is executive vice president of insights and research at MMGY Global. [February 05, 2020] NOTICE TO UPS EMPLOYEES: KlaymanToskes Continues to Investigate on Behalf of UPS Employees Who Sustained Losses from Unsuitable Covered Call Writing Strategies KlaymanToskes ("KT (News - Alert)"), www.klaymantoskes.com, continues to investigate and pursue FINRA arbitration claims for current and former UPS (NYSE: UPS) employees for losses sustained from unsuitable covered call writing strategies. The investigation focuses on full-service brokerage firms' sales practices for customers who acquired UPS stock through UPS's Employee Stock Purchase Plan or Managers Incentive Program and were advised to implement a covered call strategy on their concentrated UPS stock position. KT continues to investigate and pursue claims on behalf of current and former UPS employees, who held concentrated positions in UPS stock. UPS employees received their shares at a low cost-basis as a form of compensation, and full-service brokerage firms solicied them to employ a covered-call strategy that promised stable income without losing shares. UPS employees often have no desire to lose the shares that they worked so hard to acquire. UPS employees also wanted to keep their shares because the shares produced consistent dividends, and the shares have a history of appreciation. In many instances the covered call strategy failed, as it was improperly implemented. The strategy placed investors in a precarious position of either losing their shares or having to pay significant sums to buy-back their stock. Further, the sale of such large positions typically ended in significant tax liability to investors. The sole purpose of this release is to investigate whether the covered call strategies deployed by investment firms were suitable for UPS investors with concentrated stock positions. Current and former UPS employees who held accounts at full-service brokerage firms, and have information relating to the manner in with the firm handled their concentrated portfolios, are encouraged to contact the attorneys of KlaymanToskes at (888) 997-9956, or visit our firm's website at www.klaymantoskes.com. About KlaymanToskes KT is a leading national securities law firm which practices exclusively in the field of securities arbitration and litigation on behalf of retail and institutional investors throughout the world in large and complex securities matters. The firm represents high net-worth, ultra-high net-worth, and institutional investors, such as non-profit organizations, unions, public pension funds, and multi-employer pension funds. KT has office locations in California, Florida, New York, and Puerto Rico. Destination: https://klaymantoskes.com/notice-to-ups-employees-klaymantoskes-continues-to-investigate-on-behalf-of-ups-employees-who-sustained-losses-from-unsuitable-covered-call-writing-strategies/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005771/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press 2019 WASHINGTON At least 138 people deported to El Salvador from the U.S. in recent years were subsequently killed, Human Rights Watch says in a new report that comes as the Trump administration makes it harder for Central Americans to seek refuge here. A majority of the deaths documented by Human Rights Watch in the report being released Wednesday occurred less than a year after the deportees returned to El Salvador, and some within days. The organization also confirmed at least 70 cases of sexual assault or other violence following their arrival in the country. Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of Premier Investments Limited (ASX:PMV). Premier Investments has a ROE of 7.9%, based on the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each A$1 of shareholders' equity it has, the company made A$0.08 in profit. Check out our latest analysis for Premier Investments How Do You Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for Premier Investments: 7.9% = AU$107m AU$1.3b (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2019.) It's easy to understand the 'net profit' part of that equation, but 'shareholders' equity' requires further explanation. It is all the money paid into the company from shareholders, plus any earnings retained. You can calculate shareholders' equity by subtracting the company's total liabilities from its total assets. What Does Return On Equity Mean? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses. Does Premier Investments Have A Good Return On Equity? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As shown in the graphic below, Premier Investments has a lower ROE than the average (13%) in the Specialty Retail industry classification. Story continues ASX:PMV Past Revenue and Net Income, February 4th 2020 That's not what we like to see. It is better when the ROE is above industry average, but a low one doesn't necessarily mean the business is overpriced. Nonetheless, it could be useful to double-check if insiders have sold shares recently. How Does Debt Impact Return On Equity? Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking. Combining Premier Investments's Debt And Its 7.9% Return On Equity Premier Investments has a debt to equity ratio of 0.13, which is far from excessive. I'm not impressed with its ROE, but the debt levels are not too high, indicating the business has decent prospects. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality. But It's Just One Metric Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. In my book the highest quality companies have high return on equity, despite low debt. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt. But ROE is just one piece of a bigger puzzle, since high quality businesses often trade on high multiples of earnings. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company. But note: Premier Investments may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. A research institute in China's virus-hit Wuhan city has applied for a patent on the use of a drug made in the US after it was found to be effective in treating patients infected with the coronavirus, raising questions whether the lab's move violated the intellectual property rights. As the coronavirus strain officially named as 2019 n-CoV wreaked havoc in China and abroad, there is a race to develop a viable medicine to treat an increasing number of cases as well as a vaccine to prevent its spread. In a breakthrough of sorts, US doctors treating a coronavirus patient early this month reported his successful recovery after treating with experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir. This prompted China to announce immediate field trials to test the drug. China's National Health Commission on Monday said the drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak. Some 270 patients will take part in the study, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted China's thepaper.cn as reporting on February 3. Later, state-run Xinhua agency reported quoting the Ministry of Science and Technology that a batch of antiviral drug Remdesivir, which will be put into clinical trials to test its efficiency on the coronavirus patients, is expected to arrive in China on Tuesday. Remdesivir has been used to treat Ebola infections abroad, the report said. Although the drug has not gone through all the procedures of clinical trials on the coronavirus abroad, it has shown fairly good vitro activity in related domestic research, Sun Yanrong, an official of the ministry, told a media briefing. Besides Remdesivir, researchers have also selected from screening several existing drugs, including Chloroquine phosphate and Favipiravir, as well as some traditional Chinese medicines that contain active antiviral ingredients as drug candidates, for further animal experiments and clinical trials, Chinese health officials said. Amid all this development, the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on Tuesday that its researchers discovered that two medicines - Remdesivir and chloroquine - could effectively inhibit the recently emerged coronavirus. The institute said it has claimed for patent, triggering a debate on Chinese social media over whether the move violates intellectual property regulations (IPR), state-run Global Times reported on Wednesday. Chloroquine is a medicine that has been used to deal with malaria since the 1940s. It has been sold in the Chinese market and can be independently provided, the institute said. Meanwhile, Remdesivir, GS-5734, a medicine developed by the US medicine producer Gilead, is in phase two and phase three clinical research into its effectiveness against the Ebola virus in Congo. In order to protect national interests, the institute said that it applied to patent the discovery that Remdesivir can be used to deal with 2019-nCov and would apply for patents in other countries and regions through the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The institute called for foreign companies to withhold enforcing their lawful patent rights to help China fight against the coronavirus epidemic. The Wuhan institute's patent application has triggered heated discussions on Chinese social media. Some questioned whether the institute is allowed to apply to patent a medicine made by a US company in China, citing Chinese companies' and institutes' notorious history in allegedly stealing foreign intellectual property, the daily said. The alacrity with which Chinese firms and R&D institutes claim patents for foreign technology and discoveries had become a major friction between US and China over the years. The IPR theft and China's emphasis on technology transfer is part of a trade war between the world's two top economies. US President Donald Trump had launched the trade war with China in 2018 demanding Beijing to reduce massive trade deficit. His demands included an intrusive verification mechanism to supervise Beijing's promise to protect intellectual property rights, technology transfer and more access to American goods to Chinese markets. The two countries signed phase one deal last month which reportedly contained provision for verification mechanism for IPR enforcement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A major advertising company has threatened legal action against climate change vandals replacing paid billboards with anti-coal and anti-government graffiti. French advertiser JCDecaux, who advertise in 80 countries, have warned they will take legal action if vandals continue to deface their advertising in Australia. A group of artists decided to tear down paid for advertising across major Australian cities in order to put up climate change graffiti in its place. The group have labelled it #BushfireBrandalism. Major French advertiser JCDecaux has threatened to take vandals (pictured) who have defaced their billboards to the police The group of vandals spoke out saying they were 'reclaiming public advertising space' however their behaviour has been branded 'dishonest' and 'illegal' Some of the vandals wore high-vis vests with a fake JCDecaux name printed on the back. A JCDecaux spokeswoman told The Australian the company was not ignorant to the vandalism and has been weighing up whether to involve police. 'JCDecaux haven't contacted authorities at this point but will be left with no choice if it persists,' the spokeswoman said. Political muralist Scott Marsh said they were 'reclaiming public advertising'. 'As a collective group of Australian artists, we have been driven to reclaim public advertising space with posters speaking to the Australian government's inaction on climate change and the devastating bushfires,' he wrote. 'We do not accept that this situation is "business as usual". 'We are making these issues visible in our public spaces and in our media, areas monopolized by entities maintaining conservative climate denial agendas.' The post garnered 1000 shares and 200 comments, some in agreement with the actions while others were highly critical. The vandalism was across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and was mostly done on billboards by JCDecaux which had been sold to hard working businesses 'Love it - so powerful in keeping the climate on the agenda,' one user replied. 'Fantastic idea. Needs implementation in rural Australia, not just cities,' another added. However some were quick to call out the actions as illegal. 'I hope you are paying for this advertising space. Otherwise it is called theft. Somebody or someone makes a living and has paid good money for this space,' one user wrote. 'Scott you want to claim public advertising space? Great. How about you pay for it next time?' another added. Moderate Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman described the actions of the vandals as 'dishonest' and 'illegal'. 'This is the type of extremism that undermines pushing for climate action,' he said. 'There is no place for such dishonest and illegal behaviour in what should be a civil debate on the issues.' Not everyone online agreed with the actions of the group with one man saying if they wanted to 'reclaim public advertising' then they should pay for it like everyone else A Facebook page titled Save the Bees Australia claimed the vandalism was actually an 'art exhibition'. 'Organised and realized by 41 artists, 78 advertising posters have been replaced with bespoke thought-provoking images and messages,' the post read. 'This undertaking is a direct reaction to the feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness experienced nationwide in recent weeks.' Under s197 of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), it's an indictable offence to 'intentionally destroy or damage property belonging to another' and penalties range from five to 10 years imprisonment. In NSW the maximum penalty is five years imprisonment in the District Court or two years 'if the case remains in the Local Court'. Meanwhile in Queensland the maximum penalty for vandalising another's property can also be up to five year's imprisonment. Daily Mail Australia has contacted JCDecaux for further comment. Update: On Wednesday morning, police said the officer was not a U.S. marshal -- but rather a member of a multi-agency fugitive task force in Kent County. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A man who is in violation of his parole shot at a U.S. Marshal agent in a Grand Rapids neighborhood before fleeing the scene. The federal marshal was not injured Tuesday, Feb. 4, but was shaken up after his unmarked vehicle was hit by multiple bullets while in the 900 block of Sherman Street SE. This was a very close call, said Grand Rapids Sgt. John Wittkowski. "This is pretty rare in the city of Grand Rapids. We dont typically see this level of violence. This was a situation that could have turned quite tragic. Officers were dispatched to the Southeast Grand Rapids neighborhood near Joe Taylor Park around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on a report of shots fired in the area. The shooter is being identified by police as Maxamillion Long, who has absconded his parole. He is believed to have fled the scene in a blue Chevy Cruze with the license plate ECT 9155. Long, 27, is described as a 6-foot-1, 185-pound man. According to Michigan Department of Corrections records, he was convicted of unarmed robbery in 2012 and sentenced to 5-15 years in prison. He violated his parole on Nov. 5, 2019, records show. He isnt expected to be alone in his vehicle. He is considered armed and dangerous, Wittkowski said. Maxamillion Long, 27, is being sought by police in Grand Rapids. He's considered armed and dangerous. (Courtesy photo | Michigan Department of Corrections) Police said the federal agent was observing the parole absconder and was waiting for backup to arrest the individual. The shooting was unprovoked, and Wittkowski said the marshal didnt shoot at the parolee. No houses were hit by gunfire, according to police. The Grand Rapids Police Department is following leads in an effort to locate the parolee. Police ask anyone with information to contact the department at 616-456-3400, or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. Police are looking for Maxamillion Long and a blue Chevy Cruze he was last seen in. The plate is ECT9155 and the car has tinted windows (Courtesy: Grand Rapids police) Read more: Police beating themselves up after 911 caller found dead hours later Bloomberg tells Detroit hes their best chance to beat Trump Man reported missing in West Michigan STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island is gearing up to join thousands of communities worldwide in marking the 70th anniversary of the leadership of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. It was on the 10th of the Hebrew month of Shevat, coinciding this year with Feb. 5, that Rabbi Schneerson formally assumed the role of Rebbe, engineering a global Jewish renaissance in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Despite his stature and accomplishments, the Rebbe was a tremendously modest man and, unlike any other leader of his importance, was remarkably accessible to anyone who wanted to meet him, said Mendy Katzman, associate director, Chabad of Staten Island. Recognized as the most influential rabbi in modern history, he was the only rabbi ever to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, and to have an American national day, Education and Sharing Day U.S.A., proclaimed in his honor because of his advocacy, for among other things the establishment of a Cabinet-level Department of Education, he added. On Sunday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. members of the Staten Island community will gather for An Evening of Chassidic Song," at Congregation Bnai Jeshurun, 275 Martling Ave., West Brighton to celebrate the Rebbes life and leadership, and reflect on and rededicate themselves to his teachings and ideals. The event is co-sponsored by Chabad of Staten Island, Chabad of the South Shore, Chabad of the North Shore, Congregation Toras Emes, Jewish Russian Learning Center, and Jewish Russian Learning Center of South Beach. Attendants will be treated to a journey through Jewish song, performed by world-renowned Cantor Aryeh Hurwitz. Words of inspiration will be shared as well. [Rebbes] teachings about the inherent goodness of all mankind, and the infinite potential of every individual and each good deed, continue to be a guiding force as a generation, of both Jews and non-Jews, seeks to positively change the world for the better, said Katzman. On Staten Island, many locals have undertaken an array of personal and communal activities in the Rebbes honor, said Katzman. Additionally, many tens of thousands will visit his resting place in Queens during the anniversary, bearing the personal prayers of millions. For more information on An Evening of Chassidic Song, email info@chabadsi.com or call (718) 370-8953. Labor Secretary Releases Statement on December Employment Numbers Following the California Employment Development Departments (EDD) release of the states employment data from December, the California Labor Secretary, Julie A. Su issued the following statement: California continues to show strong job growth, with industry sectors such as professional and business services leading the way. The continuing job growth and low unemployment in California is one of the many reasons our state is the worlds fifth largest economy. Additionally, work in construction grew by 31,300 jobs over the last year. Governor Newsoms commitment to invest and expand apprenticeships will help ensure more working people are in good jobs. ADVERTISEMENT With historic unemployment rates we have an opportunity to ensure low-wage jobs in the care sector become higher quality jobs by focusing on wage growth and economic mobility for more workers across industries and spectrums. Kanhaiya Kumar's convoy attacked again in Bihar; 2 injured India pti-PTI Supaul (Bihar), Feb 05: The convoy of CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is on a state-wide tour of Bihar campaigning against the CAA, NPR and NRC, was attacked here on Wednesday evening, police said. The former JNU student leader escaped unhurt in the attack by a stone-pelting mob, though one of the vehicles in his convoy was damaged and its driver injured, Sudhir Kumar Porika, the SP of Special Task Force, who is holding the additional charge of Supaul, told PTI-Bhasha over phone. "The convoy has left for its next destination. Investigations are on to identify and nab the culprits," Porika said about the attack, which happens to be the second such incident in less than a week. On February 1, his convoy was attacked in Saran district. The 'Jan Gan Man Yatra', which began on January 30, had a rough start when Kumar was told by police in West Champaran district that permission for his first scheduled rally was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. Congress MLA Shakil Ahmad Khan, who has been accompanying the CPI leader since the commencement of the tour, blamed "negligence on part of the police and the administration" for the incident. "It is a small town. The spot where the attack took place is less than a kilometer from the collector's residence. Police personnel and officials of the district administration were deployed. Still the miscreants hurled stones, raised slogans and managed to flee taking advantage of the dark," Khan alleged. "I have telephoned the Director General of Police seeking intervention from the highest level. Our yatra is to continue for the next few weeks. Already, we are on the move, having left Supaul for Saharsa where Kanhaiya's next rally is scheduled on Thursday. We hope the law and order machinery would rise to the occasion," the MLA added. He also claimed that two vehicles - a bus and a rath (open chariot-shaped car) were damaged in the attack - sharing images on WhatsApp, and alleged that "the driver of the rath, Ejaz, has been seriously injured. A woman sitting next to the driving seat has also received bruises". CPI state secretary Satya Narayan Singh issued a statement in Patna, strongly condemning the incident and demanding stern action against the culprits and "guilty police officials". The state-wide tour is being conducted under the banner of 'Joint Forum Against NPR/NRC/CAA'. It is scheduled to conclude with a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna later this month. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that overcrowding in jails is linked to pendency of cases in courts, which impacts performance of the judicial system. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant, making an observation on prison reforms, said it will prioritize issues connected with filling vacancies in prisons across the country and overcrowding of jails. "We know overcrowding is connected with pendency of cases in courts. That is something we will need to tackle, but we are going to tackle it", observed the court. The observation from the top court came during the hearing of a matter relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across India. The apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of a letter written in 2013. These prisons house 4.68 lakh inmates instead of sanctioned strength of 3.83 lakh. The top court observed the jail staff fall behind nearly 30 to 40 per cent against the strength sanctioned, and it will pass direction on the issue. The court also asked Centre's counsel Additional Solicitor General A.N.S. Nadkarni, to place before it a mechanism to fill vacancies along with overcrowding highlighted in the report of a committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Amitava Roy. The court said it would pass directions after two weeks. Citing the shortage of staff, the report said, "This shortage has lingered over the years, for want of timely recruitments and is a major hindrance in the way of the required implementation of several mandatory measures, prescribed by the law as well as the Model Prison Manual 2016, seriously impinging upon the human rights of the prison sector." Justice Roy suggested probable directions, which can be passed as remedial measures. The report cites seven states have occupancy at a staggering 150%. The report highlighted the prison population has increased by 8.2%, from 2016 to 2018, against an increase of 0.7 per cent in the prison sanctioned capacity. National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in 2017 cited the gap in the prisoner holding capacity of the prisons -- 3.78 lakh, but the actual number of inmates lodged was 4.19 lakh. The report to tackle overcrowding suggested use of discretionary powers by he courts and award sentences like "fine and admonition", instead of sending the accused to jails, and also consider release on probation at pre-trial stage or after wherever it is required. "The committee feels that there is an urgent need for a high-powered representative body in every state government/UTs to continuously oversee and monitor the needs of the prison department and address the same in time with vigilance and expedition", suggested the report. Protesters demanded to speak with lawmakers and asked for due process for embattled Rep. Matt Shea A gun rights supporter stands on the Capitol steps, armed and wearing tactical gear. - Photo by Cameron Sheppard, WNPA News Service Roughly 100 gun-rights activists marched on the State Capitol on Friday and rallied in opposition to recently proposed gun regulation bills. Matt Marshall, leader of the Washington Three Percent gun rights advocacy group, spoke to an excited crowd after announcing earlier this month he would run for the seat of House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, after criticizing Wilcox's leadership regarding issues surrounding Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane. Shea was expelled from the House Republican Caucus and stripped of his committee appointments after a private investigative report paid for by the House of Representatives and conducted by the Rampart Group accused Shea of participating in acts of domestic terrorism for his involvement with armed standoffs with law enforcement in Nevada and Oregon. "Today closes my first month of fundraising," Marshall said to the crowd. "I am happy to announce that it is going to be a shock throughout the Republican establishment." Joey Gibson, founder of the Patriot Prayer group, spoke to the crowd, praising Shea's willingness to stand up for the rights of citizens in Bunkerville, Nevada and Priest River, Idaho when he felt the government had impeded their rights. It is alleged that Shea organized armed support to prevent the government seizure of firearms from a veteran in Priest River and helped to organize and negotiate during the Bundy family's armed standoff in Bunkerville. Gibson led supporters to the office of House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox to demand due process for Rep. Matt Shea. An armed member of Washington Three Percent cursed Wilcox and called him a coward when he did not show up to address the marchers. The man yelled profanities as he made a gesture with his middle finger towards Wilcox's office. Gun rights advocates wore tactical gear and carried assault rifles in front of the House Chamber as they spoke to the crowd of the need for resistance against a "tyrannical" government. Meanwhile, resistance to gun regulations such as voter-approved Initiative-1639 continues as county commissioners from Stevens County this week adopted a resolution to nullify the initiative, claiming the regulations are an infringement on Second Amendment rights. Nearly 60 percent of the state's voters approved I-1639 in Nov. 2018, which took effect July 1, 2019. The law calls for enhanced background checks, requires firearm safety training, raises the age for gun ownership to 21 and contains gun storage provisions. Several law enforcement officials in the state vowed last year not to actively enforce the law, claiming that some of its provisions are unconstitutional. And now, at least one county government has deemed it unconstitutional. Stevens County Commissioner Steve Parker said any gun regulation to be implemented would be an infringement or restriction on constitutional rights. Parker urged that laws just be enforced as they currently exist. The Legislature is currently considering bills that would outlaw gun magazines that automatically feed more than 10 rounds and a bill that would require firearm training for people who obtain permits to carry concealed guns. Alexander Roggenkamp urged people to train themselves physically; he handed out cards for his firearm and survival training courses. "If we have to fight, you guys need to actually be ready to fight," he said to the crowd. PORTLAND, Oregon, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Automotive Exhaust System Market by Technology (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC), Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), Selective catalytic reduction (SCR), Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), Gasoline Particulate Filter (GPF), and Others), Fuel Type (Gasoline and Diesel) and Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026". According to the report, the global automotive exhaust system industry accounted for $77.32 billion in 2018, and is anticipated to reach $130.16 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 6.7% from 2019 to 2026. Chief reasons for market fluctuations Stringent government regulations for emission control, rise in automobile production, and adoption of nanotechnology in catalytic converters drive the growth of the global automotive exhaust system market. However, growing electric vehicle production and high cost of automotive catalysts hamper the market growth. On the contrary, innovations in automotive catalysts and government initiatives in developing nations for emission reduction are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry. Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6282 The gasoline particulate filter (GPF) segment dominated the market Based on technology, the gasoline particulate filter (GPF) segment held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than three-fifths of the global automotive exhaust system market. This is attributed to increase in demand for gasoline vehicles in the developing countries and imposement of regulations. However, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period, owing to the increase in the stringency toward tailpipe emission and stringent stricter emission control regulations such as EURO VI. The diesel segment to portray fastest growth by 2026 Based on fuel type, the diesel segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. This is attributed to government initiatives to encourage the use of public transport. However, the gasoline segment dominated the global automotive exhaust system market in 2018, accounting for more than three-fourths of the market. The rise in adoption of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, powered by gasoline in developed countries, is expected to drive the growth of the segment. Asia-Pacific to lead throughout the forecast period The market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2018, accounting for more than half of the market. The region is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period, supported by a CAGR of 7.7%. The rise in population and increase in demand for automobiles drives the growth in the region. On the other hand, North America is anticipated to register a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. For purchase inquiry at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6282 Major market players Umicore Johnson Matthey Tenneco Inc BOSAL BASF SE BENTELER International Eberspacher Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd Klarius Products Ltd Faurecia Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access Avenue, a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. Avenue is a premium subscription-based model that serves as an informative solution on which the world-leading companies can rely on. Get more information: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/Avenue-Membership-details Similar Reports: Air Suspension Market is Estimated to Generate $9.22 Billion by 2026 Automotive Catalyst Market is Projected to Reach $31,815.7 Million by 2025 Turbocharger Market is Generating Revenue of $19 Billion by 2022 Automotive Motors Market Consumption to Hit $49.20 Billion by 2026 Pre-book Offer 12% Discount: Automotive Electric Oil Pump Market Hydrogen Vehicle Market About us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact us: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free (USA/Canada): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow us on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald during the final TV leaders' debate at the RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday February 4, 2020. See PA story IRISH Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire (left to right) Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald during the final TV leaders' debate at the RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday February 4, 2020. See PA story IRISH Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire The last leaders' debate of the campaign was a feisty affair as Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar and Mary Lou McDonald battled it out on RTE's Prime Time. Our experts were on hand to fact-check some of the claims being made by the three party leaders. CLAIM 20,000 are homeless in Northern Ireland Leo Varadkar has claimed: The number of homeless in Northern Ireland is 20,000. He was arguing that other jurisdictions have serious homelessness problems too. FACTCHECK by Environment Correspondent Caroline ODoherty Just under 20,000 households are on the Northern Ireland Housing Executives housing waiting list in the way that around 69,000 are on the waiting lists in the Republic. The actual homelessness figure in the North ie those in hostels or other emergency accommodation, is closer to 5,000 with the equivalent in the Republic being around 10,400. Verdict: FALSE. There is a difference in terminology in North and South. People applying for social housing in the North generally present as homeless because they need an alternative to their current accommodation but the majority are not in an immediate accommodation crisis. CLAIM: There has been a drop in homelessness figures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says we have seen a "significant" drop in homelessness figures in recent days FACT-CHECK by Public Affairs Correspondent Amy Molloy The latest data by the Department of Housing shows there were 9,731 people in emergency accommodation during the week of December 23-29th 2019. This compares with 10,448 the previous month a fall of 717. VERDICT: Mostly true. While there has been a fall in numbers, there are still 9,713 people without a home. Homeless figures tend to fall every December as according to housing charities, landlords tend to delay evictions etc in the lead-up to Christmas. CLAIM: Pension age is rising in Northern Ireland Leo Varadkar said the state pension age will rise to 66 in Northern Ireland this year and the state pension is worth 125 a week FACTCHECK by Industry Correspondent Anne-Marie Walsh Verdict: Correct, give or take a few pounds. The pension age will rise to 66 in October. The basic state pension is worth 129.20 a week but a new state pension that is calculated differently for those who retired after 2016 is worth 168.60 a week. CLAIM Sinn Feins Conor Murphy suggested murdered Paul Quinn was involved in criminality. The family of Paul Quinn have long sought an apology from Conor Murphy over alleged remarks he made about their son. He was killed 13 years ago by a gang of IRA men who broke every bone in his body. His mother Breege has sought an apology again in recent days for accusations that Paul was linked to criminality. However, Mary Lou McDonald said earlier this week that Conor Murphy never did that. Fact Check by Head of News Kevin Doyle Independent.ie has obtained an audio clip from BBC which backs up a quote used by Miriam OCallaghan during the Prime Time debate. In it, Mr Murphy says: Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality. I think everybody accepts that. Mary Lou McDonald now accepts that she was wrong, saying her recollection was that he had not been as explicit as that VERDICT: TRUE. Conor Murphy directly linked Paul Quinn to criminality. CLAIM Rents are falling Leo Varadkar has claimed: According to Daft.ie today, rents have fallen for the first time in eight years. FACTCHECK by Environment Correspondent Caroline ODoherty The latest report by property website Daft.ie has found that nationally average rents fell by 0.1pc in the last three months of 2019 the first overall quarterly decline since 2012. But the fall was driven by a 0.8pc decrease in rents outside the five cities. Within the cities, rents rose on average by 0.7pc over the same period. In Dublin, they rose slightly less by 0.4pc. Verdict: Partly TRUE. Fine Gael are correct to say that rents have fallen but the experience differs across the country and the figures confirm that there is still pressure on the rental market in the main urban areas. CLAIM - Varadkar on hospital beds Micheal Martin accused Leo Varadkar of saying when he was Minister for Health that more hospital beds can slow down productivity FACT-CHECK by Health Correspondent Eilish O'Regan In February 2016 Mr Varadkar in a Sunday Independent interview said in some hospitals sometimes when they have more beds and more resources that is what kind of slows it down Verdict:True. But the context of his comment was that when a hospital is very crowded there is more of a push on to provide diagnostics and improve patient flow. CLAIM: Multinationals hiring large numbers in Ireland Micheal Martin said a quarter of a million people are employed at multinationals. FACT-CHECK by Industry Correspondent Anne-Marie Walsh There were 245,096 working at foreign multinationals last year, an all time high. Verdict: Correct. CLAIM - Mary Lou McDonald on pensions and population The Sinn Fein leader claimed that predictions about the ageing population and growing cost of the state pension system could be reversed if younger people are encouraged to start families through the ability to own their own homes. She said "demographics will follow". FACTCHECK by Industry Correspondent Anne-Marie Walsh The CSO and KPMG have predicted a major increase in the number of over 65s in the coming decades. The number of workers to pensioners is expected to fall from 4.9 per pensioner to two per pensioner by 2055. And KPMG predicted the social insurance fund could clock up an accumulated deficit of 404bn by 2071. Verdict: Highly suspect claims based on the latest expert predictions. CLAIM Homeownership is at the lowest level since 1971 Micheal Martin has claimed: We have the lowest level of homeownership in this country since 1971. He blamed the Fine Gael government for this but Leo Varadkar instantly hit back claiming the biggest fall occurred under Fianna Fail governments. FACTCHECK by Head of News Kevin Doyle Homeownership rates in Ireland have traditionally been above the EU average but in recent decades the number of people with their own property has fallen. In 1991 homeownership stood at 80pc but by 2016 it dropped to 67.6pc. The number of owner occupied households fell from 1,149,924 to 1,147,552 between 2011 and 2016 (when Fine Gael were in power). Verdict: Partly TRUE. Fianna Fail are correct to say that homeownership is at its lowest level in decades but this trend had begun long before Fine Gael came to power. Homeownership actually peaked at about 80.1pc in 1991. CLAIM House prices have stopped rising Leo Varadkar has claimed: Since we brought it [the Help to Buy scheme] in, house prices have levelled off. He was refuting the claim that financial aid to house buyers only encourages developers to raise house prices. FACTCHECK by Environment Correspondent Caroline ODoherty The current Help to Buy scheme was introduced in mid-2016 to help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder. Around 16,000 buyers have benefitted from it. House prices, however, did rise in 2016, 2017 and 2018, most significantly in 2017 when they increased by around 8pc. Nationally, the rise slowed to just over 1pc last year which does indicate a stabilisation. But that was driven mainly by a drop in prices in Dublin outside the capital, prices rose by about 3.5pc. Verdict: Mainly TRUE. Fine Gael are right in saying house prices have levelled off on average but the trend differs across the country and its hard to gauge if the Help to Buy scheme makes any difference to prices as it covers a relatively small number of people and house prices rose significantly in the first two and a half years of the schemes operation. CLAIM Fianna Fail hasnt been in government for the past four years Micheal Martin has claimed the big lie of the campaign is that his party were in government for the past four years. Sinn Fein routinely described Fine Gael and Fianna Fail as partners in government. FACTCHECK by Head of News Kevin Doyle After 70 days of the negotiations in 2016, Fianna Fail signed up to a Confidence and Supply arrangement that allowed Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny be re-elected as Taoiseach. Under the deal Fianna Fail agreed to abstain on budgetary issues and votes on no confidence thereby ensuring the government could function. In return Fine Gael agreed to a number of key demands from Fianna Fail, including the abolition of water charges. Verdict: TRUE. The confidence and supply was unprecedented in this country. It meant Fianna Fail allowed the Government to stay in power but they did so from the opposition benches. CLAIM Sinn Fein doesnt support the Special Criminal Court Leo Varadkar claims Sinn Fein doesnt support the Special Criminal Court and is soft on crime. FACTCHECK by Legal Affairs Editor Shane Phelan Before the last election, Sinn Fein said it would abolish the non-jury court which deals with paramilitary and gangland crime. Its position has softened since then and the same pledge is not in its current manifesto. Mary Lou McDonald did not directly answer questions on the issue tonight. She said: I accept we need mechanisms and special powers. She also wants a High Court judge to do a review of various aspects of the justice system. The partys justice spokesman Martin Kenny recently said the court was dated and not fit to deal with modern crime. He also suggested a review. Verdict: TRUE. Sinn Fein clearly has longstanding issues with the non-jury court. While its stance shifted a bit, it is still not happy with the court as it currently operates. CLAIM: - Cost of national children's hospital Mary Lou McDonald said the new national childrens hospital is the most expensive in the world. FACTCHECK by Health Correspondent Eilish O'Regan So far the cost of construction is 1.4bn :The Royal Adelaide in Australia cost around 1.5bn to construct, for instance. Verdict: Unclear. But the childrens hospital is not yet built and may yet prove to be among the most expensive. CLAIM - Fianna Fails opponents claim the party made a deliberate decision to reduce the number of social houses built by local authorities when in government. During RTEs seven-way TV debate, Labour leader Brendan Howlin said: Fianna Fail hollowed out the capacity of local authorities to build houses in the time of plenty they left it to the private sector and bought and leased houses from the private sector. Mr Martin insisted: No, no, thats not true, thats not true. FACTCHECK by political correspondent Hugh O'Connell Fianna Fail states that between 2004 and 2010 the total number of social houses built by local authorities was 33,705 compared to 10,630 between 2011 and 2018 when Fine Gael was in office. Fianna Fail out built Fine Gael, over 3 to 1 in local authority housing, the party said. This claim is broadly backed by Department of Housing figures for the past 16 years. But figures for each year show that while nearly 5,000 local authority houses were built in 2007 and again in 2008, there was a significant drop in direct builds after that. In 2009 3,362 local authority houses were built, while in 2010 this figure fell to 1,328. While the economic crash may be to blame Dail statements by then Fianna Fail junior housing minister Michael Finneran signal that there was a shift in policy. Mr Finneran told Dail in December 2009 that the government reform programme involved a shift away from construction/acquisition and a one size fits all approach to meeting social housing needs towards a more graduated system of supports. In 2010 Mr Finneran said the government had a lesser reliance on construction and acquisition and was restructuring the social housing investment programme to allow for a greater role for the Rental Accommodation Scheme and leasing which, he said, offer the most effective and efficient response to market realities and housing need. Presented with these comments, Fianna Fail did deny that there was a conscious policy shift in its final years in government, but a spokesperson insisted: Our record on building homes is clear. We out-built Fine Gael in every metric over a comparable period of time while in government. VERDICT Mainly TRUE. While Fianna Fail has a strong record when it comes to building social housing it is evident that it moved away from directly building them in its final years in office. AECOM, the world's premier infrastructure firm, announced today (2/4) that Karl Jensen has joined the company as executive vice president of the National Governments practice in the Americas. A major contractor to the United States and Canadian governments, AECOM partners with federal agencies to deliver innovative solutions for mission success. We leverage our global defense, civilian and commercial expertise to provide comprehensive infrastructure, facilities, energy, environment, disaster resilience, and civil works services for our clients' most challenging projects. "Karl is joining our National Governments business at an exciting time," said Steve Morriss, AECOM's president of Design and Consulting Services Americas. "As we continue to execute a series of strategic actions to focus our business on our core professional services capabilities, including through this week's completed sale of the Management Services division, our thriving federal business will continue to be a driver of growth for the firm. Karl's depth and breadth of experience in this industry makes him a great fit to lead our federal business into the future." Mr. Jensen joins AECOM in the Washington, DC metro area from Swiss-based RUAG which develops civilian and military technology applications for use in space, in the air and on land where he led the company's expansion into the U.S. Previously, he led growth initiatives for CH2M's National Governments business and the sales integration for the Jacobs/CH2M merger. He has also held senior executive roles in the federal market sector at prominent defense companies such as Raytheon, SAIC and CACI. Mr. Jensen brings extensive experience in business operations, business development and strategy. "I'm thrilled to join this industry-leading team at such a pivotal juncture when there is a renewed focus on AECOM's design and consulting professional services for government clients," said Jensen. "I'm looking forward to building on AECOM's strong track record of exceptional client service and unprecedented market growth." Prior to joining the private sector, Mr. Jensen served more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve as a naval aviator and aerospace engineering duty officer. He has earned multiple acquisition certifications from the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a Master of Science in astronautical engineering and a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering. About AECOM AECOM is the world's premier infrastructure firm, delivering professional services across the project lifecycle - from planning, design and engineering to consulting and construction management. We partner with our clients in the public and private sectors to solve their most complex challenges and build legacies for generations to come. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, governments, energy and the environment, our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm with revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2019. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM. Trump is no stranger to critiques over his professional style. He has previously described himself as a germ freak and referred to handshakes as barbaric. And throughout his presidency, Trump has been known for both his handshake snubs and uncomfortable gestures. (Bloomberg) -- Autonomy founder Mike Lynch, whos fighting U.S. charges that he orchestrated a massive fraud at his software firm, was arrested in London as authorities pushed forward with his extradition. Lynch submitted himself for arrest and was granted conditional bail after being ordered to put up a 10 million-pound ($13 million) security, Westminster Magistrates Court staff said Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Lynch made false statements to make his software firm more attractive to Hewlett-Packard Co., which acquired Autonomy for $11 billion in 2011. It wrote down the value by $8.8 billion just a year later. Dr. Lynch vigorously rejects all the allegations against him and is determined to continue to fight these charges, Lynchs lawyers said in a statement. He is next due in court on March 10 for a case management hearing. While facing the U.S. criminal charges of wire and securities fraud, Lynch has separately fought a $5 billion civil case against HP in London, which finished last month with the judge set to consider his verdict. The U.S. DOJ should not have commenced extradition proceedings prior to the judgment of the English High Court, the attorneys, Chris Morvillo and Reid Weingarten, said. The U.S.-U.K. extradition agreement has come under scrutiny recently with the American government refusing to send back a diplomats wife who allegedly killed a motorcycle rider while driving on the wrong side of the road near an American military site. British lawmakers including David Davis said last month that the agreement is unequal and that the U.K. government should delay the extradition until the judgment in Lynchs London case was known. The 10-month civil trial wrapped up with Lynch saying that HP spent tens of millions of dollars attempting to prove fraud but failed to tie the founder to any wrongdoing. His attorney argued that HP brought the case out of buyers remorse. Lynch will fight the extradition based on the fact that the alleged offenses could have been tried in the U.K., Lynchs lawyer Alex Bailin said in court. Story continues British prosecutors chose not to pursue their own investigation. These matters concern a British citizen, U.K.-based conduct, a U.K. listed Plc, culminating in a U.K. civil trial in which judgment is pending -- these matters unquestionably belong here in the U.K., Bailin said. The forum bar exists to provide real protection against this interventionist type of action. (Updates with Lynch granted 10 million-pound bail in second paragraph.) To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Browning in London at jbrowning9@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. By Express News Service In the third week of December 2019, Kajal Aggarwal had revealed on social media that shes getting a wax figure at the popular Madame Tussauds gallery in Singapore, thereby becoming the first actress from the south Indian film industry to be given this honour. The actor has now landed in Singapore to unveil her statue on February 5, 2020. She has also shared a short promo of the same on her official Twitter and Instagram handles. Besides posing with Kajals replica, fans will be able to enter a shooting set where they will step into a popular movie scene with the actor. They will also experience the digitally-generated earthquake created with AR technology, audio-visual effects, and real-time camera capture. Mentioning the honour as a fabulous culmination to her decade, the Mumbai-born diva wrote on her Instagram handle I remember going to Madame Tussauds as a child and being so fascinated with all the figures that Ive always looked up to, admired and been in love with.. overwhelmed to be amongst them myself. This feels like a fabulous culmination so far and a great way to start the new decade on a good note.. the insane hours of hard work and personal sacrifices, all feel worth it.. forever thankful to have all of you by my side.. this ones for each one of you. Kajal is busy with a string of big-ticket films like Indian 2 and Mumbai Saga. She is also teaming up with Dulquer Salmaan for a romantic thriller in Tamil. EDWARDSVILLE A hemp processing company that is planning a facility in Fort Russell Township was approved for rezoning on about 5 acres by the Madison County Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday. Mind Inc., doing business as Oleo Sciences, had requested the rezoning to a planned unit development for two parcels in the 5900 block of Illinois 140 near Moro. Both had been zoned B-4 and are currently used for an excavation company. Jan Wallace of Mind Inc. said the firm plans to service small- to mid-sized hemp farmers, extracting cannabidiol (CDB) oils and remove unwanted THC. Eventually it wants to develop a manufacturing facility for hemp-based packaging. Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, is considered a cousin of the cannabis plants used as a source of marijuana. It is primarily grown for fiber and has many uses, ranging from packaging and cloth to paper and biofuel. It can also be used in food products, as livestock feed, and CDB oil can be extracted from the plant. In August 2018 the Industrial Hemp Act made growing the plan legal in Illinois. Federal law approved in December 2018 made hemp legal throughout the U.S. However, it is heavily regulated and both growing and processing hemp requires licensing by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Wallace said there are currently several small-scale farmers in the region growing hemp, but the closest place they can send the hemp for processing is in New York or Colorado, because closer facilities are geared more toward large-scale farmers. The request was approved unanimously by the zoning board of appeals, with member Tyrone Echols absent. It now goes to the Planning & Development Committee which is set to meet Thursday, Feb. 6, and then to the full Madison County Board for final approval. The ZBA also approved a request for an amendment to a B-5 planned business district site plan by December Investments LLC and owners Ryan and Kristin Kneedler for property at 1008 Troy-OFallon Road. The vote on that development had been postponed from November to allow the petitioners to make changes to the plan. The Kneedlers want to place a professional office building and rental storage units on the property. Numerous residents objected at the original hearing, primarily to the storage facility. Several objected at Tuesdays meeting. The request was also approved unanimously and will move forward to the Planning & Development Committee at its Thursday, Feb. 6 meeting. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. SALINE, MI The son of a man whos been the subject of widespread backlash since asking a parent why he didnt stay in Mexico during a community meeting Monday is speaking out against racist and xenophobic behavior." Matthew Burtell said he feels its important to challenge bigotry wherever it appears -- even when it involves his own father. His father Tom Burtell, in a tense moment during a Saline Area Schools community meeting on diversity and inclusion Monday, Feb. 3, asked the provocative question to fellow parent Adrian Iraola, who was in the middle of describing his sons difficult experiences as a Hispanic student in the predominantly white school district south of Ann Arbor. Its of vital importance to call out racism wherever you see it, said Matthew Burtell in an interview Tuesday. We cant stand idly by as children, as brothers and sisters, as friends and as people interacting with each other in daily life when someone says or does anything racist. Its all of our responsibilities and it shouldnt have to get to this. Why didnt you stay in Mexico? School diversity and inclusion meeting turns volatile Parents at the community meeting were encouraged to discuss incidents of bigotry after a series of racist Snapchat messages between Saline High School students came to light last week. Iraola was recounting incidents of his son being called taco, enchilada and nacho as a student. Tom Burtell interrupted Iraola, the owner of Ann Arbors Chelas Restaurant & Taqueria, to ask, Then why didnt you stay in Mexico? The comment caught most of the audience off guard, eliciting a chorus of gasps and shouts. Iraola replied that the United States is the greatest country in the world. Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools Matthew Burtell, a 2014 Saline High School alum with siblings still in the district, said he wanted to voice how his views differ from his fathers. His friend sent him the video Monday evening. He said it gave him a sinking feeling." I was horrified, said Matthew Burtell, a U.S. Navy veteran whos studying computer science and math at Yale University. "At some points in my life, Ive felt immense dread and a sort of sinking feeling, like Oh my god. So, I think it was that feeling." 28 School diversity and inclusion meeting Tense moment at meeting on racial climate illustrates problem at Saline Area Schools, parents say Racism was not uncommon when he attended Saline schools, Matthew Burtell said. It isnt uncommon in many environments, he added. Its always around you, he said. Its microaggressions. It doesnt always come in the form of something totally, obviously racist. Oftentimes, thats not what racism looks like. I dont think theres ever been a long period of time where I didnt see either the effects of racism or racism itself in any situation. I am a white guy. Im not the person to be asked the question. Theres so few people of color in the Saline Area Schools district. Asking them if they experienced racism would make much more sense. Some students in the district said they were frustrated and hurt by the Snapchat messages at a school board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29. One said he wanted the district to make students of color feel more comfortable in the hallways following the incident. Students weigh in on culture at Saline Area Schools after racist group Snapchat The district was 88% white, 4% multiracial, 4% Asian, 3% Hispanic or Latino and 1% black from 2013 to 2017, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Tom Burtell declined to speak to a reporter after the meeting Monday. Superintendent condemns this type of bigotry in response to 'Why didnt you stay in Mexico? comment A message seeking comment on the districts ongoing community meetings was left with Superintendent Scot Graden Tuesday. Graden tweeted an April 2019 blog post titled The Courage to Challenge Insensitive Comments after the meeting Monday evening. Courage.... watched a room filled with courageous Saline community members today - https://t.co/2n7kEGb60U Scot Graden (@SuperScot) February 3, 2020 Saline Area Schools plans to host another community conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at Liberty School, 7265 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline. More: Why didnt you stay in Mexico? School diversity and inclusion meeting turns volatile Our reputation as a city is that we are racist, Saline parent says Students weigh in on culture at Saline Area Schools after racist group Snapchat Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools A cross-eyed rescue cat has earned thousands of dollars for adoption charities by selling t-shirts emblazoned with his face - thanks to his adorable 'googly eyes'. The pupils of poor Belarus's bright yellow eyes face in separate directions thanks to a condition called strabismus, leaving him with a permanently confused expression. After a post featuring the Nebelung feline at San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC) went viral back in June 2018, animal lover Rachel Krall couldn't resist going to meet the rescue cat. The pupils of poor Belarus's bright yellow eyes face in separate directions thanks to a condition called strabismus. Belarus lives in San Francisco Despite not being a huge cat person, Rachel had her heart stolen and two-year-old Belarus has been doing the same to people all around the world, with more than 254,000 followers on his Instagram. Rachel, from San Francisco, California, said: 'When I first saw him, I just thought he was the most hilariously adorable cat ever. 'I had never really been a cat person before, but thought he would be the perfect cat. 'I sent his adoption picture to my family and their reactions were quite similar. 'They told me you have to go see him, so I did. 'His favorite hobbies include juggling, waiting for his food machine and looking in two directions at once.' Despite the condition, Belarus has very few apparent issues with his vision, apart from occasionally pawing at his water bowl Rachel had grown up in a house full of animals - including rabbits, parrots and hamsters. However she had just decided her dog of six years would be better suited living with her family, rather than in her one bed apartment, when she spotted the post featuring Belarus. He had been left at the SFACC because his previous family had issues with their landlord. Rachel said: 'I moved things around at work that day to be able to visit the shelter and meet him. 'I wasn't formally in the market to adopt a pet but it was love at first sight and fortunately I was informed I was selected to be his adopter later that night.' Rachel Krall, from San Francisco with Belarus on the day she adopted him Strabismus is the deviation of one or both eyes where one of the four rectus muscles - used to control the movement - may have abnormal positioning, causing atypical tension and displacement of the gaze. Despite the condition, Belarus has very few apparent issues with his vision, apart from occasionally pawing at his water bowl. Rachel said: 'He is just like any other curious cat. He's really adventurous and loves to explore new environments. 'Belarus' favorite toys are balls, twist ties and any other small object he can lay his paws on. 'One of his funnier habits is attempting to bury coffee and other 'bad' smelling things.' Belarus has earned thousands for adoption charities by selling t-shirts emblazoned with his face Thanks to his following, there is now a whole range of clothing available on Bonfire featuring Belarus' goofy grin, with 100% of the profits being donated to charities in the area. Rachel said: 'Bonfire actually reached out to me, which is what sparked the idea. 'Last year, we donated $6,000 to shelters, with $4,000 to Belarus' shelter SFACC, $1,000 to Sonoma Community Animal Response Team for their efforts saving animals from the Sonoma wildfire, and $1,000 to Cat Town of Oakland. 'While I had originally only pledged 50% of the profits to the shelter for our first campaign, I've actually donated 100% of proceeds.' A four-month-old baby boy has died in India after his mother brought him along to protests against Narendra Modis new citizenship law. The childs 24-year-old mother, Nazia, had been taking part in the occupation of a major road in Delhi, a sit-in protest that has now entered its 52nd day. The demonstration in the Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood has persisted despite temperatures dipping into single digits on cold nights in the capital. The protests have been fuelled by opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a law granting a new path to Indian citizenship for refugees of all religions except Muslims. A protest organiser confirmed to The Independent that Nazias son, Mohammed Jahaan, had died after accompanying her to the sit-in, where many participants are Muslim women and are observing a hunger strike for 12 to 14 hours a day. Nazias husband, Mohammed Arif, said she had returned home with Jahaan and their two other children a five-year-old girl and a boy aged one at around 10pm on 29 January, and Jahaan appeared to have a fever. The baby awoke crying in the night, and the couple resolved to bring him to see a doctor the next day. They found him unresponsive in the morning, however, and he was declared dead upon arrival at hospital. Speaking to The Indian Express, Nazia blamed the governments measures, which have sparked protests across the country, for her childs death. I would bring him to the protest to fight for the future. He was only a witness in the fight, she said. She suggested her family may not support her involvement in the protests, but said what happened to Jahaan would only strengthen her resolve to keep demonstrating. I am not afraid of anyone now, she said. I have already lost a child. I dont mind if the lives of my other two kids are sacrificed for the same cause. The Modi administration says the CAA will help protect minorities fleeing to India from its Muslim-majority neighbours, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. But critics of the measure say existing asylum laws already catered well to anyone fleeing persecution, and that the CAA is instead the latest attempt to reform India as a Hindu nation. Muslims make up secular Indias largest minority, around 14 per cent of the population. The law and a connected crackdown on illegal immigrants, through the introduction of a National Register of Citizens, have sparked hundreds of protest rallies across the country and at-times deadly clashes between protesters and police. Protests against India's new citizenship law Show all 15 1 /15 Protests against India's new citizenship law Protests against India's new citizenship law Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti activists take part in a torch light procession to protest against the government's Citizenship Amendment Bill, in Guwahati AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Police clash with protesters during demonstrations against India's new citizenship law in Lucknow AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Muslim women raise their hands and shout slogans during a protest rally held by the Muslim community against India's new citizenship law in Bangalore AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Young protesters shout slogans and demonstrate with their body painted during a demonstration against India's new citizenship law AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law A woman holds a placard at a protest outside Jamia Millia Islamia university over Indias new citizenship law in New Delhi AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law A policeman looks at protesters from leftist groups trying to break through a barricade as they demonstrate against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's new citizenship law in Kolkata AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Police beat protesters with sticks during a demonstration against India's new citizenship law in Lucknow AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law A man holds a placard as he shouts slogans to protest against India's new citizenship law, during a demonstration in New Delhi AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Protesters stand with a large Indian flag by the Jama Masjid mosque at a demonstration against Indias new citizenship law in New Delhi AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law A protester from Shaheen Bagh, with an Indian map painted on his face, takes part in a demonstration against India's new citizenship law at Jantar Mantar AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Muslim women drink chai (tea) on a street in front of a wall covered with posters and graffitis to protest against India's new citizenship law, during a demonstration in Mumbai AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Members of the Karnataka Reserve Police Force swing their sticks to beat two men on a scooter who rode too close to a barricade set up on a street in Mangalore, amid heightened security due to protests over Indias new citizenship law AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law The deserted Shaheen Bagh area, that has been blocked off by demonstrators AFP via Getty Protests against India's new citizenship law Students from various colleges under the aegis of National Students Union of India (NSUI) hold a national flag during a protest rally against India's new citizenship law in Bangalore AFP via Getty Women have been at the forefront of the anti-CAA backlash in many places, and no more so than at Shaheen Bagh, in spite of the generally conservative perception of gender roles that persists in India today. Speaking to The Independent at the sit-in last week, 62-year-old Shaheen said she had the strength to stand up to the governments measures precisely because I am woman. Despite being part of the protest from the start, she said she was fit and strong [with] the energy to continue the fight for our country. Women in India are really powerful, more so than the men perhaps, she said. Shaheen called the CAA part of a cumulative effort to take my rights away from me, and an affront to the beautiful [Indian] constitution, which is secular in nature. We have no choice but to come forward and fight, she said. Jahaans death has already led to renewed criticisms of the women protesting at Shaheen Bagh. Indian media widely reported on a letter, written by the 12-year-old winner of a national bravery award, urging the Supreme Court to prevent children from being brought to protests. Zen Gunratan Sadavartes letter accused the protesters of ignoring the fact that newborn babies need a lot of attention and care, calling the decision to bring them to protests a violation of their rights. Her comments were widely shared on social media. BJP MP Tejaswi Surya said on Wednesday that the majority community has to remain vigilant or Mughal rule will return to the country, as he slammed the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh. He was participating in the debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha. Referring to the ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said, "Unless majority community remains vigilant, the days of Mughal Raj may not be far away." His remarks evoked sharp reaction from the Opposition members. Surya also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resolving several critical issues which had been pending for several decades. The CAA, he said, was aimed at resolving the issues emanating from Partition and added, "The new India cannot to built without healing the wounds of the past." He said that the CAA was about giving citizenship to persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Bangaladesh and Afghanistan and not for taking away anyone's citizenship. Under the leadership of Modi, Surya said, several issues of the past have seen closure. These include abrogation of Article 370, construction of Ram temple, Bodo problems and abolition of Triple Talaq. K Sudhakaran (Cong) said that a time when the economy was going through its worst phase and unemployment was high, the President in his speech talked about making India a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024. On the comments of the government functionaries that fundamentals of the economy are strong, he said the same expression was used by the then US President George Bush, days before the collapse of the America's iconic investment banker Lehman Brothers. Not only that, Sudhakaran said even before the Great Depression, the then US President used to say that fundamentals of their economy were strong. Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal) demanded that the government set up All India Judicial Services Commission to ensure representation of the backward community in the judiciary. Khagen Murmu (BJP) regretted that West Bengal government was not implementing the welfare schemes of the Centre in the state. Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) said that people of all communities have fought for freedom of the country and it would be incorrect to declare everyone opposing the government's policies as 'gaddar' (traitor). He said that the government should talk to people protesting against the CAA at Shaheen Bagh and other places, and explain the provisions to them. Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena) demanded that the ruling party fulfil all promises it had made to the people of the country. He regretted that although the government promised to double the income of farmers by 2022, farmers were still committing suicide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The detainee is suspected of extorting UAH 2.5 million in kickback from a Kyiv business. The State Bureau of Investigations says its detectives arrested a department chief at the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, suspected of bribe extortion. "According to preliminary data, an official with the Cabinet Secretariat, through an accomplice, demanded UAH 2.5 million (over US$100,000) from a businessman," the SBI press service reports. Read alsoUkraine ranks 126th in TI's Corruption Perception Index 2019 If paid, the official promised to sign certain paperwork and recall lawsuits against the business, which was a contractor firm. The official, who has not been named in the report, was detained upon receiving UAH 2 million. In case his guilt is proved, the detainee faces five to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. As UNIAN reported earlier, law enforcers pressed bribery charges against the chairman of the Chernivtsi Regional Council. 05.02.2020 LISTEN The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central Region has denied claims that Horace Ekow Ewusi, who has been arrested over the case of some 500 missing excavators is the Regional Vice Chairman of the Party. This comes after some media reports described him as the current Vice-Chairman of the Party in the region. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on Monday arrested six persons in connection with the missing excavators and other seized equipment from illegal miners in the country. Horace Ekow Ewusi was part of those arrested. Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, the NPP Central Regional Secretary, Richard Takyi Mensah stated that Mr. Ewusi had been on suspension since July 2019 and therefore people should not attribute that position to him. The Regional Party seeks to clarify that since July 31, 2019, Mr. Ekow Ewusi has been on an indefinite suspension as the Regional Vice-Chairman. Around that time, he disregarded and disrespected party decisions and directives. At that time too, a petition had been received by the regional party which was against him which was referred to the regional disciplinary committee. So he was invited to appear before the committee but he refused. So it was on that base that the regional disciplinary committee recommended to the regional executive committee to suspend him indefinitely and they adopted that recommendation. He is not in any position as the Regional Vice-Chairman. He is on indefinite suspension, he highlighted. Ekow Ewusi's arrest The suspended NPP Central Regional Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi had earlier been arrested by the CID for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of some excavators seized from illegal miners in the country. Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation and also Chairperson for the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed recently that some of the excavators which were seized from illegal miners between 2017 and 2018 had vanished. Some members of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association subsequently revealed that they knew the whereabouts of the missing excavators, with claims that they were being used for galamsey in parts of the country. Ekow Ewusi who was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping was then seen as a suspect to the case. A letter sighted by Citi News revealed that Prof. Frimpong-Boateng wrote a letter to the Police CID to investigate him over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment. Five other individuals who are believed to be accomplices of Mr. Ewusi were also arrested with him. They are Frederick Ewusi, Joel Asamoah, Adam Haruna, Frank Gyan and John Arhin. ---citinewsroom Since September 2019, thirteen former and incumbent members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have been prosecuted. "Over the past few months, thirteen former and incumbent lawmakers have been prosecuted," Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka said during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement, reporting on the work of his agency over the past five months, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Riaboshapka also reminded that many high-ranking officials were caught taking bribers within this period. Recently, high-ranking officials such as members of Parliament, heads of regional councils, deputy ministers, deputy heads of central executive bodies have been prosecuted. The cases involving high-ranking officials no longer create a stir, the Prosecutor General summed up. ol A new study suggests that roughly half of the opioid prescriptions written by dentists in the United States exceed the three-day supply recommended by federal dental pain-management guidelines. The research also showed that during the five-year study period, a more powerful narcotic than necessary was prescribed almost 3 times of out 10. The findings, published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, are important because dentists are responsible for 10% of all opioids prescribed in the United States, which has been in the throes of an opioid-fueled public health crisis for more than two decades. "Dental procedures like extractions can leave patients with a lot of pain that needs to be managed, and many dentists are doing a wonderful job of managing their patients' pain appropriately and responsibly," said Jessina McGregor, a researcher in the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy who took part in the study. "But our findings suggest that there's room for improvement among some dentists, improvement that could make a huge difference in our society as we try to combat the opioid crisis." Traced to over-prescribing that began in the 1990s, the opioid epidemic claims more than 40,000 American lives per year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ten million people a year misuse prescription opioids, and 2 million suffer from an opioid use disorder. Occurring naturally in the opium poppy, opioids are a class of drugs that block pain signals between the body and brain and also make some people feel relaxed, happy or high. They can be highly addictive and exist both as prescription painkillers like hydrocodone and oxycodone and street drugs such as heroin. The research collaboration that included McGregor and was led by Katie Suda of the University of Pittsburgh assessed more than half a million adult dental visits from 2011 to 2015 within the Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases. The study is the largest analysis to date of dental visits that resulted in an opioid prescription. The median age of the study population was 46, and the male-female ratio was 52:48. Fifty-three percent of the time, patients were given more than the three-day supply recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And based on a standard measure for opioid potency - morphine equivalent - the prescribed opioids were more powerful than deemed medically necessary 29% of the time. "One large potential area for improvement is the almost 30% percent of opioids that were prescribed following procedures where the pain intensity was expected to be mild and manageable by non-opioid analgesics like ibuprofen or acetaminophen," said McGregor, who also holds an adjunct appointment with the Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University School of Public Health. Men, patients ages 18-34, people living in the South, and patients receiving oxycodone, which is 50% more powerful than morphine, were most likely to be prescribed drugs that were stronger than needed - research has shown that all of those groups have a higher than average risk of addiction and overdose. Our statistical models suggest that even something as simple and straightforward as substituting a lower-potency opioid like hydrocodone for oxycodone could make an enormous reduction in overprescribing, as much as a 20% reduction." Jessina McGregor, researcher, Oregon State University College of Pharmacy Based on the fallout of events in Avengers: Endgame, as well as the upcoming installments (and their associated alleged narratives) comprising Phase 4, predicting the characters destined to exit the Marvel Cinematic Universe when the phase concludes becomes possible. So, with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers already out, who will be next to bid MCU fans spanning the globe farewell? The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Four is announced | Kevin Winter/Getty Images 1. Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) / Scarlett Johansson Natasha Romanoff died in Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming movie, set to kickstart the phase, will be a prequel occurring between Civil War and Infinity War. The movie will likely plant the seeds for future installments via a window into Natashas life that fans do not know. Yelena Belova and the Red Guardian (Russias less altruistic and less morally upstanding version of Captain America) will both appear in the franchise. Rumor has it that Yelena Belova will become the next Black Widow, which would align with the comics, as she is another character to carry the name in the source material. The film may also set up the Thunderbolts; thus, without some multiverse magic or a prequel franchise, Natasha is destined to take her final bow, as Yelena Belova becomes the next combat-ready sleuth and General Ross assembles his team. 2. Loki / Tom Hiddleston Rumor has it that the Disney+ show about the infamous God of Mischief will present alternate versions of the character a female and a child. And, sources allege that Tom Hiddlestons Loki will get stuck in his childhood form during the events of Thor: Ragnarok. If Loki gets stuck in his childhood body, Marvel Studios creates a way to eliminate Tom Hiddleston while preserving the character, and the studio may use the younger, alternate version for a future Young Avengers franchise. 3. Thor / Chris Hemsworth It goes without saying that Thor: Love and Thunder is destined to be Chris Hemsworths final bow sans a possible cameo appearance in the future. Considering Natalie Portman is set to take the hammer as Mighty Thor, the movie will presumably stage a narrative in which Thor gives the hammer to Jane Foster (a worthy successor), or somehow becomes unworthy to wield Mjolnir. With focus slowly shifting to Jane Foster and Valkyrie, Chris Hemsworths God of Thunder will receive the spotlight one last time before new heroines seize the stage. 4. Clint Barton (Hawkeye) / Jeremy Renner Given the fact that Kate Bishop another character to carry the Hawkeye title will come to play in Renners Disney+ series, its likely that Barton will train her to take his place. An action-packed series of events will lead to Renner exiting the franchise, and opening the door for a younger version to become a member of the new Avengers (when the team finally comes to the silver screen in Phase 5 or later). 5. Possibility: Bruce Banner (Hulk) / Mark Ruffalo If Mark Ruffalo appears in Phase 4 no such confirmations currently exist he will likely appear in She-Hulk, as the man responsible for turning Jennifer Walters into another green superhero. Hulk could also serve as the connection between Walters and Captain Marvel, helping to lay the foundation for the future A-Force. With his contract expiring after his next appearance, its possible that Ruffalo leaves the MCU after Phase 4 as well. In short, Phase 4 will be a farewell, a transitionary phase between the old and the new. The Phase will serve as a bridge between the past and the future, as viewers wave goodbye to our beloved saviors and usher in a new line of supers. When the city of Lodi, Californias computers got hit by a ransomware attack last April, the strike disabled phone lines, forced police officers to write reports by hand and prevented workers from sending out utility bills. City officials refused to pay the ransom of 75 bitcoins -- about $400,000 -- and instead turned to their cyber insurance company, which sent in a legal team and security experts to investigate and help return the system to normal. It took a lot of our energy and ended up consuming a great deal of time, recalled City Manager Steve Schwabauer. We ultimately filed a claim of about $250,000, and its not fully closed yet. State legislators later gave Lodi, a city of about 67,000, a half-million-dollar grant to upgrade cybersecurity. As cybercriminals increase their attacks against local governments -- hundreds of municipalities and county agencies were hit in the past two years -- some states are helping cities and counties better protect themselves. States have offered election cybersecurity, responses to ransomware attacks that take computer systems hostage, training and other programs, according to a recent report by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Its the right thing to do, said Meredith Ward, the latter groups policy and research director. Cybersecurity is a team sport. States and local government and the private sector all have a role to play. But while 65% of states report that they provide some cybersecurity services to local governments, the scope varies widely. And other states arent doing anything to help, saying they dont have jurisdiction over local governments or they lack money to spare. Its very hard for most local governments, said Alan Shark, executive director of the Public Technology Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides training and other support to local government information technology executives. They lack the resources to adequately protect themselves. Yesterdays fixes dont work today. The cybercriminals are encouraged. But Shark said more states are starting to assist local governments in restoring their systems. The states committed to collaboration are on the right track, the report by the governors and IT chiefs groups found. Among them: Illinois created a program that helps local election officials improve their cybersecurity readiness and conduct risk assessments. It hired IT specialists to help local election offices beef up their security. Iowa is using a federal grant to offer counties cybersecurity vulnerability scanning and to pay for hardware and anti-malware tools. It also is piloting cyber projects with schools, cities and hospitals. North Carolina developed a partnership with the states National Guard and emergency management division to help local governments, school systems and community colleges recover data compromised during a cyberattack and provide training to help prevent future incidents. Pennsylvania partnered with the county commissioners statewide association to provide security awareness training and phishing exercises for all 150,000 county and state employees and contractors. Phishing victims unwittingly click on emailed links designed to get personal information, such as passwords. Its about working outside your comfort zone and forging relationships, said Erik Avakian, Pennsylvanias chief information security officer. We think this is really the path forward for all states. Its something they should be looking at. Cyberattacks spike Cybersecurity remains a serious issue for state governments, as sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals are constantly scanning computer networks looking for vulnerabilities. Those networks contain information such as Social Security numbers, birth certificates, bank account details and credit card numbers of millions of individuals and businesses. But its especially hard for local governments. Just last month, for example, a small school district near Austin, Texas, with 9,600 students, disclosed that it had lost $2 million in a phishing email scam. Local governments saw a spike in cyberattacks in 2019, and experts say it doesnt look like theyre going to abate any time soon. In the past 24 months, at least 370 cyber incidents affecting local governments and public safety agencies were publicly reported in 47 states, according to Aubrey Larson, a marketing manager at SecuLore Solutions, a Maryland-based cybersecurity company. Thats a 150% hike over the previous two-year period, she said. In fact, the majority of publicized ransomware attacks in the United States last year targeted local governments, according to the report by the governors and state IT officers associations. Cities and counties provide essential services to residents and need access to their data to function effectively. Ransomware hijacks government computer systems and holds them hostage until their victims pay a ransom or restore the system on their own. In October, the FBI issued a public service announcement, saying state and local governments have been particularly visible targets for ransomware attacks. Those attacks can be devastating. Democratic New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared a state of emergency in December after a ransomware attack hobbled the city. Officials had to shut down more than 4,000 computers and close municipal courthouses. The attack has cost the city at least $7 million. Nearly two dozen Texas cities were targeted in a ransomware attack in August that led Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to order a Level 2 Escalated Response, which is just one level below the emergency management divisions highest alert. The state led the response and helped the cities restore their systems. And Baltimore was hit by a ransomware attack in May that crippled thousands of computers and left workers unable to access online accounts and payment systems for weeks. City officials transferred $6 million from a parks and recreation fund to pay for cyber protections. In total, restorations and repairs cost $18 million. Crossing boundaries Preventing and responding to attacks can be complicated when efforts involve jurisdictions that generally operate independently of one another. Some cyber incidents are truly becoming emergencies. [State and local IT officials] shouldnt be exchanging business cards at that point, said Maggie Brunner, cybersecurity program director for the national governors group. They should be doing it ahead of time. Wed love to see state CIOs know every single local IT director. In Pennsylvania, IT security chief Avakian said his agency held quarterly meetings with county IT officials to build relationships and find out about their cybersecurity needs. The fact that weve cracked this nut across jurisdictional boundaries is significant, Avakian said. Because of the collaboration, he said, the state was able to buy licenses for the phishing training exercise in bulk. The larger number of users lowered the cost per unit and saved the state and its 67 counties a considerable amount of money. He wouldnt say how much. Now that weve done this, more people want to come onboard -- school districts, cities, Avakian said. Its kind of taken off. Michael Sage, chief information officer for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, called the cyber training and relationship the counties have developed with the commonwealth a fantastic effort. It has bolstered awareness and helped the counties understand where the threats are coming from, so they can stay vigilant, Sage said. The more we can collaborate and share, the better off were going to be. Stumbling blocks While some states have provided help, others have little or no engagement with local governments, when it comes to cybersecurity, according to the report by the governors and state IT officials groups, though the report didnt list the states that are uninvolved. That needs to change, they say. Cybersecurity is not just an IT problem anymore, the report said. It is a critical business risk, homeland security and public safety threat, voter confidence issue and economic development opportunity. But there are impediments, said Ward, of the state IT officials group. Sometimes, states will say, We dont have jurisdiction to help local governments. Thats not our swim lane, she said. Or localities will say, Were good, and we dont need your help. And Ward said some states say they dont have the money to help local governments with cybersecurity. Theyll say, Were just trying to keep our head above water ourselves. The report recommended that states overcome those obstacles by building relationships with municipal leagues and county associations and raising awareness by holding cyber summits. States also should explore ways to save money by consulting local governments during the cyber contract planning process. You dont need to have jurisdictional permission nor money to pick up the phone and call someone and build a relationship, Ward said. Thats something anyone can do. This article was first posted to Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Investor fears about the deadly coronavirus and its subsequent impact on the global economy seem to be easing. The virus has so far affected more than 20,000 people in China and has claimed 465 lives, per Chinas National Health Commission. The United States had earlier declared the coronavirus a public health emergency while the WHO recognized the impact of the virus to be widespread, affecting countries with weaker health systems. However, recent actions by Beijing to combat the virus impact on the economy and consequently stocks have been encouraging. The Peoples Bank of China offered funds in the overnight market to the tune of $71 billion for the second successive day to alleviate the economic stress of containing the outbreak. The central bank particularly wanted to encourage lending to struggling business houses. Adding to the positive note, fresh data shows that the domestic economy continues to be in good shape, thanks to a rebound in manufacturing activities. According to the Institute of Supply Management, its manufacturing index climbed to 50.9 in January from an upwardly revised 47.8 in December. The index scaled beyond the 50 mark, which separates expansion from contraction. Analysts, by the way, were expecting a reading of 48.5. Strength in new orders, production and employment supported the gains. The gauge of new orders increased 4.4 points to 52 in January, the highest since July. One of the ISM survey respondents said that our business is starting 2020 stronger than we finished 2019, as we saw a dramatic downturn in orders over the last four months of 2019. Productions also turned positive, while employment in the manufacturing sector increased. The employment index hit 46.6 last month compared with 45.2 in the prior month. Coming back to the coronavirus issue, let us admit that its concerns are overblown. This is because experts are pretty confident about containing the outbreak. Medical experts at Johns Hopkin have downplayed the threat from this particular type of coronavirus or the 2019-nCoV. Gabor Kelen, a medical doctor and director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, recently said that the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general public in the United States is thought to be low at this time. Story continues Moreover, coronavirus isnt as deadly and contagious as Ebola, SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. All the previous outbreaks could have had disastrous effects on the global economy. However, they were contained before serious damage was done. 4 of the Best Growth Stocks to Buy Right Away With the economic impact of the coronavirus expected to be short lived, the broader market is poised to gain in the long run. Thus, to outdo market returns as well as take advantage of the aforesaid factors, we have used the Zacks Stock Screener to narrow down on stocks with solid prospects, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) along with Growth Score of A. GoDaddy Inc. GDDY designs and develops cloud-based technology products for small businesses, Web design professionals, and individuals in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 31.7% over the past 90 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 25.4% versus the Internet - Delivery Services industrys expected decline of 19.6%. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation GLDD provides dredging services in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 5.4% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 358.8% compared with the Building Products - Heavy Construction industrys expected increase of 3.2%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. LPLA provides an integrated platform of brokerage and investment advisory services. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 5.3% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 5.4% against the Financial - Investment Bank industrys expected decline of 4.8%. Pacira BioSciences, Inc. PCRX provides non-opioid pain management and regenerative health solutions for health care practitioners and their patients in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has climbed 2.6% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 49% compared with the Medical - Drugs industrys expected increase of 10.4%. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report GoDaddy Inc. (GDDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) : Free Stock Analysis Report LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (LPLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PCRX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 (9:25 am) - Score 1,193 The 1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) agreement between BT (EE), Vodafone, Three UK and O2, which aims to extend geographic 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025, could be in doubt after some of the participants expressed concern over high costs. A key meeting is due to discuss the issue today. The SRN is essentially an industry-led way of improving coverage, which proposes both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in certain areas and the demand-led building and sharing of new masts in others. However some key details of the SRN are still being decided, such as the question of how much will be charged by each operator for rivals to access existing sites. NOTE: The Government has pledged to commit 500m to help fund the SRN, which forms part of the 1bn total. Catering for remote rural areas tends to be very expensive and there are fears that this could thus be the one area where the SNR hits a major stumbling block. In particular BT has a fair bit more infrastructure (masts etc.) deployed across rural areas than their rivals and as such the costs they propose will arguably be the most important ones to watch. Last month BT issued their first cost proposals and they did so alongside a somewhat defensive sounding blog post (here), which read as if they were bracing rivals for some hefty charges. Today the BBC appears to confirm that at least some of their rivals have grave concerns about the proposed costs. For example, O2s boss fears the fees may undermine the viability of the project and an industry source suggested that it might end up being cheaper for operators to build their own masts. The report claims that BT are seeking to include 320 yet-to-be-built masts into the agreement and to charge 250% more than the existing commercial rate for rivals to access them. BT will also offer rivals a cheaper rate for masts on its Emergency Services Network (ESN), which were partially funded by the government (several hundred of these have been built in rural areas). Despite this, all of the major mobile operators have expressed a desire to reach a final deal and get it implemented before the Governments next Budget 2020 announcement on 11th March next month. The alternative would delay the SRN or could potentially result in the Government returning to their long-running threat of a legislated Rural Roaming solution, which is likely to hit BT harder than their rivals and could stifle future investment in rural areas. Equally they could go back to forcing through new coverage obligations via Ofcoms forthcoming auction of the 700Mhz band. At the same time we shouldnt forget that its normal for negotiations to start with each side proposing something extreme, before later finding a more acceptable middle ground. A man onboard a flight falsely claimed he had coronavirus, forcing the plane to turn around. The WestJet service had been en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Toronto, Canada, when the 29-year-old Canadian national announced he had the deadly virus, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 400 people. A male was causing a disturbance on the flight, saying he had been to China and had the coronavirus, a police spokeswoman told Reuters. The man was seen taking selfies and announcing that he had the virus, according to other passengers. Although the pilot believed it to be a hoax, he had no choice but to take the precaution of turning the aircraft around and heading back to Toronto. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman 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hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty Cabin crew gave the man gloves and a mask to wear and told him to sit at the back of the plane. He has since been arrested and charged with mischief, according to the Peel police force, located close to Torontos Pearson Airport. He will appear in court on 9 March. A WestJet spokesperson told The Independent: WestJet flight 2702 from Toronto to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica diverted back to Toronto due to an unruly guest. We sincerely apologise to the 243 guests who were affected by this unfortunate situation. Due to yesterdays subsequent cancellations of flight 2702 and 2703, we added an extra segment flight that departed Toronto today at 6.45 am local and will return from Montego Bay at 11.50am local. Law enforcement and EMS personnel were requested to meet the flight upon arrival in Toronto. Out of an abundance of caution, our crew followed all protocols for infectious disease on board, including sequestering an individual who made an unfounded claim regarding Coronavirus. Due to the involvement of law enforcement, as well as the privacy of our guests, we are not able to provide additional information about the incident at this time. The authorities will be advising us on next steps. The first case of coronavirus was recorded in Wuhan, China in December 2019; since then it has spread to 26 countries, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases. The UK Foreign Office today updated its advice to say all British citizens should leave China immediately. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico The haul was 3,086 pounds of cocaine worth more than $46.2 million. That is what the U.S. Coast Guard, United Kingdom Royal Navy and U.S. law enforcement partners seized following the interdiction of two separate suspected drug smuggling events in the Caribbean Sea on Jan. 24 and Jan. 30, according to a release. There also were nine suspected smugglers detained, the release said. See the video below as the crew offloads the cocaine. The interdiction was part of an international, multi-agency law enforcement effort in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard, Campaign Martillo (a joint, interagency, 20-nation collaborative counter narcotic effort), and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), the release said. The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. These interdictions highlight the importance of working with our allied partners such as the United Kingdom Royal Navy, as well as our joint interagency collaboration with the Department of Defense and our local and federal law enforcement in the region, said Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones, commander of the Coast Guard Seventh District, in the release. These efforts, underpinned by our unwavering resolve to stop drug smuggling vessels at sea, greatly contribute to safeguarding our citizens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and protecting our shared interests of a safer and more secure Caribbean. W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico said the interdictions highlight the importance of working with our international partners as we combat drug trafficking. Details: - In the first interdiction, the Royal Navy RFA Mounts Bay (L3008), while on patrol with a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and a Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron armed helicopter onboard, detected two suspicious go-fast vessels, approximately 74 nautical miles south of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the release said. The RFA Mounts Bay launched the Coast Guard HITRON helicopter and the ships pursuit vessel with the Coast Guard LEDET to interdict both suspect vessels. The Coast Guard LEDET boarding team, with the assistance of RFA Mounts Bay crewmembers, boarded both suspect vessels, apprehending the seven men and seizing 42 bales of suspected contraband. - In the second interdiction, a marine patrol aircraft detected a northbound target of interest, southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic. Cutter Bears Over the Horizon cutter boat and an embarked helicopter arrived on scene and stopped the go-fast. Cutter Bears boarding team detained the two men aboard the go-fast, after discovering 13 bales of suspected contraband. The Bear delivered the seized contraband and detainees from both cases to Customs and Border Protection officers, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-HSI, and DEA special agents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, the release said. - Between October and December 2019, the Coast Guard and Caribbean Border Interagency Group authorities seized 12,060 kilograms of cocaine and 407 pounds of marijuana during law enforcement operations surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the release said. The wholesale value for these seizures is worth more than $314 million. [February 05, 2020] Ares Management Corporation Provides $350 Million Credit Facility to Southern Management Corporation Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) ("Ares") announced today that funds managed by its Alternative Credit strategy have provided a $350 million revolving asset-backed credit facility secured by consumer loans to Southern Management Corporation ("Southern"), a portfolio company of Milestone Partners. The financing will repay Southern's existing credit facility and support its acquisition of Heights Finance Corporation. Southern is a leading consumer finance company with approximately 400 branch locations throughout the United States. The company provides fully amortizing installment loans, related credit insurance and ancillary products to individuals with limited access to credit. With the acquisition of Heights Finance Corporation, Southern will be one of the largest participants in the consumer lending industry with branch operations across the mid-west and southern United States. "We are pleased to complete this transaction with Ares, which positions us well to execute our long-term strategic plan. We are excited to enter this new phase of Southern's development and we remain committed to serving our customer base and communities with the utmost integrity and the highest levels of professionalism," said John Keilholz, Chief Executive Officer of Southern. "This investment represents Ares' ability to use its significant scale and flexibility in providing asset-oriented, comprehensive financing solutions to the market," said Keith Ashton, Partner and Co-Head of Ares Alternative Credit. "We are excited to support Southern's management teamas they execute upon their growth plans." About Ares Management Corporation Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager operating three integrated businesses across Credit, Private Equity and Real Estate. Ares Management's investment groups collaborate to deliver innovative investment solutions and consistent and attractive investment returns for fund investors throughout market cycles. Ares Management's global platform had $144 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2019 with approximately 1,200 employees in over 20 offices in more than 10 countries. Please visit www.aresmgmt.com for additional information. About Ares Alternative Credit Ares' Alternative Credit strategy focuses on direct lending and investing in assets that generate contractual cash flows and fills gaps in the capital markets between credit, private equity and real estate. Ares Alternative Credit targets investments across the capital structure in specialty finance, lender finance, loan portfolios, equipment leasing, structured products, net lease, cash flow streams (royalties, licensing, management fees), fund secondaries and other asset-focused investments. Ares Alternative Credit leverages a broadly skilled and cohesive team of over 35 investment professionals. About Southern Management Corporation Southern Management Corporation is a leading consumer finance company that provides attractive, easy-to-understand installment loan products primarily to customers with limited access to credit from banks and credit card companies. Founded in 1986, Southern has over 1,400 employees and 400 branch locations throughout the southern and mid-west United States. About Milestone Partners Milestone Partners (www.milestonepartners.com) is a private equity firm that partners with management to invest in leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations of lower middle market financial services as well as tech-enabled and manufacturing businesses. Milestone was founded in 1995 and is based in suburban Philadelphia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200205005192/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] President Donald Trump in his fourth State of the Union address Tuesday night hearkened back to his 2016 campaign slogan, telling both houses of Congress one of which impeached him in December and the other preparing to acquit him that his administration helped ignite the great American comeback. The state of our union is stronger than ever before, Trump declared, citing an economy thats the best it has ever been, a rebuilt military, secure borders, flourishing families and pride restored. The president touted higher-than-expected job growth, with 7 million new jobs during his administration, the lowest unemployment rate in half a century and strong employment figures for African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and young people. This is a blue collar boom, Trump said. Trump took time to slam the Obama administration by saying If we hadnt reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not be witnessing this great economic success. He added that his administration helped restore the nations manufacturing might" and advanced trade deals with Canada, Mexico and China that would boost jobs in the U.S. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories ... with thousands and thousands of factories being planned or being built, he said. Companies are not leaving, they are coming back to the U.S.A. Everybody wants to be where the action is. Trump also claimed almost 2.5 million Americans have risen out of poverty, including 1.4 million children. He touted opportunity zones created in the Republican tax cut, which he said created new jobs in areas where they are needed most. In a news release, the White House noted that Massachusettss economy was thriving, with new business applications up 10%, more than 110,000 jobs created and more than 60,000 people rising out of poverty since Trump took office. Wages have risen 5% for Massachusetts workers, the White House said, and 138 opportunity zones are drawing investment to communities in Essex, Suffolk and Worcester counties. Toby Antony By Express News Service KOCHI: The Tourism Department and Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) have collected details about 90 foreign tourists who arrived in the district from China and neighbouring countries as part of the precautionary steps against the spread of novel coronavirus (nCoV). The DTPC and tourism officials contacted hotels and homestays and collected the details about foreign tourists who had arrived from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. D Kamalamma, Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism, said from Sunday, DTPC and tourism department started collecting details about the tourists who have been staying in hotels and homestays in the district. We have collected the details about 90 tourists who were in the district from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia till Monday. A majority of them are from China. Most of them left China before the outbreak of coronavirus. They reached Kochi after visiting other states. The number of tourists from China and other countries is likely to change as some hotels and homestays have failed to report to the department, she said. Directions have been given to hotels and homestays to report the arrival of tourists from China and neighbouring countries immediately. Similarly, directions have been given on precautions to be taken while serving guests from these countries. Tourists from China and neighbouring countries will be served food at the hotel rooms. They are requested to stay in the rooms. Screening of tourists arriving from China is taking place at airports, said S Vijaya Kumar, DTPC secretary. On Monday, a Chinese tourist who arrived at a homestay in Fort Kochi was denied a room. Later, Tourism Police arrived at the scene and Chinese tourists decided to leave the place. The incident has not come to our notice. The tourism department has not given any direction to vacate or deny rooms to tourists from China. Directions are given to take necessary precautions, Vijaya Kumar said. Following the detection of coronavirus cases in the state, foreign tourists have been cancelling their tour programmes to Kerala. Homestay owners are worried that their business will be hit badly. This is the peak time of foreign tourist arrivals in Fort Kochi. However, as three nCoV cases have been confirmed in the state, tour cancellations have increased for the past two days. As several European countries have directed their citizens against travelling to countries where coronavirus cases have been detected, our business will be affected. Apart from foreign tourists, cancellation of domestic tour bookings were also reported. It is a huge setback for the industry which was recovering from the nipah outbreak and flood, said M P Sivadathan, director of Kerala State Homestay and Tourism Society. Imperial, and other tobacco companies, have bet heavily on vaping products (Yui Mok/PA) Imperial Brands new boss was given a fresh headache on Wednesday before his start date was even set, as the company warned of an earnings fall. Hit by a clampdown on vaping in the US, both from government and from people, Imperial now expects a 10% fall in first-half earnings per share, when stripping out the effect of currency changes. The news will pose a challenge to Stefan Bomhard, Imperials new chief executive who does not even have a start date yet. He takes over from Alison Cooper, who stepped down on Monday when Mr Bomhard was announced. The company cited the US Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) ban on flavoured vape pods as the main reason for the earnings drop, as it forced the business to write down its inventory. Imperial has bet heavily on the vape market, launching blu, a vape pen that uses the type of cartridges. Under new rules, which come into effect on Thursday, shops will be banned from selling any flavoured vape pods other than menthol and tobacco. It came after a series of deaths which are thought to be related to vaping in the US sparked public health concerns. Critics have long held that the flavoured products, which include sweet fruit tastes, are appealing to children. It is a major blow for tobacco companies, which have hoped to refocus their businesses away from traditional cigarettes, at least in Europe and North America. Imperial said it is launching a cost savings programme to mitigate the impact of falling demand, which will bring a 40 million hit to adjusted operating profit. The flavour ban has also forced it to write down the value of its stock by 45 million, in line with previous forecasts. We believe that NGP provides consumers with potentially less harmful alternatives to combustible tobacco and offers a significant growth opportunity over the medium term to complement our Tobacco business. We support regulation that enforces higher product and marketing standards, Imperial said in a statement. The tobacco business performed well in the first three months of the year, and the business in in talks to sell its premium cigar business. Israel asked the U.S. to open a consulate in Moroccan-annexed Western Sahara in exchange for normalized ties, an official said, a move that would bolster both Morocco's claim to the region and the Israeli leader's re-election bid. It's not clear if Morocco's government or Washington is on board with Israel's effort to leverage its closeness to the Trump administration to make the U.S. the only major power with a mission there, the Moroccan official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss secret communications. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be able to point to such a move as evidence of his diplomatic acumen as he struggles to hold on to his job in next month's election, popular support in Morocco for the Palestinians' statehood cause could create significant pushback, despite the prospect for strong business and trade ties. Netanyahu's office, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Morocco had no comment. Israel's Channel 13 TV reported on Monday that Netanyahu was pushing to have the U.S. recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, which Morocco seized after colonial power Spain pulled out in 1975, in a step that isn't internationally recognized. Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton opposed Netanyahu's push but the prime minister has raised the matter again, without receiving agreement, it said. The French website Intelligence Online reported that the Moroccan military took possession last week of three Israeli-made reconnaissance drones sold via France. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita declined to comment to lawmakers on the Axios report, and in response to criticism of a possible warming of ties with Israel, retorted that Morocco's national priority was the Western Sahara and not Palestine, local media reported. "We should not be more Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves," the Lakome newspaper quoted Bourita as saying on Tuesday. Palestinian leaders have campaigned to isolate Israel and have watched warily as its ties with Arab and Muslim states have improved. Arab nations were tepid in their opposition to the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan unveiled last week, which goes further than previous U.S. proposals in favoring Israel's demands, including to annex occupied territory in the West Bank, the heart of the Palestinians' hoped-for state. In recent weeks, four smaller African countries have opened consulates in the Moroccan-controlled parts of the mineral-rich Western Sahara. Moroccan state media hailed the development as affirmation of Rabat's sovereignty over the region, which Morocco held onto throughout a 16-year guerrilla war by the Polisario indigenous group, which ended with a 1991 truce brokered by the United Nations. Morocco claims centuries-old rights to the territory. A U.N. plan to hold a referendum to decide the Western Sahara's fate has faltered amid differences over who is eligible to vote. The UN describes the Western Sahara, regarded by many as Africa's last colony, as a non-self-governing territory. Netanyahu, who has been unable to form a government after two back-to-back elections last year, is laboring hard to distinguish himself from rival Benny Gantz, a former military chief and political newcomer with almost no diplomatic experience. With the March 2 election approaching, he's been flitting across the globe meeting with world leaders, including presidents Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin. This week he flew to Uganda, where he discussed opening embassies with President Yoweri Museveni, and held a surprise meeting with the head of Sudan's transitional government, who agreed to work toward establishing diplomatic ties. The Israeli leader's campaign to normalize relations with Arab and Muslim-majority-states is not new, however. Netanyahu has been working for years to normalize relations, trying to create joint fronts against Islamic extremism. Relations with Morocco were never as hostile as with some other Arab countries, and there have been reports in the Israeli press in recent years of diplomatic overtures. Morocco played a discreet role in brokering the first peace talks between Arabs and Israelis in the 1990s under the late King Hassan II. While Rabat suspended low-key diplomatic contacts with Israel two decades ago at the start of the Palestinian uprising, Israel has a large community of citizens of Moroccan descent, and Israeli tourism to Morocco is permitted, though there are no direct flights between the countries. These cultural links could mean strong potential for business and trade, especially in tourism, agribusiness and security. President Mahmud Abbas will travel to the United Nations next week to push for a Security Council resolution condemning US President Donald Trump's peace proposals, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. The resolution will almost certainly be vetoed by the United States. "The draft resolution that will be voted on in the Security Council will include the rejection of the Trump-Netanyahu deal," Saleh Rafat, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, told AFP, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He called Trump's plan, which Netanyahu enthusiastically supports, "the opposite of the UN Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian conflict." If vetoed at the Security Council, the issue will be taken to the UN General Assembly, Rafat added. The Permanent Representative of Palestine to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told the official Voice of Palestine radio that Abbas will arrive in New York on Monday and address the Security Council on Tuesday. Trump released his long-delayed peace proposals last week but they were immediately rejected by the Palestinians, who have boycotted his administration over its pro-Israel stance. The proposals included giving Israel the green light to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, the largest part of the territories the Palestinians see as their future state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This morning the ceremony in the general house of the Congregation, in Kerala. The members of the congregation carry out charitable apostolate in the educational and social fields, they help the poor in their integral development. The Vincentians charism is to become part of the spirit of Christ. New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Kerala has a new son on the path to sainthood: Fr. Varkey Kattarath, founder of the Vincentian Congregation, society of apostolic life of the Syro-Malabar Church. He was declared Servant of God today during a ceremony in the congregation's general house in Edappally, on the outskirts of Kochi. Fr. Sebastian Thundathikunnel, current superior general, reports that the "Vatican gave the go-ahead following the requests made by the Vincentian Congregation, Ernakulam-Angamaly Diocese and the Syro-Malabar Synod, he told reporters on February 4. At a time when the word renaissance is being used by all and sundry, Father Kattarath was a true propagator of the renaissance. He might have been ordained a parish vicar but was a monk in his heart, Father Thundathikunnel explained. Fr. Kattarath was born in Poonjar, in the district of Kottayam, in 1851. In 1904 Msgr. Mar Louis Pazheparampil, first apostolic vicar of Ernakulam, asked the monk and three diocesan priests - to found a society of apostolic life on the model of the Congregation of the mission of Saint Vincent de Paul. The company, after a period of inactivity in the years of the First World War, the community was reconstituted in 1927 in Thottakam Kovantha. In 1938 it became official with the name "Vincentian Congregation", a few years after the death of the founder in 1931. The charism of the Vincentians is to be part of the spirit of Christ, active in the works of the Church, to live and invite to an intimate and personal love with the Father, to accept the will of Divine Providence, and to love the poorest in an ardent and compassionate way. The charism of society is realized by preaching the Word of God, through missionary works among the faithful of every creed. The members of the congregation carry out charitable apostolate in the educational and social fields, they help the poor in their integral development. In 1968 the Vatican granted the recognition of pontifical right. Today the Vincentians are over 600 ordained and novices. In India there are 87 houses and pastoral centers in 33 dioceses. There are 11 countries worldwide, including Australia, Tanzania, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland and the United States. SPRINGFIELD A local state lawmaker wants Illinois to replace Iowa as the host for the nations first presidential primary or caucus following Mondays problems. Put the complicated caucus system behind us, said state Rep. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. Lets find a state thats more representative of the country as a whole, and Illinois I think on all accounts is that state. His proposal comes with the Monday night Iowa caucus debacle fresh in the minds of voters. He said theres bipartisan support to make Illinois the first-in-the-nation primary, although thats still just an idea at this point. Iowa Democratic Party officials say the delay in getting results from Mondays caucuses was due to a computer error. Critics of the Iowa caucus have also questioned its representation of the entire nation. Illinois population is culturally diverse and the state features not just major metropolitan areas but also rural areas. State Rep. Dave Severin, R-Benton, said moving Illinois up in the national process may be worth looking at. But I tell you what else is encouraging to me is the state of Illinois finally is not the worst debacle in the United States, he said. Iowa just took over. Illinois primary this year is March 17. Early voting begins Thursday, Feb. 6. The state moved the primary up to the first Tuesday of February in 2008 when Barack Obama, then a U.S. senator, was running in the Democratic primary. Illinois moved the primary back to March in 2012. Manar said he is researching what it will take to move Illinois up in the national process. Its my understanding theres a penalty for any state in terms of awarding delegates that go before Iowa and New Hampshire, I believe, Manar said. Thats the deterrence. He said there may have to be some coordination between state law and private party rules to bump Illinois up. While he says its an idea worth considering, Severin said Illinois has its own election issues to deal with, like the errors in Illinois Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) Program. We have got to get AVR correct, Severin said. Lets be accurate to a fault rather than having it be a fault. An Illinois House Hearing Wednesday morning will look into the AVR problems where the Secretary of State says it erroneously forwarded the names of hundreds of potential noncitizens to register to vote. There also were other issues revealed, including some who opted out of AVR still having their names forwarded to local elections authorities and 16-year-olds being forwarded to and rejected by local elections authorities. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 08:18:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical workers gather at Changshui International Airport in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 4, 2020. The second batch of medical teams of 102 members from Yunnan set off on Tuesday to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Hubei. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao) BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- More medical teams are rushing to central China's Hubei Province to aid novel coronavirus control. A team of 138 medical workers from hospitals in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region flew to Hubei late Tuesday to join the fight against the epidemic. Meanwhile, southwest China's Yunnan Province sent its second batch of 102 medical workers to Hubei. Medical care team members queue to board a plane setting off for central China's Hubei Province, in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Feb. 4, 2020. A medical care team comprised of 101 members set off for Hubei from Nanchang to combat the novel coronavirus pneumonia on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) Southern China's Guangdong Province dispatched a team of seven public health emergency response experts and 57 medical workers to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei. So far, Guangdong has sent over 400 experienced doctors and nurses to Wuhan. In addition, northeast China's Jilin Province also sent 32 medical workers to Hubei Tuesday. By Monday, Hubei had reported 13,522 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection, with 414 deaths and 2,143 cases in severe or critical condition. A South African court has issued an arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma, after his repeated failure to appear for his long-stalled corruption trial. The action raises the stakes on a trial that has dragged on for years, with Zuma due back in court or else in police custody on May 6. As the trial opened Feb. 4, 2020, in the judicial capital of Pietermaritzburg, Zuma's lawyer gave the judge a sick note. The lawyer also said the health of the former leader was a matter of "national security." Zuma resigned under pressure in 2018, in a cloud of corruption allegations. But Judge Dhaya Pillay expressed skepticism over the authenticity of the note, which was missing a doctor's signature. "It is standard practice, in this court and in every court holding a criminal trial, that if an accused is not in attendance, if an accused has failed to produce a medical certificate, and in this instance, counsel for Mr. Zuma was notified in advance in the middle of January that this document, that some evidence is required to justify his absence from court, and without that evidence, this court cannot do anything else but issue a warrant of arrest," the judge said. Criminal law expert James Grant says it is doubtful Zuma will end up in handcuffs. The judge's ruling only stipulates that he will be arrested if he doesn't appear on the next trial date, May 6. "What happens is that when an accused person is supposed to present themselves, they've failed to present themselves, as a matter of course, the presiding officer who could be a magistrate or a judge in South Africa issued an arrest warrant," Grant said. "But if there's any semblance or prospect of an explanation as to why the person wasn't present, that arrest warrant will be suspended. And so it has in truth, no real effect, as of today or as of yesterday." Zuma faces one count of racketeering, two counts of corruption, one count of money laundering and 12 counts of fraud for allegedly receiving bribe money in the 1990s from a French arms company through his former financial adviser. "If he is convicted under any of the fraud charges for an amount exceeding 500,000 rand, from my recollection, it's either a 15- or a 25-year sentence," Grant said. A sentence of that length would probably mean life in prison for Zuma, who turns 78 years old in April. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 12:30:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said here on Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that his administration is working to end the war in Afghanistan. Speaking to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives, Trump noted that the U.S. military is making progress in Afghanistan, and peace talks with the Taliban militant group are underway. "We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home," Trump said. "It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency," he added. Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban began last year but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on U.S. military personnel in September and December. Trump has long grumbled about the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan that started in 2001, calling it "ridiculous." The United States maintains roughly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, which mostly provide training missions to local Afghan forces while also conducting counterterrorism operations. The war in Afghanistan is the longest one in U.S. history. The death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 since the country invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could fall 27 points at the opening bell. Overseas, Asian stocks were trading higher on Wednesday as investors took cue from China's effort to stimulate its economy and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak concerns. In US, stocks finished sharply higher on Tuesday as investors weighed stimulus efforts by the People's Bank of China and actions by Beijing to combat the economic impact of a deadly Asian virus. The coronavirus has infected more than 20,000 people in China and claimed 465 lives, according to China's National Health Commission. Back home, key equity benchmarks ended with robust gains on Tuesday, supported by steep slide in crude oil prices and positive global shares. Market sentiment also got a boost from sudden jump in manufacturing PMI. The IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) jumped from 52.7 in December to 55.3 in January, its highest level in just under eight years. The barometer BSE S&P Sensex rallied 917.07 points or 2.30% to 40,789.38. The Nifty 50 index climbed 271.75 points or 2.32% to 11,979.65. The trading activity on that day showed that the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 366.21 crore yesterday, 4 February 2020, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 601.86 crore, yesterday, 4 February 2020, as per provisional data. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. CAA no threat to Muslims, NPR very, very essential: Rajinikanth weighs in Superstar Rajinikanth said on Wednesday the contentious citizenship amendment act, which has sparked protests across the country, does not pose any threat to Muslims. The 69-year-old also backed the National Population Register (NPR). Read more 1 CRPF jawan, 2 terrorists killed in Srinagar: Police A trooper of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two terrorists were killed during a gun battle on Wednesday outside Srinagar, police said. Read more Petty conspiracy: Kejriwal disses Amit Shah on AAP link to shooter charge Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is leading his Aam Aadmi Partys effort to return to power in Delhi, on Wednesday launched a sharp counter-attack at the Bharatiya Janata Party over police claims that the 23-year-old who fired in Shaheen Bagh had joined AAP last year. Read more No link with any party: Shaheen Bagh shooters family amid AAP, BJP duel The family of the 23-year-old man arrested for firing in the air near the Shaheen Bagh protest site last week has said they do not have any connection with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), refuting a claim by Delhi Police. Read more A rise and shine for Shreyas Iyer - A century for India No.4 after 464 days After a struggle of more than three years, it looks like Shreyas Iyer has finally solved Indias No. 4 riddle with his maiden century batting at that position in the first ODI against New Zealand at Hamilton on Wednesday. Read more Meet the Indian artist who is bringing back childhood memories of the Sikh community through his comics There is something to childhood memories. They keep coming back to us to remind us who we are and to keep us in touch with our real selves. Delhi based artist Dashmeet Singh also did something similar. He revisited those memories and thats what his art is all about. Read more Darbar box-office: Film incurs heavy losses, distributors to go on hunger strike after request to meet Rajinikanth is turned down Actor Rajinikanths latest Tamil release Darbar, which has been directed by AR Murugadoss, has incurred losses of about Rs 70 crore as per trade sources. The films distributors have decided to go on hunger strike after their request to meet Rajinikanth was turned down. Read more Flipkart shuts down Jabong, redirects users to Myntra: Report Flipkart has reportedly shut down Jabong e-commerce platform. The move is said to be aimed at helping Myntra gain more traction. Jabongs official website and app are now redirecting users to Myntra. Read more This is an opinion column. Who do we want to be? What kind of state do we want to be? Its not that complicated really. At least it shouldnt be. Theres a thin line between good and near-bottom-of-the-barrel, between compassionate and indifferent, between innovative and stale. For too long, Alabamas cuddled up with near-the-bottom of the barrel, indifferent and stale. Or worse. Weve embraced them, wore them as a badge of honor even. Aint nobody gonna tell us how to do things down here, dammit. In the meantime, we wallow in the muck and mire. Proudly. Proud to be last to near-dead last in areas that impact so many Alabamians most. Like healthcare. Like education. Like infant mortality. Like poverty. Like our officially certified embarrassingly worst anywhere prison system. Our state legislatorsthe 140 state senators and representatives wholl gather in Montgomery at noon today to begin the 2020 legislative sessionhave a chance to change that. They really do. Not like last years bunch. It came in life-or-death divisive along party lines (which is getting boring, folks) and hell-bent on two things: raising the price of gas (not a bad thing if the millions generated actually improve our too-long-neglected roads and bridges) and legislating morality. At least the morality of those legislators who believe they should dictate to Alabama women the choices to make with their bodies, that they should speak for God rather than allow Alabama women to make their own choices in consultation with their own God. No matter how much it cost taxpayers to litigate our abortion law to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Likely close to $1 million at this juncture, in legal fees and whatnot.) No matter how it makes us lookhow anti-woman it makes us seem. Aint nobody gonna tell us how to do things down here, dammit. Oh, the 2019 gang accomplished some positives, such as legislation to further address the plague of human trafficking in our state and wage discrimination by gender or race. And more. But the session was indelibly stamped by the gas tax and embarrassing abortion law. This years legislators have a chance to be different. They really do. To be sure, the unimpeachable wall of partisanship still stands tall in our state, though impeachment has wearied some of us, frankly. Especially when we know the year only get uglier as we stroll from the Iowa caucuses to November. So, for now, is some bipartisanship too much to ask of this 2020 gathering? Especially on matters that affect so many in our state. So many beyond party lines. Who do we want to be? What kind of state do we want to be? Legislators in both the House and Senate should ask themselves those questions before any bill crafted and argued before a committee. Does this bill make us better? And not just the us who may likely vote for the bills sponsor. But us , Alabamians including many who may or may not go near a polling place in the fall because theyre working three jobs to keep a roof over their familys head, avoiding a doctors visit because they cannot afford it (treatment for what they might learn), birth a healthy baby without access to prenatal care, help their children read when theyre struggling to read themselves. Or simply stay alive in one of our overcrowded, understaffed and little-to-not-maintained at all prisons, where cruel and usual appear to be cellmates. Fixing our atrocious prisons (packed at 170% of designed capacity) wont be easy or cheap. But we must do it. Even the governor calls it a crisis. No more indifference. Continuing to fund education (by lottery, or whatever) for our children is vital, especially when weve told children we will fail them if the system fails them and doesnt have them reading at grade level by third grade. Addressing infant mortality, especially among African American women in the stateour black babies die at twice the rate of our white babies, despite lower overall infant mortality rare isnt easy, either. But we must. Even if it means expanding Medicaid, which we shouldve done long ago rather than allow any discussion to be strangled by partisanship. Providing the states Department of Mental Health with $18 million to create three crisis centers is a drop in the states budget. Between 2009-2012, the legislature gutted the departments budget by 36 percent, a flawed and ill-conceived move were still paying for. Funding these centers is just a start. Poverty. Its our behemoth. Our millstone. Our shame. Nearly 490,000 Alabama women live in poverty, almost 1 in 5, according to The Womens Fund of Greater Birmingham; 262,000 children are below the federal threshold, says Alabama Possible. Were 44th in the economic well of children, according to the 2019 KIDS COUNT data book. Half of our citizens live in food deserts, void of access to healthy and affordable foods. Our 16.9% poverty rate is three points higher than the national average. What kind of state do we want to be? Where to start? Theres no easy answer except: Somewhere. Were one of 12 states, for instance, that does not allow some sort of tax exemption for groceries. Advocates say taxing basic necessities like food unfairly burdens the poor. Opponents say defining necessary food is complicated and cumbersome; how does a proprietor distinguish broccoli vs. candy? I dont propose to have all the answers Thats the job of the folks wholl gather in the state capital four days each week between now and May 18. As they gather, they must ask themselves: Who do we want to be? Its not complicated. Really. A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj Kristen (left) and Becky Ashare with Maggie Maureen at her November baby naming ceremony at congregation Mishkan Shalom. Read more THE PARENTS: Kristen Ashare, 38, and Becky Ashare, 38, of Roxborough THE CHILD: Margaret (Maggie) Maureen, born Oct. 10, 2019 A WEDDING SOUVENIR: A signed card preprinted, but still meaningful from then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama congratulating them on their marriage. At first, Kristen had the pregnancy test cloaked in a onesie inside a gift bag. Then she decided that was too optimistic, pulled the stick out of its wrapping and left it on the kitchen counter for Becky to see when she returned from her morning workout. By that point, any glee about a pregnancy was tempered with wariness. Theyd been trying for more than a year: eight intrauterine inseminations, one pregnancy loss at eight weeks, one ectopic pregnancy, and finally, a cycle of IVF. You start living your life in two-week increments, Kristen says of those months of endless doctors appointments and hormone injections. After IUI number eight failed, I thought: I cant keep doing this roller-coaster. That year, 2018, was veined with other sorrows: Beckys father died on the day of their final IUI, and her mother passed away a month later. So when she came home from the gym that morning and noted the drugstore test stick on the counter, she figured it was more bad news. Kristen said, Look at the test! Becky remembers. We were both very excited and also cautious. Kristen was so certain she wanted children that shed been collecting childrens books even before she and Becky were a couple: an online meeting that led to a first date at Tria Taproom that segued to seeing one another almost every weekend. They called their inevitable weekly farewell The Sunday Sads. There are people who get really excited about the beginnings of relationships, the initial butterflies. And we both disliked that part, Kristen says. We wanted to get to the stability and solidness. After six months of dating, Kristen moved into Beckys Roxborough house, adding her boxer, Mousse, and her cat, Squirrel, to Beckys two-cat family. And even though Beckys brand of housekeeping involves shoving items into boxes, while Kristen loves to organize her space, both the animals and the humans settled into a happy coexistence. Near their one-year anniversary, Becky led Kristen on a scavenger hunt throughout the house; the final clue led to a ring, on their bed, surrounded by printouts of their first text messages to each other. Then it dawned on me: Oh, now I have to say something words like Will you marry me? Becky says. She stammered through. Kristen said yes and a few hours later, revealed the ring shed bought for Becky. They planned to marry in the fall of 2017. But after the 2016 election, legalizing their union felt more urgent. After Trump got elected, we freaked out a little bit, Kristen says. We didnt want the writing to be on the wall and for us not to pay attention. So they invited their parents and two close friends, bought tickets to the National Constitution Center, secured a Quaker self-officiating license, and married in the museums main hall, under a huge American flag. We were exercising a constitutional right, and that was important, Kristen says. Early on, they decided to use a sperm bank and an anonymous donor a process Kristen describes as the weirdest online dating weve ever done combined with a frenzy like that of securing high-demand concert tickets, as vials of sperm from sought-after donors were released for purchase on a specific day and time. It was Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the Jewish year, when the vials they wanted the sperm that, ultimately, helped to create their daughter were scheduled to drop. Kristen slipped out of her synagogues High Holiday services to discreetly use her phone and order some. Everything in the beginning [of the pregnancy] was shrouded in cautious optimism, she says. But after a six-week ultrasound showed one healthy heartbeat, she relaxed into an extraordinarily easy, normal pregnancy. They wanted a doula who could be both support and buffer, explaining their relationship to all the health-care providers they would encounter during the birth, so that no one would say, Whats hubbys name? or ask about the babys father. Their doula not only affirmed a non-gendered approach to labor and parenthood, but even asked Becky whether she wanted to try inducing lactation. With a regimen of progesterone and diligent every-three-hours use of a breast pump, Becky succeeded; by the due date, they already had a stockpile of breast milk in their freezer. Kristen wanted a natural birth: no Pitocin, no epidural. Her labor began around 3 a.m., and she managed a day and evening of contractions at home by making deliberate eye contact with Becky during each surge of pain. At Pennsylvania Hospital, when she was not quite dilated enough to push, the baby began jumping, straightening her legs with each contractions squeeze, enough that Kristen could feel the movement and Becky could watch her belly shaking. Watching Kristen give birth a natural birth, unmedicated was the most heroic, inspiring, unbelievable thing I have ever witnessed a human do, she says. Becky caught the baby this tiny, slimy human with a head of thick, dark hair. Maggies eyes were wide open. She uttered one cry, then shoved her hands in her buttonhole mouth. The first week, you just live in three-hour increments, Becky recalls. Theres no sense of time or daylight, just this repetitive cycle that you zombie yourself through. Kristen believes they learned a crucial lesson of parenthood after that first pregnancy loss, back in 2017: that they were not in control. It started off as a question: Are we going to spend the rest of our lives worried about whether this ball of cells makes it to the next stage? Then we realized: Oh, thats parenthood. Becky recalls her mother saying, during various childhood or adolescent conflicts, Youll understand when youre a parent. At the time, she shrugged off the comment. Now, she says, she imagines her mom, somewhere out there, shaking her head and murmuring kindly, I told you so. Stocks in the news today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Wednesday's trading session based on latest developments. Investors are also awaiting December quarter earnings that are scheduled to be released today. Companies set to announce their earnings are Adani Enterprises, Adani Gas, Apollo tyre, Indiabulls Housing, Bosch, Calida Healthcare, Berger Paints, DLF, Cipla. Bharti Airtel Q3: The company's consolidated net loss for the December quarter stood at Rs 1,035 crore, as aginstRs 86 crore profit reported in December 2018. Airtel's consolidated revenues grew 10.5% YoY for Q3 at Rs 21,947 crore, while India revenues rose 9.7% to Rs 15,797 crore. TVS Motors Q3: The company reported 26.13% (YoY) fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 150.61 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 as against Rs 203.91 crore, recorded in a year-ago period. Total income fell 6% (YoY) to Rs 4,779.32 crore in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal as compared to Rs 5,123.50 crore in the same period last financial year. The company has declared an interim dividend, for the financial year ending 31st March 2020, at the rate of Rs 2.10 per share. Tata Global Beverages Q3: The company reported 0.43% (YoY) fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 383.66 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 as against Rs 385.29 crore, recorded in a year-ago period. Total income rose 3.16% (YoY) to Rs 5,574 crore in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal as compared to Rs 5,597 crore in the same period last financial year. EPS of Tata Global Beverages stood at Rs 6.08 crore in Q3 FY20 from Rs 6.10 crore in Q3 FY19, declining 0.33% yearly. Adani Ports Q3: The company reported 4.3% (YoY) fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,356 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 as against Rs 1,418 crore, recorded in a year-ago period. Total income rose 20.8% (YoY) to Rs 3,830 crore in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal as compared to Rs 3,168 crore in the same period last financial year. Company's EBITDA registered a de-growth of 4.45% (YoY) at Rs 1,739 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2019, from Rs 1,820 crore, booked in the corresponding quarter in the previous year. Tax expense stood at Rs 382 crore in Q3 FY20 from Rs 401 crore in Q3 FY19, declining 4.73% yearly. GAIL: The Oil Ministry has moved a cabinet note seeking approval for hiving off GAIL's pipeline business into a separate entity for a possible sale to a strategic investor at a later date, sources privy to the development told PTI on Monday. The Ministry last month floated a note for consideration of the Union Cabinet for transferring the pipeline business into a 100 per cent subsidiary. Hind Rectifiers: The company said it has secured order worth Rs 54.62 crore in January, 2020. The company is having all time high pending orders of Rs 334.07 crore as on 31st January, 2020, the filing added. Meghmani Organics: The compay announced that it is ranked at 490t place in Fortune 500 cmpanies list declared in Fortune India Magazine Special Quarterly issue (15th December, 2019 to 14 March, 2020). The company has also emerged in the list of top 50 wealth ceator company of which it has ranked at 48th place. IFCI: The company announced that it has disinvested its stake in National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) for the amount of Rs 805.60 crore. IFCI has now completed the stake sale of NSE and further received an amount of approximately Rs 1,178.65 crore. Sun Pharma: The pharma major announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has launched ABSORICA LD(isotretinoin) capsules in US for the management of severe recalcitrant nodular acne in patients 12 years of age and older. ABSORICA LD is the only isotretinoin formulation to feature Sun Pharma's micronization technology, which utilizes micronized particles to optimize absorption at a 20% lower dose. Q3 Earnings Today: Adani Enterprises, Adani Gas, Apollo tyre, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Andhra Bank, Bosch, Calida Healthcare, Berger Paints, DLF, Cipla, Ajanta Pharma, Engineers India, Everest Organics, Godrej Agrovet, Greaves Cotton, Hindustan Petroleum, Gujrat Gas, Kaveri Seed, Quick Heal Technologies, PNC Infratech, Max Financial Services, Matrimony.com, Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra), V-Mart Retail, Zydus Wellness among others will release their December quarterly results today. OTTAWA, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Royal Canadian Mint's time-honoured practice of issuing coins recognizing the sacrifice of Canada's veterans endures on a new fine silver coin commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, illustrated by artist Pandora Young. The scene appearing on the reverse of this coin illustrates the emotion of people rediscovering their long-lost freedom thanks to the service and sacrifice of the First Canadian Army, which led a nine-month campaign at tremendous personal cost. The scene focuses on a Canadian soldier surrounded by children as his tank parades down the street of a typical Dutch city centre. In a simple display of gratitude, one of the children is offering the soldier a tulip: a gesture annually repeated by the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the end of the Second World War. To this day, thousands of tulips bloom in Ottawa as a living symbol or the unbreakable friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. This inspiring collectible, along with many others, are available to the public as of today. As a way of sparking interest in coin collecting, the Mint has released the 2020 5-Coin Numis-Tastic Set. This is an educational collection of 25-cent circulation coins featuring different finishes: Brilliant Uncirculated, Proof, Matte Proof, Reverse Proof, and Specimen. Each coin demonstrates the variety of finishes currently used by the Mint and the coin set's packaging contains detailed descriptions of each technique for the reading pleasure of experienced and budding collectors alike. Other coins launching this month include: The 2020 $50 Fine Silver Coin - Maple Leaves in Motion, designed by artist Joel Kimmel and featuring a new precision of gold and black rhodium plating over 99.99% pure silver; Fine Silver Coin - in Motion, designed by artist and featuring a new precision of gold and black rhodium plating over 99.99% pure silver; Two new egg-shaped coins by Ukrainian-Canadian artists: Dave Melnychuk's coloured 2020 $20 Fine Silver Coin - Traditional Pysanka and Nathalie Kit's traditionally-engraved 2020 $250 Pure Gold Coin - Tree of Life Pysanka; coloured 2020 Fine Silver Coin - Traditional Pysanka and Nathalie Kit's traditionally-engraved 2020 Pure Gold Coin - Tree of Life Pysanka; The 2020 1/10 th oz. Pure Gold Coin - Tribute to Alex Colville : 1967 Dollar , featuring Colville's iconic flying goose design created in honour of Canada's centennial; oz. Pure Gold Coin - Tribute to : , featuring Colville's iconic flying goose design created in honour of centennial; The 2020 $10 Fine Silver Coin - O Canada! Polar Bears, designed by artist Claude Thivierge ; Fine Silver Coin - O Canada! Polar Bears, designed by artist ; The 2020 $5 Fine Silver Coin - Moments to Hold: Celebrating 100 Years of the RCMP, revisiting a classic Ago Aarand design; Fine Silver Coin - Moments to Hold: Celebrating 100 Years of the RCMP, revisiting a classic Ago Aarand design; The 2020 $25 Fine Silver Piedfort - Timeless Icons: Polar Bear, featuring the artwork of Pierre Leduc ; and, Fine Silver Piedfort - Timeless Icons: Polar Bear, featuring the artwork of ; and, The crystal-enhanced 2020 $5 Fine Silver Coin - Birthstones: March, featuring the artwork of Pandora Young . Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the "Shop" tab of www.mint.ca. Coin images are available here. All of these products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Mint's web site. The coins are also available at Royal Canadian Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets. About the Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. The Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca. Follow the Mint on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1086251/2020__20_Fine_Silver_Coin___SWW_Battlefront_Series___The_Libertaion_of_Netherlands___REV.jpg Alex Reeves, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, Tel: +1 (613) 884-6370, reeves@mint.ca An endangered sea lion has been found dead with shotgun wounds on a Western Australian beach. A passerby was shocked to discover the Australian sea lion carcass while walking along Cheynes Beach, east of Albany, on Sunday. The WA Parks and Wildlife Service shared a picture of the dead mammal to Facebook on Wednesday, calling on locals to help with the investigation. The body of an endangered sea lion (pictured) has been found with shotgun wounds on a Western Australian beach. The WA Parks and Wildlife Service shared a picture of the dead mammal to Facebook on Wednesday, calling on locals to help with the investigation 'Tests have confirmed that an Australian sea lion found at Cheynes Beach near Albany over the weekend died as a result of wounds inflicted with a firearm,' the post was captioned. 'Australian sea lions are listed as a threatened species and significant penalties apply for injuring or killing them.' Speaking to PerthNow, wildlife officer Jon Pridham said: 'It's unnecessary and callous, cruel, shooting any animal in the body like that there's no guarantee that it is going to be a killing shot. 'They're endemic to Australia; they're quite unique, and unique in their reproductive biology. They're under threat, they're a vulnerable species in WA.' A passerby was shocked to discover the Australian sea lion corpse while walking along Cheynes Beach (pictured), east of Albany, on Sunday. There is a sea lion colony nearby the beach, which is where the mammal likely came from The wildlife officer revealed that shotgun pellets were deeply embedded in the sea lion and damaged the animal's aorta. The aorta is a central artery that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body, meaning that the sea lion would have died within minutes of being shot. Mr Pridham said the sea lion was likely from a colony near Cheynes Beach and suspects the mammal was shot at sea before washing up on the shore. The state's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is investigating the issue. WA Police will assist with the investigation when needed, according to Mr Pridham. Wildlife officer Jon Pridham said it was 'unnecessary, callous and cruel' to shoot sea lions since they were 'unique' creatures that are endemic to Australia. Anyone caught injuring or killing the Australian sea lions can be fined up to $300,000 under the Biodiversity Conservation Act. There are only an estimated 14,730 Australian sea lions in the country and the species is listed as 'in need of special protection'. The endangered species is only found in Australia along the coast and islands of WA and SA, including Kangaroo Island. The DBCA is encouraging people with information about the incident to contact them on 9842 4500. Ms Banerjee also accused the Narendra Modi government of adopting a partisan attitude towards the state. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday described the BJP as Mughal Emperor Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq's offspring while calling it a party of "Dussasanas a Kaurava prince, the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and the younger brother of Duryodhana in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She also equated the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) with black magic. The Trinamul Congress supremo drew the comparisons at Ranaghat in Nadia. She further lashed out at Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Anurag Thakur to shoot the anti-CAA protesters if they would not relent. One leader after another from the BJP is giving orders for killings of the common people and vandalism of properties. Can it be an agenda of a political party? They are whimsical. They are the offsprings of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, Ms Banerjee said at a party rally against the CAA-NRC-NPR. She added, But our party is not of Dussasanas like the BJP. We do what we say unlike them who are doing whatever they like to do. The NPR, NRC and CAA are like black magic. But we will foil it at any cost. How can someone recollect his or her three generations' details? Daring to risk her life for the people, Trinamul chief made it clear that when she was born through movements, she would also die through the same. Ms Banerjee also accused the Narendra Modi government of adopting a partisan attitude towards the state. She claimed, In the morning officers from the Reserve Bank of India met me at home. They told me that nearly 1,000 people were allotted across the country after a long time. But only ten of them are for our state. They do not want to give anything to Bengal because they tend to deprive us. She was referring to a two-member Reserve Bank Employees Association delegation's visit to her with a complaint against the Centre's discriminatory recruitment sanction for the state. This shouldnt be a stressful or a laborious process shopping for a car or a car lease should be fun and exciting, said Khaselev. Spread the word on our entirely digital online shopping experience, now available through our website platform today. Signature Auto Group, located in Brooklyn, is New York Citys leading auto leasing. Signature is known for offering a large selection of vehicle makes and models, this week announced their online auto platform is enabling shoppers to both lease and buy cars entirely online. Passionate about modernizing their auto offerings to stay up-to-date with the latest buying preferences and trends around the greater New York region, Signature Auto Group has created an entirely digital auto lead funnel. Online shopping is bigger than ever before today, with more and more people completing their entire shopping process right from their mobile device or laptop, said Allen Khaselev, Managing Partner at Signature Auto Group. We wanted to create that same kind of shopping experience for our customers. Now, you can buy or lease a car with our team, all without leaving the house! On the website, visitors have the choice of perusing auto lease specials, pre-owned New York City car specials, credit applications, and sell your car for those thinking about making extra money from the sale of their automobile. Car buyers can also access a convenient search feature that filters make, model, condition, min. price, max. price, and vehicle type. All the tools and filters on the Signature Auto Group website are completely free to use. Therefore, car buyers can now search through the website, select a purchase deal or nyc auto leasing agreement that is suited to their needs, and close on the agreement, all through desktop or mobile devices. We want to be on the frontlines of modernizing automotive purchase power, said Khaselev. Our brand-new, leasing autowebsite is demonstrating what is possible with streamlined technology and the desire to modernize with consumer preferences. Thats why we spent so much time getting this car leasing online process right. Search tabs on the new website include: search cars, sell your car, exit your lease, enhance your lease, or credit application. Right on the home page, users can search the best car deals online, making Signature Auto World a truly one-stop-shop for everything automotive today. This shouldnt be a stressful or a laborious process shopping for a car or a car lease should be fun and exciting, said Khaselev. Spread the word on our entirely digital online shopping experience, now available through our website platform today. Signature Auto Group is also able to deliver quality auto collision insurance and other options in South Brooklyn, thanks to its Allstate partnership. They are the first non-franchise entity to be tapped by Allstate. For more information, visit: https://signatureautoworld.com/. Two Disney channels will be discontinued on Foxtel at the end of February. Foxtel has advised Disney Channel (Ch. 707) and Disney Junior (Ch. 709) will be leaving the platform on February 29. This follows the launch of Disney+ streaming in Australia and follows Disney content leaving its Movies platforms last November. Disney XD ceased broadcasting in January 2019. Kids content will remain through CBeebies, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Cartoon Network and Boomerang while ABC Kids can now be accessed on iQ3 and iQ4 set top boxes. Amidst the Opposition's demand for a detailed probe into tiger killings, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said efforts are being made to ensure that such incidents don't recur in future. A tigress and three of her cubs were killed by five locals in Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary last month. The issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat through a calling attention motion on the floor of the House during the Assembly session on Wednesday. Opposition leaders, including Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte, demanded that central agencies should probe the possible involvement of poaching gangs or mining lobbies in the killings. "We have taken precautions to ensure that such killings do not recur. We are also looking at this case from a humanitarian point of view," Sawant said. Locals had allegedly killed the tigers, as the wild cats had attacked their livestock, he added. Forest department officials were coordinating with their counterparts in neighbouring states to monitor the movement of tigers. The Chief Minister said compensation would be paid within three to four days to farmers who have lost their cattle to animal attacks, he added. The government has plans for voluntary relocation of families living in core areas and construction of towers inside Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary, he said. Another forest range is being created at the sanctuary, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a photo of Beckett Burge and his supportive sister went viral, Imperato reached out to offer assistance through Henry's Guns For Great Causes program, a charitable branch of the company that focuses on helping sick children, children's hospitals, veterans' organizations, 2nd Amendment, shooting sports, and wildlife conservation organizations. The "Beat It Like Beckett" edition rifle showcased an engraved and handpainted gold ribbon on the buttstock, the symbol of childhood cancer awareness. A few months after Sadie Kreinbrink was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a malignant childhood tumor requiring 66 weeks of chemotherapy treatment, Sadie's mother reached out to Henry Repeating Arms, and the "Sweet Sadie" edition rifle was born. The custom Golden Boy Silver Youth rifle displays a bright pink ribbon on the buttstock, which is Sadie's favorite color. Baron Engraving of Trumbull, CT, donated their engraving and design services for both rifles. Henry President and owner, Anthony Imperato, says, "We are so thrilled with our fans and everyone that chose to support the Kreinbrink and Burge family by purchasing one of these rifles. It's initiatives like this that have the potential to show the media and the rest of the world how great of an industry our firearms industry is." He continues, "Firearms manufacturers tend to get a black eye by the media more often than not, so this along with all of our other Guns For Great Causes campaigns should go to show all the good we can do." To learn more about Henry's Guns For Great Causes program visit: https://www.henryusa.com/about-us/guns-for-great-causes/ Henry firearms can only be purchased through a licensed firearms dealer. For more information about Henry Repeating Arms and its products, visit henryusa.com or call 866-200-2354. About Henry Repeating Arms: Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever action category. The company motto is "Made in America, or not made at all" and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its charitable endeavors under its Guns For Great Causes program, which focuses on sick children, both individual cases and children's hospitals, veteran and wounded veteran organizations, Second Amendment and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs 535 people and has 250,000 square-feet of manufacturing space in its Rice Lake, Wisconsin and Bayonne, New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry who invented and patented the Henry rifle in 1860 the first repeating rifle, the lever action rifle, which is America's unique contribution to international firearms design and is one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at www.HenryUSA.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and on Instagram @Henry_Rifles. SOURCE Henry Repeating Arms Related Links www.henryusa.com Mothers are the most special people in the society. They are homemakers, mentors, role models, and great caregivers among other things. In ancient days (and many places today), the role of a mother was to take care of their homes, a role they carried out with such grace and joy. However, modern mothers not only take care of the kitchen but also work to supplement their family income. Because of the important place of a mother in society, a day is set aside every year to celebrate and show them affection and love. This day is popularly known as Mothers Day and observed in over 40 countries worldwide. It is the second Sunday of May. Origin Of The Holiday The first Mothers Day was celebrated in 1908 when Anna Jarvis (United States) held a memorial service in Graftons St. Andrew Methodist Church in honor of her late mother. The church hosts the International Mothers Day Shrine. When Annas mother died in 1905, she began a nationwide campaign to have Mothers Day a recognized holiday in the US. Her mother was a peace activist who nursed the wounded soldier and created the Mothers Day Work Club. Anna was determined to continue the work her mother begun and to set aside one day in a year to honor the mothers because they have one more for you than anyone else in the world. In 1908, the proposal to make Mothers Day a public holiday was rejected by Congress. However, Mothers Day was finally observed in 1911 in all of the US, with West Virginia officially recognizing it. In 1914, President Woodrow designated the second Sunday of May as a day to honor all mothers and named in Mothers Day. Mothers Day And Not Mothers Day The contention over the years has been why Mothers Day and not Mothers Day since all mothers are being celebrated on this day. When Anna Jarvis formed the Mothers Day International Association in 1912, she was specific about it being Mothers so that each family could honor its mother and not a plural form (mothers) honoring all mothers in the world. it is for this reason that President Woodrow, in his proclamation, used Mothers. Other US presidents have also used the same spelling in their proclamations concerning the same. Mothers Day Is Popularly Celebrated On The Second Sunday Of May Although Mothers Day originated from the United States, it has since been adopted by many countries around the world. The second Sunday in May has traditionally been set aside to celebrate and honor mothers. In 2019, Mothers Day was commemorated on Sunday, May 12 in over 90 countries around the world. This year (2020), Mothers Day will be on May 10, 2020, while May 9 has been set aside for the celebration in 2021. Mothers Day will be commemorated on May 8 and May 13 of 2022 and 2023 respectively. Countries That Celebrate Mothers Day On A Different Date While most countries celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday in May, other countries hold the commemoration on a different date. Mothering Sunday is celebrated in the UK, Ireland, and Nigeria on the fourth Sunday in Lent. France, Algeria, Cameroon, Sweden, Tunisia, and Mali commemorates the day on the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June. Other dates include first Sunday of July, Second Sunday of February, March 21, March 25, May 8, May 10, and last Sunday of November Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) on Wednesday targeted the BJP over the issue of domicile law for the erstwhile state and said it will hold anti-government demonstrations on the issue in Delhi soon. "We will hold anti-government protests in New Delhi soon over domicile demand. The highly incongruous and contradictory statements made by its (BJP's) leadership in New Delhi had created huge embitterment in the hearts and minds of the people especially the youth on domicile issue," JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh told reporters here. He said the BJP should refrain from taking the people of Jammu and Kashmir for granted. "Don't play with the sentiments of the people over sensitive issues. The educated unemployed youth has been eagerly awaiting the enactment of an appropriate legislation so as to safeguard their interests in the new set up," he said. "Double standards of BJP leadership have come to the fore on several occasions in its dealing with J and K affairs which seems to be the last priority for the present regime at the Centre," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She's spent eight years starring as Carrie Matheson on Showtime's Homeland. And on Tuesday, Claire Danes walked the red carpet at the New York premiere for the eighth and final season of the drama series. She was joined for the swansong by her husband Hugh Dancy who, in a sweet casting note, was hired to play a role in the concluding episodes of the spy thriller. Swansong: Claire Danes, accompanied by husband Hugh Dancy, walked the red carpet at the New York premiere for the eighth and final season of Homeland on Tuesday night Danes, 40, and Dancy, married in 2009 and have two young sons together. And the celebrity couple put on quite a stylish show for their big night. Danes went with a one-sleeve full-length animal print dress to which she added an unexpected twist - a bubblegum pink sash wrapped several times around her waist. Her chin-length blonde bob was styled with an off-center parting and worn tucked behind one ear. She accessorized with drop pendant earrings and added glossy lip color. Stylish: Danes, 40, wore a one-sleeve full-length animal print dress to which she added an unexpected twist - a bubblegum pink sash wrapped several times around her waist Star power: Her chin-length blonde bob was styled with an off-center parting and worn tucked behind one ear. She accessorized with drop pendant earrings and added glossy lip color Celebrity couple: In a sweet casting note, Dancy, 44, was hired to play a role in the concluding episodes of the spy thriller. However, they do not share any scenes together in the final season Suave: British actor Dancy kept his look classic with a dark two-piece suit worn with a white shirt and patterned silk tie British actor Dancy kept his look classic with a dark two-piece suit worn with a white shirt and patterned silk tie. He sported some serious designer stubble and posed for photos with one arm around his wife and one hand in his trouser pocket. While both star in the final season of Homeland, they don't actually shares any on screen scenes together. In a recent CBS interview, Danes acknowledged that saying goodbye to Homeland is quite momentous. 'It's been almost a decade of my life. I was barely married when we started. Now we have two kids who we've dragged all over the planet as we've filmed this thing,' she said. 'But it's been just a wonderful gig. It's been life-changing.' Friends and co-stars: Mandy Patinkin, 67, who has played Carrie's CIA mentor on the show since the beginning, shared a laugh with Danes as he posed for photos with her Suited up: Also on hand was Morena Baccarin, who starred on the first three seasons of Homeland as Jessica Brody, wife of main protagonist Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis Danes and Dancy were joined by some familiar faces at the red carpet event held at MOMA. Mandy Patinkin, 67, who has played Carrie's CIA mentor on the show since the beginning, shared a laugh with Danes as he posed for photos with her. Also on hand was Morena Baccarin, who starred on the first three seasons of Homeland as Jessica Brody, the wife of main protagonist Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis. Joining Baccarin were her on-screen children, Morgan Saylor and Jackson Pace. Season 8 castmembers Sitara Attaie and Andrea Deck also attended the event. The final 12 episodes of Homeland start airing on Showtime on Sunday February 9. Reunited: Joining Baccarin were her on-screen children, Morgan Saylor and Jackson Pace All grown up: Saylor, 25, paired a halter red dress with black tights and black ankle boots, while Pace, 20, wore a blue two-piece suit with a black top, black belt and black shoes Supporting stars: Season 8 castmembers Andrea Deck, left, and Sitara Attaie, right, also attended the event Kuala Lumpur, Feb 5 : Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak took the stand on Wednesday in a court here for the first time in connection with a trial over three corruption charges. Mansor, 68, has been charged with accepting three bribes, worth a total of 194 million ringgit ($47 million) in 2016 in exchange for helping a private company secure the contract of a solar energy project for 369 rural schools in the state of Sarawak, situated in the Borneo province. If found guilty, she will be jailed for 20 years. The company, Jepak Holdings, had secured the "Project Bersepadu System Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Hybrid" - valued at 1.25 billion ringgit - without an open tender. In the first hearing of the trial in the Kuala Lumpur High Court - postponed on Monday after Mansor skipped the court appearance citing medical problems - two of the prosecution witnesses began testifying, with prosecutors aiming to present direct evidence of the alleged crimes committed by the former first lady. "The accused is the wife of the former Prime Minister. By herself, she occupied no official position. However, she wielded considerable influence by reason of her overbearing nature," prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said in his opening statement. "She placed herself in a position where she was able to influence decisions in the public sector," he added. Mansor, who also faces 17 other allegations of corruption, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is out on bail. Razak, who faces 42 corruption charges, and his wife are accused of siphoning millions of dollars to their private accounts from the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The 66-year-old leader - who was the prime minister between 2009 and 2018 - allegedly appropriated about 2.6 billion ringgit, according to a media investigation carried out in 2015. Three of the five proposed trials against Razak are already underway over charges of corruption, abuse of power and money laundering. When the 1MDB scandal first grabbed headlines during his tenure, Razak had claimed that the money was a donation from a Saudi prince, an explanation that was initially accepted by the 1MDB and also by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Attorney General, who had exonerated him from the charges. However, current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad - a former mentor of Razak - reopened the investigation and pressed charges against his erstwhile protege after a surprise win in May 2018 elections. In addition to Malaysia, half a dozen countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, continue to investigate the embezzlement of the Malaysian state fund. The US Department of Justice estimated $4.5 billion had been diverted from 1MDB of which about $1 billion may have been laundered in the US through the purchase of real estate, yachts, jewelry and works of art, among other goods. Former Vice President Joe Biden, left, received more money from Pennsylvania donors than any other Democratic candidate for president in 2019. He was followed closely by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, right. Read more When it comes to Pennsylvania, Joe Biden remains the make-it-rain king. The former vice president has raised more money in the state than any other Democratic candidate for president, with more than one in five dollars given by Pennsylvania donors going to his campaign. But Bernie Sanders is right behind him and with a totally different path to the top. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg remain competitive. The four top-tier Democratic candidates dominated Pennsylvania fund-raising last year, according to an Inquirer analysis of federal campaign-finance records. Together, they received $9.9 million from donors in the critical swing state, more than two-thirds of the almost $14.4 million in total that Pennsylvanians gave to the sprawling Democratic field in 2019: Biden, the Scranton native whose campaign is headquartered in Philadelphia, led the pack with $3.1 million from Pennsylvania. Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, followed closely behind, with a massive pool of individual donors that gave almost $3 million. Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, came in third, receiving more than $2 million. And Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., was the only other candidate to receive more than $1 million from Pennsylvania, taking in more than $1.8 million. Other candidates received a total of $4.4 million from Pennsylvania donors in 2019, led by Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.). Booker and Harris dropped out of the race before this weeks first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is spending hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money to flood states with TV advertising and field staff, including more than $10 million worth of TV ads in Pennsylvania. But Bloomberg, a billionaire, is funding his own campaign and not accepting donations. The top four candidates have taken very different paths to financial dominance, according to the Inquirer analysis of data reported Friday to the Federal Election Commission: Biden, who has relied heavily on large-dollar fund-raisers, has the smallest donor base of the four, but with much higher donation amounts. Sanders small-dollar donors give less than half the amount that Bidens donors do, but Sanders has more than twice as many of them. Warren, who like Sanders relies on small-dollar donors and eschews big fund-raising events, has the second-largest pool of individual donors, and those backers give amounts comparable to Sanders donors. And Buttigieg has raised money from a mix of both small- and large-dollar donations, with more donors than Biden but fewer than Warren and Sanders. The Inquirer analysis was based on data reported directly by the campaigns throughout the year, along with filings from ActBlue, the political-giving platform that processes online donations to Democrats. A small percentage of donations are not reported to the FEC in an itemized way, including small donations that are given directly to a campaign and do not meet the $200 threshold for federal disclosure. The data are also imperfect because of reporting errors in finance filings generally, and because donors may, for example, change names or addresses and be counted as two separate individuals. Still, the combined data account for the vast majority of donations and reflect the best numbers available on campaigns fund-raising. The analysis found differing fund-raising strategies and success, reflecting the candidates diverging approaches to the primary race nationally and an evolving campaign-finance landscape. Consider Biden and Sanders, the strongest examples of two opposite strategies. Biden, a moderate with a long history in the party, has deep wells of support within the Democratic establishment and has drawn on them through a traditional campaign of large fund-raising events and bundlers, who seek to continually tap wealthy political networks for money. READ MORE: 2020 Democrats are naming their fund-raising 'bundlers amid a fight over big money in politics Sanders, on the other hand, broke new ground in the 2016 presidential race by relying on a broad base of grassroots supporters who have proven willing to donate small amounts, often in recurring gifts. That fund-raising approach also matches Sanders broader strategy, given his positioning as a progressive party outsider promising a political revolution. They are two wildly different approaches to raising money, but both successful, at least so far. Sanders has raised almost as much money as Biden in Pennsylvania, despite Bidens home-field advantage as a native son who headquartered his campaign in Center City Philadelphia. Nationally, Sanders raised almost $109 million through the end of 2019 more than any other candidate and 79% more than Bidens $61 million. Sanders had $18.1 million in the bank to close the quarter, twice as much as Biden. Bidens reliance on large-dollar donors also means his campaign faces more pressure to perform well in early-voting states, as donors are less likely to write big checks if he doesnt appear to have a path to victory. The data filed Friday also show Biden gained strength in the last months of the year, recovering from an anemic summer: Biden raised more than $372,000 a month in Pennsylvania from September through December, more than double his monthly average of $163,000 in June, July, and August. Sanders raised more money in Pennsylvania in December $559,000 than in any previous month. And Warren and Buttigieg continued to raise money at a steady pace. In addition to total amount raised, another metric is revealing of candidates fund-raising strength: the total number of donors, especially new ones. And by this measure, Biden shows weakness, as does Buttigieg, while Warren and especially Sanders have continued to grow. Sanders has significantly more Pennsylvania donors than the other candidates, and by the end of the year had attracted more than twice as many donors as Biden, who had the smallest donor base. Since June, Sanders and Warren have had more total Pennsylvania donors than Buttigieg and Biden. And that gap has grown as the progressive candidates have added donors at a faster rate than the moderate ones. Biden has received an average of almost 1,800 new Pennsylvania donors a month since announcing his candidacy, while Buttigieg averaged just over 2,000. By contrast, Warren added 3,000 new donors a month, and Sanders received almost 3,600 monthly. So while Sanders in May had about 9,000 more donors than Biden, that gap had grown by the end of the year to more than 25,000. And while Buttigieg had more donors than Warren in March, April, and May, since then, Warren has added donors at a faster rate. By the end of the year, Warren had about 6,000 more Pennsylvania donors than Buttigieg. Sanders and Warren also saw spikes in new donors in December, with Sanders adding more than 7,000, or about 17% of his donor base, and Warren adding almost 2,800 donors, expanding her donor base by about 9%. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 13:26:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said his country believes that China will soon prevail over the novel coronavirus outbreak. He made the remarks in a phone conversation on Tuesday with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Don expressed support for China's battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic, stressing that his nation stands with the Chinese people at this challenging moment. Thailand, he added, is willing to provide China with all possible assistance. For his part, Wang thanked Thailand for its steadfast support and provision of supplies. China and Thailand are like a family, he said, adding that whenever one of them has a difficult time, the other spares no efforts to help. He recalled that China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations jointly tackled such major challenges as the SARS epidemic and the Indian Ocean Tsunami in the past. "This time around, we will certainly be able to stand together and join hands to overcome the current difficulties," added the Chinese senior diplomat. With a high sense of responsibility not only for its own people but for all countries around the world, China is now a nation of one mind battling the epidemic with the most comprehensive and strict measures, Wang said. China's response, many of which far exceed the advice offered by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been highly appreciated by the WHO, several countries and the wider international community, he added. The effects of China's prevention and containment efforts are beginning to emerge, Wang said, noting that the fatality rate has steadily remained under 2.1 percent, well below the rate of other major epidemics around the world. The number of cured patients has considerably surpassed that of deaths, and the increase of suspected cases is slowing down, added the Chinese foreign minister. "We have the capability and confidence to eventually win the battle," he said. China, he added, will continue to actively cooperate on issues of international health with an open and transparent attitude. Noting that China and Thailand are close neighbors and friends, Wang said the Chinese side will continue to safeguard the health of Thai nationals in China like they were Chinese. Homesickness or the feeling of longingness at one's home is an inevitable emotion when people start living away from a place where they grew up and spent most of their life. When you feel homesick, you begin to slowly miss the people you left back home, the neighborhood, the familiar faces within the community, and the things you do as part of your daily routine. Feeling homesick is also accompanied by the feeling of isolation -- it's like you do not belong to the new place and feels detached as you adjust to your newfound life. It looks like the feeling of homesickness is slowly hitting Prince Harry a few weeks after he joined his wife, Meghan Markle, and eight-month-old son Archie back in Canada. As everyone knows, this is a part of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's attempt to live a private and independent life away from royal duties and responsibilities. While Meghan and Harry are supposed to be happy living the life they have always dreamed of, it looks like the 35-year-old prince is slowly feeling the realities of living miles away from his loved ones. According to reports, the Prince is missing his friends in the United Kingdom and has been using a popular messaging application to stay connected with them. "Harry misses his friends, of course - anyone would," an insider told The Sun. And just like any group of friends, the sixth in line to the throne is also a part of a WhatsApp group chat, which he now utilizes often to stay connected with his pals back home. "But he has been in WhatsApp Group with his mates for years, and he uses that more than ever now to keep in touch and send pictures," the source said. "The group are always sharing funny video clips they find as well." The source explained that despite being miles away from his friends, Prince Harry makes sure to keep in touch with his best friends. "Harry doesn't think being on the other side of the world means that he will lose touch with the people he has been mates with all his life," the source said. It could be recalled that Prince Harry just joined his mother-and-son tandem in Vancouver Island after finishing several royal engagements. It includes an emergency meeting at Sandringham with his father, Prince Charles, brother Prince William, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Sussexes are reportedly staying in a rented mansion where they also stayed during their six-week Winter break back in December. Another source told The Sun that the Sussex patriarch is carefully planning his and Meghan's next move, as they are aware that all eyes are on them following their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. "Harry is mindful that everyone is waiting to see what he and Meghan do next, and he wants this to be a really transformational year for them all as a family," the source said. The insider added that Harry is now focusing on making this year's Invictus Game more epic than ever. Backroads launches special solar eclipse Chile multi-adventure trip Winter in the Northern Hemisphere means summer in Central and South America and a great time to go on a Backroads active vacation, said Backroads Founder and President, Tom Hale. Backroads, the leader in active travel, today announced new trips in Central and South America with departures to destinations in Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Chile. The company also rolled out additional departures for families traveling with older teens and adult kids in their 20s & Beyond. Backroads will be running special Chile and Argentina Biking and Multi-Adventure Tours for viewing the total solar eclipse on December 14, 2020a once-in-a-lifetime experience. New in 2020, Backroads is expanding its South American offerings with a Chile Patagonia & Fjords Cruise Walking & Hiking Tour. Visiting the popular yet hard to reach Chilean Patagonia Fjords, Cape Horn and Torres del Paine National Park, the trip offers unique wildlife and glacier viewing, epic hikes and tours of historical sites in Wulaia Bay, once visited by Charles Darwin. Guests can experience three trips in one while living aboard the Australis, a state-of-the-art expedition ship and staying at Hotel Las Torres and The Singular Patagonia. Winter in the Northern Hemisphere means summer in Central and South America and a great time to go on a Backroads active vacation, said Backroads Founder and President, Tom Hale. For families with Older Teens & 20s or adult kids 20s & Beyond, weve expanded our offering with even more trips and a chance to explore areas like Machu Picchu, Chiles Volcanoes and Lakes District and Cubas countryside. Several of Backroads Latin America tours will take place during the total solar eclipse of 2020. Guests wanting to experience the Americas and the eclipse simultaneously should consider booking the following trips: Argentina Patagonia Lake District Multi-Adventure Tour, Chile Bike Tour and Chile Multi-Adventure Tour. Backroads New Latin American Trips Include: Argentinas Patagonia Walking & Hiking Tour (20s & Beyond) Chiles Lake District Bike Tour (20s & Beyond) Chile Multi-Adventure Tour (Couples, Friends & Solos, Older Teens & 20s, Teens & Kids) + Total Solar Eclipse Departure (while space is still available) Chile Patagonia & Fjords Cruise Walking & Hiking Tour (Couples, Friends & Solos, Older Teens & 20s) Chiles Lake District Walking & Hiking Tour (20s & Beyond) Galapagos by Sea Ocean Cruise Multi-Adventure Tour (Couples, Friends & Solos, Older Teens & 20s, Teens & Kids) More information on Backroads Latin America and Caribbean Trips at http://www.backroads.com. About Backroads Backroads was founded in 1979 by Tom Hale and has been a leading innovator in active and adventure travel for over 40 years. The company hosts thousands of guests each year, 75% of whom are repeat guests or referrals from past guests, in hundreds of locations across the globe. Backroads is a founding member of the Adventure Collection. For more information, please visit backroads.com. Or call 800-462-2848 daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pacific time. The ruling Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia party will lose the parliamentary elections even if the mixed electoral system is preserved, because the opposition intends to present a single candidate in local districts, leader of the European Georgia opposition party Giga Bokeria said. At the same time, he stressed that the opposition will be able to speak with one voice even if early parliamentary elections are held. "We will have one opposition candidate in each single-mandate district and there will be just one round. But this is an abnormal scenario. The normal scenario is elections under a proportional system and competition between political forces," Sputnik-Georgia cited Bokeria as saying. The opposition and civic activists have resumed protests at Georgian parliament in Tbilisi earlier today, demanding an early transition to a proportional electoral system in time for the parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year. The opposition believes that the current electoral system, with 73 MPs elected in single-mandate constituencies and 77 based on proportional system, is more beneficial to the ruling party. Political scientist Gela Vasadze, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Bokeria's scenario is the only possible option. "This is quite natural. This is something that has been talked about for a long time, and the main opposition forces have no other choice," the expert explained. "To avoid insignificant candidates, the opposition should clearly distribute its regional resources. Indeed, different parties have different resources in different regions. So I think this is the only and completely logical decision," Gela Vasadze said. The head of the Center for Global Studies, Nana Devdariani, agreed that the opposition will be able to implement Bokeria's scenario. "Finding a compromise is not that hard - there arent that many real candidates, especially since the opposition parties have de facto united. But the problem is that 32 parties gathered ten times fewer people than 'Alliance of Patriots' to protests, so the big question is whether a single candidate can win," she said. The political scientist noted that the opposition changed its tactics. "Until now, they said they will fight to the end in order to achieve fully proportional elections, and now they have decided to prepare for elections in single-mandate districts. But they know that the ruling party candidates almost always win the majority voting," Nana Devdariani stressed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-05 13:21:20|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Every second, 15 passengers suspected of fever can be detected even when they are more than 3 meters away, with the entire process carried out by a single staff member. Artificial intelligence (AI) fever screening systems have been deployed in some busy pedestrian areas in Beijing to provide non-contact and efficient temperature inspection for the novel coronavirus control during the upcoming post-holiday travel peak. The novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control is in a critical period as passenger flows are expected to peak during the post-holiday travel rush. Beijing's subway system, for instance, launched temperature detection measures in all of the city's subway stations last Friday. Passengers will be tested by thermal imagers and handheld thermometers. Those with abnormal body temperatures will be sent to hospital. However, in busy pedestrian areas like subway and railway stations, traditional forehead thermometers are not efficient enough and may cause crowd congestion, increasing the risk of cross-infection due to close contact. It is also difficult for staff members to quickly identify the high-temperature area of an infrared image with the naked eye and locate the target. Meanwhile, although some temperature screening systems have been integrated with AI features, the masks and hats people wear mean the system has too few facial features to recognize and analyze. How to achieve rapid fever detection in busy pedestrian areas with no body contact has become an urgent issue in the novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control. On Jan. 25, Zhongguancun Science City in Beijing called on tech firms and research groups in Haidian District to develop AI solutions for infrared temperature screening systems to improve the accuracy and efficiency of temperature screening in busy pedestrian areas. On Tuesday, AI fever screening systems were deployed in some subway stations in Haidian District, home to China's high-tech hub Zhongguancun, and Haidian District Service Hall. AI company Megvii, developer of the system, said its engineers optimized the system for masks and hats with a margin of error within 0.3 degrees Celsius. The system also supports non-contact remote temperature screening of more than 3 meters. Once a passenger is suspected of having a fever, the system will automatically alert staff members. Person re-identification (ReID), a technology to identify and track a person of interest from group images, enables staff members to quickly locate the passenger for further tests. Megvii researchers said the system can send fever alerts for up to 15 people per second and one system can cover 16 lanes, basically covering one subway entrance. Meanwhile, only one staff member is needed to work onsite, reducing the risk of infection among frontline staff. At Qinghe railway station, an AI fever screening system developed by tech giant Baidu went into operation last Saturday. Qinghe station is of the departure stations of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail line and one of the largest stations on the line. It is also an interchange station for Beijing's subway line 13. During the Spring Festival, the average daily passenger flow can reach 30,000. The system is also non-contact and automatically identifies and locates suspected cases. Passengers don't need to take off their masks while going through the inspection. Baidu said the demand for temperature screening systems for densely populated areas is expanding in many Chinese cities. The company will provide free support for government agencies at all levels and local communities. It only took 21 hours, but we finally know which Democratic candidate is ahead in the Iowa caucus. I say "ahead" because a day later the digital gurus at the Iowa State Democratic Party and the DNC have only given us 62 percent of the precinct results for a contest that features roughly the number of voters as the annual CPAC straw poll. (Troy Price, the state party chair, has assured us that "a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation" of this debacle will follow you know, in the days and weeks to follow when people are paying attention to everything except the Hawkeye State.) Still: Early congratulations are probably due to Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. According to the most recent tally released early on Tuesday evening, Mayor Pete is in the lead with just under 27 percent of delegates to Bernie's 25 percent. Elizabeth Warren followed at 19 percent, with Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar taking up the rear at roughly 16 and 13 percent respectively. For both Buttigieg (who declared himself the winner 18 hours ago in a late-night speech to supporters) and Sanders (whose own internal numbers suggest that he'll win by a margin of around 3 percent) it can plausibly be considered a victory. If the final results show that Sanders actually won or, indeed, perhaps especially if they show him losing the delegate race but winning the raw vote total, which is a plausible outcome we should expect to hear a lot of carping from his supporters about Mayor Cheat and the idiots who attempted to run a caucus using an apparently free version of an app. In turn this will probably help to lead to a revival of 2016's counter-accusations that everyone slightly to the left of John Delaney and marginally less shot up with impeachment than Adam Schiff is a Russian troll bot. This is what democracy looks like. What about Warren? The results so far, which don't show her leading any of Iowa's counties, suggest that for many voters she remains choice number two. This is not such a bad position in which to find oneself in a race that still features so many apparently viable candidates. The same, to a lesser extent, is true for Klobuchar, who despite an enormous fundraising disadvantage managed to achieve what looks like a virtual tie with a former vice president. Story continues Which brings us to Joe Biden. There is no way around this: Finishing fourth in the Iowa caucus should be embarrassing to any candidate with anything like his name recognition. His path to winning the nomination involves South Carolina and a large number states on Super Tuesday. If Barack Obama is secretly willing to endorse Biden after all, he should consider doing so before the end of the month. The most important question in this contest going forward continues to be how much the DNC is willing to do to prevent Sanders from winning the nomination. A 25 or 30 percent showing, which could increase to 35 or more if Warren dropped out, would be enough to carry him to victory in most states. But this would only be because moderate opposition to him is split between Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar (as long as she remains in the race anyway), and, eventually, Michael Bloomberg. There still appears to be an anti-progressive majority in the party. Whether it can be effectively mobilized will depend upon how soon the field can be narrowed to two or three candidates. An inconclusive result in Iowa makes this less likely to happen soon. More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think DAYTON, Ohio, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Winsupply Inc., one of the largest distributors in the nation, has closed on the purchase of Morgan Brothers Supply, Inc., a plumbing wholesale distributor primarily serving central and northern Florida. Details of the asset purchase were not disclosed. Morgan Brothers Supply was founded in 1980 and has grown rapidly to seven locations and nearly 120 employees to serve plumbing contractors and general contractors, developers, homeowners and correctional institutions. The company has six plumbing showrooms. The founders of the company, Russell and Peter Morgan, sold their interest in the company to Winsupply. Arnold Hardy, previously sales manager at Morgan Brothers, becomes president of the company, which will continue to do business as Morgan Brothers Supply. Hardy has 36 years of experience in the plumbing wholesale industry including his last 25 years at Morgan Brothers. He plans to purchase equity in the newly acquired company and share ownership with Winsupply Inc., the majority owner. "Morgan Brothers Supply has delivered sales growth that has easily exceeded the pace of overall economic growth in the highly attractive Florida market," said Monte Salsman, president of Winsupply Acquisitions Group. "The credit goes to the staff under Arnold who are highly-trained, knowledgeable and solutions-oriented people providing high levels of customer service. The leaders at each of their locations in Ocala, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Gainesville, Crystal River, Jacksonville and Orange City average nearly 20 years' experience each." Hardy said he welcomes the opportunity for ownership. "I look forward to the opportunity of working and growing with Winsupply and also the future of ownership and all that the company has to offer. Our employees are excited about the future with Winsupply and look forward to joining a company that will enable us to continue to grow and develop our company with tremendous buying power and the support of their new distribution center in Jacksonville." The company's legal name becomes Winsupply of Daytona Beach, FL Co., but will continue to do business as Morgan Brothers Supply. About Winsupply Inc. Winsupply Inc. ( www.winsupplyinc.com ) is a leading supplier of residential and commercial construction and industrial supplies and equipment headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. The privately-held company has more than 600 wholesaling locations in 45 states and offers entrepreneurs the unique opportunity to own a meaningful part of the local business. Collectively, Winsupply is known as "The Winsupply Family of Companies" and includes Win-branded locations, Noland Company, Carr Supply, Security Plumbing & Heating Supply, APCO, and other regional suppliers the company has acquired. In the family are companies conducting business-to-business wholesale distribution of supplies and equipment in plumbing and heating; hydronics; pipe, valves and fittings; HVAC and refrigeration; electrical; fastening hardware; waterworks and utility; pumps; turf irrigation and landscape; and fire system fabrication. Follow Winsupply on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Contact: Winsupply Maury Williams [email protected] 937-531-4554 SOURCE Winsupply Inc. Related Links https://www.winsupplyinc.com Joe Bidens disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses has rattled his donor base and lowered his cash reserves. In New Hampshire the next state to vote in the primaries to pick a Democratic Party candidate to run against President Donald Trump Mr Biden insisted he had a good night in Iowa. This was despite trailing the top moderate candidate, former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and the leading progressive, Bernie Sanders, according to initial returns from 62% of precincts. Mr Biden was running fourth, close to Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who just days ago polled in single digits. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg (Elise Amendola/AP) That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he will reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against Mr Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it is a reminder of how Mr Bidens previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa. If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt, said Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, Tennessee, who added that he had not even considered such a possibility before Mondays caucuses. Thats a bad night, no matter how you spin it. Most precarious for Mr Biden is that some of the would-be donors he could win over with a strong showing are giving new looks to Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor whose strategy of sitting out the four early nominating states is pegged to the possibility that Mr Biden falters. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (Mary Altaffer/AP) Mr Bloomberg, one of the worlds wealthiest men with a net worth approaching $60 billion, is not asking for money. He is simply looking for support that could cut off financial lifelines to Mr Biden, whose campaign reported just $9 million (6.9 million) cash on hand to start the year. That is money Mr Biden needs to remain competitive with Mr Buttigieg, as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mr Sanders, who have raised massive sums from small-dollar online contributors who have been far less generous to Mr Biden. Alex Sink, a Democratic donor who hosted Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, said many donors are holding back, waiting to see how Mr Biden does. They are also keeping an open mind about Mr Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Ms Sink last week to attend an event in Tampa. I was anxious to do it because, like so many others, Im curious and interested and worried about who our candidate will be and how we are going to beat Trump, she said. Most of my friends dont know yet who they are voting for. Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (Carlos Osorio/AP) Biden aides have said for months that he did not have to win in Iowa or on February 11 in New Hampshire because he was better positioned in Nevadas February 22 caucuses, South Carolinas February 29 primary and a slate of March 3 primaries with more than a third of the Democrats national delegates at stake on a single day. That never meant, however, that Mr Biden could sustain a bad showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The approach was also an expensive one, requiring deep campaign reserves to finance advertising and staffing in Nevada, South Carolina and delegate-rich states such as California and Texas. But Mr Buttigieg and Ms Klobuchar have their own challenges if they hope to displace Mr Biden as the presumed establishment favourite. Does (Joe Biden) have infrastructure in South Carolina to win four out of the seven congressional districts? They both have negligible support among non-whites and Ms Klobuchar especially has far more financial obstacles than Mr Biden. Clay Middleton, a South Carolina Democrat who worked for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Cory Bookers now-suspended presidential campaign, said that Iowa does not have to bury Mr Biden but that he and every other candidate faces a delicate path trying to amass delegates. The conditions are not the same now, Mr Middleton said, referring to when Mr Biden dropped his 2008 bid after Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses. But again, does he have infrastructure in South Carolina to win four out of the seven congressional districts, and does he have the infrastructure in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, as part of his Super Tuesday strategy? Thats the real test. 17-year-old Yan Cheng with cerebral palsy was left alone at home in Huanggang City, Hubei Province when his father was quarantined after showing symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus. The boy died from inadequate care a few days later. (China's Autistic Child Service Platform "Rice and Millet") Disabled Chinese Teen Dies Alone at Home Days After Father Is Quarantined A teenager with cerebral palsy was left alone at home in Huanggang City, Hubei Province when his father was quarantined after showing symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus. 17-year-old Yan Cheng died from inadequate care a few days later. Chengs father, 49-year-old Yan Xiaowen, developed a fever on Jan. 19. Local authorities took Yan and his younger son away to a designated clinic office for quarantine, leaving Cheng on his own without adequate care and supervision, according to a report by Chinas Autistic Child Service Platform Rice and Millet on Chinese social media. Huanggang is 46 miles away from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Yan is a native of Huanggang who has been working and living in Wuhan with his two sons in the past few years. Cheng was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age. Being mentally and physically disabled, Cheng had difficulty speaking and walking. He was confined to a wheelchair most of the time. His younger brother, 10-year-old Yan Hongwei, suffers from moderate autism. Their mother committed suicide when Hongwei was around one year old. Yan and his children went to Huanggang on Jan. 17 for the Chinese New Year holiday, and two days later, he developed a fever. Authorities suspected he may have contracted the novel coronavirus and on Jan. 24, they sent Yan and his younger son, Hongwei, to Apricot Blossom Village Clinic, a quarantine center. Then on Jan. 27, Yan was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Before Yan was quarantined, he tried his best to find a caregiver for Cheng. He got in touch with Snails Home, a charity group in Wuhan dedicated to helping the mentally disabled, and begged them to take care of his son who wasnt even able to eat or use the restroom without assistance. Snails Home then reported the case to the Hubei Association for the Disabled. According to Yan, Cheng was in normal condition and had no fever when they left him. But Snails Home couldnt send out help due to the city-wide lockdown in Wuhan, which prevented people from leaving the city. But they were able to alert officials at Yans home village of the boys situation. One official responded and told them that Cheng had a meal on the afternoon of Jan. 24, and ate a light meal on the evening of Jan. 26. On Jan. 27, an official of the village told Yan that they found someone who was willing to take care of Cheng. However, there were no protective suits in the village, and so the caregiver was too afraid to enter the house without protection. Cheng was all alone at home. In fact, throughout Huanggang, even county-level hospitals dont have protective suits. According to Chinese state media Yicai Media Group, doctors there use raincoats instead of medical protective suits to guard against the virus. Yan then sought help through social media by publishing an open letter on his blog on Jan. 28, asking for people to donate goggles, protective suits and N95 masks to help his family out. On that day, Cheng received two cups of nutrition drinks through the help of two village doctors. But when the boys aunt, Yans older sister who lives in a nearby village, went to visit him, she found the boy in very poor condition. She said she found him lying on a lounge chair, covered in filth. I wiped him clean and changed his adult diaper. With my help, he had half a glass of water and half a glass of rice, and then he stopped eating, she said. The next day, village officials notified the family of Chengs death. No information was given about the circumstances of his death. Yans blog article has been deleted by internet police. In addition, the WeChat report by Rice and Millet about Cheng was said to have violated WeChat public account rules and is forbidden to be shared. 'The prime minister bought spectacles from Germany to see the eclipse, but he cannot see that an eclipse has fallen on the country.' Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters The Indian Youth Congress has launched a nationwide campaign to press the government for a national register for the unemployed. They say unemployment is at its highest since Independence and that is what the government should be concentrating on instead of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Population Register. "We have to bring the topic back to jobs," Youth Congress President B V Srinivas tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar. You have put up a toll free number (8151994411) to which youth have to give a missed call. This will tell you that the person is unemployed. But how will you know their qualifications and what job they are looking for? This is for collecting data. Once we have sufficient numbers, we will be segregating them state-wise. Then our state units will be calling them or asking them through SMS about their qualifications and job needs. You want a National Register for the Unemployed. There is already an employment exchange in every district. You could tabulate the whole lot. We are doing that too. By state-wise and district-wise RTI we are gathering that information too. One by one, we are doing that too. This is not overnight work, we will be doing this over a year. Through the employment exchanges the government already knows the unemployment figures. How does your telling them help? The government knows, but they are not doing anything, that is why we are telling them. You have said that 36 youth commit suicide every day owing to unemployment. Do you have any statistics to support that? We have arrived at this figure from official data. Last year 10,000 farmers and 13,000 youth committed suicide. Why do you say 'Made in India' is the cause of a recession? We say that because till today no jobs have been created by 'Made in India'. That is only a slogan like 'Sitting India', 'Standing India' and 'Selling India'. There is no data on development. We have filed 250 RTI applications asking questions, we have not received any reply. The prime minister has travelled to so many countries, how much investment has come because of these visits? There is no survey to show us how much investment came in and how many jobs were created. There is only talk, no data! Instead of sending unemployment figures to the central government, how about giving them jobs in the Congress-ruled states? We are working on that too. But the central government has to help too. In rural India there is distress because instead of increasing funds for MGNREGA they have reduced it. In many places they have stopped it. Likewise in urban India there are no jobs. Basically, your National Register for the Unemployed is a reaction to the National Population Register, you are not really interested in providing jobs for the youth. Tell me, how many jobs will the CAA and NPR create? Just like Ghajini (from the Suriya-Aamir Khan films) who forgets everything, this is a Ghajini government. The prime minister says NPR will not be implemented nationwide, the home minister says it will be implemented. I don't know who is saying the truth. We have to bring the topic back to jobs. Instead of sitting down with school students and talking about exams, why not sit down with the unemployed and talk about jobs? The finance minister doesn't eat onions, we are fine with that. But she should not eat up the GDP, which is reducing. The prime minister bought spectacles from Germany to see the eclipse, but clouds came in the way. But he cannot see that an eclipse has fallen on the country. To see that, he needs to wear special spectacles. We are buying Rs 4 lakh spectacles from London and will send it to him. They have been elected to govern and they should do that. There are three crores (30 million) unemployed in rural India and five crores (50 million) youth unemployed in urban India. When there was a global recession (in 2008) Dr Manmohan Singh did not allow it to reach India. Do not sit on ego, we are here to help. The finance minister should sit down with Dr Manmohan Singh and seek his advice. We are here to do what is good for the nation. We should not allow ego to come in the way of helping the youth of the country. The sign was damaged on January 31 when the UK left the European Union (Picture: SWNS/Harbury News) Two road signs in a Warwickshire village were changed to remove the name of its twinned French town in what is being described as Brexit-related vandalism. The name of Samois-sur-Seine was painted over in the village of Harbury last Friday the day the UK officially left the EU. Villagers discovered the vandalism on Hillside and Bush Heath Road the following morning and have since removed the paint. A picture of the damaged sign was posted on the Harbury News Facebook page. Parish council chairman Tim Lockley said: There was clear Brexit-related intent to this. But even people who are in support of Brexit did not think this was an appropriate thing to do. One of the Harbury village signs after the paint was removed. (SWNS) The village of Harbury, Warwickshire. (SWNS) Mr Lockley added: There was anger because it makes Harbury look like a village where these kind of views are popular or common, which is not true at all. People have been universally critical of what happened Harbury has a great relationship with Samois-sur-Seine, which has gone on for more than 20 years. Where is Samois-sur-Seine located and when did it twin with Harbury? Twin towns have a legal or social partnership that is meant to improve understanding between cultures, trade and tourism. Harbury formed an agreement with Samois-sur-Seine more than 20 years ago. Samois is a small town located on the banks of the River Seine and is close to Paris. The French town has a population of just over 2,000 and is known for boat trips on the Seine, the Fontainebleau forest and food and wine. Lockley said: But while the act did not reflect well on Harbury, the response to it did. "We are not a small-minded and bigoted community at all we have a strong community spirit and 40 or 50 people each year take part in the twinning trips. "I can't see any other conclusion other than it was Brexit-related, otherwise the word Harbury would have been damaged as well, but it was only the bit related to twinning." READ MORE YAHOO UK NEWS HERE: Jailed bankers wife loses Court of Appeal challenge over UK's first 'McMafia' wealth order Story continues Student who exposed Britain's worst rapist says he should never see the light of day again' TV licence fee evasion could be decriminalised, says government in attack on BBC Resident Sheila Lloyd, 75, a retired factory machinist, added: "I don't know why anyone would do this. Its not that sort of village. "Most of us are proud of our association with Europe, even if we don't agree with the concept of the European Union itself." Warwickshire Police said they did not have a log for a complaint about the vandalism. Did you know you can save your preferences across all your digital devices and platforms simply by creating a profile? Would you like to get started? Yes, I'd like to register/log in Not right now No, never ask again Not pictured: Any actual dairy. Photo: Liz Clayman The first thing you notice about the gruyere is that it is overwhelmingly gentle. It is subtly sweet, but it is mellow. It is deeply creamy, but also strangely light, like the cows first moved to Silver Lake and started juicing. Figuratively speaking, it is more vibe than proper cheese. Literally speaking, though, it is also not a proper cheese, because this gruyere is made out of cauliflower. The same is true of the Camembert, which is also made with cauliflower, and the feta, which is modeled after a Danish cows-milk interpretation of the Grecian sheeps milk classic, but is somehow made out of hemp. Have you ever tried hemp milk? It does not taste like feta, Danish or otherwise. It is a magic trick, some sort of strange alchemy: these products look, feel, and taste like cheese thats made with some kind of milk; how else do you explain the melty smoothness? The company responsible for this unexpected advance in cheesemaking is called Grounded Foods, and you have almost certainly not yet heard of it, but New Yorks chefs are already trying to get their hands on it, and for the people who follow such things, its all very exciting. The not-cheese is the creation of Shaun Quade, who is himself a chef. As recently as 2018, he was a star in Melbourne, Australia, and his multi-sensory restaurant, Lume, was a molecular-gastronomy wonderland, where, for certain courses, hed sometimes have his guests donVR glasses. Quades kitchen made Darwinian Egg orbs out of chicken-leek puree and yolky shells. He fashioned celeriac (a root vegetable) into oysters (a bivalve mollusc). As a guest judge on the show MasterChef Australia, Quade once challenged three finalists to recreate a dish called Pearl on the Ocean Floor, a perfect sphere of savory pine-nut-and-miso ice cream encased in a shell of cocoa butter-coated sugar alcohol, which is then nestled on a bed of sea creatures. The recipe involves 150 steps and requires a power drill. The cauliflower cheese got its start at the restaurant, when Quades business partner and wife, Veronica Fil, strongly urged him to add a vegan tasting menu to attract more diners. He went a bit nuts with it, Fil says, because Shaun doesnt do anything by half. Vegan cooking gets an unfair reputation as being either precious or boring, but if you love the trickery of turning foods into other foods, cooking without meat offers a world of never-ending opportunity. I actually found it a lot more interesting working with vegetables and seeing what you can do with them, coaxing flavors out of what most people would see as like humble ingredients, says Quade, who is soft-spoken and startlingly unpretentious and seems vaguely embarrassed every time Fil praises him, which is all the time. Its just about understanding what each vegetable or fruit is made up from, and then just kind of manipulating it putting it through different processes without losing the integrity of what it actually is. This is how he made an oyster out of celeriac, and this is how he started manipulating vegetables into cheese. It is all part of the same ongoing experiment. You might be working on something, and then that turns into something else, and then it morphs again, he says. The problem with most vegan cheese on the market right now is not that its bad. A lot of it is fine, and some of it is actively delicious. It is amazing, what they do these days with cultured cashews! But there is, Quade argues, no plant-based iteration that captures the insidious magic of the real stuff. The word addictive gets used a lot to describe food that is merely very good, but the thing about cheese is that it actually might be. It triggers the same response that you have from smoking a cigarette, he says. Same thing with cheese. The terrifying beauty of dairy-based cheese is that you just keep wanting more of it, but even when a vegan cheese is excellent, it is usually possible to cut one piece and then stop. When Fil tried Quades version, though, she was pretty sure hed cracked it. Im like, hang on, whats in this? This is crazy. Do you understand what youve done? He did not. She did. This is the elegance of their partnership: there is someone to create the cheese, and someone to seize upon the cheese thats been created. Fil wants them to be the Apple of vegan food products, she tells me, the Steve Jobs to Quades Steve Wozniak. Quade is understandably vague about how he makes the cheese (except to say that it involves fermentation), but the fact that his cheese happened to be allergy-free unlike most vegan cheeses, it doesnt have soy or nuts made it even better. We can make something from this, Fil recalls thinking. This is actually a huge opportunity. The original idea was to use the cheese to support a new fine-dining venture theyd been planning in Los Angeles.Restaurants dont make money, Quade says, sounding tired. Especially now. But, Fil adds, the investors that we spoke to were like, The restaurant concept is interesting, but Ill give you $2 million straight away to buy the cheese company. For Quade, tabling the restaurant dream to build a fledgling plant-cheese empire was a harder sell. I think there were a few good months where I might have had some regrets, he says. But hed been working in fine dining for 20 years, working 80 or 100 hour weeks, and over time, it does start to take its toll. Grounded founders Shaun Quade and Veronica Fil; Grounded's brie, gruyere, and "Danish-style" feta. Liz Clayman. Grounded founders Shaun Quade and Veronica Fil; Grounded's brie, gruyere, and "Danish-style" feta. Liz Clayman. And then, last August, while Quade was in Los Angeles still negotiating with investors for the dream restaurant, Fil got the call: theyd been accepted into an accelerator program for promising food startups in Melbourne. Before it was even over, theyd been chosen for another: Big Idea Ventures, a program that has a particular interest in plant-based foods & ingredients, and cell-based meats. Two weeks after that, they landed in New York, and on the day I met with them, Quade had just been approved to sell the product in the US, which was a relief, because people want their cheese. You can kind of tell, a little bit, that its not like cheese, but its so similar I dont think it even matters, says Sam Lawrence, the chef de cuisine at Estela. And then, what makes it special on top of that is that in and of itself, its incredibly delicious. If everything goes according to plan, Groundeds cheese should pop up a small number of restaurants in the coming weeks, that kind of spots that align with Groundeds ethos, Estela among them. After that, theyll start selling directly to consumers, by mail. Eventually, the goal is to be everywhere: not only at high-end restaurants and ye olde Brooklyn specialty stores, but also in the cheese case at Gristedes. Quade and Fil are, in some ways, unlikely vegan cheese ambassadors, mostly because neither is vegan. In other ways, this makes them exceptionally well qualified: they have not forgotten what actual cheese-based cheese tastes like, and the way Fil tells it, there is no limit to what they might produce. Thirty cheeses, 40 cheeses. They are already developing a separate product line of less premium cheeses, including cauliflower-based versions of BabyBel and Velveeta. Whatever form it takes, Quade and Fil are adamant that they dont want people to think of it as cheese for vegans. It is partly a matter of artistic pride, but also pragmatism. People dont like being told how to eat, and besides, vegans already eat vegan cheese. Im way more interested in putting it in normal supermarkets, with the dairy cheese right next to it, Fil says, and actually challenging ourselves to be good enough that people will pick it because its tasty just choose it because it tastes good. Vietnam shipped 884.94 million USD worth of rice to the Philippines in 2019, a year-on-year rise of 92.58 percent, according to the General Department of Customs. Vietnam ships 884.94 million USD worth of rice to the Philippines in 2019, a year-on-year rise of 92.58 percent. In the year, total exports to the Philippines hit 3.72 billion USD, up 7.63 percent from 2018. Along with rice, eight goods items had their export value exceeding 100 million USD. Slight increase was seen in the shipment of computer, electronic products and components (up 1.88 percent to 189.68 million USD), coffee (up 9.4 percent to 173.59 million USD), seafood (up 1.94 percent to 120.19 million USD), and garment and textiles (up 3.53 percent to 115.12 million USD). Rice captured the lions share of exports to the Philippines, with revenue accounting for 23.73 percent of the total export revenue to the nation. Vietnams high quality rice has been present in 150 countries and territories around the world. Last year, the country experienced a fall in rice export value, with nearly 6.3 million tonnes worth 2.76 billion USD being shipped abroad, up 3 percent in volume but down 10 percent in value from the previous year. The main reason was the falling price in global market./.VNA Female scientist interested in rice varieties Dr. Pham Thi Thu Ha is one of three Vietnamese scientists to receive LOreal UNESCO for Women in Science Awards for her achievements and contributions to the community. Active Retirement Ireland and Age Action are calling on parties with ambition to be in Government to outline how they will ensure an all-of-Government approach to ageing. The campaign staged a photocall outside Leinster House criticising the poor level of engagement and awareness on issues of ageing in the election so far. They are asking politicians to seek the older persons vote with concrete commitments. Commenting today, CEO of Active Retirement Ireland Maureen Kavanagh, said: So far the general election debate has not meaningfully addressed the issues affecting older people. It is disappointing politicians have engaged in divisive rhetoric, pitching young people against older people. The unavoidable reality is the next government needs to get serious about providing for Irelands ageing population. This ultimately benefits all of society because everyone will want to be treated with dignity and respect and enjoy security as they grow older." As part of the Ageing Better campaign, we are calling for a dedicated Minister for Older People to be appointed who can be a strong voice for older people at the cabinet table. In the next 20 years, one in four people in Ireland will be over the age of 65. This highlights the need for the government to act now to ensure the supports and services older people require are properly resourced. As we head into the final week of the election it is critical that candidates take notice of older people and their needs. Also commenting today, Paddy Connolly CEO of Age Action, said: Older people want their voice at the decision-making table. Issues like health, housing, employment and transport are of particular concern for older people. We need politicians and a Government that can demonstrate they are listening to their concerns, and that can deliver a joined-up approach across Government Departments to plan for our ageing population. We can do ageing better, by involving people of all ages and at all stages in life. In planning for us all as we age, we can make Ireland a fairer place for older people now and into the future. Older people should reserve their vote for politicians who are committed to listening to them and to delivering in Government. The Ageing Better campaign has five main policy asks: Appoint a senior minister for older people; Indexing pension rates to 34% of average weekly earnings; Suspend the planned increase in the state pension age to 67 in 2021; Appoint a commissioner for ageing with statutory powers to support their mandate; and Take ambitious climate action consistent with climate justice to protect people and planet. Further information on the Ageing Better campaign is available at: https://activeirl.ie Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced the results of its fiscal first quarter after the market close on Tuesday, and there was plenty for investors to sink their teeth into. The company reported revenue of $20.86 billion, up 36% year over year, resulting in adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.53. Both figures topped analysts' consensus estimates, which called for revenue of $20.81 billion and EPS of $1.43. Keen interest in the top and bottom-line numbers was likely overshadowed by a number of details concerning other aspects of the company's quarterly report. There were plenty of surprises in the earnings release and the conference call that followed. Here are five of the biggest takeaways from Disney's results. Disney+ is a hit The long-awaited debut of Disney+ on Nov. 12 pushed the House of Mouse headlong into the streaming wars, resulting in 10 million subscribers by the end of its first day. The strong growth continued through the end of the year, and Disney+ boasted 26.5 million subscribers to close out the quarter -- and it didn't stop there. On the earnings call, CEO Bob Iger revealed that as of Monday, Feb. 3, that number had climbed to 28.6 million. Viewer numbers will continue to march higher as the service launches in Western Europe, arriving in the U.K. and Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria on March 24. In a surprise announcement, Iger said Disney+ would debut in India on March 29 through the company's Hotstar streaming service, which it acquired from 20th Century Fox. This will bring Disney+ to one of the most populous countries in the world, which is sure give the subscriber numbers a jolt. Hulu is going global Disney announced late last month that Hulu CEO Randy Freer would step down as the streaming service was integrated into Disney's direct-to-consumer and international business. Iger said that Hulu ended the quarter with 30.4 million subscribers, which climbed to 30.7 million by Monday. The service will get a boost with the addition of FX on Hulu, which will be available for free to subscribers and will make Hulu the exclusive home of all new FX programming. In response to an analyst question, Iger said that while the company will remain focused on the rollout of Disney+ through 2021, it is planning to begin Hulu's international expansion "probably in 2021 ... after the Disney+ launch" is complete. ESPN+ is piggybacking on the soaring growth of Disney+ The strong adoption of Disney+ isn't only benefiting the nascent service -- it's also driving demand for Hulu and ESPN+. During Disney's fourth-quarter conference call in early November, Iger said ESPN+ had grown to 3.5 million subscribers. That number soared to 6.6 million to close out the first quarter and jumped to 7.6 million this week -- adding four million subscribers in just three months. Another unexpected benefit is that the bundling of ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney+ has helped reduce churn rates while increasing conversion from free trials to paying customers -- both of which were better than Disney expected. Coronavirus is taking a toll Disney announced late last month that it had temporarily shuttered both the Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland Parks to help slow the spread of coronavirus, which has ravaged China and continues to spread worldwide. The outbreak is also hitting the results of a wide variety of businesses. On the conference call, CFO Christine McCarthy said the closures would "negatively impact second quarter and full-year results," as the parks "typically see strong attendance and occupancy levels due to the timing of the Chinese New Year holiday." Disney is currently estimating that the parks could stay closed for two months and is taking a charge to operating income of $135 million for Shanghai Disney and $40 million for Hong Kong Disney. Rise of the Resistance is boosting attendance After back-to-back quarters of year-over-year attendance declines and a full-year dip in guests, visits to Disney's theme parks have returned to growth, spurred higher by the latest Star Wars-themed attraction, Rise of the Resistance. The experience begins in line, immersing visitors in the narrative as they're captured by soldiers of the First Order -- and that's before the ride even begins. Attendance at Disney's domestic parks were up 2% year over year in the first quarter, while guest spending climbed 10%. Hotels also benefited, as reservations are currently tracking 4% higher and booked rates are pacing up about 10%, attracting a greater share of consumer discretionary spending. Claudio Bonadio, the federal judge who led a series of corruption investigations against former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner, died on Tuesday at the age of 64, sources close to him said. Bonadio, who rose to fame as the first judge to hear cases in which Kirchner was accused of graft, died at his home in Buenos Aires. He had undergone brain surgery last year and had recently requested his leave on health grounds be extended to March 1. "He worked a lot these last few years, we worked together for 20 years," Bonadio's secretary -- who was named only as Monica -- told TN television channel through sobs. The judge clashed repeatedly with Kirchner, who accused him of "political persecution" in favor of her successor as president, Mauricio Macri. Several times, Bonadio ordered Kirchner, who was president from 2007-15, be held in pre-trial detention, although she was spared jail by her parliamentary immunity. Bonadio was the first judge to preside over a case brought by late public prosecutor Alberto Nissman, who accused Kirchner of covering up Iranian involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that left 85 dead. Nissman, whose fate was brought to the wider world by a Netflix docuseries, died in 2015 from a gunshot wound to the head at his home in Buenos Aires. His death, which came just days he accused Kirchner of colluding with Iran to allow the alleged authors of the bombing to go free, remains unsolved. Argentina's leader Alberto Fernandez, who picked Kirchner as his vice president, says he doubts Nissman died by suicide, despite acknowledging "there isn't a shred of proof" that he was murdered. Another of Bonadio's most famous cases against Kirchner was the so-called corruption notebooks scandal. It revolves around meticulous records kept by a government chauffeur, Oscar Centeno, of cash bribes -- allegedly worth $160 million between 2005 and 2015 -- he is said to have delivered from businessmen to government officials. Kirchner used to call Bonadio the "gunslinger judge" in reference to a 2001 street robbery in which he shot dead two thieves. National Pension Fund, Mauritius; National Social Security Fund Uganda;, Debswana Pension Fund, Botswana; Telkom Retirement Fund, South Africa; Pencom, Nigeria; Eskom Pension and ProvidentFund, South Africa; Botswana Savings Bank Staff Pension Fund; National Social Security Authority (NCCA), Zimbabwe; FUNRECO, Madagascar; are some of the Pension Funds already confirmed to speak at the 4th Pension Funds and Alternative Investments Africa Conference, PIAfrica 2020, which will be taking place 19 20 March 2020 at the Intercontinental Mauritius Resort, Balaclava Fort. Deliberating under theme The developmental impact of Pension Funds allocating capital in a broad-based economy, participating Pension Funds will share their views on the current investment climate, the strategies to overcome existing challenges and the opportunities available to savvy investors. Traditionally bound by Regulations to invest in local fixed-income bonds, recent years have seen African governments easing Pension Funds access to other asset classes and offshore investing. Pension Funds represent a large part of the Africas assets, being estimated that the ten largest funds in the continent held a combined $310 billion USD in assets. However, with the low return environment that is being experienced globally, a completely new world is unfolding for Pension Funds that will require more adaptive investment, risk management and analysis. Funds can no longer afford to sit on large amounts of money but should instead deploy capital to invest in long term projects such as infrastructure, energy, real estate, and much more. Major Africa Pension Funds focusing on alternative investments will be discussing their projects and plan at PIAfrica 2020. During the two-day conference, Pension Funds looking for more diversification in offshore investment strategies will be given the keys to adapt their investments according to their environment. Key sessions will focus on strategies, offshore structures, African regulations, risk management, analysis and performance metrics. To shape the best alternative investments strategy, all stakeholders of the sector will be gathered at PIAfrica 2020 including leading pension funds, fund managers, asset managers and regulatory & administration heads. Pensions Funds and Alternative Investments Africa 2020 (PIAfrica2020) will bring together the following senior level executives and decision makers: Institutional investor, Pension Fund or Sovereign Wealth Fund Asset manager Private equity Alternative investment company active in Africa Legal or financial consultant and service providers Technology or advisory to PFs, SWFs Investment Funds, development bank The Key Strategic Partners of Pensions Funds and Alternative Investments Africa 2020 (PIAfrica2020) are: ABSA Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa) Blackrock TDB (Trade & Development Bank) ENKO Capital Riscura Capital Moravia Capital Investments LS Advisors Supporting institutions include: Economic Development Board Mauritius, SAVCA, African Private Equity& Venture Capital Association, Global Finance Mauritius, ABSIP, AMIO and PenOp. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Playboy model and 1979 centerfold Candace Collins Jordan says it was 'a thrill in every way' to return to the magazine at age 65, 40 years after she first posed in its pages. Jordan first joined the Playboy family as a Bunny in 1973, and went on to cover the magazine nine times in all, even moving into the Mansion with Hugh Hefner for a period. Then late last year, she was invited back for a special shoot spotlighting Playmates of every age and, she writes for the Huffington Post, it's been such a joy that she hopes to come back again when she's 80. Triumphant return: Playboy model and 1979 centerfold Candace Collins Jordan returned to the magazine for its Equality Issue in December 2019 Exciting! She said it was 'a thrill in every way' to return to the magazine at age 65, 40 years after she first posed in its pages Throwback: Jordan is pictured posing for the magazine's February 1979 cover Jordan was a Bunny at the St. Louis Club in 1973, eventually joined the club in Chicago, and was posing for the magazine before the decade was up. But her career with the publication lasted decades longer than she could have imagined. In December, Playboy launched The Equality Issue, with a 12-page spread called 'Once a Playmate, Always a Playmate' that featured five Playmates spanning decades, the oldest being 77-year old Victoria Valentino. Jordan, who never had qualms about posing nude, was excited when she was invited to be a part of the October 2019 shoot. 'Doing this shoot was a thrill in every way,' she said, 'although in the beginning, I was a little nervous considering the time span between my first shoots and the fact that I would now be shooting with other Playmates who were decades younger. Cheers! She posed with models of all ages, including 77-year-old Victoria Valentino (left) They're back! Other models included Renee Tenison, 51, Brande Roderick, 25, and Raquel Pomplun, 32 Bold: She admitted that ahead of the shoot, she was 'a little nervous' because 'I would now be shooting with other Playmates who were decades younger' Age is just a number: The magazine proclaimed that once a woman becomes a Playmate, she's always a Playmate 'Eventually, though, I realized I would be representing an age group that rarely gets this sort of recognition so I embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly.' Other models included Renee Tenison, 51, Brande Roderick, 25, and Raquel Pomplun, 32. Jordan was pictured lounging on an orange shag carpet in orange panties and nothing else, shielding herself on top with her arm. In another shot, she sipped a martini by the pool in a strapless top. 'I want to show women that beauty and sexuality have no limits,' she told the magazine at the time. They appear to have gotten the message. Jordan said that since the images hit the internet, she's had an 'outpouring of support.' Back in time: Jordan was a Bunny at the St. Louis Club in 1973, eventually joined the club in Chicago The man: She called parties at the Mansion while Hugh Hefner was alive 'thrilling beyond belief' 'Posing for the magazine was empowering because it gave me the confidence to be the woman I want to be,' she said 'I love the way the magazine is embracing diversity in every way and Im even happier to be a part of this new age for both women and Playboy,' she wrote for the Huffington Post. Jordan said that posing for Playboy opened up a new world for her, helping her leave her hometown and end up in Chicago, where she met her husband. She called parties at the Mansion while Hugh Hefner was alive 'thrilling beyond belief,' and insisted that posing nude made her the woman she wants to be. 'Posing for the magazine was empowering because it gave me the confidence to be the woman I want to be,' she said. 'Im proud of who I am and what I look like and, given the opportunity, I would pose again in a heartbeat. 'Im proud of who I am and what I look like and, given the opportunity, I would pose again in a heartbeat,' she added She said: 'I might not weigh 118 pounds like I did in my first pictorial, but Im honored to be able to represent women of a certain age and prove that you dont lose your sexuality after age 20' Jordan insists she has never felt objectified Return? It's been such a positive experience that she hopes that magazine will 'revisit' her one again when she's 80 'I might not weigh 118 pounds like I did in my first pictorial, but Im honored to be able to represent women of a certain age and prove that you dont lose your sexuality after age 20.' She admitted that she's had to bat off some women who think Playboy models are being objectified, something she doesn't agree with. 'I have never once felt objectified, but rather liberated and empowered. No one put a gun to my head and made me pose. It was my decision and I, honestly, I thought this was one of the tenets of the feminist movement too to be free to make your own choices,' she said. 'Playboy has taught me to stand up for myself in the face of adversity, be it from disgruntled so-called feminists or simply from those who disagree with my choices,' she added. It's been such a positive experience that she hopes that magazine will 'revisit' her one again when she's 80. The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Gyamfi, has called for the arrest of Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng. This follows a leaked video where the Minister and Central Regional Vice-Chairman of the NPP, Horace Ekow Ewusi were reportedly making some damning statements. Sammy Gyamfi, contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo' with host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Wednesday, said: "I am disappointed in Prof Frimpong BoatengI had respect for him because of his contribution to Ghana as a surgeon but hearing him on tape together with Ekow Ewusi; I am so disappointedis that how low we have sunk as a country. We handed over the fight against galamsey to you and this is what you do? Top government officials; so were the allowances not enough that you had to sell excavators? Why?" According to him, the blame should be placed at the doorsteps of President Akufo-Addo because had he 'cracked the whip' when Charles Bissue's case came up, it would have prevented others from also doing same. "I blame the Presidentwhy wont this be emboldened when the President is not cracking the whip? We are calling for the immediate dismissal and arrest of Prof Frimpong Boateng. This video is an open and shut case" BackgroundThis leaked video comes days after reports emerged that about 500 seized excavators by Operation Vanguard - an operational team made up of various security personnel purposely set up to clamp down on illegal mining - are missing.Prof Frimpong Boateng who is also the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed that most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished.He subsequently issued a letter directing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest and interrogate Ekow Ewusi after learning that he reportedly sold some of the confiscated items from illegal miners. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By Jonathan Young Thanks to modern mobile devices, near-ubiquitous internet connectivity, and a plethora of free social media and sharing applications, we can send photos to our families from across the world, video chat in real time with distant friends, and upload our voices to the ears of millions in less time than it takes to record ourselves in the first place. These tools can keep us closer together, but they can also help public safety officers and dispatchers save lives if those personnel have the technology. The sad reality in New Jersey is that because funding designated to improve and modernize 911 call centers has been continuously redirected to other programs, most public-safety answering points (PSAPs) statewide lack the ability to receive the same multimedia that we send to our friends and family instantly on iPhones and similar devices. This significantly impacts the response time of police, fire and EMS units, as well as their ability to collect accurate information as they respond to emergencies in a timely manner. This should be both surprising and alarming. Our PSAPs should be state-of-the-art facilities armed with top-of-line technology to keep our residents safe. Less than $100 can get you a prepaid phone capable of sending and receiving photos, videos and map locations. So, why cant our PSAPs do the same thing? When you call 911 in New Jersey, your call is immediately routed to the nearest PSAP, where a dispatcher receives the call and then corresponds with the appropriate authorities to assist you. These centers need to be maintained and constantly updated in order to keep up with changing technology, but the last time New Jerseys PSAPs received a major overhaul they were still using 1980s-era systems. In 2008, to remedy the growing disparity between consumer technology and what was available to PSAPs at the time, the state created a fund to support 911 services. A monthly surcharge of 90 cents was added to monthly bills of individual wireless and VoIP (Voice over IP network) subscribers. The public has been paying that surcharge every month for more than 11 years, bringing in approximately $120 million annually. However, each year, only a couple of million dollars is allocated to 911 service upgrades. Between 85 and 95% of the fees paid have been diverted into the state budgets general fund for some other unrelated purpose or purposes. Since the surtax was instituted, more than $1 billion of this revenue has been doled out for non-911 uses. In the meantime, county governments have had to do their best to keep up with upgrades. In the last five years, county governments spent more than $300 million to maintain facilities and make limited but crucial improvements. In Camden County, we have seen how critical it is to upgrade to Next Generation 911. In 2016, the county rolled out the first text-message-capable 911 system in the state. That system has saved lives, allowing individuals in dangerous situations to contact the police when talking aloud on the phone would have compromised their safety. Just imagine how many people we could help with the implementation of video and photo sharing, location data sharing and other modern upgrades. New Jersey has reached a critical moment as it pertains to the 911 fund, formally named the 9-1-1 System Emergency Response Trust Fund. Every day we are forced to rely on inferior technology, we are unable to serve the public to the best of our ability. The last two administrations have failed to respond appropriately to this issue, and even short-term corrections wont ensure that a future administration wont just cut the program again. That leaves New Jersey with just one option to ensure the funding collected from the wireless surcharge is spent as intended: a constitutional amendment. This issue must be brought directly to taxpayers and voters. A constitutional amendment that has been proposed if authorized by the Legislature and approved at the ballot box would prohibit future use of the fund for anything other than its intended purpose. In 2010, voters approved a similar measure to protect the state unemployment fund, which has since rebounded to a balance of $2.5 billion. New Jersey families should be able to rest assured that 911 will be ready to help them should they ever need to call, text or share information with dispatchers. Restoring funding and demanding that it not be used for other purposes would finally give us that peace of mind. Freeholder Jonathan Young has served on the Camden County Board of Freeholders for five years and is the liaison to the Department of Public Safety. Trumps previous annual addresses were relatively anodyne things: forward-looking, poetic, a world away from the typo-riddled, all-caps rage that constitutes his daily public addresses on Twitter. Republicans had been fretting that he would not restrain himself this time in the same chamber whose occupants impeached him weeks earlier. But Trump, like the impeached Bill Clinton before him, made no mention of the fact. He strode into the chamber directly past Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is presiding over his trial, and launched into the same themeless checklist of alleged accomplishments and airy promises that presidents have been soothing the nation with for decades. House to Vote on Bill Forcing Non-Union Members to Pay Union Dues WASHINGTONThe U.S. House of Representatives will vote this week on a sweeping bill backed by organized labor that would reverse so-called right-to-work laws in 27 states and require non-union workers in unionized professions to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Labor-related issues have been receiving attention lately as Democratic presidential candidates jockeying for support in primary season join striking workers on picket lines. Democratic lawmakers say the legislation, which is fiercely opposed by business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is needed to help workers. Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, which is headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, denounced the measure, which he described as horrific. It is Big Labors wish list going back to 1958, Mix told The Epoch Times. Ill take the AFL-CIO at their word when they said it was a litmus test for gaining their financial support. But the bills supporters said its long overdue. While the economy is working very well for the wealthy, the well-connected, and the massive corporationsits stagnating for everyone else, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said in a joint statement with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). From 1980 to 2014, wages for the bottom half of income earners grew by one percent, while wages for the top one percent of earners grew by 205 percent. This inequality, stagnation, and instability for so many is not a natural product of a functioning economy, it is the result of policy choices that have stripped workers of the power to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, benefits and working conditions. The pending legislation, known as H.R.2474, the proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act, will go to the House floor Feb. 6 for a vote, Mariel Saez, deputy communications director for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), told The Epoch Times. The measure would amend the National Labor Relations Act, undo states right-to-work laws against forced unionization, grant collective-bargaining rights to workers who dont currently have them, impose new penalties on companies violating labor laws, and undermine the Supreme Courts landmark 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, which threw a wrench in how unions finance their operations. In that decision, the high court held, among other things, that public workers have a constitutionally protected right to refuse to join or subsidize a union. The court also found, to use the words of Justice Samuel Alito, that compelling non-union workers to fork over union dues as an employment condition violates the free speech rights of nonmembers by compelling them to subsidize private speech on matters of substantial public concern. The Teamsters union called the Janus ruling an attack on working people orchestrated by anti-union lawyers and billionaires. The union recently described the ruling as an attempt to undercut the ability of public sector workers to join together and negotiate for better pay and benefits on the job. While we still believe the Supreme Court incorrectly ruled in the case and it should be overturned immediately, the Teamsters are proud of how our local unions have responded, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said in June 2019. The 9th Circuit did give unions a win in December when it ruled that government unions dont have to refund so-called agency fees to public employees who were forced to pay them before the Supreme Court struck down such mandatory dues as unconstitutional in the Janus decision, as The Epoch Times reported. As union membership continues a years-long slide in the current strong economy, organized labor is looking for ways to recover lost ground, and H.R.2474 would implement various changes that would make it easier for unions to organize and recruit new members. It would authorize so-called card-check elections that get rid of secret balloting when a workplace considers whether to unionize. It would also make employers provide union organizers with employee data such as work schedules and contact information. The legislation is similar to Californias AB5, an expansively pro-union bill that took effect this year. The state law was pushed by organized labor to crack down on the hard-to-unionize so-called gig economy represented by independent truckers and companies such as Uber and Lyft. Freelance writers complain theyve been thrown out of work as a result of the law, which puts pressure on them to join unions by limiting them to 35 written content submissions per year. Several legal challenges to AB5 are working their way through the courts. The National Right to Work Committees Mix said H.R.2474 should easily pass the Democrat-controlled House but not the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill is packed with organized labors key agenda items, Mix said. This bill has got it all, which is not a surprise, but the good news is everything like this is dead-on-arrival in the Senate and dead-on-arrival in the White House. PUNE: With fresh arrival of onion in the wholesale markets and a sharp drop in prices from Rs 150 per kg two months ago to Rs 15 per kg presently, the Maharashtra government has urged the Centre to lift the ban on onion exports and relax other curbs. The Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) and the state agriculture department have appealed to the Central government to lift the ban on onion exports and lower the Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onion. MSAMB managing director Sunil Pawar said, With the arrival of the new onion crop in large quantities, onion prices have started dropping in almost all the APMCs in Maharashtra. It is now certain that prices are not going to rise significantly and the chances of a crash in prices is quite high. Therefore, MSAMB has requested the central government to lift the ban on onion exports. The government had banned onion exports on September 29, 2019 when prices had touched a record high with decreasing arrival in the market. On September 13, the Minimum Export Price of onion was raised to US $850. Pawar said the MEP had been raised to discourage onion exports. We have requested the government to bring down the MEP to around US $650 as this will help boost exports and farmers will get better prices for their crop, he said. Onion is now selling in the wholesale markets at Rs15 per kg to Rs 18 per kg in almost all the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) in Maharashtra. In the retail markets, this essential commodity is selling in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg depending on the quality and size of the bulb. In the last six months, onion prices had crossed Rs 100 per kg resulting in a crisis. At the major onion trading centre at Lasalgaon in Nashik district, APMC director Jaydutta Holkar said, The prices of onion have seen a correction and have dropped significantly. Now there are no chances of a rise in prices. We have also appealed to the central government to lift the ban on onion exports. A prominent Pune trader and president of Pune APMC traders association, Vilas Bhujbal said, farmers have panicked over falling prices and are rushing their produce to the APMCs. Regina police have arrested four people involved in a labour dispute at the citys Co-op oil refinery. Police say four men from Saskatchewan face charges of mischief under $5,000 and disobeying a court order. Unifor says the accused are Local 594 members who were on a peaceful picket line at one of the refinery gates. Last month, officers arrested 14 union members, including Unifors national president, after access was blocked to the plant. More than 700 refinery workers were locked out in early December after the union issued a strike notice. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Federated Co-operatives Ltd. have called on union members to stop their blockade and for police to enforce a court order limiting how long they can delay refinery traffic. Moe said Monday that the blockade is illegal and restricting the flow of fuel to communities across the province. Negotiations between the company and the union had resumed last week but broke down Friday and Unifor re-erected its barricades. Unifor has said the company isnt bargaining in good faith and rejected a recent proposal that included $20 million in pension savings. Pensions are one of the key issues in the dispute. For Regina police to side with the employer and arrest lawful, picketing members is a disgrace and shows the unjust obstacles workers face simply to protect what they already have, Unifor president Jerry Dias said in a statement Wednesday. The four men arrested are to appear in court in March. New Delhi, Feb 5 : The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday detained a US national at Hyderabad airport and recovered US $ 55,000 (Rs 39.15 lakh) from his possession. The American national was identified as Tenneti Prabhakar Rao and the US currency was recovered from his hand baggage, CISF said. Rao was bound for Dubai by Emirates flight, CISF sources said. They said Rao could not produce valid documents. He was later handed over to Customs Officials for further investigation. Going independent may not make sense for every brokerage, but for the brokerages on the following pages, independence has been the key that has unlocked success that may not have otherwise been found within a network. For some, independence grants an opportunity to build a brand of their own, while others seek independence in order to service clients on their own terms. The opportunity to build and grown a stand-alone brand, internal processes, training and data management systems, were the reasons Adam Ross, president and principal broker of NuBorrow, sought independence. George Hugh, president and CEO of Taurus Mortgage Capital, sees the advantages of being independent as being able to build a brand and business model that benefits me. It has allowed me to create a business that is different from others in our approach and product offerings. Being independent also presents brokers the liberty to go outside-of-the-box when servicing their clients. [Dealing] with individual clients one-on-one and providing custom-tailored solution, are the key benefits for Kash Toor, president and broker of record at Mortgage Partners Corporation. With many challenges still present in todays market, including the B-20 rules, higher rates and more competition, being independent might appear to be more of a risk, but for these brokerages, without risk theres no reward. Some have found support while also keeping their freedom through the Coalition of Independent Mortgage Brokers of Canada (CIMBC), which offers support, training and education to independent brokerages around the nation. SiteLock named the preferred website security provider of largest European hosting provider SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SiteLock, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, today announced its partnership with IONOS, the largest Hosting Provider in Europe, serving 8 million customers and 12 million domains. Through this partnership, SiteLock will become the preferred website security provider for IONOS, offering industry-leading scanning and remediation solutions, as well as vulnerability patching and database remediation to their massive client base. Expanding its role as a trusted provider, IONOS will now offer SiteLock's customized risk score to its customers in addition to the company's award-winning website security solutions. Providing individual website risk scores will help educate customers on their risk of compromise and the critical importance of making proactive decisions about their security to prevent any business disruptions. Products will be available on an individual basis, as well as through packages designed to meet specific customer needs. "Cyberattacks continue to make headlines as bad actors become more sophisticated in their techniques. Proactive cybersecurity is essential to help prevent attacks before they happen," said IONOS CEO Achim Weiss. "By partnering with SiteLock, we have access to industry-leading technology that enables us to provide our customers with the highest level of threat protection, as well as a customized risk score that alerts them to potential threats or vulnerabilities within their websites. By providing this level of visibility, customers can be proactive and take action quickly, which vastly improves their security posture while optimizing business performance." The threat landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with attacks growing in volume and sophistication. In fact, the average website experiences a staggering 62 attacks per day, confirming the ongoing importance of proactive website security. Through this partnership, SiteLock and IONOS are able to provide industry-leading website security options at a greater scale than ever before - helping reduce security risks and proactively defend against cyber threats for businesses globally. "We are excited to expand our partnership with IONOS and become their preferred provider of website security solutions," said Tom Serani, Chief Channel Officer at SiteLock. "In the face of an ever-evolving threat landscape, today's web hosts require proven cybersecurity solutions that mitigate risk in order to stay competitive and drive new business. Working together, IONOS and SiteLock create a unique opportunity to provide innovative and proactive website security to an expanded channel of customers worldwide." Website security is in a period of hyper-growth. In fact, the global cybersecurity market size is forecasted to reach $248.26 billion by 2023. With more than 500 partners worldwide, SiteLock is dedicated to supporting partners to accelerate profitability and maximize opportunity through industry-leading website security solutions. For more information on partnership opportunities, visit here. About SiteLock SiteLock is a leader in comprehensive cybersecurity solutions for small and medium-sized organizations. Its cloud-based, enterprise-grade technologies and deep expertise give organizations of any size access to the same security capabilities the biggest companies use to protect their data, ensure secure communications and defend their websites. SiteLock offers effective, affordable and accessible solutions to automatically detect and fix threats, prevent future cyberattacks, enable unrestricted and safe communications, and meet compliance standards. Founded in 2008, the company protects more than 16 million organizations worldwide. For more information, please visit sitelock.com. About IONOS by 1&1 IONOS is a leading provider of cloud infrastructure, cloud services, and hosting with more than eight million customer contracts. The product portfolio offers everything that companies need to be successful in the cloud: from domains to classic websites and do-it-yourself solutions, from online marketing tools to full-fledged servers and IaaS solutions. The portfolio is aimed at freelancers, small businesses, and consumers as well as enterprise customers with complex IT requirements. IONOS was created in 2018 from the merger of 1&1 and IaaS provider ProfitBricks. IONOS is part of the listed United Internet AG (ISIN DE0005089031). The IONOS brand family includes STRATO, Arsys, Fasthosts, home.pl, InterNetX, SEDO, United Domains and World4You. Media Contact Kelsey Cheng 610-742-5239 kelsey.cheng@walksersand.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084974/SiteLock_Logo.jpg Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido on Wednesday visited the White House like a head of state, but President Donald Trump's impeachment drama overshadowed the moment. Guaido, who with US support has been seeking for more than a year to topple leftist president Nicolas Maduro, pulled up to the White House in a black SUV as Trump gave a thumbs-up sign to the cameras, in front of Marine sentries stationed at the doors. But the White House abruptly cancelled a press availability in the Oval Office, which had been scheduled to take place shortly before the Senate voted against removing Trump from office. While Trump's acquittal had been widely expected, he was deprived of a complete party-line vote when Republican Senator Mitt Romney revealed he would vote to convict the president. Despite Washington's focus on impeachment, which stemmed from Trump's pressure on Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political rival, Guaido appeared buoyed by the US support. Writing on Twitter after meeting earlier in the day with Vice President Mike Pence, Guaido said he was working together with the United States "for the freedom of Venezuela." "We appreciate the firm and clear fight from the US government together with the Venezuelan people and our region," Guaido tweeted. In a brief statement, the White House said the meeting "was a historic discussion about how we can work together with our partners in the region to achieve a democratic transition in Venezuela." Guaido, a 36-year-old engineer turned politician, is considered interim president by the United States and most other Western and Latin American nations. Maduro's re-election was marred by widely reported irregularities and he presides over a crumbling economy, with many Venezuelans struggling to find basic necessities and millions of people fleeing the country. But Guaido's efforts to oust Maduro through street protests have fizzled and US sanctions have failed to move the leftist leader, who still enjoys the support of his military as well as Russia and China. Trump -- who some observers had thought was no longer interested in Venezuela -- on Tuesday forcefully called for Maduro's ouster, during his annual State of the Union address to Congress. "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people," Trump said. "But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken," Trump said, introducing Guaido as one of the president's guests watching from the gallery. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, scoffed at recent commentary that Guaido "had gotten snubbed by President Trump," saying the Washington visit was designed to "put that narrative to rest once and for all." - 'Humiliating crumbs' - Venezuela's government lashed out both at Trump and Guaido, who has been allowed to move with relative freedom despite a travel ban and his seeking to overthrow the regime. In Caracas, Maduro called on the "honest sectors" in the United States to halt Trump's "interventionist, illegal and immoral" policies that are leading to a "high level conflict" against Venezuela. Trump has descended into "madness" with support from his "puppet" Guaido, Maduro said in a speech broadcast on radio and television. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza earlier told reporters that Trump "offends and disrespects the Venezuelan people by proffering violent threats against its integrity" and against the Maduro government. A separate government statement hit out at Guaido, denouncing the "shameful complicity of those dedicated to selling their homeland for humiliating crumbs tossed to them by their boss, Mr Trump." Guaido, who managed to unite Venezuela's fractious opposition, enjoyed wide applause when Trump introduced him before the US Congress -- a unifying moment in a highly partisan speech from which several Democrats walked out. But the top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said that Guaido's visit in fact showed the weakness of Trump's foreign policy, arguing that Maduro was more deeply entrenched than a year ago. "If the policy was working, Juan Guaido wouldn't be in the balcony here. He'd be in Venezuela," Schumer said. "He'd be sitting in the president's palace, or at least waging a fight to win." US President Donald Trump greets Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido at the White House Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido waves as he is acknowledged by US President Donald Trump during his the State of the Union address Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro still enjoys the support of his military as well as Russia and China St. Andrews-Sewanee School is launching a new tuition plan to make boarding school more affordable for families, said officials. Moving into the 2020-2021 school year, students from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia will qualify for the Mountain Tuition rate of $43,000, making SAS one of the most affordable boarding schools in the Appalachian states, said officials. The base domestic boarding rate is being reduced from $50,400 to $49,980. For years, the growth in boarding school tuition has outpaced family incomes, said SAS Head of School Karl Sjolund. While the cost of providing such personalized and high-quality instruction is high, we recognize that our families are also having to save for college tuition. Our hope is that this tuition reset will help to alleviate some of that pain. The school will continue to provide financial aid for qualifying families. This year, it awarded nearly $2.3 million in aid with approximately 62 percent of students receiving some assistance. The schools Claiborne Scholars program provides merit aid for students who demonstrate academic prowess and leadership potential. The Hubbard Scholarship provides full tuition for qualifying students from Shelby County (Memphis). Special scholarships are also available for students whose parents are Episcopal employees and/or seminarians. When the Brothers of the Order of the Holy Cross founded St. Andrews School on this campus, their desire was to provide an education for the barefoot boys of Appalachia, said Mr. Sjolund. We have remained committed to the spirit of that mission while recognizing that the labor of talented and dedicated individuals, small class sizes, and a wide array of enrichment opportunities are expensive endeavors. We are committed to increasing affordability through lower tuition and a continued commitment to generous financial aid. St. Andrews-Sewanee School currently enrolls 240 students in grades 6-12 from 13 states and 12 countries. Eighty-seven percent of the students are from states that make up the Appalachian region. The schools graduates matriculate to colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Vanderbilt, Wellesley, and New York University. Thanks to a historic relationship with the University of the South (Sewanee), qualified SAS students may take classes for free and for credit at the University. Director of Admission Derek Perkins said he is excited about the new program. At SAS, we say You belong here. It is a reflection of our welcoming community. By holding our tuition costs down, we hope to expand the population of families whom we can welcome here. SAS parents see their children transformed by a school culture that challenges students to fulfill their greatest potential while cultivating lives of balance and joy. Is there any investment more important than our childrens futures? St. Andrews-Sewanee School is currently accepting applications for August 2020 enrollment. The schools next Admission Shadow Day is Monday, Feb. 17. For more information, go to sasweb.org/admission. Global Capital markets on Tuesday further voted confidence in the Ghanaian Economy with a five times over-subscription of the countries 3 Billion USD Eurobond sale at very low rates comparatively. While Ghana went to the Markets to raise 3b USD, investors responded with a 15b USD offer for Ghanas new coupon rates. Market watchers were initially worried Ghana may achieve little success in trading the new bonds at rates cheaper than the 7.88% and 8.13% of last year for 7 and 12 year bonds, the West African country further surprised watchers by pulling off 6.375% and 7.875% for 7 and 15year bonds respectively. Additionally, Ghana sold a 41 year bond at a coupon of 8.875%, this will be the longest dated bond for an African Country. In 2019 the country sold a 31year bond at 8.95%. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, who led Ghanas team commented that the lower rates reflected Ghanas further reduced risk premium demanded by the capital markets as a result of the consistently improving economic conditions. He further commented that the five times over subscription for the bonds represents very buoyant confidence in Ghanas medium to long term economic growth prospects especially given the wider turbulence in the international capital markets due to the ongoing corona virus epidemic . Earlier in the week, Ghanas currency had been adjudged the best performing currency while its central bank had also been adjudged the best performing African central bank. A week earlier global ratings agency Moodys had reviewed Ghanas ratings outlook from stable to positive, coinciding with the appreciation of the cedi within the first quarter of 2020. The new managers of the Ghanaian economy who took over in 2017, say the proceeds will mostly be injected into infrastructure, energy and initiatives that deliver more growth, jobs and incomes to the Ghanaian people. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) president Birinder Singh Dhillon on Wednesday demanded strict action against school authorities at Sarvhitkari Vidya Mandir, Dhanaula, in Sangrur for taking signatures of students on banners supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on January 15, 2020, without the consent of parents of students. The school is aided by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Dhillon said the RSS would not be allowed to pollute innocent minds. He added that the PYC would take up the matter with the chief minister seeking to cancel affiliation of schools, implementing the agenda of the RSS. It is a serious matter and the Youth Congress would take the matter to its logical conclusion, he added. This is the moment a police officer risked his life to kneel down and look at what appeared to be a suicide vest on the Streatham terrorist's body. The Scotland Yard detective would have been unsure whether the vest being worn by attacker Sudesh Amman on Sunday afternoon was a fake or could explode. The new photographs show Amman having already been shot by armed police in South London after stealing a knife from a shop and stabbing two people. The vest was later established to be fake - part of a growing trend seeing terrorists using a method dubbed 'suicide by cop' as they try to achieve supposed martyrdom. A police officer kneels down and looks at what appeared to be a suicide vest on Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman's body during the dramatic incident on Sunday afternoon Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee today (pictured) that paramedics could get specialist training for terror scenes He had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his term less than a fortnight ago. The picture was revealed as Britain's most senior police officer said paramedics could get specialist training to enable them to enter dangerous terror scenes. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick defended her officers' response after paramedics were delayed from getting to the scene for their own safety. The first London Ambulance Servce medic arrived within four minutes, but they were held at a 'rendezvous point' until police confirmed it was safe to approach. Armed police shot dead terrorist Sudesh Amman in Streatham, South London, on Sunday Miss Dick added that Amman managed to stab two people while under surveillance because the operations are not 'man-to-man marking'. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police on Streatham High Road on Sunday She told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that a time delay in responding would be 'inevitable' if someone did something 'totally unexpectedly'. Amman, from Harrow, North West London, was put under 24-hour police surveillance on his release, and sources have said he was an 'extremely concerning individual'. Dame Cressida gave evidence to the assembly today about general tactics used by counter-terror police. She said: 'They are conducting covert surveillance, so they are not of course providing man-to-man marking. 'They are there covertly and that is a deliberate thing. It is inevitable that there could be a time delay before somebody totally unexpectedly does something.' Up to 20 officers would have been involved in watching Amman. Dame Cressida added: 'I wish I could assure the public that everybody who poses a risk on the streets could be subject to some sort of thing that would stop them being able to stab anybody ever, but it is clearly not possible.' A team of 75 officers is working to gather evidence for the coroner about Amman's rampage. Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is also investigating how he came to be fatally shot, as is standard when any police operation ends in a death. Police investigate at the scene on Monday following the terror attack in Streatham on Sunday The Government is pressing ahead with plans for emergency laws to keep terrorists behind bars for longer, by ending automatic release halfway through a sentence. There are 224 terrorists in prison in Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September. As many as 50 terrorists could be freed from jail this year, figures suggest. On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said emergency legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release, at which point their case would be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists at the Parole Board. Asked about the proposals, Dame Cressida said: 'If there are to be changes to the sentencing regime, the one thing we would be asking for, I think, is that people should still be released as they are under the current regime under strong conditions, licence conditions.' A mother today spoke of her relief that her son was heading home from China after the UK Government advised Britons to leave the country. Caroline Moss, 54, said her son Matthew Charlton, 30, has been teaching English to primary school students in Shanghai for five years. He paid 500 for an Air China flight home and is due to arrive into Gatwick at around 6am tomorrow. Mrs Moss, from Leicestershire, told the Standard: He was reluctant to come back. He feels as though, from what hes seen in the way its being handled there, theyre taking it very seriously. Theyve put in a massive amount of precautionary measures. She added: Its just the relief of knowing that hes coming home. Were all hoping that it is short-lived and that he can get back out there. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday urged around 30,000 British nationals to get out now. The UK Government is due to charter a plane from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, on Sunday. So far, 94 UK nationals and family members have been evacuated on two flights from Wuhan.